US Showdown with China? Israel? Faber: Time to Ditch US Treasuries

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Showdown Between China and the US?
Israeli envoy sees "historic crisis" with U.S.: report
Faber: Time To Ditch U.S. Treasuries
Credit Agency Warns U.S. and Others of Risk to Top Rating
Saving U.S. Water and Sewer Systems Would Be Costly
California's public schools send out 22,000 pink slips - from Rice Farmer
Motorists 'mugged' as petrol to hit £5.41 a gallon
Nigeria is falling apart, says Nobel prize-winning author
Venezuela draws up food plan amid energy crisis
China delivers Venezuela jets for anti-drugs fight
Lula Nodding to Iran Shows Brazil Empowered as Confusion With Chavez Grows
Final Destination Iran? - from Rice Farmer)
Matthew Simmons' Awesome Presentation On The Coming Oil & Water Shortage - from Rice Farmer

Big Brother
Pentagon ran secret spy network
Pentagon to build $400 million spy blimp
Pakistan disbands spy unit linked to terrorists
To Stop Crime, Share Your Genes
"President Obama wants to get DNA profiles from people arrested. A fairer way to compile a national database is to get samples from all Americans."

Energy
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Deep water oil.
MPs accused of funding tar sands
Rising energy costs fuel a return to heating homes with a fire
Chile Says Blackout May Reoccur as Cuts Leave 80% Without Power

Economy
The Fed’s Responsibility
The Federal Reserve’s draft of rules intended to stop the credit card industry from bleeding customers dry is disturbingly weak.
Obama's $3 Trillion Tax Increase; IRS To Track PayPal Transactions; Toledo Ohio Fiscal Emergency; Obama's Utopian Education Goals
Two Sets of MD Pension Books: One with Real Salaries, the other Includes What Government Documents Refer to as "Phantom" Cost-of-Living Adjustments
Greece Bailout Ping-Pong, No Deal Underway; Pension Promises Add To Greek Debt Woes; How Does Greece Compare To US?
Stimulus About To Wither On Vine; A look At February Retail Sales
An Enron for Ernst & Young?
Report could lead to criminal charges
Lehman manipulation not unusual?
Loan squeeze thwarts small business survival Wall Street Journal
The Mayor Of Detroit’s Radical Plan To Bulldoze One Quarter Of The City - from Elizabeth Miller
Will Liberal Hero Dennis Kucinich Ultimately Be The Killer Of Healthcare Reform?

Environment/Science
Climate snapshot reveals things are heating up
Chinese Trash Data Paints A Far Dirtier Picture Than The Government Presents
Stopping the Ug99 Fungus Before Its Spores Bring Starvation
Humans 'could regrow body parts'

And...
People in power make better liars, study shows

Hoax Attacks in Georgia, UK; Is LA Doomed?

From Jenna Orkin

Economy/US
Why the "recovery" is a head-fake and we're headed for a double-dip
U.S. sales tax rates hit record high
Is LA Doomed?
War Porn (Drones)
China to place US high-speed rail bids
China plans to bid for contracts to build US high-speed train lines and is stepping up exports of rail technology to Europe and Latin America, a government official said on Saturday.
Justice Department’s witch hunt backfires in US
Liz Cheney, daughter of former US vice president Dick Cheney, has come under fire from left and right for orchestrating the campaign questioning the patriotism and loyalty of Department of Justice lawyers who represented terror suspects in private practice before they joined the agency.

…Even Kenneth Starr, who led the impeachment proceedings against then US president Bill Clinton in 1998, joined the group in rebuking Cheney.

World
Georgia invaded? Hoax report causes panic
England nuke drill mistaken for attack
Plans for abolition of House of Lords to be unveiled
Is China actually bankrupt? (from Rice Farmer)
"The nation has erected a complex system for magically making its debts disappear, but a look up China's sleeve shows that its IOUs may equal its GDP."
Hugo Chavez Wants Control Over the Internet
Venezuela seizes 2 tons of cocaine hidden at port
US-Israeli rift widens
Tony Blair is preparing to launch a "faith offensive" across the United States over the next year
Thousands of protesters call for Thai elections

Environment/Science
Haiti's Next Disaster Looms
Only weeks after the country was hit by an earthquake, Haiti is threatened by the next potential calamity. The upcoming rainy season could turn overcrowded refugee camps into hotbeds of disease
Strong earthquake rocks central Japan
IVF doctors to raffle human egg
The winner of the commercial venture will be able to pick the egg donor by racial background, upbringing and education
Scientists identify opium genes
Discovery raises possibility of manufacturing painkillers cheaply using microbes rather than fields
Monsanto May Have Antitrust Edge as Protecting Patents Trumps Competition
Honey bees secret world of heat revealed
Greener Coal Ash
...Dominion Generation, for example, reprocesses its ash at plant to mix into cement. This is a good approach because it chemically locks up many of the most offending agents in the coal ash and also because it substantially lowers the amount of energy needed to make new cement.
"Dominion wants its reprocessing of coal-ash to generate credits for carbon-emissions reduction, which it hopes to use in the Northeast’s carbon-reduction scheme, called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. But the Conservation Law Foundation, a Northeast environmental group, rejects this idea, saying that the carbon-reduction benefits of using coal-ash to reduce emissions from cement production are questionable.
http://calstarproducts.com/sustainability

Terror
Second Jihad Jane
Not one but two! So it's not just an anomaly, see.
Did the CIA Test LSD in the New York City Subway?
“The CIA itself was created and initially composed of wealthy men who came from Wall Street and New York City law firms.”

URGENT – 9/11 HEALTH CARE IS ON THE LINE NEXT TUESDAY
(from 9/11 Environmental Action)

On Tuesday, March 16th at 10am the 9/11 Health legislation will be voted on in the House Health Subcommittee at a meeting called a “markup.”

In the next few days before this critical vote, we need to do everything we can to ensure that the legislation passes with a guarantee of care for affected community members as well as the responders, and that the Survivor Program (which treats residents, area workers and students affected by 9/11) remains INTACT without being harmed by hostile amendments that could result in damaging cuts.

We believe it is ESSENTIAL for every member on the House Health Subcommittee to hear from THEIR CONSTITUENTS, the people who live in their districts, on the need for them to support these key aspects of the bill. We are attaching a spreadsheet with contact information for the entire Subcommittee, including the names of major cities that lie within their districts.
In particular, we have highlighted five Democrats who sit on the House Health Subcommittee and especially need to hear from their constituents. We have listed them below along with counties their districts, and their Washington DC office phone numbers.

How is this going to be accomplished??

We need you to reach out to any family and friends you may have who live in the districts of these congressmen. Ask them please to make a call on MONDAY March 15th to urge their representative to do the right thing on Tuesday, March 16th.

Since time is short, you may want to just phone your friends/family/contacts, but below, we provide a model for a “Dear Friends” letter you can paste into an email, along with a brief sample message for your contacts to use when they call their Representative.

***If you have friends or relatives who live in these congressional districts and you do only one thing to make sure the 9/11 health bill passes intact, this should be it:***

Here are the 5 Representatives who especially need calls:

Bart Gordon (D-Tennessee) Gordon’s district includes these counties in Tennessee-- Bedford, Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Jackson, Macon, Marshall, Overton, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale and Wilson (including these cities - Murfreesboro, Gallatin, and Cookville). His Washington DC office number is 202-225-4231.

Mike Ross (D-Arkansas) Ross’s district in Arkansas includes the counties of Logan, Polk, Montgomery, Garland, Hot Spring, Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Desha, Pike, Howard, Clark, Dallas, Cleveland, Lincoln, Drew, Chicot, Ashley, Drew, Bradley, Calhoun, Union, Columbia, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Sevier, Nevada, Hempstead and Quachita (including the cities of Pine Bluff, Prescott, Hot Springs, Camden, Warren, Hope, El Dorado). His Washington DC office number is 202-225-3772.

Jim Matheson (D-Utah) Matheson’s district in Utah includes Carbon, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Kane, Plute, Salt Lake, San Juan, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington and Wayne counties (including the cities of Salt Lake City, , South Salt Lake, Alpine, Highland, Lehi, Sandy, Murray, Midvale, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Alta, Cedar, Hurricane, Blanding, St George and Price). His Washington DC phone number is 202-225-3011.
Zachary Space (D-Ohio) Space’s Ohio district includes the counties of Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Knox, Licking, Morgan, Muskingum, Ross, Tuscarawas, and Vinton (including the cities of Dover, Zanesville and Chillicothe). His Washington DC office number is 202- 225-6265

Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) Braley’s Iowa district includes the counties of Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Jackson, Jones and Scott (including the cities of Waterloo, Davenport, Dubuque and Cedar Falls). His Washington DC office number is 202-225-2911.

Here is the “Dear Friends” letter:

Dear Friends,

I am writing to you to ask for your help in ensuring passage of a bill that will protect the health of tens of thousands of people, both in New York City and around the country.

As you know, 9/11 was an attack on our nation that killed nearly 3000. What you may not know is that thousands of people are now sick as a result of 9/11 from breathing toxic fumes and dust that resulted from the collapse and burning of the Twin Towers. Some of those people were the brave responders who engaged in rescue and recovery operations and some were people who lived, worked or attended school in the densely populated area around the WTC, the civilians targeted by terrorism.

This Tuesday, March 16th, H.R. 847, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act will come up for a vote in the Health Subcommittee of the House of Representatives. If your representative is one of the following -- Bart Gordon, Mike Ross, Jim Matheson, Zachary Space, Bruce Braley – it’s very important that he hear from you. I am appealing to you to call him at his Washington DC office on Monday and urge him to give his full support to the bill.

Thank you so much for your much-needed help. If you want to call me for further details I can be reached at (your phone number).

Best,

(your name)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a sample message for your contacts to use in calling their Congressman:

Hello, I’m (your name). I live at (give your address and zip code)

I am calling to urge Congressman____ to give his full support to HR 847, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. This bill will provide a guarantee of treatment for 9/11 related illnesses to survivors of the 9/11 attacks -- downtown Manhattan residents, students and local workers, as well as to the brave responders who came to the rescue.

I especially urge you to oppose any amendments that would eliminate, diminish or otherwise harm the Survivor Program. 9/11 was an attack on our nation. Those who were directly harmed as a result of the 9/11 attack deserve the right kind of medical help, help that this bill will provide. Thank you

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have family or friends who live in Illinois in the district of Republican John Shimkus, they should call to give him a big Thank You for doing the right thing! He is supporting the bill, the guarantee of care and the Survivor Program, intact, without damaging cuts. Ask his constituents to call him at 202 225-5271. His district includes the cities of Springfield, Centralia, Harrisburg, Collinsville and Olney

The other Republican supporting the bill needs to hear from constituents that the guarantee of care is essential to both responders and survivors and that the survivor program is critical to the health of the people who lived, worked and attended school in the vicinity of the World Trade Center. He is Mike Rogers (R-Michigan). Please direct any one you know who is a constituent of his to call him at 202 225-4872 His district includes the counties of Clinton, Ingham, Livingston, parts of Oakland, Shiawassee, (including the cities of Lansing, East Lansing, Dansville, Webberville)

If additional details would be helpful, please see the attached pdf document with the recent 9/11 health resolutions passed by all three Lower Manhattan Community Boards.

May all our hard work pay off on Tuesday!

And...
An Incurious Man: Aaronovitch's Voodoo Histories

Exxon's Growing Reliance on Expensive Oil; Chinese Granny Buried Alive By Property Developers

Jenna Orkin

To respond to Eyeballs' comment on the settlement of the lawsuit by Ground Zero workers (Friday's post):

It's not just that the US government lied, allowing hundreds of thousands to get sick of whom hundreds have already died. The way the envirodisaster of 9/11 was handled was intended to upend Standard Operating Procedure and replace it with a new precedent.

Prior to 9/11, cleanup after an environmental disaster proceeded according to representative testing in concentric circles radiating from Ground Zero. If wind conditions generated more contamination north of the site, say, you'd focus your cleanup more in that direction.

How much would you clean up? The standard was: Enough so that only one person in a million would get cancer from the toxic substance involved.

After 9/11, the representative testing for which Congressman Nadler and a few of us in the community fought 24/7 went out the window. And the one in a million cancer risk was replaced by a one in ten thousand cancer risk per contaminant. That's a hundred times the previous standard. A Sierra Club report cites over 2000 contaminants released by the collapse of the towers and subsequent fires. But as more than 85,000 known chemicals are manufactured in this country, the real figure is likely much higher. However, even sticking to the conservative 2000 figure, given a one in ten thousand cancer risk per contaminant, we face, over all, a one in five cancer risk resulting from the disaster alone.

That's not taking into account the additive effects of these toxic substances (which the EPA never considered,) much less their synergistic effects about which little is known. However, a Mount Sinai study showed that someone who is both a smoker and an asbestos worker doesn't simply have twice the cancer risk of someone who is one but not the other; the risk is eighty or ninety times as bad.

But even disregarding those realities, 9/11 changed the precedent to allow a hundred times more cancers (per contaminant) than had previously been tolerated.

This becomes significant if we ever have to deal with a dirty bomb. For the EPA has explicitly stated that if such a device is found in a suburban mall, for instance, far from a densely populated area, they'll clean up with their former rigor. But where an area is important to the economy, a cancer risk a hundred times greater than was previously tolerated will be permitted. Never mind that economically significant areas also tend to be more densely populated. The policy lays out in the starkest terms that economic interests trump public health.


Quote of the day:
Professors Rogoff and Reinhart show that when external debt passes 73% of GDP or 239% of exports, the result is default, hyperinflation, or both. IMF data show the US already too far gone on both scores, with external debt at 96% of GDP and 748% of exports.

The rioters can go home, in other words. The system will collapse on its own. Lehman balance sheet massaging may not be unusual

Economy
Could Lehman be Ernst & Young's Enron?
96% Icelanders Vote Against Tax to Repay Foreigners
Australian Gov't Wrests Healthcare from States

Intelligence
EU Tobin Tax (Across Borders) ID Cards for Workers
Senate Warns Employees To Avoid Drudge Report
Chinese Granny Buried Alive by Property Developers
A kinder, gentler empire than this one on the horizon?
The Debate Over German Security Policies
Two decades after reunification, the German decision to call in a NATO air strike on fuel trucks in the Kunduz province of Afghanistan is a test of Germany's maturity. But even the handling of this incident has already turned a harsh spotlight on the shortcomings of Berlins security policy.
'The Church Is Not a Criminal Organization'
Shades of, "I am not a crook."

Energy/Health
Exxon's growing reliance on expensive oil ‎
China looks to 'combustible ice' as a fuel source ‎
Wind resistance: Analysis suggests generating electricity from large scale wind farms could influence climate
Tuberculosis strikes hard among Canada's Inuit
Tuberculosis is ravaging Canada's Arctic with infections among Inuit peoples doubling since 2004 and rates now 185 times higher than non-natives, an indigenous group said Wednesday.

And...
Zebra cleans hippopotamus's teeth

China's Oil Demand Rose 28% Year on Year in January

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines/Economy
Greek riots turn really nasty
Half of Kansas City’s schools to close by fall
JO: So does that mean 50% less creationism-science?

Olentangy responds: The Kansas City that is closing half of its schools is tne one in Missouri, not Kansas. The idiots that mandated the creationism curriculum were in rural Kansas. Get your facts right before making a stupid joke.

JO: Right. I forgot we weren't in Kansas anymore. But the comment was so good, I've decided to promote it rather than erase the original whopper.

Why Lehman collapsed
$38m report finds Citigroup and JP Morgan may have played a part.
Here's How The US And China Are Fudging The Numbers Just Like Lehman
New wave of foreclosures threatens market
Government workers feel no economic pain
February Payrolls: It's the Economy, Not the Weather
Morgenson on Municipalities’ Swap Fiascoes
‘Swap Tango’ – A Derivative Regulation Dance
UK debt crisis fears
The Misleading Political Calm in Turkey

Resources
Grappling with resource nationalism
China eyes South African mines
China's oil demand increase 'astonishing', says IEA
Rose 28% YOY in January. Is that why China February M2 Money Supply Up 25.5% On Year Vs. 26% Increase?
Shell confirms it stopped selling gasoline to Iran
from Barry Silverthorn, Director of The End of Suburbia, who comments:

Is this because they are bowing to political pressure from the US? Or is it because they expect war in Iraq and don't want to lose assets? I doubt that it is because the corporation feels some kind of social responsibility to make the world a better place.

According to the Globe & Mail, "The company declined to comment on whether it would divest itself of its holdings in Iran."

Iran has little capacity to refine its own gasoline.
IEA Raises 2010 Oil Demand Estimate on Developing Economies ‎
Germany Looks to Play Catch-Up in South America

Intelligence/Terror/Big Brother
Feds: TSA Worker Tried to Sabotage Terror Database
Al-Qaida suspect worked at nuclear plants
French bread spiked with LSD in CIA experiment
Telepathic computer can read your mind
US city schools locked down after Australia online threat
Ban salt to save lives, restaurants in New York told

Environment
Firms found to hoard carbon emission permits
Monsanto May Have Antitrust Edge as Protecting Patents Trumps Competition
NYC Settle Post-9/11 Illness, Injury Claims
JO comment:

The settlement is for $657 million for 10,000 plaintiffs. Up to a third of that will go towards legal fees. That leaves approximately $45,000 per sick, dying or dead person. $22 billion was originally promised by President Bush to Ground Zero. So the heroes of the site got 2/1000000 of that money or one five-hundred thousandth. As a group, they got less than 4%.

Look on the bright side: That's more than some people are going to get when the dollar gets whisked off into hyperinflation. Also it's more than we got in the residents' lawsuit, in which I represented the areas beyond Ground Zero that were potentially contaminated. That suit got a resoundingly pro-the-people decision in the Lower Court. At the appeals level, the judge acknowledged that the government had lied but said, in essence, that if we punished them for doing so, the next time there was a disaster, they might be afraid to open their mouths at all.

There's a clinic for residents, office workers and students affected by the disaster but I've never come across any treatment they offer besides steroids.

And...
Vatican's Exorcist

China February M2 Money Supply Up 25.5%

From Jenna Orkin

US/Economy
China February M2 Money Supply Up 25.5% On Year Vs. 26% Increase
U.S. Posts Record Budget Deficit of $221 Billion - from Rice Farmer
Senate passes $149 bln for jobless aid, tax breaks
Jobless Rate Rose in 30 States In January, Five Hit Records
Unemployment Rate up in 30 States, Down in 9; Manufacturing States Benefit Most
States, Cities Likely To Slash Jobs As Stimulus Ends
Democrats To Unveil New $100 Billion Jobs Bill That Will Only Save Government Jobs And Will Be Funded By The Deficit
Get Ready For More Taxes And Fewer Services
Cash-Strapped States Delay Paying Income-Tax Refunds
Commercial property may cause new crisis, says FSA
U.S. seen vulnerable to rate shocks
Small firms still in trouble WSJ
How Kids, Schools, Health, And Local Governments Will Get Slammed By New York's New Budget
Virginia Hands Out 6996 Traffic Tickets In One Weekend In An Effort To Raise Revenue
Economic Stimulus Was a Waste of Time
Miami-Dade Hospital in "Death Spiral"
Pelosi: We have to pass the health care bill so that you can find out what is in it
Citizens' Initiative Puts Spotlight On SF Muni Pay Schedule
Obama's Housing Shell Game; Short Sales and Relocation Assistance
Debt for Diploma Schemes and the Cookie Monster Principle

World
Strike Paralyzes Greece; Protests Turn Violent
PIMCO's El-Erian: You Fools Don't Realize That The Sovereign Debt Crisis Goes WAY Beyond Greece
Here's Why Europe Is About To Dump Lots Of Gold Onto The Market
The race to the bottom
That was a headline on this blog a few months ago. Now it's gone mainstream.
Private sector eyes opportunity in Haiti rebuilding
Clinton Family Pockets Haiti Assets in Telephone Company Privatization, Says Pumphrey - from Rice Farmer

Terror/Intelligence
America confronts its worst nightmare: blonde 'Jihad Jane'
Next on the agenda: Five-year-olds.
Malware Turns Your Cellphone Against You
Abdulmutallab could not have blown up plane
Pacific Missile Range Facility Intercept Test Support - from Lisa

Energy/Environment
Big business has a new weapon
Corporate America's new right to free speech means their opinions on climate change could get a lot louder
Quake moved whole city
The massive earthquake that struck Chile last monthmoved an entire city at least 10 feet (3 meters) tothe west, scientists say.
China Idles 40% of Windpower Turbine Output Capacity ‎
German fishing boat flies giant kite to save fuel ‎
Intrigue soars as 75 starlings fall out of sky
Brain Scans Depict Damage From Gulf War Syndrome
Do oil and gas "boomtowns" attract sex offenders?

And...
Exposure to letters A or F may affect test scores
Seeing the letter "A" before a test can improve astudent's score, while noticing an "F" may reduceit, a study has found.
Can Circus Really Tackle 9/11?
Where have you been for the last nine years?

IEA Economist Predicts 'Era Of Cheap Energy Is Over'

From Jenna Orkin

Energy
IEA Economist Predicts 'Era Of Cheap Energy Is Over'
RENEWED ENERGY: Budget Pressure Eats At State Programs ‎
Facing new sanctions, Iran admits oil shortages ‎
JPMorgan to Focus on New Energy

Economy
America, the Fragile Empire: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow - Could America Fall That Fast? (from Elizabeth Miller)
Recessions may become more frequent
Economy 'Far too Close' to Double Dip: Roubini
Roubini's Sidekick Motianey: We Are Headed To A World Of Inflation
Celebrities -- and Pentagon -- Call for Consumer Protection Agency
Jobless Rate Rose in 30 States In January, Five Hit Records
State Jobs Face Major Cuts
People might pay for defaulted loans with their Social Security from Rice Farmer
S&P rally slowed by the fastest cash depletion since 1991
Mutual Fund Cash Depletion Highest Since 1991
43% have less than 10k for retirement
Program Will Pay Homeowners to Sell at a Loss
Map Showing Unemployment Effects - from Vantage Point
Defense Sector Stocks Continue to Surge Military Recruitment, Unemployment, And War
US tanker contracts could spark trade war
Australia’s defence farce, money wasted by the billions
German Exports Fall, China Exports Explode
NY state debt in red zone, should cut $20 billion: study
NY's Cuomo Is 'Father of Subprime Crisis:' Bove
California is doomed

Intelligence/Terror
Feds Move to Break Voting-Machine Monopoly
Suicide Raises Legal Issues in Indian Artifacts Cases
"As an undercover federal source in a years-long investigation into the shadowy world of the excavation and trading of ancient American Indian art and artifacts in the Southwest, Mr. Gardiner, 52, was at the center of a sprawling criminal case unfolding in federal court here and in Colorado."

Two defendants also killed themselves last year.
Missing Energy Exec Found Dead in New Orleans - from Agape wins
Officials: Bali bombing mastermind may be dead
US Weapons Research is Raising a Stink
Medical records go online without consent - UK
Ex-MI5 head: US hid torture tactics from UK
A biometric ID card for all American workers? from Rice Farmer

Cloud Nine/Environment
Greek Debt Problems Unlikely to Spread: IMF Head
City of London Developers to Start Skyscrapers as Rents End Two-Year Drop
Mega Kites Could Pull Giant, Floating Power Plants
Bottled Wind Could Be as Constant as Coal
Altered tobacco plants suck up pond scum

REVOLUTION -- A Dire Warning

March 9, 2010 -- There is a revolution brewing in this country. Some are already attempting to define it... perhaps as a means of shaping it. Perhaps as a means of preventing a no-sided melee which no one can win. -- Mark my words and mark them well. A left-right labelling of this revolution will mark the failing of our species and condemn millions of Americans to death and suffering. Labels kill us, especially orthodoxies and labels from the old paradigm. This must be a revolution by all the people who get it as opposed to people who don't. -- If it isn't, then the bad guys will win again as they always have when it's been framed as a left-right issue and they controlled both sides. The left has failed us as badly as the right. Just the use of the words "left" and "right" closes off a myriad of possible life-saving options. Conservatives and liberals starve and die in exactly the same way. They go homeless the same way. They bleed the same way. The Powers That Be would much rather have us fighting each other rather than them.

In the Civil Rights and Vietnam era, declassified documents and court cases showed that the ONE thing the FBI was more afraid of than anything else was an alliance between blacks and whites: where civil rights met the Vietnam war. As soon as Matrin Luther King started speaking against the war he was marked for death. -- Now, the one thing The Powers That Be are afraid of is any alliance between so-called left and so-called right. That's the only alliance; the only coalition that can possibly save lives and stand up against what's coming. So any time I see crap like "from the left" or "from the right", I shudder. Left and right are meaningless terms to me because I live outside the paradigm -- at least in my head.

Anybody who fights the infinite growth economic paradigm is my brother and my sister. Ron Paul is fighting it. Cynthia McKinney is fighting it. And I, for one, am not going to chop either one of them off -- and hurt all of us -- in the process... because of a freaking label. These are two of the bravest and most honorable people I have ever met. -- I am reminded of something attributed to Albert Einstein; "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."

Collapsenet will be a voice for and a place where those from either the left or right can come in safety. It will welcome Libertarians, Socialists, Anarchists, Secessionists, Democrats and Republicans. It will embrace all colors and all religions. The only thing we will require is an understanding and agreement that we want to save our own lives, and as many of our fellows' lives as we possibly can.The labels left and right are as doomed as the old paradigm. When the dust settles there will be no conservatives or liberals; only survivors. And in whatever ways we oppose it, our only enemy will always be ONLY the infinite growth monetary paradigm. Our vision will not be distracted. Combat vets understand that the political beliefs or color of the man watching your back, handing you water or ammunition; or carrying you to safety means nothing. He is your brother. All of us at Collapsenet pledge this to you. We want to carry as many of you to some measure of safety as possible because all those labels everyone is so fond of don't mean shit anymore. If you filter your thoughts that way and don't know how to stop it, the bear's going to get you.

There are two labels, however, that will survive. They are "honorable" and "effective".

MCR

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/08-2

Gov. David Patterson says, WE'RE CROSSING THE RUBICON

March 8, 2010 -- “What I came here to tell you today is that we are crossing that Rubicon between recession and something else far worse, if my colleagues in the legislature and I can't close a $9.2 billion deficit.” -- NY Gov. David Patterson... today. http://www.businessinsider.com/paterson-if-ny-cant-figure-out-a-way-to-close-its-82-billion-budget-were-looking-at-a-depression-2010-3

They've all read the book. I know that because from 2004 through 2006 I sold more than 12,000 copies of Crossing the Rubicon from the FTW store. We saw who was buying them and where. (The first day they went on sale we had an order for three copies from Graham Nash.) Throughout almost all of 2008 "Rubicon" was ranked in the Top 5 in two Amazon categories: Politics - Reference, and Public Affairs. Last January, CNN's Fareed Zackaria asked viewers to tell him what the most significant international event was in 2008. I wrote a compelling letter which said that the Russian occupation of two provinces in Georgia (without blinking an eye) was confirmation that the US was a dying tiger and that the Empire's borders had stopped expanding and begun to contract. I sent it to Zakaria and a few other people. -- Although Zackaria didn't read the letter on the air, the next host gave me a clue that somebody at CNN had.

The very next show that Sunday was hosted by Dona Brazile. And her first words were, "Hey there all you (I forget)... come in from the wilderness!" -- Jenna saw it too. Messages are delivered this way. I know, I have given many speeches in many countries, from universities to California's Commonwealth Club. Some of them had similar messages. There are decent and honorable men and women out there and they see what the problem is. I think Dave Patterson is one of them. He's being run out of the mansion to pave the way for Andrew Cuomo, who as HUD secretary under Bill Clinton, fathered the whole sub prime rampage. We wrote about that at FTW. Just recently, Ron Paul gave a compelling speech about the need to abolish the CIA. In that speech he endorsed (in detail) every piece of work I and Gary Webb had done on CIA drug smuggling and laundering of drug money into Wall Street. He didn't need to say my name. -- I heard him.

All the majors and the pols and the business giants read us. They read FTW when it was there. This has only increased since the movie. But what's happening is a signal that we're not pornography anymore; to be hidden under the covers with a flashlight at night . Give due credit to the "Collapse" and "Confronting Collapse". But the main reason for this is that my/our predictions have come true so precisely that they cannot be hidden. The map we have all made is right and it is now the elephant in the living room of the Old Paradigm. -- We have been like Galileo, locked away under house arrest. Even though Galileo's achievements had proved that Catholic orthodoxy about the universe was nonsense, they were what made it possible for Catholic ships to navigate to, discover, and occupy the "New World"; and then return home with plunder that made Europe, and especially Catholic Spain, rich beyond belief.

Now this is not about my ego, although it does feel great. In band talk I am the front man for a huge, dedicated movement of professionals, scientists, writers and just great, aware and courageous people. These messages are clear. We were right, They are giving us encouragement. And I think we all need to start getting ready for a trickle, then a torrent of hungry minds not just seeking to survive, but to have us tell them what is happening and what to expect. The truth is that we know very little about what to expect. But in the kingdom of the blind the one-eyed man is king. We see it much more clearly than they do and they're getting justifiably scared. The Peak Oil/Sustainability movement is being released from house arrest and we need to push harder because the door is unlocked and open. We need to push on maisntream media. They are going broke. They have lost their credibility and they are being deserted in droves. Disney (which owns ABC) is in a battle with cable giants over revenue. Some of the zombies are coming out of it. If we can break into mainstream we will reach many more. -- It's coming. Trust it and be ready.

Today I received a request from a major cable channel, inquiring of my interest in participating in a two-hour special with two of the best-known futurists in the world. No details yet. I know the names but can't say. They're not going to put me on a show with any of the clowns I fought so hard not be tainted by. This is why I fought so hard to keep my life's work uncontaminated by poison pills.

Everything I'm trying to do as we set up Collapsenet is intended to speed up the sharing of information, the lifeboat building -- and the teaching of the map. The more map readers we have, the better. The more map makers we have... the better still. Messages like this give us all encouragement and I just wanted to share that. For better or for worse, our time has come. Surely the flower takes great joy in the fulfillment of its blossom. -- And the people who have grown soft on bread and circus are starting to rouse. This is going to be a hell of a year.

MCR
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From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Japan fears a debt crisis
Many believe nation's heralded budget apocalypse has arrived.
Three Major Oil Companies Cut Ties with Iran

US
Gartman: Here Are The Two Reasons Small Businesses Are So Sick
The Radar: 10 Brewing Stories You Need To Be Watching Right Now
`On the Edge' Banks Facing Writedowns After FDIC Auctions of Seized Loans
FDIC May Invite Pension Funds to Buy Stakes in U.S. Banks Facing Seizure
States Will Cut More Workers to Offset Declining Revenue: Chart of the Day
University of California Campus Erupts In Riots; Student Loan Scam Drives Up Cost Of Education; Expect More Riots
All dogs to be chipped in crackdown
Government to clamp down on dangerous dogs by introducing compulsory microchips and insurance
Stimulus, Jewish-style
Jewish Americans fed up with dead ends at home are going to Israel to get paid, pad their resumes and wait for the U.S. tide to turn.

Porter Stansberry's Lawsuit Against the SEC (and theirs against him)

"I claim a former unit of the Department of Energy - a unit that was sold to investors in 1996 and is now known as USEC - was withholding material information from the public. I believe it did so in order to reward certain investors, including its bankers, its corporate insiders, and members of the Department of Energy.

By revealing information about a major and long-pending agreement with USEC's Russian supplier of uranium, I disrupted the opportunity insiders had to accumulate shares at lower prices. In short, I ruined the party by telling investors the agreement had been reached and would be announced in a few days...

Based on what I'd learned from a company insider (the director of investor relations), I wrote the agreement would be announced at a major nuclear summit featuring presidents Bush and Putin on May 22, 2002...

In the discovery process of our lawsuit, we found a notebook from USEC's investment bank - Bank of America - where its analysts clearly indicated May 22 was the expected announcement date.But instead of pursuing the possibility USEC's managers and bankers were withholding this material information, the SEC decided to attack me."

Europe
Now That Greece Is Finished, Suddenly France Becomes The Next Shock Sovereign Worry Maybe that's why...Greek Bonds Rise, Bunds at Week Low After Sarkozy Greece Pledge
Portugal follows Greece austerity path
Europe plans its own answer to the IMF
Russia rapidly accumulating gold, as dollar's era comes to a close
It's Time to Invite Russia to Join NATO
True scale of violent crime rise revealed
Violent attacks estimated to be 44 per cent higher than 1998 after research allowed comparisons for the first time.
Eurozone needs its IMF
German suggests Europe needs its IMF-style institution.

Asia
China to Nullify Local Governments' Loan Guarantees as Credit Risk Grows
China leading gas race
India: Industrial sector reeling from power shortage
India and Saudi Arabia Embrace

Environment
Drought in Southeast Asia impacting millions, costing billions
Iraq littered with high levels of nuclear and dioxin contamination, study finds (from Vantage Point)
Gardeners urged to stop using peat-based compost
Extraction releases huge amounts of CO2 into atmosphere
Earthquake Shakes East Turkey; 57 Killed, Houses Damaged in Three Villages