Pakistan 'kills 1,000 militants'

Pakistan cleans up 'pro-Taliban' spy agency (click here)
October 1, 2008
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has replaced the head of its powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in an apparent effort to clean up the military spy agency amid western claims that it secretly backs the Taliban.
The move came as the United Nations said fighting between the Pakistani military and pro-Taliban insurgents forced 20,000 people to flee from Pakistan to war-torn Afghanistan, and as the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, turned to the king of Saudi Arabia to help broker peace talks with the Taliban.
Pakistan's military released a statement yesterday saying Lieutenant General Ahmed Shujaa Pasha had been appointed director-general of the ISI, replacing Nadeem Taj, a loyalist of the former president Pervez Musharraf, who took up the post last October.
General Pasha is now director of military operations and is considered a key aide to the army chief, Ashfaq Kayani.
Pakistan's intelligence agency has been at the centre of concerns among Western allies that it is either turning a blind eye to militants in Pakistan's troubled tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, or even actively sponsoring the rebels....



UN: 20,000 flee from Pakistan into Afghanistan (click here)
1 day ago
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The United Nations says 20,000 Pakistani refugees have fled to Afghanistan to avoid fighting between militants and Pakistan's military.
The U.N.'s refugee agency says nearly 4,000 Pakistani families have fled Pakistan's Bajur tribal agency into Afghanistan's Kunar province.
Pakistan's military launched an offensive in Bajur, the most northerly of Pakistan's wild tribal regions, several of which have fallen largely under the control of militants opposed to the Afghan and Pakistani governments.
Tens of thousands of civilians have fled into other parts of Pakistan as a result of the 2-month-old offensive.
The agency says it believes the majority of those who have crossed into Afghanistan will return home once the fighting stops.

NATO Troops

Karzai pleas for Saudi peace role (click here)
Mr Karzai says that he is 'working for peace'
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said that he has made repeated efforts over the last two years to engage Saudi Arabia in peace talks with the Taleban.
The president said there had not yet been any direct negotiations, only requests for help.
He said that Afghan officials had travelled to Saudi Arabia and to Pakistan to kick-start the process.
The comments came during the president's traditional message to the Afghan people during the Eid holiday....

The Surge Worked ? Army sending 10,000 Fort Lewis soldiers to Iraq

Really ?

Whom is going to pay for it ! ? !

Whom among them will pay with their lives?

For how long?

Forever?

This OCCUPATION has to stop.

U.S. deaths in Iraq (click here)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
As of Monday, at least 4,175 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 3,379 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The latest deaths reported by the military:
A soldier was killed Monday by small arms fire in northern Baghdad.
The latest identifications reported by the military:
Army Capt. Michael J. Medders, 25, Elyria; died Wednesday in Jisr Naft of wounds suffered in a suicide bombing; assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas.
Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Phillips Jr., 33, Conway, S.C.; died Thursday in Bahbahani after his vehicle struck an explosive; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Army Pfc. Jamel A. Bryant, 22, Belleville, Ill.; died Saturday in Baghdad of injuries from a vehicle accident in Wahida; assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany.
SOURCE: Associated Press

The Army is sending about 10,000 Fort Lewis troops to Iraq in a period from this winter into the summer of 2009.

Originally published September 30, 2008 at 9:35 AM

Page modified September 30, 2008 at 9:35 AM
FORT LEWIS, Wash. —
The Army is sending about 10,000 Fort Lewis troops to Iraq in a period from this winter into the summer of 2009.
A spokeswoman says they are the I (First) Corps headquarters unit, and the 3rd and 5th Stryker brigades.
Maj. Kathleen Turner says this is the first combat deployment for the I Corps headquarter unit since the Korean War. She says it will take over in Baghdad as the command and control for multinational units in Iraq.
This will be the first deployment for the 5th Stryker brigade and the third for the 3rd Stryker brigade.
The Fort Lewis troops are part of 26,000 the Pentagon is deploying to maintain 14 combat brigades in Iraq.

Fort Riley brigade tabbed for Iraq (click here)
(Published September 30, 2008)
FORT RILEY, Kan. — A Fort Riley brigade that returned in April from 15 months in Iraq has been notified that it is scheduled to go back in 2009.
The 4th Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division was part of the surge of troops sent to Baghdad in 2007. It was told Tuesday that it would go back to Iraq in the spring or summer of 2009. The 3,500 soldiers will have been back in the U.S. for at least a year....

Pentagon Announces Fort Hood Deployment (click here)

(September 30, 2008)—Seven brigade combat teams, one corps headquarters, a Marine expeditionary force headquarters and Fort Hood’s 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters will deploy to Iraq beginning this winter and continuing into next summer, the Department of Defense announced Tuesday.
The deployment announced Tuesday involves a total of about 26,000 troops, the Pentagon said.
“The deployed headquarters units will provide command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in support of security operations in the country,” the Pentagon said.
Six of the brigade combat teams will replace units now in Iraq and one security force brigade “will assure freedom of movement and continuity of operations in the country” including base defense and route security, the Pentagon said....

Two Bragg combat brigades scheduled to deploy to Iraq (click here)
A staff report

The 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st and 4th Brigade Combat Teams will deploy to Iraq in the next year, the Department of Defense announced today.
The Fort Bragg brigades are two of seven Army combat brigades scheduled to deploy to Iraq any time this winter through next summer.
Lt. Col. Clarence Counts, spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division, said he was not sure what months the brigades would deploy.
A corps headquarters from Fort Lewis, Wash., a division headquarters from Fort Hood, Texas, and a Marine expeditionary force headquarters from Camp Lejeune also are scheduled to deploy.
The Department of Defense said that total, about 26,000 people, would be sent to Iraq. The deployments will be replacement forces that will maintain the current troop level in Iraq, the DOD said.

...not ready for prime time...

Bailout failure shows Bush's weakness
Justin Webb
29 Sep 08, 07:22 PM GMT
With the Republican revolt in the House of Representatives, President Bush is now confirmed as the weakest Commander-in-Chief in modern history.
He puts Jimmy Carter in the shade. Just as well America faces no serious problems...
A big opportunity for leadership now from Mr McCain or Mr Obama (or both?) - do they have what it takes?
And as a backdrop for Sarah Palin's prime-time outing on Thursday, it could not be worse. I hear she has been accusing Joe Biden of being old. Eh?

I rarely befriend or agree with Republicans. They have abused power in the Legislature and the Executive Branch and have ignored some of the most sensitive issues in our day, but, I found allies with this 'go round' and they don't include John McCain.

The Paulson Bailout for this Wall Street cronies was just bad government. The Conservatives may not have liked the Pelosi speech, but, they wouldn't have risked their country for the sake of some untoward words. The Conservatives ditched the House Bill yesterday because they found an excuse. A convenient excuse and they went with it.


Old Palin morphs into something new (click here)
DAN FAGANCOMMENT
Published: September 27th, 2008 11:18 PMLast Modified: September 27th, 2008 11:46 PM
What happened to our governor? I don't recognize her anymore.
I still haven't made up my mind if I like the new Sarah Palin or the old one better.
Remember the old Palin. Remember how well she got along with Democrats. Democrats marched in unison with her as she went to war with the oil industry, raised taxes through the stratosphere and gave away free cash.
Ultra-liberal Les Gara was her new best friend and loudest spokesman. The old Palin liked the D's so much she let Sen. Hollis French write her tax code.
The old Palin's only real enemies were a handful of conservative Republicans who were not afraid of a fight.
But look at the new Palin. Her old friends and allies in the Democratic party no longer like her. And now Republicans adore her. The new Palin is sounding like a conservative. This must come as a real shock to her old friends, Democrats Gara, French, and Kerttula....
...The old Palin was clearly more transparent, open and honest. True, the old Palin withheld damaging e-mails just because she wanted to. But you have to credit the old Palin for promising to go along with the independent investigator. The old Palin, for the most part, was an open book. But the new Palin slammed that open door shut....
continued...

2008 Vote begins today in Ohio

This is the year 2008, when the USA has troops deployed, Climate Change is in full swing and there is inflation and unemployment.
Even Dan Quayle, the guy that couldn't spell potato, was more qualified than Palin.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says chance of Palin presidency scares her (click here)
by Mark Naymik
Madeleine Albright, who became the first female U.S. Secretary of State and highest ranking woman in government in 1997, is frightened by the possibility that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Republican John McCain's running mate, could assume the presidency.
Asked today in an interview with Plain Dealer editors and reporters if she is scared by the prospect of Palin being a heartbeat away, Albright, who has endorsed Democrat Barack Obama, responded without hesitating, "Yes. Yes."
"Having served two presidents, I think the job of the president is the most difficult job in the world," said Albright, who advised President Carter on national security and foreign policy and later President Clinton as secretary of state. "What you need in a vice president - and I've felt this for a long time because I've watched [vice president Walter] Mondale and [vice president] Al Gore - is that you need a partner. The job is huge and needs somebody not only for the heartbeat part but in the day-to-day governance.
"Gore went a step further of being almost like a prime minister ... taking away the underbrush of issues to do with how two countries relate to each other. So you need somebody that actually knows what they are doing. I see that with the Obama-Joe Biden relationship. I certainly don't see it in the McCain-Palin relationship."...
Tuesday September 30, 2008, 12:15 PM

THE LAST POLAR BEAR

Remember how important scientific investigation is when it comes to protecting species exposed to Climate Change that face extinction. Evidently when it comes to understanding SCIENCE, John McCain believes investigation into species 'specifics' leading to protection and preservation is hideous.

Journal of Wildlife Management
Article: pp. 1592–1600 Abstract PDF (672K)
CONSERVATION RISKS OF MALE-SELECTIVE HARVEST FOR MAMMALS WITH LOW REPRODUCTIVE POTENTIAL (click here)
PHILIP D. McLOUGHLINA, 1, MITCHELL K. TAYLORB, and FRANÇOIS MESSIERC
A. Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada, B. Department of the Environment, Government of Nunavut, P.O. Box 209, Igloolik, NU X0A 0L0, Canada, C. Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada
We used harvested, stochastic population models for grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) and polar bears (U. maritimus) to illustrate the propensity for male-biased harvesting to reduce mean male age and numbers of sexually mature males for species with relatively low reproductive potential....



IN DEPTH
Climate Change
Wildlife photography
Will we see The Last Polar Bear in our lifetime? (click here)
...Essayist Charles Wohlworth describes in detail the drowned polar bears spotted by the U.S. Minerals Management service and the unfortunate walrus calves, far from ice or shore, swimming after the small boats launched from a U.S. National Science Foundation icebreaker....

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:

Time of Day :: 10:37 AM AKDT

Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Temperature :: 59 °F / 15 °C

Conditions :: Partly Cloudy

Humidity :: 88%

Dew Point :: 55 °F / 13 °C

Wind :: 4 mph / 6 km/h / 1.5 m/s from the East

Pressure :: 29.77 in / 1008 hPa (Falling)

Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers

UV :: 2 out of 16

Lat/Lon :: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Elevation :: 33 ft / 10 m

Waterspout Caught On Camera In Key West - Storms Hit Florida Keys Monday Afternoon

September 8, 2008
1730z
UNISYS Visual Image North and West Hemisphere (click here)

September 29, 2008

Key West, Florida

Photographer states :: This waterspout came right through the Key West harbor

Waterspout spotted over Lake Ontario (click here)
Last Update: 9/08 1:39 pm

Roger Toombs of Cape Vincent remarked to his wife that "the water's funny out there today," as he looked out on Lake Ontario Monday morning.
Moments later he saw a cloud nearly touching the water, and then a waterspout appeared.
It lasted several minutes as Mr. Toombs snapped a number of digital photos, which he passed along to NewsWatch50.
The waterspout was between the shoreline of Mud Bay and Fox Island. Toombs estimates it was a couple of miles out on the water.

Waterspout reported over Lake Buchanan
By Hudson Lockett Wednesday, September 10, 2008, 08:55 AM
The Llano County sheriff’s office and the LCRA reported a rare waterspout over Lake Buchanan on Tuesday night, said a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
Essentially small-scale tornadoes that form over water, waterspouts are common along the southeast U.S. coast, according to the National Weather Service’s tornado FAQ.
“This type of phenomenon for Lake Buchanan, that’s a rare event,” said Robert Blaha, meteorologist and forecaster for the service. No damage had been reported, he said, and the waterspout, which was seen at about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, had dissipated that evening.
The waterspout is unrelated to Hurricane Ike, which is still hundreds of miles away...

Twister provides a new sight beside the seaside (click here)

September 19, 2008

A waterspout was photographed off the South Devon coast as a storm swept inland at the same time, bringing high winds and a downpour.
Alison Heather, 21, a student, photographed the twister from her home in Livermead, Torquay. She said: “It was moving across the bay and you could actually see it was drawing the sea spray up a couple of hundred feet into the air.”
Dave Perry, from Torquay, who photographed the waterspout off Torre Abbey Sands, said: “First of all we thought it was a cloud but then we saw it was actually sucking up the water. I haven’t seen anything like it before in Torbay.” Pleasure-boat skippers reported seeing the waterspout two miles (3km) east of Berry Head, near Brixham. One said: “It was a long, thin formation coming out of the sky and when it was near the surface water was sucked up to meet it....

Goldman Sachs (GS) NewsBite - GS Falls on Bailout Disappointment

Above 5 years of stock prices. Note the price took off after Paulson took office as Treasury Secretary.
Below, yesterday. Paulson needs to resign !



Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) opened at $134.49. So far today, the stock has hit a low of $124.37 and a high of $134.62. GS is now trading at $128.39, down $9.60 (-6.96%). Over the last 52 weeks the stock has ranged from a low of $86.31 to a high of $250.70. Shares of GS are falling this morning as investors seem to be disappointed with the $700 billion financial bailout plan currently up for vote in Congress. Judging from this morning's action, it seems like investors are worried the bailout may not stabilize credit markets. Technical indicators for the stock are neutral and S&P gives GS a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking. If you are looking for a hedged play on GS the stock seems like it could be a candidate for an October out-of-the-money bear-call credit spread above the 150 range. [ABR-Seven Summits Strategic Investments NewsBite]

Over-exaggerated - Asian Markets down 0.16%, 2% and 4.12%. Not exactly a plummet. The Paulson Problem is an American 'thing.'

Buy Bonds !

Market Summary
At 3:07 AM ET: Treasuries in London are mixed across the curve today as the 2-year note is down 8/32 to 100 14/32, yielding 1.75%, up from 1.61% at the previous close. The benchmark 10-year bond is down 16/32 to 102 31/32, yielding 3.63%, up from 3.57% while the 3-month T-bill's current discount rate is little changed at 0.13%. The discount rate on the 6-month T-bill is up 0.24 percentage points to 1.44%.


3.63% - US Treasury Bonds. Gee. What a way to make money.


4.12%


0.16%



2%

We are going to round them all up.

Abramoff Sentenced To Four More Years (click here)
By John Bresnahan
Sep 4, 2008
...Justice Deptartment officials, pointing to Abramoff''s extensive cooperation with federal investigators, had urged U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle to sentence Abramoff to an additional 39 months behind bars stemming for his role in the Washington corruption case that rocked Congress and the Bush administration. Abramoff's attorneys were seeking even less timefor the one-time K Street star, but Huvelle rejected those requests....

Former Abramoff lobbyist, Hill aide indicted (click here)
By ERICA WERNER – Sep 8, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — A one-time congressional aide who went on to work with jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff was arrested Monday and accused of conspiring to corrupt government officials including his former boss, current Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif.
Kevin Ring, 37, pleaded not guilty to a 10-count federal indictment that accuses him of conspiring with Abramoff to win assistance from congressional and executive-branch officials by giving them things of value, and helping them skirt requirements to report those gifts.
He appeared in federal court unshaven, his hair rumpled, wearing shorts and a T-shirt and occasionally fighting back tears as he exchanged glances with his wife.
Ring's lawyer said that despite cooperating voluntarily for two years, Ring was not allowed to surrender himself....

...David Safavian, the Bush administration's former top procurement official, (click here) was sentenced to 18 months in prison in October 2006. Safavian, the only scandal defendant to take his case to court, was found guilty of covering up his dealings with Abramoff. In July, a federal appeals court overturned his conviction. The Justice Department plans to retry him....


Vice President Dick Cheney, shown at a White House dinner last week, was sued to ensure no presidential records are destroyed or handled in a way that would make them unavailable. (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES)
WASHINGTON - A federal judge yesterday ordered Dick Cheney to preserve a wide range of the records from his time as vice president.
The decision by US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly is a setback for the Bush administration in its effort to promote a narrow definition of materials that must be safeguarded under by the Presidential Records Act....




Anti-Palin rally calls for Colberg removal (click here)
TROOPERGATE: More than 1,000 protesters gather in downtown Anchorage park.
By KYLE HOPKINS
khopkins@adn.com
Published: September 28th, 2008 12:03 AMLast Modified: September 28th, 2008 02:46 AM
A protest slamming Gov. Sarah Palin's handling of the state's so-called Troopergate investigation -- and calling for the attorney general to lose his job -- drew more than 1,000 people to the Delaney Park Strip in Anchorage on Saturday....

Canada Increases Swap Agreement With Fed to $30 Bln

Canada has national health care. Just thought I'd remind everyone of that. They respect their citizens. As a rule they don't exploit them. Ah, yep. Ain't life amazin', huh? Who ever thought a bunch of southerners would be the heroes of the day. So, cool.



Federal surplus reaches almost $10B (click here)
Paul Vieira , Canwest News Service
Published: Monday, September 29, 2008
OTTAWA - The federal government posted a surplus for the last fiscal year of just less than $10 billion, the Department of Finance reported Monday, slightly below what had been anticipated.
According to the 2007-08 annual financial report, the Canadian government recorded a $9.6-billion surplus for the 12-month period ended March 31, just off the $10.2-billion target anticipated in the last budget.
Ottawa missed the forecast as revenue was $2.1 billion lower than forecast, whereas expenses were $1.7 billion less than anticipated. Also, public-debt charges were $200 million more than expected....

I take it Hank didn't get an 'Attaboy.' Go figure.

Above Gold. Below the Dow. All isn't lost.

Paulson missed the mark by miles. Time for a change in administration. Bring back O'Neill ! Come on now, the market is still at 10,000.



...No state in the country cast as many votes against the measure as Texas, President Bush’s home, where the measure was defeated 22-9. (Not a single vote was cast for the measure in Arizona and Alaska, the homes of John McCain and Sarah Palin. Illinois, Barack Obama’s home, tied 9-9 and the lone Republican congressman from Joe Biden’s home of Delaware voted for the plan.)...

Impeach. Bush. NOW ! There will be no scapegoating of Pelosi.

Everyone leave on recess for elections back home? Go with pride. This mess doesn't belong to the Democrats. Go campaign and bring home a majority !

NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Failure To Cooperate (click here)
Report: Top Bush aides ducked queries on prosecutor firings
By Michael Isikoff NEWSWEEK
Published Sep 29, 2008

Karl Rove was one of a number of former White House officials who declined to cooperate with the Justice Department inspector general's probe of the U.S. attorney firings.

...According to a blistering new report by the Justice Department inspector general released Monday, Rove was one of a number of former White House officials (including ex-White House counsel and Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers) who declined to cooperate with its investigation into the U.S. attorney firings-even though the current White House counsel's office encouraged them to do so....

Russia's Vnesheconombank lends $50 bln to struggling banks

Yury Makushin, Deputy Head of the Representative office of Vnesheconombank (click here) in the USA, addresses the Russian Conference

Will the fun ever stop? Somalia pirates free hijacked Egyptian ship.

The pirates are having a good ole time, Aye, me hearties ! (click here)
A Ukrainian ship seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia was carrying 33 tanks and other weapons, the Ukrainian defence minister has confirmed.

Pirates had previously seized a number of passenger and cargo ships, spurring armed intervention from the French and Security Council action authorizing Member States to aggressively combat piracy in Somalia's lawless waters. The involvement of heavy weaponry, though -- even if the pirates have no interest, or use, really, for the tanks -- have made this chapter in the saga a natural headline-grabber....

House vote is next big hurdle for bailout plan

Touching. That 'lack of awareness' demonstrated by McCain was the same as in that Baghdad neighborhood so peaceful you could hear a pin drop, so long as one wore a bullet proof vest.

VOTE NO !!

OTHERWISE, be prepared for a legal cadre of lawsuits to displace the legislated bailout as unconstitutional.

Once the Republicans 'got the swing' of sapping the USA Treasury for their failed policies, they simply didn't stop.

Paulson ends Treasury Secretary career in failure.

When Paul O'Neill resigned as US Treasury Secretary and followed that decision up with his book, "The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill" written by Ron Suskind which basically stated Bush's economic policies were irresponsible; no one paid attention. As a side note, Paul O'Neill met his wife and graduated from a high school in Alaska.

He was replaced by John Snow, who left under speculation of ethical impropriety regarding his brokers purchased $10 million of debt issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Then comes along Paulson and somehow he was supposed to be "God's Gift to the USA" in that the CEO of Goldman-Sachs would be atuned to issues of fiscal responsibility and make all legislative changes since the demise of Glass-Steagall work for America. In the course of his Cabinet presence he managed to manipulate the status of Goldman-Sachs, placing it as the world's advisor to attained wealth. He stated that the bailing out of AIG was due to the fact so many Americans would be disaffected by its failure. Oh.

Goldman Sachs had up to $20 bln AIG risk-NY Times (Paulson protected GS with $85 B taxpayer bailout)
Source: Reuters
NEW YORK, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) had as much as $20 billion at risk had the insurer American International Group Inc (AIG.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) collapsed, the New York Times said on Sunday.
Goldman was AIG's largest trading partner, the newspaper said, citing six people close to the insurer. A collapse of AIG threatened to leave a hole of as much as $20 billion in Goldman, the newspaper said, citing several of the people.
The Wall Street bank told the newspaper that it was never imperiled by AIG's troubles. Spokesman Lucas van Praag also disputed the $20 billion figure, saying it did not account for collateral and hedges that Goldman employed to reduce risk.
The AIG bailout came after the New York-based insurer saw losses spiral on credit default swaps, which are insurance contracts whose value is tied to underlying securities such as mortgages and corporate debt.

I could go on and on about how Paulson abused his power to benefit Goldman-Sachs, but, that is a given.


What is more incredible is that Bush vetoed The 2008 Farm Bill which, of course, was overridden by the House and Senate.


Within the Farm Bill was a provision introduced by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) that was originally introduced as Senate Bill S.2058 by later attached to the Farm Bill of 2008. That provision was specifically designed to 'close the loophole' that allowed the exploitation by Enron. THAT exploitation was engineered by lobbiests working with McCain's current economic advisor Phil Gramm. The Democrats have been trying to 'head this mess' off for some time now, but, was continually obstructed from doing so by the Republican ideologists through the powers of the Executive Branch.


The point is that within 'the troubled waters' that now beset the USA is a core group of incompetents. Leading the list is Phil Gramm, the ideologist from Texas, that opposed the long lived Glass-Steagall Act replacing it with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 2000; a Republican dreamscape of deregulation that allowed the markets to "work as they should." The Glass-Steagall Act was a well established 'wall' that was passed during The Great Depression to separate investment risk from average Bank depositors.


While Wall Street types will debate that the demise of Glass-Steagall was not the reason for the fiscal collapse of the USA Economy, the fact that Gramm is at the center of all these measures and they all play an intricate part in the current economic departure from insuring National Security of the USA; is more than noteworthy.


John McCain stated, the director of the SEC should be fired, when the truth actually was that Phil Gramm should be exposed for his incompetency and willingness to 'play ball' with lobbiests interested in exploitation of this country while furthering 'a Republican ideology' that Bush characterized 'in its failure' as 'a Wall Street drunk.'


To risk more Republican influence within the fiscal well being of the USA, is to risk the security of the nation.


Cost of Iraq War and Nation Building (click here)


The Day when changing a consonant from 'm' to 'b' insued the defeat of National Security of the USA.


...Bush's request for $87 billion to underwrite the costs of his war on terror formally arrived on Capitol Hill yesterday (click here), but it has been a source of pain and embarrassment for the administration for nearly two weeks. Perhaps that's why officials at the White House and the Pentagon spent 12 months stonewalling and sidestepping questions about how much the war in Iraq will cost.
Ever since former White House budget chief Lawrence Lindsey slipped up a year ago and admitted that an invasion and occupation of Iraq could cost between $100 billion and $200 billion, the administration has been playing hide-and-seek with the numbers. Budget figures have trickled out from various administration offices, but most have been heavily qualified, broad, or contradictory. And, until this month, they never came from the president himself....

Top Republican on 'Paulson plan'

California Budget Must Prioritize Fire Safety - July 12, 2008

Signing the budget ended bitter partisan deadlock on how to close the $15.2 billion deficit (click here)
By Justin Ewers
Posted September 24, 2008
...Neither Democrats nor Republicans seemed pleased with the final product, especially after Schwarzenegger's last-minute, line-item veto of $510 million in funds for HIV/AIDS education and a tax rebate program for low-income elderly renters, among other programs. "I would like to say it's finally over with, but really the state is no better off than it was before," said Senate Majority Leader Don Perata. "We have simply rolled the problem into next year... There isn't much to be proud of."...




...For the new budget year, in addition to increasing the firefighting budget, legislative Democrats have proposed doubling the amount of money available from the new property insurance fee the governor is promoting as he travels the state....



Posted by: thepinetree on 09/26/2008 05:12 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 09/26/2008 06:43 PM
Expires: 01/01/2013 12:00 AM
Fire Danger Remains High Despite Cooler Weather....Residents urged not to become complacent (click here)
San Andreas, CA....As fall begins and students have returned to school, many people believe that fire season also ends at the same time. CAL FIRE is reminding all Californians that fire danger remains high across the state and even though the threat has decreased in some areas, the chance of large and damaging fires still exists.....

Give the money to the States !! Let them administer their own fiscal recovery.

Another tropical disturbance off the Yucatan Peninsula. There is flooding in the Midwest along with tornadoes.

The USA will never recuperate the $700 billion. Some of these homes are not salvagable and were not insured for the damages they sustained after tornadoes, floods and hurricanes. This 'bail-out' is simply a matter of 'dumping' a negligence of a Climate Policy on the people of this country.

The recuperation the USA will ever see out of this bailout is an increase in the labor market when it comes to operating bulldozers.

Let it go !!!



Flood aftermath driving U City family from long-time home (click here)
By Margaret Gillerman
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/28/2008
University City — Leniel Fields sleeps in what's left of his blue-and-white 1994 Thunderbird — with a pillow, a Red Cross blanket and a Bible.
Fields, 41, a forklift operator, was chased from his home two weeks ago by River Des Peres floodwater, which ruined his car and ravaged the modest brick bungalow his mother owns and that he has called home on and off for 33 years.
After the Sept. 14 flood, University City condemned the house and told Fields, his mother and younger brother it was not safe to sleep there.
Electrical repairs alone would cost $4,050, according to one estimate. The family needs a furnace, water heater, washer, dryer and at least one car — plus replacements for Fields' younger brother's furniture, computer, clothing and most of his school books....


There is flooding and damage to people's homes and lives, but, nothing is more important to the media of the USA than the credit crunch of the Republican Infrastructure. Amazing. What good does it do to salvage a mortgage on homes that aren't habitable?


September 27, 2008
1143 AM EST

Station ID: 07194500
Name: Arkansas River near Muskogee, OK
Flow Rate: 57600.00 cfs
Percentile: 92%
Temperature: 86.90 F
Stage: 21.86 ft
Flood Stage: 28 ft


Tornado Storm Report:
2008-09-26 10:53:00 EDT
Lat/Lon: 36.23,-77.11
Location: Bertie
Tornado reported by multiple sources near Aulander and moving north. (Akq)

Tornado Storm Report:
2008-09-13 21:18:00 EDT
Lat/Lon: 42.38,-83.45
Location: Wayne
Law enforcement and media reported a tornado touchdown near Wilcox Rd and Schoolcraft Rd. A roof was reportedly ripped off an apartment building. (Dtx)

Give $700 billion to the States based on need. Extend credit through the States. Extend Unemployment. Facilitate Infrastructure Rebuilding.

Like I said, McCain's visit to DC was simply Grandstanding. It achieved nothing, but, insisted on promoting his crony agenda while it gave him an excuse for a poor performance in the debate, "After all, as his campaign cited, he suspended his campaign." That was his choice and it he choses liability over resolution, what does that tell anyone about what a McCain White House would be like? Chronic infighting and never getting anything done. JUST LIKE BUSH !

I have not been to Baghdad. I have not been to Afghanistan. I have not been Waziristan. I have not been to Russia.

“That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land — boundary that we have with — Canada.”

Tell me Alaskans aren't this paranoid.

They don't believe in the work the USA State Department does?

If not, then it tells plenty about the need for a change in administration in DC !

"I visited Afghanistan and I traveled to Waziristan and I traveled to these places and I know what our security requirements are." McCain stated.

And he still makes bad decisions.

...At a news conference shortly after their outing, Mr. McCain, an Arizona Republican, and his three Congressional colleagues described Shorja as a safe, bustling place full of hopeful and warmly welcoming Iraqis — “like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime,” offered Representative Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican who was a member of the delegation....

...“What are they talking about?” Ali Jassim Faiyad, the owner of an electrical appliances shop in the market, said Monday. “The security procedures were abnormal!”
The delegation arrived at the market, which is called Shorja, on Sunday with more than 100 soldiers in armored Humvees — the equivalent of an entire company — and attack helicopters circled overhead, a senior American military official in Baghdad said. The soldiers redirected traffic from the area and restricted access to the Americans, witnesses said, and sharpshooters were posted on the roofs. The congressmen wore bulletproof vests throughout their hourlong visit.
“They paralyzed the market when they came,” Mr. Faiyad said during an interview in his shop on Monday. “This was only for the media.”...

Storm expected to downgrade to post-tropical before making landfall on Sunday

UNISYS Water Vapor North and West Hemisphere Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop)

The Maritimes are being warned to brace for a wet and windy weekend as tropical storm Kyle gains strength and slowly moves north.
Environment Canada issued special weather warnings on Friday for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island as the storm tracked northward at about 19 kilometres an hour.
Kyle's maximum sustained winds increased to about 95 km/h by early Friday in the Atlantic Ocean. It's about 715 kilometres southwest of Bermuda, where a tropical storm watch has been issued. The British territory is expected to receive about 75 millimetres of rain by the end of Saturday....

They are doing just fine !

The DOW Today at 2:20 PM or 1420 military time (click here) show strength in the Telecommunication Sector.


Market Summary
At 2:18 PM ET: Although the broad indexes are mixed, most stocks are lower in trading today on the NYSE as declining issues outpace advancing issues by 3.2 to 1. The S.&P. 500 is down 0.47%. Among individual stocks, the top percentage losers in the S.&P. 500 are Washington Mutual Inc. and Wachovia Corporation



...J.P. Morgan said it is acquiring "Washington Mutual's banks (click here), not the holding company." Being left on behind are the assets and liabilities of Washington Mutual Inc., the holding company which includes unsecured senior debt, subordinated debt and preferred of Washington Mutual's banks. The unsecured debt amounts to roughly $20 billion....

How many people today are proud they stood against change in SSI after the elections of 2004 ?

This is the end of the Republican domination of the USA. They need to be 'bailed out' because their programs DON'T work. Cutting taxes while pandering to and indulging Corporate Ideations DOES NOT WORK ! Its painful to watch them go through it, isn't it?

Yep. The Republicans can't even agree on an approach to the dilemma Paulson presented. They think he's a genius because they get a chance to write legislation that will further destroy the tax infrastructure to the USA while they continue to propagate their "W"rong headed ideation.

Let it go. We need to start over and it probably had to come to this. The strong will survive.

...The Bush Administration has been making alarming claims that the current Social Security program is "in crisis" and is unsustainable. These exaggerations simply are not true. Estimates by the Social Security trustees (using rather pessimistic assumptions) and the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) indicate that the trust fund is solvent for another 38 to 48 years if we do nothing. In other words, Social Security is not going broke anytime soon. Despite the fact that the Social Security trust fund is as robust today as it has been in recent years, the administration proposes to radically change the Social Security program by cutting benefits while at the same time allowing workers to create individual private accounts. While the exact provisions are not clear, any privatization proposal will not, in and of itself, do anything to ameliorate the shortfall projected in 2042 or 2052....

When the next President of the USA finishes spending $700 billion we will have a new infrastructure, a far better domestic product and will be able to bolster SSI as well as increase benefits that were lost during this crisis.

Spending $700 billion on a financial sector bailout won't lower the price of gas or the price of food. Charting a path into the future is easy, it is letting go of the past that is difficult.

No More Illegal Wars.

Stand your ground, when its established on a moral and truthful basis, it doesn't give way !

One of the lousiest things I heard on a 'talking head show' when a Senior Citizen asked '? an expert ?' about how people on fixed incomes get by with increasing prices of gas and food; he stated; "We live in the greatest country on Earth. You can still get a job at any age and I encourage all those that need so, to do so." They are lousy bastards and we don't need them at the top of any government, yet along the USA !

I

DON'T

THINK

SO !!!!!!!!!!!

We need to get to the other side of these elections !

We need to be Democrat from bottom to top !

We need it now !

Wall Street made a fatal mistake.

They followed the corrupt into hell !

Let me see if I get this right. The USA is supposed to sponsor a debt of $700 billion US. When are the Democrats simply going to walk away ?

There is no way this country should be a sponsor to fiscal irresponsiblity. No way. This is pure unadulterated greed. Nothing short of it.
As soon as Wall Streets smells money they are off to the races. Why does anyone believe things are going to be different?
This is fraud and everyone knows it.
The USA needs to take the $700 billion and rebuild its infrastructure. It needs not be thrown into an international glut of money for the sake of bouyancy to a failed Treasury Department.

There is no job market. There is no growth in the USA. And the only 'bounce' the credit markets are getting is the recuperated debt that the Treasury Secretary is anxious about because Goldman-Sachs is going to be next. There is conflict of interest everywhere in this mess and there is no way there should be a bailout for anyone. The ONLY way those monies should be spent is to put Americans back to work and rebuild our infrastructure. This spending will only lead to more and more of the same and the USA Dollar will be worthless. This is a fraudulent economy and we shouldn't be participating in it.

It is just too bad. I don't believe how completely stupid this is. Bush is pushing for this now because he'll be out of office and when he's gone this type of cronyism will be a thing of the past. From Tom DeLay to Bush, the 'ride to Easy Street' is over. This will only cause more problems with a new administration and we'll be bogged down in Bush Fiscal Irresponsiblity for at least four years.

They need to suffer the consequences.

...The plan currently being debated by (click here) Congress would help put a floor under distressed asset prices, improve transparency of asset valuations and restore liquidity to markets, said S&P.
"If the plan can restore confidence in the accuracy of bank balance sheets, we believe it would allow fixed-income investors to focus again on fundamentals when analyzing these firms (These businesses are crooks. The average investor doesn't know how to make head or tails of the practices of these firms since Paulson and Bush took over. This so called bailout is to attempt to bring about a balance sheet everyone can have confidence in. This is not the way to do things. Bailing out crooks only leads to more of the same. The world is doing fine without them. This isn't the way to improve market performance. It is done through tangible investments that have a future of success. This isn't the way its supposed to be done.) and making investment decisions, not on the very real potential for insolvency precipitated by the current marketplace volatility," analyst Tanya Azarchs said in a statement.
However, the bailout, while providing short-term relief, is not a complete solution to the problems in the financial sector, she said. There is a risk that a rescue of this magnitude may discourage banks from changing their behavior....

The ONLY reason to throw money at the markets is if there was a subtantial failure in the infrastruture. There isn't. Paulson is the biggest song and dance man ever to exist. There is nothing that drastic about saving these firms. They need to do it on their own or get out of the way. This is just completely wrong. They want loans, then maybe, but only maybe. This is Paulson reaching for his precious 14,000. That is all this is and he's been manipulating this mess for two years now.

This is a storm no one bothered to name with 45 mph.

September 25, 2008
1915Z

McCain is running away because of this? The DOW is stabilizing. There is no evidence of a sincere crisis. The market has been artifically inflated.

The DOW is adjusting. Something "W"rong with that? Well, maybe for Paulson.



The DOW sustained a loss today of 29 points. A whopping loss of .27 precent. And McCann is worried about what is transpiring in DC? For once, DC is actually making the prudent decision and demanding proof and reassurances.

Across the board; the Americas, Commodities, Asia, Europe and Bonds are all stabilizing. There are minor ups and downs around the entire globe. What in the heck does Paulson think he is trying to pull?

McCain acts like nobody else gives a hoot. Does he actually know what is going on?

NZ Super fund not critically exposed, says Orr (click here)
1:15PM Wednesday Sep 24, 2008
...Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation chief executive Adrian Orr told the annual Institute of Finance Professionals, or INFINZ, conference in Auckland today, that direct exposure to financial sector shares, hit by the collapse of Wall Street institutions, had been less than 10 per cent of the fund.
The specific companies that had attracted much of the media attention, such as Lehman Bros, made up less than 1 per cent of the fund....

The markets don't have money? They have money. Someone found $70 million somewhere !

UPDATE 1-Ligand to buy Pharmacopeia in $70 mln stock deal (click here)
Wed Sep 24, 2008 6:05pm EDT
Sept 24 (Reuters) - Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc (LGND.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) agreed to acquire Pharmacopeia Inc (PCOP.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) in a stock deal valued up to $70 million, gaining access to Pharmacopeia's royalty partnerships, the companies said.
Pharmacopeia stockholders will also be entitled to a Contingent Value Right (CVR) under certain circumstances to a cash payment of an total of $15 million for all Pharmacopeia stockholders.
Under the deal, Ligand will issue 0.58 share for each outstanding Pharmacopeia share and Ligand stockholders will own about 84 percent of the combined company, with remaining owned by Pharmacopeia stockholders.
This exchange ratio is based on closing prices of Ligand shares between $3.00 and $3.75 for a period prior to the closing date....

And look. Bechtel is doing even better than everyone else.

Bechtel nabs $6B nuclear deal (click here)
Frederick subsidiary will assume management of federal labs
by Rebecca McClay Staff Writer

Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corp. has snared a $6 billion contract from the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program to operate Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory near Pittsburgh and Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in New York.
The company is a subsidiary of Bechtel National Inc. of Frederick. Bechtel spokesman Mike Kidder called the contracts, particularly the Knolls deal, "a big step forward" for the company and "a win for Frederick management."
Bechtel Bettis Inc., another subsidiary of Bechtel, previously managed Bettis labs in Pittsburgh, Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Charleston, S.C. Bechtel Marine Propulsion will take over the Bettis labs, plus Knolls, a joint program of the Department of Energy and the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command, from Lockheed Martin's KAPL Inc. after a four-month transition period, on Feb. 1.
"We are very pleased to be able to continue our service for [the Energy Department] and the U.S. Navy in support of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program," Bechtel National Chairman Scott Ogilvie said in a statement. "We are committed to a smooth and efficient transition of Bettis and Knolls into [Bechtel Marine Propulsion], and look forward to continuing the accomplishments of the men and women at Bettis and Knolls in support of our national defense."...

And the gang is all here, just like old home week.

KBR JV's FEED contract for Gorgon Project extended (click here)

KBR Inc, the engineering and construction company, announced that Kellogg Joint Venture Group (KJVG) has been awarded a Work Authorization by Chevron Australia Pty Ltd for approximately AUD$300 million to finalise front end engineering and design (FEED) for the Chevron-operated Gorgon Project....

DOJ: Ex-KBR chief pleads guilty to bribery charges (click here)
By MARCY GORDON – Sep 4, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former chief executive of construction firm KBR Inc. has pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges in connection with the company's natural gas operations in Nigeria from 1995 to 2004.
The Justice Department said Albert "Jack" Stanley entered a guilty plea Wednesday in federal court in Houston to conspiring in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials in return for engineering and construction contracts.
As CEO of Houston-based KBR, Stanley headed a subsidiary within Halliburton Co., the oilfield services conglomerate whose chief executive from 1995 to 2000 was Vice President Dick Cheney....

KBR gets $232 mln deal for Louisiana carbon plant (click here)

Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:58pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Engineering and construction company KBR Inc said on Wednesday one of its units had been awarded a $232 million contract by ADA-ES Inc for construction of a new activated carbon plant.
ADA-ES, which develops technology such as activated carbon to reduce mercury exhaust from burning coal, has chosen BE&K to provide full engineering, procurement and construction services for the plant in Red River Parish, Louisiana, KBR said in a statement.

(Reporting by Braden Reddall; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Investigation widens in electrocutions at military sites (click here)

By Brian Bowling

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

A Department of Defense investigation into the electrocution of a Shaler soldier serving in Iraq will review eight similar deaths on military facilities, and investigators have subpoenaed more information from the contractor maintaining those facilities.
Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Scranton announced the expanded investigation Monday after a briefing by the Defense Department's Inspector General's Office. Investigators said they've discovered at least 18 soldiers and civilian workers have been electrocuted in Iraq, two more than previously reported.
Cheryl Harris of Cranberry said she believes the Pentagon finally is taking her son's death seriously....

I haven't even gotten to Halliburton yet. I guess I haven't done a Cheney Observer in awhile.

Plea in KBR bribe case may signal more on the way (click here)

Tue Sep 9, 2008 11:29am EDT

By Anna Driver - Analysis
HOUSTON (Reuters) - The guilty plea in a years-long bribery probe by the U.S. government of Halliburton Co and its former KBR Inc unit means more legal woes may be on the way for the global energy companies.
Albert "Jack" Stanley, a former KBR chief executive officer, pleaded guilty last week to charges involving a scheme to pay $180 million in bribes to Nigerian government officials to win work on the $6 billion Bonny Island liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant....

Now, this does not look like a company ready to go down the drain. Granted $30,000 ain't $700 billion, but,...$30,000? All Halliburton is donating is $30,000. Man, oh, man talk about PR on the cheap.

Halliburton gives to S.D. college (click here)

A Houston-based petroleum company has donated $30,000 to the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's geology department for scholarships and faculty support.

Halliburton wants to work with the School of Mines not only to become better known by students and faculty, but also to develop new technologies, said Ibrahim Palaz, director of strategic educational and research and development partnerships.

Palaz, a 1989 graduate of the School of Mines, said the company's growth is focused on the Rocky Mountain area, and it recruits School of Mines engineers and scientists.

As of September 12, 2008, Halliburton had an A rating.

Halliburton has sustained a price in the range of $34.00 for the last THREE years, with advancing stock prices since Cheney pushed the USA into Iraq. (click here)

Fitch Rates Halliburton's Sr. Notes 'A-'; Outlook Stable (click here)
Last update: 4:56 p.m. EDT Sept. 12, 2008
CHICAGO, Sep 12, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fitch assigns an 'A-' rating to Halliburton's (HAL:
Halliburton Company
Last: 34.97-0.23-0.65%4:01pm 09/24/2008Delayed quote data
Sponsored by:
HAL 34.97, -0.23, -0.6%) $400 million of 5.9% Senior Notes due 2018 and $800 million of 6.7% Senior Notes due 2038 issued today. Fitch also affirms HAL's ratings as follows:...

E N O U G H !

Biden: McCain Is "Dangerously Wrong" - THE DEBATE will go on without McCann

Obama says debate should go ahead (click here)
1 hour ago
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama says that amid the current financial crisis, it's more important than ever for he and John McCain to sit down and hold a presidential debate.
Republican McCain proposed earlier Wednesday that Friday's debate be postponed while the two candidates work to deal with the nation's financial troubles. Obama said he and McCain are working on a joint statement setting out their ideas on how to solve the financial crisis. But Obama also said he believes it's important to go ahead and have the debate.
Obama said, "It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess."...

From CBS News'

September 24, 2008, 4:36 PM

Ryan Corsaro:

(CINCINNATI) - Joe Biden tackled the broad spectrum of national security today, saying the Democratic ticket would offer more “hard-headed” diplomacy with allies in dealing with countries like Iran and calling John McCain “dangerously wrong” in his views on terrorism, the war in Iraq, and foreign relations.

Appearing in the cavernous dome of Union Station, Biden attempted to drive the Obama campaign’s message that a McCain presidency would carry on the same type of foreign policy under the Bush Administration.

“After 9/11, the President of the United States of America had an incredible opportunity. He had an opportunity to join America and the rest of the world in common cause,” said Biden, speaking in the same spot where Bush made a televised case against Saddam Hussein in 2002.

“But instead, instead by starting a war of choice in Iraq before winning the war of necessity in Afghanistan, the President of the United States by imposing torture, detention, eavesdropping that defy our values and endanger our national security.”

“By showing disdain to our allies and empty bluster to our enemies, President Bush divided America, divided the world instead of, instead of uniting us.”

Biden accused McCain of the same blustering and fixation on Iraq, and insisted the central war on terrorism was not in Iraq, but rather in the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan....