9/11 tragedy pager intercepts

From 3AM on Wednesday November 25, 2009, until 3AM the following day (US east coast time), WikiLeaks is releasing over half a million US national text pager intercepts. The intercepts cover a 24 hour period surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.

The messages are being broadcast “live” to the global community — synchronized to the time of day they were sent. The first message is from 3AM September 11, 2001, five hours before the first attack, and the last, 24 hours later.

Text pagers are usualy carried by persons operating in an official capacity. Messages in the archive range from Pentagon, FBI, FEMA and New York Police Department exchanges, to computers reporting faults at investment banks inside the World Trade Center.

Message of the year:

Bomb detonated in World Trade Ctr. Pls get back to Mike Brady w/a quick assessment of your areas and contact us if anything is needed

The archive is a completely objective record of the defining moment of our time. We hope that its entrance into the historical record will lead to a nuanced understanding of how this event led to death, opportunism and war.

An index of messages released so far is available here.
Twitter users may use the hashtag #911txts. We will give status updates at twitter.com/wikileaks.
Observations may be posted to reddit. Please vote for important material.

Please remember to protect and support our work.

Please remember to protect and support our work.

Related Links:

• Should 9/11 suspects be tried in New York?
• Playing by the Book
• 8th Anniversary of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

• Expelling the American Myths
• Dick Cheney’s War on America
• CIA Has a Duty to Investigate 9-11
• Why Are All Millenialists Ex Drunks (Conmen, Junkies)
• Four Men and a ‘Dud’ Stinger Missile
• Obama Admin Must Indict Real Perpetrators of 9-11
• Madoff: A Goldmine of Information!
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial

Here’s a list of other professional organization demanding a reinvestigation into the 9/11 terrorist acts

• Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth
• Complete 9/11 Timeline
• Firefighters for 9/11 Truth
• Journal of 9/11 Studies
• Lawyers for 9/11 Truth
• Patriots Question 9/11
• Pilots for 9/11 Truth
• Political Leaders for 9/11 Truth
• Religious Leaders for 9/11 Truth
• Scholars for 9/11 Truth & Justice
• Scientific Panel Investigating Nine-Eleven
• Veterans for 9/11 Truth
• 911Truth.org

Obama’s job approval rating falls below 50 percent

Pluck any conscientious American from anywhere in the US, put them in the White House and they’ll perform better than Mr Obama.

President Obama has shown NO Leadership qualities, NO management skills, NEAR Zero concern for ordinary Americans and TOTAL Lack of awareness on real issues.

Unsurprisingly, only 49 percent of Americans approved of Obama’s job performance, a major Gallup Poll revealed. His approval rating after taking office in January was just short of 70 percent.

This news came only days after the USDA revealed that 49.1 million Americans are short of food.

President Obama tours the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing November 18, 2009. REUTERS/Jason Lee. Image may be subject to copyright.

Quinnipiac University, which conducted a similar survey, put his approval rating at 48 percent.

Gallup cites poor state of the U.S. economy, millions of Americans out of work and other issues for Obama’s dismal performance.

“Americans are also concerned about the Obama administration’s reliance on government spending to solve the nation’s problems and the growing federal budget deficit,” Gallup said after they surveyed 1,533 people this week. The margin of error was 4 points.

“Democrat Obama became the fourth-fastest U.S. president since World War Two to drop below majority support in the Gallup poll, following Republican Gerald Ford, Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican Ronald Reagan.” Reuters reported.

“Nevertheless, in politics symbols matter and this is not a good symbol for the White House… Moreover, the percentage who approve of the way he is handling the economy has dropped from a split 47-46 percent approval in October to 52-43 percent disapproval today.” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said.

America, the world, need leaders who care about people, not bow to power!

Related Links:

• Send the Poor Americans to Australia
• Poverty Index
• 338,000 Afghan infants dying under Obama war
• US Govt.

Image of the Day: Is It True?

To America and China the rest of the world must look like poultry and game… what’s the main course?

President Barack Obama inspect honor guards during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, November 17, 2009. REUTERS/David Gray. Image may be subject to copyright.

Related Links:

• 338,000 Afghan infants dying under Obama war
• US Govt

Censored by Google

49.1 million Americans short of food

What is it with the “beastly empires” that they don’t even feed everyone?

For anyone who’s just recovering from the shock of reading about British “migrant children” forcibly removed from their parents and sent to Australia and other Commonwealth countries, or Australia’s own “forgotten children,” here’s another eye-opener.

About 49.1 million Americans (32.4 million adults and 16.7 million children), or nearly 1 in 6,  struggled to get enough food in 2008, the highest number in the 14 years since federal survey on “food insecurity” began, the USDA said in a news release Monday.

About 14.6 percent of U.S. households, some 49.1 million people, “had difficulty obtaining food for all their members due to a lack of resources” in 2008, up 3.5 percent from 2007.

This year’s report also reveals that one third of food insecure households had very low food security (food intake of some household members was reduced and their eating patterns disrupted at times during the year). This is 5.7 percent of all U.S. households or about 6.7 million. This is up from 4.7 million households (4.1 percent) in 2007, and the highest level observed since nationally representative food security surveys were initiated in 1995.

About 5.7 percent of all U.S. households (6.7 million households) including 12.1 million adults and 5.2 million children, had very low food security, up from 4.1 percent (4.7 million households) in 2007,  the highest level since nationwide food security surveys began in 1995.

USDA’s Household Food Security report, 2008,  was based on a December 2008 survey when the jobless rate was well below its current 10.2 percent. The figures for 2009 should be even worse.

The Govt Deception

This post should be read in the context of the US expenditure on the War Racket. Of the Total Outlays (Federal Funds)of $2,650 billion for 2009, the United states is spending $1,449 billion (54%) on the military.

Excerpts from the USDA report:

What Is “Very Low Food Security”?

The defining characteristic of “very low food security” (described in Household Food Security reports prior to 2006 as “food insecurity with hunger”) is that, at times during the year, the food intake of household members was reduced and their normal eating patterns were disrupted because the household lacked money and other resources for food. Very low food security can be characterized in terms of the conditions that households in this category reported in the food security survey. In the 2008 survey, households classifi ed as having very low food security (representing an estimated 6.7 million households nationwide) reported the
following specifi c conditions:

• 98 percent reported having worried that their food would run out before they got money to buy more.
• 96 percent reported that the food they bought just did not last and they did not have money to get more.
• 94 percent reported that they could not afford to eat balanced meals.
• 97 percent reported that an adult had cut the size of meals or skipped meals because there was not enough money for food.
• 88 percent reported that this had occurred in 3 or more months.
• In 93 percent, respondents reported that they had eaten less than they felt they should because there was not enough money for food.
• In 66 percent, respondents reported that they had been hungry but did not eat because they could not afford enough food.
• In 47 percent, respondents reported having lost weight because they did not have enough money for food.
• 27 percent reported that an adult did not eat for a whole day because there was not enough money for food.
• 19 percent reported that this had occurred in 3 or more months.
• All of those without children reported at least 6 of these conditions, and 67 percent reported 7 or more. (Conditions in households with children were similar, but the reported food-insecure conditions of both adults and children were taken into account.)

A summary of the report is posted at: Report summary
Full report is available at: Entire report, PDF

USDA News Release
Release No. 0575.09

USDA REPORT REVEALS HIGHEST RATE OF FOOD INSECURITY SINCE REPORT WAS INITIATED IN 1995

Economic Research Service Report Demonstrates Need for Action

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2009 – USDA’s Economic Research Service’s (ERS) today released its annual report on Household Food Security in the U.S., which revealed that in 2008, 17 million households, or 14.6 percent, were food insecure and families had difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year. This is an increase from 13 million households, or 11.1 percent, in 2007. The 2008 figures represent the highest level observed since nationally representative food security surveys were initiated in 1995. The full study is available at www.ers.usda.gov/features/householdfoodsecurity/.

“The Obama Administration has put in place unprecedented measures to promote job creation and combat hunger in our Nation, a problem that the American sense of fairness should not tolerate and American ingenuity can overcome, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The Department of Agriculture’s nutrition assistance programs provide a safety net that improves food access to those with critical needs, but addressing the root of hunger requires a broader strategy. By improving access to federal nutrition programs and working with our partners at all levels of government and society, we can make progress in our effort to reduce and eventually eliminate childhood hunger.”

This year’s report also reveals that one third of food insecure households had very low food security (food intake of some household members was reduced and their eating patterns disrupted at times during the year). This is 5.7 percent of all U.S. households or about 6.7 million. This is up from 4.7 million households (4.1 percent) in 2007, and the highest level observed since nationally representative food security surveys were initiated in 1995.

Even when resources are inadequate to provide food for the entire family, children are usually shielded from the disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake that characterize very low food security. However, children as well as adults experienced instances of very low food security in 506,000 households (1.3 percent of households with children) in 2008, up from 323,000 households (0.8 percent of households with children) in 2007.

The fundamental cause of food insecurity and hunger in the United States is poverty – marked by a lack of adequate resources to address basic needs such as food, shelter and health care. The Obama Administration has taken aggressive action on these fronts through the expansion of critical services for Americans most in need. The historic investments of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, with a focus on long-term job creation, are a major part of this effort. The Recovery Act provides tax relief for working families, job training, unemployment insurance, income support and affordable housing to needy Americans and their children.

A central part of the Recovery Act included a significant increase in nutrition assistance benefits for the 36.5 million people (half of whom are children) who participate in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program. It also provides resources to the state agencies that administer the program, helping them to deal efficiently with increased caseloads.

“As the Obama Administration works to foster a robust recovery for all, it’s important to recognize that we have another opportunity to improve the health and nutrition of our children when Congress begins to debate the Child Nutrition Reauthorization,” said Vilsack. “It is vital that we make it easier for families and administrators to bring eligible children into the program and to eliminate gap periods when children struggle to find the nutrition assistance they need – at breakfast, during summer, and in after-school settings.”

USDA’s National School Lunch program serves 31 million children a healthy meal each school day – for some children in need, this is their most important meal that day. USDA is working with states to increase the use of technology to make low-income children whose families already receive SNAP automatically certified for free school meals and to promote policies that make it easier for eligible families to participate in SNAP. Also, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC program, ensures mothers and their children have access to nutritious options as well. Nearly half of all infants in this country participate in WIC.

“During challenging economic times, the pool of those in need of vital food assistance expands,” said Vilsack. “USDA’s role – along with our partners – is to ensure individuals do not fall through the cracks, and can access nutritional services with dignity and respect.”

Related Links:

• Poverty Index
  

• 338,000 Afghan infants dying under Obama war
• Number of Hungry Rises Above 1 Billion
• World cannot survive without a revolution
• Images of the Day: G20 at a Glance
• Bail Out the People: Nationalize the Banks
• The Anti Poverty Day
• What We Always Believed, World Bank Finally Confirms
• Fight For Food!
• We Need Food!
• If the world were falling apart!
• Emerging Food Crisis

Quotes of the Day:

The Question:

Should the 9/11 suspects go on trial in New York?

Quotes and Comments:

• “What the Obama administration is telling us loud and clear is that both in substance and reality the war on terror from their point of view is over,” Mr. Giuliani said on “Fox News Sunday.” “This seems to be an overconcern with the rights of terrorists and a lack of concern for the rights of the public.”

Why is Mr Giuliani so worried?

Related Links:

• US Govt
• 8th Anniversary of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

Image and caption suggested by a reader

The US President Bows, Again!

It’s widely believed that he would have still had his green tea ice cream even if he hadn’t bowed so deeply.

US President Barack Obama bowed deeply to Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, when he arrived at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo for a private lunch. Photo: Reuters. Image may be subject to copyright.

Related Links:

• US Govt

Why the President Got Airborne Early Morning

President Barak Obama took off in the Marine One presidential helicopter shortly before midnight and was headed to a U.S. military base on Wednesday night, to meet the plane bringing home the bodies of 18 American soldiers and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents killed in Afghanistan recently.

Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where the President made his unannounced late-night trip to, is home of the United States’ largest military mortuary and main point of entry for U.S. service members killed abroad, Reuters said.

But has the President previously met with the returning dead service members, or DEA agents for that matter? Why this time? Which group did he feel necessary to meet, the dead troops or lifeless DEA agents?

Here’s the “Logic Flowchart”

1.President Hamid Karzai is a corrupt individual, who should be ousted. Instead he may be re-elected as president in November in yet another round of election riddled with vote fraud.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai (R) meets with the then Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin (L) September 23, 2008 in New York hotel on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.  AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA. Image may be subject to copyright.

2. Mr Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the president K of Afghanistan, is a CIA”asset.” He has been on the CIA payroll for at least eight years,  The New York Times reported. He is also known to be a DRUG LORD. [See video: Karzai's brother threatened McClatchy writer reporting Afghan drug story.]

Ahmed Wali Karzai says the claims are ‘ridiculous.’ Photo: AFP/Getty Images. Image may be subject to copyright.

3. Three of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) were killed on Monday, Oct. 26, 2009 in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan: Special Agent Michael Weston, Agent Forrest Leamon and  Special Agent Chad Michael. That’s what prompted the President to fly to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

President Obama arrived at Dover Air Force Base early Thursday morning. Doug Mills/The New York Times . Image may be subject to copyright.

4. If you are supporting the Drug Lords, you don’t want the DEA agents  snooping around.

The above images were were released Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). L to R: Special Agent Michael Weston, Agent Forrest Leamon and  Special Agent Chad Michael, who were killed Monday, Oct. 26, 2009 in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

Related Links:

• US Govt
  

“US Scientist Caught Spying For ‘Israel’”

What Giant Smokescreen!

Does it mean that the traditional, well-established channels for the transfer of state secrets to Israel no longer function?

• Does the FBI monitor the telephone conversations of people like Joe Lieberman, Rahm Israel Emanuel … ? If NOT, WHY NOT?

• Are the people supposed to presume that AIPAC and the dozens of similar organizations no longer ’share’ information with Israel?

• Are the Right-Wing Rabbis presumed to be safe for confiding state secrets to?

• How about Israel-First CEO’s and top executives of arms manufacturers and multinational corporations that monitor/control the flow of electronic information in the US and EU?
  

Another Israel-First US Scientist Caught Spying For “Israel”

Stewart David Nozette, 52, an Israel-loving scientist who worked for the Defense Department, was arrested Monday on charges of attempted spying. He tried to pass on classified information to an FBI agent posing as an Israeli intelligence officer, AP reported.

Mr Nozette was contacted in September 2009 by an undercover FBI agent posing as an Israeli intelligence officer, whom he reportedly assured to provide classified information “in exchange for an Israeli passport.”

The scientist is reported to have provided information “classified as both ‘top secret’ and ’secret’ that concerned US satellites, early warning systems, means of defense or retaliation against large-scale attack, communications intelligence information, and major elements of defense strategy”, the justice department said.

“From 1989 through 2006, Nozette held security clearances as high as ‘top secret’ and had regular, frequent access to classified information and documents related to the US national defense.”

… in January of this year, Nozette allegedly traveled to another foreign country with two computer thumb drives and did not return with them. Prosecutors also quote an unnamed colleague of Nozette who said the scientist told him that if the U.S. government ever tried to put him in jail for an unrelated criminal offense, he would go to another foreign country and “tell them everything” he knows.

“The conduct alleged in this complaint is serious and should serve as a warning to anyone who would consider compromising our nation’s secrets for profit,” said US Assistant Attorney General David Kris.

Mr Nozette, who is believed to be of Jewish faith, will appear in court in Washington on Tuesday, facing a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

The FBI affidavit gave the following sequence of events:

_Sept. 4. Nozette and the agent met again in the same hotel. The scientist allegedly said that while he no longer had legal access to any classified information at a U.S. government facility, he could, nonetheless, recall classified information by memory. Nozette allegedly asked when he could expect to receive his first payment, saying he preferred cash amounts “under ten thousand” so he didn’t have to report it.

Nozette allegedly told the agent, “Well, I should tell you my first need is that they should figure out how to pay me … they don’t expect me to do this for free.”

_Sept. 10. Undercover FBI agents left a letter in the designated post office box, asking Nozette to answer a list of questions about U.S. satellite information. The agents provided a $2,000 cash payment. Serial numbers of the bills were recorded.

_Sept. 16. Nozette was captured on videotape leaving a manila envelope in the post office box. The next day, agents retrieved the sealed envelope and found, among other things, a one-page document containing answers to the questions and an encrypted computer thumb drive.

One answer contained information classified as secret, which concerned capabilities of a prototype overhead collection system. Nozette allegedly offered to reveal additional classified information that directly concerned nuclear weaponry, military spacecraft or satellites, and other major weapons systems.

_Sept. 17. Agents left a second letter in the post office box with another list of questions about U.S. satellite information. The FBI also left a cash payment of $9,000. Nozette allegedly retrieved the questions and the money the same day.

_Oct. 1. Nozette was videotaped leaving a manila envelope in the post office box. FBI agents retrieved it and found a second set of answers. The responses contained information classified as both top secret and secret, on U.S. satellites, early warning systems, means of defense or retaliation against large-scale attack, communications intelligence information, and major elements of defense strategy.

It has also been reported that “Nozette performed some of this research and development at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in Arlington, Va., and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.”

In 2006, NASA’s Office of Inspector General subpoenaed a bank account of Nozette’s firm, Alliance For Competitive Technology Inc. Nozette went to federal court to fight the subpoena.

The IG  investigated reports that Nozette’s firm had submitted false claims for expenses.

Nozette’s motion to quash the subpoena was  rejected by a federal judge; however, the court records provide no further information as to what happened afterward.

From Stewart Nozette NASA Page:

Mini-RF Principal Investigator (on Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) and Co-investigator (on Chandrayaan-1).

Where did you grow up? Where do you live now? I grew up in Chicago, Illinois (West Rogers Park), and currently live in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

How did you get interested in space exploration? I was born in 1957, the year of Sputnik, grew up during the Apollo years, and always had an interest in space exploration and strong science aptitude. The works of Gerard K. O’Neill, which appeared during my high school years in the early 1970s, encouraged my consideration of space exploration as a career. Up until that time I was planning to go to medical school. I was strongly encouraged by many influential people during my undergraduate years and finally closed off my medical option during my sophomore year, much to the benefit of my future patients (many people have told me).

What is your educational background? I have a B.S. in geosciences with honors and distinction from the University of Arizona (1979), and a Ph.D. in planetary science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1983).

What are your hobbies? I used to fly and scuba dive when I was younger but have not been as active recently. Now I enjoy cooking and listening to The Grateful Dead Channel on Sirius satellite radio.

What’s your job on Mini-RF? I am the principal investigator/co-investigator, so I act to oversee and document the scientific aspects of the program and translate these requirements into specific actions for the engineers and operators.

What has been the most exciting aspect of working on Mini-RF? Seeing it come to fruition after many years of thought and work. I conceived the idea of Mini-RF in 1994 while working as the deputy program manager and chief scientist of the Clementine mission, so returning to the moon with this capability is very satisfying.

What are you looking forward to the most as Mini-RF begins its lunar exploration? Finally seeing what’s at the bottom of the permanently shadowed polar craters.

What excites you about exploring the moon? The possibility that Mini-RF will provide the data that establishes whether extractable water exists on the moon and the importance of that information to the feasibility of humans eventually settling on the moon permanently.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get involved in space exploration [or the transfer of state secrets to Israel?] The most important thing is to get a very good grounding in fundamental math, basic and applied science, and engineering. Some exposure to business, management and economics would also be valuable. Then finding a career path with helpful mentors who can get you involved in real projects once you are sufficiently grounded.

Count one hole for every Israel-first “scientist,”  engineer, administrator, employee… and you’ll see why the US defense system looks like a torn fishing net.

Related Links:

• USrael/ ZOG/ White House/ False Flags/ FBI …

338,000 Afghan infants are dying under the Obama-led occupation: UN

“I shut my eyes when I listen to this guy [Obama] and it could be Tony. He is doing the same thing that we did in 1997.” —Denis MacShane, UK MP

“In his latest column for the New Statesman, John Pilger draws on George Orwell’s inspiration to describe the Call of Obama: ‘attractive to liberal sensibilities, if not to the Afghan children he kills’.”

War Is Peace. Ignorance Is Strength

By John Pilger

Barack Obama, winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, is planning another war to add to his impressive record. In Afghanistan, his agents routinely extinguish wedding parties, farmers and construction workers with weapons such as the innovative Hellfire missile, which sucks the air out of your lungs. According to the UN, 338,000 Afghan infants are dying under the Obama-led alliance, which permits only $29 per head annually to be spent on medical care.

This can’t be right! [Image not included in the original article.]

Within weeks of his inauguration, Obama started a new war in Pakistan, causing more than a million people to flee their homes. In threatening Iran – which his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said she was prepared to “obliterate” – Obama lied that the Iranians were covering up a “secret nuclear facility”, knowing that it had already been reported to the International Atomic Energy Authority. In colluding with the only nuclear-armed power in the Middle East, he bribed the Palestinian Authority to suppress a UN judgment that Israel had committed crimes against humanity in its assault on Gaza – crimes made possible with US weapons whose shipment Obama secretly approved before his inauguration.

At home, the man of peace has approved a military budget exceeding that of any year since the end of the Second World War while presiding over a new kind of domestic repression. During the recent G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, hosted by Obama, militarised police attacked peaceful protesters with something called the Long-Range Acoustic Device, not seen before on US streets. Mounted in the turret of a small tank, it blasted a piercing noise as tear gas and pepper gas were fired indiscriminately. It is part of a new arsenal of “crowd-control munitions” supplied by military contractors such as Ray­theon. In Obama’s Pentagon-controlled “national security state”, the concentration camp at Guantanamo Bay, which he promised to close, remains open, and “rendition”, secret assassinations and torture continue.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winner’s latest war is largely secret. On 15 July, Washington finalised a deal with Colombia that gives the US seven giant military bases. “The idea,” reported the Associated Press, “is to make Colombia a regional hub for Pentagon operations… nearly half the continent can be covered by a C-17 [military transport] without refuelling”, which “helps achieve the regional engagement strategy”.

Translated, this means Obama is planning a “rollback” of the independence and democracy that the people of Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Paraguay have achieved against the odds, along with a historic regional co-operation that rejects the notion of a US “sphere of influence”. The Colombian regime, which backs death squads and has the continent’s worst human rights record, has received US military support second in scale only to Israel. Britain provides military training. Guided by US military satellites, Colombian paramilitaries now infiltrate Venezuela with the goal of overthrowing the democratic government of Hugo Chávez, which George W Bush failed to do in 2002.

Obama’s war on peace and democracy in Latin America follows a style he has demonstrated since the coup against the democratic president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, in June. Zelaya had increased the minimum wage, granted subsidies to small farmers, cut back interest rates and reduced poverty. He planned to break a US pharmaceutical monopoly and manufacture cheap generic drugs. Although Obama has called for Zelaya’s reinstatement, he refuses to condemn the coup-makers and to recall the US ambassador or the US troops who train the Honduran forces determined to crush a popular resistance. Zelaya has been repeatedly refused a meeting with Obama, who has approved an IMF loan of $164m to the illegal regime. The message is clear and familiar: thugs can act with impunity on behalf of the US.

Obama, the smooth operator from Chicago via Harvard, was enlisted to restore what he calls “leadership” throughout the world. The Nobel Prize committee’s decision is the kind of cloying reverse racism that has beatified the man for no reason other than he is a member of a minority and attractive to liberal sensibilities, if not to the Afghan children he kills. This is the Call of Obama. It is not unlike a dog whistle: inaudible to most, irresistible to the besotted and boneheaded. “When Obama walks into a room,” gushed George Clooney, “you want to follow him somewhere, anywhere.”

Source: John Pilger Website

The great voice of black liberation Frantz Fanon understood this. In The Wretched of the Earth, he described the “intermediary [whose] mission has nothing to do with transforming the nation: it consists, prosaically, of being the transmission line between the nation and a capitalism, rampant though camouflaged”. Because political debate has become so debased in our media monoculture – Blair or Brown; Brown or Cameron – race, gender and class can be used as seductive tools of propaganda and diversion. In Obama’s case, what matters, as Fanon pointed out in an earlier era, is not the intermediary’s “historic” elevation, but the class he serves. After all, Bush’s inner circle was probably the most multiracial in presidential history. There was Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Clarence Thomas, all dutifully serving an extreme and dangerous power.

Britain has seen its own Obama-like mysticism. The day after Blair was elected in 1997, the Observer predicted that he would create “new worldwide rules on human rights” while the Guardian rejoiced at the “breathless pace [as] the floodgates of change burst open”. When Obama was elected last November, Denis MacShane MP, a devotee of Blair’s bloodbaths, unwittingly warned us: “I shut my eyes when I listen to this guy and it could be Tony. He is doing the same thing that we did in 1997.”

http://www.johnpilger.com/page.asp?partid=551

1 in 6 people hungry!

Our World is Home to More than 1,020,000,000 Hungry People: FAO

Undernourishment Chart:  1.02 billion

All regions of the world are affected by rising hunger:

• Asia and the Pacific, the world’s most populous region, has the highest number of hungry people:  642 million
• Sub‐Saharan Africa has the highest percentage of  undernourishment some 32 percent of the entire population: 265 million
• Near East and North Africa boast the largest percentage increase in the number of hungry people in the developing world at 13.5 percent : 42 million.
• Latin America and the Caribbean, has a substantial increase  of 12.8 percent in the number of hungry people: 53 million
• The developed countries face a growing concern in undernourishment: 15 million

One of the worst years for the hungry, 2009 is experiencing a significant worsening of an already downward trend in global food security since 1996. In 2009 an additional 100 million people had no access to adequate food, with more than one billion people estimated to be undernourished, FAO  said.

While the number of hungry people has been increasing since the mid-1990s, the number of undernourished in the world was actually declining in the 1970s and 1980s in spite of relatively rapid population growth during those decades, and the proportion of undernourished in developing countries was declining quite rapidly. During the 1990s and the current decade, however, the number of undernourished has risen, despite the benefit of slower population growth, and the proportion of undernourished increased in 2008.—FAO

Related Links:

• The Anti Poverty Day
• Early “Dividends” of Climate Change
• Fight For Food!
• Bail Out the People: Nationalize the Banks
• World cannot survive without a revolution
• “Bullshit Barack”
• Emerging Food Crisis
• We Need Food!
• How They Protect Social Divisions in the UK
• What We Always Believed, World Bank Finally Confirms
• State of Our World