Links June 10 09 – Moon of Alabama

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June 10, 2009

Links June 10 09

Rampaging militants kill 11, injure 50 in Peshawar hotel – Dawn – Like Baghdad 2003 – aimed at UN staff

Kabul's K Street Project – Mother Jones – Must lobby …

Gaza: The destitute and the forgotten (video) Guardian
AP Edits Palestinian Suffering Out of Obama’s Speech – Kabob.
Bound, blindfolded and beaten – by Israeli troops – Independent
Haredi volunteers to operate mobiles with teeth – Ynet – Lunatics

The world's biggest military spenders by population – Economist

America's socialism for the rich: Corporate welfarism – Stiglitz
China PPI down 7.2% in May year on year – Xinhua – Deflation
Crude ends above $70 for first time since November – Xinhua – Inflation
Supreme Court Clears Way for the Sale of Chrysler to Fiat – NYT

Smoke gets in your eyes – Mavercon/FT

Please add your links, views and news in the comments.

Posted by b on June 10, 2009 at 06:35 UTC | Permalink

Comments

Our Supreme Court is a busy body: electing presidents, staving off bankruptcies. When are they gonna get back to their job of interpreting and safeguarding the Constitution?

Posted by: ralphieboy | Jun 10 2009 7:39 utc | 1

London Times: London’s Metropolitan Police accused of waterboarding suspects

Metropolitan Police officers subjected suspects to waterboarding, according to allegations at the centre of a major anti-corruption inquiry, The Times has learnt.
The torture claims are part of a wide-ranging investigation which also includes accusations that officers fabricated evidence and stole suspects’ property. It has already led to the abandonment of a drug trial and the suspension of several police officers.
However, senior policing officials are most alarmed by the claim that officers in Enfield, North London, used the controversial CIA interrogation technique to simulate drowning.

Posted by: b | Jun 10 2009 8:04 utc | 2

Via Justin Raimondo at antiwar.com, an article that shows in full how paranoid is Israeli government.

Posted by: andrew | Jun 10 2009 10:11 utc | 3

Tea baggers love to refer to Obama as a socialist, but they are right if and only if they modify it with the words “for the rich.” And if Obama lovers were ever to refer to him as a capitalist, they must by all means modify it with the word “crony.”

Posted by: Cynthia | Jun 10 2009 12:06 utc | 4

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/06/20096995715625752.html
:-))

Posted by: outsicer | Jun 10 2009 12:42 utc | 5

The military spending article in the economist misses much methinks. The article claims Israel spends the most per capita at $2300 per citizen. USA comes in, according to the article a close second at $2000.
Now if you do the math that would put our military spending at $600B. Is that our spending? It seems to me we spend closer to $1T once we consider the State dept spooks, Energy dept nukes and other furtive military expenditures.
If we take the $1T/yr figure that works out to $3,333/yr/citizen. That’s a lot of damned money.

Posted by: scott | Jun 10 2009 12:57 utc | 6

ralphieboy,
The Supremes interpreted and safeguarded the Constitution in 2000 when they stopped the Florida recount because, in the Court’s view, it was denying George Bush equal protection under Amendment XIV. Sorry.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Jun 10 2009 14:18 utc | 7

Ah, yes, on the Independent article about Israeli troops abusing detainees, we again see the iron discipline of the Israeli military, combating human rights abuses with pamphlets.
Maybe one of the soldiers will get a paper cut…

Posted by: Obelix | Jun 10 2009 16:26 utc | 8

scott @6
we should add Israel’s military budget to our military budget as most of it from us anyway.

Posted by: dan of steele | Jun 10 2009 17:09 utc | 9

re. Military spending, the Economist:
It was essential for the US to get its people to adhere to Project Empire America more strongly. That also involved re-furbishing the US’ image abroad. Therefore, it was necessary to have fairer elections; a candidate who could only be an ‘outsider’ or a democrat (a dem was chosen to preserve the structure of the false opposition), for contrast and renewal; a charismatic figure who could ‘move’ the masses; overall, some kind of stellar, uplifting proof of re-birth and, yes, change.
Fake partisan politics and the preoccupation with gender and ethnic issues ensured that Obama looked like a stellar novelty, reinforcing parts of the positive image of the US – melting pot, social advancement, post-racist, creativity, etc. But the move is pure symbol, with no substance. It is media froth for the deluded and duped. It is Dear-Leader, sitcom style, as real Dear-Leaders have power, but those who dance and prance have none.
Seen under a certain angle (Rome) one might have expected a military leader. The Prince of Darkness – Wesley Clark – seemed a fair fit. Didn’t jell, the Empire must keep its mask on. So a rep. of Finance was elected instead.
Part of the mask are the hidden figures of the cost of ‘Defense’ – which are so stupendous proper accounting is frightening – the Economist conventional nos. are fantasy, official lies. It is Keynesian Gvmt. spending, non productive, which goes to the military-industrial complex, and Gvmt. officials themselves (e.g. to Homeland Security, which should be considered part of ‘Defense.’) Wars of choice do nothing to further US citizens‘ interest.
They do, however serve to conserve US hegemony, and (maybe?) a strong dollar. The arms industry brings in income as well – that is a bit of a protection racket.

Posted by: Tangerine | Jun 11 2009 17:06 utc | 10

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