BartBlog

Losses and Surge in Oil

Spread Gloom on Economy

Saturday 07 June 2008

by: Peter S. Goodman, The New York Times

The unemployment rate surged to 5.5 percent in May from 5 percent – the sharpest monthly spike in 22 years – as the economy lost 49,000 jobs, registering a fifth consecutive month of decline, the Labor Department reported Friday.

    The weak jobs report, coupled with a staggering rise in the price of oil – up a record $10.75 a barrel to more than $138 – unleashed a feverish sell-off on Wall Street, sending the Dow Jones industrial average down nearly 400 points. The dollar plunged against several major currencies.

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 “They hate us for our freedoms”?

Ha. Ha. Ha.

US Issues Threat to Iraq’s $50 Billion Foreign Reserves in Military Deal

Friday 06 June 2008

by: Patrick Cockburn, The Independent UK

 The US is holding hostage some $50bn (£25bn) of Iraq’s money in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to pressure the Iraqi government into signing an agreement seen by many Iraqis as prolonging the US occupation indefinitely, according to information leaked to The Independent.    US negotiators are using the existence of $20bn in outstanding court judgments against Iraq in the US, to pressure their Iraqi counterparts into accepting the terms of the military deal, details of which were reported for the first time in this newspaper yesterday.

    Iraq’s foreign reserves are currently protected by a presidential order giving them immunity from judicial attachment but the US side in the talks has suggested that if the UN mandate, under which the money is held, lapses and is not replaced by the new agreement, then Iraq’s funds would lose this immunity. The cost to Iraq of this happening would be the immediate loss of $20bn. The US is able to threaten Iraq with the loss of 40 per cent of its foreign exchange reserves because Iraq’s independence is still limited by the legacy of UN sanctions and restrictions imposed on Iraq since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in the 1990s. This means that Iraq is still considered a threat to international security and stability under Chapter Seven of the UN charter. The US negotiators say the price of Iraq escaping Chapter Seven is to sign up to a new “strategic alliance” with the United States.

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There is much debate right now about whether or not Senator Barak Obama can win over the millions of women that we hoping to see the first female president in the form of Senator Hillary Clinton. Many women that support Clinton blame Obama and his surrogates for much of the sexist treatment they feel Clinton received during the primary campaign. The amount of blame placed upon sexism as a reason for Clinton’s loss is ridiculous. Were their moments when the media treated her in a sexist manner? Probably. Was that the reason the Clinton camp ran a poor campaign? No.

Women voters must get beyond their perception that Obama was somehow responsible for the so called sexist treatment of Clinton and focus on what Obama will provide for women versus what Republican John McCain will do for women. Obama will protect a women’s right to choose through what may be several Supreme Court appointments and has a plan for providing universal healthcare. McCain will move to install justices that will seek to remove a women’s right to choose and he believes that the government has no business trying to provide healthcare for all Americans.

 Choice and healthcare alone are enough for Clinton’s female supporters to join with Obama but I’ll add one more, Iraq. John McCain intends to keep our sons, daughters, wives, husbands etc. in Iraq for a long time. Barak Obama wants to bring them home.

So to women voters I say this. You can be angry about the perception that Hillary Clinton was treated differently because she is a woman, blame Obama and help elect John McCain, or you can be the smart intelligent women that you are and realize that in the end Barak Obama’s policies are so close to Clinton’s that it would be irrational not to support him.

Judge allows Blackwater to open San Diego center

By ALLISON HOFFMAN, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago

SAN DIEGO – A federal judge Wednesday ordered the city to allow military contractor Blackwater Worldwide to begin using a new counterterrorism training center in a warehouse outfitted with an indoor firing range.

District Judge Marilyn Huff ruled that the company would suffer irreparable harm if it could not begin holding classes there for Navy sailors.Blackwater sued last month to force the city to issue final occupancy permits after the required inspections were already approved, claiming officials upended normal procedures because they feared a political backlash.The city responded that the company misled officials about the nature of the center, which includes a multilevel mock ship built out of cargo containers, to avoid triggering a full review by the city planning commission and a possible City Council vote.

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Bart asked a while back if America was racist.  I find from personal experience and surfing the net that most of America, all ethnic groups are racist to a varying degree.  But the saddest thing that most Americans share is that Americans are much more sexist than racist, men and even women against their own sex. 

IE:  I listened to dozens of people talking today at the bank, grocery store, Post Office and DMV (my birthday is tomorrow and needed a new driver’s license, not a ticket.  ;O) )  Everyone was talking about being glad that (pick your favorite Hillary bash) was out of the way and she should just go away and die someplace. BUT they would either vote for McCain or not vote at all before they would vote for that (pick your own nasty slur) Obama.    

So much for unifying the party!   4 more years???

It was only a small peek into what is coming in the next few months when the GOP gets their dirty tricks and swiftboating crews going full blast!  

If obama thinks for one minute that the GOP slime machine won’t drag his wife through the mud just because he said she is off limits he is in for a very rude awakening.

BTW  Gas was $4.50 per gallon in Oregon today. 

Jeff Gannon: Scotty, You’ve Changed…

By: Nicole Belle on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 3:40 PM – PDT 

“Add me to the growing list of those who are having great difficulty understanding McClellan’s motives. I spent two years as a White House reporter, much of it during McClellan’s reign. At no time did Scott ever indicate, either publicly or privately, he had the misgivings he expressed in this book.

What I hear about the book does not sound like the Scott McClellan I knew for two years.  I can say without fear of contradiction, that I knew Scott better than any other White House correspondent or Washington reporter. (more…)

…Owed to China – (Neocon tribute)

Your Flag pins are cheap,
We wear them with pride.
We never did serve,
We chose to hide.

The Olympics you’ll host
With fanfare and lights
We’ll send our President
(Don’t mention Human Rights)

The Games will begin
All athletics and class
But don’t send us a bill
‘Cause you own our ass!