News March 2009 7thfire

Winter Soldier/Iraq Veterans Against the War

U.S. Still Losing a Brigade's Worth of Vets Every Year to Suicide

The Mystery of the Forgotten U.S. Flag Revealed.

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March 2009 HEADLINES

Women told: 'You have dishonoured your family, please kill yourself' When Elif's father told her she had to kill herself in order to spare him from a prison sentence for her murder, she considered it long and hard. "I loved my father so much, I was ready to commit suicide for him even though I hadn't done anything wrong," the 18-year-old said. "But I just couldn't go through with it. I love life too much." (how can anyone even use the word 'honor' in context to these murders??)

NC nursing home shooting kills at least 6 A gunman opened fire at a North Carolina nursing home Sunday morning, killing at least six people and wounding several others, police said.The gunman was also injured before he was apprehended by police after the 10 a.m. shooting at Pinelake Health and Rehab in the town of Carthage, Carthage Police Chief Chris McKenzie told several television stations. A police officer was also hurt.

Spanish court considers trying former US officials A Spanish court has agreed to consider opening a criminal case against six former Bush administration officials, including former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, over allegations they gave legal cover for torture at Guantanamo Bay, a lawyer in the case said Saturday.Human rights lawyers brought the case before leading anti-terror judge Baltasar Garzon, who agreed to send it on to prosecutors to decide whether it had merit, Gonzalo Boye, one of the lawyers who brought the charges, told The Associated Press.The ex-Bush officials are Gonzales; former undersecretary of defense for policy Douglas Feith; former Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff David Addington; Justice Department officials John Yoo and Jay S. Bybee; and Pentagon lawyer William Haynes.

Dear A.I.G., I Quit! The following is a letter sent on Tuesday by Jake DeSantis, an executive vice president of the American International Group’s financial products unit, to Edward M. Liddy, the chief executive of A.I.G.

Ex-Official: Bush Panicked After 9/11 A former State Department lawyer tells The Associated Press that the Bush administration panicked after 9/11 and tortured prisoners. Former President George W. Bush denied anyone was tortured. But Vijay Padmanabhan is at least the second insider to publicly describe as torture the so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" used by the U.S. Lawrence B. Wilkerson, who served as chief of staff to then-Secretary of State Colin Powell, said many detainees locked up in the prison camp were innocent swept up by U.S. forces unable to distinguish enemies from noncombatants "There are still innocent people there," Wilkerson told The Associated Press. "Some have been there six or seven years."

Blizzard Paralyzes Midwest, 2 Dead Parts of the Southern plains woke up this morning to a paralyzing early Spring blizzard that's left roads closed and hundreds of travelers stranded. At least two people are dead from a blizzard that has gripped the southern High Plains for more than 24 hours.
In Oklahoma, 16 inches of fresh snow have fallen and there are snow drifts as high as 11 feet in a state where any snow is an unprecedented event at this time of the year. Thousands are without power.

Can the Financial Flames Be Stopped? Rome began cheating its creditors by taking the gold and silver out of its coins. Before long, Roman money was worthless—and Rome’s wealthiest families were ruined. Society disintegrated. Unemployment and widespread food shortages ravaged the populace, soon after which the citizens of Rome had new taskmasters—the barbarians at the gate. Here is the sad fact: U.S. taxpayers have committed more than $8.7 trillion to fixing the economy, and we haven’t even made a noticeable dent!

20 demonstrators march in London Tens of thousands of people have marched through London demanding action on poverty, climate change and jobs, ahead of next week's G20 summit.

and the attacks begin against the powerful and greedy as the downtrodded and enslaved start to rebel across the world: Goodwin attack is 'only the beginning' Security at the homes of current and former senior executives at the Royal Bank of Scotland was being tightened yesterday after vandals staged a pre-dawn attack on the Edinburgh home of Sir Fred Goodwin and said it was "just the beginning" of a campaign against wealthy financiers.

Israel admits killing 189 children in Gaza campaign The first official figures released by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) of the casualties inflicted by the three-week campaign found that a total of 309 Palestinian civilians were killed. But the IDF said that armed fighters from Hamas and other militant movements accounted for most of the 1,370 dead

Quake scientists focus on the southern San Andreas An arid expanse of California desert at the southern end of the notorious San Andreas Fault is being wired with high-tech sensors that scientists hope will tell them when the state's sleeping giant could awaken.The effort could not be more timely. A swarm of more than 250 earthquakes has jiggled the desert for a week where the first new seismic instruments were installed earlier this year.

Military Industrial Complex Prepares Mass Graves for U.S. Citizens A usually quiet U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Cemetery, has been unusually active lately. The National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona is a beautiful 225 acre facility located in Phoenix.For the past 30-45 days in the early hours of the morning until sunset, a massive construction operation has been underway.

Idaho Teacher Sells Advertising Space On Tests In a cash-strapped Idaho high school, where signs taped near every light switch remind the staff to save electricity, an enterprising teacher has struck a sponsorship deal with a local pizza shop: Every test, handout and work sheet he passes out to his students reads MOLTO'S PIZZA 14" 1 TOPPING JUST $5 in bright red, inch-high letters printed along the bottom of each page

THE CRIMINALIZATION OF EVERYDAY LIFE I spent 24 hours in the slammer the other day. My crime? Well, the police couldn’t tell me when they locked me up. The prosecutor and judge couldn’t either, when I was arraigned the following day. I found out for myself when I researched the matter a few days after being released: I had been cited for walking my dog off the leash – once, six years ago.

Germany and EU to Legalise Paedophilia German Government Publication Promotes Incestuous Pedophilia as Healthy Sex Ed Micheal O'Brien, author on crisis of culture in West, says this "German state intervention in family life is a new level of auto-destruction"

Alaska volcano erupts five times after 20-year lul Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano erupted again Monday morning, the fifth eruption since coming back to life, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. Darkness and snow obscured the eruptions, which started at 10:38 p.m. Sunday (2:38 a.m. ET Monday). Subsequent eruptions occurred at 11:02 p.m., 12:14 a.m., 1:39 a.m. and 4:37 a.m. local time. The USGS estimated the height of the eruption cloud at 50,000 feet and warned that mudflows were possible on the Drift and Crescent Rivers and ashfall was likely downwind from the volcano.Aviation has been affected, Power said.

Michigan 15-year-old dies after police Taser him Police in Michigan say a 15-year-old boy has died after being Tasered by officers who were trying to break up a fight.Police didn't release his name and say state police are investigating.A Bay City police news release says officers answered a report of an early morning fight on Sunday. The statement says two males were arguing in an apartment, and one of them "attempted to fight the officers."Police say officers Tasered him, and his reaction led them to immediately call for emergency medical help. He was pronounced dead at Bay Regional Medical Center

FAA: 17 dead in a plane crash in Montana A small plane crashed Sunday as it approached an airport in Montana, killing 17 people, including several children, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.The single engine turboprop plane crashed about 500 feet from the airport in Butte while attempting to land, said spokesman Mike Fergus.The aircraft had departed from Orville, Calif., and the pilot had filed a flight plan showing a destination of Bozeman. But the pilot canceled his flight plan at some point and headed for Butte, Fergus said.

Israeli ordnance kills two children killed in Gaza Palestinian medical sources reported on Sunday morning that two children were killed after unexploded ordnance, dropped by the Israeli army during the Gaza war, exploded near them in Gaza City. More than 1400 Palestinians, most of them civilians, including women and children, were killed in the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip.

Alert level raised for Alaska volcano ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Increased earthquake activity has prompted scientists to raise the alert level for Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano.Geologists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said Sunday that seismic activity had increased over the past two days. On Sunday morning, 40 to 50 earthquakes were being recorded every hour.

Intelligence made it clear Saddam was not a threat, diplomat tells MPs A former diplomat at the centre of events in the run-up to the Iraq war revealed yesterday that the government has a "paper trail" that could reveal new information about the legality of the invasion.Carne Ross, who was a first secretary at the United Nations in New York for the Foreign Office until 2004, told MPs: "A lot of facts about the run-up to this war have yet to come to light which should come to light and which the public deserves to know." There were also assessments by the joint intelligence committee which had not been disclosed, Ross told the Commons public administration select committee.

Intifada: A Third Chapter Though the dust has settled in Gaza, the rubble from the untold number of demolished buildings, homes and mosques is far from being cleared away. Graves continue to receive victims, young and old alike, from Israel's most recent offensive. And in the midst of this, with the hopes of some respite and recovery on the horizon, rumors of a third Intifada swell among politicians, scholars and everyday people alike.

Do GM Crops Increase Yield? The Answer Is No. Lies, damn lies, and the Monsanto website. Tell a lie a hundred times, and the chances are that it will eventually appear to be true. When it comes to genetically modified crops, Monsanto makes such an effort – and it could be that you too are duped into accepting their distortions as truth.

Iraqi Holocaust : 2.3 Million Iraqi Excess Deaths March 20, 2009 marks the 6th anniversary of the illegal, utterly unjustified, war criminal invasion of Iraq by US, UK and Australian forces. Post-invasion violent and non-violent excess deaths total 2.3 million and refugees total 6 million in a continuing Iraqi Holocaust and Genocide.

Israeli troops 'admit they killed innocent civilians in Gaza war' Israeli army chiefs began a criminal investigation last night into claims that soldiers killed innocent Palestinian civilians during the recent war in Gaza. The troops are said to have believed they would not be held to account under relaxed rules of engagement.

New details of Israeli war conduct emerge An increasingly disturbing picture of the Israeli army's conduct in the recent Gaza war emerged Friday, as new witness accounts from Israeli troops described wanton vandalism to Palestinian homes, humiliation of civilians and loose rules of engagement that resulted in unnecessary civilian deaths.The revelations of soldier conduct over the past two days have set off soul-searching and alarm in a country where the military is widely revered. They also have echoed Palestinian allegations that Israel's assault did not distinguish between civilians and combatants, at a time when some international human rights groups contend Israel violated the laws of war.

'You are fighting a religious war against gentiles': What rabbis told Israeli soldiers in Gaza war. Rabbis in the Israeli army told battlefield troops in January's Gaza offensive that they were fighting a 'religious war' against gentiles, it has been revealed.An army commander wrote of the shocking command in an Israeli newspaper today - one day after it emerged that Israeli soldiers were told they could kill innocent civilians during the war.'Their message was very clear: we are the Jewish people, we came to this land by a miracle, God brought us back to this land and now we need to fight to expel the gentiles who are interfering with our conquest of this holy land,' the commander said.

Obama Officials Sought To Keep AIG Bonuses: Dodd In a stunning development, Sen. Christopher Dodd said that Obama administration officials asked him to add language to last month's federal stimulus bill to make sure the controversial AIG bonuses remained in place

Wonder drug that stole my memory Statins have been hailed as a miracle cure for cholesterol, but little is known about their side effects.

Court ruling challenges India's caste system A landmark legal ruling which granted India's downtrodden 'untouchables' the right to defend their reputations has been hailed as a symbolic victory for the country's lower castes. (another case of human abuse and we sent our jobs and companies there...huh?)

Red Cross report describes "torture" at CIA jails The International Committee of the Red Cross concludes in a secret report that the Bush administration's treatment of al-Qaeda captives in CIA prisons "constituted torture," The Washington Post reported on Monday, citing newly published excerpts from the 2007 document.The account of alleged physical and psychological brutality inside CIA prisons overseas also states that some U.S. practices amounted to "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment," the newspaper reported.

Mob Threatens to Bring Down Insurer Hired guards stood watch outside the suburban Connecticut offices of AIG Financial Products, the division whose exotic derivatives brought the insurance giant to the brink of collapse last year. Inside, death threats and angry letters flooded e-mail inboxes. Irate callers lit up the phone lines. Senior managers submitted their resignations. Some employees didn't show up at all. "It's a mob effect," one senior executive said. "It's putting people's lives in danger."

American Legion commander “angered” after meeting Obama The leader of the nation’s largest veterans organization says he is “deeply disappointed and concerned” after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.

Banning Organic Farming & Regulating Home Gardening, HR 875 & S 425 The Most Outrageous Nanny Bills Proposed to Date. These bills need to be examined closely and scrutinized by the public. The public must act quickly, as they are attempting to ram these bills through without debate or discussion. The wording in too many provisions of these bills are simply too VAGUE and open the door WIDE for some government bureaucrat on the state of federal level to decide what farmers can or cannot use to grow food, and how that food will be handled--all under the benign guise of "protecting" the public. Where have we heard that before? This bill was introduced in the House last year by Connecticut democrat Rosa L. DeLauro, but it was stalled in committee and went no further. This year, her pals in Big Agriculture got her to front the bill again, but this time they got an additional 29 NWO sell-outs to join her in sponsorship (curiously, the House sponsorship adds up to exactly 30 sell-outs, the same number of silver coins collected by Judas Iscariot when he betrayed Christ to the Romans)

Homeschoolers Ordered into Public Classrooms ( North Carolina ) A North Carolina judge has ordered three children to attend public schools this fall because the homeschooling their mother has provided over the last four years needs to be "challenged." The children, however, have tested above their grade levels – by as much as two years. The decision is raising eyebrows among homeschooling families, and one friend of the mother has launched a website to publicize the issue. The ruling was made by Judge Ned Mangum of Wake County, who was handling a divorce proceeding for Thomas and Venessa Mills.

Chorus of outrage over millions in AIG bonuses Leaders of the White House economic team and the Senate's top Republican bellowed about bonuses at a bailed-out insurance giant and pledged to prevent such payments in the future.From one Sunday talk show to the next, they tore into the contracts that American International Group asserted had to be honored, to the tune of about $165 million and payable to executives by Sunday — part of a larger total payout reportedly valued at $450 million. The company has benefited from more than $170 billion in a federal rescueAdded Lawrence Summers, Obama's top economic adviser: "The easy thing would be to just say ... off with their heads, violate the contracts. But you have to think about the consequences of breaking contracts for the overall system of law, for the overall financial system." (WHAT ABOUT THE IMPLIED CONTRACT WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE? DOES THIS COUNT FOR NOTHING AT ALL...ARE YOU MAD YET??)

Zionism is the problem The Zionist ideal of a Jewish state is keeping Israelis and Palestinians from living in peace.

Insurance giant AIG to pay $165 million in bonuses WASHINGTON – American International Group is giving its executives tens of millions of dollars in new bonuses even though it received a taxpayer bailout of more than $170 billion dollars.(ARE YOU MAD YET?....IS ANYONE GIVING YOU A BONUS?)

The real Israel-Palestine story is in the West Bank It is quite likely that you have not heard of the most important developments this week in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the West Bank, while it has been "occupation as normal", there have been some events that together should be overshadowing Gaza, Gilad Shalit and Avigdor Lieberman.

14 Rare Color Photos From the FSA-OWI Even today, many documentary photographers will tell you they are influenced by the works of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and 40s. Under the direction of Roy Emerson Stryker, the FSA sent photographers to document the plight of the rural farmer during the Great Depression and the progress of New Deal programs. When the U.S. entered World War II, the photography program continued under the Office of War Information (OWI).

VITAL - CRITICAL - YOU MUST WATCH THIS Why don't you know what the Baltic Dry Index is? Would the US government notify its 360 million citizens in advance if there were going to be a MAJOR food and product shortage withing the next 3-12 months? Wouldn't they remain silent and prevent absolute chaos and outrage? Would they tell us of an event this catastrophic? One that would mean no available food, gasoline, ANY products for 6 months to as much as a year or two? Would they tell us? Would they?

Police Trained Nationwide That Informed Americans Are Domestic Terrorists A secret report distributed by the Missouri Information Analysis Center lists Ron Paul supporters, libertarians, people who display bumper stickers, people who own gold, or even people who fly a U.S. flag and equates them with radical race hate groups and terrorists. This is merely the latest example in an alarming trend which confirms that law enforcement across the country is being trained that American citizens are a dangerous enemy.

China 'worried' about US Treasury holdings China's premier didn't say it in so many words, but the implied warning to Washington was blunt: Don't devalue the dollar through reckless spending. Premier Wen Jiabao's message is unlikely to be misunderstood at the White House. It is counting on Beijing to help pay for its stimulus package by buying U.S. bonds. China already is Washington's biggest foreign creditor, with an estimated $1 trillion in U.S. government debt. A weaker dollar would erode the value of those assets

Army fired 11 soldiers in Jan. as openly gay The Army fired 11 soldiers in January for violating the military's policy that gay service members must keep their sexuality hidden, according to a Virginia congressman. Democratic Rep. Jim Moran said he has requested monthly updates from the Pentagon on the impact of the policy until it is repealed.

Doctors Without Borders workers abducted in Darfur Five people working for humanitarian aid group Doctors Without Borders' Belgian office were kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur region, officials said Thursday, a week after the government in Khartoum ordered the expulsion of aid groups as a response to the International Criminal Court's decision to indict the president.

White House lawn could be turned into a vegetable patch Nearly 85,000 people have signed an online petition calling for part of the White House lawn to be turned into a vegetable patch. The White House last had an "edible landscape" in 1943, when first lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden. "It was a time of war, it was at a time of economic crisis, and it was at a time when Americans were looking to the White House for leadership," he said of the Roosevelt allotment.

Driving through Tenaha, Texas, doesn't pay for some A lawsuit alleges that the town's police pull over motorists -- especially African Americans -- and extort money and valuables by threatening criminal charges or worse.

Suadi Arabia to whip, jail 75 year old widow for her two nephews bringing her bread. This is an example of Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islamic Law. (and we are concerned with human rights in China?)

3 execs, 81 cars missing from Nebraska dealership Scores of new cars vanished from a western Nebraska car dealership and a prosecutor said Wednesday that some had turned up in other states and warrants had been issued for three missing executives.The 81 Fords and Toyotas taken from Legacy Auto Sales in Scottsbluff were valued at about $2.5 million

Deputy: 'It's supposed to be me getting shot, not my family' Geneva County Sheriff's Deputy Josh Myers quickly hung up the phone after he got his friend's message on Tuesday and started for the town of Samson, having no idea what had happened to his wife or his three children. Myers had no idea that the man, whose body he saw at the plant, had shot and killed his wife and 1½-year-old daughter, Corinne Gracy, and shot and wounded his 3-month-old baby girl, Ella Kay.

Three Great Lakes Freeze Over 4 Mar 09 - "Coinciding with the effort of the new administration’s efforts to fight global warming, we find three of the five Great Lakes are almost totally frozen over. Lake Erie is totally frozen, Superior about 98% and Huron about 85%. This is an extreme rarity

Some wounded soldiers more likely to be punished Staff Sgt. Jason Jonas says when he goes to bed at night, he is terrified his medication will cause him to oversleep and miss morning roll call again.His commanders are fully aware the paratrooper wounded in Afghanistan has been diagnosed with a sleep disorder, because he is one of about 10,000 soldiers assigned to the Army's Warrior Transition units, created for troops recovering from injuries.

Buffett says nation will face higher unemployment Billionaire Warren Buffett remains confident that America's best days are ahead, but he says the nation likely will face higher unemployment and eventually inflation because of the current economic crisis. Buffett said the nation's leaders need to emphasize a consistent message, and they should support President Barack Obama's efforts to repair the economy because fear is dominating Americans' behavior.

Father disputes Army's suicide finding in daughter's death A father combs through the evidence, looking for answers to a case already closed by the military. He says she was raped and shot. Other women's cases are also being challenged.

The US Collapse Of 2009 - This Will Blow Your Mind......

NO AUTISM In Never-Vaccinated Children Spanish health authorities have withdrawn tens of thousands of doses of Gardasil, a vaccine against the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV), after two teenagers who received the shots were hospitalized.

Outside buyers drawn to Detroit's foreclosed homes ....say WHAT?!? So more of America can be sold out from under neath us? So out of country landlords can try to rent or sell those to down and out Americans and make a profit on that? And this is being welcomed and allowed??....Get A Clue. The greed is not stopping, just more greedy taking advantage of the new homeless in America..........This should not even be an option!

Zimbabwe: MDC official says Police looted Tsvangirai’s belongings at accident scene

Hutto America's Family Prison Prototype for a nationwide concentration camp system? Did you know that the federal government has not only set up but is also currently operating a prison that holds entire families - including infants, children and nursing and pregnant women? It's located in Taylor, Texas and it's operated by Corrections Corporation of America, a privately owned corporation. This short film by Matt Gossage and Lily Keber is one of the only public reports on this prison. Otherwise this subject has been entirely censored by the US news media. For more information about prison:Click here: ttp://tdonhutto.blogspot.com

Supreme Court rules patients can sue drug makers Reporting from Washington -- The Supreme Court dealt a defeat to the pharmaceutical industry and the Bush administration Wednesday, ruling that federal approval of a prescription drug does not provide a shield against lawsuits from injured patients.

Pigs fly. Hell freezes over. ACLU sues Muslims over publicly-funded madrassa Mirabile dictu! The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the government-subsidized Muslim charter school in Minnesota.You’ll recall that Katharine Kersten did terrific investigative reporting of the CAIR-supported public school, called “TIZA” (Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy). In a rare stand against their left-wing fellow travelers, the ACLU filed a lawsuit challenging the academy’s use of taxpayer dollars to promote Islam:

Former KB Homes chairman is indicted in alleged backdating scheme Bruce Karatz is accused of engineering a scheme to defraud shareholders by awarding himself and other company executives millions of dollars in undisclosed stock-based compensation. A federal grand jury today indicted former KB Homes Chairman Bruce Karatz on charges that he engineered a scheme to defraud shareholders by awarding himself and other executives of the Los Angeles home builder millions of dollars in undisclosed stock-based compensation.

Newsflash: Wonderboy Treasury Secretary is in over his head For five weeks, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has battled the worst economic crisis in generations with no key deputies in place. That’s made for a rocky debut for the man President Barack Obama put in charge of addressing the financial crisis.With an awkward first television appearance, a bank rescue plan that lacked promised specifics and two restructured bailouts that raised taxpayer risk, Geithner has failed to calm financial markets desperate for answers. And, he is flying 'solo'

Prescription drug abuse hits Mo. Army unit hard Spc. Jeremy Thompson and one of his friends in their barracks spent hours crushing and snorting painkillers prescribed by Army doctors, and then, he said in interviews and court-martial documents, the two combat veterans would stare at the Discovery Channel in a haze.Roughly a third of the soldiers in the 509th Engineer Company at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri were also abusing prescription narcotics, court records say. Like Thompson and his buddy, Spc. Jason Pellet, many suffered orthopedic injuries from training and war, and their drug source was the Army pharmacy.

360,000 veterans may have brain injuries Pentagon officials estimated for the first time Wednesday that up to 360,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans may have suffered brain injuries. Among them are 45,000 to 90,000 veterans whose symptoms persist and warrant specialized care.

Army captain charged with $690K theft while in Iraq A federal grand jury in Portland indicted Capt. Michael Dung Nguyen on charges of theft of government property, money laundering and structuring financial transactions.The indictment alleges that between April 2007 and February, the 28-year-old Nguyen stole more than $690,000 in U.S. currency entrusted to him as the battalion civil affairs officer in Muqdadiyah, Iraq.

Obama releases secret Bush anti-terror memos The Obama administration threw open the curtain on years of Bush-era secrets Monday, revealing anti-terror memos that claimed exceptional search-and-seizure powers and divulging that the CIA destroyed nearly 100 videotapes of interrogations and other treatment of terror suspects.

The Mystery of the Forgotten U.S. Flag Revealed.

March 2009 HEADLINES

The US Collapse Of 2009 - This Will Blow Your Mind......

Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war.

~Albert Einstein

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