I have been discussing issues related to IRAN for quite some time now - and this Blog has even been shut down (for unknown reasons, by unknown entities) in very short order after previous Iran posts... Let's hope this one is doesn't cause a shutdown.
Anyway, many are predicting Iran will be attacked soon. Even John Bolton, the former American ambassador to the United Nations, has stated Israel may attack Iran after the November presidential election but before George W Bush's successor is sworn in - that way, whoever gets elected is stuck dealing with the situation.
Here are a few of my archived articles - discussing reasons why Iran may be attacked:
IRAN has Bush over a Barrel
Dollar: Faltering Foundation of US Economic Strength
Israelis 'rehearse Iran attack'
OPEC and the Dollar Peg
Iran’s Oil Bourse Set to Open this Sunday
Reason For Today's Post (hat tip Justin)
Telegraph.co.uk: The Dutch intelligence service has pulled an agent out of an "ultra-secret operation" spying on Iran's military industry because spymasters in Netherlands believe a United States air attack was imminent.
According to reports in the newspaper De Telegraaf, the country's intelligence service, the AIVD, has stopped an espionage operation aimed at infiltration and sabotage of the weapons industry in Iran.
"The operation, described as extremely successful, was halted recently in connection with plans for an impending US air attack on Iran," said the report.
"Targets would also be bombed which were connected with the Dutch espionage action."
"Well placed" sources told the paper that a top agent had been recalled recently "because the US was thought to be making a decision within weeks to attack Iran with unmanned aircraft".
"Information from the AIVD operation has in recent years been shared with the American CIA secret service."
Brig Gen Seyyed Massoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of the Iranian armed forces, warned at the weekend that military attacks against Iran would trigger a Third World War.
"The exorbitant demands of the US leaders and the global Zionism which have created the current situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and Caucasus are gradually directing the world to the edge of the cliff," he said.
The US has refused to rule out a military attack against Iran if its government continues to enrich uranium as part of its civilian nuclear programme, which the West suspects has the clandestine objective of developing atomic weapons.
Iran has warned it would close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Gulf and a major oil shipping route, if it is attacked.
On Friday, the Israel newspaper Ma'ariv reported that Israel has stepped up preparations for a contingency plan to attack Iran, should diplomatic efforts, via the United Nations, fail to derail Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons programme.
Other indicators/issues pointing to the potential for attack
Video Below: Fox News: Next Gulf War?
Kuwait, in preparing for confrontation with IRAN, has activated its emergency war plan and is performing exercise drills while a US and British Armada head to the region - believed to be the largest deployment since 1991.
Video Below: Max Keiser - The U.S. recession, dollar and why Bush wants to bomb
Video Below: USA and ISRAEL will attack IRAN before Presidential Election
Afshin Rattansi talks to State Duma Deputy in Moscow about McCain's ties to Georgia, Obama's defeat after a Ukranian Civil War or another George W Bush war - against Iran, and before the U.S. Presidential Elections
Closing Thoughts:
Has anyone else thought it possible that recent strength in the dollar coupled with a massive commodities smackdown (including oil) was an orchestrated play to get inflation/oil under control - allowing an attack to take place. I feel TPTB know prices will soar if/when a new middle east campaign is initiated and it couldn't be done with (previous) out of control prices... Certainly makes sense to me...
Randy
Showing posts with label war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label war. Show all posts
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Fox News: Next Gulf War?
Kuwait, in preparing for confrontation with IRAN, has activated its emergency war plan and is performing exercise drills while a US and British Armada head to the region - believed to be the largest deployment since 1991.
hmmm... could this be the real reason behind the crushing received by oil and commodities of late -- knowing that prices will soar if/when a new middle east campaign is initiated? It certainly makes sense - causing one to ponder the bigger overall picture of actions v.s. consequences...
hmmm... could this be the real reason behind the crushing received by oil and commodities of late -- knowing that prices will soar if/when a new middle east campaign is initiated? It certainly makes sense - causing one to ponder the bigger overall picture of actions v.s. consequences...
Friday, June 20, 2008
Israelis 'rehearse Iran attack'
Israelis 'rehearse Iran attack'
Israel has carried out an exercise that appears to have been a rehearsal for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, US officials have told the New York Times.
More than 100 Israeli fighter jets took part in manoeuvres over the eastern Mediterranean and over Greece in the first week of June, US officials said.
Iran insists its programme is peaceful, but Israel sees Iran's development of the technology as a serious threat.
Tehran is defying a demand from the UN that it stop the enrichment of uranium.
The UN Security Council approved a third round of sanctions against Iran over the issue in March 2008.
'Signals'
Several US officials briefing the New York Times said the exercise was intended demonstrate the seriousness of Israel's concern over Iran's nuclear activities, and its willingness to act unilaterally.
"They wanted us to know, they wanted the Europeans to know, and they wanted the Iranians to know," a Pentagon official is quoted as saying by the newspaper.
"There's a lot of signalling going on at different levels."
The exercise involved Israeli helicopters that could be used to rescue downed pilots, the newspaper reported.
The helicopters and refuelling tankers flew more than 1,400km (870 miles), roughly the distance between Israel and Iran's main uranium enrichment plant at Natanz.
The New York Times reported that Israeli officials declined to discuss the details of the exercise.
A spokesman for the Israeli military said the air force "regularly trains for various missions in order to confront and meet the challenges posed by the threats facing Israel".
Warnings
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned on 4 June that drastic measures were needed to stop Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.
He said Iran must be shown there will be devastating consequences if it did develop such weapons.
Israeli deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz - a former defence minister - said earlier this month that military strikes to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons looked "unavoidable".
In 1981, Israeli jets bombed the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak, 30km (18 miles) outside Baghdad.
Israel said it believed the French-built plant was designed to make nuclear weapons that could be used against Israel.
Will Israel bomb Iran?
Reports that Israel has plans for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities refuse to go away. The New York Times today carries a story on a major military exercise Israel carried out this month, described as a "dress rehearsal" for such a raid.
Such reports surface periodically. Back in 2005, the Sunday Times ran a big story with details of how Israeli forces practised destroying a mock-up of Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant in the Negev desert.
Virtually a year after the Sunday Times story, the New Yorker's ace investigative reporter, Seymour Hersh, wrote a cracking tale about how George Bush had increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack to stop Iran's nuclear programme.
As timing is everything, the question that poses itself with the latest incarnation of this "plan to attack Iran" story is why now?
This week, Gordon Brown announced new sanctions against Iran, including financial measures already agreed in principle by the EU and a vaguer reference to oil and gas sanctions yet to be decided on. Brown appeared to have bounced the EU into the new measures as Brussels had not agreed on their timing.
Be that as it may, the EU has now adopted a harder line towards Iran, as the US has been urging for some time. But is George Bush losing his ardour to hit Iran? A recent interview with the Times indicated that America's lame duck president had "mellowed" after eight years in office - talking up multilateral diplomacy instead of military action as a way out of the Iranian nuclear impasse.
Yet the recent resignation of Admiral William Fallon as head of US forces in the Middle East was seen as a victory for the hawks in the administration as he was perceived to be an opponent of military action. But if we take Bush's comments to the Times, a US military strike seems less likely than before.
There have been signs that Israel, which is widely believed to have nuclear weapons of its own, is none too pleased that the US has backed off its hawkish stance. Israel publicly disagreed with the America's recent national intelligence estimate which concluded that Iran had stopped its nuclear weapons programme in 2003, although it continued to enrich uranium.
The New York Times report indicates that Israel is keeping the military option open. Whether it will actually go ahead with a strike is another matter, given the difficulties of ensuring success, not to speak of the political repercussions should there be massive civilian casualties.
But it can be surmised that Israel wanted its dress rehearsal to be leaked to serve as a clear warning to Tehran of the risks it faces should it pursue uranium enrichment, which can lead to a nuclear bomb. Such a tough line is no bad thing politically for Ehud Olmert either as the Israeli prime minister is currently engulfed in a corruption scandal. Being tough with Iran also protects him against accusations that he is being weak in agreeing to an Egyptian-brokered truce with Hamas in Gaza.
In any event, Israel is not just relying on leaks to the New York Times to get its message across to the Iranians and everyone else about its resolve in stopping Iran developing an atomic weapon. Israel last September bombed what was alleged to be a covert nuclear reactor in Syria being built with North Korean help.
According to the New York Times, Iran is taking the risk of an Israeli attack seriously enough to be strengthening its air defences. Israeli sabre-rattling and bluster may have an unintended consequence. It could speed up Iran's bomb. North Korea showed that if you have bomb, people are more inclined to talk to you rather than attack you.
Israel has carried out an exercise that appears to have been a rehearsal for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, US officials have told the New York Times.
More than 100 Israeli fighter jets took part in manoeuvres over the eastern Mediterranean and over Greece in the first week of June, US officials said.
Iran insists its programme is peaceful, but Israel sees Iran's development of the technology as a serious threat.
Tehran is defying a demand from the UN that it stop the enrichment of uranium.
The UN Security Council approved a third round of sanctions against Iran over the issue in March 2008.
'Signals'
Several US officials briefing the New York Times said the exercise was intended demonstrate the seriousness of Israel's concern over Iran's nuclear activities, and its willingness to act unilaterally.
"They wanted us to know, they wanted the Europeans to know, and they wanted the Iranians to know," a Pentagon official is quoted as saying by the newspaper.
"There's a lot of signalling going on at different levels."
The exercise involved Israeli helicopters that could be used to rescue downed pilots, the newspaper reported.
The helicopters and refuelling tankers flew more than 1,400km (870 miles), roughly the distance between Israel and Iran's main uranium enrichment plant at Natanz.
The New York Times reported that Israeli officials declined to discuss the details of the exercise.
A spokesman for the Israeli military said the air force "regularly trains for various missions in order to confront and meet the challenges posed by the threats facing Israel".
Warnings
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned on 4 June that drastic measures were needed to stop Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.
He said Iran must be shown there will be devastating consequences if it did develop such weapons.
Israeli deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz - a former defence minister - said earlier this month that military strikes to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons looked "unavoidable".
In 1981, Israeli jets bombed the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak, 30km (18 miles) outside Baghdad.
Israel said it believed the French-built plant was designed to make nuclear weapons that could be used against Israel.
Will Israel bomb Iran?
Reports that Israel has plans for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities refuse to go away. The New York Times today carries a story on a major military exercise Israel carried out this month, described as a "dress rehearsal" for such a raid.
Such reports surface periodically. Back in 2005, the Sunday Times ran a big story with details of how Israeli forces practised destroying a mock-up of Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant in the Negev desert.
Virtually a year after the Sunday Times story, the New Yorker's ace investigative reporter, Seymour Hersh, wrote a cracking tale about how George Bush had increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack to stop Iran's nuclear programme.
As timing is everything, the question that poses itself with the latest incarnation of this "plan to attack Iran" story is why now?
This week, Gordon Brown announced new sanctions against Iran, including financial measures already agreed in principle by the EU and a vaguer reference to oil and gas sanctions yet to be decided on. Brown appeared to have bounced the EU into the new measures as Brussels had not agreed on their timing.
Be that as it may, the EU has now adopted a harder line towards Iran, as the US has been urging for some time. But is George Bush losing his ardour to hit Iran? A recent interview with the Times indicated that America's lame duck president had "mellowed" after eight years in office - talking up multilateral diplomacy instead of military action as a way out of the Iranian nuclear impasse.
Yet the recent resignation of Admiral William Fallon as head of US forces in the Middle East was seen as a victory for the hawks in the administration as he was perceived to be an opponent of military action. But if we take Bush's comments to the Times, a US military strike seems less likely than before.
There have been signs that Israel, which is widely believed to have nuclear weapons of its own, is none too pleased that the US has backed off its hawkish stance. Israel publicly disagreed with the America's recent national intelligence estimate which concluded that Iran had stopped its nuclear weapons programme in 2003, although it continued to enrich uranium.
The New York Times report indicates that Israel is keeping the military option open. Whether it will actually go ahead with a strike is another matter, given the difficulties of ensuring success, not to speak of the political repercussions should there be massive civilian casualties.
But it can be surmised that Israel wanted its dress rehearsal to be leaked to serve as a clear warning to Tehran of the risks it faces should it pursue uranium enrichment, which can lead to a nuclear bomb. Such a tough line is no bad thing politically for Ehud Olmert either as the Israeli prime minister is currently engulfed in a corruption scandal. Being tough with Iran also protects him against accusations that he is being weak in agreeing to an Egyptian-brokered truce with Hamas in Gaza.
In any event, Israel is not just relying on leaks to the New York Times to get its message across to the Iranians and everyone else about its resolve in stopping Iran developing an atomic weapon. Israel last September bombed what was alleged to be a covert nuclear reactor in Syria being built with North Korean help.
According to the New York Times, Iran is taking the risk of an Israeli attack seriously enough to be strengthening its air defences. Israeli sabre-rattling and bluster may have an unintended consequence. It could speed up Iran's bomb. North Korea showed that if you have bomb, people are more inclined to talk to you rather than attack you.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Videos of Interest
The global "Credit Crisis" is back: Stephen Long, ABC Lateline covers ongoing problems and longer term impacts -- a short video: watch to the end.
Economic Consequences of Attacking Iran
Wake Up, Peons
Ross Perot is back! Launches Public Information Website
The American people must wake up and face the reality that promises made in the past will soon bankrupt this nation.
"The economic crisis facing America today is far greater than anything since the Great Depression," said Perot. "Our federal government continues to spend us deeper into debt. The American people must get directly involved and demand an end to deficit spending. Perotcharts.com
Economic Consequences of Attacking Iran
Wake Up, Peons
Ross Perot is back! Launches Public Information Website
The American people must wake up and face the reality that promises made in the past will soon bankrupt this nation.
"The economic crisis facing America today is far greater than anything since the Great Depression," said Perot. "Our federal government continues to spend us deeper into debt. The American people must get directly involved and demand an end to deficit spending. Perotcharts.com
Sunday, June 15, 2008
IRAN has Bush over a Barrel
If you follow this blog regularly, you know I've been talking about IRAN for a couple of years now, and I've been predicting that we'll probably start dropping bombs before the end of Bush's tenure in office.
Why do I feel this way? Well, it's complicated, but I'll try to keep the explanation simple:
The US Dollar has been the World's reserve currency since the end of WWII. This reserve status was seriously threatened in 1971, when Nixon removed the Dollar/Gold peg and changed the dollar from a "commodity" to a "Fiat" currency.
The US-Saudi Arabian Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation of 1974 restored waning confidence in the dollar by mandating that OPEC sell its oil for US Dollars ONLY. Any country who needed oil now needed to earn or borrow dollars to pay for their oil -- creating a huge worldwide demand for the US dollar and any excess dollars eventually got recycled back to the US.
For many years, this excess dollar recycling created a boon for America and these Petrodollars were used by our banking system to create new credit/debt -- helping our economy to grow.
If there were no good reasons for other countries to buy all those American dollars, the dollar would decline in value until the US economy could no longer afford to import goods from abroad.
Additionally, this excess foreign savings that America has grown used to would also dry up—putting us in quite the predicament.
The deal with OPEC however, means other countries have no choice but to buy all those excess American dollars, which props up the value of the dollar and allows the American "import economy" to go on year after year.
Effectively, America's main export is US dollars, and it is absolutely imperative to preserve a captive market for those dollars among oil-consuming countries -- the continued viability of the US economy depends on it. Americans today can still afford to consume because the economy is inundated with cheap imports, but a continued falling dollar will significantly raise the prices of imported goods and our cost of living.
For three decades, America has reaped the benefits of trading our printed dollars (created from nothing) for oil, but as our trade deficits continued to grow beyond comprehension and foreign policy blunders created new enemies, things started to change.
IRAN's Oil Bourse and refusal to take US Dollars for Oil
For decades, most worldwide oil trading took place on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and the London-based International Petroleum Exchange (IPE). This monopoly has recently come under threat.
In Feb 2008, IRAN opened its own oil Bourse (oil trading platform -- similar to NYMEX & IPE) and then refused to accept dollars for their Oil. (Note: Russia has taken similar steps recently and their new Bourse now trades oil for the ruble).
Theses new monetary threats are seriously jeopardizing the artificial "dollar-for-oil" prop and if the threat is not eliminated soon, the status of the US dollar as the world's reserve currency could be called to question.
Recap: Oil replaced gold in the mid 70's as the underlying peg for the USD and until Iran's recent actions all oil transactions around the globe had to be made in USD's. For three decades, oil provided the foundation for the World's reserve currency, but that foundation is starting to crack...
Shifting gears a bit
Though I disagree with Time author Robert Baer's assertion (that Bush can't attack IRAN) made in the article below, Mr. Baer has several very good points that I think everyone needs to think about.
How Iran Has Bush Over a Barrel
If wasn't clear before it should be now: the Bush Administration can't afford to attack Iran. With gas already at $4 a gallon and rising almost every day, Iran figuratively and literally has the United States over a barrel. As much as the Administration is tempted, it is not about to test Iran's promise to "explode" the Middle East if it is attacked.
The Iranians haven't been shy about making clear what's at stake. If the U.S. or Israel so much as drops a bomb on one of its reactors or its military training camps, Iran will shut down Gulf oil exports by launching a barrage of Chinese Silkworm missiles on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and Arab oil facilities. In the worst case scenario, seventeen million barrels of oil would come off world markets.
One oil speculator told me that oil would hit $200 a barrel within minutes. But Iran's official news agency, Fars, puts it at $300 a barrel. I asked him if Iran is right, what does that mean?
"Four-dollar-a-gallon of gasoline only reflects $100 oil because the refiners' margins are squeezed," he said. "At $300, you have $12 a gallon of gasoline and riots in Newark, Los Angeles, Harlem, Oakland, Cleveland, Detroit, Dallas."
In either case, whether at $200 or $300, Bush does not want to be the President who leaves the White House on a mule-drawn cart. But Iran's blackmail is not just about oil. The Iranians truly believe they have us hostage in Iraq — our supply lines, the acquiescence of the Shi'a in the occupation. It would all change in an instant, though, especially if we were to borrow Iraq to attack Iran. The way Fars put it: "In Iraq, fighters would rise up in solidarity with each other and begin ... making the Tet Offensive in 1968 Vietnam."
If this all sounds very alarming, Iran meant it to, and it seems to be working. On Tuesday Bush was talking about the prospect of new sanctions rather than attacking.
Which leaves Israel. Are the Israelis, who have a lot more on their minds than the price of gas in the United States, going to launch a pre-emptive attack? One hard and fast rule in the Middle East is never rule out Israel's readiness to turn the table over. But an Israeli hawk on Iran, with close ties to Israel's Ministry of Defense, told me to forget about it. "There's not a chance Israel will do anything. Maybe there's a window after the American elections and the new President but even that's doubtful. Washington does not have the stomach for another war."
Israel cannot attack or contain Iran on its own; it needs the full military might of the United States behind it. So in the meantime Israel can only huff and puff, hoping new sanctions on Iran will do the trick.
Closing:
I certainly hope Bush/Cheney aren't stupid enough to wage war with IRAN, but the recent resignation of CENTCOM Commander Admiral William Fallon -- over Iran policy -- really makes one wonder what the heck they are up to.
Once again, take a good look at the Strait of Hormuz below and realize that nearly 40% of the worlds oil passes through it and right by IRAN. What would happen to the price and supply of oil IF war were to happen?
Regards
Randy
Sunday, June 01, 2008
The Non-Energy Crisis--Lindsey Williams
Excellent, Fantastic, almost unbelievable late-2006 presentation that I urge everyone to watch.
In summary: Lindsey was a an ordained Baptist minister in Alaska during the energy crisis of the 70's and was present in several "Top Level meetings" when the largest oil field ever discovered in North America was celebrated (Gull Island Oil Field)-- only to become "Classified" the next day and never tapped/put to use.... Why? To control oil supplies and establish a dollar pricing agreement w/OPEC -- so they would recycle those dollars, and buy our national debt. He who controls oil and oil pricing, controls the world.
Iraq (World's 2nd largest oil reserves) was a setup because they wouldn't accept US Dollar standard and Iran (3rd largest reserves)will be next.
There are multiple parts to this series and I highly suggest you watch them all, but I've posted up the main ones so you can get a taste.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Non-Energy Crisis Part 4
Non-Energy Crisis Part 5
Non-Energy Crisis Part 6
Non-Energy Crisis Part 7
Non-Energy Crisis Part 8
In summary: Lindsey was a an ordained Baptist minister in Alaska during the energy crisis of the 70's and was present in several "Top Level meetings" when the largest oil field ever discovered in North America was celebrated (Gull Island Oil Field)-- only to become "Classified" the next day and never tapped/put to use.... Why? To control oil supplies and establish a dollar pricing agreement w/OPEC -- so they would recycle those dollars, and buy our national debt. He who controls oil and oil pricing, controls the world.
Iraq (World's 2nd largest oil reserves) was a setup because they wouldn't accept US Dollar standard and Iran (3rd largest reserves)will be next.
There are multiple parts to this series and I highly suggest you watch them all, but I've posted up the main ones so you can get a taste.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Non-Energy Crisis Part 4
Non-Energy Crisis Part 5
Non-Energy Crisis Part 6
Non-Energy Crisis Part 7
Non-Energy Crisis Part 8
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Iran -- New Military Rhetoric
US Rhetoric is increasing over: 1) Iran's military involvement in IRAQ and 2) their Nuclear ambition.
However, the bigger (unspoken) issues are the IRAN-PAKISTAN-INDA GAS PIPELINE and the US Dollar (USD):
America continues to lose clout/controlling power in the region 1) as these countries work to create their own interdependent energy region, and 2) as IRAN eliminates all US dollar holdings and then refuses to accept new dollars in all of its foreign energy transactions.
As stated previously, oil replaced gold in the mid 70's as the peg for the USD and until Iran's recent actions (note: Saddam/IRAQ previously did the same for a short while) all oil transactions around the globe had to be made in USD's. For three decades now, oil has provided the underlying foundation for the World's reserve currency, but the USD foundation is starting to crack...
Dollar: Faltering Foundation of US Economic Strength
Iran’s Oil Bourse Set to Open this Sunday
OPEC May Drop Dollar for Euro
The End of Dollar Hegemony
However, the bigger (unspoken) issues are the IRAN-PAKISTAN-INDA GAS PIPELINE and the US Dollar (USD):
America continues to lose clout/controlling power in the region 1) as these countries work to create their own interdependent energy region, and 2) as IRAN eliminates all US dollar holdings and then refuses to accept new dollars in all of its foreign energy transactions.
As stated previously, oil replaced gold in the mid 70's as the peg for the USD and until Iran's recent actions (note: Saddam/IRAQ previously did the same for a short while) all oil transactions around the globe had to be made in USD's. For three decades now, oil has provided the underlying foundation for the World's reserve currency, but the USD foundation is starting to crack...
Dollar: Faltering Foundation of US Economic Strength
Iran’s Oil Bourse Set to Open this Sunday
OPEC May Drop Dollar for Euro
The End of Dollar Hegemony
Sunday, April 27, 2008
US warns Iran -- $10 Gas?
Back in February 08, I wrote: Iran’s Oil Bourse Set to Open this Sunday which explained how Iran's new Bourse was provoking future military action by posing a huge long-term threat to both the US Dollar & continued American global hegemony.
I warned that rhetoric w/regard to Iran would probably soon ratchet up again; a catalyst to military action would likely be found; and that bombs might be falling from the sky before November 08, as the Bush administration would not take lightly this deliberate slap in the face of US global economic power; nor did they trust leaving the problem for the the next regime.
Times Online today: US warns Iran of retaliation over Iraq action
America's top military officer has ratcheted up the pressure on Iran by issuing an unusual public warning that the Pentagon is planning for “potential military courses of action”. .”
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, blamed the Iranian government and Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for its “increasingly lethal and malign influence” in Iraq. He said conflict with Iran would be “extremely stressing” for America’s overstretched forces, but added: “It would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability.
Mullen said he was increasingly concerned about Iran’s growing involvement in supplying munitions and training to rebel Shi’ite militias and “killing American and coalition soldiers in Iraq”.
Speaking at a Pentagon news conference late on Friday, he said recent operations in the southern port city of Basra had revealed “just how much and how far Iran is reaching into Iraq to foment instability”. A Pentagon source said the admiral’s frankness was “extremely significant” and could pave the way for some form of attack on Iran. However, Mullen said: “The solution right now still lies in using other levers of national power, including diplomatic, financial and international pressure.”
Mullen’s tough rhetoric came shortly after General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq responsible for the troop surge, briefed Congress about the “nefarious activities” of the Quds force in stirring violence in Iraq. There were a total of 923 civilian deaths in Iraq last month, the highest number since August 2007.
“We should all watch Iranian actions closely in the weeks and months ahead, as they will show the kind of relationship that Iran wishes to have with its neighbour,” Petraeus said.
Petraeus was nominated last week to take over as commander of all US forces in the Middle East from Admiral William Fallon, who resigned in March after becoming an outspoken critic of American policy towards Iran.
StopIranwar.com
Which City do we want to lose?
I warned that rhetoric w/regard to Iran would probably soon ratchet up again; a catalyst to military action would likely be found; and that bombs might be falling from the sky before November 08, as the Bush administration would not take lightly this deliberate slap in the face of US global economic power; nor did they trust leaving the problem for the the next regime.
Times Online today: US warns Iran of retaliation over Iraq action
America's top military officer has ratcheted up the pressure on Iran by issuing an unusual public warning that the Pentagon is planning for “potential military courses of action”. .”
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, blamed the Iranian government and Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for its “increasingly lethal and malign influence” in Iraq. He said conflict with Iran would be “extremely stressing” for America’s overstretched forces, but added: “It would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability.
Mullen said he was increasingly concerned about Iran’s growing involvement in supplying munitions and training to rebel Shi’ite militias and “killing American and coalition soldiers in Iraq”.
Speaking at a Pentagon news conference late on Friday, he said recent operations in the southern port city of Basra had revealed “just how much and how far Iran is reaching into Iraq to foment instability”. A Pentagon source said the admiral’s frankness was “extremely significant” and could pave the way for some form of attack on Iran. However, Mullen said: “The solution right now still lies in using other levers of national power, including diplomatic, financial and international pressure.”
Mullen’s tough rhetoric came shortly after General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq responsible for the troop surge, briefed Congress about the “nefarious activities” of the Quds force in stirring violence in Iraq. There were a total of 923 civilian deaths in Iraq last month, the highest number since August 2007.
“We should all watch Iranian actions closely in the weeks and months ahead, as they will show the kind of relationship that Iran wishes to have with its neighbour,” Petraeus said.
Petraeus was nominated last week to take over as commander of all US forces in the Middle East from Admiral William Fallon, who resigned in March after becoming an outspoken critic of American policy towards Iran.
My Thoughts:
As a USAF veteran, let me assure you that my following comments are not un-patriotic, but I can NOT buy into ANY of this administration's B.S. propaganda.
The whole middle east issue (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, you pick who may be next) is all about controlling Oil, maintaining US dollar hegemony and supporting massive contracts for companies like Haliburton -- to make Dick Cheney's rich friends richer.
Our troops are dying in a futile attempt to (1) save our dying currency (caused by excessive Gvt spending/debt and a Federal Reserve Banking system that has created one too many popping bubbles -- which has ultimately led to the present crashing financial/banking system that will require a hyperinflationary event to save it from a full-blown collapse) and (2) to control dwindling worldwide oil supplies.
Food for thought: The world can currently extract and bring to market ~ 87 Million Barrels of Oil per day (Mbpd) and we consume ~ 86Mbpd -- 40% of which comes from the Persian Gulf market and must traverse through the very narrow Strait of Hormuz (see picture below)... Note where Iran sits on this narrow Channel...
If we DO start dropping bombs on Iran, they will likely mine the Strait and/or sink a supertanker or two with missiles/etc -- locking up 40% of the world's oil supply. You think gas/oil prices are painful today? Better start preparing for $200+ barrel oil and $10+ gallon gas (if you can actually find it anywhere)
Regards
Randy
StopIranwar.com
Which City do we want to lose?
Monday, April 21, 2008
Death of a Dream
I just read a great article that needs to be shared. Though quite unconventional and slightly radical in his rant, Roger Mason makes many very good points and I rather enjoyed his writing style/perspective... However, if his timeline and conclusions are correct (which I have some reservations about), we are in far worse trouble than even I envisioned. Enjoy!
Death of a Dream
After 232 years the American Dream is over folks. In the 1780's Alexander Tyler wrote, "A democracy is always temporary in nature lasting on average 225 years and cannot exist as a permanent form of government." The U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights have been gutted. We almost elected an openly Marxist lesbian as our President and Commander in Chief. Obama Osama is to the left of Hillary, if you can comprehend that. McCain is dying of jaw cancer as if that isn't obvious. 1 in 10 American adults, children, and infants are on food stamps. One in six are government employees. The housing crash is just warming up! 59% of homes for sale in Los Angeles are fore-closures. They are selling for 50 cents on the dollar at auction. Adjusted for inflation since 2005 it is a quarter on the dollar. The dollar is useless. Our trade and budget deficits are egregious. The DJI is ready to collapse down to 5,000 ultimately. The DJT and DJU are hopeless. Dow Theory is telling us the house of cards is about to fall. Illegal immigration is completely out of control, and McCain will open the border gates even wider. Real unemployment is 14%, and real inflation is 18%. Four major airlines just went bankrupt- ATA, Skybus, Frontier, and Aloha (ATA was once the 10th largest). Alan Greenspan just publically admitted we're in a recession. We've been in one for months, and 70% of Americans know that. Gordon Brown (England's Prime Minister) just said we face the greatest economic crisis of the century. George Soros said the economic situation is hopeless. Warren Buffet basically said the same thing. Only 10% of our jobs are in manufacturing. We're now a mere service economy. We are closer to the Much Greater Depression every day.
Real inflation is now up to 18% as proven by configured M3 figures (which the government refuses to print anymore). See www.shadowstats.com if you want to verify that. Has your salary gone up 18%? Your home? Your private or government pension? Your Social Insecurity? Of course not. Your wealth has to go up 18% a year now just to break even! Let's take a prime example: General Electric (GE) was $28 five years ago.
Estimating 10% real inflation over that time GE stock would have to go up ($31, $34, $37, $41, $45) to $45 just to break even. It is $32 now, so it is DOWN 30% in the last five year. The real purchasing power is down almost a third in only five years.
What can you do? Put every penny you have into silver. If you can't convert your IRA/401k to American silver stocks then dump it. Take the 40% hit, and put the 60% into silver. There is a severe shortage of silver bullion, but you can still buy it at Gaithersburg Coin in Maryland. There has never been a silver shortage in the history of the world until now. Soon we will be completely out of silver, and mine supply (and recycling) will not begin to cover the shortage. Silver will go to $200 an ounce and probably keep going. Gold should merely go to $3,000.
Look for $30 silver by Christmas. In addition to Quaterra, Silverstone, Impact, U.S. Silver, ECU, Fury, Endeavor, and First Majestic, we're going to add Genco today (we don't own this). There are only about 50 real silver mines in the world, and only maybe a dozen are worth buying. You must hold any bullion in your own personal physical possession. You cannot own ETF's, silver certificates, or other paper silver. You cannot let anyone store it for you. If you don't possess it, you don't own it. The $4 correction from $21 to $17 makes this a strong market which is now blue skies all the way to $30. Silver has far, far more potential than gold, and cannot be confiscated.
With Admiral Fallon out of the way, our illegal, immoral, insane, unethical attack on Iran looms closer. McCain and Petraeus won't shut up about the "danger" Iran poses to us. We have already attacked the Iranian banks with FinCEN. The Saudis are preparing for it. The Russians have detected American military buildup on the Iran border. Our war- ships are in the Persian Gulf. We have a record number of troops in Afghanistan. Syria is preparing for an attack by the U.S. CNBC, CNN, and the media constantly beat the Iran-ian war drum. An attack on Iran is going to end in disaster in many, many ways. Go to www.vdare.com and read Paul Craig Roberts about this. No more oil will be just one of the results. Gasoline and diesel are now $10 in Europe, and soon will be $10 here. Can you say "$10 gasoline"? Truckers are already starting to strike to stop federal and state diesel taxes for trucks. They are going to have a nationwide strike as they can't feed their families. American moves by truck. A trucking strike will freeze this country. Suspend-ing all commercial diesel fuel taxes would be good for this country. Support the truckers, unless you want the economy to grind to a halt overnight.
CNBC is the official government disinformation center, and Jim Cramer the Emperor of Disinformation. Watch his show to see what NOT to do. Whatever he tells you to buy, you sell it. Notice that Cramer missed the move in gold from $300 to $1,000, and the move in silver from $5 to $20. He still ignores both gold and silver, while he tells you to invest in the house-of-cards stock market. Do the opposite of anything he says. The DJI to gold ratio used to be 1:1 in 1980, but went to 45:1 in 2000. It is now 13:1 (12,300: $930) and headed back to 1:1.
Have you noticed your local shopping mall is going under? Have you noticed how many empty stores there are in your local strip malls? The Big Three Auto Makers are all broke. The entire banking system is bankrupt. The fifth largest bank in the world, Bear Stearns, is bankrupt. Citibank, Wells Fargo, Lehman, Bank of America are all next. Wachovia, the fourth largest, is about to go under as well. Open your eyes! Nothing like this has happened in almost 80 years since the last depression. You don't need to be a psychic to see the future; just look closely at today. The bailout (at YOUR expense) will just make things worse. The entire world banking system is coming unglued with the DERIVATIVES unraveling. Now the Federal Reserve is going to take over our entire investment system, nationalize the banks, and make Russia look like a free country. After the Federal Reserve was formed in 1913 the dollar has lost 99% of it's value. That's right- the Fed has made the dollar worth a penny in 95 years. Countless major chains are going under every day. The Top 10 Home Builders are completely and totally done in. The budget deficit worsens every day. The national debt gets deeper. The trade deficit worsens. We can't even sell T-Bills and T-Bonds to the fools who were buying them. The U.S. dollar is Monopoly Money. Inflation is destroying the middle class here- the very bedrock of America. We used to have the cheapest most plentiful food supply on earth bar none. No longer. Seen $1.19 lemons lately? Watch beef become unaffordable by the end of the year like in socialistic Europe. Restaurants are going broke. Hotels are going broke. Most everyone is going broke.
The energy crisis is a lie; we have endless energy available now. Global warming is complete scam. Ethanol is a government funded scam- at your expense. Coal, natural gas, and uranium are plentiful, and will last for hundreds of years. The military has enough oil off the coast of Alaska for 100 years. We don't even have any oil refineries now. Oil is useless without refineries. Windmills for power is a joke out of the 18th century. Hydrogen fuel cells are a long, long way off in the future. Hydroelectric is limited. We have no SASOL plants in the U.S. to make endless $4 liquid fuel out of coal. 60% of all our energy is ELECTRIC, and we can generate all we want with coal, natural gas, and uranium.
If you think things are bad now, by Christmas you'll be ready to jump off a bridge. 2009 to 2010 will usher in the Much Greater Depression, and events will unfold so quickly you'll be shocked and blindsided. We'll get Patriot Act II for finances. Banks will be nationalized as all police states do. Food and gasoline will be rationed. You'll think you're in Cuba, only you won't have bananas. There are already worldwide food riots. People around the world cannot cannot even get rice to eat. The housing crash is just beginning, along with the stock market collapse. It's just getting warmed up folks.
Your salary, your house, your pension, your Social Insecurity, the stock market all have to go up 18% just to break even! That's just to break even and not lose. Are they all going up 18% or more? Of course they aren't, and your standard of living is going to hell every day- as is your future. Silver is $18, and will be $30 by the end of the year. Silver is your financial saviour. Silver has almost quadrupled in the last five years. Silver is going to $200 an ounce in the next five years. Silver is a much better investment than gold, and gold is a great investment.
So many major longtime companies and chains are closing stores and going out of business you can't name them all. Sharper Image, Wilson's Leather, Pep Boys, Comp USA, Ethan Allen, Macy's, Levitz, PacSun, Lane Bryant, Talbots, Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, Harley Davidson, 84 Lumber, Home Depot, RentACenter, Rite Aid, Sprint, Disney Store, and Linen'n'Things are just SOME of them. The list gets longer every month.
If you want to read more go to http://www.kitco.com/ and read the Contributed Commentaries.
Go to http://www.butlerresearch.com/ to see what Ted Butler has to say about silver.
Join GATA at http://www.lemetropolecafe.com./You can get a two week free trial and it's $199 a year.
Or you can just read the Econmic Rants twice a month for free. Soon the website http://www.economicrant.com/ will open. Free of course.
Now go out and buy all the silver you can!
Click here for Roger's Past Monthly Rants
Death of a Dream
After 232 years the American Dream is over folks. In the 1780's Alexander Tyler wrote, "A democracy is always temporary in nature lasting on average 225 years and cannot exist as a permanent form of government." The U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights have been gutted. We almost elected an openly Marxist lesbian as our President and Commander in Chief. Obama Osama is to the left of Hillary, if you can comprehend that. McCain is dying of jaw cancer as if that isn't obvious. 1 in 10 American adults, children, and infants are on food stamps. One in six are government employees. The housing crash is just warming up! 59% of homes for sale in Los Angeles are fore-closures. They are selling for 50 cents on the dollar at auction. Adjusted for inflation since 2005 it is a quarter on the dollar. The dollar is useless. Our trade and budget deficits are egregious. The DJI is ready to collapse down to 5,000 ultimately. The DJT and DJU are hopeless. Dow Theory is telling us the house of cards is about to fall. Illegal immigration is completely out of control, and McCain will open the border gates even wider. Real unemployment is 14%, and real inflation is 18%. Four major airlines just went bankrupt- ATA, Skybus, Frontier, and Aloha (ATA was once the 10th largest). Alan Greenspan just publically admitted we're in a recession. We've been in one for months, and 70% of Americans know that. Gordon Brown (England's Prime Minister) just said we face the greatest economic crisis of the century. George Soros said the economic situation is hopeless. Warren Buffet basically said the same thing. Only 10% of our jobs are in manufacturing. We're now a mere service economy. We are closer to the Much Greater Depression every day.
Real inflation is now up to 18% as proven by configured M3 figures (which the government refuses to print anymore). See www.shadowstats.com if you want to verify that. Has your salary gone up 18%? Your home? Your private or government pension? Your Social Insecurity? Of course not. Your wealth has to go up 18% a year now just to break even! Let's take a prime example: General Electric (GE) was $28 five years ago.
Estimating 10% real inflation over that time GE stock would have to go up ($31, $34, $37, $41, $45) to $45 just to break even. It is $32 now, so it is DOWN 30% in the last five year. The real purchasing power is down almost a third in only five years.
What can you do? Put every penny you have into silver. If you can't convert your IRA/401k to American silver stocks then dump it. Take the 40% hit, and put the 60% into silver. There is a severe shortage of silver bullion, but you can still buy it at Gaithersburg Coin in Maryland. There has never been a silver shortage in the history of the world until now. Soon we will be completely out of silver, and mine supply (and recycling) will not begin to cover the shortage. Silver will go to $200 an ounce and probably keep going. Gold should merely go to $3,000.
Look for $30 silver by Christmas. In addition to Quaterra, Silverstone, Impact, U.S. Silver, ECU, Fury, Endeavor, and First Majestic, we're going to add Genco today (we don't own this). There are only about 50 real silver mines in the world, and only maybe a dozen are worth buying. You must hold any bullion in your own personal physical possession. You cannot own ETF's, silver certificates, or other paper silver. You cannot let anyone store it for you. If you don't possess it, you don't own it. The $4 correction from $21 to $17 makes this a strong market which is now blue skies all the way to $30. Silver has far, far more potential than gold, and cannot be confiscated.
With Admiral Fallon out of the way, our illegal, immoral, insane, unethical attack on Iran looms closer. McCain and Petraeus won't shut up about the "danger" Iran poses to us. We have already attacked the Iranian banks with FinCEN. The Saudis are preparing for it. The Russians have detected American military buildup on the Iran border. Our war- ships are in the Persian Gulf. We have a record number of troops in Afghanistan. Syria is preparing for an attack by the U.S. CNBC, CNN, and the media constantly beat the Iran-ian war drum. An attack on Iran is going to end in disaster in many, many ways. Go to www.vdare.com and read Paul Craig Roberts about this. No more oil will be just one of the results. Gasoline and diesel are now $10 in Europe, and soon will be $10 here. Can you say "$10 gasoline"? Truckers are already starting to strike to stop federal and state diesel taxes for trucks. They are going to have a nationwide strike as they can't feed their families. American moves by truck. A trucking strike will freeze this country. Suspend-ing all commercial diesel fuel taxes would be good for this country. Support the truckers, unless you want the economy to grind to a halt overnight.
CNBC is the official government disinformation center, and Jim Cramer the Emperor of Disinformation. Watch his show to see what NOT to do. Whatever he tells you to buy, you sell it. Notice that Cramer missed the move in gold from $300 to $1,000, and the move in silver from $5 to $20. He still ignores both gold and silver, while he tells you to invest in the house-of-cards stock market. Do the opposite of anything he says. The DJI to gold ratio used to be 1:1 in 1980, but went to 45:1 in 2000. It is now 13:1 (12,300: $930) and headed back to 1:1.
Have you noticed your local shopping mall is going under? Have you noticed how many empty stores there are in your local strip malls? The Big Three Auto Makers are all broke. The entire banking system is bankrupt. The fifth largest bank in the world, Bear Stearns, is bankrupt. Citibank, Wells Fargo, Lehman, Bank of America are all next. Wachovia, the fourth largest, is about to go under as well. Open your eyes! Nothing like this has happened in almost 80 years since the last depression. You don't need to be a psychic to see the future; just look closely at today. The bailout (at YOUR expense) will just make things worse. The entire world banking system is coming unglued with the DERIVATIVES unraveling. Now the Federal Reserve is going to take over our entire investment system, nationalize the banks, and make Russia look like a free country. After the Federal Reserve was formed in 1913 the dollar has lost 99% of it's value. That's right- the Fed has made the dollar worth a penny in 95 years. Countless major chains are going under every day. The Top 10 Home Builders are completely and totally done in. The budget deficit worsens every day. The national debt gets deeper. The trade deficit worsens. We can't even sell T-Bills and T-Bonds to the fools who were buying them. The U.S. dollar is Monopoly Money. Inflation is destroying the middle class here- the very bedrock of America. We used to have the cheapest most plentiful food supply on earth bar none. No longer. Seen $1.19 lemons lately? Watch beef become unaffordable by the end of the year like in socialistic Europe. Restaurants are going broke. Hotels are going broke. Most everyone is going broke.
The energy crisis is a lie; we have endless energy available now. Global warming is complete scam. Ethanol is a government funded scam- at your expense. Coal, natural gas, and uranium are plentiful, and will last for hundreds of years. The military has enough oil off the coast of Alaska for 100 years. We don't even have any oil refineries now. Oil is useless without refineries. Windmills for power is a joke out of the 18th century. Hydrogen fuel cells are a long, long way off in the future. Hydroelectric is limited. We have no SASOL plants in the U.S. to make endless $4 liquid fuel out of coal. 60% of all our energy is ELECTRIC, and we can generate all we want with coal, natural gas, and uranium.
If you think things are bad now, by Christmas you'll be ready to jump off a bridge. 2009 to 2010 will usher in the Much Greater Depression, and events will unfold so quickly you'll be shocked and blindsided. We'll get Patriot Act II for finances. Banks will be nationalized as all police states do. Food and gasoline will be rationed. You'll think you're in Cuba, only you won't have bananas. There are already worldwide food riots. People around the world cannot cannot even get rice to eat. The housing crash is just beginning, along with the stock market collapse. It's just getting warmed up folks.
Your salary, your house, your pension, your Social Insecurity, the stock market all have to go up 18% just to break even! That's just to break even and not lose. Are they all going up 18% or more? Of course they aren't, and your standard of living is going to hell every day- as is your future. Silver is $18, and will be $30 by the end of the year. Silver is your financial saviour. Silver has almost quadrupled in the last five years. Silver is going to $200 an ounce in the next five years. Silver is a much better investment than gold, and gold is a great investment.
So many major longtime companies and chains are closing stores and going out of business you can't name them all. Sharper Image, Wilson's Leather, Pep Boys, Comp USA, Ethan Allen, Macy's, Levitz, PacSun, Lane Bryant, Talbots, Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, Harley Davidson, 84 Lumber, Home Depot, RentACenter, Rite Aid, Sprint, Disney Store, and Linen'n'Things are just SOME of them. The list gets longer every month.
If you want to read more go to http://www.kitco.com/ and read the Contributed Commentaries.
Go to http://www.butlerresearch.com/ to see what Ted Butler has to say about silver.
Join GATA at http://www.lemetropolecafe.com./You can get a two week free trial and it's $199 a year.
Or you can just read the Econmic Rants twice a month for free. Soon the website http://www.economicrant.com/ will open. Free of course.
Now go out and buy all the silver you can!
Click here for Roger's Past Monthly Rants
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