statism watch

If this article seems to wander between topics that’s probably just because it has lost some formatting (and sadly, a chart or two) by being reposted around the web. However, there is good information in here if what you’re looking for are some of the economic details – a close reading will be rewarding.

Flashback: Judge Orders Federal Reserve To Disclose Who Received Bailout Trillions | Central bank of Canada stands ready to inflate currency in response to strong loonie | Boost Bank of Canada powers: Carney | Geithner lambastes US economic watchdogs resistant to planned transfer of powers to Federal Reserve | Former NY governor Spitzer: Federal Reserve is ‘a Ponzi scheme, an inside job’ | Hands off the Fed, Bernanke warns Congress | US Senate Blocks Bill To Audit The Fed As Government Prepares For Second Round Of Looting | Congressman Ron Paul Slams Federal Reserve’s New Dictatorial Powers | Bilderberg Seeks Bank Centralization Agenda

Bob Chapman, GlobalResearch.ca
August 27, 2009

Since March we have watched a stock market rally borne by low volume and short covering. The gains are reminiscent of the rallies of 1930 and 1932. What you are witnessing is a rally engineered by our government. If you watch the tape and you can read it you can see exactly what they are doing, and how they are doing it. Yes, it is legal under an Executive Order singed by President Ronald Reagan in the aftermath of the October 19th, 1997 collapse of the stock market. It was named the “Working Group on Financial Markets” and was to be used for such emergencies. Unfortunately, like many things in government, the mission of the “Plunge Protection Team” has been distorted. For over the last more than ten years it has been used to manipulate markets 24/7. Thus, what you are witnessing is a sucker rally, which has little hope of lasting.

What do you do with a market that has a trailing P/E of 24 times earnings? You stay as far away from it as possible.

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Flashback: Evasive Australian police quizzed whether covert operative was planted among terror suspects | ‘Imminent’ terror strike foiled in Australia | How MI5 blackmails British Muslims | New York “Terror Plot” Another Government Provocateured Set-Up | All 11 men arrested during anti-terror raids released without charge | Toronto 18 Terror case: RCMP agent Shaikh was instigator who broke law: defence | Five muslims face life for Fort Dix ‘terror plot’ orchestrated by FBI | Third Mole Surfacing in Toronto Terror Trial? | Australian ‘Terror Plot’ Case Bears Remarkable Similarities to ‘Toronto 18′ | FBI Informant in British terror trial given immunity, proceedings raise question of what MI5 knew about 2005 London bombings | Terror accused refuses to discuss links to Pakistan secret service, family threatened | British ‘Terror Suspects’ Were in Contact With MI5

ABC News
August 27, 2009

A lawyer has accused police of embellishing the case against a group of Melbourne men accused of plotting an attack on the Holsworthy army base in Sydney.

The comments were made outside court after a magistrate refused bail for three of the men.

Nayef el Sayed, Yacqub Khayre and Saney Aweys, along with two co-accused, are charged with conspiring to attack the army base earlier this month.

The three accused terrorists waved and smiled at their families after the magistrate announced the decision.

Outside court, defence lawyer Rob Stary accused prosecutors of exaggerating the case against the men.

“There was no imminent terrorist attack,” Mr Stary said.

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“They were saying I’d have to prove my blood count the next time I go across … They said I’d have to prove that I’m at least 50-per-cent Indian.” What is that? As was the case with Alberta’s Hutterites, an attempt is coming, without a doubt, to force Canada’s First Nations people onto the international ‘enhanced’ RFID/biometric ID card system, whether they like it or not. We’ll see how that works out. And in case you’re thinking to yourself, good, that’ll show them – the high-tech police state control grid is coming for you as well.

Related: Akwesasne chief pushes for Mohawk sovereignty | Temporary Cornwall border post opens, sidestepping native dispute | Military spycraft patrols Ontario border from Fort Drum | Mohawk protesters block Ontario bridge over arming of border guards | Akwesasne natives protest armed border guards, border crossing closed in retaliation | New border rules create ‘invisible Berlin Wall’: mayor | RCMP and US Coast Guard to integrate as Canada signs border pact with Homeland Security | New US border technology directed at insidious threat: Canadians | Surveillance on the Great Lakes: U.S. tightens security along border | Drivers licences with chips spark heated debate | Border ‘two-headed monster,’ industry minister says | Canada, U.S. agree to use each other’s troops in civil emergencies | U.S. Northern Command, Canada Command establish new bilateral Civil Assistance Plan

CBC News
August 27, 2009

You can thank the RIAA, MPAA, and their cronies for this invasion of your privacy, as the initial justification proferred for trolling your hard drive was to locate possible instances of copyright infringement – which interestingly enough dovetails nicely with the cybersecurity initiatives being talked up in the international community. Whether the pretext is ’security’ or ‘copyright infringement’, the end result is that it is the people that are locked down, managed, searched, and scanned as their privacy is stripped away in the search for thoughtcrime. Which begs the question – does the state serve the people, or do the people serve the state?

Flashback: Obama Administration Claims Copyright Treaty Involves State Secrets | Latest Round of Closed-Door ACTA Copyright Negotiations Wrap Up | Copyright treaty consultation process snubs public | Digital rights groups sue for access to secret ACTA treaty | Transparency needed on ACTA | Revamped copyright law targets electronic devices

Chloe Albanesius, PCMag.com
August 27, 2009

The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday sued the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to uncover documents related to laptop searches at the border.

“The ACLU believes that suspicionless searches of laptops violate the First and Fourth Amendments,” the group wrote in the suit, filed in a New York District Court.

In July 2008, the Customs and Border Protection agency within DHS published formal guidelines for laptop border searches that gave CBP officials permission to search laptops and electronic devices at the border. Court cases on the topic have generally found that citizens should have diminished expectations of privacy when re-entering the country because the U.S. has a right to protect itself and control what crosses its borders.

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Though Ms. Stoddardt’s office’s efforts are appreciated, this journal fails to see how allowing Facebook to keep personal data indefinitely squares with the provision of Canada’s privacy law that specifically states that information may only be kept for a specified period of time.

Flashback: Facebook violates privacy law: watchdog | Facebook’s Users Ask Who Owns Information | UK Security services want personal data from sites like Facebook | MI6 seeks recruits on Facebook | Behavioral Targeting: ‘It’s Only Going to Get Creepier’ | Facebook ‘violates privacy laws’ | With friends like these …

CBC News
August 27, 2009

Assistant Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, left, and Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart say they will monitor Facebook’s implementation of the changes over the next year. (Emily Chung/CBC)

Facebook has agreed to make changes to better protect users’ personal information on the social networking site and comply with Canadian privacy laws within one year, Canada’s privacy commissioner said Thursday.

“These changes mean that the privacy of 200 million Facebook users in Canada and around the world will be far better protected,” said Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart.

“This is extremely important. People will be able to enjoy the benefits of social networking without giving up control of their personal information. We’re very pleased Facebook has been responsive to our recommendations.”

However, the site will continue to keep users’ information indefinitely if they have not deleted their accounts.

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That’s Columbia for you… along with Panama and Peru, one of Canada’s three new South American ‘free trade’ partners. Soon to be the next SOUTHCOM garrison, an ongoing CIA drug trade hub, and a regime with one of the worst records of human rights abuse out there. Harper has described Canada’s trade policy as part of a ‘process of pursuing deeper integration‘ throughout the Americas. And indeed, we should take him at his word on this: continental integration, foreign entanglements, and the ensuing degradation of Canada’s sovereignty are a part of this government’s agenda, Arctic windowdressing notwithstanding.

Flashback: PM calls on Parliament to pass Colombia free-trade pact | Peru protest violence kills natives and police | Harper Pledges to Double Funding to International Bank at Americas Summit | Harper vows Canada will remain open to international trade | Confirmed: Mexico drug plane used for CIA ‘rendition’ flights | Canada, Colombia reach free-trade agreement | South American union is created | Third Cocaine Plane Surfaces and is Tied to Web of Government Connections | Sloppy tradecraft exposes CIA drug plane | Drugs on crashed plane belonged to Mexico’s biggest dealer | DC9 with 5.5 tons of cocaine was CIA plane | Pulitzer Winning Journalist Who Linked CIA to Crack Sales Found Dead of Apparent Suicide | Dark Alliance: The Story Behind the Crack Explosion

Rory Carroll, Ewan Macaskill, The Guardian
August 27, 2009

Deal to increase access to Colombia bases angers neighbours and damages Obama’s attempts to mend relations with region

South American leaders are due to square off tomorrow over a plan to increase US access to military bases in Colombia, a deal that has damaged Barack Obama’s attempt to mend relations with the region.

A diplomatic firestorm has been ignited, with a summit in Argentina pitting Colombia – which has sought closer co-operation with Washington – against its neighbours who fear the US presence will threaten leftist governments.

Venezuela’s president, Hugo Chávez, has led the denunciations, claiming US imperialist aggression was blowing “winds of war”. He has vowed to buy extra Russian tanks to defend his socialist revolution and told his cabinet to prepare for ruptured relations with Bogotá.

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