13 nations pull out of Iraq this month,
as the UN mandate expires.
UPI.com/30nov

 
BIOWAR DANGERS
New germs impervious to present vaccines,etc.
Many labs in US make these germs, and are not sufficiently guarded.
WASHPOST/30NOV

Once again, Pentagon pricey toys would be useless
Against this threat/

 
SISTANI FROWNS AT PACT
The “POPE” says it doesn’t guarantee Iraq sovereignty—
He says he’ll accept it only if it is ratified by popular vote
(but his disapproval may mean it will NOT be ratified by referendum).
WASH POST/ 30NOV

 
PACT REFERENDUM WILL STRENGTHEN IRAQ GOVT. VS. US
Says Juan Cole /29nov

 
KARZAI WOULD SHOOT US PLANES IF HE COULD (!)
Those bombing Afghan villages.
Vancouver Sun/29nov

He may know NATO intends to dump him,
And is electioneering.

 
BOMB NEAR US AFGH. EMBASSY
TEN CASUALTIES 200’ FROM EMBASSY GATE.
Cbs news/29nov

 
ONE IN 5 RETURNING VETS WILL HAVE MENTAL PROBLEMS
SHORTAGE OF MENTAL HEALTH WORKERS.
NEWS.YAHOO.COM/29NOV

 
PRICEY WEAPONS USELESS
Indian ‘pentagon’ (tanks, ships. Planes) USELESS against 10 Mombai attackers.
Similarly, trillion-a-yr US pentagon will be useless against individual terrorists.

 
IRAQPact has many ‘ifs,and,and buts..’—but if these are used, referendum next year
Might demand definite, quick US pullout
SEATTLEPI/28NOV

Approval was 149 out of 278 votes. Was this the broad consensus
that Pope Sisatani demanded?

 
CLASHES BETWEEN SUNNIS & SHIAS OVER PILGRIMS TO SAUDI ARABIA.
US TRIES TO MEDIATE./ LATIMES/27NOV

 
Canadian casualties in Kandahar
increase number of votErs saying
GET OUT NOW!

 
REFERENDUM PENDING ON PACT
Internatal Herald Tribune/27Nov

 
Amer. PACT APPROVED BY140 OUT OF 195 PRESENT IN PARLIAMENT;
Sadrites still object.
It’s not clear if this meets Pope Sistani’s demand for a consensus among the sects, not just a majority. It can still be vetoed by Sunni member of pres.council.
It’s not clear if passage depends on referendum.
InternatlHeraldTribune27nov

 
KARZAI WANTS DEADLINE FOR FOREIGN TROOPS OUT OF AFGH.
WASH POST/26NOV

 
FAILING VS. TALIBAN BOMBS
Says Congress committee.
Pent. Tries to counter this claim:
--Tal. Use of bombs shows they can’t win open fight.
--Tal. Must defend Once safe havens
USATODAY/25NOV
So what? We’re still falling behind vs. bombs !

 
PACT SUBJECT TO REFERENDUM?
The Iraq/US pact is likely to get majority approval in Parliament—
But only until a natl referendum is held next year.
(‘Pope’ Sistani demands a consensus, not just a majority.)
Most Iraqis want GIs to leave SOON.
Reuters/26nov

 
PENT. REFUSES ‘COMBAT INJURY ’ HELP TO SOME WOUNDED VETS
LATIMES/26NOV

 
PAKISTAN CAN STOP DRONE RAIDS
Says airforce general—IF govt decides to do it.
This undermines merely ceremonial protests
Vs. these raids by Pak. Govt.
REUTERS/24NOV

 
BRIT GEN DESPAIRS OF AFGHAN DEMOCRACY
While Bushies chatter on about ‘securing the vote’,
He’ll settle for ‘sufficient security’.
Everyone says some Taliban must be admitted to govt.
BBC/24NOV

We backed dictator in Pakistan, who double-crossed us.
Trouble is, we must pick RIGHT dictator.

 
Karzai to Obama: No more civilian casualties!
US ‘apologizes’ for any civilian casualties.
Inevitable with indiscriminate airstrikes.
CNN/24NOV

 
FORTY-FIVE CASUALTIES IN BAGHDAD
ASSOC PRESS/24NOV

 
UK TROOPS OUT BY JANUARY
Withdrawn after Iraq elections.
TELEGRAPH/23NOV

 
SAME MISTAKES AS THE RUSS MADE
In Afgh, says Russ general.
More US troops won’t help.
LATIMES/23NOV

 
PAKISTANIS FEAR US MORE THAN QUAEDA
They fear alliance between US & India & Afgh.
To break up Pak.
Nytimes/23nov

 
CAN NEW TROOPS GET TO AFGH. SOON EN0UGH?
Taliban threatens to continue attacks this winter.
CBS/22NOV

 
OVER 1 IN 10 MARINE CASUALTIES.
The small unit of marines was sent to Afgh. to train Afghan fighters.
(without proper equipment).
But they’ve been attacked ferociously by Taliban,
150 casualties out of 1000 marines
LATIMES/22NOV

 
PAKISTANIS PRACTICE DOWNING US DRONES:
Govt opposes drone attacks because they enrage average Pakistanis.
Int.Herald Tribune/21nov

 
CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS WILL FADE in importance,
Says a new Intel analysis.
CBS NEWS/20NOV

Useless Pentagon won’t be able to change gears—
Just like US automakers.
But we’ll continue to bloat Pent. With a trillion dollars a year.

 
AFGH SUPPLY LINES: Now thru Pakistan—but so many Taliban attacks that US is trying much longer, but safer routes (thru Russia, etc.)
WashPost/20Nov
(How long until these new routes are ready?)

 
LYONS PREDICTION VINDICATED:
For several years I have said danger is not from inflation, but from deflation.
Income for ordinary people has dropped; sellers have to lower prices.
Bloomberg/18nov

 
SISTANI DEMANDS ‘CONSENSUS’ ON PACT
Sadrists oppose US/IRAQ pact (to extend US presence till 2011)vigorously, as do several other groups. Top cleric demands ‘consensus’, which sounds as if each group
Has veto power.
Speaker of Parliament opposes pact.
AlJazeera.net/19nov

 
TERROR WAR UNPOPULAR IN PAKISTAN
Govt. denies any tacit approval of US airstrikes inside Pak.
REUTERS/17NOV
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AG57V20081117

 
NEW APPROACH TO PAK,AFGH?
Obamites might mediate conflict between India & Pak. Over Kashmir.
That would free Pak. Military to fight Taliban.
--also, they’d contribute billions for civilian uses (not military).
--also, they’d dump Karzai..but dangerous to find right replacement.
GLOBE&MAIL/17NOV

 
NEARLY 200,000 GULF WAR I VETS AFFLICTED
Neurologically with ‘gulfwar syndrome’
Americans think that war was a success, with few casualties.
Wrong !/LATIMES/17NOV

 
JOURNALIST SAYS TALIBAN TAKEOVER ‘IRREVERSIBLE’
Alternet/16nov

 
‘WELCOME MULLAH OMAR OR LEAVE OR OUST ME’ says Karzai.
NEWS.YAHOO/16NOV

 
PAKISTAN BLOCKS US CONVOYS
From going to Afgh. thru Kuyber Pass—
After 2 Taliban attacks, back-to-back.
CNN/ 16NOV
But is this to protect convoys, or to interfere
With US Afghan project?

 
STOPPING ECONOMIC PLUNGE:
The only thing that helped in GreatDepression was making govt. the employer of last resort. A dole doesn’t help, because unemployed males go goofy:
there’s a direct correlation between unemployment rate and child abuse.

China is employing people; they can do that without embarrassment because
They’re pretend Communist. We have the myth of the free market to contend with.

 
REAL CHANCE THAT SECURITY PACT WON’T PASS
Says US general.
Kurd honcho says THEY’LL host GIs if Arab Iraqi won’t
WASH TIMES/31OCT

 
US CONVOY ATTACKED NEAR KABUL
20 miles away. Taliban stronger than ever.
Cbs news/14nov

 
60 IRAQIS KILLED THIS WEEK BY BOMBS;
DOZENS WOUNDED/
Latimes/14nov

 
HUGE, ‘IMPRUDENT’ STIMULUS NEEDED
Says Krugman (Nobel economist).
NYTIMES/14NOV

 
STICKY BOMBS IN IRAQ
A grenade size bomb fastened to a wall or car
(detonated from a distance) Causes panic.
Seattlepi/14nov

 
Ordinary Europeans believe Afghan project is hopeless.
TIME MAG./14NOV

Germany refuses more combat troops.

 
‘Afghan Hearts&Minds’ counts more than military, says Brit mil. Honcho.
BBC/14nov
But US continues enraging Afghans w/indiscriminate airstrikes.

 
WHY EMPHASIS ON CATCHING BIN LADEN?
Obama used Bush negligence here as campaign gimmick.
But eliminating B.L. would not weaken Qaeda!
CBS NEWS/14NOV

 
BRITS WANT OUT OF AFGH/
2 IN 3 BRITS WANT OUT THIS YEAR.
100 CASUALTIES IN 2 DAYS.
InternatlHeraldTribune/13nov

 
BUSHIES MOVE TO HELP GOOFY PEOPLE TO BORROW MORE
BLOOMBERG/12NOV
Money must be moved somehow to ordinary people.
Instead of GIVING it too them, they’ll help goofy people BORROW MORE.
Get further in debt.

Might as well subsidize lottery tickets.

 
OBAMA’S HEALTH PLAN
Would cover 95% of Americans, at cost of $130 billion a year
(little over the cost of the Iraq war).
REUTERS/12NOV
--A SMALL PORTION OF ANNUAL PENTAGON BUDGET.

 
US OK one-party Dem rule (WhiteHouse & Congress).
2 in 3 OK this.
CNN.COM/12NOV

 
news.yahoo features a different ‘nuclear waste’ approach.
Three steps:
1) store it in various places underground for 90 years, time for the shortest-lived
radioactivity to burn off;
2) store remaining stuff (much less volume) in ‘permanent’ geologically-safe caves
3) use much remaining stuff for energy production.

(We must do SOMETHING. Present volume of waste would already FILL YUCCA CAVE !)

 
US ADMITS 70 CIVILIAN CASUALTIES IN AFGH.
LATIMES/12NOV

 
HUGE BOMB IN SOUTHERN AFGH.

Dozens of casualties.
/NYTIMES/12NOV

 
NEARLY 200 IRAQI BOMB CASUALTIES IN 3 DAYS/
SEATTLEPI/12NOV

 
GIS OUT OF CITIES:
US is pulling out of Iraq cities, back to a few major bases (this will free up equipment for Afghanistan). But critics worry that Shia may attack Sunni (whom they outnumber
3 to 1)./APGOOGLE/12NOV.

 
100 bomb casualties in Iraq/
SeattlePI/ 11nov

 
US SUPPLIES HIJACKED
US needs to carry supplies across Pakistan to Afgh.
These convoys are regularly attacked;
But this attack was most brazen.
MSNBC/11NOV

 
Early voters prefer Obama by NINETEEN POINTS !
CBS/3NOV

These votes (1 in 5) can’t be tampered with easily.

 
OBAMA HAS 250 ELECTORAL VOTES (OF 270 NEEDED) EVEN WITHOUT ‘BATTLEGROUND’
STATES. McCain has been behind in several hundred polls.
CBS/2NOV

 
US DECIDES TO FIGHT ON ITS OWN (ignoring useless Europeans);
They will send more troops into Afgh for 5 more yrs of war.
But Soviets sent in 140k troops and still lost.
In fact, every invader who has sent in ‘more troops’ has been driven out.
London Telegraph.2nov

 
‘AGREEMENT TO PULL OUT GIs’ by 2011--Maliki describes proposed pact.
NOT as ‘security pact’.
Pols think such withdrawal is dangerous; but election is coming, and
Ordinary Iraqis want US out pronto.
SeattlePI/2Nov

 
CRUCIAL OHIO, FLORIDA:
Obama 9 pts ahead in Oho, 7 points ahead In Florida
Bloomberg/1Nov

 
OBAMA AHEAD W/LIKELY VOTERS BY 9%
LIKELY VOTERS THINK Mc Cain’s ‘tone’ is bad/ 2 to 1
Poll is even among independents, white Catholics, married women (groups usuallyGOP)
Likely voters: 53% Ob, 44% McC
Among white men, McC leads by only 9% (Kerry was behind 25%)
ABC/1nov