Obama Killed Chavez

Obama Killed Chavez

by Stephen Lendman

Most likely he was either poisoned or infected with cancer causing substances. Four cancer surgeries in 18 months raise suspicions.

Chavez knew he was marked for death. He said so numerous times. Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez believes Washington and Israel conspired to kill him. 

He called it similar to how Israel murdered Yasser Arafat. Radioactive polonium poisoning killed him. Forensic evidence proved it.

On March 12, acting President Nicolas Marudo said a state commission will investigate his death. "(I)mportant scientists from different countries" will be involved. 

Maduro believes forensic evidence will show Chavez was "injected by imperialist forces."

He "was poisoned by dark forces in order to hit at the Venezuelan people and Latin America," he stressed.

More information on his cancer will be explained later. It "didn't correspond with any of the normal behaviors of the illness."

"He received (lots) of death threats. Maybe they didn't manage to it through a direct attempt" on his life.

"Everything seems to indicate that they managed to affect his health using the most advanced techniques."

For decades, America experimented with cancer causing substances. Expert technologies exist. Assassination by bullet, bomb, slit throat, or plane crash reflects policy. Why not incurable diseases?

William Blum's done some of the best research on America's successful and failed political assassinations. On March 12, he headlined "I Personally Believe That Hugo Chavez Was Murdered By The United States."

He thinks CIA operatives may have been involved. Post-WW II, they targeted over 50 foreign leaders for removal. Some died. Others lived. 

Fidel Castro survived hundreds of assassination attempts. He knows better than anyone how Washington operates.

Chavez replaced him as its number one enemy. He spoke truth to power. He did so more forthrightly and eloquently than anyone.

He touched important nerves. He denounced US imperialism. He did so at home and abroad. He said what everyone needs to know. Washington menaces humanity. He said it loud and clear.

It's "well known," said Blum, "that during the Cold War, the CIA worked diligently to develop substances that could kill without leaving a trace."

"I would like to see the Venezuelan government pursue every avenue of investigation in having an autopsy performed."

Expert forensic pathologists will be involved. Maduro has that in mind. Chavez's death wasn't accidental. It reflects foul play. Hopefully clear evidence will prove it. 

America had opportunity and motive. It does so globally. CIA rogues know how to kill. They've had decades of experience. 

Investigative journalist Wayne Madsen said the Agency "pioneered" cancer-causing agent experiments. Focus was on infecting victims multiple ways. They include "injection, inhalation, (and) skin contact through contaminated clothing, especially underwear."

Chavez's aggressive cancer raises red flags. Possibly he was targeted through "contaminated food, drink, and even toothpaste."

Extensive documentation of CIA use of cancer-causing agents exists. They're used against figures Washington wants eliminated. At issue for Venezuela, says Madsen, is determining how Chavez was infected and by whom.

Bush administration officials pursued a secret biowarfare agenda. It rescinded and subverted the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).

It renounced the 1989 US Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act. It prohibits developing, producing, and stockpiling bacteriological/biological/toxic weapons. It worked covertly on developing illegal bioweapons.

At least since the 1940s, America pursued active biological weapons development. It's been largely secret and unreported. Experiments have been conducted on human subjects. 

Toxic chemical, biological and other substances are used. Germ warfare is official US policy. Bacteria's been covertly released in US cities. Pneumonia and other diseases followed.

Bush spent billions on bioweapons development. Obama continues what he began. Multiple federal agencies are involved. CIA operates covertly. Its agenda includes "scientific assassinations."

Chemical, biological and radiation experiments involve human subjects. Secrecy persists. 

Francis Boyle's "Biowarfare and Terrorism" discusses America's lawless biological weapons development, production and buildup. It's potential endangers humanity.

It's part of America's war on terror. It reflects an extremist agenda. It's about unchallenged power. It includes biological, chemical, nuclear and other toxins. They kill selectively or en masse.

Obama prioritizes killing. He does it daily in multiple theaters. He targets independent leaders for removal. Smart money says he killed Chavez. Believe it! Hopefully forensic evidence will prove it.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

http://www.dailycensored.com/obama-killed-chavez/

Gitmo Atrocities Continue

Gitmo Atrocities Continue

by Stephen Lendman

America's by far the world's leading human rights abuser. It commits horrific crimes globally. No other nation matches its record. It's longstanding. It's unconscionable. It's lawless.

It violates fundamental international, constitutional, and US statute laws. It does so with impunity. It's official US policy.

Straightaway as president, Obama pledged to close Guantanamo. He lied. He's a serial liar. It's still open. The worst of Bush administration practices continue.

Appalling human rights abuses persist. Torture remains policy. It's institutionalized throughout Washington's gulag. Obama bears full responsibility.

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) leads the legal struggle for justice at Guantanamo. It wants the facility shut. It defends lawlessly held detainees. It's done so for over a decade. It sent the first habeas attorney there. 

It helped win the historic Boumediene v. Bush Supreme Court case. It affirmed Guantanamo detainee habeas rights. It lets them petition for release from lawlessly imposed custody. 

It's done them no good. Obama enforces police state harshness. He does so at home and abroad. Justice Anthony Kennedy disagrees. He wrote the majority Boumediene opinion.

He said America maintains complete jurisdiction over Guantanamo regardless of its offshore location. He's against political branches "govern(ing) without legal restraint."

He expressed concern about usurping "power to switch the Constitution on or off at will." Doing so "lead(s) to a regime in which they, not this Court, say 'what the law is.' "

"Even when the United States acts outside its borders, its powers are not 'absolute and unlimited' but are subject 'to such restrictions as are expressed in the Constitution."

He called habeas "an indispensable mechanism for monitoring the separation of powers."

"The test for determining (its) scope must not be subject to manipulation by those whose power it is designed to restrain."

He and others agree. This bedrock right has no adequate substitute. Obama disregards it lawlessly. He's contemptuous of fundamental human rights. He spurns rule of law principles. He lets torture and other abuses continue. More on that below.

CCR details Gitmo by the numbers. Everyone needs to know. Few detainees were charged. Most were innocent victims. So are those remaining. 

Around 95% were sold for bounty. Washington wanted prisoners. Guilt or innocence didn't matter. It doesn't now. Rule of law principles are spurned. Torture remains official policy. Appalling human suffering continues.

Since Guantanamo opened, an estimated 779 victims were interned. Of those, 604 were transferred. Another 166 remain.

According to US records, at least 92% aren't "Al-Qaeda fighters." Over half those remaining were cleared for release. They're still held.

Forty-six men are indefinitely detained uncharged. They committed no crimes. They can't be prosecuted. Washington claims they're too dangerous to release. Saying so is false on its face.

Twenty-two prisoners were under age 18 when abducted. Twelve or more fear torture, persecution or death awaits them at home. They need safe havens to rebuild their lives. They're not easy to find.

Current detainees have been held on average 10 years or longer. Nearly all are innocent victims. Some will never be freed. Torture and other abuses brutalize them.

Nine men died in prison. Prison authorities ordered them murdered. False reports claimed suicide.

Bush and Obama officials remain unaccountable.

CCR demands Obama keep his promise. Guantanamo "unacceptably enter(s) its twelfth year of operation."

Obama continues the worst of Bush administration policies. Indefinite detentions without charge or trial continue. Illegitimate military commissions are used. They assure guilt by accusation. Hanging judges preside.

It's long "past time to shut down Guantanamo. (It's) urgent. (It's) ethically and legally necessary."

America's "war on terror" reflects consummate evil. It's Washington's way to wage war on humanity. It does so lawlessly. It continues without end.

Everyone's unsafe. Rogue US officials trample on fundamental human rights. Obama and those around him enforce police state harshness. They shame the positions they hold. They practice what demands condemnation. It's official policy. It persists.

Over 100 Guantanamo detainees resist their only way. They're hunger striking for justice. They're in their fifth week. A few elderly and ill still ingest food. 

Over a dozen are being painfully force-fed. Doing so constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. It's torture. It violates fundamental medical ethics.

Detainees are restrained in chairs. They're called "padded cells on wheels." 

Tubes are forced painfully through their noses and throats. It's done abrasively. It draws blood. 

Liquid nutrients are pumped into their stomachs. Doing so causes excruciating pain. No sedatives or anesthesia are given. Men are kept strapped in for an hour or longer.

It's done to prevent purging. The procedure's repeated twice daily. Tubes are reused. They're covered in blood and stomach bile.

Reportedly they're passed from one inmate to another. Proper sanitation is non-existent. One detainee called the procedure "torture, torture, torture."

Those refusing force-feeding are brutally beaten. Injuries occur. Hospitalization at times follows.

The World Medical Association says force-feeding violates fundamental medical ethics. When accompanied by "threats, coercion, force, and use of physical restraints, (it's) considered inhuman and degrading treatment."

It's official Guantanamo policy. It persists throughout America's gulag. It constitutes excruciating torture. It's official US policy

On March 12, CCR discussed Guantanamo's humanitarian crisis. A press release said its attorneys gave expert testimony. They did so before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

CCR requested the hearing. Other human rights groups were co-petitioners. They included the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), and Reprieve.

CCR attorney, Omar Farah, said the following:

"Today’s hearing at the IACHR came at a critical moment in Guantánamo’s troubled history."

"Our clients report that most of the men at the prison are now in the fifth week of a mass hunger strike to peacefully protest worsening prison conditions, religious provocation, and the crushing reality that after 11 years in indefinite detention, there is no end in sight to their suffering." 

"In light of the humanitarian crisis unfolding at Guantanamo, it is indefensible that the US government failed to answer the Commission’s simple questions about how it plans to close the prison camp."

Obama officials won't because no plan exists. Guantanamo symbolizes imperial lawlessness. So do other US torture prisons. They exist at home and abroad. Media scoundrels explain nothing. Coverup if official policy.

CCR and others gave expert testimony. They discussed how Guantanamo causes psychological harm, deaths, indefinite detentions uncharged, lack of fair trials, and "illegitimate US policies" restricting the facility's closure.

They reiterated demands, including:

• closing Guantanamo immediately;

• acknowledging ongoing torture and other human rights abuses; and

• demanding "full access" to all detainees.

An earlier CCR report headlined "11 Years and Counting: Profiles of Men Detained at Guantanamo." It explains America's horrific treatment. Holding detainees uncharged was highlighted.

Injustice defines US policy. Individual profiles explain best. Horrific human rights abuses persist. Obama bears full responsibility. Justice remains denied.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

Wrongheaded NYT Views When They're Right

Wrongheaded NYT Views When They're Right

by Stephen Lendman

On March 9, a Times editorial headlined "Repeal the Military Force Law." Reasons given omitted what's most important. More on that below.

On September 14, 2001, Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) was introduced. It never should have been done in the first place. 

UN Charter provisions explain under what conditions waging war is justified. They're clear and unambiguous.

Article 2(3) and Article 33(1) require peaceful settlement of international disputes. Article 2(4) prohibits force or its threatened use.

Article 51 allows the "right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member….until the Security Council has taken measures to maintain international peace and security."

Justifiable self-defense is permissible. Articles 2(3), 2(4), and 33 prohibit unilaterally threatening or using force not allowed under Article 51, authorized by the Security Council, and, for America, constitutionally allowed under Article I, Section 8.

Big Lies launch wars. Waging them on terror doesn't wash. Nor does doing so on people, groups, or those harboring them. Nothing in international or constitutional law permits it.

September 11, 2001 was the mother of all false flags. Bush officials took full advantage. So did Congress. Multiple direct and proxy wars followed. They're lawless. They still rage. They do so on humanity. Bipartisan complicity bears full responsibility.

AUMF passed near unanimously. House representatives voted 420 - 1. Barbara Lee (D. CA) was the sole dissenter.

On the same day, it passed the Senate. It did so 98 - 0. Capitol Hill has few profiles in courage. On this day, they were almost entirely absent. 

On September 18, Bush signed it into law. Doing so declared war. It did so lawlessly. Nonbelligerent countries were attacked. Wars without end followed.

AUMF authorized "all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."

Saying so doesn't wash. International law says otherwise. So does constitutional law.

Carte blanche war-making authority was lawlessly granted. America's war on terror began. It rages out of control. It does so at home and abroad. 

Section 1034 of HR 1540: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 said:

"(1) the United States is engaged in an armed conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces and that those entities continue to pose a threat to the United States and its citizens, both domestically and abroad;

(2) the President has the authority to use all necessary and appropriate force during the current armed conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40)...."

As commander in chief, presidents wage wars anywhere. They do so at their discretion. One follows others. Congressional budgets prioritize them.

Rule of law principles are spurned. So are democratic values. Imperial priorities matter most. Popular ones lose out. Vital needs aren't addressed. Times editors didn't explain.

They claimed Congress approved AUMF "with good intentions." Saying so is spurious on its face. Times editors know it. They lied. They betrayed their readers doing it.

They blamed Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders for 9/11. They claimed they "sheltered and aided the terrorists who had attacked the United States." They did nothing of the sort.

False flags are an American tradition. They reflect covert operations. They're designed to deceive. Official stories are falsified. They're myths. They're Big Lies. They're widely believed fantasies. They're contrary to reality.

Bin Ladin, Al Qaeda, and Taliban officials had nothing to do with 9/11. Convincing evidence proves an inside job. Times editors are complicit in coverup. They report what they know is false. They omit what's most important.

Eleven and half years after the fact, they admit Bush took advantage. Obama does more so, but they won't say. They treat him with kid gloves. 

They supported Bush throughout his tenure. They did so unconscionably. They never said they're sorry. Apologies aren't in their vocabulary.

They express belated doubts. AUMF became "the basis for a perpetual, ever-expanding war that undermined the traditional constraints on government power."

"The result is an unintelligible policy without express limits or protective walls."

Saying so comes too late to matter. Bush ravaged humanity. So does Obama. Countries were destroyed. Millions died. Millions more suffer grievously. Wars rage out-of-control.

AUMF is "too vague," claim Times editors. Why didn't they say it when it mattered? Why didn't they call it lawless? Why say anything now as an afterthought? 

Why did give Judith Miller front page space? Why did they feature her propaganda? Why did they do so daily? Why did they let her lie for power?

Why did they feature an entire Noah's Ark of scam artists? Why were they unapologetic? Why aren't they apologizing now? Why did they support Obama's war on Libya? Why did their reporters and others give NATO bombing coordinates? 

Why don't they denounce Obama's war on Syria, Mali, Somalia, Yemen, and elsewhere? Why don't they do what's most important? Why don't they do it when it matters?

Quoting former defense secretary counsel Jeh Johnson, saying "War must be regarded as a finite, extraordinary and unnatural state of affairs" doesn't bring back millions of lost lives. 

It doesn't relieve human misery. It doesn't rebuild destroyed countries. It doesn't hold responsible US officials accountable. It doesn't prosecute and convict them for high crimes.

It doesn't relieve Times editors of complicity. When it mattered most, they supported wrong over right. They still do. Their call to repeal UUMF rings hollow. How they suggest is worse.

Congress can wait until US forces leave Afghanistan, they say. Doing so is waiting for Godot. Washington plans permanent occupation. Times editor know but won't say.

Howard Zinn said "no flag large enough cover(s) the shame of killing innocent people." Maybe he had Times editors in mind.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

http://www.dailycensored.com/wrongheaded-nyt-views-when-theyre-right/

America's Retirement Crisis

America's Retirement Crisis

by Stephen Lendman

Decades of class war leaves most Americans nearing retirement woefully unprepared.

Since the mid-1970s, real wages haven't kept pace with inflation. Benefits steadily eroded. High-paying jobs disappeared. Improved technology forces wage earners to work harder for less. 

So-called "free" markets work only for those who control them. A handful of winners benefit at the expense of most others. Conditions get progressively worse.

Wealth disparity extremes are unprecedented. Neoliberal harshness force-feeds austerity when stimulus is needed. Public needs go begging.

American inequality is institutionalized. Bipartisan complicity assures it. Class war rages. America's social contract is targeted for destruction.

Both sides agree. They support giving bankers, war profiteers, other corporate favorites, and super-rich elites greater wealth at the expense of most others.

A May 2012 Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) study highlighted America's retirement crisis. American workers face trouble.

The percentage of those expecting to retire after age 65 increased to 37%. In 1991, only 11% expected to do so.

One-third of US workers expect to retire at age 70 or older. Growing numbers expect never being able to do so.

Over two-thirds expect to work at least part-time past age 65. At the same time, health and economic crisis conditions keep many of them from doing so.

Nearly one-third are woefully unprepared. Their savings are less than $1,000. Many others have nothing in reserve. Around 60% have less than $25,000.

Fewer than half of working Americans calculated how much they need in retirement. About two-thirds feel they're behind schedule preparing for it.

Only 14% believe they're adequately prepared. Only one-third have defined benefit plans.

Few understand retirement healthcare costs. Medicare is eroding as treatment expenses soar.

Protracted economic crisis conditions, high unemployment, growing poverty, and other concerns create enormous uncertainties. Most workers approaching retirement haven't prepared. Covering expenses is harder than ever.

Economics Professor/retirement expert Teresa Ghilarducci says maintaining living standards in retirement requires 20 times annual income in savings. 

Few Americans are prepared. Three-fourths nearing age 65 have less than $30,000 saved. "For the first time in US history," she says, "every source of retirement income is under siege."

Professor James Russell discussed it, saying:

"The great 30-year experiment in 401(k) and similar retirement financing schemes that depend on stock market investments has failed." 

Even before the" 2008 crash, clear signs showed "that very few workers would be able to accumulate enough wealth through these accounts to insure retirement financial security."

Since the 19th century, every generation was better off than previous ones. No longer. Institutionalized inequality victimizes most Americans. It's been that way since the mid-1970s.

Examples include eroded unionization, stagnant wages, lost benefits, Social Security and Medicare under siege, and high-risk defined contribution plans replacing secure defined benefit ones.

The 1978 Revenue Act changed things. Sections 401(k), 403(b), and 457 let retirement plan contributions be made with pretax dollars.

Employers bait and switch. They exploit workers advantageously. They replace defined benefit plans with defined contribution ones. 

They often don't work. They falsely claim worker investments provide secure retirement income. Evidence shows otherwise.

Lifetime obligations exceed what most people save. Financial services industry con artists skim huge profits off the top. They do so in large commissions. They add up over time. 

Social Security, public pensions, and defined benefit plans work as intended. They support retirement security. Marketplace uncertainty is eliminated.

Money power runs America. It controls Obama and congressional majorities. It's destroying the future of millions. A new Senate study explains more.

Most retirees face financial trouble. They're worse off than their parents and grandparents. Protracted Main Street depression conditions destroyed 40% of personal wealth. 

High unemployment compounds trouble. So do stagnant wages, eroding benefits, and savings paying virtually no interest.

Stock market gains go mainly to rich elites. Progressive economists express concerns. Americans are increasingly on their own sink or swim. Retirement security is fast disappearing.

America's social contract is under siege. Class war rages. Social Security and Medicare are targeted for elimination. Wealth, power, privilege, and dominance alone matter.

Fiscal cliff doublespeak duplicity conceals what's planned. Bipartisan double-dealing targets America's middle class and millions most disadvantaged.

A new Senate report says America faces a huge retirement savings deficit. It's about $6.6 trillion. It's about $57,000 per household. It's double or more what most households have in savings. It assures current crisis conditions worsening.

Based on Federal Reserve data, the Center for Retirement Research (CRR) estimates 53% of US workers aged 30 or older woefully unprepared for retirement.

In 2001, it was 38%. In 1989, it was 30%. Other studies confirm CRR's findings.

Alicia Munnell serves as CRR director. "There is a mismatch between retirement needs rising and retirement benefits contracting," she says.

Current conditions are polar opposite earlier ones. From Social Security's 1935 enactment through the mid-1970s, things improved for most Americans.

No longer. Most people are increasingly on their own. They're woefully unprepared. They earn and save too little. Trouble awaits them later on. Dire economic conditions exacerbates things.

Recent retirement policy changes contribute to growing inequality. Washington grants at least $80 billion annually in tax breaks to encourage 401(k)-type accounts. 

Benefits go largely to upper-income households. The system is rigged for them. It's done at the expense of most others.

Those earning $200,000 annually and contributing 15% of pay to retirement savings reap an additional $7,000.

Workers receiving $20,000 and contributing the same percentage get nothing. They don't earn enough to qualify. Others earning $50,000 get about $2,100.

Workers in defined benefit plans face uncertainty. They're underfunded and eroding. Benefits are frozen and disappearing. 

Public pensions have similar problems. They're being looted. They're targeted for eventual elimination. They may be gone in another decade or sooner.

Most households today have few options. Government scoundrels target them. Austerity substitutes for help. Dire conditions are worsening.

One worker spoke for others. He's aged 60. He thought he'd be comfortable in retirement. In 2002, he was laid off. "People talk about a lost decade," he said. "That's what I've been through," he stressed.

He spent the last 10 years struggling. He was in and out of low pay/poor benefit/part-time contract jobs. He drained his savings to get by. Doing so excludes retiring when he planned.

Growing millions suffer similar hardships. Nothing is done to help them. Bipartisan harshness substitutes. America's future looks grim.

Power politics replaced fairness. Corporate empowerment and privilege are institutionalized. Wealth is disproportionately shared. Ordinary people are exploited. Growing millions are left high and dry. 

America is rife with corruption and gangsterism. The criminal class in Washington is bipartisan. Kleptocrats run things. They're complicit with corporate crooks. Poverty, unemployment, hunger and homelessness are at near record levels.

Social justice are four-letter words. Police state harshness confronts resisters. Big monied interests alone matter. Obama's committed to serve them. So are party bosses and most congressional members. 

America's unfit to live in. It's unprincipled and morally reprehensible. It force-feeds hard times. The worst by far is yet to come. 

America's "going to crash big time," says Paul Craig Roberts. Humanity hopes it'll happen in time to matter.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

http://www.dailycensored.com/americas-retirement-crisis/

Penny Pritzker: Obama's Likely Commerce Secretary Choice

Penny Pritzker: Obama's Likely Commerce Secretary Choice

by Stephen Lendman

She's one of America's most powerful women. For sure she's one of the richest. Forbes estimates she's worth $1.85 billion. 

She's also heir to the Hyatt Hotels and Pritzker family fortune. It's net worth exceeds $20 billion. Some think it's much more. 

No one knows for sure. It's stashed in tax havens. Only little people pay what they owe. Billionaires use money to make more of it. They steal plenty along the way. 

Balzac said behind every great fortune lies a great crime. Tax Justice Network estimates up to $32 trillion in hidden and stolen wealth stashed in tax havens. Maybe it's much more. No one knows for sure.

Insiders say Pritzker's Obama's top Commerce Secretary choice. Honest observers want her held accountable. She has lots to answer for. More on that below.

Her official bio calls her a "civic and business leader." She's PSP Capital Partners founder, chairman and CEO. She also heads Pritzker Realty Group and Artemis Real Estate Partners. Previously she was involved in other family businesses.

In February 2011, Obama appointed her to the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness (PCJC). General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt headed it. 

He destroyed jobs at the same time. He offshored them to low wage countries. He pretended to advise Obama on creating them. He faked it. PCJC met four times. It was a sham. It accomplished nothing. 

In January 2012, it was disbanded. It never should have been established in the first place. It was smoke and mirrors. It was typical Obama. It did nothing to create jobs.

Pritzker serves on Hyatt's board. She's a former Wm. Wrigley, Jr. Company, Marmon Group and LaSalle Bank board member. She chaired credit reporting firm TransUnion. 

She's a Council on Foreign Relations member. She belongs to other elitist groups. They're international and influential. They're comprised of likeminded figures. They're up to no good.

In its August 2008 "Power of Penny Pritzker" article, Bloomberg called her the "billionaire head of Barack Obama's fundraising machine (and) the person to call when you want to 'get the job done,' says Warren Buffett."

In 2008, she was Obama's campaign finance team national chairwoman. She raised millions. She shattered fundraising records. 

She helped get Obama elected. She organized "the best financed campaign in US history," said Bloomberg. In 2012, she was a top bundler.

She was up for Commerce Secretary before. She dropped out of the running. She focused on business priorities. She had internal disputes to resolve. Billions of dollars were involved. In 2011, eleven family members settled things.

She's damaged goods. How that affects her now remains to be seen. She ran suburban Chicago-based Superior Bank. In 2001, it collapsed. It had $2.3 billion in assets.

It was a predatory lender. It was heavily into subprime fraud. Pritzker was one of its originators. Some called her the subprime queen. For others she was the doyenne of predatory lending.

She cost FDIC $700 million. Depositors lost $65 million. She bears full responsibility. With Ernst and Young and Merrill Lynch, she originated subprime fraud.

Superior Bank operated a nationwide origination system. It was founded in 1988. Pritzker family members bought Lyons Savings. It was bankrupt.

They paid $42.5 million. They got $645 million in tax credits in return. They put up $1 million to get it. They got more. Sweetheart deal terms included all federally insured bank deposits. 

They took full advantage. They concentrated on subprime lending. In December 1992, they acquired Alliance Funding. It was a wholesale mortgage originator.

In November 2002, In These Times headlined "Breaking the Bank," saying:

Superior had "a familiar ring. Using a variety of shell companies and complex financial gimmicks, (its) managers and owners exaggerated the profits and financial soundness of the bank." 

"While (it) actually lost money throughout most of the ’90s, publicly it appeared to be growing remarkably fast and making unusually large profits." 

"Under that cover, (it) paid its owners huge dividends and provided them favorable loans and other financial deals deemed illegal by federal investigators."

It was a "mini-Enron." When it collapsed, Pritzker and other family members profited hugely. Borrowers and depositors were scammed.

Superior's auditor "doubled as a financial consultant." He engaged in "dubious accounting practices." He played fast and loose with numbers.

Pritzker ignored sound risk management principles. She ran a predatory lending operation. 

She made money the old fashioned way. She stole it. She got away with grand theft. She settled for pennies on the dollar. No one went to jail.

Retired Ameritech manager Fran Sweet lost $100,000. She called the Pritzkers "crooks. "They don't care anything about people who spent their whole lives trying to save" she said.

Many Superior depositors lost everything they had over the FDIC insured $100,000 limit.

Bloomberg reported controversy surrounding credit reporting firm TransUnion. 

At the time, it controlled "the $3.3 billion market in equal shares with Atlanta-based Equifax and Dublin-based Experian Group Ltd." 

"After widespread consumer complaints about shoddy service in the credit checking industry, (Congress) passed legislation in 2003 that allowed people to get free copies of credit reports so they could check for mistakes and block information obtained from identity theft."

The same year, Klamath Falls, OR-based Judy Thomas won a $5.3 million settlement. She claimed TransUnion took six years to correct a mistake in her credit report. On appeal, it was reduced to $1.3 million.

In 2008, Pritzker withdrew her name from Commerce Secretary consideration. Friends say she now wants the job. 

Subprime fraud taints her. Obama may choose her anyway. He's in bed with Wall Street crooks. Money power runs things. Pritzker at Commerce fits right in. She'll be one of the crowd.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

http://www.dailycensored.com/penny-pritzker-obamas-likely-commerce-secretary-choice/

Obama Wants Lynne Stewart Dead

Obama Wants Lynne Stewart Dead

by Stephen Lendman

Lynne's 73. She's gravely ill.

Obama killed Chavez. He wants Lynne dead. Unjustifiable longterm imprisonment assures it. 

She's a breast cancer survivor. It reemerged. It's spreading.

She's dying. Vital life-saving treatment is delayed or denied. Expert private care can save her. She needs it now.

This alert supplements a circulating petition. It repeats information in it.

It's urgent! 

Sign it! 

Circulate it! 

Tell others! 

Tell them to do the same! 

Save Lynne! 

Demand justice!

Free her!

Save her life!

Release her now!

Do it today!

Vital surgery was delayed 18 months. It was done to kill her.

Lynne's operating physician called her condition "the worst he had seen."

Breast cancer reached Stage Four. Cancer Treatment Centers of America says multiple body parts are affected. Areas may include bones, brain, lungs, liver, and/or elsewhere.

Lynne's disease affects her lymph nodes, shoulder, bones and lungs.

It's treatable. Women diagnosed with Stage Four can live many years. Key is getting effective treatment on time. Immediate care is essential. 

Lynne's daughter practices medicine. She said:

"Under the best of circumstances, Lynne would be in a battle of the most serious consequences with dangerous odds." 

"With cancer and cancer treatment, the complications can be as debilitating and as dangerous as the cancer itself."

Federal Medical Center, Carswell, TX provides deplorable care. Treatment involves shackling. Ten pounds bind Lynne's wrists and ankles. Chains connect them.

Weeks pass to see providers. Results take weeks longer. Hospital conditions are shocking. They include shackling wrists and ankles painfully to beds. It's standard practice. It's brutal. It's medieval.

It's cruel and unusual punishment. It violates constitutional rights. It's unprincipled and unconscionable.

Patients like Lynne aren't flight risks. They deserve better.

America's 1984 Sentencing Act grants prisoner rights. They include reduced sentences "for extraordinary and compelling reasons."

None rise to the level of life threatening illness. Lynne deserves compassionate release. Delay assures death.

DON'T LET OBAMA GET AWAY WITH IT!!

FREE LYNNE NOW!!

She worked tirelessly for justice. She's a role model for what's right. She deserves compassion in her time of need. She deserves that and more.

Turkey Targets Press Freedom

Turkey Targets Press Freedom

by Stephen Lendman

No country imprisons more journalists than Turkey. Ragip Zarakolu understands well. He's a prominent human rights activist/publisher. He's a former Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He's been maliciously targeted for years.

In 1998, he won the International Publishers Association (IPA) International Freedom to Publish Award. He couldn't attend the Frankfurt ceremony. Authorities confiscated his passport. 

In 2003, he received the NOVIB/PEN Free Expression Award. In 2008, IPA gave him a second Freedom to Publish Award.

In March 2012, he was imprisoned. He was targeted after receiving the Assyrian Culture Centre's Assyrian Cultural Award. It honored his human and minority rights advocacy.

He's been wrongly charged with state crimes more than 70 times. He faces 15 years in prison if convicted of current terrorist-related ones. His trial begins in April.

He's one of thousands of journalists, lawyers, activists, and others accused of belonging to or aiding and abetting the Kurdistan-based Union of Communities. Turkey conflates it with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Zarakolu calls charges against him "state terrorism." Turkey is part totalitarian, he says. Authorities target journalists and intellectuals urging "Kurdish question" solutions.

An atmosphere of fear prevails. Widespread arrests follow. No one's safe.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls itself "an independent nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide."

It reported on "Turkey's Press Freedom Crisis: The Dark Days of Jailing Journalists and Criminalizing Dissent."

"(A)uthorities are waging one of the world's biggest anti-press campaigns in recent history," it said.

"Dozens of writers and editors are in prison, nearly all on terrorism or other anti-state charges. The evidence against them? Their journalism."

Turkey's press freedom "reached a crisis point." Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan imprisons journalists "on a mass scale."

He denigrates free expression. As of August 1, 2012, CPJ identified 76 Turkish journalists imprisoned. They're held for what they write and say.

Charges are entirely spurious. They include "committing a crime on behalf of a prohibited organization, aiding and abetting (it) knowingly and willingly, making propaganda for (it), and (supporting) its objectives."

Other penal code provisions prohibit journalists from "breaching the confidentiality of an investigation (or) influencing a fair trial."

They criminalize independent, in-depth coverage of police and court-related activities. They impose censorship. They're used with "disturbing frequency."

At yearend 2011, up to 5,000 criminal cases against journalists were pending.

Pro-Kurdish news is called terrorism. About 70% of jailed August 2012 victims were Kurdish journalists. They're charged with aiding and abetted the PKK. 

About 30% of them were charged with participating in anti-government plots or belonging to outlawed political groups.

Several were linked to an alleged Ergenekon conspiracy. Authorities call it a military coup plot to overthrow Turkey's government.

Officials say news coverage creates societal chaos. Doing so is conducive to coup plotters, they claim. They say whatever they want to say to bring charges. Spurious ones follow.

Two prominent journalists were targeted - Ahmet Sik and Nedim Sener. They were imprisoned for over a year. They were released pending completion of their trials.

At issue was Sik's new book. It's a work in progress. Authorities alleged it aided and abetted Ergenekon coup plotters. 

Sener said he was targeted for his own book. It discusses government's failure to solve editor Hrant Dink's 2007 murder.

Authorities conflate favorable PKK coverage with terrorism. News-gathering activities and reporting risk imprisonment. Doing so violates Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. 

"Everyone has the right to freedom of expression," it states. 

"This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers." 

This article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises."

In suppressing press freedom, authorities banned words they don't want used. Calling PKK members "guerrillas" is prohibited. Saying so "legitimize(s) terrorists and terrorism," they claim.

Turkey is more police state than democracy. All countries have national security concerns. Suppressing press freedom is no way to confront them.

Equating dissent with terrorism is tyrannical. Incremental reforms change nothing. Turkey's penal code is repressive. Dissenting on Kurdish policy is called "terrorist propaganda."

Journalists have trouble reporting on court cases. Article 288 compromises them. It lets authorities charge them with "attempting to influence a fair trial."

Article 285 invites charges of violating confidentiality. Article 301 criminalizes "insulting Turkishness." Applying repressive provisions is entirely subjective. 

Supportive media propaganda gives authorities a big edge. Turkey blurs the line between inciting violence and freely expressing ideas and opinions.

Ergodan and his government "must exert the political will to abandon the systemic suppression of critical views and dismantle the country's vast system of media repression," said CPJ.

On February 5, the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Silk Road Studies Program headlined "A House Divided Against Itself: The Deteriorating State of Media Freedom in Turkey."

More "pernicious" and "corrosive" than imprisoning journalists, it said, is "widespread self-censorship and the climate of fear." It extends across Turkish society.

Its press never was free. Censorship varied over time. Authorities never lacked complicit journalists. They willingly support official policy. 

They report "untruths." They operate like Western media. They regurgitate officials lies. They support powerful interests. Television is worst of all. Viewers expect news and information. What's broadcast falls woefully short.

Turkish newspapers have more columnists than reporters. With few exceptions, journalistic standards are low. "Little attempt is made to substantiate news reports."

Managed news misinformation substitutes for truth and full disclosure. More "sound than sense" follows. Thoughtful reasoning is sorely lacking.

What passes for investigative journalism "consist(s) of a compendium of reports and rumors selected to support the author's preconceptions."

Corroboration is lacking. Journalists rarely defend press freedom. A well-known saying goes: "The Turkish translation of freedom of speech (says) the less you talk the longer you'll be out of prison."

Methods used to suppress dissent are similar to ones used earlier. After Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) took power, he usurped media control.

Authorities seized the Sabah-ATV group. At the time, it was Turkey's second largest media organization. It was sold to Calik Holding. It's owned by a close Erdogan associate.

Calik had trouble financing the deal. Two state-owned banks provided funds to do so.

In September 2008, Dogan Holding (DH) was Turkey's largest media organization. It reported embezzlement details. Doing so implicated Erdogan associates. They worked for the Deniz Feneri Islamic charity.

DH paid dearly. It was fined over $2.5 billion. It was levied for alleged tax evasion. It responded by toning down AKP criticism. It fired outspoken journalists. Its tax fine slipped quietly under the radar. It effectively disappeared.

AKP authorities relentlessly pressure owners. Go along or lose operating licenses and business permits. Corporations are urged to advertise with government-friendly media.

These type issues aren't new. Previous governments bought favorable media coverage. Print and broadcast sources got lucrative state contracts and/or "soft" loans from state-owned banks.

What's different today is AKP's power. It's unprecedented. It takes full advantage. It applies enormous political and economic pressure. It exceeds what previous governments could do.

Turkey's repressive climate is unequaled. It's most striking on television and pro-AKP broadsheets. They suppress opposing views.

They collude with security forces and police. They're the main force driving government-sponsored smear campaigns. They intimidate. They silence dissent. 

They compromise rule of law principles and due process. They support wrong over right.

They call fabricated evidence real. They facilitate arrests and prosecutions. They let Erdogan govern like a tinpot despot.

Had they stood tall together and defended press freedom, he never would have been able to do it.

On February 6, Harvard University's Harvardgazette headlined "In Turkey, problems for press," saying:

In July 2011, Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News foreign news editor/columnist Ferai Tinc quit. She did so saying "Reporting is not happening now. Everybody's afraid. There are only official statements, only" state-friendly journalists.

Press freedom in Turkey is Soviet-era "Pravda-like." Dozens of journalists are imprisoned for saying what authorities want suppressed.

Since Erdogan's AKP took power, Turkey's media landscape consolidated to a half-dozen pro-government conglomerates. Others face pressure and censorship to be supportive.

Ankara's Anti-Terrorist Act targets investigative journalists. It implicates them in alleged anti-government coup plots. None exist so Erdogan invents them.

It's common practice to suppress dissent and enlist public support. Press freedom is democracy's "pillar," said Tinc. Problems can't be solved without it. Justice is sorely lacking. Fabricated lies substitute for hard truths.

Academics and artists are targeted. Some quit and leave. Others voluntarily self-censor. Otherwise they risk imprisonment. Police states operate that way. Erdogan mandates it in Turkey. He shames himself in the process.

Conflating critics with terrorists doesn't wash. Erdogen's in denial. The European Court of Human Rights says so. Guilty again, it said, for suspending the publication and distribution of newspapers critical of government policies.

In its 2013 World Report, Human Rights Watch highlighted serious Turkish human rights abuses. They include compromising press freedom, assembly, association, violence against women, and excessive security services force.

Anti-terror laws overstep. They violate basic freedoms. HRW's senior Turkey researcher, Emma Sinclair, says:

"If the government is serious about its latest moves to address the Kurdish issue in Turkey, freeing the thousands of detained peaceful Kurdish political activists, journalists, human rights defenders, trade unionists, and students would be a good first step….Turkey needs to make human rights a priority in its approach to all of its citizens."

It falls woefully and abusively short. Dark forces target state enemies. Erdogan's more despot than democrat. 

He's averse to governing responsibly. He prioritizes unchallenged power. Opposition isn't tolerated. Imprisonment is a hair's breath away. Nothing in sight suggests change.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

http://www.dailycensored.com/turkey-targets-press-freedom/

New York Times v. Hugo Chavez

New York Times v. Hugo Chavez

by Stephen Lendman

The Paper of Record's history is longstanding and unprincipled. It supports corporate and imperial interests. It deplores populist ones. It features managed news misinformation. It betrays its readers doing so.

When America goes to war or plans one, it marches in lockstep. It's comfortable with neoliberal harshness. It abhors progressive politics. It supports wrong over right.

It suppresses "All the News That's Fit to Print." It ignores America's march to tyranny. It endorses policies demanding condemnation. It's typical Times.

It vilified Chavez throughout his tenure. It did so unfairly. It shamed itself doing so. It matters what it says. It's America's leading voice. It prioritizes propaganda. It has global clout. It lies for power.

After Chavez's December 1998 election, Times Latin American correspondent, Larry Roher, called him a "populist demagogue, an authoritarian….caudillo (strongman)." He lied saying so.

Later commentaries denounced his using petrodollars responsibly. They criticized his unifying foreign relations. They claimed he aimed to buy influence.

They condemned his raising royalties and taxes on foreign investors. They omitted explaining why. It was to make them pay their fair share. They no longer got a free lunch.

Pre-Chavez, things went their way. Whatever they wanted they got. They took full advantage. They stole Venezuela's wealth. They harmed ordinary people doing so. Chavez said no more. He did what's right. He was vilified for doing it.

On April 13, 2002, The Times editorial headlined "Hugo Chavez Departs," saying:

"With yesterday's resignation of President Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan democracy is no longer threatened by a would-be dictator." 

"Mr. Chavez, a ruinous demagogue, stepped down after the military intervened and handed power to a respected business leader, Pedro Carmona."

Fact check

Chavez established democracy. He institutionalized it. He did so by national referendum. He let Venezuelans decide. He abolished despotism. 

Carmona headed Fedecameras. It's Venezuela's Federation of Chambers of Commerce. It includes 12 trade groups: banking, agriculture, commerce, construction, energy, manufacturing, media, mining, ranching, insurance, transportation and tourism.

Washington plotted with Venezuelan oligarchs. Ousting Chavez was top priority. Bush officials hand-picked Carmona. They did so at the expense of ordinary Venezuelans.

Straightaway he proved his bona fides. He suspended democratically elected National Assembly legislators. He abolished Bolivarian constitutional reforms. 

He did so by diktat. He replaced democracy with despotism. New York Times editors approved.

He didn't last long. People power intervened. So did Venezuela's military. They reinstated Chavez in two days. He remained president until Washington killed him. 

He was marked for death. Chavez knew it. He said so numerous times. He was infected with cancer-causing substances. They were too toxic to cure. 

Four operations in 18 months didn't help. Washington wanted him dead. He's gone. Chavismo lives.

Times editors lied. They said removing Chavez "was a purely Venezuelan affair." 

Bush officials plotted to oust him. They decided he had to go. They conspired with Venezuelan oligarchs. They failed but never quit trying. Obama did so throughout his tenure. He bears full responsibility for his death.

Times editors claimed Chavez promised change "he never delivered."

"He courted Fidel Castro. (He) battled the media. (He) alienated virtually every constituency from middle-class professionals, academics and business leaders to union members and the Roman Catholic Church."

Venezuelans loved him. He challenged dark forces responsibly. He did so internally and abroad. Times editors vilified him for doing so. They never let up throughout his presidency. They never gave him credit for what he did.

They softened slightly in death. They vilify him at the same time.  It's typical Times.

On March 6, its editorial headlined "Hugo Chavez," saying:

He "dominated Venezuelan politics for 14 years with his charismatic personality, populist policies and authoritarian methods before his death this week." 

"His redistributionist policies brought better living conditions to millions of poor Venezuelans." 

"But his legacy is stained by the undermining of democratic institutions and the embrace of malevolent foreign leaders like Bashar al-Assad of Syria and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran."

Chavez advocated unity and solidarity. He treated world leaders respectfully. He bashed imperial ones like Bush. He did so responsibly.

Times editors support returning Venezuela to its ugly past. They want Big Oil able to plunder its resources freely.

On the one hand, they said Chavez "devot(ed) a substantial share of the country's oil income to building public housing, creating health clinics and making affordable food available to the poorest citizens."

On the other, it claimed billions were "squandered through inept and careless management. And the financial ability to sustain Mr. Chavez's social programs has been seriously eroded."

Venezuela is prosperous economically. FY 2013 spending is budgeted to increase by one-third. It's mainly for social and productive investment. Estimated GDP growth is 6%. In 2012, it was 5.6%. It's opposite America's faltering economy.

National Assembly legislator Fernando Soto Rojas called this year's budget "essentially humanist because it attacks poverty, critical poverty, and because it guarantees continuity to the policy of social investment."

Responsible officials prioritize it. America's destroying its social contract. Obama demands it. So do complicit Democrats and Republicans. Times editors don't explain.

They claimed Chavez "weakened judicial independence, intimidated political opponents and human rights defenders…."

He replaced right wing judges with equitable ones. He criticized political opponents fairly. He replicated Harry Truman. In 1948, he said:

"I don't give them Hell. I just tell the truth about them and they think it's Hell." 

"Give 'em Hell, Harry!" became his supporters' signature slogan. Chavez did it his way. Venezuelans loved it.

Times editors claimed he taunted America. He acted responsibly. He spoke truth to power. Few did it as eloquently. Few dared try.

Times editors now admit what needing saying at the time. They misstated facts doing so.

They said Bush officials "badly damaged Washington's reputation throughout Latin America when it unwisely blessed a failed 2002 military coup attempt against Mr. Chavez."

Washington's dirty hands handled everything. Bush officials called the shots. It's longstanding US practice. 

Toppling foreign leaders by coups or assassinations is official US policy. Post-WW II, dozens of successful and failed ones occurred. Washington's hands are bloodstained. Times editors didn't explain.

America should support "democratic and civilian transition in a post-Chavez Venezuela," they say. They ignore 14 years of the hemisphere's best under Chavez. It's typical Times.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

http://www.dailycensored.com/new-york-times-v-hugo-chavez/