Category: Archive

9/11: The Myth and the Reality

admin /9 July, 2006

David Ray Griffin

This lecture was delivered March 30, 2006, at Grand Lake Theater in Oakland for Progressive Democrats of the East Bay. Abbreviated versions of it were given in San Francisco for the Democratic World Federalists on April 2 and the Commonwealth Club on April 3.

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Conclusion and Notes follow in story posted next…(http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20060405143535564). Apologies for this inconvenience, caused by maximum character limit in web software.

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The views expressed in articles posted at 911Truth.org reflect the opinion of the individual writer, and are not necessarily those of 911Truth.org or the steering committee.

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© David Ray Griffin.

 

 

Cheney Bets On Economic Collapse

admin /9 July, 2006

By MIKE WHITNEY

W ouldn’t you like to know where Dick Cheney puts his money? Then you’d know whether his "deficits don’t matter" claim is just baloney or not.

Well, as it turns out, Kiplinger Magazine ran an article based on Cheney’s financial disclosure statement and, sure enough, found out that the VP is lying to the American people for the umpteenth time. Deficits do matter and Cheney has invested his money accordingly.

The article is called "Cheney’s betting on bad news" and provides an account of where Cheney has socked away more than $25 million. While the figures may be estimates, the investments are not. According to Tom Blackburn of the Palm Beach Post, Cheney has invested heavily in "a fund that specializes in short-term municipal bonds, a tax-exempt money market fund and an inflation protected securities fund. The first two hold up if interest rates rise with inflation. The third is protected against inflation."

Cheney has dumped another (estimated) $10 to $25 million in a European bond fund which tells us that he is counting on a steadily weakening dollar. So, while working class Americans are loosing ground to inflation and rising energy costs, Darth Cheney will be enhancing his wealth in "Old Europe". As Blackburn sagely notes, "Not all bad news’ is bad for everybody."

This should put to rest once and for all the foolish notion that the "Bush Economic Plan" is anything more than a scam aimed at looting the public till. The whole deal is intended to shift the nation’s wealth from one class to another. It’s also clear that Bush-Cheney couldn’t have carried this off without the tacit approval of the thieves at the Federal Reserve who engineered the low-interest rate boondoggle to put the American people to sleep while they picked their pockets.

High fuel prices reason for 48 sacked

admin /9 July, 2006

High fuel costs have contributed to the axing of about eight permanent and 40 casual processing jobs in Adelaide at seafood company A Raptis & Sons with the cuts immediate, chief executive George Raptis said on 7 July, reported The Advertiser (8/7/2006, p.14).

Fuel price hike leads to job cuts: "People involved in prawn manufacturing of non-South Australian product have been terminated, due to the high cost of fuel and a reduction of vessels in Queensland," he said. "Queensland prawns that were traditionally brought down to Adelaide are now going to be processed closer to their source."

Queensland-based company: Other South Australian operations – including trawling and fishing – would continue, he said. A Raptis & Sons is based in Queensland and employs about 100 people in SA.

The Advertiser, 8/7/2006, p. 14

Source: Erisk Net  

Crude oil prices could blow out to $US80 a barrel

admin /9 July, 2006

National Australia Bank minerals and energy economist Gerard Burg said crude oil prices could blow out to $US80 a barrel as early as next month, reported The Age (7/7/2006, p.1B).

"Mid-July is the deadline for Iran to cease uranium enrichment," Burg said. "If we saw any clear issue come out of that, we might see oil push higher. But we don’t really expect anything to come out of that meeting because Iran has already indicated it’s not interested in ceasing uranium enrichment by that deadline.

"The next deadline is in August. We might see something then. But any risk to oil supply would drive prices really high. If we saw some significant disruptions with Iran or North Korea, $US80 (a barrel) is no barrier and even $US90 would be a possibility."

AMP economist Shane Oliver said even if nothing happened with North Korea, oil prices were likely to remain high and on the rise.

Although North Korea is not an oil-producing country, the situation there affects global oil prices because geopolitical tensions and the threat of military conflict heighten fears of a disruption in supplies.

Also, we’re coming into the summer driving season in Europe and the US when people get in their cars and go on holidays and the hurricane season starts in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Age, 7/7/2006, p. 1Business

Source: Erisk Net  

British Take Tea To Protect Human Rights

admin /9 July, 2006

In the guise of fighting terrorism and maintaining public order, Tony Blair’s Government has quietly and systematically taken power from Parliament and the British people. The author charts a nine-year assault on civil liberties that reveals the danger of trading freedom for security – and must have Churchill spinning in his grave
By Henry Porter

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article1129827.ece

Qld’s Traveston Dam plans based on flawed weather figures

admin /7 July, 2006

Experts warned on 5 July that changing rainfall patterns and unpredictable river flows meant the proposed Traveston Dam in Queensland might never meet the State Government’s expectations for water capacity, reported The Australian (6/7/2006, p.7). Govt water flow figures flawed: University of Queensland emeritus professor in civil engineering, Colin Apelt, said a forecast by government Continue Reading →