HAPPY TURKEY DAY by The Cosmic Messenger

"Consider pausing this Thanksgiving, which for many in the U.S. is a major feast, to reflect on the 10 children who die of hunger every minute and how your elected officials are spending hundreds of billions in public funds on war." ... Amy Goodman

For many American families Thursday will be celebrated the traditional way. Most will begin by giving thanks at a neighborhood place of worship, where they'll congregate publicly to express their gratitude to the universal creator for guiding them through another year. Afterwards, they return home for an afternoon of HDTV football and a scrumptious meal.

Since 2002 though, evidence has accumulated which documents numerous U.S. citizens can no longer afford to solemnize this way. In fact, a recent USDA report cites their legions are approaching 50 million people among us. Included in this deplorable statistic are the one out four children who've experienced hunger during the year.

In a country which prides itself as being among the wealthiest and most sophisticated democracies in the world, this situation shouldn't exist here. Yet we are conditioned daily by our corporate media to think there are market solutions for this problem. Any dissension is immediately tagged with "Drifting Towards Socialism" and turned into soundbite journalism for the evening newscasts.

During the past three decades, America's political leaders and their media cohorts have tried to convince us that it's shameful to accept government welfare even as public assistance to private industry has expanded dramatically. We are now presently witnessing the failure of this economic philosophy as unregulated capitalism tries to buy national lawmakers in a last desperate attempt to convince voters they were right.

However, when people see their standard of living decline and the nation's treasure being used to finance wars of choice its time to seek alternatives to the two party corporate system we operate under now. Poverty, hunger and for-profit health care are not the answers.

Peace,
Cosmic

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SAY IT ISN'T SO JOE by The Cosmic Messenger

"The qualities that get a man into power are not those that lead him once established to use power wisely." ... Lyman Bryson

Never ask a politician to vote against his interest ... or should I say his wife's special influence. Seems as though this couple has become wealthy from their donors which raises ethical questions for the Senate to examine.

There's a push for health reform on though, so it will probably get swept under the DIRTY rug.

Peace,
Cosmic

FOR SALE TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER !

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HONOR OUR VETS by The Cosmic Messenger

"One of the most horrible features of war is that all the war-propaganda, the screaming, lies and hatred comes invariably from people who are not fighting." ... George Orwell

He was elected nearly one year ago based on his ability to charm voters with promises of hope for a better lifestyle. Yet many of those assurances remain unfulfilled such as healthcare and ending foreign military aggression.

It's really quite simple, Mr. President. Bring the troops home and it will free up the financial resources to spend on domestic infrastructure. You can do one or the other but not both at the same time.

For once in your career, make the decent choice instead of a politically correct decision.


Peace,
Cosmic

BRING THE TROOPS HOME !

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WAR PROFITEERING by The Cosmic Messenger

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies...." ... Thomas Jefferson

As Congress moves closer to passing a deeply flawed health care bill, another kind of deathly crisis immediately emerged to take its place. One only spoken about in hushed tones on Capitol Hill so as not to jeopardize whatever sordid war plan lay ahead for the nation by the President.

Last Thursday it was reported by the BBC several banking monopolies in the United States were giving seed money "to firms producing" cluster munitions "despite growing international efforts to ban them."

No wonder Obama hesitates to put an end to the war escalation in Afghanistan and neighboring clandestine hostilities towards Pakistan. He's as unethical as his predecessor. Bought and paid for along with national legislators to perpetuate interminable conflict by blue-blooded global business interests whose only objective is wealth accumulation by covetousness desires.

Sadly, this is starting to smell like Nixon's secret war in Cambodia. Do I need to recount this ill-fated aggression for you ? Corporate money ruled politics then and still prevails today while true health reform or a broken domestic infrastructure is sacrificed for a tainted global vision.

We all know how that ended. People solemnly protested and persistently dogged our elected officials until their voices were heard. The time has come for this kind of transformative action again. Will the Washington bureaucrats and the the D.C. lobbyists who bribe them listen though ?


Peace,
Cosmic

Cluster Bomb Trade Funded by World's Biggest Banks

by Nick Mathiason

The deadly trade in cluster bombs is funded by the world's biggest banks who have loaned or arranged finance worth $20bn (£12.5bn) to firms producing the controversial weapons, despite growing international efforts to ban them.


HSBC, led by ordained Anglican priest Stephen Green, has profited more than any other institution from companies that manufacture cluster bombs. The British bank, based at Canary Wharf, has earned a total of £657.3m in fees arranging bonds and share offerings for Textron, which makes cluster munitions described by the US company as "leaving a clean battlefield".

Campaigners maintain the deadly weapons can explode years after combat, killing or maiming innocent people.

HSBC will face protests outside its London headquarters today. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, JP Morgan and UK-based Barclays Bank are also named among the worst banks in a detailed 126-page report by Dutch and Belgian campaign groups IKV Pax Christi and Netwerk Vlaanderen.

Goldman Sachs, the US bank which made £3.19bn proft in just three months, earned $588.82m for bank services and lent $250m to Alliant Techsystems and Textron.

Of the banks named, only Barclays was prepared to comment. It said: "Barclays group provides financial services to the defence sector within a specific policy framework. It is our policy not to finance trade in nuclear, chemical, biological or other weapons of mass destruction.

"Our policy also explicitly prohibits financing trade in landmines, cluster bombs or any equipment designed to be used as an instrument of torture." A spokeswoman added that Barclays had supplied money to Textron, which makes cluster bombs, but that the US firm was a broad-based weapons manufacturer.

Last December 90 countries, including the UK, committed themselves to banning cluster bombs by next year. But the US was not one of them. So far 23 countries have ratified the convention. The UK has yet to do so, but the Foreign Office confirmed that it would form part of the government's legislative programme before the next election.

A Foreign Office spokesman said the tightest export control order had been placed on cluster bombs, which extended to banks supplying money to manufacturers. The government was aware the control order was not working and "is working on it".

Esther Vandenbroucke, of Netwerk Vlaanderen and one of the report's authors, said: "The responsibility to ban cluster munitions is a shared responsibility. It requires courage, and it requires an effort. We are just months away from an international treaty entering into force and it is time for signatory states to the Convention on Cluster Munitions for non-signatory states and for financial institutions to act now."

Last December, the New Zealand government's pension fund sold shares in Lockheed Martin because of its link to the manufacture of cluster bombs. Similar actions have been taken by the Irish and Dutch governments.

Millions of people will be endangered by up to tens of millions of cluster bomblets that have not yet exploded, causing lasting economic and social harm to communities in more than 20 countries for decades to come, campaigners have warned. The vast majority of cluster bomb casualties occur while victims are carrying on their daily lives.

On Monday, a Lebanese 20-year-old man had his leg amputated after a cluster bomb exploded in southern Lebanon Houla village. A security source said he was collecting wood in his border village when the explosion occurred.

The Israeli army made extensisve use of cluster bombs during the war in south Lebanon three years ago. Cluster bombs were most recently used by both the Georgians and the Russians in the dispute over South Ossetia. They were also used in the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions.

© 2009 Guardian News and Media Limited

URL to article: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/10/29-1

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