The Real Net Worth of the Bottom 90% Has Dropped by One-Fourth

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Despite Deluded Happy Talk From The Parasites Of Wall Street, The Misery For Most Of Us Everywhere Continues: “The Real Net Worth Of The Bottom 90% Has Dropped By One- Fourth” “Real Median Family Income Growth Has Dropped 8%” “The Payroll Job Count Has Crept Up At A Negligible 0.1 Percent Annually”

Yet during that stretch, economic output has grown by an average of 1.7 percent a year (the slowest since the Civil War); real business investment has crawled forward at only 0.8 percent per year; and the payroll job count has crept up at a negligible 0.1 percent annually.

The number of food stamp and disability aid recipients has more than doubled, to 59 million, about one in five Americans.

March 30, 2013 By DAVID A. STOCKMAN, The New York Times Company [Excerpts]

The Dow Jones and Standard & Poor’s 500 indexes reached record highs on Thursday, having completely erased the losses since the stock market’s last peak, in 2007.

But instead of cheering, we should be very afraid.

Since the S.&P. 500 first reached its current level, in March 2000, the mad money printers at the Federal Reserve have expanded their balance sheet sixfold (to $3.2 trillion from $500 billion).

Yet during that stretch, economic output has grown by an average of 1.7 percent a year (the slowest since the Civil War); real business investment has crawled forward at only 0.8 percent per year; and the payroll job count has crept up at a negligible 0.1 percent annually.

Real median family income growth has dropped 8 percent, and the number of full- time middle class jobs, 6 percent.

The real net worth of the “bottom” 90 percent has dropped by one-fourth.

The number of food stamp and disability aid recipients has more than doubled, to 59 million, about one in five Americans.

By default, the Fed has resorted to a radical, uncharted spree of money printing.

But the flood of liquidity, instead of spurring banks to lend and corporations to spend, has stayed trapped in the canyons of Wall Street, where it is inflating yet another unsustainable bubble.

As the federal government and its central-bank sidekick, the Fed, have groped for one goal after another — smoothing out the business cycle, minimizing inflation and unemployment at the same time, rolling out a giant social insurance blanket, promoting homeownership, subsidizing medical care, propping up old industries (agriculture, automobiles) and fostering new ones (“clean” energy, biotechnology) and, above all, bailing out Wall Street — they have now succumbed to overload, overreach and outside capture by powerful interests.

The modern Keynesian state is broke, paralyzed and mired in empty ritual incantations about stimulating “demand,” even as it fosters a mutant crony capitalism that periodically lavishes the top 1 percent with speculative windfalls.

***************************************************************

In effect, the G.O.P. embraced Keynesianism — for the wealthy.

The explosion of the housing market, abetted by phony credit ratings, securitization shenanigans and willful malpractice by mortgage lenders, originators and brokers, has been well documented.

Less known is the balance-sheet explosion among the top 10 Wall Street banks during the eight years ending in 2008.

Though their tiny sliver of equity capital hardly grew, their dependence on unstable “hot money” soared as the regulatory harness the Glass-Steagall Act had wisely imposed during the Depression was totally dismantled.

The “green energy” component of Mr. Obama’s stimulus was mainly a nearly $1 billion giveaway to crony capitalists, like the venture capitalist John Doerr and the self- proclaimed outer-space visionary Elon Musk, to make new toys for the affluent.

Less than 5 percent of the $800 billion Obama stimulus went to the truly needy for food stamps, earned-income tax credits and other forms of poverty relief.

But even Mr. Obama’s hopelessly glib policies could not match the audacity of the Fed, which dropped interest rates to zero and then digitally printed new money at the astounding rate of $600 million per hour.

Fast-money speculators have been “purchasing” giant piles of Treasury debt and mortgage-backed securities, almost entirely by using short-term overnight money borrowed at essentially zero cost, thanks to the Fed. Uncle Ben has lined their pockets.

If and when the Fed — which now promises to get unemployment below 6.5 percent as long as inflation doesn’t exceed 2.5 percent — even hints at shrinking its balance sheet, it will elicit a tidal wave of sell orders, because even a modest drop in bond prices would destroy the arbitrageurs’ profits.

MORE: “The Euro-Zone Economy Contracted Again In The First Quarter, For The Sixth Quarter In A Row” “Rising Unemployment And Falling Manufacturing Activity In The Euro Zone Indicate A Slide Into A Deepening Recession”

April 2, 2013 By BRIAN BLACKSTONE and ALEX BRITTAIN, Wall Street Journal [Excerpts]

Rising unemployment and falling manufacturing activity in the euro zone indicate a slide into a deepening recession, intensifying the challenge for euro members and the European Central Bank to find a remedy against the slump.

Unemployment in the 17-country euro zone rose 33,000 in February to more than 19 million, said the European Union’s statistics office Eurostat, keeping the jobless rate at 12%, the highest level since the euro’s creation.

The purchasing managers’ index for the euro-zone manufacturing sector fell to 46.8 in March, its lowest level since December, according to data-services provider Markit. A sub-50 reading in PMI surveys signals that business activity is falling.

Tuesday’s data releases add to evidence that the euro-zone economy contracted again in the first quarter, for the sixth quarter in a row.

The recession is particularly acute in Southern Europe.

Unemployment in Spain and Greece is over 25%. Shrinking economies in Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal are making it harder to stabilize high public debts.

The euro zone’s economy overall isn’t yet shrinking at a rapid pace, like in the recession of 2008-09, when the bloc lost more than 5% of its gross domestic product. Rather, the euro zone appears caught in a slow, grinding contraction, with few signs of stabilization apart from in Germany.

Recent data also show the rising gap in economic health between euro members. Whereas Germany and a few others are benefiting from their strong overseas exports, especially to emerging economies such as China, Southern European countries are struggling to repair their international competitiveness by pushing down labor and other business costs at the same time as paying down high debts. Government austerity measures aimed at stabilizing public debt are further depressing economic activity. Instead, "the euro-zone manufacturing sector looks likely to have acted as a drag on the economy in the first quarter, with an acceleration in the rate of decline in March raising the risk that the downturn may also intensify in the second quarter," said Chris Williamson, Markit’s chief economist.

Worsening jobless rates in Southern Europe "raise a big question mark over the social sustainability of current [EU] policies to contain the crisis," said Lena Komileva, chief economist at G+ Economics.

Many Spanish, Italian and other Southern European companies face a higher cost of credit than comparable companies in Germany and Europe’s north, in a sign of the euro zone’s continuing financial fragmentation.

MORE: “Unemployment Hasn’t Been This High In The Eurozone Since Record-Keeping Began In 1995” “Manufacturing Output Is Plunging Across The Eurozone” “Europe’s Austerity Recession (Or Depression) Has Now Lasted Longer Than The One Brought On By The Financial Crisis Of 2008”

April 2, 2013 By Richard Eskow, Alternet [Excerpts]

How much sicker does the patient have to get before the doctors stop prescribing poison?

Here are some selected news stories out of Europe:

New York Times: ”Unemployment in Euro Zone Reaches a Record High”

WSJ: “Sixth Quarter of Contraction Looms for Euro Zone”

Der Spiegel: “Shredded Social Safety Net: European Austerity Costing Lives”

WSJ: “Spain Says Budget Gap Is Wider Than Reported” New York Times: “European Car Sales Point to Continuing Slump”

WSJ: “Italy Unable to Form Government”

New York Times: “Debt Rising in Europe”

This isn’t a recession.

Austerity economics has been imposed across most of the Eurozone, to a greater or lesser degree, with devastating economic results.

Europe’s Austerity Recession (or Depression) has now lasted longer than the one brought on by the financial crisis of 2008.

And the austerity poison is literally deadly: The Lancet, a respected medical journal, reports a sharp increase in suicides and epidemics as the rest of European austerity measures.

There’s at least one heartwarming story to come out of all this misery. Greek and Cypriot entertainers held a concert on Cyprus– a “mini-Live Aid,” if you will – and instead of charging admission, organizers asked people to bring food for Cypriot families who can’t afford food.

“We came to help those who have problems,” said a dentist who attended the concert. “Now we can help – but we don’t know if we will be able to help tomorrow.”

It’s nice to know that somebody’s thinking about the victims of austerity on Cyprus – especially since even more severe austerity measures will soon be imposed there.

Meanwhile, manufacturing output is plunging across the Eurozone.

Spain saw the worst decline in employment since 2009.

“Europe’s carefully maintained autobahns, high-speed TGV trains and vast network of modern airports have long been the envy of the world,” writes Reuters. “But thanks to austerity budgets that are slashing infrastructure spending …, that may not be true for much longer.”

MORE: “The Rigid Austerity Measures Brought On By The Euro Crisis Are Having Catastrophic Effects On The Health Of People In Stricken Countries, Health Experts Reported On Wednesday” "Austerity Measures Haven’t Solved The Economic Problems And They Have Also Created Big Health Problems"

In addition to crippling public health care budgets, the deep austerity measures implemented since the economic crisis began in 2008 have increased unemployment and lowered incomes, causing depression and prompting sick people to wait longer before seeking help or medication, the study found.

March 27, 2013 SPIEGEL INTERNATIONAL

As the euro crisis wears on, the tough austerity measures implemented in ailing member states are resulting in serious health issues, a study revealed on Wednesday.

Mental illness, suicide rates and epidemics are on the rise, while access to care has dwindled.

The rigid austerity measures brought on by the euro crisis are having catastrophic effects on the health of people in stricken countries, health experts reported on Wednesday.

Not only have the fiscal austerity policies failed to improve the economic situation in these countries, but they have also put a serious strain on their health care systems, according to an analysis of European health by medical journal The Lancet. Major cuts to public spending and health services have brought on drastic deterioration in the overall health of residents, the journal reported, citing the outbreak of epidemics and a spike in suicides.

In addition to crippling public health care budgets, the deep austerity measures implemented since the economic crisis began in 2008 have increased unemployment and lowered incomes, causing depression and prompting sick people to wait longer before seeking help or medication, the study found.

The countries most affected by this have been Portugal, Spain and Greece, the latter of which saw outbreaks of both malaria and HIV after programs for mosquito spraying and needle exchanges for intravenous drug users were axed.

There were also outbreaks of West Nile virus and dengue fever.

"Austerity measures haven’t solved the economic problems and they have also created big health problems," Martin McKee, a professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who led the research, told news agency AP. It will take years to understand the health consequences of the euro crisis and the policies it has prompted, but some effects are already clear, the study said.

Not only has there been an increase of mental disorders in Greece and Spain, but the number of suicides for those younger than 65 has increased in the EU since 2007 -- "reversing a steady decrease."

In Greece, the Ministry of Health reported a 40 percent jump in suicides between January and May 2011, compared to the same period the year before.

While budget cuts have restricted health care access with increased costs for patients in these three nations, Greece has also seen shortages in medication, hospital staff and supplies, according to the study, commissioned in part by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, a partner of the World Health Organization.

The study authors also accuse European officials of failing to address these issues, writing that "public health experts have remained largely silent during this crisis."

"There is a clear problem of denial of the health effects of the crisis, even though they are very apparent," lead researcher McKee told Reuters, comparing their response to the "obfuscation" of the tobacco industry.

"The European Commission has a treaty obligation to look at the health effect of all of its policies but has not produced any impact assessment on the health effects of the austerity measures imposed by the troika."

The troika, made up of the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund, has been in charge of bailing out ailing European economies -- most recently in Cyprus -- and of policing the implementation of the austerity measures the study blames for deteriorating health in these countries.

But it doesn’t have to be that way, the study suggests, citing Iceland as a success story. Though the country was one of the first to be hit by the financial crisis, it "rejected the economic orthodoxy that advocated austerity … and invested in its people who, evidence suggests, have had very few adverse health consequences."

Troops Invited: Comments, arguments, articles, and letters from service men and women, and veterans, are especially welcome. Write to Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657 or email [email protected]: Name, I.D., withheld unless you request publication. Same address to unsubscribe. AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS

American Soldier, Stabbed, Killed While Playing With Afghan Children

Sgt. Michael C. Cable, 25, of Philpot, Ky died Wednesday, March 27, 2013, in Shinwar District, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. Cable was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)

April 1, 2013 Rick Couri / KRMG.com

Sgt. Michael Cable was helping to guard an area that was to be used for the swearing in of new Afghan police last week.

Once that task was complete Cable was playing with several children when he was stabbed in the back of the neck by an Afghan teenager thought to be about 16 years old.

The attacker then ran away and crossed into Pakistan for protection.

The Taliban said afterwards that the teen who killed Cable was not a member of the group when he attacked the soldier but has since joined.

14 US soldiers were killed in March, up from just four in January and February. Procession Held For Fallen Sailor Christian Pike

Mar 25, 2013 FOX 10 News

PHOENIX -

The body of a Peoria sailor killed while fighting in Afghanistan arrived in the valley Wednesday. His flag covered coffin was welcomed home by family members and close friends.

Chief Petty Officer Christian Pike was injured while fighting in Afghanistan. He was flown to a military hospital in Germany, but died from his injuries.

This loss is very personal for the FOX 10 family. His mother is our co-worker.

We had the chance to attend the homecoming ceremony for Chief Petty Officer Pike -- an emotional assignment but also an important one.

Christian Pike’s mother is our co-worker and friend, and she allowed FOX 10 to be there when her son’s body was flown back to the valley.

It’s a solemn and time-honored military tradition known as a "dignified transfer." It honors those like Christian who have given their lives for the service of our country.

Inside a National Guard hangar at Sky Harbor Airport, family, friends, and Navy brothers and sisters gathered as the body of Chief Petty Officer Christian Michael Pike arrived back in the valley. His casket was carried by a Navy Honor guard.

The 31-year-old Peoria resident died after combat-related injuries he suffered on March 10 in Afghanistan.

His family describes him as always happy and joyous, quick with a smile and a joke who felt strongly about serving his country.

Inside the hangar was utter silence out of respect for the fallen sailor. Outside the gates, a group from the Patriot Guard Riders held hands and sung -- a tribute to the man they never knew personally, but knew he died fighting for our freedom. They held American flags along the route as the hearse carrying Pike left the airport.

Pike was scheduled to return home next month after conducting stability operations for Operation Enduring Freedom.

His family says his organs were donated helping to save other lives. The procession escorting Pike to the mortuary was led by Patriot Guard riders and Peoria Police officers.

Once they arrived, there was final salute to a man who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. POLITICIANS REFUSE TO HALT THE BLOODSHED THE TROOPS HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THE WAR

Taliban Bomb Attack on Provincial Court Kills 54, Wounds 91 “The Battle Lasted Eight Hours”

Still image from April 3, 2013 video footage shows damage at the site of an attack by Taliban suicide bombers at a courtroom in Farah province in western Afghanistan. Reuters

4.3.13 By Eltaf Najafizada, Bloomberg & John Newland, Staff Writer, NBC News [Excerpts]

At least 54 Afghans were killed and 91 others wounded Wednesday in the biggest daily death toll this year as Taliban guerrillas attacked court facilities where Taliban fighters were facing trial near the compound of a provincial governor following a car bomb explosion. Among the dead were 35 civilians, 10 members of the Afghan Security Forces and the nine attackers, Mohammad Akram Khpalwalk, governor of Farah province, said. Twenty members of Afghan security forces, were wounded, he said.

A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, claimed responsibility in a phone interview.

Nine Taliban fighters armed with grenades, rocket launchers, Kalashnikov rifles and suicide vests carried out the assault, Abdul Rahman Zhowandai, a spokesman for Farah province, said in a phone interview.

Eight insurgents managed to enter the court and attorney general’s office after a man “blew himself up” in a car near the provincial court’s entrance gate, Zhowandai said.

The battle, in a province that borders Iran, lasted eight hours. The dead and wounded included some government workers who had been taken hostage, Zhowandai said.

More Resistance Action

[Graphic: flickr.com/photos]

Apr 2, 2013 By Ali Mohammad Nazari (PAN)

SHARAN: Three local policemen were killed in a roadside bombing in the southeastern province of Paktika, an official said on Tuesday.

The incident took place on Monday evening when a vehicle of the Afghan Local Police struck a roadside bomb in the Marzako area of Sarawza district, the provincial police chief said.

Brig. Gen. Dawlat Khan Zadran told Pajhwok Afghan News three policemen were killed in the detonation.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the blast, saying five tribal militiamen were killed in the bombing.

Elsewhere in central Maidan Wardak province five policemen were wounded during a clash with the Taliban in the Daimirdad district, Attaullah Khogyani, the Governor spokesman said. He said the clash that occurred late on Monday night suffered casualties to the insurgents as well, but did not give details about the exact number of the casualties, saying the policemen’s condition reported to be stable.

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MILITARY NEWS

“Syrian Rebels Captured A Military Base In The Country’s South On Wednesday After Days Of Heavy Fighting” “Rebels Seized The Air Defense Base, Home To The Syrian Army’s 49th Battalion, On The Outskirts Of The City Of Daraa” “The Latest Advance By Opposition Fighters Near The Strategic Border Area With Jordan”

April 03, 2013 AP

Syrian rebels captured a military base in the country’s south on Wednesday after days of heavy fighting, activists said, in the latest advance by opposition fighters near the strategic border area with Jordan.

Opposition fighters battling President Bashar Assad’s troops have been chipping away at the regime’s hold on the southern part of the country in recent weeks with the help of an influx of foreign-funded weapons. Their aim is to secure a corridor from the Jordanian border to Damascus in preparation for an eventual assault on the capital. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebels seized the air defense base, home to the Syrian army’s 49th battalion, on the outskirts of the city of Daraa, the birthplace of the country’s uprising, on Wednesday after battling Assad’s troops in the area for several days.

The capture follows a string of other rebel victories in the southern province of Daraa, a largely agricultural region predominantly populated by Sunnis. Last month, opposition fighters seized Dael, one of the province’s bigger towns, and overran another air defense base in the region.

An amateur video posted online Wednesday showed what appeared to be rebels from the Suqour Houran, or Eagles of Houran brigade, driving an armored personnel carrier inside the base of the 49th battalion.

Another video, posted by the Fajr al-Islam brigade, showed the rebels walking around the base as the heavy thud of incoming artillery rounds fired by nearby regime forces is heard in the background. A destroyed rocket, army trucks and radars are seen on the ground inside the base.

The fighting has escalated across Syria in recent weeks, as the rebels and the Assad regime try to gain the upper hand in the 2-year-old conflict that the U.N. says has killed more than 70,000 people.

The rebels control vast portions of northern Syria that border Turkey.

They’ve also captured areas in the east along the border with Iraq recently, but the strategic region between the southern outskirts of Damascus and Jordan — known as the Houran plains — is seen as a crucial gateway to the capital.

Both sides consider Damascus, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Jordanian border, the ultimate prize.

FORWARD OBSERVATIONS “At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Oh had I the ability, and could reach the nation’s ear, I would, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke.

“For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder.

“We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.”

“The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose.”

Frederick Douglass, 1852

Nothing has more revolutionary effect, and nothing undermines more the foundations of all state power, than the continuation of that wretched and brainless régime, which has the strength merely to cling to its positions but no longer the slightest power to rule or to steer the state ship on a definite course. -- Karl Kautsky; ‘The Consequences of the Japanese Victory and Social Democracy’

MILITARY RESISTANCE BY EMAIL If you wish to receive Military Resistance immediately and directly, send request to [email protected]. There is no subscription charge.

FTA! The Film Provides A Rare Glimpse Into The Revolt From Below That Ultimately Forced The Pentagon To Withdraw In Defeat From Vietnam: “Behind-The-Scenes Footage Of Soldiers Talking Candidly To The Troupe Members About Their Frustration And Anger At The Ongoing War” FTA Trailer

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ature=player_embedded UH

FINALLY, AFTER 35-YEARS IN EXILE FTA IS BACK! AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 24 EXCLUSIVELY ON DVD FROM DISPLACED FILMS AND NEW VIDEO/ DOCURAMA

Ultra-Rare! F.T.A. (aka FREE THE ARMY aka FUN, TRAVEL, ADVENTURE), 1972, Displaced Films, 97 min. Dir. Francine Parker.

F.T.A. was originally released by American-International but pulled from distribution after only one week, with rumors of pressure from the Pentagon.

– Phil Hall, Film Threat

************************************** About The Film:

[Thanks to Michael Letwin, New York City Labor Against The War & Military Project, who sent this in.]

February 22, 2009 By Dennis Lim, Los Angeles Times [Excerpts]

A time capsule of the anti-Vietnam War movement, “FTA” is also a vivid flashback to a world-famous movie star’s stint as a political radical. At the peak of her celebrity, which coincided with the dawning of her political consciousness, Jane Fonda abdicated her Hollywood throne and remade herself as the face of the anti-establishment.

With government agents and the news media watching her every move, she led a vaudeville troupe on a tour of U.S. military bases in 1971 -- a trip chronicled in this fascinating documentary, largely unseen since its brief, abortive release and finally available on DVD this week.

In the disc’s only extra, a 20-minute interview, Fonda recounts how the project came about. She and Donald Sutherland, her costar in 1971’s “Klute” (which won her an Oscar), were approached by Howard Levy, a doctor who had become an antiwar cause célèbre for refusing to train Green Beret medics.

He proposed that they put on a corrective to Bob Hope’s gung-ho USO shows, giving voice not just to the growing peace movement but to antiwar sentiment within the ranks of the military.

The FTA troupe staged its first shows in the U.S., with Fonda and Sutherland (who had just played the irreverent Hawkeye in Robert Altman’s “MASH”) headlining a company that included Peter Boyle and Howard Hesseman. (The all-purpose acronym is short for “Free the Army” and a more profane variation.)

When it came time to embark on the two-week Pacific Rim tour, Fonda assembled a more politically correct lineup that stressed racial and gender parity -- equal numbers of black and white, and male and female, performers, including singer Holly Near and comedian Paul Mooney.

Fonda, Sutherland and company stopped off in Hawaii, the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan (where they were initially refused entry). Denied permission to perform on U.S. bases, they set up shop in nearby coffeehouses and other venues, although military officials apparently tried to minimize attendance by publicizing incorrect show times.

All told, the troupe played 21 shows, which were attended by some 64,000 servicemen and women. Many of the male GIs, as Fonda ruefully concedes in the interview, must have been anticipating the Space Age sex kitten from “Barbarella” and not the righteous radical who took the stage in jeans, no makeup and a raised fist.

The show mixes protest songs with broad and bawdy skits, taking potshots at military chauvinism and top-brass privilege. But what it lacks in finesse, it makes up for with a raucous energy. Directed by Francine Parker (who died in 2007), the documentary alternates between the song-and-dance routines and behind-the-scenes footage of soldiers talking candidly to the troupe members about their frustration and anger at the ongoing war and the American presence in the region.

As fate would have it, “FTA” opened the same week in July 1972 that news broke of Fonda’s trip to Hanoi, where she made radio broadcasts for the North Vietnamese regime and was photographed sitting on an anti-aircraft gun. Within a week, the distributor (youth-flick specialist American-International Pictures) had pulled the movie from theaters.

Fonda’s career went into partial eclipse, and she remains to this day a favorite target of the right, but she recovered to win a second Oscar for the 1978 war-veteran drama “Coming Home.” For years she quietly has distanced herself from her radical past, which might explain why “FTA,” which she co-produced, has been out of circulation for more than three decades.

Its recent reemergence points to a change of heart and owes much to the efforts of filmmaker David Zeiger, who used footage from “FTA” in “Sir! No Sir!,” a 2005 documentary about antiwar resistance within the military. To Get Your Copy Of FTA: http://www.sirnosir.com/FTA.html

From Vietnam War Days

F-35 Scores Historic First Combat Kill By Shooting Down F-35 Program: “Armed Predator Drones Captured The Operation On Video And Were On Standby To Destroy Any Future Aviation Programs Involving Manned Flight”

3 April 2013 by Drew, The Duffel Blog

BETHESDA, MD — An F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter made history today by scoring the plane’s first combat kill when it shot down the F-35 program.

“It was exhilarating,” Air Force Major Thomas Bale said after returning to base. “I hate to kill jobs but I can’t help but celebrate. This was an important mission to protect America’s national defense budget.”

The mission was planned after the F-35 program was spotted sitting on an airfield in Maryland. Although the F-35 is a stealth fighter, the additional billions of dollars in cost overruns needed for long range operations made the program easy to find on radar.

The mission was slated for the F-22 Raptor, but Maj. Bale refused to fly the plane. The F-35 was pushed onto the runway as a replacement while its blueprints were still in development.

“Don’t worry, we have plenty of time,” Brigadier General Rick Santos said as the mission plans were changed. “The target has cracks in its engine, it’s not going anywhere.”

Bale took off seven years behind schedule and billions over budget, and problems arose quickly. “The software’s not working, I have to switch to manual,” Bale said frantically over the radio. “And there’s something wrong with my helmet. Seriously? It’s a fucking helmet!”

The veteran pilot then spotted the target program surrounded by Lockheed Martin employees and U.S. military personnel yelling at each other. Bale then opened fire — the first test of the F-35’s weapons — resulting in the explosion of the F-35 program, and destruction of jobs in 45 congressional districts.

“Woohoo!” Maj. Bale shouted after scoring the costliest kill in history. He attempted to land on the carrier USS John F. Kennedy but was unable to catch his plane’s tailhook to the arresting cable.

After four tries he gave up and was just able to make it back to base before running out of fuel.

Armed predator drones captured the operation on video and were on standby to destroy any future aviation programs involving manned flight.

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Forward Military Resistance along, or send us the email address if you wish and we’ll send it regularly with your best wishes. Whether in Afghanistan or at a base in the USA, this is extra important for your service friend, too often cut off from access to encouraging news of growing resistance to injustices, inside the armed services and at home. Send email requests to address up top or write to: Military Resistance, Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657. OCCUPATION PALESTINE

80-Year-Old Attacked By Zionist Mob May Need Surgery

01/04/2013 Ma’an

An 80-year-old Palestinian farmer who was attacked Friday by Israeli settlers is still in hospital and may need surgery, medics said Sunday.

Hasan Barhoush is being treated for fractures and bruises at Thabit Thabit Hospital in Tulkarem.

He was working on his fields in Kafr al-Labad village, near the Israeli settlement Enav, when a group of settlers attacked him.

Israeli perpetrators of violence against Palestinians are rarely investigated or prosecuted.

"When Israelis harm Palestinians, the authorities implement an undeclared policy of forgiveness, compromise, and leniency in punishment," the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem says. "Israeli security forces have done little to prevent settler violence or to arrest offenders."

Zionist Mob Assaults Palestinian Kid In Occupied Jerusalem: “The Boy Suffered Extensive Bruises And A Severe Injury In His Eye”

April 1, 2013 Palestine News Network

On Monday 1st April, a group of settlers assaulted the 16-year-old boy Mohammad Sultan Khalil Saleh, a resident of al-Magharbeh Gate area (Bab al-Magharbeh), near the village of Silwan in Jerusalem while heading to his school.

Sultan Saleh, the boy’s father, told Palestinian official news agency WAFA that around 12 settlers assaulted his son Mohammed while passing by al-Buraq Wall "Western Wall" in al-Magharbeh Gate area, on his way to his school "al-Rashidiyeh" in al-Sahera gate (Herod’s gate). The boy suffered extensive bruises and a severe injury in his eye, and was transferred to one of the hospitals in Jerusalem for treatment. The Father said that settlers severely beat the boy with no reason for the attack. The father also said that he filed a complaint to the Israeli Police in the city regards the incident.

[To check out what life is like under a murderous military occupation commanded by foreign terrorists, go to: www.rafahtoday.org The occupied nation is Palestine. The foreign terrorists call themselves “Israeli.”]

DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK

GOT A COMMENT?

Comments, arguments, articles, and letters from service men and women, and veterans, are especially welcome. Write to Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657 or email [email protected]: Name, I.D., withheld unless you request publication. Same address to unsubscribe. CLASS WAR REPORTS “Thousands Of People Marched Through The Moroccan Capital On Sunday To Protest Against Unemployment And The Cost Of Living”

Protesters: Benkirane is pushing Morocco into ravine

RABAT - Thousands of people marched through the Moroccan capital on Sunday to protest against unemployment and the cost of living, ahead of plans by the Islamist-led government to push for social and economic reforms.

Protesters marched for "our rights and freedoms" in an action called by two trade unions, chanting slogans against government policies, corruption and the high cost of living, a photographer said.

"Morocco is witnessing social regression," chanted protesters, including activists from the February 20 pro-reform movement, which was born of the Arab Spring protests sweeping the region in 2011.

They also accused Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane of pushing the country into a "ravine."

Police said 3,000 marchers took part in the peaceful protest that wound its way to the parliament building in central Rabat. Other estimates said they numbered between 5,000 and 10,000.

The MAP news agency said members of opposition parties as well a human rights activists and civil society figures were also on the streets, alongside activists of the February 20 movement.

The agency quoted unidentified union leaders as saying the march was "a sort of warning" to Benkirane’s government, which is expected in the coming months to implement sweeping reforms as Morocco grapples with economic hardships. Morocco is facing slower growth and the budget deficit reached over six percent of GDP in 2011, against a backdrop of 30 percent youth unemployment.

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THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY Crystal Field, Executive Producer Presents:

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: KAREN MALPEDE Christen Clifford and George Bartenieff: Beatriz Schiller Photography

The Only American Play That Condemns Torture And How It Led Us Into War

"Stinging And Satiric" Kenyon Review "Brilliant" Judith Malina "You Must See This Brave And Brilliant Play." Joan Macintosh "A Tour De Force Performance By One Of America’s Greatest Actors, George Bartenieff" Penny Arcade

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Thurs-Sat 8:00 PM, Sun 3:00 PM plus Sat, April 13 at 3:00 PM $18 general admission Box office: SMARTTIX - (212) 868-4444

Save $5 on "Another Life" tickets with discount code smtx13 [http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=ANO3] "Another Life reminds me of another really great piece of literature. Just as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein captures the terror of the French Revolution in a simple story, Karen Malpede’s Another Life compresses all the political tensions of the 9/11 era into the lives of just six characters. And like Dr. Frankenstein, Malpede’s Handel alters the lives of everyone." -- Dairus Rejali, author of Torture and Democracy

Starring: George Bartenieff Abbas Noori Abbood, Christen Clifford, Abraham Makany, Alex Tavis, Di Zhu

Music & Sound: Arthur Rosen Set: Robert Eggers Lighting: Tony Giovannetti Costumes: Sally Ann Parsons & Carisa Kelly Video & Graphics: Luba Lukova

Vietnam GI: Reprints Available [HOW THEY STOPPED AN IMPERIAL WAR]

Edited by Vietnam Veteran Jeff Sharlet from 1968 until his death, this newspaper rocked the world, attracting attention even from Time Magazine, and extremely hostile attention from the chain of command.

The pages and pages of letters in the paper from troops in Vietnam condemning the war are lost to history, but you can find them here. Military Resistance has copied complete sets of Vietnam GI. The originals were a bit rough, but every page is there. Over 100 pages, full 11x17 size.

Free on request to active duty members of the armed forces.

Cost for others: $15 if picked up in New York City. For mailing inside USA add $5 for bubble bag and postage. For outside USA, include extra for mailing 2.5 pounds to wherever you are.

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All proceeds are used for projects giving aid and comfort to members of the armed forces organizing to resist today’s Imperial wars.

Military Resistance Looks Even Better Printed Out Military Resistance/GI Special are archived at website http://www.militaryproject.org . The following have chosen to post issues; there may be others: http://williambowles.info/military-resistance-archives/; [email protected]; http://www.scribd.com/

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