Category Archives: International

Business/Economics, International

Global Economic Class War: China now has property tax, on the rich

For those of you who think things are the same all over the world, think again.

Until the beginning of this year China did not have property tax.  Now two regions/states have instituted property tax, officially it’s to try and curb inflation, and real estate speculation.

In Chongqing and Shanghai, a property tax has been imposed on high end real estate.  The lowest price at which taxes are charged is for properties that sell for 9,941 yuan ($1,554) per square meter.

In Chongqing, the tax applies to existing residential properties, while in Shanghai it falls only on properties that were purchased after its adoption date.

The new taxes are due in October, and those who fail to pay will be subject to fines, restrictions on their ability to go abroad, or exposure in the media.

International, U.S.

World War 3: Venezuela points out hypocrisy of U.S. led NATO war on Libya, proof the UN is controlled by the U.S.

“Right now there is a very serious threat to global peace: a new cycle of colonial wars, which started in Libya, with the sinister goal of refreshing the capitalist global system, within a structural crisis today, but without any limit to its consumer and destructive voracity.”-Nicolas Maduro Moros, Foreign Minister of Venezuela

Moros says the war in Libya was pushed by the mainstream media: “The logic of war having its spearhead in transnational mass media: let us bear in mind that the ‘Libyan Case’ was brought before the Security Council on the basis of intense propaganda by the western mass media, who lied about the alleged bombing of innocent civilians by the Libyan Air Force, not to mention the grotesque media setting of the Green Square of Tripoli.”

Moros points out that the so called no fly zone was anything but: “It’s worth wondering: what has the no-fly zone established by Security Council resolution become? How could NATO perform more than 20,000 missions against Libyan people if there was a no-fly zone? After the Libyan Air Force was completely annihilated, the continued ‘humanitarian’ bombing shows that the west, through NATO, intends to impose their interests in North Africa, turning Libya into a colonial protectorate.”

Moros points out that NATO violated the arms embargo they were supposed to be enforcing: “How can we say that an arms embargo was imposed on Libya, when it was NATO itself that introduced thousands of heavy weapons to support a violent upheaval against that country’s legitimate government? The embargo was, of course, meant to prevent the Libyan government from defending its sovereignty. This shows, once again, the cruel logic of international relations, where the law only applies to the weak.”

Moros warns that the United Nations is a puppet of Europe and the United States, and that will be the UN’s undoing: “If its secretary-general, along with the president of the International Criminal Court, take part in an act of war, as in the case of Libya, nothing can be expected from the current structure of this organization and there is no longer time for reforms: the UN does not accept any reform whatsoever, the illness within it is deadly.”

International, U.S.

United Police Kingdom: British military documentary justifies killing unarmed civilians

“The fact that British soldiers are reduced to watching what are effectively snuff movies shows the complete failure of the project in Afghanistan. It’s nothing to do with democracy, but a failure of war that is trickling down and resulting in a mental degradation among ground troops. Afghanistan is a dreadful situation and it is no better than it was a decade ago.”-Andrew Burgin, Stop the War Coalition

Burgin is talking about a documentary that’s being shown to British troops, called Kill TV nights, part of a three part series called Fighting on the Frontline.  Officially it’s meant to desensitize troops, but it also justifies killing civilians.

In one scene a commander is actually warning peers not to mention any of the possible war crimes they’ve just committed: “This is not for discussion with anybody else; keep it quiet about what you see up here. It’s not because we’ve done anything wrong. But we might have done.”

In another scene an Afghan woman is targeted, and you can hear the helicopter pilots call her “snake with tits”.

A voice in the documentary sums up the attitude of the evil British Red Coat military: “I have absolutely no dramas with it. None at all. I don’t really care whether they think it’s a fair fight.”

I wounder if this will be the same attitude used against the people of the United Kingdom, when the protests really get going?

 

 

 

International

Proof that Israel intends to take over Palestine: More than One Thousand new illegal settlements announced

The European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, has denounced Israel’s announcement that they will build an additional 1,100 illegal homes in Palestinian territory.  That’s on top of the already thousands of new settlements started since the beginning of the year!

The EU said Israel’s Zionist settler agenda undermines any attempt at peace.  Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, described Israel’s latest settler plan as “1,100 No’s” to any resumption of Israel-Palestine talks.

 

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Japan to help bailout Greece, it’s an effort to save the Japanese car industry

September 27, Japan’s Finance Minister Jun Azumi, said Japan is ready to help Greece, possibly by buying more Greek government bonds.

However, Japan is a little cash strapped itself and is hoping the Europeans do something quick, to turn around the collapsing European economy. The reason; Japan’s car industry is relying on a European, as well as U.S., economic recovery.

Chairman Toshiyuki Shiga, of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, said that the falling value of the Euro, and the U.S. dollar, is driving up the value of the Japanese yen, which is making Japanese cars to expensive to sell.

Most of Japan’s national income is made by selling products to other countries (exports), and since the March 11 disasters the yen has been going up in value causing huge drops in demand for Japanese products.

Japan is hoping to see the Euro and U.S. dollar go up in value, which would make Japanese products more affordable on the world market.

International, U.S.

Ron Paul says let Palestine be recognized, but Palestinians should beware the United Nations

“…I do not believe the U.S. should use its position in the UN Security Council to block their membership.”-Ron Paul, U.S. Congressman from Texas

Ron Paul has written a new post in his Texas Straight Talk, saying the United States should not block Palestine from being recognized by the United Nations.

Ron Paul says anyone who’s afraid of the Palestinians finally getting internationally recognized statehood is a weak minded elitist: “Only a political class harboring the illusion it can run the world obsesses over the aspirations of a tiny population on a tiny piece of land thousands of miles away.”

But don’t think Ron Paul is pro United Nations, in fact he has a warning for Palestinians about reliance on the UN: “When the UN gave NATO the green light to bomb Libya there was no genocide taking place.  It was a purely preventative war.  The result?  Thousands dead, a destroyed country, and extremely dubious new leaders.”

International

United Police Kingdom: New law; no more demonstrations, period

“It is an attack on the basic democratic rights of working people in this country.”-Patrick O’Regan, Workers’ Revolutionary Party

The British government has created a new law, under the guise of stopping militant right wing groups from demonstrating: No demonstrating.

Officially the law is in effect for only 30 days, and was requested by Scotland Yard.  The police feared the militant right wing demonstrators would cause violence.

The problem is the law applies to everyone, not just militant groups.  Anyone marching can be arrested, fined, or even imprisoned.

Activists say the new law covers more than demonstrating: “They are talking about area curfews, they are talking about shutting down Facebook [and other] social network sites. They are talking about dictatorial civil war measures because what they are doing in Britain is creating a historic change, in which inevitably the majority of Britain will oppose them.”-Patrick O’Regan, Workers’ Revolutionary Party

Other activists say this is part of the government’s tippy toeing towards total authoritarianism: “Just in terms of where we are at the moment with the process of austerity being pushed through by the government, trade unions are one of the major blocs opposed to that. Public order legislation does tend to be used against striking workers.  That has been very clear and there have been some recent examples of that; people being pulled off the picket lines.  And that obviously weakens any resistance to the cuts.”-Richard Seymour, Socialist Workers Party

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Government Incompetence: U.S. giving away military equipment in Iraq, proof that spending tax money on guns instead of butter is a losing investment

“It’s all sunk costs, it’s money that we spent and we’re not going to recoup.”-Paul Eaton, retired U.S. Army Major General

The United States spent over U.S.$2.4 billion on building posts in Iraq, reports the Congressional Research Service.  Major General Thomas Richardson told reporters last month that the U.S. had already given away equipment valued at a total of around $247 million, just last year. Another $157 million in materials were handed over in the time before President Obama’s withdrawal of troops officially began.

Apparently the U.S. turned down offers from Israel to buy the equipment.

Don’t think any further U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq will reduce U.S. government spending of taxpayer money on Iraq: The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations revealed that the U.S. State Department is looking to spend upwards of $30 billion on Iraq over the next five years.  U.S. embassy in Baghdad already houses thousands of civilian officials and troops and contains 21 buildings in a space of over 100 acres. The U.S. military operates less than 40 bases in Iraq today.

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

World War 3: More proof that Obama is a puppet of Israel, and no better than Bush jr; Newsweek says Obama ordered Pentagon to boost military cooperation with Israel

In an upcoming Newsweek magazine, they write that Obama pushed the sale of bunker busting bombs to Israel, despite Pentagon officials pointing out that Israel’s military has moved closer to cooperation with China.

The sale was originally planned under President Bush jr, but it was Obama that made the final push.

On top of ordering the sale of huge bunker busting bombs, Obama also ordered the Pentagon to boost military cooperation, despite Pentagon advice against it.

International, U.S.

World War 3: West Bank Palestinians going nuts, screaming that they will march on Jerusalem, say it’s the fault of the United States

September 23 (24 Palestine time), it’s the middle of the night and Palestinians in the West Bank are going nuts over PLO President Mahmud Abbas UN speech.  They are yelling that they will march on al Quds (Jerusalem) and take it back from the Israelis.

Palestinians say that U.S. President Obama’s speech the other day was totally against Palestine, and sounded almost as if Israelis had written the speech for him. Palestinians say this is proof that the United States is a puppet of Israel, and an enemy of Palestinians.  Palestinians are burning U.S. flags.