History Repeating

New Nationalist Government of Japan Stokes Tensions with China

"Abe wants to lead the aging and insecure Asian economic power back to its former greatness and, most of all, to rid it of its unpopular 'postwar regime.' The premier wants to return Japan to its former position as a 'beautiful country,' which is also the title of a book in which he describes his vision for the nation's future. Now Abe wants to quickly increase defense spending. He is expected to buy surveillance drones from the United States soon in response to China's unveiling of eight new unmanned aircraft at an aviation show in November." Continue reading →

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Japan Ramps Up its Monetary Race to the Bottom

"So, the model for Japan today is their version of the New Deal. I'll assume that Japanese politicians will ignore that connection between easy money, inflation and war, and forget that such policies ended rather badly for the Japanese in 1945. LRC's own Mike Rogers reports from Tokyo that 'Japan's Debt Explosion [is] Coming Up'. Earlier, Rogers wrote that even the monied upper classes are starting to worry. Standards of living continue to fall or go nowhere." Continue reading →

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Revolutionary Japan is suddenly the centre of world affairs

"We all watch with disbelief as China and Japan rattle sabres over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, so like the seemingly minor events that drew Europe's alliance systems into conflict from 1911 onwards. Both graduated to fighter jets last week: Japan sending in F-15s; China deploying J-10s, and mobilising the East China Sea fleet for live ammo drills. China's purpose is clear. It is testing the US security umbrella, and Washington's willingness to risk conflict to back Asian allies." Continue reading →

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‘Scary Stories’ About Iran’s Magnets Are (Again) Neo-Con Lies

"The Bulletin analysis is worth a read in its entirety as it calmly debunks Warrick's Albright-fueled scary story. It also makes the important point that of all the scores of possible uses for these magnets, Warrick's report chose only the most alarming and remote possibility. Further, as the always excellent MoA blog points out, according to David Albright's own paper on the issue of the Iranian magnets, these in question would not fit Iran's centrifuges anyway! Did Albright know when he passed the story to Warrick that it was bogus? The same propagandists who paved the way to war on Iraq are as busy as ever when it comes to Iran." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Scary Stories’ About Iran’s Magnets Are (Again) Neo-Con Lies

Foreign asset reporting before FBAR and FATCA: “loyalty questionnaires” for World War II Japanese American internees

"Most of us are familiar only with modern-day attempts to get Americans to report non-US accounts and investments: the controlled foreign corporation laws of the 1960s, followed by the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, and today’s FATCA. But three decades before TD F 90-22.1 and seven decades before Form 8938, there was WRA 126, 'Application for Leave Clearance', which had to be filed by any Japanese American seeking to leave a War Relocation Authority internment camp." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingForeign asset reporting before FBAR and FATCA: “loyalty questionnaires” for World War II Japanese American internees

Deputy Reprimanded After Threat To Bash Citizen’s Skull And Feed Him To Alligators Caught On Video

"A Broward Sheriff’s deputy caught on camera unloading a torrent of obscenities and threats — including death at the hands of alligators — at a man being investigated for causing a disturbance was issued a written reprimand and allowed back on the force. The video from a patrol car of a Florida Highway Patrol trooper captures Deputy Alan Dubinski speaking to Jessie Merchant, a man with whom Dubinski has a law-enforcement related history, as Merchant was being investigated for causing a disturbance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDeputy Reprimanded After Threat To Bash Citizen’s Skull And Feed Him To Alligators Caught On Video

Swiss government signs tax compliance deal with US

"Switzerland and the United States have signed a controversial deal aimed at cracking down on wealthy American tax dodgers. The accord further undermines Switzerland’s tradition of banking secrecy. Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf told a news conference that Switzerland had decided to agree to a bilateral deal with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which allows for certain exceptions, notably for the Swiss insurance sector, pension funds and the Swiss National Bank. Swiss banks active in international financial markets have no choice but to apply the US rules, according to Widmer-Schlumpf." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSwiss government signs tax compliance deal with US

Swiss government signs tax compliance deal with US

"Switzerland and the United States have signed a controversial deal aimed at cracking down on wealthy American tax dodgers. The accord further undermines Switzerland’s tradition of banking secrecy. Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf told a news conference that Switzerland had decided to agree to a bilateral deal with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which allows for certain exceptions, notably for the Swiss insurance sector, pension funds and the Swiss National Bank. Swiss banks active in international financial markets have no choice but to apply the US rules, according to Widmer-Schlumpf." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSwiss government signs tax compliance deal with US

Russian Foreign Minister: Russia will never involve itself in ‘another Afghanistan’

"The head of the Foreign Ministry said Russia has no intention of deploying its military to the Middle East or North Africa, where social and political crisis is rampant, opting instead to work diplomatically with legitimate governments. 'This is my answer to those who wonder why we are not fighting for our positions,' Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on the 'Sunday Night with Solovyov' program. 'We will not be fighting for our positions…and creating 'another Afghanistan' for ourselves. Never, under no circumstances!' Lavrov was referring to the Soviet experience in Afghanistan (1979-1989), which is being played out in similar fashion today by the United States." Continue reading →

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Tax Haven Reputation Plagues Planned EU Bailout of Cyprus

"The euro rescuers face a dilemma. On the one hand, they want to prevent the country from going bankrupt. On the other hand, they lack the support of a majority of member states for an aid program that would mostly benefit rich Russian tax fugitives. The tricky situation is prompting European leaders to do what they always do when a crisis comes to a head: play for time. Until now, someone who wanted a safe haven for his money could simply take a plane to Nicosia, because the country is an EU member and yet is lax when it comes to financial regulation, say German investigators." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTax Haven Reputation Plagues Planned EU Bailout of Cyprus