Myrtus

The Chicken or The Imperialist, who came first?

Reader A Lawyer does a fine job defining "imperialist" from his point of view, as opposed to the generally accepted "old" perspective and the "newer" perspective that's currently in the process of taking effect due to the events that are shaping our world today.

Me being the practical person that I am, I chose to interpret "imperialist" in terms that best apply to my own personal interests:

I don't understand people who think of the word "imperialist" as a bad word, especially when they use it as a synonym for the United States, the one country that stands out like a beacon in terms of freedom, security and prosperity for the people. To me, "imperialist" = "success story" - it means being a valued member in the game of power and control as a means to achieve what it takes to run a successful business. A successful business requires teamwork - it provides jobs, food on the table, prosperity, certain freedoms, security and all kinds of basic human needs for those directly involved, so how can anyone in their right mind be opposed to that?

A Lawyer says:

From my perspective, the word “imperialist” is a bad word. It means, according to the first definition provided by dictionary.com, “the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.” I don’t view the US as an imperial power, and the idea that the US would extend “rule and authority” over another nation does not sit well with me. But, as you note, there is nothing wrong with competition, with out producing and out performing the competition, and enjoying the fruits that come with it. What some “scholars” have done is to take the word “imperialist” and redefine it. Instead of conquest and exertion of “rule” and “authority” (as in authoritarian rule eg Russian authority over E. Germany) over another nation, they have redefined it to include “economic” influence. In doing so, they equate the threat of physical force with economic force, and call both “imperialism”. In my opinion, this is irresponsible at best, and at worst, an outright lie. I touched upon that idea when I mentioned the word “empire” in my previous comment.

I personally don't see it as an outright lie, just different, simply because the ultimate objective is the same in both instances :strategy, control and self-gain.  They are different in the way that one is violent and the other is not, one takes away freedom and the other provides certain freedoms.

Perhaps the biggest problem that the US is facing today is mixing the two concepts all at once while conducting its business in Iraq.  Sort of like trapped between the old way and the new way, so perhaps that's where the clash between civilizations takes place.

Let's take a look a the bigger picture for a minute.

Considering the times we live in, a time when wars are fought on opposite extremes in the name of (one and the same) God for the sake of imposing one's ideology on another - with freedom & democracy on one side of the spectrum and Islamism on the other.  Or as some prefer to call it, a war between civilizations with an oppressive violent religion as the main core of the problem. A religion that is merely seeking to trample on the rights and freedoms of the free and ultimately enslave us all, while in the middle ground there is something altogether different that's fueling the fires between those extremes, which is what I believe to be the true core of the conflict: the battle that's been raging on the economic front almost in an equally loud tone in recent years.  But either we, the people aren't willing to hear it or our politicians do their utmost best trying to pull the wool over our eyes making us focus on all the wrong things in order to exaggerate the problems on the surface and keep us preoccupied, bickering and arguing whether right is wrong and left is right or the other way around. Meanwhile, what we really should be focusing on is the ongoing contest of who's ultimately going to end up with the bigger piece of the pie in the global free-market economy.  Ultimately, while you and I keep wishing for world peace and try our best doing whatever we can to contribute to that ideal, it's the money that makes the world go around.

This is evident in the way Ahmadinejad tries to stand out like a champion in the eyes of the Muslim world, by constantly taking aim at "imperialist America" and its friends "the Zionists", while lipsinking the words of his old time heroes and dictators who also had "wipe out the Jews" as a bullet point on the agenda.  What does he really want?  The answer is simple...HE WANTS to be the imperialist!  What should infidel USA have everything? 

The more I think about it the more I realize that his Holocaust Deniers Conference for instance, was nothing but an attempt to cause fear amongst the public and dishearten his opponents.  Yes, he's a terrorist alright and he knew full well that he could get away with this lowlife assault because he is banking on the fact that no matter how wrong he is, he's got a big chunk of the world's population on his side.  On one hand he's got the despotic superpower wannabees of the world cheering him on and on the other hand Muslims everywhere...and I mean EVERYWHERE. Muslims in general would never stand up against him simply because he's Muslim, kind of like being part of the family but not really.

His insane Holocaust Deniers Conference didn't exactly pan out like he had wished, sort of like the way our petition against it proved to be a grounder too.  So what does Ahmadinejad do next to take a swing at Imperialist America? 

Now he wants to boycott the American dollar and start trading the Euro instead, AND he's encouraging other despotic nations to do the same. Why?  Because he wants to flood the market with American dollars and cripple America's economy.   

I don't think it's the first time he tried that. Remember our Hezbollah counterfeit dollar coverage here?

I still believe that he tried to flood the market with "Hezbollah dollars" during the Lebanon/Israel war, and so did Syria.  Shortly before the war was launched, Syria called for the boycott of the American dollar and began trading in Euros instead. 

What ended up happening as a result?  The value of the dollar went up and stayed up for several weeks straight, while the Euro suffered.  So let him try again.

Alrighty then

I think everyone would agree that it's time to get back to our regular scheduled programming on this blog, so let's forget about the Hezbullah counterfeiting, Iran, North Korea and the supernote for now, at least till somebody comes forward with a stash of Hizbullah dollars in hand presenting actual evidence, proving one thing or another.

In the mean time, maybe we can discuss each other's views on the global chess game that's currently playing out.....I'll start a new post if anyone is interested, otherwise I'll just go back to my regular habit of posting random insanities and humanities, political or otherwise.

On a different note

Dutch newspaper reports:

Police in Portugal have seized 7.5 million counterfeit US dollars and arrested 7 people today, the largest amount ever on a global level.

The Latest on Cashbollah

U.S. Freezes Assets Of Hezbollah Unit

The Bush administration moved yesterday against a key fundraising arm of Hezbollah, the militant Shiite Muslim movement that is part of Lebanon's government, ordering a freeze on its assets in the United States and making it illegal for Americans to contribute to the organization...............

Since the war in Lebanon began, U.S. officials have tried to fashion ways to cut off Hezbollah's financing, which is central to its ability to build up its stockpile of weapons. Under a U.N. Security Council resolution passed this month that called for a halt to the conflict, Hezbollah is required to give up its weapons.

This part raises many questions and I have a feeling the answers will be provided soon enough:

But Levey acknowledged that a financial crackdown on Hezbollah is more difficult than the Treasury's successful efforts to thwart North Korean counterfeiting and preventing financial aid for the Hamas-led Palestinian government. In part, that is because Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese government, not the government itself. The European refusal to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization has also been a problem.

 

Update 8/31/06:Click here: World Crises | Reuters.com

"In principle, this (Hizbollah) money came through shipment, because it did not come from the Central Bank ... and not from the banking sector because there was a shortage in banknotes at the time," the newspaper quoted him as saying.

"The banking sector is obliged to declare any amounts of money it withdraws."

The money is widely believed to have come from Iran, the main backer of the group, but Salameh said Hizbollah's action did not violate Lebanon's laws, adding that the central bank was ready to answer any international inquiries.

More Counterfeit News

Sticky Notes has this thing rolling now, with this great new addition to the N. Korea counterfeit money trail linking Hezbollah.

Sticky Notes - Journal - N. Korean Counterfeit Money Tracked to New World Banks

New Accounts Now in Vietnam

Now Bloomberg reports, “ North Korea 's Tanchon Commercial Bank and Daedong Credit Bank opened the accounts in Vietnam and the country has new agreements with 23 banks in 10 countries, including Mongolia and Russia .”

Sidenote – Wachovia has approximately 20 bank affiliations in Vietnam . Please note again, that all this money has to go through someone’s network. In an earlier issue with Middle East African Bank, they immediately terminated a relationship.

More Hezbo counterfeit news...

Snapped Shot makes the news in Canada 

This scene and dozens more like it flashed around the planet. Only one thing was missing -- the thin wire security strip that runs from top to bottom of a genuine US$100 bill. The money Hezbollah was passing was counterfeit, as should have been evident to anybody who studied the photographs with due care.

Care was due because of Hezbollah's history of counterfeiting: In June, 2004, the U.S. Department of the Treasury publicly cited Hezbollah as one of the planet's leading forgers of U.S. currency.

But this knowledge was disregarded by the news organizations who queued up to publicize Hezbollah's pseudo-philanthropy. The passing of counterfeit bills was detected not by the reporters and photographers on the spot, but by bloggers thousands of miles away: SnappedShots.com, MyPetJawa and Charles Johnson's Little Green Footballs. These sites magnified photographs and showed them to currency experts and detected irregularity after irregularity in the bills. (Links to all the sites mentioned here can be found at frum.nationalreview.com)

Our previous posts on the subject here: The Hezbullah/Iran/N. Korea Connection

Click here: Super Sticky Notes Update 8/30/06

North Korea, Lebanon, and Wachovia

More and more we see that the international community needs to conduct a legitimate investigation into Hezbollah's cash flow for reconstruction since the light of suspicion continues to shine upon the source of Hezbollah's funds.

For example, the United States recently has chosen to treat all North Korean transactions as suspect.

The U.S. Treasury Department, in a shift in its policy toward North Korea, has decided to treat all transactions involving the nation as suspect and subject to sanctions while dictator Kim Jong Il develops nuclear weapons.

``Given the regime's counterfeiting of U.S. currency, narcotics trafficking and use of accounts worldwide to conduct proliferation-related transactions, the line between illicit and licit North Korean money is nearly invisible,'' said Stuart Levey, Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

Levey's statement to Bloomberg News departs from Treasury's earlier position that it was targeting only overtly illegal activities by North Korean companies. The policy change, which may impinge on foreign banks, coincides with an effort by President George W. Bush to pressure North Korea to return to talks aimed at scrapping its nuclear-weapon and ballistic- missile programs.

Meanwhile, there is this:

The Jordanian authorities have arrested Bank Al Madina’s formal Chairman Ibrahim Abu Ayyash and Lebanon started the legal procedures for his extradition according to reports coming from Amman. His arrest could help in finding out who was behind former PM Hariri’s murder.

According to UN reports The February 2005 car bombing in Beirut, may have been partly intended to cover up a corruption and bank fraud scandal that siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars to top Syrian and Lebanese. officials. [PV -- Could Nasrallah be one?]

Bank documents, court filings, and interviews with investigators and other sources show that some of the officials were deeply involved from the late 1990s until early 2003 in a kickback scheme that supplied them with cash, real estate, cars, and jewelry in exchange for protecting and facilitating a multibillion-dollar money laundering operation at Lebanon's Bank al-Madina that allowed terrorist organizations, peddlers of West African "blood diamonds," Saddam Hussein, and Russian gangsters to hide income and convert hot money into legitimate bank accounts around the world.

The last sentence is crucial to our investigation at Myrtus.

So far, we know the Banco Delta Asia in Macau has been used by North Korea to funnel counterfeit money; and that al-Madina bank in Lebanon has been used to warehouse the world's illicit funds and then give some of them to Syrian and Lebanese politicians in a money laundering scheme, while also converting illicit funds into legitimate bank accounts. What could be relevant is that both banks -- Banco Delta Asia, used by North Korea for counterfeiting and other illegal activity, and the al Madina Bank -- have a correspondent relationship with each other through Wachovia, which you can see here: http://www.home.wachovia.com/corp_inst/page/textonly/0,,14_982_4696_2296,00.html. I think this allowed them to wire money back and forth much more easily.

Did North Korea's counterfeit money go into Banco Delta Asia, get transferred to al Madina, converted into a legitimate bank account, and then wind up in the pockets of certain Syrian and Lebanese politicians? If so, Hezbollah could be paying for reconstruction with counterfeit funds from North Korea even if they aren't using counterfeit bills. We can only wonder at this stage. Now, I do not suggest that Wachovia is involved with any illicit transaction that may have occured between these or any other banks. I am sure they would put an end to it immediately if they found out. But perhaps they should take a little look at their records to see if they unwittingly allowed an illegal network to occur in their institution, especially since the US is only going after overt illegal activity on the part of North Korea.

A Subtle Hint From Washington

"to halt illicit actions and protect the U.S. currency from counterfeiting'

Keywords: Iran, N. Korea & Hezbollah

U.S. warns banks of stigma of Iran, N.Korea links

Levey directs Treasury efforts to stop funding for terrorism, weapons proliferation, and illicit activities that could undermine the financial system.

He said the U.S. strategy of naming institutions and individuals it believes are helping finance illicit activity has been an effective upgrade of the traditional economic sanctions approach.

"What I think we’re likely to see and what I’m going to try to make happen is you’re going to see banks around the world ask themselves the question, ’Do I want to be Iran’s banker?’," he said.

Levey said tackling Iran was the "big, looming challenge" in U.S. efforts to dry up funding for terrorist activity worldwide.

"If you were to take all the money that terrorist organizations were able to raise, where’s it coming from? Well, first of all, number one on your list is going to be from the treasury of Iran," Levey said.

The United States accuses Iran of arming and funding the militant religious political group Hizbollah which has been fighting Israel from Lebanon.

• Check it out: Snapped Shots and Ali Bubba have an excellent summary on the Hezbollah cash counterfeiting theory from around the blogosphere. 
• Many thanks to TigerHawk, Atlas Shrugs, Free Thoughts, Alabama Liberation Front, Sticky Notes and Larwyn for helping spread the word.

Hezbollah's New Tag: Construction Jihad

The US pledges $230 million for the reconstruction of Lebanon and what do the Lebanese people say?

Keep your dollars, we have plenty of our own!

Construction Jihad is taking care of us just fine.

Relief Agencies Find Hezbollah Hard to Avoid - New York Times

Some of the organization’s volunteers in Bint Jbail said Construction Jihad was in control of billions of dollars for the reconstruction, but Mr. Noureldine would not give a figure. He did say that much of the organization’s money has come from wealthy Lebanese donors in Africa, Latin America and the United States, though Iran is widely believed to have contributed a significant amount.

“We will not wait for the government to do anything down here; we will do it all ourselves while they are still just talking,” Mr. Noureldine said. “In fact, we’re happy the government is late to do anything. They are trying to divide the resistance and the people. The longer they wait to deliver any services, the more they will fail.”

Mr. Noureldine also dismissed the Bush administration’s pledge of $230 million in reconstruction aid. “If they were to give us all the money in the world, we would not take it,” Mr. Noureldine said. “They will not be able to buy our hearts. We are receiving billions now through our traditional channels. We don’t need American money.”

Why Would North Korea Give Hezbollah Counterfeit Money?

What exactly is North Korea's involvement in the Middle East other than a place to sell its weapons? It seems to boil down to political axis-making -- allying itself with those who are most antagonistic toward the United States. It's a no-brainer by now to realize that Israel is the apparent soft target for those who hate the west. For the same reasons why Hugo Chavez has injected himself into Middle Eastern affairs, so too does North Korea. Eliminating Israel would weaken the west, and hence, the United States, considerably. By offering Hezbollah counterfeit money, North Korea strengthens Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria, the immediate foes of the United States' subordinate ally, Israel, while simultaneously weakening the US economy. It's a double whammy.

To help you draw your own conclusions, we are offering you a copy of the official declaration North Korea recently made to the United Nations' Human Rights Council. In my opinion, Its declaration is quite revealing in terms of what motivates the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the Middle East (if the documents open too big, scroll down after opening them):

   

It's the second page that is the most revealing. You'll notice that its purpose is really to be a diatribe against the United States. Some relevant quotes:

These supporting countries (of Israel) are all self-announced "human rights judges".

The Middle East problem can be resolved only through internationally recognized principle of "Land for Peace" and not through the so-called "spread of freedom and democracy" as advocated by some.

... an end must be put to all forms of patronage and protection for Israel (emphasis added).

Obviously North Korea has injected itself into the Middle East beyond its normal sale of weapons with the intention of delegitimizing that which the United States values -- in this particular case Israel, the spread of freedom and democracy, and the defense of human rights. Clearly North Korea seeks to stem the influential sphere of its rival, the USA, wherever possible; and has some allies toward this goal in the Middle East. Does that mean North Korea gave Hezbollah counterfeit money? No. It's only theoretical at this stage. But there is obvious capability and motive for North Korea to do so. Only one thing is for certain. An investigation is needed.

Is Hezbollah Paying for Lebanon's Reconstruction with Counterfeit Money from North Korea?

As we already showed, it is neither likely nor plausible that Iran could be supplying Hezbollah with the necessary cash to rebuild Lebanon given the mismanaged state of their economy. So, we can't keep wondering where did Hezbollah get their money? Of course, many people have hypothesized whether they could be making it themselves. We here at Myrtus have wondered that too.

However, for some reason, I just can't help but keep coming back to the North Korean connection. I admit that all I have at this point is speculation. However, as you will see, what I offer is enough evidence to suggest that a real investigation is needed.

For example, we know, according to the Nautilus Institute, that North Korea has a relationship with terrorist organizations, such as the IRA and Hezbollah for nonpolitical reasons, such as counterfeiting. And, although a connection between North Korea and Hezbollah is not the purpose of their analysis, embedded in it is this:

The DPRK's connections with organizations such as the Hezbollah and the IRA are strictly venal, to do with trade in counterfeit dollars and other hot items, not political in nature. (See: http://www.nautilus.org/DPRKBriefingBook/nuclearweapons/NuclearNegotiations.html)

So we can speculate with some certainty that North Korea and Hezbollah are linked with each other via trade in counterfeit dollars. We also know from the American Enterprise Institute that North Korea has been circulating counterfeit dollars through diplomats and trading companies. They also tell us that counterfeit one-hundred dollar bills (the same denomination Hezbollah is passing out) are a source of hard revenue for them.

And then there is this from a very recent article on Military.com:

... North Korea has released a new batch of counterfeit $100 bills and it is estimated over $10 million dollars worth has entered the Asian market. That brings the estimated total North Korean counterfeit bills produced by North Korea to $10 billion.

Hence, we know that North Korea has been distributing counterfeit $100 dollar bills lately, and that they have a relationship with Hezbollah for the purpose of counterfeiting. It doesn't prove anything, but in light of Hezbollah's latest cash flow they carry in suitcases, which is an undisclosed and untraced source of revenue, it sure warrants an investigation.

Now, hang on, because this isn't all the circumstantial evidence we have. Stay tuned because tomorrow we are going to provide you with an exclusive ... We are going to show you a copy of North Korea's official statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council on behalf of Lebanon, which shows unusual bitterness toward Israel, and almost makes the "Big Satan/Little Satan" connection between the US and Israel, much like Iran does. What makes this of particular interest? North Korea is not member of that council. They went as observers specifically to make their hostility-ridden statement anyway. Wait until you read it.

Here's an excerpt:

Israel's continued acts of human rights violations in defiance of the repeated legitimate call of the international community are in large part attributable to patronage, protection, and moral and material support of certain big countries that have raised Israel as their subordinate ally over the last several decades. This is like adding "fuel to the fire".

Can you taste the bitterness? Certainly North Korea would have a reason to supply Hezbollah with counterfeit money if it provides support against the "big patron" and its "little subordinate," n'est-ce-pas?

So much for being considered "the hermit kingdom".

Lebanon says its banks are healthy despite war

Yea sure Lebanon, don't forget to tell Hezbullah your thank you "notes" are on the way.

Click here: World Crises | Reuters.com

When asked whether he was worried by cash handouts by Hizbollah, which triggered the war with a July 12 cross-border raid into Israel, he said the government would soon take over most of the reconstruction effort.

Hizbollah has handed out wads of $12,000 and $10,000 in U.S. banknotes to hundreds of displaced families across the country, drawing warnings from the United States and Israel that it is bolstering its support with money obtained from Iran.

"Hizbollah's position is mainly social and their representatives are declaring they can't replace the government," the governor said

Salameh said the banking sector was healthy. During the war, only 3.5 percent of the sector's total $65 billion in deposits were withdrawn from Lebanon, and most of that to branches of the same banks abroad, he said.

"If you take the balance, the banking sector is still ahead year-on-year, because the first six months showed an increase in deposits of $3.5 billion," he said.

He added the central bank had sold $2.4 billion to prop up the Lebanese pound, and dollarisation, or the proportion of dollar deposits out of total deposits in commercial banks, had risen from 72 percent to 76 percent of the money supply.

But its intervention costs were covered by $1.0 billion in certificates of deposit that it issues and deposits of $1.0 billion and $500 million put in its vaults by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait respectively.

"For the time being the market has turned positive during the past week," he said. "So we are once again going to let the market interact without our intervention."