By Dave Lindorff

It’s appropriate that on this week of the fifth anniversary of the criminal US invasion of Iraq, we are also seeing several other things: the death toll of American troops in that doomed adventure is rising past 4000, the economy is sliding into a recession which could be deep and long, and the financial markets are teetering on the edge of a possibly historic collapse.

The conjunction of all of these dire things is no coincidence.

By Dave Lindorff

With a viral campaign underway via email, right-wing radio, and on the street suggesting that Barack Obama is a black “Manchurian Candidate,” secretly trained as a Muslim fanatic who will insinuate himself into the White House, thence to undermine all that we hold dear, perhaps it is time to look at the Manchurian Candidate we already have in the White House, who, together with his handler over in Blair House, has pretty much done all the damage already.

George Bush came to office in 2001 promising a new era of integrity, civility and “compassionate conservatism,” an era of humble American foreign policy, and a bi-partisan approach to government.

What did we actually get?

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - George W Bush

Much in the same way that US investors were “steered” into rip-off mortgage loans, the entire country has been “steered” into an economic crisis. The question is how to get out of it.

In the subprime loan scandal, unscrupulous brokers conned home buyers with poor credit histories into deals designed to profit lenders and bleed borrowers. Contract “teasers” hid ballooning monthly payments while a lack of regulation allowed the scam to continue unabated. Millions more Americans now face losing their homes.

Watch this Michael Moore interview about "Sicko." Then, take action!

Here's a list of 9 things you can do, courtesy of Marilyn Clement, National Coordinator, Healthcare-NOW, www.healthcare-now.org

Take your friends to see “Sicko” and pass out flyers to come to an event in your town to talk about single payer national healthcare -- guaranteed quality healthcare for everybody in this country. The film opens in the U.S. on June 29th.

Attend the US Social Forum in Atlanta (10,000 people are registered), and help organize for H.R. 676;

Keep organizing Truth Hearings in your community. They are making a difference; Read the website to find out how to do one. www.healthcare-now.org

Get your Congress Members to sign on as endorsers of H.R. 676; Call free: 1-866-338-1015

“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” Sun Tzu, Chinese author and military strategist, c. 544-496 BC

Bush and Cheney may be declaring “Mission Accomplished” now that the Iraqi Cabinet has approved the draft of an oil law granting foreign companies unprecedented access to the country's fields.

But Beijing is having the last laugh.

Just last week, Chinese oil company officials arrived in Baghdad to revive Hussein-era contracts for developing Iraq's oil, specifically, the Ahdab oil field in south-central Iraq. Hundreds of millions of dollars and a reduction in Iraq's Chinese debt are already on the table.

So, they're giving Bob Ney 30 months. This guy is a criminal in more ways than one. For years he was the leader in Congress at pushing a bill that would throw out all state-level protections against predatory lending. Having worked for the banks and the credit card companies and helped bankrupt so many families, Ney will now be locked up and then released debt-free with his Congressional pension still b

"About the only thing you can acquire without money is debt" goes the adage, and Treasury Secretary John Snow typified it this week as he notified Congress that the nation's treasury is busted. Not only has it used all the congressional appropriations, the Treasury has been dipping billions out of a few other governmental piggybanks (including funds for Civil Service Retirement and Disability, Federal Employees Retirement, and a currency stabilization fund) to keep the lights on. All totaled, Congress is expected to approve an increase in the current $8.18 trillion debt limit by perhaps $781 billion. Under Bush, the total of our nation's previous deficits has increased by $3 trillion dollars, a 40% increase from when he was installed in 2001. It's not a pretty picture.

Seeking to top the criminal cruelty of the bankruptcy bill and the corruption scandals already swirling around Rep. Bob Ney, while simultaneously outdoing the White House in the way of grabbing power from states and cities, Ney and his fellow conspirators on the Hill are pushing a Federal Loan Shark Protection Act to shred all state and local laws against predatory lending. This has been in the works for years -- but so was the bankruptcy bill. They can pass this thing. Get Info and take action here: http://www.responsiblelending.org/

The bankruptcy bill (Debt Slavery Act) will begin destroying families, futures, hopes, and opportunites very soon. Some in Congress have not given up the fight.

October 18, 2005: Congress Members and Senators Ask GAO to Study the Adverse Impacts of the Debt Slavery Act of 2005.
MORE: http://www.debtslavery.org

So, the new bankruptcy bill is perfect and ideal and needs no tweaking, but is also so godawfully horrendous that the Justice Department will not enforce it in Lousiana and Mississippi. Can the other 48 states get equal protection from this law? Will the Justice Department guarantee no major disasters in the other 48 states? Or will the next announcement be a list of laws that will no longer be enforced in swing states?