At least 40 civilians dead in Tripoli strikes: Vatican official

ROME (Reuters) – At least 40 civilians have been killed in air strikes by Western forces on Tripoli, the top Vatican official in the Libyan capital told a Catholic news agency on Thursday, quoting witnesses.

“The so-called humanitarian raids have killed dozens of civilian victims in some neighborhoods of Tripoli,” said Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, the Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli.

“Yesterday I said that bombardments had hit, albeit indirectly, some hospitals. To be precise, one of these hospitals is in Mizda,” he said, mentioning a town about 145 km (90 miles) southwest of the capital.

Martinelli said living conditions in the Libyan capital were getting more difficult by the day, while on the ground a military stalemate appeared to be taking hold.

“That is why I say that a diplomatic solution is the principal way to put an end to the spilling of blood among Libyans, offering Gaddafi a dignified exit,” he said. Read more at au.news.yahoo.com

Obama authorizes secret support for Libya rebels

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing covert U.S. government support for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, government officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

In interviews with American TV networks on Tuesday, Obama said the objective was for Gaddafi to “ultimately step down” from power. He spoke of applying “steady pressure, not only militarily but also through these other means” to force Gaddafi out.

Obama said the U.S. had not ruled out providing military hardware to rebels. “It’s fair to say that if we wanted to get weapons into Libya, we probably could. We’re looking at all our options at this point,” the President told ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer. Read more at www.msnbc.msn.com

We need to spend our resources to better this country, not Afghanistan.  Our money needs to fund our education system, not Iraq’s.  Our income and hard work needs to fuel our economic engine, not China’s.  The time is now to wake up to the reality that this country is being sold piece by piece to the factions of fascism.  We need to take our country back.

Defunding Education to Send America’s Future Abroad

As American politicians search for cuts in State and Federal spending to balance the economic scales, they are aiming to cut into social programs instead of concentrating their fire on the issues that have actually led to our current, monstrous debt situation: Military Expenditures, Corporate Welfare, and Foreign Aid.  As the Wars in the Middle East rage on, America is spending an astronomical amount of money in other nations while our own falls apart.

We need to return to a time where American invention, intellect and innovation leads the world.  If we continue upon the path we are on currently, we will be a nation of debtors and mindless workers akin to the same system of our greatest competitor and now part owner, China, possesses.  This drive toward the fascist states of America needs to stop, and those responsible for its initiation should be brought to justice.

Yes; this is a Liberal approach to politics and national spending.  Yes; it is the same approach so vehemently attacked by some in the political realm of mass media, but it is a view that is enveloped in the Dream that once was so vibrant in America when it cared and supported the future of its people.  It is the embodiment of the words etched upon the base of the Statue of Liberty; the dream that seems to be dying so very quickly along with the voice of America being drowned out by corporate interests supported by politicians whose bank accounts grow larger each time they propagate the policies of deception and degradation rotting the very heart of our once great Nation. The time has come to reclaim our Liberty; if not for ourselves, then for our children. Read more at www.activistpost.com

The Calm Before the Storm

Courtesy of Phil of Phil’s Stock World

Tomorrow, of course, is March first and, as we all know, the first day of the month is THE BEST day to go long.  12 of the last 14 first day’s of the month have been up days with the S&P gaining 17% on the first day of the month (Feb 1 not on this chart) and just 1.4% on all the rest of the day’s combined!

So, miss the first day and miss out on the rally is a bit of an understatement, isn’t it?  In 2010 alone, the first trading day accounted for 123 of the 134 points the S&P gained. Essentially, the market traded flat the other 200-plus trading days. Read more at www.zerohedge.com