By Ibrahim al-Amin | Al-Akhbar | August 5, 2013
For 25 years now, Hezbollah has been engaged in a war with many powerful intelligence outfits from around the world. These intelligence agencies have devoted tremendous resources to collect information on the party, in addition to pursuing both its civilian and military activities, not to mention carrying out assassinations against its cadre and leadership.
Last weekend, one need not have looked further than the Foreign Affairs homepage for a little bit of political humor. There readers will find a lengthy, circumspect article authoritatively titled, “The War of Law: How New International Law Undermines Democratic Sovereignty.”
Not all that many of his own constituents have noticed, but last week the BBC called out a congressman from Santa Clarita: A lawmaker helped create the drone industry-- and has reaped the benefits. Don't expect any exposés like this in the Signal, or even the L.A. Times, but Buck McKeon's cushy-- and extremely corrupt-- deal with the drone industry has been raising eyebrows all over the world.
120 children slaughtered in Syria’s Tal Abyad
Al-Nusra terrorists massacre people, including women and children, in Tal Abyad -
(ALALAM) Terrorists affiliated to al-Nusra Front have massacred 120 children and 330 men and women in Syria’s northern district of Tal Abyad, al-Alam reports.
The news today is that Guantanamo Bay’s head jailor William Lietzau, “in charge of the indefinite detention of a lot of people long-since cleared for release,” writes Jason Ditz, has condemned the lack of due process, saying we should “have called them prisoners of war from the beginning,” charged them, and given them trials.
Last week, in a piece I wrote for The Huffington Post on the hypocrisy in the Bradley Manning trial, I argued that “The law is for the powerful to defy with impunity, and for the weak to be punished with.” As evidence, I mentioned several high crimes committed by the Bush and Obama administration, crimes for which they will never be prosecuted.
When Alan Grayson ran for Congress in 2008, several "donors" (although I never found them in our donor file) chastised us that we were wasting money because Grayson had no chance to win the primary. He did win-- and by a lot, beating his closest competitor, ConservaDem Charlie Stuart, 49-28%. That didn't slow the complainers down. They then claimed it was a red district and that Grayson had "no chance" to beat incumbent Ric Keller, but in November, Grayson knocked him off 52-48%, becoming the first Democrat to represent downtown Orlando in living memory. And now...
Trend News Agency
August 5, 2013
Kazakhstan, U.S. and UK to hold joint peacekeeping exercise
E. Kosolapova
Steppe Eagle 2012
Azerbaijan, Baku: The armed forces of Kazakhstan, U.S. and UK will hold joint peacekeeping exercise Steppe Eagle on August 10, official representative of the Central Communications Service under Kazakh President Altai Abibullayev said on Monday, Novosti-Kazakhstan reported.
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Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
Henri Barbusse: Selections on war
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Henri Barbusse
From Chains (1924)
Translated by Stephen Haden Guest
By Damian Lataan | August 5, 2013
Neoconservatives have quickly jumped on the ‘al Qaeda is still a threat’ bandwagon after the weekend’s shutdown of many Western embassies throughout North Africa and the Middle East due, so we are told, to as yet unexplained and unspecified threat chatter between various so-called ‘al Qaeda’ groups.
Close your eyes for a moment, think about recent events, and you could easily believe yourself in a Seinfeldian Bizarro World. Now, open them and, for a second, everything looks almost familiar… and then you notice that a dissident is fleeing a harsh and draconian power, known for its global surveillance practices, use of torture, […]
For years libertarians have been saying that the encroachment of government on the lives and liberties of Americans is reaching a point of no return, and for this we have been disdained as alarmists, "conspiracy theorists," tin-foil hat-wearers of the worst sort. Tyranny in America? Impossible! cried smug liberals and equally complacent conservatives (and a […]
In 2001, the Patriot Act opened the door to US government monitoring of Americans without a warrant. It was unconstitutional, but most in Congress over my strong objection were so determined to do something after the attacks of 9/11 that they did not seem to give it too much thought. Civil liberties groups were concerned, […]
No, this isn't a recent photo. This is back in May that dreadful Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe was smiling that, er, creepy smile.by KenThe last time I wrote derisively about the appalling Terry "The Bagman" McAuliffe as the best Virginia Democrats could come up with to succeed downward-spiraling Gov.
♫Makin' a soundtrack for another planet to hear♫" on Episode070 - City Summer Blues which features brand new sounds from Elastic Bond, Bird, Sean Nelson,
At least 19 people were killed today and 28 more were wounded. Also, the Mosul head of a Iraqi political party was survived an assassination attempt unscathed.
It was very close-- and dramatic, with at least one senator, Lisa Murkowski, changing her vote at the last second, and another, Heidi Heitkamp, flying in from a North Dakota sickbed while Harry Reid held the vote open-- but the Senate shut down the Republican/NRA filibuster of Todd Jones to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). The GOP and NRA have managed to prevent the appointment of a director for 7 years!
By Natasha Gill | Middle East Policy Council | June 19, 2013
Dr. Gill is a research associate at Barnard College and a former professor of conflict studies at The New School University. She is the founder and director of TRACK4, which runs negotiation simulations for diplomats, mediators, journalists, policy makers, students and community leaders.
By Ron Paul | August 4, 2013
In 2001, the Patriot Act opened the door to US government monitoring of Americans without a warrant. It was unconstitutional, but most in Congress over my strong objection were so determined to do something after the attacks of 9/11 that they did not seem to give it too much thought. Civil liberties groups were concerned, and some of us in Congress warned about giving up our liberties even in the post-9/11 panic. But at the time most Americans did not seem too worried about the intrusion.
This year Congress isn't accomplishing much-- unless you count driving down its own favorability ratings as an accomplishment. But even in that dysfunctional situation, Orlando area Congressman Alan Grayson is being widely hailed as the most effective Member of Congress, working on both sides of the aisle and forging ad hoc bipartisan coalitions that have left Party leaders with their jaws agape.
By Ken Broder | AllGov | August 4, 2013
Roughly half the homeowners in the Bay Area city of Richmond are underwater on their mortgages, but city officials have come up with a plan to float them to safety, much to the consternation of banks and other moneyed interests.
UPDATE BELOW: Scroll downFound this comment interesting:US forces prepared to respond to latest 'serious' threat A senior US official has said American forces are pre-positioned and ready to deal with the latest threat from al-Qaeda, which has seen a worldwide travel alert issued.
Press TV – August 4, 2013
The Canadian Museum of Human Rights is the birth-child of deceased media mogul Israel Asper. It is due to open in 2014 but the museum’s curators have already come under criticism.
By Doha Shams | Al-Akhbar | August 3, 2013
On July 17, a new Israeli news channel, dubbed i24 News and inspired by France24, began broadcasting from the city of Jaffa in occupied Palestine, where it is based. The channel was launched with the aim of showing the “true image” of Israel, especially in Europe, where public perceptions of the Jewish state have become drastically unfavorable.
Remember when Canter and McCarthy screwed up on the Farm Bill and Boehner had to pull it? It just happened again-- this time with the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development funding bills. The House of Representatives is now officially an out-of-control madhouse. Boehner is just another Member with an agenda, who some Republicans follow and others ignore.
By Carlo Muñoz – The Hill – 08/01/13
The Obama administration was forced into damage control on Thursday as officials attempted to walk back Secretary of State John Kerry’s pledge to end armed drone operations in Pakistan.
Paul Craig Roberts said just recently that he expects the US economy to crash before the end of 2013. We are in several Bubbles and one will break soon enough. Bubbles are created by bankers who are paid interest on money they have created out of nothing. This money is loaned to us at interest and accumulates debt at compound rates. Eventually, the burden of our debts becomes excessive and millions of us die either from starvation or wars created by the bankers as a diversion. Interest rates have just recently spiked upwards rising so our burdens increasing exponentially.
I suspect there aren't many DWT readers who know who George Mudie is. I'd never heard of him until a few days ago when I read in the Guardian that Mudie, a Labour Member of Parliament from Leeds, was about to unload on Labour leader Ed Miliband-- which he has now done.
At least 58 people were killed and 29 more were wounded in fresh violence across Iraq. Numerous attacks were staged across Diyala province
International Solidarity Movement | August 3, 2013
Hebron, Occupied Palestine – Saturday August 3rd was not a peaceful Saturday for the Palestinians in Hebron. At approximately 16.30 two settlers invaded the roof of the Abu Shamsiya family in Tel Rumeida, whilst three soldiers attacked a twelve year old boy in the street nearby.
Webster G. Tarpley Ph.D. TARPLEY.net – World Crisis Radio August 3, 2013 [download audio]
I for one am really shocked that there are so many people out there totally "out to lunch" or absolutely unable to fathom the fact that they are nothing more than slaves for criminal Jewish interests. It is so astounding to watch people act these days as total zombies... Brainwashed beyond belief by the false media that is constantly pumped into their brains... While at the same time eating foods tainted by pure poisons that do nothing more than weaken their bodies or turn their brains into pure mush....
I guess no one told Evan Morris-Santoro at Buzzfeed that the House Democrats had already dealt with Debbie Wasserman Schultz's out-sized ego before the new session had already begun. The overly ambitious and shockingly corrupt Wasserman Schultz-- who ostentatiously bucked leadership tradition by joining rather than rsigning from the anti-family/pro-corporate New Dems-- was given a track to the speakership in return for not causing an internal split in the caucus.
Wednesday the House overwhelmingly passed the patently unfair student loan amendment the Senate cobbled together.
Trend News Agency
August 2, 2013
Minister: Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey must cooperate in defence industry
N. Kirtzkhalia
Tbilisi: Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey have to establish a format of trilateral cooperation in the defence industry, Georgia’s Defence Minister Irakli Alasania said in an interview with Eurasianet.
According to him, Georgia is looking to learn from Azerbaijani military industry experience.
Xinhua News Agency
August 3, 2013
Khaan Quest military exercises kick off in Mongolia
Last year’s Khaan Quest
ULAN BATOR: The annual Khaan Quest military exercises kicked off here Saturday with the participation of over 1,000 peacekeepers from 14 countries such as the United States, Germany and Japan.
Aviation Today
August 2, 2013
NATO Exercise Tests Cassidian’s IFF Systems
Cassidian’s airborne idenfitification-friend-or-foe (IFF) systems were put to the test during the recent Bold Quest ’13 exercise, held in North Carolina to test U.S. and NATO allied nations’ combat identification systems during simulated missions.
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Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
Jules Romains: Selections on war
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Jules Romains
From Verdun: The Battle (1938)
Translated by Gerard Hopkins
Steve Israel has ZERO interest in races like these that pit progressives against powerful senior RepublicansWith the political demise of the Blue Dogs after the 2010 midterms, DCCC Chair-- and "ex"-Blue Dog-- Steve Israel made his top priority not winning back the House in 2012 but restocking the Republican wing of the Democratic Party with corrupt conservatives.
