Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Headlines for April 15 - April 21

A Stand For Justice


Top Military Brass Concur Mideast Conflict Affects All
U.S. Army general David Petraeus might have shocked some pro-Israel activists when he openly spelled out the difficulties caused to American military efforts by the lack of progress in the Middle East, but fellow generals were not taken by surprise. “CENTCOM commanders had always said this was the No. 1 issue that affects everything that goes on in the region,” said Anthony Zinni, who headed the U.S. Central Command, known as CENTCOM, a decade before Petraeus.



State Dept.: U.S. unsure whether Syria sent missiles to Hezbollah
Earlier Tuesday, Lebanon's Western-backed prime minister Saad Hariri denied Israeli allegations that Hezbollah has obtained Scud missiles, comparing them to the false American charges that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction ahead of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Israel: the monkey on America's back, constantly feeding us phony intel.


Dr. Strangelove, Made in Israel by Philip Giraldi
While it is perhaps not unusual for American citizens to volunteer with the Israel Defense Forces as White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel did in 1991, it would have to be considered unprecedented for a senior Israeli military officer to obtain a high level position at the Pentagon. In fact, it is hard to imagine that anyone carrying out a security background investigation would approve such a transition under any circumstances, suggesting the possibility that Kass’s ascent to high office might have been aided or even godfathered by friends in key positions who were able to override or circumvent normal procedures.


Iran nuclear conference urges Israel to join NPT



Netanyahu urges 'crippling sanctions' against Iran
In an interview broadcast Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America," Netanyahu said he worries that the international community isn't acting aggressively enough to thwart Tehran's nuclear ambitions.



Obama affirms 'unbreakable' US-Israel ties
President Barack Obama has said on the Jewish state's 62nd anniversary that the United States shares an "unbreakable bond" with Israel and he was confident the relationship "will only be strengthened" into the future.
Sick. Our support for Israel got us 9/11.


Presence of Brzezinski, Scowcroft at White House Meeting Draws Muted Comment – Forward.com
The two, both former national security advisers of previous administrations, are known as supporters of the realist doctrine in foreign policy — a doctrine viewed by many in the Jewish community as unsympathetic to the case of Israel......Realism in foreign policy is seen as an approach that puts a country’s own interests first when determining its path in the world, before any other considerations, including moral views of other countries. When it comes to the Middle East, Realists are usually considered to be those who believe that America’s interest lay in strengthening ties with the Arab world rather than in supporting Israel unconditionally. Based on an appropriate inference of the above excerpt, then it's safe to presume that the policy that Israel's lobby seeks America to adopt is one that puts Israel's interests over our own. I call that TREASON. Read on.


Strain in U.S.-Israel Ties Spurs Anxiety About ‘Dual Loyalty’
So totally aligned have the United States and Israeli governments been for most of the past 20 years that American Jews have not been forced to seriously consider that these two identities could be in conflict The issue here is though - that this alignment was brought about by the overwhelming influence of the Israeli lobby.It's more than dual loyalty though. Advocating for policies that put THIS nation, America, in danger, is not dual loyalty. It's TREASON.


Syria denies it gave Hezbollah Scud missiles
Syria warned Thursday that Israel was paving the way for new military action by alleging that that Damascus is providing Scud missiles to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.



Israel warns Syria over Hezbollah attacks
Israel has delivered a secret warning to Syrian President Bashar Assad that it will respond to missile attacks from Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese-based Islamist group, by launching immediate retaliation against Syria itself.


From December: No-Fault Espionage by Philip Giraldi
FBI counter intelligence officer John Cole has reported on the frustration of his colleagues over the many cases of Israeli espionage that are dropped under orders from the Justice Department. He provides a "conservative estimate" of 125 worthwhile investigations into Israeli espionage in the US involving both American citizens and Israelis stopped due to political pressure from above. Israeli citizens and diplomats who are caught in the act spying are routinely freed without criminal charges and allowed to return home.



Iran wins regional support for its nuclear programme
Syria, Lebanon and Iraq backed Iran's atomic programme on Saturday, which they said has "peaceful" aims, and insisted that Israel be stripped off its nuclear arsenal. ....The three leaders, however, strongly urged for Israel to join the NPT.


Iran exports 'revolutionary principles' to Venezuela, report claims
The report on Iran's military states that paramilitaries from the Quds Force, a special paramilitary unit attached to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, have "an increased presence in Latin America, particularly Venezuela".

It also alleges that Iran is continuing to supply weapons and explosives to the Taliban to help them kill American and British troops in Afghanistan.
Let us see this alleged report. I don't buy it.


Netanyahu: Less Time to Act on Iran with Each Passing Day
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sounded an urgent note regarding the Iranian threat in a Monday interview on America's ABC network, saying that “we have a lot less time with each day that passes.” Who's we?


Veterans of "Wikileaks" Incident Announce "Letter if Reconciliation" to Iraqis Injured in Attack
Two former soldiers from the Army unit responsible for the Wikileaks "Collateral Murder" incident have written an open-letter of "Reconciliation and Responsibility" to those injured in the July 2007 attack, in which U.S. forces wounded two children and killed over a dozen people, including the father of those children and two Reuters employees.


After surgeries in Mich., Iraqi teen to head home
A 13-year-old Iraqi boy brought to Michigan a year ago by a National Guardsman so he could get plastic surgery to repair scars from a house fire no longer is shy about pulling off his beloved Detroit Tigers baseball cap.


Gates says US is prepared on Iran's nuclear plan



US officials: Usable Iran bomb not imminent
Having said that Iran could amass sufficient highly enriched uranium to build one bomb in roughly a year, Gen. James Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that a nation driving for a weapon generally needs three to five additional years to make the leap to a bomb it can field.



More hype about Iran?
Despite what some alarmists think, Iran is not the reincarnation of Nazi Germany and not about to unleash some new Holocaust against anyone.


Iran reveals air defense system
The parade in Tehran showcased Iran's surface-to-surface Ghadr, Sajjil and Shahab-3 missiles, which have a range of up to 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers), putting Israel and US bases in the region within Iran's reach.


US top military official says strike against Iran would halt nuclear programme



Moyers on the Cost of Wars
In his closing essay this week Bill Moyers talks about Binghamton, New York's Mayor Matt Ryan and his effort to make manifest the costs of war to his town and its citizens. The mayor has installed a "cost of war" clock that keeps a running tab of how much in tax dollars Binghamton citizens collectively and individually have contributed to the war effort.


Israeli president: Iran threatens whole world



From December: Christians United for War by Philip Giraldi



Democrats and Republicans Each Believe That American Jews Are Leaning Their Way – Forward.com
Republicans say that friction between the Obama administration and Netanyahu’s government in Israel is taking its toll on Jewish support for the president and his party. Jewish voters, they argue, feel uncomfortable with Obama’s pressure on Israel and will make their concerns known by shifting toward the Republican side.


The Latest Scare Story About Iran: Missiles Targeting US by 2015
Today, the papers are full of a claim that the new Ballistic Missile Defense Review Report (PDF) from the US Dept. of Defense says Iran could have the missile capability to reach the U.S. by 2015. You'll find the claim being repeated by the UK's rightwing Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph, by NewsMax, Israel's press, Pakistan's "Dawn", ABC News, Reuters and more.


Graceful Decline: The end of Pax Americana
The end of Pax Americana


U.S.-ISRAELI RELATIONS TAKE ANOTHER TURN
More and more since the failure of the Oslo Accords in the 1990s and the virtual takeover of Israeli politics by the Far Right, often represented by natively anti–American Russian Israelis and ultra–conservative Sephardics from the Arab world, relations have deteriorated between the two countries. Israel has become the petulant and demanding dependent, and the U.S. has become the long–suffering Sugar Daddy, often angry and insulted but afraid to say anything because of the power of the lobbies.



World poll: Only 19% see Israel in positive light
Only Iran, North Korea, and Pakistan are viewed in a more negative light than Israel, according to a poll conducted in 28 countries and published Tuesday by the BBC.


Video- A Closer Look at Israel's Role in Terrorism
Game theory war-planners rely on mathematical models to anticipate and shape outcomes with staged provocations. For the agent provocateur, the reactions to a provocation—as well as the reactions to those reactions—thereby become predictable within an acceptable range of probabilities. With ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan poised to expand to Iran and Pakistan, it is time to take a closer look at how conflicts are catalyzed—by way of deception.
Well worth watching all three parts.


YouTube - Dancing Israelis Arrested on 9-11, Interviewed by Ch. 4



From January: Review: Iran Never Halted Nuke Work in '03
A senior U.S. military officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity last week revealed that the new argument among analysts is over Iran's decision to move forward with weaponization.

"There is a debate being held about whether the final decision has been made. It is fair to argue that the supreme leader has not said, 'Build a nuclear weapon.' That actually does not matter, because they are not at the point where they could do that anyway." Somebody is trying to make the case for war with this piece.


Picnicking on Mount Vesuvius?
On March 29, 2010 the US Embassy instructed Americans not to travel to Lebanon citing ’safety and security concerns.” Simultaneously it warned those who are in Lebanon to seriously consider leaving.....It comes following Opposition charges, emphasized by Hezbollah’s Secretary Hassan Nasrallah the preceding week, that the US Embassy in Beirut engages in espionage activities for Israel and cautioning that the collaboration was very dangerous for Lebanon. America is doing Israel's bidding in Lebanon too. Read on.


Video: Antiwar Panel at CPAC



Report: Assad due in Egypt to discuss fear of Israel-Syria war
Syrian President Bashar Assad was due Tuesday night to land in Egypt "within hours," his first visit in four years, several Arab media outlets reported. The urgency of the surprise trip stems from a fear of war between Israel and Syria.


Malaysia suspends gasoline supplies to Iran
The announcement of the suspension by Petronas came after Najib held talks with US President Barack Obama, who called for the world to move "boldly and quickly" on new Iran sanctions on the sidelines of a 47–nation nuclear security summit this week.






Saturday, April 24, 2010

Headlines for April 8 - April 14

A Stand For Justice


U.S., Israeli attack on Iran would be 'unacceptable' - Russia military



Military Suicides Up Among Soldiers in Repeat Army Tours
The surge in suicides, which have risen five years in a row, has become a vexing problem for which the Army's highest levels of command have yet to find a solution despite deploying hundreds of mental–health experts and investing millions of dollars. And the elephant in the room in much of the formal discussion of the problem is the burden of repeated tours of combat duty on a soldier's battered psyche. We need to bring our troops home now.


How to eat well on a food stamp budget $68.88
At the end of last year, roughly 1 in 8 Americans received food stamps, the highest rate ever America can ill afford going to war with another country (Iran).


Canceled Netanyahu trip spotlights Israel nukes
Muslim countries have long complained of a double standard when the West asks them to stay nuclear-free while turning a blind eye to Israel's program. Many Israelis see atomic weapons as their ultimate defense against annihilation in a hostile Middle East.


Clinton defends role of Israel at nuclear summit
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says Israel has much to contribute to this week's nuclear security summit even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is skipping the Washington conference.


Israel viewed as world's sixth nuclear power: analysts
Analysts at British defence specialists Jane's believe the Jewish state has between 100 and 300 nuclear warheads, putting them among the more advanced nuclear weapons states and roughly on a par with Britain.



Israeli officials say Syria gives Hezbollah Scuds
In Washington, the Syrian Embassy dismissed the allegations and accused Israel of trying to divert attention from questions about Israel's nuclear program.


Netanyahu cancels trip to Obama's nuclear summit



Nuking the Mullahs by Philip Giraldi
The truth is that Israel is fast becoming a pariah nation, like South Africa before the final collapse of apartheid, because no one any longer accepts the legitimacy of its settlement growth and occupation policies. Like South Africa, the Israeli response to criticism has been to become more reactionary and inward looking, constructing a police state internally and waging unending war against its neighbors to maintain cohesion against foreign enemies....To be sure, there is a certain danger in isolating the Israelis too much as it could easily feed the always present Masada complex that might influence a dangerously unstable government to take action that might include exploiting its nuclear arsenal in search of Armageddon


Obama: Israel should sign NPT



US Generals and Admirals Who Have Accepted Free Trips to Israel
We, the undersigned, have traveled to Israel over the years with The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA). We brought with us our decades of military experience and, following unrestricted access to Israel's civilian and military leaders, came away with the unswerving belief that the security of the State of Israel is a matter of great importance to the United States and its policy in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Anyone that signed onto that is a traitor to the United States of America.


Commentary: Armchair warriors
Three former CENTCOM commanders, now retired, with expert knowledge of the Middle East and all the key players, have said that learning to live with Iran as a nuclear power is wiser than bombing Iran. Israel wants us to attack Iran. Beware.


US confident it could intercept an Iranian missile
The Pentagon is "very confident" that it could defend the U.S. against the threat of an Iranian ballistic missile strike, the Defense Department's chief spokesman said Wednesday. A recent Defense Department report to Congress concludes that Iran could develop a missile capable of striking the United States by 2015.


Iran announces batch of higher enriched uranium
The uranium has been enriched from around 3.5 percent to 20 percent purity, needed to fuel a medical research reactor, Salehi said, according to the ISNA news agency. That level is far below the more than 90 percent needed to build a nuclear weapon, but U.S. officials have expressed concern Iran may be moving closer to the ability to reach weapons-grade level.




Obama, Hu in Iran sanctions breakthrough: US
US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao have agreed to jointly push for new nuclear sanctions on Iran, US officials said, heralding an apparent diplomatic breakthrough.



Iran Could Get Bomb Uranium, Block Oil, Pentagon Says
Iran probably would need three to five years to complete a bomb, Marine Corps General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington. Cartwright said U.S. officials have no evidence Iran has decided to build a weapon and noted the timeline was based on historical estimates.


US officials: Iran could be a year away from bomb
Sen. John McCain, R–Ariz., complained that the U.S. has been a paper tiger, threatening Iran but never fully confronting it.
"We keep pointing the gun. We haven't pulled a single trigger yet, and it's about time that we did," McCain said. McCain should be sent to the front lines in Iraq if/when he gets his wish that America attack Iran. Let him put his money where his mouth is.


US Developing New Non-Nuclear Missiles
The Prompt Global Strike program, which the Pentagon has been developing for several years, is already raising hackles in Moscow, where Russian officials predict it could trigger a nonnuclear arms race and complicate President Obama's long-term vision of ridding the world of nuclear weapons.


The Crime of Silence



China offered oil for sanctions deal over Iran
China is being privately reassured that its supplies of oil would be guaranteed in the event that it supports tough new UN sanctions on Iran, its third largest supplier of crude.



China cools US hopes of Iran sanctions breakthrough



Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld Knew They Were Innocent
it's devastating to have a former high Bush-Cheney official state under oath that the last administration knew it had countless innocent prisoners, lied about it, and tortured many.


Iran says it is ready for uranium exchange if IAEA is guarantor



One Marine’s ‘Liberty Walk’ for the Rest of Us



EFF Backs Yahoo! to Protect User from Warrantless Email Search
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) along with Google and numerous other public interest organizations and Internet industry associations joined with Yahoo! in asking a federal court Tuesday to block a government attempt to access the contents of a Yahoo! email account without a search warrant based on probable cause.


Pentagon: Iran needs 3-5 years to build usable atom bomb
Cartwright said taking military action against Iran might delay its nuclear development but was unlikely to be decisive in stopping the program for good.



Iran: We will join 'world nuclear club' within a month
Soltani added that the construction of a 360 megawatt nuclear power plant and a 40 megawatt research reactor in Iran's central city of Arak are 70 percent finished.


Anat Kam: I stole IDF documents to expose West Bank war crimes



Israel's nuclear standoff
What Israeli officials are not talking about is the most probable reason behind this cancellation – Netanyahu's unwillingness to stop settlements in East Jerusalem, despite US requests.


Why Netanyahu Canceled His DC Visit, and Why the GOP Is Applauding
Ever since Netanyahu's government took office, there has been a never-ending stream of stories from unnamed sources taking shots at the Obama administration, trying to undermine its standing with the Israeli public, and sending the signal to the Likud echo chamber stateside to swing into action. This would appear to be the latest example and who better today than Liz Cheney to be on the receiving end of the Netanyahu long ball.


Turkey: World is turning a blind eye to Israel's nuclear weapons
Recep Tayyip Erdogan remarked that Iran's nuclear program is being scrutinized because of its membership in the International Atomic Energy Agency whereas Israel, which has not signed a nonproliferation treaty, is free to do what it wants.


Obama recalls bunker-buster bomb kits to bar Israeli strike on Iran



Medvedev: Israeli strike on Iran to lead to global catastrophe



Lieberman: U.S. Should Attack Iran's Nuclear Program If All Else Fails
Regarding Israel, Lieberman says some of the steps Obama has taken, such as demanding a freeze on the building of Israeli settlements, don’t help the peace process and are in fact “missteps.” Come again?


America’s Loose Nukes in Israel
In the early 1960s, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) began documenting suspicious lapses in NUMEC’s security, inexplicably lax record-keeping, and the ongoing presence of large numbers of Israelis at the plant. Very interesting article.


Worry That New Sanctions Will Not Curb Iran’s Nuclear Goals
As another set of sanctions against Iran makes its way through the United Nations — the fourth in as many years — heads of American Jewish organizations and pro-Israel foreign policy analysts are wondering if these or any other measures will really be able to change the behavior of the regime in Tehran.


Joe Lieberman Strikes Again by Philip Giraldi
Ah, those crafty Iranians. Threatening to destroy the world yet again. Thank God Joe is around to remind us over and over and over again about the global threat coming from the Mullahs


Netanyahu: Iran wants to destroy Israel and the world remains silent
Israel=Chicken Little


Can Obama erase ‘Bush nostalgia’ in the Middle East
Now as then, US policy continues to be anchored by a cynical bargain with Arab autocrats: If they faithfully support US regional objectives, the US turns a blind eye to their suppression of domestic dissent. It’s business as usual.





Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Headlines for April 1 - April 7

A Stand For Justice


Thousands of vets missing out on better benefits
Only a fraction of wounded veterans who could get better benefits have applied in the two years since Congress, acting on concerns the military was cutting costs by downplaying injuries, ordered the Pentagon to review disputed claims.



Defense secretary warns Iran and North Korea
Gates told a Pentagon briefing that a new policy restricting the use of nuclear weapons did not apply to countries such as Iran and North Korea, which are pursuing nuclear weapons in defiance of the international community.



What War with Iran Means by Patrick J. Buchanan
As to who starts it, we know the answer. Tehran has not started a war in memory and is not going to launch a suicide attack on a superpower with thousands of nuclear weapons. As with Iraq in 2003, the war will be launched by the United States against a nation that did not attack us — to strip it of weapons it does not have. We know who is behind this war too. Can't say you weren't in the know this time.


Obama: Evidence Shows Iran is Developing Nukes
U.S. and Israeli efforts are focused on convincing Beijing that the best alternative to preventing a nuclear Iran and a military operation targeting it would be to agree to more severe sanctions - without actively supporting these.....The head of Israel's Military Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, recently traveled to China and relayed to his hosts details of the Iran's progress toward nuclear arms.


White House in calming message to U.S. Jews: Obama is Israel's friend
National Security Council Middle East Senior Director Dan Shapiro stressed to American Jews that that the U.S. did not intend to insist that Israel halt construction in East Jerusalem................Shapiro said that Iran is the most important national security issue facing the United States and that no one should doubt the determination of the U.S. to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Really now. And how did Iran become the number 1 American national security issue? Two words: Israeli lobby. Israel's problems become OUR problems.


Ambassador Oren Israel protects US troops
Speaking in an interview with CNN, Oren said that if Israel did not exist, extremists in the region would join Al-Qaeda in its anti-American sentiment. "The US is much safer thanks to Israeli-American cooperation," he said. Is this some kind of a sick joke? America is a target of Al-Qaeda because of our support for Israel. It was the primary motivation of Khaled Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 911.


Iran vows to strike Israel immediately if attacked



Obama Claims ‘All Evidence’ Supports Allegations Iran Developing Nukes
Indeed, less than two months ago Obama’s own spokesman Robert Gibbs claimed Iran didn’t even have the ability to enrich uranium beyond 20 percent, let alone to rich to weapons grade, which would be above 90 percent. Just days after Gibbs made this statement he insisted that the US would not rule out attacking Iran.


Dismantling the Constitution One Step at a Time by Philip Giraldi
The act would make it possible for the US military to seize and imprison anyone anywhere in the world, including American citizens, on suspicion of involvement in terrorism. This includes “material support” which is not otherwise defined.


To Pressure Iran, the U.S. Leans on Dubai



Kristol: ‘Better’ for US to attack Iran than if Israel did
The Obama administration should be seriously considering a strike on Iran, according to neoconservative Fox News contributor Bill Kristol. An Israeli Deputy Defense Minister said last week that he expected Israel would have to attack Iran within a year. Kristol believes it would be better for the US to attack first.
Kristol should be deported to his true homeland - Israel. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.


How the Corporations Broke Ralph Nader and America, Too
Nader’s status as a pariah corresponded with an unchecked assault by corporations on the working class. The long-term unemployment rate, which in reality is close to 20 percent, the millions of foreclosures, the crippling personal debts that plague households, the personal bankruptcies, Wall Street’s looting of the U.S. Treasury, the evaporation of savings and retirement accounts and the crumbling of the country’s vital infrastructure are taking place as billions in taxpayer subsidies, obscene profits, bonuses and compensation are enjoyed by the corporate overlords. We will soon be forced to buy the defective products of the government-subsidized drug and health insurance companies, which will remain free to raise co-payments and premiums, especially if policyholders get seriously ill. Take a read about the influence of CORPORATE interests on our lives. When corporate and foreign interests are better represented on Capitol Hill than YOU, the American taxpayers are, then we've got serious problems. That is NOT what this country was supposed to be about (read, no taxation without representation).


The Iraq war still a massive mistake
First are the sacrifices in terms of blood and treasure. The broad consensus is that the war has cost the US economy well over $700 billion – with the meter still running. The Iraq war has also left nearly 4,400 American troops dead, more than 31,000 physically disabled, and countless more psychologically traumatized. The war on Iraq was conceived in Israel and put forth by Israel's minions - the neocons.


Israel's deadly legacy still lurks in Lebanon
Most of the victims are sappers, farmers and unsuspecting children, who mistake the shiny objects for toys.



An Israeli General Explains Why Stopping Iran Requires a Real Settlement Freeze
Haaretz has two opinion essays right now arguing that Israel should freeze construction because it needs to stop Iran’s nuclear project and it needs America to lead the effort. Bingo. See last news batch for more. Also take notice of reason number 9.


The WaPo’s Frum Forum
Getting fired from the American Enterprise Institute might have been the best thing that’s ever happened to David Frum.





Saturday, April 3, 2010

Headlines for March 25 - March 31

A Stand For Justice


A Defining Moment by Philip Giraldi
Earlier this week a letter signed by 300 Congressmen pledged commitment to the “unbreakable bond that exists between the US and the State of Israel.” The public, God bless them, have no ability to overturn Congressional knee jerk support for Israel, and besides, the ability of the MSM to control the coverage of the issue means that most Americans will have no clue that there is any school of thought that Israel constitutes a liability.


Dispute with Israel underscores limits of U.S. power, a shifting alliance
President Obama and his aides have cast the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, not just the relationship with Israel, as a core U.S. national security interest. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the head of the military's Central Command, put it starkly in recent testimony on Capitol Hill: "The conflict foments anti-American sentiment due to a perception of U.S. favoritism toward Israel." His comments raised eyebrows in official Washington -- and overseas -- because they suggested that U.S. military officials were embracing the idea that failure to resolve the conflict had begun to imperil American lives. Petraeus speaks the truth. Our support for Israel (and its policies of apartheid and colonialism) has cost us Americans dearly - in more ways than one.


Six powers to start work on Iran sanctions: U.S. envoy
"China has agreed to sit down and begin serious negotiations here in New York with the others in the (group of six) ... as a first step toward getting the entire Security Council on board with a tough sanctions regime against Iran,"


Nearly 300 Congress members declare commitment to 'unbreakable' U.S.-Israel bond
Read the letter they signed contained in the article. This is treason. Our support for Israel was the reason given by the mastermind of the attack on 911.


Bibi’s Hollow Victory by Patrick J. Buchanan
“This is starting to get dangerous for us,” Biden reportedly told Netanyahu. “What you’re doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
Yedioth Ahronoth further reported: “The vice president told his Israeli hosts that since many people in the Muslim world perceived a connection between Israel’s actions and U.S. policy, any decision about construction that undermines Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem could have an impact on the personal safety of American troops.”



Barak: US Gives Israel Aid, Ammunition and Vital Spare Parts
"Even when there are disagreements between friends – and there are also disagreements – it is vital that we remember that the US is friendly toward Israel in a deep and basic sense,” Barak explained. “It is the US we turn to when there is a Goldstone Report; it is the US we turn to when an intervention or veto is needed in the [UN] Security Council and it was there that we found support and backing in every central crisis in Israel's history, from the War of Independence onward.” They use us to abet their crimes against their neighbors. It got us 911. And it's all possible thanks to the Israeli lobby and its overwhelming influence over our government.


Clinton: China to play role in Iran sanctions push



Muslim scholars recast jihadists' favorite fatwa
Prominent Muslim scholars have recast a famous medieval fatwa on jihad, arguing the religious edict radical Islamists often cite to justify killing cannot be used in a globalized world that respects faith and civil rights.



Obama says wants Iran sanctions within weeks



Iran nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri 'defects to US'
ABC News said Shahram Amiri had been resettled in the US and was helping the CIA in its efforts to block Iran's nuclear programme.


The Crisis That Wasn’t by Philip Giraldi
Clinton did make one intriguing comment, perhaps not completely understanding the implications of what she was saying: "We cannot escape the impact of mass communications." She meant that many people have now become concerned about what is going on in Israel and Palestine because of what appears on the internet. But if Israel were truly the cowboy in the white hat upholding truth and justice that would hardly matter, would it? In reality, the narrative of Israeli exceptionalism and entitlement that has been carefully shaped by the Israeli government and its friends in the mainstream media has been thoroughly discredited by alternative sources of information made available through the internet


Scott Horton Interviews Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr.
Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr., Chairman of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, discusses Israel’s ability to drag the US into a war with Iran, the difficulty of destroying Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility even with bunker-busting bombs, Pentagon war games that exposed serious US vulnerabilities to Iranian retaliation, the need to vastly reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the US and Russia and why the aircraft carrier-based US Navy is becoming obsolete.


Arab League chief urges closer ties with Iran
The push to engage Tehran seems to be at least partly fueled by Arab frustration over Washington's failure to get Israel to back down on plans for more Jewish settlements on land the Palestinians want for a future state.


Video: An Act of Treason by Members of the United States Congress?
Short, but good. The link to the letter appearing in Haaretz is included in this news batch.


The Ugly Head of America
The hatred and anger towards Muslims in this country and around the world has gone beyond the tipping point. This is not acceptable. The hatred of Islam, Muslims and Arabs is fostered and put forth, in my opinion, by Israel's lobby here in America. It is a means to conflate Israel's enemies with our own, thus making Israel's enemies our enemies.


Exclusive / Despite row, U.S. and Israel sign massive arms deal
Each aircraft costs $70 million. The aircrafts were manufactured specifically for Israeli needs, and include a large number of systems produced by Israel's defense industry. The deal will be covered by American foreign assistance funds.


Saudi: Israel's arrogance challenges the world
Mullen added that he had been in contact with IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi twice this week and that the U.S. was concerned with Israel's security because:
"It is in our national interests obviously or we wouldn't be so engaged... the United States has considered peace in the Middle East to be a national security interest for decades." To further demonstrate the obeisance to Israel on the part of America's government officials. Petraeus (and Mullen) drop into a low kowtow.


Israeli Intelligence, Our Constant Companion
The 21 documents, obtained by Grant F. Smith, a Washington, D.C. author who has made a career out of writing critical books on Israeli spying and lobbying, detail the FBI’s investigation into the theft of a confidential U.S. document on the Reagan administration’s position going into the 1984 U.S.-Israel Free Trade Area Negotiations.
Acting on a complaint that the document was circulating on Capitol Hill, the FBI discovered that an Israeli diplomat had acquired the paper and given it to officials at AIPAC, the lobbying group whose annual convention drew both Netanyahu and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton this week.


Turkey makes case against sanctions on Iran
In an apparently veiled reference to Israel, the Turkish leader referred to another country in the region that possessed nuclear weapons.


Netanyahu and Obama are at point of no return
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has decisively supported General David Petraeus, the first American military man in years to describe Israel as a strategic burden on the U.S. Gates said America's rivals in the Middle East are abusing the standstill of the political process between Israel and the Arabs. He stressed that he had no doubt a lack of peace in the region was influencing American interests there.


"Reporting" on Iran Should Seem Familiar
This misleading "reporting" is hardly confined to Fox News Israel's friends in the media are beating the drums of war.


Sarah Palin, Neocon Messiah
Sarah Palin has a passionate attachment to Israel and is thus the darling of the neocons.


Helen Thomas on Obama, the WH Press Corps, and More
DC's most experienced journalist says Obama lost credibility when he dodged question on Israeli nukes


Senor Decides Against Running for Senate, Citing Family and Business
“Start-up Nation” presents Israel in an extremely positive light as a bastion of entrepreneurial spirit and technological achievement. It skirts a discussion of the conflict with the Palestinians, or even the wealth inequality within Israel, thereby dovetailing nicely with recent public relations efforts by Israel to shift attention away from its problems and toward its achievements. Isn't it nice how so many of our current and would-be politicians - particularly those that push and have pushed us to take on Iraq and Iran- have such strong ties to Israel?


A Confrontation That Was Inevitable
Either way the message is the same: America has gone to great lengths to defend Israel’s security. How far will Israel go to protect America’s security? They won't do a damned thing.


The Four Questions About Israel’s Future
Unlike the days of my parents, Israel, stronger than ever, now has peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, who, along with other Arab states, also fear Iran. We also have a strong bond with the United States, which is determined to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. What we need to do is quickly restore trust between Jerusalem and Washington, so we can face the Iranian threat together. Oh hell no. Someone needs to tell these people to fight their own battles. America has enough problems of its own right now.


Moscow metro bombings Russia should reinvent how it handles terrorism
Russia’s foreign-policy responses to terror in the North Caucuses have failed as well. The Kremlin maintains contacts with Hamas and Hezbollah and, until now, has resisted meaningful sanctions against the biggest state sponsor of terrorism – Iran. Notice that the author of this piece is from The Heritage Foundation, a neocon thinktank.


Israel could use tactical nukes on Iran: thinktank
Preparing the US sheep for the war we're about to get dragged into?