Thursday, March 31, 2011

Headlines for March 17 - March 23

A Stand For Justice


Military action against Gaddafi 'within hours' of UN vote
A source at UN headquarters in New York said military forces could be deployed "within hours" of a new security council resolution calling for states to protect civilians by halting attacks by Muammar Gaddafi's forces by air, land and sea.


Oil prices hit highest level since Sept. 2008
Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude for April delivery gained $2.51 to settle at $104.42 per barrel in New York, the highest level since Sept. 26, 2008.


US Army 'Kill Team' in Afghanistan Posed for Photos of Murdered Civilians



West Pounds Libya, Kadhafi Vows 'Long War'
The US military said the first stage of coalition raids under a UN Security Council remit to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya had been "successful" and Kadhafi's offensive on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi stopped in its tracks.


A Tangled Web By Philip Giraldi
Virtually all of the government growth came out of the perception that there was an ominous foreign threat that had to be dealt with by creating more government, which means in turn that civilian government in the United States has largely become an instrument to sustain a bloated military budget to fight a war that will quite likely last forever, not unlike the constant warfare against shifting enemies featured in George Orwell's novel 1984.


Military action if Iran sanctions fail: Netanyahu
Netanyahu said if military action was taken, he would prefer that it be lead by the United States. They got us to attack Iraq for them (by way of their minions, the neoconservatives - Feith, Perle, Wolfowitz, etc).


China calls for immediate cease-fire in Libya



Republican says action in Libya is an 'affront' to the US Constitution



Robert Fisk: Palestinians understand Gaddafi better than we do
There was a time when this kind of drivel would be ignored but it is now part of an increasingly dangerous narrative in which charity is turned into evil, in which the one institution supplying help to perhaps 95 per cent of almost five million Palestinian refugees is to become a target. And since UNRWA in Gaza did appear to become a target in the 2008-9 bloodbath, this is pretty frightening stuff.


A Foolish and Unconstitutional War by Patrick J. Buchanan
“The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.”

So said constitutional scholar and Senator Barack Obama in December 2007 — the same man who, this weekend, ordered U.S. air and missile strikes on Libya without any authorization from Congress.


Obama Claims Gadhafi is a Danger to U.S.
To summarize, the argument goes something like this: Gadhafi quells the rebellion, causing Libyans to flee to other countries like Egpyt, causing unspecified "instability" that would in turn cause damage to unspecified national security interests of the U.S. Therefore we can't let Gadhafi quell the rebellion. How many members of Congress or the public is that going to convince?


Years after vanishing in Iran, US man proven alive



Revealed: US Spy Operation That Manipulates Social Media



U.N. Reported Only a Fraction of Civilian Deaths from U.S. Raids



Russia calls for halt to Libya attack
"The reports say that during air raids on Libya strikes were also delivered on non-military facilities. ... As a result, 48 civilians are reported dead and over 150 wounded," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the RIA Novosti news agency.




Bill Kristol calls for U.S. ground forces in Libya
Neocons got their coveted attack on Libya.


A Farewell Address by Philip Giraldi
After seven years and hundreds of billions of dollars invested, one might note that perfection is also something that costs a lot. As ex-Trotskyites, neocons can be unyielding in their understanding that freedom doesn’t come cheap or easy, even if they have been able to avoid the fighting and paying on any personal level. They know that that’s why you have government and a professional army – to make someone else actually bear the pain and cough up the cash. I'll sit with you at the tomb for the reading, Mr. Giraldi. I know how you feel.


Obama Leaves Door Open to Regime Change in Libya
U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated his prior calls for regime change in Libya on Monday during a televised press conference from Chile, the second stop of his three-country visit to Latin America this week.


Syrian forces shoot protesters, kill 6 in mosque
At least four youths were killed when the security forces intercepted them at the northern entrance of Deraa, witnesses said. Their bodies were seen at a clinic in the city.


US politician Sarah Palin visits Israel
Stay there, Sarah.


The ‘Other Muslim’ in Congress
Carson, who visited Israel last August and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Tzipi Livni, has a solid voting record on Israel and attended the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee last year. After the Gaza military operation of 2008, Carson supported a resolution backing Israel, a vote that triggered some criticism against him from pro-Palestinian activists.

So in other words, Carson is an 'Uncle Tom' Muslim.


What's Palin Doing in Israel?
For the former Alaska governor, the trip offers a chance to distinguish herself as more pro-Israel than other American politicians and, perhaps, to make amends for her “blood libel” gaffe in January that angered many Jews. Palin has already pointed out that President Obama has yet to visit Israel during more than two years in office. At a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she was expected to distance herself from the position of some fellow Tea Partiers—chiefly Sen. Rand Paul—in favor of cutting aid to Israel. You can be sure that Sarah is going to need some Kleenex to wipe the Israeli feces off of her nose.


Helen Thomas: Playboy Interview
THOMAS: I knew I’d hit the third rail. You cannot say anything about Israel in this country. But I’ve lived with this cause for many years. Everybody knows my feelings that the Palestinians have been shortchanged in every way. Sure, the Israelis have a right to exist—but where they were born, not to come and take someone else’s home. I’ve had it up to here with the violations against the Palestinians. Why shouldn’t I say it? I knew exactly what I was doing—I was going for broke. I had reached the point of no return. You finally get fed up. God love her for never backing down, despite the overwhelming vitriol aimed at her. And kudos to Playboy for this interview. What happened to Helen Thomas is yet further proof that you can say anything you want in this country about Christians or Muslims, but don't you dare criticize Israel (or Jews), you're done for.


Report: U.S. considering strategic outreach to Hezbollah



WikiLeaks: Lebanon army seized Hezbollah arms truck during 2006 war
According to the WikiLeaks cable, the Christian leaders told then U.S. envoy to Lebanon Jeff Feltman and Assistant Secretary of State David Welch that they would approve of another week or two of Israeli attacks against Hezbollah if it meant those actions would weaken the militant group.


Sarah Palin: The End of the Affair
At a minimum, we can assume that Kristol’s core operatives such as Randy Scheunemann and Michael Goldfarb will be with Palin for the long haul.


Sarah Palin dines with Netanyahu, skips Bethlehem
As expected, the former Alaska governor had dinner Monday night with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, becoming the fourth 2012 hopeful in the last three months to sit down with the top Israeli leader.


What Intervention in Libya Tells us About the Neocon-liberal Alliance
So if you're baffled by how Mr. "Change You Can Believe In" morphed into Mr. "More of the Same," you shouldn't really be surprised. George Bush left in disgrace and Barack Obama took his place, but he brought with him a group of foreign policy advisors whose basic world views were not that different from the people they were replacing


Be Consistent—Invade Saudi Arabia



The Manipulative Pro-War Argument in Libya
my real question for Judis (and those who voice the same accusations against Libya intervention opponents) is this: do you support military intervention to protect protesters in Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and other U.S. allies from suppression, or to stop the still-horrendous suffering in the Sudan, or to prevent the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Ivory Coast? Did you advocate military intervention to protect protesters in Iran and Egypt, or to stop the Israeli slaughter of hundreds of trapped innocent civilians in Gaza and Lebanon or its brutal and growing occupation of the West Bank?


Defund NPR? What About Fox?



Obama’s Libyan War
Will is right, and it is typically unforeseen circumstances that perpetuate the excuses for perpetual war. US forces remain in Iraq today precisely because we fear what kind of regime might arise in our absence—yet there was very little discussion of this important issue before the invasion. After taking the fight to the Taliban in 2001 as payback for 9/11, we remain in that country a decade later out of fear of a resurgent Taliban. Much of the discussion concerning Afghanistan today is whether we can ever leave due to this eternal concern


Obama’s Irrelevance by Patrick J. Buchanan



US and Germany Offer 'Feeble Opposition' to Bahrain Crackdown
A government-led crackdown in Bahrain led to three protester deaths on Wednesday. Though the situation appeared calmer on Thursday, German editorialists criticize Saudi Arabia's decision to send troops in to help suppress the demonstrations and urge Western nations to not abandon the protestors.


Wisconsin Senators "Sell Out" to Corporate Interests as DC Crowds Pick Up the Chant: "Recall!"
Wisconsin Republican state Senators, fresh from passing draconian anti-labor and privatization legislation, jetted into Washington, D.C., Wednesday night to collect tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from the one constituency group that approves of what Governor Scott Walker and his GOP allies are doing: corporate lobbyists.


Court Reinstates ACLU Lawsuit Challenging Unconstitutional Spying Law
The American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit in July 2008 to stop the government from conducting surveillance under the FISA Amendments Act (FAA), a statute that gives the executive branch virtually unchecked power to collect Americans' international e-mails and telephone calls. The appeals court today ruled that the plaintiffs in the case could challenge the FAA without first showing with certainty that they had been spied on under the statute.


Crowd in NYC rallies against hearing on US Muslims
I apologize that some of the links in this newsbatch are a few weeks old.


U.S. Court Validates Spying Fears of Journalists, Activists






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