A Stand For Justice
U.S. Home Seizures Reach Record Amid Foreclosure Review
More than 100,000 U.S. homes were seized by lenders in September, a record number that probably will decline in coming months as major banks halt repossessions and review their foreclosure practices.
Israel takes center stage in Illinois election campaign
Forget the financial crisis; in the Ninth Congressional District of Illinois, it is Israel that has taken center stage in the election campaign. A Jewish candidate has been trying to convince the mostly Jewish voters that his Jewish opponent has not done enough to protect the Jewish interest. Don't read this if you have high blood pressure.
Across the U.S., Long Recovery Looks Like Recession
At the current rate of job creation, the nation would need nine more years to recapture the jobs lost during the recession. And that doesn’t even account for five million or six million jobs needed in that time to keep pace with an expanding population All of that money we pour into the Middle East in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Jordan, Egypt and more, could be better spent here at home.
Iran welcomes nuclear talks offer, seeks dates
Iran welcomed on Friday a proposal to restart talks with six major powers on its nuclear programme next month and called for a date to be agreed for the first such meeting in a year.
Ignored warnings, lax security led to 7 CIA deaths
NATO official: Bin Laden living comfortably in Pakistan
Osama bin Laden is living comfortably in northwest Pakistan, protected by local tribespeople and some members of the country's intelligence service, a NATO official has told CNN. The news undercuts the U.S. government's depiction of the al–Qaida leader as on the run, one terror expert tells The Upshot.
Iran releases American held for 2 years in Tehran
Carter in Syria: Israel Must Fully Lift Gaza Blockade
"The blockade is one of the most serious human rights violations on Earth and it must be lifted fully," said Carter from Syria.
Besides Carter, the Elders delegation includes former Irish president Mary Robinson and former UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. While in Gaza, the group described Israel's blockade as an "illegal collective punishment" and "an impediment to peace."
Applications for jobless benefits rise to 462K
t r u t h o u t Israel Seals Unprecedented Weapons Deals With the US
Preceding the October 7 signing of the Lockheed contract, Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the United States, told The Washington Post on October 6 that "incentives" were offered to Israel to extend its so-called moratorium on the illegal settlement colonies in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem to keep the Palestinian Authority in direct talks. Oren told the Post that the Obama administration had come up with "a number of suggestions, incentives if you would, to the Israelis that would enable the government to maybe pass a limited extension of two or three months."
It was unclear whether the Lockheed contract was specifically offered as one of the incentives, but Oren added that the purchase agreement was "an event of great strategic and historic significance," and that it would "serve the common interests" of the US and Israel.
In late July 2010, the US House Appropriations Sub-Committee on Defense increased funding for Israeli missile defense programs to its highest level ever - approving $422.7 million for next year's budget - and adding $95.7 million to the original White House funding request for the long-range Arrow interceptor project and the medium-range David's Sling, according to sources quoted by the Jerusalem Post. "The lion's share - $108.8m. - will go to the Arrow 3 system, which the US signed off on after some initial hesitation," the Jerusalem Post reported. The funding also includes $205 million for the short-range missile interceptor program (dubbed "The Iron Dome") initially approved by President Barack Obama last Spring.
This defense spending package is more than double that of last year's. And that's just a fraction of the total aid that American taxpayers shell out to Israel (and its neighbors to keep the peace) each year. Americans would be shocked, and outraged, especially given the fact that more and more Americans are in POVERTY. Our money is funding a people whose economy is actuallly DOING WELL, and the government is committing war crimes ('settlements' in occupied territory) and has been since its inception.
Is the US system rigged for the rich?
The shift of income to the top has occurred in the most prosperous English-speaking nations, such as Australia, Britain, and Canada. But it has been most pronounced in the United States. Thirty years ago, the richest 1 percent of Americans got 9 percent of total national income. By 2007, they had 23 percent. Last year, new census data show, the rich-poor income gap was the widest on record.
Wealth is more unevenly distributed. The top 20 percent of wealth-holders own 84 percent of America's wealth. What's causing it? Who owns you?
America's Poor Where Poverty Is Rising In America
Thanks to the recession, 2009 was one of the worst years for poverty in America in more than half a century. The total number of Americans living in poverty hit 43.6 million, the highest level in 51 years and the national poverty rate rose to 14.3 percent from 13.2 percent, according to data released last month by the Census Bureau. All of that money we pour into the Middle East in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Jordan, Egypt and more, could be better spent here at home.
Israel settlers start fires amid West Bank harvest
Thick black smoke billows from the olive grove under the gaze of Israeli soldiers as Palestinian farmers use branches to try to beat out the fires lit by Jewish settlers.
It's olive harvest time in the occupied West Bank.
The firebombers swooped down from Havat Gilad, a wildcat Jewish settlement unauthorised even by the Israeli government.
Every American should read this. These are the Israeli equivalent of Hamas, just as capable of murder and other crimes but with one main difference: the Israeli government supports them, and so does ours (and the US taxpayer dollars never stop flowing).
The Iran Report by Philip Girald
How about a White House-issued statement calling itself an NIE that says something like this: "Even though we have no hard evidence that Iran has a nuclear arms program we have decided that since Tehran has not been completely forthcoming on some aspects of its nuclear energy program it might be intending to develop a weapon. The White House is under constant pressure from Israel and its supporters in congress and the media to do something about the threat from Iran, so we have asked the CIA to prepare a document that will enable us to bomb Iran if we decide it is politically expedient to do so. Or alternatively not to bomb Iran if we decide not to do so because, in our judgment, the voters cannot stomach another war. The decision on what to do about Iran will be based on what happens in midterm elections next month and on a White House assessment of what has to be done to insure the re-election of President Obama. That might require a new war or maybe not, but rest assured that it will have nothing to do with the genuine threat that Iran might actually pose and nothing to do with any balance of power in the world or vital American national interests. It will all come down to appeasing the Israel Lobby and managing the election cycle. Thank you." Right on, Phil. Sad.
Musharraf's 'fish, duck and wine' lunch with Israeli MPs in London
Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is stated to have shared a lunch with a couple of members of Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, at a Chinese restaurant in Kensington area of central London a few days ago.
U.S. lawmakers: Lebanon's embrace of Ahmadinejad may affect military aid
In August, two key Democrats, Representatives Nita Lowey and Howard Berman, announced they were holding up $100 million that had been approved for Lebanon's army but not yet spent. At the time, lawmakers said they were blocking U.S. funding due to a deadly border clash between Lebanon and Israel.
Israeli Policies are Manifestly Evil: Philip Giraldi
Most intelligence officers believe that Israel, which was conducting a massive and illegal spy operation inside the U.S. aimed at Arabs living here, knew at least parts of the 9/11 conspiracy. It did not share that information and it is also clear that leading Israeli politicians welcomed the attacks because they made Washington a totally committed ally in full agreement with the Israeli view of Islamic terrorism.
Ahmadinejad, near Israel border, says Zionists mortal
turkey Iran sanctions affecting banking decisions
Turkey said Wednesday that U.S. and EU sanctions have led to hesitation by Turkish banks on doing business with Iran. But Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan told reporters in Washington that he expects overall Turkish trade with Iran to increase.
Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/10/20/1678148/turkey-iran-sanctions-affecting.html#ixzz13VZqdsTM
At Lebanon border, Ahmadinejad predicts Israel demise
"The whole world knows that the Zionists are going to disappear," he said Thursday to thunderous applause before a frenzied crowd in Hezbollah's bastion of Bint Jbeil, some four kilometres (two miles) from the Israeli border.
"The occupying Zionists today have no choice but to accept reality and go back to their countries of origin," he added.
Pro-Israel groups deny role in Cyprus bill
A report last week in Congressional Quarterly said the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbied for the nonbinding resolution passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 28 by voice vote.....The Congressional Quarterly story cast what it said was pro-Israel support for the resolution as part of deteriorating Israel-Turkey relations in the wake of the 2009 Gaza war and Israel's deadly May 31 raid on a Turkish-flagged aid flotilla attempting to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza.
4 men are convicted in NY synagogue-bombing plot
The FBI assigned Hussain in 2008 to infiltrate a mosque in Newburgh, about an hour north of New York. After meeting Cromitie, he told him he was a representative of a Pakistani terror organization that was eager to finance a holy war on U.S. soil.
Foreign Policy Does Not Flow From the Will of the People
To the extent that a consensus on Israel exists on the right, it is something that has been fashioned by conservative political and intellectual leaders over decades, and it is something that has been reinforced through a steady diet of slanted or incomplete news coverage, government propaganda, and the constantly repeated claim that Israel is a reliable ally.......One side has effectively dominated the public discussion of the issue for decades, not because they happen to be telling the public what it already wants to hear, but because they have been trying to shape public opinion for decades
New York Candidates Court Hasidic Vote
While the true strength of the famous ultra-Orthodox voting blocs is up for debate, the Hasidic lifestyle, which calls for large families and private yeshiva education, leads its adherents to rely on significant infusions of government financial support. Relationships between community leaders and political leaders are based largely on the ability of the former to deliver bloc votes to the latter, and are seen as essential to keeping the aid flowing in the opposite direction.
“They don’t want to be on the outside,” New York Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf said of the New York Hasidic leadership. “They’ll pick the winner. Why? Because they don’t want to be denied aid.”.......“Education, and how government can alleviate the financial burden on a typical Jewish family sending five or six children to yeshivas, is probably the issue of paramount importance to the community,”
Read that a few times.
It's the Occupation, Stupid - By Robert A. Pape
Israelis have their own narrative about terrorism, which holds that Arab fanatics seek to destroy the Jewish state because of what it is, not what it does. But since Israel withdrew its army from Lebanon in May 2000, there has not been a single Lebanese suicide attack. Similarly, since Israel withdrew from Gaza and large parts of the West Bank, Palestinian suicide attacks are down over 90 percent.
'Ahmadinejad visit proves Lebanon has joined axis of extreme nations'
Israel's stance, which has been clearly expressed over recent days, is that Ahmadinejad's visit proves that Lebanon is becoming more extreme, on its way to becoming an Iranian outpost. "Lebanon has joined the axis of extreme nations which object to the peace process and support terror," said a senior Israeli official involved in preparations for the two-day visit.
Crumbling America Has a $2.2 Trillion Repair Bill
Iran confirms its planes were being refused fuel in Europe
U.S. readies $2B security aid for Pakistan
Pakistan warns on Tehran nukes
In some of Pakistan's strongest statements on Iran's controversial nuclear program, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said yesterday that he wanted to avoid "another major crisis in the region".
UK can no longer mount military operations like Iraq invasion, government decides
The government has decided that Britain will no longer be able to mount military operations on the scale of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the deployment in Afghanistan's Helmand province, it emerged today as David Cameron unveiled the details of the strategic defence and security review.
MEMO: Health Insurance, Banking, Oil Industries Met With Koch, Chamber, Glenn Beck To Plot 2010 Election
corporations fund groups like the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute — both had representatives at the Koch meeting — to further their lobbying agenda. The American Enterprise Institute even changed its name from the New Deal-era American Enterprise Association to try to dispel the notion that they were nothing more than a glorified business trade association. Those are neocon groups.
Going After Iran (Again) by Philip Giraldi
Quite a lot to digest. One does not have to be an apologist for Iran to note that the editorial is a whole lot of innuendo wrapped in speculation. In reality, Iran has not attacked any neighbor or triggered any war either directly or by proxy while it has been Israel that has been doing all the attacking.
How Iran brokered a secret deal to put its ally in power in Iraq
US, Israel agree Iran prime threat to Mideast
"While today's strategic dialogue covered many subjects, it is clear that Iran is among the greatest challenges we face today in the Middle East," said the statement, which was released by the State Department in the names of Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon. Israel=the tail that wags the American dog.
How propaganda is disseminated: WikiLeaks Edition
Major FAIR Exposé of PBS: Taking the 'Public' Out of Public TV
both funding and ownership of these shows is increasingly corporate, further eroding the distinction between "public" and corporate television. There is precious little "public" left in "public television."
Obama's Sinking Jewish Numbers--Is It Israel?
It does not mean that Jewish voters do not care about Israel, said David Harris, president and CEO of the National Jewish Democratic Coalition, but rather that Jewish voters feel comfortable with the level of support for Israel demonstrated by most candidates, Democrats and Republicans.
In other words, they know they're going to get an Israel-kowtower in Congress, so they don't have to worry.
Israel Is a Campaign Issue, but How Big?
“Jewish voters need to be comfortable that their candidates support Israel, and once they are sure of that, they move on to other issues,”
The "Cyberwar" Is Over and the National Security Agency Has Won
Occupation and Withdrawal
The central fact is that overwhelmingly suicide-terrorist attacks are not driven by religion as much as they are by a clear strategic objective: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory that the terrorists view as their homeland [bold mine-DL]. From Lebanon to Sri Lanka to Chechnya to Kashmir to the West Bank, every major suicide-terrorist campaign—over 95 percent of all the incidents—has had as its central objective to compel a democratic state to withdraw.
Ahmadinejad in Lebanon: A Mideast Doctrine in Ruins
The Bush Administration may have hoped that its own invasion of Iraq and Israel's attacks on Lebanon in 2006 and Gaza in late 2008 would strike decisive blows against Iran and its allies and turn the regional dynamic in favor of the U.S. But in all three places, Iran's influence was actually strengthened
Federal Agents Urged to 'Friend' People on Social Networks, Memo Reveals
Chavez vows to back Iran 'under any circumstances,' hopes to bolster trade ties
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Headlines for October 7 - October 13
A Stand For Justice
Military suicide rates surge
Syria: Israel-U.S. fighter jet deal destabilizes region
Last month, a ministerial panel headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak made a final decision to purchase 20 new F-35 fighter jets, despite opposition from a number of senior defense officials over the high cost of the deal.
The entire deal will be funded by American military. Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
Senior citizens brace for Social Security freeze
The government is expected to announce this week that more than 58 million Social Security recipients will go through a second straight year without an increase in monthly benefits. This year was the first without an increase since automatic adjustments for inflation started in 1975. Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
US Backs PM: Israel is Jewish State
Meanwhile, Israel plans to request next week that the US extend its $3 billion security package for another few years, but the state is also preparing for the possibility that the latter will cut the package by a billion, Ynet has learned.
Next week officials from the State Department are scheduled to arrive in Israel in order to receive a briefing on its economic standing and reforms.
Over the past few years, due to Israel's relatively buoyant economy, the state has not generally had to make use of US security in order to raise funds, but the Finance Ministry prefers to continue receiving it. Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
A record 30% of unemployed out of work at least a year
Put another way, a hefty share of the long-term unemployed — 71% — were out of work at least a year in August, up from 48% a year earlier, BLS figures show. Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
US Cities Face Half a Trillion Dollars of Pension Deficits
Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
Third world America
The National Association of Counties estimates that local governments will eliminate roughly half a million employees in the next fiscal year, with public safety, public works, public health, social services, and parks and recreation hardest hit by the cutbacks. A July survey by the association of counties, the National League of Cities, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors of 270 local governments found that 63 per cent of localities are cutting back on public safety and 60 per cent are cutting public works. Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
10,000 wait in line at Cal Expo in bid to save their homes
Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
Gunmen torch NATO trucks in new raids in Pakistan
The attacks were launched on the same day the United States apologized to Pakistan for a NATO cross-border incursion in which U.S. helicopters killed two Pakistani soldiers.
Dollar tumbles to fresh 15-year low against yen
Bank foreclosure cover seen in bill at Obama's desk
A bill that homeowners advocates warn will make it more difficult to challenge improper foreclosure attempts by big mortgage processors is awaiting President Barack Obama's signature after it quietly zoomed through the Senate last week.
The bill, passed without public debate in a way that even surprised its main sponsor, Republican Representative Robert Aderholt, requires courts to accept as valid document notarizations made out of state, making it harder to challenge the authenticity of foreclosure and other legal documents.
Iran acknowledges espionage at nuclear facilities
Iran acknowledged Saturday that some personnel at the country's nuclear facilities were lured by promises of money to pass secrets to the West but insisted increased security and worker privileges have put a stop to the spying.
Iran may be ready for nuclear talks by late October
Iran is ready to hold talks with six major powers over its nuclear program "in late October or early November," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Saturday.
Israel To Iran: Time’s Up
Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz called Monday for a naval blockade of Iran within two to six months, saying sanctions have failed to convince the Islamic republic to abandon its nuclear weapons program. THey'll do and say anything at this point to get the US to fight yet another war on their behalf.
Suburbs take hit as US poverty climbs in downturn
The study of census data finds that since 2000, the number of poor people in the suburbs jumped by 37.4 percent to 13.7 million. The growth rate of suburban poverty is more than double that of cities and higher than the national rate of 26.5 percent.
Iran puts Guard death toll at 18 in base blast
Iran on Wednesday said 18 members of the powerful Revolutionary Guard were killed in an explosion that struck the force's base in the country's west a day earlier
Ahmadinejad makes a show of strength in Lebanon
Israeli lawmaker Arieh Eldad, from the ultranationalist National Union Party, went so far as to suggest that Israel assassinate the Iranian leader when he visits the border area.
Grim economy news: Jobs numbers shrank in September
They Hate Us for Our Occupations
In 2004, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld commissioned a task force to study what causes Terrorism, and it concluded that "Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather, they hate our policies": specifically, "American direct intervention in the Muslim world" through our "one sided support in favor of Israel"; support for Islamic tyrannies in places like Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and, most of all, "the American occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan" (the full report is here). Now, a new, comprehensive study from Robert Pape, a University of Chicago political science professor and former Air Force lecturer, substantiates what is (a) already bleedingly obvious and (b) known to the U.S. Government for many years: namely, that the prime cause of suicide bombings is not Hatred of Our Freedoms or Inherent Violence in Islamic Culture or a Desire for Worldwide Sharia Rule by Caliphate, but rather. . . . foreign military occupations.
Negotiator: Iran to show proof of US nuclear aid to Israel
The Media's Construction of the 'Ground Zero Mosque'
CNN featured virulent Islamophobes on a number of occasions. Geller—who has called for the destruction of Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock, one of Islam’s holiest sites, and whose website depicted Muhammad with the face of a pig (FAIR Blog, 8/18/10)—appeared on the network twice (5/26/10, 8/17/10) to talk about her opposition to the project. Many are bile-spewing Israel-supporters, not surprisingly.
Russia to pay Iran $800 mln for shelved S-300 deal
Iran had criticised Russia for abandoning the deal, which the United States and Israel had urged Moscow to drop because of fears Tehran could use the missiles to protect nuclear facilities they suspect are part of a weapons programme.
The Real Israel Lobby
Neocon Bill Kristol attempting to further the lie that Americans support Israel. IF it were true, then there wouldn't be a need for AIPAC, WINEP, CAMERA, Honestreporting.com and many more lobbies, PACs, thinktanks, watchdogs : all dedicated to making sure the media and representatives toe the Israeli line. None of that would be necessary if the majority of Americans supported Israel. In fact, they don't according to a recent poll by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. My condolences to the Israel firsters (which includes the neocons).
Israel, Hurt by Belly-Dance Video, Fears Delegitimization - TIME
Israel's latest mortification, now playing on YouTube, features a Palestinian woman in modest Islamic dress, captive, blindfolded and standing stock still while an Israeli soldier undulates against her, trilling his fingers like the belly dancer he pretends to be as he grins at his friend who holds the camera. This follows the infamous Facebook posting of a female soldier beaming beside blindfolded and bound Palestinian men — her prisoners — in a photo album titled "IDF — The best time of my life." .......The need to nurture U.S. support against Iran was only one reason Netanyahu came around to the Obama Administration's bid for talks
Hero's welcome in Lebanon for Iranian leader
"We fully support the resistance of the Lebanese people against the Zionist regime and we want full liberation of occupied territory in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine,"
Helen Thomas on being anti-Semitic: 'Baloney!'
In a radio interview, former White House correspondent Helen Thomas acknowledges she touched a nerve with remarks about Israel that led to her retirement. But she says the comments were "exactly what I thought," even though she realized soon afterward that it was the end of her job.
"I hit the third rail. You cannot criticize Israel in this country and survive," Thomas told Ohio station WMRN–AM in a sometimes emotional 35–minute interview that aired Tuesday
Israel Is Spying In And On The U.S.? Part 1
Why defense spending won't go down much Stephen M. Walt
Q. How can you tell when William Kristol is giving bad policy advice?
A. His lips are moving. Or he's typing. Or he's writing an open letter for a bunch of hawks to sign. Or launching some new letterhead organization.
I refer, of course, to Kristol's recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal (co-authored with the presidents of the the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute). The basic theme is that the world is very, very dangerous, and so the United States should not cut a nickel from its defense budget, even though we already spend more than the rest of the world combined, have most of the world's major powers on our side, and possess a robust nuclear deterrent. So even though the country is also facing massive budget deficits, at least partly due to policies that Kristol has previously promoted, we need to build a wall around the defense budget and make sure it doesn't get shrunk. At all.
Mr. Walt is the other author of the Israeli lobby.
Bagels and Ballots — Friday
Responding to MitzVote’s questionnaire, California’s Democratic incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer responds to our questionnaire. “When it comes to Iran, nothing should be taken off the table,” she wrote. (The San Francisco Chronicle)
Who's upset over the economy Everybody, everywhere
Palin raises concerns about Iran in interview
U.S. Threat to Nuke Iran Termed Criminal by Legal Scholar
When Obama administration officials, like those of the Bush regime before it, say "all options are on the table," they are threatening nuclear war and that is prohibited by international law, says Francis Boyle, professor of international law at the University of Illinois at Champaign.
Caught Spying on Student, FBI Demands GPS Tracker Back Threat Level Wired.com
With Emanuel and Axelrod Gone, Will the Jews Have Access to Obama?
the two individuals now running the policy in the White House -- National Security Council staffers Daniel Shapiro and Dennis Ross -- are sensitive to Jewish concerns.
“Rahm was not running Middle East policy,” Diament said. “Dennis Ross and Dan Shapiro are still there.”
Microsoft aims barrage of fixes at Stuxnet and more
Chinese warplanes refueled in Iran en route to Turkey
Iran indirectly supported a secret military drill between the Turkish and Chinese air forces that took place in September, sparking concerns in the United States, daily Hürriyet reported Monday
Six More Years by Philip Giraldi
. The White House has promised Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu that it will pursue a hard line on Iran and has offered a complete surrender over the issue of settlements if Israel can come to some jury-rigged peace agreement with the Palestinians, possibly landing the United States in the middle of yet another conflict in the Persian Gulf. And to ice the cake there is fear-mongering that occasionally even exceeds the frenetic output of the Bush Administration.
Joseph Sobran, Antiwar Prophet, RIP
The Israeli/Likud lobby today is still dominant mainly because of its fanatical support from tens of millions of Christian Zionist evangelicals and the military-industrial complex.
Goldwater on the Israel Lobby
Kolbe: Is the Israeli lobby too powerful?
Goldwater: God, yes, way too powerful.
Kolbe: Has that had some detrimental effects on what comes out of Congress?
Goldwater: Yes. See, we have no treaty with Israel, but we have pledged ourselves to go to war if she has to go to war. And there are some of the actions that some of the Israeli groups take that, at times, I’ve felt would hasten that day when we have to live up to our promise. I can understand the feeling, but I’m getting awfully tired of the great influence they have and there’s no question about it.
Poll: 76% of American Jews think Arabs want to destroy Israel
If diplomacy fails, 59% would support military action against Iran to stop its nuclear program, while 35% would oppose it. 70% will support Israeli preventive strike, while 26% would oppose it.
US man suspected of trying to spy for Israel
In June 2006, Doxer e-mailed a foreign country's consulate in Boston with his offer to help. Court papers indicated the country was Israel because at one point he identified himself as a Jewish American who wanted "to help our homeland and our war against our enemies." A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to confirm or deny that it was Israel.
Sarah Palin says if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, it could lead to Armageddon or World War III
"We have to realize that, at the end of the day, a nuclear weapon in that country's hands is not just Israel's problem or America's problem — it is the world's problem," Palin said of Iran.
Sarah Palin would appear to be a nitwit.
British media join forces against Murdoch buyout
The 79–year–old's British holdings are already extensive – and controversial. His stable of national newspapers reportedly account for 37 percent of the Britain's national press by circulation. The Sun, Britain's biggest daily, boasts of being able to swing elections and The News of The World, The Sun's Sunday sister paper, has been accused of running a massive illegal eavesdropping operation, with reporters spying on politicians, sports stars, celebrities – and even members of the royal family.
APNewsBreak: NY town won't disrupt Muslim graves
A small town in rural upstate New York is dropping plans to take legal action forcing a Muslim community to shut down its tiny graveyard, according to a letter sent by the town attorney Wednesday.
Military suicide rates surge
Syria: Israel-U.S. fighter jet deal destabilizes region
Last month, a ministerial panel headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak made a final decision to purchase 20 new F-35 fighter jets, despite opposition from a number of senior defense officials over the high cost of the deal.
The entire deal will be funded by American military. Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
Senior citizens brace for Social Security freeze
The government is expected to announce this week that more than 58 million Social Security recipients will go through a second straight year without an increase in monthly benefits. This year was the first without an increase since automatic adjustments for inflation started in 1975. Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
US Backs PM: Israel is Jewish State
Meanwhile, Israel plans to request next week that the US extend its $3 billion security package for another few years, but the state is also preparing for the possibility that the latter will cut the package by a billion, Ynet has learned.
Next week officials from the State Department are scheduled to arrive in Israel in order to receive a briefing on its economic standing and reforms.
Over the past few years, due to Israel's relatively buoyant economy, the state has not generally had to make use of US security in order to raise funds, but the Finance Ministry prefers to continue receiving it. Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
A record 30% of unemployed out of work at least a year
Put another way, a hefty share of the long-term unemployed — 71% — were out of work at least a year in August, up from 48% a year earlier, BLS figures show. Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
US Cities Face Half a Trillion Dollars of Pension Deficits
Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
Third world America
The National Association of Counties estimates that local governments will eliminate roughly half a million employees in the next fiscal year, with public safety, public works, public health, social services, and parks and recreation hardest hit by the cutbacks. A July survey by the association of counties, the National League of Cities, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors of 270 local governments found that 63 per cent of localities are cutting back on public safety and 60 per cent are cutting public works. Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
10,000 wait in line at Cal Expo in bid to save their homes
Hey I know, let's send Israel a few more billion.
Gunmen torch NATO trucks in new raids in Pakistan
The attacks were launched on the same day the United States apologized to Pakistan for a NATO cross-border incursion in which U.S. helicopters killed two Pakistani soldiers.
Dollar tumbles to fresh 15-year low against yen
Bank foreclosure cover seen in bill at Obama's desk
A bill that homeowners advocates warn will make it more difficult to challenge improper foreclosure attempts by big mortgage processors is awaiting President Barack Obama's signature after it quietly zoomed through the Senate last week.
The bill, passed without public debate in a way that even surprised its main sponsor, Republican Representative Robert Aderholt, requires courts to accept as valid document notarizations made out of state, making it harder to challenge the authenticity of foreclosure and other legal documents.
Iran acknowledges espionage at nuclear facilities
Iran acknowledged Saturday that some personnel at the country's nuclear facilities were lured by promises of money to pass secrets to the West but insisted increased security and worker privileges have put a stop to the spying.
Iran may be ready for nuclear talks by late October
Iran is ready to hold talks with six major powers over its nuclear program "in late October or early November," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Saturday.
Israel To Iran: Time’s Up
Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz called Monday for a naval blockade of Iran within two to six months, saying sanctions have failed to convince the Islamic republic to abandon its nuclear weapons program. THey'll do and say anything at this point to get the US to fight yet another war on their behalf.
Suburbs take hit as US poverty climbs in downturn
The study of census data finds that since 2000, the number of poor people in the suburbs jumped by 37.4 percent to 13.7 million. The growth rate of suburban poverty is more than double that of cities and higher than the national rate of 26.5 percent.
Iran puts Guard death toll at 18 in base blast
Iran on Wednesday said 18 members of the powerful Revolutionary Guard were killed in an explosion that struck the force's base in the country's west a day earlier
Ahmadinejad makes a show of strength in Lebanon
Israeli lawmaker Arieh Eldad, from the ultranationalist National Union Party, went so far as to suggest that Israel assassinate the Iranian leader when he visits the border area.
Grim economy news: Jobs numbers shrank in September
They Hate Us for Our Occupations
In 2004, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld commissioned a task force to study what causes Terrorism, and it concluded that "Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather, they hate our policies": specifically, "American direct intervention in the Muslim world" through our "one sided support in favor of Israel"; support for Islamic tyrannies in places like Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and, most of all, "the American occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan" (the full report is here). Now, a new, comprehensive study from Robert Pape, a University of Chicago political science professor and former Air Force lecturer, substantiates what is (a) already bleedingly obvious and (b) known to the U.S. Government for many years: namely, that the prime cause of suicide bombings is not Hatred of Our Freedoms or Inherent Violence in Islamic Culture or a Desire for Worldwide Sharia Rule by Caliphate, but rather. . . . foreign military occupations.
Negotiator: Iran to show proof of US nuclear aid to Israel
The Media's Construction of the 'Ground Zero Mosque'
CNN featured virulent Islamophobes on a number of occasions. Geller—who has called for the destruction of Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock, one of Islam’s holiest sites, and whose website depicted Muhammad with the face of a pig (FAIR Blog, 8/18/10)—appeared on the network twice (5/26/10, 8/17/10) to talk about her opposition to the project. Many are bile-spewing Israel-supporters, not surprisingly.
Russia to pay Iran $800 mln for shelved S-300 deal
Iran had criticised Russia for abandoning the deal, which the United States and Israel had urged Moscow to drop because of fears Tehran could use the missiles to protect nuclear facilities they suspect are part of a weapons programme.
The Real Israel Lobby
Neocon Bill Kristol attempting to further the lie that Americans support Israel. IF it were true, then there wouldn't be a need for AIPAC, WINEP, CAMERA, Honestreporting.com and many more lobbies, PACs, thinktanks, watchdogs : all dedicated to making sure the media and representatives toe the Israeli line. None of that would be necessary if the majority of Americans supported Israel. In fact, they don't according to a recent poll by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. My condolences to the Israel firsters (which includes the neocons).
Israel, Hurt by Belly-Dance Video, Fears Delegitimization - TIME
Israel's latest mortification, now playing on YouTube, features a Palestinian woman in modest Islamic dress, captive, blindfolded and standing stock still while an Israeli soldier undulates against her, trilling his fingers like the belly dancer he pretends to be as he grins at his friend who holds the camera. This follows the infamous Facebook posting of a female soldier beaming beside blindfolded and bound Palestinian men — her prisoners — in a photo album titled "IDF — The best time of my life." .......The need to nurture U.S. support against Iran was only one reason Netanyahu came around to the Obama Administration's bid for talks
Hero's welcome in Lebanon for Iranian leader
"We fully support the resistance of the Lebanese people against the Zionist regime and we want full liberation of occupied territory in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine,"
Helen Thomas on being anti-Semitic: 'Baloney!'
In a radio interview, former White House correspondent Helen Thomas acknowledges she touched a nerve with remarks about Israel that led to her retirement. But she says the comments were "exactly what I thought," even though she realized soon afterward that it was the end of her job.
"I hit the third rail. You cannot criticize Israel in this country and survive," Thomas told Ohio station WMRN–AM in a sometimes emotional 35–minute interview that aired Tuesday
Israel Is Spying In And On The U.S.? Part 1
Why defense spending won't go down much Stephen M. Walt
Q. How can you tell when William Kristol is giving bad policy advice?
A. His lips are moving. Or he's typing. Or he's writing an open letter for a bunch of hawks to sign. Or launching some new letterhead organization.
I refer, of course, to Kristol's recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal (co-authored with the presidents of the the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute). The basic theme is that the world is very, very dangerous, and so the United States should not cut a nickel from its defense budget, even though we already spend more than the rest of the world combined, have most of the world's major powers on our side, and possess a robust nuclear deterrent. So even though the country is also facing massive budget deficits, at least partly due to policies that Kristol has previously promoted, we need to build a wall around the defense budget and make sure it doesn't get shrunk. At all.
Mr. Walt is the other author of the Israeli lobby.
Bagels and Ballots — Friday
Responding to MitzVote’s questionnaire, California’s Democratic incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer responds to our questionnaire. “When it comes to Iran, nothing should be taken off the table,” she wrote. (The San Francisco Chronicle)
Who's upset over the economy Everybody, everywhere
Palin raises concerns about Iran in interview
U.S. Threat to Nuke Iran Termed Criminal by Legal Scholar
When Obama administration officials, like those of the Bush regime before it, say "all options are on the table," they are threatening nuclear war and that is prohibited by international law, says Francis Boyle, professor of international law at the University of Illinois at Champaign.
Caught Spying on Student, FBI Demands GPS Tracker Back Threat Level Wired.com
With Emanuel and Axelrod Gone, Will the Jews Have Access to Obama?
the two individuals now running the policy in the White House -- National Security Council staffers Daniel Shapiro and Dennis Ross -- are sensitive to Jewish concerns.
“Rahm was not running Middle East policy,” Diament said. “Dennis Ross and Dan Shapiro are still there.”
Microsoft aims barrage of fixes at Stuxnet and more
Chinese warplanes refueled in Iran en route to Turkey
Iran indirectly supported a secret military drill between the Turkish and Chinese air forces that took place in September, sparking concerns in the United States, daily Hürriyet reported Monday
Six More Years by Philip Giraldi
. The White House has promised Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu that it will pursue a hard line on Iran and has offered a complete surrender over the issue of settlements if Israel can come to some jury-rigged peace agreement with the Palestinians, possibly landing the United States in the middle of yet another conflict in the Persian Gulf. And to ice the cake there is fear-mongering that occasionally even exceeds the frenetic output of the Bush Administration.
Joseph Sobran, Antiwar Prophet, RIP
The Israeli/Likud lobby today is still dominant mainly because of its fanatical support from tens of millions of Christian Zionist evangelicals and the military-industrial complex.
Goldwater on the Israel Lobby
Kolbe: Is the Israeli lobby too powerful?
Goldwater: God, yes, way too powerful.
Kolbe: Has that had some detrimental effects on what comes out of Congress?
Goldwater: Yes. See, we have no treaty with Israel, but we have pledged ourselves to go to war if she has to go to war. And there are some of the actions that some of the Israeli groups take that, at times, I’ve felt would hasten that day when we have to live up to our promise. I can understand the feeling, but I’m getting awfully tired of the great influence they have and there’s no question about it.
Poll: 76% of American Jews think Arabs want to destroy Israel
If diplomacy fails, 59% would support military action against Iran to stop its nuclear program, while 35% would oppose it. 70% will support Israeli preventive strike, while 26% would oppose it.
US man suspected of trying to spy for Israel
In June 2006, Doxer e-mailed a foreign country's consulate in Boston with his offer to help. Court papers indicated the country was Israel because at one point he identified himself as a Jewish American who wanted "to help our homeland and our war against our enemies." A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to confirm or deny that it was Israel.
Sarah Palin says if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, it could lead to Armageddon or World War III
"We have to realize that, at the end of the day, a nuclear weapon in that country's hands is not just Israel's problem or America's problem — it is the world's problem," Palin said of Iran.
Sarah Palin would appear to be a nitwit.
British media join forces against Murdoch buyout
The 79–year–old's British holdings are already extensive – and controversial. His stable of national newspapers reportedly account for 37 percent of the Britain's national press by circulation. The Sun, Britain's biggest daily, boasts of being able to swing elections and The News of The World, The Sun's Sunday sister paper, has been accused of running a massive illegal eavesdropping operation, with reporters spying on politicians, sports stars, celebrities – and even members of the royal family.
APNewsBreak: NY town won't disrupt Muslim graves
A small town in rural upstate New York is dropping plans to take legal action forcing a Muslim community to shut down its tiny graveyard, according to a letter sent by the town attorney Wednesday.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Headlines for September 30 - October 6
A Stand For Justice
Americans tread water in gulf between rich, poor
Ahmadinejad says Mideast to expel US with 'kick in butt'
Ahmadinejad has already drawn international condemnation by repeatedly casting doubt on the Nazi Holocaust since coming to power in 2005.
On Sunday he branded Iran's regional arch–foe Israel a "savage dog unleashed in the region."
FBI Targets US Palestine Activists
Despite the searches and seizures of computers, cheque books, mobile phones, documents and photographs, Molm and other activists have not been charged with committing a crime.....Molm and other American activists travelled to Palestine in 2004 to see the conditions there for themselves.
Obama pressed to weigh Iran strike
US President Barack Obama is under pressure to consider a military strike on Iran, according to the Financial Times.
Both Senator Joe Lieberman and Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, have urged the president to consider setting a time limit of just a few months on the effectiveness of the most recent sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic for its nuclear advances. Joe Lieberman is one of Israel's top agents on Capitol Hill. Any strike on Iran would place our missions and troops in the region in grave danger. For whom do these representatives work?
Nearly one in four second-quarter home sales a foreclosure
Banks stepped up foreclosures through the summer and will take over a record 1.2 million homes this year, up from around 1 million last year and about 100,000 in 2005 before the housing bust, according to a forecast from the real estate data company.
Pakistan cuts NATO supply line after border firing
The move shows Pakistan's deep sensitivities over foreign forces on its doorstep. While nominally allied with Americans against the shared threat of Islamist militants, polls show many Pakistanis regard the United States as an enemy. Conspiracy theories abound of U.S. troops wanting to invade Pakistan and seize its nuclear weapons.
Art sellers or Mossad spies?
In Saratoga Springs, in northern Utah, there were complains that these art peddlers were asking strange questions that had nothing to do with their sales pitch. Some residents said they were asked about the new National Security Agency's data center being built at Camp Williams. Art sellers resurface in America? They were around in the run up to 9/11, according to a Fox News report on Israel's spies in December of 2001. Round them up and deport them, posthaste.
A day of reckoning for public pensions: The bills are due, the coffers are empty
According to a study by the Pew Center, state and local governments today face at least $1 trillion of unfunded pension promises.
European oil firms resist U.S. pressure to quit Iran
European oil majors resisted pressure from the United States on Friday to stop doing business with Iran, in spite of Washington's drive to isolate Tehran over a nuclear program the West suspects is aimed at making bombs.
Iran blasts US for latest sanctions move
It's the first time Washington has imposed sanctions on Iranians for violating human rights.
Mullen: Military suicides an ‘emergency’
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that the military is facing a suicide crisis. "The emergency issue right now is suicides. We had five suicides in the Army last weekend," he told reporters.
Ahmadinejad calls for US leaders to be 'buried'
Iran's president Sunday called for U.S. leaders to be "buried" in response to what he says are American threats of military attack against Tehran's nuclear program.....Several top U.S. officials including Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff have said in recent months that the military option remains on the table and there is a plan to attack Iran, although a military strike has been described as a bad idea.
Officials think bin Laden involved in Europe plot
U.S. apologizes for attack on Pakistani soldiers The Salt Lake Tribune
The U.S. apologized Wednesday for a recent helicopter attack that killed two Pakistani soldiers at an outpost near the Afghan border, saying American pilots mistook the soldiers for insurgents they were pursuing.
"Everyone Just Wants to Kill People at any Cost"
What Adam Winfield, one of the U.S. soldiers accused of killing civilians in Afghanistan, told his father
Iran's bourse booms despite sanctions
While U.S. diplomats were busy upping Iran's economic punishment over nuclear activities Washington fears are aimed at making a bomb, Iranian shares, which might have been expected to fall, have, instead, gone through the roof.
U.S. senators: China firm is violating Iran economic sanctions
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Republican Sen. John Kyl and Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer say the Chinese company has violated a new U.S. law aimed at discouraging foreign investment in Iran.
Study: vets' health costs could top $900 billion
A new study estimates that health costs for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars could top $900 billion, leading one congressman to call for setting up a veterans' trust fund.
Fmr. Intelligence Director: New Cyberattack May Be Worse Than 9/11
"The warnings are over. It could happen tomorrow," he said of a large-scale cyberattack against the U.S., which could impact the global economy "an order of magnitude surpassing" the attacks of September 11. McConnell, in a panel with Bush administration Homeland Security Adviser Fran Townsend and Washingtonian reporter Shane Harris, called cybersecurity "the wolf at the door."
Afghanistan & Iraq Vets Call for an End to Deployment of Traumatized Troops
Service members will testify about their experiences being redeployed while traumatized. A letter will be read publicly and delivered to government and military officials requesting an end to the deployment of traumatized troops. Veterans will voice opposition to the ongoing occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Study: Wars could cost $4 trillion to $6 trillion
Birth of the National Security State By Philip Giraldi
State secrets is only one weapon in the arsenal employed by the government to create a framework of regulation that permits the government to act with impunity. The Military Commission Act, which candidate Obama vowed to let expire, was renewed in 2009 with virtually no changes. Under the MCA, someone can be imprisoned indefinitely on suspicion that he or she has provided material support to terrorism. Material support is not defined and can be interpreted to mean nearly anything. If accused, right to a trial by peers does not apply as the detainee is subject to a military tribunal and habeas corpus is null and void.
Israel's unit 8200: cyber warfare
The Negev desert based Unit 8200 has evolved from the signal intelligence arm of the Israeli military into a respected leader in high technology warfare. One American consultancy rated Unit 8200 as the sixth biggest initiator of cyber attacks on the plants.
Israeli cyber unit responsible for Iran computer worm – claim
Ralf Langner, a German researcher, claims that Unit 8200, the signals intelligence arm of the Israeli defence forces, perpetrated the computer virus attack by infiltrating the software into the Bushehr nuclear power station
Did the West attack Iran's nukes... with a Biblically encoded computer worm?
experts found what might be a "fleeting reference to the Book of Esther" embedded deep in the worm's code. "Myrtus," the name of one of the files, may be an allusion to "the Hebrew word for Esther." The biblical book of the same name "tells the story of a Persian plot against the Jews, who attacked their enemies pre-emptively."
Millions of Computers Hit by Virus Across China
“Once Stuxnet successfully penetrates factory computers in China, those industries may collapse, which would damage China’s national security.”
Tea Party vs. War Party by Patrick J. Buchanan
If Obama makes good on his pledge of full withdrawal of the 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq by the end of 2011, will the Tea Party and Republican right oppose that withdrawal and join the War Party in demanding that we retain an army in Iraq indefinitely? If Obama refuses to go to war against Iran, a war that would send oil prices soaring, close the Persian Gulf and be a disaster for the global economy, will the Tea Party join the War Party in denouncing Obama for not launching a third war in the Near East?
Video: Even Zbigniew Brzezinski says AIPAC is bad for USA and Israel stole Palestinian land
Syrian leader: Mideast talks only to help Obama
Assad said the current attempt at dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians have brought "no change" and claimed that President Barack Obama only seeks a political boost.
"The talks are only aimed at supporting Obama's position inside the U.S," Assad said in his first public comments about the process since the latest round of negotiations began last month.
Antiwar Activists Refuse to Appear in Court
Activists say the feds are trying to silence criticism of U.S. foreign policy.
Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett, Mr. Ahmadinejad Comes to New York
Though we are more concerned about the risk of a bad U.S. decision in this regard than Secretary Powell appears to be, we certainly hope he is right about the chances of an Israeli or U.S. attack against Iran. And, of course, we strongly agree that acceptance of Iran's right to enrich uranium is an indispensable key to a serious and sustainable agreement on the nuclear issue. We hope that the Obama Administration is listening.
Rand’s secret rendezvous
According to Jason Zengerle’s recent GQ profile of Rand Paul, the U.S. Senate candidate had a private meeting on a recent trip to Washington:
“At a private office in Dupont Circle, he talked foreign policy with Bill Kristol, Dan Senor, and Tom Donnelly, three prominent neocons who’d been part of an effort to defeat him during the primary.”
Bill Clinton: Mideast peace would undercut terror
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said Tuesday that solving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict would take away much of the motivation for terrorism around the world.
Assad, Ahmadinejad: Israel's actions prove it doesn't want peace
The leaders of Iran and Syria, during a meeting in Tehran Saturday, expressed hope of expanding the anti-Israeli bloc in the region, adding that Israel's actions in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem proved the country did not truly want peace, the Iranian presidential office said in a statement.
Obama’s Cave-In To Israel
According to the leak, Obama made a series of extraordinarily generous offers to Israel, many of them at the expense of the Palestinians, in return for a single minor concession from Netanyahu: a two-month extension of the partial feeze on settlement growth.
Big energy firms cut Iran ties under U.S. pressure
Steinberg said Naftiran will be prohibited from receiving export assistance from the U.S. Export–Import Bank or private U.S. bank loans exceeding $10 million in any 12–month period and blocked from U.S. government procurement contracts.
The deal with the four international oil majors to curtail Iran activities set a precedent that other companies should follow, showing that the threat of sanctions was leaving Tehran increasingly isolated, Steinberg said
Israel pressures Lebanon to cancel Ahmadinejad visit
Cracks in the Democratic Coalitionby Patrick J. Buchanan
Black-Jewish tensions inside the Democratic coalition have also arisen in recent years, as Jewish contributors have poured money into races to defeat black members of Congress seen as hostile to Israel.
Two smaller minorities, Muslim- and Arab-Americans, also vote Democratic, are growing rapidly in numbers and, like many African-Americans, take the side of the Palestinians as an oppressed Third World people of color.
It’s Not Easy To Build a Mosque in Brooklyn, Either
“They brought people in who aren’t from the neighborhood,” he said. “They’re anti-Muslim. What other reasons would they be here? Do they care that I have a lot of traffic here? No, seriously — they live in Queens.”.....In the view of Michael Berenbaum, head of the Sigi Ziering Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Ethics at American Jewish University, the fact that so many of the Sheepshead Bay mosque opponents are Russian Jews — immigrants themselves — “may mean that they have not internalized the notion of religious freedom, which is essential to the American experience.”
IMF admits that the West is stuck in near depression
Want To Know If The FBI Is Tracking You? Look For One Of These
Want to know if the government is really tracking you? If you find one of these tucked underneath your car, you can start freaking out. If you do find it, maybe you should f'k with them. Turn the tables.
Britain held secret war talks with U.S. general 11 months before Iraq invasion
America's most senior general flew into Britain for top secret talks on the invasion of Iraq 11 months before the attack on Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Details of the classified meeting, held at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, suggest Tony Blair’s Government was involved in detailed discussions about toppling the Iraqi dictator earlier than previously disclosed.
Joseph Sobran’s Conservative Foreign Policy
Sobran had to leave his 18-year job as editor of National Review in 1993 due in part to his traditionally conservative views clashing with the neoconservatives’ agenda for the Middle East....Last week, columnists representing the American Enterprise Institute–Danielle Pletka and Thomas Donnelly–warned in the Washington Post that Tea Partiers should stay away from the likes of Ron or Rand Paul, Sen. Tom Coburn, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, and any other Republican who would dare question our current foreign policy. Neoconservatives Pletka and Donnelly seem to believe that America’s superpower status is what makes it great, forever spreading “freedom” and “democracy” around the world through perpetual war. Needless to say, the conservative Sobran took a more traditional view
Bipartisan Group of Former Attorneys General and Law Professors Call on Congress to Examine Constitutional Amendment to Reverse Citizens United
"One belief that Americans across the ideological spectrum share is a deep concern that corporations have too much influence over our political system, at the expense of individual Americans,"
Police: NYC mosque's imam, wife get death threats
The wife of an imam planning an Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero said Sunday that she and her husband have received death threats
Midnight Shopping On The Brink Of Poverty
Last year, 3.7 million Americans joined those already living in poverty, meaning families of four living on just under $22,000. That's 14 percent of the population Hey I know, let's give a couple more billion dollars to Israel so she won't steal any more Palestinian land (for 'settlements'). Unf'ingreal.
Americans tread water in gulf between rich, poor
Ahmadinejad says Mideast to expel US with 'kick in butt'
Ahmadinejad has already drawn international condemnation by repeatedly casting doubt on the Nazi Holocaust since coming to power in 2005.
On Sunday he branded Iran's regional arch–foe Israel a "savage dog unleashed in the region."
FBI Targets US Palestine Activists
Despite the searches and seizures of computers, cheque books, mobile phones, documents and photographs, Molm and other activists have not been charged with committing a crime.....Molm and other American activists travelled to Palestine in 2004 to see the conditions there for themselves.
Obama pressed to weigh Iran strike
US President Barack Obama is under pressure to consider a military strike on Iran, according to the Financial Times.
Both Senator Joe Lieberman and Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, have urged the president to consider setting a time limit of just a few months on the effectiveness of the most recent sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic for its nuclear advances. Joe Lieberman is one of Israel's top agents on Capitol Hill. Any strike on Iran would place our missions and troops in the region in grave danger. For whom do these representatives work?
Nearly one in four second-quarter home sales a foreclosure
Banks stepped up foreclosures through the summer and will take over a record 1.2 million homes this year, up from around 1 million last year and about 100,000 in 2005 before the housing bust, according to a forecast from the real estate data company.
Pakistan cuts NATO supply line after border firing
The move shows Pakistan's deep sensitivities over foreign forces on its doorstep. While nominally allied with Americans against the shared threat of Islamist militants, polls show many Pakistanis regard the United States as an enemy. Conspiracy theories abound of U.S. troops wanting to invade Pakistan and seize its nuclear weapons.
Art sellers or Mossad spies?
In Saratoga Springs, in northern Utah, there were complains that these art peddlers were asking strange questions that had nothing to do with their sales pitch. Some residents said they were asked about the new National Security Agency's data center being built at Camp Williams. Art sellers resurface in America? They were around in the run up to 9/11, according to a Fox News report on Israel's spies in December of 2001. Round them up and deport them, posthaste.
A day of reckoning for public pensions: The bills are due, the coffers are empty
According to a study by the Pew Center, state and local governments today face at least $1 trillion of unfunded pension promises.
European oil firms resist U.S. pressure to quit Iran
European oil majors resisted pressure from the United States on Friday to stop doing business with Iran, in spite of Washington's drive to isolate Tehran over a nuclear program the West suspects is aimed at making bombs.
Iran blasts US for latest sanctions move
It's the first time Washington has imposed sanctions on Iranians for violating human rights.
Mullen: Military suicides an ‘emergency’
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that the military is facing a suicide crisis. "The emergency issue right now is suicides. We had five suicides in the Army last weekend," he told reporters.
Ahmadinejad calls for US leaders to be 'buried'
Iran's president Sunday called for U.S. leaders to be "buried" in response to what he says are American threats of military attack against Tehran's nuclear program.....Several top U.S. officials including Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff have said in recent months that the military option remains on the table and there is a plan to attack Iran, although a military strike has been described as a bad idea.
Officials think bin Laden involved in Europe plot
U.S. apologizes for attack on Pakistani soldiers The Salt Lake Tribune
The U.S. apologized Wednesday for a recent helicopter attack that killed two Pakistani soldiers at an outpost near the Afghan border, saying American pilots mistook the soldiers for insurgents they were pursuing.
"Everyone Just Wants to Kill People at any Cost"
What Adam Winfield, one of the U.S. soldiers accused of killing civilians in Afghanistan, told his father
Iran's bourse booms despite sanctions
While U.S. diplomats were busy upping Iran's economic punishment over nuclear activities Washington fears are aimed at making a bomb, Iranian shares, which might have been expected to fall, have, instead, gone through the roof.
U.S. senators: China firm is violating Iran economic sanctions
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Republican Sen. John Kyl and Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer say the Chinese company has violated a new U.S. law aimed at discouraging foreign investment in Iran.
Study: vets' health costs could top $900 billion
A new study estimates that health costs for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars could top $900 billion, leading one congressman to call for setting up a veterans' trust fund.
Fmr. Intelligence Director: New Cyberattack May Be Worse Than 9/11
"The warnings are over. It could happen tomorrow," he said of a large-scale cyberattack against the U.S., which could impact the global economy "an order of magnitude surpassing" the attacks of September 11. McConnell, in a panel with Bush administration Homeland Security Adviser Fran Townsend and Washingtonian reporter Shane Harris, called cybersecurity "the wolf at the door."
Afghanistan & Iraq Vets Call for an End to Deployment of Traumatized Troops
Service members will testify about their experiences being redeployed while traumatized. A letter will be read publicly and delivered to government and military officials requesting an end to the deployment of traumatized troops. Veterans will voice opposition to the ongoing occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Study: Wars could cost $4 trillion to $6 trillion
Birth of the National Security State By Philip Giraldi
State secrets is only one weapon in the arsenal employed by the government to create a framework of regulation that permits the government to act with impunity. The Military Commission Act, which candidate Obama vowed to let expire, was renewed in 2009 with virtually no changes. Under the MCA, someone can be imprisoned indefinitely on suspicion that he or she has provided material support to terrorism. Material support is not defined and can be interpreted to mean nearly anything. If accused, right to a trial by peers does not apply as the detainee is subject to a military tribunal and habeas corpus is null and void.
Israel's unit 8200: cyber warfare
The Negev desert based Unit 8200 has evolved from the signal intelligence arm of the Israeli military into a respected leader in high technology warfare. One American consultancy rated Unit 8200 as the sixth biggest initiator of cyber attacks on the plants.
Israeli cyber unit responsible for Iran computer worm – claim
Ralf Langner, a German researcher, claims that Unit 8200, the signals intelligence arm of the Israeli defence forces, perpetrated the computer virus attack by infiltrating the software into the Bushehr nuclear power station
Did the West attack Iran's nukes... with a Biblically encoded computer worm?
experts found what might be a "fleeting reference to the Book of Esther" embedded deep in the worm's code. "Myrtus," the name of one of the files, may be an allusion to "the Hebrew word for Esther." The biblical book of the same name "tells the story of a Persian plot against the Jews, who attacked their enemies pre-emptively."
Millions of Computers Hit by Virus Across China
“Once Stuxnet successfully penetrates factory computers in China, those industries may collapse, which would damage China’s national security.”
Tea Party vs. War Party by Patrick J. Buchanan
If Obama makes good on his pledge of full withdrawal of the 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq by the end of 2011, will the Tea Party and Republican right oppose that withdrawal and join the War Party in demanding that we retain an army in Iraq indefinitely? If Obama refuses to go to war against Iran, a war that would send oil prices soaring, close the Persian Gulf and be a disaster for the global economy, will the Tea Party join the War Party in denouncing Obama for not launching a third war in the Near East?
Video: Even Zbigniew Brzezinski says AIPAC is bad for USA and Israel stole Palestinian land
Syrian leader: Mideast talks only to help Obama
Assad said the current attempt at dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians have brought "no change" and claimed that President Barack Obama only seeks a political boost.
"The talks are only aimed at supporting Obama's position inside the U.S," Assad said in his first public comments about the process since the latest round of negotiations began last month.
Antiwar Activists Refuse to Appear in Court
Activists say the feds are trying to silence criticism of U.S. foreign policy.
Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett, Mr. Ahmadinejad Comes to New York
Though we are more concerned about the risk of a bad U.S. decision in this regard than Secretary Powell appears to be, we certainly hope he is right about the chances of an Israeli or U.S. attack against Iran. And, of course, we strongly agree that acceptance of Iran's right to enrich uranium is an indispensable key to a serious and sustainable agreement on the nuclear issue. We hope that the Obama Administration is listening.
Rand’s secret rendezvous
According to Jason Zengerle’s recent GQ profile of Rand Paul, the U.S. Senate candidate had a private meeting on a recent trip to Washington:
“At a private office in Dupont Circle, he talked foreign policy with Bill Kristol, Dan Senor, and Tom Donnelly, three prominent neocons who’d been part of an effort to defeat him during the primary.”
Bill Clinton: Mideast peace would undercut terror
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said Tuesday that solving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict would take away much of the motivation for terrorism around the world.
Assad, Ahmadinejad: Israel's actions prove it doesn't want peace
The leaders of Iran and Syria, during a meeting in Tehran Saturday, expressed hope of expanding the anti-Israeli bloc in the region, adding that Israel's actions in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem proved the country did not truly want peace, the Iranian presidential office said in a statement.
Obama’s Cave-In To Israel
According to the leak, Obama made a series of extraordinarily generous offers to Israel, many of them at the expense of the Palestinians, in return for a single minor concession from Netanyahu: a two-month extension of the partial feeze on settlement growth.
Big energy firms cut Iran ties under U.S. pressure
Steinberg said Naftiran will be prohibited from receiving export assistance from the U.S. Export–Import Bank or private U.S. bank loans exceeding $10 million in any 12–month period and blocked from U.S. government procurement contracts.
The deal with the four international oil majors to curtail Iran activities set a precedent that other companies should follow, showing that the threat of sanctions was leaving Tehran increasingly isolated, Steinberg said
Israel pressures Lebanon to cancel Ahmadinejad visit
Cracks in the Democratic Coalitionby Patrick J. Buchanan
Black-Jewish tensions inside the Democratic coalition have also arisen in recent years, as Jewish contributors have poured money into races to defeat black members of Congress seen as hostile to Israel.
Two smaller minorities, Muslim- and Arab-Americans, also vote Democratic, are growing rapidly in numbers and, like many African-Americans, take the side of the Palestinians as an oppressed Third World people of color.
It’s Not Easy To Build a Mosque in Brooklyn, Either
“They brought people in who aren’t from the neighborhood,” he said. “They’re anti-Muslim. What other reasons would they be here? Do they care that I have a lot of traffic here? No, seriously — they live in Queens.”.....In the view of Michael Berenbaum, head of the Sigi Ziering Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Ethics at American Jewish University, the fact that so many of the Sheepshead Bay mosque opponents are Russian Jews — immigrants themselves — “may mean that they have not internalized the notion of religious freedom, which is essential to the American experience.”
IMF admits that the West is stuck in near depression
Want To Know If The FBI Is Tracking You? Look For One Of These
Want to know if the government is really tracking you? If you find one of these tucked underneath your car, you can start freaking out. If you do find it, maybe you should f'k with them. Turn the tables.
Britain held secret war talks with U.S. general 11 months before Iraq invasion
America's most senior general flew into Britain for top secret talks on the invasion of Iraq 11 months before the attack on Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Details of the classified meeting, held at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, suggest Tony Blair’s Government was involved in detailed discussions about toppling the Iraqi dictator earlier than previously disclosed.
Joseph Sobran’s Conservative Foreign Policy
Sobran had to leave his 18-year job as editor of National Review in 1993 due in part to his traditionally conservative views clashing with the neoconservatives’ agenda for the Middle East....Last week, columnists representing the American Enterprise Institute–Danielle Pletka and Thomas Donnelly–warned in the Washington Post that Tea Partiers should stay away from the likes of Ron or Rand Paul, Sen. Tom Coburn, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, and any other Republican who would dare question our current foreign policy. Neoconservatives Pletka and Donnelly seem to believe that America’s superpower status is what makes it great, forever spreading “freedom” and “democracy” around the world through perpetual war. Needless to say, the conservative Sobran took a more traditional view
Bipartisan Group of Former Attorneys General and Law Professors Call on Congress to Examine Constitutional Amendment to Reverse Citizens United
"One belief that Americans across the ideological spectrum share is a deep concern that corporations have too much influence over our political system, at the expense of individual Americans,"
Police: NYC mosque's imam, wife get death threats
The wife of an imam planning an Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero said Sunday that she and her husband have received death threats
Midnight Shopping On The Brink Of Poverty
Last year, 3.7 million Americans joined those already living in poverty, meaning families of four living on just under $22,000. That's 14 percent of the population Hey I know, let's give a couple more billion dollars to Israel so she won't steal any more Palestinian land (for 'settlements'). Unf'ingreal.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Headlines for September 23 - September 29
A Stand For Justice
Al-Qaeda plot to attack European cities uncovered
Western intelligence agencies have uncovered an Al–Qaeda plot to launch attacks in Britain, France and Germany by Pakistan–based extremists, security sources and media reports said Wednesday.
Activists Protest FBI Raids and Grand Jury Subpeonas
Sue Udry, executive director of the Defending Dissent Foundation noted: "The 'material support' statute is so broadly written that it can, and does, criminalize international peace-building activities whose only connection to terrorism is to reduce it".
Official: Germans, Brits behind Europe terror plot
Iran criticizes Russia over S-300 missile deal ban
Some Zionist Groups Stoke Fear Of Islam for Political Profit
At an AIPAC conference in March 2009, to take just one example, terrorism expert Steve Emerson spent 40 minutes stoking the worst fears of the mostly elderly attendees with a talk called “Tentacles of Terror: The Global Reach of Islamic Radicalism.” It could just as easily have been called “Scaring the Living Crap Out of Bubbe and Zayde.” As long as Jews are encouraged to believe that scary Muslims are hiding under every American bed, the idea is perpetuated that support for the Jewish state is a zero-sum contest between favoring Israel and favoring Arabs and Muslims. For too many American Jews, smearing Islam is seen as a legitimate expression of Zionism.
Ahmadinejad says Iran may end enrichment
Ahmadinejad said Iran had no interest in enriching uranium from around 3.5 percent to 20 percent purity but was forced to do so after the world powers refused to provide nuclear fuel that is needed for a Tehran reactor that produces medical isotopes for patients. He did not indicate that Iran would stop enriching at low levels.
That level is far below the more than 90 percent purity needed to build a nuclear weapon, but U.S. officials have expressed concern Iran may be moving closer to an ability to reach weapons–grade level.
The Influencer
He remains keenly interested in the world of business, but he is most proud of his role as political power broker. His greatest concern, he says, is to protect Israel, by strengthening the United States-Israel relationship. At a conference last fall in Israel, Saban described his formula. His “three ways to be influential in American politics,” he said, were: make donations to political parties, establish think tanks, and control media outlets......In targeting media properties, Saban frankly acknowledges his political agenda. He has tried repeatedly to buy the Los Angeles Times, because, he said, “I thought it was time that it turn from a pro-Palestinian paper into a balanced paper.”......As Saban has said, “I’m a one-issue guy, and my issue is Israel.”
If you love Israel so much, why not move there and leave America to those that care more about AMERICAN interests. Some of us count America's (not Israel's) interests as priority number 1.
Iran announces new delays at Bushehr nuclear plant – but denies Stuxnet link - CSMonitor.com
Iran said its troubled Bushehr nuclear power plant won't go on line for at least another three months, the latest delay for a plant that is the centerpiece of Iran's nuclear power program.
Iran says nuclear talks can succeed only if fair
Iran's nuclear agency trying to stop computer worm
Gates says too few in US bear the burdens of war
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that most Americans have grown too detached from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and see military service as "something for other people to do."
U.S. Troops Fight on Despite End to Combat in Iraq
Since President Barack Obama declared an end to combat operations in Iraq, U.S. troops have waged a gun battle with a suicide squad in Baghdad, dropped bombs on armed militants in Baquba and assisted Iraqi soldiers in a raid in Falluja.
Administration Seeks Easy Access to Americans’ Private Online Communications
Stop the Internet Blacklist
The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) was introduced just one week ago, but it's greased and ready to move, with a hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee this Thursday. If people don't speak out, US citizens could soon find themselves joining Iranians and Chinese in being blocked from accessing broad chunks of the public Internet.
Iran crosses into Iraq to hit bombing suspects
Iranian forces crossed into neighboring Iraq and killed 30 fighters from a group it says was involved in last week's bombing of a military parade, state TV reported Sunday.
US Army to Hold First Hearing on Grisly Afghan Killings
The US Army holds its first hearing Monday in a grisly war crimes case that charges five soldiers with killing Afghan civilians for sport and plotting a cover-up.
Iran says it killed 30 militants behind bomb attack
"Investigations showed that intelligence services of America and the Zionist regime (Israel) as well as members of the Iraqi Baath party were behind the blast," Mahmoudabadi said. "Bandits backed by Mossad and the CIA … carried out the blast."
Stuxnet worm is the 'work of a national government agency'
The "Stuxnet" computer worm, which has been described as one of the "most refined pieces of malware ever discovered", has been most active in Iran, says the security company Symantec – leading some experts to conjecture that the likely target of the virus is the controversial Bushehr nuclear power plant, and that it was created by Israeli hackers.
Mobilizing Against FBI Raids
There was a concern that the FBI motivation covered support of Palestinians and Colombian activists.
Anti-Israel IAEA resolution tossed
The United States swayed the 151-member states of the UN nuclear agency to reject the Arab-proposed resolution which called on Tel Aviv to open up its nuclear activities to inspection.
Israel Suspected in Worm Sabotage of Iran's First Nuclear Plant
So who is behind the attacks? The New York Times quotes a former U.S. intelligence office as saying that the attack was the work of Israel’s equivalent of America’s National Security Agency, known as Unit 8200. According to IEEE Spectrum's December issue, Israel had previously used a cyber-attack to shut off radar systems in Syria, allowing it to evaluate what it believed to be an under-construction nuclear reactor.
THE THIRD TEMPLE'S HOLY OF HOLIES: ISRAEL'S NUCLEAR WEAPONS
In 1965, the U.S. government accused Dr. Zalman Shapiro, the corporation president, of “losing” 200 pounds of highly enriched uranium. Although investigated by the Atomic Energy Commission, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other government agencies and inquiring reporters, no answers were available in what was termed the Apollo Affair.29 Many remain convinced that the Israelis received 200 pounds of enriched uranium sometime before 1965.30 One source links Rafi Eitan, an Israeli Mossad agent and later the handler of spy Jonathan Pollard, with NUMEC.31 In the 1990s when the NUMEC plant was disassembled, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found over 100 kilograms of plutonium in the structural components of the contaminated plant, casting doubt on 200 pounds going to Israel.32..........Thus started the subtle, opaque use of the Israeli bomb to ensure that the United States kept its pledge to maintain Israel's conventional weapons edge over its foes.65 There is significant anecdotal evidence that Henry Kissinger told President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, that the reason for the U.S. airlift was that the Israelis were close to “going nuclear.”66......One other purpose of Israeli nuclear weapons, not often stated, but obvious, is their “use” on the United States. America does not want Israel's nuclear profile raised.144 They have been used in the past to ensure America does not desert Israel under increased Arab, or oil embargo, pressure and have forced the United States to support Israeli diplomatically against the Soviet Union. Israel used their existence to guarantee a continuing supply of American conventional weapons, a policy likely to continue.145
Delaware Jews First to Host Victorious Tea Party Nominee
The crowd, mainly made up of members of the Delaware Jewish community, asked questions about the Middle East peace process, foreign aid to Israel and the possibility of cutting foreign aid in order to deal with the growing deficit. All candidates (including candidates for the House who attended as well) gave answers that satisfied the audience, according to the organizers: They support Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, agree to continue foreign aid to Israel at the level of $3 billion, and do not wish to cut the foreign aid budget.
Why Russia will not sell the S-300 Air Defense System to Iran
Serdyukov's military reform and told that in the nearest future Russia would – oddly enough - be importing at least 30% of the weapons and equipment for its army from Israel and NATO countries. Another roundtable speaker from Russia - Gen. V. Dvorkin who, incidentally, paid a visit to Israel a short time ago - urged US senators to OK launching an attack against Iran as soon as possible and even presented a computer model of the conflict to US partners.
US walks out on Ahmadinejad's UN speech
Obama condems Iran leader's 'hateful' September 11 comments
Ahmadinejad said in a speech to the UN General Assembly on Thursday that most Americans and nations around the world believe a theory that "some segments within the US government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy and its grips on the Middle East, in order also to save the Zionist regime."
The Iranian leader defended his actions on Friday. "I did not pass a judgement, I simply made proposals for a humane solution to the problems that have risen as a result of 9/11," Ahmadinejad told a New York press conference.
Military-Grade Malware Spurs Theories on New Cyberwar Threat
"Experts say it took a massive expenditure of time, money, and software engineering talent to identify and exploit such vulnerabilities in industrial control software systems. ... [It was] probably created by a team working for a nation state." Wired's Kim Zetter writes, "If Iran was the target, the United States or Israel are suspected as the likely perpetrators — both have the skill and resources to produce complicated malware such as Stuxnet."
FBI Serves Terrorism Warrants in Minnesota, Chicago
"The FBI is harassing anti-war organizers and leaders, folks who opposed U.S. intervention in the Middle East and Latin America," Kelly said before agents confiscated his cell phone.
Lieberman presents plans for population exchange at UN
Lieberman believes peace with the Palestinians could never be achieved until the Middle East confronts a greater threat, Iran.
German steel giant pulls out of Iran
ThyssenKrupp became on Thursday Germany's latest corporate giant to announce it was pulling out of Iran as part of Western pressure on the Islamic republic over its nuclear programme.
Babies in Incubators Redux? by Philip Giraldi
There is a very odd story making the rounds in the not-so-conventional alternative media circles that I tend to move in these days. It is somewhat reminiscent of the invented narrative in 1990 about Iraqi soldiers throwing Kuwaiti babies out of incubators or of German soldiers using their bayonets to skewer Belgian infants back during the Great War.
Iran Accuses U.S. of Hypocrisy in Woman's Execution
U.S. asks Japan to drop Iran oil field project
The United States has asked Japan to completely withdraw from development of the Azadegan oil field in Iran to keep in line with planned U.S. sanctions on that country over its nuclear development, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Wednesday.
Diplomats: Iran ends seat bid on UN nuclear board
With three countries competing for two regional seats, an Arab diplomat said Tehran pulled out "for reasons of solidarity" with the two other candidates, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, shortly before a 151–nation meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency took up the issue.
Will They Raid My Home For Writing This?
Why Japan Kowtowed by Patrick J. Buchanan
The self-sufficient republic that could stand alone in the world is more dependent than Japan on China for rare-earth elements vital to our industries, for the necessities of our daily life, and for the loans to finance our massive trade and budget deficits.
U.S. should be able to shut Internet, former CIA chief says
Cyberterrorism is such a threat that the U.S. president should have the authority to shut down the Internet in the event of an attack, Former CIA Director Michael Hayden said.
Report: US Would Make Internet Wiretaps Easier
Broad new regulations being drafted by the Obama administration would make it easier for law enforcement and national security officials to eavesdrop on Internet and e-mail communications like social networking Web sites and BlackBerries, The New York Times reported Monday.
Feds: Privacy Does Not Exist in ‘Public Places’
The Obama administration has urged a federal appeals court to allow the government, without a court warrant, to affix GPS devices on suspects’ vehicles to track their every move.
Senate Republicans Again Block DISCLOSE Act, Designed to Reveal Special Interest Spending
One provision would require groups to show the names of the top donors in the advertisements and have the head of the organization or the group's largest contributor "stand by the ad" -- giving the same, familiar disclaimer that candidates must include in their advertisements: "My name is so-and-so, and I approve this message."
END ISRAEL LOBBY’S PERVASIVE AND DAMAGING INFLUENCE IN US POLITICS
It’s long past time to end one of the most damaging and pervasive cover-ups in the U.S. today and time for people and institutions to confront Israel’s lobbies.
Al-Qaeda plot to attack European cities uncovered
Western intelligence agencies have uncovered an Al–Qaeda plot to launch attacks in Britain, France and Germany by Pakistan–based extremists, security sources and media reports said Wednesday.
Activists Protest FBI Raids and Grand Jury Subpeonas
Sue Udry, executive director of the Defending Dissent Foundation noted: "The 'material support' statute is so broadly written that it can, and does, criminalize international peace-building activities whose only connection to terrorism is to reduce it".
Official: Germans, Brits behind Europe terror plot
Iran criticizes Russia over S-300 missile deal ban
Some Zionist Groups Stoke Fear Of Islam for Political Profit
At an AIPAC conference in March 2009, to take just one example, terrorism expert Steve Emerson spent 40 minutes stoking the worst fears of the mostly elderly attendees with a talk called “Tentacles of Terror: The Global Reach of Islamic Radicalism.” It could just as easily have been called “Scaring the Living Crap Out of Bubbe and Zayde.” As long as Jews are encouraged to believe that scary Muslims are hiding under every American bed, the idea is perpetuated that support for the Jewish state is a zero-sum contest between favoring Israel and favoring Arabs and Muslims. For too many American Jews, smearing Islam is seen as a legitimate expression of Zionism.
Ahmadinejad says Iran may end enrichment
Ahmadinejad said Iran had no interest in enriching uranium from around 3.5 percent to 20 percent purity but was forced to do so after the world powers refused to provide nuclear fuel that is needed for a Tehran reactor that produces medical isotopes for patients. He did not indicate that Iran would stop enriching at low levels.
That level is far below the more than 90 percent purity needed to build a nuclear weapon, but U.S. officials have expressed concern Iran may be moving closer to an ability to reach weapons–grade level.
The Influencer
He remains keenly interested in the world of business, but he is most proud of his role as political power broker. His greatest concern, he says, is to protect Israel, by strengthening the United States-Israel relationship. At a conference last fall in Israel, Saban described his formula. His “three ways to be influential in American politics,” he said, were: make donations to political parties, establish think tanks, and control media outlets......In targeting media properties, Saban frankly acknowledges his political agenda. He has tried repeatedly to buy the Los Angeles Times, because, he said, “I thought it was time that it turn from a pro-Palestinian paper into a balanced paper.”......As Saban has said, “I’m a one-issue guy, and my issue is Israel.”
If you love Israel so much, why not move there and leave America to those that care more about AMERICAN interests. Some of us count America's (not Israel's) interests as priority number 1.
Iran announces new delays at Bushehr nuclear plant – but denies Stuxnet link - CSMonitor.com
Iran said its troubled Bushehr nuclear power plant won't go on line for at least another three months, the latest delay for a plant that is the centerpiece of Iran's nuclear power program.
Iran says nuclear talks can succeed only if fair
Iran's nuclear agency trying to stop computer worm
Gates says too few in US bear the burdens of war
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that most Americans have grown too detached from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and see military service as "something for other people to do."
U.S. Troops Fight on Despite End to Combat in Iraq
Since President Barack Obama declared an end to combat operations in Iraq, U.S. troops have waged a gun battle with a suicide squad in Baghdad, dropped bombs on armed militants in Baquba and assisted Iraqi soldiers in a raid in Falluja.
Administration Seeks Easy Access to Americans’ Private Online Communications
Stop the Internet Blacklist
The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) was introduced just one week ago, but it's greased and ready to move, with a hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee this Thursday. If people don't speak out, US citizens could soon find themselves joining Iranians and Chinese in being blocked from accessing broad chunks of the public Internet.
Iran crosses into Iraq to hit bombing suspects
Iranian forces crossed into neighboring Iraq and killed 30 fighters from a group it says was involved in last week's bombing of a military parade, state TV reported Sunday.
US Army to Hold First Hearing on Grisly Afghan Killings
The US Army holds its first hearing Monday in a grisly war crimes case that charges five soldiers with killing Afghan civilians for sport and plotting a cover-up.
Iran says it killed 30 militants behind bomb attack
"Investigations showed that intelligence services of America and the Zionist regime (Israel) as well as members of the Iraqi Baath party were behind the blast," Mahmoudabadi said. "Bandits backed by Mossad and the CIA … carried out the blast."
Stuxnet worm is the 'work of a national government agency'
The "Stuxnet" computer worm, which has been described as one of the "most refined pieces of malware ever discovered", has been most active in Iran, says the security company Symantec – leading some experts to conjecture that the likely target of the virus is the controversial Bushehr nuclear power plant, and that it was created by Israeli hackers.
Mobilizing Against FBI Raids
There was a concern that the FBI motivation covered support of Palestinians and Colombian activists.
Anti-Israel IAEA resolution tossed
The United States swayed the 151-member states of the UN nuclear agency to reject the Arab-proposed resolution which called on Tel Aviv to open up its nuclear activities to inspection.
Israel Suspected in Worm Sabotage of Iran's First Nuclear Plant
So who is behind the attacks? The New York Times quotes a former U.S. intelligence office as saying that the attack was the work of Israel’s equivalent of America’s National Security Agency, known as Unit 8200. According to IEEE Spectrum's December issue, Israel had previously used a cyber-attack to shut off radar systems in Syria, allowing it to evaluate what it believed to be an under-construction nuclear reactor.
THE THIRD TEMPLE'S HOLY OF HOLIES: ISRAEL'S NUCLEAR WEAPONS
In 1965, the U.S. government accused Dr. Zalman Shapiro, the corporation president, of “losing” 200 pounds of highly enriched uranium. Although investigated by the Atomic Energy Commission, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other government agencies and inquiring reporters, no answers were available in what was termed the Apollo Affair.29 Many remain convinced that the Israelis received 200 pounds of enriched uranium sometime before 1965.30 One source links Rafi Eitan, an Israeli Mossad agent and later the handler of spy Jonathan Pollard, with NUMEC.31 In the 1990s when the NUMEC plant was disassembled, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found over 100 kilograms of plutonium in the structural components of the contaminated plant, casting doubt on 200 pounds going to Israel.32..........Thus started the subtle, opaque use of the Israeli bomb to ensure that the United States kept its pledge to maintain Israel's conventional weapons edge over its foes.65 There is significant anecdotal evidence that Henry Kissinger told President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, that the reason for the U.S. airlift was that the Israelis were close to “going nuclear.”66......One other purpose of Israeli nuclear weapons, not often stated, but obvious, is their “use” on the United States. America does not want Israel's nuclear profile raised.144 They have been used in the past to ensure America does not desert Israel under increased Arab, or oil embargo, pressure and have forced the United States to support Israeli diplomatically against the Soviet Union. Israel used their existence to guarantee a continuing supply of American conventional weapons, a policy likely to continue.145
Delaware Jews First to Host Victorious Tea Party Nominee
The crowd, mainly made up of members of the Delaware Jewish community, asked questions about the Middle East peace process, foreign aid to Israel and the possibility of cutting foreign aid in order to deal with the growing deficit. All candidates (including candidates for the House who attended as well) gave answers that satisfied the audience, according to the organizers: They support Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, agree to continue foreign aid to Israel at the level of $3 billion, and do not wish to cut the foreign aid budget.
Why Russia will not sell the S-300 Air Defense System to Iran
Serdyukov's military reform and told that in the nearest future Russia would – oddly enough - be importing at least 30% of the weapons and equipment for its army from Israel and NATO countries. Another roundtable speaker from Russia - Gen. V. Dvorkin who, incidentally, paid a visit to Israel a short time ago - urged US senators to OK launching an attack against Iran as soon as possible and even presented a computer model of the conflict to US partners.
US walks out on Ahmadinejad's UN speech
Obama condems Iran leader's 'hateful' September 11 comments
Ahmadinejad said in a speech to the UN General Assembly on Thursday that most Americans and nations around the world believe a theory that "some segments within the US government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy and its grips on the Middle East, in order also to save the Zionist regime."
The Iranian leader defended his actions on Friday. "I did not pass a judgement, I simply made proposals for a humane solution to the problems that have risen as a result of 9/11," Ahmadinejad told a New York press conference.
Military-Grade Malware Spurs Theories on New Cyberwar Threat
"Experts say it took a massive expenditure of time, money, and software engineering talent to identify and exploit such vulnerabilities in industrial control software systems. ... [It was] probably created by a team working for a nation state." Wired's Kim Zetter writes, "If Iran was the target, the United States or Israel are suspected as the likely perpetrators — both have the skill and resources to produce complicated malware such as Stuxnet."
FBI Serves Terrorism Warrants in Minnesota, Chicago
"The FBI is harassing anti-war organizers and leaders, folks who opposed U.S. intervention in the Middle East and Latin America," Kelly said before agents confiscated his cell phone.
Lieberman presents plans for population exchange at UN
Lieberman believes peace with the Palestinians could never be achieved until the Middle East confronts a greater threat, Iran.
German steel giant pulls out of Iran
ThyssenKrupp became on Thursday Germany's latest corporate giant to announce it was pulling out of Iran as part of Western pressure on the Islamic republic over its nuclear programme.
Babies in Incubators Redux? by Philip Giraldi
There is a very odd story making the rounds in the not-so-conventional alternative media circles that I tend to move in these days. It is somewhat reminiscent of the invented narrative in 1990 about Iraqi soldiers throwing Kuwaiti babies out of incubators or of German soldiers using their bayonets to skewer Belgian infants back during the Great War.
Iran Accuses U.S. of Hypocrisy in Woman's Execution
U.S. asks Japan to drop Iran oil field project
The United States has asked Japan to completely withdraw from development of the Azadegan oil field in Iran to keep in line with planned U.S. sanctions on that country over its nuclear development, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Wednesday.
Diplomats: Iran ends seat bid on UN nuclear board
With three countries competing for two regional seats, an Arab diplomat said Tehran pulled out "for reasons of solidarity" with the two other candidates, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, shortly before a 151–nation meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency took up the issue.
Will They Raid My Home For Writing This?
Why Japan Kowtowed by Patrick J. Buchanan
The self-sufficient republic that could stand alone in the world is more dependent than Japan on China for rare-earth elements vital to our industries, for the necessities of our daily life, and for the loans to finance our massive trade and budget deficits.
U.S. should be able to shut Internet, former CIA chief says
Cyberterrorism is such a threat that the U.S. president should have the authority to shut down the Internet in the event of an attack, Former CIA Director Michael Hayden said.
Report: US Would Make Internet Wiretaps Easier
Broad new regulations being drafted by the Obama administration would make it easier for law enforcement and national security officials to eavesdrop on Internet and e-mail communications like social networking Web sites and BlackBerries, The New York Times reported Monday.
Feds: Privacy Does Not Exist in ‘Public Places’
The Obama administration has urged a federal appeals court to allow the government, without a court warrant, to affix GPS devices on suspects’ vehicles to track their every move.
Senate Republicans Again Block DISCLOSE Act, Designed to Reveal Special Interest Spending
One provision would require groups to show the names of the top donors in the advertisements and have the head of the organization or the group's largest contributor "stand by the ad" -- giving the same, familiar disclaimer that candidates must include in their advertisements: "My name is so-and-so, and I approve this message."
END ISRAEL LOBBY’S PERVASIVE AND DAMAGING INFLUENCE IN US POLITICS
It’s long past time to end one of the most damaging and pervasive cover-ups in the U.S. today and time for people and institutions to confront Israel’s lobbies.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Headlines for September 16 - September 22
A Stand For Justice
A Bipartisan Look at the Israel Lobby by Philip Giraldi
Yes, there is quite a lot to examine and if anyone is seriously interested in genuine threats against the United States AIPAC and the Israel Lobby are good places to start. Another must read.
Ahmadinejad hopeful US will release Iranians
Iran's list of citizens it says are held in the U.S. includes three Iranians who have been convicted or charged in public court proceedings in the United States.
The circumstances surrounding some of the others are more mysterious. They include a former Defense Ministry official who vanished in Turkey in December 2006 and three others who Iran says were abducted in Europe and sent to the U.S.
Iran feels pain of sanctions: Treasury's Levey
Iran detains seven U.S. troops: report
Iran denies detaining seven U.S. troops
Bomb attack kills 12 people in western Iran
A bomb exploded at a military parade in northwestern Iran on Wednesday, killing 12 spectators in an attack that one official blamed on Kurdish separatists who have fought Iranian forces in the area for decades.
Iraqi: Saddam 'delighted' in terror attacks on US
Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, a prominent member of Saddam Hussein's inner circle, told the FBI that the dictator "delighted" in the 1998 terrorist bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa but had no interest in partnering with Osama bin Laden, declassified documents show. "Saddam did not trust Islamists," Aziz said, according to handwritten notes of a June 27, 2004 interrogation, although he viewed al–Qaida as an "effective" organization....No nuclear weapons – or any sign of an active nuclear program – have been found in postwar Iraq, and the Aziz interrogation records support arguments that while Saddam viewed the U.S. as his enemy, he was also hostile to al–Qaida and its radical religious ideology.
An interesting read.
Census: 1 in 7 Americans lives in poverty
Who is Spying on Whom? by Philip Giraldi
Israeli companies now dominate in the areas of transportation and telecommunications security, both of which are critical national infrastructures that should be restricted only to American companies employing American citizens. One recalls that at the time of the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinski scandal there were reports that the NSA had determined that a foreign nation had been listening in to White House phone calls. That foreign nation was Israel, able to do so because several Israeli companies had the contracts to provide various services relating to telephone monitoring. The Israeli companies involved are still active, having changed their names and shifted their business locations to the US, but their ownership and management continues to be Israeli.
Barak: Options against Iran on the table
Barak, who met with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen in Washington on Monday, said Iran continues to deceive the international community, the Hebrew daily Maariv said Tuesday.
The Israeli defense minister called for harsher measures against Tehran.
Iran deal with Russia for air-defence missiles scuppered by US and Israel
The US and Israel joined forces in opposing the deal because, they argued, the system could help Iran defend itself against potential attacks on its nuclear facilities. Israel also warned that the weapon could fall into the hands of Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon, who are supported by Iran. The CIA has said that it believes the missiles would be deployed to protect Iranian nuclear facilities.
Israel: It's Against Our Interest to Join Anti-Nuclear Arms Treaty
The Jewish state is the only Middle East power believed to possess nuclear weapons.
Peres: We are ready to enter direct negotiations with Syria
Peres went on to harshly condemn Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his countless declarations to "annihilate Israel." Complete BS.
Obama says military action against Iran not ideal
Egypt accuses Israel of 'chutzpah' in nuclear meet
The remarks at the International Atomic Energy Agency's general conference reflect the bitterness dividing Arab nations and Israel and its supporters over whether Israel should open up its nuclear program to the U.N. watchdog's perusal.
New Western concerns over Iran's nuclear program
Ambassadors from the three Western countries highlighted a recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency and comments Monday by its chief, Yukiya Amano, who said he cannot confirm that all of Iran's nuclear activities are peaceful, as Tehran claims, because the country has offered only selective cooperation to the U.N. nuclear watchdog and has rejected several inspectors.
Bank Repossessions Hit Record High in August: RealtyTrac
The number of homes taken back by lenders hit a new record high last month, according to RealtyTrac. Lenders foreclosed on 95,364 U.S. properties in August, about 2 percent higher than the previous peak of 93,777 recorded by the company in May 2010.
Iowa Activists Drew Extensive FBI Scrutiny
Agents staked out the homes of political activists, secretly photographed and shot video of them, pored through their garbage, and studied their cell phone and motor vehicle records, according to records detailing the FBI's counterterrorism investigation.
US to keep pressuring Iran over nuclear program
While Washington remained committed to pursuing a diplomatic solution, Chu said it was clear there was a "broad and growing international consensus that will hold Iran accountable if it continues its defiance.
U.S. Exits Longest Recession Since World War II
President Barack Obama said the end of the "Great Recession" would come as little solace to the millions of people who are still out of work
Year's tally of U.S. bank failures reaches 124
More Americans are Poor than Ever Before, Census Finds
Seven Civilians Killed in US-Iraqi Raid
Seven civilians were among 18 people killed in Iraq on Wednesday, shot dead as US and Iraqi troops tried to nab a top Al-Qaeda leader in Fallujah, sparking public anger in the former rebel base.
EXCLUSIVE: Israeli Official Says Strikes on 'Bottlenecks' Could Cripple Iran's Nuke Program
Chinese think tank warns US it will emerge as loser in trade war
Ding Yifan, a policy guru at the Development Research Centre, said China could respond by selling holdings of US debt, estimated at over $1.5 trillion (£963bn). This would trigger a rise in US interest rates. His comments at a forum in Beijing follow a string of remarks by Chinese officials questioning US credit-worthiness and the reliability of the dollar.
Americans' Net Worth Falls Along With Stocks
The Federal Reserve reported Friday that household net worth—stocks, bonds, homes and other assets, minus mortgages and other debts—fell 2.8% to $53.5 trillion in the second quarter, driven by a sharp decline in the value of stock investments.
Reality check Iran is not a nuclear threat
Politicians, lobbyists, and propagandists have spent nearly two decades pushing the lie that Iran poses a nuclear weapons threat to the United States and Israel. After a brief respite in the intensity of the wolf cries over the past two years, the neoconservative movement has decided to relaunch the “Must Bomb Iran” brand.
Israel decides to buy F-35 fighter jets, despite row over cost of deal
Signs of a Rift Between U.S. Politicians and U.S. National Security?
Castro’s well-timed comments about persecuted Jews may have been a signal that Cuba is again open for business — any business. At the very least, his comments were like a healing balm to nationalist Zionist settlers who have plans to construct another 19,000 home in the West Bank A very good piece.
The Hate Mongers Among Us
Not long ago an internal poll of friendly foreign intelligence agencies ranked our best and worst allies—those who behave as friends to the U.S. versus those who are clearly foes. Israel ranked dead last as a reliable ally. Though their brazen theft of technical and industrial secrets is well known among those in the know, the broader U.S. public remains deceived or in denial.
Israel set to build wings for some 800 F-35s
Israeli and U.S. officials expect final approval of that deal by the end of September. The planes would be delivered in 2015–2017. The cost of the purchase would be covered by an annual U.S. defense grant of $3 billion.
Weapons Bizarre by Justin Raimondo -- Antiwar.com
The F-35 was designed, in short, to fight a war in the Middle East against a nation that doesn’t quite measure up to our technological standards. One that can be expected to deploy large massed armies in its defense – and which, in the case of Iran, will have to be stopped from pouring into US-occupied Iraq.
With this move, it is clear that the US is arming its allies in the region – Israel and the Saudis – in preparation for an attack. When Obama said during the last presidential election campaign that he wasn’t taking such an attack off the table, he clearly meant it – and I said so at the time, so you can’t say you weren’t warned.
Arab states snub US over Israel resolution at IAEA meet
Arab states refused on Thursday to drop plans to chide Israel over its assumed nuclear arsenal at a UN nuclear conference next week, despite US suggestions that such a move would jeopardise Middle East peace talks.
Under IAEA pressure, Syria and Iran point to Israel
Last month, Davies said a "number of countries" were beginning to ask whether it was time to invoke the IAEA's "special inspection" mechanism to give it the authority to look anywhere necessary in Syria at short notice.
Turkey: a democratic superpower in the Middle East
One hears similar criticisms in the United States, where there has been a lot of hand-wringing lately over Turkey’s increasingly assertive foreign policy, its deepening ties with Iran, Syria, and Iraq, and its overt criticism of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. Some have even suggested that Turkey, the only Muslim member of NATO, is turning away from its strategic alliance with the West and instead building an “Islamic axis” against America’s interests in the region.
Israel to buy U.S. F 35 fighters worth an estimated 2.75 billion
t Israel will not pay the bill in any event. It will be the U.S. taxpayer since the planes will all be funded as part of U.S. military aid to Israel. Of course no doubt U.S. politicians who have Lockheed Martin related facilities in their areas will praise the job creation involved.
Stuxnet malware is 'weapon' out to destroy ... Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant
A geographical distribution of computers hit by Stuxnet, which Microsoft produced in July, found Iran to be the apparent epicenter of the Stuxnet infections. That suggests that any enemy of Iran with advanced cyber war capability might be involved, Langner says. The US is acknowledged to have that ability, and Israel is also reported to have a formidable offensive cyber-war-fighting capability.
Israeli official: We'll sell arms to Russia's enemies
Israeli officials are threatening to sell weapons to "areas of strategic importance" to Russia after Moscow announced over the weekend that it would go through with the sale of P800 missiles to Syria, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday.
Paterson vetoes popular AIDS, HIV housing bill
The Democratic governor said it was "the hardest veto" he has every issued, but added that the state could not afford the $20 million in yearly subsidies the program would cost. But we can afford the 15 million to invest in Israeli bonds. Story follows.
COMPTROLLER LIU ANNOUNCES NYCERS RE-COMMITMENT TO STATE OF ISRAEL BONDS
New York City Comptroller John C. Liu today announced, on behalf of the Board of Trustees at the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), the reinvestment of $15 million in State of Israel Bonds.
Israel OKs US ‘Gift’ of Billions of Dollars in Warplanes
The F-35′s enormous costs have made it hugely controversial in the US as well, though the question of giving Israel a number of the planes does not appear to have been questioned at all. The planes are expected to be delivered in 2015, assuming development goes according to plans.
Iranian president stops in Syria on way to UN
The back–to–back trips underscored the battle for influence in Syria between Washington and Tehran. Seeking to isolate Iran, President Barack Obama has tried – unsuccessfully, so far – to pry Damascus away from its alliance with Tehran.
Fidel Castro firmly backs Israel's right to exist: report
In the same interview Castro criticized Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for denying the Holocaust and said in an interview Tehran should acknowledge Israel's fears for its own survival.
Support For Iraq's Maliki Puts U.S., Iran In Same Camp
AP Interview: Gul backs Mideast nuclear-free zone
Gul's remarks will likely antagonize the United States, because Washington sees any move to raise the issue of Israel's nuclear arsenal as potentially destabilizing at a time of renewed Israel–Palestinian peace talks.
Last week, the Obama administration warned Arab nations that they risk contributing to a failure of the Mideast talks if they continue to pressure Israel over its nuclear program. U.S. officials have asserted that it would be possible to have a nuclear–free zone in the Middle East even if Israel's arsenal remains intact.
IG: FBI Gave Inaccurate Statements on Surveillance
Inspector General Glenn Fine said the FBI had no reason to expect that anyone of interest in a terrorism investigation would be present at the 2002 event sponsored by the Thomas Merton Center, a nonviolent anti-war and anti-discrimination group.
US adds 3.8 million more to ranks of the poor as poverty rate jumps - CSMonitor.com
The deepest recession in modern times has sharply increased the ranks of the poor during the past year, with 1 in 7 people in America officially counted as living in poverty.
Iran leads nuclear drive in the Middle East
How the Rich Conduct Class Warfare
The poor are growing, the middle class is shrinking and the rich are getting even richer. This is how you build a Third World country. So, the next time you hear about class warfare, understand which direction it's going in.
A 'Personal,' International Trip in High Campaign Season
Fiorina, the Republican candidate facing incumbent Jewish Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer for a California U.S. Senate seat, traveled to Israel for four days. The trip was funded and organized by the Republican Jewish Coalition. She returned just as the Rasmussen Reports released a new poll that gave her 48% of the vote, putting her one percentage point ahead of Boxer.....Fiorina, a former Hewlett-Packard CEO, has come under fire from pro-Israel groups for HP’s shipments to Iran during her leadership there. (Fiorina has criticized Boxer for her alleged silence on Iran’s threat; Boxer’s campaign rebutted that claim, pointing to Boxer’s Iran statements). And Fiorina is now running neck-and-neck against a Jewish senator....At AIPAC, Bloomfield said, he shepherded several candidates through similar trips. Their purposes, he said, were to establish a relationship between a politician and the organization; for education; and “for the politician to establish bona fides” and claim credibility.
Senator John McCain and then-Senator Barack Obama took similar trips through Israel in 2008. Ten years before that, George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, traveled there as well – on the first such itinerary organized by the RJC, Brooks said. This cycle, Brooks said RJC also played travel agent to Pat Meehan, candidate for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.
Cantor Gunning for Another Revolution
He has been a vocal critic of the Obama administration’s approach to Israel. Cantor believes it was a mistake to push for Israeli-Palestinian talks. “Any quest for peace in the Middle East starts with dealing with Iran effectively to ensure that it does not [develop] nuclear weapons,” Cantor said. In the book he added that “being a Jewish American” has given him “a unique perspective on the good guys.”
STEPHEN SNIEGOSKI: RICHARD COHEN –ISRAEL LIABILITY FOR US
Great article.
The Transparent Cabal
History is full of examples of a determined minority prevailing over a more passive majority. A case in point is the neoconservative effort to bring the United States into war with Iraq largely for the protection of Israel. Despite the dubious reasons the neoconservatives advanced — Iraq has WMDs, ties to al-Qaeda — they managed to overcome the resistance of the military, the State Department and CIA partly by infiltrating them for their own ends. As the book title suggests, much of this was done in the open, a transparent cabal.
One and a Half Cheers for American Decline
The War on Christine O’Donnell by Patrick J. Buchanan
What is the Republican establishment going to do, what are the neoconservatives going to do, if returned to power?
Are not these the same people who assisted George W. Bush in stampeding the nation into an unnecessary war that got 4,400 Americans killed to strip Saddam Hussein of weapons he did not have?
Are these not the same people who misled or deceived us about Iraq’s role in 9/11?
Israeli Company Hired by State Government to Spy on Pennsylvanians and Other Americans
The surprise disclosure that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, through its state Homeland Security Agency, along with a number of local police departments in the state, have been employing a private Israeli security company with strong links to Mossad and the Israeli Defense Force grows increasingly disturbing when the website of the company, called the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response, is examined.
Carter: Iran rescue effort should have worked
The Associated Press purchased a copy of the book, "White House Diary," on Friday, ahead of its release Monday.
In it, he criticizes several presidents, including fellow Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, for not bringing sufficient pressure on Israel to stop building settlements on the West Bank. He writes that construction was "especially rapid" during Clinton's administration and he believes Obama has "backed away" from his initial commitment to a settlement freeze.
Lindsey Graham says U.S. Must Prepare to Attack Iran
In order to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, he said, a U.S. attack would be preferable to an Israeli attack because the American military is more powerful and more likely to achieve regime change.
Did Tony Blair endorse preventive war on Iran?
Netanyahu: We tried and failed to stop Russian missile sale to Syria
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted on Sunday that despite intensive diplomacy, Israel had failed to dissuade Russia from selling advanced missiles to Syria.
Powell unsure whether U.S. is winning in Afghanistan
Mr. Powell also said that neither the United States nor Israel is likely to launch a military strike on Iran any time soon.
Jewish Groups Denounce ‘Museum of Tolerance’
“I’m just going to take a minute to tell you a new definition of a Yiddish word called ‘chutzpah.’ … It refers to brazen nerve,” said Richard Levy, a lawyer working with the Center for Constitutional Rights on a petition filed with several international bodies to halt the construction of the museum in Jerusalem. “This cemetery, which stands in West Jerusalem for a thousand years, is now subject to the bulldozer of this organization. So that’s the meaning of the word chutzpah: to say you stand for tolerance, and perform that kind of an act, is the most despicable kind of hypocrisy.”
American Public Opinion and the Special Relationship With Israel
The data in the Chicago Council’s study is consistent with the data that Steve and I presented in our book and in countless public talks. The story remains the same.
The bottom line is that the lobby is largely responsible for America’s special relationship with Israel, which is harmful to both countries. Alan Dershowitz was spot on when he said, “My generation of Jews … became part of what is perhaps the most effective lobbying and fund-raising effort in the history of democracy.” Looks like Mearsheimer caught wind of this poll too.
Poll: Vast majority opposes attack on Iran
The survey (PDF) also finds an electorate that is far less certain of its support of Israel than US political leaders would suggest. By a narrow margin -- 50 percent to 47 percent -- Americans would oppose the US militarily defending Israel if it were the victim of an unprovoked attack.....Americans "show a rather restrained attitude toward being involved" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the survey states. Fully two-thirds -- 66 percent -- of those polled want the US to maintain a neutral stance in the conflict, while 28 percent want to see the US take the Israeli side Read the last part in the above excerpt. So, if 66 percent of Americans want to stay neutral, then why aren't those numbers also demonstrated on Capital Hill by our so-called 'representaves'? This is a very important question, and the answer is found on all of blogs and my website. And the answer goes against the very principles upon which this nation was founded. If our representatives aren't representing our wishes, then it's time to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
Pro-Israel Biased Media Is a Threat to Our Security
A Bipartisan Look at the Israel Lobby by Philip Giraldi
Yes, there is quite a lot to examine and if anyone is seriously interested in genuine threats against the United States AIPAC and the Israel Lobby are good places to start. Another must read.
Ahmadinejad hopeful US will release Iranians
Iran's list of citizens it says are held in the U.S. includes three Iranians who have been convicted or charged in public court proceedings in the United States.
The circumstances surrounding some of the others are more mysterious. They include a former Defense Ministry official who vanished in Turkey in December 2006 and three others who Iran says were abducted in Europe and sent to the U.S.
Iran feels pain of sanctions: Treasury's Levey
Iran detains seven U.S. troops: report
Iran denies detaining seven U.S. troops
Bomb attack kills 12 people in western Iran
A bomb exploded at a military parade in northwestern Iran on Wednesday, killing 12 spectators in an attack that one official blamed on Kurdish separatists who have fought Iranian forces in the area for decades.
Iraqi: Saddam 'delighted' in terror attacks on US
Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, a prominent member of Saddam Hussein's inner circle, told the FBI that the dictator "delighted" in the 1998 terrorist bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa but had no interest in partnering with Osama bin Laden, declassified documents show. "Saddam did not trust Islamists," Aziz said, according to handwritten notes of a June 27, 2004 interrogation, although he viewed al–Qaida as an "effective" organization....No nuclear weapons – or any sign of an active nuclear program – have been found in postwar Iraq, and the Aziz interrogation records support arguments that while Saddam viewed the U.S. as his enemy, he was also hostile to al–Qaida and its radical religious ideology.
An interesting read.
Census: 1 in 7 Americans lives in poverty
Who is Spying on Whom? by Philip Giraldi
Israeli companies now dominate in the areas of transportation and telecommunications security, both of which are critical national infrastructures that should be restricted only to American companies employing American citizens. One recalls that at the time of the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinski scandal there were reports that the NSA had determined that a foreign nation had been listening in to White House phone calls. That foreign nation was Israel, able to do so because several Israeli companies had the contracts to provide various services relating to telephone monitoring. The Israeli companies involved are still active, having changed their names and shifted their business locations to the US, but their ownership and management continues to be Israeli.
Barak: Options against Iran on the table
Barak, who met with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen in Washington on Monday, said Iran continues to deceive the international community, the Hebrew daily Maariv said Tuesday.
The Israeli defense minister called for harsher measures against Tehran.
Iran deal with Russia for air-defence missiles scuppered by US and Israel
The US and Israel joined forces in opposing the deal because, they argued, the system could help Iran defend itself against potential attacks on its nuclear facilities. Israel also warned that the weapon could fall into the hands of Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon, who are supported by Iran. The CIA has said that it believes the missiles would be deployed to protect Iranian nuclear facilities.
Israel: It's Against Our Interest to Join Anti-Nuclear Arms Treaty
The Jewish state is the only Middle East power believed to possess nuclear weapons.
Peres: We are ready to enter direct negotiations with Syria
Peres went on to harshly condemn Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his countless declarations to "annihilate Israel." Complete BS.
Obama says military action against Iran not ideal
Egypt accuses Israel of 'chutzpah' in nuclear meet
The remarks at the International Atomic Energy Agency's general conference reflect the bitterness dividing Arab nations and Israel and its supporters over whether Israel should open up its nuclear program to the U.N. watchdog's perusal.
New Western concerns over Iran's nuclear program
Ambassadors from the three Western countries highlighted a recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency and comments Monday by its chief, Yukiya Amano, who said he cannot confirm that all of Iran's nuclear activities are peaceful, as Tehran claims, because the country has offered only selective cooperation to the U.N. nuclear watchdog and has rejected several inspectors.
Bank Repossessions Hit Record High in August: RealtyTrac
The number of homes taken back by lenders hit a new record high last month, according to RealtyTrac. Lenders foreclosed on 95,364 U.S. properties in August, about 2 percent higher than the previous peak of 93,777 recorded by the company in May 2010.
Iowa Activists Drew Extensive FBI Scrutiny
Agents staked out the homes of political activists, secretly photographed and shot video of them, pored through their garbage, and studied their cell phone and motor vehicle records, according to records detailing the FBI's counterterrorism investigation.
US to keep pressuring Iran over nuclear program
While Washington remained committed to pursuing a diplomatic solution, Chu said it was clear there was a "broad and growing international consensus that will hold Iran accountable if it continues its defiance.
U.S. Exits Longest Recession Since World War II
President Barack Obama said the end of the "Great Recession" would come as little solace to the millions of people who are still out of work
Year's tally of U.S. bank failures reaches 124
More Americans are Poor than Ever Before, Census Finds
Seven Civilians Killed in US-Iraqi Raid
Seven civilians were among 18 people killed in Iraq on Wednesday, shot dead as US and Iraqi troops tried to nab a top Al-Qaeda leader in Fallujah, sparking public anger in the former rebel base.
EXCLUSIVE: Israeli Official Says Strikes on 'Bottlenecks' Could Cripple Iran's Nuke Program
Chinese think tank warns US it will emerge as loser in trade war
Ding Yifan, a policy guru at the Development Research Centre, said China could respond by selling holdings of US debt, estimated at over $1.5 trillion (£963bn). This would trigger a rise in US interest rates. His comments at a forum in Beijing follow a string of remarks by Chinese officials questioning US credit-worthiness and the reliability of the dollar.
Americans' Net Worth Falls Along With Stocks
The Federal Reserve reported Friday that household net worth—stocks, bonds, homes and other assets, minus mortgages and other debts—fell 2.8% to $53.5 trillion in the second quarter, driven by a sharp decline in the value of stock investments.
Reality check Iran is not a nuclear threat
Politicians, lobbyists, and propagandists have spent nearly two decades pushing the lie that Iran poses a nuclear weapons threat to the United States and Israel. After a brief respite in the intensity of the wolf cries over the past two years, the neoconservative movement has decided to relaunch the “Must Bomb Iran” brand.
Israel decides to buy F-35 fighter jets, despite row over cost of deal
Signs of a Rift Between U.S. Politicians and U.S. National Security?
Castro’s well-timed comments about persecuted Jews may have been a signal that Cuba is again open for business — any business. At the very least, his comments were like a healing balm to nationalist Zionist settlers who have plans to construct another 19,000 home in the West Bank A very good piece.
The Hate Mongers Among Us
Not long ago an internal poll of friendly foreign intelligence agencies ranked our best and worst allies—those who behave as friends to the U.S. versus those who are clearly foes. Israel ranked dead last as a reliable ally. Though their brazen theft of technical and industrial secrets is well known among those in the know, the broader U.S. public remains deceived or in denial.
Israel set to build wings for some 800 F-35s
Israeli and U.S. officials expect final approval of that deal by the end of September. The planes would be delivered in 2015–2017. The cost of the purchase would be covered by an annual U.S. defense grant of $3 billion.
Weapons Bizarre by Justin Raimondo -- Antiwar.com
The F-35 was designed, in short, to fight a war in the Middle East against a nation that doesn’t quite measure up to our technological standards. One that can be expected to deploy large massed armies in its defense – and which, in the case of Iran, will have to be stopped from pouring into US-occupied Iraq.
With this move, it is clear that the US is arming its allies in the region – Israel and the Saudis – in preparation for an attack. When Obama said during the last presidential election campaign that he wasn’t taking such an attack off the table, he clearly meant it – and I said so at the time, so you can’t say you weren’t warned.
Arab states snub US over Israel resolution at IAEA meet
Arab states refused on Thursday to drop plans to chide Israel over its assumed nuclear arsenal at a UN nuclear conference next week, despite US suggestions that such a move would jeopardise Middle East peace talks.
Under IAEA pressure, Syria and Iran point to Israel
Last month, Davies said a "number of countries" were beginning to ask whether it was time to invoke the IAEA's "special inspection" mechanism to give it the authority to look anywhere necessary in Syria at short notice.
Turkey: a democratic superpower in the Middle East
One hears similar criticisms in the United States, where there has been a lot of hand-wringing lately over Turkey’s increasingly assertive foreign policy, its deepening ties with Iran, Syria, and Iraq, and its overt criticism of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. Some have even suggested that Turkey, the only Muslim member of NATO, is turning away from its strategic alliance with the West and instead building an “Islamic axis” against America’s interests in the region.
Israel to buy U.S. F 35 fighters worth an estimated 2.75 billion
t Israel will not pay the bill in any event. It will be the U.S. taxpayer since the planes will all be funded as part of U.S. military aid to Israel. Of course no doubt U.S. politicians who have Lockheed Martin related facilities in their areas will praise the job creation involved.
Stuxnet malware is 'weapon' out to destroy ... Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant
A geographical distribution of computers hit by Stuxnet, which Microsoft produced in July, found Iran to be the apparent epicenter of the Stuxnet infections. That suggests that any enemy of Iran with advanced cyber war capability might be involved, Langner says. The US is acknowledged to have that ability, and Israel is also reported to have a formidable offensive cyber-war-fighting capability.
Israeli official: We'll sell arms to Russia's enemies
Israeli officials are threatening to sell weapons to "areas of strategic importance" to Russia after Moscow announced over the weekend that it would go through with the sale of P800 missiles to Syria, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday.
Paterson vetoes popular AIDS, HIV housing bill
The Democratic governor said it was "the hardest veto" he has every issued, but added that the state could not afford the $20 million in yearly subsidies the program would cost. But we can afford the 15 million to invest in Israeli bonds. Story follows.
COMPTROLLER LIU ANNOUNCES NYCERS RE-COMMITMENT TO STATE OF ISRAEL BONDS
New York City Comptroller John C. Liu today announced, on behalf of the Board of Trustees at the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), the reinvestment of $15 million in State of Israel Bonds.
Israel OKs US ‘Gift’ of Billions of Dollars in Warplanes
The F-35′s enormous costs have made it hugely controversial in the US as well, though the question of giving Israel a number of the planes does not appear to have been questioned at all. The planes are expected to be delivered in 2015, assuming development goes according to plans.
Iranian president stops in Syria on way to UN
The back–to–back trips underscored the battle for influence in Syria between Washington and Tehran. Seeking to isolate Iran, President Barack Obama has tried – unsuccessfully, so far – to pry Damascus away from its alliance with Tehran.
Fidel Castro firmly backs Israel's right to exist: report
In the same interview Castro criticized Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for denying the Holocaust and said in an interview Tehran should acknowledge Israel's fears for its own survival.
Support For Iraq's Maliki Puts U.S., Iran In Same Camp
AP Interview: Gul backs Mideast nuclear-free zone
Gul's remarks will likely antagonize the United States, because Washington sees any move to raise the issue of Israel's nuclear arsenal as potentially destabilizing at a time of renewed Israel–Palestinian peace talks.
Last week, the Obama administration warned Arab nations that they risk contributing to a failure of the Mideast talks if they continue to pressure Israel over its nuclear program. U.S. officials have asserted that it would be possible to have a nuclear–free zone in the Middle East even if Israel's arsenal remains intact.
IG: FBI Gave Inaccurate Statements on Surveillance
Inspector General Glenn Fine said the FBI had no reason to expect that anyone of interest in a terrorism investigation would be present at the 2002 event sponsored by the Thomas Merton Center, a nonviolent anti-war and anti-discrimination group.
US adds 3.8 million more to ranks of the poor as poverty rate jumps - CSMonitor.com
The deepest recession in modern times has sharply increased the ranks of the poor during the past year, with 1 in 7 people in America officially counted as living in poverty.
Iran leads nuclear drive in the Middle East
How the Rich Conduct Class Warfare
The poor are growing, the middle class is shrinking and the rich are getting even richer. This is how you build a Third World country. So, the next time you hear about class warfare, understand which direction it's going in.
A 'Personal,' International Trip in High Campaign Season
Fiorina, the Republican candidate facing incumbent Jewish Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer for a California U.S. Senate seat, traveled to Israel for four days. The trip was funded and organized by the Republican Jewish Coalition. She returned just as the Rasmussen Reports released a new poll that gave her 48% of the vote, putting her one percentage point ahead of Boxer.....Fiorina, a former Hewlett-Packard CEO, has come under fire from pro-Israel groups for HP’s shipments to Iran during her leadership there. (Fiorina has criticized Boxer for her alleged silence on Iran’s threat; Boxer’s campaign rebutted that claim, pointing to Boxer’s Iran statements). And Fiorina is now running neck-and-neck against a Jewish senator....At AIPAC, Bloomfield said, he shepherded several candidates through similar trips. Their purposes, he said, were to establish a relationship between a politician and the organization; for education; and “for the politician to establish bona fides” and claim credibility.
Senator John McCain and then-Senator Barack Obama took similar trips through Israel in 2008. Ten years before that, George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, traveled there as well – on the first such itinerary organized by the RJC, Brooks said. This cycle, Brooks said RJC also played travel agent to Pat Meehan, candidate for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.
Cantor Gunning for Another Revolution
He has been a vocal critic of the Obama administration’s approach to Israel. Cantor believes it was a mistake to push for Israeli-Palestinian talks. “Any quest for peace in the Middle East starts with dealing with Iran effectively to ensure that it does not [develop] nuclear weapons,” Cantor said. In the book he added that “being a Jewish American” has given him “a unique perspective on the good guys.”
STEPHEN SNIEGOSKI: RICHARD COHEN –ISRAEL LIABILITY FOR US
Great article.
The Transparent Cabal
History is full of examples of a determined minority prevailing over a more passive majority. A case in point is the neoconservative effort to bring the United States into war with Iraq largely for the protection of Israel. Despite the dubious reasons the neoconservatives advanced — Iraq has WMDs, ties to al-Qaeda — they managed to overcome the resistance of the military, the State Department and CIA partly by infiltrating them for their own ends. As the book title suggests, much of this was done in the open, a transparent cabal.
One and a Half Cheers for American Decline
The War on Christine O’Donnell by Patrick J. Buchanan
What is the Republican establishment going to do, what are the neoconservatives going to do, if returned to power?
Are not these the same people who assisted George W. Bush in stampeding the nation into an unnecessary war that got 4,400 Americans killed to strip Saddam Hussein of weapons he did not have?
Are these not the same people who misled or deceived us about Iraq’s role in 9/11?
Israeli Company Hired by State Government to Spy on Pennsylvanians and Other Americans
The surprise disclosure that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, through its state Homeland Security Agency, along with a number of local police departments in the state, have been employing a private Israeli security company with strong links to Mossad and the Israeli Defense Force grows increasingly disturbing when the website of the company, called the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response, is examined.
Carter: Iran rescue effort should have worked
The Associated Press purchased a copy of the book, "White House Diary," on Friday, ahead of its release Monday.
In it, he criticizes several presidents, including fellow Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, for not bringing sufficient pressure on Israel to stop building settlements on the West Bank. He writes that construction was "especially rapid" during Clinton's administration and he believes Obama has "backed away" from his initial commitment to a settlement freeze.
Lindsey Graham says U.S. Must Prepare to Attack Iran
In order to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, he said, a U.S. attack would be preferable to an Israeli attack because the American military is more powerful and more likely to achieve regime change.
Did Tony Blair endorse preventive war on Iran?
Netanyahu: We tried and failed to stop Russian missile sale to Syria
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted on Sunday that despite intensive diplomacy, Israel had failed to dissuade Russia from selling advanced missiles to Syria.
Powell unsure whether U.S. is winning in Afghanistan
Mr. Powell also said that neither the United States nor Israel is likely to launch a military strike on Iran any time soon.
Jewish Groups Denounce ‘Museum of Tolerance’
“I’m just going to take a minute to tell you a new definition of a Yiddish word called ‘chutzpah.’ … It refers to brazen nerve,” said Richard Levy, a lawyer working with the Center for Constitutional Rights on a petition filed with several international bodies to halt the construction of the museum in Jerusalem. “This cemetery, which stands in West Jerusalem for a thousand years, is now subject to the bulldozer of this organization. So that’s the meaning of the word chutzpah: to say you stand for tolerance, and perform that kind of an act, is the most despicable kind of hypocrisy.”
American Public Opinion and the Special Relationship With Israel
The data in the Chicago Council’s study is consistent with the data that Steve and I presented in our book and in countless public talks. The story remains the same.
The bottom line is that the lobby is largely responsible for America’s special relationship with Israel, which is harmful to both countries. Alan Dershowitz was spot on when he said, “My generation of Jews … became part of what is perhaps the most effective lobbying and fund-raising effort in the history of democracy.” Looks like Mearsheimer caught wind of this poll too.
Poll: Vast majority opposes attack on Iran
The survey (PDF) also finds an electorate that is far less certain of its support of Israel than US political leaders would suggest. By a narrow margin -- 50 percent to 47 percent -- Americans would oppose the US militarily defending Israel if it were the victim of an unprovoked attack.....Americans "show a rather restrained attitude toward being involved" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the survey states. Fully two-thirds -- 66 percent -- of those polled want the US to maintain a neutral stance in the conflict, while 28 percent want to see the US take the Israeli side Read the last part in the above excerpt. So, if 66 percent of Americans want to stay neutral, then why aren't those numbers also demonstrated on Capital Hill by our so-called 'representaves'? This is a very important question, and the answer is found on all of blogs and my website. And the answer goes against the very principles upon which this nation was founded. If our representatives aren't representing our wishes, then it's time to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
Pro-Israel Biased Media Is a Threat to Our Security
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