background preloader

Seymour M. Hersh · The Red Line and the Rat Line: Erdoğan and the Syrian rebels · LRB 17 April 2014

Seymour M. Hersh · The Red Line and the Rat Line: Erdoğan and the Syrian rebels · LRB 17 April 2014
In 2011 Barack Obama led an allied military intervention in Libya without consulting the US Congress. Last August, after the sarin attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta, he was ready to launch an allied air strike, this time to punish the Syrian government for allegedly crossing the ‘red line’ he had set in 2012 on the use of chemical weapons.[*]​* Then with less than two days to go before the planned strike, he announced that he would seek congressional approval for the intervention. The strike was postponed as Congress prepared for hearings, and subsequently cancelled when Obama accepted Assad’s offer to relinquish his chemical arsenal in a deal brokered by Russia. Why did Obama delay and then relent on Syria when he was not shy about rushing into Libya? Obama’s change of mind had its origins at Porton Down, the defence laboratory in Wiltshire. The joint chiefs also knew that the Obama administration’s public claims that only the Syrian army had access to sarin were wrong. 4 April

Series of small earthquakes rock Oklahoma in record seismic activity By Carey Gillam (Reuters) - Earthquakes rattled residents in Oklahoma on Saturday, the latest in a series that have put the state on track for record quake activity this year, which some seismologists say may be tied to oil and gas exploration. One earthquake recorded at 3.8 magnitude by the U.S. Geological Survey rocked houses in several communities around central Oklahoma at 7:42 a.m. local time. Another about two hours earlier in the same part of the state, north of Oklahoma City, was recorded at 2.9 magnitude, USGS said. Those two were preceded by two more, at 2.6 magnitude, and 2.5 magnitude, that also rolled the landscape in central Oklahoma early Saturday morning. Austin Holland, a seismologist with the Oklahoma Geological Survey who tracks earthquake activity for the USGS, said the earthquake activity in the state is soaring. "We have had almost as many magnitude 3 and greater already in 2014 than we did for all of 2013," Holland said. Most earthquakes occur naturally.

NSA Blows Its Own Top Secret Program in Order to Propagandize Over the last 40 years, the U.S. government has relied on extreme fear-mongering to demonize transparency. In sum, every time an unwanted whistleblower steps forward, we are treated to the same messaging: You’re all going to die because of these leakers and the journalists who publish their disclosures! Lest you think that’s hyperbole, consider this headline from last week based on an interview with outgoing NSA chief Keith Alexander: The NSA engages in this fear-mongering not only publicly but also privately. But whenever it suits the agency to do so–meaning when it wants to propagandize on its own behalf–the NSA casually discloses even its most top secret activities in the very countries where such retaliation is most likely. FT. John “Chris” Inglis just revealed to the world that the NSA was–is? The program, noted the Post, has been in use in one country since 2011, and “planning documents two years later anticipated similar operations elsewhere.” Thus, writes the L.A.

U.S. Tries To Stop India's Solar Policy While Pushing Fight Against Climate Change WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration talks a lot about the need to develop renewable energy around the world to curb climate change. But right now, it's trying to kill India's effort to boost its domestic solar industry. The U.S. wants India to back off a policy that would require local sourcing for solar energy technology, and has sought World Trade Organization enforcement action. Representatives from the two nations reportedly met last week to try to settle the trade battle over India's rapidly developing solar industry, but reached no resolution. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said in February that India's rules for locally made products for its solar power program "discriminate against U.S. exports" and break WTO rules. The U.S. and India have 60 days from last month's announcement of the enforcement action -- until April 11 -- to resolve the conflict before it goes to the WTO, which can impose sanctions. The U.S. and China have also faced off over solar panels. U.S.

U.S. Air Force relieves nine officers following nuclear test cheating probe The scandal, which came to light after a probe into suspected drug use among missileers at Malmstrom, has been among the most embarrassing ethical lapses the Pentagon has had to contend with in recent months. The military also faced questions about its ability to prosecute cases of sexual assault and is investigating a similar cheating scandal involving sailors. “We do have some systemic issues in our missile community,” Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told reporters Thursday afternoon at the Pentagon. Dozens of junior officers will face a range of disciplinary sanctions from letters of reprimand to court-martial, officials said. Investigators found that many airmen were sharing test questions and answers via text messages. Air Force officials said the cheating on job-proficiency tests became routine among airmen who described themselves as being demoralized. “You’re competing for promotion against a pilot who can say he flew this many hours,” said Adam B. Col.

New York Times’ Risen Calls Obama Administration “The Greatest Enemy of Press Freedom” In A Generation 1, March 25, 2014 by jonathanturley I recently wrote a column on the wholesale attack on press freedoms under President Obama that parallel his attack on other civil liberties and privacy principles (here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here). I testified on the erosion of press freedom under President George W. Bush but the assault on the free press has worsened under President Obama while Democratic members and supporters remain conspicuously silent. Risen spoke at the Sources and Secrets conference in New York City and told the crowd that the Obama administration “the greatest enemy of press freedom that we have encountered in at least a generation.” Risen is not just some disgruntled reporter. Previously, the New York Times editors lambasted Obama for his attack on the free press. All that we can do is continue to warn about the rapid loss of civil liberties and protections under Obama. Like this: Like Loading...

24 Hard Facts About 9/11 That Cannot Be Debunked by Joe Martino 9/11 has been one of the biggest events in recent history that sparked a mass awakening across the world. There has been much debate as to how it happened, who is responsible and why. To this day about 1/3 of americans do not believe the official story. In other areas of the world as much as 90% of the country does not believe the official story. Here is a list of 24 facts that cannot be debunked about 9/11. 1) Nano Thermite was found in the dust at Ground Zero. 2) 1700+ Engineers and Architects support a real independent 9/11 investigation. 3) The total collapse of WTC 7 in 6.5 seconds at free fall acceleration (NIST admits 2.25 seconds). 4) Dick Cheney was in command of NORAD on 9/11 while running war games. 5) 6 out of the 10 Commissioners believe the 9/11 Commission report was “Setup to fail” Co-Chairs Hamilton and Kean, “It was a 30 year conspiracy”, “The whitehouse has played cover up”, ‘Max Cleland resigned’, ‘John Farmer’. 11) On September 10th, 2001. Source:

NASA Study Concludes Civilization Is About To Collapse… and It’s the 1%’s Fault by A new study sponsored by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, human civilization only has a few decades left. The report was written by applied mathematician Safa Motesharrei of the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center. A team of natural and social scientists joined him in explaining that modern civilization is doomed. Their study explains that the entire fundamental structure and nature of our society dooms it to collapse. There are five primary risk factors for societal collapse that the study defines. PopulationClimateWaterAgricultureEnergy The report explains that the sudden downfall of what it describes as complicated societal structures will naturally follow when these factors converge into two important criteria. The study continues to explain that this “Elite” population then restricts the flow of resources accessible to what the study rightly calls the “Masses”. Technology, far from saving the day, only accelerates the problem. Spread the word. (Article by M.B.

Former U.S. Ambassador: Behind Crimea Crisis, Russia Responding to Years of "Hostile" U.S. Policy This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. JUAN GONZÁLEZ: The Ukrainian government has announced plans to abandon its military bases in Crimea and evacuate its forces following Russia’s decision to annex the region. Earlier today, Russian forces reportedly released the commander of the Ukrainian Navy, who has been seized in his own headquarters in Crimea. At the United Nations, ambassadors sparred over the situation in Crimea. Yuriy Sergeyev is the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.N. YURIY SERGEYEV: The declaration of independence by the Crimean Republic is a direct consequence of the application of the use of force and threats against Ukraine by the Russian Federation, and, in view of Russian nuclear power status, has a particularly dangerous character for Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity, as well as for international peace and security in general. AMY GOODMAN: Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the U.S. Ambassador Matlock, welcome to Democracy Now!

Putting the Ukraine Crisis in Context When the Ukraine crisis began, the mainstream U.S. media cast aside any pretense of objectivity and joined in the service of State Department propaganda. But – given the emergence of the Internet – a far more honest and nuanced story is possible to detect, as William Blum describes at Anti-Empire Report. By William Blum “The Russians are coming … again … and they’re still ten feet tall!” So, what do we have here? Try and find an American mainstream media entity that has made a serious attempt to capture the horror. Russian President Vladimir Putin laying a wreath at Russia’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on May 8, 2014, as part of the observance of the World War II Victory over Germany. And how did this latest example of American foreign-policy exceptionalism come to be? That can serve as an early marker for the new cold war while the corpse of the old one was still warm. In February of this year, U.S. The current protestors in Ukraine don’t need PHDs in economics to know what this portends.

the simple image sharer Unusual News - Why is the CIA Fighting Release of Documents Relating to 4 Planes that Went Missing in 1980? A federal judge has told the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other federal offices to continue looking for records pertaining to the disappearance of four transport planes in 1980. The case was brought before Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly by plaintiff Stephen Whitaker, who has attempted to obtain information about four DC-3 aircraft, one of which was flown by his father, Harold William Whitaker. Stephen Whitaker filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the CIA, as well as the Department of Defense and the State Department, to learn if they possessed records that might explain what happened to the DC-3s. The CIA refused to tell Whitaker if its archives held any relevant documents pertaining to his search. Whitaker argued in his lawsuit that the CIA improperly invoked FOIA Exemption (b) (3) (pdf), which authorizes the agency to keep from revealing information on agency “functions” and “intelligence sources and methods.” -Noel Brinkerhoff To Learn More: Stephen Whitaker v.

Manhunt leads to massive roadblock, warrantless car-to-car searches Police “systematically checking the trunks and rear hatches” of cars in traffic. (Source: Washington Post) ROCKVILLE, MD — Thousands of motorists were brought to a standstill when police conducted a massive roadblock to find three crime suspects. The busy Tuesday morning commute was abruptly halted just after 10:00 a.m. on March 11th. Police roadblocked 12 lanes of I-270 in Rockville, MD. Police had received intelligence that a local bank had been robbed that morning and the vehicle carrying the 3 suspects had turned onto the interstate highway. There was “a lot of yelling, a lot of orders being given, helicopters, dogs barking, sirens, police cars driving by,” said eyewitness Carlton Higdon to WJLA. Miles of cars were stranded and motorists were confined to their vehicles, with no explanation, for over an hour. “It’s just awful,” motorist Carmel Desroche to WJLA, describing the traffic jam. A group of officers made its way to his car and other cars around him. Accountability Check

Related: