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Why Obama is Declaring War on Syria
by FRANKLIN LAMB
Beirut
The short answer is Iran and Hezbollah according to Congressional sources. “The Syrian army’s victory at al-Qusayr was more than the administration could accept given that town’s strategic position in the region. Its capture by the Assad forces has essentially added Syria to Iran’s list of victories starting with Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq, as well as its growing influence in the Gulf.”
Other sources are asserting that Obama actually did not want to invoke direct military aid the rebels fighting to topple the Assad government or even to make use of American military power in Syria for several reasons. Among these are the lack of American public support for yet another American war in the Middle East, the fact that there appears to be no acceptable alternative to the Assad government on the horizon, the position of the US intelligence community and the State Department and Pentagon that intervention in Syria would potentially turn out very badly for the US and gut what’s left of its influence in the region. It short, that the US getting involved in Syria could turn out even worse than Iraq, by intensifying a regional sectarian war without any positive outcome in sight.
PermalinkChallenging Unconstitutional Spying
by Stephen Lendman
Edward Joseph Snowden revealed what's vital to know. He exposed unconstitutional spying. He did so courageously.
The 1989 Whistleblower Protection Act protects federal employees who report misconduct. Federal agencies are prohibited from retaliating against those who do so. Don't expect rogue Obama officials to act responsibly.
Whistleblowers may report law or regulatory violations, gross mismanagement, waste, fraud, abuse of authority, and/or acts endangering public health, welfare or safety.
Unconstitutional spying violates core rule of law principles. Doing do gravely compromises public health, welfare and safety.
Killing the Messenger: Official Greek Government Policy
by Stephen Lendman
Greece reflects failed state governance. It's the epicenter of banker occupation. Neoliberal priorities alone matter. It's economy was ravaged and destroyed. Unemployment tops 27%. Youth unemployment exceeds 60%.
An entire new generation is being systematically destroyed. Millions of working Greeks don't earn enough to live on. It's zombie banks are black holes of insolvency. It's dysfunctional economy awaits its obituary to be written.
Its government betrays its own people. It bears full responsibility. It's beholden more to foreign interests than its own. EU banker needs take precedence. Troika authority outside Greece dictates policy.
Public services are denied when most needed. They've gravely eroded en route to eliminating them altogether. Democracy's birth place spurns its fundamental principles.
US Census, 2020 – Imagine
Tracy Turner
Knock, knock? Who’s there? US Census, 1860 A.D. Is there anyone resident who is:
“Idiot,” “insane,” “deaf,” “dumb” or “blind. Black, white or mulatto, imbecility, pauper, true idiots only, convicts prisoner, convict, homeless child, or pauper?
Knock, knock? Who’s there? US Census, 1880 A.D Is there anyone resident who is:
Race, described as white, black, mulatto, quadroon, octoroon, Chinese, Japanese, or Indian?
Turkey: Epicenter of Police State Violence
by Stephen Lendman
For over two weeks, daily anti-government protests rocked Turkey. Police attacked peaceful demonstrators intermittently. They've done so brutally. Turkey's notorious for police state viciousness.
It's a democracy in name only. Prime Minister Erdogan is thuggish, authoritarian, hardline and despotic.
Turkey's one of 28 NATO countries. Erdogan partners with Washington's imperial wars. He's unapologetic about neoliberal harshness. More on that below.
He's been prime minister for over 10 years. Why Turks put up with him they'll have to explain. Growing opposition demands he resign. New elections are wanted. Erdogan refuses to call them. If protests continue and grow, parliament may overrule him.
Syria's Qusair Victory Matters
by Stephen Lendman
Qusair's strategically important. Western-backed death squads controlled it for over a year. On June 5, Syrian forces triumphed. Insurgent fighters were routed. Many were killed. Others were captured. Remaining elements fled.
On June 8, Buwayda village was secured. It was the final area-held insurgent position. Syria's in full control. Qusair borders Lebanon. It's in central Homs province. It's part of an important insurgent supply route.
According to General Yahya Suleiman:
"Whoever controls Qusair control the center of the country, and whoever controls the center of the country controls all of Syria."
America's National Security State
by Stephen Lendman
Post-WW II, Washington's 1947 National Security Act became law.
It streamlined the nation's military, established the National Security Council, created the CIA, and instituted what became America's military-industrial complex and police state apparatus.
Post-9/11, they've accelerated exponentially. Washington's long arm is merciless. It's been that way for decades. Go along or else became policy.
The CIA's first major foreign operation ousted Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq. A generation of repressive Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi rule followed.
So did the growth of America's national security state. It operates worldwide. It seeks unchallenged dominance. It cracks down hard on non-believers.
Epidemic of Birth Defects and Cancer in Iraq: America's Toxic Legacy
by Stephen Lendman
America's Gulf War, intermittent bombings in the 1990s, the 2003 war, and aftermath left a toxic legacy.
Children born with two heads reflect it. Some had only one eye. Missing sockets look like the inside of an oyster. They're milky and shapeless.
Some children had tails like a skinned lamb. One or more had a monkey's face. Girls had their legs grown together. They were half fish, half human.
Miscarriages are frequent. Hundreds of newborns have cleft pallets, elongated heads, overgrown or short limbs, and other malformed body parts. Some are too gruesome to view.
Deformed Iraqi newborns are commonplace. So are virtually every known illness and disease. They're inordinately frequent. They range from severe headaches, muscle pain and debilitating fatigue, to serious infections, cardiovascular disease, brain tumors and numerous type cancers.
They include leukemia, Hodgkin's disease and multiple myeloma. Others affect the bile ducts, bones, brain, breasts, colon, prostate, esophagus, gall bladder, liver, lungs, pancreas, pharynx, ovaries, salivary glands, small intestine, stomach, thyroid, urinary tract, and pelvis.
Assad: Winning Hearts, Minds and Battles in Syria
by Stephen Lendman
Most Syrians support Assad. They do so for good reason. Mass crowds turn out in liberated areas. Syria's military is cheered.
Polls show over two-thirds of Syrians back their government. The longer conflict continues, the greater Assad backing grows.
It's not surprising. Syrians want no part of living under a Washington-imposed dictatorship. They're willing to sacrifice, fight and die to prevent it. They've come this far and won't quit.
Whistleblowing: Exemplary Patriotism
by Stephen Lendman
Whistleblowing reflects doing the right thing. It exposes wrongdoing. It does so because it matters.
Edward Joseph Snowden follows a noble tradition. Others before him established it. Daniel Ellsberg called his NSA leak the most important in US history. More on him below.
Expressions of patriotism can reflect good or ill. Samuel Johnson said it’s the last refuge of a scoundrel. Thomas Paine called dissent its highest form. So did Howard Zinn.
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