On May 16, the Wall Street Journal headlined "Russia Raises Stakes in Syria," saying:

Russia "sent a dozen or more warships to patrol waters near its naval base in Syria, a buildup that US and European officials see as a newly aggressive stance meant partly to warn the West and Israel not to intervene in Syria's bloody civil war."

RIA Novosti said deployed ships include the Admiral Panteleyev destroyer, the Peresvet and Admiral Nevelsky amphibious vessels, the Pechenga tanker, the Fotiy Krylov salvage/rescue tug, the Severomorsk anti-submarine ship, the Azov Popucha-II Class landing ship, and other vessels.

Once again (just as in the recent US Embassy bombing in Ankara) a spectacular terrorist attack takes place in Turkey and the government immediately blames another obscure Marxist terrorist group, that they have conveniently resurrected from Turkey's distant past. The individual faction of this group has also allegedly been identified, as "Mirhac Ural," who has recently been named by the Syrian opposition as the man behind the latest alleged "ethnic cleansing" in a town called Banias, along the Syrian coast (SEE: Syria: Enter the ethnic cleanser of Banias).

Ural was originally a founding member of TPLP-C (Acilciler), a Marxist/Leftist/revolutionary group which was formed to fight US imperialism within Turkey, specifically, to act as a counter-force to US "Gladio"/"Gray Wolves" operations. The TPLP-C supported its sister organization, the DHKP/C, which was blamed for the recent bombing outside the American Embassy in Ankara.

HB 87 speeds up the Florida's home foreclosure process by making it easier for banks to throw citizens out of their homes. The burden of proof is switched from the plaintiff, banks, to the defendant, homeowners. When the bill's requirements for evidence gathering to appeal an initial judgment combine with general rules for discovery, defendants have just days to put together a case. See Florida HB 87, Homeowners, and the Foreclosure Inferno for a detailed run down of just some of the major problems.

Why do Banks Want a Friendly Foreclosure Bill in Florida?

The Fourth Amendment states:

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

In other words, constitutional law requires reasonable suspicion that a crime has been, is being, or will be committed to justify stopping and frisking a suspect. New York State Criminal Procedure Law, section 140.50, authorizes stop and frisk. It's based on the 1968 Supreme Court's Terry v. Ohio ruling.

May 15 is Nakba Day. It follows Israel's May 14 Independence Day. This year was no exception.

Clashes erupted across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel confronts peaceful demonstrations violently. Fundamental human rights are spurned. Rogue governments operate that way.

Preemptively attacking other countries is official Israeli policy. On May 4 and 5, Israeli warplanes targeted Syria. Doing so was preemptive, unprovoked, lawless aggression. On May 15, The New York Times headlined "Israel Hints at New Strikes, Warning Syria Not to Retaliate."

Every week we are inspired by the many people throughout the country who are doing excellent work to challenge the power structure and put forward a new path for the country. The popular resistance to plutocracy, concentrated wealth and corporatism is decentralized, creative and growing.

One growing series of protests has been the “Moral Monday” demonstrations in North Carolina. They do not have ‘one demand’ but rather are challenging the systemic corruption, undermining of democracy and misdirection of a state government that puts human needs second to corporate profits – which they have dubbed ‘Robin Hood in Reverse.’ This week 49 of 200 protesters inside the capitol were arrested singing, chanting and echoing many of the same concerns that demonstrators have for the past three Mondays. Last week there were 30 arrests, the week before 17. Among those arrested was an 83 year old retired minister, Vernon Tyson, who was merely a spectator, but he gave a great interview cheering on the protests after his release. And, a group of historians were among those arrested who put these protests in the context of US history.

CIA agents operate most everywhere. They don't promote friendly relations. They're up to no good. Some pose as diplomats.

Diplomacy provides cover for why they're sent. Christopher Fogle was caught red-handed. He was assigned to Washington's Moscow embassy political section. He was third secretary.

A web site name search found no match. It's no surprise why. He was arrested, declared persona non grata, and expelled. He got off easy. He committed espionage. He should have been imprisoned. On May 14, Voice of Russia (VOR) headlined "FSB catches CIA Agent Controller red handed," saying:

The previous evening, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said Fogle "was arrested while in the process of attempting to recruit a member of one of the Russian special services." No name was mentioned.

It's no surprise. He exceeds the worst of George Bush. He abhors democratic values. He defiles rule of law principles. He governs by diktat authority.

He's waging war on humanity. He targets all independent states. He wants puppet pro-US regimes replacing them.

Venezuela is hugely important. It's the oil, stupid. Venezuelan reserves are the world's largest.

Its democracy is real. It shames America's sham system. It's the best democracy money can buy. Each electoral cycle proves it. Business as usual reflects it.

Money power runs things. Duopoly power rules. Republicans and Democrats are two sides of the same coin. Not a dime's worth of difference separates them.