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Another Watergate unfolding? The Lutfallah II Arms-Smuggling Scandal
by FRANKLIN LAMB
Tripoli, Lebanon
It would be an incautious stretch to suggest any sort of parity between Watergate and the unfolding Lutfallah II arms shipment-to-Syria drama, that each day brings more revelations. But some of what we are daily learning about the who, what and why of Lutfallah II reminds some of us of a Watergate, type atmosphere including “bit by bit, drip by drip” revelations, denials, setting up fall guys and remarkable examples of incompetence.
The still unfolding Lutfallah II weapons running misadventure, in which a claimed Syrian-owned vessel registered in Sierra Leone but apparently flying the Egyptian flag, was detained off the Lebanese port of Batoun, by the Lebanese Army Marines because it was sailing too high in the water, and appeared “suspicious,” and was then found to contain 300,000 pounds of weapons may erupt unpredictably with serious political consequences for the region.
“Deepthroat”, the FBI mole who met secretly with Woodward & Bernstein and leaked confidential US government information to the duo, as revenge against President Nixon for rejecting him as successor to the deceased FBI Director, J.Edgar Hoover, outed himself in 2005. “Deepthroat”, after a quarter century of hundreds of sleuths trying to divine, if he/she even existed, turned out to be none other than Deputy Director of the FBI, William Mark Felt, Sr. “Deepthroat” repeated advice to the Washington Post reporters was to “Follow the Money!”
Choice Not on Ballot in French Election
by Stephen Lendman
France replicates most Western societies. Elections give voters little choice at best. Most often there's none. Two dominant parties usually compete. In France, there's three.
On April 22, first round presidential election voting took place. Three main parties competed. Former Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) leader and current president, Nicolas Sarkozy, faced two main challengers
He squared off against Socialist Party's (PS) Francois Hollande and the far right National Front's (FN) Marine Le Pen.
Whitewashing Mass Murder
by Stephen Lendman
Israel's 2008-09 Gaza war was one of history's great crimes. Missiles, bombs, shells, and illegal weapons were used against defenseless people. Mass slaughter and destruction followed.
Brazen crimes of war and against humanity were committed. International protection wasn't afforded. Responsible officials remain unaccountable.
Before his fall from grace, Richard Goldstone said:
"(T)here is evidence indicating serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law were committed by Israel during the Gaza conflict, and that Israel committed actions amounting to war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity."
When was the last time a legislative body denounced any business leader by name?
By Michael Collins
May Day! How remarkable (even though Rupert Murdoch was denounced by a committee of the House of Commons, not the entire body). Murdoch is "not a fit person" to run "a major international company," we were told in a report released by the Commons' committee investigating phone hacking on May 1). He may not be unbalanced, as Murdoch recently characterized former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, but he's certainly not fit. (Image)
Here's some of what this means:
1) There's no way Murdoch will survive the regulatory investigation on his ownership of media in Great Britain.. One of Ofcom's charters (the regulatory body) is to determine if Murdoch is a "fit and proper" person to own BSkyB and other British media properties.
2) When it looks like Murdoch has to divest the 39% News Corp interest in the highly profitable BSkyB pay TV network, institutional shareholders will Kirk out! The Sky enterprise amounted to 20% plus of News Corp's 2011 profits. Oops!
3) Murdoch won't go gentle into the dark night. He will become increasingly irrational as seen in his sting operation against his once loyal servant David Cameron. It is fair to assume that he's got more dirt on public officials than J. Edgar ever had … and he'll start using it.
4) Murdoch will retain the continued loyalty of the News Corp board (see members listed below). After the release of the condemnation by the Commons committee, Murdoch's board released a statement expressing "full confidence in Rupert Murdoch's fitness and support for his continuing to lead News Corporation into the future as its Chairman and CEO."
5) Murdoch may get the bums rush out of News Corp as a result of an institutional investor like the Christian Brothers Investment Services which has said it would ask the SEC to change the voting rights of shareholders (Murdoch has outsized representation in voting shares).
California public to vote on GMO Label Act; Biotech lies begin
By Rady Ananda
Food Freedom News
Stroller-pushing mothers delivered nearly a million signatures in Sacramento on Wednesday, for an initiative to put to populist vote The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act.
The ten-week signature drive collected nearly double the amount needed to put the R2K Act on the November 6, 2012 ballot.
The state will take between five and seven weeks to validate the signatures, and then certify the results. Of the 555,236 needed, thousands of volunteers collected 971,126, just shy of the hoped-for million.
Murdoch Watch - the Kiss of Death
By Michael Collins
When things don't work out, doing business with Murdoch can be the kiss of death.
No matter how hard you try, how loyal you are, if something goes wrong, you can be sure it will be your fault.
Reporting has failed to lay the proper foundation for understanding Rupert Murdoch's remarkable testimony before the Leveson Inquiry in London and his behavior of late.
Rupert Murdoch is a nihilist.
Murdoch’s television outlets in the United States stoked the fires for the 2003 invasion of Iraq based on outrageous misrepresentations like the idea that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The war cost tens of thousands of dead and seriously injured U.S. soldiers, several hundred thousand dead Iraqi civilians, and $3 trillion. (Image: acb)
Last summer, Murdoch went full throttle to support Republicans in the U.S. Congress as they fabricated a debt ceiling crisis that seriously damaged the credit rating of the United States of America.
Murdoch’s support of the Tea Party created an utterly irrational voice in U.S. politics that prevents even the most modest necessary reforms. Created by right wing lobbyists, this pseudo party blocks every vital project, from reviving the economy to an effective, coordinated response to the crisis created by climate change.
In the nations occupied by his multinational media empire Murdoch takes the path of maximum damage to the public and governance.
Extractive Capitalism and the Divisions in the Latin American Progressive Camp
James Petras
Introduction
The leading agro-mineral exporting countries, including those engaged with the world’s leading mining and energy multi-national corporations(MNC) are also those characterized as having the most independent and progressive foreign policies. Apparently the primacy of “extractive capitalism” and commodity-export based economies are no longer correlated with ‘neo-colonial’ regimes.
It can be argued that the concessions to the extractive MNC and local ‘leading’ classes assures stability, steady revenues and finances the incremental social expenditures which permit the re-election of the center-left regimes. In other words a de facto alliance between the “top” and “bottom” of the class structure is the unstated bases for center-left electoral successes despite the growing political divergence between the regimes and sections of the social movements.
FUKUSHIMA PRIMED FOR WORLD WIDE DISASTER
Allen L Roland
The radioactive Fukushima Genie is out of the bottle and is primed to accomplish a worldwide disaster. If the roof of Reactor building #4 collapses, a building that is now seismically rated at zero, a pool of 1563 spent fuel rods perched 100 feet above the ground would also collapse ~ resulting in a gusher of global radiation that would put most of the world’s human and biological populations at severe risk.
The greatest and most dangerous on going cover up in the world today is not the official 9/11 cover up (now into its 11th year); it is not the supposed assassination of Bin Laden by Navy Seals last year (an operation with no confirmed body, no video and completely staged as a re-election gimmick as we are now witnessing); but instead, it is the unspoken on going conspiracy of silence regarding the spreading worldwide nuclear radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster on March 11, 2011.
American Methodists must be fearless about divestment
Stuart Littlewood
Chief Rabbi warned Brits of “reverberations” across the faith communities, so American Methodists must be fearless about divestment.
Why is the United Methodist Church apparently making such heavy weather of voting for divestment from corporates – specifically Caterpillar, Motorola and Hewlett-Packard - that profiteer from the brutal Israeli occupation of Palestine?
Americans can surely learn from their British brethren who blazed a trail through this minefield at their annual conference nearly two years ago. They voted to boycott products from Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestine, regarded as illegal under international law, and to encourage Methodists across the country to do the same.
Abdulhadi Alkhawaja Painfully Force-Fed
by Stephen Lendman
Abdulhadi Alkhawaja
May 1 marks his 83rd hunger striking day. At issue is justice denied him and all Bahrainis. One of the world's most ruthless dictatorships terrorizes them.
They resist courageously. Abdulhadi inspires them. He's now painfully force-fed against his will.
After being denied visitations for days, family members finally saw him Sunday in a prison hospital. His wife, Khadija, said he's weak but in good spirits.
He told her he's being drugged and force-fed through a nasoenteric tube. It reaches his stomach or small bowel through his nose. Reports on force-feeding Guantanamo prisoners call it torture. Thickness of a finger inserted tubes through noses and throats abrasively draw blood. They also cause severe pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and shortness of breath.
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