The New Dark Age

24 January 2012 — Information Clearing House

Stop the Madness
BY YOUSAF BUTT
Despite all the hype, Iran‘s nuclear program has yet to violate international law. It’s time to calm down, think, and above all halt the rush to war. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30344.htm

Europe Should Call Israel‘s Bluff
By Stuart Reigeluth and Dimitris Bouris
The figures say it all. Over 1,200 Jewish colonists occupied outposts in the West Bank in 1972; in 2012, over 300,000 live in fortress-like colonies on hilltops overlooking the Jordan Valley, excluding the illegal colonies and gradual annexation of occupied east Jerusalem. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30345.htm

A Sad Day for the Rule of Law
Rules of American Justice: A Tale of Three Cases
By Glenn Greenwald
When the purpose of American justice is to shield those who with the greatest power who commit the most egregious crimes, while severely punishing those who talk publicly about those crimes, it’s hard to imagine how it can get much more degraded or corrupted than that. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30342.htm

US Steps Outside the Law as the War on Terror Drones On
By Justin Randle
The use of unmanned aircraft belies America’s rhetoric about its values. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30343.htm

US Drowning in Hypocrisy
By Paul Craig Roberts
As the western “democracies” become increasingly lawless, the mask of law that imperialism wears is stripped away and with it the sheen of morality that has been used to cloak hegemonic ambitions. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30349.htm

Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich Wish Fidel Castro To Hell
By Elise Foley
Rick Santorum said that ending dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela is essential because the nations may collaborate with al Qaeda. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30341.htm

In Police Training, a Dark Film on U.S. Muslims
By MICHAEL POWELL
Ominous music plays as images appear on the screen: Muslim terrorists shoot Christians in the head, car bombs explode, executed children lie covered by sheets and a doctored photograph shows an Islamic flag flying over the White House. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30351.htm

The Washington-Wall Street Revolving Door Keeps Spinning
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
We’ve already made our choice for the best headline of the year, so far: “Citigroup Replaces JPMorgan as White House Chief of Staff.” http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30348.htm

George Soros on the Coming U.S. Class War
By John Arlidge
The best-case scenario is a deflationary environment. The worst-case scenario is a collapse of the financial system.” http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30347.htm

From Freedom To Fascism
The Uprising: Is it Time?
Must Watch Video
“Its easier to kill a million people than it is to control them”. Zbigniew Brzezinski: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30346.htm

An ACTA of War
Secret Censor Tool To Shake Up World Wide Web
By RT
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, has been quietly signed or ratified by most of the developed world and is arguably the biggest threat to Internet freedom yet. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30350.htm

At least 19 killed in spate of attacks in Iraq: At least 19 people were killed in Iraq on Tuesday as insurgents targeted day laborers, government workers and an anti-terrorism police captain amid a continuing surge of violence, according to security officials. http://wapo.st/whn7WN

Iraqis condemn U.S. Haditha sentence as insult: A three-month jail sentence for a U.S. Marine sergeant accused of leading a massacre of 24 civilians in Haditha is “an insult to all Iraqis,” a relative of one of the victims said Tuesday http://cour.at/wEN5y1

US kills another 5 people in North Waziristan: At least five people have been killed in two US drone attacks in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan on Monday. http://bit.ly/wOVMv6

“Condolence” payments to Afghans total millions: One week after 15 civilians were killed during a U.S. night operation at an Afghan village in 2009, U.S. commanders went to the village and passed out $40,000 in cash “condolence” payments. http://bit.ly/wrnLV8

Rivalry among Syrian defectors could mean another military coup: Disagreements between the army officers and soldiers could lead to the creation of separate militias, which could make it difficult to build a consensus around a leadership that could serve as an alternative to the regime. http://bit.ly/z36LkH

Syria agrees to extend Arab monitoring mission: State news agency SANA said Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem informed the Arab League in a letter that Syria agreed to extend the monitoring mission until February 23 http://yhoo.it/y46chS

Syria: New Constitution to Limit Presidential Mandate to Two Terms?: Syria‘s new constitution could limit presidential term to a maximum of two seven-year mandates and put an end to the Assad dynasty. http://bit.ly/zRxM7Y

Saudi Arabia’s Gulf Arabs quit Syria monitoring mission: Saudi Arabia’s Gulf allies joined Riyadh on Tuesday in pulling out of an Arab League monitoring team to Syria, risking the collapse of a mission whose presence has not halted violence in a 10-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad. http://bit.ly/AzTLkN

Syria complains other states have “killed” Arab League plan: – Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem attacked some Arab states for interfering in Damascus’ internal affairs and trying to ‘kill’ the Arab League plan by resorting to the United Nations. http://bit.ly/xVjwNY

“West” seeks support for UN resolution against Assad: Russia pressed to back security council resolution endorsing Arab demands for Syrian president to step down http://bit.ly/w0jOW3

Russia can’t accept intervention in Syria: Russia will not accept any foreign intervention in its old ally Syria, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem said on Tuesday. http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=254941

Iran lawmaker: Closing Strait of Hormuz legal: A senior Iranian lawmaker said his country has the right to shutter the strategic Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for oil sanctions on Tehran. http://bit.ly/Atr3A2

UK warns Iran it could send more naval forces to the Gulf: “The UK has a contingent capability to reinforce that presence should at any time it be considered necessary to do so.” http://bit.ly/wdKOjK

‘India to buy Iran oil in gold not dollars’: India has agreed to pay the price of crude oil it imports from Iran in gold, which makes it the first country to drop the US dollar for purchasing the Iranian oil. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222857.html

Chinese supertankers hired for Iran oil: Clarkson Research Services Ltd., a unit of the world’s largest shipbroker, announced the two supertankers were booked to carry about 2 million barrels of crude from Iran‘s Khark Island to China. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222821.html

U.S. imposes sanctions on Iran’s third-largest bank: The United States on Monday sought to tighten the financial screws on Iran by imposing sanctions on the country’s third-largest bank for allegedly helping Tehran develop its nuclear program. http://bit.ly/A8gufw

Israel to UN: Tomorrow will be too late for action against Iran: Israel‘s envoy to the UN Ron Prosor levies harsh criticism at the Security Council, saying it is obsessed with Israel and ignores crimes of other countries. http://bit.ly/zQKewD

Barak to Ashton: We may need more action for Iran: Defense Minister Ehud Barak welcomed on Tuesday the European Union embargo on Iranian crude, telling EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton much more may still be needed to deter Tehran from pursuing its nuclear program. http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=254977

Former Gadhafi stronghold revolts against Tripoli: Libya’s ramshackle government lost control of a former stronghold of Muammar Gadhafi on Tuesday after local people staged an armed uprising, posing the gravest challenge yet to the country’s new rulers. http://bit.ly/Abv5w6

Libya: Competing claims over Bani Walid fighting: Confusion surrounds events in the Libyan town of Bani Walid after fighting broke out between armed groups on Monday, leaving four people dead. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16702044

Officers: Mutinies spread to 4 Yemen air bases: A wave of mutinies demanding the ouster of Yemen’s air force commander spread to four military air bases on Monday, officers said, a day after the nation’s outgoing president departed the country. http://bit.ly/w2dCkQ

Atlanta Jewish Times publisher resigns over Obama ‘assassination’ column: Andrew Adler suggested Israel should assassinate U.S. President Barack Obama to counter Iran‘s nuclear weapons program. http://bit.ly/zuYoiQ

Newt Gingrich: I Will Overthrow Castro “Regime”: “We will not tolerate four more years of this [Castro] regime,” Gingrich said. http://bit.ly/zzowSb

U.N. asked to probe U.S. efforts to squelch Spain torture probe: Two legal rights groups on Thursday asked the United Nations to investigate allegations that Spanish and U.S. officials collaborated to quash criminal probes into whether the Bush administration authorized illegal killings and torture of terrorism suspects. http://bit.ly/wYqWO6

Ex-CIA agent John Kiriakou charged over leaks: John Kiriakou is accused of disclosing the names of agents who interrogated a suspected al-Qaeda financier, who was allegedly waterboarded 83 times. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/16694003

Ruling could force Americans to decrypt laptops: American citizens can be ordered to decrypt their PGP-scrambled hard drives for police to peruse for incriminating files, a federal judge in Colorado ruled today in what could become a precedent-setting case. http://bit.ly/yJO3h8

Supreme Court Court Rejects Willy-Nilly GPS Tracking:
The Supreme Court said Monday that law enforcement authorities might need a probable-cause warrant from a judge to affix a GPS device to a vehicle and monitor its every move – but the justices did not say that a warrant was needed in all cases. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/01/scotus-gps-ruling/

IMF warns of global recession if governments cut too deeply:
“The world recovery, which was weak in the first place, is in danger of stalling,” Olivier Blanchard, the fund’s chief economist, said at a news conference. “The epicenter of the danger is Europe.” http://usat.ly/y9HMr2