11 June 2013 — Information Clearing House
US Officials Start Talks on Arming Syria’s Rebels
By BRADLEY KLAPPER
Moved by the Syrian regime’s rapid advance, officials say the administration could approve lethal aid for the rebels in the coming days.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35238.htm
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Declares End to Secret Approval of U.S. Drone Strikes
By Tom Hussain
“The policy of protesting against drone strikes for public consumption, while working behind the scenes to make them happen, is not on,” Sharif said.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35237.htm
Zionism New Hurdles to Peace
By William A. Cook
An on-going perpetual nightmare foisted by the Zionist state on the United States and the international community as a mouthing of interest in peace but with a silent intention that all Arabs must be removed from “their” land.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35244.htm
How Edward Snowden Exposed a “Massive Surveillance Apparatus”
Video
“There is this massive surveillance apparatus being gradually constructed in the United States that already has extremely invasive capabilities to monitor and store the communications and other forms of behavior not just of tens of millions of Americans, but of hundreds of millions, probably billions of people, around the globe,” Greenwald says.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35242.htm
One American Who Isn’t For Sale
By Robert Scheer
So it’s true, as filmmaker Michael Moore once warned us, the Carlyle Group is Big Brother.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35240.htm
Historic Challenge to Support the Moral Actions of Edward Snowden
By Norman Solomon
Edward Snowden has given aid and comfort to grassroots efforts for democracy. What we do with his brave gift will be our choice.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35235.htm
Watch Clapper Lie To Sen. Ron Wyden
Wyden Warns Clapper: Americans Need ‘Straight Answers’ On Spying
By Olivier Knox
This may be as close as a sitting U.S. senator comes to publicly calling the director of national intelligence a liar.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35246.htm
‘It Can’t Happen Here’ Just Did
By Gene Healy
“Metadata”: Allows the government secretly to track who a target communicates with and where he’s physically located. That knowledge can be used to unearth who’s leaking to reporters, when and where political opponents are meeting — even who’s sleeping with whom.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35247.htm
What Is The Government’s Agenda?
By Paul Craig Roberts
Germans in the Third Reich and Soviet citizens in the Stalin era had a better idea of their government’s agendas than do “freedom and democracy” Americans today.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35245.htm
‘Pardon Edward Snowden’ Petition
By Deborah Zabarenko
A petition to pardon Edward Snowden, who has acknowledged leaking secret documents from the U.S. National Security Agency, attracted more than 22,000 electronic signatures by Monday afternoon, one day after it was posted on the White House website.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35243.htm
US Lawmakers Call for Review of Patriot Act After NSA Surveillance Revelations
By Dan Roberts and Spencer Ackerman in Washington
The legislation, which was introduced after the 9/11 attacks, has been cited as the legal basis for the National Security Agency scouring billions of ordinary US telephone records in an effort to combat terrorism.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35239.htm
Meet the Contractors Analyzing your Private Data
By Tim Shorrock
Private companies are getting rich probing your personal information for the government. Call it Digital Blackwater.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35241.htm
Rotten To The Core
State Department Memo Reveals Possible Cover-ups, Halted Investigations
By CBS News
The memo obtained by CBS News cited eight specific examples: A State Department security official in Beirut “engaged in sexual assaults” on foreign nationals. The memo also reveals details about an “underground drug ring” was operating near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and supplied State Department security contractors with drugs.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35236.htm
60 Shiites killed in Syria as West seeks solution:
Despite Tuesday’s attacks, Bashar al-Assad’s regime, dominated by his Alawite sect of Shiite Islam, appears to have gained the upper hand against mainly Sunni Muslim rebels, buoyed by military support from its Shiite allies, Hezbollah and Iran.
Syrian troops kill 35 rebels near Damascus:
As many as 35 rebels were killed by the Syrian troops’ ambush Monday in a suburb of the capital Damascus.
Video: Damascus double suicide attack leaves 14 dead, dozens injured:
At least 14 people were killed and 31 injured in twin blasts caused by explosive devices planted in central Damascus on Tuesday, Syrian state television reported.
Syrian Rebels Clash With Kurdish Militias:
Renewed clashes between Syrian insurgents and Kurdish groups have erupted in the province of Aleppo and quickly spread to other cities in northern Syria. Several combatants have been killed in fights between Liwa al-Tawhid and its allies and the Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG) since May 25 in the countryside of northern Aleppo
Syria army launches attack on Aleppo airbase:
Syria’s army launched multiple attacks on rebel positions on Tuesday in the northern province of Aleppo, including insurgent-held areas of a key airbase.
Obama to decide whether U.S. will send Syrian rebels air power this week:
Moved by the Assad regime’s rapid advance, the Obama administration could decide this week to approve lethal aid for the beleaguered Syrian rebels and will weigh the merits of a less likely move to send in U.S. airpower to enforce a no-fly zone over the civil war-wracked nation,
Aleppo: Syrian rebels execute teenager Mohammad Kattaa in front of his parents, say reports :
“An unidentified Islamist rebel group shot dead a 15-year-old child who worked as a coffee seller in Aleppo, after they accused him of blasphemy,” said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.
Saudi Arabia, France agree Qusayr scenario can’t be repeated in Aleppo:
The Hezbollah-backed Syrian troops, which defeated the rebels in the strategic town of Qusayr, should not be allowed to repeat the same scenario in province of Aleppo. The two countries expressed their stance after Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, and the kingdom’s intelligence head, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, met with French officials.
France pushes for talks on arming Syria rebels:
The Syrian conflict is at a “turning point” with regime forces gaining ground, France said Tuesday, adding that it was time to review whether to arm the opposition.
Putin Warns Against Syria Intervention:
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that foreign intervention in the Syrian civil war is unacceptable because it would result in a new source of terror in the region.
Poll: Americans oppose intervention in Syria:
Asked to pick a response to stop the killing of civilians in Syria, just 15 percent in the poll say they favor U.S. military action, and only 11 percent want to provide arms to the opposition.
U.S. Blacklists Fund-Raisers for Hezbollah:
Retribution against Hezbollah for helping the Syrian government fight rebels intensified on Tuesday, as the United States blacklisted four fund-raising operatives and warned of further steps to choke the group’s financing.
Eight Rockets from Syria Hit Hermel, One Lebanese Killed:
Rocket attack on HermelEight rockets launched by Syrian militants have fallen in Hermel in eastern Lebanon on Tuesday, the National News Agency reported.
Putin says Assad could have avoided war, criticizes West:
Pointing to violence in Iraq, Libya, Syria and other states, Putin said: “Why is this happening? Because certain people from outside think that if you shape the whole region
Austria begins withdrawing peacekeepers from Golan:
Austria has begun withdrawing peacekeepers from the Golan Heights, winding down a four-decade mission due to spillover fighting from the Syrian civil war, the defence ministry said.
70 killed in relentless Iraq attacks in single day:
Monday’s deadliest violence struck the main northern city of Mosul, with a series of five car bombings mostly targeting security forces leaving at least 29 dead and 80 others wounded, officials said.
Al-Qaeda Gunmen Kidnap over 20 People North of Baghdad, 7 People Executed:
The extremists planted a false checkpoint on the road, stopping for an alleged check the vehicles, where their victims were going. Later the kidnappers took the hostages, which are the natives of the local tribe Zarkush, in the unknown direction.
Iraq: Abusive Commander Linked to Mosul Killings:
Iraqi authorities should immediately investigate evidence that federal police executed four men and a 15-year-old boy on May 3, 2013, south of Mosul. Witnesses last saw the victims in the custody of the federal police 3rd Division, commanded by Gen. Mehdi Gharawi
1,000 Iraqi Kurdish soldiers desert army, officials say:
More than 1,000 Kurdish career soldiers in the Iraqi army have deserted and want to be integrated into the Kurdish former rebel peshmerga militia, officials said on Tuesday.
US calls for resignation of UN’s Richard Falk:
Special rapporteur for Palestinian territories said NGO UN Watch should be investigated to ensure it’s not controlled by Israel
Top UN Official Richard Falk Calls for Removing UN Watch:
In a scathing attack on a UN-accredited NGO, top UN Human Rights Council official Richard Falk is publicly calling on the 47-nation body to investigate and potentially expel a watchdog organization after it mobilized world leaders-including his own boss, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon-to condemn his comments blaming the Boston Marathon bombings on “the American global domination project” and “Tel Aviv.”
Ambassador to US backs Power as ‘caring deeply’ about Israel:
Michael Oren joins growing list of Jewish leaders who’ve come out in favor of Obama’s nominee for UN envoy
US ally Kuwait gives 11 year jail sentence to woman for tweets against emir:
She was convicted of insulting Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, calling for the overthrow of the regime and misusing her mobile phone, according to a copy of the lower court ruling obtained by the AFP news agency.
Rafsanjani endorses moderate Rowhani for Iran presidency:
“I consider him to be more suitable (than other candidates) to steer the executive branch,” he said referring to the slate of five other hopefuls, most of whom are conservatives.
19 killed in Nigerian attack:
At least 19 people have been killed in a renewed attack by insurgent group in Nigeria’s Maidiguri city, local residents and military sources said
Bomb found under Italian embassy’s car in Libya:
A home-made bomb was found Tuesday under a car belong to the Italian embassy in Tripoli, capital of unrest-hit Libya, no one was injured, local security and embassy officials told Xinhua, APA reports.
Egypt warns Ethiopia over Nile dam:
President Morsi says “all options are open” in dealing with dam project that threatens Egypt with a water shortage.
Suicide blast in Kabul kills 14 near U.S. Embassy:
A suicide car bomber struck outside the Afghan Supreme Court in Kabul on Tuesday, killing at least eight people and wounding 20, police and health officials said.
7 Taliban killed in Kabul airport attack:
Seven Taliban fighters with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns launched a rare assault on Nato’s operational headquarters at the military section of Kabul’s international airport on Monday. All seven militants were killed.
Five people killed in Nangarhar:
Five “militants” including, three Pakistani nationals were killed, when the Afghan security forces launched a series of counterinsurgents operations in the southern province of Nangarhar, an official said Tuesday
Polish occupation force soldier killed by mine in Afghanistan:
Platoon leader Jan Kiepura, a Polish soldier serving in Afghanistan, was killed on Monday when a land mine exploded beneath the car he was in while on patrol near Ghazni, the capital of Ghanzi province.
Taliban attacks show Afghan insurgents’ resilience:
Taliban suicide bombers carried out a brazen attack in the Afghan capital on Monday, the second in less than a week and a sign that insurgents are determined to keep fighting despite recent overtures of peace from the U.S. and Afghan government.
Istanbul warzone: Thousands of protesters try to reclaim Taksim Square:
Riot police have fired volleys of tear gas as thousands of protesters are trying to reclaim Taksim after being forced out in fierce clashes with law enforcement. Thick smoke blankets the square.
Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald says ‘dozens of stories’ in the works : Video –
You ain’t seen nothing yet. That’s the message from the Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who exposed classified US surveillance programs for Britain’s Guardian newspaper, who has said much more is to come
Leaker’s Employer Is Paid to Maintain Government Secrets:
Edward J. Snowden’s employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, has become one of the largest and most profitable corporations in the United States almost exclusively by serving a single client: the government of the United States.
Guantánamo: A Betrayal of Our Values, a Human Rights Crisis:
In Guantánamo, 104 men are on hunger strike to protest their indefinite detention. Forty-one are being force-fed through tubes, and four have been hospitalized. and Expensive as Hell: ACLU :
US activist on hunger strike to close Guantanamo:
Elliott Adams, a longtime activist and well-known anti-war protestor is 26 days into a hunger strike he hopes will help shut down the United States’ military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And his fast couldn’t be more timely-or maybe people are just starting to listen:
Coleen Rowley: Massive spying on Americans is outrageous: Op-Ed:
Secretive spying programs actually harm national security. And arguably worse, they pose, as Snowden stated, “an existential threat to democracy.”
This is how the government lies:
The recent whistleblower revelations have caught Obama administration’s Director of National Intelligence in a flat-out lie. But watch how James Clapper tries to weasel out of it. What we would call a lie he calls it ‘the least untruthful’ answer.
Obama administration under pressure as US senators demand end to secrecy:
Senator Ron Wyden suggests US intelligence chief James Clapper may have misled him as international pressure builds
NSA Whistleblower: The Ultimate Insider Attack:
Snowden said that “I, sitting at my desk, certainly had the authorities to wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge, to even the President [of the United States] if I had a personal email.”
NSA Leak Highlights Key Role Of Private Contractors:
The U.S. government monitors threats to national security with the help of nearly 500,000 people like Edward Snowden – employees of private firms who have access to the government’s most sensitive secrets.
America’s Outsourced Spy Force, by the Numbers:
The weekend’s big revelations about the NSA’s biggest revealer prompt a natural question: How many Snowden-type spies with top secret security clearance are there?
Ron Paul: ‘Thankful’ for Edward Snowden:
Former Rep. Ron Paul of Texas praised NSA leaker Edward Snowden for his part in exposing how much information the government has been collecting from private citizens.
Glenn Greenwald Gets ‘Testy’ With ‘Morning Joe’s’ Mika Brzezinski: Video –
Brzezinski repeatedly challenged Greenwald on whether the programs his reporting has detailed – including NSA data-mining and phone surveillance programs – were really “shocking.”
Just Curious … Why Is Everyone Totally Okay With The Government Spying On ‘Foreigners?’:
Americans seem to be fine about any kind of U.S. government spying as long as it’s focused on “foreigners.” They just go crazy when the same tactics are used on Americans.
Could Bradley Manning help Edward Snowden win political asylum?:
There are two things Snowden has to do, legally speaking, to make a case for asylum once he’s landed in the country he wants to shelter him.
IRS buys spy equipment amid spending scandal:
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), already embroiled in a high-profile scandal over its operations, is looking to acquire surveillance equipment that includes cameras concealed in plants, coffee trays and clock radios.
Eurozone: three countries have debt-to-income ratios of more than 300%:
Ireland, Greece and Portugal are labouring under debt-to-income ratios of more than 300%, according to figures that expose the indebtedness of eurozone governments in relation to their government revenues.
New York lays out $20 billion plan to adapt to climate change:
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday announced a $20 billion plan to prepare for rising sea levels and hotter summers expected as a result of climate change in the coming decades.
Citigroup Facing $7 Billion Hit on Dollar Gain, Peabody Says:
Citigroup Inc. (C) could lose as much as $7 billion on currency swings if Charles Peabody is right, putting the analyst at odds with peers who say the stock will be the best performer among big U.S. banks in the year ahead.
Seniors in 48 states face serious income shortage:
Only seniors in Nevada and Hawaii have median annual incomes that meet the savings benchmark commonly recommended by financial planners. Typically, planners recommend that retirees save enough to replace at least 70% of their pre-retirement income.
Cost Of War
Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In US War And Occupation Of Iraq “1,455,590“
Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In America’s War On Iraq: 4,883
Number Of International Occupation Force Troops Slaughtered In Afghanistan : 3,334
Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
Total Cost of Wars Since 2001
$1,446,991,585,259
The New Dark Age 
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