25 July 2013 — Information Clearing House
Al-Qaeda Unleashed Against Syria and Iraq with Acceptance of the West
By Pepe Escobar
Washington has already destroyed the social fabric of Iraq. Now it’s helping to destroy Syria’s.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35654.htm
Ex-US General: We Pay a Price for Backing Israel
By Lazar Berman
He called the current situation in Israel “unsustainable” and blamed the settlements for harming prospects for peace.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35665.htm
The Two Faux Democracies Threaten Life On Earth
Paul Craig Roberts
“Who authorized preparations for war with China?”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35660.htm
Feds Tell Web Firms To Turn Over User Account Passwords
By Declan McCullagh
The U.S. government has demanded that major Internet companies divulge users’ stored passwords.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35664.htm
House Tramples Constitution Again to Save NSA Spying Program
By CHQ
Last night the Constitution was, we hope only temporarily defeated by the “security at any cost” surveillance state.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35653.htm
Obama’s Willing Executioners of the Fourth Amendment
By Norman Solomon
It’s now painfully clear that the president has put out a contract on the Fourth Amendment.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35659.htm
Democratic Establishment Unmasked: Prime Defenders of NSA Bulk Spying
By Glenn Greenwald
President Obama’s most stalwart, enthusiastic defenders are often found among the most radical precincts of the Republican Party.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35655.htm
Senate Bill Authorizes Sanctions on Russia or any Other Country Offering Snowden Asylum
By Associated Press
The measure introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., demands the State Department coordinate with lawmakers on setting penalties against nations that seek to help Snowden avoid extradition to the United States.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35657.htm
Edward Snowden’s Fear of Flying is Justified
By Geoffrey Robertson
The US has a history when it comes to forcing down planes in defiance of international law.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35656.htm
The Militarization of America
By Bill Van Auken
What is being upended, behind the scenes and with virtually no media coverage, much less public debate, are constitutional principles dating back centuries that bar the use of the military in civilian law enforcement.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35662.htm
The Corporate Media’s Mass Hypnosis
By Margaret Kimberley
Ignorance may not be bliss, but it is the preferred state of affairs for politicians, CEOs and their friends at the television networks and editorial boards of leading newspapers.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35661.htm
Obama’s Master Class in Demagogy 101
By Michael Hudson
Here’s the problem that President Obama did not address yesterday.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35663.htm
How Goldman Sachs Robbed You Of Five Billion Dollars
– Video –
Goldman Sachs and other big banks are artificially manipulating the aluminum market and other commodities to make consumers needlessly pay more for everyday items.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35658.htm
Wave of Iraq attacks kills 42:
Emboldened militants in Iraq set up their own checkpoint to kill drivers and bombed crowded cafes Thursday in the deadliest of a series of attacks that killed at least 42 people, authorities said.
Kerry to meet Syrian “rebel” leaders at UN:
US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with the new leader of the Syrian opposition at the UN this week, as US plans to boost military aid to the rebels gain steam.
U.S. uses Syrian rebel supply lines as it prepares to send arms:
The United States has quietly been testing the Syrian opposition’s ability to deliver food rations, medical kits and money to rebel-held areas as Washington prepares to send arms to the rebel fighters.
With little argument, House limits U.S. military involvement in Syria, Egypt:
With little argument, the House of Representatives approved measures Wednesday that would prevent the Obama administration from spending money on U.S. military operations in Syria without consulting Congress and would forbid funding U.S. military or paramilitary operations in Egypt.
Nasrallah: EU giving “legal cover” for an Israeli war on Lebanon:
The European Union is paving the way for Israel to justify a war on Lebanon, Hezbollah’s secretary general said late Wednesday, two days after the 28 member states issued a decision to put Hezbollah’s military wing on its terror list.
Israel Angered by U.S. Leaks of Submarine Missile Attack on Syria:
Israeli government officials voiced anger at U.S. press leaks traced to the Pentagon following the July 5 Israeli missile attack on the Syrian port of Latakia that destroyed a shipment of Russian-made anti-ship missiles, according to U.S. officials.
Egypt arrests and threatens to deport Syrian refugees: HRW:
Egypt has been detaining Syrian refugees without charge and threatening to deport them in a climate of growing hostility since the army seized power this month, the rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday.
Egypt rallies defy army chief’s call:
Pro-Morsi demonstrations go on ahead of expected counter protests called for by general to confront “terrorism”.
U.S., in Sign of Displeasure, Halts F-16 Delivery to Egypt:
President Obama, in his first punitive response to the ouster of Mohamed Morsi as president of Egypt, has halted the delivery of four F-16 fighter planes to the Egyptian Air Force.
Tunisian politician Mohamed Brahmi shot dead:
Thousands rally at interior ministry in Tunis, hours after opposition figure was assassinated in front of his house.
Protests erupt after second Tunisia opposition figure assassinated:
Mohammed Brahmi, a member of parliament, was shot 11 times in front of his wife and daughter by men on a motorbike, according to news reports. Brahmi, an Arab nationalist, served on the contentious panel that wrote Tunisia’s proposed constitution.
Tunisia cancels all international flights:
All international flights to and from Tunisia will be canceled on Friday, due to a nationwide general strike scheduled for that day.
Rockets hit UAE’s mission to Libya:
The Assistant Foreign Minister for Security and Military Affairs, Faris Al Mazrouei, confirmed the incident to the state news agency Wam, but stressed no one was injured in the 5am assault.
House Passes Defense Spending Bill Prohibiting Egypt Funds:
The legislation, H.R. 2397, also would bar any U.S. military involvement in Syria unless the activities are approved by Congress, and prohibit funding military operations in Egypt.
House approves 2014, $600 billion”defense” spending bill:
The House on Wednesday evening overwhelmingly approved a spending bill that would give the Pentagon about $600 billion next year
6 killed as bomb blasts hit Pakistan intelligence agency:
Masood Bangash, the deputy superintendent of police said that a suicide bomber rammed his explosive laden vehicle into the ISI building complex, constituting of a number of government offices in Sukkur, a main district in the country’s southern Sindh province.
3 Killed In Separate Blasts In North Afghanistan:
Afghan officials said on July 25 that a policemen and a civilian were killed in a bomb blast in the Aqcha district in the northwestern province of Jawzjan.
Poll: Back off the snooping, public tells Washington:
Americans are fed up with the federal government collecting information on their phone calls, emails and Internet use, and they want curbs on what can be monitored, majorities say in a new McClatchy-Marist poll.
House rejects plan to kill NSA data collection:
The House narrowly rejected a challenge to the National Security Agency’s secret collection of hundreds of millions of Americans’ phone records Wednesday. The vote was 217-205 and came after a fierce debate.
How they voted: Amendment to end NSA phone data collection programs:
“We’re here to answer one question for the people we represent: Do we oppose the collection of every Americans’ phone records?” Amash said.
How Nancy Pelosi Saved the NSA Surveillance Program:
Hill sources say most of the credit for the amendment’s defeat goes to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. It’s an odd turn, considering that Pelosi has been, on many occasions, a vocal surveillance critic.
Demonizing Russia:
Protection for Snowden Russia’s latest affront to U.S.:
Russia’s protection of NSA leaker Edward Snowden, who is hoping for temporary asylum in Moscow, is President Vladimir Putin’s latest show of disdain for U.S. wishes and a sign that U.S.-Russian relations are at one of their lowest points since the end of the Cold War, experts say.
US Gulag:
Guantánamo Bay costs in 2013 to top $450M:
The cost to run the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay in 2013 is $454 million – a figure significantly higher than previous estimates, according to a new Pentagon assessment.
US soldier Bradley Manning called ‘traitor’ by prosecutors in WikiLeaks trial:
“Manning had the general evil intent … he acted voluntarily and deliberately with his disclosures,” said Major Ashden Fein, the lead military prosecutor. “He was not a whistleblower. He was a traitor.”
Hunger strike puts California’s prisons in the spotlight:
Hundreds of Californian inmates are on hunger strike more than two weeks into a mass protest over solitary confinement. And what happens in California’s prisons has repercussions elsewhere.
Death of Dr David Kelly ten years on:
Gilligan says he was right about ‘dodgy dossier’ and blames government for outing of Kelly as source
Wikileaks Party to contest Australia polls:
Whistleblowing group’s founder Julian Assange will be in contest despite being holed up in Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Report says 220,000 died in Colombia conflict:
More than four out of every five people killed during 54-year war were civilians, government study finds.
Police Caught Planting Drugs In Small Business: Video –
It happens, probably a lot more than we think.
Obama Seizes Marijuana Patients’ Records, Employees Cell Phones and Laptops :
Video report:
Barclays, Goldman & JP Morgan Under Fire:
JP Morgan Chase is expected to announce over $600 million in penalties and repayments for allegedly cheating customers in energy markets in California and Michigan. This just after Barclays bank paid out $470 million for manipulating electricity rates. Now Goldman Sachs is under scrutiny for possibly manipulating aluminum prices.
An unstable recovery built on debt:
Don’t be fooled by the huge run in the US stock market and the rebound in the housing market. The financial crisis never really ended, and its effects continue to roil the global economy.
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: 4,801
Number Of International Occupation Force Troops Slaughtered In Afghanistan : 3,354
Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
Total Cost of Wars Since 2001
$1,458,892,519,514http://www.costofwar.com/
The New Dark Age 