2 August 2013 — Information Clearing House
Empire Project in Syria Reaches New Low
By Michael Collins
How did SSG get a special fundraising license for Syrian rebels from the U.S. Department of the Treasury?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35730.htm
If They Fail, ‘Peace” Talks Will Only Deepen Crisis for Palestinians
By Jonathan Cook
Someone will have to be blamed and all past evidence suggests that the someone in question will be the Palestinians.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35738.htm
Video Shows Israeli Soldier Beating Palestinian Workers “Without Mercy”
Video
Video broadcast by Israel’s Channel 10 shows an Israeli soldier launching a brutal, unprovoked attack on several Palestinian workers.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35731.htm
America Discredited
By Paul Craig Roberts
The US military is a great killer of women, children, village elders, and aid workers.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35732.htm
Snowden Will be Granted the Full Protection of American Law
By Noam Chomsky
Like Snowden, Manning committed the crime of revealing to Americans – and others – what their government is doing. That is a severe breach of “security”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35739.htm
Manning Revealed the Sordid Realities of War that the Armchair Warriors Want Sanitised
By Owen Jones
The very least we owe this heroic man is a debate on US foreign policy.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35729.htm
An Open Letter to General Buchanan, Bradley Manning’s Judge
By Peter Hollings
You have an opportunity to obey your oath of office and duty to the Constitution to free Bradley Manning.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35740.htm
For Congress, ‘it’s Classified’ is New Equivalent of ‘None Of Your Business’
By Ali Watkins
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence reportedly gave its approval last week to an Obama administration plan to provide weapons to moderate rebels in Syria, but how individual members of the committee stood on the subject remains unknown.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35727.htm
No Expectation Of Privacy
Joint Terrorism Task Force Interrogates Couple After Google Search
By Michele Catalano
Where you have to watch every little thing you do because someone else is watching every little thing you do.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35726.htm
Why Have So Many Liberals Been Silent about NSA Spying?
By Ana Marie Cox
An attack could produce the desperate acceptance of a security state in an instant.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35728.htm
Representative Alan Grayson on NSA Data Collection Programs
Video
Representative Alan Grayson (D-FL), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, talked about National Security Agency (NSA) data collection program sand NSA leaker Edward Snowden.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35734.htm
The Detroit Bankruptcy and the Drive Toward Dictatorship
By Andre Damon and Barry Grey
The bankruptcy of Detroit is being widely cited in the media as a model for the use of unelected officials and bankruptcy courts to rip up agreements and impose sweeping cuts on the pensions and health benefits of public employees, not only in Detroit, but in cities across the United States.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35736.htm
Postcard from the End of America: Chester
By Linh Dinh
To kill or be killed is here presented as improving oneself and one’s family, as sheer survival, for in trading in one’s freedom, humanity and conscience, one will get adequate health care and nutrition, maybe even a home in a safe environment.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35737.htm
Hiroshima and Nagasaki:American High School Textbooks Perpetuate The Big Lie
By Pat Elder
Americans suffer from a misinformation campaign initially perpetrated by the Truman administration and carried on to this day by high school textbooks that continue to tell the story as if Hiroshima and Nagasaki were indispensible in ending the war and saving countless American lives.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35735.htm
A Brief Message for Canadians: Get Over It!
By Andrew Gavin Marshall
CANADIANS: Be ashamed that this newspaper column is what passes for the “public discourse” in this country: a raving, ignorant, arrogant, idiotic and racist rant telling Indigenous people to “get over it”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35733.htm
76 Taliban, 22 police killed in Afghan battle: officials:
The five-hour battle in the Sherzad district of Nangarhar province was described by provincial officials as “intense” after the convoy was attacked as it returned from an operation to rescue a politician being threatened by the Taliban.
Seven family members killed in roadside bombing in Afghanistan:
A roadside bomb detonated, killing at least seven members of one family, a provisional government spokesman in Afghanistan said. Faisal said the family was traveling to attend an engagement ceremony for a relative when the explosion occurred.
Army officer guilty of murder for ordering soldiers to shoot Afghans:
Soldiers testified he gave the order to shoot all Afghans on motorcycles.
US decreasing not withdrawing forces from Afghanistan: Kerry:
“Not every single soldier will leave in 2014. We have been very clear about that. We are not withdrawing we are drawing down.”
White House Closes Inquiry Into Afghan Massacre – and Will Release No Details:
The silence leaves many unanswered questions about what may have been one of the worst war crimes since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, including why previous American investigations were shut down, and how evidence was destroyed in the case.
In case you missed it:
Afghan Massacre : The Convoy of Death: Video –
In Afghanistan, filmmaker Jamie Doran has uncovered evidence of a massacre: Taliban prisoners of war suffocated in containers, shot in the desert under the watch of American troops.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3267.htm
Indian army says it killed 12 militants in Kashmir:
The Indian army said it had killed 12 suspected militants in Kashmir in a forested area along the de facto border that divides the territory between India and Pakistan on Friday.
Pakistan: 2 policemen, IB official killed in Peshawar:
The militants opened indiscriminate firing on the vehicle, killing SHO Amir Sultan and his bodyguard on the spot. The driver and another policeman were injured in the attack.
Bush- Blair Legacy Continues As Over 1,000 Iraqis killed in July alone:
Most of the 1,057 victims were civilians, killed in a relentless campaign of bombings and shootings that some Iraqis fear could drag the country into another war.
US Kills Another 3 People In Yemen:
A US drone killed four Al Qaeda suspects in Yemen yesterday, a security official said, the third such strike in five days.
U.N. rights chief urges probe into Syria executions:
U.N. rights chief Navi Pillay called Friday for a probe into the reported mass execution by rebels of Syrian soldiers taken captive in fighting in the north of the country this week.
Photographer recounts ordeal at hands of Islamists in Syria:
Alpeyrie told the weekly magazine that he also witnessed the torture of four Christian Shabihas [pro-Assad militia] who had been captured.
What did Iran’s Rouhani call Israel?:
Iran’s soon-to-be president did call Israel a wound, but did not call for its removal as he was quoted as saying.
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters attack buses in Israel after woman refuses to move to back of a bus:
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish practice forbids men from touching women, except for their wives, and calls for separating the sexes in public. In recent years, however, hard-liners in the insular ultra-Orthodox community have tried to forcefully impose their will on others.
Newspeak: Egypt army ‘restoring democracy’, says John Kerry:
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said Egypt’s military was “restoring democracy” when it ousted elected President Mohammed Morsi last month.
Egypt’s military strongman Gen. El-Sisi will run for president: Israeli Report:
Egypt’s Defense Minister and coup leader Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will run for president – He plans to restore the Egyptian army to political center stage in Cairo and keep the democratic process under control.
Police ‘to blockade pro-Morsi camps’:
Egypt’s government orders security forces to blockade the two Cairo protest camps set up by supporters of ousted President Morsi, state TV reports
Egypt protesters plan new marches after crackdown order:
Supporters of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi pledged to defy a crackdown ordered by the army-installed interim government, as diplomats scrambled on Thursday to broker an end to the crisis.
US embassy in Cairo to shut for three days:
The US embassy in Cairo has announced that it will be closed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, in a statement published on its official website. Supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi plan to hold 33 marches around Cairo and Giza on Friday under the slogan ‘Egypt against the coup.’
Inside Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood – video – Warning: contains scenes of death and violent images: –
We hear from followers who have documented the killing of unarmed protesters and claims of police torture, and medical volunteers who treat victims of the street clashes
Blast at police station in Libya’s Benghazi wounds five:
An explosive device detonated outside a police station in Libya’s Benghazi on Friday, wounding five people, a security official told AFP, in the latest attack to hit the eastern city.
CIA had 21 agents on the ground during Benghazi attack :
There were as many as 35 CIA operatives on the ground in Benghazi on the night of the attack, with up to seven wounded, in some cases seriously. At least 21 were in the building known as the Annex.
Flashback: Clinton told Rand Paul she ‘didn’t know’ if US was smuggling arms from Benghazi: Video –
Paul specifically asked if the U.S. was involved in procuring of weapons, transfer of weapons, buying or selling any weapons to Turkey out of Libya.
Libya Oil Production Down 70 Percent:
At yesterday’s press conference, Oil Minister Abdelbari Arusi announced that Libya’s oil production is down 70 percent due to armed stoppages at the various oil terminals.
US issues global travel alert over al-Qaeda attack threat:
Washington has issued a worldwide travel alert, warning US citizens about the “continued potential for terrorist attacks” in the Middle East and North Africa. The announcement comes as the anniversary of the US consulate attack in Benghazi approaches.
US Embassies to Close Sunday Amid Terrorist Threat:
“There could be other targets, not just embassies,” another U.S. official said. The threat is considered to be throughout the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
Tunisia “Islamists” face army attack in Chaambi mountains:
Tunisian armed forces say they have launched an offensive against Islamist militants near the Algerian border. Early-morning shelling was heard in the mountains near Kasserine, 280km (174 miles) south west of Tunis.
Intel chips could let US spies inside: expert:
One of Silicon Valley’s most respected technology experts, Steve Blank, says he would be “surprised” if the US National Security Agency was not embedding “back doors” inside chips produced by Intel and AMD, two of the world’s largest semiconductor firms, giving them the possibility to access and control machines.
NSA paid $150 mln to GCHQ to spy on UK citizens: Video report:
Snowden’s leaks continue to span the Atlantic. The latest revelations published by the Guardian show not only was Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) spying extensively on UK citizens – but it was receiving funds from Washington to do so.
FBI Uses Hacker Tactics to Spy on “Suspects”:
Law-enforcement officials in the U.S. are expanding the use of tools routinely used by computer hackers to gather information on suspects, bringing the criminal wiretap into the cyber age.
Documents show NSA violated court orders on collection of phone records:
National Security Agency officials violated secret federal court orders authorizing the daily collection of domestic email and telephone data from hundreds of millions of Americans, according to previously top-secret documents made public Wednesday by the Obama administration.
US: Phone Surveillance Program Was No Secret From Congress:
Intelligence officials today released top secret internal briefings they had provided to members of Congress that outline the dragnet phone call metadata surveillance program lawmakers secretly knew about but could not tell Americans when publicly voting for it.
Thanks to NSA Surveillance, Americans Are More Worried About Civil Liberties Than Terrorism:
The latest Pew Research Center survey, found that 44 percent of Americans oppose “the government’s collection of telephone and internet data as part of anti-terrorism efforts,” while 50 percent support it; the rest were undecided or declined to answer.
Edward Snowden asylum: US ‘disappointed’ by Russian decision:
White House says Moscow should hand back whistleblower and hints Barack Obama might boycott Vladimir Putin meeting
Welcome to the Homeland, Mexico and Canada!:
We noticed a little detail from yesterday’s Senate Judiciary Committee meeting that seemed worth highlighting
Hacker Forces Colin Powell To Deny Affair:
As a notorious hacker seeks to distribute “very personal” e-mails sent to Colin Powell by a female Romanian diplomat, the retired general is denying that he engaged in an extramarital affair with the woman while he served as Secretary of State
UN narcotics body warns Uruguay over marijuana bill:
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) says it is concerned by the approval by Uruguayan MPs of a bill which would legalise marijuana.
Mexican cartels hiring US soldiers as hit men:
Some soldiers become corrupted by gangs after joining, while others are gang members who enlist specifically for the training they can get.
Mexico and Canada declared part of US homeland by Senate maps:
Sen. Dianne Feinstein referred to the US, Canada and Mexico as “the Homeland” at an NSA Senate briefing on Wednesday, presenting a map that united the three nations as one.
TransCanada going ahead with Energy East pipeline:
TransCanada Corp (TSX:TRP) has decided to go ahead with its Energy East pipeline project to transport crude oil to Canadian refineries and export terminals as far east as New Brunswick.
Opponents vow to stop Energy East pipeline:
It’s being hailed as a “historic” project that will link the country together, but a planned $12-billion oilsands pipeline set off immediate divisions as opponents vowed to stop the energy development.
America’s Dangerous Pipelines:
A new analysis of oil and gas pipeline safety in the United States reveals a troubling history of spills, contamination, injuries and death
Climate change on pace to occur 10 times faster than any change recorded in past 65 million years, Stanford scientists say:
The planet is undergoing one of the largest changes in climate since the dinosaurs went extinct. But what might be even more troubling for humans, plants and animals is the speed of the change.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott Poised to Execute the “Prince of God”:
Time is running out for the Supreme Court to intervene in the case of paranoid schizophrenic John Ferguson.
The Invisible Punishment of Prisoners With Disabilities:
For inmates with disabilities who are routinely denied their mental or physical needs, incarceration can be a nightmarish fight for survival.
In case you missed it:
Torture Inc. Americas Brutal Prisons:
Savaged by dogs, Electrocuted With Cattle Prods, Burned By Toxic Chemicals, Does such barbaric abuse inside U.S. jails explain the horrors that were committed in Iraq?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8451.htm
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 : 3,358
Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
Total Cost of Wars Since 2001
$1,460,976,717,622http://www.costofwar.com/