20 September 2013 — Information Clearing House
America’s Afghan Victims
By Bob Dreyfuss and Nick Turse
When an American soldier dies in Afghanistan, his death is not anonymous. – But when an Afghan dies in the war-especially an Afghan civilian-her death is rarely noticed by the outside world. Often, it’s not even recorded by Afghan hospitals or morgues.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36294.htm
Is the Sun Peeking Through the War Clouds?
By Pat Buchanan
To say the War Party is apoplectic at Obama for blowing this chance to get us into war with Syria, which held real promise of sucking us into a war with Iran, is an understatement.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36298.htm
Syria: Al-Qaeda as the black operations wing of the US
By John Robles
If the US Government were really engaged in a war on terror they would be providing support for the government of Bashar Al-Assad and cutting all ties with the Saudis.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36294.htm
Obama’s Grotesque Hypocrisy over Cluster Munitions
By Dave Lindorff
Talk about brazen hypocrisy! A child killed or injured by Sarin gas is an atrocity, to be sure. But so is a child whose body is turned into chopped meat, or who is painfully rendered limbless by an exploding BLU-97 weapon.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36292.htm
Shameful Exceptionalism
By Paul Balles
It’s high time for America to replace its shameful exceptionalism with exceptional behaviour it can be rightly proud of.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36299.htm
Look at ‘Liberated’ Libya and Despair
By Abdel Bari Atwan
Welcome to the new Libya, a country ‘liberated’ by NATO which now finds itself without the oil revenues which could make it rich, with no security, no stability and assassinations and corruption at unprecedented levels.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36299.htm
Iran’s President Rouhani: People Should be ‘Completely Free’
By The Associated Press
“We want the people in their private life to be completely free. In today’s world, having access to information and the right of free dialogue and the right to think freely is the right of all people, including the people of Iran,” Rouhani said
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36288.htm
The Crisis at Fukushima 4 Demands a Global Take-Over
By Harvey Wasserman
We are now within two months of what may be humankind’s most dangerous moment since the Cuban Missile Crisis.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36293.htm
Venezuela Say US Banned President Nicolas Maduro from Flying Through U.S. Airspace
By Reuters
Venezuela said the United States banned President Nicolas Maduro’s jet from flying through U.S. airspace over Puerto Rico en route to a state visit to China.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36287.htm
Bolivian President to Sue US Govt for Crimes Against Humanity
By RT
“I would like to announce that we are preparing a lawsuit against Barack Obama to condemn him for crimes against humanity,” said President Morales at a press conference in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz. He branded the US president as a “criminal” who violates international law.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36286.htm
US Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq to Cost $6 trillion
By Sabir Shah
The decade-long American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq would end up costing as much as $6 trillion, the equivalent of $75,000 for every American household,. Washington DC has ended up borrowing some $2 trillion to finance the two wars, the bulk of it from foreign lenders.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36289.htm
‘All you can do is pray’: What poverty in America really looks like
By Barbara Raab
Camden, N.J. Once the proud home to companies like RCA Victor, and the biggest shipbuilding company in the world, Camden is now better known for poverty, violence and blight. According to the new Census data, the overall poverty rate in the city is 39.3 percent; more than half of Camden’s children, 53.3 percent, live below the poverty line.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36290.htm
Postcard from the End of America: Atlantic City
By Linh Dinh
We must be among the loneliest, most alienated population ever. We watch more TV than any other country, rank among the highest in porn consumption, which also means, by implication, that we’re among the most vigorous of masturbators, and our divorce rate ranks third in the entire world, behind only Maldives and Belarus.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36291.htm
Too Big To Fail Is Now Bigger Than Ever Before
By Michael Snyder
The six largest banks in the United States have gotten 37 percent larger over the past five years. Meanwhile, 1,400 smaller banks have disappeared from the banking industry during that time.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36297.htm
In an Age of ‘Realists’ and Vigilantes, There is Cause for Optimism
By John Pilger
When Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain commit crimes with US collusion and weapons, their impunity and Obama’s hypocrisy are pure Kissinger.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36278.htm
Nigeria: At least 87 people killed in Benisheik raid:
At least 87 people have been killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state, according to local officials. Disguised in military uniforms, the militants set up checkpoints outside the town of Benisheik and shot dead those trying to flee, witnesses said.
Who are Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamists?:
Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it “haram”, or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society. This includes voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a secular education.
56 killed in Yemen army camp attack:
Suspected al-Qaeda militants killed at least 56 soldiers and policemen in three simultaneous attacks in southern Yemen on Friday, military sources and civilian officials said.
16 killed, 15 hurt in Iraq mosque attack:
The two bombs exploded in the Musab bin Omair Mosque near the city of Samarra, 120 km north of the capital Baghdad, a police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Syria: 14 Alawites killed in Homs blast:
A roadside bomb killed at least 14 members of President Bashar Al Assad’s minority Alawite on Thursday in the central Syrian province of Homs, an opposition monitoring group said.
Robert Fisk in Damascus: Assad’s troops may be winning this war in Syria’s capital – untouched by Obama’s threats :
The killing fields remain, and truth is as rare as hope
Syria ‘al-Qaeda fighters’ agree to truce with Free Syrian Army:
Al-Qaeda affiliated fighters who have been battling Syrian rebels for control of border town have agreed to ceasefire.
Hundreds of Syria rebels pledge loyalty to Qaeda groups:
Not only individual fighters, but entire units have joined the small but powerful al Qaeda-linked groups – the Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) – in recent days, according to sources inside Syria.
U.S.-backed Syrian rebels being shoved aside by radical Islamists:
On Wednesday, extremists captured the north Syrian town of Azaz, killing eight Free Syrian Army troops and support personnel and effectively blocking a primary supply route from the nearby Turkish border to Free Syrian Army forces in Aleppo. Turkey closed the border crossing Thursday, while Free Syrian Army forces battled to regain control.
France suggests it is ready to give weapons to Syria rebels: –
French President Francois Hollande suggested for the first time on Thursday that Paris could arm Syrian rebels in a “controlled framework,” given that they were now caught between the Syrian government on one side and radical Islamists on the other.
Syria’s main arms suppliers among least generous aid donors, says Oxfam:
France, the most vociferous supporter of the opposition in western Europe, has given less than half its fair share, the Oxfam report found.
Fact or fiction?
Syria’s government will call for a ceasefire: Exclusive:
Deputy PM says neither side is strong enough to win and government may call for ceasefire at Geneva talks
Syrian deputy prime minister suggests ‘ceasefire’ – audio:
Recording of Qadri Jamil, Syria’s deputy prime minister, suggesting in an interview with the Guardian’s Jonathan Steele that the Assad government will call for a ‘ceasefire’ at the planned Geneva 2 peace conference
Jamil denies ceasefire comment:
Syria’s deputy prime minister Qadri Jamil has appeared on Russia Today’s Arabic channel to deny telling the Guardian that Syria would call for a ceasefire at the planned Geneva 2 peace conference (thanks to Ramil al-Lolah for spotting the interview).
Jamil’s party clarifies ceasefire comments:
In a letter to Guardian, a spokesman for the People-Want Party, claimed Jamil was talking in his capacity as leader of the party, not as a member of the Assad government when discussing the possible peace negotiations.
Syria submits chemical weapons inventory:
Diplomatic efforts to speed up the process are moving slowly. A meeting initially scheduled for Sunday at which the organization’s 41-nation executive council was to have discussed a U.S.-Russian plan to swiftly rid Syria of chemical weapons was postponed Friday and no new date was immediately set.
Syria’s main arms suppliers among least generous aid donors, says Oxfam:
Countries in the forefront of arming either side in Syria’s civil war have been among the least generous when it comes to dealing with the resulting humanitarian disaster, according to a new Oxfam report.
After U.S. failed to thwart vote : UN nuclear assembly rejects Arab resolution to single out Israel:
Fifty-one countries voted against and 43 states for the resolution that calls on Israel to join a global anti-nuclear weapons treaty.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.547992
White House hints Obama may meet with Iranian president over sanctions:
Obama administration praises ‘welcome rhetoric’ over nuclear weapons and says meeting is possible next week in New York
President Rouhani urges leaders to engage with Iran:
Iranian president publishes article in US newspaper in latest sign he wants to thaw relations with Western nations.
President Rouhani : Why Iran seeks constructive engagement: Op-Ed:
The world has changed. International politics is no longer a zero-sum game but a multi-dimensional arena where cooperation and competition often occur simultaneously. Gone is the age of blood feuds. World leaders are expected to lead in turning threats into opportunities.
Engineering Consent For Attack On Iran:
No time left for negotiations with Iran:
Israeli minister: Iran is on course to develop a nuclear bomb within six months and time has run out for further negotiations, a senior Israeli minister said.
Rouhani’s Jewish MP escort to UN has blasted ‘inhuman’ Israel:
The Jewish parliament member set to accompany Iranian President Hasan Rouhani to a UN summit in New York next week is a critic of Israel who has dubbed its treatment of Palestinians “inhuman.”
Israel: IDF seizes EU diplomats’ West Bank aid supply:
Reuters reporter sees soldiers throw sound grenades at group of EU diplomats, aid workers, locals in West Bank. IDF reportedly seizes aid supply
Israeli soldiers manhandle European diplomats seeking to aid demolished Palestinian village:
“They dragged me out of the truck and forced me to the ground with no regard for my diplomatic immunity,” French diplomat Marion Castaing said.
Taliban kill 18 Afghan police in northeast:
Taliban militants in northeast Afghanistan killed 18 police in an ambush, the government said Friday, as security forces struggle against the rebels with decreasing assistance from international troops.
Philippine troops kill eight Muslim rebels in city battles:
Heavy clashes broke out in parts of Zamboanga city on Thursday and eight rebels were killed and 15 surrendered in one district, said an army spokesman.
U.K. Spy Agency Hacked Belgian Phone Company in “Op Socialist” Spy Mission, Snowden Reveals:
Secret files, disclosed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and published by Der Spiegel Friday, show how the British spy agency GCHQ hatched a plot to infiltrate Belgacom, a partly state-owned Belgian telecom company. Belgacom’s customers, according to Der Spiegel, include institutions like the European Commission, the European Council, and the European Parliament.
No place to hide:
Calls grow for City University of New York to drop David Petraeus following police attack on protest:
Video – Six protesters were arrested Wednesday while peacefully protesting the City University of New York’s newest adjunct professor – ex-general and C.I.A. chief David Petraeus
US nearly detonated atomic bomb over North Carolina – secret document:
Journalist uses Freedom of Information Act to disclose 1961 accident in which one switch averted catastrophe
US denies Maduro airspace access for China trip: Venezuela:
The United States has refused permission for President Nicolas Maduro’s plane to fly through its airspace when the Venezuelan leader travels to China this weekend, Caracas said Thursday.
Venezuela ‘ends’ bid to restore full US ties:
Venezuela says it has “ended” steps towards restoring diplomatic ties with the US, after comments by the woman nominated as the next envoy to the UN. Samantha Power said this week she would seek to combat what she called the “crackdown on civil society” in countries including Venezuela.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23387807
DOJ Still Can’t Do Math: Terrorist Statistics Inflated, Double Counted And Badly Organized:
Of all the unsurprising news of inflated numbers and double-counting contained in the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) audit of the DOJ’s reported terrorism statistics, this sentence from the introduction of the report is the least surprising — and by extension, the most damning.
Navy Yard: Swat team ‘stood down’ at mass shooting scene:
One of the first teams of heavily armed police to respond to Monday’s shooting in Washington DC was ordered to stand down by superiors, the BBC can reveal. A tactical response team of the Capitol Police, a force that guards the US Capitol complex, was told to leave the scene by a supervisor instead of aiding municipal officers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/24153252
JPMorgan receives wrist slap fine for hiding derivatives loss:
JPMorgan Chase, the largest US bank, settled charges related to its multi-billion dollar 2012 trading loss Thursday with four regulators, paying a total of $920 million in fines. Separately, the bank paid $80 million to regulators in a settlement over fraudulent credit card fees.
5 Years After the Financial Crisis, The Big Banks Are Still Committing Massive Crimes:
Here are just some of the improprieties by big banks over the last century (you’ll see that many shenanigans are continuing today):
Druckenmiller: Fed robbing poor to pay rich: Video –
The Federal Reserve isn’t just inflating markets but is shifting a massive amount of wealth from the middle class and poor to the rich, according to billionaire hedge fund manager Stanley Druckenmiller.
Obama to nominate Goldman Sachs partner as new ambassador to Canada:
U.S. President Barack Obama says he will nominate Bruce Heyman, a former fundraiser for the Democrats and partner at Goldman Sachs, as the new ambassador to Canada.
7 in 10 Americans Think Government Is For The Banks And Big Corps (Not The People):
72% of the poor and 71% of the middle-class believe government policies (fiscal and monetary) have done little or nothing to help them.
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 : 3,274
Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
Total Cost of Wars Since 2001
$1,474,061,712,382
The New Dark Age 