31 October 2013 — Information Clearing House
Empire Under Obama
Counterinsurgency, Death Squads, and the Population as the Target
By Andrew Gavin Marshall
We can have Empire, or we can have Humanity. The choice is yours.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36702.htm
US Trying to Play Iran off Syria?
By Finian Cunningham
Western powers are trying to win their objective of regime change in Syria on the political field, after recognizing that they couldn’t achieve this on the battlefield.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36703.htm
Peace Process is Doomed to Fail While Israel Stalls for Time
By Jonathan Cook
Israel will use the peace process as cover while its settlements devour yet more of the Palestinian state-in-waiting.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36698.htm
“Peace Is War: Negotiations, Israeli Settler Colonialism, and the Palestinians”
Video
In this fascinating lecture, Columbia Professor Joseph Massad unravels the obfuscatory language of “peace” the Zionist movement and Israel have always used to mask their aggressive and colonial intentions towards Palestine.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36696.htm
Congress Fails To Show For Drone Hearing
By Popular Resistance
The Rehman family traveled halfway around the world from Pakistan to tell the story of their families loss; the killing of the families grandmother. Only five members of Congress bothered to show up. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36695.htm
“Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars”
Hidden Truth Behind US Drone Program
Video
One of the most anticipated documentaries on drones, directed and produced by Robert Greenwald, has been released so that audiences worldwide can finally see the US drone program for what it really is.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36704.htm
NSA Spying on the President
By Andrew P. Napolitano
Thus, the NSA – has been listening to the telephone calls of both American presidents whenever they have spoken with the chancellor.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36699.htm
NSA Infiltrates Yahoo, Google Data Centers Worldwide, Snowden Documents Say:
By Barton Gellman and Ashkan Soltani
The National Security Agency has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36697.htm
Glenn Greenwald: Dick Cheney, Most Radical, Criminal in the United States
Video
“Remember, Dick Cheney is a politician who engaged in some of the worst, most radical and criminal conduct in the last century in the United States and did it all in secret – from lying about the war in Iraq to torturing people, to putting people in cages with no lawyers, to eavesdropping on the American people without the warrants required by law,”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36693.htm
The NSA’s Rent Is Too Damn High
By Steve H. Hanke
This year’s price tag on America’s spook infrastructure comes out to a whopping $52.6 billion.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36694.htm
In Case You Missed It
The Secret Government: The Constitution in Crisis
Video
Bill Moyer’s 1987 scathing critique of the criminal subterfuge carried out by the Executive Branch of the United States Government.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17720.htm
Another Blow To The US Dollar
By Peter Koenig
No wonder the Western media have ignored it.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36700.htm
Is Paul Krugman a Voodoo Economist?
By Paul Craig Roberts
Are Reagan’s deficits bad, but not Obama’s? Other economists seem to have the same problem.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36701.htm
Detroit Will be Democracy’s Decisive Battle
By Glen Ford
Detroit is the battleground chosen by Wall Street to crush the last vestiges of American democracy by creating “the template for direct corporate rule.”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36705.htm
128 people killed in Nigeria:
A 5-hour-long battle between Islamic extremists and troops in the capital of Nigeria’s Yobe state killed at least 95 militants, 23 soldiers and eight police officers.
Suicide blast in Tunisian resort of Sousse:
There has been a suicide bomb attack in the Tunisian Mediterranean resort town of Sousse on a beach in front of a hotel, officials say. A hotel employee told the BBC that the blast occurred at 09:45 local time (08:45 GMT) and that no-one was hurt except for the bomber.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24740947
Bomb blast in Pakistan’s Quetta kills five people:
A bomb exploded today in a crowded car repair market in restive southwest Pakistan, killing at least five people and wounding 17, officials said.
US kills three people in NW Pakistan:
A US drone strike targeting a militant compound Thursday killed three insurgents in a northwest Pakistan tribal region near the Afghan border, officials said.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/19615808/
Pakistan sells out – Again!
In a Surprise, Pakistan Says Fewer Civilians Died by Drones:
In a surprise move, Pakistan’s government on Wednesday sharply revised downward its official estimate of civilian casualties caused by American drone strikes in the tribal belt, highlighting again the contentious nature of statistics about the covert C.I.A. campaign.
U.S. Government Pledges Aid to Pakistan’s Elite, Blocks Visa for Human Rights Lawyer :
A majority of Pakistanis have grown increasingly angry and blame the corrupt elite for accepting U.S. aid in return for signing off on the illegal drones in their country while publicly condemning them.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mehreen-saeed/us-government-pledges-aid_b_4175708.html
Drone victims give US lawmakers first-hand account of attack:
Rafiq Rehman and his two children testify about the day a drone murdered his mother; five lawmakers attend
Wounds of Waziristan : A Documentry On Drones & Its Victims :
The Story of Drones As Told By the People Who Live Under Them
Bush- Blair Legacy Continues As
35 killed in Iraq suicide bomb attacks:
At least 35 people, including senior army officers, were killed and 46 others wounded in two overnight suicide bomb attacks in central and northern Iraq, police said on Wednesday.
Bush- Blair Legacy Continues As
White House: Al Qaeda in Iraq now ‘transnational threat’:
Al Qaeda’s violent resurgence in Iraq and expansion into Syria now represents a “transnational threat network” that could possibly reach from the Mideast to the United States, according to the White House.
Rape victims begs rapist
Have Patience With Us: The Iraqi Prime Minister’s Plea to Americans:
Imagine how Americans would react if you had a terrorist organization operating on your own soil that killed dozens and maimed hundreds every week. For Iraqis, that isn’t a hypothetical question; Al Qaeda in Iraq and its affiliates are conducting a terrorist campaign against our people.
Two people killed, 15 injured as twin blasts rock Russia’s Dagestan capital (VIDEO):
Two people has been killed, and at least 15 more have been hospitalized after a double explosion hit Makhachkala, the capital of Russia’s restive Dagestan region, according to the country’s Emergencies Ministry.
http://rt.com/news/blast-dagestan-russia-massive-971/
Russia alarmed by fresh reports of use of chemical weapons by Syrian militants – FM:
Russia has expressed its indignation over the lack of coverage that western media have offered to the report on Syrian rebels using chemical weapons against local Kurdish community.
Six killed as Syrian army shells Damascus: Activists say:
The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights was quoted by AFP as saying that “a woman, three children and two men” were killed in the Damascus neighborhood of Al-Hajar Al-Aswad.
http://www.albawaba.com/news/syria-damascus-shelling–530268
Syria’s Assad issues general amnesty for all ‘criminals’:
Syrian President Bashar Assad on Tuesday issued a general amnesty for all prisoners, a possible concession to rebels ahead of a meeting meant to help end the bloody civil war.
Syria footage sheds light on Iran’s involvement:
Rebels captured a video camera, belonging to an Iranian cameraman who had been embedded with the Revolutionary Guards, the scope of Iran’s covert activities in Syria became clear.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24748143
Saudi Arabia in firing line as war in Syria spreads to Iran:
Iran has accused Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states of backing a violent insurgency along its southern border in retaliation for its support of the Syrian regime.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/middleeast/article3907929.ece
Forbes: Putin named ‘world’s most-powerful’:
Having outfoxed him on Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin has pipped Barack Obama to the title of the world’s most powerful leader as ranked by Forbes on Wednesday.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4447676,00.html
Egypt’s prisons swamped with Morsi supporters:
Authorities are imprisoning anyone thought to be against them, from Brotherhood officials to grassroots activists.
Israeli troops kill Palestinian in West Bank:
Soldiers shoot 21-year-old man in the chest during night raid on village near city of Jenin, medical official say.
Israel advancing plan for some 5,000 new homes in occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem:
Construction projects to begin across West Bank, including in isolated illegal “settlements”. Palestinian Authority, UN and U.S. condemn move.
http://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/.premium-1.555373
Obama spokesman evades question on NSA monitoring Netanyahu’s phone:
U.S. President Barack Obama’s spokesman Jay Carney evaded answering a question on whether the National Security Agency listened to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s calls. According to the Washington Examiner, Carney refused to speak of “specific assurances” regarding Netanyahu.
http://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/1.555180?trailingPath=2.169%2C2.216%2C2.217%2C
US vows not to spy on UN amid further bugging allegations:
UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said the United Nations contacted the United States about the reports. “I understand that the US authorities have given assurances that United Nations communications are not and will not be monitored,” Nesirky told reporters.
Snowden leak: NSA secretly accessed Yahoo, Google data centers to collect information:
Despite having front-door access to communications transmitted across the biggest Internet companies on Earth, the National Security Agency has been secretly tapping into the two largest online entities in the world, new leaked documents reveal.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/10/nsa-hacked-google-and-yahoos-private-networks/71100/
Google and Yahoo furious over reports that NSA secretly intercepts data links:
Leaked files suggest NSA can collect information ‘at will’ by intercepting cables that connect Google and Yahoo’s data hubs
The Pope Is A terrorist?
NSA Spied On Vatican And Top Catholic Cardinals, Says Italian Report:
An Italian magazine is reporting that the National Security Agency (NSA) spied on internal communications at the Vatican and phone calls at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the church residence where cardinals lived during the papal conclave and the pope’s current home.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/30/nsa-vatican_n_4177882.html
NSA, ‘Five Eyes’ use Australian embassies to gather intel on Asia:
US intelligence agencies are using Australian embassies throughout Asia to intercept data and gather information across the continent, according to the latest report based on documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
http://rt.com/news/nsa-australian-embassies-asia-intelligence-998/
Spain colluded in NSA spying on its citizens, Spanish newspaper reports:
El Mundo says it has obtained document detailing collaboration between US intelligence agency and foreign countries
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/30/spain-colluded-nsa-spying-citizens-spanish-el-mundo-us
In public relations exercise:
White House offers tentative support for plans to rein in NSA surveillance:
Administration says NSA leaks have already prompted changes in intelligence-gathering, including check on UN monitoring
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/29/white-house-supports-nsa-review
Revealed: NSA pushed 9/11 as key ‘sound bite’ to justify surveillance:
An internal document recommended that officials use fear of attack when pressed to explain agency’s programs
The Deep State: Op-Ed:
I have come to wonder if we don’t have what amounts to a deep state within the outer state in the U.S.-a deep state consisting of our intelligence and security agencies, which are so vast and far-flung in their efforts that they themselves don’t fully know who’s in charge and what everyone else is doing.
http://blogs.wsj.com/peggynoonan/2013/10/28/the-deep-state/
Intel Vets: Of Course Obama Knew About NSA Spying:
Everyone from the president to the lawmakers who are supposed to oversee the National Security Agency claim they had no idea it was spying on the communications of dozens of foreign leaders. But that claim is laughable, according to veteran members of the intelligence community
China to step up own security after new NSA allegations:
“China is concerned about the continued revelations of eavesdropping and surveillance and is paying attention to how the situation develops,” she added. “We will take the necessary steps to resolutely maintain the security of our own information,” Hua said, without elaborating.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/30/us-usa-security-nsa-china-idUSBRE99T0BR20131030
Police say 5 arrested in Tiananmen Gate suicide attack:
Police announced Wednesday the arrests of five people in connection with this week’s suicide car crash in the heart of China’s capital, calling it a planned terror attack – Beijing’s first in recent history – and identifying the attackers as members of a Muslim minority.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/10/30/4425952/police-say-5-arrested-in-tiananmen.html
Glenn Greenwald: Two New Journalists Join the Team:
We’re very excited to announce two new members joining our team: Dan Froomkin and Liliana Segura. Dan and Liliana will work alongside Laura Poitras, Jeremy Scahill, and me as we develop our new venture with Pierre Omidyar.
http://www.omidyargroup.com/newco/veteran-journalists-joins-the-team/
Fact or fiction?
G20 Gift Bags Contained Surveillance Tech from the Kremlin:
Back in September, visiting dignitaries attending the G20 summit near St. Petersburg received complimentary gift baskets, that probably contained some snacks and maybe a nice bottle of wine, and almost definitely memory sticks and electronics cables designed to spy on communications.
3 UK Journalists Plead Guilty to Phone Hacking:
A prosecutor said Wednesday that there was “a conspiracy which involved a significant number of people” to hack phones at the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World, revealing that three senior journalists at the now-defunct newspaper have pleaded guilty to illegally eavesdropping on voicemails.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/prosecution-opens-phone-hacking-case-london-20726530
NYPD must ditch discriminatory Muslim surveillance for its own good:
Like stop and frisk, police profiling of New York Muslims is unconstitutional and counterproductive
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/30/nypd-muslim-surveillancediscrimination.html
Canadians Seek Dick Cheney’s Arrest For War Crimes During Upcoming Visit:
An international volunteer organization urged Canadian authorities to arrest former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney on war crimes charges when he visits the 2013 Toronto Global Forum later this week.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/29/dick-cheney-canada-arrest_n_4175180.html
U.S. Death Penalty Support Lowest in More Than 40 Years: –
Sixty percent of Americans say they favor the death penalty for convicted murderers, the lowest level of support Gallup has measured since November 1972, when 57% were in favor. Death penalty support peaked at 80% in 1994, but it has gradually declined since then.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/165626/death-penalty-support-lowest-years.aspx
UN votes to end US embargo on Cuba for 22nd year:
The only country that joined the United States in voting against the resolution was Israel.
http://www.arabnews.com/news/469311
Monsanto and Pepsi trying to stop GMO labeling law in Washington state:
A Washington state ballot measure to label food featuring genetically modified crops is under fire as food and chemical corporations pour millions of dollars against the campaign.
http://rt.com/usa/washington-gmo-law-food-980/
Home Sales Collapse At Fastest Rate In 40 Months; Stocks Spike:
This is the first annual drop in 29 months, the biggest drop in 40 months, and the biggest miss against expectations in 40 months.
http://www.zerohedge.com/print/480690
No Time to Wait on a Movement:
This Friday, 48 million people-including more than 21 million children-will see their food stamp (SNAP) benefits reduced. Instead of receiving an average of a buck-fifty for a meal, individuals in need of food assistance will get about $1.40. For families of three, the cut means they will receive $29 less in food stamps every month.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/176857/week-poverty-no-time-wait-movement
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 : 3,393
Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
Total Cost of Wars Since 2001
$1,484,965,857,375
The New Dark Age 