4 November 2013 — Information Clearing House
The Neocons’ Iraq War Mess
By Paul R. Pillar
The neocons are rewriting more Iraq War history, arguing that if only President Obama had stayed the course on an open-ended US military occupation, the regional situation would be a lot better. But the truth is that it was their invasion of Iraq that set loose the chaos.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36737.htm
Sec. Kerry Praises Brutal Junta Dictatorship in Egypt
By Scott Creighton
The pretense is over. The U.S. backed illegal military coup in Egypt which overthrew the democratically elected government is now codified by the Obama administration as a legitimate government worthy of Sec. John Kerry’s praise.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36735.htm
Ramblin’ Man
John Kerry is a Figure of His Times (and That’s Not a Good Thing)
By Peter Van Buren
The days of the United States being able to treat the world as its chessboard are over.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36740.htm
America’s Lead Iran Negotiator Misrepresents U.S. Policy (and International Law) to Congress
By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett
This is the agenda for which Wendy Sherman tells falsehoods to a Congress that is all too happy to accept them.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36747.htm
Failed US – Middle East Policies
By The Daily Star
Recognizing that its interests in the region are in jeopardy, the U.S. has quickly abandoned any principles it once claimed to have, whether right or wrong.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36736.htm
Where Does the USA Unequivocally Stand on Israeli Annexation of Palestine?
By Jim Surfer
The episode described clearly illustrates that our “representative democracy” is a charade.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36746.htm
Imploding the Myth of Israel
By Chris Hedges
Israel has been poisoned by the psychosis of permanent war. It has been morally bankrupted by the sanctification of victimhood, which it uses to justify an occupation that rivals the brutality and racism of apartheid South Africa.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36738.htm
Israel Is A Racist State
Video
What happens when you condense 500 years of conquest and colonial expansion into 65 years and gift wrap it all in a nationalist ideology that would make every fascist dictatorial regime in history proud?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36745.htm
The Moment I Realized Barack Obama Is Insane
By Michel L. Ston
It was like a cold knife to the heart. It said everything about how Barack Obama views the mounting civilian dead in his terrorist war against the terrorists. It said too much.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36742.htm
“Wounds of Waziristan”
Exclusive Broadcast of New Film on Pakistanis Haunted by U.S. Drone War
Video Documentary
How would it feel if bombs rained over New Jersey for nine years?” asks Tahir in the film. “Would you be frightened? If they killed your son, your cousin or your husband, and got away with it, would you be angry? You probably couldn’t forget about it if you tried. You’d be haunted.”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36739.htm
US Military Doctors Participate in Torture of Detainees, Report Says
By RT
An independent report has charged that US medical personnel, working under the direction of the Department of Defense and CIA in military defense facilities, violated medical ethics by participating in the torture of detainees.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36744.htm
Snowden: A Manifesto for the Truth
By Edward Snowden
We must not forget that mass surveillance is a global problem in need of global solutions.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36733.htm
The Mind of the Poor
By Lawrence Davidson
Most of the poverty in the United States is artificially manufactured. It is poverty created in the pursuit of “free market ideals.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36748.htm
The Great Austerity Shell Game:
Here’s How the Capitalist Scam Works
By Richard Wolff
Corporations and the rich used the money they saved by keeping governments from taxing them to provide the huge loans governments therefore needed.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36741.htm
10 Corporations Control Almost Everything You Buy – This Chart Shows How
By Chris Miles
The numbers are stark, and the charts visualize the mind-bending reality. This is the world we live in.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36743.htm
When Will You Say “Enough is Enough”?
By Phillip Faruggio
We can make this a better country and a fairer, more rational nation to live in. All it takes if a little common sense, a little civic pride, and a newer understanding that we need not be a Military Industrial Empire anymore.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36734.htm
Bush- Blair Legacy Continues As Iraq attacks kill 39, injure 52:
A series of attacks Monday in central and northern Iraq killed 39 people and injured 52, police said, dpa reported. Twelve civilians were killed and 23 injured when a bomb exploded in a market in Tikrit, 170 kilometres north of Baghdad.
http://en.trend.az/regions/met/iraq/2207898.html
Suicide bombing in Syrian village kills 6:
A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden truck in a central, Shiite Syrian village on Monday, state media reported, killing six in the latest attack to underscore the growing sectarian nature of the country’s three-year-old conflict.
http://www.ajc.com/ap/ap/social-issues/official-suicide-bombing-in-syrian-town-kills-4/nbgt7/
Iran Revolutionary Guards commander killed in Syria:
A commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has been killed in Syria after volunteering to defend a Shiite shrine in Damascus, the Iranian Mehr news agency said on Monday.
Turkish patrol seizes over a ton of chemicals from smugglers at Syria border:
Turkish border guards seized three vehicles loaded with over 1,000 kg of chemicals as they tried to illegally cross the border into Syria. One of the smugglers was arrested, while others managed to escape.
http://rt.com/news/turkey-syria-chemicals-seized-207/
Cease-fire breached between Yemeni northern rebels and Islamists, 4 killed:
A spokesman for an ultraconservative Muslim movement says clashes between his group and rebels in Yemen’s restive north have left four dead, breaking a fragile ceasefire.
Kerry calls U.S.-Saudi ties strategic and enduring:
Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that US ties with Saudi Arabia are “strategic and enduring”, insisting Washington and Riyadh shared the same goal in the Syrian conflict.
Zakaria: The Saudis Are Mad? Tough!:
Why we shouldn’t care that the world’s most irresponsible country is displeased at the U.S.
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2156259,00.html#ixzz2jbGsZbnS
US promises to consult with Israel on any Iran deal:
“Whatever agreement we reach Israel will know about, understand and consulted with us on, because Israel’s security is bedrock and there is no closer security relationship than what we have with each other,” she said.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-promises-to-weigh-in-with-israel-about-any-iran-deal/
AIPAC: ‘Absolutely no pause’ in Iran sanctions lobbying:
Group denies rumors of moratorium in top pro-Israel groups’ lobbying efforts for new sanctions on Tehran.
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/AIPAC-Absolutely-no-pause-in-sanctions-lobbying-330464
Hasbara – Propaganda
Bolton: Israel must make ‘fateful decision’ on Iran strike:
Warns Jewish state running out of time as Tehran goes nuclear
http://www.wnd.com/2013/11/bolton-israel-must-make-fateful-decision-on-iran-hit/
Rouhani not ‘optimistic’ about Iran nuclear talks: IRNA:
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani is not “optimistic” about ongoing nuclear negotiations with world powers, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday ahead of a new round of talks this week.
Israel issues 1,859 illegal settler home tenders ahead of Kerry visit:
Israel issued tenders to build 1,859 illegal settler homes on Sunday, angering Palestinians ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry aimed at pushing the peace process forward. 1,031 plots were offered by Israel’s housing and construction ministry in the occupied West Bank and 828 in annexed east Jerusalem.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/israel-issues-1-859/873002.html
Jordan Valley fence would finalize the West Bank’s complete enclosure:
Netanyahu is reviving plans to build a ‘security fence’ in the Jordan Valley. If the fence follows the original route it will enclose any future Palestinian state, cement impossible Bantustan borders and give birth to a new map of Israel’s borders.
http://972mag.com/jordan-valley-fence-would-finalize-the-west-banks-complete-enclosure/81323/
Richard Falk: Situation in Gaza is almost catastrophic:
Addressing journalists at UN Headquarters, the Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Richard Falk noted that because of the situation in Egypt, Palestinians now face increased isolation, lack of access to healthcare and other services, and are facing an uncertain future.
http://alray.ps/en/index.php?act=post&id=2329
Lockheed-Martin to open major subsidiary in Israel:
Defense giant Lockheed-Martin plans to open a major subsidiary in Israel that will employ hundreds of people, while simultaneously looking to purchase Israeli companies and integrate itself into the Israeli economy, according to a Sunday report.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/lockheed-martin-to-open-major-subsidiary-in-israel/
NSA tracked Israeli drones, missiles, papers show:
Documents seen by The New York Times also reveal sharing of raw intelligence between Washington and Jerusalem
http://www.timesofisrael.com/nsa-tracked-israeli-drones-missiles-papers-show/
17 militants killed during joint Afghan-NaTO operations:
The interior ministry of Afghanistan following a statement on Monday announced that the militants were killed in Kandahar, Paktika, Farah and Nimroz provinces of Afghanistan.
http://www.khaama.com/17-militants-killed-during-joint-afghan-nato-operations-3045
4 rebels killed in Kandahar:
At least four government armed oppositions were killed and another arrested, when the joint security forces launched a clearance operation in the restive Mianshin district of southern Kandahar province, governor office said Sunday.
http://wakht.af/en/index.php/security-and-crime/5044-4-rebels-killed-in-kandahar.html
US occupation force soldier killed in eastern Afghanistan:
An American soldier serving with the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has been killed in a militant attack on a base in eastern Afghanistan.
http://www.military-world.net/Afghanistan/5233.html
3rd ID occupation force soldier killed in Afghanistan:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a 3rd Infantry Division Soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
http://savannahnow.com/news/2013-11-04/3rd-id-soldier-killed-afghanistan
Court martial shown DVD of marine ‘murdering’ Afghan prisoner:
The Home Office terrorism research expert called by the MoD to give evidence last week told the court martial he’d never seen anything like it in terms of it’s potent effect.
Broken promises:
Pakistan: US promised no drone hits during talks:
Punjab Chief Minister said that the US officials had assured him that the drone attacks would not be conducted during the process of peace negotiations with the Taliban.
Pakistan: Child killed, six injured in Peshawar blast:
A child was killed and six others were injured when a medium-intensity bomb went off near a government-run primary school in Peshawar on Monday evening.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/627323/explosion-child-killed-six-injured-in-peshawar-blast/
Musharraf granted bail in Red Mosque murder case:
The court decision brings Musharraf a step closer to being able to move freely about Pakistan, after six months of house arrest.
Gunmen kill two Egyptian police ahead of Morsi trial:
A third policeman was wounded when the armed men fired automatic weapons from their car toward the officers’ checkpoint, the sources said.
http://news.yahoo.com/gunmen-kill-two-egyptian-police-ahead-morsi-trial-225114881.html
Morsi’s trial adjourned in Egypt as defendants chant anti-military slogans:
Judge Ahmed Sabry Youssef ordered the adjournment shortly after a two-hour delay at the start of the hearings. The delay was due to Morsi’s defiance of the court, which he said had no authority to try a legitimate Egyptian president. “This trial is illegitimate,” he insisted.
http://rt.com/news/morsi-trial-adjourned-chanting-180/
In court, defiant Morsi says he still Egypt’s president:
Ousted Egyptian leader Mohamed Morsi struck a defiant tone on the first day of his trial on Monday, chanting ‘Down with military rule’, and calling himself the country’s only ‘legitimate’ president.
Egyptians Following Right Path, Kerry Says:
In the highest-level American visit here since the Egyptian military removed the country’s first democratically elected president from power, Secretary of State John Kerry pressed Egyptian leaders on Sunday to stick to their “road map” for restoring democracy.
Libya army officer killed in Benghazi blast:
An army officer was killed on Sunday in the restive Libyan city of Benghazi when a bomb placed under his car exploded, a security forces spokesman told AFP.
East Libya movement launches government, challenges Tripoli:
Leaders of an autonomy movement in Libya’s oil-rich east unilaterally declared a regional government yesterday, in a challenge to the weak central government as new violence erupted in the restive region.
Oil-rich eastern Libya in chaos as rival groups form governments:
Tensions in eastern Libya, where the majority of oil production remains shut in due to blockades at oil export terminals, have intensified after two different groups declared independence for the Cyrenaica region.
Libya oil export terminal ‘remains idle’:
Protesters have kept up their blockade of the main oil facilities in Libya, where production has fallen 80 percent, the country’s National Oil Corp said Monday.
http://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/libya-oil-export-terminal-remains-043948748.html
One month, hundreds of millions of records collected:
The NSA, working with the British GCHQ, intercepted information it could only have found inside the Google and Yahoo “clouds,” or private networks.
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/world/one-month-hundreds-of-millions-of-records-collected/554/
How we know the NSA had access to internal Google and Yahoo cloud data:
The Washington Post reported that the National Security Agency has been tapping into the private links that connect Google and Yahoo data centers around the world. Today we offer new evidence from the source documents and interviews with confidential sources, demonstrating that the NSA accessed data traveling between those centers.
How the feds snoop: What happens when you hit ‘send’ on your email:
The Internet makes it easy to send information to far-flung places in an instant – hit “send,” and poof, there it goes. But where does that information go, how does it get there and who gets access to the data?
No Morsel Too Minuscule for All-Consuming N.S.A.:
From thousands of classified documents, the National Security Agency emerges as an electronic omnivore of staggering capabilities, eavesdropping and hacking its way around the world to strip governments and other targets of their secrets, all the while enforcing the utmost secrecy about its own operations.
Portrait of the NSA: no detail too small in quest for total surveillance:
Leaked documents reveal the NSA’s dark side – and show an agency intent on exploiting the digital revolution to the full
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/02/nsa-portrait-total-surveillance
UK: National security: our spy chiefs won’t be losing any sleep over their summons by MPs:
Despite the hype, public quizzing is no substitute for proper democratic scrutiny of our intelligence services
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/03/mps-spy-chiefs-outing-not-proper-scrutiny
Louisiana Police tasered father as son died in house fire:
“It’s just heartless. How could they be so heartless? And while they all just stood around and waited for the fire department, what kind of police officer wouldn’t try and save a three year old burning in a house?”
http://www.connecttristates.com/news/story.aspx?id=966109#.UnVYheK5iZG
Former U.S. house speaker Jim Wright denied voting ID in Texas:
Former House Speaker Jim Wright was denied a voter ID card Saturday at a Texas Department of Public Safety office. Wright, 90, served in Congress as a Democratic representative from Texas for 34 years, until resigning in 1989. Wright said he had voted in every election since 1944.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/03/former-u-s-house-speaker-jim-wright-denied-voting-id-in-texas/
Johnson & Johnson To Pay $2.2 Billion To Settle Deceptive Marketing Claims:
Various state and federal agencies have been looking into Johnson & Johnson’s marketing of the drugs Risperdal, Invega, Natrecor, and others, claiming the company was putting consumers at risk by paying kickbacks to doctors and pharmacists to suggest these drugs to patients
Recession has led to spending on food falling by 8.5%, say researchers:
The implication is that rising rates of obesity are better explained by declining levels of physical activity, rather than overeating.
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 : 3,394
Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
Total Cost of Wars Since 2001
$1,486,243,689,713
The New Dark Age 