Jonathan Easley: Ron Paul says Defense Bill assures Descent into Totalitarianism!i

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul warned that the National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed by Congress this month, will accelerate the country's "slip into tyranny" and virtually assures "our descent into totalitarianism." "The founders wanted to set a high bar for the government to over -come in order to deprive an individual of life or liberty," Paul, the libertarian congressman from Texas, said Monday in a weekly phone message to supporter. "To lower that bar is to endanger everyone. When the bar is low enough to include political enemies, our descent into totalitarianism is virtually assured. The Patriot Act, as bad as its violations against the Fourth Amendment was, was just one step down the slippery slope. The recently passed National Defense Authorization Act continues that slip into tyranny, and in fact, accelerates it significantly." The NDAA is the nearly $670 billion defense bill that covers the military budget, and funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. One controversial provision  mandates the detention of terror suspects, and reaffirms the administration's authority to detain those suspected of having ties to terrorist organizations. "The Fifth Amendment is about much more than the right to remain silent in the face of government questioning," Paul continued. "It contains very basic and very critical stipulations about the due process of law. The government cannot imprison a person for no reason, and with no evidence presented, and without access to legal council. The danger of the NDAA is its alarmingly vague, undefined criteria for who can be indefinitely detained by the US government without trial."

Robert Johnson: US Civilians Decide Whom to Kill with Military Drones!

President Obama's enormous expansion of the US drone program may be pushing too fast for military staffing to keep up: David S Cloud of the Los Angeles Times reports that the military is now forced to rely on a string of civilian contractors placed at all levels along the "kill chain." These are the people who analyze incoming drone video, and decide when to fire Hellfire missiles. According to Cloud, an American civilian played a "central role" in the Predator attack that accidentally killed 15 Afghans in 2010, information that "surprised" the investigating Army officer. Manning the drone fleet is a mounting issue in the Air Force. It takes more staff to fly a drone than an F-15, and with more drones than ever in the air, non-government employees are increasingly employed to analyze video, and keep the UAVs in the air. The Air Force says it takes 168 people to fly a Predator for 24 hours, and 300 people to keep a Global Hawk aloft for the same time. The Air Force owns 230 Reapers, Predators, and Global Hawks, flying 50 of them at any given time, but the 730 more drones being added to the fleet over the next ten years explains why military personnel are now being asked to fly four drones at once! 

The Telegraph: US Eyes first BP Criminal Carges over Gulf Oil Spill!

US prosecutors are readying criminal charges against British oil giant BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident that led to the catastrophic Gulf oil spill, the Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday. The charges, if brought and prosecuted by the US Justice Department would be the first criminal charges over the disaster: Prosecutors are focusing on US-based BP engineers and at least one supervisor, who they say may have provided false information to regulators on the risks of deep water drilling in the Gulf. Felony charges for providing false information in federal documents may be made public early next year, said the Wall-Street Journal. A conviction on that charge would carry a fine and up to five years in prison, the newspaper said. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has already issued a second list of violations regarding BP's operation of the Macondo well that blew out in April 2010, causing the worst maritime environmental disaster in history. The US drilling safety agency has said it determined BP failed to conduct an accurate pressure integrity test in one area of the well. In four different sections of the well, BP failed to suspend drilling operations at the Macondo, when the safe drilling margin was not maintained, the agency said. An explosion at the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20, 2010, killed 11 people, and the well gushed oil into the ocean for 87 days, polluting the southern US shoreline, and crippling the local tourism and fishing sectors.

Tony Greenstein: In Israel They Shackle Palestinian Children!

Perhaps the most shocking of all things in Israel's treatment of the Palestinians is the way that children are treated. It is unimaginable that a Jewish Israeli child would be brought to court in shackles, or even be placed in a court of law. Beatings and abuse of children by the Israeli military is common, and judges, such as the one below, don't even blink an eye. Thus is legal racism established! Below is a paper circulated by Dr Derek Summerfield from Defense for Children International, Palestine Section, on the shooting of children working near the northern border of Gaza. True, in the military courtroom itself, Palestinians are neither shot nor beaten. They are not 'targeted for elimination' nor even sentenced to death, at least not in the courtroom. But the military court is also a place where all illusions die, and hopes! Because that is where Palestinians learn that injury caused them is no error, nor misunderstand -ing, but a matter of policy. That is where they learn that law, regarding Palestinians is nothing short of another kind of weapon, one of many. Among the tanks and planes, and cluster bombs and checkpoints and Separation Walls and white phosphorus and the IOF spokesman: The military court is the end of ends, the last judgment, the final accusation, apriori, of Palestinians only because they are Palestinians. In courtroom number 2, where children are put on trial, is the place beyond that end. Only two family members are allowed to come to the trial. This is usually the only time they can come to see their son, and they do! Time after time. They may bring cigarettes and money for the long day awaiting them. Nothing else! Not even medication, tissues, food, a book or a newspaper. Visitors are allowed to bring a notebook and a pen, but no tissues. We have no privileges concerning tissues!     

The Independent: The Battle for Israel's Soul!

If the State of Israel is threatened, the assumption has been, that threat comes from outside, from militant Palestinian groups vowing to drive it into the sea or, more recently, from Iran. It is increasingly apparent, however, that the survival of Israel as a democratic and modern state  is also threatened from within, specifically by its own ultra-Orthodox minority. Economically, a far larger proportion of ultra-Orthodox Jews rely on the state for support than do other Israelis. They represent a diplomatic and security liability, spearheading unauthorized settlements and refusing military service on conscientious grounds. In their politics and social mores, they are deeply conservative, and their big families mean that their influence is growing faster than that of any other group. This is leading to more and more conflicts within Israel itself. Scuffles in Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem this week, and a protest rally against the harassment by ultra-Orthodox men of girls on their way to school are just the latest, and most virulent instances of this culture clash spilling out on to the street. While many senior politicians, including President Shimon Peres, and the opposition leader, Tzipi Livni, have come out in spoken support of Israel's secular democracy, their efforts only illustrate how difficult it is to defend moderation against zealotry of whatever kind. This is a struggle for the soul of Israel, and it is not going away.  

Nile Bowie: Naked Neo-Imperialism for Post-Gadhafi Libya!

While the unconcealed hypocrisy that led to the emergence of a new Libya fades from the public consciousness, the governments of the West are beginning to reap the the profits of their invest -ments. Under a mandate to protect civilians, these allied forces armed radical factions of Islamist fighters, and showered white phosphorus tipped ordnance onto densely populated residential areas. While sponsoring politicians equated the Libyan rebels to "heroic" advocates of western democracy, fighting for freedom, these "men"committed racially motivated beheadings and executions of migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa, and filled mass graves with the corpses of their fellow countrymen, especially Gaddafi loyalists. Before being sodomized with a combat knife and extra judicially assassinated by foreign funded rebel fighters, Muammar Gadhafi oversaw one of Africa's most prosperous nations. With an annual economic growth of 10% and extensive programs for social welfare, public healthcare and education, Libya was viewed as a place of relative opportunity with numerous jobs for migrant workers from neighboring countries in the region. Gadhafi advocated the creation of an African Union with its own Central Bank and Monetary Fund, and a Gold Dinar currency, a move that would directly threaten the financial oligarchy of the Franco-Anglo-American powers that funded his demise.

E. J. Dionne: Obama: The Conservative In 2012!

Obama, the conservative in 2012: At a moment when the nation wonders whether politicians can agree on anything, here is something that unites the Republican presidential candidates, and all of them with President Obama: Everyone agrees that the 2012 election will be a turning point involving one of the most momentous choices in American history. True, candidates and columnists regularly cast the impending election as the most important ever. Campaigning last week in Pella, Iowa, Republican Rick Santorum acknowledged as much, but he insisted that this time, the choice really was that fundamental. "The debate," he said, "is about who we are." Speaking not far away in Mount Pleasant, Newt Gingrich went even further, and was more specific. "This is the most important election since 1860," he said, "because there's such a dramatic difference between the best food-stamp president in history, and the best paycheck candidate." Thus did Gingrich combine historic sweep with a cheap and inaccurate attack. Nonetheless, it says a great deal that Gingrich chose to reach all the way back to the election that helped spark the Civil War.

Veterans Today: How Zionism Infiltrated the US!

Mark Bruzonsky, a Jewish-American Scholar and Journalist, has been a key member behind the scenes of the Israeli Palestinian peace initiative in the 1980s, meeting with Former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and with Palestinian officials. In an exclusive interview with Press TV's Autograph, Mr. Bruzonsky talks about challenges and missed opportunities he witnessed first
-hand, and how Zionist groups infiltrated American politics, US institutions and organizations. He goes further to explain the specific time and day Obama sold out to the AIPAC (American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee) lobby, and how President Obama would never dare oppose the stronghold of the Zionist, Israeli Lobby in the US. Press TV: "In 1982, Mr. Bruzonsky, you authored the Paris Declaration, a breakthrough event that greatly contributed to political developments of the time. Please tell us about that." Bruzonsky: In the 1980's, in a sense, a lot of us knew there was this political cancer. It was very bad, it was eating up the patient and needed to be dealt with and cured. I was in Paris, sitting in a hotel room, a big event in my life, with four very important people. I was there to do the work and write the document: These people were the former president of France, Pierre Mendis France, the founder of the World Zionist Organization and the World Jewish Congress - Nahum Goldman, his successor, who was the only Jewish leader in America who had ever been president of B'nai Brith and World Jewish Congress and Secretary of Commerce.

The Staff of AFP: American Jews and Uranium Stockpiles.

Recently declassified documents analyzed by the Institute for Research on Middle Eastern Policy reveal a surprising fact. The Israeli government used American Jews and its own intelligence agents to infiltrate American uranium stockpiles in the 1950's and 1960's to steal 269 kilograms of weapons-grade material. That led to the creation of the Zionist state's first nuclear bomb. According to hundreds of documents from the FBI, CIA and other agencies recently declassified under the Freedom of Information Act, the United States contracted oversight of its nuclear materials stockpile to Zalman Shapiro, president of Numec Inc., an Apollo, Pa.-based company that US intelligence suspected had ties to the newly formed Zionist government in Palestine. Over the next 11 years, 269 kilograms of enriched uranium were stolen from the plant, in an operation guided by four known Mossad Israeli intelligence agents: Rafael Eitan, Avraham Ben-Dor, Ephraim Biegun and Avraham Hermoni. Eitan went on to become the Mossad director who commandeered intelligence operations that kidnapped Adolf Eichmann from his home in Argentina in the 1960's. Eitan also headed the Lekem, which is a Jewish intelligence bureau in charge of stealing nuclear secrets from the United States and other nations.

Henry Makow Ph.D.: Illuminati Will Burst China's Bubble!

The Illuminati have chosen China to be the main producer/manufacturer of the NWO. China's economy is completely artificial. The stated economic justifications for China's current rise are lies, and a veil for an agenda. The mainstream media generally portray the US as a dying giant, and China as an unstoppable rising power. And yet, both countries have virtually the same debt-to -GDP levels. The US has $15 trillion worth of debt and a GDP of just over $14 trillion, while China has a GDP of $5.8 trillion, and debts of $5.7 trillion. So why is China portrayed as being strong? Because, as the Goldman Sachs graph shows, over the the next 40-years the Illuminati plan to weaken the US and strengthen China. Economics are a veil for an agenda. China is picked to be the economic powerhouse of the New World Order. A 2003 projection of the world's economies by Goldman Sachs 'predicts' that China's GDP will overtake the US in 2040. By 2050 China's GDP will have reached $45,000 billion, leaving the US a distant second with $35,000 billion. Germany, the powerhouse of the EU, will only have a GDP of $2,500 billion. This projection is at odds with China's current economic weakness. The economy is fueled by a construction bubble that should have burst years ago.

S.M. Hali: Serving as a Contingent and Sector Commander!

General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's statement regarding the constitutional role of the Pakistani Army has put to rest rumors and speculation of an army takeover. It has also refuted Yusuf Raza Gillani's charge of the Army plotting to throw the political government out when Kayani declared "Army has no desire to derail democracy." Pakistan Army's past role in the six and a half decades of Pakistan's existence does spell doom and gloom for democratic institutions at the hands of the Army, since there have been four military takeovers, and Pakistan has been ruled by the army for over 33 years. With such a track record, the current dispensation in the government was wary of Pakistan Army's intentions, but it should not have denigrated the Army, forcing a clash between institutions. One would expect that those who claim to be champions of democracy would endeavor to keep the banner of democracy aloft, but it appears that the same democrats are sacrificing the notions at the alter of their own self-preservation. With the memo-gate scandal being examined by the Supreme Court, one would expect that the current political dispensation ruling in Islamabad would let justice prevail, and the judicial proceedings take their legitimate course, instead of busy hurling impediments in the way of the judicial system. Why are these people against against the judicial process? Do they fear the exposure of their own veiled complicity in the macabre plot to upstage the military? The "Mossad" plays an important role in the operation of "ISRAEL", and similarly Indian security agency RAW has a significant task in the Indian system of government. One never hears the Israeli government or Indian administration castigate Mossad or RAW, but in Pakistan!

Chossudovsky: Preparing to Attack Iran with Nuclear Weapons!

The world is at a dangerous crossroads. America is on a War Path. World War III is no longer an abstract concept. The US and its allies are preparing to launch a nuclear war directed against Iran with devastating consequences. This military adventure in the real sense of the word threatens the future of humanity: The Pentagon's global military design is one of world conquest. The military deployment of US-NATO forces is occurring in several regions of the world simultaneously. War pretexts and "justifications" abound. Iran is heralded as a threat to Israel and the World. The war on Iran has been on the drawing board of the Pentagon for more than eight years. In recent developments, a renewed set of threats and accusations directed against Teheran have been launched. A"war of stealth" has already commenced. Mossad intelligence operatives are on the ground. Covert paramilitary formations are being launched inside Iran, CIA drones are being deployed. Meanwhile, Washington, London, Brussels and Tel Aviv have launched specific destabilizing initiatives "to choke Iran diplomatically, financially and economically" A stepped up economic sanctions regime has been formulated by the US Congress. A bipartisan consensus has emerged in Washington in favor of strangling the Iranian economy, by making it virtually impossible for Teheran to sell its oil. This new wave of diplomatic hype, coupled with the threat of of economic sanctions, has also contributed to triggering an aura of uncertainty in the market for crude oil, with potentially devastating consequences on the global economy.

The Telegraph: China Launches Rival to GPS Satellite System.

China took a further step on Tuesday toward ending its dependence on US satellites to provide navigation and positioning services with the start of trial operations of its home-grown Beidou system. Ran Chengqi, spokesman for the new system, told reporters that Beidou, or "Big Dipper", would cover most parts of the Asia Pacific by next year, and then the world by 2020. China has already launched 10 satellites to support Beidou, and would launch another six next year, he said. State media have said the system will eventually comprise 35 satellites, which will be used for a variety of sectors including fisheries, meteorology and telecommunications. China has ambitious plans for space, including a space station and a manned trip to the moon. While China has vowed never to militarize space, experts say it is ramping up the military use of space with new satellites. The successful missile kill of an old satellite in early 2007 represented a new level of ability for the Chinese military, and last year China successfully tested emerging technology aimed at destroying missiles in mid-air.

Shashank Joshi: Arab Spring - The Revolution has only Just Begun

The Middle East faces a long, bumpy and bloody ride, as nations struggle to build a new order while battling internal factions and outside interference. This year, the certitudes of the old Middle East dissolved with unseemly haste. A regional order frozen in place since the death of Egypt's Colonel Nasser 40 years ago finally thawed. It produced a torrent of uprisings, coups, standoffs, civil wars, and an orgy of state-sponsored bloodletting. This was the earthquake. In 2012, prepare for the aftershocks, but revolution is not, and never has been, an event. It is a project, and one whose gestation spans not only months, or even years, but decades. The raw violence of the Arab awakening is uncomfortable for those of us accustomed to a different sort of revolution. This month, Vaclav Havel died. His was the era of the pure revolution. The dissolution of the Soviet empire in Europe, and Havel's ascent to the Czech presidency, was tidier than we had any right to expect. It was the age of prison-to-presidency leaps by distinguished statesmen, not undignified rabbles. Today, we confront slow-burning revolutions of barbed wire and blood, not velvet. In Egypt, the army began the year as a savior of the revolution; it ended it as tormentor.

Sayanim: How the Israeli Lobby leads the Effort to take America to War!

A review of Guilt by Association reads: " This book contains so much amazing detail, that it takes a while to absorb it all. The author's background gives him credibility, and the connections between the political class, organized crime, corporate media and Israeli connections are well researched." "This explosive tour de force by Senate Finance Committee counsel Jeff Gates will rattle the bones of Washington's political establishment as never before. With meticulous analysis, Gates' non-partisan straight talk presents a fearless and unparalleled expose of rampant deceit, corruption and treason infecting the American body politic for many decades. Writing a review simply cannot do justice to this book. Read it for yourself and prepare to have the curtain lifted on years of deceit and corruption: The Motto of the Mossad, Israel's Intelligence Agency is: "By Deception, Thou Shalt Make War". Israel is doing all it can to to make Iran the next disastrous 'war for control' and the 85% of corrupt US politicians will vote it in, when the time comes. It is 'support the war or lose your seat': Americans know that something fundamental is amiss. They sense, rightly, that they are being misled, no matter which political party does the leading. A long misinformed public lacks the tools to grasp HOW they are being deceived. Without these tools, Americans will continue to be frustrated at being played for the fool. When the "con" is clearly seen, "the mark" (that's us) will see that all roads lead to the same duplicitous source: Israel and its operatives!

Devvy Kidd: Overlooked Language In NDAA!

The Internet has been literally burning up over the National Defense Authorization Act, another monstrous bill with language like: "Obama is going to ship Americans to Gitmo, and Americans will be detained indefinitely in secret without due process." Storing 7 days of Food could send you to Gitmo Indefinitely. "The real danger lies in the government's definition of what a suspected terrorist is." "According to Senator Rand Paul (R-KY): We're talking about American citizens who can be taken from the United States and sent to a camp at Guantanamo Bay and held indefinitely. There are laws on the books right now that characterize who might be a terrorist: Someone missing fingers on their hands is a suspect, according to the Department of Justice. Someone who has guns, someone who has ammunition that is weatherproofed, someone who has more than seven days of food in their house, can be considered a potential terrorist. If you are suspected because of these activities, do you want the government to have the ability to send you to Guantanamo Bay for indefinite detention? Paul says this is why he and twelve other senators voted against the bill, because they saw the dangerous implications of this provision, which was designed to give the military certain powers during the current conflict with al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

Fars News Agency: Pirate Attack on Saudi Oil Tanker!

The Iranian Navy has thwarted a Pirate Attack on a Saudi Oil Tanker in International Waters. An attempted hijacking of a Saudi oil tanker by unknown pirate boats was foiled after an Iranian fleet of warships present in the region rushed to the scene. "After the regional center of Chabahar coast guard watch announced last night that a Saudi oil tanker had asked for help due to the suspicious approach of several unknown boats, a Jamaran destroyer was dispatched to the area swiftly," Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Seyed Mahmoud Moussavi told reporters on Monday. "After the presence of the destroyer on the scene, the unknown boats fled the area, and the entire region came under the control of the Iranian Navy forces," he added. Moussavi did not mention the specific coordinates or region of the international waters that the Saudi oil tanker was saved by the Iranian destroyer, but the development has most likely taken place in the Sea of Oman, where Iran is presently staging massive war games. Iran's naval forces have deployed in the international waters of the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean, after they started massive war-games in international waters on Saturday.

Lisa Karpova: Hugo Chavez Rips Into Obama!

Chavez: Obama is an irresponsible phony who shames the USA. On Monday the 19th, Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez, heavily criticized the US president, Barack Obama, in response to his warning of the alleged restrictions on the rights of Venezuelans. Chavez called Obama "irresponsible and fake":"Obama will get involved with his things. He dedicates himself to his country, where he has practiced a disaster. Now he comes seeking votes by attacking Venezuela. Do not be irresponsible, boy," said Chavez in a Council of Ministers, broadcast on state television. In an interview with the Venezuelan daily "El Universal" on Monday 19th, Obama said the United States increasingly believes that the close ties between Venezuela, Iran and Cuba do not benefit the Venezuelan people. In May, the US imposed sanctions on the Venezuelan oil company PDVSA for disrespecting US legislation by selling $50 million in oil derivatives to Iran. "Venezuela is a sovereign country, proud. The US has no intention to intervene in the external relations of Venezuela," Obama said in a brief interview with the newspaper. "However, I think the government's ties with Iran and Cuba are not beneficial to the interests of Venezuela and its people." Chavez, however, was angered by statements of the President of the United States. "In fact, Obama, does he know what provokes me? Suffer, I pity you. Let us be calm and quiet, we are free and we will never be a colony of his," he answered.

Jeff Gates: Israeli Operatives in the US!!!

Jeff Gates documents how the Israeli Lobby led the effort to take America to war in pursuit of Tel Aviv's Expansionist Agenda, in his blockbuster book: Guilt by Association: How Deception and Self-Deceit Took America to War. A Review of Guilt By Association on Amazon reads: "This book contains so much amazing detail that it takes a while to absorb it all. The author's background gives him credibility, and the connections between the political class, organized crime, corporate media and Israeli connections are well researched." "This explosive tour de force by former Senate Finance Committee counsel Jeff Gates will rattle the bones of Washington's political establishment as never before. With meticulous analysis, Gates' non-partisan straight talk presents a fearless and unparalleled expose of rampant deceit, corruption and treason infecting the American body politic for many decades." "Writing a review simply cannot do justice to this book. Read it for yourself and prepare to have the curtain lifted on years of deceit and corruption." Israel is doing all it can to to make Iran the next disastrous 'war for control' and the 85% of corrupt US politicians will vote it in when the time comes as seen in the Press TV report below. It is 'support the war or lose your seat'. This is why I have decided to do a rerun of Jeff Gates' timely article. Sayanim-Israeli Operatives in the US, which best describes why Israel is successful in the US.

Incog Man: Perfidious Israel Sells US Patriot Missiles to China!

Finnish authorities, during a routine search, uncovered a shipment marked "fireworks" aboard a ship bound for Shanghai, China. The cargo was 69 US "Super" Patriot missiles and 160 tons of dangerously packed high-end explosives, capable of all sorts of bomb making, including plutonium devices. The originating port in Germany is fairly close to Schipol Airport in the Netherlands, where US Air Force transport command personnel say high tech transfers to Israel are routinely offloaded at Israeli maintained "secure facilities." Supposedly, the Netherlands and Germany are sovereign nations, but then again, so is the US. "Precious Jewry" thinks they can do as they please in Western countries. From the particulars coming out of Europe, there can be no doubt that Israel was selling these missiles to China. Jews would sell their mothers to make a buck, and then have the GN nerve to cry bloody murder about what happened to her later. Face the facts, America: Israel and the Jews are freely ripping off this country, left and right, have been for quite some time actually. No other nation is supposed to get this level of Patriots (PAC3), except "tiny, besieged" Israel, whom we're always told is constantly threatened by its neighbors.

Branden Moore: Soros' Hand Seen in Anti-Putin Protests!

It appears that Global financial oligarchs, obsessed with erasing national sovereignty world wide, like George Soros and others are instigating another revolution in Russia under the veil of "free and fair democracy". On December 24, 2011 a second opposition rally was held in Moscow, with an estimated 28 to 120 thousand protesters, over the alleged "vote-rigging" that occurred on the December 4th election, won by Putin's United Russia party. As reported by Reuters, the Russian novelist Boris Akunin asked protesters from a large stage: "Do you want Putin to return to the presidency?" Whistling and jeering, protesters chanted: "No!" Boris Akunin is the pen name of Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili, a writer, essayist and literary translator. As of now, he is the most commercially successful writer in Russia, selling around 15 million books in Russia, and more than 1 million abroad. He also happens to be the former chairman of the board for a Soros fund, called the Pushkin Library, where he helped compile a 100-volume edition of the best works of Russian Literature of all time. Marianna Tax Choldin, chair of the Soros Foundation's Network Library Program, was quoted in an article back in August of 2000, after being awarded the Pushkin medal by the Russian government. "Through the Soros program, we've helped dozens of libraries in many areas of library development, including automation, collection development, preservation, Internet access and training."

Stephen Lendman: EU Protests Israeli Occupation Policies

On December 23, Haaretz writer Barak Ravid headlined,"EU voices protest over Israeli policies in East Jerusalem, West Bank," saying: "A day after four European Union members of the UN Security Council strongly criticized Israel's decision to speed up construction of settlements." "EU ambassador to Israel Andrew Standley on Thursday submitted a formal protest to the Foreign Ministry over evacuating Bedouins and tearing down Palestinians' houses in the El area near" Ma'aleh Adumim settlement. Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) Director Jeff Halper called it a major development, saying: "The significance of this development is not only the creation of a greater Jerusalem that controls the center of the West Bank, but the emergence of Israeli Occupation territorial contiguity, that effectively eliminates the two state solution." ICAHD's Co-Director Itay Epshtain added: "ICAHD has long cautioned about the emergence of a greater Jerusalem linking the Judaization of East Jerusalem and displacement of Bedouins in E1, with the development of Ma'aleh Adumim, all the way to the Jordan Valley." On December 20, Washington vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning Israel's latest settlement expansion plans. In response, all 14 other SC members rebuked America's decision. Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin called the move "historic." Dismissing a 14-1 vote, Washington called the SC divided. In fact, nearly the entire world's on one side, America and Israel on the other. The same's held earlier for decades. Palestinians are denied justice. Israel denounced EU members' criticism. A Foreign Ministry statement said they should refrain from "interfering" in Israel's "internal" affairs, and focus solely on restarting peace talks.

Tom Burghardt: Making Wars Happen - US War Plans Against Iran!

Before the first bomb falls, disinformation specialists prepare the ground. Leading media outlets, foreign policy journals and a phletora of think-tanks funded by elite foundations, energy and weapons' conglomerates, 'right,' 'left' or center, take your pick, churn out war propaganda disguised as "analysis." From the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute to the neo-liberal Center for American Progress, rhetorical skirmishes aside, the line is remarkably similar. Indeed, for conservative and liberal elite blioviators alike, Iran poses an "existential threat" to Israel and America's regional "allies," a disparate crew of land-grabbing colonizers, murderous princes and profligate potentates. Only US intervention, in the form of an overt military attack now, or crippling economic sanctions, followed by military action later, can save the day, and bring "democracy" to the benighted Iranian people. If we were to believe neo-con acolyte Thomas Donnelly, "The rapid ticking of the Iran nuclear clock also marks an increasingly dark hour for the United States and its closest allies and partners, because it coincides with a third clock, the timetable of retreat set in motion by Barack Obama. Meanwhile liberal interventionists Rudy deLeon and Brian Katulis over at CAP tell us that "President Barack Obama and his administration are ratcheting up the pressure on the Iranian regime, building an international coalition that is increasingly isolating and weakening Iran, making it pay a price for not living up to its "international responsibilities."

Rob Crilly: US Admits Mistakes in Deadly Pakistan Air Strike!

The 60-page document has not yet been released, but The Daily Telegraph has been told it will say that both the United States and Pakistan must share the blame for a catalog of communications failures: The cross-border attack plunged relations between the two countries to a new low, provoking a round of tit-for-tat allegations about who was responsible. However, the findings of an American investigation show that the US and Afghan forces wrongly concluded that there were no Pakistani forces in the border area, where the coalition was conducting an operation on Nov 26, according to US officials talking to The Wall Street Journal. That assessment cleared the way for an air strike that destroyed two Pakistani border posts. Pakistan responded angrily to the attack, closing its land crossings into Afghanistan to NATO supply convoys, and announcing a review of all relations with Washington and NATO. American officials are still braced for diplomatic expulsions. In the meantime, Cameron Munter, the US ambassador to Islamabad, is believed to have ordered a halt to CIA drone strikes in the border areas of Pakistan, as he tries to patch up relations.

Nadir Mir: Pravda.ru Next War Iran!!!!

The Geopolitics of the times may indicate that the next war is Iran. Although Pakistan, being an established nuclear power, would logically be higher on the scales of "denuking agenda" for so called globalists. Still, Geopolitical logic dictates otherwise. In Iran's case, the American agenda is to prevent it from going nuclear, something which Pakistan achieved over a quarter century ago! American election fervor, meaning attacking Iran, indicates air and missile strikes and a "limited" invasion. Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Advisor Uzi Aradand Defense Minister Ehud Barak, plus numerous Israeli leaders, want a nuclear strike against Iran. For nearly a decade, Iran "going nuclear" has been on the minds of Israeli legislators. This time, the possibility may actually be real: Both Israel and Iran are confident and itching to fight! The "point of no return" was an article by the Atlantic, and it appears clear that there is a high possibility of such an adventure. The Israelis are evasive, but an Israeli strike appears imminent now. The initial strategic moves have already been initiated: Though NATO is planning to intervene, this will be only be to deprive Iran of its chief ally Syria.

Patrick Cockburn: Iraqi PM Escalates Crisis, Ultimatum to Kurds!

The Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has demanded the Kurds hand over his Sunni Vice
-President, Tariq al Hashemi, for whom an arrest warrant has been issued on charges of terrorism Mr. Maliki said ominously that Mr Hashemi, who has taken refuge in Kurdistan, will receive a fair trial, as that of Saddam Hussein, who was executed in 2006. Mr Maliki is deliberately escalating the political crisis, which is seen by the Sunni minority as a bid by the Shia dominated government to marginalize them. The Kurds, who have total political and military control of most of northern Iraq, are likely to refuse to hand over Mr Hashemi, and are seeking to act as mediators between him and the Prime Minister. Mr Hashemi said the accusations against him, that he ran death squads made up of his bodyguards against his opponents, are fabrications. The charges are based on confessions from his guards, who said that he personally paid them for the attacks, but these allegations may well have been extracted by torture or the threat of it. Mr Maliki had earlier claimed that an attempt to assassinate him with a remotely detonated bomb three weeks ago outside the parliament building inside the closely guarded Green Zone had been arranged by Mr Hashemi's guards. The details revealed about the alleged plot suggest that, if it was an assassination bid, it was a poorly organized one unlikely to succeed!

Sebastian Abbot: Pakistani Army Denies Intention to Oust Government

Pakistan's army chief has denied accusations that the military is working to oust the country's civilian government amid tensions over a secret memo sent to Washington earlier this year about an alleged coup, the military said Friday. The memo scandal has heightened long-standing tensions between the army and the government at a time when the country is struggling to deal with a violent Taliban insurgency, a stuttering economy and deteriorating relations with its most important ally, the United States. Pakistani Taliban fighters attacked a paramilitary fort in north-western Pakistan on Friday, killing one soldier and kidnapping 15 others, police said. The brazen attack was followed by a statement to media in which the militants said they would kill the abducted troops. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani claimed Thursday that there was a conspiracy under way to topple the government. He did not specifically point to the military, but said the army must be answerable to the parliament and cannot operate as "a state within a state." Army chief Gen. Pervez Ashfaq Kayani denied the allegations, and pledged the force would continue to support democracy in Pakistan. "The army is fully cognizant of its constitutional obligations and responsibilities," Kayani said Thursday, during a trip near the Afghan border. His remarks were cited in an army statement Friday.

Pravda.ru: A Nightmare Scenario for America!!

Imagine one day that suddenly, and without warning, every single vehicle in the United States built after the 1970's were totally incapable of running. No going to the grocery store, in fact no more food deliveries by truck to your local store. There would be no trains, planes or buses running, only muscle powered canoes on the waterways. Imagine that there is no longer any electricity. You cannot keep your food from spoiling in the refrigerator. There is no heat, no air conditioning, no electric tools or appliances work. There is no way to pump water to your house, so you are also without water. Imagine that there is no telephone service. You cannot communicate with anyone unless you walk to where they are, which means no computers, no internet, no cellular phones or iPods, no television or radio. Your world would be silent, except for the occasional bird chirp or dog barking, which won't last long with no food for the dog. Perhaps there might be human screams of hunger, or despair. The country has been transported back into the stone age: Your ability to grow your own food is limited to your access to seeds, and whether or not you get enough rain. There are riots in the cities. The only people who have access to fresh food are those with guns who can hunt, and those near bodies of water with edible fish. Does that seem like science fiction? It's not. In fact, it may be right around the corner. This is what would happen if someone exploded a nuclear weapon 300 miles up in the atmosphere above our country, which would involve every single state on our continent, including parts of Mexico and Canada!

Tom Squitieri: JFK Files May Shed Light on Witness's Death.

On the morning of March 29, 1977, the House Assassinations Committee phoned the Florida home of George de Mohrenschildt, "a crucial witness" in the panel's John F. Kennedy assassination probe, to arrange a meeting. It never reached him. That afternoon, de Mohren -schildt, described in CIA and FBI memos obtained by USA Today as being close to accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, was found dead, killed by a blast to his face from a 20-gauge shotgun. De Mohrenschildt, a Russian exile with murky ties to the CIA, has become a central figure for some promoters of conspiracy theories in the JFK slaying. "I would say he was a handler for Oswald," says Oliver Stone, director of the movie JFK, which has renewed debate about the assassination. A CIA memo describes de Mohrenschildt as "well-acquainted" with Oswald since 1962, another says he was briefed about Oswald by a CIA agent months before the November 22, 1963 assassination. Details of de Mohrenschildt's death, ruled a suicide, and his relationship with Oswald, may be clarified when sealed files on the JFK shooting are opened. A congressional resolution ordering the files opened, delayed in recent weeks, is now expected to be introduced Wednesday. Quick passage is predicted. The resolution is being delayed to provide time for Rep. Louis Stokes, D-Ohio, a key sponsor, to win the approval of all affected agencies. There is no deadline in the resolution for opening the documents, but agencies are expected to comply "as quickly as they can," said Sen. David Boren, D-Okla., Senate Intelligence Committee chairman.

Dean Henderson: The Untold Story - Enron, Taliban and Warburg!

In 1985 Drexel Lambert S&L crook Michael Milken helped Houston Natural Gas to merge with Internorth to create Enron. Kenneth Lay headed Houston Natural Gas and became chairman and CEO of the new company. Enron was the biggest corporate contributor to George W. Bush's campaign to become Texas Governor. Bush won, and Texas led the way in a nationwide deregulation of energy markets, which Lay advocated. Deregulation allowed Lay to pioneer energy trading via Enron Online. Throughout the political career of George W. Bush, Lay was his largest financial supporter, personally giving Bush $650,000. In 1993 Wendy Gramm, wife of Senate Banking Committee Chairman Phil Gramm (R-TX), joined the board of Enron where she was chair of Enron's Audit Committee. Wendy Gramm came to Enron straight from her job as 12-year chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), where she ostensibly aided in the cover -up of BCCI, Capcom, Mena drug trade and S&L scandals. At CFTC Gramm's main task was to oversee the complex derivatives market, a favorite haven for drug money laundering due to its opaque nature. While Wendy was covering tracks at CFTC, husband Phil was busy blocking key money laundering legislation and pushing for bank deregulation: He pushed passage of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, which severely reduced government oversight of the derivative and futures markets.

MAIL OnLine: US Missiles Hit Iranian Village!!

Two American missiles struck a village in south-west Iran early today, based on a report by the country's Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). IRNA had said yesterday that three people were injured when an earlier US missile struck an oil depot in Abadan. The state-run news agency also said British and American jets had entered Iranian airspace several times. The two rockets hit Manyuhi village near the border with Iraq's Al-Faw Peninsula, an Iranian military commander told IRNA. He gave no details of casualties or damage. "In the border city of Arvand-Kenar, the invading American and British airplanes violated the airspace of the Islamic Republic of Iran three times," the commander said. "In two cases, two rockets hit the Manyuhi village." The governor of Abadan told IRNA that three people, including a guard at the oil depot, had been released from hospital after receiving treatment. Iran has strongly condemned the US-led military assault on Iraq.

Donald Kirk: Uncle Jang emerges as real power in North Korea.

North Korea's anointed "Great Successor" Kim Jong-un will have to rule from under the thumb of an uncle widely regarded as "the regent" who is both coaching him on how to govern, and telling him what to do. That is the view of South Korean analysts as Kim Jong-il lies in a glass coffin in Pyongyang, and weeping mourners file by for a last glimpse of the man who ruled North Korea for 17 years, before dying last Saturday. Behind the scenes of the mourning, a backstage plan to ensure a smooth transition of power has thrust Jang Song-thaek into the spotlight. The brother-in-law of the former leader is thought to wield the most power in the North Korean administration and is joined by his wife Kim Kyong-hui, and the highest ranking military commander, General Ri Young -ho in the country's most powerful decision-making group. Ha Tae-keung, director of a small short -wave radio station that broadcasts news into North Korea for two hours a day, believes Jang exercises the most power of all those now scheming for influence in this time of transition. "It's not a junta," Mr Ha said. "One person has the most power, and that's Jang." Kim Jong-un, his father's third son, appears to be the unquestioned heir to the appearance of power, but clearly will be following Jang's advice before attempting to assert his own authority.

Phoebe Greenwood:If Jesus were to come this year, Bethlehem would be closed!

If Joseph and Mary were making their way to Bethlehem today, the Christmas story would be a little different, says Father Ibrahim Shomali, a parish priest in the town. The couple would struggle to get into the city, let alone find a hotel room. "If Jesus were to come this year, Bethlehem would be closed," says the priest of Bethlehem's Beit Jala parish. "He would either have to be born at a checkpoint or at the separation wall. Mary and Joseph would have needed Israeli permission, or to have been tourists. "This really is the big problem for Palestinians in Bethlehem: What will happen when they close us off completely?" Bethlehem is the heart of Christian Palestine, and it swells with pride every Christmas. Manger Square is transformed into a grotto of lights and stalls crowned by a towering Christmas tree. Strings of illuminated angels, stars and bells festoon the streets. But just a few minutes' drive to the north,the festive atmosphere stops abruptly. A strip of Israeli settlements built on 18 square km of what was once northern Bethlehem threatens to cut the city off from its historic twin, Jerusalem. To the Israeli authorities, these have been neighborhoods of Jerusalem since 1967. One of the settlements, Har Homa, is built on land where angels are said to have announced the birth of Christ to local shepherds. A narrow corridor of land between Har Homa and another settlement, Gilo, still connects Bethlehem to Jerusalem but the construction of Givat Hamatos, a new settlement announced in October will fill this in a matter of years!

The Telegraph: Too Late for Research into Deadly Bird Flu Strain!

The US government is unlikely to succeed in suppressing details of controversial experiments that have created highly infectious forms of the bird flu virus, experts have warned. Two scientific journals have come under pressure not to publish findings of research on the mutant strains of H5N1 over fears that terrorists could use the information to create bio-weapons. However, scientists claim that the plea from the US National Science Advisory Board for Bio-security (NSABB) comes too late because details of the research have already been shared among flu experts: "This horse is out of the barn," Professor Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist and bio-defense expert at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, told the journal Nature. "At this point, it is utterly futile to be discussing restricting the publication of this information." He added: "The work should have been reviewed at the national or international level before being performed, and should have been restricted at a national or international level before being performed." Others argue that keeping the science secret could hamper efforts to find new vaccines and drugs to combat an infectious form of human H5N1 .

Bill Frezza: Exactly What is Crony Capitalism?

President Obama, progressive politicians, Occupy protesters, and leftist intellectuals are having a field day attacking what they call the failures and excesses of capitalism. They declare wealth to be prima facie evidence of perfidy, making no distinction as to how it was obtained. They preach equality, not just in opportunity but in economic outcome. In their eyes, all members of 1% are already guilty, so economic justice demands that the rich be heavily taxed, not just to lift others up, but to bring them down. Some defenders of capitalism draw a sharp distinction between those who obtained their wealth by satisfying willing customers through free exchange, and these are called Crony Capitalists, although they should be called "Market Capitalists". If the defenders of capitalism hope to win over fair-minded fellow citizens, we need to define these terms and answer some basic questions. In what way are Crony Capitalists and Market Capitalists the same, and in what way are they different? What makes the former immoral and the latter virtuous? Why are Crony Capitalists a threat to democracy and prosperity, while Market Capitalists are essential to both? How is it that an ever larger number of Market Capitalists are being corrupted, turning into Crony Capitalists, and what can we do to reverse that trend?

Pravda: Russia Works on 100-Ton Ballistic Missile!

In connection with the plans of the United States to develop the air defense system in Europe, in close vicinity to Russia's borders, and because of the unwillingness of the US side to provide any guarantees, the Russian Federation continues to take measures to preserve parity in the field. In particular, Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) will be renovated with the help of state-of-the-art Topol-M and Yars complexes during the upcoming ten years. In addition, Russia will pass into service a new intercontinental missile of enormous power. "The decision about the creation of the new silo-based missile system with a liquid-fuel heavy missile has been made. The complex will have increased possibilities in overcoming the prospective missile defense system of the United States," Sergei Karakev, the commander of the missile troops said. The new missile, with a mass of 100 tons, is said to replace the world-known "Voevoda" ICBM. In the West, this missile is known as "Satan." In the meantime, Russia has already started working to create the middle-class newly equipped missile. The new missile is to be passed into service in 2015, according to Ria Novosti. "Russia does not stand against the US missile defense system, but against the creation of the missile defense system which would be directly aimed to reduce the possibilities of the Russian nuclear containment forces."

George Russell: EPA Ponders Expanded Regulatory Power.

The US Environmental Protection Agency wants to change how it analyses problems and makes decisions, in a way that would give it vastly expanded power to regulate businesses, communities and ecosystems in the name of "sustainable development," the centerpiece of a global United Nations conference slated for Rio de Janeiro next June. The major focus of the EPA thinking is a weighty study the agency commissioned last year from the National Academy of Science. Published in August, the study, entitled "Sustainability and the US EPA," cost nearly $700,000 and involved a team of a dozen outside experts, and about half as many National Academies staff. Its aim is how to integrate sustainability as one of the key drivers within the regulatory responsibilities of EPA. The panel who wrote the study declares part of its job to provide guidance to EPA on how it might implement its existing statutory authority to contribute more fully to a more sustainable develop -ment trajectory for the United States, or, in other words, how to use existing laws to new ends. According to the Academies, the sustainability study both incorporates and goes beyond an approach based on assessing and managing the risks posed by pollutants that has largely shaped environmental policy since the 1980's.

Reuters: US Asks Scientific Journals to Censor Bird Flu Studies!

The US government has asked the scientific journals Nature and Science to censor data on a laboratory-made version of bird flu, that could spread more easily to humans, fearing it could be used as a potential weapon. The US National Science Advisory Board for Bio-security asked the two journals to publish redacted versions of studies by two research groups that created forms of the H5N1 avian flu that could easily jump between ferrets, typically considered a sign that the created forms of the virus could quickly spread among humans. The journals are objecting to the request, saying it would restrict access to information that might advance the cause of public health. The request was a first for the expert panel, formed after a series of anthrax attacks on US targets in 2001. It advises the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies about "dual use" research that could serve public health, but could also be a potential bio-terror threat. "NSABB has never before recommended to restrict communications on research that NSABB has reviewed that has potential dual use implications," Dr. Amy Patterson, Director of the National Institutes of Health's Office of Biotechnological Activities, said a statement.

PressTV: Iraq at Loss Over US Forces Absence!

US House Speaker John Boehner has claimed that the absence of the American military forces in Iraq poses a risk to the Middle Eastern country's future. To 'liberate' Iraq, Boehner also said on NBC's 'Meet the Press' weekly news show in Washington, the US had sacrificed many soldiers and a lot of 'treasures'. His comments come as the last US military convoy left Iraq on Sunday after a nearly-nine-year-long war. However, thousands of military advisers, private contractors, and Christian missionaries will remain in the country as part of the US embassy personnel in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The US military invasion and occupation has left around a million Iraqis killed, according to the California-based investigative organization Project Censored. In 2003, the US invaded Iraq under the pretext of finding weapons of mass destruction, allegedly stockpiled by the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. However, it was later revealed that not only did the Iraqi regime not possess these weapons, but also that the US and British leaders, who had defended the military action, previously knew about their non-existence. Additionally, the occupation has left some 4,500 US troops dead, and thousands more injured, reportedly costing Washington nearly a trillion dollars in military expenditures. US President Barack Obama has vowed to maintain a "robust diplomatic presence" in Iraq, leaving a substantial number of armed US soldiers to protect the diplomatic staff.

RT: Whoever in Iran Hacked the Drone, Hacked the CIA!!

News reports investigating Iran's interception of a top-secret drone belonging to the CIA allege that the hijacking of the stealth airship could have roots not just overseas but in Washington as well. Ongoing reports from RT have revealed that an Iranian intelligence officer claimed that the recovery of America's RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone on December 4 was not due to an equipment malfunction, as US authorities say, but rather the handiwork of Iranian engineers: Overseas officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have revealed that they were able to crack the computer of the drone to hijack the craft and lead it to a safe landing, after it came from a mission in Afghanistan. Military sources speaking on Israel-based news outlet Debka insist that Iranian officials made their way into the drone command center at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Debka has a close connections with the Israeli intelligence community, and in the past reported correctly on issues of importance to the American intelligence community. According to US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the Pentagon will continue drone missions over Iran. Less than two weeks after Tehran intercepted the Sentinel, another US drone crash-landed at an American base in an Indian Ocean island!

Marc Burleigh: Iran TV shows CIA Spy speaking of alleged mission!o

An alleged CIA agent being held in Tehran is a citizen of Iranian origin, state television said Sunday in a report showing the young man confessing to his "mission" to infiltrate the intelligence ministry: The channel named him as Amir Mirzai Hekmati, and said he was an American of Iranian descent, born in the US state of Arizona. It said he joined the US Army in 2001, and had a decade of intelligence training. The report said Hekmati was sent to the US-run Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, where he was given access to classified US intelligence before flying to Tehran to try to entice Iranians with it, and establish his value to them. "It was their plan to first leak some useful information, and let the intelligence ministry think that this is useful material, the clean-shaven man in his 20's said. In the broadcast he spoke fluent Farsi and English with a slight American accent. He delivered his statements in a normal tone, with little emotion, and did not appear to be reading from a script. The channel said that "Iranian networks monitoring activities in the Bagram base" discovered Hekmati's presence and blew the operation. He also showed an identity card, declaring Helmati to be an "Army Contractor" with access to the shops and leisure facilities at the Bagram base.

Brother Nathaniel Kapner:Prepare For A Jewish Police State

The coming military dictatorship of the USA will be firmly in the hands of American Jewry! Sadly, a few popular Internet publicists, the controlled opposition, such as Alex Jones, his new adjunct, Mike Adams of Natural News, and The Activist Post (run from CIA-operated Costa Rica), simply cannot report that a "Jew," Senator Carl Levin , is the SOLE-SPONSOR of the National Defense Authorization Act. Do Americans realize, or even care in their state of oblivion, that ALL of the influential Senate and House Committee seats are chaired by Jews, who sponsor outrageous bills such as the NDAA? First of all, heading the Military/Security apparatus of the Zionist States of America, are Senator Joseph Lieberman, a Talmudic Jew, chairs most bills on Homeland Security, while his co-religionist, Senator CarlLevin, heads the Senate Armed Services Committee? Is it any wonder then, that we are now in a Jewish police state? Is it any wonder then, that with America's security apparatus solidly in the hands of JEWS, that our freedoms have all but vanished? Carl Levin's brother, Sander Levin, as ranking member, chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees taxation. Congressman Levin works very closely with his FELLOW JEW, Douglas Shulman, the current head of the IRS, in their Jewish enslavement of the American worker.
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Henry Decker: Mitt Romney Spent the Vietnam in a French Palace!

Like many hawkish politicians of his generation, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney managed to avoid serving in the Vietnam War through family connections. The young Romney could not use a student deferment from the draft, having dropped out of Stanford University after only two semesters, but avoiding service anyway with the assistance of the Mormon elders. The son of George Romney, then Michigan's governor, he was one of a limited number of Mormon youth chosen as missionaries, a status that protected him from the draft between July 1966 and February 1969 as a "minister of religion or divinity student." Essentially, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints re-routed Romney from Vietnam to the south of France, where he served as a missionary. According to Romney, proselytizing in France was no picnic. Romney recently rebutted suggestions that his immense wealth has left him out of touch with ordinary Americans by claiming he learned how the other 99% live through his service in France. According to Romney, proselytizing in France was no picnic: His French quarters had no working bathroom, and we had instead the little pads on the ground, and there was a chain behind you with a bucket!
Too bad, Mr. Romney: When I served in Vietnam, my restrooms were even more primitive than yours, and I had to jump from my toilet every time we were mortared, which always happened at least several times before midnight!!!

Rich Carroll: Barack Obama's 32 Month Report Card!!

Copy this article. You will need researched material to mail your liberal friends and/or relatives. "Mr. Hope and Change" wants to create a nation humbled and humiliated, casting aside capitalism and individual freedoms in favor of one controlled by a government. This would be a system that genuflects for mediocrity, steals personal aspiration and opportunity, and punishes those who strive to succeed. When Obama was inaugurated, a gallon of regular gasoline was "$1.79 on average. In the US today, that price is $3.59, a 100.6% increase. The number of food stamp recipients has risen since Obama took office from 31,983,716 to 43,200,878, a 35.1% jump. Long term unemployment soared 146.2% during the same 32 month period from 2,600,000 to 6,400,000. This is staggering 'Hope' and 'Change', isn't it? American citizens living in poverty have risen 9.5%, from 39,800,000 to 43,600,000 as of August 31, 2011. the number of unemployed blacks has risen from 12.6% at the end of George Bush's term to 15.8% today, a 25.4% increase, and finally, our national debt is up 34.4% from 10.627 trillion to 14,278 trillion. Keep these figures in mind as we recount the number of firsts for this presidency: First President to refuse to show a valid birth certificate. First President to apply for college aid as foreign student!

Project Censored: Celebrating 35 Years of Violating Human Rights!

In the last 35 years, the so-called "mainstream media" have been co-opted into a propaganda machine for the transnational corporate power structure, which serves a US/NATO Military Industrial Media Empire, instead of "We the People". Project Censored resists the goals of global empire at the expense of human rights. We resist top-down managed news, in favor of a truly free press, and we resist censorship in all its guises. Media Democracy in Action is our belief, and we will firmly continue to build media from the bottom up, by supporting independent news sources, and validating content with our expanding number of affiliate colleges and universities worldwide. Functioning democracies are the result of an informed and participatory public, and we need an informed electorate now more than ever, to protect our civil liberties, our economy, and our Constitution. Please support this effort by making an Anniversary Gift to Project Censored. Gifts of $35 ore more will be shown our gratitude with a copy of Censored 2012 upon release in September with an introduction by former director Dr. Phillips, and signed to you personally by current Project Censored director Mickey Huff.

Sergei Balmasov: Finest Fighting Forces in World History Destroyed Iraq! o

The USA announced the completion of the army operation in Iraq, which began in 2003. President Obama said that that US servicemen would leave Iraq before December 31, 2011. Obama did not declare it either a victory or a triumph, as his predecessor George W. Bush did. However, Obama preferred not to say anything negative about the Iraqi operation, which he previously described as silly. Nevertheless, Obama said the US soldiers were leaving Baghdad "with heads held high." "Everything that American troops have done in Iraq, all the fighting and dying, bleeding and building, training and partnering, has led us to this moment of success. You have shown why the US military is the finest fighting force in the history of the world. The war in Iraq will son belong to history, and your service belongs to the ages," he said. He said the war had been "a source of great controversy" but that they have helped to build "a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq." Sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq? Terrorist acts continue to occur in the country on a regular basis. As many as 38 people were wounded and killed just a few days ago, when a road tanker exploded in Tali-Alfar. In addition, millions of Iraqi refugees do not rush to return to their sovereign and stable homeland that has been "rescued" by the "finest fighting forced in the history of the world."

JTA: Netanyahu Pulls Ad Campaign For Israeli Expats!

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is cancelling an ad campaign aimed at luring Israeli expatriates home, that some American Jews have found offensive: The ads, produced by Israel's Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, attempted to convey the message that the children and families of Israeli "expats" will not have Israeli identities if they stay in the Diaspora. This week, the Jewish Federations of North America called the ads "insulting," and the head of the Anti-Defamation League said they were"demeaning." "The Ministry of Immigrant Absorption's campaign clearly did not take into account American Jewish sensibilities, and we regret any offense it caused," Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the United States, said in a statement. "The campaign, which aimed to encourage Israelis living abroad to come home, was a laudable one, and it was not meant to cause insult. The campaign was conducted without the knowledge or approval of the Prime Minister's Office, or of the Israeli Embassy in Washington. Prime Minister Netanyahu, once made aware of the campaign, ordered the videos immediately removed from YouTube, and he ordered that the billboards be removed as well. The prime minister deeply values the American Jewish community and is committed to deepening ties between it and the State of Israel."

Charles C.W. Cooke: Ten TSA Outrages!!!!

After 9/11, airport security quite rightly became an issue of paramount concern, yet since it creation in 2001, the Transport Security Administration has repeatedly walked a fine line between vital vigilance and gratuitous intrusion. Security expert Bruce Schneider famously referred to the current system as bordering on "security theater," in which the measures taken are more officious than efficient. This tendency toward such blunt theatrics has only been magnified by the "enhanced screening procedures" introduced in November 2010. Ron Paul, ever the champion of the individual, described the new system as "appalling" and "abusive." There is no doubt that many of those who have fallen afoul of its excesses would agree. Disabled four-year-old Ryan Thomas was on the way to Disney World, when he was accosted by TSA agents at the Philadelphia Airport and forced to walk through the scanner without his leg-braces. This wasn't the easiest request to honor, as Ryan's ankles were malformed, and his legs had little or no muscle tone." His mother's attempts to explain to the screaners fell on deaf ears. The TSA eventually conceded that Ryan should have been privately checked, but only after the boy's father got the Philadelphia Enquirer involved.

Jason Ditz: US Ambassador Tells Pakistan to Get Beyond About Complaints!

Speaking today in an interview on Pakistan's Geo News channel, US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter chided Pakistanis for continuing to express anger about the US attack on a pair of military bases just over two weeks ago. "We have pledged a full inquiry," reasoned Munter, expressing surprise that the killings were still a subject of discussion inside Pakistan, and advising viewers to "not forget that Pakistan and the US are on the same side" and "get beyond" criticism. "When people die, whether they are Pakistanis or Americans, it is too many," insisted Munter, adding that "we have really really tried to make it clear how sorrowful we are about these events. We feel the pain of the Pakistani people." The November 26 attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, and top Pakistani military officials say the attack was not only deliberate but also "preplanned."

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey: Are We Heading Towards World War Three?

With nuclear missile technology what it is today, the next war could very well be the world's last! As it becomes clear that the Pentagon/NATO is intrinsically linked to the AIPAC/State Department axis, and the USA and its allies have long since ceased to follow the law: The tell-tale signs are all there: The former status quo which was achieved by a Soviet Bloc able and willing to counteract the more aggressive and belligerent tendencies of those who had been imperialist powers, gaining riches as they held massacres while they "civilized" the planet with a "Bible and Bullet" approach to international relations. Once and for all, let us get this story straight: The Soviet Union did NOT "collapse". It dissolved voluntarily, because of a new political, economic and social environment, with those in government determining that a new political, economic, and social environment has begun. However, a major consequence of this dissolution was the vacuum in international relations, caused by the sinister plans of Washington and her NATO allies. Before the new decade expired, there was a vacuum in international relations, caused by the absence of a necessary counter-weight against the sinister plans of Washington and her NATO allies!

Matthew Doss: $806 Billion Spent for Hundreds of Thousands Killed!

The United States is withdrawing the last of its troops from Iraq this month, which makes now an appropriate time to begin weighing the costs and benefits to the US national from our intervention there. On May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush stood aboard the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and declared to the country and to the world that "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." As Americans would quickly find out, President Bush's declaration of victory was severely premature. Iraq would soon be in the throes of a violent insurgency and, eventually, a full-blown sectarian civil war. More than eight years after that speech, as President Barack Obama prepares to keep his promise to end the war, Iraq has made progress, but still struggles with insecurity and deep political discord. Though the level of violence has remained down from its 2006-2007 peak, when dozens of of bodies could be found on Baghdad's streets every morning, Iraq still endures a level of violence that in any other country would be considered a crisis. Still, the end of former Iraq President Saddam Hussein's brutal regime represents a considerable global good, and a nascent democratic Iraqi republic partnered with the United States could potentially yield benefits in the future.

Andrew Cohen: The White House Decision on Defense

The White House announced Wednesday afternoon that it would not, after all, veto the pending defense bill over its controversial new terror detainee provisions. From the Associated Press: The White House abandoned its threat that President Barack Obama would veto a defense bill over provisions on how to handle suspected terrorists, as Congress raced to finish the legislation. Press secretary Jay Carney said last minute changes that Obama and his national security team sought produced legislation that "does not challenge the president's ability to collect to collect intelligence, incapacitate dangerous terrorists and protect the American people." Here are five, quick thoughts about this important moment in constitutional history. 1. This is textbook stuff. What happened this week to the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act is straight out of political science or constitutional law class, the tyranny of the majority having just imposed itself upon a minority. The two popularly-elected branches of government this week have collaborated on a new law that infringes upon the core constitutional rights of US citizens , the right to due process as determined by a federal civilian court judge, and it will now be up to our independent judiciary to determine whether this effort is legal or not.

Jim Kirwan: Is Israel Attacking America??

Beginning last September 1, I began to have doubts about the events leading up to the SUPER-COMMITTEE: Where had this idea come from, how was it introduced and who exactly was able to make such an obviously unconstitutional thing happen? "In recent months over 300 US members of Congress, over half of the 535 members of that body signed letters of absolute-loyalty to the Zionist-Apartheid-state of Israel. Swearing their oaths, in writing, to support the needs of Israel above all else in the world, which was a blatant act of TREASON, committed directly against the US oaths they took, when they were "selected" to be in the US Congress, and yesterday this Zionist led Congress finished destroying the reason for their existence by shattering the terms under which their offices were constitutionally created in the first place. The US Constitution was violated by the US Supreme Court on 12-12-2000, when the court basically appointed Bush to be the next president against the specific prohibition of the interference by the court in any US Presidential election: That job should have been done by Congress, who refused to stop the court from breaking the constitutional prohibition. So, we have the Courts and the Congress trashing the Constitution, and of course, the Tarnished House with it's over 5,000 employees vigorously supporting the Zionist State of Israel, against all challenges to their illegal invasions and occupations. On December 14, Obama made these statements about both the US Constitution and the first notice that he would be introducing "Prolonged Detention" as part of a newly created and legal structure to deal with what he sees as a security threat to America. Then we go back to the end last week, when this completely illegal reinterpretation was created by an overwhelming vote that had taken place in the US House, during the summer, which came before the Senate and was overwhelmingly passed by a vote of 97-3. This piece of TREASON then was sent to a committee to unify its provisions, and today this illegal document was signed into law by the man that will go down in history as the TRAITOR who killed America.

Jason Ditz: Pakistan says Raiding US Drones will be Shot Down!

Though it hasn't been officially confirmed yet, reports coming out of NBC News suggest the Obama Administration's drone war against Pakistan's tribal areas could be over as of this weekend, with a top official quoted as saying future drones entering Pakistani air space will be shot down. The report cites a new defense policy by General Parvez Kayani, Pakistan's military chief, and would be in keeping with Pakistan's decision last week to deploy air defense assets along the border with Afghanistan. The deployments along the Afghan border come in the wake of a late November attack by US warplanes against a pair of Pakistani military bases in Mohmand Agency, though at the time there was no indication that it would extend to the constant US drone presence. The drone strikes have killed thousands over the course of the past few years, and have come under considerable criticism for the large civilian death toll involved. It is ironic that after years of paying lip-service to the crisis, the Pakistani government might finally halt the drones in response to an attack by manned aircraft.

David Icke: Wall Street Propagandists - Ties to Russian Protesters?

As the evidence begins to mount, pointing the accusing finger at the increasingly illegitimate corporate-financier occupiers of the West's governments as having built up Russian opposition movements and being behind the current unrest filling Russia's streets, the corporate media has already started to rewrite events as they unfold. An amazing piece of mid-event revisionism titled, "Moscow braces as election protest goes viral," desperately attempts to portray the protests as "leaderless" even as the article itself interviews "organizers." Quoting unnamed, and most likely nonexistent protesters, the article featured in the Sydney Morning Herald insists protesters claimed, "I came on my own. I learned about it on the web." But the article then states, and last night, thanks to the web, organizers were expecting more than 3oooo people to demonstrate against what they see as the rigged results of last Sunday's elections, because that's how many have committed themselves to a sign-up sheet on Facebook." Read more: Wall Street Propagandists Scramble To Cover US Ties to Russian Protesters!

Helen Bloomberg: CIA Caught Hoaxing Iran Nuke Site 'Explosion' Story!

Western media is so corrupted by the bankers, that I stopped believing in anything I am reading anymore, and I am checking the details myself. May I humbly direct your attention to a detail, which I hope others in the alternative journalism field may inspect further. Was there a bombing at the Iranian Nuclear Site? New satellite images show big changes at underground facility. The paper printed photos of from the CIA controlled ISIS: http://isis-on-line.org/isis-reports /detail/no-visible-evidence-of explosion-at-esfahan-nuclear-site-adjacent-facility-/. The photos allegedly show 'before' and 'after' the 'explosion' at the Iranian nuclear site, but the contradiction between two articles attracted my attention. Since it is perfectly clear from the photos that before and after are reversed in time chronology, I am humbly suggesting that the CIA just, possibly, changed the date on the old photo, and passed it off as a photo from December 3, 2011. The bulldozer tracks are a perfect evidence that the photo was taken before the buildings ever existed. There is plenty more evidence for the astute reader who inspects these photos carefully. I am enclosing the older photo first, and then the new photo from this month.

Dallas Morning News: What Has been Won, lost, and can Iraq find its way?

Hiding in a secure and fortified concrete at the Baghdad airport, helicopters hovering above, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta marked the occasion of our troop withdrawal from Iraq with an upbeat speech: "Let me be clear: Iraq will be tested in the days ahead, by terrorism, and by those who seek to divide, by economic and social issues, by the of demands of democracy itself," Panetta said. "Challenges remain, but the US will be there to stand by the Iraqi people as they navigate those challenges, to build a stronger and more prosperous nation." For Americans, the ceremony marked an uneasy moment of closure, with no clear sense of what has been won and lost. The war had claimed 4,487 US lives, with 32,226 more Americans wounded in action, according to Pentagon statistics. More than 100,000 Iraqis were killed, most of them civilians, according to the Iraq Body Count website. "To be sure, the cost was high, in blood and treasure of the United States and also the Iraqi people," Panetta told the roughly 200 troops and others in attendance. "Those lives have not been lost in vain. They gave birth to an independent, free and sovereign Iraq." But gnawing questions remain: Will Iraqis be able to forge their new government amid continuing sectarian clashes? And will Iraq be able to defend itself in a region fraught with turmoil and steeped in insurgent threats?

AIDS: American Democracy's Exclusive Gift!!!

Sources from the hospitals of the stooge Kabul regime say that recently a number of health care centers took blood samples from people for illnesses diagnosing purposes in which three thousand cases of the deadly AIDS virus were positively identified. Sources say that they accidentally came across the cases, meaning if thorough research and surveys were carried out, this number could skyrocket. The New York Times also mentioned in one of its reports on AIDS or HIV virus in Afghanistan and stated: "No one had heard about a single case of aids ten years ago in Afghanistan and the country was considered as one of the few "shielded from the worst ravages of the AIDS pandemic". Why is it now, that in addition to the war, AIDS has been able to spread, and thousands of Afghans have been diagnosed with this virus? If we view a decade of American crime and savagery in Afghanistan, including the use of various chemical and banned weapons, we see large villages destroyed in airstrikes, and Afghans butchered in front of their fathers, mothers, and children during searches. America and the west have also tried to corrupt the Afghans, pushing them away from their religion, and introducing AIDS into their environment.

PRESSTV: Pakistan to sustain NATO Convoy Ban!

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Islamabad will continue its blocking of NATO convoys supplying goods to US-led foreign forces in neighboring Afghanistan. Gilani also refused, in a BBC interview published Sunday, to rule out the closing of Pakistan's airspace to all US flights. The US military and other NATO member countries with fighting forces in Afghanistan rely heavily on the Pakistani supply route into the landlocked country, even more so now than previously with Taliban attacks on the rise. Pakistan decided to halt the supply convoys destined for US-led foreign soldiers occupying Afghanistan, in response to deadly US-led airstrikes on November 26, that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at two checkpoints on the Afghan border. During the interview, the Pakistani prime minister also dismissed reports claiming that the country's ailing President Asif Ali Zardari has suffered a stroke, and that the army planned to oust him. However, he went on to add that Zardari will remain in a Dubai hospital in the United Arab Emirates for two more weeks: According to some reports, the 56-year-old president last week suffered a temporary ischemic attack, which can produce stroke-like symptoms, but no lasting damage to the brain. "Zardari was making a rapid improvement," Gilani emphasized.

Matthew Doss: $806 Billion Spent for Hundreds of Thousands Killed!

The United States is withdrawing the last of its troops from Iraq this month, which makes now an appropriate time to begin weighing the costs and benefits to US national security from our intervention there. On May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush stood aboard the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and declared to the country and to the world that "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." As Americans would quickly find out, President Bush's declaration of victory was severely premature. Iraq would soon be in the throes of a violent insurgency and, eventually, a full-blown sectarian civil war. More than eight years after that speech, as President Barack Obama prepares to keep his promise to end that war, Iraq has made progress but still struggles with insecurity and deep political discord. Though the level of violence has remained down from its 2006-2007 peak, when dozens of bodies could be found on Baghdad's streets every morning, Iraq still endures a level of violence that in any other country would be considered a crisis. Still, the end of former Iraq President Saddam Hussein's brutal regime represents a considerable global good, and a nascent democratic Iraqi republic partnered with the United States could potentially yield benefits in the future.

Ghassan Khabib: Ultimate Crippling, A Palestinian View!

The Palestinian Authority has been plagued this year by various financial troubles that are affecting, in turn, its ability to fulfill some of its financial obligations. The most recent source of these problems has been a decline in PA revenues. The Palestinian budget is usually composed of two sources of income: One is external funding, $1.83 billion annually, from donors, and the other is made up of domestic revenues, direct $812 million a year, and indirect, $1.442 billion annually, collected by Israel. Systematically reducing the need for external funding, that funding, remains a substantial part of the budget deficit financed by foreign aid from $1.8 billion in 2oo8, to $1 billion this year. Yet, some donors, for reasons that the Palestinian Authority does not know, have fulfilled commitments made in donor conferences or in Arab League meetings. That decline in external funding began a few months before the beginning of this year, and has continued to accumulate throughout 2011. It was dealt with by borrowing from banks, to the extent that the Palestinian Authority has reached the debt limit allowed by domestic laws and regulations. In the second half of this year, a new source of financial difficulty started to emerge.
Israel collects indirect taxes taxes on commodities imported and exported by virtue of Israel's control over the borders.

Julianne Escobedo Shepherd: Let us have an honest conversation anout Income Inequity! !

The 'president' appeared on "60 Minutes" last night for a lengthy interview and, of course, the economy was topic number one. At one point, interviewer Steve Krofft brought up income inequity and tried to pose the idea that talking about it was verging on socialist absurd, but common belief among misguided conservatives. Obama was not having it: Kroft: I mean, you were really talking about income inequality, which suggests redistribution of wealth. Obama: I'm gonna interrupt you there, Steve. Kroft: There are gonna be people who say, 'This is the socialist Obama, and he's come out of the closet.' Obama: Look, everyone is concerned about inequality. Those folks in there, who were listenin' to the speech, those are teachers and small business people, and probably some small town bankers, who are in there thinking to themselves, 'How is it that I, we're working so hard ,' and meanwhile, they know that corporate profits are at a record level, that a lot of folks are doing very well. What's happened to the American deal that says, you know, we are focused on building a strong middle class? Kroft: This is the class warfare you have been accused of by the Republicans? Obama: Look, the problem is, that our politics have gotten to the point, where we can't have an honest conversation about the greatest income inequality since the 1920s.

BooMan: Booman Tribune

Let's just assume for a moment that Newt Gingrich is going to be the Republicans' nominee for president. It is a good thing that, when it comes to the Palestinians, he is "at odds with the opinion of all but the most extreme elements of Israeli society." He's so extreme in his hatred of the Palestinians that he makes even right-wing Israelis uncomfortable. I don't think it does much political harm to Gingrich to be so radically anti-Palestinian. It's probably not even a good thing for Israel. It's somewhat dangerous to have a prominent candidate making such incendiary comments. But to have a nominee of one major party saying these things? Well, for a comparison, think about how Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's more provocative statements are exaggerated and used as a constant justification for using aggression against his country. Ahmadinejad doesn't even have power over Iran's military, and yet his rhetoric is quite effectively used to scare the crap out of people. There are consequences when someone with Gingrich's prominence acts as hateful and bat-shit crazy as the Iranian president.

Israel Shahak: The Racist Nature of Zionism and of The Zionist State of Israel!

It is my considered opinion that the State of Israel is a racist state in the full meaning of this term: In this state people are discriminated against, in the most permanent and legal way and in the most important areas of life, only because of their origin. This racist discrimination began in Zionism and is carried out today mainly in cooperation with the institutions of the Zionist move- ment: I will prove this view by quoting facts, laws and regulations which have force in Israel and are enforced by the government. I will therefore ignore the racism of the individuals in this article and also the declared or undeclared explanations by which this racism is sometimes justified. In the State of Israel, one who is not a Jew is discriminated against, only because he is not a Jew, in these areas of life: The right to live, to dwell or open a business in the place of one's choice. Most of the land in Israel belongs to, or is administered by the Jewish National Fund, which is a Zionist organization, and operates an admitted racist policy. It forbids non-Jews to dwell on its lands or to open businesses and work, only because they are not Jews! This policy enjoys perfect legality. Whole towns were created in Israel, which are "clean of Arabs," or "goyim." In other towns, like Upper Nazareth, only one special quarter is "devoted" to the dwelling of Arabs. Any attempt by an Arab to buy or rent a flat from a Jew is openly opposed!

Maidhc O Cathail: Who Will Watch the Watchdog?

On December 2, the Geneva-based UN Watch welcomed that day's "strong condemnation" of Syria by a UN Human Rights Council emergency session, and its establishment of a special rapporteur to monitor the situation there, following what it called "a global campaign to create the post by a coalition of prominent democracy dissidents and human rights groups" led by UN Watch itself. The non-governmental organization, whose self-appointed mandate is "to monitor the perform -ance of the United Nations by the yardstick of its own Charter," expressed regret, however, that the UNHRC resolution "paid special deference" to Syria's "territorial integrity" and "political independence,"decrying the provision as "a clear jab at NATO's intervention in Libya, and a pre-emtive strike against the principle of the international community's responsibility to protect civilians under assault." On the same day, UN Watch delivered a speech to the Human Rights Council's "shocking silence on Syria's atrocities," calling on it to take "urgent action to protect the civilian population before thousands more are beaten, tortured and killed." It also urged UNESCO to reverse its recent decision to elect Syria to two human rights committees.

Ray McGovern: will Israel Kill Americans Again?

Stuffing my backpack before setting out to board The Audacity of Hope, the US boat to Gaza, I got a familiar-sounding call from yet another puzzled friend, who said as gently as the words will allow, "You know you can get killed, don't you?" I recognize this caution as an expression of genuine concern from friends. From some others, who don't much care about Gaza's plight and/or who do not wish us well, the words are phrased somewhat differently: "Aren't you just asking for it?" That was the obligatory question/accusation at the end of a recent interview of me that was taped for a BBC-TV special scheduled to air this coming week, as we try to break, or at least draw attention to Israel's illegal blockade of Gaza and the suffering it inflicts on the people there. I also have been cautioned by a source with access to very senior staffers at the National Security Council that not only does the White House plan to do absolutely nothing to protect our boat from Israeli attack or illegal boarding, but that White House officials "would be happy if something happened to us." They are, I am reliably told," perfectly willing to have the cold corpses of activists shown on American TV." Two millennia ago, "Civus Romanus Sum"
automatically won lawful treatment and free passage for Roman citizens in trouble. It was a matter of pride and a benefit of being part of a powerful empire. Today, the contrast could hardly be starker: It is a sad fact that "Civus Americanus Sum" would engender ridicule rather than respect, if invoked in an attempt to secure basic rights for those of us working for justice for the Palestinians.

Oath Keepers: Federal Agents Demand Customer Lists from Mormons!

Oath Keepers has learned that federal agents recently visited a Latter Day Saints (Mormon) Church food storage cannery in Tennessee, demanding customer lists, wanting to know the identity of Americans who are purchasing food from the Mormons. This incident was confirmed, in person, by Oath Keepers Tennessee Chapter President, Rand Cardwell. Here is Rand's report: "A fellow veteran contacted me concerning a new and disturbing development. He had been utilizing a Mormon cannery near his home to purchase bulk food supplies. The man who manages the facility relayed to him that federal agents had visited the facility and demanded a list of individuals who had been purchasing bulk food. The manager informed the agents that the facility kept no such records, and that all transactions were conducted on a cash-and-carry basis. The agents pressed for any record of personal checks, credit card transactions, etc., but the manager could provide no such record. The agents appeared to become very agitated, and after several minutes of questioning finally left with no information. I contacted the manager, and personally confirmed this information. This event points to a new level of federal government encroachment on the basic freedoms of the American people!

Brandon Smith: When Governments Go Rogue!

There are those today who would claim that the lifeblood of a nation is dependent upon the graces of its government. That government is the focal point of cultural growth, and that we as citizens should respect it as such. I would be more inclined to agree, if the public did not so easily confuse the ideals of leadership with the actions of criminals. That is to say, regardless of what we wish our government to be, bureaucracies rarely, if ever, embody the spirit of the common man. Instead, bureaucracies almost inevitably deteriorate into into vehicles for the perpetuation of tyranny driven by the very worst of all steward: Elitists minorities with delusions of godhood. Unfortunate ly, despite this fact, the masses often treat these industrious vermin and the plagues of society that they build with the same reverence as they would a sincere and honorable body politic. Govern -ment is not concrete. It is not tangible. It is not the foundation of society. Instead, government is an abstraction, a fantastic dream of collectivist paternity in the face of individual hardship. Those who fear to wander the world on their own courage, strength, and merit, seek to evaluate and empower "decision makers" to provide the comfort of limited liability. Through this process, governments are created out of thin air.

Max Blumenthal: How Israeli Occupation Forces Crackdown On Occupy Protests.

In October, the Alameda County Sheriff's Department turned parts of the campus of the University of California in Berkeley into an urban battlefield. The occasion was Urban Shield 2011, an annual SWAT team exposition organized to promote "mutual response," collaboration and competition between heavily militarized police strike forces representing law enforcement departments across the United States and foreign nations. At the time, the Alameda County Sheriff's Department was preparing for an imminent confrontation with the nascent "Occupy" movement that had set up camp in downtown Oakland, and would demonstrate the brunt of its repressive capacity against the demonstrators a month later, when it attacked the encampment with teargas and rubber bullet rounds, leaving an Iraq war veteran in critical condition and dozens injured. According to Police Magazine, a law enforcement trade publication, "Law enforcement agencies responding to Occupy protesters in northern California credit Urban Shield for their effective teamwork." Training along-side the American police departments at Urban Shield was the Yamam, an Israeli Border Police unit that claims to specialize in "counter- terror" operations, but is better known for its extra-judicial assassinations of Palestinian militant leaders and a long record of repression and abuses in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Ulsterman- Continued from 12/08:The Ulsterman Report!

Ulsterman: That's all rather mysterious, a bit too dramatic, don't you think? Who are these people and what is their motivation? Insider: Dramatic? Yeah. How many times, when I tell you some- thing, I see your head shaking. Don't think I didn't see that, and then what? There are powers at play who have always been there, but with this administration it's just a matter of perspective, and its not a Democrat or Republican problem. These "investors" are always attached to either party. The difference has always been whether the president and his staff had the willpower to withstand the pressures which can be applied: Some do, some don't. Barack Obama and his staff are driven to respond to these financial "investors" who have always been with us. The difference is whether the president and his staff have the willpower to withstand the pressures that can be applied by these "gentlemen". Some give in, others don't! Ulsterman: A specific example would help: Beneath all of the good manners, even though they call him "Mr. President", they are opposed to Obama. Bill Clinton knows very well, as did Reagan, who navigated around his staff with carefully crafted words, but the Obama operatives are so utterly predictable and incompetent. They run with the anti- Israeli thing, and all of it is bullshit!

Rense.Com: Six Zionist Companies Own 96% Of American Media!

The largest media conglomerate today is the Walt Disney Company, whose chairman and CEO, Michael Eisner, is a Jew. The Disney Empire, headed by a man described by one media analyst as a "control freak", includes several television production companies - Walt Disney Television, Touchstone Television, Buena Vista Television, its own cable network with 14 million subscribers, and two video production companies. As for feature films, the Walt Disney Picture Group, headed by Jew Joe Roth, includes Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, and Caravan Pictures. Disney also owns Miramax Films, run by the Weinstein brothers. When the Disney Company was run by the Gentile Disney family, prior to its takeover by Eisner in 1984, it epitomized wholesome family entertainment. While it still holds the rights to Snow White under Eisner, the company has expanded into the production of graphic sex and violence. In addition, it has 225 affiliated stations in the United States, and is part owner of several European TV companies: ABC's cable subsidiary ESPN is headed by president and CEO Steven Bornstein, a Jew. This corporation also has a controlling share of Lifetime Television and the Arts and Entertainment Network cable companies. ABC Radio Network owns eleven AM and ten FM stations, again in major cities such as New York, Washington, Los Angeles, and it has over 3,400 affiliates. Although primarily a telecommunications company, Capital Cities/ABC earned over $1 Billion in publishing in 1994. It owns seven daily newspapers, Fairchild Publications, Chilton Publications, and the Diversified Publishing Group. Time Warner, Inc. is the second of the international media leviathans. The chairman of the board and CEO, Gerald Levin, is a Jew. Time Warner's subsidiary HBO is the country's largest pay-TV cable network. Warner Music is by far the world's largest record company, with 50 labels, the biggest of which is Warner Brothers Records, headed by Danny Goldberg. Stuart Hersh is president of Warnervision, Warner Music's video production unit. Goldberg and Hersch are Jews. ETCETERA, ETCETERA

Jeffrey Goldberg: Palestinians Are an 'Invented' People?

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich dismissed the Palestinian bid for statehood as an effort of an "invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community ." Gingrich also said the Palestinian Authority, which has typically represented the moderate wing of Palestinian leadership, and formally accepts Israel's right to exist, is motivated by "an enormous desire to destroy Israel." Gingrich's comments, in an interview with The Jewish Channel, edge him and his party further away from the two-state solution embraced over the last decade by presidents of both parties, and are the latest in a series of comments from Republican leaders, that will set a sharply confrontational tone toward the Arab world, if a Republican is elected next year. There is no denying that the Palestinians are a people of recent vintage, but so are Americans!

Activist Post: Ohio Nuke Plant Damage More Severe!

Congressman Dennis Kucinich today questioned whether FirstEnergy has been entirely upfront with the people of Ohio over the extent of the damage to the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant. Kucinich requested full public disclosure of all relevant photographs, test results, analyses and reports by FirstEnergy after comparing reassuring public statements made about the damage by FirstEnergy officials to disquieting information received from the NRC during a briefing for the Congressman's staff. Descriptions by the NRC, which receives non-public reports from First-Energy, revealed that the damage to the Davis-Besse plant is greater than has previously been portrayed in public statements made by FirstEnergy officials. Kucinich called upon FirstEnergy to release all photographs, test results, analyses and reports to the public, in order to verify the accuracy of FirstEnergy's public statements. "In response to inquiries by my staff, the NRC provided a detailed description of the cracking at FirstEnergy's Davis-Besse plant. That description revealed that the cracks in the Davis-Besse 'shield' building are more numerous and more widely distributed than FirstEnergy has publicly portrayed," said Kucinich. Cracks were initially discovered by accident on the concrete shield wall that protects the reactor from physical attacks and prevents radiation release into the air, water and soil. FirstEnergy publicly claimed the damage was limited as to the size and location of the cracks.