2011/05/21

Obama: The Curse of American Presidents

The scar on the head of President Barack Obama, which extends from the top of his head to the right ear has generated many rumors. Bloggers from the US have their own version- he has been "zombied" by aliens, or the Masons conducted surgery on his brain. While bloggers continue to build a conspiracy theory, here are some indisputable facts: In 1840 William Henry Harrison was elected as US president, but died before the end of his term of office. In 1860 Abraham Lincoln became president, but was later assassinated. Heads of the White House elected in 1880 (James Garfield, 1900 William McKinley, and 1920 Warren G. Harding, also died for various reasons before the end of their terms. This phenomenon was studied in 1940, after the death of Warren G. Harding. In 1927, it appeared in one of the books on numerology. Then it was noticed that there is a sequence of the "fourth president": From Harrison, every fourth president died before the end of his term of office. These were: Zachary Taylor, elected in 1848, Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley. The length of their terms did NOT matter: Numerology 'experts' have warned that this sequence may continue!

James Petras:Imperialism-Bankers, Drug Wars and Genocide

In May 2011, Mexican investigators uncovered another mass clandestine grave with dozens of mutilated corpses, bringing the total number of victims to 40,000 killed since 2006, when the Calderon regime announced its "war on drug traffickers". Backed by advisers, agents and arms, the White House has been the principal promoter of a war that has totally decimated Mexico's society and economy. If Washington has been the driving force for the regime's war, Wall Street banks have been the main instruments ensuring the profits of the drug cartels. Every major US bank has been deeply involved in laundering hundreds of billions of dollars in drug profits for the better part of the past decade. Mexico's descent into this inferno has been engineered by the leading US financial and political institutions, each supporting one side or the other in the bloody "total war" which spares no one, no place, and no moment in time. While the Pentagon arms the Mexican government and the US Drug Enforcement Agency enforces the "military solution", the biggest US banks receive, launder and transfer hundreds of billions of dollars to the drug lords' accounts, who then buy modern arms, pay private armies of assassins and corrupt untold numbers of political and law enforcement officials on both sides of the border.

2011/05/20

President Obama Threatens Gaddafi: "You WILL inevitably Leave Power!

In what can only be interpreted as a vicious threat, Obama, speaking in an address on the Middle East, assured his cringing audience that NATO will intensify its week-long bombing of government targets, and joyfully announced that the USA has already sunk eight Libyan warships. Obama was speaking in an address on the Middle East, where a series of uprisings this year has supposedly inspired a three-month old revolt in Libya that was designed to overthrow Gaddafi. According to Obama, "time is working against Gaddafi. He does not have control over his country. The opposition, consisting mainly of alQaeda operatives, has organized a "legitimate and credible Interim Council, according to Obama. According to the Libyan government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim, "Obama is still delusional. He believes the lies that his own government and media spread around the world. It's NOT Obama who decides whether Muammar Gaddafi leaves Libya or not. It's the Libyan people." NATO bombs struck Tripoli, Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte and Zlitan east of the capital, state TV said late on Thursday. Al-queda rebels control eastern Libya and pockets in the west, but the conflict has now reached a stalemate, as Al-queda rebels attempt to advance.

Michel Chossudovsky: Was Dominique Strauss-Kahn Framed?

The arrest of IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn has all the appearances of a frame-up, ordered by powerful members of the financial establishment, in liaison with France's Nicolas Sarkozy, whose presidency has served the interests of the US at the expense of France and the European Union. While there is for the moment no proof of a plot, the unusual circumstances of his arrest and imprisonment require careful examination. Immediately following Strauss Kahn's arrest, pressures were exerted by Washington to speed up his replacement as Managing Director of the IMF, preferably by a non-European, an American or a hand-picked candidate from an "emerging market economy", or a developing country. Since the founding of the Bretton Woods institutions in 1945, the World Bank has been headed by an American whereas the IMF has been of a Western European. Strauss-Kahn is a member of elite groups who meet behind closed doors. He belongs to the Bilderberger. Categorized as one of the world's most influential persons, he is an academic and politician rather than a banker. In contrast to his predecessors at the IMF, which challenged America's overriding role within that organization.

Eustace Mullins: The Banking Cartel is the Cause of Humanity's Woes!

Thomas Jefferson said: "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. In November 1949, Eustace Mullins, then 25, was a researcher in Washington DC, when friends invited him to visit the famous American poet Ezra Pound, who was confined at St. Elizabet's Mental Hospital and listed as a "political prisoner". A leading figure in Modern English literature, Pound was the editor and critic who introduced the world to James Joyce, W.B. Yeats and TS Eliot. During the Second World War, he was charged with treason for broadcasts on Rome Radio that questioned the motives behind America's involvement. Pound commissioned Mullins to examine the influence of the banking establishment on US policy. Mullins spent every morning for two years in the Library of Congress and met with Pound every afternoon. The resulting manuscript, "The Secrets of the Federal Reserve" proved too hot for any American publisher to handle. Nineteen rejected it. One said, "you'll never get this published in New York". When it finally appeared in Germany in 1955, the US Military Government confiscated all 10,000 copies and burned them, but now this book is freely available on line at http://www.apfn.org/apfn/reserve.htm

Paul Joseph Watson: President Obama's Rumors of Bin Laden's Death have been greatly exaggerated!

Don't believe Obama's Hoax by President Obama, "announcing the death of Osama Bin Laden". In other words, our president was just 'crapping us negative'. Now, there is a deluge of evidence that clearly indicates the whole episode has been manufactured for political gain, and to return Americans to a state of post-9/11 "intellectual castration", so that they can be easily manipulated in the run up to the 2012 election. Here are the ten facts which prove that the Bin Laden fable is a contrived hoax. 1) Before Sunday's "raid", every intelligence analyst, geopolitical commentator, or head of state worth his salt was on record as stating that Osama Bin Laden was already dead, and that he probably died many years ago. 2) The 'official' narrative about the details of that raid completely collapsed within days of its announcement. 3) The 'alleged' body of Bin Laden was hastily dumped in the sea to prevent any proper procedure of identification. 4) CIA Director Leon Panetta said that Obama could not have seen the raid, because the 'live feed' was cut off before the Navy Seals entered the compound. 5) A notorious Pentagon propaganda front, run by the daughter of an Israeli spy, who has been caught on numerous occasions releasing cartoon -like videos on demand. 6) Almost every single neighbor who lived near the 'alleged' Bin Laden compound said with certainty that they had never seen bin Laden, and that they knew of no evidence to suggest he lived there.

2011/05/19

Marjorie Cohn: Protecting the People of Libya and the Ivory Coast.

The United States, France and Britain had invaded Libya with cruise missiles, stealth bombers, fighter and attack jets. In addition, US President Barack Obama has been bombing Libya with Hellfire missiles from unmanned Predator drones. The UN Charter does NOT permit the use of military force for "humanitarian interventions". The military invasions of Libya and the Ivory Coast have been illegally "justified" by reference to the "Responsibility to Protect" doctrine. This unwarranted intrusion into the rights of Libya is NOT enshrined in an international treaty, nor has it ripened into a norm of customary international law. Paragraph 138 of that document says "each individual state has the responsibility to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. Paragraph 139 adds that the International Community, through the United Nations, also has the responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian, and other 'peaceful' means, in accordance with Chapters VI and VII of the Charter, to help protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. It looks as though the shyster lawyers in our Obama Administration turned the entire meaning of "protect" around!

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey: More Terrorist Attacks of Libya by NATO

Repeated and indiscriminate wanton acts of murder and terrorism, displaying NATO's callous disregard for human life, continue to plague the residents of Libya, while the international media continues to spin lies that the Libyan authorities are attacking unarmed civilians. War criminals like Cameron, Sarkozy, and Obama keep egging NATO on, to bring even more hardships and pain on the civilian victims of this war. Newspaper photos have shown us war crimes, and crimes against humanity, while NATO keeps protecting the REAL terrorists, spending millions upon millions of taxpayers' money. The most recent reports depict a strike against a guesthouse in Berqia, where 16 civilians were murdered by NATO bombs, and 40 civilians were injured. By now, observers of this brutal war are beginning to wonder about the blatant brutality of these attacks, and the corresponding waste of their tax dollars. The so-called axis of evil includes Cameron, Sarkozy and Obama, though the latter is certain to be voted out of office during the next election. It is interesting that the so-called news media in all of these NATO countries has no desire to call a spade a spade, and does not present the truth about these destructive wars to their subscribers.

2011/05/18

Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya: NATO's Secret Ground War Against Libya!

From the outset, the conflict in North Africa was intended to lead into an all-out NATO war. The Pentagon and NATO are not only arming the "Transitional Council" in violation of international law, but also had forces on the ground from the start: UN Security Council Resolution 1973 only passed, because Moscow and Beijing abstained, supposedly a tactical move meant to limit the war. If the resolution had been vetoed by Russia and China, in all likelihood the US, Britain, France, Italy, and the other Western European members of NATO would have resorted to other means, including an outright invasion. By abstaining and getting the NATO powers to vocally invest themselves to UN Resolution 1973, and to hide behind it, Moscow and Beijing managed to limit the options of the Pentagon and NATO! The efforts of Moscow and Beijing, however, have NOT hindered Washington and its NATO allies from breaching international law, or UN Resolution 1973. Washington has casually admitted that the Central Intelligence Agency was on the ground, supporting rebel forces! According to Washington, the involvement of US intelligence agents in Libya started as soon as the US embassy in Tripoli was being closed, on February 27, 2011. In other words, the war against Libya had already begun!

Jonathan Cook: Is Israel at a Stategic End?

At least 1,000 Palestinians marched across no-man's land to one of the most heavily protected borders in the world. Waving Palestinian flags, the marchers braved a minefield, tore down a series of fences, allowing more than 100 to run into Israeli-controlled territory. As they embraced Druze villagers on the other side, voices could be heard saying: "This is what liberation looks like." Unlike previous years, this "Nakba" day was not simply a commemoration of the catastrophe that befell the Palestinians in 1948, when their homeland was forcibly invaded by the Jewish state. It reminded Palestinians that, despite their long-enforced dispersion, they still have the potential to forge a common struggle against Israel! As Israel violently cracked down on Sunday's protests on many fronts - in the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem, and on the borders with Syria and Lebanon, it looked less like a military superpower, and more like a little boy with his finger in the dam. The Palestinian "Arab Spring" is arriving, and Israel has no diplomatic or political strategy to deal with it. Instead, on Sunday, Israel used the only weapon in its current arsenal - brute force - against unarmed demonstrators!

2011/05/17

Libya Buries 11 Religious Leaders Murdered by NATO

Yes, its true:On Saturday, Libya buried the 11 Imams that were killed in an attack by NATO on Friday afternoon. They were killed in a NATO bombing in the city of Brega, which also injured 50 other people. After the unprovoked attack, the Libyan government spokesman, Ibrahim Musa said in a news conference that five of the injured are in critical condition. Before the announcement of the deaths, NATO made a statement that they thought a temple of prayer in Brega was a command and control center to coordinate attacks against civilian populations - their apparent argument to justify the bombing. Belatedly, they "mourned the deaths of innocent civilians". What a bunch of crap! When I served as Advisory Team Leader in Vietnam, I was extremely careful not to use air and artillery power within range of innocent civilians. Apparently, NATO has different concerns! The intense bombardment by NATO since mid-March has left more than 200 dead and an unknown number of wounded casualties, and NATO's blood-lust has been criticized by several international players calling for a cease-fire to protect the lives of innocent civilians! Since the beginning of NATO's interference, there have been more than 200 dead, and an unknown number of wounded casualties. When will they ever learn, when will they learn!

Andy Dilks: Prosecuting Gaddafi With Questionable Evidence While Ignoring NATO-Israeli Atrocities!

The so-called International Criminal Court has requested an arrest warrant for Colonel Gaddafi and his sons - many of whom were brutally killed by NATO Air attacks. The charge is "Crimes Against Humanity, a charge that might also be leveled against President Obama. The so-called high court is apparently accusing the Colonel and his sons of ordering, planning and participating in "illegal" attacks on civilians. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, International Criminal Court Prosecutor, said: "Based on the evidence collected, the prosecution has applied to pre-trial chamber one of the issuance of arrest warrants against "Moammar Muhamed abu Minyar Gaddafi, Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and Abdullah al-Sanoussi" But what is the evidence? The press release of the website of the International Criminal Court makes frequent reference to "direct evidence", but fails to cite any of this 'evidence' in detail. In order to clarify the grounds for prosecution, here is the story of the ICC: The ICC prosecutor "alleges" that Col. Gaddafi and his sons - including those who were killed by NATO air-strikes, are guilty of some sort of nebulous crime, like defending their country against NATO attacks!!!!

Mary Shaw: US Gets Bad Marks in Amnesty International Annual Report!

The latest Amnesty International Annual Report on the state of human rights in the world examines the human rights records of 159 countries, and our US got some bad marks this year, primarily related to to human rights violations in the "war on terror", and our continued use of the death penalty. US President Obama's 'promise' that the Guantanamo detention center would be closed by January 2010 was not fulfilled, according to the AI report. By the end of the year, 174 people remained held in prison. The only Guantanamo detainee so far transferred to the US mainland for prosecution in a federal court was tried and convicted. Two Guantanamo detainees were convicted by military commission after pleading guilty. Revised rules, issued in April, governing military commission proceedings for so-called "war on terror" suspects showed there was little hope that the US administration would make substantial reforms and uphold human rights. Also in the "war on terror", probably meaning the terror against American civilians, who were a few days late in sending their hush money to the Obama Administration, Obama failed to prosecute the instigators of torture and other human rights violations by the "Bush" administration. In the USA, those responsible for crimes under international law committed as part of the 'war on terror', such as torture and enforced disappearance, were NOT held to account!!

Michel Chossudovsky: Just another ATTACK by Israel on The Ship Called Rachel Corrie!

What can I say: The Isrealis are not even ashamed to sink and destroy an American ship. When I served as Intelligence Operations Officer of our 4th US Armored Division in Goeppingen, Germany, Israel, our faulty ally, even decided to destroy the American ship called "Liberty", and to machine-gun the groggy survivors. As our Division Commander, General Sherrer noted: With friends like these, we have no need of enemies. Seems that the Israelis haven't changed much since then, yet our corrupt US government still sends them all the aid these monsters demand from our hard-earned tax dollars! THIS HAS GOT TO STOP! The "Spirit of Rachel Corrie", named after the more recent attempt to bring food and other aid to the downtrodden Palestinians, who are constantly the victims of Israeli air attacks, is carrying 7.5 kilometers of PVC sewage pipe to help restore the devastated sewage system in Gaza - another apparent triumph over the foolish 'goyem', who are forced to hand over their tax money to these murderous, 'always suffering' jews! My mother and grandmother felt sorry for them, as they saw them walking to the gas chambers. Right now, seeing these 'victims' torture Palestinians, I am not so sure! Fortunately, the Israeli Navy, despite their radar equipment and advanced communications technology was unaware of the "Spirit of Rachel Corrie Mission", which had been planned for several months, and was scheduled to arrive off the coast of Gaza on the day of the "Nakba" commemoration. Israeli Naval vessels acted in an improvised fashion, without prior knowledge or intelligence. There was no indication that they had received precise instructions from the Israeli government!

Is Our USA the Real Empire of Evil?

A year ago, reporters from The New York Times wanted to share their stories about the REAL Russia. The site contained all sorts of compromising information, including scandals, though they also wrote about Americans taking part in the Victory Parade on Red Square. This is the image of Russia that permeates through our United States. Americans want to know much more about the "REAL" Russia. The real Russia, like the real USA, and the real Germany, is you and I, It is the people who wake up early in the morning, or late in the morning to go to work. It is the people who raise their children, who go to churches or mosques. This is OUR Russia, the REAL Russia, the best and most wonderful country in the world! I am not surprised when American citizens, who call themselves "journalists", pick up the dirty laundry and say that this is NOT the real Russia! Then, there is the REAL America: The first time he stayed there , the Russian correspondent said he had been in America twice: During the first time, he studied there for a month, and then visited our country when shooting a spy film there. The journalist said he knows what kind of people the Americans are, what kind of elite they have, and what our claim of "freedom" we cherish. Nevertheless, the American people are really not bad: "People in general can NEVER be bad!

2011/05/16

Anatoly Miranovsky: The Libyan War Damages Russia's Economic Interests!

While Russian raw materials companies working in Libya may hope to participate in a few projects, the loss of Rosoboron export's contract with the Jamahiriya will amount to over $4 billion. In the event of a Western coalition victory, the country's weapons market will be closed for Russia. The three most active Russian companies: Tatneft, Gazprom and the Russian Railways (RZD) has an office in Libya as well. Tatneft has been operating in Libya for 6 years. The company received a concession to develop oil resources in Ghadames and won the rights to three oil blocks in the Sirte basin and Ghadames. The Russian company is involved in the projects under the production sharing agreement with Libya's National Oil Corporation of Libya (NOC), signed in 2008. Gazprom could take part in the tenders for the development of these fields, according to RBC Daily. The company won the right to conduct exploration in licensed areas #19 and #64. In mid-February, Russia's gas monopoly announced the purchase of the shares from Italy's Eni in the Libyan oil project Elephant (16.5%) for $163 million.

Wow! More Good News from NATO: They are Continuing their Killing Spree in BOTH Africa AND Asia!umia

War is often a great deal of fun, especially for those who are extremely perverted. Unfortunately, I was not, when I served as Advisory Team Leader in Vietnam, but that's another story. On May 13, "President" Barack Obama welcomed North Atlantic Treaty Organization secretary general Anders Fogh - (or is it fockers?), Rasmussen to the White House, and the two co-conspirators pledged to continue the world's two major wars. In Vietnam, I had to see a lot of enemy soldiers die, and after one night of challenging the enemy mortar people to a duel, I was pleased to see the result of my heavy mortar tube. Early in the morning, at the break of dawn, a very old man, leaning on a home-made crutch, apparently fashioned from small tree limbs, and an equally old woman carrying a very small child, hobbled through the gate from our compound to the nearby village. The small boy, unable to cry despite his agonizing pain, while the old woman tried to comfort him, but without effect. At close range, I could see the many wounds in the tiny boy's stomach, but I had to remain strong. Since I had been responsible for the boys' agony, I immediately called for his helicopter evacuation, but it was rally just a futile gesture to absolve my deeply felt guilt. With the blessings of Obama, there are over 150,000 foreign troops engaged in the nearly ten-year war. So what if we kill a few local children! On May 12, NATO troops killed a 12-year-old girl, and injured four other girls, ages 8 to 15 in Afghanistan's Kunar province on May 15. On the day before, NATO forces killed a 15-year-old boy, the son of an Afghan soldier. And the beat goes on, and the beat goes on! When will they ever learn, when will they EVER LEARN?

Stephen Lendman: Solidarity With Palestine!

Massive crowds assembled in Cairo's Liberation Square, displaying banners, proclaiming: "The People want the Rafah Crossing Opened", and "Palestine is an Arab State". Though Egypt's spring hasn't bloomed, its spirit pervades Tahrir, possibly suggesting that renewed uprisings lie ahead. Perhaps Egypt's solidarity march will inspire the liberation of Jerusalem. On May 14, marchers headed for Gaza, and protesters demonstrated in front of Israel's Giza embassy, and the home of its ambassador. The groups participating with the demonstrations include - the National Front for Justice and Democracy, Cairo University's Supporters of the Palestinian Revolution, the Justice and Freedom Youth Movement, Kifaya, We are All the Resistance Movement, Helwan University Resistance Movement, Ultras Ahlawy Ahly football club supporters, Zamalek club White Knights, Activists for Palestine, the Palestinian Women's Coalition, the April 6 Movement, the Nasserist Party. Before the May 15 demonstrations, Haaretz writers Anshel Pfeffer, Jack Khoury and Nir Hasson headlined, "Israeli - Palestinian tensions rise in Jerusalem, the West Bank, as Nabka Day nears!

Palestinians Demand the Right to Return To their Homeland!

More than 100 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces during protests demanding the right to return to their homeland. This action commemorates the Palestinian expulsion from their homes in 1948, when the "State of Israel" was illegally declared. Please note, that these same Israelis boldly destroyed the American ship: "Liberty", killing most of the crew on board. At the time, I was the Intelligence Operations Officer for our 4th US Armored Division, in Goeppingen, Germany. When I reported this atrocity to my boss, Colonel Aakkula, he ordered me to send the information immediately to our commander, General Sherrer. The General glanced at the information, looked briefly at me, and commented: "With friends like these, we have no need of enemies!" which was and is also my take on that subject. Commemorating the Palestinian expulsion from their homes and villages in 1948, that accompanied the unilateral declaration of the state of Israel, an estimated 1,000 marched from the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun toward the Israeli border. Protesters identified an Israeli patrol car, began throwing stones, and condemned Israel's continued siege of the coastal enclave. When teenagers began throwing stones toward an Israeli tank, it immediately opened fire. Medics told us that at least 60 demonstrators were injured by artillery shells and gunfire. As always, most of the injured were children, and some were critically injured.

2011/05/15

RJ Eskow: Our Banks: "Too Big to Fail, Too Big for Jail"!

Hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam is apparently living a charmed life: Too Big to Fail banks will continue to endanger the economy because they know they'll be rescued again! In addition, they'll keep on breaking the law, knowing that even if they are caught, they will be protected from prosecution, and yet, instead of being grateful, bankers like JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon will continue to publicly sulk about their own "perceived" mistreatment". That can be annoying, since the US taxpayer saved their corporations, their careers, and their wealth from the consequences of their own mismanagement! But in the end, all this public posturing is just a form of territorial primate display, like mandrills showing their brightly-colored posteriors to zoo visitors. These bankers are reminding us that this country's economy and government are THEIR territory, and we're just just trespassing on their mating grounds! To paraphrase an old Samand Dave song, "It's their world , we're just living in it!" An aggravation felt as a result of their actions can easily be overcome through a rigorous program of spiritual and emotional self-improvement - or so I'm told, but here's the REAL problem: If you combine the egocentric and and self-absorbed vituperation from these CEO's with the fact that their institutions can continue to commit crimes without fear of prosecution, it means that Wall Street enjoys a state of "undiplomatic immunity" that endangers the entire country!

Noam Chomsky: The US and its Allies Will Do Anything to Prevent Democracy in the Arab World

Speaking at the 25th anniversary celebration of the national media watch group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, world-renowned political dissident and linguist Noam Chomsky analyzes the US response to the popular uprisings sweeping the Middle East and North Africa. "Across the Middle East, an overwhelming majority of the population regards the United States as the main threat to their interests. The reason is very simple: Plainly, the US and its allies are not going to want governments which are responsive to the will of the people. If that happens, not only will the US not control the region, but it will be thrown out. The US and its allies will do anything they can to prevent authentic democracy in the Arab world. The reason is very simple. Across the region, an overwhelming majority of the population regards the United States as the main threat to their interests. In fact, opposition to US policy is so high that a considerable majority think the region would be more secure if Iran had nuclear weapons. In Egypt, the most important country, that's 80 percent, and there are similar figures elsewhere. Only 10 percent regard Iran as a threat. Plainly, the US and its allies are NOT going to want governments which are responsive to the will of their people. If that should happen, not only will the US not control the region, but it will be thrown out!

Gerald A. Perreira: A Theater of the Absurd: US and NATO Support Al Qaeda in Libya

A timely warning from Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi to US president Barack Obama! Right now, we are fighting al-Qaeda in our country. If you had found them taking over your American cities, what would YOU do? In this Theatre of the Absurd called "Libya", A rag-tag bunch of armed al-Qaeda tribesman are now referred to by our idiotic 'president' Obama as a "pro-democracy" movement, and are trained by French, British, and American governments. Among the Libyans, these marauders enjoy less than 2% of the indigenous population. In a sane world, we might have expected that the Western and Arab countries would have offered Qadhafi and the Libyan armed forces some assistance in that fight, but Britain and the US, led by that French clown Sarkozy, in what can only be described as a 'war-mongering' frenzy, led an all-out attack against Muammar Qadhafi, his family, and the Libyan people. Right now, the "coalition forces" are continuing to bomb targets in Tripoli and beyond, killing innocent civilians and destroying vital infrastructure! With your tax dollars, they are being supported with a force that was last seen when our idiotic government invaded Iraq!!