Yearly Archives: 2013

Russian lawmaker charged with racism over ‘Obama banana’ image

"A pro-Kremlin lawmaker and former Olympic gold medallist faced a racism row Saturday after she posted a photo-collage of President Barack Obama juxtaposed with a banana on Twitter. Irina Rodnina posted on Twitter a photomontage that purports to show Obama and his wife gazing at a hand in the foreground holding up a banana. After the post sparked a storm of disgust on Saturday, Rodnina deleted the message, but insisted she believed she had done nothing wrong. 'Freedom of speech is freedom of speech! Deal with your hangups yourself,' she wrote defiantly on Twitter, saying the post had boosted her rating." Continue reading →

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Arming Terrorists and Disarming Americans

"The Obama administration’s plan to provide small arms to the Syrian Rebels was approved by Congress. Good luck finding the transcripts of these committee meetings though… they were classified. When asked about the Senate Intelligence Committee’s vote to arm the rebels, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the committee chair, responded 'It’s classified.' (Which is a polite way of saying ‘it’s none of your business’) That’s right. Dianne Feinstein — the author of the 'Assault Weapons' Ban – doesn’t believe that the American people have a right to know who the government is giving small arms to. That oversight requirement apparently only should apply to American citizens." Continue reading →

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Report: Half of Syrian rebels are hardline jihadists or Al-Qaeda operatives

"Of the rebel forces, IHS Jane’s estimates that around 10,000 are jihadists fighting for groups linked to Al-Qaeda and another 30,000 to 35,000 are hardline Islamists, who differ from jihadists in that they are concentrated only on the Syrian conflict, and not on the global Islamist fight. 'The insurgency is now dominated by groups which have at least an Islamist viewpoint on the conflict,' Charles Lister, author of the analysis, told the British newspaper. 'The idea that it is mostly secular groups leading the opposition is just not borne out. [..] If the West looks as though it is not interested in removing Assad, moderate Islamists are also likely to be pushed further towards extremists,' he warned." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingReport: Half of Syrian rebels are hardline jihadists or Al-Qaeda operatives

Syria rebel chief rejects U.S.-Russia chemical weapons deal

"Syria’s rebel Free Syrian Army chief rejected Saturday a US-Russian deal to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons by mid-2014. 'We cannot accept any part of this initiative,' General Selim Idriss told reporters in Istanbul. He preceded that by saying: 'We in the Free Syrian Army are unconcerned by the implementation of any part of the initiative… I and my brothers in arms will continue to fight until the regime falls.'" Continue reading →

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Syria hails U.S.-Russia chemical weapons deal as a ‘victory’ that averts war

"A US-Russian plan to remove Syria’s chemical weapons is a 'victory' that averts a war, a Syrian minister said Sunday, as Washington’s top diplomat briefed Israel about the landmark deal. Some Israeli commentators raised the question of whether Washington would lean on Israel to ratify the international treaty banning the use of chemical weapons. Israel signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1993 but never ratified it, despite demands to do so from Washington and Moscow." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSyria hails U.S.-Russia chemical weapons deal as a ‘victory’ that averts war

Bill Bonner: In Praise of Mr. Putin

"Why would the US do things that make the world worse off? Dear reader, where have you been? It’s got nothing to do with liberal or conservative, hawk or dove, Democrat or Republican, Bush or Obama. And it’s not because we are dumber than we used to be, either. Instead, thinking people are starting to realize that we’re right about this too. America is a victim of creeping zombieism. Bureaucrats at the Fed force down interest rates to support zombies everywhere – from Wall Street to Skid Row. Low rates also help make more money available to the zombies who are besieging the Pentagon." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: In Praise of Mr. Putin

Eric Margolis: Obama, Don’t Play Chess With KGB

"Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize should be rescinded and given, instead, to Vladimir Putin. Add a warning to Obama’s amateur foreign policy advisors: 'don’t play chess with the KGB!' In fact, Obama, who rudely snubbed former KGB agent Putin recently, owes Russia’s leader a 'Bolshi Spaseba' (big thanks) for pulling his bacon out of the fire in Syria. Putin brilliantly demonstrated to the world the difference between diplomacy and force, the rapier versus the cudgel." Continue reading →

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Musty Idea: War To Maintain “Credibility” As A Global Hegemon

"In the most recent episode of U.S. war hysteria, the media was filled with endless remarks on how Syria had to be attacked to maintain U.S. 'credibility'. These individuals, and many others just like them, care not a whit about the lessons of history. Ronald Reagan sang the same interventionist tune while he was President. Even after 241 U.S. Marines were killed in the Beirut barracks bombing, he kept up the 'credibility' rhetoric. The warring classes know that the American public has a short memory. Few will recall what happened in Lebanon and the 'credibility' garbage that was tossed around back then." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMusty Idea: War To Maintain “Credibility” As A Global Hegemon