Alternative News

Alan Grayson on Syria strike: Military-industrial complex wants it, Americans don’t

"'The greatest norm, the highest norm in international law is that you don’t attack another country unilaterally without the authorization of the United Nations,' Grayson remarked. 'That’s the United Nations charter. It’s a fundamental principle. We can’t simply go in and bomb people whenever we feel like it, particularly when one man is arrogating to himself that decision.' White House deputy spokesman Josh Earnest has suggested the United States could strike Syria without help from the United Nations or allies. Earnest said the situation in Syria involved U.S. national security." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAlan Grayson on Syria strike: Military-industrial complex wants it, Americans don’t

Alan Grayson on Syria strike: Military-industrial complex wants it, Americans don’t

"'The greatest norm, the highest norm in international law is that you don’t attack another country unilaterally without the authorization of the United Nations,' Grayson remarked. 'That’s the United Nations charter. It’s a fundamental principle. We can’t simply go in and bomb people whenever we feel like it, particularly when one man is arrogating to himself that decision.' White House deputy spokesman Josh Earnest has suggested the United States could strike Syria without help from the United Nations or allies. Earnest said the situation in Syria involved U.S. national security." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAlan Grayson on Syria strike: Military-industrial complex wants it, Americans don’t

Rand Paul opposes U.S. attack that could ‘kill Christians in Syria’

"In an interview with conservative radio host Mike Huckabee, Paul said that President Barack Obama needed to understand that 'there are 2 million Christians living in Syria, more than just about any place in the Middle East.' 'And I just don’t want to see my kids or weapons of the United States being used to kill Christians in Syria,' he explained. Paul called on the president to 'try and convince' a joint session of Congress that action in Syria was necessary. 'You know, I think a good place to start when things are muddled and confused is to start with the Constitution,' he told Huckabee." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRand Paul opposes U.S. attack that could ‘kill Christians in Syria’

The War Powers Act and Syria

"The constitutional powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, are exercised only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) a specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces. All this talk about 'consultations with Congress' is disinformation, unless first the language in the section quoted above is triggered which would then authorize the president 'to introduce' the U.S. armed forces into 'hostilities'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe War Powers Act and Syria

Bomb Syria, Get Cyber Attacked

"The U.S. used to parade around the world, and life would go on as usual back home. But American military muscle isn’t the be all and end all anymore. Land, sea, air and space superiority are so 20th century. Cyberstrike capabilities have leveled the battlefield. And the scrappy countries are holding more bargaining chips. 'One of the risks is that you’ve got Iran talking to Russia,' says James Lewis, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 'You have Iran talking to North Korea; you’ve got the Syrians talking to Iran.' The Pentagons realize the catastrophic damage that cyberattacks pose. And they want to be able to cause that damage just as much as they want to prevent it here at home." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBomb Syria, Get Cyber Attacked

Syrian rebels get 400-ton shipment of arms

"Gulf-based supporters have sent a 400-ton shipment of arms to Syria’s outgunned rebels, one of the biggest to reach them in their two-year-old uprising. The consignment – mostly ammunition for shoulder-fired weapons and anti-aircraft machine guns - came into northern Syria via the Turkish province of Hatay in the past 24 hours, and was already being handed out. Syria’s conflict, pitting mostly Sunni Muslim insurgents against President Bashar al-Assad, whose Alawite sect follows an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam, has ignited sectarian tensions across the region. Qatar and other Sunni-led Gulf states have backed the insurgents, while Shi’ite power Iran remains one of Assad’s main allies." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSyrian rebels get 400-ton shipment of arms

Amnesty International Sells Out

"From my perspective, you have caved in to the special interests of the US government, treading softly with them and their allies and jumping on the abuses of their designated enemies. I even notice that one of your options on this questionnaire is 'Amnesty’s investigative efforts to shine a light on war crimes being committed in Syria.' Talk about a drumbeat for war! We heard this blather before in the runup to Iraq. If you are so interested in war crimes, why are you so accommodating to the war crimes committed by the United States? It’s a shame. I have been a proud member for decades, but no longer." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmnesty International Sells Out

US Admits What Ron Paul Said: “Nobody Knows Who Set Off The Gas”

"The intelligence linking Syrian President Bashar Assad or his inner circle to an alleged chemical weapons attack is no 'slam dunk,' with questions remaining about who actually controls some of Syria's chemical weaponsstores and doubts about whether Assad himself ordered the strike, U.S. intelligence officials say. [..] An intercept of Syrian military officials discussing the strike was among low-level staff, with no direct evidence tying the attack back to an Assad insider or even a senior Syrian commander, the officials said. Another possibility that officials would hope to rule out: that stocks [..] were deployed by rebels in a callous and calculated attempt to draw the West into the war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Admits What Ron Paul Said: “Nobody Knows Who Set Off The Gas”

Federal Regulators Consider Seat Belt Ignition Interlocks on Automobiles

"The seatbelt ignition interlock would prevent the automobile from starting unless the seatbelt was clasped. Back in 1974 the government required interlocks on nearly all 1974 year model vehicles. However, public outcry led Congress to banish the mandate. This week the NHTSA reportedly rejected a petition from BMW that would allow the German automaker to skip certain crash testing requirements if it installed seatbelt interlocks in front seats. BMW outlined three different potential types of interlocks including one that would prevent the vehicle from being started. Another would prevent the driver from shifting out of Park and a third would allow the vehicle to be driven only at low speeds." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal Regulators Consider Seat Belt Ignition Interlocks on Automobiles

Cities Crackdown on Private Transport

"The Dallas City Council was scheduled to vote on a substantial city code rewrite that will redefine everything from who can dispatch a car to who can drive a limo to the cost of a limousine's off-the-lot sticker price (has to be more than $45,000). The rewrite will 'require limousine service to be prearranged at least 30 minutes before the service is provided.' The addendum item says 'the use of computer applications and other technologies by some providers of limousine service has distorted certain distinctions between limousines and taxicabs, and that it's high time the city 'establish those distinctions to help the public understand the differences between those types of passenger transportation services.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCities Crackdown on Private Transport