Humanitarian Murder: It’s a Gas

"The true humanitarian position on any question of war is to reject it entirely: war is nothing more than the creation of the collective state, not the individual constituents thereof. US military involvement in Syria will do nothing more than complicate matters not just in Syria, but also the entire region. Indeed, the same politicians who speak so proudly of 'democracy' have no problem imposing it upon others (through death and destruction), but when it comes to their own countrymen, it is but a whisper. Today, only 9% of Americans support any intervention in Syria, and this number is low for good reason: Americans simply do not trust their government anymore." Continue reading

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The FEDsters Are Multimillionaires

"The senior officers of the Board of Governors are rich. So are some of the regional FED bank presidents. One of them is worth $50 million. Another owns 7,000 acres of land. He even owns gold. The FED is politically untouchable. Congress will not let the Government Accountability Office audit it. We hear of the need for more equality. The FED could use some. We hear of the need for transparency. Why doesn’t this include an audit? All the chatter inside the Washington Beltway about the role of democracy is great stuff for pulling the wool over the eyes of the voters. The cartel known as the state-licensed banking system has an enforcer. The FED is the enforcer." Continue reading

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The Goodfellas of Wall Street

"If you think of the economy as this vast thing where success or failure is a matter of serving customers well, then you are deceiving yourself. (I’ve written about this before, about how America’s largest companies are basically products of state privilege.) This perspective is good too because the reality of the thing shatters many illusions. Think Obamacare is a socialist redistribution scheme? Take another look. What it really amounts to is the largest corporate giveaway and pork-filled legislation in the history of the country." Continue reading

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Woman informing Kerry, McCain on Syria is paid advocate for rebels

"On Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry encouraged members of the House of Representatives to read a Wall Street Journal op-ed by 26-year-old Elizabeth O’Bagy — an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War — who asserted that concerns about extremists dominating among the Syrian rebels are unfounded. But in addition to her work for the Institute for the Study of War, O’Bagy is also the political director for the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), a group that advocates within the United States for Syria’s rebels — a fact that the Journal did not disclose in O’Bagy’s piece." Continue reading

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John Kerry and the Orwellian Language of War

"To be clear, Secretary Kerry and President Obama are not proposing a war. Yes, they will use cruise missiles to slaughter Syrians, and if they don’t like the Syrian government’s response they may even send ground troops. War profiteers like Raytheon will certainly profit. But the Secretary of State will insist it’s not a war. So, why the Orwellian 'War is Peace' attitude here? Partially because Kerry recognizes this war is not popular with the American public. Polls show substantial public opposition. When most Americans oppose war, the best solution apparently is to change the name to something else." Continue reading

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Obama tells Russian LGBT activists he is proud of their work

"President Barack Obama on Friday told Russian rights activists that he is 'proud of their work,' saying Russia must remember to let civil society function freely. Meeting with nine activists, including two representing LGBT groups, Obama said 'it’s important to remember that in every country, here in Russia, in the United States, around the globe, that part of good government is making sure that we’re creating space for civil society to function.' This included ensuring 'freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and making sure that people can join together and make common cause around the issues that we care deeply about,' he added." Continue reading

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Russia cancels Syria lobbying mission to D.C.

"The speaker of Russia's national legislature said Friday that a plan to send a parliamentary delegation to Washington to try and convince U.S. lawmakers that a unilateral military intervention in Syria would be unwarranted and counterproductive had been cancelled. Sergei Naryshkin, speaker of the State Duma, said the delegation would no longer travel to the U.S. and called the decisions by House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to refuse to meet their Russian counterparts deplorable. Reid spokesman Adam Jentleson confirmed Thursday that Reid had turned down the offer. Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said the speaker had also declined the offer." Continue reading

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Who Wants War with Syria?

"According to the latest Rasmussen poll, 73 percent of Americans are opposed to going to war with Syria (euphemistically called 'a surgical strike' by Pentagon propaganda). In Favor of Expending American Blood and Treasure in a War on Syria: Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (representing 52 organizations); American-Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC); Simon Wiesenthal Center; Anti-Defamation League; 'Avowedly pro-Israel' members of Congress (in the words of the Washington Post)." Continue reading

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Syria strike may hinge on Nancy Pelosi

"While Boehner backs military action — a rare point of agreement with Pelosi in the hyper-partisan House — it's unclear how many votes he will deliver from his party members. Passage may well rely on strong support by the president's own party. Pushing for military action against Syria, even in a limited way, would seem an awkward position for Pelosi, whose party won control of the House in 2006 by tapping into public frustration with President George W. Bush over the war in Iraq. Her view that Obama could order a strike on Syria without congressional approval also puts her at odds with a number of fellow Democrats." Continue reading

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Gold and Syria

"We are confronting authoritarians with such an appetite for power that they become afraid to wield it for fear of losing it. It is a subject fit for a Dostoevsky or Shakespeare. It was a cause for rejoicing when the British Parliament refused the Queen’s Prime Minister authority to let slip the dogs of war on Syria. It was the first such refusal since 1782 when, incidentally, Parliament voted down further war against the rebellious American colonies. It will be a welcome sign of a dawning realization that the U.S. Empire has exhausted itself financially and in folly if the House refuses to pass Obama’s Syrian war resolution. But if it does approve another front in the U.S. Mideast war, buy gold with both hands." Continue reading

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