Blowback

Jacob Hornberger: Who’s Really Getting Punished?

"It’s not just the Syrian troops and 'collateral-damage civilians' who will bear the cost of Obama’s punishment of Assad. Also paying the price will be us — the American people — who will continue to suffer the consequences of military empire, a national-security state apparatus, and an interventionist foreign policy. Our punishment will come in the form of continued destruction of our freedom, inner peace, harmony, and economic well-being at the hands of our own government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJacob Hornberger: Who’s Really Getting Punished?

Secret U.S. documents reveal Al-Qaeda has anti-drone operation

"Al-Qaeda’s leaders have set up cells of engineers to try to shoot down, disable or hijack US drones, The Washington Post reported late Tuesday citing top-secret US intelligence documents. The Al-Qaeda leadership is 'hoping to exploit the technological vulnerabilities of a weapons system that has inflicted huge losses against the terrorist network,' the Post said online. The Al-Qaeda commanders are keen to achieve 'a technological breakthrough (that) could curb the US drone campaign, which has killed an estimated 3,000 people over the past decade,' the Post reported. [Drone strikes] have taken a toll among civilians in those countries, something that has fueled anti-US sentiment." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSecret U.S. documents reveal Al-Qaeda has anti-drone operation

Global War on Terror (GWOT) Was a Hopeless Blunder from the Get-Go

"The American public needs to turn against the GWOT. The press and intellectuals need to do far more homework. They need to dig out and read criticisms like these. They need to be more critical of government failures to alter its policies. Many brains were put in cold storage because of the emotional impact of 9/11. They need to be resuscitated. The time for emotion is over. The GWOT was a hasty, ill-conceived response to 9/11. The press and public need a strong dose of honesty about past blunders. The press and public need to stop paying attention to the fanatic warmongers, hatemongers and partisans of Israel and militarism." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlobal War on Terror (GWOT) Was a Hopeless Blunder from the Get-Go

Protester crashes Syria hearing: ‘The American people do not want this’

"CODEPINK co-founder and anti-war activist Medea Benjamin interrupted a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the possibility of a U.S. military strike in Syria on Tuesday. Video posted by Talking Points Memo shows Benjamin 'We don’t want another war,' before being grabbed by security and led out of the hearing. In 2012, Benjamin protested a speech by another Obama administration official, counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan, saying the White House’s use of unmanned attack drones was 'making us less safe by killing so many innocent people around the world.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingProtester crashes Syria hearing: ‘The American people do not want this’

As Egyptians Ignore Curfew, Talk of a U.S.-Brotherhood Conspiracy

"When the conversation turns to politics, the predominant topic is a surprise to American ears: the conspiracy between the United States and the Muslim Brotherhood to destroy Egypt. The 'people’s committees,' which sprung up in Egyptian neighborhoods as a counterweight to the Muslim Brotherhood, in theory were disbanded last week. But that did not stop self-appointed guardians in the Zaki Street market of the Maadi neighborhood from repeatedly demanding identity documents, letters of permission and, especially, proof of not being affiliated with Al Jazeera, the pan-Arab news network, which is reviled because it is owned by Qatar, a strong supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAs Egyptians Ignore Curfew, Talk of a U.S.-Brotherhood Conspiracy

The Muslim Holy War Against The ‘Great Satan’

"Western imperialism and its terrorist puppet regimes in this vast region over two centuries have produced an immense, exploding cauldron of rage against the puppets and the imperialists. The people have returned to their Muslim roots to give them hope and strength to endure the terrible wars they must fight for decades to rid their ancient homelands of these imperialists. The U.S. is sinking into an immense cauldron of Holy War against a billion Muslims and is fighting them with mercenary troops who for the most part believe in nothing but their pay-checks and retirement perks. It may even take a century of terrible war, but the outcome seems obvious." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Muslim Holy War Against The ‘Great Satan’

The Egyptian Debacle

"Of all the promise of the Arab Spring [..] perhaps the greatest was the idea that the region could escape the paralyzing political trap that offered Western-backed dictatorship or radical Islamism as its only alternatives. These repressive Arab societies — so illustrative of Western hypocrisy in their power structures, so deadening to the hopes of the young, so shot through with nepotism and cronyism, so distant from a glimpsed modernity — resembled factories for militant Islam rather than bulwarks against it. When the only place to gather is the mosque, when 'secular' equals Western-backed dictatorship and when 'elections' amount to a rigged farce, the consolation of the Islamist cause grows." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Egyptian Debacle

With Enemies Like This, Who Needs Friends?

"The U.S. government pursued its vindictive course against Manning to send a message to other potential whistleblowers. The problem is, those whistleblowers — among them Snowden — got the message loud and clear. What Snowden learned is, you don’t work within the system through normal channels, and you don’t play the 'civil disobedience' game and take your punishment, unless you want to spend years naked in solitary awaiting trial and then be sentenced to most of your life in prison. You get the information distributed in secure places, get yourself safely out of the country, and then make your move. The next whistleblower will do it even bigger and better, and learn from Snowden’s example." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWith Enemies Like This, Who Needs Friends?

Pro-Assad hackers target Marine Corps recruiting website

"Pro-Syrian regime hackers posted messages on a US Marine Corps recruiting website on Monday, urging troops to defy orders from President Barack Obama. The hackers showed photos of people in American uniforms holding hand-written signs saying they would not fight for Al-Qaeda in Syria. 'Obama is a traitor who wants to put your lives in danger to rescue al-Qaeda insurgents,' the message read, according to a screenshot from The Wall Street Journal. The US Marine Corps confirmed the intrusion but said the affected site, Marines.com, the official recruitment portal for the Corps, was back to normal." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPro-Assad hackers target Marine Corps recruiting website

FBI increases surveillance of Syrians in U.S.

"The FBI has beefed up its surveillance of Syrians living in the United States ahead of a possible US military attack on Syria, The New York Times reported Sunday. The newspaper said FBI agents are set to interview hundreds of Syrians in the coming days. US officials are especially concerned because Syria’s close ally Iran has warned that any military action on Syria would leave Israel in flames. It said senior FBI officials have also directed the bureau’s field offices to follow up with sources linked to Syrians as part of an effort to identify any talk of a retaliatory strike. And Syrians currently under investigation will be placed under closer scrutiny." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFBI increases surveillance of Syrians in U.S.