Paul Craig Roberts: How the US Became the USSR

"The communists had a Julian Assange and an Edward Snowden of their own. His name was Cardinal Jozef Mindszenty, the leader of the Hungarian Catholic Church. Mindszenty opposed tyranny. For his efforts he was imprisoned by the Nazis. Communists also regarded him as an undesirable, and he was tortured and given a life sentence in 1949. Freed by the short-lived Hungarian Revolution in 1956, Mindszenty reached the American Embassy in Budapest and was granted political asylum by Washington. However, the communists would not give him the free passage that asylum presumes, and Mindszenty lived in the US Embassy for 15 years, 79% of his remaining life." Continue reading

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Holder promises not to pursue death penalty against Snowden

"Former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden would not face the death penalty or be tortured and would have all the protections of the U.S. civilian court system if he were sent home, the chief U.S. prosecutor wrote in a letter to his Russian counterpart this week. In the letter dated July 23 and released on Friday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder wrote that he sought to dispel claims about what would happen to Snowden if Russia handed him over to face charges of illegally disclosing government secrets about surveillance programs." Continue reading

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Even who we’re in a drone war with is classified

"Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., asked the Defense Department to provide him with a current list of Al Qaeda affiliates. The Pentagon responded - but Levin’s office told ProPublica they aren’t allowed to share it. Kathleen Long, a spokeswoman for Levin, would say only that the department’s 'answer included the information requested.' A Pentagon spokesman told ProPublica that revealing such a list could cause 'serious damage to national security.' 'Because elements that might be considered 'associated forces’ can build credibility by being listed as such by the United States, we have classified the list,' said the spokesman, Lt. Col. Jim Gregory." Continue reading

Continue ReadingEven who we’re in a drone war with is classified

Egypt’s wheat problem: how Morsi jeopardized the bread supply

"Lack of money and a quixotic attempt at making Egypt self-sufficient spurred the decline, say officials familiar with the matter. Mursi dreamt of making Egypt grow all its own wheat and allowed imported stocks to fall to precariously low levels. It hurt both the country’s wheat stocks and Mursi’s government. With a quarter of Egypt’s 84 million people living below the poverty line of $1.65 a day, millions depend on subsidized bread that sells for less than 1 U.S. cent per loaf. That supply relies on foreign wheat. The country is the world’s largest wheat importer, bringing in about 10 million tonnes a year, around half its annual consumption." Continue reading

Continue ReadingEgypt’s wheat problem: how Morsi jeopardized the bread supply

Neuroscientists discover how to implant false memories in the brain

"Scientists have implanted a false memory in the brains of mice in an experiment that they hope will shed light on the well-documented phenomenon whereby people 'remember' events or experiences that have never happened. Susumu Tonagawa, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his team encoded memories in the brains of mice by manipulating individual neurons. As the technology develops, said Chris French, 'whatever means are used to implant false memories, we need to be very aware of the ethical issues raised by such procedures – the potential for abuse of such techniques cannot be overstated.'" Continue reading

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Georgia: The New CIA-NATO Arab Terrorist Training Center

"Our majority is under this notion that Al Qaeda operatives are some Afghani version of our hillbillies: a bunch of primitive illiterate tribesmen clad in gauze shalwar, sporting a few feet-long beards, spitting out phlegm while marching around with pitchforks fighting the western windmills. If you read up on Mohamed and watch our Gladio series you’ll know and understand the significance of Georgia as the new NATO-CIA training center for Arab & North African military elites. As we speak they are training the next commandos for the next wave of terror attacks-whether under the old label aka Al-Qaeda or a brand new title equally glitzy and ferocious." Continue reading

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U.S. condemns ‘outrageous’ Tunisia assassination

"The United States on Thursday condemned the assassination of a leading critic of Tunisia’s ruling Islamists, saying violence had no place in the country’s transition to democracy. Tunisian MP Mohamed Brahmi was shot dead outside his home Thursday in the second such slaying this year, with fingers again pointed at the authorities. 'We offer our sincere condolences to Mr. Brahmi’s family, friends and colleagues and to the people of Tunisia,' State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said, adding US officials 'strongly condemn' the killing." Continue reading

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America has history when it comes to forcing down planes in defiance of international law

"International law (and the Chicago Convention regulating air traffic) emphatically asserts freedom to traverse international airspace, but America tends to treat international law as binding on everyone except America (and Israel). Thus when Egypt did a deal with the Achille Lauro hijackers and sent them on a commercial flight to Tunis, US F-14 jets intercepted the plane in international airspace and forced it to land in Italy, where the hijackers were tried and jailed. In 1986 Israel forced down a Libyan commercial plane in the mistaken belief that PLO leaders were among its passengers, and the US vetoed UN security council condemnation." Continue reading

Continue ReadingAmerica has history when it comes to forcing down planes in defiance of international law

Women in combat no later than 2016, Pentagon says

"Women could be officially moving into combat roles by 2016, according to top US military officials. But some lawmakers continue to express concern about whether the Pentagon will be able to make this move without lowering physical standards. Others express concern that the integration of women into fighting units could increase incidents of sexual assault." Continue reading

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Army plans switch to ‘green’ bullets containing copper

"The Army has been looking to 'green' small caliber ammo for some time now. In 2010, the Army switched to the greener 5.56 mm M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round. 'The EPR replaces the lead slug with a copper slug,' said Lt. Col. Phil Clark, product manager for small caliber ammunition in the Program Executive Officer Ammunition. 'This makes the projectile environmentally-friendly, while still giving soldiers the performance capabilities they need on the battlefield. So far we have eliminated 1,994 metric tons of lead from 5.56 ammunition production.'" Continue reading

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