Dialectical Maneuvers

Senator Patrick Leahy: ‘Our law is clear,’ U.S. must cut off aid to Egypt

"'Our law is clear: U.S. aid is cut off when a democratically elected government is deposed by military coup or decree,' Leahy added. 'As we work on the new budget, my committee also will review future aid to the Egyptian government as we wait for a clearer picture. As the world’s oldest democracy, this is a time to reaffirm our commitment to the principle that transfers of power should be by the ballot, not by force of arms.' He cited the Fiscal Year 2012 State Department And Foreign Operations Appropriations Act, which prohibits the U.S. from sending funds to the government of a country whose democratically-elected leader has been deposed by the military." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenator Patrick Leahy: ‘Our law is clear,’ U.S. must cut off aid to Egypt

Paul Craig Roberts: Has Washington’s Arrogance Undone Its Empire?

"The German Justice Minister, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenburger, demanded an 'immediate explanation' why Washington was applying to Germany policies 'reminiscent of the actions against enemies during the Cold War.' The president of France has said that France will not again cooperate with Washington on any issue until France receives 'full assurances' that Washington will cease spying on France. Do any of these protests from politicians who are almost certain to be on Washington’s payroll mean anything, or are they just make-believe protests to quiet the domestic European populations who have been betrayed by their elected leaders?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: Has Washington’s Arrogance Undone Its Empire?

Military air tankers join fight against deadly Arizona wildfire

"The US military ordered four air tankers to join fire-dousing efforts in Arizona, where firefighters were battling a still out-of-control inferno which killed 19 of their comrades. The Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) planes will be redeployed from other states to help tackle blazes including the Yarnell Hill fire, which remained zero percent contained despite a doubling of ground crews fighting it. The extra firefighting aircraft, which are specially-equipped military C-130 planes, can drop 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds, and can be refilled in less than 12 minutes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMilitary air tankers join fight against deadly Arizona wildfire

France’s triumphant ‘Joan of Arc’ vows to bring back franc and destroy euro

"'We cannot be seduced,' she said, brimming with confidence after her party secured 46pc of the vote a week ago. Her candidate trounced the ruling Socialists in their own bastion of Villeneuve-sur-Lot. 'The euro ceases to exist the moment that France leaves, and that is our incredible strength. What are they going to do, send in tanks?' 'Europe is just a great bluff. One side there is the immense power of sovereign peoples, and on the other side are a few technocrats,' she said. It is her defence of the French welfare model and her critique of capitalism that gives her a Leftist hue -- some call it 1930s national socialism -- so far in outlook from Britain's UKIP." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrance’s triumphant ‘Joan of Arc’ vows to bring back franc and destroy euro

Snowden Is Not the Story

"Deep Throat was not the story in 1972, and Edward Snowden is not the story today. The abuse of America’s intelligence agencies is. And yet, we are not having an open discussion. We are instead seeing a media circus. The messenger, Edward Snowden, has been made 'the story.' Keeping under safe political cover, President Obama is deferring to the Justice Department—the same Justice Department which seized the Associated Press’ phone records and criminalized Fox News reporter James Rosen to pursue a leak investigation into a former State Department contractor." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnowden Is Not the Story

Germany and France Demand to Know Why They Were Being Spied On

"Members of the European Union are quite upset because their relationship with the U.S. is supposed cozier than the frosty relationship between the U.S. and Russia. Germany and France seem really miffed over this whole spying deal. They thought they were exempt from surveillance because they are allies at the end of the day. 'These facts, if confirmed, would be totally unacceptable,' Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius told Le Monde. 'We expect the U.S. authorities to stand up as soon as possible the legitimate concerns raised by the revelations of the press.' German politicians are also demanding an explanation from the U.S." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGermany and France Demand to Know Why They Were Being Spied On

Mass State Surveillance Not About Privacy

"The way we’re encouraged to cope with this is to make it about privacy: to turn inwards, take stock of our personal inner domain, and decide just how much of our lives can be offered up to the state. Large scale, bureaucratic intrusion into our personal lives is a given, but we can fill out a customer response card if we have any comments about the degree of the intrusion. If this is about privacy, the onus is on us to define its limits, to guide our servant institutions to the right policies that will protect our newly cordoned-off personal space. And so they invent a clever distraction about what the limits of privacy should be." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMass State Surveillance Not About Privacy

A General Gets Knifed

"In an administration that loves leak investigations, this is arguably the most significant one to date. The foreign-policy implications of identifying the Stuxnet virus as the handiwork of U.S. spies were enormous. The Obama administration's protests against Chinese cyber-espionage are undermined by the fact that America fired the first shot in a global cyberwar. And it arguably led to an escalation. U.S. intelligence believes that the cyberattack on the facilities of Saudi Aramco last year was carried out by the government of Iran. Yet there were members of the intelligence community who believe that the Stuxnet leak had its benefits." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA General Gets Knifed

A Social Phenomenon: Protests Erupt in Brazil

"A girl organized a protest, expecting a few hundred people to attend. Instead, there were tens of thousands, and then a million. It was like throwing a seed crystal into a super-saturated solution and causing crystallization throughout the whole body of liquid. It was like a wildfire spreading. This is what we so far have NOT seen occur in America. This is, however, what the authorities are preparing for. They know that the array of grievances of Americans is growing by the day, week, month and year. They know that they have not addressed these grievances, and they know that when the promises of government cannot be kept, these grievances are going to spill into the streets." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Social Phenomenon: Protests Erupt in Brazil

US Marines Put On Alert To Move Into Egypt Amid Violent Protests

"Amid anti-government demonstrations planned for this weekend, roughly 200 combat-capable U.S. Marines in southern Europe have been put on an alert status should they need to protect the U.S. Embassy or American citizens in Egypt, CNN is reporting. The Marines were told to be ready to deploy within an hour, and would be flown in via MV-22 Osprey, the Marine Corps’ rapid deployment aircraft. A state department spokesman told CNN that the move is precautionary, and that the U.S. fully expects the Egyptian security forces to be able to protect the American diplomatic facilities." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Marines Put On Alert To Move Into Egypt Amid Violent Protests