Imperial Hubris

Chinese-Made Globes Anger The Philippines With A Territorial Claim

"A tiny, barely-noticeable line on some Chinese-made globes has created insult in Manilla where they are being sold in bookshops. The problem is that these globes appear to use China's 'nine-dash' map of the sea, first published in 1947, which shows Chinese territory extending hundreds of miles south from China's Hainan Island to the equatorial waters off the coast of Borneo. That little line indicates that the Spratly Islands are within Chinese territory, ignoring that they are currently the subject of overlapping territorial claims by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese-Made Globes Anger The Philippines With A Territorial Claim

A close call in the China Sea

"China has no desire to fight the United States unless absolutely necessary, and less to spark a US trade embargo. China holds over $1 trillion in US government debt. Beijing has no desire to panic all of East Asia. A war over the Senkaku/Diaoyus would be like the 1998-2000 desert war between Eritrea and Ethiopia, described as 'two bald men fighting over a comb.' No matter how much fish swim around the Senkakus, or how much oil and gas may be found underwater, nothing justifies a war. But, then again, nothing justified World War I that began by a murder in obscure Bosnia. Pray for cool heads in Beijing and Tokyo." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA close call in the China Sea

“Let’s You and Him Fight,” Japan’s Prime Minister Tells Obama.

"Japan has a few useless islands that China is trying to get by force. Abe wants the U.S. to back Japan in keeping these islands. 'Let’s you and him fight.' He is also concerned that North Korea keeps launching missiles. 'Tell them to stop.' America pays for Japan’s defense because (1) we need Japan to keep useless islands away from China, and (2) we need a port for our carriers, so that the boys can let off a little steam on shore leave. Japan encourages this so that it can keep corporate taxes low, so that Japan’s export sector can bankrupt American firms, which pay taxes to defend Japan." Continue reading →

Continue Reading“Let’s You and Him Fight,” Japan’s Prime Minister Tells Obama.

Carnage in Syria Courtesy of US Allies

"While the US and its Western partners pretend to be engaged in a global war against terrorism, their terrorist allies in Syria have set off another car bomb, tellingly very close to the ruling Baath party offices and the Russian embassy. Initial reports are that more than 50 have been killed by the terrorists, including many children attending a nearby school. No doubt this bombing against a government building will be blamed on the Syrian government in the Western media, adding to the phony UN body count. The UN organization that is responsible for compiling the 'body count' in Syria is...surprise...funded by the US State Department!" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCarnage in Syria Courtesy of US Allies

Bradley Manning: 1,000 days in detention and secrecy still reigns

"There’s a much bigger reason why the cloak-and-dagger approach of the US government to this trial should be taken seriously. America doesn’t seem to have woken up to this yet, but the prosecution of Bradley Manning poses the greatest threat to freedom of speech and the press in this country in at least a generation. When one of the prosecution lawyers was asked whether the government would still have gone after Manning had he leaked to the New York Times instead of WikiLeaks, she unhesitatingly replied: 'Yes'. If that’s not a threat to the first amendment, then what is?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBradley Manning: 1,000 days in detention and secrecy still reigns

16 Ways to Cut Defense Spending

"Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that 'the greatest threat to our national security is our debt.' Senator Coburn said on 'Morning Joe' on Feb 13 that '$100 billion could be cut.' Ron Paul says that only about half the defense budget is for defense, the other half is for militarism abroad. So here are 16 ways to cut its waste, fraud, and abuse of American taxpayers. They don’t include the largest benefit of all: the value many of the highly skilled and motivated men and women in the military could bring to the civilian workforce. The mostly wasted talent pool is incredible. All American strategy should be re-examined." Continue reading →

Continue Reading16 Ways to Cut Defense Spending

American Citizens Split On DOJ Memo Authorizing Government To Kill Them

"Following the release of a secret Department of Justice memo this week that outlines the administration’s legal justification for killing U.S. citizens, a new Pew Research Center poll has revealed that a majority of Americans are torn over whether they support the government’s right to kill them anywhere at any time without due process." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerican Citizens Split On DOJ Memo Authorizing Government To Kill Them

Paul Craig Roberts: Obama’s Expanding Kill List

"If the Obama regime is on the side of the government, as in Algeria, it will kill the rebels opposing the government. If the Obama regime is on the side of the rebels, as in Libya, it will kill the government’s leaders. Whether Washington sends a drone to murder Putin and the president of China remains to be seen. The elasticity of the Kill List and its easy expansion makes it certain that Washington will be involved in extra-judicial executions of those 'associated with terrorism' over much of the world. Americans themselves should be alarmed, because the term 'association with terrorism' is very elastic." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: Obama’s Expanding Kill List

Why Isn’t The Murder Of An American Boy An Impeachable Offense?

"In 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice for matters arising out of the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. If perjury and obstruction of justice constitute high crimes or misdemeanors, then doesn’t it seem rather obvious that the murder of an American citizen by the president would also constitute a high crime or misdemeanor, especially if the citizen is a child? Proponents of the war on terrorism argue that the killing of the teenager wasn’t really a murder but rather an assassination. But how is Obama’s killing of Abdulrahman any different from Pinochet’s murder of Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffitt?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy Isn’t The Murder Of An American Boy An Impeachable Offense?

U.S. deploys Predator drones, 100 Air Force personnel to Niger

"The United States has deployed several Predator drones to Niger to fly surveillance missions in support of French forces in Mali, a US defense official said Friday. The unarmed robotic aircraft are flying out of Niamey at a base with a 100-strong contingent of Air Force personnel, the defense official told AFP on condition of anonymity. President Barack Obama announced earlier on Friday that the US troops were sent to the West African country to provide 'support for intelligence collection and will also facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali, and with other partners in the region.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. deploys Predator drones, 100 Air Force personnel to Niger