Imperial Hubris

Pre-election Bin Laden raid film will feature extra Obama footage

"A film about the killing of Osama bin Laden which will air two nights before the US presidential election has been re-edited to feature more footage of Barack Obama, prompting accusations Hollywood is trying to swing the vote. Harvey Weinstein, a studio head and prominent Democrat who has contributed to the president’s campaign, tweaked the film, Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden, to broaden Obama’s role." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPre-election Bin Laden raid film will feature extra Obama footage

President Romney Can Thank Obama for His Permanent Robotic Death List

"It’s a good thing that Mitt Romney endorsed President Obama’s counterterrorism agenda. Should he win the election in two weeks, Romney will inherit an institutionalized, bureaucratic machine for using lethal robots to target and kill suspected terrorists and their allies. Killing Osama bin Laden was a one-time event; this 'Disposition Matrix' is Barack Obama’s real national-security legacy. Despite bin Laden’s death and the supposed disruption of al-Qaida’s old leadership, the Matrix keeps adding names, as fast or faster than the drones drop bodies." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPresident Romney Can Thank Obama for His Permanent Robotic Death List

Romney on drones: ‘Use any and all means necessary to take out’ enemies

"I believe we should use any and all means necessary to take out people who pose a threat to us and our friends around the world. And it’s widely reported that drones are being used in drone strikes, and I support that and entirely, and feel the president was right to up the usage of that technology, and believe that we should continue to use it, to continue to go after the people that represent a threat to this nation and to our friends.” Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRomney on drones: ‘Use any and all means necessary to take out’ enemies

Romney on drones: ‘Use any and all means necessary to take out’ enemies

"I believe we should use any and all means necessary to take out people who pose a threat to us and our friends around the world. And it’s widely reported that drones are being used in drone strikes, and I support that and entirely, and feel the president was right to up the usage of that technology, and believe that we should continue to use it, to continue to go after the people that represent a threat to this nation and to our friends.” Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRomney on drones: ‘Use any and all means necessary to take out’ enemies

Kuwaitis protest electoral law changes

"Police in Kuwait have used teargas, stun grenades and baton charges to disperse tens of thousands of demonstrators protesting against changes to the electoral law, which the opposition has called a 'constitutional coup' by the government. Protesters gathered in various parts of the capital, Kuwait City, to march towards the government's headquarters, but riot police swiftly surrounded some groups and used teargas and stun grenades to disperse them. The government - which is dominated by the ruling al-Sabah family - announced last week it was calling elections for December 1 and would change the electoral law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKuwaitis protest electoral law changes

US Behind Turkish Downing of Syrian Passenger Plane

"According to unnamed US officials, it was American intelligence agencies that were behind Turkey’s decision to force down a Syrian passenger plane last week, to follow up on US suspicions that the plane had Russian military hardware aboard. Russian officials insist all that was on board were 'dual use' radar parts. Officials now concede that they have been talking with Turkey about the idea of attacking Syria to impose a 'no-fly zone.' No decision has been made, and such a move would be an act of war, one likely to spark a major reaction from Russia and China, two close allies of Syria." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Behind Turkish Downing of Syrian Passenger Plane

U.S. military judge: ‘Torture’ is not ‘relevant’ in Guantanamo cases

"Five alleged al-Qaeda conspirators accused of aiding the 9/11 hijackers all say they were tortured for years while in CIA custody, but sitting in a military courtroom on Monday, they all heard a judge insist that 'torture' is not 'relevant' to their cases. Critics of the Bush administration’s torture program have long argued that it could taint prosecutions with evidence obtained under duress, which is exactly what defense attorneys have argued on behalf of defendants Walid bin Attash, Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, and alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. military judge: ‘Torture’ is not ‘relevant’ in Guantanamo cases

U.S. ‘influenced British government’s decision to introduce secret courts’

"The government argues that CMPs are needed to prevent courtroom disclosure of sensitive evidence from causing damage to the so-called 'control principle' governing intelligence shared between states. Secret evidence, which is already used in terrorism-related immigration tribunals, allows government lawyers to rely on evidence that cannot be seen by victims or claimants, or their lawyers. The evidence can be seen by security-vetted barristers known as special advocates, but they cannot discuss what they have seen. The system is widely regarded as inherently unfair and would inevitably lead to legal challenges." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. ‘influenced British government’s decision to introduce secret courts’

West-Backed Christian Holocaust in Syria

"After the US invasion of Iraq, some 300,000 Christians fled that 'liberated' country for Syria — one of the few places in the Middle East where Christians could feel safe and go about their lives unmolested. US/Saudi/Qatari/Israeli-supported 'freedom fighters' — who as German intelligence finds are as much as 95 percent non-Syrian — are putting an end to that, threatening to completely eradicate a Christian population that goes back to the time of Christ. What do American Christians do? Cheer on the rebels as they kill Christians left and right in Syria because their government tells them they are 'freedom fighters.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWest-Backed Christian Holocaust in Syria