Imperial Hubris

State Sponsored Terrorism: Another Anniversary

"August 6 marks the 68th anniversary of a truly horrific example of state sponsored terrorism. It was on this date that the United States government dropped a nuclear bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. This was followed by an even more callous example of state sponsored terrorism three days later, with the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. There was no military reason for these acts of state sponsored terrorism. This military myth has been exposed for the lie that it is. Don’t take my word for it: ask Admiral Leahy and General Eisenhower. That the myth persists is a testament to the indoctrination schemes of public education and mainstream media." Continue reading →

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A Change in the Current

"More and more willingness to challenge the official story lines of enemies, wars, and terror is developing, even in Congress. The warmongers increasingly look like rabid and senseless extremists. The government has made a martyr of Manning, whose courage and endurance are extraordinary. The government has made a fool of itself internationally over Snowden. The critics of Snowden, increasingly shrill and extreme, cannot fend off the truth of vast government overreach. A switch is in the process of being thrown in which the Empire is going on the defensive. It remains to be seen whether this change in the current will become a turn in the tide." Continue reading →

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Eric Margolis: Are We Becoming What We Once Hated?

"In the late 1980’s, an old friend of mine based in Moscow was calling her husband in the USA late one night. She said it was a 'typical dumb husband/wife call,' mostly about a broken garage door. Around midnight, a gruff voice broke into the call. 'This is your KGB listener. This is the most boring, stupid call I’ve ever listened to. Shut up and go to bed!' Ah, those innocent Cold War days. Today, Big Brother listens to your calls, reads your email, and follows your internet searches on silent cat’s feet. China’s Taoists warned, 'you become what you hate.' They are right." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Margolis: Are We Becoming What We Once Hated?

NSA pays £100m in secret funding for GCHQ

"The US government has paid at least £100m to the UK spy agency GCHQ over the last three years to secure access to and influence over Britain's intelligence gathering programmes. The top secret payments are set out in documents which make clear that the Americans expect a return on the investment, and that GCHQ has to work hard to meet their demands. 'GCHQ must pull its weight and be seen to pull its weight,' a GCHQ strategy briefing said. It will raise fears about the hold Washington has over the UK's biggest and most important intelligence agency, and whether Britain's dependency on the NSA has become too great." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA pays £100m in secret funding for GCHQ

Jeffrey Tucker: Thank You, Russia?

"I’m as glad as the next guy that 'we' won the Cold War. But sometimes you just have to wonder: What was the point of those 45 years of nuclear stalemate? All that time, we were told that this was a mighty struggle between individualism and collectivism, between freedom and tyranny, between capitalism and communism. But at the end of the day, once everything has shaken itself out, it is Russia that is providing sanctuary to our best citizens. Is this some sort of strange dystopian novel? Well, yes, and it has a name: Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJeffrey Tucker: Thank You, Russia?

NSA Sings This Land Was Made For You And Me

"The Atlantic Wire reports on the head-scratching and ultimately face-palming presentation made by the NSA to a Senate Judiciary Meeting a couple of days ago. Besides being informed that North America is now just one, big, happy and trendy turquoise family, we learn of '9 threats involving U.S. Persons or Facilities Overseas' (lower left corner of the picture). Does 'involving' mean that we so-called U.S. Persons are under threat, or that we are a threat or, maybe, both simultaneously? Perhaps the NSA can explain since they seem to know more about us than we do. Hey, at least we finally got our name on the map." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA Sings This Land Was Made For You And Me

Russian Orthodox Church: Snowden deals blow to ‘global electronic prison camp’

"Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin has praised Russian authorities for not caving in to pressure from abroad, saying granting Snowden asylum would help prevent the establishment of a ‘global electronic prison camp’. 'It is encouraging news that Russia is demonstrating its independence in this case as it has in many others, despite the pressure' said the head of the Holy Synod’s Department for Relations between the Church and Society. Vsevolod Chaplin added that the Snowden saga has been broadly discussed both on the domestic and international level, with Russia’s position potentially bolstering its image as a country upholding 'the true freedom of ideals.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussian Orthodox Church: Snowden deals blow to ‘global electronic prison camp’

U.S. gives seal of approval to Egypt’s new leaders

"Supporters of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi prepared for confrontation on Friday, and the United States said Egypt’s military had been 'restoring democracy' when it drove him from office. Thousands were gathered in two Muslim Brotherhood camps in Cairo, defying warnings from the new army-backed government to abandon their protest or face action from security forces. Mursi, an Islamist who became Egypt’s first freely-elected president in June 2011, had faced weeks of street demonstrations against his rule. The turmoil has left Egypt more polarized than at any time since U.S.-backed autocrat Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. gives seal of approval to Egypt’s new leaders

Al-Qaeda Backers Found With U.S. Contracts in Afghanistan

"Supporters of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan have been getting U.S. military contracts, and American officials are citing 'due process rights' as a reason not to cancel the agreements, according to an independent agency monitoring spending. The U.S. Army Suspension and Debarment Office has declined to act in 43 such cases, John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said today. 'I am deeply troubled that the U.S. military can pursue, attack, and even kill terrorists and their supporters, but that some in the U.S. government believe we cannot prevent these same people from receiving a government contract,' Sopko said." Continue reading →

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Bankrupt Detroit Receives Less U.S. Aid Than Colombia

"President Barack Obama proposed giving Colombia about $323 million in aid next year, mostly to combat drug trafficking and violence. Detroit, with an 81 percent higher homicide rate, will get $108.2 million. Detroit’s implosion has rekindled debate over how and whether a federal government that managed to provide more than $700 billion in aid to banks and automakers in 2008 and 2009 should help cities with unsustainable retirement debt, hollowed-out tax bases and diminished services that endanger the public. From 1990 to 2010, the percentage of the U.S. population that lives in urban areas grew to 81 percent from 75 percent." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBankrupt Detroit Receives Less U.S. Aid Than Colombia