Imperial Hubris

Surveying the wreckage of torpedoed Swiss-US tax deal

"Following parliament’s rejection of a deal to solve the United States tax evasion dispute, there are grave doubts in both Switzerland and the US that serious damage to the Swiss financial system can be prevented. Switzerland’s lead negotiator, Michael Ambühl, already painted a bleak picture of life without a US agreement during an address back in February. 'Whether we like it or not, the US has the ability to destabilize the entire Swiss financial centre by taking measures against Swiss banks,' he said. It is believed that the DoJ already has some 14 other Swiss or Swiss-based banks in its legal cross hairs, including Credit Suisse, Pictet and several cantonal banks." Continue reading →

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Who Are These ‘Bankers’ Ecuador Keeps Referencing?

"Roberto and William Isaias Dassum were the president and vice president of Filanbanco, Ecuador's largest bank. In the late '90s, Ecuador descended into a severe banking crisis, so it pumped $1.16 billion into Filanbanco to keep it afloat. That failed and, according to the government of Ecuador, the Dassums fled to Miami after allegedly embezzling millions. Ecuador was asking the U.S. to confiscate about $20 million worth of assets the Dassums allegedly have in Miami. The U.S. court refused Ecuador's request. What's more, to allow Ecuador to confiscate property in the U.S. would 'signify a substantial deviation from U.S. law and policy.'" Continue reading →

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Gulf Arab youth get around segregation with smartphone flirting

"In the United Arab Emirates and all across the conservative Gulf countries, dating is unacceptable among nationals while arranged marriages are the norm. By switching on WhosHere, a smartphone application which is popular in the kingdom, a young man sitting at the men’s section of the cafeteria could contact girls sitting in the families’ section. Before such applications, men would throw at the girls pieces of paper with their telephone numbers scribbled on them. But the Saudi telecom authority warned in March that it would ban applications like Skype and WhatsApp if providers failed to allow authorities access to censor content, according to an industry source." Continue reading →

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Snowden’s Hasty Exit Started With Pizza Inside a Hong Kong Hideout

"Mr. Snowden wore a cap and sunglasses and insisted that the assembled lawyers hide their cellphones in the refrigerator of the home where he was staying, to block any eavesdropping. Then began a two-hour conversation during which Mr. Snowden was deeply dismayed to learn that he could spend years in prison without access to a computer during litigation over whether he would be granted asylum here or surrendered to the United States. Staying cooped up in the cramped Hong Kong home of a local supporter was less bothersome to Mr. Snowden than the prospect of losing his computer." Continue reading →

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Snowden vs. the Soyuz

"Russian drones aren’t plying the skies above distant countries, raining death and terror on helpless neighborhoods. Putin the ex-KGB chief doesn’t have Tuesday meetings to authorize summary executions on the basis of a 'Kill List' compiled by anonymous and unaccountable functionaries. Moscow doesn’t provide arms, training, and support to terrorist groups in Syria, Iran, and elsewhere; that’s Washington’s gig. And since September 2001 it has Washington, not Moscow, that employs the services of KGB-trained secret police in countries like Uzbekistan and Syria." Continue reading →

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Why Is No One Listening to the US Government?

"When Snowden reports on his government’s abuses, however, he is charged with espionage – of aiding the enemy. But who is the enemy? Likewise, the US media dutifully repeats attacks on Snowden by US politicians for seeking asylum in countries whose media does not get a clean bill of health from the US State Department. The irony of such a position escapes the US mainstream media, which has long ago traded real investigative reporting for reading out government talking points. So the US government finds itself powerless to demand that the rest of the world do as it demands. It attacks at home that which it promotes overseas." Continue reading →

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Ron Paul: The Death of Daniel Somers

"The numbers sadly tell the story: more military suicides than combat deaths in 2012, some 22 military veterans take their lives every day, nearly 30 percent of veterans treated by the VA have PTSD. We should be saddened but not shocked when we see the broken men and women return from battles overseas. We should be angry with those who send them to suffer and die in unnecessary wars. We should be angry with those who send them to kill so many people overseas for no purpose whatsoever. We should be afraid of the consequences of such a foolish and dangerous foreign policy." Continue reading →

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Edward Snowden: Master of Realpolitik

"Snowden is simply doing what states do all the time, which is to engage in realpolitik in pursuit of their own interests. Why is it immoral for Snowden to play the Russian regime against the American one, when it is moral for the American regime to pit the Syrian 'rebels' (who eat the internal organs of their victims) against the Syrian regime? Over the years, the United States has allied itself with an endless list of mass murderers ranging from Stalin to Pol Pot to Pinochet and Saddam Hussein. But Snowden lived in China for a little while! What a horrible guy!" Continue reading →

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Paul Craig Roberts: Washington Is Driving The World To The Final War

"It is not possible for a true patriot to support a government that destroys the Constitution. The United States is the Constitution. Our country is not the Obama regime, the Bush regime, or some other administration. Our country is the Constitution. The Constitution is our country. Beyond obligations to one’s own country, all humans have a responsibility to human life itself. Washington’s puppet states, such as the NATO countries, Japan, and Colombia, by providing cover and support for Washington’s aggression are enabling Washington to drive the world into World War III." Continue reading →

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Biden calls Ecuador’s president about NSA leaker Snowden

"Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa on Saturday said Vice President Joe Biden had called him to urge the South American country to deny an asylum request from National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, according to reports. Correa added that no decision would be made on the asylum request unless Snowden was on Ecuadorian territory and said that the admitted leaker would 'have to assume his own responsibilities' for his actions. Correa disclosed the phone call from Biden during a television interview in Ecuador. National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said Biden and Correa spoke on Friday, but would not provide more details." Continue reading →

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