Resistance

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

CIA demands more drones

"CIA Director David Petraeus is urging the White House to expand the agency's drone fleet, insisting it will allow the agency to carry on with its missions in Pakistan, Yemen and North Africa. The Pentagon is also planning to increase its inventory by 35% in the future. So in total the US has 791 operational drone right now and is planning to buy another 732. Are those military machines really necessary? Lieutenant Col. Anthony Schaffer of Advanced Defense Studies joins RT's Meghan Lopez." Continue reading →

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CIA chiefs face arrest over horrific evidence of bloody ‘video-game’ sorties by drone pilots

"The Mail on Sunday today reveals shocking new evidence of the full horrific impact of US drone attacks in Pakistan. A damning dossier assembled from exhaustive research into the strikes’ targets sets out in heartbreaking detail the deaths of teachers, students and Pakistani policemen. It also describes how bereaved relatives are forced to gather their loved ones’ dismembered body parts in the aftermath of strikes. It is set to trigger a formal murder investigation by police into the roles of two US officials said to have ordered the strikes. They are Jonathan Banks, former head of the CIA’s Islamabad station, and John A. Rizzo, the CIA’s former chief lawyer." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA chiefs face arrest over horrific evidence of bloody ‘video-game’ sorties by drone pilots

No-Fly List Strands Man In Hawaii

"The 34-year-old from Gulfport, Miss., was stranded in the islands this week after being told he was on the FBI's no-fly list during a layover for a military flight from California to Japan. The episode left Hicks scrambling to figure out how he'd get home from Hawaii without being able to fly. How could someone on a list intelligence officials use to inform counterterrorism investigations successfully fly standby on an Air Force flight? He wasn't told why and wondered whether his controversial views on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks played a role. Hicks said he disagrees with the 9/11 Commission's conclusions about the attacks." Continue reading →

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Ben Affleck Defends TSA ‘Dick Grabbing’

"During a recent appearance on Bill Maher's Real Time, actor Ben Affleck defended the TSA's policy of grabbing people's genitals. Affleck probably isn't too fussed about what the TSA do because he is driven straight to the runway to board his private jet - he doesn't even have to go through TSA security!" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBen Affleck Defends TSA ‘Dick Grabbing’

‘Fusion centers’ spark security controversy

"The federal government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help establish more than 70 such 'fusion centers' throughout the country. The idea was for the centers to serve as a domestic information-sharing network that would help local, state and federal law enforcement agencies better collaborate to prevent a future attack. But a two-year inquiry released earlier this month questions the value of such centers saying they’ve provided irrelevant, useless or inappropriate information that, in some instances, threatened people’s constitutional rights." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Fusion centers’ spark security controversy

TSA removes X-ray body scanners from major airports

"The Transportation Security Administration has been quietly removing its X-ray body scanners from major airports over the last few weeks and replacing them with machines that radiation experts believe are safer. The TSA says it made the decision not because of safety concerns but to speed up checkpoints at busier airports. The United States remains one of the only countries in the world to X-ray passengers for airport screening. The European Union prohibited the backscatters last year 'in order not to risk jeopardizing citizens’ health and safety.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTSA removes X-ray body scanners from major airports

Italy’s Political Scandals Rattle Public Trust

"Many of the current scandals have their origins in a 2001 law meant to promote greater federalism and, theoretically, more local accountability. The measure, which handed out generous state financing without requiring that the regions raise much money on their own, backfired badly, fostering reckless spending throughout the country. With the creation of Italy’s provinces in 1970, and especially in the years after 2001, the cost of regional governments exploded. The salaries of Italy’s 1,113 regional lawmakers expanded as well, to $4,000 to $6,500 a month, and often double that with added benefits." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingItaly’s Political Scandals Rattle Public Trust

British ‘End of Life’ Panels Are Bad News for Everyone

"General practitioners are being encouraged by the Government Department of Health to make lists of people who they believe are not going to live long. But that's not all. There are other unmistakable statements in the report that make it clear the mandate to provide end-of-life care is going to be aggressively implemented throughout the British state-run health care system. Death programs are like any other government service, actually. They will be continually expanded and made more complex to ensure the expansion of the departments in question. Eventually, people could die simply to ensure that a department meets certain quotas." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBritish ‘End of Life’ Panels Are Bad News for Everyone

Detained Man Burned Alive After Being Left Unattended In Police Car for 15 Minutes

"Man arrested for a brawl suffered serious burns while sitting handcuffed inside the police car. Later he died in hospital. Andrei Slesarev was arrested during the celebration of his birthday. He got drunk and raised hell at home. His family called the police and the local police patrol detained the brawler. However, few hours later the family of Slesarev received bad news – the man died in the burn intensive care unit of the city hospital. The cause of death was absolutely incomprehensible." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDetained Man Burned Alive After Being Left Unattended In Police Car for 15 Minutes