State Terrorism

Gaza, an impoverished and besieged sliver of land

"Some 1.6 million Palestinians live in the cramped territory spread over 362 square kilometres (140 square miles) along the Mediterranean, making it one of the most densely populated parts of the world. The economic and humanitarian situation in the enclave has been precarious since Israel imposed an economic embargo after Hamas seized power in 2007. Under its blockade, Israel controls all goods entering the Gaza Strip, except those smuggled through tunnels under the border with Egypt. The blockade also involves a blanket ban on all weapons and munitions." Continue reading →

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Fayette man accuses police in Roane County of brutalizing him

"According to the Roane Magistrate Clerk’s Office, Fields on Dec. 29 was charged with false pretenses, conspiracy to commit a felony, obstructing an officer and fleeing on foot. Citing technical defects in the criminal complaint, Magistrate Jason D. Bennett dismissed the charges on March 30. As a result of his encounter with Williams, Bragg and Smith, who are named as co-defendants in the suit, Fields says he suffered a broken right orbital bone, nose, teeth, and injuries to his abdomen and genitals that has caused him, among other things, 'pain and suffering, mental and emotional anguish, humiliation and embarrassment.'" Continue reading →

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Top 10 Cases of Police Brutality

"Power-hungry people who haven’t been given the chance to beat up other people before can sometimes be attracted to the profession. For every few good cops who save lives and go the extra mile, there’s a bad cop who the department turns a blind eye to. Thanks to better monitoring technology and an active online community of activists and civil rights defenders, police brutality is being exposed on a daily basis. Here are ten of the top incidents that hit the media." Continue reading →

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Americans protest against US terror drone attacks

"A group of American activists have staged a protest outside the CIA headquarters to voice their anger against Washington’s ongoing use of terror drone attacks. The use of terror drones as a weapon of war is an isolated method, raising many ethical questions in addition to political and legal concerns. The UN has condemned the US assassination drone strikes, saying they pose a challenge to international law. Hundreds of people have been killed in drone attacks in northwestern Pakistan's tribal areas since the beginning of this year. In Yemen, over 300 people have been killed in the airstrikes in the southern regions of the country so far in 2012." Continue reading →

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Syria’s Assad to West: ‘I Am Tougher Than Gaddafi’

"Bashar al-Assad has taken to the Russian airwaves to tell the world that he’s in Syria to stay—and to warn the West and its allies of dire consequences if they try to force him from power. There have been predictions that the reelection of U.S. President Barack Obama might pave the way for more aggressive American action. Members of Syria’s notoriously fractured opposition are convened in Doha this week as part of a U.S.-sponsored effort to create a new and improved body that would be a more credible partner for foreign governments in providing the rebellion with support." Continue reading →

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Obama Bombs Yemen Hours After Winning Reelection

"Not even a full day had passed before newly reelected President Obama ordered another drone strike in Yemen. 'A U.S. drone strike targeted a group of al-Qaida militants on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Wednesday night, killing at least three terrorists, government officials said.' The drone war violates both domestic and international law, and the Obama administration’s vehement disdain for transparency in government is the only thing keeping it from public and legal scrutiny. Beyond the law, it’s terrorism." Continue reading →

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The Dilemma of False Terrorism

"Anyone who challenges the authority of the state (and thus the money power that stands behind it and controls it) is at risk for being labeled a terrorist. This explains why US prosecutors can label von NotHaus a terrorist. The term is merely a convenient nomenclature. It has been purposefully 'evolved' so that an extracurricular judicial system can be brought into effect. Simply by redefining definitions over time − and manufacturing events to buttress the terminology − the elites have been able to bring into being a new class of felon (the terrorist) and a new and oppressive judicial system, as well. The purpose is intimidation." Continue reading →

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US and the Chalabi-ization of Syria

"Concerned that US/Saudi/Israeli/Qatari-supported al-Qaeda rebels in Syria look too much like, well, al-Qaeda members, the US has announced that it prefers to create a whole new opposition in Syria. If what is claimed by the US administration and is amplified in the subservient Western press is true -- that the vast majority of the Syrian people are fighting with or supporting those seeking to overthrow the Syrian government -- why on earth would it be necessary for the United States Department of State to gather its allies together in Qatar to create a Syrian opposition?" Continue reading →

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NATO kills four children in Afghan East: Karzai

"Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday condemned a NATO operation that he said killed four children in the country's east, a claim the coalition said was possible. The operation took place in the Baraki Barak district of Logar province on Saturday, a statement released by Karzai's office said, adding: 'It resulted in the killing of four innocent children' who were tending to livestock." Continue reading →

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Glenn Greenwald: Joe Klein’s sociopathic defense of drone killings of children

"Obama has led all sorts of progressives and other Democrats to be the most vocal supporters of unrestrained aggression, secret assassinations, and 'crippling' the Iranian people with sanctions. It is completely unsurprising that the most sociopathic defense of drones comes from one of the most committed Obama supporters, and that it's now left to a former GOP Congressman to raise objections. As much as anything, that is the Obama legacy. Those who cheer for the unchecked power to assassinate in secret because it's Obama who currently wields that power will be the ones fully responsible for future abuses." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Joe Klein’s sociopathic defense of drone killings of children