"Senator John McCain plays poker on his IPhone during a U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing where Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey testify concerning the use of force in Syria, on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, Tuesday, September 3, 2013." Continue reading →
"The careful wording of the government’s statements left room for supporters of military action against Syria to keep pressing for a new vote once US lawmakers have decided. Former international development minister Andrew Mitchell, a member of Cameron’s Conservative party, said nothing should be ruled out. 'It may be, after lengthy and careful consideration, (that) Congress affirms its support for the president’s plans and, in the light of that, our parliament may want to consider this matter further,' he told BBC radio. Cameron suffered the most humiliating defeat of his three years in power when Conservative rebels joined Labour in voting against military action by 285 to 272." Continue reading →
"The war profiteers at Raytheon have seen their stock prices soar in anticipation of the Syrian war. As the Boston Herald reported on August 31st, “The Waltham-based manufacturer of the Tomahawk cruise missiles, expected to be used in any strike on Syria, saw its stock hit a 52-week high last week at $77.93 per share, and has stayed near that high, closing yesterday at $75.41.” Officials like John Kerry argue that this war is somehow a humanitarian response to atrocities by the Assad regime. But the corporations that stand to profit are no humanitarians. To the contrary, they have been involved in some of the most grotesque human rights violations of our time." Continue reading →
"President Obama has broken new ground. He has argued that not only does the U.S. government have the authority to tax Americans to defend every human being on the planet, but that the president can order military intervention for that reason on his authority alone. Unfortunately, this has led many to believe that his decision to wait until Congress debates the intervention is some sort of victory for constitutional government. It’s not. Nowhere in the Constitution is it stated or implied that American taxpayers are financially responsible for the common defense of the whole world. Military operations are not funded by donations. Taxpayers are compelled to pay taxes by force." Continue reading →
"The end of the Cold War did not bring a dismantling of the war apparatus. It found new enemies and new causes. Today, the unwinnable War on Terror virtually guarantees plenty of reasons for more military spending for years to come. The point of this discussion is not necessarily to rail against the military-industrial complex, as much as I hate it. Instead, I want you think about a more radical idea: That the military-industrial complex is now typical of how the American economy works across a breadth of industries." Continue reading →
"The Saudi-Russia-China alliance is designed to break the Egypt-U.S. relationship. The new alliance reflects how U.S. influence is waning in the Middle East. After many decades of driving events in the Middle East — and spending incalculable national treasure — the U.S. is about to lose big. New alliances in Egypt reflect Saudi-Russian-Chinese efforts to help keep hard-line Islam under control. The Saudis fear Brotherhood-style religious fervor. Russia wants to control the spread of hard-line Islam in its southern regions — Chechnya comes to mind — while China has issues with hard-line Islam in its western regions. And the U.S.? There’s no sense of consistency coming from Washington." Continue reading →
"Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood risks political elimination, with the new army-backed government threatening to ban the Islamist organization after launching a fierce crackdown on its supporters that has killed hundreds. Struggling to stamp its authority on Egypt following the ousting last month of President Mohamed Mursi, the country's new rulers have upped the rhetoric, saying the Arab world's most populous nation is at war with terrorism. The crackdown has, however, drawn messages of support from key Arab allies like Saudi Arabia, which have long feared the spread of Brotherhood ideology to the Gulf monarchies." Continue reading →
"So far, army and security police have scored brilliant battlefield victories against unarmed men, women and children, killing and wounding thousands who were demanding a return to democratic government. The latest Cairo protests by supporters of the elected Morsi government have been scattered by gunfire and huge armored bulldozers resembling the giant vehicles used by Israel to smash Palestinian barricades and protesters. All Egyptians opposing the Sisi dictatorship are now officially, 'terrorists.' Egypt’s generals and hard right Mubarakist supporters have ditched any pretense of civilian government and now rely on the bayonet and tank. The men with the guns make the rules." Continue reading →
"Egypt on Sunday expelled three foreign journalists working as freelancers for Al-Jazeera television’s English channel, the state news agency MENA reported. Correspondent Wayne Haye, a New Zealander, South African cameraman Adil Bradlow and Irish producer Russ Finn were arrested last Tuesday while covering the political crisis in Egypt. Police said they did not have press accreditation. The Qatar-based channel said last week: 'There has also been a campaign against Al-Jazeera, in particular, as the channel’s offices were raided last month and security forces seized equipment which has yet to be returned.'" Continue reading →
"A reporter for a local news website has been ordered to give up his notes and name the sources of police investigation reports he used for a series of stories about two grisly Joliet slayings. Journalist shield laws do not allow patch.com reporter Joe Hosey to protect the source who gave him police reports about the January deaths of Eric Glover and Terrance Rankins in a home on Joliet's north side, Judge Gerald Kinney said in a ruling issued Friday. Hosey will have 21 days to turn over all the documents he received and to reveal their source." Continue reading →