War & Peace

David Galland: What the Hell Is Wrong with Obama?

"It sure seems like we are following the script set down by the neocons (Kristol, Wolfowitz, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Abrams, et al.) that years ago infiltrated the US military-political complex. This is the 'Might is right' crowd who believe in exercising US power proactively to knock down the dominos of all Middle Eastern countries Israel feels threatened by, with the end goal of remaking the Middle East as a region dominated by friendly democracies (or, in the case of Saudi Arabia, friendly dictatorships). Failing functioning democracies, turning the outcast countries into failed states that pose no real threat to US or Israeli interests." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDavid Galland: What the Hell Is Wrong with Obama?

U.S. Flag Recalled After Causing 143 Million Deaths

"Millions of U.S. flag–related injuries and fatalities have been reported over a 230-year period in locations as far flung as Europe, Cuba, Korea, Gettysburg, PA, the Philippines, and Iraq. In addition, the company found that U.S. flag exports to Vietnam during the late 1960s and early 1970s resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, a clear sign that there was something seriously wrong with its product. Despite fears about the flag's safety—especially when improperly used or manipulated in ways not originally intended—sales continued unabated over the years, potentially putting billions of unsuspecting people in danger." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Flag Recalled After Causing 143 Million Deaths

Jordanians ‘suspicious’ about U.S. troop movements

"Jordanians are suspicious about US weapons and troops being deployed to the kingdom, even if Washington seeks to help its ally protect itself from a possible spillover of Syrian violence, experts say. The United States has kept F-16 warplanes and Patriot missiles in the country since a joint military exercise ended on June 20. A US defence official said Washington has expanded its military presence in the country to 1,000 troops. MP Khalil Atiyeh says lawmakers reject the presence of foreign forces. 'As deputies representing Jordanian people, we do not accept US or any other foreign troops in Jordan. Jordanians do not think there are threats from Syria.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJordanians ‘suspicious’ about U.S. troop movements

Homeland Security Is A Racket Twice Over

"Since the government has created the problem of terrorism while fraudulently denying that it has, and then in building up the DHS has fraudulently offered a non-solution to solve the problem of its own making, the DHS is a racket twice over. Actually, since the DHS's activities actively invade everyone's rights, it is a racket thrice over. None of us would have any expectation of systematic terrorism against Americans in America if there were not a U.S. empire that systematically intrudes in lands where it doesn't belong. Retaliations from these places take time, sometimes decades. The U.S. is breeding new terrorists all the time and in more and more places." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHomeland Security Is A Racket Twice Over

Marine’s 11-year war crimes conviction overturned

"Sergeant Lawrence Hutchins, 29, was jailed six years ago after a court martial found him guilty of orchestrating the murder of a 52-year-old Iraqi man in the town of Hamdania. Hutchins was convicted of leading an eight-strong squad which kidnapped the father of 11 from his home in a night-time raid, frogmarched him to a ditch and shot him. The group then placed an AK-47 and a shovel beside the dead man’s corpse to make it look as if he had been shot while planting a roadside bomb. Lawyers for Hutchins argued investigators had erred when the Marine was held in solitary confinement without access to a lawyer for seven days." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMarine’s 11-year war crimes conviction overturned

How Much Are the NSA and CIA Front Running Markets?

"A 2008 paper by Arindrajit Dube, Ethan Kaplan, and Suresh Naidu (hat tip MS) found evidence that the CIA and/or members of the Executive branch either disclosed or acted on information about top-secret authorizations of coups. Stocks in 'highly exposed' firms rose more in the pre-coup authorization phase than they did when the coup was actually launched. Given the fact that there’s reason to believe that people in the intelligence with access to privileged information weren’t above leaking it to people who could take advantage of it, why should we expect things to be different now?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Much Are the NSA and CIA Front Running Markets?

Joint Chiefs: Army reviewing rules of engagement over cyber threat

"Dempsey said that since his appointment as head of the Joint Chiefs in 2011 'intrusions into our critical infrastructure have increased 17-fold.' Some 4,000 cyber-security experts would join the ranks over the next four years, while some $23 billion would be spent on tackling the threat. Dempsey said Cybercom was now organized in three divisions. One team was in charge of countering enemy attacks, another was tasked with offering regional support while a third was responsible for protecting some 15,000 US military computer networks. In addition, the military now had a manual which allowed it to cooperate with Homeland Security and the FBI." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJoint Chiefs: Army reviewing rules of engagement over cyber threat

Judge throws out Abu Ghraib detainees’ torture case citing jurisdiction

"U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee in Alexandria, Virginia said he lacked jurisdiction to hear claims brought by the four Iraqi plaintiffs under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), and separate claims by one plaintiff that he said were barred under Iraqi law. Lee ruled eight months after Engility Holdings Inc, a spinoff of L-3 Communications Holdings Inc, paid $5.28 million to settle similar claims. Photos depicting abuse of Abu Ghraib detainees emerged in 2004. While no contractors were charged, some detainees accused their workers in lawsuits of physical and sexual abuse, inflicting electric shocks, and conducting mock executions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge throws out Abu Ghraib detainees’ torture case citing jurisdiction

Object of Intrigue: Mickey Mouse Gas Mask

"About 1,000 of them were made by the Sun Rubber Company, each with glass eyes staring out from the cartoonish face connected to an air filter. Since chemical warfare never made it to the United States in World War II, they weren't used, but in England there was a British version that used bright red and blue colors to attract children. It was also called a 'Mickey Mouse' gas mask, although had nothing to do with the character. Instead the name was supposed to be part of the 'game' to get children to wear them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObject of Intrigue: Mickey Mouse Gas Mask

Juan Cole: Top Ten Ways US TV News are Screwing us Again on NSA Surveillance Story (Iraq Redux)

"US television news is a danger to the security of the United States. First, it is so oriented to ratings that it cannot afford to do unpopular reports. Second, it is so oriented toward the halls of power inside the Beltway that it is unable to examine government allegations critically. US television news was an unrelieved cheering section for the launching of the illegal and disastrous Iraq War. Now, corporate television news is repeating this shameful performance with regard to the revelations by Edward Snowden of massive, unconstitutional government surveillance of Americans’ electronic communications. The full failure to do proper journalism was on display on Sunday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJuan Cole: Top Ten Ways US TV News are Screwing us Again on NSA Surveillance Story (Iraq Redux)