Pepe Escobar: The Syria-Iran red line show

"US defense contractors had the Moet flowing as Hagel merrily congregated with that prodigy of democracy - United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed - to celebrate the sale of 25 F-16 fighter jets. There's more on the way; 48 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD missile interceptors, at a cool US$1 billion. The Pentagon is sending one of its only two of such systems to Guam this month to counter that other threat - missiles from North Korea. Obama in Syria is fast becoming a remix of Reagan in 1980s Afghanistan. We all know what came out of those 'freedom fighters' afterwards." Continue reading

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: The Syria-Iran red line show

Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus military site, city’s airport – reports

"Strong blasts hit the outskirts of Syria’s capital early on Sunday, with reports saying that they were results of Israeli airstrikes on a military research center and Damascus Airport. Israel is thought to have carried out a similar attack days ago. Syrian TV accused Israel of the attack and of being in alignment with rebel forces. The notion was backed by Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who said the attack proved that there is an alliance between Israel and Islamists trying to topple the Syrian government." Continue reading

Continue ReadingIsraeli airstrikes hit Damascus military site, city’s airport – reports

New York Times Tells Truth About Syria; Neo-Cons Unfazed

"'Nowhere in rebel-controlled Syria is there a secular fighting force to speak of.' The conclusion to this revelation is not, unfortunately, 'stop arming the non-existent secularists.' Steven Heydemann at the Orwellian war-promoting United States Institute of Peace sums up the view, as quoted in the Times story: 'The challenge, he said, is to end the conflict before the opportunity to create a system of governance not based on militant Islamic law is lost.' In other words, the United States Institute of Peace, in its appropriately post-apocalyptic mega-church looking $183 million dollar new building, urges the US to change the regime in Syria as quickly as possible!" Continue reading

Continue ReadingNew York Times Tells Truth About Syria; Neo-Cons Unfazed

Israel Attacks Syria — US Next?

"Today it is reported that Israel has bombed Syrian territory, this time apparently attacking Syrian government facilities. Israel violated Lebanese airspace at least 16 times to deliver its bombs on Syrian government targets, according to the report. This was no retaliation for Syrian army attacks on Israeli territory, as the only aggression against Israel from Syria came earlier in March when the insurgents fired into Israel from the Golan Heights hoping to provoke an Israeli response against Syria, which it did." Continue reading

Continue ReadingIsrael Attacks Syria — US Next?

Former Bush official: Syria chemical weapons could be ‘Israeli false flag operation’

"Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, the former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell under President George W. Bush, on Thursday warned that the chemical weapons that were reportedly used in Syria could be a 'Israeli false flag operation' because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was running an 'inept regime.' Wilkerson explained that he had been told by his sources in the intelligence community that evidence that Syria had used chemical weapons was 'really flaky' and that President Barack Obama should think twice before intervening. 'This could have been an Israeli false flag operation,' he said." Continue reading

Continue ReadingFormer Bush official: Syria chemical weapons could be ‘Israeli false flag operation’

Pentagon considers arming Syrian rebels again

"The United States is taking a fresh look at whether to provide weapons to Syria’s rebels after having rejected the idea previously, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday. At a news conference with his British counterpart Philip Hammond, Hagel was asked if the US government was rethinking its opposition to arming the rebels and replied: 'Yes.' After the White House acknowledged last week that US intelligence agencies believe the Syrian regime may have used chemical weapons on a small-scale, speculation has mounted that President Barack Obama could reverse his opposition to arming the rebels." Continue reading

Continue ReadingPentagon considers arming Syrian rebels again

Michael Scheuer: Limbaugh, Levin, and Hannity eager to see more dead Americans

"You will never hear directly from the mouths of Rush, Mark, and Sean what they are implicitly telling Americans; that is, that they hate virtually everything the Founding Fathers thought and prescribed for U.S. foreign policy — in short hand, do not stick your nose in other peoples’ affairs in which you have no interest — and that they do not mind how many Americans get killed as long as Washington keeps pursuing the interventionist foreign policy they believe benefits their friends overseas and their benefactors at home." Continue reading

Continue ReadingMichael Scheuer: Limbaugh, Levin, and Hannity eager to see more dead Americans

Pentagon Confirms Court Martial Threat To Soldiers Who Share Christian Faith

"The Pentagon has released a statement confirming that soldiers could be prosecuted for promoting their faith: 'Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense...Court martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis...'. The statement, released to Fox News, follows a Breitbart News report on Obama administration Pentagon appointees meeting with anti-Christian extremist Mikey Weinstein to develop court-martial procedures to punish Christians in the military who express or share their faith." Continue reading

Continue ReadingPentagon Confirms Court Martial Threat To Soldiers Who Share Christian Faith

The history of the requirement that U.S. citizens use U.S. passports to travel

"This requirement traces its roots all the way back to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. However, it’s worth remembering two rather amusing facts about the law as it originally stood: it only required United States citizens to bear a 'valid passport' and not a 'valid United States passport', and it only applied in time of war or national emergency. In 1994, a 'technical amendment' added the requirement that the passport used by a U.S. citizen to enter the United States be a U.S. passport. The restriction that the harsh passport control laws would only apply in wartime was removed by the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1979." Continue reading

Continue ReadingThe history of the requirement that U.S. citizens use U.S. passports to travel

Female soldier gets jail time for fleeing to Canada

"A US soldier and pregnant mother of four has been sentenced to 10 months in military prison for refusing to serve in Iraq and fleeing to Canada. Pfc. Kimberly Rivera, 30, on Monday plead guilty to two counts of desertion for avoiding her second tour in Iraq. The Army private had served in Iraq in 2006, and deserted during her two-week leave in the US in 2007. She fled with her husband and children to Canada in protest of what she called an 'illegal and immoral war' – a war that she said she became disillusioned with." Continue reading

Continue ReadingFemale soldier gets jail time for fleeing to Canada