War & Peace

Brazil hackers accidentally attack NASA as payback for NSA surveillance

"Hackers have hit back in retaliation for US cyber-spying on Brazil but mistook the US space agency NASA for the National Security Agency (NSA), a news website reported here Tuesday. 'Some activists decided to protest this US practice but it seems that they picked the wrong target,' a specialized blog of the Brazilian news portal Uol said. 'They hacked NASA’s web page and left the message: Stop spying on us,' it said. The hackers’ message also called on the United States not to attack Syria. A NASA spokesman confirmed that a Brazilian hacker group last week posted a political message on a number of NASA websites." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBrazil hackers accidentally attack NASA as payback for NSA surveillance

Senators want to ban Russian Banks from the United States over Syria

"In a joint letter, the senators urged Secretary Lew to enforce sanctions that prevent Russian banks that have propped up the Syrian government from doing business in the United States. 'Russian bank support violates international sanctions by enabling Syria to pay for imports and receive funds for exports. This assistance eases much of the financial burden on the Assad regime, allowing it to continue military purchases and pay the soldiers that sustain the war in Syria,' the senators wrote. 'It is now more critical than ever that you swiftly designate those financial institutions that have profited from violating sanctions to prop up the Syrian regime.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenators want to ban Russian Banks from the United States over Syria

Continuity of Operations – Wikipedia

"The George W. Bush administration put the Continuity of Operations plan into effect for the first time directly following the September 11 attacks. The Bush administration did not acknowledge the implementation of the COG plan until March 1, 2002. On July 18, 2007, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), a member of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, requested the classified and more detailed version of the government's continuity of government plan in a letter signed by him and the chairperson of the House Homeland Committee, which is supposed to have access to confidential government information. The president refused to provide the information." Continue reading →

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First Syria rebels armed and trained by CIA ‘on way to battlefield’

"The first cell of Syrian rebels trained and armed by the CIA is making its way to the battlefield, President Barack Obama has reportedly told senators. During a meeting at the White House, the president assured Senator John McCain that after months of delay the US was meeting its commitment to back moderate elements of the opposition. Mr Obama said that a 50-man cell, believed to have been trained by US special forces in Jordan, was making its way across the border into Syria, according to the New York Times. The deployment of the rebel unit seems to be the first tangible measure of support since Mr Obama announced in June that the US would begin providing the opposition with small arms." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFirst Syria rebels armed and trained by CIA ‘on way to battlefield’

Obama waives anti-terrorism provisions to arm Syrian rebels

"The Obama administration waived provisions of a federal law which ban the supply of weapons and money to terrorists. The move is opening doors to supplying Syrian opposition with protection from chemical weapons. The Arms Export Control Act (AECA) allows the US president to waive provisions in Sections 40 and 40A, which forbid providing munitions, credit and licenses to countries supporting acts of terrorism. But those prohibitions can be waived 'if the President determines that the transaction is essential to the national security interests of the United States.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama waives anti-terrorism provisions to arm Syrian rebels

McCain says he feels ‘lonely’ on Syria stance

"Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said his role as one of the few vocal advocates for a U.S. military strike against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Syria left him feeling isolated by his peers. 'It has felt a little lonely from time to time,' McCain said Monday on MSNBC’s 'Morning Joe.' But McCain said he was advocating for a noble cause, and pointed to former President Harry Truman, who endured a low public approval rating during the Korean War. 'If Harry Truman had bowed to public opinion the world would be a very different place had we lost to Korea,' McCain said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMcCain says he feels ‘lonely’ on Syria stance

Alan Grayson unloads on “warmongering” and “hubris”

"I have the benefit of knowing what the U.S. military plans are. Members on both sides are extremely well-informed about this. Most of us have been to multiple briefings, in some cases classified briefings. It’s not that people need more information, you know, we’ve got plenty. And what we’re seeing is an extremely risky and fruitless undertaking. I have the sense that the Administration is suffering from some degree of hubris. They claim to know the future reactions of the Syrians, the Russians, the Iranians, Hezbollah. They claim to be able to micromanage this 'unbelievably small' attack. In a way it’s reminiscent of Johnson choosing bombing targets in Vietnam. We all know how that ended up." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAlan Grayson unloads on “warmongering” and “hubris”

Students say they will continue protesting ‘war criminal’ David Petraeus

"Students at the City University of New York have said they will continue protesting against David Petraeus and pledged to 'make his time in New York a living hell' after a video emerged showing the former general being hounded as he left the university on Monday. Petraeus, who served as commanding general in Iraq, overseeing all coalition forces in the country, is teaching a course titled 'Are We On the Threshold of the North American Decade?' Hunter College professor Sandor John, who helped organise the protest, told CNN that 'a lot of our students are from countries that have been targeted by the United States'. He added: 'We don’t want someone like him on campus.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStudents say they will continue protesting ‘war criminal’ David Petraeus

U.S. was ‘hair’s breadth’ from detonating nuclear bomb over North Carolina

"Days after the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961, the American military came within a 'hair’s breadth' of detonating a nuclear explosion over North Carolina. A pair of Mark 29 hydrogen bombs — each of which was 250 times more powerful than the bomb that leveled Hiroshima — were accidentally deployed when the B-52 hauling them went into an uncontrolled spin. One of them fell to the ground unarmed, but the failsafe mechanisms in the other underwent a cascade of failure. Had the bomb exploded, the lethal fallout would have spread across the Eastern Seaboard, blanketing New York and Washington D.C." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. was ‘hair’s breadth’ from detonating nuclear bomb over North Carolina

French navy intercepts Syrian ship carrying 20 tons of marijuana

"The French navy said Thursday it had made a record cannabis seizure in the Mediterranean sea after intercepting a ship carrying 20 tonnes of cannabis worth up to 50 million euros. 'To the best of our knowledge it is the biggest seizure by the French state in the Mediterranean,' vice-admiral Yves Joly told a news conference in Toulon. The market value of the cannabis was 'between 40 and 50 million euros ($53 and 66 million),' said regional customs head Hugues-Lionel Galy. The eight-member crew, who claimed to be Syrians, set the cannabis on fire and a part of the clandestine cargo was destroyed. The men will be tried in France and could face up to 10 years in prison, if convicted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrench navy intercepts Syrian ship carrying 20 tons of marijuana