War & Peace

Fmr. Pres. Candidate Michael Badnarik Weighs in on Rush to War w/ Syria

"John Kerry and John McCain would have been on opposite sides of a war debate 40 years ago. Today, they stand together with the president supporting a military strike on Syria. Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky took the Secretary of State to task for his viewpoints on the future of Syria. This was just a few days after former Democratic lawmaker Dennis Kucinich said President Obama may face impeachment if he attacks Syria without Congressional authorization. Matt Drudge, normally a well-known conservative, tweeted that there is no difference between the parties. The publisher of the Drudge Report stated that politics is now 'Authoritarian vs. Libertarian.'" Continue reading →

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Can America Win A War In Syria?

"In 2006, Israel was powerless to impose its rules of warfare on Hezbollah. Israel’s model of victory was expelling Hezbollah, but Hezbollah’s model of victory was simply surviving; their victory they achieved to Israel’s shame. In 2013, America risks being put in Israel’s pre-conflict position, except for one great difference. Assad is the Syrian state. He is not a shadowy nation in a host state, like Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, like the Summer War of 2006, America is in no position to accomplish the objective of stopping Assad’s use of chemical weapons on all three levels of military campaign planning: the (1) Tactical, (2) Operational, and (3) Strategic levels." Continue reading →

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Chauvinists and Other Anti-Peace Voices

"We cannot even take a baby step toward peace without these neocon warmongers trying to shove us back into the 'Fight the dirty un-American commie bastards' mode of thinking. What a bunch of chauvinists (jingoists, nationalists) these guys are. The most amazing of all reactions comes from the Syrian rebel coalition. They 'announce our definitive rejection of the Russian initiative to place chemical weapons under international custody.' I find this amusing. The group that Kerry-Obama supports with arms and military training, the group that Obama-Kerry were willing to bomb for in the name of curtailing chemicals in warfare, that group rejects a huge Syrian government concession to give up its chemicals." Continue reading →

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John Yoo’s Anti-Constitution Beliefs

"I have yet to read anything by law professor John Yoo that I do not strongly contest. This would not be worthy of mention except that he has occupied high and influential positions in the U.S. Department of Justice. His positions on torture, enemy combatants (Guantanamo), surveillance and presidential powers to make war, even if they have come under strong attack, had a lot of influence. Basically, if he had his way, the president would be an elected dictator who would not have to pay any attention to important parts of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights." Continue reading →

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United States military deployments – Wikipedia

"The military of the United States is deployed in more than 150 countries around the world, with 172,966 of its 1,372,522[1]active-duty personnel serving outside the United States and its territories. Most of these overseas personnel are deployed in combat zones in the Middle east, as part of the War on Terror. The following are countries, listed by region, in which U.S. military personnel are deployed. The most current numbers are based on United States Department of Defense statistics as of December 31, 2012.[1] These numbers do not include any military or civilian contractors or dependents. Countries with fewer than 75 U.S. personnel deployed are omitted." Continue reading →

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UN report: Afghan insurgents use marijuana fields as hiding places

"The amount of Afghan farmland planted with cannabis fell by nearly a fifth last year after one province launched a fierce eradication campaign, but a bumper crop meant that actual production rose compared with 2011, according to the UN. Overall Afghanistan produced 1,400 tonnes of commercial cannabis resin in 2012, worth around $65 million, the report estimated. Government efforts to stamp out poppy farming may even push up production of cannabis, the report warned. Last year the UN said Afghanistan’s importance as a source of resin for world markets might be growing as more farmers switched to the crop." Continue reading →

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Americans Rejecting Mainstream Media for British Newspaper

"The fastest growing 'newspaper' in America is based in Manchester, England. The Internet analytics firm Compete.com found that the number of visitors to the website of The Guardian grew by 1111.75% in August and an astounding 671,389.51% over the past year. The main word that people going to The Guardian were searching for was 'Syria,' according to Compete’s blog. That would indicate Americans appreciate The Guardian’s skepticism of President Obama’s plans to attack Syria and its reputation for honest reporting. It also indicates that average Americans no longer trust their own media and are increasingly turning to a foreign news source." Continue reading →

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The Hidden Arms Race

"It’s safe to say that Muslims across the world see U.S. bombers and Tomahawk missiles as raw, 'Western Christian' aggression against their kith and kin. This is the case no matter how much legalistic justification our government places on what happens — like 'punishing' the Syrian government for using chemical weapons, or whatever. So what’s the biggest issue for investors right now? Well, at the Agora Financial Wealth Symposium in Vancouver, one speaker discussed how broad markets were 'priced for perfection.' That is, the general indexes, collective share prices, price-earnings ratios, etc. are all indicating a market psychology of everything being fine, and getting better." Continue reading →

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Obama’s rogue state tramples over every law it demands others uphold

"For 67 years successive US governments have resisted calls to reform the UN security council. They've defended a system which grants five nations a veto over world affairs, reducing all others to impotent spectators. They have collaborated with the other four permanent members (the UK, Russia, China and France) in a colonial carve-up. Through this tyrannical dispensation – created at a time when other nations were either broken or voiceless – the great warmongers of the past 60 years remain responsible for global peace. The biggest weapons traders are tasked with global disarmament. Those who trample international law control the administration of justice." Continue reading →

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Americans Aren’t Buying the Media’s Push For A War In Syria

"While the mainstream media has enjoyed a monopoly on this thought-enforcement for decades, thanks to decentralized power of the internet there are signs that Americans are starting to wake up. Administration claims, whether they be about the next country that needs to be bombed or the status of the economy, are now more easily scrutinized than ever before. Rather than an acceptable, bipartisan mainstream and a kooky fringe, slowly but surely the real ideological battle lines are being drawn: individualism vs. authoritarianism. Those of us who believe in peace and the Bill of Rights on one side, and those who believe in unlimited state power on the other." Continue reading →

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