Winning Hearts & Minds

Michael Scheuer: U.S. leaders’ fingerprints are on the detonators

"While the Tsarnaev brothers apparently conducted the Marathon bombings in Boston, the detonators of those bombs also have the fingerprints of most Democratic and Republican politicians all over them, and those men and women are in a measure responsible for each and every one of the Boston casualties. Why? Because once again it is blatantly obvious from the evidence the authorities have presented to date that the attackers were motivated by what the U.S. government does in the Muslim world and not because of our freedoms, liberties, and gender equality." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichael Scheuer: U.S. leaders’ fingerprints are on the detonators

Christian Bishops Kidnapped by US-Allied Syria Insurgents

"Today, Syriac Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Archbishops of Aleppo, Yohanna Ibrahim and Paul Yazigi, were kidnapped by US-allied Islamic insurgents in the village of Kfar Dael as they were 'carrying out humanitarian work'. The two high-ranking Christian bishops were outspoken in warning about the threats to the religious balance in Syria posed by the Islamist extremists who have received the weapons provided by Saudi Arabia and Qatar with US transport support via Croatia. The US-backed rebels regularly violate the sanctuaries of Christian churches in their pursuit of a Syria ruled by Sharia law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChristian Bishops Kidnapped by US-Allied Syria Insurgents

“The Kill Team”

"Americans, anxious to believe that the paramilitary forces going house-to-house in Boston were agents of civilian protection, also refuse to look the ugliness of the 'kill' and 'kick-ass' culture of the U.S. Armed Forces and modern American policing. Anyone who saw footage and photos of the searches in Watertown can see instantly that the average resident was seen by the police to be just as much a 'terrorist' as Dzhokar Tsarnaev. A new documentary, 'The Kill Team,' looks at the lives of young American soldiers who murdered people in Afghanistan literally for sport." Continue reading →

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Syrian opposition leader resigns, castigating global ‘inaction’

"Khatib’s renewed threat to quit, almost a month after he first tendered his resignation amid recriminations over the choice of a perceived Muslim Brotherhood nominee as rebel prime minister, threw the opposition into fresh disarray as debate about the wisdom of arming it intensifies. In Istanbul, the United States pledged to double its aid to the armed opposition, including additional non-lethal military equipment. But it again held back from agreeing to opposition calls to arm the rebels, amid mounting concerns that weapons deliveries might fall into the wrong hands in a conflict in which Al-Qaeda has played a prominent role on the battlefield." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSyrian opposition leader resigns, castigating global ‘inaction’

Report Confirms US Government Tortured Detainees

"'It is indisputable that the United States engaged in the practice of torture.' This damning statement derives directly from a report released by The Constitution Project who, along with former members of Congress, drew up this most comprehensive independent study to date of US torture in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, and secret CIA black sites around the world. The two-year study only looked at public documents, as well as interviews with interrogators and others involved in the counterterrorism program. However, classified information was not accessible to the non-governmental organization." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingReport Confirms US Government Tortured Detainees

Iraq executes 21 men in one day on ‘terror’ charges

"Iraq put 21 men to death on Tuesday, a senior justice ministry official told AFP, the latest in a series of mass executions that have drawn international condemnation. All of the men were Iraqis and had been convicted on anti-terror charges, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The latest executions brought to 50 the number of times Baghdad has carried out the death penalty so far this year, despite widespread calls for a moratorium on the country’s use of capital punishment. Justice Minister Hassan al-Shammari insisted last month that Baghdad would continue to implement the death penalty." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIraq executes 21 men in one day on ‘terror’ charges

Baghdad cafe bombing kills 27 ahead of elections

"The bombing comes ahead of provincial elections on Saturday in which an estimated 13.8 million Iraqis are eligible to vote for more than 8,000 candidates, with 378 seats being contested. Diplomats have raised questions over the credibility of the vote, however, as a spike in violence has left at least 14 candidates dead and a third of the country’s provinces are not even taking part, including two where authorities say security cannot be guaranteed. Thursday’s bombing struck at 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) in the mostly-Sunni Amriyah neighbourhood and also wounded more than 50 people, security and medical officials said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBaghdad cafe bombing kills 27 ahead of elections
Read more about the article Iran condemns Boston blast, criticizes US policy

Iran condemns Boston blast, criticizes US policy

"Iran's top leader on Wednesday condemned the twin bombing attacks in Boston, yet chided the U.S. for employing a double standard when it comes to drone attacks that kill innocent civilians. 'The Islamic Republic of Iran, which follows the logic of Islam, is opposed to any bombings and killings of innocent people no matter if it is in Boston, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria and condemns it,' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Iranian military leaders he was addressing in Tehran. Khamenei criticized the U.S. for killing people with drones in Pakistan and Afghanistan and backing forces that kill others in Iraq and Syria." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIran condemns Boston blast, criticizes US policy

Glenn Greenwald: The Boston bombing produces familiar and revealing reactions

"Regardless of your views of justification and intent: whatever rage you're feeling toward the perpetrator of this Boston attack, that's the rage in sustained form that people across the world feel toward the US for killing innocent people in their countries. Whatever sadness you feel for yesterday's victims, the same level of sadness is warranted for the innocent people whose lives are ended by American bombs. However profound a loss you recognize the parents and family members of these victims to have suffered, that's the same loss experienced by victims of US violence." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: The Boston bombing produces familiar and revealing reactions

Glenn Greenwald: The Boston bombing produces familiar and revealing reactions

"Regardless of your views of justification and intent: whatever rage you're feeling toward the perpetrator of this Boston attack, that's the rage in sustained form that people across the world feel toward the US for killing innocent people in their countries. Whatever sadness you feel for yesterday's victims, the same level of sadness is warranted for the innocent people whose lives are ended by American bombs. However profound a loss you recognize the parents and family members of these victims to have suffered, that's the same loss experienced by victims of US violence." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: The Boston bombing produces familiar and revealing reactions