The Philippine War is Not So Different from Afghanistan

By David Silbey

The war in Afghanistan feels foreign to Americans: a far distant land, a confusing and alien culture, and combat against a shadowy enemy. That feeling is mistaken. America has spent much of its history fighting wars like the one in Afghanistan. Continue

Bereft of Hope
Afghan Displaced Face Harsh Winter

al Jazeera Video Report

Nato and Afghan troops are preparing for a major offensive against Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan. Ahead of the operation, thousands of civilians have fled their homes. . Many will be going to displacement camps near the capital, Kabul. But as Al Jazeera's David Chater reports, conditions there are dismal. Continue

Every Occupation Fuels an Insurgency

By Dennis Kucinich.

Afghanistan, Jobs and Health Care, All big issues in America. And one man with strong opinions on all of them is U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Continue

The Myth of the Good War: America in World War II

Why was Dresden Destroyed

By Jacques R. Pauwels

The bombing of countries and of cities has almost become an everyday occurrence, rationalized not only by our political leaders but also presented by our media as an effective military undertaking and as a perfectly legitimate means to achieve supposedly worthwhile objectives. Continue

Senate Passes AIPAC's Iran Sanctions Bill in Five Minutes

MJ Rosenberg

Just last week the Senate passed comprehensive sanctions on Iran -- a bill being pushed by AIPAC neocons and the other "usual suspects" -- in record time. It was brought up with only three senators on the floor; there was a five minute debate and it passed by voice vote. Just like that. Continue

"America Is On The Side Of Israel"
Rep. Mike Pence: Israel Should Dictate U.S. Policy

By Gregg Carlstrom

A senior member of the Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, talking to the Christian Broadcasting Network about why he unquestioningly supports Israel. Continue

I Don't Mean To Say I Told You So, But...

By Stephen M. Walt

In his testimony to the Iraq war commission in the U.K., former Prime Minister Tony Blair offered the following account of his discussions with Bush in Crawford, Texas in April 2002. Blair reveals that concerns about Israel were part of the equation and that Israel officials were involved in those discussions. Continue

Time for an American Intifada?

By Jeff Gates

The real fantasy in this long-running geopolitical fraud lies in why U.S. lawmakers continue to befriend and defend a "nation" that has for so long-and so consistently-deceived and betrayed its most loyal ally. As a badly miscast Eva Marie Saint asked in her most memorable line in Exodus: "When will it ever end?" Continue

The New American Century

Video Documentary

The film looks for the true reasons behind the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, whose unfolding is described in chilling detail in a document called "Project for the New American Century", published in the year 2,000, that seems to have served as the actual blueprint for such dramatic events. Continue

It Is Now Official:
The U.S. Is A Police State

By Paul Craig Roberts

Ironic, isn’t it, that “the war on terror” to make us safe ends in a police state with the government declaring the right to murder American citizens who it regards as a threat. Continue

US Government Death Lists for USA Citizens

By Professor Francis A. Boyle

The Bush Administration reduced the United States of America to a Banana Republic waging a "dirty war" around the world in gross violation of international law, human rights law, and the laws of war. Continue

"When The Dollar Crashes"

Video By Ron Paul

Ron Paul warns of Social unrest and Martial Law. Continue

Descent Into Barbarism:
The US and NATO Wage War on the World

By Finian Cunningham

The argument is won: capitalism as an effective system to organise society and provide for human needs has expired. The evidence is conclusive. Continue

How to Invest for a Global-debt-bomb Explosion

Prepare for an apocalyptic anarchy ending Wall Street's toxic capitalism

By Paul B. Farrell

Be prepared for a massive meltdown. Yes, already the third major bubble-bust of the 21st century, triggered once again by Wall Street's out-of-control Fat Cat Bankers. And it's dead ahead. Continue

Food, Inc.
Hungry For Change?

Must Watch - Video Documentary

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. Continue

Pakistan: 12 soldiers among 18 killed in South Waziristan: Six terrorists were also killed in the exchange of firing that took place between the security forces and terrorists in Ahmed Wam area.

Pakistani Taliban confirm leader's death: Hakimullah Mahsud was injured in a missile strike by a U.S. drone last month. He is the group's second leader killed in six months.

3 G.I.s Killed in Pakistan. Now Can We Start Treating This Like a Real War? : Maybe at one point, this conflict could’ve been swept under the rug as some classified CIA op. But that was billions of dollars and hundreds of Pakistani and American lives ago.

More Blackwater than cops, Pakistan says: There are more private security contractors from Xe, formerly Blackwater, operating in Islamabad than capital police, a religious leader said.

Afghan unrest kills US, NATO occupastion force soldiers: A US and another NATO soldier were killed in attacks in southern and eastern occupied Afghanistan on Tuesday, the alliance said.

France says another soldier killed in Afghanistan: The French government announced here Tuesday that another of its soldiers has been killed in an ambush by Taliban forces in Afghanistan, bringing to 40 the number of troops who have died there in this conflict since 2002.

U.S. Army closes in on Afghan town: Large plumes of smoke could be seen in the area, and reporters traveling with the U.S. unit could hear the distant rattle of 50-caliber machine-gun fire and detonations from MK-19s, which fire 40 mm grenades from Stryker vehicles.

Taliban claim to debut new bomb 'Omar': The Taliban claimed Tuesday to have developed a new bomb nicknamed Omar after their fugitive leader and which they say is impossible Western mine sweepers to detect.

NATO frustration as Afghan police flunk drug tests: When British trainers administered random drugs tests to 25 Afghan police recruits at a base in southern Helmand province, most of them failed.

Iraq: 6 al-Qaeda gunmen killed in Makhmour: Six al-Qaeda gunmen were killed and one soldier was wounded on Monday in clashes between Iraqi army and gunmen in south of Makhmour district, an army source said.

Dr Hans Blix discusses Chilcot Inquiry: Video - Former chief United Nations weapons inspector, Dr Hans Blix, joins Lateline from Sweden to discuss the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war, as well as Iran and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Georgetown Students Protest Gen. Petraeus During Speech: Student protestors gathered inside and outside Gaston to condemn Petraeus's strategy in the Middle East and the university's decision to invite him.

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran: "Defiant" Iran accelerates nuclear program: Uranium has to be enriched to fuel nuclear power plants and Iran needs the 20 percent enriched fuel for a research reactor producing medical isotopes.

UN to monitor Iran's nuclear enrichment: The UN nuclear watchdog says that a team of its inspectors is in place in Iran to monitor Iran's plans to start enriching uranium to higher levels.

Israel and the US preparing for attack on Iran : As part of this build up the US Military has more than doubled its stockpile of weapons in Israel which it states "Israel can use." One would assume that just like the preparation in the build up to the Lebanon Crisis in 2006 and pre Cast Lead in 2008 that this is a very clear indication that both the US and Israel are preparing for a strike on the nuclear facilities in Iran.

Palin: Obama Will Win Again If He Backs Israel and Bombs Iran: Speaking on Fox News, Palin stated, “Say he decided to declare war on Iran or decide to really come out and do whatever he could to support Israel–which I would like him to do.

Fact or fiction? Four things Netanyahu needs for an Israeli attack on Iran: Tehran is in the crosshairs, but not before 2011.

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran: Netanyahu calls for 'crippling' Iran sanctions: Mr Netanyahu said: "Iran is racing forward to produce nuclear weapons, in brazen defiance of international law.

Iran nuclear plans: UN sanctions 'within weeks': The US Defence Secretary Robert Gates calls for a United Nations security council resolution "within weeks" as Iran steps up its nuclear ambitions.

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran: Wiesel: If Ahmadinejad were assassinated, I wouldn't shed a tear: "Ahmadinejad is a danger to the world and pathologically sick," Wiesel said during an interview on Army Radio. "He is dangerous because he openly wants to destroy Israel, meaning, to destroy another six million Jews."

Russia condemns US move to put missiles in Romania: The Kremlin said it was taken aback by news that Romania's top military body had agreed to host US SM-3 interceptor missiles and other military infrastructure in response to an alleged missile threat from Iran

Iran anniversary 'punch' will stun West: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: "The Iranian nation, with its unity and God's grace, will punch the arrogance (of Western powers) on the 22nd of Bahman (February 11) in a way that will leave them stunned," Ayatollah Khamenei, who is also Iran's commander-in-chief, told a gathering of air force personnel on Monday.

Mashaal: US 'vetoed' Palestinian unity: Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on Monday accused the US of obstructing efforts to end the rift between his movement and Fatah.

Goldstone Facts: The real story behind Israel's invasion of Gaza: Deliberate Attacks against the Civilian Population

12 arrested for disrupting Israeli ambassador: Twelve people were arrested this evening during a raucous lecture at UC Irvine where Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren came to talk about U.S.-Israel relations.

Canada Strikes Natural Gas Worth $6 Billion Off Israel’s Coast:, The Canadian Bontan Oil and Gas Company, which has been exploring for natural gas off the coast of Israel, announced Tuesday that it had found prospective resources of up to 6 trillion cubic feet [TCF]of natural gas in Mira and Sarah Prospects off the country's coast.

Mass vaccination planned in Haiti, death toll continues way up: The Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade, first formed in response to the United States' Hurricane Katrina emergency and with field experiences in China, Pakistan, Guatemala, Indonesia and Bolivia, plans to open 37 more vaccination points across Port-au-Prince and beyond.

China’s hawks demand cold war on the US: MORE than half of Chinese people questioned in a poll believe China and America are heading for a new “cold war”.

China PLA officers urge economic punch against U.S.: Senior Chinese military officers have proposed that their country boost defense spending, adjust PLA deployments, and possibly sell some U.S. bonds to punish Washington for its latest round of arms sales to Taiwan.

Chavez puts Venezuela under 'electricity emergency': Speaking on his new radio show President Chavez said Venezuela, which depends heavily on hydropower, was facing the worst drought in 100 years.

U.S. Will Pay $2.6 Million to Train Chinese Prostitutes to Drink Responsibly on the Job: The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will pay $2.6 million in U.S. tax dollars to train Chinese prostitutes to drink responsibly on the job.

Is Your State A Debt Disaster?: California and states in the Northeast and Midwest are piling up debt, and the economic outlook for many of these states is weak. See how your state stacks up.

February 08, 2010

The Terror-Industrial Complex

By Chris Hedges

The conviction of the Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui in New York last week of trying to kill American military officers and FBI agents illustrates that the greatest danger to our security does not come from al-Qaida but the thousands of shadowy mercenaries, kidnappers, killers and torturers our government employs around the globe. Continue

Liberals Get a War President of Their Very Own

By Murray Polner

Barack Obama was going to be different, or so my fellow antiwar liberals— and a few antiwar conservatives— hoped. He was to herald the end of that uncompromising and unilateral era of preventive war. Continue

Addicted To Debt.
Wars Sending US into Ruin

By Eric Margolis

Military spending gobbles up 19% of federal spending and at least 44% of tax revenues. During the Bush administration, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars - funded by borrowing - cost each American family more than $25,000. Continue

The Limited Minds of the American Elite
War, Budgets and Blind Ambition

By Chris Floyd

The ending of the imperial wars and the dismantling of America's global military empire -- and its global gulag -- would save trillions of dollars in the coming years. Continue

Saving The Bubble Economy
Obama's Republican Class War Presidency

By Michael Hudson

Michael Hudson, on Obama's State of the Union Speech and its economic consequences. The reappointment Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke. Continue

Time Is Running Out

By Bob Herbert

Speaking at a conference here on Wednesday, Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania said that if we don’t act quickly in developing long-term solutions to these and other problems, the United States will be a second-rate economic power by the end of this decade. A failure to act boldly, he said, will result in the U.S. becoming “a cooked goose.” Continue

Britain, You Better Wake Up

By Gilad Atzmon

British politicians are concerned with legalism. In other words, if someone would manage to prove that the war was ‘legal’ then the murdering of a million and a half Iraqis would be well justified. Let’s all face it, our politicians are corrupted to the bone. Continue

U.S Vows To Bury Goldstone Report At UN

By Saed Bannoura

Israel sources said that Israel will not show “any further cooperation” and that the United States will not allow the report to reach the Security Council. Continue

The "Shock Doctrine" for Haiti

By Ashley Smith

The U.S. is reviving what Haitians call "the plan of death." Continue

Pentagon Looks to Breed Immortal ‘Synthetic Organisms,’

Molecular Kill-Switch Included

By Katie Drummond

The Pentagon’s mad science arm may have come up with its most radical project yet. Darpa is looking to re-write the laws of evolution to the military’s advantage, creating “synthetic organisms” that can live forever — or can be killed with the flick of a molecular switch. Continue

Ten soldiers killed in north Yemen clashes: military source: Ten Yemeni soldiers have been killed, most of them by snipers, and 18 wounded in a fresh outbreak of fighting with Shiite rebels in north Yemen, a military official said today.

Yemen rebels say Saudi strikes killed 2 children: Yemen's Shi'ite rebels said on Monday Saudi rockets had killed two children, while state media reported new clashes between Yemeni forces and northern insurgents.

Three policemen killed in clashes in northeastern Yemen: Three policemen were killed and another five wounded in clashes between security forces and armed tribesmen in Yemen's northeastern province of Marib, the Interior Ministry said Sunday.

Eight troopers killed as Saudi forces attack Yemen: A number of soldiers stormed two houses in the Shia-populated Sa'ada Province, but were ejected by the locals. Eight servicemen were killed in the ensuing conflict, including a lieutenant identifies one Ahmad Nasser Saleh al-Jamili.

At least 9 die in Somalia clashes, group says: At least nine people have been killed and 14 others wounded in heavy shelling in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, according to a human rights group.

Ethiopian troops cross into two Somali towns-locals: - Ethiopian troops in armoured vehicles crossed into two border towns in south central Somalia and seized the family of a man with links to al Shabaab insurgents, residents said on Sunday.

Four policemen killed in Afghanistan blast: The explosion took place in the city of Kandahar, police officials said, adding that two civilians sustained injuries when the bomb planted under a bridge went off.

Two Swedish occupation force soldiers killed in Afghanistan: Two Swedish soldiers, a 28-year-old captain, and a 31-year-old lieutenant, as well as an Afghan interpreter were killed by fire from a handgun in Afghanistan on Sunday.

Two British soldiers killed in Afghan roadside bombing: The attack took place Sunday afternoon in Sangin district of southern province of Helmand when the soldiers were on foot patrol in the area, the British Defence Ministry said on its website.

As US begins Afghan surge, Canada plans its exit: The Afghan police and army, who will be called upon to fill the gap, are understaffed and poorly trained. Their ranks are riddled with corruption, and they are often not respected or trusted by the Afghan people.

Casualties will rise in 2010, US and British officials warn : NATO forces have been fighting in Afghanistan for eight years, but casualties are rising and the insurgency shows no sign of buckling.

Karzai demands end to Nato raids: Afghanistan's president has demanded that Nato forces in his country stop all military raids on local villages.

Karzai: Afghanistan May Institute Conscription: Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday he is looking at instituting conscription to build an army big enough to provide security without international help.

Four killed as Pakistani former Minister attacked: At least four people were killed and two others including the minister were wounded when unknown gunmen attacked him Monday evening in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi, said his spokesman.

School bombing exposes Obama’s secret war inside Pakistan: The discovery of the dead US soldiers revealed that America’s shadowy war in Pakistan not only involves drones but also small cadres of special operations soldiers.

Gunmen kill female candidate in northern Iraq: Gunmen shot dead a female Sunni Arab candidate from a secular political group in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, a provincial police source said on Monday.

Memo 'shows Blair Iraq war deal with Bush': The leader of Plaid Cymru's MPs has said he has a memo showing Tony Blair and George Bush struck a secret deal to invade Iraq a year before the 2003 war.

Iraq panel reinstates election ban amid Shi'ite ire:l An Iraqi appeals panel that angered Shi'ite leaders by suspending a ban on candidates accused of links to Saddam Hussein's Baath party until after an election reversed its decision on Sunday, politicians said.

Ahmadinejad orders 20% uranium enrichment: Thousands of Iranian patients, in need of post-surgery drug treatment with nuclear medicine, will suffer if domestic production dries up when a research reactor in Tehran runs out of fuel.

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran : Barak: World can't ignore Iran nuclear provocations: Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday urged the international community not to turn a blind eye to Iran's declaration that it would begin enriching uranium to higher levels.

U.S. Senator Lieberman: Impose sanctions on Iran or attack it: Lieberman is the influential chairman of the Senate committee on homeland security. He was speaking a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that his country was ready to accept an international swap of uranium, but only under certain conditions.

Arab media: 2 Israeli Navy ships passed through Suez Canal: Egyptian sources estimate vessels headed to Persian Gulf

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran : Iran says Russia offers missile reassurance: Russian news agencies cite Seyyed Mahmoud-Reza Sajjadi as saying on Thursday “our Russian colleagues have assured us that they will meet their obligations.”

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran : Tories would back war with Iran: A Conservative government would support military action against Iran if the "rogue state" developed nuclear weapons, the shadow defence secretary has revealed.

Iran's Bushehr N plant running after 1 more test: Iran's atomic chief says the long awaited launch of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in the South of the country will be complete after one more test.

Iran says CIA agents arrested ahead of Feb. 11 rally: Iran said Saturday it arrested seven people, including two Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives, who planned to stoke unrest and violence on a march scheduled for February 11.

Syria vows to respond to any Israeli 'aggression': Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday vowed to stand by Lebanon's side against any Israeli "aggression," in an escalating war of words between Damascus and Jerusalem.

UN likely to refer Goldstone findings to The Hague: Arab states set to force debate that would bring Gaza war crimes claims before international court.

Hezbollah Statement: Mossad Agents Involved In Massacre On Ashura & Arbaeen: Hezbollah condemned the cowardice acts of terrorism that claimed hundreds of lives of innocent and peaceful mourners in Karachi Pakistan and in Karbala and Baghdad (Iraq).

Abbas give in to U.S. pressure for indirect Mideast talks: Senior Palestinian sources confirmed Sunday that Abbas has agreed in principle to the U.S. proposal for indirect talks. According to the same sources, Abbas intends to ask for a number of clarifications with the U.S. administration and will consult with Arab leaders prior to giving Washington his final response.

Chavez: U.S. military bases in Colombia stab to S. America: The president also said that the right-wing in Latin America was being organized to attack the Bolivian Alliance of the Americas (ALBA) and the Union of South American Nations (Unasur)

Japan balks at $2 billion bill to host US troops: Japan's new reformist government is questioning whether it should spend so much on U.S. troops

UK: Unlawful anti-terror powers planned for use during 2012 Olympics: The powers would enable police to stop and search members of the public without any suspicion that they were involved in terrorism.

US fights for access to EU bank data: THE US government has initiated a diplomatic offensive against threatened moves by MEPs to block a deal that gives American intelligence agencies direct access to European bank data.

World bankers meet in Sydney as recovery fears intensify: THE world's top central bankers began arriving in Australia for high-level talks as renewed fears about the strength of the global economic recovery gripped world share markets.

G7 finance ministers dine near Arctic Circle: The trustees of the world's richest nations sat down for a dinner meeting at a hotel restaurant in Iqaluit just 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the Arctic Circle.

G7 pledges to wipe out Haiti debt: Group of Seven countries (G7) have pledged to cancel their bilateral debts with earthquake-ravaged Haiti, and urged international lenders to do the same, Jim Flaherty, the Canadian finance minister, has said.

UK: Insolvency figures hit record high: A total of 134,142 people were declared insolvent in 2009 as the continued credit squeeze drove the figure above the previous record set in 2006

February 06, 2010

Will Obama Play the War Card?

By Patrick J. Buchanan

Republicans already counting the seats they will pick up this fall should keep in mind Obama has a big card yet to play. Continue

Walk a Mile...

By Sheila Sample

It's time for Obama to put aside empty, soaring speeches and come to grips with who his enemies really are. It's time for him to step onto dry land and walk a mile in his own shoes -- while he still has a pair. Continue

Israeli Threatens Syria

Israeli Minister Adds Heat to Exchange With Syria

By ISABEL KERSHNER

In a speech at Bar-Ilan University, near Tel Aviv, Mr. Lieberman said: “I think that our message must be clear to Assad. In the next war, not only will you lose, you and your family will lose the regime. Neither you will remain in power, nor the Assad family.” Continue

Gaza: Did You Know?

Video

On December 27, 2008, Israel launched an Assault on the Gaza Strip. The attack of Dec. 27 caused the deadliest one-day death toll in 60 years of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Over 3 weeks, 1,417 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed. Continue

Crocodile Tears
The Trials of Norman Finkelstein

Must Watch 3 Minute Video

Dr. Norman Finkelstein speaking at the University of Waterloo. Continue

Please, Mr. President, Stop Talking Nonsense

By Alan Hart

There are no more concessions the Palestinians can make for peace. President Obama’s statement that they must is absurd and obscene. Unclear is whether he was speaking out of ignorance of real history or from Zionism’s script. Continue

Haiti - Still Starving 23 Days Later

By Bill Quigley

You can walk down many of the streets of Port au Prince and see absolutely no evidence that the world community has helped Haiti. Continue

On the Claimed "War Exception" to the Constitution

By Glenn Greenwald

Although Blair emphasized that it requires "special permission" before an American citizen can be placed on the assassination list, consider from whom that "permission" is obtained. Continue

The Truth About US Justice

By Yvonne Ridley

Many of us are still in a state of shock over the guilty verdict returned on Dr Aafia Siddiqui. Continue

America's Dark Side
By William Blum

"If anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know." Well, ending America's many wars would free up enough money to do anything a rational, humane society would want to do." Continue

Markets Fail When Humans Are Unregulated

By Paul Craig Roberts

The failure to regulate financial markets has produced enormous losses to all Americans except the super-rich. But the U.S. government is guilty of an even greater failure. Continue

Last Rites for the USA

By Cindy Sheehan

The reason my nation is such a dysfunctional system now is not because of a Supreme Court decision, nor a law passed by Congress, nor by a referendum of the people: it's because of a single statement, one sentence, spoken by a Supreme Court Chief Justice before the hearing even began. Continue

Exclusive: How Corporations Secretly Move Millions to Fund Political Ads

By Brad Jacobson

“It’s unclear whether the Court was being naive or disingenuous” when it touted disclosure provisions during its decision. Continue

Deepening Debt Crisis:

The Bernanke Reappointment: Be Afraid, Very Afraid

By Prof Michael Hudson

When banks “provide credit” by writing loans, what they are selling is debt. Continue

Mortar attack kills 41 pilgrims in Karbala: At least 41 people were killed and dozens wounded on Friday in a mortar attack on a crowd of pilgrims near the city of Karbala, a provincial health official said.

Video shows abducted American mercenary in Iraq: A Shiite militant group in Iraq has posted an Internet video showing an American it says it abducted and who appears to be a contractor reported missing by the U.S. military.

New Iraqi media rules raise specter of muzzled past: "CPJ's conclusion is that the regulations represent a clear and transparent effort to control the media, undermine its independence, and allow the government to assert control over the information agenda," Joel Simon of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said

Headlines Continued

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