Exchanging Fire on the Korean Peninsula

Source: NileBowie

The 38^th parallel dividing the two Korean nation states may be the most potent physical manifestation of antithetical idealism subsisting into the 21^st century. From it’s guerilla warfare induced separation in 1945, to the highly touted present day threat of sacred war – the ideologies of the two opposing Korean nation states have worked to the advantage of powers largely using Korea as a proxy. In the south, the oligarchical cadre of President Lee Myung Bak has worked ad nauseum to dismantle the infrastructure of former President Kim Dae-Jung’s sunshine policy toward the northward regime. In an unfettered embrace for the military industrial complex, Lee has further aligned with the Pentagon and the Obama administration to secure an influx of state-of the-art-military technology.

To the North, ideology has always been far more relevant than economics. Beneath the first signs of Chinese-style market reform and the increasing presence of special economic zones, the effectiveness of state mythology surrounding its deified leadership may soon gently begin to be challenged as North Koreans learn more about foreigners and the world beyond their borders.  Since its inception, the Northern population has been subjected to vigorous domestic propaganda espousing the pristine virtuousness of a uniquely homogenous Korean race – protected from the evils of the outside world under the everlasting paternal care of the Great Father Leader, General Kim il-Sung. Although always second to firepower, economic legitimacy appears to be more of a priority following the third dynastic handover into the remarkably stable Kim Jong-Un regime. 

The threat of war has permanently occupied the Korean peninsula since the existence of its two nation states, with each side seeking to wholly absorb the other into its ideological and economic orbit. The South’s undisputed economic dominance makes it naturally suited to lead integrative efforts toward much needed reconciliation on the peninsula. Under the publically loathed chaebol regime model of Lee Myung Bak, the prospects of a mutual bloodless reunification appear stark. As one state begins to manufacture its own fighter jets and increasingly expands its arsenal of advanced military technology - the other brandishes a collection ageing Soviet-made machinery, suspected to be largely obsolete. Between the artillery exchanges of a hypothetical Korean Holy War, it must be asked – is South Korea really prey or predator?

Corbett Report Radio - Against Corporatocracy

Source: Corbett Report
James Corbett

Fascism, as Mussolini once pointed out, could more accurately be called corporatism. When corporations work hand in glove with governments they become de facto governments unto themselves. And with annual profits that make them richer than most of the nations on the planet, the largest multinationals are increasingly making their own rules. Join us tonight on Corbett Report Radio as we break down the corporate dominance of our society, and how to overcome it.

Works Cited:

GE paid just 2.3 percent in federal taxes over last 10 years on more than $81 billion in profits
Wikileaks Stratfor Emails
Hookers, spies, cases full of dollars…how BP spent £45m to win ‘Wild East’ oil rights
BAE ‘secretly paid’ Saudi prince (Registration required)
U.S. stalls on human trafficking
US: Sex scandal still haunts DynCorp
Scandal-hit US firm wins key contracts
Go Daddy No Longer Supports SOPA
It’s Déjà Vu for DynCorp All Over Again
TSA chief says ‘opt-out’ boycott would be a mistake
Blackwater gets an even bigger makeover
Company hoarding license-plate data on US drivers
Sony figures out how to charge you for using a power outlet

High-Altitude Surveillance Drones Coming to a Sky Near You

Source: Scientific American
John Villasenor

Last week President Obama signed a sweeping aviation bill that, among other things, will open the skies to “unmanned aircraft systems,” more commonly known as drones. Much of the discussion regarding the coming era of domestic drones has been focused on the many important questions regarding their use at low altitudes. To what extent will it be legal, for example, for drones to hover 300 feet above residential neighborhoods snapping pictures into backyards and windows? What level of human-in-the-loop control is needed to ensure safety in a crowded airspace? And how can we stop terrorists from piloting drones at treetop level towards a target?

But there is another portion of the airspace—the stratosphere—that while mostly empty today, will in the coming years will become increasingly populated by gossamer-like, solar-powered drones turning silent, lazy circles in the sky. These drones will stay aloft for years at a time, running on energy collected during the day using solar panels mounted on paper-thin wings. As their slowly turning propellers push them along at bicycle speeds, arrays of high-resolution cameras on their undersides will record the daily comings and goings of the population of entire cities.

...What, exactly, will these drones be able to see? A lot, as it turns out. They will record the route and speed of every vehicle on the streets. They will observe the movements of individual pedestrians. At night, they will capture the precise moments when the lights in living rooms and bedrooms are turned on and off. The data they acquire, which can be correlated with information from mobile devices and smart meters, will become an important component of the growing digital record of nearly everything we do.

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Mike Adams Interviews Vaccine Rights Attorney Patricia Finn

Source: Infowars


Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, interviews vaccine rights attorney Patricia Finn who is being threatened and intimidated by the Ninth Circuit Judiciary in New York State. The state is now illegally demanding that Patricia surrender the names of ALL of her clients, which is a total violation of attorney/client privilege.

The point of this threat is to then prosecute all the parents who refuse to vaccinate their children by calling CPS workers to come kidnap their kids and arrest the parents.

We live in a total medical police state where freedom of choice has been abolished, and the state demands your TOTAL OBEDIENCE to its false medical mythology.

See more videos from Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, at http://TV.naturalnews.com

Votescam and the War Party: A Few Thoughts

Source: Giza Death Star
Dr. Joseph Farrell

Well, this one says it all, and I find myself in a great deal of agreement with the sentiments expressed in it:

Voting Out the War Party?

Now, what epitomized my own political bi-partisanship was this telling paragraph; indeed, I had to re-read it, for it perfectly expressed my own cynicism to the American political “process”:

“If we project the case of Maine’s disappearing voters nationwide, onto all states holding caucuses instead of primaries, then the fraud takes on a scale that threatens to delegitimize the entire process. This at a time when the entire political system is distrusted and even disdained by large portions of the electorate: turnout in the GOP primaries has been significantly lagging this time around, hardly what one would expect from the rank-and-file of a party supposedly eager to overturn the Obama administration. With billionaires buying elections, and both parties under the thumb of the Money Power, ordinary Americans just don’t take elections that seriously anymore. The idea that the electoral process confers any kind of real legitimacy on the victors is a fast-dissipating myth. “

U.S. Tells South America to Shut Up About Legalizing Drugs

Source: StopTheDrugWar
Scott Morgan

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has a message for everyone who thinks the drug war is bad: you're wrong, it's awesome.

(Reuters) - Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano defended Washington's drug war strategy on Monday despite calls by some Latin American leaders to consider decriminalizing narcotics.
...
"I would not agree with the premise that the drug war is a failure," Napolitano said. "It is a continuing effort to keep our peoples from becoming addicted to dangerous drugs." [Reuters]

Okay, but what do these two sentences have to do with one another? Yes, we know the drug war is "a continuing effort to keep our peoples from becoming addicted to dangerous drugs [and marijuana]," but I don't understand what that has to do with whether or not it's been a failure. This is like saying, "I would not agree with premise that asbestos is toxic. It is a material used to insulate buildings."

So in a metaphorical sense, you could say that American drug policy is made of asbestos, and Janet Napolitano has been given the fun assignment of convincing a bunch of frustrated foreign leaders that the sickness and death presently surrounding them was caused by something other than the one thing that's obviously causing it.

Russian Expert: Azerbaijan’s Territory May Be Used To Strike Iran

Source: PanArmenian.net

Azerbaijan’s Milli Mejlis held debates on amending the Constitution and renaming the country into the Republic of Northern Azerbaijan, a Russian expert says.

“Supporters of this idea insist that today’s Azerbaijan is just a part of the Azerbaijani state that used to exist before and was divided by Russia and Iran in the 19th century; they claim two thirds of this state still remain within Iran’s territory, and this is historic injustice,” said Alexander Krylov, chairman of the Scientific Society of Caucasian studies experts, leading research scientist of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations according to Analitika.at.ua.

“Apparently, Tehran views such statement as a bellicose action and a direct challenge to Iran. Debates in Azerbaijan’s Milli Mejlis further complicated the tensions between the neighbouring countries. Baku blames Iranian government for activities undermining Azerbaijani state, in particular, through the Turkic-language Iranian 2A TV channel,” the expert said.

“Azerbaijan’s authorities and politicians are particularly indignant over the channel’s claims regarding Azerbaijani statehood being groundless, and Azerbaijan being a historic part of Iran. Activists of Azerbaijan’s Islamic party charged with subversive activities against Azerbaijan in favor of Iran were arrested recently in Azerbaijan.

So, a question emerges: how far can this conflict extend? In terms of legislation, renaming of a country requires amending the Constitution; to do this, majority of Azerbaijan’s citizens should vote for it during a nationwide referendum. So far, nothing is said about a referendum. Therefore, the problem is not the renaming of Azerbaijan but something else. Obviously, Baku uses development of this issue as a lever of political pressure on Iranian government and as a method of solving its own domestic problems,” Krylov said.

According to the expert, in case of a military resolution of the Iranian issue the U.S. and Israeli politicians are insisting on for many years, Azerbaijan’s territory may be used for striking Iran.

“In this case, the current propaganda against Iran is likely to be a part of preparation for this scenario. U.S. may attempt to use Azerbaijan as a new version of Afghan “Northern Alliance”; also, in case of large-scale changes in the borders and establishment of new countries in the regions (i.e. Kurdistan), Azerbaijan may receive vast territories,” the Russian expert stated.

EU Pushes Trans-Caspian Pipeline Versus Russia, Iran

Source: Trends News Agency
E. Ismayilov

Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and the EU are preparing two documents that will allow them to take delivery of the Caspian and in particular Turkmen gas to Europe, Azerbaijani Industry and Energy Minister Natiq Aliyev said at a meeting with members of the Caspian-European Integration Business Club (CEIBC) on Wednesday.

He said Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and the European Union are preparing a political document to support the Southern Gas Corridor, as well as an inter-governmental agreement on Trans-Caspian gas pipeline. This should take place before the end of the year.

In September, 2011 the EU Council gave a mandate for negotiations between the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to build the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline.

Trans-Caspian gas pipeline running to around 300 kilometres will be laid from the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijani, where it will be linked to the Southern Gas Corridor. Negotiations between Turkmenistan and the EU and other countries on the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline have been on-going since the late 90s.

During negotiations with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, the EU will discuss agreements outlining the legal obligations of the parties necessary for Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan for the construction and operation of the Trans-Caspian pipeline. Also on the agenda will be the legal framework to be applied to the issue of filling the gas pipeline from Turkmenistan including the recognition of commercial agreements.

The Southern Gas Corridor' is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It is designed to diversify the routes and sources of supply and thereby increase the energy security of the EU. The Southern Gas Corridor project includes Nabucco, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and ITGI.

The Trans Caspian project involves laying a pipeline (300 km) through the seabed from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan.

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