Andrew Breitbart Drops Dead After Publicly Announcing Possession of Obama College Tapes

Source: Cryptogon

Flashback, February 2011:

ObamaCollegeGate on the way? Yesterday during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Andrew Breitbart gave the audience and C-SPAN viewers a preview of what’s to come during the 2012 general election against Barack Obama. He said the mainstream media refused to vet Obama in 2008 and that he will not go unvetted in 2012. Breitbart says he has videos of Obama in college that nobody has seen. Considering he’s the man who took down ACORN and Anthony Weiner, this could be good.

—
Sinclair News:

With the announcement of Andrew’s passing overnight we could not help recalling our conversation just 3 weeks ago in Washington, DC. Andrew said on Feb 9, 2012 in Washington, DC “wait til they see what happens March first.”

Via: Los Angeles Times:

Conservative writer and website publisher Andrew Breitbart died of natural causes at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center about midnight, sources told The Times.

The exact cause of death was unclear, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case was ongoing.

It’s also unclear if he was stricken at the hospital or another location. [Updated at 10:13 a.m.: Breitbart’s father-in-law, actor Orson Bean, told The Times he collapsed on the sidewalk near his home while taking a nighttime walk.]

“Andrew passed away unexpectedly from natural causes shortly after midnight this morning in Los Angeles,” Breitbart.com said. “We have lost a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a dear friend, a patriot and a happy warrior. “

NASA Lost the Command Codes for the International Space Station

Source: RT

Four dozen high-tech computing devices disappeared from the offices of NASA over a two-year span, including one laptop that contained the code needed to command the International Space Station. 

No big deal, guys!

A laptop with the algorithm used to control the ISS was one of 48 gizmos and gadgets that NASA either reported lost or stolen between April 2009 and April 2011, the agency’s inspector general, Paul Martin, tells the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Although the incidents date back to nearly three years ago, Martin has only now informed Congress of the accidents. They are discussed in a written statement he authored and published this week under the title “NASA Cybersecurity: An Examination of the Agency’s Information Security.”

For the Cliff Notes version, we’ve got you covered. Information security at NASA: not so good. 

Over the course of ten pages, Martin makes mention of what he says are five issues that NASA believes, based on their “extensive audit and investigative work,” make up NASA’s “most serious challenges in the admittedly difficult task of protecting the agency’s information.”

For starters, we suggest putting a damn lock on the safe.

Martin goes on to list those challenges as including a “lack of full awareness of Agency-wide security posture,”“shortcomings in implementing a continuous monitoring approach to IT security” and the “slow pace of encryption.” Also, however, he adds that one “challenge” in particular, is the ability to handle a sophisticated cyber attack. 

Now, what separates a sophisticated cyber attack from a stupid, simple-minded one is something Martin would have to extrapolate on a bit more. But in regards to losing four dozen mobile computing devices — well, keeping a close eye on those things isn’t rocket science. And if it was, you’d expect NASA of all agencies to be able to handle it, wouldn’t you?

Iran War Propaganda, World Bank Wants Control of the Sea, & Stratfor Emails

Source: The Intel Hub

The Intel Hub News Brief with Joe Joseph and special guest Madison Ruppert of http://endthelie.com. Topics covered include the buildup to a possible war with Iran, the World Banks call to control the high seas, stratfor emails and its connection to Israel and Iran.

BBC Defends Decision to Censor the Word "Palestine"

Source: PressTV

What rapper Mic Righteous was actually trying to say was 'Free Palestine'. But Palestine, it seems, is now a dirty word on the BBC.

Central Banks Now Operating as One Global Monopoly?

Source: The Daily Bell

Central banks‘ joint efforts sustain global system … Never before have the world’s central banks sent so much money sloshing through the global financial system. From slashing interest rates and buying government debt to dangling cheap loans to banks and taking on their risky assets, central banks have taken extraordinary steps since the 2008 financial crisis to nurse the international banking system back to health. Over the past 3 1/2 years, the central banks of the United States, Britain, Japan and the 17 countries that use the euro have pumped out so much money that their balance sheets have reached a combined $8.76 trillion. That’s a record, by far. The infusion of money has eased borrowing costs and raised confidence in banks, governments and companies. – Boston.com

Dominant Social Theme: More is better. But each bank “does its own thing.”

Free-Market Analysis: It is a much denied fact that what may be called a New World Order is continually being developed at the highest reaches of power. But what is less well known is the amount of coordination already developed between the facilities that provide the engine for global governance.

Read Full Article

Protest "Illegal", FBI "Imam", Google "Privacy" - New World Next Week

Source: Corbett Report and Media Monarchy

Welcome back to http://NewWorldNextWeek.com — the video series from Corbett Report and Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important developments in open source intelligence news. This week:

Story #1: Goodbye, First Amendment: ‘Trespass Bill’ Will Make Protest Illegal
http://ur1.ca/8fp7k
Obama Issues ‘Policy Directive’ Exempting American Citizens From Indefinite Detention
http://ur1.ca/8ge3m
NDAA Nullification Passes Virginia Senate by a Veto-Proof 39-1 Vote
http://ur1.ca/8ge3v

Story #2: Stratfor Leaks Show ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ Imam Is FBI Asset
http://ur1.ca/8ge43
‘Al Qaeda’ Arrest Said to Be Case of Mistaken Identity
http://ur1.ca/8ge48
Flashback: 9/11 Commission Report Burning
http://ur1.ca/8gmds

Story #3: EU Wades Into Google Privacy Row
http://ur1.ca/8ge4g
Clock Counts Down As Google Privacy Change Looms
http://ur1.ca/8ge4b

Visit http://NewWorldNextWeek.com to get previous episodes in various formats to download, burn and share. And as always, stay up-to-date by subscribing to the feeds from Corbett Report http://ur1.ca/39obd and Media Monarchy http://ur1.ca/kuec Thank you.

'Total War State': US Introduces New Security Law

Source: RT

The National Defense Authorization Act, which will allow American authorities to detain US citizens indefinitely without trial, comes into effect Thursday. American film director Sean Stone told RT it's a step on the path towards “a total war state.”

­Stone says that instead of addressing domestic economic concerns, Washington is trying “to build a martial state, using Iran as the terrorist enemy or threat.” He adds that America is now “in a state of martial law.”

Stone went on to tell RT that the new legislation was passed in a dangerous time, when “Syria is being destabilized and Iran, on its border, is being threatened by Israel and America.” 

But another war abroad, Stone asserts, will bring tremendous consequences because, “if you attack Iran, Hezbolah and Hamas will unleash on Israel – which will bring America and potentially Russia into the equation.”

Pentagon Admits Desecration of 9/11 Remains

Source: Corbett Report and GRTV

TRANSCRIPT AND SOURCES:

A new report released on Monday by the Pentagon reveals that some of the unidentifiable remains from victims at the Pentagon and Shanksville sites on September 11th were disposed of in a landfill.

The details come from the findings of a review committee examining operations of the Air Force Mortuaty division at Dover Air Force Base. In the report, it is noted that before 2008, disposal of unidentified remains was delegated of by subcontractors. The guidelines at the time called for the contractors to incinerate the remains and dump the ashes in landfills.

Empire, Power and People with Andrew Gavin Marshall - Episode 8

Source: Boiling Frogs Post
Andrew Gavin Marshall

“Black History in the United States: Slavery, Segregation, and Social Control”

 

In a highly critical black history of the United States, this episode examines the social construction of race (and racism) starting in the late 1600s as a means of social control, devised through the colonial legal system to separate white and black labour, prison labour, black education system, the developments of ghettos as a means of segregating the black population, the civil rights organizations in an attempt to steer the movement away from its natural and potentially revolutionary course to confront the entire social- economic- political system of racism, and the “war on drugs” and laws disproportionately targeting the black community. 

Understanding the history of those who have been most oppressed within it is vital to understanding the true nature of the society we live in; thus, the black history of the United States is indivisible from the total history of the United States, and the subject bears relevance to the future of poverty and class struggle in a world of enormous inequality.

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.

Read Full Article 

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.

Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az

Joe Rogan Interviews Graham Hancock

Source: The Joe Rogan Experience

grahamhancock.com

Graham Hancock is the author of the major international bestsellers The Sign and The Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, and Heaven's Mirror. His books have sold more than five million copies worldwide and have been translated into 27 languages.

Hancock's breakthrough to bestseller status came in 1992 with the publication of The Sign and The Seal, his epic investigation into the mystique and whereabouts today of the lost Ark of the Covenant. 'Hancock has invented a new genre,' commented The Guardian, 'an intellectual whodunit by a do-it-yourself sleuth.' Fingerprints of the Gods, published in 1995 confirmed Hancock's growing reputation. Described as 'one of the intellectual landmarks of the decade' by the Literary Review, this book has now sold more than three million copies and continues to be in demand all around the world. Subsequent works such as Keeper Of Genesis (The Message of the Sphinx in the US) with co-author Robert Bauval, and Heaven's Mirror, with photographer Santha Faiia, have also been Number 1 bestsellers, the latter accompanied by Hancock's three-part television series Quest For the Lost Civilisation.

Corbett Report Interviews Bob Chapman of the International Forecaster

Source: Corbett Report
James Corbett

This week we talk to Bob Chapman aka The International Forecaster about: the ongoing Euro fiasco and its inevitable denouement; Lord James Blackheath’s $15,000,000,000,000 bombshell; the real richest families in the world; the danger of an elite with their backs to the wall; the behind-the-scenes puppeteering of both sides in the Cold War; and much more.

Reports Reveal Facebook Spying on Smartphone Users' Text Messages

Source: End The Lie
Madison Ruppert

A report published by the London Sunday Times has revealed that Facebook has been accessing and reading the personal text messages of users of their social networking app.

Unfortunately the report itself is locked behind a pay wall, but the report has been partially summarized by Fox News (let’s just hope it’s more accurate than most of their reporting).

Facebook has reportedly even admitted reading the text messages, claiming that they were accessing data without the knowledge of users as part of a trial in an effort to launch their own messaging service.

This is just another piece of evidence which supports statements made by individuals like Julian Assange of WikiLeaks who said in an interview with RT, “Facebook in particular is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented.”

It appears that Facebook is not alone, although my readers who have been keeping up on my coverage of Big Brother technology likely assume as much.

Some of the other culprits mentioned in Fox’s summary are Flickr, which is now under the Yahoo! umbrella, as well as Yahoo! Messenger itself.

The Sunday Times also reported that dating site Badoo has accessed the private data of smartphone users while also reporting that some apps allow companies to delve much deeper into the private lives of users.

Some apps apparently can even allow companies to intercept phone calls, although that isn’t all that surprising given that it is essentially what Google is allowing themselves to do with their new privacy policy which is not only impossible to opt-out of but also steps up their Big Brother practices to new heights.

Of course this is just yet another way the massive and accelerating data collection arms race amongst Silicon Valley giants manifests itself in our lives.

Russia Upgrades Syrian Radars to Warn of U.S., Israeli Attack

Source: Ria Novosti

Russia has modernized two radars in Syria and Lebanon that could threaten U.S. or Israel’s ability to launch a surprise attack against Syria and Iran, Israeli DEBKAfile portal said on Monday.

The range of the Jabal Al Harrah electronic and surveillance station south of Damascus has been increased to cover all parts of Israel and Jordan, the Gulf of Aqaba and northern Saudi Arabia.

The range of a Russian-equipped Syrian radar stationed on Lebanon’s Mount Sannine has also been extended, and the data-sharing capability of both radars has been improved.

As a result, the radars are now capable of tracking “U.S. and Israeli naval and aerial movements in the Eastern Mediterranean up to and including Cyprus and Greece.”

“Moscow decided to boost its radar tracking and surveillance reach for Iran’s benefit in response to a complaint from Tehran that it could not longer count on Russia for a real-time alert on an incoming U.S. or Israeli military strike, because those resources were stretched to the limit in support of the Assad regime,” DEBKAfile said citing its sources in the U.S. military.

Russia is alarmed by the growing threat of a military strike on Iran, which is increasingly reported as being an option under consideration by Israeli and U.S. military planners as Tehran continues to move ahead with its uranium enrichment program.

Yet Another Air Raid Kills Afghan Civilians, Including Children

Source: Activist Post
Madison Ruppert

An air raid carried out by NATO forces in the Tagab district of the eastern Kapisa province in Afghanistan resulted in at least three civilian deaths and four injuries.

The provincial council representative for the eastern Kapisa province stated that the air raid, conducted by French troops, resulted in two children being among the casualties, according to Khwaja Ghulam Mohammad Zmarai, the deputy provincial council for the Kapisa province, Khaama reports.

Zmarai stated that the French troops had received inaccurate intelligence from local residents as to the presence of suspected Taliban militants.

Security officials from the Kapisa province reportedly confirmed the reports and the deaths of the children, although they said that no civilians were injured which conflicts with Zmarai’s report of four residents of Joibar being injured.

Earlier this month it was reported that a NATO airstrike killed eight children, also in the Kapisa province.

In an official statement, Afghan president Hamid Karzai said he “strongly condemned the aerial bombing by foreign troops that killed a number of children in Nejrab district.”

This resulted in Karzai assigning a delegation to launch an inquiry into the NATO bombing while a NATO spokesman said he could “confirm there has been a situation.”

Following the earlier bombing, the Afghan House of Representatives summoned the Afghan Interior Ministry to brief Afghan MPs on the tragic incident.

This latest incident comes as protests in Afghanistan rage on in the wake of the burning of Qurans at a Western military base.

Mexico Sends Message to the United States: No More Weapons!

Source: Huffington Post
Lisa Huagaard

Just a few steps south of the U.S.-Mexico border, President Calderón unveiled a towering billboard last week wielding a message written in plain English: “No More Weapons!” Weighing over 3 tons, the billboard itself is made of seized firearms that have been chopped, melted and welded together. Visible from the United States, the call is clear: halt the southbound flow of guns that fuel violence in Mexico.

… Unfortunately, it appears unlikely that Congress will enact meaningful measures to curb the flux of arms into Mexico anytime soon. Rep. Gerry Connelly (D-VA) has highlighted the failure of Congress to seriously address gun violence in Mexico, noting that the House Oversight Committee, which has held a string of hearings on the notoriously botched Operation Fast and Furious, has yet to hold even a single hearing to examine any of the three steps that many experts agree could actually reduce arms trafficking to Mexico: a federal law prohibiting the trafficking of firearms, stronger penalties for straw purchases, and the reinstatement of the assault weapons ban.

Rep. Connelly has a point. Amid the political fervor and pursuit of accountability related to Operation Fast and Furious, important questions surrounding the larger issue of arms trafficking to Mexico have been largely ignored…

Read Full Article

Marks to Market: America's Nuclear Time Bombs

Source: Boiling Frogs Post
James Corbett

During the nuclear catastrophe at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan’s northeast last March, the world watched in horror as conditions in the plant deteriorated by the day. Despite public reassurances that the situation was under control, we now know that three of the plant’s reactors actually began meltdown within hours and that plans were being made at the highest levels of the Japanese government to evacuate Tokyo, the world’s most populous metropolitan area.

In effect, the world was given a crash course in cascading nuclear failure. What many do not know is that the damaged reactors were designed by General Electric, rely on 40-year-old containment technology, and are substantially similar to 32 reactors currently operating around the world, including 23 in the United States.

This is our EyeOpener Report by James Corbett, presenting you with the history of and GE’s role in development of boiling water reactors and the Mark 1 containment vessel system used in the damaged Fukushima reactor which has been focus of fierce criticism for at least 40 years, and the criminal complicity of government regulators in failing to enforce their own policies and regulations on these aging reactors, not only in Japan, but in the US as well.

Syria: Clinton Admits US On Same Side As Al Qaeda To Destabilise Assad Government

Source: Global Research
Prof. Michel Chossudovsky and Finian Cunningham 
 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has acknowledged that Al Qaeda and other organizations on the US “terror list” are supporting the Syrian opposition.

Clinton said: “We have a very dangerous set of actors in the region, al-Qaida [sic], Hamas, and those who are on our terrorist list, to be sure, supporting – claiming to support the opposition [in Syria].” [1] (Click here to watch video)

Yet at the same time, in the above BBC interview the US Secretary of State repeats the threadbare Western claim that the situation in Syria is one of a defenceless population coming under “relentless attack” from Syrian government forces.

There is ample evidence that teams of snipers who have been killing civilians over the past year in Syria belong to the terrorist formations to which Clinton is referring to.

As Michel Chossudovsky points out in a recent article: “Since the middle of March 2011, Islamist armed groups – covertly supported by Western and Israeli intelligence – have conducted terrorist attacks directed against government buildings, including acts of arson. Amply documented, trained gunmen and snipers, including mercenaries, have targeted the police, armed forces as well as innocent civilians. There is ample evidence, as outlined in the Arab League Observer Mission report, that these armed groups of mercenaries are responsible for killing civilians. 

While the Syrian government and military bear a heavy burden of responsibility, it is important to underscore the fact that these terrorist acts – including the indiscriminate killing of men, women and children – are part of a US-NATO-Israeli initiative, which consists is supporting, training and financing  ‘an armed entity’ operating inside Syria.” [2]

The admission at the weekend by Hillary Clinton corroborates the finding that armed groups are attacking civilians and these groups are terroristic, according to US own definitions, and that the situation in Syria is not one of unilateral state violence against its population but rather is one of a shadowy armed insurrection.

Clinton’s admission retrospectively justifies the stance taken by Russia and China, both of which vetoed the proposed UN Security Council Resolution on 4 February, precisely because that proposal was predicated on a spurious notion that the violence in Syria was solely the responsibility of the Al Assad government.

U.S. Elections: Candidates Are Bought As Wars Are Sold

Source: Global Times
Christopher Williams

US democracy up for grabs by moneybags under new laws

People got rich because of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Now, swords are being sharpened for Iran. How many players in the Middle East and elsewhere are interested in seeing this happen? All they need to do is pick up the phone or write a check, and it gets closer every day.

The story begins in 1886, with an obscure court case in California, Santa Clara County vs. Southern Pacific Railroad. In that Supreme Court decision, a corporation was deemed to have the same legal protections under state law as any individual would have. It was originally intended to be used for enforcing a real-estate contract. But fast-forward to 2010. The Supreme Court decided in a new case, Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, that corporations had the right to make unlimited financial contributions for political purposes, just as a person does. 

Corporations and individuals are still limited to $2,500 in direct contributions to a political campaign for federal office. But they may give unlimited funds to a Political Action Committee (PAC), as long as that PAC is not “officially” part of the campaign which they support. 

In reality, it means that the PAC can spend whatever it wants as long as they maintain the fiction that they are acting independently. So now we have a Republican presidential primary in full swing, with vast amounts of corporate money being poured into the PACs which support the major candidates. Some of that money is publicly disclosed. But there are also non-profit 501(c) organizations that do not have to say where the money came from. 

Why should you care? It means that candidates are no longer being elected, even in the limited sense that they were before. They are being hired, bought and paid for by their supporters whose interests do not in any way reflect the concerns of average citizens. They are supported by energy companies, drug companies, media companies, insurance companies, arms merchants, and bankers. 

Israel to Attack Iran without US permission: Report

Source: PressTV

Israeli official say they will not alert the US if they decide to launch a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities amid growing war threats against Tehran.

An unnamed US intelligence official said Israelis argue that if they keep Washington in the dark, it is unlikely that the US would be held responsible for failing to stop Israel's potential assault.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Military Affairs Ehud Barak have delivered the message to senior US officials who have visited Israel, the Associated Press reported.

In a similar report published by The Telegraph on Tuesday, Israeli sources said US President Barack Obama was rebuffed last month when he demanded private guarantees that no strike would go ahead without White House notification, suggesting Israel no longer plans to "seek Washington's permission."

Over the past few months, several US officials including Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, White House National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and top lawmakers have visited Israel to reportedly dissuade Tel Aviv from attacking Iran.

Israeli officials are also scheduled to hold talks with senior US officials including Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta about Iran’s nuclear energy program.

Israeli officials have recently ramped up their war rhetoric, threatening Iran with military strikes in case the US-engineered sanctions against the country fail to force Tehran into abandoning its nuclear energy program. 

11 Reasons To Get Your Kids Out Of The Government Schools

Source: Blacklisted News
Michael Snyder

It should be painfully obvious to everyone by now that it is time to get all of our kids out of the government schools.  The public school system in the United States has been dramatically declining for a long time, and in most areas of the country the public schools are open sewers at this point.  Yes, there are some U.S. public schools that are still very good and that do a decent job of preparing our young people for their adult lives.  But those good schools are the exception to the rule.  Hopefully the school shooting that just happened in Ohio will be a wake up call to millions of parents out there.  Drugs, sex and violence are rampant in American public schools today.  The “teachers” are endlessly pushing specific political and social agendas down the throats of our kids, and the skills that our children really need such as reading, writing and mathematics are often badly neglected.  Hopefully we can get more parents educated about what is really going on in these schools.  After all, why would any parents want to send their children into an environment that is going to be highly destructive for them for six to eight hours a day?

Sadly, “destructive” is not too hard a word to use for the environment in these public schools.  I went to public schools all my life, and they were absolutely horrible.

  

Unfortunately, they have gotten even worse since the time that I left them.

The following are 11 reasons to get your kids out of the government schools….

#1 You Could Be Arrested For Something That Your Child Does
Yes, you read that correctly.  If your child writes a story or draws a picture which a teacher or an administrator takes the wrong way, you could end up in jail.

Putin Assassination Plan Foiled

Source: RT

Russian and Ukrainian intelligence services have foiled terrorist plans to assassinate Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Russia’s most-wanted terrorist Doku Umarov is thought to be behind the plot.

­The internationally-wanted criminals detained in Ukrainian city of Odessa confessed they had intended to assassinate Putin. The attack was supposed to be carried out in Moscow right after the presidential elections of March 4.

Detention of the alleged terrorists in Ukrainian city of Odessa (image from Channel One footage)

Judge Sides with Monsanto and Ridicules Small Farmers' Right to Grow

Source: OSGATA

On February 24, Judge Naomi Buchwald handed down her ruling on a motion to dismiss in the case of Organic Seed Growers and Trade Assn et al v. Monsanto after hearing oral argument on January 31st in Federal District Court in Manhattan. Her ruling to dismiss the case brought against Monsanto on behalf of organic farmers, seed growers and agricultural organizations representing farmers and citizens was met with great disappointment by the plaintiffs.

Plaintiff lead attorney Daniel Ravicher said, “While I have great respect for Judge Buchwald, her decision to deny farmers the right to seek legal protection from one of the world’s foremost patent bullies is gravely disappointing. Her belief that farmers are acting unreasonable when they stop growing certain crops to avoid being sued by Monsanto for patent infringement should their crops become contaminated maligns the intelligence and integrity of those farmers. Her failure to address the purpose of the Declaratory Judgment Act and her characterization of binding Supreme Court precedent that supports the farmers’ standing as ‘wholly inapposite’ constitute legal error.  In sum, her opinion is flawed on both the facts and the law. Thankfully, the plaintiffs have the right to appeal to the Court of Appeals, which will review the matter without deference to her findings.”

Monsanto’s history of aggressive investigations and lawsuits brought against farmers in America have been a source of concern for organic and non-GMO farmers since Monsanto’s first lawsuit brought against a farmer in the mid-90′s. Since then, 144 farmers have had lawsuits brought against them by Monsanto for alleged violations of  their patented seed technology.  Monsanto has brought charges against more than 700 additional farmers who have settled out-of-court rather than face Monsanto’s belligerent litigious actions. Many of these farmers claim to not have had the intention to grow or save seeds that contain Monsanto’s patented genes. Seed drift and pollen drift from genetically engineered crops often contaminate neighboring fields. If Monsanto’s seed technology is found on a farmer’s land without contract they can be found liable for patent infringement.

Ahmadinejad Currently Threatening To Destroy Israel? Sean Stone on CNN

Source: MoxNews

Sean Stone, son of American film director, producer and screenwriter Oliver Stone, speaks to CNN and shuts the mouth of Piers Morgan (CNN). Stone clearly points out the irrational thinking and war mongering being promoted by western mainstream media.

CIA Controlled Media: CIA Admits Using News To Manipulate the USA

Source: The Intel Hub

An archived clip of different Congressional hearings exposes the fact that the CIA directly plants stories in the media, both in the United States and the rest of the world.

Question: Do you have any people being paid by the CIA who are contributing to a major circulation journal?

Answer: We do have people who submit pieces to American journals.

Question: Do you have any people paid by the CIA who are working for television networks?

Answer: This I think gets into the details id like to get into in executive session. (so the public doesn’t hear how we control all the networks)

Considering that this was going on in the 1950s, it is highly likely that this is happening now and at a much larger extent. The CIA and other government agencies literally control the corporate controlled media.

Anytime you hear a story on the major networks that has any implication in US foreign or domestic policy rest assured that it was, at the very least, vetted by the CIA before being released.

In the early 90s CNN was also used to test Army psychological operations.

Hacked Email Reveals Democrats Remain Clueless on Obama's Bankster Ties

Source: Infowars
Kurt Nimmo

As Zero Hedge rightly notes, the latest Wikileaks dump – a collection of emails hacked from Stratfor by Anonymous – is a dud. It consists of liberals whining about Obama and calling him a “pussy” for not confronting the so-called right side of the one party system that serves the bankster elite.

One comment in particular reveals that the so-called left encamped in the district of criminals remains completely and hopelessly out of touch with reality. It suggests Obama “could also tell the banks to go screw themselves.”

How is it possible Democrats still do not realize Obama is owned by the banksters and he does not tie his shoes in the morning without first consulting them? Evidence is bountiful.

Soon after Barry the CIA groomed candidate was selected and trotted out with messianic fervor, Open Secrets posted a list of his top contributors, including: Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, UBS and Morgan Stanley.

Obama is still the preferred candidate of the money masters. “Obama has brought in more money from employees of banks, hedge funds and other financial service companies than all of the GOP candidates combined,” reports the Washington Post.

Reports that bankers are turning against Obama “are exaggerated and overblown,” according to one top banking exec cited by the Post. He said “it probably helps from a political perspective if he’s not seen as a Wall Street guy.”

Obama’s light chiding of banks and his supposed anti-Wall Street rhetoric are nothing but more election season nonsense designed to once again fool Democrats as another dog and pony show masquerading as an election approaches.

Clueless and mesmerized Democrats digest the propaganda without question because they want to believe Obama is a savior and champion of the supposed left despite the fact Goldman Sachs and the Federal Reserve call the shots, same as they would if a Republican sat in the Oval Office.

Russian Policy On Syria: Preventing All-Out War In Middle East

Source: China Daily
Boris Dolgov

Russia vetoed the United Nations Security Council resolution, which sought to blame President Bashar al-Assad for the violence against civilians in Syria and urged him to step down, because it did not correspond to the real situation in Syria, where the majority of Syrian people, 60 percent, support his government.

I saw for myself demonstrations by tens of thousands of people who support President al-Assad when I visited Syria in August 2011 and in January 2012. Many of the international media, such as CNN, Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, are waging an information war against Syria. They portray al-Assad's regime as suppressing the people and shooting peaceful protestors. This is not true. The real cause of the violence in Syria is the terrorist activities of some anti-government groups, which are armed and financed from abroad. This has already resulted in the deaths of 3,000 civilians and 2,000 soldiers and policemen.

If passed, the UN Security Council resolution would have given the leaders of NATO countries the excuse to begin military intervention in Syria. The consequences of such intervention, as was shown by NATO's military intervention in Libya, would be the deaths of thousands of Syrian civilians, and the opportunity for radical Islamic groups to increase their influence in the country. This would likely lead to civil war or the disintegration of Syria into five or more small states divided on religious and national lines. It would also result in the seizure of the Syrian arsenal by radical Islamic groups, who could then use them against the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and against Russia.

The United States, the United Kingdom, France and Israel, as well as Turkey and the Arabic monarchies of the Persian Gulf, which now play a leading role in the League of Arab States, pursue a policy of pressuring the Syrian leadership to stand down and support the external Syrian National Council and armed opposition groups in Syria with the aim of overthrowing the al-Assad regime.

Putin: Iran Strike Would be 'Catastrophic'

Source: Ria Novosti

Russia is troubled by the growing threat of a military strike on Iran, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Monday, adding that fear of foreign intervention pushes other “nuclear threshold” states to acquire nuclear weapons, rather than dissuading them.

“Russia is alarmed by the growing threat of a military strike” against Iran, Putin said in a lengthy campaign article focusing on Russia’s foreign policy, published in the daily Moskovskiye Novosti newspaper ahead of presidential elections on March 4, which he is widely expected to win.

“If this happens, the consequences will be truly catastrophic, their real scope impossible to imagine,” Putin wrote.

Such a military strike is increasingly reported as being an option under consideration by Israeli and US military planners as Iran moves ahead with its uranium enrichment program. Western countries and Israel say Iran is trying to build atomic weapons. Tehran rejects that accusation and says its nuclear activities are solely for civilian purposes.

“We propose to recognize Iran’s right to develop a civilian nuclear program, including the right to enrich uranium” in exchange for placing the country’s nuclear activities under the tight control of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the international nuclear safety watchdog, Putin said.

If this is achieved, then all sanctions against Iran, including unilaterally imposed by individual countries, need to be lifted, Putin said in the 6,000-word article outlining his foreign policy vision ahead of the elections next Sunday.

In the article, Putin lashed out at the West for excessive pressure on sovereign countries by means of sanctions and military interventions, clearly referring to the NATO-led military operations in Iraq and Libya.

An Empire of Poverty: Race, Punishment and Social Control

Source: Boiling Frogs Post
Andrew Gavin Marshall

Slavery & the Social Construction of Race

 

Between 1619 and 1860, the American legal system, from that imposed by the British Empire to that constructed following the American Revolution, “expanded and protected the liberties of white Americans – while at the same time the legal process became increasingly more harsh as to the masses of blacks, with a steady contraction of their liberties.” This process marked the ‘social construction’ of race and with it, racial superiority and inferiority, delegated to whites and blacks, respectively.[1] Interesting to note was that between 1619 and the 1660s, the American colonial legal system was “far more supportive for blacks; or, phrased differently, the early legal process was less harsh.” Georgia’s original charter, in fact, had three prohibitions: no alcohol, no free land titles, “and no Negro slaves.” In Virginia, as late as 1672 and 1673, there were legal records of some slaves “serving limited terms as indentured servants rather than being sentenced to the eternity of slavery.”[2]

The colonies in the Americas required a massive labour force, “Between 1607 and 1783, more than 350,000 ‘white’ bond-labourers arrived in the British colonies.”[3] The Americas had both un-free blacks and whites, with blacks being a minority, yet they “exercised basic rights in law.”[4] Problems arrived in the form of elites trying to control the labour class. Slaves were made up of Indian, black and white labourers; yet, problems arose with this “mixed” population of un-free labour. The problem with Indian labourers was that they knew the land and could escape to “undiscovered” territory, and enslavement would often instigate rebellions and war:

 

The social costs of trying to discipline un-free native labour had proved too high. Natives would eventually be genocidally eliminated, once population settlement and military power made victory more or less certain; for the time being, however, different sources of bond labour had to be found.[5]

Israel inks $1.6 Billion Arms Deal with Azerbaijan

Source: AP
Amy Teibel

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli defense officials on Sunday confirmed $1.6 billion in deals to sell drones as well as anti-aircraft and missile defense systems to Azerbaijan, bringing sophisticated Israeli technology to the doorstep of archenemy Iran.

The sales by state-run Israel Aerospace Industries come at a delicate time. Israel has been laboring hard to form diplomatic alliances in a region that seems to be growing increasingly hostile to the Jewish state.

Its most pressing concern is Iran's nuclear program, and Israeli leaders have hinted broadly that they would be prepared to attack Iranian nuclear facilities if they see no other way to keep Tehran from building bombs.

Iran denies Israeli and Western claims it seeks to develop atomic weapons, and says its disputed nuclear program is designed to produce energy and medical isotopes.

In Jerusalem, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Iran's nuclear program will take center stage in his upcoming talks with U.S. and Canadian leaders. Netanyahu is to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa on Friday and with President Barack Obama in Washington on Monday.

...

It was not clear whether the arms deal with Azerbaijan was connected to any potential Israeli planes to strike Iran. The Israeli defense officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not at liberty to discuss defense deals.

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