Benghazi and the Sources of Anti-American Violence
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December 30, 2013
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Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Benghazi and the Sources of Anti-American Violence
Work Until You're Dead? Don't Plan on Retiring By Mike Whitney
Work Until You're Dead?
Don't Plan on Retiring
By Mike Whitney
A
sizable chunk of the adult population is going to punch a clock until
they keel-over in the office parking lot and get hauled off in the
company dumpster.
Life in the Emerging American Police State: By John W. Whitehead
Life in the Emerging American Police State:
By John W. Whitehead
It's Time for a Second American Revolution.
And The Country Posing The Greatest Threat to Peace as 2013 Ends is ...
And The Country Posing The Greatest Threat to Peace as 2013 Ends is ...
By Patrick Goodenough
As
2013 ends a global poll finds that the country seen as representing
the greatest threat to peace today is ... the United States.
iSpy? Apple Denies Assisting NSA with iPhone "Backdoor"
iSpy? Apple Denies Assisting NSA with iPhone "Backdoor"
http://www.commondreams.org/
http://www.commondreams.org/
Former NSA Chief: Obama Should Keep Spying, Ignore Panel Recommendations
Former NSA Chief: Obama Should Keep Spying, Ignore Panel Recommendations
http://www.commondreams.org/
http://www.commondreams.org/
'Symbol of Gitmo's Tragedy': Captives Freed After 12 Years Imprisoned Without Charge
'Symbol of Gitmo's Tragedy': Captives Freed After 12 Years Imprisoned Without Charge
http://www.commondreams.org/
http://www.commondreams.org/
Guest post: Your Power or Money Article Sunday, December 29, 2013
Dear
Mr. Pearlstein:
Thanks
for your 12/19/13, "Power or Money Article" in the Washington Post. While
the anecdotes were interesting, they do not begin to justify your conclusions or
explain why you neglected to mention key forces and developments that have led
to the situations you decry.
The
fact that "Washington" became a money pit to be exploited by the powerful
certainly did not start during the Reagan Administration. It can much more
clearly be traced to the late 1960's when adoption of the federal "Unified
Budget" concept at the insistence of LBJ made it possible for almost every
administration (except Reagan) and Congress since then to pretend that the
federal treasury was unlimited.
By
combining the Social Security surplus at the time with the rest of the federal
budget permitted massive expansion of the role of government and of spending,
entitlements, special interest tax breaks, and credit programs while pretending
that the US had something close to a "balanced budget." (As I'm sure
you recognize, that fiction has played out now that Social Security is no longer
producing a mythical surplus.)
The
alleged surpluses permitted members and staff of appropriations and tax writing
committees to have a "field day" in giving away tax dollars through
subsidies, tax breaks, and ineffective programs while ignoring the fiscal cliff
that has finally overtaken us.
Another
factor that contributed mightily to the "contracting out" practice that you
claim led to "Washington wealth" was not necessarily the merits of the practice
itself (which has both advantages and disadvantages) but instead to the practice
encouraged by successive administrations and congress to limit the number of
people on the direct federal payroll. Contracting out permitted hiding the
real size of the "federal" workforce. Another factor leading to
contracting out was the perceived need to pay more for certain kinds of talent
(usually labeled "scientists and engineers," but in fact much broader) than was
possible at the time under the federal Civil Service pay scales (a problem that
has been over-corrected). This occurred under the Manhattan Project and
continued under the Atomic Energy Commission and the Department of Defense and
then NASA, CIA, etc.
The
"contracting out" practice has expanded to all agencies and proceeded to the
point where federal agencies do not have the competence to oversee contracting
practices in as way that protects the interests of taxpayers and/or prevents
massive fraud, waste and abuse.
All
of this happened while key players NOT mentioned in your article -- that is,
powerful members of Congress and their staffs -- were enjoying their roles in
passing out tax breaks and subsidies and collecting power, prestige,
perquisites, and, perhaps most important, campaign contributions that kept them
in office and enhanced their power -- at the expense of ordinary citizens and
taxpayers.
While
you mention the great things done by the leader of the Carlyle Group, you failed
to mention that partners in hedge funds and private equity firms such as
Carlyle, Blackstone and others enjoy a huge tax break in the form of the
"carried interest" provision of the tax code that permits them to pay income
taxes to the federal government at a 15% rate while "normal" corporations pay
35% and many taxpayers pay more than 15%, some up to 39.6%. The great
charitable contributions they make are made possible in part by shifting their
tax burden to ordinary taxpayers. (You might also note the article about GRATs
appearing in the same section of the Post as your article.)
I
hope that in future articles you will focus more accurately on the people,
positions, and policies that lead to the conditions that you don't like,
especially members of Congress who are unwilling and/or unable to resist
entreaties from lobbyists and using their positions to stay in
power.
It
is indeed sad that Washington has become such a source of easy wealth for so
many individuals and some corporations. Some very large corporations
apparently have concluded that there is more profit with much less risk in
"mining" the federal government for tax breaks and subsidies than in pursuing
entrepreneurial, innovative, and commercially productive activity in
the private sector. Some observers have claimed that one large, formerly
innovative corporation employs more lobbyists in Washington than scientists
and engineers in its laboratories!
Meanwhile,
associations operating in Washington -- such as the US Chamber of Commerce,
National Association of Manufacturers, Business Roundtable, and others --
once ardent defenders of private enterprise now devote much of their
activities to the protection and enhancement of tax breaks and subsidies for
their members who exploit Washington’s weaknesses.
Happy
New Year!
Glenn
R. Schleede
Ashburn,
VA
The Year's Best Tech for Work and Play
ZDNet
takes a look back at very best tech stories and features of 2013. From
phones and tablets, wearable technology, security and law, and
unearthing the vast scale of U.S. government surveillance. This year has
seen it all. http://www.zdnet.com/topic-the-years-best-tech-for-work-and-play/
How the NSA has destroyed trust
Because we know that the NSA has attempted, and in some cases
succeeded in making vendors and other third parties complicit in their
data collection, it's hard to completely believe vendor denials anymore.
It's the vendors who are the biggest victims here.http://www.zdnet.com/how-the-nsa-has-destroyed-trust-7000024619/?s_cid=e539&ttag=e539
Walker's World: The bumpy year ahead
Walker's World: The bumpy year ahead
London (UPI) Dec 30, 2013 - The global economy is confounding the conventional wisdom of the past decade and the coming year will see a remarkable shift. The developed world, written off by so many as tired, divided and with dysfunctional political systems, will grow. The emergent economies, however, from which so much had been expected, are likely to falter. The United States, having added 2 million new jo ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/Walkers_World_The_bumpy_year_ahead_999.html
London (UPI) Dec 30, 2013 - The global economy is confounding the conventional wisdom of the past decade and the coming year will see a remarkable shift. The developed world, written off by so many as tired, divided and with dysfunctional political systems, will grow. The emergent economies, however, from which so much had been expected, are likely to falter. The United States, having added 2 million new jo ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/Walkers_World_The_bumpy_year_ahead_999.html
We need to talk about TED
We need to talk about TED
Science,
philosophy and technology run on the model of American Idol – as
embodied by TED talks – is a recipe for civilisational disaster
Key Hillary Backer Says NYT Benghazi Investigation Is ‘Truth’
Key Hillary Backer Says NYT Benghazi Investigation Is ‘Truth’http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/12/30/key_hillary_backer_says_nyt_benghazi_investigation_is_truth?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foreignpolicy%2Fthecable+%28The+Cable%29#sthash.nEccwffN.dpbs
"Six States Chosen to Test Commercial Drones"
"Six States Chosen to Test Commercial Drones" -- The Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday
that Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia have
been selected to host sites for testing the commercial use of drones.
http://www.truthdig.com/
http://www.truthdig.com/
Robert Scheer on Spies "NSA, Benghazi and the Monsters of Our Own Creation"
Robert Scheer on Spies
"NSA, Benghazi and the Monsters of Our Own Creation" -- "We know everything but learn nothing" would be an honest slogan for the NSA, CIA and lesser-known spy agencies that specialize in leading us so dangerously astray.
http://www.truthdig.com/
"NSA, Benghazi and the Monsters of Our Own Creation" -- "We know everything but learn nothing" would be an honest slogan for the NSA, CIA and lesser-known spy agencies that specialize in leading us so dangerously astray.
http://www.truthdig.com/
Americans on Wrong Side of Income Gap Run Out of Means to Cope
Americans on Wrong Side of Income Gap Run Out of Means to Cope:
By
almost two to one - 64 percent to 33 percent - Americans say the U.S.
no longer offers everyone an equal chance to get ahead, according to
the latest Bloomberg National Poll.
How Detroit went broke: The answers may surprise you
How Detroit went broke: The answers may surprise you :
The
numbers, most from records deeply buried in the public library, lay
waste to misconceptions about the roots of Detroit's economic crisis.
French 'Millionaire Tax' Cleared:
French 'Millionaire Tax' Cleared:
It
was originally intended as a 75 percent tax to be paid by high earners
on the portion of annual income exceeding €1 million, or roughly $1.37
million, but the council rejected it last year, saying it was unfair.
France's top administrative court later said that 66 percent was the
legal maximum for individuals.
The NSA has nearly complete backdoor access to Apple's iPhone:
The NSA has nearly complete backdoor access to Apple's iPhone:
The
U.S. National Security Agency has the ability to snoop on nearly every
communication sent from an Apple iPhone, according to leaked documents
shared by security researcher Jacob Appelbaum and German news magazine
Der Spiegel.
3 Shocking Ways Inequality Keeps Getting Worse in America By Paul Buchheit
3 Shocking Ways Inequality Keeps Getting Worse in America
By Paul Buchheit
Anyone reviewing the data is likely to conclude that there must be some mistake.
Glenn Greenwald: The NSA Can "Literally Watch Every Keystroke You Make"
Glenn Greenwald: The NSA Can "Literally Watch Every Keystroke You Make"
Video
The goal of the NSA really is the elimination of privacy worldwide-not hyperbole, not metaphor, that's literally their goal.
Sunni Monarchs Back YouTube Hate Preachers: By Patrick Cockburn
Sunni Monarchs Back YouTube Hate Preachers:
By Patrick Cockburn
Anti-Shia propaganda threatens a sectarian civil war which will engulf the entire Muslim world
2013 counted out: Year in statistics
2013 counted out: Year in statistics
FT reporters select the numbers that defined the past 12 monthshttp://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/2d0f35b0-61ab-11e3-916e-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=crm/email/20131231/nbe/Analysis/product&siteedition=intl#slide0
Monday, December 30, 2013
Greenwald: NSA Stories Also Reveal Perilous State of Mainstream Journalism
Greenwald: NSA Stories Also Reveal Perilous State of Mainstream Journalism
http://www.commondreams.org/
http://www.commondreams.org/
"The NSA Strikes Back"
"The NSA Strikes Back"-- Just when you thought that momentum in the
struggle to rein in the NSA was shifting in the direction of civil
liberties, along comes another reminder that momentum is fleeting.
http://www.truthdig.com/
http://www.truthdig.com/
"Overthrow the Speculators" -
Chris Hedges on Public Banking and the Local Revolution
"Overthrow the Speculators" -- There will never be significant economic reform until megabanks are replaced by a network of state- and city-owned public banks. The revolution must be local.
http://www.truthdig.com/
"Overthrow the Speculators" -- There will never be significant economic reform until megabanks are replaced by a network of state- and city-owned public banks. The revolution must be local.
http://www.truthdig.com/
How Britain exported next-generation surveillance
How Britain exported next-generation surveillance
Thousands of cameras, millions of photographs, terabytes of data. You’re tracked, wherever you go.
https://medium.com/matter/d15b5801b79eHelp us push back in 2014
Greetings from the Center for Arms Control & Non-Proliferation:
Our
Center has worked for 33 years to promote nuclear arms control,
effective diplomacy to enhance our national security, and an end to the
spread of weapons of mass destruction.
For
each of those 33 years, we’ve encountered opposition from those who
prefer to maintain a nuclear arsenal far larger than we need, spend
money on unneeded weapons systems, and employ force rather than
diplomacy to address global threats.
That’s
why a key part of the Center’s mission is to push back against these
advocates and to make the case for an approach to national security that
is relevant to the 21st century rather than the Cold War. There's only one day left - will you make a tax-deductible contribution before the end of the year?
Here are three ways we spoke truth to power in 2013:
Many
thanks for supporting our efforts to inform the debate about more
sensible national security policies and programs. We couldn’t do it
without your generosity.
Happy holidays,
Lt. Gen. (USA, Ret.) Robert Gard, Jr.
Chairman & Senior Military Fellow Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation |
Confronting Reality: The Saudi-Pakistani Nuclear Nexus
Confronting Reality: The Saudi-Pakistani Nuclear Nexus
http://warontherocks.com/2013/12/confronting-reality-the-saudi-pakistani-nuclear-nexus/
NSA 'hacking unit' infiltrates computers around the world – report
NSA 'hacking unit' infiltrates computers around the world – report
• NSA: Tailored Access Operations a 'unique national asset'
• Former NSA chief calls Edward Snowden a 'traitor'
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/29/der-spiegel-nsa-hacking-unit-tao?CMP=ema_565
• Former NSA chief calls Edward Snowden a 'traitor'
How to Prevent a War Between China and Japan
How to Prevent a War Between China and Japan
By Kishore Mahbubani
Bloomberg
December 30, 2013
China and Japan, Asia's two most powerful nations, are increasingly jousting in the skies and
in the seas near a set of disputed islands. Although their economies
remain deeply intertwined, relations between the two governments seem
locked in an irreversible, dangerous downward spiral.
Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe further embittered feelings last week by visiting the
controversial Yasukuni shrine, which honors the souls of Japan's war
dead, including 14 World War II leaders convicted as Class-A war criminals.
Benghazi and the Sources of Anti-American Violence
Benghazi and the Sources of Anti-American Violence
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/paul-pillar/the-benghazi-incident-the-sources-anti-american-violence-9634
US public finance: Day of reckoning
Chicago is tackling the worst pension crisis in the US. But methods that got it into its bind are still used across America
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9782a5ce-6e3c-11e3-ac2a-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=crm/email/20131230/nbe/Analysis/product#axzz2oxzE50Ia
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9782a5ce-6e3c-11e3-ac2a-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=crm/email/20131230/nbe/Analysis/product#axzz2oxzE50Ia
The West has lost control of the world and disaster awaits
We're going to need a great of luck to avoid a nuclear catastrophe - and this can be traced back to the First World War and the death of Frederick III in 1888
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/10539494/The-West-has-lost-control-of-the-world-and-disaster-awaits.html
Noam Chomsky, the Salon interview: Governments are power systems, trying to sustain power
Exclusive: The polymath looks back with Salon on this year's NSA revelations and ahead to the earth's destruction
http://www.salon.com/2013/12/29/chomsky_governments_are_power_systems_trying_to_sustain_power/
Noam Chomsky: World ‘racing towards’ environmental catastrophe and nuclear war in 2014
Noam Chomsky: World ‘racing towards’ environmental catastrophe and nuclear war in 2014
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/29/noam-chomsky-world-racing-towards-environmental-catastrophe-and-nuclear-war-in-2014/
Letter to the Editor The NSA and Constitutional rights
Letter to the Editor
The NSA and Constitutional rights
Published: December 29
Walter Pincus [“In Snowden’s wake, an unprecedented ‘rule’ to consider public opinion on intelligence gathering,” The Fed Page, Dec. 26] reports the dismay of senior intelligence officers at the possibility that public approval may be
considered in deciding whether to undertake covert actions.
In my university teaching career, I have often profited from the campus residencies of senior diplomats, intelligence officials and military officers. They taught faculty and students a good deal, and I would like to think that they learned something before they left our idyllic circumstances to return to the harsh world.
Might I suggest that the intelligence officers so worried that
public opinion could constrain their activities would profit from
studying a historic document they have not, apparently, recalled for
some time? It is called the Constitution, and its intellectual and moral
origins are quite fascinating. Surely, there is some quiet college that
could offer our public servants warm hospitality and rigorous
instruction. In my university teaching career, I have often profited from the campus residencies of senior diplomats, intelligence officials and military officers. They taught faculty and students a good deal, and I would like to think that they learned something before they left our idyllic circumstances to return to the harsh world.
Norman Birnbaum, Washington
Apple, Google and Facebook are latter-day Scrooges
Apple, Google and Facebook are latter-day Scrooges
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/558894bc-68b0-11e3-bb3e-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=crm/email/20131230/nbe/Comment/product&siteedition=intl#axzz2oxzE50Ia
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Judge Leon's Footnote 65 Exposes the Biggest Lie of the NSA Spy Program
Judge Leon's Footnote 65 Exposes the Biggest Lie of the NSA Spy Program
By William A. Cohn
Buried deep in his ruling is a powerful nugget of truth which exposes that when the government says "trust us" we shouldn't.
Members of Jewish Student Group Test Permissible Discussion on Israel
December 28,
2013
Members of Jewish Student Group Test Permissible Discussion on Israel
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
At Harvard, the Jewish student group Hillel was barred from co-sponsoring
a discussion with a Palestinian student group. At Binghamton University, a
Hillel student leader was forced to resign his position after showing a film
about Palestinians and inviting the filmmaker’s brother to speak. And on many
other campuses, Hillel chapters have been instructed to reject collaboration
with left-leaning Jewish groups.
Give Now and Save Lives
Save lives in East Africa From Helen Blakesley, CRS Information Officer for East Africa You can help fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria through lifesaving prevention and treatment programs in Niger. Save lives in West Africa From Sara Fajardo, CRS Information Officer for West Africa You can help farmers in Madagascar take advantage of seeds, handheld technology, and their own hard work to help increase their productivity and improve harvests. Save lives in Asia From Jen Hardy, CRS Information Officer for Asia You can help families recover from the devastating typhoon that swept through the Philippines. Save lives in Latin America and the Caribbean From Robyn Fieser, CRS Information Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean You can help women coffee growers rehabilitate acres of old, low-producing plants, build a mill and help solve their storage problems in Nicaragua. Save lives in Middle East From Liz O’Neill, CRS Communications Officer for Europe and the Middle East You can help frightened, homeless, and besieged refugees from war-torn Syria by providing urgent medical care, food, shelter, counseling, hygiene and education. Support the lifesaving mission and vital work of CRS by making a life-changing gift today. Thank you. May blessings overflow,
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About UsCatholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. We ease suffering and provide assistance to people in need in 91 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality.
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The Welfare Queen
The Welfare Queen
In the 1970s, Ronald Reagan villainized a Chicago woman for bilking the government. Her other sins—including possible kidnappings and murders—were far worse.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2013/12/linda_taylor_welfare_queen_ronald_reagan_made_her_a_notorious_american_villain.html#section-2
"New Study Refines View of Sarin Attack in Syria,
An important update by C.J. Chivers on the continuing
controversies surrounding the use of sarin gas in Syria, "New Study Refines View
of Sarin Attack in Syria," http://nyti.ms/1cxCn8I.
David Kirkpatrick's "A Deadly Mix in Benghazi,"
Today's New York Times features a quite significant story dealing with the remarkable and precipitous collapse of the CIA's intelligence
gathering and analysis capabilities. The piece is David Kirkpatrick's "A Deadly Mix in Benghazi," http://www.nytimes.com/
Noam Chomsky: We’re no longer a functioning democracy, we’re really a plutocracy
Noam Chomsky: We’re no longer a functioning democracy, we’re really a plutocracy
By Travis
Gettys
Friday, December 27, 2013 13:59 EST
Friday, December 27, 2013 13:59 EST
Abe’s Yasukuni visit isolates Japan
This
note -- which may have appeared so far only in English -- was penned by
the scholarly former Japanese ambassador to the Netherlands and
grandson of Shigenori Togo, who served as ambassador to both Nazi
Germany and the USSR just prior to World War II, as foreign minister at
the outset and end of the war, and finally as the wartime Minister for
Greater East Asia. Togo was sentenced to twenty years in prison for war
crimes and died in prison in 1950. See http://encyclopedia.
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/
To those who are general supporters of Abe’s economic, political and foreign policy initiatives, including myself, his visit to Yasukuni on 26 December was a bombshell of disappointment and helplessness.
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/
Abe’s Yasukuni visit isolates Japan
Author: Kazuhiko Togo, Kyoto Sangyo UniversityTo those who are general supporters of Abe’s economic, political and foreign policy initiatives, including myself, his visit to Yasukuni on 26 December was a bombshell of disappointment and helplessness.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
The Week with IPS 12/28
  | |
 | Rebuilding Lives Skilfully Ashfaq Yusufzai
Farhat
Bibi, 43, was left to fend for her three young sons after her husband
was killed in a bomb attack in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) three years ago. A few days later, she landed at a camp for
people displaced by violence. “The camp proved to be a blessing in
disguise,” ... MORE >>
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 | When Home Becomes a Firing Zone Pierre Klochendler
Jinba
is in the crosshair of ‘Firing Zone 918’ - and ‘Firing Zone 918’ is a
microcosm of the Israeli occupation. Together with seven other
communities, Jinba is slated for demolition to make way for an Israeli
training ground. Forced eviction hangs over a thousand Palestinians.
Mahmoud Raba’i is ... MORE >>
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 | Arab Spring Breeds More Trade in Exotic Pets Cam McGrath
At
a small pet shop in an upscale Cairo neighbourhood, puppies, kittens
and sickly-looking parakeets occupy the cages behind the storefront
window. But if you want more exciting and exotic animals – such as
crocodiles or lion cubs - just ask behind the counter.
Trade in wild animals is banned ... MORE >>
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| | |
 | Kashmiri Women Claim Their Rights Athar Parvaiz
Mehnaz
Bano (not her real name), a 37-year-old woman in a hamlet in Indian
Kashmir, is living a “satisfied and peaceful” life ever since she
secured her daughter’s property rights before her remarriage – though
not without a long and tedious struggle following her first husband’s
death.
When her ... MORE >>
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 | Assisting Rather than Deporting Trafficking Victims in Spain Inés BenÃtez
MarÃa
came to Spain from Paraguay to work as a housekeeper in a hotel. But it
was a false job promise, and she ended up in a nightclub, where she was
forced to work as a prostitute.
One night she told a client the truth. Moved by her story, he started
hiring her services day after day until he ... MORE >>
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| | |
 | Some Cartoons Aren't Funny A. D. McKenzie
A
woman and her husband are seated at a table. As she talks, he seems to
be ignoring her, his head hidden behind a newspaper.
“At least Obama is listening to me,” she says.
This is just one satirical reference to the ongoing international
surveillance scandal, in a book published earlier this ... MORE >>
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| | |
 | Russia Plays the Pardon Game Pavol Stracansky
An
amnesty freeing high-profile detainees and convicts and the pardoning
of arguably Russia’s most famous political prisoner have failed to move
critics of the country’s appalling human rights record.
To mark the 20th anniversary of Russia’s constitution, lawmakers this
week approved a ... MORE >>
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Pakistan to raise drone issue at UN Human Rights Council
Pakistan to raise drone issue at UN Human Rights Council
Islamabad (AFP) Dec 26, 2013 - Pakistan on Thursday said it would raise the issue of US drone strikes inside its territory at the United Nations Human Rights Council. "We will go to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva if the drone strikes continue" Tasneem Aslam, the spokeswoman for the ministry of foreign affairs said in a weekly news conference. The UN General Assembly passed a resolution on De ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/Pakistan_to_raise_drone_issue_at_UN_Human_Rights_Council_999.html
Islamabad (AFP) Dec 26, 2013 - Pakistan on Thursday said it would raise the issue of US drone strikes inside its territory at the United Nations Human Rights Council. "We will go to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva if the drone strikes continue" Tasneem Aslam, the spokeswoman for the ministry of foreign affairs said in a weekly news conference. The UN General Assembly passed a resolution on De ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/Pakistan_to_raise_drone_issue_at_UN_Human_Rights_Council_999.html
War shrine shows limit in US support to Japan
War shrine shows limit in US support to Japan
Washington (AFP) Dec 26, 2013 - The United States on Thursday criticized Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a war shrine visit that infuriated Japan's neighbors, in a rare break to usually unstinting US support to its ally. US advocacy of a stronger Japan - including a more active security role by the officially pacifist country - has been a core principle for Washington in a region marked by the rise of China and an increasi ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/War_shrine_shows_limit_in_US_support_to_Japan_999.html
Washington (AFP) Dec 26, 2013 - The United States on Thursday criticized Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a war shrine visit that infuriated Japan's neighbors, in a rare break to usually unstinting US support to its ally. US advocacy of a stronger Japan - including a more active security role by the officially pacifist country - has been a core principle for Washington in a region marked by the rise of China and an increasi ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/War_shrine_shows_limit_in_US_support_to_Japan_999.html
US sending missiles, drones to Iraq: official
US sending missiles, drones to Iraq: official
Washington (AFP) Dec 26, 2013 - The United States is sending Iraq dozens of missiles and surveillance drones to help combat a recent surge there in Al-Qaeda-backed violence, a State Department official said Thursday. The official confirmed a New York Times report about the weapons shipment. The daily said 75 Hellfire missiles were purchased by Iraq and delivered by Washington last week. The State Department official co ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_sending_missiles_drones_to_Iraq_official_999.html
Russia’s Navy Rising
Dec 28, 2013 02:00 am | Thomas Fedyszyn
Naval
analysts for some time have derided the status of the Russian
Federation Navy (RFN), falling from its elevated Cold War status as an
American near-equal, to an obsolescent non-operational force through the
first decade of the 21st century. This less-than-graceful
degradation has effectively ceased with a newly invigorated shipbuilding
budget, the delivery of a number of warships and, most importantly, the
redeployment of this once proud navy into the world’s oceans.read morehttp://server1.nationalinterest.org/commentary/russias-navy-new-red-storm-rising-9616
NYT: Obamacare Decimates Middle Class
| New York Times: Obamacare Decimates Middle Class Alex Jones ...
The New York Times has finally conceded what critics of Obamacare have been claiming–the so-called “Affordable Care Act” devastates the country's ...
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