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Turkey's assembling forces that could wreck Syrian ceasefire - Ex US Colonel


Sputnik
Tue, 01 Mar 2016 05:59 UTC
Turkey shelling Syria
© Stringer / Reuters
A retired US Army Colonel told Sputnik that Turkey could use its assembling forces to intervene in Syria, wrecking the fragile US-Russia negotiated ceasefire and setting off a wider war.

Turkey's military is assembling forces it could use to intervene in Syria, wrecking the fragile US-Russia negotiated ceasefire and setting off a wider war, retired US Army Colonel Doug Macgregor told Sputnik.

"The Turks are assembling forces," McGregor, leading US expert on Middle East war and integrated ground combat tactics in modern warfare, warned.

Comment: Further reading: Syrian cessation of hostilities: 'Largely successful' so far, but even 'failure' is a success for Russia

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Stormtrooper

'We will participate': Saudi military admits US coalition mulling ground invasion in Syria


RT
Tue, 01 Mar 2016 03:44 UTC
Military troops
© Faisal Al Nasser / Reuters
Saudi Arabia has acknowledged that the US-led anti-ISIS coalition has held a "political" discussion about a potential ground troop deployment in Syria. Riyadh's statements have been criticized by Damascus as destructive and a threat to regional security.

In an interview with Reuters, an aide to Saudi Arabia's defense minister, Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, confirmed that defense ministers from the anti-Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) coalition debated placing ground troops on the ground in Syria during a ministerial meeting in Brussels last month.

"It was discussed two weeks ago in Brussels," Asseri said, clarifying that the discussions took place on the "political" level only without going into details of a potential "military mission."

Comment: It can, and most likely will, prove disastrous if the US, Turkey, and Saudi send troops into Syria. Particularly when they have not been invited by Syria.

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Arrow Up

Iran's reformists and moderates gain majorities in Parliament and Assembly of Experts elections


RT
Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:15 UTC
Iran vote
© Raheb Homavandi / Reuters
Iran elections: Long lines as millions vote to 'increase dignity and disappoint enemies.'
Iran's reformists and moderate conservatives have won a parliamentary majority, according to election results released by the Interior Ministry. Earlier, it was announced that the moderates also secured a win in the Assembly of Experts vote.

Reformists, who back extended relationships with western countries, won about 85 seats in the parliament, while moderate conservatives got another 73 seats, thus being able to secure a 54 percent majority in the 290-seat legislature in case they form a coalition, AP reported citing Iranian state TV.

Rouhani
© www.nbcnews.com
"We must work together..."
At the same time, hard-liners, who opposed Iran's nuclear deal with the world powers signed in July 2015, won only 68 seats, which equals 23 percent of the total number of seats in the parliament. Five more seats will go to religious minorities and the remaining 59 seats will be allocated in a runoff, which is expected to be held in April, according to AP.

Earlier it was announced that reformist-backed candidates aligned with President Hassan Rouhani won all 30 parliamentary seats in the country's capital of Tehran. The voter turnout for the elections was 62 percent, according to Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli.


Comment: There seems to still be room in this world for a president to inspire a cohesive and honorable way forward for his country and the people he serves.


Comment: What happens in elections matters as it provides the framework for determining the road forward, not just to Iran but globally. Without Rouhani as Iran's president and his re-engagement with the West, the Nuclear Deal may not have been accomplished. Think about the situations in which this deal has allowed Iran to step forward and help support recent regional actions as in Syria. Also, ponder the reverse in what may have instead transpired had the deal been sabotaged by Israel at that pivotal moment.

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Snakes in Suits

Make Monsanto pay

Dr. Vandana Shiva
Ecowatch
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 01:34 UTC
Go Back Monsanto
© Greenpeace
“Monsanto’s ruthlessness,” writes Shiva, “is central to the crisis Indian farmers are facing.”
Monsanto is in the news again. The Competition Commission of India, the country's antitrust regulator, said last week that it suspects a Monsanto joint venture abused its dominant position as a supplier of genetically modified (GMO) cotton seeds in India and has issued an order citing prima facie violation of Sections 3(4) and 4 of the Competition Act, to be investigated by Competition Commission of India's director-general.

Monsanto also faces cases brought by state governments and domestic seed manufacturers, for the astronomical royalty it charges. In previous cases, Monsanto defended itself by saying that it was "trait fees" (for using its technology in cotton hybrids) and not royalty.

Comment: Killer Seeds: The Devastating Impacts of Monsanto's Genetically Modified Seeds in India

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Bad Guys

Al-Nusra militant tells German paper: Ceasefire must fail, will provoke Russia to make that happen


Sputnik
Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:42 UTC
nusra
© AFP 2016/ RAMI AL-SAYED
Respected German daily Die Welt has a platform for what it describes as "the most dangerous branch of the international terrorist network al-Qaeda", Al-Nusra Front, to voice its threats of provoking Russia in Syria and disrupting the ceasefire in the country.

Al-Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, has threatened to provoke Russia in Syria and to disrupt the ceasefire in the country, according to a Die Welt correspondent who met one of the jihadists in person.

The 37-year-old militant, who called himself Abu Musab al-Syri, claimed to be "responsible for propaganda" and called the truce a "stupid" measure. He revealed the terrorist group he is a member of had a strategy "to provoke Russians."

"Al-Nusra Front necessarily wants the ceasefire to fail and the strategy for this is to provoke Russians," Die Welt quotes the militant as saying.

Comment: Common sense: if 'moderate rebels' are fighting alongside al-Nusra, they are not moderate. But the U.S. lacks common sense. So if these provocations work, the U.S. will have a field day criticizing Russia for "violating the ceasefire" by attacking "moderate rebels", who are BFFs with al-Qaeda. Strange world we live in, no? But it's uncertain whether this will work. If the "moderate rebels" sign the ceasefire, Russia and Syria will in all likelihood avoid bombing them. And if they break the ceasefire (al-Nusra or not), they will be justifiable targets. What are the "moderates" going to say? "It wasn't us! It was these guys who happen to be right here with us!" Plus, given the potential for false-flag provocations such as this, the Syrians and Russians have no doubt accounted for such contingencies well before the ceasefire went into effect.

See also: Syrian cessation of hostilities: 'Largely successful' so far, but even 'failure' is a success for Russia

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Arrow Up

Syrian ceasefire success: 250 militants turn themselves in in Dara'a


FARS News Agency
Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:32 UTC
surrender syria
Around 250 militants in the Southern province of Dara'a laid down their arms on Monday and turned themselves in to the Syrian officials as the pro-government forces keep on advancing across the country.

The militants formerly fighting in the Southern battlefields of the country surrendered to the Syrian government as the forces loyal to the Syrian President Bashar Assad continue gaining ground across the country.

The 250 surrendered militants are mostly from al-Sanamein region, including 130 from the village of Kefr Shams.

Comment: Further reading: Syrian cessation of hostilities: 'Largely successful' so far, but even 'failure' is a success for Russia

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Eye 1

UK Home Secretary to broaden anti-terrorism powers in response to Asian sex abuse gangs

James Cusick
The Independent, UK
Thu, 25 Feb 2016 21:45 UTC
Theresa May to broaden use of anti-terrorism powers in response to uncovering of Asian sex abuse gangs
Handcuffed brown person
© iStock
Asian-born sex abusers will be stripped of their UK citizenship and deported at the end of their sentences under a new Home Office drive, The Independent can reveal.

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, is planning to significantly increase her department's use of legal powers that allow serious criminals with dual nationality to have their British citizenship withdrawn, Whitehall sources say. Until now, the powers have predominately been used to remove the UK passports of terrorists and terrorist sympathisers.

But senior department sources told The Independent that - in response to the series of Asian sex abuse gangs uncovered in towns across the country in recent years - there is likely to be an "acceleration of passport strike-outs and potential deportations".

British-Pakistani members of the gang of six men and women from Rotherham who were convicted on Wednesday of offences including rape, forced prostitution, indecent assault and false imprisonment are expected to face action to strip them of their UK citizenship after they are sentenced today. Legal proceedings seeking their potential deportation to Pakistan are likely to follow.

The abuse of predominantly white girls by networks of Asian men has led to prosecutions across the North of England and the Midlands. More trials are imminent.

David Greenwood, head of the child abuse department at Switalskis solicitors in Sheffield, who represents almost 60 victims subjected to sexual abuse by the Rotherham gang between 1996 and 2012, said: "This trial is just the first of many and is the tip of a very big iceberg. From the work I have done, it appears that gangs of Asian men have been operating to sexually abuse young white girls in Rotherham, Oxford, Keighley, Bradford and Rochdale."
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Apple Green

'Dark Act': U.S. Senate to consider legislation to limit GMO labeling


RT
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 04:54 UTC
Shopper
© Nguyen Huy Kham/Reuters
A US Senate committee is considering legislation seeking to prohibit states from issuing their own mandatory labeling laws for food containing genetically modified ingredients, establishing a national voluntary labeling standard for GMO foods instead.

The timing of a proposed federal law on labeling is seen by food safety advocates as a direct attack on state's rights, earning it the nickname, the "Dark Act." To date, three states have passed genetically engineered food labeling laws - Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont.

Rebecca Spector from the Center for Food Safety told RT there has been a lot of pressure on lawmakers to delay the Vermont law.

"The Vermont law goes into effect on July 1 this year," said Spector who is CFS's West Coast Director. "There has been a lot of pressure on lawmakers from companies part of the Grocery Manufacturers Association and individual companies to delay that law so the companies don't have to label. Meanwhile, they are trying to come up with a federal solution that is weaker than the state laws."

The proposed federal legislation is similar to The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, which passed the House last June, The bill would amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a national voluntary labeling standard for bioengineered foods. The bill was introduced this year by Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), who is chair of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee that is scheduled to discuss the legislation on Tuesday, March 1.

Roberts and his supporters argue that a federal law would override a patchwork of different state laws that make labeling food more complex and costly for food manufacturers.

Comment: See also: United States Congress blocks GMO labeling DARK Act

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Attention

Amnesty International: "Total impunity" Ukraine is an extremely dangerous place to be pro-Russian


Fort Russ
Sat, 27 Feb 2016 21:24 UTC
Ukraine protester
© Reuters
Human rights advocates Amnesty International published a report on the observance of human rights in the world in 2015 - 2016. According to Korrespondent, who references the study, Ukraine has become an extremely dangerous place to express pro-Russian views: In April, Oles Buzina was killed, and journalist Ruslan Kotsaba became the first Ukrainian prisoner of conscience in five years when in February he was placed in custody on charges of treason.
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USA

Doesn't matter who wins the White House - The new boss will be the same as the old boss

John W. Whitehead
The Rutherford Institute
Mon, 29 Feb 2016 21:03 UTC
The main problem in any democracy is that crowd-pleasers are generally brainless swine who can go out on a stage & whup their supporters into an orgiastic frenzy—then go back to the office & sell every one of the poor bastards down the tube for a nickel apiece. ― Hunter S. Thompson
Einstein on Insanity
Politics today is not about Republicans and Democrats.

Nor is it about healthcare, abortion, higher taxes, free college tuition, or any of the other buzzwords that have become campaign slogans for individuals who have mastered the art of telling Americans exactly what they want to hear.

Politics today is about one thing and one thing only: maintaining the status quo between the Controllers (the politicians, the bureaucrats, and the corporate elite) and the Controlled (the taxpayers).

Hillary will not save the nation. Nor will Bernie, Trump, Rubio, or Cruz.

The only ones who can save the nation are "we the people," and yet the American people remain eager to be persuaded that a new president in the White House can solve the problems that plague us.

No matter who wins this next presidential election, you can rest assured that the new boss will be the same as the old boss, and we—the permanent underclass in America—will continue to be forced to march in lockstep with the police state in all matters, public and private.

Indeed, as I point out in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, it really doesn't matter what you call them—the 1%, the elite, the controllers, the masterminds, the shadow government, the police state, the surveillance state, the military industrial complex—so long as you understand that no matter which party occupies the White House in 2017, the unelected bureaucracy that actually calls the shots will continue to do so.

Consider the following a much-needed reality check, an antidote if you will, against an overdose of overhyped campaign announcements, lofty electoral promises and meaningless patriotic sentiments that land us right back in the same prison cell.
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