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Zakharova: Western 'obsession with Assad's personality incomprehensible'


ITAR-TASS
Thu, 14 Jul 2016 21:37 UTC
Syrian soldier near poster of Bashar al-Assad
© Mikhail Pochuev/ITAR-TASS
Moscow considers Western obsession with the personality of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad incomprehensible, while rooting out terrorism should be the priority in resolving the Syrian crisis, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"We have said time and again, responding to relevant criticism that we do not support Mr. Assad personally, that we are concerned about the existence of Syria's statehood and the forces that will be able to counter the terrorist threat on the ground," she said. "This is important for both Syria itself and the international community. With all due sympathy for the Syrian people, a practical perspective is present here as well."
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Snakes in Suits

'To defend western freedom': U.S. must preserve Egyptian tyranny

James North
Mondoweiss
Thu, 14 Jul 2016 20:27 UTC
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

Egyptian strongman Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Since 2011, the United States has sent more than $6.4 billion in military aid to Egypt, while continuing to mute criticism of the dictatorship's massive human rights violations. How much does Israel's influence explain this inexcusable American policy?

Michael Oren, the former Israeli ambassador to Washington, provided key evidence in his memoir a year ago. He says openly he opposed the pro-democracy Tahrir Square uprising in January 2011, and he even admits he regularly telephoned then-President Hosni Mubarak's envoy to the U.S., encouraging Egypt to resist the demonstrators. Such a stance seems odd coming from a nation that boasts that it is the only democracy in the Middle East, but Oren explained by quoting a senior Israeli approvingly:
"'Why won't Americans face the truth?' one frustrated Israeli ex-general exclaimed to me. 'To defend Western freedom, they must preserve Middle Eastern tyranny.'"
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Star of David

Israeli army destroys three Palestinian wells in occupied Hebron


IMEMC News
Thu, 14 Jul 2016 20:20 UTC
Israeli soldiers raiding workshop
© IMEMC
As the extensive Israeli military invasion into the southern West Bank district of Hebron continues to escalate, the soldiers destroyed, on Thursday morning, water wells, and the entrances of several Palestinian homes.

Media sources in Hebron said the soldiers destroyed several Palestinian water wells, detonated the entrances of eight apartments, in Hebron city, violently searched many residences and kidnapped at least one Palestinian.

Also in Hebron, the army invaded Farsh al-Hawa area, and the area around the al-Ahli Hospital, before storming a residential building, and violently searched several apartments. During the invasions, the soldiers detonated three Palestinian water wells.

The soldiers invaded two workshops in Hebron city, allegedly used for manufacturing weapons, and also stormed and ransacked many homes in the towns of Sa'ir and Bani Neim, east of Hebron, and placed concrete blocks, closing Hebron's northern road.
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Heart - Black

Terrorism with a "human face": The history of America's death squads

Prof Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research
Mon, 26 Aug 2013 10:04 UTC
Death squads in Iraq and Syria. The historical roots of US-NATO's covert war on Syria.

This article was first published by Global Research on January 4, 2013. It is also published as a chapter in Michel Chossudovsky's book The Globalization of War, America's Long War against Humanity. Global Research Publishers, 2015

In recent developments the Chilcot Report has revealed the role of Latin-american style death squads in Iraq.

El Salvador death squad
© Unknown
El Salvador Death squads
The recruitment of death squads is part of a well established US military-intelligence agenda. There is a long and gruesome US history of covert funding and support of terror brigades and targeted assassinations going back to the Vietnam war.

As government forces continue to confront the self-proclaimed "Free Syrian Army" (FSA), the historical roots of the West's covert war on Syria - which has resulted in countless atrocities - must be fully revealed.

From the outset in March 2011, the US and its allies have supported the formation of death squads and the incursion of terrorist brigades in a carefully planned undertaking.

The recruitment and training of terror brigades in both Iraq and Syria was modeled on the "Salvador Option", a "terrorist model" of mass killings by US sponsored death squads in Central America. It was first applied in El Salvador, in the heyday of resistance against the military dictatorship, resulting in an estimated 75,000 deaths.

The formation of death squads in Syria builds upon the history and experience of US sponsored terror brigades in Iraq, under the Pentagon's "counterinsurgency" program.
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Book

Reviewing Mark Curtis' new report: The New Colonialism, Britain's Scramble for Africa

Colin Todhunter
Global Research
Thu, 14 Jul 2016 17:23 UTC
new colonialism
Africa is facing a new and devastating colonial invasion driven by a determination to plunder the natural resources of Africa, especially its strategic energy and mineral resources. That's the message from a damning new report from War On Want 'The New Colonialism: Britain's scramble for Africa's energy and mineral resources' that highlights the role of the British government in aiding and abetting the process.

Written and researched by Mark Curtis, the report reveals the degree to which British companies now control Africa's key mineral resources, notably gold, platinum, diamonds, copper, oil, gas and coal. It documents how 101 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) - most of them British - have mining operations in 37 sub-Saharan African countries and collectively control over $1 trillion worth of Africa's most valuable resources.

The UK government has used its power and influence to ensure that British mining companies have access to Africa's raw materials. The report exposes the long-term involvement of the British government (Labour and Conservative) to influence and control British companies' access to raw materials. Access has been secured through a revolving door between the political establishment and British mining companies, with at least five British government officials taking up seats on the boards of mining companies operating in Africa.

Comment: When not speaking directly to the public, the British establishment is quite open about their true approach to foreign policy: securing resources, despite how many people they have to destroy. For more on the UK's current legacy, see SOTT's interview with T. J. Coles: Behind the Headlines: Britain's Secret Wars.

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Top Secret

FBI 'gag' order: Secrecy agreement required for agents in Clinton email probe

Catherine Herridge, Pamela K. Browne
FOX News
Thu, 14 Jul 2016 11:55 UTC
Hillary gag hands
© newway912project.blogspot.com
"Non-disclosure? I can do that! No problem."
The FBI has confirmed to a senior Republican senator that agents were sworn to secrecy -- and subject to lie detector tests -- in the Hillary Clinton email probe, an extensive measure one former agent said could have a "chilling effect." A July 1 letter sent by a senior deputy to FBI Director James Comey to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, detailed the restrictions on agents. The letter, reviewed by Fox News, confirmed agents signed a "Case Briefing Acknowledgement" which says the disclosure of information is "strictly prohibited" without prior approval, and those who sign are subject to lie detector tests.

"The purpose of this form is to maintain an official record of persons knowledgeable of a highly sensitive Federal Bureau of Investigation counterintelligence investigation," the agreement attached to the Grassley letter reads, "....I (FBI agent) also understand that, due to the nature and sensitivity of this investigation, compliance with these restrictions may be subject to verification by polygraph examination."

The measures show the extent to which the bureau has gone to keep additional details of the politically sensitive case from going public. While Comey has provided some information ‎on why the FBI did not opt to pursue charges, Attorney General Loretta Lynch repeatedly ducked questions on specifics of the case at a House hearing Tuesday.

A recently retired FBI agent, who declined to speak on the record, citing the sensitivity of the matter, said a "Case Briefing Acknowledgement" is reserved for "the most sensitive of sensitive cases," and can have a "chilling effect" on agents, who understand "it comes from the very top and that there has to be a tight lid on the case." The former agent said the agreements can also contribute to "group think" because investigators cannot bounce ideas off other agents, only those within a small circle.


The "Case Briefing Acknowledgement" is more evidence that the probe was always a serious criminal investigation, and never a "security review" or "security inquiry" as described by Clinton and her campaign team.

Comment: As the world churns...we are daily reminded how corrupt, deceitful and pathological the US government and its accommodating systems have become and how few there are who address it. This case exemplifies just a fragment of the flaws allowed and liberties taken at the top of the hierarchy. That they normally go unchallenged, are shoved under a 'classified' rug, or are conveniently ignored verifies the great divide in America between the privileged and the common man. The Clintons have played the public, played the branches of government, played law enforcement and 'gotten away with murder'...for decades. And now? Just now something lawfully correct and accountable may actually stick?

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Camcorder

New House coalition creates caucus to fight rise in government surveillance

Erin Kelly
USA Today
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 03:44 UTC
under surveillance message
© bitchmedia.org
Do you feel this way?
An unusual coalition of 13 Republicans and 12 Democrats on Wednesday announced the creation of the House Fourth Amendment Caucus to protect Americans' privacy rights against calls for increased government surveillance in the wake of terrorist attacks. The group named itself after the Fourth Amendment because the lawmakers fear that the government is increasingly seeking the power to search Americans' electronic data without a warrant. They see that as a threat to the Constitutional amendment's protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

"In the face of difficult circumstances, some are quick to pursue extreme, unconstitutional measures; the Fourth Amendment Caucus will be a moderating influence that gives voice to countless Americans whose rights are violated by these ill-conceived policies," said Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., who joined the group led by Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., and Ted Poe, R-Texas.

Privacy rights are one of the rare issues that liberals and libertarian-leaning conservatives in Congress have agreed on. Members of the new coalition oppose legislation that would force U.S. tech companies to build "backdoors" into encrypted smartphones or allow federal agents to view someone's Internet browsing history without a warrant.

"Members of the House of Representatives from both parties are eager to debate and vote on privacy and surveillance issues that are far too often drafted in secret and jammed through the legislative process under tight deadlines, restrictive procedures, and little debate," Lofgren said.


Comment: Legislation that downgrades public rights is often hidden by attachment to other bills, never examined, qualified nor debated. The volume of bills passed is astounding and increasing yearly. One might suspect that this particular aspect is a way to discourage legislators from scrutinizing what they are under deadline to pass.


Comment: Thanks to false flags, fear mongering and propaganda, the legislative system in the US government acts rashly under false pretenses, frittering away citizens rights to appear competent and relevant. By not thoroughly qualifying the 'gain' compared to the 'loss' of their 'instant and reactive' legislations, the US races downhill, quashing the liberty, freedom and equality of all citizens. Once gone...it can never return without a fight.

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Arrow Down

Bernie Sanders' capitulation: Abandoning the people in favor of politics as usual

Kshama Sawant
Counterpunch
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 00:00 UTC
Bernie Sanders Hillary Clinton
Bernie Sanders's endorsement of Hillary Clinton has hugely disappointed millions of his supporters. Many of those inspired by his call for a political revolution had held out hope, even until now, that he would refuse to endorse Wall Street's favored candidate.

But those hopes have come crashing down.

Not only did Sanders endorse his neoliberal opponent, he has begun to campaign for her, even before the Democratic National Convention, where he had previously committed to continue the fight. Appearing at her rally in New Hampshire, he signaled his intention to further accompany her on the campaign trail.

Bernie's forceful endorsement of Hillary was almost glowing, after months of campaigning against her close links to Wall Street and Corporate America. He said: "Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her here today." The heart of his speech was an issue-by-issue comparison of the two corporate candidates. He outlined the real dangers of Trump's politics, saying for example that Trump's approach to climate change, "would be a disaster for our country and our planet."

There can be no doubt about Bernie's diagnosis of the threat represented by Trump's right-wing populism, but he is entirely wrong about how to cure the disease. We will not succeed in decisively defeating the right by supporting establishment politicians like Hillary Clinton. It is the massive outrage at the brutal big business policies carried out by the political establishment, of which Hillary is correctly seen as a chief representative, that has created the basis for Trump's ascendance. We saw this very clearly only a few years ago with the rise of the Tea Party, which was born out of the fury at the Wall Street bailouts, while the left was busy making excuses for Obama's pro-corporate policies.

Comment: Bernie Sanders sold out: And now for the Killary wars to come

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USA

Bernie Sanders sold out: And now for the Killary wars to come

Gary Leupp
Counterpunch
Thu, 14 Jul 2016 00:00 UTC
Sanders sold out
The worst disservice Sanders has done to his supporters, other than to lead them on a wild goose chase for real change, is to virtually ignore his rival's vaunted "experience." He need not have mentioned Hillary Clinton's Senate record, since there was nothing there; her stint as law-maker was merely intended to position her for a run for the presidency, according to the family plan. But there was a lot in her record as Secretary of State.

As she recounts in her memoir, she wanted a heftier "surge" in Afghanistan than Obama was prepared to order. Anyone paying attention knows that the entire military mission in that broken country has been a dismal failure producing blow-back on a mind-boggling scale, even as the Taliban has become stronger, and controls more territory, than at any time since its toppling in 2001-2002.

Hillary wanted to impose regime change on Syria in 2011, by stepping up assistance to armed groups whom (again) anyone paying attention knows are in cahoots with al-Nusra (which is to say, al-Qaeda). In an email dated Nov. 30, 2015, she states her reason: "The best way to help Israel...is to help the people of Syria overthrow the regime of Bashar Assad."

Comment: A dark and nefarious picture, indeed, lies before the USA should Killary be elected. There is no doubt as to the future of the USA in the hands of the Queen of Pathocracy.
Throughout history, psychopaths, sociopaths, narcissists, and assorted antisocial-personality-disordered individuals have ruled societies. Psychopaths and sociopaths often exhibit glibness and superficial charm, have a grandiose sense of self-worth, are pathological liars, display extreme narcissism, are deceitful, cunning and manipulative, exhibit a lack of remorse or guilt, show a callous disregard for the feelings of others, have no conscience, lack empathy, and fail to accept responsibility for their actions.

In a competitive world, the people who act immorally, who have no regard for truth, are going to have an advantage over those who play by the rules. The result is that those who achieve positions of power will be the most ruthless, the most sociopathic, the ones without conscience.In societies run by psychopaths, ambitious individuals and sycophants, who are not clinically psychopathic, are induced to model themselves after powerful psychopaths in order to achieve power. The result: psychopaths breed more psychopaths.

When our ruling class - corporate leaders, bankers, academics, generals, media executives, Senators and Congressmen and even Presidents - are liars and deceivers, and are ruthless, callous manipulators who have no regard for truth or other people, the entire fabric of society is twisted in their image, and psychopathic behavior becomes the norm.


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Eye 1

The collapse of Western politics & the end of the Left-Right paradigm

Peter Lavelle
The Duran
Thu, 14 Jul 2016 11:51 UTC
trump clinton sanders us politics
The Bolsheviks who captured power in 1917 as the Russian Empire was in collapse aimed to abolish politics in a normative sense; politics would be replaced by the administration of policies from above. This has been replicated in the west a century later.

Dissent is tolerated only to the degree it can be managed, democracy allowed only if the electorate votes the "correct way." In the west there are no longer politicians; the people who rule are designated to express the constructed "will of people" without popular consent.

During the Cold War the left-right ideological division reached its highest articulation. We are told it was all about liberal democracy vs. communism. This was politically expedient and convenient at the time. The fact is the left-right face-off was actually about the role of the state in public life - and not about geopolitics. The left in the west was empowered because it saved capitalism in the western world. The mainstream historical narrative that Franklin D. Roosevelt and Europe's socialists wanted to destroy capitalism and big business is utter nonsense. The traditional left through time merely dressed up both to be socially acceptable and attractive. This gesture was recognized and appreciated. The left was no longer the enemy, it as a force to be coopted. The left legitimized the status quo.
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