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Monkey Wrench

SOTT Focus: Syria, Chemical Weapons and the Britam Defence emails

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A CIA/Mossad-backed Syrian rebel after snorting some potassium chlorate
In January this year, the web site of UK-based 'offense defense contractor', Britam Defense, were hacked by someone that 'authorities' claim (unsurprisingly) may have been of the Iranian persuasion (Iranians do everything bad these days don't ya know!). Part of the trove of documents that were uploaded to various websites included two emails.

One email had "Syrian Issue" in the subject field and the other has "Iranian Issue" in the subject field. Both emails appeared to be from David Goulding, the actual business development manager of Britam Defence, and appeared to have been sent to Phillip Doughty, the actual founder of Britam. Many alternative news web sites have used these emails as evidence that the recent alleged 'chemical weapon' attack in Syria was the work of the Western-backed Syrian rebels rather than the Syrian military. The problem however is that the emails appear to be have been faked.

The Iranian issue email stated:
"Please see attached details of preparatory measures concerning the Iranian issue. Participation of Britam in the operation is confirmed by the Saudis. http://mbf.cc/OTEH8″
Amongst the other documents that were hacked is a word document apparently detailing a training program for Saudi military personnel to defend against an attack by an unknown enemy.

Eye 2

Flashback SOTT Focus: Israeli brutality in broad daylight: A chemical weapon attack on Palestinian school children


Comment: In light of the alleged chemical weapons attack that may or may not have taken place in Syria this week, and the casus belli the U.S. and allies believes it gives them to launch yet another round of slaughter in the Middle East, we thought we'd remind readers of a REAL chemical weapon attack launched on Palestinians (sheltering in a school the Israelis knew was part of a U.N. compound) during 'Operation Cast Lead' in Gaza, just one of many instances in which White Phosphorous was used on Gazans in early 2009.


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© ReutersLying through their teeth: M825A1 155mm projectiles, painted light green to designate a munition containing white phosphorus, stand fused and ready with an IDF artillery unit firing into Gaza.
These photos, taken a few months ago, record in detail an Israeli attack on a Palestinian school, an attack using 'white phosphorus' as a chemical weapon:
White phosphorous is a colorless to yellow translucent wax-like substance with a pungent, garlic-like smell. The form used by the military is highly energetic (active) and ignites once it is exposed to oxygen. White phosphorus is a pyrophoric material (it is spontaneously flammable). When exposed to air, it spontaneously ignites and rapidly oxidizes to phosphorus pentoxide. Such heat is produced by this reaction that the element bursts into a yellow flame and produces a dense white smoke. This chemical reaction continues until either all the material is consumed or the element is deprived of oxygen. White phosphorus results in painful and deep chemical burn injuries. Rapid dermal penetration occurs once particles are embedded under the skin. Incandescent particles of white phosphorous may produce extensive burns. The particles continue to burn unless deprived of atmospheric oxygen. Weapons containing white phosphorous are particularly nasty because it continues to burn until it disappears, often burning right down to the bone.

The white phosphorus flame produces a hot, dense, white smoke composed of particles of phosphorus pentoxide, which are converted by moist air into phosphoric acid. This acid, depending on concentration and duration of exposure, may produce a variety of topically irritative injuries. Exposure to heavy smoke concentrations for extended periods (particularly if near the source of emission) may cause illness or even death. Its fumes can cause severe eye irritation including blepharospasm, photophobia, and lacrimation. Irritation of the eyes and irritation of the mucous membranes are the most commonly seen injuries.
The use of this lethal substance is supposedly 'permissible' under the "laws of war", ostensibly to destroy the enemy's equipment or to limit his vision. But when a whole population is designated 'the enemy', as the Israeli regime has done with Palestinians, especially those living in the open-air prison called Gaza, the results are horrifying.

At the time, the Israeli regime denied using this lethal substance during its bombardment of besieged Gaza. Roundly condemned by international observers, it now admits 'Willie Pete' was used, but says it did not fire munitions laden with the chemical weapons "inside populated areas."

These photos tell the true story.

Comment: "We could hear their bodies burning"
"The smoke was spreading so fast; we couldn't see through it. We couldn't see, but we could hear." From the windows of the burning home the cries of her children and cousins filled the streets. "The cries were not just from my home, but from the neighbors' house too."
Israelis Rain 'Phosphorous Bombs' Over Gaza
"I've been on the border for the last few days watching the Israeli artillery firing white phosphorus shells into refugee camps."

"While the international community might be horrified by the use of phosphorous, this is overlooking the issue that hundreds of half-tonne bombs are being dropped on Gaza on civilian targets on a daily basis."



Card - VISA

SOTT Focus: Behind the Headlines: Bitcoin, Gold and the Cashless Society

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Back in April this year we discussed 'Bitcoin' - a so-called 'virtual currency'. Touted as a solution to people's concerns with online privacy and protection from overbearing and centralized fiscal authorities, Bitcoin has steadily risen in popularity and value since its launch in 2008. Its dollar value suddenly plummeted in early April, leading us to wonder what had happened to make people suddenly lose interest?

Later in May, the US govt began breathing down its neck by seizing one of BitCoin's biggest exchanges. This was followed up with the'Liberty Reserve' digital currency being shut down completely, allegedly because it was "running a $6bn money-laundering scheme that became a bank of choice for the criminal underworld." Is BitCoin also being used for this purpose? Or is that the official line to dissuade people from using a potentially viable alternative to the international central banking cartel's 'funny money'?

Just yesterday, August 26th, it emerged that the BitCoin Foundation has been meeting representatives from FinCEN (a U.S. Treasury agency), the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and legislators on Capitol Hill.

At a time when services founded on complete user privacy are folding left and right, is this a last-ditch lobbying effort to stave off govt-enforced closure? What kind of compromise can a virtual currency that attracts users because of the privacy it offers make with a National Security State that is determined to know everything about everyone?

Running Time: 02:12:00

Download: MP3


Cards

SOTT Focus: Know when to fold 'em: Groklaw and the Total Security State

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I'm sure many of you have heard about Lavabit shutting down rather than cooperating with a plan to expose their customers' communications to the government. It was quite a laudable response and, indeed, there was much celebratory banter. Then everybody went home and moved on with their lives.

Then, in response to what had occurred to Lavabit, Groklaw (and separately, SilentCircle), announced it was shutting down, based on what had happened to Lavabit. Response ranged from mystified wonderment, to insinuations that it was a publicity stunt. How that publicity would benefit a company that had just shut down, I don't know. Such is the internet. I suspect that the underwhelming support and negativity arose from the fact that most folks had never heard of Groklaw before the announcement.

So What Was Groklaw?

Groklaw was started in 2003 as a blog that reported and discussed legal issues as they related to software. This was mainly centered on free and open-source software, and also included topics related to software patents, DMCA, RIAA and, as a natural consequence, did some reporting on commercial software and their parent companies.

So, how did Groklaw and Lavabit come to be mentioned in the same sentence?

It's pretty simple. Think of people's communications as candy, and software as the candy machine. The government has a key to pretty much every candy machine on the planet for the moment, and can gorge endlessly on their ill-gotten gains. In the real world, that would be every 8 year old's dream. But, much like that 8 year old's reality, the candy machines are continually being upgraded and being made more secure. So the government, unlike the 8 year old, undertook to perpetually have the key to every new candy machine that came on the market.

Magic Hat

SOTT Focus: Behind the Headlines: Global War on Terror: Fake terrorism and Empire

al-cia-da osama bin laden
U.S. President Barack Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize after spending his first year in office overseeing the expansion of the CIA's drone assassinations program in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere. Earlier this year, French President François Hollande was awarded UNESCO's Peace Prize for bringing 'peace and stability' to Africa, following two months of French bombing campaigns and ground troop invasions of several West African countries, notably Mali.

This was necessary, Hollande told French citizens, to protect their homeland from attack by "terrorists". The week we discussed this on SOTT Talk Radio, another three UK Muslims were accused of planning a "mass suicide bomb plot" that would have been "worse than 7/7″, according to hysterical British police and mainstream media. In the U.S., the FBI has been supplying "terror suspects" with materials to act out "terror plots" as part of sting operations the government then uses to justify all manner of criminal behaviour, at home and abroad.

When is all of this going to end? Never, if the advocates for "endless war" have their way. We're told "they hate us for our freedoms", so given that our freedoms are disappearing fast, we need to ask the question: Are the "terrorists" winning? Is there really a "Muslim terror threat"? Why do certain countries play leading roles in this stratagem? What are the real goals behind "humanitarian intervention" and "regime change" in country after country?

Running Time: 02:17:00

Download: MP3


Meteor

SOTT Focus: Behind the Headlines: HAARP mind control, Pavlovian airports, exploding chemical plants, and weird wildfires

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The U.S. Air Force announced recently that due to lack of funding it's shutting down a key part of its Space Surveillance Network... this at a time when fireball/meteor sightings are on the rise. While there is allegedly no budget left to keep an eye on the skies, the Obama administration is sending billions in 'military aid' to countries that are "important to U.S. interests," not least Egypt, where civil war appears imminent.

This discrepancy between 'waging peace' and wilfully ignoring the cosmic elephant in the living room is something no one but SOTT.net and SOTT Talk Radio is apparently willing to talk about. The historical reality of cataclysms brought on by 'fire in the sky' is daily merging with present reality as mysterious explosions, sonic booms, unexplained fires and other 'high strangeness' continue to proliferate across the planet.

Running Time: 02:08:00

Download: MP3


SOTT Logo Radio

SOTT Focus: Behind the Headlines: Solar flare kill shots and theatrical wars of distraction

Wildfires in Russia
© Unknown
'Worldwide travel alerts' urging Americans to remain within the US; wild weather; missing crop circles; strange lights in the sky; trains running off their tracks; animals dying in droves; record profits for some while debt explodes for most; hunting down al-Qaeda in the War on Terror; sending weapons to al-Qaeda in the War on Syria; countless senseless murders; crops failing; food prices skyrocketing; chemical plants exploding; "solar flare killshots"; fireballs raining down from the sky... Is this the end of the world or something?

'All and Everything' returns to SOTT Talk Radio this week to offer our listeners a show packed with 'condensed Truth' on various different current (and perhaps not-so-current) topics. We'll aim to deal with each discrete topic in about 5 minutes and then see if our analysis leads us to an overall view of 'life on planet earth'.

What's the weather like where you are? More importantly, what are the people like where you are? Are they getting worked up about the state of the economy? Are they noticing the extreme and unusual weather events? Or are they just totally oblivious to anything beyond their daily routines?

Running Time: 02:09:00

Download: MP3


Crusader

SOTT Focus: Behind the Headlines: Who was Jesus? Examining the evidence that Christ may in fact have been Caesar!

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'Jesus' before Pontius Pilate: Never happened!
On this show, the SOTT Talk Radio hosts went biblical, but with a strong revisionist bent.

The idea that a man named Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, performer of miracles, betrayed and crucified and declared to be the 'son of god', actually existed during the Roman Empire in the area of modern-day Palestine is the subject of long and often heated debate.

Historians and archeologists are adamant that there is no historical evidence for the existence of such a person, Christians on the other hand, just know in their hearts that Jesus lived and died to take away our sins (or debts). So what's the deal?

The skinny is that, while it isn't exactly widely known (to say the least), there is evidence to suggest that the details of the life of Jesus Christ were in fact pinched from another famous J.C. of the same era. So, seriously, who was on first here?

Have a listen as author and historian Laura Knight-Jadczyk takes us through the evidence that suggests 'Christ' may in fact have been Caesar...

Running Time: 02:27:00

Download: MP3


Comment: Check out part 2 of our discussion about 'Jesus' as Caesar here.


Binoculars

SOTT Focus: Behind the Headlines: NSA 'revelations', sinkholes opening up everywhere, and electrophonic meteors

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In this our second show on 'All and Everything', we discussed current events, including the mass U.S. embassy closure across the Muslim world, the latest NSA mass surveillance scandal, the West on the verge of obliterating Syria, the popularity of the new pope Francis, institutionalized pedophilia, and the North American mass EMP/nuke drill in November, electrophonic meteors, sinkholes opening up everywhere, the civilization-destroying solar flare Earth apparently narrowly escaped last month, the fatal high-speed train crash in Northern Spain (was the driver to blame, or is there more to that story?), 50-year-old remote-hijack technology for commercial aircraft, Benghazi, the murder of Michael Hastings, and a whole lot more!

Running Time: 02:06:00

Download: MP3


Handcuffs

SOTT Focus: Bradley Manning - Theft or War Crimes?

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Message loud and clear: This man is dangerous - he is armed with a conscience
The Bradley Manning case is such a transparent attempt at intimidation to prevent others from exposing war crimes perpetrated by the US government that it could make even a lethargic baboon scream bloody murder.

There is no moral validity to the US military's claim or the courts judgment that Manning is guilty of 'espionage' and 'theft'. There is ample room for the specific laws that Manning broke to be interpreted by the judge in terms of the public interest. The public interest can also be cited as requiring laws that work against the public interest, such as those broken by Manning, to be repealed.

Manning was in possession of information that showed that the US government and military had committed crimes against humanity, war crimes, and even genocide against the Iraqi and Afghan people.

Manning's information included footage of a US military helicopter gunning down a father taking his children to school, evidence of a death squad operating in Afghanistan, and files showing that amongst the innocents being held at Guantánamo bay prison, who are regularly tortured, are dementia patients, taxi drivers and prisoners of the Taliban.