Video - History of Iran-US Relationship Since 1953
Video
Sixty years ago, the CIA and the British SIS orchestrated a coup d'etat that toppled the democratically elected government of Mohammad Mossadegh. The prime minister and his nationalist supporters in parliament roused Britain's ire when they nationalised the oil industry in 1951, which had previously been exclusively controlled by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Mossadegh argued that Iran should begin profiting from its vast oil reserves.
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Monday, 25 February 2013
Muslim USAF veteran again barred from flight - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times
Muslim USAF veteran again barred from flight - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times
OKLAHOMA CITY — A Muslim U.S. Air Force veteran who had trouble entering the country last year to visit his terminally ill mother was barred again Saturday from trying to return home to Qatar, the second time this month that he’s been prohibited from boarding a flight in Oklahoma City because his name appears on a government no-fly list.
OKLAHOMA CITY — A Muslim U.S. Air Force veteran who had trouble entering the country last year to visit his terminally ill mother was barred again Saturday from trying to return home to Qatar, the second time this month that he’s been prohibited from boarding a flight in Oklahoma City because his name appears on a government no-fly list.
The Hidden History of Water Torture by Tom Engelhardt -- Antiwar.com
The Hidden History of Water Torture by Tom Engelhardt -- Antiwar.com
Sometimes, the world can be such a simple, black-and-white sort of place. Let me give you an example. Imagine for a moment that the Iranians kidnap an American citizen from a third country. (If you prefer, feel free to substitute al-Qaeda or the North Koreans or the Chinese for the Iranians.) They accuse him of being a terrorist. They throw him in jail without charges or a trial or a sentence and claim they suspect he might have crucial information (perhaps even of the “ticking bomb” sort — and the Iranians have had some genuine experience with ticking bombs). Over the weeks that follow, they waterboard him time and again. They strip him, put a dog collar and leash on him. They hood him, loose dogs on him. They subject him to freezing cold water and leave him naked on cold nights. They hang him by his arms from the ceiling of his cell in the “strappado” position. I’m sure I really don’t have to go on. Is there any question what we (or our leaders) would think or say?
Sometimes, the world can be such a simple, black-and-white sort of place. Let me give you an example. Imagine for a moment that the Iranians kidnap an American citizen from a third country. (If you prefer, feel free to substitute al-Qaeda or the North Koreans or the Chinese for the Iranians.) They accuse him of being a terrorist. They throw him in jail without charges or a trial or a sentence and claim they suspect he might have crucial information (perhaps even of the “ticking bomb” sort — and the Iranians have had some genuine experience with ticking bombs). Over the weeks that follow, they waterboard him time and again. They strip him, put a dog collar and leash on him. They hood him, loose dogs on him. They subject him to freezing cold water and leave him naked on cold nights. They hang him by his arms from the ceiling of his cell in the “strappado” position. I’m sure I really don’t have to go on. Is there any question what we (or our leaders) would think or say?
Major Protests, Hunger Strikes after Palestinian Detainee Dies of Torture -- News from Antiwar.com
Major Protests, Hunger Strikes after Palestinian Detainee Dies of Torture -- News from Antiwar.com
Major protests have broken out in the occupied West Bank and reports say every single one of Israel’s 4,500 Palestinian detainees took part in a hunger strike today to protest the death of detainee Arafat Jaradat in custody on Saturday.
Major protests have broken out in the occupied West Bank and reports say every single one of Israel’s 4,500 Palestinian detainees took part in a hunger strike today to protest the death of detainee Arafat Jaradat in custody on Saturday.
US Special Forces Ousted From Afghan Province Over Torture -- News from Antiwar.com
US Special Forces Ousted From Afghan Province Over Torture -- News from Antiwar.com
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered all US special forces out of the Wardak Province today after probes into torture and “disappearances” of innocent civilians turned up evidence of US involvement.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered all US special forces out of the Wardak Province today after probes into torture and “disappearances” of innocent civilians turned up evidence of US involvement.
Sunday, 24 February 2013
The Moral Depravity of "Lincoln"
The Moral Depravity of "Lincoln"
The Moral Depravity of "Lincoln"
By Sam Husseini
February 24, 2013 "Information Clearing House" - There is not a substantial character in the movie "Lincoln" who argues -- on moral grounds -- that African Americans are equal to whites.
The movie opens with President Lincoln listening to a soliloquy of a young black man who argues for how he wants to get ahead; which is fine I suppose, but hardly the same as a moral case against slavery.
Abolitionists -- who should be regarded as heroes -- are viewed throughout the movie as near nut jobs on the few occasions when they are not ignored.
The radical Republican congressman Thaddeus Stevens is depicted going through contortions to notargue that blacks are inherently equal to whites.
A pivotal scene is between him and Lincoln in which he pleads for Lincoln for follow his moral compass. Lincoln responds that one cannot go straight north when there is a swamp there. .......
When “War is Peace”: “Peace Prizes” Awarded to War Criminals
When “War is Peace”: “Peace Prizes” Awarded to War Criminals
February 24, 2013 "Information Clearing House" - French President François Hollande was awarded UNESCO’s Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize for “valuable contribution to peace and stability in Africa” according to the United Nations website: www.un.org. Former Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano, chaired the Jury of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize stated that“After analyzing the global situation, it is Africa that held the attention of the Jury with the various threats affecting the continent” with instability affecting Northern Mali by various Al-Qaeda elements created by the west, gave France an opportunity to invade the former colony. “Having assessed the dangers and the repercussions of the situation on Africa, and on Mali in particular, as well as on the rest of the world, the Jury appreciated the solidarity shown by France to the peoples of Africa.” Does appreciating “the solidarity” shown by France mean killing hundreds of Malian people since the invasion? France has killed many civilians that includes children. The human rights organization Amnesty International has accused French forces of killing civilians since there was “evidwence that ..........
Egyptians Playing into Zionist Hands
Egyptians Playing into Zionist Hands
Israel’s designs call for the reoccupation of the Sinai, supporting the creation of a Coptic state in upper Egypt and two Sunni states in the North and in the South
Israel Instructs Obama: “Iranian And Syrian Sanctions Are Not Painful Enough!”
Israel Instructs Obama: “Iranian And Syrian Sanctions Are Not Painful Enough!”
February 24, 2013 "Information Clearing House" - Damascus: On 3/26/2013 Iran is expected to meet with other world powers in Astana, Kazakhstan to discuss its nuclear program. Discussions that the occupiers of Palestine fervently hope will not be successful. It is toward this end that their key demand this week to the US Congress, the White House and the European Union is “to cast responsibility on the Iranians by blaming them for the talks’ failure in the clearest terms possible.”
Stephen Lendman Washington Backs Syrian Anti-Government Terrorism
Stephen Lendman Washington Backs Syrian Anti-Government Terrorism
February 24, 2013 "Information Clearing House" - Make no mistake. Syria is Washington's war. It was planned years ago. Regime change is policy. At issue is replacing Assad's government with a pro-Western puppet one.
Saturday, 23 February 2013
Thursday, 21 February 2013
Incarceration Rate For African-Americans Now Six Times The National Average
Incarceration Rate For African-Americans Now Six Times The National Average
February 21, 2013 "Information Clearing House" - The incarceration rate for American-Americans is so high that young black men without a high school diploma are more likely to go to jail than to find a job, thereby causing the breakup of families and instilling further poverty upon them.
“Prison has become the new poverty trap,” Bruce Western, a Harvard sociologist, told the New York Times. “It has become a routine event for poor African-American men and their families, creating an enduring disadvantage at the very bottom of American society.”
Carnage: 53 Killed In Syria Courtesy of US Allies
Carnage: 53 Killed In Syria Courtesy of US Allies
February 21, 2013 "Information Clearing House" - While the US and its Western partners pretend to be engaged in a global war against terrorism, their terrorist allies in Syria have set off another car bomb, tellingly very close to the ruling Baath party offices and the Russian embassy. Initial reports are that more than 50 have been killed by the terrorists, including many children attending a nearby school.
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Bill Moyers: Democracy for Dollars
Bill Moyers: Democracy for Dollars
Transcript
Bill Moyers: Welcome. At the State of the Union speech, there’s always more than meets the eye. Just out of sight is the reality of how we are governed. The House of Representatives, where Congress gathers to hear the President, used to be known as “The People’s House.” But money power owns the lease now and runs the joint from hidden back rooms.
You're looking at the most expensive Congress money can buy. The House races last fall cost over one billion dollars. It took more than $700 million to elect just a third of the Senate. The two presidential candidates raised more than a billion a piece. The website Politico added it all up to find that the total number of dollars spent on the 2012 election exceeded the number of people on this planet -- some seven billion.
Most of it didn’t come from the average Joe and Jane. Sixty percent of all super PAC donations came from just 159 people. And the top 32 super PAC donors gave an average of 9.9 million dollars. Think how many teachers that much money could hire.
We’ll never actually know where all of the money comes from. One third of the billion dollars from outside groups was “dark money,” secret funds anonymously funneled through fictional “social welfare” organizations. Those are front groups, created to launder the money inside the deep pockets.
And don't let anyone ever tell you the money didn't make a difference. More than 80 percent of House candidates and two-thirds of Senate candidates who outspent their general election opponents won, and were present and counted as the new Congress prepared to hear the President. Remember, money doesn't necessarily corrupt legislators, but it certainly tilts them.
HOUSE SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER at the State of the Union: Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you, the President of the United States.
BILL MOYERS: So let's share some snapshots from the State of the Union. That’s Speaker of the House John Boehner, of course. He's led his party to protect Wall Street from oversight and accountability. The finance, insurance, and real estate industries gave him more than three million dollars last year.
Eric Cantor is the Republican majority leader in the House. Among his biggest donors--Goldman Sachs, masterminds of the mortgage-backed securities that almost sank the world economy. Cantor’s also the third largest recipient of money from the National Rifle Association in the House, which is one reason he's such a "big gun" there.
Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, may be in hot water. He's currently under investigation for allegations that he improperly intervened with government agencies on behalf of a big donor.
And there's Fred Upton, Republican from Michigan, chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee. What a coincidence. The oil and gas industry is one of his top donors, helping him raise the four million dollars he spent last year to win re-election.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrats of New York, have Wall Street as a constituent and patron. Her biggest contributors include JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and law firms that have advised them. His top donors include securities and investment firms, lawyers and legal firms, and lobbyists.
And there are fleeting glances of some familiar faces here tonight seen recently on our broadcast. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader in the Senate, Republican Orrin Hatch of Utah, and Democratic Senator Max Baucus of Montana. All cited by "The New York Times" as suspects in that mysterious migration of half a billion dollars from taxpayers over to the bottom line of drug companies, especially the pharmaceutical giant Amgen. Would it surprise you to learn that over the past five years, Amgen has been one of the top ten donors to McConnell, Baucus, and Hatch?
As for our president--by attending a fundraiser on the average of every 60 hours during his bid for a second term, he once again broke the record for bringing home the bacon. Although the money power that controls Congress could thwart everything Obama proposed in his State of the Union address, there was not a single word in his speech about taming the power of private money over public policy.
And so it goes: The golden rule of politics. He who has the gold, rules.
US-Saudi Funded Terrorists Sowing Chaos in Pakistan
US-Saudi Funded Terrorists Sowing Chaos in Pakistan
February 18, 2013 "Information Clearing House" - Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province, bordering both US-occupied Afghanistan as well as Iran, was the site of a grisly market bombing that has killed over 80 people. According to reports, the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has claimed responsibility for the attack. Billed as a "Sunni extremist group," it instead fits the pattern of global terrorism sponsored by the US, Israel, and their Arab partners Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The terrorist Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group was in fact created, according to the BBC, to counter Iran's Islamic Revolution in the 1980's, and is still active today. Considering the openly admitted US-Israeli-Saudi plot to use Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups across the Middle East to counter Iran's influence, it begs the question whether these same interests are funding terrorism in Pakistan to not only counter Iranian-sympathetic Pakistani communities, but to undermine and destabilize Pakistan itself.
February 18, 2013 "Information Clearing House" - Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province, bordering both US-occupied Afghanistan as well as Iran, was the site of a grisly market bombing that has killed over 80 people. According to reports, the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has claimed responsibility for the attack. Billed as a "Sunni extremist group," it instead fits the pattern of global terrorism sponsored by the US, Israel, and their Arab partners Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The terrorist Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group was in fact created, according to the BBC, to counter Iran's Islamic Revolution in the 1980's, and is still active today. Considering the openly admitted US-Israeli-Saudi plot to use Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups across the Middle East to counter Iran's influence, it begs the question whether these same interests are funding terrorism in Pakistan to not only counter Iranian-sympathetic Pakistani communities, but to undermine and destabilize Pakistan itself.
Monday, 18 February 2013
Back in Benghazi: Ansar al-Sharia Returns, Establishes Checkpoints -- News from Antiwar.com
Back in Benghazi: Ansar al-Sharia Returns, Establishes Checkpoints -- News from Antiwar.com
Blamed for the 9/11 US Consulate attack and violently forced out of the city by pro-government attackers, the Ansar al-Sharia Benghazi (ASB) has returned in force, setting up checkpoints and promising to provide security for local hospitals and neighborhoods.
Blamed for the 9/11 US Consulate attack and violently forced out of the city by pro-government attackers, the Ansar al-Sharia Benghazi (ASB) has returned in force, setting up checkpoints and promising to provide security for local hospitals and neighborhoods.
At Least 84 Killed in Quetta Bombing Targeting Pakistan’s Shi’ites -- News from Antiwar.com
At Least 84 Killed in Quetta Bombing Targeting Pakistan’s Shi’ites -- News from Antiwar.com
Yet another major suicide bombing hit Pakistan’s Shi’ite community over the weekend, when a suicide bombing targeted a busy marketplace in the Balochistan capital of Quetta, killing at least 84 people and wounding 173 others.
Yet another major suicide bombing hit Pakistan’s Shi’ite community over the weekend, when a suicide bombing targeted a busy marketplace in the Balochistan capital of Quetta, killing at least 84 people and wounding 173 others.
Israeli soldier posts disturbing Instagram photo of child in crosshairs of his rifle
Israeli soldier posts disturbing Instagram photo of child in crosshairs of his rifle
This disturbing image shows the back of the head of a child or young man as seen in the crosshairs of a rifle. The photo was posted on the personal Instagram account of Mor Ostrovski, a 20-year old Israeli soldier in a sniper unit.
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Israelis See Their Ownership of US Government in Jeopardy
Israelis See Their Ownership of US Government in Jeopardy
February 17, 2013 "Information Clearing House" - Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s Secretary of Defense nominee, is in trouble. Why? Because he famously said: “The Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here… I’m not an Israeli senator. I’m a United States senator.”
The Lonely Soldier and the Moral Scars of War
The Lonely Soldier and the Moral Scars of War
February 17, 2013 "The Guardian" -- In trying to understand the ongoing suicide epidemic among soldiers and veterans a third factor in addition to physical injuries and PTSD is now being discussed: the moral injuries they bring back.
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Friday, 8 February 2013
Assassination Court: Senators Mull Pre-Execution Trials -- News from Antiwar.com
Assassination Court: Senators Mull Pre-Execution Trials -- News from Antiwar.com
With drones suddenly a part of the conversation during the Brennan confirmation hearings, senators are said to be considering an idea to create a secret “assassination court” on the model of the FISA courts that rubber-stamp wiretapping, only this court would be charged with deciding if “suspects” can be assassinated by US drone strikes.
With drones suddenly a part of the conversation during the Brennan confirmation hearings, senators are said to be considering an idea to create a secret “assassination court” on the model of the FISA courts that rubber-stamp wiretapping, only this court would be charged with deciding if “suspects” can be assassinated by US drone strikes.
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Decade After Iraq WMD Speech at UN, Ex-Powell Aide Lawrence Wilkerson Debates Author Norman Solomon
Decade After Iraq WMD Speech at UN, Ex-Powell Aide Lawrence Wilkerson Debates Author Norman Solomon
Ten years ago this week, a defining moment occurred in the Bush administration’s push to invade Iraq. On Feb. 5, 2003, then-Secretary of State General Colin Powell addressed the United Nations Security Council. His message was clear: Iraq possessed extremely dangerous weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein was systematically trying to deceive U.N. inspectors by hiding prohibited weapons. A decade later, we host a debate between Powell’s former aide, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson — who prepared the U.N. speech, only to later renounce it — and media critic Norman Solomon, author of "War Made Easy." "I don’t believe the hype about that presentation having been the ultimate presentation ... that led us to war with Iraq," Wilkerson says of Powell’s speech. "George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and others had decided to go to war with Iraq long before Colin Powell gave that presentation. ... It added to the momentum of the war. ... Frankly, we were all wrong. Was the intelligence politicized in addition to being wrong at its roots? Absolutely." In response, Solomon says, "We were not all wrong. As a matter of fact, many experts and activists and researchers, from the get-go, in 2002, were saying that the administration case for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was full of holes. ... So, now to say, 'Well, it wasn't just us at the administration; other people believed it,’ people believed it because they were propagandized by the administration, with massive assistance from the mass media."
Ten years ago this week, a defining moment occurred in the Bush administration’s push to invade Iraq. On Feb. 5, 2003, then-Secretary of State General Colin Powell addressed the United Nations Security Council. His message was clear: Iraq possessed extremely dangerous weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein was systematically trying to deceive U.N. inspectors by hiding prohibited weapons. A decade later, we host a debate between Powell’s former aide, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson — who prepared the U.N. speech, only to later renounce it — and media critic Norman Solomon, author of "War Made Easy." "I don’t believe the hype about that presentation having been the ultimate presentation ... that led us to war with Iraq," Wilkerson says of Powell’s speech. "George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and others had decided to go to war with Iraq long before Colin Powell gave that presentation. ... It added to the momentum of the war. ... Frankly, we were all wrong. Was the intelligence politicized in addition to being wrong at its roots? Absolutely." In response, Solomon says, "We were not all wrong. As a matter of fact, many experts and activists and researchers, from the get-go, in 2002, were saying that the administration case for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was full of holes. ... So, now to say, 'Well, it wasn't just us at the administration; other people believed it,’ people believed it because they were propagandized by the administration, with massive assistance from the mass media."
Why do Zionists falsely claim BDS movement opposes two-state solution?
Why do Zionists falsely claim BDS movement opposes two-state solution?
As Brooklyn College faces intense bullying and threats over its hosting of an event this week with Omar Barghouti and Judith Butler, Zionists are renewing their false claims that the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement opposes a two-state solution.
As Brooklyn College faces intense bullying and threats over its hosting of an event this week with Omar Barghouti and Judith Butler, Zionists are renewing their false claims that the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement opposes a two-state solution.
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Child survivor of Gaza massacre denied medical treatment by Israel
Child survivor of Gaza massacre denied medical treatment by Israel
Twelve-year-old Amal Samouni still has shrapnel in her skull from the time Israel bombed her neighborhood in Gaza in early 2009. Amal lost 21 members of her extended family in that massacre, including her father Attieh and her brother Ahmad. As if she hasn’t suffered enough, Amal has been refused permission to travel through Israel for sorely-needed treatment.
Twelve-year-old Amal Samouni still has shrapnel in her skull from the time Israel bombed her neighborhood in Gaza in early 2009. Amal lost 21 members of her extended family in that massacre, including her father Attieh and her brother Ahmad. As if she hasn’t suffered enough, Amal has been refused permission to travel through Israel for sorely-needed treatment.
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