White House spokesman Jay Carney on Tuesday warned the US Congress that imposing further sanctions on Iran at this juncture, just when negotiations have begun with Tehran, would be tantamount to a “march to war.” Carney’s reasoning is that further sanctions now would strengthen the hard liners in the Revolutionary Guards and around Supreme Leader […]
How America’s Global Surveillance Empire made it a Helpless Giant (Engelhardt)
Tom Engelhardt writes at Tomdispatch.com Given how similar they sound and how easy it is to imagine one leading to the other, confusing omniscience (having total knowledge) with omnipotence (having total power) is easy enough. It’s a reasonable supposition that, before the Snowden revelations hit, America’s spymasters had made just that mistake. If the drip-drip-drip […]
Will Avigdor Lieberman’s return as Israeli Foreign Minister scupper Talks with Palestinians?
Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the far, far right nationalist Yisrael Beitenu Party in Israel (which is currently merged with the equally right wing Likud Party), was acquitted of corruption charges and then quickly sworn in as Foreign Minister on Monday. Lieberman is dedicated to annexing the Palestinian West Bank and dismisses Palestine leader Mahmoud Abbas […]
Top 10 Ways to Really Honor our Veterans
November 11, 1918 marked the armistice that began the end of the Great War (later called World War I), which was formally ended the following summer at Versailles. President Eisenhower later reconfigured Armistice Day into Veterans Day, at a time when there were enormous numbers of Americans who had served in World War II. Despite […]
Commemoration of Kristallnacht in Berlin
Deutsche Welle reports on the commemoration in Berlin yesterday of the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht [the Night of Broken Glass], when the National Socialists in Germany went on a hate-filled rampage against Jewish establishments. Hundreds of Synagogues were burned, over 1,000 Jews were killed, and 30,000 were hauled off to Concentration Camps. German Chancellor Angela […]
France Crashes the Geneva Party, Scuttles Iran Deal
The Iranian newspaper Tabnak printed a minute-by-minute account of Saturday’s dramatic on-again off-again push toward a diplomatic agreement on Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. It contains little editorializing but by the key placement of news items, it tells a story about French and Israeli bad faith. Catherine Ashton of the European Union and Secretary of State […]
We’re Still in the Dark on Obama’s Drones Despite Washington’s Promises (Currier)
Cora Currier writes at ProPublica : This story has been updated to reflect new developments. Nearly six months ago, President Obama promised more transparency and tighter policies around targeted killings. In a speech, Obama vowed that the U.S. would only use force against a “continuing and imminent threat to the American people.” It would fire […]
“Off the Charts”: Deadliest Storm in History Kills 1200, Displaces Millions in Philippines
ABC News reports on Super-Typhoon Haiyan, which is now estimated to have killed at least 1200 in the Philippines, and which forced millions from their homes, with winds of 195 miles per hour and gusts of over 200 miles per hour. Other storms have been larger and killed many more (mainly because they stuck around […]
US loses UNESCO Voting Rights: How Kow-Towing to Israeli Policy Weakens America
President Obama called America “the greatest country in the world” on Friday, but the same day the US lost basic voting rights on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco). The US stopped paying its dues in fall of 2011 because Unesco accepted Palestine (now a non-member observer state of the UN like […]
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