| Hard News
Bush- Blair Legacy Continues
As Iraq unrest surges, 33 more killed:
Attacks around Baghdad and north Iraq left 33 people dead on Wednesday, including 18 members of a Shia family killed by militants, the latest in a nationwide surge of violence.
Al-Qaida-linked Syria rebels hit Christian village:
Rebels commandeered a mountaintop hotel in the village of Maaloula and shelled the community below, said a nun, speaking by phone from a convent in the village.
VERY GRAPHIC - Al-Qaida cuts off heads of 2 men:
The man in the footage states that the men were cooperating with the regime. Activists from Aleppo city reported that the execution took place at the end of August near the al-Dweiraniya village of eastern Reef Aleppo.
UK has new Syria chemical evidence - David Cameron:
"We have just been looking at some samples taken from Damascus in the Porton Down laboratory in Britain which further shows the use of chemical weapons in that Damascus suburb," he told Nick Robinson.
Putin Says Kerry Lied About Al Qaeda Role in Syria:
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry of lying to Congress over the presence of militant group al Qaeda in Syria. Mr. Putin said Mr. Kerry had lied by telling Congress that al Qaeda-linked forces don't have a role in the fight against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Propaganda alert:
Kerry: Syrian rebels have not been hijacked by extremists:
Extremist groups make up between 15% and 25% of the rebels fighting Syrian leader Bashar Assad, but moderate forces are growing stronger as a result of support from regional allies, Secretary of State John Kerry told Congress on Wednesday.
75,000 troops needed to secure chemical weapons if Damascus falls:
A recent congressional report says 75,000 troops would be needed to safeguard the WMD caches. The Congressional Research Center (CRS) report, was compiled with the aim of "responding to possible scenarios involving the use, change of hands, or loss of control of Syrian chemical weapons."
Even Obama Agrees: There's No Imminent Threat From Syria:
That's about as plain as it can get: There's no imminent threat in Syria. What about an "actual" threat? Given that Syria is not to strike the U.S. unless the U.S. strikes first, one could reasonably argue that military action is more likely to create an actual threat than to prevent it.
THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN'T HAVE THE VOTES:
ABC News has completed whip counts of both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and our reporting at this stage has led to one undeniable conclusion: After this week's full court press by the Obama administration, the president does not yet have the votes to authorize the military strike on Syria
Act Now! - Say No To War On Syria:
Here's the Best Way to Tell Congress Your Opinion on Syria.
Russia Boosts Mediterranean Force as U.S. Mulls Syria Strike:
Russia is sending two destroyers, including the Nastoichivy, the flagship of the Baltic Fleet, and the Moskva missile cruiser to the region, Interfax reported today
Russian Ships 'Able to React' in Case of Syria Escalation:
"Today we consider our presence in the eastern Mediterranean to be sufficient to solve the tasks. If necessary, together with submarine forces, they (the ships) are capable even today of influencing a military situation," a general staff source told the Interfax news agency.
What a load of bull!
Syria creates a Russian safe zone, civilian danger zones:
Syria's military is preparing for a U.S. strike by dispersing its forces into apartment buildings, schools and mosques, and may be hiding its most valuable assets inside a Russian naval base, betting that U.S. missiles will avoid it.
Shelling of Russian Embassy in Damascus 'Barbaric Act' -
Moscow: - Russia's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned, as a "barbaric act," the shelling earlier that day of the country's embassy in Damascus.
Christians in Middle East: U.S. attack on Syria would be detrimental:
"There is major consensus amongst the Christian leaders in this region that any military intervention would have a detrimental effect ... on Christians in Syria," wrote Geoff Tunnicliffe, secretary general/CEO of World Evangelical Alliance, in a letter to the State Department
A letter from Trappist nuns in Syria: "Blood fills our streets, our eyes, our hearts":
Will the Nobel Peace Prize winner drop his sentence of war onto us? Despite all justice, all common sense, all mercy, all humility, all wisdom?
John Kerry's Morally, Linguistically, and Historically Obscene Case for War in Syria:
I counted at least seven moments that qualified in my judgment as obscene, exposing along the way the administration's empty and contradictory arguments for air-mailing death upon a regime that does not pose a direct threat in the United States
Flashback: A Rare Broadcast of John Kerry's 1971 Speech Against the Vietnam War Before the Senate -
The young Vietnam veteran says: "Someone has to die so that President Nixon won't be, and these are his words, "the first President to lose a war... how do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"
Iran says US will suffer if Syria is attacked:
Allegations that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons last month are a "pretext" by the West to attack the country, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said.
Exposing propaganda:
U.S. Missiles and 'Pinpoint Accuracy': CNN-cruise-missile-accuracy:
Whenever war is near, you can count on U.S. media to tout the lethal efficiency of U.S. weapons. Now is no different.,
Ex-World Leaders Urge U.S. to Forego Military Attack on Syria
The United States, which is preparing to launch a military strike on Syria, is being cautioned by several former world leaders and Nobel Peace laureates to seek a political solution to the ongoing crisis - and forego armed intervention in the beleaguered Middle Eastern nation.
Obama visits Swedish synagogue, alludes to Syrian crisis:
The American president drew a line between the heroism of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust and the need to act in Syria.
Iranian president tweets Rosh Hashanah greeting:
Rouhani, considered by some to be a relative reformer, took to his Twitter account to say, "As the sun is about to set here in #Tehran I wish all Jews, especially Iranian Jews, a blessed Rosh Hashanah."
Nigeria: 20 killed as council, schools and clinic razed by Boko Haram:
No fewer than 20 people were feared dead, several others sustained injuries with the setting ablaze of Nganzai Local Government Area Secretariat, two primary schools, a clinic and some residential houses
Egypt's Minister Mohammed Ibrahim survives bomb attack:
The explosion took place at about 10:30 local time (08:30 GMT). Mr Ibrahim told state television that his convoy was targeted by a "large" explosive device that might have been detonated by remote control. "It destroyed four of the vehicles of my protection team, along with a vehicle of civilians and a small child who had a leg amputated," he said.
Libyan police unit admits kidnapping ex-spy chief's daughter:
The chaos at the heart of the Libyan government was underlined on Thursday when it admitted its own security forces had kidnapped the daughter of Muammar Gaddafi's former spy chief from police custody this week.
US murders 3 people in Pakistan:
A pair of missiles launched by a suspected U.S. drone killed at least three "foreign militants" in an abandoned seminary near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan on Saturday, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
Afghan police kill 2 militants in shootout at mosque:
Details were sketchy in the immediate hours after the clash Thursday, but the national intelligence service released a video showing the bloodied bodies of the alleged militants, who wore police uniforms.
This is a sick joke:
General: 'Conditions Are Set' to Win Afghan War:
The No. 2 American commander in Afghanistan said Wednesday he believes the stage has been set for winning the war, but hard fighting lies ahead for Afghan forces now suffering heavy casualties.
Manning Seeks Presidential Pardon in WikiLeaks Case:
The U.S. soldier convicted of providing secret files to WikiLeaks in the biggest breach of classified materials in the nation's history has asked for a presidential pardon, supporters said on Wednesday.
Brazil's Rousseff wants U.S. apology for NSA spying: -
Furious about a report that the U.S. government spied on her private communications, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff may cancel a planned White House visit and downgrade commercial ties unless she receives a public apology, a senior Brazilian official told Reuters
Brazil Said to Cancel Trip to U.S. to Prepare Meeting With Obama:
Brazilian authorities have canceled a trip to Washington that was designed to prepare for President Dilma Rousseff's state visit next month in response to charges the U.S. spied on the South American nation.
Mexican President Says NSA Spying Illegal, Demands Investigation:
Pena Nieto demanded the United States investigate the allegations aired in a report Sunday night on Brazil's Globo TV.
Drug Agents Have an NSA-Style Spying Problem:
The Drug Enforcement Administration's secret Hemisphere Project, news of which broke this week, allows drug law enforcement agencies broad access to billions of AT&T phone records going back a quarter century-to 1987.
In a world gone crazy:
Springfield barricade: John Geer killed in police shooting:
"A police officer came up to me and said, 'You need to get out of the area right now,'" said another neighbor, Scott Dowling, who walked out of his home and snapped a picture of a heavily-armed officer poised to react.
Police Need to Be Held Accountable for Attacks on the Disabled:
Robert Saylor, a 26-year-old man with Down Syndrome, died after being put in handcuffs by officers outside of a movie theater. That's only one of dozens of recent incidents.
Family of Man Shown Being Beaten by Long Beach Police Plans to Sue:
Family members said Santos-Lopez was recovering from surgery in the hospital. The family plans to sue Long Beach Police Department, according to Santos-Lopez's wife, Lee Ann Hernandez.
Dashcam shows cops fighting -
Bergen County Police vs NJ State Police on Turnpike, 2013 - Video
Three Walmart Workers Arrested As 15-City Strike Kicks Off:
Organizers and activists are calling for a minimum annual salary of $25,000 for full-time employees.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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