Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Sunday, 31 May 2015

Op-Ed Articles
  
The Rohingya - Adrift on a Sea of Sorrows

By Eric Margolis

When is genocide not really genocide? When the victims are small, impoverished brown people no wants or cares about - Burma's Rohingya.


Golden Silences in the Propaganda System

By Edward S. Herman

This is dramatically illustrated when we compare the treatment of "worthy" and "unworthy" victims.


Putin: US Foreign Policy Boosted Expansion of Terrorism

By Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten

Putin accuses the West, quite bluntly, to be responsible for the emergence of the Islamic State.


Iran Breaks New Ground In Iraq

By Mahan Abedin

In Iraq the failure of the American- and British-trained army is by definition a victory for Iran.


Obama's Iran Nuclear 'Diplomacy' Boosts US Arms Racket

By Finian Cunningham

US President Barack Obama's nuclear diplomacy with Iran has left many commentators guessing about what objectives Washington is really pursuing.


US Resorts to the Viagra of Militarism

By Finian Cunningham

Unable to deal with its own demise, Washington is resorting to the viagra of militarism to effect an image of virility that it no longer possesses in practice.


Revolution and American Empire

By Rob Urie

Western history ties politics, the freedom to dominate other people, to economics through the reasons for domination.


Denny Hastert is Contemptible
But His Indictment Exemplifies America's Over-Criminalization Pathology

By Glenn Greenwald

Bush-era House Speaker Denny Hastert, is a living, breathing embodiment of everything sleazy and wrong with U.S. politics.


Financial Coup in Greece

By Stelios Kouloglou

"The government today faces a new kind of coup, one that is not carried out with tanks, as in 1967, but through banks." - Yanis Varoufakis.

   
Hard News    


ISIS settles into Ramadi, restores order:
Despite a fearsome reputation for inflicting savage violence on foes, ISIS militants have gone out of their way to try to win over residents of Iraq's Ramadi, providing basic services and governance, locals speaking to Reuters said.


Pro-Iran militias take upper hand after U.S.-backed forces crumble in Anbar:
Iraqi forces have seized from Islamic State militants a string of hamlets and villages in the dust-choked desert southeast of Ramadi in recent days, closing in on the key city for a counteroffensive.


Talk grows of U.S. boots on the ground in Iraq:
Last week, two key architects of George W. Bush's 2007 troop surge told the Senate that up to 20,000 additional U.S. troops are needed to defeat the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. They've found an ally in Sen. John McCain, a longtime Republican hawk.


At least 70 dead after two Syrian attacks on Aleppo:
Syrian army airstrikes on Saturday killed at least 70 people, most of them civilians, and wounded scores in the northern province of Aleppo. The attacks struck civilian areas, including a packed market in a town held by the Islamic State group, activists said.


12 civilians killed, more others injured in terrorist attacks in Aleppo:
Twelve civilians were killed and others were injured on Sunday in terrorist rocket attacks that hit residential areas in the northern city of Aleppo.


50 Syrian troops killed in two bomb attacks in Hasakah : Report:
 At least 50 Syrian soldiers were killed or injured on Saturday when two car bombs blew up in the northeastern governorate of Al-Hasakah amid clashes with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant


Explosion near clinic leaves 27 dead in northern Syria:
16 children among dead and scores of people wounded. The Local Coordination Committees of Syria said in a statement that the blast occurred near a clinic in Mayselon neighborhood in Qamishli city. Scores of victims were wounded in the attack and were taken to area hospitals for treatment.


Al Qaeda Syria Boss Says That His "So-Called Khorasan Group Doesn't Exist":
After the airstrikes had commenced, reports began to surface that no identifiable Syrian activists within the country had ever heard of such an organization.


Video shows arms shipment from Turkey to Syrian rebels:
The footage shows gendarmerie and police officers opening crates on the back of the trucks which contain what newspaper Cumhuriyet described as weapons and ammunition. Cumhuriyet said the video was from January 19, 2014 but did not say how it had obtained the footage.


Turkey helps isis? Video -
Turkish spy agency (MIT) arming al-Qaeda"


Britain to expand training of Syrian rebels in Turkey:
Britain is preparing to expand its military training mission in Iraq and increase the number of personnel helping ready the moderate Syrian opposition in Turkey, a British source familiar with the plan said on Sunday.


Lavrov: ISIS won't be eliminated through air raids only:
"To realize that mission, land military operations are a necessity, Lavrov said, adding "I don't think how we could do that without the participation of the Syrian government."


Syria: A Country Divided:Map:
Weakened by years of war, Assad's government now controls only a sliver of Syrian territory.


Car bomb kills 12 rebels in south Yemen:
A bomb-laden vehicle parked near an arms depot exploded killing 12 Iran-backed rebels and wounding eight others in southern Yemen's Abyan province Saturday, a local official told AFP.


Saudi-led Yemen coalition still using banned cluster bombs: HRW:
Human Rights Watch on Sunday published new evidence alleging a Saudi-led coalition is using internationally banned cluster bombs in Yemen, urging it to stop such attacks that were harming civilians.


Yemeni rebels take control of southern city:
Security officials said the city of Saeed fell into the hands of the Houthis after some local tribal sheikhs and military leaders accepted money and weapons to facilitate their entry into the area. They say dozens of fighters were killed in the two-day long battle, along with six civilians.


Saudi border guard killed in Yemen shelling: Riyadh:
Shelling from Yemen has killed a Saudi border guard and wounded seven others, the latest casualties along the kingdom's southern frontier, the interior ministry said on Sunday. The latest casualty brings to at least 31 the number of people killed along the border since March 26.


Yemen's Army Warns to Launch Massive Missile Strikes on Saudi Arabia:
Commander of Yemen's army missile base near the Saudi borders warned that his country's missiles could soon rain down on all parts of Saudi Arabia.


Saudi Arabia winning Yemeni media war:
Saudi Arabia is throwing a great deal of money and resources into media backing for the government of President Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. In short order, it has helped equip and launch two satellite TV channels supporting the exiled president, as well as an alternative version of Yemen's official news agency.


Islamic State's Saudi branch calls for clearing Arabian Peninsula of Shi'ites:
Saudi Arabia's branch of militant group Islamic State has said it wants to clear the Arabian Peninsula of Shi'ite Muslims and urged young men in the kingdom to join its cause, the U.S.-based SITE monitoring center has reported.


What does a Turkish-Saudi alliance say about Middle East conflicts?:
The formation of an anti-Shiite bloc under the new Saudi leadership pushes Turkey to strain its ties with Iran


26 killed in suicide attack inside Nigeria mosque: police:
A suicide bombing in a mosque in northeast Nigeria's key city of Maiduguri killed 26 people and injured 28 others who were at afternoon prayers on Saturday, police said.


Suicide bomber hits checkpoint near Libya's Misrata, 5 killed: official:
Five people were killed and eight wounded in a suicide bombing claimed by ISIS outside the Libyan city of Misrata Sunday, security officials said.


IS claims Libya suicide attack, declares war on key militia:
The Islamic State group on Sunday declared "war" on the powerful Fajr Libya militia alliance that controls Tripoli and claimed a suicide bombing that killed five of its fighters.


Gunmen kill 22 bus passengers in Pakistan attack:
Gunmen disguised as members of the Pakistani security forces killed at least 22 passengers on Friday night after forcing them off buses traveling from the western city of Quetta to Karachi on the southern coast, officials said.


Gun battle leaves 13 dead in N. Afghanistan:
Conflict between Taliban and the Afghan security forces in the northern Samangan province killed 13 people, including five policemen, provincial Governor Khairullah Anosh said on Sunday.


US calls for land reclamation 'halt' in South China Sea:
The US has called for an "immediate and lasting halt" to land reclamation in disputed areas of the South China Sea. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that China's actions in the area were "out of step" with international rules.


US to Arm China's Pacific Neighbors to Counter Beijing's Growing Influence:
The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) has added a "China Sea Initiative" to the 2016 defense bill. The legislation was drafted, in part, to address China's ongoing construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea as a part of its ambitious land-reclamation campaign.


China to invest $900b in Belt and Road Initiative:
Corridors are set to run through China-Mongolia-Russia, New Eurasian Land Bridge, China-Central and West Asia, China-Indo-China Peninsula, China-Pakistan, and Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar, said Zhang.


Map: The U.S. is bound by treaties to defend a quarter of humanity:
The United States is bound by a number of treaties that could, in theory, force it to get involved in a war if an ally is attacked. In total, 69 countries have some form of defense pact with the United States, they make up around 75 percent of the world's economic output.


Russian aircraft head off U.S. destroyer in Black Sea: RIA: -
Russian military aircraft were scrambled to head off a U.S. warship that was acting "aggressively" in the Black Sea, state news agency RIA reported on Saturday, but the Pentagon denied any unusual behavior.


Ukraine Names Georgia Ex-President Governor of Odessa :
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced Saturday that the new governor of his country's Odessa region will not even be a Ukrainian. Instead, it will be former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is currently wanted in his country over criminal charges.


BRICS summit in Russia to launch New Development Bank & currency pool - Putin:
Russia expects to launch the $100-billion BRICS New Development Bank along with a currency reserve pool worth another $100 billion at the July summit in Ufa, said Russian President Vladimir Putin.


European Union anger at Russian travel blacklist:
The European Union has responded angrily to Russia's entry ban against 89 European politicians, officials and military leaders. Those banned are believed to include general secretary of the EU council Uwe Corsepius, and former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.


Spain to Permanently Host 2,500 US Troops at Moron Air Base:
The Spanish government approved an updated version of a 1988 agreement which allowed the U.S. to station troops and equipment in the Moron Air Base in Seville, in the south of the country.


International effort rescues over 5,000 Mediterranean migrants:
The corpses of 17 migrants were brought ashore in Sicily aboard an Italian naval vessel on Sunday along with 454 survivors as efforts intensified to rescue people fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.


Swedish fathers to get third month of paid paternity leave:
Sweden offers a generous 16-month parental leave which can be taken by either mothers or fathers.


Appeals Court Refuses to Block Release of Guantánamo Force-Feeding Videos:
The government has argued that releasing the videos would harm national security by, among other things, inflaming "Muslim sensitivities overseas."


The fraudulent debate over NSA reform :
Whether Section 215 of the Patriot Act is extended or allowed to expire, the vast US government apparatus for spying on the American people will continue unabated.


More than 350 People Killed by US Police in the past 5 Months :
The report was based on police records, news reports, internet sources and the paper's own original reporting.


Silk Road Mastermind Ross Ulbricht Sentenced To Life In Prison:
Ross Ulbricht, the man behind the darkweb drug marketplace known as the Silk Road, has just been sentenced to more imprisonment than he has actual lives: two life sentences and "max sentences on all other charges."


Ross is Our Socrates:
There is not an informed lover of liberty and progress who was not shaken by the life sentence handed down to Ross Ulbricht, visionary web developer and now martyr. The judge's words were chilling in the extreme. But here we are, with a peaceful, brilliant, fascinating young man condemned to die in prison for being ahead of his time.
Posted by Roberto Abraham Scaruffi at 21:22

USAHitman | Conspiracy News

Link to USAHM Conspiracy News

Posted: 30 May 2015 05:04 PM PDT
us-muslims-sharia-law.si
A US film maker, Amy Horowitz, went out onto the streets of Minneapolis to speak to young Muslims and found that most of those questioned would rather live in the Muslim countries they came from and under Sharia law than in the US.
Horowitz asked the simple question: “Do you feel more comfortable living under American Law or do you feel more comfortable living under Sharia law?”
The majority of the people answered that they’d rather live under strict Sharia law. Sharia law gives women virtually no rights at all, they can be married at the age of nine, and is a literal interpretation of the Quran, which governs all aspect of life.
Horowitz then asked Muslims in a predominately Somali area of Minneapolis if they would rather live in the US or Somalia.
Somalia, which has been engulfed in civil war for three decades, is one of the poorest countries in the world.Yet most of the Somalians Horowitz spoke to said they would prefer to live there than in the US, except for one young boy who said he wanted to live in Saudi Arabia.
Horowitz believes that many young Muslims he spoke to answered the way they did because they feel alienated from US society, despite being born or growing up in the US.
“What we find among the Muslim immigrants in Europe and the United States is that the first and second generation are more radical than their parents, they’re not integrating as time goes by and there’s a larger alienation,” he told RT.
One young Somalian wearing a baseball cap and speaking fluently in a strong American accent said he did not feel American. “I speak fluent [English] and I can articulate what I’m trying to say, but other than that, as far as my culture and my preferences and everything I’m still Somali,” he said.
Horowitz explained that it is this generation of immigrants that has become problematic to Western countries. “The fact that the vast majority of young people I asked would rather live in Somalia or Saudi Arabia as opposed to the United States, it blew me away,” he said.
Source
The post Young American Muslims would rather live under Sharia law, filmmaker discovers appeared first on USAHM Conspiracy News.
    
Posted: 30 May 2015 05:01 PM PDT
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The latest decision by the Washington DC federal appeals court has become a temporary defeat for the Obama administration, seeking to block the release of several “extremely disturbing” videos showing force-feeding of restrained Gitmo inmate.
In the federal court’s eight-page decision on Friday, the three-judge panel reasoned that it was “without jurisdiction” to issue orders at this point.
“We cannot reach the merits of this appeal…because it is premature,” the panel wrote. The decision leaves the matter with the trial judge, the appellate panel explained, and could also yield several benefits.
“It is possible that appropriate redactions will limit the scope of, or perhaps eliminate altogether, the government’s concerns over release of the videotapes,” the appellate panel speculated.
The three appellate judges added the trial judge now has “an opportunity to consider whether the eight-day time frame it set for the redaction process is reasonable in light of the declaration the government subsequently filed concerning the complexity of the task.”
The case involves Syrian native Abu Wa’el Dhiab, 43, who was held at Guantanamo Bay from 2002 until his release to Uruguay in December 2014. Dhiab was cleared for release in 2009 but remained held at the prison. He protested with other detainees and initiated a hunger strike in early 2013, prompting the force-feeding.
The case was originally filed by Dhiab to stop the force-feedings and the footage was introduced as evidence under seal during the trail. Lawyers for Dhiab, who have seen the videos, have called it “extremely disturbing.”
The District Judge Gladys Kessler rejected the government’s arguments that the tapes are classified and releasing the videos would harm national security and “inflame Muslim sensitivities overseas,” and ordered the videos be made public, with redactions to protect the identity of Guantanamo guards. The government appealed that decision.
Sixteen media organizations including The Intercept, McClatchy, The New York Times and The Washington Post have intervened in the case to press for the release of the videotapes, all 32 of them, which span about 11 hours.
Alka Pradhan, an attorney with Reprieve, the human rights organization representing Dhiab, said in a statement released to The Intercept about the court’s ruling that “once those videotapes are redacted, they are one step closer to public release — and the government is one step closer to being held accountable for their treatment of Guantánamo detainees.”
Source
The post Federal court dismisses govt appeal to block release of Gitmo force-feeding videos appeared first on USAHM Conspiracy News.
    
Posted: 29 May 2015 05:05 PM PDT
24d-who-carcinogenic-hazard.si
The World Health Organization is set to deliver a verdict on the potential danger of 2,4-D herbicides widely used in the agribusiness, and which was one of the key components of Agent Orange used during US herbicidal warfare in Vietnam.
The move by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a research arm of WHO, to examine the chemical comes shortly after the agency classified glyphosate or Roundup herbicide, produced by Monsanto, as “probably” cancerogenic.
Now the stage is set to determine the possible health risk posed by the 2,4-D. Some 24 IARC scientists are due to deliver the verdict after examining pro and con studies on the issue. Their week-long meeting is scheduled to start on June 2 in Lyon, France.
Produced mainly by Dow AgroSciences, a unit of Dow Chemical Co., 2,4-D is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world.
Humans could be exposed to the chemical through the skin, mouth or airways, if one just forgets to wash their hands. If exposed for a prolonged period of time, the herbicide could cause cancer, a few scientific studies have suggested in the past.
Short term exposure symptoms of 2,4-D poisoning could include irritation and inflammation of eyes and skin, hives, nausea, and difficulty breathing. The herbicide can also be very toxic to fish and other aquatic life, once it enters a water stream.
“I do think they are going to upgrade 2,4-D” Michael Hansen, a senior scientist at Consumers Union and consultant to the WHO told Reuters. “There is just as strong, or even a stronger case [for links to cancer], on 2,4-D than there was for glyphosate.”
Many scientific studies over the years have come up with evidence showing cancer connections with 2,4-D, said IARC scientist Maria Leon. In particular environmental exposure to the herbicide on the farm has been hypothesized to contribute to the long-term increase in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). IARC working group is to determine the strength of the evidence offered by both critics and supporters of 2,4-D use, Leon said.
Denying any carcinogenic links of 2,4-D, Dow Chemical is ready to put out a fight to protects its business interests, and will send a scientific task team, armed with some 14 company funded studies that dismisses 2,4-D as cancer causing agent.
“The epidemiology evidence does not support an association between 2,4-D and NHL, gastric cancer, or prostate cancer risk,” said Julie Goodman, a scientist and consultant working for the 2,4-D task force.
Meanwhile the company itself in a statement to Reuters claimed that “no national regulatory authority in the world considers 2,4-D a carcinogen.”
In an agribusiness chemical arms race, Dow’s development of 2,4-D-resistant crops came about once first-generation genetically-modified crops made by Monsanto evolved to resist the company’s Roundup herbicide. The flood of new GE crops increased the use of glyphosate, also linked to a host of other ill health effects, and the emergence of glyphosate-resistant superweeds.
The 2,4-D chemical, combined with glyphosate, makes up the herbicide Enlist Duo. The chemical also makes up half of the toxic mix in the now infamous Agent Orange, used by the United States during the Vietnam War, which is thought to have resulted in the deaths of an estimated 400,000 and birth defects in 500,000 people.
Source
The post WHO cancer division to rule on widespread herbicide’s carcinogenic hazard appeared first on USAHM Conspiracy News.
    
Posted: 29 May 2015 05:03 PM PDT
saakashvili-governor-odessa-ukraine.si
Georgia’s former President Mikhail Saakashvili, wanted by his country’s prosecutors for embezzlement, abuse of power and politically-motivated attacks, has been appointed governor of Ukraine’s Odessa region.
President Petro Poroshenko personally appointed Saakashvili to the post, saying the former Georgian leader is “a friend of Ukraine.” In a statement at Saakashvili’s nomination in Odessa, Poroshenko said the two had known each other for 25 years, since university days.
According to Poroshenko, Saakashvili “has proven with deeds, not words that he can not only give birth to creative ideas, but also put them into practice.” He added Georgia’s ex-president had changed his country “in the direction of transparency, effectiveness, anti-corruption, appeal for foreign investors, fair justice, protection of citizen’s rights, democracy,” something Poroshenko “would like to see very much” in Odessa.
Earlier on Saturday, Saakashvili was given Ukrainian citizenship under Petro Poroshenko’s personal decree, published on his website. According to the Ukrainian constitution, only a citizen can become an official at governor level.
Mikhail Saakashvili left Georgia in autumn 2013, days before his presidential term expired. He has been living abroad ever since.
In spring 2014, Georgia’s new ruling coalition accused Saakashvili of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state budget. According to Georgian officials’ accounts, he spent the money on parties and expensive presents for his nearest and dearest. Saakshvili denies the charges, saying the funds went to attracting foreign investors to the country. Georgia’s prosecutors have started an investigation into the case.
There are several other criminal cases ongoing against Mikhail Saakashvili. He is being accused of abuse of power during the crackdown on anti-government protests in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on November 7, 2007. He was also allegedly involved in the attack on the opposition TV station Imedi, which was seized by Georgian special forces on the same day, and the appropriation of the founder’s assets.
During his term, Saakashvili personally controlled the country’s special forces. After his opponents came to power, the force was removed from the head of state’s direct command, and its documents declassified.
Read More Here
The post Ex-Georgian president, wanted at home, becomes governor in Ukraine appeared first on USAHM Conspiracy News.
    
Posted: 29 May 2015 05:02 PM PDT
CFc5Ue6VAAA0mYJMaking yourself comfortable on a NY subway train could land you in hot water, especially if you occupy too much space. What appears to be the first ever arrest for so-called manspreading was revealed in a new report.
Two Latino men were allegedly arrested for manspreading, sitting with knees wide open, thus occupying two seats on May 22 at 12:11am, according to a report released by the Police Reform Organizing Project in New York. This is probably the first time manspreading has led to an arrest and court appearance.
Although, according to the report, the judge said that at the time of the arrest there could not have been many passengers on the train, she nevertheless slapped the two men with an ACD, which means that charges against them will be dropped if they don’t get arrested again for a fixed period of time, the report says.
In January, the Metropolitan Transit Authority rolled out an ad campaign reminding men to “mind the gap” and keep knees closer together while seated on public transport.
Entire blogs have been created to document the culprits who don’t comply. Even actor Tom Hanks was publicly shamed, being called the “new face of manspreading.”
Hanks excused himself, saying that the “train was half empty.” That excuse didn’t work for the two men arrested in May, though.
Robert Gangi, Director of Police Reform Organizing Project (PROP), which compiled the report, says the NYPD is criminalizing a subway etiquette faux pas as an excuse to issue more fines and arrest people, most of whom are poor minorities.
“We think it’s driven by a quota system. There is almost no other rational explanation for why the cops would conduct this kind of arrest unless they are under pressure to meet certain numbers, to meet with their productivity goals,” Gangi told RT’s Maria Portnaya.
Read More Here
The post ‘Manspreading’: New misdemeanor plaguing NYC subway, first arrests reported appeared first on USAHM Conspiracy News.
    
Posted: 29 May 2015 05:00 PM PDT
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The Security Intelligence Service of New Zealand (SIS) was forced to publicly apologize to internet tycoon Kim Dotcom after the publication of internal emails in which the spies called him a “fatty” who was never going to get far from the cops on foot.
The series of embarrassing emails was released after the New Zealand Weekend Herald newspaper sent a request under freedom of information laws. The correspondence included a letter in which an SIS staff member sent an image of Dotcom to others, saying: “This picture of Dotcom will forever crack me up – what a fatty po po.”
One of the offensive replies, apparently referring to a police raid on his house, said Dotcom was “never going to get far from the cops on foot,” while another suggested that “he could be defeated by a small set of stairs,” according to the paper.
The agency’s new chief Rebecca Kitteridge said, expressing regrets to Dotcom, that the staff involved in the correspondence had been given a talk. She added that the emails “do not reflect the level of professionalism that I expect to see in this organization”.
“Since that time, the NZSIS has well and truly learned that all internal communications must be completely professional,” she added, claiming that the conversation was held long ago and a lot of work has been done since then.
Kitteridge said her “apology to Mr Dotcom was completely sincere,” but insisted that some of the “aspects” of his “interpretation” of the agents’ attitude were wrong.
The existence of the emails came to light after Dotcom wrote in his Twitter in March that he had received an apology because of “perverse” communications between SIS staff.
This was the second apology that Dotcom received from the intelligence agencies of New Zealand. In 2012, the government’s Communications Security Bureau, its foreign spy agency, had to apologize after being caught surveilling him illegally.
Dotcom told the newspaper that the emails reflected the attitude of all government departments he had encountered since FBI launched a criminal investigation into Dotcom and his arrest in 2012 over the risks of fleeing New Zealand.
“According to them we are the rich fat poo poo German and his teenage Filipino hooker wife living in New Zealand’s most expensive home. Let’s destroy them. Let’s have some fun,” he was cited as saying.
Read More Here
The post New Zealand’s spy agency forced to apologize for calling Kim Dotcom ‘fatty’ appeared first on USAHM Conspiracy News.
    
Posted by Roberto Abraham Scaruffi at 18:14
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