News For August 19, 2010

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Why WikiLeaks Must Be Protected

By John Pilger

The WikiLeaks revelations shame the dominant section of journalism devoted merely to taking down what cynical and malign power tells it. This is state stenography, not journalism. Continue

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The U.S. Spreads the Misery to Yemen

By Dan Simpson

Another undeclared war that won't make Americans safer is foolishly pursued. Continue

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Victory in Iraq! (Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, . . .)

By Thomas DiLorenzo

King Obama has announced that he is pulling all combat troops out of Iraq, but 50,000 will remain there. Of course, all troops are trained for combat; calling them “non-combat support personnel” is simply B.S. Continue

The  United Nations, Impunity and War

By Fidel Castro

Resolution 1929 of the United Nations Security Council on June 9, 2010 sealed the fate of imperialism. Continue

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Bin Laden’s Rising Influence In America

By M. Junaid Levesque-Alam

The aversion to a proposed Muslim center near Ground Zero shows that it is Americans, not Muslims, whose thinking the terrorist leader has most successfully recast to his advantage. Continue

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Muslim Community Center
Keith Olbermann - Special Comment

Video

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment about the Muslim Community Center in New York, erroneously called the "Ground Zero Mosque". Continue

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Mosque-Erade
What Political Courage Looks Like

By Glenn Greenwald

Sharif El-Gamal, categorically refused even to consider backing down.  He made clear that Park 51 has the absolute constitutional right to build a community center in Lower Manhattan, and refused even to acknowledge the toxic notion that Muslims generally somehow bear responsibility for the 9/11 attack. Continue

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Too Big To Fail : Too Big To Jail

By Danny Schechter

We had three industries collaborating in crimes of industrial proportions — real estate, finance (with the collusion of ratings agencies) and insurance giants like AIG. Continue

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10 "militant" killed in Afghanistan : Afghan and NATO-led forces killed 10 Taliban militants in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan, the military alliance said Wednesday.

Suicide car bomber kills 4 in southern Afghanistan: A suicide bomber rammed a car into a police vehicle Wednesday in southern Afghanistan, killing a district police chief, two other policemen and a civilian — the latest attack targeting those with links to the government or international forces.

Taliban kill Afghan official and wife: Taliban militants killed an Afghan government official and his wife in southern Afghanistan, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

Afghan villagers protest night raid: Hundreds of villagers have blocked a highway in eastern Afghanistan to protest a night raid by Nato and Afghan soldiers that left two people dead.

Taliban prison said found in Afghanistan, 27 freed: The men were found on Tuesday in a compound at Musa Qaleh in Helmand province during an operation by Afghan and coalition forces that killed 13 insurgents, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement.

Security fears shutter Afghan polls: The Afghan government has decided not to open more than 900 polling stations during next month's parliamentary election, citing security concerns.

Puppet Finds Own Voice: Officials: Karzai Blindsided U.S. Embassy With Contractor-Ban Announcement: One of the officials says that whatever happens, the U.S. has no intention of shutting down the operations of contract security personnel who provide critical guard services at the American Embassy in Kabul, operations the U.S. believes have to remain in the hands of private contractors to free up U.S. military personnel for more complex missions elsewhere.

Security firm ban could affect Afghan aid: officials: A ban on private security companies in Afghanistan could affect development and aid work as many of the firms guard Western projects in the country, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

Blackwater Founder Moves to Abu Dhabi, Records Say: Erik Prince, whose company, Blackwater Worldwide, is for sale and whose former top managers are facing criminal charges, has left the United States and moved to Abu Dhabi, according to court documents.

WikiLeaks founder: U.S. Army willing to discuss his request for help in documents review: "This week we received contact through our lawyers that the General Counsel of the U.S. Army says now that they want to discuss the issue," Assange told The Associated Press by telephone.

Six more killed in Iraq amid warnings of US cooperation: Six people were killed, including three whose bodies bore leaflets warning against cooperation with US and Iraqi forces, in further violence in Iraq.

Two killed in Iraq court bombing: A bomb planted near a courthouse in Saddam Hussein's hometown killed two security guards on Wednesday, Iraqi police and hospital officials said.

Iraq coalition talks break down amid sectarianism claims: Coalition talks between Iraq's main political parties remained in disarray Wednesday amid mutual accusations of sectarianism, leaving the country without a government more than five months after elections that were meant to be a test of stability.

Security outfit killed civilians, gets embassy job: THE Australian security firm that shot dead an Australian academic and two Iraqi women has been hired by the government to guard its Baghdad embassy.

Two anti-Taliban fighters killed in Pakistan: Dozens of armed Pakistani militants attacked a mosque and a police checkpoint in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing two anti-Taliban fighters, police said Wednesday.

Riots over Pakistan flood relief efforts: Watch an ITN News report about police clashing with people at a flood relief camp
Satellite images show 1/5 of Pakistan under water: Images show how the country looked from space a year ago, compared with new images which shows a fifth of the country underwater.
Three Indian U.N. peacekeepers killed in Congo attack: Three Indian United Nations peacekeepers were killed in an attack on their base in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by 50 fighters armed with machetes, spears and traditional weapons, the U.N. mission MONUSCO said on Wednesday.
Two killed, 15 injured in Yemen explosion: Militants attacked on Tuesday the Yemen government center, as well as several military bases in the Maareb province. Also, suspected Al-Qaeda militants killed one officer and injured another in two separate attacks south of Yemen on Tuesday, said local source to KUNA.
Iran To Respond If Israel Attacks: “In that case we will lose a power plant, but Israel’s existence will be in danger,” Ahmad Vahidi was cited as saying today by the state-run Mehr news agency, in response to questions about the possibility of an attack by Israel on the Russian-built atomic facility at Bushehr.
Russia defends Iran nuclear plant ahead of launch: Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the controversial power plant as an "anchor" that would keep Iran firmly fixed to peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Iran condemns possible US military action: Iran has taken its case against the United States to the United Nations and is strongly condemning the top US military chief for saying military action remains a possibility
Iran Calls for Formation of Islamic Union to Start New World Order: Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi hoped for the formation of an Islamic Union in a move to start and establish a new economic order in the world.
Stranger than fiction: Man gets NY prison time for violating Iran embargo: A scientist convicted of violating a trade embargo after his family in Iran sent him $3.4 million was sentenced Monday to 2 1/2 years in prison by a judge who noted that the defendant did not support terrorism or funnel money to Iran's government.
Four Israeli air strikes on Gaza, say Palestinians : Israeli warplanes carried out four air strikes on the southern Gaza Strip late Tuesday that caused no injuries, Palestinian security sources and witnesses said.
Israel Places Order For 20 F-35s; U.S. Picks Up The Tab: The Israeli Air Force expects to take delivery of the first aircraft in 2015. The article quotes Barak saying the F-35 costs $96 million a copy. The entire deal will be funded by American military aid.
Israel to win in Australian elections; Aussie parties support Israel: As the two major parties in Australia's federal election vie for the title of Israel's most ardent backer, most Jewish leaders believe that Australia’s longstanding, strong bilateral support for the Jewish state will not be jeopardized regardless of the outcome.
US spending $16,000 for imam's Mideast tour: American taxpayers will pay the imam behind plans for a mosque near the Manhattan site of the Sept. 11 attacks $3,000 in fees for a three-nation outreach trip to the Middle East that will cost roughly $16,000, the State Department said Wednesday.
Governor seeks 9/11 mosque talks: "Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington," Mr. Gingrich said on Fox News this week. "We would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor. There's no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center."
Mosque-Issippi Burning: Does anyone seriously say that there shouldn’t be a Christian church near the site of the Oklahoma City bombing, just because Timothy McVeigh was a Christian?
Feds: Alaska couple had 20 names on hit list: A rural Alaska couple accused of domestic terrorism compiled a hit list of 20 targets, including members of the military and media, and had moved to the operational phase of their plan, according to documents filed in federal court.
Debt Virus Spreads During Make-Believe Recovery: Under the surface, the cracks in the euro are getting worse. The imbalances in the euro area are growing all the time. The resistance to the bailout package will rise as the terms turn out to be immoral and absurd. And the big-deficit nations are locked in a downward economic spiral.
Time is running out for the West: The Great Recession has dramatically shrunk the time left for the big AAA states to prevent a full-blown sovereign debt crisis as their demographic time-bomb threatens, US rating agency Moody's has warned.
George Soros slashes exposure to US equities: George Soros has slashed the amount of money he is willing to gamble on the fortunes of the US stock market in the second quarter as market volatility increased.
22 cities in danger of a double-dip recession: A new report from Moody's Economy.com singled out 22 cities that are at risk of slipping back into a recession in as early as three months. To come to this conclusion, the economists considered dwindling progress in employment, housing starts, home prices and industrial production.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reform: Would it add $5 trillion to US debt?: The Obama administration held a conference Tuesday about how to reform mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Reform could involve adding Fannie and Freddie's roughly $5 trillion in obligations, in effect, to the federal balance sheet.
US Says Bankruptcies Reach Nearly 5-Year High: U.S. bankruptcy filings have reached the highest level since 2005, government data released on Tuesday show, as the economy slows and the unemployment rate hovers just below double digits.
Judge balks at SEC's settlement with Citigroup : A federal judge refused on Monday to accept a $75 million settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Citigroup, marking the second time this year that a judge has questioned whether the agency had exacted the proper sanction from a major bank.