News For February 24, 2010

Gates Calls European Mood a Danger to Peace

By BRIAN KNOWLTON

Mr. Gates’s blunt comments came just three days after the coalition government of the Netherlands collapsed in a dispute over keeping Dutch troops in Afghanistan. It now appears almost certain that most of the 2,000 Dutch troops there will be withdrawn this year. And polls show that the Afghanistan war has grown increasingly unpopular in nearly every European country. Continue

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Marja Offensive Aimed to Shape U.S. Opinion on War

By Gareth Porter

Senior military officials decided to launch the current U.S.-British military campaign to seize Marja in large part to influence domestic U.S. opinion on the war in Afghanistan. Continue

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Marjah: ‘This is not Fallujah’

So says McChrystal as the US surge goes full steam ahead in Marjah — a new "gentler" war.

By Eric Walberg

Marjah also represents the US project of replacing the UN with NATO as the world’s peacekeeper. The coalition of almost 60 nations is pursuing an illegal war launched by the US , with the UN -- the only legitimate forum for world peacekeeping -- now in tow solely as window dressing. Continue

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The Right Should Not Wage A Hundred Years War.

By George W. Carey

The single most important factor accounting for the lack of dissent within Republican ranks is the mentality created and nourished by the Cold War. During that era, individuals were habituated to think in terms of a determined enemy, an “evil empire” intent upon imposing a totalitarian order. Continue

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The New McCarthyism in Israel

Human rights groups face crackdown

By Jonathan Cook in Nazareth

The Israeli government and its right-wing supporters have been waging a “McCarthyite” campaign against human-rights groups by blaming them for the barrage of international criticism that has followed Israel’s attack on Gaza a year ago. Continue

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U.S.: CIA Briefed Congress on Renditions

By Willim Fisher

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) briefed members of Congress from both political parties numerous times about the agency's interrogation and detention programmes, several prominent human rights groups said. Continue

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Explosive News

By Jennifer Harper

A lingering technical question about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks still haunts some, and it has political implications: How did 200,000 tons of steel disintegrate and drop in 11 seconds? A thousand architects and engineers want to know. Continue

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Secret AIG Document Shows Goldman Sachs Minted Most Toxic CDOs

By Richard Teitelbaum

The New York Fed, which secretly engineered the bailout, prevented the full publication of the document for more than a year. Continue

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The War on Toyota: It's All Politics

By Mike Whitney

Does anyone really believe that Toyota is being pilloried in the media for a few highway fatalities? Continue

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Fighting the Subversion of Our People's Sovereignty

By Jim Hightower

With their ruling, five unelected guys in black robes have subverted our people's sovereignty with a semantical perversion that twists special-interest things into "people" and money into "speech." Continue

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In Case you missed the video:
U.S. is Ranked #37 in Health Care in the World

By Karen Harper

Except for the United States, the more money spent on health care in a nation translates to better health for the respondents. Continue

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Civilian body counts 28 civilian deaths in Marjah: The Afghan human rights commission reported Wednesday that 28 civilians have been killed so far in NATO's offensive on the Taliban stronghold of Marjah, and urged pro-government forces to take greater care in distinguishing between noncombatants and militants

33 Civilians Killed by NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan: At least we said we're sorry. I know an "aw, shucks" statement would calm my rage if those had been my kids. Yup. Like a charm.

In war, casualties are more than numbers; they have names: Let's relate those numbers to people - people dying one at a time, or in groups of three, or in a house of 12.Innocent people. Slain civilians caught up in a war that is far from being over.

Taliban: Dutch are right to leave: ‘It is right and just for the Dutch not to give their lives for American goals’, Qari Yousef Ahmadi told the paper during a telephone interview.

US slams European pacifism: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has declared a "crisis" exists in the NATO alliance, claiming a wave of pacifism sweeping Europe's political class was making it difficult for the US "to operate and fight" with its continental partners.

UK: Military chiefs say more troops needed for conflict: Army must recruit more than 100,000 soldiers to continue Afghan fighting

Karzai Asserts Control Over Election Body: President Hamid Karzai has moved to ensure that he can handpick members of an electoral monitoring commission, removing significant United Nations oversight of future elections.

Extrajudicial Killing:: US attack kills 8 in Pakistan: A US drone aircraft fires three missiles into northwest Pakistan, killing at least eight people in a tribal district near the Afghan border.

Buying the right to murder Pakistani citizens: US transfers $ 349.3 million to Pakistan from coalition support fund : The Coalition Support Fund covers payments for money Pakistan spends in support of the ongoing international operations in Afghanistan.With the latest transfer of funds, claims for dues up to December 2008 have been cleared, sources said.

Four killed in Pakistan after rocket lands on house : A mother and three children were killed in the blast and three others in the house at the time were also injured.

'US spies' killed by Taliban: Witnesses said suspected Taliban militants shot dead two men they accused of spying for the US in a northwest Pakistani tribal region along the Afghan border.
Four policemen killed, five injured in separate incidents in Mosul: Four Iraqi policemen were killed and five others were injured Tuesday in separate violent incidents in the city of Mosul northern Iraq.
Gunmen kill 3 Christians in Mosul: Unidentified gunmen killed three Christians from the same family in western Mosul on Tuesday, according to a security sour
At least three dead, five injured in Baghdad suicide bombing: A suicide bomber killed at least three people, including himself, and wounded at least five in central Baghdad Tuesday
Judge shot dead in western Baghdad: Gunmen using pistols fitted with silencers have shot dead a judge and wounded his nine-year-old son as they were leaving their western Baghdad home in a car, Iraqi police said.
US war embezzlement visualized: 4-minute video banned from Congress testimony: “Iraq for Sale”
Russia opposes harsh Iran sanctions: A Russian official has indicated that Moscow could support new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme, but not ones as severe as Western countries and Israel are seeking.
Iran forces down airliner to arrest alleged leader of terrorist group: Iran forced down a civilian airliner yesterday and boarded it to arrest the leader of a terrorist group it claims is backed by Britain, Israel and the United States.
Pakistan helped Iran nab Jundallah chief: Pakistan played a role in helping Iran arrest its most wanted Jundallah chief Abdolmalek Rigi who was seized onboard a flight from Dubai, Islamabad's ambassador to Tehran Mohammad Abbasi said on Wednesday.
Iran to reveal evidence of Jundallah ties with US: Iran says it has irrefutable evidence confirming that terrorist ringleader Abdolmalek Rigi had been aided and abetted by the US government before his arrest.
In case you missed it: The Secret War Against Iran: A Pakistani tribal militant group responsible for a series of deadly guerrilla raids inside Iran has been secretly encouraged and advised by American officials since 2005, U.S. and Pakistani intelligence sources tell ABC News.
Vanunu: Take me off list of Nobel peace prize nominees: "The reason he gave was that Shimon Peres had received the Nobel Peace Prize, and Peres he alleged was the father of the Israeli atomic bomb and he did not want to be associated with Peres in any way," Lundestad said.
US demands Syria distance itself from Iran: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Syria must stop intervening in Lebanon's affairs, stop providing weapons to Hezbollah, and promote renewed peace talks with Israel
Israel's Livni hails murder of Hamas official: Former Israeli FM says death of Mabhuh 'good new' whether in Gaza or Dub
Dubai names 15 more suspects in Mabhouh hit: "The new list of suspects includes people who offered prior logistical support and preparations to facilitate the crime, and others who played a central role," said a statement released on Wednesday.
At least 10 Israelis share names of new Dubai hit squad suspects: Video of Suspects: : 10 of those suspects share the names of Israelis who hold dual citizenship, Haaretz has learned.
Is The Mossad Using Iran As a Haven?: "Dubai police also released passport photos and closed-circuit television footage of the suspects, and said two of them had left Dubai by boat for Iran."
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory: 6 Palestinians, including one child, were wounded by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Judith Butler: As a Jew, I was taught it was ethically imperative to speak up: Philosopher, professor and author Judith Butler talks about the dehumanization of Gazans, and how Jewish values drove her to criticize the actions of the State of Israel.
Hamas founder's son worked for Shin Bet for years: The son of a leading Hamas figure, who famously converted to Christianity, served for over a decade as the Shin Bet security service's most valuable source in the militant organization's leadership, Haaretz has learned.
Hamas: Story about leader's son on Shin Bet payroll is Zionist propaganda: Hamas parliament member Mushir a-Masri said that the article was not worthy of a response and called it Zionist propaganda against the Palestinian people.
HAITI: Private Contractors 'Like Vultures Coming to Grab the Loot': Critics are concerned that private military contractors are positioning themselves at the centre of an emerging "shock doctrine" for earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
Leaders agree to create Latam bloc: New Latin American and Caribbean grouping would exclude the US and Canada.
Cuba activist dies of hunger strike: His death is reportedly the first time in 40 years that a Cuban political prisoner has succumbed during a hunger protest.
Australia to use face-scanning and fingerprints to combat terrorism: Australia plans to fingerprint and face-scan visitors from 10 high-risk countries in an attempt to combat terrorism, which has become a "permanent" threat to the country.
CIA briefed 68 lawmakers on interrogation program: CIA officials briefed at least 68 U.S. lawmakers between 2001 and 2007 on enhanced interrogation methods like simulated drowning that were being considered or used against captured al Qaeda members, according to declassified documents released on Tuesday.
Clashes erupt at Greek strike march: Police fire tear gas at protesters as strike over austerity measures cripples services.