News For May 06, 2010

A Timetable For War

By Philip Giraldi

Relying on a complaisant media that has fully embraced the fabricated narrative of fanatical Mullahs brandishing nuclear weapons shortly before handing them over to al-Qaeda, a majority of Americans now believes that Iran must be dealt with by force and that it already has a nuclear weapon.  Continue

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‘Real Men Go to Tehran!’
Loose Lips on Iran Can Sink America

By Ray McGovern

Think back seven years and recall the Blackwater-style bravado from the lips of neoconservatives like Donald Rumsfeld’s crony Kenneth Adelman — the fellow who assured us all that Iraq would be a “cakewalk.” Continue

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Voting In Britain For War. Take Your Pick

By John Pilger

All three party leaders are warmongers. Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrats leader and darling of former Blair lovers, says that as prime minister he will “participate” in another invasion of a “failed state” provided there is “the right equipment, the right resources”. Continue

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Khadr Routinely Trussed Up In Cage, Hearing Told

By Paul Koring

Omar Khadr, then a gravely wounded 15-year-old, was routinely trussed up in a cage “in one of the worst places on Earth,” according to a hulking former military interrogator nicknamed Monster who says he felt sorry for the Canadian and brought him books and treats. Continue

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A New Low For US Politicians?
Candidate pulls no punches in new ads

Video

Watch three of Fanellie's campaign ads from his website addressing homeland security, national defense, and racial profiling issues and see what you think. Continue

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Two NATO soldiers killed in insurgent attacks in Afghanistan: - NATO said Thursday that one of its soldiers was killed by a roadside bomb and another by small arms fire in southern

German troops face pitched battles in Afghanistan as insurgency spreads: German troops are fighting the first pitched battles witnessed by the Bundeswehr since 1945 in the face of a growing Taleban insurgency in the north of Afghanistan.

Taliban Order Night Phone Blackout in Afghan North: The Taliban have ordered mobile phone operators to shut down their networks during the night in a northern Afghan province, officials said on Thursday, a sign of the militants' increasing influence in a once peaceful area.

Taliban leaders to be offered exile under Afghanistan peace plan: Exclusive: Karzai to discuss proposal that also offers reinsertion and jobs to former militants with Obama on US visit

A look at costs of Afghan war to U.S. taxpayers: Obama has asked for $33 billion more to help fund 30,000 extra U.S. soldiers being sent to Afghanistan this year. He wants another $4.5 billion for beefed-up foreign aid and civilian operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this year.

Extrajudicial Killing: US to expand Pakistan drone strikes: Federal lawyers backed the measures on grounds of self-defence to counter threats the fighters pose to US troops in neighbouring Afghanistan and the United States as a whole, according to authorities.

Extrajudicial Killing: CIA drones have broader list of targets: The agency since 2008 has been secretly allowed to kill unnamed suspects in Pakistan.

Roadside bomb kills 2 in N. Baghdad: - Iraqi police said on Thursday that two people were killed in a roadside explosion in Al Mansour district, northern Baghdad.

Shi'ite deal gives clerics final say in Baghdad: An agreement signed by Iraq's two main Shi'ite blocs seeking to govern the country gives the final decision on all their political disputes to top Shi'ite clerics, according to a copy obtained by the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Kurds to back new coalition choice for Iraq's PM: Iraq's main Kurdish political bloc will accept the candidate for prime minister chosen by the new Shiite coalition of incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a top official said on Thursday.

Iraq: Kuwait reparations are unsustainable: Shahristani says sum of money Germany paid to France, Britain is less than what Iraq has paid to Kuwait.

Russia says Iran attack 'disastrous': In a meeting with ambassadors from Arab states on Wednesday, Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow's support for diplomatically engaging Tehran and warned against the “disastrous” consequences of taking military action.

Iran accepts Brazil mediation to revive atom deal: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has agreed “in principle” to Brazilian mediation to revive a U.N.-brokered nuclear fuel swap deal with world powers, the semi-official Fars news agency said on Wednesday.

Brazil 'offered no N proposal to Iran': Ahmadinejad said in a telephone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez that Tehran has agreed “in principle” with Brazil's offer regarding a swap deal to provide fuel rods for the Tehran research reactor earlier this week

UN backs 'nuclear-free' Middle East: The five permanent members of the UN Security Council have said they are committed to making the Middle East a nuclear weapons-free zone, a move which would ultimately force Israel to scrap any nuclear weapons it has.

IAEA chief focuses on Israel: The head of the U.N. atomic watchdog is asking for international input on how to persuade Israel to join the Nonproliferation Treaty, in a move that is sure to add to pressure on the Jewish state to disclose its unacknowledged nuclear arsenal.

John Bolton: Obama trying to rid Israel of nukes: “Egypt and the Obama administration are negotiating right now on an Egyptian proposal for a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East, which certainly sounds good, except when you think about it, there is only one country that resolution is targeted at and that is Israel,”

Syria: Israel would never declare war without U.S. permission: FM Moallem denies rumblings of imminent Mideast conflict, says Arab steps taking responsible steps to preserve security.

UN has 'no evidence' of Hezbollah Scud smuggling: A UN peacekeeping force said in a newspaper report on Wednesday that it has no evidence of any Scud missiles in southern Lebanon, after Israel accused Syria of smuggling the missiles to Hezbollah.

Nick Clegg: : I admire Israel, but won't stop criticizing its government: "I have tremendous admiration for the state of Israel and its people. When I visited, I was once again exposed to the genius of this nation, which has managed to maintain a democratic regime and a thriving and open economy, despite its existence under a constant threat. This is a great achievement.

Chad 'on the brink' of famine: Aid groups have said the humanitarian crisis could assume catastrophic proportions if food relief from abroad does not come to the rescue soon.

Greek parliament votes in favour of austerity measures: But as the vote was held demonstrators gathered outside parliament to protest against the measures.

UK budget deficit 'to surpass Greece's as worst in EU': European commission's spring forecasts put UK budget deficit this year at 12% of GDP – the highest in the European Union and worse than Treasury estimates

Are France and Germany In Trouble?: You probably know that the UK is threatened by the sovereign debt contagion. But as the following Reuters chart shows (based on information provided by BIS), France and Germany are the largest holder of Greek debt:

Link emerges between Times Square bomb attempt and Pakistani militant group: A member of the Al Qaeda-allied Pakistani militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad is being held by authorities in Pakistan. That man spent time with Faisal Shahzad, the person charged in the failed bomb plot, although sources say that does not mean Jaish-e-Muhammad engineered the plot.
Treatment of Muslims blamed for plot: Set in motion just two months ago, the plan to explode a sports utility vehicle in Times Square was born of Faisal Shahzad's anger about US treatment of Muslims, a law enforcement source has said.
'I was expecting you. Are you NYPD or FBI?' What failed Times Square bomber said as he was arrested on flight to Dubai
Media Ignore The Fact That Man Who Alerted Police To Failed Times Square Bombing Is A Muslim Immigrant : The UK’s Times Online reports that Aliou Niasse, a Senagalese Muslim immigrant who works as a photograph vendor on Times Square, was the first to bring the smoking car to the police’s attention:
Joe Lieberman bill would strip suspects' citizenship: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) thinks he’s found a work-around on the whole Miranda rights debate for U.S. citizens accused of terrorism: Strip their citizenship and ship them to Guantanamo.
Here's how Joe Lieberman's citizenship-stripping bill would work: Two things you should know about this: First, it isn't just some paranoid liberal nightmare. It's actually moving forward.
54 arrested, 4 shot in Times Square riot: Scores of gangbangers marauded through Times Square and nearby streets last night, storming businesses and harrassing pedestrians as three people were shot in possibly related violence.
Why Was Cheney in Saudi Arabia?: Dick Cheney just went on a junket to meet with Saudi Arabian leaders, a quiet pow-wow that's been discussed in the Saudi media but not so much over here. Cheney—who's been busy defending torture and complaining that Barack Obama lets world leaders "think they're dealing with a weak president"—weakened the president by visiting a leading torture regime and its caliph, King Abdullah.
Gallup Poll: 9 Out of 10 Americans Say Secure the Border This Year: Similarly, 61 percent of Americans say they are very concerned that illegal immigrants are putting an unfair burden on U.S. schools, hospitals, and government services.
U.S. exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study: The Interior Department exempted BP's calamitous Gulf of Mexico drilling operation from a detailed environmental impact analysis last year, according to government documents, after three reviews of the area concluded that a massive oil spill was unlikely.