Syria intervention plan fueled by oil interests, not chemical weapon concernOn 21 August, hundreds – perhaps over a thousand – people were killed in a chemical weapon attack in Ghouta, Damascus, prompting the US, UK, Israel and France to raise the spectre of military strikes against Bashir al Assad’s forces. The latest episode is merely one more horrific event in a conflict that has increasingly taken on genocidal characteristics.
The Global Political Awakening and the New World OrderThe Global Political Awakening and the New World Order The Technological Revolution and the Future of Freedom, Part 1 There is a new and unique development in human history that is taking place around the world; it is unprecedented in reach and volume, and it is also the greatest threat to all global power structures: the ‘global political awakening.’
Evidence Syria rebels ‘used sarin’Testimony from victims of the conflict in Syria suggests rebels have used the nerve agent, sarin, a leading member of a UN commission of inquiry has said. Carla Del Ponte told Swiss TV that there were “strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof”.
Saudis offer Russia secret oil deal if it drops SyriaThe talks appear to offer an alliance between the OPEC cartel and Russia, which together produce over 40m barrels a day of oil, 45pc of global output. Such a move would alter the strategic landscape. The details of the talks were first leaked to the Russian press.
NSA Has Been Spying On Members Of Congress For A Long Time | FDL News DeskDuring the drama over the so-called Amash Amendment General Keith Alexander, head of the NSA, went to Capitol Hill to lobby against the law. During the course of his lobbying members of Congress responded to his presentations with a reasonable question – can we see our own files? Alexander said no.
In Rush to Strike Syria, U.S. Tried to Derail U.N. ProbeIn Rush to Strike Syria, U.S. Tried to Derail U.N. Probe – After initially insisting that Syria give United Nations investigators unimpeded access to the site of an alleged nerve gas attack, the administration of President Barack Obama reversed its position on Sunday and tried unsuccessfully to get
Mindfulness training can help reduce teacher stress and burnoutTeachers who practice “mindfulness” are better able to reduce their own levels of stress and prevent burnout, according to a new study conducted by the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds (CIHM) at UW-Madison’s Waisman Center. The results of the study, led by Assistant Scientist Lisa Flook, were recently published in the journal Mind, Brain and Education.
Iran mulls suing US over 1953 coupIranian legislators have taken the first step towards suing the United States government over recent disclosures confirming that the US helped orchestrate the 1953 ousting of Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh. Parliament members in Iran voted 167-to-5 on Wednesday on a measure giving preliminary approval over a bill which will mandate that the government file suit against the US.
Senators demand answers on drug agency’s use of NSA domestic surveillanceAFP Photo / Stan Honda A group of lawmakers have asked United States Attorney General Eric Holder to explain recent allegations that federal drug busts have been carried out using non-terrorism intelligence collected by the National Security Agency and shared outside the NSA.
North Carolina police threaten to arrest church charity for feeding the homelessAFP Photo / Scott Olson A non-profit organization says North Carolina police threatened to arrest members of the charity group for distributing food to more than 70 homeless people in downtown Raleigh on Saturday morning. Love Wins Ministries, a church group that tries to care for the city’s homeless, was preparing to serve breakfast on Saturday.
NSA intimidation expanding surveillance state: ColumnIf there’s any confirmation that the U.S. government has commandeered the Internet for worldwide surveillance, it is what happened with Lavabit earlier this month. Lavabit is — well, was — an e-mail service that offered more privacy than the typical large-Internet-corporation services that most of us use.
DoD training manual suggests Founding Fathers followed ‘extremist ideology’A Department of Defense training manual obtained by a conservative watchdog group pointed to the original American colonists as examples of an extremist movement, comments that have sparked fear of a broader crackdown on dissent in America. The training manual provides information that describes, among other things, “common themes in extremist ideologies.”
NSA analysts ‘wilfully’ skirted policy to spy on Americans, agency admitsNational Security Agency intelligence analysts knowingly and purposely broke rules meant to prevent against unlawful spying on US citizens, the agency said in an admission that contradicts President Obama’s claim that violations were accidental. A report from the NSA inspector general – an internal, independent watchdog – found that analysts ignored ” minimization processes ” meant to curb any violations.
NYC Council overturns Bloomberg’s veto on ‘stop-and-frisk’The New York City Council has voted to affirm legislation previously vetoed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg that seeks to ban discriminatory profiling within the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk program and establishes oversight over the department. The Community Safety Act includes two pieces of legislation.
David Miranda and the Death of Anti-terrorismOver the past decade, the United States has stretched the definition of “terrorism” to justify or disguise expansions of surveillance and war. In 2003, President Bush declared that overthrowing Arab dictators was part of the “war on terror.” From 2004 to 2007, the Bush administration persuaded the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance…