State Subsidies to Attract Corporate Investment Should be Banned

"Recently we have been receiving alarming news that the Syrian government may be preparing to use chemical weapons. We have no confirmed reports on this matter," UN Secretary-General Ban  -  Friday December 07, 2012

"I do not understand the squeamishness about the use of gas. I am strongly in favour of using poisonous gas against uncivilised tribes." Winston Churchill - 1919 - As president of the air council

"What reaches the heart without going through the mind is likely to bounce back and put the mind out of business. Propaganda taken in that way is like a drug you do not know you are swallowing. The effect is mysterious; you do not know afterwards why you feel or think the way you do." - Mortimer Jerome Adler.

"All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume." - Noam Chomsky

Detroit Autoworker Joins Hunger Strike in Solidarity with Colombian Workers
Melvin Thompson, a UAW local president, has joined Jorge Parra on hunger strike to support his bid to force GM to negotiate rights of Columbian workers
Go to story | Go to homepage



State Subsidies to Attract Corporate Investment Should be Banned
Gerald Epstein: The money thrown at corporations by states to invite investment is a boondoggle that should be ended by federal law
Go to story | Go to homepage
















ACTIVIST POST FEATURED ARTICLES

Activist Post Writing Contest: Solutions - 1 Week Left to Enter &
Win $750 in Total Cash & Prizes
Activist Post

FDA Expands Irradiation of Food Supply; Harmonizing with Codex Alimentarius
Brandon Turbeville

In the Vortex
Julian Rose

Why You Should Ditch Sugar In Favor of Honey
Why Is Pesticide Used As An Ingredient In Infant Formula?
Sayer Ji

2013: The Year of the Comets
Nicholas West

Hackers Disrupt Interntl Telecom Conf; Justify UN Claims For Net Controls
Susanne Posel

Obama Plans African Wars
Middle East on the Boil
Stephen Lendman

Writing Contest Entries

Intellectual Karate: How to Outsmart & Neutralize the
Global Govt Agenda From the Inside

New Must-See Videos

A Wise Man is Dangerous to Establishment

Breaking the Taboo (Full Documentary)

John Pilger on How Media Promotes Aggressive War

Syria Propaganda Looking a Lot Like Iraq Propaganda


Today's Forum Topics

4 Natural Liver Detox Foods



Other Key Articles From Around the Web

VADER: drone-based system automatically spots, tracks people from 25,000 ft

Syrian rebels elect Muslim Brotherhoodt-dominated unified command

FDA quietly increases allowed radiation doses of meats for human food

How The Federal Reserve Bought The Economics Profession

Positive Fracking Study Was Funded By Gas Company

Man sits in jail while unable to pay alimony that exceeds his income

73% of New Jobs Created in Last 5 Months Are in Government  


  

Report: US Drafting Plans to Strike Syrian Chemical Weapon Targets By Carlo Muñoz Senior U.S. defense officials are drafting plans for a potential preemptive strike against government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, prompted by concerns over the country's chemical weapon stockpiles. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33255.htm 'No Confirmed Reports' Syrian Govt Preparing To Use Chemical Weapons - UN Chief By RT Washington's continuous claims of Syrian preparations of chemical weapons are based on strategy, not real concerns. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33250.htm Former Powell Adviser 'Skeptical' of 'Politicized' US intelligence on Syria By RT Syria will never use chemical weapons against its own people, Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired US Army Colonel who was Chief of Staff to Colin Powell told RT. Instead, the reality is that US is "preparing the ground to intervene in Syria." http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33252.htm US Tightens Military Noose Around Syria By Bill Van Auken Washington now has 17 warships, 70 fighter-bombers and 10,000 military personnel within close striking distance of Syria. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33254.htm US Troops Mass on Turkey's Syrian Border By UPI Some 400 U.S. and Dutch NATO troops were massed on Turkey's Syrian border Friday amid fears besieged President Bashar Assad was poised to use chemical weapons. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33249.htm Bashar al-Assad, And The Truth About Chemical Weapons By Robert Fisk Bashar's father Hafez al-Assad was brutal but never used chemical arms. And do you know which was the first army to use gas in the Middle East? http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33258.htm Perception and Reality of Public Diplomacy. US Special Operations Command Leads Propaganda Fight By Tom Vanden Brook The report, examines the military's growing role in shaping perceptions about the United States around the world. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33256.htm Brief History of Modern Syria In an agreement known as the Sykes-Picot agreement, they decided to divide the Middle East into French and British 'spheres of influence'. Syria was to be put under French mandate. In early 1920, French troops landed on the Syrian coast. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33247.htm Why the Gulf States Want to Keep Iran in a Box By Stephen M. Walt That motive is the Gulf states' interest in keeping oil prices high enough to balance their own budgets. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33257.htm Washington Humbug Iran, Israel and International Law By Brian Cloughley Why does America inflict sanctions on Iran while backing Israel to the hilt when it scorns International Law? http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33259.htm Egypt: Tug of War Editorial - The Guardian The target of the opposition National Salvation Front is not the constitution, or the emergency decree, but Morsi himself. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33251.htm The PSY Scandal: Singing About Killing People v. Constantly Doing It By Glenn Greenwald Americans would benefit from less outrage at anti-US sentiment and more energy toward understanding why it's so widespread. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33260.htm Austerity, Obama-Style The Plutocrats and the Placeholder President By Rob Urie The bloated, murderous, military industry that lobbies the U.S. into unnecessary wars for their own benefit and that of corporate welfare receiving multi-national corporations is an entitlement program. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33261.htm Schizophrenics, Psychopaths Holding America Hostage By Dr Brian Moench I've been struck by how large portions of the country are mired in schizophrenic distortions of reality and how prominent business leaders and politicians overtly display personality traits common to psychopaths. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33262.htm Waiting List for Addiction Treatment in Federal Prisons Is 51,000 Inmates Long By Seth Ferranti "I have been in prison 15 years, waiting to get into the drug program," a prisoner tells us. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33253.htm

Hard News  

   

Fighting rages in Damascus suburbs: Syrian rebels say they are bombarding Damascus International Airport, as fighting, once largely restricted to the provinces, returns to the capital
http://is.gd/CrnLHK

Syrian rebels declare Damascus airport a military target:
Rebel fighters in the Syrian capital have declared Damascus International Airport a military zone and warned civilians and airlines not to approach it. A rebel spokesman told Reuters:
http://is.gd/yA1k5U

Britain sees evidence Assad could use chemical weapons against Syrian rebels: British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Saturday said that there is evidence that the Syrian government could use its chemical weapons stocks in its conflict with rebels fighting to oust it.
http://is.gd/JMBVKV

Experts skeptical Syria is preparing to use its chemical arsenal: With concern over the Syrian regime's chemical weapons stockpile reaching a fever pitch this week, international experts are cautioning against alarmism, saying there's no confirmation that the Syrians are mixing weapons components or loading them into delivery systems, as some U.S. news organizations have reported.
http://is.gd/tLYo87

Syria warns rebels may use chemical weapons:
"Terrorist groups may resort to using chemical weapons against the Syrian people... after having gained control of a toxic chlorine factory" east of Aleppo, the foreign ministry said. It added that Damascus would never use such weapons against its own people.
http://is.gd/U6gaAN

Anger grows over Syrian rebel corruption: Worn down by war in Syria, many people appear to be turning against the main opposition rebel force. Unhappy about the soaring cost of basic items, they worry that the Free Syrian Army (FSA) is profiting from the violence.
http://is.gd/1uf7St

France funding Syrian rebels in new push to oust Assad: Money delivered by French government proxies across Turkish border has been used to buy weapons and ammunition
http://is.gd/YfcXNX

Libya Supplies Free Syrian Army With Weapons: Arms have been shipped from Libya to support Syrian fighters since almost immediately after the fall of the former Libyan dictator, according to an international cargo shipper based in the Mediterranean who said the movement of arms is well-known in Benghazi.
http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=9589

Lebanon's Tripoli begins to look like Syria: The red, green and black flags adopted by Syrian rebels flutter in the December wind and rain as the sound of a mortar bomb explosion echoes off bullet-marked apartment blocks. But this is not Syria. It's the coastal city of Tripoli in the civil-war-ravaged country's little neighbour: Lebanon.
http://is.gd/LsgCfX

Syrian rebels elect Islamist-dominated unified command: Syrian rebel groups meeting in Turkey elected a 30-member unified command on Friday at talks attended by security officials from international powers, delegates said.
http://is.gd/oHiGZl

Syria: Rebel Prisoners On Their Religious War: Interviewing people who, under different circumstances, might kill you, is a strange experience.
http://is.gd/EEGRao

600 foreign troops to be deployed in Turkey: Around six hundred troops are expected to accompany six Patriot missile systems to be deployed in Turkey to reinforce the NATO member country's air defenses and calm its fears of coming under missile attack, possibly with chemical weapons, from Syria.
http://is.gd/R3bocg

If all else fails, US will hit Iran in 2013, say former top advisers to Obama and Bush: At Washington Institute gala, Dennis Ross, Elliott Abrams and outgoing US ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey insist the president will strike next year if diplomacy doesn't succeed.
http://is.gd/U5jtKP

HRW demands Israel justify Gaza strike that killed 12: "Attacks in which the expected civilian loss exceeds the anticipated military gain are serious violations of the laws of war," HRW said in a report.
http://is.gd/4AGovb

Khaled Meshaal's return gives Palestinians new hope: Hamas' exiled political leader pledges to work with Fatah on his first visit to Gaza since 1967
http://is.gd/Q9nQQ1

Gaza visit underscores Muslim Brotherhood's strength: Video - Today's visit to Gaza by Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, after 45 years of exile from Palestinian land, reinforces the growing confidence of the Muslim Brotherhood across the Middle East.
http://is.gd/fKDxAK

'Killing Palestinians popular in Israel around election time': Video: Chas Freeman, the Former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia about the flaring conflicts in the Middle East.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or5FzmA81dY

Anti-Zionist orthodox Jews protest in London against Israel atrocities: Holding the title of "an outcry of British Jews against Israeli tyranny", the Jewish rabbis said the Israeli regime suppresses religious freedoms and that it persecute, intimidate, and silence the voices of legitimate demonstrators.
http://is.gd/wzCfA0

Egypt's army warns it will not let violence continue (VIDEO): The Egyptian armed forces has called for talks to resolve the current crisis, warning that it will not let the country go down a "dark tunnel."
http://is.gd/6lmDHr

Anti-Morsi protesters break through wired fences of presidential palace, injuries reported: "We want to see the fall of the regime," chanted the crowd venting their anger with President Morsi, the drafted constitution and the Muslim Brotherhood.
http://rt.com/news/clashes-morsi-rally-cairo-544/

US-backed Muslim Brotherhood unleashes bloody crackdown in Cairo: Muslim Brotherhood (MB) forces supporting Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Mursi are carrying out a bloody crackdown in Cairo. Amid intensifying mass protests in the past two weeks against Mursi, the Islamists are mobilizing their forces to try to crush strikes and protests.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/dec2012/murs-d06.shtml

Egypt Arrests Possible Key Figure in Benghazi Attack: Egypt has made what could be a big arrest related to the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi. Authorities detained Muhammad Jamal Abu Ahmad, described as the leader of an expanding terrorist network who has been trying to establish his own wing of al-Qaeda in Egypt
http://is.gd/BTydMn

Thousands of Yemenis rally in Sa'ada protest against US meddling: Yemenis hold almost weekly anti-US rallies in the northern governorate following Friday Prayers to express their anger over Washington's interference in Yemeni affairs and its deadly drone attacks in their country.
http://is.gd/HRydjK

This Weekend in Bahrain: Will U.S. Officials Stand Up for Freedom?: In the island nation of Bahrain, a man by the name of Nabeel Rajab is sitting in jail for the "crime" of peaceful protest. But the government that has imprisoned him is a U.S. military ally, and the Obama Administration has done little to push for his release.
http://is.gd/NcSOR4

Pentagon prepares military operation in Mali: United States officials with knowledge of the matter tell the Washington Post that the Department of Defense and the US State Department will assist next year in a mission to overthrow Islamic extremists with ties to al-Qaeda who took under control a significant part of Mali, a small West African country that is still picking itself up after a coup this past March.
http://rt.com/usa/news/pentagon-military-mali-us-560/

Nato occupation forces 'attack Afghan health clinic': Nato forces stormed into a clinic in central Afghanistan, damaging doors, windows and medical equipment, before using it as a jail and military command centre, in violation of the Geneva conventions, according to the aid group that runs the facility.
http://is.gd/SAkxlU

US and UK troops accused of killing Afghan civilians: The US military is facing fresh questions over its targeting policy in Afghanistan after a senior army officer suggested that troops were on the lookout for "children with potential hostile intent".
http://is.gd/4Ar80j

2012 Was the Year of the Drone in Afghanistan: Revised U.S. military statistics show a much, much larger drone war in Afghanistan than anyone suspected.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/12/2012-drones-afghanistan/

Happy Birthday Bradley Manning! Write him a letter of support!: Bradley can receive mail at the following address:
http://is.gd/mZ5SNj

Pentagon to review perks for top brass: By the time commanders achieve four-star rank, they often travel in corporate-style jets, with their own cooks, drivers and dozens of aides who perform personal errands.
http://is.gd/TZOHqY

Senate to DHS: No tanks, thanks: $98,000 for an "underwater robot" in Ohio. $69,000 for a hovercraft in Indianapolis. $6,200 for "sno-cone" machines in Michigan. These are just a few of the items purchased with federal dollars by state and local police departments in the name of national security.
http://is.gd/nVb05F

Mexico Violence: 13 Bodies Found In Vehicles In Northern Mexico: Police found the mutilated bodies of 13 people inside two vehicles abandoned in separate towns of the northern border state of Tamaulipas, an official said Friday.
http://is.gd/WZdgl5

Mexico condemns deadly shootings by US border agents: Mexican officials have condemned the rise of fatal shootings by US border patrol and customs agents, who have killed at least 18 Mexican nationals over the past two year.
http://is.gd/PbpE5B

UN climate talks in Doha reach agreement: After 36 hours of non-stop negotiation, delegates from nearly 200 nations in the Qatari capital agreed on Saturday to extend the protocol limiting greenhouse gas emissions until 2020.
http://is.gd/2lK1Nr

Fracking for Foreigners? New Report from Feds Backs More Natural Gas Exports:
Fracking rigFracking rigHow times have changed. Ten years ago the United States was looking at importing natural gas via massive liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, yet to be built. Now the country appears to be getting ready to significantly increase exports of LNG.
http://is.gd/0UAl2n

Tepid US jobs report points to ongoing slump:
The Labor Department reported Friday that the United States added 146,000 jobs in November, barely enough to keep up with population growth. The net payroll increase was below the average monthly number for the past two years of 150,000.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/dec2012/econ-d08.shtml