Saturday, September 6, 2014

If you're up against a smart opponent, make him think himself to death. ~ C. J. Cherryh ~





"Every ten years or so, the United States needs to pick up some crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business." - Michael Ledeen
 

"I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons." - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, at a hearing of the Senate's appropriations subcommittee on defense, May 14, 2003
 

"We believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons." - Vice President Dick Cheney on NBC's Meet the Press, March 16, 2003
 

"You can fool some of the people all of the time; and those are the ones you have to concentrate on." -- George W. Bush

 
"The empires of the future are the empires of the mind." - Winston Churchill 



There is no moral difference between a Stealth bomber and a suicide bomber. They both kill innocent people for political reasons." ~Tony Benn~







The Real Man













German Companies Selling Unlicensed Surveillance 

 

Tech to Human Rights Violators



This exclusive report was compiled by Ben Wagner and Claudio Guarnieri, leading researchers on surveillance and digital security technology. The Berlin-based scholars work at the Centre for Internet & Human Rights, European University Viadrina.

From Mexico to Mozambique to Pakistan and beyond, there is now ample evidence that governments across the globe are using mass surveillance technologies such as FinFisher to spy on their citizens. This has driven researchers and advocates like ourselves to consider the source: Who makes these technologies? And who benefits from their sales?

Germany is a major exporter of these technologies, and as digital communications privacy has become a red-hot topic for the German public, the country has become an ever-more central actor in this field.

By cross-referencing information from a massive data leak in mid-August with the results of a recent parliamentary inquiry in Germany, we’ve come to suspect that the majority of surveillance technologies produced by German companies have been bought and sold under the table – in other words, without a license. The German government requires licenses for the sale of technologies that are considered to be “dual use” – products that can be used for both good and ill.

At the center of the inquiry lies the British-German company Gamma International, maker of the now infamous FinFisher surveillance toolset. Unsuspecting targets of surveillance typically end up downloading FinFisher unknowingly, just by clicking on a seemingly innocent link or email attachment. Once installed, the tool allows the user to access all stored information and monitor even encrypted communication. Keystrokes can be logged, Skype conversations recorded and cameras and microphones can be activated remotely. read more


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ACTIVIST POST FEATURED ARTICLES

Talk Of Nuclear War Over Ukraine Beginning To Surface In Mainstream Media
Russia-sponsored Ceasefire Met With NATO Troops, Warships, and Sanctions
Brandon Turbeville

Guatemala Rejects U.S. Trade Law Protecting Monsanto and GMOs
Heather Callaghan

17 Fake Cell Phone Towers Discovered Across U.S.
Chris Carrington

The Second Ebola Outbreak Is Just As Strange As The First
Joshua Krause

Even Senator McCain ‘Accidentally’ Refers to the Syrian Rebels as ‘ISIS’
Melissa Melton





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League of Conservation Voters
This is a critical moment, L..
Stand with more than 50 senators working to curb the influence of corporate money in politics.
On Monday, the Senate will vote on a constitutional amendment that, if passed, will reverse the disastrous Citizens United ruling and put our elections back in the hands of the people. More than 50 senators (over half of the Senate) have signed on as supporters, but we need EVERY senator to hear from their constituents if we are going to have any shot at passing this landmark legislation.
This is a historic moment. It's time to stand together and overturn Citizens United. This is our opportunity to build momentum for meaningful campaign finance reform and take back our democracy, but we have to act now.


The Supreme Court's disastrous 2010 Citizens United ruling opened the floodgates for big corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence our elections. In the 2012 election cycle, outside groups spent more than $1 billion -- with the majority of that money going to help elect anti-environmental candidates and climate change deniers.

At the same time, we've seen increasing impacts of climate change including extreme drought, raging wildfires, and more powerful super-storms. Citizens United doesn't just hurt our democracy; it hurts our environment and the people who rely on it, too.

This amendment has the opportunity to dramatically reduce the influence of big corporations on our elections and our environment. We need to show Congress that we support the senators who are calling for this reform. It's time for Congress to put the health of this planet and its people before special interests, but they won't do it without your help. Will you stand up for our democracy by standing with these senators?


I want to live in a country where corporate polluters can't buy elections, where every voice can be heard, and where democracy is in the hands of the voters -- not corporations. I know you do too.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
Kristin Brown
Kristin Brown
Director of Digital Strategy
League of Conservation Voters




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New Must-See Videos









The West Paves The Road To War With Lies

By Paul Craig Roberts

It is the stupid actions of Hollande, Merkel, and Cameron who are endangering European security by enabling Washington's drive to war with Russia.


The Downing of Malaysia Flight 17
Sinister Pretext for War with Russia

By Mike Whitney

The MSM doesn't care about identifying the criminals who killed 298 passengers. Their job is to demonize Putin.


Return of the Evil Empire
The U.S. Owns the Narrative on Ukraine

By Jason Hirthler

We can expect millions of Americans to dutifully wave their star-spangled totems as our ships and drones and battalions reluctantly set off to defend our freedoms once more.


Far From Keeping The Peace, Nato Is A Threat To It

By Seumas Milne

Nato has been the cause of escalating tension and war.


What Has Vladimir Putin to Say About NATO Putting its Missiles on Russia's Borders?

By Renee Parsons

We have the right to ask, says Putin, against whom is the NATO expansion intended? And what happened to the assurances made after the dissolution of the Soviet Union?


Propaganda Alert
Strengthening the NATO Alliance

By David Cameron and Barack Obama

Britain and America will continue to lead not just because it is morally right to do so.


We Don't Fight Men, We Fight Monsters
Another War in the Name of Humanitarianism

By Jeff Sparrow

Humanitarian interventionists dangerously present each crisis as a morality tale: our enemies commit atrocities out of pure malice, whereas we always mean well.


Bring Back Adolf: Needed, A New Furor About the Führer

By Danny Schechter

The ISIS gang makes great enemies. They dress in black, wear Halloween masks, wave flags, act viciously, and cut off the heads of journalists.


The Insidious Power of Propaganda

By Karel van Wolferen

To study the effects of political propaganda in what used to be called the 'free world' there could hardly be a better time than now.


The CIA's Mop-Up Man
L.A. Times Reporter Cleared Stories With Agency Before Publication

By Ken Silverstein

A prominent national security reporter for the Los Angeles Times routinely submitted drafts and detailed summaries of his stories to CIA press handlers prior to publication.


CIA Emails Expose Access Journalist at Work

By Jonathan Cook

If you are not prepared to be chummy with the CIA, you won't last long as an intelligence reporter.


Netanyahu vs. Abu Ubaydah: On Victory and False Victory

By Ramzy Baroud

Israel's complete dominance over when wars start and how they end is over.


A Lie That Serves The Rich
The Truth About The American Economy

By Paul Craig Roberts, John Titus, and Dave Kranzler

The US economy no longer can create enough livable jobs to keep up with the growth in the working age population.



Hard News    

At least 33 killed, 147 injured in Afghanistan militant attack:
Fighting erupted when the attackers detonated two vehicles loaded with explosives in Ghazni province in eastern Afghanistan, the Afghan interior ministry said.


10 Afghan policemen slain in bed:
Tailban suicide blasts leave 2 others dead; 21 attackers killed


Afghan presidential election audit completed:
The two candidates had agreed to form a government of national unity but have so far failed to reach a deal.


Pakistan: Army chief holds off generals seeking PM's ouster: report:
Weeks of mounting anti-government protests in Pakistan was enough to convince five of the powerful army's 11 Corps Commanders that it was time for them to step in and force embattled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign, according to a Reuters report.


20 killed as Baghdad markets hit by bombings:
A series of attacks across Iraq have killed at least 20 people, including 15 who perished in bombings at markets in the capital, officials have said.


35 Bodies Found in Iraq Town Retaken from Jihadists:
Iraqi Kurdish forces and Shiite militiamen discovered mass graves containing 35 bodies after retaking the town of Sulaiman Bek from jihadists, an officer and a doctor said today.


House Republican leader: If Obama won't act on ISIS, we will:
On Wednesday evening, McCarthy became the highest-ranking Republican elected official to suggest Congress might grant Obama new authority to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.


Iran 'backs US military contacts' to fight Islamic State:
Iran's Supreme Leader has approved co-operation with the US as part of the fight against Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, sources have told BBC Persian.


Syrian raids kill 18 rebels in Raqqa, including American:
Eighteen foreign fighters from the like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), including an American jihadist, were killed in a Syrian air raid on a town near the militant group's main stronghold city of Raqqa in eastern Syria, a human rights monitoring group has said.


In Raqqa, ISIL governs with fear and efficiency:
The group known for its beheadings, crucifixions and mass executions provides electricity and water, pays salaries, controls traffic, and runs nearly everything from bakeries and banks to schools, courts and mosques.


US Believes a Dozen Americans Are Fighting With ISIS in Syria:
Col. Steve Warren told reporters that "We believe that there are approximately 100 American passport holders operating inside of Syria, we don't know specifically who they are aligning themselves with. We believe that there are maybe a dozen that are with ISIL."


'Forced' to fight: Disillusioned British jihadists afraid to come home:
The jihadists have reportedly grown frustrated that they are no longer fighting against President Assad's military forces, but rather are engaged in attacks against rival rebel factions.


'A Great Will to Live': How One Man Survived an Islamic State Massacre:
As the firing squad shot the first man, blood spurted onto Kadhim's face. He remembered seeing a video camera in the hands of another militant.


UK doesn't need Assad's permission to launch airstrikes in Syria - Cameron:
Speaking at the start of the NATO summit in Wales on Thursday, Cameron said he did not recognize Assad as a legitimate leader, labeling him as "part of the problem."


Palestinian Leaders Seek Actions in Security Council and Court:
Israel's 50-day war with Palestinian militants in Gaza was a "game changer" that persuaded the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to shelve the already moribund American-sponsored peace talks and decide to join the International Criminal Court, even if that meant defying the United States, a senior Palestinian leader said


Hamas urges Abbas to sign Rome Conventions to sue Israel:
Hamas movement called Friday on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to immediately sign Rome Conventions in order to sue Israel before international courts.


Israel issues tenders for 283 illegal settlement homes:
Israel said Friday it published tenders for 283 new homes in an illegal West Bank settlement, just days after announcing its biggest land grab on occupied Palestinian territory for three decades.


Seven people killed in last 24 hours in Ukraine:
Two children among the dead who were killed at fighting between army and the separatists


Kiev, E. Ukraine militia agree on ceasefire starting 1500 GMT Friday:
 Kiev officials and representatives of the two self-proclaimed republics in southeastern Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire, as the contact group met behind closed doors in Belarus. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has confirmed the ceasefire agreement on his Twitter account


Heavy fighting outside Mariupol despite launch of Ukrainian peace talks:
Scores of casualties were reported as eastern Ukrainian militias were allegedly closing in on Mariupol port hours before a ceasefire pledged by President Poroshenko was announced. Authorities say they repelled the attacks and the city is calm.


Presstitute Alert:
Russian troops attacking Mariupol, Ukrainian militia leader says:
Hope for a rumored truce was shattered Thursday in this strategic eastern port as Russian troops attacked Ukrainian positions near the city with heavy artillery and missile fire, a Ukrainian militia leader said.


Presstitute Alert:
NATO chief asks Russia to pull back troops:
Rasmussen tells Kremlin to stop backing rebels in eastern Ukraine as NATO leaders meet in UK amid calls for ceasefire.


OSCE Confirms that No Russian Troops, No Tanks, have Crossed the Russia-Ukraine Border:
The following report is a slap in the face to president Obama and his NATO partners meeting today in Newport Wales.


In case you missed it:
Wikileak Cables: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Washington's Pocket Since 2006:
It turns out that Ukraine's new president, Petro Poroshenko, has been working for the U.S. government since at least 2006 and they knew he was corrupt.



EU admits Putin's comment on 'storming Kiev' taken out of context;
The EU has admitted that Vladimir Putin's words about "taking Kiev in two weeks" had been "made public out of context," said a spokeswoman for the European Commission President in a written response to The Wall Street Journal.


ISIS to the Rescue: America's terrorist mercenaries threaten war with Russia.: Analysis:
If Putin thinks NATO and the EU are his big threats, competitors and enemies, he hasn't seen anything yet.


Hagel: US Needs to Maintain Military Superiority:
The U.S. military's technological superiority is being challenged by other nations, including China and Russia, and in order to maintain its dominance America must be more innovative in how it develops and buys new technologies, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told industry leaders here Wednesday.


16 "militants" killed in Egypt's North Sinai:
The military raids targeted terroristic areas in the Egyptian governorates of Ismailia, Sharqeya, Kar El-Shiekh, Alexandria and cities in North Sinai, the statement added


Libya bombs rebels' Benghazi arms sites:
Government forces and helicopters belonging to a Libyan renegade general bombed ammunition sites of suspected militants in the eastern city of Benghazi, a military commander and residents said.


UN Report On Libya: Civilians Abducted, Tortured And Killed Indiscriminately:
A new United Nations report released Thursday said that armed groups in Libya have indulged in widespread human rights abuses, including attacks on civilian buildings; shelling of hospitals; and abduction, torture and unlawful killings of civilians.


US Plans Major Border Security Program in Nigeria:
The United States is preparing to launch a "major" border security program to help Nigeria and its neighbors combat the increasing number and scope of attacks by Islamic extremists, a senior U.S. official for Africa said Thursday.


Up to 2,100 Photos of US Soldiers Abusing Prisoners May Soon Be Released:
Would the release of 10-year-old detainee abuse photographs, such as one depicting US soldiers pointing a broom handle at a hooded detainee's rectum, incite terrorist organizations and threaten national security?


Belgium ordered to pay accused bomb plotter extradited to U.S:
The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Thursday that European states should not extradite people to face the rest of their lives behind bars without the possibility of release, ordering Belgium to pay a settlement to a Tunisian man it had deported to the United States.


UN study details widespread abuse of children:
Data from 190 nations shows 120 million girls forced to have sex, and that 95,000 murder victims in 2012 were children.Tuesday.


Amnesty International: Torture still rife in Mexico:
Torture is still rife in Mexico and is routinely used to extract confessions, according to a new report by human rights organisation Amnesty International.


Today's Jobs Report And The Cult Of Central Banking:
 Counting Angels On The Head Of A Pin While Main Street Flounders


Record 92,269,000 Not in Labor Force; Participation Rate Matches 36-Year Low:
A record 92,269,000 Americans 16 and older did not participate in the labor force in August, as the labor force participation rate matched a 36-year low of 62.8 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.


US Army can't track spending on $4.3b system to track spending, IG finds:
More than $725 million was spent by the Army on a high-tech network for tracking supplies and expenses that failed to comply with federal financial reporting rules meant to allow auditors to track spending, according to an inspector general's report issued Wednesday.


Think California's drought is bad?
 Scientists issue dire warning of US megadrought that could last 35 YEARS and lead to mass population migrations.


Weekly Digest : The Biggest and Best of the Week



The people of a nation are enslaved when, together, they are helpless to institute effective change, when the people serve the government more than the government serves them.
 ~ Gerry Spence






The Presidential Painsuit from MarkFiore on Vimeo.







The Senate just voted to advance a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. For the first time in history, every single senator will be forced to say—on the record—whether or not they think money is speech.

This is momentous. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity. It's nothing short of amazing that Mitch McConnell and his fellow Republicans didn't block this bill entirely—as they've done with nearly every other priority issue of most Americans, like the minimum wage and student debt. 



We've built enough grassroots pressure that they couldn't squash this. McConnell is trying to make lemonade out of this—he claims that he welcomes the debate. But 80 percent of American oppose Citizens United. Even 72 percent of Republicans think the Supreme Court got it wrong.

So now, it's on. The Senate will debate money in politics this week—and a full vote is expected Thursday. 
Can you chip in $3 to help us ramp up the public pressure on these senators before they close their debate on this bill on Thursday?
Undoing Citizens United—which requires a 2/3 vote in both Houses of Congress or a constitutional convention convened by the states—won't be easy and won't happen right away. But the Senate just voted 79-18 to begin debate! And the fight to end the stranglehold that big corporations and lobbyists have on our democracy is one we have to win. But we can only do that if we keep the momentum going now, through election day, and beyond.
We've already launched thousands of calls and cut ads in key states. Now we'll escalate our pressure on senators before they vote—and prepare a big ad campaign that goes after senators who vote the wrong way Thursday. And then keep going.

Will you contribute $3 now to escalate the pressure we're aiming at our senators today, tomorrow and every day—for as long as it takes—until we overturn Citizens United?
The real goal—for this election and beyond—is to start kicking out the politicians in both parties who are carrying water for the big banks, the insurance companies, and other lobbies. 

In big moments like this one—when MoveOn members come together in big ways—amazing things can happen.
So if you feel it in your bones that this is a special moment like I do, then I hope you'll get involved. Our collective power matters. When 8 million MoveOn members join together to tackle big problems like corruption and money in politics, we're unstoppable.
MoveOn members have overcome long odds before, and won.
In 2006, Washington corruption was at a high-water mark. There was the Jack Abramoff scandal (which led to 21 corruption convictions!), no-bid contracts in the Iraq war, and a Republican House that couldn't even tackle price gouging at the pump after Hurricane Katrina. Depressing stuff.
So what did MoveOn members do? We helped take over the House of Representatives!

MoveOn members made 7 million phone calls, organized 7,500 house parties, and launched 6,000 in-district events. We held politicians accountable for Washington corruption. And in dozens of congressional districts, we won.
But one step forward, two steps back. In 2010, the Citizens United decision was a devastating leap backwards—a punch in the gut. We lost the House to the Tea Party, too.
But MoveOn members didn't give up, not even then. We launched a huge campaign to rein in the power of big corporations in Washington. Tens of thousands of us stepped up to the plate in bigger ways than ever before, volunteering our time and energy and dollars to fight hard against the Tea Party tide.

We grew bigger than we'd ever been before—8 million members. And in 2012, we re-elected Barack Obama. And we began paving a long-term path to end Washington corruption and restore our democracy.
We can only do this together—as a community—because we're independent, we're massive (with 8 million members), and we're in it for the long haul.
We'll start with public accountability for senators who vote to oppose overturning Citizens United on Thursday. Then, we need to keep fighting the destructive influence of money in politics through election season and beyond.
Can you chip in $3 to help do all this, and more? 
I won't lie to you: We've still got several more years of campaigning ahead of us. But this is a huge moment.
One big reason to keep fighting this fight right now is that while some really important things have happened during Obama's presidency—like the health care law—it's become pretty clear that the fundamental change we all want will be impossible until we end the stranglehold that big corporations and lobbyists have on our democracy.

But perhaps the best reason to keep fighting is that—after years of struggle—something beautiful has happened in the fight to take on money in politics. We're starting to win.
Today's vote to begin debate is one giant leap forward from where we were just four years ago, when the Citizens United decision came down, and the House was taken over by the Tea Party.

With your support, I can't wait to see where we are four years from now.

Thanks for all you do.
–Mark, Jo, Manny, Ben O., and the rest of the team










After years of secret slavery the Republican Party and the Democratic Party come out into the open and reveal to themselves and to the nation as nothing but the right wing and the left wing of the same bird of prey. There is not a word in either of their platforms that might not have been written and unanimously endorsed by a convention exclusively of corporation lawyers and Wall Street Bankers. The only difference between these platforms as some one has remarked, is the number of words used to say nothing. Confronted by the gravest crisis in the history of civilization, they have demonstrated, even to their own adherents, that they are without the vision of statesmanship, the courage of leadership or the conviction of patriotism.
 Allen McCurdy, Keynotes for the Third Party National Convention (1920)


Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting that vote.
~ Author unknown ~


 "As soon as men live entirely in accord with the law of love natural to their hearts and now revealed to them, which excludes all resistance by violence, and therefore hold aloof from all participation in violence — as soon as this happens, not only will hundreds be unable to enslave millions, but not even millions will be able to enslave a single individual."
~ Ле́в Никола́евич Толсто́й

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