The great secret

Rebel Newsflash: The great secret (plus 47 more items)

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• The great secret
• Witness - The Maestro's Daughters
• Horrific Conditions in Los Angeles County Jail
• Jewish Identity
• Following in Arizona's Footsteps
• First person: Life of a Palestinian refugee
• Gulf oil spill: A hole in the world
• Israel's World is Changing, Quietly
• Getting Out of Palestine?
• A Mother's Message from Gaza: We Embrace Hope
• The Continental Army
• Alabama Officials Investigate Possible Improper Access, Tampering Into ES&S Voting System
• The Rising Tide of the American Left, Part 1 By Timothy V. Gatto
• Quiet over Brooklyn
• The challenges of a one-state solution
• The patriot
• Give them an inquiry
• Israel's Terrorist Attack upon Aid Flotilla: Full Text of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Speech!
• NWO's Establishment Mafia Goons Carbon Tax will End America!
• Juneteenth: Celebrate diversity!
• Inside Iraq - Iraq parliament's first session
• Saturday: 6 Iraqis Killed, 14 Wounded
• Saturday: 1 US Soldier, 6 Iraqis Killed; 16 Iraqis Wounded
• Generation Monsanto (GM)--Why We Need Labels on GM Foods
• The Maligning of BP
• Driven by Globalization, Today's Slave Trade Thrives at Home and Abroad
• Ragheads, Rednecks and Greene Machines; Peculiar Politics in South Carolina
• To Kill, But Not Pollute
• Wherein I 'Defend' BP...
• Miley, We Hardly Knew Ye
• Unrest in Pakistan: Moving Beyond U.S. National Interest
• A Flash of Lightning
• The Confused Face of Fascism: Israel's Frankenstein
• Narcotic drug production in Afghanistan
• Will the BP Oil Spill Set Off A Supersonic Tsunami?
• Gaza - an inside look: War games
• Gaza students call on Tiesto to cancel Israel concert
• Major currencies can simply collapse
• Latest Ground Zero deal offers 9/11 workers $712.5 million By Jerry Mazza
• Clapper: Managing the Intelligence Enterprise
• Jeju and a Naval Arms Race in Asia
• Guantánamo and Habeas Corpus: 2 Years, 50 Cases, 36 Victories for the Prisoners
• What a Shame, There Will Be No "Reverse Flotillas"
• The abortion debate needs to include the forgotten fathers
• The end of Sicarii Zionism
• Poking a Stick Into the Honor Killing v. Domestic Violence Debate
• BBC Broadcasts Bleak Insight into Life of Terror Suspect under House Arrest
• Not too late to reschedule

The great secret Posted: 20 Jun 2010 07:16 AM PDT If there is one single fact that all Americans need to know, it is this. Every single American who died "defending" his country in the various  wars of 20th century did not die for the purpose of defending his  country. They all died needlessly because they were really fighting  for the Jewish bankers who arranged all these wars for the purpose of  making money, and not for "fighting for freedom," "establishing  democracy," nor any of those other lofty excuses.

Witness - The Maestro's Daughters Posted: 19 Jun 2010 11:04 PM PDT The blind daughters of famous sarod player Ustad Afzalur Rahman try and make their own mark as musicians in Bangladesh

Horrific Conditions in Los Angeles County Jail Posted: 19 Jun 2010 10:04 PM PDT In July 2008, the Southern California ACLU released a "Report on Mental Health Issues at Los Angeles County" Jail by Dr. Terry Kupers, a practicing psychiatrist, an expert on long-term isolated prison confinement and correctional mental health issues. He's also written numerous articles on these topics, and been an expert witness on the mental health crisis behind bars, what he wrote about in his book "Prison Madness."

Jewish Identity Posted: 19 Jun 2010 09:32 PM PDT The easiest way to spot a Jew is by their distinctive 'smell' of hype and hate. Whenever you hear or read about the best dentist, the best lawyer, the best restaurant, the must have, must read, must watch, must visit, must do this or that, you can bet your last dollar that at least one Jew benefits. In marketing, this is called cross-promotion. Equally, if someone or an organisation gets attacked rather viciously, he has probably come in the way of some Jews, so they rallied the troops and are now twisting and turning the knifes into him. If someone or something is 'good for the Jews' it attracts their hype. If it is 'bad for the Jews' it attracts their hate.

Following in Arizona's Footsteps Posted: 19 Jun 2010 06:19 PM PDT A number of states and local authorities around the country are trying to emulate Arizona and enforce the immigration laws that the Democrats in Washington are ignoring. An article from KPTM-TV in Nebraska reports: "Close to 150 people rallied against a proposed illegal immigration ordinance in Fremont [Nebraska] Tuesday night. The vote, scheduled for a special election Monday, has already drawn a heavy, early voting turnout, according to Dodge County election officials. Valeria Marquez, 17, says the ordinance is racist.'We don't want division, especially towards Mexican and Hispanics where there has been a lot more racism,' she told FOX 42. Others voiced concern the ordinance will end up costing the city countless dollars in court fees."

First person: Life of a Palestinian refugee Posted: 19 Jun 2010 06:14 PM PDT The United Nation marks World Refugee Day on June 20, a day meant to focus attention on the plight of 40 million uprooted people around the world. Alia Salman is a Palestinian woman who was living in Iraq until the war changed her life. Now a resident of Anaheim, California, she tells Al Jazeera her story in her own words. (June 20, 2010)

Gulf oil spill: A hole in the world Posted: 19 Jun 2010 05:13 PM PDT Everyone gathered for the town hall meeting had been repeatedly instructed to show civility to the gentlemen from BP and the federal government. These fine folks had made time in their busy schedules to come to a high school gymnasium on a Tuesday night in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, one of many coastal communities where brown poison was slithering through the marshes, part of what has come to be described as the largest environmental disaster in US history. "Speak to others the way you would want to be spoken to," the chair of the meeting pleaded one last time before opening the floor for questions.

Israel's World is Changing, Quietly Posted: 19 Jun 2010 02:38 PM PDT Night. Utter darkness. Heavy rain. Visibility close to nil. And suddenly – a flash of lightning. For a fraction of a second, the landscape is lit up.  For this split second, the terrain surrounding us can be seen. It is not the way it used to be. Our government's action against the Gaza aid flotilla was such a lightning flash.

Getting Out of Palestine? Posted: 19 Jun 2010 01:57 PM PDT When veteran journalist Helen Thomas was asked recently if she had any comments on Israel, she shot back, 'Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.' She apologized for the remark, but, as the campaign against her escalated, she chose to retire from her position as White House correspondent. Putting aside the edginess in her words, does Helen Thomas's remark deserve serious consideration?

A Mother's Message from Gaza: We Embrace Hope Posted: 19 Jun 2010 01:37 PM PDT The Israeli siege on Gaza, which was intended to weaken us, in fact made us stronger. It was meant to break our will, it deepened our resolve. It was intended to humiliate us, but made us even prouder. In fact, Israel's foolishness and sheer arrogance has enlivened our cause in world consciousness as if the Nakba (the Catastrophe of 1947-48) happened just yesterday. Israel's conceit has blinded its leaders from reading our history and learning its lessons; for if they have, they would've discovered the simple truth: 62 years have passed since the Nakba, and yet, every day our determination grows by one day worth of resistance, as well as the solidarity we have garnered around the world.

The Continental Army Posted: 19 Jun 2010 01:10 PM PDT Last week, I outlined a vision for developing an activist community online which borrows heavily from the successful processes found in the open source software development community. Several who commented agreed that this may be a promising path to pursue, while others were (understandably) skeptical. The most promising thing for me was watching a community-driven collaborative project spring up from the comments themselves. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's landmark book, 200 Years Together, a detailed account of the historical relationship between Russians and Jews, has yet to be translated into English. Several of the readers jumped in and offered to assist with translating it. While legal considerations made it expedient to separate that project from Occidental Dissent, I consider the episode a powerful proof of concept.

Alabama Officials Investigate Possible Improper Access, Tampering Into ES&S Voting System Posted: 19 Jun 2010 11:35 AM PDT More disturbing news for voters who are forced to rely on the historically dreadful ES&S electronic voting system, this time in Alabama, on the paper-ballot system in Autauga County which uses a computer to tally votes: PRATTVILLE --- District Attorney Randall Houston is investigating possible voting improprieties in Autauga County after someone allegedly gained improper access to the circuit clerk's computer.

The Rising Tide of the American Left, Part 1 By Timothy V. Gatto Posted: 19 Jun 2010 10:49 AM PDT There IS a time and place for everything. I've heard that phrase uttered throughout my life. The thing is that most platitudes remain because they are so true. For many years the "liberal left" has been ostracized by the Republican majority under the Bush years so that even the word "liberal" became synonymous with out of touch tree-huggers that stood against every new technology and wilted at the thought of actually raising their voice in anger or resorting to violence to achieve their goals. Liberals were not portrayed as people that joined the Army or any of the other Armed Services. Liberals didn't work on construction projects or any job that took real men (or women).

Quiet over Brooklyn Posted: 19 Jun 2010 10:45 AM PDT A pro-Israel rally was held in faraway Helsinki, and in Los Angeles - not known for its Jewish activism - an alert Israeli consulate took 5,000 people into the streets in a demonstration of support. But in Brooklyn's Boro Park, which is home to 150,000 to 200,000 Jews, many of them ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic, there was no show of support for Israel during these difficult times and none seemed to be forthcoming. And this in a community that prides itself on being the biggest stronghold of the right among American Jews.

The challenges of a one-state solution Posted: 19 Jun 2010 10:45 AM PDT In a recent op-ed ("Is there another option?" June 2 ), Moshe Arens suggested that the option of one state west of the Jordan with full citizenship for all Palestinians should be given serious consideration. The one-state solution is advocated by a number of Palestinian intellectuals and is becoming rather popular in the European left. Their reason is generally that the one-state solution would give more justice to the Palestinians, and this position is mostly seen as anti-Israeli. On Israel's extreme right, holding on to the Greater Land of Israel is also a popular position, generally held on theological grounds.

The patriot Posted: 19 Jun 2010 10:45 AM PDT What does the Israeli patriot want? What state exactly does he dream of before falling asleep at night? What society does he hope for while immersed in his morning routine? Incitement, slander and boycott campaigns have recently been launched here against Turkey, Sweden, the High Court of Justice, B'Tselem, the New Israel Fund, the media, Richard Goldstone, Noam Chomsky, Elvis Costello, the Pixies, Ahmed Tibi, Hanin Zuabi, Tali Fahima, Barack Obama, Anat Kamm and the rest of the world, and also a bit against yours truly. A hypocritical, fallacious and depressing worldview emerges from these campaigns.

Give them an inquiry Posted: 19 Jun 2010 10:45 AM PDT They want an international commission of inquiry to investigate the events of the raid on the Gaza flotilla? No problem - on condition that it is truly international: the kind that has UN secretaries-general over the years give testimony, as well as U.S. presidents, European leaders, Turkish presidents past and present, and all those who turned their backs when they knew what was going on in the Gaza Strip and agreed to the siege policy until the flotilla. All those who allowed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to go on undisturbed and who felt that Gaza was a humanitarian, not a political problem.

Israel's Terrorist Attack upon Aid Flotilla: Full Text of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Speech! Posted: 19 Jun 2010 09:24 AM PDT Today I do not only want to speak to my dear people but to all of humanity. I want to call to the conscience and hearts and minds of the whole of humanity, I would like to share courageously my feelings. Yesterday, in the darkest moment of the night, two bloody attacks occurred.

NWO's Establishment Mafia Goons Carbon Tax will End America! Posted: 19 Jun 2010 06:24 AM PDT Obama Plans To Sneak Through Carbon Tax By Stealth Paul Joseph Watson www.prisonplanet.com www.infowars.net Friday, June 18, 2010 President Obama is planning to sneak through his job-killing, economy wrecking carbon tax by stealth according to the Washington Post, by passing a weakened bill and then adding in cap and trade provisions after the heat is off following the November elections. Described as the "lame duck climate strategy," Obama is planning to secure enough votes in the Senate to pass a weakened energy bill and then drag out the conference long enough to ensure the stronger provisions contained in the original House version are added "after lawmakers have faced voters in November, thereby cushioning the vote's political impact." "Several sources familiar with the administration's thinking confirmed it has started pressing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to bring up a slimmed-down energy and climate bill next month. Such a measure would pass more easily than a comprehensive climate bill, and could still be negotiated with the broader bill the House passed a year ago," reports the Washington Post.

Juneteenth: Celebrate diversity! Posted: 19 Jun 2010 06:21 AM PDT Happy Juneteenth, everyone! On June 19, 1865 General Gordon Granger of the United States Army stood upon a balcony in Galveston, Texas and reaffirmed the Emancipation Proclamation that had been declared three years earlier. Thus the slaves of Texas were freed and a state holiday was born: Juneteenth.

Inside Iraq - Iraq parliament's first session Posted: 19 Jun 2010 05:58 AM PDT Three months after its elections, Iraq is still without a government. Tough political horse-trading is underway and party bosses are jockeying to win the coveted position of prime minister. All parties have wrapped themselves up in Iraqi nationalism and vowed to make services, security and fighting corruption their top priorities. But polls indicate that Iraqis do not believe a word of it. What everyone is reluctant to discuss openly and freely, however, is who Iraq's neighbours would prefer to become prime minister. Despite denials and protestations by Iraqi politicians, the decision of who should govern Iraq is made as much in Tehran, Damascus and Washington as by Iraqi voters.

Saturday: 6 Iraqis Killed, 14 Wounded Posted: 19 Jun 2010 04:37 AM PDT Violence in Iraq tapered off significantly today, but at least six Iraqis were killed and 14 more wounded in new attacks. Meanwhile, tensions at the Turkish border revved up after more PKK strikes. Also, Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi said that Iraqi and U.S. sources warned him of assassination attempts. Turkish military claimed new clashes with Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels in Turkey have left at least 22 dead and 14 wounded overnight. Troops responded with an airstrike on rebel hideouts in northern Iraq. The PKK has fought a decades-long guerilla war to create an independent Kurdistan across Turkey, Iraq and neighboring countries. They recently ended a unilateral truce that Ankara ignored as a peace offering. Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Turkey would fight the PKK until the rebel group is eradicated.

Saturday: 1 US Soldier, 6 Iraqis Killed; 16 Iraqis Wounded Posted: 19 Jun 2010 04:37 AM PDT Updated at 11:28 p.m. EDT, June 19, 2010 Violence in Iraq tapered off significantly today, but at least six Iraqis were killed and 16 more wounded in new attacks. Meanwhile, tensions at the Turkish border revved up after more PKK strikes. Also, Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi said that Iraqi and U.S. sources warned him of assassination attempts. The Department of Defense reported on Thursday's non-combat death of a U.S. soldier in Mosul as well.

Generation Monsanto (GM)--Why We Need Labels on GM Foods Posted: 19 Jun 2010 04:31 AM PDT Gen-M, the first Monsanto Generation of humans force-fed genetically modified foods hasn't reached reproductive age yet (they were born in the late 1990s). But, if a critical mass of animal feeding studies are any indication, the millennial generation, reared on Food Inc.'s unlabeled "Frankenfoods" can look forward to a long-term epidemic of cancer, food allergies, learning disabilities, sterility, and birth defects. Corn (85% of U.S. production is GM), soy (91% GM), cotton (88% GM), canola (85% GM) and sugar beets (95% GM) are all genetically engineered by Monsanto to withstand massive doses of the company's glyphosate herbicide RoundUp, or else to exude their own pesticide, Bacillus Thuriengensis (Bt). RoundUp, the favorite weedkiller poison of non-organic farmers and gardeners, causes brain, intestinal and heart defects in fetuses. And scientists warn that RoundUp, the most extensively used herbicide in the history of agriculture, "may have dire consequences for agriculture such as rendering soils infertile, crops non-productive, and plants less nutritious." In addition, hundreds of thousands of US dairy cows are injected with genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone (developed by Monsanto) in spite of studies linking BGH with cancer, and longstanding bans on the drug in the EU, Japan, Canada, and other industrialized nations.

The Maligning of BP Posted: 19 Jun 2010 04:27 AM PDT Everything is soothed by oil, and this is the reason why divers send out small quantities of it from their mouths, because it smooths every part which is rough. - Pliny the Elder, Natural History The British anger is really over the fact that Americans lack the stiff upper lip for which the British are so famous. Instead of just sucking it up and putting on a brave face we seem to be engaged in a constant state of whinging and it's hard for the British not to believe that it's nothing more than wanting to make them and one of their prized corporate citizens look bad.

Driven by Globalization, Today's Slave Trade Thrives at Home and Abroad Posted: 19 Jun 2010 04:24 AM PDT The legacy of slavery in America is inextricably bound with the history of the nation. And the State Department has finally acknowledged that, even today, people continue to be bought and sold as property. The 2010 Trafficking in Persons report, a global review of human trafficking and civic and legal responses to it, for the first time ranks the United States among the nations that harbor modern-day slavery.

Ragheads, Rednecks and Greene Machines; Peculiar Politics in South Carolina Posted: 19 Jun 2010 01:55 AM PDT Peculiar politics in South Carolina is a never ending saga.  On June 15, South Carolina Republican State Senator Jake Knotts of Lexington told the South Carolina Senate he is proud to be a redneck and would not resign from the Senate for having called Nikki Haley and President Obama ragheads.  Haley is a former Sikh of Indian ancestry and front-runner for the Republican nomination for Governor in the June 22nd run-off. On June 17, Democrat Alvin Greene's stunning landslide victory in the Democratic Primary for the US Senate seat held by Jim De Mint was upheld by the SC's Democratic Executive Committee's 38.5 to 7.5 vote after hearing a protest by his opponent Vic Rawl.  Rawl's witnesses argued that voting machines malfunctioned to provide a landslide victory for Greene. Greene, a Forrest Gump figure, is an unknown, unemployed, African-American veteran, who also faces a felony obscenity charge.  In a brief phone interview Greene said. "They did the right thing," "I am the best candidate for the United States Senate in the state of South Carolina."  Rawl is a former judge, and legislator whose 59 to 41% loss shocked the political establishment.  Rawl said he didn't have enough time to prepare his case before the hearing.

To Kill, But Not Pollute Posted: 19 Jun 2010 01:39 AM PDT European Union subsidies earmarked for reducing air travel's contribution to climate change may help develop deadlier warplanes than those already found in the world's arsenals, Brussels officials have admitted. Some 1.6 billion euros (2 billion dollars) has been allocated to the EU's "Clean Sky" project, which aims to develop aircraft engines that emit half as much carbon dioxide as those now in use. With the funding being divided between industry and the European taxpayer, plane and engine manufacturers have stated that the project underscores their eagerness to be more ecologically responsible.

Wherein I 'Defend' BP... Posted: 19 Jun 2010 01:35 AM PDT On Thursday's Green News Report, I defended BP...sorta. It played on radio stations around the country, but nobody complained. I even gave an email address for hate mail! Didn't get a one. What did I do wrong?

Miley, We Hardly Knew Ye Posted: 19 Jun 2010 01:35 AM PDT Amidst all the news of petrochemical malfeasance in the Gulf -- and thank you, Rep. Joe Barton, pride of Texas, for your apology to BP, demonstrating everything that's wrong with a Congress jammed too snugly in the pocket of big business -- I watched teen sensation Miley Cyrus on David Letterman Thursday night. Oh my. Listening to her, I thought, there is no there there. And that made me sad.

Unrest in Pakistan: Moving Beyond U.S. National Interest Posted: 19 Jun 2010 01:26 AM PDT "The military is the muscle that protects the ruling elite from the wrath of the people," says Pakistani political analyst Dr. Mubashir Hassan. "Right now, people are out on the street; blocking roads, attacking railway stations, etc. If you read the papers, it seems as though a general uprising has started all over Pakistan." Dr. Hassan says that sporadic outbursts of anger in Pakistan won't coalesce into a people's revolution anytime soon.  The demonstrators are too disorganized.  But, the sheer volume of daily protests shows that many sectors of Pakistani society have pressing needs and priorities that do not include enlistment as foot soldiers in a proxy force for the United States' War on Terror.

A Flash of Lightning Posted: 18 Jun 2010 10:20 PM PDT NIGHT. UTTER darkness. Heavy rain. Visibility close to nil. And suddenly – a flash of lightning. For a fraction of a second, the landscape is lit up. For this split second, the terrain surrounding us can be seen. It is not the way it used to be.

The Confused Face of Fascism: Israel's Frankenstein Posted: 18 Jun 2010 08:47 PM PDT For an intellectual giant like Noam Chomsky, respected by millions of students and academics all over the world, to be interrogated by an Israeli soldier for hours and then to be prevented from entering the occupied West Bank to give a previously arranged lecture, is a very serious indicator of the depth of the gutter successive US administrations have brought their country into as a result of their submission to the will of Israeli generals.

Narcotic drug production in Afghanistan Posted: 18 Jun 2010 07:46 PM PDT The problem of drug production in Afghanistan seriously undermines the security and stability of the region. Pakistan is the region's major consumer of the drugs produced in Afghanistan, estimated to consume almost 10 percent of the total production. Pakistan is also a major transit route for drugs from Afghanistan, estimated to account for roughly one-fourth to one-third of that country's total drug production, via Baluchistan to Karachi and on to Western Europe by sea as well as via an air route to Russia and Central Asia. Besides, according to a new United States State Department report released in March titled "International Narcotics Control Strategy Report for 2009", Pakistan is also a transit country for drug traffickers who import precursor chemicals used for processing raw opium poppy in Afghanistan into heroin and morphine.

Will the BP Oil Spill Set Off A Supersonic Tsunami? Posted: 18 Jun 2010 06:00 PM PDT I was sent an article yesterday that described a worst case scenario in the BP Gulf oil spill which described a possibility that sounded too horrifying to be true. The report said the BP drill site is directly over a massive underground reservoir of methane that could result in a huge explosion that would create "a supersonic tsunami" that "would literally sweep away everything from Miami to the panhandle in a matter of minutes. Loss of human life would be virtually instantaneous and measured in the millions."

Gaza - an inside look: War games Posted: 18 Jun 2010 05:50 PM PDT Kids at Al-Maghazi refugee camp defeat boredom with online games. In 'Counter Strike', for example, the shooting is only virtual.

Gaza students call on Tiesto to cancel Israel concert Posted: 18 Jun 2010 01:18 PM PDT Dear Tiesto, as you must be aware, we, in Gaza, have been denied the ability to express ourselves. We are denied a voice, denied a smile, to live in safety and security, denied the right to express love, denied sleep, denied the right to express pain, denied the right to read, to write, denied to be human, and what is left? This is life under Israeli medieval siege. Even the people who feel with us are punished for their freedom of expression. They were attacked, shot at, terrorized and butchered as the world stood in horror to the acts of state terrorism that could only be compared to 1930s Germany and Italy, to the Stalinist era, and to the crimes of the rogue state of apartheid South Africa.

Major currencies can simply collapse Posted: 18 Jun 2010 10:35 AM PDT Obama is urging China to review its currency policy despite Chinese officials made it clear that they are not going to tolerate any interference from abroad to this issue. Is this going to become a major topic of the G-20 meeting in Canada and what's the mood their on the eve of the summit? Michel Chossudovsky says that the financial crisis is not over as President Barack Obama has hinted at.

Latest Ground Zero deal offers 9/11 workers $712.5 million By Jerry Mazza Posted: 18 Jun 2010 10:09 AM PDT Lawyers for the city and for 10,000 plus plaintiffs, i.e., the cleanup and rescue men and women who worked Ground zero, announced on June 10 that they had negotiated a new settlement, providing more compensation for health damages and to lower legal fees for services, down from 33.33 percent to a maximum of 25 percent, as per the New York Times, one quarter of the awards still a healthy handful, about $178.5 million.

Clapper: Managing the Intelligence Enterprise Posted: 18 Jun 2010 07:33 AM PDT In the two weeks since President Obama appointed Retired Air Force Lt. General James R. Clapper, to be director of national intelligence (DNI), there's been a slew of speculation about his long record in U.S. intelligence and how it might affect his chances for confirmation. Most of it has focused on the bipartisan opposition to Clapper in Congress. Senators Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Kit Bond (R-MO), the co-chairs of the Senate Intelligence Committee, along with a few lawmakers in the House, have criticized Clapper for being too close to the Pentagon and without the gravitas to carry out the tough job of running the vast 16-member Intelligence Community. "He has not been in favor of a strong DNI," declared Feinstein, citing a memo Clapper's staff drafted for her committee earlier this year. The White House disputes the characterization. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Jeju and a Naval Arms Race in Asia Posted: 18 Jun 2010 05:28 AM PDT Maritime security has been a top issue in Northeast Asia recently. The sinking of the South Korean ship, the Cheonan, was a major agenda item at the annual summit that South Korean conducted with Japan and China on Jeju Island last month. Jeju Island is important for another reason. The South Korean government is planning to build a naval base there.

Guantánamo and Habeas Corpus: 2 Years, 50 Cases, 36 Victories for the Prisoners Posted: 18 Jun 2010 05:05 AM PDT For the first two and a half years that the "War on Terror" prison at Guantánamo was open, the men held there had no recourse to justice if, as many of them claimed, they had been seized by mistake, as part of a largely indiscriminate dragnet involving substantial bounty payments to the Bush administration's allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This was compounded when the US authorities refused to screen them according to the Geneva Conventions to ascertain whether they were combatants or civilians, in spite of the fact that, in the first Gulf War, the US military screened 1,196 men, via what are known as competent tribunals, held close to the time and place of capture, and subsequently concluded that 74 percent of them — 886 men in total — had been wrongly seized. In Afghanistan, in contrast, where the prisoners were processed before the long flight to Guantánamo, the instructions handed down from the military leaders, stationed in Kuwait, were that every single Arab who came into US custody was to be sent to Guantánamo.

What a Shame, There Will Be No "Reverse Flotillas" Posted: 18 Jun 2010 04:37 AM PDT Back on June 15th, I encouraged the Jews to send their threatened "reverse flotillas" knowing the only reversal would be that it would backfire on the Jews, participating Kurds and participating Cypriots: A Land of Kurdled Milk and Kosher Money, June 15, 2010

The abortion debate needs to include the forgotten fathers Posted: 18 Jun 2010 04:13 AM PDT Anti-abortion advocates have long contended that abortion produces two victims: the unborn child, and his or her mother, who, a mounting body of research affirms, risks physical and emotional injury. But there is evidence that abortion often involves a third victim, one who is typically dismissed when he is acknowledged at all: the child's father.

The end of Sicarii Zionism Posted: 18 Jun 2010 03:37 AM PDT I am one of the remaining veterans of the Haganah, who had served in the British Army and thereafter were among the initiators of the Ha'apala [illegal immigration] of Holocaust survivors, struggling with the forces of victorious Great Britain for the right to arrive at the shores of this country. Its warships and soldiers, those who had just fought and defeated the worst of all enemies, went over to attacking with fury and hatred our cockleshell boats which set to this country from the shores of Italy, full of survivors of the Nazi hell. The warships chased after them, closed around them, sometimes actually crushing them - and shot at them, killing and wounding many of their passengers.

Poking a Stick Into the Honor Killing v. Domestic Violence Debate Posted: 18 Jun 2010 01:40 AM PDT First, we could start by abandoning this ridiculous, self-indulgent ideological debate over the taxonomy of honour killings. Those on the left who abhor the term are right about one thing: A good few of the people who constantly shout it from the rooftops are mostly interested in demonizing Islam. But that doesn't change the fact that honour killings can . . . rather easily be distinguished from other cases of domestic violence. A murderer who kills a relative in certainty that his peers will approve is a very different animal from one who does so out of anti-social, purely secular rage. . . . writes Chris Selley in Recipe to reduce honour killings at Canada's National Post (gleaned from a Tweet by Doug Saunders of the Globe and Mail). More:

BBC Broadcasts Bleak Insight into Life of Terror Suspect under House Arrest Posted: 18 Jun 2010 12:42 AM PDT On Wednesday, the BBC's Newsnight broadcast an extraordinary insight into the bleak conditions under which Hussain Alsamamara, a Jordanian terror suspect held under a form of house arrest, is obliged to live. Like a few dozen other terror suspects — both British and foreign nationals — who are confined to their homes for up to 18 hours a day on control orders or deportation bail, Mr. Alsamamara is held on the basis of secret evidence that has not been fully disclosed to him, and deprived of his liberty without being charged or tried. As the BBC explained, "Mr. Alsamamara is tagged, must stay inside his house for 18 hours a day, and when he leaves he can only travel a couple of miles from his home in a legally delineated zone. He cannot meet people without prior approval from the home secretary, has no access to the internet and has one fixed telephone line which is likely to be monitored."

Not too late to reschedule Posted: 17 Jun 2010 08:43 PM PDT While Devendra Banhart said he didn't want to send a political message by playing in Israel, by refusing to come, he sends a much stronger political message. I was one of many people who had tickets to see Devendra Banhart this week in Tel Aviv. A friend of mine introduced me to the American singer-songwriter a few months ago and I instantly dug his warm melodies and soulful lyrics. Needless to say, I was disappointed when I learned he was canceling both his sold-out performances.

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