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Washington Post Peddles Tarring of Ron Paul Institute as Russian Propaganda

The Washington Post has a history of misrepresenting Ron Paul’s views. Last year the supposed newspaper of record ran a feature article by...

WaPo Names LewRockwell.com to Honor Roll

The desperate flailing of a mainstream-media struggling through the five stages of grief continues as no lesser unbiased foundation of the fourth estate than...

Hacker who helped expose Ohio rape case pleads guilty, faces more prison time than...

A Kentucky man who, in 2012, hacked into an online account for followers of a Ohio high school's football team to expose a gang...

Another Trump-Inspired ‘Hate Crime’ Turns Out To Be A Hoax

A Trump-inspired “hate crime” at a university in Chicago has turned out to be a hoax. An openly bisexual senior at North Park University claimed she...

Chaos or cunning? Trump strikes back against 'totally wrong' media reports on transition team

President-elect Donald Trump has taken to Twitter again, blasting the media for speculating about his transition...

Trump wants an ‘ultimate’ solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Donald Trump is seeking to negotiate an “ultimate deal” between the Palestinians and the Israelis with his staff reportedly warning the current Obama administration...

Goldman Sachs mulls ditching London for Frankfurt

US investment giant Goldman Sachs is reportedly considering moving some of its London assets and...

Germany: No Plans to Turn Back Boats

Contrary to controlled media reports, there are no plans underway by the German government or the European Union to “turn back the...

ISIS hunters: SAS to track & kill British citizens in Iraq

British citizens affiliated to jihadist groups in Iraq will be hunted down as part of a new kill or capture strategy, according to senior...

Assange set to meet Swedish prosecutor for interview in Ecuador’s London embassy

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to finally meet with Swedish prosecutors for an interview at the Ecuadorian embassy in London this month in...

Top 4 ways that voter fraud occurs in Philly

and How Poll Watchers and Minority Inspectors Can Stop It By Alex Pavolini Please share this with anyone you now working to elect Trump in Philly. *Poll...

NBC Reports U.S. Prepping Possible False-Flag Cyber-Attack Election Day

NBC Reports U.S. Prepping Possible False-Flag Cyber-attack on Election Day Eric Zuesse The reliability of all of these reports can reasonably be questioned, but here they...
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Video: Fears of chaos as hundreds join Million Mask March in London

Thousands around the world are staging the annual Million Mask March organized by the Anonymous activist group. London is a traditional hotspot for the...

Guccifer 2.0: Dems Will Rig the Elections

Before the recent torrent of daily Podesta email dumps brought renewed attention to Wikileaks (and accusations Julian Assange was working with the Kremlin despite...

Leaked Emails Suggest Hillary Linked To Child Rape Network

Strange “hot dog” and “Beanie Baby” emails leaked from the Clinton campaign may contain code words for pedophilia or other illegal activities,...

Politico Ran Laughably Fake Story On Alt-Right Voter Suppression

The alt-right seized national news with yet another phony story Wednesday, this time fooling Politico and causing administrative carnage across several voting...

FBI sees no proof of Trump-Russia ties – NYT

FBI officials say their investigation into links between US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Russia...

US interior secretary, officials warn of ‘impacts’ from Bundy brothers’ acquittal

The US interior secretary is urging vigilance, following the Bundy brothers being found not guilty of...

Cop out: Pennsylvania bill that bans naming officers involved in shootings goes to governor

The Pennsylvania legislature has passed a law prohibiting the release of officers' names for up to...

Drug tunnel equipped with lights, ventilation discovered at US-Mexico border

A long cross-border drug tunnel has been discovered running beneath Mexico towards the US. Starting at a house, the tunnel was well equipped for...

US ‘laying groundwork’ for Raqqa assault, no role for Russia – Carter

The US-led coalition is moving into the practical phase of an attack on de-facto ISIS capital...

FBI agents, prosecutors in Eric Garner probe in rare shake-up

The Department of Justice has replaced New York-based FBI agents and federal prosecutors who reportedly do...

'Outraged' Congress may intervene as National Guardsmen ordered to pay back bonuses

Almost 10,000 California National Guard troops have been ordered to repay their recruitment bonuses after an...

They can't rig elections, but they can fake it – US officials alter approach...

While agreeing with President Barack Obama that the US election system is too big to hack,...

WikiLeaks director & Assange’s mentor Gavin MacFadyen dies

WikiLeaks director and founder of the Centre for Investigative Journalism Gavin MacFadyen has died at age...

Car Blazes Leaves Families Terrified Norway Will ‘Go Up in Flames’ as Malmo Attacks...

In a shocking video the vehicles can be seen burning out as firefighters battle to put out the flames.  The incident happened...

Santa Clara Jail inmates go on hunger strike to protest inhumane treatment

Inmates at jail facilities in Santa Clara County, California, have joined a nationwide prison strike that...

Freedom after Brexit? UK may be forced to continue paying billions to greedy EU

Britain may have to continue paying billions of pounds into EU coffers after withdrawal from the European Union, a government official has warned. While the...

Motives for ‘intentional’ Connecticut plane crash investigated by FBI

Investigators concluded that a small passenger plane that crashed in Connecticut on Tuesday was "an intentional...

Military Blogger Alleges U.S. Now Aids ISIS to Oust Assad

Eric Zuesse (RINF) - A highly informed anonymous military blogger, who goes by the name of “bernhard” and blogs at his widely followed “Moon of...

Totally Private, Tax-Free Gold Storage?

In the last few days, gold has been on a losing streak. Last Tuesday, gold prices fell by $42 per ounce – 3.3% –...

Pentagon threatens reprisal over missile attack on ship off Yemen

The US is considering retaliatory strikes against whoever is responsible for the recent missile attack on...

392lb soldier among dozens axed by military for being overweight

Sailors, airmen and a 28-stone (392lb/178kg) soldier have been sacked by the military amid a crackdown on overweight service personnel, according to the latest...

Trouble for trolls: Unleashing online abuse & harassment may now end in jail sentence

Internet trolls will face prosecution for certain types of online harassment and abuse, including posting degrading photoshopped images or creating derogatory hashtags, under new...

Migrants Gang Rape Woman In Wheelchair, Swedish Police Protects Them

A gang of 5 Muslim migrants brutally raped a wheelchair-bound woman for hours, forcing their handicapped victim to suffer through the most...

‘We did US gov’t a favor by exposing their security flaws’ – hacker on...

A hacker from the group that leaked the contact information of thousands of FBI and DHS...

Texas police find dozens of people held captive in fake treatment centers, arrest 10

Police in Texas have arrested nine people after discovering dozens of people being held captive, beaten...

15yrs into Afghan War, psychologist warns ‘veterans must not become a business’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Mentally wounded military veterans must not come to be viewed as a business opportunity by...

‘Twitter troll’ quits city hall over links to vicious online campaign against MPs

A senior official at London’s city hall has left his post amid allegations that he’s...

EU migrants seen as Britain’s ‘main card’ in Brexit games by trade minister Fox

EU migrants in the UK will serve as a “main card” during forthcoming Brexit negotiations,...

Inquiry into botched VIP pedophile investigation will condemn individual police officers

A review of Scotland Yard’s investigation into an alleged VIP pedophile network will criticize individual officers involved in the probe, which failed to find...

CIA Puppet Masters

By Daisy Luther DaisyLuther.com September 30, 2016 It’s really quite embarrassing on a global scale when members of our own government seem to be deliberately trying...

Declassified: Top anti-Nazi double agent was trained to spy on Soviet Russia

British spymasters planned to redeploy their top anti-Nazi double agent, known by the codename Garbo,...

‘Pepe the Frog’ classed as a hate symbol after white supremacists link (IMAGE)

A cartoon frog, once the ‘slacker’ star of an internet comic strip, has been labeled an...

2 US generals removed from positions, subject to investigations – report

In separate cases, an Army major general described as a “rising star” and an Army National...

Military disciplinary board punishes Manning 2 weeks solitary

The US military disciplinary board punished Chelsea Manning with 14 days in solidarity confinement. The...

We’re Winning the War Against ISIS! Maybe? On Social Media?

Now if we can just stop them from blowing stuff up all the time, this thing is in the bag. Social Media Uber Alles Despite the...

The Dangers of Medicalizing Racism

Treating racism like an addiction or mental illness undermines efforts to deal with its structural underpinnings. (Photo: Dr. Farouk) Truthout exists to sift...

Indiana fertility doctor used his own sperm 'around 50 times,' papers say

After one woman discovered eight unknown siblings following a commercial DNA test, she investigated and learned that her biological father was her...

Every Journalist Mourns a Dead Journalist

Noé Zavaleta holds up photographs of his murdered colleague, photojournalist Rubén Espinosa, in Xalapa, on July 31, 2016. (Photo by Patrick Timmons) Noé Zavaleta is...

Guccifer 2.0: More hacked DNC documents revealed at cyber conference

Another round of hacked Democratic National Committee documents have been released. Provided by an anonymous representative...

Hillary’s 9/11

Update: The following clips show the moment of Hillary’s “medical episode” resulting from the “blistering” 79-degree heat in Manhattan. Hillary Clinton 9/11 NYC pic.twitter.com/q9YnsjTxss — Zdenek...

55 Sikhs arrested following wedding protest at UK temple

Police arrested 55 protesters at a Sikh temple in Leamington Spa on Sunday. They said...

911 calls vulnerable to hackers; researchers find no good way to prevent attacks

When people call 911, they expect a fast response to their emergencies. Hackers can use networked...

US made entire $1.7 bn payment to Iran in foreign cash – Treasury

Not only the $400 million debt, but also the $1.3 billion interest on it was paid...

US ‘very close’ to approving much-delayed fighter jet sales to Qatar, Kuwait – report

The United States will soon sell fighter jets to Qatar and Kuwait valued at about $...

The Criminalization of Poverty: Woman Describes Fines and Arrests After $1.07 Check Bounces

We continue our look at what the ACLU calls an illegal debtors' prison in Arkansas by speaking with a former resident who wrote a...

Elite’s unwritten style rules mean brown shoes & loud ties a no-no for banking...

Graduates who wear brown shoes, ill-fitting suits, loud ties or white shirts are missing out...

The Aesthetic of Statism

So far, my recent essays have been dedicated to an anthropological analysis of the archaic sacrificial origins of the state. I’ve established that statist...

‘I served for his right to protest’: Veterans take over Twitter with support for...

After days of shaming, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who refused to stand for US anthem, has...

Labour purge sees disability campaigner pictured with Owen Smith suspended

Disability rights campaigner Jae Robinson, who is the public face of Owen Smith’s pledge to...

'Child sex capital of Britain': Police accused of failing to act on 150 pages...

Police in the town of Telford, Shropshire have been strongly criticised for their lack of...

They’re After Your Cash

If the IRS has its way, cash will be a thing of the past. In its place, every transaction will be digital, every purchase...

A Guided Tour of the ‘Alt-Right,’ by the Trump Campaign Chief’s Website

Breitbart‘s depiction of the alt-right (in the guise of internet in-joke Pepe the Frog) haunting the Republican Party. (image: Jeremy Lederman) “We’re the platform for...

Royal Marine detained in terrorism probe was beaten by loyalists at age 16

Royal Marine Ciaran Maxwell, who was detained in connection with alleged dissident republican terrorism on...

Fivefold increase in reported slavery in Britain is sign of progress, says government

There has been a fivefold rise in the number of slavery victims in England and Wales since 2012, according to the Salvation Army. The charity...

Don’t let propaganda for the ‘looming cashless society’ deceive you

Since its invention in Babylon around 4,000 years ago, money has changed from gold coins, to coins of lesser value; to paper notes/cheques, plastic cards,...

AP Smears Trump

Eric Zuesse The Associated Press issued, on Wednesday August 17th, a news story of possible corruption implicating both the campaign manager of the Trump campaign...

‘Aggressive’ Koch-related campaign hits South Dakota over donor secrecy initiative – report

A group linked to the billionaire Koch brothers is reportedly urging South Dakotans through an “aggressive”...

Peshmerga Launch Major Operation near Mosul; 195 Killed in Iraq

Peshmerga Launch Major Operation near Mosul; 195 Killed in Iraq Peshmerga forces advanced towards Gwer and reclaimed a dozen villages on Sunday....

Boris outfoxed? Johnson & Fox squabble over trade diplomacy remit

Prime Minister Theresa May has told Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and International Trade Secretary Liam...

Parents' nightmare: Mississippi officials take away kids for too much homework

A Mississippi couple lost custody of their five children for making them do "excessive" homework and...

The Invisible Man: George W. Bush and a Hole in History

Former President George W. Bush speaks during a campaign rally for his brother Jeb Bush, a Republican presidential hopeful, at the Coliseum...

Australian government faces “test” over Chinese bid for electricity grid

Via WSWS. This piece was reprinted by RINF Alternative News with permission or license. Mike Head A debate has broken out in Australia’s political and media...

Hundreds of migrants accompanied by armed gang of leftie anarchists storm France's borders

More than 200 migrants forced their way across the Italian-French border and into the town of Menton.  Helping them sneak into the...

1st-ever civilian drone death? Woman killed in police pursuit after UAV spotted over prison

A woman has died following a police pursuit after officers responded to reports of a...

India could force Britain to return Koh-i-Noor diamond through legal action

Indian legislators say they are exploring alternative channels to force the UK to return the priceless Koh-i-Noor diamond after the British government said it...

‘I’m gonna come after you’: Sheriff raids house of man suspected of calling him...

A man accused of being an anonymous blogger known for criticizing public figures in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana was arrested on the order of the...

Woman beats up train passenger in California over alleged racist abuse (GRAPHIC VIDEO)

Footage has emerged of a woman taking matters into her own hands – and feet –...

Finland First!

Finland is the most northern country in the world. This has helped to keep it out of harms way and remain a safe haven....

NYT Leads With Russia Hack Conspiracy–Despite ‘No Evidence’ (in Next-to-Last Paragraph)

The New York Times (7/29/16) has published another article peddling the conspiracy that the Russian government is manipulating the US election in order to...

US test restrictions add to woes for UK’s new F-35 jets

US rules on testing the UK’s controversial new fighter jets are making it almost impossible...

Clinton campaign, Democratic campaign group target of new hack – report

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic Party's fundraising committee for its US House...

Riots feared as 5th anniversary of Mark Duggan police shooting nears

London may again descend into riots, looting and arson on a scale last seen in...

Gunman in standoff with armed police in Surrey, southern England – reports

Armed police were locked in a standoff with what they thought was a gunman for...

The Secret Rules That Allow the FBI To Spy on Journalists

The bones of our democracy – the core elements that separate that way of life from others – lie in the First Amendment to...

Russia Hacks the World

 (Image: Donkey Hotey / Flickr Commons) The email trove that WikiLeaks released on the eve of the Democratic National Convention has all the hallmarks of...

China on the Defensive?

Xi Jinping (courtesy of kremlin.ru) It has not been a good month for China. On July 12, an international court of arbitration at The Hague handed the...

Top anti-terrorism cop admits ‘constant’ effort to protect London from extremist attack

London’s most senior counter-terrorism cop has said the security services are constantly testing and improving...

Judge dismisses laundering charges, says Bitcoin not money

A court in Miami, Florida threw out criminal charges against a man being tried for illegally...

With DNC Leaks, Former ‘Conspiracy Theory’ Is Now True––and No Big Deal

For months, Bernie Sanders supporters and surrogates have complained about unfair treatment from the Democratic National Committee—only to have these concerns dismissed by media...

‘Passer of buck’: Plaques posted outside Boris Johnson’s house mock him as ‘destroyer’ of...

A protester has come up with a creative way to mock the new British foreign...

Man reportedly shoots dead a mother, daughter and himself, shocking quiet northern town Spalding

A deadly shooting in Spalding, Lincolnshire, which left 3 people dead is believed to have...

Trump rumored to be picking fracking billionaire as energy secretary

If Donald Trump becomes president, America may get a ‘fracker-in-chief’ as its energy minister. Harold Hamm,...

What the coup against Jeremy Corbyn reveals about the Labour Party

Via WSWS. This piece was reprinted by RINF Alternative News with permission or license. By Chris Marsden Just ten months ago, Jeremy Corbyn was elected labour leader,...

Military leaders gagged over Chilcot’s Iraq War condemnations

Military chiefs are banned from sharing their views on Sir John Chilcot’s Iraq War Report...

'Day of Rage' protests against police killings planned across US

Police departments nationwide are anticipating “Day of Rage” protests, following the announcement by an account claiming...

‘Justice for Alton’: Vandals deface Richmond police memorial with spray paint

A Richmond, Virginia memorial dedicated to police officers killed in the line of duty was defaced...

‘Spice’ drug mass overdose: 33 people hospitalized in NYC after smoking synthetic marijuana

On Tuesday night, 33 people in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood were hospitalized after consuming Spice, or synthetic...

Day of Rage Scheduled for July 15th

There’s a war in America right now.  Black vs. white. Citizen vs. police officer. Race grievances have become an industry, and business is booming. The rage...

Warning: Pokemon Go game could leave youngsters vulnerable to pedophiles & crime

A globally popular new Pokemon game soon to be released in Britain may leave young...

‘Chelsea Manning did attempt to take her life’ – lawyers

Military whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, did in fact attempt to commit...

Rep. Richmond Calls on DOJ to Investigate Alton Sterling Killing

UPDATE: The Justice Department Civil Rights Division, US Attorneys in Louisiana, and the FBI will be investigating Sterling's killing. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) offered qualified praised...

New gas leak near Porter Ranch eliminated – utility company

A natural gas leak discovered near Porter Ranch in an Aliso Canyon storage facility has been quickly eliminated by SoCalGas. A similar leak last...

Bush, Blair and the Lies That Justified the Illegal Iraq War

The Chilcot report, released today by the British government, concluded what most have known for a long time: that Tony Blair took Britain to...

Officers involved in Alton Sterling shooting suspended, names released

The chief of Baton Rouge, La police said officers involved in Alton Sterling were suspended while...

‘What Is a Journalist if Not an Advocate on Behalf of the Public?’

Janine Jackson interviewed Rory O’Connor for the July 1, 2016, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. Rory O’Connor: “Getting the story is...

Shocking new video of police killing Alton Sterling sparks protests, outrage

The shocking and graphic video of Baton Rouge police officers killing African-American Alton Sterling has sparked outrage across the country and protests in the...

Iraqi looters ‘commonly’ thrown into river by UK troops… some may have drowned, inquiry...

An inquiry launched to examine claims British forces routinely threw Iraqi looters into a Basra waterway, possibly drowning some, heard that senior officers were...

Public Eclipse of a Shining Patriot

Heroism always occurs in the sunshine. Whenever we envision ourselves saving the day someone is universally there as witness. Whether it be the...

Dark Money: How You Can See More of It, Thanks to the FCC

The Federal Communications Commission has made it easier for researchers, journalists and citizens to track dark campaign contributions by expanding its online...

US AG Lynch steps back from Clinton email case – justice dept

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch has stepped away from deciding whether Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton...

Russian frigate ‘shadowed’ US carrier in recent encounter – Pentagon sources

The recent incident in which the USS Gravely made a close-in pass on the Russian frigate...

Lewandowski Hire Makes Journalists Choose Between Defending Their Profession and Embracing Its Demise

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski depicted in the Washington Post, which reported that his hiring by CNN “could be very valuable” to the...

UK, US officials play down security implications of Brexit, but questions remain

British and American officials are fighting to play down fears over the security implications of...

US-owned security firm slaughters 24 dogs after losing Kuwait oil company contract

Two dozen bomb-sniffing dogs were killed by an American-owned security firm in Kuwait after its contract...

Bundy supporter attempts to bomb Bureau of Land Management

The head of a Utah-based militia was caught trying to use an explosive device at a...

6 month-old baby among 12 girls discovered in Pennsylvania house of charged sex offender

Twelve girls, aged between six months and 18 years, were found in a Pennsylvania house. Its...

Some may already be using the murder of MP Jo Cox for political gain

Following the savage murder of Jo Cox, Britain’s EU referendum has ground to a halt....

Reckless driver crashes through shop window, knocks down child (VIDEO)

A shocking CCTV video released by Manchester police shows the terrifying moment a six-year-old boy...

Down the memory hole? Why are police refusing to release Mateen 911 call?

Orlando police are refusing to release the 911 call that Omar Mateen placed the night he killed 49 people at Pulse nightclub, raising questions...

McCann family friend, Clement Freud, exposed as pedophile

Former broadcaster and politician Sir Clement Freud, who befriended the McCann family following the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine in 2007, has been exposed...

It ain’t over ‘til it’s over: 3 California counties flip to Sanders as DC...

While America’s focus has been on the Orlando massacre, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has quietly...

Clinton Discussed Top Secret CIA Drone Info, Approved Drone Strikes, Via Her Blackberry

A new report in the Wall Street Journal reveals emails in which then-Secretary of State Clinton approved CIA drone assassinations in Pakistan from her...

The Latest Hilarious Hate Crime on Campus

By Luke Rosiak A popular Twitter account that highlighted ridiculous academic papers from the social sciences and humanities — some taxpayer-funded — was abruptly deleted...

SAS, MI6 & 350 British paratroopers primed for Euro 2016 terror alert – reports

SAS soldiers are currently embedded alongside spies from MI6 in the Euro 2016 security apparatus,...

Labour could be torn apart by war crime charges for Blair over Iraq

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has hinted he could call for ex-PM Tony Blair to face...

#Pulse: Homophobia overshadows global support for victims of America’s deadliest ever mass shooting

The collective shock of America’s biggest mass shooting ever, carried out at a gay nightclub in...

Bern Rate: the Once and Future Sandernistas

Juli Hansen | Shutterstock.com   It ended the way it began, with Bernie Sanders drawing huge energetic crowds and winning few votes from blacks and Hispanics. Sanders could...

Iraq War made Tony Blair ‘defensive, awkward, self-conscious’ individual – ex-PM’s ally

Criticism of his decision to invade Iraq in 2003 has “destabilized” Tony Blair, yet he...

Christian fundamentalist schools teaching UK girls to submit to men

Christian fundamentalist schools across the UK are teaching students that women should submit to men...

54% of US college athletes admit to raping their partners – survey

An online survey of US college students found that more than half of male sports players...

Islamic extremists ‘brainwash’ prisoners at Belmarsh, ex-inmate tells RT (VIDEO)

A former inmate at HM Prison Belmarsh has told RT he witnessed Islamic extremists “brainwashing”...

Mission accomplished? UK troops return to Afghanistan to bolster crumbling regime

Less than three years after Prime Minister David Cameron announced ‘mission accomplished’ in Afghanistan, 100...

Whistleblowers in UK government too scared to go public – Cabinet Office

The UK government should do more to promote a “pro-whistleblower” culture across all departments, the...

7-year-old wielding stuffed animal tries to fight armed robber [VIDEO]

A boy shopping for a stuffed animal was caught on tape trying to fight off an...

Defiant Blair is ready for ‘full debate’ on ‘brutal’ Chilcot report

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair says he won’t unilaterally accept the findings of the...

Guardian admits its reporter fabricated interviews

Britain’s center-left Guardian newspaper has apologized after it emerged one of its reporters had been...

An Unknown Billionaire's Quest To Reverse Aging

If you Google Osman Kibar’s name you’ll find pictures of him playing poker. It’s not that he was ever a serious player–just...

Wave of bomb threats plague dozens of schools in US and UK

Bomb threats prompted lockdowns and evacuations in dozens of elementary and high schools across the US and UK, leaving classes to be resumed only...

Shrapnel will ‘take children’s heads off’: Shocking bomb threats force 21 UK schools to...

Thousands of children were evacuated from schools across the UK after bomb threats were phoned...

Cash for contacts? Duke of York faces scrutiny over Kazakh property deal

Prince Andrew faces further scrutiny over his questionable links to Kazakhstan following new allegations focused...

Still ruling the waves? UK’s biggest ever warship nears completion, amid claims it’s obsolete

HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first of two massive aircraft carriers, is approaching completion ahead of...

The Techniques of Modern Military Propaganda

Propaganda is a military technique which should be distinguished from strategic subterfuge. The former seeks to trick one’s own side, generally in order to...

Women and War

This month we’ve seen a strange confluence of developments, anniversaries, and events bringing the subject of “women and war” to the editorial pages of...

Clinton Does Best Where Voting Machines Flunk Hacking Tests: Hillary Clinton vs. Bernie Sanders...

At the end of the climactic scene (8 minutes) in HBO’s Emmy nominated Hacking Democracy (2006), a Leon County, Florida Election official breaks down in tears. “There are people...

Facebook courts GOP as allegations fly over its ‘suppression’ of conservative news

Still stinging from allegations that Facebook “suppressed” right-leaning topics in its trending news feed, its tech-oriented...

200 migrants detained by UK stage hunger strike & occupation over ‘slave-like’ conditions

More than 200 asylum seekers and migrants held in UK detention centers went on hunger...

Cameron will use anti-corruption summit to call on wealthy to admit sources of cash

Those suspected of money laundering may be forced to disclose the origins of their wealth...

NYPD highway inspector commits suicide following corruption investigation

NYPD Inspector Michael Ameri was found dead in his parked car on Friday. Ameri was the...

Triumph of Love: British security agency loses legal bid to force hacker to reveal...

Campaigners have welcomed a UK court ruling against Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA), which was...

US Senate launches inquiry over Facebook’s alleged political bias in Trending news list

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is facing a US Senate inquiry over claims that the social network has been filtering conservative news. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has...

‘Unprecedented’: UK activist fearing US extradition, 99yr sentence awaits landmark court ruling

UK authorities have hijacked a civil suit launched by a cybersecurity expert from Suffolk accused...

Why Obama Prioritizes Ousting Assad Over Defeating Syria’s Jihadists

Eric Zuesse, originally posted at strategic-culture.org Dr. Christina Lin, a leading young scholar on jihadist groups, opened her April 8th commentary at Asia Times: In a blunder...

SAS snatches Mosul ISIS leaders in Iraq lightning raids

British special forces under US command have reportedly captured three mid-ranking Islamic State (IS, formerly...

Baby in the box: Safe haven infant hatches arrive in US

Baby hatches may be common in parts of Europe and Asia, but the first two in...

Former Tor developer makes malware for FBI

A developer of the Tor software has been exposed for creating malware for the FBI to...

16 found to be at fault for Doctors Without Borders hospital strike in Kunduz

Sixteen US service members were disciplined for their roles in the deadly strike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan last October. The...

Cryptic killing: Murderer leaves apology note

Golam and Shamima Rabbi, a Muslim couple, were Bangladeshi immigrants who paid forward their time in...

Outrage as Murdoch’s British papers accused of sidelining Hillsborough verdict

Rupert Murdoch’s Sun and Times newspapers faced a backlash for not featuring the Hillsborough disaster...

‘ISIS has terror cells in England’ – US intelligence chief

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has actively “plotting” terror cells in England and other European...

Democrats move to shut down criticism of Clinton’s Wall Street ties

Via WSWS. This piece was reprinted by RINF Alternative News with permission or license. Tom Eley In the aftermath of last week’s New York primary and...

ISIS-aligned hackers leak confidential info on 43 US State Dept employees

The Islamic State-aligned United Cyber Caliphate claims to have hacked into US State Department records, releasing...

Forget Bernie Bros — the Worst Trolls Work in Corporate Media

One of the more popular pastimes of establishment media pundits is complaining of their various “trolls”—anonymous, faceless basement dwellers who lurk online and harass...

70 high-threat jihadists have returned to Britain, as terrorists slip through border checks

As many as 70 high-threat jihadists have returned to the UK, a Home Office official...

‘Great rhetoric, now act!’ Fight money laundering, anti-corruption group tells govt

Government proposals to crack down on vast sums of dirty money pulsing through the heart...

FBI director hints that agency paid record $1.3mn to hack into San Bernardino iPhone

FBI Director James Comey let slip a general idea of how much his agency paid to...

Cheaters beware: Ashley Madison lawsuit will require real names

A federal judge has ruled that Ashley Madison users can sue the dating website for cheaters,...

First criminal charges in Flint water crisis to be filed against state and city...

Two officials from Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality and a Flint water treatment plant supervisor will soon be arraigned, the AP cited two officials...

Sight for sore eyes: NYPD roughly arrests blind man

Claude Ruffin had no idea why two men grabbed him until he reached out and felt...

Dominatrix-scandal Tory MP could be probed… by spies

Amid allegations of relationships with sex workers and letting former Playboy models see confidential papers,...

US to send 200 more troops, Apache helicopters to Iraq to fight ISIS

The US will deploy 217 troops and Apache helicopters to Iraq as part of operations against...

NY voters file lawsuit on eve of primary alleging ‘a threat to the democratic...

Hundreds of voters in New York are expected to file a lawsuit against the state Monday...

US military aircraft in decay, over half of fleet unable to fly – Marine...

The US Marine Corps has complained that 70 percent of their strike jets are not airworthy...

Jihad.com: Rise of ISIS prompts massive spike in extremist content removed from web

Terrorist and violent extremist content is being removed from the internet by British authorities at three times the rate it was last year, new...

10 Laziest Takes of Election Season 2016

The 2016  election season is roughly half over, but already certain tried-and-true trends have emerged in coverage. Generating original content is hard; generating it...
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Video: CIA Syrian ‘Plan B’ would give rebels MANPADs to fight ‘Russia-backed regime’ –...

A covert 'Plan B' for Syria reserved for a 'violation of ceasefire' is being pushed to the US president, anonymous officials told media. Arming...

ISIS Sex Slaves Reveal The True Horror Of What Is Going On Over In...

Michael Snyder (RINF Alternative News) - Could you imagine being kidnapped, being auctioned off like a piece of meat, and being endlessly gang-raped every day...
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Video: CIA Syrian ‘Plan B’ would give rebels MANPADs to fight ‘Russia-backed regime’ –...

A covert 'Plan B' for Syria reserved for a 'violation of ceasefire' is being pushed to the US president, anonymous officials told media. Arming...

An ‘Unqualified’ Success at Media Manipulation

The CNN story (4/6/16) that laid out the Clinton campaign’s anti-Sanders strategy: “Disqualify him, defeat him and unify the party later.” On Tuesday, April 5,...

Whopper mistake: Prankster tricks Burger King staff into smashing windows (VIDEO)

Staff at a Burger King restaurant in Minnesota were duped into smashing the windows after a...

British Army’s ‘disappearing hitmen’ used legal loophole to fight in Yemen

By exploiting a legal loophole Britain dodged its human rights obligations and deployed secret soldiers...

'The new Switzerland': US fights tax evasion abroad while being a tax haven at...

Within days of the Panama Papers being leaked, Washington announced it was launching a crackdown on...
video

Video: Panama Papers’ Reporters Explain How the Biggest Leak in Data Journalism’s History Materialized

http://democracynow.org - Hundreds of journalists around the world pored over the 11.5 million files leaked last year by an anonymous source that reveal how...

Why the National Enquirer’s Hot Air Is Filling the Mainstream Media’s Balloon

"Hot Air" -- that was The Huffington Post homepage headline last Sunday on the National Enquirer's exclusive that GOP presidential aspirant Ted Cruz allegedly...

British connections to the “Panama Papers” and the Mossack Fonseca scandal

Published today are “The Panama Papers”, a global publication of eleven millions files of 2.6 terabytes of data made up of emails, documents, letters,...

Anonymity in the New York Times: By the Numbers

A new report from FAIR looks at a year’s worth of anonymity in the New York Times, with media critic Reed Richardson taking an...

‘Wasteful’: DEA and Pentagon’s $86mn drug plane that never flew

It was supposed to fly over Afghanistan and look for drug-producing sites, but the airplane the...

'Dithering' Cameron bans SAS from hunting ISIS chiefs

Britain’s fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) is being derailed because of Prime Minister...

Journalism’s Dark Matter

Journalists face numerous ethical and institutional challenges when doing their job. But none of these challenges lays bare the conflicts and compromises involved in...

‘Burner phones’ may require verifiable ID if California bill passes

Burner phones, beloved by criminals and TV writers everywhere, could be a thing of the past...

Rough Sex and the Ghomeshi Trial

In Canada, many people have been following the trial of former CBC radio personality Jian Ghomeshi. Three women came forward and the police pressed...

US-based brother & sister confirmed dead in Brussels attacks – officials

Two American residents, a brother and sister, were among the dead in the Brussels terrorist attacks,...

Secret list of MPs ‘hostile’ to Corbyn leaked

Fault lines within the Labour Party were laid bare Wednesday with the leak of a...

Clinton tells Europe to share US’ ‘burden’ in fight against ISIS, set unified borders

Hillary Clinton has criticized Europe for its lagging security strategy, urging it to share the US’...

Blame game? Tory civil war deepens over disability cuts, Brexit split

Prime Minister David Cameron has been forced to defend his status as a “compassionate Conservative”...

Cops pepper spray Trump protesters during NYC march (VIDEOS)

Police in New York pepper sprayed a crowd of protesters marching toward Trump International Tower on...

Walden pond cabin built for Thoreau-inspired fracking pipeline protest

More than a century and a half after his death, early environmentalist and author Henry David...

Hand gun? Man points fingers at LA cops, gets shot dead

California police officers fatally shot an unarmed robbery suspect, who “took a two-hand shooting stance,” while...

Parents to pull primary kids from school over ‘transgender day’

Angry parents have withdrawn their children from an East Sussex primary school over the headteacher’s...

Accidental vasectomy! Doctor gives wrong patient the snip in case of mistaken identity

A doctor has admitted he performed an accidental vasectomy because a patient was sent in...

The False Flag of Regime Change

(…Or The Plot Calling The Kettle Black)  Denis A. Conroy (RINF) - The political sphere in the West is experiencing thrombosis; elites are clogging up the...

Queen dragged into Brexit battle over alleged pro-leave stance

Queen Elizabeth II is the latest high profile figure to be drawn into the Brexit...

Dubious $725mn US Army program ‘shut down’ in 2014 found afloat – report

(RT) - The US Army misled Congress and the public when it said that a controversial...

Pentagon admits using drones to spy on Americans

(RT) - The Department of Defense has admitted to using Predator and Reaper military drones in...

Western powers prepare military operations in Libya

Via WSWS. This piece was reprinted by RINF Alternative News with permission or license. Niles Williamson The New York Times reported Tuesday that US Defense Secretary...

Why is GCHQ boss encouraging activists and journalists to use the Tor network?

Mick Meaney (RINF) - During a speech at MIT, GCHQ chief Robert Hannigan suspiciously praised the Tor network, and encouraged the use of the technology which offers anonymous protection...

A Bad Day for Monsanto and a Good Day for Public Health in Europe

Monsanto needs to be stopped, the health of the world literally depends on it. Aisha Dodwell A battle of corporate profit vs people’s needs has been...

Fox host Bill O’Reilly loses custody of children amid abuse allegations

Fox News Channel host Bill O’Reilly lost custody of his teenage children over allegations of domestic abuse by his ex-wife. The New York Appellate Division...

The [Redacted] Truth: How the CIA Lies to Its Own Employees

(Anonymous9000 / Flickr) It’s no secret that the CIA isn’t always up front with the public about its operations. You may even be kept in...

Who is Khalifa Hifter?

Who is the American citizen leading one side of the civil war in Libya, and why did he spend 20 years in suburban Virginia,...

Hillary Clinton’s Six Foreign-Policy Catastrophes

Eric Zuesse Many commentators have mentioned (such as here and here and here and here) that Hillary Clinton left behind no major achievement as the U.S. Secretary of State;...

UK: Second undercover police officer exposed infiltrating Socialist Party

Trevor Johnson and Chris Marsden A joint investigation by BBC Newsnight and the Guardian has uncovered a second undercover police officer, known as “Carlo Neri”...

Hacker dumps data on nearly 30K federal agents ‘for Palestine’

An anonymous hacker has released the details of 20,000 FBI employees and 9,000 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel online. The so-called cybercriminal had earlier...

Let’s End Torture in U.S. Prisons

Solitary confinement is exactly what it sounds like. A prisoner is kept in a small cell — usually 6 feet by 10 — alone, for...

Records show “intentional destruction” of dashcams by Chicago cops

Jeff Lusanne In the latest example of criminal police conduct within the Chicago Police Department, records examined by DNAinfo show that the widespread lack of...

Powerless? Royal Navy’s £1bn destroyers keep breaking down

Britain’s cutting-edge £1 billion Type 45 destroyers are being called in for engine refits due to repeated breakdowns, including one incident in which a...

Incorruptible? Corbyn lectures wealthy Labour donors on workers’ rights

Labour’s wealthy political donors are bothered that party leader Jeremy Corbyn has lectured them on workers’ rights, while apparently making no effort to court...

The “Bernie Bros” Narrative: a Cheap Campaign Tactic Masquerading as Journalism and Social Activism

The concoction of the “Bernie Bro” narrative by pro-Clinton journalists has been a potent political tactic — and a journalistic disgrace. It’s intended to imply two equally false claims: (1)...

Multinational corp or mafia? Hard to tell difference, says author

The controversy around Google’s tax deal with British tax officials grabbed headlines this past week, prompting further questions about how overseas criminals launder billions...

If Ramadi Is What ‘Victory’ Against ISIS Looks Like, We’re in Trouble

(U.S. Army / Flickr) One of the charms of the future is its powerful element of unpredictability, its ability to ambush us in lovely ways...

Britain apologises for Kurdish protests — Turkish media

British authorities have reportedly apologised for the Kurdish protests which took place while the Turkish prime minister was visiting the UK in January, according...

Caught With Our Pants Down in the Gulf

Your bullshit-ometer should be making an awful racket in response to the shifting explanations given for the twenty-four-hour Iranian hostage scare involving two US Navy boats...

US Navy vessels impounded in Iranian waters

By Keith Jones Iran has impounded two US Navy high-speed boats and their crews–ten sailors in all–that were found yesterday a mile or more inside the...

The impending fall of Saudi Arabia dictatorship

While the Saud family enjoys the last few moments of its dictatorship, the decapitation of the leader of the opposition, Nimr al-Nimr, deprives half...

51% rise in Scottish children going to school hungry, stealing food — survey

Crippling government austerity measures are forcing schoolchildren in Scotland to go hungry, steal food from their peers and develop mental health issues, teachers have...
video

Video: Cartoonists mock ISIS, fight terrorist ideas across web

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lwhEZGkxr8&w=580&h=385] Despite its savagery, Islamic State has long-managed to exploit social media to seduce thousands of recruits. Fighting back, though, is a group of...

US media agency BBG chief says more taxpayer money needed ‘to counter RT’

BBG, the US government agency overseeing state-funded media directed at foreign audiences, needs more money to be on a par with countries such as...

Bernie bucks: Sanders smashes Obama record with $33mn from individual donors

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has broken Barack Obama’s fundraising record from individual donors with more than $33 million in the last three months...

George Washington University apologizes for censorship of Palestinian flag

By Isaac Finn Earlier this month, six weeks after receiving a “Warning Letter” for hanging a Palestinian flag out his dormitory window, George Washington University (GWU)...

Police operations against protest groups extended into Scotland

By Steve James The Pitchford Inquiry into undercover police surveillance conducted against protestors during the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, near Perth, may soon be extended...

‘Dig 200 graves’: UK troops return to Helmand as local police chief delivers grim...

Surrounded and low on ammunition, the police chief of the formerly British-occupied Afghan town of Sangin has told the governor of Helmand province to...

Poland: Anti-government rallies continue as Lech Wałęsa warns of civil war

By Dorota Niemitz and Clara Weiss For the second time this month, thousands took to the streets in Poland to protest against the continuing assault on...

The Decline and Fall of the ‘Mainstream’ Media

The “mainstream” media is a potent issue this election year, and Donald Trump has surely turned the public’s distrust of the Fourth Estate into electoral gold. Regardless...

Jury seated in first Freddie Gray police murder trial

By Tom Hall and Nick Barrickman Yesterday the prosecution and defense made their opening statements in the trial of Baltimore police officer William Porter, the first...

Five Signs the Drone War Is Undermining the ‘War on Terror’

“Not a Bug Splat,” a giant art installation intended to show the faces of drone war victims to drone operators. (NotABugSplat.com) The Intercept – a...

Hacktivists smash ISIS website with Prozac and Viagra ads

Hackers affiliated with online activist group Anonymous have taken down an Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) website on the dark web and replaced it...

Once Again, Media Terrorize the Public for the Terrorists

CNN (11/19/15) transmits ISIS’s message. The small print reads: “New York mayor: There is no credible threat against NYC.” Another devastating terror spectacle and another...

Tor Project accuses FBI of paying university to ‘deanonymize’ users without warrant

Tor Project, the world’s largest anonymous online network, claims the FBI illegally paid security researchers at a leading university $1 million to unveil the...

Obama’s Criminal Drone War

President Obama has relied on the lethal drone program as a “low cost” way to eliminate “terrorists,” but the project has institutionalized an imprecise strategy...

The Mistress of Deception

The self-inflicted wounds of Hillary Rodham Clinton just keep manifesting themselves. She has two serious issues that have arisen in the past week; one is...

NY Times Buries Intercept Whistleblower’s Shocking Drone War Disclosures

For that slice of the American public that still depends heavily on major daily newspapers as their main source of news, they might not even...

Why NYT Dissed the ‘Drone Papers’

When the “Downing Street Memo” surfaced in the UK in 2006 revealing that the intelligence to justify the Iraq War had been “fixed” around...

Some Use Chalabi’s Death to Lay Blame for Iraq War at His Feet

Daily Beast (11/3/15) depicted Chalabi as invasion “architect” Former Iraqi dissident and discredited huckster Ahmed Chalabi died Monday at the age of 71. While most...

Corbyn faces first leadership test at ballot box in Oldham by-election

Jeremy Corbyn will soon fight his first by-election battle in the Oldham constituency as Labour leader, a contest triggered by the death of left-wing...

Ukraine’s Cyber Mercenaries Attack Alternative Media

George Eliason (RINF) - The terms cyber war and infowar have been a constant in many articles written about the conflict in Ukraine. The problem...

Fox, Daily Beast Stories on Cubans in Syria Lack One Thing: Evidence of Cubans...

Fox News illustrated its report on Cubans in Syria with a Reuters photo of Cubans not in Syria. Fox News (10/14/15) reported last week that...

US Congress Must Launch Urgent Inquiry Into Obama’s Drone Use

The U.S. Congress must launch an immediate independent inquiry into the Obama administration’s drone strikes overseas, Amnesty International said following today’s publication of a...

Leaked: ‘New Snowden’ releases Obama’s drone program papers

A cache of classified documents has revealed the inner workings of US drone operations in Somalia, Yemen and Afghanistan, including the mechanism of targeting...

French government assassinates six of its own citizens in bombing raid in Syria

By Stéphane Hugues The French state carried out the extra-judicial assassination of at least six of its own citizens in a raid on an Islamic State...

Media Are Blamed as US Bombing of Afghan Hospital Is Covered Up

A New York Times headline corrected Photo: Twitter user @onekade A US-led NATO military coalition bombed a hospital run by international humanitarian aid organization...

The Western Media Is Dying and Here’s Why

Seymour Hersh has risked much over his decades of journalism. He is a true journalist who has been attacked, slandered, and shunned by all...

Defending Against Overreaching Surveillance in Ethiopia: Surveillance Self-Defense now Available in Amharic

From telecommunications infrastructure to TV and radio airwaves, the Ethiopian government’s controls over communications infrastructure in the country means that even the most private...

Serving UK general threatens mutiny against a future Corbyn government

By Chris Marsden A senior serving British general has threatened “direct action” by the armed forces against a future Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour government. Speaking to the Sunday...

Leader of US war effort against Islamic State stepping down

The retired Marine general chosen by President Barack Obama to head military efforts against Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS/ISIL) is leaving the...

Threatening Jeremy Corbyn

by Stephen Lendman (RINF) - An unnamed senior UK general threatened Corbyn with mutiny if as future prime minister he tried downgrading Britain’s military. More...

Top Military Brass Accused of Flipping ISIS Intel ‘On Its Head’

Intelligence analysts are accusing the upper brass of the U.S. Military's Central Command of "flipping everything on its head" in order to present the...

Did Saudi King ‘Snub’ Obama on Iran?

Exclusive: Besides following dangerous “group thinks” on big questions, like the Iraq War, the mainstream U.S. media runs as a mindless pack on smaller...

Three-year-old ultra-Orthodox Jewish children told 'the non-Jews' are 'evil' in worksheet produced by London...

From: independent.co.uk Documents seen by The Independent show children are taught about the horrors of the Holocaust when they are still in kindergarten at...

Hackers target Manchester police, airport websites

Eastern European hackers have targeted the Greater Manchester police website making it inaccessible for users on Wednesday night. The hacking has been described as a...

The Criminalization of the Hunger Strike

Seven years ago, Barack Obama pledged to close down the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, telling the crowds that flocked to his campaign speeches...

Orthodox Jewish school teaches 3yo children ‘non-Jews are evil’

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish schoolchildren as young as three are being taught that “non-Jews” are evil and want to kill Jewish people, an anonymous whistleblower has...

US Leads World in Credulous Reports of ‘Lagging Behind’ Russia

On Sunday, the New York Times maintained a long, proud tradition of uncritically repeating official claims that the US–despite having twice the population, eight times...

US military continues build-up in North East Asia

By Ben McGrath The United States and South Korea concluded annual war games last Friday with a massive display of fire power meant to intimidate North...

Chilcot to apportion Iraq blame far beyond war criminal Tony Blair’s inner circle

Blame for the Iraq War will extend far beyond Tony Blair’s inner circle to include senior intelligence and defense officials and top ministers at...

Financial Times Calls For Abolishing Cash

The Financial Times has published an anonymous article which calls for the abolition of cash in order to give central banks and governments more...

White, middle-class & over 65? Britain’s ‘invisible addicts’ drink too much

An alarming number of middle class people over the age of 65 are drinking “unsafe” amounts of alcohol and putting their health at risk,...

Big Pharma, petrochemical companies and criminal banksters paid Bill and Hillary Clinton more than...

When Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton hits the campaign trail, she does her level best to portray herself and her ex-president husband, Bill, as...

Ex-MP Proctor rejects pedophile and murder claims, accuses police of ‘homosexual witch-hunt’

Former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor has denied being involved in a “gruesome” Westminster pedophile ring that allegedly abused, tortured and murdered children in the...

OKC Bombing: Evidence Of Foreknowledge

The following statement with attachments was issued by Texas freshman Congresman Steve Stockman regarding a mysterious fax message his office received just as a...

The Puritanical Glee Over the Ashley Madison Hack

High school students have long read The Scarlet Letter, the 1850 novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne set in a Puritanical Massachusetts town in the mid-17th Century....

Is the New ‘Law of War Manual’ Actually ‘Hitlerian’?

Eric Zuesse The Obama U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has quietly issued its important Law of War Manual, and, unlike its predecessor, the 1956 U.S. Army...

Hunger-Striking Detainee Tests Obama’s Will to Close Guantánamo

Since the age of 23, Tariq Ba-Odah has been detained at the U.S. prison facility at Guantánamo Bay. Never charged with a crime, Ba-Odah went on hunger...

‘Bullshit jobs’: 35% of Brits think their job is pointless, survey finds

More than 35 percent of workers in the UK think their job does not make any meaningful contribution to the world, but are not...

Smart Meters mandated by government spontaneously exploding, setting off fires in private homes

Jolted awake at one in the morning, Veronica Onyskiw of Ontario Canada awoke to the sound of a loud revving car engine. That's how...
video

Video: Hackers Hinted At Stock Market Crash

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ip_7qrkN8k&w=580&h=385] The hacktivist group Anonymous hinted at possible issues on Wall Street Tuesday evening nearly 12 hours before an alleged glitch halted trading on...

‘Gambling with lives’: Private contractors pick US drone targets, says report

An “insatiable” demand for analysts of drone intelligence is driving the US military to hire private contractors, with 1 in 10 analysts now a...

Corrupt Cameron says ‘Dirty money not welcome in Britain’. Stop laughing, I’m not making...

White-collar criminals who launder billions by buying luxury UK properties must be tackled, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday. Experts warn these fraudsters...

Canadian police fatally shoot man outside meeting on controversial dam project

By Roger Jordan Police in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, fatally shot a man Thursday evening who was allegedly part of a protest outside a BC Hydro...

Politico Finds ‘Capital of American Jihad’—Based on 2 Cases, 6 Years and 268 Miles...

  Politico (7/23/15) finds the “capital of American jihad” based on two examples–or maybe one. Roughly 10 hours after another white, apparently racist Christian senselessly opened fire...

Perhaps This Is Obama’s Grand Strategy

Eric Zuesse Washingtonsblog’s anonymous founder and principal commentator is one of the most deeply knowledgeable writers on current events, and on July 19th he headlined "Governments...

Canada boosts Kiev regime with free trade pact

By Roger Jordan Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with his Ukrainian counterpart Arseniy Yatsenyuk in Chelsea, Quebec on Tuesday to announce the conclusion of a...

7/7 led to wars abroad and loss of freedoms at home… but do we...

For the London media 7/7 is 'done and dusted', but for Tony Gosling, who helped cover the IRA London bombing campaign for the BBC,...

President Obama Accepts Slavery in Order to Win TPP Trade Deal

Eric Zuesse So that U.S. President Barack Obama can end a roadblock and win the agreement of other nations for his proposed Trans Pacific Partnership,...

Wikipedia as Propaganda Not History — MH17 as An Example

Eric Zuesse Wikipedia articles are more propaganda than they are historical accounts. And, often, their cited sources are misleading, or even false. On 15 August 2007,...

Israeli Ex-General Critical of Netanyahu’s Leadership

106 former high-ranking Israeli members of the armed forces and police and intelligence officers have called on Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make...

GCHQ unit involved in manipulating citizens’ behavior via internet – report

(RT) - When not busy with counterterrorism operations, a secretive unit of the UK’s GCHQ spy agency reportedly helps traditional law enforcement and is engaged...

Fearmongering as usual: FBI, Homeland Security issue Independence Day terror threat warning

(RT) - US federal authorities have issued a terror threat warning to local law enforcement officials nationwide for the July 4 holiday, according to an...

Malaysian Pressure Forces MH17 Investigation to UN

Eric Zuesse Malaysia, frustrated by the refusal of the official international investigation-team to produce any clear evidence yet of whom to blame for the downing...

NATO announces expansion of military force targeting Russia

Via WSWS. This piece was reprinted by RINF Alternative News with permission or license. By Niles Williamson NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels Wednesday and Thursday...

Verizon presses for new concessions from US telecom workers as contract talks begin

Via WSWS. This piece was reprinted by RINF Alternative News with permission or license. By Maria Kovalenko Labor contracts covering workers at Verizon, one of the world’s...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

The Tyrannical Mandate: Ministerial Discretion and Stripping Citizenship

“The reason why we have made this decision is because we have a very strong view: if you’ve left this country to join a...

Military chiefs secretly lobby Osborne to protest defense cuts

(RT) - At a secret meeting Friday, defense chiefs are said to have lobbied Chancellor George Osborne to leave their offensive capacity intact rather than...

Despite the Spin, Hillary Clinton Bows Down to Wall Street Overlords

(Common Dreams) - “Perfect! Perfect!” exclaimed a woman looking around at the Four Freedoms Park on New York City’s Roosevelt Island as a large crowd...

What is the FBI hiding about the Boston Marathon?

Ever since the early days of the Boston Marathon bombing investigation, it’s been commonly understood that Tamerlan Tsarnaev first came to the attention of...

‘You’re Fired — Now Train Your Much Cheaper Foreign Replacement’

Michael Snyder (RINF) - If you were laid off from your job, would you be willing to train your replacement if your company threatened to...

The Dark Saudi-Israeli Plot To Tip the Scales in Syria

A quiet meeting this past March in Saudi Arabia, and a recent anonymous leak from the Israeli military, set the stage for what may be...

Republican House Members Receive Rubber Stamps from Fight for the Future Ahead of Plans...

The package included a satirical letter from the President and an actual rubber stamp with the words, “I approve President Obama’s secret trade deal” WASHINGTON...

Los Angeles cops who killed Ezell Ford set to be exonerated

  By Evan Blake (WSWS) - On Friday, June 5, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and their ostensible watchdog, the...

Congressional Priorities for Defense Intelligence Agency: Take More Money, Discredit Snowden

Today marks the two year anniversary of the first Snowden disclosures. The anniversary was marked not just with a Snowden op-ed published by the...

Greenwald: Obama, Media ‘Irresponsible’ for Scaring Public Over Patriot Act

"The whole world has changed when it comes to this debate as a result of the revelations of Edward Snowden" (Common Dreams) - The Patriot Act...

Israel Thanks Obama for Sabotaging Nuclear Nonproliferation Deal

US officials blocked deal last week, sparking concern and criticism around the world (Common Dreams) - The U.S. sabotage last week of an international agreement aimed...

Corporate Media Accused of Parroting Fear-Mongering over Patriot Act

(Common Dreams) - With key provisions of the USA Patriot Act nearing a long-awaited expiration date, there remains one last adversary to take down in...
An aerial view of the Pentagon building in Washington (Reuters / Jason Reed)

Washington Protects Its Lies With More Lies – Paul Craig Roberts

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Sidney Blumenthal, Clinton, Inc. and the rape of Libya

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If the government does not like the way that you are raising your kids, they will come in and grab them at any time without giving any warning whatsoever.  Of course this is completely and totally unlawful, but it has been happening all over America.  The most recent example of this that has made national headlines is particularly egregious.  Joe and Nicole Naugler of Breckinridge County, Kentucky just had their 10 children brutally ripped away from them just because the government does not approve of how they are living their lives and how they are educating their young ones.  Let’s be very clear about this – Joe and Nicole had done nothing to violate the law whatsoever.  All of their kids were happy, healthy and very intelligent.  But because the control freaks running things in Kentucky got wind of their “off the grid lifestyle”, they have now had all of their children unlawfully abducted from them.

A lot of my readers also lead “off the grid” lifestyles similar to what the Nauglers had been enjoying.  The Nauglers  own 26 acres in a remote area of Breckinridge County, and their family has been described as “extremely happy”.  But despite never giving them a single warning or a single indication that anything was ever wrong, Kentucky police raided their home on May 6th.  The following is how the raid was described on a website dedicated to this case

On May 6th, 2015, Breckinridge Co. Sheriff’s officers came to their home, acting on an anonymous tip, and entered their property and home without a warrant and without probable cause. Nicole was at home with the two oldest children, while Joe was away with the others. When the officers left the home, they attempted to block the access road to the family property. Nicole and the two boys got in their car to leave the family property. The got only a short way down the road before the officers pulled Nicole over.

During this stop, sheriffs deputies took their two oldest boys from Nicole’s custody, providing her no justification or documentation to support their action. Nicole was able to contact Joe briefly by telephone, but only for a short period of time, because she needed to use her phone to record the events.

At that point, Nicole had been taken into custody for disorderly conduct (for not passively allowing the Sheriff to take her boys) and resisting arrest. Even though she is 5 months pregnant, she was slammed belly first into the cop car and bruised and scraped on both arms.

And people wonder why there is such an uproar about police brutality in this country…

How in the world can a police officer ever justify treating a pregnant woman like that?  The police officer that treated Nicole like that should immediately resign.  Talk about an utter disgrace.  You do not ever treat a pregnant woman like that.

But this is America, where we are turning a little bit more into Nazi Germany every single day.

You can listen to audio of Nicole’s shocking arrest right here.

When Joe arrived on the scene, the police continued to act like Gestapo thugs

Joe was able to arrange transportation to meet his wife where the stop had taken place. Joe attempted to get out of the car to speak with the officers and his wife, and to recover the vehicle Nicole had been driving. The Sheriff, with his hand on his sidearm, ordered Joe back into the car. Joe complied with that request. The sheriff informed Joe that he had every intention of making this as difficult as possible for them and that their car would be impounded, despite the fact that Joe was there on­site to recover it.

A friend, who had driven Joe to the location, got out of the car to speak with the Sheriff. She was able to convince the Sheriff to let Joe recover the vehicle. Joe also recovered Nicole’s cell phone, which had been recording audio the entire time.

The Sheriff ordered Joe to turn the remaining eight children over to Breckinridge County Sheriff’s deputies by 10:00 a.m., and threatened him with felony charges if he does not comply.

Joe did comply with the Sheriff’s order, and now their kids have been scattered by CPS among families in four separate counties

As of now, officials have placed the children with four families in four different counties, and as of Friday morning, the parents had not spoken with them. The four families are families that CPS chose – families the Nauglers don’t know.

Shame on you Kentucky.  You are supposed to be better than this.

One of the most disturbing elements of this entire incident is that Child Protective Services never visited the Nauglers a single time and never gave them any indication that anything was wrong.  The following comes from Off The Grid News

Child Protective Services never visited the home, said Ellsworth, who believes the arrests took place because of the parents’ choice of “unschooling” for their children, and because of their simple way of life that some would call backwards. The family’s Facebook page calls it a “back to basics life.” They have a garden and raise animals. Deputies apparently were concerned about whether the children’s needs were being met, but friends say they personally have no concerns — and that the children are blessed to have Joe and Nicole as their parents.

How would you like it if government thugs raided your home and took your children away because they considered your lifestyle to be “backwards”?

What in the world is happening to this country?

Like I said earlier, what happened to the Nauglers is not an isolated incident.  These kinds of things are happening all over the nation.  For example, just consider the abuse that one homeschooling family received in New Jersey

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, a WND report highlights how parents were interrogated by a CPS caseworker who questioned Christopher Zimmer and his wife Nicole, “on everything from their son’s homeschool education to questions about vaccines and guns in the house.”

Michelle Marchese aggressively demanded to enter the property after asserting Christopher Zimmer Jr. was not getting a “proper education.” Police subsequently arrived and allowed Marchese to enter the home before conducting a warrantless search.

The Zimmers are now suing the CPS for $60 million in a case before the U.S. District Court in Trenton.

I very much hope that the Zimmers win that case and collect a huge monetary award.

All over the nation, CPS officials are running around acting like little dictators and trampling the law.  They need the courts to send them a clear message that this is a nation where the rule of law still applies.

If we do not stand with families like the Nauglers, control freak bureaucrats will continue to harass families that have chosen to live a “basic” lifestyle all over the nation.  So let’s stand with them and make this case viral all over the Internet.

And Kentucky, get your act together and send those kids back home.  You are supposed to be so much better than this.

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Boot-licking Journalism


Growing up at the high-water marks of Cold War hysteria in the US led me to a heightened skepticism of the independence and objectivity of the media. We were made to believe myths that Communist government ownership constituted a denial of freedom of the press while diverse private ownership of the sources of information in the West guaranteed access to the truth. Few of us reflected on the fact that the UK government media monopoly, the BBC, seemed to present a more nuanced, tolerant, even sane picture of current events than did our US lap-dog “free” press. At the same time, the sharp move towards theocracy in the US-- “In God we Trust” on currency and “Under God” affixed to the Inquisition-like pledge of allegiance-- was met by a docile, compliant media.
Any doubts that were voiced-- and few were at the time-- about the biases of the press and electronic media were radically amplified when the Cold War began to recede, a measure of sanity returned, and revelations exposed the corruption and opportunism of most of the media's journalistic stars and watchdogs. Truly, it was one the most embarrassing chapters in the fable of US press freedom. Of course the myth remained intact thanks to the major media's concerted effort to restrict the truth to the marginal footnotes of historical research and the fringe media.
Some liberal commentators concede the horrors of the past, but insist that press freedom rebounded, especially after the end of the Cold War. Nothing could be further from the truth. Today's media is as servile to government and capital as at any time in US history. The concentration of media corporations coupled with the centrality of profitability and the narrow band of dissent offered by the two-party system result in a uniformity and conformity in the media that would be the envy of any banana republic.
We can thank media critics like Extra!-- the magazine of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting-- for serious disclosure of the most egregious abuses of independence and objectivity (At one time, the same could be said for the Columbia Journalism Review-- not so today). And, yes, there are numerous media critics on the internet and with the small circulation media. But they often overlook the commonplace banality of media's slavish conformity to the government line and corporate dictate. While we all enjoy reading about the big lies, it is the everyday boot-licking that holds the US myth together.
Sleight of Hand
On May 29, the Los Angeles Times published a news story reporting Edward Snowden's NBC News interview. The author, Richard Serrano casually writes that “The disclosures have sparked outrage in some countries...” Have they? Where? And why? Serrano relies on the readers gullibility to slip in what appears to be a reasonable assumption, but an assumption nonetheless. While the reader will likely find the claim believable, no reason is actually given to believe the claim. Could it be that Serrano means that US officials are outraged?
In the same article, Serrano reports accurately that Snowden claimed he was a “spy” for US security agencies, using aliases and working undercover. Serrano adds: “Those agencies routinely issue aliases for Americans working overseas, and his work for them [CIA, NSA] was previously known.” Serrano is dismissive of the revelations because they were “previously known.” Once again, by whom? How is the fact that someone unnamed knew about Snowden's previous clandestine work relevant to reporting on the interview? Serrano's claim about the “routine” use of aliases leaves the interesting, newsworthy question of who works for the agencies and why and when do they need aliases unanswered. There is not a hint of distrust of US security agencies’ motives. He only injects the comment in order to minimize the importance of Snowden's interview and not to share any newsworthy information.
Serrano cannot resist stirring antipathy towards Snowden. His editors can't either.
In an Associated Press dispatch the same day, Peter Leonard writes dateline Donetsk, Ukraine that “While there is no immediate indication that the Kremlin is enabling or supporting combatants from Russia...Moscow may have to dispel suspicions that it is waging a proxy war...” Why does Moscow need to dispel suspicions when there is admittedly no evidence for those suspicions?
Following good journalistic practices, Leonard seeks to locate the Ukrainian crisis in a context, in recent events. Unfortunately, he slants that context to coincide with the US/EU interpretation of those events. He notes the “election” of a billionaire candy mogul to the Ukraine's presidency without mentioning that Eastern Ukraine strongly opposed the election and rejects Popochenko's legitimacy. Instead, he innocuously states: “He replaced the pro-Moscow leader who was driven from office in February.”
[D]riven from office? By referendum? By the Supreme Court? By Parliament?
Or, as the historical record would confirm, by violent street actions that physically threatened the former president. Demonstrations richly endowed with Western funding. Actions encouraged by the West and betraying a recent agreement brokered with the EU. But to cast doubt on the legitimacy of what could justifiably be called a coup would cast the so-called “pro-Moscow insurgency” in a different light.
Leonard goes on to explain the sequence of events: “That ouster led to Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine, which triggered the sanctions, and a violent pro-Moscow insurgency in the east.” Describing Ukrainian events in this deceptive way is akin to describing the US Revolutionary War as a violent pro-French insurgency spawned by the defiance of Parliament's trade policies. Interpretation is posing as reportage.
Surely it is notable that the previous violence in Kiev's Maidan Square-- Molotov cocktails, street fighting, baiting security forces-- are characterized blandly (“driven from office,” “ousted”) while defensive acts on the part of anti-Kiev activists resisting the military and police in Eastern Ukraine are characterized as participating in a “violent...insurgency.”
Like the entire Western media, Leonard characterizes the opposition in Eastern Ukraine as “pro-Russian” (a recent picture in the Wall Street Journal characterized two armed men in fatigues pausing for a smoke as “pro-Russian,” as though the caption writer could read that allegiance from their faces). The truth is that the May 11 referendum, which, whether the West likes it or not, appeared to express a strong sentiment for the establishment of independent, peoples' republics, counts as the best available indicator of the most current views of the Eastern populace. Without contrary evidence, responsible journalism would designate the opposition as “anti-Kiev” or “pro-independence” rather than in the fashion of US State Department handouts. Not surprisingly, Western journalists have resisted the tendency of consistently calling the actions and actors on the other side as “pro-US.” To do so would betray their sanctimonious posture as serving only the interests of the Ukrainian people.
Leonard paints a lurid picture of the leader of the Chechen region of Russia. Amid reports that some wounded fighters in the Eastern Ukraine were from Chechnya, Leonard describes the Chechen leader as “ruthless” and linked to “extrajudicial killings, torture and other abuses.” While some may find this an appropriate description for Bush and Obama, we would be surprised and shocked to find these charges in a news article with no evidence proffered.
Wounded Chechen nationals do not make a conspiracy... except in the writing of Mr. Leonard: “Mr. Kadyrov [the leader in Chechnya] has derided allegations that he dispatched militias to Ukraine, but undermined his claim with veiled threats.” So we are to understand that an agent’s implied threat subverts a claim of innocence. With this twisted logic, a threat of self-defense would be tantamount to an admission of aggression. Of course if a media slavishly subservient to the official line of the US State Department leaves readers disposed to mistrust any and every statement emanating from the East, then such a leap would appear warranted.
By the profoundly low standards of US journalism, a Washington Post article datelined May 29 from Yarze, Lebanon established a new low. The aptly named Liz Sly twists events prior to the Syrian election beyond recognition. The reigning assumption held by Western reporters portrayed Syrian refugees as fleeing the evil Bashar Assad. Thus, it came as a shock when refugees in Lebanon flocked in overwhelming numbers and with enthusiastic Assad partisanship to the Syrian embassies in order to vote ahead of the domestic elections. Despite police thuggery and long lines, Syrians spent long hours to cast votes. Most observers conceded that it took on the appearance of an Assad election rally. As Sly affirms: “...desperate people fought to gain admission to the embassy grounds... Roads were clogged for miles by people arriving in buses, in cars and on foot... Many voters were diehard Assad supporters who showed up in convoys, honking horns, waving the president's picture and shouting slogans.”
Undeterred by what appeared to contradict the State Department line on the sentiments of Syrian refugees, Ms. Sly wrote: “Syrians thronged their embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday to cast ballots for President Bashar Assad, offering a forceful affirmation of his tightening grip on power after three years of conflict.” Never mind that Sly never explains how she determined the refugees' vote prior to the vote tally. But how does the refugees' enthusiasm for Assad --while presumably residing safely in a separate country-- affirm “his tightening grip on power”? What power does he have over them in Lebanon?
But there is more... a “rumor” serves to address the question: “The large turnout was spurred in part by a widespread rumor that those who do not vote will not be allowed to return home...” So we must believe that those who do not show up will not be able to return to Syria, but those who do and choose to vote for one of the two other candidates will not be similarly punished by Assad. This is indeed a strange twist. Moreover, if the refugees are really anti-Assad, but intimidated by his “tightening grip,” why would they want to improve his electoral fortunes by voting for him?
Sly concedes that “Syrians did not say this would be the case, but with all voters having to submit their identity papers to the embassy for registration, it is feasible that the government will know who voted and who did not.” But this is absurd. Certainly the government could know who voted if they simply record the names that are on identity documents, but how could they possibly know who didn'tvote from an amorphous community of refugees? And surely it makes sense to ask for identity papers to keep Lebanese citizens (and US and Israeli agents!) from voting in a Syrian election. Sly witnessed a common sense procedure and not a conspiracy.
Astoundingly, Sly contradicts herself twelve paragraphs further: “The rules for voting were lax, with many people casting multiple ballots.” Casting multiple ballots? Lax rules? Would that not make it impossible for Syrian officials to determine who will be allowed to repatriate and who will not? Does consistency matter to Liz Sly?
Should we be surprised at Liz Sly's sly attempt to swap a demonization of Syria's Assad for an inconvenient truth?
Not really. Liz Sly was the Washington Postwriter who brought to world attention the plight of the unfortunate gay woman in Damascus who was supposedly brutally oppressed by the Assad regime. On June 7, 2011 she wrote 'Gay Girl in Damascus' Blogger Detained, a news article that merged claims from a blog post with what appeared to be independently gathered facts in a way that suggested that youthful, attractive Syrian-American, Amina Arraf, was grabbed off the street along with 10,000 other Damascus citizens by the evil Assad forces. On June 8, the Washington Post retracted the story and on June 10, a 40-year-old US citizen confessed that the person, the story, and the blog were a hoax that he concocted. The damage had been done-- liberals recoiled from Assad's brutality-- few saw the retraction.
One might think that such an egregious flouting of journalistic ethics would cost her credibility dearly, but not while she serves US officialdom so loyally.
Just Another Day of US Journalism
May 29 was little different from any other day in the hustle of news in the Western media-- no better, no worse. It is important that we do not minimize these sins by laying them only at the authors' doorsteps. Editors and management accept and encourage this servility to the US government line, endorsing biased articles that belong on the op-ed pages and not in the news section. It is the institutional acquiescence that makes a mockery of a free, independent, and objective media.
It is the nuances-- the word play-- that infect nearly every news article in our press: the lost subjects (“It is believed that...” It is thought that...” By whom?), the anonymous sources (“Many believe...”, “Some say...”), the stealth use of the passive voice (“hundreds were killed in the confrontation” Who killed them?), the simple, slanted labels (“pro-Russian,” “anti-American,” “insurgents,” “militants,” “opposition”), the speculative leaps, and the tortured logic.
Mindful that these sins are castigated in high school journalism classes, their ubiquitous commission in the monopoly mass media signals an unprincipled, opportunistic obedience to power and wealth, a calculated fealty to the seats of power matching the worst days of the Cold War.


Zoltan Zigedy


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