Stranger Than Fiction: The Truth News; What Ever The Hell That Is Anymore.
| Pentagon: Cyber Combat: Act of War 31 May 2011 The Pentagon has concluded that computer sabotage coming from another country can constitute an act of war, a finding that for the first time opens the door for the U.S. to respond using traditional military force. The Pentagon's document runs about 30 pages in its classified version and 12 pages in the unclassified one. It concludes that the Laws of Armed Conflict... have come to guide the conduct of war and proportionality of response--apply in cyberspace as in traditional warfare, according to three defense officials who have read the document. [Not to mention, USociopaths executing computer sabotage and *blaming others* so the US can launch new wars for Exxon Mobil.] 01 Jun 2011 The Pentagon, trying to create a formal strategy to deter cyber attacks on the United States, plans to issue a new strategy soon declaring that a computer attack from a foreign nation can be considered an act of war that may result in a military response. Several administration officials, in comments over the past two years, have suggested publicly that any American president could consider a variety of responses -- economic sanctions, retaliatory cyber attacks or a military strike -- if critical American computer systems were ever attacked. The Pentagon is declaring that any computer attack that threatens widespread civilian casualties could be treated as an act of aggression. Lifting the Veil from S DN on Vimeo. This Lady is not for turning up: Margaret Thatcher snubs request to meet Sarah Palin in London Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2000523/Sarah-Palin-WONT-meet-idol-Margaret-Thatcher-trip-London-aides-say.html#ixzz1OglfOPqF She's an avid admirer of Britain’s first and only female prime minister, but it seems the Iron Lady isn’t so fond of her. Sarah Palin was hoping to meet Margaret Thatcher in London next month as part of her potential campaign for Republican presidential candidate. But Baroness Thatcher’s aides have poured cold water on the idea as they say Mrs Palin is ‘nuts’ and an ‘embarrassment’ to mainstream Tories. Former Alaska Governor Mrs Palin, 47, is known to be a great admirer of Baroness Thatcher and has said how desperate she was to meet her. ‘I am going to Sudan in July and hope to stop in England on the way,’ she previously told The Sunday Times. ‘I am just hoping Mrs. Thatcher is well enough to see me as I so admire her. Mrs Palin has never been to Europe and will try to present herself as a more credible candidate by touring more foreign locations. She has been on the campaign trail in New England ahead of an expected run for president in 2012, after a failed try for vice-president in 2008. Before her bus tour starts again in Iowa, there is time for her to go abroad and try to boost her foreign credibility, reported The Independent. Baroness Thatcher has had to cut down on public appearances due to ill health and missed out on attending her own 85th birthday party last year. The dementia sufferer rarely meets people nowadays and a decision would be made on the day if any meeting was going ahead - and it would be low key, an aide said. ‘Lady Thatcher will not be seeing Sarah Palin. That would be belittling for Margaret. Sarah Palin is nuts' Ally of Baroness Thatcher ‘We don't make firm appointments for this sort of meeting,’ the aide told The Independent. Downing Street is not discussing arrangements for a visit by Mrs. Palin and the U.S. Embassy in London does not know if she is coming for certain. Her visit is thought to be linked with the centenary year of Ronald Reagan’s birth and Baroness Thatcher being his closest ally in world affairs. Baroness Thatcher is expected to attend the unveiling of a statue to Mr Reagan outside the U.S. Embassy in London on Independence Day next month. But one ally told The Guardian: 'Lady Thatcher will not be seeing Sarah Palin. That would be belittling for Margaret. Sarah Palin is nuts.’ She is only focusing on attending the statue unveiling, the ally said. British Tory commentator Tim Montgomerie added: ‘She is an embarrassment for mainstream Conservatives.’ But Mrs Palin, who visited Israel on a two-day private tour in March, does have at least one supporter in the British Parliament. Mid Bedfordshire Conservative MP Nadine Dorries said she has ‘passion, charm, drive and ability’ as well as a great connection with Americans. Mrs Palin has a track record of embarrassing gaffes when it comes to countries other than the U.S. and has been ridiculed for poor knowledge. Her slip-ups include apparently confusing North and South Korea and claiming she could deal with foreign policy because she could see Russia from her home state of Alaska. Then last week she wrongly described patriot Paul Revere's famous 1775 'midnight ride' as something intended to warn both British soldiers and his fellow colonists. Mrs. Palin, a mother-of-five, has divided Republicans in the U.S. with some seeing her as too extreme and unpalatable for crucial swing voters. Jun 2, 2011 By Eljeer Hawkins, Harlem, New York- “…Barack Obama and the Democratic Party prefer comfort and privilege to justice, truth and confrontation. Its guiding ideological stance is determined by what is most expedient to the careers of its members. It refuses to challenge, in a meaningful way, the decaying structures of democracy or the ascendancy of the corporate state…” (Chris Hedges, “Why Liberal Sellouts Attack Prophets like Cornel West”, Truthdig, 5/23/2011). As we approach the 2012 presidential election cycle, the liberal apologists and administration defenders for President Obama have begun their unrelenting assault on all who would dare to analyze and critique the first African-American president. The most high profile casualty of this attack is Dr. Cornel West, Professor of African American Studies and Religion at Princeton University and author of Race Matters. West campaigned for Obama at 65 campaign stops in 2008, at the time an uncritical supporter, falling under the deep spell of Obama’s “hope” and “change” marketing. West, Professor Michael Eric Dyson and multi-media mogul Tavis Smiley made up the forefront of the black left-liberals and academics that defended Obama at this historic moment. Even iconic civil rights activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte and Congressional Black Caucus members have received scorn for challenging Obama’s corporatist and imperial agenda since taking office. West is absolutely correct in describing Obama as “a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats.” West goes on to point out that Obama has now “become head of the American killing machine and is proud of it” (Chris Hedges,“The Obama Deception: Why Cornel West Went Ballistic,” Truthdig, 5/16/2011). Foresight Trumps Astonishment It must be stated: where was the criticism from West, Dyson, Smiley and others who feel betrayed by Obama today when he was running for office in 2008? Obama’s corporate agenda was on full display if anyone cared to pay attention. The political, economic, and social crisis is deep for working people, poor and youth – particularly for African-Americans, who voted 97% for Obama in 2008. For example, at 16.8% black male unemployment is more than twice that of white men (7.7%) according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The previous lack of criticism of Obama and the current attacks on West from the establishment reveal the lack of militant leadership for the working class, poor, and people of color. Justice newspaper, Black Agenda Report, and a tiny minority on the radical left stood against the stream and explained the character and agenda of an Obama presidency. The bailouts to Wall Street, the extension of the “War on Terror”, the corporate education and health-care reforms, plus the tax breaks for the super-rich have only benefited the wealthy and ruling elite. The Time is Now for a Political Alternative The debate continues between West, Democratic Party and Obama administration lackeys, and political free agents like Rev. Al Sharpton. We must learn from the valuable lessons of anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and former Georgia Congresswoman and 2008 Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney. They made a clean break from the Democratic Party (the graveyard for social movements) and launched independent electoral challenges in San Francisco and at the federal level respectively in 2008. The recent remarks by AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka about the need for labor to oppose all candidates carrying out big business’s agenda are the result of growing anger by workers at the willingness of candidates to drop their promises once elected. It also reflects the unrelenting attack against unions and collective bargaining rights. While the labor tops make these noises in a non-election year, they will most likely line up behind the coming 2012 wave of lesser-evilism. Still, Trumka’s speech is indicative of a questioning and ferment in the ranks of the labor movement. The time is now to run independent working-class candidates in every city and state on an program of economic justice for working people: union rights, good jobs, quality services, and an end to war spending. These campaigns would be a stepping stone to building a party of the working class and poor in the United States. Costly nation-building efforts in Afghanistan have had only limited success and might not survive the withdrawal of U.S. forces planned for 2014, according a two-year congressional study. With the Obama administration preparing to begin its drawdown of troops in July, it must also re-examine its humanitarian assistance programs, concludes the report, prepared by the Democratic staff on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and released late Tuesday. In all, the United States has spent $18.8 billion on aid to Afghanistan in the last decade, but the report says that without proper planning, “Afghanistan could suffer a severe economic depression when foreign troops leave in 2014 unless the proper planning begins now.” The State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development are spending $320 million a month with a strategy aimed at redeveloping areas that have been cleared of Taliban forces. While that “win[s] hearts and minds,” the report says, the current efforts haven’t put Afghanistan on a path to sustainable redevelopment. At the same time, the flow of cash to local governments “can fuel corruption, distort labor and goods markets, undermine the host government’s ability to exert control over resources, and contribute to insecurity,” when not matched with proper oversight. But oversight, the report says, has been limited as the U.S. programs distribute aid. In planning for the scheduled transfer of security leadership to Afghan forces in 2014, the Obama administration needs to think ahead, the report urges. “Transition planning should find the right balance between avoiding a sudden drop-off in aid, which could trigger a major economic recession, and a long-term phase-out from current levels of donor spending,” according to the report. Meanwhile, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said Tuesday in a Washington Post op-ed that a viable exit strategy for U.S. forces in Afghanistan must include a cease fire, the creation of a coalition government, the promise that most foreign troops leave the country and “an enforcement mechanism.” Enforcement, he said, “is the most crucial element and the most difficult to sustain” because he expects the Taliban to try to overtake the coalition government or violate the cease fire. For it to work, a plan for “partly regional, partly global diplomatic effort is needed to accompany direct negotiation with the Taliban,” he said. With that could come a dramatic U.S. troop drawdown in the next 18 months to two years and a “sustainable” future for Afghanistan.  Gadhafi investigated over use of Viagra for rapesBy EDITH M. LEDERER , 06.08.11, 03:24 PM EDT   UNITED NATIONS -- The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court said Wednesday he is investigating whether Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi provided Viagra to Libyan soldiers to promote the rape of women during the current conflict. Luis Moreno Ocampo said his office is collecting evidence on rapes and has become "more convinced" that Gadhafi decided to punish women by using rape as a weapon, which would be a new method in the Libya civil war of instilling fear and trying to control the population. He told a news conference after briefing the U.N. Security Council on Darfur that some witnesses confirmed the Libyan government was buying containers of Viagra-type drugs to carry out the policy, and "to enhance the possibility to rape." "We are trying to see who was involved," Moreno Ocampo said. He said it was difficult to know how widespread the use of rape is in Libya. "We're getting important information," Moreno Ocampo said. "In some areas we had a number of a hundred people raped. The issue for us was, can we attribute these rapes to Gadhafi himself, or is it something that happened in the barracks." The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Feb. 26 to refer the Libyan crisis to the International Criminal Court, the world's permanent war crimes tribunal. On May 16, Moreno Ocampo asked judges to issue arrest warrants for Gadhafi, his son Seif al-Islam Gadhafi and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanoussi, accusing them of committing crimes against humanity by targeting civilians in a crackdown against rebels who are trying to end his more than 40 year rule. Judges are now evaluating the evidence and must decide whether to confirm the charges and issue international arrest warrants. If the arrest warrants are issued, Moreno Ocampo said he may add the charge of rape to the case. Moreno Ocampo said the two cases against the three top Libyans involve the shooting of civilians in demonstrations in different cities at the beginning of the conflict and the arrest, torture and forced disappearance of people, particularly in areas under Gadhafi's control. But he told reporters that witnesses interviewed by investigators asked why the court was focusing on arrests, tortures and disappearances over the last three months because "it happened for 20 years - so we'd like you also to review all of them." |
No comments:
Post a Comment