by Stephen Lendman

Tyranny and permanent wars define Obama's agenda. Since taking office, he exceeded the worst of George Bush.

Much more ahead is coming. Ravaging humanity is policy. Foreign nations and America's homeland are targeted. Rule of law principles are ignored. Unchallenged dominance alone matters.

Plans are to crush dissent and replace independent regimes with puppet ones. Subservience to Washington is demanded. Obama enforces these policies ruthlessly. Outliers aren't tolerated. Removing internal opposition and destroying one country after another are planned. Occupy Wall Street is targeted for elimination. Syria tops the queue abroad. Blame game strategy wrongfully accuses Assad for Western crimes.

Potential global war looms. Policymakers are mindless. So are supportive media scoundrels. More on them below.

On May 20 and 21, NATO states and partners invaded Chicago violently. Discussions went way beyond Afghanistan. Focus included Syria. Escalated violence was planned. At issue is regime change. Dangers of potential global war weren't considered.

Officially NATO rules out intervention. Unofficially it's raged for months. Expect much more ahead. Washington, Britain and France are lead belligerents. Assad is more victim than villain.

Straightaway after Houla killings were reported, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague called for UN Chapter 7 intervention.

Article 39 states:

"The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and security."

Article 41 says:

"The Security Council may decide what measures not involving the use of armed force are to be employed to give effect to its decisions, and it may call upon the Members of the United Nations to apply such measures."

"These may include complete or partial interruption of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio, and other means of communication, and the severance of diplomatic relations."

Article 42 is most relevant, saying:

"Should the Security Council consider that measures provided for in Article 41 would be inadequate or have proved to be inadequate, it may take such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security."

"Such action may include demonstrations, blockade, and other operations by air, sea, or land forces of Members of the United Nations."

A world body established "to save succeeding generations from the scourge or war" has been instrumental in furthering world conflicts or did nothing to stop them.

Middle East/North African/Central Asian states are warmups for confronting Russia and China. Military, political, and economic strategies dictate removing rivals. Washington wants unchallenged dominance. Aims take precedence over risks.

Houla killings advance the ball closer to war. Despite convincing evidence, Assad is blamed for Western-deployed death squad killings.

Bashar Jaafari is Syria's longstanding UN envoy. He denounced the Western "tsunami of lies." He said hundreds of heavily armed terrorists assaulted five Houla law enforcement facilities.

Attacks continued for nine hours. Two nearby villages were assaulted. "Full-fledged military operations" were premeditated, he said. Shumeria village's hospital was set ablaze. Crops were burned. Villagers were killed.

He accused permanent Security Council members of arming Syrian opposition forces. Al Qaeda elements are involved. He warned SC envoys, saying:

"You cannot be arsonists and firemen at the same time."

On June 1, Syrian State media SANA reported initial findings of an internal judicial investigation.

It affirmed that "all the (Houla) victims belonged to peaceful families who wouldn't stand up to the state and had never joined protests or held up arms, who also had opposed the armed terrorist groups."

"The initial findings indicated that the victims were killed by fire at close distance and sharp tools, not by shellfire."

Eye witness testimonies provided convincing evidence. Heavily armed terror gangs were responsible. Security forces weren't involved.

Hundreds of insurgents began slaughtering police and civilians. A well-planned military operation bears responsibility. US, UK, and other foreign security forces operated covertly in Syria since last year. Their direction was evident.

Successful guerrilla warfare depends on competent leadership. Western elements provided it against Gaddafi last year. They've targeted Syria for months.

Killer gangs used "mortars, machine guns, and anti-tank missiles." Police facilities were attacked. At the same time, civilian homes were invaded. Entire families were murdered at close range. Police and military forces weren't in areas targeted for carnage.

"(L)aw-enforcement members hadn't left their positions but defended themselves against the terrorist groups, which can be verified through the victims' images aired by satellite channels...."

They showed terrorist killings using "close fire and sharp tools, not shellfire as the images showed no signs of mashing, burns or traces of shelling buildings...."

In other words, Western enlisted death squads killed by "direct liquidation."

Civilian victims "belonged to peaceful families who wouldn't stand up to the state and had never joined protests or help up arms...."

They opposed terror gangs. Violence they commit provide provocations for Western intervention.

Internal investigations continue. Independent eye witness testimonies provide best confirmation evidence. So do satellite images showing no artillery or tank fire. None were positioned nearby.

US UN envoy Susan Rice called Syria's explanation "another blatant lie." She's been caught red-handed numerous times spreading spurious lies.

She called nonexistent Iranian nuclear weapons development an indisputable fact. Last year, she wrongly accused Gaddafi of supplying his forces with viagra to commit mass rape.

Those who know her best call her a pathological liar. She promotes belligerent humanitarian intervention. Power obsesses her. Death and destruction don't matter.

Her boss Hillary Clinton, Obama, and other top administration officials endorse like-minded policies. Violence and instability proliferate. Peace isn't tolerated. Body counts mount. Targeted leaders get blamed for Western instigated crimes.

It bears repeating. Who benefits from incidents like Houla? Clearly not Assad. Blaming him is unconscionable. Scoundrel media bear responsibility for regurgitating spurious misinformation and lies.

Their assault on truth continues. On May 31, The New York Times headlined "Clinton Says Russian Inaction May Lead to Syrian Civil War," saying:

She's furious about any nation blocking Washington's war plans. She accused Moscow of "propping up the regime at a time when we should be working on a political transition."

International law prohibits nations from interfering in the internal affairs of others, except in self-defense. Times writers didn't explain. Syrians alone have the right to decide who'll lead them.

Russia and China both block Western intervention. Belligerent administration remarks suggest it's coming.

Haitham Maleh opposes Assad. The Times featured his op-ed, headlined "A Peace Plan in Name Only."

He blamed Assad for escalated bloodshed. He accused him of "gruesome atrocities."

"Civilians are targeted for having dared to speak up to the inspectors or are killed indiscriminately for protesting."

Credible evidence didn't accompany accusations. Assad opponents blame him for Western instigated violence. The Times features scurrilous reports in articles, commentaries and editorials.

"The West must now recognize that the regime has reached a point of no return, that resolutions are worthless and that the only future for Syria is without the Assad political dynasty," said Maleh.

He supports no-fly zone enforcement. Establishing one or so-called safe zones on Syrian territory assures war. Within 48 hours of no-fly zone imposition on Libya, NATO bombing began.

"The West cannot stand idly by," said Mahel. A former judge and alleged human rights lawyer, his comments belie his claimed credentials.

On May 31, a Washington Post editorial headlined "What the US should do about Syria?"

It should mind its own business. It should stop interfering in the internal affairs of other states. It should halt lawless belligerence. It should end its imperial agenda. Its officials should be held fully accountable for crimes of war and against humanity.

The Post endorses more of what should be condemned. It called Annan's diplomacy "feckless," and anti-Assad support from "Russian strongman Vladimir Putin" unlikely.

It endorses active US intervention. Doing so assures war. It urges safe zones in Syrian territory "defended by air power" and foreign troops.

It wants killer gangs given more weapons and intelligence. It claims most Syrians oppose Assad when, in fact, a sizable majority support him. It endorses aggressive intervention to topple him. Previous editorials and commentaries urged the same thing.

The Post features writers like Charles Krauthammer. He tilts far enough right to make him a belligerent. On April 26, he headlined "While Syria burns," saying:

Since last year, Assad committed massacres. He blames him for "disappearances, executions, indiscriminate shelling of populated neighborhoods," and killing thousands.

Hyperbole substituted for verifiable facts. He backs more aggressive intervention.

Post columnist Jennifer Rubin tilts as far right as Krauthammer. On June 1, her "Morning Bits" article included a section on Syria. It endorsed direct US intervention with or without Security Council authorization.

Like other imperial war supporters, rule of law principles don't matter. Might is right notions are good enough. Scoundrel media feature this type journalism. Wars follow. Deaths mount. One conflict begets others. Unless stopped, expect an eventual thermonuclear one.

All bets are off if it happens. Imagine irresponsible leaders risking it. Imagine media scoundrels supporting them. Imagine a potential worst case scenario. Imagine not doing everything possible to prevent it.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour.