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Qusayr Falls Completely - On to Aleppo for Syria and Hezbollah
Michael Collins
Syrian troops along with their Hezbollah allies are in control of the key city of al-Qusayr. The battle began three weeks ago with initial victories by the Syrian government in and around the city of 30,000. Rebel fighters sought reinforcements with some predicting a protracted battle. The reinforcements came, "hundreds of rebel reinforcements professing close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood," but the effort was to no avail. The professional Syrian Army with its best troops and the urban warfare specialists, Hezbollah, prevailed just hours ago.
Due to this victory, the Syrians are readying for major battles in Aleppo. Up to 4,000 Hezbollah fighters moved north to Aleppo before fighting was complete in Qusayr. This was a clue that government forces were confident of a quick victory in the besieged city and a clear indication of the next objective. Aleppo, a city of 2 million, is Syria's commercial center and vital to any retention of national integrity for a Syrian state.
Events are breaking in the direction of the government over the past few days. The Lebanon rebel supply route is closed for now. This corridor was the "principal transit point for weapons and fighters from Lebanon."
Bills to Restore Glass-Steagall Are Now in the Senate and the House: Americans Can Move Now to Crush Wall Street’s Power
By Nancy Spannaus
On May 16, the 80th anniversary of the introduction of Franklin Roosevelt’s Glass-Steagall bill in the House of Representatives, Senator Tom Harkin (D-Ia) introduced S. 985, the Return to Prudent Banking Act, into the U.S. Senate. S. 985 is an almost precise replica of a bill already introduced into the House by Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Walter Jones (R-NC), HR 129, which currently has a total of 63 sponsors.
Senator Harkin’s action represents a major step forward in the fight to restore FDR’s Glass-Steagall, which the LaRouche political movement has been demanding since the fall of 2008, and which has taken on a head of steam among local constituency leaders, and even Congress over recent years. In 2010, the Senate was on the verge of passing an amendment to Dodd-Frank reinstituting Glass-Steagall standards of separating commercial and investment (gambling) banking. President Barack Obama and the Senate leadership refused to let the amendment come to a vote.
Obama Wants Whistleblowers Silenced
by Stephen Lendman
Previous articles discussed his war on whistleblowers, free expression and dissent.
Sibel Edmonds founded the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC). She did so to aid "national security whistleblowers through a variety of methods."
The ACLU called her "the most gagged person in the history of the United States."
Since 1977, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) calls itself "the nation's leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization."
"What is a Whistleblower," it asks?
Bradley Manning Court-Martial: Secrecy and Injustice on Trial
by Stephen Lendman
America honors its worst. It persecutes its best. Manning is heroic. He risked great personal harm. He did so to reveal vital truths. People have a right to know. Washington has no right to conceal them.
Secrecy, lawlessness, and contempt for humanity define US policy. Evidence vital to Manning's defense is prohibited. Information refuting charges of "aiding the enemy" is barred from trial proceedings.
Claiming it's not relevant or harmful to national security doesn't wash. Excluding it reflects police state justice.
On June 3, United States v. Bradley Manning court-martial proceedings began. Pre-trial, Obama pronounced him guilty by accusation. Doing so denies any possibility of judicial fairness. His word is final.
Illegitimate Palestinian Prime Minister Appointed
by Stephen Lendman
Democracies let people choose. On January 25, 2006, Palestinians overwhelmingly chose Hamas PLC representatives.
They elected them as their legitimate government. Institutionalized Fatah corruption defeated them. Ismail Haniyah is Palestine's rightful prime minister.
Abbas serves illegitimately as Palestine's president. Israel rigged his 2005 election. He was anointed, not elected. His term expired in January 2009. He refuses to call new elections.
He's a longtime Israeli collaborator. He's well compensated for doing so. He betrays his own people in the process. Why they tolerate him they'll have to explain.
In June 2007, he illegitimately appointed Salam Fayyad prime minister. In May 2009, he reappointed him. In January 2006 elections, his Third Way party got 2.4% of the vote.
Anti-Government Protests Rock Turkey
by Stephen Lendman
In 2001, Recep Tayyip Erdogan established the Justice and Development Party (AKP). In November 2002, it won nearly two-thirds of parliamentary seats. It did so with 35% of the vote.
Earlier dominant parties were rebuffed. Hard times aroused public anger. Voters rejected corrupt political rule. At the time, Istanbul newspaper Sabah called AKP's triumph a "revolution by impoverished Anatolia against the old political guard."
Party leader Erdogan earlier was Istanbul mayor. On March 14, 2003, he became prime minister. He feigned moderation. He pretended advocacy for poor, disadvantaged, oppressed Turks.
World War III began in May 2006: Building the New Map of the Middle East in Real Time
by chycho
I. Beginnings of Conflicts
Usually there are disagreements as to the exact dates of beginnings of conflicts, especially when those conflicts are global.
“The beginnings of wars are often hard to identify. Which act lit the spark on the tinderbox? Which straw was the final one? Like peak oil itself, the beginnings of war are often visible only in retrospect.”
For example, some would argue that World War II began in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland. Others would pick the 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria, or maybe even the 1933 Reichstag Fire. The only consensus regarding World War II is that it was devastating.
As for World War III, some believe that it was the Cold War and that we are in the beginning stages of World War IV. They believe that it started with the invasion of Iraq, and will be completely realized when the United States and Israel begin their attack on Iran and Syria (1, 2).
The Twisted Paradigm of ‘Hope and Change’ in the U.S.
By Larry Pinkney
“…the two parties have combined against us to nullify our power by a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ of non-recognition, no matter how we vote…May God write us down as asses if ever again we are found putting our trust in either Republican or the Democratic parties.”
–W.E.B. Du Bois
“What better way to enslave a man than to give him a vote and tell him he’s free.”
–Albert Camus
Many men and women in the U.S. have, in the main, repeatedly allowed ourselves to be hoodwinked and bamboozled by a power elite that has consistently been diametrically opposed to the interests, serious needs, and human rights of everyday ordinary Black, White, Brown, Red, and Yellow people nationally and globally.
Evidence of Israeli Mass Murder Discovered
by Stephen Lendman
Photo: AFP
On June 1, Press TV headlined "Mass graves from 1948 war discovered in Jaffa."
Palestinian Jaffa is now Tel Aviv's Jaffa municipality. Six mass graves were discovered. They contain remains of at least hundreds of Palestinian victims.
These and other questions remain unanswered. How many more mass graves are yet to be discovered? How many never will be found?
How many thousands of dead Palestinians remain hidden? How many loved ones were lost? How many surviving family members couldn't bury them respectfully?
Why have responsible Israelis remained unaccountable? Why hasn't the official historical record been set straight? Why don't lost Palestinian lives matter?
The Nakba was one of history's great crimes. Much about it is known. Israeli historian Ilan Pappe documented it. His book titled "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" explains. More on that below.
On May 29, the al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage reported the mass grave discovery. An official said it came after ground caved in while workers carried out renovations.
Washington Criticizes Syrian Self-Defense
by Stephen Lendman
Seventeenth century philosopher/political theorist/jurist Hugo Grotius perhaps helped inspire international law. In 1625, his "On The Law of War and Peace" said "Most Men assign three Just Causes of War, Defense, the Recovery of what's our own, and Punishment."
War must be waged rightly to be just, he said. It must either respond to "wrongs not yet committed, or to wrongs already done." He called self-defense justifiable.
Under international law, it's a fundamental right. It's inviolable. The UN Charter affirms it. Chapter VII, Article 51 states:
"Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security."
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