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AIPAC Promotes War on Iran
by Stephen Lendman
AIPAC's a blight on humanity. It's an unregistered foreign agent. It operates illegally. It does so destructively. It promotes war. It deplores peace. It represents the worst of Israeli interests.
It controls US administrations and Congress. Edward Said called it "the most powerful and feared lobby in Washington."
In a matter of hours, he said, it can mobilize virtually unanimous Senate support for Israel. Deferentially, US politicians bow to its will. They do so disgracefully.
On June 14, Iranians elected Hassan Rohani. He's Iran's new president. He's head of state. He's a distinguished leader. He combines diplomacy, politics and scholarship.
FBI Lets Informants Commit Crimes
FBI Lets Informants Commit Crimes
by Stephen Lendman
Evidence mounts. America's a rogue police state. NSA is Stasi's new incarnation. Lawless spying is official policy. Virtually everyone's illegally monitored all the time everywhere.
Homeland Security and FBI operate like Gestapo. They menace freedom. They terrorize. They don't protect. They do so for wealth, power, privilege and unchallenged dominance.
FBI calls itself "an intelligence-driven and a threat-focused national security organization with both intelligence and law enforcement responsibilities."
Its mission "is to protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners."
Syrian Conflict Resolution: Stamp Out Terror
by Stephen Lendman
Previous articles explained. America wants unchallenged dominance. It's ravaging Middle East/North Africa/Eurasian countries. It's doing so to achieve it.
It's destroying them one at a time. It's committing mass murder and destruction. It calls it a small price to pay. It wants the region colonized. It wants it balkanized.
It wants control of its oil, gas and other strategic resources. It wants state industries privatized. It wants new US bases. It wants them for greater control. It wants its people exploited. It wants puppet leaders replacing independent ones.
The Detroit Bail-In Template: Fleecing Pensioners to Save the Banks
by Ellen Brown
The Detroit bankruptcy is looking suspiciously like
the bail-in template originated by the G20’s Financial Stability Board in 2011, which exploded on the scene in Cyprus in 2013 and is now becoming the model globally. In Cyprus, the depositors were “bailed in” (stripped of a major portion of their deposits) to re-capitalize the banks. In Detroit, it is the municipal workers who are being bailed in, stripped of a major portion of their pensions to save the banks.
Bank of America Corp. and UBS AG have been given priority over other bankruptcy claimants, meaning chiefly the pensioners, for payments due on interest rate swaps they entered into with the city. Interest rate swaps – the exchange of interest rate payments between counterparties – are sold by Wall Street banks as a form of insurance, something municipal governments “should” do to protect their loans from an unanticipated increase in rates. Unlike ordinary insurance, however, swaps are actually just bets; and if the municipality loses the bet, it can owe the house, and owe big. The swap casino is almost entirely unregulated, and it is a rigged game that the house virtually always wins. Interest rate swaps are based on the LIBOR rate, which has now been proven to be manipulated by the rate-setting banks; and they were a major contributor to Detroit’s bankruptcy.
Destroying Greece to Save it
by Stephen Lendman
Troika scoundrels are looting Greece. They're destroying it. They're waging financial war. They partnered with corrupt Greek officials.
They're strip-mining Greece for profit. It's the epicenter of global pillage. Ordinary people have no say. They're victims of force-fed harshness.
The more Athens borrows, the greater its debt burden, the harder it is to get out from under. Greece is dying. It's practically a corpse already. Only its obituary remains to be written.
Official unemployment tops 27%. It's likely higher. Youth unemployment approaches 65%. An entire generation's lost. It's being systematically destroyed. It's dying on the alter of pay bankers first. Whatever they want they get.
Greece's New Democracy/PASOK coalition plans thousands more layoffs by yearend. On July 17, it enacted its seventh austerity package since 2010.
Israeli/Palestinian Peace Talks: Rebooting Failure
by Stephen Lendman
The so-called peace process is fake. It was stillborn at birth. Fools and liars pretend otherwise. Honest observers understand reality.
According to the Molad Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy:
"The likelihood that the current Israeli government will embrace (peace efforts) positively is slim to none."
"It is therefore the responsibility of the Israeli opposition to turn the initiative into a cornerstone of its policy."
Iran Inaugurates President Hassan Rohani
by Stephen Lendman
On June 14, Iranians elected Rohani decisively. He won a clear first round majority. He'll serve four years. He's head of state.
Obama failed to congratulate him. He hasn't recognized his legitimacy. He's a longtime distinguished leader. He's held numerous high level positions.
He combines diplomacy, politics and scholarship. He's called the "Diplomat Sheikh." He's written many books, articles and research papers.
He urges peace and reconciliation. He promises "government of hope and prudence." He pledged "constructive interaction with the world."
What's It Like to "Go to Jail for Justice?" One Person's Story
By Linda W. Swanson
At age 69, I recently found spending thirteen hours in a Washington, DC, jail one of the most invigorating experiences I've ever had, and it seems to have already helped to make the world a better place!
The US State Department had hired a company with ties to tar sands profiteers to evaluate the safety of a tar sands pipeline, with predictable results. In the week since my husband and I and fifty-two other people of all ages and backgrounds were arrested for protesting the company involved, the State Department has decided to initiate an inquiry to determine if there was a conflict of interest. Certainly we were not alone in shining a light on this particular corruption, but I'm convinced we made a difference and played a part in that turnaround.
When There is no Terrorism, There is Terrorism of Wars
Mahboob A. Khawaja, PhD
“….Human nature is at least in part wicked and in part foolish, how can human beings be prevented from suffering from the results of their wickedness and folly? ….Men simply do not see that war is foolish and useless and wicked. They think on occasion that it is necessary and wise and honourable, for war is not the work of bad men knowing themselves to be wrong, but of good men passionately convinced that they are right.” (C.E M. Joad. Guide to Modern Wickedness, 1936).
Goldman Sachs Trader Conviction: Hold the Cheers
by Stephen Lendman
On August 1, Goldman's Farbice ("Fabulous Fab") Tourre was convicted on six of seven counts.
They involve "making materially misleading statements and omissions in connection with a synthetic collateralized debt obligation (CDO) GS&Co structured and marketed to investors."
They're about being "directly or indirectly engaged in transactions, acts, practices, and a course of business that violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, 15 USC 77q(a) ("the Securities Act") and Exchange Act Rule 10b-5, 17 CFT 240.10b-5."
"The Commission (sought) injunctive relief, disgorgement of profits, prejudgment interest, civil penalties, and other appropriate and necessary equitable relief from both defendants."
The verdict came down as follows:
"1. With respect to the SEC's claim that defendant Fabrice Tourre violated Section 17(a)(1) of the Securities Act, we, the jury find defendant Fabrice Tourre liable."
2. With respect to the SEC's claim that (he) violated Section 17(a)(2) of the Securities Act: liable.
3. With respect to the SEC's claim that (he) violated Section 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act: liable.
4. With respect to the SEC's claim that (he) violated Section 10(b) of the Securities Act and Rule 10b-5(a): liable.
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