Air Force grounds F-22 fleet yet again — RT

Air Force grounds F-22 fleet yet again — RT:

"The United States Air Force temporarily halted operations for its $77.4 billion fleet of F-22 Raptors this week after several of the plane’s pilots reported bizarre symptoms linked with oxygen deprivation.
Pilots at a military base in Alaska are reporting symptoms linked with hypoxia after being engaged in missions onboard the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor aircraft, a Lockheed Martin-made stealth jet that runs at around $143 million-per-plane. There have been at least three incidents reported out of the Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Base in the last two weeks which is now causing concern within the US Air Force.
Only last May, the Air Force temporarily suspended the Raptor program in order to investigate a series of mysterious claims at the time. The craft was cleared to go back in the sky this past September, but pilots have reported nine instances of hypoxia-like symptoms in the six months since."

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Syrians should beware of some of their foreign 'friends' | Brian Whitaker | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Syrians should beware of some of their foreign 'friends' | Brian Whitaker | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk:

"At one point during Friday's meeting, the Saudi foreign minister reportedly stormed out, self-righteously complaining about "inaction" (though some reports deny it). Later, asked if arming the Syrian opposition would be a good idea, he replied: "I think it's an excellent idea." Indeed, some suspect the Saudis are already doing just that.

Meanwhile Qatar, a less oppressive autocracy than Saudi Arabia but an autocracy nevertheless, called for the creation of "an Arab force" for Syria.

None of that bodes well for Syria's future. The Saudis, who have banned all forms of demonstrations on their own turf and are not averse to shooting protesters, have deliberately messed up two Arab revolutions over the past year – first by sending troops into Bahrain to preserve the monarchy there, and then by manipulating the Yemeni uprising to ensure that nothing much would change after they abandoned President Saleh."

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Mad Diplomacy

The NYT is on a campaign of (US govt sponsored)mad diplomacy to Iran trying to convince Iran that in the event of an Israeli "surgical" strike that if Iran limits its response to a few face-saving missile attacks on Israel, with minimal Israeli casualties, and maybe a few anonymous terrorist-style strikes on US forces in the region, then Iran will be able to avoid a more punishing US counter-attack.

They've even worked out an easily understood formula for the Mullahs to follow.

From the NYT: "A former Israeli official said the best way to think about retaliation against Israel was through a formula he called “1991 plus 2006 plus Buenos Aires times 3 or 5.” The reference was to three instances in the last two decades when Israel came under attack: the Scud missiles sent by Saddam Hussein into Israel in 1991 during the first gulf war; the 3,000 rockets fired at Israel by Hezbollah during their 2006 war; and the attacks on the Israeli Embassy and a Jewish center in Argentina in the early 1990s. Those attacks each killed 100 to 200 people, wounded scores more and caused several billion dollars of property damage."

Got that? No? Well, will neither do I, nor will the Iranians i suspect.

Video: Free Syrian Army 'received arms from West' - Telegraph

Video: Free Syrian Army 'received arms from West' - Telegraph: "The general, who did not wish to be named but was happy to appear on camera, told a Reuters journalist that the band of rebels had received 'French and American assistance'.
When asked to clarify, the general said that the Free Syrian Army had received weapons and anti-aircraft missiles.
"We now have weapons and anti-aircraft missiles and God willing with all of that, we will defeat Bashar [President Assad]," the general said."

Obama, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Strikes Again!!!

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My letter to the NYT: Roger Cohen and the NYT

I have always respected Roger Cohen, but no more! What a cold-hearted, genocidal, article!(read) How many Syrians must die under his prescribed "solution"? Does he even care?

One thing I cannot foresee is a situation in which the Israeli state acts so murderously towards either the Palestinians or the Lebanese, that it would prompt Roger Cohen to call for the arming of the victims of that Israeli aggression.

But Arab and Muslim blood is cheap, Arab and Muslim lives are subject to the geo-political games of the White Western Elite, to be snuffed out for the greater good.

All the so called categorical statements Roger Cohen makes, offered without proof, in this article, ultimately serve as excuses to enable a sick bloodlust. Why can't the Syrian opposition and the Assad regime be reconciled? Because they cannot. No mention of the outside powers that have prevented such a reconciliation. Why is Syria so different from countries that have ha civil wars and stayed together, like Lebanon, Iraq, Nigeria, Congo, South Africa, China, and the United States?

"Arm the Syrian opposition!1", cries Roger Cohen, Al Qaeda, and Saudi Arabia, but the Iranians, arming Hezbollah, and Hamas, in their fight against the occupation of Lebanese and Palestinian land by Israel, are pure evil?

And the nations that have tried to promote reconciliation, and an end to the violence in Syria are castigated as ruthless, and predatory, while Roger Cohen gets to sing for blood in the pages of the New York Times.

The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب: NATO rebels in Libya: mistreating blacks in cages

The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب: NATO rebels in Libya: mistreating blacks in cages: (thanks Shawky)

The Crazy Rush to Attack Iran - Yahoo! News

The Crazy Rush to Attack Iran - Yahoo! News:

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Arming Al-Qaeda: US to pump weapons into Syria warzone? - YouTube

Arming Al-Qaeda: US to pump weapons into Syria warzone? - YouTube:

"The US has hinted it could eventually give arms to rebels in Syria - despite previous strident opposition to further militarizing the conflict in the country. "

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Virginia votes to refuse NDAA — RT

Virginia votes to refuse NDAA — RT: "When US President Barack Obama signed his name to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, he authorized the US military to detain and torture anyone on Earth — Americans included — without charge. Opposition was widespread even before the commander-in-chief put pen to paper, but critics are continuing to condemn the legislation only two months after Obama approved it. So weary of the NDAA are lawmakers in Virginia, in fact, that a recent vote within the state’s House of Delegates led to the passing of a counter-act that will keep those detainment provisions out of VA."

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Netanyahu calls top US general a servant of Iran — RT

Netanyahu calls top US general a servant of Iran — RT:

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Saying no to gunboat diplomacy|Op-Ed Contributors|chinadaily.com.cn

Saying no to gunboat diplomacy|Op-Ed Contributors|chinadaily.com.cn:

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Fars News Agency :: Thai Religious Leader: MKO Responsible for Bomb Blasts in Bangkok

Fars News Agency :: Thai Religious Leader: MKO Responsible for Bomb Blasts in Bangkok:

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Israel's ex-spy chief sees opportunity in Syria crisis - latimes.com

Israel's ex-spy chief sees opportunity in Syria crisis - latimes.com:
Israel, fishing in troubled waters.
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Syria's crisis is leading us to unlikely bedfellows - Telegraph

Syria's crisis is leading us to unlikely bedfellows - Telegraph:
"When two car bombings killed nearly 50 people in the heart of the Syrian capital of Damascus just before Christmas, we in the West were quick to challenge claims made on state TV that the atrocities had been carried out by al-Qaeda. We were inclined to award more credibility to the Syrian rebels, who denied that the terror group was involved at all, and insisted that the attacks had been cynically staged by the government, perhaps as a bid for international sympathy.

However, all doubt ended last week when James Clapper, director of US national intelligence, informed the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Damascus bombings “had all the earmarks of an al-Qaeda attack”. Mr Clapper added that “we believe al-Qaeda in Iraq is extending its reach into Syria”. So, it’s official. Al-Qaeda is acknowledged as an ally of Britain and America in our desire to overturn the Syrian government.

Think about it. Ten years ago, in the wake of the destruction of the Twin Towers, we invaded Afghanistan to eliminate al-Qaeda. Now the world’s most notorious terror organisation wants to join a new “coalition of the willing” in Syria (not just al-Qaeda: yesterday the Muslim group Hizb ut-Tahrir staged a march through west London in support of their Syrian brothers and the establishment of the Khilafah state).

This may be the most profound turnaround in global politics since the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact of 1939 converted Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany from bitter enemies into allies "-Peter Oborne
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PressTV - Saudi paper’s support for Israeli nukes stirs public fury

PressTV - Saudi paper’s support for Israeli nukes stirs public fury:

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Iranian naval ships enter Mediterranean via Suez Canal - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Iranian naval ships enter Mediterranean via Suez Canal - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News:

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British government's support of Bahrain regime-Comment-02-16-2012 - YouTube

British government's support of Bahrain regime-Comment-02-16-2012 - YouTube:

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Mervyn King: helping savers would push Britain back into recession - Telegraph

Mervyn King: helping savers would push Britain back into recession - Telegraph:

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Imminent Iran Nuclear Threat? A Timeline Of Warnings Since 1979

Imminent Iran Nuclear Threat? A Timeline Of Warnings Since 1979:

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Iran seems an unlikely culprit for the attacks on Israeli diplomats | Arshin Adib-Moghaddam | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Iran seems an unlikely culprit for the attacks on Israeli diplomats | Arshin Adib-Moghaddam | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk:
And why India, Georgia and Thailand, three countries that Iran has had cordial relations with during a period when Iran is facing increasing sanctions spearheaded by the United States? A few days ago, India agreed a rupee-based oil and gas deal with Iran and resisted US pressures to join the western boycott of the Iranian energy sector. As a net importer of 12% of Iranian oil, India's total trade with Iran amounted to $13.67bn in 2010-2011. What would be the motive for damaging relations with one of Iran's major trading partners and regional heavyweights?
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Report: Mossad chief visited New Delhi days before attack on Israeli officials - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Report: Mossad chief visited New Delhi days before attack on Israeli officials - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News:

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Lavon Affair - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lavon Affair - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The Lavon Affair refers to a failed Israeli covert operation, code named Operation Susannah, conducted in Egypt in the Summer of 1954. As part of the false flag operation,[1] a group of Egyptian Jews were recruited by Israeli military intelligence for plans to plant bombs inside Egyptian, American and British-owned targets. The attacks were to be blamed on the Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian Communists, "unspecified malcontents" or "local nationalists" with the aim of creating a climate of sufficient violence and instability to induce the British government to retain its occupying troops in Egypt's Suez Canal zone."

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PressTV - Iran cuts oil export to 6 European states ‎

PressTV - Iran cuts oil export to 6 European states ‎:

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Iran to Install Domestic Fuel Rods in Nuclear Reactor Wednesday - Official | World | RIA Novosti

Iran to Install Domestic Fuel Rods in Nuclear Reactor Wednesday - Official | World | RIA Novosti:

“Because Western countries were unwilling to help us, we began enriching uranium to 20 percent to make nuclear fuel rods,” Ali Bagheri, deputy chief of Iran’s national security council, said in an interview here.

“These nuclear rods, the first created by Iranian specialists, will be inserted tomorrow into the Tehran Research Reactor in the presence of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,” Bagheri said.

Insertion of the domestically-produced nuclear fuel rods would mark a significant step forward in Iran’s nuclear program, experts said.

Bagheri also confirmed that the Fordo nuclear facility in northern Iran was operational.

“It is operating under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Bagheri said in the interview in a meeting room in the national security council building

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Iran War Would Cost Trillions: Will the GOP Pay More Taxes for That?

Iran War Would Cost Trillions: Will the GOP Pay More Taxes for That? - Steve Clemons - Politics - The Atlantic:

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'Israel a bully on verge of global isolation' - Israeli diplomat - YouTube

'Israel a bully on verge of global isolation' - Israeli diplomat - YouTube: " Elan Baruch"

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Racial profiling on the rise in the US - YouTube

Racial profiling on the rise in the US - YouTube: ""

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Israel, MEK and state sponsor of Terror groups - Salon.com

When will Israel be declared a state sponsor of terrorism?
Israel, MEK and state sponsor of Terror groups - Salon.com:

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Al-Qaida calls on Muslim world to support Assad opposition forces - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Al-Qaida calls on Muslim world to support Assad opposition forces - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News:

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And there you have it! David Cameron, Barak Obama, and Al Qaida all on the same page!

33rd anniversary of Iran Islamic Revolution-Iran Today-02-10-2012 - YouTube

33rd anniversary of Iran Islamic Revolution-Iran Today-02-10-2012 - YouTube:

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SSS PARADES RE ARRESTED BOKO HARAM MADALLA BOMB SUSPECT - YouTube

NIGERIAN SSS PARADES RE ARRESTED (Boko Haram) MADALLA BOMB SUSPECT - YouTube:

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Saudi Arabia Protester Zuhair Al Said Shot Dead By Security Forces In Shiite Town Of Al Awamiya | World News | Sky News

Saudi Arabia Protester Zuhair Al Said Shot Dead By Security Forces In Shiite Town Of Al Awamiya | World News | Sky News:

While the likes of Juan Cole wonder about the "something has to be done" on Syria, this despotic US ally slips under the radar as it murders genuine pro democracy protesters. The mainstream coporate news tries to sectarianise the pro democracy protests in order to de-legitimise them, hence the SKY News reference to "Shiite towns", terms you'll never hear in reference to Syria where the bombers are actual Salafi militants.
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Terrorist explosions rocked Syria city - YouTube

Terrorist explosions rocked Syria city - YouTube:

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BBC-Iran War Watch

It never fails to surprise me how normal people go along with the agenda of the State, especially when the policy of the State is the generation of endless war. There is a virus running a war fever abound in this world and it's sufferers are noticable first by their suspension of independent thinking, and secondly by their willingness to advocate the use of violence as a solution to every problem.

Then, you have the BBC. What annoys me the most about this government organ is that i am forced to subsidise it's endless propaganda. At least nobody forces me to read Juan Cole when he supports, the ignores the aftermath, of the Libyan war. But the BBC..I pay to hear them lie, and at best distort reality.

This is from the second paragraph of their latest spiel on Iran, The war that the West is trying to gin up at the moment, in ANOTHER Islamic nation...."He did not give any details, but insisted that Iran would never halt its programme to enrich uranium, which can be used to make a nuclear warhead."

And there you have it. Is it just shoddy, lazy journalism, or something more purposefully insidious? The "He" refered to in the sentence is the Iranian president Ahmadinejad.

Now "He" didn't say that the Iran enrichment programme can be used to make nuclear warheads, but the BBC sentence leaves that impression in your mind, or at best connects the dots very early in the article between a nuclear enrichment programme and nuclear warheads.

By the way nuclear enrichment can be used in a variety of ways including for power generation, and medical isotopes.

I've written countless complaints to the BBC about their writing on this important issue, that literally concerns life and death. A fat load of good that does. Mainstream media has jumped into the tank with the usual warmongering suspects concerning the Iranian issue, the best we have to hope for on that front is Russian RT, and the UK proscribed PressTV. In the meanwhile, God help us all.

War on Iran

I do not believe that there is going to be a war on Iran this year, or next, or ever. I could detail lots of geo-political, socio-economic reasons that such a war is unlikely, but the truth is that the reason i think such a war will not not happen is the faith i have that no nation embarks on a course of action that will lead to it's devastation.

Imagine the year after the first military strike against Iran. Will the Israeli people still populate that sliver of land between Jordan and the Med? Or will there be more Israelis living in Europe and America? Try and imagine the sight, the sound, and the smell of the world that will exist a year after the first strike against Iran. What will be the state of global civil liberty? What would the global economic picture be? What would the Chinese do when the Gulf oil pumps stop running? Do they, the Chinese, think that the US and Europe will refrain from taking advantage of the resulting social upheaval in China? Will the Chinese make a desperate bid for the South China Sea oil and gas fields? How will the US and its new Asian allies react to that?

I picture a world beyond the first year of a military strike against Iran as a world reeking of the stench of oily black smoke, burnt flesh, and hot words. A world of open wounds, torn flesh, broken promises, shattered illusions, and hunger. I see the Earth with deep scratch marks ripped across its surface seeping blood into black space. I see tanks running protesters under wheel, black hooded thugs clubbing heads, plastic smiling faces on the tv news telling us to be calm, and happy while we plot a midnight home invasion into our neighbours'.

There will not be a war on Iran. Because this is not when it all ends.