from reuters: A coalition of the United States and four other nations launched military action against Libya on Saturday, officials said, as the West tries to force Muammar Gaddafi from power. A U.S. official told reporters on condition of anonymity that a coalition including the United States, France, Britain, Canada and Italy had begun launching strikes on Libya designed to cripple Muammar Gaddafi's air defenses. At least some Arab nations are expected to join the coalition later, the official said. A second U.S. official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said missiles were launched from a warship against Libyan targets. U.S. forces and planes will take part in the operation, called "Odyssey Dawn," that will mainly target air defenses around the Libyan cities of Tripoli and Misrata. Some 25 coalition ships, including three U.S. submarines armed with Tomahawk missiles, are stationed in the Mediterranean, a military slide showed. Five U.S. surveillance planes are also in the area, it showed.
from corbett report: If history has taught us anything, it is that we need to beware those populist politicians who claim to be men of peace by nature but men of war by necessity. The most violent wars this planet has ever seen, the most brutal regimes that have ever sought to repress their own citizens, the most genocidal schemes have always been nurtured under the leadership of politicians who offer war, violence and domination as a way of achieving peace ... To continue reading transcript, please click here.
in other news, freedom is slavery & ignorance is strength...
from latimes: President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize [in Oslo] today, acknowledging the irony of winning it as a wartime president and calling his own accomplishments "slight" in comparison to past winners.
But in his speech to the Nobel Committee, Obama spoke of the concept of a "just war" and the pursuit of a "just peace," which he said sometimes depends on more than simply refraining from violence.
Lauding the commitment of past Nobel laureates to nonviolence, Obama said that, as a head of state and commander-in-chief of a military at war sworn to protect and defend his nation, he cannot follow their examples alone.
"I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people," Obama said. "For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince Al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism - it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason."
With his remarks, delivered in the brief sunlight of the Norwegian winter's midday, Obama answered critics who complain that he was receiving the award before he has really done anything to achieve peace.
The award also comes just days after the president announced a military buildup in Afghanistan, a surge of 30,000 U.S. troops which the White House hopes will disable the terrorist headquarters in the region and bring the eight-year war to an end.
gaza residents: idf troops posing as hamas men from haaretz: The testimonies of Gaza Strip residents are revealing new details about the Israel Defense Forces’ mode of operation there. In the past two days, Beit Lahia residents forced from their homes said soldiers were posing as members of Hamas’ armed wing while advancing on the ground. The daily pauses in bombing allow Gazans to meet with the displaced - most of whom are housed in an UNRWA school - and hear their stories. Gaza resident S. told Haaretz he heard several people say they saw armed men wearing the uniforms and symbols of the Iz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, who “called out to each other in Arabic, as if they had caught a collaborator, and then, with the element of surprise, went into the houses.” A Gaza radio station warned that troops posing as locals were driving a vehicle normally used by paramedics. Residents said the radio broadcaster listed the vehicle’s license plate number and color.
israel recruits army of bloggers to troll antiwar websites from paul joseph watson: Israel has announced that it is setting up a network of bloggers to combat websites deemed “problematic” by the Zionist state, presumably to propagandize about the necessity of killing babies and infants in the name of self-defense. Israel’s global reputation for being the new Nazis was already firmly established, but the ceaseless and indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, labeled a war crime by international observers, has hardened opinion against the country and this has manifested itself nowhere more than the world wide web. Israel’s response will be to flood the Internet with PR agents who will attempt to create a phony consensus that the Zionist state’s barbarian actions are justifiable.
and our 2 mis-leaders give their silent approval because 'israel has the right to' ... do whatever it wants.
obama: no comment on gaza slaughter from kurt nimmo: Obama no longer has to placate pro-Israel voters, including no shortage of Christian Zionists, so his lack of comment on the premeditated slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza should send us a message - an Obama administration will continue the long-standing U.S. policy of allowing Israel to wantonly kill Palestinians and pay the Israeli government handsomely to do so. In 2008, the U.S. gave $20.27 billion to Israel, more than a 12 percent increase in foreign aid from 2007. In fact, it would seem Obama is dedicated to supporting Israel, no matter how many Palestinians it slaughters or starves. “All of us are concerned about the impact of closed border crossings on Palestinian families. However, we have to understand why Israel is forced to do this,” Obama wrote in a letter to ambassador Khalilzad. “Israel has the right to respond while seeking to minimize any impact on civilians.”
dod wants $70b more for wars from ap: The White House will ask Congress next week for another $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an amount that would help cover operational costs only until early next year when the next administration takes over... Since 2001, Congress has approved some $700 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If Bush's 2008 and 2009 requests are approved in their entirety, that amount would increase to roughly $876 billion.
'straight talk' mccain: more wars to come from raw story: Speaking in Polk City, Florida, U.S. Senator and 2008 presidential candidate John McCain (R-AZ) pledges expansion of access to health care for soldiers injured physically and psychologically not only in the current war, but in wars he says are sure to follow. This video is from CNN Newsroom, broadcast January 27, 2008.
from sky news: Saudi Arabian-based terrorist drama The Kingdom, starring Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner, arrives in London tonight.
It brings with it a new wave of films that both examine and criticise America's hunt for its enemies.
Initially, the repercussions of the September 11 attacks largely were left to documentary makers, but now the filmmakers have caught up.
"The big question is inescapable," said Tommy Lee Jones, the star of In The Valley Of Elah - a murder drama set among US soldiers newly returned from Iraq.
"You're going to have to face it sooner or later, and that question is have we allowed ourselves to become involved in a fraudulent war?"
But while many actors support that view, it does not sit well with the pro-war politics of middle America.
One new film Redacted, which is centered on propaganda around the war, has already been slammed in the United States.
"It isn't really criticising the troops," said Redacted director, Brian de Palma, in its defence.
"I'm trying to show the circumstances in which they are existing, and why these horrendous things occur. I am trying to serve both sides of the story, because that is the reality."
Also on the slate for release in the coming weeks and months are Tom Cruise film Lions For Lambs, a political drama about US military action in Afghanistan, Battle For Haditha, a dramatisation of a massacre of Iraqis by US forces, and Rendition.
In Rendition, Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep star in the tale of an American woman seeking answers over the disappearance of her Egyptian-born husband, a terrorist suspect, who is imprisoned and tortured.
One film that is already playing on UK cinema screens is A Mighty Heart, the true story of the disappearance and subsequent murder in Pakistan of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
"The aftermath of 9/11 is that there are hundreds of thousands of people around the world who are dead, and so this is one very particular story about it, but there are hundreds of thousands of other stories you could tell," said Mighty Heart director Michael Winterbottom.
All of these films might ease Hollywood's conscience, but the reality is they will not be blockbusters.
"If you're going to tell stories like this, you're going to tell stories of what's actually going on in our world. It's very difficult, challenging subject matter," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, the maker of The Kingdom.
"Either you're going to like this kind of movie or you're not."
from op-ed news: They used to call it the Strategic Air Command (SAC). They were in charge of the nuclear bombers and nuclear missiles. Then the Pentagon changed the name to the Strategic Command - StratCom.
StratCom is headquartered at Offutt AFB in Omaha, Nebraska. Their mission now includes being in charge of "full-spectrum global strike" (staging offensive, preemptive attacks); combating weapons of mass destruction; space and computer warfare; ballistic missile defense; and surveillance and reconnaissance (the "warrantless wiretaps" conducted by the National Security Agency). In other words it runs almost the whole shebang!
According to Nebraskans for Peace Coordinator Tim Rinne:
"Under the [Bush] administration’s 'doctrine of preemption,' StratCom has been commissioned to launch a first-strike attack anywhere on earth — within two hours — if a threat to America’s national security is even suspected. Following the same drill used on Iraq over its alleged stockpiles of WMD, this new StratCom directive (called 'CONPLAN 8022') is a high-tech version of ‘shoot first and ask questions later.’ And neither a dithering Congress nor international rule of law will be permitted to stand in the way... StratCom’s attack plan even includes the use of tactical nuclear weapons to take out the reinforced bunkers housing Iran’s nuclear research facilities."
from bbc: Three British troops have been killed in Afghanistan by so-called friendly fire, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The MoD said the soldiers, from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, were killed at around 1830 local time (1500 BST) on Thursday.
It is understood the soldiers died when US fighter planes, called to support ground troops, dropped a bomb near their patrol in Helmand province.
Two other soldiers were also injured. Next of kin have been informed.
Defence Secretary Des Browne said he was "very saddened" by the death of "three brave men who were tragically killed in what is believed to be a friendly fire incident".
He said such incidents were "rare" and it would be thoroughly investigated.
"We will look at this incident very carefully and make sure the families, who are uppermost in our thoughts, know exactly what happened to their loved ones," he said.
from raw story: The Air Force is ready to aid insurgencies.
According to a lengthy new Air Force document, which outlines US strategies for "Irregular Warfare," military resources will sometimes be needed to help insurgencies in foreign countries.
The 103-page document(1.03mb PDF), published earlier this month, takes lessons from the last six years of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan to outline Air Force policies in "a violent struggle among state and non-state actors for legitimacy and influence over the relevant populations." Secrecy News first reported on the document.
from raw story: Fox News asked former CIA field officer Bob Baer on Tuesday whether the US is "gearing up for a military strike on Iran." Baer has written a column for Time indicating that Washington officials expect an attack within the next six months.
"I've taken an informal poll inside the government," Baer told Fox. "The feeling is we will hit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps." His Time column also suggested that "as long as we have bombers and missiles in the air, we will hit Iran's nuclear facilities."
Baer explained that what his sources anticipate is "not exactly a war." He said the administration is convinced "that the Iranians are interfering in Iraq and the rest of the Gulf" but that "if there is an attack on Iran it would be very quick, it would be a warning."
"We won't see American troops cross the border... If this is going to happen, it's going to happen very quickly and it's going to surprise a lot of people," said Baer. "I hope I'm wrong frankly, but we're going to see."
The following video is from Fox's America's Newsroom, broadcast on August 21.
from peter dale scott: In American history there are two types of event: ordinary events which the information systems of the country can understand and establish. There are also deep events, or meta-events, which the mainstream information systems of the country cannot digest. I mean by a “deep event” an event in which it is clear from the outset that there are aspects which will not be dealt with in the mainstream media, and will be studied only by those so-called “conspiracy theorists” who specialize in deep history.
The events I shall discuss today exhibit continuities with each other and with other deep events, notably the Iran-Contra affair of the mid 1980s and the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. But the three I shall discuss today – the JFK assassination, the initial Watergate break-ins, and 9/11 – are outstanding in this respect: that while they were attributed to insignificant and very marginal people, they had momentous impact, far more than most daily events by more important people, in redirecting American history.
no evidence of enemy fire in tillman death from ap: Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman's forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player's death amounted to a crime, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press... No evidence at all of enemy fire was found at the scene — no one was hit by enemy fire, nor was any government equipment struck.
credit card aimed at relieving 'carbon footprints' from nytimes: Feel guilty about fueling up that gas guzzler or buying that box of incandescent bulbs? Would you feel better if, instead of frequent flier miles or cash, your credit card’s rewards program allowed you to offset your role in global warming? General Electric is betting you will... Environmentalists are not quite as sure. “It’s ironic,” said Michael J. Brune, executive director for the Rainforest Action Network. “G.E. supplies parts for coal-fired plants, so its credit card offsets emissions it helps create.”
dna identifies another 9/11 victim from newsday: The city medical examiner has identified the remains of one more of The Missing - the more than 1,100 people who died at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, but whose bodies were never found. The medical examiner Tuesday announced that the remains of Edward Ryan, 42, of Scarsdale, who died at the World Trade Center, were identified by after DNA testing on remains found in a Con Edison manhole at Ground Zero in October.
fbi proposes building network of US informants from abc: The FBI is taking cues from the CIA to recruit thousands of covert informants in the United States as part of a sprawling effort to boost its intelligence capabilities.
According to a recent unclassified report to Congress, the FBI expects its informants to provide secrets about possible terrorists and foreign spies, although some may also be expected to aid with criminal investigations, in the tradition of law enforcement confidential informants. The FBI did not respond to requests for comment on this story.
while real bullets fly, movies bring war home from nytimes: On a night four years ago, five soldiers back from three months in Iraq went drinking at a Hooters restaurant and a topless bar near Fort Benning, Ga.
Before the night was over, one of them, Specialist Richard R. Davis, was dead of at least 33 stab wounds, his body doused with lighter fluid and burned. Two of the group would eventually be convicted of the murder, another pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and the last confessed to concealing the crime.
Now some in Hollywood want moviegoers to decide if the killing is emblematic of a war gone bad, part of a new and perhaps risky willingness in the entertainment business to push even the touchiest debates about post-9/11 security, Iraq and the troops’ status from the confines of documentaries into the realm of mainstream political drama.
from raw story: On Tuesday, Ron Paul, a 10-term congressman from Texas and a Republican Presidential candidate, expressed serious doubts about the chances of a GOP victory in the 2008 Presidential race if the nominee is a 'pro-war' hawk.
"I don't see how any Republican candidate can possibly win next year as being proponents of war and with the intention of spreading war into Iran," he told MSNBC News. "And it looks like it's going to happen if we don't have a new foreign policy.
Instead of divisiveness, Paul believes that the G.O.P must expand its reach. "The party has to be more open and invite others to come in. If they deal with their so-called 'base,' the base is shrinking."
Paul, a constitutional conservative who favors low taxes, small government and a non-interventionist foreign policy, trails Republican front runner Rudy Giuliani by 27 points in some polls. But he cautioned that the race is far from over. "Just think of how [Fred] Thompson coming into the race will change things in the Republican Party," he said. "There's further dilution of the pro-war vote."
The Congressman is hoping that his internet popularity could propel him into contention. And changes in the election format might not hurt either. "We're planning on having the election on the internet and then on C-SPAN," he joked. "And we're going to do quite well."
The following video is from MSNBC News, broadcast on June 19.
from scotsman: British troops are being prescribed with a controversial drug which has been blamed for making US pilots "trigger-happy" and causing friendly fire deaths.
The Ministry of Defence has admitted that it prescribes the amphetamine dexedrine, which is capable of keeping users awake for as long as 60 hours.
While the MoD has refused to say what it uses the Class B drug for, leading narcotics experts say that the main purpose is to keep soldiers awake during special operations. However, they have warned that the substance can be highly addictive.
In addition, the MoD has admitted that it permits soldiers to take a drug called kava-kava, from the South Pacific, which is known to be linked to severe liver damage.
Documents obtained under Freedom of Information provisions show that although the amount the MoD spends on dexedrine is just £32 per year, this is estimated to be enough for several hundred 5mg doses. A typical course will see a user given the pills for about two or three days.
Outwith the armed forces, the amphetamine is used to treat narcolepsy, a condition where sufferers cannot stop falling asleep at random times.
In addition to dexedrine, the MoD dispenses a small number of tablets of ephedrine, which has a similar, though less potent, effect.
The ministry also spends about £3,000 a year on melatonin, a substance which aids sleep, in order to get the body clocks of troops into synch after flying long distances.
Amphetamines have been controversially used by the US Air Force to keep pilots awake on long missions, although the UK has always denied giving the 'go pills' to its pilots.
In 2002, the 'Tarnak Farm incident' saw US fighter-bombers attack a group of Canadian soldiers, killing four and wounding another eight near Kandahar in Afghanistan.
During official hearings into the incident, the US pilots testified that they had been ordered to take amphetamines to keep awake. The pilots blamed the pills for their actions.
from kcra: A fundraising event for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was delayed three hours while the Sacramento County bomb squad investigated a coffin brought to the area by anti-war protesters.
Anti-war activists Virginia and Stephen Pearcy, who made headlines in February 2005 for hanging an effigy of a soldier on their Land Park area home, brought a flag-draped coffin as a protest against United States involvement in Iraq.
Shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday, the Secret Service began to conduct a sweep of the area and asked to look inside the coffin. Pearcy refused, stating that they had no probable cause to do so. This prompted the Secret Service to call in local law enforcement and a bomb squad.
Former state Treasurer Phil Angelides, along with about 120 other guests set to attend the fundraiser, had to wait several hours before being ushered through a neighbor's back yard to get to the event.
Around 9 p.m., the all-clear was given by the bomb squad, and the motorcade carrying Clinton arrived at the event.
Clinton also attended a campaign stop in Silicon Valley Thursday, in which she discussed plans to create more high-paying jobs and maintain U.S. dominance in the technology sector.
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Episode021 notes/references/links
