http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=imperial Tue, 21 May 2013 11:27:45 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=imperial Thu, 16 May 2013 13:55:33 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cfa_1368726435 Detroit Iron By Nile Gardiner World Last updated: May 16th, 2013 This has been a nightmare week for Barack Obama, without a doubt the worst of his presidency so far. Steven T. Miller, acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service has resigned over his agency's targeting of conservative groups, which even The Washington Post labeled this morning a "horror story" . Yesterday Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the House Judiciary Committee on a host of issues including the Benghazi debacle, in what can only be described as a train wreck of a performance. Holder was simply unable or unwilling to answer most key questions, and demonstrated a level of contempt for elected officials in Congress that was breathtaking. It was yet another public relations disaster for the Obama team. In addition the administration has come under heavy fire over the Justice Department's monitoring of phone records belonging to Associated Press journalists. All this has combined to create a perfect storm in the first year of Obama's second term, a wave of scandals that has been so damaging to the standing of this administration that even The New York Times today carries the headline on its front page: "An Onset of Woes Raises Questions on Obama Vision" . When even the usually subservient inflight newspaper of Air Force One has doubts over the job the president is doing you know the situation is really desperate for The White House. George F. Will, one of America's most influential political commentators, and a columnist for The Washington Post, believes there are "echoes of Watergate" in both the IRS and Benghazi scandals. As Will wrote earlier this week: The burglary occurred in 1972, the climax came in 1974, but40 years ago this week - May 17, 1973 - the Senate Watergate hearings began exploring the nature of Richard Nixon's administration. Now the nature of Barack Obama's administration is being clarified as revelations about IRS targeting of conservative groups merge with myriad Benghazi mendacities. Will doesn't go as far as saying that Barack Obama will suffer the same fate as Nixon. After all, Obama benefits from a Senate controlled by the Democrats. But there is no denying the parallels between the sense of impunity in this White House and that of Richard Nixon's four decades ago. In fact it's considerably worse on many fronts. Political analyst Michael Barone warned back in October 2008 of what he called "The Coming Liberal Thugocracy," referring to then Senator Obama's call for his supporters "to get in their face" when confronting Republicans and Independents. Barone argued at the time that "Obama supporters who found the campuses congenial and Mr. Obama himself, who has chosen to live all his adult life in university communities, seem to find it entirely natural to suppress speech they don't like and seem utterly oblivious to claims this violates the letter and spirit of the First Amendment." Barone's predictions have been proved correct. As I've noted in previous pieces, this is a nasty, brutish, imperial-style presidency that is highly intolerant of dissent, and which goes out of its way to target political opponents. It is ironic that one of the journalists threatened by the Obama White House in recent months has been Bob Woodward, one of two Washington Post reporters who originally broke the Watergate scandal, and who was immortalised in the 1976 Oscar winner All The President's Men , where he was played by Robert Redford. Woodward was warned back in February by White House economic adviser Gene Sperling that he would "regret" remarks he made on the sequester issue. Other writers, including Bill Clinton's former special counsel Lanny Davis, have faced similar threats. Is it any surprise that conservative groups have been targeted en masse by the federal government following the kind of deeply unpleasant rhetoric used by Vice President Joe Biden, who supported the charge by Democrat Congressman Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania that Tea Party Republicans had "acted like terrorists" over the debt issue? Biden has been a master of this kind of divisive, heated language, telling union members at an AFL-CIO rally in Detroit in September 2011 that "you are the only folks keeping the barbarians from the gates." At the same rally, Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa declared : "President Obama, this is your army, and we are ready to march. Everybody here's got a vote. If we go back, and we keep the eye on the prize, let's take these son of a bitches out and give America back to America where we belong." Needless to say, President Obama remained silent on both the Biden and Hoffa remarks, and in the following year called on his supporters to take "revenge" against Republicans at the ballot box. This week, thanks to unprecedented levels of Congressional and mainstream media scrutiny of the actions of the Obama administration, the American people have been given a powerful insight into the way in which this presidency has operated. For far too long, the Obama administration has acted like an imperial court rather than a government that is accountable to the nation. The White House's culture of arrogance and impunity, coupled with a deeply unpleasant vindictiveness, is increasingly there for all to see. Suppression of political dissent, a callous disregard for the loss of American life in Benghazi, and the relentless rise of big government - these will be three of the most of enduring images of Barack Obama's imperial presidency. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100216779/why-barack-obamas-imperial-presidency-is-imploding/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cfa_1368726435 Detroit Iron Why Barack Obama's <span class="highlight">imperial</span> presidency is imploding Obama, Eric Holder, George F. Will, Michael Barone, New York Times, Richard Nixon, Washington Post, Watergate Mon, 20 May 2013 02:25:53 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b12_1369030637 jason16 Remarks by Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto on Japan's wartime military sex slave system have once again raised serious questions about his nationalistic views and his understanding of human rights. Hashimoto claimed that the sex slave system was necessary to maintain discipline in the Imperial Japanese armed forces and stressed that there was no proof that the Japanese state kidnapped women and forced them to become sex slaves. This statement flies in the face of the indisputable fact that the most fundamental human rights of tens of thousands of Asian women were violated by the Japanese military. His "logic" is that frontline soldiers and young servicemen stationed abroad need women's sexual services for rest and relaxation so discipline can be maintained. He clearly believes that the war effort justified the subjugation of women as sex slaves. This view of women being first and foremost sex objects for men not only rubs salt in the wounds of former sex slaves but is an insult to the dignity of all women. Japan should realize that their nationalistic agenda and moves to weaken constitutional democracy will only serve to undermine international trust in Japan and inflame regional tensions. (http://japandailypress.com/osaka-mayor-toru-hashimoto-defends-statements-blames-media-for-misreporting-2029119) http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b12_1369030637 jason16 Hashimoto's unacceptable words world news Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:13:21 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=52d_1366967840 vilemonkey Alex Jones Says Imperial Probe Droids Are Real http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=52d_1366967840 vilemonkey Alex Jones Says <span class="highlight">Imperial</span> Probe Droids Are Real conspiracy, tinfoil hat, 9/11, truther, crazy, lunatic, retard, paranoid, idiot, hyperbole, exaggerate, delusion Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:04:05 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4bf_1367204219 Khary Johnson Polaris RZR in Glamis http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4bf_1367204219 Khary Johnson Riding thecrap out of the Polaris RZR in Glamis rzr, polaris, sxs, UTV, Glamis, imperial sand dunes Tue, 14 May 2013 07:08:30 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=130_1368529409 Detroit Iron By MALCOLM FOSTER TOKYO - An outspoken nationalist mayor said the Japanese military's forced prostitution of Asian women before and during World War II was necessary to "maintain discipline" in the ranks and provide rest for soldiers who risked their lives in battle. The comments made Monday are already raising ire in neighboring countries that bore the brunt of Japan's wartime aggression and have long complained that Japan has failed to fully atone for wartime atrocities. Toru Hashimoto, the young, brash mayor of Osaka who is also co-leader of an emerging conservative political party, told reporters that there wasn't clear evidence that the Japanese military coerced women to become what are euphemistically called "comfort women." "To maintain discipline in the military, it must have been necessary at that time," Hashimoto said. "For soldiers who risked their lives in circumstances where bullets are flying around like rain and wind, if you want them to get some rest, a comfort women system was necessary. That's clear to anyone." Historians say up to 200,000 women, mainly from the Korean Peninsula and China, were forced to provide sex for Japanese soldiers in military brothels. China's Foreign Ministry criticized the mayor's comments and saw them as further evidence of a rightward drift in Japanese politics under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "We are appalled and indignant about the Japanese politician's comments boldly challenging humanity and historical justice," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily media briefing. "The way they treat the past will determine the way Japan walks toward the future. On what choice Japan will make, the Asian neighbors and the international community will wait and see." Asked about a photo of Abe in a fighter jet with the number 731 - the number of a notorious, secret Japanese unit that performed chemical and biological experiments on Chinese in World War II - Hong again urged Japan not to whitewash history so as to improve relations with countries that suffered under Japanese occupation. "There is a mountain of definitive iron-hard evidence for the crimes they committed in the Second World War. We hope Japan will face and contemplate their history of aggression and treat it correctly," Hong said. Abe posed, thumbs up, in the aircraft during a weekend visit to northeastern Japan. South Korea's Foreign Ministry expressed disappointment over what it called a senior Japanese official's serious lack of historical understanding and respect for women's rights. It asked Japan's leaders to reflect on their country's imperial past, including grave human rights violations, and correct anachronistic historical views. Hashimoto's comments came amid criticism of Abe's earlier pledges to revise Japan's past apologies for wartime atrocities. Before he took office in December, Abe had advocated revising a 1993 statement by then Prime Minister Yohei Kono acknowledging and expressing remorse for the suffering caused to the sexual slaves of Japanese troops. Abe has acknowledged "comfort women" existed but has denied they were coerced into prostitution, citing a lack of official evidence. Recently, top officials in Abe's government have appeared to backpedal on suggestions the government might revise those apologies, apparently hoping to ease tensions with South Korea and China and address U.S. concerns about Abe's nationalist agenda. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga repeated the previous government position and said that those women went through unbearable pain. "The stance of the Japanese government on the comfort women issue is well known. They have suffered unspeakably painful experiences. The Abe Cabinet has the same sentiments as past Cabinets," he said. Education Minister Hakubun Shimomura said Hashimoto's remark was unhelpful given the criticism Japan faces from neighboring countries and the U.S. over its interpretation of history. "A series of remarks related to our interpretation of (wartime) history have been already misunderstood. In that sense, Mr. Hashimoto's remark came at a bad time," Shimomura told reporters. "I wonder if there is any positive meaning to intentionally make such remarks at this particular moment." Hashimoto, 43, is co-head of the newly formed Japan Restoration Party with former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, who is a strident nationalist. Sakihito Ozawa, the party's parliamentary affairs chairman, said he believed Hashimoto's remarks reflected his personal view, but he expressed concerns about possible repercussions. "We should ask his real intentions and stop this at some point," he said. http://news.yahoo.com/japanese-mayor-wartime-sex-slaves-were-necessary-042050746.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=130_1368529409 Detroit Iron Japanese mayor: Wartime sex slaves were necessary Toru Hashimoto Tue, 14 May 2013 02:26:12 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e80_1368512699 jason16 In their search for justice that has endured for decades, the biggest challenge Nazi hunters face is time. The knowledge that war criminals are escaping prosecution through death by natural causes means their task has never been more pressing. German state police arrested a 93-year-old man accused of being a guard at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Hans Lipschis is the first suspect to be facing charges as part of a drive launched earlier this year to track down 50 suspected Auschwitz guards who are believed to be living in Germany. Most of those involved in the murder of about 6 million Jews in the Holocaust and still alive will now be in their 90s, a ripe old age for people who carried out one the most heinous crimes in the history of humanity. This is very different from Japan. Japan is restoring the use of the Rising Sun Flag, a symbolism of invasions by Imperial Japanese Army. This is basically the equivalent of Germans using the Nazi Germany Flag. This is proof that Japan still craves the desire for the failed Japanese imperialism. It's almost as if Japan is reenact the past invasions anytime soon. We can see Japan's fascism from their arguments that Korea's Dokdo is Japanese territory. ( http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/08/world/alleged-auschwitz-guard-93-held/#.UZGVJbWeN5Y ) http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e80_1368512699 jason16 Difference between Germany and Japan. world news Mon, 13 May 2013 14:47:12 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=737_1368470666 KedarPL By Stephen Lendman ( Global Research ) http://www.globalresearch.ca/americas-war-on-syria-another-anti-assad-false-flag/5334919 Since early 2011, Obama's been waging proxy war on Syria. Imported death squads masquerade as freedom fighters. The scheme's familiar. It repeats. It reflects US imperialism's dark side. In the 1980s, CIA-recruited Mujahideen fighters battled Afghanistan's Soviet occupiers. Ronald Reagan called them "the moral equivalent of our founding fathers." He characterized Contra killers the same way. Naked aggression is called humanitarian intervention. New wars follow earlier ones. Ravaging humanity is called liberation. Propaganda convinces people that America is threatened. Truth is turned on its head. Syria is Washington's latest target. Plans haven't gone as expected. Ousting another government was supposed to be easy. US-enlisted terrorists are no match against Syria's military superiority. Implementing Plan B looms. It could come any time. Obama's heading toward full-scale intervention. Pretexts are easy to create. Assad's been falsely blamed for numerous insurgent massacres. Evidence showed he had nothing to do with them. More recently, he was unjustifiably accused of using chemical weapons. Insurgents used them several times. A previous article said Pentagon contractors trained them in their use. This is how imperial America operates. Another previous article discussed a US-hatched scheme. It cited a no longer available UK Daily Mail article, saying: "Leaked emails have allegedly proved that the White House gave the green light to a chemical weapons attack in Syria that could be blamed on Assad's regime and in turn, spur international military action in the devastated country." "A report released on Monday contains an email exchange between two senior officials at British-based contractor Britam Defence where a scheme 'approved by Washington' is outlined explaining that Qatar would fund rebel forces in Syria to use chemical weapons." "Barack Obama made it clear to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad last month that the US would not tolerate Syria using chemical weapons against its own people." On Saturday, two car bombs exploded outside Reyhanli, Turkey's city hall. Prime Minister Erdogan's heading for Washington later this week. It wasn't coincidental that bombings killed and injured Turkish citizens days before his arrival. It's red meat for him and Obama to discuss. Reyhanli's close to Syria's border. It's a hub for Syrian refugees and anti-Assad insurgents. Dozens were killed. Many more were injured. Buildings were destroyed. Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said: "We know that the Syrian refugees have become a target of the Syrian regime. Reyhanli was not chosen by coincidence." "Our thoughts are that their Mukhabarat (Syrian intelligence) and armed organizations are the usual suspects in planning and the carrying out of such devilish plans," he added. Turkey will "do whatever is necessary" if Syria ordered the attack. Hurriyet Daily News said: "Officials confirm(ed) link with Syrian intelligence." Interior Minister Muammer Guler and Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay were cited. Atalay said: "We have to a great extent completed our work toward identifying the assailants." How and what evidence corroborates it within hours of the attack he didn't explain. Legitimate forensic and other information gathering requires considerable time and analysis. A rush to judgment raises obvious questions. Reports said Turkey began deploying large numbers of air and ground forces to Reyhanli. What follows remains to be seen. In mid-February, a car bomb struck the Cilvegozu Turkish/Syrian border crossing. At least eight died. Around 30 others were wounded. Anti-Assad elements blamed Syria. No evidence proved it. Turkey and Western allies blame "the usual suspects." It happens every time. Following Saturday's bombings, a State Department press release said: "The United States condemns today's car bombings and we stand with our ally, Turkey." "This awful news strikes an especially personal note for all of us given how closely we work in partnership with Turkey, and how many times Turkey's been a vital interlocutor at the center of my work as Secretary of State these last three months." "Our thoughts are with the wounded and we extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims." The glaring hypocrisy requires no comment. NATO Secretary-General Fogh Rasmussen and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius expressed "full solidarity" with Turkey. Washington's Ankara embassy condemned the "murderous attack." A statement said America "stands with the people and government of Turkey to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice." It left no ambiguity who'll be blamed. The anti-Assad Syrian National Coalition suggested Assad's involvement. A statement said: "The Coalition sees these heinous terrorist acts as an attempt to take revenge on the Turkish people and punish them for their honorable support for the Syrian people, including their welcoming of Syrian refugees who have fled the regime's crimes in their villages and cities." "The Coalition views this attack as a desperate and failed attempt to sow discord between the two peoples." Lebanon's Daily Star published an AP report. It said Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi denied Damascus' involvement in Saturday's bombings. "(N)o one has the right to make false accusations," he said. (T)his is not the behavior of the Syrian government." "The Turkish government should be held responsible for what happened. It turned the border area into a center for international terrorism." Erdogan "must step down. He must not build his glory on the blood of Turks and Syrians." Assad has no death wish. It's inconceivable that he or other Syrian officials ordered the attack. Doing so would be madness. Syria's fully involved internally. It's gone to great pains to avoid direct foreign intervention. Attacking a neighboring country would invite it. Responsibility lies with anti-Assad elements. Perhaps Ankara planned and implemented the attack. Last October, an alleged Syrian mortar attack killed five Turkish nationals. Yurt is a Turkish newspaper. At the time, it said Prime Minister Erdogan acted on Washington's behalf. His government supplied Free Syrian Army (FSA) elements with mortars. The "bomber" used to launch them "is only used by NATO." They were fired from FSA-controlled territory. False flags are commonly used. Washington prioritizes them. Turkey's complicit in plans to topple Assad. Years earlier, Turkey's military hatched a plan to bomb internal mosques, down one of its own warplanes, blame Greece, and destabilize the newly-installed Islamist government. America has a long history of false flags. So do other NATO allies and Israel. On Saturday, Lebanon's Al-Manar television said five rockets fired from inside Syria struck Lebanese territory. They "landed in open areas of the Northern Beqaa region of Hermel. No casualties have been reported." "This was not the first time (anti-Assad) militiamen rockets passed Lebanon's northern borders to target residential areas." Expect more incidents falsely blamed on Assad. Perhaps something major is planned. Doing so builds a case for war. It's happening in plain sight. On May 12, Haaretz headlined "Turkey blames Syria for deadly twin blasts; Damascus rejects 'false accusations.' " Nine arrests were made. They're Turkish citizens. Ankara claims they're Assad loyalists. Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blamed them for an early May attack. Dozens died in Banias, Syria. Davutoglu blamed Syria for both incidents. It's clear where these accusations are heading. Washington's orchestrating everything. Turkey is its lead attack dog. It's part of Obama's scheme to topple Assad. Libya 2.0 looms. A Final Comment Conflicting reports on whether Russia plans selling Syria sophisticated air defense systems surfaced. Washington and Israel expressed concern. Kerry discussed it in Moscow. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied intentions to do so. S-300 launch systems and others were mentioned. Lavrov added that Russia and Syria have weapons deals yet to be completed. Vladimir Putin said existing contracts will be honored. He and others added that weapons supplied are defensive. Netanyahu's going to Moscow. He plans doing so soon. He'll urge Putin against supplying Syria with launch systems able to take out invading aircraft. He's doing so in the context of Israel's recent attacks. Lebanon's Daily Star suggested they were launched from inside Lebanese territory. On May 11, Mossad-connected DEBKAfile (DF) headlined "Netanyahu to visit Putin in a bid to stop his S-300 missile sale to Syria." It's a "last-ditched attempt" to call it off. DF claims doing so is "extremely slim." "After Israel's (May 4 and 5 air strikes), nothing would now stop the S-300 deliveries." Putin is "placing a severe constraint on Israel's operational freedom by spreading an anti-air missile cover over the Syrian, Hizballah and the Iranian Basij forces fighting for Bashar Assad." "Since the chances of dissuading Putin to abandon this strategy are just about nil, the best Netanyahu can hope for by his face-to-face with the Russian president is a limited accord on ground rules for averting an Israeli-Russian military clash in Syria." Whether this suggests Russia will back Syria if US-led NATO intervenes remains to be seen. It's in Moscow's interest to prevent replacing its government a pro-Western one subservient to Washington. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=737_1368470666 KedarPL America's War on Syria: Another Anti-Assad False Flag? assad,syria,saa,war,fsa,rebels,west,usa,imperialism,battle,israel,middle east,bashar al assad,arab Sat, 11 May 2013 13:11:20 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ae6_1368290881 Marcux By David Barret I never met Malcolm Shabazz, the outspoken activist whose grandfather, Malcolm X, was the most influential African-American of the 20th century. Now I will never meet him. According to reports, Malcolm Shabazz was recently murdered in Mexico. I had been hoping to get to know Malcolm Shabazz at last February's Hollywoodism Conference in Tehran. But the US National Security State had other ideas. While trying to catch his flight to Tehran, Malcolm was arrested by the FBI. No explanation for the arrest was ever provided. Why did US authorities prevent Malcolm from traveling to Iran? The arrest was almost certainly politically-motivated. Malcolm Shabazz's presence at the Hollywoodism Conference would have brought the event invaluable publicity - especially in the black community and among Muslims, anti-Zionists, and anti-imperialists worldwide. And that publicity would have fueled Malcolm's impending rise to superstar-dissident status. Make no mistake: Malcolm Shabazz, like his grandfather, posed a serious, "actionable" long-term threat to the powers-that-be. Malcolm had converted to Shi'a Islam and become a spokesman for the "axis of resistance" - not just anti-Zionist forces in the Middle East, but anti-empire forces around the world. Like his grandfather, he had had some brushes with the law when he was young. And like his grandfather, he was on the road to putting his past behind him and becoming a charismatic spokesman for the world's dispossessed. I do not know whether the usual suspects - the "asteroids" who assassinate the enemies of empire on behalf of the CIA, the World Bank, and related entities, according to author John Perkins - killed Malcolm Shabazz. But I am 100% certain that they were thinking about it. How can I be so sure? I have been studying these assassinations for many years. My conclusion is that the empire's assassins profile their potential enemies, and decide which ones present an "actionable threat." Charismatic leaders with access to the media are among the most actionable threats. President John F. Kennedy was murdered because he was so charismatic and media-savvy that he was capable of pushing through policies that the guardians of empire deemed unacceptable: Nuclear disarmament, rapprochement with Cuba, d'etente with Russia, withdrawal from Vietnam, a new deal for the Third World. This story has been beautifully told by James Douglass, one of America's leading peace activists, in his book JFK and the Unspeakable. JFK's brother Robert Kennedy also presented an actionable threat to the powers-that-be. RFK would have been elected president in 1968 had he not been gunned down by CIA assassins. Robert wanted to be president, so he could prosecute his brother's murderers and continue his brother's policies. But the "asteroids" - and their bankster masters - had other ideas. Martin Luther King was also an "actionable threat." MLK had turned against the Vietnam War and the whole military-industrial complex, even as the FBI was trying to drive him crazy and make him commit suicide. Far from committing suicide, MLK was planning to lead a half-million people to occupy Washington DC and stay there until the war and poverty were both ended. So - as a jury verdict legally established in 1999 - the US Army, FBI, and CIA worked together to murder Dr. King. The full story is in William Pepper's book Act of State. Other "actionable threats" in recent history include JFK Jr., who was murdered in 1999 for pursuing the killers of his father and uncle; Senator Paul Wellstone, murdered in 2003 for planning to investigate 9/11 and prevent the US from invading Iraq; and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, killed with a cancer weapon for the crime of having enough charisma to almost single-handedly lead Latin America out from under the US empire. Malcolm Shabazz's grandfather, Malcolm X, was also an "actionable threat" when the CIA orchestrated his assassination in 1965. Malcolm X was forging an anti-empire alliance consisting of Muslims and other non-Western victims of imperialism, along with poor and middle-class American whites and blacks...the same alliance Dr. King was assembling when he was killed three years later. And now, Malcolm Shabazz - who was forging an updated version of the same anti-empire alliance - is murdered in Mexico. Coincidence? Maybe. But look at it from the point of view of his likely murderers. From their perspective, Malcolm Shabazz seemed to be following in his grandfather's footsteps. If they waited much longer to kill him, and let him establish his growing reputation as a respected activist, it would be a lot harder to stage an assassination and then spread the media propaganda line, based on the ancient history of his alleged teenage misdeeds, that he was "just a thug." If they waited until his book was finished and published, killing him would look suspicious...and sell his book. And if they waited until he got as famous and influential as his grandfather, they might have wound up with a major problem on their hands. So, apparently, they decided to take pre-emptive action. Kill him while he's only a decade or so past his "troubled" phase. Do it in a way that reinforces the "troubled young man with a criminal history" Operation Mockingbird mantra. Spread that mantra through all of the controlled-media outlets. Whatever happened to Malcolm Shabazz, it is abundantly obvious that the intelligence agency assets infiltrating US mainstream media are conducting a scripted posthumous character-assassination designed to obscure Malcolm's role as an up-and-coming activist and long-term threat to the Empire. If you search the CIA-Mossad-linked Google for "Malcolm Shabazz," the first result is a story published by the CIA propaganda front, the Huffington Post. The story is a smear designed to drag Malcolm's name through the mud. Huffington Post: "In his youth, he set a fire that caused the death of his grandmother." Reality: Malcolm Shabazz denied having set that fire as a child; he was forced to plead guilty in the same way that virtually all defendants, especially African-American ones, are forced to plead guilty in plea bargains to avoid facing long prison terms for crimes they may or may not have committed. Huffington Post: "Shabazz continued to have trouble with the law throughout his life." Reality: His last conviction was in 2002, more than a decade ago; the only "trouble" the character-assassins could find since then was an arrest, with no conviction, meaning he was and remains legally innocent. In other words, he was legally deemed innocent of allegedly "punching a hole in a store window" in 2006 (seven years ago!) In the USA, where Obama's presidency has not decriminalized "Driving While Black," practically all young black men have "trouble with the law." Actually, it isn't that they have trouble with the law. It's that the law has trouble with them. Being young, black, and male means being guilty until proven innocent. The imperial propagandists at the New York Times, Huffington Post, and similar outlets are working overtime smearing Malcolm Shabazz. This apparently pre-orchestrated smear smells like an intelligence operation. It is strong circumstantial evidence that Malcolm Shabazz was yet another political assassination victim. Malcolm Shabazz's real "crime," like that of his famous grandfather, was joining the axis of resistance, standing up to Zionism and the US empire, and speaking the truth. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ae6_1368290881 Marcux Did CIA kill Malcolm X's grandson? Did CIA kill Malcolm X's grandson? Sat, 11 May 2013 10:19:18 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=aed_1368281820 omniradar Did CIA kill Malcolm X's grandson? 13 By Dr. Kevin BarrettMalcolm Shabazz had converted to Shi'a Islam and become a spokesman for the "axis of resistance" - not just anti-Zionist forces in the Middle East, but anti-empire forces around the world. I never met Malcolm Shabazz, the outspoken activist whose grandfather, Malcolm X, was the most influential African-American of the 20th century. Now I will never meet him. According to reports, Malcolm Shabazz was recently murdered in Mexico. I had been hoping to get to know Malcolm Shabazz at last February's Hollywoodism Conference in Tehran. But the US National Security State had other ideas. While trying to catch his flight to Tehran, Malcolm was arrested by the FBI. No explanation for the arrest was ever provided. Why did US authorities prevent Malcolm from traveling to Iran? The arrest was almost certainly politically-motivated. Malcolm Shabazz's presence at the Hollywoodism Conference would have brought the event invaluable publicity - especially in the black community and among Muslims, anti-Zionists, and anti-imperialists worldwide. And that publicity would have fueled Malcolm's impending rise to superstar-dissident status. Make no mistake: Malcolm Shabazz, like his grandfather, posed a serious, "actionable" long-term threat to the powers-that-be. Malcolm had converted to Shi'a Islam and become a spokesman for the "axis of resistance" - not just anti-Zionist forces in the Middle East, but anti-empire forces around the world. Like his grandfather, he had had some brushes with the law when he was young. And like his grandfather, he was on the road to putting his past behind him and becoming a charismatic spokesman for the world's dispossessed. I do not know whether the usual suspects - the "asteroids" who assassinate the enemies of empire on behalf of the CIA, the World Bank, and related entities, according to author John Perkins - killed Malcolm Shabazz. But I am 100% certain that they were thinking about it. How can I be so sure? I have been studying these assassinations for many years. My conclusion is that the empire's assassins profile their potential enemies, and decide which ones present an "actionable threat." Charismatic leaders with access to the media are among the most actionable threats. President John F. Kennedy was murdered because he was so charismatic and media-savvy that he was capable of pushing through policies that the guardians of empire deemed unacceptable: Nuclear disarmament, rapprochement with Cuba, d'etente with Russia, withdrawal from Vietnam, a new deal for the Third World. This story has been beautifully told by James Douglass, one of America's leading peace activists, in his book JFK and the Unspeakable. JFK's brother Robert Kennedy also presented an actionable threat to the powers-that-be. RFK would have been elected president in 1968 had he not been gunned down by CIA assassins. Robert wanted to be president, so he could prosecute his brother's murderers and continue his brother's policies. But the "asteroids" - and their bankster masters - had other ideas. Martin Luther King was also an "actionable threat." MLK had turned against the Vietnam War and the whole military-industrial complex, even as the FBI was trying to drive him crazy and make him commit suicide. Far from committing suicide, MLK was planning to lead a half-million people to occupy Washington DC and stay there until the war and poverty were both ended. So - as a jury verdict legally established in 1999 - the US Army, FBI, and CIA worked together to murder Dr. King. The full story is in William Pepper's book Act of State. Other "actionable threats" in recent history include JFK Jr., who was murdered in 1999 for pursuing the killers of his father and uncle; Senator Paul Wellstone, murdered in 2003 for planning to investigate 9/11 and prevent the US from invading Iraq; and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, killed with a cancer weapon for the crime of having enough charisma to almost single-handedly lead Latin America out from under the US empire. Malcolm Shabazz's grandfather, Malcolm X, was also an "actionable threat" when the CIA orchestrated his assassination in 1965. Malcolm X was forging an anti-empire alliance consisting of Muslims and other non-Western victims of imperialism, along with poor and middle-class American whites and blacks...the same alliance Dr. King was assembling when he was killed three years later. And now, Malcolm Shabazz - who was forging an updated version of the same anti-empire alliance - is murdered in Mexico. Coincidence? Maybe. But look at it from the point of view of his likely murderers. From their perspective, Malcolm Shabazz seemed to be following in his grandfather's footsteps. If they waited much longer to kill him, and let him establish his growing reputation as a respected activist, it would be a lot harder to stage an assassination and then spread the media propaganda line, based on the ancient history of his alleged teenage misdeeds, that he was "just a thug." If they waited until his book was finished and published, killing him would look suspicious...and sell his book. And if they waited until he got as famous and influential as his grandfather, they might have wound up with a major problem on their hands. So, apparently, they decided to take pre-emptive action. Kill him while he's only a decade or so past his "troubled" phase. Do it in a way that reinforces the "troubled young man with a criminal history" Operation Mockingbird mantra. Spread that mantra through all of the controlled-media outlets. Whatever happened to Malcolm Shabazz, it is abundantly obvious that the intelligence agency assets infiltrating US mainstream media are conducting a scripted posthumous character-assassination designed to obscure Malcolm's role as an up-and-coming activist and long-term threat to the Empire. If you search the CIA-Mossad-linked Google for "Malcolm Shabazz," the first result is a story published by the CIA propaganda front, the Huffington Post. The story is a smear designed to drag Malcolm's name through the mud. Huffington Post: "In his youth, he set a fire that caused the death of his grandmother." Reality: Malcolm Shabazz denied having set that fire as a child; he was forced to plead guilty in the same way that virtually all defendants, especially African-American ones, are forced to plead guilty in plea bargains to avoid facing long prison terms for crimes they may or may not have committed. Huffington Post: "Shabazz continued to have trouble with the law throughout his life." Reality: His last conviction was in 2002, more than a decade ago; the only "trouble" the character-assassins could find since then was an arrest, with no conviction, meaning he was and remains legally innocent. In other words, he was legally deemed innocent of allegedly "punching a hole in a store window" in 2006 (seven years ago!) In the USA, where Obama's presidency has not decriminalized "Driving While Black," practically all young black men have "trouble with the law." Actually, it isn't that they have trouble with the law. It's that the law has trouble with them. Being young, black, and male means being guilty until proven innocent. The imperial propagandists at the New York Times, Huffington Post, and similar outlets are working overtime smearing Malcolm Shabazz. This apparently pre-orchestrated smear smells like an intelligence operation. It is strong circumstantial evidence that Malcolm Shabazz was yet another political assassination victim. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=aed_1368281820 omniradar Did CIA kill Malcolm X's grandson? C.I.A Fri, 10 May 2013 16:17:25 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6a9_1368216584 Setright By Thomas Gaist Global Research, May 10, 2013 World Socialist Web Site Region: Middle East &amp; North Africa Theme: US NATO War Agenda In-depth Report: SYRIA: NATO'S NEXT WAR? Calls for a war with Syria mounted yesterday, despite mass popular opposition to war in the United States, amid reports that US-backed Islamist opposition forces fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have suffered serious reverses. Speaking on NBC News yesterday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressed for Washington to take military action against Syria. He repeated unsubstantiated allegations that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons, which have been refuted by UN investigator Carla del Ponte , claiming, "It is clear the regime has used chemical weapons and missiles." Claiming that a "red line" had been crossed, he said: "We want the United States to assume more responsibilities and take further steps . And what sort of steps they will take, we are going to talk about this." Erdogan dismissed out of hand reports that chemical weapons used in Syria were in fact used by the US-backed opposition. He stressed that his government would support US imposition of a "no-fly zone" in Syria, which would involve destroying Syrian air defenses and shooting down any Syrian aircraft that took to the skies. Erdogan's calls for military action were echoed across the American press. The Washington Post 's editorial board called for "an air campaign as well as arms for the moderate opposition" aimed to "quickly tip the military balance against the Assad regime." Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens proposed a long list of attacks against Assad, including sending in US ground forces: "disable the runways of Syrian air bases, including the international airport in Damascus...use naval assets to impose a no-fly zone over western Syria...supply the Free Syrian Army with heavy military equipment, including armored personnel carriers and light tanks; and be prepared to seize and remove Syria's chemical weapons stockpile, even if it means putting boots (temporarily) on the ground." The calls for war come amid reports of major setbacks in Syria for the US-backed opposition , reflecting its small size and lack of popular support , and growing military assistance from Russia, Iran, and Lebanon for the Assad regime. After two months of heavy bombardment, government forces have retaken the strategic town of Khirbet Ghazaleh from the "rebels," re-opening government transport routes to Deraa, the city where initial opposition protests began two years ago. Opposition leaders acknowledged it as a major setback. "Tomorrow, the big tragedy will happen, the regime's supply route to Deraa will reopen, and the officers will go back and ammunition will be resupplied and the bombardment will resume," said Abu Yacoub, commander of the Martyrs of Khirbet Ghazaleh brigade. Yesterday, BBC Middle East bureau chief Paul Danahar wrote that the Free Syrian Army (FSA) amounts to little more than "men with guns," united only by the fact that they "point their guns in the same direction." He said the FSA is not a "cohesive force" and lacks a "command structure." A Jerusalem Post article of May 3rd entitled "Is Assad Winning in Syria?" describes the defeat of opposition militias around Qusayr by Hezbollah forces, as well as the capture of Otaiba by Assad's forces last week, indicating the growing strength of Assad vis-`a-vis the US proxy forces. According to the article, "morale among supporters of the regime has improved markedly in recent weeks." It concluded, "Assad shows no signs of cracking." Under these conditions, Assad's allies are stepping up military deliveries to Damascus. The Russian government has announced plans to sell S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Syria, in a $900 million deal that would substantially bolster the Syrian regime's capacity to defend itself against US and Israeli airstrikes. Secretary of State John Kerry criticized the sale as "destabilizing," and the Israeli government appealed to Russia to halt the transaction. Syria's purchase comes in after Israeli air strikes that used long-range "stand-off" missiles to attack Damascus from beyond the Syrian border. On Thursday, Iran vowed to respond to the Israeli raids with "blows under the belt in several locations." Iran's envoy to Syria, Ali Akbar Salehi, promised "full and unlimited support from Iran, politically, militarily, and economically, to the Syrian leadership and people, against the takfiris , terrorists, Israel, the US, and all who dare attack this country." Also on Thursday, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah announced that Syria would supply his militia "special weapons it never had before," calling the decision "game-changing." The weapons are apparently being transferred as a response to Israel's air strikes on Damascus. "This is the Syrian strategic reaction," he explained. These deliveries highlight the broad regional implications of the proxy war Washington has waged against the Assad regime, relying primarily on Islamist forces tied to Al Qaeda, and the risk of a US war in Syria escalating into a regional or even global conflict. There is broad opposition in the working class to the US drive to war in Syria overseen by President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party. A recent poll pegged popular opposition to war at 62 percent of the US population. The conflict has already taken a horrific toll on the Syrian people. Over the past several months, the number of Syrians displaced from their homes by the war has increased from 2 million to 4.25 million. A total of 6.8 million Syrians, including 3.1 million children, are classified as "in dire need of humanitarian assistance" by the UN's Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Jordanian officials have stated that Syrian refugees now make up 10 percent of Jordan's total population, with this figure set to explode to 40 percent by mid-2014 on current trends. The ramping up of US military operations against Syria is accompanied by diplomatic efforts to bring about a post-Assad government on terms favorable to US imperialism. Secretary of State John Kerry has sought an agreement with Russia, which would pave the way for a power-sharing arrangement. This plan also received significant endorsement in US strategic and media circles. Zbigniew Brzezinski, a prominent architect of US imperial policy, issued a strong criticism of proposed US military action against Syria, proposing instead to try to involve Russia and China in US plans to remove Assad through diplomacy. He said, "The various schemes that have been proposed for a kind of tiddlywinks intervention from around the edges of the conflict-no-fly zones, bombing Damascus and so forth-would simply make the situation worse. None of the proposals would result in an outcome strategically beneficial for the US On the contrary, they would produce a more complex, undefined slide into the worst-case scenario. The only solution is to seek Russia's and China's support for U.N.-sponsored elections in which, with luck, Assad might be 'persuaded' not to participate." Along these lines, David Ignatius of the Washington Post proposed "a military transition government" that would include "reconcilable elements of Assad's army," under the leadership of US-backed General Salim Idriss, a defector who now commands Syrian opposition forces. Effectively, US officials are hoping that, in the context of negotiations jointly organized by the Russian government, they could persuade Syrian officers to organize a coup to oust Assad, and then make a deal with the US-backed opposition. Their plan involves a new ruling coalition composed of opposition and regime elements, described by Ignatius as a "military transition government that would include reconcilable elements of Assad's army." Assad would be removed, though lower-ranking members of his government might remain. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6a9_1368216584 Setright US Prepares War with Syria as Washington backed Al Qaeda Rebels Lose Ground WORLD NEWS, MIDDLE EAST, SYRIA Fri, 10 May 2013 06:13:46 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5e4_1368179317 forbes1973 The inheritance of Abraham. A report on the 'promised land' May 2013 May Introduction Ten years ago the General Assembly received the report Theology of Land and Covenant, from the Board of World Mission, Church and Nation Committee and the Panel on Doctrine.1 This report concluded with encouragement for us to listen more to others, "enriched by new insights through continuing questions that need to be faced". Since 2003, two new insights have been noted by the General Assembly: in 2007, in the report What Hope for the Middle East?2 the Church of Scotland responded to a declaration from Church leaders in Jerusalem, and endorsed their criticism of Christian Zionism and encouraged members of the Church of Scotland to reject it, and in 2009 Christians in the Holy Land came together and produced Kairos Palestine: a moment of truth, offered as a word of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian Suffering3 (information at http://www.kairospalestine.ps). With the co-operation and support of the World Mission Council, we present this report in 2013 as our latest reflection on the 'questions that need to be faced', as the political and humanitarian situation in the Holy Land continues to be a source of pain and concern for us all. The Bible and the land of Israel There has been a widespread assumption by many Christians as well as many Jewish people that the Bible supports an essentially Jewish state of Israel. This raises an increasing number of difficulties and current Israeli policies regarding the Palestinians have sharpened this questioning. This assumption of biblical support is based on views of promises about land in the Hebrew Bible.4 These views are disputed. The guidance in the Bible, notably the interpretation in the New Testament, provides more help in responding to questions about land and covenant. It also provides insight (discussed later in the report) into how Christians might understand the occupation of Palestinian land by the state of Israel, threats to Middle East peace and security, human rights, and racial intolerance, especially in the forms of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. The phrase "the land of Israel" has a range of understandings amongst the three world faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The city of Jerusalem, which is a holy place for all three religions, is the most contentious religious and political issue. In general terms there have been three main ways of understanding the promises about land in the Bible: 1. A territorial guarantee 2. A land held in trust 3. A land with a universal mission. 1. A territorial guarantee This idea presents scripture as making unconditional, literal promises referring to a specific, identifiable territorial area for the Israelites. Such texts as the following have been cited to support this view: 1 The 2003 report Theology of Land and Covenant is available at http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/13230/Theology_of_Land_and_Covenant.pdf 2 The 2007 report What Hope for the Middle East is available at: http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/3776/middle_east_07.pdf 3 Information about Kairos Palestine is at http://www.kairospalestine.ps 4 The Hebrew Bible corresponds with the Christian Old Testament. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5e4_1368179317 forbes1973 Church of Scotland upsets Jews (Who doesn't?) with report which questioned the divine right of Jews to the land of Israel. Jewish, Church of Scotland, Israel, Criticism of Israel is not Antisemitism. Wed, 08 May 2013 07:14:49 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=728_1368011332 Detroit Iron By Bloomberg News - May 8, 2013 5:38 AM ET China refused to confirm that Okinawa belongs to Japan after two Chinese scholars suggested re- examining the ownership of the archipelago that includes the island, adding to tensions over a separate territorial dispute. Agreements between allied forces during World War II mean the ownership of the may be in question, the researchers said in a commentary in the People's Daily, the Communist Party's main newspaper. Asked if China considers Okinawa part of Japan, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said scholars have long studied the history of the Ryukyus and Okinawa. "It may be time to revisit the unresolved historical issue of the Ryukyu Islands," Zhang Haipeng and Li Guoqiang of the China Academy of Social Sciences wrote in the commentary. A move to reconsider ownership of the Ryukyus would add to strains as China and Japan assert their claims over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. The Japanese government's decision last year to purchase those islands, called Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese, sparked protests across China and harmed a $340 billion annual trade relationship that has yet to recover. Tensions were compounded last month after Japanese lawmakers visited a Tokyo shrine where war criminals are honored along with other war dead and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to protect the East China Sea islands by force. The Ryukyu Islands are home to about 1.5 million people. Upping Ante"The fact that this view is carried by the People's Daily signals that Beijing may be upping the ante," Willy Wo-Lap Lam, an adjunct professor of history at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, wrote in an e-mail. "This is psychological warfare and a classic Chinese negotiation tactic -- trying to intimidate the opponent by raising the stakes." Okinawa, the largest island in the Ryukyu chain, hosts U.S. military installations including Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. The scholars' comments came in an article about China's claim to the Diaoyu Islands. In comments to the Japanese parliament today, Abe said leaders must have a cautious discussion about whether it's right that Japan, whose army is limited to defensive action, should always have to ask the U.S. to "attack someone who is threatening to attack us," as it does now. He said Japan should debate whether it should create a force like the U.S. Marines. Unquestionably Japan'sThe Ryukyus unquestionably belong to Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters today in Tokyo . The northernmost part of the archipelago sits 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from Japan's Kyushu Island. Speaking at a briefing in Beijing today, Hua said scholars have "long paid attention to the history of the Ryukyus and Okinawa." Asked a second time whether China considers Okinawa part of Japan, she repeated the statement. China's imports from Japan plunged 14 percent in the month following the September protests over the East China Sea islands, according to Chinese customs figures. The People's Daily article referred to the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki , signed after China was defeated by Japan in a war. The agreement ceded Taiwan and parts of the Liaodong peninsula to Japan, and China paid a fine and renounced Korea 's tributary status to China. The scholars argued that the treaty was nullified with Japan's defeat in World War II, and that this called into question Japan's claim to the Ryukyus. Global TimesIt isn't the first time Chinese commentators have questioned Japan's claim over the Ryukyus. Last July, an article in the Global Times, a newspaper owned by the People's Daily, noted their former tribute status in China's imperial period. In the nineteenth century, the Ryukyu Kingdom paid tribute to China and Japan before being annexed by Japan in 1879. The scholars writing today aren't necessarily saying that the Ryukyus belong to China, according to Taylor Fravel, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies China's territorial claims. They are raising the possibility that Japan's ownership could be disputed because the tribute history, he said. "These are perhaps the most serious scholars to date to make this insinuation," Fravel said. To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Forsythe in Beijing at mforsythe@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Rosalind Mathieson at rmathieson3@bloomberg.net http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-08/china-scholars-say-okinawa-s-ownership-may-be-in-question-1-.html?cmpid=yhoo http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=728_1368011332 Detroit Iron China Refuses to Confirm Okinawa Island Belongs to Japanese Ryukyu Islands