NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT
"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams
The CIA, Islamist NATO member Turkey and Islamist Saudi Arabia have been, and still are, shoveling mountains of weapons into Middle Eastern rebel groups.
Everyone is getting weapons EXCEPT the pro-American Kurds.
We are ruled over by mad men looking to start WWIII.
(Albawaba News) - Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh reports that the administration of President Barack Obama, in particular the CIA, has knowingly armed militant Islamists in Syria, including the Islamic State [Daeh]. "Barack Obama's repeated insistence that Bashar al-Assad must leave office -- and that there are 'moderate' rebel groups in Syria capable of defeating him -- has in recent years provoked quiet dissent, and even overt opposition, among some of the most senior officers on the Pentagon's Joint Staff," Hersh writes in the London Review of Books. "Their criticism has focused on what they see as the administration's fixation on Assad's primary ally, Vladimir Putin. In their view, Obama is captive to Cold War thinking about Russia and China, and hasn't adjusted his stance on Syria to the fact both countries share Washington's anxiety about the spread of terrorism in and beyond Syria; like Washington, they believe that Islamic State must be stopped." Hersh writes that a highly classified 2013 Defense Intelligence Agency/Joint Chiefs of Staff report on Syria forecast that the fall of the Assad regime would lead to "chaos" and possibly to Islamist extremists taking over Syria. Hersh reports that Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, director of the DIA between 2012 and 2014, told him that his agency sent a "constant stream" of warnings to the "civilian leadership" about the dire consequences of ousting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Sy Hersh rips into Obama
The DIA's reporting "got enormous pushback" from the Obama administration, Hersh quotes Flynn as saying. "I felt that they did not want to hear the truth." Hersh writes that the adviser told him the DIA/Joint Chiefs report took a "dim view" of the Obama administration's insistence on continuing to finance and arm the so-called moderate rebel groups and found that the covert US program to arm and support those "moderate" rebels fighting Assad had been co-opted by Turkey, which then morphed the program into an "across-the-board technical, arms and logistical program for all of the opposition, including Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic State." "The assessment was bleak: there was no viable 'moderate' opposition to Assad, and the US was arming extremists," Hersh wrote. In October, the Pentagon announced that it was discontinuing its program to train and equip moderate rebels in Syria, saying the program cost $500 million and only succeeded in training a "handful" of recruits. In November, however, the CIA increased its shipments of arms to rebels in Syria, joining with US allies in challenging Russia and Iran's involvement in Syria in support of the Assad regime.
Seymour Hersh won a Pulitzer Prize in 1970 for his reporting on the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War and has continued to write on national security for many newspapers and magazines, including The New Yorker. He was widely criticized for his The Killing of Osama bin Laden report that accused President Barack Obama and his administration of lying about the circumstances surrounding the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011. Many media establishments, intelligence analysts and officials, including the White House, rejected the claim.
An ISIS Traffic Jam Huge convoys of ISIS oil and resupply trucks on a highway to Turkey as photographed by Russian jets. . See the video here and also here.
This is an excellent article on the growth of the anti-Muslim immigration movement in Europe.
But naturally the Leftist newspaper calls the real Conservatives who want to close the border "far right" and even drops Hitler, Nazi and racism references. In their eyes "normal" Conservatives want open borders. This is actually true. "Normal" Conservatives in the U.S. and Europe do want to flood our nations with immigrants.
(UK Express) - This shocking map shows how anti-immigration campaigners have enjoyed huge gains in this year's elections, whilst thousands have taken to the streets to protest against the overwhelming influx of migrants and refugees.
From Greece to Germany and Switzerland to Sweden, far-right protestors and parties have stormed the mainstream of European politics as voters rebel against years of predominantly socialist rule.
In France Marine Le Pen's controversial Front National came within a whisker of winning control over swathes of the country, whilst the traditionally liberal societies of Scandinavia turned their backs on moderates amid unprecedented migratory pressure.
As 2015 draws to a close, Express.co.uk has taken a look at the worrying shift towards the far-right and the inept responses of mainstream politicians which could see the continent once more gripped by fear and intolerance.
(EDITOR - The article naturally plays the Hitler card. After all, you must be a racist for wanting your nation to exist behind secrure borders.)
AUSTRIA: Any mention of far-right politics carries dark historical connotations for the Austrians as the nation gave birth to Adolf Hitler.
Supporters of the FPO in Austria
But extremist politicians have benefited from a surge in support largely due to the ongoing migrant crisis. Austria has been overwhelmed by the flow of migrants in 2015, with hundreds of thousands of people arriving on its borders seeking passage to a better life in neighbouring Germany.
The far-right Freedom Party (FPO) has stepped into the chaotic political vacuum that has ensued, quietly but confidently positioning itself as a protector of Austria's heritage and borders against the tide of refugees. In late September the party stormed to success in local elections, doubling its share of the vote to more than 30% and securing 18 seats in Upper Austria, second only to the ruling regional conservatives.
In early October the FPO continued its meteoric rise, giving the socialist mayor of Vienna a major scar, securing nearly a third of the vote in what is traditionally one of Europe's most liberal capitals. They have also consistently performed well in national opinion polls this year, with most carried out since May showing the far-right party in the lead - some by as many as 10 points.
The next Austrian general election will take place by the end of 2018 and the mainstream parties are now facing a major battle to keep the far-right FPO out of power.
DENMARK: The far-right Danish People's Party (DF) has been so successful in recent elections that it now has the balance of power and could topple the Danish coalition government. The party finished second in June's general election after securing 21% of the vote and 37 seats in the country's 179-seat parliament.
Leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl eventually opted to form a ruling coalition with the conservatives, but has recently threatened to "topple" the government by pulling out if there is any attempt to soften its stance on immigration.
FINLAND: The Finns Party (PS) - known as the 'True Finns' - has enjoyed a meteoric rise similar to the Danish People's Party (DP) and is now a major player in Finland's coalition government. The nationalists became Finland's second largest political party when they won 17.7% of the votes in April's general election and entered into a pact with the ruling Conservatives.
Like the DP, the eurosceptic party espouses essentially left-wing economic policies but allied to a hardline stance on immigration.
Marion Le Pen was defeated by an alliance of open borders "Conservatives" and Socialists working together.
FRANCE: The Front National (FN) party stunned Europe and the world when it stormed to victory in the first round of the French local elections earlier this month. Led by the charismatic Marine Le Pen, daughter of its founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, the far-right party tapped into concerns about high immigration and home-grown extremism in the aftermath of the bloody massacre in Paris.
It scooped an astonishing 28% of the national vote in the first round of the elections, polling first place in six of France's 13 administrative regions and winning more than six million votes. The party was routed in the second round of voting, but only because Francois Hollande's socialists dropped out of the running in two regions and urged their voters to back former president Nicolas Sarkozy's conservatives.
HUNGARY: Another nation feeling the extreme pressures of the migrant crisis, one in five Hungarians turned to an ultra far-right party in last year's election. The central European state, which is governed by populist right-wing president Viktor Orban, has built a huge 110 mile long fence along its border with Serbia in a desperate bid to keep hundreds of thousands of German-bound migrants out.
But despite Mr Orban's hardline stance against immigration, 20.7% of Hungarians voted for anti-semitic Jobbik in last April's general election.
ITALY: As in Greece, Italian voters are faced with economic hardship and a place on the Mediterranean frontline of the migrant crisis. Despite being ruled by the socialist government of Matteo Renzi, it is the far-right Northern League party which has made real strides in recent elections.
The nationalist party, whose candidates have made xenophobic comments towards Roma gypsies and immigrants, secured its best ever results in this summer's regional elections. Standing on an anti-immigrant platform, the Northern League won the regions of Veneto - with a landslide 50% of the vote - and neighbouring Lombardy.
It also struck a humiliating blow against the ruling socialists by wooing 20% of the electorate in Tuscany, the left-wing heartland of Mr Renzi's Democratic Party. The Northern League's eccentric leader, Matteo Salvini, has previously said Roma camps to be razed, called the Euro a "crime against humanity" and even accused Pope Francis of betraying Christians by promoting dialogue with Muslims.
Geert Wilders, standing for secure borders from day one.
THE NETHERLANDS: Opinion polls in Holland suggest that the country's main far-right party, Party for Freedom (PVV) could be on track to storm to victory at the next general election. Support for the anti-immigration party has risen to record highs this year, with it opening up a cavernous 18 point lead on all its rivals.
On current predictions the eurosceptic group would win 37 seats in the Dutch parliament if there was an election tomorrow, securing around a quarter of the vote in a country known for being governed by coalition.
SWEDEN: Another Scandinavian country seeing a huge surge in the popularity of the far-right, once more largely brought about by the European migrant crisis. Sparsely populated Sweden, home to just 9.5 million people, will take in a record 190,000 refugees from the Middle East this year alone.
Fears over how the predominantly Muslim migrants will integrate into society has seen traditionally liberal Swedes turn their backs on socialist politicians and instead embrace the anti-immigrant Swedish Democrats (SD).
The SD - which wants to close Sweden's borders to immigrants and has neo-Nazi ties - has seen a surge in support with eight separate opinion polls this year placing it as the largest party in the country. Seven of those have put its support at over 25% - comfortably ahead of the ruling Social Democratic Party.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, but the EPA said light was bad and needed to be made illegal.
(Washington Examiner) - Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy said light pollution is "in our portfolio" and that the agency is "thinking about it." McCarthy, who has led the EPA in its recent campaigns to put strict regulations on power plants and U.S. waterways, was asked by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson if he could suggest a new mission for the agency. "So is there a day, is there some occasion, where I can add light pollution to your portfolio," he asked McCarthy during a segment released for Sunday's episode of "Star Talk," a weekly late-night talk show he hosts on National Geographic. "Well, this is another thing that's been called to our attention for satellites," McCarthy answered. "The imagery of the United States at night shows all those flares from oil and gas in places that are in the middle of nowhere. It is startling to me, to see the change in the night sky." "Go in the big world and see how vast it is, and get a sense of yourself in it," she added. "It changes your perspective forever. And you're absolutely right. That's one of the reasons why we have to be worried about light pollution. It's in our portfolio, and we're thinking about it and there are steps we can take, but it needs to be on everybody's mind because the way in which we disconnect ourselves from the natural world means that my job gets harder and harder." Light pollution is the introduction of artificial light into the natural environment, emanating from manmade sources like cars lights, night lights and street lights. Especially in inhabited areas, light pollution can make it extremely difficult to see the stars at night. Air pollution also contributes to obscuring the sky view, as the air pollution particles help scatter light in the atmosphere, contributing to "'sky glow." Light pollution has been blamed for "circadian disruption," which is making it more difficult for people to fall asleep at night, as well as aging and cancer.
(Houston Chronicle) - A Houston man has been arrested in connection with a suspected arson at a mosque on Christmas Day, but the motive for the crime remains a mystery, with the suspect maintaining he was a regular at the mosque.
A spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed that the suspect, 37-year-old Gary Nathaniel Moore of Houston, was arrested early Wednesday. Moore appeared in court at 7 a.m., spokeswoman Nicole Strong said, and bond was set at $100,000.
According to a charging instrument released by the Harris County District Clerk, Moore told investigators at the scene that he has attended the storefront mosque for five years, coming five times per day to pray seven days per week.
Moore said he had been at the mosque earlier on Dec. 25 to pray, and had left at about 2 p.m. to go home, according to authorities and court papers. Moore said he was the last person to leave the mosque and saw no smoke or other signs of fire when he departed, authorities said. He maintained he had returned to the scene after hearing about the fire from a friend.
MJ Khan, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, which operates the mosque, said he was unfamiliar with Moore. "We are just looking into it ourselves," he said Wednesday morning after learning of the arrest.
"We are really very surprised and saddened by this whole thing," said Khan.
Using surveillance video from multiple businesses nearby, investigators were able to identify Moore, according to records. A search warrant of his home was conducted, and investigators recovered a backpack and clothing similar to that which was seen in surveillance footage, as well as half of a two-pack of charcoal lighter-fluid bottles that seemed to match another lighter fluid bottle found inside the mosque.
A team of 30 investigators worked around the clock investigating the cause of the fire, which was found to have multiple points of origin. Moore was even interviewed by investigators at the mosque the day of the fire. He had attended services there earlier that day, according to Ruben Hernandez, chief arson investigator with the city's fire department.
After collecting evidence, reviewing surveillance video and executing a search warrant, the fire department's arson bureau and the ATF made a joint arrest around 1:30 am Wednesday at Moore's house, where he lives with his wife and kids, according to Hernandez. Moore was charged with first-degree arson, a felony. A motive has not been determined.
Colorado Springs police arrested a man Tuesday who told KRDO NewsChannel 13 that he posted racist signs outside of two churches and around the city.
Vincent Broughton, 44, faces charges for a bias motivated crime, disorderly conduct, harassment and littering.
The signs were first posted outside the New Covenant Church of God in Christ near downtown Colorado Springs. Many referenced the KKK. The signs were posted less than two weeks after the deadly mass murder at a historic African-American church in South Carolina.
On Monday morning, three signs were found outside the Relevant World Christian Cultural Center near downtown Colorado Springs.
One sign downtown had Broughton's phone number.
"I did it. Probably about 100 or so, I'd come downtown everyday and put up the posters," said Broughton.
He admitted to posting the signs all around town. (KRDO.com)
(Infowars) - Political correctness is officially out of control in New York City.
According to brand new rules that were just issued by the New York City Commission on Human Rights, you could potentially be fined $250,000 if you purposely offend someone that is transgender. This includes such offenses as calling a transgender woman “him” when she wants to be called “her”, or not allowing a transgender woman to use the women’s bathroom. These guidelines are particularly focused on the behavior of landlords, employers and businesses, but they will undoubtedly create a chilling effect on speech all throughout New York City.
Needless to say, these new regulations will result in a flood of litigation as transgender individuals exercise their new “rights”. According to the New York City Commission on Human Rights, employers must now use “an individual’s preferred name, pronoun and title” when referring to that person. And some of the pronouns that were given as examples by the Commission were only recently introduced to the English language and many people don’t even know how to pronounce them. The following comes directly from the new “guidelines”…
The NYCHRL requires employers and covered entities to use an individual’s preferred name, pronoun and title(e.g., Ms./Mrs.) regardless of the individual’s sex assigned at birth, anatomy, gender, medical history, appearance, or the sex indicated on the individual’s identification. Most individuals and many transgender people use female or male pronouns and titles.
Some transgender and gender non-conforming people prefer to use pronouns other than he/him/his or she/her/hers, such as they/them/theirs or ze/hir.
All facilities in New York City will now also be required to allow transgender individuals to use whatever bathrooms and locker rooms they prefer. Here is more from the new “guidelines”…
Interesting. Our military report condemns Russian "adventurism" for selling arms, but everyone else in the world selling arms is fine. I smell a military-industrial complex mad that someone else is getting the profits from weapons sales.
(Washington Free Beacon) - Following decades of neglect, Russian naval forces are being modernized with advanced submarines and increasingly lethal ballistic and cruise missiles, according to a report by the Office of Naval Intelligence.
The naval buildup includes three new classes of advanced submarines and several new types of warships that the report warns will “provide a flexible platform for Russia to demonstrate offensive capability, threaten neighbors, project power regionally, and advance President Putin’s stated goal of returning Russia to clear great power status.”
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia’s navy was reduced in size, and many new weapons systems were canceled while weapons were mothballed.
Under Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the navy is getting substantial funding for new weapons systems, with the goal of restoring Soviet-level power by 2020, according to the 68-page December report, “The Russian Navy: A Historic Transition.”
The publication seems to be evidence of further U.S. government recognition that Russia, following its military annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea last year, is emerging as an elevated strategic threat.
Russia also is proliferating advanced weapons to other countries. “The quantity and quality of the ships, submarines, and armaments sold will transform the current capabilities of recipient states and, in some cases, potentially enable them to improve the quality of indigenous arms production,” the report says.
Recent sales have included Kilo-class submarines to Algeria and Vietnam, Gepard-class frigates to Vietnam, and a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier to India. Sales of high performance Club missiles—the export version of the Kalibr family of missiles – have been underway for over a decade.
“This proliferation of high grade weapons is one of the most troubling aspects of Russian Federation adventurism worldwide,” the report said.
Russia’s current strategy calls for using layered defenses of long-range missiles capable of hitting targets some 1,000 nautical miles from Russian borders. The defenses are intended to counter U.S. Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles.
Russian naval infantry (marines)
“Russia’s wartime naval strategy remains focused on nuclear deterrence and layered defense,” the report says.
The centerpiece of the Russian navy remains its missile and attack submarine force, currently made up of 56 submarines. The current fleet includes 12 nuclear missile submarines, 26 cruise-missile equipped submarines, and 18 attack submarines.
In July, Russian navy commander Adm. Viktor Chirkov announced that “the nuclear submarine fleet is the priority in the Navy shipbuilding program.”
The Office of Naval Intelligence identified submarines as Moscow’s “capital ships,” and noted that several new classes are being built and deployed. The newest submarine is what the report calls Dolgurukiy-class missile submarines, which are armed with SS-N-32 Bulava missiles with ranges of up to 5,281 miles. The first was launched in December 2013. Two others are nearing deployment and plans call for building eight submarines by 2020.
(London Daily Mail) - Hundreds of people gathered outside a mosque in Indonesia to see a woman scream out in agony after being caned as a punishment for being in 'close proximity' to a man she wasn't married to.
Nur Elita was marched to the yard of Baiturrahumim Mosque in Banda Aceh for violating the region's strict Sharia laws, after she allegedly showed affectionate behaviour to a fellow university student.
Under the law men and women, who are not spouses, are not allowed to get too close due to the the 'khalwat' offence and punishment is by public caning.
After being brought to the stage as the crowd cheered, the woman was forced to kneel down while a masked man repeatedly whipped her with the cane.
She received five lashes and at the end of the punishment could be seen lying on the floor doubled over in pain.
Despite the punishment being over, she was unable to rise to her feet and was seen lying down clutching her shoulder.
Eventually she was carried off the stage, into an ambulance, and had to be taken to hospital.
Also being caned was the man she was accused of getting too close to and he was forced to stand while being whipped.
Meanwhile four other men were also forced to endure the punishment for gambling, which is also outlawed under Sharia law.
According to the Jakarta Post, the caning ceremony was carried out in front of the deputy mayor of Banda Aceh Zainal Arifin.
And before the ceremony he warned the crowd that had gathered that the canings were a lesson to everyone.
He said: 'Take these punishments as a lesson. What has been done by these convicts should not be taken as example.
'And I hope their canings today will be the last ever.'
Banda Aceh is the only province in Indonesia to implement Sharia Law, which was first introduced in 2003 following the province’s awarding of special autonomy status.
(Australia News) - ISIS monsters mutilated and murdered an innocent mum who was breastfeeding her son under a tree.
Women-only group the Al-Khansaa Brigade meted out the horrific punishment on the streets of Raqqa, Syria.
The mother had tucked her son under her black burqa to shield him from public view, only to be sp
otted by members of the murderous group.
Aisha, a former Raqqa resident living in southern Turkey told the Sunday Times: “An [IS] policewoman took the baby, gave it to another woman, and then killed the mother.”
Pro-IS social media sites later claimed the mother had violated public decency, and revealed she was mutilated before she was killed.
Created about 18 months ago, the Al-Khansaa brigade includes women from North Africa, Gulf Arabs, Iraqis, Chechens, and western Europeans.
Up to 60 British women are thought to have joined the psychotic group, with 20-year-old Glaswegian Aqsa Mahmood understood to be a key member.
The all-female brigade appear to be particularly ruthless towards mums.
Widow Um Hamid, 50, said she had been told to give her youngest daughters in marriage as a fee for food rations but instead she chose to go hungry.
ISIS oil trucks are crossing Syrian-Turkish border
One month ago, after a farcical year-long campaign to “destroy” ISIS, which achieved absolutely nothing but made the Islamic State grow bigger and stronger, culminating with the numerous terrorist attacks in the month of November, former CIA deputy director Michael Morell told Charlie Rose on PBS that the reason the US had never actually gone after the lifeblood of the ISIS regime, its oil supply chain, infrastructure and products, was because “we didn’t want to do environmental damage, and we didn’t want to destroy that infrastructure.”
(USA Today) - John McAfee is now a Libertarian Party candidate for president of the United States. The mercurial McAfee, who this year announced his run for the presidency under the Cyber Party to "disrupt the political status quo" and warn of the "dangerously ignored issue of cybersecurity," said in a phone interview today he will join the Libertarian Party, where he is likely to land the nomination. "They have (10) candidates (for president), none of whom have personality," said a laughing McAfee, who is is running on a platform to pardon all marijuana users in prison and "stop the U.S. from being the world's policeman."
The unconventional presidential run is McAfee's latest headline-grabbing adventure. The 70-year-old cybersecurity pioneer, who was named as a "person of interest" in an unsolved 2012 murder case in Belize and later claimed he is a target of a Central American hit squad for his criticisms of the Belize government, has been the subject of profiles in USA TODAY, network news, Wired magazine and the international press. His fame has also landed him the role as subject of a forthcoming miniseries on cable network Spike. McAfee said a representative from the Libertarian Party contacted him Tuesday about representing the party. The party's convention is in late May in Orlando, Fla. The Lexington, Tenn., resident, whose campaign headquarters is in Opelika, Ala., said he is confident he'll get the nomination, and have his name on ballots in 50 states. "For me, it's important to get boots on the ground," he said. Doug Craig, a national board member of the Libertarian Party, said he recently discussed ballot access with McAfee, and the challenges an independent candidate faces. "He fits right in with our political philosophy," Craig says. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, who was the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee in 2012, has repeatedly said he is likely to run but has not yet declared.
