Did Jordan Train The ISIS Fighters Who Burned Their Pilot Alive?
by Stuart J. Hooper
21st Century Wire
Feb 4, 2015
We need to look much deeper here to see who may have had a hand, albeit indirectly, in the horrific death of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh. Jordan is far from innocent when examining who is responsible for the creation of ISIS.
The Father of the murdered pilot.
It has been known, for almost two years now, that Jordan has been allowing its territory to be used for the training of rebels fighting the Assad regime in Syria. The “effort is led by the US”, but has also included French and British instructors. The British element was providing “logistical and other advice” to the rebels; with ‘other advice’ possible being tactical information.
Jordanian soldiers on the Syrian border.
Although allegedly “focused on senior Syrian army officers who defected”, we now know that at least some of these training operations focused on supposedly ‘moderate’ rebels doing the day-to-day fighting on the ground.
The problem here is that ‘moderate’ rebels no longer exist in Syria, with the extent to which they ever existed at all also being up for debate. The supposedly moderate Free Syrian Army (FSA) admitted “to cooperating with Islamist groups in military operations along the Syrian-Lebanese border“. Bassel Idriss, an FSA commander, stated that he was “collaborating with the Islamic State“. Further analysis has shown how the myth of ‘moderate’ rebels, apparently existing in Syria, is nothing more than a ploy by those with a vested interest in war.
Moreover, there are numerous reports available to substantiate mass-defections of ‘Syrian rebels’ over to ISIS, including reports in 2013, in 2014 and in 2015.
Supporters and relatives of the murdered pilot.
Therefore, we are left with a somewhat paradoxical situation where it is not beyond the realms of possibility that ‘ISIS’ terrorists, said to be directly responsible for the death of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh, may have at some point received training and assistance due to the actions of the state of Jordan itself.
In response to the ISIS video, the Jordanians have taken it upon themselves to execute two convicted Jihadist prisoners in response to the horrific act undertaken by ISIS, with the Father of the pilot saying Jordan needs to do “more than just executing prisoners”.
VIDEO — How the Silk Road Trial Could Chill the Internet | Interview with Derrick Broze
Breaking The Set
Feb 4, 2015
Abby Martin interviews, Derrick Broze, writer for Liberty Beat, about the trial and conviction of Silk Road founder, Ross Ulbircht, and how this case could impact the rest of the internet.
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[related: VIDEO — The Final Days of Silk Road]
Poll: Edward Snowden Has Become One of Most Admired Men in Germany
Sputnik International
03:40 04.02.2015 (updated 07:39 04.02.2015)
Edward Snowden is the fourth most admired man among Germans, according to a new YouGov poll. The NSA whistleblower, whose leaks exposed US spying on German officials – including Angela Merkel’s mobile phone, came in just ahead of racecar driver Michael Schumacher.
A mix of politicians, public intellectuals and movie stars top the annual YouGov polls of the world’s most admired people, which are compiled globally and also broken down by various countries.
Snowden, who came after former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, the Dalai Lama and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, has received positive recognition in Germany for his revelations about NSA surveillance. He also placed sixth among Russians and eighth among Danes.
No Hasselhoff in Top 10? Flawed poll. MT @ggreenwald Edward Snowden is 4th most admired man in Germany according to a new YouGov poll.
— Dateline_DC (@Dateline_DC) February 3, 2015
Snowden was given the 2013 Whistleblower Award as well as the 2014 Fritz Bauer Prize, awarded by the German Humanist Union, a prominent civil rights organization. Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who worked with Snowden to publish much of his information, also received the Scholl Siblings Prize in 2014 for his book on the leaks. And both of them, along with filmmaker Laura Poitras, received the 2014 Carl von Ossietzky Medal from the International League for Human Rights.
US a Rogue State with Concentration Camps: Venezuela responds to new Sanctions
nsnbc international
Feb 4, 2015
Christof Lehmann (nsnbc) : Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro responded to the U.S. administration’s announcement of new, additional sanctions against Venezuela, on Monday, denouncing the U.S. for hypocrisy with regard to human rights and a rogue State out of control that runs concentrations camps.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced that the United States had added additional sanctions against Venezuela over what was described as a “crackdown on peaceful protesters”. The latest round of sanctions expands the number of Venezuelan government officials which are barred from entering the U.S. Justifying the Obama administration’s decision, Psaki said:
“These restrictions will also affect the immediate family members of those individuals subject to visa restrictions for believed involvement in human rights abuses or acts of public corruption. … We will not publicly identify these individuals because of U.S. visa confidentiality laws, but we are sending a clear message that human rights abusers, those who profit from public corruption and their families are not welcome in the United States”.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, for his part, responded by denouncing the United States of hypocrisy, especially with regards to human rights.
Maduro described the documented U.S. human rights record which is comparable with that of a rogue State out of control, with concentration camps like Guantanamo, saying:
“They kill black youths in the streets with impunity, they persecute and have concentration camps for kids in Central America, they have abducted dozens of citizens of the world under no legal system, submitted them to torture and isolation. .. What human rights are they talking about?
The additional sanctions follow-up on sanctions the United States imposed on Venezuela following violent unrest in the country in 2014.
NYPD to Permanently Patrol Protests with Machine Guns
by Carey Wedler
Activist Post
Jan 30, 2015
NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton announced Thursday that 350 heavily armed NYPD officers, called the “Strategic Response Group,” will soon be patrolling protests and the city at large. He said the new strain of hyper-armed police will be
…equipped and trained in ways that our normal patrol officers are not. They’ll be equipped with all the extra heavy protective gear, with the long rifles and machine guns — unfortunately sometimes necessary in these instances.
Bratton announced their purpose is specifically
…designed for dealing with events like our recent protests, or incidents like Mumbai or what just happened in Paris.
Lumping protesters in with terrorists, he said the permanent force will deal with “disorder control and counterterrorism protection capabilities.” It will allegedly assist on crime scenes and help with “crowd control and other large-scale events.”
It is not unusual for authorities to ramp up “security” efforts following attacks (such as the ax attack against officers in October), but the idea of machine-gun clad officers is disturbing, especially considering past NYPD abuses of protesters and other residents.
The federal government, which has attempted to feign concern with police brutality, is partially funding the militarized venture. The Department of Homeland Security is supplying resources, as is the city of New York. The Pentagon has previously provided machine guns, ammunition, and other military gear to New York police and other local cops around the country.
ISIS Mercenary Admits Getting Funds from US
by Tony Cartalucci
Activist Post
Jan 30, 2014
The Express Tribune, an affiliate of the New York Times, recently reported in an article titled, “Startling revelations: IS operative confesses to getting funds via US,” that another “coincidence” appears to be contributing to the so-called “Islamic State’s” (ISIS) resilience and vast resources. A recent investigation being conducted by Pakistani security forces involving a captured ISIS fighter has revealed that he and many fighters alongside him, received funds that were routed through the US.
“During the investigations, Yousaf al Salafi revealed that he was getting funding – routed through America – to run the organisation in Pakistan and recruit young people to fight in Syria,” a source privy to the investigations revealed to Daily Express on the condition of anonymity.
Al Salafi is a Pakistani-Syrian, who entered Pakistan through Turkey five months ago. Earlier, it was reported that he crossed into Turkey from Syria and was caught there. However, he managed to escape from Turkey and reached Pakistan to establish IS in the region.
The Tribune would also reveal that the findings of the investigations were being shared with the United States. The source cited by the Tribune suggested a compelling theory as to why the US has attempted to portray itself as “at war with ISIS,” stating:
“The US has been condemning the IS activities but unfortunately has not been able to stop funding of these organisations, which is being routed through the US,” a source said.
“The US had to dispel the impression that it is financing the group for its own interests and that is why it launched offensive against the organisation in Iraq but not in Syria,” he added.
Indeed, the story reveals several troubling aspects regarding ISIS’ operations in Syria. First, Al Salafi’s ability to effortlessly enter into Syria through NATO-member Turkey, then escape back to Pakistan, again, via Turkey once again confirms that the source of ISIS’ strength is not captured Syrian oil fields or ransoms paid in exchange for hostages, but rather from a torrent of fighters, arms, equipment, and cash flowing from NATO territory in Turkey.
Second – the US does indeed claim to be at war with “ISIS,” going as far as unilaterally bombing Syrian territory while claiming it must now train more militants not only to topple the Syrian government, but now also to fight ISIS – yet appears incapable of stopping torrents of cash flowing from its own borders into the hands of its implacable enemy. A similar conundrum presented itself amid the recent Paris killings, where France too is participating in military operations aimed at both toppling the Syrian government and allegedly fighting ISIS – yet claims to be unable to stop thousands of its own citizens from leaving its borders to join ISIS’ ranks.
Psychologist Lists 8 Reasons Why Young Americans Aren’t Fighting Back…Yet
image via: anonhq.com
by EV
January 6, 2015
(anonhq) Clinical psychologist and author, Bruce E. Levine, has compiled an in depth list of reasons why young Americans don’t fight for their rights. His article has, of course, caused a little controversy. One journalist went as far as claiming Levine believes youthful resistance should focus on his own agenda, however it would seem most agree with Levine’s analysis, and even the skeptics admit the article is worth reading for the points listed and consideration.
According to Levine, young people have traditionally energized democratic movements, yet these efforts have been diminishing due to the ruling elite having created societal institutions that subdue young Americans, and break their spirit of resistance to domination. Young Americans—more so than older Americans—have basically resigned themselves to the idea that corporatocracy (a term used to describe an economic and political system that is controlled by corporations or corporate interests) can completely screw them over, and they feel helpless to do anything about it.
In a 2010 Gallup poll, Americans were asked, “Do you think the Social Security system will be able to pay you a benefit when you retire?” 76% of 18 to 34-year-olds said ‘no’. Despite the fact that these individuals don’t believe they’ll receive their social security benefits, few have demanded it be shored up by fairly taxing the wealthy. They accept that they will have more money deducted for social security even though they don’t believe they’ll one day receive those benefits.
How exactly has American society subdued young Americans?
PN 