Syria: Deadly price of pursuing change
by NewsBot
End the Lie
January 9, 2012
Amid heavy criticism for failing to stop violence in Syria, the Arab League has renewed calls for the regime to end bloodshed and open its borders to more observers. As the carnage continues, many say they are paying too high a price for change.
The observers held a meeting with the governor of Damascus, Hussein Makhlouf, on Sunday and visited a local hospital to meet with relatives of the victims of recent violence.
As the country edges ever closer towards civil war, hundreds of people from both sides are losing their lives every month – opposition, pro-regime, civilians, soldiers and children alike.
On Friday, another suicide bombing in Damascus was yet further evidence of the escalating conflict. The attack hit the central Damascus neighborhood of al-Midan, killing 26 and wounding dozens. And all this has continued to take place with Arab League observers on the ground.
“We went to the League and asked them to help,” a local woman said. “But they did not want to listen to us and did not respond to our complaints.”
Exactly who is responsible for what is happening in the country right now remains far from clear.
In an effort to shed light on the situation, people have continued to risk their lives getting information out of the country. Gene Sharp, a leading expert on non-violent revolution, calls the actions of the Syrian people “quite amazing.”
“Even though so many people have been killed, they are going out on the streets,” said Sharp, a senior Scholar at the Albert Einstein Institution in Boston. “When the population loses its fear, that is a great achievement towards success.”
But the opposition itself is becoming increasingly divided, with more and more Army deserters joining its ranks and calling for a violent overthrow of the government.
“The danger now is that those soldiers who have been moved by these developments and defected from the Syrian army have concluded that they need to use violence to fight the rest of the Syrian army. If they want to succeed, that is not the way to do it,” explains Sharp.
The Arab League has once again renewed calls for the violence from all sides to end, having met to review their findings so far.
All across the country right now people are fighting tooth and nail for the right to determine their own future.
Despite government promises, many people now feel that simply too many lives have been lost, too much blood has been shed, for anything other than real change to be an option.
Source – http://rt.com/news/syria-observer-mission-price-379/
Santorum Brazenly Promotes More War and Destabilization
Rick Santorum promotes violence - Gage Skidmore/Wiki image
by Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
January 9, 2012
Just before the Iowa Caucus, I saw a graphic floating around the Internet which showed all of the Republican candidates together along with a tag that read, “If you supported Bachmann, then Romney, then Cain, then Gingrinch, and now you’re supporting Santorum – You might be getting spoonfed by the media.” I couldn’t agree more.
It is an unfortunate reality that those who pass for being informed in this country, meaning those who are strict adherents to the doctrines and dictates of political parties and the reporting of the mainstream media, are often much less informed than those who simply no longer care.
At least those who no longer care are capable of recognizing there is something fundamentally flawed with both parties and that the entire election system is rigged.
I, myself, have known many Republicans (and Democrats when their elections roll around) who have explained to me which candidate they were supporting and why — their candidates and reasoning ironically following the same order as the Internet picture I mentioned above and directly regurgitate the propaganda given to them by FOX, CNN, or whatever other bastion of disinformation they are being led by.
The most recent media darling, Rick Santorum, whose very questionable “surge” just two days before the Iowa caucus when no one had previously given him even a passing glance, is no exception. Therefore, for the benefit of the easily duped, it might prove useful to take a second look at Rick Santorum.
Let us begin by taking a brief look at Santorum’s lunatic foreign policy which consists largely of beating the drums of war with Iran and fear-mongering the American people, particularly the war-prone Republican base, with a typical but quite militant brand of Islamophobia which was previously reserved only for the raving radio broadcasts of Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity.
Of course, there is virtually no difference between any of the Republican candidates (with the exception of Ron Paul), Obama, or Santorum when it comes to Iran. This much has been established time and time again.
However, the fact that a candidate would campaign with such open militancy in favor of war and conflict with yet another nation which has done nothing toward provoking war with the United States should be very concerning to say the least.
Once, a pro-war candidate would at least have to veil his drum-beating under the pretense of using diplomacy first. Now, however, presidential candidates openly embrace war as almost the first act of international relations without batting an eye. Unfortunately, a large segment of the population is hearing this message and nodding their empty heads in agreement.
At this point, one can only guess whether or not Santorum truly believes in the raving war talk that he spews at every opportunity. His hatred could be of the organic variety, or he could simply be using the Iran war talk as a means to mobilize his base by invoking such a shrewd political gamble. Either way, Santorum is obviously a very dangerous person.
If he truly believes his own rhetoric, then he is both idiotic and incapable of serving as President in any real sense. Indeed, if this is the case, then he would also be a prime candidate for the office of “puppet president” which is essentially the role that the winner of the next election will play regardless.
Nevertheless, if Santorum does not believe his own rhetoric and is using his incendiary statements as a political ploy, then he is nothing more than liar with psychopathic tendencies, a quality that would also make him a prime candidate for the position of “puppet president.”
In the end, Santorum’s own personal belief in his policies matters very little, because genuine belief in a foolhardy venture will not save a single life after one has embarked upon it.
The fact is that Santorum’s claims regarding Iran are patently false. Take a moment to watch this video of Santorum debating Ron Paul regarding Paul’s rational policy of non-intervention in Iran as well other nations.
In the debate, Santorum suggests that Iran has been at war with the United States since 1979, a relatively typical claim made by those beating the Iran war drums and by those individuals who have no knowledge of history. Thankfully, Paul points out that the conflict between the U.S. and Iran actually began in 1953, when the United States overthrew the democratically elected President and installed the Shah as part of Operation Ajax.
Santorum has long been a leading provocateur in regards to war with Iran. As far back as 2005, when he was a U.S. senator in Pennsylvania, Santorum sponsored a bill called the Iran Freedom and Support Act, which made U.S. policy officially that of sanctions against Iran, promoting regime change, and supporting insurgency groups inside the country with the purpose of overthrowing the Iranian government yet again.
This act, which passed and became law in 2006, was criticized by Congressman Dennis Kucinich on the floor of the House as “nothing more than a stepping-stone to war.”
Of course, Kucinich was absolutely correct in this assertion. However, many, especially the Iranians, might consider the open funding of destabilization efforts to be more than just a stepping-stone. There are many who would suggest that it is actually an overt act of war.
Ironically, in its attempt to destabilize Iran, the US government has been recruiting members of terrorist organizations like the MEK and creating spin-off groups from these organizations for different purposes in the region.
The MEK was the organization involved in the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979, one of the incidents that Santorum has been so adamant about during his campaign.
Regardless of his past, Santorum has continued his sabre-rattling against Iran in recent appearances on mainstream media outlets, campaign stops, and political debates.
He has openly advocated bombing Iran if the nation did not cave in to his unreasonable demands should he become president. Santorum has also declared his undying support for Israelin the event that it should attack Iran (or be attacked itself).
Santorum’s hatred is not isolated to Iran, however. In 2003, Santorum sponsored another bill entitled, the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, which was similar in scope to the Iran Freedom and Support Act in that it involved the implementation of economic sanctions against Syria for its alleged “support for terrorism” and attempt to “develop weapons of mass destruction.”
If all of this sounds very familiar, that’s because it is. Erroneous claims and imperialist legislation like these preceded the invasion of Iraq years ago.
Santorum has since been very vocal in his calls for the resignation of Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, and has remained in support of the U.S. destabilization efforts ongoing today.
Santorum was also supportive of the horrific and devastating destabilization and destruction of Libya, criticizing Obama for not doing more than he was already doing with NATO forces to eradicate the living standards of the Libyan people and subsequently install a fundamentalist regime based on Sharia law.
Obviously, the senator was also in favor of the Iraq war, even going so far as to appear on national television and suggest that weapons of mass destruction were found Iraq.
For all the hype, however, it turns out Santorum was citing a report that described the recovery of degraded, pre-1991 weapons that were examined and clearly dismissed as anything that wasn’t already declared by the Iraqi government. Even the Bush administration didn’t grasp on to that straw.
Indeed, Santorum does not seem to be above suggesting military conflict with almost any nation for almost any reason with Israel being the lone exception. Over the last ten years, Santorum has supported physical conflict with virtually every nation with which the United States has developed tensions.
With his enthusiastic support of the global war on terror, it is obvious that the American people are not beyond the scope of Santorum’s war-making ambitions either, particularly after the signing of the NDAA which gives the military the right to detain American citizens indefinitely with no due process of law and defines the Homeland (formerly known as America) to be a battlefield.
With such a minimalist track record of intellectual capabilities, as well as a consistent track record of warmongering, there is little reason that Santorum should be surging in the polls. Nor is there any legitimate reason that he should even be considered by the American voter.
Brandon Turbeville is an author out of Mullins, South Carolina. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from Francis Marion University where he earned the Pee Dee Electric Scholar’s Award as an undergraduate. He has had numerous articles published dealing with a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, and civil liberties. He also the author of Codex Alimentarius – The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies and Five Sense Solutions. Brandon Turbeville is available for podcast, radio, and TV interviews. Please contact us at activistpost (at) gmail.com.
Syrian state media reports Russian naval flotilla arrival in Tartus
By Madison Ruppert
Editor of End the Lie
January 8, 2012
Similar reports emerged in November as well as reports of Russian warships entering Syrian waters as the Syrian opposition called for a no-fly zone along with later reports of Russian ships delivering highly advanced anti-aircraft missile systems and technicians to Syria in late November.
I have grown quite skeptical of these reports as it seems there is always a hullabaloo but nothing actually ever seems to happen.
This is similar to how I feel about the reports of U.S.-NATO troops on the Syrian border which made a large splash in the alternative news community but never materialized into any actual action as far as we know.
Then again, that report could be completely accurate and the troops are simply waiting for something, although all of that is nothing but pure speculation at this stage.
Regardless, the Syrians seem to be openly praising Russia and the SANA news agency quoted a Russian naval officer, Yakushin Vladamir Anatolievich, who said, “The port call is aimed at bringing the two countries closer together and strengthening their ties of friendship.”
I think it is quite obvious to even the most oblivious observer that this is more than just a show of friendship, but instead a statement to the West as a whole, which has been relentlessly pushing for increased sanctions against Syria and for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
SANA took a similar approach in writing, “The commanders of the Russian naval vessels docked in Tartus took turns to express their solidarity with the Syrian people,” which clearly means solidarity in the opposition to Western pressure, not solidarity with the openly Western-linked Syrian dissidents.
Russia and China have both been the most major opposing force in the face of Western nations attempting to increase sanctions and pressure Assad into giving up power.
In early October, Russia and China blocked a United Nations Security Council resolution, pointing to their concern that it could mean yet another foreign Libya-style intervention.
This is hardly an absurd notion seeing as in late November it was reported that the Arab League and Turkey were in the process of developing plans for a no-fly zone over Syria, with logistical assistance from the United States.
Like most of the reports floating around regarding Syria, this one seemed not to have materialized, although one might rightly assume that this plan has simply been set aside for a later date.
With the situation regarding Iran developing at break-neck speed, one might assume that the plan to topple Assad and take over Syria has been placed on the back burner, at least for now.
Be sure to read our exclusive series on the developments in Iran which is currently three parts and can be read here: part I, part II, and part III.
The drums of war are being beaten with a vengeance and now all we can do is hope that it won’t actually happen while wondering if it will be Syria or Iran first.
Personally, I believe that it would be Iran first given the Western positioning in the region, although I’m hardly psychic and my analysis is merely based on the slim trickle of information we receive, which is likely highly filtered and spun to give the public a certain impression which very well might be wholly erroneous.
The longer I spend researching and writing about these topics, especially when it comes to geopolitics, the more I realize how little I know and how wildly inaccurate most predictions end up being.
This is why I am trying my best to stick to the facts and let my readers come to their own conclusions while still putting forth my own analysis for your perusal. If you want to give me feedback, please feel free to email me at Admin@EndtheLie.com with any and all comments, questions, or rebuttals.
At this point there is little we can do but wait and hope that people like me are wrong. Hopefully there will be no conflict whatsoever and it is just more saber rattling from both sides.
However the geopolitical developments are far from comforting and do not seem to back up the assertion that this is pure rhetoric and no real action will be taken on either side.
Related posts:
- Reports say Russian ships in Syrian waters delivered advanced anti-aircraft missile system and technicians
- Russian warships entering Syrian waters to inhibit foreign invasion as opposition calls for no-fly zone
- United Nations Security Council issues statement condemning Syrian violence, media still glossing over armed opposition
- Syrian news fog getting denser
- Russian Protests: Western Media Lies
Short URL: http://EndtheLie.com/?p=33919
Positioning for war with Iran?
The United States Navy's USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74)
By Madison Ruppert
Editor of End the Lie
December 30, 2011
There are some distinct geopolitical rumblings occurring in the general region surrounding Iran that is quite concerning for someone like myself and I’m sure Tehran as well.
This includes a major sale of cutting-edge F-15SA fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, Iran spotting the John C. Stennis aircraft carrier entering the Strait of Hormuz, a sale of advanced missile interceptor systems to the United Arab Emirates, warnings from the Russian envoy to the United Nations of global destabilization in 2012 and new awards for Raytheon for the AESA radar system and contracts for US/NATO missile systems.
After Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if the West continued to push for sanctions on Iranian oil exports, the United States’ Fifth Fleet out of Bahrain countered with similar saber-rattling.
The Iranian navy chief, Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, stated that closing the Strait of Hormuz would be “easier than drinking a glass of water.”
“Anyone who threatens to disrupt freedom of navigation in an international strait is clearly outside the community of nations; any disruption will not be tolerated,” the Fifth Fleet responded in an e-mail to Reuters.
Iran is currently engaged in a massive 10-day-long naval exercise in international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, in an apparent attempt to show their naval might in the region.
However, Reuters has reported that the entire Iranian navy cannot hold a candle to the US Fifth Fleet, which boasts over 20 ocean-range warships and some 15,000 personnel.
The Strait of Hormuz is not only a tactically crucial region but also a critical trade route with up to 40% of the world’s oil supply passing through the strait.
The United States and Europe are some of the most major consumers of this oil supply, so it is quite obvious that if Iran decided to close the strait there would be a significant backlash from the West.
Yesterday Russia Today published an article based on reports from the official Iranian news agency, IRNA, which stated that an Iranian warplane had spotted an American aircraft carrier as it was entering the Gulf of Oman from the Persian Gulf.
This report also comes from Admiral Sayyari, who told IRNA, “An Iranian vessel and surveillance plane have tracked, filmed and photographed a US aircraft carrier as it was entering the Gulf of Oman from the Persian Gulf.”
Sayyari also stated that the US fleet would be “warned by Iranian forces” if it were to move into the area of the Iranian naval exercise.
It is unclear if they mean a peaceful warning, perhaps via radio contact, or a more forceful warning, which could very well bring retaliation from the American fleet.
Yesterday the US Navy confirmed that the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis was indeed traveling to the Gulf of Oman with guided-missile cruiser Mobile Bay and several other vessels.
Lieutenant Rebecca Rebarich, the spokesperson for the US Fifth Fleet stated that this was merely a “pre-planned, routine transit” due to the fact that the group was headed to provide support for coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Regardless, the timing of the “routine transit” and the route they are following is quite suspicious and likely a matter for concern on the part of the Iranian navy.
There is also the deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia for $29.4 billion worth of new F-15SA fighter jets manufactured by Boeing.
This includes 84 brand new aircraft and the modernization of 70 existing aircraft, along with the required munitions, spare parts, training, maintenance and logistics.
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Joshua Earnest said that the F-15SA is “the most sophisticated and capable aircraft in the world.”
This is noteworthy because Saudi Arabia shares the Persian Gulf with Iran along with American allies Bahrain and Qatar.
While military deals with Saudi Arabia and other allies in the region is far from new, the timing of this latest agreement is likely to fuel the fire of possible conflict between Western nations and their allies and Iran possibly along with Russia and China.
The United Arab Emirates has also signed a deal worth some $2.49 billion for the newest missile interceptor system sold by Lockheed Martin, according to anonymous government officials.
The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, is being billed as the centerpiece of the Obama administration’s planned regional defense system in the Middle East, which will supposedly thwart Iranian medium- and long-range ballistic missiles.
The batteries of the land-based missile interceptor systems will be linked to the US Navy’s detection systems, which are on Aegis-class destroyer and cruiser vessels.
The first installment of the so-called “undefinitized contract action” between the United States and the UAE is valued in the neighborhood of $1.96 billion, according to the unnamed US official who requested to remain anonymous due to the fact that they are not authorized to discuss the signing of the deal prior to the Pentagon’s announcement.
The official said that the Pentagon may officially announce the contract action as soon as next week but a Lockheed Martin spokesperson refused to discuss timing of the announcement while confirming that they continue to work with the Pentagon’s missile Defense Agency on contracts.
The construction of the THAAD system reads like a who’s who of the defense contracting world.
The system’s radar is manufactured by Raytheon, the missile’s mission computer by Honeywell, the THAAD’s rocket motor provided by Aerojet (part of California-based GenCorp) and the missile seeker by an American subsidiary of UK-based BAE Systems.
The deal was discussed first in September of 2008 when the Pentagon estimated the deal to be worth as much as $6.95 billion.
However, in August 2010, the UAE reduced the acquisition roughly one third from 144 interceptors to 96.
Similarly, the UAE scaled back the purchase of Raytheon’s AN/TYPY-2 mobile search and tracking radar from four to two units.
According to the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency, the new radar systems are capable of supporting two missile batteries, whereas previously it supported three.
The Russian envoy to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, also said that the steadily increasing confrontation between Western nations and Iran could “drastically destabilize the international situation in 2012,” according to the Voice of Russia.
Churkin stated that Russia is currently doing its best to help stave off such a grim scenario while adding that Iran very well may decline to continue dialogue with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over the Iranian nuclear program.
In November, Russia expressed doubt over the credibility of the IAEA’s report regarding the military nature of Iran’s nuclear program.
The West continues to insist that the Iranian program has military goals while Tehran continuously states that the program is purely civilian in nature.
Churkin said that they hope to resume six-party talks on the Iranian nuclear program in 2012.
Raytheon has also received orders valued around $320 million for the cutting-edge AESA radar system, along with an additional $72 million in contracts for US/NATO missile systems.
United Press International (UPI) reported yesterday that the identities of the parties who ordered the AESA system, which is an active electronic beam scanning radar system, have not been disclosed.
The delivery schedules for the contracts have yet to be announced as well.
The AESA system has a radar beam, which can be used to garner near real time air-to-air and air-to-ground information with a radar beam that is directed close to the speed of light.
Raytheon stated that they have delivered over 300 units of the AESA system to what UPI calls “a variety of customers in the United States and overseas.”
“We expect to see continued growth in this area,” Mark Kula, the vice president of Tactical Airborne Systems, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, stated.
The first award of the total of $72 million was from the US Naval Sea Systems Command and is reportedly for the Phalanx, land-based Phalanx, SeaRAM, and SeaSparrow surface missiles that are used by NATO.
The first contract will include Raytheon providing both engineering and technical support services for the Phalanx systems, which currently provides the missile defense for American ships.
A provision of an unknown number of SeaSparrow MK57, MOD 12/13 systems along with missile launchers and spare parts are included in the second award.
The fact that the parties who ordered the AESA system are not being disclosed is somewhat concerning given the rest of the geopolitical maneuverings we are witnessing right now, however I do not think we should jump to conclusions just yet.
If the West is planning to go to war with Iran – which looks increasingly likely – these developments fit in perfectly with such an operation.
At this point, all we can do is hope that Western nations aren’t insane enough to actually strike Iran, which could very well ignite a global conflict.
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Related posts:
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- Naval thrills: Iran flexes muscles at world’s key oil transit channel
- Israeli strike on Iran looking more likely as Iran counters with their own threats, seeks Russian support
- Iran vs the West: Who’ll be the first to blink?
- Iran shoots down US drone – state TV
Short URL: http://EndtheLie.com/?p=33195
‘Opposition behind Damascus blast, lays ground for intervention’ (video)
RT
January 6, 2011
A deadly explosion targeting police has rocked a residential neighborhood in Damascus, killing up to 25 people. It’s believed to have been a suicide bombing, with most of the casualties civilians. Syrian TV says the blast happened near a primary school. It comes as the leader of the country’s biggest armed opposition group has reportedly called for President Assad’s regime to be overthrown by military means. Meanwhile a former high-ranking army official who defected to the opposition has claimed the government was lying when it said the violence was caused by gangs aided from abroad. Author and Middle East expert Tariq Ali believes the opposition is responsible for the attack and they’re laying the ground for a foreign intervention.
First video of Damascus terror: Dozens killed in suicide attack (video)
RT
January 6, 2011
Syrian state TV says a suspected suicide bomber has killed at least 25 people in the capital, in an attack that was apparently targetting a police bus. The attacker detonated his explosives in central Damascus on Friday, killing and wounding dozens of people, Syrian state TV reports. The target of the attack appeared to be a bus carrying policemen – that’s according to a Syrian official. Syrian TV showed the damaged bus that had bloodstained seats, and riot police helmets and shields scattered around. The government’s blaming terrorists for the assault. The attack comes after Syria’s opposition rounded on the Arab League observer mission on the violence in the country, urging the UN to approve a Libya-style no-fly zone.
Strait Talking: ‘Iran sanctions backfire on recession-hit West’ (video)
Youtube – RT
January 5, 2011
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(hat tip: Activist Post)
