Iran claims Olympic logo is racist

The logo designed to represent the London Olympics has been declared racist by the Iranian government, the Londonist reports.

Apparently if you look closely enough, and the thought is put into your head, the imagery can be interpreted as spelling the world "Zion." Which, in the eyes of the Iranian government, would make it racist.

Congressman fails to rebuff question about shooting president

A shocking question was posed to a Georgia congressman during a town hall meeting this week – one that the congressman failed to rebuff, the Athens (Georgia) Banner-Herald reports.

Congressman Paul Broun was asked “Who is going to shoot Obama?”

Instead of rebuffing the questioner in the strongest of terms, Broun, according to the newspaper, answered:

The thing is, I know there’s a lot of frustration with this president. We’re going to have an election next year. Hopefully, we’ll elect somebody that’s going to be a conservative, limited-government president that will take a smaller, who will sign a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Hardly a repudiation – much less a condemnation, of the question.

The Athens Republican’s press secretary told the Banner-Herald that the congressman recognized the question as “inappropriate”  and “moved on.”

Probe into military congressional mind control allegations

It sounded like a scene from the George Clooney movie The Men Who Stare at Goats.

In that film, Clooney was part of a top secret military unit that worked at controlling the minds of others. You know, like Obi-Wan telling the storm troopers "These are not the droids you are looking for" in Star Wars Episode IV.

Apparently, there is such a unit. And, according to an allegation published in Rolling Stone, the military ordered its members to use mind control techniques to get members of Congress to continue funding the war in Afghanistan.

Now, the Pentagon is ordering an investigation into that claim.

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, announced he will appoint an investigator to determine if  Army Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV used information operations officers in an attempt to influence distinguished visitors to his command, NATO Military Training Mission Afghanistan.


Caldwell's command is responsible for training Afghan soldiers and police. Afghan and NATO plans call for Afghan security forces to take over lead responsibility for security in their nation by the end of 2014.

The investigation "is not focused on any particular person other than determining the facts and circumstances that were raised in that story," said Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan.

The article alleges an information operations team was ordered to prepare dossiers on visiting distinguished visitors, including senators, congressional representatives and senior military officers. A lieutenant colonel told Rolling Stone he was punished after he refused the order to use the techniques on members of Congress.

Gaddafi text messages every cellphone in Libya

By Tark Siala

Embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gaddahfi has sent a text message to every cellphone in his country announcing a 150 percent pay hike for all government workers - an attempt - the Huffington Post reports - to buy off the protesters.

There are rumors as well that people who have used their cellphones to call CNN or al Jazeera have been killed, the Huff Post reports.

Expect economic turmoil in wake of anti-government uprisings

The spate of seething, youth-inspired Middle East uprisings that are toppling governments, reshaping the geopolitical landscape and roiling world markets blindsided the world’s intelligence community.

Not the CIA, Joint Chiefs of Staff or National Security Council saw it coming. Mossad and MI5 missed it! None of the mainstream media’s star-studded stable of scholars, experts and think-tank policy wonks were thinking ahead. 


So says Trends Journal publisher Gerald Celente, who notes that, in the Summer 2010 issue, he predicted the current turmoil: 

What’s happening in Greece will spread worldwide as economies decline. There are no organizations behind this response, it’s a public response. This is a 21st century rendition of ‘Workers of the World unite' … Initially the strikes, riots and protests by unions, student groups, the unemployed, pensioners, and the outraged were sloughed off as predictable (but short-lived and ineffectual) responses that would either peter out on their own or be stomped down by the police … The unofficial reality was that, as Gerald Celente has repeatedly warned: “When people lose everything and have nothing left to lose, they lose it.”

By the Autumn of 2010, Celente's Globanomic methodology pointed to socioeconomic conditions rapidly deteriorating to such an extent that he warned readers of an imminent explosion: “Off With Their Heads 2.0” read the headline, capturing the revolutionary impulse of people who could no longer ignore the toll financial hardship was taking on their lives. 

Celente subsequently identified the role the social media would play in tipping the balance of political power and breaking the grip of government control. In December 2011, just days before the world tuned into Tunisia, the Trends Journal released its “Top Trends of 2011.” Among them was “Journalism 2.0” which predicted an arsenal of digital/Internet weapons in the hands of virtually every citizen via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. that would  bypass corporate/government media, outwit intelligence agencies, outflank the military and police and rally the populace into the streets and onto the barricades.
So, what's next?


Celente says that, in response to the current Middle East uprisings, gold has broken above $1,400 an ounce and Brent Crude climbed to $111 a barrel. There is no end in sight, he says, to market volatility. As the violence escalates and expands, the fallout, he predicts, will be felt around the world.

Labeling public information top secret

By MARIAN WANG
ProPublica

Earlier this week, we flagged an interesting piece in the New York Times about the U.S. government invoking the state secrets privilege to block evidence in lawsuits against a contractor who had duped the U.S. government into spending millions on what many now consider to be fake counterterrorism technology.

According to another recent report, the U.S. invoked state secrets to block a personal injury lawsuit by a CIA employee who alleged that environmental contamination in his home made his family sick. That got us wondering about what else the U.S. has invoked state secrets for — particularly under the Obama administration, which had pledged to end abuses of the privilege.

"Numbers aside, there is a great deal of continuity between the Bush and Obama administrations,” Steven Aftergood, a government secrecy expert with the Federation of American Scientists, told us. “And there is no case where the Obama administration has rescinded a claim of state secrets privilege that was advanced by the Bush [administration]."

Here’s a quick review of some of them:

To block a lawsuit seeking to prevent the U.S. government from killing Anwar Al-Awlaki, an American citizen accused of having ties to al-Qaeda.

The Times noted that while the U.S. government did not confirm that Awlaki was on its “targeted killings” list, it invoked the state secrets privilege, arguing that the case “cannot be litigated without risking or requiring the disclosure of classified and privileged intelligence information that must not be disclosed.”

To block evidence in lawsuits against government contractors involved in the government’s extraordinary rendition program. 

Months after President Obama took office, his Justice Department surprised federal judges by invoking the state secrets privilege again in a case filed by five detainees who said they were abducted and flown to other countries—where they allege they were tortured—on flights arranged by a Boeing subsidiary.

To block lawsuits over the Bush administration’s domestic wiretapping program.


In one case inherited from the Bush administration, Obama’s Justice Department continued to argue that classified records of eavesdropping on an Islamic charity were state secrets. That evidence was excluded, and the case was allowed to proceed. Wired magazine noted that the two wiretapped lawyers were awarded $20,400 each, a ruling that last week the Obama administration indicated it would appeal.

In another case, Attorney General Eric Holder said the department “specifically looked for a way to allow this case to proceed while carving out classified information, and ultimately concluded there was no way to do so.” As a candidate, Barack Obama had previously called the surveillance program “unconstitutional and illegal.”

South Park jihadist sentenced

Zachary Adam Chesser, 21, of Fairfax County, Virginia, was sentenced today to 25 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for communicating threats against the writers of the South Park television show, soliciting violent jihadists to desensitize law enforcement, and attempting to provide material support to al Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

"Zachary Chesser attempted to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and used the Internet to incite violence," said Assistant Attorney General David Kris. 

According to court documents filed with his plea agreement on Oct. 20, 2010, Chesser maintained several online profiles dedicated to extremist jihad propaganda. Chesser admitted to taking repeated steps in April 2010 to encourage violent jihadists to attack the writers of South Park for an episode that included Muhammad in a bear suit, including highlighting their residence and urging online readers to "pay them a visit." Among the steps he took was posting on multiple occasions speeches by Anwar Al-Awlaki, which explained the Islamic justification for killing those who insult or defame Muhammad. Al-Awlaki was designated by the United States as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" on July 12, 2010.

Chesser also admitted that in May 2010, he posted to a jihadist website the personal contact information of individuals who had joined the "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" group on Facebook, with the prompting that this is "Just a place to start."

Chesser also pleaded guilty to soliciting others to desensitize law enforcement by placing suspicious-looking but innocent packages in public places. Chesser explained through a posting online that once law enforcement was desensitized, a real explosive could be used. Chesser ended the posting with the words, "Boom! No more kuffar." According to court documents, "kuffar" means unbeliever, or disbeliever.

According to court records, Chesser also admitted that from at least January 2010 through July 2010, he posted numerous messages online that included calls from Al-Awlaki to join violent jihadists and step-by-step actions individuals needed to take to leave for jihad. Among those postings included a video Chesser made that featured images of mujahedeen in Somalia and a song, sung by Chesser, with the translated title, "America We Are Coming."

Chesser admitted that he promoted online what he called "Open Source Jihad," where he would direct jihadists through his online forums to information on the Internet that they could use to elude capture and death while maintaining relevance and striking capability. This included linking to the entire security screening manual used by the Transportation Security Administration and hundreds of books that contained information on the construction of anti-aircraft missiles and tactics, techniques and weapons for targeting aircraft such as jet airplanes and helicopters.

In addition, Chesser pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to al Shabaab. On Feb. 29, 2008, the U.S. Department of State designated al Shabaab as a foreign terrorist organization, describing it as a violent and brutal extremist group based in Somalia with a number of individuals affiliated with al Qaeda. This designation prohibits providing material support or resources to al Shabaab.

According to court records, Chesser admitted that he twice attempted to leave the United States and travel to Somalia for the purpose of joining al Shabaab and engage in violent jihad as a foreign fighter. The first attempt was in November 2009, which was postponed because his wife was unable to obtain her passport. The second attempt was on July 10, 2010, when he sought to board a flight from New York to Uganda with his infant son. He was prevented from boarding the plane, and Chesser admitted that he brought his son with him as part of his "cover" to avoid detection of his intention to join al Shabaab in Somalia. He also attempted to board the plane with a video camera, which he admitted in court that he intended to use to make production quality videos for al Shabaab's propaganda campaign.

Chesser also admitted in court that he posted several online messages in support of al Shabaab, including videos of attacks by al Shabaab on a government building in Mogadishu, a video claiming that African Union troops are responsible for killing civilians in Somalia, a video supporting the merger of al Shabaab with another organization, and links to what Chesser described as the "Al Qaeda Manual" that included instructions in support of violent jihad.

An open letter to the leaders crushing protests

The publication of this letter comes as the New York Times reports that Libyan security forces Sunday opened fire on mourners attending the funerals of demonstrators who were killed by troops.

By GARY BAUMGARTEN

Dear leaders of Bahrain, Libya, Iran and Yemen,

I share with you your desire for stability, peace and tranquility in your nations. I want to see you all live long and prosper. So I am offering to you, at no charge, a suggestion that will, at least, make it likely that you can hang on to power for a little while longer.

Stop attacking your own citizens.

Don’t you realize how tactically stupid this is? Don’t answer this question. It’s rhetorical in nature.

Setting aside the obvious – that you are killing innocent unarmed citizens you’ve pledged to, as their leader, protect – your attacks on them are just hastening your own demise.

I know of people in your countries who, when all the unrest began, pledged to remain as apolitical as they have for their entire lives. That was until you attacked. Then they left their homes to join the growing number of demonstrators on the streets.

Your brutality is turning your own people against you.

Maybe before the advent of the Internet and satellite news communications you could, and probably did, get away with this. But you can’t keep this Genie capped in the bottle of your own nation’s borders any longer. The truth will out. Always. And it is.

Even shutting off the Internet and firing at foreign reporters from helicopters doesn’t stop the flow of information to the rest of the world. And that information, both domestically and internationally, represents a stronger weapon than all the bullets, tanks and military might you can muster.

So, even if you care nothing about your own people (and clearly you don’t) – you should be treating them with respect – not killing them. Killing them does not represses the movements against you. It just galvanizes them.

My advice to you: stop your brutality. Now. For your own sakes.

--

Talk to Paltalk News Network News and Programming Director Gary Baumgarten 5 PM New York time Monday-Friday on News Talk Online.

Human rights abuses prevail in China as well

White House photo by Pete Souza

While the crackdown on demonstrations continue in Bahrain, Iran and Libya, focuses about human rights issues is diverted from China.

The New York Times reports that Chinese dissidents are increasingly finding themselves under house arrest, with no access to the Internet, effectively isolating them from the outside world without judicial due process.

It’s not that the United States, for example, isn’t aware of the issue. It’s just that there’s little Washington can do.

President Obama climbed out on a diplomatic limb in January, when he said during a state visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao that human rights values need to be recognized. He also urged Hu to engage in talks with the Dalai Lama over Tibet.

The role of the United States with regard to human rights is a topic that’s now being discussed as a result of the ongoing clashes in the Middle East and Africa. The Brookings Institution just convened a two-day long international conference on just this matter. Participants concluded that the Obama administration took encouraging early steps to address human rights violationsaround the world. But that the U.S. needs to get its own house in order as well.

They are not alone.

In November, the UN Human Rights Council took the United States to task for Human Rights violations – citing – in particular – the treatment and the extra-judicial detainment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

Israel tracking 2 Iranian warships heading toward Suez Canal

Israel is quite concerned that two Iranian warships are preparing to transit the Suez Canal en route to Syria.

Despite the recent turmoil in Egypt, authorities there managed to keep thecrucially important canal open. There were some worker protests at the canal, but that didn’t stop it from operating.

Israel says it is tracking the warships and has called their anticipated presence in the Mediterranean Sea a provocation. Which means that Israel possibly could intervene.

Concern about a confrontation has caused oil futures to skyrocket. The Suez Canal is a major conduit for the flow of oil from the Middle East.

Arrests over Bahrain deaths as protests continue there and elsewhere

An apology from the king of Bahrain over the killings of those involved in protests there. Two demonstrators and a police officer were killed. King Hamad Bin-Isa Al-Khalifa has set up a panel to investigate the deaths. Protesters gathered today to demonstrate at the funerals of those who were killed. The nation’s interior minister has also apologized and announced that “those responsible” for the killings have been arrested.

Meanwhile, demonstrations continue elsewhere in the region – including – notably – in Egypt – despite the resignation of Hosni Mubarak as the nation’s three-decade’s-long president.

Protesters there say they won’t be satisfied until a representative government is installed. The Egyptian military is in control of the country – at least for the moment – but it has pledged that it will create what the people have been demanding, promising a revised constitution in just 10 days and elections within six months.

Among those claiming a seat at the political table is the Muslim Brotherhood, the officially banned organization that was responsible for the assassination, three decades ago, of then-president Anwar Sadat – which propelled his then-vice president, Mubarak, into power.

The Brotherhood announced Tuesday it was creating a political party. This could serve to mitigate the extremist threat of the organization by making it part of the system. Or, other observers fear and predict, could lead to greater influence and a leaning toward a more religiously fundamentalist government.

Of perhaps greatest concern is the Brotherhood’s stated desire to end the peace treaty with Israel.

Meanwhile, protest continue in Algeria today. The government there has responded by blocking Facebook and the Internet to make it difficult to organize demonstrations.

In Yemen, large numbers of police were reported on the streets of the nation’s capital in an attempt to quell the nearly week-long demonstrations there.

And in Iran, where there were also two deaths on Monday, clashes between security forces and mourners at one of their funerals. It was not clear whether the two killed were protesters or government agents beset upon by the crowds.