Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Slideshow: The Demonization of Israel

HONEST REPORTING

OCTOBER 16, 2013 14:14BY 
Demonization of Israel is anti-Semitism according to the Working Definitions from the EU and the U.S.
What is demonization? What are the Working Definitions? This slideshow answers those questions and features graphic examples from published media of political cartoons that demonize Israel.

The Demonization of Israel from HonestReporting

Demonizing Israel? Who, Us?

OCTOBER 6, 2013 14:46BY 
independentdemonizingimageNo sooner had HonestReporting launched our petition against the demonization of Israel in the media, when the issue of demonization appeared in a prominent UK media outlet. The Independent responded with righteous indignation to accusations from a Jewish community leader and rival newspaper’s journalist that The Independent frequently demonizes Israel.
The Independent published this editorial (emphasis added):
In a throwaway remark on Radio 4’s Today yesterday, Alex Brummer, City Editor of the Daily Mail, said: “In comparison with The Guardian and The Independent, which frequently demonises Israel, and in so doing demonises the broader Jewish community, [the Daily Mail] is right behind them.” The Guardian can speak for itself. In relation to The Independent, Mr Brummer’s claim is false, myopic, wilfully ignorant, an offence against the integrity of our staff, and an insult to you, our readers.
It is true that, since its founding in 1986, The Independent has championed Enlightenment values; and there have been times when the actions of the Israeli government have not  been driven by enlightened thinking.
Our coverage of Israel is led by our multiple award-winning Middle East Correspondent, Robert Fisk. Mr Fisk, in three decades reporting on that region, understands it better than most of those who slander him, and has been at pains to distinguish between opposition to Israeli policy and anti-Semitism.
This would be the same Robert Fisk who, in October 2006, was given the front page of the The Independent to spread the libel that Israel had used uranium-based weapons in southern Lebanon during that summer’s war. This was challenged at the time by HonestReporting, following a UN investigation clearing Israel of the allegations only a short time later, which was also confirmed by Lebanese officials. HR castigated The Independent for its shoddy journalism and its failure to issue a retraction.
Independent281006
To this day, Fisk and his newspaper have failed to retract the accusation.
Could this sort of libel contribute to the demonization of Israel? Surely not, according to The Independent.
Indeed, Fisk has a long history of anti-Israel invective, blaming Israel for all of the Palestinians’ ills and the West for Muslim disgruntlement. The day after September 11, 2001, Fisk defied the civilized world and blamed Israel, America, and even the defeat of the Ottoman Empire for the WTC terrorist attack. Fisk proclaimed:
“…This is not the war of democracy versus terror that the world will be asked to believe in the coming days. It is also about American missiles smashing into Palestinian homes and US helicopters firing missiles into a Lebanese ambulance in 1996 and American shells crashing into a village called Qana and about a Lebanese militia paid and uniformed by America’s Israeli ally hacking and raping and murdering their way through refugee camps.”
How can The Independent, in all good conscience, possibly hold up Robert Fisk in an attempt to deflect accusations that the newspaper demonizes Israel?
The Independent’s editorial continues:





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THE WOUNDED RANGER’S SALUTE DURING A PURPLE HEART CEREMONY

........ THAT LEFT THE ROOM WEEPING
Oct. 16, 2013 10:36am 

Wounded, bandaged and hooked up to tubes in an Afghanistan intensive care unit, a U.S. Army Ranger, thought by hospital staff to be unconscious, heard his commander’s voice and addressed him with the iconic symbol of respect: a salute.

josh hargis
U.S. Army Ranger Josh Hargis, wounded at a base in Afghanistan, raises his hand in salute during his Purple Heart ceremony. He was thought to be unconscious and raised his arm despite a doctor initially trying to restrain him. (Image source: Taylor Hargis/Facebook)


Josh Hargis, a Purple Heart recipient with the 3rd Ranger Battalion, was injured after 13 improvised explosive devices went off while he was conducting a mission in Afghanistan to capture a high value target, according to the website Guardian of Valor. Several members of the unit were killed by a woman wearing a suicide vest and others injured by the IEDs that went off afterward.
Hargis’ commander sent his wife, Taylor, a letter explaining what her husband endured along with a photo, which the Guardian of Valor is calling the “salute seen around the world.”
Taylor Hargis posted the note and photo on Facebook over the weekend, calling it a letter that details the “kind of man I have the privilege of being married to.”

read more: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/10/16/the-wounded-rangers-salute-during-a-purple-heart-ceremony-that-left-the-room-weeping/

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Glenn Greenwald Leaves the Guardian, Takes Snowden's Leaks with Him

Bee's Note: 
Whether or not you agree with Snowden's actions - hero or traitor - or, Greenwald's "style", Mr. Greenwald is not the first journalist who has broken away from the "traditional" way of reporting news.
Not too long ago, Glenn Beck, of Fox News, left his comfortable evening news program to start his own radio and Internet outreach and is doing well "on his own".
No one denies that in the U.S., most, if not all journalists are hampered by the politically correct crowd and whoever is paying their salaries. In time, I believe we will witness the resignations of more journalists from their "comfort zones" and returning to the basics of reporting facts on the ground.  The lost years of propaganda teleprompters will be replaced with honest reporting.  

Grabit Advanced Image Import

By Kevin Collier on 
Glenn Greenwald, the journalist most responsible for bringing leaked National Security Agency documents to the public, is going independent.
Details are still unclear, but it would stand to reason this new venture will become one of, if not the, new major hub of forthcoming NSA revelations.
According to a Buzzfeed report, Greenwald—a columnist at the Guardian, though he writes for other sources, like the Brazilian, Portuguese agency O Globo—will continue reporting at this unnamed new agency. He confirmed the news, praising the Guardian but calling the new venture “a once-in-a-career dream journalistic opportunity.”
Greenwald is central to the story of the seemingly never-ending stream of stories detailing classified NSA programs. Together, they paint a picture of a secretive agency with staggering technical powers, like the ability to track almost any Internet communication in real-time, to harvest half a million address book contacts a day, and to break nearly any kind of online encryption.
Former NSA analyst Thomas Drake has described the agency to the Daily Dot as wanting to “own the Internet.”
It was Greenwald who in June stole off to Hong Kong to meet up with former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the then-29-year-old who fled from the U.S. with a hard drive brimming with those documents. Greenwald has since passed certain documents—they tend to be PowerPoint presentations describing NSA programs, designed for internal use—to other news organizations, particularly the New York Times. He’s described the process of divvying up those documents as “incredibly complex,” and that they’re doled to other agencies as  “first-come-first-serve,” not deliberately held.
As Greenwald told BuzzFeed, there are only two people in the world who have access to the full range of documents—himself and documentarian Laura Poitras. Neither the Guardian nor, apparently, Snowden himself can make that claim.
In recent days, WikiLeaks, which has provided Snowden with financial aid and lists Greenwald as an associate, has slammed the Guardian as having “abandoned” Snowden. Greenwald’s official statement on his decision to leave, however, offers only praise for the agency.
On Monday, the day before news of his move became known, Greenwald said of forthcoming NSA stories that “the worst is yet to come.“ 
Update: Reuters reports one  of the financial backers for Greenwald's new venture is eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.
Photo by gageskidmore/Flickr

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The March of Tyranny and NSA's Surveillance

“When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.” 
― Thomas Jefferson

How the Government Tracks You: NSA Surveillance

Bee's note:
NSA - just another "phony" scandal (according to Obama, Inc.).  Hardly a word in Washington about any of the investigative scandals these days.  Why?  Well, if you watch any of the news channels, including Fox News, the only thing Americans are fed 24-7 is whether or not they can apply online to Obama's socialist healthcare program.  The "news" media has become one huge advertisement for Obamacare - who cares?!  

The only alternative news is found on the Internet - world-wide, foreign policy, or domestic economy news ... the Internet!  Time to shut down the TV - stop listening to the daily, sometimes hourly speeches this administration wants you to hear; it's the only way anyone is going to learn what's happening in the world, outside the box of this White House!  Did any of the Media cover what was happening in D.C. on Sunday?  Not a peep about the protest/march by our Veterans!  Why?  Because they fear "we the people" have had enough and are beyond  fed up with the lies.
NSA's surveillance has not just compromised America's privacy. Anyone with a little history background, remembers how a world Dictator/madman controlled the Media before and during WWII.  And so, when Germany raises concerns about NSA, as it is today, Americans should be very concerned about their Constitutional rights struck down by a few elites in Washington, under the pretense of "national" security.  
Isn't it ironic that our WWII Veterans are treated so poorly and felt it necessary to March to Washington, DC Sunday, October 13th?  When our Veterans notice that the freedoms they so valiantly fought for during WWII are being hijacked by this administration, it's time to wake up and take notice.  
By the way, has anyone asked NSA how they "missed" the Boston bombers, even when they were notified by Russia?
Has anything changed since 9/11/2001 that grants Americans a sense of more security than pre-9/11?  Hardly!  I believe the "Intelligence" agencies have overstepped the intent of their "Mission" and are using their "authority" more for the intimidation of US citizens, rather than checking out the next arrival or plot of terrorists.  
When Americans have to be concerned about using SKYPE to speak to family, for fear the government listening in to their "private" conversations, we've either become like the citizens of Germany pre-WWII, or our government has simply grown too big for their britches!  
Tyranny is not a GOP vs. Democrat issue!  Remember the words of James Madison:  “If tyranny and oppression come to this land it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”  The "shutdown" has nothing to do with Memorial Parks closed; it has to do with power - power of a few to inflict as much pain as possible upon America's citizens.

By Kevin Collier on October 13, 2013EmailA German Internet service provider has come up with one way to avoid the prying eyes of the U.S.’s National Security Agency.
Deutsche Telekom, partially owned by the German government, has proposed sending domestic emails just through German servers, according to the German news agency DW.
The company wants to partner with other ISPs in the country, as well as with ISPs throughout Europe. Germany has a complicated relationship with the NSA. Tens of thousands of Germans have protested in nearly 40 cities, upset that they’re one of the agency’s most-targeted countries. But Chancellor Angela Merkel, seen as complicit with the NSA, won a massive reelection in September. And Germany’s own spy agency, the BND, has a well-established information-sharing working relationship with the NSA. .. more
and this one:
"NSA has your address book":
By Kevin Collier on The National Security Agency sucks up Internet users’ contact lists and address books on a massive scale, according to previously unseen documents published Monday by the Washington Post.It’s yet another revelation provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, presented in PowerPoint slideshow form.
The documents shed light on the agency’s previously established practice of choosing new surveillance targets based on “contact-chaining”—looking not just at a person of interest but at the people within a few degrees of separation, too.
Previously leaked documents show that one method the NSA employs is to search for who’s “included in the ‘buddy list’ or address book” of an established target. It wasn’t explicitly clear at the time how the NSA gets that information. ... more
In closing, here's a little video to bring a smile (to Patriots):



A "little" Tyranny .... 
(Have you signed up for his healthcare yet?)



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How Big Business Could End the Shutdown Overnight

By  | Daily Ticker – Mon, Oct 14, 2013 12:22 PM EDT

Business leaders have been increasingly vocal in their displeasure with Congress over the ongoing federal shutdown. But so far, there’s one crucial thing they haven’t done: clamp off the campaign contributions that are the lifeblood of American politics.
Members of Congress love to wax patriotic about carrying out the will of the American people, blah blah blah. But money is the thing that really gets their attention. And the business lobby is where the money is. Business groups contribute more than 70% of the donations that fund political campaigns, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. With campaigns costlier than ever, that gives the business lobby considerable leverage in terms of getting their way with politicians.
So if business groups really became determined to end the government shutdown and the standoff over extending the federal debt ceiling, declaring a moratorium on campaign contributions ought to do the trick.
“All it would take are a few of the biggest hitters to pull back,” says Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, which monitors campaign donations. “It would be extraordinarily hard to replace that lost money with other money.”
Big business is typically associated with the Republican Party, but business groups give to many candidates. During the 2012 election cycle, about 40% of the donations from business groups went to Democrats, who control the Senate and the White House and therefore oversee many matters business cares about. The rising influence of the Tea Party, and its penchant for disruptive tactics such as shutting down the government, has further weakened ties between business leaders and establishment Republicans (including House Speaker John Boehner) who seem unable to corral their rambunctious party mates.
Business groups often have differing agendas, since the oil industry faces different challenges than pharmaceutical firms, food companies or technology start-ups. But virtually all businesses tend to benefit from predictable government, reliable infrastructure and other factors that have been disrupted by the shutdown. So it’s a unique moment when businesses in general have one huge thing in common: A need to get back to business as usual.
If business groups decided to withhold campaign contributions until Washington resolved its budget issues, they could target Republicans or focus on House Republicans specifically, since the House is holding up a budget resolution. Most analysts think “clean” legislation to reopen the government and extend its borrowing limit--with no strings attached--would pass both the House and the Senate, if a vote was held. But Boehner and other House Republican leaders won’t bring such a measure up for a vote, fearing it might shatter the party’s unity, since some Republicans could join Democrats to pass such a bill against Tea Party opposition.
A moratorium on campaign contributions might not sway Tea Partiers, who tend run against the establishment and don’t usually rely on business donations anyway. But it could persuade other Republicans to break with their Tea Party allies and vote to reopen the government.
A more pragmatic approach, however, might be for business groups to suspend all contributions to Democrats and Republicans alike, taking a “work-it-out, nonpartisan approach,” as Krumholz says. For influential lobbying groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and the National Association of Manufacturers, that would reduce the odds of making new enemies while showing seriousness about the need to deal with the budget impasse.
There’s already evidence that the shutdown and the threat of a default on U.S. debt, no matter how small, is hurting business. The shutdown has deflated consumer confidence, foreshadowing a cutback in spending that could cut into revenue at many companies. Financial markets are increasingly volatile, and stocks have been registering wild swings triggered by any sign of breakthrough or stalemate in Washington. On corporate earnings calls, CEOs and CFOs repeatedly express their reluctance to spend and invest amid so much political uncertainty.
If the fiscal follies in Washington do ultimately cause a new recession or other lasting damage, big businesses will survive better than most. Many big companies have stockpiled cash and streamlined operations to deal as effectively as possible with economic shocks. But robust profits depend on a healthy economy, not just on the ability to survive turmoil. The politicians don’t seem to have gotten the message yet.
Rick Newman’s latest book is Rebounders: How Winners Pivot From Setback To Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman.
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Islamic Jihadis Prep For 9/11/01 Replay

Islamic Jihadis Prep For 9/11/01 Replay: TSA (Under Orders From Obama Inc.) Keeps Public In The Dark…
Commentary By Adina Kutnicki

With the so called “war on terror” already won, as duly exhorted by the leader of the free world after the “capture” of Osama Bin Laden (its reportage full of more holes than swiss cheese, but no matter), one would believe that the dangers from another 9/11/01 airplane-driven jihadist was nothing more than history. No worries. Really?

As this site dutifully reports – a place where bull crap is never part of the calculus – what is, however uncomfortable, is. The spin stops here. So, on enumerable occasions alarm bells sounded on the ever present jihadi threat. Specifically, eight months ago, a commentary alerted the readers to the so called “case closed” jihadi plane redux, highlighting airplane “dry runs” as an ever present looming Islamic threat. Not only that, but the amount of non-reported “incidents” pale in comparison to those actually reported. Yet, what else can one expect from a regime which deems a “soldier for Allah” a non-jihadist, and attributes said terror to “workplace violence”? 
And so Islamic jihadi dry-runs remains unmentionable…a phantom in the skies…non-identifiable…bogyman-like. 
11:36 AM, Oct 10, 2013
 The 10 News Investigators have discovered an internal industry memo warning of terrorist dry-runs, including one in the past six weeks on a flight to Florida.
  •     
 PDF Document: security memo 
Orlando, Florida — It was a flight bound for Florida, and some airline pilots believe it also may have been a dry-run for terrorists. 
The 10 News Investigators have obtained an internal memo that details a frightening incident that brings back memories of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Since then, federal efforts have gone in place to prevent a similar attack, leading many to believe another attack what happened on 9/11 could never happen again.
Wolf Koch, who flies Boeing 767s for Delta Airlines and is the Aviation Security Committee Chairman for the Air Line Pilots Association International, says that belief “is very foolish.”
Koch describes the events of 9/11 as “an incredible attack on us. It was very well orchestrated and they’re going to try it again… 100 percent, no question in my mind. They’re going to try it again.”
According to  Koch,  many other flight crews are concerned the planning may already be underway.
A memo obtained by the 10 News investigators from the union that represents pilots for US Airways says that “there have been several cases recently throughout the (airline) industry of what appear to be probes, or dry-runs, to test our procedures and reaction to an in flight threat.”
Koch says, “What most security experts will tell you that if a dry-run is occurring, the attack will shortly follow.”
The pilots say the most recent dry-run occurred on Flight 1880 on September 2. The flight left Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. and headed to Orlando International.
Crew members say that shortly after takeoff, a group of four “Middle Eastern” men caused a commotion.
The witnesses claim one of the men ran from his seat in coach, toward the flight deck door. He made a hard left and entered the forward bathroom “for a considerable length of time.”
While he was in there, the other three men proceeded to move about the cabin, changing seats, opening overhead bins, and “generally making a scene.” They appeared to be trying to occupy and distract the flight attendants.
The 10 News Investigators contacted both US Airways and theTransportation Security Administration both confirmed the incident. US Airways says it won’t discuss the details of security measures, but that it works closely with authorities.
The TSA told us it takes all reports of suspicious activity aboard aircraft seriously, and the matter requires no further investigation  at this time.
However, a current Federal Air Marshal who works flights every week says of the TSA, “They’re liars. They’re flat out liars.”
The Air Marshal, whose identity we are not revealing because agency rules prohibit him from talking to the media, says  the TSA doesn’t want the flying public to be aware of the problems with terrorist probes. 
The Air Marshal and others we have spoken to say several flights they have worked were targets of dry-runs and that most of his colleagues believe no matter what the TSA says,  the incident aboard Flight 1880 is serious.
Until now, there has been absolutely no publicity about the US Airways flight from D.C. to  Orlando International Airport, but security experts say incidents  like this should not and cannot be ignored.
As the Federal Air Marshal and industry insiders  tell us, “We’re waiting for the next 9/11 to happen, because it’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when.”
Just like in relation to the jihadist attack in Boston, whereby Obama Inc. turned deaf, dumb and blind to all the warning signs re the Chechen jihadists, so too they will feign shock, shock when, not if, the next airplane(s) explodes on American soil, incinerating many thousands of innocents along for the ride!
See no (Islamic) evil. Hear no (Islamic) evil. The “war on terror” is DOA, so sayeth Barack HUSSEIN Obama!

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A U.S. Apache attack helicopter appears in China. Did they clone it?

Oct 14 2013 
THE AVIATIONIST

By David Cenciotti
Images have surfaced on the Chinese Internet of what seems to be an actual AH-64D Apache or a real-size copy of the world’s most famous attack chopper.
The helicopter, on a truck, seems to be in the process of being moved even if it is at least strange that it is is not hidden below a protective covering, as happened for other mysterious choppers spotted on the move in China.
It’s not easy to guess how Beijing put their hands on the helicopter. It could be one of the U.S. Army Apaches downed or crash landed in Iraq, that was later fixed and exported in China.
A famous episode is the one of the AH-64 shot down intact during the 2003 attack on Karbala, during which the two US pilots were captured and shown on television along with the helicopter: still, Pentagon later stated the Apache had been destroyed with an airstrike the day following the capture.
Or, it may be a perfect copy of the Boeing AH-64: China has already shown its ability to create clones of the American most advanced weapons systems.
Image via Chinadefense blog. H/T to Ugo Crisponi for the heads-up



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Monday, October 14, 2013

Khamenei: Main enemy is Zionist network

Bee's note:  
While Kerry is speaking "soothing" words to Israel, to calm Israel's concerns about Obama, Inc.'s attempts to socially chat with Iran's new president Rohani, we find Iran's smilies fading into its actual disdain for Israel and the USA.  The ignorance in Obama's administration is dangerous to the security of both the U.S. and Israel. What more can we say, when an individual refuses to see the handwriting on the wall?!
The inability to "lead" ....

Obama has fallen, hook, line and sinker for the wiles and smiles of Rohani, ever since Rohani's recent visit to the United Nations last month.  Just like Morsi, the "moderate" (according to Obama), the Obama "Media" has been falling all over themselves, portraying Rohani as another "moderate" Islamist.  Why doesn't anyone with access to a computer and front page news, check up on the actual words/threats and ideology of Iran's leaders and begin reporting their findings and not that of the one in the White House.  Is that too much to expect from our journalists, MEDIA, and the leaders we elected?
Unlike Morsi who spent one short year transforming Egypt into a complete Sharia law, murderous dictatorship, Rohani is NOT in charge of Iran's policies and nuclear purse strings; he is merely a puppet statesman for the ayatollah.  And, it is the ayatollah who will be pressing the lever to strike Tel Aviv and with time, the U.S. and any other country considered an "enemy" of Iran's leaders.
Since I can't afford to build a Bomb Shelter, I suggest the Pentagon and whoever is left inside our military who hasn't been fired by Obama, sit down and have a little chat with their "Commander-in-Chief".  Is it possible to pound common sense in one who already has demonstrated his love towards "all things" Islam, including all those "moderate" rebels/terrorists in Syria?
Here is a mystery: How does one who demonstrates a Narcissist personality, demonstrate a "love" for anything or anyone except "self"?
The United States of America cannot afford mistakes with a country that does not hide its hatred towards the West and its allies.
Khamenei: Main enemy is Zionist network
Eve of resumption of talks between Iran and West, ayatollah slams Israel, US in annual hajj speech. 'Arrogant governments, headed by the USA deceive public opinion in different countries,' he says
Published: 10.14.13, 20:15 / Israel News

Iran's Supreme Spiritual Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that "we should not make a mistake in knowing the main enemy, who in the present time is global arrogance and the criminal Zionist network."

In his address to the hajj pilgrims, Khamenei mentioned Israelseveral times: "we should properly identify the methods of this hostile enemy which is creating discord among Muslims… Moreover, we should identify their agents and those who are, knowingly or ignorantly, dependent on them. "

Related stories:
Khamenei calls for 'flexible' nuclear diplomacy
Khamenei: Iran will destroy Tel Aviv, Haifa if attacked
Confessions of a Jewish-Iranian spy

Khamenei also leveled sharp criticism at the West. "Arrogant governments, headed by the USA, conceal their true character with the help of comprehensive and advanced propaganda tools. By claiming that they support human rights and democracy, they deceive public opinion in different countries," he said.


Ayatollah Khamenei (Photo: EPA)

He then attacked Israel and the US: "For decades, the oppressed Palestinian nation has been receiving strikes as a result of the crimes of the Zionist regime and its supporters. In the countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, terrorism - which originates from the policies of global arrogance and its agents in the region - has ruined the lives of the people. "

He expressed his support for the Syrian regime: "Syria has come under the attack of arrogant powers and their regional agents because of supporting anti-Zionist orientations and it has experienced a bloody civil war."

Meanwhile, ahead of the talks between Iran and the world powers, 10 prominent senators, both Democrats and Republicans, warned President Barack Obama against Iran and said it must first prove it isn't running negotiation while "the centrifuges are spinning."

In a letter, the senators noted that sanctions should only be lifted if Iran halts its nuclear program, and urged him to keep the threat of military action on the table.





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