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Rebellion Continues in Sicily

The Tiny Italian Town Killing the U.S. Navy’s 

 Surveillance Plans

The Sicilian village of Niscemi keeps scoring unlikely victories in its battle to keep a controversial U.S. military satellite system from going online.

By Barbie Latza Nadeau

NISCEMI, Italy — Sicilian pensioner Salvatore Terranova blames America for messing with his pacemaker. Every six months or so, he has to drive across the island to Palermo to get it re-calibrated. His doctors told him that he uses the computer and cellphone too much, even though he says he doesn’t actually use electronic devices much at all. Terranova says his pacemaker won’t keep its beat because he lives across a dusty road from the U.S. Navy’s Niscemi Naval Radio Transmitter Facility antenna farm and Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite ground station. “My doctors told me I had to move out to the countryside for my heart,” he told The Daily Beast at a café in the main square here. “But I’m afraid the country life is going to kill me.”

Terranova, who is the base’s closest neighbor, keeps a constant eye on the facility’s two 495-foot-high antennas and the 40 other smaller sensors that flicker on and off, sending low-frequency radio signals to U.S. and NATO ships in the region. He says the antennas aren’t all on at the same time, and that usually when authorities come to test the area for air quality, fewer of its lights are flickering. But he’s really worried that when a trio of new massive satellite dishes go online, the real trouble will begin. He also says that every few weeks or so, the giant “No MUOS” protest sign hanging on his front gate disappears. “It’s the Americans who take it,” he says. “I report their military license plate numbers to the police, but nothing ever happens.”

The antenna farm has been running unchallenged for around 20 years, but activists are focused on blocking the additional three 60-foot-diameter MUOS satellite dishes, which are nearly ready to beam communications to unmanned drones and U.S. soldiers in real time via the Niscemi site as well as ground stations in Australia, Hawaii, and Virginia.  The dishes are set to go live sometime after the last of five Lockheed Martin satellites are launched in November—and only if the United States manages to overturn a stop-work order handed down by local Sicilian authorities in time.

Ever since the Italian government under Silvio Berlusconi signed off on the U.S. Navy’s use of the land six years ago, the No MUOS activists of Niscemi have been doing everything they can to stop work at the site—with an astonishing level of success. Twice, they have won injunctions against the United States. At the moment, work at the site is at a standstill as a court in Palermo weighs the legality of the facility’s existence, based on a challenge stemming from the Region of Sicily’s decision to withdraw its authorization in 2013. On April 27, a Sicilian court rejected the United States’ appeal to release the sequestered site. There are still legal avenues for the U.S. military to pursue, including another court date July 8, and they could always ask for intervention from the Italian government. Meanwhile, the activists were able to notch one more victory in their David vs. Goliath battle: Two weeks ago, the activists went to the European Commission in Brussels to launch an appeal to stop MUOS at a European level as well.

Residents aren’t only worried about health effects from electromagnetic charges. The Niscemi site is also smack in the middle of the protected Sughereta Nature Reserve, known for its ancient cork oak trees and recognized as a protected site by the EC. The MUOS base sits high above a forest, on a plateau where construction is legal. Just a few feet away, breaking ground for any reason is strictly prohibited. The No MUOS activists claim that the border distinguishing those two areas was moved in 2012.

The activists say they are worried about the “consequences of the installation of this system on: human health, the ecosystem of the Sughereta park, the quality of agricultural production, right to mobility and to the development of territory, right to peace and security of our homeland and of its inhabitants.”

Protesting MUOS has become an obsession for the town of 28,000, which, according to a sign at Niscemi’s city limits, is also known as the artichoke capital of Sicily. Before the latest stop-work order, activists frequently cut through military fences and scurried up the giant antennas, forcing the U.S. Navy to halt transmissions. The vocal Mothers Against MUOS lined up children’s toys against the base’s fences and organized shifts to block the road. Other No MUOS groups held protests along the road leading up to the base with such vigor that the U.S. Navy needed hundreds of Italian police in full riot gear to protect the delivery of equipment and personnel during the height of the construction phase.  Since 2009, there has been a sit-in encampment not far from Terranova’s farm, where protesters hold constant vigil on a little piece of land they bought from a local farmer.

Few believe the stop-work order will last. A previous halt was overturned because the permissions that were granted were done so legally. The current injunction means the U.S. Navy cannot conduct the crucial tests to prepare the MUOS ground station for the November launch, though few activists in Niscemi believe tests aren’t being done anyway.

Gaetano Impoco, one of the most vocal leaders of the activists, points to a February 2010 conversation between former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Ignazio La Russa, Italy’s then-minister of defense, that was exposed by WikiLeaks (PDF) and during which, he says, the pact with the devil was made. According to the diplomatic cable, the United States put pressure on Italy to cut corners. “On MUOS Niscemi, SecDef requested that La Russa assist in securing final approval for the site, noting that if construction of the antenna did not begin by March, the U.S. might have to look elsewhere in the Mediterranean.” 

Impoco and other activists say permissions were then pushed through without adequate tests or consultation with the local community in order to pacify the Americans, whose military-base presence in Italy is substantial and lucrative for the government. There are seven major U.S. bases in the country, not counting Niscemi and other smaller installments.  “The Niscemi people were sold out,” Impaco told The Daily Beast. “By the time anyone realized what was going on, it was far too late.”

No MUOS activist Maurizio Giannetto, who is a radio technician, is a sort of NO MUOS tour guide, leading the way up a rugged off-road trail past Terranova’s farm through wildflowers and cork trees to the U.S. Navy’s perimeter fence closest to the three massive satellite dishes. Along the way, he points out the various surveillance cameras on cherry pickers that can be raised and lowered to get a closer look at who is gawking through the fence. “Look,” he says. “There are no above-ground bunkers, they are all buried below ground. What does that tell you about the safety of the site? Even the personnel are afraid of too much exposure to the radio waves.”

When asked about this, Jeff Galvin, a U.S. Embassy press attaché in Rome, told The Daily Beast there are no bunkers, and that there are certainly none hidden underground, though because the site was used by the Germans to launch counterattacks against Allied forces in 1943, no one can be completely sure just what leftovers might be in the area from World War II. In any event, he says the U.S. military is not hiding people from electromagnetic contamination. In fact, he says, the opposite is true. “MUOS is safe. It does not present a health or environmental threat to the people of Niscemi or to the people hiking around in Sughereta,” Galvin told The Daily Beast. “We can say that with assurance. We have people working there as well, and we wouldn’t do anything to put them in danger, either.”

Still, Giannetto is concerned. He says the fight against MUOS has exacted a heavy toll on the community.  Six years ago, the groups against MUOS started out with one objective, but now egos and hidden agendas have started to tear the town apart. “This has become about so much more than these dishes,” he says pointing through the barbed wire fence at the three monstrous saucers backed by hundreds of antenna towers secured by cables. “It is about whose right it is to decide what happens on this land. It’s not America’s right to use our land for this.”

Like others, he is also concerned that the peaceful town where he was born will be a military target once the MUOS is online, and he, like others, have little doubt that despite their protests, the Americans will prevail. “If you want to disrupt the United States’s military power, you disturb the telecommunications,” he says. “We are all in the target area.”

Some of the NO MUOS protesters have a strong desire to de-militarize all of Sicily. Elvira Cusa leads a protest group different from the one Impoco and Giannetto are part of. Speaking to The Daily Beast as she smoked cigarettes outside a MUOS meeting in Niscemi last weekend, Cusa admitted health wasn’t her group’s primary concern. “The principal reason may be risks to our health, but we also know this base will be an instrument of another kind of death,” she told The Daily Beast. “They won’t just kill us, they will kill others, too from our town with their drones.”

Referring to the collateral death of Italian hostage Giovanni Lo Porto in an unmanned drone attack against al Qaeda in January, she said, “If we allow this to happen, we are all accomplices to killing our brothers.”

One of the activists’ favorite theories is that the reason the MUOS was not installed at the nearby Sigonella base, which houses both the U.S. Navy and Air Force and dozens of other military contingents, is because the electromagnetic activity could cause the missiles to explode, an idea put forth by Marcello D’Amore, a La Sapienza professor of electrical engineering who concluded that anyone living near the Niscemi site was at risk. A further study conducted by AGI-Analytical and American Maxim Systems, which included a risk-assessment model of electromagnetic radiation on weapons systems, ammunition, propellants, and explosives at the existing base in Sicily, came up with similar findings. “The computer simulation of the model led to an unexpected ‘no’ to the hypothesis of using the base in Sigonella,” the authors said.

The U.S. government disputes that reasoning. Galvin at the U.S. Embassy in Rome says the MUOS was not installed in Sigonella because it offers a “navigational hazard” to the Air Force and Navy aircraft, and not the potential danger to weapons held there.

Galvin points to MUOS ground stations in Australia, Hawaii, and Vermont that have not received the same scrutiny and attention from those local populations. To appease the people of Niscemi, he says the Sicilian site will be the only MUOS ground station to have additional monitoring devices that constantly control the levels of electromagnetic and radio activity. He says that for those concerned about health risks, there is nothing to worry about. “For the anti-war protesters, though it is a highly visible symbol of something that people and activists can focus on.”

Tax the Rich, Decentralize the Media, More Democracy, Cooperatives, Break Up Big Landholdings

Russel Brand: Ahead of the release of mine and Micheal Winterbottoms new film, 'The Emperor's New Clothes' I take a look at how the political parties are powerless in tackling the larger economic problems we face.

Hearing from Baltimore Gangs

Members of the Black Guerrilla Family, the Bloods and the Crips talk to 11 News in Baltimore, saying they did not make a truce in order to harm police officers.

See more on this story here

Life Under the US-NATO Backed Shelling of Donetsk

The people of Donesk in eastern Ukraine try to carry on with life while living under the constant shelling by the US-NATO directed Kiev military regime. This shelling is currently being done in violation of the Minsk-2 ceasefire agreement.

This past weekend while I was in NYC for the Peace & Planet conference and march I was shocked to hear one peace activist defend Victoria Nuland who is the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the US Department of State. The person told me that those who talk about Nuland's 2013 speech on a stage flanked by logos from Chevron and Exxon, as she thanked the oligarchy for their support in helping to instigate the coup d'etat in Kiev, were being unfair.  The activist had "checked the online records of the $5 billion expenditure Nuland talks about that funded the operation and each penny that went to non-profits and other groups in Ukraine was accounted for".  Those who side with Putin the activist said, reminding me of a 1950's red-baiting attack, are obviously supporting Russian oligarchs.

I had to catch my breath as I was stunned to hear these words from this person.  I could only ask this question:  Do the people in eastern Ukraine have the right to defend themselves against the constant shelling from the Kiev regime knowing this war on the people of Donbass is being funded and directed by the US-NATO?  The activist hemmed and hawed and finally someone approached us and I staggered away.  I know that the money that Nuland handed out in Kiev was used to set up, pay for, encourage, enable and direct the so-called 'Maidan revolution' that kicked-off this provocative war on Russia's border.

Learning about the deep underside of Ukraine during the past year has helped me understand my own country much better.  As I watch the take down and destruction of Ukraine I can more easily see the future here in the US. 

This current regime change policy on Russia's doorstep is coming out of Washington and both political parties are complicit in the process.  Many 'liberal Democrats' who support this war project are allied to so-called progressive foundations that fund many NGO's.  Thus just like what happened in Kiev with Nuland's $5 billion, funds will be used across the US and throughout the west, to bring some organizations, scholars and activists to a particular position.  This is the way Washington and its CIA-Pentagon-National Endowment for Democracy-Soros apparatus operates. 

Japan is the U.S.'s Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier Aimed at China

US and Japan issue a joint statement, on additional missile-defense warships that will be stationed at an American naval base in Japan.

It should always be remembered that Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is the grandson of a Japanese fascist military leader during WW II.

‘Treat Us Like Dogs and We Will Become Wolves’

Riots have broken out in Baltimore, Maryland during the past few days after Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Baltimore resident, suffered a spinal injury while in police custody after his arrest on April 12 and died seven days later. Six city police officers have been suspended pending an investigation into Gray’s death.

Tonight the Baltimore Orioles baseball team cancelled their game at Camden Yards - likely out of concern that it would not be safe for fans to make it to the stadium.  The Orioles game last night had some tense moments when some of the protests were happening just outside of the ball yard. The riots appear to be spreading and the governor has apparently called out the National Guard.

I was born in Maryland and have been an Orioles fan my whole life.  I checked out one fan chat site tonight and there is quite a political discussion going back and forth.  Many white folks just want their baseball and are quite upset with the young black kids who are out in the streets raising sand.  I put up a comment thanking one guy for his good statement and have been getting trashed by several other fans who are responding to my words. 

While checking out these fan sites I discovered a statement by John Angelos who is the son of the owner of the Orioles.  It's quite a strong statement and I share it below.  He was responding to Baltimore sports-radio broadcaster Brett Hollander who took to Twitter to argue that demonstrations that negatively impact the daily lives of fellow citizens are counter-productive. Orioles COO John Angelos seized the opportunity to respond with a qualified and brilliant defense of those protesting.

Brett, speaking only for myself, I agree with your point that the principle of peaceful, non-violent protest and the observance of the rule of law is of utmost importance in any society. MLK, Gandhi, Mandela and all great opposition leaders throughout history have always preached this precept. Further, it is critical that in any democracy, investigation must be completed and due process must be honored before any government or police members are judged responsible.

That said, my greater source of personal concern, outrage and sympathy beyond this particular case is focused neither upon one night’s property damage nor upon the acts, but is focused rather upon the past four-decade period during which an American political elite have shipped middle class and working class jobs away from Baltimore and cities and towns around the U.S. to third-world dictatorships like China and others, plunged tens of millions of good, hard-working Americans into economic devastation, and then followed that action around the nation by diminishing every American’s civil rights protections in order to control an unfairly impoverished population living under an ever-declining standard of living and suffering at the butt end of an ever-more militarized and aggressive surveillance state.

The innocent working families of all backgrounds whose lives and dreams have been cut short by excessive violence, surveillance, and other abuses of the Bill of Rights by government pay the true price, and ultimate price, and one that far exceeds the importances of any kids’ game played tonight, or ever, at Camden Yards. We need to keep in mind people are suffering and dying around the U.S., and while we are thankful no one was injured at Camden Yards, there is a far bigger picture for poor Americans in Baltimore and everywhere who don’t have jobs and are losing economic civil and legal rights, and this makes inconvenience at a ballgame irrelevant in light of the needless suffering government is inflicting upon ordinary Americans.

 Many Americans can't handle the truth that John Angelos speaks above.  Instead of blaming their corporate masters for essentially abandoning the people in order to maximize profits - many (especially white) Americans want to blame the legions of Black, Hispanic, and poor white people who have been thrown onto the dust heap of history because they are now superfluous populations to the mega-corporations.  The rich don't give a damn about country anymore - they have gone global and are out to make money anyway they can.  If the country falls apart they don't care because they've moved on.  In fact the ruling elites are happy to see the people tear each other apart because it saves them the trouble of having to deal with the mess they have left behind.

The big problem in this country is that most people have no class consciousness.  They learned to glorify and imitate the rich and famous and they expect that everyone else should do the same.  But let's be real here - just how many spaces are actually available on the elites dance floor for the struggling masses who have been cast aside? How many jobs are really out there anymore?  How many poor and working class kids can afford to go to college?  How many Black kids have gone to jail on petty charges that white folks would never face?

There is an author in Maine by the name of Carolyn Chute who has a new book out called ‘Treat Us Like Dogs and We Will Become Wolves’.  She is a poor person and writes about this very same story from the perspective of a rural Mainer who has seen the nation abandon her people in the western Maine mountains.  The title of her book tells the whole story.  What is happening in Baltimore is no surprise and the elites know it.  If the ruling class gave a damn about the country the militarization of the police would not be happening and Black Lives Matter would not be a growing movement.  But they don't care - in fact the rich prefer a race war and the way things are going they just might get one - sadly so.

But if white folks think they can hide in their gated communities with their armed guards then they've got a big surprise coming.  You don't abandon a large percentage of the society, cut taxes on the upper crust, destroy public education, dismantle social progress and then expect that the poor will just sit back and accept this growing inequality, police brutality, and moral injustice.  Life just doesn't don't work that way.  Ask the Palestinian people - they know all about it.

Big Upcoming Peace Conference in New Jersey

An invitation to the UNAC Conference, May 8-10 in Secaucus, NJ. "End the Wars at Home and Abroad". Many topics and great speakers.

Go to http://UNACconference2015.org for more information and to register. The audio for this video was recorded by Tylon Washington of GoPro Radio and the video created by Ramiro Funez of Honduras Resistencia.

I'll be attending and speaking at this event which will bring together many people of color, international activists and every day folks from around the US. This event will be heavily infiltrated by the FBI and other such government spies who are very worried about the various movements coming together and finding common ground to organize against the corporate oil-i-garchy that is running our country and much of the world.

Success Mythology

S-u-c-c-e-s-s
that's the way
we spell
repress

At an early age
our minds
are occupied
by the corporate
success
mythology

My mother
taught it
to me well

Keep your
nose clean.
Don't rock
the boat.
Climb
the corporate ladder.
Get a job
with a fancy title.
A business card
your mother
can brag about.
You can't beat
city hall
so don't
bother trying
cause you
might get on some
list
and get blackballed
or embarrass
the family.
Keep your
head down
your mouth
shut
and your eyes
fixed on the money.

This mythology
that we can
all become
millionaires
keeps the people
divided
from one another
It's anti-nature
and allows
the oligarchy
to have their way

Only when
we reject
the business model
can the people
really take back
control
of our lives
our resources
and our futures

U.S. Pushing Destabilizing 'Missile Defense' in Asia-Pacific

The Asia Pacific Phased Adaptive Approach: Current Status of the U.S. and Japanese Missile Defense, and U.S.-led Missile Defense in East Asia

By KO YOUNG DAE
Solidarity for Peace and Reconciliation in Korea (SPARK)

In its 2010 Ballistic Missile Defense Review (BMDR), the Obama administration announced that it would adopt a Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) in the Asia Pacific region, but this has yet to be formalized. Platforms, such as the Patriot system and Aegis Ship, and sensors, such as diverse land-based radars, required for phase 1 of the Asia Pacific Phased Adaptive Approach (APPAA), are already in place. Based on this, there has recently been a speed-up in the building of the trilateral U.S.-Japan-South Korea missile defense, considered the core of the APPAA. Some warn that the allied countries lack formal agreements that clarify and resolve potential controversies surrounding various issues, such as integrated approach, rules of engagement and command and control. But now there seems to have been considerable progress in eliminating such obstacles.

Current Conditions related to Missile Defense between the United States and its Allied Countries in the Asia Pacific Region

U.S. MD System in Northeast Asia

The United States deployed the THAAD (Theatre High-Altitude Area Defense) MD system in Guam in 2013 in response to the so-called threat of the North Korean missile Musudan. The U.S. Department of Defense has requested the deployment of 32 Aegis ships by 2014, and 41 Aegis ships and over 300 Standard Missile-3 interceptors by 2018. As of late 2013, 16 Aegis destroyers had been deployed as part of the Pacific fleet.

In addition, U.S. Forces in Japan deploys 24 Patriot PAC-3 launching pads, and U.S. Forces in Korea deploys 48 PAC-3 launchers (2 battalions) in Suwon, Osan, Kunsan, and Daegu.

U.S. Forces in Japan operates the AN/TPY2 MD radar in two regions of Japan (Shariki Air Self-Defense Force base and the Kyogamisaki Air Self-Defense Force Base), and is scheming to deploy the THAAD system in South Korea.

Japan’s MD System

Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force currently possesses four Aegis ships, and plans to upgrade two of its destroyers to be BMD-capable by 2019 as well as procure two more Aegis BMD-capable destroyers. Japan is jointly developing the SM-3 Block IIA interceptor missiles with the United States.

Japan possesses 18 PAC-3 batteries and 36 launchers.

It also deploys seven state-of-the-art FPS-3(advanced model) and 4 FPS-5 radars. It is considering the deployment of a space-based early warning system in the late 2010’s.

Japan is considering the introduction of the THAAD system and plans to deploy the Aegis Ashore SM-3 interceptor missile. Should it acquire all these systems, Japan would have a four-layered missile defense.

South Korea’s MD System

South Korea possesses two PAC-2 battalions (8 batteries, 48 launchers), procured from Germany, and is in the process of upgrading to PAC-3. South Korea also plans to directly procure PAC-3 from the United States.

South Korea also possesses three Aegis destroyers but they are not equipped with interceptor missiles. It plans to introduce three additional Aegis destroyers between 2022 and 2028.

USFK deployment of the THAAD system is becoming a fait accompli, and there is talk of South Korean forces acquiring the THAAD system and the SM-3 and SM-6 interceptor missiles.

Meanwhile, South Korea is in the process of developing M-SAM and L-SAM. The operational deployment of M-SAM is projected for 2018-2019, and L-SAM for 2023-2024.

In terms of sensors, South Korea currently operates the Aegis SPY-1D radar with a detection range of 1000 km along with 2 (Super) Green Pine early warning radars with a detection range of 500 km for Block A and 900 km for Block B.

It plans to construct an AMD Cell by 2015 and interface it with the USFK’s TMO Cell.

Australia’s MD System

In cooperation with the United States, Australia maintains several early warning radar sites but currently has no BMD intercept capability.

The Australian navy plans to procure two Aegis vessels to equip them with BMD capabilities against short- and mid-range ballistic missiles.

Distant from Northeast Asia, Australia is only at risk from ICBMs but has no plans to counter such missiles with BMD.

Australia has been participating in trilateral MD discussions with the United States and Japan.

Expectation of THAAD Deployment in South Korea and U.S.-led MD in Northeast Asia

THAAD is not aimed at North Korea but aimed at China

The THAAD system’s effectiveness in intercepting North Korean ballistic missiles is extremely limited.
A North Korean short-range ballistic missile, with its short range and low apogee altitude, is difficult to intercept with the THAAD system.

The KN-02, with a range of 120 km, has an apogee altitude that is below the THAAD system’s intercept altitude of 40-150 km.

If launched at a lower angle of fire, the Scud B, with an apogee altitude of 90km, is also capable of evading the THAAD system’s intercept altitude. If launched from north of Pyongyang at a lower angle of fire, the Scud C, with an apogee altitude of 150 km, can also evade the THAAD system’s intercept altitude as it targets South Korea’s capital and central provinces. Therefore, it can only be concluded that THAAD is really designed to intercept China’s mid-range ballistic missiles aimed at USFK bases.
With a detection range of 1000-2000Km, the THAAD system’s AN/TPY-2 radar is capable of detecting potential threats from missile bases in northeast and central China. Therefore, the THAAD radar can detect China’s mid-to-long-range ballistic missiles aimed at the United States and Japan and provide early warning to the U.S.-Japan intercept system.

Some of U.S. and South Korean military officials point to North Korea’s Rodong missile as the reason for the need for THAAD deployment.

But the likelihood that North Korea would attack the South with its Rodong missile is virtually zero.
With a range of over 1,300 km, the Rodong missile is a weapon system designed to counter Japan, U.S. Forces in Japan, or U.S. reinforcements in the event of a contingency on the Korean peninsula. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that North Korea would forgo its short-range ballistic missiles, such as Scud B or C, which are much better suited for an attack on the South, and choose to strike with a Rodong missile.

If North Korea were to attack the South with a Rodong missile, it would have to launch it at either a higher or lower angle of fire, but raising the angle of fire slows down its speed and lengthens its flight time, thereby making it easier to intercept. Attitude control also becomes more difficult, thereby diminishing its accuracy.

The Significance of THAAD Deployment in South Korea in U.S.-led MD in Northeast Asia

THAAD deployment in South Korea makes U.S.-led MD in Northeast Asia closer to completion.
In terms of information gathering, the THAAD radar would radically expand its ability to detect and track China’s ballistic missiles. Along with the PAC-3, it would also create a multi-layered MD system to defend against Chinese ballistic missiles aimed at USFK bases.

THAAD deployment in South Korea means South Korea becomes a U.S. MD outpost against China.

U.S.-Japan-South Korea (Military) Information-Sharing Arrangement for the Building of  U.S.-led MD in the Northeast Asia

The signing of the U.S.-Japan-South Korea military information sharing arrangement is the key to constructing the U.S.-led MD in the Northeast Asia. The United States and Japan are scheming once again the signing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) between Japan and South Korea.

By linking the MD systems of Japan and South Korea, the U.S.-Japan-South Korea military information-sharing arrangement and the Korea-Japan GSOMIA integrate the U.S.-Japan-South Korea MD systems to complete the Northeast Asia MD system under U.S. and Japanese leadership.

U.S.-Japan-Korea Combined MD Exercises and the Creation of an MD Operational Plan and Command Control Structure

Every two years, the U.S. Strategic Command conducts 'Nimble Titan', multilateral MD exercises, which include Japan, Australia, EU, and South Korea as participants.

Every year, the United States and Japan conduct Keen Edge, a BMD command exercise. Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force is the only military force that has jointly trained with the United States in an exercise that is not a simulation but a kinetic training based-BMD exercise.

Since 2012, the United States, Japan, and South Korea have held combined MD exercises called Pacific Dragon.

The Creation of an MD Operational Plan and Command Structure between the United States and South Korea.

South Korea and the United States have come to agreement on 'the Concepts and Principles of ROK-U.S. Alliance Comprehensive Counter-missile Operations' and based on this, plan to create by 2015 an operational plan (OPLAN) that mobilizes U.S. MD assets.

The mobilizing all of U.S. MD assets in an ROK-U.S. combined operational plan means what used to be an operational plan to defend South Korea from the North would be expanded to become, in effect, an operational plan against China at least in relation to MD operation.

Mobilizing U.S. MD assets in an ROK-U.S. combined OPLAN against North Korea and integrating this with South Korea’s MD means South Korea’s MD will become subordinate to U.S. MD and South Korea’s MD operational command will be according to U.S. strategic interests and under direct U.S. operational command. In the event of a contingency, the United States, which already has wartime operational control authority over South Korean forces, would also exercise control over ballistic missile detection and interception against North Korea and China. While its capability to intercept North Korea’s short-range ballistic missiles remains limited, this increases the probability of South Korean MD assets being committed to the defense of the United States, Japan, and U.S. Forces in Japan, as well as to support Japan’s exercise of the right of collective self defense.

On April 16, 2015, U.S. and South Korean military officials agreed to create a 'Deterrence Strategic Committee' to lead in the creation of a combined MD operational plan, including the concretization of the concept of 4D (Detect-Defense-Disrupt-Destroy).

Combined MD Operation and Command Structure between the United States and Japan

Based on information produced through their sensors, the United States and Japan carry out joint operations from their joint operation command center at the Yokota Air Base outside Tokyo. Based on information acquired through their radar, the joint operation command center quickly decides which country has the responsibility of MD interception. In relation to MD, it can be said the United States and Japan have built a truly joint command relationship.

Formation of South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral MD and military alliance in Northeast Asia, and expansion of NATO into the Asia Pacific region

The relationship between Japan’s exercise of the right of collective self-defense and South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral MD

A key scenario mentioned by the Abe administration [Japan] of its exercise of the right to collective self-defense is that Japan would intercept ballistic missiles aimed at the United States, U.S. bases and/or U.S. naval ships. For this, early detection of ballistic missiles fired from North Korea or China is pivotal, and this would be premised on South Korea, the United States and Japan sharing information about ballistic missiles from North Korea and/or China and forming a trilateral MD.

By signing the U.S.-Japan-South Korea military information-sharing arrangement and becoming an axis in the trilateral MD, South Korea effectively assumes a supporting role in the exercise of collective self-defense by Japanese Self-Defense Forces, which seeks eventual invasion on the Korean peninsula.

Formation of South Korea-U.S.-Japan military alliance based on construction of trilateral MD

The construction of a trilateral MD system among South Korea, U.S. and Japan means building a trilateral military alliance. The three countries will accelerate combined MD training exercises and intensify maritime interdiction trainings, such as the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) against North Korea, to expand the military relationship between Japan and South Korea in the areas of operations and logistics assistance and advance the trilateral relationship to a (quasi) military alliance. The U.S. and Japan are also pushing for signing the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA).

Meanwhile, should South Korea decide to acquire an SM-3 interceptor missile in the future, it will most likely procure it from Japan, and this would make South Korea, which may also import F-35 parts from Japan, dependent on Japan in the area of logistics.

The construction of the South Korea-Japan MD and military alliance raises the possibility that South Korea will become a subordinate partner to Japan and under Japanese control across the board in the areas of information, operations, and logistics. Furthermore, we cannot rule out the possibility that, with Japan’s exercise of its right to collective self-defense, South Korea could be partially under the control of Japan’s tactical operation in a South Korea-U.S.-Japan combined operation against North Korea and/or China.

Prospects of APPAA, Expansion of NATO into the Asia Pacific region and Structure of Confrontation in Northeast Asia.

During his visit to South Korea and Japan, Martin Dempsey, Chair of the U.S. Joint Chief of Staff, announced, “We're making progress on building an integrated air and missile defense umbrella, (and) both the (South) Koreans and the Japanese have made some commitments in procurements on their side to make us more interoperable.”

Dempsey’s comment signals that APPAA, with the U.S.-Japan-South Korea trilateral MD as its basis, is making significant progress. From now on, the key points in the APPAA will be the coordination of interests and an agreement that reflects all parties’ interests regarding the level of the interface of MD assets and radars among South Korea, United States, Japan, and Australia, the exercise of command and control, and rules of engagement, etc.

Meanwhile, the South Korea-U.S.-Japan military alliance, combined with the U.S.-Japan-Australia (quasi) military alliance, builds a front line surrounding North Korea and China in the Asia Pacific region.

Also, the South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral alliance will merge with NATO, which already expanded to the Asia Pacific region when countries in the region joined it through individual partnership - South Korea in 2012, Australia in 2013, and Japan in 2014.

The APPAA, combined with the Middle East Phased Adaptive Approach (MEPAA) and the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA), would build MD on a global level and bring about the formation of a multilateral military alliance in the Asia Pacific region as well as a global military alliance.

The U.S.-led construction of a global MD and military alliance is provoking strong opposition from China and Russia. This can result in the creation of a structure of Cold War-like military confrontation in Northeast Asia between the U.S.-Japan-South Korea-Australia versus North Korea-China-Russia.

The Vice Foreign Minister Conference among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, held in Washington D.C. on April 16, 2015, and the fourth International Security Conference centered around North Korea, China and Russia, held in Moscow, symbolically represent the rising military tension based on the building of MD and military alliances in the Asia Pacific region.

US Worried About Losing Dominance in Space

CBS TV show 60 Minutes takes a dive and does a puff-piece on behalf of the US Space Command who wants more $$$$ to "protect their military satellites" that allow them to have full spectrum dominance.

Note the person from the organization (Secure World Foundation) supposedly working to prevent an arms race in space who mostly carries water for the Space Command program during the TV segment.

Space junk is a huge problem and in the video they try to pin alot of it on the Chinese but I can assure you that the collective trash from all space faring nations has been a problem for a long time and it is getting worse by the day.

The story should havementioned how the US and Israel for years have been blocking the negotiations for a new treaty at the United Nations called 'Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space' - PAROS.  The official position of the US during Republican and Democrat administrations has been that "there is no problem in space thus no need for any new treaty."  The truth is that the US does not want to be constrained by any treaty limitations.  Thus we are off to a new space-based arms race and the aerospace industry is pleased with the profits they are making.

In fact some years ago the industry publication called Space News indicated that high-tech space technology would be the "largest industrial project in the history of Earth" necessitating the development of a permanent funding source.  The editorial in the publication called for the elimination of the "entitlement programs" that officially are Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and what is left of the welfare program.  These are the programs that Space News suggested should be cut in order to pay for Star Wars and interplanetary exploration. 

To watch these videos click on them to start and then hit the full screen button in the lower right hand corner.  Or if that does not work go to CBS News page here

Enemies of the Republic

Dr. Gerald Horne holds the John J. and Rebecca Moores Chair of History and African American Studies. His research has addressed issues of racism in a variety of relations involving labor, politics, civil rights, international relations and war. He has also written extensively about the film industry. Dr. Horne received his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and his B.A. from Princeton University.

Notes from NYC Peace & Planet Confab

Three Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist led peace walks converged on New York City yesterday and were honored at the end of the Peace & Planet conference held at Cooper Union. The walks came from the west coast, New England, and the south.

Things went well yesterday at the Peace & Planet conference in New York City.  More than 500 folks from around the world (the most from Japan) were in attendance.  The two workshops I participated in (US military 'pivot' into the Asia-Pacific and US imperialism) were well attended considering there were about 40 workshops to pick from.

Global Network board convener Dave Webb (National chair of CND in the UK), Ko Young-Dae (SPARK in South Korea) and I did the Asia-Pacific workshop with heavy emphasis on US 'missile defense' (MD) deployments in the region.  Ko is a brilliant analyst who has spoken at two Global Network conferences over the years and will join us in Kyoto, Japan for our 23rd annual event on July 29-August 2. Dave did an excellent PowerPoint presentation showing how the US global MD system is connected via space satellites and ground radar stations around the planet.  It really helps people to see the pictures to understand how this first-strike system works.

Ko talked about how possible US deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea is presently a huge political issue.  The US maintains it is aimed at North Korea but Ko clearly showed how THAAD would not work against North Korean missiles because they don't fly high because of the short distance they would have to travel to hit South Korea.  In fact Ko reminded us the US MD system in the Asia-Pacific is aimed at China and the THAAD radars would extend US reach further into Chinese territory.  Key to US missile defense strategy in the Asia-Pacific has been to construct a three-party military agreement which links US-Japanese-South Korea systems.  The military connection between South Korea and Japan (who for years brutally occupied Korea) does not sit well with many Koreans - especially since the right-wing Japanese government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (the grandson of a WWII fascist military leader) is rekindling the military might of Japan.  Ko also stated that deployment of THAAD in South Korea would sever relations with China at a time when the two countries have growing economic ties.

In the second workshop on US imperialism I was one of six speakers.  One of the best was Al Marder from New Haven, CT who is in his 90's but still going strong.  I've known Al for many years and before the workshop began he reminded me how movements are like the ocean tides - they ebb and flow.  Without our constant organizing Al told me "the ebbs would last much longer."  One key theme that kept emerging from the presenters in this workshop was US support for fascist groups around the world.  A speaker from Brazil reported that US is actively supporting "Christian fundamentalists" in his country who are adopting fascist tendencies.  From Ukraine to the US we see the same problem - the wedding of corporations and government - the classic definition of fascism.

Today there will be a march from Union Square in NYC to the United Nations demanding the elimination of nuclear weapons and an end to war.  I will march with the national Veterans For Peace contingent. I head home on Monday morning on the train.

Richard Rhames on Current Issues

My latest guest Richard Rhames discusses tax cuts in Maine, austerity cuts in Washington and war in Ukraine. 

Richard is a vegetable farmer, public TV activist, former Biddeford, Maine city council member and a rock and roll guitar player and lead singer in his local band.

Richard has been on my show more than anyone else over the last 10 years.  He calls them like he sees them.

Sunday Song

USA Thanks for Poverty

From protest at US embassy in Kiev, Ukraine.  This kind of talk and protest can get you killed in Kiev these days by the neo-Nazi government backed by US-NATO.  Takes brave and desperate people to do this kind of action.

The Callousness of Capitalism

• I am on the bus from Portland to Boston where I will jump on the train to New York City for the Peace & Planet conference and protest this weekend.  This alternative conference is the precursor to the UN's Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference that begins next week.  There will be a big crowd of folks from around the world at the events.  I do two workshops on Saturday and will then participate in a march and rally on Sunday before returning home on Monday.  Many important stories out there today including the following.
• The callousness of America's political and business leaders is shocking. A new report from UNICEF, on the well-being of children in 35 developed nations, turned up some alarming statistics about child poverty. More than one in five American children fall below a relative poverty line. The United States ranks 34th of the 35 countries surveyed, above only Romania and below virtually all of Europe plus Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. 
• The great Lakota leader Crazy Horse once visited New York City and the poor white homeless children approached him asking for money.....when he returned to the reservation in South Dakota he told the people, "We are in big trouble. You should see how the white man treats their own children."
• The Defense Department can’t account for $1.3 billion that was shipped to force commanders in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2014 for critical reconstruction projects, 60 percent of all such spending under an emergency program, an internal report released Thursday concludes. The missing money was part of the relatively small amount of Afghanistan spending that was routed directly to military officers in a bid to bypass bureaucracy and rush the construction of urgently needed roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, water treatment plants and other essential infrastructure.
  
  Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/04/23/264136/more-than-1-billion-in-us-emergency.html#storylink=cpy
• A local retired union friend went to a meeting in my hometown of Bath, Maine last night that discussed union busting legislation now before our state legislature in Augusta.  All across the US there is an attempt to pass various anti-union measures.  The goal is to destroy the middle and working class in order to bring back a rerun of feudalism where the rich have everything and the rest of us live in the gutter.  In the US labor unions rely on the weak-kneed Democrats to defend them which is a sure losing ticket.  In other countries workers are far better organized and much more radical in their approaches to dealing with the global capitalist crackdown on labor.
• Tens of thousands of unionized workers started a strike across South Korea Friday, demanding the government drop its bid to reform the labor market and pension program for public workers. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the nation's second-largest umbrella union, pressed ahead with its planned strike despite the government designating their strikes illegal.
  re here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/04/23/264136/more-than-1-billion-in-us-emergency.html#storylink=cpy

Saudi Arabia Pursues Disastrous Policies in Yemen

As Yemen is pulverized into oblivion, it remains unclear just exactly what Riyadh hopes to achieve in this war. Washington has tied itself to this conflict, but can’t control or explain it. Soon there won’t be much of Yemen left to make peace with.

A war without end......something the US is always happy to join.

Obama Gives Petraeus Easy Ride

      Petraeus "Sweetheart Deal" Exposes Obama's War on Whistleblowers

By Institute for Public Accuracy

Reuters is reporting: "Former U.S. military commander and CIA director David Petraeus will appear in federal court in North Carolina on Thursday to face sentencing for allegedly leaking secrets to a mistress who was writing his biography." Many, especially whistleblower advocates, contrast the light sentence -- a fine and probation -- Petraeus is widely expected to receive today with the harsh sentences whistleblowers have faced from Obama administration prosecutions.

Seven whistleblowers will be speaking to this and related issues at a news conference organized by ExposeFacts: “The Obama Administration’s War on Whistleblowers” on Monday. Speakers will include: William Binney (NSA), Thomas Drake (NSA), Daniel Ellsberg (Pentagon Papers), Raymond McGovern (CIA), Jesselyn Radack (Justice Department), Coleen Rowley (FBI) and Kirk Wiebe (NSA) -- see media advisory.

The Star-Ledger in a recent editorial titled "Eric Holder's brand of justice: Whistleblowers whacked, all-star generals walk" writes that: "What makes it galling is how Petraeus compares to men like Jeffrey Sterling." Sterling is facing decades in prison for allegedly disclosing information to New York Times reporter James Risen about an apparently bungled CIA plot to give flawed nuclear plans to Iran. He was to be sentenced tomorrow (Friday) -- immediately after Petraeus' deal is finalized today -- but his sentencing has been delayed and is now scheduled for May 11.

MARCY WHEELER, emptywheel@gmail.com, @emptywheel
    Wheeler writes widely about the legal aspects of the “war on terror” and its effects on civil liberties. She is the “Right to Know” investigative journalist for ExposeFacts and blogs at emptywheel.net. She just wrote the piece "DOJ Claims Grossly Disparate Treatment Will “Promote Respect for the Law.” Past related articles include "David Petraeus Gets Hand-Slap for Leaking, Two Point Enhancement for Obstruction of Justice."

    See also Wheeler's piece: "Desmond Tutu Calls for Justice for Jeffrey Sterling, Citing Petraeus Deal."

JOHN KIRIAKOU, @johnkiriakou
    Kiriakou is a former CIA counterterrorism officer and a former senior investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Real News recently conducted a series of interviews with him, available here, and reports he "was recently released from prison after serving 23 months of a 30 month sentence for exposing the CIA's illegal torture program. ... He's under house arrest after spending 23 months in jail."

    Kiriakou said today: "I don't think General Petraeus should have been prosecuted under the Espionage Act, just as I don't think I should have been prosecuted under the Espionage Act. Yet only one of us was. Both Petraeus and I disclosed undercover identities (or confirmed one in my case) that were never published. I spent two years in prison; he gets two years probation."

JESSELYN RADACK, jradack@whistleblower.org, @jesselynradack
    Radack is the director of National Security & Human Rights at the Government Accountability Project (GAP), the nation’s leading whistleblower organization. She will be speaking at the ExposeFacts news conference on Monday and said today: "Petraeus' sweetheart plea deal, likely a $40,000 fine and two years of probation, for leaking classified information shows how deep the government's hypocrisy is when prosecuting whistleblowers. I've had national security whistleblower clients who have disclosed far less sensitive information in the public interest and have faced decades in jail under Espionage Act charges. Patraeus' comparative slap on the wrist shows the government has plenty of options when dealing with whistleblowers -- I wish my clients could get such lenient sentences.

    "Petreaus' light sentence makes clear that the consequences for whistleblowing are far more severe than the negligible consequences for Petreaus' leaks. GAP's whistleblower clients lost their careers and spent millions on legal fees while Petraeus was able to retain his security clearance, advise the White House, make lucrative speeches across the globe, and pull in a massive salary as a partner in one of the world's biggest private-equity firms.

    "The fact that Petraeus is the recipient of a such a comparatively light sentence is of particular significance considering that three most recent directors of the CIA -- Leon E. Panetta, Petraeus and John O. Brennan -- have all leaked classified information casually, regularly and with impunity.

    "The leak prosecution double standard makes clear that the Obama administration's record breaking number of Espionage Act prosecutions has nothing to do with protecting classified information and everything to do with punishing and silencing whistleblowers. If leaks were the real concern, Petraeus would receive punishment as harsh as the government demanded for other accused leakers."

U.S. Trainers Help Prepare for War on Russia's Border

A “non-lethal aid" delivering US instructor teaches Ukrainian recruits how to use an RPG. At the end of the video one of the Ukie soldiers declares that they will soon go and fight in the East against their own citizens - right along Russia's border.

Word came yesterday that the military equipment which has been brought by US Army personnel for war games at Yavoriv range near Lviv in western Ukraine will be given to the Ukrainian military after the exercises are finished.  See more on this story here

Also reported today that US marines are now protecting Ukrainian President Poroshenko from his own troops.  See the story here

Meanwhile, mercenaries forces integrated by Academi (former Blackwater) are involved in combat operations in the east against self-defense forces. Eduard Basurin, Defense Minister of the Donetsk People’s Republic has pointed to the presence of Academi mercenaries in Volnovakha, an area controlled by Kiev forces.  See video here

One more related story on Sputnik is that last week nearly 300 US servicemen from the 173rd Airborne Brigade arrived in western Ukraine to take part in joint military drills dubbed Fearless Guardian together with Ukrainian National Guard battalions [neo-Nazis]. It was announced that the overt combat training would take place in the Yavoriv district of the Lviv region, western Ukraine. Inexplicably though, the military drills have been shifted from the West to the Ukrainian eastern region.

Can there be any doubt that this war project in Ukraine is a full-bore US-NATO operation?  Proshenko is just a puppet whose strings are being yanked.

Corporate Welfare in Maine

Portland Press Herald reports:

Sometime this year, the state of Maine will cut two checks worth a total of $2.8 million and mail them to out-of-state investors. Next year, it will send two more checks, worth $3.2 million, to the same recipients. It will repeat that process for the next three years until roughly $16 million of taxpayer money has been withdrawn from Maine’s General Fund.

This payout of taxpayer dollars through 2019 will make whole a commitment the state made in December 2012 to encourage what was – on paper – touted as a $40 million investment in the resurgence of the Great Northern Paper mill in East Millinocket.

But the resurgence failed. A year after the investment was received, the mill’s owner, private equity firm Cate Street Capital of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, shuttered the mill and laid off more than 200 people. Great Northern filed for bankruptcy a few months later with more than $20 million in unpaid bills owed to local businesses, leaving many to wonder what happened to that $40 million investment that was supposed to save the mill.

The reality is most of that $40 million was a mirage.

Like most states corporate welfare in Maine is at epidemic levels.  Our right-wing Gov. LePage, who has made a career out of campaigning against welfare for the poor, so far has had little to say about this case. This story makes poor people's welfare cheating (which is minuscule) look like nothing in comparison.

Sadly the Democrats in our state legislature teamed with the Republicans to pass this horrific measure to further enrich the pirate class.

Practicing for War at Home

In recent weeks the US military, and likely Homeland Security, have been practicing internal suppression tactics from coast-to-coast.  The video above is from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where military and law enforcement were practicing the internment of citizens during martial-law style training. The clip shows armed troops arresting role players on the street before a column of prisoners are marched towards a mock internment facility. Black Hawk choppers are also seen whizzing between buildings. The SunSentinel newspaper reported that the exercises were being conducted by "U.S. Special Operations Forces who are undergoing urban warfare training."



This second video shows military drills in Ontario, California where National Guard troops can be seen patrolling residential streets and practicing traffic control. 

Also planned in the near future:

"Operation Jade Helm is a challenging eight-week joint military and Interagency (IA) Unconventional Warfare (UW) exercise conducted throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado,” according to an unclassified military document announcing the training drill, which runs from July 15 through September 15.

Multiple branches of the US military, including Green Berets, Navy Seals, and the 82nd Airborne Division, will participate in the 8-week long exercise, which may result in “increased aircraft in the area at night.”

Troops will be tasked with honing advanced skills in “large areas of undeveloped land with low population densities,” and will work alongside “civilians to gain their trust and an understanding of the issues.”
The exercise, in which some participants will be “wearing civilian clothes and driving civilian vehicles,” lists Texas and Utah as “hostile" territory.

The proposed theater of operations of Operation Jade Helm is shown on the map below:

What is the deal here?  Is Washington planning for coming water riots in California?  Is the government planning for "The Crash of 2016" as spelled out by Thom Hartmann in his recent book by the same name?  Is this a case that the US military machine has gotten so large, and unpopular in so many countries, that they now have come home to practice their war games? 

Anyway you look at it the picture looks bad for US citizens and the rest of the world. This metastasizing military war machine is a cancer to peace and to real freedom and democracy.

We Called it Progress

See the Writing on the Wall

The Wounded Knee massacre of December 29, 1890 in South Dakota. The 7th Cavalry Regiment surrounded the encampment and killed more than 200 lightly armed Lakota people.  This indiscriminate killing by the US military continues today.

My heart
cries out
in sadness
as I see
the writing
on the wall

The US empire
is collapsing
and the only way
for it
to hang on
is more war

The only way
to prevent
new alliances,
that cut out Washington,
is more chaos
and disruption
of those new
multi-polar formations

the picture
is clear as a bell
on the crumbling wall
I got a quick glimpse
of our future
and it spells
more heartache

Many don't want
to see
the ugly image
they quickly
slam the book shut
close the window
turn the TV back on
it reassures them
that all will be fine

Hillary will fix things
she will return
America to be what
we once were
the 'American way'
will be restored

Restored to
corporate slavery
the 'exceptional nation'
the Monroe Doctrine
the 'big stick'
peace
by superior firepower
the good old days
will return
at last......

Who Can You Trust?

The majority of Europeans - UK, French, German and Greek residents among them - distrust mainstream media coverage of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, a recent poll targeting over 4,000 people, reveals.
Greeks appear to have showed the least faith in their domestic media, with a total of 76 percent saying they were ‘fairly’ or ‘totally distrustful’ of mainstream reports on Ukraine. In Germany, the same opinion was shared by 57 percent of respondents.

Britons, on the other hand, have great trust in the mainstream media’s handling of the situation. As many as 55 percent of respondents stated they put a fair amount of trust in the coverage of events in eastern Ukraine by British media. Some 33 percent said it was biased, however.

In France, 47 percent of respondents said they don’t trust the Ukraine conflict coverage.

An average of 54 percent of the European residents put little or no trust in how mainstream media cover the Ukrainian conflict. 

See more here

Fascism Alert: It Has Happened Here Before

January 29, 1935

Wall Street’s Fascist Conspiracy

Testimony that the Dickstein Committee Suppressed

By John L. Spivak

An organized conspiracy exists to seize the government by a fascist coup. The Congressional Committee appointed to investigate just such activities has not only failed to follow the trail of evidence to its fountain head – Wall Street – but has deliberately suppressed evidence pointing in the direction.

In these articles the reality of Wall Street’s fascist conspiracy will be made clear; the lineup of financial interests back of the conspiracy will be set forth; and the real role of the Dickstein Committee, which suppressed this evidence, will be revealed.

A suggestion of the existence of Wall Street’s fascist conspiracy was made public in November. The Dickstein Committee then was forced to call Gen. Smedley D. Butler, one of those who made the charges, to testify. And that was the end of the Committee’s interest in proving the charges.

The series of articles will go deeply into the whole situation, of which only a hint trickled through to the public. The suppression of evidence by the Dickstein Committee reveals the Committee’s real character: With an ostensible mission to uncover fascist activities, the Committee actually turned out to be a close collaborator with the would-be fascist rulers of the country; it covered up the conspiracy by suppressing evidence which led too high up in those financial and industrial groups which run Congress, “advise” the President, and dominate the country.

See the rest of this true story here

Watch documentary about this here 

Invest in Kiev!

Vitali Klitschko

Dear Sirs and Madames,

Some of you may have read my “invest in Kiev!” op-ed in the western values daily, The Wall Street Journal. Did you enjoy it? The nerd who wrote it for me employed various literary zingers such as ”our innovation thrives on freedom” and “the streets are safe”, but I — and I alone — came up with the concept of protecting foreign investors in Kiev with my “heavyweight title”. That’s a clever allusion to the fact that I used to punch people in the face for money, in case you didn’t pick up on that subtlety.

Seriously, my ghostwriter was constantly whining about how difficult it would be to convince western investors that their money would be safe in the most corrupt nation in Europe. What a worry wart! First of all, Ukraine’s “human capital”, as I like to call my fellow Ukrainians, receive Zambia-wages. They are ready and willing to give their lives to western enterprise. And secondly, I will personally K.O. anyone who tries to extort money from our new western business partners. But now I am repeating myself.

Kiev is open for business. As my ghostwriter rightly pointed out in my op-ed, ”utilities like heat and electricity are functioning”. Impressive, no? But now I am boasting, and not even about my prize-winning fists.

Okay. Look. I’m not going to spin fairy tales about free bags of salo here in Kiev. There are vague rumors of a looming default. Also, lots of crazy people running around with guns. Anything could happen. Ukraine could fall into a sinkhole tomorrow, but you don’t see people duct taping themselves to the highest tree branch. (Wait, would that actually work? No no no, because the tree would fall into the sinkhole, too. Damn…) What I’m trying to say is: Don’t be a pussy. Invest in Kiev.

There’s still plenty of time to privatize state property or lend us money that we will never be capable of repaying. That means our collateral — the entire country, literally — will be yours!

Join us, and you will prosper as we sink deeper and deeper into a pit of xenophobia and economic despair.

- Vitali Klitschko is mayor of Kiev. He probably didn’t write this article

Reprinted from Russia Insider

Help Fund the 'No Drones' TV Ads

The boards (directors and advisers) of the Global Network recently agreed to send $500 to help sponsor these remarkable 'No Drone' TV commercials across the nation in communities that have a drone operations base.

Nick Mottern at KnowDrones writes:

On February 27, this first-ever TV commercial began a week-long run on various cable channels in Las Vegas, NV, including CNN and MSNBC, showing viewers living near the Creech AFB drone control center what they probably have never seen before – children killed and mutilated by U.S. drones.  It’s graphic but necessary.

On Mar 31, the same commercial began a month’s run on CNN, MSNBC and even FoxNews in and around Beale AFB outside Sacramento, CA, a base critical to supporting U.S. killer drone operations.

Coverage of the TV ads in the Sacramento Bee, the major paper in northern California, led to another story in the Air Force Times. 

 And on it goes......

If you'd like to contribute to keep these TV ads on the air just click here

The Future of Humankind is at Risk

Ukraine President Poroshenko meets NATO Commander General Philip Breedlove to discuss the plan for more war on Russia's border

There is little doubt that US-NATO are advancing a dangerous and provocative military strategy to take down the Russian government.  The US thought they had full control of Russia when Boris Yeltsin ran the country after the fall of the former Soviet Union in 1991. Washington is not happy with the way things turned out and appears to be saying, "Vengeance will be mine."

In an article entitled The Harvard Boys Do Russia The Nation magazine reported in 1998:

Through the late summer and fall of 1991, as the Soviet state fell apart, Harvard Professor Jeffrey Sachs and other Western economists participated in meetings at a dacha outside Moscow where young, pro-Yeltsin reformers planned Russia's economic and political future. Sachs teamed up with Yegor Gaidar, Yeltsin's first architect of economic reform, to promote a plan of "shock therapy" to swiftly eliminate most of the price controls and subsidies that had underpinned life for Soviet citizens for decades. Shock therapy produced more shock--not least, hyperinflation that hit 2,500 percent--than therapy. One result was the evaporation of much potential investment capital: the substantial savings of Russians. By November 1992, Gaidar was under attack for his failed policies and was soon pushed aside. When Gaidar came under seige, Sachs wrote a memo to one of Gaidar's principal opponents, Ruslan Khasbulatov, Speaker of the Supreme Soviet, then the Russian parliament, offering advice and to help arrange Western aid and contacts in the U.S. Congress. 

After seven years of economic "reform" financed by billions of dollars in U.S. and other Western aid, subsidized loans and rescheduled debt, the majority of Russian people find themselves worse off economically. The privatization drive that was supposed to reap the fruits of the free market instead helped to create a system of tycoon capitalism run for the benefit of a corrupt political oligarchy that has appropriated hundreds of millions of dollars of Western aid and plundered Russia's wealth.

The architect of privatization was former First Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Chubais, a darling of the U.S. and Western financial establishments. Chubais's drastic and corrupt stewardship made him extremely unpopular. According to The New York Times, he "may be the most despised man in Russia."

Essential to the implementation of Chubais's policies was the enthusiastic support of the Clinton Administration and its key representative for economic assistance in Moscow, the Harvard Institute for International Development. Using the prestige of Harvard's name and connections in the Administration, H.I.I.D. officials acquired virtual carte blanche over the U.S. economic aid program to Russia, with minimal oversight by the government agencies involved. With this access and their close alliance with Chubais and his circle, they allegedly profited on the side. Yet few Americans are aware of H.I.I.D.'s role in Russian privatization, and its suspected misuse of taxpayers' funds. 

When Yeltsin left office Vladimir Putin took over and the US was confident that they would control Putin as they had the Yeltsin government.  Over time though Putin has shown his loyalty is to the Russian people rather than the corporate bankers which has led to his demonization across the west.  The decision has since been made that if Putin and Russia won't fall into line behind US interests then there must be regime change in Moscow.  Thus we see the US-NATO war project in Ukraine.

Today we witness the US-NATO military encirclement of Russia's borders and efforts to destabilize the Putin government internally and externally.  One significant method of external destabilization is the US European Command's (EUCOM) European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) signed by President Obama which included $985 million in ERI funds. These monies enable the Pentagon to continue its efforts to "reinforce America’s solemn commitment to the safety and territorial integrity of our allies and to strengthen the security and capacity of our partners in the region."


Some examples of locations where ERI "projects are planned to be executed" include:

• Graf Ignatievo, Bulgaria (Airfield Improvement)
• Amari, Estonia (Airfield Improvement)
• Lielvarde, Latvia (Improve Airfield Infrastructure)
• Siauliai, Lithuania (Improve Airfield Infrastructure)
• Lask, Poland (Improve Support Infrastructure)
• Campia Turzia, Romania (Improve Airfield Infrastructure)
• Mihail Kogalniceanu, Romania (Cargo Ramp/Multi-Modal Improvements/Fuel Storage Capacity)

This military "capacity building" along and near the Russian border illustrates the game of hardball that Washington and Brussels are now playing.  They are putting a loaded gun to Putin's head - the threat is being made to either submit or face expanded war and chaos similar to what the US-NATO have already unleashed inside Ukraine.

The US elite thought they had Moscow safely in the corporate bag back in the early 1990's but saw that long sought control slip away under the Putin administration.  Washington has repeatedly shown that it does not like to be denied and thus is willing to face a nuclear war with Russia in order to finish the job of corporate consolidation.  Sadly few citizens in the US know this history and lack a clear understanding of the present situation and the dangers involved.  Even many so-called peace activists are still blind to what the corporate dominated government in Washington is doing.

The future of humankind is at stake.  The time has come for the people across the west to wake up from their long sleep and see that their governments, led by the corrupt, greedy, and hypocritical oligarchy in Washington,  has put every one's future at risk.

Corporate Trade Deal Protests Across Europe

Tens of thousands of people have turned out in major cities across Europe to vent their anger at the world’s biggest free trade deal between the European Union and the United States. The protesters argue that the Trans-Atlantic pact is a real threat to labor, health and safety standards. The demonstrations come as European and American officials are set to hold a new round of talks over the deal in New York.

Danger of Accidental Nuclear War Now More Than Ever

MIT professor, and military missile expert, Ted Postol speaks about the changing technical conditions and unstable political environment that are producing greater danger of accidental nuclear war between US and Russia than during the Cold War period.

Testimony from the Living

Funeral of recently assassinated independent journalist Oles Buzina in Kiev, Ukraine.  Heartfelt words from the many mourners about the loss of his life and their once proud country which is now in a civil war brought on by the interests that run the US-NATO endless war machine.

Where is the outrage in Paris, London, Berlin, Brussels, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Ottawa, Canberra, and Washington about these assassinations?  In fact the US-NATO are funding, training and directing the killers!

The west is the land of hypocrisy and decadence.

The West's Fundamental Fallacies

Retired Princeton professor Stephen F. Cohen on "Should the West engage or isolate Russia?" at The Munk Debates held in Toronto, Canada, on April 10, 2015.

Word of the Day: Bamboozled

The Courageous White House Vigiler

Concepción Picciotto (born in Vigo, Spain) is a peace activist living in Washington, DC. She has lived in a tiny peace camp on the sidewalk across from the White House, since August 1, 1981, in protest of nuclear arms and war. She has carried on the longest known continuous act of political protest in the United States history.

Concepción was inspired by fellow activist William Thomas, who originally began the White House Peace Vigil on June 3, 1981 and died on January 23, 2009. They began protesting on the sidewalk by the White House fence. National Park Service rules moved them across Pennsylvania Avenue to the front of Lafayette Park.  Many times over the years Thomas and Concepción were arrested but the courts finally backed their right to hold the remarkable peace vigil as long as it was kept staffed round-the-clock.

Concepción has a few volunteers that give her a temporary relief from time to time but two years ago a volunteer was late and the Park police hauled off her camp.  The issue was finally resolved and she is back across from the White House.

Whenever I visit Washington I always go by the vigil to stand for a few moments in respectful solidarity.  Years ago when William Thomas was alive we became friends which increased my desire to visit the vigilers as often as possible.

Saturday, while in DC for the conference, I walked over to the White House.  It was full of tourists and lots of political activity was underway.  A group of more than 100 Koreans were holding a protest in support of the Sewol ferry families.  Nearby in the jumble of people was a creative one-man protest against Israel's extermination of the Palestinian people.

Over at her camp site Concepción was holding court with several tourists.  Loads of people were all around her as they read her signs and peeked inside the meager living space.  I heard one man reading the signs to himself in a low voice.  A middle aged woman was snickering in disgust at Concepción - partially I guessed out of politics and partly out of 'middle American arrogance'.... such a thing was beneath the dignity of this woman's station in life. Just witnessing it was more than the poor woman could even stand! I could just hear her thinking, "Can't someone do something about this mess!"

I went up to Concepción and thanked her for her dedication.  She quickly said to me, "People are such cowards.  Talk, talk, talk.....we need action."  I told her I agreed and thanked her again.  She graciously thanked me in return.

I walked on - stopping to look back from the center of Lafayette Park - I could see many people reading and reacting.  Concepción (and William) long ago achieved the goal of getting their concerns under the skin of people from all over the world.  Mostly importantly the White House, the home of the 'American illusion', has been unable to chase away a courageous old woman who suffers from skin cancer and lack of sleep.

My heart and deep respect go out to Concepción.  We need more like her.