Tara's Blog (430)

U.S. Needs Hit Squads, ‘Manhunting Agency’: Spec Ops Report

By Noah Shachtman

CIA director Leon Panetta got into hot water with Congress, after he revealed an agency program to hunt down and kill terrorists. A recent report from the U.S. military’s Joint Special Operations University argues that the CIA didn’t go far enough (.pdf). Instead, it suggests the American government should set up something like a “National Manhunting Agency” to go after jihadists, drug dealers, pirates and other enemies of the state.

America’s military,… Continue

Added by Tara on November 3, 2009 at 4:40pm — No Comments

Hillary’s Ill Will Tour, A most undiplomatic diplomat

by Justin Raimondo

In what the Los Angeles Times described as "a fence-mending trip" to Pakistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton managed to tear down more fence posts than she repaired. Abrasive, arrogant, and condescending, she fired a series of verbal RPG volleys that nearly demolished what remained of good relations between the U.S. and its principal ally in the region.

On the fight against al-Qaeda:

"Clinton told a group of journalists in Lahore that she… Continue

Added by Tara on November 2, 2009 at 9:48am — 1 Comment

British nuclear expert’s 17th floor UN death plunge ‘was not suicide’

By Keri Sutherland

A British nuclear expert who fell from the 17th floor of a United Nations building did not commit suicide and may have been hurled to his death, says a doctor who carried out a second post-mortem examination.

Timothy Hampton, 47, a scientist involved in monitoring nuclear activity, was found dead last week at the bottom of a stairwell in Vienna.

An initial autopsy concluded that there were ‘no suspicious circumstances’. But it is understood… Continue

Added by Tara on November 1, 2009 at 11:13am — No Comments

DNA Swab for Your Job

October 29, 2009

Many colleges now require criminal background checks of all new employees. But the University of Akron -- in what some experts believe is a first -- is not only requiring a criminal background check, but is stating that new employees must be willing to submit a DNA sample.

The requirement was added quietly and is now receiving attention -- and criticism -- because an adjunct faculty member at Akron quit this week, citing the new rules. "It's not enough… Continue

Added by Tara on October 30, 2009 at 12:45pm — No Comments

Be Prepared for the Worst, The large-scale government intervention in the economy is going to end badly- Ron Paul

Any number of pundits claim that we have now passed the worst of the recession. Green shoots of recovery are supposedly popping up all around the country, and the economy is expected to resume growing soon at an annual rate of 3% to 4%. Many of these are the same people who insisted that the economy would continue growing last year, even while it was clear that we were already in the beginning stages of a recession.

A false recovery is under way. I am reminded of the outlook in 1930,… Continue

Added by Tara on October 30, 2009 at 12:34am — 4 Comments

Pentagon Dirty Bombers

By DAVE LINDORFF

The Nuclear Regulator Commission is considering an application by the US Army for a permit to have depleted uranium at its Pohakuloa Training Area, a vast stretch of flat land in what’s called the “saddle” between the sacred mountains of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on Hawaii’s Big Island, and at the Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu. In fact, what the Army is asking for is a permit to leave in place the DU left over from years of test firing of M101 mortar… Continue

Added by Tara on October 29, 2009 at 11:05am — No Comments

Two Million Strong for Net Neutrality, A Petition To Save The Internet

The savetheinternet.com coalition is more than a million everyday people who have banded together with thousands of non-profit organizations, businesses and bloggers to protect Internet freedom.

The fight for Net Neutrality has reached a crucial moment. The FCC chairman has just called for new Net Neutrality rules, backed by President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and several congressional leaders. Now we need to complete the… Continue

Added by Tara on October 28, 2009 at 10:35am — 1 Comment

Karzai brother 'on CIA payroll'

The brother of Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has been receiving regular payments from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), The New York Times has reported.

The newspaper, quoting current and former US officials, said on Wednesday that Ahmed Wali Karzai, a suspected participant in Afghanistan's booming illegal opium trade, has taken payments for much of the past eight years that the US has been in the country.

It said Karzai gets paid for a variety of services… Continue

Added by Tara on October 28, 2009 at 10:18am — 1 Comment

U.S. official resigns over war in Afghanistan

By Karen DeYoung

When Matthew Hoh joined the Foreign Service early this year, he was exactly the kind of smart civil-military hybrid the administration was looking for to help expand its development efforts in Afghanistan.

A former Marine Corps captain with combat experience in Iraq, Hoh had also served in uniform at the Pentagon, and as a civilian in Iraq and at the State Department. By July, he was the senior U.S. civilian in Zabul province, a Taliban… Continue

Added by Tara on October 27, 2009 at 3:00pm — 1 Comment

A Trip Back Home Turns Into A Trip Into The Swinelight Zone

I just came back with the fam's from a trip to the Upper Peninsula of MI and even though it rained everyday, a good time was had by all! It was nice to hide out in the woods for awhile and be in the comfort of family and friends. Unfortunately, the trip had a few question marks lingering and things that make you go hmmmm along the way!

One thing that was a little askew about this particular trip to the U.P. was all the school closings going on over fear of the spread of the Swine… Continue

Added by Tara on October 26, 2009 at 10:00am — 2 Comments

Deformed babies in Fallujah Iraq, Affects of DU (Contains video)-Graphic

LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS

H.E. Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki

President of the Sixty-fourth Session of the United Nations General Assembly

"Unspeakable horror, they knew this is the effects of DU and they calculatedly chose to use it en masse all over the country. DU has a radioactive half-life of over 3.5 billion years. Arrest these god damn criminals."

Young women in Fallujah in Iraq are terrified of having children because of the increasing number of babies… Continue

Added by Tara on October 20, 2009 at 9:30am — 5 Comments

The United States is headed the way of Rome and the Soviet Union, for the same reasons, unless we reverse the trend-Ron Paul

by Ron Paul

With a faltering economy, multiple wars, and the approaching demise of the dollar’s reserve status, there are more than enough problems to keep politicians in Washington working day and night. In between handing out cash for clunkers and nationalizing healthcare, the administration is busy sending more troops overseas, escalating existing wars, and seeking out excuses to start new wars. Congress is working on “urgent” legislation to address crises like healthcare reform… Continue

Added by Tara on October 20, 2009 at 9:04am — 2 Comments

READY TO REVOLT: Oath Keepers pledges to prevent dictatorship in United States, Group asks police and military to lay down arms in response to orders deemed unlawful

By ALAN MAIMON

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Depending on your perspective, the Oath Keepers are either strident defenders of liberty or dangerous peddlers of paranoia.

In the age of town halls, talk radio and tea parties, middle ground of opinion is hard to find.

Launched in March by Las Vegan Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers bills itself as a nonpartisan group of current and retired law enforcement and military personnel who vow to fulfill their oaths to the… Continue

Added by Tara on October 18, 2009 at 11:10pm — 3 Comments

Army Experience Center's Bad Experience: Turns out Training Kids to Kill Not Popular with Public

For OpEdNews: David Swanson - Writer

“This is so cool! This is so cool!” a thirteen-year-old boy repeated as he squeezed rounds from a real M-16, picking off “enemy combatants” in a video game while perched atop a real Army Humvee. “I just came to the mall to skateboard but everyone said this was pretty cool. I just had to try it and it's great!”

The person reporting on this youthful enthusiasm was Pat Elder, who serves on the Steering Committee of the National Network Opposing… Continue

Added by Tara on October 18, 2009 at 11:41am — No Comments

US embassy found involved in importing weapons to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The US embassy has been found involved in importing sophisticated weapons to Pakistan without the permission and knowledge of the authorities here.

The Foreign Office and the Commerce Ministry denied having authorised the US or any other foreign mission to import huge quantity of weapons. However, the fact remains that the US embassy in Islamabad has brought to Pakistan at least two consignments of modern weapons during this year.

The Foreign Office, which is the main… Continue

Added by Tara on October 17, 2009 at 11:29am — No Comments

Right to bear arms, Support for banning handguns continues to fall in America

DESPITE electing an unusually liberal president, on at least one measure Americans are more conservative than at any time before. Public support for a ban on handguns has fallen to 28%, the lowest level in nearly 50 years, according to a new poll from Gallup. When Americans were first asked the question in 1959, 60% were in favour of introducing a law to ban handguns, but support has declined steadily. Enthusiasm for stricter laws relating to the sale of firearms is also ebbing, falling from… Continue

Added by Tara on October 16, 2009 at 2:50pm — 2 Comments

Wow, even the cartoons of the Great Depression could apply to today’s America

Check out this cartoon from 1934 in the Chicago Tribune. This could be put in any paper today and still be relevant.…

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Added by Tara on October 16, 2009 at 2:28pm — 4 Comments

Deepening Financial Crisis- Bob Chapman

Our view is that the elitists are currently buying time for the dollar, and stalling the rally in precious metals, by weakening other currencies until they are ready for the big stock takedown/correction. This process of supporting the dollar is becoming extremely expensive and difficult, so they had to take the Dow down 200 points on Thursday to start some stock contagion in Asia and Europe to flush some money into dollars and treasuries.

The FTSE, Nikkei and Hang Seng were all down… Continue

Added by Tara on October 16, 2009 at 9:27am — No Comments

Three 9/11 heroes dead from cancer in five days

By Jerry Mazza

Online Journal Associate Editor

Oct 15, 2009, 00:19

Thanks to Stephanie Gaskell, New York Daily News Staff writer, we read of the above’s shocking news, which New York City and the US governments seemingly refuse to let sink into their thick heads and even thicker skin. Thousands of first responders are in dire health conditions, and consequently dire financial and familial conditions, due to illnesses contracted while working at…

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Added by Tara on October 15, 2009 at 10:00am — 5 Comments

CBO Says Climate Bill Will Hurt Not Help Economy

Marc Sheppard

Today, the director of the Congressional Budget Office warned the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that proposed climate change legislation would impose "significant costs" on America's GDP and employment. That’s not exactly what proponents had promised.

According to CBO chief Douglas Elmendorf, the Waxman-Markey bill passed in the House last June would reduce GDP by between one and three quarters of a percent by 2020, and between 1 and… Continue

Added by Tara on October 15, 2009 at 9:08am — No Comments