This Week in the World Affairs Brief:
OBAMA CLAIMS TO NARROW THE FIGHT AGAINST TERROR
Speaking at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington DC, Obama claimed he will implement “new restraints” on targeted killings by drones and narrow the scope of the war on terror from a general global war to only targeting specific threats that directly threaten the United States. Of course this is just more political theater meant to appease the growing anti-war sentiment in America; nothing will change given the generalities in his remarks that allow plenty of leeway. Even worse, these statements give the Republican leadership the excuse to put themselves in opposition to the President by favoring even more warmongering rather than less—thus leading in the wrong direction. You can request a one-time free sample of the briefs by sending an email to editor@worldaffairsbrief.com.
Also:
- Plans to Create a National Police Force
- Russia Wants More out of Next Disarmament Treaty
- Military Intervention in Syria Getting Closer
Daily News
Boy Scout Leaders Vote to Allow Gay Youth
posted by askousen - Friday, May 24 2013
The Boy Scouts of America has decided to allow gay youth to openly join its ranks, reversing a longstanding ban.
A majority of the 1,400 Scouts leaders gathered for their annual meeting voted in support a proposal floated last month by Scouts officials to open Scouting's membership to gay youth, but not gay adults in staff or volunteer leadership roles. — WSJ
Senate Votes Unanimously Toward War Against Iran
posted by askousen - Friday, May 24 2013
Posted by Daniel McAdams on May 22, 2013 07:44 PM
Today the US Senate voted unanimously in favor of a Lindsey
Graham resolution, S.Res.65, which "[s]trongly support(s)
the full implementation of United States and international
sanctions on Iran and urg[es] the President to continue to
strengthen enforcement of sanctions legislation."
The legislation, as expected from a Lindsey Graham product,
is full of misstatements, historical revisionism, and
war-drum-beating hyperbole. Particularly revolting is the
distortion and lies about Iran's not being in compliance
with IAEA nuclear safeguards requirements and the irony of
Graham's using Iran's refusal to implement UN resolutions as
evidence of its rogue status. — Lew Rockwell.com
Scout Oath
posted by askousen - Thursday, May 23 2013
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight. — BSA
OBAMA LIMITS USE OF U.S. DRONE STRIKES, OFFERS STEPS TO CLOSE GUANTANAMO
posted by askousen - Thursday, May 23 2013
...Faced with criticism about the morality of using unmanned
aerial vehicles to wage war in distant lands, Obama said the
United States will only use drone strikes when a threat is
imminent, a nuanced change from the previous policy of
launching strikes against a significant threat.
"To say a military tactic is legal, or even effective, is
not to say it is wise or moral in every instance," Obama
said.
Under a new presidential guidance signed on Wednesday, Obama
said the Defense Department will take the lead in launching
drones, as opposed to the current practice of the CIA taking
charge. — Yahoo
And the winner is - Khamenei
posted by askousen - Thursday, May 23 2013
In 2009, 475 candidates registered to run for Iran's
presidency. Only four were approved by the Guardian Council
- the all-powerful, vetting clerical committee. This year,
no fewer than 686 registered for the upcoming June 14
elections. Eight were approved.
Among them, one won't find the two who are really
controversial; former president Ali Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani, aka "The Shark" - essentially a pragmatic
conservative - and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, adviser and
right-hand man to outgoing President Mahmud Ahmadinejad are
both out.
Those who will run are not exactly a stellar bunch — Asia Times
The Government Wants A Backdoor Into Your Online Communications
posted by askousen - Thursday, May 23 2013
According to the New York Times, President Obama is "on the
verge of backing" a proposal by the FBI to introduce
legislation dramatically expanding the reach of the
Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, or CALEA.
CALEA forces telephone companies to provide backdoors to the
government so that it can spy on users after obtaining court
approval, and was expanded in 2006 to reach Internet
technologies like VoIP. — Activist Post
In first public acknowledgement, Holder says 4 Americans died in US drone strikes
posted by askousen - Thursday, May 23 2013
The Obama administration publicly acknowledged for the first
time Wednesday that U.S. drone strikes have killed four
American citizens since 2009, including the previously
undisclosed death of a North Carolina resident who left the
United States for Pakistan and was later indicted on federal
terrorism charges.
Attorney General Eric Holder, in a letter to congressional
leaders and chairman of key congressional committees made
public on the eve of what was billed as a major
counterterrorism speech by President Barack Obama, also
confirmed the deaths in drone attacks in Yemen of three
other Americans that already had been widely reported: those
of radical cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki , his teenage son, Abd
al-Rahmn Anwar al-Awlaki; and Samir Khan, the American who
ran al Qaeda's web-based propaganda magazine Inspire.
Previously the Obama administration had only acknowledged
the senior Awlaki's killing and refused to publicly
confirm or deny reports of the other deaths. — NBC News
Iran presidential campaign begins without two big names
posted by askousen - Thursday, May 23 2013
Ira'’s conservatives, who on Tuesday saw the two main moderate threats to their dominance barred from running in next month's presidential election, face a new challenge: persuading shocked and skeptical Iranians to turn out to vote.
With the field of hopefuls clear, the mostly conservative nominees whose candidacies were approved by Iran's Guardian Council officially launched their campaigns Wednesday, apparently free from the challenges of the most talked-about candidates, two-time former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and the top aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, ÂEsfandiar Rahim Mashaei. — Washington Post
IRS tea-party bloodbath continues in Congress, as evidence emerges that IRS's own internal probe end
posted by askousen - Thursday, May 23 2013
Tempers flared in a House Oversight and Government Reform
Committee hearing Wednesday, with members on both sides of
the aisle castigating the Internal Revenue Service for
targeting conservative groups with special scrutiny, and
then hiding the practice from Congress.
Rep. Darrel Issa, the committee's chairman, said that the
committee learned just yesterday that the IRS completed its
own investigation a year before a Treasury Department
Inspector General report was completed. — Daily Mail
Not My Fault, Treasury secretary distances himself from IRS scandal
posted by askousen - Wednesday, May 22 2013
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew attempted to distance his
department from the Internal Revenue Service's
controversial actions at a Senate hearing on Tuesday
morning, despite acknowledging that the Treasury oversees
the IRS.
Lew said he did not know any details of the inspector
general's investigation into inappropriate targeting of
conservative nonprofit groups before the final report was
released, although he confessed that the inspector general
alerted him to it on March 15. — Free Beacon
Senate panel OKs tax-welfare benefits for newly legal immigrants
posted by askousen - Wednesday, May 22 2013
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Monday to allow illegal
immigrants who get legal status to begin collecting
tax-welfare payments, as the panel spent a fourth day
working through amendments to the massive immigration bill
and party-line splits began to emerge.
In one major change, the committee voted 17-1 to make a
third drunken-driving conviction a deportable offense for
the newly legalized immigrants if at least one of those
offenses occurs after they are approved for legal status.
But immigrant-rights groups called that a rollback of
due-process rights for the immigrants and said a
drunken-driving incident shouldn't cost someone a chance at
citizenship. — Washington Times
'Fast and Furious' Scandal Returns to Haunt Obama
posted by askousen - Wednesday, May 22 2013
Fast and Furious is back. As if the Obama Administration
needed an additional problem, the U.S. Justice Department
inspector general said Monday that one of the department’s
politically appointed officials retaliated against a
whistleblower by leaking derogatory information to a Fox
News (NWS) television producer. — Paul M. Barrett/Business Week
Tax official at center of scandal won't testify: lawyer
posted by askousen - Wednesday, May 22 2013
Lois Lerner, the Internal Revenue Service
official at the center of a scandal about the targeting of
conservative groups for extra tax scrutiny, plans to assert
her constitutional right not to answer questions from a
congressional committee on Wednesday.
"She has not committed any crime or made any
misrepresentation but under the circumstances she has no
choice but to take this course," Lerner's attorney, William
Taylor, wrote on Monday to the chairman of the House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee that is holding
hearings into the IRS scandal. — Reuters
IRS official refuses to testify in Tea Party probe
posted by askousen - Wednesday, May 22 2013
The IRS official responsible for tax exemptions refused to testify to a House oversight panel investigating the agency's treatment of conservative groups Wednesday.
Citing her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Lois Lerner would not answer questions about how the IRS developed the "be on the lookout" list for Tea Party groups, what she did when she discovered it, and why she failed to tell Congress about it when asked directly. — USA Today
FBI says man shot dead while being questioned about Boston bombings
posted by askousen - Wednesday, May 22 2013
...The FBI said in a statement that a special agent, "acting on the imminent threat posed by the individual, responded with deadly force. The individual was killed and the special agent was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries."
It said the shooting occurred in Orlando, Florida, while the special agent and other law enforcement agents were interviewing the man about the blasts that killed three people and injured 264 others at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. — Reuters
Bin Laden Corpse Photos Can Be Kept Secret, Court Rules
posted by askousen - Tuesday, May 21 2013
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington today rejected arguments by Judicial Watch Inc., a conservative litigation group, that the Central Intelligence Agency failed to show that releasing images of bin Laden's body - specifically those showing it cleaned and prepared for burial - would harm national security or reveal classified intelligence strategies. — Bloomberg
Chinese hackers who breached Google gained access to sensitive data, U.S. officials say
posted by askousen - Tuesday, May 21 2013
Chinese hackers who breached Google's servers several
years ago gained access to a sensitive database with
years’ worth of information about U.S. surveillance
targets, according to current and former government
officials.
The breach appears to have been aimed at unearthing the
identities of Chinese intelligence operatives in the United
States who may have been under surveillance by American law
enforcement agencies. — Washington Post
Senate Panel Approves Even More Stringent Biometric Measures
posted by askousen - Tuesday, May 21 2013
Illegal immigration is a hot-button issue that genuinely
affects many communities and the motivation to do something
about it is understandable. However, anti-immigration
supporters may be playing right into Big Brother's hands by
being tricked into supporting the hi-tech enslavement of
themselves.
Some have referred to the sweeping immigration reform bill
in Congress as a "Trojan Horse for Biometrics." These
systems are a clear indication that illegal immigration is
being used to put the final touches on the full spectrum
surveillance grid in America.
And, shockingly, politicians are making the immigration
reform bill more stringent instead of less, apparently
fueled by anti-immigration zealots. — Eric Blair/Activist Post
6 Brave Govt. Whistleblowers Charged Under the Espionage Act by Obama's Administration
posted by askousen - Tuesday, May 21 2013
The Obama administration has been carrying out an
unprecedented crackdown on whistleblowers, particularly on
those who have divulged information that relates to national
security. The Espionage Act, enacted during the first World
War to punish Americans who aided the enemy, had only been
used three times in its history to try government officials
accused of leaking classified information — until the
Obama administration. Since 2009, the administration has
used the act to prosecute six government officials. Meet the
whistleblowers... — General Strike USA
Hezbollah suffers big losses in Syria battle: activists
posted by askousen - Monday, May 20 2013
...Syrian opposition sources and state media gave widely differing accounts of Sunday's ferocious clashes in Qusair, long used by rebels as a supply route from the nearby Lebanese border to the provincial capital Homs. Hezbollah has not commented.
The air and tank assault on the strategic town of 30,000 people appeared to be part of a campaign by Assad's forces to consolidate their grip on Damascus and secure links between the capital and government strongholds in the Alawite coastal heartland via the contested central city of Homs. — Reuters
North Korean pirates seize Chinese hostages, demand a ransom
posted by askousen - Monday, May 20 2013
The Chinese embassy in North Korea is "working on" securing the release of the crew of a Chinese fishing boat held by unidentified armed North Koreans, who are reportedly seeking a ransom.
The Associated Press reports that, according to the ship owner Yu Xuejun, the Liaoning-based boat was seized on May 5 by kidnappers demanding 600,000 yuan ($100,000) ransom for the 16 crew members' safe return. — CSM
The IRS's Job Is To Violate Our Liberties
posted by askousen - Monday, May 20 2013
"What do you expect when you target the President?" This
is what an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent allegedly
said to the head of a conservative organization that was
being audited after calling for the impeachment of
then-President Clinton. Recent revelations that IRS agents
gave "special scrutiny" to organizations opposed to the
current administration's policies suggest that many in the
IRS still believe harassing the President's opponents is
part of their job. — Ron Paul/The Free Foundation
Amnesty Opposition Grows
posted by askousen - Monday, May 20 2013
The union representing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services officials will officially oppose the proposed
Senate immigration reform legislation on Monday, according
to an advance statement obtained by the Washington Free
Beacon. — Free Beacon
Elite Gather on Gated Island for Secret Meeting
posted by askousen - Monday, May 20 2013
As reported by local media, billionaires are gathering on
the island of Kiawah, located near South Carolina. The story
broke on May 10, but the meeting was reported to have
started on the 8th. "Suspicion was raised when nearly 20
very expensive jets were seen lined up at the Charleston
International Airport on Johns Island," reported WBTW.
The meeting is reportedly being led by Bill Gates of the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The public has been kept
away from the hotel which is hosting the meeting. Other
reported attendees include Michael Bloomberg of New York,
Oprah Winfrey and Billionaire Warren Buffet. The potential
Presidential hopeful Jeb Bush is also reported to be
attending. — Black Listed News
Assad's message
posted by askousen - Monday, May 20 2013
...His
interview sends multiple messages to all parties involved in
the peace efforts, but its crux is this: he is unwilling to
step down.
Whether his enemies agree or not, Assad has also spoken some
truth. He said that a peace deal is impossible due to a
continuing lack of unity among the myriad rebel groups,
meaning that opposition leaders would be unable to implement
any ceasefire measures, such as surrendering arms. "They
are different groups and bands, not dozens but hundreds.
They are a mixture and each group has its local leader. And
who can unify thousands of people? We can't discuss a
timetable with a party if we don't know who they are" — The Peninsula
Obama's Counsel Told of IRS Audit Findings Weeks Ago
posted by askousen - Monday, May 20 2013
The White House's chief lawyer learned weeks ago that an
audit of the Internal Revenue Service likely would show that
agency employees inappropriately targeted conservative
groups, a senior White House official said Sunday.
That disclosure has prompted a debate over whether the
president should have been notified at that time.
In the week of April 22, the Office of the White House
Counsel and its head, Kathryn Ruemmler, were told by
Treasury Department attorneys that an inspector general's
report was nearing completion, the White House official
said. In that conversation, Ms. Ruemmler learned that "a
small number of line IRS employees had improperly
scrutinized certain…organizations by using words like 'tea
party' and 'patriot,' " the official said. — WSJ
North Korea fires short-range missiles for two days in a row
posted by askousen - Monday, May 20 2013
North Korea fired a short-range missile
from its east coast on Sunday, a day after launching three
of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said, ignoring
calls for restraint from Western powers. — First Post
Fears grow of clash between Israel and Syria
posted by askousen - Monday, May 20 2013
Fears about a possible escalation of violence
between Israel and Syria grew Sunday amid renewed Israeli
threats to destroy Syrian weapons caches and Syria's
warnings of retaliation.
After decades of relative calm along the two nations'
borders, some Israeli officials say tensions with Syria have
reached one of the highest points since the 1973 Yom Kippur
war. — LA Times
Hezbollah takes fight to anti-Assad rebels as Syria's war spills into Lebanon
posted by askousen - Monday, May 20 2013
Hezbollah launched a major offensive in support of the Assad
regime today, with fighters from the Lebanese militant group
playing their most significant role yet in Syria's
two-year-old civil war.
Opposition activists claim Hezbollah fighters, who were
supporting regular Syrian troops, stormed the rebel-held
town of Qusair, only six miles from the Lebanese border.
They fired multiple mortar rounds and launched
rocket-propelled grenades in an attack that witnesses say
killed at least 32 people. — UK Independent
Benjamin Netanyahu threatens more Israeli strikes on Syria
posted by askousen - Monday, May 20 2013
Benjamin Netanyahu raised the prospect of further Israeli
strikes on Syria today, amid claims that Bashar al-Assad's
regime has installed high-tech weapons aimed at hitting Tel
Aviv. — UK Telegraph