This Week in the World Affairs Brief:
THE UKRAINE MESS: FACT FROM FICTION
The Ukraine conflict has reached such a level murkiness and complexity due to deception and misdirection by all the parties involved that deciphering the situation taxes even the most experienced of conspiracy analysts. A lot of mistaken conclusions are being presented by both major and alternative media. The Ukraine opposition has been infiltrated by both Western globalists and Russia-controlled sleepers, so it’s hard to tell who is directing what. Russia is claiming that those providing “security” for the airports and major bases in Crimea are just “local militia”, but why do they wear masks and uniforms without insignias, and drive Special Forces vehicles with Russian tags? Supposedly, pro-Russian oligarches in official positions in eastern Ukraine have been replaced with pro-western oligarches, but all the “Post-Soviet” oligarches have been allies of the continuing Soviet leadership (who still run the show behind the scenes), why should we expect these new ones to be any different? This week, I’ll try and help readers figure out what real and what’s fake. You can request a one-time free sample of the briefs by sending an email to editor@worldaffairsbrief.com.
Also:
- CT Police Threaten Residents with Gun Confiscation
- Bad Federal Agents and Bad Judges Protect Each Other
- Supreme’s Decline to Aid German Homeschool Family on Asylum
Daily News
Snowden Says 'Many Other' Spy Programs Remain Secret, For Now
posted by askousen - Saturday, March 8 2014
Exiled whistle-blower Edward Snowden told the European Parliament in testimony published Friday there are many more surprises in the classified cache of documents he downloaded and distributed last year.
But, Snowden said, he will allow the journalists with whom he’s shared the material to decide what to report.
"There are many other undisclosed programs that would impact EU citizens' rights, but I will leave the public interest determinations as to which of these may be safely disclosed to responsible journalists in coordination with government stakeholders," he said. — US News
Russia, Ukraine feud over sniper carnage
posted by askousen - Saturday, March 8 2014
One of the biggest mysteries hanging over the protest mayhem that drove Ukraine's president from power: Who was behind the snipers who sowed death and terror in Kiev?
That riddle has become the latest flashpoint of feuding over Ukraine - with the nation's fledgling government and the Kremlin giving starkly different interpretations of events that could either undermine or bolster the legitimacy of the new rulers. — Yahoo News
The Nakamoto chase is a sideshow: Here's the real story on bitcoins
posted by askousen - Saturday, March 8 2014
...In a piece in Bitcoin magazine, Ken Griffith provides some shocking context for the Mt. Gox affair. "MtGox is not alone," he writes. "Forty-five percent of Bitcoin exchanges to date have failed, in most cases with their customers’ money. The digital currency industry’s track record on fiduciary responsibility is abysmal."
Griffith's source for the figure, a paper by two computer scientists at SMU and Carnegie Mellon, observes that because of bitcoin's growing popularity the system has been "repeatedly targeted by fraudsters." What makes bitcoin accounts especially inviting to wrongdoers, they say, is that bitcoin transactions are irrevocable--even fraudulent ones. That makes them different from credit cards and electronic transfers, which can be unwound if they're found to be improper. "Fraudsters prefer irrevocable payments, since victims usually only identify fraud after transactions have taken place." — LA Times
Rand Paul Is the King of CPAC
posted by askousen - Saturday, March 8 2014
A year after his 13-hour filibuster won the hearts of young conservatives just a week ahead of the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference, the fandom for Sen. Rand Paul here has only grown.
Paul gave a speech Friday before the first standing-room-only crowd at the conference so far, asking a cheering audience, "Will you, America's next generation of liberty-lovers, will you stand and be heard?" — National Journal
Alleged Bitcoin Founder Did Classified Work For U.S. Military
posted by askousen - Friday, March 7 2014
Satoshi Nakamoto, the alleged Bitcoin founder who was outed yesterday by Newsweek, did classified work for the U.S. military and major corporations, a fact that will sit uncomfortably with many Bitcoin proponents should it be confirmed that Nakamoto is indeed the father of the cryptocurrency. — Infowars.com
Erdogan: Turkey Could Ban Facebook and YouTube
posted by askousen - Friday, March 7 2014
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey could ban Facebook and YouTube, which he claims have been abused by his political enemies, after local elections on March 30.
Erdogan is locked in a power struggle with the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally who Erdogan claims is behind a stream of "fabricated" audio recordings posted on the Internet allegedly revealing corruption in his inner circle. — VOA News
First Thoughts: Christie Brings Blue-State Message to CPAC
posted by askousen - Friday, March 7 2014
Christie at CPAC: What a difference a year makes... How does he get received?... Rand Paul as Howard Dean?... Clinton walks back the Putin-Hitler comparison... And the health-care debate heats up again. — NBC News
Pentagon: North Korea develops unmanned strike aircraft from stolen U.S. target drone
posted by askousen - Friday, March 7 2014
...The report also stated North Korea is continuing to develop nuclear weapons and missiles that can reach the United States.
Despite declining conventional military capabilities, "the North Korean military poses a serious threat to ROK [Republic of Korea], its other neighbors, and U.S. forces in the region," the report says. Republic of Korea is the formal name of South Korea.
North Korea's large ballistic missile force includes older short-range missiles along with medium-range, intermediate-range missiles, and new intercontinental range missiles, including six KN-08 road-mobile ICBMs. — Washington Free Beacon
Connecticut Police to Begin Door-to-Door Gun ConfiscationsConnecticut Police to Begin Door-to-Door G
posted by askousen - Friday, March 7 2014
...The legislature of CT says that a registration is needed so they can know where the guns are. Yet at the same time, they are sending threatening letters to gun owners. So they already have records of who has purchased certain guns. The fact is, that the CT legislature fully intends to confiscate hundreds of thousands of firearms anyway. The registration process will simply make it easier to confiscate, because you acknowledge that you still own a firearm that the state already suspects that you own.
CT State Police Spokesman Lt. Vance says that state police would comply with an order from the state to conduct door to door gun confiscations. — Top Conservative News
Officials silent on mass release of detainees
posted by askousen - Friday, March 7 2014
...Still, ICE has refused to turn over details about the vast majority of the more than 2,200 detainees released at the end of last February, including the total taken back into custody, how many remain free and whether any committed crimes after they were released.
At the time of their release, all were facing deportation.
ICE's refusal to fully disclose information about the released detainees and what happened to them has frustrated critics concerned that they put the safety of Americans at risk. — USA Today
Are Russia's Security Agencies At War (With Each Other)?
posted by askousen - Friday, March 7 2014
After a period of relative calm, Russia's fractious security agencies are once again at odds with each other. Against the backdrop of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, Mark Galeotti assesses the prospects of a new intra-elite turf war breaking out in Moscow. — ISN - Zurich
How Google Is Trying to Protect Your Drug Supply
posted by askousen - Thursday, March 6 2014
...Google, in particular, does not have a clean record in dealing with international online pharmacies. The company previously allowed Canadian sellers to advertise through its AdWords program, targeting American consumers and illegally importing drugs into the U.S. A settlement was reached in 2011, in which Google forfeited $500 million and agreed to a set of measures to ensure reporting of counterfeit drug sales to the federal government.
Google is now a member of the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies, a nonprofit formed in 2011 with the mission of promoting secure online pharmacies through "education, enforcement, and information sharing." This involves both limiting the visibility and accessibility of rogue sellers, and educating consumers about identifying safe online pharmacies.
Other CSIP members include Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, Visa, American Express, UPS, and more. — National Journal
Ukraine Protest Leaders Hired Kiev Snipers
posted by askousen - Thursday, March 6 2014
Western officials repeatedly condemned the ousted Yanukovych government for snipers who fired on protesters in Kiev, but it turns out those snipers were actually hired by the protest leaders themselves and told to kill people on both sides to drum up more unrest.That was revealed by Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet in a leaked conversation with European Union foreign policy head Catherine Ashton. Estonia confirmed the authenticity of the leaked conversation. — Antiwar.com
Russia Today news anchor Liz Wahl resigns live on air over Ukraine crisis
posted by askousen - Thursday, March 6 2014
An American anchor for the Kremlin-funded news channel RT has quit on air and accused the network of "whitewashing" Moscow's military intervention in Crimea.
Liz Wahl, a Washington-based correspondent for RT-America, part of the network formerly known as Russia Today, told viewers on Wednesday she was resigning because of its coverage of President Vladimir Putin's actions in the Ukrainian region. — The Guardian
"Behind The Kiev Snipers It Was Somebody From The New Coalition" - A Stunning New Leak Released
posted by askousen - Thursday, March 6 2014
..Earlier today an even more shocking recording has been "leaked" this time one between the always concerned about human rights EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton and Estonian foreign minister Urmas Paet, in which it is revealed on tape that all those photos of horrifying deaths of Ukrainians by snipers during the last days of the Median stand off, were in fact caused not by Snipers controlled by Yanukovich, but that the snipers shot at both protesters and police in Kiev were allegedly hired by Maidan leaders! — Zerohedge.com
Russia reports ballistic missile test amid Crimea tension
posted by askousen - Tuesday, March 4 2014
...The Topol was fired at 22:10 (18:10 GMT), the defence ministry in Moscow said, adding: "The aim of the launch was to test a promising intercontinental ballistic missile payload."
The nuclear-capable missile reached its target successfully, it said.
Tests of the missile, one of Russia's newest, are not unusual but the timing of the launch if confirmed, is likely to alarm observers of the crisis with Ukraine. — BBC
Judgment day for Marine handcuffed over Facebook post
posted by askousen - Tuesday, March 4 2014
You write something on Facebook that someone in the government doesn't like. The result? You’re in handcuffs and taken to detention in a mental institution.
No charges, no rights, no freedom.
Not in America, you say?
But that's almost exactly the scenario that is being defended by a federal judge, who now has dismissed a complaint filed over a veteran's treatment.
A federal court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Rutherford Institute on behalf of Brandon Raub, a decorated Marine. The nonprofit legal group said in a statement Monday that Raub "was arrested by a swarm of FBI, Secret Service agents and local police and forcibly detained in a psychiatric ward for a week because of controversial song lyrics and political views posted on his Facebook page.' — WND
DHS allows German home-schooling family to stay in US
posted by askousen - Tuesday, March 4 2014
A German home-schooling family facing deportation following the Supreme Court's refusal to hear their appeal is being allowed to stay in the U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security has granted the family "indefinite deferred status," their attorney confirmed to Fox News. — Fox News
Team Obama wins fight to have Christian home-school family deported
posted by askousen - Tuesday, March 4 2014
Uwe and Hannelore Romeike came to the United States in 2008 seeking political asylum. They fled their German homeland in the face of religious persecution for homeschooling their children.
They wanted to live in a country where they could raise their children in accordance with their Christian beliefs.
The Romeikes were initially given asylum, but the Obama administration objected - claiming that German laws that outlaw homeschooling do not constitute persecution. — Fox News
Crimean Authorities Confirm Takeover of Military Units
posted by askousen - Monday, March 3 2014
Ukraine's autonomous region of Crimea confirmed Sunday that the majority of Ukrainian military units stationed on the Crimean peninsula have expressed their support of legitimately elected Pro-Russian authorities.
Earlier reports by Russian media about peaceful takeover of the military units by forces loyal to the Crimean government were denied by the Ukrainian defense ministry. — RIA Novosti
In Crimea, Russians demand that Ukrainian troops swear allegiance
posted by askousen - Monday, March 3 2014
The tense military standoff in Crimea continued Monday as Ukraine's army and naval forces were blockaded by invading Russian troops and supporters, at some sites demanding that the Ukrainian units surrender their bases and swear allegiance to the Kremlin and Russia's armed forces. — LA Times
No Supreme Court review for local laws against harboring illegal immigrants
posted by askousen - Monday, March 3 2014
The Supreme Court on Monday refused two cases dealing with city ordinances aimed at preventing illegal immigrants from obtaining local housing or jobs. That lets stand lower-court rulings that the laws are impermissible. — CSM
Ukraine orders full military mobilisation following Putin's "declaration of war"
posted by askousen - Monday, March 3 2014
Ukraine has ordered a full military mobilisation after what the country's president has described as Russia's "declaration of war."
Thousands of Russian troops have entered Crimea, seizing Ukrainian military bases and entering into a face-off with Ukrainian troops.
President Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to invade his neighbour in Moscow's biggest confrontation with the West since the Cold War.
"This is not a threat: this is actually the declaration of war to my country," Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said in English. — UK Mirror
Boy Scout policy banning gay leaders causes Disney to halt donations
posted by askousen - Monday, March 3 2014
...Though Disney doesn't provide money to the Boy Scouts' national or local councils, the Burbank-based company with major theme parks in Anaheim and Orlando, Fla., provides small grants to local troops and packs, said Deron Smith, a Boy Scouts spokesman.
"We believe every child deserves the opportunity to be a part of the Scouting experience and we are disappointed in this decision because it will impact our ability to serve kids," Smith said in a statement.
The grants have been given through a Disney program that would donate money to the Scouts in exchange for volunteer hours completed by its employees. — LA Times
No longer loyal to Scouts, boys join Trail Life
posted by askousen - Monday, March 3 2014
...Trail Life has established units in more than 40 states, mostly from Boy Scouts and parents who feel their old organization has lost its way. It has about 600 units up and running or in the process of registration, executive director Rob Green said. As many as half of those who have expressed interest were not affiliated with the Boy Scouts beforehand, Green said.
It is still a tiny movement compared to Scouting, which has nearly 2.5 million youth members and remains a powerful force in American life, even with a 6 percent drop in membership last year. — Houston Chronicle
Hagel's 'Defense Cuts' Are Smoke And Mirrors
posted by askousen - Monday, March 3 2014
...Nevertheless, although the neocons make a big deal about this small cut in military personnel, in reality these are not military cuts at all. These are token proposed cuts in troop levels which Congress won't allow the administration to do anyway. What Hagel proposes is not cuts, but instead a shift in spending away from personnel and toward new high-tech weapons which are favored by and profitable to the military-industrial complex. — Ron Paul/Prison Planet
Rand Paul Drives Libertarian Politics Toward the Top
posted by askousen - Friday, February 28 2014
...compared to Ron Paul, Rand Paul is far closer to the conservative model of the GOP, circa Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater. Rand Paul is not - in his public persona anyway - reflexively anti-empire in the way his father is.
Thus, despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth about Rand's so-called libertarianism, Rand is far better positioned to win the nomination than his father ever was. The GOP - and thus the larger political establishment - can live with him and are likely confident of "working" with him as they eventually did with Reagan. — The Daily Bell
Whispers persist that Hillary won't run: Health may be worse than disclosed
posted by askousen - Friday, February 28 2014
If you listen to the chattering class in Washington, D.C., Hillary Clinton is a virtual certainty for the 2016 Democratic nomination, and the front-runner in the next presidential race.
But in private, rumors persist that the former Secretary of State may not even be capable of making it to Iowa and New Hampshire. Clinton, these skeptics often say, will not run for president again because of health concerns. — The Daily Caller
FT's Shocking Gold-Manipulation Glitch
posted by askousen - Friday, February 28 2014
...For those who have not seen it yet, the title of the article was "Gold price rigging fears put investors on alert," and it was written by someone called Madison Marriage.
The article made the astounding claim that, "Global gold prices may have been manipulated on 50 percent of occasions between January 2010 and December 2013, according to analysis by Fideres, a consultancy." — The Daily Bell
JPMorgan cutting jobs, slimming branches
posted by askousen - Friday, February 28 2014
In an effort to cut costs, the country's largest bank by assets said Tuesday that it plans to slash 8,000 jobs in its consumer and community banking division this year.
...The cuts at JPMorgan are also partly driven by a drop-off in mortgage financing. Of the 8,000 cuts, the majority will come from the mortgage banking side. While historically low mortgage rates led to a surge in home refinancings in recent years, the bank said in its fourth quarter earnings report that steadily rising interest rates have slowed that trend. — CNN Money