Julian Assange: Stratfor Hacker Jeremy Hammond Guilty Plea Part of Crackdown on Journalism, Activism

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Image by Antonio Marín Segovia via Flickr

democracynow on May 29, 2013

http://www.democracynow.org – Jeremy Hammond of the hacktivist group Anonymous has pleaded guilty to hacking into the private intelligence firm Stratfor, the FBI and other institutions. Hammond says his goal was to shed light on how governments and corporations act behind close doors. Some five million Stratfor emails ended up on the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks, shedding light on how the private intelligence firm monitors activists and spies for corporate clients. In a statement, Hammond said he accepted the plea deal in part to avoid an overzealous prosecution that could have resulted in at least 30 years in prison. He has already served 15 months, including weeks in solitary confinement. Joining us from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says Hammond’s prosecution comes as part of a wider crackdown “on effective political activists and alleged journalistic sources.”

Noam Chomsky: Wrecking Nature For Short-Term Profit

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with Noam Chomsky

Image by DigaoSPBR via Flickr

docdissent May 8, 2013

Recorded May 7 2013 in Denver, Colorado at an event organized by community radio station KGNU (http://kgnu.org). Noted social critic Noam Chomsky talks about the willful and reckless destruction of the environment by the US and other Western nations. Corporate-run governments have abdicated their responsibility toward protecting the welfare of their citizens and are rushing the world toward climate catastrophe.

More from this event at KGNU.org Free Speech TV (freespeech.org)
Tech: Panasonic GH3, adapted Sigma 70-210mm f2.8 lens & Sony URX-P2/UTX-B2 wireless. Available light. Venue: Central Presbyterian Church, Denver.

From Iraq, A Tragic Reminder to Prosecute the War Criminals by John Pilger

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by John Pilger
http://johnpilger.com/
27 May 2013

Image by Larisa Epatko on PBS NewsHour via Flickr

The dust in Iraq rolls down the long roads that are the desert’s fingers. It gets in your eyes and nose and throat; it swirls in markets and school playgrounds, consuming children kicking a ball; and it carries, according to Dr. Jawad Al-Ali, “the seeds of our death”. An internationally respected cancer specialist at the Sadr Teaching Hospital in Basra, Dr. Ali told me that in 1999, and today his warning is irrefutable. “Before the Gulf war,” he said, “we had two or three cancer patients a month.

Helen Caldicott: Chernobyl: The Biggest Cover-Up In The History of Medicine

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linktv May 23, 2013

Image by Topato via Flickr

“Going naked” is how the insurance industry describes not having insurance. And when it comes to the worst hazards of nuclear power — America is going naked. Correspondent Miles Benson investigates why the US nuclear power industry is underinsured by hundreds of billions of dollars. He also speaks with Australian physician, author and nuclear industry critic Dr. Helen Caldicott on the health effects of nuclear radiation including cancers, fetal damage and genetic mutation.

Honoring Mercenaries for the U.S. Corporate State by Ed Ciaccio

by Ed Ciaccio
Writer, Dandelion Salad
May 23, 2013

Image by tsweden via Flickr

Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Top 10 Western ‘Hits’ on Syria by Finian Cunningham

Image by james_gordon_losangeles via Flickr

by Finian Cunningham
Writer, Dandelion Salad
East Africa
Crossposted from PressTV
May 26, 2013

Listening to Western “governments” – otherwise known as criminal regimes led by war criminals – pontificating and pronouncing on Syria is like riding a rollercoaster of hilarity, absurdity and downright lies.

A selection of the “best”, that is, the worst, of these Western talking points has been compiled below into a top 10 Western ‘hits’.

Rick Rozoff: From Kosovo to Missiles, NATO and the US are Planning to Not Only Take Over the World, But Take Over the Universe

by Rick Rozoff
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Stop NATO
May 23, 2013

Image by Gosia Malochleb via Flickr

John Robles
Voice of Russia
May 22, 2013

Western support for KLA terrorists and support for the self-declared independence of Kosovo are part of a pan-Albanian plan for the region, NATO is reaching its tentacles into space and there has never been any real offer of cooperation by NATO to Russia, all of these issues were recently discussed with regular Voice of Russia contributor Rick Rozoff, the owner and manager of the Stop NATO website and mailing list.

Engineering Empire: An Introduction to the Intellectuals and Institutions of American Imperialism by Andrew Gavin Marshall

by Andrew Gavin Marshall
Writer, Dandelion Salad
http://andrewgavinmarshall.com
Originally posted at: The Hampton Institute
May 26, 2013

Image by jbartok via Flickr

The following is my first original piece for The Hampton Institute, “a working class think tank,” at which I chair the Geopolitics Division. This essay is meant as an introduction to modern American geopolitics, and a reference piece for future research and published material through The Hampton Institute’s Geopolitics Division.

Educating yourself about empire can be a challenging endeavor, especially since so much of the educational system is dedicated to avoiding the topic or justifying the actions of imperialism in the modern era.

War Is A Soulless Void by Chris Hedges

Repost of War Is Betrayal by Chris Hedges.

by Chris Hedges
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Truthdig
July 13, 2012

Image by daveeza via Flickr

This piece originally appeared in the Boston Review.

We condition the poor and the working class to go to war. We promise them honor, status, glory, and adventure. We promise boys they will become men. We hold these promises up against the dead-end jobs of small-town life, the financial dislocations, credit card debt, bad marriages, lack of health insurance, and dread of unemployment. The military is the call of the Sirens, the enticement that has for generations seduced young Americans working in fast food restaurants or behind the counters of Walmarts to fight and die for war profiteers and elites.

US Makes Syria an ‘Offer it Can’t Refuse’ – Again by Finian Cunningham

by Finian Cunningham
Writer, Dandelion Salad
East Africa
Crossposted from www.strategic-culture.org
May 25, 2013

In Mafia terms, it’s called “making an offer that can’t be refused”. The “offer” is not one of free choice between options that may benefit the object party. In reality, it is about setting up a scenario of duress, under which the object party is coerced to capitulate to detrimental terms of extreme prejudice determined cynically by the other party.

Les Leopold: How to Make a Million Dollars an Hour by Nomi Prins

Sent to Dandelion Salad from Les Leopold

by Nomi Prins
Truthdig
May 23, 2013

Image by eyewashdesign: A. Golden via Flickr

How to Make a Million Dollars an Hour: Why Hedge Funds Get Away With Siphoning Off America’s Wealth
A book by Les Leopold

Les Leopold’s latest masterpiece, How to Make a Million Dollars an Hour: Why Hedge Funds Get Away With Siphoning Off America’s Wealth, is necessary, alarming and really funny. His talent for deconstructing complex financial terms and topics constitutes a public service. What he reveals in “How to Make,” in a sardonic and appropriately irreverent tone, is something more ominous.

Hell No, GMO! Anti-Monsanto Protests Sweep US

Image by John Novotny via Flickr

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RussiaToday May 26, 2013

Hundreds of thousands across the US joined the worldwide rally against biotech giant Monsanto and genetically engineered crops. MORE INFO & PHOTOS: http://on.rt.com/hbbzf7 & http://on.rt.com/1hmc5w

Seeds Of Death

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Image by John Novotny via Flickr

Gary Null May 23, 2013

Jeremy Scahill: Killing Americans + Obama Heckled by Medea Benjamin + Fact Sheet: Counterterrorism

Image by pweiskel08 via Flickr

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democracynow May 23, 2013

http://www.democracynow.org – The Obama administration has admitted for the first time to killing four U.S. citizens in drone strikes overseas. Three died in Yemen: the Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, his 16-year-old son Abdulrahman al-Awlaki and Samir Khan. A fourth, Jude Kenan Mohammed — whose death was not previously reported — was killed in Pakistan. In a letter to Congress, Attorney General Eric Holder suggested that all but the attack on the elder al-Awlaki were accidental, saying the other three “were not specifically targeted.” The admission came on the eve of a major address in which President Obama is expected to defend the secret targeted killing program and announce modified guidelines for carrying it out. We’re joined by Jeremy Scahill, author of the new book, “Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield,” and co-producer of the upcoming documentary film by the same name.

Sibel Edmonds on the U.S. Government’s Support for International Terrorism, Heroin and Organized Crime

by Sibel Edmonds
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Originally published by Boiling Frogs Post
May 22, 2013

Image by codepinkhq via Flickr

Last week UK magazine Ceasefire published never-before-disclosed insights into how the Sunday Times investigative series was spiked under the direct pressure of interest groups tied to the US government. The groundbreaking and revelatory exposé is investigated and reported by bestselling author and analyst Dr. Nafeez Ahmed.