Month: September 2013

Veteran reporter Seymour Hersh says, “The Obama administration lies systematically” about everything from NSA surveillance to the death of Osama bin Ladin, “yet none of the leviathans of American media, the TV networks or big print titles, challenge him” … Seymour Hersh on Obama, NSA and the ‘Pathetic’ American Media (Guardian) … Should we add…

Well, duh: Yes, Muslims Are Denouncing the Nairobi Terrorist Attack (Mother Jones) “Mr Haji said his father taught him to use a gun to protect their cattle from bandits when he was growing up. Last Saturday, he used his skills to provide fire cover for the Kenyan Red Cross workers and … help to evacuate some of…

“The shattered mall, an imposing, Israeli-built symbol of a new prosperity for some in Africa while many remain mired in poverty, lay largely silent overnight, after days of gunfire, explosions and bloodshed. ‘The operation is now over,’ Kenyatta told Kenyans in a televised address. ‘We have ashamed and defeated our attackers’”: Kenya Mall Siege Ends, but Questions…

Kenyan forces fight to take back Westgate Mall from the al-Shabab terrorists and the expansion of civilian targets, denounced by Muslim leaders, raises concerns over security at commercial malls:  Nairobi Westgate Attack: Assault Begins to Break Siege (BBC) Al Shabaab Claims Responsibility for Kenya Mall Attack (Christian Science Monitor) Muslim Leaders Appeal To Kenyans To…

The newly elected president  said, “We want the people in their private life to be completely free,”and pledged to create a citizens’ rights commission “in the near future” … Hassan Rouhani Sets Out His Vision for a New and Free Iran (Guardian) … in an op-ed piece for the Washington Post he talks the talk ……

“Moscow agrees that poison gas was used in a Damascus suburb last month, as detailed in a United Nations inspectors’ report, but Russia’s top diplomat said Tuesday that he’s more convinced than ever that Syrian rebels were behind it, trying to frame Bashar al-Assad” … Russia Presses Claims Syria Rebels Behind Gas Attack (Christian Science…

<As Mubarak’ lawyers jockey “to blame Islamists from the Muslim Brotherhood and foreign forces for the deaths of about 850 people killed in the unrest” that led to Mubarak’s removal,”the judge said on Saturday that all journalists would be barred from the next hearings and forbidden from quoting lawyers”: Mubarak Judge Orders Trial Media Blackout…

With the American public demanding a diplomatic solution in Syria, Reagan’s advice, “Trust but verify,” applies to both goose and gander: Kerry Calls Syria Chemical Weapons Talks ‘Constructive’ (BBC) John Kerry Rejects Syria’s Demand to Drop Threat of Military Force (abc News) Syria Says Now Full Member of Chemical Arms Pact, Doubts Persist (Reuters) U.S. Total of…

Many, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hope that Russia’s plan for Syrian abandonment of its chemical weapons will avert an intervention that could turn into a world war … UN Chief Hopes US-Russia Syria Talks Will Succeed (AP / abc News) … but Obama’s measured, yet ultimately unconvincing speech on Syria … The Morning Plum: Obama Is…