Daily Archives: 2. September 2013


02.09.2013 - 23:56 [ Corey Pein ]

What my German grandfather did for America during the Second World War

The story gets worse:

British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill was particularly adamant that this aspect of the tragedy remain a secret. … Churchill believed that publicizing the fiasco would hand the Germans a propaganda coup.

Although the gas was mentioned in official American records, Churchill insisted British medical records be purged and mustard gas deaths listed as the result of ‘burns due to enemy action.’ Churchill’s attempts at secrecy may have caused more deaths, because had the word gone out, more victims, especially Italian civilians, might have sought proper treatment.

02.09.2013 - 23:32 [ This is Money ]

Rolls-Royce sells 50pc stake in Apache helicopter engine

Rolls-Royce has sold its stake in the engine that powers the British Army’s Apache attack helicopters.
The FTSE 100 business offloaded its 50 per cent holding in the RTM322 engine programme for £249million to French aerospace rival Safran, with whom it had jointly developed the project.
A Safran subsidiary, Turbomeca, will continue to develop the engines as well as maintaining the existing machines that have already been sold into the market. A Rolls-Royce spokesman said it will use cash from the sale ‘to invest in other defence programmes that offer better returns’.

02.09.2013 - 22:24 [ New York Times ]

On Obama’s Plan, a Message Emerges in Israel: Stay Quiet

Israel has a great deal at stake in the American debate. Beyond the threats by Syria and its allies that they would retaliate against Israel for an American strike, Israel is gravely concerned about America’s waning influence in the Middle East. Israel sees Syria as a test case for Mr. Obama’s credibility in enforcing “red lines,” given his promise to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

02.09.2013 - 22:10 [ Rick Nolan, Abgeordneter des U.S. Repräsentantenhauses ]

Rep Nolan Called Back to Washington for Briefing on Syria

While there is no place I would rather be than home in Minnesota, spending this time with friends, neighbors and working families, I have been called back to Washington by the Democratic leadership for classified briefings on the rapidly escalating crisis in Syria, and the critical question of American military involvement in that troubled land.

I want you to know that I am vehemently opposed to a military strike that would clearly be an act of war against Syria, especially under such tragic yet confusing circumstances as to who is responsible for the use of chemical weapons. Beyond the potential for escalating the conflict and the killing, we risk danger to our ally Israel, involvement by the Russians and the Iranians, and blowback to the United States by radical groups operating in the region.

02.09.2013 - 22:08 [ CNN ]

Obama officials try to sway House Democrats on Syria

About 70 lawmakers came back from recess on Sunday for a classified briefing with administration officials, and more briefings and hearings will take place throughout the week.

Sources said Rep. Rick Nolan, D-Minnesota, was perhaps the most vocal on Monday‘s phone call. He argued the Obama administration is suffering from „historical amnesia“ and forgetting lessons from the wars in Vietnam and Iraq.

02.09.2013 - 22:00 [ New York Times ]

McCain Urges Lawmakers to Back Obama’s Plan for Syria

The day got off to a start with a 70-minute telephone briefing to the House Democratic Caucus by Secretary of State John Kerry; Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel; Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Susan E. Rice, the national security adviser; and James R. Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence.

There were 127 House Democrats on the call, nearly two-thirds of their total number.

02.09.2013 - 17:32 [ Truthout ]

The Last Chance to Stop the NDAA

by Chris Hedge

I and my fellow plaintiffs have begun the third and final round of our battle to get the courts to strike down a section of theNational Defense Authorization Act(NDAA) that permits the military to seize U.S. citizens, strip them of due process and hold them indefinitely in military facilities. Carl Mayer and Bruce Afran, the lawyers who with me in January 2012 brought a lawsuit against President Barack Obama (Hedges v. Obama), are about to file papers asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear our appeal of a 2013 ruling on the act’s Section 1021.

02.09.2013 - 16:02 [ Activist Post ]

Kerry‘s Cozy Past with Assad, ‚He‘s a Very Generous Man‘

„Well, I personally believe that — I mean, this is my belief, okay? But President Assad has been very generous with me in terms of the discussions we have had. And when I last went to — the last several trips to Syria — I asked President Assad to do certain things to build the relationship with the United States and sort of show the good faith that would help us to move the process forward,“ Kerry said in 2011.

02.09.2013 - 15:25 [ antikrieg.com ]

Paul Craig Roberts – Obama hat entschieden, dass es sicherer ist, den Kongress zu kaufen, als einen Alleingang zu machen

Wäre Obama intelligent – und eindeutig ist einer, der Susan Rice zu seiner nationalen Sicherheitsberaterin macht, nicht intelligent – würde er einfach den Angriff gegen Syrien in den Hintergrund schieben und verschwinden lassen, während der Kongress am 9. September zurückkehrt, um sich mit den unlösbaren Problemen des Budgetdefizits und der Schuldenbegrenzung zu beschäftigen.

02.09.2013 - 15:15 [ W-film ]

BOTTLED LIFE

„Bottled Life“ deckt auf, wie Konzerne den Menschen ihr eigenes Wasser als teures Lifestyleprodukt verkaufen, indem sie sich weltweit den Zugriff auf wertvolle Quellen sichern. Journalist Res Gehriger verfolgt die Spur von Nestlé und lässt uns tief blicken in die Strategien eines der mächtigsten Akteure im Milliardengeschäft mit dem Flaschenwasser.

Gegen die Privatisierung der Wasserversorgung kämpft aktuell das bisher größte europäische Bürgerbegehren right2water. Zeitgleich zum Kinostart im September 2013 werden mehr als eine Millionen Unterschriften der Protestbewegung an die deutschen Behörden übergeben.

02.09.2013 - 15:14 [ Statewatch ]

EU police special forces network to become ‚more and more useful‘ and to receive increased financial support

A representative of the European Commission told the Terrorism Working Party on 30 July that „it was planning to increase the financial support“, [5] although it is currently unknown by how much. In the last seven years Atlas has already seen its income from the Commission increas by around 500%.

02.09.2013 - 15:07 [ Kanzlei Dr. Schenk ]

Verfassungswidrigkeit von GEZ-Gebühren – Können die Gebühren jetzt zurück gefordert werden?

Für ihre Doktorarbeit hat Anna Terschüre die Bestnote „summa cum laude“ erhalten. Die öffentlich-rechtlichen Sender versuchen die Erkenntnis der Autorin zwar von der Öffentlichkeit fern zu halten. In einem Verfahren von Rossmann und Sixt gegen die erneuerte Rundfunkabgabe wird die Doktorarbeit aber schon als wichtiges Dokument gewürdigt.

02.09.2013 - 15:04 [ Abna.ir ]

Former Bush Official: Syria Resolution Could Authorize Attack on Iran, Lebanon

Jack Goldsmith, a Harvard Law professor who resigned from the Bush administration over its executive overreach, wrote in Lawfare that “the proposed Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) focuses on the Syrian Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) but is otherwise very broad” and that it “does not contain specific limits on targets”.

02.09.2013 - 15:04 [ Rechtsanwalt Markus Kompa ]

Piraten vs. Spione

Am Dienstag werde ich im Berliner TAZ-Café, 19 Uhr, mit dem Kollegen Udo Vetter und dem IT-Experten und Hacktivisten Daniel Domscheit-Berg über den NSA-Skandal und die Möglichkeiten parlamentarischer Kontrolle und Konsequenzen sprechen.

02.09.2013 - 14:56 [ Ria Novosti ]

Syrien-Krise: Russlands Parlament strebt Dialog mit US-Kongress an – Putin billigt Initiative

„Ich finde diese Initiative überaus angebracht und richtig“, sagte Putin, nachdem Valentina Matwijenko, die Vorsitzende des Parlamentsoberhauses, diese Initiative artikuliert hatte. „Es gibt keinen besseren Weg als einen direkten und offenen Dialog, bei dem die Argumente und Standpunkte dargelegt werden.“

02.09.2013 - 13:13 [ Vatikan ]

Pope: Angelus appeal for peace (full text)

I appeal strongly for peace, an appeal which arises from the deep within me. How much suffering, how much devastation, how much pain has the use of arms carried in its wake in that martyred country, especially among civilians and the unarmed! I think of many children will not see the light of the future! With utmost firmness I condemn the use of chemical weapons: I tell you that those terrible images from recent days are burned into my mind and heart. There is a judgment of God and of history upon our actions which are inescapable! Never has the use of violence brought peace in its wake. War begets war, violence begets violence.
With all my strength, I ask each party in this conflict to listen to the voice of their own conscience, not to close themselves in solely on their own interests, but rather to look at each other as brothers and decisively and courageously to follow the path of encounter and negotiation, and so overcome blind conflict. With similar vigour I exhort the international community to make every effort to promote clear proposals for peace in that country without further delay, a peace based on dialogue and negotiation, for the good of the entire Syrian people.

02.09.2013 - 12:41 [ Krone.at ]

Syrien-Krieg: Österreich verweigert NATO-Jets Überflug

Die Angriffe der US- Amerikaner und ihrer westlichen Alliierten auf Bashar al- Assads Syrien stehen offenbar in Kürze bevor. Ein eindeutiger Hinweis darauf ist auch, dass es bereits informelle Anfragen von NATO-Staaten bezüglich Überflugsgenehmigungen für Österreich gab – die das Außenministerium nach Informationen der „Krone“ aber nicht erteilen wird.

02.09.2013 - 12:36 [ Ansa ]

Pope Francis on Twitter account says no more war

„On the 7th of September, here [in St Peter‘s Square], from 7 pm until midnight, we will gather together in prayer, in a spirit of penitence, to ask from God this great gift [of peace] for the beloved Syrian nation and for all the situations of conflict and violence in the world“, Pope Francis said.

02.09.2013 - 11:36 [ Keep Talking Greece ]

Merkel – Steinbruck TV Duel on Greece: does it really matter?

I can tell you right away: no, it doesn’t! It doesn’t really matter what the Christian-Democrat, conservative and neo-liberal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and her Social-Democrat challenger Peer Steinbrueck exchanged on clever and quick statements, announcements and criticism last night, during their TV-duel. It doesn;t really matter what they said over Greece and its debt crisis.

02.09.2013 - 11:27 [ Netzpolitik ]

USA: AT&T speichert alle Verbindungsdaten seit 1987 für Drogenfahndung

Wir berichteten vor etwa einem Monat über die Special Operations Division der DEA – eine Behörden-überspannende (FBI, CIA, NSA, DEA) Einheit, die lokale Polizei und DEA mit Informationen versorgt, die aus den verschiedensten geheimdienstlichen Quellen gewonnen werden. Um die SOD geheim zu halten, sollen die Beamten im jeweiligen Fall verschleiern, dass die Ermittlungen auf Informationen beruhen, die die SOD lieferte. Im Zweifelsfall sollen Ermittlungsverläufe und Beweise “rekonstruiert” werden, um vor Gericht lückenlos und plausibel zu erscheinen.

02.09.2013 - 11:15 [ Mashable ]

DEA Has Access to Billions of AT&T Phone Call Records

The scale and scope of the project could, The Times says, be larger than the NSA‘s phone call logging efforts. Those records remain in AT&T‘s control, but in one of the more unusual twists, trained AT&T employees sit alongside DEA agents (at the DEA agent‘s offices) to help facilitate access to the phone records upon request.