Stephen Lendman's blog

Obama: Defending the Indefensible

by Stephen Lendman

His doublespeak duplicity reflects the last refuge of a scoundrel. He's the worst in recent memory. Perhaps the worst ever. Forked tongue rhetoric can't disguise it.

Throughout his tenure, he governed lawlessly. He's done so at home and abroad. He spurns rule of law principles and other democratic values. 

Media Responses to Obama's Speech

by Stephen Lendman

They didn't surprise. Media scoundrels support his worst policies. His neoliberal harshness is endorsed. His alliance with monied interests gets no coverage. 

His crimes of war, against humanity and genocide go unmentioned.

Woolrich London Killing: Terrorism or False Flag?

by Stephen Lendman

Reports said two assailants hacked a British soldier to death. He's been identified as Lee Rigby. He was killed in broad daylight. It was several hundred meters from southeast London's Woolwich Royal Artillery barracks.

Weapons included a machete type knife. Alleged attackers remained on the scene. They did so until police arrived 20 minutes later.

Wall Street Journal Urges War on Syria

by Stephen Lendman

Perhaps publishing it was strategically timed. It comes with John Kerry in the Middle East. He'll be there through Sunday.

He met with foreign ministers of 11 so-called Friends of Syria countries and opposition group representatives. In Jerusalem, he discussed Syria with Netanyahu. 

Israeli Pillar of Cloud War Crimes

by Stephen Lendman

On May 8, B'Tselem published a report titled "Human Rights Violations During Operation Pillar of Defense: 14 - 21 November 2012."

Israel's Operation Pillar of Cloud (aka Cloud Column/Pillar of Defense) was naked, premeditated aggression. Previous articles discussed it.

Iraq Today: America's Imperial Legacy

by Stephen Lendman

US imperial wars reflect mass slaughter, widespread destruction, ecocide, resource theft, exploitation, unspeakable human pain, suffering and misery, as well as permanent occupation.

Washington came to Iraq to stay. US military and other security elements infest the region. It's the oil and unchallenged Middle East dominance, stupid.

Mission Creep Toward Full-Scale War on Syria

by Stephen Lendman

On May 20, Secretary of State John Kerry headed back to the Middle East. It's his fourth regional visit since January. 

On May 21, he met Oman's Sultan Qaboos. An air defense system/weapons sale, Syria, and related issues were discussed.

Obama's War on Free Expression

by Stephen Lendman

It's the most fundamental right. Without it all others are endangered. Obama's waging war to destroy it. He's done so throughout his tenure. 

He targeted AP. He did so unjustifiably. A previous article discussed it.

Israel Heads Closer to War on Syria

by Stephen Lendman

Syria is Washington's war. It was planned years ago. It began in early 2011. No end of conflict looks near. Escalating it appears likely.

Israel's very much involved. It abhors peace and stability. Its history reflects belligerence. It’s a direct threat. It borders Syria. 

Are Japanese Bonds Signaling Trouble?

by Stephen Lendman

A previous article discussed the disconnect between soaring markets and troubled economies. Liquidity driven markets only skyrocket so long.

What can't go on forever, won't. No one's sure when. Eventually the music stops. When that happens, watch out. Signals provide clues.

Reinventing Guatemalan History

by Stephen Lendman

History reinventors support despots. Social democrats are vilified. Crimes of war, against humanity and genocide are sanitized. They're whitewashed. They disappear in plain sight.

Wall Street Journal columnist Mary O'Grady tried reinventing Guatemalan history. She failed. More on that below.

Supreme Court Colludes with Monsanto

by Stephen Lendman

It's no surprise. Michael Parenti calls America's High Court its "autocratic branch." 

It's notoriously pro-business. It's longstanding. In Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railway (1886), it granted corporations legal personhood.

America: A Modern-Day Sparta

by Stephen Lendman

Permanent war is longstanding policy. America deplores peace. Throughout its history, it's waged war annually at home and/or abroad. Today it does so globally.

Giving peace a chance is loathed. Direct or proxy wars rage in multiple countries. 

Guantanamo Force-Feeding Constitutes Torture

by Stephen Lendman

Guantanamo detention constitutes torture, abuse and ill-treatment. Long-term detention compounds it. 

Force-feeding increases unconscionable pain and suffering. Doing so violates core rule of law principles.

Disconnect: Soaring Markets/Troubled Economies

by Stephen Lendman

Forget everything you learned about markets, economics and finance. Perhaps Newton, Galileo, Copernicus, Darwin, Freud, Einstein, and other noted figures were wrong.

Central banks run today's world. Major ones matter most. Money printing madness controls everything. Love doesn't make the world go round. Liquidity-driven markets reflect the power of bankers to do it. 

America Honors Its Worst

by Stephen Lendman

Presidential Medals of Freedom are awarded annually. They mock what they claim to represent. Many go to deplorable recipients. 

Previous dishonorees include GHW Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Robert Gates, Henry Kissinger, Tony Blair, Shimon Peres, Margaret Thatcher, Alvaro Uribe, Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, and Alan Greenspan among others.

IRS Scandal Headlines: More Than Meets the Eye

by Stephen Lendman

More than targeting political enemies is involved. More on than below. The practice is longstanding. Republican and Democrat administrations use the IRS abusively.

During the Coolidge administration, Republican Senator James Couzens investigated the IRS' predecessor - the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). 

Putin v. Obama et al

by Stephen Lendman

On May 16, the Wall Street Journal headlined "Russia Raises Stakes in Syria," saying:

Stop and Frisk: NYPD Racial Profiling

by Stephen Lendman

The Fourth Amendment states: 

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Israel Threatens More Syrian Attacks

by Stephen Lendman

May 15 is Nakba Day. It follows Israel's May 14 Independence Day. This year was no exception. 

Clashes erupted across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel confronts peaceful demonstrations violently. Fundamental human rights are spurned. Rogue governments operate that way.

Russia Catches CIA Spy Red-Handed

by Stephen Lendman

CIA agents operate most everywhere. They don't promote friendly relations. They're up to no good. Some pose as diplomats. 

Diplomacy provides cover for why they're sent. Christopher Fogle was caught red-handed. He was assigned to Washington's Moscow embassy political section. He was third secretary.

Obama's Contempt for Venezuelan Democracy

by Stephen Lendman

It's no surprise. He exceeds the worst of George Bush. He abhors democratic values. He defiles rule of law principles. He governs by diktat authority.

He's waging war on humanity. He targets all independent states. He wants puppet pro-US regimes replacing them. 

Spies "R" Us

by Stephen Lendman

A previous article discussed institutionalized spying on Americans. Anyone can be monitored for any reason or none at all. 

Manufactured national security threats, silencing dissent, targeting whistleblowers, and challenging press freedom subvert constitutional rights. 

Anti-Assad Forces: Caught in the Act Again

by Stephen Lendman

Previous articles discussed Washington-supported death squads in Syria. It's common practice in all US direct and proxy wars.

Massacres and unspeakable atrocities are committed. Women are raped. Civilians are treated like combatants. Official coverup and denial follow.

Turkey: US Imperial Tool

by Stephen Lendman

In 1999, Nobel laureate/outspoken anti-war critic Harold Pinter minced no words denouncing NATO's Yugoslavia war.

"Let us face the truth," he said. "The truth is that neither Clinton nor Blair gives a damn about the Kosovar Albanians. This action has been another blatant and brutal assertion of US power using NATO as its missile."

Close Guantanamo Now!

by Stephen Lendman

As president and commander-in-chief, Obama has legal authority to do so. On May 3, New York City Bar president Carey R. Dunne wrote him. He did so on behalf of the organization he heads.

He called indefinite detention "legally and morally indefensible." He said 25 retired military flag officers said it's "an effective recruiting tool for our enemies."

Israeli Lobby Power in America

by Stephen Lendman

In 1949, the American Zionist Council (AZC) was established. It operated until 1962. It was ordered to register as a foreign agent.

It failed to do so. It transferred its responsibilities to AIPAC. It calls itself "America's Pro-Israel Lobby. It operates as an unregistered foreign agent.

Another Anti-Assad False Flag

by Stephen Lendman

Since early 2011, Obama's been waging proxy war on Syria. Imported death squads masquerade as freedom fighters. The scheme's familiar. It repeats. It reflects US imperialism's dark side.

In the 1980s, CIA-recruited mujahideen fighters battled  Afghanistan's Soviet occupiers. Ronald Reagan called them "the moral equivalent of our founding fathers." He characterized Contra killers the same way.

Israelis Protest Austerity Harshness

by Stephen Lendman

On May 11, thousands of Israelis protested publicly. They did so for social justice. More on that below.

In summer 2011, widespread social justice protests erupted. They continued for weeks. Others followed in summer 2012.

Eroding Freedom in America

by Stephen Lendman

US democracy is illusory. America never was beautiful. It's not the land of the free and home of the brave. It wasn't created that way. More than ever, it's not now.

Freedom is a four-letter word. It's fast disappearing. It's an endangered species. Wealth, power and privilege alone matter. America's war on terror priorities advance them.