Stephen Lendman's blog

Thirdworldizing America

by Stephen Lendman

Center for Economic and Policy Research co-director Dean Baker calls poverty America's "new growth industry." The state of today's America is deplorable.

Anti-Assad Rhetoric Intensifies

by Stephen Lendman

US-led anti-Assad efforts continue. Obama's going all out to topple him. He's heading America for more war. 

His imperial strategy prioritizes it. Rule of law principles are discarded. Unchallenged global dominance alone matters. America's longstanding permanent war agenda advances it.

Malcolm Shabazz's Suspicious Death

by Stephen Lendman

On May 9, Amsterdam News (AN) headlined "Malcolm Shabazz, grandson of Malcolm X, killed." 

Obama's Syria Game Plan: Libya 2.0

by Stephen Lendman

Obama's already waging multiple direct and proxy wars. He's heading America for more. Media scoundrels support it. They back all US aggression. They're beating the drums again now. They're manipulating public sentiment for support.

Russia, China and most other nations want peace. May 8 commemorates Victory in Europe Day (VE Day). Russia's toll was greatest. For many, war horrors still echo.

Hawking Boycotts Israel

by Stephen Lendman

Hawking was invited to participate in a June 18 - 20 Israeli Presidential Conference. Initially he accepted. In early May he declined. He's boycotting. He's protesting Israel's occupation. More on that below.

Hawking's a renown British physicist. His web site says he's the "former Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge."

Willie Manning: Unjustly Sentenced to Death

by Stephen Lendman

Capital punishment is barbaric, unjust and unconscionable. It's the ultimate denial of human rights. Nothing justifies state-sponsored murder. Wrongfully executing innocent victims alone explains why.

Kerry in Moscow

by Stephen Lendman

Russian condemnation of Israeli air strikes preceded Kerry's arrival. Moscow's Foreign Ministry called them "a threat to regional stability." 

UN Human Rights Council Duplicity

by Stephen Lendman

A previous article said the following:

On May 5, Reuters headlined "UN has testimony that Syrian rebels used sarin gas: investigator."

Fannie and Freddie in Good Hands with Mel Watt

by Stephen Lendman

On May 1, Obama nominated Watt to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). 

It replaced the Federal Housing Finance Board (FHFB), the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (DHUD).

Profile of Lawless Aggression

by Stephen Lendman

Israel and America are longstanding imperial partners. They spurn international laws. They do so repeatedly. They ignore their own. 

Yair Shamir: Profile of Israeli Extremism

by Stephen Lendman

He's a former IDF officer. He's now an Israeli politician and businessman. He's former Prime Minister Yitzhak's son. He's named after Avraham "Yair" Stern.

In 1940, he founded the terrorist Lehi group. It's commonly called the Stern Gang. During WW II, it offered to help Nazi Germany and fascist Italy against Britain. 

BBC's Longstanding Pro-Israeli Bias

by Stephen Lendman

Since 1922, BBC's first general manager, John Reith, explained his mandate. UK officials "know they can trust us not be be really impartial," he said.

It's a reliable business/government partner. Earlier it was called the "British Falsehood Corporation." More recently it's been known as the "British Bombing (or Bombast) Club."

America and Israel: Imperial Partners in Crime (Part II)

by Stephen Lendman

In late January, Lebanese military sources reported multiple Israeli violations of Lebanon's airspace. One or more targets on the Syrian-Lebanese border were struck.

Around the same time, Israeli warplanes attacked a military research center in Jamraya. It's about 10 miles from the Lebanese border. Early Sunday morning, Israel struck it again.

Google Recognizes Palestinian Statehood

by Stephen Lendman

On May 1, Google recognized Palestine. It did so on its homepage. Earlier it referred to "The Palestinian Territories." More on that below.

On January 4, Abbas' presidential decree acknowledged the State of Palestine. It followed gaining UN nonmember observer status. 

America and Israel: Imperial Partners in Crime

by Stephen Lendman

Longstanding ties remain firm. Both nations are imperial partners. Naked aggression is official policy. Regime change in Syria is planned. Daily events head inexorably toward full-scale intervention.

Honduras: State-Sponsored Death Squad Terror

by Stephen Lendman

Adrienne Pine is American University Professor or Anthropology.  She's worked in Honduras. She's written about state-sponsored violence.

US-Style Free Trade in Good Hands with Michael Froman

by Stephen Lendman

On May 2, Obama named Froman his new US trade representative. He's a former Harvard law school classmate. He's currently a key adviser. More on him below.

Andy P. Hart: Suicide or Murder?

by Stephen Lendman

On May 1, Truthout's Jason Leopold reported Hart's "apparent suicide." He represented a number of Guantanamo prisoners. More on that below.

US Hatched Terror Plots

by Stephen Lendman

Terrorists "R" us. Washington bears full responsibility. Numerous schemes are planned. Some are alleged and foiled. Others involve violent plots. Media scoundrels convict innocent people in the court of public opinion. 

False Flag Chemical Attack on Syria

by Stephen Lendman

It doesn't surprise. On April 27, WikiLeaks Supporters Forum headlined "Syria False Flag Chemical Weapons - Obama sets up America for invasion," saying:

Communications Giants in Good Hands with Tom Wheeler

by Stephen Lendman

Obama's expected to pick Tom Wheeler as new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman. More on him below.

Tiptoeing Toward War on Syria

by Stephen Lendman

Events in Syria resemble the run-up to Obama's Libya war. Victims are called aggressors. Pretexts are created for intervention. 

Institutionalized Spying on Americans

by Stephen Lendman

Big Brother no longer is fiction. It hasn't been for some time. It's official US policy. According to ACLU's Technology and Liberty Program director Barry Steinhardt:

What's Ahead for Syria?

by Stephen Lendman

Syria's being systematically destroyed. Washington planned doing so years ago. Sovereign independence isn't tolerated. It's longstanding US policy. 

Numerous states learned the hard way. Syria is America's latest victim. It's falsely blamed for Washington's war. The pattern by now is familiar. 

Simpson-Bowles 2.0

by Stephen Lendman

Both men represent the nation's ruling class. They want more wealth transferred from ordinary people to corporate America and privileged elites like themselves. They're back with plan B. More on that below.

Syria: Upping the Stakes

by Stephen Lendman

Things appear heading closer toward full-scale US intervention. The fullness of time will have final say.

On April 28, The New York Times headlined "Lawmakers Call for Stronger US Action in Syria," saying:

US False Flag Pretext for War on Syria

by Stephen Lendman

Obama abhors peace. He prioritizes war. His appetite exceeds his predecessors and then some. It's insatiable.

He's currently waging multiple direct and proxy wars. He plans more in Africa. He destroyed Libya. He's ravaging Syria. 

srael's War on Fishing Rights

Israel wages war on humanity. It persecutes Palestinians many ways. It does so with impunity.

Collective punishment is prohibited. Fourth Geneva's Article 33 states: 

"No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited." 

America's Addiction: Waging War on Humanity

by Stephen Lendman

America's business is war. Permanent wars reflect official US policy. They're glorified in the name of peace. 

One nation after another is ravaged. Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel called it being "cold-blooded about the self-interests of your nation."

Obamacare: Unaffordable Coverage

by Stephen Lendman

Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) co-founders Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein examined evidence on "skimpy health insurance among low-income, insured Americans."

A PNHP press release said: