Stephen Lendman's blog

Hardening Israeli Fascism

by Stephen Lendman

Israel's war on Palestine and Israeli Arab citizens reflects it. So does extreme hardline governance. Pre-election polls show Netanyahu's Likud/Yisrael Beiteinu coalition favored to win.

They'll partner with likeminded extremists. Most Israelis remain shockingly indifferent. Many are ideologically supportive. Haaretz sounded the alarm.

Fiscal Cliff Postmortems

by Stephen Lendman

Congressional profiles in courage are sorely lacking. Pretenders usually vote party line when asked or pressured. 

No House or Senate member explained what constituents most need to know. Fiscal cliff hype reflects doublespeak duplicity. Previous articles explained.

Netanyahu's Warning

by Stephen Lendman

Netanyahu represents lawless rogue leadership. He belongs in prison, not high office. Pre-election polls suggest he'll retain power. 

Israelis aren't smart enough to spurn him. Palestinian suffering will continue. The new year began like 2012 ended. More on that below.

New UN Report on Syria

by Stephen Lendman

On January 2, the UN News Center headlined "Data suggests death toll could be more than 60,000, says UN human rights office."

Flim Flam Fiscal Cliff Legislation

by Stephen Lendman

Senate members met, debated, negotiated, passed stopgap legislation, and largely delayed deficit cutting for later.

On Tuesday, the House followed suit. Obama will sign it into law or may already have done so.

No Relief for Palestine in New Year

by Stephen Lendman

Gaza remains isolated under siege. No relief in sight looms. Occupation harshness is policy. Peace is a four-letter word. 

Dominant Israeli hardliners scorn it. So does Washington. Violence and instability advance their agenda. Conflict will continue in 2013. So will Palestinian suffering.

Venezuelan Leadership Up for Grabs?

by Stephen Lendman

New reports about Chavez's health raise concerns. He's struggling to recover from complicated cancer surgery. Previous articles explained. More on his current status below.

On October 7, Venezuelans overwhelmingly reelected him. They want no one else leading them. He transformed national politics responsibly. He established participatory democracy and social justice.

Beating Up on Iran and Syria

by Stephen Lendman

A new Press TV poll shows 72% of respondents believe ravaging Syria continues "to destroy the (regional) axis of anti-Israeli resistance…."

The Gatekeepers: Exposing Israel's Dark Side

by Stephen Lendman

Dror Moreh is one of Israel's leading cinematographers. Last October, his documentary featuring candid dialogues with former Shin Bet heads debuted in New York. 

In early 2013, other Western venues will show it. Over the weekend, it premiered at Tel Aviv's Cinematheque.

Responsible Fiscal Cliff Resolution

by Stephen Lendman

Responsible governance isn't rocket science. Nor is effective economic policy. Fiscal cliff resolution is as simple as doing the right thing. Both parties spurn doing so.

December 31 is a nominal deadline. Effectively it's meaningless. New year legislation can be retroactive to January 1. Absent any, here's what's at stake.

Rare Israeli Justice

by Stephen Lendman

Instances indeed are rare. An important one deserves mention. In mid-July 2010, Knesset members stripped MK Hanin Zuabi of key parliamentary rights and privileges. 

They did so for participating in the May 2010 Freedom Flotilla. She joined others trying to bring vital humanitarian aid to Gaza. Lunatic fringe MK's targeted her. They oppose doing the right thing.  

Congress Extends Warrantless Spying

by Stephen Lendman

America's political process is lawless, corrupt and dysfunctional. Fiscal cliff hype, noise and theater continue. Destroying fundamental civil society social protections aren't mentioned.

Rushed through legislation targeted Iran's growing Latin American influence. On December 28, Obama signed the Countering Iran in Western Hemisphere Act.

Cliff Notes

by Stephen Lendman

Congressional/administration hype, theater, gamesmanship, brinksmanship, and duplicity define yearend fiscal cliff discussions.

Previous articles explained what's at stake. Years ago, Republicans and Democrats conspired to destroy America's social contract. 

Cold War Politics Heats Up

by Stephen Lendman

Previous articles discussed how Washington reinvented the "evil empire." On March 8, 1983, Ronald Reagan coined the term. He addressed the National Association of Evangelicals.

Israel's Long Arm

by Stephen Lendman

Right wing extremism defines it. So does institutionalized  persecution. More on both below.

On December 27, Netanyahu addressed an air force pilot graduation ceremony. He threatened Iran and Syria. 

Bahraini State Terror

by Stephen Lendman

Al-Khalifa despots run Bahrain. State terror is official policy. Washington supports it. Generous aid is provided. King Hamad remains a close US ally. Double standard hypocrisy defines America's foreign and domestic agenda.

Moscow Talks on Syria

by Stephen Lendman

Last September, Lakhdar Brahimi replaced Kofi Annan as UN/Arab League Syrian envoy/mediator. He's strongly pro-Western. He's Washington's point man on Syria.

Kofi Annan's peace plan was one-sided. It provided imperial cover for war. Brahimi picked up where he left off. His mandate is serving Western interests. Diplomatic cover hides his agenda.

Avigdor Lieberman Faces New Charges

by Stephen Lendman

He's Netanyahu's main coalition partner. He represents the lunatic fringe of Israeli governance. He's a serial felon. He's ideologically anti-democratic and hardcore racist.

Weeks ahead of general elections, he resigned. In January, he plans running for reelection anyway. At least so far. Information discussed below may preclude him.

Netanyahu/Lieberman Coalition

by Stephen Lendman

On January 22, Israeli parliamentary elections will be held. Netanyahu/Lieberman's Likud/Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) looks likely to win.

Both men are world class thugs. They represent the worst of ideological extremism. They're hardcore racists. They want unchallenged regional dominance. They believe Israel has a divine right to terrorize Palestinians with impunity.

Chavez Struggles to Recover

by Stephen Lendman

A previous article said major surgery for any reason is daunting. Four times for the same illness in 18 months present special challenges.

Chavez struggles to recover. He hopes he's cancer free. He's undergoing difficult post-operative procedures. Reports suggest he's proceeding on track. Internal bleeding and respiratory infection problems were corrected. More on his current status below.

Human Rights Get Short Shrift in Israel

by Stephen Lendman

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) assesses human rights in Israel annually. It's 2012 report is "bleak." 

OWS Activists Called Domestic Terrorists

by Stephen Lendman

US history is littered with repressive laws. Constitutional protections and civil liberties have been targeted. The 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts restricted First Amendment freedoms.

Scrambling for Africa's Resources

by Stephen Lendman

It's more than about oil, stupid. It's for vast African riches. Resource/mineral wars define America's agenda. 

On December 15, 2006, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) was authorized. On February 6, 2007, it was announced. 

Four More Years of War

by Stephen Lendman

Expect Obama to prioritize advancing America's imperium. He did aggressive in term one. New wars are planned. Current ones won't end. Proxy ones continue. So does increasing America's global military footprint.

Syria's Liberating Struggle Continues

by Stephen Lendman

Syrians struggle valiantly to defeat Western-recruited invaders. Islamofasists infest their ranks. They're cold-blooded killers. 

Assad is falsely blamed for their crimes. They include horrific atrocities. On December 23, Hama province residents were slaughtered. Reports said up to 100 in Halfaya. Headlines claimed a government air strike hit a bakery.

Institutionalizing Indefinite Detention

by Stephen Lendman

Since taking office, Obama authorized numerous police state measures. They follow earlier ones under George Bush.

They're heading America for full-blown tyranny. It's already a hair's breadth away. It could arrive any time full force. It's been wrapped in the American flag all along.

Israel's Man at State

by Stephen Lendman

The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) is a pro-Israeli front group. It promotes strengthening US/Israeli ties.

Maybe someday during holiday season and throughout the year they'll be just cause to celebrate.

It's possible and hopefully likely if enough people work for it. Sustained commitment makes change possible. It won't come any other way. My passion is working every day for it. I urge others to do the same thing.

My very best to all.

Fiscal Cliff Reality

by Stephen Lendman

Political Washington theater continues. Republicans and Democrats agreed years ago to erode America's social contract en route to eliminating it altogether.

Crisis conditions create opportunities. Former White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, explained. 

Odd Man Out

by Stephen Lendman

It's America's accustomed role. It's longstanding. It lets Israel get away with murder and much more.

Washington's support permits Israel to commit repeated crimes of war, against humanity, slow-motion genocide, and countless other human and civil rights abuses too grave to ignore.