Corporatism and Fascism

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:

By Linn Washington, Jr.

Federal authorities publicly plot encouraging bounty hunters to kidnap a fugitive black radical from a foreign country for return to prison in the U.S. to achieve long-delayed justice.

This sounds like the FBI action on May 2, 2013 in placing former Black Panther and Black Liberation Army member Assata Shakur on its “Most Wanted Terrorists” list – the first female to have that dubious distinction.

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."

By Alfredo Lopez

"Paranoia," said Woody Allen, "is knowing all the facts." By that measure, we're becoming more and more "paranoid" every day.

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. 

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."

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. 

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.

Malcolm Shabazz's Suspicious Death

by Stephen Lendman

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

By John Grant

It was the summer of 1981. I was working on an ambulance in Philadelphia, transporting a cancer patient to a hospital for radiation treatments. The man was in his sixties, and I felt he knew his days were numbered.

In my conversations with the man, it came up that I was a Vietnam veteran. He told me he was in the CIA in Saigon in the early 1970s.

“What did you do?” I asked.

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).

By Alfredo Lopez

This Summer, a team at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has undertaken a remarkable project: to recreate the first web site and the computer on which it was first seen.

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. 

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.

And you thought corporate personhood was bad enough!  Lacey Kohlmoos, Senior Field Organizer, Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, tells us that the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) will create corporate nationhood by empowering corporations to sue and overrule real nations, as well as incentivizing the offshoring of jobs, hurting food safety, damaging environmental protections, enriching drug companies at the expense of human health, banning some generic drugs, further deregulating banks, forbidding the breaking up of too-big-to-fail financial firms, and creating SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) despite its failure in Congress as a result of strong public opposition.

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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:

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.

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."

By Dan DeWalt

Has the "land of the free and home of the brave" decided to roll over in fear and concede defeat to terrorism?

FBI Responsibility for US Terror Plots

by Stephen Lendman

Boston's marathon bombings leave disturbing questions unanswered. Official accounts lack credibility. Mounting evidence suggests FBI responsibility. It doesn't surprise.

Torture Remains Official US Policy

by Stephen Lendman

International law is clear and unequivocal. Torture is illegal at all times, under all circumstances with no allowed exceptions.

It violates constitutional protections. They include the 8th Amendment's guarantee against "cruel and unusual punishments."

By Dave Lindorff

Speaking as an investigative reporter with almost 40 years’s experience, I can say that when government officials won’t talk, they’re generally hiding something embarrassing or worse.

The Bush Legacy

Throughout his tenure, media scoundrels were largely supportive. They ignored his 2000 electoral theft. In 2004, they did so again.

They backed his imperial wars. They turned a blind eye to police state injustice. They ignored torture on a global scale. They mischaracterized the measure of the man.

America's War on Terror 2.0

by Stephen Lendman

Post-Boston bombings, expect Obama and Congress to take full advantage. Perhaps more war is planned. Big lies launch them. Fear-mongering enlists public support. Anything ahead is possible.

A previous article discussed dubious allegations of Syria's chemical weapons use. They resemble fabricated claims about Saddam's nonexistent WMDs. It's similar to false charges against all US enemies.