Editorial
US Action in Mali is Another Undeclared War
President Obama last week began his second term by promising that "a decade of war is now ending." As he spoke, the US military was rapidly working its way into another war, this time in the impoverished African country of Mali. As far as we know, the US is only providing transport and intelligence assistance to France, which initiated the intervention then immediately called Washington for back-up and funding. However, even if US involvement is limited and, as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, US boots on the ground are not being considered "at this time," this clearly is developing into another war. As usual, the mission is creeping.
Within the first week of French military action in Mali, the promise that it would be a quick operation to put down an Islamic rebel advance toward the capitol was broken. France announced that it would be forced to send in thousands of troops and would need to remain far longer than the few weeks it initially claimed would be necessary.
Media questions as to whether the US has Special Operations forces, drones, or CIA paramilitary units active in Mali are unanswered by the administration. Congress has asked few questions and demanded few answers from the president. As usual, it was not even consulted. But where does the president get the authority to become a co-combatant in French operations in Mali, even if US troops are not yet overtly involved in the attack?
How did we get to Mali? Blowback and unintended consequences played key roles. When the president decided to use the US military to attack Libya in 2011, Congress was not consulted. The president claimed that UN and NATO authority for the use of US military force were sufficient and even superior to any kind of congressional declaration. Congress once again relinquished its authority, but also its oversight power, by remaining silent. That meant the difficult questions such as why the action is necessary, what it would entail and what kind of unintended consequences we might see if the operation does not go exactly as planned were neither asked nor answered.
When Gaddafi was overthrown in Libya, many fighters from Mali who had lived in Libya and been trained by Gaddafi's military returned to their home country with sophisticated weapons and a new determination to continue their fight for independence for northern Mali. Thus, the France-initiated action against Libya in 2011 led to new violence and instability in Mali that France decided it must also address. Shortly after the French attack on Mali, rebels in Algeria attacked a BP gas facility in retaliation for their government's decision to allow foreign military to fly over Algerian territory en route to Mali. Thus, the action in Mali to solve the crisis created by the prior action in Libya is turning into a new crisis in Algeria. This is the danger of interventionism and, as we saw in Vietnam more than four decades ago, it threatens to drag the US further into the conflict. And Congress is AWOL.
There is a reason why the framers of our Constitution placed the authority to declare war strictly with the legislative branch of government. They knew well that kings were all too willing to go to war without the consent of those who would do the killing and dying − and funding. By placing that authority in Congress, the people's branch of government, they intended to blunt the executive branch's enthusiasm toward overseas adventurism. The consequences of this steady erosion of our system toward the unitary executive are dire.
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Posted by tone-bone on 01/30/13 05:08 PM
All part of the plan. Because of the Internet Reformation, TPTB have been forced to ratchet-up the pace of their distruction [construction, in [their] eyes]... monetarilly, Imperialistically, etc.
"7 Countries in 5 years" with a side-order of "destroy Northern Africa" and plunder any and all natural-wealth there.
No good will come until... .. well, you know.
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Posted by 1776 on 01/30/13 03:54 PM
The Movement to Impeach Obama - GRTV Backgrounder
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Posted by 1776 on 01/30/13 03:54 PM
The Movement to Impeach Obama - GRTV Backgrounder
Click to view link
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Posted by 1776 on 01/30/13 01:27 PM
Kerry Confronted: "When are enough people going to be killed?" Lachelle Roddy Posted on: January 28, 2013
Click to view link
Posted by amanfromMars on 01/30/13 12:40 AM
Further to the novel tale/news and trailblazing in "US Inaction on Wall Street and Fed Feeds Leads Another Undeclared War in and on Washington", does the case for the prosecution in its defense offer the following hard copy evidence of its and ITs capability and facilities/serviced and servering utilities ... ... Click to view link
And ring the bells there daily and you will be in Control Centres of Unbelievably Astute Excellence and be enabled with Powerful Remote Control.
"1999, Harrogate, United Kingdom. Command of RAF Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire is transferred to the US Air Force Intelligence Agency. Since the 1970s, the base has been used to intercept satellite transmissions and has grown in size with the increased importance of this means of communication.
An investigation by the European Parliament in 2001 concluded it is likely the ECHELON system (of which Menwith Hill is a part) is capable of intercepting, recording and inspecting the content of all telephone, email, fax and other data traffic. The base continues to expand." ... ... but for the virtual machinery involved is it as nothing and it just keeps on giving.
Posted by amanfromMars on 01/29/13 10:47 PM
Here and below is something to realise is not untrue and would warrant a headline ... ."US Inaction on Wall Street and Fed Feeds Leads Another Undeclared War in and on Washington"
[quote] "Boy, did it perk up some ears at 195 Broadway," says Hopper. It wasn't even that 350,000 fraudulent calls was that big a number. Rather, it was the fact that there was really nothing that could be . done about it, at least not at once. "It was immediately recognized that if such fraud could be committed with impunity, losses of staggering proportions would ensue," Caming said. 'At that time we recognized -- and we can say this more confidently in public in retrospect -- that we had no immediate defense. This was a breakthrough almost equivalent to the advent of gunpowder, where the hordes of Genghis Khan faced problems of a new sort, or the advent of the cannon."
The initial plan with Greenstar was simple: Wait. Watch. Listen. Gather statistics. Tell no one. Most important, don't do anything that would give it away. "There was no prosecution during those first couple of years," Hopper says. "It was so the bad guys would not be aware of the fact that they're being measured." It was only later, Hopper says. that AT&T decided to switch from measurement to prosecution. Even then! Hopper said, "The presence of Greenstar would not be divulged and that evidence gathered to support toll fraud prosecutions would be gathered by other means." Instead, Hopper relates, Greenstar would be used to alert Bell security agents to possible fraud. The security agents would then use other means, such as taps and recordings, to get the evidence needed to convict. "Greenstar bird-dogging it would not be brought out," says Hopper. "It was just simply a toll fraud investigation brought about by unusual signaling and you would not talk about the fact that there was a Greenstar device. That was the ground rule as I understood it. Any court testimony that I ever gave, I never talked about any of that." As another telephone company official put it, "If it ever were necessary to reveal the existence of this equipment in order to prosecute a toll fraud case, [AT&T] would simply decline to prosecute."" ….. Click to view link [/quote]
That extract from "EXPLODING THE PHONE The Untold Story of the Teenagers and Outlaws Who Hacked Ma Bell" … PHIL LAPSLEY [Grove Press New York] has a carbon copy clone of itself in the too-big-to-fail model of fraud and insider trading/simply complex common electronic theft which has banking and politicians running for cover and seeking the protection of bought courts of selective justice and distracting media tales of new destructive ventures and warring land grabs in foreign lands/emerging states of intelligence.
And have you any idea of the size of the mountain of undeniable evidence secret intelligence services have collected and processed to be able to prove beyong a shadow of any doubt, the guilt of leaders? Methinks not, but it is surprising and would stagger you, but for the virtual machinery involved is it as nothing and it just keeps on giving.
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Posted by taxesbyanyothername on 01/29/13 03:11 PM
@Abu
Rothkopf is a good one to point out to free-market types. He has written several strange books. I read Superclass, about how the richest 6,000, the Davos crowd are ruling. His main problems with it are that we have done a sloppy job of leveling, and that those 6,000 don't view the world through the lens of government. I would like to get his: Power Inc.: The Epic Rivalry Between Big Business and Government-and the Reckoning that lies ahead. A very convinced and influential capital P Progressive if there ever was one.
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Posted by Abu Aardvark on 01/29/13 12:54 PM
terry on 01/29/13 05:42 AM wrote: "Anyone who has taken the time to read my comments will know that I think of Ron Paul as President of the United States - in spirit."
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Speaking of the President of the United States - get this from CNN:
"President Hillary Clinton? If she wants it ... There are few certainties in American politics. But you can write it down: If Hillary Clinton wants to be the next nominee of the Democratic Party to be president, the job is hers."
The Author, "David Rothkopf is CEO and editor-at-large of the FP Group, publishers of Foreign Policy magazine, and a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is the author of, among other books, "Running The World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power," served as deputy under secretary of commerce for international trade policy in the Clinton administration and for two years as managing director of Kissinger Associates"
Click to view link
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Posted by 1776 on 01/29/13 12:13 PM
Pentagon planning for multinational military operation in Mali By Craig Whitlock, December 05, 2012
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This says it all, December 05, 2012!!!
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Posted by 1776 on 01/29/13 11:34 AM
Bernanke to Oprah: "I've Been Doping for Years"
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Posted by Danny B on 01/29/13 10:45 AM
So, France came to America for funding. Pretty damn funny when you consider it.
http://www.thejournal.ie/french-minster-totally-bankrupt-774110-Jan2013/
One broken empire borrowing from another broken empire.
Click to view link
Posted by speedygonzales on 01/29/13 09:44 AM
Here is another example of "novyje" (from word new means new people, as were in Russia after 1990 called oligarchs) in Italy. They are talking about Italian spring. Wawa viva
Click to view link
As I said before many times, we are sittin' on barrel of gunpowder. USA will be sooner or later isolated, at leats it is heading there.
Posted by amanfromMars on 01/29/13 09:16 AM
Morning, Mr President
"However, even if US involvement is limited and, as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, US boots on the ground are not being considered "at this time," this clearly is developing into another war. As usual, the mission is creeping." …. sounds very much like …. "A senior defense official told the paper that the Pentagon would primarily focus on online activity outside of US domestic borders, and would only be involved in major online attacks, not minor hacking and phishing annoyances. US companies and those international companies that use American-hosted services won't be touched.
"There's no intent to have the military crawl inside industry or private networks and provide that type of security," the official said." ….. Click to view link
And that Registered information dump requires itself to be the opposite of the truth to have any chance at all of the military being effective.
The "enemy" lies embedded deep within home systems, Uncle Sam. Haven't you realised/worked that out yet? Don't nobble yourself by being brow-beaten by an outdated and ignored constitutional document and bullied by a dodgy State Department which doesn't want you to find out how they milk and bilk the Federal Reserve and steal trillions.
Henry Ford got it perfectly right when he said, ages ago …… "It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning." ….. and the people of nations are starting to understand the crazy simplicity of the great deception, and that does not bode well at all for all who have been in the past involved, and all who would be presently engaged and responsible for running the scam and maintaining a corrupt and corrupting model of easy slave control.
There is no doubting it is effective, but to be so readily abused by those at the top and in the know, for their own obscenely excessive, selfish ponzi enrichment rather than better administered is that which is guaranteeing its continuing collapse as a powerful empowering elite system.
Change tack and save the day and your future in control is the message being relayed from here to the obviously intellectually challenged, in charge and accountable for all manner of chaotic and inequitable things, out there. And if you need a new sailor and/or crack crew to pilot the master vessel in novel waters, splash out more than enough of some instant flash cash to impress and purchase what is needed.
It aint rocket science, is it. It is all about control of the message and the medium of media, aint it, and that is an advanced intelligence led discipline/operation, methinks, which doesn't care about who or what is in control just so long as things stealthily improve and get steadily better for everybody.
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Posted by Abu Aardvark on 01/29/13 09:04 AM
"Office Established by Obama with Intent of Closing Gitmo . . . Closes"
Click to view link
Posted by speedygonzales on 01/29/13 08:47 AM
Powerful: Belgian MP exposes truth behind West's 'War on Terror'
On January the 17th, 32-year-old Belgium MP Laurent Louis, considered one of the most controversial and demonized national political figures, delivered the most powerful truth ever told in a political arena.
First, he explained why he voted against the Belgian support to war in Mali, that it was based on lies and rooted in neo-colonialism. Then he expressed his disgust and wrath against the criminal foreign policies of the Western elite and its submission to foreign financial and interest groups, before scolding his colleagues who voted for interventionist war with "fux you's". Finally, he says that the war on terror is a lie and that 9/11 was a false flag to justify aggressive military action in the Muslim world.
Click to view link
What is important to pay atention is that he is 32 years old and he is child of Internet reformation. As was said, and I agree, that total revolucion will come beyond 2020 after this generation will start taking over in democratic countries. It is not gonna happen in USA, unfortunately, since there will be always enough elite loyal aparatchiki from Ivy league or products of Aspen Institute.
Another guy to pay attention in EU is Nigel Faragae from Britain. Cameron wants Faragae exclude from political debate on TV screen as support for his party is skyracketing. Thank you Mr. Cameron, you just added another voters for Mr Faragae.
Situacion in deocratic countries of EU is so bad for power elites, that el presidente Obama warned Britain from referendum about EU membership, Faragae is against EU, Obama and higher interests wants Britain to stay in EU.
I love Obama. He wants... Leave it on people of Britain to decide what is good for 'em. As in Swiss. In Internet Reformation era people are not idiots depended on mainstream. Since we now read and write we can profit from DECENTRALIZED competitive market of informations and we are able build up opinions and to do decisions. We do not need politicians guard us on our way to kindergarden, because we are not heading there.
As I said, it is not gonna happen in US under current political system
Posted by speedygonzales on 01/29/13 07:54 AM
"The president claimed that UN and NATO authority for the use of US military force were sufficient and even superior to any kind of congressional declaration." I love this idea. It should apply to human rights as well. When Texas was criticized for execution of mentaly ill Rick Perry said: "Texas did not sign any documents." He thought about human rights documents which USA signed. We call it doubble standard. Once is good once is not. Demoralization.
The Pacific Ocean: The Pentagon's Next 'Human Battleground'
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are now looking for up to 15,000 acres of land to lease on American Samoa. The U.S. military wants to establish a major training base on American Samoa for at least five years and probably longer. The base is to provide 24-hour road access that will permit 60 full days of training per year. The Army also wants the base to permit the use of pyrotechnic and blank ammunition during daytime and nighttime training. It is certain that the U.S. is looking at building a simulated rural and village tropical environment for the use of U.S. and future «coalition of the willing» armies to practice battling an enemy in the Pacific region. That «enemy» is China.
Click to view link
Posted by terry on 01/29/13 05:42 AM
Amen to that, Mr. President!
Anyone who has taken the time to read my comments will know that I think of Ron Paul as President of the United States - in spirit. This allows me to look past the USA (state as tool) and embrace my brother and sister North Americans (Americans, Canadians, Mexicans [Am-frees, Can-frees and Mex-frees {free-thinkers, all}]).
We all meet in the new Agora (the internet) - as unique individuals muddling along as best we can with the tools we have. Through our innate impulse to freedom - we keep ourselves and our progeny upright and healthy through the access to clean food and water, property, sex and freedom of movement. Ideologies are secondary (politics, religion, philosophy etc.). They are the means, only, to that common end so we can pass on to our children a hopefully better world that the one we entered.
So, on to pattern recognition as the President has inspired me to ponder:
(An incredible number of them here in the above posting by "The Man") -
but I will focus on one:
Mali.
In the posting here at the DB you can view a 3 1/2 hour documentary titled "The the Pyramid Code" produced by a fellow Can-free Dr. Boulter.
In the documentary Laird Scranton I believe (who has a very powerful system re-interpreting the hieroglyhs) suggested that it seemed to him that the Dogon Priesthood fled Egypt back when the Amun Priesthood (a fore-group of power elites, it can be argued, with historical evidence now surfacing, and polar opposites to the humble Dogon) - were amassing great material wealth through the charging of the 1 % of the day (read: the rich) a way to gain a light heart just prior to dying (watch film for weighing of the heart after death to see if it was "light as a feather" or "heavy" [with guilt or shame {an interesting ritual whatever way you cut - but real ugly when demonized}]).
The following pattern recognition may be true or not - but certainly has some merit when trying to trace the ideology and traditional lines of the ugly ones (power/money-ed elites) historically (meatphorically/mythically).
The Dogon Priesthood still live today as they did when they had their "Exodus" (according to the film, backed by a Google map of their village).
They are explained as a priesthood who tell it like it is (i.e., simply, truthfully [as best they know it]).
So, wow! - a priesthood that tells "truth" - instead of skewing the "word" of the informing and mysterious energy of the universe - to meet their own, material ends (the "Secret Keepers" who keep "the truth" to themselves and their initiates [because we can't "handle the truth," us "tax cows" {as Stehpan Molyneux "The Internet's Philosopher for the Everyman" would put it}]).
So, what is it the that powers-that-be, (through the Pentagon, now hiding behind the apron strings of NATO [It was a NATO mission - "NATO made us do it!" {I can hear that echoing through the hallowed halls of the World Court now}])- I repeat, what truth(s) do the power mad want to keep from us simpletons?
And why Mali?(simple resource theft?)?
Or - does the Dogon Priesthood have inside information for humanity as a peaceful aggregate (as opposed to this ignorant attempt to coral and collectivize us "Global Villagers" through the brute and ugly force called "war")?
I truly don't know, but my gut tells me - There is definitely something more happening there, and it is ugly no matter which you see it.
(The filmmaker here suggests the Dogon are peaceful, weaponless gatekeepers [can you imagine what a group of pimply-faceed "pentagon sons" playing wargames with real drones can do to that village of the peaceful? {ugly thought there, I tell you - sends shivers up my spine}]).
At any rate, read into it what you will. I respect all as "an individual with a valid perspective" - all I ask is - just look! Wake-up by asking questions again, searching for better questions and answers! It's mandatory. A command to freedom, if you will.
If you read the above posting on the surface only (not between or behind the lines [where "interpretation lives" {right - wrong - or on the path to truth}]) -
Try saying this as a response to the power of the incredibly humble man who wrote it:
Amen to that, Mr. President. Amen to that!
Trust me, it's fun!
And incredibly freeing - The Canadian Curator.



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