Sic Semper Tyrannis

Kolob or Bust

"Mormons believe that when they die if they have been good they might wind up on their own personal planet somewhere to be reunited with their families, including generations of their forebears that they are able to bring into the church by proxy baptism. Hence their intense interest in genealogy. They believe that Jesus Christ, after dying and being resurrected in Palestine, was somehow spirited away to the New World where he preached to the Indian tribes who were actually transplanted Israelites, a contention that is completely unsupported by any archeological or historical evidence. But it must be all true because it was written down on a bunch of gold tablets discovered in upstate New York by one Joseph Smith in 1823, tablets that were translated by Smith from the “reformed Egyptian” language and which later were taken back by an angel. All right, so it’s not exactly your orthodox Christianity but it’s not the cult of Kali either. It’s admittedly the typical stuff that goes into many religions."  Giraldi

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Theology is in the eye of the believer, but the material here on LDS control of the actions of members should interest the secularists.  pl

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/blog/2012/02/13/the-mormon-thing/

Giraldi on the possibility of a hot summer.

 
http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2011/06/08/target-iran/

Interesting.  pl

The Book of Netanyahu - Giraldi

 
"On the First Day Lord Netanyahu met with his faithful counselor Count Avigdor. Avigdor said, "O Lord Netanyahu, you must go even unto the land of the Obamaites to deal with their King. The Obamaites have rendered unto us their gold and precious goods in great abundance but now their King is seeking to treat with our enemies." Then Netanyahu spoke and his heart was full of anger. "Yea verily, we must smite them and also their wives and children and all that they hold dear. For even as we have smitten the children of Canaan we will strike them. They shall ken who is master and who is slave. Prepare for me my chariot of gold and I will journey even unto the land of the Obamaites with my host. Instruct our brethren in the land of the Obamaites to prepare for my coming with stealth. Organize them with weapons ready at hand and instruct them to deceive the Obamaites by declaring fealty and respect for the Kingdom of Obama so the King’s retainers will not fear them. When the King of the Obamaites declares his bad faith they shall be prepared to rise up and join us." And so it was done. Lord Netanyahu ascended into his chariot of gold to confront the King of the Obamaites and smite him sorely. And the children of Israel rejoiced."  Giraldi

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2011/05/25/the-book-of-netanyahu/

#Webb and the USS Liberty

 
As Sidney O. Smith has mentioned several times there has been an echoing, stony silence on the part of Senator Jim Webb on the subject of the deliberate Israeli attack on USS Liberty in 1967.  He surely knows the truth.  Now that he is leaving public life we should expect hear from him on this subject.  pl

http://www.amconmag.com/blog/the-uss-libertys-final-chapter/

#J Street - Why?

 
"The United States already has too many special interest lobbies promoting policies that do absolutely nothing good for the American people.  If Israel has become a rogue state, which it has, the problem must be resolved by the Israelis themselves and the diaspora Jews who believe that they have a stake in the outcome. "  Giraldi

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Phil gets it right, as usual.  IMO Liberal Zionism is a delusion used by progressive diaspora Jews to salve their consciences over Israeli rapacity and political manipulation while yet supporting these actions.  pl

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2011/03/09/the-j-street-scam/

How About a Clean Break – with Israel? - Giraldi

 
"...the relationship with Tel Aviv has an impact far beyond Israel’s size and importance it should, ironically, be the first element in the foreign policy disaster that is examined."  Giraldi

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Oh, BTW, Senator Gillebrand?  My lord, what's with this woman?  pl

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2011/02/02/how-about-a-clean-break-with-israel/

 

The Decline to a Fall

"Whether Obama or Palin is elected in 2012 almost seems irrelevant.  Six more years of this and we will be finished as a nation, bankrupt and despised everywhere, our only legacy a network of seven hundred-plus military bases falling into ruin worldwide, meant to give us peace and prosperity but delivering on neither."  Giraldi

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When I was a boy in the forties and fifties, we Americans effectively ruled the world. Militarily, economically, and politically our writ or will ran everywhere.

Now we are the clients of a tiny ethno-religious country in the Middle East that lives on our government "dole" and the remittances of our citizens.  We borrow from China to give our masters the money they order our Congress to provide.  Israel is a collossal political failure in the Middle East.  The symbol of their failure is the wall they have felt compelled to build between them and the "terrorists."  Nevertheless, we feel obliged to follow their desires in establishing our "national" policy in their region.

The ship of American power is slowly sinking.  Our masters dictate to us policies that are suicidal for them and more importantly for us.

Giraldi is a voice in the wilderness.  pl 

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2011/01/19/serving-up-palestine-one-slice-at-a-time/o

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2011/01/pickering_hills/

 

"The Iran Report" Giraldi

"The Obama Administration wants, instead, a document that will give it whatever option it seeks to pursue vis-à-vis the Mullahs. That in-house conflict has led to a very delicate balancing act as the report has been crafted, particularly as the analysts have been unable to develop any hard information suggesting that Iran does have a nuclear weapons program."  Giraldi

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A couple of things.

1- I am happy to learn that it is only "CIA analysts" who are working on this piece of s--t.

2- The National Intelligence council (NIC) which produces NIEs now belongs to the DNI and not the CIA.  so, I guess we will see if Jim Clapper has any guts at all or whether or not he is still just a process person.  pl 

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/10/13/the-iran-report/

"Six More Years" Giraldi

"Just as neoconservatives were in complete denial during the Bush years about the horrors emerging from the Pandora’s box that the Administration opened after 9/11, so too are progressives currently in denial about just how awful President Barack Obama has been on the world stage."  Giraldi

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/10/06/six-more-years/

 

"A Bipartisan Look at the Israel Lobby" - Giraldi

 "official Washington insofar as it relates to the Middle East is an AIPAC-run enterprise.  Run through the list of the State Department’s Assistant Secretaries of State for the Near East and discover that all of them have been Israel-firsters ever since Martin Indyk, an Australian citizen and AIPAC lobbyist, obtained the post in 1997. Bush appointee and hawk Jeffrey Feltman currently holds the position, virtually guaranteeing that there will be no shifting of allegiance at Foggy Bottom. "  Giraldi

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Requires no comment.  pl 

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/09/15/a-bipartisan-look-at-the-israel-lobby/

A Cakewalk Against Iran - Giraldi

 "A resolution (HR 1553) is making its way through Congress that that would endorse an Israeli attack on Iran, which would be going to war by proxy as the US would almost immediately be drawn into the conflict when Tehran retaliates.  The resolution provides explicit US backing for Israel to bomb Iran, stating that Congress supports Israel’s use of "all means necessary…including the use of military force." The resolution is non-binding, but it is dazzling in its disregard for the possible negative consequences that would ensue for the hundreds of thousands of US military and diplomatic personnel currently serving in the Near East region.  Even the Pentagon opposes any Israeli action against Iran, knowing that it would mean instant retaliation against US forces in Iraq and also in Afghanistan."  Giraldi

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As Phil says, such a resolution means there is little doubt that the US would follow Israel's lead.  pl

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/08/04/a-cakewalk-against-iran/

"A Pack of Lies..." Gitaldi

 "...the ongoing National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran, which has been languishing for more than two years, caught between the Bush and Obama Administrations’ desire to have a "strong" document justifying the use of force and the insistence of intelligence analysts that the information pass the smell test and not lead to something similar to the 2002 NIE on Iraq, which was a pack of lies."  Giraldi

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Jim Clapper said one of several true things in his testimony on Tuesday.  He said that the Iraq NIE of 2002 was a disgrace.  That was certainly true.  He also said that the outcome in that document was not "politicized."  Hah!  Anyone who wants to know more about that process should see my article "Drinking the Koolaid" in MEP, Summer, 2004.  pl 

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/07/21/the-national-security-product/

"Punishing Turkey" - Giraldi

 "As the popular narrative in the media has unfolded, Turkey was the aggressor and Israel yet again the victim.  Turkey now has to be punished.  Congress is already considering passing the frequently shelved Armenian Genocide resolution and Representative Mike Spence warns "There will be a cost if Turkey stays on its present heading of growing closer to Iran and more antagonistic to the State of Israel."  Representative Shelley Berkley agrees, saying that she would actively oppose Turkey’s attempt to join the European Union.   Just exactly how she will do that is not completely clear.

The American media and the punditry in Washington has obediently been lining up to condemn Ankara, using two basic arguments.  The first contention is that Turkey has become a stronghold of Islamism, is edging towards a political and economic alliance with Iran, and is even acting friendly to terrorism-supporting neighbors like Syria.  The second narrative is that Turkey is no longer reliable due to its support of initiatives like the flotilla and also its bid to negotiate a solution to the Iranian nuclear program dilemma."  Giraldi

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/06/23/punishing-turkey/

More Spin from Israel - Giraldi

 "And what is the actual evidence that the flotilla threatened Israel?  Well, even by The Post’s nearly nonexistent standards there doesn’t seem to be much beyond Fred Hiatt’s penchant for name calling.  It is pretty much agreed that the ships were in international waters, were unarmed, and were carrying relief supplies.  The only actual evidence cited for possible extremist ties on the part of the organizers is one line concerning the Turkish charity affiliate, "Humanitarian Relief Fund…raises some of its money from Islamic religious groups."  Jonathan Schanzer’s "The Terror Finance Flotilla" in The Weekly Standard also indicts Humanitarian Relief Fund, calling it an "officially designated terrorist organization" because Israel has it on a list."  Giraldi

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/06/02/more-spin-from-israel/

Giraldi on Zuckerman

 "Well, Mort Zuckerman is certainly entitled to his own opinion and I suppose he can use the magazine he owns to spread Israeli hasbara, but the notion that Israel is some kind of strategic asset for the United States is nonsense, a complete fabrication. Most recently, Chas Freeman has pointed out that Israel is useless for the projection of American power. The US has numerous bases in Arab countries but is not allowed to use any military base in Israel. Washington’s own carrier groups and other forces in place all over the Middle East, including the Red Sea, have capabilities that far exceed those of the Israel Defense Forces. Israel has never been a strategic asset or any asset at all, always a liability. Even the stockpiles of US equipment in Israel are a typical bit of bonus support for Tel Aviv from Congress, placed there for the Israelis to use “in emergencies” while making it appear that they are for American forces. The supplies are, in fact, regularly looted by the Israelis, leaving largely unusable or picked over equipment for US forces if it should ever be needed."  Giraldi

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/05/26/the-strategic-ally-myth/

Shaping the Iran story - Giraldi

 "There have been recent reports that Iran has enabled the travel of al-Qaeda leaders to Afghanistan and Pakistan where they will be able to confront and kill American soldiers.  If you think you have heard the story before, you have, in another context.  In the earlier rendition it was Saddam Hussein who was hand-in-glove with al-Qaeda, helping the group in its nefarious planning to attack the United States and kill Americans.  Saddam, who was in reality only a threat to his own people, was on the receiving end of a barrage of fabricated information claiming that he was secretly developing weapons of mass destruction and clandestinely dealing with the terrorists who were responsible for 9/11.  Or so the story goes.  And now it is Iran’s turn and the story and the storytellers are exactly the same."  Giraldi

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http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/05/19/shaping-the-story-on-iran/

Israel First: More on Dr. Lani Kass - Giraldi

 "My recent account of the career of Dr. Lani Kass was based on what has appeared about her in the public record and media, including her own comments regarding national defense and security policy.  To recapitulate, Kass was born, raised, and educated in Israel.  She has a PhD in Russian studies and is fluent in Russian and Hebrew in addition to English.  Kass reportedly reached the rank of major in the Israeli air force before moving to the United States and working her way up through the US defense establishment.  She is currently the most senior civilian adviser to Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz and is believed to have access to most American defense secrets.  Kass is best known to the public for her role in promoting Air Force cyberwarfare, but she also appears to have been a major player in counter-terrorism policy and in war preparations directed against Iran even though she has no actual substantive background in those areas.  She believes that the US is engaged in a long war against Islamo-radicalism and that "winning" against Iran is necessary but the American people must be willing to pay the price to succeed."

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In this piece Giraldi raises the question of how this person could have been given a clearance for access to US defense secrets.  Normally, the security clearance adjudicators, a humorless lot, would turn thumbs down on someone like her, not because she is an immigrant, but because she is, at the very least, a former foreign intelligence officer.  I know of no other case like this.  The only way she could have been cleared is that some as yet undisclosed person or persons with a great deal of power in DoD simply over-ruled the adjudicators.  This must have happened repeatedly as her level of access to secrets has steadily risen.  

Ironically, the situation would be quite different if she were here on assignment as an Israeli intelligence officer at the embassy or some such thing.  In that case she would have some access granted by the US but it would be carefully limited.  pl

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/04/21/israel-first-more-on-dr-lani-kass/

Too Good to Pass Up - Giraldi on Kass

A Jewish friend recently commented to me that he had a doctorate in a field useful to the Defense Department and had served in combat in the present war.  "I can't get a civil service job," he said, "but this woman has this position?"  pl

 http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/04/14/dr-strangelove-made-in-israel/