Stephen Lendman's blog

Bradley Manning: Victimized by Police State Injustice

by Stephen Lendman

Manning's conviction is chilling. It reflects police state viciousness. Imagine being criminalized for doing the right thing. Imagine being called a traitor for acting responsibly.

Manning's no spy. He's no criminal. He deserves praise, not prosecution. America honors its worst. It persecutes its best. It's unsafe to live in. 

Profile of a Rigged Peace Process

by Stephen Lendman

Count the ways. Tzipi Livni is Israel's chief negotiator. She's hardline. She supports occupation harshness. She deplores Palestinian sovereignty. 

She's a wolf in sheep's clothing. She's an unindicted war criminal. She favors Pax Israeliana. She does so in the worst sense. She doesn't negotiate. She demands.

Longstanding Bahraini State Terror

by Stephen Lendman

It's official state policy. King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa's one of the region's most ruthless tyrants. Washington supports his worst crimes. 

Bradley Manning: Guilty of Doing the Right Thing

by Stephen Lendman

Final arguments were presented last week. Judge Col. Denise Lind adjourned for the weekend. Tuesday 1PM EDT was verdict day and time.

It didn't surprise. Earlier she refused to dismiss aiding the enemy charges. She let multiple Espionage Act violations stand. She did so disgracefully. Manning faces possible life in prison. 

Israeli/Washington Peace Terms: Unconditional Surrender

by Stephen Lendman

The charade began Monday night. It did so over a traditional Iftar dinner. It's the Ramadan period evening meal. It breaks the daily fast.

It was more like the last supper. According to Christian scripture, Christ shared his last meal with his Apostles. He did so before crucifixion. 

The Illusion of Israeli/Palestinian Peace for Our Time

by Stephen Lendman

Talks take place in Washington. Doing so alone assures betrayal and failure. It's certain. America one-sidedly favors Israel. It's duplicitous. It's no honest broker. It never was. It's not now. 

No legitimate Palestinian leader would permit Washington's involvement. Collaborators betray their people by doing so.

Waging the Battle of Syria

by Stephen Lendman

Syria's conflict began in March 2011. Resolving it remains elusive. Previous articles explained it's Washington's war. It was planned years ago. 

It's about advancing America's imperium. There's nothing civil about it. It's about toppling another independent government. They're not tolerated. Washington wants pro-Western puppet ones replacing them.

Remembering Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907 - 1972)

by Stephen Lendman

He was special. He mattered. He's called a prophet's prophet. He tried to shock people out of complacency into understanding and compassion.

He grew up in Poland. He came from a family of noted rabbis. His world was hasidic ("pious ones") "rebbeim." Rebbe are more than rabbis.

Hardwired Inequality in America

by Stephen Lendman

America's always been separate and unequal. Today it's worse than ever in modern times. 

Wealth disparity between rich and poor is unprecedented. Annually it widens. Government complicity with business bears full responsibility. It's worse than ever under Obama.

Detroit Mirrors America's Decline

by Stephen Lendman

America's been declining for decades. It's going the way of all empires. It's dying a slow death. It's epitaph one day will read hubris and overreach killed it. Misguided policies don't work.

Chalmers Johnson once said it's "too late for mere scattered reforms." They won't make a damn bit of difference. It's fate is practically sealed. 

Palestinians Oppose Fake Peace Talks

by Stephen Lendman

They begin Tuesday in Washington. They're orchestrated to fail. Israel and America don't negotiate. They demand unconditional surrender.

PA coup d'etat president Abbas is a longtime collaborator. Chief PA negotiator Saeb Erekat's a convenient stooge. 

Lies, Damn Lies and US Promises

by Stephen Lendman

US promises aren't worth the paper they're written on. They never were. They're not now. They're made to be broken. It happens with disturbing regularity.

Attorney General Eric Holder wrote Russia's justice minister Alexander Vladimirovich Konovalov. He wants Edward Snowden extradited. He lied. He always lies. He disgraces the office he holds.

Israel Spurns Peace and Justice

by Stephen Lendman

They're verboten. They're off the table. They always were. They are now. Upcoming peace process pretense masks reality. 

Initiatives were stillborn from inception. They remain so. Palestinians genuinely want peace. Israel categorically denies them.

Escalated Thatcherism in Britain

by Stephen Lendman

A previous article discussed Thatcherism. It's Chicago School fundamentalism writ large. It's financial terrorism. It's hugely exploitative.

It's forced-fed austerity. It's corporate welfare. It's mass privatizations. It benefits business and society's wealthy. It's government of, by, and for privileged elites alone. 

America: Super-Bully Nation

by Stephen Lendman

Count the ways. Obama's waging financial war on humanity. He's waging multiple direct and indirect hot ones. He bears full responsibility. 

He represents the worst of rogue leadership. He heads America's coup d'etat government. It "lacks constitutional and legal legitimacy," said Paul Craig Roberts. 

Israel: Talking Peace, Waging War

by Stephen Lendman

No peace/peace talks convene next week in Washington. They're fake. They're subterfuge. They're meaningless. They never worked  before. They're rigged to fail now. 

Israeli and US orchestrators assure it. So do longtime Palestinian collaborators. They're Israeli enforcers. They're assigned that role. They're well compensated for doing so.

Russia and China Prepare for Global War

by Stephen Lendman

Both countries want peace, not war. America threatens them. Defensive readiness is prioritized. Forewarned is forearmed.

NATO's a global alliance. Washington heads it. It's a geopolitical threat. It menaces humanity. It's expanding worldwide. It's allied for offense, not defense. It plans war, not peace.

Obama's Way: Waging Financial War on Humanity

by Stephen Lendman

Class war rages in America. Institutionalized inequality defines it. Obama continues what began decades ago. He exceeds the worst of his predecessors.

He supports capital's divine right. He transferred unprecedented wealth amounts from ordinary Americans to Wall Street, war profiteers, other corporate favorites and privileged elites. 

Israeli/Palestinian Peace Talks: Let the Charade Begin

by Stephen Lendman

According to Israeli Energy and Water Resources Minister Silvan Shalom, talks will begin next week in Washington. They'll start Tuesday.

Imagine one side going into the enemy camp's heartland. Imagine its legitimate government denied participation. 

Obama Plans Full-Scale War on Syria

by Stephen Lendman

He exceeds the worst of George Bush. He's currently waging multiple direct and proxy wars. He's insatiable. 

He's a war criminal multiple times over. He's got lots more killing and destruction in mind. His agenda prioritizes war on humanity. He lusts for conquest. 

Daniel McGowan: Victimized by US Injustice

by Stephen Lendman

He's an environmental/animal rights activist. A previous article discussed him. He was victimized by "green scare." 

It refers to legal and extralegal government actions against animal liberation and environmental activists. 

Snowden Wins Whistleblower Award

by Stephen Lendman

In America, he's a wanted man. He's a fugitive. He's a world hero. He connected the dots for millions. He told people what they need to know. 

Doing the right thing is its own reward. Transparency International Germany gave him its Whistleblower Award. He's "(t)his year's winner," it said.

Appalling Israeli Gulag Prison Conditions

by Stephen Lendman

Israel's gulag is one of the world's worst. On July 9, 16 human rights organizations headlined "RE: European Parliament Fact-Finding Mission on Palestinian Political Prisoners." They include:

Israel Terrorizes 5-Year-Old Palestinian Boy

by Stephen Lendman

Societies are perhaps best judged by how they treat prisoners, the elderly, their most disadvantaged and children.

Israel fails on all counts. On July 9, perhaps it reached a new low. Seven IDF soldiers and an officer terrorized a 5-year old boy. They threatened him and his parents.

More Evidence of Fake Israeli/Palestinian Peace Talks

by Stephen Lendman

There's plenty already. More builds a stronger case. Previous articles explained. Israeli/Palestinian peace talks were stillborn from inception. They began decades ago. This time's no different.

Managed news misinformation substitutes for truth and full disclosure. Facts trump propaganda. Palestinians are on their own. Their legitimate government's excluded from talks. 

America and Germany: Longstanding Espionage Partners

by Stephen Lendman

A previous article discussed Stasi. It was East Germany's secret police. It was one of the most repressive state apparatuses in modern times.

Israeli/Palestinian Peace: Illusion Substitutes for Reality

by Stephen Lendman

Haaretz editors, correspondents, and contributors know better. Maybe not. Maybe they don't history. 

Maybe they don't know it well enough. Maybe they forgot. Maybe they didn't check. Maybe they have other priorities. It shows in commentaries about announced Israeli/Palestinian peace talks. More on that below.

EU Shamelessly Declares Hezbollah a Terrorist Organization

by Stephen Lendman

Hezbollah's no terrorist organization. It never was one. It's not one now. It's a legitimate political party. It maintains a military wing. It's for defense, not offense.

EU nations know it. They bowed to pressure. They claimed otherwise. They disgraced themselves in the process. It didn't surprise. It's not the first time. It won't be the last. Rogue states operate that way.

Israeli/Palestinian Peace Talks: Dead on Arrival

by Stephen Lendman

So-called peace talks are fake. They're a sham. They've always been this way. Decades of talks were stillborn from inception. This time's no different. 

Chances for a just peace are ZERO. Palestinians have no say. Believing otherwise defies reality.

Aafia Siddiqui: Victim of US Injustice

by Stephen Lendman

She's one of thousands of US political prisoners. She's well known. She committed no crimes. She's been brutalized in captivity. Mercy isn't in America's vocabulary. Rogue states operate that way.

Washington's by far the worst. It reportedly agreed to Pakistan's extradition terms. Both sides will swap prisoners.