Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience, then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right. It is truly enough said, that a corporation has no conscience; but a corporation of conscious men …

By Bill Van Auken, 23 June 2011.
In his nationally televised speech Wednesday night, President Barack Obama announced a minimal withdrawal of US troops from the nearly decade-old war in Afghanistan. Obama’s proposal represented a tacit admission of the failure of the US intervention in Afghanistan and of the immense crisis of American capitalism to which a decade of multi-trillion-dollar expenditures on militarism has substantially contributed.
In concrete terms, Obama’s withdrawal proposal was crafted to give the US military command nearly everything it wanted, while helping him to get through his next …

By the Editor. (Last updated 24 June 2011)
Yesterday yansoon.net published an ‘Open Letter to Gaddafi Supporter Cynthia McKinney from Disappointed Palestinians’.  This group of completely anonymous ‘disappointed Palestinians’ slams McKinney for appearing on Libyan State TV and ‘praising Gaddafi’, as they put it.  What exactly gives these unknowns the right to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people is beyond me. Before I tackle this disingenuous letter, some background on Yansoon.
Yansoon claims to be a blog dedicated to providing news, opinion and analysis on Arab issues, primarily from young, …

NATO slowly admits what the Libyan government has said all along.
by Tony Cartalucci.
Bangkok, Thailand June 19, 2011 – The NATO excursion into Libya started with disingenuous humanitarian concerns translated into a no-fly zone, which incrementally transitioned into attacks on Qaddafi’s ground forces, targeted assassinations against Qaddafi himself, then talk of destroying civilian infrastructure and a full-out ground invasion. NATO declared mid-May that it would be “increasing the range of targets” it could hit, including “government infrastructure.” With a residential area hit and NATO playing dumb over its role …

Rebels claim to possess documents proving Gaddafi ordered forces to starve Misrata and attack until “blue sea turned red” with the blood of its inhabitants; media outlets parrot the claims unquestioned
By the Editor.
The ‘rebels said’ approach to journalism continues to spread with UK news outlets now picking up the next episode in the desperate attempt to bolster NATO’s illegitimate war. As is customary, zero evidence is provided and instead claims from spokespeople and members of the rebel movement are simply parroted unchallenged.
The UK Guardian tells of how the rebels …

By the Editor.
Military sources that have contacted Infowars have information suggesting that a full-scale US ground invasion is in the works for Libya, reportedly slated for October. This comes as no surprise. After three months of war, NATO has spectacularly failed to achieve its objective of regime change using its bumbling CIA-led, al-Qaeda linked ‘rebels’, supported by special forces on the ground since before a single bomb was dropped.
NATO troops on the ground before airstrikes began
Remember the fact that NATO troops are currently on the ground in Libya …

By the Editor.
Hat tip to Scott Creighton – his recent article ‘CNN’s Misogynistic Cell Phone Porn Propaganda‘, brought this to my attention.
The Libya war propaganda drive has plunged to new depths of cynicism, depravity, and a downright embarrassing lack of credibility.
Over a week after the ICC’s completely baseless claims of ‘rape being used as a weapon’ by Gaddafi’s forces, today CNN is running a propaganda set-piece that is so blatantly invented it makes one cringe with embarrassment for this rabble of liars and propagandists.
CNN claims that rebel forces have found …

By the Editor.
The UN’s underhand attempt to cover up US killings of civilians in Afghanistan recently only underscores what Paul Craig Roberts has to say:

May 2011 found to be deadliest month for Afghan civilians since 2007; UN attempts to cover up NATO role
Article traduit en Francais par Irradiee.
By the Editor.
A 11 June press statement from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan slates May 2011 as the deadliest month for Afghan civilians since at least 2007. However this big-hearted announcement conceals a grossly pernicious attempt to cover up US-NATO killings of civilians in occupied Afghanistan.
In its report, UNAMA documents 368 conflict-related civilian deaths and 593 civilian injuries in May 2011. Georgette Gagnon, …

That the multi-billion dollar NATO military machine mobilises for humanitarian purposes is a desperate belief rooted in pure fantasy
By the Editor.
21st Century Wire’s Patrick Henningsen often speaks to Russia Today, and in his latest interview he covers a number of important issues with respect to the Libya war.
A popular mainstream media talking point is that NATO’s war is all about oil. Though Libya’s sweet crude oil is of high quality and thus very desirable, this is a short-sighted analysis. The motives go much deeper than that. Henningsen …