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THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL RACE: Do Our Votes Really Matter?

By James PerloffMy friend Rachael McIntosh was an alternate delegate at the 2012 Republican Convention in Tampa, Florida, representing Ron Paul for the state of Rhode Island.Rachael had worked for a private defense contractor for years. Awakened by the corruption and darkness she witnessed, she left the defense industry, and began working tirelessly toward getting Ron Paul elected. She has fictionalized her experiences in a superbly written trilogy of novels, Security through Absurdity.The Tampa convention was supposed to begin on Monday, August 27. Ron Paul was originally slated to speak, but the convention was cancelled for that evening due to the threat of a hurricane. The hurricane turned out to be no more than a brisk rainstorm. Rachael and many other Ron Paul delegates braved it that morning and went to the convention center (the Tampa Bay Times Forum, a sports complex) to watch Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus officially proclaim the delay. After the gravel had been struck and the chairman left the stage, the delegates found themselves watching a movie glorifying Mitt Romney. At the film s conclusion, Rachael heard ear-splitting applause. But when she looked around, almost no one was cheering. The applause was canned the type sports stadiums pipe in when the home team is losing and their spectators show low enthusiasm.The next day at her hotel, Rachael s husband called and said: Hey, I watched it yesterday and the crowd was really diggin Romney. Rachael had to break the news: what he (and the rest of America) heard on TV had been faked.The real blow to the Ron Paul people came when the Republican National Committee made last-minute rule changes. Under the existing rules, Paul had won enough primaries and caucuses (five) to have his name placed in nomination. Under the newrules, the required number of states would be increased to eight, thus rendering Paul s nomination impossible. Mitt Romney, who had already won sufficient delegates through dirty tricks during the primaries to become the presumptive nominee, would also be granted power to replace duly elected delegates with people of his own choosing.Naturally, Paul s delegates were anxious to vote on the rule changes. However, the convention busses showed up at their hotels late. The driver of Rachael s bus didn t seem to know the way to the convention center, got stuck in traffic, and took about two hours to complete the trip. By the time most of the Paul delegates reached the center, and passed through its heavy security, the vote was already over. Mitt Romney would be the Republican Convention s unanimous choice.Ron Paul was still offered a chance to make a speech, but only under two conditions: (1) that he endorse Romney; and (2) that the Republic National Committee first vet and approve the speech. Under these conditions, Paul acted on integrity and declined to speak.A word should be added about the media in Tampa. On the convention s last day, Rachael dressed up in funeral black and handed out cards offering condolences to America upon the loss of the democratic process. She gave one to a leading news journalist who said I love it. When Rachael asked if he would do a story on it, he literally replied: It doesn t fit the pre-scripted narrative. Sorry. That the media was bound to a pre-scripted narrative was later proven when a brawl broke out between the Romney and Paul delegates, complete with screaming, pushing and shoving, right by the entrance to the press boxes (CNN, Fox, MSNBC, etc.). Although the brawl should have been news, not a single journalist emerged with a camera to record it. After all, it didn t fit the pre-scripted narrative namely, that Republicans unanimously supported Mitt Romney.What lesson can we draw from Rachael s experience? The same one that people have been learning the hard way for decades: that regardless of much you work for a Presidential candidate, the PTB (Powers That Be) will railroad their candidate to the top. The following quote from my 1988 book The Shadows of Power refers to the election year of 1952:At the Republican nominating convention, dirty tricks abounded. The rules for selecting delegates were changed: Taft delegations from Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas were thrown out and replaced by Eisenhower supporters. I.e., the same sort of tactics that Ron Paul s supporters faced in 2012 were used at the GOP Convention 60 years earlier. I ll add that Dwight Eisenhower had no previous affiliation with the Republican Party; the Democratic Party had tried to draft him in 1948, and President Harry Truman (Democrat) had approached him about running on the same ticket. Above: Nixon and Eisenhower at the 1952 conventionLet s kick it back to 1940. Seven weeks before the GOP Convention, a poll showed only three percent of Republicans favored candidate Wendell Willkie, who, prior to that year, had been a registered Democrat. But with powerful magic, Willkie got the nomination. Ten-term Congressman Usher Burdick of North Dakota said of this:We Republicans in the west want to know if Wall Street and the international bankers control our party and can select our candidate? I believe I am serving the best interests of the Republican Party by protesting and exposing the machinations and attempts of J.P. Morgan and the New York utility bankers in forcing Wendell Willkie on the Republican Party. . . .There is nothing to the Willkie boom for President except the artificial public opinion being created by newspapers, magazines, and the radio. The reason back of all this is money. Money is being spent by someone, and lots of it. PHOTO: Wendell Willkie PHOTO: Usher Burdick (right) in 1958 with Ezra PoundFor those who wonder if such phenomena only happen to Republicans, Bernie Sanders can already feel the spurn. He won New Hampshire by a landslide (60 to 38 percent) only to discover that Hillary Clinton had been awarded the majority of delegates. This is because the Democratic Party has 717 superdelegates who support whomever they prefer, regardless of the wishes of voters or primary results.Go back to 1976. According to a Gallup poll, just seven months before the Democratic National Convention, less than four percent of Democratic voters favored Jimmy Carter for President. What happened? As Lawrence Shoup noted in The Carter Presidency and Beyond:What Carter had that his opponents did not was the acceptance and support of elite sectors of the mass communications media. It was their favorable coverage of Carter and his campaign that gave him an edge, propelling him rocket-like to the top of the opinion polls. This helped Carter win key primary election victories, enabling him to rise from an obscure public figure to President-elect in the short space of 9 months.How did Carter acquire this media following? It began at a dinner with Republican David Rockefeller kingmaker of the Establishment at the latter s Tarrytown, New York estate. Also present was Zbigniew Brzezinski, who helped Rockefeller found the internationalist Trilateral Commission, and whom Carter would later appoint National Security Adviser. The media blitz included adulatory pieces in the New York Times, and a Wall Street Journal editorial declaring that Carter was the best Democratic candidate. Before the nominating convention, his picture appeared on the cover of Time three times, and Newsweek twice. Time s cover artists were even instructed to make him look as much as possible like John F. Kennedy. The TV networks inundated the public with his image.As former Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater said:David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski found Jimmy Carter to be their ideal candidate. They helped him win the nomination and the presidency. To accomplish this purpose, they mobilized the money power of the Wall Street bankers, the intellectual influence of the academic community which is subservient to the wealth of the great tax-free foundations and the media controllers represented in the membership of the CFR and the Trilateral.If you want to glimpse how far back this sort of power-brokering goes, read Ferdinand Lundberg s 1937 classic America s Sixty Families. He related how, a century ago, the rich were scorning voters and maneuvering their own choices into nominations, whether a Democrat like Woodrow Wilson in 1912 or a Republican like Herbert Hoover in 1928.The 2016 RaceWhat about this year? Who have the PTB anointed to become President? While I am of course not privy to their conclaves, I believe their chosen one, as I stated in my blog post of February 15, is Hillary Clinton. There are several indicators:(1) Despite her anti-Wall Street rhetoric, Hillary receives by far the most donations from Wall Street of any candidate. Jeb Bush competed with her for that distinction, but since Jeb s personality proved too lackluster to muster enough votes to stay in the race, Hillary holds the honor alone. Above: Hillary partakes in groundbreaking ceremony for Goldman Sachs new headquarters in 2005. (2) Of the viable candidates, only Hillary is committed to 100 percent of the Rothschild agenda: pro War on Terror pro Israel pro gun control pro GMO (Monsanto) pro population control (abortion, vaccines, etc.) pro climate change control pro mass immigration pro Internet censorship pro gay agenda pro TPP (she is currently backing off on this because of voter concern about jobs, but before running she said This TPP sets the gold standard in trade agreements, and was a strong proponent of the job-destroying NAFTA and GATT agreements)(3) I ll interject here that Rachael McIntosh told me she believes that in 2008, an understanding was reached concerning Obama and Clinton, both of whom were running that year. Obama would become the first black President; Hillary s turn would arrive in due time, and she would become the first woman President. Having a black or woman in the Oval Office, of course, gives the public the illusion that they are empowered and that the Establishment has somehow been stymied, whereas in fact both Obama and Hillary are flunkies for the Establishment. I agree with Rachael s assessment 100 percent.And so it was that Obama appointed Hillary his Secretary of State, a move clearly intended to give her a foreign policy expertise credential for the 2016 Presidential campaign. After Clinton left the position (2013), CBS began airing (2014) its still-running drama Madam Secretary, all about a blonde woman Secretary of State. Subliminal Advertising: Hollywood began campaigning for Hillary Clinton in 2014. Beginning with the very first episode, in which Madam Secretary rescued American hostages held in Syria, viewers would receive a weekly dose of subliminal propaganda for Hillary s campaign, portraying her as beautiful, heroic, honest and competent.(4) Prior to being Secretary of State, Hillary served as U.S. Senator from New York. She had never lived in New York before, but the state is the center of America s banking industry, and has been a launching point for Presidential candidates such as the Roosevelts. Serving a Senate term, of course, would also give Hillary an important can work with Congress credential for her Presidential run. There is considerable Internet buzz that John F. Kennedy, Jr., who had long lived in New York, was planning to run for the Senate in 2000, the same year as Clinton. The handsome son of the popular President would likely have defeated Clinton, adding interest to Kennedy s death in a suspicious plane crash on July 16, 1999, especially in light of what has been termed the Clinton Body Count.(5) Perhaps most importantly, the Establishment has already marked Hillary with their stamp of approval by entrusting her with two terms in the White House. Yes, Bill Clinton was President then, but if Hillary is elected, Bill will of course be returning.Will the email or Benghazi scandals derail her Presidential bid? I doubt it. During Bill s tenure, the Clintons were plagued by innumerable scandals besides mysterious deaths: sex charges, perjury, Whitewater, Chinagate, Travelgate, drug allegations connected with his Arkansas governorship, Hillary s incredible cattle futures profits, etc. Yet although many pundits back then claimed these scandals would lead to impeachment, the Clintons always remained untouched by justice. So far, nothing seems to have changed. However, Hillary s scandals do give the Establishment a blackmailer s leash on her; i.e., if she ever steps out of line, prosecutions could suddenly materialize.What about the other candidates currently running? All of them share some of Hillary s positions, but none do 100 percent. Bernie Sanders is too opposed to banker bailouts to be acceptable, even though the Establishment is OK with his socialism (since, in an illusional democracy, empowering government empowers them). Cruz s wife Heidi is a former term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a vice president at Goldman Sachs, from whom Cruz s Senate campaign received a million-dollar loan; but his positions on matters like abortion, gun control and immigration don t pass muster Continue this story at James PerloffREAD MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

Middle-east

March 22, 2016

There’s Something Hokey About Ted

21st Century Wire says At some point, the political theatric become too much. Read my lips.Amid mixed reviews, we ve seen this new genre on YouTube before, but it really came into its own when the creators produced this parody on Republican presidential candidate Rafael Edward Cruz, commonly known in the media as Ted .What is it about Cruz that lends itself to such a hokey spoof? Could it be Cruz s crusading televangelist schtick?Watch:

Middle-east

March 21, 2016

President Obama Arrives in Cuba

USA TODAYHAVANA The wheels of Air Force One touched down at Jose Marti International Airport for the first time ever at 4:19 p.m. Sunday, kicking off a history-making presidential visit and breaking decades of tense relations with communist Cuba.It s the same single-runway airport the CIA once bombed in the 1960s, and whose broken-down Russian-built airplanes and colorful, antiquated terminals give testimony to the impact of 50 years of U.S. sanctions and diplomatic isolation.But as he descended the stairway under an umbrella, President Obama was greeted warmly on the tarmac by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, who presented First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughters with flowers. A small crowd gathered on the reviewing stand, but their cheers were subdued by the 84-degree drizzle.Cuba s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Sunday that 974 reporters from 202 news outlets from 50 countries were in Havana to cover Obama s trip Continue this story at USA TODAYREAD MORE CUBA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Cuba Files

Middle-east

March 21, 2016

Clinton Emails: How Google Worked With Hillary to Try and Overthrow Syria’s Assad

21st Century Wire says The Silicon Valley s technotronic oligarchy has been exposed as a mere extension of the CIA in terms of playing a role in Washington s state policy of regime change in Syria.This latest email release reveals how then US Secretary of State, and now Democratic presidential favorite Hillary Clinton colluded with executives at Google to launch a digital PR onslaught against the president of Syria, Bashar al Assad. This is all part of Google s color revolution business, and also part of the Smart Power Complex used to manufacture public consent for humanitarian interventions globally.The leak also reveals how Qatari network Al Jazeera played an active role in this plot too. Al Jazeera has already been caught repeatedly manipulating international news throughout the Middle East.In a just world, Hillary would be held to account by the mainstream media for this revelation, but it seems that it s just being ignored by the mainstream gatekeepers Rudy Takala Washington ExaminerGoogle in 2012 sought to help insurgents overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to State Department emails receiving fresh scrutiny this week.Messages between former secretary of state Hillary Clinton s team and one of the company s executives detailed the plan for Google to get involved in the region. Please keep close hold, but my team is planning to launch a tool that will publicly track and map the defections in Syria and which parts of the government they are coming from, Jared Cohen, the head of what was then the company s Google Ideas division, wrote in a July 2012 email to several top Clinton officials. Our logic behind this is that while many people are tracking the atrocities, nobody is visually representing and mapping the defections, which we believe are important in encouraging more to defect and giving confidence to the opposition, Cohen said, adding that the plan was for Google to surreptitiously give the tool to Middle Eastern media.Hillary Emails: Google tried to boost Assad defections https://t.co/lyma4eJp9a More: https://t.co/ZUfh7WDAT5 pic.twitter.com/nvNG0lFJWt WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) March 19, 2016 Given how hard it is to get information into Syria right now, we are partnering with Al-Jazeera who will take primary ownership over the tool we have built, track the data, verify it, and broadcast it back into Syria, he said. Please keep this very close hold and let me know if there is anything [else] you think we need to account for or think about before we launch. We believe this can have an important impact, Cohen concluded The message was addressed to deputy secretary of state Bill Burns; Alec Ross, a senior Clinton advisor; and Clinton s deputy chief of staff, Jake Sullivan. Sullivan subsequently forwarded Cohen s proposal to Clinton, describing it as a pretty cool idea. Cohen worked as a low-level staffer at the State Department until 2010, when he was hired to lead Google Ideas, but was tied to the use of social media to incite social uprisings even before he left the department. He once reportedly asked Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to hold off of conducting system maintenance that officials believed could have impeded a brief 2009 uprising in Iran Continue this story at Washington ExaminerREAD MORE SMART POWER NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Smart Power Files

Middle-east

March 20, 2016

Ron Paul: ‘I Can’t Support Trump if He’s GOP Pick’ and ‘Neocons Will Love Hillary’

David Sherfinski Washington TimesFormer Texas Rep. Ron Paul said Friday he couldn t support GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump if Mr. Trump wins the party s nomination, saying Mr. Trump s views on the scope of executive authority could surpass those of President Obama. No, I couldn t do that, Mr. Paul said on Fox Business Network when asked if he would support Mr. Trump, should the billionaire businessman win the GOP nomination. He s [the] opposite of a libertarian. Mr. Paul, a three-time presidential candidate, said on foreign policy, Mr. Trump probably wouldn t be that much different than former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front-runner. I think the die-hard neoconservatives would not be that extremely unhappy with Hillary, Mr. Paul said. Trump is going to be the most efficient [at] using the executive orders, he said. He ll say this is the way it is, you know. Obama was pretty arrogant. If you don t do it, [the] Congress, I ll write an order Continue this story at Washington TimesREAD MORE TRUMP NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

Middle-east

March 20, 2016

ART OF WAR: What’s Behind Russia’s ‘Ides of March’ Military Drawdown in Syria?

Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak. Sun Tzu, The Art of War21st Century Wire asks What s behind Russia s decision to drawdown military support in Syria? MAKING A DEAL Putin making a strategic deal before the Geneva III talks. (Photo link theaustralian)This week Russia scaled back its military campaign against ISIS targets in Syria, after systematically directing months of successful airstrikes on terror groups within the embattled nation.Russia s partial departure and tenuous cease-fire in Syria, is a symbolic one, not only for the haunting Ides of March historical significance, but also because it marks the five-year anniversary of Syria s so-called Arab Spring. When the campaign to topple Syrian leadership first began, we were told there was a legitimate grass-roots uprising sweeping across North Africa then through Middle East. The mainstream media gleefully exulted it s praise as an organic movement of change, widely hailed as the Arab Spring . While the Spring was sold to the public as a large protest movement, it was proven to be a well orchestrated socially engineered political uprising used to gain a foothold over Syria opening the door for Western intervention.Back in February, 21WIRE reported that ISIS jihadists were in fact fleeing from Syria, following the destruction of their operational bases within the country: Colonel Steve Warren of the US-led coalition said the terror group s leadership has shifted its base of operations from Syria and Iraq, into Libya after facing immense bombardment: We believe this failure is due to several factors, the first and foremost I believe is the presence of devastating coalition air power. The Whitehouse added that ISIS is also now seeking to send jihadist recruits into Libya instead of Syria and Iraq. While US leadership mentioned that devastating coalition air power led to Syria s good fortune, it failed to directly discuss Russia s large role in silencing ISIS and other known militant fighting groups (some of who are still referred to by Washington as moderate rebels ) through air campaigns of their own.To anyone paying attention to the battleground in Syria, the message was clear Washington now fully acknowledges the eventual eradication of many ISIS fighters, leading US policy makers to rethink their regime change strategy.Recently, 21WIRE discussed a more cynical lens with which to view the cease-fire deal in Syria, noting that this peace agreement, could very well turn out to be a political ploy crafted by Pentagon war makers looking to re-arm militants in the region: This latest diplomatic development certainly appears positive on its surface, this week s declared Syrian Ceasefire a three-way agreement between Washington, Russia and the Syrian government (and begrudgingly by the West s other regional stakeholders ) looks increasingly like it may just be the latest attempt to buy time so that Washington, Turkey and Saudi Arabia can re-arm and replenish various militant fighting groups currently laying waste to Syria. Continuing, we see the West s failure following the loss of proxy militants and why this brokered deal is perhaps their only political play at the moment: The Washington-led Axis has gradually lost proxy-control of a number of key terrorist strongholds in Northern Syria, namely in Aleppo, and thus are unable to dictate crucial facts on the ground required to dictate the international media and political narratives. Unable to craft and package these narratives, the West and its dubious coalition are completely unable to sell an escalation of military violence in Syria. From a propaganda perspective, the latest military move by Russia has prompted policy makers at Western think-tanks to characterize the strategic decision as a sign of a rift between Putin and Assad but as we ll see in the Sputnik News article below, the timing of the military drawdown has everything to do with the upcoming peace talk negotiations in Geneva.More from Sputnik below ART OF WAR Syria s struggles appear to move from the battlefield to the boardroom. (Photo illustration Shawn Helton of 21WIRE)Andrew KorybkoSputnik NewsThe Western and Mideast mainstream media are frenziedly spinning Russia s planned drawdown from Syria as a military defeat and a betrayal of its key ally, but just exactly who is betraying whom? President Putin announced that Russia will begin drawing down its military forces in Syria on 15 March, popularly known as the Ides of March and infamous for being the day that Emperor Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by his own allies.While it may have been chosen innocently enough, the date is rich with symbolism and is quite fitting in describing the changing dynamics that are presently at play in the Mideast.On this peculiar day of the year when things are typically not as they may initially seem to be, what s being popularly portrayed as a defeat and betrayal is anything but, while the ones doing the premature celebrating are ironically the very same forces that should be concerned the most.Nearly two millennia after the Ides of March were fatefully enshrined in history, it s no longer the Roman Emperor that s being betrayed by his allies, but the Turkish and Saudi ones that are being backstabbed by the US.The DrawdownPresidents Putin and Assad coordinated the decision to decrease the Russian troop presence in Syria, agreeing that the anti-terrorist operation had completed its stated aims of combating terrorism and the restoration of security and stability to many regions in Syria .In particular, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu proclaimed that his country carried out more than 9,000 flights which contributed to the Syrian troops liberating 400 towns and over 10,000 square kilometres of territory. The reader is encouraged to consult The Saker s latest article if they re interested in a detailed analysis of everything that Russia has accomplished thus far, but the present piece will now move on to describing the intent behind the drawdown and the contingency measures that are in place for defending Syria from any large-scale aggression against it.From the Battlefield to the Boardroom:Russia s announcement was timed to coincide with the resumption of the Geneva III talks and clearly carries with it the symbolic message that Moscow is doubling down on its diplomatic commitment in resolving the War on Syria.A de-jure partition is absolutely off the table and prohibited by UNSC Res. 2254, but there s a creeping fear among many that a de-facto one could occur if federalization is ever implemented.It s perhaps for this reason why the Syrian government and its people are currently not in favor of this approach, and for curious readers who are wondering exactly what could be so bad about federalization, the author welcomes them to read his earlier published research on the topic that s available at Russia s National Institute for Research of Global Security.After five and a half months of operation, Russia s anti-terrorist air operation has succeeded in the herculean task of bringing the War on Syria to its final logical phase, which is the protracted negotiation process that has just recommenced.The conflict has thus shifted from the battlefield to the boardroom, but in the lamentable event that foreign actors influence their political surrogates to sabotage the ongoing talks and reinitiate large-scale hostilities, Russia has a few back-up measures up its sleeve to make sure that Syria isn t left unsecured.More at Sputnik News READ MORE SYRIAN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 21st Century Wire Syria Files

Middle-east

March 18, 2016

U.S. Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill Claims to Facilitate ‘Better Public Access’ to Gov’t Records

21st Century Wire says..We ll believe it when, and if we are even allowed to see it (redacted) Mary Clare Jalonick AP/All GovWASHINGTON The Senate on Tuesday backed legislation to make it easier for Americans to obtain government records.The bipartisan bill, passed by voice vote, would require federal agencies to consider the release of government information under a presumption of openness as opposed to a presumption that the information is secret.The legislation aims to reduce the amount of exemptions the government uses to withhold information and would create a single portal through which individuals can submit a Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, request. Currently, FOIA requests are handled by each separate agency, each with its own rules about how to submit a request. Today s vote sends a clear message that the American people have a fundamental right to know what their government is doing, Cornyn said.( ) We cannot leave it to the next president to decide how open the government should be, Leahy said. We have to hold all presidents and their administrations accountable to the highest standard. Republicans in Congress have complained that the Obama administration hasn t been fully transparent in sharing records with lawmakers and the public, while the White House has criticized Congress for exempting itself from the requirements. FOIA does not apply to Congress.The House passed a similar bill in January. Because the two bills are not identical, the House will have to act again to send the legislation to President Barack Obama. Maryland Rep. Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, urged Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to promptly pass the Senate bill, saying FOIA reform is long overdue Continue this story at All GovREAD MORE FOIA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire FOIA Files

Middle-east

March 18, 2016

OREGON: Feds Cover-up Foul Play in Finicum Death, Feds’ Shell Casings ‘Have Gone Missing’

21st Century Wire says As it turns out, we were right about the ambush, and we were right about the cover-up. After all this, the quislings at the The Oregonian are still trying to tart-up this FBI and OSP debacle by calling it a traffic stop . While forced to now admit that there was foul play on the infallible government s part, mainstream media gatekeepers are still trying to paint the incident as a traffic stop which is beyond a joke.Get ready for another government-issued magic bullet fairy tale to protect the hired guns.How long before we can call this an assassination? New findings by law enforcement officials suggest that an FBI agent on the scene of the fatal shooting of Bundy-affiliated protester LaVoy Finicum during a Jun. 26 felony stop might have fired two shots that were not reported, and agents on the scene might have disposed of bullet casings to cover them up.According to The Oregonian, investigators believe that the shots were fired approximately at the moment at which LaVoy Finicum was exiting his truck with his hands up, prior to when he appears to reach into his jacket and is shot by two Oregon State Police troopers. The above-embedded slow-motion video shows the moment at which investigators believe the shots were fired.Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson and Malheur County District Attorney Dan Norri, who investigated the incident, concluded that the Oregon State Police officers were justified in shooting Finicum, but also announced that they believe that an FBI agent took two unreported shots and then lied about it. The U.S. Department of Justice has subsequently launched a criminal investigation into the conduct of the FBI agents on the scene.The Oregonian s Les Zaitz wrote, A state trooper later described to investigators seeing two rifle casings in the area where the [FBI] agents were posted. Detectives tasked with collecting evidence didn t find the casings, police reports indicate. He added, FBI aerial surveillance video shows that before the detectives could get there, the FBI agents searched the area with flashlights and then huddled, according to law enforcement sources who have seen the video. The group then broke and one agent appeared to bend over twice and pick up something near where the two shots likely were taken. Police reports indicate that detectives showed up to collect evidence around 90 minutes after the moment in the surveillance video in which the FBI agent appeared to pick items up from the ground.All of the FBI agents on the scene that day claimed that they did not take any shots. A state trooper said he had fired three shots while the truck was speeding towards police and two more at Finicum as he was reaching into his jacket after he had exited the vehicle. Police inventory records show that the trooper was missing five rounds after the incident, apparently confirming his story.A fourth bullet hole in the truck came from a different angle of trajectory suggesting that an FBI agent had fired the shot. Investigators believe a second shot, which missed Finicum and did not strike the truck, was also fired by an FBI agent Continue this story at Truth In MediaREAD MORE OREGON STANDOFF NEWS: 21st Century Wire Oregon Files

Middle-east

March 17, 2016

BOILER ROOM – EP #48 – Agenda 2030 and Beyond with Branko Malić, Patrick Henningsen & Mike Robinson

Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST every Wednesday. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher, & Spore along with Branko Mali of Kali Tribune, Mike Robinson from UK Column and Patrick Henningsen of 21stcenturywire. In this broadcast listeners will be hearing us go around the BOILER ROOM on the encroaching UN Agenda 2030, the European migrant crisis, the US political climate and a variety of other topics on this special edition of THE BOILER ROOM. If you want to participate, bring something interesting to throw into the boiler Join us in the ALTERNATE CURRENT RADIO chat room.BOILER ROOM IS NOT A POLICTALLY CORRECT ZONE! LISTEN TO THE SHOW IN THE PLAYER BELOW ENJOY! REFERENCE LINKS:

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March 16, 2016

Coke Zero: What Went Wrong With The Marco Rubio Brand?

Patrick Henningsen 21st Century WireAny business expert will tell you that marketing is not an exact science. The same is true in politics, and even more so in this historic election season. As the polls closed yesterday, Republican candidate and US Senator Marco Rubio took to the podium to announce he was finally bowing out the GOP presidential primary race. Front runner Donald Trump nearly swept the board starting with Rubio s home state of Florida, followed by Illinois, North Carolina, Missouri and in US territory Mariana Islands, while Ohio governor John Kasich took the remaining contest winning his first primary race ,in his home state.With 99 delegates at stake in a winner take all contest, Florida was meant to be Rubio s gallant last stand. Even though the polls showed Rubio trailing in double digits before Tuesday, Rubio still insisted he was going to win, and even go on to win the nomination.Marco: A smile you can trust.. Quite frankly, I think a lot of people are going to be embarrassed tonight and are going to want refunds from the money they spent on those polls because we re going to win Florida, said Rubio. We feel very optimistic about that. When it was all said and done, Trump beat Rubio 46% to 27% in Florida. A blow out.By the end of his long drive, Rubio had only managed to win one state caucus in Minnesota, leaving him with no real primary victory. To his investors, the truth of the matter might be almost too painful to comprehend that beyond all the hype, their man was really a bottom tier candidate.Super Tuesday s humiliating loss was indicative of a Rubio rise that never rose. Before Tuesday s defeat, no matter how poorly Florida Senator Marco Rubio showed in previous primary elections, and no matter how badly he was polling in his home state of Florida the media, led by CNN and FOX News, still covered his campaign like he was winning the election. Clearly, there was a concerted and well-coordinated effort by the Republican establishment and major broadcast media outlets to promote Rubio s candidacy well above the actual candidate s weight division.Three weeks ago, in a last-ditch effort to elevate his poll numbers, Rubio tried to out-Trump Trump, by unleashing his own round of back-ally personal verbal insults at the front runner in the hope of pulling The Donald back down to earth. Rubio began publicly calling Trump a con man and asserted that Trump had not achieved anything in his business career and along with fellow competitor Ted Cruz, inferred that the billionaire property and entertainment mogul Trump had inherited $200 million dollars from his late father and therefore was not deserving of any accolades. When Trump would joke about Rubio s lack of height (Rubio is 5 8 and Trump is 6 2 ), Rubio hit back joking, look how small Donald s hands are, and you what they say about men with small hands.. to his crowds roaring with laughter before the Texas primary three weeks earlier.Trump finally hit back with a moniker that Rubio could never shake, renaming him Little Marco. LITTLE MARCO: Trump s crude deconstruction of Rubio delivered the final blow.Although their cage match pulled more TV airtime and attention away from a Trump-obsessed media, in the end it backfired horribly for Marco, as America got an uncomfortable snapshot of a nasty and desperate Rubio hardly the look of stability, moderation and unity that Rubio marketeers were trying to project, and hardly presidential either.What was most telling about Rubio s response to a situation, partly of his own making, was that Rubio shirked any responsibility for ratcheting-up the rhetoric, and instead tried to blame Trump for the degrading tone of the election: This is a frightening, grotesque and disturbing development in American politics, Rubio said of the violence. We are being ripped apart at the seams now, he continued. I m sad for this country. This is supposed to be the example to the world of how a republic functions and instead people are watching third-world images last night coming out of Chicago. It was too late. The damage was already done. Some pundits were calling it political suicide by Rubio a gross error of political miscalculation on his part. But this would be missing the point because in reality, beyond all the incredible marketing hype, Rubio s campaign never achieved any serious market penetration to begin with.It s important to remember that the establishment firmly believed, and still to this day, that Marco Rubio could be the Republican Party s answer to the marketing sensation that was Barack Obama in 2008. By capitalizing on his youth and his Latino profile, the GOP elite saw this as a turn-key marketing solution. Just like a soda pop brand, party and media operatives believed that by positioning Rubio s brand in a highbrow market tier, voters would make the necessary connections and move to act by casting their vote for him. DETATCHED: Darryl Issa throws himself under the bus,, desperate to inflate Rubio before Super Tuesday.On Super Tuesday, the transmission truly fell out of the Rubio marketing machine. After months of boasting about how he would win his home state, Rubio plugger and California Congressman Darryl Issa (R), insisted that, Marco is leading in early (voting) returns in Florida. Seriously, Congressman Issa?Issa appeared to be carrying water for the GOP establishment by doing the last minute media rounds for kingmaker Mitt Romney, who weeks earlier dropped the gauntlet down on the Trump train during a speech at the University of Utah. Romney, a former Republican presidential candidate and Massachusetts governor implored his GOP herd to join forces and stop Trump by splitting the votes by voting for Kasich in Ohio, and for Rubio in Florida. Romney hoped that his divide and conquer strategy would rob Trump of the delegate majority needed to secure the GOP nomination before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio this July. JET-SET: Rubio taking instructions from elite off-shoring corporate raider Mitt Romney.Clearly, Romney had staked his claim behind Marco Rubio then, which means that Rubio s collapse in Florida has half deflated Romney s Revolt.Romney continued to dig a hole for himself in Florida before Super Tuesday by recording an automated Robo-call used to phone prospective Marco Rubio voters in Florida, nearly begging voters to cast ballots for, a candidate who can defeat Hillary Clinton and who can make us proud. The recorded message went on: If we Republicans were to choose Donald Trump as our nominee, I believe that the prospects for a safe and prosperous future would be greatly diminished and I m convinced Donald Trump would lose to Hillary Clinton. Making Robo-calls for a candidate who people were already calling a Robot , wasn t exactly a smart move by Romney.Far from swinging the election towards Rubio, what Mitt Romney really proved was that money and power can t buy common sense.Ghost RunFor anyone who actually bothered to look close enough, hints of Rubio s collapse were everywhere, but you wouldn t know if from media coverage over the last two months. If not for favorable network face-time on the GOP TV debates, along with Rubio s elite financier backers like billionaire Paul Singer and Cayman hedge fund raider Romney, it s safe to say that Rubio s numbers might had been well below those of his fellow non-starter, Ohio Governor John Kasich.Rubio-linked multi-million dollar Super PAC funds pulled out all the stops against Trump too, launching a social media tidal wave of anti-Trump messages before the Florida primary:If every Rubio supporter makes 1 phone call #MarcoRubio will win! Convince 1 voter to vote for Marco! #CallForMarco pic.twitter.com/d8wOKZWFA4 Stop Trump PAC (@StopTrumpPAC) March 15, 2016Last Wednesday, Rubio hired out a football stadium to stage a homecoming rally in his own state. Unfortunately, no one showed up. TV cameras had to be moved forward into a tiny area around the field s goal posts in order to make the rally look as if more than a few hundred people bothered to show up. Far from jovial and inspirational, the atmosphere was that of deflation and despondency. It was tragic.Rubio stadium event in Hialeah. Stands empty; crowd in one end zone. pic.twitter.com/9zj0xslwSA Byron York (@ByronYork) March 9, 2016 And when the cameras zoomed-in, it looked like this:The crowd in Hialeah is fired up for @marcorubio tonight! #FLforMarco #FLPrimary pic.twitter.com/e34GsoWWwH Team Marco (@TeamMarco) March 9, 2016CNN had dispatched one of its intrepid city-dwelling reporters, Jason Carroll, out to Hialeah, Florida to cover the event. Carrol tried be nice about it, describing the event as much, much smaller than a normal Rubio event. So much for Marco s homecoming, and so much for Mitt Romney s plan to have Marco win his home state to force a brokered convention in July.If Romney s revolt was ever going to happen, it wasn t going to be in Florida. You d think Mitt s people would ve figured that one out, but there you go (millions are beginning to understand now why Romney performed so poorly in the 2012 election).Jason Carol s cameraman delivered a dim shot of the rally. If there was a church BBQ down the road, it would have drawn a bigger crowd than this.After this debacle last week, Rubio still found the gumption to go on national TV and more or less instruct his supporters to cast their vote for John Kasich in the Ohio primary. Never before in modern American history have we seen presidential candidates instructing their supporters to vote against them in order to derail the party frontrunner in the hopes of triggering a brokered Republican National Convention in July.In reality, a brokered convention means that even if Donald Trump wins the popular votes and the collects the most delegates in the GOP primaries the Republican Party will call for a vote on the convention floor asking for all delegates to vote again, which in this case would mean that if the combined delegates of Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich exceeds that held by Donald Trump, then Trump would be dumped by his own party s establishment insiders at the convention in favor of another yet to be determined party elite selection. Most likely this would be Mitt Romney s former running mate, House Speaker Paul Ryan, or one of the other three aforementioned candidates.Great on PaperBefore he was cast-off by the Tea Party purists in favor of Cruz, Rubio had positioned his brand as one of insurgency, but the crowd didn t buy it. So the brand was repositioned as a safe choice for voters.When the Rubio vs Trump m l e first started, I had said that this was the inevitable result of the Republican establishment who were, going for the mathematical and demographically pragmatic option which would be Marco Rubio, with Wisconsin s Scott Walker throwing early innings in the bull pen. Orthodox RNC thinking last spring believed that Rubio, with less than one term in Senate and no leadership experience, would somehow repeat the Obama effect of 2008, and finally usher their party into the 21st century. Things looked very different for Hillary last spring too, where she seemed invincible on the Democrat side as well as in national polling. On paper at least, it seems that Rubio would tick all the right boxes for the GOP elite presiding over a party in decline and disarray young (44 years old, although you d put him at a decade his junior), and even more importantly, Latino, giving the GOP a shot at pulling in a crucial trilateral voter compliment: Hispanic-American, independents and moderate Democrats. On paper this all makes perfect sense, but running for President in the United States of America isn t simply a case of what looks logical on paper. Case and point: Bernie Sanders, Ben Carson and, of course, Donald Trump. It was a truly devastating moment for the Rubio campaign who had raised no less than $70 million so far as part of a desperate establishment bid to market the Rubio brand . According to a chief strategist for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Rubio has been more hyped than Crystal Pepsi, in reference to Pepsi s 1992 marketing flop. Sen. Rubio has been more hyped than Crystal Pepsi, but he has flopped even worse, said Weaver last week. Even a well-conceived, high-financed marketing campaign won t work if people don t want to buy the product. That s the Rubio campaign s problem . Behind the nice packaging, voters are discovering there is little substance. Not surprisingly, I don t really like Crystal Pepsi. No one does. But everyone remembers when Coca Cola tried to inflate New Coke, Cherry Coke, and finally Coke Zero, before it completely flopped. Millions were wasted in vain, and it seems that the only people who really benefited from this exercise in hype were the advertising agencies and the production companies who produced them and also the media networks who sold the ad space to Coca Cola.The same could be said with Rubio, and of course with Jeb Bush and a few others, although Rubio may still live to run another day. Coke didn t give up on Zero. Zero eventually became a Hero (well, according to Coca Cola, anyway) after years and years of marketing capital was invested into that product which no one was really interested in to begin with.Billionaire Boys ClubBillionaires love to gamble, especially in politics and they gambled heavily and lost, on Marco Rubio. One might question the establishment s efficacy in leaving an invisible Rubio in a primary race where he s taking votes away from a more promising challenger in Texas Senator Rafael Edward (Ted) Cruz. Ditto with Kasich.Maybe it s the egos, or maybe Trump is actually pulling the master strings. Either way, the establishment s anti-Trump obsession is tearing the Republican Party apart.Just when you thought it couldn t get any more like a true life black comedy, all three desperate GOP challengers found themselves courting the endorsement of election dropout and former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, on the Thursday before the CNN debate began.As sexy goes, this endorsement hardly registers outside of a few select country clubs. If it were an endorsement from 90 year old Barbara Bush then it might mean something.So poor was Jeb s showing in the primary contest even after burning through over $100 million in campaign donations (he raised over $150 million) and received around 7% of the vote it s difficult to see why anyone among Rubio, Cruz and Kasich would be offering a stump for Mr. Excitement, a low energy dynastic nonstarter.On balance, this endorsement would probably garner less votes than an endorsement from David Duke. Such is the bizarre and sideshow-like nature of this 2016 presidential election. A NEW AMERICAN CENTURY: Rubio uses Neocon s PNAC and Israel-first old marketing slogan.Why the Elite Loved RubioLike his globalist colleague Kasich, and despite his evasive comments on the campaign trail, Rubio seems very committed to Wall Street and Bilderberg principles regarding corporate-brokered trade pacts like TPP, TTIP, GAT, and the WTO.On foreign policy, Rubio is a pro-war Republican, calling for regime change in Syria, and even made the incredible comment during one of the GOP s February debates that, We didn t overthrow Gaddafi, the Libyan people did , having not realized that months of US air bombardment, as well as arming and working with Islamist militants on the ground is what toppled the Libyan state in 2011. Many of these same militants packed up and moved the roadshow to Syria in late 2011 and early 2012. The CIA were active and involved in the repatriation of fighters to Syria and the trafficking of weapons into Syria after the fall of Gaddafi. It would be shocking if Rubio wasn t aware of any of this, especially if he wants to be president of the United States.The other obvious, if not bizarre indicator that the globalists billionaire, military industrial class were firmly backing Rubio was hidden in plain sight. His campaign slogan was A New American Century , and of course, the significance of this was completely lost on the mainstream media. It seemed that Rubio had stolen his campaign slogan from the likes of Donald Rumsfeld and John Bolton (and Jeb Bush, who also signed the PNAC pledge in 1998) whose neoconservative pro-war think tank, Project for A New American Century (PNAC) was arguably the architect of America s post-9/11 foreign policy. PNAC was also an extension of Israel s foreign policy too, which makes sense considering how aggressively Rubio advocates for Israeli interests.When you actually look at Rubio s record during his time in the Florida legislature, it does not paint a pretty picture at all.Without too much effort, any member of the media, including CNN s Don Lemon, Jake Tapper or Anderson Cooper, could find a substantial trail of dirt behind the young Senator if only for the fact that Rubio s record seems to be off limits by the media and newspapers like the New York Times all of whom are devoted to only running critical exposes on Donald Trump. Rubio s dubious track record of scandals and other pieces of corruption are well-known in his home state, but almost invisible nationally. Top of that list might be one David Rivera, a long-time political ally and close friend of Marco Rubio who also happens to be under investigation by the FBI.That s only the beginning. One of the most telling scandals involved Rubio selling his home to a lobbyist, and getting way over the asking price. On The Issues reports: Rubio s personal finances were questioned because he made a $200,000 profit selling a house he owned to the mother of a chiropractor who was lobbying for a change in state insurance rules. Rubio had been a holdout, but removed a block on the measure shortly after the home sale and voted for it. Rubio was criticized for failing to disclose a home equity loan he received from US Century Bank, whose chairman, Sergio Pino, was a political supporter. The house had been appraised for $185,000, more than the purchase price just 37 days after he bought it. Rubio s staff said the value jumped because he d locked in a lower preconstruction price and made improvements. US Century Bank a large recipient of federal bank bailout money denied making a sweetheart deal. There are a number of other sketchy scandals linking Rubio to Florida s organized crime syndicates, ponzi schemes, including shady deals involving cash payouts and dodgy lobbyists, some of which can be read here. The mainstream media never challenged Rubio on any of these reports, so Rubio never had to defend against them.Then there s the business of Rubio s sugar daddy , Jewish billionaire and Israeli luminary Norman Braman. Not only is Braman bank-rolling the Rubio political machine (in return for ?), but Brahman s charity foundation also employs Marco s wife Jeanette Rubio too. ON BOARD: Rubio with Israeli luminary Shimon Peres. Brahman is also Rubio s entr e into the Israeli Lobby. It was Brahman who flew Marco and his family to Israel in 2010 to be inducted into the Israeli mind-set. This is also evident through Rubio s pro-Israeli rhetoric, where during one debate he proudly announced, There can be NO negotiation between Israel and the Palestinians right now In another recent speech, Rubio took things a step further by insinuating that anyone who criticizes Israel is racist, insisting that, All of this anti-Israel action going on globally, it s anti-Semitism. He could easily be speaking as an Israeli envoy, speaking straight off of the lobby s talking script.That s just a snapshot of what sort of political animal Marco Rubio is not unlike the rest of the pack, and perhaps a lot more shrewd, pushy and cunning than many others. You wouldn t expect anything less by anyone who believes that they deserve to be elected President of the United States having served less than one term in the US Senate at the age of 44.It s not certain yet whether or not Rubio will be able to retain his Florida US Senate seat after announcing he would be campaigning for president last year. Maybe a run for governor in Florida is in the cards.One thing is certain though, at his young age and with powerful backers like the Israeli Lobby we have not seen the last of Marco Rubio. His talent and ability as a speaker and his potential for a broad-based appeal is undeniable and you can be certain he will remain a key tool for the establishment for many years to come.Just like Coke Zero, with enough marketing muscle and money injected into it, every brand can have a second life.Rubio will return.READ MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

Middle-east

March 16, 2016

ELECTION FRAUD: If It Happened in Michigan, Will It Happen in Ohio?

21st Century Wire says On a recent episode of The Sunday Wire with Patrick Henningsen, guest Basil Valentine asked Patrick for his analysis on the Bernie Sanders vs. Hillary Clinton primary race, and what ensued was a poignant discussion about a deeper issue voter and election fraud.PH: It s a tight race. Hillary has the edge on the super delegates, which is the most corrupt, un-democratic aspect of the Democratic Party. BV: I m not sure it s it s very un-democratic and corrupt, I agree. But I don t think it s the most corrupt. The most corrupt is the vote fraud. Basil cites a new report about the recent Michigan Presidential Primary, where its findings suggest that Bernie Sanders actually did better than the recorded vote share indicates.The author of the report, Richard Charnin, provides context not only for Michigan primary results but for Massachusetts results as well:This analysis indicates that Sanders did much better than his recorded vote in the Michigan primary. Sanders had 590,386 votes (49.8%) and Clinton 570,948 (48.3%). Sanders won in 73 of 83 MI counties with 56% of the vote. He won the preliminary exit poll by 52.1-45.9%, a 97% win probability. Clinton won urban counties Wayne and Oakland with approximately 55% of the vote.Clinton won the Massachusetts primary by just 1.4%, but she did well in urban areas. Sanders won hand-counted precincts by 57-40% in 68 Towns (32,360 votes, 2.7% of votes cast). Sanders also had 52.1% in the preliminary exit poll which he won by 52.1-45.7%. His win probability was also 97%.(See Charnin s full report and statistical analysis here, including a breakdown of voting machine totals.)Charnin explains there are three key indicators to track in determining whether election fraud has occurred: cumulative vote shares, preliminary exit poll, absentee vote anomalies Of course, you will not hear much about election fraud from the media their coverage focuses solely on the recorded vote at the end of the night, and the usual Poli-tricks and Propaganda mess with voters minds during their televised election coverage.Will we see these same election fraud indicators in the Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina primaries?READ MORE 2016 NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Election Files

Middle-east

March 15, 2016

Henningsen on Trump Rally Fervor: ‘Political Relativism Has Descended on America’

21st Century Wire says Regarding the latest Trump outrage , it s taken a while for the media to catch-up and analyze what s happened in recent days and why.Watch this segment that aired live over the weekend this past Saturday, where 21WIRE editor Patrick Henningsen spoke with RT International about the may lay at GOP front runner Donald Trump s rally in Chicago on Friday night.There s plenty of fervor to go around

Middle-east

March 15, 2016

HAWKISH DOVE: The Enigma of Donald Trump in Volatile Race to the White House

Shawn Helton 21st Century WireGOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is a populist candidate among a bevy of warhawk rivals yet many still wonder how the real estate mogul has marched virtually unabated towards the 2016 Republican nomination.Undoubtedly, the stir Trump has caused this election season is already historic. Love him or hate him, the well-known businessman and reality TV star turned American political juggernaut is emerging as a surprising voice for US national interests in the face of an ever-increasing globalized world.Below we ll examine Trump s shocking rise in American politics, his strengths, his weaknesses and what he s up against HAWKISH DOVE Who s the real Donald Trump? (Photo illustration Shawn Helton of 21WIRE)The Curious Case of Donald Trump Back in 1993, brothers David and Tom Gardner founded The Motley Fool stockbroker consultancy, and at the time, it took the investment world by storm. Their mantra was simple: in business (as it is most everything else in life) timing is everything, and when a market or system becomes insular and stagnant, the conditions are ripe for a rule breaker , and eventually, the rule breakers becomes the rule makers. This spirit of guerilla business also underpinned the Silicon Valley revolution in the 1990s and 2000s.Likewise, Donald Trump read the tea leaves and saw an opportunity in 2016.If you believe the United States is ruled by an elite establishment or is a country taken hold by statism, endless foreign intervention and crony corporatism, chances are you might be considering Donald Trump as your candidate of choice in the 2016 presidential election and you wouldn t be alone. Similar sentiments are felt on the left-wing by supporters of Democratic Party outsider Bernie Sanders.Trump s outsider tag and anti-establishment veneer, is what seems to be resonating most among a broad base across America, as many believe that the country has been in a decline following two failed administrations in the White House under both Bush and Obama.This is the nature of populist campaigns and whether you like Trump or not, he s run one of the most effective presidential campaigns in American history, despite major backlash from the media and various political pressure groups attempting to stop his rise.The New PopulistsMuch like former Republican congressman Ron Paul in 2012, and to a lesser degree with Bernie Sanders, Trump has seemingly tapped into a cultural zeitgeist rarely seen in American politics as this year s preeminent populist choice.While Paul s staunch constitutional and libertarian beliefs propelled his popularity in 2012, it s Trump s cross-spectrum political thinking that s drawing supporters to his campaign marked by an ability to reach the average blue-collar worker, as well as successful entrepreneurs by bringing up issues concerning economic growth, immigration and global trade.To some critics however, Trump is not conservative enough, even though he s already unveiled one of the most comprehensive plans to uphold gun rights in modern history. The plan includes a proposal for nationwide concealed carry without placing a ban on certain types of guns or magazines something which has become a hot button particularly for those on the left after a string of strange mass shooting events during much of 2015.On the other side of the political fence, many have criticized Trump s antiquated views on expanding torture techniques in the military, as well as his tough talk on internet security, privacy concerns and heavy stance on illegal immigration.The term super-nationalistic is being batted around to describe Trump s perspective, causing some to fear the unknown.Ironically, what has led to Trump s success has also hindered him and has arguably become a major weak point for the shrewd businessman.Trump s fiery rhetoric concerning certain issues facing America today, in some cases has worked against him, and has painted a target on him, opening the door for the media to spin anything he says, or doesn t say, or what others say about him.This is perhaps best exemplified with his tough talk on illegal immigration, along with his media counter attack against professional agitators and protesters at his events following several clashes at some of his rallies over the past few weeks.Unfortunately, his detractors and political rivals have already used these social triggers to attack the GOP frontrunner, as his Chicago rally was cancelled after erupting into a chaotic scene, leading to at least 5 arrests. Similarly, his St. Louis rally was also stormed, leading to 32 arrests, with much of the media joining in condemnation of the embattled businessman.While no one should condone the violence that results from Trump supporters clashing with outside political agitators at Trump s campaign events, critics insist that Trump has somehow escalated these volatile protests through his own incendiary language and for not using his powers of persuasion to calm things down. Later on in this article, we ll take an even closer look at what s behind these seismic uprisings at Trump s campaign rallies.The Manhattan mogul s political story has only just begun and there are many things to consider concerning the embattled GOP frontrunner WAR LIES Former Secretary of State, Colin Powell and the Bush administration s findings revealed a highly coordinated disinformation campaign that led to over half a million deaths in the US-led invasion in Iraq in 2003. (Photo link foreignpolicyjournal)Alternative To War?Recently, Trump was pressed again on matters concerning the Middle East and his response has been surprisingly diplomatic with a non-interventionist platform. Trump s open condemnation of the Bush administration for the Iraq war and the Obama White House for the destruction of Libya, has resonated across the board for voters on both sides of the political spectrum. Trump has asserted that 2003 s invasion in Iraq and the blitzkrieg in Libya via NATO members in 2011, is further evidence of failed US foreign policy throughout the world.Doubling down, the GOP frontrunner Trump, has also refused to pick a side between Israel and Palestine and in true form to his business pedigree, stating that he would rather attempt to broker a peace deal in the ages old conflict, rather than tow the party line.Calling Out Bad Global Trade TRANS PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP US leaders vote in favor of cloaked trade deal involving Asia pacific countries and America in 2015. Trump has been the only presidential candidate talking about the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal and its vast implications on the global economy.The Trans Pacific Partnership or TPP trade deal, is something we ve covered extensively at 21WIRE over the past two years, as international trade law for new trade treaties appear to be a way for private corporations to exempt themselves from the laws of sovereign nations under the guise of a so-called free-trade agreement.As global policy makers continue to merge with the interests of multinational or transnational corporations to achieve their goals, we could view the TTP or the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) as having zero national loyalty to any existing nation-state or its set of laws.These multi-national and transnational free trade deals have been vigorously opposed by Trump during many GOP debates this election cycle. Other critics of these deals have suggested they are being used as a way to gain a foothold on property rights in the future, in addition to having lasting implications on intellectual property.21WIRE previously outlined the role that the United States Trade Representative has played in facilitating these deals between different industries: Understanding the power structure behind these draconian trade deals reveals the global chess play at work and the behind-the-scenes corporate merger s, under the watch of a biased government entity, the USTR. The USTR has been doing heavy lifting through its corporate connections with the likes of Haliburton (ESG and KBR) and Monsanto Corp, and political insider ties for a massive trade deal that will consolidate our future all done outside of the democratic process. This past week, Huffington Post published an article entitled At Secretive Meeting, Tech CEOs And Top Republicans Commiserate, Plot To Stop Trump, : Billionaires, tech CEOs and top members of the Republican establishment flew to a private island resort off the coast of Georgia this weekend for the American Enterprise Institute s annual World Forum, according to sources familiar with the secretive gathering. The article goes on to say that the participants couldn t help discussing Trump but he was not the sole purpose of the meeting. Here s some of the list of attendees as reported by HuffPo: Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google co-founder Larry Page, Napster creator and Facebook investor Sean Parker, and Tesla Motors and SpaceX honcho Elon Musk all attended. So did Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), political guru Karl Rove, House Speaker Paul Ryan, GOP Sens. Tom Cotton (Ark.), Cory Gardner (Colo.), Tim Scott (S.C.), Rob Portman (Ohio) and Ben Sasse (Neb.), who recently made news by saying he cannot support Donald Trump. Recently, it was reported by Cleveland.com that Ohio lost 112,500 jobs in 2015 resulting from the United States trade deficit with countries that are part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. Additionally, the EPI s findings state that an estimated 2 million jobs have already been lost due to the TPP and that half of those were in manufacturing industry.Above all else, Trump s non-interventionist outlook on the Middle East and his diplomatic approach to Israel and Palestine, as well as his strong position on free trade deals such as the TPP and TTIP, have all contributed to placing the outspoken candidate on the political chopping block.Such is the curious case of Donald J. Trump AMERICAN PSYCHO? Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney propelled Trump s campaign despite his desperate appeal to the public last week in a staged pre-debate speech. (Photo link cowgernation)Political Attack DogsThe anti-Trump coalition consists of the Republican Party establishment, the Leftwing and the mainstream media and each of these factions are presently at war with Trump and his campaign.From the onset, you could see the horror in TV broadcasters eyes when confronted by Trump a media mogul himself who knows how to conduct a symphony on the airwaves. In many respects, he s their worst nightmare a politician who can outplay them in their media manipulation game.For the American Leftwing, he induces revulsion, and for good reason his ability to tame the media has enabled him to discard the political correctness which governs US media discourse.The most sustained attack however, is coming from his own party. In the September of 2015, here at 21WIRE, we discussed how neoconservatives within the Republican Party were incensed when Trump first launched his presidential campaign bid over the summer. Flashing forward to now, it s even more apparent that the media and the dying GOP party elite have attempted to shanghai Trump and the public during his unexpected political rise.Since last summer, there s been a host of media pundits and Washington figureheads looking to take on Trump in a kinda of metaphorical Thunderdome, something which has routinely played out before millions of TV viewers and one by one, each has become politically castrated, spayed or otherwise cast aside by the outspoken tycoon.You don t have to take my word for it, just ask Meghan Kelley, Lindsay Graham, Jeb Bush, as well as former FOX News favorite and PNAC (Project for a New American Century) waving neocon, Marco Rubio a list, that may now include Mitt Romney, following his dirty, scripted propaganda speech meant to quell Trump s primary rise.It seems this year more than any other, the American public has peeled away at the politically fixed halls of FOX, CNN and others, as mainstream networks have deliberately attempted to derail Trump through a plethora of designer media attacks, timely gotcha questions, ambush-style interviews and scripted debate forums working in concert to keep the apparent GOP outsider off-balance throughout the entire presidential nomination process. Astute observers of the GOP nomination process, might conclude that many media personalities, political insiders and beltway lobbyists are comfortable with America s long ago chartered cruise towards global ambiguity and perpetual stagnation, rather than to take a chance on new blood.In fact, The Grand Old Party pet-parade nearly flatlined last week after enlisting Bain Capital businessman and former Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney to unleash a scathing nationally televised assessment of Trump s presidential qualifications.Bain Capital, is an investment firm with a rich history of litigation concerning claims of disgruntled investors over profits, as well as a global company with big ties to military defense, aerospace and big agricultural giants like Monsanto.Romney s recent pre-GOP debate speech appeared to be a last-ditch effort directed by neoconservative strategists to silence Trump s campaign but it led to a huge backlash and in the process, revealed the former governor s role as political spoiler (and thus damaged goods), as evidenced by his support of Bush-approved candidate John Kasich.Romney s speech, piggy-backed anti-Trump hashtag campaigns (#nevertrump and #stoptrump) that emerged in the weeks following an article by well-known neoconservative strategist, Peter Wehner on why he wouldn t support a Trump presidency.Here s a You Tube clip of Fox News contributor Judge Jeanine Pirro condemning Romney for awakening a sleeping giant among the US electorate The Shape of ThingsMitt Romney and the billionaire boys club are out for blood.Trump is using big media to put out some dangerous ideas like the prospect for a peace deal between Israel and Palestine, and d tente with Russia, and also calling out the clear fraud of the Iraq War, as well as NATO s bombardment in Libya as Trump stated, Libya would be better off if we had left Gaddafi in power. If the politicians had gone to the beach instead, and did nothing, we d be better off in Libya and Iraq than we are today. Romney represents the financial and investment wing of the military industrial complex and an Israel first foreign policy. Along with John McCain, Romney is one of their inside men embedded inside the US political establishment.This is what Trump is really up against.It doesn t stop there, the dirty politricks continued this week as Rubio urged his supporters to vote for rival presidential candidate and Governor of Ohio John Kasich (a close Bush-family friend), with the Florida Senator stating, If you re a Republican primary voter in Ohio, and you don t want Donald Trump to be the nominee, John Kasich is your best bet. Incidentally, Jeb Bush met with three non-Trump candidates (Cruz, Rubio Kasich?) in Miami this week, a month after dropping out of the presidential race, due to his poor campaign results. The situation was described by the Wall Street Journal as the following: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who ended his 2016 candidacy last month after months of sparring with Mr. Trump, met with each of the three non-Trump candidates this week in Miami, though he hasn t offered direction on how to block Mr. Trump s path. On another interesting note, early in March, according to The Hill, CEO of FOX News, Roger Ailes, dropped his support for Rubio, if true, the move would signify this latest strategy to use Romney and Kasich as a way to undermine Trump s campaign. Here s the excerpt reported by The Hill: We re finished with Rubio, Roger Ailes told one of the network s hosts recently, according to three unnamed sources. We can t do the Rubio thing anymore. Flashing forward to this past week, Trump loyalist Roger Stone, wrote a revealing article entitled Ted Cruz, A Bush By Another Name, which detailed GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz s close relationship to the Bush family. Here s a passage from Stone s recent piece at The Daily Caller: Neil Bush, the son of President George H. W. Bush, who defrauded U.S. taxpayers out of $1.5 billion dollars in the savings and loan scam, and later peddled influence for the Chinese government, (who plied him with Chinese prostitutes) has formally endorsed Senator Ted Cruz for president. You can t make this stuff up. The Bush-Cruz connection is clear. Ted was George W. s brain when he ran for president. A top policy adviser, Ted maneuvered for Solicitor General in Bush World but settled for a plum at the Federal Trade Commission. Ted s a Bush man with deep ties to the political and financial establishment. Ted and wife Heidi brag about being the first Bush marriage they met as Bush staffers. SEE ALSO: Ted Cruz comes up empty on Obamacare as government continues debt scamAs the political claws are fully out now, the recent words of Pulitzer prize nominated journo, Jon Rappoport, comes to mind: A true populist leader would accept the fact that working through usual channels, to bring about stunning changes, is a loser. The enemy is entrenched. The enemy controls the landscape. The enemy controls the machinery. Where is the populist s strength coming from? Only one place: the people who are supporting him. So he has to go back to that well, over and over again. And now he can. While pondering Trump s rivals and populism, there s a deeper agenda concerning 2016 and beyond, something which was recently pointed out here at 21WIRE.In October of 2014, The Boston Globe published a stirring article rarely seen in the mainstream entitled Vote all you want. The secret government won t change. The Globe piece covered Tufts University political scientist Michael J. Glennon s detailed perspective on the political process in America. The article included an in-depth discussion about Glennon s book National Security and Double Government, a book that gives the public an inside look into the collusion between neoconservative and neoliberal political strategy on the global stage in particular, counterterrorism policies that are routinely followed by president after president.The idea of concealed policy between neoconservatives and neoliberals was further confirmed when Robert Kagan, a co-founder and co-author of The Project for the New American Century, recently endorsed Hillary Clinton for President.This was a big story, but it barely kept the media s attention span for longer than a week.Indeed, Kagan s endorsement should provide a window for people to see the so-called (neo) conservative players behind the scenes that might have helped Clinton escape the Benghazi scandal and might step in to rescue her from her ongoing national security related email case with the FBI.Clinton s exploits in Libya are well documented and her recent endorsement by neocon strategist Kagan, is just one more glaring example of political complicity, no matter who gets elected as the president of America, the foreign policy machinations are controlled by the same operators.Coincidentally or not, Kagan also appears to be linked to Romney s anti-trump plea to the public.In a catchy call to arms, a deeply biased political plea was published on the website called War On The Rocks. The piece featured an impassioned rant from those directly connected to the military industrial complex. In fact, many war party operatives, put their seal of approval on the message including Robert Kagan, as well as Former Homeland Security secretary, Michael Chertoff, (the Chertoff Group manufactured the TSA body scanners used in most major airports) as well as over hundred other political operatives.To those aware of these tactics, the War On The Rocks Trump hit-piece, read like a foreign policy business as usual dossier, with a heavy-handed characterization of mogul, while completely misrepresenting some of Washington s most notorious military interventions in recent memory. TRUMP CARD Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump posters adorn Trump s Nevada caucus rally. (Photo link ulinet)Socially Engineered Flash Mobs Go Viral The political game changers are fully after the Trump campaign now, as the George Soros funded advocacy group MoveOn, played a large role in the Chicago University student organized shutdown at the Trump rally this past Friday, as well as a host of other splinter groups associated with Black Lives Matter (BLM) and supporters for Bernie Sanders. BLACK BLOC Black bloc provocateurs, have violently escalated protest movements since the 1980 s, including 2011 s Occupy Wall Street Movement. (Photo link examiner)The echoes are still felt from the Soros funded protests in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 and the Baltimore riots of 2015, something which immediately recalls the misguided machinations of The Occupy Movement (aka OWS) in 2011, an event that turned out to be a think-tank-spun divide and conquer stratagem designed to push naive participants into violent action. CHICAGO CHAOS Bernie Sanders supporters join Black Lives Matter linked groups to shutdown Trump rally. (Photo link twitter)Back in January, MoveOn publicly endorsed the Bernie Sanders campaign in what appeared to be a call to action for BLM associated groups seen backing Sanders. It s worth mentioning, that MoveOn, also supported the Obama campaign in 2008, according to the website, Sanders is the only other candidate to threshold for an endorsement. From here on out, professional political agitator flash mobs, will be mobilized at future Trump campaign events, making it very difficult to run a normal campaign taking away Trump s strength in numbers at his rallies. This was confirmed in Ohio recently, after a BLM activist and Sanders supporter, stormed the stage, shortly after Trump started speaking.In a Politico article entitled Major donors consider funding Black Lives Matter, we gain deeper insight into the political funding for BLM and the Soros linked Democratic Alliance: Major donors are usually not as radical or confrontational as activists most in touch with the pain of oppression, said Steve Phillips, a Democracy Alliance member and significant contributor to Democratic candidates and causes. He donated to a St. Louis nonprofit group called the Organization for Black Struggle that helped organize 2014 Black Lives Matter-related protests in Ferguson, Missouri, over the police killing of a black teenager named Michael Brown. And Phillips and his wife, Democracy Alliance board member Susan Sandler, are in discussions about funding other groups involved in the movement. It worth noting Soros, a long time contributor to Hillary Clinton, donated $2 million in PAC money in 2015 and January of 2016, Soros reportedly gave $8 million to boost Clinton s campaign. Soros also recently funded $15 million to Latino groups looking to stop Trump s rise towards a potential GOP nomination and beyond.Any bloodshed at the hands of vigilante mobs at Trump rallies, should be the responsibility of those who of have sought to politicize and fund this agenda from the very beginning.Look for these political engineers, to pit choreographed conservative and liberal groups against each other at Trump s rallies or events in the future as all of these hostile uprisings are by design.During the Days of Rage in 1969, the FBI was said to have been tracking specific members of the Students for a Democratic Society. The SDS was heavily connected to 60 s political agitators turned domestic terrorists, The Weather Underground. Many concluded that the group s leader, Bill Ayers, was an interloper looking for new recruits that were easily manipulated into hostile action.This begs the question: Are government agencies still infiltrating political advocacy groups to push social change?The disruptions at Trump rallies are a form of modern class warfare, one that disguises its true intentions, eroding national sovereignty through a series of upheavals, while presenting shock and awe imagery in order to manipulate the public s political perspective.Amazingly through it all, Trump s still been able to confound his opposition in the aftermath of a barrage of attacks, propelling his popularity even to even higher levels.The Ides of March primaries will be a good barometer to see what impact these chaotic clashes may have on Trump s campaign moving forward.It still remains to be seen if Trump s dynamic political vision for America will push the country further into authoritarianism or whether he can unite an embattled nation by restoring international relations throughout the world.But one thing is for sure there s no doubt now that a systematic design is in place to unseat the GOP frontrunner and the public should question why READ MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

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March 14, 2016

Trump Faces Off With CNN’s Jake Tapper Over Event Fistacuffs

21st Century Wire says After last Friday night s clash between Democratic Party students and Republican Trump supporters in Chicago, mainstream media outlets, Republican and Democratic candidates are all taking aim at Donald Trump going into the pivotal Super Tuesday primary contest.Watch as CNN s Jake Tapper and Donald Trump tossel on-air, as the CNN presenter accuses the Republican front runner of causing violence at his rallies

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March 14, 2016

Episode #126 – SUNDAY WIRE: ‘Déjà vu 1968!’ with guests Matthew Richer and Basil Valentine

Episode #126 of SUNDAY WIRE SHOW resumes this Sunday March 13, 2016 as host Patrick Henningsen broadcasts 3 HOURS of power-packed talk radio LIVE on ACR LISTEN LIVE ON THIS PAGE AT THE FOLLOWING SCHEDULED SHOW TIMES:SUNDAYS 5pm-8pm UK Time | 12pm-3pm ET (US) | 9am-12pm PT (US)This week s very special edition of THE SUNDAY WIRE is broadcasting LIVE with host Patrick Henningsen covering the top news stories internationally. In the first hour we cover America s wild 2016 primary election race and Donald Trump s 1968 moment which took place in Chicago this week, as well as the accelerating agenda in Libya. At the 30 min mark we ll feature this week s SHOUT! Poll on freedom of speech and assembly. In the second hour we re joined by writer Matthew Richer to discuss America s explosive Trump paradigm. In third hour we connect with Basil Valentine for a breakdown of US voter and election fraud, Germany s migrant crisis, Brexit and the coming summer of uncertainty. Is it 1968 all over again?SHOUT! POLL: SHOULD PROTESTERS BE ALLOWED TO SHUT DOWN POLITICAL RALLIES? VOTE HERE.Strap yourselves in and lower the blast shield this is your brave new world *NOTE: THIS EPISODE MAY CONTAIN STRONG LANGUAGE AND MATURE THEMES* // <![CDATA[ broadstreet.zone(46707); // ]]&gt;

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March 13, 2016

GOD SQUAD: Jury Finds Polygamous Mormon Towns Guilty of Discriminating Against ‘Non-Believers’

Jamie Ross Courthouse News ServicePHOENIX Two towns on the Arizona-Utah border dominated by members of a fundamentalist Mormon sect discriminated against residents who are not members of the church, a jury found Monday afternoon, granting $2.2 million in damages to six residents.The U.S. government sued Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah in 2012, accusing the border towns of denying police protection, water and housing to nonmembers of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church s leader, Warren Jeffs, is imprisoned in Texas for life plus 20 years for the sexual abuse of two young girls he had taken as his spiritual wives. INSULATED: Hilldale s religious enclave has triggered America s curiosity.The jury returned the verdict after nearly seven weeks of testimony, finding that the towns engaged in religious discrimination of nonmembers of the church in violation of the First Amendment s establishment clause. Another aspect of the verdict found that the towns police force the Colorado City Marshal s Office violated the Fourth and 14th Amendments by subjecting nonmembers to unreasonable search and seizures and arrest without probable cause.The jury also found that Colorado City, Hildale and the cities water utility, the Twin City Water Authority, violated the Fair Housing Act. Obviously, we should ve went a different way, but we respect the process, said Blake Hamilton, an attorney for Hildale, after the verdict was announced. The case is far from over, said Colorado City attorney Jeff Matura. [The Justice Department] will have to propose what kind of injunctive relief they want. After deliberating for three days, the jury awarded six residents $2.2 million in damages for discrimination. The amount is not binding.During trial, the towns and the Justice Department entered into a $1.6 million settlement to cover damages suffered by the individuals, and possible civil penalties and fines.Christopher Jessop testified that church security ran his son off the road, and that the Marshal s Office helped cover it up.Nicknamed the God Squad, church security is said to monitor current and former FLDS members and keep an eye out for outside law enforcement.Jessop also testified that the Marshal s Office failed to investigate dozens of incidents of vandalism against his vehicle. The jury awarded him $1 million.Another $1 million will go to John Cook, a man repeatedly denied a water connection on a property to park his trailer. Cook eventually received a water connection but could not afford to move his trailer onto the property since he was forced to move elsewhere Read more at Courthouse NewsREAD MORE RELIGIOUS NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Religion Files

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March 12, 2016

SHOUT! POLL: Should Protesters Be Allowed to Shut Down Political Rallies?

21st Century Wire asks HAVE YOUR SHOUT: Friday night in Chicago saw an unprecedented incident where flash mobs from an opposing political party were successful in shutting down a presidential political rally. We ask our readers if protesters should be allowed to shut down political rallies.Vote, comment and share below READ MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

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March 12, 2016

Chicago Community Organizers Mobilize Flash Mobs to Shut Down Trump Campaign Rally

21st Century Wire says The 2016 Election has been one of many firsts. Last night saw an unprecedented incident where flash mobs from an opposing political party were successful in shutting down a presidential political rally.Up to this point, GOP front-runner Donald Trump was getting hit from every conceivable angle, but mostly from his own party. Last night things took a disturbing partisan turn Early Friday evening, thousands of Trump attendees were already people packed into an indoor arena at the University of Illinois in Chicago, when the event was suddenly canceled after hundreds of young Democrat student protesters took the venue floor, before clashing with Trump s Republican supporters only minutes before the candidate was due was to speak. WATCH: Protesters chant "We stopped Trump!" after #TrumpRally canceled https://t.co/oAt9cO5yZI (Credit: Dan Gilroy) pic.twitter.com/GPsz1NkQTG CBS News (@CBSNews) March 12, 2016Scenes of tense confrontations, including fist fights, dominated media coverage with many broadcasters, including Don Lemon from CNN, blaming Donald Trump himself for the mobilization of the protesters and even called for Trump to take responsibility for the violence.Trump s election opponents took advantage of the media may-lay, with Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Ted Cruz and Gov. John Kasich, all condemning the disruptions at first, before laying blame on Trump, saying he alone was responsible for the tone and tenor at his rallies. Cruz took the media opportunity to say that Trump affirmatively encourages violence. Expect More Social Justice MobsDemocrat Party website MoveOn.org posted that hateful Trump and his supporters have been put on notice and to expect flash mobs at all Trump political events in the future.Democrat Party activists initially tried to pressure civic authorities to prevent the event from happening with student activists claiming fears for their safety referring to African-American and Hispanic students fears of Trump supporters coming to the area. A petition was started on MoveOn.org and managed to get roughly 5,000 signatures. When authorities refused to cancel the event beforehand, Democrat Party activists then began organizing a large street agitation. Following a week-long social media and political community organizing campaign, young student Democrats and social justice activists converged on the venue last night, with signs and banners with anti-Trump slogans, including signs depicting the GOP candidate as Adolph Hitler, as well as other creative protest displays.Welp. This happened. #TrumpRally pic.twitter.com/b1ROhhLKzH Ryan Smith (@RyanSmithWriter) March 12, 2016Chaos breaks out at canceled @realDonaldTrump rally in Chicago -OTR #greta #TrumpRally @FoxNewshttps://t.co/b0CgIVyQz3 Greta Van Susteren (@greta) March 12, 2016Outside of the arena, approximately 2,000 more protesters were positioned along the road hoping to confront Trump supporters as they exited the arena. Hundreds of police, including officers on horseback acted as a barrier between the flash mobs and the venue. Law enforcement managed to re-route Trump supporters via other egress points which avoided a street confrontation.The Chicago Police Department arrested and detained four men and a woman at the event.READ MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

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March 12, 2016

BOILER ROOM – EP #47 – Establishment Hitmen & Media Hacks

Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST every Wednesday. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher, & Spore along with Daniel Spaulding of Soul of the East, Andy Nowicki from Alt Right Blogspot, Patrick Henningsen of 21stcenturywire & ACR/21Wire contributor Randy J. In this broadcast listeners will be hearing us go around the BOILER ROOM on the typically unexpected variations of conversation including what we ve deemed Pre-Trump-Matic Stress Disorder, voting machine and facial hacking, Hollywood celebs who think Trump is Hitler, Beck getting away with threats of multiple stab wounds, the Orwellian use of the term establishment, our analysis of mainstream media behaving as disinformation operatives, Syria, Yemen, Libya and the Boiler Room break-down on the new bombshell video showing the LaVoy Finicum assassination in Oregon. Is the Federal narrative of Tinicum s death up against the ropes?! If you want to participate, bring something interesting to throw into the boiler Join us in the ALTERNATE CURRENT RADIO chat room.BOILER ROOM IS NOT A POLICTALLY CORRECT ZONE! LISTEN TO THE RECORDING IN THE PLAYER BELOW ENJOY!

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March 10, 2016

DARPA Spending $62 Million to Create Military Cyborgs

21st Century Wire says Science fiction is now science fact.Watch a video of this report here: DARPA s program director for the project says the implant is seeking to open the channel between the human brain and modern electronics. A statement from DARPA said it will enable data-transfer bandwidth between the human brain and the digital world, feeding digital auditory or visual information into the brain. The research agency claims the project is not intended for military purposes, yet experts believe it will have many military applications. While it could potentially restore senses to injured veterans, it could also be used to heighten the senses of perfectly healthy soldiers.Moreover, let us not forget that it is the Pentagon, the military s central command, whom controls the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency.Either way, DARPA is seeking to perfect the cyborg an individual with both organic and mechanical body parts.If this device could be used to heighten the awareness of an individual s surroundings, could it also be manipulated to present a misleading perspective on what is happening around the implanted person?Could a soldier be manipulated into believing something was happening due to a certain message being transmitted to the implant, when in actual fact something entirely different was occurring in reality?Such devices present incredibly hard questions for accountability.However, Steven Pinker, a cognitive scientist from Harvard, is sceptical that the device could ever work: We have little to no idea how exactly the brain codes complex information My guess is that it s a waste of taxpayer dollars. Despite these concerns, DARPA is pressing ahead with the project.Do you think we are now a step closer to cyborg super soldiers, or just wasting $62 million?LEARN ALL ABOUT MILITARY SPENDING: 21WIRE Military Industrial Complex Files

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March 9, 2016

‘Vote All You Want, The Secret Government Won’t Change.’

21st Century Wire says Those who pull the strings behind the curtain will be a lot harder to get rid of than the puppets which they control.Watch a video of this report here:Tufts University political scientist Michael J. Glennon gave a strong warning to the American people back in 2014 that you can vote all you want but the Secret Government won t change.Glennon s argument is that a small clique of so-called national security experts, who might otherwise be called elites from the military industrial complex, are always influencing policy makers and over-emphasising security threats.Currently, the only candidate posing a real threat to these elites appears to be Donald Trump, who is claiming he wants to get along with foreign countries , particularly Russia.But, what is the main reason why we cannot fix this problem? Glennon says it s the pervasive political ignorance on the part of the American people .Here are the key questions and responses from the interview:What evidence exists for saying America has a double government?GLENNON: I was curious why a president such as Barack Obama would embrace the very same national security and counterterrorism policies that he campaigned eloquently against. Why would that president continue those same policies in case after case after case? Why would policy makers hand over the national-security keys to unelected officials?GLENNON: It hasn t been a conscious decision. Members of Congress are generalists and need to defer to experts within the national security realm, as elsewhere. They are particularly concerned about being caught out on a limb having made a wrong judgment about national security and tend, therefore, to defer to experts, who tend to exaggerate threats. The courts similarly tend to defer to the expertise of the network that defines national security policy.Isn t this just another way of saying that big bureaucracies are difficult to change?GLENNON: It s much more serious than that. These particular bureaucracies don t set truck widths or determine railroad freight rates. They make nerve-center security decisions that in a democracy can be irreversible, that can close down the marketplace of ideas, and can result in some very dire consequences.Couldn t Obama s national-security decisions just result from the difference in vantage point between being a campaigner and being the commander-in-chief, responsible for 320 million lives?GLENNON: There is an element of what you described. There is not only one explanation or one cause for the amazing continuity of American national security policy. But obviously there is something else going on when policy after policy after policy all continue virtually the same way that they were in the George W. Bush administration.This isn t how we re taught to think of the American political system.GLENNON: I think the American people are deluded to believe that the institutions that provide the public face actually set American national security policy. They believe that when they vote for a president or member of Congress or succeed in bringing a case before the courts, that policy is going to change. Now, there are many counter-examples in which these branches do affect policy. But the larger picture is still true policy by and large in the national security realm is made by the concealed institutions.Do we have any hope of fixing the problem?GLENNON: The ultimate problem is the pervasive political ignorance on the part of the American people. And indifference to the threat that is emerging from these concealed institutions. That is where the energy for reform has to come from: the American people. Not from government. Government is very much the problem here. The people have to take the bull by the horns. And that s a very difficult thing to do, because the ignorance is in many ways rational. There is very little profit to be had in learning about, and being active about, problems that you can t affect, policies that you can t change.Read Mark Glennon s 2014 epic Op Ed from the Boston Globe here GET THE FULL STORY ON THE 2016 ELECTION: 21st Century Wire Election Files

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March 9, 2016

New Evidence Shows Foul Play, Cover-up by FBI and OSP in Shooting of LaVoy Finicum – DOJ Opens New Investigation

21st Century Wire says The mainstream media called it case closed after the FBI released its aerial footage of the ambush and shooting of LaVoy Finicum. Now, new evidence reveals that there was likely foul play and a misrepresentation by Federal and State authorities involved in the recent killing of rancher and protester LaVoy Finicum.As 21WIRE reported at the time (although ignored by the Oregonian and other mainstream media outlets) that without any audio track to synch with the FBI s aerial footage, it was impossible to really tell when shots were fired and if the official story was actually true. At the time, FBI Special Agent in Charge, Greg Bretzing, insisted that their footage provided an honest and unfiltered view of what happened. However, new evidence tells different story, and appears to demonstrate exactly how the official story was intentionally distorted by authorities in order to cover-up what really happened that day.At yesterday s Deschutes County Sheriff s Office press conference, officials claimed that the state trooper tactical team members were justified in killing Finicum because the officers feared for their lives. However, authorities are now saying that the FBI agents involved are now being investigated for firing shots and never reporting them.Mike Arnold, an attorney representing the Bundys explained on Tuesday, The public deserved to have the video, with audio and sound, released immediately after the shooting. Now we know why it wasn t released: the public would have heard the shots that the government didn t want it to hear. The following presentation revealed at yesterday s press conference shows previously released FBI aerial footage synched together with a newly released cellphone video from passenger Shauna Cox recorded while inside Finicum s truck. Among other things, this new video proves that police fired first on the vehicle before anyone had even exited the vehicle. Watch: Most importantly, this new evidence reveals what happened immediately after that crash, and this could very well lead to criminal charges against the FBI agents and members of the Oregon State Police tactical units. According to today s Washington Post: Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson said two bullets believed to be fired by FBI agents did not strike Finicum, who was hit by three rounds fired by state troopers. But Nelson announced at a news conference Tuesday that because the FBI agents did not disclose their shots to investigators, nor did they disclose specific actions they took after the shooting, his office and the Justice Department would both investigate. The new video, combined with a brand new disclosure by a team of local investigators points towards a conspiracy by agents and members of an elite national unit who appear to have lied about events at the police ambush and LaVoy Finicum s death has now prompted a new investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, led by Inspector General Michael Horowitz.Finicum Shot in the BackAmong other details, newly released findings show that two state troopers shot Finicum three times in the back during the police ambush Jan. 26, 2016. An autopsy revealed that one of the bullets pierced Finicum s heart.Another shocking point of this investigation shows the complete incompetence and negligence on the part of officers positioned in front and behind LaVoy Finicum creating a dangerous cross-fire situation, something which professional officers are taught to avoid, for obvious reasons.Mainstream Yellow JournalismThe mainstream media are still standing by their slanted terminology by describing the incident as a traffic stop , presumably to downplay the premeditated operation by Federal and State authorities to intercept the two vehicles (both the Oregonian, the Washington Post and many other mainstream media outlets all used this skewed language at the time).Clearly, by any sober estimation of the incident, this was an elaborate, staged ambush involving dozens of vehicles and special tactical teams, and yet every mainstream media news outlet covered the incident with a pro-government bias where the victim was assumed guilty while the government was assumed innocent. Not surprisingly, this coverage quickly turned public opinion against Finicum and anyone else protesting similar issues. One example of the public hate that was generated against Finicum can be found in the comment section of many articles on the website Gawker where Gawker readers celebrated Finicum s death:Tens of thousands of similar hate comments can be found throughout many mainstream media articles and on social media. This fact proves how pivotal the mainstream media s skewed coverage was in turning sections of the population against the protesters in Oregon despite the fact that Finicum s killing was an obvious ambush and a clear escalation of violence on the part of the government.Stay tuned for more updates at 21WIRE.SEE MORE OREGON STANDOFF NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Oregon Standoff Files

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March 9, 2016

Trump, Sanders Win Big In Michigan – Trump, Clinton Take Mississippi

21st Century Wire says Rich men love to gamble. Over the last few weeks, tens of millions of dollars have been spent by US elites to try and derail Donald Trump s Republican primary juggernaut. Tonight s election results showed what a colossal waste of money this was. Trump recorded pivotal wins in the rust belt and also in the deep south with GOP victories in both Michigan (36%) and in Mississippi GOP (48%). Tonight s double win helps Trump extend his delegate lead over his party competitors a strong sign heading into the next Super Tuesday contest March 15th.Ohio Gov. John Kasich had his strongest showing yet in Michigan effectively tying for second at 24% with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Interestingly, the GOP establishment favorite Florida Senator Marco Rubio hardly registered on the tote board, finishing with only 9% of the vote in Michigan, and only 4% in Mississippi. Other states holding contests today are Idaho and Hawaii, with results still pending.He may not have won big in terms of margins, but Democrat challenger Bernie Sanders shocked the media and the Democrat Party operatives by edging the establishment favorite Hillary Clinton, 49% to 48%, in the key working class battleground of Michigan a state which everyone thought was a lock for the Clinton campaign.Hillary Clinton won comfortably in Mississippi with 82% of the vote. Her Mississippi win gives her a delegate lead with 685 pledged delegates for Clinton, and 477 for Sanders.Clinton has already secure an overwhelming lead, 461 -25, in the establishment s controversial Super Delegate sweepstakes a parallel system created by party insiders in 1982 in order to hedge against outsider candidates.SEE MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

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March 8, 2016

Iraq Redux: US-led Sanctions Against Syria Are Hurting Real People, Helping Real Terrorists

Eva Bartlett RT OpEdgeThis month, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation interviewed Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban, Political and Media Advisor to Syria s President. The methods used to undermine Shaaban s message should come as no surprise.The interview was typical of the infrequent times corporate media has bothered to interview Dr. Shaaban: loaded lexicon, pre-priming the audience with false allegations about the Syrian government, repeatedly cutting-off the high-ranking guest, and a notably rude and condescending demeanor not afforded to guests who tow the NATO narrative on Syria.As with other top Syrian representatives, Shaaban is made out to be non-credible by corporate media pundits when they deign to interview her. They actively work to discredit Syrian officials while at the same time putting forth claims that Wahhabi terrorists are rebels and Syrian representatives and those warring on Syria are concerned about widespread suffering in the country. Zein Abudllah, 8, injured by shrapnel to his face in the December 12, 2015, triple terrorist bombing in al-Zahra a, Homs. Eva BartlettSanctions: It is the Syrian People Who Are SufferingDr. Shaaban emphasized the Syrian realities at a meeting in her office in December.A crucially-important issue that media pundits ignore is that of the crippling sanctions on Syria. In terms of how to provide actual relief to the Syrian people, Dr. Shaaban stated: The first thing the West should do in this battle against terrorism is to lift the sanctions from the Syrian people. The sanctions are helping terrorists against the Syrian people, who are suffering doubly from the terrorists and from Western measures against the Syrian people. Stephen Gowans recently wrote about the US government s long-time plans to topple the Syrian government, sanctions being one part of the plot. Documents prepared by US Congress researchers as early as 2005 revealed that the US government was actively weighing regime change in Syria. As an alternative to direct military intervention to topple the Syrian government, the United States chose to pressure Damascus through sanctions and support for the internal Syrian opposition. The advocacy website, End The Sanctions on Syria, notes: Similar sanctions on Iraq in the 1990s were shown to have caused the deaths of more than half a million Iraqi children. The site went on to report that (as of May 2014), 701 of 1,921 Syrian health centres have been completely gutted by the terrorist attacks. Yet rehabilitation of these centres is retarded by the US-EU sanctions, which have already left a deep mark on the healthcare system including by blocking access to medicines, medical equipment, transport and communications. A May 27, 2015 article in The Lancet reports: The cost of basic food items has risen six-fold since 2010, although it varies regionally. With the exception of drugs for cancer and diabetes, Syria was 95 percent self-sufficient in terms of drug production before the war. This has virtually collapsed as have many hospitals and primary health-care centres.Economic sanctions have not removed the President: only civilians are in the line of fire, attested to by the dire state of household and macro-economies. Sanctions are among the biggest causes of suffering for the people of Syria. Journalist who returned from #ISIS HQ tells RT how jihadists can be defeated https://t.co/EO1nr5UOGA pic.twitter.com/xq7Q2mgeKE RT (@RT_com) November 22, 2015Western ContradictionsFrom 2011 to May 2014, Russia (as well as China) has used its veto four times against unjust UN Security Council draft Resolutions against Syria. In September 2015, upon request of the Syrian government, Russian fighter planes entered Syrian airspace, from the start doing what the US-led coalition had purported it would do: targeting terrorist hotbeds in Syria.Although continually vilified in Western media, Russia s requested and welcomed intervention in Syria complements their consistent anti-Western-intervention stance.In contrast, in the year and a half that the US-led coalition has been illegally violating Syrian skies, they ve done little to stop terrorists movements and have repeatedly accidentally dropped supplies to terrorist factions, while terrorists transit through hundreds of miles of open desert, thereby prolonging the otherwise-real fight against terrorism being waged by the Syrian army and allies.On Western diplomacy, Dr. Shaaban remarked: The contradictory statements coming from the West are puzzling, to say the least. Even when he (US Secretary of State John Kerry) said we are not seeking regime change, the US ambassador at the UN (Samantha Powers) said President Assad had to go. Then, Kerry gave a statement in the Security Council that he agreed with Russia that it is up to the Syrian people to decide their destiny and their government. Then President Obama comes and says, no, President Assad has to go. Indeed, aside from being immoral and criminal, the various statements and actions of Western leaders are borderline-schizophrenic.Obama has flip-flopped on his Assad must go position, his latest declaration alleging peace will not come until Assad is out of power .Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Vice President Joe Biden have both flexed military muscles, saying America is ready to take direct action on the ground in Syria and ready for a military solution in Syria.In contrast, on February 9, 2016, State Department Spokesperson, John Kirby, pledged: There s not going to be a military solution to this conflict. It has to be solved politically. And more importantly, it has to be solved by Syrians. Kerry, in his most absurd Kerry-ism yet, is reiterating the must go line and waffling on about a Plan B and a partition of Syria. Here is the difference between them and Russia. If you take the statements of Putin or Lavrov from the beginning of the crisis until now, you find them consistent, in line with each other. You find them coming from a stand against terrorism, that countries have sovereignties, and that it is the people of these countries who should decide the future of the country, with no foreign intervention. All of their stands are in line with international legitimacy and with UN resolutions.That s why the stand of the Russians, for us, is a noble stand. As Putin said, they are defending the national security of Russia and Syria, which is true. Turkey: Warring on Syria There s no dialogue between us and Turkey, none at all. Turkey continues to support terrorism in Syria. If you imagine a Syria without an 800 km border with Turkey, these terrorists could not have come to Syria. Turkey is an accomplice in this war on Syria.In Iraq, Turkey withdrew, because President Obama called Erdogan to withdraw from Iraq. This also shows that when the United States wants them to stop, they stop, Shaaban said.A recent article on Consortium News emphasized precisely this point: The U.S. traditionally has held tremendous power over client states like Turkey and Saudi Arabia. So, an order from Washington is usually enough to get such governments to back down. Referencing Turkey s recent shelling of Azaz in Aleppo, it noted: Turkey s attacks also are aimed at preventing the Syrian government from sealing the Turkish border where the Islamic State and other jihadist groups have smuggled across fighters, weapons and other supplies into Syria as well as oil from Syria into Turkey. According to Dr. Shaaban, Western countries keep silent about Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, because these are the three countries which are financing, arming and facilitating terrorism into our country. Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Bashar al-Ja afari (image from Syrianews.cc) Our people are the victims of this terrorism On December 13, the day I arrived in Syria, terrorists rained more mortars than usual on Damascus. I asked Dr. Shaaban the pointedly rhetorical question of whether Western leaders condemned this or other terrorist acts in Syria. Nobody speaks about mortars hitting our cities, our civilians. These missiles are hitting our schools, our hospitals, and people on the street. They are not targeting the army.Many countries have the technology which could detect these mortars and save the lives of civilians. But with the sanctions being imposed on Syria, nobody will give us this technology. She cited the December 17, 2015 passing of UNSC Resolution #2253, on halting the financing and support of terrorism, emphasizing, There are so many resolutions before that: 2170, 2178, 2199. The latest, a 28-page resolution, covers asset freeze, travel ban, arms embargo and listing criteria for ISIL, Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertaking and entities, the UN s press release noted. However, given that the US itself continues to arm terrorists, it is likely this last resolution will not have the desired effect of truly stopping terrorism in Syria. Our people are the victims of this terrorism. Syria is a secular country, so many ethnicities and religions have lived peacefully together for thousands of years. Syria is an example of tolerance, of love, Dr. Shaaban observed, before imploring Western people to understand that in Syria, mothers, children, fathers, grandchildren people, like any people in the world, would like to live in peace and security and are suffering from terrorism. Syria refuses to surrenderJust before leaving Syria last December, I was invited to the Joy Choir s Christmas concert. The day prior, President al-Assad and First Lady Asma al-Assad visited the practising choir. Photos and videos of the event evidence the choir s delight at the drop-in. The following evening, the church was so packed that lines of hopeful attendees spilled onto the sidewalk. I mentioned this to Dr. Shaaban. I saw the photos. This is something that you cannot fabricate. You can see from their faces how happy they were, Shaaban replied. I m very proud of our people. Because President Assad went there the night before, you could expect that some people would be afraid to go, because it might be targeted by the terrorists. Yet the church was crowded. The people were determined to be there, whether it got targeted or not. The Notre Dame de Damas Church is indeed in close proximity to the terrorist-occupied area of Jobar, which regularly fire mortars, hell-cannons, and rockets on Damascus. This is the merit of the Syrian people. They do not fear death. The world wants to destroy us, and the Syrian people are saying no in every kind of way. When there is a terrorist missile, for example on Bab Touma, immediately after, people are out on the streets. We refuse to die. We refuse to surrender, Shaaban emphasized.Indeed, on my December visit to various parts of Homs, including the Old City, there was evidence of the pulse of life: new shops and stalls opened; homes and restaurants rehabilitated.A more recent example of this resilience involves the terror-bombed and ravaged neighborhood of al-Zahra a in Homs, which I also visited in December. Tragically, it has been hit by terrorists car and suicide bombings three more times since the December 12th triple-blast bombings. After one of the more recent terror attacks, Dr. Shaaban noted on her Facebook page (translated from Arabic): My brothers live in this neighborhood and when I called them they told me that the streets have been cleaned and shops opened and people continued their work. This is the secret to victory in Syria. READ MORE SYRIA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Syria Files

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March 7, 2016

Attack on Trump: Mitt Romney Just ‘Awoke a Sleeping Giant’

21st Century Wire says Did Mitt Romney just make an incredible mistake?Fox News contributor Judge Jeanine Pirro has unleashed a scathing attack on Mitt Romney after his recent moves to try and put a halt to Donald Trump s presidential run: There s an insurrection coming, Mitt Romney just confirmed it, Mitt Romney will always be remembered as the one who put us over the edge and awoke a sleeping giant the silent majority the American people, Fact the establishment is panicked. The military industrial complex is certainly panicked as Trump, the Republican frontrunner, just said that he wants to get along with foreign countries , particularly Russia, instead of going to war with them.Watch Judge Jeanine unload on the failed Republican candidate, who, in her words, choked during the 2012 election, in the following video:GET THE FULL STORY ON THIS YEAR S ELECTION: 21st Century Wire Election Files

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March 6, 2016

UN Physically Removes Independent Media From NYC HQ For Exposing Institutional Corruption

21st Century Wire says For years, the United Nations seems to have been embroiled in an endless string of scandals and cover-ups, and yet rarely, if ever, has anyone ever actually been held to account. This has led a number of pundits to accuse the institution of being above the law and riddled with institutional corruption.This latest story only reaffirms these accusations Independent journalist Matthew Russell Lee (photo, left) founded Bronx-based Inner City Press in 2005 and received official press accreditation to cover the United Nations in New York City. He was the first-ever independent, non-affiliated blogger to be given access to the UN s inner sanctum. Since then Inner City Press has broken stories on a number of controversial stories: peacekeeper rapes in Africa, UN cholera in Haiti, war crimes in Sri Lanka and Burundi, the Sudans, SEMG and Yemen (see a leaked letter here), as well as corruption within UN Headquarters (cocaine shipments through its mail room and the current bribery scandals).Apparently, it was all too much for diplomatic luminaries at the UN. Last month, Lee was forcibly ejected from the UN headquarters.The DC-based Government Accountability Project, which defends UN and other whistleblowers, believes that the ouster of Inner City Press from the UN s press office is retaliatory in response to independent, critical journalism. UN Restricts of Free PressOn the afternoon of February 19th, Inner City Press questioned UN inaction in South Sudan and Burundi and financial irregularities, and was handed a letter from Ban Ki-moon s Under Secretary General for Public Information Cristina Gallach ordering Inner City Press to surrender its Resident Correspondent accreditation of eight years and be removed from the UN by 5 pm. In a letter that gave Inner City Press only two hours notice, Gallach told Inner City Press to surrender the key to its long-time shared office. Read the UN letter here. Later, while Inner City Press was writing up a UN Security Council meeting on Syria that went into the evening, a total of eight UN Security guards under Deputy Chief Michael McNulty tore off Inner City Press UN ID badge and grabbed Inner City Press laptop and camera, before throwing them on the sidewalk on First Avenue as well as physically throwing journalist Matthew Lee on the street in freezing weather, without a coat. Audio here; video as UN Security turns off Inner City Press Periscope livestream here: Ban Ki-moon, whose victory tour of blood-soaked northern Sri Lanka Inner City Press covered and was never forgiven for by Ban s UN, was the target of a demonstration in Jaffa for the ouster of Inner City Press. Tamils in Jaffna protest the cancellation of the resident correspondent s press accreditation of Inner City Press from the UN Building in New York City: Supporters of Inner City Press launched a petition to restore Lee and Inner City Press to its former office space.READ MORE UN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire UN Files

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March 6, 2016

BOMBSHELL: Classified NATO Report Praises Russia Airstrikes as ‘Efficient, and Accurate’ in Syria

21st Century Wire says This latest bombshell report leaked from NATO flies in the face of all the ad nauseam Washington and London talking point that somehow, Russia is NOT targeting terrorists in Syria .This is a serious dent to the increasingly hollow and baseless anti-Russian rhetoric coming out of Washington and the west s expert media circles #Pentagon attacks on #Russia linked to military budget debate in #Congress MoD https://t.co/O36mOnyX8g pic.twitter.com/WERflf6GcE RT (@RT_com) February 26, 2016RTThe Russian task force in Syria has demonstrated remarkable efficiency and professionalism, according to a German magazine citing confidential NATO analysis.The limited Russian contingent operating in Syria is outperforming the more widespread groupings of the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition, according to Germany s FOCUS media outlet who came by the classified NATO document, which was prepared by the alliance s military experts.The document points out that Russia deployed 40 warplanes, performing some 75 sorties a day (until the ceasefire came into effect on February 27). The airstrikes, usually delivered on several targets during each combat flight, are accurate and efficient, the analysis reportedly says.The US-led counterterrorist coalition, deploying about 180 warplanes against Islamic State (IS, former ISIS/ISIL), strikes only about 20 targets a day. The paper says the number of Russian fighter jets on the ground is clearly inferior in number to NATO s group, but the higher frequency of the Russian air raids makes them more effective.The US-led counterterrorist coalition has been operating in Iraq and Syria for over a year, while Russia launched its offensive on terrorist groups on September 30, 2015.The NATO report points out that the Russian task force obtains actual intelligence about important terrorist targets from special forces and spies on the ground, as well as Syrian Air Force aerial reconnaissance.The Russian Air Force has turned the Syrian battlefield into a test ground for advanced military technologies, such as deploying ultra-modern Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets to Syria s Khmeimim airbase. The plane is believed by many experts to be superior to most existing warplanes, the report claims.The NATO report acknowledged that it is the highly professional performance of the Russian task force in Syria that made the greatest contribution in putting an end to the cruel display of power practiced by terrorists in Syria for years.The FOCUS media outlet stressed the document never mentions any civilian casualties caused by Russian airstrikes Continue this story at RT READ MORE NATO NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire NATO Files

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March 6, 2016

HOLLYWOOD WITCHCRAFT: The Dark Side Revealed in The Witch (2016)

Jay Dyer 21st Century WireJamie Hanshaw, author of Operation Culture Creation 1 and 2, and Hollywood Mind Control, joins me to break down the esoteric symbols and occult aspects of 5 films: The recent hit The Witch, horror classic Suspiria, Henson s The Witches, The Devil Rides Out and Disney s Hocus Pocus.From British Intelligence to Disney darkness, what is the secret message behind these films?To hear the second half of this podcast go to Jays Analysis.com for information about becoming a subscriber.Jay Dyer is the author of the forthcoming title, Esoteric Hollywood: Sex, Cults and Symbols in Film from Trine Day. Focusing on film, philosophy, geopolitics and all things esoteric, JaysAnalysis and his podcast, Esoteric Hollywood, investigates the deeper meanings between the headlines, exploring the hidden aspects of our sinister synthetic mass media matrix.READ MORE HOLLYWOOD NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Hollywood Files

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March 5, 2016

Neocon Nightmare: Trump Wants to ‘Get Along With Foreign Countries’

21st Century Wire says Could this be the real reason why Trump is so despised by the elite Republican establishment?Watch a video of this report here: Trump had this to say: Wouldn t it be nice if actually we could get along with Russia, that we could get along with foreign countries. The neocon political faction that has dominated the Republican Party during recent history believes there is little to be gained from cooperation in politics, and prefers confrontation and domination instead; as they amply demonstrated with their 2003 Iraq War.For Donald Trump to be specifically saying that he wants to get along with Russia is unparalleled, as Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, said that Russia was without question our number one geopolitical foe .A world with an American President that wants to get along might certainly look a lot different to today s. Yet, as we are seeing, with the myriad of attacks against Trump, certain political and military industrial complex elite interests are not happy about the concept.Of course, we must remember that this is still just that a concept. However good of a concept it is, Trump may very well not deliver this goal.Still, it certainly is a very different, and somewhat sweeter, change to the tune of American foreign policy rhetoric than we are used to hearing.Do you believe Trump has the right foreign policy stance, and will he implement it?GET THE FULL STORY ON ELECTION 2016: 21st Century Wire Election Files

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March 4, 2016

BATTLE OVER PRIVACY: Why the FBI’s Case Against Apple is Falling Apart

Shawn Helton 21st Century WireThis week a House Judiciary Committee began overseeing details of a US Federal Court case between tech company Apple and the FBI.On February 16th, Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly rejected a court order to decrypt an iPhone said to be connected to the San Bernardino mass-shooting case from December of 2015.The House Judiciary Committee listened to the controversial case between tech titan Apple and the FBI a day after Magistrate Judge James Orenstein of New York, struck down a federal court order pressuring Apple to help access encrypted data in a separate case involving illegal drug trafficking.The landmark decision made by Judge Orenstein stated that the All Writs Act of 1789 (also used as the FBI s main argument in the Apple/San Bernardino case) does not permit a court to order companies to pull encrypted data off a customer s phone or tablet, according to a recent article from The Washington Post.The Post continued by discussing Orenstein s lengthy argument against the FBI s order against Apple in the drug related case: In a 50-page opinion disdainful of the government s arguments, Orenstein found that the All Writs Act does not apply in instances where Congress had the opportunity but failed to create an authority for the government to get the type of help it was seeking, such as having firms ensure they have a way to obtain data from encrypted phones. In addition, The Post outlined some of the social engineering aspects involved in the lead up to the FBI drug case overseen by Judge Orenstein, a case which has arguably been a part of an overarching back drop concerning the larger San Bernardino case: The Brooklyn case began last fall when Orenstein, one of a handful of magistrates across the country who are activists in the surveillance debate, received the government s application to issue an order to Apple. While Apple has previously helped the federal government with some 70 phone cases since 2008, Judge Orenstein examined several problems with the FBI s use of the All Writs Act: In an Oct. 9 ruling, Orenstein identified what he thought was a problem with the government s argument. Though prosecutors cited a 1985 decision that found that the All Writs Act is a source of authority to issue writs not otherwise covered by statute, he said they failed to cite another part of the decision that found that the act does not authorize the issuance of ad hoc writs whenever compliance with statutory procedures appears inconvenient or less appropriate. The new ruling in the FBI drug case will likely have a heavy impact on the eventual ruling in the San Bernardino/Apple court order, as it directly questions the heart of the government s argument to gain easier access to encrypted consumer data.It s also interesting to note, that it was the FBI who put themselves in this position regarding the San Bernardino phone as they reportedly ordered the password to be reset via iCloud shortly after the apparent mass shooting.You have to wonder why the agency would have ordered a new password almost immediately following the highly dramatic scene in San Bernardino INVENTIONS OF REALITY? Is this latest privacy crisis a manufactured drama or a legitimate battle for those in the tech industry? (Photo illustration 21WIRE)What s interesting here, is that ABC news reported on December 3rd, a day after the apparent shooting, Sources say mobile phones, hard drives, virtually anything with digital memory that was associated with the alleged shooters Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik was smashed. Adding to that, we ve mentioned a number of times here at 21WIRE, that none of the eyewitness testimony mentioned seeing a female shooter at the scene of the Inland Regional Center in the aftermath of the San Bernardino shooting.A Right to PrivacyIn our previous article detailing the ongoing encryption saga between Apple and the FBI, we stated that there are no guarantees in the security world, especially if a digital master-key were to be created, as this would potentially make it easier for invaders (either the government, or various hackers) mining for data moving forward into the future.In a recent Guardian article, some of those involved in the technology and security sector offered their thoughts regarding the government s continued encroachment on individual privacy:Dan Kaminsky, the security expert who made his name with the discovery that one of the most basic parts of the internet, the domain name system, was vulnerable to fraud disagrees: Feds want final authority on engineering decisions, and their interests don t even align with fighting the vast bulk of real-world crime. Kaminsky further explained why Apple s security measures already help law enforcement, If my iPhone is stolen, my emails stay unread, my photos stay unviewed, and I don t need to notify anyone that the secrets they entrusted me with are going to show up on the internet tomorrow. Continuing, The Guardian interviewed former FBI agent Michael German, currently at judicial think-tank the Brennan Center. The following is a portion of that interview: After 9/11, you had this concept of total information awareness. The intelligence community was very enamoured of the idea that all information was available. Much like the NSA, they wanted to see it all, collect it all, and analyse it all. Additionally, there are many who believe weaker encryption may pose an even bigger security risk globally.In many ways, it appears as though federal agencies are seemingly searching for the right crisis to push public opinion in favor of the state when it comes to security.This is at the core of the perpetual privacy and security battle post 9/11 TARGETING PRIVACY FBI Director James Comey speaking at the Brookings Institution in October of 2014 about Going Dark. (Photo link brookings)Shining a Light on the FBI Going Dark Last September, The Washington Post published an article entitled, Obama faces growing momentum to support widespread encryption, and within its contents, perhaps the true nature of the security/privacy issue was laid bare (hat tip saperetic): Privately, law enforcement officials have acknowledged that prospects for congressional action this year are remote. Although the legislative environment is very hostile today, the intelligence community s top lawyer, Robert S. Litt, said to colleagues in an August e-mail, which was obtained by The Post, it could turn in the event of a terrorist attack or criminal event where strong encryption can be shown to have hindered law enforcement. There is value, he said, in keeping our options open for such a situation. Interestingly, in October of 2014, FBI Director James B. Comey, explained while speaking at the Brookings Institution he was focused on trying to get the law changed so that tech companies would have to comply with law enforcement to unlock data on various devices.Continuing, he outlined the current security agenda concerning the FBI, We have the legal authority to intercept and access communications and information pursuant to a court order, but we often lack the technical ability to do that. The Brookings speech from 2014, appeared in stark contrast with a recent emotionally driven op-ed Comey wrote for Lawfare entitled We Could Not Look the Survivors in the Eye if We Did Not Follow this Lead. Here s a passage from that piece, that clearly displays the conflicting message of the FBI director: We simply want the chance, with a search warrant, to try to guess the terrorist s passcode without the phone essentially self-destructing and without it taking a decade to guess correctly. That s it. We don t want to break anyone s encryption or set a master key loose on the land. The Guardian refers to this as a two-pronged approach on the public s senses as one tone from the FBI comes across as caring and the other seems more focused on the greater, nationalistic implications of encryption.Think good cop/bad cop hovering over you in an interrogation room and you d be getting very warm.This is the kind of psychological drama that has prompted some in media to think that the law enforcement agency has been exploiting the public in the wake of tragedy, in order to increase security measures.This is absolutely something to watch.So, what are we to make of the FBI s claims of going dark in the digital age?It has long since been claimed that intelligence agencies fear going dark in the age of high-tech gadgetry. This idea is vastly overblown and not rooted in reality, especially when you consider the many revelations concerning NSA spying, collection of bulk metadata and other tracking programs such as the IMSI catcher, otherwise known as Stingray (Stingray acts as cell tower locking onto all devices in a certain area) intercepts phone calls, texts, as well as your location.The very notion that law enforcement will somehow be condemned eternally to outdated methods to catch criminals in the future is patently absurd.Furthermore, the concept and presentation of the FBI s going dark scenario is nothing more than a talking point used to increase a police state apparatus within the United States.Don t PanicOn February 1st, a group of experts published report regarding the current status of law enforcement and their ability to keep up with the demands of crime solving in the world today. The lengthy report entitled Don t Panic was compiled by The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Here s a passage below examining the FBI s catchy mantra, Going Dark :The U.S. intelligence and law enforcement communities view this trend with varying degrees of alarm, alleging that their interception capabilities are going dark. As they describe it, companies are increasingly adopting technological architectures that inhibit the government s ability to obtain access to communications, even in circumstances that satisfy the Fourth Amendment s warrant requirements. Encryption is the hallmark of these architectures. Government officials are concerned because, without access to communications, they fear they may not be able to prevent terrorist attacks and investigate and prosecute criminal activity. Their solution is to force companies to maintain access to user communications and data, and provide that access to law enforcement on demand, pursuant to the applicable legal process. However, the private sector has resisted. Critics fear that architectures geared to guarantee such access would compromise the security and privacy of users around the world, while also hurting the economic viability of U.S. companies. They also dispute the degree to which the proposed solutions would truly prevent terrorists and criminals from communicating in mediums resistant to surveillance.While the report states that encryption is a difficult issue for law enforcement, all sorts of digital data is unencrypted and therefore can be accessed via a search warrant if there is cause not to mention the spying capabilities of a plethora of smart devices also available for review.Below is FBI Director (former Senior Vice President at Lockheed Martin) discussing the idea that the government is Going Dark In an article entitled Here s Why the FBI Went After Apple When It Did, Fortune magazine revealed that on February 9th, DOJ head Loretta Lynch requested an extra $38 million to help the FBI development workarounds on data encryption, bringing the total budget of what it calls project Going Dark to $69 million. Will the FBI continue to develop encryption workarounds in the event that they lose their battle with Apple over the San Bernardino case?In Summary Regardless of how you shape the court battle between Apple and the FBI, this is about the government wanting a more direct route into personal devices moving ahead.For Apple, this is a very important issue as a dip in consumer confidence, could be a crushing blow to the tech company s overall brand.It s important to remember anomaly ridden events such as the San Bernardino shooting and the suspicious events in Garland, Texas, of last year, in addition to other inconvenient truths concerning the government s role in manufacturing its own terror plots which have ironically prompted calls for greater national security, while continuing to appropriate large funds to federal agencies.You have to wonder, has the FBI s case against Apple fallen apart?READ MORE ENCRYPTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Encryption Files

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March 3, 2016

US Delta Force Begins Targeting ISIS in Iraq, Threatens ‘Unilateral Operations in Syria’

21st Century Wire says While you were watching the presidential reality show, the Pentagon was busy putting boots back on the ground in Iraq and threatening to invade Syria.Watch a video of this report here: CNN reports that the unit has been setting up safe houses, establishing informant networks and coordinating operations with Iraqi and Peshmerga units in the past few weeks.Defence Secretary Ash Carter said: The only thing I ll say is the Expeditionary Targeting Force (Delta) is in position, it is having an effect and operating, and I expect it to be a very effective part of our acceleration campaign, Carter explained that the deployment of special forces was to make ISIS fear that anywhere, anytime, it may be struck. Delta Force is 200-men strong in Iraq, and will be carrying out raids on targets, recovering hostages, eliminating terrorist commanders and gathering intelligence from enemy locations.Carter also said: This force will also be in a position to conduct unilateral operations in Syria. What Carter is really saying is that Delta Force may be used illegally in Syria, as they have no mandate from the sovereign Syrian government, or the UN for that matter, to conduct any operations at all on Syrian territory.Some might even say this is an American threat to invade Syria.Russian actions, on the other hand, are absolutely legal under international law, as they are fully sanctioned by the Syrian government.Earlier this week we learned that the Russian special forces unit Spetznaz was infiltrating ISIS with undercover operatives, which enabled airstrikes to hit within just three meters of their targets.Do you think Delta Force will have a real effect on the fight against ISIS?GET THE FULL STORY ON THE SYRIAN CRISIS: 21st Century Wire Syria Files

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March 3, 2016

BOILER ROOM – EP #46 – Murder, Witchery, Politricks & A Manatee

Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST every Wednesday. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher, & Spore along with Daniel Spaulding of Soul of the East, Andy Nowicki from Alt Right Blogspot, Jay Dyer of Jays Analysis & ACR/21Wire contributor Randy J. In this broadcast listeners will be hearing us go around the BOILER ROOM on a veritable feast of topics including commentary on the latest in the lame stream media reality TV show that is the US Presidential race, the mysterious death of Supreme Court Justice Scalia, an in depth discussion with Jay Dyer on the pitfalls of anarchy/libertarian ideologies, predictive programming aimed at children through Barbie cartoons, unfortunate experiences in air travel, a cautionary tale about manatees and a discourse between Randy J and Hesher on aftermath of the Oregon stand off. If you want to participate, bring something interesting to throw into the boiler Join us in the ALTERNATE CURRENT RADIO chat room.BOILER ROOM IS NOT A POLICTALLY CORRECT ZONE! LISTEN TO THE RECORDING IN THE PLAYER BELOW ENJOY!

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March 3, 2016

Survey: Top Ten Fears of 2015

Truthstream MediaOut of 88 potential horrors this batch of 1,500+ Americans were asked to rank in regard to their personal level of fear in 2015, you ll never guess what the number one thing people are most afraid of in this country Or perhaps you will. What an amazingly sad statement on modern America and the times we are living in.The survey can be found here.Americans Deepest FearsAre Americans today afraid of criminals with guns or a government that would seek to disarm its citizens?The impositions of the system now rank higher among worry than hyped factors like terrorism with distrust at very high levels among citizens and consumers alike. People are becoming disconnected from the wealth and prosperity they once knew, and instead are facing a collapsing system that wishes to loot from its populace as the ship goes down.Dearly held rights in the American tradition are under threat today of vanishing, of being upended by a machine with secret designs.Corporate schemers, conniving bankers and corrupt government insiders are driving perpetual wars, a damaged economy, disappearing jobs and diminishing chances of achieving the American dream.Please share this article and story.Permission to repost or republish with attribution (to Truthstream Media) is granted under creative commons license.READ MORE SOCIAL ENGINEERING NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire SE Files

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February 29, 2016

SHOUT POLL: Should Apple Give FBI Backdoor Access to iPhones?

21st Century Wire asks HAVE YOUR SHOUT: Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly rejected an unprecedented US Federal Court order that would force the company to decrypt an iPhone linked to one of the San Bernardino shooters a move that would have vast implications.Vote, comment and share below READ MORE ENCRYPTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Encryption Files

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February 27, 2016

The Final Control: TPP, TTIP, TISA Global Corporate Takeover

21st Century Wire says This is a new geopolitical war, taking place between the United States and China.The rise of the so-called BRICS countries Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, along with countless other emerging economies, means that global power relations are gradually tipping away from the Anglo-American Axis, and towards Eurasia.The Anglo-American corporate confab will not allow this tectonic shift threaten their interests. Collectively, what the TPP, TTIP and TISA really are is a new global governance super structure that overrides individual sovereign nations and their laws, and even the rights of their individual citizens.Under this new secretive regime, all are subservient to the transnational corporate hive WATCH: WikiLeaks The US strategy to create a new global legal and economic system: TPP, TTIP, TISA:

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February 27, 2016

Blood Sport: GOP Presidential Race Takes Another Brutal Turn As ‘Party Favorites’ Tear Into Trump

Patrick Henningsen 21st Century WireAs Baron Rothschild famously said back in the late 18th century, When there s blood in the streets, it s time to buy property. Too bad then that Donald Trump has to divest all of his holdings and put them in the hands of a blind trust. On the scale of ugly, last night s debate was a moon shot even by this election s sinking standards.Both Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz began their two hour-long sustained attack on the man in the middle, Donald Trump relentlessly hitting the front-runner with every conceivable gotcha factoid and political angle. Trump hit back at Cruz calling him a liar and at Rubio calling the Florida Senator choke artist in reference to his meltdown at the hands of Chris Christie during the last televised debate. WAR: GOP rival Marco Rubio tearing into Donald Trump on an endless range of issues and supposed scandals.Clearly, CNN was also part of this coordinated attack, as they echoed Wall Street luminary and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, going after Trump about publicly releasing his tax returns. Trump then hit back saying that he s being audited by the IRS and can t release his returns in the middle of an audit (which is actually true), and CNN, along with Cruz, kept hammering the issue straight into the post-debate media opportunity where CNN ing nue Chris Cuomo tried (and failed) to channel his inner Tim Russert as he continued the Trump tax probe.It didn t end there. Subsequent gang stalking by Rubio and Cruz were powered by the New York Times (who s adopted a overwhelmingly anti-Trump editorial stance early on), including accusations of fraud over the Trump University civil court case, Trump using Polish building labor in 1980 (the same year that Rubio and Cruz were beginning second grade), and accusations of hypocrisy over Trump s use of used H-2B Visa applications to import seasonal labor to build in south Florida (that one turned out to be nothing burger though. Trump, a seasoned litigator, didn t seemed too worried about the Trump University case, intimating that the lawyers are taking care of that , and the Polish builder scandal (come on guys, who doesn t like Polish builders?) happened 36 years ago.Forget about airs and graces. This was a vicious battle a historic new low for American politics. The fact Trump survived the beating was something in itself. If he does make it through this storm, then both Cruz and Rubio will have done The Donald a huge favor having vetted and exorcised all of his scandals early on during the primary stage, and leaving Hillary and the media with little besides bone to chew on come August.When today s morning press came out, exactly as they have throughout this election, all of the mainstream media channels, newspapers and magazine loudly declared Trump s debate defeat , and trumpeted Rubio aggressiveness . Liberal establishment stalwart The Atlantic declared, Trump s Terrible night , while NBC News ran with the headline that Rubio and Cruz Hammer Trump , followed by the Washington Post trumpeting, Rubio Won Debate, Put Trump on the Defensive. Other wishful pundits weighed in, like media mogul Glenn Beck (who is openly backing Ted Cruz and warning his audiences of an end times Armageddon if America doesn t elect a true Christian Conservative in November). Beck was ecstatic after Rubio s debate performance, especially after this week when Trump gatecrashed a Nevada event where Beck was stumping for Cruz.Rubio is killing it.#gopdebate Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) February 26, 2016This morning, Rubio drew additional fire from the Trump CENTCOM after Rubio claimed that Donald Trump had received $200 million from his father, and said if not for his father s inheritance , Trump would be selling watches in Manhattan. This morning Rubio appeared at an outdoor media event where he tore into Trump, calling him a con artist and went on the pick apart Trump s spelling mistakes on Twitter. At this point, you just got the feeling that Rubio has ventured into a new area of media warfare outside of his own sanitized political wheelhouse. As the old saying goes: never wrestle with a pig.In the end, it was Trump who stole the wind from Rubio s sails, when early the following morning he appeared on national TV next to firebrand GOP candidate, Chris Christie, garnering a power midstream endorsement from the popular New Jersey governor. RENT-A-CROWD? Critics have pointed out that Rubio s crowds appear as props for the camera, as seen at this morning s Rubio rally in Texas.Crowds For Hire?With so many people disengaged from mainstream politics and from major broadcast media, politicians are said to be turning to PR agencies and rent-a-crowd services in order to fill out their camera frames and look more appealing to audiences. More than any other previous presidential election cycle, this 2016 race has seen more accusations of this leveled mainly at GOP candidates like Jeb Bush but also towards Marco Rubio. At this morning s media event, Rubio s team had hand-picked dozens of youths and immaculately dressed made up crowds carefully assembled in rows behind and directly below Rubio. Interestingly, the teen models and the gangsters do not cheer with the core crowd positioned between the cameras and Rubio they simply smile, and many of these people are wearing sunglasses on an overcast morning in Texas. Even hip hop gangster-looking students wearing color-coordinated red hoodies many of whom are even too young to vote, appear disinterested, as if they are being paid $40 to stand in a row in the camera frame.If this is any indication of Rubio s New American Century , then it s certainly cause for worry. The fact that Rubio stole his campaign slogan from Donald Rumsfeld and John Bolton s neoconservative pro-war think tank, Project for A New American Century (PNAC) is interesting, and the fact the media have not commented yet on this is highly suspect.Ironically, it was the brash hawk Donald Trump who took the high ground on the issue of the Middle East. When asked about his commitment to Israel, Trump pointed out that he would not take sides beforehand when brokering any peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and even stated that if he could negotiate a peace deal between the perennial warring neighbors that, It would be my greatest achievement as US president. Who can really argue with that? Well, hermanos Cubanos did. Cruz and Rubio were furious at this point, and the reason for this has to be that both of them have received mucho dinero from the Israeli Lobby to maintain a categorically anti-Palestinian stance. Cruz and Rubio adopted a very ugly tone during this exchange, both telegraphing their commitment to the decrepit status quo meaning that there would be no peace in the Middle East on their watch. Once again, Cruz and Rubio are completely out of touch with what voters really want.Almost one year ago I said on the SUNDAY WIRE SHOW that the Republican establishment would be looking to hedge its approach to returning to the White House more than they have in past elections this time going for the mathematical and demographically pragmatic option which would be Marco Rubio, with Wisconsin s Scott Walker throwing early innings in the bull pen. Orthodox RNC thinking last spring believed that with Rubio, with less than one term in Senate and no leadership experience, could somehow repeat the Obama effect of 2008 and finally usher their party into the 21st century. Things looked very different for Hillary last spring too, where she seemed invincible on the Democrat side as well as in national polling. On paper at least, it seems that Rubio would tick all the right boxes for the GOP elite who are presiding over a party in decline and disarray he s young (44 years old, although you d punt him at a decade his junior), and even more importantly he s Latino, which gives the GOP a shot a pulling in a crucial trilateral voter compliment: Hispanic-American, independents and moderate Democrats. On paper this all makes perfect sense, but running for President in the United States of America isn t simply a case of what looks logical on paper. Case and point: Bernie Sanders, Ben Carson and, of course, Donald Trump.CurtainsIf Cruz loses his home state Texas GOP primary on March 1st, then it s lights out for the Cruz campaign. Right now Cruz and Trump are in a dead heat, nearly tied in the pre-polling, with Cruz a few points ahead. Ditto for Rubio in his home state Florida s GOP primary on March 15th. Currently, Trump is burying Rubio by an average of 15+ points in every poll for Florida. Birther issues aside, this has always been the knock against both Rafael Edward Ted Cruz (photo, left) and Marco Rubio: just like Barack Obama, they are too young and with no real experience governing, and like Obama, destined to become party functionaries.Trump supporters will often point out that while their man was building skyscrapers in Manhattan, both Cruz and Rubio were still scraping their knees playing dodge ball in junior high. Putting this into perspective, it s hard to take a junior politician seriously when they talk about restoring America . Like him or hate him, Trump has a long list of achievements and powerful relationships, and has actually created jobs. As much as politicians tell us that their successive administrations have conjured job creation , the truth is that Americans no longer believe this lie, and millions now see Donald J. Trump as the antidote to that institutional fib. If you polled Americans today and asked them: would you rather live on government assistance or build your own company and be independently wealthy (?), it s fairly certain that the overwhelming majority of Americans would choose the latter even if it meant risking everything. Trump understands this dynamic better than any other candidate because for him, it s not a theoretical proposition. In essence this is the American Dream, and therein lies the disconnect for both career politicians Rubio and Cruz, and perhaps for Hillary Clinton too, should she face-off against Trump later on.Despite the mainstream media insistence that Marco Rubio won Thursday night s debate, and Ted Cruz looked strong , it s fairly clear that both candidates are now relying on negative attacks and cruel swipes, in effect, trying to out-Trump The Donald. If that s their main strategic directive and mind you we haven t even reached super Tuesday yet then it s fair to say we are looking at the final desperate lunges of two highly over-inflated political marketing exercises. Their double team might have impressed a few media gatekeepers, but in the end it didn t make the Cuban pair look presidential. At this stage of the race, looking presidential is important, but when you re desperately playing catch-up you simply can t afford to look presidential, according to Rubio and Cruz anyway. Just another example of how short-term logic rules this race.Meanwhile, the media continue to scratch their heads and quietly panic (think of all the retractions and back pedaling if Trump wins) as Trump continues to win primaries and scoop-up delegates on his way towards a Republican nomination.Watch Rubio s somewhat vain attempt at gutter politics this morning in Texas: It was amusing to watch CNN interrogators, along with Rubio and Cruz, lay into Trump about his lack of specifics on his healthcare plan. Trump stuck to his canned lines, and generalities, and lost no ground with his supporters either. It should also be said voters don t really care about hearing policy details either, as the population has finally copped on to the fact that candidates will say anything to get elected and that no president will ever make good on his or her campaign promises. Eight years of Obama taught America that lesson once and for all.Throughout the CNN event, Trump would point out individual corporate lobbyists in the audience from various industries including the pharmaceutical industry. The fact of the matter here is, despite painting themselves as rebels and DC outsiders , both Rubio and Cruz made it on the stage by taking millions of dollars from various Washington DC lobbies. The same special interests have poured fortunes into Super PACs which are presently funding Cruz and Rubio s presidential campaigns and paying for all of their million dollar TV ad slots. Trump, on the other hand, is funding his own campaign and is not bought and paid for.Collectively, between Scott Walker, Jeb Bush, Rick Perry, John Kasich, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, hundreds of millions of dollars have been donated, invested and spent in order to try and inflate a bloated GOP field and give lift-off to each one of these political balloons. As it stands now, all of this money will have been spent in vain. The only winners will be the media consultants and PR companies who produced mountains campaign ads and printed material, and also the TV networks, like CNN, FOX and the others, who ran all of those costly political ads.Towards the end of CNN s gladiatorial event last night, Trump got the last word, and again, it reflected the public mood and thus will further galvanize his support base. He exclaimed: Politicians are all talk, no action just like these two here (Cruz and Rubio) Look what s happening to our country. Trade, vets, common core, Obamacare: I ll get it done, they won t, and we will Make America Great Again. Once again, it s not a question of whether voters believe everything he says, or like everything he does. Just as Jimmy Carter was to cure for Nixon s epic corruption, and the Simple Jack approach of George W. Bush was the beneficiary of Bill Clinton s shameful antics in the Oval office, and just as Barack Obama was the natural reaction to the nation s WMD shame and intellectual inadequacy of two terms of George W. Bush so too is Donald Trump the natural progression following eight years of divisive partisan lead from behind community organizer-in-chief politics by Barack Obama.If Trump does win the nomination in July, then this general election will be one of the most rancorous contests in American history. The real fun has only just begun.READ MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

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February 26, 2016

HIDDEN ORDER: Was the Death of Justice Scalia Linked to ‘Secret Society’ at Cibolo Ranch?

Shawn Helton 21st Century WireWith the United States in the heat of the 2016 presidential election cycle, key questions surrounding the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia continue to persist as there s a new conspiratorial twist added to an already suspicious case.Recently, here at 21WIRE, we discussed many of the strange circumstances observed in the aftermath of Justice Scalia s death. The 79-year-old conservative justice was found dead in his hotel room at Cibolo Creek Ranch, a luxury ranch located in Presidio County, Texas.There was no official autopsy made by a medical examiner in Scalia s death, only a controversial pronouncement over the phone by Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara.As 21WIRE pointed out in an earlier report regarding Scalia, Guevara appears to have reversed her previous statement claiming that Scalia had died of a heart attack , revising the cause of death to natural causes. Guevara s handling of the death scene of a Supreme Court Justice without being present has drawn sharp criticism from both the media and the public. ORIGINAL MEANING Controversial conservative firebrand, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. (Photo illustration 21WIRE)Secret Order, Secret Death?On February 24th, The Washington Post published an article entitled Justice Scalia spent his last hours with members of this secretive society of elite hunters : When Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died 12 days ago at a West Texas ranch, he was among high-ranking members of an exclusive fraternity for hunters called the International Order of St. Hubertus, an Austrian society that dates back to the 1600s. Continuing, The Washington Post confirmed that indeed, the FBI will not be conducting an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Scalia s death. On an interesting note however, the article states that the FBI was unaware of the secretive international order all together: Law enforcement officials told The Post that they had no knowledge of the International Order of St. Hubertus or its connection to Poindexter and ranch guests. The officials said the FBI had declined to investigate Scalia s death when they were told by the marshals that he died from natural causes. CLOAK & DAGGER Members of The International Order of Saint Hubertus, from left: John Kotts, Boysie Bollinger, Vidal Martinez, Reed Morian and John Poindexter. (Photo link chron)The Washington Post article also revealed the identity of Scalia s travel partners: C. Allen Foster, a prominent Washington lawyer who traveled to the ranch with Scalia by private plane, and that Cibolo Creek Ranch owner John Poindexter, along with C. Allen Foster, had flown with Scalia to the ranch for the now infamous quail-hunting trip.Also according to the Post, both Poindexter and Foster, hold leadership positions within the [Saint Hubertus] Order. It is unclear what, if any, official association Scalia had with the group. While the Post acknowledged that many of the 35 guests in attendance at Cibolo Creek Ranch have remained largely unknown to the public eye, they discuss some of the details surrounding the St. Hubertus order, an international brotherhood whose founding member, Count Franz Anton von Sporck , also started a branch of Freemasonry in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic): Members of the worldwide, male-only society wear dark-green robes emblazoned with a large cross and the motto Deum Diligite Animalia Diligentes, which means Honoring God by honoring His creatures, according to the group s website. The conspiratorial coincidence doesn t end there, it was also revealed that The society s [Saint Hubertus] U.S. chapter launched in 1966 at the famous Bohemian Club in San Francisco. CIBOLO CONSPIRACY What really happened to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. (Photo link twitter)Magic Bullets Become Magic Pillows Another bizarre element to this story, was the description and discovery of Scalia s body when it was first found by Cibolo Creek ranch owner, Poindexter. This aspect of the story is illustrated very clearly in a passage from the blog Followship of the Minds: On February 14, 2016, in an article for mySA (MySanAntonio) titled, Texas Ranch owner recalls Scalia s last hours, reporter John MacCormack quoted Poindexter: We discovered the judge in bed, a pillow over his head.Everything was in perfect order. He was in his pajamas, peacefully, in bed. His bed clothes were unwrinkled. He was lying very restfully. It looked like he had not quite awakened from a nap. On February 17, Poindexter clarified his comment to the New York Daily News that There was a pillow over his head, not over his face. The face was entirely clear. And now, the latest.David Warren reports for the AP that according to a Presidio County Sheriff s Office incident report obtained by The Washington Post on Feb. 23, nothing appeared out of place around Scalia s bed. Three pillows were stacked to elevate Scalia s head. A top pillow appeared to have toppled onto his eyes and forehead but didn t appear positioned to impede his breathing. Scalia s arms were at his side atop the bed covers, which were pulled up to his chin. The bed covers were smooth and creased and showed no sign of a struggle. That is one magic pillow!First, it was over Scalia s head.Then, it was above Scalia s head, whose face was entirely clear .Now, the pillow is neither over nor above Scalia s head, but partially covering his face ( toppled onto his eyes and forehead ), although the pillow made sure to position itself so as not to impede his breathing . SECRETS IN CIBOLO The scenic surroundings of Cibolo Creek Ranch. (Photo link tripadvisor)While you have to wonder about the confusion surrounding Scalia s pillow placement, The Washington Post s recent eye-opening revelations regarding the Order of St. Hubertus give us some other things to consider Silencing Conspiracy with ConspiracyThe overtly conspiracy-tinged Post piece is a rarity in the mainstream world, one that conjure s many Hollywood or government tales of murder, deception and intrigue throughout history.The acknowledgement of a decadent Eyes Wide Shut-like secret society on location at Cibolo Creek Ranch prior to Scalia s death, only enhances the drive by voyeurism witnessed since his passing and in a way, it could undermine any legitimate investigation into his death after the fact.While its true, this compelling new detail will most likely bring its lion s share of political protest, as well as predictable calls for congressional inquiry or a push for a federal investigation (as should be) the heavily publicized presence of a secretive fraternal order of hunters nearby a suspicious crime scene, will unfortunately fuel more speculation.Put another way: Whether or not the secret group at Cibolo Creek Ranch was involved in Scalia s death, you have to wonder why the mainstream media revealed this latest conspiratorial element in the first place.Media gatekeepers in television, print and radio will have a field day with this new controversial piece, all the while pushing and pulling the population into a particular corner and by the looks of it, that s already happening.Having said all of this however, there s still much to be concerned with regarding Scalia s highly suspicious death OBAMA NO-SHOW The funeral service for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Oddly, President Obama elected not to attend. (Photo link detroitnewstime)Big Questions RemainOver the years, Scalia s various political connections and political perspective on important issues earned him a controversial reputation.In 2014, Justice Scalia drew harsh criticism for his views on the CIA torture debate, when the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee released a report on the interrogation techniques used since the 9/11 attacks.Whether you agreed or disagreed with Scalia, it s important to note once again that the high court has several pending landmark cases on climate, abortion and immigration, all within weeks or months of his death.The NY Post s recent article entitled Scalia could have been poisoned: forensic pathologist, raised even more questions about the state of Scalia s body upon being discovered: Lethal poisoning could have left Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia s body in virtually the same condition in which it was found, a top forensic pathologist [Dr. Michael Baden] told The Post on Wednesday. For the time being, were left to wonder what other secrets lie in Cibolo Creek Ranch regarding the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia READ MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

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February 26, 2016

The Android Affair: Humanity Outsourced

Randy Johnson 21st Century WireThe future is coming and technology is coming with it. Are we adapting to the future or holding on to the old ways ? Is a future of technology with circuit boards, screens, and machines something that can be weaponized or used to shape and control society no different than gunpowder, nuclear energy, and marketing?To many, often considered great minds, technology and artificial intelligence has had an ominous role in science fiction in film and literature. George Orwell, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clark, and Philip K. Dick are some of the giants of this genre. Their work has inspired countless Hollywood movies and television programs and can often get someone wondering if life is imitating art, or vice versa. Another option is that nearly everything has an element of design all along. ANDROID AFFAIR: Big business and robotics (Image Source: WikiCommons)As far back as the 1927 film Metropolis, robotics, class segregation, industry, and even humanity itself, appear on a collision course. Some might even argue that humanity, technology, and robotics, are already into an integration phase.Since then we know the not all inclusive list of characters. The Space Odyssey 2001 s HAL 1000, Star Wars human cyborg relations C-3PO, Blade Runner s Nexus 6 Replicants, and the infamous Terminator. HOLLYWOOD REALITY: 1980s science fiction comes to life (Image Source: WikiCommons)Martin Ford, author of Rise of The Machines, is a highly sought after speaker across the globe. He is often utilized as a consultant, for corporations and industries with regards to robotics. In the 2015 Business Book of The Year, in his acceptance speech Ford stated Even people that do everything they are supposed to do [to get a good job] may find it difficult to get a foothold in the economy. Piling on to the prospects of a bleak future, Wired Magazine states, Oxford University researchers have estimated that 47 percent of U.S. jobs could be automated within the next two decades. And if even half that number is closer to the mark, workers are in for a rude awakening. The impact of robotics in industry and its effects in the workforce has also been reported on here at 21st Century Wire.It is a foreboding thing to contemplate, but are we being outsourced?A robot will not call in sick or ask for a wage increase. It will not fight with others unless programmed to. It will not complain, throw a fit, collect unemployment, leave early, or join the workers union to fight the corporation. Once integrated and a part of industry, it will save money. It will not require an annual review. When it becomes irrelevant to newer technology, it will be replaced.Getting to a robotic future will even create new jobs no doubt. A small industry of technicians and favored class of people who monitor, fix, and improve the technology could hold the coveted jobs for those selected and chosen to deserve them.Too far away? Not in our lifetime?Watch the below video of Boston Dynamic s 5 9 180 pound Atlas robot interact with its surroundings and perform the labor its makers designed it to do. READ MORE ON ROBOTS: 21st Century Wire Robot Files

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February 25, 2016

BOILER ROOM – EP #45 – Horror Hotel, Trump Gatecrash & Cynical Ploys

Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST every Wednesday. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher, & Spore along with Andy Nowicki from Alt Right Blogspot, Jay Dyer of Jays Analysis & ACR contributor Randy J and Boiler Room Presidential Candidate select: Stewart Howe. In this broadcast listeners will be hearing us go around the BOILER ROOM on a veritable feast of topics including Donald Trump steamrolling the GOP and gatecrashing Glenn Beck s Cruz Caucus event, some esoteric analysis with Jay Dyer in the realms of serial killers, Dune and more, the Clinton Epstein connections and the usual conversational holes the Boiler crew somehow seems to dig themselves in and out of. If you want to participate, bring something interesting to throw into the boiler Join us in the ALTERNATE CURRENT RADIO chat room.BOILER ROOM IS NOT A POLICTALLY CORRECT ZONE!

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February 24, 2016

Syria Ceasefire Deal: A Cynical Ploy by Washington’s ‘Coalition’ to Buy Time for Terrorists

21st Century Wire says This latest diplomatic development certainly appears positive on its surface, this week s declared Syrian Ceasefire a three-way agreement between Washington, Russia and the Syrian government (and begrudgingly by the West s other regional stakeholders ) looks increasingly like it may just be the latest attempt to buy time so that Washington, Turkey and Saudi Arabia can re-arm and replenish various militant fighting groups currently laying waste to Syria.Since the entrance of the Russian Air Force into the Syrian conflict theatre last October, the Washington-led Axis has gradually lost proxy-control of a number of key terrorist strongholds in Northern Syria, namely in Aleppo, and thus are unable to dictate crucial facts on the ground required to dictate the international media and political narratives. Unable to craft and package these narratives, the West and its dubious coalition are completely unable to sell an escalation of military violence in Syria.The fact that the Washington Axis has already threatened to move to a Plan B even before the agreement has been implemented, indicates that this diplomatic effort may in fact be dead on arrival . Before the ink was even dry on the agreement, sources inside the CIA and the Pentagon went public with a preemptive statement claiming that, Russia cannot be trusted to uphold the ceasefire . The scene is now set.Watch as 21WIRE founder and editor Patrick Henningsen speaks to Sean Thomas from RT International about why the ceasefire deal may not survive the spring . Patrick Henningsen talks Syria Ceasefire with RT International (2016) from 21wire on Vimeo.READ MORE SYRIA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Syria Files

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February 24, 2016

Watch as Trump Gatecrashes Glenn Beck’s Cruz Caucus Event in Nevada

21st Century Wire says One TV personality Trumps another TV personality.While GOP front runner Donald Trump was on his way to another resounding win, this time at the Nevada Caucus primary, he continued to rewrite the political rule book by making an unscheduled stop at a competitor s rally. It couldn t have happened to a better entertainer (not Donald) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCEtRKGsGQc . Eliza Collins PoliticoDonald Trump crashed the Nevada caucus location at which conservative talk show host Glenn Beck was speaking Tuesday night on behalf of Ted Cruz.MSNBC was broadcasting a live look at the caucus site, Palo Verde High School in Summerlin, when Trump suddenly showed up and made an impromptu speech of his own. We are going to have hopefully a historic night, Trump said. I appreciate everybody being here. I wanted to be here myself and say a few words. The billionaire informed his Twitter followers he would be at various caucus sites throughout Nevada on Tuesday, but didn t specify where.Afterward, MSNBC asked Trump about his allegation that Cruz is a liar. Ted is gonna start telling the truth people have gotten wise to him, Trump said, pointing to Cruz s third-place finish in South Carolina on Saturday as a problem for the Texas senator. When he lifts his hands up high, I think he s going to be very happy. Continue this story at PoliticoREAD MORE 2016 ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

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February 24, 2016

Wikileaks: NSA Spied on UN Secretary-General and World Leaders’ Secret Meetings

InverseWikileaks released tonight a new cache of documents, showing that the United States National Security Administration bugged private meetings between major world leaders, including the United Nations Secretary General.The N.S.A. bugged meetings between U.N.S.G. Ban Ki-Moon, German chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and several representatives from other major world governments, listening in on their conversations on climate change, global economics, and even how to deal with Obama, according to the new documents. Today we showed that U.N. Secretary General Ban KiMoon s private meetings over how to save the planet from climate change were bugged by a country intent on protecting its largest oil companies, said Wikileaks founder and editor Julian Assange, who is currently wanted by several world governments.Assange continued, in a statement that came out in conjunction with the data dump: We previously published Hillary Clinton s orders that U.S. diplomats were to steal the Secretary General s D.N.A. The U.S. government has signed agreements with the U.N. that it will not engage in such conduct against the U.N. let alone its Secretary General. It will be interesting to see the U.N. s reaction, because if the Secretary General can be targeted without consequence, then everyone from world leader to street sweeper is at risk. Continue this story at InverseREAD MORE NSA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire NSA Files

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February 23, 2016

SHOUT POLL: Will Donald Trump hold his lead, or will he tank?

21st Century Wire asks HAVE YOUR SHOUT: With a string of decisive victories in the New Hampshire and South Carolina GOP primaries, we ask our readers: can the mercurial Donald Trump sustain his lead?Vote, comment and share below READ MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

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February 21, 2016

ENCRYPTION TRUTH: What The FBI Aren’t Telling You About Their Battle With Apple And San Bernardino

Shawn Helton 21st Century WireEarlier this week Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly rejected an unprecedented US Federal Court order that would force the company to decrypt an iPhone linked to one of the San Bernardino shooters a move that would have vast implications PRIVACY & PROTECTION: Apple CEO Tim Cook challenges FBI court order to unlock private data of users (Image Source: Iphoneitalia)Breaching Public Privacy In a published open letter entitled, A Message to Our Customers, Apple CEO Tim Cook strikingly opposed a recent federal court ruling that would unlock a phone that s been connected to the San Bernardino Mass Shooting case.The FBI ruling stipulates that Apple must provide access for one time only. However, cyber security experts and technology companies insist this is a virtual impossibility and a guarantee that cannot be made.In theory, the decryption of the phone would be opened via a newly created operating system that would give the FBI a backdoor into the device. But according to many skeptics, this type of backdoor feature could set a very dangerous precedent, while possibly making it much easier for invaders (either government, or hacker) mining for data well into the future.In addition, the new iOS (not yet in existence) proposed in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting would give US law enforcement agencies broader access to consumer communications and other private information according to many in the tech industry. This reality was confirmed by Apple s chief executive Cook, who outlined the staggering privacy implications this past Tuesday: The FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software which does not exist today would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone s physical possession. In essence, the FBI s court order demand appears to bypass basic privacy rights, and when seen in a bigger picture outside of the San Bernardino case, it could be viewed as a violation of the public s 4th Amendment.Challenging The RulingOver the past 48 hours, there s been a social media frenzy, as Facebook, Twitter and Google have all expressed their support for Apple s court battle with federal authorities. This has also included the often entertaining if not perplexing, self-proclaimed cybersecurity legend John McAfee of McAfee Inc., who wrote an op-ed published with Business Insider, that dissects the potential fallout of the federal court ruling in similar fashion to that of Cook.Here s some of what the controversial cyber guru turned libertarian presidential hopeful had to say about the dire security circumstances facing Apple and the world at large: Using an obscure law, written in 1789 the All Writs Act the US government has ordered Apple to place a back door into its iOS software so the FBI can decrypt information on an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. It has finally come to this. After years of arguments by virtually every industry specialist that back doors will be a bigger boon to hackers and to our nation s enemies than publishing our nuclear codes and giving the keys to all of our military weapons to the Russians and the Chinese, our government has chosen, once again, not to listen to the minds that have created the glue that holds this world together. Continuing, cyber expert McAfee, offered up a glimpse what could transpire in the event of a blackmail scenario if such a digital backdoor were to exist: In spite of the FBI s claim that it would protect the back door, we all know that s impossible. There are bad apples everywhere, and there only needs to be in the US government. Then a few million dollars, some beautiful women (or men), and a yacht trip to the Caribbean might be all it takes for our enemies to have full access to our secrets. ANTIVIRUS PIONEER John McAfee, well-known American computer programmer. (Photo businessinsider) McAfee then summarized his op-ed with a ready-made-solution to the FBI s demands by offering his services, I will, free of charge, decrypt the information on the San Bernardino phone, with my team, over a three-week period.On the surface, a sensational gauntlet has been thrown down, calling for the court of public opinion to weigh in on a very important topic concerning privacy rights. But there s much more to it This latest privacy crisis might be viewed through a more cynical lens, should readers choose to view this drama as a story featuring controlled opposition especially when considering the pedigree of those supposedly opposed to the FBI s recent court order.Is it possible that Apple and others have staged opposition to this court decree as a way to bolster their public image, before eventually allowing the rights of private citizens to be abused? Both Cook and McAfee have direct links to companies plagued with security baggage such as Lockheed Martin and IBM, both of which have had their ethics put to question over the years.While there is nothing conclusive here, the public should consider this other side to the story and eliminate inconvenient possibilities in an effort to find the reality of the present circumstances, even if high profile tech leaders may appear to be saying the right things in public, purportedly in the interest of the general population.In an article featured here at 21WIRE from January of 2015, we learned of another privacy threat that should concern the public regarding biometric IDs as facial and emotional recognition software has already been rolled out without public consent: More Orwellian technology is being rolled out, not just to make you into more of a commodity than you already are, but also to profile your emotions. With no regulation on this issue, corporations are basically writing the privacy rules as they go along. Do you trust them? Where is this really heading? In realty, they have no control over how third parties using their software might use images of people s faces and digital signatures of your emotions , storing, sharing and selling that data across macro platforms. Sure, it s just another new wing of Big Data. Even social media data trawlers like Facebook has already begun moving into facial recognition of their users. So while it is compelling, and quite welcome to hear tech giants calling out the FBI s overreach, it appears that many in the technology sector have already pledged support for a growing police state apparatus by virtue of developing privacy invading software. For the moment though, it appears technology innovators Cook and McAfee, along with other social media companies, seem to be working on behalf of the public s interest, even though it could be out of concern for marketability rather than true worry about where the field of technology has been heading.Apple s iPhone and tablets introduced a biometric ID system with its thumb print login scan in 2013 a system which will store millions of biometric identifiers on Apple cloud servers. It wasn t long after the system was launched before hackers cracked the security for this biometric entry point, exposing another unspeakable privacy breach.If nothing else, it has caused a sharp debate over this pressing subject. DIGITAL DANGER The battle for consumer privacy hangs in the balance over the recent FBI court order. (Photo vibratingupdate)Problem, Reaction, SolutionAccording to the Guardian: For months, the FBI searched for a compelling case that would force Apple to weaken iPhone security and then the San Bernardino shooting happened. This carefully planned legal battle has been months in the making, US officials and tech executives told the Guardian, as the government and Apple try to settle whether national security can dictate how Silicon Valley writes computer code. This past December, those of us at 21WIRE, pointed out a number of inconsistencies relating the heavily dramatized San Bernardino shooting attack. In fact, the media driven shooting attack said to have taken place at the Inland Regional Center had a laundry list of details that didn t add up.After a week of whitewashed reports regarding the shooting, a media scripted ransacking of the alleged shooters home (tampering with a potential crime scene) and eyewitness accounts that directly contradicted the official narrative from law enforcement, we learned that in the very room where 14 people were reportedly killed (along with 21 injured) at the Inland Regional Center, there was an active-shooter training drill/rehearsal, involving some of the victims almost a year before December s attack to place.Incredibly, a critical component that should be mentioned in the encryption battle involving Apple and the FBI, is that there were multiple eye-witness accounts that directly contradicted the terror-tale blamed solely on Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik. In other words, we have an event largely hinged on a barrage of convoluted and conflicting accounts concerning the San Bernardino attack.The eye-witness accounts near the scene of the shooting, never mentioned anything about seeing a female shooter, which 21WIRE also noted this past December: In fact, authorities did apprehend a third suspect but that aspect of the case, has seemingly gone down the memory hole, as has the very detailed eye-witness testimony from Sally Abdelmageed, (an Inland Regional Center employee) in a CBS interview with Scott Pelley, which clearly states that there were three white men in tactical gear dressed in black involved in the shooting event. Abdelmageed s account, echoed that of Juan Hernandez, who was interviewed shortly after the shooting incident by a local NBC affiliate, where it was described that three white men in military fatigues, had fled the scene in black Chevy Impala or SUV. Despite all of this, CNN, ABC, FOX and all other media outlets on the scene all pivoted, in unison, to validate authorities (the FBI) revised official Jihadi Bonnie & Clyde story of only 2 shooters a husband and wife . Additionally, a close colleague from Inland Regional Center, Chris Nwadike, stated that Farook had been acting normal and that he was quiet, and that he had not had a disagreement with anyone at the center the day of the shooting. Furthermore, the FBI themselves revealed that both Malik and Farook had not posted radical messages on social media which had previously been reported by authorities (and dutifully repeated across the mainstream media).Even though the media eventually admitted that there were no radical posts , the idea of social media postings became a central story line suggesting that Malik had somehow influenced Farook into participating in the attack. Regardless of what really happened, it seems that the FBI had the opening it needed to try to force open direct access into personal devices.Is it also possible the security agency wants access to the encrypted phone so they can plant an additional back story to a shooting case that never made any sense?Food for thought to chew on in today s digital age As the privacy vs. security battle moves forward, Reuters news agency reports: The U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion on Friday seeking to compel Apple Inc (AAPL.O) to comply with a judge s order to unlock the encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters, portraying the tech giant s refusal as a marketing strategy. The future of privacy hangs by a thread, as more and more divide and rule policies are being implemented at the expense of public freedoms.More to come on this story here at 21WIRE READ MORE SCI-TECH NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Sci-Tech FilesREAD MORE DAILY SHOOTER NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Daily Shooter Files

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February 20, 2016

BOILER ROOM – EP #44 – Dig, Dug, Dirt!

Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST every Wednesday.Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher, & Spore along with Andy Nowicki from Alt Right Blogspot, Daniel Spaulding from Soul of the East, 21Wire & ACR contributor Randy J and Boiler Room Presidential Candidate select: Stewart Howe. In this broadcast listeners will be hearing us go around the BOILER ROOM on a veritable feast of topics including Cloppers, GOP Politics, Donald Trump, Hunting with Dick Cheney, Fat Shaming and the Golden Corral, the 5th anniversary of the NATO sacking of Libya, TX arresting people for outstanding student loan debt, the death of Supreme Court Justice Scalia, Glen Beck telling listeners that Ted Cruz will get them through the rapture, Mark Levin calling Donald Trump a kooky truther, Jim Baker selling buckets of Food and more. If you want to participate, bring something interesting to throw into the boiler Join us in the ALTERNATE CURRENT RADIO chat room.BOILER ROOM IS NOT A POLITICALLY CORRECT ZONE! LIVE ACR PLAYER BELOW Show goes live at 6 PM PST:

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February 19, 2016

GLOSSED OVER: Key Questions Emerge After Death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

21st Century Wire asks What really happened in the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia?With the United States deep in the throes of the 2016 presidential primaries, the sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has provided a controversial backdrop to an already tense electoral race.Reports state that the 79-year-old conservative justice was found dead this past Saturday in his hotel room at Cibolo Creek Ranch, a luxury ranch located in Presidio County, Texas. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Several Hollywood films have been shot in the surrounding areas of Cibolo Creek Ranch, including the haunting motion picture No Country For Old Men. (Photo cctoaks.com)The San Antonio Express-News reported that ranch owner, John Poindexter, discovered Scalia s body three hours after first visiting the deceased jurist s hotel room at 8:30 in the morning on Saturday: We discovered the judge in bed, a pillow over his head. His bed clothes were unwrinkled, the Cibolo Ranch owner told reporters on Monday. He was lying very restfully. It looked like he had not quite awakened from a nap. As several days have now passed, various theories have surfaced in the aftermath of Scalia s death, causing Poindexter to further clarify his eyewitness account with the Daily News: There was a pillow over his head, not over his face, said Poindexter. The face was entirely clear. One of the most troubling aspects of Scalia s death, aside from lack of an autopsy being performed or that Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara pronounced the manner of his death over the phone without being present. Later, Guevara appears to have reversed her previous statement claiming that Scalia had died of a heart attack , revising the cause of death to natural causes . Resort owner and Democrat Party financier John Poindexter pictured with President Obama.It should also be noted that the resort owner, John Poindexter, is a prominent Democrat Party donor and Obama Award Winner.Another disturbing fact: Justice Scalia was a key vote in temporarily blocking the Clean Power Plan crafted by the White House, a set of new EPA climate regulations, as reported by The Atlantic: On Tuesday [February 9th], the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the rules should neither be implemented nor enforced until the high court itself heard their opponents case. This was itself unprecedented: Never before had the Supreme Court stayed a set of regulations before a federal court even heard the initial case about them. With the Clean Power Plan looming, there are several upcoming and potentially historic Supreme Court cases that could be impacted by Scalia s death.Over the years, some have questioned Scalia s various hunting trips and political connections as reported by the LA Times: Scalia engendered criticism in the past over his choice of partners on hunting trips. In 2001, he went on a pheasant hunting trip with the dean of a Kansas law school who was the lead attorney in two cases that were about to come before the Supreme Court. And in 2004, he went duck hunting with then-Vice President Dick Cheney flying with him on a plane that served as Air Force 2 while the high court was considering a case that challenged the secrecy of an energy task force led by Cheney. Many questions still remain in the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia which will no doubt prompt speculation well into the foreseeable future.No More Fake News reports below TIPPING THE BALANCE Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. (Photo dallasnews)By John RappoportLet s jump right in with quotes from the Washington Post, 2/15, Conspiracy theories swirl around the death of Antonin Scalia . The Post published extraordinary statements from the Facebook page of William O. Ritchie, former head of criminal investigations for D.C. police : As a former homicide commander, I am stunned that no autopsy was ordered for Justice Scalia. You have a Supreme Court Justice who died, not in attendance of a physician. You have a non-homicide trained US Marshal tell the justice of peace that no foul play was observed. You have a justice of the peace pronounce death while not being on the scene and without any medical training opining that the justice died of a heart attack. What medical proof exists of a myocardial Infarction? Why not a cerebral hemorrhage? How can the Marshal say, without a thorough post mortem, that he was not injected with an illegal substance that would simulate a heart attack Did the US Marshal check for petechial hemorrhage in his eyes or under his lips that would have suggested suffocation? Did the US Marshal smell his breath for any unusual odor that might suggest poisoning? My gut tells me there is something fishy going on in Texas. If this isn t enough, the Post goes on: Scalia s physician, Brian Monahan, is a U.S. Navy rear admiral and the attending physician for the U.S. Congress and Supreme Court. He declined to comment on Scalia s [prior] health when reached by telephone Monday at his home in Maryland. Patient confidentiality forbids me to make any comment on the subject, he said. When asked whether he planned to make public the statement he s preparing for [Texas Judge] Guevara, Monahan repeated the same statement and hung up on a reporter. As long as no law-enforcement investigation of Scalia s death is launched, the doctor is justified. Confidentiality applies, unless Scalia s family lifts it. But if such an investigation is opened, all bets are off. Confidentiality no longer applies.There are reports that, after Scalia s body was transported from the celebrity ranch in Texas, closely guarded and shielded by a bevy of marshals, it was rapidly embalmed. If so, that would apparently make toxicological tests far more difficult or impossible.As for a murder motive, try: upsetting the voting balance of the US Supreme Court. Try: a push to appoint a new Justice now, thus ensuring the appointee s political persuasion, regardless of the outcome of the 2016 Presidential election.Continue this story at No More Fake NewsREAD MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

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February 17, 2016

Reopen the Kurt Cobain Case? [POLL]

21st Century Wire asks The tragic death of Kurt Cobain has mystified the public for more than two decades and over that time, many questionable forensic elements have come to light surrounding the singer s sudden end.We re asking our readers, should law enforcement Reopen the Kurt Cobain Case? READ MORE KURT COBAIN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Cobain Files

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February 17, 2016

‘Zero Knowledge’ Systems Not Hostile to Data Privacy, says Snowden

21st Century Wire says It s been almost two years since the cloud storage provider Dropbox appointed former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to its board. A move Edward Snowden, at the time, called hostile for data privacy. Snowden s comments on the matter first appeared in a video interview conducted by the Guardian, and were published in a July 17, 2014 article: Dropbox is a targeted you know wannabe PRISM partner, he told the Guardian. They just put Condoleezza Rice on their board who is probably the most anti-privacy official you can imagine. She s one of the ones who oversaw Stellar Wind and thought it was a great idea. So they re very hostile to privacy. PRISM: The NSA s data collection surveillance program that every citizen should know about. PRISM and Stellar Wind were both approved and implemented during President George W. Bush s administration. (Image: (c) Adam Hart-Davis)Dropbox and other popular cloud storage providers hold the encryption keys to hand over to the NSA should a request for your data be approved.Snowden endorses zero knowledge systems. In layman s terms, this means that cloud storage providers NOT hostile to data privacy don t just encrypt your data, but actually host your data without their ability to access it ever. They have zero knowledge of the contents of your data. It s a big distinction, but one easily missed by a public inundated with confusing doublespeak on data privacy.Snowden adds that s the only way they can prove to the customers that they can be trusted with their information, and makes specific reference to one cloud company, SpiderOak, as a provider of zero knowledge systems. READ MORE SCI-TECH NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Sci-Tech FilesSEE ALSO: 21st Century Wire NSA Files

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February 16, 2016

FBI Arrest Cliven Bundy at Portland Airport – Charged with Federal Conspiracy

Patrick Henningsen 21st Century WireCliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher at the center of the federal standoff in Bunkerville in 2014, was arrested by FBI agents at around 10pm Wednesday evening as he touched down at Portland International Airport. Bundy, 74 yrs old, of Bunkerville, Nevada, was taken to Oregon s Multnomah County detention center and charged with conspiracy to interfere with a federal officer the same federal felony charge made two weeks ago against of his two sons, Ammon and Ryan Bundy.According to Oregon Live, Cliven Bundy, also faces weapons charges, dating back to the original standoff in April 2014.READ THE FULL FEDERAL COMPLAINT AGAINST CLIVEN BUNDY HERE. Police Mug Shot: Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy was arrested in Portland last night.Bundy s dramatic arrest came as he was planning to meet up with staunch Bundy supporter, Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, for a Q & A press conference in Portland scheduled for early Thursday morning, presumably to advocate for the Bundy sons and others currently under federal incarceration, and to help mediate a peaceful resolution for the remaining 4 occupiers still held-up at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge outside of Burns, Oregon.The timeline of these events is particularly interesting. Before Cliven Bundy touched down in Portland, Fiore (photo, left) had already arrived in town, but was immediately confronted with a breaking situation on Wednesday afternoon, where reports indicate that there were likely dozens of heavily armed federal tactical and state SWAT members positioned at various points around the perimeter of the occupied federal refuge office building. On Wednesday evening, law enforcement appeared to have decided to make their move to end the occupation by re-taking the protest site and remove its occupants. Fiore then headed to Burns while engaged in a 4 hour-long phone call with the protesters live-streamed on YouTube with nearly 60,000 listeners on the call.Clearly, the FBI had plenty of foreknowledge of Cliven Bundy and Michele Fiore s potentially explosive media spectacle scheduled for this morning. FBI agents appear to have preempted this national (and global) press event by Bundy and Fiore, quickly moving on the protest, and then taking Cliven Bundy out of the equation, or off the street , as it were. This chain of events over the last 24 hours indicates that the federal government had made decisive moves at key moments in order to temporarily control the media and political narratives, and by extension, the course of events which have followed. That reality was echoed by Portland attorney, Mike Arnold, currently representing Ammon Bundy, who said earlier today: It s terribly unfortunate the timing of his arrest, given all the progress Assemblywoman Fiore made this evening. In addition to Fiore and Cliven Bundy arriving in Oregon this week, Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, posted on Facebook that he had been talking with the four holdouts for a week, at their request and at the request of the FBI , and was said to be heading for Burns to witness a peaceful resolution. Early on Thursday, Graham stated the following: I am on my way there Please keep them, law enforcement officials, and all involved in your prayers, that everyone will be safe. Presently, federal forces are still at the gates of the refuge, with occupiers still inside. According to the Oregonian, the remaining occupiers are 27-year-old David Fry, the man running the refuge protest YouTube livestream, along with married couple Sean and Sandy Anderson, and one other man known by the name of Jeff Banta. It s not completely clear if all the occupants are armed, and there have been some mixed messages over the last two weeks as to what their exact intentions were, and what concessions were possible through negotiations.UPDATE: 4 holdouts all in FBI custody as occupation endsIn an overwhelming show of force, the FBI have surrounded the small one story detached Malheur office building with MRAP armored vehicles and other assets, including multiple surveillance drones positioned overhead. It s not known exactly how many federal agents are in position at the refuge and the surrounding area, but based on similar events, the number could be at least 300, not including state and other law enforcement agents.At the end of January, a team of federal and state agents shot and killed the protest s spokesman, Arizona rancher, Robert Lavoy Finicum, in what can only be described as a well-organize, federal and state ambush, involving dozens of vehicles and armed agents (including snipers) positioned along an isolated rural stretch of Oregon highway 395. The mainstream media are still disingenuously referring to the event as a traffic stop incident in what appears to be a well-coordinated PR effort to minimize any accusations of over-reach on the part of the federal agencies.The left-wing arm of the media, and a virtual army of anti-Bundy activists online will certainly be celebrating this latest development as a government victory .With the iconic face of the public lands issue, Cliven Bundy, now in custody, this will either stir the burgeoning Constitutionalist movement, or it will further demoralize it.Cliven Bundy is expected to appear in a Portland federal court this afternoon.Watch this space.READ MORE OREGON STANDOFF NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Oregon Files

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February 11, 2016

BOILER ROOM – EP #43 – Cloppers, OR Osmosis, MK Ultra & Voltron

Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST every Wednesday. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher, & Spore along with Jay Dyer and Jamie Hanshaw joining from the studio of Jays Analysis, Daniel Spaulding from Soul of the East, 21Wire contributor Randy J and Boiler Room Presidential Candidate select: Stewart Howe. In this broadcast listeners will be hearing us go around the BOILER ROOM on a veritable feast of topics including mind control aspects, revelation of the method and social engineering encapsulated in topics like Cloppers or Clopsexuals, MK Ultra: it s history and role in popular film and television, some breaking news on the Oregon standoff at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge and Daniel Spaulding joins late in the show for some clowning of the reality TV style that is presented via the mainstream media as US presidential election process. If you want to participate, bring something interesting to throw into the boiler Join us in the ALTERNATE CURRENT RADIO chat room.BOILER ROOM IS NOT A POLICTALLY CORRECT ZONE! ACR player below Show goes live at 6 PM PST Reference Links:

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February 11, 2016

Will American Law Enforcement Lie, Cheat and Forge Police Reports? Answer: Yes.

21st Century Wire says The issue of honest policing and institutional corruption within law enforcement has been exercised over and over, with every high-profile controversy. Certainly, 2015 had its fair share of these kind of incidents.The issue of institutional corruption still goes unattended however, as media seem to prefer the obsession of spinning every story in terms of race, or class, rather than seriously looking at the problem of devolving so much power and blind authority that are by their very nature often corrupt.Where is the DOJ, and where is the President weighing-in? Where are the race mobs? Is this story not sexy enough for the media?This latest story should be a warning to everyone about what would likely be systemic in the fully-functioning police state which Washington DC is currently attempting to construct under the noses of its citizens Matt Kessler GuardianSince 26-year-old Ricky Ball was shot and killed by police in October, the black community in Columbus, Mississippi, has grappled with questions that don t have clear answers.Why did police shoot Ball that night? Why did a string of police officials resign in the months that followed? And why did police claim Ball stole a gun from a police officer s home only after his death?Attempts to obtain police documents about the case have raised a new question: why did police release two different versions of events from the shooting?Documents obtained by the Guardian show police altered a document labeled uniform incident report in Ball s death. An initial version published by the Commercial Dispatch said an officer tased Ball before he fled. A new version of the incident report released to the Guardian does not include any mention of Taser use. One of these two reports is not true Continue this story at the GuardianREAD MORE POLICE STATE NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Police State Files

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February 9, 2016

3.57 Degrees: Kevin Bacon’s Cultural Mantle Shattered By Zuckerberg

21st Century Wire says Unless you have been living under a rock for the last 20 years, you would have heard about the cultural meme known as the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon , Hollywood s own lowbrow revision derived from John Guare s famous 1990 play about the Six Degrees of Separation .So popular was Bacon s cultural quirk, that the Gods of Google even launched a web tool called the Baconator where users can plug in the name of anyone in order to measure how many degrees of separation there are between you and them. If I m about to go to work with someone, I ll check their name on the call sheet, and then I ll go to Google, and you can put in their name plus bacon number, and that will tell you how many degrees of separation there are. It ll tell [me] if I worked with them, said Bacon to TV host James Corden recently.Just as the Baconator was getting going, Kevin was usurped, like everyone and everything else, by the ever-engulfing digital vortex known as Facebook and its hoodie-wearing billionaire co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.Poor Kevin. According to new data published by the social networking behemoth, Facebook people are separated by only 3.57 degrees of separation. Casey Williams from the Huff Post explains, One caveat about this research, though: It applies only to the 1.59 billion people who are active on Facebook. Given that there are more than 7 billion people on the planet, and that over four billion still lack regular access to the Internet, it s unlikely that the new theory holds for humans at large. The down side of course (although Facebook will never publish its trolling data), is that you are also more closely connected with thousands, if not millions of trolls and their phony, malicious sock-puppet accounts too.Even worse, as 21WIRE discovered late last week Facebook can and will, without any warning whatsoever and with ZERO human feedback on their end block and disable your ability to share information with your peers through its user groups. When asked, the reason given by Facebook was simply, You re going too fast. No, we re not kidding Once again, thank you Mr. Zuckerberg for allowing your robots to kill people s ability to share news and information.When they say degrees of separation they really mean separation.READ MORE SCI-TECH NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Sci-Tech Files

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February 9, 2016

Bernie Sanders Could End Up Winning Iowa

21st Century Wire says Iowa s Democratic Party primary was one of the closest races in history reported by the media as being decided by only .3% of the vote, with Hillary Clinton supposedly taking that narrow victory. But has Hillary really secured a victory in Iowa?According to National Review, the answer is no . Beltway correspondent Quinn Hillyer explains: The final count of delegates to the state convention (aside from the seven won by Martin O Malley) was Clinton 699, Sanders 695. But by actual voter decisions, the count was Sanders 695, Clinton 693, and six ties. Sure, Clinton right now goes to the state convention with four more committed delegates than Sanders, but she didn t win her margin via voters, but by a mathematically bizarre series of coin flips. For those with a short-term memory, fours years ago in 2012, the mainstream media called the Iowa primary for then GOP candidate Mitt Romney, only to retract this later when it was discovered that Rick Santorum had actually won the caucus majority. And even then, neither Romney, nor Santorum won the majority of delegates from Iowa going into the national convention. That victory went to party rebel Ron Paul an uncomfortable fact universally ignored at the time by major U.S. broadcast media outlets. Paul achieved this incredible victory because his campaign organizers understood what the Iowa Caucuses essentially are: a giant, statewide straw poll, by pursuing one of the most aggressive delegate strategies ever. So bad was the GOP fall-out from this event, that the Republican National Convention drafted new bylaws to deal with the Ron Paul Problem , making sure that no insurgent candidate could ever gain a state foothold without the approval of the GOP party elite.Likewise, if Bernie Sanders has done the necessary groundwork in pursuing a more aggressive county-level delegate strategy on election day, and then follows-up with securing candidate Martin O Malley s at least 5 of the 7 free agent delegates who will be available to switch their loyalties (due to O Malley dropping out of the race) at the upcoming Iowa State Convention, then Sanders could eventually be Iowa s real delegate winner.21WIRE s Patrick Henningsen spoke to RT International about the Sanders campaign s latest call for a vote recount, as well as other controversial aspects of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, including the Donald Trump vs Ted Cruz scandal. Watch

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February 4, 2016

Plastic Persona: Behind the Scenes of the Ted Cruz Media Machine

21st Century Wire says Most people accept that a certain amount of political campaigning is staged, and even a little contrived at times.For the most part, the public is fairly unaware of just how fabricated the political images they see on TV really are.Earlier, 21WIRE showed the abysmal scene from GOP candidate Jeb Bush s recent staged town hall meeting. As bad as that Jeb moment was, it almost pales in comparison to what s on offer here After their narrow Iowa GOP caucus victory this week, the Cruz campaign took a cheeky swipe at rival Donald Trump. Cruz communications director Rick Tyler remarked to CNN after the final results were announced, Reality hit the realty TV star in Iowa, so nobody is talking about him now, so he s trying to regain some attention on Twitter. After watching the following behind-the-scenes video out-takes from the Rafael Edward, or Ted Cruz campaign machine, one could easily make the argument that it s Cruz who is putting up the dramatic TV facade, and even using his own family members as political props. Watch

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February 4, 2016

‘Meet Jeb’ – Going For Your Sympathy Vote

21st Century Wire says As Republican, Ted Cruz and Democrat, Hillary Clinton both snatched narrow victories at the Iowa Caucuses this week, other big brand names didn t turn out so well.Nonetheless, old John Ellis, or Jeb Bush, is still hanging in there going into the upcoming New Hampshire primary. Although Jeb managed to get only 2.8% of the Iowa GOP caucus vote, he still has sufficient funds in his political war chest to carry on. Despite the fact that he appears to be more intelligent and compos mentis than his brother George, he still struggles to gain mass appeal.As campaign moments go, however, this has got to be one of the saddest, most doleful moments we ve seen yet. During one of Jeb s many staged, Meet Jeb town hall-style meetings, where segments are filmed in order to extract outtakes for use in an endless series of campaign ads, Jeb finished a good speaking stretch before sheepishly turning to a mostly disinterested audience, quietly begging them to clap for the cameras.You have to see it to believe it. Watch

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February 4, 2016

BOILER ROOM – Examination, Exclamation, Excitation, Expatriation – EP #42

Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST every Wednesday. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher, & Spore along with Andy Nowicki from Alt Right Blogspot, 21Wire contributor Randy J and Stewart Howe. In this broadcast we re going big time with an extra long overdrive episode, listeners will be hearing us go around the BOILER ROOM on a plethora of topics tonight. If you want to participate, bring something interesting to throw into the boiler Join us in the ALTERNATE CURRENT RADIO chat room.BOILER ROOM IS NOT A POLICTALLY CORRECT ZONE! Live ACR player below Show goes live at 6 PM PST Reference Links:

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February 3, 2016

Eyewash: CIA Elites Misleading Employees Indicates That Conspiracies Are NOT ‘Ridiculous Fantasy’

21st Century Wire says The CIA is trying its best to avoid oversight and accountability.Watch a video of this report here: An anonymous ex-CIA officer explains: The classic use of an eyewash is if you have a garden-variety source and all of a sudden he gains access to truly sensitive information, What you might do is have a false communication saying the guy got hit by a bus and died. The large number of people aware of this source suddenly think he is dead. But the continuing reporting on that source and from that source gets put into a very closed compartment that few would know about. In one documented example, CIA officials said that a senior Al-Qaeda member was killed as a result of tribal violence. Yet, in actual fact, the terrorist had been killed by a drone strike.The intent behind this eyewash was to conceal the then-secret CIA drone program in Pakistan.Former CIA inspector general, Fred Hitz, said that deliberately misleading employees is really playing with fire. Steven Aftergood, a government secrecy expert at the Federation of American Scientists, said, When you introduce falsehoods into the communications stream then you can destabilize the whole system of intelligence oversight and compliance with the law. What now needs to be examined is the extent to which this practice still takes places today and who exactly receives the accurate information. Is the true information ever sent to elected officials, or always withheld by this shadow government operating essentially on its own?Interestingly, it is often said by skeptics that any part of the government could never be involved in a monumental conspiracy because too many people would have to know about it, and someone would talk.The exposure of the eyewashing program now crushes this argument, as it reveals to us the extreme extent of compartmentalisation that exists within the modern American government that is capable of hiding the most despicable activities.It is also likely that many other government agencies employ similar tactics, in order to ensure that those at the top stay there and threats to their power can be dealt with quietly. Departments look out for themselves, and particularly their own relevance.Naturally, this intelligence phenomenon extends into the media, as mainstream media outlets always rely on their internal agency sources for any inside information which could misleading, or completely false.What might they do, and subsequently try to hide, to ensure they stay relevant?READ MORE ON THE CLANDESTINE CIA: 21st Century Wire CIA Files

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February 3, 2016

Activist: ‘This is where you can make the most impact’

21st Century Wire says If you ve been following the events outside of Burns, Oregon, you ll have seen 99% of the news coverage has been about the presence of armed militia and endless rumors of FBI Waco Siege plots and not about the core legal issues surrounding the Hammond family. These stories often start out as local issues, then quickly spin out of control and end up being managed and contested at the Federal level.Sunday Wire host Patrick Henningsen spoke to independent activist Jason Casella from PANDA UNITE and the Solutions Institute about his recent experience at the Oregon Standoff, and also about America s crisis of liberty , as well as some positive trends in activism today. Casella advocates getting closer to the sources of power and decision making in your local community: You have to make sure that your city council and county commission is acting on behalf of the people, and acting within the restraints of the Constitution, before you can ask somebody in DC, for example, or even at your state level of representatives. This is where you can actually have the most impact. Listen to the full interview with Jason Casella below.LISTEN TO MORE SUNDAY WIRE: Sunday Wire Show Archives

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February 3, 2016

Episode #120 – SUNDAY WIRE: ‘Crisis of Liberty’ with guests Jason Casella and Kim Upton

Episode #120 of SUNDAY WIRE SHOW finally resumes this Sunday Jan. 24, 2016 presented by host Patrick Henningsen with 3 HOURS of power-packed talk radio LISTEN LIVE ON THIS PAGE AT THE FOLLOING SCHEDULED SHOW TIMES:SUNDAYS 5pm-8pm UK Time | 12pm-3pm ET (US) | 9am-12pm PT (US)This week s very special edition of THE SUNDAY WIRE is broadcasting LIVE, as host Patrick Henningsen returns this week with another very special show, covering the top news stories internationally. In the first hour we ll look at the latest campaign of fear surrounding the Zika Virus, and also a deeper look this week s dramatic conclusion to the Oregon Standoff. In the second hour we re joined by special guest, independent activist Jason Casella from PANDA UNITE and the Solutions Institute to discuss his recent experience at the Oregon Standoff, and talk about America s crisis of liberty , as well as some positive trends in activism today. In the third hour we re joined by a very special guest live from Great Britain, personal coach and SGI Buddhist practitioner, Kim Upton, to discuss the state of the world today and whether or not mankind will be able to overcome the challenges that threaten to radically alter our 21st century civilization.Strap yourselves in and lower the blast shield this is your brave new world *NOTE: THIS EPISODE MAY CONTAIN SOME STRONG LANGUAGE AND MATURE THEMES* // <![CDATA[ broadstreet.zone(46707); // ]]&gt;

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January 31, 2016

FBI Release Oregon Video Footage Depicting Death of Robert Lavoy Finicum – But Questions Remain

21st Century Wire says..UPDATE 1-29-2016 at 01:30PM ET: Due to public pressure and intense speculation about the events of Tuesday brought on by a YouTube recording of the testimony of key eyewitness Victoria Sharp, the FBI has released the unedited aerial video footage from Tuesday evening s incident which took place along Highway 395. According to the official FBI statement: We feel that it is necessary to show the whole thing unedited in the interest of transparency. The FBI video entitled, Complete, Unedited Video of Joint FBI and OSP Operation 01/26/2016 , does show the victim Lavoy Finicum exiting the truck awkwardly in at least two feet of snow, and he clearly does not charge towards the SWAT team, and his hands are clearly held high above his head as he exits his truck when confronted by a SWAT team, before being shot multiple times by marksmen and falling in the snow. Also, the scale and size of this operation is very evident by the footage, and the apprehension of the protesters was not the result of a mere traffic stop as it was wrongly characterized in multiple mainstream media reports.The FBI has also titled their release as unedited which shows a window of 26 min and 29 seconds, but it would be interesting to see any drone footage prior to where their clip begins, to further determine how long the drone was filming the vehicles of Finicum and Bundy. This is important because it would shed further light the premeditated nature of the confrontation that the media and government sources have called a traffic stop . On its own, this FBI drone footage would appear to support previous government and media claims by CNN, Washington Post and others that the victim was indeed reaching towards his waistband which gave federal and state police justification to unleash deadly force. However, it is still not completely clear from this aerial footage whether or not Finicum was holstered (he is said to normally carry a gun on the right hip, but FBI are claiming he had a 9mm gun in his inside left breast pocket), but also whether or not he lowered his arms before, or after he was shot multiple times. For example, if Finicum had his hands in the air and was then was shot in the abdomen first, then any man s natural reaction would be to then lower his hand(s) and clutch the wound. Additionally, if any shots were fired, even in the vicinity, then confusion could have ensued which might have prompted Finicum to reach for his weapon. Either way, it is impossible to make any such a forensic determination without a corresponding audio track which would help to determine if any shots were fired before Finicum s hand(s) could be seen lowering. WARNING: The following images depict violence and death which some readers may find disturbing. Watch:Watch the edited version here: Finicum appears to temporarily lose his balance in the snow at the very moment he looks to be hit by agents.What is clear however from this video is that armed agents did not shoot to disable their suspect, but shot to kill and even had a laser sight trained on him for many minutes after he was downed. Clearly, multiple SWAT shooters could be seen emerging from the woods. After killing Finicum, police then left the victim to bleed to death laying in the snow and did not check on him for at least another 8 minutes.Flash-bang rounds can be seen around the 14:00 mark of the FBI s unedited version, and the FBI has said that it fired CS gas and non lethal rounds (possibly pepper spray rounds, or rubber bullets) are said to have been fired at the truck while the passengers were inside. This begs the question: with nonlethal rounds already in play why did multiple SWAT shooters use so many deadly rounds against Finicum when he exited the truck with his hands up?READ MORE OREGON STANDOFF NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Oregon Files

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January 29, 2016

Trial By YouTube: Mainstream Media Use Second-hand Oregon Account to Cast Blame on Dead Rancher

Patrick Henningsen 21st Century WireThere exists a famous quote often attributed to 1918 US Senator Hiram Warren Johnson, who once said, The first casualty when war comes is truth. The same could be said for Waco, or Ruby Ridge or with the federal government s version of recent events in Burns, Oregon. What really happened on Highway 395? We re not sure yet, but in the meantime, it seems as if the mainstream media have already decided who is guilty and and who is not.Regarding the Tuesday evening s events at the Oregon Standoff, where federal agents shot and killed rancher Robert Lavoy Finicum, a campaign of disinformation appears to be rapidly underway. The following is a prime exhibit of how the mainstream media can spin a story to favor the government version of events.The Washington Post s brash headline reads, Report: LaVoy Finicum, armed with a handgun, reached for his waistband just before he was shot. In the absence of any actual evidence, or even analysis to support this deceptive headline, instead Washington Post writer Mike Miller attempts to weave together a classic example of yellow journalism.Any speculation or public skepticism could be easily put to rest by the FBI releasing all video footage of the event in question. (Above screen shot: Washington Post)Miller begins his piece establishing Finicum s guilt in his own murder by nature of the fact that Robert Lavoy Finicum had been seen previously carrying a gun. Everyone knew that LaVoy Finicum kept a Colt .45 on his hip. That common knowledge could help explain how the occupier in Oregon died. Miller s article then hammers home the federal thesis that any injured or dead protesters brought it on themselves : The occupiers had ample opportunity to leave peacefully, FBI Special Agent Greg Bretzing said Wednesday morning. They brought this on themselves. In other words, according to the FBI, and with the help of the media, dead rancher Lavoy Finicum is guilty in the court of public opinion.Marginalizing the WitnessMiller immediate moves to cast doubt on the testimony of 18 yr old Victoria Sharp, who was a passenger in the truck Finicum was driving, crassly describing the young woman as a self-described witness . He adds: Another self-described witness disputes that, saying that authorities opened fire before the getaway chase and that Finicum had his hands up when he was shot. STOIC: Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy and Lavoy Finicum at the Wildlife Refuge last week.Instead, Miller relies heavily on a YouTube video recorded and uploaded by a man named Mark McConnell who was not at the scene of the actual shooting (he admits that he was one mile away) when federal agents reportedly killed Finicum. Admittedly, McConnell s testimony, claiming that Finicum had charged at the officers is only second-hand, or possibly third-hand, depending on the accuracy of what he is attempting relaying from other passengers riding with in the vehicle with Sharp at the time, Ryan Payne and Shawna Cox.Here, McConnell is, in effect, issuing a proxy statement on behalf of Victoria Sharp s fellow passengers, Shawn Cox and Ryan Payne. This is hardly admissible, as both Cox and Payne are currently in federal custody and are not able to verify the accuracy of McConnell reiteration. And yet, mainstream media outlets are propping-up McConnell s account as if it were somehow factual.Clearly, this is a nudging exercise, carefully attempting to minimize and discredit the young female witness Sharp. The Post s Miller makes this blatantly obvious when he subtly inserts that Sharp, who said she was the 18 year old in the car with Finicum . What? Who said she was the 18 yr old ? Here is in context: McConnell s account conflicts with statements made by Victoria Sharp, who said she was the 18-year-old in the car with Finicum. One would think that a Washington Post headline journalist would have ample resources to confirm whether or not Sharp was in the truck or not.Why are mainstream media outlets so quick to try and discredit the testimony of Victoria Sharp? Unlike the mainstream media s go-to man McConnell, Victoria Sharp is an actual eye witness who saw first-hand the fateful event in question, and described it in detail immediately after the event during a phone interview. What s more amazing is how a newspaper like the Washington Post, presumably with a good reputation for high journalistic standards (one would think so anyway) would grab a recycled, second-hand account which first appeared on the tabloid news website Raw Story.What The Post is attempting to do here is clear: to try and align a secondhand speculative guess by McConnell with a vague anonymous statement leaked from the FBI to CNN.Sadly for news consumers, it s not uncommon that networks like CNN will often accept vague anonymous leaks from sources in order to construct an official narrative of any event with absolutely zero accountability from either the government source, or the news network.It s almost as if Miller is writing this piece on behalf of the FBI.At the very least here, the Washington Post is playing a supporting role acting as an additional PR channel and echo chamber for a claim which neither CNN or the government are required to either confirm or deny. Sources Say Finicum Was Reaching for His WaistbandRather than question any of the claims fashioned by CNN and its sources journalist Mike Miller does the opposite he tries to reinforce the government narrative.CNN International s report hinges on a anonymous government source claiming that Finicum was killed by federal agents because he was reaching towards his waistband. Miller writes: In the moments before he was shot by authorities Tuesday afternoon, Finicum led a high-speed getaway attempt. He then reached for his waistband, prompting authorities to open fire, according to a CNN report.The report, which cites anonymous law enforcement officials but has not been confirmed by The Washington Post, is corroborated by a statement from an occupier who said he was traveling with Finicum at the time of the traffic stop. The fact the media have chosen to label this incident as a traffic stop indicates an obvious agenda designed to minimize the obvious that this was a pre-planned, elaborate ambush by the FBI and Oregon State Police.The Washington Post then tries to enhance CNN s phantom report by aligning the government narrative with the second-hand story presented by Mark McConnell, further propping-up the government s version of events:This same unnamed source cited by CNN has also told the network that the incident was captured on video by the FBI, but that authorities have not decided whether or not the release the video. One indication that this anonymous leak to CNN is likely bogus is the fact that the statement says Finicum reached for his waistband , but chose not to say, reached for his gun which offers the government a convenient exit from their previous statement should an unincriminating video ever surface for public viewing. In addition, the fact that the alleged damning video has not already been released could mean that the video footage in question does not support the government innuendo story which has been leaked out via government-media information channels.Any public distrust or skepticism of the federal authorities would immediately be dispelled by speed release of all video footage (with dozens of agents and surveillance, there should have been more than one video feed taken, including body and gun sight cameras) of the event. Whether or not, and how fast this will happen remains to be seen.Two Versions of EventsWhat s abundantly clear after listening to both McConnell and Sharp s conflicting testimonies, is that McConnell s statement is quite obviously unreliable and full of self-contradictions and caveats, while Sharp s is clear and concise.The following is the testimony of Victoria Sharp, recorded in the immediate aftermath of the shooting on Oregon highway 395: Anyone looking at this story can see clearly that protesters vehicles were traveling to a pre-arranged community event in the nearby small town of John Day an event supported by neighboring Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer. Palmer was sympathetic to the Bundy s protest and publicly called for the release of the Hammond family whom he believes were wrongfully imprisoned. Oregon Live reported the Palmer was there at the FBI roadblock on Highway 395 alongside a large contingent of armed Federal Agents. If true, this would indicates that Palmer had prior knowledge federal ambush, but more importantly, that he clearly ceded his own legal and Consitutional authority as the county s chief law enforcement official over to the FBI s special agent in charge Greg Bretzing. Absent of any public statement from Palmer on the matter, onlookers can only speculate about this situation.IMPORTANT NOTE (UPDATE 1-30-16): According to this recent report by Pedro Quintana from Central Oregon local affiliate News Channel 21, Sheriff Palmer was not at the federal roadblock and had no prior knowledge of the FBI ambush of the Bundy convoy. According to the chat session relayed in Pedro Quintana s report, Palmer was asked in an online chat, Did you witness Lavoy shooting, or no? , to which Palmer replies, NO The shooting from what I hear was close to 4 and I heard of it at about 5:45pm. News 21continued: Palmer responded he had no knowledge of anything about the plans or who was coming to the public meeting. He went on to say that the FBI and Oregon State Police know me, they shared nothing with me and they know I wouldn t have allowed it. Earlier mainstream media reports that Palmer was present at the FBI roadblock would lead Bundy supporters to believe that Palmer had betrayed the Bundys and Lavoy Finicum. One the main sources, if not the main source of the original Sheriff Palmer controversy appears to be none other than Oregon Live staff writer Les Zaitz who has slipped-in this key piece of line into his report which which says: They said they didn t know how long the roadblock would be place. Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer was there. Not surprisingly, this has set-off a virtual backlash online against the Grant County Sheriff, as evidenced by the following screen shot of Google search link found here: Is this a case of media dirty tricks by Oregon Live? Certainly, Oregon Live s coverage of Burns events has been skewed from the beginning, and have been running character assassination pieces against Malheur occupiers in a effort to discredit the protest. Sheriff Palmer is clearly on record as being sympathetic to the Hammond Ranch protest and had recently opened up a constructive dialogue with the Bundys and occupiers from Malheur Wildlife Refuge. If Pedro Quintana s News 21 report is indeed accurate, then one might conclude that Oregon Live put out a piece of disinformation, likely designed to further divide the protest movement and create dissension in militia and activist ranks. However, until Sheriff Glenn Palmer comes out and issues clear statement declaring where he was and where he wasn t, then people will continue to speculate what really happened. (END OF UPDATE)NOTE: See more in depth and legal analysis on Sheriff Palmer and the FBI s operation at Free Capitalist.Amazingly, The Post s writer Mike Miller goes on to all but admit a premeditated ambush of the protester s vehicles on Highway 395, and yet, will not call it what it was an ambush: According to the CNN report, the FBI and Oregon State Police had been watching occupiers come and go from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns for days before they spotted a rare opportunity to nab the militant movement s leaders all at once: Finicum, Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy and a handful of others climbed into two trucks and drove from the refuge to a meeting in John Day, Ore., two hours north. Authorities chose a cold, deserted stretch of highway to attempt a traffic stop. One vehicle complied with orders and pulled over, but the other allegedly driven by Finicum sped off at high speed, according to the report. It should be noted (although never by the Washington Post or CNN) that the protest s leader, Ammon Bundy, had met with FBI negotiators that morning continuing an open dialogue that had been going on for weeks. This, plus the fact that Sheriff Palmer had invited Bundy and his fellow protesters to the community event in John Day, demonstrated that both the Federal government and the local Sheriff had acted in bad faith by drawing all of the main protesters out to the town of John Day, along a pre-planned route, before staging such an ambush with overwhelming force just hours later. The fact that a man is dead definitely underlines the seriousness of their course of action which appears to be a case of deception on the part of authorities.Similarly, right after the event most mainstream media were calling the event a shoot-out , even though it was obvious that no shots were fired by vehicle passengers. Granted, such deceptive language by media is nothing new, but it s still further indication that there was a deliberate attempt to skew the narrative in favor of law enforcement s official version of events.UPDATE 1-28-2016 at 11:30PM ET: Due to public pressure and intense speculation about the events of Tuesday evening, and because of the YouTube recording of 18 yr old eye witness Victoria Sharp, the FBI has released the unedited aerial video footage from Tuesday evening s incident which took place along Highway 395 here. According to the official FBI statement: We feel that it is necessary to show the whole thing unedited in the interest of transparency. The FBI video entitled, Complete, Unedited Video of Joint FBI and OSP Operation 01/26/2016 , does show the victim Lavoy Finicum exiting the truck awkwardly in at least two feet of snow, and he clearly does not charge towards the SWAT team, and his hands are clearly held high above his head as he exits his truck when confronted by a SWAT team, before being shot multiple times by marksmen and falling in the snow. Also, the scale and size of this operation is very evident by the footage, and the apprehension of the protesters was not the result of a mere traffic stop as it was wrongly characterized in multiple mainstream media reports. On its own, this FBI drone footage would appear to support previous government and media claims by CNN, Washington Post and others that the victim was indeed reaching towards his waistband which gave federal and state police justification to unleash deadly force. However, it is still not completely clear from this aerial footage whether or not Finicum was holstered (he is said to normally carry a gun on the right hip, but FBI are claiming he had a 9mm gun in his inside left breast pocket), but also whether or not he lowered his arms before, or after he was shot multiple times. For example, if Finicum had his hands in the air and was then was shot in the abdomen first, then any man s natural reaction would be to then lower his hand(s) and clutch the wound. Additionally, if any shots were fired, even in the vicinity, then confusion could have ensued which might have prompted Finicum to reach for his weapon. Either way, it is impossible to make any such a forensic determination without a corresponding audio track which would help to determine if any shots were fired before Finicum s hand(s) could be seen lowering. WARNING: The following images depict violence and death which some readers may find disturbing. Watch: Finicum appears to temporarily lose his balance in the snow at the very moment he looks to be hit by agents.What is clear however from this video is that armed agents did not shoot to disable their suspect, but shot to kill and even had a laser sight trained on him for many minutes after he was downed. Clearly, multiple SWAT shooters could be seen emerging from the woods. After killing Finicum, police then left the victim to bleed to death laying in the snow, and did not check on him for at least another 8 minutes.Flash-bang rounds can be seen around the 14:00 mark of the FBI s unedited version, and the FBI has said that it fired CS gas and non lethal rounds (possibly pepper spray rounds, or rubber bullets) are said to have been fired at the truck while the passengers were inside. This begs the question: with nonlethal rounds already in play why did multiple SWAT shooters use so many deadly rounds against Finicum when he exited the truck with his hands up?See 21WIRE s detailed report of the federal ambush on Highway 395 in Oregon here.READ MORE OREGON STANDOFF NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Oregon Files

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January 28, 2016

REPORT: ‘Federal Government Escalated the Violence in Oregon’

KILLED: Rancher and protest spokesman Robert Lavoy Finicum (Image Source: RT International)21st Century Wire says New eye witness testimony indicates that the FBI and other federal agencies were never fired upon, but have shot and killed leading protester, Robert Lavoy Finicum, and wounding one other in a elaborate operation that took place along a rural highway near Burns, Oregon.For 26 days since the protest and occupation began at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge outside of Burns, Oregon there were no one was hurt and there were no injuries. That all changed early Tuesday evening when the FBI and Oregon State Police raised the ante, bringing the 4 week standoff to a dramatic ending.As detailed in yesterday s report, according to 18 yr old passenger and eyewitness, Victoria Sharp, dozens of federal vehicles and armed agents had set-up a pre-positioned roadblocks along an isolated stretch of rural Highway 395 before intercepting two vehicles and firing upon one of them, killing rancher and protest spokesman, Robert Lavoy Finicum, from Chino Valley, Arizona, and wounding Ryan Bundy of Bunkerville, Nevada.A total of 8 persons were detained, 5 of whom were charged with conspiracy to impede federal officers and are waiting arraignment.21WIRE journalist Patrick Henningsen weighs in on the situation in Oregon and discusses its implications with news anchor Rory Suchet from RT International. Watch: UPDATE 1-28-2016 at 11:30PM ET: Due to public pressure and intense speculation about the events of Tuesday evening, and because of the YouTube recording of 18 yr old eye witness Victoria Sharp, the FBI has released the unedited aerial video footage from Tuesday evening s incident which took place along Highway 395 here. According to the official FBI statement: We feel that it is necessary to show the whole thing unedited in the interest of transparency. The FBI video entitled, Complete, Unedited Video of Joint FBI and OSP Operation 01/26/2016 , does show the victim Lavoy Finicum exiting the truck awkwardly in at least two feet of snow, and he clearly does not charge towards the SWAT team, and his hands are clearly held high above his head as he exits his truck when confronted by a SWAT team, before being shot multiple times by marksmen and falling in the snow. Also, the scale and size of this operation is very evident by the footage, and the apprehension of the protesters was not the result of a mere traffic stop as it was wrongly characterized in multiple mainstream media reports. On its own, this FBI drone footage would appear to support previous government and media claims by CNN, Washington Post and others that the victim was indeed reaching towards his waistband which gave federal and state police justification to unleash deadly force. However, it is still not completely clear from this aerial footage whether or not Finicum was holstered (he is said to normally carry a gun on the right hip, but FBI are claiming he had a 9mm gun in his inside left breast pocket), but also whether or not he lowered his arms before, or after he was shot multiple times. For example, if Finicum had his hands in the air and was then was shot in the abdomen first, then any man s natural reaction would be to then lower his hand(s) and clutch the wound. Additionally, if any shots were fired, even in the vicinity, then confusion could have ensued which might have prompted Finicum to reach for his weapon. Either way, it is impossible to make any such a forensic determination without a corresponding audio track which would help to determine if any shots were fired before Finicum s hand(s) could be seen lowering.WARNING: The following images depict violence and death which some readers may find disturbing. Watch: SEE MORE OREGON STANDOFF NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Oregon Standoff Files

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January 28, 2016

BOILER ROOM – Oregon Standoff, Cuddle Parties, Guns n’ Posers – EP #41

Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST every Wednesday. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher, & Spore along with Andy Nowicki from Alt Right Blogspot, 21Wire mastermind Patrick Henningsen and Stewart Howe. In this broadcast we re going big time with an extra long overdrive episode, listeners will be hearing us go around the BOILER ROOM on a plethora of topics tonight including cuddle parties, a Saudi millionaire running free on rape allegations after claiming to have tripped and fell on victim, Hesher bashes Guns N Roses, the life span of the iPod about to be ended by a resurgence in tape cassette technology, permaculture farming, federal land grabs, and the demonization of the militia. We give a detailed breakdown of the situation unfolding in Oregon with regards to the Ammon Bundy s (and others) arrest and the execution style ambush and murder of Robert Lavoy Finicum. If you want to participate, bring something interesting to throw into the boiler Join us in the ALTERNATE CURRENT RADIO chat room.BOILER ROOM IS NOT A POLICTALLY CORRECT ZONE! Live ACR player below Show goes live at 6 PM PST This week s topics:

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January 28, 2016

Eyewitness Says Feds Ambushed Bundys, 100 Shots Fired at Passengers, Lavoy Finicum Killed With ‘Hands Up’

Patrick Henningsen 21st Century Wire UPDATE: 1-30-2016 Last night, the standoff at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge outside Burns, Oregon took a rather ugly turn which resulted in one man shot dead and another wounded by federal agents.The latest incident took place as two vehicles carrying protesters, led by Ammon Bundy, were en route to a community meeting in the nearby town of John Day in Oregon.According to numerous mainstream media reports and local media outlet Oregon Live, federal sources are telling the media that only 3 shots were fired , but a new eye witness testimony by one of the vehicle s passengers tells a very different story.While the mainstream media is still referring to the event as a shoot-out , according to this latest eye witness account at the scene no shots were fired by vehicle passengers.According to eyewitness Victoria Sharp, 18 yrs old, from Kansas, who was a passenger in the same truck driven by Arizona rancher Robert Lavoy Finicum, along with Ryan Bundy, Ryan Payne and Shawna Cox dozens of federal vehicles and countless agents were waiting for the group, pre-positioned at a point along the isolated rural Highway 395, before intercepting the group and detaining 8 persons, including brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, who were booked into Multnomah County Jail early this morning.Sharp confirmed that the passengers never drew weapons and attempted to get out of their vehicles before federal agents fired at least 120 shots altogether at the vehicle carrying her party.RELATED: Federal Government Escalated the Violence in Oregon Federal agents fired their first shots at passenger and militia leader, Ryan Payne, as he attempted to make contact with the agents by sticking his head and hands out of the window, at which point Payne got back inside the vehicle.Payne then exited the truck and was detained before driver Finicum advanced the vehicle further down the road before sliding into a snow bank on the side of the road.A second vehicle, a Jeep with passengers including Ammon Bundy, had already been stopped by authorities, with its all passengers taken into custody with no one harmed.A third vehicle driving approximately one mile ahead at the front of the convoy, carrying Sharp s mother and young siblings, was allowed to pass through the police roadblocks without incident. Finicum then attempted to drive around the next federal road block, but lost control of the vehicle before careening into snow piled on the road s hard shoulder.After crashing into the snow bank on the side of the highway, the driver, 54 yr old Arizona resident, Lavoy Finicum (photo, above), then exited the vehicle, visibly upset and with his hands in the air, before being gunned down by federal agents. Finicum was walking with his hands in the air, daring federal agents, Just shoot me! Just shoot me at which point the agents shot him dead. The witness testimony indicates that his hands were still in the air.Numerous red dots from lasers could be seen pointed on the passengers by federal marksmen, in what was described by this witness as an ambush by federal authorities. Sharps said, I had 20 lasers on me when I got out of the car. She also confirmed that Ryan Bundy was shot and wounded in the arm by federal agents was shot while still inside the truck.Federal forces then followed-up by firing CS tear gas rounds around the vehicle, apparently in an attempt to further disable the remaining passengers.At least 40 federal vehicles, as well as many armed federal agents including some seen emerging from the surrounding forest along the highway, should leave little doubt as to the scale and nature of the operation.Listen to Ms. Sharp s harrowing testimony here: IMPORTANT NOTE (UPDATE 1-30-16): According to this recent report by Pedro Quintana from Central Oregon local affiliate News Channel 21, Sheriff Palmer was not at the federal roadblock and had no prior knowledge of the FBI ambush of the Bundy convoy. According to the chat session relayed in Pedro Quintana s report, Palmer was asked in an online chat, Did you witness Lavoy shooting, or no? , to which Palmer replies, NO The shooting from what I hear was close to 4 and I heard of it at about 5:45pm. News 21continued: Palmer responded he had no knowledge of anything about the plans or who was coming to the public meeting. He went on to say that the FBI and Oregon State Police know me, they shared nothing with me and they know I wouldn t have allowed it. Earlier mainstream media reports that Palmer was present at the FBI roadblock would lead Bundy supporters to believe that Palmer had betrayed the Bundys and Lavoy Finicum. One the main sources, if not the main source of the original Sheriff Palmer controversy appears to be none other than Oregon Live staff writer Les Zaitz who has slipped-in this key piece of line into his report which which says: They said they didn t know how long the roadblock would be place. Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer was there. Not surprisingly, this has set-off a virtual backlash online against the Grant County Sheriff, as evidenced by the following screen shot of Google search link found here: Is this a case of media dirty tricks by Oregon Live? Certainly, Oregon Live s coverage of Burns events has been skewed from the beginning, and have been running character assassination pieces against Malheur occupiers in a effort to discredit the protest. Sheriff Palmer is clearly on record as being sympathetic to the Hammond Ranch protest and had recently opened up a constructive dialogue with the Bundys and occupiers from Malheur Wildlife Refuge. If Pedro Quintana s News 21 report is indeed accurate, then one might conclude that Oregon Live put out a piece of disinformation, likely designed to further divide the protest movement and create dissension in militia and activist ranks. However, until Sheriff Glenn Palmer comes out and issues clear statement declaring where he was and where he wasn t, then people will continue to speculate what really happened. (END OF UPDATE)Conflicting AccountsReporter Les Zaitz from Oregon Live, a key source of mainstream media information from the Refuge protest, did not give prominence to Victoria Sharp s account in his article, but instead chose to lead with and highlight the secondhand account of the other vehicle s passenger Mark McConnell who claimed that unarmed victim Lavoy Finicum charged at law enforcement before being shot. Zaitz s article even admits that McConnell s vehicle was at least 200 yards behind the truck driven by Finicum.Incredibly, Oregonian Zaitz appears to favor McConnell s account on the basis that his account has matched accounts from law enforcement sources. McConnell issued his version of events after being released from law enforcement custody, where he spoke for 2 hours with federal agents.Tabloid news site Raw Story also ran with a similar narrative with a deceptive headline that read Eyewitnesses knock down conspiracy theories about LaVoy Finicum , referring to secondhand accounts by McConnell and colleague, Melvin Lee.As it turns out, Mark McConnell did not actually see the shooting, and instead had pieced together his account, as evidenced by his own statement later posted online: going off of what Shawna Cox and Ryan Payne were saying, which were in the vehicle, um, Visually, I seen the truck take off, you know, now any time someone takes off in a vehicle away from law enforcement after they exercise a stop, it s typically considered an act of aggression and foolish. Payne said while they were sitting there and they were clearing my vehicle that him and LeVoy had a heated discussion but he took off they had to chase him, and from what Shawna Cox was saying from inside of his truck that when he exited the vehicle he charged after law enforcement . What I do know to be true, from what Payne said and what Shawna said taken pieces here and pieces there and from what I witnessed, um, I didn t see the shooting, um, he was not on his knees, he was not, none of that non sense, that was a miscommunication on somebody else s part but he went after em, he charged em. Here, McConnell is, in effect, issuing a proxy statement on behalf of Victoria Sharp s fellow passengers, Shawn Cox and Ryan Payne. This is hardly admissible, as both Cox and Payne are currently in federal custody and are not able to verify the accuracy of McConnell reiteration. And yet, mainstream media outlets are propping-up McConnell s account, while minimizing Sharp s.After speculating about the shooting, McConnell then says, I didn t see it, and I m not going to speculate on it. McConnell is said to have been driving in the rear vehicle with Ammon Bundy and his private security, Brian Cavalier.SEE ALSO: Activists or Terrorist? The Truth About the Oregon StandoffUPDATE 1-28-2016: On Wednesday evening, CNN International released a report based on an anonymous government source claiming that Finicum was killed by federal agents because he was reaching towards his waistband. The Washington Post then re-spun the story, and rather incredibly is relying on the very same secondhand story presented by Mark McConnell, in a desperate attempt to prop-up the government s version of events: In the moments before he was shot by authorities Tuesday afternoon, Finicum led a high-speed getaway attempt. He then reached for his waistband, prompting authorities to open fire, according to a CNN report.The report, which cites anonymous law enforcement officials but has not been confirmed by The Washington Post, is corroborated by a statement from an occupier who said he was traveling with Finicum at the time of the traffic stop. The fact the media have chosen to label this incident as a traffic stop indicates an obvious agenda designed to minimize the obvious that this was a pre-planned, elaborate ambush by the FBI and Oregon State Police.This same unnamed source cited by CNN is also told the network that the incident was indeed captured on video by the FBI, but that authorities have not decided whether or not the release the video. (see more breaking updates on this development below)See a full breakdown CNN, Washington Post and the government narrative here.Federal EscalationThis shocking turn of events comes just days after Oregon governor Kate Brown issued what some might consider to be a veiled threat to the protesters and militia, saying that the federal government must move quickly to end the occupation and hold all of the wrongdoers accountable. Reports last week indicated that the governor had personally written the White House and President Obama, which specifically addressed Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI director James Comey, in which Brown expressed her outrage that Harney County and the state of Oregon was not being recognized for its collaborative achievements , but rather for outsiders seeking to exploit and manipulate a local matter for their own agenda. According to the FBI s press release, arrested individuals include:Ammon Edward Bundy, 40, of Emmett, Idaho Ryan C. Bundy, 43, of Bunkerville, Nevada Brian Cavalier, 44, of Bunkerville, Nevada Shawna Cox, 59, of Kanab, Utah Ryan Waylen Payne, 32, of Anaconda, Montana Joseph Donald O Shaughnessy, 45, of Cottonwood, ArizonaAfter the federal operation on Highway 395, in a separate incident back at the Wildlife Refuge, YouTube and internet radio personality, Peter Santilli, 50, of Cincinnati, Ohio, approached the venue and walked towards federal agents before being taken into custody.BREAKING: Booking photos of Ammon Bundy, 7 others after arrest near Burns. https://t.co/AcqRyP4pd5 #KOIN6News pic.twitter.com/un82wepf95 Brent Weisberg (@BrentKOIN) January 27, 2016Those still in detention are scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland.According to reports, FBI agents in Phoenix also made a probable cause arrest of Jon Eric Ritzheimer, age 32, on a federal charge related to the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon. Jon Ritzheimer, another controversial YouTube personality and former US Marine, appears to have left the Malheur Refuge right before the federal operation to apprehend the protesters, when he returned to his home in Peoria, Arizona.Back at the Refuge protest site, the FBI are said to be negotiating with remaining 8 to 10 occupiers inside, with reports that most women and minors have already left the site.Three weeks ago, Finicum, who become the protest s media spokesperson, made a prophetic statement on camera saying that, There are things more important than your life, and freedom is one of them. Watch:UPDATE 1-28-2016: Any public distrust or skepticism of the federal authorities would immediately be dispelled by speed release of all video footage (with dozens of agents and surveillance, there should have been more than one video feed taken, including body and gun sight cameras) of the event. Whether or not, and how fast this will happen remains to be seen.UPDATE 1-29-2016 at 01:30PM ET: Due to public pressure and intense speculation about the events of Tuesday evening, and also because of the YouTube recording of eye witness 18 yr old Victoria Sharp, the FBI has released the unedited aerial video footage from Tuesday evening s incident which took place along Highway 395 here. According to the official FBI statement: We feel that it is necessary to show the whole thing unedited in the interest of transparency. The FBI video entitled, Complete, Unedited Video of Joint FBI and OSP Operation 01/26/2016 , does show the victim Lavoy Finicum exiting the truck awkwardly in at least two feet of snow, and he clearly does not charge towards the SWAT team, and his hands are clearly held high above his head as he exits his truck when confronted by a SWAT team, before being shot multiple times by marksmen and falling in the snow. Also, the scale and size of this operation is very evident by the footage, and the apprehension of the protesters was not the result of a mere traffic stop as erroneously characterized in multiple mainstream media reports. On its own, this FBI drone footage would appear to support previous government and media claims by CNN, Washington Post and others that the victim was indeed reaching towards his waistband which gave federal and state police justification to unleash deadly force. However, it is still not completely clear from this aerial footage whether or not Finicum was holstered (he is said to normally carry a gun on the right hip, but FBI are claiming he had a 9mm gun in his inside left breast pocket), but also whether or not he lowered his arms before, or after he was shot multiple times. For example, if Finicum had his hands in the air and was then was shot in the abdomen first, then any man s natural reaction would be to then lower his hand(s) and clutch the wound. Additionally, if any shots were fired, even in the vicinity, then confusion could have ensued which might have prompted Finicum to reach for his weapon. Either way, it is impossible to make any such a forensic determination without a corresponding audio track which would help to determine if any shots were fired before Finicum s hand(s) could be seen lowering. WARNING: Images depict violence which some viewers may find disturbing. Watch here: READ MORE OREGON STANDOFF NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Oregon Standoff Files

Middle-east

January 27, 2016

Episode #119 – SUNDAY WIRE: ‘You Know the Drill’ with guests Robert Singer and Jay Dyer

Episode #119 of SUNDAY WIRE SHOW finally resumes this Sunday Jan. 24, 2016 presented by host Patrick Henningsen with 3 HOURS of power-packed talk radio LISTEN LIVE ON THIS PAGE AT THE FOLLOING SCHEDULED SHOW TIMES:SUNDAYS 5pm-8pm UK Time | 12pm-3pm ET (US) | 9am-12pm PT (US)This week s very special edition of THE SUNDAY WIRE is broadcasting LIVE, as host Patrick Henningsen returns this week with another very special show, covering the top news stories internationally. In the first hour we ll look at the latest incarnation of the Litvinenko murder mystery, the upcoming Iowa Caucuses, new reports of MH370 wreckage found in Thailand, as well as the stand-off in Burns, Oregon. In the second hour we re joined by special guest, independent researcher and investigator, Robert Singer, to discuss some new information in the San Bernardino Shooting story. In the third hour we re joined by writer and social commentator Jay Dyer to talk about the wider effects of Mass Shootings in America with including political manipulation and the implications of social engineering.Strap yourselves in and lower the blast shield this is your brave new world *NOTE: THIS EPISODE MAY CONTAIN SOME STRONG LANGUAGE AND MATURE THEMES* // <![CDATA[ broadstreet.zone(46707); // ]]&gt;

Middle-east

January 24, 2016

‘There’ll be boots on the ground’: US making noises about ‘doing more’ in Syria and Iraq

21st Century Wire says Various parties in Washington are quietly laying down the rhetorical tarmac for an increased US military operation in Syria.Recent remarks by US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter (see report below) in Davos appear to dovetail with similar words yesterday from US Vice President Joe Biden who stated, We are prepared to have a military solution for this operation, and taking out Daesh (ISIS). The following was reported by Press TV yesterday, but as yet, we cannot corroborate the story: The United States denies its special operations troops have taken over an airfield in northeastern Syria, near the country s border with Iraq and Turkey. A spokesman of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said Friday that the military denied that US forces have taken control of any airfield in Syria . However, a spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) told Al Jazeera earlier this week that the US special operations forces had taken over the airfield near the city of Rmeilan in Syria s Hasakah province to support Kurdish fighters against the Daesh (ISIL) Takfiri group. Regardless, don t think for one second that the Pentagon doesn t already have some boots on the ground inside Syria DELTA FORCE: According to a report at Friends of Syria, US Delta Force units are already on the ground in southern Syria near Jordanian border (Image Source: South Front)RTSecretary of Defense Ash Carter has reiterated US plans to increase its military presence in the campaign to retake Mosul and Raqqa from Islamic State, but urged other members of its coalition like Turkey to contribute more to the war effort. We re looking for opportunities to do more, and there will be boots on the ground I want to be clear about that but it s a strategic question, whether you are enabling local forces to take and hold, rather than trying to substitute for them, Carter told CNBC from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. I don t think we or anybody else can substitute for them, but there s a lot we can do to enable them, including being on the ground with them. US to increase number of troops in Iraq; Carter discusses 'accelerating' ISIS campaign https://t.co/cub1ZQ50Vi pic.twitter.com/FZBqbeBk3M RT (@RT_com) January 21, 2016There are currently about 3,600 US military staff in Iraq, in training and military support roles, with US officials announcing earlier this week that hundreds, not thousands more will be on their way shortly, though Carter himself vowed on Thursday that the numbers would increase greatly as the momentum of the effort increases. The reason for the uptick is the planned offensive against Raqqa, Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) headquarters in Syria, and Mosul, Iraq s second biggest city also overrun by IS Continue this story at RT READ MORE PENTAGON NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Pentagon Files

Middle-east

January 23, 2016

Boston Brakes? How to Hack a New Car With Your iPhone or Android

21st Century Wire says For those who still refuse to entertain any Michael Hastings Boston Breaks conspiracy theories, this latest story offers yet more proof that hacking a vehicle is not only possible it s relatively easy to do. Everyone has seen or heard those annoying ads on TV and radio, for those new smart monitoring devices that insurance companies are trying hard to convince you to install in your car. They tell us, If you are a safe driver, then we ll be sure to pass on premium discounts to safe drivers. To even the most mild skeptic, this little invention reeks of Big Brother tech.According to crafty insurance moguls, their revolutionary smart plug-in device connects to your car s computer port which is normally located just beneath the steering wheel. They claim that it only records drivers when they accelerate, brake and steer. They claim that this data will reveal how erratic a driver you are, which in turn will determine your road risk actuary and how much you will have to pay for auto insurance. SMART? Munic Box plug-in technology allows an access portal into your car s computer functions.Most smart people realize that this smart device will not save you money, as much as it will give insurance companies like Progressive an easy metric by which to raise your rates, not lower them.If that isn t bad enough, now cyber researchers in America have shown how hackers can send a simple text message to manipulate your car s functions even interfere your car s brakes.The hack was performed by engineering students Karl Koscher and Ian Foster from the University of California, San Diego, remotely hijacked a lovely cherry Corvette through a smart device used by auto insurer Metromile. Watch The team of researchers presented their findings at the Usenix computer conference in Washington, D.C. Mobile Devices did not respond to CNNMoney requests for comment. However, Stefan Savage, the college engineering professor that oversaw the research project, said that the device maker has since issued a software update. Do you agree with us that there is nothing smart about this technology?Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below READ MORE SCI-TECH NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Sci-Tech Files

Middle-east

January 22, 2016

Oregon Governor Says Feds ‘Must Act’ Against Protesters and Armed Groups in Burns

21st Century Wire says So far, after nearly 20 days of protests near Burns, Oregon, there s been no one hurt or injured, but it seems the state s chief executive is keen to change that result.According to reports today, Oregon Governor Kate Brown told a news conference hat federal officials, must move quickly to end the occupation and hold all of the wrongdoers accountable. The governor does not appear at all concerned with the Hammond family s plight, nor with any of this story s core issues like legal minimum sentencing, jury nullification, or private, state and federal land rights and yet, seems to want an armed confrontation in her state and not with any of her own state or county law enforcement agents, but by using federal agents instead. PLEADING TO FEDS: Oregon governor Kate Brown.She added, Residents of Harney County have been overlooked and underserved by federal officials response thus far. I have conveyed these very grave concerns directly to our leaders at the highest levels of our government: the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House. The Democratic governor also claims that the protest has cost the state over $500,000 over the last 3 weeks. We ll be asking federal officials to reimburse the state for these costs. It s not clear exactly how she arrived at that figure, but it can t be from calculating Harney County sheriff s deputies overtime pay.Harney County Judge Steve Grasty also voice a desire to see federal agents take a more aggressive approach towards Ammon Bundy and his fellow protesters, saying, I hope they lock it down. People shouldn t be coming and going. Maybe it s time. READ MORE HAMMOND NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Hammond Ranch

Middle-east

January 21, 2016

Ron Paul on Burns Oregon Standoff and Jury Nullification for the Hammond Family

21st Century Wire says If you ve been following the protest and federal standoff outside of Burns, Oregon, you ll have seen 99% of the news coverage has been about the presence of armed militia and endless rumors of FBI Waco Siege plots and not about the core legal issues surrounding the Hammond family.For more in-depth analysis on minimum sentencing laws, jury nullification and property rights, watch the following Liberty Report hosted by Congressman and former presidential candidate Ron Paul is joined by the executive director of the institute for peace and prosperity, Daniel McAdams, along with Jacob Sullum, senior editor from Reason.com

Middle-east

January 21, 2016

BOILER ROOM: As the Frogs Slowly Boil – EP #40

Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST every Wednesday. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher, & Spore along with Andy Nowicki from Alt Right Blogspot, ACR/21Wire contributor Randy J and Stewart Howe. In this broadcast we re going off the rails and off the cuffs, listeners will be hearing us go around the BOILER ROOM on a myriad of topics tonight including relief booths in the city, Sarah Palin s endorsement of Donald Trump, whether or not there is any hope in the political system, reported sexual assaults in Cologne, the Oregon standoff and El Chapo owning Fast and Furious weapons. If you want to participate, bring something interesting to throw into the boiler Join us in the ALTERNATE CURRENT RADIO chat room.BOILER ROOM IS NOT A POLICTALLY CORRECT ZONE! Live ACR player below Show goes live at 6 PM PSTThis week s topics:

Middle-east

January 20, 2016

Arizona Rancher Protesting in Oregon is Targeted by CPS, Loses Custody of Foster Children

RTOne of the most visible members of the armed militia that took over a wildlife refuge in Oregon says his four foster sons were taken away due to his involvement in the standoff, and he blames the federal government who must have gotten to the governor. Robert LaVoy Finicum and his wife Jeanette have fostered more than 50 boys over the last decade at their ranch near Chino Valley, Arizona. The couple is licensed and has a care contract with the Catholic Charities Community Services. Many of the children came from mental hospitals, drug rehabs and group homes for emotionally distressed youth, he told Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). IMAGE: Robert LaVoy Finicum. My ranch has been a great tool for these boys, Finicum said. It has done a lot of good. He traveled to Oregon to take part in the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge at the beginning of January, leaving Jeanette to care for the four boys. But now the Finicums have no more fosters to care for.A social worker began removing the last four of the family s foster kids on January 4, the fourth day of the Oregon standoff. The last left five days later, he said. They didn t go out at the same time, Finicum said. One was there for a year, one of the boys was there six months, another eight months, and a month. I don t know where they ended up. He blamed the kids removals on pressure from the feds. They were ripped from my wife, Finicum said. We are very successful [foster parents]. Our track records are good, it s been a good relationship. [Federal authorities] must have gotten to the governor, who told the state to get them out of there. Continue this story at RTREAD MORE HAMMOND RANCH NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Hammond Ranch Files

Middle-east

January 20, 2016

Seven Iranians freed in the prisoner swap have not returned to Iran

21st Century Wire says This week, the historic international Iranian Nuclear Deal was punctuated by a two-way prisoner swap between Washington and Tehran, but it didn t end quite the way everyone expected. On the Iranian side, one of the U.S. citizens who was detained in Iran, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, has stayed in Iran, but on the U.S. side all 7 of the Iranians held in U.S. prisons DID NOT show up to their flight to Geneva for the prisoner exchange with at least 3 electing to stay in the U.S TEHRAN SIDE: In Iran, 5 U.S. prisoners were released, with 4 of them making their way to Germany via Switzerland.Will Robinson Daily MailNone of the Iranians freed in the prisoner swap have returned home and could still be in the United States, it has been reported.The seven former inmates, who were released as part of a deal with the Islamic republic, did not show up to get a flight to Geneva, Switzerland, where the exchange was set to take place on Sunday.Three of the Iranians have decided to stay in the United States, ABC reported, with some moving in with their families. However it is not known where the other four are.Three of the Americans who had been detained in Iran Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini left Tehran at around 7am the same day, but weren t met by their counterparts in Switzerland Continue this story at the Mail OnlineREAD MORE IRAN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Iran Files

Middle-east

January 20, 2016

#Hashtag Hell & The Fake Left

By Dady Chery and Gilbert MercierAll writers with a desire to rattle people out of their torpor occasionally wonder if it is worthwhile to continue to try to raise their voices over the din of lies and distractions.More and more for us, such thoughts are occasioned, not by the mainstream, which predictably treats all the pronouncements from the powerful as being newsworthy, but by the fake left, which lobotomizes most of whom it touches. The increasing sophistication of this group and its rate of expansion are astounding. Its purpose is to annihilate and replace the real left, and it is making great strides in this regard.The real left includes those who, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), came to realize that quantum leaps are the way to proceed, rather than tiny incremental change. The real left does not curry favor or approval from those in power; it challenges the social status quo and respects the inherent right of an injured and indignant population to rebel against authority. It is not for rent or for sale, and it does not cave in to power. Martin Luther King March (Image Source: Wikicommons)By contrast, the motivations of the fake left are money and fame: the preservation of their place in their ivory towers, together with all the trimmings of an upper middle class or wealthy lifestyle. For them, the path is smoothed and the wheels of the machine are oiled for lucrative book deals, speaking tours, radio and television interviews, and articles that are infinitely reverberated through approved sites in the Internet. Their spokespeople channel political ideas toward electoral cycles and transform revolutionary musings into banalities, paralysis, and futile actions. They attack the public s thought process itself and engender an attention-deficit disorder. Ideas are not pursued, shared, honed, and acted upon but instead displaced by fleeting slogans like hope and change, or feel the Bern. Alternatively, the ideas are muddled, branded and labeled with names like shock doctrine, disaster capitalism, or climate capitalism, so that they may be put away and no longer examined. An important function of the fake left is to diffuse legitimate, spontaneous defense. Righteous anger is made to give way to confusion, and the impetus to revolt is transformed into the futility of virtual actions. Slogans are used as vaccines to prevent the contagion of dissent. Thoughts, not quite fully formed and the beginning of spontaneous actions, like blockage of bridges and highways, quickly dissipate. They are aborted into quick visual scans of an image or rapidly associated with a few words, like black lives matter, and then shared on social media. Today, Thomas Paine s Common Sense would not kindle a revolution; instead it would be quoted, posted, pinned, and tweeted. The fake left is a decoy: a hunter s trap to break the leg of any possible revolution. One of the fake left s godfathers is the multibillionaire George Soros, who obviously believes that wealth equals wisdom and has come up with a clever model to launder his vast financial gains into global political influence. Soros has developed an extremely diversified portfolio of intellectual properties and non-governmental organizations (NGO) in more than 37 countries. Artists throughout the world who present their people as victims, and promote passivity and despair, are rewarded with support and prestigious prizes. Supported organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are accused not only of selectively collecting data on human rights abuses but also of exploiting some of those data to pressure countries into policy changes that are unrelated to human rights. Independent journalism is a major focus of Soros Open Society Foundation, which was founded in 1993, soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union and right before the explosion of the Internet. When US-friendly corrupt governments, and US-sponsored institutions like USAID and the United Nations are exposed by the real left, Soros-sponsored think tanks and news organizations like the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) spring into action and become the voice of reason, demanding that these organizations self-reform. Countless others, also related to the Open Society Foundation, echo and amplify their message. Dismantlement and profound systemic change are never on the agenda. In most of the world, and especially the US, elections are staged, with the primary goal being to let off steam from targeted sectors of the population. A secondary goal is to make a rigged political process appear believable and give the impression of a free exchange of ideas. The candidates are presented as caricatures that trigger an emotional identification in specific groups of people. In the US in 2016, the mean, misogynist and racist ugly American stereotype is served well by Donald Trump for the right. On the other side, the reincarnated Occupy leftist champion of social justice is played by Bernie Sanders. Nonetheless it is Hillary Clinton s turn to win. Trump and Sanders serve to keep the elections in the news and to make Clinton the only supposed pragmatic choice. The ambition of Sanders to beat Hillary Clinton is questionable in light of the fact that he did not run for the presidency in 2012, although the issues were the same, and he could have benefited then from the energy of Occupy. Sander s platform is a reactivation of the Occupy themes. Occupy, however, is not what it used to be. Indeed it is a perfect example of something from the real left that was hijacked. It began as a leaderless anti-capitalist movement called US Day of Rage, but soon it acquired leaders like Chris Hedges, and its most radical elements, like the Black Bloc anarchists, were vilified and excluded. The fake left poaches the narrative of the real left so as to kill it. Outright plagiarism and abundant appropriations and rewrites are hallmarks of the fake left. Since it lacks a heartfelt leftist rhetoric, it must continually borrow one, ironically, to excoriate it so as to present a superficial version of it. Any critical examination will show that the self-proclaimed firebrands of the left have, for decades, never moved the revolutionary dial an iota. If books like Noam Chomsky s Occupy or Naomi Klein s Shock Doctrine, or Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco s Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt had been genuine, they would have brought people to the barricades in the streets, and there would surely have been attempts to suppress them. Instead the books have been celebrated and glorified by the media establishment, because these pseudo-radical manifestos have not brought action but paralysis.The latest offering by Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything, will, by design, change absolutely nothing at all, except the balance of her bank account. TOAST OF THE LEFT: Author Naomi Klein.Those few of us who are genuinely trying to change the course of events sometimes wonder how we can compete against this powerful new machine that appropriates our message, twists it, and then blasts a degraded version of it through countless bullhorns. Doesn t the public realize that wealth and fame are not the normal trappings of revolutionaries? Don t people know that revolution is never easy, and that if it appears to be, it is not real? If words like earth, nature, life, democracy, dissent, protest, love, and revolution are allowed to lose their weight, our voices will go the way of the song of the extinct Dodo bird. It is imperative that these words be reappropriated and reinfused with meaning.Revolutionary talk cannot be permitted to become an exercise in futile venting or a validation of passivity; to mean anything at all, it must be enacted in community.Dady Chery is the author of We Have Dared to Be Free, and Gilbert Mercier is the author of The Orwellian Empire. This article was originally published at New Junkie PostREAD MORE 2016 ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

Middle-east

January 19, 2016

Astroturfing: Journalist Reveals Brainwashing Tactic Uses to Manipulate Public Opinion

Vic Bishop Waking TimesOur reality is carefully constructed by powerful corporate, political and special interest sources in order to covertly sway public opinion. Blatant lies are often televised regarding terrorism, food, war, health, etc. They are fashioned to sway public opinion and condition viewers to accept what have become destructive societal norms.The practice of manipulating and controlling public opinion with distorted media messages has become so common that there is a whole industry formed around this. The entire role of this brainwashing industry is to figure out how to spin information to journalists, similar to the lobbying of government. It is never really clear just how much truth the journalists receive because the news industry has become complacent. The messages that it presents are shaped by corporate powers who often spend millions on advertising with the six conglomerates that own 90% of the media:General Electric (GE), News-Corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and CBS. Yet, these corporations function under many different brands, such as FOX, ABC, CNN, Comcast, Wall Street Journal, etc, giving people the perception of choice As Tavistock s researchers showed, it was important that the victims of mass brainwashing not be aware that their environment was being controlled; there should thus be a vast number of sources for information, whose messages could be varied slightly, so as to mask the sense of external control. ~ Specialist of mass brainwashing, L. WolfeNew Brainwashing Tactic Called AstroturfWith alternative media on the rise, the propaganda machine continues to expand. Below is a video of Sharyl Attkisson, investigative reporter with CBS, during which she explains how astroturf, or fake grassroots movements, are used to spin information not only to influence journalists but to sway public opinion. Astroturf is a perversion of grassroots. Astroturf is when political, corporate or other special interests disguise themselves and publish blogs, start facebook and twitter accounts, publish ads, letters to the editor, or simply post comments online, to try to fool you into thinking an independent or grassroots movement is speaking. ~ Sharyl Attkisson, Investigative ReporterHow do you separate fact from fiction? Sharyl Attkisson finishes her talk with some insights on how to identify signs of propaganda and astroturfing These methods are used to give people the impression that there is widespread support for an agenda, when, in reality, one may not exist. Astroturf tactics are also used to discredit or criticize those that disagree with certain agendas, using stereotypical names such as conspiracy theorist or quack. When in fact when someone dares to reveal the truth or questions the official story, it should spark a deeper curiosity and encourage further scrutiny of the information.This article (Journalist Reveals Tactics Brainwashing Industry Uses to Manipulate the Public) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Vic Bishop and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement. READ MORE MSM PROPAGANDA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire MSM Watch Files

Middle-east

January 19, 2016

The New American Century: An Era of Fraud

Paul Craig RobertsIn the last years of the 20th century fraud entered US foreign policy in a new way. On false pretenses Washington dismantled Yugoslavia and Serbia in order to advance an undeclared agenda. In the 21st century this fraud multiplied many times. Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and Libya were destroyed, and Iran and Syria would also have been destroyed if the President of Russia had not prevented it. Washington is also behind the current destruction of Yemen, and Washington has enabled and financed the Israeli destruction of Palestine. Additionally, Washington operated militarily within Pakistan without declaring war, murdering many women, children, and village elders under the guise of combating terrorism. Washington s war crimes rival those of any country in history.I have documented these crimes in my columns and books (Clarity Press). Anyone who still believes in the purity of Washington s foreign policy is a lost soul Russia and China now have a strategic alliance that is too strong for Washington. Russia and China will prevent Washington from further encroachments on their security and national interests. Those countries important to Russia and China will be protected by the alliance. As the world wakes up and sees the evil that the West represents, more countries will seek the protection of Russia and China.America is also failing on the economic front. My columns and my book, The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism, which has been published in English, Chinese, Korean, Czech, and German, have shown how Washington has stood aside, indeed cheering it on, while the short-term profit interests of management, shareholders, and Wall Street eviscerated the American economy, sending manufacturing jobs, business know-how, and technology, along with professional tradeable skill jobs, to China, India, and other countries, leaving America with such a hollowed out economy that the median family income has been falling for years. Today 50% of 25 year-old Americans are living with their parents or grandparents because they cannot find employment sufficient to sustain an independent existance.This brutal fact is covered up by the presstitute US media, a source of fantasy stories of America s economic recovery.The facts of our existence are so different from what is reported that I am astonished. As a former professor of economics, Wall Street Journal editor and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy, I am astonished at the corruption that rules in the financial sector, the Treasury, the financial regulatory agencies, and the Federal Reserve. In my day, there would have been indictments and prison sentences of bankers and high government officials.In America today there are no free financial markets. All the markets are rigged by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury. The regulatory agencies, controlled by those the agencies are supposed to regulate, turn a blind eye, and even if they did not, they are helpless to enforce any law, because private interests are more powerful than the law.Even the government s statistical agencies have been corrupted. Inflation measures have been concocted in order to understate inflation. This lie not only saves Washington from paying Social Security cost-of-living adjustments and frees the money for more wars, but also by understating inflation, the government can create real GDP growth by counting inflation as real growth, just as the government creates 5% unemployment by not counting any discouraged workers who have looked for jobs until they can no longer afford the cost of looking and give up. The official unemployment rate is 5%, but no one can find a job. How can the unemployment rate be 5% when half of 25-year olds are living with relatives because they cannot afford an independent existence? As John Williams (shadowfacts) reports, the unemployment rate that includes those Americans who have given up looking for a job because there are no jobs to be found is 23%.The Federal Reserve, a tool of a small handful of banks, has succeeded in creating the illusion of an economic recovery since June, 2009, by printing trillions of dollars that found their way not into the economy but into the prices of financial assets. Artificially booming stock and bond markets are the presstitute financial media s proof of a booming economy.The handful of learned people that America has left, and it is only a small handful, understand that there has been no recovery from the previous recession and that a new downturn is upon us. John Williams has pointed out that US industrial production, when properly adjusted for inflation, has never recovered its 2008 level, much less its 2000 peak, and has again turned down.The American consumer is exhausted, overwhelmed by debt and lack of income growth. The entire economic policy of America is focused on saving a handful of NY banks, not on saving the American economy.Economists and other Wall Street shills will dismiss the decline in industrial production as America is now a service economy. Economists pretend that these are high-tech services of the New Economy, but in fact waitresses, bartenders, part time retail clerks, and ambulatory health care services have replaced manufacturing and engineering jobs at a fraction of the pay, thus collapsing effective aggregate demand in the US. On occasions when neoliberal economists recognize problems, they blame them on China.It is unclear that the US economy can be revived. To revive the US economy would require the re-regulation of the financial system and the recall of the jobs and US GDP that offshoring gave to foreign countries. It would require, as Michael Hudson demonstrates in his new book, Killing the Host, a revolution in tax policy that would prevent the financial sector from extracting economic surplus and capitalizing it in debt obligations paying interest to the financial sector.The US government, controlled as it is by corrupt economic interests, would never permit policies that impinged on executive bonuses and Wall Street profits. Today US capitalism makes its money by selling out the American economy and the people dependent upon it.In freedom and democracy America, the government and the economy serve interests totally removed from the interests of the American people. The sellout of the American people is protected by a huge canopy of propaganda provided by free market economists and financial presstitutes paid to lie for their living.When America fails, so will Washington s vassal states in Europe, Canada, Australia, and Japan. Unless Washington destroys the world in nuclear war, the world will be remade, and the corrupt and dissolute West will be an insignificant part of the new world.Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West, How America Was Lost, and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order. READ MORE NWO NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire NWO Files

Middle-east

January 19, 2016

Hillary Clinton: ‘Israel First’ (and no peace for Middle East)

Robert Fantina CounterpunchAlthough the United States is still ten months from its next exercise in electoral futility, most polls do not indicate what former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is most anxious to see: a runaway victory for her candidacy. It is a good sign that, despite the fact that she has no real contrasting opponent on the Democratic side, the coronation she expected isn t going to happen.One might say that this writer focuses too much on Mrs. Clinton s adoration of Israel. But by looking at her comments about that apartheid nation, one gets a clear view of some broader, very troubling perspectives that Mrs. Clinton seems to hold.On January 6, an opinion piece appeared in The Jewish Journal, written by Mrs. Clinton. It is a fawning, maudlin essay, typical of the writing of anyone seeking national political office in the U.S. who knows they must pay homage to their Israeli lord and master. A few points from this essay tell much about Mrs. Clinton. I m especially concerned about the new wave of violence inside Israel itself brutal stabbings, shootings, and vehicle attacks that seek to sow fear among the innocent. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank alone by settler and IOF (Israel Occupation Force) terrorists is at a ten-year high. Why is Mrs. Clinton not especially concerned about the continuing wave of violence against Palestinians, in an area that even the U.S. says Israel occupies illegally? Do not these vicious attacks seek to sow fear among the innocent ? Only a two-state solution negotiated between the parties can provide Palestinians independence, sovereignty, and dignity, and provide Israelis the secure and recognized borders of a democratic Jewish state. Why, oh why, does Mrs. Clinton continue to make this ridiculous statement? The borders of the Jewish state are recognized by most of the world, including the United Nations, and consist of those determined prior to 1967. There is nothing to negotiate. Does Mrs. Clinton disdain international law? It appears that she feels Israel, like the U.S. in its international dealings, is, indeed, above the law. BIBI FIRST: Hillary Clinton will never tell Israel no .And this writer must point out, once again, that negotiations, which have proceeded on and off for twenty years or so, can only be effective when each side wants something the other has, that it can only obtain by surrendering something it has. Israel wants all of Palestine, and takes it, piece by piece, with complete impunity. Why should Palestine agree to pointless negotiations?Mrs. Clinton refers to the secure and recognized borders of a Jewish state, but does not seem to consider the secure and recognized borders of a Palestinian state. We must continue to fight against global efforts to delegitimize Israel. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, known as BDS, is the latest front in this battle. BDS demonizes Israeli scientists and intellectuals even young students and compares Israel to South African apartheid. That s wrong and this campaign should end. The most significant efforts to delegitimize Israel are made by Israel itself. Its racist society, wherein Israeli Jews have more rights than anyone else in Israel; its apartheid system of segregation; its complete disdain for the human rights of the Palestinians; the racist, murderous statements made by government officials all further delegitimize the country, and demonize it, and rightly so. Israel is often compared to South African apartheid, and the comparison is valid.And it is not just in the context of Palestine and Israel that Mrs. Clinton demonstrates either gross ignorance, or gross dishonesty. Her essay also contained these pearls of wisdom: We must work with our friends and partners to deny ISIS territory in the Middle East, dismantle the global infrastructure of terror, and toughen our defenses at home. We can t just contain ISIS we must defeat ISIS. Is that really the U.S. s goal? Garikai Chengu, a researcher at Harvard University, suggested in September of 2014 that ISIS is made-in-the-USA, an instrument of terror designed to divide and conquer the oil-rich Middle East and to counter Iran s growing influence in the region. In a June, 2015 column in The Guardian, Associate Editor Seumas Milne said this: [T]he U.S. and its allies weren t only supporting and arming an opposition they knew to be dominated by extreme sectarian groups; they were prepared to countenance the creation of some sort of Islamic state despite the grave danger to Iraq s unity as a Sunni buffer to weaken Syria. Continue this article at Counterpunch READ MORE 2016 ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 Files

Middle-east

January 18, 2016

McPain: John McCain Furious That Iran Treated US Sailors Well

21st Century Wire says As 21WIRE reported earlier this week, the unlikely mishap of two US Naval vessels straying into Iranian waters just hours before the President s State of the Union speech, followed by the usual parade of arch-neocons coming on TV in real time to declare the incident as an act of aggression by Iran against the United States is no mere coincidence.24 hours after the incident, the Iranians returned all 11 US sailors, unharmed and in good spirits. The only remaining casualty from this event was an incident of a common condition in Washington known as Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder suffered by a certain US Senator was mortified by the uneventful outcome which followed Daniel McAdams Ron Paul Institute The two US Navy riverine command boats intercepted in Iranian territorial waters yesterday were sent on their way along with the crew of 10 US sailors after brief detention on Iranian soil.According to news reports, the well-armed warships either suffered mechanical or navigational difficulties which caused them to enter Iranian territory (although it may well have been a game of cat-and-mouse to test the Iranian response). The US sailors were apparently treated well, enjoyed what appeared a decent meal in relaxed surroundings, and in the end apologized for the mistake and praised their treatment by the Iranians. Thanks to President Obama s policy shift on Iran toward engagement and away from isolationism, Secretary of State John Kerry was able to telephone his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Zarif and quickly defuse what just months ago would have been a far more serious situation.This should be a good-news story about the value of diplomacy and reducing tensions with adversaries, but Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was having none of it. That Kerry expressed his appreciation to the Iranians for swiftly releasing the American sailors only showed the Obama Administration s craven desire to preserve the dangerous Iranian nuclear deal at all costs evidently knows no limit, said McCain in a press release.McCain was furious that Obama administration officials seem to be falling over themselves to offer praise for Iran s graciousness and was outraged that the Iranians dared interfere with the actions of US military vessels operating in Iranian waters.In the world of John McCain, only the United States has the right to national sovereignty. The US military has the right to act anywhere and everywhere and the rest of the world dare not raise a question.According to McCain, sovereign immune naval vessels are exempt from detention, boarding, or search. Their crews are not subject to detention or arrest. Imagine the tune McCain would have been singing if a well-armed Iranian naval vessel had been spotted in US territorial waters off the coast of New York. Would he have so rigorously condemned any US interference in the actions of Iran s sovereign naval vessels?Leave it to some clever Twitterers to post an example of the difference between US and Iranian detention.Copyright 2016 by RonPaul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.READ MORE JOHN MCCAIN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire McPain Files

Middle-east

January 16, 2016

JUSTICE? Yahoo Settles E-mail Privacy Class-action: $4M for Lawyers, $0 for Users

21st Century Wire says It s a familiar theme. Whenever there is a dispute or a change of law, and two tribes go to war, there is normally only one real winner after the tribulation the lawyers. Ars TechnicaIn late 2013, Yahoo was hit with six lawsuits over its practice of using automated scans of e-mail to produce targeted ads. The cases, which were consolidated in federal court, all argued that the privacy rights of non-Yahoo users, who did not consent to Yahoo s interception and scanning of their emails, were being violated by a multi-billion dollar company.Now, lawyers representing the plaintiffs are singing a different tune. Last week, they asked US District Judge Lucy Koh to accept a proposed settlement (PDF). Under the proposal, the massive class of non-Yahoo users won t get any payment, but the class lawyers at Girard Gibbs and Kaplan Fox intend to ask for up to $4 million in fees. (The ultimate amount of fees will be up to the judge, but Yahoo has agreed not to oppose any fee request up to $4 million.)While users won t get any payment, Yahoo will change how it handles user e-mails but it isn t the change that the plaintiffs attorneys were originally asking for. Yahoo won t stop scanning e-mails. Instead, the company has agreed to make a technical change to when it scans e-mails. In the settlement (PDF), Yahoo has agreed that e-mail content will be only sent to servers for analysis for advertising purposes after a Yahoo Mail user can access the email in his or her inbox. The settlement deal looks pretty similar to what Yahoo had argued it did in the first place Continue this story at Ars TechnicaREAD MORE NSA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire NSA Files

Middle-east

January 16, 2016

Sunnistan: US and Allied ‘Safe Zone’ Plan to Take Territorial Booty in Northern Syria

Patrick Henningsen 21st Century WireRemember when the Obama Administration told the world how it hoped to identify 5,000 reliable non-jihadist moderate rebels hanging out in Turkey and Jordan, who might want to fight for Washington in Syria? After all the drama over its infamous train and equip program to create their own Arab army in Syria, they want to give it another try.This week, Pentagon officials announced their new plan to train up to 7,000 more moderate fighters, but this time the project would take place inside Syria (and to hell with international law).We re told that this was requested by Ankara, and with all NATO allies singing the same hymn claiming that this new effort will help in securing Turkey s porous border with Syria, or so the story goes. Washington s political cover for this is fashioned from the popular post-Paris theme: to protect civilized Europe from invading hordes and the terrorists who hide among them, as stated in the Wall Street Journal: The program would address part of the tense and long-running dialogue between Washington and Ankara over sealing the border, which Western governments have long complained is an avenue for extremists to leave Syria and travel internationally, The timing of this announcement seemed uncanny against the backdrop of an unlikely ISIS suicide bomb terrorist attack, in Turkey, of all places, where the victims just happened to be 14 German tourists, feeding perfectly into Europe s new binary fear set of terrorism and immigration. Shades of GLADIO, undoubtedly (but you won t see western journalists entertaining such conspiracy theories).Our friends at Nation Builders Inc are banking on the global public suffering from Syria fatigue, but now is the time to really pay attention. The west s real agenda for the region is starting to unfold Despite all of US-led Coalition s scandals, lies, epic failures, false flags and official conspiracy theories, the mainstream narrative on Syria persists. It s on our TV screens and in our newspapers constantly from Los Angeles to London, from Paris to Riyadh, every politician and pundit seems to have an opinion about, what to do with Syria? Everyone, except the Syria people themselves, who like the people of Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen and ever other country that s found itself under the cleaver of western interests are never afforded any say in their own destiny. As is tradition in Washington, London and Paris, the only Syrian voices which count are the ones who have been hand-picked by western technocrats and approved by the Saudi royal family to form their ever-changing recognized government-in-exile, the Syrian National Council. Currently, that could be Riad Hijab, George Sabra or Khaled Khoja. Next week, it could be three others, depending on who has fallen in, or out of favor with Washington or Riyadh.To anyone who was listening close enough early on in the conflict, you would have heard determined members of the western-backed Syrian Opposition admitting how they would, make a deal with the devil if that s what it takes to win power. Four years later, we now see that is exactly what happened, but whether you believe that this devil is US-led Coalition, or terrorist armies fighting groups (or both) might be cause for debate. Others will argue over which is the bigger devil is it the Wahabist-Salafist terrorist brigades like al Nusra Front and Islamic State, or is it the West and its GCC partners?The unfortunate reality is that these two devils are not mutually exclusive. The West and its partners not only created this terror crisis, but did so with the intent of unveiling a grand solution to the problem.Plans A-ZThe terrorist enclave in Syria is designed for purpose to implant a hostile metastasis right in the middle of the very territory which neocolonial powers plan to tear away from the barely sovereign nations of Iraq and Syria.Since 2011, the western-led cartel has deployed various levels of international subterfuge in Syria, starting with Plan A: the Arab Spring method igniting a popular street uprising that might capture the world s attention for 15 minutes enough to generate some high-quality evocative imagery and a social media storm to carry memes of liberty around the globe, inspiring the people on the streets (and on Twitter) to demand change . Their cries for freedom would then be backed up by the US State Department, along with its functionaries at Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International America, and other Open Society Institute-funded NGOs and human rights organizations. Obviously, this did not work. Next, Plan B: the political opposition suddenly transcended into an armed, paramilitary opposition, followed by brutal violence and killing on both sides. The US and its allies wasted no time, pledging weapons, training, cash and logistical support to the armed opposition. The west set up its own parallel government for Syria abroad, but it failed to gain any traction with the Syria people. Then came Plan C: this opposition would be quickly overrun and absorbed into a massive array of mostly foreign jihadi and mercenary soldiers of misfortune and other assorted terrorists. This fed into an already established War on Terror western narrative. Now the west had a familiar entry point into the fight. The Washington-London-Paris-Tel-Aviv-Riyadh-Doha-Ankara Axis hoped that these terrorists would do the job of overthrowing the government of Bashar al Assad in Damascus, and collapse the country into a spirally pit of sectarian and tribal chaos. Who could blame them? After all, it worked in Libya in late 2011.Fast forward to 2016, having failed to overthrow Assad and implode the nation-state of Syria, the men and women of Nation Builders Inc and their muscles in Brussels (NATO), are quickly moving to Plan D: take territory. That s not to say plans A through D weren t always in the schematics they certainly were, and further back than many people would dare to speculate.We now know from Wikileaks cables that this operation goes back to at least 2006, but in reality, it s probably much earlier than that. Taking the long view of history and the audacious building, and rebuilding, of a Euro-centric empire in the Middle East, one could say the process began the day the Sykes-Picot Agreement was signed in 1916. Concealed between those post-colonial lines drawn exactly 100 years ago, was the latent potential for the very conflicts and uncivil wars we are seeing today. If those borders are redrawn once again, you can be certain that they will be drawn by the very same powers involved a century ago. Whatever the arrangement, it will be to weaken, not strengthen the region, and certainly not strengthen any of the present nation states in the region, especially Syria. Proprietary powers will want any new states to be stuck in a perpetual state of neocolonial dependency, with an emphasis on financial and security dependency.Mice and Men21WIRE was one of the first news sources to warn about Washington s initial impulse back in 2014 when it began calling for a No Fly Zone in Northern Syria. It was clear that a problem, reaction, solution dialectic was in play, with ISIS being the object of the public s reaction. That plan might have come to fruition in the fall of 2015, but a funny thing happened on the way to the UN General Assembly in New York City. Later that week, Russia announced that it would be inserting itself, and its Air Force, into the Syrian quagmire, and with that, thwarted any master plan for a US-Turkey (NATO) controlled No Fly Zone along the Turkish-Syrian border. Suffice to say, that Russia already knew NATO s next move and acted accordingly, and with purpose.When asked two days ago about the prospect of the Washington DC latest brainchild, Train and Equip 2.0, this time inside Syria, here were my initial thoughts: We now know why, and it has more to do with what s beneath the sand than what s on top.As any good pirate will tell you if you want to claim your share of the booty, you have to do your share of the killing. The Truth About Train and Equip The previous train and equip program ended with Washington s military brass paraded in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, before being roundly lambasted for failing to train even a handful of moderate rebels , this after being awarded $500 million by the US taxpayer to get er done. When originally announced amid much fanfare, the public were told that the US government, in conjunction with the CIA, would be arming and training moderate militants in Turkey, Jordan or at a base in Saudi Arabia before sending them to fight inside Syria. Washington claims that these new trainees were meant to fight ISIS, and not the Syrian government forces, but judging by the unwavering regime change rhetoric from the west, it would be highly naive to think that all this was strictly for ISIS.Nine months into the train and equip project, US Army Gen. Lloyd Austin III, acknowledged in Sept. 2015 that they had only managed to get four or five on the battlefield by then. Not one member of the media challenged this statement, probably because most were happy with the answer given one which gave any hawkish critics of the Obama administration the pound of flesh they wanted and served to only intensify more calls before the new year for US boots on the ground in Syria. Doves loved it because it seemed to prove that backing proxies doesn t work, and that the best solution was to call it quits. For the sanguine mainstream media, it served-up that all-too familiar government narrative, of a cock-up, not a cover-up. This is the media s natural default position. In other words, Well, it didn t work out, but that s nothing new with our incompetent government. Nothing to see here, move along. To ask how the money disappeared, or really inquire into how it costs $500 million to train only five men apparently was way too much work for the media. Not one journalist stopped to ask, if only 5 fighters were trained and dispatched, then what happened to the half a billion dollars?The real answer to that question should be self-evident to anyone studying reports on the ground in Syria, and is way too uncomfortable for the US media to stomach that the US train and equip program provided the necessary official cover to allow the prosecution of a dirty war under the table. It wasn t a failure like fall guy Gen. Lloyd Austin will have you believe, it was a success.Judging by the proliferation of heavy weaponry and other lethal arms that have made it into the hands of al Qaeda in Syria (al Nusra Front), ISIS, Jaysh al Islam and others it s clear that Uncle Sam s generous donation of $500 million has definitely been used to equip, if not train, those rebels in Syria.Middle East commentator and analyst Sharmine Narwani explains the West s perennial dilemma when trying to identify who their moderates are in Syria: For years, Washington has insisted there are armed moderate groups in Syria, but have gone to great lengths to avoid naming these moderates. Why? Because if moderates were named and identified, the US would have to be very, very certain that no past, present or future atrocity video would surface to prove otherwise. And the US could not guarantee this with any of the groups they have armed, trained or financed in Syria over the past five years. The next train and equip round will be more focused, and will be used to secure the following The map above is from July 2015, but still represents the current military chessboard in Syria.Safe Zone = Sunnistan Somehow it feels like 1998 all over again, with bad memories of the KLA in Kosovo, imported jihadist fighters in Bosnia, and NATO lording over a newly balkanized region.When you hear US officials like John McCain or clueless Republican presidential candidates like Marco Rubio or Carly Fiorina, all crowing for a Safe Zone in northern Syria, this is what they are referring to (see map above). Their safe zone just so happens to be in the exact same area where ISIS is currently holding court. It s a safe zone alright, but not for refugees and Syrians fleeing the evil Bashar al Assad rather, the safe zone will be for an array of rebel and terrorist fighters, part of a defacto Sunni state-lette in waiting.So the US-led Coalition s safe zone is the very Caliphate that Americans are decrying.For anyone requiring proof that such a grand chessboard is in play in Syria, they need look no further than a set of US airstrikes that took place before Christmas. On December 6, 2015, US fighter bombers struck a Syrian military base located in the village of Ayyash in Deir Ezzor Province, east of Raqqa, which killed 3 Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers and wounded additional others. Naturally, the Pentagon swiftly denied that any such attack took place. What happened after this incident was extremely telling, as explained by global affairs analyst Mike Whitney from Counterpunch Magazine: It s also worth noting, that according to South Front military analysis, the US bombing raid coincided with a a full-scale ISIS offensive on the villages of Ayyash and Bgelia. In other words, the US attack provided sufficient air-cover for ISIS terrorists to carry out their ground operations. Was that part of the plan or was it merely a coincidence? So the US air force was coordinating with ISIS boots on the ground, to achieve a common military objective. But it didn t end there. Less than 24 hours after the attack, US warplanes bombed the village of Al-Khan in north-eastern Syria killing 26 Syrian civilians including at least four women and seven children and four women. The message the US military is sending with these lethal attacks is that it wants to control the air-space over east Syria where it plans to remove ISIS and establish a de facto Sunni state consistent with its scheme to break Syria and Iraq into smaller cantons governed by local warlords, Islamic fanatics, and US puppets. Also taking place at the same moment on Dec 6th, was Turkey s quiet little invasion into northern Iraq, sending hundreds of troops and at least 20 tanks into territory north of Mosul, right between the Kurds and ISIS. It should be noted that this illegal incursion by NATO member Turkey was not approved by the Iraqi government in Baghdad, and Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi called for Turkey to immediately withdraw its troops. Judging by Washington s silence on the matter, it s obvious that the US gave Turkey its full blessing. Here, Zero Hedge astutely points out the obvious: Most importantly of all, right on what Al-Araby al-Jadeed claims is the smuggling route for illegal ISIS crude into Turkey from Iraq. Not surprisingly, Turkey s sudden move also came at the same time that Russia began to publicly expose Turkey s clandestine role in facilitating the ISIS oil trade, as well as launching airstrikes to destroy ISIS oil convoys moving from Syria into Turkey. And then Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdo an (photo, left) places his military assets at the very location where stolen ISIS oil makes its way from Iraq into Turkey? Hardly a coincidence.Make no mistake, both ends of NATO s military axle, the United States and Turkey, along with their Saudi-backed boots on the ground in ISIS and al Nusra have each made critical strategic moves in unison, and with a specific military purpose each time, nudging towards securing territory. Once each key piece is finally in position, all that is required is a new crisis , either in the region, or in Europe, or in America to allow the Axis powers to move in quickly and take what is needed to implement the next phase of the game, whether that s creating a Kurdish canton, or a Sunni state-lette. Such moves will rarely be covered by the western international media.To be perfectly clear, the terms Sunni and Shia are the favored sectarian lexicon used by Nation Builders Inc and its international partners in Riyadh and Tel Aviv. My intention here is not to reduce the Muslim world down to this paradigm, but the architects of instability will use these terms, over and over in their attempt to both marginalize and dehumanized Muslims for their own selfish ends.What s the safe zone for? As the US-led Coalition steps up its 18 month-long Punch n Judy air operation to supplant ISIS from Raqqa, those western-backed jihadis will later require a safe corridor to flee but still remain connected to their Turkish supply lines. Washington s safe zone would also provide a much-needed safe haven for rebels who have been sent packing by the Syrian government from towns like Homs and others, as part of a painstaking disarming and reconciliation process between the Assad government and opposition rebels who are willing to participate in the program. Once the NATO-GCC Axis has established a mini protectorate inside of Syria, this will provide everything ISIS, al Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, Turkmens et all will need; a secure launching pad for incursions further inside Syria which will certainly guarantee a longer, protracted conflict in Syria and beyond.This little Sunni wedge is also conveniently located next to a large rebel-terrorist contingent in Syria s northwestern Idlib governorate (province). Syria s border with Turkey has been porous from the beginning of the conflict, so the proposed safe zone will allow Turkey to maintain this status quo where it has been continuously allowing the free-flow of weapons, rebels and terrorist fighters alike, along with oil, narcotics and human trafficking to move freely through its southern border with Syria.If regime change rhetoric is anything to go by, along with turning a blind eye to NATO member Turkey s role in facilitating supply lines and safe passage for al Qaeda and ISIS, then Washington s agenda is fairly transparent here. If they can establish a internationally recognized safe zone and a No-Fly Zone on top of it, central planners believe they will have the platform they need to eventually destroy Damascus, install their own western puppet, and then carve up Syria and northern Iraq accordingly. ISIS RAT-LINES: Black market oil has been a key component to carrying on both conflicts in Syria, and Iraq.For the architects of instability in Washington, one crucial benefit of carving out Sunni territory in both northern and eastern Syria is that available oil will help fund all of their paramilitary and terrorist needs making it sustainable. To guarantee this uninterrupted income stream from black market oil which is presently making its way out of Syria and into Turkey and via Kurdistan, help is required from the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and other stakeholders, including the British-Turkish firm Genel Energy, just one firm who is providing the end-run to market for illicit ISIS oil. Ditto for a key mover and shaker in Raqqa s new Rockefeller class, Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish president, who according to numerous recent reports has already amassed a small fortune from the lucrative oil-for-terror trade.This is a problem, but one which Washington, London and Paris are not overly concerned with, much less upset about. Iraqi, Kurdish and Turkish opposition officials have accused Turkish governments and the KRG of deliberately allowing some of these smuggling operations to take place.Even as provisional state-lettes and cantons are conjured around it, there is no guarantee that Greater Kurdistan will ever see the light of day if Nation Builders Inc having anything to say bout it. The promise of Greater Kurdistan is as important to neocolonialists, than the reality of a Greater Kurdistan. Turkey also has its own interests and ambitions, and a Greater Kurdistan is not compatible with them. Iraq is not crazy about the idea either, because of obvious financial and energy resource reasons. So they remain in limb indefinitely, even as smaller quasi-Kurdish entities sprout up around the KRG. Turkey has its own ongoing Kurdish problem within Turkish borders, so Ankara will naturally view any expressions of Kurdish autonomy around it as a threat and potential inspiration for international Kurdish solidarity. Ruling over the Kurds means keeping them divided, and playing them off against their neighbors.There are those within the Turkish establishment who believe there are old scores still unsettled in reclaiming Turk territory in both Syria and Iraq.SEE ALSO: SPECIAL REPORT: ISIS Oil? Follow the Money (Back to Europe)Here is where Sunnistan proper can emerge, coming into its own once set pieces are in place in Iraq and across Kurdistan, as Mike Whitney explained: So it looks like an agreement has been struck between Turkey, the KRG and the United States to seize parts of northern Iraq and eastern Syria to create a de facto Sunni state that will be jointly-controlled by Ankara and Washington. It also looks like Obama has agreed to use dodgy jihadi-proxies (aka Terrorists) to work alongside US Special Forces to carry out future military operations. So while the effort to remove Assad has been temporarily put on the backburner, the determination to destroy Syria is as strong as ever. Another dismembered part of old Syria and Iraq which central planners are hoping to hack-off is an area called Rojava (see map above), or Western Kurdistan . This region in northern Syria, formerly known as Syrian Kurdistan, gained its autonomy in November 2013 as part of the ongoing Rojava Revolution. The Kurdish defense forces here are known as the YPG (People s Defense Units) and are not on friendly footing with neighboring Turkey, for a number of reasons, not least of all because YPG defense forces present resistance to both al Nusra and ISIS encroachments into all three Rojava cantons. For Turkey, this is bad for business. How Rojava will factor into Washington s plans is not clear yet, but it occupies the most strategic squares on the chessboard.Make no mistake, the history s actors are all in for this plan. Do not be fooled by talk of peace and stability or humanitarian platitudes from western leaders, the UN, or the fair weather international community.Another indication that these plans have the full backing of the neoconservative illiterati, and Israel too, was PNAC walrus and former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton s recent article in the establishment s daily journal of political posterity, the New York Times, where he states: Today s reality is that Iraq and Syria as we have known them are gone. The Islamic State has carved out a new entity from the post-Ottoman Empire settlement, mobilizing Sunni opposition to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and the Iran-dominated government of Iraq. Also emerging, after years of effort, is a de facto independent Kurdistan. Central planners will happily frame this geopolitical scenario within the preferred theme of Sunni vs Shia sectarian strife in the region, which just happens to suit the interests and desires of both Saudi Arabia and Israel. Bolton confirms this: If, in this context, defeating the Islamic State means restoring to power Mr. Assad in Syria and Iran s puppets in Iraq, that outcome is neither feasible nor desirable. Rather than striving to recreate the post-World War I map, Washington should recognize the new geopolitics. The best alternative to the Islamic State in northeastern Syria and western Iraq is a new, independent Sunni state. Not so fast Mr. Ambassador. The Islamic State is the Sunni State.So for all intents and purposes, he s calling for the establishment of the Caliphate (funny how this goes right over the heads of conservatives ). This is just one of many geostrategic moves which will guarantee instability and military conflict in the region for another 100 years, as well as provide a timely entr e through to Azerbaijan and into Iran, and later towards the Eurasian heartland of Dagestan (Russia s emerging energy center and geographic underbelly).In the meantime, expect to be pelted with endless propaganda about starving children in one town or another, changing week to week with the usual slogans like, we must act now! , and blaming Bashar al Assad for the suffering of his people. It s already wearing thin.Until the US and its NATO-GCC Axis stops flooding Syria and the region with weapons and terrorist fighters, and continues its policy of toppling secular nation-states then any attempt at holding peace talks will end up back at square one, and stand as another exercise in futility.If the Syrian conflict has been good for one thing (and that s not to say it has), it s that the scripted western narrative, in all of its variations, has finally hit the wall of truth.***Author Patrick Henningsen is a writer, lecturer and global affairs analyst for international TV and radio. He is also the founder and co-editor of 21stCenturyWire.com.READ MORE SYRIA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Syria Files

Middle-east

January 15, 2016

How to Blow $700 Million: Al Jazeera America Finally Calls it Quits

21st Century Wire says Al Jazeera America will go down in history as one of the biggest failures in broadcast media history.Ever since the US and its allies began plotting to overthrow Libya and Syria, Al Jazeera has deteriorated from a promising international news network in 2003 into what it has become in 2016 a full-blown agit prop media shop for the US State Department and the Pentagon. In fact, US Military Central Command (CENTCOM) for the Middle East region is located in Qatar s capital of Doha, conveniently located just down the road from Al Jazeera s headquarters. Nice and cozy.Al Jazeera s role in promoting regime change and the destablization of Syria is now recorded history, as are its many shameful exhibitions of media fakery.The Qatari royals tried to expand propaganda operations into North America, but no matter how much money they threw at it (and those royals just love throwing money at things to try and get them to work), no one cared about it, much less watched it. I know this will be a massive disappointment for everyone here who has worked tirelessly for our long-term future. The decision that has been made is in no way because AJAM has done anything but a great job, reads a company email from CEO Al Anstey, obtained by Politico.Indeed, they tried everything it seems, just short of paying Americans to watch their programs Al Jazeera America to close down https://t.co/EmFjBw9uC1 pic.twitter.com/HDea8ujTPt Al Jazeera America (@ajam) January 13, 2016In 2012, the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera purchased Current TV from Al Gore for an inflated $500 million. Wait, it gets worse MONEY FOR NOTHING: Gore got fat off the AJAM deal.In addition to the $500 million which Doha blew on buying Gore s lemon, Current TV, the Qataris have spent at least $50 million per year between 2012 2015, along with many millions spent on advertising AJAM on other network slots, online ads, along with billboards and print media promotions. This was the Qataris easy ticket on to US cable and satellite networks. Boy, did Gore pull a fast one there. In total, you would be looking at $700 million for the whole party. At its apex, AJAM would be lucky to pull in 30,000 viewers during prime time which really amounts to a nothing market share.With all that money, and considering the hundreds of staff and media executives and producers they employed, it s safe to say that someone(s) did not have a clue what they were doing.What a colossal joke.On the bright side, the Qataris can always blame the collapse in oil prices for their lack of spare cash to fund their propaganda mills.READ MORE MAINSTREAM MEDIA EPIC FAILS AT: 21st Century Wire MSM Watch

Middle-east

January 14, 2016

10 U.S. Navy Sailors Held by Iranian Military – Signs of a Neocon Political Stunt

21st Century Wire says As 21WIRE predicted in its new year s look ahead, we have a new hostage crisis underway.Today, Iranian military forces report that two small riverine U.S. Navy boats were seized in Iranian waters, and are currently being held on Iran s Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf. A total of 10 U.S. Navy personnel, nine men and one woman, have been detained by Iranian authorities. NAVY STRAYED: U.S. Navy patrol boat in the Persian Gulf (Image Source: USNI)According to the Pentagon, the initial narrative is as follows: The sailors were on a training mission around noon ET when their boat experienced mechanical difficulty and drifted into Iranian-claimed waters and were detained by the Iranian Coast Guard, officials added. The story has since been slightly revised by White House spokesman Josh Earnest to follow this narrative:The 2 boats were traveling en route from Kuwait to Bahrain, when they were stopped and detained by the Iranians.According to USNI, search and rescue teams from the Harry S. Truman Strike group were scrambled to aid the crew but stopped short after the crew was taken by the Iranians. We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told AP. According to Persian Gulf TV: Farsi Island is one of the Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf, Bushehr province of Iran. There is an IRGC Navy base on this Island. The island has an area of about 0.25 km and is completely restricted to public, due to top secret governmental activities. According to NBC News, U.S. State Department is in touch with Tehran officials and the Iranians recognize that the U.S. Navy straying off course was a mistake, and that the sailors will be released within hours. WAR INC: CNN s Wolf Blitzer wasted no time in ramping-up talk of military tension with Israeli-financed neocon Senator Tom Cotton.Neocon StuntAlready, the U.S. media, including CNN and FOX, are running with the talking point that, this could not have come at a worse time for President Obama right before tonight s State Of Union speech, when he s trying to prove to the American people that Iran is a country that can be trusted to implement the historic nuclear deal. This latest Naval controversy also comes days before the implementation phase of the Iran Nuclear Deal. To say this is a coincidence might be naive.That said, could GOP and Israel-aligned members of the Pentagon or intelligence establishment have helped to engineer today s bizarre mini-crisis in order to help weaken U.S.-Iran relations, and by extension, Obama s controversial Iranian Nuclear Deal?This looks likely to be the case, as evidenced by the quick appearance of the Israel Lobby-sponsored, pro-war U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R), placed by CNN to direct aggressive U.S. military talking points live on air as the story broke today. Cotton (photo, left) immediately called the event hostile and blamed Iran for the U.S. boat drifting into Iranian waters, and then blamed the crisis on President Obama, who he claims, has emboldened the Iranian aggression. Cotton then goes on to tell a giant lie, on which his media handler, CNN s Wolf Blitzer, does not even blink, much less challenge Cotton s imaginary statement: The Iranians, who are largely responsible for killing our (American) soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Cotton then went on to threaten Iran, saying that: These sailors and both vessels need to be immediately released. If they are not released, then the Iran (nuclear) deal should not go forward, and military force will be on the table to retaliate for this act of aggression. Cotton then proceeded to give a veiled (nuclear?) threat to Iran, saying that, All (military) options should be on the table. Would Washington s top operatives go so far as to engineer or exacerbate an international crisis such as this by dispatching the boats off course, knowing full-well that Iran would not harm U.S. personnel, but using the incident to injure a lame duck? The answer is yes , and they ve done it before In 1979, 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for 444 days in what became known as the Iranian Hostage Crisis, which just happened to take place during a US presidential election cycle, with then president Jimmy Carter (D) running for reelection against challenger Ronald Reagan (R). The crisis, including a horrific failed rescue attempt, was used against Carter in the media. According to reports at the time Reagan campaign operatives had managed to do a backdoor deal with the elements of the new Iranian regime to hold-off releasing the hostages until after the election. In the end, Reagan won and took credit for that victory .Not surprisingly, at the end of his prearranged CNN segment, Cotton invoked the feckless foreign policy of Jimmy Carter which caused the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis, and compared that to President Obama s current policy.Of all the U.S. Officials CNN could have brought in on short notice , they chose Senator Tom Cotton, the most hawkish and closest aligned to Israel. Clearly, this looks like a neocon stunt.Stay tuned for more updates.READ MORE IRAN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Iran Files

Middle-east

January 12, 2016