Video: No End in Sight for America’s Longest War

From the Youtube Description:

As President Obama slows US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, former State Department official Matthew Hoh says this will only intensify the violence and perpetuate the war

Watch the video here: No End in Sight for America’s Longest War

Video: U.S. Policy in Afghanistan Created Hundreds of Little Dictators

Journalist Anand Gopal describes the absolutely deplorable conditions in Afghanistan post-9/11. He spoke at the George W. Bush legacy conference.

See the video here: U.S. Policy in Afghanistan Created Hundreds of Little Dictators

Sean Hannity interviews Muslim Imam, calls him "Evil S.O.B."

Sean Hannity, who claims to be a brother in the faith, calls a Muslim an "evil S.O.B" -- because burning bridges through the arson of insults is precisely how to "win the Mooslems over to Jesus."

Both sides make good points. The Muslim understands that law -- Sharia or not -- and ultimately authority are inescapable. It's either your law, or our law, but there will be a law.

Hannity does a good job of teasing out this Muslim's worldview, although there were many cringeworthy moments.

Benjamin Netanyahu Going Overboard by destroying terrorist homes

While a non-interventionist, I don't believe the attack in Jerusalem yesterday had anything to do with (foreign policy-related) blowback.  I do, however, think it might have been a revenge killing, which is also unjustified.

However, rightly shooting the two terrorists on the spot was a "harsh" enough response. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going overboard, as he vowed a "harsh response," according to the BBC, and ordered the homes of the terrorists to be destroyed.

Why?

They received the justice they were due. Why does the state have to poke its chest out and destroy property? Why can't someone else live in it?

Let's put it this way: Why can't the state be a little more creative and turn the place where these thugs breathed and dreamt hate and turn it to something good? Unless you think someone just as hateful will occupy that residence next, then I don't see any justification for destroying it (and even then, I don't see justification for destroying property). But that's a pressumption I'm not ready to make.

Or maybe the most fiscally responsible thing to do is leave their houses alone, except for maybe a possible investigation of the premises.

Bombing potential evidence seems to be careless.

FBI says Holder, Obama had nothing to do with Assata Shakur decision

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says that President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder had nothing to do with putting the first black woman on the FBI’s “Most Wanted Terrorists” list for a crime she allegedly committed 40 years ago.

The move also makes Assata Shakur, previously known as Joanne Chesimard — once active in the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army in the United States at different times over 35 years ago — the first woman to be placed on the list.

“Both AG and the President has nothing to do with the selection of the list or the approval and have not been involved since the creation of the list from 2001,” an FBI public affairs official told Politic365.

However, the official added that President Obama and Holder are aware of Assata Shakur being added to the list.

The FBI conducts an “internal review” when determining who goes on the list and President Obama and Attorney General Holder aren’t necessarily involved, the official explained.

FBI: Obama, Holder Weren't Involved in "Most Wanted Terrorists" Decision || Politic365

A commenter points to this article: "Statement of Facts in the New Jersey Trial of Assata Shakur"

Carter: Obama Drone Policies “Do More Harm Than Good” By Targeting “Potential Terrorists”

Former President Jimmy Carter (D) said that he thinks the United States in its foreign policy has “overcorrected” since the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, and that President Obama’s drone policy does “more harm than good” by targeting “potential terrorists” but also accidentally hitting civilians

During a recent trip to Haiti the former president was asked: “what are the main factors playing a role in this deterioration of human rights and the rule of law and how can we restore it?” The question, asked by a reporter at Russia Today, was prompted by an op-ed Carter wrote for the New York Times back in June where he argued that the “United States is abandoning its role as the global champion of human rights.”

“Well the main violations to which I referred in that op-ed piece have been brought about by overcorrecting the 9/11 disaster when terrorists came in and destroyed as you know more than 3,000 American lives and two of our buildings and also even attacked the Defense Department,” he said.

Carter said that “we have overreacted” to the September 11, 2001 attacks and called himself “a lonely voice” because he doesn’t believe in “drone assassinations of people.”

“I personally think that we do more harm than good by having our drones attack some potential terrorists who have not been tried or proven that they are guilty,” Carter said.

“But in the meantime, the drone attacks also kill women and children, sometimes at weddings, and I think this arises more new terrorists than it possibly corrects in maybe killing a few other terrorists leaders so that’s the kind of thing that I think we should correct.”

Carter didn’t mention a specific act, but he also said that “we have now violated a longstanding policy” in the United States “of preserving the privacy of American citizens.”

“We now have passed laws that permit eavesdropping on private telephone calls and private communications. In the past when I was president we passed a law that that could not be done in a single case unless you got a judge to decide in advance that this was a national security question which was very rare. Now it's done all over America,” he said.

"So I think we need to back off from the overcorrection of the problem with the terrorists in 9/11 and restore basic human rights as spelled out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” he continued. “There are 30 paragraphs in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and my estimation is that at the present time the United States is violating ten out of thirty. Other countries are doing the same, but I was just referring to my own country.”

The “Underwear Bomber” Had Help from the U.S. Government

From the Tea Party Economist Blog:

In the hoopla about the so-called underwear bomber, this got little publicity. One of the people on the plane has gone public with an amazing account. This is from his blog site.

The “Underwear Bomber” Had Help from the U.S. Government || Tea Party Economist

Is Hamas Going Non-Violent? « Antiwar.com Blog

Jane’s, an internationally respected British security and defense risk-analysis firm, has recently reported that Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, is on “the brink of renouncing armed resistance and moving to a policy of nonviolent resistance to Israel.”

Is Hamas Going Non-Violent? « Antiwar.com Blog

Ron Paul: Golden Rule Could End Terrorist Attacks | The National Press Club

If the United States stopped occupying other nations, terrorist attacks would cease, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul said Wednesday at the National Press Club.

Paul, a Republican who represents the Texas 14th Congressional District, said America’s decision years ago to build military bases in the Middle East incited terrorist attacks which drew the nation to begin occupying the region, causing further attacks. Citing Lebanon in the early 1980’s as an example, the congressman said when American military personnel withdrew the attacks “just stopped.”

“I don’t know why we can’t think about a foreign policy of good will…treat people like you would like to be treated. The Golden Rule could apply," he said.

Ron Paul: Golden Rule Could End Terrorist Attacks | The National Press Club