Thursday, January 30, 2014

Fantasyland Media:

http://www.fantasylandmedia.org

Each week, we cover the stories that are just left out of the US propaganda machine. News that the people in charge, the corporations and your government want to keep from the public eye.

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Huffington Post:
"WASHINGTON -- Just two weeks ago, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee was going after Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) for not backing a controversial Iran sanctions bill. But a Monday report reveals the powerful lobbying group has quietly reversed course and is now defending its otherwise fierce pro-Israel ally.

The Washington Free Beacon first reported earlier this month that AIPAC was urging key supporters in South Florida to demand that Wasserman Schultz explain why she isn't supporting the sanctions bill pushed by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). AIPAC has been lobbying hard for the measure, despite warnings from the White House and foreign policy experts that it could upset a delicate, six-month agreement between Iran and six negotiating countries to curtail Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for relief from some existing sanctions.

HuffPost reported Jan. 15 that Wasserman Schultz, also the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, spoke forcefully against the bill in a private meeting at the White House with about four dozen House Democrats."

-->The NY Times sees no evil when it comes to AIPAC. Our newspaper of record just won't report AIPAC's role in pushing Congress into war with Iran. Of course, this story of a loyal supporter of Israel caught in the crossfire wasn't covered either.  

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The New York Times:
"WASHINGTON — There are only two ways to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon: negotiations or military action.

Amazingly, after 34 years of mostly diplomatic silence between Iran and the United States, we are in the midst of negotiations with the potential to eliminate the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

Instead of cautiously welcoming this development and letting these talks play out over the next six months, however, some members of Congress are circulating proposals that seek to impose additional sanctions in the middle of the negotiations. This step, we fear, risks scuttling the process and could have damaging ramifications for the United States as well as our regional allies and partners, especially Israel."

-->The NY Times has finally started to question whether a US military attack on Iran makes any sense. This op-ed piece entitled "Don’t Undermine the Iran Deal" makes a forceful argument for negotiations rather than confrontation. What is astounding about this article, however, is the fact that the intense pressure of the Israel Lobby on Congress is completely left out. It's as if members of Congress war warmongering on their own.

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Common Dreams:
"Drone attack in southern Somalia on Sunday shows no end in sight for borderless 'war on terror.' A suspected U.S. drone bombed an area in southern Somalia on Sunday, reportedly killing five people, at least two of whom are said to be members of the al-Shabab militia.

Though the number was not confirmed, it remains unclear who the other three people killed in the attack may have been. Reports from the scene indicate that a car or envoy was targeted.

The latest apparent drone attack in Somalia follows on several recent U.S. bombings in Yemen, including one earlier this month in which a farmer was killed and another in December that hit a wedding convoy that left at least a dozen civilians dead.

All part of the U.S. global war on terror that began in 2001, attacks like Sunday's in Somalia—a country with which we are not at war—have now become remarkably common. And, so long as alleged 'terrorists' are said to be the targets, almost no objection to the ongoing aerial assassination campaign is raised."

-->The NYT, like the rest of the US media, refuses to acknowledge the expansion of the "war on terror" into many parts of the Third World. It's as if the empire now has the right to bomb any country on earth, as long as "terrorists" are involved. And the morality and legality of these military assaults are rarely discussed in our media.