Ethnic minority youth lead new wave of student activism
TUCSON (IPS) — In December 1985, The New York Times reported on what was believed to be the first anti-apartheid conference of U.S. high schools discussing divestment from corporations operating in South Africa.Sixteen independent schools met at St. James Episcopal Church in Manhattan to discuss the divestment question, which was...Arab American sergeant among those honored by Obama
President Barack Obama greets recipients of the National Association of Police Organizations' top cops awards on Saturday during a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. Detroit officers in the crowd: Sgt. Michael Ingels, to the left of Obama; Sgt. Marcellus A. Ball, in sunglasses; Sgt. Ray Toufic Saati, at far right. PHOTO: MANUEL...
U.S. military school taught soldiers to wage a “total war” against Islam
May 11th, 20120 When the Defense Department wasn’t blowing billions on failed machinery and weapons of war, the Pentagon was paying a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel to indoctrinate servicemen with the notion that the entire religion of Islam should be eradicated worldwide. Army Lt. Col. Matthew A. Dooley no longer lectures members of the Armed Forces...
Commentary: NYPD Surveillance Revisited
May 10th, 20120 When a senior White House national security official traveled to New York City recently to praise that city's police department, he stoked the embers of a controversy between the Administration and the Arab American and American Muslim communities. The official's words, quoted by the Associated Press (AP), "I have full confidence...Americans renounced their citizenship in record numbers in 2011
In what is being called a disturbing trend, at least 1,788 Americans officially threw away their U.S. citizenship in 2011, exceeding the totals from 2007, 2008 and 2009 combined, according to a recent report by RT. The Internal Revenue Service has been keeping a tally of U.S. citizens driven to renouncing that title since only 1998,...U.S.-Afghan pact won’t end war
WASHINGTON — The optics surrounding the Barack Obama administration's "Enduring Strategic Partnership" agreement with Afghanistan and the Memorandums of Understanding accompanying it emphasize transition to Afghan responsibility and an end to U.S. war. U.S. President Barack Obama puts his arm on Afghan President Hamid Karzai after they...
FBI sting nets five arrests in Ohio bridge bomb plot
May 4th, 20120 CLEVELAND — Federal authorities have arrested and charged five men in a plot to bomb an Ohio bridge, calling them “anarchists” who are angry with the government and corporate America. Top Row (L-R): Wright, Baxtor, Hayne Bottom Row: (L-R): Stafford, Stevens The arrests came Monday night after the were provided with what they...U.S. government building $2 billion facility in Utah to spy on citizens
The United States government is spending at least $2 billion to build a new spying megaplex in a quiet Utah mountain town, giving it the ability to sift through billions of communications between private citizens.Information about the top secret facility in Bluffdale, Utah is scarce according to a recent report from 'Wired' magazine, but...
Supreme Court appears to uphold Arizona immigration law
April 27th, 20120 PHOENIX — How individual states and the nation deal with undocumented immigrants could see a major change in upcoming months. Supreme Court justices, weighing arguments over Arizona's tough immigration law, seemed to find little problem Wednesday with provisions that require police to check the legal status of people they...
Military to review course teaching “U.S. at war with Islam”
April 27th, 20120 WASHINGTON — The United States’ top military officer ordered a review of training material after a course for officers was found to espouse the view that the United States is at war with Islam, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The review, which was first reported by Wired.com, was prompted by a complaint by a soldier who had recently...U.S. condemns soldiers’ actions in Afghanistan
Probe ordered into behavior depicted by images showing troops posing with mangled bodies of suspected suicide bombersGraphic photos published in an American newspaper show U.S. soldiers posing with the mangled bodies of suspected Afghan suicide bombers. A soldier from the Army’s 82nd Airborne with a dead insurgent’s hand on his...
The ex-FBI informant with a change of heart: “There is no real hunt. It’s fixed.”
April 6th, 20120 Craig Monteilh says he did not balk when his FBI handlers gave him the OK to have sex with the Muslim women his undercover operation was targeting. Nor, at the time, did he shy away from recording their pillow talk. Craig Monteilh (pictured above) describes how he pretended to be a radical Muslim in order to root out potential threats,...
New CISPA cybersecurity and censorship bill could be even worse than SOPA
April 6th, 20120 An unprecedented wave of condemnation and criticism kept the SOPA and PIPA Internet censorship acts from passing earlier this year, but U.S. lawmakers have authored yet another bill designed to rein in the Web in the name of cybersecurity. Citing cyberattacks as a threat, some legislators have lent their support to a new act that,...Supreme Court ruling allows strip searches even for minor arrests
WASHINGTON — A Supreme Court ruling handed down after a 5-4 decision will allow for even people arrested of minor offenses to be strip searched should law enforcement officials choose to do so.The ruling was in regards to a New Jersey man who was erroneously arrested during a 2005 traffic stop for a fine he had already paid. He claimed...
Documents obtained by ACLU: FBI using ‘Mosque Outreach’ for intelligence gathering
March 31st, 20120 NEW YORK — In what will likely constitute another blow to the fragile trust between American Muslims and American intelligence-gathering agencies, the ACLU has revealed that the FBI's San Francisco office conducted a a ‘Mosque Outreach’ program through which it collected and illegally stored intelligence about American Muslims’......
AIPAC gets the “Occupy” treatment on Capitol Hill
March 17th, 20120 WASHINGTON – The 2012 American Israeli Public Affairs Conference descended upon the United States capital from March 4-6 with the goal of yet again influencing American foreign policy and strengthening ties with politicians in one of the most massive and influential political lobbying ventures of the year, its annual Public Policy...
What role does AIPAC play in U.S. elections?
March 16th, 20120 Republican candidates have been making their pitch to the most powerful pro-Israel lobby in the U.S.The American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the most powerful pro-Israel lobby in the U.S., recently held its biggest annual conference yet with around 13,000 delegates in Washington. Republican presidential candidate Rick......
Pro-Palestine bus ads finally allowed to run in watered-down form
March 15th, 20120 SEATTLE — A long-running dispute over Pro-Palestinian bus ads in King County, Washington state finally came to some fruition this month as ads were allowed to run on buses, but the message was different from what was originally intended. The new ads are part of a campaign titled, "I'm a Palestinian," with the saying "equal rights for...Hacker group Anonymous crashes AIPAC’s website
In solidarity with the Occupy AIPAC movement, the hacker collective Anonymous reportedly took down the website of the powerful American pro-Israel lobby on Sunday, March 4, while sending a message to the organization in a Youtube video. An account closely linked with the leaderless "hacktivist" group issued the following statement:...Obama signs bill making certain protests illegal
Only days after clearing Congress, US President Barack Obama signed his name to H.R. 347 on Thursday, officially making it a federal offense to cause a disturbance at certain political events — essentially criminalizing protest in the States.The RT network broke the news last month that H.R. 347, the Federal Restricted Buildings and...Minnesota anti-shari’a bill dropped by lawmaker who introduced it
MINNEAPOLIS – An anti-shari'a (Islamic law) bill deemed discriminatory by the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has been shelved by the lawmaker who introduced it. According to a press release from Republican State Senator Dave Thompson, the bill is off, as he said, “It was never my intent to......
Retired generals to Obama in Washington Post: No war with Iran
WASHINGTON — Several former high-level military and intelligence officials took out a full page ad in Monday’s Washington Post urging President Obama to resist pressure to attack Iran nuclear program.The letter included retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, retired Army Lt. Gen. Robert G. Gard Jr., retired Marine Gen. Joseph Hoar,...Two lawmakers ask for repeal of NDAA indefinite detention and torture provisions
WASHINGTON - Barely two months after President Obama authorized the indefinite detention of Americas, two members of U.S. Congress are asking fellow lawmakers to approve a bill that will repeal a controversial provision of the NDAA.U.S. President Barack Obama inked the National Defense Authorization Act on New Year’s Eve, essentially......
Obama signs anti-protest Trespass Bill
March 10th, 20120 President Barack ObamaOnly days after clearing Congress, US President Barack Obama signed his name to H.R. 347 on Thursday, officially making it a federal offense to cause a disturbance at certain political events — essentially criminalizing protest in the States.RT broke the news last month that H.R. 347, the Federal Restricted...
New Obama indefinite detention and torture guidelines merely a skillful PR move
March 2nd, 20120 WASHINGTON —President Barack Obama issued a policy directive on Tuesday that was quickly portrayed as a resolve to his right to detain U.S. citizens without trial. In reality, the plan is a carefully crafted PR move that doesn’t strip his absolute power over Americans. The presidential policy directive released by the White House......