The Back Art Of ‘Master Illusions’ – John Pilger

(InformationClearingHouse) – How do wars begin? With a “master illusion”, according to Ralph McGehee, one of the CIA’s pioneers in “black propaganda”, known today as “news management”. In 1983, he described to me how the CIA had faked an “incident” that became the “conclusive proof of North Vietnam’s aggression”. This followed a claim, also fake, that North Vietnamese torpedo boats had attacked an American warship in the Gulf of Tonkin in August 1964.

“The CIA,” he said, “loaded up a junk, a North Vietnamese junk, with communist weapons—the Agency maintains communist arsenals in the United States and around the world. They floated this junk off the coast of central Vietnam. Then they shot it up and made it look like a fire fight had taken place, and they brought in the American press. Based on this evidence, two Marine landing teams went into Danang and a week after that the American air force began regular bombing of North Vietnam.” An invasion that took three million lives was under way.

The Israelis have played this murderous game since 1948. The massacre of peace activists in international waters on 31 May was “spun” to the Israeli public for most of last week, preparing them for yet more murder by their government, with the unarmed flotilla of humanitarians described as terrorists or dupes of terrorists. The BBC was so intimidated that it reported the atrocity primarily as a “potential public relations disaster for Israel”, the perspective of the killers, and a disgrace for journalism.

World War

(MINA) – Who is staging a War between North and South Korea?

Tensions between North and South Korea continue to escalate: On Friday, North Korea blamed its southern neighbor of staging the sinking of its own warship, which killed 46 soldiers, denying any responsibility for the tragedy Read More Here

(Mantiq) – Freedom Flotilla: “Israel is Threatening to Attack Us” – Read More Here

(Almanar) – Hamas: Flotilla Shows Whole World Opposes Gaza Siege – Read More Here

Petraeus Memo Widens scope of US Military Covert Operations in ME

Critics worry that the order blurs the line between combat soldiers and spies and weakens the claim of all soldiers to humane treatment under the Geneva Conventions. Read More Here

(Bloomberg) – North Korea Warns UN to Be Wary of False Evidence of Sinking – Read More Here

(ABC) – US admits deadly attack on Afghan civilians

The United States military has acknowledged killing 23 civilians and wounding 12 others earlier this year after mistaking them for a convoy of Taliban insurgents. Read More Here

(RedactedNews) – The Coming Iran War

It’s happening again.

The same forces – with a few new additions and minus a few smart defectors – who pushed the United States into a needless and deadly war with Iraq are now organizing for the next war. Read More Here

(PressTV) – Letter shows Obama dishonest with Iran – Read More Here

BREAKING – (TimesOnline) – Israel stations nuclear missile subs off Iran

Three German-built Israeli submarines equipped with nuclear cruise missiles are to be deployed in the Gulf near the Iranian coastline. Read More Here

(ProLibertate) – “Civil Rights” and Total War – Read More Here

(GlobalResearch) – Free Gaza Flotilla Subject to Coordinated Israeli Government Media Campaign and Military Action

According to an article in the Jerusalem Post [1] on May 25, 2010, the Israeli “Navy is preparing an operational plan to stop the flotilla of nine ships–loaded with hundreds of international activists and thousands of tons of supplies–– which are scheduled to try and break the sea blockade on Gaza by anchoring in the newly-expanded port later this week.” The article describes a military campaign coordinated with a major media campaign. Read More Here

(NewAmericaMedia) – Gulf of Tonkin Redux: Did an American Mine Sink South Korean Ship?

Editor’s note: The sinking of the Cheonan took place in South Korean waters dominated by a joint U.S.-Korean base for anti-submarine warfare operations, an area North Korea admits it does not have the technology to penetrate with its submarines. It is speculated the USNS Salvor was was laying bottom mines in the area and a rising mine was inadvertently released. “If indeed it was an American rising mine that sank the Cheonan, it would constitute a friendly-fire accident,” writes Yoichi Shimatsu. Or it was a Gulf of Tonkin incident intended to provide a pretext to blame North Korea. Either way, don’t expect the corporate media to report on this. Read More Here

(PressTV) – Israeli jets attack Gaza

Israeli jets fired five missiles in the early hours of Saturday morning, and local sources say the missiles landed near the tunnel area along the Egyptian border, which is located near the Rafah airport, the Press TV correspondent in Gaza reported. Read More Here

(PressTV) – Iran: US hypocritical on Israel nukes

Iran’s ambassador to the UN Mohammad Khazaee said Friday that the US reaction to the final declaration of the NPT conference was a “clear manifestation” of its hypocrisy.
“The US [verbal] attack on Iran, as an NPT member, along with its opposition to the conference [declaration] which urges Israel to join the NPT, is a clear manifestation of Washington’s double standard nuclear policy,” Khazaee told IRNA on the sidelines of the NPT conference in New York. Read More Here

(PressTV) – End blockade of Gaza, EU tells Israel

The European Union has called on Israel to immediately end the three-year blockade of Gaza and to allow the Freedom Flotilla to enter the enclave. Read More Here

(WPost) – Options studied for a possible Pakistan strike

The U.S. military is reviewing options for a unilateral strike in Pakistan in the event that a successful attack on American soil is traced to the country’s tribal areas, according to senior military officials. Read More Here

(DesertPeace) – With Sea Confrontation Looming, Protesters Take to the Streets in NYC

Days before a probable showdown at sea between Palestine solidarity activists traveling with a nine-ship fleet and the Israeli Navy, demonstrations took place across the United States and the world today to demand that Israel allow the activists safe passage to Gaza to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid. Read More Here

(WRH) – WHO IS SENDING YOUR CHILDREN OFF TO DIE IN WAR WITH IRAN? – Read More Here

(YNetNews) – Lieberman: Gaza flotilla ‘violent’

Foreign minister says ‘there is no humanitarian crisis in Strip,’ calls fleet of aid ship en route to Gaza ‘an attempt at violent propaganda against Israel.’ We will not allow violation of our sovereignty, he adds Read More Here

(Yonhap) – S. Korea’s military reviewing further measures against North

South Korea is preparing to take additional measures against North Korea as it sees the possibility of limited violence by the North amid escalating tensions over Pyongyang’s sinking of a Seoul warship, a senior military official said Friday.
“Following the rhetoric of threats, we expect that North Korea could actually carry out a military, non-military provocation,” Major Gen. Ryu Je-seung, a senior official at the South Korean defense ministry’s policy and planning division, told retired generals and admirals. Read More Here

(Taragana) – We didn’t sink South Korean warship: North Korea

In the first press statement two months after the sinking of the South Korean warship “Cheonan” in March, North Korea Friday said it was not involved in the incident, and asked Seoul to conduct an “objective and fair” probe. Read More Here

(HuffingtonPost) – Senate Approves $60 Billion For War, While House Cuts $24 Billion For Unemployed Workers And State Aid

The Senate easily passed an almost $60 billion war funding bill Thursday, but anxiety over out-of-control budget deficits led House leaders to drop tens of billions of dollars in spending from a separate catchall bill anchored by an extension of jobless benefits. Read More Here

(AP) – Israeli commandos to block Gaza activists

Israel on Thursday unveiled a massive makeshift detention center in the country’s main southern port and announced the end of days of intense naval maneuvers, vowing to stop a flotilla of hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists trying to break a 3-year blockade of the Gaza Strip this weekend. Read More Here

Video: The US rather than North Korea is a Threat to Global Security – Michel Chossudovsky

North Korea lost thirty percent of its population as a result of US led bombings in the 1950s. US military sources confirm that 20 percent of North Korea’s population was killed off over a three period of intensive bombings:
“After destroying North Korea’s 78 cities and thousands of her villages, and killing countless numbers of her civilians, [General] LeMay remarked, “Over a period of three years or so we killed off – what – twenty percent of the population.”1 It is now believed that the population north of the imposed 38th Parallel lost nearly a third its population of 8 – 9 million people during the 37-month long “hot” war, 1950 – 1953, perhaps an unprecedented percentage of mortality suffered by one nation due to the belligerance of another.” – View Video Here

(Fox) – Video: Freedom Watch – Gitmo Suicides Were Actually Homicides?

Contributing editor for Harper’s Magazine Scott Horton discusses his article

Video: South Korea suspends trade with N. Korea

(CNN) – South Korean President Lee Myung-bak announced Monday his country is suspending trade with North Korea, closing its waters to the North’s ships and adopting a newly aggressive military posture after the sinking of a South Korean warship.
“We have always tolerated North Korea’s brutality, time and again,” Lee said. “We did so because we have always had a genuine longing for peace on the Korean Peninsula. But now things are different.” Video Link Here

See Also:

(Reuters) – Obama tells military: prepare for North Korea aggression

President Barack Obama has directed the U.S. military to coordinate with South Korea to “ensure readiness” and deter future aggression from North Korea, the White House said on Monday. Read More Here

(BusinessInsider) – South Korea Threatens War If North Korea Makes One More Provocation

South Korea’s Lee Myung-bak announced his retaliation plan for the attack on the Cheonan this morning in Seoul. Although restrained like he has been for the past two months, the president finally referred to the possibility of war:
“If our territorial waters, airspace or territory are militarily violated, we will immediately exercise our right of self-defense.” Read More Here

(MSNBC) – U.S. military told to get ready in Korea standoff – Read More Here

(Xinhua) – DPRK vows to fire at S Korean propaganda loudspeakers at border – Read More Here

World War

(Reuters) – Iran moves to challenge U.S. in Mideast: Gates

Iran is challenging U.S. naval power in the Middle East with an array of offensive and defensive weapons, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Monday. Read More Here

(PressTV) – US deploys 1000s drones in Afghanistan

The US is deploying thousands of drones in Afghanistan, raising suspicions as to whether the move is aimed at monitoring militants or targeting another country. Read More Here

(PoliticalTheatrics) – Top Media Lies About Iran – Read More Here

(SouthLebanon) – The “New” Iraq

Seven years after the illegal invasion of Iraq by the Anglo-American fascist armies, it is clear today that the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Iraqi nation was premeditated and unprovoked act of naked aggression aimed at expanding U.S.-Israel Zionist power. These barbaric crimes ‘should never be forgotten and never be forgiven’. Read More Here

(Aletho) – Obama Renews Sanctions on Syria for a Year

President Barack Obama Monday renewed US sanctions on Syria for a year, accusing Damascus of supporting what he called “terrorist” groups and pursuing missile programs and weapons of mass destruction. Read More Here

(NCoal) – To nuke or not to nuke

Once again, Ahmadinejad seems to make some valid points and you really should take a look at the full transcript and compare that to anything you see reported in the kosher-party-line. The thing that caught my attention was the fact that the ultimate boogey-man came to New York and there was barely a peep about it in anywhere. One thing the kosher-party-line can count on is that if Ahmadinejad is given a podium, he will take it and speak his mind, often quite eloquently if you ask me. Read More Here

(TheNation) – “Afghans Are Barbarians Who Crawled Out Of The Sewer” – Secret Erik Prince Tape Exposed – Jeremy Scahill Read More Here

(Guardian) – How the US helps al-Qaida

US foreign policy brings terrorism to American shores, costs taxpayers billions of dollars and destroys cherished liberties Read More Here

(InfoClearingHouse) – 2001 Anthrax Attack – The CIA, Biowarfare and Terrorism – Sibel Edmonds’ Boiling Frogs

An interview with Professor Francis Boyle – Audio Link Here

(GlobalResearch) – Who is a Threat to World Peace? The Declared Nuclear Powers, America, Britain and France Defeated by the Power of Reason – Finian Cunningham

It is a fairly reliable rule of thumb that when a person refuses to listen to the argument of another, it is a sign that the person is betraying the fact that his own argument is flawed – or downright spurious. Read More Here

(AOLNews) – Opinion: Where Are All the Terrorist Attacks?

As the details of the Times Square car bomb attempt emerge in the wake of Faisal Shahzad’s arrest Monday night, one thing has already been made clear: Terrorism is fairly easy. All you need is a gun or a bomb, and a crowded target. Guns are easy to buy. Bombs are easy to make. Crowded targets — not only in New York, but all over the country — are easy to come by. If you’re willing to die in the aftermath of your attack, you could launch a pretty effective terrorist attack with a few days of planning, maybe less.

But if it’s so easy, why aren’t there more terrorist attacks like the failed car bomb in New York’s Times Square? Or the terrorist shootings in Mumbai? Or the Moscow subway bombings? After the enormous horror and tragedy of 9/11, why have the past eight years been so safe in the U.S.? Read More Here

(PressTV) – Iran wants US nukes dismantled

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the United States should dismantle its nuclear bases around the world as a step to create a nuke-free world. Read More Here

(PressTV) – Obama calls Syria a threat, renews ban

US President Barack Obama has renewed the country’s sanctions against Syria, branding it as a source of threat to Washington. Read More Here

(AP) – Lee: Warship sinking was no ‘simple accident’

President Lee Myung-bak ordered a thorough review of South Korea’s military readiness Tuesday, calling the sinking of a warship no “simple accident” as officials inched closer to blaming North Korea in the deadly incident. Read More Here

(HuffingtonPost) – Black Gold — the Lifeblood of War

Speculation has been running rampant among certain sectors of the web-world lately about the true origins of the massive oil spill that has engulfed the Gulf and threatens marine, plant, animal, and human health in a region already beset by natural disasters and toxic industries. Unwilling to accept the mainstream media version of the story (namely that it was the result of off-shore drilling activities) and suspicious of the timing of the calamity (namely that it occurred right on the cusp of Earth Day and during a period of political contentiousness over drilling), this faction has surmised that the “trigger event” in this instance may have been (choose your favorite) either: an attack by the North Koreans; an act of homegrown eco-terrorism by leftwing environmentalists; or something to do with Venezuela, China, and/or other Communist (machi)nations. With little more than a hint from an online Russian source, the theory of a North Korean attack in particular has been gaining virulence among certain fox-trotters. Read More Here

(MiamiHerald) – U.S., British envoys walk out as Ahmadinejad defends nuclear program

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, insisting that there’s no “credible proof” his regime is developing a nuclear arsenal, on Monday launched a scathing attack against the U.S. and other nuclear weapons powers in an apparent bid to derail a new round of U.N. sanctions against Iran. Read More Here

(JPost) – Iran to hold more war games

In the second military show in less than a month, Iran will hold a new set of maneuvers in the strategic waters of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, Iranian media reported on Tuesday. Read More Here

(AFP) – New Pakistan inquiry into Bhutto killing after UN report

Pakistan Saturday sent a team to visit the scene of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, after a damning UN report said the ex-premier’s death was not investigated adequately, security officials said. Read More Here

(RussiaToday) – Video: US, Iran Nuclear Punch-up at UN Conference

Full Video And Transcript Of Ahmadinejad Speech Below

Iran and the US have traded barbs during a nuclear non-proliferation conference at the United Nations. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Washington of double standards, while US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blamed Tehran for using evasive tactics to divert international attention from its nuclear programme. RT’s Marina Portnaya was following day one of the heated talks.

MSM: South Korea Deploys Warship as North Readies Missiles (Update1)

(Bloomberg) – South Korea deployed a high-speed naval vessel equipped with anti-ship missiles to its sea border with North Korea amid reports the communist nation is preparing to test-launch several mid-range and one ballistic rocket.