Syria: "It Is All About Iran"
The latest western UN Security Council resolution about Syria was, as expected, vetoed by Russia and China. South Africa and Pakistan made a point by abstaining. The resolution threatened the Syrian state with sanctions should it not withdraw its troops from population centers while saying nothing about a withdrawal of the western supported insurgents or any consequences to them.
The Ambassador to the UN for the Russian Federation Vitaly Churkin made the point that the issue of Syria is about much more than Syria. It is a global geopolitical conflict.
There is no transcript yet of the press stakeout where Chrukin elaborated on that but the gist was caught by the valuable Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press:
Then Churkin went bigger picture, paraphrasing Bill Clinton by saying "It's all about Iran, stupid" (and striking the last word).He said that after the US invasion of Iraq worked out differently than the US expected -- with an expanded Shi'a and Iranian role, that is -- now they had to try to contain Iran, by way of Syria.
After the failed policy of the war on Iraq the U.S. is now trying to correct the outcome through another catastrophic attack on another middle eastern country.
But this is even about more than Iran. It is about resistance against Israel and its occupation of Arab land. U.S. politics, under Israeli pressure, can not longer acquiesce to resistance. It has to be snuffed out. No matter what happens next.
The ongoing attack on Syria, if successful and after a long bloody sectarian civil war, will lead to the installation of another fundamentalist Sunni government in a geographically critical state. This is lunacy. Even imperial stalwarts like the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Pat Lang ask:
Are we really happy that Sunni jihadis are disassembling a government that does not represent Sunni fanatics in the likelihood that it will be replaced by one that will?
The humanitarian interventionists in the Obama administration, especially the female ones, seem to be fine with that. They will of course deny any responsibility when the predictable consequences of their action, especially for the women in Syria, will become visible for all.
Posted by b on July 19, 2012 at 18:12 UTC | Permalink
« previous page | next page »For you Hubris
US move to delist MEK as terror group worries Iran's opposition
The well-funded organisation, once allied to Saddam Hussein, has friends in high places in Washington.
Removing the MEK from the US's terrorism blacklist would make already frosty relations between Tehran and Washington even icier.
It also "would allow the Mujahedin to receive US funding and become a powerful force in support of war with Iran, just like the Iraqi exiles who deceived us into war with Iraq did," Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), warned last week.
Iran's domestic opposition meanwhile insists that lifting the MEK's terrorist designation would spell disaster for the Green Movement's peaceful, home-grown drive for democracy, which enjoys genuine, widespread support.
Posted by: somebody | Jul 20 2012 20:24 utc | 102
For some reason the sana.sy DNS entry is broken. SANA can be reached via IP:
@ Antifo #103: Thank you very much for the link to http://208.43.232.81/index_eng.html . Can I ask you how did you find out about it? (I ask the question in the spirit of "If you give a poor man a fish you feed him for one day, if you teach him how to fish you can half-feed him for a lifetime".)
@102,
I wouldn't qualify the backing of the green mouvment as "wide support". They have some support, mainly among upper middle class of the big city dwellers.
De-listing MEK by the US gouvernment is politically a self inflicted wound. MEK doesn't have any popularity in Iran, nor any reliable and credible human intelligence inside the country, its only a liability for the US.
Posted by: ATH | Jul 20 2012 20:43 utc | 105
@Parviziyi #100
The United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria was renewed at the UNSC today, as per the request of Russia, but WITHOUT RENEWING POINT TWO OF THE SIX POINT PLAN.well, the resolution could signal a green light given by Russia and China for an internal crackdown - but only Assad knows for sure if he is allowed to interpret it that way
[...]
So Syria is now free to shoot the hell out the rebels! Hooray!
Posted by: claudio | Jul 20 2012 20:43 utc | 106
@ Claudio #106:
Each of the five permanent members of the UNSC has political consensus in their home country to not get involved in Syria's uprising militarily. Here's bit of review of this:
It's normally true that the Speaker of the USA House of Congress is the most powerful politician in the USA after the President. And that's true of the current officeholder, John Boehner, who is a member of the USA Republican Party. On 19 Jul 2012 John Boehner said: "I believe that Assad has to go. But I don't think that we need to overly involve ourselves to the extent of direct military action. So I'm confident that the opposition groups, they're making progress and I'm confident that Assad’s days are numbered." He said that he agrees with President Obama (Democratic Party) that military intervention against Syria would not be a good idea. Thus we have: USA Bipartisan Consensus Against Military Intervention in Syria. http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/washington/2012/07/john-boehner-sides-with-obamaat-least-on-syria.html
We also have UK Bipartisan Consensus against it, as I've said before: http://www.moonofalabama.org/2012/07/syria-russia-rejects-western-blackmail.html#c6a00d8341c640e53ef0167689336ec970b , and also http://www.moonofalabama.org/2012/07/syria-after-deadly-strike-gloves-will-come-off.html#c6a00d8341c640e53ef0167689906e2970b
We also have Turkish Bipartisan Consensus: As I've said before the Turkish prime minister Erdogan said 18 Jul 2012 Turkey is "categorically against violation of Syria's territorial integrity." http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-07/19/c_123431223.htm
Underlying those Bipartisan Consensuses is popular public opinion in those countries against intervention.
What the French think is irrelevant because the French are firmly and bipartisanly committed to the principle to never intervene militarily anywhere without a UNSC authorization. But I think the French have bipartisan consensus against intervening militarily in Syria too.
Syria has today been freed from the agreement it made under the Annan six-point plan to curtail its firepower against the rebels. Claudio #92 says in reference to the extent to which the Syrian government can get more aggressive against the rebels:
I think Syria isn't really free to decide on these matters, it has to coordinate with Russia and China; they are protecting Assad at the UN but they probably ask, in return, that Assad hold back his punches while the diplomatic wrangle with the West is in full action.
I can see no "diplomatic" or other reason for Assad to hold back his punches against the armed rebels, nor for Russia (and China) to twist his arm again, as they did before.
The only thing that can bring peace and civility to Syria is the Syrian Army.
الله محيي الجيش
no, Assad is not permitted to do that (not sure he would want it anyway), Russia is "clarifying" its stance
http://www.rt.com/news/syria-rumors-foreign-ministry-denial-708/
However, I would not be too sure Assad decides this within Syria, I can imagine there are a lot of hardliners there who want the military solution. I hope for Syria the hardliners will not win.
Parvizini, what you suggest would be the stupidest strategy. The Syrian army acts like any army faced with a guerilla fight, they get their soldiers killed, they do not ask many questions whom they kill. The guerilla hide in the population, bad luck for the population. Bad luck for the people who send this army as the resistance multiplies ...
Posted by: somebody | Jul 20 2012 20:55 utc | 108
Parviziyi - I hope you are right and this bloodshed finishes as soon as possible, instead of dragging on and draining Syrian national resources; but my impression is that while the whole world might be against open intervention, many powers are still in favor of covert destabiliation
Posted by: claudio | Jul 20 2012 20:58 utc | 109
somebody @ 108
You post here as though you care for Syria but most of your postings reveal your latent support for the rebels, which you're fully entitled to.
It'll do you a lot of good by stopping the pretence as if you want a peaceful solution to the chaos in Syria and declare your stand..Most of your postings sound more like and fsa spokes person..
The Syrian army are ruthless but so are the rebels(even worse since they're not bound by any rules of engagement)..But you paint a picture as if the rebels are some angels fighting for democracy - NONSENSE!!!
The rebels kill anyone that doesn't agree with them..That much is well known..
Posted by: Zico | Jul 20 2012 21:02 utc | 110
>>> @86
"For those that still go on pretending there is no civil war in Syria, in the last 24 hours, 32,000 Syrian refugees fled across the Lebanese border."
Source? >>> (Hu Bris)
"... Up to 30,000 Syrians have fled into Lebanon over the past 48 hours, the U.N. refugee agency said on Friday.
"Thousands of Syrians crossed into Lebanon yesterday. Reports vary between 8,500 and 30,000 people having crossed in the past 48 hours," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told reporters in Geneva."
Posted by: www | Jul 20 2012 21:11 utc | 111
At the very top, the Illuminati is all on one page- including Iran, Russia and China. Ahmedinejad is JEWISH- and his outlandish, alienating and damaging comments that justify and incite anti-Iran sentiment are pretty transparent by now, with that in mind. So are his numerous calls for "A New World Order". All the psycho perps working on the same theatrical production. Shakespeare had it right.
Posted by: JL | Jul 20 2012 21:17 utc | 112
>>> www, Colm O' Toole, somebody
I do not know what country you are from, but from your writing it appears from an Anglo Saxon sphere. Let me give you some advise instead of criticising what Syria is doing divert your energy to your own government to stop it's lies, deceit and support of terrorists.>>>
Hans, you don't know from what countries we are yet you are not embarrassed to advance what you think our governments are doing. You need a laxative.
Posted by: www | Jul 20 2012 21:20 utc | 113
Claudio, you need one too for telling what I can say or not say about Arabs being stupid.
Posted by: www | Jul 20 2012 21:24 utc | 114
More for Hu Bris:
"... More than 30,000 Syrians cross into Lebanon in 48 hours July 20, 2012 02:14 AM By Rakan al-Fakih
The Daily Star
Syrians flee into Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing.
MASNAA, Lebanon: More than 30,000 Syrians have streamed across the Masnaa border in the last 48 hours, according to a source in Lebanon’s General Security, in the wake of the surge in fighting in and around Damascus.
Four lines of cars waiting to enter Lebanon were backed up for nearly a kilometer behind the Customs and General Security offices at Masnaa Thursday afternoon.
The rush began Wednesday evening, hours after the news spread that a bomb killed three high-ranking Syrian officials, and as fighting between government troops and the rebel Free Syrian Army intensified in the capital and its suburbs
For some, it was nearly a 12-hour trip, due to the difficulty to secure transportation from their homes in various parts of Syria, and the slow processing taking place at General Security offices.
A General Security source said more than 30,000 arrivals had been registered Wednesday and Thursday, with the majority considered “refugees.”
The source said General Security officials were overlooking certain requirements in order to deal with the influx of arrivals, who in many cases lacked the border coupon, issued by Syrian authorities, required to enter Lebanon. In some cases they lacked certain personal identification documents, the source said.
United Nations officials were on hand to note the sudden inflow of refugees, the source said.
The nearby town of Majdal Anjar was pressed into action to receive some of the arrivals, as locals rushed to provide water and other basic supplies in the harsh afternoon heat."
Posted by: www | Jul 20 2012 21:32 utc | 115
@ 102
1) were the MEK running across the Iranian border taking over whole towns and massacring Civilians and Gov't forces etc with small arms, as well as slitting the throats of innocent men women and children etc with knives, during the Iran election psy-op?
Nope
Were the MEK joined by a bunch of blood-thirsty psyhopathic mass-murdering war criminals fresh from wholesale civilian slaughter in Libya, trained and armed by US/Israel/Saudi?
Nope
So what is you stupid point, somebody?
What ridiculous comparison are you trying to make with the pointless irrelevant link ot MEK financing ?
Your link is nothing but the usual bullshit non-seqitur - as predicted earlier
a link about the MEK is just the normal apples-to-bullshit comparison somebody has become quite famous for
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 20 2012 21:35 utc | 116
Last w-end, shops and the like in parts of Damas and Aleppo closed, in solidarity with victims of Gvmt forces.
A ‘strike’ by ppl who belong to no Union and decide amongst themselves.
(Small biz ppl were, afaik, on the whole assad supporters...?)
From Rue 89, in French, 2 short videos incl. The first shows closed shops, the second, according to Rue 89, the police, or Gvmt forces, attempting to force, command, opening of shops in Al-Sukkari.
Normalcy, at all costs.
Posted by: Noirette | Jul 20 2012 21:45 utc | 117
@ Noirette #117: Clearly, you're arriving late to the Syria story. Clearly, you weren't paying relatively little attention to it last year. If you'd be around last year, you'd have known that the protesters announced and advertised on many differnt days to have a General Strike, and what happened on every single occasion was that (a) the General Strike was not observed by the general community and (b) the protesters put up many many videos on Youtube showing closed shops and those videos were taken early in the morning before the shops were open and (c) there were many absurd fake videos of security forces forcing shopkeepers to open their shops -- absurd because for a shopkeeper the idea of the General Strike would be for him to not turn up at his shop on the day of the General Strike, and so he could be there for the security forces to force him to open it, and doubly absurd because the security forces had absolutely no legal power to force any shopkeeper to open his shop and nobody in the Assad government would want to grant the security forces any such authority whatsoever.
Noirette: You've been conned.
@102 3w
First you said "32,000 in 24 hrs" - very specifc number - very specific time-frame
BUT your first source actually said "UP
TO 30,000" and then went on to CLARIFY: "between 8500 and 30,000 in 48 hrs" - all of which is a damn sight less exact that what you earlier claimed .
that "between" is a fairly wide estimate - and FAR far less exact that what you claimed and for all YOU know could be 10,000 or could be 22,000 - fact is you don't know and basically seem to have . . . well let's just call it 'embellished' for the moment, shall we?
One thing I note is that the source is specifically named and therefore should, I spose, be given more weight than an unnamed source.
Which brings us to your second source which claims ""... More than 30,000 Syrians cross into Lebanon in 48 hours"
which again anyone can easily see is quite different from what YOU have claimed here.
NOT '32,000' AND NOT '24hrs'
AND it obviuously was not your 'original source' (if you ever had one ;) for the "32,000 in 24hrs" claim, otherwise you would have produced it in the first reply - my guess is that you got both in a scrambled search after your claims were questioned, and wherever you got the "32,000 in 24hrs" it was NOT from either of these 2 source you are proferring now.
ALSO: in the Daily Star report the source is in fact an UNNAMED "General Security source" - so I give less weight to your UNNAMED (i.e. ANONYMOUS) "General Security source" than I do to the UN official - the UN official was named and said "UP TO" - the "General Security source" said different, but I note that a "General Security source" might be a bit more prepared to lie/embellish/just-make-shit-up than a named UN official - and to be honest I'm ALWAYS very sceptical whenever an ANONYMOUS "Security Official" is the source for any claim
You could just have said "maybe I got it wrong - here are some figures I found on the net" but you didn't.
Instead you proffer 2 sources that actually not only contradit YOUR claims, but also contradict each other on the numbers,
Certainly BOTH also contradict your "24hrs" claim
seems to me like you are, rather deliberately, playing fast and lose with the figures here in what looks like a clear effort to make the situation look worse than it is - now why would you do that?
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 20 2012 22:08 utc | 120
Most of [sombody's] postings sound more like an fsa spokes person..
And in the case of Libya, a NATO mouthpiece
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 20 2012 22:15 utc | 121
Listening to NPR this afternoon was bit like, I imagine, how Western analysts carefully read Soviet Union publications back in the day, looking for small telling details which revealed the reality behind the propaganda. Among the gov't approved lines are some small tidbits which indicate that all is not as the gloss seems to indicate.
Kelly McEvers, who spent time with FSA forces ...back in November, talked about how the rebels were controlling parts of Syria, mostly, it seemed close to the Turkish border. She described it as NW Syria, a tiny area, under "complete control" of the rebels. It sounded like there was continuous control of those aras by the rebels. But, toward the end of the interview, she said that towns might change "control" every other day. Gov't forces would retake the area (because the "regime has tanks"), the rebels would retreat, then they would decide to regain their lost territory.
She also mentioned that the rebels were receiving armaments from Qatar, Saudia Arabia and the like,and these were being provided for transfer to the rebels by the US. And there's "coordination" by the US to assist the rebels. Hhhmmm....
Oh, OK then. Gee, that sounds like the lede to me! And known back in November...a mere half a year ago.
Audio is available now, but transcript will be up tomorrow. Summary proably earlier.
Posted by: jawbone | Jul 20 2012 22:20 utc | 122
@ Claudio #109: Here's a quote from Syria's minister for foreign affairs Walid al-Moallem way back on 28 Nov 2011, which I think you will agree with today. In this quote he uses your definition of the word "civil war" (which is not the definition that I prefer):
"There are people and countries aiming at smuggling weapons and training those terrorists to fight, but it will not lead to civil war.... Our information indicates that there will be no war or foreign military action against Syria, but rather arming and training of terrorist groups which is manageable." http://208.43.232.81/eng/337/2011/11/28/384694.htm
I believe that there's no arming of rebels by foreign countries going on today, except that there's some financing by the Saudis and Qataris going on.
I'll repeat something I've said about three times before on this board. I repeat it because some people continually fail to appreciate the importance of it. It is illegal in each of Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon, and I think Israel, to smuggle weapons into Syria. So anyone who aims to arm the Syrian rebels also aims to violate the laws of one or more of Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon, and Israel.
The following news story about Jordan illustrates to me the spirit in all of Syria's neighboring countries on the question of facilitating the rebels.
Extracted from a report in Al-Hayat 13 Jul 2102 about Syrian army defectors and other Syrian refugees in Jordan. Syrian army defectors in Jordan face house arrest, overcrowding and long waits for visits with their families, who are housed elsewhere. Army defectors are allowed to cross back into Syria only on the condition that they never return to Jordan again. The defectors are currently under house arrest in a camp set up by the local authorities in the northern Jordanian city of Mafraq, which is only a few kilometers away from the Syrian border. The defectors are separated from their families, who live in places reserved for refugees outside the camp. The camp administration allows the families of the defectors to visit them three times a week. One defector said: “the defectors here need security clearances to be able to meet their families outside the camp, and the visits usually take place two months after submitting a request.” Zayed Hammad, head of the Ketab and Sunna Society, which provides relief for around 50,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, said that the number of Syrians who are fleeing to Jordan has increased significantly recently. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2012/07/800-syrian-army-personnel-includ.html
Antifo @ 103
That other SANA address doesn't work for me. Still not getting it either way.
Posted by: Walter Wit Man | Jul 20 2012 22:29 utc | 124
Jawbone's comment @ # 122 essentially confirms what I said earlier @ #98 in reply to the complete bullshit that somebody was try to spin in commet #95 in regards to the Mercenary Army's 'control' of areas in Syria - essentially the the Mercenary Army has little or no 'control' over any areas except those easily accessible from the borders
Somebody initailly acts like he cares, like he is somewhat 'open-minded' and is aware of the utterly comprimised nature of the so-called 'rebels' (in reality a bought-and-paid-for Mercenary Army) - no regular commenter could be unaware of this since b has over many months laid out the evidence for this quite clearly - but if you pay attention to somebody's commentary it is ALWAYS subltey twisting facts, and frequently downright dishonest - and IMHO this is not a result of 'misreadings' 'mistakes' or 'misunderstandings' on his part - he knows DAMN WELL what he is doing
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 20 2012 22:33 utc | 125
Libyan rebels were able to capture Tripoli mainly because Libyan army Could not send reinforcements to Tripoli, any army reinforcements approaching Tripoli would be destroyed by NATO warplanes. This time is different, Syrian army can send reinforcements to Damascus from any part of the country.
Posted by: Nikon | Jul 20 2012 22:36 utc | 126
@ Walter - http://208.43.232.81/index_eng.html - loaded it twice - once I got it once not
just tried it a moment ago again - no joy
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 20 2012 22:38 utc | 127
You left out the damning part of that article Parviziyi
"A senior government source told Al-Hayat that Jordan is dealing with the defected Syrian soldiers “with some level of sensitivity, saying that they are being dealt with somewhat “firmly” out of “concern for their safety.”
He said, “We fear that the Syrian defectors in Jordan might be subjected to assassination attempts. Any assassination that occurs on Jordanian territory will have significant implications.”
Regarding the shortage of aid provided to the refugees, the source asserted that “the government is bearing a high cost due to the presence of the Syrians in the kingdom, and we are in need of urgent international help.”
The latest official census on the number of Syrian refugees present in Jordan shows that there were 140,000 refugees at the end of June. However, relief workers say that the number is actually larger.
Posted by: somebody | Jul 20 2012 22:42 utc | 128
@Parviziyi #123: yes, I'm sure the prospect of chaos in Syria scares all of its neighbours - even Turkey, which probably just miscalculated the West's willingness to provide at least some political cover for its neo-imperialist ambitions (not shared by the majority, true, but this also is true for almost all imperialist aggressions, which occurr nonetheless); and even Israel, despite the rhetoric of its politicians, always eager to show they are in the loop, even when they cluelessly chase events); Qatar and Saudi Arabia, instead, are far away (not so far as they think, maybe ...)
I think civil war characterizes some form of vertical split within a state, territorially or socially along ethnic or religious grounds; the latter, like in former Yugoslavia or in Baghdad, is the worst kind, it leads to reciprocal ethnic cleansing; in Syria we are very far from such scenarios, I believe!
Posted by: claudio | Jul 20 2012 22:46 utc | 129
Re no foreign armament - there is no need, lots of arms left over from Libya - I could quote many sources on this
however, hat tip to the host
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2012/02/libyian-salafis-killed-in-syria.html
Posted by: somebody | Jul 20 2012 22:48 utc | 130
@Parviziyi
I think saudis and qatar are paying private military companies and european weapons dealers to smuggle weapons to syrian rebels
Posted by: Nikon | Jul 20 2012 22:48 utc | 131
"He said, “We fear that the Syrian defectors in Jordan might be subjected to assassination attempts. Any assassination that occurs on Jordanian territory will have significant implications.”"
what he actually mean is that Syrian defectors might be syrian spies.
Posted by: Nikon | Jul 20 2012 22:49 utc | 132
It is illegal in each of Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon, and I think Israel, to smuggle weapons into Syria. So anyone who aims to arm the Syrian rebels also aims to violate the laws of one or more of Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon, and Israel.
Oh Lordy, NO -can't imagine any of the Western/Isreali/etc Security services daring to actually break the law!!
Surely they wouldn't DARE to, would they?
surely the Security Services Of Qatar, the US, Uk, Israel and Saudi are composed only of individuals of the highest integrity who wouyld surely have a proven track record for scrupulously observer not just the letter of the law but it's very spirit as well and certainly would not, for so much as moment, even contemplate breaking the law
I mean "Is nothing Sacred????!!!!!"
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 20 2012 22:56 utc | 133
"Re no foreign armament - there is no need, lots of arms left over from Libya "
you duplicitous little prick
What the hell would "rms left over from Libya" be other than 'foreign armament'
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 20 2012 22:58 utc | 134
could MEK's delisting as a terrorist organization be related to the scarcity of jihadists to send to Syria?
Posted by: claudio | Jul 20 2012 23:05 utc | 135
not necessarily - for several years now certain people have been trying to get the MEK delisted for - obviously there's some resistance soemwhere in either the Security Services or the Administration or State Dept to de-listing them - obviously there are some sane and non-psychopatic individuals still left in those organisation - though such sane individuals appear to mostly have been shunted sideways to make room for blood-thirsty psychopaths and Zionists ( but I reapeat myself)
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 20 2012 23:11 utc | 136
http://208.43.232.81/index_eng.html available @ 00:40 GMT
RSS feeds: http://208.43.232.81/eng/21/rss.xml - "local News"
http://208.43.232.81/eng/22/rss.xml - "International News"
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 20 2012 23:39 utc | 137
"Re no foreign armament - there is no need, lots of arms left over from Libya "
for some reason Somebody does not seem to want to actually quote form what b posted. I wonder why, as it clearly quotes Philip Giraldi saying
Unmarked NATO warplanes are arriving at Turkish military bases close to Iskenderum on the Syrian border, delivering weapons from the late Muammar Gaddafi’s arsenals as well as volunteers from the Libyan Transitional National Council
How much more 'Foreign' does one need?
b also stated
"Giraldi, without naming any sources, also claimed:
French and British special forces trainers are on the ground, assisting the Syrian rebels while the CIA and U.S. Spec Ops are providing communications equipment and intelligence to assist the rebel cause, enabling the fighters to avoid concentrations of Syrian soldiers."
Again quite clear on the NATO/western (i.e.: FOREIGN) involvement - something which the clearly duplicitious somebody always seems to be very reluctant to acknowledge
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 20 2012 23:47 utc | 138
the terrorists that attacked the police school in Alleppo..theres nothing like the real thing to cement lessons!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t_To0U6Vuo&feature=youtu.be
Posted by: brian | Jul 21 2012 1:47 utc | 139
"Progressive" Journalism's Legacy of Deceit
By Prof. James F. Tracy
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article31942.htm
July 20, 2012 "Information Clearing House" -- Progressive-left media persist in acting as propaganda outlets for the US-NATO destabilization of Syria, thus placating a politically conscious audience that might otherwise be mobilized against acts of imperialism and violence. The historical record suggests how this is not the first time "Progressive publicists" were used to sell a war.
A recent report in the UK Guardian by Charlie Skelton explains that Western news outlets remain willing victims (or accomplices) in a propaganda campaign for US -NATO led Syrian intervention being carried out by skilled and well-financed public relations practitioners. According to Skelton, “the spokespeople, the ‘experts on Syria’, the ‘democracy activists’ … The people who ‘urge’ and ‘warn’ and ‘call for action’" against the Assad regime are themselves part of a sophisticated and well-heeled public relations effort to allow NATO forces to give Syria the same medicine administered to Libya in 2011. “They're selling the idea of military intervention and regime change,” Skelton reports,
“and the mainstream news is hungry to buy. Many of the "activists" and spokespeople representing the Syrian opposition are closely (and in many cases financially) interlinked with the US and London – the very people who would be doing the intervening. Which means information and statistics from these sources isn't necessarily pure news – it's a sales pitch, a PR campaign.”[1]
If one thinks that a revelation of this magnitude would be cause for other major Western news media to reassess their reportage of the Syrian situation they would be greatly mistaken. Amy Goodman's Democracy Now is a case in point. Since the beginning of the “Arab Spring” color revolutions the foremost broadcast venue of “independent” progressive-Left journalism in the United States has used its reportage to obfuscate and thereby advance the campaign for regime change in Egypt, Libya, and now Syria. The tactics of disinformation and death squads employed in Libya and Syria should be easily recognizable since they were refined against popular Central American moves toward popular enfranchisement by the Reagan administration during the 1980s.
Posted by: brian | Jul 21 2012 1:55 utc | 140
Syria follows Egypt and disconnects from the Internet (New Scientist)
I'm at work, so don't have much time to investigate this. Just saw the headline while scanning sites. Could this be why folks are having trouble accessing SANA?
Posted by: Dr. Wellington Yueh | Jul 21 2012 1:57 utc | 141
Marcy Wheeler, at her blog emptywheel, reviews David Ignatius article on CIA assistance to the rebels.
Commenter notes the CIA has been doing so for quite awhile.
Also, interesting take on why Bandar bin Sultan was named to head Saudi Arabia’s intelligence service. Because Pirnce Bandar was so good at bringing Libya down by working with Islamists.
Posted by: jawbone | Jul 21 2012 2:00 utc | 142
what the FSA is and is not
http://shamna.net/article=13923
Posted by: brian | Jul 21 2012 2:11 utc | 143
El Maratous 21 July 06:47
This was found on an account of one of the NATO agents working to destabilize Syria. Looks like a first hand movie, a rehearsal, on how they'll declare by media that Damascus has fallen and they managed to arrest the president to simulate Green Square moment in Libya, or Tahrir moment in Cairo, and spread chaos in the country, force army brigades to defect or at least fight each other.
Of course after Al Jazeera Hollywood studios add their touch to make it look more real, and we think they have more clips to use than this.. Be prepared.
Again we promise they'll fail and they'll fail miserably.https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=307326226031152
Posted by: brian | Jul 21 2012 2:13 utc | 144
Not much news in syria, are the insurgents taking a ramadan break?
Posted by: Nikon | Jul 21 2012 3:12 utc | 145
Conflicting messages about actual numbers of refugees into Lebanon by the pro-US Qatari and Saudi press and the State Departmnet's VOA and this is very odd as all these source usually speak with one voice. The VOA is downplaying the story. That should keep Hu Bris busy trying to figure it out.
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 3:32 utc | 147
>>> seems to me like you are, rather deliberately, playing fast and lose with the figures here in what looks like a clear effort to make the situation look worse than it is - now why would you do that? >>> (Hu Bris)
And I thought that Walter was the only one chasing ghosts here, why do you think I would do that? You're sounding like a combination of the angry Arab and POA and not very serious.
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 3:48 utc | 148
Venezuela Strongly Condemns Terrorist Attack in Damascus, Syria
by the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry
Communiqué
The president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Comandante Hugo Chávez, in the name of the Bolivarian government and the Venezuelan people strongly condemns the terrorist attack perpetrated today in the city of Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic, causing more deaths of civilians and high-ranking officials of the Syrian government.
The Bolivarian government wishes to send its most heartfelt words of condolences to the brave Syrian people, in particular the families and friends of the victims of this new crime, which has been preceded by massacres and attacks that seek to defeat the force under the command of President Bashar Assad, with names such as the "Storming of Damascus" and the "Battle of Damascus" given to this offensive that is aimed to sharpen the conflict imposed on this brother people.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2012/venezuela190712.html
Posted by: brian | Jul 21 2012 3:50 utc | 149
>>> Of course after Al Jazeera Hollywood studios add their touch to make it look more real, >>> (Brian)
The studios are not in Hollywood but in Qatar. They had been used during the conflict in Libya when Tripoli's Green Square was duplicated in Qatar's desert to film the news clips using actors. Not worse than Westerm TV using computer simulations of many news events. They've been doing it non-stop about the Batman massacre.
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 6:16 utc | 150
Syrian Truth l Journalist Hosein Mortada
A sniper was positioned on the minaret of Hamzeh mosque in Bahdali neighborhood close to Sayyeda Zeinab neighborhood. He was shooting at people. Security forces personnel went up to the minaret, arrested him and siezed his sniper gun.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1167050&l=52b66afbef&id=304084042989240
Posted by: brian | Jul 21 2012 6:24 utc | 151
look brian, the enemy of my enemy is not my friend ...
Posted by: somebody | Jul 21 2012 6:58 utc | 152
Russia Today's reporters decided to be positive ...
Oksana Boyko @OksanaBoyko_RT
Talked to both #SA and #FSA about Ramadan. Both say they're in jihad & will die for the cause. Wish they were willing to live for it #Syria
Posted by: somebody | Jul 21 2012 8:03 utc | 153
A christian family in bab touma subrub in damascus has been slaughtered by the #FSA gangs. Martyred hero George Nabil Zugheib with his father Martyr Brigadeier hero: Nabil Zugheib and his mother, the heroine Violette Zugheib and his brother Jimmy in critical condition.
========================
Asa Winstanley @AsaWinstanley
Iraqi shia refugees tell the BBC they were driven out of #Syria by the Free Syrian Army
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18930876
-----------------
a foretaste...the FSA may claim to be for everyone...in practice its autocratic and only for sunni...and the shia are fleeing FSA! title is misleading
Posted by: brian | Jul 21 2012 9:04 utc | 154
somebody 153....what is the FSA cause?
Asa Winstanley @AsaWinstanley
Iraqi shia refugees tell the BBC they were driven out of #Syria by the Free Syrian Army
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18930876
-----------------
a foretaste...the FSA may claim to be for everyone...in practice its autocratic and only for sunni...and the shia are fleeing FSA! title is misleading
Posted by: brian | Jul 21 2012 9:05 utc | 155
Jul 20
DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The Information Ministry announced that there is a satellite channel using the logo of the Syrian Satellite Channel and broadcasting nationalistic songs in preparation for springing a media ambush which has been uncovered before. This channel may appear on the same frequency as the genuine channel if it is cut off at any time.
The Ministry affirmed that the continuation of the genuine Syrian channels is linked to the presence of its well-known programs and presenters, and that the aforementioned channel and any similar channel is not related to the Syrian national media and constitutes blatant media piracy.
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 9:21 utc | 156
"And I thought that Walter was the only one chasing ghosts here, why do you think I would do that? You're sounding like a combination of the angry Arab and POA and not very serious."
yes Why would you just go around inventing numbers like '32,000' and '24hrs' (Why would anyone in fact?)- neither of the sources YOU provided backed you up on your earlier claims - claims which you have not backtracked on one little bit - you have had an opportunity to withdraw it or amend it and yet have refused to do so preferring instead to post some obvious waffle about BBC and others (NOTE: but not YOU) being confused on numbers of refugees.
YOu are obviously not prepared to supply a source - so it's obvious that you don't have one for your claim '32,000 in 24hrs' - so it seems most likely that you just made that shit up
SO why would anyone go to a comment thread and make definitive-sounding statements that later turn out to be bullshit?
I can think of one or two reasons, but none of them flattering to you, 3w
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 9:30 utc | 157
Conflicting messages about actual numbers of refugees into Lebanon by the pro-US Qatari and Saudi press and the State Departmnet's VOA and this is very odd as all these source usually speak with one voice. The VOA is downplaying the story. That should keep Hu Bris busy trying to figure it out.
What's to figue out?
As usual you provided NO links to SOURCES
So the only thing needing 'figuring out' is "Why is 3w spinning Bullshit that always just happens to make the situation/events in Syria, or the actions of Syrian Gov't, look worse then they are"
and also "Why is this obvious fabricator, Mr 'Yeah . . .BUT . . .' himself, insisting for instance that this is purely 'Syrian on Syrian' and deliberately ignoring the extensive, and extensively documented right here on this website, foreign involvement?"
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 9:38 utc | 158
@www - Arabs aren't stupid at all ... in fact I'd say they might smarter than us (not a high threshold, admitted); after months of aggressions, baiting, corruption attempts, etc the Syrians haven't offered a single fault line in which the aggressors could insert a wedge and create at least an appearance of civil war or crumbling of the regime; they are displaying self-control, patience and a keen perception of what's at stake;
Syria's neighbors seem busy balancing their allegiances to the West with damage control tactics
the GCC, an assembly of ruling families, is trying quite lucidly and cynically to reshape the Middle East in accordance with new perceived threats and opportunities
I don't see anything "stupid" going on there, nothing on a scale comparable to what's happening in western societies, where large majorities of the population passively wait to be fleeced to the skin (and beyond) by bankers, corporations, politicians, etc ...
Posted by: claudio | Jul 21 2012 11:04 utc | 159
Hu Bris, you're so damned intellectually lazy, you have to be spoon-fed everything. Google the damn thing. You're more about chutzpah than about hubris. Anyway since you can't be bothered, the link to the VOA article refuting the refugee issue and saying it's a trickle of refugees and that most are probably simply visiting relatives in Lebanon for Ramadan is:
http://www.voanews.com/content/syria-crisis-spills-over-into-lebanon/1442227.html
The conflicting thing about the VOA is that State Dept partners Qatar and Saudi with their satellite channels Jazeers and Arbia are banging on their pots and and about how things are so dire in Syria that Syrians are fleeing across the borders. Next time do your own googling.
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 11:10 utc | 160
Just an FYI: I put up a piece by former Ambassador Marc Ginsberg
Secret battle for Syria
Mr Ginsberg is pretty blunt about what was done to Syria and who were the players
Some have mentioned the numbers that have fled Syria
For a short time I had a Syrian commenter, and yes, my statcounter matched the comments, the time and location
He told the readers where he was from etc., He was Sunni and did not support the NATO terrorists. He, was ashamed of them. He explained that roughly 60 percent of Syrians supported the soldiers and the government.
He also explained how the numbers of those fleeing, specifically to Turkey, were fudged.
He explained that the number of people going across at the border, everyday (for work), had their ID stamped refugee. For propaganda purposes
Because people pass over the borders every single day from Aleppo Province to Turkey- Aleppo is the business hub of Syria.
I asked if he was safe? he was and so was his town. Because the soldiers were there
Sadly, I have not heard from him in some time. Of course, I do not know what to make of it. Hopefully he is safe.
WWM will know I am referencing Tozz
As for the Lebanon numbers many who have left were and continue to be Christians and they haven't left because of the Syrian Army or Assad
They have left because of the MB/Salsfist NATO backed terrorists.
These killers have terrorized the Christians in Syria as they have done in Egypt.
Hubris @ 138:
There have been a number of western/ME media reports regarding special forces being on the ground in Syria "to locate" chemical weapons for safekeeping. The telegraph went so far as two lay out two narratives for their use...... in Homs.
A city that is accessible via the water from Turkey and Lebanon
Coincidentally
I have two articles linked at my blog
"Google the damn thing."
Why should I google anything -
You're the one making definitive sounding statements, not me.
You're the one trying to cover up the fact that you were caught completely inventing bullshit figures, for which you are completely unable to provide a reliable source, not me.
You're the one making definitive sounding claims about this being a 'Syrian on Syrian' 'civil war' and completely ignoring the obvious large contingent of FOREIGN fighters, pretending they don't exist, not me.
It was YOUR definitive-sounding claims about the numbers and the time-frame that turned out to be bullshit when you were asked for sources, not mine
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 11:37 utc | 163
Claudio, leave the comparatives to the witless Israelis, that's their only argument to anything. Mention any of the problems they are creating and all they can answer you is that others do it too or are in a worse situation. Now you're also doing it by comparing stupid Arabs to other stupid people. It isn't so much about Arabs being actually stupid, which they are not, of course, but about them acting stupidly. Take the Syrian example, it took close to 50 years and 10,000 dead for the Syrian regime to wise-up and amend the constitution to lull the peons that they were giving them something. Same shit to go ahead and naturalize the stateless Syrian Kurds that have finally becoming full Syrian citizens for no other reason than to prevent them from joining up with the bad guys against the regime. This is just a small capsule on how Arabs act stupidly. I can go on and on about the Gulf sheikhs and what the stupid thngs they are doing in Bahrain or about the $140 billion social prorams package that was thrown at the Saudis to shut them up, but that would only bore you because you can only see good guys and bad guys in all of this and not much of anything else.
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 11:45 utc | 164
in a series of posts you have attempted to completely shift the focus from earlier definitive sounding but complete bullshit claims, by sudddenly introducing a brand new claim: namely that others are saying "it's a trickle of refugees and that most are probably simply visiting relatives in Lebanon for Ramadan"
this is a brand new claim form you, one you completely neglected to mention when you referenced VOA earlier
You're behaving almost exaclty like somebody.
Both of you are slippery as hell when someone asks you to back up earlier claims -
Instead of backing up your previous claims you actually ignore them and introduce a new claim -
This is the hallmark of a dishonest person, setting out to decieve, trying to slavage lost credibilty
If you actually were intending to be open and honest you have failed miserably.
Simply substituting one claim for another, when asked to back up a previous claim is just downright dishonest.
You've done this several times now - so it's no mere abberation on your part but seems to be a deliberate strategy by you to disguise the fact that you are being completely dishonest
I note this because it is something I have seen many times before, practiced by possibly the most dishonest group of people to ever roam this planet of ours - it's exactly the same sort of tactics practiced by the Zionist Megaphonies all over the Net -
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 11:49 utc | 165
@ Penny
thanks - nice to get some confirmation - also nice to see an honest trustworhty commenter rejoin the converstaion - cos those two dulicitoious asshats, going by the names 'somebody' & 'www', are really trying their damndest to muddy the waters here
So the question here is "Why 3w and somebody behaving as they are - refusing to provide sources for their suppossedly difinitive claims they make, and then when they actually do bother to link to some sources it turns out that those 'sources' are actually claiming something entirely different to what these two lying asshats have claimed" -
very slippery individuals, the pair of them
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 11:59 utc | 166
"Sadly, I have not heard from him in some time. Of course, I do not know what to make of it. Hopefully he is safe.
Yes I noticed a mention of him on your blog - let's hope he is safe
Problem with the net of course is that it's hard to know who is or is not genuine - sometime one just has to go with gut feeling, but from what I read from your Syrian commenter he certainly looked a lot more genuine than either of the 2 slippery duplicitious individuals commenting here that I have mentioned
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 12:04 utc | 167
"Claudio, leave the comparatives to the witless Israelis, that's their only argument to anything."
This is of course exactly the sort of statement a Megaphonie-fake like WWW would make immediately after someone highlights his duplicity and slipperiness in the manner of providing sources for definitive sounding, but complete bullshit, claims he has made.
YOu must think everyone here is stupid WWW - simply taking a swipe at the Israelis ain't going to fool anyone regarding your sincerity
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 12:08 utc | 168
>>> A city that is accessible via the water from Turkey and Lebanon>>>
Penny, Homs is a stretch from Turkey; you're probably thinking of Lattakia on the Med and Nahr el-Kebir.
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 12:12 utc | 170
Guys..Can we please be a but civil in our discussions and focus on the issue, please?? Raining insult on one another doesn't really solve anything..It kinda puts me off coming here. I suspect most of us here are adults and there we should be behaving as such..
Raining insults is what trolls do..It's the only strategy that weak minded people use when they have no argument to make..If you don't agree with someone, just politely disagree and prove your point.Otherwise this forum becomes just another echo chamber for pissing contest. We're better than that!!!
Posted by: Ali | Jul 21 2012 12:26 utc | 171
www@170
I meant Homs. Homs was specifically mentioned.
A HREF="http://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.ca/2012/07/iraqsyrian-border-what-is-going-on.html">Check map in this post
Water, can also mean a river or canal, not necessarily the Mediterranean
>>> You're the one making definitive sounding claims about this being a 'Syrian on Syrian' 'civil war' and completely ignoring the obvious large contingent of FOREIGN fighters, pretending they don't exist, not me.>>>
Hu Bris, I never denied foreign involvement in Syria, but this doesn't men a civil war is not happening happening. Are you saying that civil wars have to be fought by Syrians only, as because there are people there fighting from 20 different countries I can't call it a civil war? In the American civil war, half a million fighters for the Union weren't even Americans and half of those were born in Germany. What about foreigners that fought in the Greek civil war or the Spanish one? If I had the patience, I draft a list for you of foreign participants in various civil wars to show you how silly you are being when you say it's not a civil war in Syria just because there are foreigners fighting there.
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 12:30 utc | 173
oops, goofed the link up. Sorry. Try again
www@170
And if it doesn't work this time????
Well I don't know?
Hubris @167:
"Problem with the net of course is that it's hard to know who is or is not genuine - sometime one just has to go with gut feeling"
I know what you mean.
And yet I do hold the opinion that Tozz was the real deal.
The terrorist crew is using proxies to access the net, same as in Iran
Tozz was not
Media Lens @medialens
BBC terminology: Syria: 'regime'; Iraq (under US-UK occupation): 'government'. Syria: 'rebels'; Iraq: 'insurgents'
=============
this has long been my observation...language is used by the media to spin the news and control the public
Posted by: brian | Jul 21 2012 12:44 utc | 176
I got the map, Penny, thanks. The Assi or Orontes of 400 km starts in Lebanon and flows north (the only river that does there) to Homs and continues on to Hama and Turkey. I was thinking of Nahr el-Kebir that sets the border between Lebanon and Syria that flows northward to Lattakia and the Med.
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 12:49 utc | 178
>>> or lack of sincerity
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21, 2012 8:10:52 AM | 169 >>>
Hu Bris, the word you're looking for is "insincerity". Have you made up your mind if I'm a Zionist plant or a Gulfie sent to disparage Assad's regime?
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 13:01 utc | 179
"If you don't agree with someone, just politely disagree and prove your point."
That is the point though, is it not?
Neither 'Somebody' nor 3w are 'proving their poiints' at all though, are they?
they make definitive sounding claims which turn out to be deliberate distiortions or complete fabrications
when called on it 'Somebody' usually links to something which has only the most tenuous connection (if any) to ANYTHING he said earlier - more often than not his replies are often complete non-seqiturs - essentially trying to move focus away from the distortions (and in some cases outright lies) he just posted
While 3w has made some very definitive sounding claims which, when asked for sources, he is completely able to substantiate
So instead he too trys to shift the focus onto something else - in this case a brand new claim made by VOA which in no way substantiates his earlier claim regarding numbers of refugees - presumably in the hope that poeple will not notice that he just outright lied earlier
BOTH of them are behaving very strangely for people just posting their thoguhts to a comment thread - and they are quite consistent in these strange behaviours - this is not some occasional abberation from either of these two - these two CLEARLY have an agenda, one which has little to do with honesty or truthfulness
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 13:09 utc | 180
"lack of sincerity" perfectly describes you and your actions
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 13:11 utc | 181
>>> BBC terminology: Syria: 'regime'; Iraq (under US-UK occupation): 'government'. Syria: 'rebels'; Iraq: 'insurgents'
=============
this has long been my observation...language is used by the media to spin the news and control the public >>>
The term shouldn't bug you so much, Brian, it seems every other Arab uses that term. It has also been made so famous that even non-Arabs now chant it as they did in Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt and Libya:
Ash-shab yurid isqat an-nizam "the people want to bring down the regime"
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 13:20 utc | 182
Damascus, Syria .. armed group assassinated Dr. Nabil Zugheib with his family .. Zugheib works in the Syrian missile program and is one of the core brains of the missile program in Syria
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=421552094553387&set=a.199219870119945.45478.199215260120406&type=1&theater
this is the work of israel as usual using dumb arabs slaves
Posted by: brian | Jul 21 2012 13:46 utc | 183
regime is a midenomer, a western media spin term to dislegitimize a government. The correct term is the Syrian government, or perhaps the Obama regime. In Syria there issn;t a Assad regime, at best a Baath regime, but really it is a government. Calling any government a regime is a kick in the cafe to make it seem unlegitimate, and a governing entity on the way out. In Syria, the government has the democratic support of the majority, and they are not on the way out.
Posted by: Alexander | Jul 21 2012 13:46 utc | 184
Concerning SANA, some entity is feeding the wrong updates to the root-servers. The actual webserver site, at 208.43.232.81, is also being D-DOSed. Someone here generously supplied us with the real IP, though, I can't see a way round the problem for the masses for now.
Posted by: Alexander | Jul 21 2012 13:55 utc | 185
>>> Problem with the net of course is that it's hard to know who is or is not genuine - sometime one just has to go with gut feeling">>>
It's not that hard, Penny, unless one has peanut butter for brains as is the case with some here that are cheerleading for Assad while they can barely locate Syria on a map and don't have any notion of Syrian history. It's mostly about anti-American or anti-imperialist sentiments that are coming across here as being so pro-Assad. Anyone that can read English, and understand it, could have very easily undertood where I stand on Syria and on the various opponents in the conflict.
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 14:12 utc | 187
and yet for some reason, when asked a simple question about substantiating your very definite sounding claims you post two links which most definitely did not substantiate them, and then when that failed to shut others up, you immediately introduce a new claim in the hope of distracting people from the fact that you earlier posted a deliberate lie
You ain't fooling anyone with your "I'm Mr Well-Informed and totally objective" act at all
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 14:18 utc | 188
@ Alexander #186
the link you gave works sometimes and sometimes not
I posted links to the RSS feeds which do seem to work even when the English front page for SANA does not - I can at least access the headlines that way
Also, if you click on the RSS link and DO NOT 'subscribe', then you get a page with the RSS feed headlines and a paragraph or two summarising the story - at least I do anyway - - when one clicks on the links for those stories however it does not always bring up the story itself, often it times-out - but at least I can get a summary that way
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 14:25 utc | 189
>>> In Syria there issn;t a Assad regime, at best a Baath regime, >>>
More of the blind leading the blind. The regime is definitely Assad's but the Assad being referred to is Hafez el-Assad, and not his son, the current President, which is Bachar el-Assad. Hafez el-Assad WAS the Syrian Baathist Socialist Party. Is there anyone here that knows something about Syria, its people, its history or is this only about bashing America?
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 14:33 utc | 191
here's what's on the SANA 'International News' rss feed page right now
Syrian Arab news agency - SANA - Syria : Syria news - Regional and International News
President Putin: Any Attempt to Circumvent Security Council Regarding Syria Will Undermine Its Reputation
MOSCOW, (SANA) – Official Spokesman for the Russian Presidency Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin believes that any attempt to circumvent the Security Council regarding Syria will be ineffective and will undermine the reputation of this international organization
Mehmanparast: Some Countries Seek to Destabilize Security to Stop Reforms in Syria
TEHRAN, (SANA) – Spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Ramin Mehmanparast said that some countries – both in the region and outside it – are trying to undermine security and create a state of instability in Syria to stop the process of reforms in it
Turkish Labor Party Deputy Chairman: We Have Clear Evidence That Turkish President Incited Terrorism and War on Syria
ANKARA, (SANA) – Deputy Chairman of the Turkish Labor Party Hasan Basri Ozbey denounced the position of Turkish President Abdullah Gul who is encouraging terrorists to commit crimes in Syria, saying that the Labor Party will file a complaint against Gul to try him in the Higher Court
China: Using the Veto Was for Preserving the Syrian People's Interests
BEIJING, (SANA) – China's Special Envoy to the Middle East Wu Sike stressed that China's veto of the western draft resolution on Syria at the UNSC came to preserve the interests of the Syrian people and maintain the security situation in the Middle East
Russia, China Veto Western Draft Resolution on Syria
NEW YORK, (SANA)_Russia and China vetoed on Thursday an unjust Western-backed draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council that could have led to imposing sanctions on Syria under the 7th Chapter of the UN charter
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 14:34 utc | 192
Syrian Arab news agency - SANA - Syria : Syria news - Local News - RSS feed page
Damascus Governor: Normal Life Back to al-Midan in Five Days
DAMASCUS, (SANA)- Governor of Damascus, D. Bashr al-Sabban, stressed that normal life will be back to al-Midan neighborhood in five days maximum by the time maintenance works will have been completed
News on President al-Assad Agreeing to Leave Power and on Mrs. al-Assad Arriving in Moscow Denied
DAMASCUS/ MOSCOW, (SANA)- Russia's Ambassador to France, Alexander Orlov categorically denied what was ascribed to him on President Bashar al-Assad agreeing to leave power in an interview with Radio France Internationale
Endowments Minister: Ramadan Strengthens Willpower and a Time for Reconciliation
DAMASCUS, (SANA) – In a speech on occasion of the month of Ramadan, Minister of Religious Endowments (Awqaf) Dr. Mohammad Abdelsattar al-Sayyed said that Ramadan teaches Muslims to strengthen their willpower to abandon harmful things and control their emotions to reach piety at all times
Official Source Dismisses as Untrue Media Reports on Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing and Cities in Damascus and Its Countryside
PROVINCES, (SANA)- An official source on Thursday dismissed news broadcast by al-Arabiya and al-Jazeera TV channels on Bab al-Hawa border crossing point in Idleb province on the borders with Turkey as "fabricated and false"
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 14:48 utc | 193
"Is there anyone here that knows something about Syria, its people, its history or is this only about bashing America?"
short Answer? Lots of people - and many of them are quite happy to bash the psycho Imperialists of the US as well - knowing something about Syria and bashing psycho Imperialists are NOT mutually exclusive, though your behaviour and actions seem to indicate that YOU think they are
AND knowing something about Syria and posting Apples-to-Bullshit comparisons are not mutually exclusive either- as both you and 'somebody' have repeatedly & quite conclusively recently demonstrated
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 21 2012 14:55 utc | 194
Illuminati "conspiracy" goes mainstream. Except that many among us heard this 'rumor' years before, during the 2005 election- back when the neocons had supported him (which made no sense to anyone at the time, because almost nobody had even heard of this guy. He was rated 5th or lower in likelihood to beat Ranfsanjani or Qabbani.)
Iran president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is secretly ... Jewish?
BY RICH SCHAPIRO NY Daily News Sunday, October 04, 2009 http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-10-04/news/17935318_1_iranian-jews-mahmoud-ahmadinejad-oy-vey
Oy vey!
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - perhaps the world's best-known Holocaust denier - might actually be Jewish, according to a bombshell report published on Saturday.
Ahmadinejad's family apparently changed its name from Sabourjian, a Jewish name meaning "cloth weaver," when it converted to Islam after his birth, the London's Daily Telegraph says.
The nuke-pursuing Iranian was photographed in March holding up his identity card, revealing a scrawled note suggesting the shocking name change.
The Sabourjians traditionally hail from Ahmadinejad's hometown of Aradan. The name is even on the list of reserved names for Iranian Jews compiled by Iran's Ministry of the Interior, the paper says.
Experts told the Telegraph his vitriolic attacks against Jews could be an attempt to hide his past.
"This aspect of Mr. Ahmadinejad's background explains a lot about him," said Ali Nourizadeh, of the Center for Arab and Iranian Studies. "Every family that converts into a different religion takes a new identity by condemning their old faith.
"By making anti-Israeli statements, he is trying to shed any suspicions about his Jewish connections."A London-based expert on Iranian Jewry said that the "jian" ending to the Sabour name shows that the family had been practicing Jews."He has changed his name for religious reasons, or at least his parents had," said the Iranian-born Jew. "Sabourjian is a well-known Jewish name in Iran."
rschapiro@nydailynews.com
Charge: Ahmadinejad Rants to Hide His Jewish Roots
The son of a leading Iranian authority accuses the Iranian President of changing his Jewish name.
By Hillel Fendel 1/28/2009 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129649#.UAq8iJG3ITA
The son of a leading Iranian authority accuses the Iranian President of changing his Jewish name.
Several Iranian media sources are quoting Mahdi Khazali – the son of a leading supporter of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – as having written in a blog that the president has Jewish roots. So reports the Hebrew-language Omedia website and Radio Free Europe.
Khazali, son of Ayatollah Abu Al-Kassam Khazali, says that Ahmadinejad changed his Jewish name on his ID card in order to hide his roots. Khazali the son says that the president hides his Jewish roots by attacking Israel and the Jews, and by expressing strong Muslim religious beliefs.
A record of the name change still appears on the president’s ID card, however, says Khazali. His old name was Saburjian, and he hails from the Aradan region of Iran. The accusations appear in an article Khazali wrote entitled, “The Jews in Iran.” He says the time has come to “reveal the truth” about the Jews’ role in Iran.
Ahmadinejad's relatives once told the British paper "The Guardian" that the family had changed its name for "a mixture of religious and economic reasons." Ahmadinejad will be running for re-election five months from now.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad revealed to have Jewish past
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's vitriolic attacks on the Jewish world hide an astonishing secret, evidence uncovered by The Daily Telegraph shows.
By Damien McElroy and Ahmad Vahdat 03 Oct 2009
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/6256173/Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-revealed-to-have-Jewish-past.html
Posted by: JL | Jul 21 2012 15:14 utc | 195
Nothing to be ashamed of or embarassed about, JL, even if he's Jewish, it would bring him that closer back to his Abrahamic roots. Now if he was to have Zionist roots, that would be something to be ashamed of. Quit chasing ghosts, we have enough of Walter and Hu Bris doing it here.
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 15:50 utc | 196
re Penny 172
Water, can also mean a river or canal, not necessarily the Mediterranean
Yeah, but the Orontes is not navigable. It is quite shallow and has water-mills across it.
Posted by: alexno | Jul 21 2012 15:52 utc | 197
>>> both you and 'somebody' >>>
I take being out in the same category as somebody very flattering, Hu Bris. I hope you feel likewise flattered when I put you in the same one as that other ghostbuster, Walter.
Posted by: www | Jul 21 2012 15:55 utc | 198
Whatever will the US politicians, along with other Western pols who have demonized Ahmadinejad, DO after he's out of the Iranian presidency? I mean, he's elected to a term certain and, iirc, is term limited. At least he can't run directly again after a second term. Plus, neither he nor any president is the top decision maker in Iran.
So, what will Western pols do? Make the new president into the next Evil Boogie Man?
I did notice that some more conservative pundits here in the US* are now putting the blame for Iran's "intransigence" on nuclear issues squarely on the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. So, maybe he'll be made the next Face of Evil.
I would, as informal protocol demands, give a source for this, but it was something I'd begun noting in passing and, alas, I do not have a citation for this observation. IIRC, one was a commentary on NPR, but it could have been BBC or some other public broadcasting source. Where searching isn't easy or often there are no transcripts.
However, until something is commonly held knowledge, it is best, imho, that mentions of articles and especially quotes from any be given attribution. It not only establishes a direct, checkable source for a reader to easily get to and read the whole piece, thus being able to see whether the quote is in or out of context, but it also gives credit to the original writer.
Further, using HTML tags to embed a link is a more elegant way to introduce such URL's.... Need more be said? Other than "think margins"?
Posted by: jawbone | Jul 21 2012 16:14 utc | 199
Re: JL's articles at 195 -- Interesting that these all came out in 2009 and haven't had more traction or been more widespread.
Didn't fit Western propaganda needs?
Posted by: jawbone | Jul 21 2012 16:18 utc | 200
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"So Syria is now free to shoot the hell out the rebels! Hooray!"
not necessarily a good thing since now, if the Syrian Gov'r reactsd as you predict/hope, there really will be plenty of examples of Syrian Gov't forces massacring people that can easily be portrayed by the corrupt-to-the-core MSM as 'poor innocent civilians'.
there are already plenty of people, so rather dubious ones right here at MOA, already falsely claiming (and deliberately/knowingly so, too, IMO) that that is what the Syrian Gov't is doing
Posted by: Hu Bris | Jul 20 2012 20:08 utc | 101