Murky World: Panama 'Leaks', 400 Responsible Stenographers & One-Armed Chimps

Murky World PANAMA 'LEAKS' 400 Responsible Stenographers & One-Armed Chimps [source:  various borrowed] OBSCENE CENSORSHIP WikiLeaks LINK | Source WikiLeaks LINK | Source Three one-armed Google chimps coulda got more ... LOL LINK | Source ICIJ Funded & Organised Almost Entirely by USA Oligarchy Think-Do Propaganda Tanks & Echo Chambers  Craig Murray (former British Ambassador) LINK | Source OCCRP USAID FUNDING (USAID SHOCKING CIA Associations) + HYBRID WARRIOR, SOROS WikiLeaks LINK | Source see also: The murderous history of USAID, the US Government agency behind Cuba's fake Twitter clone By Mark Ames - April 8, 2014 "... USAID (United States Agency for International Development) — the government agency which manages billions in overseas “humanitarian” aid programs — plotted to overthrow Cuba’s communist regime via a covertly-funded fake Twitter platform." "... USAID — the nice, humanitarian, democracy-promoting arm of American idealism — also engages in sleazy regime-change and subversion. The sorts of nefarious covert activities folks normally associate with the CIA." "...  USAID co-investing with Omidyar Network in Ukraine NGOs that organized and led the Maidan revolution in Kiev, resulting in the overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovych." "I assumed that most reporters already understood what USAID gets up to overseas,  often alongside private nonprofits like those run by Soros, Gates, Rockefeller, Ford and more recently, Omidyar." "The truth is, USAID’s role in a covert ops and subversion should be common knowledge ... " "USAID grew out of programs like the Marshall Plan, but the agency itself wasn’t established until 1961 under President Kennedy. Under Kennedy’s reorganization, a police training program set up under President Eisenhower, the Office of Public Safety (OPS), was placed under USAID’s authority. The OPS had been set up in 1957 to train friendly overseas police forces how to be more professional, more democratic, less corrupt, more like us — but in reality, the OPS was essentially a CIA proxy, headed by an agent named Byron Engle, its ranks covertly sprinkled with CIA spooks in hotspots across the globe." MORE AT SOURCE: https://pando.com/2014/04/08/the-murderous-history-of-usaid-the-us-government-agency-behind-cubas-fake-twitter-clone/ ICIJ Pretenders WikiLeaks LINK | Source 'Responsible Journalism'  LINK | Source Corporate Masters LINK | Source ---------------------- ---------------------- COMMENT LOL ... that was fun. Love everyone's comments.

US Screws BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas sentenced in $8.9 billion accord over sanctions violations Reuters  on May 2, 2015 @ 1:40 AM By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - BNP Paribas SA was sentenced to five years probation by a U.S. judge on Friday in connection with a record $8.9 billion settlement resolving claims that it violated sanctions against Sudan, Cuba and Iran. U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield in Manhattan formally ordered the French bank to forfeit $8.83 billion and pay a $140 million fine as part of a sentence that also called for BNP Paribas to enhance its compliance procedures and policies. Some of that money could now go to people harmed by the three sanctioned countries under a program the U.S. Justice Department announced in court. Georges Dirani, BNP's general counsel, told the judge that the bank accepted "full responsibility for its conduct," and was under CEO Jean-Laurent Bonnafé's personal supervision already improving its policies. "There's no question the organization will not tolerate the kind of behavior we have seen in this case," Dirani said. The case marked the first time a global bank pleaded guilty to violations of U.S. economic sanctions, the Justice Department said. The sentencing followed BNP Paribas' guilty plea in July to conspiring from 2004 to 2012 to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act. The sentence imposed by Schofield followed the terms of a heavily negotiated plea deal the Justice Department announced that month. Authorities said that BNP essentially functioned as the "central bank for the government of Sudan," concealing its tracks and failing to cooperate when first contacted by law enforcement. Prosecutors said BNP also evaded sanctions against entities in Iran and Cuba, in part by stripping information from wire transfers so they could pass through the U.S. system without raising red flags. BOMBING VICTIMS Friday's sentencing took place in a courtroom crowded with people Schofield said claimed to have been harmed by actions taken by the sanctioned countries and who were seeking restitution. While Schofield said they were not legally entitled to that relief, prosecutor Jennifer Ambuehl said the Justice Department would evaluate distributing the $3.84 billion in forfeitures it received in the deal to people harmed by Sudan, Cuba and Iran. Ambuehl called the effort "unprecedented" and said the Justice Department would shortly be launching a website to accept claims. But the program, which covers anyone harmed from 2004 to 2012, came as a disappointment to victims of the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people. Several victims had flown to New York in anticipation of the program's announcement. They had cited a U.S. court's finding that without Sudan's support, al Qaeda could not have perpetrated the attacks. "We had hoped that the Department of Justice would stand with us and are deeply disappointed that it chose to delay and not do the right thing," George Mimba, the former head of the Kenya embassy employees, said in a statement. BNP's sentencing had been delayed for months while it awaited word on whether the U.S. Labor Department would allow it to continue to manage retirement plans despite the plea. The department granted BNP that exemption this month. A New York state court judge on April 15 sentenced BNP Paribas in a related case in which it agreed to forfeit $2.24 billion. That sum, along with a $508 million payment to the Federal Reserve and a $2.24 billion payment to the New York Department of Financial Services, are credited toward the $8.9 billion ordered by Schofield on Friday. The sentencing came a day after BNP Paribas reported first-quarter net income of 1.65 billion euros ($1.83 billion), up 17.5 percent. Revenue grew 11.6 percent to 11.1 billion euros. The case is U.S. v. BNP Paribas SA, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 14-cr-00460. (Editing by Ted Botha) Copyright2015 Thomson Reuters Source - here COMMENT To my way of thinking, this is US extortion. .................................................... Lorna G. Schofield Federal judicial service On April 25, 2012, President Obama nominated Schofield to serve as a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York... Schofield is the first Filipino American in the history of the United States to serve as an Article III federal judge. ... U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on June 6, 2012 ... reported Schofield's nomination to the full U.S. Senate on July 12, 2012. The U.S. Senate confirmed Schofield on December 13, 2012 in a 91-0 vote. She received her commission on December 13, 2012. Source - here

Socialist Perspective - Assange Hunted by Imperialist Powers to Disrupt WikiLeaks

ARTICLE Wikileaks, Sex & Imperialist Law http://www.bolshevik.org/1917/no35/ibt_1917_35_12_wikileaks-hands_off_assange.html COMMENTS Note the following re above article: a) Reference to 'charges' in two instances should read 'allegations' in lieu of 'charges', as there are no 'charges' to date (2015). b) Link to quoted material referred to in article (in text format) returns a 404 error. Valid link for Stratfor analyst remark:  here. c) Additional link to material quoted in article - Red Notice issue re sexual assault allegation anomaly & trying to disrupt WikiLeaks - here. Really good article by International Bolshevik Tendency (IBT) based on inspiring address by  Roxanne Baker, in support of Julian Assange.  So, there I was writing off the lefties (in general) as pseudo-lefties and corporate stooges, but that's not necessarily the case for all lefties. Wow, I think I really like the Bolshevik perspective. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What I got out of this: Largely hoovering references in the article - Persecution of Julian Assange is an attack on democratic rights, particularly press freedom Any differences on left, a matter of > subservience to ruling-class > acting as imperialist propaganda conduit Assange & WikiLeaks: challenged the powerful by exposing monstrous crimes committed in Iraq & Afghanistan Savage persecution of Chelsea (Bradley) Manning shows ‘enemies of the state’ USA ill treatment & erosion of democratic rights SW:  TERMINATED interview & REFUSED to READ or SIGN transcript on learning intent of Sweden police Sweden Police uploaded SW transcript to police data system & AMENDED transcript subsequently UNUSUAL intervention of Chief Prosecutor Marianne Ny is possibly indicative of 'political string-pulling from high up'. AA = link w. US govt funded Ladies in White LIW is supported by CIA asset Luis Posada Carriles Carriles = terrorist & former CIA agent. Born in Havana. SEE also Carriles & CIA Cuba link: http://palgrave.typepad.com/yaffe/2011/03/cia-spies-and-videotapes-cuba-exposes-us-programme-of-subversion-.html Other interesting info - See also:  2009-10 Cuba - CIA USAID op undermines Cuba's hip-hop protest scene http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7c275c134f1b4a0ca3428929fcece82d/us-co-opted-cubas-hip-hop-scene-spark-change --- AA = brother in Sweden intelligence a liaison in WA to US intelligence services as referred to in above article: http://www.bolshevik.org/1917/no35/ibt_1917_35_12_wikileaks-hands_off_assange.html and as referred to in Counterpunch article, 2010: http://www.counterpunch.org/2010/12/07/information-terrorists/ -- Socialist Workers Party Alliance for Workers’ Liberty Naivety - given evidence that Sweden obliges CIA NO chance ‘fair trial’ prejudicial press / implacable hostility of ruling elites re WikiLeaks revelations On USA going after ASSANGE - Stratfor intelligence analyst: this is about trying to DISRUPT WikiLeaks Much discussion neglects to examine POLITICALLY motivated character of Sweden law enforcement allegations Assange - No chance fair trial high risk of extradition or rendition SOCIALISTS must oppose extradition Assange is being hunted by America for daring to shine a light on the crimes of IMPERIALISM USA conducting a witch-hunt against whistleblower publisher WikiLeaks, which remains active as at 2015. Julian Assange is an advocate of freedom of press & information, whose revelations have exposed lawlessness. Defending individual rights & liberties, such as those of Julian Assange (rights & liberties which ruling political elites seek to erase, in this instance and generally speaking) provides a BASIS for: 1) challenging a system of global oppression 2) challenging imperialist rule - the cause of such oppression 3) challenging an imperialist, oppressive rule that aims to SILENCE truth tellers Defending Julian Assange is defending civil liberties & challenging ruling elites - in what is a class struggle ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Note also: 1) Unsigned, unread statement - SW refused to sign or read, on learning of Sweden Police intent regarding Assange. 2) Transcript uploaded onto police database & SUBSEQUENTLY AMENDED. 3) AA could be described as highly instrumental - see source article. 4) The key police witness is compromised by her personal relationship with AA.  Furthermore, the telephone 'statement' taken by that police officer (and friend) of AA, was taken over the telephone, which I understand is a breach of police procedures. 5) Matter was dismissed by a senior prosecutor for lack of evidence, but was UNUSUALLY revived again - almost 500km away in Stockholm. 6) Interpol Red Notice issue is also unusual (as pointed out by the US private intelligence service, Stratfor - which is also known as a 'shadow CIA'). ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Anyway, they're just some things to think about. I'm off to find a home for my file-away marked up version of the article ... after I've checked all these links.  Excuse any typos - I'm in a mad rush.  Happy reading, Comrades.  ;) -------------------------------------------------------------------- QUICK LINKS: 1. WikiLeaks, Sex & Imperialist Law - here. 2. Ladies in White / Carilles - here. 3. AA - bother intelligence officer [Counterpunch] - here. 4. Example of USG / CIA subversive activity, Cuba - here. 5. Stratfor:  how to go after WikiLeaks - here. 6. Stratfor: Charges of sexual assault rarely Interpol Red Notice - Disruption of WikiLeaks quote - here. 7.  Women Against Rape For decades we have campaigned to get rapists caught, charged and convicted. But the pursuit of Assange is political"  - The Guardian - 23/08/2012  - here.

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NOAM CHOMSKY - ARGENTINA & LATIN AMERICA

Buenos Aires cap. Argentina 2nd largest metro area in South America, after Greater São Paulo, Brasil 25°C, time: Sat 9:26 am NOAM CHOMSKY Professor Noam Chomsky talks to the Herald yesterday By Fermín Koop & Tomás Brockenshire Herald Staff Noam Chomsky says Argentina ‘has taken the lead in Latin America on human rights’ An intellectual with a rock star following, Noam Chomsky has taken time out from a speaking tour to return to Argentina after a 25-year absence, prompting barely-concealed enthusiasm from students, academics, political activists and fellow intellectuals. Speaking to the Herald before he gave his keynote address at the International Forum for Emancipation and Equality yesterday, Chomsky recognized Argentina’s regional leadership on human rights but questioned the lack of progress in the investigation into the bombings of the AMIA Jewish community centre in 1994 and the Israeli Embassy in 1992. http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/184213/%E2%80%98the-state-has-been-incapable-of-investigating-amia-embassy-attacks%E2%80%99 ---------------------------------- Last 500 years LatAm under control + domination of external powers very small, extremely rich, mostly white elite Last 150 years, mostly USA domination & control Chomsky (mentioned re Cuba) Private capital in the US usually controls [foreign] policy. Only briefly skimmed a part of this.  Will have to come back to this when I'm more focused. Looks good reading.  Chomsky's always good value.

USA - Canned Whining About Obama's Cuba Policy

Editorial: Rubio on wrong side of Cuba policy changes Wednesday, February 4, 2015 5:44pm Sen. Marco Rubio has a new Senate chairmanship but the same old tired perspective on Cuba. The new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere was at it again this week, criticizing President Barack Obama for the promising diplomatic overture he launched with Cuba. Rubio is out of touch with the public and on the wrong side of history, and his views hurt the cause of democracy in Cuba and the interests of Floridians. The Republican senator used the first congressional hearing since Obama announced a shift in Cuba policy to proclaim that he was "pretty convinced" the move would not lead to positive change. That's not startling from a lawmaker who has clung to the falsehood that 54 years of isolation is working. But it's irresponsible from a Senate chairman mulling a run for president and whose home state is an outsized player in the Cuba debate that stands to gain economically from an improvement in relations. Obama announced a further loosening of restrictions on Cuba in December, expanding legal travel to the island, increasing the amount of money that could be sent to Cuban nationals and authorizing new commercial exports to the island. Though only Congress can end the U.S. trade embargo, the steps by the administration will increase contacts between the two nations, giving those in the communist state more exposure to Western ideals. [Eyeroll.  Hey, they chose in favour of communism, rather than 'Western ideals', of which they were aware.] The president is also moving to re-establish diplomatic ties with Cuba, including opening an embassy in Havana. Improving diplomatic relations would have immediate benefits, enabling the two sides to better coordinate everything from drug interdiction efforts and disaster relief to immigration matters and oil spills in the gulf. The new trade provisions will help more Cuban families who are struggling to survive. They also will build Cuba's nascent private sector and help open up society by clearing the way for new communications between the two countries. These efforts take time, and it is no easy haul to overcome the suspicions on both sides after a half-century as enemies. But that's what isolation brought. It's been a painful lesson for decades, but the American public has come around, and so have Cuban-Americans in Florida. Polls show a majority of Americans support opening ties to Cuba. That's also the view of the large and influential Cuban-American community in South Florida. The Cuba Poll at Florida International University, which is the longest-running research project to track Cuban-American opinion in South Florida, found last year that two-thirds of those polled favored diplomatic ties with Cuba, while a slim majority opposed the embargo. The younger generation opposed the embargo by nearly a two-thirds majority. These are the voices Rubio needs to recognize and Congress needs to hear. There are serious differences separating the Cuban and American governments, and Cuba has a long way to go on human rights and economic freedom. But it's senseless to pursue a course that hasn't worked for a half-century and oppose positive reforms because they come from a Democrat in the White House. http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-rubio-on-wrong-side-of-cuba-policy-changes/2216420 COMMENT Politicians sound like complete wastes of space, and it's beyond me how anybody has the tolerance to listen to this crap day, in and day out, like it means anything. Here's more from Rubio and Bob Menendez: Politicians Against The U.S.-Cuba Deal Miss The Point — It Was, Absolutely, A Failed Policy http://www.bustle.com/articles/54787-politicians-against-the-us-cuba-deal-miss-the-point-it-was-absolutely-a-failed-policy Wondered why such an anti-Cuban (or is that an anti-Obama?) headline, so checked out Bustle: Bustle, a site for women, raises $15.5 million The new round, led by General Catalyst, brings the young company’s total capital raised to $27 million and is the latest in a line of high-profile venture capital investments in digital media companies. Bustle, a digital publication aimed at young women, has raised $15.5 million in venture funding led by General Catalyst. The company, founded in 2013, has raised a total of $27 million in venture funding to date. Existing investors Time Warner Investments, Rothenberg Ventures, 500 Startups, and The Social+Capital Fund participated. ... Bryan Goldberg, Bustle’s founder and chief executive ... Time Warner [fortune=stock symbol=”TWX”] ... acquired Goldberg’s previous company, Bleacher Report, for less than $200 million in 2012. http://fortune.com/2014/12/18/bustle-raises-15-5-million/ General Catalyst Partners is an American venture capital firm. Nothing jumps out at me, apart from biggish money and probable neocon investors. 'Bustle' is a crappy name for a site aimed at women.

Argentina - Alberto Nisman - Laboratory Analysis - Nisman DNA Only

LAHT Article Argentine Probe Finds Only Prosecutor’s DNA on Gun BUENOS AIRES – The only DNA found on the gun that killed Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman belonged to the deceased, the person directing the investigation said Friday. Nisman was found fatally shot on Jan. 18, hours before he was supposed to brief Argentina’s Congress about his accusations that President Cristina Fernandez and other officials sought to conceal the involvement of Iran in a deadly 1994 terrorist attack targeting a Jewish organization in Buenos Aires. The prosecutor died of a single shot to the temple, fired at point-blank range from a .22-caliber pistol that was found under his body in the bathroom of his apartment. Nisman, who had a 10-person police security detail, borrowed the gun from a colleague. Laboratory analysis determined “categorically” that all of the DNA found on the gun, ammunition cartridge, bullets and shell-casings belonged to Nisman, prosecutor Viviana Fein said Friday in a statement. At the time of his death, Nisman was seeking to indict Fernandez, Foreign Minister Hector Timerman and five other people in connection with his probe of the car-bomb attack that left 85 dead at the offices of the Jewish organization AMIA. Investigators have labeled the case a “suspicious death.” Fein said her office’s technical staff have informed her that the stairways of Nisman’s apartment building do not have security cameras, while the camera mounted in the elevator was out of service the day of the prosecutor’s death.  [Gee, that was handy.] She said she took statements on Friday from the people who manage the computer network in the office of the special prosecutor for the AMIA case. Nisman, 51, was laid to rest Thursday at a Jewish cemetery on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The Argentine government rejected on Friday a U.S. lawmaker’s call for an international enquiry into Nisman’s death.   [International inquiry?  US lawmaker call?  Something's going on here.] Argentina “is an autonomous and independent country,” Cabinet chief Jorge Capitanich said during his daily press briefing, calling Sen. Marco Rubio’s proposal the expression of an “imperial vision” that “ignores the principal of national self-determination.” Rubio, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs, sent a letter Thursday to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, saying that he was “deeply concerned about the ability of the government of Argentina to conduct a fair and impartial investigation.” The senator’s call for an international investigation is an “unwarranted intrusion appropriate to an imperial attitude that represents the most recalcitrant Republican right,” Capitanich said. The charges against Fernandez and Timerman were based on intercepts of telephone conversations about efforts “to erase Iran from the AMIA case,” Nisman’s office said Jan. 14 in a statement. The government wanted to eliminate any obstacle to forging closer trade and economic ties with Tehran, the prosecutor said. Timerman – himself a member of Argentina’s Jewish community – reacted angrily to the accusations, labeling Nisman a liar and saying that the prosecutor allowed himself to be unduly influenced by Jaime Stiuso, recently fired as chief of operations for the intelligence service. Many in the Argentine Jewish community believe the AMIA bombing was ordered by Iran and carried out by Tehran’s Hezbollah allies. Both the Iranian government and the Lebanese militia group deny any involvement and some have pointed out that the accusation relies heavily on information provided by the CIA and Israel’s Mossad spy agency, both with an interest in blackening the reputation of Tehran. [Note:  CIA & Mossad assassination of Imad Mugniyah claim.] [ . . . ] EXTRACT ONLY - FULL @ SOURCE http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2371997&CategoryId=14093 SENATOR MARCO RUBIO Marco Rubio Roman Catholicism Parents = Cubans who had immigrated to USA 1956 Pedro Victor Garcia (maternal grandfather) immigrated legally to the US in 1956 returned to Cuba to find work in 1959 On returning to USA in 1962 without a visa, US embassies in Cuba being closed, an immigration judge ordered him deported. US immigration authorities = used discretion to allow him to remain in the US without a visa. "In 2012, The Associated Press concluded that Garcia might have been undocumented for four years, from 1962 to 1966." "His parents left Cuba in 1956, during the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista." "Rubio's previous statements that his parents were forced to leave Cuba in 1959, after Fidel Castro came to power, were incorrect." "The real essence of my family's story is not about the date my parents first entered the United States. Or whether they traveled back and forth between the two nations. Or even the date they left Fidel Castro's Cuba forever and permanently settled here. The essence of my family story is why they came to America in the first place; and why they had to stay." "According to The Washington Post, Rubio's "embellishments" resonated with many voters in Florida, who would not be as impressed by his family being economic migrants seeking a better life in the U.S. instead of political refugees from a communist regime." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Rubio While studying law, Rubio interned for US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Ileana Ros y Adato was born in Havana, Cuba. Ros-Lehtinen was raised Catholic and is now an Episcopalian. Ros-Lehtinen's maternal grandparents were Sephardic Jews, originally from the Ottoman Empire, who had been active in Cuba's Jewish community. Ros-Lehtinen supported President George W. Bush's surge policy in Iraq, a supporter of Israel and supports continued sanctions against Cuba. Ros-Lehtinen opposes US support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and the Palestinian Authority. She describes herself as a "strong supporter of Israel" and regards the US relationship with Israel as "critical to the national security interests of both nations". Ros-Lehtinen has stirred controversy by calling for the assassination of Cuban Leader Fidel Castro. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ileana_Ros-Lehtinen In 2014 Rubio asked Pope Francis "to take up the cause of freedom and democracy" in Cuba after helping negotiate the release of Alan Gross. COMMENT Didn't expect investigations to come up with anything. How's the elevator camera being conveniently out of order? Washington Post, Newsweek and others are running a story on the CIA and Mossad assassination of Imad Mugniyah: Newsweek story re: Imad Mugniyah http://www.newsweek.com/imad-mugniyah-cia-mossad-303483 Mugniyah is allegedly the Hezbollah criminal 'super-villain' who is accused of committing the AMIA bombing and a host of other attacks, including attacks on US military and the 1992 Israeli Embassy bombing in Argentina. The Newsweek story is based on US intelligence sources: "according to former U.S. intelligence officials interviewed by Newsweek" While this is interesting and topical, in that (a) Imad Mugniyah's son was killed in a recent Israeli attack and (b) AMIA bombing Prosecutor Alberto Nisman has mysteriously been bumped off in Argentina, it is also interesting from the perspective that CIA and Mossad cooperation is in the media now, coming from former US intelligence sources.  The current media spotlight on this may serve to reinforce the alleged Hezbollah and AMIA link  and, under the circumstances (father and son side-by-side burial, both killed), could perhaps also be seen as waving a red flag to a bull, trying to maybe provoke a Hezbollah reaction -- ie baiting Hezbollah.  Either that, or I'm reading way too much into these affairs. It's also interesting that USA's Marco Rubio is simultaneously trying to get some mileage out of the Nisman development in Argentina, by taking the Nisman affair out of Argentina.

Cuba's Going Down

Total overdose of information.  Winding down. Big news for a while has been the Sony Hack.  Don't know what the big deal is, save that it's amusing. CUBA Other big news is US moving towards being 'pals' with Cuba. US plans to reopen its embassy in Havana & US to significantly ease restrictions on travel and commerce. >> http://bernews.com/2014/12/cuba/ OBAMA: "today we are making these changes because it is the right thing to do". Anyone who believes the US does anything because it's the 'right thing to do' is an idiot.  There's got to be some agenda here. It appears the Vatican is still involving itself in politics. Vatican has long supported US-CUBA "normalisation of relations"  -- http://www.aleteia.org/en/world/article/the-churchs-long-standing-interest-in-normalizing-us-cuba-relations-5881514080337920 Sounds like USA getting foothold in Cuba through manipulation of religion / Catholic Church. US politicians speak out against closer ties with ‘Castro regime’ - http://on.rt.com/7wfprw Cuba Opposed US politicians: >John McCain >Lindsey Graham >Jeb Bush >Robert Menendez >Ted Cruz > House Speaker John Boehner also jumped on-board criticising US move to 'normalise' relations with Cuba >Florida Gov. Rick Scott is sharply criticizing Obama over his plans to normalise relations with Cuba --  http://www.bradenton.com/2014/12/17/5537543/gov-scott-rips-president-obama.html All this opposition is for show.  Don't be coy, guys, you know you want Cuba.  Meanwhile, Ecuador celebrates the decision to free x3 Cuban heroes from US prison & looks forward to new regional relations --  http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Ecuador-Celebrates-Freedom-of-Cuban-5-20141217-0049.html Cuban5  >>  x3 released in exchange for the release of USAID contractor Alan Gross - http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Ecuador-Celebrates-Freedom-of-Cuban-5-20141217-0049.html Obama's annual Hanukkah White House bash: small acts can make miracles ... Cuban5 -- Obama tied themes of Hanukkah to return of Alan Gross, a Jewish-American released by Cuba after five years in captivity.  >>   http://www.kjrh.com/news/national/obama-on-hanukkah-says-small-acts-can-make-miracles_06062097_ Call me cynical, but I think Obama might be hustling some Jewish votes for the Democrats.  UNNAMED US SPY: Cuba is releasing unnamed US spy imprisoned for nearly 20 years - http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20141217/ARTICLES/141219887?Title=Cuba-releasing-spy-for-US-in-move-to-restore-ties UNNAMED US SPY TO BE RELEASED: 1.  provided information:  identification & conviction of Ana Belen Montes (former senior analyst at the Defence Intelligence Agency).  Montes arrested in 2001 on charges of spying for Cuba -  serving a 25-year prison sentence. 2. helped prosecute:  retired State Department intelligence analyst Walter Kendall Myers & his wife, Gwendolyn, convicted in 2010 of spying for Cuba & are serving life in prison without parole. Unnamed US spy: Instrumental in US Cuba spy convictions: >Ana Belen Montes - 25yrs sentence >Walter Kendall Myers - 30yrs sentence >Gwendolyn Myers (wife) - 30yrs sentence Another Blogger's view (akahnnyc):  US goal in Cuba is eradication of Cuban Revolution & destruction of independent sovereign socialism. US embassy in Havana is a post for WA spooks to guide hand-picked neo-liberal "reformers" to seize control of a neutered Communist Party. Cuba be advised to stand by for a "sick, twisted Communist Disneyland" & no healthcare, education or social safety net. Will Cuba allow quicksand of imperialism & capitalism to envelop them, by not assuring future of socialism in Cuba? Slippery slope destruction of socialism:  US empire may count future successes as children beg in the streets outside Sheraton hotel in downtown Havana. USA - charge d’affaires: USA career foreign-service officer, at US mission Cuba -- Jeffrey DeLaurentis -- gets promotion to charge d’affaires   >>  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/18/our-man-in-havana-for-real.html Jeffrey DeLaurentis described as: >career foreign-service officer >measured & cautious diplomat >businesslike >Prior Cuba & UN experience. It looks as though "Democracy in the Americas" has been lobbying for US policy change, from a humanitarian angle  >>  http://www.democracyinamericas.org/cuba/ And it looks like CIA is all over Cuba: CIA - USAID's secret Cuban hip-hop project - http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7c275c134f1b4a0ca3428929fcece82d/us-co-opted-cubas-hip-hop-scene-spark-change US focus in Cuba is to continue to improve human rights & democratic reforms, with the stated aim of:   political, economic & social freedoms.  Same humanitarian pretext.  No word on any other aims, of course. Voice of America & Radio Marti  International Broadcasting Bureau - CIA spin-off Runs Voice of America & Radio Marti propaganda for subverting Cuba’s communist regime *Now operates under the Broadcasting Board of Governors Pando  -  http://pando.com/2014/07/16/tor-spooks/ PREVIOUSLY UNIDENTIFIED US SPY TRADED, NOW NAMED: Rolando “Roly” Sarraff Trujillo cryptography expert for Cubans - http://www.matthewaid.com/post/105516524231/our-man-in-havana-rolando-roly-sarraff-trujillo "only thing that saved him from execution was the fact that both his parents were retired senior intelligence officers" ... and maybe the fact that you can't trade dead spies. Although I'm curious why US would want him.  Not sure what practical use a busted spy is.  After 20 years in prison, the cryptography skills might be a bit rusty. Terrorism Obama has initiated review of  Cuba designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. [John Kerry] US Cuba Recipe: * NGO - Humanitarian Spin * Religious leverage * Media / Communications influence * CIA meddling * USAID spies So what does this mean?  Looks like this is the beginning of the end.  Che Guevara died for nothing.  No cause is worth dying for. [Excuse typos or if this doesn't make sense.  Sleep deprivation.  Totally wrecked.]

USA - Guantanamo Bay - Hunger Strike - Media Suppression

U.S.A. US 'Secret State' #US national security state w/in a state = 6 million classified persons (larger than Norway, NZ or Scotland pop)! >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aMYqzGwwoF8 … Guantanamo Info re Guantanamo Bay, #Cuba is being withheld from press (+ public) ... media don't know how many on hunger strike ... infowars > Get this: ".. or how frequently assaults on guards take place" infowars GTFOOH, it's the other way around. A joke article?    Torture "I prohibited – w/out exception or equivocation – the use of torture by ..USA. I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed" TheHill >> That was Obama 5 years ago @ UN Assembly - http://goo.gl/8QSRWg  >> Man, what happened? Still unwanted 'tenant' of Cuba? “Under international law, States have an obligation to prevent & combat torture ..." ohchr/org >> Does TonyAbbott's legislator know this? >> "Every nation must know: America will live its values, and we will lead by example." ... LOL ... Stop squatting in Cuba! Media http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/civil-rights/218224-global-commitment-to-healing-torture-survivors This article is SO COOL - "Global commitment to healing torture survivors" [TheHill]... Makes you feel all warm & cuddly when you read that. > "donations from ..international community into one fund for torture survivor rehabilitation" .. The Sadists' torture kitty? TheHill so obvious .. 1) Obama bull re commitment 2) Torture fund healing worlds tortured victims 3) launch into Real Agenda: slam #Syria "human rights atrocities committed in Syria " - ATROCITIES ppl!! > UN Puppet has run out of words 2 depict gravity of crimes! -----------------------------------------------------  COMMENT Guantanamo must be a sensitive subject for the Americans.   Just as soon as I posted the information that the press is being muzzled, some guy jumped on to point the finger at Cuba! Hopefully the above makes sense.  It does to me, but that might be because I handled the information and it's fresh in my mind. Not sure if the InfoWars people are referring to a *current* hunger strike, or if it was just general information that they're after that's being suppressed by the Obama government. In any event, it's an interesting snippet of America's goings on. Should mention this is part of a wider story -- journalists unhappy about White House suppression of press that's been ongoing (eg  picky re foreign affairs correspondents, reward those that comply & exclude those that challenge authorities (ie do their jobs), law suit regarding NY journalist (think he may have been investigated, spied on, searched and basically harassed, from recollection).  Don't remember the name of the journalist or too may of the particulars, but I think the case is a big deal and it relates to freedom of press etc.   From prior information, it's known that the NSA have been involved in vetting news (LA Times former reporter). Reporters also unhappy in USA that even common reporting (such as routine crime data & statistics etc, that were previously available at police stations as a matter of course) are now being blocked by officials at police stations, who consider the press an intrusion these days.   Just going by memory.  Citations are here somewhere on blog, I'm too lazy to search for links.   Tried to set up the standard Google search thing in Blogger, but it wasn't working.  Might have to tackle it again some time, as it's pretty handy. And check out the size of the US 'secret state'!