... Then came the triumphant visit to Congress by Israel's rightwing prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Congress put on a truly revolting display of sycophancy, servility and brown-nosing for Bibi that included 23 rapturous standing ovations. This for a foreign leader who had come to insult and humiliate America's president and drive the US into war with Iran ... Like the Roman senators, members of the US Congress were motivated by fear and greed. They know that basic truth of US politics: failure to follow instructions of the mighty Israel lobby means certain loss of your next election, attacks by the media, and the end of your political career. Former Rep. Paul Findley's book, "They Dare To Speak Out" is a textbook for what happens to politicians and journalists who put America's interests first.
Nine-Eleven would not have occurred if the U.S. government had refused to help Israel humiliate and destroy Palestinian society. Few express this conclusion publicly, but many believe it is the truth. I believe the 9/11 catastrophe could have been prevented if any U.S. president in recent decades had had the courage and wisdom to suspend all U.S. aid until Israel withdrew from the Arab land seized in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The U.S. lobby for Israel is powerful and intimidating, but any determined president could prevail and win overwhelming public support for the suspension of aid by laying these facts before the American people ...
Iraq Was 'Invaded to Secure Israel,' Says Sen. Hollings
When a prominent American political figure speaks boldly about Jewish-Zionist power, that's news. So the remarks by South Carolina's senior Senator that Iraq was invaded "to secure Israel," and that "everybody" in Washington knows it, are indeed remarkable ... Bush's motive in going to war for Israeli interests, charged Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, was to get Jewish support in election campaigns.
A BBC Breakfast interview with ninety-five-year-old Dresden firebombing survivor Victor Gregg aired last month in the UK on the 70 th anniversary of the attacks. This ten-minute video should be required viewing for all ... Gregg was a twenty-five-year-old British POW held in the Saxon capital when the bombs fell on the night of February 13, 1945. Delivered from a bright red studio sofa in front of a projected backdrop of images of the Dresden wreckage, Gregg offered his harrowing, disbelieving testimony to a nation still mostly unready to hear his message.
A British Soldier Movingly Recalls the 1945 Dresden Bombing
Victor Gregg, now 95 years old, movingly recalls the firebombing of Dresden. When the city was attacked by British and American bombers in mid-February 1945, he was being held there as a British prisoner of war. During this touching guest appearance on a morning television show, he relates that it took him 40 years to get over what he experienced and saw in this "evil" attack. Runtime: 7:29 mins.
The destruction of the virtually undefended German city of Dresden by bombers of the Royal Air Force and U.S. Army Air Force, in mid-February 1945, remains one of the most controversial episodes of the Second World War ... British military historian, Alexander McKee, has produced a new account of the Dresden bombing, based in part upon an examination of official records recently declassified, as well as interviews from survivors of the attack and Allied airmen who flew in the raids. McKee had doubts about the efficacy of area bombing when, as a soldier with the 1st Canadian Army, he witnessed the results of the Allied bombing of "friendly" French towns.
... Why, then, would the Republican Party, with a chance to sweep it all in 2016, want to return us to the nightmare days of George W., which caused America to rise up and throw the party out in 2006 and 2008? Do Republicans really believe that America wants a return to the Cold War with Moscow and new and larger hot wars in the Middle East? ... For the U.S. House to invite a foreign leader to come into its chambers and see that leader, on national television, mocking U.S. foreign policy to wild cheering was something few of us expected to see in our lifetimes ... If there is no deal and Iran returns to enriching uranium to 20 percent, we are on the road to war. Is this what America has to look forward to if it votes GOP?
Attacking Iran Would Be Illegal, But Iran Hawks Don't Care
... Iran hawks such as [Wisconsin Sen. Ron] Johnson support preventive war against Iran because they are excessively afraid that Iran will eventually acquire nuclear weapons. Because of that fear, they have an entirely unreasonable expectation that those weapons will pose such an intolerable threat to the U.S. and/or Israel that it has to be eliminated by force in advance ... In short, Iran hawks probably won't admit the illegality of an attack on Iran, but if they are forced to admit it they will dismiss it as irrelevant. International law matters to these hawks only insofar as it can be used to justify U.S. actions against other states, and when it gets in the way of this they will ignore it and run roughshod over it. We know this because this is how they have treated international law in every debate over military action over the last two decades.
... The premise of the article was to conduct a war game-style exercise to examine the feasibility and effects of an American preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. The upshot of the exercise was that such a strike could not possibly "work." Set aside questions of whether a bombing raid would be "necessary" or "just." From a strictly military point of view, according to the defense-world authorities who took part in our war game, the strike would almost certainly be a counterproductive failure. It could not put more than a temporary damper on Iran's capacities and ambitions ...
Listening to Classical Music Modulates Genes That Are Responsible for Brain Functions
... A Finnish study group has investigated how listening to classical music affected the gene expression profiles of both musically experienced and inexperienced participants. All the participants listened to W.A. Mozart's violin concert Nr 3, G-major, K.216, that lasts 20 minutes. Listening to music enhanced the activity of genes involved in dopamine secretion and transport, synaptic function, learning and memory. One of the most up-regulated genes, synuclein-alpha (SNCA), is a known risk gene for Parkinson's disease that is located in the strongest linkage region of musical aptitude. SNCA is also known to contribute to song learning in songbirds.
Facebook Moves to Curb Spread of Terror, Hate Speech
Facebook said Monday it won't allow the social network to be used to promote terrorism or hate speech as it unveiled a wide-ranging update of its "community standards." The new guidelines give more clarity on acceptable posts relating to violence, hate speech, nudity and other contentious topics. The new document said Facebook will not allow a presence from groups advocating "terrorist activity, organized criminal activity or promoting hate."