@dustcirclenews - HEADLINES: America Discredited, Bradley Manning Verdict, Myth of Socialism, Business of Mass Incarceration, NSA's Overreach, America's Power Declining, Education is Often Indoctrination, US Government Destroys Whistleblowers' Lives, FBI Hacking and Spying, Israel's Apartheid, Lies Your Government Tells You, more...

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America Discredited
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35732.htm

The banality of injustice for Bradley Manning
http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/the-banality-of-injustice-for-bradley-manning/

The Bradley Manning Verdict Will Create Massive Chilling Effects For Whistleblowers And Journalists
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130731/02091524013/bradley-manning-verdict-will-create-massive-chilling-effects-whistleblowers-journalists.shtml

The Myth Of Socialism

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/08/01/the-myth-of-socialism-2/

JURIST releases inaugural podcast
http://jurist.org/paperchase/2013/07/jurist-releases-inaugural-podcast.php

As More Leaks Surface, Senators Seek to Curb NSA
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/221445-as-more-leaks-surface-senators-seek-to-curb-nsa/

Edward Snowden's Not the Story. The Fate of the Internet Is
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/07/28

The Business of Mass Incarceration
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/07/29

The NSA's Overreach And Lack Of Transparency Is Hurting American Businesses
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130729/09171423983/nsas-overreach-lack-transparency-is-hurting-american-businesses.shtml

3 Shocking Revelations from NSA's Most Terrifying Program Yet
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/3-shocking-revelations-nsas-most-terrifying-program-yet

America's Imperial Power Is Showing Real Signs of Decline
http://www.alternet.org/world/chomsky-americas-imperial-power-showing-real-signs-decline

Revealed: NSA Program Collects 'Nearly Everything a User Does on the Internet'
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/07/31-2

Building a Smarter, Stronger Democratic Movement in the Face of Opposition
http://www.alternet.org/activism/building-smarter-stronger-democratic-movement-face-opposition

What Passes for Education In America Is Often Just Indoctrination
http://www.alternet.org/education/educating-idiots

How The US Government Destroys The Lives Of Whistleblowers
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130729/17214923995/how-us-government-destroys-lives-whistleblowers.shtml

Religion Is The Biggest Bane For Any Democracy
http://freethoughtblogs.com/taslima/2013/08/03/religion-is-the-biggest-bane-for-any-democracy/

Cracks widen in the armor of the surveillance state
http://www.constitutioncampaign.org/blog/?p=14458#.UfvXNFORQ7s

Over 100 global civil society groups release human rights principles to govern surveillance
https://www.accessnow.org/blog/2013/07/31/over-100-global-civil-society-groups-release-human-rights-principles-to-gov

Palestinian NGOs reject negotiations with Israeli occupation
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2013/07/31/palestinian-ngos-reject-negotiations-with-israeli-occupation/

10 Things Your Org Can Do Right Now To Give the Progressive Movement a Chance to Win
http://www.alternet.org/visions/10-things-your-org-can-do-right-now-give-progressive-movement-chance-win

The military's new massacres in Egypt
http://socialistworker.org/2013/07/29/the-militarys-new-massacres

Israel Is An Apartheid State
http://www.countercurrents.org/boyle020813.htm

FBI Taps Hacker Tactics to Spy on Suspects
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323997004578641993388259674.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsFifth

The fields are ready but the workers are few -- the urgent need to witness against organized religion
http://new.exchristian.net/2013/07/the-fields-are-ready-but-workers-are.html

WHEN CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE, #WENEEDADEMOCRACYMOVEMENTTOFIXTHISSHIT!

http://acronymtv.wordpress.com/2013/07/31/726/

The Lies Your Government Tells You About NSA Surveillance

The folks over at ProPublica have collected a series of flat-out lies by government officials concerning NSA snooping and put them all together in a short video.
It includes statements from Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, NSA boss Keith Alexander, Senate Intelligence boss Senator Dianne Feinstein and President Barack Obama -- all stating false claims about NSA surveillance publicly. It then shows how those statements were false. We've said it before but as these very same officials now are trying to assure us there's nothing wrong with the program, given their past lies, how can we take them seriously?

17.Nov.2012 - New Gaza Conflict, Women Peace Activists, Rolling Jubilee, Abortion in Ireland, Emergency Unemployment Benefits, War Crimes, Katrina Myth, Walmart Workers Speak Out, BP to Pay Billions for Gulf Spill, Climate Dialogue

NEW TWITTER ACCOUNT!  

http://www.twitter.com/dustcirclenews 

Don't forget to go to dustcircle.com and VOTE for which book we'll be giving away in December.  

There's also a Donation button, if you're inclined to give toward this site.  

Also, have you written a book? We'd like to read and review it. 

- STEVE, Editor :)

A Closer Look at New Gaza Conflict

The new round of violence between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza is receiving the typical U.S. media treatment, blaming Hamas and absolving Israel. But the origins of the latest clashes are much more complex than that simplistic and one-sided version, writes ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar.

http://consortiumnews.com/2012/11/16/a-closer-look-at-new-gaza-conflict/

Gaza vs. Israel: Legitimate and Illegitimate Use of Violence in the Western Discourse

We hear news that the Israeli state has called up 75,000 reserves and is planning for a ground invasion. I continue to hear loud explosions of air raids surround our home in Saftawi, Gaza. The constant buzzing of the Israeli drone has become part of the backdrop of this weapons battle. I hear news that Hamas shot down two Israeli F-16s. I hear news that an Israeli drone was shot down late last night. I hear the rockets continue to be launched from locations around Gaza and reach the outskirts of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The shape of these two forms of violence shows how a state is able to launch a war and how a non-state movement is able to resist it. As bombs continue to rain down on Gaza and rockets continue to break the Iron Dome and make it into Israel, a review of dominant mainstream media sites in the West and Western governments reveals a very skewed understanding on the (il)-legitimate use of violence.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/11/16-13

Israel's Terror in Gaza

In honour of the latest installment of homicidal Israeli behaviour in Gaza, the Twitter account of the Israel Defence Forces (@IDFSpokesperson) has played host to a flurry of activity. 

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/11/16-5

Women Peace Activists Demand an End to Attacks in Gaza and Israel

MADRE, an international women’s human rights organization, condemns the growing violence that has killed at least 18 people in the past days: 15 in Gaza and three in Israel. We assert that all attacks against civilians must end immediately.

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2012/11/16

Egyptian PM Visits Gaza, Condemns Israeli Assault

In a symbolic show of support for Palestinians under assault by the Israeli military and with hopes of brokering a possible ceasefire, Egypt's prime minister, Hisham Kandil, arrived in Gaza on Friday following nearly a week of escalating violence in the battered enclave.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/11/16

Rolling Jubilee: Over $5 Million of Debt Erased, and Counting
Successful kickoff for 'People's Bailout' campaign

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/11/16-3

How The Tragic Death Of A Woman Denied An Abortion In Ireland Could Become The Norm In America
Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old Indian woman living in Ireland, went to the hospital when she first began to miscarry — but thanks to Ireland’s stringent abortion ban, medical professionals denied her repeated requests to quickly terminate the pregnancy because they could still detect a fetal heartbeat.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/11/14/1187721/tragic-death-ireland-denied-abortion/

When Does Israel/Palestine Violence Start?

Military attacks and other violence in the Gaza Strip and Israel have resulted at this point in over a dozen deaths, most of them Palestinians, and sparked fears of an Israeli ground invasion similar to the 2008-09 assault that claimed over 1,000 Palestinian lives.

http://www.fair.org/blog/2012/11/15/when-does-israelpalestine-violence-start/

Who Started Gaza Conflict? Well, the U.S. Says…

Who started the latest round of violence in the Middle East? This pretty remarkable exchange between the host and a reporter on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight show (11/15/12) tells us that no one can really say for sure, but the U.S government will tell you what they think:

http://www.fair.org/blog/2012/11/16/who-started-gaza-conflict-well-the-u-s-says/

There Are Significant Business Costs to Replacing Employees

The cost of employee turnover for businesses is high, regardless of the level of wages being paid to the departing or incoming employees. Workplace policies that improve employee retention can help companies reduce their turnover costs.

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2012/11/16/44464/there-are-significant-business-costs-to-replacing-employees/

Congress Should Extend Emergency Unemployment Benefits

For months politicians and economists have warned us about the fiscal cliff—the combination of tax increases and government spending cuts threatening economic chaos scheduled to occur at the end of the year. But few are talking about the fiscal cliff that faces millions of unemployed Americans who will suddenly lose unemployment benefits on January 3, 2013, if Congress fails to act.

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2012/11/13/44566/congress-should-extend-emergency-unemployment-benefits/

Inciting War Crimes: Israel Minister Says: Force Gaza Population Into Egypt, Cut Off Water, Electricity
An Israeli minister has called for the army to bomb Gaza until the population flees en masse into Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, and for water and electricity supplies to be cut, a clear case of incitement to war crimes.
http://www.countercurrents.org/abunimah161112.htm

The Life & Debt Of Capitalism
Building on the deep community connections forged by standing alongside (among others) rent strikers, immigrant workers, and those impacted by Hurricane Sandy, one faction of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) has conjured up an innovative new outreach idea: A Rolling Debt Jubilee.
http://www.countercurrents.org/mickeyz161112.htm

ACLU files class action lawsuit over mandatory immigrant detention 
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website] filed a class action lawsuit [complaint, PDF; press release] Thursday on behalf of New Jersey immigrants challenging mandatory detention procedures. The policy in question is 8 USC § 1226(c) [text], which mandates the detention of noncitizens during deportation proceedings, and such noncitizens are not entitled to a bond hearing, even if they pose no danger or flight risk. 
http://jurist.org/paperchase/2012/11/aclu-files-class-action-lawsuit-over-mandatory-immigrant-detention.php

Continuing Devastating U.S. War Crimes
During the tumultuous months of the presidential campaign, most Americans heard nothing of this report in the (Minneapolis-St. Paul) Star Tribune (that originally appeared in The Los Angeles Times): "To live under drones is to live in terror." Based on a study by Stanford University and New York University, it was written by Jennifer Gibson, who was one of the on-site researchers of this startling account of the CIA pilotless drones' killings in Pakistan under the enthusiastic authority of President Barack Obama.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33051.htm

If There Needs To Be An Investigation, It Should Be About Why The FBI Was Reading Certain Emails

While some have noted the irony of General Petreaus being taken down due to online surveillance methods that he should have been aware of, the case is bringing growing attention to an issue many of us have been discussing for a while: how easy it is for law enforcement to snoop through your email. We raised the question already, but as more info comes out, the whole thing is looking that much more questionable. 

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20121114/02501621041/if-there-needs-to-be-investigation-it-should-be-about-why-fbi-was-reading-certain-emails.shtml

Nearly 50 million living in poverty in US

The number of people living in poverty in the United States rose last year to 49.7 million, based on a new measure that provides a fuller picture of poverty than that previously reported by U.S. Census Bureau data. The revised poverty rate of 16.1 percent is up more than a percentage point from the 15 percent figure reported by the government in September.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/nov2012/pove-n16.shtml

The Katrina Myth

“I Think it Has Got to do With Iran, Actually.”Chief Rabbi Caught Off Guard With Comment on Israel's Attack On Gaza

Walmart workers speak out

Breaking Truce, Israeli Strikes Kill Hamas Military Chief, Palestinian Civilians in Gaza

BP to Pay US Billions for Gulf Spill

Naomi Klein: Sandy's Devastation Opens Space for Climate Change Action, Progressive Reform

"Climate dialogue runs aground" 

(Al Jazeera, "Inside Story: US 2012")

Israel’s War Crimes: Completely Burnt Palestinian Child

"Nowhere to Run": Israel Fires Over 500 Strikes On Gaza, Civilian Toll Grows in Humanitarian Crisis

DOCUMENTARY OF THE WEEK:

ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST NOTORIOUS MILITIAS

The Arab Revolutions: An End to Dogma

openDemocracy

by Hazem Saghieh
[REPRINT]

The popular uprisings in the Arab world are a great disaster for a radical camp led by Syria-Iran and long indulged by media such as al-Jazeera. A great opportunity follows, says Hazem Saghieh.

---

The radical, pro-Iranian pro-Syrian camp in the middle east is extremely confused nowadays. The Arab revolutions which at first triggered its enthusiasm and energy have turned out to be very different from what it expected and hoped for.

The Tunisian revolution did not release any “anti-imperialist” sentiment; the Egyptian revolution did not burn American flags in the streets of Cairo and Alexandria, nor annul the 1978 treaty with Israel. The whole notion that the Tunisians and Egyptians were imitating the Khomeini revolutionary model, a notion promoted by the Iranian leaders, was proven wrong.

Moreover, the radical prophecy that the west and its influence are going to shrink in the region was also proved wrong. The international intervention in Libya widened the presence of the west and its influence in the Arab world. What is more annoying to the radical camp is that this intervention is welcomed by most Libyans and acceptable to most of the Arabs.

Syria also contradicted them. Bashar al-Assad told the Wall Street Journal that his country is stable because his regime is “very closely linked to the beliefs of the people”. A few weeks later, the uprising started in Syria. Damascus’s “steadfastness” and “confrontational policy” - which led it to support the Lebanese group Hizbollah, the Palestinian group Hamas and the Iraqi terrorists who call themselves the “Iraqi resistance” - did not help much.

Syria’s upheaval might be the most important development of all: not just because of its central location and the influence it can exert on Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but also because Syria is the bridge through which Iranian influence can reach the Arab middle east.

The demonstrators in the Arab streets did not chant revolutionary slogans; they did not ask for arms or call for “resistance”. They chanted instead: “peaceful, peaceful”. The mood of young Arab people differed entirely from those of previous decades. This might change in the future; but for the moment it is safe to say that peacefulness has the upper hand

The al-Jazeera TV station, seen as the voice of Arab radicals, changed course. Those who believed its revolutionary rhetoric discovered the bitter fact: al-Jazeera had used that rhetoric as an instrument of the Qatari regime and its ambitions. Qatar now is part of the international intervention in Libya; it is part of the conservative and repressive Gulf policy toward Bahrain. The Qatari emir went to the United States to thank President Obama for “supporting democracy in the Arab world”. When Qatar changed, al-Jazeera had to change. This is manifested in its elaborate coverage of the Syrian uprising.

In this context, two further aspects of the Arab revolutions are relevant. First, Osama bin Laden's death came as a mere detail. The uprisings killed Bin Laden politically before he died at the Americans’ hands. Second, Israel has the capacity greatly to help in accelerating the positive transition and curbing radical tendencies in the Arab world. At present, it is doing the contrary under Benjamin Netanyahu and the ultra-right chauvinist coalition he leads.

But the cumulative outcome of these changes is a devastating loss for the radical camp. In their totality, they challenge the dogmas that have long poisoned Arab political culture. It is time for the dogmas to be discarded, and for real understanding and self-awareness to take their place.