Stephen Lendman

These US House members have paid hardly any attention at all to Israel's many war crimes. Now they heed their master's voice and yet again are shamelessly paying fealty to their beloved Zionist state. They wilfully ignore Israel's criminal use of white phosphorous (photo) and would pretend to know nothing about this (graphic).

of voluntary ignorance is not just immoral but criminal. They clearly are complicit in war crimes and genocide, just like the Germans were way back. (They also claimed to not have known about what was going on.) The US Congress members might do well to remember this: “The mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small.” - Ed.

At a time when millions of Americans are in dire need, [people] might be [very angry] to learn that Congress gives tiny Israel "over $8 million per day of American tax money" during the nation's greatest ever economic Depression when all available resources should stay at home helping them and ending it.

Eighty-one House members, one fifth of the chamber, will visit Israel during the traditional summer recess, instead of addressing festering local issues at home during the nation's gravest economic crisis too serious to ignore.

Arriving first were 26 Democrats together, including Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (MD). Another 55 Republicans will follow in two groups, including 47 freshmen.

Heading each are House Minority Leader Eric Cantor (VA) and House Whip Kevin McCarthy (CA). Spouses are also going at an estimated cost of $8,000, including business-class flights, first-class hotels, meals, transportation, side trips, guides and incidentals.

Red carpet treatment is assured along with considerable pro-Israeli messaging, especially for new incoming freshmen. They'll meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, as well as PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah. Legitimate Hamas leaders are excluded.

Their entire week is choreographed and full, from early morning to late evening, including breakfast and dinner speakers, as well as meetings with other government officials.

For security reasons, their schedule isn't known, but while there, they'll get walking tours of Jerusalem's Old City, the Western Wall (Wailing Wall or Kotel), as well as visits to Masada, the Dead Sea, Holocaust memorial, Golan, Lebanese border, and Tel Aviv, with moments to relax by the Mediterranean.

Most of all, they'll get intensive pro-Israeli messaging to assure one-sided support, reinforced by party leaders back home.

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Paul Craig Roberts

If Russian prime minister Putin’s recent description of America as "a parasite on the world" was reported by the US media, little doubt but that most Americans were infuriated. We are the virtuous people. Without us good guys to police the world there would be mayhem and wars everywhere, not merely the ones we started in the Middle East, Asia, and North Africa. Without the American white hats people everywhere would be starving and dying from natural disasters. It is us chosen ones who provide the rescue operations and good deeds. How dare the former KGB monster to slander our country!

Is it merely a coincidence that on August 11 the Swiss announced that they were discarding their monetary constitution that has prevented inflation in Switzerland and that has made their currency a safe haven for people everywhere who desired to protect their wealth, both small and large, from the predatory inflation practices of their own governments? Or is the Swiss announcement a result of America’s financial irresponsibility, the behavior of a parasite?

The Swiss said that they are forced to violate their monetary constitution, because the irresponsible practices of the United States and European Union monetary authorities are driving so many dollars and euros into Swiss francs that the franc has appreciated to astronomical heights and is threatening Switzerland with the collapse of their export markets and Gross Domestic Product.

The EU says it has no choice but to bail out its private banks as that is the policy of Washington, DC, and that it must print euros in order to bail out the banks. This policy is in violation of the charter of the European Central Bank, but what do rules and laws mean in today’s world? Nothing whatsoever. - Obviously, Washington is threatening the world not merely with war but also with inflation.

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Stephen Lendman

A picture of Bahraini King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa
decorates a tank as armed forces secure Manama's
Pearl Square in March 2011. King Hamad boasted of
his ties with Israel's intelligence services and told his
government to stop referring to the Jewish state as the
"Zionist enemy." (Leaked US cable from 2005)

On August 8, London Guardian writer Ian Black headlined, "Bahrain protests: 'The repression is getting worse,' " saying:

Bahraini police grabbed Hassan Ali Salman. One "forc(ed) his T-shirt roughly up over his head as three or four others laid in with wooden batons, dragging and pushing him to a line of waiting Land Cruisers and more helmeted cops." He's one of many victims in an "ugly....cat-and-mouse routine of protest and repression in this Gulf island state." Secretly filmed, "it exposes what Bahrain's western-backed government prefers foreigners not to see."

Numerous other examples highlight it, including Zainab al-Juma, a disabled woman killed by inhaling tear gas, Ahmed Farhan, shot in cold blood, "his brains spilling out of his shattered head live on camera as horrified screams sounded all around."

Former political prisoner Abu Ali said,

"(T)he repression is getting worse." A man called Haydar "described a savage beating, curses and threats of rape as he was forced to kiss the boots of the police officers who tormented him on 26 June." They kept kicking and hitting me, he said. Conditions throughout the country are tense. Continuing protests against the Bahraini dictatorship face severe violence and repression. A taxi driver named Jassim said, "I am very pessimistic. Things are much worse than before."

An identified woman said, "We sank very low. If we go any further, people will start to leave. We are tearing ourselves apart." People believe that repression without reform won't resolve Bahraini injustice.

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