Bill Van Auken

Israel announced that it has placed its military on “high alert” Thursday as popular anger erupted following the deaths of a prominent Palestinian prisoner and two young protesters in the occupied West Bank.

Thousands joined funeral processions Thursday for Maysara Abuhamdia, a 64-year-old Palestine Liberation Organization veteran who died Tuesday in Israeli custody, and for two teenage cousins, Amer Nassar, 17, and Naki Belbisi, 18, who were shot down Wednesday night by Israeli troops using live ammunition against protests over Abuhamdia’s death.

According to the account of the Israeli military, its troops fired on the youth and two others after they threw a Molotov cocktail at a West Bank checkpoint in the town of Tulkarem. They responded with gunfire, killing one, and then chased after the three who fled, killing another and wounding one more.

Over a dozen Palestinian protesters have been killed by the Israel Defense Force since the year began.

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Stephen Lendman

Kim Jong Un waves at military officers after inspecting the
Wolnae Islet Defense Detachment, North Korea, near the
western sea border with South Korea. (AP/nydailynews.com)

For decades, North Korea's wanted normalized relations with Washington. It's been repeatedly rebuffed. Promises made were broken. America needs enemies. North Korea is straight from central casting. Media scoundrels take full advantage.

On April 2, Washington Post editors headlined "Answer North Korea with financial sanctions," saying:

Kim Jong Un "managed to concoct a fresh provocative announcement aimed at Washington." He declared both Koreas "were back to a 'state of war.' " "Could this untested, 30-year-old dictator be preparing to start a war with the United States or South Korea? The worrying reality is that it is virtually impossible for outsiders to know for sure." Most likely he's "rally(ing) support behind the regime and to pressure the United States and its allies into opening negotiations." "As previous US administrations have learned the hard way, answering provocations with diplomacy will not lead to concessions by North Korea - only to another round of provocations."

Hit 'em again harder, urge Post editors. Pile new sanctions on current ones. Escalate tensions higher. Play the blame game. Denounce Pyongyang for Washington's bellicosity and provocations. Point fingers the wrong way.

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Dan Roberts

Nearly every mass shooting incident in the last twenty years, and multiple other instances of suicide and isolated shootings all share one thing in common, and its not the weapons used.

The overwhelming evidence points to the signal largest common factor in all of these incidents is the fact that all of the perpetrators were either actively taking powerful psychotropic drugs or had been at some point in the immediate past before they committed their crimes.

Multiple credible scientific studies going back more then a decade, as well as internal documents from certain pharmaceutical companies that suppressed the information show that SSRI drugs (Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors) have well known, but unreported side effects, including but not limited to suicide and other violent behavior. One need only Google relevant key words or phrases to see for themselves. ssristories.com is one popular site that has documented over 4500 “ Mainstream Media “ reported cases from around the World of aberrant or violent behavior by those taking these powerful drugs.

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