Category Archives: News media

7 of the Worst Dictators the U.S. Is Backing to the Hilt

By Joshua Holland, AlterNet

"Love of money is the root of all evil."

Embattled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, whose regime has received billions in U.S. aid, has been in the global media spotlight of late. He’s long been our bastard, but he’s not alone.

Let’s take a look at the other dictators from around the planet who are fortunate enough to be on Uncle Sam’s good side.

1. Paul Biya, Cameroon

Biya has ruled Cameroon since winning an election in 1983. He was the only candidate, and did pretty well, getting 99 percent of the vote.

According to the country’s Wikipedia entry, The United States and Cameroon work together in the United Nations and a number of other multilateral organizations. While in the UN Security Council in 2002, Cameroon worked closely with the United States on a number of initiatives. The U.S. government continues to provide substantial funding for international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, IMF, and African Development Bank, that provide financial and other assistance to Cameroon.

AE911Truth Project: Censored

By Shawn Hamilton

It’s been a year since AE911Truth secured the signatures of at least 1000 licensed/degreed architects and engineers who supported the group’s effort to effect a new, independent investigation of events that occurred on 9/11.

I didn’t know what a “truther” was when I went to San Francisco to cover this story, but I would find out very quickly. Soon after a print version of the radio story  (9:11 into broadcast) I had produced for KPFA appeared on Examiner.com, I was accused of being one.” – Full story here

UC Davis student arrested for ‘terrorist threats,’ assault weapons

Thanks to Ashton B for submitting this. It sounds like we came close to our very own school shooting at UC Davis.

Story here:

Apparently the term “terrorist threat” is not the legal term used in California. It’s actually referred to as a “criminal threat.” Channel 10 used the inaccurate term simply to excite the public, which seems somewhat irresponsible in my opinion.

California Penal Code – Section 422-422.4 :: Title 11.5. Criminal Threats

State Crimes Against Democracy

State Crimes Against Democracy

by Peter Phillips and Mickey Huff

New research in the journal American Behavioral Scientist (Sage publications, February 2010) addresses the concept of “State Crimes Against Democracy” (SCAD). Professor Lance deHaven-Smith from Florida State University writes that SCADs involve high-level government officials, often in combination with private interests, that engage in covert activities for political advantages and power. Proven SCADs since World War II include McCarthyism (fabrication of evidence of a communist infiltration), Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (President Johnson and Robert McNamara falsely claimed North Vietnam attacked a US ship), burglary of the office of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist in effort to discredit Ellsberg, the Watergate break-in, Iran-Contra, Florida’s 2000 Election (felon disenfranchisement program), and fixed intelligence on WMDs to justify the Iraq War.1

Read entire story here: