The John James Newsletter 43
31 January 2015
Syria joke
How can you say that al Qaeda doesn’t have an air force? They have the Israeli air force.
The Anti-Science Climate Denier Caucus
The 38 climate deniers in the Senate who have publicly misrepresented the science behind global warming have received from the fossil fuel industry received an average of $73,300 each, while the 62 who haven’t denied the science have received an average of $18,400. In the House on average deniers took $273,000 from coal, oil and gas interests while the rest took $80,100.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/01/08/3608427/climate-denier-caucus-114th-congress/
The Strategy Behind Israel’s Attack on Iran and Hizballah
Israel appears to prefer that the Syrian army, Hizballah and Iran remain trapped in an endless struggle against the opposition – whatever their hue – that saps their resources and military strength, leaving Israel to control the playing field. Hizballah, by contrast, has every reason to want to cement its position in southern Syria. Sunni opposition forces now control both the border with the Golan Heights, giving them access to Israel, and with south Lebanon, home to much of Lebanon’s Shia majority and Hizballah’s heartland.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article40782.htm
Syria’s President Speaks: “The War Will End with a Political Solution”
We refer to “the West’s quiet retreat from its demands that Syria’s president step down immediately.” Given this shift in the Western attitude, is Assad more open to a negotiated solution to the conflict that leads to a political transition?
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/discussions/interviews/syrias-president-speaks
Analysis of proposed Nicaragua canal
To be built by the Chinese in the heart of the Americas with profound long-term political implications.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/20/-sp-nicaragua-canal-land-opportunity-fear-route?CMP=ema_565
Snowden: iPhones Have Secret Spyware That Lets Govt’s Monitor Unsuspecting Users
The NSA whistleblower’s lawyer says the secret software can be remotely activated to watch the user.
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/snowden-iphones-have-secret-spyware-lets-govts-monitor-unsuspecting-users
Map: How the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria has surged since October
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/27/map-how-the-flow-of-foreign-fighters-to-iraq-and-syria-has-surged-since-october/
Iran moves away from US dollar in foreign trade
http://rt.com/business/225919-iran-switches-from-dollar/
“Panic in Kiev: Ukrainian Forces Surrender Donbass”
The following article appeared briefly on censor.net.ua and was quickly pulled. It succinctly lays out the situation from multiple Russian- and Ukrainian-language sources.
http://www.informationcl
US a dangerous ally: Former Australia PM
“Australia effectively ceded to America the ability to decide when Australia goes to war,” said Fraser. He labelled the US a “dangerous ally” as Australia has become progressively more enmeshed in American strategic and military affairs.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article40815.htm
What Syriza’s Victory Means for Greece—and for Europe
The election was a triumph for anti-austerity politics and a rejection of corruption—the godfather politics, the jobs for votes, the backroom union deals, the bribes under the table, the yards of red tape and, above all, the asphyxiating power of Greece’s oligarchs, who buy politicians by the dozen and feed the population a debilitating diet of pap on their private TV channels.
http://www.thenation.com/article/196001/what-syrizas-victory-means-greece-and-europe
The victory of Syriza ‘bad news for Israel’
Alexis Tsipras, whose party Syriza won general elections in Greece on Sunday, stated last year during a rally in Athens that “the world should make every possible effort so that Israel ends its criminal attack and brutality against Palestinians.”
http://ejpress.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51403&catid=10
Ukraine: The Rise of The Right
Ukraine’s bloody conflict faces a new fight against the rapid rise of far right groups. Filmmaker Ross Kemp saw first-hand how militias, made up of football hooligans and current and former soldiers, are now fighting on the front line. Just a few years ago they were on the fringes of society – shunned for their violent behaviour and xenophobic beliefs – but since the fighting against pro-Russian groups their popularity has grown.
http://features.sky.com/ross-kemp-ukraine/
Military-clad English-speakers caught on camera in Mariupol
From the port city in eastern Ukraine, under Kiev’s control, there are videos showing armed men in military uniform, who speak English fluently.
http://rt.com/news/226079-ukraine-foreign-military-mariupol/
Identified as English
http://tinyurl.com/me46n4d