Flu Vaccines: Ineffective and "floating dark specks"

It is flu season and the mainstream media is out in full force promoting the big pharma vaccine agenda!
Surely you have seen countless articles extolling the virtues of the jab in the arm?



Despite the fact recent studies demonstrate that vaccine efficacy is substantially less then has been officially promoted.
I will get to that.

Health Canada, giving big pharma free advertising, has dubbed October "Influenza Immunization Awareness Month."
That advertising gift is payed for by Canadian taxpayers to the benefit of pharmaceutical companies. This money is being spent despite the fact that there are no major outbreaks in Canada at this time

" there have been no flu outbreaks reported in Canada yet"

Curious, when did the seasonal flu become such a big deal?

'"While the vaccine does work (sort of, kinda, maybe) and we still recommend that it be used, it does not demonstrate the kinds of efficacy levels we have reported"

Really? Imagine my non-surprise!

From the Lancet study
Moderate protection at best- Evidence for protection in seniors lacking.

"Influenza vaccines can provide moderate protection against virologically confirmed influenza, but such protection is greatly reduced or absent in some seasons. Evidence for protection in adults aged 65 years or older is lacking."

"Can provide"? They did not even claim they do provide, using the word "can" which means it is possible. And it isn't possible. Still the msm media pushes the get a vaccination mantra.
You really got to ask yourself, why?
They are not effective at all in seniors. Not effective in the obese. There effectiveness is really lacking in the population as a whole. So why throw good taxpayer money after bad?
Other then to subsidize the pharmaceutical industry? I can't see any good reason.

Look at this headline -It's No Guarantee, But You Should Get the Flu Shot Anyway
It's no guarantee, but, get it anyway?
Does this push to vaccinate make sense to any rational thinking human being?
When you read a bit further into the article, the Lancet isn't the only study that notices the absolute ineffectiveness of the flu vaccine. The CDC did one also, with equally appalling results-

"The findings may come as a surprise to the average consumer, but public health officials and vaccine makers are familiar with the flu shot's imperfect performance. Based on its own recent, unpublished data on the 2010-11 flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the vaccine was 60% effective in all age groups combined, cautioning that protection may vary widely:

Indeed, a study published on Monday found that the vaccine may be even less effective than previously thought in overweight and obese people.

So let's summarize the vaccine is really useless in the elderly, the young and the obese.
And almost entirely useless in everyone else.
The only beneficiary of this push the vaccine agenda are the pharmaceutical corporations.
Every year 100's of millions, even billions of dollars are spent to promote a vaccine program that seems to benefit only one party. Big Pharma.

The problems with vaccines are not solely Canadian or American. This is an interesting news article from the Australian Press-
You just gotta love this one. Reported on in 2011. The article is covering vaccines that had "dark specks" in them, but were used during the flu season of 2010. But, don't worry, it's harmless.

Dark specks in flu vaccine 'no risk'

There it is "No risk"

CSL was aware a month before it launched its pandemic vaccine in Australia in September 2009 that "foreign particles" had been found in samples for the US market, the FDA reveals in its 2010 audit of CSL's Melbourne laboratory.

Similar specks were later detected in Australia's stockpile of swine flu vaccine, which cost taxpayers $131 million.

Despite the "dark specks" the reason for there presence was never looked into though the shots were given.

"The root cause of the dark particles has not been identified and corrected," the FDA says in its report of the inspection in April last year.

"The possible root cause is mercury . . . interactions which may be occurring between the product and either the glass vials or the stoppers; however, the firm has not conducted testing to verify if this is the root cause."

"mercury interactions"

The FDA report says CSL was aware on December 17, 2009, that the rubber stopper could react with the vaccine. It says CSL first detected a "black speck" in a sample of flu vaccine for the US market in August 2009 -- a month before the Therapeutic Goods Administration approved its use in Australia.

When the sample was retested two months later, "multiple foreign particles" were found floating in the vial.

Yet by the time FDA inspectors flew to Melbourne for an audit the following April Australia's biggest pharmaceutical company still had not initiated testing to find whether the rubber stoppers were leaching into the vaccine, the FDA report reveals.

What were the dark specks floating around in the vaccines? Maybe it was rubber particles?
Maybe it wasn't? No one knows. No one cared. No one checked. No one corrected it.
Oh and the "no risk" claim, bogus!

CSL's internal "medical assessment" of the dark particles revealed potential side-effects of "allergic reactions, foreign body reaction to the chemical allergen, and effect on the potency or effectiveness of the vaccine," says the report, obtained by The Australian.

Potential side effects be damned- If you took this shot, you got dark specks and all.
Not exactly confidence inspiring is it?

image borrowed from here

Don't forget "dark specks"

Untangling the latest lies regarding Syria

Today we are heading back to Syria. Not literally, of course.
Interesting piece in the NYT's "Turkey Shelters Anti-Assad Group"

"Turkey is hosting an armed opposition group waging an insurgency against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, providing shelter to the commander and dozens of members of the group, the Free Syrian Army, and allowing them to orchestrate attacks across the border from inside a camp guarded by the Turkish military."

This article, published yesterday, is giving the readers an impression this is something new. Something that has just come about.
A recent happening. I don't think so. Nor, should you.

If you have been following the destabilization of Syria, you already are aware that Turkey has been "hosting" armed oppositions groups who have been attacking Syria and Syrian citizens for months now.
In fact June 8/2011 : Turkey's role in Syria's destabilisation
Followed by August 9/2011:"Humanitarian" war on Syria? The Dangers of Military Escalation.

Muslim Brotherhood Rebels at Jisr al Shughour

In June, Turkish troops crossed the border into northern Syria, officially to come to the rescue of Syrian refugees. The government of Bashar Al Assad accused Turkey of directly supporting the incursion of rebel forces into northern Syria:

"A rebel force of up to 500 fighters attacked a Syrian Army position on June 4 in northern Syria. They said the target, a garrison of Military Intelligence, was captured in a 36-hour assault in which 72 soldiers were killed in Jisr Al Shoughour, near the border with Turkey.

In between I had posts on the so called "displaced persons shelters" that Turkey had put up, behind tarp covered fences, that no media could go in and out of. NO pictures allowed.
Then of course there was the psy-op of the Angelina Jolie visit....

You don't have to reread that all, unless you want too?!
Point being, I have covered the Turkish support for destabilization for months now. The NYT's article obfuscates the fact that this has been going on for all those months and portrays this as recent news. It isn't!

What the NYT's article does, is verify the suspicions I have held all along that the "refugee camps" were covers for the attackers. Not that I needed the confirmation it was dam obvious!

On Wednesday, the group, living in a heavily guarded refugee camp in Turkey, claimed responsibility for killing nine Syrian soldiers, including one uniformed officer, in an attack in restive central Syria."

Just like I layed it out, months ago.

“This pushes Turkish policy further towards active intervention in Syria,” said Hugh Pope, an analyst with the International Crisis Group. He called Turkey’s apparent relationship with the Free Syrian Army “completely new territory."

Wow, there is the "International Crisis Group" again. I covered them not to long ago!
Always there when a crisis is needed. Hmmmm....
OH and this is not completely "new territory" for Turkey or the "crisis group"

Turkish officials say that their government has not provided weapons or military support to the insurgent group, and that the group has not directly requested such assistance.

Baloney! Since Turkey is hosting them within their territory.
"Not directly" requesting assistance. Nice spin. Because indirectly the assistance from Turkey has been obvious

Colonel As’aad, who thanked Turkey for its protection, made it clear that he was seeking better weapons, saying that his group could inflict damage on a Syrian leadership that has proven remarkably cohesive.

“We ask the international community to provide us with weapons so that we, as an army, the Free Syrian Army, can protect the people of Syria,” he said. “We are an army, we are in the opposition, and we are prepared for military operations. If the international community provides weapons, we can topple the regime in a very, very short time.”

Ok, I am getting long here. I suggest you read the NYT's article entirely.

Colonel Assad, wants weapons, so more innocent Syrians can die. He is prepared for military operations. I have no doubt of that. Regime change in Syria, as in Libya, is the objective.

Let's move on to this bit of news- Allegedly 30 killed, though earlier today this headline said 20, but activists call for a "no fly zone"

As activists called for nationwide protests on Friday to demand the imposition of a no-fly zone over Syria to protect civilians and to encourage soldiers to defect.

The no fly zone is utter nonsense. There has been no use of the Syrian Air force. All attempts at putting down the destablizers have been on the ground.

This is an excuse to launch an attack on Syria, by NATO. It is also something I covered two weeks ago on October 12/11 Time to impose a No Fly Zone over Syria ? Taken straight from the Council of Foreign Relations. The same group that controls the tool that is Angelina Jolie

"To the latest, taken from the plunder Libya playbook- A NO FLY ZONE
Straight from a Council of Foreign Relations mouthpiece- Micah Zenko "

Calls for a No Fly Zone

"We call on the international community to impose a no-fly zone so that the Syrian Free Army can function with greater freedom," said the Syrian Revolution 2011 on its Facebook page.

A UN-mandated no-fly zone was imposed over Libya to protect civilians as fighting raged to oust the regime of ex-dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

It the same old story, same old song and dance- my friends!

Possibly related? Russia delivers radar jammers to Iran

New Post at Suspicious Deaths

HERE

Buyology and Brandwashing- Are you making your own choices?

image borrowed from here

Really?
Or do you just "think" that you are, due to the inundation of messages you have received since you were born and possibly before?
Are you "Brand washed"? Note the play on brain washing. Perception Management. Mind Control.
Quite likely, unless you avoid mass media- commercials, television and all forms of advertising- You have not made a choice based on your own NEEDS.

Not what you think you need. Not the image that has been painted into your brain by advertisers. Just a choice based on what you need, really just need, to live.

Get 'Em While They're Young

Lindstrom says companies get their hooks into us earlier than we may have thought; he says the average American 3-year-old can recognize 100 brands. That's not all.

"We even are affected by brand messages before we are born, while we are in the womb," he says.

He pointed to a recent British study that looked at pregnant women who watched a particular television show. The results showed that babies born to those women who watched the show had a stronger preference for the program than those children whose mothers did not watch the show while pregnant.

Social engineering experimentation

In writing his book, Lindstrom carried out his own experiment. He hired a family — called the Morgensons — from Laguna Beach, Calif., and filmed them as they had friends over from the neighborhood and talked about 10 specific brands they were using. Their mission was to frequently mention these brands without letting their guests know of their secret motive.

Lindstrom was skeptical at first, but then realized that word of mouth is extremely powerful.

"This simple family, they within three months were able spread the word of mouth to 15,000 people across California," he says.

In fact, it was so successful that "nine out of 10 [exposed to the family] definitely bought at least one out of the 10 brands."

Even after Gina Morgenson, the mother, mentioned the brand Kiss My Face for the 10th time, people didn't realize it was part of a setup. Lindstrom says that's because we spend so much of our time talking about brands that it didn't seem unusual.

How pathetic is that? "We" spend so much time talking about brands it doesn't seem unusual.

I am reminded of the adage "small things amuse small minds" and speaking of brands would correlate to that saying.

How To Cope

Lindstrom says you don't have to switch off the television, iPhone and computer to handle the constant onslaught of brandwashing. Instead, he says, the first thing you should do is educate your children.

I actually think you should switch off the television or at the very least minimize your exposure to this malignant brandwashing taking place on all the mediums. The quiet time will do wonders for the brain.

"They (children) think brands are some physical stuff, but the reality is it's in our minds," he says. "And if you start to educate about that at a very young age, like 5 or 6 years old, they're prepared before going to school, so thay're not a victim to this peer pressure we're seeing happening so much right now."

Also, Lindstrom says when you go out shopping, don't grab a shopping cart.

"We know today that if I'm doubling the size of your shopping cart, you actually are buying up to 40 percent more," he says. "Another thing you should do is to always pay with cash because you have a physical relationship with money."

But at the end of the day, Lindstrom says it is most important that we wake up to the fact that companies are using tricks to persuade us to buy, and that isn't going to change anytime soon.

WAKE-up to the FACT you are being manipulated.

Related: Neuromarketing and why you buy what you do

"The findings dissect the effect of products and ads that are carefully crafted to appeal to buyers on a sensory level — iPod's bright white headphones, PlayDoh's distinctive smell, Tiffany's blue-green boxes.

Lindstrom says companies create rituals around their products — drinking Corona with a lime, or eating an Oreo cookie filling-first — in an attempt to integrate their products into habitual, comforting, daily activities."

Flashback: Consuming Kids: The commercialization of Childhood

If you missed this the first time I posted it, take the time to watch it!

Flashback:Children believe cereal tastier, with cartoon characters on box

Social Media and the Big Brother State

“We’re about to see a new arms race between consumer protection versus those companies that want to lure people into something”

Lure people into something? How creepy does that sound?

A few minutes later, the business audience saw how young people invited to Coca-Cola Swelter Stopper summer events were given wristbands embedded with microchips that sent live updates to their Facebook pages.

Their photos were instantly uploaded and tagged, as well.

And these young brainless people took the embedded wristbands?

As we blur the boundaries between marketing and personal life, we and our children leave a trail of electronic breadcrumbs that can be picked up by anyone who has the means to grab and analyze data on social media sites.

There’s nothing malign about marketers wanting to make a buck. (sure there is)

But what about Big Brother?

An arm of the U.S. Department of Defense – The Defense Advanced Research projects Agency, known as DARPA – recently announced a new project, Social Media in Strategic Communication.

“The effective use of social media has the potential to help the Armed Forces better understand the environment in which it operates and to allow more agile use of information in support of operations.”

Third on the project’s list of goals is to, “Identify participants and intent, and ensure effects of persuasion campaigns.”

The New York branch of the U.S. Federal Reserve (FRBNY) has launched a “Social Media Listening Platforms initiative.”

The Request for Proposal (Event 6994) states that the central bank is looking “to establish a fair and equitable partnership with a market leader who will gather data from various social media outlets and news sources and provide applicable reporting to FRBNY.”

“If I believed in conspiracies, I would believe that spooks invented social networks,” Wenning says, with a chuckle.

Wenning is clearly an idiot.

"Conspiracies" are nothing more then two or more people working together.

From the word -Conspire- to plan together. Conspiracy being the fruition of said plan.

Not necessarily evil. One can conspire with another to put on a surprise birthday party or anniversary party.

Digression over, back to the article-

But Max Schrems, a 24-year-old Austrian law student, has doubts.

Earlier this year, Schrems asked Facebook to send him everything connected to his profile. He received a 1,200-page file of all his messages, pokes, likes and status updates.

Even so, there was missing data, he claims. One example is deleted friends, a list he believes lives on in the background.

Because Europe enacted privacy laws that are more strict than those in the United states, Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner has ordered an audit of Facebook’s European offices, located in that country.

Schrems remains a daily Facebook user, because he would feel cut off from his social circle if he opted out. But he is careful about what he makes public and what he keeps to himself.

Wenning says many people broadcast too much personal information to the world, “Like yelling into a market with a megaphone.”

His main privacy wish is that people be able to draw curtains between their social and professional lives on social media. “I went out on my motorbike with friends last weekend,” he says. “I behaved quite differently than in this conversation.”

Speaking to social media developers in San Francisco on Tuesday, Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian boiled the tension between public and private down to control:

“Each individual should determine the fate of their information.”

Wenning says that this control is the essence of personal autonomy which, in turn, is an essential building block of an open society.

“We don’t want to kill our democracy by accident,” he says.

No we don't.

UPDATE: mentioned in comments
Face book users are narcissistic and insecure.
As mentioned in comments, it is the very information put up by Face book users that was gathered for the study.

"A study released by Toronto’s York University claims that people who use Facebook the most tend to have narcissistic or insecure personalities.

The Canadian study took a sample of 100 Facebook users between the ages of 18 and 25 and reviewed the subjects’ use of the social networking site as well as the content posted on their profiles.

This experiment isn’t the first of its kind. A 2008 study previously linked Facebook and self-esteem, claiming that untrained observers could detect a person’s narcissism based off of the number of wall posts and Facebook friends the user he or she had.

Reviewing the 2008 study, Physorg.com reported"

Who/ What are the 1% ? - The Network of Global Control

I have some problems with the "tone" of this info. So I am going to address that first.

The concern of the authors of this study, is not that the system is out of whack.
Although it clearly is

That, there is no way in hell the concentration of wealth and control should be this CONTROLLED in so few hands.
Monopoly Power.
There is no concern expressed at the lack of real power this leaves for the masses.
The lack of democratic control belonging to the people.
The lack of accountability.
The lack of freedom.
The lack of real choice.
No the sole concern expressed is " pinpoint threats to the global economy and how to stop crises from spreading throughout the financial sector."

Pinpointing threats and stopping them from spreading throughout the financial sectors..
Let's look at what the study identified. That is what is very interesting and really telling.
It speaks to the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of too few!
Study uncovers which companies are the 1%

A new analysis of just who owns what in the global economy found that of the 43,000 or so transnational corporations in the world, 40 per cent of all those company's revenues belong to just 147 corporations, most of which were financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs and Barclays. The study, undertaken by complex systems theorists in Switzerland, found that the "core" of the global economy is a group of 1,318 companies that are highly connected to one another through shared ownership.

The team found that of those 1,318 firms, 147 form a "super-entity" of companies whose ownership is shared among the rest of the 147. Analysts are concerned that the 147, which again, control some 40 per cent of all revenue in the global economy, are too interconnected

From the New Scientist

When the team further untangled the web of ownership, it found much of it tracked back to a "super-entity" of 147 even more tightly knit companies - all of their ownership was held by other members of the super-entity - that controlled 40 per cent of the total wealth in the network. "In effect, less than 1 per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network," says Glattfelder. Most were financial institutions. The top 20 included Barclays Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and The Goldman Sachs Group.

"Concentration of power is not good or bad in itself, says the Zurich team"

Bullshit!
Concentration of power is dictatorial and oppressive, this statement is pandering to that power.
The information is good, but the way the team is framing it is... let's not look to hard at the imbalances. Let's just see how we can manage them better.
Bullshit, again.

"It's disconcerting to see how connected things really are"

Disconcerting doesn't even begin to cover the monstrosity of these "connections"

The top 50 of the 147 superconnected companies

I only posted the top 25, you will have to go to the link at New Scientist for the rest.
But the top 25 should give you a good idea of who the big global players are.

1. Barclays plc
2. Capital Group Companies Inc
3. FMR Corporation
4. AXA
5. State Street Corporation
6. JP Morgan Chase & Co
7. Legal & General Group plc
8. Vanguard Group Inc
9. UBS AG
10. Merrill Lynch & Co Inc
11. Wellington Management Co LLP
12. Deutsche Bank AG
13. Franklin Resources Inc
14. Credit Suisse Group
15. Walton Enterprises LLC
16. Bank of New York Mellon Corp
17. Natixis
18. Goldman Sachs Group Inc
19. T Rowe Price Group Inc
20. Legg Mason Inc
21. Morgan Stanley
22. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc
23. Northern Trust Corporation
24. Société Générale
25. Bank of America Corporation

So when people say, banksters rule! They aren't kidding.
If you want to read some more, here is the complete PDF. The Network of Global Control

Treaty Ban on Mercury worries WHO (World Health Organization)

Aren't we repeatedly informed that there is no mercury in vaccines?
If that is truly the case, and you know it isn't, what to make of this?

WHO worries mercury treaty could affect costs, availability of vaccines

The World Health Organization is trying to fend off an effort to include a mercury derivative used in vaccines from being banned in a global treaty on mercury currently under negotiation.

The next round of talks for the proposed binding treaty begin on Oct. 31, and the Geneva-based UN health agency is trying to lobby for support of its position that banning thimerosal would be a mistake.

Thimerosal (mercury "derivative") is a preservative used in many vaccines that are shipped to doctors and clinics in multi-dose vials.

Without a preservative, these vaccines would have to be produced in single dose formulations, which would drive up their cost considerably.

Therefore the Pharmaceutical profits would not be so big.

Negotiations aimed at limiting the risk from mercury began in 2009 after the UNEP's governing council decided voluntary efforts to reduce use and emissions of the chemical were not making a big enough impact.

The WHO lists mercury as one of the top chemicals of public health concern in the world, a designation saved for the most hazardous of compounds. It is especially harmful for children and developing fetuses, with exposure leading to impaired cognitive development.

That bears repeating!
The WHO lists mercury as on of the top chemicals of public concern in the world-
A designation saved for the most hazardous of compounds.
But not in vaccines injected straight into your body?

This article contradicts itself with regards to Canada:

-In some developed countries — Canada, the United States, the countries of Western Europe — thimerosal is no longer used in most pediatric vaccines

Canada has filed a position paper on the issue with the UNEP. While it says thimerosal will be phased out of vaccines used in Canada when safe alternatives are available, it believes there is no "legitimate safety reason to avoid the use of thimerosal-containing products for children or older individuals, including pregnant women."

So which is it? Is there mercury in the vaccines in Canada or not?
Judging by the position paper filed by Canada, it would seem mercury is indeed present in vaccines in Canada

Additional reading-
Mercury Ban threat to Vaccination Programs
Mercury Treaty could affect costs of Vaccine Programs
A real kicker, here, WHO wants mercury phased out of such things as batteries and thermometers (and who has a mercury thermometer?) Things you do not ingest. But we are supposed to continue on injecting mercury into the bodies of infants through to adult hood and beyond.
Weird huh?

Our Preferred Poison

A little mercury is all that humans need to do away with themselves quietly, slowly, and
surely

Flashback-Measle outbreak among VACCINATED kids raising questions

The illegality of the assassination of Gadaffi (and what it symbolizes)

There is going to be a lot of reading here:
From Africa Legal Brief- The article below is worth reading, entirely.
The Assassination of Mummar Gaddafi illegal under international Law

On the 18th of October, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Tripoli, Libya. She stated in unusually blunt terms that she would like to see ‘Mummar Gaddaffi dead’. Two days later she got her wish. Mummar Gaddafi was bombed by NATO aeroplanes as he attempted to leave Sirte and rebels from the National Transitional Authority (NTC) pulled from the drainage pipe an injured Gaddafi who had taken cover to avoid the bombardment coming from NATO Aeroplanes.

-Gaddafi was pulled from the drainage pipes alive as video footage has shown and was summarily executed using his own personal golden gun.
-This was extra judicial killing supported by a whole Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
-This was a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions in the acceptance of surrender and the treatment of prisoners of war; military necessity, along with distinction and proportionality.
The issue in Libya is not so much about Gaddafi, but that his murder symbolises the final occupation of Libya. The re-colonisation of Libya by America and NATO forces. It is now a question of America and Europe doing exactly what they please in that country. Not only do they have access to the large oil and gas reserves, but also something the media rarely covers the large water reserves under the Libyan soil.

-Under international law there is no rational for the assassination of Mummar Gaddafi. The original reason, which was resolution 1973 which authorised the protection of civilians, was turned into a regime change instrument. The assassination of Mummar Gaddafi is a blunt admission by America, France and Britain that this crusade was not about protecting civilians, but about regime change. This was a breach of the UN regulations. This was a NATO/US operation in a scramble for Libyan oil.

-What NATO and America do not realise is that they have now created a very chaotic situation, probably similar to the one in Iraq if not worse. In the competition for the Libyan oil and Gas, the NTC and the crusading countries risk fanning more conflict amongst the Libyans themselves. Sooner rather than later the Libyans will realise that they have jumped from the frying pan into the fire. The imperial solidarity shown when taking over Libya will surely disintegrate as the scramble for these resources begins.

And what was Gadaffi’s crime?

Gadaffi’s principle crime was that he refused to take any loans from institutions like the IMF etc. He refused to join the club of International bankers and decided to set up his own Pan-Africanist bank that would have provided loans to African countries. Gaddafi’s Libya was the only African/Arab country that did not owe any country or institution any money.

The Assassination of Mummar Gaddafi is part of a bigger plot by America to establish US AFRICOM. The United States Africa Command. Africa Command protects and defends the national security interests of the United States by establishing its ‘defence capabilities’ on African soil and taking over regional organizations. To date no African country except Liberia has co-operated with America in having AFRICOM bases on their soil. It is now quite clear that AFRICOM will now move into Libya. The re-colonisation of Libya will then be complete.


Gadaffi's Burial after assassination

Authorities now have the dilemma of what to do with the body of Muammar Gaddafi, now in the town of Misrata where it was paraded in the streets on Thursday.

"They have said they will conduct a secret burial and there is some speculation that they might even try to bury him at sea, as al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was buried, to prevent any grave being turned into a shrine, she adds.

Mr Tarhouni told Reuters that Col Gaddafi's body - currently in Misrata - was not going to be released for burial immediately.

"I told them to keep it in the freezer for a few days... to make sure that everybody knows he is dead," he said.

Asked about the burial arrangements, he said: "There is no decision yet."

Reuters also quoted an unnamed official as saying there was disagreement within the National Transitional Council (NTC) over what to do with the body.

Waiting for orders from NATO?

Meanwhile, questions are mounting as to exactly what happened in Col Gaddafi's last moments following his capture.

Officials have denied he was executed.

After the body was paraded about? Burial at sea?
-Gadafi, if he is indeed dead, was never going to be taken alive
Dead men tell no tales and a talking Gadaffi would have been a serious embarrassment to the West.
That said the inability of Gadaffi to speak will make him no less a heroic figure to the vast percentage of Libyans who do not wish to be occupied.
The abuse of his lifeless corpse and the sickening crowing and cackling (see below) from Western Leaders will be looked upon by the Libyans as an insult. Who can blame them?



The bloodlust demonstrated by Hilary Clinton is palpable.
She could barely contain hereself.
Something else? Though she says to the others in the room "unconfirmed" "reports unconfirmed" , she looks as if she knows it is true, she is practically beaming.
Did she already have the assassination confirmed through unofficial channels?


Young rebel shot Gaddafi in the head

Note the New York Yankees Cap

BLOODIED Colonel Gaddafi was executed with a single shot to the head- killed by a bullet to the left temple.

Syria may switch to Ruble from Euro

This is interesting.

Syria may start using the Russian ruble for banking transactions if the European Union bans it from operations in euros, central bank Governor Adib Mayaleh said today.

As a first step, the Syrian central bank has begun posting the exchange rate for the ruble as well as the Chinese yuan on its daily bulletin, Mayaleh said in an interview with the Arabic-language Russia Today channel.

“Don’t forget that we can carry out operations in rubles,” Mayaleh said, according to a e-mailed transcript of the interview. “In the nearest future we will agree on parameters for switching to close cooperation with Russian banks and using the ruble for international settlements.”

image borrowed from link below

Additional Reading. Here and Here

I have edited this post for reasons that will become apparent in a new post.

Measle outbreak among VACCINATED kids raising questions

I want to get this story up ASAP. It is not getting much coverage. As of right now there are only 4 stories pertaining to this topic.

"An unusual observation from a large outbreak in Quebec may raise some alarm among those who attend the conference, the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

An investigation into an outbreak in a high school in a town that was heavily hit by the virus found that about half of the cases were in teens who had received the recommended two doses of vaccine in childhood -- in other words, teens whom authorities would have expected to have been protected from the measles virus.

About half ? Actually it was MORE THEN HALF.

Look at the stats from article. You know the part that most readers never bother to get to?

"52 of the 98 teens who caught measles were fully vaccinated came as a shock to the researchers who conducted the investigation"

Forty nine cases would have been half, so it was actually more then half, approximately 53 percent of measles cases were fully vaccinated

To put this all simply- of the 98 total cases

52 teens were fully vaccinated

46 were not vaccinated

It would seem the vaccinated have greater odds of getting measles then the unvaccinated. Perhaps a 6 percent higher risk?

"How could that have happened?" said Dr. Gaston De Serres.

The Doctor then postulates "whether the timing of the delivery of the first dose of measles vaccine is undermining the efficacy of the prevention program"

Never does he question whether the vaccines themselves are at fault. Or if the concept of "vaccination" is faulty?

I am going to postulate.

What if the people who were vaccinated had compromised immunity due to the inoculations themselves?

What if the mercury (thimerosol) and all the other additives and adjuvants compromised the immune systems of these children so greatly that when exposed to the measles virus their compromised (taxed) immune sytems could not fight the virus off ?

There's a thought?

Additional reading with spin

“This outbreak is being fed largely on unvaccinated or undervaccinated people, but we were concerned that a significant number had received the recommended two doses of MMR vaccine,”

Gadhafi: Captured or dead ?

Resurrected
Reincarnated
Or thrown off the ship for an at sea burial.

The news is speculating today based on reports from the "Transitional government" of Libya.
Of course the news has speculated based on reports from the Transitional government that Gadhafi's son was taken, but then he wasn't.
Sirte has fallen like three times. Ditto for Tripoli.

image borrowed for educational purposes from CBC

"Ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has been captured in his hometown of Sirte, the Reuters news agency reported Thursday, citing a National Transitional Council official.

"He's captured. He's wounded in both legs.…He's been taken away by ambulance," Abdel Majid told Reuters.

The news agency also reported, based on an NTC source, that Gadhafi had died of his wounds.

There were conflicting reports on the details of the capture. One indicated he was captured in a convoy trying to flee Sirte, while another report said he was captured in the city while hiding in a hole."

While hiding in a hole!! Seriously. Shades of the psyop for Saddam Hussein

Onto the interesting CONTRADICTION..........

A NATO spokesman said NATO aircraft struck two pro-Gadhafi forces military vehicles Thursday morning. The vehicles were part of a larger convoy moving in the Sirte area, the statement said.

"These armed vehicles were conducting military operations and presented a clear threat to civilians," said Col. Roland Lavoie, a spokesman for the Libya mission. The statement does not provide any detail on whether Gadhafi was in the convoy.

NATO doesn't seem to be confirming claims by the Transitional Government?

What is to be made of this 'information' ?

Are we reading propaganda being put out to dishearten the 99 percent in Libya who do not want to live under the tyranny of a NATO occupation?

Are we reading propaganda aimed at the west to reassure the gullible fools that all is well in Libya?

When it isn't.

ADDITIONAL READING

The U.S. State Department Thursday said it can't confirm reports that former Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi has been captured.

"The State Department cannot at this time confirm media reports on the capture or killing of Moammar Gadhafi," a State Department spokeswoman said.

Syria Update: Turkish Interference, Weapons smuggling (Israeli) and ICG

Getting back to Syria- while we have the news of Turkey killing Kurds, Kurds killing Turks
along the border with Iraq. "In hot pursuit" I wonder if this heating up of disputes between the co-opted Kurds of Iraq and the co-opted Turks will become the cover for entry into Syria?
We shall see.
That said let's have a gander at Turkey's continued messing with Syria-

Washington Post is reporting that Turkey's Foreign Minister was meeting members of the Syrian Transitional Government in Turkey. And is calling the meeting the "first official meeting" Nice spin job.
Turkey's government was instrumental in the creation of this fabricated "government"
There have been many previous meetings, official or otherwise.
I won't get into this in depth, I have covered that angle (Turkey's and the Transitional government) multiple times.
The coverage was worth mentioning for the spin angle. The perception management.
Arms smuggling into Syria Flourishes- another piece of perception management

Arms smuggling has been going on for months-this piece wants you to believe the phenomena is new

"They say that those behind the trafficking are smugglers in search of quick profits rather than political parties backing protesters against the Alawite-dominated regime in Syria.'

Who are they?
They that are claiming this is profit rather the political. Who says this has to be mutually exclusive? War is always hugely profitable and political.

Then this admission-

"Smuggling networks that for years have operated along Syria's borders seem to have turned to weapons trafficking in recent months," said Peter Harling, a Damascus-based expert with the International Crisis Group.

How many "recent months"? 8? 9? or 10? How about 24 months?
Oh and exactly what is the International Crisis Group? It is a NGO, of course. Non governmental organization, masks for governments, really. Their headquarters just happen to be in Brussels.
Can you think of any other group headquartered in Brussels?
If you read this page alone, you will or should get an indication of what the "International Crisis Group" is all about.
Almost makes you wonder if the International Crisis Group is instrumental in bringing about International Crisis, that require International Intervention, by that other group headquartered in Brussels?
(fyi: I am referring to NATO)

Reading all the way to the end of the linked news article on arms smuggling flourishes, one gets to quite a tidbit, quite an explosive piece of info

"When countries like Turkey change their stand and allow the transfer of heavy weapons through the border, then the balance of power will change," he said. "But I don't think this is going to happen anytime soon."

Not if, but when Turkey allows the transfer of heavy weapons through the border the balance of power will change. Refer to opening paragraph.
Is this already happening ?

11 more Syrian soldiers have been killed "by Army defectors"
Along with more civilians. I have serious doubts whether these soldiers and civilians were killed by ex-soldiers.
It is much more likely that the activist/armed destabilizers have killed the soldiers and the civilians-

This seems more likely-

Four soldiers were killed on Monday after a remotely-controlled roadside bomb struck a military vehicle in Ehssem district of the northwestern province of Idlib.

An officer is reported to be among the dead. Several soldiers were also injured in the blast.

Another five soldiers were killed in clashes with gunmen in the central province of Homs.

Roadside bombs and clashes in Homs-
Roadside bombings would be right in line with train derailments and pipeline explosions perpetrated by activist/destabilizers. Homs Province, has of course been a hotbed of destabilization activities, having been blessed with visits from US Ambassador Ford, multiple times.

No real surprise Israeli made guns have been confiscated in Syria

Syrian security forces seized large amounts of Israeli-made weapons and ammunition from armed groups responsible for the killing of hundreds of people across the country.

"They are Israeli made automatic weapons. This is proven and we'll show it on TV channels," Ahmad said at an emergency Arab League meeting on Sunday to discuss situation in Syria.

''These are the weapons used by the armed opposition to kill the sons of our nation,'' he added.

Recall in June/2011 I put up a post about Israel wanting to send "aid" to the refugees ensconced in the Turkish refugee camps.

An Israeli lawmaker is seeking permission from the Turkish government to visit Syrian refugees in Turkey and deliver humanitarian aid to them, an Israeli news report said on Thursday.

Are the Israeli made guns the "aid" that was sent?

Humans Rights Imposters used to spawn NATO's fraudulent war on Libya

Thanks to Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya for putting this piece together and Voltaire Network for putting it up. Just putting up some brief excerpts-

The names change but the methods remain the same. In Iraq the imperial war facilitator was Ahmed Chalabi. In Libya he goes by the name of Soliman Bouchuiguir, a shadowy human rights figure whose baseless allegations against Gaddafi were endorsed by the UN system and its affiliated human rights agencies without the slightest verification.

The war against Libya is built on fraud. The United Nations Security Council passed two resolutions against Libya on the basis of unproven claims, specifically that Colonel Muammar Qaddafi was killing his own people in Benghazi. The claim in its exact form was that Qaddafi had ordered Libyan forces to kill 6,000 people in Benghazi. These claims were widely disseminated, but always vaguely explained. It was on the basis of this claim that Libya was referred to the U.N.

Who is Soliman Bouchuiguir?

Sliman Bouchuguir is an unheard of figure for most, but he has authored a doctoral thesis that has been widely quoted and used in strategic circles in the United States. This thesis was published in 1979 as a book, The Use of Oil as a Political Weapon: A Case Study of the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo. The thesis is about the use of oil as an economic weapon by Arabs, but can easily be applied to the Russians, the Iranians, the Venezuelans, and others. It examines economic development and economic warfare and can also be applied to vast regions, including all of Africa.

Bouchuguir’s analytical thesis reflects an important line of thinking in Washington, as well as London and Tel Aviv. It is both the embodiment of a pre-existing mentality, which includes U.S. National Security Advisor George F. Kennan’s arguments for maintaining a position of disparity through a constant multi-faced war between the U.S. and its allies on one hand and the rest of the world on the other hand. The thesis can be drawn on for preventing the Arabs, or others, from becoming economic powers or threats. In strategic terms, rival economies are pinned as threats and as “weapons.” This has serious connotations.

Moreover, Bouchuiguir did his thesis at George Washington University under Bernard Reich. Reich is a political scientist and professor of international relations. He has worked and held positions at places like the U.S. Defense Intelligence College, the United States Air Force Special Operations School, the Marine Corps War College, and the Shiloah Center at Tel Aviv University. He has consulted on the Middle East for the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. State Department and received grants such as the Defense Academic Research Support Program Research Grant and the German Marshal Fund Grant. Reich also was or is presently on the editorial boards of journals such as Israel Affairs (1994-present), Terrorism: An International Journal (1987-1994), and The New Middle East (1971-1973).

It is also clear that Reich is tied to Israeli interests. He has even written a book about the special relationship between the U.S. and Israel. He has also been an advocate for a “New Middle East” which would be favourable to Israel. This includes careful consideration over North Africa. His work has also focused on the important strategic interface between the Soviet Union and the Middle East and also on Israeli policy in the continent of Africa.

Part One of the Documentary- Lies behind the war on Libya/NATO warcrimes in Libya



Part 2 Here

I just can't help but notice how much the lies used to attack Libya match so many of the lies being used to justify an attack on Syria

Word Patterns of Psychopaths and their attraction to Power

Psycopaths in positions of power?



Keep that in mind as you read this-

Kouri, who's a vice president of the National Assn. of Chiefs of Police, has assembled traits such as superficial charm, an exaggerated sense of self-worth, glibness, lying, lack of remorse and manipulation of others.

These traits, Kouri points out in his analysis, are common to ALL psychopaths...

These traits are also common to American politicians. (Maybe you already suspected.)

Yup. Violent homicide aside, our elected officials often show many of the exact same character traits as criminal nut-jobs, who run from police but not for office.

Kouri notes that these criminals are psychologically capable of committing their dirty deeds free of any concern for social, moral or legal consequences and with absolutely no remorse.

"This allows them to do what they want, whenever they want," he wrote. "Ironically, these same traits exist in men and women who are drawn to high-profile and powerful positions in society including political officeholders."

Committing dirty deeds free of remorse. Free of concern for social, moral or legal consequences.
Sounds like a politician, doesn't it?

Study unveils word patterns of Psycopaths

The words they use "match their personalities, which reflect selfishness, detachment from their crimes and emotional flatness,"

"Psychopaths used more conjunctions like "because," "since" or "so that," implying that the crime "had to be done" to obtain a particular goal. They used twice as many words relating to physical needs, such as food, sex or money, while non-psychopaths used more words about social needs, including family, religion and spirituality," the paper says. "Unveiling their predatory nature in their own description, the psychopaths often included details of what they had to eat on the day of their crime."

Psychopaths were more likely to use the past tense, suggesting a detachment from their crimes, say the researchers. They tended to be less fluent in their speech, using more "ums" and "uhs."

The exact reason for this is not clear, but the researchers speculate that the psychopath is trying harder to make a positive impression, needing to use more mental effort to frame the story.

I left out the buzz words used in the article- criminals, murder & killers
Let me explain why.
The words were used to give the impression to the reader that psychopaths are people who commit murders and end up incarcerated. This is false.
I don't want to contribute to that false paradigm.
Most psychopaths do not commit murder. Do not go to jail.
Yes, they can ruin an individuals life or even a great many individual lives, livelihoods etc., psychologically, financially and even spiritually.
To wield the type of real destructive power the vast majority of psychopaths remain functioning in some capacity in society.(as noted in the story that opens this post, psychopaths in power. Not incarcerated)

Could psychopathy explain this? October 2011 Stephen Harper. PM of Canada.

"Canadians understand the situation in Canada is different." "We did not bail out our banking sector in Canada"

In October 2008 I put up a post reporting on the FACT that Canada took 25 BILLION dollars in bad mortgage debt off the books of the banks and upon the people of Canada. (with a handy accounting change also)

That is a bank bailout! Was PM Harper unaware of this? Of course not! So why the lie?

Perhaps Kouri and so many others are truly on to something when they make a connection between the psychological makeup of the people in power + their attraction to the power of their position = the ability to ruin the lives of either the few or the many with no remorse

Certainly the PM of Canada is not alone in his ability to lie with a straight face in a glib manner. President Obama, his predecessor George Bush, David Cameron, Tony Blair etc., all seem to be able to lie, effortlessly. To never express remorse, true remorse and to continue on down the path of destruction. No matter how many shattered lives lay strewn about.

Round'em up! Iran Plot/ AIPAC "wet dream". Mass Pro Syrian Rallies & more

Gonna finish up this week with a round up of news post and a reminder-
The Iranian plot as a cover up for the Fast and Furious/Iran Contra scandal
Interesting read here. It may not be the whole story but it is an interesting take
Excerpts-

"

The US government is expecting an unsuspecting world to believe that a washed-up car salesman in Texas was tasked by a select intelligence arm of the Iranian government to fish for anyone who looked like a Mexican drug gangster and then order them a US$1.5 million hit on the Saudi ambassador in Washington - in the meantime promising them unfettered access to "tons of opium".

So we are asked to believe that an Iranian general asks a Dumb and Dumber relative in the US to go contract a drug cartel for a political hit - as if US intelligence would never be able to track the whole thing back to him, especially after the matter of $100,000 wired to the US, allegedly from Iran, to a guy convicted of check fraud, as the down payment for the hit.

To believe that a Mexican drug cartel would invest in a troublesome political hit in the US capital expecting to collect a bundle of opium (from "liberated" Afghanistan) is also a non-starter.

To believe in Fairy tales and Santa Claus and Saddam's WMD's. And how is that "hope and change" working out?

There's also the Israeli false flag option. Apart from the fact that the plot does look like an American Israel Public Affairs Committee wet dream delivered to Holder on a silver plate, the Israel lobby in Washington as well as assorted Zionists would love nothing better than to rally alongside a causus belli established in Washington itself, leading perhaps to a US strike of some sort against Iran without direct Israeli involvement.

Now the false flag option is definitely something worth getting behind.
That said, I will let you read the rest.

Getting over to Syria-
I want to get this up because over the coming weeks we will see these pictures recycled- you know carbon footprints and all- as anti-Assad rallies.
Pro-Assad Rallies in Damascus

picture borrowed from above linked article

Looks way, way bigger then any of the 'activist' gatherings

"The demonstration also denounced the Syrian National Council, an umbrella body formally set up on Oct. 2 that has pulled together most of the groups opposing Assad."

That is the transitional government, number 2, formed in Ankara, Turkey.
Previously covered here

Additional reading-
-One million Syrians hold demo in support of Assad and to thank Russia, China
-Huge Damascus rally backs President Bashar al-Assad

Image borrowed from BBC article

It was the biggest pro-Assad demonstration for months

Some held placards saying "the army and people are with you, Bashar al-Assad" and "Syria is our country and Assad our president", reported AFP news agency.

Others thanked Russia and China for blocking a UN resolution

Tehran offers up the million number, the western media suggest tens of thousands.
I don't know about the million, but I would say the tens of thousands is a downplay of numbers. If I had to estimate based on these pics and the surrounding area....I would say there were definitely HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of people out supporting themselves, protesting the phony transitional council from Turkey and thanking China and Russia for not going along with their decimation from the air.

Going to quote a bit from another article

Russia had said it will oppose almost any resolution condemning Assad, making Syria a red line for Moscow after it had allowed NATO air raids in Libya by refraining from using its veto in a Security Council vote in March.

Russia said the draft UN resolution could have led to military intervention.

Medvedev suggested the latest draft resolution on Syria had a similar aim and said other Security Council nations had refused to include language ruling out military intervention.

On to the reminder part of this post

Over the weekend, if your doing some work around the house, put yesterday's posted interview on.
With flu season coming and the multiple underhanded attempts to get you to "take the shot"
. As Kenny covered in a post at his place. "Flulapalooza" sets herd mass vaccination world record.
What better time, then now, to get informed as to just how bogus these vaccines are. Additionally learning a bit about how government really views the citizens.
Pests.
Vermin.

A very good Interview: Clint Richardson - Lethal Injection

Clint Richardson- this is the first time I have heard him interviewed.
I enjoyed it immensely!
Be prepared to spend almost two hours listening, to this wide ranging interview.

For myself, some information was a bit surprising...
Just when you think the deviousness of the "power class" can't be any more perverse or blatant
There it is
If any readers are already aware of this fellow, let me know.

With thanks to Jan Irvin at Gnostic Media, who really conducts some interesting interviews. Gnostic Media is always linked in the side bar

"This episode is an interview with Clint Richardson, titled “Lethal Injection: The Story of Vaccines” and is being released on Monday, Oct. 03, 2011. A former Hollywood sound designer and musician, a crisis of conscious led him to begin researching, writing, and eventually producing primary research documentaries exposing the very research that Hollywood is designed to hide from the masses. Now unable to work in his industry of study (for this Hollywood betrayal), Clint applies his professional sound talent and newly learned video skills, as well as a devotion to first-hand, primary research and writing, to contribute to the “Waking Up” of the population at large. His credo… expose “them” until they dispose of him."

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:53:46 — 80.3MB)

Clint’s Documentaries include:

The Corporation Nation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkfMuvVuETQ
The Corporation Nation 2: The Great Pension Fund Hoax: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhkWueEjewM
Lethal Injection: The Story of Vaccines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UioC6ARoLEM

Haven't seen any of these but Jan included them as part of Clint's body of work, so I will when time allows try to check them out.
(though, as of late time hasn't been allowing much freedom for video viewing)

Time to impose a No Fly Zone over Syria ?

A "no fly zone" that is not really a no fly zone!
Instead is a call to launch attacks!
Read on, read on.
What will be called "no fly" will actually be the launch of an air campaign against the Syrian people.
Slaughter from the air.

The destabilization/overthrow of Syria is unfolding along the Libyan guidelines/parameters.
First we get the destabilization on the ground, promoted via "social media"
And armed insurrection
The narrative picked up on by western media outlets, who report unsubstantiated "news" as if it is the gospel truth. Of course never bothering to verify anything.
The formation of a "transitional" government-chock full of all the right people ie: connected to western intelligence/think tank etc.,
To the latest, taken from the plunder Libya playbook- A NO FLY ZONE
Straight from a Council of Foreign Relations mouthpiece- Micah Zenko
Picked up by CNN, of course.


I won't post the entire piece, go to the link and read it.
I will however post the "how to" of the No Fly Zone

There are two reasons put forward for why a NFZ is needed in Syria.

First, some opposition members contend that it will protect civilians. Senator Joe Lieberman, (that name should speak volumes about who is behind this push) who already supported a Syrian NFZ six months ago, more recently endorsed “safe zones inside Syria, particularly along the Turkish and Jordanian borders,” (which coincided nicely with Turkey's move to place troops at the border) which would be enforced through a NFZ.

Second, as one Syrian activist claimed yesterday, a NFZ would compel more members of the army to defect and “would allow them to organize.”

However, there are a few points to bear in mind before the international community proceeds toward imposing a NFZ over Syria.

The overwhelming number of civilian casualties are not the result of strikes from above. As was true in Libya, (but that didn't stop the NATO goons from imposing a no fly zone) the vast majority of deaths are in urban areas, and are caused by soldiers on the ground, tanks, short-range artillery, and snipers. While the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates that the Syrian Air Force has 555 combat capable aircraft - including 150 fighters and 289 fighter ground attack planes - they have not yet been used against civilians. Given that the real problem for civilians is persistent oppression from ground forces, a NFZ would have little or no impact in protecting the vulnerable.

Read: Anwar al-Awlaki: What We Learned from His Killing.

On a handful of occasions, Syrian security forces have unleashed helicopter gunships against civilian protestors, or in coordination with armored ground forces against rural villages. Enforcing a NFZ against helicopters is an operational challenge, which would require a significant commitment of surveillance and strike aircraft, since helicopter gunships can quickly take off, fly low, launch airstrikes, and land. Regime-directed helicopters repeatedly violated the NFZs over Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iraq, and to a limited extent in Libya, without being attacked because it was difficult to distinguish between civilian and military helicopters, and there was insufficient air assets or political will.

Lastly, the NFZ in Libya did not protect civilian populations;(of course it didn't, that was not the intent. Who is this guy kidding?) it was actually the use of close air support against Gadhafi regime forces on the ground. The Pentagon defines close air support (CAS) as “air action by fixed-and rotary-wing aircraft against hostile targets that are in close proximity to friendly forces and that require detailed integration of each air mission with the fire and movement of those forces.” (If interested to learn more, you can read the official joint doctrine publication for CAS here.) To successfully implement CAS against Syrian ground forces, boots will be on the ground as well, since western air forces generally will not provide CAS in contested, urban environments without on-the-ground assistance from trusted forward air controllers and intelligence agents, as was true in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Libya.

Read: How We Die.

When Syrian opposition members, exiled activists and U.S. Senators call for a no-fly-zone over Syria, what they are actually proposing is close air support.

READ- Close Air Support- defined above to understand what is really being proposed

CAS is a different military mission from NFZs, and requires a different campaign plan, detailed mission plans, personnel, ordinance and surveillance and attack assets. Furthermore, CAS is a tactic that can be used to protect civilians, or to support regime change that requires an armed opposition on the ground. Neither the Syrian opposition, nor anybody else, has adequately explained how a CAS military mission will be integrated into a broader strategy of either civilian protection or toppling Assad.

Nine days before the international community intervened in Libya, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton testified before the House Appropriations subcommittee, warning: “I want to remind people that, you know, we had a no-fly zone over Iraq. It did not prevent Saddam Hussein from slaughtering people on the ground, and it did not get him out of office.” Secretary Clinton’s words of caution were prophetic. It was not a no-fly-zone, but rather close air support that played the decisive role in getting Moammar Gadhafi out of power. If that military mission is required in Syria, we should identify it appropriately, and consider the operational requirements and political will that will be required.