Author: Daniel McAdams

The US House of Representatives, which never ceases sticking its nose in other people’s business, is tomorrow scheduled to take up H. Res. 348, a bill “Supporting the right of the people of Ukraine to freely elect their government and determine their future.” The bill can only increase tensions in Ukraine and threaten the fragile eight month old “Minsk II” ceasefire agreement.

The “Minsk II agreement” continues to produce relative calm in eastern Ukraine – earlier this month both Kiev and the breakaway regions of the east have agreed to withdraw remaining tanks, artillery and mortars from front line, in a move the Telegraph (UK) observed “could signal end of war.”

The US was not a party to the Minsk II talks, which took place earlier this year between Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany. US involvement from the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine – starting with open US support for the unconstitutional coup in 2014 – has been to exacerbate tensions rather than to help ameliorate them.

It is a US position that continues in H. Res. 348, a bill scheduled on the House “suspension calendar” reserved for “non-controversial” legislation. The Resolution completely distorts objective reality in Ukraine to continue the discredited story that the Ukraine unrest began not as a result of US support for a coup in February 2014, but because of a Russian invasion.

Continue reading “US House Resolution Seeks New Conflict in Ukraine”

A new US government whistleblower has come forward to share highly disturbing information about the US worldwide assassination program, deceptively called “targeted killing.” Most of those killed with bombs fired from drones were not the intended targets, we learn, but they were classified as “enemies killed in action” anyway. Today’s Liberty Report takes a look at this major new exposé of the US assassination policy – is America losing its moral compass?

Reprinted with permission from the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.

Last year’s National Defense Authorization Act allocated half a billion dollars to train “vetted,” “moderate” rebels to attack ISIS in Syria and also to overthrow the country’s sovereign government. This schizophrenic policy goal not surprisingly produced a total (after the others were killed, captured, or willingly gave their weapons to ISIS) of four or five fighters. Even this micro force of five ultimately found itself in the depths of embarrassment as it was carjacked by al-Qaeda. Half a billion dollars to have five guys carjacked! Put ten plumbers in a room and they could craft a more workable foreign policy than the entirety of the US foreign policy establishment.

So how does Capitol Hill respond to such a total failure? Reassess the policy and cut the losses? Welcome the Russian entry into the fight against ISIS and al-Qaeda in Syria? Look at Iraq and Libya and decide that regime change is just an illicit fantasy of the perpetual adolescents of the neoconservative movement?

No!

Currently sitting on President Obama’s desk is the National Defense Authorization Act of 2016 that, as could be predicted, doubles down on a bad bet and…wait for it!…authorizes $600 million for the mythical anti-ISIS/anti-Assad fighters. As it is not their money, why not open the national credit card wide to pursue a failed policy.

Continue reading “Defense Spending Bill: $600 Million More to Train ‘Moderates’ in Syria”

The neocons – and their left-interventionist allies – have been planning regime change in Syria since at least 2006. Last week’s launch of Russian military strikes on ISIS and al-Qaeda at the request of the Syrian government has very quickly changed their plans. Now they are pushing President Obama to escalate, including directly against the Russians! Today’s Liberty Report looks at the increasingly dangerous situation and takes apart some of the media lies:

Reprinted with permission from the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.

With Russian planes bombing ISIS and al-Qaeda targets this week, the air traffic on a piece of land smaller than the state of Oregon is getting crowded. The danger of a tragic accident that could escalate in unknown directions is ever-greater. The US and its Gulf allies are warning the Russians against bombing the terrorists without also trying to overthrow Assad. Saudi Arabia is warning Russia against civilian casualties in Syria even as the Saudis have killed nearly 3,000 innocent Yemeni civilians over the past five months. US-paid NGOs are pumping out the anti-Russian propaganda. What could possibly go wrong? Today’s Liberty Report is on the Syrian powder keg:

Reprinted with permission from the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.

More than 50 intelligence officers from the Defense Intelligence Agency have formally complained that their work is being altered before it is sent to senior Obama Administration officials – and even to the president himself. Concerns over the effectiveness of the year-long new US war in Iraq and Syria are being covered up and a more rosy picture is being painted. The media has largely ignored this replay of the kind of lies fed the run-up to the 2002 Iraq war and, as could be expected, Congress is totally uninterested. Today’s Liberty Report is not uninterested, however. Ron Paul’s take below:

Reprinted with permission from the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.