Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases

TruthOut
By Sheera Frenkel (McClatchy Newspapers)
July 30, 2012

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney vowed Sunday to stand with Israel against any threat from Iran, eager to show that he’s a better friend than President Barack Obama.

“We must lead the effort to prevent Iran from building and possessing nuclear weapons capability,” Romney said. “We should employ any and all measures to dissuade the Iranian regime from its nuclear course. And it is our fervent hope that diplomatic and economic measures will do so. In the final analysis, of course, no option should be excluded. We recognize Israel’s right to defend itself and that it is right for America to stand with you.”

He said the tough talk from a possible U.S. president is critical to let Iran’s leaders know that they face unified and unrelenting opposition to their plans.

“Make no mistake, the ayatollahs in Iran are testing our moral defenses,” he said. “They want to know who will object and who will look the other way. We will not look away nor will our country ever look away from our passion and commitment to Israel.”

Romney’s talk did not spell out any significant difference from Obama, who also refuses to rule out military action as a last resort.

But he drew an unspoken distinction with Obama, who has complained about open talk of warfare to stop Iran. Obama in March said there was “too much loose talk of war.” …

Read on: http://truth-out.org/news/item/10596-in-israel-romney-talks-tough-against-ir

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RT
March 10, 2012

Only days after clearing Congress, US President Barack Obama signed his name to H.R. 347 on Thursday, officially making it a federal offense to cause a disturbance at certain political events — essentially criminalizing protest in the States.

RT broke the news last month that H.R. 347, the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011, had overwhelmingly passed the US House of Representatives after only three lawmakers voted against it. On Thursday this week, President Obama inked his name to the legislation and authorized the government to start enforcing a law that has many Americans concerned over how the bill could bury the rights to assemble and protest as guaranteed in the US Constitution.

Under H.R. 347, which has more commonly been labeled the Trespass Bill by Congress, knowingly entering a restricted area that is under the jurisdiction of Secret Service protection can garner an arrest. The law is actually only a slight change to earlier legislation that made it an offense to knowingly and willfully commit such a crime. Under the Trespass Bill’s latest language chance, however, someone could end up in law enforcement custody for entering an area that they don’t realize is Secret Service protected and “engages in disorderly or disruptive conduct” or “impede[s] or disrupt[s] the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions.” …

Read on: http://rt.com/usa/news/trespass-bill-obama-secret-227/

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RT.com
14 January, 2012

Defense contractors are pumping money into the campaign for President Obama as he runs for reelection, but one of his biggest competitors, Ron Paul, is cashing in on his opposition to militaristic imperialism.

In South Carolina where the next Republican primary is slated for the coming days, Texas Congressman Ron Paul is gaining support for his anti-war views, despite the rhetoric being heard in a state largely dependent on the military-industrial complex. The Department of Defense has a number of bases in South Carolina and the economy of the state is driven by-and-large by the role the military has. Non-interventionist ideals held by Rep. Ron Paul would be expected to fall on deaf ears there, but on the contrary, the candidate remains within the top-tier of politicians vying for the GOP nomination.

After surging to second place in the New Hampshire primary last week, Congressman Paul delivered a roaring address to supporters in which he plead that he doesn’t want to discontinue America’s military superiority. Rather, said Paul, he wants to end America’s reliance on the war machine to corruptly generate profits and endure unnecessary wars.

Speaking from Manchester, New Hampshire, Paul attacked the Federal Reserve, saying it “was established, to take care of the powerful interests, the military industrial complex, the banking system and deficit financing.”

“In the last 10 years, the wars that have gone on have added $4 trillion of debt. And I don’t think we have been one bit safer for it. I think we have been less safe because of all the money that we have spent overseas,” said Paul. “So often they say that if we tell people that we think we should spend less in the military, they say, ‘Oh, that means you want to cut defense.’ No, if you cut the military industrial complex, you cut war profiteering, but you don’t take one penny out of national defense.”

Read on: http://rt.com/usa/news/paul-military-obama-defense-753/

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