#U.S. Embassy in Baghdad

[multithinker]

Why the Iraq War Authorization Remains a Concern

Today, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee delves into a critical issue: the need to reform and modernize the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). This legislation, initially enacted in response to the 9/11 attacks, continues to serve as the primary legal basis for U.S. global counterterrorism operations, even after more than two decades. However, amid this forthcoming…

[kaalbela]

In Solidarity with Palestine

1. People shout slogans during a protest to show solidarity with Palestinians outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Turkey | Emrah Gure

2. Some protesters try to stop other protesters not to attack the French Embassy in Tehran, Iran during an anti-Israel protest | Vahid Salemi

3. Demonstrators chant during a protest in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza, at Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut, Lebanon | Bilal Hussein.

4. A man poses with a Palestinian flag as people gather in Tahrir Square of Baghdad, Iraq to protest | Murtadha Al-Sudani.

5. People clash with anti riot policemen outside the Israeli consulate during a protest to show solidarity with Palestinians, in Istanbul, Turkey | Emrah Gurel.

6. Protesters clash with Lebanese security forces outside the U.S. Embassy during a demonstration in solidarity with the people of Gaza in Awkar, East of Beirut, after Israel's strike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza | Joseph Eid

7. Protester demonstrates in front of the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey after Israel's strike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza | Ilker Eray

[zvaigzdelasas]

The Arab Weekly - US embassy in Baghdad struck with mortars as militia attacks in Iraq and Syria escalate

Approximately seven mortar rounds landed in the US Embassy compound in Baghdad during an attack Friday, a US military official told Reuters, in what appeared to be the largest attack of its kind in recent memory. US forces in Iraq and Syria were also targeted with rockets and drones at least five more times on Friday; three times at separate bases in Syria, and twice at the Ain al-Asad airbase west of Baghdad, a different US defence official said. The attacks were the most recorded against US forces in the region in a single day since mid-October, when Iran-aligned militias started targeting US assets in Iraq and Syria over Washington’s backing of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a call with Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa Al-Sudani, condemned the attacks and singled out Iran-aligned armed groups Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba for the recent targetting of US personnel. “The United States reserves the right to respond decisively against those groups,” Austin told Sudani, according to a Pentagon statement summarising the call. The embassy attack marked the first time it had been fired on in more than a year, apparently widening the range of targets. Dozens of military bases housing US forces have been attacked, increasing fears of a broadening regional conflict.

No group [yet] claimed responsibility[...]

The US military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, left open the possibility that more projectiles were fired at the embassy compound but did not land within it. The US officials said Friday’s attacks caused no injuries, and the embassy attack caused very minor damage.[...]

State media said the attack damaged the headquarters of an Iraqi security agency. Sheikh Ali Damoush, a senior official in the Lebanese group Hezbollah, said in a Friday sermon that attacks by Iran-aligned groups across the Middle East aim to apply pressure for a halt to Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip. He did not refer specifically to Friday’s attack. US forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 84 times since October 17, the defense official said.

The US has responded with a series of strikes that have killed at least 15 militants in Iraq and up to seven in Syria. The State Department called on the Iraqi security forces to immediately investigate and arrest the perpetrators. “The many Iran-aligned militias that operate freely in Iraq threaten the security and stability of Iraq, our personnel, and our partners in the region,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

“The Iraqi government has repeatedly committed to protect diplomatic missions as well as U.S. military personnel, who are present in the country at Iraq’s invitation. This is non-negotiable, as is our right to self-defence,” Miller added.[...]

[Prime Minister Sudani] said that undermining Iraq’s stability, reputation and targeting places Iraq has committed to protect were acts of terrorism. The head of militia Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, one of the main factions that has been targeting US forces in the region, said in a social media post that he rejected “stopping or easing operations” while “Zionist crimes continue in Gaza.”

The powerful Iraqi militia Kataeb Hezbollah said on Saturday that the rocket attack on the US embassy in Baghdad was “just the beginning of a new phase of fighting” and threatened to continue “operations against the US occupation” in Iraq.[...]

Kataeb Hezbollah, classified as a terrorist group by Washington, is part of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq militia, which has claimed more than 80 attacks against US posts in Iraq and Syria since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. However, the attack on the US embassy marked a serious escalation of these actions.

9 Dec 23

[beardedmrbean]

LONDON — A British court gave Wikileaks founder Julian Assange permission to launch a full appeal against his extradition to the United States on espionage charges Monday, after more than a decade of legal battles. 

Two judges at the High Court in London said the Australian-born Assange could have a full appeal to hear his argument that he might be discriminated against because he is a foreign national.

Assange’s legal avenues in the U.K. would have been exhausted if the High Court had ruled the extradition could go ahead. His legal team said last week that Assange could have been put on a plane to the U.S. within 24 hours if they ruled against him.

Assange's lawyer Edward Fitzgerald had told the judges they should not accept the assurance given by American prosecutors that his client could seek the protections given under the First Amendment, as a U.S court would not be bound by this. “We say this is a blatantly inadequate assurance,” he told the court, Reuters reported.

However, Reuters said that he had accepted a separate assurance that Assange would not face the death penalty, saying the U.S. had provided an “unambiguous promise not to charge any capital offense.”

It could be months before the appeal is heard.

Assange, 52, was not in court to hear his fate being debated. Fitzgerald said he did not attend for health reasons.

But hundreds of protesters cheered outside the court as news of the verdict came through.

Assange has been fighting extradition for more than a decade, including seven years in self-exile in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London before he was jailed in the high-security Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of London, where he has been held for five years.

Assange has been indicted in the U.S. on 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of classified documents.

American prosecutors have alleged that he put lives at risk when he helped Chelsea Manning, a U.S. Army intelligence analyst, steal diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks published almost 15 years ago. 

James Lewis, a lawyer for the U.S., argued in written submissions that Assange’s actions “threatened damage to the strategic and national security interests of the United States” and put individuals named in the documents — including Iraqis and Afghans who had helped U.S. forces — at risk of “serious physical harm.”

Assange's attorneys have argued that he engaged in regular journalistic practice of obtaining and publishing classified information and the prosecution is politically motivated retaliation.

They have said he could face up to 175 years in prison if convicted, although American authorities have said the sentence is likely to be much shorter than that.

Assange’s many global supporters have criticized the prosecution and there have been calls for the case to be dropped from rights groups, some media bodies and political leaders including  Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. 

Document drop site

Wikileaks, which he launched in 2006 as a place for leakers to drop classified documents, rose to prominence four years later when it published a classified video provided by Manning. 

Recorded in 2007, the video showed a U.S. military helicopter killing civilians, including two Reuters journalists, in Baghdad. When a van arrived to pick up the wounded, it was also shot at. More than 10 people were killed. 

Manning was convicted at a court-martial of espionage and other charges in 2013 for leaking secret military files to WikiLeaks. She was sentenced to 35 years in prison but was released in 2017 after President Barack Obama commuted her sentence.

Assange’s legal troubles began in 2010, when he was arrested in London at the request of Sweden, which wanted to question him about allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two women.

Two years later, he jumped bail and sought refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy which put him out of reach of authorities, but effectively trapped him in the building.

After the relationship soured, he was evicted from the embassy in April 2019 and British police immediately arrested him for breaching bail in 2012. He has been in prison ever since although Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in 2019 because of time elapsed.

Although a British district court judge ruled against the extradition request in 2021, citing a real and “oppressive” risk of suicide, U.S. authorities won an appeal the following year, after giving a series of assurances about how Assange would be treated if extradited. This included a pledge that he could be transferred to Australia, to serve his sentence. 

Earlier this year, the Australian parliament called for Assange to be allowed to return to his homeland. Officials have tried to lobby the U.S. to drop the extradition efforts or find a diplomatic solution that would allow Assange to return to his homeland.

Australian authorities have said the case has dragged on for too long and officials have tried to lobby the U.S. to drop the extradition efforts or find a diplomatic solution that would allow his return. 

Asked about Australia’s request last month, President Joe Biden his administration was “considering it.”

[mightyflamethrower]

The theocracy of Iran has been the world’s arch-embassy attacker over the last half century.

So it has zero credibility in crying foul over Israel’s April 1 attacks on its “consulate” in Damascus and the killing of Iran’s kingpin terrorists of the Revolutionary Guard Corps there.

Remember, the world was first introduced to the Iranian ayatollahs by their violent takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1980.

Iranian surrogates next bombed the American embassy in Beirut and the Marine barracks in 1983.

In fact, Iran has attacked US and Israeli diplomatic posts off-and-on for decades, most recently in 2023, when Iran helped plan an attack on the US embassy in Baghdad.

For this reason and several others, Iran’s justification for sending 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles into Israel on the grounds that Israel had bombed an Iranian diplomatic post is completely ridiculous.

One, Iran has never honored diplomatic immunity.

Instead, it habitually attacks and kills embassy personnel and blows up diplomatic facilities across the world.

Two, on April 1, the Israelis attacked a pseudo-“consulate” in Damascus which was hosting grandees of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as they planned terrorist attacks on Israel.

Without Iran, the Middle East might have had a chance to use its enormous oil and natural gas wealth to lift its 500 million people out of poverty rather than to be mired in constant tribal and religious anti-Israeli, anti-American, and anti-Western terrorism.

During the Iraq War, Iran’s Shiite terrorists and its massive supplies of deadly shaped-charge explosive devices killed hundreds of Americans. It routinely hijacks container ships in the Straits of Hormuz and stages near collisions with American ships and planes.

How does Iran get away with nonstop anti-Western terrorism, its constant harassment of Persian Gulf maritime traffic, its efforts to subvert Sunni moderate regimes, and its serial hostage-taking?

The theocrats operate on three general principles.

One, Iran is careful never to attack a major power directly.

Until this week, it had never sent missiles and drones into Israel. Its economy is one-dimensionally dependent on oil exports. And its paranoid government distrusts its own people, who have no access to free elections.

So Iranian strategy over the last few decades has relied on surrogates—especially expendable Arab Shia terrorists in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, along with the Sunni Arabs of Hamas—to do its dirty work of killing Israelis and Americans.

It loudly egged all of them on and then cowardly denied responsibility once it feared Israeli or American retaliation.

Two, it has fooled Western governments and especially left-wing American administrations by posing as a persecuted victim. Iran claims it is the champion of aggrieved Shiite Arab and Persian minorities, unfairly exploited by Israel, moderate Arab regimes, and rich Sunni Gulf monarchies.

Three, Iran hopes its pseudo-diplomatic outreach to left-wing Western governments, coupled with its lunatic existential threats and unleashing terrorist attacks on its enemies, can coax or bully the West into granting it concessions—especially time to acquire a dozen or so nuclear weapons.

Yet for all its loud, creepy threats, Iran is incredibly weak and vulnerable.

Israel and its allies shot down almost all its recent nocturnal missile and drone barrages. Lots of other missiles reportedly blew up on liftoff in Iran or crashed in transit.

Before the Biden appeasement of Iran, the Trump administration had isolated and nearly bankrupted Tehran and its proxies. Its Revolutionary Guard terrorist planners proved to be easy targets once they operated outside Iran.

Iran’s only hope is to get a bomb and, with it, nuclear deterrence to prevent retaliation when it increases its terrorist surrogate attacks on Israel, the West, and international commerce.

Yet now Iran may have jumped the shark by attacking the Israeli homeland for the first time. It is learning that it has almost no sympathetic allies.

Does even the Lebanese Hezbollah really want to take revenge against Israel on behalf of Persian Iran, only to see its Shia neighborhoods in Lebanon reduced to rubble?

Do all the pro-Hamas protestors on American campuses and in the streets really want to show Americans they celebrate Iranian attacks and a potential Iranian war against the United States?

Does Iran really believe 99 percent of any future Israel barrage against Iranian targets would fail to hit targets in the fashion that its own recent launches failed?

Does Iran really believe that its sheer incompetence in attacking Israel warrants them a pardon—as if they should be excused for trying, but not succeeding, to kill thousands of Jews?

In sum, by unleashing a terrorist war in the Middle East and targeting the Israeli homeland, Iran may wake up soon and learn Israel, or America, or both might retaliate for a half-century of its terrorist aggression—and mostly to the indifference or even the delight of most of the world.

[warningsine]

LONDON, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators rallied in cities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia on Saturday to show support for the Palestinians as Israel's military widened its air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip.

In one of the biggest marches, in London, aerial footage showed large crowds marching through the centre of the capital to demand the government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak call for a ceasefire.

"The superpowers at play are not doing enough at the moment. This is why we're here: we're calling for a ceasefire, calling for Palestinian rights, the right to exist, to live, human rights, all our rights," said protester Camille Revuelta.

"This is not about Hamas. This is about protecting Palestinian lives," she added.

Echoing Washington's stance, Sunak's government has stopped short of calling for a ceasefire, and instead advocated humanitarian pauses to allow aid to reach people in Gaza.

Britain has supported Israel's right to defend itself after the Oct. 7 attack by militant group Hamas that Israel said killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

The death toll in Gaza has climbed to 7,650 dead, also mostly civilians, since Israel's bombardment began three weeks ago, according to a daily report released on Saturday from the��Palestinian health ministry.

There has been strong support and sympathy for Israel from Western governments and many citizens over the Hamas attacks, but the Israeli response has also prompted anger, particularly in Arab and Muslim countries.

In Malaysia, a large crowd of demonstrators chanted slogans outside the U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Addressing hundreds of thousands of supporters at a huge rally in Istanbul, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Israel was an occupier, and repeated his stance about Hamas not being a terrorist organisation.

Erdogan drew a sharp rebuke from Israel this week for calling the militant group "freedom fighters".

Iraqis took part in a rally in Baghdad and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian protesters in Hebron called on Saturday for a global boycott of Israeli products.

"Don't contribute to the killing of the children of Palestine," they chanted.

Elsewhere in Europe, people took to the streets of Copenhagen, Rome and Stockholm.

Some cities in France have banned rallies since the war began, fearing they could fuel social tensions, but despite a ban in Paris, a small rally took place on Saturday. Several hundred people also marched in the southern city of Marseille.

In New Zealand's capital, Wellington, thousands of people holding Palestinian flags and placards reading "Free Palestine" marched to Parliament House.

In London, special restrictions were in place restricting protests around the Israeli Embassy.

Saturday's march was mostly peaceful, but police said they had made nine arrests: two for assaults on officers and seven for public order offences - some of which were being treated as hate crimes.

Police estimated the turnout at between 50,000 and 70,000 people.

London police have faced criticism in recent days for not being tougher over slogans shouted by some protesters during another pro-Palestinian march in the capital last week, which drew about 100,000 people.

[mariacallous]

Last month, we visited elected and military leaders in the Middle East and Ukraine, two seemingly unrelated regions linked by a similar threat: a malign and destructive force that gravely endangers national security as well as regional stability.

In both regions, U.S. commitment and engagement are indispensable to preserving democracies and ending lethal armed conflict. In both, failing to do so will have decadeslong destructive consequences—not just for Washington’s standing around the globe, but also for U.S. interests and even American lives in these regions.

During our meetings, heads of government, military commanders, humanitarian agencies, and our own diplomats and soldiers in Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, and Ukraine all delivered dire warnings. Innocent civilians in Gaza have no place left to run, no food to eat. Ukrainian troops are rationing ammunition on the front lines and losing territory to the Russians.

We witnessed this in Lebanon, where we saw burned shops and barricades from when an angry mob tried to storm our embassy and were held back by the Lebanese Armed Forces, who have benefited from years of U.S. training and support. In Jordan, we met with the American and Jordanian military leaders who were the first on the ground to respond to the terrible attack on Tower 22 that cost three U.S. soldiers their lives.

In Ukraine, as in the Middle East, the United States remains an essential partner. Ukrainian troops are dying and losing ground because they lack the basic equipment they need to continue their fight.

A global coalition of more than 50 nations has already contributed more to the Ukrainian war effort than the United States, often at much higher percentages of their respective defense budgets or GDP. The European Union remains committed to Ukraine’s fight, recently passing a $54 billion aid deal for Ukraine. It is with U.S. military support, however, that Ukraine can not only fight back, but can win. Without it, Ukraine is much more likely to fail—and sooner than many may think. Once Ukraine falls, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s next attack will likely be against a NATO ally, compelling us to come to their defense and inevitably putting our own troops on the front lines.

Our troops may be equally at risk if the situation in Gaza worsens and conflict spreads throughout the region. In our conversations in Jordan and Lebanon, we heard how explosive just one miscalculation could be. Along the border between Israel and Lebanon, we heard about the tens of thousands of innocent people who have been displaced by attacks on both sides. In Jordan, we saw how cheap but deadly drones are effectively defying the advanced systems meant to counter them.

Iranian proxies—such as the Yemen-based Houthis, Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq—are seeking to capitalize on the growing anti-Americanism and achieve Iran’s long-desired goal of forcing the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from the region. Our diplomatic and military personnel are already under attack by these proxies in Iraq—a threat made very real to us by being woken up in Baghdad to the sound of anti-drone ammunition rounds.

We cannot afford to let Iran succeed; otherwise, the United States will face a very real prospect of war. While anti-American rhetoric might sharpen due to increased U.S. involvement in the region, disengagement leaves countries in the region with even fewer options and no choice but to embrace malign influences, such as Iran. We cannot hope to change minds or build relationships if we back away.

Ultimately, preventing a wider war in the Middle East will require delivering a message demonstrating that Washington recognizes Israel’s obligation to defend itself, but also expects that Israel upholds international humanitarian and human rights law and that its military operations meet the highest standards. For example, the national security memorandum that U.S. President Joe Biden released last month, which requires allies receiving military aid to provide assurances to the United States that their actions are compliant with international law, was able to send a strong message to Israel—and the region as a whole.

While we recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, the war to dismantle Hamas must also seek to minimize devastating harm to innocent civilians. To show that it’s serious about protecting civilians and aid workers in Gaza, Israel should open additional border crossings and improve deconfliction mechanisms to increase humanitarian assistance.

Regardless, the United States isn’t waiting to deliver aid. Biden has listened to the large group of senators who have called for the United States to directly deliver urgent, critically needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, by air and sea, much like the Jordanian and French governments have successfully done. The United States has started air dropping ready-to-eat meals from cargo planes and plans to construct a temporary port off the Gazan coast to facilitate an even greater movement of food aid to civilians.

In our meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, we warned against a large-scale ground offensive in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza without appropriate evacuation plans and measures in place to mitigate civilian casualties.

The United States is the only nation that has the credibility to send this message to Israel. If Netanyahu fails to listen, the Biden administration and Congress will be prepared to take more persuasive steps to ensure compliance with U.S. policy on civilian protection and humanitarian assistance. However difficult, we need to hold even our closest allies accountable.

We have real hope that a meaningful humanitarian pause in the fighting in Gaza, combined with a hostage release, is within reach. There are still gulfs, but they’re bridgeable—thanks largely to the efforts of the Biden administration to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas, with Qatar and Egypt acting as intermediaries.

A longer humanitarian pause could even reopen the door to greater possibilities for peace in the Middle East through Israel-Saudi normalization and economic integration. Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords as the sixth signatory would be a game-changer in the region, spurring other Arab states to follow its lead. It would strengthen regional security and economic ties against Iran’s malign influence.

Understanding that, Hamas and its backers in Iran carried out its atrocious attack on Oct. 7, 2023, partly to prevent a realignment between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The best way that we can counter Iran and defeat Hamas would be to return to these discussions and find a path forward toward normalization, which will only happen with active partnership by the United States. We were close to an agreement prior to the Oct. 7 attacks; a pause in fighting could get us to conditions where constructive dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Israel can happen again.

At every stop on our trip, we heard that the solution to building greater security and a potential path toward peace is more U.S. engagement, not less. Our colleagues in the House of Representatives who tend toward an uninvolved, isolationist approach need to hear that, and they must help us meet that challenge by promptly passing the national security supplemental.

We can set the Israel-Hamas war on a path to peace by making it clear to the Israelis what we expect from them in the region and taking steps to ensure a real Palestinian future. We can give Ukraine the support it needs to defeat the brutal Russian invasion.

That might seem like a tall order, but none of it comes together without the United States leading the way.

[andrewtheprophet]

Babylon the great attacked by the Iraqi horn: Daniel https://andrewtheprophetcom.wordpress.com/2024/09/14/babylon-the-great-attacked-by-the-iraqi-horn-daniel/

[leprivatebanker]

U.S diplomatic facility attacked in Baghdad, no casualties, embassy says

[adulthoodtimes]

The Hidden Dagger: Slander and the Matrix

Ever felt you were under attack, yet could not see the enemy?  That is what slander has the capacity to do. It is a weapon that has, so many times, been out in the open for everyone to see and yet has silenced many who would speak truth to power.

do you know the guy Julian Assange? 

Julian Assange was an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded the whistleblower website WikiLeaks in 2006. He gained international attention in 2010 when WikiLeaks published a series of classified documents leaked by Chelsea Manning, a former United States Army intelligence analyst. These documents included footage of a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, U.S. military logs from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and U.S. diplomatic cables.Assange's actions have been both praised and criticized. Supporters view him as a champion of press freedom, arguing that his work has exposed government corruption and human rights abuses. Critics, however, contend that his actions have put lives at risk and compromised national security.   Assange faced legal challenges in several countries, including Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He spent several years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to the United States, where he faced charges under the Espionage Act. In 2022, Assange was arrested and detained in the United Kingdom. He eventually reached a plea deal with the U.S. government, pleading guilty to one count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified national defense information.

The rape allegations against Julian Assange began with Sweden's claims in 2010. He was accused by two Swedish women of sexual assault and rape. Assange brushed off the claims, saying the encounters were consensual. In 2010, the Swedish authorities issued an international arrest warrant against Assange. However, he evaded the arrest and spent many years in asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012. The Swedish authorities finally dropped the sexual assault case due to lack of evidence but kept open the rape case. Although these allegations against Assange appeared in almost every media outlet, he suffered much reputational damage. It is equally important to bear in mind that he was never found guilty of any offense associated with such allegations. The case remains a subject of debate and controversy.

The moment he shed some light on war crimes, he was hit with a devastating accusation: rape. Newspapers from all over the world took to the headlines, tarnishing his reputation before any investigation could actually take place.

This is a typical example of how libel works. It's subtle, yet a mighty way to discredit someone—like a huge-poison dart aimed at destroying a life.

Why Slander?

You wonder why people in power have to resort to this sort of thing. The answer's quite simple, really: it's easier. It's messy and time-consuming to put someone in jail. It requires evidence, a fair trial. Slander is quick and dirty.

The Power of Sexual Accusations

Sexual crimes are particularly useful smear tactics. There are no more heinous types of offenses, and people will tend to believe them no matter what. It makes no difference that there isn't any evidence. Once the accusation is made, the damage is done.

The Matrix's Master Plan

This is a clear indication that slanderers want to silence their enemies—to be in a world where everybody is mortally afraid to speak out, where one shapes what public opinion will be.

They sometimes even get to the point where they hope for someone to take matters into their own hands and commit an act of violence against the targeted individual so that they are able to distance themselves from it, yet at the same time get the result they set out to achieve.

How to Fight Back

If you are on the receiving end of slander, chances are it will feel like you have no way to win. There are things you can do, however, to protect yourself.

* Keep Record: Keep count of all defamatory statements made about you. This would come in handy in case of a lawsuit.

* Get Legal Advice: Consult a lawyer who will help bring clarity regarding rights and options.

* Get Allies: Surround yourself with people who truly believe in you.

* Keep Your Chin up: Don't let the libel define you. Stay focused on your truth.

Why Awareness Matters

The most important thing is to be aware of the tactics people working to silence you are using. Once you know how character assassination works, you can protect yourself—and others—much better.

Let's Start a Conversation

Have you ever been a victim or witnessed slander? How did it make you feel, or how has it impacted your friend or loved one? Kindly share in the comment section below. Let's all join in exposing these unseen daggers and making our world a fairer place.

Remember: Knowledge is power. The more we learn about this vice, the better positioned we shall be to fight it.

[cavenewstimes]

Iraq scrambles to contain fighting amid attacks on US troops

Read More Army Times  BAGHDAD — Dozens of attacks on U.S. military facilities by Iran-backed factions in Iraq over the past two months as the Israel-Hamas war has raged have forced Baghdad into a balancing act that’s becoming more difficult by the day. A rocket attack on the sprawling U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Friday marked a further escalation as Iraqi officials scramble to contain the ripple…

[thenewsart]

Iraq scrambles to contain fighting between US troops and Iran-backed groups, fearing Gaza spillover

BAGHDAD (AP) — Dozens of attacks on U.S. military facilities by Iran-backed factions in Iraq over the past two months have forced the government in Baghdad to perform a balancing act that is becoming more difficult by the day. A rocket attack on the sprawling U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Friday marked a further escalation as Iraqi officials scramble to contain the ripple effects of the Israel-Hamas…

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 12.8 (after 1960)

1962 – Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days. 1963 – Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck by lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, killing all 81 people on board. 1966 – The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm in the Aegean Sea, killing over 200. 1969 – Olympic Airways Flight 954 strikes a mountain outside of Keratea, Greece, killing 90 people in the worst crash of a Douglas DC-6 in history. 1971 – Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launches an attack on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi. 1972 – United Airlines Flight 553, a Boeing 737, crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 45. This is the first-ever loss of a Boeing 737. 1974 – A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece. 1980 – John Lennon is murdered by Mark David Chapman in front of The Dakota in New York City. 1985 – The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia, is established. 1987 – Cold War: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the White House. 1987 – An Israeli army tank transporter kills four Palestinian refugees and injures seven others during a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel–Gaza Strip border, which has been cited as one of the events which sparked the First Intifada. 1988 – A United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into an apartment complex in Remscheid, Germany, killing five people and injuring 50 others. 1990 – The Galileo spacecraft flies past Earth for the first time. 1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States. 1992 – The Galileo spacecraft flies past Earth for the second time. 1998 – Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria. 2001 – A raid conducted by the Internal Security Department (ISD) of Singapore foils a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) plot to bomb foreign embassies in Singapore. 2004 – The Cusco Declaration is signed in Cusco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations. 2004 – Columbus nightclub shooting: Nathan Gale opens fire at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, killing former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell and three others before being shot dead by a police officer. 2009 – Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq, kill 127 people and injure 448 others. 2010 – With the second launch of the Falcon 9 and the first launch of the Dragon, SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft. 2010 – The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS passes the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800 km. 2013 – Riots break out in Singapore after a fatal accident in Little India. 2013 – Metallica performs a show in Antarctica, making them the first band to perform on all seven continents. 2019 – First confirmed case of COVID-19 in China.