The current, 2013, political discussion about U.S. intervention in Syria is exactly the same conversation from February 2011 about Libya.   Same argument (R2P), same players (Obama, Power, Rice, Jarrett) and same ideology – The only difference is ignoring the anticipated outcome. 

When the Freedom Green Party in Iran stood up in 2009, President Obama said he preferred to “reach out” – The Islamists killed the Freedom Criers.
In Egypt, 2010, Obama played golf, then stood behind al-Qaeda affiliate Mohammed al Zawahiri and Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Morsi – The Islamists killed the Freedom Criers.
In Libya, 2011, Obama played golf, then stood behind “the rebels” led by Mustafa Abdel Jalil, who held the place card for al-Qaeda Benghazi Division –  The Islamists drove the Freedom Criers to Tripoli and now control Eastern Libya, Benghazi, Darna et al.
In Syria, 2011, Obama played golf, then played golf, then played more golf, and then finally played even more golf.
Leading to Syria, 2013.
When Saddam Hussein’s family fled Iraq, where did they go?   Syria.   When Hussein was playing hide-and-seek with the WMD used to kill the Kurds, where did the convoys go?  Syria.
When the Afghanistan fighting season ended in 2011 where did the Ayman al Zawahiri al-Qaeda go?   Egypt and Libya.   When Benghazi started to work on overthrowing Quackdaffy, where did the “rebels” come from?   Egypt, Iraq and Afghanistan.
You see, this is, essentially, a mobile al-Qaeda force compromised of hardline Salafist Islamists, who flow to where the freedom conflict lies, and when they get there they mount their efforts. (more…)

Side Question:  How come the media has stopped using the word WMD now that President Obama is in office?   Oh well,…..

Some things are more reflective than others.   A famous person once said: those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, or something similar.   Well, this is one Obama Administration repetition worth highlighting.

On Wednesday of last week the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the recent chemical attacks being witnessed in Syria.   Those chemical and/or biological attacks have been a great source of international attention and concern.
However, our U.N. Ambassador, Samantha Power, was conspicuously absent from the Security Council meeting.   The Administration was questioned, and the White House mysteriously avoided answering where she was.   Why was the United States not present during the meeting?   Where was Samantha Power?
Today it is reported she missed the meeting in order to attend a Charlie Chaplin Film Festival.   No joke, this is the real reason.   It sure explains why the White House was dodging the question and refused to answer.
But here comes the historical context. (more…)

Regardless of what you think of him – REMINDER:  We would never know, nor be having this conversation, were it not for Snowden.
WASHINGTON DC – The National Security Agency’s (NSA) reach covers about 75 percent of all U.S. Internet traffic through a slew of partnerships with some of the largest telecom companies in the country, according to a Wall Street Journal report released late Tuesday.
According to the report, gathered from interviews with current and former government officials and telecom industry workers, telecom companies like AT&T filter the data for the NSA, but in looking for communications that begin or end outside of the country, often sweep up unrelated domestic communications.
In addition, the surveillance network at times retains the content of emails and phone calls sent between U.S. citizens as part of a dragnet meant to capture correspondences between foreign targets.
The NSA defended the practice, telling the Journal that if domestic communications are “incidentally collected during NSA’s lawful signals intelligence activities,” that the agency follows “minimization procedures that are approved by the U.S. attorney general and designed to protect the privacy of United States persons.” (read more)
(more…)

This was a prediction made almost 4 years ago by the entire Tree House admin team.   It is a self fulfilling prophecy that some entity will have to step into the void left by the U.S. withdrawal.   Little did we know that whistleblowers who identify illegal and unconstitutional U.S. Domestic Spying programs would also be seeking Russian help.

It was clearly written between the lines in Cairo 2009, that newly elected President Obama would reflect favorable opinion of Islam;…  and Islam carried to its logical conclusion is antithetical to individual freedom and liberty.   The Green Movement in Iraq quickly found that out the hard way.
It seemed odd, even bizarre, to conceptualize as President Obama took office – that someone, probably Russia and/or China, would have to step in to assist burgeoning cries for Democracy or representative freedom.    Bizarre as it sounded at the time, such is the current filler of the void.
EGYPT – As the situation in Egypt escalates, a source with very close ties to the Egyptian government tells Breitbart News that the country is preparing to send a diplomatic mission to Russia. While the Obama Administration sends conflicting messages about the conflict, Russia, China and Saudi Arabia have issued strong statements in support of the government’s crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood. America’s influence in the region is waning. (more…)

The recent revelations by CNN’s Jake Tapper about the actual players from the U.S. in the annex, along with their unexpressed intents and purposes, brings a particular clarity to events.
For the sake of intellectual absorption this event outline is essentially going to be comprised of separate articles which we have compiled, along with our own research, over the past 10+ months. It begins with understanding the relationship between Turkish President Erdogan and President Obama against the Syrian uprising.
Many articles have drawn the connection between our activity in Benghazi and the potential for arms shipments to Syrian *rebels* back in 2012.  Indeed, even some Senators have called attention therein.   But the recent outline by Jack Tapper solidifies some of what was only formerly supposition.   So let’s take the new information and cast it back against the prior considerations.
Back in 2012 we highlighted the following:  […] it is important to remember how close President Obama is to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan is a severe islamist and both Obama and Erdogan are very friendly.

What Clare Lopez outlines in this 2012 report is extremely alarming to consider, given the nature of President Obama and Erdogan’s personal friendship and given the nature of Turkey’s involvement with the Syrian uprising.
(By Clare Lopez) If reporting from the Washington Times is accurate, it looks like the Turkish Consul General Ali Sait Akin was in on the plot to attack the U.S. mission in Benghazi. According to an October 27, 2012 report, Libyan witnesses from the Benghazi neighborhood where the U.S. compound was located told reporters from the Associated Press (AP) that “150 bearded gunmen, some wearing the Afghan-style tunics favored by Islamic militants began sealing off the streets” leading to the facility “around nightfall.” (more…)

Here’s the way  I personally filter the level of perceived strategic risk by the administration.  If Fran Townsend is talking about this on CNN – this is a moderate/medium risk.   However, if CNN removes Townsend and replaces with cloaked White House operative, Susan Kelly, then the risk to the White House is High/Severe.  Tune in to see which face CNN fronts.

CNN has uncovered exclusive new information about what is allegedly happening at the CIA, in the wake of the deadly Benghazi terror attack.
Four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed in the assault by armed militants last September 11 in eastern Libya.
Sources now tell CNN dozens of people working for the CIA were on the ground that night, and that the agency is going to great lengths to make sure whatever it was doing, remains a secret.
CNN has learned the CIA is involved in what one source calls an unprecedented attempt to keep the spy agency’s Benghazi secrets from ever leaking out. (more…)

MOSCOW — National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden left transit zone of a Moscow airport and entered Russia after authorities granted him temporary asylum, his lawyer said Thursday.
Anatoly Kucherena said that Snowden’s whereabouts will be kept secret for security reasons. The former NSA systems analyst was stuck at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport since his arrival from Hong Kong on June 23.
The U.S. has demanded that Russia send Snowden home to face prosecution for espionage, but President Vladimir Putin dismissed the request. (more…)

Questions about:  Iranian election outcome, weapons in Syria – change in policy, NSA Leaks, State Department Scandals, IRS Targeting of Conservatives

Here we go, we knew this was going to happen.   Both Russia and Iran (strategic economic BFF’s) are allied with the Assad regime.   The U.N. has declared they will remain neutral on the matter.   The United States has come out in support of al-Qaeda (Islamist rebels).  So the chess pieces are all in place for another proxy war.

Supporting the U.S. benefitted Islamists you have Turkey, Egypt, Libya and more recently Jordan.   Supporting the other side (Assad) you have Hezbollah, Iran and Russia.

It’s Afghanistan all over again.   Giddy up 🙁

SYRIA – Iran has decided to send a first contingent of 4,000 Iranian Revolutionary Guards to Syria to support President Bashar Assad’s forces against the largely Sunni rebellion, The Independent reported Sunday.

The British newspaper quoted pro-Iranian sources “which have been deeply involved in the Islamic Republic’s security” as saying that Tehran is now fully committed to preserving Assad’s regime, even to the extent of proposing to open up a new ‘Syrian’ front on the Golan Heights against Israel. (more…)

“I’m very worried about getting involved in a new war in Syria. People say ‘Assad is such a bad guy.’ He is. But on the other side we have al-Qaida and now Nusra. They say there are some pro-Western people and we’re going to vet them. Well, apparently we’ve got a Senator over there who got his picture taken with some kidnappers, so I don’t know how good a job we’re going to do vetting those who are going to get the arms.”

“So there’s two ironies you have to overcome if you want to get involved in a war in Syria. The first irony is you will be allied with al-Qaida. The second irony is most of the Christians are on the other side, so you may be arming Islamic rebels who may well be killing Christians.”