European Commission Chief Wants to Create New EU Army

Joshua Krause

The European Union is unique among the nations of history. Most governing bodies are built around a culture and language that is shared amongst the people they rule, which is then followed by a shared system of laws, courts, defense forces, currency etc. Or, in the case of an empire, the system hinges upon military dominance, which then enforces those conditions on every culture it can gobble up.

But the European Union is the only nation (to my knowledge) that attempted to use monetary and economic policy (the Euro) to unite a diverse set of culture, before turning into a real government in its own right. The only thing missing from the EU, is its own standing army. While each EU nation has a military, they still exercise some degree of sovereignty over their defense forces (at least on paper).

Americans to Receive Full Biometric Treatment for all Forms of European Travel

Amanda Warren

Travel becomes truly ominous...

In a trend that isn't wholly surprising, EU Observer reports:

US citizens and other non-EU nationals who enter Europe will be asked to have their faces image-captured and fingerprints scanned upon arrivalat a half-dozen major airports. [emphasis added]

This "biometric dragnet" is the pilot test for the EU's new "smart borders" packages. The test portion will run March - September 2015, for starters. The commission originally proposed this package in 2013 but pulled it and began revising. While there is some opposition, the experiment is shortly underway.

The captures include fingerprint scans, iris scans and facial recognition scans for all forms of European travel - road, train, sea and air. 

Of course, what's usual for such programs - travelers can refuse...for now. But officials are letting travelers know through the media that it will become mandatory in time.

Obama’s War Against Russia Backfires

Written by Eric Zuesse.

U.S. President Barack Obama’s war against Russia isn’t only causing Russia to cooperate more strongly with the other BRIC countries to break the U.S. dollar’s reign as the global reserve currency, but it’s also causing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s job-approval rating in Russia to soar, and the confidence that the Russian people have in their own Government to soar likewise.

The latest of these signs came on August 5th, 2014 in a report from Gallup Analytics (by subscription only) headlined “Russians’ Confidence in Many Institutions Reaches All-Time High.”

Obama Joins The EU in Imposing New Sanctions on Russia

Rachel Blevins
BenSwann

On Tuesday, after accusing the Kremlin of supporting anti-Kiev militias in eastern Ukraine, and threatening to cripple the Russian economy, the United States, along with the 28 nations that comprise the European Union, announced a new series of sanctions against Moscow that could take place as early as August 1, 2014.

According to The Washington Post, the European measures were “the strongest against Russia since the Cold War, with the potential to sway Russian decision-making in a way that previous penalties have not.”

Five Reasons The Situation in Eastern Ukraine is About to Become Much More Dangerous

SCGNEWS

Though this latest phase in the Ukraine crisis might seem like a repeat of recent events, this round is more dangerous for a number of reasons. Here are five of them.



This past week the mainstream coverage of the Ukrainian civil war has focused on Kiev's move to encircle Donetsk. However there are reports coming out of the east right now that indicate that the Ukrainian troops may have just walked into a trap. Specifically the separatists claim to have encircled western troops and have completely stalled their advance.

Note that this report is coming from those who openly support the separatists, and the claim that Kiev's forces have been encircled has yet to be confirmed by any major outlets, however Reuters does confirm that the Ukrainian troops have suffered heavy casualties in the past 24 hours, and there are separate reports that the separatists have managed to gain control of a new town on the Russian border within that same time period.

The big picture here is that Kiev's forces may have overextended their forces and supply lines after being lulled into a false sense of momentum by the withdrawal of separatist forces from Slavyansk. There are some who are even speculating that the retreat was a trap. It's too early to know for sure if this assessment is accurate, but it is plausible. This is a common pattern in armed confrontation (The writings of Erwin Rommel regarding modern military tactics are very educational in this regard).

The response from Washington, to lay the blame on Putin and to impose a new round of sanctions against Russia, was so predictable you may have the impression that you're watching a rerun from this Spring. Russia of course, reiterated their previous response: that these economic bully tactics will just have a boomerang effect. All par for the course. This phase in the crisis, however, is far more dangerous than the previous ones for a number of reasons.

Reason number one: a diplomatic solution is almost impossible at this point. Poroshenko talked a good game before coming into office, and Putin had expressed optimism after the two discussed the crisis in June. However, regardless of what was said, in the following month the Ukrainian military went on to engage in a full out bombardment of east Ukraine using airstrikes and heavy artillery. This shelling was indiscriminate, and the civilian casualties were very high. For a glimpse of what this assault looked like on the ground watch the video below (Warning: extremely brutal footage).

And this doesn't even begin to address the full scale of the atrocities committed by western forces since this started. For example we've since had the massacre in Odessa which both Kiev and Washington covered up completely.

These war crimes being committed by Kiev have done left a deep psychological mark on the region, building intense hatred and distrust for the government in Kiev.

Reason number two: Putin is under heavy pressure domestically to do something to protect the Russian speakers of east Ukraine. While Kiev has been calling wolf about an imminent ground invasion periodically since this crisis began, word on the street is that Russia is considering imposing a no-fly zone in east Ukraine. Putin obviously doesn't want to go down this road. If he did, the no-fly zone would have been implemented months ago. However if Russia does take such a measure NATO will interpret it as an act of war and the stakes will be ratcheted up yet another notch.  

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Tell EU Member States: Save Greek "undesirables" from internment camps!

First migrants and recent immigrants were rounded up from Greece's streets and forced into internment camps.Then they threw the drug users in. Next came the sex workers, forcibly HIV tested, publicly humiliated, and imprisoned. 

Now they're coming for transgender men and women — and the list of "undesirables" just keeps longer.

Operation Zeus is a cleansing campaign targeting and imprisoning the most vulnerable members of Greek society, accompanied by spikes in racism, gender hate and homophobia.

There are now at least 5,000 people languishing in these hellholes simply for existing— and this month, while warning trans* men and women to "return to normal" or else, the Greek government announced that camp capacity is about to double.

We call on the EU member states to put the pressure on Greece now to stop this abhorrent cleansing campaign now. We can still save the people persecuted under Operation Zeus — but we can't afford to stay silent for long!

PETITION TO EU MEMBER STATES: We cannot afford to sit by while another European country rounds up "undesirables" and imprisons people in camps simply for existing. Let the Greek government know it must release these people now.

Click here to sign -- it just takes a second.

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Britain and Sweden block critical talks on espionage and intelligence between EU and US

image credit:
EU Parliament/Flickr

Madison Ruppert

Britain and Sweden vetoed plans to launch two working groups to deal with issues of espionage and intelligence with the United States, thus restricting upcoming talks in Washington to issues of data privacy and the National Security Agency’s PRISM program.

Instead of allowing two working groups to deal with the complex issues that have been raised in the wake of stories publicizing the United States’ surveillance of Europeans, especially Germans, there will be just one working group focusing on the PRISM program.

Interestingly, there is apparently no mention of the UK’s massive data mining operation run through GCHQ which hands data over to the NSA.

The talks on PRISM and data privacy were arranged to coincide with upcoming trade talks in an effort to lessen the transatlantic tension, according to the Guardian.

European student group files complaints with the EU against US tech giants over NSA spying

Madison Ruppert

A European student group known as Europe-v-Facebook (EVF) has filed formal complaints against major US technology firms for allegedly working with the National Security Agency (NSA) to secretly collect data on Europeans.

The group specifically named the NSA’s PRISM program in their announcement and stated that their complaints are aimed at the European subsidiaries of US Internet giants which worked with the government according to multiple reports.

The complaints were filed by EVF in Ireland against Facebook and Apple, in Luxembourg against Skype and Microsoft and in Germany against Yahoo.

Complaints against Google and YouTube are forthcoming but could not be filed immediately because they do not use European intermediaries. Instead, the group will have to follow a different path since Google has data partners in Belgium, Finland and Ireland.

EU creates ‘pro-democracy’ regime change slush fund to ‘fight tyrants'

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko
 (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP/Getty Images)

Madison Ruppert, Contributor
Activist Post

Member nations of the European Union have agreed to create a fund for “pro-democracy” purposes, which is nothing less than a thinly-veiled regime change slush fund.

While regime change has been big business for quite a while, in recent years it has been kicked up a notch or two thanks to the covert activities of groups of terrorist operatives like al Qaeda, the MEK, and armed opposition groups which are used to destabilize foreign governments which refuse to bow down before the Western powers.

Furthermore, considering the global expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it is hardly surprising that such a fund was created to be used to overtly undermine sovereign nations.

According to Charter 97, the fund will likely be up and operational by as early as next year. It will mostly be leveraged to target the nations on the edge of the European Union who have not been so friendly to NATO and Western demands in general.

IMF chief vows to fight sex assault charges

IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn
© AFP Jewel Samad

AFP

NEW YORK (AFP) - IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was expected to deny the attempted rape of a hotel chambermaid in a New York courtroom Monday as a second sex assault accusation further dashed his prospects of becoming French president.

Strauss-Kahn's lawyer Benjamin Brafman said his client would vigorously defend himself against claims that he trapped the maid in a luxury Manhattan hotel and sexually assaulted her.

Judge Melissa Jackson will decide whether to free Strauss-Kahn on bail. Prosecutors are likely to argue that he is a flight risk, given that he was detained after he rushed to JFK Airport and was just minutes from taking off Saturday on a flight to France.

Irish Bombshell: Government Raids PRIVATE Pensions To Pay For Spending

image: Info-Wars Ireland

Joe Weisenthal and Gregory White 
Business Insider

The Irish government plans to institute a tax on private pensions to drive jobs growth, according to its jobs program strategy,delivered today.

Without the ability sell debt due to soaring interest rates, and with severe spending rules in place due to its EU-IMF bailout, Ireland has few ways of spending to stimulate the economy. Today's jobs program includes specific tax increases, including the tax on pensions, aimed at keeping government jobs spending from adding to the national debt.

The tax on private pensions will be 0.6%, and last for four years, according to the report.

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Herbal medicines banned as EU directive comes into force

Korean Herbal Medicines/Wikimedia Image

Daily Mail

Patients have lost access to hundreds of herbal medicines today, after European regulations came into force.

Sales of all herbal remedies, except for a small number of popular products for 'mild' illness such as echinacea for colds and St John's Wort for depression have been banned.

For the first time traditional products must be licensed or prescribed by a registered herbal practitioner.

Both herbal remedy practitioners and manufacturers fear they could be forced out of business as a result.

Some of the most  commonly used products were saved after the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley approved a plan for the Health Professions Council to establish a register of practitioners supplying unlicensed herbal medicines.

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America and EU Agree: Raise Radiation Levels for Food

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post

On March 28, 2011, I wrote an article entitled EPA to Help Mainstream Media Obscure The Truth About Radiation Exposure to Americans, in which I discussed the changes to the PAGs (Protective Action Guides) being proposed by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) that would raise the acceptable levels of radiation allowed in the environment, food, and even the general public themselves in the event of a nuclear emergency.

Interestingly enough, an article was published on April 3, 2011, by Alexander Higgins citing Kopp Online and Xander News, stating that a similar rule change was occurring in the European Union.

PAGs are policies and guidelines established by the EPA that guide the agency’s response in the event of a radioactive emergency. Specifically, PAGs deal with how the EPA should enforce laws such as the Clean Air and Water Act in relation to the disaster. Although PAGs had already been established by the EPA in 1992, the agency now plans to amend these guidelines to much higher levels of acceptable radiation.

EU to ban cars from cities by 2050

Glimpse of the global master plan -- Wiki

Bruno Waterfield 
The Telegraph 

Cars will be banned from London and all other cities across Europe under a draconian EU masterplan to cut CO2 emissions by 60 per cent over the next 40 years.

The European Commission on Monday unveiled a "single European transport area" aimed at enforcing "a profound shift in transport patterns for passengers" by 2050.

The plan also envisages an end to cheap holiday flights from Britain to southern Europe with a target that over 50 per cent of all journeys above 186 miles should be by rail. 

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For More About Agenda 21 Visit MorphCity

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Weakness of U.S. Natural Health Laws Revealed in Europe

Brandon Turbeville

Activist Post 

In the previous article I discussed Codex Alimentarius and, more specifically, the DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health Education Act) in relation to it. I pointed out that the DSHEA law, while a step in the right direction, has major holes in the “protections” it provides for vitamin and mineral supplements. It is therefore important to look at the situation in which natural health advocates find themselves in Europe in order to see the position in which they will soon find themselves in the United States.

Implementation of the Codex machinery has been even more successful in the European Union, at least in relation to vitamin and mineral supplements. In 2002, the EU produced the European Union Food Supplements Directive which is almost identical to the Codex platform for vitamin and mineral supplements.[1]  While a grace period of around eight years was allowed for individual states to exercise their dying sovereignty, the Food Supplements Directive (FSD) went into full effect on December 31, 2009 across the EU, making it the country closest to achieving complete Codex compliance.[2] This deadline has given rise to claims that Codex Alimentarius would be implemented on December 31, 2009 the world over, and that, all of a sudden, natural supplements would no longer be available and themselves be replaced by toxic chemicals. The claim that such a situation would occur is not unbelievable. Rather, it is actually quite probable as one can see through the discussion made thus far. However, that such a situation would occur in such a sudden manner is somewhat less likely.

Unfortunately, most of the people making these claims did so out of ignorance, and some simply were taken out of context. Regardless of how this rumor was started, it is false and those like it only serve to hinder the fight against Codex and obfuscate its dangers. No doubt many woke up on January 1, 2010 and dismissed Codex Alimentarius as a silly conspiracy theory with little relevance to their health based upon the fact that the sky did not fall the night before, as they had been told it would.[3] 

That said, a major step in the implementation of Codex standards was taken on December 31, 2009 when the EU FSD went into effect. In many aspects, the FSD is almost a carbon copy of the Codex Alimentarius Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral Food Supplements. Exuding a philosophical and policy similarity, it is mentioned in one of the opening statements of the Directive that “Excessive intake of vitamins and minerals may result in adverse effects and therefore necessitate the setting of maximum safe levels for them in food supplements.”[4] 
From the outset, the FSD expresses the same biased stance towards natural supplements as Codex, even though the adverse effects to taking large amounts of natural supplements are almost completely insignificant, especially when compared to those of pharmaceuticals. Nevertheless, this is the justification used for the ensuing attack on basic god-given rights of European citizens.

Similar to Codex Guidelines, the FSD contains provisions for the establishment of maximum levels of nutrient content for supplements. Paragraph 14 states:

When maximum levels are set, therefore, account should be taken of the upper safe levels of the vitamins and minerals, as established by scientific risk assessment based on generally acceptable scientific data, and of intakes of those nutrients from the normal diet. Due account should also be taken of reference intake amounts when setting maximum levels.[5]

Not only does the FSD provide for maximum levels for nutrients, it also bases its determinations, as does Codex, on the flawed methodology known as risk assessment.

Also, it will take the Global Average Daily Diet into account. This is what is meant when it states that “intakes of those nutrients from the normal diet” will be given due account.[6]  
It should be noted that Article 5 Section 1 completely copies (or vice versa) the Codex Guidelines section 3.2.2. They both state, word for word, “Maximum amounts of vitamins and minerals present in food supplements per daily portion of consumption as recommended by the manufacturer shall be set, taking the following into account: (a) upper safe levels of vitamins and minerals established by scientific risk assessment based on generally accepted scientific data, taking into account, as appropriate, the varying degrees of sensitivity of different consumer groups; (b) intake of vitamins and minerals from other dietary sources.”[7]  
It seems very suspect that a supposedly unrelated “regulatory” agency and a European Union law would contain the exact same language without some kind of common connection between the two. Indeed, as mentioned above, while the rest of the law might not be a literal word-for-word carbon copy of the Guidelines, in principle it is exactly that. It should be a cause for concern or, at the very least, skeptical curiosity, when laws or policies begin to be enacted simultaneously in different countries and/or international governing and administrative bodies.

The FSD also provides for the establishment of minimum levels of nutrients. It states, “To ensure that significant amounts of vitamins and minerals are present in food supplements, minimum amounts per daily portion of consumption as recommended by the manufacturer shall be set, as appropriate.”[8]   Although, unlike the Codex Guidelines, the Directive is not specific in terms of percentages, it clearly provides for the two-pronged attack of simultaneous maximum and minimum levels of nutrients in food supplements.

The most frightening aspect of the FSD, however, is not the maximum and minimum levels but the Positive and Negative Lists that are created. All the vitamins and minerals allowed in food supplements are included in the FSD Positive List, while those not included are completely banned for use in supplementation. [9]  The list itself is quite restrictive, prohibiting the production, sale, and distribution of many different vitamin and mineral substances. As the Directive states: 

Only vitamins and minerals normally found in, and consumed as part of, the diet should be allowed to be present in food supplements although that this does not mean that their presence therein is necessary. Controversy as to the identity of those nutrients that could potentially arise should be avoided. Therefore, it is appropriate to establish a positive list of those vitamins and minerals.[10] 

Restricting the inclusion of vitamins and minerals to only those that are part of the diet is bad enough. However, the language of “only vitamins and minerals normally found in, and consumed as part of, the diet,” adds an even more limiting scope.[11]  This is because such language not only limits the approved substances to those found in food, but to those found in the diet of Europeans specifically. Even then, it is only those substances that are “normally” consumed.

Also, the antipathy towards the discovery of new nutrients is clearly expressed in the desire to avoid controversy “as to the identity of those nutrients that could potentially arise.”[12] 
Not only that, but the Directive quietly gives the Council and the Commission of the EU the authority to remove any substance that it wishes from the Positive List. In Article 4, section 5 of the Directive it states, “Modification to the lists referred to in paragraph 1 [the Positive Lists] shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 13(2).”[13]  Article 13, Section 2 then reads, “When reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 5 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.”[14]  When one reads these sections of the cited law, it becomes apparent that the authority to change those substances on the Positive Lists is granted to the Council and the Commission.[15]  

Considering the various mechanisms of the WTO, it is only a matter of time before the EU decides to take the US to international trade court over its more liberal supplement market. If this ever occurs, the protections provided by DSHEA will immediately disappear and we would see an immediate change of policy towards natural supplements. This is precisely why the EU FSD means so much to the US DSHEA.

Notes:

---

[1] Tipps, Scott C. “”Foreword – Codex Alimentarius: Global Food Imperialism – What is Codex?” Ed. Scott C. Tipps. FHR. 2007. P. IV.[2] Starling, Shane. “Food Supplements Directive: Stay positive (or bans may follow).” Nutraingredients.com January 8, 2010. http://www.nutraingredients.com/Regulation/Food-Supplements-Directive-Stay-positive-or-bans-may-follow [3]  Press Release: National Health Federation. “December 31, 2009 – Where Were You When The Earth Ended?” January 4, 2010. http://www.thenhf.com/press_releases/pr_04_jan_2010.html [4]  Directive 2002/46/EC Of The European Parliament And Of The Council of 10 June 2002 on the approximation of the laws of the member states relating to food supplements. “Codex Alimentarius: Global Food Imperialism.” Ed. Scott C. Tips. FHR. 2007. Pp. 237-243[5] Ibid.[6] Ibid. [7] Ibid.

See Also,

“Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral Food Supplements.”http://www.codexalimentarius.net/search/advanced.do?lang=en
[8] Directive 2002/46/EC Of The European Parliament And Of The Council of 10 June 2002 on the approximation of the laws of the member states relating to food supplements. “Codex Alimentarius: Global Food Imperialism.” Ed. Scott C. Tips. FHR. 2007. Pp. 237-243[9] Ibid. [10] Ibid. p. 237[11] Ibid. [12] Ibid. [13] Ibid. p.239[14] Ibid. p. 240.[15]  “Council Decision of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission (*) (1999/468/EC)”http://www.ena.lu/council_decision_1999_468_ec_laying_down_procedures_exercise_implementing_powers_june_1999-02-4941     Accessed April 21, 2010.   

Brandon Turbeville is an author out of Mullins, South Carolina. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from Francis Marion University where he earned the Pee Dee Electric Scholar’s Award as an undergraduate. He has had numerous articles published dealing with a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, and civil liberties. He also the author of Codex Alimentarius - The End of Health Freedom   
  

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