(2021-09-01). In OtherWords: September 1, 2021. otherwords.org This week, President Biden again forcefully defended his decision to end "the forever war" in Afghanistan. | Law graduate and politics professor Farrah Hassen agrees — and says it's time to end "the forever prison" too. This week in OtherWords, she calls on the Biden administration to shut down the nearly 20 year old extrajudicial prison at Guantanamo Bay that's been a stain on America's reputation ever since it opened. | Meanwhile, as Congress continues to debate how to pay for a potential $3.5 trillion federal jobs and infrastructure package, tax attorney Bob Lord has a great idea: Tax the top seven U.S.
(2021-09-01). Water Protectors Document Escalating Police Brutality in Minnesota. indybay.org In August police escalated to torture. On August 11 water protectors shut down two different worksites. Police approached them on the site and when the water protectors refused to leave police began to use a torture tactic they refer to as "pain compliance."
(2021-09-01). Twenty Years In A Security State: After Failing To Stop 9/11 Attacks, FBI Invented Terrorists. thedissenter.org 
Image from FBI Philadelphia Twitter account and in the public domain. | [Editor's Note: To mark the 20th anniversary of the rise of the American security state after the September 11th attacks, The Dissenter will spend the month of September presenting a retrospective on this transformation in law enforcement and government. Each entry in the series will connect with whistleblower stories where possible.] | *** | Following the September 11th attacks, an FBI whistleblower accused FBI Headquarters of failing to urgently respond to intelligence that pointed to a terrorism threat. It brought embarrassment to the FBI,…
(2021-08-31). Peace Activist Kathy Kelly on Reparations for Afghanistan & What the U.S. Owes After Decades of War. democracynow.org 
As the United States ends its military presence in Afghanistan after 20 years of occupation and war, the Costs of War Project estimates it spent over $2.2 trillion in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and by one count, over 170,000 people died during the fighting over the last two decades. Kathy Kelly, longtime peace activist who has traveled to Afghanistan dozens of times and coordinates the Ban Killer Drones campaign, says it will be important to keep international focus on the people of Afghanistan. "Everybody in the United States and in every country that has invaded and occupied Afghanistan ought to make reparations…
(2021-08-31). Afghanistan Faces Future Under Taliban as U.S. Withdraws & Drone Strikes Continue to Kill Civilians. democracynow.org 
As the last U.S. forces leave Afghanistan, ending the longest war in U.S. history, we go to Kabul to speak with Danish Afghan journalist Nagieb Khaja, who was once kidnapped by the Taliban and later embedded with them on a reporting assignment. He has been investigating Sunday's U.S. drone strike that killed 10 Afghan civilians, including seven children.
(2021-08-31). Afghanistan: Farewell to Arms, Predator Drones, Night Raids…? commondreams.org "He may have been wrong about Iraq in 2003, but Biden is right about Afghanistan in 2021."
(2021-08-31). Hard Day For Saudi-Led Forces: Houthis Launched Several Attacks Both In Yemen And Saudi Arabia. southfront.org 
Illustrative Image | In the past 24 hours, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) have carried out several attacks on forces of the Saudi-led Coalition both in Yemen and in southern Saudi Arabia. | The most recent attack was reported on August 31, when Saudi air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards Najran area near the Yemeni border. | A day earlier, Houthi drones targeted Abha International Airport located near the cities of Abha and Khamis Mushait, in Asir Province, in southern Saudi…
(2021-08-31). Ben Rhodes' Book Proves Obama Officials' Lies, and His Own, About Edward Snowden and Russia. scheerpost.com 
It is hard to overstate the sociopathy of U.S. national security officials: their casual willingness to blatantly lie about the gravest matters is limitless.