Headlines of note for July 2012...

Coverage of the Syrian civil war by the vast majority of the establishment press in the West has been decidedly lop-sided. This story, however, as an exception to the rule, is essential as background on the figures who are repeatedly consulted as "experts" on the subject...

Guardian: The Syrian opposition - who's doing the talking?

As the propaganda unit of the Free Syrian Army, meaning the Beeb, commits "journalism"...

Land Destroyer: BBC Rides with Al Qaeda in Aleppo, Syria

July 18 saw a bombing that took out members of Assad's inner circle. The fog of war obscures what  transpired here. On the one hand, Wayne Madsen's Lebanese sources say that Assad's brother, Maher al-Assad, orchestrated the bombing in order to head off an attempted coup...

WMR: Bombing assassination of top Syrian officials linked to Assad's brother

Assad may have been tipped off not to attend the meeting by his hard-line younger brother, Maher al Assad, the commander of the feared Fourth Armored Division and the head of the Republican Guard. Maher reportedly feared that Shawkat was planning a coup against his brother's regime and may have acted to shore up his own power base. 

On the other hand, Voltairenet is reporting that Saudi Arabia's Prince Bandar was behind the bombing, for which he received quick retribution...

Syria reportedly eliminated Bandar bin Sultan in retaliation for Damascus bombing

A bigger, if not entirely believable, picture...

PanArmenian: Islamic NATO as a new step towards Ottoman Empire revival

More in the wars and rumors of wars category - it is increasingly sounding like the return of the Cold War...

The Washington Free Beacon: PUTIN’S JULY 4TH MESSAGE
RUSSIAN NUCLEAR-CAPABLE BOMBERS INTERCEPTED NEAR WEST COAST IN SECOND U.S. AIR DEFENSE ZONE INTRUSION IN TWO WEEKS

Meanwhile, the culture wars have come to Russia...

Eringer: POLONIUM PUTIN PETRIFIED OF PUSSIES

Eringer's nick-name for the Russian president is an accusation for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko. An update on an obituary, however, raises the question if it is the Russians alone (or at all) who still utilize this substance for assassinations...

Telegraph: Yasser Arafat 'poisoned with Polonium'

Elsewhere around the world...

Washington Times: Bulgaria - Sophisticated conspiracy in suicide bomb

RT: Iraqi death toll rises to 111 in the worst wave of attacks in two years

Global Research: Saudi Kingdom Rocked by Protests

Boiling Frogs Post: Mali, Al Qaeda, and the US Neo-Colonial Agenda

Telegraph: Libyan armed militias 'have stranglehold on country'

RT: 'I quit to prevent bloodbath' - ousted Paraguay president

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Adam Smith rolls in grave. The fraud of economic "LIBOR-alism"...

Washington's Blog: Libor - The Largest Insider Trading Scandal Ever

ZeroHedge: The Fed And LIBOR - The Biggest Manipulator Of Them All

And with the foundations of British finance on the verge of collapse, desperation yields the unthinkable...

Telegraph: 'Liborgate’ could trigger crucial banking reform

The British banking establishment now aligns itself with... Lyndon LaRouche?

LaRouchePAC: A Powerful British Faction has Aligned with LaRouche Concerning Glass-Steagall

LaRouche has for decades been calling the Queen of England the world's biggest drug pusher. One of her launderers has now been busted, somewhat...

MadCow Morning News: HSBC Narco-Bank: Too big to fail, too big to go to jail

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Congress considering a constitutional convention?

Secrecy News: A Convention to Amend the Constitution...

Library of Congress:

H. J. RES. 88

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to clarify the authority of Congress and the States to regulate corporations, limited liability companies or other corporate entities established by the laws of any state, the United States, or any foreign state.

S. J. RES. 29

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to contributions and expenditures intended to affect elections.

The motley cast of characters that occupy these bodies leaves us with little confidence that the outcome of such a convention would be to the benefit of the people of the United States, as other activities of this government suggest preparations in a tyrannical direction...

Public Intelligence: U.S. Military Purchasing Combat Equipment for Domestic Contingency Planning

Infowars: Army Manual Outlines Plan To Kill Rioters, Demonstrators In America

EPIC: Executive Order Grants Authority to Seize Private Communications Facilities

Gizmodo: Hidden Government Scanners Will Instantly Know Everything About You From 164 Feet Away

TPM: Maple Seed Drones Will Swarm The Future

But to make further inroads towards that future, a crisis is needed...

Question-Mark Headlines: Holy Question-Mark, Batman! 

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Disinfowatch... Which if any of the above could this story render suspect?

Wired: Feds Look to Fight Leaks With ‘Fog of Disinformation’

Well, here is one that was smoked out... then claimed by WikiLeaks...

Salon: The curative powers of the Internet

What to look out for in the forum...

Cryptome: The Gentleperson's Guide To Forum Spies