In Putin’s calculus, U.S. needs Russia more than Russia needs the U.S. | McClatchy

Photo: Wall Street Journal

…Putin’s audacity is underpinned by the reality that, while patience is wearing thin, the Obama administration holds few options for punishing a leader who’s already calculated that the fallout is worth the message to the world that Russia will fight fiercely for its interests…

via McClatchy DC.

Civilian Disarmament: Prelude to Tyranny | William Norman Grigg and “Innocents Betrayed: the History of Gun Coltrol”

and then see here as well

UN report: Iran IS trying to build nuclear bomb warns William Hague | Mail Online

via UN report: Iran IS trying to build nuclear bomb warns William Hague | Mail Online.

Israel will launch military action to prevent Iran developing a nuclear weapon as soon as Christmas, intelligence chiefs have warned.A report by a UN watchdog into Iran’s nuclear ambitions ‘completely discredits’ the Islamic nation’s protestations of innocence, according to Foreign Secretary William Hague.   The International Atomic Energy Agency found that Iran is developing a nuclear test facility, nuclear detonators and computer modelling for a nuclear warhead that would fit on an existing missile.

Sources say the understanding at the top of the British Government is that Israel will attempt to strike against the nuclear sites ‘sooner rather than later’ – with logistical support from the U.S.A senior Foreign Office figure has revealed that ministers have been told to expect Israeli military action, adding: ‘We’re expecting something as early as Christmas, or very early in the new year.’Officials believe President Barack Obama would have to support the Israelis or risk losing vital Jewish-American support in the next presidential election.