Iraq is too unstable to withdraw, said Obama while in Saudi Arabia.  Convenient for the Saudis, who depend on US-instigated destabilization of their neighbors for their regional dominance. Breitbart

Justin Raimondo exposes their malign influence. Antiwar

Relevant sentences: “The American people are waking up to the fact that the 9/11  hijackers – who came to this country with little knowledge of English, and few resources – had some significant assistance from at least one foreign intelligence agency, and the Saudi connection, which is the subject of the redacted 28 pages, is now in the spotlight. In response, the Saudi lobby is manning the barricades, with articles like “Saudi Arabia Is a Great American Ally” in Foreign Policy magazine, which basically argues that we need these head-chopping barbarians because Iran is worse. On the legislative front, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-Perpetual War) is blocking a Senate bill that would give the green light to a lawsuit by the families of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudis. Graham and Senator John McCain have long worked hand-in-hand with the Saudis to garner US support for “moderate” Islamist rebels fighting to overthrow the government of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. And when the Saudis launched their terror-bombing of Yemen, Graham was right there cheering them on – and lamenting that “they no longer trust us” because they didn’t give us a heads up.”

As Obama’s groveling trip to Saudi Arabia makes clear, they own our government, while the citizens of the Empire provide the blood and treasure that fuel endless war.

Sheldon Richman on the divisive nationalism implicit in that phrase.

Here are some nuggets to stifle that Earth Day gag reflex:

Earth Day and the triumph of Dogbert: “It is Earth Day, when pieties flow like wine, when the self-applause of the right-thinking is deafening, when the antihuman core of modern environmentalism shines bright, and when the destructiveness of groupthink becomes ever more pronounced. And when an understanding of its true meaning is served by the profound wisdom of that noted political philosopher and sage observer of the human condition, Dogbert: “You can’t save the earth unless you’re willing to make other people sacrifice.””  h/t Cafe Hayek

Mark Perry thanks god for the blessings of fossil fuels

18 environmental predictions from 1970 that were completely wrong

Ah the choke-slam, preferred method of punishment by short-fused bullies in our prison-state schools.  Yes, kids can be annoying, but if you’re one to let rage boil up inside until it manifests in the form of a profanity-laced “choke-slam”, you probably don’t belong in a school. But then again, these aren’t schools so much as artificial environments that condition kids into meekly accepting a Police State. Daily Beast

Though its death is a certainty, the real question is: what comes after Obamacare? FEE

The Intercept has the story.  The FBI can’t find real terrorists, so they use women to coax nonviolent-yet-impressionable Muslim men to agree to commit violence in order to impress them.

This evil disregard for innocent life is how terrorism is created. Sputnik News

Saudi bomber-maker who took pilot lessons with 9/11 hijackers hid his flight certificate at the Saudi embassy in Washington DC. NY Daily News

According to Reporters Without Borders, who blame a rise in paranoia over legitimate journalism in world leaders. Christian Science Monitor