Far Leftist Trained Ferguson Protesters
In a development that may portend extended disruptions, veteran street organizer Lisa Fithian, previously dubbed “Professor Occupy,” recently trained Ferguson protesters how to “simulate chaos.”
Fithian is a legendary organizer who once announced she seeks to “create crisis because crisis is that edge where change is possible.”
She was one of the luminaries of the Occupy Wall Street movement and was a lead organizer in the infamous 1999 Seattle riots against the World Trade Organization, in which more than 40,000 protesters, some using violent tactics, descended on the city, prompting police to use tear gas and rubber bullets. The clash became known as “The Battle of Seattle.”
According to Discover the Networks, Fithian specializes in aggressive “direct action” tactics.
Prior to the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown shooting case, Fithian was interviewed on NPR. She warned, “Now does anybody think that when this non-decision comes down that it might be a little crazy like that out there?”
NPR host Emanuele Berry stated Fithian was “leading a training session for demonstrators, instructing a hundred people to shuffle through a small lime green room in the back of a nonprofit office, simulating chaos.”
Discover the Networks, meanwhile, notes Fithian previously provided training and support for the controversial ACORN group, and National People’s Action, the new version of the Students for a Democratic Society, among other radical organizations.
Liberal Think Tank Supports Israeli Strike On Iran
In a surprising policy paper, the Center for American Progress, or CAP, the so-called idea factory of the White House, expressed support under certain circumstances for an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities if international negotiations eventually fail.
CAP was founded by John Podesta, who currently serves as President Obama’s senior adviser and White House counselor. The think tank is known for its singular influence over the Obama administration, with many of its recommendations being adopted by the White House.
CAP’s visiting fellow, Shlomo Brom, authored a Nov. 17 CAP paper with a list of recommendations seven days before the now-passed Nov. 24 deadline for the conclusion of a deal between the P5+1 and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear program.
The deadline passed last Monday, with the world powers agreeing to extend nuclear talks for seven months after comprehensive talks failed to produce a deal.
CAP’s report issued recommendations for how the Obama administration should respond to three outcomes of talks with Iran: 1) if a final deal is reached, 2) if talks fail, or 3) if an extension is agreed upon.
While the CAP paper was addressing the already-passed Nov. 24 deadline, it is instructive to note CAP’s support for Israeli military strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities if the talks had ended in failure. CAP suggested the Obama administration should prepare “for the greater probability of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear installations” and stated that the U.S. “should not necessarily oppose an Israeli strike under certain circumstances.”
Continued the CAP paper: “First, a successful Israeli attack may allow the United States to avoid difficult decisions about intervening in Iran’s nuclear program. Second, the current regional situation diminishes the odds of an Israeli attack developing into a wider regional conflict.”
CAP explained that the Iranian-backed Hizbullah would find it difficult to retaliate against Israel since it has been bogged down in Syria fighting the insurgency targeting Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
CAP believes Assad himself is “unlikely to divert precious military resources away from his own survival, even to retaliate on behalf of his benefactors in Tehran.”
The paper concluded that most probably Iran would be left alone “with a very limited capability to retaliate.”