6 Important Stories Silenced by Syria War Drums

The news cycle has been completely hijacked by the one-two punch of Miley Cyrus twerking at the VMAs and the relentless march to war in Syria. Thankfully, the Miley Cyrus non-story has receded.

But if the U.S. Congress votes against striking Syria and the event essentially fades into the background, what then was accomplished by all this uproar?

Has it all been one big distraction from other important stories?

Here are six important stories that have been muffled by the drumbeats of war:

1. NSA Spying on the World.

 The biggest story in the world prior to Syria's chemical weapons attack, a story that the Administration moaned they could not get out in front of, are the relentless leaks exposing how the U.S. is spying on the world. In addition to American citizens being targeted with warrantless spying, it has been revealed that the

Don't forget what whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed to the world:

  NSA is also spying on the EU, the UN, G20 (Russia), Germany, Brazil, and the Olympics just to name a few documented targets of illegal spying by the United States. The recent developments since the Syria conflict blacked out any serious coverage of have been the release of the black budget for spying of $52 billion, and more countries like France (announced yesterday) and Latin American presidents being added to the growing list of NSA's victims. What's more, the NSA conducted 231 offensive cyber-ops in 2011, hailed as 'active defense'. Finally, the vast use of illegal wiretaps by the DEA is also coming to light.



2. Fukushima Radiation Leaks.
 

Over the weekend, Tokyo Electric Power admitted that a spike in radiation levels spewing out of their Fukushima reactor is 18 times higher than previously reported. The radiation measured 1,800 millisieverts an hour – high enough to kill someone in just four hours of exposure. The truth about just how much radiation the Fukushima meltdown is causing is just now being revealed to the public. The situation has finally been upgraded to a "serious incident". Just hours ago CNN reports new, previously unreported leaks are now taking place: "Several tanks and pipes at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant are suspected of leaking toxic water the chairman of the Japanese nuclear watchdog, Shunichi Tanaka, said Monday."

3. Obama's Executive Actions on Guns.

The White House announced last week that Obama has taken two more executive actions on guns without Congressional approval that appear to infringe on the Second Amendment. If you own a gun that Obama vaguely defines as one of the "most dangerous weapons, such as machine guns and short-barreled shotguns", you are now hereby ordered to come forward, register it, and submit to a background check in order to lawfully possess it -- otherwise you'll be deemed to be engaging in criminal behavior. He also banned guns from being owned by corporate entities or legal trusts. Whatever side of the gun control debate you fall on, no one should advocate "executive actions" that override the Constitution.
 

4. Debt Ceiling.
 Reuters points out today that the Syrian conflict will distract Congress from dealing with the fast approaching debt ceiling or "fiscal cliff" that keeps getting steeper as lawmakers continue to put off dealing with budgetary concerns: "A vote in Congress over whether to launch U.S. attacks against Syria is expected to wreak collateral damage - leaving too little time on Capitol Hill to deal with fast-approaching fall deadlines to fund government agencies and raise the debt limit." Congress has not passed a budget in over three years and repeatedly fails to control the purse strings, though it is one of their primary duties under the Constitution.
 



5. Disaster Warnings. 

 


6. Feds Effectively Legalize Marijuana and Gay Marriage.
 

Not all recent developments hidden by the Syria narrative have been negative. The Department of Justice recently announced that they will not be prosecuting the war on weed in states that have legalized its use for medical or recreational purposes. Although the DOJ clearly stated that marijuana will remain illegal at the federal level, this policy shift effectively leaves pot up to the states. Around the same time, the IRS announced that it will recognize same-sex unions for tax purposes regardless of state laws. In times of peace, these would be HUGE stories and they are indeed important events. It's not everyday some liberty is yielded back to the people from a power-hungry government. Remember to take your eye off the bouncing ball once in a while and look around at what else is happening.

SOURCE