UN envoy Richard Falk, who wrote the foreword for David Ray Griffin’s New Pearl Harbor, and has also praised Peter Dale Scott’s book, The Road to 9/11, was yesterday quoted by Haaretz speaking out strongly against Israel’s attacks in Gaza as war crimes;
A United Nations human rights investigator said on Thursday that Israel’s offensive against Hamas in densely populated Gaza appeared to constitute a war crime of the “greatest magnitude.”
Richard Falk, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said the Geneva Conventions required warring forces to distinguish between military targets and surrounding civilians.
“If it is not possible to do so, then launching the attacks is inherently unlawful and would seem to constitute a war crime of the greatest magnitude under international law”
Falk’s assessment is bolstered by statements from IDF soldiers, recently debriefed in Tel Aviv.“
http://www.911blogger.com/node/19650
2. “Since the New Deal, fears of terrorism and subversion have played a central role in U.S. political life. But the ways in which government and media conceive those menaces can change with astonishing speed. Such tectonic shifts usually occur because of the ideological bent of the administration in power. When a strongly liberal administration takes office, it brings with it a new rhetoric of terrorism, and new ways of understanding the phenomenon.
Based on the record of past Democratic administrations, in the near future terrorism will almost certainly be coming home. This does not necessarily mean more attacks on American soil. Rather, public perceptions of terrorism will shift away from external enemies like al-Qaeda and Hezbollah and focus on domestic movements on the Right. We will hear a great deal about threats from racist groups and right-wing paramilitaries, and such a perceived wave of terrorism will have real and pernicious effects on mainstream politics. If history is any guide, the more loudly an administration denounces enemies on the far Right, the easier it is to stigmatize its respectable and nonviolent critics.
…
Law-enforcement agencies, too, have everything to gain from a terrorism panic, whether it is rooted in the ideological Left or Right. Agencies usually have wish-lists of laws they would like to see passed to expand their powers, and periods of intense concern over terrorism offer a natural opportunity to get these measures onto statute books. Liberals complain bitterly about the Patriot Act of 2001, but Democratic administrations have also used fears of terrorism and subversion to expand official powers. Sweeping federal gun-control measures passed in 1938 and 1968, during the Brown Scare and the Minuteman era. In 1996, the Anti-Terrorism Act gave federal agencies all the powers they could reasonably have demanded up until then. The existence of such a potent body of laws gives police and prosecutors a strong vested interest in applying the terrorism label as widely as possible in order to secure all possible legal advantages. If public opinion permits, they will assuredly use anti-terrorism laws against unpopular right-wing sects.
Private organizations also provide an institutional foundation for a war on domestic terror. Plenty of liberal pressure groups are only too willing to offer their services in identifying far-Right activists and painting them in the most damaging and alarming colors. Some of the most successful through the years have been the Anti-Defamation League, the Feminist Majority Foundation, and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), with its affiliated Intelligence Project (formerly Klanwatch). While there is no reason to doubt the sincerity of their convictions, such groups would gain immensely from a new political emphasis on militias or rightist groups. If the government declares a domestic terror crisis, the media will automatically turn to the SPLC, for instance, giving that group added visibility and prestige. For the media, the SPLC and its ilk can be endlessly valuable. They supply convenient maps and lists of militias, broken down by state and region, as well as providing knowledgeable speakers to discuss militia history and ideology. This results in publicity for the group and its causes and encourages public support and donations. If a full-fledged right-wing terror network is not available, such pressure groups have every interest in hyping one into existence.“
http://amconmag.com/article/2009/mar/23/00016/
3. And what exactly does our military budget pay for? How ’bout some radar?
” US Navy Submarine And Ship Crash Near Iran
A US Navy submarine and an American amphibious ship have collided in the Strait of Hormuz.“
4. “The House of Representatives passed a measure Wednesday that supporters are calling the most sweeping reform of nationally-backed volunteer programs since AmeriCorps. But some opponents are strongly criticizing the legislation, calling it expensive indoctrination and forced advocacy.
…
“We contribute our time and money under no government coercion on a scale the rest of the world doesn’t emulate and probably can’t imagine,” said Luke Sheahan, contributing editor for the Family Security Foundation. “The idea that government should order its people to perform acts of charity is contrary to the idea of charity and it removes the responsibility for charity from the people to the government, destroying private initiative.”
5. Ridiculous and awful:
“As a novice CIA case officer in the Middle East, Andrew Warren quickly learned the value of sex in recruiting spies. Colleagues say that he made an early habit of taking informants to strip clubs, and that he later began arranging out-of-town visits to brothels for his best recruits. Often Warren would travel with them, according to two colleagues who worked with him for years.
His methods earned him promotions and notoriety over a lengthy career, until Warren, 41, became ensnared in a sex scandal. Two Algerian women have accused the Virginia native of drugging and sexually assaulting them, and, in one instance, videotaping the encounter.
Six weeks after the allegations came to light, Warren has been formally notified by CIA Director Leon E. Panetta of his impending dismissal, according to U.S. government officials familiar with the case. But the episode — one of three sex-related scandals to shake the CIA this year — has drawn harsh questions from Congress about whether the agency adequately polices its far-flung workforce or takes sufficient steps to root out corrupt behavior.
The CIA says that these problems involve a tiny fraction of its workforce, and that those found to have breached rules are punished or fired. But former officers say the cases underscore a perennial challenge: guarding against scandal in a workforce — the size of which is classified but is generally estimated to be 20,000 — that prides itself on secrecy and deception.
“You have an organization of professional liars,” said Tyler Drumheller, who oversaw hundreds of officers as chief of the agency’s European division. Experienced field managers are needed, he said, because inevitably “some people will try to take advantage of the system . . . and it’s a system that can be taken advantage of.”
…
“You want a culture that values innovation and creativity and doesn’t mind violating the laws of other countries, but at the same time, you want a culture of compliance and honesty,” Radsan said. “It is a built-in contradiction.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/19/AR2009031904134_pf.html
6. It’s nice to know that freedom of speech is a universal right for all people everywhere:
“
Latvia uses police to quash talk of economic collapse“
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0320/p06s01-wogn.html
7. “Ter·ror·ist (adjective): Anyone Who Disagrees with the Government
The Department of Homeland Security and police forces label anyone who they disagree with – or who disagrees with government policies – as “terrorists”.
Don’t believe me?
Well, according to a law school professor, pursuant to the Military Commissions Act, “Anyone who … speaks out against the government’s policies could be declared an ‘unlawful enemy combatant’ and imprisoned indefinitely. That includes American citizens.”
And according to an FBI memo, peace protesters are being labeled as “terrorists”. Indeed, police have been terrorizing children, little old ladies and other “dangerous” people who attempted to peacefully protest.
…
Now, the state of Missouri has labeled as terrorists current Congressman Ron Paul and his supporters, former Congressman Bob Barr, libertarians in general, anyone who holds gold, and a host of other people.
In other words, anyone who disagrees with the “acceptable” way of looking at things is a terrorist.“
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/03/terrorist-adjective-anyone-i-disagree.html
8. That’s really classy:
A.I.G. is effectively suing its majority owner, the government, which has an 80 percent stake …. The company is in effect asking for even more money, in the form of tax refunds. The suit also suggests that A.I.G. is spending taxpayer money to pursue its case….“
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/03/aig-sues-us-for-return-of-306-million.html
9. “George Galloway, a British member of Parliament, has been banned from Canada on security grounds, the country’s immigration service has confirmed.
Mr Galloway, a Respect Party MP, said the ban was “idiotic” and he would look at legal action to try to overturn it.“
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12823
10. “737 U.S. Military Bases = Global Empire
The total of America’s military bases in other people’s countries in 2005, according to official sources, was 737. Reflecting massive deployments to Iraq and the pursuit of President Bush’s strategy of preemptive war, the trend line for numbers of overseas bases continues to go up.
Interestingly enough, the thirty-eight large and medium-sized American facilities spread around the globe in 2005 – mostly air and naval bases for our bombers and fleets – almost exactly equals Britain’s thirty-six naval bases and army garrisons at its imperial zenith in 1898. The Roman Empire at its height in 117 AD required thirty-seven major bases to police its realm from Britannia to Egypt, from Hispania to Armenia. Perhaps the optimum number of major citadels and fortresses for an imperialist aspiring to dominate the world is somewhere between thirty-five and forty.“
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12824
11. “USA Has Two Options To Save its Economy:
Declare Default or Trigger War
Dmitry Abzalov believes that the current situation with the US national debt may end with a new war. The war will destroy excessive liquidity and the current debt.
“The war in Iraq began to delay the US crisis, which started brewing in the US economy at the end of 2000,” he said.
The Americans have been trying to raise their economy with the help of military actions for decades, since the Great Depression of the 1930s. A war boosts the nation’s industry, even if a recovery is based on defense orders.“
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22256.htm
12. ” Obama’s Moment is Passing Quickly
He should promptly demand Geithner’s and Summers’ resignations, and should also fire the CEO of AIG, Edward Liddy (as 80% owner of AIG, the US has the power to do that anytime). It would also be a good idea at the same time to fire the CEOs of all the leading banks that are at this point surviving on government bailouts.
This would allow Obama to correct the fundamental mistake he made during the transition period following the November election in installing a bunch of Clinton-era economic advisors and Bush holdovers to be his economic team.“
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22261.htm
13. Tell’em, Cindy!
“It is our shame that we as a nation complacently sit by and allow the audacity of the atrocities of empire to continue in our names.
Our demands must be the same with the Obama regime as it was with the Bush regime: Troops home completely and immediately. Leave cowardice and compromise to the politicians: we in the movement must never compromise or sell out the values of peace with justice. Or if we have already sold-out, we must buy-back…we need everyone!
Many have already given up or have been co-opted by the Democratic Party or the false specter of “hope.” Most have never even protested other than bitching on blogs or yelling at the TV when Bush or Cheney came on spewing their lies (Cheney is still at it).”
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22258.htm
