Home Search
Stephen Lendman - search results
If you're not happy with the results, please do another search
Video: Stephen Lendman: “1300 Palestinians Shot Already This Month By Fascist Racist Israel”.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vCpqdNtVTM&w=580&h=385]
Please Support The Show — http://richieallenshow.com/donate/ http://richieallenshow.com/ https://www.facebook.com/richieallenshow ...
Via Youtube
Stephen Lendman – Normandy Four in Paris
Stephen Lendman
RINF Alternative News
On Tuesday, Sergey Lavrov met with his French, German and Ukrainian counterparts in Paris.
It's part of Moscow's all-out effort for ceasefire...
Chavez: A Personal Tribute – Stephen Lendman
Obama may have ordered him killed. Very likely he did. Believe it. Chavez did. He had good reason to do so. He said it openly. Castro warned him. He explained how imperial Washington works.
Stephen Lendman: Making America Livable Again
Stephen Lendman |
September 17 marks Occupy Wall Street's first anniversary. Appropriate activities are planned. At issue are popular over money power rights.
They matter everywhere....
Lendman: Do not travel to Israel, ever
Stephen Lendman
(RINF) - Doing so could be nightmarish - especially for anyone wishing to visit Occupied Palestine. What French music students Philomene Constant and Bastien...
Lendman: Obama’s ‘War on Terror’
By Stephen Lendman
The language is softened and deceptive. The strategy and tactics are not. The "war on terror" continues. Promised change is talk, not...
Lendman: The Wages of Sin
By Stephen Lendman - RINF | “Reaping the whirlwind” for money manager and market strategist Jeremy Grantham in his latest no-nonsense commentary. Worlds different...
Despotic Saudi Regime Lobbies to Chair Human Rights Council
Despotic Saudi Regime Lobbies to Chair Human Rights Council
by Stephen Lendman
It's one of the world's most repressive states - a blight on humanity, a cancer in a part of the world known for despotic regimes.
Its human rights record is horrific by any standard. Fundamental rights don't exist.
State terror is official policy. Democracy is strictly prohibited. Torture and physical abuse are commonplace. So are public whippings, beheadings and hangings.
Due process and judicial fairness don't exist. Thousands of political prisoners languish in its gulag under deplorable conditions.
Abuse of power is extreme. So is massive corruption and lack of transparency. Inequality is institutionalized. Independent media don't exist. Nor do labor rights.
Islam is the state religion. No other is tolerated. All Saudis are required by law to be Muslims. Failure to comply is considered apostasy - a capital offense.
Capital punishment is standard practice for non-violent crimes - including adultery, armed robbery, drug smuggling, kidnapping, witchcraft, sorcery, and apostasy.
Absolute monarchal rule tolerates no criticism or opposition. It's despotic, lawless and brutal - a police state by any standard.
Riyadh is Washington's main Arab regional ally. One rogue state supports another.
The UN Human Rights Council includes 47 Member States. Many comprise a rogue's gallery of major human rights abusers - including Saudi Arabia, America, Algeria, Ethiopia, Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
Membership is apportioned regionally as follows:
African nations - 13 seats
Asia/Pacific: 13 seats
Latin America and Caribbean - 8 seats
Western Europe and other states - 7 seats
Eastern Europe - 6 seats.
Members serve for three years. They're not eligible for immediate reelection after serving two consecutive terms.
General Assembly Res. 60/251 (April 2006) states:
"(T)he Council shall be responsible for promoting universal respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind and in a fair and equal manner…"
"(T)he Council should address situations of violations of human rights, including gross and systematic violations, and make recommendations thereon..."
Most often HRC mocks what it's mandated to support. It functions as a US imperial tool - notably siding with Washington-backed takfiri terrorists waging war on sovereign Syria. Failing to condemn US-orchestrated/Saudi-led terror-bombing of Yemen.
Reports indicate Riyadh wants to chair the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). Its membership alone is a travesty of justice.
One human rights group called letting Riyadh head the HRC an "abomination, and cynical by a nation that beheads people in public squares."
It's like letting a serial killer become police chief or a pyromaniac being appointed fire commissioner.
Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom criticized Riyadh's human rights record - including its treatment of blogger Raif Badawi.
He was sentenced to 1,000 lashes, 10 years imprisonment and possible capital punishment - for freely expressing his views.
Wallstrom said "(o)ne must protest against what are (punitive) medieval methods."
Riyadh responded by refusing to issue business visas to Swedish nationals or renew current ones. It tolerates no criticism of its horrific practices - even from a high-ranking diplomat like Wallstrom.
In January she tweeted: Riyadh's "cruel attempt to silence modern forms of expression has to be stopped."
Independent human rights groups condemn Riyadh's record as one of the world's most egregious for good reason.
Human rights in the Kingdom don't exist. Saudi Arabia is included in HRC's Asian group. One of its member states is next in line for HRC's chairmanship.
Reports indicate Riyadh is lobbying intensively to get it. Washington is supportive. US pressure may get other Asian nations to back what demands rejection.
Rogue state HRC chairmanship would mock what it claims to stand for. Riyadh's membership alone lacks legitimacy.
Appointing it head of the human rights group would make the organization a laughing stock. Don't bet against it happening.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Senate Advances Anti-Consumer Trade Bill Fast Track Authority: Debates Shifts to House
Senate Advances Anti-Consumer Trade Bill Fast Track Authority: Debate Shifts to Houseby Stephen LendmanA major Tuesday consumer victory became defeat on Thursday in a stunning 48-hour turnaround by swing Democrats - at first against, now for fast track...
US Strategy: Bombing Yemen Back to the 19th Century
US Strategy: Bombing Yemen Back to the 19th Century
by Stephen Lendman
On March 26, US-orchestrated/Saudi-led terror-bombing began - supplemented by imported takfiri death squad attacks.
Civilians are prime targets. Obama is systematically destroying Yemen - the way Washington ravaged Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria.
US strategy is total dirty war without mercy - including deliberately targeting civilian neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, power facilities, refugee camps, food depositories, vital infrastructure and other nonmilitary targets.
Riyadh's so-called 5-day ceasefire (beginning Tuesday) continues being punctuated by terror-bombings and ground attacks.
According to Shiite News, Houthi Ansarullah Brig. General Sharaf Luqman warned against further violations. Saying they'll be met with strong "determination."
"We the armed forces, and the popular committees, and Ansarullah, announce our commitment to this ceasefire," Luqman stressed.
Minutes after it began, "acts of aggression after aggression" followed.
"Right now you (can hear) the anti-aircraft firing and the Saudi firing in the sky over the capital (Sanaa) and in all of the provinces," Luqman explained.
On Thursday, a Saudi helicopter gunship struck a truck in northern Yemen, killing nine people.
Riyadh, complicit with Washington, willfully breached ceasefire terms. Ansarullah fighters are blamed for their crimes.
In normal times, Yemenis endure enormous hardships. Now they're catastrophic.
On orders from Washington, Yemen is being terror-bombed to rubble. It's economy is being systematically destroyed.
The Middle East Eye (MEE) is a UK-based independent online news service. It calls its agenda "led by events, not political leanings."
It published a new report on Yemeni crisis conditions titled "Paint thinner and donkey carts: Resource scarcity in war-torn Yemen."
Saying Yemenis seek alternative ways to survive. They're "(u)sing phone lines to power lamps, paint-thinner to run motorbikes, and donkey carts" for transportation.
Power cuts, food and water shortages, as well as lack of fuel and medical supplies create horrific conditions.
Survival depends on improvising any way possible. "Majed al-Sharjabi, a 42-year-old doctor, had been using petrol to run a generator in his home until the coalition’s naval blockade, which prevents fuel ships from docking, sent petrol prices soaring," said MEE.
He switched to propane until its price tripled. He gave up his generator and bought a Chinese-made solar panel.
It's "not the best but it works for me," he said. "I can charge my computer and the cell phones of my neighbors."
"If it's a bright day, I can power the television for an hour and find out about how much of my country has been destroyed."
Nasri Abobaker uses a 1.5 volt battery to charge his phone. It cost $1. He built an adapter, he said. "Now I can power one lamp from it and it's free."
Ayman al-Dhobhani earns $9 a day transporting people around Sanaa. He can't afford fuel. He uses paint thinner instead.
In the last week, the price of 1.5 liters of paint thinner quadrupled - from $2 to $8.
Cooking gas is unavailable. Um Naif, a mother of three, uses cardboard and firewood - "foraged from trees and garbage around her house."
"Time has toughened us," she said. Life is hard for all Yemenis. Hani Bakhtan can't afford propane.
She uses an improvised stove metal bucket "crammed with sawdust and overlaid with clay." One bottle of sawdust cost $5 and lasts a week, she said.
Aid organizations use donkeys to distribute supplies. National center for freedoms and development manager Salah al-Homaidi said "(w)e're going back a century" - maybe two before Obama's aggression ends.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Ukraine’s Latest Big Lie
Ukraine's Latest Big Lie
by Stephen Lendman
Rogue states have no credibility whatever. Ukraine's regime is a US-installed Nazi-infested fascist police state. It's a serial lying machine.
US-anointed illegitimate oligarch president Poroshenko ludicrously claimed Russia has 11,000 troops in Ukraine - during an interview on German ZDF television.
"Today we can see that, despite the signed Minsk agreement, the number of Russian weapons and Russian troops on the occupied territory is increasing," he blustered.
Not a shred of evidence supports him. He complained about continued conflict in Donbass. He ignored his military's full responsibility complicit with Washington, systematically breaching Minsk ceasefire terms.
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded saying Russia "see(s) no need to repeat that such unfounded accusations without any specifics or any evidence, to put it mildly, do not contribute to anything positive here."
Repeated accusations of "Russian aggression" in Ukraine are baseless - some of the most outlandish propaganda in modern times exceeding anything during Cold War years.
A US-created state of war exists in Ukraine. On Thursday, NATO foreign ministers expressed their firm support for Kiev - ignoring its coup d'etat regime waging war on its own people.
They continued turning a blind eye to Moscow's all-out efforts for peaceful conflict resolution. They outrageously demand Russia "cease its (nonexistent) destabilization of eastern Ukraine."
US-installed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg regurgitates what Washington orders him to say.
He ignored ongoing Kiev low-level aggression in Donbass, including against residential neighborhoods.
He outrageous pointed fingers the wrong way claiming "an increase in ceasefire violations, primarily by the separatists, continued Russian support for them, and the continued obstruction of the work of OSCE monitor."
False on all counts - willful Big Lies in support of Washington's imperial project to crush democracy in Donbass, harden fascist rule, and use Ukraine as a pretext to bash Russia irresponsibly risking direct confrontation.
Stoltenberg expressed full NATO support for Kiev's Nazi-infested coup d'etat regime. "Our partnership is strong and getting stronger," he blustered.
On May 14, Ukrainian state-controlled media reported fugitive former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashviki head of Poroshenko's so-called International Advisory Council for Reforms to solidify repressive fascist rule more than already.
Saakashvili is a US neocon favorite. In Georgia, he's a wanted man. His assets were frozen by court order.
He faces corruption and other criminal charges. An international warrant was issued for his arrest. An Interpol Red Notice was served against him.
He'd been living comfortably in New York. In February, Poroshenko appointed him a non-staff advisor.
Despite a Ukraine/Georgia extradition agreement, he’s granted safe haven status in Kiev.
In August 2008, he was complicit with Washington in attacking South Ossetia. Russia was irresponsibly blamed for intervening to protect its own citizens - after hundreds were ruthlessly slaughtered.
A 2010 Independent Fact Finding Mission Report ruled Saakashvili responsible for naked aggression.
He's militantly anti-Russian. So is neocon US Senator John McCain. Poroshenko asked him to join Saakashvili and others on his so-called International Advisory Council - a cover initiative unrelated to responsible reform.
McCain said he's unsure whether Senate rule permit his involvement. They favor all anti-Russian initiatives - the more outlandish the better.
Stoltenberg said US-dominated NATO will send increasing numbers of so-called advisors to "strengthen Ukraine's ability to defend itself" - despite having no enemies except ones it invents.
Low-level dirty war against Donbass continues - to be revved up to full-scale at Obama's discretion. Rogue states operate this way. Washington and Kiev partner in high crimes against peace.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Obama Wants Extreme Yemeni Pain and Suffering Inflicted
Obama Wants Extreme Yemeni Pain and Suffering Inflictedby Stephen LendmanYemen is Obama's war. Saudis and other regional states are convenient US proxies - waging premeditated aggression against a sovereign independent state threatening no one.A previo...
US/Iranian Relations: Back to Square One?
US/Iranian Relations: Back to Square One?
by Stephen Lendman
US concerns about Iran's well-known peaceful nuclear program were always red herring cover for its real aim - regime change, replacing Iranian sovereignty with stooge governance Washington controls.
However P5+1 one talks conclude by around end of June, US business as usual remains unchanged.
Washington wants Iranian independence destroyed. Israel wants its main regional rival eliminated, ideally balkanized into impotent mini-states under Western control.
In an interview with Saudi Arabian owned and operated Al Arabiya News, Obama declared Iran a "state sponsor of terrorism" - months after National Intelligence director James Clapper said this designation no longer applied to Tehran.
In his annual report to the US Senate, he highlighted Iran's "intentions to dampen sectarianism, build responsive partners, and deescalate tensions with Saudi Arabia."
Obama reversed policy by outrageously claiming "Iran clearly engages in dangerous and destabilizing behavior in different countries across the region. Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism."
It "supports Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It aids the Houthi rebels in Yemen."
"So countries in the region are right to be deeply concerned about Iran’s activities, especially its support for violent proxies inside the borders of other nations."
"When it comes to Iran’s future, I cannot predict Iran’s internal dynamics. Within Iran, there are leaders and groups that for decades have defined themselves in opposition to both the United States and our regional partners."
"I'm not counting on any nuclear deal to change that."
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif blasted Obama's remarks saying "(t)he US has resorted to projecting blame on others in order to appease its regional allies."
Obama's "statements are merely a repetition of his previous unfounded accusations to appease his allies" - Israel, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.
"Our policies in the region are based on consolidating friendship and cooperation as well as conducting responsible acts to reinforce stability and guarantee regional security."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham responded to John Kerry claiming Iran seeks regional destabilization, saying:
"The allegations of certain US officials about what they call 'Iran's destabilizing acts in the region' are completely rejected."
"Instability in the region is rooted in the foreign interference in the region's affairs and this (foreign meddling) threatens security and stability and prevents deep cooperation and strong and constructive interaction based on mutual interests among the regional states."
Afkham blasted Washington hypocrisy - its double standard approach to terrorist groups, supporting the region's most extremist exponents.
On Wednesday, John Kerry lied saying "Iran needs to recognize that the United States is not going to stand by while the region is destabilized or while people engage in over warfare across lines - international boundaries - in other countries."
Iran is the region's leading proponent of peace, stability and mutual cooperation among all nations.
Fidel Castro’s Remarks on the 70th Anniversary of Russia’s Great Patriotic War Victory
Fidel Castro's Remarks on the 70th Anniversary of Russia's Great Patriotic War Victory
by Stephen Lendman
Fidel is a living legend - bigger than life, remarkable by any standard, a hero to Cubans and millions worldwide.
He recovered from serious illness that nearly took him. His inner strength and redoubtable spirit saved him. He's an inspiration to us all.
In August, he'll reach age 89. His intellect and spirit remain strong. The flesh isn't what it used to be - nor for most anyone after 80 years.
He still writes occasional articles and reflections - always with important thoughts to convey - this time on "Our right to be Maxist-Leninists."
His article was published the day before Russia's stunning V-Day commemoration - a glorious tribute to millions of heroes who saved their Motherland, Europe and beyond from the scourge of fascism.
It didn't die. It's resurgent in Europe's heartland. It's headquarters shifted from Berlin to Washington.
It threatens humanity's survival more than ever before. Perhaps Russia allied with China and other independent countries will save us - hopefully before America's war machine kills us all.
Castro called Lenin "a brilliant revolutionary strategist who did not hesitate in assuming the ideas of Marx and implementing them in an immense and only partly industrialized country, whose proletariat party became the most radical and courageous on the planet in the wake of the greatest slaughter that capitalism had caused in the world, where for the first time tanks, automatic weapons, aviation and poison gases made an appearance in wars, and even a legendary cannon capable of launching a heavy projectile more than 100 kilometers made its presence felt in the bloody conflict."
The war to end all wars spawned new ones - endless ones preventing peace and stability.
Castro quoted comments he made 23 years ago at a UN Conference on the Environment an Development, saying:
"An important biological species is in danger of disappearing given the rapid and progressive destruction of its natural life-sustaining conditions: man."
He didn't "know at that time, how close we were to this," he said - today closer than ever before.
Honoring Russia on the 70th anniversary of its Great Patriotic War victory, Castro "put on record (his) profound admiration for the heroic Soviet people, who provided humankind an enormous service."
Today he noted the "solid" Sino/Russian alliance - "both countries with their close cooperation, modern science and powerful armies and brave soldiers…"
They "constitute a powerful shield of world peace and security, so that the life of our species may be preserved."
"Physical and mental health, and the spirit of solidarity are norms which must prevail, or the future of humankind, as we know it, will be lost forever." Castro explained.
"The 27 million Soviets who died in the Great Patriotic War, also did so for humanity and the right to think and be socialists, to be Marxist-Leninists, communists, and leave the dark ages behind."
The scourge of US imperial lawlessness risks darker than ever dark times. Heroic figures like Castro are needed to save us.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Ukraine’s Poroshenko Wants Russians Interned in Prison Camps
Ukraine's Poroshenko Wants Russians Interned in Prison Camps
by Stephen Lendman
Ukraine is a US-installed Nazi-infested fascist police state - waging war on its own people.
Criticizing regime policy is strictly forbidden. Anyone opposing state policies is targeted for elimination - by imprisonment or cold-blooded murder.
Free and open media don't exist. Authorities want only their own views disseminated. Reporting hard truths on issues mattering most is criminalized.
Journalists are murdered for doing their job responsibly. Western governments support what demands condemnation. Western media ignore what demands headlines.
Kiev fascists operate extrajudicially. Poroshenko and supportive lunatics proposed "On legal regime of martial law" legislation.
It mandates extrajudicial concentration camp internment and/or "forced relocation of the citizens of a foreign country who threaten or undertake aggression towards Ukraine."
In January, Kiev's parliament declared Russia an "aggressor state." It called on UN authorities to disenfranchise Russia as a Member State. Some MPs wanted Poroshenko to declare war.
The measure urged the world community to designate the democratic Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics as "terrorist organizations."
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister/State Secretary Grigory Karasin called Kiev's action "absolutely irresponsible…a thoughtless act designed to impede advancement to much needed compromise in Ukraine."
Millions of Russian citizens residing in Ukraine are more at risk than any time since WW II.
On May 12, Poroshenko's measure passed - police state terror by any standard, ignored by Western leaders and media.
Besides authorizing internment of foreign nationals and/or forced relocation, it permits:
- extrajudicial confiscation of private property;
- mandates state control over mass media;
- prohibits anti-regime protests, demonstrations, rallies, marches or other public gatherings;
- bans opposition parties and media "acting against Ukraine's independence;" and
- requires forced labor for all working-aged Ukrainians not currently performing military service.
Martial law may follow at Poroshenko's discretion with parliamentary rubber-stamp approval.
Ukraine increasingly resembles Nazi Germany. Perhaps its own version of Hitler's Nuremberg laws may follow.
They institutionalized violence and solidified despotic rule. Enemies of the state included communists, Jews, trade unionists, social democrats, gypsies, homosexuals and anyone against Nazi governance.
Aryans alone were entitled to citizenship. Others were designated state subjects with no rights whatever.
Death camps followed. So did WW II. Does WW III loom?
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
US Defense Department’s Fabricated Chinese Threat
US Defense Department's Fabricated Chinese Threat
by Stephen Lendman
The whole world knows China threatens no other nation. Its foreign policy is polar opposite America's.
Like Russia, it deplores war. It promotes peace, stability and mutual cooperation among all nations.
It prioritizes economic growth and development. Its accomplishments over the past three and a half decades reflect one of the great success stories in modern times - enough to roil officials in Washington.
It's becoming the world's preeminent economic power by any measure. It's a powerhouse independent nation. Allied with Russia, it's a major deterrent to US global hegemony.
A new Defense Department report is titled "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2015."
It makes outlandish claims saying:
"The People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues to pursue a long-term, comprehensive military modernization program designed to improve its armed forces’ capacity to fight short-duration, high-intensity regional conflicts."
"Preparing for potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait remains the focus and primary driver of China’s military investment."
"China views modernization of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as essential to achieving great power status. (It stokes) regional tension…to advance its interests."
"(T)he United States will continue adapting its forces, posture, and operational concepts to maintain a stable and secure Asia-Pacific security environment."
Washington's so-called Asia pivot constitutes the most significant threat to regional peace and stability - especially allied with Japan's increasing militarism.
It reflects America's aim for dominance in a part of the world not its own. Containing, isolating and weakening China is official US policy by whatever options work best.
The DOD report criticized Beijing's South China Sea activities. It took issue with its right to construct artificial islands comprised of 2,000 acres in its own waters, among other issues raised.
On May 10, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying responded to Pentagon claims saying:
"The US report makes willful speculations and comments on China's military growth in defiance of the facts."
"By hyping up 'China's military threat and the lack of transparency in military strength," the report questions China's normal defense building and strategic intention,and makes inappropriate remarks on China's justified actions of safeguarding territorial sovereignty and security interests in the South China Sea."
"The Chinese side hereby voices strong opposition to this.
China unswervingly follows the path of peaceful development and a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, and remains a staunch force in maintaining peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific and the world."
"China's national defense building, a right China is entitled to as a sovereign state, is for the sole purpose of safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"It is hoped that the American side would abandon the cold-war mentality, view China's military development with objectiveness and reason instead of prejudices, stop issuing such kind of report or doing and saying anything that jeopardizes bilateral relations and military-to-military mutual trust, and make tangible moves to ensure the sound and steady development of state-to-state and military-to-military relations between China and the US."
The Pentagon report ignores America's global empire of bases in around 150 countries - with nuclear weapons targeting China, Russia, Iran and other nations menacingly.
It said nothing about multiple raging US direct and proxy wars - endless ones against invented enemies threatening no one.
It bears repeating. China prioritizes peace, stability, economic growth and development. It targets no other nation militarily.
Its defense budget is a small fraction of America's outsized one - much of it directed for war-making.
China remains at peace with all its neighbors. America is a global belligerent - waging endless wars of aggression for unchallenged dominion over planet earth and space.
It's heading for direct confrontation with Russia and China. It wants its major geopolitical rivals eliminated. It's risking potential nuclear war madness.
It's drawn Moscow and Beijing more strategically, economically, politically and militarily closer together.
Their deepening alliance is humanity's best defense against reckless US imperial adventurism - a monster threatening everyone.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Pentagon Document Confirms Israeli Nukes
Pentagon Document Confirms Israeli Nukes
by Stephen Lendman
Israel's open secret is well known. It's nuclear armed and dangerous.
It won't discuss or reveal its program publicly. It wants regional exclusivity to maintain and use its arsenal at its discretion.
Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion recruited Eastern European Jewish scientists to "increase (Israeli) capacity to kill masses," he said.
He was determined to have "non-conventional weapons" - notably nuclear ones to counter what he called the Arabs' numerical advantage.
His farewell address expressed confidence Israeli "science (would) provide us with the weapons that are needed to deter our enemies from waging war against us."
He and former prime minister/president Shimon Peres became Israel's driving forces behind developing and maintaining Israel's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
They date from the 1950s. Following Israel's 1967 Six Day War of aggression, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan ordered production of four to 12 nuclear bombs annually.
US presidents supported Israel's program. By the early 1970s, it had advanced nuclear technology.
Today it's believed it includes hundreds of powerful nuclear weapons and delivery capability able to hit distant targets accurately.
France, South Africa and America were directly involved in aiding Israel's program.
In the 1950s, Washington sent Israel a 5-megawatt highly enriched uranium research reactor as part of Eisenhower's so-called Atoms for Peace initiative.
It was provided to help it develop nuclear weapons. Israeli scientists were trained at US universities.
They had access to domestic weapons labs. Since the early 1970s, Washington gave Israel advanced technology - including supercomputers able to design sophisticated nuclear weapons and delivery systems.
In the mid-a1980s, Dimona nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu revealed dozens of top secret photos and documents on Israel's nuclear weapons program.
His courage cost him 18 years in prison - mostly in solitary confinement.
Israel’s thermonuclear weapons today can destroy entire cities.
In February, the Pentagon released a previously kept secret Institute for Defense Analysis report titled "Critical Technology Assessment in Israel and NATO Nations" dated April 1987.
Revealing what's been long known followed Institute for Research: Middle East Policy director Grant Smith's FOIA suit.
DOD's release is the first official US confirmation of Israel's nuclear weapons program.
US officials knew about it and helped develop it for decades - at least since the 1960s, maybe the 50s.
Western officials, Israeli ones, and media scoundrels obsess over Iran's peaceful nuclear program well known to have no military component.
At the same time, available information on Israel's nuclear weapons program is willfully suppressed.
US major media ignore it entirely. Discussing it is considered verboten - including US help developing it.
Israel is one of only a handful of nations refusing to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Washington ignores its own laws. The 1961 US Foreign Assistance Act prohibits aiding nations developing nuclear weapons.
Israel was secretly exempted. The newly released Pentagon report discusses its nuclear infrastructure.
It includes a vast array of facilities - "equivalent to (America's) Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore and Oak Ridge National Laboratories," the report said.
They're "an almost exact parallel of the capability currently existing at our National Laboratories," it explained.
It includes extensive R&D facilities, factories, private companies, and government research centers devoted to developing, upgrading, producing and maintaining Israel's nuclear arsenal.
Its SOREQ center "runs the full nuclear gamut of activities from engineering, administration and non-destructive testing for electro-optics, pulsed power, process engineering and chemistry and nuclear research and safety," the report said.
"This is the technology base required for nuclear weapons design and fabrication."
In 1987, it was known Israel "develop(ed) the kind of codes (needed) to make hydrogen bombs."
They "detail(ed) fission and fusion processes on a microscopic and macroscopic level."
Israeli nuclear weapons capability was well advanced in the 1980s. Imagine how sophisticated it is now - perhaps matching America's.
Israel was given or stole US technology for decades. Knowledge about it was systematically ignored or suppressed.
Political, economic, military and technological partnership between both countries is longstanding.
It includes America helping Israel develop sophisticated nuclear weapons able to incinerate the entire Middle East and beyond.
Maybe lunatics in both countries have that and more in mind.
US and Israeli Middle East wars are real time testing grounds for new weapons systems - including chemical, biological and radiological ones.
Partnership between both countries may kill us all.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Obama’s Duplicitous V-Day Remarks
Obama's Duplicitous V-Day Remarks
by Stephen Lendman
Obama and Vladimir Putin are geopolitical polar opposites. Russia's leader supports peace, stability and mutual cooperation among all countries.
He believes nation-state sovereignty is inviolable. He embraces UN Charter and other fundamental rule of law principles.
He opposes interfering in the internal affairs of other nations. He believes no country may attack another except in self-defense - and only if Security Council members authorize it as core international law stipulates.
Obama thrives on endless wars of aggression, violence and instability. He claims a divine right to intervene against other nations at his discretion - politically, economically and militarily.
He believes war is peace. He calls wars of aggression liberating ones. His notion of humanitarian intervention is genocidal slaughter and destruction - against one nation after another.
He flagrantly breaches Nuremberg Principles defining crimes against peace to include:
"(i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances; (and)
(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i)."
He targets all sovereign independent countries for regime change. He wants US-controlled puppet leadership replacing them.
He wants unchallenged dominion over planet earth. He wants its resources plundered for profit, its people ruthlessly exploited.
Endless US wars of aggression rage. One country after another is systematically raped.
Fundamental freedoms are targeted for elimination. New World Order priorities matter most.
On May 9, in his weekly remarks, Obama discussed V-Day's 70th anniversary.
His comments addressed America's European war effort alone - creating the illusion that US forces defeated Nazi Germany almost singlehandedly.
No nation contributed more with greater sacrifice than Soviet Russia. Without its heroic efforts, Hitler might have won.
Obama ignored its contribution entirely. His "tribute to all who served" included only US "soldiers, sailors, marines, coast guard, (and) merchant marines (who) risked their lives, and gave their lives so that we, the people the world over, could live free."
"This was the (US) generation that literally saved the world - that ended the war and laid the foundation for peace."
He urged "rededicating ourselves to the freedoms for which they fought" - ones he's systematically gone all-out to destroy at home and abroad.
"Let's make sure that we keep striving to fulfill our founding ideals," he said.
America was always run by its rich, well-born and privileged. It's democracy is fake. It exists in name only. Ordinary people have no say whatever.
Elections when held are farcical - meaningless exercises in illusion. Half or more of the electorate opting out shows popular rejection of rule of, by and for monied interests only.
They run things. Duopoly power serves them. Washington's criminal class is bipartisan. Popular needs and concerns are increasingly ignored. They're disappearing in plain sight.
"Let’s stand united with our allies, in Europe and beyond, on behalf of our common values - freedom, security, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law around the world - and against bigotry and hatred in all their forms so that we give meaning to that pledge: 'Never forget. Never again,' " Obama blustered.
Fact: Neocon lunatics run the Washington asylum.
Fact: State terrorism is official policy. So is carving up whole continents for profit.
Fact: America's only enemies are ones it invents.
Fact: No nation in world history harmed more people over a longer duration than America.
Fact: None more duplicitously breach core democratic principles it claims to support.
Fact: None wage more endless wars of aggression against nations threatening no others.
Fact: None support more despotic regimes for its own self-interest.
Fact: None have greater imperial aims - destructive ones violating core international laws, norms and standards.
Fact: None more threaten world peace, security and stability.
Fact: None more leave humanity's survival up for grabs.
Fact: Nothing matters more than stopping this monster before it kills everyone.
Putin is geopolitically opposite. He's not revanchist. He has no territorial aims.
He doesn't threaten his neighbors. He supports multi-world polarity. He deplores war. He champions peace.
He wants all conflicts resolved diplomatically. He justifiably opposes America's hegemonic ambitions. He knows we must find a way to end wars or they'll end us.
His forthright Saturday Moscow Red Square V-Day address contrasted markedly with Obama's duplicity.
He "pa(id) tribute to all those (from dozens of countries) who fought" to defeat the scourge of fascism.
"Many European nations were enslaved and occupied," he explained. "The Soviet Union bore the brunt of" Hitler's aggression.
Its heroic efforts contributed most by far to his defeat. "Veterans of the Great Patriotic War…should know…we highly value their fortitude, courage and dedication to frontline brotherhood."
Putin notably "pa(id) tribute to our allies in the anti-Hitler coalition. We are grateful to the peoples of Great Britain, France and the United States of America for the contribution to the Victory," he said.
He explained how "basic principles of international cooperation have come to be increasingly ignored."
He stressed the importance of multi-world polarity. He warned about "strong-arm block thinking gaining momentum."
He stressed the urgency of "creati(ng) a system of equal security for all states…Only then will we be able to ensure peace and tranquility on the planet."
He welcomed around 30 foreign leaders, other dignitaries and numerous guests from abroad who participated in Saturday's momentous commemoration.
Obama, US officials and rogue Western counterparts were noticeable by their absence.
China's Xi Jinping stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Putin. Its military forces for the first time marched with their Russian counterparts in the ceremonial parade. Its ships joined Russia's Black Sea Fleet offshore.
China's participation highlights deepening Sino/Russian ties. Both leaders adopted a joint declaration on strengthening strategically important/mutually beneficial relations.
A separate joint declaration involves cooperating on Eurasian Economic Union and Silk Road Economic Belt development.
Important bilateral economic, financial, business and security agreement documents were signed.
Current, past, and certain future ones signify increasing Sino/Russian ties benefitting both nations enormously.
Together they're a powerful political, economic and military alliance against destructive US hegemonic ambitions - a union for peace and stability v. America's war machine.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Ukraine Commemorates V-Day by Waging War and Honoring Nazi Criminals
Ukraine Commemorates V-Day by Waging War and Honoring Nazi Criminalsby Stephen LendmanUS-installed Ukrainian fascists commemorated Poroshenko's established victory in Europe Day of Remembrance by vowing to "destroy Moscow," free its people, and let the...
Omar Khadr: Free at Last?
Omar Khadr: Free at Last?
by Stephen Lendman
Khadr is a Canadian citizen - one of America's youngest wrongfully charged war on terror victims at the time of his illegal arrest and detention.
On July 27, 2002, US forces abducted him in Ayub Kheyl, Afghanistan. He was caught in a gun fight, shot twice in the chest and blinded in one eye.
At age 15, he was lawlessly detained, interrogated and brutally tortured at US Bagram and Guantanamo torture gulags.
He was tried before a US military commission the Supreme Court ruled lacks "the power to proceed because (its) structures and procedures violate both the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the four Geneva Conventions (Hamdan v. Rumsfeld June 2006).
Congress circumvented the High Court ruling by passing the Military Commissions Act (October 2006). It grants extraordinary unconstitutional rights.
It violates core international humanitarian laws. Guantanamo and other US torture prison detainees have no rights whatever.
Guilt by accusation is automatic. Police states operate this way. None match America's global viciousness.
Khadr was charged with being an unlawful enemy combatant (now called an unprivileged enemy belligerent). Either term is a long-defunct WW II designation superseded by the four Geneva Conventions.
Khadr was coerced to admit crimes he never committed. At the time, former Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) President Michael Ratner called his admission:
"...a 'show plea.' He pleaded guilty to crimes he was never charged with and crimes about which there was almost no evidence, except a confession made under torture including threats of gang rape."
"So why did he do it?" He faced life in prison "even without a trial. He was being tried in a military commission, not a real court."
He had no right of appeal. He was denied judicial fairness. "Under these circumstances his conviction was almost guaranteed."
"The Obama administration is trying to" do the impossible. It wants to "save face. (Khadr) was the first trial of a child soldier by a Western power since World War II."
"Charges and trials of juveniles are utterly illegal. Top that off with torture" coerced confessions. Obama operates as ruthlessly as Bush.
Imagine making a young child look like "a really bad guy and guilty."
"The Khadr case is one of the most disgusting chapters in a post-9/11 detention system that should have long ago been relegated to a trash bin."
He was charged with "material support for terrorism." At the time of his arrest, no such crime existed.
CCR said "civilians like Omar Khadr who engage in hostilities (whether in self-defense or otherwise) do not violate the laws of war merely because they lack the combat immunity of a soldier."
Khadr was Obama's first military commission trial - a kangaroo court by any standard, deeply flawed with no legitimacy.
Military commissions deny due process and judicial fairness. They're tribunals established to convict.
Khadr was born in Toronto. He was an innocent boy when abducted. He was living with his family in Afghanistan.
He was wrongfully accused of killing a US soldier. A later leaked Defense Department Criminal Investigation Task Force report revealed his innocence.
The soldier's death was by friendly fire. Khadr had nothing to do with it.
It didn't matter. He was horrifically mistreated - 13 years in gulag confinement, often in solitary confinement.
On September 26, 2012, he was repatriated to Canada - placed in maximum security confinement.
Instead of freeing him at the time, the fascist Harper regime continued his brutalizing treatment - complicit with Washington in gross violation of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms and fundamental international law.
Despite all he endured, he somehow retained his dignity and positive outlook. He yearned only for a normal, productive life. In a December 2012 letter to a friend he wrote:
"The light of goodness outshines shadows that might be. There are too many good things in this life (as hard as it might be) to worry or even care about the bad things."
"Things are what we make out of them. Prison can be a deprivation of freedom, or a time to enlighten ourselves. For me it is the latter."
On May 7, Canadian Court of Appeal Judge Myra Beilby said "Mr. Khadr, you're free to go" - despite Ottawa's emergency request to keep him imprisoned.
In April, a lower Alberta court granted him release on bail while his appeals process continues - under strict conditions.
His lawyer Dennis Edney and wife offered him residence in their home. A required ankle monitor tracks his movements. A 10PM - 7AM curfew was imposed. He has limited Internet access only.
He has restricted communication with his family in Ontario - supervised and only in English.
Ottawa continues contesting his release on bail. He faces more court proceedings in September, as well as a US review of his case.
He's suing Harper's government for $50 million - claiming violation of his fundamental rights, including complicity with US torture and denying him rights of a child under international law.
He wants a "fresh start," he said. "There are too many good things in life that I want to experience."
He wants to finish his education and work in healthcare. "I have a lot of basic skills I need to learn," he said.
He's now aged 28. "This is (his) first time out in society since the age of 15," Edney explained.
"I’m delighted. It’s taken too many years to get to this point. We were the only Western country that didn’t request one of its detainees come home. We left a Canadian child in Guantanamo Bay to suffer torture."
For now he's released on bail. It remains for Canada's judicial system and America's to decide if he'll remain free.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Palestinian Authority Hypocrisy
Palestinian Authority Hypocrisyby Stephen LendmanOn May 7, Netanyahu announced the most lunatic fringe coalition regime in Israel's history. It includes racist hate-mongers, over-the-top fascists and religious fundamentalist zealots - an incendiar...
Washington and Saudis Plan Escalated Aggression on Yemen
Washington and Saudis Plan Escalated Aggression on Yemen
by Stephen Lendman
On Thursday, John Kerry met with Saudi officials in Riyadh. They planned escalated aggression on Yemen harming defenseless civilians most.
A so-called proposed 5-day humanitarian ceasefire is phony. Terror-bombing continues. US/Saudi enforced blockade prevents enough essentials to life from entering Yemen.
Suggesting a limited pause in fighting is willful deception. Washington wants all-out terror war against 25 million Yemenis.
It wants control regained over its former client state - no matter how much mass slaughter and destruction it takes to achieve it.
It bears repeating what other articles stressed. Yemen is Obama's war - using Saudis and other regional rogue states as US proxies.
Six weeks of terror-bombing achieved nothing strategically. Nor have thousands of imported takfiri terrorists been able to challenge Houthi rebels effectively.
Is large-scale invasion planned? Launching one assures a far greater bloodbath than already.
On Wednesday, Yemeni UN envoy Khaled Alyemany representing the illegitimate (US-installed) ousted government called for intervention by foreign ground forces.
Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin called invading Yemen "reckless - an escalation of the situation."
"What we need is a speedy resumption of negotiations under the mediation of the United Nations," he stressed.
Otherwise, expect endless conflict, far more deaths, destruction and mass displacement, as well as greater humanitarian crisis conditions than already.
On Thursday, UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen Johannes van der Klaauw called for an immediate halt to fighting, saying:
"Civilians were reportedly targeted while they were trying to flee to safer areas, having been trapped in Aden with limited or no access to water, food and health care for weeks."
"People in Aden have endured extreme hardship as a result of conflict over the last six weeks and must be able to move to safer areas to seek medical and other assistance."
"Violence towards civilians and aid workers, and attacks on hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, must stop immediately."
On May 7, Yemeni doctors and other medical workers demonstrated in front of Sanaa's UN office. A doctor attending the rally said:
"We have come here…to call for the UN Secretary-General to put an end to this genocide war against the Yemenis. Many patients die at the hospitals because of" no fuel or medical supplies.
Thousands have died, mostly noncombatant civilians either in harm's way or deliberately targeted.
Thousands more were injured, many maimed for life. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced - desperate people in harm's way wherever they go.
Continued Saudi terror-bombing and proxy takfiri terrorist attacks assure it.
Riyadh's military spokesman Brig. General Ahmed al-Assiri responded to Houthi and tribal fighters' cross-border attacks in retaliation against Saudi terror-bombing, ludicrously saying:
"The Houthi militias have crossed red lines and they will be dealt with differently now. (They'll) pay a harsh and expensive price."
"The formula has changed after Saudi towns and civilians" were shelled.
AP said Houthis and allied forces consolidated control over most of Aden while Kerry was in Riyadh. The previous day they "overwhelmed" Tawahi's downtown district and an area presidential palace.
Reuters reported Riyadh's vow to hit Houthis hard despite a 5-day ceasefire offer. Asseri declined to say if ground invasion is coming. All options are open, he stressed.
In a letter to UN officials, Houthis called for international action against Saudi-led aggression.
Senior Houthi official Tawfiq al-Himyary denounced Riyadh's phony ceasefire offer - calling it "cover" for its failures.
"Saudi Arabia feels it is in trouble after more than 40 days of aggression," Himyary said. "It did not reach its stated goals, but killed and displaced thousands of civilians."
"Saudi Arabia has no right to attack the Yemenis or even to give them any kind of truce. There is no trust in this regime at all."
In April, it lied claiming an end to terror-bombing - replacing it with diplomatic efforts to resolve things.
Dirty war without mercy continued - at times more intensively than earlier. Comments from Riyadh lack credibility.
Rogue regimes operate by their own rules. Ruthlessness defines them - horrific war crimes by any standard.
Expect endless conflict to continue. Yemen is being systematically raped. It's becoming one of history's great crimes.
Obama bears full responsibility. Saudis and other rogue regional partners share it. Millions of Yemenis suffer largely out of sight and mind.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
George Galloway Defeated in UK General Election
George Galloway Defeated in UK General Election
by Stephen Lendman
Parliamentarian, writer, broadcaster, anti-war activist, human rights supporter, Israeli critic, and champion of Palestinian rights among other credentials Respect Party member Galloway was defeated in Thursday's general election.
He lost his Bradford West constituency decisively to New Labour's Naz Shah - 19,977 to 8,557. Down but not out, he commented, saying:
I don't begrudge the Labour members here their moment of celebration, of course."
"But there will be others who are already celebrating: the venal, the vile, the racists and the Zionists will all be celebrating."
"The hyena can bounce on the lion’s grave but it can never be a lion and in any case, I’m not in my grave. As a matter of fact I’m going off now to plan the next campaign."
"Bradford West will always have a central place in my heart," he explained.
Shah thanked all her opponents in her victory speech "with the exception of one," she said - leaving no doubt who she meant.
She outrageously claimed Galloway "demean(ed) our democracy" while campaigning. He blasted Torries and New Labour for continuing business as usual.
Millions of Brits are suffering. Corrupt politicians don't care. Food banks are proliferating, Galloway explained. "Can you imagine what the country will look like by 2020 if these barbarians are returned" to power, he stressed.
Social justice is fast disappearing. Neoliberal harshness is official UK policy. So is partnering with Washington's endless wars.
Galloway demands better. He was a marked man for championing what power brokers oppose.
Campaigning was rough and tumble. A Galloway spokesman denied his tactics were out of line.
"Shah has made it personal from the beginning," he said. "She hasn't told the truth, and she's told untruths about George."
It didn't affect his core supporters, reports indicated. They were out in force. It wasn't enough.
In 2012, Galloway defeated New Labour's Imran Hussein overwhelmingly. This time was different.
In late April, Galloway said he'll run for mayor of London if his reelection campaign fails. He told Sky News:
"I won't run for London mayor if I am reelected on 7 May. If I am not reelected, I will run" in May 2016.
He ruled out running as a sitting MP - suggesting it would be impossible to represent his constituents properly. A spokesman had no further comment.
Galloway remains one of politics most charismatic figures. Supporters and critics alike agree few can arouse a crowd the way he does.
It was an honor for this writer to be on air once with him as a guest. We had a rousing discussion not heard on major Western media outlets.
Hard truths on issues mattering most are strictly verboten. Galloway features them on air and in parliament. Maybe as mayor of London next year.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Appeals Court Strikes Down Bulk NSA Phone Spying
Appeals Court Strikes Down Bulk NSA Phone Spying
by Stephen Lendman
On June 11, 2013, the ACLU challenged "the constitutionality of the National Security Agency's mass collection of Americans' phone records (ACLU v. Clapper)."
It argued that doing so violates Fourth and First Amendment rights, saying:
"Because the NSA's aggregation of metadata constitutes an invasion of privacy and an unreasonable search, it is unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment."
"The call-tracking program also violates the First Amendment, because it vacuums up sensitive information about associational and expressive activity."
NSA claims authorization under the Patriot Act's Section 215 - the so-called "business records" provision.
It permits warrantless searches without probable cause. It violates fundamental First Amendment rights. It does so by mandating secrecy.
It prohibits targeted subjects from telling others what's happening to them. It compromises free expression, assembly and association.
It authorizes the FBI to investigate anyone based on what they say, write, or do with regard to groups they belong to or associate with.
It violates Fourth and Fifth Amendment protections by not telling targeted subjects their privacy was compromised.
It subverts fundamental freedoms for contrived, exaggerated, or nonexistent security reasons.
At the time of its suit, the ACLU said "(w)hatever Section 215's 'relevance' requirement might allow, it does not permit the government to cast a seven-year dragnet sweeping up every phone call made or received by Americans."
The 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorized surveillance relating to "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign powers" and "agents of foreign powers."
It restricts spying on US citizens and residents to those engaged in espionage in America and territory under US control.
No longer. Today anything goes. America is a total surveillance society. Obama officials claim no authority can challenge them. Governing this way is called tyranny.
The US Second Circuit Court of Appeals agreed. It held Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act doesn't permit bulk collection of Americans' phone records. A three-judge panel ruled unanimously - overturning a lower court decision.
The Obama administration argued that the ACLU lacked "standing" to challenge NSA surveillance practices, and Congress "precluded" judicial review except by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court most often only hearing government arguments.
The appeals court rejected this reasoning, saying:
"If the government is correct, it could use Section 215 to collect and store in bulk any other existing metadata available anywhere in the private sector, including metadata associated with financial records, medical records, and electronic communications (including e‐mail and social media information) relating to all Americans."
"Such expansive development of government repositories of formerly private records would be an unprecedented contraction of the privacy expectations of all Americans."
ACLU staff attorney Alex Abdo called the ruling "a resounding victory for the rule of law."
"For years, the government secretly spied on millions of innocent Americans based on a shockingly broad interpretation of its authority."
"The court rightly rejected the government’s theory that it may stockpile information on all of us in case that information proves useful in the future."
"Mass surveillance does not make us any safer, and it is fundamentally incompatible with the privacy necessary in a free society."
ACLU deputy legal director/lead counsel in the case Jameel Jaffer explained:
"This ruling focuses on the phone-records program, but it has far broader significance, because the same defective legal theory that underlies this program underlies many of the government’s other mass-surveillance programs."
"The ruling warrants a reconsideration of all of those programs, and it underscores once again the need for truly systemic reform."
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) executive director Cindy Cohn called the ruling "a great and welcome decision and ought to make Congress pause to consider whether the small changes contained in the USA Freedom Act are enough."
''The 2nd Circuit rejected on multiple grounds the government's radical reinterpretation of Section 215 that underpinned its secret shift to mass seizure and search of Americans' telephone records.''
“While the court did not reach the constitutional issues, it certainly noted the serious problems with blindly embracing the third-party doctrine - the claim that you lose all constitutional privacy protections whenever a third-party, like your phone company, has sensitive information about your actions."
EFF's legislative analyst Mark Jaycox added:
"Now that a court of appeal has rejected the government's arguments supporting its secret shift to mass surveillance, we look forward to other courts - including the Ninth Circuit in EFF's Smith v. Obama case - rejecting mass surveillance as well."
"With the deadline to reauthorize section 215 looming, we also call on Congress to both expressly adopt the interpretation of the law given by the court and to take further steps to rein in the NSA and reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court."
One court victory doesn't mean overall triumph. The right-wing Supreme Court may have final say - or Congress able to legislatively circumvent High Court or other judicial rulings with no administration opposition by either party.
US governance serves powerful entrenched interests at the expense of popular ones. It's fundamentally anti-democratic, anti-freedom.
Odds strongly favor no change in business as usual. Sacrificing precious liberties for greater security assures losing both.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
UK Elections: Business As Usual Triumphs
UK Elections: Business as Usual Triumphs
by Stephen Lendman
May 7 general elections approach. Britain is like America. It's all over before polls open. Monied interests win every time.
Ordinary people lose out more than ever in modern memory. It shows in opinion polls.
Only 16% of voters trust politicians. Why anyone besides well-off Brits do they'll have to explain.
It doesn't matter who wins on Thursday. Torries and New Labour are even in polls. They're like Republicans and Democrats in America - two sides of the same coin, not a dime's worth of difference between them.
Neither major party is expected to win a majority. Expect coalition government with smaller parties to follow. They largely support the same regressive policies.
All politicians lie. Nothing they say can be believed. New Labour leader Ed Miliband maintained the standard saying Britain's "clear choice on Thursday (is) between a Labour government that will put working people first or a Tory government that will only ever work for the privileged few."
Britain's "clear choice" is none at all. Monied interests run things. Bankers top the pecking order.
Politicians come and go. One major party or the other wins. Things stay the same.
Neoliberal harshness, financialization, weak unions, offshoring manufacturing, privatizing state enterprises, deregulation, and disappearing social justice characterize Britain's economy.
London's Guardian warned of a "hit list of (more) welfare cuts" coming.
Voltaire once explained British society saying its people "are like their own beer; froth on top, dregs at bottom, the middle excellent."
Today's froth never had it better. Poor Brits are enduring their hardest times since post-WW II recovery.
Middle class society is fast disappearing - like in America. Britain's weekly Spectator magazine says it's "shrinking and sinking."
"The lifestyle that the average earner had half a century ago - reasonably sized house, dependable healthcare, a decent education for the children and a reliable pension - is becoming the preserve of the rich."
"Middle-class pensioners look on amazed at how their children, now into adulthood, seem to have a far harder time."
Rich elites run things more than ever. They doubled their wealth since 2009. The average worker earns less when adjusted for inflation and wage cuts.
Former Bank of England governor Mervyn King said middle class society is enduring the longest squeeze in living memory. Rich folks never had it better.
London is unaffordable to live in. House prices average over $750,000. The average wage is less than $50,000.
In January, thousands participated in a March for Homes rally. They demanded solutions to unaffordable housing prices - worsening as they escalate.
They carried banners saying "People before profit." Build council homes (reasonably priced ones for working class people)." "Take the wealth of the 1%."
Rents surged an average 13% annually since 2010. So have repossessions and evictions. Britain increasingly is unfit to live in - just like America.
New Labour claiming "Britain can be better" rings hollow for millions enduring increasing hardships.
They're "all the same," growing numbers of voters say about a system increasingly ignoring their needs.
They promise one thing. They do another. Serving monied interests and allying with Washington's war machine matter most.
Respect Party Bradford West MP George Galloway is running for reelection. He calls himself "your traditional, much-loved black cab."
"You don't know what you've got until it's gone. There are not a lot of us black cabs around any more."
His constituency is one of Britain's poorest. It's struggling to reinvent itself. Despite his best best efforts, he's up against a corrupted, uncaring system.
He's one of 650 House of Commons members. "Recovery, what recovery," he asks?
"We keep hearing that the economic recovery is better in Britain than in any other European country."
"Well it may be in London and the Home Counties, but it certainly isn't here" and most other places in Britain.
Millions are suffering. Food banks are proliferating, Galloway explained. "Can you imagine what the country will look like by 2020 if these barbarians are returned" to power, he stressed.
"We need investment in jobs and infrastructure…But it won't come under the Tories or this miserable local Labour administration." Or New Labour if it bests the Torries nationwide.
Social justice is fast disappearing. Force-fed austerity is official UK policy.
So is growing wealth inequality. It's risen four times faster since 2008 compared to the seven preceding years.
It bears repeating. Britain is like America - governed of, by and for its privileged elites alone.
It's corrupt, fundamentally unfair and ruthlessly anti-democratic. Young people have no futures.
An entire generation is lost. Social welfare cuts hits Britain's most disadvantaged hardest.
Inequality is booming. Politicians able to make a difference don't care. Increasing amounts of public wealth in private hands is a slippery slope to third world status.
Margaret Thatcher escalated inequality. She oversaw one of the greatest ever transfers of wealth to British society's most well-off.
David Cameron is worse. New Labour's Ed Miliband is no better. Robbing poor Peter to pay rich Paul is official bipartisan policy.
It's endorsed by Liberal Democrats, Britain's third ranked party. It's neither liberal nor democratic. It's hard right like the rest.
On Thursday, voting options are death by hanging or firing squad. Ballot choices exclude government serving everyone equitably.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Israel: Serial Terror-Bomber
Israel: Serial Terror-BomberBy Stephen LendmanIsrael operates like America, other rogue NATO members and Saudi Arabia. It claims a divine right to terror-bomb other nations, groups and individuals at its discretion.It calls naked aggression "self-defen...
Israeli Soldiers Break the Silence on Gaza War
Israeli Soldiers Break the Silence on Gaza War
by Stephen Lendman
"Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran combatants who have served in the Israeli military since the start of the Second Intifada and have taken it upon themselves to expose the Israeli public to the reality of everyday life in the Occupied Territories."
They recount disturbing experiences Israel wants suppressed - horrific crimes of war and against humanity including mass murdering civilians "excused as military necessities, or explained as extreme and unique cases."
Truth is polar opposite. Israel operates lawlessly. Killing, persecuting, ill-treating or otherwise harming Palestinians is longstanding practice.
No Israeli commander or government official was ever prosecuted for horrific high crimes demanding accountability.
Make no mistake. Israel's 2014 Operation Protective Edge was well-planned premeditated naked aggression against 1.8 million largely defenseless Palestinians trapped under lawless siege.
For Israel's powerful military, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. It was cold-blooded mass murder and destruction - mostly harming noncombatant men, women, children, infants and the elderly.
Israel considers them legitimate targets. International law calls killing them a high crime against peace.
Dozens of Israeli soldiers involved in last summer's war broke the silence on war crimes they were ordered to commit. More on what they said below.
The Breaking the Silence web site said testimonies were collected from over 60 IDF officers and rank-and-file soldiers involved in aggressive war on Gaza.
They served in ground, naval and air operations. Their testimonies were carefully vetted for veracity.
Their comments based on direct involvement exposed government and IDF command Big Lies.
Rules of engagement made Gaza a free-fire zone. Commanders ordered troops "to fire at every person they identified in a combat zone" - meaning anyone, anywhere in Gaza, including civilian neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, UN shelters, and other nonmilitary targets.
Everyone in sight was considered an enemy, including small children too young to understand what was happening.
A May 3 press release headlined "This is How We Fought in Gaza 2014.
Saying released testimonies "paint a disturbing picture of the IDF’s policy of indiscriminate fire, which directly resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent Palestinian civilians."
"The testimonies collected by Breaking the Silence paint a troubling picture of" official Israeli policy.
Soldiers were told to "shoot to kill" anyone in sight. They were deliberately lied to about areas supposedly cleared of civilians where entire families remained.
"Throughout the Operation, the IDF fired thousands of imprecise artillery shells into residential neighborhoods."
Soldiers were ordered to carry out "mass destruction of civilian infrastructure and homes."
"Many residential homes were shelled, from the ground and from the air, in order to 'demonstrate presence in the area,' or even as an act of punishment."
Breaking the Silence director Yuli Novak said the following:
"From the testimonies given by the officers and soldiers, a troubling picture arises of a policy of indiscriminate fire that led to the deaths of innocent civilians."
"We learn from the testimonies that there is a broad ethical failure in the IDF’s rules of engagement, and that this failure comes from the top of the chain of command, and is not merely the result of 'rotten apples.' "
"As officers and soldiers, we know that internal military investigations scapegoat simple soldiers rather than focusing on policy."
"The public must know what missions its sons are being sent to carry out, and according to which norms the IDF acts in its name."
"We call for the establishment of an investigative committee external to the IDF, which will investigate the policy behind the rules of engagement given during 'Protective Edge,' and the norms and values that stand at the base of this policy."
Soldier testimonies best explain Israel's lawless contempt for Palestinian lives and welfare.
An armored corps first sergeant said in part:
"(B)efore entering Gaza, the commander…said '(w)e do not take risks. We do not spare ammo (including in civilian neighborhoods). We unload. We use as much as possible.' "
A Givati Brigade lieutenant said:
"The motto guiding lots of people was: 'Let’s show them.' It was evident that that was a starting point."
"Lots of guys who did their reserve duty with me don’t have much pity towards (Arabs). The only thing that drives them is to look after their soldiers, and the mission. They are driven towards an IDF victory, at any price. And they sleep just fine at night."
"They are totally at peace with that. These aren’t people who spend their days looking for things to kill. By no means. But they aren’t afraid to kill, either."
"They don’t see it as something bad. The power-trip element is also at play, it’s all kinds of things."
"I think that a lot can be learned from Operation Protective Edge about the issue of dealing with civilians, and how that works."
"There were a lot of people there who really hate Arabs. Really, really hate Arabs. You could see the hate in their eyes."
A Gaza division lieutenant said in part:
"You could feel there was a radicalisation in the way the whole thing was conducted. The discourse was extremely right-wing."
"The military obviously has very clear enemies - the Arabs, Hamas."
"The discourse is racist. The discourse is nationalistic. The discourse is anti-leftist. It was an atmosphere that really, really scared me."
An infantry soldier said:
"The rules of engagement for soldiers advancing on the ground were: open fire, open fire everywhere, first thing when you go in."
"The assumption being that the moment we went (into Gaza), anyone who dared poke his head out was a terrorist."
A mechanized infantry first sergeant said:
"The rules of engagement are pretty identical: anything inside (Gaza) is a threat. The area has to be ‘sterilised,’ empty of people…"
"Shooting to kill. This is combat in an urban area, we’re in a war zone. The saying was: ‘There’s no such thing there as a person who is uninvolved.’ In that situation, anyone there is involved."
An armored corps first sergeant said:
"During training (they told us) we only enter houses 'wet,' with grenades, and the more of them the better - and (grenade) launchers if you can use them."
"You’re going to ‘open’ a house? Don’t take any chances, use your grenade launcher, utilise every effective tool you’ve got."
"Aim, fire and only then go in. You don’t know if there is or isn’t someone in there. Go in ‘wet’ with grenades, with live fire. These were the orders for entering houses."
An infantry first sergeant said:
Orders were "(i)f you spot someone, shoot. Whether it posed a threat or not wasn't a question…If you shoot someone in Gaza it's cool, no big deal."
Commanders "made it clear that there were no uninvolved civilians."
Another first sergeant said "whoever you see (in Gaza), you kill." Asked who gave the order, he said the commander.
Soldiers spoke of "sterilizing" an area - killing everyone in sight. Just open fire, they were told.
Official Israeli policy was kill everyone. All Gazans are considered enemies. Law Professor Phillipe Sands called soldier testimonies "troubling insights into (Israeli) intention and method."
"(T)hey cannot be ignored or brushed aside, coming as they do from individuals with firsthand experience. The rule of law requires proper investigation and inquiry."
Top Israeli government and military officials claiming they took proper care to safeguard civilian lives were lying.
Official Israeli policy considers noncombatant civilians legitimate targets - including women and young children.
Everyone in Gaza is considered a terrorist. The Big Lie is drummed into the minds of recruits - brainwashing them to believe mass murder is the right thing to do.
According to Israeli human rights lawyer/Breaking the Silence advisor Michael Sfard:
"One of the main threads in the testimonies is the presumption that despite the fact that the battle was being waged in urban area - and one of most densely populated in the world - no civilians would be in the areas they entered."
Anyone there was considered fair game to kill. Rules of engagement allowed everything regardless of fundamental international law.
Official Spirit of the IDF code of ethics states "soldiers will not use their weapons and force to harm human beings who are not combatants or prisoners of war, and will do all in their power to avoid causing harm to their lives, bodies, dignity and property."
Dozens of soldier testimonies show it's duplicitous rhetoric - meaningless.
In combat, anything goes is official Israeli policy - including indiscriminately mass murdering noncombatant civilians. Accountability remains nowhere in sight.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
US-Dominated NATO Readying for War on Russia?
US-Dominated NATO Readying for War on Russia?
by Stephen Lendman
Mounting evidence should scare everyone - especially with neocon lunatics in Washington driving policymaking.
They deplore peace. They demand endless wars against all nations not subservient to America's will - puppet vassal states serving US interests, letting their resources be plundered for profit.
Russia and China are prime targets - the only nations able to challenge America militarily, economically, and/or politically.
Washington pressuring Japan and other Asian nations against China shows what Beijing faces. So does America's planned increased regional military presence.
Growing numbers of US combat troops close to Russia's borders reflect confrontation waiting to happen - between the world's preeminent nuclear states risks the unthinkable.
Provocative US-dominated NATO military exercises in Russia's backyard ups the ante for trouble. More on this below.
In late April, US-installed NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said dealing with Russia requires "a strong collective alliance" - code language for preparing for military confrontation?
He lied about what he called the "disturbing…behavior of Russia in Ukraine" - using "force to change borders."
"(W)e have to keep NATO strong"- especially in Eastern Europe, Stoltenberg said.
"(W)e are making our forces more ready, more prepared (by more than) doubling" the Alliance's Readiness Action Plan strength - including a "High Readiness" force able to act within 48 hours.
Stoltenberg repeated NATO commander General Philip Breedlove's Big Lies claiming:
- nonexistent "Russian aggression;"
- "substantial Russian buildup along the border with Ukraine, but also inside eastern Ukraine;"
- arming Donbass freedom fighters with heavy weapons; and
- violating other Minsk ceasefire terms.
False on all counts! Russia threatens no one. No evidence suggests menacing troop buildups along Ukraine's border, its forces operating inside its territory, or supplying Donbass freedom fighters with heavy or other weapons.
In contrast, hundreds of US combat troops operate in Ukraine - readying its Nazi-infested National Guard and likeminded extremist groups for war.
Washington supplied Kiev with heavy weapons since conflict erupted last spring. Planeloads more arrive regularly.
America threatens Russia and world peace. Its numerous provocations risk direct confrontation.
Military exercises begun on Monday involve thousands of US, UK, German, Belgian, Dutch, Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Polish combat troops readying for possible confrontation with Russia.
Poland's President Bronislaw Komorowski signed a resolution establishing a Polish/Lithuanian/Ukrainian military brigade for the same purpose.
At full operational strength scheduled for 2017, it'll include 4,500 combat ready troops.
According to Komorowski, the joint force is "part of a wider plan…to support Ukraine, among others, in the area of modernization" for greater combat readiness against Moscow.
Washington and Brussels want NATO members spending more on "defense." They want homeland needs sacrificed for greater militarism at a time America and rogue Alliance allies pose the world's only threat.
Russia poses none. So-called "Russian aggression" is nonexistent. Moscow is the continent's leading peacemaker.
On Monday, US, German, Norwegian and Swedish submarines joined 13 surface ships from America, Britain, Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Turkey for Exercise DYNAMIC MONGOOSE - despite no regional submarine or other threat affecting the participating nations.
Finland reservists are being enlisted in Washington's growing belligerence toward Russia.
Defense Minister Carl Haglund sent 900,000 reservists a letter explaining their role in a potential "crisis situation" - insinuating confrontation with Russia.
Both countries share a 1,340 km border with Russia - running mostly through uninhabited forests and sparsely populated rural areas.
It bears repeating. Mounting evidence suggests US-dominated NATO heading for direct confrontation with Russia. If initiated with nuclear weapons, all bets are off.
A Final Comment
No nation in world history along with its presstitute media proliferate more provocative propaganda than America - Big Lies by any standard.
None pose humanity a greater threat. None more leave world peace hanging by a thread.
US-pressured EU leaders intend developing new ways to counter Russian proliferated hard truths irresponsibly called propaganda.
Sputnik News called it a planned "new Iron Curtain" at a time US-dominated NATO alone threatens world peace enhanced by relentless Russia bashing - malicious disinformation substituting malicious Big Lies for hard truths.
According to the Brussels-based EUobserver, "Russian propaganda disseminated by outlets such as RT and Sputnik News is finding receptive audiences in various EU member states" - because it's some of the most reliable news and information found anywhere, polar opposite Western rubbish.
Washington and Brussels call truth-telling on vital issues "propaganda." They want nothing interfering with their mind-manipulating disinformation. No alternative views are tolerated - especially on major geopolitical issues.
Western free expression is just a figure of speech. State-sponsored lawlessness threatens to eliminate it altogether.
Perhaps it's just another 9/11-type major US and/or EU-instigated false flag away - followed by martial law and suspension of fundamental democratic rights.
Police states are born this way - especially when people are duped to believe sacrificing freedoms enhance their security. They end up losing both big time.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Racist Israeli Policies Target Arabs and Ethiopian Jews
Racist Israeli Policies Target Arabs and Ethiopian Jews
by Stephen Lendman
Longstanding Israeli policy is notoriously racist - worse than South African apartheid according to observers familiar with both systems.
Palestinians face ruthless persecution in a nation affording rights to privileged Jews alone. They have virtually none whatever.
They're fair game for whatever harshness Israel has in mind - including lawless imprisonment and mass murder.
Ethiopian Jews fare no better - unwanted because they're black. Citizenship doesn't matter. Persecuting them is standard Israeli practice.
Last week a video emerged showing police beating an Ethiopian IDF member.
On Sunday, thousands of Ethiopian Israelis protested mostly peacefully - against what happened and widespread discrimination.
Hundreds of Israeli social activists and concerned Knesset members joined Sunday's rally. It came three days after an earlier one protesting police beating an Ethiopian Israeli soldier.
Police reacted as expected - viciously with stun grenades, water cannon fire, pepper spray and beatings.
Scattered protester violence was in response to policy brutality - mostly scuffles, throwing stones and plastic water bottles.
Numerous injuries and arrests followed. Participants chanted "Violent police officers belong in jail." "For blacks and whites, racism is the devil." "Police state." "No to racism."
They held signs saying "A violent policeman must be put in prison." "We demand equal rights."
Not in Israel notorious for ruthlessly denying them. One protester spoke for others saying:
"Being black, I have to protest today. I never experienced police violence against me personally, but it is aimed at my community which I have to support."
Protesters want social inequality addressed. They want violent police charged, tried, convicted and imprisoned for criminality too serious to ignore.
Netanyahu lied saying police abuse cases "will be looked into." Whitewash is standard Israeli policy.
Over 135,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel. They're treated like second-class citizens or worse.
Their fundamental rights are denied. They face high unemployment, rotten jobs when available, poverty wages and discriminatory mistreatment.
A midday Monday rally is planned. Police warned if "public safety" is threatened, they'll "be forced to disperse the demonstration using means" of crowd control - code language for unrestrained brutality.
Nineteen Sunday protesters face charges of rioting and assaulting police. Innocence is no defense. Guilt by accusation is longstanding Israeli policy. Police brutality doesn't matter.
One protester said the following:
"We have long been the punching bag and scapegoat for everything in this country. People say that they’re with us, that they brought us here."
"They didn’t bring us here. We came because of Zionism, not like others who came for economic benefits."
"When you’re a Zionist, you believe with a full heart that this is your country."
"Our forefathers lived here, and we also have the right to live here. But what is going on now is simply a catastrophe."
"It is racism for the sake of racism. You look for a job today, and even if you’re the best around, there’s a price. Your color carries a price.
"But we will not stay silent any longer. We are not our parents’ generation, who kept quiet, kept their heads down and said ‘amen’ to everything."
"That period is over. We are a new generation fighting for our rights."
"We are the first to volunteer for the elite units in the military. I personally know many in the community who’ve already fought in three wars."
"And the state - what it does it tell them to do? Pardon the expression, but it tells them to go stick it you know where."
A 19-year-old protesting IDF soldier said:
"There are too many instances of racism against our community. We kept quiet and kept quiet, and because of that, people who were victims of police violence ended up killing themselves."
"The boy who was beaten up last week, you can see on the video that he didn’t do anything. He was beaten up for nothing, and it’s really enraging."
"What we’re doing now has nothing to do with what’s going on in Baltimore. They have their issues. We have ours. But we understand them. We both suffer from racism."
"There, it’s more extreme. People were murdered by police. Here they just got beaten up. Who knows? Maybe somebody was killed by police here, and we don’t even know about it."
"In any event, we will not be silent any longer. It can’t be that our blood is only good for fighting wars."
Another protesting black soldier said "I almost lost my life for the country, and this is how they treat me."
An Ethiopian protester told Israeli bystanders: "See, our blood is just like yours."
Another said "I feel like we're strangers, like we're not Jews. We fight all these wars, but this is the real war" - for long denied justice.
Things quieted down Sunday around midnight. What happens Monday and thereafter remains to be seen.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Jimmy Carter Calls Gaza Conditions “Intolerable”
Jimmy Carter Calls Gaza Conditions "Intolerable"by Stephen LendmanOn Saturday, 90-year-old former US President Jimmy Carter called conditions in Gaza "intolerable" eight months after Israel's summer 2014 genocidal war.Visiting Jerusalem he said:"What w...
Ukraine: A US-Supported Fascist Cancer in Europe’s Heartland
Ukraine: A US-Supported Fascist Cancer in Europe's Heartland
by Stephen Lendman
As Russia and leaders from dozens of other countries prepare to celebrate Victory in Europe on May 9 in Moscow, the defeated scourge again threatens regional peace and stability - courtesy of US-installed and supported Ukrainian Nazi thugs.
They celebrated May 2 as Victory Day - the infamous year ago day when Kiev-unleashed Right Sector Nazi thugs murdered hundreds of anti-regime Odessans wanting to live free from the scourge of fascism.
City police did nothing while they shot, bludgeoned, strangled, hacked to death with axes, and threw defenseless victims from windows of Odessa's Trade Union House building where they sought sanctuary in vain.
Right Sector thugs awaited them inside for a well-planned mass murder operation ordered by Kiev, OK'd by Washington.
Ukraine's Nazi-controlled Svoboda party outrageously said the following:
"May 2, 2014 was a historic day for Odessa. Odessans bravely repulsed Kremlin gangs and their local leaders, thus protecting the city from the arrival of the 'Russian world.' "
"This day was decisive in the months-long stand off between the members of Odessa Maidan and the anti-government and staunchly pro-Moscow Anti-Maidan."
"It culminated in Ukrainian victory and the beginning of a new page in the history of the city."
Svoboda proclaimed May 2 as a "day of victory over the Kremlin terrorists groups, the day of purification from the Kremlin infection."
"This day is a proud page in the history of the city."
Washington is in bed with some of the world's most ruthless elements - including monarchal and other despots, Nazis, takfiri terrorists, and virtually any outlaw groups and individuals willing to do its dirty work.
US imperial ruthlessness menaces humanity worldwide. It assures endless wars, genocidal slaughter, mass destruction and unspeakable human misery.
It passes under the radar of a complicit media ignoring what demands daily headlines. Presstitution triumphs over legitimate journalism.
State-sponsored propaganda substitutes for reporting hard truths on issues mattering most.
Ukraine is in the eye of the storm. Irresponsible Russia bashing remains intense.
Last Thursday, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf outrageously accused Moscow of "a lot of lip service…about its Minsk commitments but not a lot of action."
Asked about the year ago Odessa massacre, she ducked explaining Kiev's responsibility complicit with Washington.
She called the anniversary "important…not to lose sight of the bigger picture in Ukraine and that the fact that Russia's 'aggression' has left more than 6,000 people dead and displaced at least a million more."
It bears repeating what previous articles stressed. Russia is the continent's leading peace and stability proponent.
America threatens world peace. It bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions - for dirty war without mercy against Donbass civilians, for last May's Odessa massacre murdering hundreds in cold blood.
Don't expect any US official to explain. They're complicit in the highest of high crimes.
Blaming Russia irresponsibly is cover for their own criminality - on an unprecedented worsening global scale.
The Donetsk People's Republic Prime Minister Denis Pushilin accused Kiev's "overseas sponsors" (mainly Washington) of helping their puppet regime continue waging war on Donbass.
Poroshenko refuses to observe Minsk ceasefire terms. He ignores them entirely. He's preparing for escalated war.
"We are ready for any turn of events, but we will do the utmost to solve the situation at the negotiating table," Pushilin explained.
Fascist regimes don't negotiate. They demand. Kiev and its US puppet master want unconditional Donbass surrender.
They want nationwide fascist rule. They deplore democratic rights. They'll continue waging dirty war to eliminate them entirely nationwide. Expect lots more death and destruction ahead.
Moscow expressed concern about blatant Kiev Minsk breaches - especially recent heavy shelling of Donetsk.
According to DPR officials, residential areas were targeted. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged OSCE chairman Ivica Dacic to intervene responsibly to halt Kiev aggression.
Moscow's Foreign Ministry wants OSCE monitors to "demand that Kiev immediately stop a flagrant violation of the Minsk agreements."
Donetsk Mayor Igor Martynov said residential buildings and a school were struck.
OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) is expected to visit the targeted area on Sunday to assess what happened.
Its latest report explained deteriorating conditions "involving live fire (by Ukrainian forces) near and at SMM patrols."
It bears repeating what previous articles explained. Minsk was dead on arrival.
Washington demands continued dirty war without mercy. Expect escalation at Obama's discretion.
Potentially targeting Russia belligerently looms. US forces are readying for confrontation. Will WW III follow?
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Anniversary of Last May’s Odessa Massacre
Anniversary of Last May's Odessa Massacre
by Stephen Lendman
What happened reflected Kiev ordered no-holds-barbarism - an atrocity committed by a US-installed, Nazi-infested fascist regime against anti-Maidan Odessan civilians wanting to live free.
Nazi Right Sector thugs murdered hundreds of defenseless victims in cold blood.
What happened was far worse than reported. Massacring people reflects the worst of fascist viciousness.
Mass murder was planned in advance. Hundreds of anti-regime Odessans sought shelter in the city's Trade Union House (TUH) building.
Right Sector thugs awaited them inside - armed and dangerous. Mass slaughter followed.
Nearby tents used by peaceful protesters were set ablaze. Doing so preceded a well-planned operation.
Police stood by and did nothing. They conspired with fascist killers. So did Odessan firefighters. They only appeared after massive TUH entrance doors burned through.
Fire confined to parts of two floors only killed no one, nor carbon monoxide poisoning as reported.
Nazi hoodlums murdered anti-regime victims by gunshot wounds, strangling, bludgeoning, hacking them to death with axes and throwing them alive from windows. They didn't jump.
Coverup and denial followed a day Odessans won't forget. Eyewitnesses and survivors remember best of all. Kiev bore full responsibility. A previous article said the following:
A woman explained she "personally saw with (her) own eyes how a man of maybe around 40 - they cut his throat."
"They pushed him on the ground and cut his throat - and they shouted, 'Glory to Ukraine.' "
"Everything happened so quickly. Someone said that we all have to get inside the Trades Union building."
"Everyone quickly began carrying everything into the building and reinforcing everything inside."
"When I was on the second floor, I saw many of the pro-Maidan (supporters) gathering around. They surrounded us."
"They were all around the building." A fire was "ignited…I went downstairs and heard shooting inside the building."
A man "was shouting that the Right Sector was coming. Everybody run."
"I ran into an office. Two men were brought in. They had suffocated. They were dead."
"There was not a sound other than the shots. (A) couple of minutes passed. People inside said "(l)et us in. Let us in. We are with you. They are killing us."
"I was in such a shock. I can't even describe this to you. I did not expect that anyone could rejoice so much over killing someone."
"My ears were wringing. We were screaming. We were just begging them not to kill us."
"They killed everyone they saw. Everyone at once. A man was lying right by my feet. He was covered in blood. They beat him with bats."
"They took one woman away. I don't know where. Then as soon as they took me out of an office, I begged them to let me go because I have a small child."
"They could not care less…I stood there. I saw everything. They were dragging people. I don't know where they were taking them."
"When they took me out of an office, I was walking on corpses. Then we went on the stairs and there I only saw blood."
"I saw bodies in the hallway. They were dragging them. They began shooting."
"People inside tried to get out to safety. Some of them were shot."
Somehow some eyewitness survived. Most inside the TUH perished. Most others who got out were murdered.
It bears repeating. Right Sector thugs killed hundreds of Odessans in cold blood, not dozens as reported.
They shot, bludgeoned, strangled, hacked or threw victims to their death out of windows.
Survivors able to escape were attacked outside. Most were murdered in cold blood.
Official accounts suppressed what happened. Media scoundrels regurgitated Big Lies.
Moscow accused Kiev of doing nothing to initiate an independent investigation of massive criminality.
Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed "deep concern…that after one year (since the massacre), the Ukrainian justice system did not take any tangible steps toward an objective, independent and impartial investigation of this horrific crime in order to bring the perpetrators to justice."
State-sponsored barbarism remains unaccountable. Moscow urged the international community and human rights groups to "decisively and honestly" demand Kiev initiate an independent investigation into what happened and correct "glaring flaws" in its judicial system.
Washington's support lets thugs they installed get away with mass murder. Media scoundrels share blame by suppressing what demands headlines.
Killers remain unaccountable. Police states operate this way. Murdering opponents is standard practice.
Washington provides full support and encouragement. One fascist regime supports another.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Kiev’s Poroshenko Vows Continued War
KIev's Poroshenko Vows Continued War
by Stephen Lendman
He lied agreeing to Minsk ceasefire terms. He violated them straightaway.
He has no intention of observing them. Washington won't permit it. Obama wants escalated conflict. He's readying Ukrainian forces to launch it full-scale.
He deplores peace and stability. So does Poroshenko. He's beholden to Washington controlling his geopolitical agenda.
On state-controlled television, he said "(t)he war will be over only when Ukraine regains control of Donbas and Crimea."
"It will take as much time as it takes. The country’s territorial integrity must be priority number one."
"We will use every way possible. We will be uncompromising on that matter."
Crimea is Russian territory. It won't be handed back to Ukraine. Crimeans won't tolerate it. Nor should they.
Crimea is Russian territory. It won't be handed back to Ukraine. Crimeans won't tolerate it. Nor should they.
Donbass rejects Kiev fascist rule. Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Parliament Speaker Denis Pushilin said Poroshenko's comments "are aimed at escalating the conflict in Donbas."
"This once again confirms the fact that Kiev is not ready to implement all the conditions of the Minsk agreements." It wants war, not peace.
DPR Prime Minister Alexander Zakharchenko said "(t)oday we are building our young state enthusiastically."
"Still not everything comes easily, but despite the intention of our enemies to destroy the republic, I want to state firmly - we have established ourselves as a young state. We are developing and we have won!"
He praised Donbass residents for their courage, unity and spiritual strength.
"I am sure that by our joint efforts we will soon turn our dream into reality and establish a strong, independent and prosperous state created by people and for people," he added.
In April 2014, Donetsk and Lugansk declared themselves sovereign states. After their May 2014 referendums, they created the Union of People's Republics, Novorossiya.
It bears repeating. They reject fascist rule. They want real democracy. They've risked life and limb fighting for it.
They intend defending what they won. They deserve universal support.
Low-level war continues daily. In the 24-hour period ending April 30, Ukrainian forces shelled Donetsk 37 times - using heavy artillery and mortar fire.
According to Defense Ministry spokesman Eduard Basurin, Kiev continues waging war on Donbass.
"Ukrainian forces also continue harassing fire on our settlements near the contact line from tanks and IFVs (infantry fighting vehicles), and from firearms."
"Ukrainian commanders continue covertly pulling in rocket artillery systems to positions along the contact line."
DPR intelligence noted heavy Ukrainian weapons well inside the agreed on contact line - in flagrant violation of Minsk. They're used to shell Donbass.
Information collected is given to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination, Basurin explained. Dozens of ceasefire violations occur daily.
On Thursday, "our reconnaissance registered a brief exchange of fire at the positions of the Ukrainian armed units," he said.
"Our reconnaissance officers said in their reports that an unknown unit of commandos had stormed and seized a platoon-level fortified strongpoint set up by punitive expeditioners from a nationalistic battalion."
"That’s the first time since the outbreak of the conflict that we see an operation of this kind conducted on Kiev’s side in an area adjoining the frontline."
"(T)he unit that stormed the positions of the Ukrainian punitive battalion used silent killer weapons that didn’t belong to the Kalashnikov family of assault rifles and was obviously manufactured by a Western company."
It's unclear who ordered the operation. Basurin thinks Kiev will blame Donbass freedom fighters - maybe as a pretext for escalated fighting.
On Wednesday, Basurin cited intelligence information indicating Kiev plans large-scale provocations coinciding with May 8 and 9 Victory in Europe commemorations - including shelling residential Donbass areas.
He explained numerous previous times about Kiev forces building up aggressively along the contact line - in brazen violation of Minsk.
Now he's "referring to the use heavy artillery and jet propulsion systems with considerable destructive potential that could lead to mass civilian casualties."
If DPR intelligence is correct, expect Kiev aggression on the 70th anniversary of when it ended in May 1945 - Victory in Europe over the scourge of Nazism.
Reemerged in Europe's heartland - risking setting the whole continent ablaze again, potentially with nuclear weapons if Washington attacks Russia.
The worst of all possible outcomes could follow. Humanity destroying war was never more possible than now. Power-crazed lunatics in Washington may risk the unthinkable.
A Final Comment
America's propaganda machine never rests. On Friday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest lied saying:
"Unfortunately, we see that the Russians continue to fail to live up to the obligations they have made in the context of the Minsk agreements."
Fact: The whole world know Russia scrupulously observes Minsk terms to the letter.
Fact: Washington and Kiev blatantly violate them daily.
Earnest outrageously claimed Kiev's "clear willingness" to observe Minsk. Clear evidence proves otherwise.
Washington and rogue EU partners support and encourage its naked aggression against its own citizens.
Donbass self-defense forces vow to continue resisting to live free from the scourge of fascism.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Washington Blocks Security Council Action on Vital Yemeni Humanitarian Needs
Washington Blocks Security Council Action on Vital Yemeni Humanitarian Needs
by Stephen Lendman
It bears repeating what other articles stressed. Yemen is Obama's war - another atrocity on his rap sheet affecting an entire country and its 25 million people in dire need of humanitarian aid to survive.
Saudis and rogue regional allies are convenient US proxies - carrying out orders from Washington. They'd never attack another Arab country without America's OK, urging and support.
Washington and Riyadh imposed air and sea blockade on Yemen - a blatantly illegal act on top of US planned and orchestrated naked aggression against an independent country posing no threat to others.
Russia called for an immediate ceasefire, an urgency to address humanitarian crisis conditions and dialogue among all sides to end fighting.
During a Friday emergency closed-door Security Council session on Yemen it called, Washington blocked its initiative.
Obama launched war. He deplores peace. He wants conflict escalated.
He wants blockade conditions maintained. He wants Yemenis starved to death or perishing from untreated wounds.
He wants no consideration whatever given to addressing essential to life humanitarian needs.
Russian envoy Vitaly Churkin expressed frustration saying "(t)his really shows an amazing lack of understanding of how things are evolving."
"If you can't agree to a (responsible) motherhood and apple pie statement, what can you agree on?"
Churkin pointed fingers at Washington adding:
"Clearly, they need to feel their responsibility since they are supporting the bombing of the coalition, the responsibility of the humanitarian consequences."
Saudi-led airstrikes and blockade are lawless. No Security Council resolution authorized them.
"It is very clear from resolution 2216 that it did not authorize the use of military force," Churkin explained.
"Some colleagues were saying that the Saudi-led coalition is trying to make sure that resolution 2216 is implemented. This is not the case. Their action is completely outside the resolution."
Among other provisions, it banned supplying Houthis with weapons. It did nothing to stop Washington and Riyadh from arming forces fighting them - including thousands Saudi recruited takfiri terrorists.
On Thursday, an ineffective UN statement without teeth "call(ed) on all parties to ensure that humanitarian agencies and their partners have safe and reliable access to bring aid workers and supplies into Yemen and to deliver aid to millions of people in need."
"All airports are closed to civilian traffic - some have come under direct attack - and naval shipments are being delayed."
"Yemen's health, water and sanitation systems and telecommunications services are on the brink of collapse."
Yemen faces an acute shortage of food, clean water, medical supplies and other essentials to life.
US-initiated/Saudi-led aggression bears full responsibility. In mid-April, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said food reserves in Yemen were fast running out. Millions of Yemenis face possible starvation.
The ICRC reported an alarming shortage of virtually everything needed to sustain life.
Its surgical team had to abandon Aden's Al Jamhouria hospital when Saudis terror-bombed it. ICRC's Cedric Scheizer issued a statement saying:
"We are shocked by the lack of respect for the hospital, as a neutral health facility, by the fighting parties."
"Under no circumstances should this be happening, and under no circumstances should hospitals be targeted or used for fighting purposes."
"Our team had been working in that hospital for three weeks but, after all the patients and staff were put at risk, the hospital had to be vacated."
Washington supplies Riyadh with targets to strike. They include hospitals, residential neighborhoods, schools, mosques, power facilities, food storage areas and civilian infrastructure - blatant illegal acts.
Sanaa's Al Kuwait Hospital administrator Issa Alzugh said "(w)e are facing tremendous logistical difficulties in trying to keep this hospital working."
"We are running out of diesel. Our ambulances can no longer transport patients. Only half of our staff can come to work as the hospital buses have stopped running."
Dr. Zine El Abidine said severe shortages of lifesaving supplies are crippling operations.
An entire country is on the brink of collapse. Appalling human suffering affects millions.
On Friday, thousands of Yemenis protested in Sanaa. They chanted anti-US/Saudi/Israeli slogans.
Women, children and elderly participants addressed the huge crowd. It was the second mass protest since mid-April - organized by Yemen's Supreme Revolutionary Council.
On Friday, Saudis terror-bombed an area 200 meters from Russia's Sanaa embassy - perhaps a shot across the bow. Its diplomats remain in Sanaa.
Its embassy is official Russian territory. Saudis perhaps sent a message indicating a future strike won't miss.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest reiterated Washington's full support for Saudi terror-bombing.
Claiming Riyadh is "reacting to legitimate concerns…about the security situation along their border" is a brazen Big Lie.
US-planned, sponsored and orchestrated naked aggression continues - endless war against 25 million Yemenis, genocide by any standard.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
More Reckless Russia Bashing
More Reckless Russia Bashing
by Stephen Lendman
It ebbs, flows but never entirely ceases. Russia remains US public enemy number one - to serve its imperial interests threatening world peace.
Bogus accusations persist - reckless and irresponsible. The New York Times is America's lead corporate instrument of state propaganda.
On April 22, it headlined "Putin Bolsters His Forces Near Ukraine, US Says."
Throughout Obama's proxy war on Donbass, Putin was repeatedly accused of nonexistent Russian aggression.
Big Lies never stop. According to The Times citing US sources, "Russia has continued to deploy air defense systems in eastern Ukraine and has built up its forces near the border…"
"Western officials are not sure if the military moves are preparations for a new Russian-backed offensive that would be intended to help the separatists seize additional territory."
"(T)he new military activity is a major concern because it has significantly reduced the amount of warning that Ukraine and its Western supporters would have if Russian forces and separatists mounted a joint offensive."
"And some of Russia’s actions, American officials say, are flagrant violations of the cease-fire agreement that European nations negotiated with Russia and Ukraine in February."
Fact: False on all counts. The Times knows it. Irresponsible reporting persists anyway.
Fact: At the same time, Russia has every right to station its military forces anywhere inside its borders.
Fact: Doing so threatens no one.
Fact: America belligerently deploys its military might worldwide - provocatively close to Russia's borders.
Fact: Hundreds of US combat troops are working jointly with Ukraine's Nazi-infested National Guard - readying it for renewed aggression against Donbass, perhaps intending to participate this time along with US terror-bombing.
Fact: Throughout over a year of conflict in Ukraine, Russia worked harder to end it diplomatically than any other country.
Fact: Washington and rogue allies perpetuate conflict - going all-out to prevent peace and stability.
Fact: The whole world knows no anti-Ukrainian Russian aggression occurred earlier or is planned now.
Fact: Claims otherwise are Big Lies. Not a shred of credible evidence supports them. None exists.
Fact: Kiev agreed to three peace initiatives to end its war on Donbass - Minsk II the latest in mid-February.
Fact: Each time, flagrant violations occurred straightaway. They continue multiple times daily.
Fact: Donbass forces respond only in self-defense - with no Russian involvement at any time.
Fact: Moscow seized no Ukrainian territory - or has designs on any.
Fact: Crimeans near unanimously voted by open, free and fair referendum to rejoin Russia - to correct a historic mistake. Putin accommodated them responsibly.
According to The Times, "the Russian military has been providing extensive training for separatists in eastern Ukraine."
Fact: Russia's only involvement in Ukrainian crisis conditions is its all-out efforts to resolve them peacefully.
Fact: Its military or other personnel have no involvement in the conflict. Claims otherwise are
Big Lies.
Fact: America is totally involved in continuing war - its planning, implementation and arming Ukraine with heavy weapons, along with training its combat forces for renewed aggression.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf is paid to lie for her government.
"Combined Russian-separatist forces maintain a sizable number of artillery pieces and multiple rocket launchers within areas prohibited under the Minsk accords," she blustered.
"Russia has continued to ship heavy weapons into eastern Ukraine."
Fact: False on all counts. Harf's comments contradict reality.
At the same time, she turns a blind eye to flagrant Kiev Minsk violations. Washington considers naked aggression self-defense - its own and when committed by allies.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Efforts to Restart Sham Israeli/Palestinian Peaqce Talks
Efforts to Restart Sham Israeli/Palestinian Peace Talksby Stephen LendmanPalestinians never had a peace partner in Israel, America or other Western countries - less than ever now with fascist US and Israeli lunatics running things.They're all take and ...
Saudi-Style Yemeni Ceasefire: Continued Terror-Bombing
Saudi-Style Yemeni Ceasefire: Continued Terror-Bombingby Stephen LendmanRiyadh's so-called next phase replicates its initial phase. Rhetoric alone changed.Terror-bombing continues. Civilians are most harmed. They're being slaughtered in cold blood.Saud...
Saudis Resume Terror-Bombing Yemen
Saudis Resume Terror-Bombing Yemenby Stephen LendmanSaudis operate like America and Israel. They say one thing. They do another. They represent pure evil.After Wednesday's announced end to terror-bombing, Saudis resumed it on Thursday. It didn't surpri...
Humanitarian Crisis Conditions in Yemen
Humanitarian Crisis Conditions in Yemen
by Stephen Lendman
Conditions were dire before Saudi terror-bombing began. Yemen is the region's poorest country.
Half the population is food insecure in normal times. Yemenis lack other essentials to life.
Political stability is impossible without addressing humanitarian issues responsibly.
Before Saudi aggression began, UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen Ould Cheikh Ahmed said over 10 million Yemenis need food aid.
Half of them face acute food shortages. Millions of children face malnutrition. Tens of thousands may die.
Over a third of a million Yemenis were displaced before Saudi-led terror-bombing began.
Earlier humanitarian aid was woefully short of what's needed. Malnutrition alone was "extremely grave," said Ahmed.
Weeks before US planned and orchestrated/Saudi-led terror-bombing began, Oxfam's Grant Pritchard called Yemen's humanitarian situation a "forgotten crisis."
Over 60% of Yemenis need aid, he said - including food, clean water and medical care.
Now many more. In January, Oxfam warned of a growing "humanitarian crisis of extreme proportions."
Country director Grace Ommer said "(d)espite the challenges, we continue to deliver desperately needed aid to Yemenis…"
"But if the international community continues to stand by and watch while Yemen risks going from a fragile to a failed state, we will find it even harder to maintain this lifesaving support."
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) head of mission Marie-Elisabeth Ingress said before embassy closures were announced:
"There is a difficulty for many people to access healthcare, particularly when there are clashes, but also because many people live in extremely remote areas where there is no health provision for many miles."
"Not only does conflict cause more casualties, it also hinders access to care for patients not directly affected by the fighting."
Pre-Saudi-led aggression, OCHA said 16 million Yemenis needed aid - 8% more than in 2014.
UN partners sought three-fourths of a billion dollars to help. Hundreds of millions more aid is needed now - besides billions of dollars required to rebuild once conflict ends.
According to OCHA, "(t)he majority of targeted (Yemenis) live in areas where chronic underdevelopment and endemic poverty have potentially life-threatening consequences, leaving people in need of emergency assistance and protection support."
Children and the elderly are most affected. Current conditions are worse than ever.
Saudi terror-bombed hospitals, other medical facilities, civilian neighbors, refugee camps, power plants, food storage facilities and other nonmilitary sites made already dire conditions far worse.
An Aden resident spoke for others saying "power is out. People have no water. They have nothing."
Oxfam said blockade prevents imports of food, medical supplies and fuel from arriving.
"Yemen relies on imports to meet more than 80 per cent of national food consumption, with 90 per cent of staple food items, such as wheat, and all rice imported," it said.
Country director Grace Ommer condemned Saudi terror-bombing its Saada province food storage facilities, saying:
"This is an absolute outrage particularly when one considers that we have shared detailed information with the coalition on the locations of our offices and storage facilities."
"The contents of the warehouse had no military value. It only contained humanitarian supplies associated with our previous work in Saada, bringing clean water to thousands of households."
In March, UNICEF's Julien Harneis warned of a "major humanitarian crisis" without immediate efforts to provide substantial aid.
Saudi-led terror-bombing created catastrophic conditions for millions of Yemenis so far unaddressed.
Western leaders support US-orchestrated/Saudi-led naked aggression. They've done virtually nothing to help beleaguered Yemenis.
Saudi-led terror war continues. King Salman ordered elite National Guard forces to participate in the next phase of conflict.
Houthis claim they captured Saudi and Israeli spies. Saying they "intended to carry out military operations in Yemen after taking control of several airports and military bases."
Saudi's interior ministry said security was increased at oil facilities and shopping centers based on claimed possible terror threats.
Maybe Riyadh plans a false flag attack as pretext to resume terror-bombing.
Thousands more Yemenis may die before conflict ends. An entire nation is being raped.
It's being systematically ravaged and destroyed on orders from Washington.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Saudis End Operation Decisive Storm: War Continues
Saudis End Operation Decisive Storm: War Continuesby Stephen LendmanOn Wednesday, things in Yemen changed but stayed the same. Saudi rhetoric belies its policy.It announced Operation Restoring Hope replacing Decisive Storm. US-planned and orchestrated/...
US Foreign Policy: Permanent Wars on Humanity
US Foreign Policy: Permanent Wars on Humanity
by Stephen Lendman
Throughout its entire history, America waged endless wars at home and abroad.
From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli to battleground US streets and neighborhoods.
US policy reduced its indigenous population to a tiny fraction of its original numbers. How the West was won involved exterminating millions in cold blood.
In the mid-19th century, half of Mexico was stolen. America's killing machine knows no limits.
One state-sponsored genocide follows others. US imperial policy is responsible for tens of millions of lost lives - horrific conditions for surviving millions.
Democracy promotion is pure fantasy. America tolerates its nowhere. None exists domestically.
One party rule with two wings runs things. Monied interests alone are served. They have final say. Voters have none.
State-sponsored high crimes are rewarded. Corporate ones are ignored. Popular needs increasingly go begging.
America is a let 'em eat cake society. War-making is prioritized.
Waging them has nothing to do with external or internal threats. So-called "war on terror" is phony. State-sponsored war OF terror is real - waged ruthlessly on humanity.
"We the people" served are rich and powerful elites. Others don't matter.
New World Order ruthlessness is official policy. So is state-sponsored terrorism - permanent wars masquerading as liberating ones. Washington rules alone apply.
Author/historian/US policy critic William Blum documented US imperial policy since WW II.
He explained how Washington toppled dozens of sovereign governments, assassinated legitimate leaders, removed others by coup d'etats, and reigned terror on every continent - an agenda more ruthless today than ever.
US policies are "worse than (most people) imagine," Blum explains. They include virtually every conceivable form of lawlessness.
Hegemons make more enemies than friends. Longstanding US policy is consistent.
It bullies, intimidates, threatens, or otherwise pressures all nations to bend to its will.
Brute force is exerted. Endless conflicts rage in multiple theaters. America's culture is violent.
Wars are glorified in the name of peace. Gun-related violence is by far the highest among Western nations.
Violent films and video games are some of the most popular. One-fourth of adult women are forcibly raped during their lifetimes.
Most of them experience some form of violence during their lives. Children and the elderly are routinely abused.
Many communities are unsafe to live in. Killer cops threaten all people of color.
US combat troops are trained to kill. Enemies are demonized to make it easy. Overseas missions involve mass slaughter and destruction.
RT International interviewed Blum. US foreign policy won't change regardless of who succeeds Obama, he said.
Both parties operate the same way. US foreign policy remains unchanged.
"(F)or two centuries, (America) has had one basic, overriding goal, and that is world domination, at least from 1890s if not earlier," Blum explained.
It "appeals to both Republicans and Democrats or liberals or conservatives."
They endorse US exceptionalism - the notion that American values matter most. Nonbelievers are targeted for elimination. Iron fist rule defines US policy.
"…NATO is just an arm of US foreign policy," says Blum. Without America's involvement, the Alliance wouldn't exist, he maintains.
It's always been for offense, not defense. Governments not in lockstep with US imperial aims are targeted for regime change - most often by war.
US-dominated NATO's Eastern European expansion targets Russia. "The US cannot stand anyone who might stay in the way of the Empire's expansion," Blum explains - notably Russia and China.
Throughout its entire history, America used force against enemies - real or invented. Iran is a prime target. Nuclear talks are more sham than real.
Since WW II alone, "the US attempted to overthrown more than 50 foreign governments," Blum explained.
"It has bombed the people of 30 countries. It has suppressed revolutionary parties in at least 20 nations - and I forgot other factors on my list."
"This is a record unparalleled in all of human history, and there's no reason to think it is changing of will change, except if some superior force comes on a scene, that can actually defeat US."
Russia "has two characteristics of an enemy" Washington won't tolerate. "(I)t has very powerful military capabilities." It's "not a great admirer of the Empire."
"The same applies to China. That's all it takes" to be America's enemy - to be targeted for regime change.
It keeps Washington's war machine raging. It makes peace impossible.
Donbass freedom fighters are targeted for elimination. Washington "is expecting to wipe them out militarily at some point in the near future," Blum explained.
"(T)here's no backtracking from these policies." They apply worldwide. Play by Washington's rules or else.
Accept its dominance or face regime change - by war or other means. America always is at war somewhere - directly and through proxies.
It's only enemies are ones in invents. Al Qaeda, IS, and similar radicalized groups are US creations - enlisted to do America's killing and dying, to wage its dirty wars against independent governments.
Washington created this monster, Blum explained. It may be too late to put the genie back in the bottle, he believes. "(T)he barn door may be closed," he says.
World peace is only possible if US wars end. Otherwise expect endless conflicts and unspeakable horrors they cause.
Instead of abolishing NATO when Soviet Russia dissolved, America expanded it eastward to its borders.
It may be too late to save the world, Blum warns. Nuclear war may be just a matter of time. Mass incineration may follow.
Nothing deters lunatics in Washington. They'll risk destroying planet earth to own it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
NYT Gives Former Peruvian Strongman/Human Rights Abuser Feature Op-ed Space
NYT Gives Former Peruvian Strongman/Human Rights Abuser Feature Op-Ed Space
by Stephen Lendman
Alejandro Toledo served as Peruvian President from 2001 - 2006. He led opposition against former despot Alberto Fujimori (1990 - 2000).
He was elected on populist promises to create more jobs, alleviate dire poverty, deliver social justice, and end years of corrupted hardline rule including serious human rights abuses.
As president, he continued business as usual Washington Consensus policies - same old, same old neoliberal harshness.
They include obeying IMF/World Bank diktats, paying bankers first, privatization of state enterprises, deregulation, ignoring social needs, and cracking down hard on nonbelievers.
He targeted anyone challenging his agenda. Independent journalists were harassed, threatened and attacked. So were human rights worker.
Public protesters faced harsh recrimination. Torture remained official policy. Peruvians suffered hugely during his tenure.
Times editors ignored his ruthlessness. They featured his op-ed criticizing Venezuela's model democracy - polar opposite Peru during his tenure and today.
He blamed President Nicolas Maduro for Obama's political and economic war - including US manipulated street violence and failed February coup d'etat.
He called violent anti-government protesters "peaceful." He ignored clear evidence against coup plotters - and other opposition figures in league with Washington to topple Venezuela's government.
He ludicrously claimed Bolivarian fairness fosters inequality. His solution includes failed policies during his tenure - serving monied interests at the expense of all others, dressed up in populist rhetoric without meaning or follow-through.
He outrageously accused Maduro of "conspiratorial mindset (thinking) and authoritarian instincts...carried over from the regime of his predecessor, Hugo
Chavez…"
Venezuela is the region's model democracy - polar opposite America's sham version, what Peruvians got throughout his tenure and conditions today.
Dissent was crushed. In Venezuela it's cherished. Toledo wants criminal opposition figures freed. He wants monied interests alone served.
He wants external and internal pressure maintained against sovereign Venezuelan independence. He wants pro-Western rogue leadership replacing its democracy.
Times editors share his extremism. They waged war on Venezuela throughout Chavez's tenure.
It continues against Marduro. They support wealth, power and privilege. They back every imperial war America wages.
They want monied interests alone served. They support exploiting all others to make them richer.
A Final Comment
Venezuela represents model Bolivarian fairness. Peru is polar opposite. Why the IMF and World Bank selected it for their October 5 - 12, 2015 meeting - their first in Latin America in half a century.
Thousands of neoliberal advocates will meet in Lima - in recognition of Peru following strict IMF/World Bank diktats at the expense of its own people greatly harmed.
Toledo's legacy remains in place. He urges all Latin America to follow his failed agenda - enforced by harsh crackdowns against nonbelievers.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
America and Islamic Terrorists: Partners Against Peace
America and Islamic Terrorists: Partners Against Peace
by Stephen Lendman
America is a killing machine. It gives rogue state ruthlessness new meaning.
It's a lying machine. Truth is strictly verboten. Big Lies consistently substitute.
White House hyperbole claims victories against Islamic State fighters. Suppressed is what everyone needs to know.
Washington actively recruits, funds, arms and directs these terrorists and likeminded groups.
They're used as US proxies - shock troops fighting America's dirty wars, currently in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Reports indicate they're in Afghanistan and Libya.
They're used against independent governments Washington wants toppled - as well as to create chaos benefitting US interests.
They're trained at US facilities in Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Georgia. They're taught how to kill and commit atrocities.
They constitute a US-made monster. Many thousands are recruited annually.
Maybe one day they'll attack its creator. Radicalized elements are capable of anything. White House press secretary Josh Earnest lied saying:
"We're mindful of this threat, and it's one of the reasons that the president has marshaled so much international support for the effort to try to snuff out this ISIL threat in Iraq and in Syria, and not allow it to continue to spread across the region in a way that could further destabilize an already volatile region of the world."
Washington deplores peace and stability. Wars, chaos and turmoil serve its interests. Calm and mutual cooperation among all nations defeat it.
US support for radicalized takfiris assures endless regional conflicts. Syrians are suffering after over four years of Obama's proxy war.
It's supplemented by US bombing Syrian oil facilities, infrastructure and other targets - on the pretext of fighting IS it's actively aiding.
Rogue NATO countries partner in Obama's war - naked aggression against a nonbelligerent country threatening no one.
Interviewed on France 2 TV, President Bashar al-Assad blamed its government for acting as a "satellite for American foreign policy in the region."
It's helping "terrorists infiltrat(e) (into) Syria," he said. So are other Western countries.
They're responsible for supporting extremist jihadists they call moderates, Assad explained.
They're killing "civilians and destroying public places, public properties and private properties…"
They admit what they're doing online. "(O)ur role as government is to defend our society and our citizens."
No responsible leader would do less. There's nothing civil about war in Syria.
Imported death squads wage terror war into its fifth year - with no end in sight.
Obama wants Assad toppled. He wants US-controlled stooge leadership replacing him.
He wants Syrians having no say over who'll lead them. He wants another subservient client state - a key Israeli rival eliminated.
Assad categorically denies using chemical weapons - including last month in Idlib province.
He accused Washington of creating and using IS terrorists against Syria. "Is it democratic to send weapons to terrorists and to support them," he asked?
"(A)l Nusra…published videos where they eat the heart of a Syrian soldier, where they dismember other victims, where they behead others."
What kind of societies support these atrocities and call themselves civilized? Assad denied accusations of indiscriminate killing - including use of so-called barrel bombs.
"What is a barrel bomb," he asked? "Can you tell me what it is?"
He referred to two pictures publicly shown proving nothing - Western propaganda vilifying him unjustly.
"(I)n our army, we only use regular bombs that could be aimed," he said. "We don't have any armament that could be shelled indiscriminately."
"The war in Syria is about winning the hearts of the people. It's not about killing people. If you kill people" indiscriminately, you can't serve as president. "It's impossible."
Assad called US airstrikes against IS fighters ineffective, "not serious…not helping anyone in the region."
Separately, he stressed Europe "cannot be safe (while its backyard), especially the Mediterranean and Northern Africa, is in chaos and full of terrorists."
Syria is hugely affected. Obama's war shows no signs of ending. Escalation is likely.
America doesn't wage wars to quit. War against Syria could rage years longer. Half the population already is displaced.
Tens of thousands were killed. Many more suffer horrifically. Obama's war is one of history's great crimes.
It may continue until Syria is entirely destroyed - perhaps hundreds of thousands of its people massacred before things end.
An entire region is being raped - victimized by US imperial ruthlessness.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Nine US Warships Threaten Yemen
Nine US Warships Threaten Yemen
by Stephen Lendman
Obama is escalating his war on Yemen. He bears full responsibility for genocidal slaughter - mostly affecting civilian men, women and children.
He's waging premeditated naked aggression using Saudis and other regional rogue states as proxy partners against a nonthreatening nation.
US orchestrated hostilities violate core international law. No nation may attack another without Security Council approval. None exists.
Nine US warships were sent to Yemeni waters. The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and escort cruiser USS Normandy joined seven others.
They threaten the entire region with conventional and nuclear armed missiles.
Reports indicate their mission involves intercepting Iranian ships allegedly carrying weapons for Yemeni Houthis.
Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren lied denying willful US anti-Iranian saber rattling - including from the White House.
Press secretary Josh Earnest claimed "(w)e have seen evidence that the Iranians are supplying weapons and other forms of support to the Houthis in Yemen."
"That's the kind of support that will only contribute to greater violence in that country…that's already been racked by too much violence."
Fact: Neither Earnest or other US officials offer any credible evidence showing Iran supplying Houthis with weapons or other military aid.
Fact: Plenty of evidence shows Washington sending arms and munitions to Saudis and regional Gulf partners - besides choosing targets to terror-bomb and other military-related assistance.
Fact: Anti-Iranian saber rattling provides more evidence showing Obama has no intention of normalizing relations.
Expect continuing nuclear talks to produce no equitable resolution for Iran. Washington wants unconditional surrender. Claims otherwise are false.
Confrontation with Iran may be one major false flag away. Neocons infesting Washington, Israel and its Lobby may get the war they want.
America's Gulf of Aden naval presence is part of Obama's war on Yemen. A US Navy statement claiming it's to "ensure the vital shipping lanes in the region remain open and safe" is phony.
Nothing threatens them except Obama's wars and America's regional presence.
An unnamed administration official said US warships in Yemeni waters give Washington the option to escalate things further at its discretion.
Other vessels involved include two destroyers, two mine-sweepers, and three amphibious ships carrying 2,200 combat-ready marines - besides other regional US warships.
America's Fifth Fleet is headquartered in Bahrain. It's responsible for its naval presence in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, parts of the Indian Ocean and connecting waterways.
An unnamed administration official said US warplanes will patrol Yemeni airspace - whether to participate in terror-bombing wasn't explained.
US warships already shelled Yemeni targets several times. Washington is getting more directly involved in its proxy war.
Overnight terror-bombing continued into its 27th day. Blasts rocked Sanaa, Yemen's capital. Dozens of civilians were killed, hundreds wounded - many with limbs blown off.
One resident said "(i)t was like the doors of hell opened all of a sudden." He felt his "house lift up and fall."
One bomb struck near Iran's embassy - perhaps sending a message saying the next one won't miss. Tehran sharply rebuked Riyadh for the incident.
After nearly a month of US-orchestrated/Saudi-led terror-bombing, "things are worsening," said UN spokesman Adrian Edwards.
"Basic services are on the verge of collapse." It bears repeating. Obama bears full responsibility.
He's waged multiple genocidal regional wars throughout his entire tenure. One country after another was ravaged and destroyed.
Endless wars continue. New ones are planned - to eliminate all remaining sovereign independent states.
To give America dominion over planet earth - its resources, markets and populations.
Genocidal slaughter is considered a small price to pay. Rogue states operate this way. None match US ruthlessness.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Gunslinger US General Readies for War with Russia
Gunslinger US General Readies for War with Russia
by Stephen Lendman
America is run by neocon lunatics and gunslinger generals. Together they threaten world peace.
Washington’s only enemies are ones it invents to wage endless wars of aggression - premeditated ones against one country after another posing no threat to anyone.
Rogue states operate this way. Readers familiar with Orwell's 1984 understand. America exceeds the worst of what he envisioned.
World peace hangs by a thread. Humanity's survival is up for grabs.
General Ben Hodges heads US Army Europe (USAREUR). On April 18, he lied telling London's Telegraph NATO must stay united against a "real threat" from Russia.
"This is not an assumption," he blustered. "There is a Russian threat."
Fact: The whole world knows Russia threatens no other country - not America, other NATO members, other nations, none whatever.
Fact: No country goes more all-out for world peace and stability than Russia.
Fact: None try harder to resolve ongoing conflicts diplomatically.
Fact: None more deserve high praise for their efforts.
Fact: America more than any other nation threatens world peace, stability and security.
Fact: Its endless direct and proxy wars kill millions.
Fact: It's reckless imperial agenda may kill us all.
Hodges outrageously accused an unnamed Russian official with threatening Denmark with a nuclear attack "if it participates in any missile defense program" - intended entirely for offense against Russia.
He said deploying US combat forces in Eastern Europe close to Russian territory and parading them across international borders (an exercise called Dragoon Ride) sends a "reassuring (signal to) our allies."
In March, angry anti-war Czechs responded saying "Tanks? No thanks!" They want no part of US combat troops and heavy weapons on their territory.
They called it "an unnecessary and dangerously provocative military (stunt), which only increas(s) international tension."
World Without Wars and Without Violence member Tana Bednarova said "(t)he last time that vehicles like this came to the Czech Republic, they were Soviet tanks coming to crush moves towards democracy in 1968."
"We don’t want such vehicles from foreign armies coming here ever again," she stressed.
She criticized NATO's eastern expansion saying if Washington and Alliance partners "want to create security in the world, then Russia and China and all other countries…should be invited to join."
Separately, Hodges said "(t)he whole purpose (of US Eastern European deployments) is to assure those allies that live closest to the Bear that we are here."
"President Putin exercises freedom of movement all the time. He moves troops and stuff around Russia whenever he wants to."
Fact: He does it nonthreateningly inside Russian territory.
Fact: America operates provocatively on foreign soil close to Russia's borders - risking direct confrontation by intent or judgmental error.
According to Hodges, perhaps it's inevitable so America has "to be militarily ready."
"The best insurance we have against a showdown is that (US-dominated) NATO stands together."
Accusations of "Russian aggression" ring hollow - Big Lies substantiated only by provocative bluster.
"We're not interested in a fair fight with anyone," Hodges said. "I want to have overmatch in all systems."
Russian lower house State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Konstantin Kosachev said Hodges' comments show US-dominated NATO will never treat Russia equitably.
It wants military superiority in readiness for an eventual showdown with Moscow.
It wants hundreds of thousands of NATO Rapid Deployable Corps combat troops positioned close to Russia's borders. It wants war, not peace.
In his last interview before death, noted German author Gunter Grass warned about "sleepwalking towards another world war." He told the Spanish newspaper El Pais:
"We have on the one side Ukraine, whose situation is not improving; in Israel and Palestine things are getting worse; the disaster the Americans left in Iraq, the atrocities of Islamic state and the problem of Syria."
"There is war everywhere. We run the risk of committing the same mistakes as before. So without realizing it, we can get into a world war as if we were sleepwalking."
"All of this together makes me realize that things are finite - that we don't have an indefinite amount of time," Grass explained.
Maybe less than he imagined.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Iranian Foreign Minister Proposes Regional Peace and Cooperation
Iranian Foreign Minister Proposes Regional Peace and Cooperation
by Stephen Lendman
Times editors are so consistently hostile to Iran in their one-sided support for Israel's worst crimes it's surprising they gave Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif op-ed space.
He sent a responsible message from Iran everyone needs to read. He indicated important progress in Lausanne in trying to resolve issues over Tehran's well-known peaceful nuclear program.
Suggesting otherwise is red herring cover for Washington's real objectives:
- toppling Iran's government;
- replacing it pro-Western stooges subservient to US and Israeli interests;
- giving America another client state;
- eliminating Israel's main regional rival;
- controlling Iran's vast oil and gas resources;
- exploiting its people; and
- marginalizing and weakening Iran - defying it the right to self-defense.
Iranians aren't about to surrender their sovereign rights. Nor should they. Nor should any nation for any reason.
It's high time the world community no longer tolerates fabricated claims about Tehran's nuclear and other activities.
It's time to normalize relations responsibly. It's time to break free from hostile US/Israeli policies.
It's time to realize mutual cooperation matters more than confrontation and destabilizing maliciousness.
Iran is the region's leading proponent of peace, stability and mutual cooperation among all nations.
America, rogue NATO partners, Israel, Saudi Arabia, other Gulf states, and allied despots threaten world peace and security.
Zarif said Iran and P5+1 countries "agreed on parameters to remove any doubt about the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and to lift international sanctions against Iran."
"But to seal the anticipated nuclear deal, more political will is required. The Iranian people have shown their resolve by choosing to engage with dignity."
"It is time for the United States and its Western allies to make the choice between cooperation and confrontation, between negotiations and grandstanding, and between agreement and coercion."
Vital issues affecting all regional nations need addressing responsibly. Iran is a key Middle East player.
It needs to be part of resolving ongoing wars, chaos and turmoil. "(E)ntire countries are being torn to shreds," Zarif stressed.
"…Iran has weathered the storms of instability caused by this mayhem. But we cannot be indifferent to the unfathomable destruction around us, because chaos does not recognize borders."
Iranian interests and concerns go way beyond nuclear issues, Zarif explained. Good relations with all its neighbors is its top priority, he stressed.
He calls Iranian foreign policy "holistic." Destructive "globalization has rendered all alternatives obsolete," he said.
One nation's interests can't be pursued at the expense of others.
We're all part of the same human race. Ongoing events affect everyone - for better or worse.
"Nowhere are these dynamics more evident that in the wider Persian Gulf region," Zarif explained.
World leaders need to address them responsibly - most of all waging peace, not war.
Iran needs to be included as part "of a collective forum" established to help resolve vexing regional issues.
Ending Yemen's conflict "would be a good place to start," Zarif said. Iran offered a responsible peace plan. It can work if implemented.
It calls for "an immediate cease-fire, humanitarian assistance and facilitation of intra-Yemeni dialogue, leading to the formation of an inclusive, broad-based national unity government," Zarif explained.
More broadly, regional dialogue and engagement "should be based on recognized principles for shared objectives; notably respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of all states; inviolability of international boundaries; noninterference in internal affairs; peaceful settlement of disputes; impermissibility of threat or use of force; and promotion of peace, stability, progress and prosperity in the region."
Mutual cooperation can benefit all regional nations hugely - far more then endless conflicts against one nation after another without end.
"The world cannot afford to continue to avoid addressing the roots of the turmoil in the wider Persian Gulf region," Zarif stressed.
"This unique opportunity for engagement must not be squandered."
Imagine if US officials, EU ones and Israelis felt the same way. Imagine peace instead of endless wars.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Operation Decisive Storm: US-Orchestrated, Saui-Led Mass Murder
Operation Decisive Storm: US-Orchestrated, Saudi-Led Mass Murder
by Stephen Lendman
Yemen is in the eye of the storm. Washington planned and orchestrated ongoing war on an entire population.
Its using Saudi Arabia, other regional rogue states, and extremist takfiri mercenaries to do its killing and dying.
It's systematically destroying an entire nation to tighten its regional chokehold.
Will millions of Yemenis die, sustain disabling injuries and/or lose all future hope before things end?
No nation in world history caused more harm to more people over a longer duration than America.
None operate more ruthlessly. None more callously ignore human lives and welfare.
None wage more endless direct and proxy wars of aggression for unchallenged global dominance - no matter now many millions of lives it costs.
No matter how much appalling human suffering at home and abroad - so monied interests can grow richer and more powerful.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif surprisingly rejected Saudi Arabia's request for involvement in its Yemeni aggression.
After debating the issue, MPs said "Pakistan should maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict so as to be able to play a proactive diplomatic role to end the crisis."
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said his "government and parliament resolved that we should not become a party to this conflict."
"Rather we should try to mediate some sort of peace between warring factions."
"And this is what we are trying to build up - a team or a group which includes Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and other Islamic countries that are not yet party to the conflict - to broker a deal between the warring factions, which can end this conflict."
Analyst Bruce Riedel said Nawaz Sharif "reportedly believes that if the Saudis enter into a ground war in Yemen - with or without Pakistani forces - it will become a quagmire."
"They have simply 'bitten off more than they can chew.' "
"The Egyptian experience in Yemen, in which Egypt had up to 20,000 casualties in the 1960s fighting the same Zaydi tribes that back the Houthis, figures prominently in Pakistani thinking, especially in the army."
Arab journalist Adnan Abu Zeed reports Saudi-led war on Yemen deepens Iraqi Sunni/Shia animosity.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned of broader sectarian war. Resolving things in Yemen by military means is impossible.
Diplomacy is the only solution. Iran's sensible peace proposal can work if implemented.
Washington is the main obstacle. Obama deplores peace. He wants endless regional wars and instability.
They serve US interests. Peace, stability and calm defeat it.
Analyst Mohammad Ali Shabini said "(w)hile it is unclear when the war in Yemen will end, what is clear is that Iranian diplomacy is proving to be an effective response to Saudi money and firepower."
"And with the goals of the Yemen war increasingly muddled, Saudi Arabia and its allies may soon find themselves bogged down in a quagmire."
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf called Houthi legitimate resistance against US-orchestrated and directed premeditated Saudi terror-bombing "aggression."
Asked if Houthis were attacking Saudi Arabia, she ducked the question. She shamelessly and deliberately lied saying:
"(T)he Saudis are responding to what was blatant Houthi aggression…We're supporting the Saudis in the GCC-led (Gulf Cooperation Council) efforts here."
Washington is directing ongoing Yemeni terror-bombing - selecting targets, providing logistical help, refueling Saudi warplanes, supplying weapons and munitions.
Yemen is Obama's war. Saudi and partnered rogue states are doing his dirty work. Israel is involved.
How many Yemenis will perish before things end? How much pain and suffering is enough?
When will Washington, Western partners, Israel, and regional despotic regimes be held accountable for the highest of high crimes? When will justice finally be served?
When will the peace-loving world community demand US-led terror wars of aggression end? When will culpable American and allied officials be imprisoned for mass murder?
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Priority Saudi Targets in Yemen: Civilian Men, Women, Children and Infants
Priority Saudi Targets in Yemen: Civilian Men, Women, Children and Infants
by Stephen Lendman
Saudi Arabia is a ruthless dictatorship. It's a rogue terror state. It brutalizes its own people.
It punishes anyone challenging its rule with arbitrary arrests and imprisonment under horrific gulag conditions.
Torture and physical abuse are commonplace. So are public whippings and beheadings.
Fair public trials, due process and judicial fairness don't exist. Anyone charged by state authorities is automatically guilty by accusation. Harsh treatment follows.
Most Saudi prisoners are political ones or for offenses too minor to matter.
Human and civil rights are nonexistent. Despotic rule governs virtually all aspects of daily life.
After Israel, Saudi Arabia is Washington's main Middle East ally. Three rogue states partner in each other's high crimes - notably against Palestine, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Saudis actively recruit, fund and arm takfiri death squads against Bashar al-Assad's popularly elected government and Yemeni Houthi rebels unwilling to accept US-installed despotic rule.
Obama's war against both countries rages. Saudis are reliable axis of evil partners.
Their money and US weapons are responsible for hundreds of thousands of regional deaths - millions including victims of preventable diseases, starvation, overall deprivation and endless violence.
Washington, Israel, Saudis, and allied dictatorships bear full responsibility for regional nightmarish conditions.
Ongoing in Syria into its fifth year with no end of conflict in sight. Raging in Yemen into its 26th day heading for genocidal mass slaughter, destruction and appalling human suffering.
Saudis conducted over 2,300 airstrikes in less than a month of terror-bombing.
Speaking on national television, Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said "(i)t's the right of our people to resist (Saudi) aggression and face the aggressor by any means."
Saudis plan "invasion (and) occupation (to) place this country again under its feet and hegemony."
"Our Yemeni people will never give in. (They) will resist in the face of the savage aggression."
Saudis have "no right to interfere" in internal Yemeni affairs. "The political problem is an internal one, and it is up to us to define our future."
"The US is sponsoring the attacks. The US is directing the attacks against Yemen."
US "criminal hands" are killing Yemenis. America, Saudi Arabia and Israel are partners in war on its people.
Washington chooses targets to strike. Israel is actively involved.
Saudis claim they plan to "restore Yemen to its Arab identity. What kind of Arab identity is this," Houthi asked?
It's to "return Yemen to the Israeli and US identity." It's to let "Al Qaeda seize control of Yemen."
"The Yemeni people have the right and legitimacy to defend" their nation. "Our great people will not surrender. They will stand."
It's the right of all people to resist aggression, he added. He called on Yemenis to unite against a common enemy.
Up to hundreds are being killed or wounded daily across most of the country - by terror-bombing and ground fighting.
Prime Saudi targets include civilian neighborhoods, refugee camps, farming areas, hospitals, schools, mosques, power facilities, food storage ones, and other nonmilitary related sites - ones chosen by Washington to attack.
On Sunday, Oxfam said Saudis terror-bombed its Saada governorate food storage facilities. Its country director Grace Ommer issued a statement saying:
"This is an absolute outrage, particularly when one considers that we have shared detailed information with the coalition on the locations of our offices and storage facilities."
Saudi strategy includes starving Yemenis to death, depriving them of electricity, water and vitally needed medical care.
It's denying them essentials to survive. It's destroying an entire country to control it.
It's partnering with US imperial ruthlessness. On Sunday, Red Crescent Society representative Abdollah Maboud al-Shokri accused Saudis of using lethal chemical agents.
"We will display a video on the death of tens of children who died after inhaling poisonous gases," he said.
Expect increasing Saudi use of banned toxic agents as terror-bombing continues. Washington, other Western powers and rogue regional states encourage it.
Media scoundrels report nothing. They're silent about horrific US-sponsored war crimes. Noncombatant men, women and children suffer most of all.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei condemned Saudi child killers, saying:
"We feel hatred and disgust for those who attack the civilians, women and children and believe that they are not aware of Islam and human conscience, but we don’t meddle in other countries' affairs."
He blamed Washington and other Western states for involvement in what's ongoing - including Saudi, Egyptian and US warships enforcing blockade.
Ships carrying food, medical supplies and fuel can't access Yemeni ports. Roads, bridges and other infrastructure targets were destroyed.
Grinding poverty and deprivation during normal times are greatly exacerbated under wartime conditions.
A humanitarian disaster increases daily. Dire shortages of everything exist. Some hospitals can't function properly for lack of electricity and vital medical supplies.
Yemen's capital Sanaa resembles a ghost town. Usually congested streets are empty. One Yemeni spoke for others saying "(w)e're suffering terribly."
Obama bears full responsibility. His rogue partners share it. Expect the worst to come.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Israel Joins Obama’s War on Yemen
Israel Joins Obama's War on Yemen
by Stephen Lendman
Obama terror-bombed Yemen throughout his tenure.He murdered hundreds of noncombatant men, women and children in cold blood.
He's at it again. He's waging proxy war against Houthi rebels.
He's using rogue state regional allies to do his dirty work.
They ousted illegitimately US-installed puppet Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Israel quietly joined Obama's dirty war. On March 22, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi accused Washington and Israel of using Takfiri extremists to stage terrorist attacks on Yemeni civilians.
Mosques were targeted. Scores were killed, hundreds injured. Al-Houthi urged Yemenis to unite against elements aiming to destabilize the country.
"Everyone is a target," he said. He didn't know at the time Washington intended using proxy forces to terror-bomb Yemen into submission.
America's goal is longstanding. Eliminate all independent governments. Replace them with US-controlled puppets.
Hadi was a convenient stooge. Obama wants him back in power serving US interests.
At the same time, denying Iran a regional ally. Aiming to isolate Tehran regionally by eliminating its key allies - mainly Syria and Hezbollah.
Then replacing Iran's independent government with one Washington controls.
America allies with the region's worst despots to further its objectives.
It's in bed with Israel's hegemonic ambitions. Both countries partner in each other's high crimes.
They threaten world peace. They terror-bomb adversaries.
Washington planned war on Yemen months earlier. It's controlling and directing ongoing Saudi-led aggression against a nation posing it no threat.
Israeli warplanes are involved. Fars News said they're participating in airstrikes.
It quoted Yemen's Al-Haq Political party Secretary-General Hassan Zayd saying:
On direct orders from Netanyahu, "for the first time…Zionists are conducting a joint (military) operation in coalition with Arabs."
Yemen's al-Massira television said aggressor warplanes deliberately targeted civilian homes and a market where people were shopping.
Dozens were killed, scores more injured. Bombing continues.
Houthi forces keep advancing. Reports indicate heavy clashes near Aden.
Senior Iranian parliamentarians urged Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) member nations to condemn Saudi terror-bombing.
Iranian MP Zohreh Tabibzadeh spoke for others saying "(w)e expect the NAM countries to condemn this aggression."
Yemenis intend defending their country, she stressed. They deserve universal support against US-planned, sponsored and directed terror-bombing.
On Saturday, Reuters said Houthi fighters continued making gains - despite Saudi-led air attacks.
Yemen is the latest example of Washington's war on humanity.
It's systematically ravaging and destroying one country at a time.
Post-9/11 alone, its aim for unchallenged global dominance took millions of lives.
Gideon Polya estimates Bush/Obama genocidal war on Iraq alone (since 2003) killed 2.7 million people - from violence and "violently-imposed deprivation."
Since 1914, Western wars on Iraq killed nine million, Polya estimates.
What Britain began a century ago, it now partners in what Washington continues - wars without end against Arab populations being systematically exterminated.
Western media scoundrels ignore an ongoing Arab Holocaust far greater than what Hitler did to Jews.
Try finding a single Western report explaining it. None on one of history's greatest crimes.
Arab lives don't matter. Western white supremacists consider them fair game for mass slaughter and exploitation.
Washington's Afghan, Iraqi, Libyan and Syrian wars continue. Yemen is Obama's latest aggression.
It follows his installing Nazis to run Ukraine - to wage dirty war without mercy on Donbass residents wanting to live free from the scourge of fascism.
What happens longer term remains to be seen. Washington's war on humanity threatens world peace.
Madness defines US policy. Lunatics in charge won't quit until they turn all countries to rubble.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
The Scourge of Nazism in Ukraine
The Scourge of Nazism in Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
What millions died for to defeat during WW II is now resurgent in Europe's heartland.
Fascist lunatics in Washington installed overt Nazis to run their newest client state. They're taking full advantage.
They're waging naked aggression on Donbass - at present low-level ahead of renewing it full-blown.
Hundreds of US combat troops (trained killers) are working directly with Kiev's Nazi-infested National Guard and other extremist groups - teaching them the fine art of murder.
Perhaps planning to join them in battle when hostilities resume full-blown - maybe with supportive US terror-bombing.
Kiev Nazis want all opposition elements eliminated - either killed, imprisoned, disappeared or deported.
They want unchallenged control. The Saker reports they created a database of "separatists (and) militants, etc."
It's called "(i)information for law enforcement authorities and special services about pro-Russian terrorists, separatists, mercenaries, war criminals, and murderers."
Anyone opposing fascist rule risks being eliminated one way or another.
Nazis under Hitler were notorious for radicalized torchlight parades - complete with chilling slogans and symbols.
In January, thousands of Ukrainian ultranationalists paraded in Kiev. They celebrated Nazi collabortor/mass murderer Stepan Bandera's 106th birthday.
At the time, Czech President Milos Zeman was horrified. "There is something wrong with Ukraine," he said.
"Yesterday evening I was browsing the Internet and discovered a video showing the demonstration on Kiev's Maidan on January 1."
"These demonstrators carried portraits of Stepan Bandera, which reminded me of Reinhard Heydrich" - Gestapo head and key holocaust architect.
"The parade itself was organized similar to Nazi torchlight parades, where participants shouted the slogan: ‘Death to the Poles, Jews and communists without mercy,' " Zeman explained.
Ukrainian fascists consider Bandera a national hero. He was a vicious mass murderer.
Russia's Foreign Ministry Commissioner for Human Rights Konstantin Dolgov calls reemergent Nazism in Ukraine a European threat.
"Torchlit marches in Ukraine demonstrate that it is continuing to move along the path of the Nazis," he stressed - with full US support and encouragement.
They were at it again in Odessa. They marched to commemorate Maxim Chaika's death - ultranationalist Blood and Honor group leader. He died during a 2009 street fight.
Around 200 overt Nazis were involved - marching while shouting racist/anti-communist/anti-Russian/ultranationalist slogans.
"The White man is for the Great Ukraine," they chanted. "One race, one nation, one homeland."
"Glory to Ukraine - the glory of heroes!" "Hang the commies." Odessan police accompanied marchers to protect them.
Participants evoked memories of May 2, 2014 when Right Sector Nazi thugs murdered hundreds of Odessans in cold blood.
They remain unaccountable for appalling high crimes. So-called investigation into what happened whitewashed them.
State-sponsored mass murder in Ukraine is considered OK. Anyone wanting democratic freedoms is vulnerable.
Truth-telling journalists risk imprisonment or death. Nazi-infested fascist regimes tolerate no opposition.
Last week, Normandy Four foreign ministers called for ending fighting in Donbass.
Washington bears full responsibility. Its Ukrainian proxies share it. Germany and France have done nothing to halt it.
Russia alone continues going all-out to end it - impossible given Obama's rage for war.
Last Thursday, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said "(t)he United States and its allies have crossed all possible lines in their drive to bring Kiev into their orbit."
"That could not have failed to trigger our reaction. Aiming at complete dominance, Washington stopped taking into account the interests of other countries and respect for international law."
On April 16, addressing Moscow's fourth International Security Conference, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said it's "impossible to resolve the conflict in Ukraine by military force."
"(T)here is no reasonable alternative to peacefully settling the domestic Ukrainian crisis (than) on the basis of full and unconditional compliance with" February 12 agreed on ceasefire terms.
He hopes Western officials will "force authorities in Kiev to scrap destructive policies aimed at glorifying the Nazis and persecuting those who saved Europe from" its scourge.
As long as fascist neocons run things in Washington, chances for world peace are nil. Expect endless wars to continue - perhaps with nuclear weapons able to end life on earth.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Neocon Think Tank Proposes US Proxy Army to Control Syria
Neocon Think Tank Proposes US Proxy Army to Control Syria
by Stephen Lendman
The Atlantic Council is a hawkish right-wing think tank. Its directors include a rogue's gallery of high-level US war criminals.
It's notion of "working together to secure the future" is waging endless preemptive wars of aggression.
Its Distinguished International Leadership Awards go to former US and other Western government and military officials for raping and plundering one country after another.
It was founded in 1961 to support NATO's killing machine. It's one of many similar groups in America threatening world peace and stability.
Its solution for ending Obama's war on Syria is escalated war. It proposes what it calls a Syrian National Stabilization Force (SNSF) - code language for US-controlled conquering and occupying army.
It believes the way for sustainable peace in Syria is through overwhelming military might - featuring "a robust, (US proxy) three-division stabilization force of 50,000 Syrians" established to do Washington's killing and dying.
It wants a Syrian Advisory Task Force (SATF) composed of pro-Western nationals willing to serve US interests.
It says "there is no political solution to the Syrian conflict unless there is a military component" waging no-holds-barred war.
Its Syrian solution applies to all US direct and proxy war theaters.
Washington and Western allies must lead the way, it urges - so America can gain another subservient client state while eliminating an Israeli rival at the same time.
It advocates US-led "cooperation, engagement, and a clear coherent discourse between Western, regional, and Syrian military and political actors - and the message of commitment projected by putting the train-and-equip program on steroids - can create new dynamics on the ground, build popular appeal to the SNSF's mission and goal, and set the stage for peace in Syria" by continuing to rape the country en route to plundering it and exploiting its people.
It wants President Bashar al-Assad overthrown. It wants Syrians having no say over who'll lead them.
It wants Washington alone deciding. It wants US-controlled stooge governance replacing Syrian sovereign independence.
Neocons think one way. They want unlimited wealth, power and privilege. They want unchallenged global dominance.
They want control over world resources and markets. They want populations exploited for profit.
They deplore peace. The support endless wars. They believe millions of corpses are a small price to pay for remaking the world in their own image.
They and likeminded lunatics in Washington risk the unthinkable - possible life-ending nuclear war.
A Final Comment
The New York Times says US arms sales fuel Middle East wars. Saudis and other regional belligerents use American weapons and munitions.
They "stockpiled American military hardware…" They're now using it and want more.
In 2014, Saudi Arabia spent over $80 billion for weapons and munitions. It's the world's fourth largest defense market.
Other regional countries are spending billions of dollars for all sorts of advanced weapons.
The Middle East is awash with implements of death. The Times omits what's most important to explain.
It says nothing about US/Israeli responsibility for all regional conflicts - using local allies to wage proxy wars along with takfiri-recruited death squads.
The road to Middle East peace and stability is eliminating America's presence. It's holding Israel accountable for endless high crimes against Palestinians.
It's valuing human life more than destroying it. It's waging peace, not war. Don't expect The Times to explain.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Saudis Using Banned Chemical Weapons in Yemen
Saudis Using Banned Chemical Weapons in Yemenby Stephen LendmanSaudis are some of the world's most ruthless figures. They rule with an iron fist. They tolerate no opposition. They partner with Washington's regional wars.They were caught red-handed...
Saudi Blood Money for Bloodletting in Yemen
Saudi Blood Money for Bloodletting in Yemen
by Stephen Lendman
UN officials appealed for an immediate $274 million in desperately needed emergency humanitarian aid for Yemenis.
Saudi mass murderer/King Salman offered to contribute the entire amount - while he continues daily terror-bombing, targeting civilians and exacerbating a horrific humanitarian crisis.
Billions of dollars in aid are needed to address it. A small fraction of it barely scratches the surface.
Saudi oil wealth won't restore lost lives. It won't replace lost limbs. It won't soothe traumatized children.
It won't erase the agony of lost loved ones. It won't stop US planned, orchestrated and directed Saudi-led aggression.
Yemen is being raped in plain sight. It's being systematically ravaged and destroyed.
Perhaps 3,000 or more died so far in 25 days of fighting - over 85 alone in the past 24 hours in one Yemeni province alone.
Thousands have been seriously injured - many maimed for life, their limbs blown off by Saudi terror-bombing.
Many Yemenis have no access to healthcare. Untreated serious wounds may lead to death. Human suffering is extreme.
An entire country is under siege. On orders from Washington, land, sea and air blockade was imposed. US warships are involved enforcing it.
Nothing can get in or out without US or Saudi permission. On Saturday, fighting raged in most Yemeni governorates.
Saudi-led terror-bombing targeted Sanaa, Aden, Taiz, Marib, Saada, Shabwa, Lahj and other areas.
Yemen's illegitimate government in exile rejected Iran's four-point peace proposal on orders from Washington. It called for:
- warring parties agreeing to halt fighting;
- providing desperately needed humanitarian aid;
- initiating intra-Yemeni dialogue; and
- establishing unity governance with all parties participating.
It's a sensible way to end conflict - to resolve differences between both sides diplomatically.
Obama wants war continued. He categorically rejects peace. He has lots more death and destruction in mind for Yemenis. He may not quit until he slaughters them all.
Tehran rejects accusations it's aiding Houthis militarily. It very much wants to provide humanitarian aid. Blockade prevents it.
Yemeni tweets best explain ongoing nightmarish conditions.
"My life in #Yemen, no electricity, no water, no food, no security, no work. We're dying every day," said one.
"They've forgotten all abt us," said another.
"Children are extremely terrified," a victim explained.
"After all of this is done. The Saudis better pay for PTSD treatment of 26 million Yemenis."
"24 nights straight of heavy bombing. More than any human can take."
"12:40AM & can hear neighborhood kids/women scream with each earth shaking bomb jets drop…never this intense since onset 3 W ago…"
"My little girl crying silently. Her tears&shaking body while I hug her tell alot."
Saudis intend to continue daily terror-bombing without letup. Scores of ongoing sorties terrify Yemini civilians.
Saudi military spokesman General Ahmed al-Assiri said "(w)e are not in a hurry…We have the time, and we have the capabilities."
Tehran University Professor Mohammad Marandi said "(a)s long as the Saudis are carrying out this shock-and-awe campaign against ordinary Yemenis, there's really no hope for any sort of peace plan to work."
"So the Iranians are waiting for the Saudis to run out of steam and to recognize the enormous mistake that they have made."
Iran's Security Council head Ali Shamkhani calls Saudi-led aggression a "historic mistake." He warned of dire consequences for Riyadh, saying:
"The Saudi aggression against Yemen is against the UN Charter, against the principles of peaceful coexistence and against the legal tenets ruling the UN and aims to deviate the path of the Muslim world and wear off the internal power and capacities of the world of Islam."
"Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia has made a big historical mistake, and this heresy will definitely have no end but loss and damage for them."
Iranian General Ahme Reza Pourdastan believes Saudi aggression "will certainly fail."
"The Saudi army is a hired (mercenary) army, and now that no bullets have been fired at it, we see the symptoms of defeat in them already…"
Washington is directly involved in ongoing fighting. It's choosing targets to strike - including civilian ones.
On Saturday, reports indicated one or more US warships fired cruise missiles on Yemeni sites.
They've done it several times before. Perhaps much more to come. Western media remain silent. They support what demands denunciation.
Millions of suffering Yemenis don't matter. Imperial aims alone count. Yemen's nightmare continues.
Obama's latest atrocity threatens an entire nation with mass slaughter, destruction, overwhelming deprivation and unspeakable human suffering.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Human Rights Group Accuses Israel of Deliberately Murdering Gazan Children
Human Rights Group Accuses Israel of Deliberately Murdering Gazan Children
by Stephen Lendman
A new Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) report accuses Israel of willfully killing Palestinian children during last summer's Gaza war.
Around 550 children were murdered in cold blood - two-thirds under age 12.
Israel considers all civilians legitimate targets. International law calls killing them a war crime.
Another 3,400 children were injured - over 1,000 maimed for life. They need vital medical care unavailable because of Israel's lawless siege - ongoing aggression by any standard with full US-led Western support.
America and Israel partner in each other's high crimes. They're the world's leading aggressor states - the most egregious human and civil rights abusers.
They're mindless of core international laws, norms and standards.
Imagine willfully murdering defenseless/nonthreatening young children at home asleep, at play, going to or from school, or running errands for parents.
Imagine considering them enemies of the state. Imagine using illegal terror weapons against them.
Imagine traumatizing young survivors for life. Imagine Israel outrageously trying to justify the unjustifiable.
Imagine a grieving Palestinian mother explaining her nine-year-old son's "arms and legs were cut off" by an Israeli shell.
"The upper part of his body was separated from his lower body, which was turned into small pieces. I screamed," she said.
She and her son were returning to a UN shelter when disaster struck. Israel murdered dozens of entire families in cold blood.
Accountability for its highest of high crimes remains nowhere in sight.
Cold-blooded murder is longstanding Israeli policy. Viciously persecuting Palestinians continues daily.
Israel is a ruthless terror state. It's just a matter of time before it ravages Gaza again.
DCIP's report said "2014 was a year that brought violence, fear and loss (to Gaza)."
"The Israeli military offensive" lasting 51 days from early July to late August killed nearly 550 Palestinian children.
Nearly 3,400 other children were wounded - many from illegal terror weapons.
Over 2,200 Palestinians died - mostly defenseless civilians.
"Investigations undertaken by (DCIP) into Palestinian child fatalities during Operation Protective Edge found overwhelming and repeated evidence of international humanitarian law violations committed by Israeli forces."
"These included direct attacks on children, and indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilian homes, schools, and residential neighborhoods."
Witness testimonies and other documented evidence DCIP collected "showed places that should have been provided children with shelter and safety were not immune from attacks from Israeli forces."
"Missiles fired from Israeli drones and warplanes, artillery shelling, and shrapnel scattered by explosions killed children in their homes, on the street as they fled from attacks with their families, and as they sought shelter from the bombardment in schools."
Israel killed scores of children in drone attacks alone. Clear evidence shows "Israeli forces directly targeted children."
One of many examples affected Rawya Joudeh and four of her five children. An Israeli drone attack murdered them in cold blood - "as they played together" in the family's Jabalia refugee camp yard.
Around half the number of children Israel killed came from attacks on residential buildings.
Sunday, July 20, characterized Israeli viciousness most clearly - the deadliest day for children throughout its lawless aggression.
A nighttime and ground assault on the residential Gaza City Shuja’iyya neighborhood killed 27 children. It injured at least 29 others.
Israeli armed forces are "regularly implicated in serious, systematic and institutionalized human rights violations against Palestinian children living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," said DCIP.
"Children affected by armed conflict are entitled to special respect and protections under international law…"
Israel breaches it repeatedly. It indiscriminately and disproportionately murders and injures defenseless Palestinian civilians in cold blood - including young children and infants, helpless against its onslaught.
Evidence of Israel high crimes is overwhelming. It bears repeating. Accountability is nowhere in sight - nor justice for long-suffering Palestinians.
DCIP stressed "(w)ithout an end to the current regime of collective punishment, targeted assassinations, and regular military offensives, the situation for Gaza's children (and all illegally occupied Palestinians is) guaranteed to further deteriorate."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Vladimir Putin: Voted Most Important World Figure
Vladimir Putin: Voted Most Important World Figure
by Stephen Lendman
Time magazine readers called him the most influential one. In 2007, its editors chose him person of the year for his "extraordinary feat of leadership in imposing stability on a nation that has rarely known it and bringing Russia back to the table of world power."
In 2013 and 2014, Forbes magazine chose him the world's powerful leader. In 2014, Russians voted him Person of the Year for the 16th time.
His domestic approval rating is an astonishing 86% - double or more what Obama scores. Russians consider him their most trustworthy leader. Obama is polar opposite.
He has no credibility whatever. He's a war criminal multiple times over. His neocon-infested administration threatens world peace.
His war crimes remain unaccountable. They continue daily - especially against defenseless civilian men, women and children. He considers them legitimate targets.
Putin is a leading world proponent for peace and stability. Claims otherwise are Big Lies.
Russia under his leadership fosters cooperative relations with all nations. It poses no threat whatever to any. It deplores war. It champions peace and stability.
Claims of Russian aggression in Ukraine are maliciously fabricated Big Lies. Throughout over a year of conflict, no nation worked harder to end it diplomatically than Russia under his leadership.
He and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov deserve Nobel Peace prize recognition more than any other world figures.
Consistently awarding it to war criminals like Obama shows peace advocates needn't apply.
Interviewed on Vesti v Subbotu (Saturday News) television, Putin called Russia a reliable partner because it "does not dance after somebody else's pipe."
It doesn't shift positions under pressure. It doesn't betray its friends and allies.
"There are many components that allow us to consider ourselves a country, and this is actually happening, that is pursuing independent sovereign policy on the international arena and modeling its internal policy in accordance with the will of our people," Putin explained.
"In this sense, we are a rather reliable partner, because we do not dance after somebody else's pipe. We do not shift positions under the influence of a given situation."
Putin is indifferent to favorable ratings he's gotten because "the influence of a given state leader can be assessed first of all based on the economic power and the defense capability of the country."
At the same time, he thanked people showing him "respect." He considers it support for Russia.
It comes at a time US/Russian relations are more hostile than at any time during the Cold War - when Washington aggressively heads for possible East/West confrontation despite Moscow's best efforts to avoid it.
On April 16, Lavrov addressed the fourth International Security Conference in Moscow.
He discussed important issues affecting everyone. Post-WW II opportunities for global cooperation and partnership among nations never materialized, he explained.
US-led "Euro-Atlantic" nations had other things in mind. "(T)hey refused to listen to us, let alone heed our call," said Lavrov.
"(A) totally different negative path" was followed. Confrontation and conflicts overrode cooperation.
Russian policy is "sober-minded and pragmatic…(Things today reflect) a dangerous deterioration of the international situation," Lavrov explained.
"…Russia has found itself at NATO's gates…(The Alliance) coming right up to Russian borders" menacingly threatens world peace.
"Russia (wants) dialogue and cooperation with all those who are willing to cooperate," Lavrov stressed.
US policy is polar opposite. Yemen is the latest example. On Friday, Obama and Saudi despot/King Salman bin Abulaziz al-Saud discussed their terror-war on Yemen.
A White House statement said Obama "reaffirmed the strong friendship between the United States and Saudi Arabia and underscored our commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security" at a time neither country faces any threats besides ones they invent.
Both leaders affirmed their "collective goal (for) lasting stability in Yemen through a negotiated political solution" - while willfully and malevolently raping the country, deliberately mass-murdering civilians.
On Saturday, in northwestern Sadaa province alone, reports indicated at least four dozen killed, 100 or more wounded.
US-directed/Saudi-led terror-bombing continues in 18 of Yemen's 22 governorates - besides Obama's endless direct and proxy wars raging regionally and beyond.
Imagine if Vladimir Putin led America. Imagine Sergey Lavrov in charge of foreign policy.
Imagine peace on earth - cooperation prioritized over confrontation. Imagine a world safe to live in.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
US-Sponsored Yemeni Terror-Bombing Continues
US-Sponsored Yemeni Terror-Bombing Continuesby Stephen LendmanUS-planned and orchestrated/Saudi-led terror-bombing continues into its 24th day - more intensively than earlier.Another Obama atrocity is unfolding in plain sight. Civilians are being delib...
Reign of Terror in Ukraine
Reign of Terror in Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
Obama's fascist Ukrainian friends are ruthless. They're dangerous/unscrupulous gangster thugs systematically abolishing personal freedoms.
Try finding a single major Western media report explaining Kiev regime lawlessness - and the ominous threat it poses. None exist. What demands denunciation gets scoundrel media support.
On the one hand, Ukrainian officials are actively readying for renewed full-scale aggression on Donbass - with full US support and encouragement, including heavy weapons and munitions supplied.
On the other, they're reigning terror on anyone opposing their ruthless rule - courageous individuals demanding democratic rights.
Obama and Kiev officials partner in high crimes. One rogue state supports another. Both countries are fascist police states - with laws abolishing personal freedoms.
Last May, Right Sector thugs massacred hundreds of Odessans in cold blood unaccountably. They're at it again.
Residents rallying against dire economic conditions, force-fed austerity, unaffordable gas prices, and lost freedoms were harassed, threatened, kidnapped, and taken to an unknown location.
One protester spoke for others saying "(w)e came here to a peaceful rally in support of initiatives to strengthen local self-government, including initiating 'Porto-Franco' " free trade zone status.
Odessan taxes go to Kiev. Local socio-economic needs are largely ignored.
"We wanted to tell (Ukranian) officials that we will not allow lawlessness and require them to fulfill their duty before the people," another protester said.
Fascist thugs challenged peaceful demonstrators - kidnapping over 50. Their whereabouts remains unknown.
Based on notorious Kiev practices, they're likely being brutalized in confinement. Perhaps some were killed.
The Ukrainian web site Khvylya controlled by state authorities openly calls for imprisoning or deporting pro-Russian supporters.
It separately urged killing Russian journalists in Donbass. Nazi-infested fascist regimes operate this way.
Illegitimate Ukrainian governance is a cancer in Europe's heartland - fully supported by Washington, rogue EU partners, and go-along media scoundrels ignoring Kiev's worst crimes.
They include assassinating political opponents. In recent weeks, seven high-profile "suicides" were reported - state-sponsored murder by any standard.
Zaporozhzhye regional governor/former ruling Party of Regions member Alexander Peklushenko was the most recent victim last month.
The Nazi-infested internal affairs ministry reported his death as follows:
"Alexander Peklushenko committed suicide at his home in the village of Solnechnoye. At the moment the investigative team is working on the scene."
Fact: Cold-blooded state-sponsored murder in Ukraine is called "suicide" to conceal criminality.
Another former ruling Party of Regions/State Property Fund head, Mikhail Chechetov, was reported dead after mysteriously falling from his apartment window - on the same day as Boris Nemtsov's murder.
Other eliminated former Ukrainian officials included:
- Nicholai Sergienko: former deputy "Ukrzaliznytsia" head;
- Nikolai Kolesnik: former Kharkov (Ukraine's second largest city) regional council head;
- Sergey Valter: former Melitopol mayor;
- Sergey Bordyuga: Melitopol deputy chief of police; and
- Stanislav Melnik: former MP.
Political assassinations reflect official Kiev policy. Thousands of others are lawlessly imprisoned under horrific gulag conditions.
Unknown numbers perish during confinement. Some just disappear.
On Thursday, prominent anti-regime journalist Oles Buzina was murdered in Kiev - the latest political assassination.
He supported legitimate/ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. He was shot to death near his apartment building in central Kiev.
Witnesses said two men wearing masks fled the scene in a Ford Focus car with either Latvian or Belarusian license plates.
Buzina was a journalist/writer/TV host/known Poroshenko regime critic.
On April 13, journalist Sergei Sukhobok was murdered. He co-founded the online sites Obkom and ProUA - critical of fascist rule.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova explained ongoing political purges in Ukraine, saying:
"It is scary because none of the leaders in the EU will take notice that, day after day politicians are being killed in Ukraine."
"Let’s try and find at least 20 tweets of foreign ministers of Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Sweden, the UK, Canada, USA, and Australia, representatives of the OSCE, EU and NATO expressing concern over the killing of Ukrainian politician and condemning the situation in Ukraine."
On Wednesday, former MP/regime critic Oleh kalashnikov was murdered in Kiev. He was found shot to death near his residence.
Konstantin Kosachev heads the Commonwealth of Independent States Federal Agency.
He urged Western leaders to "pay attention to the political killings in Ukraine instead of the rhetoric of sanctions against Russia."
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov blamed Kiev for political murders.
He denounced Western leaders, saying "because of your support in Ukraine there are political murders, terror taking place against political opponents, and all the people."
"What else should these Nazis do, for you to finally understand and be aware of your responsibility for what is happening now in Ukraine."
It bears repeating. US-installed/Nazi-infested Kiev thugs threaten their own people and European peace.
It's more fragile today than at any time since events preceding WW II.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
Yemeni Crisis Deepens
Yemeni Crisis Deepens
by Stephen Lendman
US-orchestrated/Saudi-led terror-bombing continues murdering defenseless Yemeni men, women and children daily.
Genocide is occurring in plain sight. Media scoundrels ignore what demands screaming headlines of condemnation.
Obama bears full responsibility. Saudis and other involved despotic regimes share it. So do Western leaders supporting an atrocity they should make every effort to stop.
The World Food Program (WFP) said half of Yemen's 25 million people go hungry for lack of food. Starvation may claim many thousands.
Untreated wounds for lack of available medicines and treatment may take thousands more. Young children and the elderly are most vulnerable.
On Friday, UN authorities launched an urgent appeal. They need to raise $274 million quickly to provide desperately needed aid. A UN statement said:
"The devastating conflict in Yemen takes place against the backdrop of an existing humanitarian crisis that was already one of the largest and most complex in the world."
Saudi-led terror-bombing and ground fighting so far displaced over 150,000 Yemenis - thousands more daily.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Johannes Van Der Klaauw said "(o)rdinary families are struggling to access healthcare, water, food and fuel - basic requirements for their survival."
Millions are affected in 18 of 22 Yemeni governorates - perhaps all of them as conflict deepens.
Virtually no safe havens exist. Civilian neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, mosques and other non-military related sites are being struck.
Some estimates indicate over 2,500 killed - many more thousands wounded.
"I urge donors to act now to support the people of Yemen at this time of greatest need," Van Der Klaauw urged.
After three weeks of devastating Saudi-led terror bombing (naked aggression by any standard), UN Secretary General noticed.
He's a longtime imperial tool. He disgraces the office he holds. Instead of condemning US-orchestrated/Saudi-led mass murder, he pathetically urged all sides to halt hostilities.
"…I am calling for an immediate ceasefire in Yemen by all parties," he said.
Why now? Why not immediately after Saudi-led terror-bombing began? Why hasn't he clearly condemned the conflict's perpetrators?
Why has he largely ignored Yemenis suffering this long? Why does he support US direct and proxy wars while pretending otherwise?
Why is he a reliable US imperial tool instead of fulfilling his UN mandate?
Yemen is being systematically raped. Millions of Yemeni lives are threatened.
During a Friday Solidarity Rally with Yemen, Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah condemned Saudi aggression.
"This rally is aimed at voicing our condemnation and rejection of the Saudi-American aggression against Yemen and its people and at expressing our support for this noble people," he said.
He urged all Yemenis to unite against what's ongoing.
"It is our human, jihadist and religious duty to take this stance and all the sons of this nation must reassess their responsibilities and take the appropriate stance," he urged.
"Intimidation or threats will not prevent us from continuing to declare our condemnation of the aggression against Yemen."
"This major historic period is affecting the entire region, not only Yemen…This is a war against an Arab people."
Its "real objective is restoring the Saudi-American hegemony over Yemen" Millions of Yemenis are without food, water and medical aid," he added.
He called on all Yemenis to "defeat the aggression." He urged a political solution and end to fighting.
Iran's Defense Minister General Hossein Dehqan blamed Washington and Israel for waging aggression on Yemen. He believes efforts to defeat Houthi resistance will fail.
Vladimir Putin called for "an immediate cessation of military activities" in Yemen within 24 hours after Saudi terror-bombing began.
Obama wants escalated war. He's supplying Saudis with munitions, intelligence, logistical help and targets to strike - including civilian ones.
He's mindless of human suffering. US imperial objectives alone matter.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
New video: “You know a politician or talking head doesn’t ‘get it’ when ....
--2014--
784. Oct. 6-9, speaker, Praxis Peace Institute conference, THE ECONOMICS OF SUSTAINABILITY-Emerging Models for a Healthy Planet, Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco
783. Sept. 12-14, participant, RENY Rethinkecon conference, http://rethinkecon.com/, NY City
782. Aug. 20, interview with Rohan Freeman, ignoranti.org, 10 a.m. PST
781. July 29-Aug. 5. Moving Beyond Capitalism conference, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
780. July 9, speaker, 2014 Annual Conference of the Council of Georgist Organizations, Inc., Radisson Newport Beach Hotel, near the Orange County John Wayne Airport, 9:15 a.m. PT
779. July 2nd IT’S OUR MONEY WITH ELLEN BROWN – EMINENT DOMAIN TO THE RESCUE? – Progressive Radio Network. Listen to archive here.
778. June 29, interview with Stephen Golden, KABC radio, Pasadena, 7 pm PT
777. June 25, interview, Kerry Lutz - Financial Survival Network, 1 pm ET. Listen to archive here.
776. June 21, participant and speaker, General Assembly of the Green Party of California, http://www.cagreens.org/ga/2014-06/agenda-draft-to-counties, Santa Barbara
775. June 7, interview with Doug Bennett, Unspun: An Experiment in Truth-Telling, KKRN Community radio, 9 am PT Listen to archive here.
774. June 2, interview, Voice of Russia (pre-recorded, check their site).
773. May 31, interview, the Joe Whitehead Show, http://thejoewhiteheadshow.com/, 11:30 am, EDT
772. May 26, interview, Wealth DNA Radio Show, Blog Talk Radio, wealthdna.us, noon EST
771. May 26, Speaker at Occupy SF Forum, Unite HERE Local 2 Union Hall, 215 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco -- along with Laura Wells, Lt. Gov. candidate Jena Goodman, Sect. of State candidate David Curtis, and Congressional candidate Barry Hermanson, 6 pm
770. May 26, interview on the Wealth DNA Radio Show (Blog Talk Radio: wealthdna.us) noon ET
769. May 25, "Occupy Oakland" barbecue at Mike Wilson’s house: 3413 Belmont Ave., El Cerrito, 1:30 pm
768. May 25, interview, the Bob Charles Show, Web Radio Station http://www.kinetichifi.com/, 2 pm EST
767. May 24, Attend and speak at the Sacramento "March against Monsanto" anti-GMO event (starts at the North steps of the State Capitol building).
766. May 23, c. 11:00 am -- Speak to the "Campus Greens" at De Anza College, Cupertino
765. May 23. Ellen and Laura Wells will speak at the "Green Party Candidates Night" -- at the Richmond Progressive Alliance office, in the Bobby Bowens Progressive Center, 1021 Macdonald Ave., Richmond, 7 pm
764. May 22, Monterey Co. Green Party candidates forum, with Cindy Sheehan and Laura Wells, Monterey College of Law, 100 Col. Durham St., Seaside, CA 93955, 7 pm
763. May 20, interview with Sinclair Noe, Financial Review, MoneyRadio.com (pre-recorded, check for air time.)
762. May 15, interview with Alan Butler, Butler on Business, Liberty Express Radio, 10 AM EDT
761. May 14, interview with Stanley Montieth, The Doctor Stan Show, Radio Liberty, 7 am PST
760. May 13, interview with Robert Stark and Jeff Crow, Valley Talk Live, centralvalleytalk.com, Fresno, 4 pm PT. Listen to archive here.
759. May 11, Skype participant, Green Party candidate Q&A event, Lieblyl Proctor Library
6501 Telegraph Avenue
Oakland, CA 94607
Between 65th and 66th St. 5 pm
758. May 10, United We Stand Festival, Pauley Pavilion, UCLA,
https://unitedwestandfest.com/confirmed-guests/
757. May 6, inteview with Rock Cash, The People Speak Radio. Listen to archive here.
756. May 1, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 9 a.m. PDT
755. April 29, moderator, Great Minds #66 with Nomi Prins, Los Angeles, CA., 7 pm PT
754. April 23, Ellen interviews Nomi Prins on It's Our Money. Listen to archive here.
753. April 21, interview with Robert Stark and Jeff Crow, Valley Talk Live, centralvalleytalk.com, Fresno, 4:30 PT
752. April 17, interview Dr. Rima Truth Reports, with Dr. Rima Laibow, 10 pm EST
751. April 17, interview with Greg Hunter, USAWatchdog.com, 11:30 EST
750. April 8, It's Our Money with Ellen Brown, interiews Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers. Listen to archive here.
749. April 8, interview with Alan Butler, Butler on Business, Liberty Express Radio, 11:30 AM EDT
748. April 3, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 9 a.m. PDT
747. April 3, interview with James Banks, KGNU radio, Boulder, CO, 5 p.m. PT
746. April 2, interview, WHDTWorldNews, Nextnewsnetwork.com, 10:30 a. m. PDT
745. March 26, 1 pm PDT, It’s Our Money with Ellen Brown. Ellen interviews Prof. ROBERT HOCKETT--fascinating background material for understanding the banks' role in the foreclosure mess and the eminent domain solution. Listen to the archive here.
744. March 24, interview with Kevin Zeese JD and Margaret Flowers MD, Clearing the FOG on We Act Radio, 1480 AM Washington, DC, 8 a.m. PDT
743. March 23rd, "Banking for the People—Not for Wall Street," Agenda for a Prophetic Faith Lecture Series, Claremont United Methodist Church, 211 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont, CA 91711, http://www.claremontumc.org/, 7 pm PT
742. Apr. 13, Interview with Chris Moore, KDKA Pittsburgh, 5 pm EST
741. March 18, 2 pm, Democratic Club, Friendly Valley Conference Room, Newhall, CA.
740. March 13, interview with Fred Smart, American Underground Network, 8 pm, CDT
739. March 12, 12 pm PDT, It's Our Money radio show with Ellen Brown, featuring Prof. TIM CANOVA on the Federal Reserve. Listen to archive here.
738. March 4, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report, 4:30 PST
737. Feb. 23, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST
736. Feb 20, interview with Bill Deller, 3CR radio, Melbourne, Australia, 3 pm, PST
735. Feb. 17, interview, Strike Debt Bay Area, KPFA, Berkeley, 2 pm (?) PST
734. Feb16, interview with Gary Dubin, The Foreclosure Hour (http://www.foreclosurehour.com/the-host.html), 5 pm PST
733. Feb. 11, interview with Clint Richardson, RBN 5 pm PST
732. Feb 9, interview with Stephen Golden, DEFENDING THE AMERICAN DREAM, KABC Los Angeles, 6 am, PST Listen to the archive here.
731. Feb. 6, interview, Move to Amend Reports, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/movetoamend, 5 pm PST
730. Feb. 5, interview with Sinclair Noe, Financial Review, MoneyRadio.com, 9:30 am PST
729. January 30, interview, Kerry Lutz - Financial Survival Network, 12 pm EST
728. January 30, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report, 4:30 PST
727. January 29, interview on Latin Waves, 8 pm PST
726. January 28, Green Party Shadow Cabinet response to State of the Union Speech. http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus 6 pm PST
725. January 26, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST. Listen here.
724. January 23, interview, The Tim Dahaney Show, 12 noon PST. Listen here.
723. January 22, interview with Utrice Leid, "Leid Stories,", PRN.FM, 1 pm EST
722. January 21, interview, Independent Underground Radio LIVE, 9:15 PST. Listen here.
721. January 12, Open Forum with Green Party candidates Luis Rodriguez, Laura Wells and Ellen Brown, hosted by LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) 11277 GARDEN GROVE BLVD., Garden Grove, CA. 2-4 pm
720. January 11, interview with Bill Still on running for California Treasurer. Watch it here. And see another one here.
719. January 8, interview, The Tim Dahaney Show, 12 noon PST. Listen here. (It's the one labelled "Take the Fed Reserve Public.")
718. Jan 7, interview, The Burt Cohen Show, 12 noon ET
--2013--
717. Dec. 30, interview, Stuart Vener Tells It Like It Is, see http://stuartvener.com for stations, 11:30 am EST
716. Dec. 26, interview Dr. Rima Truth Reports, with Dr. Rima Laibow and Ralph Fucetola, 10 pm EST
715. Dec. 21, interview, KPRO Radio San Francisco, 9:30 am PST
714. Dec. 18, interview, The Power Hour with Joyce Riley, 8 a.m. CT
713. Dec. 18, interview, Unwrapped Radio, WRFG, http://www.tuneinradio.com/, 12:40 EST
712. Dec. 15, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST, listen here.
711. Dec. 15, presentation, A Public Bank for Mendocino, at the Crown Hall in Mendocino, Ca., 7 pm
710. Dec. 15, presentation, Why We Need to Own Our Own Bank, Mendocino Environmental Center
106 West Standley, Ukiah, CA 95482, 2 pm
709. Dec. 14, presentation, Why We Need to Own Our Own Bank, Little Lake Grange, Willits, Ca. 7 pm
708. Dec. 13, interview on All About Money, KZYX radio, 9 a.m. PST
707. Dec. 13, interview, Radio Islam, WCEV 1450 AM, 12:05 pm, CST
706. Dec. 12, appearance with Doug McKenty, "The Shift," Mendocino TV, 4:30 pm PST
705. Dec. 11, interview on WHDT World News, http://NNN.is/on-WHDT, 5:30 and 11:00 pm EST. Watch the archive here.
704. Dec. 11, interview, WORT Community Radio, Madison, Wisconsin, 6:10 a.m. PST
703. Dec. 11, interview with Sinclair Noe, Financial Review, MoneyRadio.com, 10:30 PST
702. Dec. 9, UnWrapped Radio, Atlanta, 1 pm PST.
701. Dec. 9, GOHarrison, KPFK Los Angeles, 3:30 pm PST.
700. Dec. 9, interview, Air Cascadia show, KBOO radio, Portland, 10 am PST
699. Dec. 5, interview, WHDT World News TV, 2 pm PST
698. Dec. 4, interview with David Swanson, talknationradio, 7pm PST
697. Dec. 4, interview with Rob Kall, The Rob Kall Bottom-Up Radio Show, 1360 AM, 7:30 pm EST
696. Dec. 3, interview with Kim Greenhouse, It's Rainmaking Time, listen here.
695. Dec. 2, interview with Val Muchowski, Women's Voices, KZYX, 7 p.m. PST
694. Nov. 29, interview with Gregg Hunter, USAWatchdog.com, 11:30 PST
693. Nov. 16, interview This is Hell! radio show, WNUR 89.3 fm, thisishell.com/live, 11.20 a.m. EST. Listen to archive here
692. Nov. 15, interview with George Berry, The Financial News Network Show, truthfrequencyradio.com, 1 pm PST
691. Nov. 14, interview with Stanley Montieth, The Doctor Stan Show, Radio Liberty, 4 pm PSTf
690. Nov. 14, interview with Neil Foster, Reality Bytes show, Awake Radio (UK), Shazziz Radio (US), 8 pm UK time.
689. Nov. 13, interview with Bonnie Faulkner, KPFA, Los Angeles. Listen to archive here.
688. Nov. 12, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report, 4:30 PST
687. Nov. 11, interview, Between the Lines News Magazine, WPKN radio, Bridgeport, CT, 9 p.m. ET. Listen to archive here
686. Nov. 10, skype participant, forum at the Putrajaya International Islamic Arts and Cultural Festival, "Global Economic and Monetary Crisis: What Needs to be Done?" Putrajaya, Malaysia, 11 a.m. MYT, 7 pm, Nov. 9 PST
685. Nov. 3, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST
684. Oct. 31, interview with Voice of Russia radio, American edition, 2:30 pm, CET (Central Europe Time.) Listen to archive here.
683. Oct. 23, interview with Daniel Estulin on RT tv
682. Oct. 16, interview with Per Fereng, KBOO radio, Portland, 11 am PST
681. Oct. 15, presentation, "The Public Banking Forum in Ireland," 7-9 PM, Hudson Bay Hotel, Athlone, Ireland.
680. Oct. 14, presentation, Cork, Ireland
679. Oct. 12, presentation, "The Public Banking Forum in Ireland," 2-4 PM, Springfield Hotel in Leixlip, County Kildare, Ireland. Information on these three events here.
678. October 4, interview with Bill Deller, 3CR radio, Melbourne, Australia, 2:30 pm, PST
677. Oct. 3, interview with Joyce Riley, the Power Hour. Listen to archive here.
676. Oct. 1, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report 7:30 EST
675. Sept. 29, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST
674. Sept. 27, interviw with Kevin Barrett, AmericanFreedomRadio.com, NoLiesRadio.org:
http://TruthJihadRadio.blogspot.com, 2 pm PST
673. Sept. 19, interview, The Gary Null Show, 9:30 a.m. Pacific
672. Sept. 19, Interview on the Global Research News Hour with Michael Welch--check site for time and archive.
671. Sept. 18, interview with David Sierralupe, Occupy Radio, KWVA, 88.1 FM, Eugene
670. Sept. 15, interview with Niall Bradley, Sott Talk Radio, sott.net, 2 p.m. EST
669. Sept. 14, interview FDLBookSalon, firedoglake.com, 5pm EST
668. Sept. 10, "Turning Hard Times into Good Times" with Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 12:30 pm PST. Listen to archive here.
667. Sept. 9, interview with Ken MacDermotRoe and Del LaPietro, In Context Report, 9 am PST. Listen to archive here.
666. Sept 7, interview with Valerie Kirkgaard, WakingUpInAmerica.com, 6 am, PST. Listen here.
665. Sept. 6, Interview with Al Korelin, The Korelin Economics Report, 12:30 pm PST
664. Sept. 5, discussion of how to bring public banking to Colorado on "It's the Economy, Stupid," KGNU, Boulder, 5 p.m. PST
663. Sept. 5, interview with Patrick Timpone, oneradionetwork.com, 8 a.m. PST
662. Sept. 3, interview (along with Elliott Spitzer?), "Turning Hard Times into Good Times" with Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 1 pm PST Listen to archive here.
661. Sept. 3, interview with Jeanette LaFeve, The People Speak, 6 pm PST
660. Aug. 25, Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
659. Aug. 22, interview with Christopher Greene, AMTV Radio, simulcast in audio/video over GoogleHangouts and American Freedom Radio, 1 p.m. PST
658. Aug. 22, interview, TheAndyCaldwellShow.com,
CalChronicle.com, 3 pm PST
657. Aug. 21, interview with Merry and Burl Hall, blogtalkradio.com/envision-this, 5 pm PST
656. Aug. 21, interview with Lori Lundin, America's Radio News Network, 10:30 a.m. ET.
655. Aug. 16, interview with Sinclair Noe, Moneyradio.com, 4 pm PST
654. Aug. 15, interview with Justine Underhill, Prime Interest, Russia Today TV, 1:30 pm PST
653. Aug 14, interview with Jim Goddard, This Week in Money, 4 pm, PST. Listen to archive here, starting at minute 32.
652. Aug. 14, interview with Mary Glenney, WMNF 88.5, 10 a.m. PST
651. Aug. 14, interview with Chuck Morse, irnusaradio.com, 8 am, PST
650. Aug. 13, interview with Thomas Taplin, Dukascopy TV, Switzerland, 9 am PST
649. Aug 7-11, Madison Democracy conference, https://democracyconvention.org/
648. Aug. 6, radio interview, INN World Report with Tom Kiely, http://feeds.feedburner.com/INNWorldReportRadio 4:30 PST
647. Aug 5, interview with Arnie Arnesen, 94.7 fm, Concord, NH, 9 am PST
646. Aug 3, interview with Diane Horn, Mind Over Matter show, KEXP radio, 90.3 FM, Seattle, 7:00 a.m. PST
645. July 31, interview with Mike Beevers, KFCF Fresno, 4:30 pm PST
644. July 28, Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
643. July 2, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PDT.
642. July 2, interview with Arnie Arnesen, 94.7 fm, Concord, NH, 12:30 EST.
641. June 30, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT. Listen to archive here.
640. June 24, interview on RT tv re student debt, 10:30 am PST
639. June 17, interview on The Andy Caldwell Show, 3:30 pm PST
638. June 16, interview with Jason Erb, 5 pm Pacific
637. June 13, interview with Paul Sanford, "Time 4 Hemp-LIVE," http://www.AmericanFreedomRadio.com, 10 am, PST
636. June 6 presentation with Jamie Brown at the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center in Walnut Creek. Info at Favors.org, 7 to 9 pm
635. June 1, interview with Kris Welch, KPFA Los Angeles, 10 am PST
634. May 28, interview with Malihe Razazan, "Your Call" radio, KALW, San Francisco, 10 am PST.
633. May 26, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
632. May 23 interview with Simit Patel, InformedTrades.com (youtube) 3:30 pm PST
631. May 22, Thousand Oaks, 3 expert panel, "A Parachute For the Fiscal Cliff," University Village 2-4 pm
630. May 22, interview with Jack Rasmus, 11 am PST. Enjoy the interview here.
629. May 22, Guns and Butter show, KPFA, http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/91790
628. May 14, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PDT.
627. May 13, live appearance on RTTV, 3 pm PST Watch it here.
626. May 8, interview with Valli Sharpe-Geisler, Silicon Valley Voice, KKUP, 3 pm PST
625. May 8, interview, the Meria Heller Show, 11 am PST
624. May 4, interview, Latin Waves with Sylvia Richardson, 10 am PST
623. April 30, Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 1 pm PST
622. April 29, interview with Rob Kall, Bottom Up Radio, 9 am Pacific
Listen to archive here.
621. April 28, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
620. April 25, interview, the the Dr. Katherine Albrecht Show, 5 pm EDT
619. April 17, interview with Mike Harris, rense.com, 1 pm PDT
618. April 16th, speaker, Valley Democrats United (Democratic Party of San Fernando Valley), Van Nuys, Ca. 7-9pm
617. April 13, interview with Darren Weeks, Govern America, noon Eastern, listen here
616. April 9, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PDT.
615. April 6, phone conference, Justice Party, http://www.justicepartyusa.org/public_banking_conference_call, 9 a.m.
614. April 5, interview, Butler on Business, 11 a.m. EDT
613. April 3, interview with Michael Welch, Global Research News Hour, 8:30 a.m. PDT
612. April 2, interview with Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 12:30 PDT. Listen here.
611. April 1, interview with Brannon Howse, www.worldviewradio.com, 11 a.m. PDT
610. April 1, interview with Scott Harris, Counterpoint,
WPKN Radio, 8:30 pm, ET Listen to archive here.
609. April 1, interview with Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese. Watch and listen to archive here, starting at minute 50. Articles based on the interview are at Truthout.org.
608. March 31, interview with Jason Erb, Exposing Faux Capitalism, Oracle Broadcasting, 11 a.m. Pacific
607. March 31, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT Listen to the archive here.
606. March 29, interview, The Gary Null Show, 9:30 a.m. Pacific
605. March 28, interview with Stan Monteith, radioliberty.com, 9 pm PDT
604. March 28, radio interview, INN World Report with Tom Kiely, http://feeds.feedburner.com/INNWorldReportRadio 4:30 PDT
603. March 27, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PdT.
602. March 27, interview with Jack Rasmus on PRN, 11 a.m. PDT
601. March 25, interview on the Richard Kaffenberger show, KTOX, Needles, CA. 3:15 PDT
600. March 22, newly available archived radio interview, Mandelman Matters. Listen here.
599. March 22, interview with James Fetzer, The People Speak Radio, 5-7 pm PDT
598. March 22, interview , Our Times With Craig Barnes, KSFR radio, Santa Fe, 10 a.m. MST
597. March 12, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST.
596. March 11, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PST
595. March 9, Interview with Sylvia Richardson, Latin Waves, CJSF 90.1FM, 9:30 am PST
594. March 6, interview with Charlie McGrath, wideawakenews.com, 6pm PST. Watch and listen here.
593. March 3, interview with Lateef Kareem Bey, Fix Your Mortgage Mess, 4 pm PST
592. March 2, Interview with Stuart Richardson, Latin Waves, CJSF 90.1FM, 11 am PST
591. Feb. 27, interview with Jim Banks, KGNU, Boulder, 12 pm PST
590. Feb 27, interview with Sinclair Noe, Financial Review, 10 am PST
589. Feb. 25, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST.
588. Feb. 6, Interview with Phil Mackesy, This Week in Money, TalkDigitalNetwork.com, 11 am PST. Listen to the archive here: http://talkdigitalnetwork.com/2013/02/this-week-in-money-70/
587. Feb. 4, interview with Ken Rose, What Now radio show, KOWS RADIO OCCIDENTAL 107.3 FM, 11 am PST.
586. Jan. 31, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Radio Report, 5:00 pm PST
585. Jan. 27, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio
network, 10 am PST
584. Jan. 23, interview on KPFK, 8pm PST
583. Jan. 22, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST.
582. Jan. 3, interview with Mary Glenney, WMNF 88.5, Tampa, 3 pm EST
581. Jan. 2, interview, The Bev Smith Show, thebevsmithshow.net, 5 pm PST
--- 2012 ---
580. Dec. 27, video interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, listen and watch here.
579. Dec. 24, October talk at First Unitarian Church in Portland aired on KBOO radio, http://kboo.fm/, 8:00 am PST
578. Dec. 24, interview with Ron Daniels, the WWRL Morning Show with Mark Riley, wwrl1600.com, 5:05 am PST
577. Dec. 21, interview with Andy Caldwell, TheAndyCaldwellShow.com, KZSB AM1290 Santa Barbara / Ventura and KUHL AM1440 Santa Maria / San Luis Obispo, 3:30 pm PST
576. Dec. 20, interview with Fred Smart, aunetwork.tv, 9 pm EST
575. Dec. 19, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST. Listen here.
574. Dec. 19, interview with Dr. Jack Rasmus, Alternative Visions, Progressive Radio Network, 2 pm EST
573. Dec. 17, The Bev Smith Show, thebevsmithshow.net, 4 pm PST
572. Dec. 15, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST. Listen here.
571. Dec. 14, interview with Craig Barnes, Our Times With Craig Barnes, KSFR radio, 9 am PST Listen to the archive here.
570. December 9th, speaker, Mayo Arts Center (10 Mayo Street) in Portland, ME
http://mayostreetarts.org/about-us/where-we-are 7:30-9pm
569. Dec. 7, Vermont's New Economy conference, Vermont College of the Find Arts, Montpelier, VT, 9 am to 4 pm and reception at 4:30. $25
www.global-community.org/neweconomy to register
568. Dec. 5, speaker, Pennsylvania Public Bank Project's Forum on Public Banking, at the David Library of the American Revolution, Washington Crossing, PA, 7pm
567. Nov. 26-27, 3rd Annual World Conference on Riba, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
566. Nov. 22, presentation before Royal Scottish Academy -- "A Public Bank for Scotland" (here), Riddle's Court, 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PG Scotland, 6 pm
565. Nov 8, Healthy Money Summit, speaking with Hazel Henderson at 1-2 pm PST, information here.
564. Sunday, Oct. 28, Keynote Speaker; The Buck Starts Here, 2:00pm, sponsored by the Kairos Occasional Speakers Series & OFOR, Kairos Milwaukie UCC, Milwaukie, OR.
563. Saturday, Oct. 27, Keynote Speaker; OFOR Saturday Symposium: The Buck Starts Here, 10am - 3pm, Molalla, OR
562. Friday-Sunday, Oct. 26-28, Keynote Speaker; Oregon Fellowship of Reconciliation Fall Retreat - The Buck Starts Here, Camp Adams, Molalla, OR, Friday, 5pm- Sunday 12 noon
561. Friday, October 26, Invited Commentator; screening of “HEIST” (new documentary about the roots of the American economic crisis), sponsored by First Unitarian Church of Portland's Economic Justice Action Groups, Alliance for Democracy, KBOO, Move to Amend, 7:00pm, First Unitarian Church, Portland, OR
560. (Oct. 25-28, Bioneers Conference, Portland, OR)
Oct. 25, Keynote Speaker; sponsored by Portland Fellowship of Reconciliation (PFOR) and the First Unitarian Church of Portland's Economic Justice and Peace Action Groups, 7:00-8:30pm, First Unitarian Church, Portland, OR
559. Oct. 24, interview with Per Fagereng, KBOO radio, Portland, 9 am PST
558. Oct. 24, KPFA "Guns and Butter" interview. Listen to archived show here.
557. Oct. 21, speaker at BBQed Oysters and Beer Fundraiser Party for PBI, San Rafael, CA, 4 pm PST
556. Oct. 14, Live Gaiam tv interview appearance. Watch it here free at 7pm EST.
555. Oct. 12, interview with Matt Rothschild of The Progressive, 10 a.m. Central time
554. October 11-14, speaker, Economic Democracy Collaborative, Madison, Wisconsin
553. Oct. 11, radio interview with Norm Stockwell, WORT, 12 pm CST
552. Oct. 9, interview with Kevin Barrett, No Lies Radio, listen to archive here.
551. Oct. 8, interview, "Mountain Hours Revolution Radio" with Wayne Walton, on RBN, 12-1 pm PST
550. Oct. 7, interview with Lloyd D'Aguilar, "Looking Back Looking Forward", http://lookingbacklookingforward.com/, 2 pm EST
549. Sept. 26, interview with Douglas Newberry, markettoolbox.tv, 1pm EST. Listen here.
548. Sept. 25, interview with Dr. Stanley Montieth, radioliberty.com, 3pm PST
547. Sept. 24, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PST.
546. Sept. 22, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
545. Sept. 17 interview along with Hazel Henderson, National Teach In for Occupy Wall Street, http://www.livestream.com/owshdtv 5pm EST
544. Sept. 10, interview with Thomas Taplin, Dukascopy TV (Switzerland), 7 am PST Watch and listen here
543. Sept. 7, interview with Mike Harris, republicbroadcasting.org, 6 am PST
542. Sept. 6, interview with Douglas Newberry, markettoolbox.tv, 1pm EST. Listen here.
541. Aug 28, interview, the Meria Heller Show, 11 am PST. Listen to archive here. And listen to excellent Meria Heller show here.
540. Aug 26, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, listen to archive here.
539. August 21, interview with Charlie McGrath, wideawakenews.com. Listen to archive here.
538. Aug 20, interview with Kim Greenhouse, It's Rainmaking Time, listen here.
537. Aug 16, interview with Mike Harris, republicbroadcasting.org, 6 am PST
536. Aug. 14, interview, TheAndyCaldwellshow.com, 4:30pm PST
535. August 13, interview with American Free Press, 1 pm PST
534. July 24, interview along with Victoria Grant, The People Speak, 6pm, PST
533. July 24, interview with Kevin Barrett, NoLiesRadio.org, 9 am PST
532. July 23, interview with Charlie McGrath, wideawakenews.com, 6 pm PST
531. July 22, interview with Dave Hodges, The Common Sense Show, 7 pm PST
530. July 22, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST. Listen to archive here.
529. July 19, interview with Mike Beevers, KFCF Fresno, 4:30 pm PST
528. July 10-12, Speaker, Conference on Social Transformation, Faculty of Economics, Split University, Split Croatia
527. July 10, video interview with Max Keiser, the Keiser Report, on the ESM. Watch it here.
526. July 7, Interview with Phil Mackesy, This Week in Money, TalkDigitalNetwork.com, 3 pm PST
525. July 6, video interview with Dr. Mercola, see it here.
524. June 23, Interview with Al Korelin, The Korelin Economics Report, 1 pm PST. Listen to archive here.
523. June 21, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Radio Report, 4:30 pm PST
522. June 21, interview on the Gary Null Show, 9:20 am PST
521. June 18, interview with Ken Rose, What Now radio show, KOWS RADIO OCCIDENTAL 107.3 FM, 1 pm PST. Listen to archive here.
520. June 17, interview with Bill Resnick, KBOO radio, 9 am PST
519. June 16 interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST. Listen to archive here.
518. June 9, interview with Sylvia Richardson, Latin Waves, 9:45 am PST. Listen to archive here.
517. June 5, interview, Truth Quest With Melodee, KHEN radio, 7pm PST
516. June 2, interview about Web of Debt, Our Common Ground,http://www.blogtalkradio.com/OCG, 7pm PST
515. June 1, interview with Robert Stark, The Stark Truth listen here.
514. Newly available video of interview on "Moral Politics" -- see it here
513. May 30, interview, The Tim Dahaney Show, ll am PST
512. May 28, interview with Pedro Gatos, "Bringing Light into Darkness", KOOP.ORG, 6 pm CST
511. May 24, interview, Make It Plain With Mark Thompson, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, 2pm PST
510. May 20, interview, Women's View Radio, blogtalkradio.com, 10 am Central Time. Listen here.
509. May 13, interview, www.Blogtalkradio.com/fixyourmortgagemess, 4:15 pm PST
508. May 12, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST Listen here.
507. May 9, seminar, Re-imagining Money and Credit, Art bldg. rm 103, El Camino college, Torrance, Ca. 5-7:30 pm
506. May 8, interview with Mike Harris, republicbroadcasting.org, 9 am EST
505. May 7, radio discussion on "The Myth of Austerity", Connect the Dots, KPFK Los Angeles, 7 am PST. Listen here.
504. May 4, interview The Unsolicited Opinion, republicbroadcasting.org, 8 am PST
503. April 27-28, speaker, Public Banking Institute Conference, Friends Center, Philadelphia. Listen here.
502. April 25, speaker Global Teach-In (globalteachin.com), 12 noon EST
501. April 17, Interview with Leo Steel, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lasteelshoworg, 8:30 pm EST. Listen here.. 31 minutes in.
500. April 14, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
499. April 14, interview with Al Korelin, The Korelin Economics Report
498. April 10th-12th Speaker at Claremont Conference, “Creating Money in a Finite World” Claremont, CA . See video here.
497. April 5, interview , This Week In Money with Phil Mackesy (howestreet.com) 12:30 PST. Listen to the archive here.
496. April 3, speaker at COMER with Paul Hellyer, "Escape From the Web of Debt," Toronto, 7:30 pm
495. March 27, speaker on "Why are we so Broke? New ways to look at the Finances of our State and City," League of Women Voters luncheon, San Diego, 12 noon
494.5 March 24, radio interview, Mandelman Matters. Listen here.
494. March 17, speaker via skype, SCADS conference, London
493. March 15, interview with Per Fagereng, Fight the Empire, KBOO radio, 9:30 am PST
492. March 15, speaker, San Rafael City Hall 6 pm
491. March 13, speaker at Sergio Lub's house, Walnut Creek, info at Favors.org, 6pm
490. March 11, speaker, TedxNewWallStreet. See it here.
489. March 10, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
488. March 6, interview with Melinda Pillsbury-Foster, http://radio.rumormillnews.com/podcast/, 11 am PST
487. Feb. 25, interview with Martin Andelman, http://www.mandelman.ml-implode.com, 9:30 am PST
486. Feb. 25, interview, This Week In Money with Phil Mackesy (howestreet.com), 3 pm PST
485. Feb. 25, interview on CIVL Radio, Latin Waves, How Greece Could Take Down Wall Street, 11:30am PST
484. Feb 23, interview with Thomas Kiely, INN World Report Radio, 7:30 pm EST
483. Feb. 17, featured speaker, Public Banking in America weekly call, 9 am PST
482. Feb. 11, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
481. Feb. 8, interview with Mike Beevers, KFCF Fresno, 4:30 pm PST
480. Feb. 7, interview with Kevin Barrett, NoLiesRadio.org, 9 am PST; listen to archive here
479. Feb. 6, participant, Occupiers and Wells Fargo Executives Gather to Discuss the American Foreclosure Crisis, The Center of Nonprofit Management at California Endowment Building 1000 N. Alameda, Los Angeles, meeting 3 pm and press conference 5:30 pm
478. Feb. 2, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report Radio, 7:30 pm EST
477. Feb. 2, interview with Patrick Timpone, oneradionetwork.com, naturalnewsradio.com. Listen to archive here
476. Jan. 31, interview, Liberty Coins and Precious Metals, 9 am PST
475. Jan. 27, interview KPFA, Project Censored, 8:30 am PST
474. Jan. 27, FILMS4CHANGE-INSIDEJOB, panel speaker, Edye Second Space, Santa Monica Performing Arts Center, 7:30 pm
473. Jan 22, interview with Dave Hodges, The Common Sense Show, 7:30 pm PST. Listen live here.
472. Jan. 20, interview with Mike Harris, The Republic Broadcasting Network, 7 am PST
471. Jan. 16, interview with Rob Lorei, WMNF fm, Tampa, 2 pm PST
470. Jan. 14, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
469. Jan. 11, interview with Jeff Rense, rense.com, 8pm PST
Syrians Vote
Syrians Vote
by Stephen Lendman
June 3 was historic. It was Syria's first ever free, fair, open democratic presidential election.
Hassan al-Nouri and Maher Hajjar competed with Assad. He's overwhelmingly popular.
He'll win easily. Only his victory margin remains to be determined.
Syrians want no one else leading them. Especially while conflict continues. He's fighting for Syrian freedom. He's defeating Obama's dirty game.
On Tuesday, 9,601 polling stations opened at 7:00AM. Heavy turnout kept them open until midnight. To accommodate everyone wanting to vote.
Syrians in hot zones voted in safe areas. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported "massive" turnout.
A Syrian Presidential Facebook posting said:
"Syrians, who are always up to the expectations, prove day after day their commitment to the culture of life, hope and challenge in the face of the culture of death, terrorism and closeness."
They're committed to preserving Syrian sovereignty, it added. Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem issued a statement, saying:
"No one grants legitimacy except the Syrian people. The Syrians register today their free will in democratic, transparent elections to elect who will lead them" for the next seven years.
They alone are enfranchised. "No one can impose (their) will on the Syrian people."
Assad and his wife Asma voted at a school near his Damascus presidential residence. Hajjar cast his ballot in Salhiya Quarter's parliament palace.
Al-Nuri voted at a Sheraton Hotel polling station. He commented, saying:
"Syria is becoming a different country where pluralism is taking root and a different opinion gets acceptable."
Results won't be announced until all ballots are counted. According to Supreme Judicial Committee for Elections head Hisham al-Shaar:
No exit polls were taken. "Preliminary and final results will be announced simultaneously. No tentative results will be made public."
Thirty Syrian friendly countries sent monitors. Russian upper house Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation First Deputy Chairman Alexei Alexandrov said:
"We have no doubts about the legitimacy of these polls."
"Syria does everything to get aligned with the world's democratic law-governed states."
"There are no doubts that (Assad) was confronted by serious politicians who had every ground to expect a realistic win."
"It is obvious that (he) enjoys special prestige, and the people's love for him is felt."
"From legal and objective points of view, the elections (were) held impeccably."
"The existing minor reproaches will not influence the final results."
Electoral commission member Ridvan Asan said:
"Turnout of voters has been high. Polling has been held in an open and honest manner."
Itar Tass correspondents visited 15 Damascus polling stations.
They witnessed unimpeded voting. The process was open, free and fair, they said.
Armed militants' attempts to disrupt things failed. Millions of Syrians wanting to live free foiled them.
One voter perhaps spoke for others, saying:
"Three years of struggle against Saudis and Qatar have not subdued us. They did not even dream of democracy of ours."
Another said "(t)hree years of war have not broken us. We're voting for the future."
A Damascus resident called voting "our duty. We can't allow people from outside to decide for us," he said.
"Our duty is to vote to protect our country." According to another Damascus resident:
"Even if there are mortar bombs like the terrorists promise us, we'll go and vote for Bashar Assad. This is our right."
Al-Watan Waddah editor-in-chief Abed Rabbo said no one but Assad can restore peace and stability.
"People…will vote for the person who will bring them" what they most value. And best "prospects for the future."
Syrians know Assad. They respect him. They'll elect him overwhelmingly. By a 70% majority or higher.
Syrian expats voted on May 28. Tens of thousands of Lebanese refugees turned out.
Up to an estimated 100,000. Beirut's Syrian embassy extended voting hours to accommodate them.
Washington pressure got France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and other countries to prevent Syrian expats from voting.
They endorsed sham Ukrainian and Egyptian elections. They denounced Syria's model democratic process.
It didn't deter millions of Syrians from exercising their democratic franchise. Or millions more abroad.
Western reporters in Lebanon and elsewhere were amazed. Long lines queued for hours. In countries far off as Brazil.
Overwhelmingly supporting Assad. Expressing it publicly. They want him alone representing them.
AP said he has "significant support among large sections of the population, particularly among Christians, Alawites and other religious minorities."
In Lebanon, "(t)ens of thousands of Assad supporters flocked to cast ballots at the hilltop embassy in Yarze, a town Southeast of" Beirut.
"The ensuing chaos snarled traffic, trapping schoolchildren in buses for hours and forcing some schools to cancel scheduled exams."
Voters began arriving pre-dawn. Some on backs of pickup trucks. Others in cars and buses.
Traffic was heavy. Some people abandoned cars. They walked several kilometers to polling stations.
They queued for hours in Iraq, Iran and some European countries. Qatar supports Obama's war on Syria.
It owns and operates Al Jazeera. It reported what couldn't be denied.
May 28 "was not an ordinary voting day," it said. "It was a parade of Syrians celebrating their embattled president, Bashar al-Assad, and expressing support for him."
"Since early morning, tens of thousands of Syrians flocked to the heavily fortified area surrounding the Syrian embassy in Lebanon as expatriate voting began ahead of the June 3 presidential election."
"(T)his was the most visible mass gathering the country has witnessed in the past few years and possibly, the largest-ever gathering of Syrians outside their country."
People came from everywhere. "Photos of Assad were plastered on cars and minibuses, national flags and t-shirts."
"Chanting for Assad broke out periodically on the highway, in front of the embassy and even in the polling room."
Voters said "God, Syria, Bashar only."
Reuters said "refugees waved flags and held pictures of Bashar al-Assad as they crushed into Damascus's embassy in Lebanon…to join Syrians worldwide voting early in an election that looks certain to give him a third seven-year term as president."
"Several countries that oppose Assad, including France, have blocked the voting but Syrian government media said people were still able to participate in many countries."
"In Lebanon, which holds a million Syrians - most of them refugees - citizens were driven to the Syrian embassy in Beirut."
"Their buses blocked one of Beirut's three main highways and men and women waved Syria's flag and held up pictures of Assad."
On June 3, Reuters said Syrians are "expected to deliver an overwhelming victory for President Bashar al-Assad."
"State television showed long queues of people waiting to vote at polling stations…as well as crowds waving flags and portraits of the president."
"(N)either of Assad's rivals…enjoys much support."
Washington reacted as expected. Assistant State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf repeated one Big Lie after another.
She called Syria's model democratic process "a disgrace." She ludicrously said Assad "has no more credibility today than he did yesterday."
"Elections should be an opportunity for the people of a free society to be consulted and to play an important role in choosing their leaders," she said.
"Instead, such a process was inconceivable today in Syria, where the regime continued to reject the courageous calls for freedom and dignity that started more than three years ago."
"It intentionally denied millions of Syrians the right to vote and continued to massacre the very electorate it purports to represent and protect."
It bears repeating. Syria's election was open, free and fair. It mocked America's sham process.
As quoted above, Russian monitor Alexei Alexandrov said:
"We have no doubts about the legitimacy of these polls."
"Syria does everything to get aligned with the world's democratic law-governed states."
"It is obvious that Assad enjoys special prestige, and the people's love for him is felt."
"From legal and objective points of view, the elections (were) held impeccably."
Final results will be announced once all ballots are counted.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
American Exceptionalism Justifies War on Humanity
American Exceptionalism Justifies War on Humanity
by Stephen Lendman
It OKs mass murder. It permits flouting rule of law principles, norms and standards.
America is a terror state. Criminality continues on an unprecedented scale.
Permanent war is official US policy. One country after another is ravaged and destroyed. Millions of corpses attest to America's barbarity.
No nation in world history matches it. Obama exceeds the worst of his predecessors. He's a war criminal multiple times over.
Advancing America's imperium matters most. US hegemonic ambitions risk global war.
So does its rage for full spectrum dominance over all land, surface and sub-surface sea, air, space, electromagnetic spectrum and information systems with enough overwhelming power to fight and win global wars against any adversary.
International laws, treaties, conventions, standards and norms don't matter. Washington rules alone apply. Might v. right reflects them.
Obama's proxy war on Syria rages without end. Events in Ukraine reflect US-led NATO's drive East.
Co-opting it into the Atlantic Alliance ensures encroaching on Russia's entire Western flank.
US military strength on its borders cuts it off from Europe. Marginalizing, isolating and weakening it at the same time.
Washington's inexorable drive East threatens world peace. It hangs by a thread. Ukraine is a global flashpoint. It's the gravest geopolitical crisis since WW II.
War without mercy continues. Obama offers full support. His insatiable hegemonic appetite is limitless.
His West Point address showed it. He glorified war in the name of peace. "America has rarely been stronger relative to the rest of the world," he said.
"(T)he United United States is and remains the one indispensable nation."
"…America's willingness to apply force around the world is the ultimate safeguard against chaos."
"Here's my bottom line: America must always lead on the world stage."
"If we don't, no one else will…(H)istory and hope (are) on our side." America's agenda is "right and just."
In other words, waging war on humanity is OK. US interests alone matter. It's "our way of life," according to Obama.
Not for ordinary Americans. Monied interests alone benefit. Plundering world resources serves them. So does exploiting global populations.
Wars without mercy are America's option of choice. Ukraine is in the eye of the storm.
On June 2, Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin addressed a closed door Security Council session. He discussed Moscow's draft resolution.
He told reporters it's "not politicized and is of a purely humanitarian nature." It's to "alleviat(e) human suffering."
"Every day civilians get killed, among them women and children. Ukrainian military and paramilitary forces impede the peaceful population, leaving besieged cities or sending their children to safe places."
"Buses of children are turned back.” Ukraine's war without mercy includes "heavy and indiscriminate shelling of residential areas."
Russia demands “an immediate cessation of hostilities, urges parties to commit themselves to sustainable ceasefire, and calls for the establishment by the parties of humanitarian corridors in order to allow the civilian population to leave safely and to ensure humanitarian assistance.”
Moscow's draft was submitted because “we believe for the situation in Ukraine not to deteriorate further, something needs to be done now in order to stop the violence.”
Churkin criticized what he called Security Council "usual suspects." They're "showing no urgency" in resolving things diplomatically.
"How come we talk all the time, as you know, theoretically about the need of preventing diplomacy, about the need to stop conflict, and then some colleagues sit in the Council and sort of shake their heads and say, 'Well, maybe they are doing the right thing, this military thing, they have the right to do that.' "
"Looking for various legal frames for this kind of an attitude is wrong."
"It is our duty to stop the conflict as quickly as possible, to try to stop violence as quickly as possible."
Washington called Moscow's draft resolution "hypocritical." It blames Russia for its own crimes.
On Monday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki lied, saying:
"It is hypocritical of the Russian leadership to call for an end to violence and the creation of humanitarian corridors when, at the same time, armed irregular forces are entering Ukraine from Russia, weapons are being brought illegally from Russia into Ukraine, Russian-backed separatists are attacking new targets and holding OSCE monitoring teams hostage, and Russia is doing nothing to stop these activities."
"So if they are going to call for or would support a reduction in tensions and a de-escalation, it would be more effective for them to end those activities."
On Monday, Sergey Lavrov said Western nations assured Russia things would improve after Ukraine's May 25 election.
Instead, "everything is happening in exactly the opposite way. People are dying every day," Lavrov stressed.
"Peaceful civilians are suffering more and more. The army, military aviation and heavy weapons continue to be used against them."
Russia forthrightly opposes "any attempts to politicize the humanitarian crisis and to use it to justify external forceful interference…"
On Tuesday, Russia's Children's Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov said:
"As many as 90,700 thousand orphans are staying in Ukraine, around one thousand of them are in the zone of hostilities."
"Russian children's institutions are prepared to receive and accommodate all Ukrainian orphans."
"The more Ukraine uses heavy weapons, the larger the number of refugees who ask for help to pass to Russia as the problem is that no humanitarian corridors had not been created yet."
Washington, Britain, France and Kiev putschists block them. They prioritize conflict.
They deplore resolving things peacefully. They're mindless of civilian deaths and suffering. They wage war without mercy.
Moscow accused US-led NATO of encouraging Kiev aggression. According to its NATO envoy Aleksandr Grushko:
"NATO is providing Kiev - a member of its Partnership for Peace program - with technical assistance, thus encouraging the prolongation of its use of force."
"Thus the Alliance accepts a part of the responsibility for the escalation of the situation, and the collapse of diplomatic negotiations."
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen blamed Moscow irresponsibly saying:
"The climate at the moment is not good - not because NATO wants it that way, but because of Russia's illegal aggression against Ukraine."
US-led NATO bears full responsibility. "We have noticed unprecedented NATO activity near Russia's borders," said Grushko.
"It is excessive, inappropriate, and weakens stability, security and predictability in the Euro-Atlantic region."
War rages near Russia's border. It's "necessary to employ all possibilities to put an end to violence and take the situation onto a peaceful road of negotiations."
"We urged the Council members to demand from the Kiev authorities to immediately stop the punitive operation in the southeast of the country, to begin the implementation of the Geneva accord of April 17 and the 'road map' of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe."
"We also expect the Alliance to at last denounce the criminal wrongdoing of radical nationalists, committed in different Ukrainian cities."
US-led NATO hypocritically supports "political dialogue based on democratic values, respect for human rights, the rights of minorities as well as supremacy of law."
It's actions are polar opposite. They're "fraught with a growing tension in the Euro-Atlantic region."
They disrupt "the existing system of security in the region." They facilitate war without mercy.
They risk potential East/West confrontation. Russia continues going all-out for diplomatic conflict resolution.
It champions peace. It deplores war. It's mindful not to let Washington draw it into conflict with NATO over Ukraine.
It's horrified over war without mercy. Death toll numbers mount.
Imagine using helicopter gunships, warplanes, tanks, artillery and other heavy weapons against civilian populations.
On Tuesday, a Slavyansk self-defense spokesman said:
"Several minutes ago two (Sukhoi) Su-25 airplanes conducted strikes…After them, five helicopters…launch(ed) massive airstrikes…"
"There have been casualties and injuries both among militiamen and the civilian population."
Southeast Front self-defense spokesman Kostantin Knirik said:
"Two airstrikes have been launched against Semyonovka. One of them hit a roadblock, and the second one hit immediately the village."
"At least one civilian resident has been killed and scores have been injured."
"Two buses full of children tried to leave the city, but they were stopped by Ukrainian security forces."
"Furthermore, (passengers) were told explicitly: turn back or we will start to bombard you."
Donetsk self-defense forces reported large-scale Ukraine aggression.
"Convoys of armored vehicles are moving toward Slavyansk."
"Their numbers exceed the number of vehicles already deployed around the city by several times. Apparently, they are preparing to run tanks over us."
A Kramatorsk self-defense spokesman reported "a serious gun battle underway. Three local residents (were) killed" so far.
Slavyansk People's Mayor Vyacheslav Ponomaryov said:
"As a result of (Tuesday's) strikes (on) Slavyansk, one civilian resident has died. The strikes targeted mainly the village of Semenyovka and the city center."
Lugansk's press service chief Vladimir Inogoodsky called Monday's attack "a military crime."
"I was an immediate eyewitness of it, and I saw the warplanes make approaches and open fire," he said.
"Ukrainian mass media are spreading (false) assertions now that we blew ourselves up on our own."
"They not only pour out slander on us and deceive the international community but they also kill us."
Russia's Human Rights Commissioner Ella Pamfilova briefed Putin on refugee problems.
"(T)he inflow from (Ukraine's East) has begun to grow," she said. "(W)e need an urgent systematic program as to how these people should be received, provided with jobs, and so on."
Putin responded saying:
"I will instruct the presidential secretariat to help implement all of your proposals along with the government."
Humanitarian crisis conditions worsen daily. Obama bears full responsibility. Megalomania defines his agenda. So do delusions of grandeur.
He's heading America for full-blown tyranny and ruin. His war on humanity threatens world peace.
Poet Hayyim Bialik (1873 - 1934) once wrote about "with heart's blood and marrow pay(ing) the price of the blaze."
A century later he'd have had weapons of mass destruction in mind. He'd have wondered how madness became policy.
Why waging wars instead of preventing them is prioritized. Washington is humanity's greatest threat.
Its hubris and imperial arrogance are unprecedented. It stops at nothing for unchallenged dominance.
Its war on humanity persists. It made planet earth unfit to live on.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama in Europe
Obama in Europe
by Stephen Lendman
Wherever he goes, trouble follows. He's the latest in a long line of rogue US leaders.
Contempt for rule of law principles, duplicity and moral cowardice define them. Pretense otherwise doesn't wash.
Obama exceeds the worst of his predecessors. He's guilty of high crimes too grave to ignore.
Millions worldwide call America a pariah one. They do so for good reason. Its imperial agenda targets fundamental freedoms for elimination.
Obama went all-out to destroy them on his watch. He did so at home and abroad. He made planet earth unsafe to live on.
More than any of his predecessors. He waged political, economic and hot wars on humanity. They rage out-of-control.
He left Monday. He spent two days in Poland.
Ostensibly for Polish Freedom Day. Marking its liberation from Soviet Russia's control.
He met with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Then with Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian and Slovakian officials.
He met one-on-one with Ukrainian President-elect Petro Poroshenko. He pledged full US support. Political, economic and military.
To harden fascist governance. To crush Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters. To head Ukraine for NATO membership.
To establish US bases on Russia's borders. To encroach on its entire Western flank. To target its heartland.
To weaken and isolate a major rival. To replace it with pro-Western vassal govenance if all goes as planned.
On June 4 and 5, he was at NATO headquarters in Brussels. He met with other G-7 leaders. It's no longer G-8. Russia is excluded.
Obama came to pressure European allies for stiffer sanctions. He'll get little more than already imposed.
Germany, France, Britain and other EU nations value strong political and economic ties.
They won't sacrifice what's too important to preserve. They'll maintain confrontation with Russia over Ukraine.
On June 6, Obama headed for France to commemorate D-Day's 70th anniversary. His agenda prioritizes bashing Russia.
It's enlisting greater support for Kiev putschists. A Fact Sheet on his trip headlined "European Reassurance Initiative and Other US Efforts in Support of NATO Allies and Partners," saying:
Washington "act(ed), both bilaterally and through NATO, to reassure allies of our solemn commitment to their security and territorial integrity as members of the NATO Alliance."
It calls a "persistent US (regional) presence…especially in Central and Eastern Europe…" vital to support allies "robustly."
It lied about "Russia's occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea and other provocative actions in Ukraine."
Washington "stands by its allies…We will continue to take actions that increase the capability, readiness, and responsiveness of NATO forces to address any threat and that aid in deterring further destabilizing activities."
"That is why the President today called on Congress to support a European Reassurance Initiative of up to $1 billion." It's for bolstering America's presence. It targets Russia.
National Security Advisor Susan Rice explained. "The United States, working with our European partners, has rallied to isolate and pressure Russia for its activities in Ukraine," she said.
"That's the kind of leadership that only the world's greatest power can bring to bear."
Obama plans greater commitment to NATO allies. With "support of Congress, the United States will preposition more equipment (and US forces) in (Eastern) Europe," he said.
"Given the situation in Ukraine right now, we have also increased our American presence."
"We've begun rotating additional ground troops and F-16 aircraft into Poland…to help our forces support NATO air missions."
He called NATO "the cornerstone of our own security." It's a dagger at humanity's heart.
It's an imperial tool. It's a global killing machine. It prioritizes war. It deplores peace. It threatens humanity's survival.
Ahead of scheduled meetings, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen explained the Alliance's position.
He's a convenient US stooge. He turned truth on its head doing so. He substituted Big Lies for NATO's real agenda.
"All (Alliance) allies made clear that we condemn the illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea and Allies will not recognize it," he said.
"We commend the people of Ukraine for holding free and fair elections largely in line with international standards."
"They clearly voted for a united Ukraine. Their choice must be respected and we urge Russia to engage constructively with the newly elected President."
"We call on Russia to withdraw its troops fully and verifiably from Ukraine's border, with additional international inspections."
"To stop the flow of arms and fighters into Ukraine. To condemn armed separatists…"
To challenge "Russia's illegal aggression against Ukraine."
Rasmussen praised Ukraine's sham election.
"Despite criminal violence, intimidation and provocation by pro-Russian armed gangs, the Ukrainian people have made their voice heard," he said.
And (it) must be respected. So we look forward to working with the new president of Ukraine."
"We stand firm in our support for Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity."
We do not and will not recognize Russia's armed annexation of Crimea."
"And we strongly support Ukraine's right to choose its own path for the future."
"We have made unprecedented pledges imposing restraint on our military posture, and we have kept them."
"…Russia has not kept its pledges. (It) threatened its neighbours, and used force against them."
"It has not respected the territorial integrity or political independence of other countries."
All NATO measures "are defensive, moderate, proportionate, transparent, and fully compliant with our international commitments, including the Founding Act."
"They are not a threat to Russia. It "must show (it's) prepared to play by the same rules as everybody else."
It bears repeating. NATO is an imperial tool. It's a global killing machine. It targets humanity. It ravages one country after another. It threatens world peace.
Russia is polar opposite. It deplores war and instability. It goes all-out for peaceful conflict resolution.
It affirms UN Charter and other rule of law principles. It believes nation-state sovereignty is inviolable.
It challenges US hegemonic ambitions. It does so responsibly. It's proud and re-assertive. It's not about to roll over for Washington.
It's on the right side of history. Its agenda is the best hope for world peace. It's more than ever needed now. Humanity's fate hangs in the balance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Palestinian Unity Governance
Palestinian Unity Governance
by Stephen Lendman
It's official. Its called "national reconciliation government." On Monday, Palestinian ministers were ceremonially sworn in.
At Ramallah presidential headquarters. Presided over by Abbas and Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. A last minute disagreement was resolved. More on this below.
Others issues remain. Whether enough to disrupt unity going forward the fullness of time will tell.
Seventeen ministers took oaths of office. Five are from Gaza. Israel denied three Hamas ones West Bank entry. They were sworn in by live video feed.
Hamdallah remains prime minister and minister of interior. Former PA foreign minister Ziad Abu Amr is deputy prime minister and culture minister.
Muhammad Mustafa is deputy prime minister and national economy minister. Shukri Bishara is minister of finance and planning.
Riyad al-Maliki remains foreign affairs minister. Salim al-Saqqa is justice minister. Adnan al-Husseini is Jerusalem affairs minister.
Rula Maya is tourism and antiquities minister. Jawad Awad remains minister of health.
Khawlah Shakhshir is education and higher education minister. Mufeed al-Hasayna is public works and housing minister.
Allam Mousa is telecommunications and transportation minister. Shawqi al-Ayasa is agriculture and social affairs minister.
Hayfaa al-Agha is minister for women. Mamoun Abu Shahla is labor minister. Nayif Abu Khalaf is local governance minister.
Yousif Ideis is endowment minister. No minister of prisoners' affairs was announced. Abbas wanted the Prisoners Affairs Ministry dismantled.
He wanted it put under PLO administration. Hamas opposed doing so. It remained a major disagreement until last minute resolution.
Earlier, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said unity wouldn't be consummated without a prisoners affairs ministry.
It'll likely be replaced by committee. With no official ministerial role. Temporarily it's part of Prime Minister Al-Hamdallah's portfolio.
On Monday, Reuters said "the dispute between Hamas and Fatah has been resolved." In six months or less, presidential and parliamentary elections will follow.
Qadura Fares heads the Palestinian Prisoners Club. He spoke with senior Hamas representatives. They expressed reservations about dismantling the Prisoners Affairs Ministry. Not the process itself.
According to Fares, the decision was made because of an Israeli anti-ministry incitement campaign.
Unity government officials are technocrats. They're nominally independent. Their new platform is expected to recognize Israel, reject terror, and respect previously signed agreements.
After Monday's swearing in ceremony, Abbas said:
"Today, with the formation of a national consensus government, we announce the end of a Palestinian division that has greatly damaged our national case."
"This black page in the history has been turned forever, and we will not allow it to come back,” he added.
"We won't stand with our hands folded in the face of punitive (Israeli) measures, and we will use every legal and diplomatic tool at our disposal in the international community."
Hamas leader Israel Haniyeh called Palestinian unity "historic."
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri praised "national consensus government, which represents all the Palestinian people."
Netanyahu didn't surprise. His comments turned truth on its head. "Abbas said yes to terror, not peace," he claimed.
"It is the direct continuation of (his) policy to refuse peace, while Israel has made courageous and painful steps for the political process and remains committed to peace."
"Abbas refused to extend the negotiating framework via the US's proposal, continues to incite against Israel, joined international agencies in a set of unilateral moves, and now has formed an alliance with the Hamas terrorist organization - which is responsible for the murder of more than a thousand innocent Israelis, and has fired thousands of rockets at Israeli towns."
"Hamas leaders have reiterated their commitment to terrorism and the destruction of Israel. The agreement with Hamas transfers to Abbas direct responsibility for terrorism from Gaza."
On Sunday, John Kerry spoke to Abbas. According to State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki:
He "expressed concern about Hamas’s role in any such government and the importance that the new government commit to the principles of nonviolence, recognition of the state of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements with it."
He said Washington will "judge any government based on its composition, policies and actions."
"President Abbas assured the secretary that the new government would be committed to these principles."
On May 29, State Department Bureau of Public Affairs spokesman Ian Kelly was asked if Washington would support Palestinian unity governance if Hamas members pledge to accept Quartet principles.
"The United States would expect any Palestinian Government and all of its members to accept and comply with the Quartet principles of non-violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations entered into by the PLO and the PA," he said.
According to an unnamed US official, Washington told Israel "it will not support the unity government immediately after it is sworn in."
After Monday's ceremony, Israel's security cabinet vowed to hold PA officials responsible for Gazan rocket fire.
It's virtually never preemptive. It follows Israeli air, ground and/or sea attacks. It's legitimate self-defense. Israel calls it terrorism.
Its security cabinet members won't negotiate with Palestine's new government. Ultranationalist/defrocked/reinstated Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said if Israel wants to retaliate, it should act, not talk.
Netanyahu said Kerry committed not to recognize Palestinian unity governance straightaway. Israeli officials believe most Western countries will do so within hours or days.
"Recognize the new Palestinian government," urged Haaretz editors. Netanyahu vowed no "contact with the new Palestinian Authority except for necessary security coordination," they said.
National reconciliation government followed heavy Arab pressure. Most Palestinians support it.
So do most Western leaders. Israel "invested great effort in foiling diplomatic negotiations," said Haaretz editors.
"(N)ow it's citing Palestinian reconciliation as a decisive reason for freezing (peace) talks."
Its "refusal to recognize this government is liable to portray it once again as the party refusing to give the diplomatic channel a chance."
No nation may dictate the composition of others. Palestine's new government must serve the needs of its people.
It must provide for their health, education and welfare. It must maintain law and order. It must improve economic conditions.
"Israel should welcome the fact that it is not required to operate or fund those services," said Haaretz editors.
"If Israel had recognized the Palestinian government that was elected in 2006, or had cooperated with the Palestinian unity government that was established afterward, we would have been spared numerous casualties on both sides," they added.
"Israel cannot repeat the same mistake. So long as the new Palestinian government continues to stick to the agreements it signed with Israel and seeks to continue cooperating with Israel, Netanyahu may not cut off ties with it or threaten to boycott it."
"He would be better off investing his efforts in renewing the diplomatic process with the partner that still exists."
Israel deplores peace and stability. So does Washington. Rogue states operate this way. They risk regional conflicts. Perhaps global war.
Extremist policies head inexorably toward igniting it. Fascist leadership risks what responsible governance wouldn't dare.
Enemies are invented when none exist. Advancing imperial priorities matters most. Doing so involves eliminating all rivals.
War on humanity follows. Doing so risks destroying it altogether. Lunatics infest Washington and Israel.
They risk the unthinkable. They do it mindlessly. They do it recklessly.
Palestinian unity is a chance for a new direction. Disrupting it risks the worst of all possible outcomes.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Hunger Striking for Liberation and Justice
Hunger Striking for Liberation and Justice
Bt Stephen Lendman
On April 24, 90 Palestinian uncharged administrative detainee political prisoners hunger struck. They did so for long denied justice.
Others joined them. Around 150 overall. On June 1, Maan News reported 1,500. On May 31, Palestine's prisoner affairs minister Issa Qaraqe feared martyrdom for some if strike continues.
On June 2, over 100 refused food for 39 days. Around 70 were hospitalized. According to Qaraqe, they suffer from internal bleeding, memory loss and consciousness.
Some need surgery. It doesn't matter. They're threatened, beaten, ill-treated and isolated.
They're subjected to "cruel conditions (to) "exhaust them and break their strike," said Qaraqe.
Israeli Prison Service spokeswoman Sivan Weissman confirmed their isolation. No further details were provided.
Qaraqe urged Arab leaders to "urgently intervene and prevent the tragedy that is about to be made by Israel."
Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHR-I) and 16 other NGO's asked EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to do so. They wrote them, saying in part:
"We, the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the undersigned human rights organizations, wish to bring to your attention the on-going mass hunger strike…and request your urgent intervention on their behalf."
"The majority of the hunger strikers are protesting the continued administrative detention, which is detention without trial or charge."
"Administrative detention orders are issued by the Israeli Military Commander in the West Bank for periods of one to six months and can be renewed indefinitely."
"Administrative detainees or their lawyers are not informed of the reasons for their detention and are only informed that there is 'secret evidence' against them."
Fact: No evidence whatever exists.
Fact: Israel lies claiming otherwise.
Fact: Detainees committed no crimes.
Fact: They're imprisoned solely for political reasons.
Fact: Police states operate this way.
Fact: America and Israel are by far the world's worst.
"Israel (uses) administrative detention on a systematic basis against tens of thousands of Palestinians and is an ever present threat in the daily lives of all Palestinians."
"We firmly believe that Israel's use of administrative detention should cease immediately."
"Following the launch of the strike the Israeli authorities immediately began taking punitive measures against the hunger strikers."
"These included the immediate isolation of all hunger strikers away from the rest of the prison population."
"Many of hunger strikers have also been transferred to different prisons, while the leaders of the hunger strike have also been placed in isolation."
"The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) and Israeli Special Forces have also been conducting violent raids on the prisoner’s cells and intrusive searches the prisoners on a daily basis."
"In many cases the hunger strikers have been beaten and injured during these raids and were subsequently denied medical treatment."
"As you are aware the mass hunger strike of 2012 ended on 14 May 2012 after an agreement was reached between representatives of the prisoners and the IPS."
"At this time it was agreed that Israel would limit the use of administrative to only 'exceptional circumstances,' as is required under international law."
"However, it is quite clear that Israel has reneged on the agreement as it has continued to use administrative detention on a systematic basis which has compelled the prisoners to launch a fresh strike."
'(W)e feel that the prisoners must and can play a central role in bringing about a genuine and lasting peace."
Note: Nine Palestinian Legislative Council members are imprisoned. They committed no crimes.
They belong to the wrong political parties. Six are hunger striking for justice.
They're lawlessly held uncharged and untried. They're political prisoners. NGO letter signatories include:
Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association
Aldameer Association for Human Rights
Al-Haq
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
Defence for Children International – Palestine Section
Ensan Center for Human Rights and Democracy
Hurryyat –Centre for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights
Jerusalem Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights
Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies
Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
The Public Committee against Torture in Israel
Adalah - The Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel
Physicians for Human Rights - Israel
Arab Association for Human Rights
Palestinian Prisoners Society
Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs
Hunger striking is open-ended. Palestinian Ministry of Detainees undersecretary Ziad Abu Ein said increasing numbers of detainees are involved.
They're determined to contest horrific prison conditions. They're fighting for fundamental rights.
According to Abu Ein:
"With their will and determination, the detainees are defeating the occupation, exposing its policies and crimes."
"We need more support (for) the detainees and their cause. We need more international activities."
"Our people are united. Our international relations are much bigger and wider that Israel's illegitimate occupation. We need to end those crimes."
Palestinian Ministry of Detainees lawyer Ali Sa'ady visited three hunger strikers.
They're in cells "darker and colder than graves," he said. They're not fit for human use.
They're too small. Prisoners are denied soap, towels, covers and clean clothes.
They're abusively treated. They're repeatedly beaten. They're denied family visits. Lawyer visits are restricted or denied.
Ahmad Rimawi is a student. He's aged 19. On November 17, 2012, he was arrested. He remains administratively held uncharged.
In May, Israel extended his detention another six month. His father, Ishraq, was imprisoned in June 2001. He committed no crimes.
He's serving a 19-year sentence. Father and son joined in solidarity. At Naqab prison. They're hunger striking for justice.
On April 29, they began. Israel separated them. Ishraq was transferred to Eshel prison.
On May 28, Ahmad was hospitalized. He's suffering from extreme weakness. He repeatedly faints.
Abdul Razeq Yasin Hasan Farraj has been administratively held uncharged for over 92 months.
He was detained five previous times. He's 51 years old. He spent over 14 years of his life imprisoned.
He committed no crimes. He's one of thousands of Israeli political prisoners.
He's accused of being a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) member.
Israel calls it an illegal organization. It does so without just cause.
Farraj was last arrested on February 25, 2014. On March 3, he appeared before Ofer Military Court.
Military prosecutors accused him of "guiding and directing" PFLP members.
He's administratively detained unjustly. He's prevented from participating in legal political activities.
His lawyer is denied specific reasons why. Prosecutors said all details are secret.
Israeli military courts are kangaroo tribunals. Guilt by accusation is official Israeli policy.
Judge Ron Delomi confirmed Farraj's administrative detention order.
He lied claiming "the materials included in the (secret) file are true and are enough to hold Farraj in administrative detention."
He's "a senior member in the PFLP, and his connections and impact on society indicate that he is dangerous."
He ordered Farraj held administratively uncharged for six months. Through August 24. Interminably if Israel wishes.
For 20 years, military prosecutors failed to charge Farraj. He spent over 14 years imprisoned administratively.
Unjustly. For political reasons. It bears repeating. He committed no crimes. He's a human rights defender.
Israel violated Fourth Geneva's Article 78. It permits administrative detentions only when clear evidence shows it's necessary for security reasons.
"(I)n accordance with the provisions of the present Convention."
With "the right of appeal…with the least possible delay." With full rights for "protected persons."
Israel systematically spurns virtually all international law provisions. It does what it wants with impunity.
It remains unaccountable. On April 30, Farraj hunger struck with other Palestinian detainees for justice.
He's imprisoned without just cause. He's a Finance & Administration at Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) director.
UAWC advocates for Palestinian farmer rights. Lawlessly imprisoning Farraj obstructs its work.
Administratively detaining him and other Palestinians uncharged and untried based on secret evidence withheld from defense counsel violates core international law provisions.
Many administrative detainees languish in Israel's gulag for years. Their fundamental rights are denied.
They suffer out of sight, mind and public consciousness. World leaders able to help do nothing. Israeli crimes to grave to ignore go unpunished.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev Cluster Bombs Lugansk
Kiev Cluster Bombs Luganskby Stephen LendmanOn June 2, Itar Tass headlined "Administration building in Luhansk caught by fire after air strike, five dead, ten injured," saying:"The fourth floor of the Luhansk regional administration building was caught...
Washington Wants Maduro Dead
Washington Wants Maduro Dead
by Stephen Lendman
He's Venezuela's democratically elected president. It doesn't matter. Washington's dirty war continues.
It's done so since Chavez's December 1998 election. He became president in February 1999. He served until his March 5, 2013 death.
He survived Washington's April 2002 coup attempt. A 64-day 2002 - 03 general strike and oil management lockout.
A failed August 2004 national recall referendum. He was Washington's main hemispheric enemy. It wanted him ousted.
It wanted him dead. Obama killed him. Most likely by poison or cancer causing substances. Four major surgeries in 18 months couldn't save him.
He knew he was marked for death. He said so numerous times. So did Maduro, saying he "was poisoned by dark forces in order to hit at the Venezuelan people and Latin America."
Washington targets all independent nations for regime change. It wants subservient pro-Western governance replacing them.
It wants convenient stooges it controls empowered. Venezuela made a client state. Bolivarianism crushed. State-owned enterprises privatized.
Predatory capitalist harshness replacing economic and social justice. Control of Venezuela's vast hydrocarbon resources.
By far the world's largest. Proved mostly light sweet reserves are around 300 billion barrels.
The Department of Energy estimates heavy and extra-heavy oil resources at up to 1.36 trillion barrels.
It's a prize Washington covets. For over 15 years, US administrations targeted Venezuela disruptively. Obama continues what his predecessors began.
America's National Endowment for Democracy (NED), National Democratic Institute (NDI), International Republican Institute (IRI), US Agency for International Development (USAID), Development Alternatives, CIA and FBI actively wage economic and political war on Venezuela.
It continues. In mid-February, US-manipulated destabilizing protests began. They continue violently. Dozens died. Hundreds were injured.
Weeks earlier, John Kerry lied saying:
"(T)he Venezuelan government has confronted peaceful protesters with force and in some cases with armed vigilantes claiming to support the government."
On May 8, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski turned truth on its head, saying:
"(D)emocracy is…under threat in Latin America. (W)hat is happening in Venezuela illustrates the threat perfectly."
"(S)uccessive rulers in Venezuela eroded respect for democratic principles…"
Protests became "a movement to restore the democratic freedoms that Venezuelans have lost."
"The government has responded…with teargas, with plastic bullets, leaving more than 40 people dead and hundreds injured."
"It has empowered armed civilian thugs to intimidate and kill" anti-Bolivarian Venezuelans.
Fact: Venezuelan democracy is real.
Fact: It's by far Latin America's best.
Fact: It shames America's sham system.
Fact: Monied interests rule.
Fact: People have no say.
Fact: Democracy is pure fantasy.
Fact: Venezuelans have the real thing.
Fact: It's model democracy.
Fact: Its electoral system is the world's best.
Fact: It's constitutionally mandated.
Fact: Washington instigated Venezuelan protests.
Fact: It manipulates them.
Fact: They're in middle income and upscale neighborhoods only.
Fact: Most Venezuelans oppose them.
Fact: They support Bolivarian fairness.
Fact: They deplore Washington's dirty hands.
Fact: They oppose disruptive US practices to change things.
Obama wants Venezuela looking like Ukraine. He wants fascists replacing democrats. He wants Washington dictating Venezuelan policy.
He's mindless of what most Venezuelans cherish. Bolivarian fairness is polar opposite neoliberal contempt for social justice.
It bears repeating. Obama wants Maduro ousted. He wants him dead. Fascist anti-government National Assembly member Maria Corina Machado was involved in the aborted April 2002 coup.
She's up to her old tricks again. Venezuela's Bolivarian Intelligence Service was commissioned to intercept or record her private communications by court order.
An email she sent said:
"I believe the time has come to join forces, make the necessary calls, and obtain the financing to annihilate Maduro…"
"(A)nd the rest will come falling down," she added.
She wants Maduro assassinated. She wants him dead. She's currently charged with incitement and other crimes.
In March, Venezuela's National Assembly (NA) passed an emergency motion to impeach her.
To remove her parliamentary immunity. Ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) member Tania Diaz accused her of treason.
For "seeking foreign government support and advice to sabotage Venezuelan democracy," she said.
NA Speaker Diosdado Cabello supports Diaz. He requested Machado be investigated on charges of terrorism and murder, as well as incitement of violence and related crimes.
"(T)his congresswoman will have to face the Venezuelan justice system for her crimes, destruction, disasters, and the incitement of crime from her calls for destabilization," he said.
"We will investigate and arrive at consequences," he added.
"There will be no impunity in Venezuela, and this is the message that we send to the people, to be calm and remain confident in Maduro's leadership."
Machado "will be judged as a murderer and a terrorist."
"She will be tried for crimes against humanity, conspiracy, and destabilization."
Since February, she called for Maduro's ouster. She did so publicly. She encouraged street violence.
She requested foreign intervention. She lied claiming Maduro committed "severe crimes against humanity."
Her May 23 email was intercepted. International strategy isn't working, she said. It's "taking too long," she complained.
"I'm fed up with waiting," she said. "We have to take out this trash - starting with the one heading it and by taking advantage of the world situation with Ukraine and Thailand as soon as possible."
She intends "struggl(ing) until the end," she added. She wants street violence continued.
"(I)n the subway, Metrobus, Bolivarian high schools, public universities, and everywhere…"
"We will invade everywhere with women expressing despair at living in a country with no freedom," she claimed.
It bears repeating. She wants Maduro dead. He thanked 20 governors and 255 mayors. On May 30, they "formally rejected the plan for my assassination," he said.
Foreign Minister Elias Jaua compared Venezuela to Washington's disruptive Ukrainian policy, saying:
"The United States' plan to isolate and manipulate Russia…and Venezuela will not succeed, given that the US government no longer has the capacity to determine the fate of the majority of the world's countries."
On May 28, US House members overwhelming passed legislation mandating sanctions against Venezuela.
They did so by voice vote. They acted illegitimately.
On May 20, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee overwhelmingly approved the "Venezuelan Human Rights and Democracy Protection Act."
It includes sanctions on Venezuelan officials. "(F)or ordering human rights abuses against the citizens of Venezuela, and for other purposes," it said.
It turned truth on its head. Washington's criminal class is bipartisan. It deplores fundamental freedoms.
It mocks democratic rights. It represents Washington's imperial agenda. It reflects fascism writ large. It wages war on humanity.
Jaua responded. He called congressional action "completely illegal."
"There is nothing in international law that authorizes the US government and its legislature to employ unilateral sanctions," he said.
"The only body authorized to so is the Security Council of the United Nations."
Usurping its authority doesn't wash. "These are psychological messages," Jaua added.
Washington targets "countries that have taken a path toward independence, toward sovereignty, toward self-determination."
He recalled Chavez's democratic vision. He championed "a balanced world, with many poles of power, so that nobody can exercise imperial hegemony over another, as the United States" claims a divine right to do.
"We've had enough," Jaua stressed. La Salida (the ousting) reflects opposition political strategy.
Fascist extremists declared war on Venezuelan democracy. Opposition elements say violence will continue until "we remove those who govern us."
By any means possible. Maybe another coup attempt. By ousting Maduro. By killing him.
Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (VSC) issued a statement. In part, it said:
Bolivarian fairness threatens hardline elements. Their "illegal, undemocratic and unconstitutional objectives."
"We therefore:
- Condemn the violence unleashed by extreme right wing elements during opposition rallies and marches that led to the death of innocent people as a result of that violence, and condemn any undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional actions against the democratically elected and constitutional government of President Maduro.
- Call for the immediate cessation of extreme right wing violence against the established and constitutional authorities of Venezuela, and urge everybody to heed President Maduro's call for peace and dialogue in Venezuela.
- Express our unconditional support for President Maduro, his elected government and the constitutional principles enshrined in the democratically-endorsed constitution.
- Urge statements of solidarity for the the elected government of Venezuela and condemning the extreme right wing violence."
"No to violence! No to coup-mongering in Venezuela! Yes to dialogue, peace and respecting the democratic will of the majority!"
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Battling for Ukraine’s Soul
Battling for Ukraine's Soul
by Stephen Lendman
Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters aren't quitting. They reject Kiev putschists.
They deplore fascist governance. They want fundamental democratic rights everyone deserves.
So do Maidan activists. Nonviolent ones. Thousands. On Sunday, they convened a People's Veche (assembly).
The first in two months. In Kiev's Independence Square. Thousands participated. To decide whether to continue tent city activism.
"We are not going to go away," they said. They're watching president-elect Poroshenko. They'll give him a month to deliver on promises made.
On Sunday, activists spoke publicly. They said they protested "to change the system of power." They saw "no changes so far.
Maidan must stand firm until the goal is achieved," they stressed.
They passed a manifesto. It says "Maidan will not be dissolved until all (their) demands are met."
They include:
- "punishing criminals, lustration, a package of laws to change the structure of power bodies, punishing those involved in the killings and torture of activists,
- changing the structure of Maidan;
- developing a system for dialogue with the authorities," and
- including Maidan activists in municipal police.
Where this goes remains to be seen. What's ongoing is encouraging. Perhaps growing numbers of Western Ukrainians will join their Eastern counterparts.
Perhaps Obama's newest imperial trophy isn't as secure as he thinks. Perhaps defeat will be snatched from the jaws of victory.
Perhaps the battle for Ukraine's soul looks more promising than earlier thought. The fullness of time will tell.
Eastern Ukrainian fighting continues. On May 31, Itar Tass headlined "Ukraine forces resume massive shelling on Semenovka near east Ukraine's Slavyansk."
Sirens warned area residents. Gunfire was heard. Heavy shelling began Friday evening.
Intensive mortar and howitzer fire lasted hours. On Saturday, center city was attacked.
Residential areas were targeted. Revolution and Lenin Street houses were partly destroyed.
On June 1, Itar Tass headlined "Six killed as self-defense forces come under attack at Donetsk airport."
According to Donetsk People's Republic's (DPR) press office:
"During an attempt to take away the bodies of self-defense militiamen, the Ukrainian army fired at an ambulance and self-defense fighters, killing six people."
Ukrainian forces killed dozens of self-defense fighters and civilians. They did so in battles for Donetsk's international airport.
Regime snipers target anything that moves. Civilians are fair game. They're as vulnerable as freedom fighters.
According to DPR Prime Minister Alexander Borodai:
They "continue to be killed every day. No one can give exact figures because access to the airport area is now impossible."
"We still can’t take away all the bodies and give the exact figure of how many people were killed."
On June 1, Voice of Russia (VOR) headlined "Chinese military official speaks of need to stop punitive operation against civilians in east Ukraine."
Russia's Defense Ministry press service was quoted saying:
"During the discussion of topical international security problems, separate attention was paid to the situation in Ukraine."
"The head of the Chinese delegation expressed support for the Russian position and voiced serious concern about the developments in Southeastern Ukraine stressing the importance of stopping Kiev's punitive operation against civilians."
According to China's Deputy Foreign Minister Cheng Guopin:
"Concerning the ongoing violence in Ukraine, I think this is the result of the toppling of the legitimate authorities of this country in the course of disturbances and provocations staged on Maidan."
"This is the direct cause of the crisis." So is interventionist Western policy, he added.
He stressed "(e)xternal influence, primarily, that of the United States and Western countries which are trying for force Ukraine to follow the(ir) development path…"
"This has an extremely negative effect on the stability and economic development of Ukraine."
"The Ukrainian issue is an internal affair of Ukraine, which needs to be resolved by the Ukrainians themselves."
"We are opposed to any forms of external interference." Cheng called sanctions on Russia counterproductive. Destabilizing.
"We believe (they're) unable to help resolve the Ukrainian crisis" responsibly, he added. They make crisis conditions worse.
China "is ready to play a constructive role in the cause of resolving the Ukrainian issue by political methods based on the principles of objectivity and justice and in compliance with international law."
"(D)omestic affairs in Ukraine should be settled by the Ukrainian people" alone. "The legitimate interests of all peoples in Ukraine should be respected."
Resolving crisis conditions should "meet the just, legitimate and reasonable demands of the parties comprehensively, in a balanced way and in full measure."
"(O)n the basis of law and order." Without no outside interference.
On June 1, VOR headlined "US/NATO/EU nazi thugs continue killing Ukrainians."
Noncombatant civilians as well as freedom fighters. In cold blood. With impunity. With full Western support.
According to VOR:
America's "foreign policy establishment" is mindless of other people's interests.
Washington's "backed armed coup d'etat in Ukraine (took) this egregious inexcusable ignorance to the next level…"
Ukraine "show(ed) the world that not only is the US completely out of touch with the peoples of the world but in fact has proven to anyone who may have had a doubt that the US not only has no interest in the people being affected and killed by its policies but in fact is completely contemptuous of anyone that is not of use to their waning empire."
Junta power runs Ukraine. War without mercy rages. Calling it an "anti-terror operation" doesn't wash.
It's to institutionalize what growing numbers of Ukrainians reject. Imagine shelling residential areas.
Imagine targeting apartment buildings, hospitals, daycare centers and schools.
Imagine indiscriminate bombing runs. Imagine shooting anything that moves.
Imagine dead women and children. Imagine US-supported fascist ruthlessness.
Imagine ongoing atrocities. Imagine media scoundrels ignoring them.
Imagine propaganda substituting for real news and information. Imagine supporting what demands condemnation.
Imagine lawless aggression without mercy. Imagine bashing Russia irresponsibly.
Imagine risking possible East/West confrontation. Lunatics infesting Washington make it possible.
So does rogue administration policy. Bipartisan complicity. Criminals making policy.
Imperial madness writ large. War on humanity persist. Risking eventual mass annihilation.
It bears repeating what previous articles stressed. Today is the most perilous time in world history.
Daily events should scare everyone. Wars rage without end. Popular needs go begging.
Today's upside reality threatens everyone. Criminality is rewarded, not punished.
One country after another is ravaged and destroyed. Wars are the national pastime.
Maybe until all nations are turned to rubble. Until societies no longer exist.
Until roaches and bacteria alone remain. Until it's too late to change things.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
War on Fundamental Rights in Ukraine
War on Fundamental Rights in Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
Previous articles called it war without mercy. This writer's new book as editor and contributor explains the most significant post-WW II geopolitical crisis.
Escalating it risks global conflict. Obama bears full responsibility. Washington stops at nothing to advance its imperium.
Imagine the unthinkable. John Pilger fears Washington "threaten(s) to take the world to war."
"We in the west are backing neo-Nazis in a country where Ukrainian Nazis backed Hitler," he said.
"(A) silent coup has taken place in Washington and rampant militarism now rules."
Ukraine is "a CIA theme park." Its operatives oversee "savage attacks" against Ukrainians wanting to live free.
"Add the risk of nuclear war," said Pilger. Neocons infesting Washington make the unthinkable possible.
Perhaps Eastern Ukrainian war without mercy is prelude for East/West confrontation. It rages. Civilians are fair game. They're being murdered in cold blood.
Not according to State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. She called fascist aggression "restraint."
Kiev has "every right to take steps to maintain law and order," she said.
"(W)e commend and continue to commend the Ukrainian government's restraint and efforts to limit damage and injury to the civilian population."
Psaki blamed Kiev's crimes of war and against humanity on Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighting victims.
"We have a fundamental disagreement with the Russians about what the Ukrainian government is doing and the validity of their own right to maintain calm and order in their own country," she added.
On Friday, Putin voiced concern over ongoing military aggression. He wants it stopped. He urged peaceful conflict resolution.
So did Lavrov. He called for "(m)ore effective mediation efforts…to cease violence in Ukraine and immediately start a mutually respectful dialogue…"
Slavyansk is besieged. Shelling continues. Mortars, howitzers and heavy artillery are used. Artema and Semenovka village were targeted.
Gunfire was heard near Kramatorsk airport. A Donetsk healthcare department statement said army units opened fire on Slavyansk residential areas. At least seven children were wounded.
Donetsk People's Republic leaders accused Kiev of using chemical weapons in Mariupol. They issued a statement saying:
"Kiev bears the entire responsibility not only for their state agencies' actions, but also for the actions by citizens who illegally apply means of chemical warfare."
"Armed groups controlled by Kiev used unidentified chemical weapons (earlier) while storming the City Council headquarters."
"The defenders of the City Council have left the contaminated area."
"Many of them had their breathing systems damaged, which is likely to have consequences and probably be a danger to their lives."
The statement urged world leaders to condemn toxic choking gas use. Take comprehensive measures, it added. Isolate Kiev putschists.
They're silent about chemical weapons use. They're waging Eastern Ukrainian dirty war.
With full US support. One fascist regime backs another. Crimes of war and against humanity don't matter.
Hundreds of Slavyansk children were evacuated to Crimea for their safety.
They're aged eight to 16. They're housed at peninsula summer camps. It wasn't easy getting past Ukrainian border guards.
They're safe in Russia. They'll spend at least a month in Crimea. One child told RT International:
His city "comes under mortar shelling. People get hurt as a result."
"A mortar shell splinter the size of a walnut hit my grandpa's leg and pierced the bone."
"If it went a little deeper, it could hit an artery, and that would be it for him."
Another child said:
"It's so unusually calm and quiet here compared to Slavyansk. No explosions going off. It was scary."
"Nobody expected that things like that could start in our city, which was never famous for anything."
A third child said she "was very scared. There were explosions."
"My dad just celebrated his birthday and he was woken by the sound of shelling on that day. I'm very glad I'm here now. It’s calm here."
Hopefully it'll stay that way. On May 30, Itar Tass headlined "Members of Right Sector plotting attacks in Crimea," saying:
Russian Federal Security (FSB) officers "detained members of Ukraine's Right Sector terrorist group in the Republic of Crimea."
"The group plotted terrorist attacks in the cities of Simferopol, Yalta and Sevastopol, and later on they planned to destroy several facilities, railway bridges and electricity lines."
FSB said its "Investigative Department has been working on the criminal case against O. Sentsov, S. Afanasyev, A. Chirniy and A. Kolchenko…"
They're "suspected of setting up a (Crimean) terrorist community." They planned earlier bomb attacks.
Explosive materials, weapons, gas masks and untranationalist literature were found in their residences. They were taken to Moscow. They're at Lefortovo detention center.
Afanasyev, Chirniy and Kolchenko admitted planning to blow up railway bridges, power lines and public monuments. An FSB statement said:
"The suspects have confessed to being part of Pravy Sektor (Right Sector) and to organizing terrorist acts on the territory of Crimea with the aim of destabilizing the social and political situation on the peninsula."
It doesn't surprise. Fascist regimes operate this way. Right Sector thugs are neo-Nazi extremists. They're Obama's new friends.
They're xenophobic, hate-mongering, ultranationalist anti-Semites. They're aligned with like-minded ideologues.
For the first time since WW II, overt fascists have real power. They hold major government posts.
Anointed president-elect Petro Poroshenko serves as nominal leader. He's militantly anti-democratic.
He's polar opposite what Ukrainians deserve. Straightaway he OK'd full-scale war without mercy.
New leadership changed nothing. Fascism won. Democracy lost. War on Eastern Ukrainians wanting to live free rages.
Poroshenko wants it continued until all resistance is crushed. Perhaps he intends bloodbath slaughter achieve it.
On May 30, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:
"Humanitarian aid will be given to (Eastern Ukrainians) for sure, but I can't say anything about military aid. The military should be asked about that."
Itar Tass said:
"On May 28, the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation sent a note to the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine, attracting attention of the Ukrainian authorities to the fact that Russia has been repeatedly receiving requests from citizens and organizations from the conflict zone in Ukraine’s eastern regions where many people are killed and many are wounded in combat operations."
Russia "has been requested to provide urgent humanitarian aid, first and foremost of medication and medical goods."
"Russia is ready to provide the population in those regions with everything needed, and asked Ukraine to take necessary steps for ensuring urgent deliveries of Russian humanitarian aid to conflict-hit regions in the shortest term possible."
On May 29, Itar Tass headlined "Ukraine's Foreign Ministry turns down humanitarian aid to eastern regions from Russia."
It called Moscow's request "another element of propaganda." It wants Eastern Ukrainians denied what's vital to supply.
On May 30, Interfax-Ukraine headlined "Pentagon delegation to hold talks in Kyiv."
US ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt said Washington tripled US military aid in the last three months.
Special emphasis was placed on improving border security forces combat readiness. Pyatt expects assistance will grow, he said.
Modernizing Ukraine's "defense and security" apparatus is planned, he added. Making its killing machine more effective he omitted explaining.
War without mercy continues. Kiev putschists want fascist governance institutionalized.
They want democracy prevented. They want what Ukrainians most deserve denied.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israeli Extrajudicial Assassinations
Israeli Extrajudicial Assassinations
by Stephen Lendman
They're willful, premeditated cold-blooded murder. They're official Israeli policy.
Killers get impunity. Investigations rarely happen. Occasional ones are whitewashed. In May 2007, former Israeli Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said:
"We decided to carry out more physical liquidation operations against (Palestinian) 'terrorists' "
"I think this will eliminate the damage caused to Israeli territory due to the launching of Palestinian rockets."
Just cause for murder doesn't exist. Claiming otherwise rings hollow. International law is clear and unequivocal.
Article 23b of the 1907 Hague Regulations prohibits "assassination, proscription, or outlawry of an enemy, or putting a price upon an enemy's head, as well as offering a reward for any enemy 'dead or alive.' "
Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person."
UDHR recognizes the "inherent dignity (and) equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family."
The 1980 Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders condemned "the practice of killing and executing political opponents or suspected offenders carried out by armed forces, law enforcement or other governmental agencies or by paramilitary or political groups."
On December 15, 1980, the General Assembly adopted resolution 35/172.
It urged member states abide by the provisions of Articles 6, 14 and 15 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights.
They cover the right to life and various safeguards. They mandate fair and impartial judicial proceedings.
The 1989 UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions states:
"Governments shall prohibit by law all extra-legal, arbitrary and summary executions and shall ensure that any such executions are recognized as offences under their criminal laws, and are punishable by appropriate penalties which take into account the seriousness of such offenses."
"Exceptional circumstances, including a state of war or threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency may not be invoked as a justification of such executions."
"(They) shall not be carried out under any circumstances including, but not limited to, situations of internal armed conflict, excessive or illegal use of force by a public official or other person acting in an official capacity or by a person acting at the instigation, or with the consent or acquiescence of such person, and situations in which deaths occur in custody."
"This prohibition shall prevail over decrees issued by governmental authority."
These international law principles apply to occupied populations. So does Fourth Geneva.
Its Article 3 affords them special protections. They cover all actions related to "(v)iolence to life and person, murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture."
"The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guarantees (is) recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples."
Article 32 states:
"(T)he High Contracting Parties specifically agree that each of them is prohibited from taking any measure of such a character as to cause the physical suffering or extermination of protected persons in their hands."
"This prohibition applies not only to murder, torture, corporal punishment, mutilation and medical or scientific experiments not necessitated by the medical treatment of a protected person, but also to any other measures of brutality whether applied by civilian or military agents."
"Article 85 refers to "Grave Breaches." They're defined as "(a)cts committed willfully and causing death or serious injury to body or health…"
They subject civilian populations or individuals to "indiscriminate attack(s) affecting (them) or civilian objects…"
The International Criminal Court's Rome Statute calls these violations war crimes. Under Article 8, they include:
- "Grave" Geneva Convention breaches;
- "Willing killing..."
- "Intentionally launching an attack" knowing it will "cause incidental loss of life..."
- "Killing or wounding" combatants who've laid down their arms;
- extrajudicial killings; and
- "Killing or wounding treacherously a combatant adversary..."
On May 31, Haaretz headlined "Israeli military hiding targeted killing investigative panel," saying:
"The Defense Ministry and Israel Defense Forces recently formed a committee to investigate allegations of war crimes raised after recent targeted aerial strikes against Palestinian militants."
"The names of panel members, however, were not disclosed." Officials called doing so too sensitive.
A retired judge heads the panel Other members include a "veteran general, retired Shin Bet commander and an expert (on) international law."
An IDF spokesman didn't surprise. No incident reviewed so far was illegal, he said. According to Haaretz:
"Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. Danny Efroni publicly commended the establishment of an external body to probe into the legality of targeted killings…"
He "avoided commenting on" member names. He was silent on whether they were to examine claims "about civilian harm."
Potentially they could constitute crimes of war or against humanity.
The current panel follows two earlier ones. The initial one followed Sheikh Salah Mustafa Shehade's 2002 assassination.
Fourteen Gazans were killed. In February 2013, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz ordered an "independent military investigative body."
According to Efroni, "(t)oday we open an investigation for every incident in which a civilian, unaffiliated with insurgent activities, is killed in Judea and Samaria during a (military) operation that is not an official campaign."
Gaza and neighboring Arab countries policy differs from West Bank practices. Judea and Samaria are largely under Israeli control. Aerial killings aren't used.
Gaza, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria "operate under the shelter of civilian populations and from within them," Israel claims.
Doing so justifies the unjustifiable, it says. Aerial killings are standard practice.
Haaretz discussed Israel's targeted killings code. It listed 10 "partially vacuous" 10 commandments.
(1) Israel claims it's permissible to attack combatants and anyone called belligerent civilians.
(2) It calls aerial attacks constrained. Civilians killed are called combatants.
(3) Arrests must be considered before ordering targeted killings. Israel says one thing. It does another.
(4) Israel claims it exceeds the proportionality principle. Sometimes aborting attacks. Minimizing collateral damage.
Longstanding Israeli practices are polar opposite duplicitous claims.
(5) "Operational processes" control aerial attacks. "Procedures and standing" orders decide things.
Mumbo jumbo jargon conceals Israeli ruthlessness. Commanders kill without constraint.
So do pilots and rank-and-file soldiers. They're taught Arabs are violent gun-toting terrorists.
Killing them violates no law. Truth is turned on its head.
(6) Operational planning for preplanned air strikes isn't practicable "in real time" when threats exist. Israel invents them out of whole cloth.
(7) According to Israel, its military and government officials needing to know are trained in international laws.
Anyone able to read can understand them. Israel spurns them repeatedly. It does what it wants with impunity.
It calls legitimate self-defense terrorism. It claims crimes or war, against humanity and genocide are justified. It turns truth on its head saying so.
(8) According to Israel, military commanders "properly implement the principle of discrimination, the principle of proportionality, and the imperative to take necessary safety precautions, both in relation to the decision to carry out the attack and in the way the attack is to be carried out (e.g. at what time, the kind of weapon used, etc.)."
Military commanders, pilots and rank-and-file soldiers operate without restraint. They do so with impunity. They get away with murder repeatedly.
(9) Israel claims investigations follow war crimes accusations. Virtually always they're whitewashed. Victims are blamed for Israeli crimes.
(10) According to Haaretz, (t)he 10th commandment deals without detail, with the committee of assassinations."
Israel calls it "a special test process…(It) was established in accordance with the ruling of the High Court on targeted killings and is an extra-military committee, which looks into the legality of targeted killings."
The committee's existence and charter "are beyond" what international law requires, claims Israel.
It's makeup is kept secret. Doing so reflects its independence as well as legal and operational professionalism, Israel says.
It bears repeating. Israel does what it wants. International law, its own and High Court decisions don't matter.
Rogue states operate this way. Israel and America are by far the world's worst.
State terror is standard practice. Anything goes is policy. So is cold-blooded murder.''
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Mercenary Extremists in Eastern Ukraine
Mercenary Extremists in Eastern Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
On May 29, Itar Tass headlined "About 300 Ukrainian mercenaries from Syria fighting in south-eastern Ukraine - source."
Most "are from western regions of Ukraine, a source in the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces says." More on this below.
A previous article explained the following:
Bild am Sonntag is Germany's largest Sunday circulation broadsheet. It reported Academi operatives near Slavyansk.
It's uncertain who hired them, it said. Washington's dirty hands are involved. Russia's Foreign Ministry said:
"(I)n the absence of support from the Ukrainian population, the Maidan government has only one option if it wants to remain in power - to mobilize any support possible from foreign sponsors, including foreign mercenaries."
"Among the candidates for the role of gendarme is the company Greystone Limited, registered in Barbados, which is integrated with the Academi corporation," it said.
"It is an analogue, or, probably, an affiliate body of the Blackwater private army, whose soldiers have been accused of committing rigorous and regular human rights abuses in troubled regions."
Note: Greystone is a private company. In 2010, it separated from Academi. Both firms maintain close ties. They operate the same way. They do so extrajudicially.
"It looks as though this practice, if it really is implemented, goes against the Ukrainian laws that ban foreign citizens from working with private security companies," said Russia's Foreign Ministry.
"Such initiatives demonstrate that those who have conquered their place in power in Kiev cannot guarantee minimal order or even their own security."
"The question arises, what the price of this plan is and where the money will come from."
"To what extent will the burden of spending on highly-paid foreign specialists be shifted to ordinary Ukrainians who, in connection with the painful tax increase, including taxes on gas as the precondition for securing loans from the International Monetary Fund, will have to tighten their belts even stronger?"
Kiev putschists can't defeat Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters on their own. Mercenary extremists are enlisted to help.
So are neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs. On May 4, Fars News said Saudi Arabia shifted extremist Takfiri fighters from Syria to Ukraine.
They're Saudi and Chechnian nationals. They "receive financial and military backup from the Saudi intelligence agency…"
Weeks earlier, they arrived in Kiev. They were "immediately dispatched to Kramatosk city in Eastern Ukraine, and are now fighting beside the Ukrainian army forces against the pro-Russians under the name of militias who support the government."
A previous article explained. Fars News said Saudi Arabia wants revenge.
It wants Moscow punished for supporting Syria's Bashar al-Assad.
Last July, Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan visited Moscow. He tried bribing Vladimir Putin.
In return for billions of dollars in Russian arms purchases and other economic incentives, he wanted him to stop supporting Assad.
He discovered Putin isn't for sale. He rejected Bandar's blood money.
He "redoubled his support for the Syrian government in response to Bandar's blend of bribes and warnings," said Fars News.
He "issued his own thinly veiled threats against the Saudis."
On May 29, Itar Tass reported the latest, saying:
"About 300 Ukrainian mercenaries who fought in Syria on the opposition side against Bashar Assad returned to Ukraine in March-April and are now participating in the punitive operation of Ukrainian government forces in the southeast of Ukraine, according to a source in the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces."
"After returning from Syria, they joined the battalion of Right Sector radicals participating in the government forces' punitive operation against residents in southeastern regions of the country."
"Most of the mercenaries are from western regions of Ukraine. Among them are snipers and soldiers of Special Forces known for their cruelty."
"They fought in more than one 'hotspot,' including in the North Caucasus where they participated in fighting against federal forces."
Kiev's war without mercy continues. It rages. According to its defense minister Mykhaylo Koval, military operations will continue until anti-government resistance is eliminated.
Scores so far died on both sides. Civilians suffered most. On Friday, Slavyansk was shelled. A children's hospital and clinic were hit.
On Wednesday, mortar fire targeted a school and kindergarten. A teacher said the roof "was simply blown away."
Luckily no children were hurt. Maybe next time they'll be killed. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay shames the office she holds.
She justifies the unjustifiable. She serves Western interests exclusively. She substitutes misinformation rubbish for hard truths.
Her words ring hollow. She "call(ed) on the Ukrainian authorities to ensure that no excessive force is used, not to take discriminatory action and to avoid action that can harm the civilian population."
She sounds like Ban Ki-moon. They lie for power. They're imperial stooges.
They say one thing. They support another. Pillay's policy papers speak louder than disingenuous words.
She blames victims for Kiev putschist crimes. According to Russia's Foreign Ministry, she "justifies the criminal punitive operation in the southeast of Ukraine…"
She "conceals casualties among peaceful civilians…" She irresponsibly blames "pro-Russian forces" for Kiev crimes. For horrific human rights violations.
For state-sponsored terrorism. For war without mercy. For murdering civilians in cold blood. For massacring them in Odessa.
For turning a blind eye to hard facts. For twisting them to fit Washington's agenda.
For "carrying out a political order to whitewash" Kiev putschists' crimes of war and against humanity.
Lugansk People's Front leader Alexiy Chmylenko said Kiev forces massed near Rubizhne and Lisichansk.
"We are receiving information that convoys of armored vehicles have been moving at a high speed to the town of Rubizhne since early morning," he said.
"Apparently, forces are being amassed there." Self defense fighters are watching things closely. They'll resist Ukrainian aggression if launched.
On Friday, Russian presidential commissioner for children's rights Pavel Astakhov said Ukrainian forces targeted Sloviansk residential areas.
Seven children were injured. They had shrapnel and bullet wounds. Expect lots more civilian casualties as long as fighting continues.
On May 30, Voice of Russia headlined "Right Sector militants suspected of plotting terror acts detained in Crimea - Russia's FSB.
They're suspected of planning sabotage and terrorist attacks. According to an FSB press release:
"The main goal of this criminal group was to stage acts of sabotage and terrorist attacks in the cities of Simferopol, Yalta and Sevastopol, as well as subsequently destroy a number of vital facilities such as railway bridges and power transmission lines."
On Thursday, Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Prime Minister Alexander Borodai said "(e)xplosive bullets are fired and all the banned ammunition is used by the other side."
"(M)ercenaries are fighting for the Ukrainian armed forces, and they employ all possible dirty methods."
Ukrainian armed forces, National Guard and Right Sector extremists arrive daily in Eastern areas.
"The enemy is concentrating large forces and although we know how many of them are in the area, I wouldn't like to disclose the figures, said Borodai."
"Civilians are dying every day and no-one can provide the exact death toll figures as the access to the airport is strictly forbidden at the moment," he added.
"We are unable to carry all the bodies out of there and to say exactly how many people were killed."
On Thursday, Sergey Lavrov urged world leaders to demand all sides of the Ukrainian conflict comply with Geneva agreement terms.
"We do not impose any concrete forms," he said. "But we feel the need for the international community to make concerted efforts," he stressed.
On Thursday, Russia's Foreign Ministry said:
"Yet again we demand the Kiev authorities stop the war of kith-and-kin and start real nation-wide dialogue with all political forces and representatives of the country's regions to search ways for Ukraine to overcome the deepest crisis."
"Russia expresses deep concern due to further escalation of the situation in eastern Ukraine."
On Thursday, Public Broadcasting (PBS) News Hour co-anchor Gwen Ifill interviewed John Kerry.
She asked soft ball questions. She gave him a platform to lie. PBS isn't public. It's government and corporate controlled.
Earlier promises long ago were abandoned. News reporting replicates other scoundrel media.
Misinformation substitutes for hard truths. News, information, and analysis viewers most need to know is suppressed.
Featuring Kerry insulted viewers. He mocks legitimacy. He shames the office he holds.
He lied claiming "evidence of Russians crossing over (into Ukraine) to stir things up, to engage in fighting."
No evidence whatever suggests Russian involvement. Plenty shows Putin, Lavrov and other top officials go all-out for peaceful conflict resolution.
Not according to Kerry. "We hope the Russians would actually engage more proactively in efforts to now try to de-escalate," he said.
Lies infested his interview. Ifill didn't challenge him. Viewers were cheated. Ukraine's war without mercy continues.
Crimes of war and against humanity go unreported. Victims are wrongfully blamed for doing the right thing. How things turn out remain to be seen.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Egypt’s Illegitimate New President
Egypt's Illegitimate New President
by Stephen Lendman
Egypt's sham process has no legitimacy. Elections are farcical when held.
General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ran practically unopposed. Hamdeen Sabahi masqueraded as an opponent. He supports junta rule.
On most everything that matters he's anti-democratic. Anti-populist. Anti-what ordinary Egyptians deserve.
Egyptian elections require more than one candidate. Doing so provides a veneer of legitimacy. It's fake.
Junta power runs Egypt. Sisi heads its current regime. He's Egypt's Pinochet. He's Washington's man in Cairo.
He's a US War College graduate. He maintains close Pentagon ties. He has no legitimacy whatever. He reflects fascism writ large.
Brute force is official policy. Ousting Morsi on July 3 was reminiscent of September 11, 1973. Chileans old enough to remember won’t forget.
A reign of terror followed. Sisi governs the same way. He sentenced hundreds of opposition figures to death. Thousands were imprisoned.
Sweeping crackdowns continue. Democracy is pure fantasy. Opposition elements aren't tolerated.
It bears repeating. Elections when held are farcical. Sisi is Egypt's new strongman. He's its anointed new president.
Turnout was embarrassingly low. IkhwanWeb is the banned Muslim Brotherhood (MB) web site. On May 29, it headlined "90% of Egyptians Boycott Sham Presidential Election."
MB issued a statement saying:
"With a 90% boycott of the blood ballot - the show presidential election, the Egyptian people have dealt a serious and humiliating blow to the illegitimate coup and its so-called roadmap."
"This is the beginning of the end of the military coup. We hail the Egyptian People's resilience and steadfastness."
"The Egyptian people have turned their back to the sham presidential elections. All the military coup's begging, pleas and threats have failed."
"The Egyptian people have thus told the whole world that they will not abandon democratic legitimacy, freedom or dignity."
"The people of Egypt are one nation and will continue to hold high their values and their unity."
"The honorable patriotic people of Egypt affirm that they are the only authority that can grant legitimacy to those they can trust, and that the murderous military coup has no legitimacy or popularity."
"They further affirm that they will continue to reject the coup and resist it until they defeat it completely - with God's help - and with peaceful creativity and selfless devotion, patience and determination."
"The Egyptian people will reclaim their rights and freedom, and will write glorious new pages of their homeland's history."
Egypt's junta-controlled press reported 37%. Independent sources said around 15%. Two electoral days weren't enough.
Propaganda didn't help. It claimed Sisi enjoyed overwhelming support. Big Lies failed to convince most Egyptians.
Sisi mythology fell flat. His 95% landslide was farcical. More theater of the absurd than real. More fiction than fact. More surreal than legitimate.
Reuters said "lines outside polling stations in various parts of Cairo were short, and in some cases no voters could be seen on Tuesday."
Authorities were desperate. They ordered an extra day of voting. They threatened fines for anyone not doing so. TV commentators called non-voters "terrorists."
Al-Azhar is Egypt's highest Islamic authority. It called not voting tantamount to "disobeying the nation."
It didn't help. Turnout was disastrously low. It reflected widespread anti-regime sentiment. It showed most people reject Sisi.
They want democracy. The real thing. Not junta rule. Or Sisi heading things. He failed to get a popular mandate.
He fell way short. He tried inventing one instead. He consolidated military rule. He represents state terrorism writ large.
Last July, he ousted Mohamed Morsi. Martial law followed. Egypt's constitution was suspended.
Tanks patrolled streets. Peaceful demonstrators were murdered in cold blood.
Weeks before the election, he said he'd "finish the Muslim Brotherhood as a group" once and for all.
He hunted them down. He rounded them up. He imprisoned them. Kangaroo court proceedings followed. Hanging judges sentenced hundreds of its members to death.
Fascist police states operate this way. Egypt is one of the worst. Obama supports what demands denunciation.
Coup d'etat authority has no legitimacy. Claiming otherwise doesn't wash. Diktat power rules Egypt. Tanks patrol streets. Demonstrators are shot, killed, injured and/or arrested.
War on ordinary Egyptians continues. Against its working class. Anyone protesting junta rule. Sisi defended Egypt's anti-protest law.
He "will not let protests destroy the country," he said. His off-the-record conversation was leaked. He asked:
"Will you bear it if I make you walk on your own feet? When I wake you up at five in the morning every day?"
"Will you bear cutting back on food, cutting back on air-conditioners?"
"People think I'm a soft man. Sisi is torture and suffering."
His comments warned Egyptians. Anyone challenging junta rule assures his wrath.
On Wednesday, Obama told graduating West Point cadets he cooperates with Sisi for "security interests."
Assuring Israel has a friendly neighbor. For both countries "shared efforts against violent extremism."
They represent the worst of its dark side. Low turnout showed most Egyptians reject it.
Pew Research showed around three-fourths of Egyptians expressed dissatisfaction with junta led governance.
Sisi is Egypt's new president. Its new strongman. Its illegitimate ruler. He represents fascism writ large.
It doesn't matter. He enjoys full US support. Including generous annual aid.
Around $1.3 billion in military assistance in 2014. Plus another $250 million in economic support. Providing it violates US law.
The 1961 Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) and 1976 Arms Export Control Act (AECA) prohibits it.
AECA permits military related sales only for defense or legitimate internal security purposes. FAA forbids aiding governments that engage:
"in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, including torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without charges, causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction and clandestine detention of those persons, or other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, and the security of person, unless such assistance will directly benefit the needy people in such country."
The 2001 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act's (FOAA) Leahy Law provision states:
"None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to support any training program involving a unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary of Defense has received credible information from the Department of State that a member of such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights, unless all necessary corrective steps have been taken."
FOAA prohibits funding foreign security forces that commit gross human rights violations unless its government "is taking effective measures to bring the responsible members of the security forces unit to justice."
Egypt is one of many rogue states Washington supports illegally. Its high crimes against peace, equity and justice don't matter.
It receives generous aid. Obama approves it. Congress rubber-stamps it. Doing so violates US law. It's forthcoming anyway.
It bears repeating. Sisi is Washington's man in Cairo. He's one of many rogue Obama friends.
They comprise a Noah's arc of world class scoundrels. They're part of America's war on humanity.
How long oppressed people tolerate them remains to be seen.
A Final Comment
Observers found Egypt's electoral process sorely lacking. It fell way below international standards. Eric Bjornlund heads Democracy International.
It's an election monitoring organization. "Egypt's repressive political environment made a genuinely democratic presidential election impossible, said Bjornlund.
European observers said much the same thing. Egypt's election "f(ell) short of constitutional principles."
It had no legitimacy whatever. It rubber-stamped coup e'tat rule. It prevented democratic governance.
Junta authority runs Egypt. Challengers aren't tolerated. Rogue states operate this way. Egypt is one of the worst.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Manufacturing Crisis Irresponsibly
Manufacturing Crisis Irresponsibly
by Stephen Lendman
It's longstanding US policy. Enemies are invented when none exist. War on terror duplicity continues.
It's fake. It creates fear. It's used to justify the unjustifiable. It's to advance America's imperium. One country after another is ravaged and destroyed.
Ukraine is in the eye of the storm. So is Syria. Iran's turn awaits. Washington wants its sovereign independence eliminated.
It wants pro-Western stooge governance replacing it. Iran's nuclear program is peaceful.
It has no military component. It never did. Claims otherwise are Big Lies. Sixteen US intelligence agencies once said so. No longer.
They dispel notions about a weaponized Iranian nuclear program. They do annually. It doesn't matter.
Neocons infest Washington. Big Lies about Iran's nuclear policy persist. They do so despite public knowledge otherwise.
Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful. It wants it kept this way. It deplores nuclear weapons. It wants a nuclear-free world.
It wants peace. It abhors war. Managed news misinformation claims otherwise.
Iran opposes violence and instability. It wants rapprochement with all nations. Especially hostile Western ones.
Ongoing P5+1 talks continue. So do efforts to subvert them. By Israel most of all. Netanyahu knows Iran's program is peaceful.
So do other Israeli hardliners. It doesn't matter. They want a Middle East rival eliminated. They want regional hegemony.
Mossad-connected DEBKAfile (DF) spreads Big Lies. Iran is a prime target. On May 24, it headlined "The Big Charade: Nuclear diplomacy is a flop, the finale is secretly postponed to 2015."
"All hands on board the project for proving that Iran is amenable to dialogue and concessions on its nuclear program worked overtime this week to mask the truth, which is that negotiations were going nowhere," said DF.
Mid-May talks ended inconclusively, it added. It failed to explain why. Washington keeps raising the bar.
New demands are made. Ones unrelated to Iran's nuclear program are introduced. Doing so shows bad faith.
DF blames Iran. It does so irresponsibly. It claimed Obama officials "reached two important decisions." To change the earlier agreed on July deadline.
To "postpone (it) to January 15, 2015." Israel calls it "extremely problematic."
Iran's agreement "not to use its advanced IR2 centrifuges for rapid uranium enrichment…was valid for only six months," said DF.
According to its "military sources," Iran "will be able to reach the nuclear threshold in two to three months' time, i.e. by July-August."
Last year, Netanyahu claimed about the same thing. DF claims Obama wants congressional approval to attack Iran unilaterally "if Tehran (is) found cheating on its nuclear commitment."
He won't use it, claimed DF. It said nothing about Iran's peaceful nuclear program. It hyped nonexistent threats.
It's longstanding Israeli policy. It's like Washington's policy. Duplicity defines them.
On May 23, the IAEA said transparency measures "have been implemented by Iran as planned." It's fully complying with P5+1 interim agreement terms.
"Iran's engagement with the agency, including the provision of information, and the Agency's ongoing analysis is helping the agency to gain a better understanding of Iran's nuclear program."
Political analyst Gareth Porter calls Iranian nuclear program tensions a CIA-Mossad plot.
His new book titled "Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of Iran Nuclear Scare" discusses it.
It covers the history of Iran's nuclear program. It includes declassified US intelligence reports. Congressional speeches and documents. IAEA information.
It dispels anti-Iranian hype. Irresponsible fear-mongering. It shows Tehran's program is entirely peaceful.
No evidence whatever suggests otherwise. Plenty proves Iran's program has no military component.
Journalist Andrew Cockburn interviewed Porter. Questions focused on his new book.
He asked if Iran ever had a nuclear weapons program. In his book, Porter showed claims were "based on false history and falsified records."
They bear "no resemblance to the essential historical facts." For example:
"One would never know from the narrative available to the public over the years that Iran had been prepared in the early 1980s to rely entirely on a French-based company for enriched uranium fuel for its Bushehr reactor, rather than on enriching uranium itself," said Porter.
"Nor would one learn that the Reagan Administration sought to strangle Iran's nuclear program, which was admitted to have presented no proliferation threat, in its cradle by pressuring Germany and France to refuse to cooperate in any way."
Doing so forced Iran to the "black market." It defied "unilateral US policy." Doing so was deliberately misinterpreted.
According to popular narrative Big Lies, it showed Tehran sought nuclear weapons.
History was reinvented to claim it. About the Iran/Iraq war. With regard to chemical weapons use.
US claims that both sides used them were false. Iraq alone did so. Not Iran. According to Porter:
"(T)he evidence is very clear that Iran never used chemical weapons during the war." Claims otherwise are Big Lies.
Since the early 1990s, "senior Iranian officials (made) cogent arguments against nuclear weapons based on strategic grounds…"
Where did fake US evidence come from, asked Cockburn?
Falsified intelligence, said Porter. In 2004, it "appeared mysteriously." Supposedly from an "purloined (Iranian) laptop…"
Porter learned otherwise. Exiled Iranian "terrorist organization Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK)" fabricated them.
They gave them to German intelligence. Mossad was involved. It uses MEK. It does so "to launder intelligence it (doesn't) want attributed to Israel."
"Israel (is) the only country…known to have a special office responsible for influencing news coverage of Iran’s nuclear program."
It hypes nonexistent threats. It proliferates fake evidence. It does so about Iran's peaceful nuclear program.
Why did IAEA earlier believe Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program and may still have one, asked Cockburn?
IAEA was "crucial," said Porter. Because it's allegedly neutral. Mohamed ElBaradei headed the agency from December 1997 through November 2009.
He dismissed anti-Iranian evidence. Of suspicious origin, he believed. Things changed under Yukiya Amano.
Washington chose him. According to Porter:
"A WikiLeaks cable from July 2009 reveals that Amano promised US officials he would be firmly in their camp on Iran in return for American support of his election as director general."
" 'In their camp' could only have meant that he would support the publication of the intelligence dossier - based entirely on intelligence reports and documents from Israel - that ElBaradei had refused to authorize."
Its November 2011 publication was well-timed. It supported Washington wanting "crippling international sanctions" imposed.
"How do you compare the performance of the US intelligence community on Iran with its record on Iraq," asked Cockburn?
"The same political and institutional dynamics drove both failures," said Porter. Big Lies substituted for truth.
"(T)he most ambiguous evidence" about Iran's intentions was twisted to fit US policy.
Misinformation became facts. Iran's peaceful nuclear program was called heading toward becoming weaponized.
"In other words," said Porter, "intelligence followed the policy, not the other way around."
Hard evidence about Iran's peaceful program was suppressed. So was everything contradicting Washington's official narrative.
Claims about Iran having an earlier nuclear weapons program and stopping it were falsified.
Nothing suggests Tehran ever had such a program. Plenty shows otherwise. It was systematically buried.
It bears repeating. Big Lies substitute for hard truths. They proliferated under Bush and earlier administrations.
They continued throughout Obama's tenure. They do so irresponsibly.
"How (have major media) comported (themselves) with respect to Iran," asked Cockburn?
They've been "virtually unanimous," said Porter. They regurgitate official lies. Due diligence is nonexistent.
Fact-checking is verboten. Late 2007 and early 2008 New York Times and Washington Post misinformation was deplorable.
It was "(s)ome of the most egregious," said Porter. Its sole sources were Bush administration officials.
It substituted rubbish for hard truths. It's the same today. Fiction substitutes for fact. Iran is irresponsibly vilified.
How will Iran bashing affect P5+1 talks, asked Cockburn?
"It creates serious obstacles," said Porter. It lets Israel manipulate US policy.
Claims about an Iranian "breakout" are falsified. They repeat with disturbing regularity. Neocon think tanks do so.
So-called experts are well-paid to lie. Reliable analysts are ignored. Obama is "intimidated by…breakout" misinformation, said Porter.
"(F)ear-mongering propagandists may well succeed in pushing the United States into a situation of increased tension with Iran…"
Including possible military confrontation. It's what Netanyahu "long sought," Porter stressed.
It's madness if happens. It assures regional conflict. Perhaps global. Washington's agenda risks the worst of all possible outcomes.
Fascist regimes operate this way. America is by far the world's worst. Peace hangs by a thread. Perhaps humanity's survival.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama at West Point
Obama at West Point
by Stephen Lendman
On May 28, Obama addressed West Point graduates. Why anyone showed up, they'll have to explain. Commissioning ceremony is traditional.
It requires new "US Army officers to solemnly swear (to) support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that (they) bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that (they) take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that (they) will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which (they are) about to enter so help (them) God."
They're supposed to support, respect, and abide by constitutional principles. They include all US ratified treaties and conventions.
They're automatically US law under the Constitution's Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Clause 2).
Supporting a war criminal president constitutes a flagrant violation. Perhaps West Point curricula omit instruction on fundamental rule of law principles.
Perhaps nothing on constitutional law. Or US statutes relating to war. Or appropriate international laws.
Obeying them is fundamental. Failure to know them is no excuse.
Presidents take an oath of office. It's hard imagining it given how they govern.
Obama is a former constitutional law professor. He knows the law. He taught it. He spurns it. He does so knowingly, willfully and ruthlessly.
Under the Constitution's Article II, Section one, Clause 8:
"Before (presidents) enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
It means abiding by all its provisions. Without exception. At all times. No president ever did.
Some governed better than others. Obama exceeds the worst of his predecessors. He's guilty of high crimes too grave to ignore.
Impeaching him is a national imperative. So is prosecuting him for crimes of war, against humanity and genocide.
No one is exempt. Not presidents or anyone. He belongs in prison, not high office. Accountability is long overdue.
He delivered his usual demagogic mumbo jumbo. He justified the unjustifiable. He defended the indefensible.
"…I congratulate you on taking your place on the Long Gray Line," he said.
"You are the first class to graduate since 9/11 who may not be sent into combat in Iraq or Afghanistan."
If not there, somewhere else. America has been at war throughout its history. Every year. Every day. Without exception.
From before July 4, 1776 through today. Don't expect longstanding tradition to change. Not now. Not anytime soon.
Not likely ahead. Not while 2014 class members remain in service. Perhaps not after they retire. America is addicted to war.
Its culture reflects violence. So does its history. It's blood-drenched.
It glorifies war. In the name of peace. It's self-destructive. Today's super-weapons make the unthinkable possible.
Hyman Rickover knew. Decades ago. He founded America's nuclear navy. In 1982, he told Congress:
"I do not believe that nuclear power is worth it if it creates radiation." Then you might ask me why do I have nuclear powered ships?"
"That is a necessary evil. I would sink them all. I am not proud of the part I played in it. I did it because it was necessary for the safety of this country."
"That's why I am such a great exponent of stopping this whole nonsense of war. Unfortunately limits - attempts to limit war have always failed."
"The lesson of history is when a war starts every nation will ultimately use whatever weapon it has available."
"Every time you produce radiation, you produce something that has a certain half-life, in some cases for billions of years."
"I think the human race is going to wreck itself, and it is important that we get control of this horrible force and try to eliminate it."
It's the only way to live in peace. The alternative is annihilation. The choice is clear.
The wrong one assures disaster. America is heading humanity toward it. A slow-motion train wreck looms.
A big one. With no second chance. No coming back. Either we end wars or they'll end us.
Today's weapons make earlier ones look like toys. It bears repeating. They make the unthinkable possible.
Governments operate in a realm of their own. So do presidents. Without checks and balances.
Unresponsive to popular interests. Or general welfare. Government of, by and for everyone equitably and fairly is fantasy.
Presidents are limited only by the boundaries of what's possible. Obama and likeminded extremists take full advantage.
"America has rarely been stronger relative to the rest of the world," said Obama.
"Those who argue otherwise - who suggest that America is in decline, or has seen its global leadership slip away - are either misreading history or engaged in partisan politics."
"Think about it. Our military has no peer. The odds of a direct threat against us by any nation are low, and do not come close to the dangers we faced during the Cold War."
"(O)ur economy remains the most dynamic on Earth; our businesses the most innovative."
"Each year, we grow more energy independent. From Europe to Asia, we are the hub of alliances unrivaled in the history of nations."
"So the United States is and remains the one indispensable nation."
"Russia's aggression toward former Soviet states unnerves capitals in Europe, while China's economic rise and military reach worries its neighbors."
"It will be your generation's task to respond to this new world."
"The question we face, the question each of you will face, is not whether America will lead, but how we will lead - not just to secure our peace and prosperity, but also extend peace and prosperity around the globe."
"…America's willingness to apply force around the world is the ultimate safeguard against chaos, and America’s failure to act in the face of Syrian brutality or Russian provocations not only violates our conscience, but invites escalating aggression in the future."
"Here's my bottom line: America must always lead on the world stage."
"If we don't, no one else will. The military that you have joined is and always will be the backbone of that leadership."
"For the foreseeable future, the most direct threat to America at home and abroad remains terrorism."
"We have been through a long season of war…You will represent a nation with history and hope on our side.
Your charge…is not only to protect our country, but to do what is right and just."
Fact: Nation strength depends on how it's used.
Fact: For good or evil.
Fact: America is lawless.
Fact: Ruthless.
Fact: Its human rights record is deplorable.
Fact: The world's worst.
Fact: No other nation approaches its unprincipled history.
Fact: Earlier high crimes were largely internal and/or regional.
Fact: Twentieth century ones went global.
Fact: New millennium ones elevated atrocities and other human rights abuses to an unprecedented level.
Fact: America is guilty of virtually every crime imaginable and then some.
Fact: It's in longterm decline.
Fact: It's a pariah state.
Fact: It makes more enemies than friends.
Fact: Russia challenges America's military might.
Fact: Its nuclear strength and delivery systems are formidable.
Fact: China is heading toward becoming the world's leading economy.
Fact: Sino/Russian unity matches America's political, economic and military strength.
Fact: They're heading toward besting them.
Fact: In all respects, America becomes less of a "hub of alliances unrivaled in the history of nations."
Fact: Calling it an "indispensable nation" insults all other sovereign states.
Fact: So-called "Russian aggression" doesn't exist.
Fact: China's growth worries America alone, not other nations.
Fact: Washington is unnerved about becoming Number Two.
Fact: It's inevitable.
Fact: China is rising.
Fact: America is declining.
Fact: Nothing foreseeable will change things.
Fact: "The question" isn't "whether America will lead." It's how it'll adjust down a slippery slope toward ordinary status and eventual ruin.
Fact: "America's willingness to apply force around the world is the ultimate" assurance of chaos.
Fact: Perhaps eventual self-destruction.
Fact: The notion that "America must always lead on the world stage (because) no one else will" insults all other sovereign states.
Fact: "The military (West Point grads) joined is the scourge of peace, stability and survival.
Fact: "The most direct threat to America at home and abroad remain(s)" its hubris, imperial arrogance and war on humanity policy.
Fact: "Your charge" is to shift from warriors to peacemakers.
National survival depends on it. So does humanity's.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Reactions to Obama at West Point
Reactions to Obama at West Point
by Stephen Lendman
This writer's accompanying article called his address typical Obama demagogic mumbo jumbo.
He justified the unjustifiable. He defended the indefensible. He repeated one Big Lie after another. Media scoundrels reacted.
The New York Times headlined "Obama Warns US Faces Diffuse Terrorism Threats," saying:
He "tried…to articulate his vision of the American role in the world on Wednesday, telling graduating cadets here that the nation they were being called to serve would seek to avoid military misadventures abroad, even as it confronts a new set of terrorist threats from the Middle East to Africa."
Fact: America's war on terror is subterfuge deception to advance its imperium.
Fact: America's only enemies are ones it invents.
Fact: Military adventurism is longstanding US policy.
Fact: America lurches from one war to others.
Fact: Don't expect longstanding policy to change.
An accompanying Times article headlined "Rebutting Critics, Obama Seeks Higher Bar for Military Action," saying:
"After more than five years in office, Mr. Obama has become increasingly convinced that while the United States must play a vital role beyond its borders, it should avoid getting dragged into the quicksand of international crises that have trapped some of his predecessors."
"It is time for an end to what he called 'a long season of war.' "
Fact: Obama is the latest in a long line of US warrior presidents.
Fact: He exceeds the worst of his predecessors by far.
Fact: His rap sheet is blood-drenched.
Fact: He's responsible for millions of deaths.
Fact: He's a serial liar.
Fact: His word isn't his bond.
Fact: He says one thing.
Fact: He does another.
Fact: He waged war on humanity throughout his tenure.
Fact: Claiming he wants "a long season of war" ended rings hollow.
Fact: Expect no change ahead.
Times editors called his address "largely uninspiring." It lacked "strategic sweep," they said.
It won't likely "quiet his detractors, on the right or the left."
He "did make a strong case (for) the use of force," they said. "Mr. Obama was steady and sensible on this vital issue."
"He (correctly) endorsed military action, even unilaterally, when the country is threatened or when the security of its allies is in danger."
His "comments on China and Russia barely touched on how he plans to manage two major countries that have turned increasingly aggressive."
"(W)hat matters ultimately is his record in the next two and a half years."
Fact: Core international law is clear and unequivocal.
Fact: Military action is prohibited except in self-defense.
Fact: America does it preemptively.
Fact: Repeatedly.
Fact: Without just cause.
Fact: No nation may intervene in the internal affairs of others.
Fact: Longstanding US policy prioritizes it.
Fact: Russia and China deplore war.
Fact: They threaten no one.
Fact: Don't expect Times editors to explain.
The Washington Post headlined "Obama lays out new postwar foreign policy, stresses nonmilitary options," saying:
He "laid out his vision for a comprehensive post-9/11 foreign policy after more than a decade of war overseas, arguing for a new form of American leadership that strikes a balance between interventionism and avoiding "foreign entanglements.' "
Fact: Obama's new "vision" reflects his old one.
Fact: Wrapped up in deceptive hyperbole.
Fact: Balance isn't a US attribute.
Fact: Meddling in the affairs of other nations is longstanding US policy.
Fact: Obama's agenda for five and half years featured it.
Fact: Expect no change that matters going forward.
Washington Post contributor EJ Dionne headlined "Obama outlines doctrine where restraint makes us stronger," saying:
He "challenged his critics, at home and abroad…This is as close as we have gotten to an Obama doctrine."
He was "elect(ed) as a pragmatic antiwar candidate…(He) declared…he was opposed not to all wars but to…dumb" ones.
"It was clear Wednesday that it remains a source of pride to him that he has brought what he called 'a long season of war; to an end."
"In calling for restraint and realism - and by insisting on raising the threshold for wars of choice - Obama may yet prove himself to be the best friend American internationalists have."
Fact: Restraint isn't a US attribute.
Fact: It never was.
Fact: For sure not now.
Fact: Multiple direct and proxy wars raged throughout Obama's tenure.
Fact: They still do.
Fact: Expect no substantive change going forward.
Wall Street Journal editors headlined "Obama at West Point." Obama "skipped a few world events," they said.
He wasn't robust enough, they claimed. They called "listening to (him) trying to assemble a coherent foreign policy agenda from the record of the past five years was like watching Tom Hanks trying to survive in 'Cast Away:' "
"Whatever's left from the wreckage will have to do."
They omitted what this writer stressed above. Obama is a serial liar. He broke every major promise made.
He says one thing. He does another. One speech sounds like others. Doublespeak duplicity defines them.
Chicago Tribune editors headlined "Obama's Strategy: Outsource the war on terror," saying:
Obama "charted a vision for protecting America that relies less on military power and more on training foreign security forces to fight on their own soil."
Fact: America is addicted to war.
Fact: It's the national pastime.
Fact: Obama's speech changed nothing.
Fact: Military might reflects official US policy.
Longstanding war on humanity won't change. Imposing Washington rules on other nations will continue.
So will targeting all independent states. America wants subservient pro-Western ones replacing them.
War is Washington's bottom line option. It's been this way since the republic's founding. It's much worse than ever now. Humanity itself is threatened.
Obama is an unindicted war criminal. He glorifies war in the name of peace. Might justifies right, he believes.
He calls imperial wars liberating ones. He ravaged and destroyed one nation after another throughout his tenure. Don't expect him to change now.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Afghanistan: Permanent US Occupation Planned
Afghanistan: Permanent US Occupation Plannedby Stephen LendmanAmerica came to stay. Obama saying "(w)e will bring America's longest war to a responsible end" is false. It's his latest Big Lie.His Monday statement included many others. "The United State...
War Without Mercy Continues
War Without Mercy Continues
by Stephen Lendman
Sergey Lavrov calls it fratricidal war. "The West tried to use Ukraine not as a uniting link on the European territory, but as a watershed," he said.
"Those who advocated such policy did not worry about it that much."
"The elections in Ukraine should put an end to violence and serve as a start of dialogue."
Russia wants Eastern regions provided humanitarian aid. Its urgently needed.
Its Foreign Ministry said Moscow is "receiving urgent requests from individuals and organizations based in the conflict zone in the eastern Ukrainian regions, where hostilities led to human casualties and multiple injuries, asking to provide immediate humanitarian aid, primarily medications and medicinal drugs."
"Given the emergency nature of the current situation, (it wants) the swiftest possible reply from the Ukrainian side."
"It was emphasized that the Russian side is ready to provide the population in these regions with the required assistance and therefore proposes to the Ukrainian side that necessary measures be taken within the shortest possible period to ensure the immediate delivery of Russian humanitarian aid to the regions affected by the conflict."
"Specific itineraries and transportation conditions for such humanitarian aid…could be agreed upon on a routine basis between the relevant Russian and Ukrainian government departments," it stressed.
On May 28, RT International headlined "Reports of shooting in Donetsk, as city braces for third day of fighting."
It's ruthless. It targets civilians. Claims otherwise are false. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki regularly twists truths irresponsibly.
On Monday, in response to a question on Ukraine violence, she said:
"In terms of the events over the weekend or the reports of violence, we certainly have been watching those events closely."
"We remain concerned about the actions of Russian separatists against civilians in eastern Ukraine."
"We support the efforts of the Government of Ukraine to maintain calm and take steps to maintain order in their own country, and we remain in close contact with them as well."
A follow-up question asked:
"Well, so you believe that this violence is the responsibility entirely of pro-Russian separatists?"
"Is that - I mean, do you have any words of caution or advice of restraint to the Ukrainian Government?"
Psaki: "Well, certainly to all parties. But I would remind you - and obviously there are a range of reports out there about events that have happened over the course of the past couple of days."
"There are some involving the airport. There are some involving the fact that a special monitoring mission is missing."
"So there are a range of different reports, different - and I guess I could speak to all of those."
"But my point I was making is that the Ukrainian Government and the Ukrainian authorities have every right to certainly take steps to maintain calm and order where they see fit."
Question: "Right. But you don't have any concerns about whether they are acting - that they’re going too far?"
"You don't have any concern that - do you believe that everything the Ukrainian authorities have done to this point in trying to maintain law and order has been reasonable and appropriate?"
Psaki: "I'm not expressing a concern about the events over the course of the weekend, no, in terms of the Ukrainian authorities, no."
Question: "So in the view of the State Department, view of the Administration, is that what is happening on the ground in the east right now, in Donetsk and other places where there are clashes, where there's fighting, that is all the fault of the separatists?"
"They are the instigators?"
Psaki: "Obvious - they are - certainly, we believe they're the instigators, yes."
"And we believe - and I think there's broad reporting on their involvement in what's happening at the airport or what happened at the airport over the course of the weekend."
Question: "Well, but there are a lot of reports from my news organization, from others as well, that this isn't entirely one-sided, that - and I mean, the separatists - some of the separatists leaders say that they've been - that the Ukrainian authorities have been shooting at civilians."
"But you don't - you haven’t seen that?"
Psaki: "But that's not where we are at this moment."
Question: "(I)s there any evidence that Russia's hand is still in - is part of any of this fighting that's going on from the separatists' side?
Psaki: "Well, I think there's been evidence all along that there has been a Russian hand in the activities that have been happening on the ground, whether it's the - how equipped the militants have been, what their equipped with, kind of a trend that we've seen from Crimea that has carried forth to parts of eastern Ukraine."
So we've seen a great deal of evidence on the ground of their engagement."
Question: "And today (Monday) Russian President Putin called for an immediate halt to the Ukraine's military operations…"
"And he said that he called for Ukraine to talk to the Russian separatist leaders."
"Would you support that kind of dialogue to try to resolve this? Or I mean, there's a possibility this could just escalate, so how is the US seeing this being resolved?"
Psaki: "Well, as you know, our primary goal here has been de-escalation from the beginning."
"But I would remind you that there are a range of calls that President Putin and others have been made that have not been backed up by action in terms of taking their own de-escalatory steps."
"And we certainly feel there are a range of steps that they could take in order to show they’re going to back their words with action. We eagerly await that."
"I would also point you to the fact that President-elect Poroshenko made clear that his number one priority after taking office will be to restore order in eastern Ukraine by increasing dialogue with citizens of that region, traveling to the area soon after his inauguration, increasing transparency of the ongoing constitutional reform process."
"And so we believe that's a positive step and the right approach to return stability to the area."
Fact: Eastern Ukrainian activists aren't separatists.
Fact: They're federalists.
Fact: They want Ukrainian unity.
Fact: They want local autonomy.
Fact: They want the right to elect their own officials.
Fact: They want fundamental human and civil rights.
Fact: They're not aggressors.
Fact: They're self-defense force freedom fighters.
Fact: They're not attacking civilians.
Fact: They're defending them.
Fact: From willful Ukrainian military attacks.
Fact: They're targeting residential areas.
Fact: Reliable video images prove it.
Fact: So do ID'd bodies in morgues.
Fact: Claiming Kiev forces try to "maintain calm" turns truth on its head.
Fact: Heavy weapons target self-defense forces and civilians.
Fact: They include tanks, artillery, mortars, helicopter gunships, warplanes, and chemical weapons used earlier.
Fact: Blaming victims is longstanding US policy.
Fact: So is turning a blind eye to perpetrator crimes.
Fact: Claiming Russian involvement in what's ongoing doesn't wash.
Fact: Saying Washington's "primary goal here has been de-escalation from the beginning is polar opposite truth.
Fact: In mid-April, CIA head John Brennan visited Kiev.
Fact: He held secret talks.
Fact: He plotted war strategy.
Fact: He wants Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters eliminated.
Fact: He wants them slaughtered in cold blood.
Fact: He wants challengers to Washington's imperium crushed.
Fact: After his visit, coup-appointed president Okeksandr Turchynov announced a northern Donetsk region "anti-terrorist operation."
Fact: To "protect the citizens of Ukraine," he claimed.
Fact: To be conducted "stage-by-stage."
Fact: Vice President Joe Biden visited Ukraine after Brennan.
Fact: He praised his new friends.
Fact: He pledged more US help.
Fact: He supported war without mercy to crush Eastern Ukrainians wanting fundamental rights everyone deserves.
Fact: Poroshenko OK'd it against Eastern freedom fighters.
Fact: He did so straightaway.
Fact: After his electoral victory.
Fact: Before taking office.
Fact: Doing so shows his real agenda.
Fact: He deplores democratic freedoms.
Fact: He supports fascist extremism.
Fact: He's ideologically over-the-top.
Fact: He's polar opposite what Ukrainians deserve.
Fact: What they expected.
Fact: They'll learn soon enough what they got.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian military attacks continued. Donetsk city center was targeted. Residents were told don't "come close to the windows."
Don't "step out onto the balconies or go outside" unless necessary.
A Slavyansk school was shelled. With students inside. According to an unnamed male teacher:
"Around midday, there was a loud explosion in the school, and I fell to the floor taking cover," he said.
He rushed to the corridor, he explained. He assembled all teachers and students. He took them to a safe place. Clouds of dust were visible.
The shell exploded right above the school hall. Where students gather for special events. Part of its roof was blown away.
Luckily no students were assembled at the time. Many might have been killed or injured.
Rossiya-24 TV reported nine people injured overall. Including a four-year-old boy.
The channel's crew narrowly escaped injury or death by mortar fire. A shell exploded "literally next to (its) car," they said.
Kiev forces blamed Slavyansk freedom fighters. Their commander, Vladislav Seleznyov, said:
"Currently, we are confirming the information on the terrorists’ shelling of the residential quarters and the territory of the school in Slavyansk."
Kiev forces targeted residential buildings, a city college dormitory, power lines and water pipeline.
Right Sector thugs want heavy weapons. They asked Kiev to supply them.
Putschists violated their Geneva agreed on obligation to disarm regional paramilitary groups. Including the Dnepr battalion, National Guard, Right Sector extremists and likeminded groups.
They're being used. They're waging war without mercy. They're murdering civilians in cold blood.
They're blaming their crimes on freedom fighters. They want hardline rule enforced.
They want fascist governance. They want democracy prevented at all costs.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukraine’s New President
Ukraine's New President
by Stephen Lendman
He's like his predecessor. Coup-appointed. In his case anointed. By electoral rubber-stamping.
He's anti-democratic. Fascist. Mega-crook. Neoliberal. Confrontational. Militant. Belligerent. Bellicose. Criminal.
Opposite what Ukrainians deserve. Straightaway he OK'd full-scale war without mercy. More on this below.
Russia wants Eastern Ukrainian military aggression halted. Obama wants it continued. He congratulated Ukrainians.
"(F)or making their voices heard," he said. For "the efforts of the Ukrainian government to conduct these elections in the face (of) provocations and violence," he claimed.
"This election is another important step forward in the efforts of the Ukrainian government to unify the country and reach out to all of its citizens to ensure their concerns are addressed and aspirations met," he said.
He ludicrously called Ukraine's fascist regime "democra(tic)." One fascist regime praised another's sham process.
John Kerry did the same way. He called Ukraine's illegitimate election "historic."
"The successful conduct of these elections reaffirms Ukraine's commitment to the democratic process," he said.
"The United States will continue to work with the people of Ukraine and the newly elected president to build on this victory for democracy."
At the same time, he condemned what he called "Russia's occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea."
He finds new ways to shame the office he holds. He's headed toward becoming America's worst ever Secretary of State. Obama exceeds the worst of his predecessors.
Poroshenko is Washington's man in Kiev. He's billionaire oligarch. He made his money the old-fashioned way. He stole it.
He cut deals. He greased palms. He entered politics. For good reasons. For power.
For better connections. For friends in high places. For business opportunities. To avoid prosecution.
Ukrainian pols have immunity. As long as they're part of the system.
In 1998, Poroshenko entered politics. He won a Verkhovna Rada (parliament) seat. Initially he was a United Social Democratic Party of Ukraine member .
In 2000, he created a so-called independent Solidarity party. In 2001, he helped create the Party of Regions.
In 2001, he joined Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine Bloc opposition faction. In 2002 parliamentary elections, it won the largest popular vote share.
Poroshenko won a seat. He headed parliament's budget committee. He was accused of "misplacing" around 47 million hrynias (nearly $9 million).
In 2004, he broke ranks with other Party of Regions members. He help bankroll Orange Revolution plotters.
Viktor Yanukovyh was illegitimately ousted. Viktor Yushchenko replaced him. Washington backed him.
Poroshenko was appointed National Security and Defense Council Secretary. In 2005, he was accused of corruption. It stemmed from state enterprise privatizations.
Friends in high places got all charges dropped. In March 2006, he retained his Verkhovna Rada seat. He chaired its Finance and Banking Committee.
In 2009, he was reappointed National Security and Defense Council Secretary.
From 2009 - 2010, he was Foreign Affairs Minister. In 2012, he was Trade and Economic Development Minister.
From 2007 - 2012, he headed Ukraine's National Bank Council. In 2012, he returned to parliament. He did so as an independent member.
From November 2013 through February's coup, he helped bankroll Kiev putschists.
On March 29, 2014, he announced he'd run for president. On May 25, he was elected with about a 54.4% majority.
He supports joining NATO. Not now. He favors later. "(S)o as not to ruin the country," he said.
His business interests include food, automotive, shipping, and media. Bodgan Corporation is a leading Ukrainian car and bus manufacturer.
Roshen Confectionery Corporation earned Poroshenko the "Chocolate King" nickname.
It's the world's 18th largest confectionery producer. Its products include chocolate and jelly sweets, caramel, chocolate, biscuits, waffles and cakes.
It's most famous for its Kiev Vechirniy chocolate candy and cakes. Overall, it produces about 200 confectionery products. Its output is around 410,000 tons annually.
English language 5 Kanal television channel features news and other programming. It broadcasts to Ukraine, Europe and Canada.
Leninska Kuznya shipyard produces river ships, industrial ones, small fishing vessels, self-propelled barges, related products and various military equipment.
Ukraine's changing of the guard changed nothing. Fascism defeated democracy. Full-scale war without mercy continues.
Scores of Donetsk area deaths were reported. According to its People's Republic Prime Minister Aleksandr Boroday:
"We’ve lost more than 50 self-defense fighters. Many of the casualties are a result of two Kamaz trucks having been shelled by the Ukrainian army."
"The trucks were driving the wounded from the battlefield near the airport. Around 15 people died there."
"Two of our Kamaz trucks were fired at from the air and from an ambush on the ground."
They displayed medical assistance service flags. It didn't matter.
"Shooting the wounded runs contrary to all international conventions." It's a war crime. So is aggressive war without mercy.
Self-defense fighters "were wounded. The car was driving them from a battlefield. First snipers shot the driver."
"Then they fired point-blank at the rest from a shoulder-launcher."
"The survivors were then gunned down by Right Sector militants. No one in the truck survived."
Ukrainian National Guard forces attacked an ambulance. It was transporting wounded self-defense fighters from Donetsk airport.
According to Donetsk People's Governor Pavel Gurarev, Ukrainian forces crossed the line.
"The junta has finally and irrevocably taken the path of crimes against humanity," he said.
"Battle continues at the Putilov Bridge. The Right Sector fire mortar shells at anything that moves. Massive civilian casualties" followed.
Fighting continued Monday night into Tuesday morning. Helicopter gunships and warplanes are involved.
Ukrainian troops suffered losses. According to Boroday:
"They were on the offensive. That's why their losses have not been that big."
"We intercept their conversations. They are demoralized, and are counting on breaking through from the airport."
Two Ukrainian military helicopters were shot down.
Fighting raged elsewhere in Donetsk. Residential areas were attacked. At least three civilians were killed. Others were wounded.
Donetsk People's Republic's (DNR) press service reported about 200 May 26 and 27 deaths.
They include freedom fighters and civilians. One regime sniper shot a woman.
She was at a railway terminal. Two other civilians there were killed. A child was wounded.
The terminal was set ablaze. Apparently from shell fire. Everyone inside was evacuated.
DNR's press service issued a report, stating: "Attention! We urgently need doctors, volunteers, donors."
Fighting rages in Mariupol. People's Republic of Donetsk headquarters there was targeted.
Attackers were either Right Sector thugs or foreign mercenaries. They wore unmarked black uniforms. No casualty count information was announced.
Sergey Lavrov issued a statement. He denounced ongoing hostilities. He wants them halted.
"Immediately stopping the use of the army against the population and ending any violence by all sides is the top priority task and 'endurance test' for the Kiev authorities," he said.
"We will firmly insist on it, and we will insist on the implementation of all other principles of the adopted Geneva statement."
"(I)t is absolutely necessary to immediately implement the agreements reached in the Geneva statement of April 17 and stop any violence."
Poroshenko wants to visit Russia by around mid-June. As long as hostilities continue, he's persona non grata.
"A Russian trip of Poroshenko is not being considered or discussed by diplomatic or any other channels," said Lavrov.
"As to the recent events, let me remind you that Poroshenko made a promise to unite the country in his election campaign."
"He said yesterday his first trip would be made to Donbas but they have a real war there so far."
"He said that the so-called counterterrorist operation should be rapidly brought to an end, but suggested that should be done through intensification."
"If there are plans to suppress resistance in the southeast by the army powered with heavy armaments, the National Guard, Right Sector and their ilk before (his) inauguration…so that he comes to Donbas as a victor, I do not think that will create a good environment for the cordial welcome to the Donetsk region."
"The military operations must be stopped immediately," Lavrov stressed.
"We hope he will act in the interests of the Ukrainian people as a whole. If this is the case, he will find a serious and reliable partner in Russia."
At the same time, Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said it's "too early" to invite Poroshenko to Moscow.
It's unclear whether Putin intends to congratulate him. If hostilities continue, most likely he'll condemn him.
On May 27, a Kremlin press office statement said:
"Putin has emphasized the necessity of immediately stopping the tactical punitive operation in southeastern regions and introducing peaceful dialogue between Kiev and representatives of the regions."
Fighting continues. It rages. More intensively than earlier. Until "self-defense units are neutralized," according to Kiev putschists.
It doesn't surprise. Fascist regimes operate this way. Ukraine is Europe's worst.
Its most dangerous. Its most lawless. Its most ruthless. Poroshenko's election changed nothing.
It bears repeating. On Sunday, fascism won. Democracy lost. So did Ukrainians. What follows remains to be seen.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
War Without Mercy
War Without Mercy
by Stephen Lendman
Ukraine's President-Elect Petro Poroshenko ordered it straightaway. He wants Eastern freedom fighters crushed.
He calls them "terrorists." He declared war without mercy. More on this below.
A 1990s board game is called War Without Mercy. It's surreal. It's a game. Warmaking is play-acting. No one dies.
Opposing forces are rated for offense, defense and movement. Armor against infantry warrants bonus rolls.
One side may attack en masse. With overwhelming force. For quick conquest. Or do it incrementally.
Air combat lets players launch fighters, bombers and transports. Naval operations wage war at sea.
Weather rules introduce harsh conditions. Both sides have strategic option choices. Winning requires choosing the right ones.
It's fun and games. It's fast-paced. It's just a game. Ukrainian war without mercy is real.
Obama support it. He called Poroshenko. He congratulated him. He promised US help.
Poroshenko wants US military aid. He wants decisive quick victory. He wants freedom entirely crushed.
Democratic rights eliminated. Hardline rule instituted. Putschist power enforced. Real war without mercy rages.
On May 27, RT International headlined "Alarm in Donetsk as people brace for Ukrainian forces attack."
Residential areas are attacked. Homes are destroyed. Shop shelves are emptied.
Residents fear "full-scale storming. Fighter jets are buzzing overhead…as self-defense prepares for a fight in the occupied administrative buildings."
People expect longterm fighting. Many shops, banks, restaurants and cafes closed. Streets are mostly empty. Residents are too scared to go out.
Schools were evacuated. Bomb shelter addresses were distributed. Kiev forces blocked most roads.
Self-defense forces withdrew from most surrounding areas. They're in Donetsk's city center.
They're barricaded inside administrative buildings. They're braced for a fight.
No one feels safe in Donetsk. In Slavyansk, apartment buildings were shelled. At least three civilian deaths were reported.
A Twitter campaign was launched. Under the hashtag #SaveDonbassPeople. Hundreds of tweets showed civilians killed.
Some images are too disturbing to view. Skochinskogo, Abakumova, Chelyuskintsev, Trudovskaya miners walked out.
They're protesting putschist aggression. "People have been standing by the entrances, not wanting to go underground," they said.
They're "having rallies demanding the suspension of military action."
On Sunday, hundreds of Donetsk residents rallied outside oligarch Rinat Akhmetov's home.
He's one of Ukraine's richest and most powerful. His net worth exceeds $11 billion.
He's involved with organized crime. He deplores democracy. He supports Kiev putschists. He helped bankroll Maidan militants.
He "owns much of Ukraine's industrial companies," said RT. He pressured his employees to participate in what he calls "anti-separatist" rallies.
Threatened with "losing their jobs" if not, said RT. He supports war without mercy.
Bodies are piling up in Donetsk morgues. Poroshenko wants operations continued.
Civilians are attacked without mercy. Anything that moves is vulnerable. It's part of Poroshenko's plan.
A Slavyansk resident told RT:
"We came up to look at the man but he was already dead. A shell had fallen right next to a nine-story apartment block, all the glass was out. The man’s head was bleeding, his arms and legs were broken."
"When we went further, we found a dead woman near a teachers college. A shell hit there too."
Another body was found nearby. Mortar fire targeted Donetsk residential areas.
Coup-appointed vice premier Vitaly Yaryoma said operations will continue until no self-defense fighters are "left on the territory of Ukraine."
"We saw the results yesterday," he said. Expect more of the same, he stressed.
Kiev putschists blamed freedom fighters for their crimes. So-called "anti-terror operation" head Vladislav Selezniov said:
"To discredit Ukrainian security agencies engaged in the anti-terror operation…the self-propelled artillery vehicle NONA, seized by the militants, was shelling residential districts of Slovyansk and Semenivka."
"There is a casualty among civilians and wounded in the aftermath of the gunfire...Today terrorists are shelling residential districts of Slovyansk anew."
He lied claiming "Ukrainian security (forces) do not subject residential districts to fire even when militants' firing positions are located there."
He said reports otherwise are untrue. He turned verifiable evidence on its head saying so. Bald-faced lying is official putschist policy.
Sergey Lavrov wants all hostilities stopped. He wants crisis conditions resolved diplomatically.
He's gone all-out to achieve it. He lacks a reliable peace partner. Obama wants war without mercy. So does John Kerry.
Russia is repeatedly blamed for Western crimes. "We perceive philosophically the fact that we are blamed for nearly each and every conflict that occurs in the world," said Lavrov.
Attempts to pressure Russia won't work, he stressed. "People are busy looking for whatever pretext can be found for putting pressure on us is just ridiculous."
Doing so "never yielded results…As for Western sanctions, had it not been Ukraine, it would have been something else."
"Long before the tragic events in Maidan, before radicals had seized Maidan, there had been lots of complaints about Russia in connection with Syria or Iran, or why we hosted the Olympics, and so on."
"This is a sign of deep-lying problems in the West," Lavrov stressed.
It's decadent. It's lawless. It's ruthless. It's belligerent. It's waging a losing battle.
It brought China and Russia closer together. It makes more enemies than friends.
It calls aggressive wars democratic ones. Lavrov called "(s)topping the use of the Armed Forces against the civilian population of Ukraine…an 'endurance test' for the Kiev authorities."
He wants hostilities stopped immediately. "We firmly insist on it," he said.
They continue. They show no signs of ending. Washington's dirty hands are involved.
Obama bears full responsibility. He's America's latest warrior president. He deplores peace.
He exceeds the worst of his predecessors. His rap sheet is blood-drenched. He's got new targets in mind.
Wars segue to new ones. An endless cycle of mass slaughter, destruction and human suffering follow.
The business of America is war. It's the national pastime. It's heading America for full-blown tyranny and ruin.
Neocons run things. They're ideologically over-the-top. They make peace impossible.
What's ahead bears close watching. Signs suggest plenty of reasons to worry.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Political Prisoner Nabeel Rajab Freed
Political Prisoner Nabeel Rajab Freed
by Stephen Lendman
Bahrain's Al Khalifa monarchy rules despotically. Ruthlessly. Extrajudicially. State terror is official policy.
Activists are targeted, arrested, tortured, and imprisoned. Kangaroo court proceedings deny justice.
Nabeel Rajab is one of Bahrain's best. He's a prominent human rights leader. A courageous one. Committed for right over wrong.
In 2002, he, current political prisoner Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, and others co-founded the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR).
Its objectives include:
(1) Promoting civil, political, and economic freedom.
(2) Ending racial discrimination.
(3) Disseminating human rights culture.
(4) Supporting and protecting victims' rights.
Promoting fundamental human and civil rights in Bahrain risks life and limb. Rajab was targeted before.
He was harassed, vilified, beaten, injured, arrested, tortured and detained. Bahraini justice is none at all.
Activists like Rajab know what they face. They challenge Al Khalifa ruthlessness anyway.
On August 16, 2012, Rajab was sentenced to three years in prison. At the time, BCHR condemned it "in the strongest terms."
He was already serving a three month sentence. For defending fundamental rights. For "libeling the citizens of the town of Muharraq over twitter," prosecutors said.
Rajab responded, saying "(y)ou can jail me for 3 years or 30 years, but I will not back down or retreat."
No matter the personal cost. He promised continued support for democratic values. He called them too important to be denied.
"I think we have to pay a much higher price than what normally people pay for freedom and democracy because you will not hear much about what’s going on here, as much as you will hear things happening in different countries," he explained.
On March 20, 2011, masked security forces dragged him from his home. They did so after midnight. They blindfolded and handcuffed him.
They severely beat him. He was attacked before. He was interrogated about statements he made. His family was threatened.
His children were harassed in school. His wife was sacked from her job.
He was banned from travel for several months. He was denied permission to participate in human rights conferences and meetings.
He was imprisoned for "illegal practices, inciting illegal assemblies, and organizing unlicensed demonstrations through social media websites."
He championed justice. Fundamental human and civil rights. Bahraini authorities criminalized them. King Hamad calls peaceful protests "foreign plots."
Rajab said Washington supports Bahraini despotism. Including "attacks against human rights defenders," he explained. Before his arrest, he said:
"Given that Bahrain in essence lacks a judiciary system that is independent and/or fair, and is far from being in line with international standards of a fair trial, I have decided to boycott the trial against myself."
"The judiciary system in Bahrain, today, is a tool used against human rights defenders and people calling for democracy and justice."
He explained two formative incidents. They changed him. They inspired his human rights advocacy.
"Two events affected me most," he said. "(O)ne when a colleague dropped himself from second floor to escape under-covered police who stormed school."
"The second incident was when a dear teacher was arrested. That is when my voice started to rise and become annoying."
"I was caught while writing apolitical human rights statements on school walls and was given the choice to either be submitted to police or to switch schools."
"I was the top student back then, but I choose to switch to Sheikh Abdul Aziz school." In college he challenged all forms of injustice.
Later he got involved in national campaigns. In 1999, he co-founded the Bahrain Human Rights Society. In 2002, BCHR followed.
It supports "a prosperous democratic country free of discrimination and other violations of human rights."
It "encourage(s) and support(s) individuals and groups to be proactive in the protection of their own and others' rights."
It "struggle(s) to promote democracy and human rights in accordance with international norms."
Rajab won numerous human rights awards. For wanting Bahrainis to live free. For championing fundamental democratic rights.
He's now free. After serving two years of his three-year sentence. BCHR welcomed him back.
"His release comes at a time when thousands of others continue to be imprisoned and targeted on trumped up charges," it said.
"It is important to note that (he's) not being released as a gesture of goodwill, but rather because he served the full length of his arbitrary detention sentence."
On December 11, 2012, Bahrain's Court of Appeal reduced his sentence to two years. In prison, he was tortured. He was ill-treated.
He was subjected to "dire conditions," said BCHR. He was mostly isolated in solitary confinement. Almost naked, he said.
RT International interviewed Rajab. "After two years in prison, I see Bahrain's political environment as more difficult and still without a roadmap for real reforms," he said.
"I was kept separate in a separate building for two years, just to make sure that I did not connect with the other prisoners," he added.
"There were very few people who were with me in that separate building."
"They were people who did not speak my language or people who were charged with criminal charges, which was completely different from what I was charged with."
He'll keep fighting for justice, he stressed.
"I know this is the cost of the struggle in this part of the world and I am planning to continue my struggle, no matter how much is the cost, knowing that all the countries have freedom and democracy today," he said.
"Maybe some people have to pay this cost in order to achieve democracy and human rights and I am one of many people in this country who is willing to pay this cost for my nation and my second generation to have democracy, justice and human rights."
He was only tortured once, he said. Emotionally things were tougher. Others were less fortunate, he explained.
"I have witnessed other people being tortured in front of my eyes."
"I have seen people being tortured by the police and I made a lot of noise while I was there."
"I sent a complaint to the United Nations and they finally told me that they are looking into those accusations."
He said Bahraini political prisoners get little or no attention.
"We have been ignored by the international community because Bahrain is with the Gulf and Saudi Arabia, which has a lot of influence in the west," he said.
The struggle for justice in Bahrain continues. Achieving it is distant. It's a long ways off, Rajab stressed.
"When I was sent to jail, there was no violence. I tweeted that I have said to the government that if you take peaceful people like me, who advocate peaceful gatherings and put them in jail, then you will face people who commit violence."
"All human rights activists in Bahrain are behind bars and this is why you see such violence."
Achieving real Bahraini democracy is his fundamental goal.
"All the aims which I am holding and the values that I am fighting for, it keeps me going, knowing that a lot of people are waiting for me, a lot of people need me to be out, need me to be focused and strong," he said.
"I will be there for my people."
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) called his detention arbitrary.
It contravened articles 19, 20 and 21 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and articles 9, paragraph 1, 14, 21 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, it said.
Horrific human rights abuses occur daily. Bahraini officials are rewarded for committing them.
In July 2013, evidence proving Lt-Colonel Mubarak bin Huwail's guilt was dismissed.
Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa responded saying: "Thank you for your good work."
Bahrain's culture of impunity shows what human rights champions face. Rajab challenged this system courageously. He's not about to quit now.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama in Afghanistan
Obama in Afghanistan
by Stephen Lendman
He left Washington Saturday. He arrived in Afghanistan Sunday. It was his fourth visit. He stayed less than four hours.
Earlier trips were in March 2010, December 2010 and May 2012.
Obama addressed US troops. He did so at Bagram Air Base. It houses one of America's notorious torture prisons.
Dozens of others operate globally. Guantanamo is the tip of the iceberg.
Bagram is called the Parwan Detention Facility (aka Bagram Theater Internment Facility).
It's next to Bagram's air field. It was formerly called the Bagram Collection Point.
In mid-2011, it held 1,100 political prisoners. Maximum during Bush years was 600. None have POW status. All are political prisoners. They illegally held.
Abuse continues. It's notorious. It's not reported. It's out of sight and mind. Former detainees describe horrendous treatment. Not far from where Obama spoke. It includes:
- painful extended period shackling;
- exposure to extreme heat and cold;
- abusive treatment while naked, hooded or blindfolded;
- waterboarding numerous times;
- isolation in tiny cells;
- other times in overcrowded ones forcing detainees to sleep in shifts;
- permanent trauma-creating torture and ill-treatment;
- severe beatings;
- continuous blaring noises or music;
- 24-hour bright light or total darkness;
- extended sleep deprivation periods;
- painful stress positions for long periods;
- being sodomized;
- denied food, too little, or inedible kinds;
- painful force-feeding for hunger strikers;
- prisoners experiencing it call it torture;
- denied medical care;
- forced confessions for crimes not committed;
- hung from steel bars in cells or metal hooks in interrogation rooms for extended periods;
- kept in tubs of ice water creating hypothermia;
- threatened with or attacked by dogs;
- electro-shocking; and
- other physical and psychological cruel, abusive and degrading treatment.
Investigative Journal Andy Worthington does extensive research on US torture prisons. He co-directed a documentary titled "Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo."
One of his many articles is titled "Dark Revelations in the Bagram Prisoner List." He discussed foreign prisoners held.
He explained secret Bagram CIA operations. A subsequent "UN Secret Detention Report Ask(ed) 'Where Are The CIA Ghost Prisoners?' "
Obama could end prisoner abuse by executive order. He could free every prisoner illegally held the same way.
He could order torture prison closures. He could do it straightaway. He ignored Bagram international law violations during his stay.
He addressed about 3,000 US troops. He lied saying "Americans stand in awe of you."
"For many of you, this will be your last tour in Afghanistan. America's war in Afghanistan will come to a responsible end."
"That progress is because of you, and the more than half a million Americans - military and civilian - who've served here in Afghanistan."
(Y)ou are completing our mission…(Y)ou've helped prevent attacks and save American lives back home."
"Al Qaeda is on its heels in this part of the world, and that's because of you."
"We said that we were going to reverse the Taliban's momentum. And so you went on the offensive, driving the Taliban out of its strongholds."
"(J)ust look at the progress that you've made possible. Afghans reclaiming their communities, and more girls returning to school, dramatic improvements in public health and life expectancy and literacy. That's your legacy."
Fact: "Prevent(ing) attacks and sav(ing) American lives back home" is rubbish.
Fact: Afghanistan didn't attack or threaten America.
Fact: Washington's Afghan war had nothing to do with fighting terrorism.
Fact: Waging it was lawless.
Fact: No Security Council authorization was gotten.
Fact: No congressional one.
Fact: War was never formally declared.
Fact: No state of war exists.
Fact: It's raged since October 2001.
Fact: It shows no signs of ending.
Fact: It could continue for another decade or longer.
Fact: All post-WW II US wars were lawless.
Fact: America hasn't won a war since WW II.
Fact: Afghanistan is a lost cause.
Fact: Pentagon commanders know it.
Fact: Lt. Col. Daniel Davis' unclassified report and more detailed classified one explained ongoing disastrous conditions.
Fact: America can't win, he said.
Fact: Official statements conceal hard truths.
Fact: Davis visited Afghanistan.
Fact: He witnessed "the absence of success on virtually every level," he said.
Fact: Every area he observed firsthand "all over Afghanistan (showed) the tactical situation was bad to abysmal."
Fact: Taliban forces prevailed for over a decade.
Fact: They do now.
Fact: They're a force to be reckoned with.
Fact: They show no signs of quitting.
Fact: They want US forces and coalition partners out of Afghanistan.
Fact: They want their country back.
Fact: Washington's legacy is criminal.
Fact: 12 and a half years of war left millions dead.
Fact: Violence, displacement, deprivation, starvation and diseases killed them.
Fact: Millions of Afghans suffer horrifically.
Fact: More than half of Afghan children suffer severe malnutrition.
Fact: An entire generation is affected.
Fact: Hunger is a national disease.
Fact: Unemployment affects millions.
Fact: Millions live in squalor.
Fact: In deplorable conditions.
Fact: With inadequate shelter, water, health care, and education.
Fact: Millions remain internally or externally displaced.
Fact: Thousands of women and girls continue to be beaten, raped and/or murdered.
Fact: Humanitarian aid is woefully inadequate.
Fact: One in five children die before age five.
Fact: War claims some.
Fact: Most perish from preventable diseases, malnutrition or both.
Fact: Millions of Afghans are on their own.
Fact: It's hard imagining a more long-suffering people anywhere.
Fact: America abandoned them.
Fact: Obama lied claiming otherwise.
Fact: If hell on earth exists, it's in Afghanistan.
Fact: Coverup and denial don't wash.
Obama called horrific Afghanistan conditions "progress."
"Tomorrow (Monday) is Memorial Day," he said. "(W)e'll pay tribute to all those who’ve laid down their lives for our freedom."
"And that includes nearly 2,200 American patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice…We will honor every single one of them - not just (Monday), but forever."
Memorial Day is commemorated on the last Monday in May. It honors America's war dead. They fought and died in vain.
To benefit America's privileged. To advance its imperium. To make it safe for bankers, war profiteers and other corporate favorites.
Crimes of war, against humanity and genocides are small prices to pay. So is ravaging and destroying one country after another.
Conquering, colonizing, and plundering them. Exploiting their people.
Claiming humanitarian intervention. Responsibility to protect. Democracy building rubbish.
One Big Lie follows others. Memorial Day warrants special condemnation. It reflects Washington's permanent war policy.
It discards peace as a viable option. It's an American tradition. Notably since WW II. Lincoln's words long ago went unheeded, saying:
"(W)e here resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."
Imagine inventing enemies. Imagine sending one generation after another of US youths to war for false reasons.
Imagine destroying them physically and emotionally. Imagine pledging peace while waging war.
Imagine duplicitous leaders like Obama saying one thing and doing another. He's back home in Washington.
On Wednesday, he'll address West Point cadets. He'll lay out what deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes calls his broad vision "interventionist and internationalist" agenda.
Expect typical Obama demagogic boilerplate. Duplicitous doublespeak. Beginning-to-end rubbish.
A follow-up article will discuss it. US policy won't change. Imperial lawlessness reflects it.
Expect more of the same. Expect propaganda, political, financial and hot wars to continue. It's the American way.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Post-Ukrainian Election Violence
Post-Ukrainian Election Violence
by Stephen Lendman
Billionaire oligarch mega-crook Petro Poroshenko is Ukraine's new president. Illegitimate coup-appointed officials anointed him.
Sham election-rigging rubber-stamping followed. Fascism defeated democracy.
Obama said "we commend the resolve of all those who participated, as well as the efforts of the Ukrainian government to conduct these elections in the face of those threats."
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a convenient US stooge.
He "congratulate(ed) the people of Ukraine, who peacefully exercised their right to vote in Sunday's presidential election."
"They showed their commitment to freedom and democracy and their determination to decide their own future."
"Despite the criminal violence, intimidation and provocation by pro-Russian separatists, who tried to deny the people of Ukraine their democratic right, the election was declared by international observers to be largely in line with international commitments and respectful of fundamental freedom."
Kiev's war without mercy continues. Courageous Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are called "terrorists."
Civilians are targeted. They're murdered in cold blood. Self-defense fighters are lightly armed.
Heavily armed regime forces attack them. Weapons used include tanks, artillery, mortars, helicopter gunships and warplanes.
Foreign mercenaries and neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs supplement special National Guard forces.
On May 26, Itar Tass headlined "People's militia, National Guard units clash near Donetsk railway station."
Regime helicopter gunships and warplanes overflew Donetsk earlier.
Shooting and explosions were heard. Self-defense forces and Kiev troops clashed on the city's outskirts.
In "nearby settlements." One helicopter was downed. Fighting continues is Grobari settlement.
On Stratonavov Street. Self-defense forces said National Guard troops seized the area's airport.
Snipers operate from nearby tall buildings. A People's Republic of Donetsk tweet said:
"The people’s army has the airport in Donetsk back under control. We are rooting out the remaining Kiev’s remaining troops. Airstrikes have stopped for now."
RT International's Maria Finoshina tweeted earlier:
"The Ukrainian occupiers are conducting missile and bomb strikes on Donetsk International Airport. They are deploying military aircraft."
Witnesses said they "heard at least three blasts. Helicopters are circling over the city, and military jets can be heard flying by."
Residential areas were shelled. Helicopter fire targeted an ANNA News reporter. It happened during a live broadcast.
Kiev's Security Service (SBU) press service spokesman Aleksey Dmitrashkovsky said:
"The counter-terror operation started as two Sukhoi Su-25s flew to the airport."
"They made a warning shot to the area of the terrorists' location."
"Paramilitary troops arrived and they are now cleaning the area off."
Poroshenko favors continued military operations. "I support its continuation," he said. He "demand(s)" a format change.
He wants shorter, more effective operations. He wants better equipped units.
Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is ready for dialogue with him. "We hear what (he said about) relations with Russia that he calls his most important ones."
"We are hoping (he'll) do everything to prevent some extremist radial tendencies in Kiev on the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, or on any other region of this country, from prevailing."
"We hope very much that the Ukrainian authorities will now, after the election, confirm or declare their adherence to the settlement roadmap suggested by the chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe."
"(I)ncumbent authorities should respect their citizens, respect their people and make available compromises based on the interests of all political forces, all ethnic and religious groups."
"It will hardly be possible to achieve anything without that."
"(T)he election campaign was not without problems…(N)ot all presidential candidates were able to reach the end of the distance, not because they did not want to but because no proper conditions had been created for them."
"There were cases when the election campaign was inhibited. One of the candidates was not allowed to board a plane and so on."
"Many simply had to withdraw from the race, not least in fear of the physical consequences."
Russia wants Eastern Ukrainian military operations halted. Lavrov raised concerns about illegally armed groups.
Specifically Right Sector ones he said. Foreign mercenaries are involved.
"Literally yesterday or this morning, Arseniy Yatsenyuk's first deputy Yarema said that the Kiev administration will resume the active phase of the so-called anti-terrorist operation now that the voting is over," said Lavrov.
He called ordering it "a colossal mistake."
"The chance we have now to establish mutually respectful and equal dialogue, bearing in mind the voting that has taken place, the results of which Russia, I repeat, is ready to respect, should not be lost."
"We are hoping that Poroshenko, if his powers are confirmed, will do everything to prevent extremist radical tendencies from prevailing."
Poroshenko named Donbass his first trip destination. He'll visit Moscow in June. He announced it at a press conference, saying:
"As concerns our relations with Russia, this is our largest neighbor. We should stop the war and ensure peace in Eastern Ukraine."
"It is impossible to do without the Russian representation. Meetings with Russian leaders should be held in the first half of June."
Expect he'll seek normalized Ukrainian/Russian relations. Ukraine is broke. It's bankrupt. He needs all the financial help he can get.
He needs Russian markets for Ukrainian goods. He has business interests in Russia. Both countries are natural allies.
Putin is ready to cooperate. Poroshenko won't get it free. He'll have to pay the price. It includes halting Eastern Ukrainian hostilities.
It's not Poroshenko's choice to make. Not entirely at least. Constitutional changes weakened presidential powers.
Fascists controlling parliament may overrule him. Washington's dirty hands are involved.
It's calling the shots. As long as influential neocons want war, diplomatic conflict resolution won't happen.
Expect things most likely to worsen. Fascist regimes operate this way. None more ruthlessly than America.
War on humanity continues. It's official US policy. One country after another is ravaged and destroyed. Obama has others in mind.
Russia and China are major US rivals. They're independent. They value their sovereign rights. They won't sacrifice them. Nor should they.
They're prime targets. Paul Craig Roberts thinks global war is inevitable. He may be right. Things seem headed that way.
He's a valued contributor to this writer's new edited and contributed to new book titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III."
Neocons infesting Washington make it possible. Madness defines their thinking. Obama is too mindless to contest them.
He shames the office he holds. He's an unindicted war criminal. He belongs in prison, not high office. Impeaching him is a national imperative.
He's by far America's worst ever president. If his war on humanity isn't stopped, he may end up its last!
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Punishing Palestinians Ruthlessly
Punishing Palestinians Ruthlessly
by Stephen Lendman
Occupation harshness continues unabated. Gaza remains besieged. Multiple West Bank communities are targeted daily.
East Jerusalemites suffer horrifically. Rogue states operate this way. Israel is one of the world's worst.
It's punishing Palestinians ruthlessly. Rule of law principles don't matter. Democracy is pure fantasy. None whatever exists.
Ordinary Palestinians suffer most. Lawlessly imprisoned ones most of all. On April 24, thousands began hunger-striking for justice.
Scores continue doing so. They refused food for over a month. They're punished for resisting courageously.
They're isolated from other prisoners. They're viciously ill-treated.
Their personal belongings were confiscated. They face brutalizing daily strip searches.
They're bound and handcuffed 10 or more hours daily. They're denied essential salt for survival.
Dozens were transferred to Ayalon/Ramleh Prison. They're crammed in overcrowded isolation cells. They're like cages. They remain there 24 hours a day.
In early May, they were severely beaten. Several required hospitalization. Others were transferred to unknown locations.
Mothers, wives and sisters reacted. They petitioned UN and ICRC officials. "We are calling for immediate action to end the harrowing policy of (lawless) detention forever," they said.
"We also express our deep concerns and fears with respect to additional violations perpetrated against the prisoners such as solitary confinement, arbitrary transfers, raids, and strip-searches, all of which are committed by the administration of the Israeli Prison Service."
"We urge you…to take urgent action to save the lives of our children and to pressure the (Israeli) occupation to end its policy of administrative detention against Palestinians, which is direct violation of international human rights."
Mahmoud Shalatwa remains imprisoned for 25 months. He's uncharged without trial. His brother, Muhannad, said his wife and family are denied visitation rights.
"There hasn't been any news about him," he said. "We haven't heard anything." B'Tselem issued a statement, saying:
"Unlike a criminal proceeding, administrative detention is not intended to punish a person for an offense already committed, but to thwart a future danger."
"The entire procedure is secret. Administrative detainees are not told the reason for their detention or the specific allegations against them."
"Since the detainees do not know the evidence against them, they are unable to refute it."
Itiraf Rimawi spent 47 months imprisoned without charge or trial. He and other administrative detainees endured "psychological shock," he said.
They're treated horrifically. They're lied to. They're told they're "endangering the Israeli state or something like this, but (they're not given) any details about why (they're) arrested," he explained.
Family members aren't told where they're held. They're isolated from outside contacts. They're brutally treated.
"They'd often wake us in the middle of the night to count us, or tell us to stand in a different room while they searched (their) cell(s)," said Rimawi.
"When we returned, everybody's stuff would be strewn across the room, all mixed together."
Palestinian hunger strikers redefine courage. Mass willingness to die for justice is unprecedented.
In spring 2012, over 2,000 refused food for weeks. In mid-May, Egypt brokered a deal to end their ordeal.
Israel agreed to charge prisoners or release them at the end of their terms.
No extensions would be imposed. Solitary confinement would end within 72 hours.
Family visit bans would end. The punitive Shalit Law would be revoked. Improved prison conditions were promised.
Straightaway, Israel breached all terms agreed on. It didn't surprise. Its agreements aren't worth the paper they're written on.
Things now are worse than ever. Fundamental rights are denied. Horrific treatment is standard practice.
Hundreds at times are isolated. Essential medical care is denied. Food isn't fit to eat.
Sanitary conditions are deplorable. Families are denied visitation rights. Brutal beatings are commonplace. So is daily harassment. Ill-treatment is standard practice.
Thousands remain lawlessly imprisoned. They're held for political reasons. They committed no crimes.
Dozens of children, a number of women, and Palestinian lawmakers are victimized.
Israel calls challenging occupation harshness illegal. So is belonging to the wrong political party.
Virtually anything can be called terrorism. Life in Occupied Palestine reflects cruel and unusual punishment. Praying to the wrong God is considered blasphemy.
Israel violates virtually all human and civil rights. It does so with impunity. Palestinians are treated like subhumans. They're targeted for being non-Jews.
On May 12, B'Tselem headlined "Israel continues to bar Gazan children from visiting fathers imprisoned in Israel."
It did so as punishment. It followed thousands of Palestinian prisoners hunger striking for justice.
B'Tselem got testimonies from affected children and siblings. Ones interviewed haven't seen their fathers since 2007.
"The basic right of the inmates and of their relatives to family life, including prison visits, is enshrined in both international and Israeli law, which recognizes that people are social creatures who need family and community frameworks," said B'Tselem.
"It is the state's duty to protect the right of every inmate to such visits, regardless of the offense for which he or she was convicted."
Israel breaches international law systematically. It does so with impunity.
Leen a-Saftawi is like many other Palestinian children. She's aged 13. She doesn't know her father.
She never saw him. He's been imprisoned for 14 years. She lives with her mother, brothers and sister in Gaza City.
"I don’t know anything about my father," she said. "I don't remember getting a hug from him like other kids, who feel their parents' love."
"I'm very sad. I have no words to describe how I feel. I feel something is missing in my life, especially on holidays or special occasions."
"It really hurts when I see my cousins hugging their parents and sharing their problems with them and telling them how their day was."
"I try to hide my feelings but sometimes I can't, and then I start crying. I've always dreamed of visiting my father and talking with him, sharing what I’m going through, and telling him about my life."
"I really hope that someday we'll be allowed to visit him at least once a month. I know my father only from photos."
"The last time I got a photo was two weeks ago, when my mom visited him. I was so happy."
"I decorated it and posted it on Facebook and wrote: How is Dad? Does he have any gray hair? Every time I use the computer, I see my father's photo."
Leen is one of five children. "(N)one of us can visit out father," she said. Lawlessly imprisoning Palestinian men punishes family members with them. Cruel and inhumane treatment reflects official Israeli policy.
In late April, Hamas and Fatah agreed to end political divisions. It remains to be seen. Earlier efforts failed. This time may fare no better.
Netanyahu reacted as expected. He demanded Abbas "choose between peace with Israel or peace with Hamas."
He lied saying "(t)here cannot be peace with both because Hamas strives to destroy the state of Israel and says so openly."
He falsely claimed what never was said. He lied. He's a serial liar. He mocks legitimate leadership.
He blames Palestinian victims for his crimes. He retaliated in response to Palestine's announced unity agreement.
He did so multiple ways. Sham peace talks were halted. Threats followed. Tax revenues owed Palestine were withheld. Other punitive measures were promised.
On May 16, Haaretz headlined "Israeli punitive action targets Palestinian banks."
They're prohibited from making shekel deposits in Israel. At the same time, state-owned Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) cut electricity supplied East Jerusalem and West Bank communities.
It's two hours less daily. Allegedly it's because of 1.5 billion unpaid shekels. IEC sued Palestine's Jerusalem District Electric Company (JEDCO).
It did so to recover 531 million shekels. JEDCO said it's paid. According to Haaretz:
The restrictions on Palestinian banking contacts, which have taken place routinely for decades, follow an Israeli inner cabinet resolution from April 24, the day the PA announced its reconciliation pact with Hamas."
"Among other things, Israel is withholding as much as 400 million shekels ($116 million) in tax revenues it collects every month on behalf of the PA."
"Israel never before barred Palestinian banks from depositing funds in Israel."
The 1994 Israeli/PLO Paris Protocol lets the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) convert excess cash into foreign currencies.
It's done through the Bank of Israel. Palestinian commercial banks maintain active accounts with Israeli ones.
They regularly transfer funds. They do so to conduct business at home and abroad.
On May 14, Palestinian bankers said Israel wants Palestine's economy strangled. If sanctions continue, PMA officials may abandon shekel transactions altogether.
Ties with the Bank of Israel and other Israeli banks may be cut.
"If the Palestinians lodge a complaint with the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, it could also place Israel in a difficult situation," said Haaretz.
It remains to be seen what follows. What further punitive measures Israel intends to impose. Its actions reveal its dark side.
Millions of Palestinians suffer horrifically. Israeli ruthlessness punishes them.
Liberation remains a distant dream. Maybe some day. Not now.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Sham Ukrainian Presidential Election
Sham Ukrainian Presidential Election
by Stephen Lendman
Presidential aspirants were all putschist-approved. They're fascists. Ballot choices excluded democrats.
Several legitimate candidates dropped out. They were threatened. They feared for their lives.
Ukrainians chose a president, Kiev mayor, Kiev Council deputies and six regional center mayors - in Mykolaiv, Odessa, Sumy, Kherson, Cherkasy and Chernivtsi.
If no presidential aspirant wins a majority, second round voting is scheduled for June 15.
About 35 million Ukrainians were eligible to vote. So were diaspora ones. They number around 470,000. Scores of polling stations opened in 75 countries.
On election eve, coup-appointed prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk addressed Ukrainians. He pressured them to vote.
"Tomorrow we will prove to the whole world, and first of all to ourselves, that it is not possible to intimidate us, that we are going to decide ourselves how to rebuild our home and how to work in it," he said.
"But we have fought for these elections. We are defending our land, restoring our military, rebuilding the destroyed industry, destroying the schemes that had been washing billions out of the country."
"We are learning to control the power and laying the ground for further development…By our ballots we elect and thus win."
He addressed Donetsk and Lugansk freedom fighters, adding:
"I want to assure you. Not much time is left for the bandits, terrorizing your regions."
A previous article said expect billionaire oligarch Petro Proroshenko to win.
Expect electoral rubber-stamping anointment. So-called polls showed his support ranged from 33 - 44%. Vote tallies show he's heading for a first round victory.
It doesn't matter. Fascism won on Sunday. Hardline rule prevails. Police state authority reflects it.
Ukrainians had no say. Sunday's election masqueraded as legitimate. Farcical sham defined it.
Expected winner Poroshenko will serve five years. Presidential elections will next be held in March 2019.
Coop-appointed central election committee members approved 2,784 fascist-supporting observers. They include about 100 US ones.
Former Secretary of State/unindicted war criminal Madeleine Albright came. So did numerous Senate and House members.
They support fascist illegitimacy. They endorsed sham elections. They mock democratic ones. Monied interests control US ones.
Russian observers didn't come. They were excluded. They weren't wanted. They weren't invited. For the first time in modern Ukraine history.
RT International listed 10 facts about Sunday's presidential election. It called doing so examining the campaign's dark "underbelly."
(1) Coup-appointed putschists significantly reduced presidential powers. Poroshenko may be more figurehead than leader.
(2) Former illegitimate Orange Revolution prime minister/convicted felon Yulia Tymoshenko threatened new street protests if Poroshenko wins.
(3) Twenty-three putschist-approved candidates competed. Seven others dropped out. Some after threats on their life. Vitaly Klitschko to run for Kiev's mayoralty.
(4) Two initial presidential aspirants were attacked. Oleg Tsarev was brutally beaten. He dropped out of contention. He was threatened. He feared for his life.
(5) Ukraine's war without mercy continues. Coup-appointed president Aleksadr Turchinov ludicrously claims it's to "bring peace and serenity."
Election day was one of the bloodiest so far. Expect worse going forward.
(6) Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republic rejected sham elections. They didn't participate.
Putschists amended electoral rules. Turnout didn't matter. Results are considered valid if one constituency alone participates.
(7) Freedom fighting regions aren't the only ones rejecting sham elections. Ukraine's Communist Party may do so.
Its leader Petr Simonyenk dropped out of contention. Why bother with fascism sure to win.
(8) Putschists barred Russian journalists from covering Sunday's election. They want credible voices silenced. They want their voice alone reported.
(9) RT estimated over 3,600 foreign observers. From 19 putschist-approved countries. From 19 international organizations they approved.
(10) Putin said he'll respect electoral results. He'll work with its leader. At the same time, he rejects putschist rule. More on his strategy below.
Moscow's post-electoral response depends on post-electoral Ukrainian policies. Mostly whether attacking Eastern freedom fighters stops.
At the same time, a viable Ukraine comes down to money. Kiev needs Moscow more than the reverse.
Its heavy industry depends on Russian markets. Some of Poroshenko's factories operate in its heartland.
On May 22, Brookings headlined "Ukraine: A Prize Neither Russia Nor the West Can Afford to Win."
At issue is "how much each side is willing to pay for their preferred outcome." The amount is huge. It's too great to bear.
Brookings estimates around $276 billion. An "unthinkable" amount. "(T)here can be no viable Ukraine without serious" Western and Russian contributions, it said.
"(A) Ukraine exclusively in the West is the least feasible. A Ukraine fully under Russian control and with severed links to the West is, unfortunately, possible."
Russia prefers Ukraine federalized. It wants national unity. Local autonomy. Weak central government.
Findlandization is option two. Strong Russia influencing weak Ukrainian policy. According to Brookings, Kiev needs normalized Russian relations.
Expect Poroshenko to go all-out to get it. He has to. He has no other choice. He'll have to pay the price. Expect it to include halting hostilities.
Neocon Obama administration planners miscalculated. They didn't see what unfolded.
They misjudged. They failed. They missed the East/West split.
Ukraine is geopolitically disintegrating in plain sight. Aggressive war won't change things. It's not working.
Eastern Ukrainians are more resilient than they imagined. They're courageous. They fighting for rights too important to sacrifice.
They're going all-out to preserve them. They're gaining adherents. Scores of Ukrainian soldiers defected. Maybe hundreds will follow. Maybe many more.
They'e reluctant to attack their own people. Special hardline National Guard forces are involved.
So are neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs. Foreign mercenaries were hired. How things turn out is hard to predict so far.
Conditions are fluid. They're up for grabs. The battle for Ukraine's soul continues. Expect whichever side with more staying power to prevail.
At the same time, Brookings wasn't encouraging overall saying:
"In the 23 years of its independence, the Ukraine has not succeeded in developing a viable economic model, and it failed to promote a higher standard of living for the almost totality of its inhabitants."
"Economic bankruptcy, demographic implosion, ubiquitous corruption, internal and external political polarisation, great power influence if not outright intervention…"
"Ukraine has been walking on extremely thin ice for quite some time."
"The weakness of the Ukrainian experimental state has generated a number of dangerous feedback mechanisms…"
"(T)he weaker Kiev became, the more intense grew international pressure around it, and even inside it."
"The more intense these international pressures, the weaker Kiev became."
Brookings called 2004 Orange Revolution destabilization "the beginning of the end." Political unrest followed.
Coupled with Kiev's inability to pay its energy bills. It's worse now than ever. Ukraine is bankrupt.
IMF billions are woefully inadequate. Kiev needs many multiples more than any source will provide.
Protracted Greek-like Depression conditions are certain. Ordinary Ukrainians will suffer most. Unemployment will soar.
Millions will be deeply impoverished. They'll get little or no outside help. They'll be on their own to survive.
They'll be stuck longterm. Under fascist rule. The worst of all outcomes. How they'll react remains to be seen.
When pain levels cross thresholds too great to bear, all hell breaking lose often follows. Perhaps this time.
Perhaps Orange Resolution 3.0. A grassroots one this time. Maybe violent. Maybe bloody. With more uncertainty following.
Ukraine is one of Europe's worst basket cases. Economic, political, and socially destructive crises reflect it.
It's internally divided. It's politically unstable. It's despotically governed.
It's bankrupt. It's hugely in a deepening hole. Russia is advantageously positioned.
Putin can play a waiting game. Intervention isn't part of his strategy.
He can watch Ukraine disintegrate. See it self-destruct. Name his price for helping.
Ukraine has no choice. Or the West. He's in the catbird seat. He'll come out a winner. He already did.
Previous articles called him a master chess player. He keeps proving it. Bashing him accomplishes nothing.
Sanctions imposed cut both ways. EU countries increasingly realize it. They're more bark than bite.
Perhaps Washington will end up more increasingly isolated. Obama's strategy backfired.
He picked the wrong adversary. Putin keeps besting him. He's running out of strategies.
Everyone tried so far failed. Not just in Ukraine. He's by far America's worst ever president.
Its most lawless. It's most ruthless. It's most belligerent. It's most duplicitous.
It's most mendacious. Its most immoral. It's most hypocritical. Its most dishonest. Its own reckless. Perhaps heading for its most hated.
On Sunday, thousands rallied in central Donetsk's Lenin Square. They displayed People's Republic flags.
Speakers urged attendees to boycott illegitimate proceedings. Oplot militia members patrolled area streets to assure safety.
Polling stations closed in Donetsk, Gorlovka, Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Konstantinovka and Druzhkovka.
Some opened elsewhere. It didn't matter. Ballots weren't available.
It bears repeating. Putschist-approved candidates alone competed. Ballot choices excluded democracy. Fascism won easily.
Ukrainians had no say whatever. Legitimacy was nowhere in sight.
A Final Comment
Runoff voting won't be needed if exit polls are accurate. Three were conducted.
Organizations involved included the Ilk Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives foundation, the Kiev International Institute of Sociology, and the Alexander Razumkov Ukrainian Center for Economic and Political Research.
They had Petro Proroshenko at around 56%. Runner-up Yulia Tymoshenko scored 12%.
At 12:00 GMT, voter turnout was 40%. Some irregularities were reported. They included vote-buying. More information will be known later.
It's unclear how long before final vote tallies are known. On Friday, CyberBerkut hackers said they destroyed Ukraine's Central Election Commission electronic system.
If true and hand-counting follows, perhaps days are needed to complete it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Media Scoundrels on Sham Ukrainian Elections
Media Scoundrels on Sham Ukrainian Elections
by Stephen Lendman
Their comments didn't surprise. They supported sham Ukrainian elections. Throughout the run-up, voting and aftermath.
They endorse sham US ones. They pretend fantasy democracy is real. They do it every time. Unapologetically. With a straight face.
The New York Times headlined "Election of President Seen as Beginning to Repairing Ukraine," saying:
Some Ukrainians called Sunday's election "the triumphant culmination of six months of protests and at times violent upheaval."
The Times claimed many people believe Ukraine is different than earlier. With "systemic government reforms." With "more on the way."
Citing unnamed "analysts" claiming unidentified "civic activists, combined with pressure from… International Monetary Fund demand(s) in exchange for…emergency financing…set Ukraine on a course…past…post-Soviet…corruption and mismanagement."
Unnamed "experts" were cited. "(I)mportant changes" were made, they claimed. Raising gas prices, The Times noted. It called it a step "experts" urged for years.
Fact: Most Ukrainians are impoverished.
Fact: Many deeply.
Fact: Millions more heading for destitution.
Fact: IMF loan sharks demand bankers get paid first.
Fact: Then other major investors.
Fact: Debt service matters most.
Fact: Force-fed austerity is mandated.
Fact: When Ukrainians need help most of all.
Fact: Residual amounts pay depleted bureaucrat ranks.
Fact: Those not sacked get poverty or sub-poverty wages.
Fact: Without benefits, hugely reduced ones, or too few to matter.
Fact: With virtually nothing for ordinary Ukrainians longterm.
Fact: Kiev putschists increased gas prices 50% starting May 1.
Fact: Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz hiked them 40% more beginning July 1.
Fact: It promised further stiff increases ahead.
Fact: At the same time, Ukraine's central bank began limiting currency interventions.
Fact: Since January 1, Ukraine's hryvnia currency lost over one-fourth of its dollar value.
Fact: It may end up worthless.
Fact: Expect more deterioration ahead.
Fact: Pensioner income was halved.
Fact: It went from $160 to $80 dollars monthly.
Fact: Other social benefit cuts were made.
Fact: Across-the-board.
Fact: More coming.
Fact: Ordinary Ukrainians are hit hardest.
Fact: Kommersant-Ukraine (K-U) obtained an internal document.
Fact: "The Finance Ministry has prepared a plan for optimizing budget expenditures, which implies budget sequestration is to be in force before the end of March," said K-U.
Fact: "For this purpose, in particular, it has been proposed to reduce capital costs, eliminate tax schemes and preferences and to cut social benefits, for example, 50 percent of pensions to working pensioners."
Fact: At the same time, plans are to plunder Ukraine.
Fact: Hollow out its economy.
Fact: Sell its state enterprises at fire sale prices.
Fact: Sack growing thousands of its workers.
Fact: Eliminate its trade unions altogether.
Fact: Crack down hard on nonbelievers.
Fact: A race to the bottom defines official policy.
Fact: Hunger and homelessness are increasing.
Fact: So is human misery.
Fact: Popular needs don't matter.
Fact: Fascist regimes operate this way.
Fact: Don't expect Times correspondents, contributors or editors to explain.
Fact: Editorial policy defends the indefensible.
Washington Post editors bash Putin irresponsibly. "Will the West move the goalposts again for" him they asked?
Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel "warned that disruption of Ukraine's election by Russia would trigger a tough new round of sanctions by the West."
They expanded "what (they) meant by 'disruption…' " They said it's "not just whether "Moscow's agents tried to stop voting, but whether the government of Vladimir Putin tried to prevent such interference."
Voting included "substantial disruption(s)." In "two (Eastern) provinces…"
"(W)here Moscow's agents tried to stop voting," they claimed.
Where Vladimir Putin did nothing "to prevent such interference," they said.
"(N)o voting (was) possible" in most Donetsk and Lugansk districts.
"Ukrainian security forces (were) ambushed." Kiev "election commissions (were) abducted and threatened."
"There's little question among Ukrainian government officials and Western diplomats in Kiev that Russia is backing the separatists and has done nothing to stop their interference."
"Yet US and German officials…again (moved) the goalposts." They "justif(ied) retreat by (saying voting) will proceed smoothly in the rest of the country."
Noting Putin "hinted he would accept the results. The bottom line is that Mr. Putin could come out of the election having kept alive the separatist movement…"
"(W)ithout suffering economic consequences." Giving "Moscow de facto suzerainty over the eastern provinces…"
"(A) power to block any move by Ukraine toward the West."
WaPo called it "lapse of Western resolve."
Fact: It bears repeating.
Fact: Ukraine's sham electoral process was farcical.
Fact: It had no legitimacy whatever.
Fact: So-called Eastern Ukrainian "substantial disruption(s)" reflect freedom fighting in action.
Fact: For fundamental human and civil rights everyone deserves.
Fact: For what warrants universal support.
Fact: So-called "Moscow agents" don't exist.
Fact: Ukrainian freedom fighters acted on their own volition.
Fact: No evidence suggested otherwise.
Fact: None whatever.
Fact: They're not separatists.
Fact: They're not militants.
Fact: They're ordinary people wanting to live free.
Fact: Most Donetsk and Lugansk residents reject Kiev putschists.
Fact: They refused to vote.
Fact: Ballot choices excluded democratic ones.
Fact: Fascists or sympathizers alone competed.
Fact: Putin "hinted" nothing.
Fact: He was clear and unequivocal.
Fact: "We understand that the people of Ukraine want their country to emerge from this crisis," he said.
Fact: "We will treat their choice with respect."
Fact: "We are today working with those people who control the government, and after the election we will of course work with the newly elected authorities."
Fact: He urged peaceful conflict resolution.
Fact: He stressed "constructive dialogue."
Fact: He made no demands or ultimatums.
Fact: He urged mutual respect.
Fact: He supports unity.
Fact: He opposes separatism.
Fact: He has no Ukrainian territorial ambitions.
Fact: Or anywhere else.
Fact: Claims about him wanting Russia's empire restored don't wash.
Fact: He called making them "a tool in the (anti-Russian) information war."
Fact: "People are trying to label us as such, that we're trying to restore the empire, the Soviet Union, to bring everybody under our influence. But this is totally inaccurate," he said.
Fact: Ukrainian security forces wage war without mercy.
Fact: On ordinary Donestsk and Lugansk civilians.
Fact: Notions of heavily armed troops being "ambushed" are sheer nonsense.
Fact: Or claims about "threaten(ing)" and "abduct(ing)" them.
Fact: Or saying Putin backs separatists and does nothing to stop them.
Fact: Or suggesting he's in any way involved.
Fact: So-called goalpost retreat claims reflect WaPo editors neocon credentials.
Fact: They're militantly hardline.
Fact: They support war.
Fact: They deplore peace.
Fact: They reject diplomatic conflict resolutions.
Fact: They prefer belligerent ones.
The Wall Street Journal headlined "Ukraine Seeks to Regain Stability as Voters Head to the Polls."
"In Donetsk, hundreds of heavily armed pro-Russia rebels paraded in front of a crowd of about 2,000 to underscore the power they hold there," it said.
"The rebel insurgency has left dozens of people dead and transformed much of the country's southeast into a conflict zone."
Fact: Journal comments were milder than their usual militancy.
Fact: Perhaps a Monday editorial follow-up will talk tough. Perhaps it'll make up for what its election day report lacked.
Fact: So-called "heavily armed pro-Russia rebels" use hand-held light ones.
Fact: They're no match against Ukrainian tanks, APCs, artillery, mortars, attack helicopters and fixed wing warplanes.
Fact: They reject fascist rule.
Fact: Most prefer Ukrainian unity.
Fact: They want local autonomy.
Fact: They want Ukraine federalized.
Fact: They want the right to elect their own officials.
Fact: They reject having them appointed.
Fact: Doing so denies their democratic rights.
Fact: Washington bears full responsibility.
Fact: It turned their regions into conflict zones.
Fact: It elevated illegitimate fascist putschists to power.
Fact: They launched war without mercy.
Fact: They did so against freedom-fighting Ukrainians.
Fact: They acted at Obama's behest.
Fact: Don't expect Journal correspondents, contributors or editors to explain.
Fact: They in lockstep with longstanding US policy.
Fact: Imperial lawlessness reflects it.
Fact: Ukraine is in the eye of the storm.
Fact: It's Obama's latest imperial trophy.
Fact: Holding it is another matter entirely.
Fact: Ukrainian freedom fighters may have final say.
Fact: Perhaps if they stay the course.
Fact: If their will to win remains indomitable.
Fact: If growing thousands more Ukrainians join them.
Fact: If freedom fighting protests spread nationwide.
Fact: If they're sustained.
Fact: Organized people can beat organized money.
Fact: Perhaps Ukrainian freedom fighters will become role models.
Fact: Perhaps for activists everywhere.
Fact: Perhaps they'll inspire resistance too strong to beat.
Fact: Perhaps real change is possible.
It bears repeating. The fullness of time will tell.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Neocon WaPo Editors Urge War on Syria
Neocon WaPo Editors Urge War on Syria
by Stephen Lendman
WaPo editors long ago fell from grace. Credibility is entirely gone. Watergate-type exposes are verboten.
Editorial policy fronts for power. Extreme hawkishness defines it. New owner Jeff Bezos has CIA ties. He's in bed with the devil.
He was bought. He was paid off. He got a $600 million CIA contract.
It's double what he paid to buy WaPo. Late last year he said: "We look forward to a successful relationship with the CIA."
Perhaps it involves much more than meets the eye. He expects lots more business. For sure CIA officials want plenty back besides Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Bezos' disturbing history curries favor with national security officials. After WikiLeaks published State Department cables, AWS removed them.
WaPo should explain Bezos' CIA connection. Readers should know its editorial policy is biased.
It's propaganda. It turns truth on its head. It's corrupted. It's illegitimate. It's bought and paid for. WaPo is a CIA house organ.
Communications Professor/journalism scholar/media critic Robert McChesney commented, saying:
"When the main shareholder in one of the very largest corporations in the world benefits from a massive contract with the CIA on the one hand, and that same billionaire owns the Washington Post on the other hand, there are serious problems."
"The Post is unquestionably the political paper of record in the United States, and how it covers governance sets the agenda for the balance of the news media."
"Citizens need to know about this conflict of interest in the columns of the Post itself."
"If some official enemy of the United States had a comparable situation - say the owner of the dominant newspaper in Caracas was getting $600 million in secretive contracts from the Maduro government - the Post itself would lead the howling chorus impaling that newspaper and that government for making a mockery of a free press."
"It is time for the Post to take a dose of its own medicine."
It's time for full disclosure. It bears repeating. WaPo editors front for power. They're extremely hawkish.
They urge war on invented US enemies. They're militantly anti-Syrian. Last February, they headlined "The president has options on Syria. He should use them."
Obama "has adopted the position that any US intervention in Syria would be ineffective, 'short of us being willing to undertake an effort in size and scope similar to what we did in Iraq.' "
"In reality, the United States has a number of (robust) options for action in Syria…"
"They might not bring the Syrian civil war to a quick end, but they could address several major challenges, including the horrific war crimes being committed by the regime of Bashar al-Assad, the dire humanitarian crisis affecting several parts of the country and the growing power of Islamic extremist forces."
Fact: Syria is Obama's war.
Fact: He planned it.
Fact: He initiated it.
Fact: He's responsible for recruiting, funding, arming, training and directing death squad foreign proxies.
Fact: He wants pro-Western puppet governance replacing independent Syrian sovereignty.
Fact: So does Israel.
Fact: Both countries partnered.
Fact: They're ravaging and destroying Syria.
Fact: So are complicit EU, Arab states and Turkey.
Fact: Assad is wrongfully blamed for Western-sponsored crimes.
Fact: Nothing civil about Obama's war on Syria exists.
Fact: Insurgents are US proxies.
Fact: They're foreign invaders.
Fact: Assad battles them responsibly.
Fact: He deserves universal support.
Nuremberg Charter, Judgment and Principles apply. Crimes of war and against humanity are called crimes against peace. They include:
(1) "Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;" and
(2) "Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned" above.
War crimes are defined as:
"Violations of the laws or customs of war which include, but are not limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave-labor or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war, of persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity."
Crimes against humanity include:
"Murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation and other inhuman acts done against any civilian population, or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds, when such acts are done or such persecutions are carried on in execution of or in connection with any crime against peace or any war crime."
"Complicity in the commission of a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity...is a crime under international law."
All of the above apply to Syria. The 1907 Hague Convention on the Opening of Hostilities includes similar laws of war.
The US Army Field Manuel 27-10 covers "The Law of Land Warfare." Section II explains Crimes Under International Law. Paragraph 498 states:
"Any person, whether a member of the armed forces or a civilian, who commits an act which constitutes a crime under international law is responsible therefor and liable to punishment.
Such offenses in connection with war comprise:
Crimes against peace.
Crimes against humanity.
War crimes."
Paragraph 499 defines War Crimes, saying:
"The term 'war crime' is the technical expression for a violation of the law of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. Every violation of the law of war is a war crime."
Paragraph 500 covers Conspiracy, Incitement, Attempts, and Complicity, saying:
"Conspiracy, direct incitement, and attempts to commit, as well as complicity in the commission of crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes are punishable."
These provisions apply to all US military and civilian personnel. They include top commanders, the Secretary of Defense, his subordinates, and the President and Vice President of the United States.
Under the Constitution's Supremacy Clause (Article VI, paragraph 2), all international laws and treaties are the "supreme Law of the Land."
The UN Charter's Article 2 states:
"The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its members..."
"All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered."
"All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations."
Article 33 states:
"The parties to any dispute, the continuance of which is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security, shall, first of all, seek a solution by negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice."
Nations are prohibited from settling disputes by planning, instigating or waging direct or proxy wars. Security Council authorization alone permits it.
Only in self-defense. Only when one nation attacks another. Or if attack is too imminent to ignore.
America, rogue EU partners, complicit Arab states, Israel and Turkey wage proxy war on Syria. It's illegal. It's not civil.
Belligerent states bear full responsibility. So do complicit media scoundrels. They support what demands denunciation.
On May 23, WaPo editors headlined "US inaction on Syria helped make it a hell on earth."
They outrageously accused Assad of waging "war against Syrian civilians…"
"The only thing that could deter him is credible military opposition from the rebels, who continue to receive far too little help from the United States, which realistically is the only country in a position to change the calculus of this terrible war."
WaPo editors quoted Obama's neocon UN envoy Samantha Power. She mocks legitimacy. She shames the office she holds.
"Years from now our grandkids will ask how we could've failed to bring justice to people living in hell on earth," she said.
She stopped short of explaining Washington's full responsibility. Syrians and Assad are victims. Don't expect WaPo editors to explain.
"For more than three years," they said, Obama "resisted advice from inside and outside his administration to abandon his passivity." They want him responding more robustly.
Without more "US involvement, the worst-case predictions are coming true, " they said.
Assad is "stronger than ever. (He) g(ave) up much of his chemical weapons arsenal."
"(H)e continues to launch chemical attacks…(He targets) schools, bakeries and apartment buildings…"
WaPo editors lied. They consistently turn truth on its head. They urge more robust US action. They want Syria entirely ravaged and destroyed.
They want Assad blamed for Obama's crimes. They want all US-invented enemies eliminated.
They deplore peace. War is their option of choice. They urge it when other methods fail. Neocons operate this way.
WaPo ones are some of the worst. Propaganda substitutes for legitimate journalism.
Defending the indefensible is official editorial policy. It supports unchallenged US dominance. It urges war on humanity to achieve it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
US-Led NATO’s War on Humanity
US-Led NATO's War on Humanity
by Stephen Lendman
US-led NATO threatens humanity. It's an imperial tool. It's a global killing machine.
It prioritizes war. It deplores peace. Humanity's survival hangs in the balance.
It includes 28 member nations, 22 Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) ones, seven Mediterranean Dialogue countries, and four Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) states.
They comprise nearly one-third of world nations. NATO plans exponential expansion. It wants new members and partners.
It wants them on all continents. It wants them virtually everywhere. It wants a global military established.
It wants unchallenged control. It wants all outliers eliminated. It wants pro-Western vassal states replacing them.
Its strategy prioritizes war on humanity. It's ravaging and destroying one country after another.
Ukraine is in the eye of the storm. On Friday, Putin said it may join NATO. Washington may take full advantage.
It may deploy nuclear-armed missiles on Russia's borders. It may target its heartland.
Ukraine's coup occurred, said Putin. "(T)hey (won't) talk to us." They obey orders from Washington.
"The next step will be Ukraine's membership in NATO. They never ask us about that…"
"(A)nd they do not engage in dialog with us…'No dialog,' they say…"
"(I)t is none of your business, and it does not concern you.' "
"Ukraine may become a member of NATO tomorrow," said Putin. Under US control.
Doing so threatens Russia. Cooperative relations with Moscow ended. Minimal contacts alone continue.
Putin said Western countries elevated Kiev putschists to power. They have no legitimacy whatever.
"There was a coup d'etat backed by American and European partners," he explained. "Then there was chaos, and now we are witnessing a full-scale civil war."
Washington imposed sanctions on Russia to gain economic advantage, Putin said. They're counterproductive. They won't work.
On the one hand, Chinese investors will replace EU companies if they're squeezed out. So will other global businesses.
On the other, Russian economist/Putin advisor Andrey Belousov said Moscow prepared retaliatory measures in response.
At different levels, he explained. It depends on US policy going forward. Moscow will respond in kind.
In its own way. Its own timing. "(W)e know exactly how to react," said Belousov.
On May 23, Reuters headlined "Exclusive: EU weighs Russia sanctions from caviar to oil and gas," saying:
"EU leaders will hold their first detailed discussion next week of specific steps they can take against Russia if Ukraine's elections are not free and fair, including restrictions ranging from luxury goods imports to an oil and gas ban."
Reuters cited a two-page document. It explains three scenarios - low, medium and high-intensity sanctions.
Low ones target Russian diamonds, precious metals, furs, vodka, caviar, and other luxury goods.
Medium ones aim at fertilizers, chemicals, tires, vessels to Russia, as well as weapons imports and exports.
High-intensity ones target investments, capital markets, other financial operations, as well as importing oil and gas.
At the same time, said Reuters, "there is no (EU) unanimous backing for (this) move." German and other European business interests strongly oppose it.
They want no restrictions imposed. They want nothing interfering with bottom line interests.
"Unless there is unanimous backing for stricter sanctions, the EU will not be able to move ahead - a hurdle that has been frustrating for the United States, which is keen for Europe to move further in imposing restrictions on Moscow," said Reuters.
On May 24, Itar Tass headlined "Lugansk Republic head says provocations possible during Ukrainian presidential elections."
A false flag attack may be planned. Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) Governor Valery Bolotov said:
"I recommend LPR nationals not go to the polling stations as we have information about provocations being prepared by the Ukrainian government and National Guard."
"They will be conducted to later accuse the Army of the Southeast of disrupting the elections."
May 25 voting began. It remains ongoing. Kiev's sham electoral process won't change things.
Putschist approved aspirants alone are competing. Billionaire bandit Petro Poroshenko looks sure to win.
A previous article explained. He made his money the old-fashioned way. He stole it.
He supported Maidan putschists. He ignored their violence. He helped bankroll them. He wants Ukraine plundered for profit.
He's up to his old tricks again. He's paying 1,000 hryvnyas per day (about $84) for anti-Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighter volunteers.
He admitted it publicly. Their "life and health will be insured for one million hryvnyas," he said. Ukrainian forces receive 600 hryvnyas per month.
Results are predetermined for Poroshenko to win. Perhaps on two rounds. Ballot choices exclude democracy. Expect worse than ever policies to follow.
Fascist regimes operate this way. Ukraine is Europe's worst. Putschists threaten regional security and stability.
Voice of Russia (VOR) interviewed Ukrainian Dennis Schedrivy. He participated in Maidan protests. He supported them. No longer.
Kiev-instigated violence continues, he said. He expects more ahead. He called coup-appointed Kiev officials "junta" governance.
"I don't see (May 25) elections as anything," he said. "The whole thing with Maidan revolution is not successful."
"According to the law they have adopted, even if the small village (alone) votes…elections will be considered successful."
"I am sure that at least part of the sane world will not accept these elections," he added.
"(T)hey are bombing…civilians…(T)his is a farce. (T)hey will try to (legitimize) this whole circus…"
Growing thousands of Ukrainians express similar views. Nothing ahead looks encouraging.
War without mercy rages. Ukrainian forces target civilians. They're killing them in cold blood.
Freedom is on the chopping block. Fascists want it entirely eliminated. They want unchallenged top-down hardline rule replacing it.
They want it enforced. They want junta power institutionalized. Gangsterism is planned. Democracy is prohibited.
They want what most Ukrainians oppose. It remains to be seen how they'll react. Civil war rages. National rebellion may follow.
Nothing ahead looks promising. What kind of government usurps power? What kind establishes itself by force?
What kind rules extrajudicially? What kind by intimidation? What kind of legitimacy do ultranationalist, xenophobic, neo-Nazi, anti-Semites have?
What kind substitutes unrestrained coercion for rule of law principles? What kind prohibits opposing views?
What kind mandates its message alone getting out? The same kind substituting despotism for democracy!
The battle for Ukraine's soul didn't end with putschists usurping power. It just began. It continues.
Ukraine's future is up for grabs. Ordinary people alone will determine it. They have every right to do so.
Hopefully they'll take full advantage. They'll have themselves to blame if not.
A Final Comment
On May 24, RT International headlined "Russian journalists being banned entry to Ukraine to cover presidential election."
They're accredited to do so. It doesn't matter. They're refused entry. RT's press service said:
"Without explaining the reason for refusal, the members of (Ukraine's) border service forced the RT crew to buy return tickets at their own expense."
It's not the first time. It won't be the last. Fascist regimes operate this way.
Expect more of the same ahead. Expect police state ruthlessness enforced.
RT's Anna Knishenko, Elderra Khaled ad Konstantin Bolshakov arrived at Kiev's Borispol International Airport.
Knishenko explained what followed, saying:
"At the border control, they immediately took our passports. An hour later, we - one by one - were invited to a special room for an interview."
They were denied entry. For falsified reasons. For not properly explaining why they came, they were told.
Echo of Moscow correspondent Ilya Azar was treated the same way. So were Russian TV channel reporters.
Everyone denied entry had press cards. Ukraine's Central Electoral Committee accredited them to cover its election earlier.
It didn't matter. Fabricated reasons denied them. Kiev wants its message alone reported. It wants truth suppressed.
"A whole range of Russian media outlets, including Channel One, NTV, TVC and Zvezda channels have been denied entry to Ukraine headed by the coup-appointed authorities," said RT.
Kiev putschists wage war on media freedom. Russian journalists are targeted. So are others not putschist-approved.
On May 23, The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) headlined "Russian journalists barred from entering Ukraine," saying:
CPJ "condemns the move…(It) call(ed) on Ukrainian authorities to allow all journalists to carry out their job without harassment."
CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program researcher Muzaffar Suleymanov added:
"If Ukrainian authorities are looking to build a democratic state, they must stop barring the press from covering public events in the country, especially the presidential vote."
"Openness and transparency are vital for democracy."
"We urge Ukraine to grant entry to all journalists, no matter their nationality or affiliation, or their newsroom's editorial line."
It "equate(s)" legitimate conflict reporting "with terrorism," he added. CPJ denounced what media scoundrels ignore.
They support Sunday's sham process. They equate putschist rule with democracy.
They turn truth on its head claiming it. Don't expect them to explain.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Putin on Ukraine’s Sham Election
Putin on Ukraine's Sham Election
by Stephen Lendman
He's a master chess player. He's a world-class geopolitical leader.
He shames his Western counterparts. He makes them look amateurish by comparison.
He thanked St. Peterburg Economic Forum participants. He thanked everyone attending.
"We established good rapport with our partners in all areas of production, from all sectors of the economy," he said.
"(W)e are very pleased with how cooperation with our partners" went, he added.
I'm impressed with "this year's attendance," he said. Elements involved included "80% of the global information flow," he explained.
Their influence on "global and national news cannot be overstated." He requested they disseminate their message widely.
Spread it worldwide, he urged. Build good relations with Russia. Do it because it matters.
Putin addressed Sunday's Ukrainian election. "This is what I think," he said. Putschist power may be strengthened.
Ukraine's new president may either be transitional, hardline or despotic.
Kiev junta power and "principal (presidential) candidates are, after all, different people…(It) may not be in the interests of those (in charge) today (to have a legitimate) newly elected president."
"I wouldn't like to think that it's the start of a new cold war," he said. "No one needs it, and I don't think it's going to happen."
"It would have been more logical and more fundamental in my opinion to hold a referendum at first, to adopt the constitution and then to hold the elections basing on the new legislature."
"A new constitution may be adopted" post-election. "If this is how it turns out to be, then the new president could become intermediary."
"Or on the contrary, he would be accumulating maximum of authoritative powers. Both scenarios will be tied to the escalation of the domestic political fight" for control.
Either way, Russia urges "constructive dialogue." Excluding demands or ultimatums. Based on mutual respect. Without ulterior motives.
Russia operates in good faith, Putin stressed. It expects likewise treatment in return. Nothing less is acceptable. It wants trustworthy partners.
It respects sovereignty of all nations. It expects no less in return. It deplores war, violence and instability. It champions peaceful conflict resolutions.
Its actions speak louder than words. It reflects geopolitical honesty. It's polar opposite Western policies. It's struggling to prevail.
Saturday was a Kiev-ordered "Day of Silence." Sunday presidential and mayoral elections followed.
In seven regional areas - Kiev, Nikolaev, Odessa, Sumy, Kherson, Cherkassy and Chernovtsy.
Saturday campaigning was prohibited. Sunday voting continued from 8AM to 8PM. It didn't matter either way.
Twenty-one aspirants competed for president. If no one wins a majority, second round voting follows. Matching two leading candidates.
Most likely in early June. Initial results should be published by around June 4. If needed, round two will follow soon as possible. In days or weeks at most.
It doesn't matter. Final results are virtually preordained. They're predetermined. Petro Proroshenko is anointed to win.
Expect electoral rubber-stamping to follow. So-called polls show his support at from around 34 - 38 - to as much as 44%.
He's highest in Western Ukraine. Less in Eastern. Least in Southeastern.
Yulia Tymshenko ranks second. She's way behind. At 5.9 - 8.4% overall. She has no chance whatever. Nor do other candidates scoring less.
They're all putschist-approved. They're regime supporters. They're hardline fascists. Not a democrat among them.
None approved. None whatever among ballot choices. Ukrainians have none at all. Key is Russia's response.
It rejects Kiev putschists. It's hard imagining support for what's coming. Moscow wants free, fair, open, democratic elections.
Sham ones followed. Will Moscow recognize what it rejects? Don't bet on Putin supporting what demands denunciation.
His policy may differ from post-electoral rhetoric. For sure he won't accept what harms Russian interests. Especially hostile Western policies.
Post-electoral Ukrainian governance will determine Russian policy. Mostly whether attacking Eastern freedom fighters ceases.
Anything less is unacceptable. Elections during regime aggression have no legitimacy whatever. Nor do putschist-controlled ones.
Lugansk and Donetsk regions reject them. It's unclear how most Ukrainians feel. How many will vote?
How many know what's at stake? How many understand democratic choices don't exist?
How many realize they've been had? How many will go along or opt out? Will electoral manipulation obscure vote totals and turnout?
Will anything officially reported be legitimate? Will Big Lies substitute? Will independently disseminated information expose them?
On May 24, Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics united. A Novorossiya (New Russia) state was formed.
Donetsk (DPR) leader Denis Pushilin announced it, saying:
"We’ve signed a memorandum on the republics' union. We've named the united regions as the union of people's republic."
They include Donetsk, Lugansk, Odessa, Nikolaev, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Kharkov, and Kherson regions.
Details are being finalized. Commissions are preparing political, economic and social policies.
They'll be completed in due course. Donbass Governor Pavel Gubarev confirmed Novorossiya's formation.
"The document was signed by DPR premier Alexander Borodai and head of the Lugansk People's Republic Alexei Karyakin," he said.
A popular manifesto was adopted. It vows self-determination. It includes protection from neo-Nazi terrorism.
It stresses Popular Front resistance. It includes "everybody (able and) ready to resist self-appointed" Kiev putschists.
Against their illegitimacy. Against their aggressive war without mercy. Against their cold-blooded murder.
Against oligarch power. Against complicit Western interests. Against fascists wanting freedom destroyed.
Against their hardline rule. Against war on democracy. Against attempts to destroy fundamental human and civil rights. Against what freedom fighters support.
"We do not recognize the president and parliament of Ukraine," DPR and LPR leaders said.
"The Donetsk and Lugansk republics are independent states."
"We will recognize a government of a newly-elected president if (Kiev) recognize(s) the republics' independence."
It "should immediately withdraw troops from our republics…(It) should stop (all) military actions."
It should do so straightaway. It should recognize regional self-rule. Their sovereign self-determination, Gubarev stressed.
It shows no signs of doing so. War without mercy continues. Expect worse post-election.
Expect all-out war. Hot and propaganda ones. What follows remains to be seen.
Freedom-fighting struggles aren't resolved quickly. They continue. Perhaps longterm.
Perhaps after lots more bloodshed. It's unclear how things will end.
Whatever side is more committed may prevail. Battles are usually decided this way.
Eastern Ukrainians show no signs of quitting. Their resolve is their best hope. It's encouraging. It's inspiring. It's motivating others to get involved.
Perhaps growing thousands will do so. Perhaps an eventual majority. Perhaps including Western Ukrainians.
Perhaps huge numbers nationwide. Perhaps Obama's latest imperial trophy isn't secure. Perhaps it'll slip-slide away.
Perhaps he'll lose another war. He hasn't won one yet. Nor did Bush. Or Clinton. Or Bush I.
Or their post-WW II predecessors. Despite millions of corpses revealing their barbarity.
Displaying hubris and arrogance. Making more enemies than friends.
Prohibiting democracy at home and abroad. Heading America for full-blown tyranny and ruin.
Waging war on humanity. Perhaps destroying it altogether.
Fascist regimes operate this way. America is by far the worst in world history.
Others pale in comparison. It threatens humanity's survival. It hangs by a thread.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Wall Street Journal Supports Putschist Ukrainian Oligarch Rule
Wall Street Journal Supports Putschist Ukrainian Oligarch Rule
by Stephen Lendman
Sham elections approach. They'll be held Sunday, May 25. They're illegitimate. They have no legal standing.
Coup-appointed putschists are running them. Washington supports what demands rejection. So does the Wall Street Journal.
It's in lockstep with putschist rule. Murdoch's world reflects presstitute power.
It features demagoguery, propaganda, pseudo-journalism, corporate power, and warmongering. It supports wrong over right.
It turns truth on its head. It lacks ethical and moral standards. Its poisonous influence debauches whatever it touches. It endorses Wall Street grand theft.
It favors hard right billionaire bandits running Ukraine. On May 22, it headlined "A Pragmatic Favorite to Lead a Shaky Ukraine," saying:
Candidates reflect "few policy differences." Their "backgrounds are similar…The only issue in the Ukrainian presidential vote on Sunday is the country's survival."
"The election takes place 'at a time of war.' " Russia "occup(ies) Crimea…Slow to confront Moscow, Western leaders are reluctant to call what's going on by its proper name."
Fact: Putschist-approved candidates alone are competing.
Fact: Ballot choices exclude democratic one.
Fact: So-called "pragmatic favorite" Petro Poroshenko is a billionaire oligarch crook.
Fact: He made money the old-fashioned way.
Fact: He stole it.
Fact: "We can do business with anyone," he says, as long as he gets his share.
Fact: He supported Maidan putschists.
Fact: He did so straightaway.
Fact: He ignored their violence.
Fact: Ukrainian oligarchs notoriously plunder the country for profits.
Fact: They exploit ordinary Ukrainians.
Fact: They deplore responsible law and order.
Fact: Poroshenko's empire includes food, automotive and media interests.
Fact: Oligarch power began after Soviet Russia's dissolution.
Fact: It hardened during Leonid Kuchma's presidency (July 1994 - January 2005).
Fact: He's called oligarch power's founding father.
Fact: One hand feeds the other.
Fact: Mutual dependence reflects official policy.
Fact: Ukrainian government officials conspire with oligarch crooks.
Fact: They facilitate massive corruption.
Fact: Each side benefits hugely.
Fact: They do so with underworld elements.
Fact: All Ukrainian presidents operate this.
Fact: Some more than others.
Fact: Differences are in degree, not kind.
Fact: Putschists running things are worst of all.
Fact: Expect greater than ever grand theft.
Fact: Expect Ukraine more than ever plundered.
Fact: Expect Western crooks stealing plenty.
Fact: Expect Ukraine turned into a cash cow for looting.
Fact: Expect the entire country sucked dry.
Fact: Expect the economy hollowed out for profit.
Fact: Expect greater than ever mass impoverishment.
Fact: Expect sham elections rubber-stamping things.
Fact: Expect hardened Ukrainian fascism.
Fact: Expect it in Europe's epicenter.
Fact: Expect protracted Great Depression conditions.
Fact: Expect total Western support.
Poroshenko is a "runaway" Sunday favorite, said the Journal. At issue only is whether he'll need one or two rounds to become president.
He's "a rebuke to the Kremlin propaganda machine," said the Journal.
Fact: Journal editors bash Russia irresponsibly.
Fact: Misinformation rubbish substitutes for credible journalism.
In the 1980s, Poroshenko studied with former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili.
They maintain contact. One fascist thug supports another. In the 1990s, Poroshenko amassed a fortune.
He "dabbled in politics" at the same time, said the Journal. Sitting in parliament assured immunity from prosecution.
He held various ministerial jobs. "His most enduring alliance has been with Ukraine's pro-Western camp," said the Journal.
He supported 2004 Orange Revolution conspirators. He operates politically and in business extrajudicially.
He backed Maidan putschists. He helped bankroll them.
His "visit to Crimea at the start of the Russian invasion in February earned him points for bravery," said the Journal.
Fact: Crimeans acted on their own volition.
Fact: They did so near unanimously.
Fact: They voted 96.77% for unification with Russia.
Fact: They did so with historic turnout. At 83%, it was unprecedented.
Fact: Russia had no involvement whatever.
Fact: Claiming otherwise turns truth on its head.
Fact: Longstanding Journal editorial policy reflect lies, damn lies, Big Lies, and more of them.
According to the Journal, Poroshenko promises to build, not destroy. He ludicrously vowed "zero" corruption tolerance.
He's up to his ears in it. He amassed his fortune this way. He plans grabbing much more.
"We live in a different Ukraine," he claimed. He omitted explaining in what way.
He was silent about fascist putschist power. His connection to it. His pillaging plans as president.
"History has given us a unique chance," he said. He intends taking full advantage.
He'll enforce police state ruthlessness. He'll continue waging aggressive war.
He'll keep killing his own people. He'll blame victims for his crimes. He'll get full Western support.
According to the Journal, "Putin is playing spoiler. If not for Russian intervention Ukraine's chances of achieving that banal European dream of normalcy had looked better than even."
"Its media, civic and student groups and broader society are mature and vigilant. This is no post-revolutionary Egypt."
Fact: Egyptian fascism is horrendous.
Fact: Democracy is fantasy.
Fact: US-supported putschists run things.
Fact: Anointed president-to-be General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to Chile's Pinochet.
Fact: State terror is official policy.
Fact: Ukraine is worse.
Fact: It's much worse.
Fact: Conditions are incendiary.
Fact: At risk is civil war.
Fact: It risks spilling cross-borders.
Fact: It risks potential East/West confrontation.
Fact: It risks possible global war.
"Ukrainians have done their part," said the Journal. It stopped short of explaining horrendous horrors Ukrainian face post-election.
Worse than post-February coup. It remains to be seen how they'll react. They'll learn soon enough they were had.
They may join their Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters. National rebellion may follow. The fullness of time will tell.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Activist Professor Denis Rancourt’s Judicial Lynching
Activist Professor Denis Rancourt's Judicial Lynching
by Stephen Lendman
Rancourt reflects academia's best, most competent, most responsible and bravest. He has two blog sites. Visit them for updated information.
Activist Teacher and U of O Watch provide updates. They explain what most people can't imagine.
What happened to Rancourt can happen to anyone responsibly challenging what's too deplorable to accept.
Injustice defines Western societies. Canada marches in lockstep with Washington.
Rogue state ruthlessness defines both countries. Imperial priorities matter most. Inviolable laws don't matter. Nor judicial fairness.
Rancourt is a distinguished University of Ottawa (U of O) professor. He's tenured. He's a recognized physics and environmental science expert.
Students loved him. He's a "phenomenal teacher," they said. He didn't teach to the test like in America.
He prioritized learning. He inspired academic achievement. He supports fundamental human and civil rights.
Political activism caused his dismissal. University of Ottawa's campus isn't safe. President Allan Rock is a former Canadian politician.
He runs U of O like his private fiefdom. Like a police state. He's unprincipledly hard right. He ignores fundamental Canadian law doing so.
Academic freedom doesn't matter. Or free thought, opinion or expression. U of O is a hotbed of fascist extremism. It's inhospitable to learning.
U of O Law Professor Joanne St. Lewis colluded with Rock. She did so against Rancourt.
She sued him unjustifiably. She wants $1 million. She irresponsibly charged racism.
It related to his legitimate blog site comments. He called St. Lewis a "house negro." He cited Malcolm X. He first used the term.
A 2011 Statement of Claim (SOC) against Rancourt said:
"The Defendant's conduct and actions are reprehensible insulting, high-handed, spiteful, and outrageous."
"Such conduct warrants condemnation by this Court by means of an award of punitive damages."
It spuriously claimed "(t)he Defendant defamed Professor St. Lewis in furtherance of his personal animosity towards President Allan Rock and the University of Ottawa which terminated him as a Professor."
U of O pays all St. Lewis legal fees. Doing so smacks of collusion. It violates Rancourt's Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
For over three years, he's battled for justice so far denied. One-on-one against St. Lewis is one thing.
Against U of O maliciousness another. Against courts piling on something else entirely. Against systemic injustice matters most.
Cynthia McKinney is special. She's extraordinary. She's an exception that proves the rule. She's a true profile in courage.
She supports right over wrong. She does it courageously. She's a committed human/civil rights champion.
She was Georgia's House of Representatives first African American member.
She represented Georgia's 11th district. She did so from January 1993 - January 2003.
She was 2008 Green Party presidential candidate. She's close to receiving her doctorate.
She supports judicial fairness. She wants Rancourt given no less. She's involved helping him get what he's so far denied.
He was fired for doing the right thing. Over three years of battling judicially followed. It's not east challenging systemic injustice.
McKinney circulated a petition. It protests Ontario Superior Court Judge Michel Z. Charbonneau's judicial lynching.
Rancourt is his own legal defense. He taught himself law to do so. During his opening jury statement, Charbonneau silenced him.
He did so reprehensibly. He acted extrajudicially. He took the law into his own hands. He twisted it irresponsibly.
He prohibited Rancourt's fundamental right to speak. He violated Section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It's a constitutional bill of rights. It states:
"Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
(d) freedom of association."
Article 7 assures "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person and the right not to be deprived thereof in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice."
Academic and speech freedoms are inviolable. So is the right to a fair and just legal defense. America denies them. So does Canada.
Doing so reflects police state injustice. Charbonneau is more hanging than real judge. He shames the office he holds.
He has no legitimacy whatever. Rancourt walked out of court in disgust. He explained why, saying:
"On May 16, 2014, at 10:00 AM, in courtroom #36 of the Ottawa Courthouse of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, I walked out from the trial in which I am being sued, and in which I was representing myself without a lawyer."
"The trial is continuing in my absence, before a Jury of my peers." He continued, adding:
"Your Honour, the law foresees that I must be free to advance the very serious charge of “reasonable apprehension of bias."
"It is very difficult for me to make this intervention. Give me five minutes because I must present the new evidence."
"During my motion of May 7, 2014, asking that Your Honour recuse himself, Your Honour's decision was silent on the central point that I had made that Your Honour's decisions in this action could affect the reputation of the University of Ottawa and affect the monetary value of its scholarships, to which Your Honour donates money regularly and annually."
"Then, on the first day of trial, Monday May 12 of this week, we did a motion in the afternoon, a so-called 'Voir Dire,' with detailed facta."
"Mr. Dearden (plaintiff's lawyer) brought the motion with a factum of 32 pages served on May 9 and accompanied by a book of authorities of 347 pages."
"His motion was to eliminate my defence called 'Litigation by proxy contrary to the Charter.' "
"I answered with a factum of May 9 containing 14 pages and accompanied by a book of authorities of 342 pages."
"I argued in detail that, in fact, my defense was a defence of abuse of process having three branches, with one branch being the 'Jameel' defence based on a 2005 decision of the England and Wales Court of Appeal: Dow Jones Inc. v. Jameel, and I pointed to paragraphs 68 to 71 of my 'Statement of Defence' as pleading this Jameel defence."
"The decision of this Court (of Your Honour) was pronounced on May 14 regarding the said motion or Voir Dire: The paragraphs 61 to 67 of the Statement of Defence were struck."
"Paragraphs 68 to 71 remained intact, as did my Jameel defence."
"Then, on May 15, yesterday, during my Opening Statement, the Court allowed Mr. Dearden to interrupt me when I was explaining my Jameel defence to the Jury."
"And Your Honour, off the cuff, struck and forbade my Jameel defence despite my protest, and despite the fact of not having done so when Your Honour should have done so if you had had that intension."
"It has been more than three years that I have been fighting for procedural justice in this action - and my 'Statement of Claim' is struck, cut into pieces, before my eyes during my Opening Statement, in contradiction with the considered decision of May 14 of Your Honour."
"This would give nightmares to Kafka himself."
"To my eyes, we are no longer in Canada - and we can no longer claim to have a system of justice in this action before you Your Honour."
"I am outraged by this gag order imposed in a manner that is apparently arbitrary, which does not allow me to be heard and to 'have my day in court.' "
"I have pleaded 'abuse of process' at every step and now, at trial itself, I don't even have the right to say that the University of Ottawa is entirely financing the plaintiff or the right to use the Jameel defense that applies to situations where the defendant advances a lack of actual damage to reputation, that’s 'actual' damage, and to 'reputation,' not some other kind of damage."
"I was very disturbed by these incomprehensible events, and I have been deeply perturbed all day yesterday; confused also, as a self-represented litigant."
"This morning I inform the Court that I can no longer participate in such a process."
"Therefore, I'm leaving this unjust process. You will take the decisions in my absence. It's over for me: I’m leaving."
McKinney represents Rancourt's fight for justice. He deserves universal support. He's battling Canadian injustice singlehandedly.
He's doing it on a shoestring. He performed courageously. He accomplished what few others would dare.
He's a true justice champion. He's a modern-day Don Quixote. He's battling an entire judicial system. He's entitled to fair proceedings.
A "judge cannot be or appear to be biased," said McKinney. Each side deserves due process. Fairness requires defendants knowing charges against them.
Defenses available must be be permitted. "(A)fter more than three years of legal procedures," said McKinney, "Charbonneau summarily denied Rancourt's opening jury statement."
His main defense. Without justification. Without legal basis. With unconscionable bias. One-sidedly supporting his opponent.
Perhaps unprecedented or close to it. Doing so was outrageously egregious. It reflected hanging court injustice. It has no legal standing.
Under Canadian law, Rancourt's trial continues without him.
Prior to trial, he asked formerly involved Regional Senior Judge Charles Hackland to appoint a case judge with no U of O connection.
Charbonneau is an alumnus. He's an endowment fund contributor. His university connection disqualifies him.
He's unfit to serve. He's judge, jury and executioner.
Rancourt formally petitioned him to recuse himself. He refused to do so. He acted irresponsibly.
"Help defend justice," Mckinney urged. Sign the attached petition. It tells national, provincial and regional Canadian chief justices to halt trial proceedings.
Start over. Under a new judge. With no U of O ties. Under scrupulously free, fair and open proceedings.
With both sides treated justly. With due process respected. With jurors given all relevant information.
With them able to decide responsibly. With justice prevailing. With assuring it above all else.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Disgraceful Security Council Resolution o Syria
Disgraceful Security Council Resolution on Syria
by Stephen Lendman
France proposed it. Doing so serves Washington's interests. France is a convenient US proxy. It has its own regional aims in mind.
It partners in Western imperial lawlessness. Not according to French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
"The members of the United Nations Security Council must unite to bring the Syrian tragedy before the International Criminal Court," he said.
Fact: The ICC serves Western imperial interests.
Fact: It targets victims.
Fact: It absolves perpetrators.
Fact: It ignores its mandate.
Fact: It has no credibility whatever.
Fabius: Syria "flout(s) war "rules…on a daily basis."
Fact: Syria was invaded.
Fact: Washington recruited, armed, funded, trained and directed death squad killers.
Fact: Salvador Option strategy was chosen.
Fact: Rules of engagement include massacres, torture, and other atrocities.
Fact: No-holds-barred barbarity reflects official US policy.
Fact: Death squad massacres are OK.
Fact: Assad defends Syria responsibly.
Fact: He enjoys overwhelming support.
Fact: He deserves international community backing.
Fact: He's unjustifiably criticized for doing his job.
Fabius: "Chemical weapons are being used. They killed 1,400 civilians in a single night on August 21 last year."
Fact: Attacking Ghouta was Western provoked lawlessness.
Fact: Insurgents were responsible.
Fact: Evidence proved it.
Fact: So-called anti-Assad intelligence was fabricated.
Fact: At the time, John Kerry lied claiming 1,429 deaths.
Fact: At the same time, France and Britain said several hundred.
Fabius: Syria attacks "thousands of innocent civilians. Sexual violence against women is used..."
"Torture in used on detainees in the tens of thousands…(T)hose in Syria responsible for these crimes are not subject to prosecution."
Fact: Fabius repeated one Big Lie after another.
Fact: No evidence whatever indicts Syria.
Fact: Plenty points fingers the right way.
Fact: Western-supported death squads bear responsibility.
Fact: Wrongfully blaming Assad for their crimes doesn't wash.
Washington's UN envoy Samantha Power shames the office she holds. Edward Herman calls her a prominent "cruise missile left" adherent.
Francis Boyle calls her husband Cass Sunstein a "lethal neo-con." Power matches him blow-for-blow.
She justifies the unjustifiable. She supports US imperial lawlessness. She blames victims for Washington's crimes.
Big Lies infested her May 22 Security Council address. Truth was noticeably absent. She wrongfully blamed Assad for US-supported death squad crimes.
She did so shamelessly. She did repeatedly. "Today is…about accountability," she said. She pointed fingers the wrong way.
She wrongfully accused Assad of "industrial killing." She ignored his freedom struggle. For Syria's sovereignty. Its liberation. Its soul.
For defending his country responsibly. What every responsible leader would do. What Syrians overwhelmingly support.
At the same time, she ignored longstanding US crimes of war, against humanity and genocide. Millions of corpses attest to its barbarity.
Power turned a blind eye to what matters most. To Obama's war on Syria. His ravaging and destroying the country.
His regime change scheme. His wanting pro-Western stooge governance replacing its sovereign independence. His war on humanity.
Power's convoluted notion of justice is none at all. She condemned Russia and China. They vetoed France's resolution from hell. They did so responsibly.
Russian UN envoy Vitaly Churkin spoke truth. France's resolution was a "betrayal of Syrian people," he said.
So-called "good guys" are death squad killers. They enjoy full Western support.
They "pursu(e) regime change by force…at all costs that precipitated the drawing out of the crisis and undermines the Geneva negotiations," said Churkin.
"(T)here is not a single word on the political settlement and the negotiations process among Syrians in the communique of the latest May 15 meeting of the so-called 'London 11.' "
"And the western 'troika' was taking great pains to dissuade the Secretary General and his Special Envoy from calling another round of Geneva negotiations."
"What justice can one talk about when the overriding policy aims at escalating the conflict?"
"The draft resolution rejected today reveals an attempt to use the ICC to further inflame the political passions and lay the groundwork for eventual outside military intervention."
Referring Libyans for ICC prosecution resolved nothing, said Churkin. It "added fuel to the flames of conflict."
US-led NATO war followed. Tens of thousands were slaughtered.
"Our colleagues from NATO countries arrogantly refused to address this issue altogether," Churkin stressed. "They even refused to apologize."
"And they wax eloquent about shame! They advocate fighting impunity, but are themselves practicing the policy of all-permissiveness."
France's Security Council resolution was thinly veiled deception. It was cover for UN Charter Chapter 7 authorization.
It relates to threats to peace, its breaches and acts of aggression. Appropriate measures are authorized.
If political and economic ones fail, military force can be used. Security Council members decide.
Adopting France's draft resolution meant Libya 2.0. Vetoing it slowed America's war machine. It prevented further Syrian carnage.
It likely saved tens of thousands of lives. Obama's proxy war continues. Slow-motion genocide reflects it.
Obama bears full responsibility. Rogue Western partners share it. So do Saudi Arabia, Qatar, other Gulf States, Turkey, Jordan and Israel.
Churkin addressed another issue. Washington ignores its own crimes. It solely wants ICC victim prosecutions.
It's "reluctant to accede to the Rome Statute itself," said Churkin. "And in today's draft, the United States insisted on an exemption for itself and its citizens."
"Great Britain is a party to the ICC, but it is for some reason unenthusiastic about the exploration that began there of the issue of crimes committed by the British nationals during the Iraq war."
Both countries have do as they say, not do, policies. So does France. They want others prosecuted for their crimes.
They want freedom to commit them with impunity. If America and Britain "refer(red) their Iraqi file to the ICC together, the world would see they are truly against impunity," said Churkin.
They'd reveal their crimes of war, against humanity and genocide. Instead they ignore them. They blame others.
They remain unaccountable. They prioritize war. They deplore peace. They threaten humanity.
Their officials are unindicted war criminals. French ones are willing partners in crime.
Media scoundrels support what demands denunciation. Imperial crimes are ignored. Victims are vilified.
On May 22, The New York Times headlined "China and Russia Block Referral of Syria to Court," saying:
"Beheadings, torture, aerial bombardments of schools and hospitals: The war in Syria, raging for more than three years with no sign of relief, represents the very excesses of war that the International Criminal Court was designed to take on."
"Nevertheless, the court will not take on war crimes in Syria, not anytime soon anyway."
"China and Russia voted Thursday against a Security Council resolution that would have empowered the world tribunal to go after perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Syria."
The Times quoted Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson's disgraceful statement, saying:
"If members of the Council continue to be unable to agree on a measure that could provide some accountability for the ongoing crimes, the credibility of this body and the entire organization will continue to suffer."
Eliason and Ban Ki-moon march in lock step. They're convenient pro-Western imperial stooges.
They defend the indefensible. They ignore longstanding US-NATO crimes. So do media scoundrels.
They're virtual Western house organs. Propaganda substitutes for real news, information, opinion and analysis.
They support official policy. They bury vital truths. They substitute Big Lies. They report rubbish. They have no credibility whatever.
They deserve dumping in history's dustbin where they belong. They warrant lower level of hell justice Dante forgot.
So does Human Rights Watch most often. It's a Western imperial tool. Ford, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Soros and other corporate foundations provide funding.
Its stock and trade is misreporting. It's twisting facts to fit Western policies. It's deception. It's well compensated for doing so.
On May 22, it headlined "UN Security Council: Vetoes Betray Syrian Victims," saying:
"The Russian and Chinese vetoes on May 22, 2014, of a UN Security Council resolution to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) betray victims of serious crimes there."
"The resolution has broad international support and was approved by the other 13 Security Council members."
HRW's international justice director Richard Dicker lied saying:
"Moscow and Beijing can veto a resolution but they can't suppress the desire for justice by the Syrian people and the dozens of governments that stood for their rights."
"With the Syrian crisis entering a fourth year, atrocities raging on all sides, and the death toll skyrocketing well over 150,000, Russia and China's vote for continued impunity is a disgrace."
It bears repeating. Syria is Obama's war. Death squad proxy killers wage it. Assad's government is wrongfully blamed.
Failure to hold anti-Syrian Western and regional partners in crime accountable assures war without end continuing.
Supporting imperial crimes is unconscionable. So is blaming victims. HRW stands guilty as charged.
Media scoundrels share blame. Imperial partners most of all. Syria's liberating struggle continues.
It's sovereign independence demands saving. Its soul. Assad continues going all-out to do it. He deserves universal support.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Putin in St. Petersburg
Putin in St. Petersburg
by Stephen Lendman
He addressed its 18th Economic Forum. Heads of state attended.
So did other political officials, business leaders, academic and scientific community members, as well as media and numerous others.
Putin was warmly received. He welcomed "traditional old friends and new guests." He welcomed everyone sharing "long-term strategic priorities with Russia."
Who partner for "global development." Who desire "cooperation and dialogue." Who do so independently. "(F)ree from short-term considerations of the moment," he said.
"Consistency and openness are always met with reciprocal steps and mutual trust."
"Trust is above all about finding compromises, mutually acceptable solutions, and working and acting together."
"This idea is the main theme of this year's Forum - Sustaining Confidence in a World Undergoing Transformation."
Things are fast-moving, he said. "We are witnessing colossal geopolitical, technological and structural shifts."
"The unipolar model of a world order failed…(It's) clear to everyone today.
"(E)ven to those who still try to operate within the familiar reference system…(T)ry to maintain their monopoly…"
"(D)ictate their rules in politics, trade, and finance, and impose their cultural and behavioral standards."
Global dominance efforts don't work, said Putin. New millennium failures explain. They're a wakeup call for change.
"(I)nstead…an unwillingness to listen to new global development leaders" persists. Meaningful change so far is fantasy.
Attempts go nowhere. "(T)his is an economic forum," Putin said. At the same time, "there is no avoiding a few words on politics."
It "influences economic processes." Failure to "find compromises, unwillingness to" respect others' interests, and "blunt…pressure…add to chaos and instability…"
It "creates new risks for the international community's continued development."
"Does anyone gain from disruption to regular cooperation between Russia and the European Union?"
"Does anyone gain from the seeing our joint work on important issues for everyone such as nuclear safety, fighting terrorism, trans-border crime and drug trafficking, and other priority issues come to a standstill?"
"Will this make the world any more stable and predictable? Probably not," Putin said.
Today's world is "interdependent." Nations increasingly rely on each other. Cooperation benefits all sides. Disunity harms them.
Economic sanctions don't work. They have a boomerang effect. They're lose-lose.
They have negative economic, financial, and business "consequences."
"I understand very well the concerns of foreign businesspeople who have invested billions of dollars in Russia, earned an excellent reputation here and are doing successful business in our country."
"I understand the representatives of engineering and machine-building companies for which Russian contracts have become a big growth source, or the European tourism industry, which to a large extent has been focusing on Russian consumers."
"And now, for the sake of a failing political course, successful businesses have to suffer losses and relinquish to competitors this huge market and the positions they had built up?"
"We cannot change the logic of global political and economic development."
Today's world is multipolar. There's no going back. There's no in between. Trying assures failure. It ensures trouble.
Today's "geo-economic map of the world is changing," said Putin. It includes new "economic growth centres."
"(N)ew trade and investment routes are forming." Stronger "new integration organizations."
Greater demand for "collective leadership." Each side respecting all others.
"(D)ecisions reached through consensus and agreement." Making societies more fit to live in.
Making them safer. Creating better environments for business. Addressing popular needs.
Supporting peace. Preventing war. Doing so by not participating when asked.
Putin is a model geopolitical leader. He's polar opposite Obama. He's a master chess player. He's besting his US counterpart at his own dirty game.
Sergey Lavrov is world-class diplomat. He stands tall. He shames his US and EU counterparts. He makes them look amateurish by comparison.
He deplores war. He champions peace. He tirelessly pursues it. He's done it despite ongoing US-led Western imperial adventurism.
He commented on geopolitical issues. He addressed Ukrainian crisis conditions.
"We are very concerned" about what's ongoing, he said. Russian journalists "are suffering during the military actions with the participation of Ukrainian armed forces."
National guard troops are involved. They "consist of radicals and extremists, militants of the Right Sector and other groups."
Russian and other journalists "are being detained despite the fact that they have an accreditation and artificial requirements are imposed on them, which do not fit any generally recognised norms."
"Even those, who have the money required according to the rules introduced are not let in, and so on."
One "case…relate(s) to the two journalists from LifeNews TV channel, Oleg Sidyakin and Marat Saychenko."
"We immediately used our channels, when we received information about their detention and transfer to a territory controlled by some military unit, and accused of terrorism or preparation of a terrorist attack."
"Yesterday, late in the evening, I contacted the Current OSCE President, Swiss President, Didier Burkhalter, and appealed to him to use his authority and authorisations to achieve an immediate release of our journalists."
"The same appeal was made by our Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Andrey Kelin, to the Secretariat of this Organisation and the office of its Representative on Freedom of the Media."
"The same appeal was made by the Russian Embassy in Kiev to the leaders of the OSCE's special monitoring mission in Ukraine, the mandate of which includes issues of ensuring norms and principles of the Organisation in this country."
"(T)he legal basis of OSCE mission's activities in Ukraine has not been resolved yet, because the Verkhovna Rada has not ratified the memorandum between Ukraine and the Organisation in over two months of its stay there, which must lay the legal foundations of its activities and ensure privileges and immunity of employees of this mission in the country."
"We are concerned about such a state of affairs, because this mission also includes Russian nationals."
"We do not want them to be unprotected in conditions, where the Ukrainian authorities regularly use provocations…"
"The OSCE Secretariat answered our question stating they were also concerned about this."
"They contacted the Kiev authorities regarding the acceleration of ratification of this memorandum and received an answer that they 'didn’t get round; to this yet, but the Verkhovna Rada is dealing with a range of other urgent matters."
"We believe that this is a delaying tactic and suspect more and more that the wish to 'leave their hands free' for potential provocations is behind this."
"We appeal to the OSCE leaders to immediately get a decision from the Verkhovna Rada about ratification of the respective memorandum."
Lavrov expressed outrage about Right Sector thugs massacring Odessan civilians. He wants what happened independently investigated.
"Nobody can evade answers to…questions" begging for resolution, he said. Covering up mass murder won't be tolerated.
Nor lawless aggression against Eastern Ukrainians. Waging war on freedom prevents resolving crisis conditions responsibly.
Calling it counterterrorism doesn't wash. So does avoiding real constitutional reform.
Ukrainians are being terrorized for their political convictions, said Lavrov. Kiev putschists violated Geneva four-party agreement terms straightaway.
They prioritize war. They deplore peaceful conflict resolution. War without mercy persists. Civilians are being murdered in cold blood.
Excluding Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters from national unity talks mocks them. It delegitimizes them. They represent one side only.
A bad peace is better than conflict. Lavrov said US-led Western "megalomania" triggered Ukrainian crisis conditions. He wants them resolved diplomatically. So does Putin.
They want military action ended post-election. Wage peace, not war, they urged. No end in sight looms.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Irresponsible Syria Bashing
Irresponsible Syria Bashing
by Stephen Lendman
Syria's June 3 presidential election approaches. It's historic. It's the Syrian Arab Republic's first ever free, fair, open presidential process.
Twenty-four aspirants registered to compete. Parliamentarians Hassan al-Nouri and Maher Hajjar were approved. So was Assad.
He's overwhelmingly popular. He's expected to win easily. Syrians want no one else leading them. He's especially trusted now. He's defeating foreign invaders.
He's doing it responsibly. He's fighting for Syrian freedom. For its independent sovereign rights.
He's up to the challenge. He's winning. He's defeating Obama's dirty game. He deserves universal support.
Friends of Syria/London 11 countries include America, Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On May 15, they issued a joint statement. They irresponsibly denounced what deserves support.
They shamelessly called Syria's upcoming democratic presidential election "illegitimate."
It'll be free, open and fair. International monitors will observe things. It'll shame what passes for sham London 11 country processes.
It's representatives outrageously called what's upcoming "a parody of democracy." Under conflict conditions, turnout is expected to be impressive. Not according to them.
They ludicrously claimed it'll "be devoid of political participation of millions of Syrians." They "call(ed) on the entire international community to reject" what's planned.
They "agreed unanimously to take further steps…" They called doing so "a coordinated strategy." They support death squad killers.
They lied calling them "moderate opposition" forces. They blamed Assad for their crimes.
They want him and Syrian officials prosecuted in the International Criminal Court. More on this below.
They're implementing a so-called Core Group action plan. They stopped short of explaining details.
Their strategy prioritizes aggressive war. They want tens of thousands more Syrians killed.
They want the entire country ravaged and destroyed. They want its sovereign independence eliminated.
They want illegitimate puppet rule replacing it. They want what Syrians overwhelmingly reject.
On May 18, Syria's Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Minister Faisal Mikdad criticized Western hypocrisy.
"Those who conspire against the presidential elections in Syria are conspiring against democracy, political pluralism and the freedom of expression in Syria," he said.
His comments followed John Kerry's Big Lie. He called planned upcoming elections "a farce." A "fraud on democracy," he added. He promised redoubled opposition support.
"Our teams are going to come together in very short order now to lay out a specific set of steps that can and will take in order to have a greater impact," he said.
He stopped short of discussing military aid. "(E)very possible avenue that is available is going to be pursued," he promised.
He lied claiming Assad "is making partnership with terrorist elements, attracting terrorists, and engaging in terrorist activities agains his own people."
He practically ruled out resolving things diplomatically. He did so by turning truth on its head.
He disingenuously claimed Assad refuses to negotiate. He's gone all-out to do so responsibly. So has Russia.
Their best efforts were spurned. Washington bears full responsibility. It deplores political solutions.
Obama didn't wage war on Syria to quit. He prioritizes war. He abhors peace. He's got lots more death and destruction in mind.
He wants greater charnel house conditions than already. Salvador Option strategy was chosen.
Rules of engagement include massacres, torture, and other atrocities. No-holds-barred business as usual continues.
Civilians are fair game. They're vulnerable. They're targeted. They're murdered in cold blood.
Assad is wrongfully blamed for Western-supported death squad crimes. War without mercy continues. Washington bears full responsibility.
Syria is Obama's war of choice. He's got blood on his hands. He's responsible for tens of thousands of deaths.
For millions internally and externally displaced. For continued war without mercy. For more of the same planned.
On May 20, Putin and China Xi Jinping issued a joint statement. "Russia and China find any attempts at an external forcible interference in Syria impermissible," it said.
Both countries "support efforts taken by the Syrian government and the international community for a successful finalizing of the process of destroying the chemical weapons of Syria."
Both leaders support resolving things diplomatically. Syria invited Russia to monitor June's electoral process.
Moscow's Central Election Commission confirmed it. Chairman Vladimir Churov said:
"We are closely watching the election process in" Middle East countries. He's considering whether to send observers.
Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said there's "nothing in the Geneva (agreement) that would ban or question such elections."
Claiming otherwise is false, he stressed. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is an unapologetic pro-Western stooge.
He's an imperial tool. He lied claiming Syria's presidential election runs counter to Geneva's "letter and spirit."
Syria's constitution requires them. They must be held before Assad's tenure expires in July.
Russia's upper house Federation Council Deputy Chairman Ilyas Umakhanov endorsed what's planned. Elections are positive for Syria, he said.
Its people alone must choose who'll lead them, he stressed. On May 21, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported "Syrians more enthusiastic as elections draw near."
They represent democracy in action. They're important. They're "taking place alongside a series of army's victories in the battlefield against terrorist groups," said SANA.
"Heartened by the positive atmosphere prompted by the political and military victories, Syrian citizens continue to stage various activities and events to express their happiness over the course their country is walking."
Huge crowds filled Damascus' Al-Hejaz Square. Strong Assad support was expressed. Denigrating Western and regional rhetoric was rejected.
Damascus faculty, students and workers voiced support for Assad. They called voting in June's election a national duty.
Similar rallies, marches and events took place in other Syrian cities. Support for June's election was expressed.
National flags and Assad photos were featured. Syria's army fighting terrorist invaders was endorsed.
France is a virtual US proxy. It drafted a Security Council resolution. It's expected to be voted on Thursday.
It's irresponsible. It's one-sidedly anti-Assad. It wrongfully blames him for Western-supported terrorist crimes.
On Wednesday, Moscow's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin promised a veto. "Yes, we'll do this," he said.
"The adoption of such a resolution may have negative implications for common efforts toward settling the crisis in Syria," he added.
He'll explain more later, he said. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov called France's resolution unacceptable.
It "urges the referral of files to the ICC," he said. "We…oppose such an approach in the Security Council," he added.
It's "counterproductive in the current situation." It's thinly veiled deception.
It's cover for UN Charter Chapter 7 authorization. It'll be used "for...force against Damascus," he stressed.
It's "knowingly politicized." It's pretext for US-led NATO direct intervention. It supports Libya 2.0.
"The draft resolution that is currently submitted to the Security Council is unacceptable to us, and we will not support it. If it is put to a vote, we will veto it," Gatilov stressed.
China was expected to do likewise. Both countries vetoed three previous irresponsible Western-sponsored one-sidedly anti-Syrian SC resolutions.
Doing so avoided all-out war. Longstanding US policy pressures, bullies and threatens other nations. It does so to support its imperial agenda.
Five dozen nations irresponsibly blamed Assad for Western-supported terrorist crimes.
They expressed support for prosecuting Assad and other Syrian officials in the International Criminal Court.
It's an imperial tool. It blames victims for Western crimes against them.
It has no legitimacy whatever. It violates fundamental legal norms and standards.
Thursday SC voting proceeded as scheduled. Russia and China vetoed France's resolution. They acted responsibly. Doing so slows Obama's imperial project.
New York Times editors consistently support what demands condemnation. They're on the wrong side of history.
They support Washington's imperial agenda. They're one-sidedly anti-Syrian.
They feature contributors with likeminded views. They deny responsible voices space to respond.
Jonathan Stevenson is a former International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) senior fellow.
From November 2011 - May 2013, he was Obama's Middle East/North Africa national security political/military affairs director.
He's currently a Naval War College professor. Scoundrel media publications feature him often.
On May 21, he headlined his NYT op-ed "Go Beyond Diplomacy on Syria."
He urged Obama "not merely advance Mr. Assad's exit from office…" He wants him replaced.
He ignored international law. It prohibits interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.
It doesn't matter. He wants Syrians having no say. He wants what he calls "moderate and capable" governance running Syria.
None that matters opposing Assad exists. Western-supported radicalized elements wage war against him.
So-called "power-sharing compromise" is figment of his imagination. "(A)ctive American diplomacy" he cites is nonexistent.
He urged supplying illusory "moderate" opposition groups with "sustained covert assistance."
Doing so he claims signals Washington and its imperial partners are serious about pursuing "peaceful political transition in Syria."
Like Afghanistan. Like Iraq. Like Libya. Like wherever America shows up. Mass slaughter, destruction and human misery follow.
Peaceful countries become charnel houses. They're transformed into uncontrollable cauldrons of violence.
So-called democracy instituted doesn't exist. Claiming otherwise is pure fantasy.
Stevenson supports war. He does so without admitting it. He deplores peace. Claims otherwise ring hollow.
He cited nonexistent "global terrorist threats." They're convenient illusions. They're figments of his imagination.
They invented as pretexts. They used to advance America's imperium. It rages against humanity. It threatens its survival.
Times editors featured Stevenson's rubbish. Likeminded hawkishness is embraced.
Imperial supporters remain unapologetic. They bury vital truths. They substitute Big Lies. They ignore fundamental rule of law principles.
They promote wrongheaded policy. They support US crimes of war and against humanity.
They're willing co-conspirators. They use journalism as a dagger against freedom. They defend the indefensible. Don't expect them to explain.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev’s War on Freedom
Kiev's War on Freedom
by Stephen Lendman
Western-supported coup-appointed putschists have no legitimacy. Waging war on freedom reflects official Kiev policy.
Washington endorses it. Upcoming sham May 25 elections exclude democracy from ballot choices.
They're at the same time as Kiev aggression continues. They're attacking Eastern Ukrainians.
They're murdering them in cold blood. So-called "anti-terrorist operation(s)" reflect state terrorism writ large.
Fascist regimes operate this way. They reemerged in Europe. Coup-appointed Kiev thugs represent its epicenter.
Upcoming elections are rigged. Democracy is pure fantasy. Results are largely pre-determined.
Washington wants illegitimacy approved. So do rogue EU partners. They endorsed fascism. They deplore freedom.
Illusion substitutes for reality. Hypocrisy for legitimacy. Duplicity for fundamental democratic rights.
What everyone deserves. What fascist ideologues prohibit. What Ukrainians face going forward.
Kiev escalated aggressive war. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashivich said:
"We state that the Kiev authorities are still not ready and do not want to fulfill the decisions agreed upon in the Geneva Declaration of April 17 and developed into a 'road map,' which was prepared and officially distributed by the Swiss chairmanship in the OSCE."
It repudiated violence. Kiev "intensifie(d) (its) punitive operations against its own people…"
It's waging lawless aggression. It's "bombard(ing)" Eastern Ukrainian "cities and settlements."
It's attacking civilians with "heavy weapons." It ludicrously claims Sunday's sham elections represent democracy.
For all Ukrainians. Doing it fairly. Openly. Freely. Leaving no one out.
Under the barrel of a gun. During premeditated aggression. Excluding real choice.
Targeting freedom. Wanting it entirely destroyed. Wanting hardline/top-down ruthlessness replacing it.
Wanting what Ukrainians nationwide deplore. What they reject.
May 22 brought good news and bad. RT International's stringer journalist Graham Phillips was freed.
He's lucky to be alive. Things could have turned out otherwise. As long as he's in Ukraine, he's endangered. He's vulnerable.
He was lawlessly abducted. He was held captive for 36 harrowing hours. He had no idea how they'd end.
Thankfully he's free. But not safe. He's OK, he said. He was intensively interrogated.
"All my work in order," he said. "(N)o charges. (N)o deportation."
(N)o one laid a hand on me in anger. Ukrainian authorities treated me fairly."
At the same time, it was touch and go. Things might have turned out otherwise.
Throughout his ordeal, RT supported him. So did his colleagues and followers, he said.
"Thank you so much for all your support during this. Some moments were a little bit difficult, but I knew you guys were there supporting me and that meant the world," he said.
He did so with genuine sincerity. His reporting was special. He did so in the line of fire. He endured clear and present dangers. They remain.
He represents the best of responsible journalism. So do other RT correspondents doing the same thing. And Russian colleagues.
War zone reporting is hazardous. It risks life and limb. Possible abduction, detention, and abuse exacerbate things.
Phillips was taking photos near Mariupol. He did it "dozens of times" before, he said. Without incident.
"I was questioning these soldiers at the checkpoint in Mariupol on what happened on that day, and I've done that a lot of times before," he explained.
"And then they saw that I work for RT, and then things escalated after that. It got more serious this time."
"They started phoning people and then I was detained. I had my things taken off of me and interrogated quite thoroughly."
"I was with soldiers at this point at a block post and then the SBU came. This is the Ukrainian Secret Services (SBU)."
Two locals working with him were released. Not him. Around 9PM Monday, he was taken away.
It was after spending around nine hours at a military checkpoint. He was transferred to Zaporozhye at "gun point."
He was sent to military barracks. "An SBU man made it quite clear that I was under detention," he said.
Kiev authorities accused him of spying. Working for RT is a "black spot," they said. He was viewed with "particular wariness," he explained.
He understands Russian. He speaks it. Questions asked included:
"You are working for Russian TV?"
"What is your purpose?
"Are you a spy?"
At the same time, his interrogators were "all right," he said. "I mean they fed me."
"They looked after me, but I was held at gunpoint, and that was quite dramatic," he stressed.
Early Wednesday, interrogation ended. He was taken to Britain's Kiev embassy.
At the same time, its defense ministry press service said he was detained for "filming facilities which are forbidden from being filmed."
Phony charges claim anything. Phillips was lucky. Things could have gotten serious.
He could have been detained longterm. He could have been tortured.
He could have faced kangaroo court proceedings. He could have been imprisoned. He could have been killed.
Russian LifeNews journalists Oleg Sidyakin and Marat Saichenko remain detained. They're held incommunicado.
False charges claim they transported weapons. Others said they aided and abetted terrorists. They're "members of terrorist groups."
They're journalists. They're not terrorists. They aided no one. They're not combatants. They were doing their job.
Challenging captors under duress isn't easy. Or refuting their lies.
On May 22, coup-appointed Kiev national security/defense council head Andriy Parubiy said investigating Sidyakin and Saichenkro continues.
It's up to "investigator(s) to decide whether to hand them over to the Russian side."
Putin denounced their detention. "It's absolutely unacceptable, and, of course, the question arises over the legitimacy of all political procedures in Ukraine," he said.
He called accusing them of carrying portable air defense system weapons "nonsense."
Russia's lower house State Duma passed a statement. It demanded Kiev release both journalists straightaway.
Russia's upper house Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko said:
"We will succeed in freeing our two journalists and guarantee the freedom of their activities in Ukraine, including during large upcoming internal political events in Ukraine - the presidential election."
Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed outrage over Kiev denying OSCE representatives permission to visit both journalists. A separate statement said:
"This kind of lawlessness directed against Russian journalists, which has become a regular practice, confirms once again that the Ukrainian side is ignoring basic norms of democracy, in particular, freedom of speech."
Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Ukraine's military and security services of "dangerously interfering with press freedom."
It called for immediately releasing Russian journalists. Deputy Europe and Central Asia director Rachel Denber said:
"We're deeply worried about the fate and whereabout of (captive) journalists. Detaining (them) and then failing to provide information on what's happening to them or to respect their due process rights are serious violations that have to end."
"Failure to provide information on the whereabouts and fate of anyone deprived of their liberty by agents of the state, or those acting with its acquiescence, may constitute an enforced disappearance." she added.
Acting extrajudicially reflects police state ruthlessness. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki endorses the worst of its dark side.
She supports Kiev lies about Saichenko and Sidyakin supporting terrorism. She claims legitimate journalists doing their job responsibly aren't what they say they are.
She accepted Kiev Big Lies as facts. She did so at face value. She dodged questions about their veracity.
A next day follow-up statement softened too little to matter. She called on Ukrainian authorities to investigate what happened.
She claimed no further updates on what's ongoing. She said nothing about refuting irresponsible charges. Effectively she endorsed them.
Separately, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich accused OSCE's monitoring mission of suppressing vital information.
Inconvenient truths are buried, he said. Outright censorship, he claimed.
Facts are twisted to fit coup-appointed Kiev putschists' policies.
"We believe that the mission should work with citizens' direct appeals, especially considering that the tasks of interacting with civil society and monitoring human rights violations are directly sealed in the mission's mandate," Lukashevich said.
Ukrainian crisis conditions remain far from resolved. Ongoing conflict continues. It rages out-of-control.
It violates core rule of law principles. It enjoys full Western support. It bears repeating.
It targets Ukrainian freedom. It wants it destroyed altogether. It wants hardline fascist rule replacing it.
It's up for grabs how things will end. Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are going all-out for fundamental rights everyone deserves.
Their struggle is ours. They deserve universal support.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Washington Risks Global War
Washington Risks Global War
by Stephen Lendman
This writer's edited and contributed to new book discusses what's ongoing in depth. It explains why it matters. It sheds light on what's likely coming.
It's titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: Why the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." Twenty-two distinguished analysts contributed content. They include:
Robert Abele
Michel Chossudovsky
Edward Herman
Nolan Higdon
Michael Hudson
Mickey Huff
Andrew Kolin
John Kozy
Cynthia McKinney
John McMurty
Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya
Michael Parenti
David Peterson
James Petras
Peter Phillips
Jack Rasmus
Paul Craig Roberts
Rick Rozoff
Rodney Shakespeare
Jeffrey Sommers
Matthew Witt - and this writer.
Chapter topics include:
Introduction: Stephen Lendman
Washington’s Recklessness Endangers the World: Paul Craig Roberts
Washington Has Set the World on a Path to War: Paul Craig Roberts
The New Cold War’s Ukraine Gambit: Michael Hudson
Obama’s Ukrainian Power Grab, Sanctions and the
Boomerang Effect: James Petras
Ukraine and Regime Change: Michael Parenti
Ukraine: Another Step in Capitalism’s Global Dominance
Strategies and Power Inside the Transnational Global Corporate Class and US-NATO Global Empire: Peter Phillips, Mickey Huff and Nolan Higdon
Orange Revolution 2.0: Stephen Lendman
Libya, Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine: Another War Based on Lies, Pretexts, and Profiteering?: Cynthia McKinney
The Geo-Politics Behind EuroMaidan: Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya
Crisis in Ukraine: Russia Extends its Control over the
Black Sea and Strategic Waterways: Michel Chossudovsky
The Geostrategic Significance of Ukraine in NATO’s Drive to the East: Rick Rozoff
Who Benefits from the Ukraine Economic Crisis?: Jack Rasmus
Mother Russia: An Elusive Prize: John Kozy
Hangover in Ukraine: Treaty of Versailles Spirits Packaged in Bretton Woods Bottles. The Morning After: Jeffrey Sommers
The Labyrinth of Geography in a Time of Terror: Matthew T. Witt
Containing Russia: Stephen Lendman
The Ukraine Crisis and the Propaganda System in Overdrive:
Edward S. Herman and David Peterson
The Norms of Justice, International Law, and the ‘Duty to Protect: Robert Abele
The Odessa Massacre: Stephen Lendman
Ukraine: From Coup to Police State: Andrew Kolin
The Kiev Putsch: Rebel Workers Take Power in the East: James Petras
Is Ukraine a Turning Point in History?: Rodney Shakespeare
Washington Intends Russia’s Demise: Paul Craig Roberts
The Ukraine Crisis: Decoding its Deep Structural Meaning: John McMurtry
Ukraine is by far the most significant post-WW II geopolitical crisis. Escalating it risks global conflict.
Obama bears full responsibility. Complicit EU partners share it. Putin deserves no blame for their lawlessness.
Washington stops at nothing to advance its imperium. Millions of corpses attest to its barbarity.
Replacing independent governments with subservient pro-Western ones is longstanding US policy.
Washington-supported Kiev putschists staged the most brazen coup d'etat since Mussolini's 1922 march on Rome. Claiming otherwise doesn't wash. It denies reality.
On February 22, 2014, Ukrainian freedom died. Fascist extremism replaced it. Coup plotters seized power. They did so extrajudicially. They began consolidating rule straightaway.
Obama's new friends are thugs. He elevated a rogue's gallery of ultranationalist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic societal misfits to power.
They're fascists. They're ruthless. They include extremist neo-Nazi thugs. They openly display swastikas, Iron Crosses, SS insignia, other Nazi symbols and Sieg Heil salutes.
They represent mob rule. They're convenient US stooges. They have no legitimacy whatever.
They're exploiting Ukrainians nationwide. They're attacking ordinary citizens. They doing it in Eastern cities. They're waging war on their own people.
They're murdering them in cold blood. Right Sector neo-Nazis are involved. So are foreign mercenaries. They're hired guns.
They're trained killers. They operate extrajudiciously. They do so with impunity. On direct orders from Washington. Transmitted to Kiev.
Coup-appointed putschists massed troops on Russia's borders. They did so provocatively. The battle for Ukraine didn't end with them usurping power.
Potential civil war looms. Regional conflict could follow. At risk is a major East/West confrontation. Its spreading it globally. Preventing it matters most.
Hegemons operate this way. Washington is the most reckless one in world history. Major conflicts start this way.
Today is the most perilous time in world history. Potential nuclear war is possible. Preventing the unthinkable matters most.
Hopefully "Flashpoint in Ukraine" will help. Readers will fully understand what's ongoing. They'll know why it matters.
They'll know who's to blame. They understand the risk. They'll realize we're all in this together. Humanity's fate hangs in the balance.
On May 3, Ron Paul headlined "What Does The US Government Want in Ukraine?"
Kiev's "military opened fire on its own citizens," he said. "Dozens have been killed in violence."
Washington blamed victims for Kiev's crimes. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki turned truth on its head.
She "condemn(ed) the outbreak of violence caused by pro-Russian separatists." They're courageous freedom fighters.
They're Ukraine's best and bravest. They reject Kiev putschists. They want fundamental freedoms everyone deserves. They deserve universal support.
"Why are people protesting in eastern Ukraine," asked Paul? "Because they do not believe the government that came to power after the US-backed uprising in February is legitimate."
"They do not recognize the authority of an unelected president and prime minister."
"Would (Americans) accept an unelected government in Washington put in place with the backing of the Chinese and Iranians?"
Washington "gave full support" to violent Maidan putschists. Now they back cracking down hard on Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters.
They falsely accused Putin of supporting them. "The real question is why (Washington) is involved in Ukraine in the first place," Paul stressed.
We're "broke. We cannot even fix our own economy. Yet we want to run Ukraine. Does it really matter who Ukrainians elect to represent them?"
"Is it really a national security matter worth risking a nuclear war with Russia whether Ukraine votes for more regional autonomy and a weaker central government? Isn't that how the United States was originally conceived?"
"Has the arrogance of the US administration, thinking they should run the world, driven us to the brink of another major war in Europe?"
"Let us hope they will stop this dangerous game and come to their senses. I say let's have no war on Ukraine!"
Lunatics infest Obama's administration. Francis Boyle addressed a possible East/West nuclear war. Washington's Ukraine policy risks it, he said.
US-led NATO "promot(es) the destabilization and the breakup of Ukraine" for control. It wants its sovereignty co-opted.
It wants it part of NATO. It wants US bases on Russia's borders. It wants its heartland targeted. It wants it weakened.
It wants it increasingly isolated. It wants it made another pro-Western vassal state. It risks global war to achieve its objectives.
US-instigated Cold War 2.0 ruthlessness is out-of-control. It's madness. It risks open conflict.
"The Obama administration and NATO are maneuvering humanity into a reverse Cuban Missile Crisis," said Boyle.
It's right on Russia's borders. "Can World War III be far behind," asked Boyle? Can cool heads prevail over neocon lunatics influencing US policy?
Can humanity be saved in time? It bear repeating what previous articles stressed. It's fate hangs in the balance.
Read "Flashpoint in Ukraine." World-class independent contributors made it the definitive work on this topic.
It's must reading. It explains what everyone needs to know.
It's more important now than ever. It bears repeating. We're all in this together.
We either survive or perish. There's no in between. There's no more dangerous time than now. There's no more important time to act.
Ordinary people can make a difference. It's our choice. Survival depends on us.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Historic Sino/Russian Trade Deal Signed
Historic Sino/Russian Trade Deal Signed
by Stephen Lendman
New York Times editors ate crow. They did so without admitting it. Hours earlier they approved copy headlining "China and Russia Fail to Reach Deal on Gas Plan."
It was when Russian officials said it was 98% complete. Finalizing it looked imminent. On May 21, it was signed, sealed and delivered as promised.
A follow-up Times article was was woefully dishonest. It suppressed what readers need to know.
It headlined "China and Russia Are Said to Reach Major Gas Deal."
Close to reaching it should have been reported the previous day. Times editors tolerate no favorable Sino/Russian reports.
Its correspondents write as ordered. Doing so features misinformation rubbish. Vital truths are buried. It's longstanding editorial policy.
On May 21, The Times falsely claimed "it was not immediately clear if the accord was an actual contract with details of prices and terms, or if it was a memorandum of understanding that would signal the need for further negotiations."
Itar Tass claimed otherwise. It reported facts, not fiction. It said:
"Russia's Gazprom and China's CNPC have stricken a deal on natural gas supplies to China."
"The document has been signed in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping."
"Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller reported that the contract has been concluded for $400 billion for 30 years."
"In the gas contract for China, the sides envisaged granting preferential mineral extraction tax regimes, said Gazprom CEO."
Xinhau confirmed Itar Tass' report. It headlined "China, Russia ink long-awaited gas deal," saying:
It's finalized. "China and Russia on Wednesday inked the long-awaited gas deal in Shanghai, ending the decade-long natural gas supply talks between the two neighbors."
Official documents "were signed at a ceremony attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin."
"The deal...fully embodied the principle of mutual trust and mutual benefit of China and Russia…"
It "accelerate(s) the economic and social development in Russia's far east region, and also diversify the export of the major oil and natural gas exporter."
Both countries established "a comprehensive energy cooperation partnership." They pledged stronger economic and financial ties.
They're natural partners. They promised wide-ranging cooperation. They'll increasingly trade in their own currencies.
They'll bypass dollar transactions. They'll weaken it in the process. Other countries are doing the same thing. More on this below.
The Moscow Times headlined "China and Russia Sign Gazprom Supply Agreement," saying:
They "signed a long-awaited natural gas supply deal on Wednesday…(It) secur(es) the world's top energy user a major new source of the clean-burning fuel and open(s) a market to Moscow as Europeans look elsewhere for their energy."
The deal "represents a major (Putin) triumph as he seeks to forge new partnerships in Asia while customers in Europe attempt to reduce their reliance on Russian gas in the wake of the crisis in Ukraine."
RT International headlined "Russia and China seal historic $400 gas deal."
"Ten years of talks ended positively. Both countries "signed a historic gas deal…(It'll) provide the world's fastest growing economy with the natural gas it needs to keep pace for the next 30 years."
It's the largest Gazprom deal ever. No other contractual arrangement approaches it. No other bilateral one anywhere.
Potentially it could nearly double in size. It depends on China's future needs.
Voice of Russia headlined "Russia, China sign contract on gas supplies worth $400 bln over 30 years."
Agreement was finalized at 4:00AM Wednesday Shanghai time. "All the fundamental issues were resolved."
Sino/Russian ties stress unity. They're stronger than ever in modern times. They're deepening. They expanding.
Gazprom and related trade deals strengthen them.
Russia will supply China with around 38 billion cubic million meters of natural gas annually. For the next 30 years.
It bears repeating. It may nearly double in size ahead. Depending on China's internal needs.
(1) Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak and China's National Energy Administration director Wu Xinxiong signed a Memorandum of Understanding on delivering Russian gas to China.
(2) Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and China National Petroleum Corporation head Zhou Jiping signed a "purchase and sale contract" to supply China's needs for the next 30 years.
Putin said implementation begins on May 22. Doing so "makes it possible to begin the next project with our Chinese partners, namely to begin working on the Western supply route."
He referred to supplying gas from Western Siberian resources.
Secondly, he said, it's "possible for us to realize our plans to develop Russia's gas industry by connecting the Eastern and Western parts of extraction with the appropriate infrastructure."
"If need be, supplies can be diversified from the West to the East and from the East to the West."
Other increased trade deals were agreed on. In technological, industrial, and commercial sectors. In military hardware.
Growing Sino/Russian trade lessens reliance on increasingly undependable Western sources. It gives them less access to Eastern markets.
The President of Russia's web site headlined "Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping witnesses the signing of agreements on gas supplies from Russia to China via the Eastern Route.
Putin and Xi Jinping "signed a Joint Declaration of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the new stage of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between the two countries."
They "witnessed the signing of a package of intergovernmental, interdepartmental and commercial documents on cooperation in the economy, trade, energy and the humanitarian areas."
They issued a joint statement. "(A)mbitious goals" were agreed on, it said. "(L)ong-term milestones" were established.
"(I)mportant bilateral documents" were signed. "Relations between Russia and the People’s Republic of China are developing successfully and have reached a new level of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation," it stressed.
"(S)pecial attention (was on) economic issues. China is Russia's leading foreign trade partner."
A Sino/Russian Investment Committee was established. Its mandate is expanding economic and financial ties.
It's "diversifying trade." It's "reducing…dependence on global economic" conditions.
It's promoting cooperation in "technology-intensive areas." They include industrial, commercial, banking and military areas.
They're increasing bilateral ruble/renminbi trade. It bears repeating. Doing so bypasses dollar transactions. It weakens dollar strength.
Economist John Williams sees its reserve currency days ending. "I don't see what will save it at this point," he said.
"Now we are to the point that the dollar has been ignored for years."
"The federal deficit has been ignored for years. That's where we are on the brink of disaster with, and that is what has to be addressed now, and that's not happening."
"The way I see it, the dollar could go to zero in terms of its purchasing power."
"You don’t want to have your assets in US dollars."
Williams sees continuing US decline. Economic conditions are much weaker than reported, he said.
Inflation-adjusted growth is way overstated. Official government data is fabricated. Consumers are "strapped."
"Median household income, net of inflation, is as low as it was in 1967."
"The average guy is not staying ahead of inflation. For decades, you could get consumption from the future by borrowing more money and expanding your debt."
"That all blew apart in 2007 and 2008. Now, you don't have the ability to borrow money the way you used to, and without that, there is no way consumption can grow faster than the rate of inflation."
"There is no way you can have positive sustainable growth in the economy without the consumer being healthy."
"It's just not going to happen." Another plunge is coming, said Williams. Exponentially rising debt is out-of-control.
America's solvency is threatened. Global markets are concerned. US economic conditions are weak. They're heading south.
Doing so harms dollar strength. So does money printing madness. "As the renewed downturn gains wider acceptance or wider recognition, that will intensify the selling pressure," Williams believes.
"When someone starts selling, it’s going to be a race for the door, and I am looking for a dollar selling panic to be the trigger for the onset of hyperinflation," he said.
He sees US deficits exploding. "It's going to do bad things to the banking system," he added.
"The Fed is going to have to come in and prop up the system until it falls apart."
It remains to be seen if he's right. Billions worldwide hope so. US imperial wars require massive funding.
Inability to do so prevents them. Peace may replace permanent conflicts. Perhaps when most needed.
Perhaps in time to prevent disaster. The fullness of time will tell.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israeli State Terror
Israeli State Terror
by Stephen Lendman
Every day is Kristallnacht in Palestine. Israeli security forces attack, brutalize, murder or injure nonviolent Palestinians with impunity.
They're ruthless. They're lawless. It's standard practice. Crimes too grave to ignore occur multiple times daily.
Soldiers, border guards and police harass, intimidate and terrorize Palestinians ruthlessly.
They hold an entire population hostage.
Fear is constant. It's pervasive. Collective punishment is official Israeli policy. Peaceful public demonstrations are prohibited.
So are free expression and movement. Population centers are isolated. Borders are closed. Occupation harshness denies Palestinians control over their own land.
Normal daily life is nonexistent. Economic strangulation is imposed. Institutionalized racism reflects official Israeli policy.
Curfews, roadblocks, checkpoints, separation walls, electric fences, and other barriers are standard practice.
Neighborhood incursions, land, sea and air attacks, bulldozed homes, land theft, ethnic cleansing, slow-motion genocide, targeted killings, political assassinations, mass arrests, torture, and gulag imprisonment reflect daily life.
Fundamental human and civil rights are verboten. Crimes of war and against humanity repeat without redress.
Wanting to live free in sovereign Palestine is called terrorism. So is legitimate self-defense.
Punitive taxes are imposed. Few services are provided. Vital ones are lacking or inadequate. Palestinian lawmakers are imprisoned for belonging to the wrong party.
Fishermen are attacked at sea. Soldiers shoot Palestinian children for target practice. Farmers in their fields are vulnerable.
Working at the wrong time risks arrest, injury or death. Crops and orchards are destroyed. Settlers commit regular attacks. Courts provide no help.
Slow-motion genocide reflects official Israeli policy. Gazans suffer horrendously under siege. They're being suffocated.
Media scoundrels blame victims. Vital truths are buried. Israeli crimes are suppressed. The myth of the region's only democratic state persists.
Democracy is fantasy. Hardliners run things. They do so ruthlessly. They do it lawlessly.
Palestinians have no rights whatever. Israeli Arab citizens have too few to matter.
Amira Hass once lived in Gaza. She knows firsthand what goes on. She writes about Occupied Palestine harshness. She does so regularly.
On May 21, she headlined "IDF uses live-fire zones to expel Palestinians from areas of West Bank, officer admits."
It's done to "reduc(e) the number of Palestinians living nearby," she said. It's to prevent what Israel calls illegal construction.
Building on their own land without permission is considered criminal. Israel controls so-called Area C.
It comprises over 60% of West Bank land. It includes vital Palestinian water resources Israel stole.
It designated about 18% of West Bank land closed military zones. It's one among other ways it steals land.
Thousands of Palestinians in dozens of communities are affected. They lived on their land for generations. It doesn't matter.
Occupation changed things. They're terrorized. They're dispossessed. They're mostly in Jordan Valley and Dead Sea communities.
They're vulnerable. They're victimized for not being Jews. Living in Occupied Palestine risks life and limb.
On May 15, Israeli forces murdered two Palestinian children. They shot them in cold blood.
They wounded eight civilians. One child was injured. He's in serious condition. He may not survive.
Two gunned down children threatened no one. They were commemorating the 66th Palestinian Nakba anniversary. They did so near Ofer Prison.
Dozens of Palestinian men, women, students and children participated. They headed toward Ofer's gate.
Israeli forces closed it. They stood guard. They threatened demonstrators. Palestinians responded.
They set tires ablaze. They threw stones. Soldiers used rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas, sound bombs and live fire.
Two deaths and eight injuries followed. Israel disdains Palestinian lives. Jewish ones alone matter.
These type incidents are commonplace. So are similar ones.
On May 19, 12-year old Ahmad Qasim was arrested. Israeli soldiers broke into his home. He's wanted for interrogation.
He's detained. He awaits military kangaroo court trial. For what isn't clear. Guilt by accusation is official Israeli policy.
He likely faces imprisonment. Imagine treating a 12-year old this way. Israel makes no distinction between children and adults.
Doing so violates Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) provisions. Palestinian children are violently arrested. They're beaten. They're blindfolded.
They're painfully shackled. They're isolated. They're sleep-deprived. They're brutalized in other ways.
They're physically and verbally abused. They're given limited access to water, food, toilet facilities and medical care.
They're isolated from family members and lawyers. They aren't told their rights.
Confessions are extracted under duress. They're forced to sign them in Hebrew they can't read.
They're threatened with physical violence, death, and sexual assault against themselves (and/or) family members.
They're treated like subhumans. High crimes to grave to ignore are commonplace. Generations of Palestinian children suffered.
Nadim Ahmed Nowarah and Mohammed Mahmoud Odah Abu Thaher Israel's latest victims. Video evidence showed Israeli soldiers murdering them in cold blood.
Rigat Kissis heads DCI-Palestine. "These acts by Israeli soldiers may amount to war crimes, and the Israeli authorities must conduct serious, impartial, and thorough investigations to hold the perpetrators accountable for their crimes," he said.
Oscar Fernandez-Taranco is Assistant UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs. At a Security Council briefing he said:
"It is of serious concern that initial information appears to indicate that the two Palestinians killed were both unarmed and appeared to pose no direct threat."
"The UN calls for an independent and transparent investigation by the Israeli authorities into the two deaths, and urges Israel to ensure that its security forces strictly adhere to the basic principles on the use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials."
Palestinian officials accused Israel of "excessive and indiscriminate violence." At the same time, illegitimate president Abbas does nothing to help.
He actively collaborates with Israel. He's done so for many years. He betrays his own people. He's Israel's enforcer.
He governs extrajudicially. He has no legitimacy whatever. He represents Quisling rule. He's more stooge than leader.
He subverts Palestine's liberating struggle. Collaborating with the enemy is treason. He's guilty multiple times over.
Israel lied about killing Nadim and Mohammed. It turned truth on its head claiming:
"A preliminary investigation determined that live fire was not used by security forces."
"The video clip which was released today has been edited, and doesn't document the full extent of the event, nor does it reflect the violent nature of the riot."
Clear video evidence showed otherwise. It was independently made. Eyewitnesses confirmed what happened. Israeli soldiers committed cold blooded murder.
DCI-Palestine's Bratt Parker said:
"What we do know is that at the time (both boys) were shot it was relatively calm."
"There was no stone throwing. There was a very low level of violence, if any, based on the video we have."
Some stone throwing occurred earlier. None ever warrants live fire responses. Police states operate this way.
Israel is by far the region's worst. State terror is official policy. According to Parker:
"The Israeli army has an obligation to not use lethal force, unless they are threatened with lethal force."
"So when the teens were shot there was no immediate threat to any soldiers' lives and therefore these killings are not justified under international humanitarian law, under international human rights law, and also the use of live fire isn't justified in this circumstance under the Israel's military own guidelines."
Israel denied using live fire. Autopsies proved otherwise. Dozens of Palestinians are murdered annually.
Palestinian lives don't matter. Brute force is official Israeli policy. Nonviolent unarmed Palestinians are murdered in cold blood. Young children are treated like adults.
On May 20, B'Tselem said "initial findings on Nakba Day incident at Bitunya indicates grave suspicion that forces willfully killed two Palestinians, injur(ing)…others."
"Findings refute the military's claim that no live ammunition was fired in the incident."
On May 20, B'Tselem obtained full video footage. Four security cameras provided it. They're installed on the building opposite the incident.
It's "available to the media at B'Tselem's offices," it said.
"We have made available two sequences, containing footage from two opposing cameras, depicting the moments of the killing," it added.
B'Tselem analysis refutes Israeli lies. Soldiers used live ammunition. Circumstances revealed no justification whatever.
Evidence shows killings were "willful." Israel stands guilty as charged.
B'Tselem obtained expert medical opinions. Autopsies concluded deaths by live fire. Bullets were found in wounded victims.
They weren't rubber-coated ones. Eyewitnesses described live gunfire sounds. It's different from firing rubber-coated bullets.
Israeli open-fire regulations are clear. They leave no ambiguity. They prohibit live fire at all times.
Except when soldiers' lives are threatened. Clear video evidence showed no danger whatever.
Nadim was shot while walking peacefully. He threatened no one. Mohammed was shot in the back. Both youths were murdered in cold blood.
B'Tselem demands a full investigation. They want one "into the military's incorrect version of the incident conveyed to the media," it said.
Whitewash for sure will follow. It's longstanding Israeli practice.
Cold blooded murder is swept under the rug. It's done so routinely. Unjustifiable killings are called self-defense.
Dead Palestinian children don't lie. They deserved better. Their corpses prove crimes too grave to ignore.
It bears repeating. Israel stands guilty as charged. It's not the first time. For sure not the last.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev Wages War on Free Expression
Kiev Wages War on Free Expression
by Stephen Lendman
It wants truth suppressed. It wants its own message alone reported. It wants fundamental freedoms eliminated altogether.
Neo-Nazi fascist regimes operate this way. Ukraine is by far the region's worst. It menaces its own people.
It launched premeditated aggression. It continues against Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters. Against noncombatant civilians.
Against opposition elements nationwide. Against independent journalists. Against Russian ones.
Some were denied entry. Others were deported. Various ones were attacked.
LifeNews journalists Oleg Sidyankin and Marat Saichenk were harassed. They were arrested. They're detained.
They're held incommunicado. They're lives are endangered. They're charged with "aiding terrorist groups."
They released damning video images. They showed Kiev military forces using UN-marked attack helicopters against their own people.
RT International stringer Graham Phillips was targeted. He was arrested. Right Sector thugs put a bounty on his head.
They offered $10,000 for his capture. They lied calling him a "Russian spy."
Washington supports violent Kiev crimes. It urges more of the same. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki finds new ways to disgrace herself.
She regurgitated official Kiev lies. She outrageous suggested detained Russian journalists "aid(ed) terrorists." On May 20, she duplicitously said:
"The Ukrainian Security Services, according to reports, have detained a number of people who were in possession of fake journalist credentials issued by the non-existent Donetsk People's Republic."
Washington supports illegitimate coup-appointed putschist rule. It opposes democratic freedoms.
It does so worldwide. It prevents real democracy at home. It's longstanding US policy.
Putin responded to Kiev targeting Russian journalists. He called detaining them on terrorism charges outrageous.
"Now they have been accused of all deadly sins already," he said. They include "transport(ing) some weapons…"
Claiming it "is utter nonsense," he said. It's "absolute nonsense and rubbish," he stressed.
"This is absolutely unacceptable and, of course, initially big questions regarding the legitimacy of all (Kiev) political procedures will emerge."
"I hope that the Ukrainian authorities will take necessary steps in order to dignify political processes…"
"(I)t will be very difficult for us to build relations with people who come to power on the background of the punitive operation that continues in the southeastern regions of Ukraine and impedes the work of the press."
He urged an internationally monitored new constitution national referendum before holding elections.
"I believe it would be much cleaner and easier, from a legal viewpoint, to hold a referendum on all main issues, on the constitution, bearing in mind that the current Ukrainian Constitution does not allow elections because there is a lawful president," he said.
"I would like to reiterate that," he stressed. Viktor Yanukovych remains Ukraine's legitimate president, he said.
He called a new constitution vital for electing a new president and parliament.
"In my view, it would be much more logical to do it that way, and it would lead to greater stability." he stressed.
"We are watching very closely all movements of some radical groups in Ukraine, and some have been detained in Russia."
He called Odessa's May 2 massacre disturbingly unaddressed. Failure assures repetition, he said.
On May 21, US-led Western Security Council members blocked Russia's proposal. It called for investigating Odessa's massacre responsibly.
Moscow's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said:
"Unfortunately, UN Security Council members have been unable to back our call to turn to the secretary general with a request to conduct an objective probe."
At the same time, Russia's lower house Stat Duma Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Aleksei Pushkov accused Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) members of inaction regarding Ukrainian crisis conditions.
"I think that the PACE leadership is following an absolutely vicious path turning a blind eye to what the regime in Kiev is doing, as a result of which it is getting more and more impudent," he said.
"The Kiev authorities do not even pretend that they are trying to keep to internationally recognised norms and rules, including the documents signed and accepted by Ukraine itself."
"They actually do not recognise or implement a so-called ‘road map’ of the OSCE (the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe), which has been negotiated and put forward as a single document serving as a basis for the settlement of the situation.”
“Instead of this, the Kiev leadership has proposed its own 'road map' which is aimed not at negotiations but at violent suppression, and vacuous and stupid use of forces and heavy armaments against the civil population."
"Sloviansk has become the only place in Europe in the 21st century where people have to hide in basements sheltering from permanent gunfire by Kiev.s military."
"All this is happening with the connivance of the US Administration, which deliberately ignores all these atrocities and human rights violations."
On Wednesday, coup-appointed Kiev defense ministry deputy head Bogdan Senyk commented on arrested journalist Graham Phillips.
He "was detained at a National Guard checkpoint," he said. He "was handed over to law enforcement officials for the violations he committed."
He ludicrously claimed "he was filming facilities which are forbidden from being filmed."
"And this was pointed out to him. His footage proved the violations, as we were told."
Proceedings against him are concluded, he added. "He will be, or might have been already handed to the (British) consul."
At the same time, Kiev's Security Service refused comment. Phillips' whereabouts remain unknown.
As of early evening May 21, it's unclear whether or not he'll be freed.
Britain's Foreign Office provided little encouragement. On the one hand, it's aware of his detention.
It knows holding him violates fundamental press freedom.
On the other, it only said it's looking into his situation. It's "in contact with the Ukrainian authorities."
It's "ready to provide consular assistance." It stopped short of explaining further.
It suggests providing little or no help whatever. It remains to be seen what happens going forward.
Russia's Foreign Ministry Special Human Rights Representative Konstantin Dolgov denounced Kiev aggression.
He cited "large-scale military force, including artillery and armor, against civilians in Eastern Ukraine."
Washington turns a blind eye, he said. So do complicit EU partners.
"They actually justify (and support) arrest(ing) foreign, especially Russian journalists in Ukraine" he said.
They turn a blind eye to Kiev's worst crimes. They include torture, intimidation, murder and premeditated aggression.
They reflect longstanding US-NATO policy. Russia's Foreign Ministry accused Kiev of escalating Eastern Ukraine state terror.
"Contrary to the obligation of refraining from any violent actions, intimidation, and provocations, not only has Kiev not canceled a punitive operation against its own people, but it is also consistently stepping it up and regularly shelling cities in the eastern part of the country at night, including with the use of heavy weaponry," it said.
Aggressive war continues. So does suppressing free expression. It bears repeating.
Fascist regime operate this way. Kiev putschists enjoy full US-led Western support.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Irresponsible China Bashing
Irresponsible China Bashing
by Stephen Lendman
China bashing reflects official US policy. Washington does it numerous ways.
It's reprehensible. It's confrontational. It's potentially belligerent. Rogue states operate this way.
No nation spies on more nations than America. None more intrusively. None more aggressively. None more lawlessly.
None for more reasons. None in more ways. None more duplicitous about it. None more involved in cybercrime. More on this below.
China is a major US economic, political and military rival. Washington wants it marginalized, weakened and isolated.
It wants its sovereign independence eliminated. It want pro-Western puppet governance replacing it.
It wants its resources plundered. It wants its people exploited. Bashing China risks open conflict. So does pursuing America's overall imperial objectives.
On May 19, Washington declared unprecedented cyberwar on China.
The Justice Department headlined "US Charges Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage Against US Corporations and a Labor Organization for Commercial Advantage"
"First Time Criminal Charges Are Filed Against Known State Actors for Hacking"
A federal grand jury indicted five Chinese Peoples Liberation Army officials. Doing so was unprecedented. It was provocative.
Individuals charged didn't matter. Washington confronted the People's Republic of China directly. It did so by targeting its military.
Charges include "computer hacking, economic espionage and other offenses directed at six American victims in US nuclear power, metals and solar products industries."
They allege conspiracy "to hack into American entities, to maintain unauthorized access to their computers and to steal information from those entities that would be useful to their competitors in China, including state-owned enterprises (SOEs)."
Attorney General Eric Holder claimed "economic espionage by members of the Chinese military and represents the first ever charges against a state actor for this type of hacking."
"The range of trade secrets and other sensitive business information stolen in this case is significant and demands an aggressive response," he said.
FBI Director James Comey claimed "(f)or too long, the Chinese government has blatantly sought to use cyber espionage to obtain economic advantage for its state-owned industries."
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin said:
"State actors engaged in cyber espionage for economic advantage are not immune from the law just because they hack under the shadow of their country’s flag."
Third Department Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Unit 61398 officials named include Wang Dong, Sun Kailiang, Wen Xinyu, Huang Zhenyu, and Gu Chunhui.
Alleged companies targeted include Westinghouse, SolarWorld subsidiaries, US Steel, Allegheny Technologies, Alcoa, "the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, (and) Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW)."
Charges include:
- One count of "conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse."
- Eight counts of "accessing (or attempting to access) a protected computer without authorization to obtain information for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain."
- Fourteen counts of "transmitting a program, information, code, or command with the intent to cause damage to protected computers."
- Six counts of "aggravated identify theft."
- One count of "economic espionage."
- One count of "trade secret theft."
Xinhua is China's official press agency. It's a ministry-level department. It provides electronic and print news and information.
On May 20, it headlined "China strongly opposes US indictment against Chinese military personnel," saying:
"China lodged protests with the US side following the announcement, urging the U.S. side to immediately correct its mistake and withdraw the indictment."
"(T)he position of the Chinese government on cyber security is consistent and clear-cut. China is steadfast in upholding cyber security."
"The Chinese government, the Chinese military and their relevant personnel have never engaged or participated in cyber theft of trade secrets."
"The US accusation against Chinese personnel is groundless with ulterior motives."
Evidence shows "terminals of Chinese military access to the internet have suffered from great number of foreign cyber attacks in recent years, and a considerable number of such attacks originated from the United States."
"China demands that the US side explain its cyber theft, eavesdropping and surveillance activities against China and immediately stop such activities."
America is "the biggest attacker of China's cyber space."
US attacks "infiltrate and tap Chinese networks belonging to governments, institutions, enterprises, universities and major communication backbone networks."
"Those activities target Chinese leaders, ordinary citizens and anyone with a mobile phone."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said:
"This US move, which is based on fabricated facts, grossly violates the basic norms governing international relations and jeopardizes China-U.S. cooperation and mutual trust."
Nine or more major online companies cooperate with lawless NSA spying. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, Apple, Skype, YouTube and others are involved.
They do so through NSA's Prism. It gains access to search histories, emails, file transfers and live chats.
It's gotten directly from US provider servers. Doing so facilitates mass surveillance. NSA spies globally. Its activities reveal rogue agency lawlessness.
NSA targets China intensively. It lawlessly hacks its computer and telecommunications networks.
It focuses on strategically important information. It does so through its ultra-secret China hacking group.
It conducts cyber-espionage. Huang Chengquing is Beijing's top Internet official. China has "mountains of data," he said.
It reveals widespread US hacking. It's designed to steal government secrets. NSA's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) in involved.
It's ultra-secret. Most NSA personnel and officials know little or nothing about it. Only those with a need to know have full access.
TAO operations are extraordinarily sensitive. They penetrate Chinese computer and telecommunications systems.
They've done so for nearly 16 years. They generate reliable intelligence. They learn what's ongoing in China.
They obtain what Washington most wants to know. It's done by surreptitious hacking.
It cracks passwords. It penetrates computer security systems. It decrypts successfully. It steals hard drive data.
In October 2012, Obama authorized cyber-attacks. He did so by secret presidential directive.
His Offensive Cyber Effects Operations (OCEO) "offer(s) unique and unconventional capabilities to advance US national objectives around the world with little or no warning to the adversary or target and with potential effects ranging from subtle to severely damaging."
Washington "identif(ies) potential targets of national importance where OCEO can offer a favorable balance of effectiveness and risk as compared with other instruments of national power."
Domestic spying works the same way. Anything goes defines policy. Constitutional protections don't matter. Or US statute laws. Or international ones. Or relations with other nations.
Washington rules alone apply. TAO's mandate is penetrating, destroying, damaging, or otherwise compromising targeted sites.
It's the largest, most important NSA Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) Directorate component.
Well over 1,000 military and civilian computer hackers, intelligence analysts, targeting specialists, computer hardware and software designers, and electrical engineers are involved.
Their job is identifying sensitive computer systems and supporting telecommunications networks. Their mandate is penetrating them successfully.
They exceed the capability of other US intelligence gathering agencies. Their activities expand exponentially.
China knows what's going on. So do Russia and other nations. They're acutely aware of NSA activities. They knows the threat. They take appropriate countermeasures.
Cyber-attacks constitute war by other means. Doing so compromises freedom. It risks confrontation. It threatens world peace.
It doesn't matter. America operates solely for its own self-interest. For control. For economic advantage.
For being one up on foreign competitors. For information used advantageously in trade, political, and military relations. NSA's get it all mandate explains.
June 5 is a landmark date. It marks the first anniversary of Edward Snowden revelations. He connected important dots for millions.
He revealed lawless NSA spying. He did so in great detail. He's the gift that keeps on giving.
Western nations collaborate irresponsibly. They do so with major corporations. Privacy no longer exists.
There's no place to hide. Big Brother watches everyone. Spying goes way beyond protecting national security.
All electronic communications can be monitored, collected and stored. Legal restraints are absent.
Obama heads the most rogue administration in US history. He exceeds the worst of his predecessors. Congress and American courts permit the impermissible.
Mass US surveillance is standard practice. It's global. It's all- embracing. It targets world leaders. It's after everything and everyone of possible interest.
No constraints exist. No standards. Rogue states operate this way. America is by far the worst.
Bashing China turns a blind eye to US high crimes. They're too egregious to ignore.
America is a pariah state. It exceeds the worst in world history. It risks global confrontation. Stopping it matters most.
It bears repeating what previous articles stressed. Today is the most perilous time in world history. World peace hangs in the balance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Irresponsible Scoundrel Media China Bashing
Irresponsible Scoundrel Media China Bashing
by Stephen Lendman
Media scoundrels march in lockstep with Washington's worst policies. They do it egregiously. They do it irresponsibly. They do it ad nauseam.
They're virtual government house organs. They twist vital truths to fit US policy.
They're bashing China. They're piling on. It followed reprehensible Justice Department charges. A separate article discussed them.
Washington never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity to engage other nations responsibly.
Polar opposite polices substitute. They're standard practice. Washington rules alone apply. Other nations are pressured, bullied and threatened to comply.
Outliers are targeted. No-holds-barred tactics are used. Nothing too extreme is avoided. Rule of law principles don't matter.
Media scoundrels ignore what deserves headlines. Managed news misinformation rubbish substitutes. One-sided reporting follows.
The New York Times operates as a virtual US propaganda ministry. An earlier editorial claimed "little doubt that Chinese hackers have taken aim at a range of government and private systems in the United States…"
On May 19, The Times headlined "With Spy Charges, US Draws a Line That Few Others Recognize."
It charged China with "commercial, for-profit espionage…Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. (claimed) we-don't-spy-for-corporate-America."
"There is little doubt, based on the evidence published last year, that…companies that compete directly with state-owned Chinese enterprises (are) targets of Chinese espionage," said The Times.
The Washington Post said China spying is longstanding. "High-level executives at US firms frequently complain that they are targeted whether they are bickering with their Chinese counterparts or…acting in concert."
Nonproliferation Policy Education Center executive director Henry Sokolski was quoted, saying "(t)he Chinese want to know everything. What they can't buy, they steal."
Brookings' Kenneth Lieberthal lied, claiming "the US has been vigorous and vehement about drawing a clear distinction between espionage, cyber-intrusions for purposes of national security and for commercial advantage."
"I think that's a distinction that the Chinese don't make…because to them the competitive health of their firms, especially the big state-owned enterprises, is part of their national security."
The Chicago Tribune bashes Beijing often. It said Chinese "hackers targeted US companies in the nuclear power, metals and solar products industries to steal information useful to competitors in China…"
George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute head Frank Cilluffo was quoted, saying:
"…DOJ has 'smoking keyboards' and (is) willing to bring the evidence to a court of law and be more transparent."
He said nothing about lawless NSA spying. He ignored it altogether.
An unnamed FBI official was cited saying multiple cybersecurity-related indictments and arrests are coming. It's unclear if he means against China.
USA Today accused Beijing of "theft of business secrets…beyond espionage. It quoted Center for Strategic and International Studies analyst James Lewis.
He lied claiming "(t)he United States engages in cyber spying activities but does not penetrate commercial companies for the benefit of domestic firms."
The Wall Street Journal bashed China. It regurgitated Justice Department charges. It did so without challenge.
It reported them like gospel. "(O)ther cases relating to China are being prepared," it said.
"(H)ackers in Russia are likely to be charged soon," it added. "US agencies have also been investigating incidents with possible ties to Iran and Syria," it said.
The Journal featured a "WANTED BY THE FBI" posting. It claimed "Conspiring to Commit Computer Fraud."
"Accessing a Computer Without Authorization for the Purpose of Commercial Advantage and Private Financial Gain."
"Damaging Computers Through the Transmission of Code and Commands."
"Aggravated Identity Theft."
"Economic Espionage."
"Theft of Trade Secrets."
Photos of indicted Chinese officials were shown. Alleged aliases were listed. Some disparaging.
Wang Dong's were Jack Wang and UglyGorilla.
Sun Kailiang was called Sun Kai Liang and Jack Sun.
Posted Wen Xinyu's alias were Wen Xin Yu, WinXYHappy, WinXY and Lao Wen.
Huang Ang Zhehyu was called Huang Zhen Yu and hzy lhx.
Gu Chi Nhui was called Gu Chun Hui and KandyGoo.
The Journal said posting their photos was "unusual." It begs the question. Why did Journal editors do it? What they suggested was out-of-line.
Why instead of just reporting what happened? Why without challenging US accusations. Why without explaining lawless NSA spying?
"US officials privately acknowledge they spy on companies for foreign intelligence purposes" only, said the Journal.
"(B)ut they say they won't steal secrets to provide an advantage to US companies."
White House press secretary Jay Carney lied claiming "(w)e don't do what those Chinese national were indicted for."
"We don't gather intelligence for the benefit of US companies."
Fact: A separate article explains otherwise.
Fact: It does so in detail.
Fact: NSA spying targets everything and everyone of possible interest.
Fact: It does it domestically and abroad.
Fact: It does it globally.
Fact: No nation is left behind.
Fact: No officials Washington considers important.
Fact: No foreign government agencies it wants to monitor.
Fact: No administrations.
Fact: No parliaments.
Fact: No business sectors and companies it wants to steal proprietary information from.
Fact: Spies "R" us defines official US policy.
Fact: It's mostly unrelated to national security concerns.
Fact: It's for control.
Fact: For economic advantage.
Fact: For being one up on foreign competitors.
Fact: For information used advantageously in trade, political, and military relations.
Fact: Don't expect media scoundrels to explain.
A same day Journal editorial bashed China. "The vast extent of China's cyber spying against government and private US targets is well known," it said.
"(S)o the power of this case is its public specificity," it added.
"(M)uch of the American public still doesn't comprehend the magnitude of the cyber assault against US private industry, and in that sense the indictment will be instructive."
It cited an unnamed intelligence source claiming "only two kinds of companies in the US today: Those who've been hacked and those who don't know they've been hacked."
"This isn't some rogue band of hackers," it said. "The five named defendants are part of the Chinese military, which has a formal cyber arm that targets American secrets."
"These hackers are as much agents of the Chinese state as the pilots of PLA warplanes."
"The proper way to respond to cyber war is to use the tools of statecraft to make China pay a political and economic price."
Journal editors want punitive measures imposed. Likely harsh sanctions targeting Chinese business sectors and specific companies.
Measures aimed at weakening Beijing politically. Similar ways Journal editors urge targeting Russia.
In China's case, they want a "cyber battle plan (attacking Beijing) targets and forc(ing) (it) to play defense rather than devot(ing) all its resources to hacking US targets."
They want Chinese firms punished. They want Sino/US military-to-military ties limited.
They want visas to children of "China's elites" for attending American colleges and universities denied.
They want lots more than indicting five Chinese officials. They barely stopped short of urging all-out cyberwar.
Perhaps a follow-up editorial will do so. Maybe other irresponsible US editors will do the same thing.
Expect voices urging good international relations to be silenced. Perhaps the worst of all possible outcomes will follow.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Sino/Russian Unity: What Washington Fears Most
Sino/Russian Unity: What Washington Fears Most
by Stephen Lendman
China is an economic powerhouse. It's the world's second largest economy. It's heading for number one status.
Perhaps sooner than most expect. It's growth way outdistances America. It's multiples greater.
Russia matches Washington's military might. It does so in nuclear weapons strength. With sophisticated delivery systems.
Able to strike global targets accurately. With hugely destructive force. Enough to decimate potential adversaries. Perhaps to discourage potential aggression.
Russia is rich in what China needs most. Oil and gas mainly. Technological expertise. Industrial equipment. Sophisticated weapons.
Each nation is significant separately. They're able to challenge America responsibly.
Together they're a powerful combination. A force for world peace. For multi-polarity. For humanity. For weakening Washington's imperium.
Sino-Russian ties stress unity. They're strategically important. They're stronger than ever in modern times.
They're deepening. They expanding. Washington is increasingly concerned. It's going all-out to subvert what weakens its strength.
It's waging political, economic and cyberwar. It's fighting a losing battle. Sino/Russian unity is odds on to prevail.
Especially with committed ties. With deepening ones. With stronger than ever ones.
On Tuesday, Putin arrived in Shanghai. It's China's financial capital. He came to finalize a "Holy Grail" trade deal. It's enormously important.
It bonds both countries more closely together. It does so politically economically, commercially and militarily.
Both countries will trade increasingly in their own currencies. They'll strengthen them. They'll bypass dollar transactions. They'll weaken it.
Russia will supply China with around 38 billion cubic million meters of natural gas annually. For the next 30 years.
It may double in size ahead. Depending on China's internal needs.
Other increased trade was agreed on. In technological, industrial, and commercial sectors. In military hardware.
Growing Sino-Russian trade lessens reliance on increasingly undependable Western sources. It gives them less access to their markets.
Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping reject irresponsible US-led Western bashing. They called sanctions political tools.
They condemned "encouraging and financing" Washington's regime change agenda.
The President of Russia's web site headlined "Russian-Chinese talks." Both leaders met in Shanghai.
They "signed a Joint Declaration of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the new stage of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between the two countries."
They "witnessed the signing of a package of intergovernmental, interdepartmental and commercial documents on cooperation in the economy, trade, energy and the humanitarian areas."
They issued a joint statement. "(A)mbitious goals" were agreed on, it said. "(L)ong-term milestones" were established.
"(I)mportant bilateral documents" were signed. "Relations between Russia and the People’s Republic of China are developing successfully and have reached a new level of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation," it stressed.
"(S)pecial attention (was on) economic issues. China is Russia's leading foreign trade partner."
A Sino/Russian Investment Committee was established. Its mandate is expanding economic and financial ties.
It's "diversifying trade." It's "reducing…dependence on global economic" conditions.
It's promoting cooperation in "technology-intensive areas." They include industrial, commercial, banking and military areas.
They're increasing bilateral ruble/renminbi trade. It bears repeating. Doing so bypasses dollar transactions. It weakens dollar strength.
Putin said "the historical memory of the great heroism of our peoples in World War II brings Russia and China even closer."
Both leaders agreed to hold joint celebrations. They'll commemorate "the 70th anniversary of Victory."
Other international issues were discussed. They include common geopolitical ones. Similar priorities are shared. Closer coordination is planned.
Sino/Russian unity, partnership and friendship were strengthened. It's a "new stage" in "strategic relations."
Strong bilateral relations are a force to be reckoned with. It promises to be more so ahead.
Moscow remains justifiably angry. It's enraged about Washington elevating Kiev putschists to power. Rogue EU partners share blame.
Putin and Xi said crisis conditions can only be resolved diplomatically. They demand dialogue. They reject confrontation.
They "urged all Ukrainian regions and public and political groups to enter in broad nationwide talks…"
They want responsible governance. They want legitimate constitutional development.
They want "universally recognized rights and freedoms of people" observed.
Sergey Lavrov said Russian/EU/US-led NATO relations need fundamental reconsideration.
They require "essential rethinking," he said. Disagreements must be resolved diplomatically, he stressed.
US-led NATO created Ukrainian crisis conditions. Russia targeting followed.
Western forces irresponsibly expand eastward. Encroaching on Russia's borders threatens its heartland.
Bilateral relations are jeopardized. East/West confrontation is risked. So is world peace.
The road to Moscow runs through Kiev. Junta power has no legitimacy. Fundamental freedoms are targeted.
Eliminating them altogether is planned. Hardline rules runs things. Opposition isn't tolerated.
Free expression is verboten. Putschists want their message alone getting out. They want vital truths suppressed.
Independent journalists aren't safe. Russian LifeNews ones were targeted.
Oleg Sidyankin and Marat Saichenk were harassed. They were arrested. They're detained. They're held incommunicado.
Their lives potentially are endangered. They're charged with "aiding terrorist groups."
They released damning video images. They showed Kiev military forces using UN-marked attack helicopters against their own people."
Air and ground assaults murder them in cold blood. Kiev wants this type information buried.
It wants reliable news sources eliminated. RT International's stringer journalist Graham Phillips was arrested.
He explained by phone before silenced incommunicado, saying:
"I’m sitting at a blockade post in a portacabin. The dialogue is quite interrogation oriented."
His car was searched. His laptop, equipment and personal belongings were confiscated.
"At the moment I’m with the Ukrainian forces…near Mariupol," he said. "I've been here for over two hours and I've been described, my status, as being detained in terms of I can't leave."
"I would also say I'm being treated OK…I believe that someone is coming."
"They've done checks on my documentation. They found my reports and clips I've done and they're now looking through them asking me my position on things, asking if I'm a spy, and asking me quite thorough questions."
"They've checked all my documentation and photos, my laptop and the car. So that's who I'm with at the moment."
He was asked about separatism. About working with RT. He "describ(ed) (his) position on Crimea."
He called its referendum legitimate. He stands by his position, he said.
He called Kiev's government illegitimate. It "isn't democratic. I don't support this current situation in the east of Ukraine," he said.
In Donetsk and Lugansk regions. He called attacking Eastern Ukrainians "completely wrong."
At the same time, he "maintains complete objectivity and neutrality as a correspondent."
His bulletproof jacket and helmet were confiscated. He’s unharmed so far, he said. Incommunicado since cut off there's no way to know for sure.
Right Sector thugs targeted him. They put a bounty on his head. They offered $10,000 for his capture.
They called him a "Russian spy." His life's endanger in their hands. Or in sight to be shot in cold blood.
Radicalized Kiev elements posted a Facebook comment. He "works for terrorists," it said.
"(H)e photographs and publishes the location of Ukrainian troops…"
He "spreads disinformation. (He publishes) Putin's propaganda in the media."
"He must be immediately detained by Ukrainian forces ad deported from Ukraine." Orders come from "EuroMaidan leaders," it claimed.
Russia's Foreign Ministry condemned his detention. Its human rights commissioner Konstantin Dolgov called it media obstruction.
"This is another step…made by Ukrainian authorities to curb the activities of unwanted journalists," he said.
They "work professionally and show an objective picture, the ugly side of the outrages made by ultranationalists, the results of (Kiev putschists') punitive operation in the southeast," he stressed.
Seizing Phillips constitutes an "unlawful seizure, detention of Russian journalists." Moscow demands all lawlessly detained media representatives be released.
Kiev "continues its vicious line," Dolgov added. Coup-appointed officials spurn their "international obligations concerning freedom of speech."
They target media freedom. They want it eliminated altogether. They want their message alone reported. They want truth buried.
They want fascist putschist power enhanced. They deplore democratic values.
They want ordinary Ukrainians having no say. Polls show their popularity eroding. They risk losing it overwhelmingly.
Perhaps nationwide rebellion will follow. When ruthlessness exceeds levels too great to tolerate, all bets are off.
The only solution is nonviolent revolution. Perhaps just a matter of time. It can't happen a moment too soon.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kerry at Yale
Kerry at Yale
by Stephen Lendman
On May 18, he returned to his alma mater. He's class of 1966. He was a mediocre student. He barely managed to graduate.
He got four freshman year Ds. His cumulative four-year 76 numerical rating barely avoided failure. Gentlemen C's got him through.
He was Yale's featured Class Day speaker. He addressed graduating students. His mother stressed integrity.
"Integrity, John," she said. His father said "diplomacy was really being able to see the world through the eyes of someone else, to understand their aspirations and assumptions."
Two important lessons Kerry never learned. He's vying for Washington's worst ever Secretary of State dishonor.
He fronts for imperial lawlessness. He's an unindicted war criminal. He represents America's dark side.
He mocks legitimacy. He shames the office he holds. He's mindless of rule of law principles. He's a serial liar. He's a moral coward.
He's deplores peace. He's brazenly hawkish. He's indifferent to human suffering.
He relishes spoils of war. He's what Paul Craig Roberts calls a "two-bit punk." More on what he said below.
In November 1984, he was elected Massachusetts junior senator. He succeeded Paul Tsongas. He stepped down for health reasons.
On January 2, 1985, he took office. For over 29 years, he supported US imperial lawlessness. He was Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman.
On February 1, 2013, he became America's 68th Secretary of State. Its top diplomat. Its front man for ruthless power.
His style reflects bullying, bluster and Big Lies. His job involves telling other nations who's boss. Explaining Washington rules. Demanding compliance or else.
His estimated net worth exceeds $300 million. He's a billionaire through his wife's wealth. She's heir to the Heinz fortune.
Kerry's Senate voting record was deplorable. He was Israel's man in Washington.
He supported NAFTA, Big Media, welfare reform, Plan Columbia, Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF/September 2001), the USA Patriot Act, its 2006 and 2011 reauthorizations, and annual national defense budgets for war.
He endorsed war on terror lawlessness. He backed Bush's imperial aggression. He supported Obama's war on Libya.
He favors ravaging and destroying Syria. He's for targeting Iran next. He's administration Ukraine agenda front man. He supports illegitimate fascist putschist rule.
Earlier he backed Bush's No Child Left Behind scheme to privatize public education.
He endorsed energy policies benefitting Big Oil, Obamacare, reduced food stamp funding, and freedom threatening cybersecurity legislation among other undemocratic measures.
He favors doubling special forces death squads. He wants them deployed globally. He wants their role in America's war on terror enhanced.
He wants greater US military strength. He wants it better able to wage global wars. He wants stepped up intelligence gathering. He favors tougher anti-terrorist policies.
He supports offensive national missile defense. He's against cutting nuclear weapons below START levels.
He's brazenly anti-Russian. He's hostile to Moscow/Beijing ties. He has close Wall Street ties. He and George Bush are Yale grads.
He was president of Yale's Political Union. He belonged to Skull and Bones. So did Bush, his father, and grandfather.
In 1832, it was founded. Throughout most of its history as an all-male secret society. Women were excluded until selectively admitted in the 1990s. Its headquarters building is called the Tomb.
Alumni include former presidents, Supreme Court chief justices, CIA officials, cabinet members, congressmen, senators, business leaders, and other prominent members of society.
Hundreds of living ones remain. S&B is Yale's elitist secret society. Members are carefully vetted.
It's more than a club. Fifteen members are chosen annually. It may be America's most elite network.
Inductees are considered potential future business, government, legal, and other type prominent leaders.
Its alumni have enormous influence. They run America. They've done it for years. Dominant S&B alumni families control it.
They include Bush, Bundy, Harriman, Lord, Phelps, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Ford, Taft, and Whitney, among others. Inter-marriage is encouraged.
One observer calls it "an international mafia - unregulated and all but unknown."
Its agenda reflects New World Order dominance. It wants personal freedoms compromised. Ceremonial silence is sworn.
Bonesmen automatically advance to positions of power. They're expected to serve prominently. Former members financed Hitler. Current ones are fascists. They're neo-Nazis.
Many Bonesmen have close Wall Street ties. At least a dozen are linked to the Fed.
They control America's media, prominent legal institutions, the Council on Foreign Relations, and Trilateral Commission.
Silence is Skull and Bones' golden rule. Bonesmen are sworn to secrecy. They reflect the worst of America's dark side. Kerry is current Exhibit A.
His Class Day address ignored his imperial agenda. It substituted lies for vital truths.
He pretended support for peace, civil rights, popular needs, immigration reform that matters, and environmental sanity.
He ludicrously called what happened after he graduated a "daring journey of progress played out over years, decades, and even generations."
"On the world stage," he said, "you will not escape it…We see huge, growing populations of young people in places that offer little education, little economic or political opportunity."
He fabricated concern for "do(ing) more to coordinate an attack on extreme poverty, provide education, opportunity, and jobs…"
He stressed "refus(ing) to accept the downsizing of America's role in a very complicated world."
He told class of 2014 Yale grads: "Your job is to disturb the universe."
He pretended for better, not worse. He meant furthering US dominance.
Enforcing Washington rules. Targeting outliers for removal. Eliminating major rivals. Waging war on humanity.
He ludicrously claimed "most of the rest of the world doesn’t lie awake at night worrying about America’s presence."
"They worry about what would happen in our absence…(W)hat makes America different from other nations…is that we are united by an uncommon idea…"
"(T)hat we’re all created equal and all endowed with unalienable rights."
"America is not just a country like other countries. America is an idea and we. All of us, you - get to fill it out over time."
"At Yale, we say your degree admits you to all its 'rights and responsibilities.' "
"It means we need to renew that responsibility over and over again every day. It's not a one-time decision."
Kerry urged keeping faith in government. Remain hopeful. Stay active. Find solutions.
Keep "faith with the ability of institutions to do big things when demanded."
It bears repeating. Kerry ignored America's dark side. His lead role. His criminal agenda.
His war on freedom. His hawkishness. Disdaining peace. Supporting wrong over right.
Defending the indefensible. Failing as America's top diplomat. Remaining unaccountable. His policies risk potential global war.
Yale's class of 2014 includes students from 61 countries. Vietnam among others. Ones America ravaged and destroyed.
They know America's dark side best. Likely Kerry's lead imperial role. His support for wealth, power and privilege. His lawlessness.
His deplorable human rights record. His support for wrong over right. His disdain for what matters most.
New grads can make a difference. Doing so requires making right choices.
Hopefully one is being Kerry's worst nightmare. Being opposite his imperial madness.
Being on the right side of history. Wanting societies fit to live in. Supporting peace, equity and justice. Governance of, by and for everyone.
Endorsing right over wrong. Doing it because it matters. Spreading the word.
Urging others to do the same thing. Beating Kerry and like-minded scoundrels at their own dirty game.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
NYT Editors Defend the Indefensible
NYT Editors Defend the Indefensible
by Stephen Lendman
Jill Abramson is gone. Dean Baquet replaced her as executive editor. Deplorable policy remains unchanged.
It's featured daily. It's done so in articles, commentaries and editorials. Disgraceful op-eds are standard practice.
Scoundrels are invited. Truth-tellers aren't welcome. Misinformation rubbish is featured. What readers most need to know is buried.
Lies, damn lies and Big Ones infest Times pages. Yulia Tymoshenko is a former illegitimate Orange Revolution prime minister.
She's billionaire mega-thief. She accumulated wealth the old-fashioned way. She stole it.
She was imprisoned for embezzlement and serious "abuse of public office."
Charges included illegally diverting $425 million meant for environmental projects into pension funds. A second case involved stealing around $130 million for personal use.
Putschists freed her. They did so lawlessly. She has presidential aspirations. She enjoys weak support.
Earlier she had dozens of secret offshore bank accounts in over two dozen countries. Reportedly most are closed.
At least 13 worldwide remain open. They hide her ill-gotten wealth. She conspired with former prime minister Pavlo Lazarenko among others.
From the mid-1990s, enormous funds were stolen. They disappeared. They did so when Tymoshenko ran United Energy Systems (UES).
Lazarenko awarded it monopoly rights to import Russian natural gas. In 2004, a US court convicted him of money laundering, theft, and hiding funds in foreign accounts.
His indictment called his crime "part of a conspiracy (related to) receiv(ing) money from companies owned or controlled by Tymoshenko, including United Energy Systems, in exchange for which (he) exercised his official authority in favour of (her) companies."
US prosecutor Martha Moerosch cited "evidence that companies controlled by Tymoshenko took part in the schemes for transferring money to Lazarenko's accounts."
"There were bank statements" proving it, she said. Prosecutors found Tymoshenko funds worldwide.
As Orange Revolution prime minister, "she did nothing to reform the economy and establish rule of law," she explained.
"Instead, she focused her attention on infighting inside the Orange Revolution in order to prepare her presidential race."
"Most (Euromaidan protesters) were not demanding her release." Her shady business practices earned her the nickname "gas princess."
On May 18, she headlined her NYT op-ed "A Vote for Ukrainian Freedom."
She lied about Ukraine's upcoming sham May 25 elections. She called fascist governance democratic.
She ludicrously cited "threats of invasion and sabotage by fifth-column separatists." She outrageously suggested putschist-run Ukraine resembles America under Lincoln.
She quoted his 1864 reelection comment, saying:
"We cannot have free government without elections; and if the rebellion could force us to forgo, or postpone, a national election, it might fairly claim to have already conquered and ruined us."
"Like Lincoln, we Ukrainians are resolved to go to the polls to choose a new president, in defiance of every threat."
"We will not grant victory to those who would discredit and dismember our country by allowing the May 25 vote to be canceled."
"Our election must go ahead if only to prove that the 100 and more men and women who died for our liberty in the protests around Maidan, Kiev's Independence Square, did not die in vain."
Fact: Coup-appointed putschists rule Ukraine.
Fact: They're lawless fascists.
Fact: Washington elevated them to power.
Fact: They include neo-Nazi militants.
Fact: They're Obama's new friends.
Fact: He pretends they're democrats.
Fact: They have no legitimacy whatever.
Fact: So-called May 25 elections exclude democracy from ballots.
Fact: Fascist putschists intend anointing likeminded ideologues.
Fact: They murdered scores of Maidan civilians and special Berkut police in cold blood.
Fact: They planned it well in advance.
Fact: Shots came from nearby Philharmonic Hall windows. Its rooftop.
Fact: Ukraine's toppled legitimate President Viktor Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed.
Fact: Police died doing their job.
Fact: They showed remarkable restraint.
Fact: Washington's dirty hands bore full responsibility.
Fact: Stooge putschists shared it.
Fact: Right Sector thugs were trained to commit what happened.
Fact: CIA operatives were involved.
Fact: Tymoshenko represents the worst of Ukrainian society.
Fact: She belongs in prison serving hard time.
She lied claiming Putin intends "transform(ing) our democratic country into a Russian vassal state."
"No one should doubt that Mr. Putin's primary aim is to hollow out our democracy."
"But Americans, and free people everywhere, must not be deceived by Russia's aggression, or by Mr. Putin's current peace offensive."
"The separatist cause fomented by Russia would never win on its merits in any free and fair vote of Ukrainians."
"Russia's separatist mafia can win only sham elections of the type that Mr. Putin has imposed on Russia since he came to power 14 years ago, and which he recently forced upon our fellow citizens, now hostages, in Crimea."
Fact: Putschist-run Ukraine excludes democracy.
Fact: Putin represents responsible geopolitical leadership.
Fact: He's polar opposite Obama.
Fact: He believes rule of law principles are inviolable.
Fact: He respects sovereign self-determination.
Fact: Democracy in Russia shames America's sham process.
Fact: Crimeans voted near unanimously for reunification with Russia.
Fact: They reject Kiev fascists.
Fact: They want fundamental democratic rights.
Fact: They want what everyone deserves.
Fact: They merit universal support.
Tymoshenko lied called Putin Russia's "strongman." He's overwhelmingly popular. He enjoys over 85% support.
It's for good reason. He governs democratically. He opposes imperial lawlessness. He's polar opposite Kiev fascists.
Tymoshenko lied claiming "Ukraine's liberty is a mortal threat to the authoritarian, state-capitalist system that Mr. Putin has unleashed on Russia's citizens."
"If Ukrainians…can build an open society and a free economy…then ordinary Russians may recognize the scale of the liberties and the economic opportunities that have been stolen from them under Mr. Putin's misrule."
Fact: Putschist-run Ukraine is polar opposite Tymoshenko's Big Lie.
Fact: Times editors are complicit.
Fact: They embrace it.
Fact: They featured it.
Fact: It's longstanding Times policy.
Fact: Reprehensible rubbish substitutes for what readers most need to know.
"(W)e must man the barricades of freedom…if Ukraine is to remain free," Tymoshenko claimed.
She turned truth on its head saying so. She wants more Western aid. She wants weapons and other military aid.
She wants it straightaway. She wants it to murder Ukrainian freedom fighters.
She wants democracy supporters crushed. She wants hardline fascist rule solidified.
She wants greater opportunities for more grand theft. She wants her share of plundered Ukrainian resources.
She wants her own people exploited. She wants freedom entirely crushed. She wants what most Ukrainians reject.
Perhaps it's just a matter of time before thousands, maybe millions, of Ukrainians nationwide realize they were had.
Perhaps they'll rebel and demand better. Real democracy replacing illegitimate putschist power.
Maybe they'll defeat Obama's imperial ambitions. Maybe handing him another defeat.
Maybe preserving rights too precious to lose. Maybe saving Ukraine at the same time. Maybe achieving real change.
Maybe inspiring others to emulate them. Maybe people everywhere wanting to live free.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
State-Sponsored Terror in Ukraine
State-Sponsored Terror in Ukraineby Stephen LendmanNazism thrives in Ukraine. US-supported fascists govern this way. Democracy is verboten. Opposition isn't tolerated. Freedom is a four-letter word. Putin addressed what's ongoing responsibly.Russi...
Freedom or Fascism
Freedom or Fascism
by Stephen Lendman
Fascist regimes run America and Ukraine. Democracy is pure fantasy. Monied interests control things. People have no say.
Fundamental freedoms don't matter. They're trampled on. They're crushed. Ukraine is Obama's latest imperial trophy. Holding it is another matter entirely.
Democracy was systematically quashed. Washington elevated fascist putschists to power.
They're unelected. They're radicalized ultranationalists. They're overt anti-Semites. They're militant thugs. They have no legitimacy whatever.
They're convenient US stooges. They're puppets. They take orders from Washington.
They masquerade as politicians. They represent mob rule. They make mafia bosses look saintly by comparison.
Growing thousands of Eastern Ukrainians resist. They reject Kiev fascists. They do so for good reason.
Maybe their Western counterparts will join them. Maybe a national convulsion will erupt.
Freedom is too precious to lose. Nothing remains without it. Ordinary people are putting their bodies on the line to save it.
They're doing so courageously. They deserve worldwide support. They represent model resistance for others to emulate.
Kiev putschists have no legitimacy. They're waging war on their own people. They're doing it no-holds-barred.
They're murdering people in cold blood. They're doing it at Washington's urging.
Gangsterism reflects official US policy. Accountability is absent. Permanent war is longstanding. Peace is pure illusion.
Governance is secretive, ruthless and lawless. It's dressed up to look respectable in legal mumbo jumbo.
Monied interests run things. Duopoly power represents it. Checks and balances don't exist.
Nor separation of powers. Nor government of, by and for everyone equitably. Claiming otherwise is fantasy.
Corporate-controlled media manipulate people duplicitously.
Managed news misinformation rubbish substitutes for real news, information and analysis.
"Dollar imperialism, threats, bribes, and wars are" ways America pursues unchallenged global hegemony, says Paul Craig Roberts.
At stake is world peace. It's democracy or fascism. It's rule of law governance or tyranny.
It's freedom or serfdom. It's societies fit or unfit to live in. It's life or death. It's survival or demise.
Ordinary people must decide. Preserving constitutional protections requires fighting for them. Doing so means challenging ruthless authority.
Today's America is militarized. At federal, state and local levels. Police state lawlessness reflects it.
Neocons infest Washington. Bipartisan criminals run things. They're complicit with bankers, war profiteers and other corporate crooks.
Rotten to the core gangsterism reflects US policy. It's a malignancy in America's heartland. It's self-destructive. Its dark side endangers everyone.
Dissent is increasingly challenged. So is free expression. Without it, all other rights may die.
Privilege is defended. Popular needs don't matter. Social justice is suffocating in plain sight. So are precious civil and human rights.
Elections when held don't matter. They're farcical. Half the electorate usually opts out.
It bears repeating. Democracy is pure illusion. It's excluded from ballots. Monied interests are permanently empowered.
Hot, financial and political wars are waged for profit. For unchallenged dominance. For top-down control.
For hardening it extrajudicially. Under Washington rules. Constitutional ones don't matter.
For institutionalizing tyranny. For preventing fundamental freedoms. So-called Democrats are indistinguishable from Republicans.
They're two sides of the same coin. Longstanding bipartisan policy is horrific. It mocks legitimacy.
It's pro-war, anti-peace, anti-democracy, anti-freedom, pro-business, anti-populist, anti-labor, anti-general welfare, and anti-rule of law governance.
It's polar opposite what everyone deserves. It reveals America's dark. Resisting tyranny is a universal right.
Electoral participation won't do it. Corrupted monied interests make policy. Inequality is unprecedented. So is repressive governance.
Change is possible. Disruptive power works. Popular struggles reflect it. Ordinary people can make a difference.
They have power when using it. Collective defiance is required. Sustaining it. For the long haul.
For total commitment. For fundamental rights. For ones too precious to lose.
In February, Washington toppled Ukraine's legitimate government. It elevated fascist putschists to power.
They masquerade as legitimate. Washington extends full support. So do media scoundrels. They defend the indefensible. They back what demands rejection.
Kiev declared war on its own people. Fascist regimes operate this way.
Fighting rages in Slavyansk. Loud blasts reflect it. So does heavy gunfire.
Full-scale military operations continue. In Slavyansk. In Kramatorsk. In northern Donetsk region.
On Sunday, fighting escalated. Ukrainian forces tried dismantling self-defense posts. Casualty numbers aren't known.
RT International stringer Graham Phillips reported military action around Slavyansk's outskirts.
"There had been repeated blasts, and we have reports that the Ukrainian military is on all sides of the city, he said.
"We have heavy fighting to the east of the city. I went there several hours ago, and we had gunfire breaking out by eight o'clock."
"We had reports of the Ukrainian military moving in at that side."
"We got reports that they are moving in from the south, north and also action at the airfield at Kramatorsk."
"There is a conflict between the Ukrainian army and pro-Donetsk forces there."
Phillips reported "loud blasts, explosions…reverberations of gunfire ricocheting around the city."
"The gunfire is a fabric of daily life now in Slavyansk, but this is the heaviest fighting I've heard in Slavyansk since I got here over a month ago," he said.
Ukraine doubled its area forces, he believes.
"(W)hat you see now seems to be the sharpest and strongest action yet on their part to try to retake the city, which has been in the hands of these pro-Donetsk activists since April 12," he added.
Slavyansk People's Mayor Vyacheslav Ponomaryov said "(t)he city came under fire (Saturday) afternoon and continued throughout the night."
"Our self-defense force joined the fighting and eliminated up to seven attackers."
Ukraine's military uses heavy weapons. They include tanks, artillery, mortars, and helicopter gunships.
Their forces "tr(ied) to advance further inside the city," said Ponomaryov. "We are not letting them do that but keep them in the outskirts."
Miroslav Rudenko is Donetsk People's Republic co-chairman. He's deputy self-defense force commander.
He reported full-scale hostilities around Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. Fighting began Saturday. It continued Sunday. "Things got pretty tough," he said.
Kiev National Guard extremists killed at least 10 Ukrainian soldiers.
They refused to attack their own people. They tried defecting.
Stella Khorosheva is Ponomaryov's spokeswoman. She confirmed what happened.
Other Ukrainian soldiers are increasingly displeased. They're angry. They reject waging war on their own people.
Self-defense fighters met some near Kramatorsk. Their spokesman said they "don't want war. They don't want to shoot or kill anyone."
"Many come from our region. But they refuse to surrender. They have to obey orders."
They're poorly treated. They're ill-fed. Other Ukrainian soldiers defected. They joined self-defense forces. National Guard troops were sent in. Its commander said:
"As a result of the treachery of a group of regular soldiers who had taken an oath of loyalty to the Donetsk People's Republic, and in order to prevent bloodshed among conscripted soldiers, the command of the Eastern Territorial Operational Unit of the Ukrainian National Guard decided to redeploy personnel with armaments to Military Compound No. 2 of military unit 3037."
Right Sector thugs and foreign mercenaries are involved. They're in black uniforms. Without insignia. They operate separately from Ukraine's military.
They're ruthless killers. They target civilians. They murder in cold blood.
The so-called Kiev Maidan council said "volunteers" operate with National Guard forces. They're "defend(ing) Ukraine."
They "form(ed) various government security units within the shortest period of time and fill(ed) them with patriots who will mount an armed defense of Ukraine's territorial integrity and independence."
"They'll maintain public order in non-combat areas, form a reserve and provide material and technical aid to regular battalions."
They're on the wrong side. They're defending fascism. Doing so wages war on freedom.
Dozens of CIA and FBI operatives in Ukraine direct them. They represent Washington lawlessness.
Hopefully self-defense forces will triumph. They're fully engaged. They're committed to do so.
They won't roll over for fascists. They'll fight what needs to be eliminated. Maybe many more thousands will join them.
Maybe mass rebellion will erupt. Maybe it'll rout Ukraine's cancer. Maybe it'll restore democratic rights.
Maybe Obama bit off more than he can chew. He lost every war he waged. Imagine Ukraine turning out to be his Waterloo.
Imagine defeating his imperial agenda. Imagine worldwide joy. Imagine peace replacing war.
Imagine what's vitally needed to save us. It can't happen a moment too soon.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
India’s Sham Democracy
India's Sham Democracy
by Stephen Lendman
India is like America. Democracy is fantasy. Two major parties dominate.
In India most often. Others compete. At most, some become junior coalition partners.
Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governance control things. They take turns. They're largely two sides of the same coin.
Indian elections ran in nine phases. From April 7 to May 12. The longest election in Indian history. Over 800 million were eligible to vote.
Over 8,000 candidates competed. They did so for India's Lok Sabha. It's House of the People. Its lower house. Parliamentarians represent 543 constituencies.
Turnout exceeded 66%. Highest ever for general elections. On May 16, results were announced.
Ruling Congress party candidates were trounced. They won 44 of 554 seats. BJP aspirants won a majority 282 seats. The BJP National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 336 seats.
Money power triumphs no matter who wins. Like in America. In Europe. In Israel. Most elsewhere . Democracy is fantasy.
Narendra Modi is India's new prime minister. He's no democrat. Or agent of change.
He's pro-business writ large. He's notoriously anti-populist. He's neoliberally one-sided. He represents strongman rule. His Gujarat tenure was ruthless.
He was responsible for its 2002 massacre. Up to 2,000 Muslims were slaughtered. Thousands more were injured. Hundreds went missing.
Children were burned alive. Rape and other atrocities were committed. Widespread looting occurred. Property destruction was vast.
Modi initiated what happened. He condoned it. He remains unaccountable. In 2012, a Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team cleared him of involvement.
Muslims justifiably were enraged. Cold-blooded mass murder was whitewashed. State terrorism triumphed. Perhaps more of the same ahead with Modi in charge.
Not according to New York Times editors. They headlined "With Narendra Modi, a Change in India."
They praised what demands denunciation. They lied claiming Modi's victory "reflects a changing country more willing to extend governance to those outside the established elite."
Obama congratulated him. He invited him to Washington. Modi promised "economic revival."
"He set a good tone…(He) promised to work for the good of all Indians," said Times editors. He omitted explaining which ones he means.
Wall Street Journal editors headlined "India's Modi Moment," saying:
"(H)e has a rare mandate to enact (greater) market-opening reforms" than already. "Indian equities soared…"
"Mr. Modi's record offers reason for optimism." He's an "archetypal energetic executive…(He) welcomes foreign investment."
"He has a gut sense of the economic aspirations of ordinary Indians."
"Picking (men) of ideas to balance his own strength as a man of action would be a winning combination."
Washington Post editors called Modi "a compelling alternative as a leader with a record of overseeing a decade-long boom in the state of Gujarat, primed by aggressively tackling infrastructure and energy bottlenecks, paring excessive regulation and attracting private investment."
"He has promised to do the same for the country at large, sketching ambitious plans for new cities linked by bullet trains."
Arundhati Roy calls India's model one "designed to uphold the consensus of the elite for market growth" at the expense of fairness.
It "metastasized into something dangerous." High-level corruption reflects it. So does hardline rule.
Roy compared Hindu persecution of Muslims to Hitler's treatment of Jews. "What kind of India do they want," she asked earlier?
She described a "limbless, headless, soulless torso left bleeding under the butcher's clever with a flag driven deep into her mutilated heart?"
She commented on India's election, saying:
"…"(W)e're always told there's going to be a trickle-down revolution."
"You know, that kind of opening up of the economy that happened in the early '90s was going to lead to an inflow of foreign capital, and eventually the poor would benefit."
"Well, trickle down hasn't worked, but gush up has. After the opening up of the economy, we are in a situation where…100 of India's wealthiest people own 25 percent of the GDP."
"Whereas more than 80 percent of its population lives on less than half a dollar a day."
Roy noted horrendous malnutrition, hunger and human misery.
India's growing middle class comes at the expense of a "much larger (permanent) underclass."
Small farmers among others suffer. Around 250,000 committed suicide. "If you try to talk about (it) on Indian television channels, you actually get insulted…"
Roy's new book is titled "Capitalism: A Ghost Story." It explains well. It makes a strong case. It shows globalized capitalism created unprecedented inequality, violence, racism and ecocide.
Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian/journalist/sharp critic of New Delhi policy.
He called BJP candidates winning decisively a clear mandate. He's not encouraged. He expects worse of what voted rejected ahead.
He commented on Hinduism's strong pro-Israeli sentiment. "Hindutva and Zionism shared a muscular nationalism that developed - because of their context - a programmatic apathy to Islam and Muslims," he said.
In 1884, BJP candidates won two seats. This year "the tide turned," said Prashad.
It did so despite Modi's genocidal legacy. Anti-Congress sentiment mattered more.
India has "a powerful Hindu Right government with a very weak opposition," Prashad added. "It is the worst of all worlds."
Congress prioritized neoliberal policies. They combined "liberalization, privatization and globalization."
Prashad calls it "an explosive mix that brought India in line with the planet's rising inequality."
It's grown steadily for years. Especially so in the new millennium. Extreme depravation affects around "680 million Indians."
Congress policies exacerbated things. Inequality escalated during its tenure. Voters reacted.
Its candidates were rejected. BJP ones replaced them and then some. Both parties represent monied elites. Corruption is deep-seated.
BJP and Congress largely govern the same way. Prashad said Modi's Gujarat "malnutrition rate is so high that it is worse than the average…in sub-Saharan Africa."
Its development model is exclusively pro-business. Modi family-controlled companies profit handsomely.
He "ran as a development candidate with a carefully calibrated argument," said Prashad.
He turned truth on its head. He claimed neoliberalism didn't create inequality. He blamed corruption. He "tied it to the mast of Congress."
He rode an anti-ruling party wave. He did so successfully. He reflects hard right Hindu nationalist extremism.
He'll form his government going forward. He'll have to decide whether it's "the ideology he concealed in plain sight or from the campaign rhetoric…he delivered," said Prashad.
Election results showed India's left considerably weakened. Its alternative is rebuilding "strength outside parliament through popular political struggles," Prashad stressed.
Did ordinary Indians get what they wanted, he asked? Was it "good governance or Hindu nationalism?"
On the one hand, they get what they voted for, good or bad.
On the other, they're stuck with the worst of both worlds they deplore. Hardline pro-business Hindu nationalists are empowered for the next five years.
For hundreds of millions of deeply impoverished Indians, it'll feel like a lifetime.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Donetsk, Lugansk, Kharkov Opt Out of Sham May 25 Elections
Donetsk, Lugansk, Kharkov Opt Out of Sham May 25 Elections
by Stephen Lendman
They mock legitimate ones. Choices exclude democracy. Fascist ones alone will compete.
Results are largely pre-determined. No matter who wins, ordinary Ukrainians lose.
Eastern regions won't participate. Days earlier, Donetsk and Lugansk leaders opted out. On May 18, Kharkov's Yuri Apukhtin said:
His "region will hold a referendum on independence following Donetsk and Lugansk."
"Our task is not to participate in Ukrainian presidential elections in any case."
"We should meet on this square on May 25. We do not recognise these elections."
On May 17, second round sham national unity talks were held in Kharkov. Freedom-fighter activists were excluded from participating.
Pro-coup supporters alone were invited. Apukhtin justifiably criticized what everyone should denounce.
On Sunday, Sergey Lavrov spoke to his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Russia's Foreign Ministry said:
They "expressed concern about the continuing clashes and agreed that the situation must be de-escalated urgently."
"The violence should be stopped in order to avoid further fatalities and favorable conditions should be created for a truly comprehensive national dialogue on constitutional reform."
\
They discussed "the importance of roundtable discussions, taking into account that the interests of the country's southeastern regions must be duly represented."
Steinmeier said Western countries should avoid confrontation with Russia over Ukraine.
At the same time, he faced Bundestag criticism. Various members oppose Berlin's anti-Russian policies. Ones harming German interests.
Both countries are major trading partners. They want nothing interfering with business. They want Ukrainian crisis conditions resolved diplomatically.
Steinmeier promised support. He can't guarantee success, he said.
He's concerned about sanctions. He calls them "dead end" policy. He fears "we will all have to bear the costs."
Days earlier, Chancellor Angela Merkel attended a campaign event. She was roundly booed. Protesters oppose her agenda.
Signs read "Europe is strong only with Russia." "Stop the Nazis in Ukraine."
German industrial giants reacted sharply to sanctions. They want longstanding valued business relations protected.
A leaked German-Russian Chamber of Foreign Trade letter said:
"Deeper economic sanctions would lead to a situation where contracts would increasingly be given to domestic firms, projects would be suspended or delayed by the Russian side, and Russian industry and politicians would turn to Asia, in particular China."
German and other European firms fear losing market share. They're concerned about "longterm and sustained irreparable damage."
They want East/West squabbles handled politically, not economically or financially. They want nothing harming their bottom line interests.
Over 6,000 German companies do business in Russia. Around 300,000 German jobs are at stake.
Germany's Economic Minister/Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel largely blamed Russia for Ukrainian crisis conditions. He admitted flawed EU policy.
"It was certainly not smart to create the impression in Ukraine that it had to decide between Russia and the EU," he said.
John Laughland heads the Paris-based Institute of Democracy and Cooperation.
"The West is engaged in all-out ideological and geopolitical struggle with Russia, which it intends to win," he said.
"There are all sorts of things Europe can do. It can ratchet up what it's already done."
"It can publish longer lists of people who are subject to personal sanctions."
"It will definitely abandon the visa liberalization program, which Russia has been requesting for nearly a decade now."
"And it can even reduce economic exchanges. Russia should not be under any illusions."
"The European elites are prepared to cut off their nose to spite their face."
"In other words, they are prepared to undergo or make other people undergo severe economic pain in order to justify and entrench their ideological hostility to Russia."
In some ways perhaps. Not others. Nothing harming valued economic ties. Business wants bottom line interests protected.
Politicians depend on its support. They won't bite valued hand feeding them. Other than token anti-Russian policies largely too minor to matter.
Washington may be tougher. Despite domestic business opposition. US/Russian trade is small compared to Europe's.
Whether losses can be made up elsewhere remains to be seen.
Moscow and Beijing are close to consummating a "Holy Grail" trade deal. It'll bond both countries more closely together. It'll do so politically and economically.
They'll trade increasingly in their own currencies. They'll bypass dollar transactions. They'll weaken it doing so.
Russia will supply China with around 38 billion cubic million meters of natural gas annually. It'll do do for the next 30 years.
Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said supplies could rise up to 60 billion cubic meters annually. It depends on Beijing's needs going forward.
Northwest and Northeast pipelines will ship Russian gas. They'll feed China's huge appetite.
Last year, it imported 53 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Putin's visit is his first since Xi Jinping became president in March 2013.
Both countries are close to a whopper of a trade deal. It's "98% ready," said Russian Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovksy.
On May 20, Putin arrives in China. Top Russian political and business officials are coming with him.
They include Gazprom's Miller. Annual Sino/Russian trade runs around $100 billion. It'll increase going forward.
Both countries are major trading partners. Worsening US relations solidifies stronger ties.
Putin and China's Xi Jinping reached consensus months earlier.
China's Deputy Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping said companies from both nations discussed pricing.
"We will strive to get (them) to (finalize deal terms and have things) witnessed by both state leaders while Putin is in China," he said.
At the same time, coup-appointed Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia urged tougher sanctions.
He wants what he called "preventative ones." He wants what EU countries won't impose. Valued economic ties won't be jeopardized.
Alexey Pushkov is Russia's lower house State Duma International Relations Committee Chairman.
"There will be an election in Ukraine," he said.
"The question is, however, whether Donetsk and Lugansk will participate in it."
"Evidently not but that's got nothing to with Russia. It’s the free choice of the population of those regions."
"I hope that after the election, more pragmatic politicians will come to power in Kiev, who will realize that the problems facing Ukraine cannot be solved without Russia."
Post- election, they'll have to deal with Russia, he added. Confrontation is self-defeating.
"The price of gas, the export of Ukrainian goods, the tariffs, the contracts needed to keep lots of Ukrainian industries running."
"They will have to discuss all those issues with us. Without Russia, and this is acknowledged both in Germany and France, there is no solving the Ukrainian crisis."
On Sunday, RT International said Kiev forces targeted Russian journalists Oleg Sidyankin and Marat Saichenko.
They're LifeNews employees. They were attacked last week. They escaped unharmed. At the time, they were with RT's Ruptly video crew.
On May 18, Ukrainian forces confronted them. They arrested them. They harassed them. They handcuffed them. They detained them.
They're missing. Their whereabouts is unknown. Communication was cut off. Before abduction, Sidyankin text-messaged "things look bad."
EuroMaidan posted their photos on Twitter. A caption read: "Lifenews employees captured near Kramatorsk."
Sidyankin was wounded earlier. Saichenko is a prominent photojournalist/cameraman. Earlier he worked during Libyan and Syrian conflicts.
He photographed oligarch Mkhail Khordorkovsky in prison. He was the first person to do it. He gained prominence at the time.
He and Sidyankin are endangered. Fascists give free people everywhere cause for concern.
LifeNews asked Lavrov for help. General Director Ashot Gabrelyanov issued a statement, saying:
"We bring to your attention the fact that a LifeNews TV crew of reporter Oleg Sidyakin and cameraman Marat Saichenko went missing on May 18, while on an editorial mission to cover developments in the southeast of Ukraine."
"Journalists of LifeNews TV channel were in Ukraine legally, and were working in accordance with international rules without violating law."
"We ask you to help free journalists of a Russian television channel."
They'll likely need plenty. Fascists give no quarter. Police states operate this way.
Kiev putschists resemble Nazi era thugs. No one in Ukraine is safe with them in charge.
Eliminating them is top priority. Restoring democracy matters most. Courageous Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters aim to do so.
They deserve universal support! Their struggle is ours! It's everyone's wanting to live free!
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukraine’s Fascist Roots
Ukraine's Fascist Roots
by Stephen Lendman
US-installed putschists are fascist extremists. Elevating them to power should scare everyone.
Ukraine is the epicenter of European fascist reemergence. It's a freedom-destroying cancer.
It threatens world peace. It risks global conflict. It doesn't surprise. Its roots are deep.
Washington offers full support. It's longstanding. It dates from 1945. Svoboda and Right Sector parties are modern-day Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) heirs.
Its Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) leaders were Nazi collaborators. They fought with Hitler's Waffen SS Galician Division.
Their forces massacred hundreds of thousands. Their hero was Stepan Bandera. He headed OUN-B. It terrorized Ukrainian and Polish Jews.
His legacy thrives in Ukraine today. His heirs openly display his OUN-B red and black flag. They enjoy full US support.
Svoboda's slogan is "Ukraine for Ukrainians." Bandera said the same thing. He wanted Ukraine made ethnically pure. Mass extermination followed.
Svoboda earlier called itself Socialist-Nationalists. It bears erie resemblance to Hitler's National Socialism. It reflects fascism writ large.
Svoboda openly calls for "creat(ing) a truly Ukrainian Ukraine in the cities of the East and South."
"We will need to cancel parliamentarism, ban all political parties, nationalise the entire industry, all media, prohibit the importation of any literature to Ukraine from Russia."
"Completely replace the leaders of the civil service, education management, military (especially in the East)."
"Physically liquidate all Russian-speaking intellectuals and all Ukrainophobes (fast, without a trial shot. Registering Ukrainophobes can be done here by any member of Svoboda)."
"Execute all members of the anti-Ukrainian political parties."
Svoboda straightaway abolished Russian-speaker minority rights. It targets Jews, ethnic Russians and opposition elements.
Its manifesto calls for "carry(ing) out a broad public discussion about the meaning of Ukrainian pluralism for the future of Europe, Russia and the world."
Its aim is undermining Russian Eurasian influence. It wants fundamental freedoms destroyed. It wants hardline rule replacing it.
Democracy is strictly verboten. Hooliganism is longstanding strategy. Unrestrained violence reflects it. Opposition elements are targeted for elimination.
Post-WW II, Washington began cooperating with Ukrainian fascists. OUN-B leader Mykola Lebed (1909 - 1998) openly collaborated with Nazis.
He was responsible for massive Volhynia and Eastern Galicia Polish ethnic cleansing.
In 1949, he emigrated to America. He did so with CIA/State Department help.
He lived in New York. His CIA-funded Prolog Research Corporation spied on Soviet Russia.
In his book titled "The OUN, the UPA and the Holocaust: A Study in the Manufacturing of Historical Myths," Per Rudling said:
"During the early Cold War, extreme nationalism and fascism were retooled and employed by Western intelligence services in the struggle against the USSR."
"One CIA analyst argued that 'some form of nationalist feeling continues to exist (in Ukraine)…"
"There is an obligation to support it as a cold war weapon."
According to Rudling, CIA and State Department officials collaborated with OUN members.
They sponsored them. They brought them to America. They shielded them from war crimes prosecutions.
They helped them gain "positions of of influence and authority, assisting their creation of semi-academic institutions and/or academic positions at established universities," said Rudling.
They whitewashed their WW II crimes. They transformed them into Ukrainian heroes.
During Viktor Yushchenko's illegitimate Orange Revolution presidency, institutes of memory management and myth-making were established.
They buried information about OUN/UPA atrocities.
According to Rudling, "(u)nlike many other former Soviet republics, the Ukrainian government did not need to develop new national myths from scratch, but imported ready concepts developed in the Ukrainian diaspora."
Washington calls OUN/UPA and its modern-day heirs "nationalists." It buries their fascist roots. It ignores their criminal past.
Rudling was clear and unequivocal saying:
"The OUN shared the fascist attributes of antiliberalism, anticonservatism, and anticommunism, an armed party, totalitarianism, anti-Semitism, Führerprinzip, and the adoption of fascist greetings."
"Its leaders eagerly emphasized to Hitler and Ribbentrop that they shared the Nazi Weltanschauung and a commitment to a fascist New Europe."
Racial/ethnic purity was a core ideological element. It remains so today. Washington's alliance with hard right extremist groups is longstanding.
Political analyst Caleb Maupin said decades before European fascism, Ku Klux Klan elements were state-sponsored in former slave-holding states.
It wasn't the only fascist organization Washington embraced, said Maupin. Post-WW I, American Legion leaders were openly fascist.
So were prominent US industrialists like Henry Ford. Fascism thrives in today's America. It reflects its dark side.
It emerged post-WW I. At the time, Western civilization was called decadent and destructive. It was in decline, critics said.
In his book titled, "The Decline of the West," Oswald Spengler said "liberalism, democracy, socialism (and) free-masonry" weakened it. Fascism alone could save it, he claimed.
In his essay titled, "Fascism: Doctrine and Institutions," Mussolini said, "Fascism denies, in democracy, the absurd conventional untruth of political equality dressed out in the garb of collective responsibility."
He called it Marxism's "complete opposite." In class struggle for social progress and justice, he added.
"Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of State and corporate power," he stressed.
His definition applies now. Corporatism's alliance with political Washington reflects his ideology. It built for decades.
It's deeply entrenched. It reflects Washington's bipartisan agenda. Its criminal class runs things.
Huey Long once said fascism will arrive "wrapped in an American flag." In his book titled, "Friendly Fascism," Bertram Gross called Ronald Reagan its prototype ruler.
He described a slow, powerful "drift toward greater concentration of power and wealth in a repressive Big Business-Big Government."
It reflects a Big Brother alliance. It leads "toward a new and subtly manipulative form of corporatist serfdom." Its friendly face conceals its dark side.
In the 1930s, George Seldes saw it coming. He worried about New Deal policies eroding.
In his 1934 book titled, "Iron, Blood and Profits," he discussed a "world-wide munitions racket."
He cited WW I militarists. He named weapons makers in Europe and America.
He called them "merchants of death." They promote "imperialism (and) colonization - by means of war."
"(T)he healthfulness of the business depends on slaughter. The more wars," the more profits.
His 1943 book titled "Facts and Fascism" explained "Fascism on the Home Front" in Part One. It's called "The Big Money and the Big Profits in Fascism."
In Parts Two and Three, he discussed "Native Fascist Forces" in industry and his day's media. It was a shadow of today's propaganda machine.
Print and radio's early days alone existed. Television was years away.
In his 1935 novel titled, "It Can't Happen Here," Sinclair Lewis saw fascism coming in hard times.
It'll be led by a charismatic leader, he said. A self-styled reformer/populist champion. A con man exploiting human misery.
He recounted Merzelium "Buzz" Windrip's rise to power. His promise to restore prosperity equitably was duplicitous. His alliance with corporatist interests and religious ideologues remained hidden.
He capitalized on hard times. He instituted militarism. He established unconstitutional governance.
He convened military tribunals. He did so for civilians and nonbelievers. He called them traitors.
He solidified hardline rule. He institutionalized tyranny. He put political enemies in concentration camps.
He created Minute Men paramilitaries. They terrorized opposition elements.
He destroyed democracy. He abolished constitutional freedoms. He declared martial law.
He usurped dictatorial powers. He circumvented Congress. He made himself supreme ruler.
Lewis said it can happen here. Today it's institutionalized. It rules America.
It runs Ukraine. Svoboda and Right Sector parties have enormous power.
Their members hold key ministerial positions. Previous articles discussed Obama's new friends. They include a rogue's gallery of societal misfits.
They're militant fascists. They're thugs. They're criminals.
They're illegitimate putschists. They're xenophobic, hate-mongering, ultranationalist anti-Semites.
Combined they represent mob rule. They make mafia bosses look saintly by comparison.
For the first time since WW II, overt fascists have real power in Europe. They hold major government posts.
In December 2012, European parliamentarians expressed concern about "rising nationalistic sentiment in Ukraine."
They called Svoboda members "racist, anti-Semitic and xenophobic." They're polar opposite "EU's fundamental values," the added.
They "appeal(ed) to pro-democratic parties in (Ukraine's legislature) not to associate with, endorse, or form coalitions with" these elements.
That was then. This is now. EU officials openly support what they condemned. They do so unapologetically.
They march in lockstep with Washington hardliners. They mock democratic values they claim to support.
Olexander Turchynov serves as illegitimate president/parliament speaker. He's a political opportunist.
He's Ukrainian armed forces commander-in-chief. He's Batkivshchyna/All-Ukrainian Union/Fatherland party deputy chairman.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk serves as Ukraine's illegitimate prime minister. He's super-rich.
He's a former central banker/economy/foreign minister/ parliament (Verkhovna Rada) speaker.
He's a Batkivshchya/All-Ukrainian Union (Fatherland) leader. He sold out for greater wealth and power.
He serves Washington, EU interests and Western bankers. Paying them comes first. Ukrainians bear the burden.
Exploiting them irresponsibly is official policy. So is plundering Ukraine for profit. Selling its state enterprises at fire sale prices.
Strip-mining its state resources. Hollowing out its economy. Wrecking it entirely.
Creating a protracted Greek-style Depression. Making ordinary people suffer most. Cracking down hard on nonbelievers.
Andriy Parubiy co-founded the ultranationalist neo-Nazi Social National party. It's now called Svoboda. He did so with Oleh Tyahnybok.
Right Sector hard right neo-Nazi hate-mongering anti-Semite Dmytro Yarosh is his deputy. He openly boasts about "...fighting Jews and Russians till I die."
He calls Russia Ukraine's "eternal enemy." He said war between both countries is inevitable.
Right Sector neo-Nazis are the worst of Ukrainian extremists. On May 2, they massacred 300 Odessan civilians in cold blood.
They did so inside Odessa's Trade Union House building. They hunted down survivors and murdered them.
They're gun-toting, radicalized terrorists. Imagine them and likeminded scoundrels in charge of Ukraine's government.
Imagine Obama embracing them. They're cold-blooded killers. State terrorism defines their agenda. Elements opposing them are targeted for elimination.
Oleh Tyahnybok heads Svoboda. He's a force to be reckoned with. He reflects fascism writ large. He openly claims determination to crush "Russkie-Yid mafia" elements Ukraine.
Parubiy serves as Kiev's Secretary of National Security and Defense Council. He oversees Ukraine's Defense Ministry and armed forces.
He directed months earlier Right Sector Maidan violence. Other Svoboda/Right Sector officials hold influential ministerial posts.
Obama's new friends are fascist extremists. Their agenda makes peace activists cringe. They threaten civil war. Regional conflict could follow. They risk spreading it globally.
Yatsenyuk vowed never to give up "a centimeter" of Ukraine to Russia. "This is our land," he said. "Our fathers and grandfathers have spilled their blood for this land."
"And we won't budge a single centimeter from (it). Let Russia and its president know this."
Washington pledged full support. Obama pledged financial aid. Doing so violates US law. It doesn't matter.
Parubiy wants all he can get. He wants "immediate US military aid," he said. On May 15, he got feature Wall Street Journal op-ed space requesting it.
He lied claiming "Putin's goal is to destroy the independent Ukrainian state…"
"(B)ecause it had the courage to choose a better future with Europe," he said.
He called UN Charter recognized self-determination "illegal." He said so regarding Crimea's legitimate reunification with Russia.
He turned truth on its head claiming Putin "stirr(ed) up separatist movements in multiple regions of Ukraine in the hope of annexing even more Ukrainian territory."
Ukraine "can't do everything on its own," he said. It's "a peaceful nation," he claimed.
It's waging war without mercy on its own people. Burying truth is longstanding fascist policy.
Parubiy want US military aid. He wants weapons, "modern equipment," and training. He wants all he can get. He enjoys Journal editorial support.
He and likeminded ideologues turned Ukraine into a fascist police state. It's an eastern cauldron of violence.
Paribiy deplores peace. He wants conflict escalated. He ludicrously claims Western military aid can "regain stability."
Enhancing Ukrainian might can "withstand Russia('s) (nonexistent) aggression." He wants powerful weapons supplied.
He wants "tools to defend our nation." He wants them despite no existing threat. He wants them for lawless aggression.
He wants eastern opposition elements crushed. He wants them slaughtered in cold blood.
He wants Washington partnering with his crimes. He risks global conflict.
He and likeminded ideologues may start WW III. Stopping them matters most.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Sacking NYT Executive Editor Jill Abramson
Sacking NYT Executive Editor Jill Abramson
by Stephen Lendman
In September 2011, she succeeded Bill Keller. On May 14, The Times headlined "Times Ousts Jill Abramson as Executive Editor, Elevating Dean Baquet."
It reflects "an abrupt change of leadership." Times chairman/publisher Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. claimed "an issue with management in the newsroom."
Times staff familiar with her relationship with Sulzberger suggested she was "polarizing and mercurial." She "clash(ed) with (managing editor) Baquet.
He was "angered" over Abramson's "job offer" to senior London Guardian editor Janine Gibson. She wanted her as "co-managing editor."
"Conflict between them arose." Sulzberger got involved. He decided earlier to sack her. On May 15, he appointed Baquet executive editor.
"(N)either side (explained) detail(s) about Abramson's firing," said The Times. She was its first female executive editor in its 160-year history.
In 1997, she joined the broadsheet. She served as Washington bureau chief. As managing editor.
Earlier she was a Wall Street Journal correspondent/reporter/deputy bureau chief. The American Lawyer staff reporter.
The same capacity at Time magazine. As Legal Times editor-in-chief. She taught at Princeton. She's an American Academy of Arts and Sciences fellow.
As an undergraduate, she was arts editor of the Harvard Independent.
In 2012, Forbes named her its fifth most powerful woman. She ranked after German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, and Melinda Gates.
Michelle Obama ranked seventh. IMF chief Christine Lagarde was eighth.
Baquet is The Times first African-American executive editor. He promised staff he'd "listen hard…be hands on…be engaged…walk the room. That's the only way I know how to edit," he said.
David Bromwich is Yale University Professor of Literature. On May 15, he headlined "After 9/11: The Stories We Tell and the Stories We Don't."
He writes on civil liberty issues. About "America's wars of choice." About its "continuous engagement in multiple wars."
"And if not wars, then widely distributed black-op killings, in faraway places where (America claims having an) interest."
Officially it's called counterterrorism. Their alleged terrorism, not ours.
Bromwich called civil liberty wars "poisonous." Fundamental freedoms are destroyed. "(T)hings come up every day," he said.
He addressed Abramson's sacking. He cited Sulzberger's claimed reasons. They "seem credible enough," he said.
"(A)nd yet, the same qualities were compatible with (lots) of her predecessors." It begs the question. Why was Abramson sacked and not them?
It's unlikely for her management style. She learned former executive editor Bill Keller earned more than she did. She asked for a raise. Likely comparable pay and benefits.
It sounds credible, said Brownwich. Hardly reason to sack her. Or wanting a co-managing editor. As executive editor, it was her call.
Nothing suggested she was wrong. Executives make important decisions. It's their job. They get fired for serious bad ones. Ones adversely affecting profits.
Abramson likely thought added managing editor strength would boost Times readership. It was her call to make. No reason to sack her.
Something else led Sulzberger to do so. Other than what he said.
In January, Abramson called Julian Assange and Edward Snowden heroes.
"I view (Snowden), as I did Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, as a very good source of extremely newsworthy information," she said.
The Times didn't cover his revelations straightaway. At the same time, Abramson didn't avoid controversy.
Months earlier, she called the Obama administration "the most secretive" in her experience.
"I dealt directly with the Bush White House," she said. "(W)hen they had concerns (about) stories (relating) to national security…"
"The Obama administration had seven criminal leak investigations. That is more than twice the number of any previous administration in our history."
"It's on a scale never seen before. This is the most secretive White House that, at least as a journalist, I have ever dealt with."
It reflects direct orders from Obama, she added. In June 2013, she expressed concern over Justice Department officials surveilling reporters.
She said "the process of news gathering is being criminalized." Perhaps her views came home to roost.
Perhaps the real reason for her sacking. Publicly criticizing US policy Times correspondents, commentators and editors defend in print appears cause for dismissal.
It reflects gross hypocrisy. Publishing one thing. Saying something entirely different at times. Bashing the White House The Times deplorably defends in print.
Baquet avoided doing it. As Times managing editor or elsewhere. He was a New Orleans-based Times-Picayune journalist. Then the Chicago Tribune.
In 1990, he became The Times' metropolitan editor. Then a business desk special projects one.
In 2000, he became LA Times managing editor. Then editor-in-chief. In 2007, he returned to the NYT. His positions included Washington bureau chief, national editor, assistant managing editor, managing editor, and now executive editor.
In 2006, he killed an LA Times story about NSA spying on Americans. About wiretapping them. About operating illegally.
About unconstitutional data-mining. About troubling civil liberty violations. About authorizing searches on millions of Americans without court-authorized warrants.
Mark Klein worked for AT&T for 22 years. In 2004, he retired. After doing so, he turned whistleblower.
He revealed blueprints and photographs of NSA's secret room. It's inside the company's San Francisco facility.
Three other whistleblowers submitted affidavits. They explained post-9/11 lawless NSA spying on millions of Americans.
The FBI, CIA, Pentagon, state and local agencies operate the same way.
Spies "R" us defines US policy. America is a total surveillance state. It's unsafe to live in. Everyone is suspect unless proved otherwise.
The 2012 FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act renewed warrantless spying. It passed with little debate.
On December 30, 2012, Obama signed it into law. Doing so largely went unnoticed.
Warrantless spying remains law for another five years. Phone calls, emails, and other communications may be monitored secretly without court authorization.
Probable cause isn't needed. So-called "foreign intelligence information" is sought. Virtually anything qualifies. Vague language is all-embracing.
Constitutional protections don't matter. All major US telecommunications companies are involved.
So are online ones. They have been since 9/11. Things now are worse than then.
One expert said what's ongoing "isn't a wiretap. It's a country-tap." It's lawless.
Congress has no authority to subvert constitutional provisions. Legislation passed has no legitimacy. Constitutional changes require amendments.
The Patriot Act trampled on Bill of Rights protections. Doing so for alleged security doesn't wash. Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment due process rights were compromised.
So were First Amendment freedom of association ones. Fourth Amendment protections from unreasonable searches and seizures were violated. Unchecked sweeping surveillance followed.
So-called "sneak and peak" searches are conducted through "delayed notice" warrants, roving wiretaps, email tracking, as well as Internet and phone use.
Section 215 pertains to alleged suspects, real or contrived. It authorizes government access to "any tangible item."
Included are financial records and transactions, education and medical records, phone conversations, emails, other Internet use, and whatever else Washington wants to monitor.
Individuals and organizations may be surveilled whether or not evidence links them to terrorism or complicity to commit it. In other words, everyone is fair game for any reason or none at all.
Post-9/11, sweeping surveillance became policy. What Bush began, Obama escalated.
Privacy rights are systematically violated. Good journalism requires telling people what they most need to know.
Media scoundrels suppress it. They bury truth. They substitute misinformation rubbish. They lie, distort, mislead, conceal and twist reporting to fit official US policy.
They mock legitimate journalism. They betray its core ethical standards. They shame themselves in the process.
Expect Baquet to continue The Times ignoble tradition. It supports wealth, power and privilege.
It does so at the expense of popular interests. Burying truth and full disclosure. Expect more of the same going forward.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev Waging War on Its Own People
Kiev Waging War on Its Own People
by Stephen Lendman
Imagine Western-supported putschists toppling Ukraine's legitimate government. Imagine usurping power lawlessly.
Imagine fascism replacing democracy. Imagine it with US complicity and support.
Imagine waging war on ordinary people. Ones rejecting putschist power. On freedom fighters.
On Ukraine's best and bravest. On people wanting to live free. For fundamental rights everyone deserves.
Imagine being called terrorists for doing so. On May 16, Kiev declared Donetsk and Lugansk regions "terrorism organizations."
On May 11, they held legitimate referendums. They voted overwhelming for local autonomy. They proclaimed themselves sovereign states.
Kiev's coup-appointed deputy prosecutor general Nikolay Golomsha responded, saying:
"The two so-called 'people's republics' in Donetsk and Lugansk regions are terrorist organizations, which have a clear hierarchy, financing, and channels of weapons supplies."
Kiev's coup-appointed justice minister Pavel Petrenko lied. He wrongfully claimed both regions "were created by assaulting people, intimidation, sabotage, terrorist attacks, beatings, and murder of our citizens."
Criminal cases were initiated, he added. They investigating the "formation of the terrorist organizations."
Activists in both regions are defending their democratic rights. They're doing so courageously.
They're victims, not criminals. They're wrongfully blamed for Kiev crimes.
They continue out-of-control. Kiev declared war. It's attacking its own people. It's killing them in cold blood.
It's doing so with full US support. On May 17, powerful blasts rocked Slavyansk.
Eyewitnesses said local self-defense forces battled Kiev aggression. The battle began in Andreevka village.
Shelling came from Mount Karachun positions. One resident reported blasts feeling like "lightning struck."
Kiev wants hardline rule institutionalized. It wants opposition elements eliminated. It's waging war to crush them. It's doing so lawlessly.
Russia's Foreign Embassy responded. It expressed outrage. It demanded Kiev aggression stop, saying:
"The situation around Slavyansk in the Donetsk region dramatically worsened in the early hours of May 17."
"Ukrainian troops supported by aviation once again attempted to storm the city."
"This time, civilian installations were shelled by heavy artillery."
"Some people were wounded. A real threat to peaceful civilian lives was created. All this provokes Russia's rightful outrage."
"We are insisting once again on the immediate stoppage of military actions by Kiev in the southeastern part of Ukraine."
"Such punitive actions against their own citizens show the hypocrisy of the Kiev authorities who falsely declare their willingness to comply with the provisions of the Geneva Declaration concluded on April 17, 2014 and with the road map, developed by the OSCE."
"The question also arises (whether May 25) election(s) truly meet the democratic norms of the electoral process, when…carried out against the backdrop of the continuing military crisis in Ukraine?"
Moscow wants diplomatic conflict resolution. It wants all fighting halted. It sharply criticized Kiev aggression. It escalated. Its forces attempted to storm Slavyansk.
"There's a real threat to the lives of civilians" said Moscow's Foreign Ministry. "All this arouses rightful indignation in Russia."
Fighting rages during so called national unity talks. They're fake. They have no legitimacy whatever.
Freedom fighters are excluded from participating. Coup supporters alone were invited.
"It seems that the self-proclaimed Ukrainian authorities simply use this forum to cover up their aggressive actions," said Russia's Foreign Ministry.
"We hope that our Western partners will have a drastic influence on Kiev in order to start a real, not ostentatious, work on moving towards national reconciliation in the country."
Washington deplores peace and stability. It prioritizes violence, conquest and control. Chances for diplomatic conflict resolution are nil.
Slavyansk's People's Mayor Vyacheslav Ponomarev said Kiev forces suffered heavy losses. He claimed:
"The total losses of the punitive fascist Kiev junta during May 2 -12, 201 amount to 650 killed and wounded…"
They include "285 Right Sector extremists, who joined the National Guard, 120 Ukrainian mercenaries, 90 employees of the Security Service of Ukraine, and 70 foreign mercenaries."
Self-defense forces lost eight fighters, he added. Three more were wounded.
On May 17, the Donetsk People's Republic prepared a query for joining Russia. Its Prime Minister Alexander Borodai said:
"Our industry is linked with Russia. If we maintain close economic relations with Russia, the Donetsk People's Republic economy will develop."
"The query will be sent to the Russian Foreign Ministry after the republic’s government is formed. The official draft has been prepared."
"It is timely to talk about the concrete date for sending the query."
Days earlier, Co-Chairman Denis Pushilin said:
"We, the people of Donetsk, based on results of the May 11 referendum and the declaration of sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic, declare that from now on DPR is now a sovereign state."
"Given the will of the people of the Donetsk People's Republic, and in order to restore historical justice, we ask Russia to consider the issue of our republic’s accession into the Russian Federation."
On Friday, Right Sector thugs tried seizing Zaporizhia's Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). It's Europe's largest. It's fifth largest worldwide.
It's near Enerhodar. It's in Southeastern Ukraine. It's on the Dnieper River. It includes six VVER-1000 pressurized light water nuclear reactors.
It generates over one-fifth of Ukraine's electricity. Local police detained 20 Right Sector thugs. The previous day, others were captured.
Days earlier, they took over a Ukraine recreation center. Police responded. They seized machine guns and other weapons. They found Right Sector symbols.
On May 9, radicalized elements tried seizing Mariupol's administration building. They were dressed in black. They opened fire on activists guarding the City Executive Committee building.
Latvian European Parliament member Tayyanan Zhdanok addressed fellow MPS. She urged them declare the neo-Nazi Right Sector's movement a terrorist organization.
Asset freezes would follow. They'd be isolated. They'd be denied entry into EU countries.
They'd be wanted. They'd be subject to arrest and imprisonment if captured. According to Zhdanok:
"(I)t is the Ukrainian interim government that is to bear the main responsibility for defeating the Right Sector, as it will have to finally draw a clear line between political organizations and far-right extremists."
"This line is now vague, and a number of state posts are occupied by radicals of fascist views, their reputation besmirched with participation in violent actions against their opponents or law enforcement authorities."
"After the appalling tragedy in Odessa, where Right Sector militants burnt 43 supporters of Ukraine's federalization alive, the need to prohibit the Right Sector became evident."
"And an ordinary ban on its activities is inadequate here. There is a need to defeat this extremist organization, disarming its militants, arresting activists and court trial."
Thousands of Right Sector thugs operate in Eastern Ukraine. They arrived to commit violence and mayhem.
They're targeting area freedom fighters. They're murdering civilians in cold blood.
They're cold-blooded killers. They masquerading as nationalist defenders. They're responsible for massacring 300 Odessans two week earlier.
They're Ukraine's worst, most ruthless and sadistic. They're neo-Nazi thugs. They're polar opposite Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters.
They hold enormous power. They're aligned with likeminded elements. They transformed Ukraine into a fascist police state.
They aim to crush all opposition groups. They want hardline rule institutionalized. They want fundamental freedoms destroyed.
They want what most Ukrainians oppose. Perhaps Western ones will join Eastern counterparts against them.
Perhaps once they learn they were had. Perhaps in the fullness of time. It remains to be seen what follows.
The battle for Ukraine's soul continues. It's not over. It just began. It's got miles to go.
It's for fundamental freedoms. Ones too precious to lose.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Justifying the Unjustifiable
Justifying the Unjustifiable
by Stephen Lendman
Navi Pillay is UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She's a reliable imperial tool. She betrays her mandate. She does so consistently.
She disgraces the office she holds. She twists vital truths irresponsibly. She substitutes misinformation rubbish.
She serves Western interests exclusively. She's up to her old tricks again.
Her new report is titled "Report on the human rights situation in Ukraine." It’s infested with lies. It whitewashes what's most important to reveal.
On the one hand, it totally ignores fascist putschists usurping power. Imposing hardline rule. Governing lawlessly.
Targeting all opposition elements for elimination. Bearing full responsibility for nationwide violence. Especially in Eastern Ukraine.
Waging war on their own people. Murdering them in cold blood. Doing it with full US support. Planning much more ahead.
Intending sham May 25 elections. Holding fake national unity talks. Turning Ukraine into a fascist police state.
Pillay's report didn't surprise. It disgracefully pointed fingers the wrong way.
It reported "an alarming deterioration in the human rights situation in the east of the country, as well as serious problems emerging in Crimea, especially in relation to the Crimean Tatars."
It covered the April 2 - May 6 period. It described "an increasing tendency in some critical urban areas for rallies of opposing groups to be held simultaneously, often leading to violent confrontations."
It noted "repeated acts of violence against peaceful participants of rallies, mainly those in support of Ukraine's unity and against the lawlessness in the cities and villages in eastern Ukraine."
"In most cases, local police did nothing to prevent violence, while in some cases it openly cooperated with the attackers," it said.
It bears repeating. Pillay's report is infested with lies, damn lies, and shocking Big Ones. It accused victims of Kiev crimes.
It said "targeted killings, torture and beatings, abductions, intimidation and some cases of sexual harassment (were) mostly carried out by well-organized and well-armed anti-Government groups in the east."
"The problem has been especially marked in and around the town of Slovyansk, in the Donetsk region, with a group called the 'Slovyansk self-defence unit' heavily implicated."
"Journalists, bloggers and other media personnel either based in the region, or visiting, are facing increasing threats and acts of intimidation, including abduction and unlawful detention by armed groups."
"The struggle for control of the media outlets, and who is able to broadcast where, continues inside Ukraine, particularly in the east."
The report noted "numerous examples of harassment, intimidation and blocked broadcasting in eastern Ukraine and especially in Crimea, where a number of radio and TV stations have had to cease broadcasting altogether."
Reunification made Crimea part of Russia. Crimeans near unanimously approved it.
Not according to Pillay. Her report claimed "legislation of the Russian Federation is being (force-fed) on the 'territory' of Crimea, at variance with UN General Assembly resolution 68/262."
It lied about alleged Tatar persecution. None whatever exists. It turned truth on its head claiming:
- Tatar leaders are denied free movement;
- "cases of physical harassment;"
- "restrictions on Crimean Tatar media;"
- persecuting Muslims;
- delegitimizing and terminating "the work of the Parliament of the Crimean Tatars;"
- thousands of mostly Crimean Tatars "internally displaced in other areas of Ukraine."
- closing Crimea's Ombudsman's office; and
- forcing Crimean-based NGOs to "operate under the law on foreign agents of the Russian Federation."
Russia's Foreign Ministry reacted sharply. It said Pillay's report "actually justifies the criminal punitive operation in the southeast of Ukraine…"
It "conceals casualties among peaceful civilians…"
It irresponsibly blames "pro-Russian forces" for Kiev crimes. For horrific human rights violations.
For state-sponsored terrorism. For war without mercy. For murdering civilians in cold blood. For massacring them in Odessa.
For turning a blind eye to hard facts. For twisting them to fit Washington's agenda.
For "carrying out a political order to whitewash" Kiev putschists' crimes of war and against humanity.
Misreporting Odessa's massacre was especially reprehensible. Kiev bore full responsibility. Victims were blamed for their crimes.
Neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs were unleashed. They had license to mass murder. They took full advantage.
They massacred around 300 Odessans. They did so in cold blood.
They trapped them inside Odessa's Trade Union House (TUH) building. They were waiting for them inside.
They executed them at point blank range. They shot them in the back of the head. They strangled others.
They beat some to death. They threw people out of windows. They hacked some to death with axes.
They murdered a pregnant woman with an electric wire. She cried for help in vain. Women and children were massacred like men.
They set TUH ablaze on two floors to mask their crimes. Fire didn't kill activists inside. Neo-Nazi hoodlums did.
Photographic evidence is damning. So are independent videos. They show mass murder by means other than fire and/or carbon monoxide poisoning.
Some bodies showed multiple gunshot wounds to the back of the head. Coverup and lies concealed what happened.
It bears repeating. Pillay's report blamed victims for Kiev putschist crimes. It ignored their ongoing human rights abuses. It's "delivered as Kiev's official line," said Russia's Foreign Ministry.
It excludes "mention of any manifestation of aggressive nationalism and neo-Nazism in Ukraine." It's scandalous political propaganda.
It's entirely one-sided. It turned truth on its head. It reads like bad fiction.
It exposes Pillay's dark side. She's complicit in high crimes of war and against humanity. She shames the office she holds.
"When the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights pronounced the Crimea referendum as 'illegal' following the suit of Kiev and its Western patrons, it seconded that it accepts a nation's right to self-determination established by international human rights laws only when it is politically favorable," said Russia's Foreign Ministry.
Kiev's war without mercy continues. Donetsk and Slavyansk regions are especially targeted.
Ukrainian forces attacked Russian journalists. They did so near Kramatorsk. According to reporter Oleg Sidyakin:
"We saw that machines were gone and the shooting stopped like half-an-hour ago. We tried to enter (Oktyabrskoe village) to find out what happened to locals, if they needed help, and if there were wounded among them."
"But as we got closer to the outskirts of the village, we ran into an armored troop carrier with a Ukrainian flag on it and armed people in black uniforms."
"We were going in a car with 'TV' stickers, indicating that were are press."
"We stuck hands out of windows, but first there came one shot and then machine gun fire."
"I had to make such decision because I could not put in danger the lives of a driver and a cameraman."
RT International reported Kiev APCs firing on two Ruptly TV journalists. Their car was attacked near Kramatorsk.
APCs "came out of nowhere. (They) opened fire for no apparent reason," they said.
Ruptly journalist Katica Djurovic tweeted "2 BTRs shoot at our car. We were on the main road and they came from small street. Guns made them think they have more traffic right @Ruptly"
A Russian TV Channel 5 crew was in the same car. It avoided it being struck.
The incident followed Ruptly's crew attacked days earlier. Its journalist Fyodor Zavaleykov was shot in Mariupol.
He was filming at the time. He was seriously wounded. He was treated in Ukraine.
He was flown to Moscow for further care. He's stable. He'll survive. Others may not be as lucky.
Hardline fascist forces operate in Eastern Ukraine. They shoot to kill. They give no quarter.
Kiev putschists plan sham May 25 elections. The'll mock legitimate ones when held. Results are largely predetermined. Fascist supporters are sure to win.
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will head Washington's observer team. She has blood on her hands.
She's an unindicted war criminal. She was Clinton's UN envoy and Secretary of State.
She believes NATO should intervene militarily regardless of international law restrictions.
She was criminally involved in America's Balkan wars. She was complicit in genocide against Iraqi civilians.
She's unapologetic. She called murdering over half a million Iraqi children a small price to pay.
Other US observers include International Republican Institute delegates. OSCE ones are coming. So are various pro-Western international organization representatives.
They won't surprise. They'll endorse what demands condemnation. They'll call sham elections legitimate ones. They'll lie saying so.
Alexis Tsipras is a Greek Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) European Parliament chairman aspirant. He debated other candidates on air. He was clear and unequivocal, saying:
"We should not accept and recognize the government of neo-Nazis in Ukraine." He wants Ukrainians able to decide who'll lead them.
In free, fair, open democratic elections. According to rule of law principles. Independently monitored.
"We in the EU should not give preference to changing borders, but must respect the position of the peoples, who had decided to create a Federation within the state," he added.
He advocates East/West dialogue. He denounced military aggression. He called targeting Russia irresponsible. He prioritizes diplomatic conflict resolution.
He said EU nations must change to survive. They lack democracy. Their people don't believe voting matters. Major parties reflect two sides of the same coin.
Monied interests run things. Kiev's election will solidify hardline rule. They'll legitimize the illegitimate. They'll mock government of, by and for everyone equitably.
It's strictly forbidden. Ukrainians will get fascist-imposed governance. They'll have no say. How they'll react remains to be seen.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Terrorizing Palestinian Children
Terrorizing Palestinian Children
by Stephen Lendman
It's longstanding Israeli practice. They're treated like adults. Each year, about 700 are lawlessly arrested.
They're detained. They're brutally interrogated. They're prosecuted in military courts.
They have no legitimacy whatever. They give kangaroos a bad name.
Since 2,000, over 9,000 Palestinian children under age 18 were treated this way. Many became traumatized. No-holds-barred brutality defines official Israeli policy.
On May 12, Defence for Children International Palestine (DCI-P) headlined "Rising numbers of Palestinian children subjected to solitary confinement."
They're isolated for "interrogation purposes," said DCI-P. Over 21% of them are treated this way. It's 2% more than in 2012.
In 2013, DCI-P obtained 98 sworn affidavits. It did so from Palestinian children aged 12 - 17.
Ayed Abu Eqtaish is DCI-P's Accountability Program director. "The use of isolation against Palestinian children as an interrogation tool is a growing trend," he said.
"This is a violation of children's rights and the international community must demand justice and accountability."
DCI-P said interrogating Palestinian children this way aims for forced confessions. They threatened to do so or else.
Isolation ranges from around 10 to 28 days. It continues as long as it takes to terrorize kids to confess to crimes they didn't commit.
Former UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights Richard Falk condemned the practice earlier.
"This pattern of abuse by Israel is grave," he said.
"It is inhumane, cruel, degrading, and unlawful, and, most worryingly, it is likely to adversely affect the mental and physical health of underage detainees."
Isolated children are held in Petah, Tikva and Kishon detention centers. They're in Ashkelon-based Shikma prison.
They have no contact with family, friends or legal counsel. Transferring them out of Palestine violates Fourth Geneva's Article 76. It states:
"Protected persons accused of offences shall be detained in the occupied country, and if convicted they shall serve their sentences therein."
"They shall, if possible, be separated from other detainees and shall enjoy conditions of food and hygiene which will be sufficient to keep them in good health, and which will be at least equal to those obtaining in prisons in the occupied country."
"They shall receive the medical attention required by their state of health."
"They shall also have the right to receive any spiritual assistance which they may require."
"Women shall be confined in separate quarters and shall be under the direct supervision of women."
"Proper regard shall be paid to the special treatment due to minors."
"Protected persons who are detained shall have the right to be visited by delegates of the Protecting Power and of the International Committee of the Red Cross, in accordance with the provisions of Article 143."
"Such persons shall have the right to receive at least one relief parcel monthly."
DCI-Palestine wants Israeli military court judges to exclude forced confessions from their decisions. It demands isolating children for interrogation be "recognized as a form of torture and stopped immediately."
It "demands that the prohibition of solitary confinement against juveniles be enshrined in law and recommends that Israeli authorities implement effective measures to ensure that perpetrators of children’s rights violations are held to account."
It said most arrested Palestinian children are rousted from bed while sleeping.
"Children report that heavily armed Israeli soldiers arrest them in violent circumstances during night raids on their family homes," it said.
They're "often (awakened) by the sound of Israeli soldiers banging on the front door before a family member opens the door or the soldiers force their way in, storming the home."
They "gather all the occupants of the house, regardless of their age, in one room or outside and then demand identification."
"Generally, the entire home will be searched during the raid."
"Once a child’s identity has been verified from his identification card, his family will be informed that he must accompany the soldiers."
Parent aren't told charges. Children don't know why they're targeted. Arrests reflect "the last time the family will see their child until he appears in a military court following an unknown period of solitary confinement and interrogation."
"Once the soldiers have identified the child, his hands will be tied with plastic cords, most likely behind his back, and he will be blindfolded and led to a military vehicle."
Most children later recount brutalizing treatment. It begins during arrest. It continues during transfers to detention.
It's worst during isolated interrogations. Children are treated like sub-humans. They're denied all rights.
They're terrorized daily. Brutalizing treatment continues until forced confessions are extracted. Core international laws are violated. Israel spurns them. It does so with impunity.
Thousands of Palestinian children suffered horrifically. Hundreds do annually.
They're held in small windowless cells. It's lit 24 hours a day. They sleep on concrete beds.
Some on floors. Others on thin "dirty" "foul-smelling" mattresses. Cell walls have "sharp or rough protrusions…" Leaning against them inflicts pain.
They're constructed this way to punish. It's one of many Israeli brutalizing practices.
Media scoundrels ignore it. They turn a blind eye to Israeli torture, abuse and other ill-treatment.
One-sided Tel Aviv support is longstanding practice. Palestinians are blamed for their own self-defense. Israel literally gets away with murder.
Horrific Palestinian suffering persists. Young children are affected most. Israel takes full advantage.
Rogue states operate this way. Israel is one of the world's worst. It's a democracy in name only. It's pure fantasy.
Police state lawlessness reflects official policy. Most children face stone-throwing charges.
Israeli authorities turn a blind eye to settler violence and vandalism.
Palestinian children face baseless charges. They arrested. They're detained. They're isolated. They're brutally interrogated.
They're forced to confess. They're tried in military kangaroo tribunals. Guilt by accusation is official Israeli policy.
They can be imprisoned from months to years. They have virtually no right of appeal.
Imagine young children alone against well-trained interrogators. Techniques used include "mentally and physically coercive, frequently incorporating a mix of intimidation, threats and physical violence with a clear purpose of obtaining a confession," said DCI-P.
"Shouting and intimidation are regularly used to elicit confessions, incriminating statements, and information on neighbors or family members."
Children "report being forced to sit in a low metal chair secured to the floor with their hands and feet cuffed to the chair, often for several hours."
Most often they're shackled painfully for hours. Again the next day. Until forced confessions are extracted.
Children are extremely vulnerable. Especially isolated from family members and other outside contacts.
Young minds take only so much. Israel takes full advantage. Informants are used. Children are entrapped to admit what never happened.
"(N)ot a single indictment has been issued against a perpetrator, and in many cases it is unclear if an investigation has been initiated," said DCI-P.
Horrific Israeli crimes against humanity go unpunished. Justice is systematically denied.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Fighting for Internet Freedom
Fighting for Internet Freedom
by Stephen Lendman
A previous article discussed Obama's war to destroy it. In 2008, he pledged support. He called "preserv(ing) the benefits of open competition on the Internet" essential.
He lied saying so. He's waging war on free expression. He prioritizes intellectual property protection over Internet freedom.
He's targeting it for elimination altogether. He appointed corporatist Tom Wheeler FCC chairman. He deplores Internet freedom.
He wants pay-to-play fast lanes. They're polar opposite Net Neutrality. They play favorites. They banish others to slow lanes.
Pay more, get more. Pay less, get left behind. Doing so weakens Internet freedom en route to destroying it altogether.
Prioritizing Internet data is a zero-sum game. Unless congestion exists, web sites don't pay extra for special treatment.
Wheeler's scheme encourages congestion. It does so through artificial scarcity. It charges more per bit. It denies Internet fairness.
It undermines level playing field conditions. Existing ones made the Internet a powerful opportunity engine.
Wheeler's pay-to-play scheme profoundly damages competition. Internet startups can't afford extra costs.
They're prevented from reaching customers at competitive speeds. Nor can most web companies.
Wheeler rules make ISPs subscriber gatekeepers. An April 24 FCC statement lied, saying:
Proposed new rules won't let ISPs "act in a commercially unreasonable manner to harm the Internet, including favoring the traffic from an affiliated entity."
At the same time, ISPs will decide how "commercially reasonable" will be interpreted. They'll take full advantage. Maximizing profits matters most.
On May 15, Free Press.net headlined "The Fight to Save the Internet in ON." It called it "historic."
"The rally outside the FCC was inspiring: Hundreds of people (and even some kids) chanted, drummed and streamed into the FCC demanding reclassification and real Net Neutrality," it said.
Thousands more are taking action online at: may15.savetheinternet.com.
For weeks, millions of Americans put FCC officials on notice. They demanded Net Neutrality be preserved.
They called an Internet without it unacceptable. FCC procedure requires a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM).
It's a four month window. People are invited to comment. Protecting Net Neutrality demands it. FCC members must respond. Much depends on their final ruling.
They betrayed millions of Net Neutrality supporters. Obama was disturbingly silent. He broke his campaign pledge. He breached all other major ones.
On May 15, FCC commissioners voted 3 -2 against Net Neutrality. They endorsed pay-to-play rules. They discriminate unfairly.
They let telecom giants charge unjustifiably higher prices. They'll do so for service everyone deserves.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation urged everyone "to speak up, early, and often." It created a tool to do so. Visit www.DearFCC.org.
"It's our Internet," it says. "We made it, and it has re-made us, changing the way we communicate, learn, share and create.
We want the Internet to continue to live up to its promise, fostering innovation, creativity and freedom."
"We don't want regulations that will turn our ISPs into gatekeepers, making special deals with the few companies that can pay to play and inhibiting new competition, innovation and expression. Start your letter to the FCC:
"Dear FCC,
Net neutrality, the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all data that travels over their networks equally, is important to me because without it users may have fewer options and a less diverse Internet.
ISP could have too much power to determine my Internet experience by providing better access to some services but not others.
A pay-to-play Internet worries me because ISPs could act as the gatekeepers to their subscribers. New, innovative services that can't afford expensive fees for better service will be less likely to succeed.
Use this space to explain why the future of the Internet matters to you. Tell your story. Here's an example:
The Internet is important to me because, as a college business student, I need to know that there will not be barriers to entry for the new ideas and services that I hope to bring to the marketplace.
If ISP subscribers have an easier time loading websites of existing companies than my new innovative product, there's no way that I will be able to compete or succeed."
Sincerely,
Name
Address
City
State
ZIP Code
Email address
Free Press urged speaking out for Internet freedom. "As this fight stretches into the fall, we'll repeat our demands over and over again," it said:
"No fast lanes on the Internet. We need REAL Net Neutrality."
"We'll file comments with the FCC. We'll urge President Obama to reiterate his support for the open Internet."
"We'll step up our organizing - online, in the streets and on Capitol Hill."
"We'll keep the issue front and center in the news and in people's minds. At every turn we'll remind the FCC that it works for us, not the ISPs."
"We won't stop fighting until we win, no matter how long it takes. With you by our side we know we'll get there."
Free Press created a web site to highlight its activity. To get everyone involved. Go there. Use it:
Act now. Demand Wheeler scrap his rules. Demand Congress back Internet freedom. Urge members to support Net Neutrality.
Tell others to do the same thing. Prevent telecom giants from destroying level playing field fairness.
We're all in this together. It's our fight to win or lose.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Fake Ukrainian National Unity Talks
Fake Ukrainian National Unity Talks
by Stephen Lendman
Coup-appointed prime minster Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced so-called "roundtable for national unity" talks. On Wednesday, they began in Kiev.
So-called groups with "legitimate political goals (and) no blood on their hands" were invited.
Coup-appointed officials ran things. Former presidents Leonid Kravchuk and Leonid Kuchma attended.
So did coup-friendly parliamentarians, regime vetted presidential candidates, other government officials, various coup supporters, businessmen, and hand-picked representatives of selected public and international organizations.
Yatsenyuk said Ukraine faces a "super complicated task." He called so-called "national dialogue" important.
He claimed crisis conditions could only be resolved diplomatically. He said so while Ukraine's military, special National Guard units, neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs, and foreign mercenaries wage war on Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters.
While murdering civilians in cold blood. While planning much more of the same. While pursuing war without mercy.
While deploring peace. While imposing fascist hardline rule. While planning sham May 25 elections.
While denying ordinary Ukrainians say in how they'll be governed. While imposing harsh IMF diktats.
While selling state enterprise to Western corporate predators at fire sale prices.
While systematically eliminating social justice. While impoverishing millions of Ukrainians more deeply.
While tolerating no opposition. While cracking down hard on nonbelievers.
After straightaway violating Geneva agreed on four-party terms. After proving their word isn't their bond.
While systematically breaching fundamental rule of law principles. While transforming Ukraine into a fascist police state.
With full US support. With encouragement. With state-terrorism continuing. With more of the same coming.
More so-called "roundtable for national unity" are scheduled for May 17 in Donetsk. Coup-appointed governor/oligarch Sergey Taruta is involved.
Area freedom fighters reject him. They want him out. They appointed their own people's governor.
They're excluded from fake unity talks. They mock legitimacy. They're cover to solidify hardline rule. Democracy is strictly verboten. Fascists operate this way.
Former president Leonid Kravchuk said "(w)e are taking on a huge responsibility by (going) to Donetsk." He raised concern about safety.
He wants it guaranteed. It's up to Kiev. It's waging war on its own people. Virtual war zone conditions exist.
Kiev putschists vowed continued belligerence. Halting it for a day or two makes no difference. State-terrorism reflects official putschist policy.
So-called national unity is fantasy. Chances of achieving it are nil. So-called efforts underway are fake.
They conceal Kiev's dark side. America's global dominance objective. It's longstanding. It didn't change.
Neocon infested Washington prioritizes it. Lunatics influencing policy risk possible WW III.
Ukraine is a major global flashpoint. It bears repeating what other articles stressed. It's the gravest geopolitical crisis since WW II.
It risks the unthinkable. Events give everyone paying attention cause for concern. People representing them in Washington are fascist extremists.
They're ruthless. They're recklessly pursuing global hegemony. Ukraine is in the eye of storm. Russia is America's main target.
The road to Moscow runs through Kiev. Vladimir Putin is public enemy number one. He champions multi-polarity.
He deplores war. He prioritizes peace. He wants conflicts resolved diplomatically.
He respects fundamental rule of law principles. He calls national sovereignty inviolable. He's polar opposite Obama.
He's overwhelmingly popular at home. A May 10-11 All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (WCIOM) among 1,600 respondents in 130 cities, towns and villages showed his approval rating at 85.9%.
It almost matched his mid-April 2008 87.4% reading. Factors this time included the hugely successful Sochi Olympics, the May 9 Victory Day celebratory effect, Crimean reunification, and Putin's handling of Ukrainian crisis conditions responsibly.
Moscow's ruling United Russia party's rating substantially benefitted. It's rating jumped from January's 41.7% to 60.4%.
Congressional approval hovers around rock bottom. Last November it was 9%. Currently it's several points higher.
Obama's popularity barely stays above 40% most often. Months earlier, it hit an all-time 39% low. Maybe ahead it'll plunge lower.
Americans deplore war. They want ongoing ones ended. They want no involvement in Ukraine. Obama's agenda is polar opposite.
He's waging war on humanity. He may have bitten off more than he can chew. He lost Afghanistan. Iraq and Libya remain out-of-control quagmires. They're cauldrons of violence.
His Syria agenda is totally discredited. So is his disdain for fundamental Palestinian rights. Taking on Ukraine is classic overreach.
Perhaps it was a step too far. Maybe he'll be hoisted by his own petard. Maybe resounding defeat looms.
Growing thousands of Eastern Ukrainians reject fascist extremism. They demand real democracy. They're putting their bodies on the line for it.
They risking death for freedom. For fundamental rights. For ones crucial to preserve. For what everyone deserves.
For what they won't relinquish. For what Americans should fight for. Europeans and others everywhere. For right over wrong.
For fundamental justice. For inviolable rule of law principles. For government of, by, and for everyone equitably and fairly.
For peace. For resolving conflicts diplomatically. For banishing fascism to the dust bowl of history. For making democracy reality.
Against monied interests running America. Merchants of death war profiteers. Washington's bipartisan criminal class. Gangsterism writ large.
Kleptocrats in power. Corrupted officials making policy. Ordinary people being scammed. For major change when most needed.
Ending Obama's Syria war is a good beginning. Respecting its June 3 presidential election results.
The first free, fair, open democratic one in Syrian history. Assad remains overwhelmingly popular. Landslide victory is certain.
Syrians want no one else leading them. He's routing US-enlisted foreign death squads.
Obama welcomed illegitimate Syrian opposition coalition head Ahmad Jarba for White House talks.
He outrageously said Assad has no place in Syria's future. It bears repeating. Millions of Syrians want no one else.
They deplore Obama. They hold him responsible for over three years of war. They want Assad prevailing overwhelmingly.
They want sovereign independence preserved. They want conflict ended. They want Syria rebuilt.
They want normality returned. They want Obama's agenda resoundingly defeated.
Growing thousands of Eastern Ukrainians feel the same way. Perhaps Western ones will join them.
On Wednesday, former Ukrainian Party of Regions (POR) parliamentarians walked out. They did so in protest. They want Kiev's eastern military aggression halted.
Aleksandr Efremov is POR's chairman. He told coup-appointed president/parliament speaker Alexander Turchynov:
"I have heard one thing from the right side of the session hall for many years: that the main thing in our state is people and human rights."
"People are now being killed in eastern Ukraine. We asked to halt the anti-terrorist operation, but you pretended that nothing is happening."
"The Party of Regions believes that to work in the session hall in this situation is a supreme manifestation of hypocrisy. We are leaving the hall."
All POR members walked out. They did so in protest. Perhaps retaliation looms. Maybe leaders will be replaced. Maybe assassinated. Fascists operate this way.
Hundreds of OSCE monitors currently observe what's ongoing in Ukraine. They include 12 Russian ones.
Andrei Kelin is one. He's concerned about what's happening.
"We see sterilization of the mission's reports due to…extensive (Western) pressure," he said.
Kiev putschists benefit. Truth is systematically buried. Kelin wants more monitors involved.
He wants all Ukrainian regions covered. He wants honest evaluations. He wants what's absent now.
On Thursday, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashivich was clear and unequivocal, saying:
"The OSCE Mission's reports poorly reflect or don't reflect the facts of the daily use of armed force against the local population on the part of Kiev authorities, Right Sector gunmen and mercenaries and on the violation of rights and freedoms of ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking members of other ethnic groups."
"That is, we see quite a smooth picture, that everything is okay in the country as a whole, while some minor problems emerge in two rebellious areas, the Luhansk and the Donetsk regions," he added.
"We hope that the UN leaders will officially express a most exacting assessment and condemnation of such actions by the Kiev authorities who bear full responsibility for" lawless Eastern Ukrainian aggression.
At the same time, Washington appears heading toward establishing new NATO bases in Poland.
Perhaps on Russia's borders. Stephen Mull is US ambassador. He lied saying Washington "is aware of the Polish 'desire' to deploy NATO military bases in the country…"
It's "crucial to consider this initiative," he added. "It's not just the United States but the entire region."
"This is an important topic for discussion, which will take place in the UK in September."
He bashed Moscow irresponsibly. "(I)f Russia so radically changes the atmosphere of security in this part of Europe, it requires a certain response from NATO," he said.
Washington alone compromises regional security. It pressures NATO partners aggressively. It demands they support its imperial agenda.
It invents enemies where none exist. Russia is polar opposite. Putin goes all-out for peace. So does Lavrov.
They want Ukrainian crisis conditions resolved diplomatically. They want what Washington deplores.
Russia is irresponsibly targeted. It's a major geopolitical rival. America wants it eliminated.
It wants pro-Western puppet governance replacing it. Reinventing Evil Empire politics reveals its dark side.
Putin and Lavrov aren't about to roll over. Especially in Eurasia. Stakes today are greater than ever.
It's fascism or democracy. It's preserving world peace. It's humanity's survival. It's vital to pursue efforts assuring it.
A Final Comment
On May 15, RT International headlined "Kiev protege allegedly behind Mariupol and Odessa massacres - leaked tapes."
They surfaced online. They went viral. They're on RT's web site. They reveal "Kiev-appointed governor allegedly threaten(ing) an ex-presidential candidate who called for a referendum."
"The official may also be behind the Odessa massacre and Mariupol shootings…"
Igor Kolomoisky is a Ukrainian oligarch. He's Kiev-appointed Dnepropetrovsk governor. He has no legitimacy whatever.
Allegedly he threatened former independent presidential aspirant Oleg Tsarev. He demanded he leave Ukraine immediately.
He wrongfully accused him of involvement in shooting a National Guard soldier.
On April 29, he withdrew his presidential candidacy. He did so protesting Kiev putschists.
Kolomoisky said he and his family will be hunted down. They'll be found. They'll be killed.
"They put a $1million (bounty on his) head. They will go after you everywhere. Tomorrow they will look for your people."
Oleg Noginsky heads Ukraine's Suppliers of Customs Union. It's involved in relations with its Russian, Belarus and Kazakhstan counterparts.
A second leaked conversation involves him and someone called Yan Borisovich.
Noginsky said Kolomoisky "hired the guys in the Odessa (massacre). The situation went out of control."
"Their task was to beat (anti-Kiev protesters) so they would be taken to the hospital and to destroy (their Kulikovo Pole Square) camp completely," he said.
RT said 16 May 2 survivors were killed over the next three days. Noginsky accused Kolomoisky of involvement.
It's not the first time he threatened Ukrainians irresponsibly, he added. Ukrainian parliamentarian Igor Markov was targeted.
Tsarev told Russian Man and Law TV host that Kolomoisky's conversation was authentic. It doesn't surprise.
It says more about Obama's new friends. It reveals their fascist credentials. It shows what all Ukrainians face.
It suggests far greater horrors ahead. It bears repeating. Fascist regimes operate this way.
Ukraine is the epicenter of their European reemergence. Crushing them matters most. World peace hangs in the balance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Iranian Nuclear Roulette Continues
Iranian Nuclear Roulette Continues
by Stephen Lendman
Last November, Iran and P5+1 countries agreed on interim Joint Plan of Action (JPA) terms. Obama twice breached them. He did so unilaterally.
In mid-February, talks resumed. Focus is on agreeing on a comprehensive "permanent resolution" by July 20. Previous articles raised doubts.
Longstanding US policy calls for regime change. Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful. No evidence suggests otherwise.
It doesn't matter. "My goal is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon," said Obama. "All options are on the table."
Iranians have just cause for concern. US agreements aren't worth the paper they're written on.
Washington doesn't negotiate in good faith. It never did. It doesn't now. Believing otherwise requires a giant leap of faith.
On May 14, talks resumed in Vienna. Efforts began on drafting permanent agreement terms.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for legal and international affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi said Tehran aims to conclude talks before the agreed on July 20 deadline.
Three more rounds will follow current ones. Two in June. A third if needed for as long as it takes to achieve permanent agreement terms.
Heavy lifting remains. An unnamed senior US official warned about unrealistic expectations. "(V)ery, very difficult" gaps remain unresolved, he said.
"I would caution people that just because we will be drafting it certainly does not mean an agreement is imminent or that we are certain to eventually get to a resolution," he added.
"There are a range of complicated issues to address and we do not know if Iran will be able to make the tough decisions they must to assure the world that they will not obtain a nuclear weapon and that their program is for entirely peaceful purposes."
Michael Mann is EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton's spokesman. He struck a similar note of caution, He said both sides aim for permanent resolution agreement terms by July 20.
It "does not mean they will (achieve it) by a certain date just for the sake reaching an agreement by a certain date," he stressed.
During his mid-May Middle East tour, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said talks "will under no circumstances trade away regional security for concessions on Iran's nuclear program."
"While we noted that Iran's diplomatic engagement has been a positive development, we continue to share deep concerns about Iran's destabilizing activities throughout the region."
Since 1984, annual State Department Country Reports on Terrorism wrongfully designated Iran a "State Sponsor of Terrorism."
They did so without evidence. They ignored contrary facts otherwise. False accusations persist.
Making them bodes ill for resolving decades of US hostility. According to ambassador-at-large and counterterrorism coordinator Tina Kaidanow:
"We will continue to counter Iranian support for terrorism, in coordination with our partners and our allies, and make clear to Iran’s leaders that its government sponsorship of illicit actions are unacceptable to the international community."
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said "(w)e have come here with a decisive will" for compromise. At the same time, he vowed to defend Iran's legitimate nuclear rights.
They're entirely peaceful. No evidence whatever suggests a military component. Claiming otherwise is red herring cover for Washington's longstanding regime change plans.
Nothing suggests they changed. They call for eliminating all independent governments. Replacing them with US-friendly stooge ones in prioritized.
Iran is the region's crown jewel. Washington want its huge oil and gas reserves plundered. It wants Big Oil involved.
It wants what Tehran won't tolerate. Its sovereign independence matters most. So are its fundamental rights.
David Albright heads the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS). He impersonates a nuclear expert.
He's a former pseudo-UN weapons inspector. Former Iraq chief weapons inspector Scott Ritter called him a "nuclear expert who never was."
His "track record (reveals) half-baked analyses derived from questionable sources," said Ritter.
"He breathes false legitimacy into these factually challenged stories by" claiming fake credentials.
Albright founded ISIS. It's self-serving. It shuns truth. He fronts for power, privilege, and war profiteers.
He's part of Washington's anti-Iranian agenda. In Iraq, he played the same role. He's a pro-imperial opportunist.
He fronts for power. His role is political. He says what Washington wants to hear.
Credibility isn't his long suit. He has no scientific expertise whatever. He fakes it.
Bruno Tertrais is a prominent French neocon. He's militantly anti-Iranian. He's a Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research senior fellow. Earlier he was a Rand Corporation visiting fellow.
He's a former NATO civilian affairs committee to assembly director. His 2007 book titled "Iran: La Prochaine Guerre (Iran: The Next War)" predicted Washington waging it.
He supports it. His hardline views haven't softened. He's committed to regime change.
On May 14, Wall Street Journal editors featured him and Albright. They gave them prominent op-ed space. They headlined "Making Iran Come Clean About Its Nukes."
They lied about a non-existing program. No evidence whatever suggests one. It doesn't matter.
"Alarm bells should be going off in the West," they claimed. P5+1 countries "have been trying to negotiate a deal to end sanctions against Iran in return for drastic reductions in its nuclear program."
"If Iran is able to successfully evade questions about a weapons program now, when biting sanctions on oil exports and financial transactions are in place, why would it address them later when these sanctions are lifted?"
"What use will an agreement be if Iran can hide a capacity to secretly build nuclear bombs?"
"(T)he 'world' wouldn't be so concerned if Tehran had never conducted activities aimed at building a nuclear weapon."
"(A) final agreement must ensure that any effort by Tehran to construct a bomb would be sufficiently time-consuming and detectable that the international community could act decisively to prevent Iran from succeeding."
"It is critical to know whether the Islamic Republic had a nuclear-weapons program in the past, how far the work on warheads advanced and whether it continues."
"Without clear answers to these questions, outsiders will be unable to determine how fast the Iranian regime could construct either a crude nuclear-test device or a deliverable weapon if it chose to renege on an agreement."
"After nearly a decade of talks…Iran has resisted answering…primary questions about a weapons program."
"Now a July 20 deadline looms…Tehran may be betting that if it stalls long enough, its negotiating partners will significantly soften their demand for information about militarized nuclear activities in order to keep the negotiating process on track."
"To ensure that the Iranian regime doesn't benefit from running down the clock, (P5+1 countries) should make clear that no agreement is possible" without full disclosure - of what's non-existent.
Otherwise, "more crippling sanctions" will be imposed. "Much more than diplomacy is at stake."
Iran justfiably claims no "nuclear weapons aspirations." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei fundamentally opposes them. He wants a militarized nuclear free Middle East.
Albright and Tertrais claim "his denials are not credible."
"Unless Iran…address(es) concerns about past military-nuclear efforts, (it'll) have established a powerful precedent of no-go zones…to conduct clandestine, prohibited activities, such as uranium enrichment and weaponization," they said.
"If the West fails to demand that Iran verifiably fess up to the military dimensions of its nuclear program, the odds are good that Ayatollah Khamenei would be able to build the bomb without fear of discovery."
Fact: Washington has at least 16 known intelligence agencies.
Fact: They're unanimous about Iran annually.
Fact: They affirm no evidence whatever about an Iranian militarized nuclear program.
Fact: In late January, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper discussed Iran's so-called "WMD capabilities."
Fact: He presented no evidence suggesting a nuclear weapons program.
Fact: "We continue to assess...Iran's overarching strategic goals," he said.
Fact: It pursues "civilian goals," he stressed.
Fact: He claimed Tehran has "the ability to build missile-deliverable nuclear weapons, if it chooses to do so."
Fact: It bears repeating. Nothing suggests it, he stressed.
Fact: "We do not know if Iran will eventually decide to build nuclear weapons," he said.
Fact: No programs exist to do so.
Fact: Clapper claimed Tehran progressed technologically in "uranium enrichment, nuclear reactors, and ballistic missiles."
Fact: Its "advancements strengthen our assessment that Iran has the scientific, technical, and industrial capacity to eventually produce nuclear weapons," said Clapper.
Fact: So do Germany, Japan and numerous other countries.
Fact: Clapper ignored Israel's threatening nuclear, chemical and biological arsenals.
Fact: US ones weren't mentioned.
Fact: Nor US and Israeli long-range delivery systems.
Fact: They threaten humanity.
Fact: Clapper ignored what matters most.
Fact: Despite Iran's technological capabilities, he said, it won't "be able to divert safeguarded material and produce enough weapons-grade uranium (WGU) before such activity would be discovered."
Fact: If Iran "fully implements" interim Joint Plan of Action terms, its transparency will "provide earlier warning of" any violations, he added.
Fact: Netanyahu lied saying the "whole world knows Tehran is after nukes."
Fact: The "whole world" world knows otherwise.
Fact: The "whole world" includes America.
Fact: It includes Europe.
Fact: It includes virtually all countries except Israel and some other rogue states.
Fact: So-called "alarm bells going off" aren't ringing.
Fact: Throughout multiple nuclear talk rounds for years, Iran negotiated responsibly.
Fact: Claims otherwise are false.
Fact: No secret Iranian weaponized nuclear program exists.
Fact: No evidence suggests one.
Fact: Nothing indicates Iran wants one.
Fact: Plenty shows it believes nuclear weapons are abhorrent.
Fact: It wants a militarized nuclear free Middle East.
Fact: It wants all nuclear weapons eliminated.
Fact: It's the world's most heavily inspected country.
Fact: It's nuclear facilities are monitored round-the-clock.
Fact: Washington and Israel prohibit monitoring theirs.
Fact: They're off-limits.
Fact: Pressure enough to matter isn't brought to bear to demand openness.
Fact: Israel never signed NPT.
Fact: Iran was one of its first signatories.
Fact: No evidence suggests Tehran provision violations.
Fact: Plenty shows Washington systematically breaches treaties, conventions and other agreements.
Fact: So does Israel.
Fact: It's a nuclear outlaw.
Fact: It's been so for decades.
Fact: If all nations were governed like Iran, nuclear weapons wouldn't exist.
Fact: Wars wouldn't be waged.
Fact: Peace would be prioritized.
Fact: So would rapprochement among all countries.
Fact: Imperial adventurism wouldn't be tolerated.
Fact: Rule of law principles would be respected.
Fact: So would national sovereignty.
Planet earth would be safer to live on. Humanity could exhale.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
New York Times War on Truth
New York Times War on Truth
by Stephen Lendman
The so-called "newspaper of record" is an establishment broadsheet. It represents wealth, power and privilege.
It's America's lead instrument of state propaganda. It marches in lockstep with official US policy.
It's a virtual Washington house organ. A lying machine. A de facto ministry of state misinformation.
Vital truths are buried. Managed news rubbish substitutes. Core journalistic ethics are violated. Readers are systematically lied to.
They deserve better. They're cheated on what matters most. They're betrayed.
It bears repeating what previous articles stressed. All the news fit to print isn't fit to read.
Famed Chicago columnist Mike Royko (1932- 1997) once said "no self-respecting fish would (want to) be wrapped in a Murdoch paper..." Or the NYT he might have added.
Its war on truth persists. It's regular daily fare. It's featured. It's deplorable. It's longstanding. It's fundamental Times policy.
When America wages lawless aggression or plans it, Times correspondents, contributors and editors march in lock step.
When Washington replaces democratic leaders with despots, official Times policy endorses what demands denunciation.
Ukraine is Exhibit A. In February, Washington elevated fascist putschists to power. They replaced democratic leadership.
They did so illegitimately. Times editors cheerled their lawlessness. They continue doing so.
They pretend fascist extremists are democrats. They bury truth in the process. They systematically turn it on its head.
They twist reality to fit US policy. They irresponsibly bash Putin daily.
On May 12, they headlined "What Mr. Putin Can't Control." They claimed legitimate free, fair, open democratic Eastern Ukrainian referendums were "farcical."
They blamed Putin for US-instigated Ukrainian crisis conditions. He's gone all-out to resolve them diplomatically. Not according to Times editors.
They lied claiming his real aim is "to transform Ukraine into a federation under a weak and neutral Kiev government permanently dependent on Russia."
He'll impose "unacceptable demands…Ukraine is broke…(He's) claiming unrealistically large payments to continue supplying natural gas."
His hand isn't "all aces. He must be aware that any Russian military drive into southeastern Ukraine would entail bloody resistance" and much more.
"…Mr. Putin is not immune to the damage done to his reputation, especially in Germany, the European country he seems to care most about."
Fact: Putin has no territorial ambitions.
Fact: He respects Ukrainian sovereignty.
Fact: He does so for all nations.
Fact: He supports real democracy.
Fact: He opposes coup d'etat illegitimacy.
Fact: So should everyone.
Fact: He made no "unacceptable demands."
Fact: He "claim(s) (no) unrealistically large" gas payments.
Fact: In mid-April, he said Ukraine's gas debt reached a "critical" level.
Fact: It was unpaid for three months.
Fact: He wants addressing it prioritized.
Fact: He wants payment for natural gas provided.
Fact: Companies don't supply products and services free of charge.
Fact: Or nations from state enterprises.
Fact: Since Soviet Russia's dissolution, Moscow guaranteed Ukraine cut-rate-priced natural gas.
Fact: Uninterrupted transit through its territory was assured.
Fact: Russia fulfilled all its contractual obligations.
Fact: Ukraine putschists violated theirs systematically.
Fact: Russia continued providing unprecedented natural gas discounts.
Fact: From 2009 to today, they totaled $17 billion. Plus another $18.4 billion incurred by Kiev as a minimal take-or-pay fine.
Fact: Russia subsidized Ukraine's economy generously.
Fact: It went way out of its way doing it.
Fact: Since 2009, it provided $34.4 billion.
Fact: It helped preserve stability and credibility.
Fact: It saved jobs.
Fact: Russia alone showed this type generosity.
Fact: EU nations denied support.
Fact: So did Washington.
Fact: They seek to exploit.
Fact: They're imposing harsh IMF diktats.
Fact: They'll wreck Ukraine's economy.
Fact: They'll hollow it out entirely.
Fact: They'll deeply impoverish millions in the process.
Fact: They want Ukrainian resources plundered.
Fact: They want its state enterprises sold to Western corporate predators and fire sale prices.
Fact: They created a huge Ukrainian trade imbalance.
Fact: It exceeds $10 billion.
Fact: It's two-thirds of Ukraine's 2013 deficit.
Fact: It negatively affects Ukraine's ability to fulfill its contactual obligations for Russian natural gas.
Fact: Moscow alone is forced to bear an unreasonable burden.
Fact: Ukraine's gas debt grows monthly.
Fact: It's done so by hundreds of millions of dollars.
Fact: No longer.
Fact: Beginning mid-May, supplies provided must be pre-paid.
Fact: Overly generous discounts ended.
Fact: They should have long ago.
Fact: Gazprom deserves fair prices.
Fact: What other customers pay.
Fact: It's not in business to be cheated.
Fact: Don't expect Times editors to explain.
"The OSCE must set out its road plan as soon as possible, and the Germans, above all others, must make clear to Mr. Putin that they won't be lulled by more false promises," they said.
"(T)hat unless he clears the way for presidential elections on May 25, gets his minions in southeastern Ukraine in line and really pulls back his armies, the European Union and the United States will impose sanctions that will cut Russia off for a long time from Western sources of technology, arms and finance."
Fact: On May 7, Putin and OSCE head Didier Burkhalter met.
Fact: They discussed roadmap principles.
Fact: They did so to resolve Ukraine's crisis diplomatically.
Fact: They did what Washington deplores.
Fact: Steps proposed include halting hostilities, deescalating tensions, establishing dialogue, and holding free, fair, open democratic elections.
Fact: On the one hand, Putin called planned Ukrainian presidential elections "a movement in the right direction."
Fact: On the other, he said they'll "settle nothing if all Ukrainian citizens will not understand how their rights will be guaranteed after" elections are held.
Fact: Kiev putschists reacted negatively to OSCE principles.
Fact: They scorn diplomacy.
Fact: They abhor responsible national dialogue.
Fact: They want their way imposed.
Fact: They want fascist rule.
Fact: Washington is going all-out to perpetuate conflict.
Fact: Planned May 25 Kiev elections will be farcical when held.
Fact: Obama wants pro-Western stooges running Ukraine.
Fact: He wants ordinary Ukrainians having no say.
Fact: He wants Russian diplomatic conflict resolution efforts scuttled.
Fact: He wants total US control.
Fact: He wants Ukraine made another NATO member state.
Fact: He wants US bases encroaching on Russia's borders.
Fact: He wants long range multiple nuclear armed missiles targeting its heartland.
Fact: He wants Russia eliminated as a major rival.
Fact: He wants pro-Western puppet governance replacing its sovereign independence.
Fact: He wants its resources plundered.
Fact: He wants its people exploited.
Fact: He scorns diplomacy.
Fact: He deplores democracy.
Fact: He tolerates none at home or abroad.
Fact: He prioritizes confrontation.
Fact: He substitutes belligerence for peaceful conflict resolution.
Fact: He's the most ruthless leader in US history.
Fact: He's the most dangerous by far.
Fact: He exceeds the worst of his predecessors.
Fact: He's ideologically over-the-top.
Fact: He's recklessly out-of-control.
Fact: He risks igniting WW III to achieve his objectives.
It bears repeating. Don't expect New York Times editors to explain. Endorsing what demands condemnation matters more.
So does daily Russia bashing. Times policy is on the wrong side of history. World peace hangs in the balance.
A Final Comment
John Pilger's 2003 documentary "Breaking The Silence: Truth And Lies In The War on Terror" exposed US "war on terror" Big Lies.
Washington's actions "have nothing to do with fighting terrorism," he said. They're "part of an opened-ended war" on freedom.
It rages for unchallenged US "global dominance…" It's for plundering world resources. It reflects state terrorism writ large.
Pilger asked:
"What are the real aims of this war and who are the most threatening terrorists?"
"Who is responsible for far greater acts of violence than those committed by the fanatics of Al-Qaeda, crimes that have claimed many more lives than September 11th and always in poor, devastated, faraway places?"
His documentary revealed "rapacious imperial power." It's about "terrorism that never speaks its name." Because it's "our terrorism," he stressed.
It masquerades as humanitarian intervention. Big Lies substitute for truth.
Pilger's latest article headlined "Break the Silence: a World War is Beckoning."
"Why do we tolerate (it) in our name," he asked? Why do we permit such risk?"
Post-WW II, Western enemy names changed over time. They ranged from "communism to Islamism…"
It's "any society independent of western power and occupying strategically useful or resource-rich territory."
It's leaders are systematically eliminated. Pro-Western stooges replace them.
"Washington’s role in Ukraine is different only in its implications for the rest of us," said Pilger. It's heading things toward possible world war.
"We in the west are backing neo-Nazis in a country where Ukrainian Nazis backed Hitler."
Like ravaged and destroyed Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, Washington turned Ukraine "into a CIA theme park run by CIA director John Brennan in Kiev, with 'special units' from the CIA and FBI setting up a 'security structure' that oversees savage attacks on those who opposed the February coup."
Russian-speaking Ukrainians are endangered. They're "fighting for survival." Their enemy is headquartered in Washington.
It maintains satellite branches in other Western capitals, Kiev and elsewhere.
Post-911, things changed. They did so horrifically for the worst. Washington bears full responsibility. Rogue EU/Israeli partners share it.
Lunatics make policy. Madness reflects it. "Rampant militarism now rules," said Pilger. Liberty is "hemorrhaging" in plain sight.
War on humanity threatens everyone. Potential nuclear war looms. It begs the question, said Pilger. "W)hy do we tolerate" the unthinkable?
Why does madness prevent responsible policy? Daily events should scare everyone.
Upside down reality threatens humanity. Criminality is rewarded. Doing the right thing is punished.
Warmakers win peace prizes. Peace advocates are scorned. They're targeted for elimination.
Today is the most perilous time in world history. It bears repeating. World peace hangs in the balance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Lavrov on Washington’s Dirty War
Lavrov on Washington's Dirty War
by Stephen Lendman
A previous article called Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov a world class diplomatic. He shames his Western counterparts.
He's a true peace advocate. He works tirelessly for it. He faces long odds. He's matched against Washington's villainy.
It prioritizes war humanity. It rages out-of-control. It's for unchallenged world dominance.
It's about eliminating all independent governments. It's for destroying their sovereignty.
It's about replacing them with pro-Western stooges. Eliminating major rivals matter most.
Lavrov said seeds for ongoing Ukrainian crisis conditions were sown in April 2008. It's when US-led NATO urged Ukraine and Georgia maintain closer alliance relations.
Plans to do so were discussed. It happened "during the (April 2008) NATO summit in Bucharest," said Lavrov.
It's "when NATO leaders stated in a declaration that Georgia and Ukraine would be in NATO."
At the time, US-installed puppet president Mikhail Saakasvhili used what happened as license to invade South Ossetia.
"He was certainly motivated by this NATO promise," said Lavrov. He acted at Washington's behest. Attacking was strategically timed.
After Soviet Russia's 1991 dissolution, South Ossetia broke free from Georgia. It declared independence. It's home to many Russian nationals.
Moscow responded responsibly. Conflict continued for days. Then President Medvedev was on vacation. Then Prime Minister Putin was in Beijing.
In half a day before Russia intervened, 1,700 people were killed. Included were 12 Russian peacekeepers.
Moscow was wrongfully blamed for Georgian aggression. It's vilified for Washington's war on Ukrainian freedom.
Hegemons operate this way. Russia has good reason for concern. Ukraine's conflict could erupt into a major East/West confrontation.
Washington appears going all-out to provoke one. Putin's a master chess player. He bested Obama's dirty game.
He prioritizes resolving things diplomatically. He urged all parties to do so. He wants all Ukrainians treated fairly.
He wants peace. He wants violence ended. He wants free, fair, open elections. He wants democratic ones.
He wants what Obama opposes. He steadfastly pursues what everyone deserves. He continues doing so responsibly.
He's geopolitically polar opposite Obama. He deserves Nobel prize recognition. He merits worldwide support.
So does Lavrov. He correctly said "attempts to draw Ukraine into NATO would be negative for the entire system of European security and we would be categorically against it."
Including Ukraine would take a giant step toward global conflict. It would threaten world peace. It would risk the unthinkable.
Lavrov blames Washington for instigating Ukrainian crisis conditions. Its motivation is sinister. It's threatening.
It's for expanding its global footprint. It's about advancing its imperium.
"The real aim of the United States is not to let Europeans to go on their own, not to let NATO lose the purpose of its existence and to keep Europe on a short leash," said Lavrov.
"Ukrainians are killing Ukrainians. I believe it is as close to a civil war as it can get."
"In the east of Ukraine there is a real war with heavy weapons shot. If this is something conducive to free and fair elections, then I don't understand something in freedom and fairness."
"If the West for the sake of revenge is ready to sacrifice its reputation as a reliable partner for the entire world economy and for the entire world financial system, if the United States is prepared to sacrifice its reputation as the holder of the key reserve currency, then it’s up to them to decide."
"This path would lead to other nations seeking ways to limit America's leverage on them."
"If the next morning somebody in Washington woke up in a bad mood and decided to start a coup elsewhere - not in Ukraine, but in Latin America, in their own backyard as they perceive it - those people must be prepared for this situation."
Moscow didn't invade Ukraine, said Lavrov. It has no plans to intervene militarily. Peaceful conflict resolution is prioritized.
Lavrov respects Donetsk and Lugansk referendum results. He wants all Ukrainian regions represented is responsible dialogue. Except parties committing crimes of war and against humanity, he stressed.
He expressed grave concerns about Kiev using attack helicopters with UN markings. They're doing so against Eastern Ukrainians.
He's disturbed about US mercenaries operating the same way. He fears things escalating out of control more than ever.
He raised "deep concern" about Kiev's opposition to OSCE-proposed conflict resolution principles.
"(I)t effectively puts into question the prospects of the OSCE's efforts to launch an inclusive national dialogues," he said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry referred to Kiev's "phony attempts to make snarky remarks by Arseniy Yatsenyuk."
"From the side of the Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, there were obscure statements that without Ukraine, no one can discuss political deadlock in the country."
"It looks like in Kiev they forgot that the situation in Ukraine is in the focus of all responsible international partners."
"Obviously, Yatsenyuk and his team should first of all talk to the Ukrainian people, not 'from above' but as equals, without annoying ultimatums and illegal use of force."
Kiev's agenda contradicts agreed on Geneva four-party terms. It's "in direct conflict." It prioritizes ending hostilities.
Kiev's "unwillingness to listen to the international community" undermines peaceful conflict resolution.
Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters won't stop resisting. They reject Kiev putschists. They deplore being called "terrorists."
State-terrorism is official Kiev policy. Growing thousands in Eastern Ukraine oppose it. They're doing so responsibly.
It may be just a matter of time before Western Ukrainians react the same way. They've been had. They won't stay silent forever.
Fascism is universally hated. It's viciousness is well understood. War without mercy reflects mercy. Waging it threatens humanity. Eliminating it is top priority.
Kiev's notion of responsible conflict resolution is none at all. Yatsenyuk's proposed "national unity roundtables" with "representatives of all political forces from all regions and civil society" it phony.
It's cover for enforcing hardline rule. National Security chief Andriy Parubiy revealed Kiev's true agenda, saying:
"The counterterrorist operation will go on regardless of any decisions by any (Eastern Ukrainian) subversive or terrorist groups."
He acting on direct US orders. One fascist regime supports another. Washington controls things.
On Wednesday, Crimea's Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov offered Eastern Ukrainians humanitarian aid.
"Crimea will support (its) people," he said. "We were in the same situation, but luckily for us we passed through it without losses."
"But it happened so that people there have to hold the line and fight for their lives. Of course we will be offering humanitarian aid to the extent possible, sending foodstuffs, articles of daily necessity."
Crimean Supreme Council Chairman Vladimir Konstantinov, said Ukraine as Crimeans once knew it no longer exists. It's coup-appointed government is illegitimate.
It's "an aggressive entity, trying to legitimize itself not through a dialogue. That is why, the initiative of the regions is their means of survival."
A previous article discussed Kiev's water wars. Coup-appointed putschists closed North Crimean Canal sluices. They run from the Khakhovka Reservoir to Kersh.
Weeks earlier, Kiev cut water flows from 90 cubic meters per second to seven cubic meters.
It's the lowest technically feasible volume. It acted in response to Russian reunification. It inflicted unconscionable punishment.
It's going further. Satellite images show it's deliberately trying to cut Crimea's water entirely. It's building a dam to do so.
Russian authorities seek ways to supply fresh water. Its Ministry of Natural Resources is working on how to do it.
The Krasnodar region Kuban River can supply fresh water to the North Crimean Canal. It's providing limited supplies now. Much more is needed.
Natural Resources Ministry head Dmitry Kirilov said:
"As one of options of providing the peninsula with water, we are considering an option of drawing water supply from the Kuban River and channeling it through the Strait of Kerch to the end portion of North Crimean Canal."
Doing so requires building an underground pipeline in three segments. Each would stretch about 130 kilometers. Construction will cost about $2.8 billion.
"The topography allows to run the water in the opposite direction, from the east to north-west, using the cut off North Crimean Canal," said Kirillov.
"Water from Kuban will be enough to meet the needs of housing, utilities, and agriculture of Crimea."
Before Crimean reunification with Russia, Ukraine supplied about 85% of its water. It wants it cut off entirely. Washington supports its harshness.
Inflicting unreasonable pain and suffering is longstanding US policies. Rogue states operate this way. America is by far the world's worst.
A Final Comment
On May 14, Donetsk Central Election Committee head Roman Lyagin announced:
"Today, the Central Election Committee of the DPR controls all the 22 territorial election committees."
"This means the elections of Ukrainian president on DPR's territory are not possible both technical and for security reasons."
Perhaps other Eastern regions will follow suit. Growing thousands reject Kiev putschists.
They want freedom. They want fundamental rights respected. They want democratic ones. They want what Kiev opposes.
They intend fighting for right over wrong. They deserve worldwide support.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
George Soros’ Predatory Worldview
George Soros' Predatory Worldview
by Stephen Lendman
He's a world class confidence man. He's a multi-billionaire predatory investor.
He's a new world order corporate pirate. He's known for rogue investing. He's made billions from human misery.
He cashes in irresponsibly. He'll do anything for greater profits. He does so from imperial wars. He gains hugely from financial ones. He uses wealth to accumulate more of it.
In late April, the New York Review of Books headlined "The Future of Europe: An Interview with George Soros." Der Spiegel correspondent Gregor Peter Schmitz conducted it.
Ukraine was discussed. Soros called Russia an "emerging…big geopolitical player…" EU nations have "a resurgent rival on (their) east," he said.
Putin enjoys overwhelming popularity. It exceeds 80%. Soros ludicrously claimed he "lead(s) from a position of weakness."
He lied saying he's "repressive at home and aggressive abroad." He irresponsibly blamed Bashar al-Assad for US-sponsored death squads' use of chemical weapons.
Lies infested his commentary. They reveal his dark side. He ludicrously claimed US-manipulated Maidan violence erupted "spontaneous(ly)."
He urged Western unity "in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine." He claims Obama represents responsible US leadership.
Putin is a master geopolitical strategist. Not according to Soros. He "woefully misjudged the situation," he said. He turned truth on its head claiming it.
Ukrainians rebelled, he said. He ignored Washington-manipulated Maidan violence. US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland was caught red-handed. More on this below.
She's hardcore neocon. She's a career foreign service officer. She's worked with Democrat and Republican administrations.
Early in her career, she covered Russian internal politics at Washington's Moscow embassy.
She served on the Soviet Desk in Washington. She worked in the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. She served in Guangzhou, China.
She was Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large for the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union. She directed a task force on Russia, its neighbors and an expanding NATO.
She was Clinton's Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott's chief of staff. She was Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO.
She was Dick Cheney's Principal Deputy National Security Advisor. She was Permanent US Representative to NATO.
She was a National War College faculty member. She was Obama's Special Envoy for Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.
On September 18, 2013, she was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for European and European Affairs.
Her husband is Project for the New American Century (PNAC) co-founder Robert Kagan. He's a neocon foreign policy theorist/hardliner.
He advised John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. He served on Hillary Clinton's Foreign Affairs Policy Board.
The Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) is PNAC's current incarnation. He's a board of directors member. He represents the worst of America's dark side. So does Nuland.
She supports regime change. She backed neo-fascist governance replacing Ukrainian democracy.
She admitted Washington spending over $5 billion toppling democratically elected Viktor Yanukovych from power.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said anti-government elements were involved. Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed.
He and EU foreign policy Catherine Ashton spoke.
They were monitored. They didn't know at the time. Their discussion was leaked.
Paet talked to Ashton after returning from Kiev, he said. "At the time, (he) was already in Estonia," he added.
On February 26, he held a press conference. He issued a statement saying Euromaidan killings demand an independent investigation.
Estonia's Foreign Ministry confirmed the leaked phone call's authenticity.
"We reject the claim that Paet was giving an assessment of the opposition's involvement in the violence," it stressed.
It's impossible misinterpreting what he meant.
He only commented on what he heard in Kiev. He spilled the beans. Intentionally or not, he confirmed what's clear hard truth.
Ukraine's legitimate President Viktor Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed. He had nothing to do with Euromaidan killings.
The operation was a classic false flag. It was staged to blame him. It's now exposed.
Cui bono matters most. Yanukovych's involvement had everything to lose and nothing to gain.
At the times, Catherine Ashton's spokesperson, Maja Kocijancic, was silent. "(W)e don't comment on leaked phone conversations," she said.
Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officials loyal to Yanukovych reportedly hacked phones used by Paet and Ashton. They uploaded what they heard online.
Paet was heard saying "there is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovyich, but it was somebody from the new coalition."
"All the evidence shows" they were shooting at people from both sides. They targeted police and protesters. Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed.
Paet spoke to Kiev doctor Olga Bogomolets. She's a Bogomolets National Medical University professor.
She said snipers shot protesters and police. Paet called Dr. Bogomolets' evidence "quite disturbing."
She showed him photos. They revealed "the same handwriting, the same type of bullets, and it's really disturbing that now the new coalition, that they don't want to investigate what exactly happened," said Paet.
He blamed putschists for cover-up. They refuse to investigate, he said. They want evidence suppressed.
Snipers were neo-Nazi hitmen. Yanukovych and others in his government had no involvement.
Ashton was nonplussed. She was tongue-tied. She was caught red-handed. She was part of the dirty scheme to oust him.
She reacted saying: "Well, yeah...that's, that's terrible. I think we do want to investigate."
"I mean, I didn't pick that up. That's interesting. Gosh." All-out efforts buried the story. Media scoundrels ignored it.
It should have been featured. Big Lies drown out truth. They repeat with disturbing regularity. They shock the conscience of people wanting responsible journalism.
Alternative spaces alone provide it. Savvy news, information, and opinion seekers turn there in increasing numbers. It's the only way to get what scoundrel media ignore.
On March 12, 2014 former Ukrainian Security Service head Aleksandr Yakimenko confirmed Paet's assessment. He blamed putschist official Andrey Parubiy.
He's a neo-Nazi Svoboda party leader. He heads National Security. He's coup-appointed. He has no legitimacy whatever. Nor do other putschists.
"Shots came from the Philharmonic Hall," said Yakimenko. "Maidan Commandant Parubiy was responsible for this building."
"Snipers and people with automatic weapons were 'working' from this building on February 20. They supported the assault on the Interior Ministry forces on the ground who were already demoralized and had, in fact, fled," he added.
"When the first wave of shootings ended, many have witnessed 20 people leaving the building."
They were carrying military-style bags used for sniper and assault rifles with optical sights.
Many witnesses saw them. Foreign elements may have been involved. Perhaps CIA, US special forces, and secret service operatives.
What happened was well planned in advance. Washington's dirty hands were involved.
"These were the forces that carried out everything that they were told by their leadership - the United States," Yakimenko stressed.
Maidan leaders practically lived at Washington's embassy, he added. As security chief, he was ready to order Ukrainian troops to enter the building and remove the snipers, he said.
He needed approval from Parubiy to do it, he explained. Otherwise, so-called "self-defense" elements would have attacked him, he believes.
"Parubiy did not give such consent," he said. He controlled access to weapons used in Independence Square.
US-instigated coup changed things. Ukrainian freedom died. Fascist extremism replaced it. Don't expect Soros to explain.
He supports what demands denunciation. He profits hugely from geopolitical crises.
He absurdly called ongoing Ukrainian crisis conditions Putin's "Achilles heel."
Nonexistent "spontaneous rebellion did not enter into his calculations." He lied claiming Putin's worldview is power politics.
"(T)hose in power can easily manipulate public opinion," he said. "Failure to control the people is a sign of weakness," he added.
Putin made Russian financial assistance conditional on Yanukovych "repress(ing) rebellion," he claimed.
Yanukovych went all-out to resolve things diplomatically. Before US-manipulated putschists ousted him, he "announc(ed) steps needed to restore peace and avoid further victims of the standoff," he said.
"There are no steps we should demur from taking together in order to restore peace to Ukraine," he stressed.
He "declare(d) the initiation of early presidential elections. (He) invoke(d) a return to the Constitution of 2004 with the redistribution of powers in the direction of a parliamentary republic."
He "summon(ed) to begin formation of the government of national trust."
He offered far more than needed to resolve things. He was ousted from power lawlessly. It came straightaway after extending an olive branch responsibly.
Washington's dirty hands bore full responsibility. Rogue EU partners shared it. Fascist putschists were elevated to power. They have no legitimacy whatever.
Don't expect Soros to explain. He hopes to cash in big. He profits from crisis conditions. He spends millions instigating them. He benefits from human misery.
He once said: "As a market participant, I don't need to be concerned with the consequences of my actions."
He made billions from global havoc. He operates roguishly for a buck. He opposed Bush over tactics. Ideologically they're two sides of the same coin.
He supports hot wars. He endorses financial ones. He took credit for Americanizing Eastern Europe. He helped instigate Yugoslavia's balkanization.
He deplores democracy. He spends millions aiding elements crushing it. He seeks new global profit opportunities. Ukraine is Exhibit A.
He wants it strip-mined for profit. He wants its resources plundered. He wants its people exploited.
He wants unrestricted market access. He supports mass layoffs, deregulation, deep social spending cuts, sub-poverty wages, workers turned into serfs, trade unionism crushed, corporate friendly tax cuts, and harsh crackdowns on nonbelievers.
He called elevated coup-appointed officials to power "the birth of a nation." In "direct response to foreign oppression," he added.
He irresponsibly accused Russia of invading Crimea. Ukraine's future "depends on how Western powers…respond," he said. He wants Ukraine strengthed.
He want coup-appointed putschists supported. He favors large scale technical and financial assistance. He backs IMF-imposed diktats.
Imposing them assures protracted Greek-style Depression conditions. It guarantees hollowing out Ukraine's economy. It promises wrecking it altogether.
It provides Soros and likeminded predators with huge profit opportunities. It does so at the expense of popular interests.
It bears repeating. He profits hugely from human misery.
"Ukraine is a potentially attractive investment destination," he said. Its "potential" requires corporate friendly policies. It demands impoverishing poor Peter to benefit rich Paul.
Years earlier, Soros said "(w)e need a global sheriff" to enforce policy. Maybe he had himself in mind.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Upcoming Syrian Presidential Election
Upcoming Syrian Presidential Election
by Stephen Lendman
It's scheduled for June 3. Aspirants had until May 1 to register. Twenty-four hopefuls did so. By April 28, seven candidates were approved.
They included Bashar al-Assad, Maher Abdul-Hafiz Hajjar, Hassan al-Nouri , Mohammad Firas Yassin Rajjouh, Abdul-Salam Youssef Salameh, Sawsan Omar al-Haddad, and Sameer Ahmad Mo'alla.
Before May 1, 17 more were approved.
Late registrants include Ziad Adnan Hakawati, Ahmad Ali Qsei’eh, Mohammad Mohammad Nassr Mahmoud, Ali Hassan al-Hassan, Ahmad Omar Dabba, Mahmoud Naji Moussa and Hossein Mohammad Tijan.
Twenty-four in all will compete. They'll challenge Bashar al-Assad. They'll do so for Syria's highest office. His main challengers include parliamentarians Hassan al-Nouri and Maher Hajjar.
On April 28, he submitted his candidacy application as required. He sent it to Syria's Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC).
People's Assembly Speaker Mohammad Jihad al-Latham announced receipt. Assad submitted required documents to run, he said.
He did so according to Syria's SCC's Article 21. It pertains to constitutional procedure, as well as its SCC and General Elections law.
Syria's parliament has 250 members. Candidacy approval needs at least 35 endorsements. Residency in Syria for the last decade is required.
Assad's Baath Party has 161 deputies. They wholeheartedly endorsed his candidacy. He's overwhelmingly popular.
He's expected to win easily. He promised a free, fair, open process. His supporters began promoting his campaign.
Syrian television star Wael Sharf tweeted:
"Elections are a right, a duty of every citizen. This is the meaning of true freedom, and this is how we exercise that freedom to the utmost."
"This is how I understand elections, and this is how every Syrian citizen who loves Syria understands elections."
Assad's official bio information says he was born on September 11, 1965. His parents were Hafez al-Assad and Aniseh Makhouf. He's married with three children.
He attended Damascus Llaique School. In 1982, he completed high school at Frere School.
In 1979, he joined Syria's Baath Party. He studied medicine at Damascus University. In 1988, he graduated. During his third year, he joined Syria's Armed Forces.
He's a certified ophthalmologist. He trained at Tishreen Military Hospital. From 1992 - 1994, he continued training at London's Western Eye Hospital.
Back home he joined Syria's Military Academy. He continued military training.
From 1996 - 2000, he presided over the Syrian Computer Society. He was instrumental in advancing computer technology nationwide.
He introduced Internet access. He provided free Internet computer technology (ICTP) training.
In July 2000, he was elected Syria's president. In May 2007, he was reelected. On June 3, he'll stand again.
Speaker al-Latham addressed letters to parliament speakers and MPs in numerous friendly countries. They include:
- Chairman of Russia's State Duma Sergey Naryshkin;
- Chairwoman of Russia's Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko;
- Chairman of the National People's Congress of China Zhang Dejiang;
- Speaker of the Lok Sabha (India's House of the People) Meira Kumar;
- Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa Max Max Sisulu;
- Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Henrique Eduardo Alves;
- President of the National Assembly of Venezuela Diosdado Cabello-Rondon;
- President of the Cuban National Assembly of People's Power Esteban Hernandez;
- Chairman of the National Assembly of Nicaragua Santos Rene Nez Tellez;
- Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia Marcelo William Elio Chavez;
- Chairperson of the National Assembly of Ecuador Gabriela Rivadeneira; and
- Chairman of Armenia's Parliament Galust Sahakian.
He invited them to observe June's election, saying:
"It's my pleasure to invite you to send a group of members of your reverend parliaments and experts in electoral affairs from your friendly countries to follow up on the presidential elections in our country."
He promised "a genuine presidential race." He urged other parliamentarians see for themselves firsthand.
The electoral process will reflect "our belief in your objective stances in support of the Syrian people and their right to elect their presidential candidate and decide their political future fairly, freely and transparently and without foreign interferences," he stressed.
"(J)oin (us in witnessing) this free democratic process that is taking place in an atmosphere of competition among a number of presidential candidates for the first time in Syria's history," he urged.
Syrians will have their say "freely and democratically," he said. They'll do so despite hostile powers' "annoyance and rage over seeing the Syrian presidential elections held on time as constitutionally scheduled."
"(T)hey are blatantly interfering in the elections although they are a sovereign affair and a domestic issue that concerns the Syrians alone as they are the ones to decide their results by themselves in line with the national and international laws."
On May 5, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) headlined "Popular Rallies gather fresh momentum nationwide ahead of presidential elections."
They did so despite ongoing conflict. Huge numbers of "Syrian citizens flood(ed) streets and squares across the country…"
They came to show "support (for) Syria's army in the war against terrorism." They "voice(d) support (for upcoming) democratic" elections.
They expressed "patriotic feelings…" They resolved to support Syria's constitutional process. They oppose foreign meddling.
Sheikhs Hikmat al-Heijri and Akl represent Syria's Druze population. They urged widespread participation. They said June's election will reflect the will of the people.
Pastor Samih al-Sadi called it a turning point in Syrian history. He urged everyone to vote.
So did Sheikh Yasser Abu Fakhr. He called June's election a lifeline for Syria's democratic process. Its winner will lead Damascus for the next seven years. Assad's current term runs through July 16.
On May 3, he met with Syria's Higher Committee for Relief members. He stressed doubling humanitarian efforts.
He wants optimal use of state resources. He wants needs of displaced Syrians prioritized.
His government is responsible for all its citizens, he said. They face enormous hardships in time of war. They need all the help they can get.
Assad vowed to provide more. He urged ministries and other governmental bodies to work cooperatively. He wants more help delivered without delay.
His goal is getting displaced Syrians returned home safely. He knows terrorists hinder important work. He intends managing best he can.
War challenges all leaders. It's raged in Syria for over three years. It continues. Governing responsibly involves defeating foreign invaders. It requires beating Washington at its own game.
Assad's been up to the challenge. Obama's proxies are no match for Syria's superior military. Whether direct US intervention follows remains to be seen.
Syrians overwhelmingly support Assad's leadership. On June 3, expect strong voter backing. He's their last line of defense. Without him, they're on their own.
They want his leadership continued. They showed it in February 2012. They overwhelmingly approved new constitutional provisions.
They did so despite opposition boycotts and violence. Over 89% of eligible voters approved it. Another 9% opposed. A slim 1.2% of ballots were declared invalid.
Participation exceeded 57%. Given the risks taken to vote, turnout was impressive.
The Constitution includes 157 articles. From its initial draft, 14 new ones were added. Another 37 were amended. Thirty-four were reformulated.
Democratic reforms were real. Political pluralism was established for the first time. So were presidential term limits and press freedom.
Western officials mocked the referendum. Then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it "a phony referendum that is going to be used by Assad to justify what he is doing to other Syrians. So it's a cynical ploy to say the least."
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said it "fooled nobody. To open polling stations but continue to open fire on the civilians of the country has no credibility in the eyes of the world."
Media scoundrels regurgitated official propaganda. The New York Times cited critics calling the referendum "too little too late. Western leaders labeled (it) a farce," it said.
AP buried the results deep into an article. It stressed violence and opposition boycotts over impressive results. It downplayed them dismissively.
Most Syrians support Assad. On May 7, 2012, first time ever parliamentary elections were held. It was a milestone political event. Independent candidates participated.
Despite ongoing insurgent violence, turnout was high. Voting went smoothly. Independent monitors supervised the process.
They included intellectuals, legislators and judicial authorities. They came from numerous countries.
Voting was historic. Baath party members won a 60% majority. Previously they held just over 50% control.
With independent MP supporters, they comprise 90% of Syria's parliament. Opposition party members were elected.
Washington reacted as expected. They called results farcical. They shamed America's sham process. Monied interests run things. Voters have no say.
Elections are largely pre-determined. Democracy is fantasy. Syrians got the real thing. Western leaders claimed otherwise.
Media scoundrels regurgitated official Big Lies. They're in lockstep with official policy. They're conspiratorially involved.
They mock legitimate journalism. Rubbish substitutes for truth and full disclosure.
The process repeats each electoral cycle. Voters get the best democracy money can buy.
Syrians voted freely. They expressed their will without duress. They did so on their own behalf. On June 3, they'll do it again.
It bears repeating. Assad is hugely popular. He's favored to win overwhelmingly. Syrians won't trust leadership to anyone else.
Assad is their best chance. He's committed to liberate Syria from US-backed death squad invaders.
He's their likely last chance to live free. If reelected, he'll serve until mid-July 2021. Syrians want no one else.
Expect no election day surprise. Expect no Western post-mortem praise.
Expect Syrians to pay no attention. They deplore US imperial rampaging. They oppose US dominance.
They want sovereign independence. They want their fundamental rights respected. They're committed to defend them. They deserve universal support.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Eastern Ukrainian Referendum Post-Mortems
Eastern Ukrainian Referendum Post-Mortems
by Stephen Lendman
On Sunday, Donetsk and Lugansk residents voted. Democracy triumphed overwhelmingly.
Both regions declared independence. Self-determination is inviolable. It's a universal right.
Not according to Washington. Reaction was as expected. It didn't surprise.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki lied calling both referendums "illegal." They reflect real democracy in action.
"We do not recognize the illegal referendum that took place in portions of Donetsk and Luhansk over the weekend," she said.
"It was illegal under Ukrainian law and an attempt to create further division and disorder in the country."
"Its methodology was also highly suspect with reports of carousel voting, pre-marked ballots, children voting, voting for people who were absent, and even voting in Moscow and St. Petersburg."
Fact: Donetsk and Lugansk referendums were legal.
Fact: UN Charter provisions affirm self-determination.
Fact: Kiev's putschist government has no legitimacy.
Fact: Rule by coup d'etat reflects lawlessness.
Fact: Sunday's electoral process was scrupulously open, free and fair.
Fact: Verifiable passports identified eligible voters.
Fact: Ukrainian ex-pat voting is commonplace.
Fact: In 2004, this writer personally witnessed Chicago Ukrainians queued in front of the city's consulate waiting to vote at the time.
Don't expect Psaki to explain. Her job is suppressing truth. It's lying for wealth, power and privilege.
It's twisting facts to fit policy. It's supporting US lawlessness. It's endorsing what demands condemnation.
Psaki ignored Kiev forces attacking Eastern Ukrainian cities. Waging lawless aggression. Murdering civilians in cold blood.
Vowing continued war on its own people. Waging it with full US support. With direct aid. With CIA elements involved.
With neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs. With foreign mercenaries. With hired guns. With no-holds-barred ferocity. With lots more to come.
Psaki didn't explain. She irresponsibly bashed Putin. "(W)e think (he) can do far more to support the sovereignty and democratic future of Ukraine," she said.
"And obviously, the referendum(s) in our view (are) illegitimate. We don't recognize (them) and we're looking forward."
Fact: Ukrainian democracy exists solely in Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
Fact: Perhaps other Eastern Ukrainian ones will follow its example.
Fact: Maybe Western Ukrainian ones once they understand they were had.
Fact: Kiev rule has no legitimacy whatever.
Fact: Planned May 25 elections will be farcical when held.
Fact: Democracy is excluded from the ballot.
Fact: Fascist victory is certain.
Fact: Hardline lawless rule will continue.
On Monday, Donetsk People's Republic co-chairman Denis Pushilin asked Moscow to embrace the region like Crimea. To make Donetsk part of Russia.
Perhaps Lugansk will follow. Maybe other Ukrainian regions. Perhaps if enough residents demand it.
It remains to be seen how Russia responds. It's taking its time. It urged Kiev/Eastern Ukraine dialogue. A Monday Kremlin statement said:
"Moscow respects the will of the people in Donetsk and Lugansk and hopes that the practical realization of the outcome of the referendums will be carried out in a civilized manner."
It urged "dialogue between representatives of Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk." It wants things resolved diplomatically.
It wants what Washington won't permit. Cold War 2.0 politics prioritizes confrontation.
Analysts speculated on Moscow's position going forward.
International legal expert Alexander Mercouris believes "Moscow is following what has been its consistent policy right from the start, right from the moment when the coup took place in Kiev in February, which has been pressing for negotiations between Kiev and the actual true democratic representatives of the eastern regions in order to achieve constitutional change."
"I do not think Moscow's position has changed," he added. "But I think (its) position may change in the future."
Mercouris endorsed referendum legitimacy, saying:
"Yes, they were organized in great haste, in civil war, revolutionary conditions, but even people who are present, who are hostile to these referendums, from the Western media now accept that these are in fact representative of the powerful mass movement."
Moscow State University's Mark Sleboda thinks Kremlin policy is consistent.
"Moscow's reaction to (both) referendum(s)" followed Sunday voting. "They, of course, recommended (they) be postponed, and they had a somewhat tepid" response, he said.
"But at the same time. they did not completely disown it either."
"The first statement out of Moscow this morning that it looked forward to a dialogue between Donetsk, Lugansk and Kiev to resolve the situation and implement the people's will was a very strong indication that Russia is still really trying for dialogue with Kiev."
Sleboda urged close attention to three things, saying:
"One, the extremely large turnout, which is nearly impossible to deny."
"The overwhelming landslide victory since the vote was essentially public with the glass ballot boxes and the Western journalists who served in place of international monitors, we could say, who clearly informally polled on the ground the strength of support for the independence vote."
"And three, we have to remember that this did indeed happen under the barrel of a gun…"
"(N)ot the barrel of the gun of the self-defense forces, but under the barrel of the gun of this Kiev regime who was actually killing voters as they tried to vote against it on the referendum day."
History Professor Ronald Suni believes Moscow's measured response provides room for dialogue.
"Vladimir Putin and his advisors decided a few days ago that we've got to pull back, that we've got to slow things down," he said.
"That all these people acting in their own interest, out of their own emotions and passions could lead to some very dangerous situations - civil war or international war."
"So, why not postpone the referendum, which of course the locals did not want to do, recognize the May 25 elections, which part of Ukraine probably won't do, and pull troops back from the frontier, which Putin did."
"Even so, these actions have not led to a response, on both sides it would allow for some kind of international negotiation."
On Monday, Donetsk and Lugansk began unification talks. Donetsk People's Republic co-chairman Denis Pushilin discussed plans to do so.
"(O)ur republics initiated unification," he said. "There have to be preliminary talks. The decision will be made by the leadership." On Tuesday, talks began.
Pushilin called ongoing conflict a "de facto civil war…on our territory."
"There are many military bases here, and we should decide on what's to be done about their contingents," he said.
"They either change over to our side or else they are declared occupation troops, which makes them subject to expulsion."
Engaging them is underway, he stressed. "(T)here are many encouraging signals," he added.
Enormous tasks lie ahead, he explained. Governing entails huge responsibilities.
Establishing new agencies is planned. Steps to do so will proceed "over the shortest possible term," he said.
Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) wants UN recognition as a sovereign state.
"We are planning an appeal to the UN for declaring us a sovereign state, but we don't hope to get a positive answer," said Pushilin.
"(B)ecause (of) the West's position," he added. Its "stance towards us is all too obvious, but we won't be particularly upset either because we know only too well what we were embarking on."
On Tuesday, Sergey Lavrov accused Western nations of ignoring Kiev's war on its own people.
Its military got direct orders to do so, he said. Neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs are involved, he added
Earlier during Maidan violence,"NATO defense ministers and Secretary General stated the inadmissibility of intervention of the armed forces of Ukraine in the political process, and insisted on the neutrality of the army," he explained.
Hypocrisy defines Western policies. Implementing them belies duplicitous rhetoric. It's longstanding practice. It furthers imperial lawlessness.
Russia bashing remains intense. Media scoundrels turn truth on its head.
The New York Times operates like a de facto Washington house organ. It regurgitates state propaganda ad nauseam.
It does so daily. In front page feature stories. In commentaries. In editorials.
Putin basher Nikita Sokolov accuses him of "orthodoxy, autocracy and nationality."
The Times cited him claiming a so-called myth about Soviet Russia saving humanity from fascism. It's fact, not fiction. Not according to Sokolov.
"With certain modifications, this ideology is being used by the modern leadership of Russia," he said. "It is not an accident."
According to The Times, "Putin seeks to rebuild his and Russia's reputation (as well as reshape) foreign policy…to resemble the fall of the Third Reich."
"No matter what the conflict, (he) links…to that 1945 victory by proclaiming that the defeat of fascism is Russia's raison d'etre."
Real fascist threats exist. Washington is ground zero. Kiev stooges operate as convenient proxies. Don't expect The Times to explain.
The Washington Post accused Russia of directing what's ongoing in Eastern Ukraine.
It cited so-called "EU documents and Ukrainian authorities calling self-defense force leader Igor Strelkor "a member of the Russian military intelligence agency GRU."
No evidence whatever suggests it. WaPo admitted "authenticity…could not be independently verified."
At the same time, it stressed "aggressive Russian propaganda." It accused Moscow of full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions. It substituted fiction for fact. It's longstanding WaPo policy.
Wall Street Journal editors said Putin "took a big step toward disrupting Ukraine's May 25 presidential election and grabbing another chunk of his neighbor's territory."
"Separatist leaders in Eastern Ukraine followed through Sunday with their sham referendum on local autonomy," they added.
"As in Crimea, (they) t(ook) control of cities and towns in the east with the help of Russian special forces."
"…Kiev denounced the referendum, but its military writ doesn't extend to the east."
Putin aims "to achieve his goals in Ukraine without full-fledged invasion…"
Sanctions "play(s) into (his) plan of disruption in stages and via separatist proxies."
He hasn't "back(ed) off his strategy of gobbling eastern Ukraine and destabilizing the rest."
"Until he does, expect him to keep moving westward."
Fact: Lies, damn lies and bald-faced ones infested Journal editorial fabrications.
Fact: Russia prioritizes resolving Ukrainian crisis conditions diplomatically.
Fact: It abhors conflict.
Fact: It prioritizes responsible dialogue.
Fact: It's doing nothing to disrupt Kiev's sham May 25 elections.
Fact: It's "grabbing" no Ukraine territory.
Fact: It has no involvement anywhere throughout Ukraine.
Fact: So-called Russian "special forces" in Ukraine don't exist.
Fact: It bears repeating. Donetsk and Lugansk referendum were legitimate.
Fact: Self-determination is a universal right.
Fact: Journal editors ignored Kiev aggression.
Fact: They turned a blind eye to murdering Eastern Ukrainian civilians.
Fact: Claiming Putin has territorial ambitions turns truth on its head.
Don't expect Journal editors to explain. Media scoundrels substitute Big Lies for responsible news, information and opinion.
Regurgitating state propaganda is longstanding practice. So is supporting what demands condemnation.
Russia bashing persists. It exceeds the worst of Soviet era levels. It rages daily. Expect no letup ahead.
Expect readers systematically lied to. Expect TV viewers treated the same way.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Russell Maroon Shoatz: One of Thousands of US Political Prisoners
Russell Maroon Shoatz: One of Thousands of US Political Prisoners
by Stephen Lendman
Thousands of political prisoners languish in America's gulag. It's one of the world's worst. It's the largest by far.
It's supplemented by dozens of global torture prisoners. They're in numerous countries. They're black holes of viciousness. Their existence alone reveals America's dark side.
Marc Mauer heads the Sentencing Project. He's a leading criminal justice system authority. His "Race to Incarcerate" book was groundbreaking.
It focuses on America's rage to punish. To imprison. To fill prison beds. To commodify criminal injustice. To harm society's most vulnerable.
To deny ethnic justice. To target racial emancipation. To spurn economic and social equality across gender and color lines.
To lock people away unjustly. To victimize them by judicial unfairness. To do so by get tough on crime policies. By guilty unless proved innocent. By three strikes and you're out.
Russell Maroon Shoatz is a political prisoner. He calls himself a prisoner of war He's a dedicated community activist. He's a founding Black Unity Council member.
He's a former Black Panther Party/Black Liberation Army member. He's serving multiple unjust life sentences.
A petition to free Maroon reads as follows:
He's (#AF-3855) "a 68-year-old prisoner held at the State Correctional Institution (SCI) Greene in southwestern Pennsylvania, has been kept in solitary confinement for more than 21 years. He has been unable to hold his children or grandchildren or interact with others in a humane setting during this time, despite not having violated prison rules in two decades. He has suffered severe psychological anguish and his physical health has been worsened by the stress of prolonged isolation."
He "spent nearly 40 years within the Pennsylvania prison system, 30 of those in solitary confinement."
"During this time he has earned a reputation amongst prison staff and prisoners as a leader because of his consistent support for human rights inside and outside the walls."
"We are distressed and outraged that an elderly man who is nearing his 70th birthday continues to be treated in such a cruel manner based on his constitutionally-protected support for human rights and in retaliation for his expressing political opinions disfavored by the prison administration."
"Not having committed an infraction in more than two decades reveals that Russell Shoats is more than ready to re-enter the general prison population."
"We, the undersigned, are calling on prison officials to end the solitary confinement torture of Russell Maroon Shoatz by releasing him into the general population of the prison immediately."
Shoatz calls himself "a New African Political Prisoner of War, who at this moment" is serving multiple life sentences.
His ordeal began in 1970. He was convicted of involvement in killing a police officer.
He spent over four decades in numerous state, county and federal prisons. He was in maximum security ones. He was isolated in solitary confinement from 1991 through February 20, 2014.
He was held there despite his exemplary prison record. An earlier refusal to release him into the general prison population lied, saying:
"In the volatile atmosphere of a prison, an inmate easily may constitute an unacceptable threat to the safety of other prisoners and guards even if he himself has committed no misconduct; rumor, reputation, and even more imponderable factors may suffice to spark potentially disastrous incidents."
"The judgment of prison officials in this context, like that of those making parole decisions, turns largely on purely subjective evaluations and on predictions of future behavior."
In February, his lawyer confirmed his solitary confinement release. His son Russell Shoatz III said:
"We are very excited that this day has finally come. My father being released from solitary confinement is proof of the power of people organizing against injustice, and the importance of building strong coalitions."
"I especially want to thank all of those who have supported the collective struggle to end my father’s solitary confinement, including my siblings and members of the Shoatz family, the Human Rights Coalition, Abolitionist Law Center, Scientific Soul Sessions, the entire legal team, UN Special Rapporteur Juan Mendez, the 5 Nobel Peace Laureates, the National Lawyers Guild, Center for Constitutional Rights, along with the dozens of other organizations and thousands of individuals who have participated in this effort."
Shoatz explained his ordeal earlier as follows:
"The torture technicians who developed the paradigm used in (prison) ‘control units' realized that they not only had to separate those with leadership qualities, but also break (their) minds and bodies and keep them separated until they are dead."
He turns 71 in August. In the past nine months, he was transferred to three different Pennsylvania prisons.
He was isolated for working with the Pennsylvania Association of Lifers. It advocates abolishing life without parole sentences.
Commutation is the only possible way now. It entails petitioning Board of Pardons members. It requires gubernatorial approval.
It involves what rarely happens. Virtually never some say. It reflects societal injustice writ large. America is its epicenter.
Abolitionist Law Center Executive Director Bret Grote is a Human Rights Coalition investigator. It's a Pennsylvania-based prison abolitionist/rights organization. He spoke to Maroon. He called it "moving."
"There are no words to adequately convey the significance of his release to the general population for him and his family," he said.
"This is a significant victory for a growing people’s movement against solitary confinement and the human rights violations inherent in mass incarceration."
"If we continue to work hard and support one another in this movement, these victories could very well become a habit."
Maroon was born in August 1943. He's one of 12 children. He was in and out of reform schools and youth institutions until age 18.
It was mainly from involvement in gang activities. They were unrelated to illicit drugs. He was married twice. He has seven children.
In the mid-1960s, he became politically active. He was a founding Black Unity Council member. In 1969, it merged with the Black Panther Party.
In August 1970, he and four others became known as the "Philly 5." It was after a police officer was killed. Another was wounded at the time.
It followed a Philadelphia police station retaliatory attack. It responded to heightened community repression. It included cops killing a New African youth.
Maroon "was active on the armed front of the New African Liberation Army," he said.
"All of my actions and activities during this period were in direct response to, and in direct support of the movement's activities."
"I was tried and convicted for the attack on the police station and sentenced to Life-Plus Imprisonment," he added.
He escaped. He remained at large for weeks. He was hunted down. In October 1977, he was captured. From then through November 1989, he was kept in various "holes," he said.
In numerous state, county and federal prisons, he added. In brutalizing maximum security ones. In one, he was forcibly drugged.
He was hospitalized once from criminal overdosing. In March 1980, he escaped again. He was recaptured. He remains in prison.
He deserves much better than he's gotten. In May 2012, an international campaign to free him headlined "25 years in prison + 50 years of age = OUT."
It was launched concurrently in New York and London. Theresa Shoatz is Maroon's daughter. She advocates on her father's behalf. She does it courageously.
Matt Meyer is a New York-based educator/activist/author/War Resisters International Africa Support Network Coordinator. He campaigns on Maroon's behalf.
He and Theresa call his case "one of the most shocking examples of US torture of political prisoners, and one of the most egregious examples of human rights violations regarding prison conditions anywhere in the world."
"His 'Maroon' nickname is, in part, due to his continued resistance - which twice led him to escape confinement."
It's "based on his continued clear analysis, including recent writings on ecology and matriarchy."
He hadn't had a serious rule violation in over two decades. He was targeted for working as an educator.
For his political ideas. For being elected president of an officially sanctioned prison-based support group.
Punishing him violated his fundamental constitutional rights. Cruel and unusual punishment is prohibited.
His new book is titled "Maroon the Implacable: The Collected Writings of Russell Maroon Shoatz."
It includes essays on a wide range of topics. They include honest self-criticism.
One chapter is titled "The Question of Violence." In it, Maroon wrote:
"More troubling is the fact that this male exhibitionist violence has also permeated the minds, practices, and circles of otherwise brilliant and well-meaning revolutionary thinkers."
"Such theorists as the renowned Frantz Fanon, icons like Malcolm X and Kwane Ture (formerly Stokely Carmichael) and others have unconsciously conflated the necessary utilization of defensive revolutionary violence, in seeking meaningful revolutionary socioeconomic and cultural change, with what they believed was a need for males to use 'revolutionary violence' to also ‘liberate their minds and spirits’ subservience imposed on them by the vestiges of slavery and the colonialism/neocolonialism of their times."
"These individuals failed to recognize that their 'revolutionary' worldview would still leave in place the entire male-supremacist/patriarchal framework, an edifice that we can term the 'father of oppression.' "
"The destruction of this edifice will signal the true liberation they sought."
"Otherwise, the 'revolutionary violence' they formulated must also be recognized for what it is: exhibitionist, ego-based male violence."
State-sponsored viciousness defines America's prison system. Gulag cruelty best describes it. It's abhorrently discriminatory. It's deplorably racially and ethnically biased.
It targets society's most vulnerable. It's unrelated to crime control.
Bret Grote said Maroon was transferred from one "torture chamber" to another.
Brutalizing treatment continued for decades. His dedication to helping other prisoners was "thwarted at every turn."
He was punished for doing the right thing. He's back in the general prison population. For how long remains to be seen.
Societies are best judged by how they treat children, the elderly, the infirm, their most disadvantaged and prisoners. America fails on all counts.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Democracy Landslide in Eastern Ukraine
Democracy Landslide in Eastern Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
On Sunday, Donetsk and Lugansk regional referendums were held. Democracy triumphed overwhelmingly.
Almost 90% of Donetsk residents voted for self-determination. For local autonomy. For self-rule. Accounting to Central Election Commission head Roman Lyagin:
"Counting the ballots proved to be surprisingly easy. The number of people who said 'no' was relatively small, and there appeared to be only a tiny proportion of spoiled ballots, so we managed to carry out counting quite fast."
"The figures are as follows: 89.07 percent voted 'for' (self rule),10.19 percent voted 'against' and 0.74 percent of ballots were rendered ineligible."
"The region is witnessing the escalation of violence," he added. "(L)ots or armed people have come to the region. Sometimes it is impossible to say whom these people represent."
Ballot deliveries were impeded. They were "beset by the danger to the life and health of members of election commission" members.
Final Lugansk results showed 96.2% for self-rule. Election Committee deputy chairman Alexander Malykhyn announced it.
A celebratory 5-6PM Monday rally was held. Thousands participated. They did so under hazardous conditions.
They came anyway. New rules apply. Self-determination is official. Kiev putschists have no say.
Residents in both regions live under virtual war zone conditions. Fundamental rights matter more. Freedom is too precious to sacrifice. Near unanimity affirmed it.
Turnout under dangerous conditions was extraordinary. It was unexpectedly high.
In Lugansk it was 81%. In Donetsk 74.87%. Residents in some areas risked life and limb to vote.
They did so anyway. In Krasnoarmeysk, special National Guard forces and Right Sector thugs opened fire on unarmed civilians.
Two deaths were reported. Others were injured. Fascist regimes operate this way. Kiev acts on direct orders from Washington.
Donetsk Region People's Governor Pavel Gubarev said:
"The referendum for us is about creating a new state paradigm." It's "everything for us. It is our independence."
"It is formation of a new entity - The Donetsk People's Republic. But this new entity is only the first step to our forming a bigger entity of Novorossia."
He referred to 18th century Russian empire territory. In 1922, it included Southeastern Ukraine.
Slavyansk People's Mayor Vyacheslav Ponomaryov said closer ties with Russia will follow.
It's "our brotherly nation," he explained. He hopes for "full interaction…including entering (into) a Customs Union."
RT International's Paula Slier tweeted:
"#Lugansk leader says it's probable that after independence, the rgn'll form a unit govt w/#Donetz. Acc. to him, other rgns'll follow them."
A Kremlin press service statement said:
"We have taken note of high voter turnout despite attempts to derail the voting and we condemn the force used, including military hardware, against civilians, which lead to fatalities."
"Moscow respects the will of the people in Donetsk and Lugansk and hopes that the practical realization of the outcome of the referendums will be carried out in a civilized manner, without resorting to violence, through dialogue between representatives of Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk."
"In the interests of establishing such a dialogue all mediation efforts will be welcome, including by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe."
Russia condemned the use of force, "including with the use of heavy armaments against peaceful citizens that caused human losses."
Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said his views on what happened Sunday depend "on the strength of their results."
He'll make them known at an appropriate time. He recommended postponing Sunday's referendums.
"(I) was difficult" for area residents to comply. "Taking into account real combat conditions, (they) had to act according to their own plan and proceed from the actual situation."
Peskov called Western accusations against Russia "absolute folly."
"Why could not the West prevent the use of armoured personnel carriers in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk and avoid the gunning down of civilians," he asked.
"They did not use their influence, and they do not give a hang while Russia is blamed for everything."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov closely followed events.
"We have taken note of high voter turnout despite attempts to derail the voting, and we condemn the force used, including military hardware, against civilians, which lead to fatalities," he said.
Russia's lower house State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin said:
"The referendums show(ed) (the will of the people) to defend their rights, essentially, their wish to be free."
They believe "their rights are massively violated in the current state system."
Russian upper house Federation Council member Sergei Tsekov said Donetsk and Lugansk regions demonstrated real choice. World nations should recognize it, he added.
"Unfortunately, the self-proclaimed authorities of Ukraine did not let (both regions) hold their referendums in a calm atmosphere, but, clearly, the vote demonstrated the will of people…"
"The referendums have totally convincing results: we saw how enthusiastic people were about the referendum and how many of them came to polling stations."
"If the world unwaveringly supports democratic values and wishes peace and accord in Ukraine, it should recognize the referendums and do its best to assist Ukrainian regions and the center to sit down and agree on their future."
On Monday, EU foreign ministers met in Brussels. They discussed Sunday's referendums. They considered policy options going forward.
They include possible sanctions on 15 more Russian officials and five Crimea-based companies.
On Monday, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy visited Kiev. He came to support its coup-appointed government.
He discussed preparations for May 25 sham presidential elections. They'll be illegitimate when held. EU nations support them. So does Washington.
Western countries endorse what demands condemnation. They criticize real democracy. They deny their own people fundamental rights. They want other nations denied theirs.
On Monday, Sergey Lavrov said no new meetings on Ukraine are planned. Efforts to resolve crisis conditions so far accomplished nothing.
"I have heard statements by Ukraine's Acting Foreign Minister (Andrii) Deshchytsia and While House spokesman (Jay) Carney to the effect that the four-party format of the talks should be preserved, but I shall say once again that, without including the regime's opponents into the direct dialogue over ways of settling the crisis, the efforts will go nowhere," he said.
"Russian channels are being blocked in Ukraine," he added. "The West is seeking to fill them with their interpretation of events."
"But ambassadors in Moscow watch what Russian television shows and should say the truth about current events in Ukraine to their governments."
Lavrov commented on flagrant Western lies relating to Donetsk People's Republic statements he made. He hopes implementing referendum results going forward will proceed smoothly.
Washington and rogue EU partners reacted to Sunday's referendums as expected. They denounced real democracy.
They called it illegal. They might try adopting some themselves. They consider it verboten. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki lied saying:
Sunday's referendums "violate(d) international law and the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The United States will not recognize the results of these illegal referenda."
Rogue EU nations march in lockstep. Foreign policy chief Katherine Ashton's spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic lied saying:
"The so-called referenda in…parts of Lugansk and Donetsk regions were illegal, and we do not recognize the outcome. Those who organized the referenda have no democratic legitimacy."
Hostile public statements won't change things. Donetsk and Lugansk residents spoke. They did so courageously.
They affirmed their legitimate rights. Their democratic ones everyone deserves.
They did so overwhelmingly. They reject Kiev fascists. They acted responsibly. They deserve universal support.
On Monday, Kiev troops attacked Andreevka village. It's about 100 kilometers from Slavyansk.
"There was an artillery attack," a self-defense spokesperson said. It began pre-dawn.
"Houses have been destroyed. Cars are on fire. There are casualties, but the numbers aren't yet known."
"The enemy started the artillery attack…using heavy mortars and howitzers. Also we have data on…using helicopters for covering operations."
RT's Paula Slier tweeted:
"Communication between #Andreevka and #Slavyansk - as well w/other cities around it - reportedly affected. It's difficult to get info."
Repeated explosions were heard. Firing came from Karachun Mountain's TV tower vicinity.
Checkpoints were attacked. So were residential areas. Kiev tried disrupting Sunday's referendums. It failed to do so.
Assaults on self-defense forces and noncombatants continued on Monday. It bears repeating. Fascist regimes operate this way.
On Monday, the Moscow Times headlined "Russia Recognizes Outcome of Self-Rule Referendums in Eastern Ukraine," saying:
Kremlin authorities urged implementing it peacefully. People spoke. They did so overwhelmingly. Their will matters.
It bears repeating. It deserves respect. It merits universal support. It's polar opposite Washington's way.
It's the right way. It's a model for people everywhere to follow.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Bashing Real Democracy
Bashing Real Democracy
by Stephen Lendman
Media scoundrels reacted as expected. They didn't surprise. They march in lockstep with official Washington policy.
They bashed Sunday's legitimate Donetsk and Lugansk referendums. They reflect real democracy.
They exposed America's sham process. Perhaps they'll inspire people everywhere to follow their courageous example.
Not according to The New York Times. It twists important truths daily. It does so irresponsibly. On May 11, it headlined "Ukraine Vote on Separation Held in Chaos," saying:
"Separatists in two provinces of eastern Ukraine conducted chaotic and sometimes violent plebiscites on Sunday that offered voters just one question about self-rule, while raising many more about where events in the region were headed."
"Opponents appeared to be staying away from the polls, as many had said they would."
"The ballot papers that could be seen in transparent ballot boxes in two cities, Donetsk and Slovyansk, were almost all marked yes."
"But the voting took place in such a raw state of lawlessness that no one other than the organizers and perhaps their Russian patrons seemed likely to accept the results as a democratic expression of the voters will."
"The interim central government and many leaders in the West have said that the separatists in eastern Ukraine were proxies for the Russian intelligence services, and were trying to destabilize the country after mass protests drove Ukraine's former pro-Russian leader from power."
"Referendums offered no reliable gauge of (popular) support."
"Despite their slapdash nature, the referendums in the east risked escalating the smoldering conflict in Ukraine by entrenching the political wings of pro-Russian militant groups, giving them a chance to claim at least the semblance of a popular mandate, while facing the authorities in Kiev with the awkward problem of appearing to defy voters."
Coup-appointed presidential chief of staff Sergiy Pashinskiy was quoted, saying:
"The so-called referendum in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions is an attempt by the terrorists to cover up their crimes."
"In fact, there is no referendum taking place." Voting went on only in about one-third of the region, he claimed. Organizers will be prosecuted, he added.
Fact: Times managed news misinformation rubbish substitutes for accurate reporting.
Fact: It does so systematically.
Fact: It does willfully.
Fact: It does daily.
Fact: Eastern Ukrainians aren't separatists.
Fact: They're not terrorists.
Fact: They're not militants.
Fact: They're factory workers, miners, farmers, shopkeepers, and store clerks.
Fact: They're freedom fighters.
Fact: They're Ukraine's best and bravest.
Fact: Like-minded residents support them.
Fact: They include ordinary people of all stripes, doctors, lawyers, academics, accountants, other professionals, students, mothers, grandparents, and religious figures.
Fact: They share one common trait.
Fact: They're democrats.
Fact: They support the real thing.
Fact: They reject illegitimate Kiev putschists.
Fact: Everyone everywhere should.
Fact: Voting was well organized.
Fact: It wasn't "slapdash."
Fact: So-called "chaos" was state-sponsored.
Fact: Donetsk and Lugansk regions are virtual war zones.
Fact: Residents risked life and limb to vote.
Fact: Turnout was huge.
Fact: It was unprecedented.
Fact: Nearly 80% of eligible voters overall.
Fact: They left no doubt where they stand.
Fact: Near unanimity chose democracy.
Fact: So-called "opponents" were near non-existent.
Fact: So-called "raw state of lawlessness" was state-sponsored.
Fact: So-called "Russian patrons" don't exist.
Fact: Voters acted on their own volition.
Fact: They're "proxies" for no one.
Fact: They want real democracy.
Fact: They want the real thing.
Fact: They want peace, law and order.
Fact: They want stability nationwide.
Fact: They deplore fascism.
Fact: They reject what no one should tolerate.
Fact: Referendum results showed clear popular self-rule sentiment.
Fact: Voters inspired other Ukrainians to follow their example.
Fact: They inspired people everywhere to do so.
Fact: They exposed Kiev's dark side.
Fact: State-sponsored terrorism reflects it.
Fact: Fascist regimes operate this way.
Don't expect Times correspondents, commentators or editors to explain. They support wealth, power and privilege exclusively.
They deplore social justice. They oppose real democracy. They're on the wrong side of history. They disgracefully back wrong over right.
On May 12, The Times headlined "Kiev Condemns Separatist Vote as Russia Offers Tepid Support," saying:
"Ukraine's interim president, Oleksandr V. Turchynov, on Monday dismissed weekend referendums in the country's restive east, calling them 'a farce' with no legal basis…"
He accused Moscow of trying to overthrow Kiev's government. He bashed Kremlin officials irresponsibly.
He said they aim to disrupt May 25's election. It reflects stage-managed illegitimacy writ large.
Claiming tepid Russian support doesn't wash. Expect future Kremlin comments to leave no doubt about backing what deserves universal recognition.
Coup-appointed Kiev security chief Andriy Parubiy called Sunday's referendums "Putin propaganda."
"Europe needs to understand that because Hitler was not stopped at the beginning, it led to a huge war and millions and millions of victims," he claimed.
"If Russia recogniszes (the results), Ukraine will defend its territory."
Washington denounced the referendum results. It's unwilling to recognize them.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said they "have zero credibility in the eyes of the world. They are illegal by anybody's standards."
It bears repeating. Sunday's referendums were legitimate. Claiming otherwise doesn't wash.
Self-determination is a universal right. Comparing legal self-rule to Hitler on the march shows how far Kiev putschists sunk. They'll go to any extremes to denounce real democracy.
To conceal lawless rule. To pretend illegitimacy is proper. To continue waging aggressive war. To keep killing civilians.
To crack down hard on nonbelievers. To harden fascist rule. To crush legitimate opponents. To do it no-holds-barred.
The Washington Post headlined "Eastern Ukrainians vote for self-rule in referendum opposed by West," saying:
Results threaten "to deepen divisions in a country already heading perilously toward civil war."
It quoted Kiev's self-appointed foreign ministry calling Sunday's referendums a "criminal farce." Run by a "gang of terrorists."
Reflecting its view about Russian agents backing them.
"Many residents who oppose the separatist movement boycotted the vote," said WaPo. But it did appear that turnout was relatively high.
"Relatively" grossly understates reality. At nearly 80%, it was unprecedented. So-called "opposition" was practically non-existent.
WaPo couldn't get its facts straight. Fantasy substitutes for truth. Distortion for reality. Bald-faced lies for legitimate journalism.
The Wall Street Journal headlined "Pro-Russian Separatists Declare Victory in East Ukraine," saying:
Doing so "ratchet(ed) up tensions between the West and Moscow, which by recognizing the results could push the country toward a break-up."
Results suggest "weeks of instability and violence" to come.
"Amid an absence of electoral observers and a heavy presence of separatist gunmen patrolling the streets, the government in Kiev said the results of the vote were certain to be rigged."
"(F)igures (released) are certain to arouse skepticism, since polls last month showed only 30% of voters in the Donetsk region supported independence from Ukraine."
"Pro-unity activists said that many opponents of splitting from Ukraine simply stayed at home and that long lines were caused by a restricted number of voting stations."
The Journal blamed victims for Kiev's aggression. It said they "began armed confrontations in Mariupol" and elsewhere.
Twisting facts to fit Washington's imperial agenda is longstanding scoundrel media policy. Calling freedom-fighting activists terrorists shows how far they've sunk.
Equating real democracy with separatism reveals more. Near self-rule unanimity showed alleged pre-election 30% support flat wrong.
Sunday's record turnout belied claims about many self-determination opponents staying home. Hard facts expose scoundrel media Big Lies.
The Chicago Tribune headlined "Rebels declare victory in East Ukraine vote on self-rule."
It called a historic triumph "makeshift…Potentially grace implications may follow."
"Ballot papers…were printed without security provision…(V)oter registration was patchy…(T)here was confusion over what the vote was for."
Not based on voter turnout. None on what they support. Scoundrel media post-mortems reflect sour grapes grousing. Taking issue with real democracy shows how strongly they oppose it.
Eastern Ukrainians spoke loudly. It bears repeating. Self-rule affirmation was near unanimous.
So was opposition to illegitimate Kiev fascist rule. The struggle for Ukraine's soul continues. It just began. It remains to be seen what follows.
Regular updates will keep explaining the most significant geopolitical issue of our time.
Stay tuned for regular updates. Learn what everyone needs to know.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Lugansk and Donetsk Declare Independence
Lugansk and Donetsk Declare Independence
by Stephen Lendman
On Sunday, Lugansk and Donetsk voted. Regional referendums were held. Doing so reflected real democracy.
Ordinary people spoke. They did so overwhelmingly. They did near unanimously. They rejected Kiev fascists decisively.
They were unequivocal. They left no doubt where they stand.
On Monday, Lugansk People's Governor Valery Bolotov went the extra mile. He declared what free people everywhere support.
He proclaimed regional self-determination. He spoke for virtually all residents, announcing:
"We have chosen our own path of independence from tyranny and bloody dictatorship by Kiev junta, from fascism and nationalism. We have chosen the path of freedom and the rule of law."
Donetsk followed suit. Its People's Republic co-chairman Denis Pushilin declared:
"We, the people of Donetsk People's Republic, after the results of the referendum held on May 11, and on the basis of the Donetsk People's Republic's sovereignty declaration, announce that the Republic, from now on, is a sovereign state."
It's "according to the will expression of the residents of the Donetsk People's Republic…"
He went further "to re-establish historical justice…" He "ask(ed) the Russian Federation (on behalf of regional residents) to consider the request of the Republic to join Russia."
It's a bold step. It's not unexpected. Will Lugansk make the same request?
Will other Eastern Ukrainian regions? Will growing numbers of residents demand it? It remains to be seen how Moscow responds.
Donetsk People's Republic co-chairman Myroslav Rudenko
addressed DPR's first post-referendum priority, saying:
"First of all, we are facing the task of defending and equipping our borders."
"We need to secure full control over armed groups and military bases located in the region, courts, prosecutor's offices and so on."
"We need to drive all forces of the enemy out of the republic."
"We will not (stop using Ukraine's hryvnia (its currency) for the time being so as not to ruin our economy."
"At any rate, for now this is a transition period, and after that we shall see."
Ukraine's democratically elected/lawlessly toppled president Viktor Yanukovych commented on Sunday's referendums, saying:
"Why did an overwhelming majority of citizens who live in Donetsk region come to the referendum and vote for any other state system except for a system in which you can call your citizens terrorists and kill them with impunity?"
"Because the people of Ukraine have reached the limit of their patience."
"Dissidents were persecuted in Germany then and now whole cities in Ukraine are experiencing a blockade only because the people are defending their viewpoint, which is different from that of the ruling regime."
"Today's Ukraine is reminiscent of Germany under Hitler. (He) then designated an enemy represented by dissident intelligentsia, Jews, Gypsies, etc."
"They were blamed for all the problems of German society and the propaganda played its role some time later."
Yanukovych addressed Odessa's May 2 massacre, adding:
"A normal person shudders at the sight of the burned dead bodies of the people who were martyred..."
"However, we see an unimaginable thing now: some people who are brainwashed by propaganda were able not only to accept this killing, but even rejoice in it. It's ordinary fascism."
Yanukovych denounced Kiev's ongoing aggression, adding:
"Immediately withdraw mercenaries and troops from the territory of the Donetsk, Lugansk, Odessa and other regions, stop the violence and terror against your own people."
"Citizens see every day what you are doing to your country, you have passed the point of no return."
Yanukovych justifiably blamed Kiev for all post-coup violence. Give real democracy a try, he urged.
"(L)ook look at all events preceding the referendum in the southeastern regions of Ukraine closely and objectively and give them a fair and balanced evaluation."
"Some people have probably not realized it yet, but reasonable people understood a long time ago that the blood of the 'heavenly hundred' is also on the hands of the new administration."
"I know it like no one else. Neither myself nor any members of my administration issued any orders to open fire on peaceful citizens on February 18-20."
"Those who are behind the coups understood that the authorities, whose heroes from Berkut were wounded and killed and who gave their lives to defend constitutional order and peace, would not issue a command to return fire."
"Then those monsters who came to power made a horrible decision to open fire on 'their' activists and the police simultaneously to make the 'sacral sacrifice' to the revolution that they had promised."
"I couldn't believe it,but they did it. Hence the wounds to people's backs and shots fired from behind caught on some recordings."
"(T)his junta is responsible for the killing of the 'heavenly hundred' and the killings in Odessa, Kharkov, Mariupol, Slavyansk, and Kramatorsk."
"And they won't stop because they understand that they have crossed all possible borders and punishment for them will be inevitable."
On Monday, Russia's Foreign Ministry urged calm, restraint and constructive dialogue, saying:
"Despite attempts by the Kiev authorities to upset the voting, including by using militants, heavy weaponry, national radicals and the army against the peaceful people, which resulted in the loss of life, people expressed their will in these regions with a high turnout."
“The preliminary results of vote counting convincingly show the real determination of the people in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to have a right to make their own decisions on issues concerning their vital interests."
"We think that the results of the referendum should be translated into life through a dialogue between Kiev, Donetsk and Luhansk."
"Once again we reaffirm the need for starting immediately a broad discussion with all political forces and regions in Ukraine on its future state system."
"This is consistent with the international efforts reflected in the Geneva Statement of April 17 and the roadmap proposed by Swiss President and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE Didier Burkhalter."
“We expect the Kiev authorities to take real steps, not just make general declarations, and immediately organize productive meetings with representatives of the South and East of Ukraine, which would lead to stabilization in the country."
"Unfortunately, the Kiev authorities continue to show criminal unpreparedness for dialogue with the people."
Post-referendum reality reflects miles to go. Long ones to resolve Ukrainian crisis conditions responsibly.
Expect Washington to subvert efforts to do so. Expect Kiev stooges to march in lockstep.
Perhaps East/West confrontation will follow. This writer's new edited and contributed book explains today's reality.
Potentially it looms. Things are perilously closer than ever since WW II. Preventing the unthinkable matters most.
Hopefully cool heads will do so. The alternative is too grim to imagine. We're all in this together. Humanity fate hangs in the balance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Eastern Ukrainians Vote
Eastern Ukrainians Vote
by Stephen Lendman
On May 11, Donetsk and Lugansk regional referendums were held. Polls opened at 8AM.
Central Election Commission head Roman Lyagin said "turnout is not just high, it's off the charts."
"People (queued) up at polling stations…(E)lection commissions (worked) at full capacity."
Results will be declared valid whatever the turnout, he added.
Around 1,500 polling stations were set up in each region. Thousands participated in preparations. Thousands more including local autonomy campaigners.
Residents in both regions were asked if they "support an act of state self-rule." Yes or no.
Election Commission officials dispelled false information. Residents didn't choose between remaining in Ukraine or joining Russia.
They voted up or down for self-determination. For federalization. For local autonomy.
For their inalienable right to elect area officials. For having say on regional governance. For real democracy.
For fundamental rights Kiev putschists want denied. For what people everywhere deserve.
Democracy means rule of the people. Fascists want it denied. They want their way force-fed. They want nonbelievers eliminated. They want what free people reject.
Western observers didn't monitor voting. No one expressed willingness to come.
They deplore real democracy in action. They support Kiev illegitimacy.
"We did not refuse anyone," said Lyagin. "(T)here were no applications," he explained.
He called Sunday's process a way to "legitimize us in society all over the world."
At the same time, Donetsk region had over 470 accredited international journalists covering Sunday's process.
Thirty international observers monitored Lugansk regional voting. Kiev blocked Russian Public Chamber representatives from coming.
They refused border crossing permission. Georgy Fedorov spoke for others saying:
"We were informed that operational groups had been waiting for us at border checkpoints." They denied permission to enter Ukraine.
One poll showed 83% of its residents for local autonomy.
Donetsk residents likely feel the same way. Results will be announced Monday, May 12.
On Sunday, Kiev military forces attacked Slavyansk self-defense forces. Gunfire and explosions were heard.
Fighting began hours before polls opened. According to one local activist: "They used mortars to shoot at us and fired mine shells."
RT International's Paula Slier tweeted: "Slavyansk - crowd gathering at checkpoint/say grad missiles were put there by #Ukrainian army."
Slavyansk self-defense spokeswoman Stella Khorosheva said:
"Yes, there (was) gunfire on the outskirts of the city, apparently heavy weapons. There are casualties on our side."
Journalists on site reported eight people injured. Eyewitness Katica Djurovic tweeted: "Explosions and gunshots in Slavyansk. In the city center teens drink, kids in the playground. Everything seems normal @Ruptly #Ukraine."
Hours earlier, Slavanyansk People's Mayor Vyacheslav Ponomaryov reported at least 20 deaths and 30 wounded.
During May 9 Victory Day commemorations, indiscriminate gunfire injured a nine-year boy.
"Most likely, some (militant) group infiltrated the city," said Ponomaryov. "A boy was shot at. He sustained two gunshot wounds which passed clear" through his body.
He's in "serious" condition, "but his life is out of danger." Elements Kiev sent to Eastern Ukraine operate this way. They include specially recruited National Guard and Right Sector extremists.
Self-defense forces captured militants masquerading as journalists. Weapons and explosives they carried were seized.
Ponomaryov said if Kiev wants real dialogue, it should stop aggression straightaway. It should withdraw its military from regional cities.
It should cease attacking its own people. It should stop killing and injuring them. It should respect their fundamental rights. It should permit self-determination. It should allow real democracy.
Kiev outrageously claims ongoing operations target terrorists. Local activists are freedom fighters. They're ordinary people.
They want their fundamental rights respected. They want what coup-installed putschists deny them.
Kiev said military operations will continue regardless of Sunday's outcome. Coup-appointed National Security/Defense Council head Andriy Parubiy confirmed it.
Fascist regimes operate this way. Growing thousands of Eastern Ukrainians reject them.
Reports said Ukrainian National Guard forces blocked polling stations and ballot deliveries in four Lugansk districts: Belokurakinsky, Svatovo, Troitsky and Melovoye.
Central Elections Commission spokesman Vasily Nikitin said:
"More than 15,000 ballot papers (were) seized by militants of Ukraine's National Guard from" these districts.
Efforts were made to relocate them. "In Savato alone, more than 2,000 people (waited) for new ballot papers to be brought so they could vote," he added.
Efforts to subvert real democracy shows how Kiev fears it. White House orders said crush it. Go all-out to do it.
Most polling stations operated normally. Donetsk region election commission head Boris Litvinov said "(o)f course there (were) problems."
Kiev bore full responsibility. Most polling stations operated as planned, he added.
Voice of Russia (VOR) said "Kiev used troops, armor and heavy artillery against federalization activists in both regions in a fierce attempt to disrupt the vote."
Lugansk People's Governor Valery Bolotov said results will be valid whatever the turnout.
Washington duplicitously called Eastern Ukrainian referendums "illegal." On Saturday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki lied saying:
"As the United States has said, the referenda being planned for May 11 in portions of eastern Ukraine by armed separatist groups are illegal under Ukrainian law and are an attempt to create further division and disorder."
"If these referenda go forward, they will violate international law and the territorial integrity of Ukraine."
"The United States will not recognize the results…" At the same time, she warned Moscow," adding:
"As President Obama and (German) Chancellor Merkel stated on May 2, the Russian leadership must know that if it continues to destabilize eastern Ukraine and disrupt this month's presidential election, we will move quickly to impose greater costs on Russia."
"(K)remlin backed social media and news stations encouraged residents of eastern Ukraine to vote" Sunday.
"(O)ne even offer(ed) instructions for polling stations in Moscow. Russian state media continue to strongly back the referenda."
"The focus of the international community must now be on supporting the Ukrainian government’s consistent efforts to hold a presidential election on May 25."
"International observers note that preparations for these elections are proceeding apace and in accordance with international standards, which will allow all Ukrainian people a voice in the future of their country."
"According to recent independent polls, a substantial majority of Ukrainians intend to vote on May 25."
"Any efforts to disrupt this democratic process will be seen clearly for what they are, attempts to deny the rights of Ukraine's citizens to express their political will freely."
Fact: Eastern Ukrainian activists aren't separatists.
Fact: They're pro-democracy freedom fighters.
Fact: They favor Ukrainian unity.
Fact: They support self-determination.
Fact: They want Ukraine federalized.
Fact: Sunday's referendums aren't about joining Russia.
Fact: They're entirely legal.
Fact: Self-determination is a universal right.
Fact: UN Charter provisions affirm it.
Fact: Eastern Ukrainian referendums shame America's sham process.
Fact: US voters have no say.
Fact: Monied interests run things.
Fact: Democracy is pure fantasy.
Fact: Eastern Ukrainians want the real thing.
Fact: They deserve universal support.
Fact: Russian media report accurately on what's ongoing.
Fact: Western scoundrel media regurgitate official Big Lies.
Fact: Kiev planned May 25 elections will be farcical when held.
Fact: They'll have no legitimacy whatever.
Fact: Ballot choices exclude democracy.
The New York Times disgracefully mocked Sunday's referendums. It called preparations for them "as ad hoc as the votes themselves."
It characterized real democracy as "slapdash." At the same time, it ignored America's illegitimate process. Voters get the best democracy money can buy.
It lied calling federalization supports "separatist…pro-Russian militant(s)." It quoted coup-appointed Kiev president Oleksandr Turchynov calling Sunday's referendums "a step into the abyss."
It lied characterizing them as "secession." It quoted unrelated Pew Research poll results showing 70% of Ukrainians favor unity.
The Washington Post referred to "drunken mobs rampaging through the streets of…Mariupol." It called federalization supporters "separatists."
"…Ukraine's government has been joined by the United States and Western Europe in dismissing the vote," it said.
It cited a fabricated audio recording. An unnamed Russian politician allegedly advised a local autonomy leader to say 99% of people voted yes. Or 89%.
WaPo admitted the recording couldn't be verified. Activists went all-out to replicate Crimea's scrupulously free, open and fair process.
Foreign observers didn't show up. None offered to come. Hundreds of international journalists monitored instead. So did regional ones.
Voter rolls weren't entirely updated. Residents with passports were allowed to vote. Volunteers manned polling stations.
The Wall Street Journal headlined "Pro-Russian Separatists Hold Referendum in Eastern Ukraine," saying:
They have "little chance of winning a free and fair vote…" At the same time, it quoted History Professor Sergei Baryshnikov saying he "waited 23 years for this."
He referred to Ukraine's independence. It followed Soviet Russia's 1991 dissolution.
Activists said voting isn't for "outright independence." It's for "state self-determination." At the same time, they reject Kiev's illegitimacy. They won't recognize May 25 election results.
London's Guardian reported more responsibly than its US counterparts. It said "huge queues" showed up in Mariupol.
It quoted former factory worker Nikolai Cherepin saying "I want to be independent from everyone."
A florist identified as Tatiana said "(w)e have come to fight for our rights and become independent, and we are happy that we've been given the right to voice our opinion."
"If we're independent, it will be hard at the beginning but it will be better than being with the fascists."
An unnamed man was quoted saying "(t)his is the Donetsk people's republic! We will destroy the Kiev junta…We will win!"
Tatyana Logacheva was quoted saying:
"Ukraine is not a real country…This is Russian land, and they have tried to steal (it) from us and our language, but we will not give it up easily."
According to the Guardian, Kiev "appears to be in denial that increasingly large swaths of the population are backing the resistance movement…"
"(I)ncreasingly by the bloody death toll from Kiev's (mischaracterized) 'anti-terror' maneuvers."
At the same time, it repeated Turchynov's Big Lie about voting yes means an Eastern "step into the abyss." It's "self-destruction," he claimed.
It's what freedom fighting is all about. It's real democracy. It's what Kiev putschists want crushed. It's what Washington won't tolerate.
It's what Eastern Ukrainians regions appear heading for getting. They'll have to go all-out to keep it.
Hopefully they're up to the task. Much rides on their success. It may inspire nationwide resistance. All Ukrainians deserve real democracy. They deserve to live free.
This writer's edited and contributed to new book is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III."
It's dedicated "(t)o all Ukrainians. May they achieve peace, equity and justice. May they inspire others globally. May freedom triumph worldwide."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Blackwater Killers in Eastern Ukraine
Blackwater Killers in Eastern Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
Blackwater's rap sheet reveals a record too deplorable to conceal. It became Xe. It's now Academi.
Putting lipstick on this pig doesn't help. It's no different than before. Jeremy Scahill's book titled "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" called it:
A "shadowy mercenary company (employing) some of the most feared professional killers in the world accustomed to operating without worry of legal consequences (and) largely off the congressional radar."
It has "remarkable power and protection (within) the US war apparatus." It's well funded. It operates extrajudicially.
It's unaccountable. It's licensed to kill, terrorize, destroy and destabilize. It takes full advantage. It does so wherever it's deployed.
On May 11, Voice of Russia (VOR) headlined "400 US commandos help Kiev in its military offensive in east Ukraine - reports."
They arrived to commit mayhem. They're from the "notorious US private security firm Academi..."
They're involved "in a punitive operation mounted by (Kiev) against federalization supporters in Eastern Ukraine…"
Bild am Sonntag is Germany's largest Sunday circulation broadsheet. It reported Academi operatives near Slavyansk.
It's uncertain who hired them, it said. It's clear Washington's dirty hands are involved. Russia's Foreign Ministry said:
"(I)n the absence of support from the Ukrainian population, the Maidan government has only one option if it wants to remain in power - to mobilize any support possible from foreign sponsors, including foreign mercenaries."
"Among the candidates for the role of gendarme is the company Greystone Limited, registered in Barbados, which is integrated with the Academi corporation," it said.
"It is an analogue, or, probably, an affiliate body of the Blackwater private army, whose soldiers have been accused of committing rigorous and regular human rights abuses in troubled regions."
Note: Greystone is a private company. It separated from Academi in 2010. Both firms maintain close ties. They operate the same way. They do so extrajudicially.
"It looks as though this practice, if it really is implemented, goes against the Ukrainian laws that ban foreign citizens from working with private security companies," said Russia's Foreign Ministry.
"Such initiatives demonstrate that those who have conquered their place in power in Kiev cannot guarantee minimal order or even their own security."
"The question arises, what the price of this plan is and where the money will come from."
"To what extent will the burden of spending on highly-paid foreign specialists be shifted to ordinary Ukrainians who, in connection with the painful tax increase, including taxes on gas as the precondition for securing loans from the International Monetary Fund, will have to tighten their belts even stronger?"
VOR cited Itar Tass saying Kiev putschists believe they're unable to suppress Eastern resistance on their own. They can't eliminate activist leaders.
Coup-appointed Kiev president Oleksandr Turchynov agreed, saying:
"Therefore it was decided to 'attract' foreign mercenaries, who will serve as political police and state security protection."
They'll operate extrajudicially. They'll do so unaccountably. They're licensed to kill.
VOR said coup-appointed governors Igor Kolomoisky and Sergei Taruta are involved. They're multi-billionaire oligarchs. Earlier Kolomoisky said:
"(W)hy reinvent the wheel if there are real people who understand how and how much to pay."
They're hired guns. They're unrestricted by US, international or local laws. They're free from civil or criminal accountability.
Under Article 47 of the 1977 Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions:
"A mercenary is any person who:
(a) is specially recruited locally or abroad in order to fight in an armed conflict;
(b) does, in fact, take a direct part in the hostilities:
(c) is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a Party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar ranks and functions in the armed forces of the Party;
(d) is neither a national of a Party to the conflict nor a resident of territory controlled by a Party to the conflict;
(e) is not a member of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict; and
(f) has not been sent by a State which is not a Party to the conflict on official duty as a member of its armed forces."
Washington uses them in conflict areas. They serve its imperial agenda. They're doing so in Ukraine. Perhaps hundreds more will be sent.
Maybe they're in Crimea. Perhaps covertly. Maybe elsewhere in Eastern Ukraine. They're not good will ambassadors.
They're well-trained killers. They're experts. They're hired for their skills. They're licensed to use them. They take full advantage.
On May 11, Itar Tass headlined "Donetsk referendum organizers plan to begin 'civilized divorce' with Kiev authorities."
They'll convene a regional congress of deputies. Central Election Commission head Boris Litvinov explained, saying:
"We want to be a party to the negotiating process, which rests on the will of the people, and to build relations with all states on the basis of equal rights."
Sunday's referendums were absolutely legal, he stressed. Claims otherwise are false.
"People (stood) in 300-400 meter lines. Doing so showed enormous interest in voting. "Even in the Soviet times we never saw such queues," Litvinov added.
Late afternoon Sunday reports said Lugansk turnout topped 75%. Earlier ones indicated Donetsk exceeded 50%. Later ones said over 70%.
Preliminary results will be announced overnight Monday. Final ones will follow. Perhaps by Monday afternoon.
Slavyansk activists reported Kiev military attacks. According to one named Vlad:
"The artillery fire was so loud, that the earth and houses shook."
"I have been trying to call the people at the checkpoint but they don't pick up."
"There are snipers in the area and it's too dangerous to speak on the phone."
RT International's Paula Slier tweeted "#Slavyansk: Some polling stations (were) guarded by Cossacks."
"Roman #Lyagin, chair of central #election commission, 'This is will of people.The world can say this is bad idea but it's idea of the people."
"People patiently wait(ed) outside voting stations in #Donetsk #referendum."
Donetsk People's Governor Pavel Gubarev said his region and Lugansk will become new legal entities.
"The referendum(s) for us (are) about creating a new state paradigm," he explained.
Kiev's illegitimate foreign ministry issued a statement, saying:
"Organizers of this criminal farce have consciously violated the Ukrainian constitution and laws, and have neglected calls coming from the authorities in Ukraine and from the international community."
Kiev forces seized four Krasnoarmeisk schools. Polling stations were inside. Voters were ordered out.
Ballots and voter rolls were confiscated. Krasnoarmeisk's executive committee building was seized. It was blocked so no one could get in or out.
Communication was lost with two Krasny Liman referendum committees. Kiev forces clashed with activists there.
Donetsk People's Republic leader Denis Pushilin explained what happened. At the same time, Lugansk press spokesman Vasily Nikitin reported National Guard elements "intimidating" residents.
They "move(d) military hardware from one settlement to another."
Note: Many polling stations remained open until 10PM local time. Others closed between 6 and 8PM. They did so for security reasons. Eastern Ukraine is a war zone.
Voting under these conditions risked people's lives. High numbers turned out anyway. Fundamental rights matter more. So does real democracy.
On Saturday, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry issued a statement, saying:
The Bolivarian Republic "does not recognize and will not recognize as legal a government that emerged as a result of a state coup."
"In view of a regrettable development of events in Ukraine, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela confirms that it rejects violent processes that, with the support of the United States and NATO, led to the overthrow of the government, jeopardizing the peace and unity of the Ukrainian people as well as the stability of the entire Eurasian region."
"Until free elections are held in Ukraine and broad dialogue starts, Venezuela will keep warning the world's nations of the danger of foreign interference, speaking for the creation of a multipolar world that guarantees the peace and sovereignty of all peoples."
RT International reported "Kiev troops roll(ing) through E. Ukraine in 'bid to disrupt voting.' "
Fascists operate this way. Democracy is considered verboten. Attacks tried blocking its emergence. Efforts failed. Turnout was impressive. Voters want freedom most of all.
Weeks earlier poll numbers showed Putin's popularity topped 80%. Most Russians support him. They praised him. They believe he's governing responsibly.
Last December, UK broadsheet The Times named him International Person of the Year. He succeeded in reestablishing Russia as a major international problem-solving country, it said.
On Saturday, Henry Kissinger debunked notions about Putin initiating Eastern Ukrainian conflict conditions.
He had nothing to do with what's ongoing, he said. "(W)e ought to settle the Ukrainian issue first, and then have a discussion about relations with Russia," he added.
On March 5, he headlined a Washington Post op-ed "How the Ukraine crisis ends," saying:
"Public discussion on Ukraine is all about confrontation. But do we know where we are going?"
"Far too often the Ukrainian issue is posed as a showdown: whether Ukraine joins the East or the West."
"But if Ukraine is to survive and thrive, it must not be either side's outpost against the other - it should function as a bridge between them."
Russia can't force Ukraine into satellite status, he said. Western nations "must understand that, to Russia, Ukraine can never be just a foreign country."
It was part of Russia for centuries. Their histories are closely intertwined.
"The European Union must recognize that its bureaucratic dilatoriness and subordination of the strategic element to domestic politics in negotiating Ukraine's relationship to Europe contributed to turning a negotiation into a crisis," said Kissinger.
Western residents mostly speak Ukrainian. Eastern ones mostly Russian. Any attempt by either side "to dominate the other (will) lead eventually to civil war or break up."
Treating Ukraine "as part of an East-West confrontation (will) scuttle for decades any prospect to bring Russia and the West…into a cooperative international system."
"The politics of post-independence Ukraine clearly demonstrates that the root of the problem lies in efforts by Ukrainian politicians to impose their will on recalcitrant parts of the country…"
A "wise US policy" would seek East/West "cooperation."
Demonizing Putin isn't sound policy, said Kissinger. It's "an alibi for the absence of one."
Understanding Russian tradition isn't America's long suit, he explained.
He laid out his notion of outcome compatibility representing interests of all sides, saying:
Ukraine should freely choose its economic and political associations.
It shouldn't join NATO.
Its government should represent all its people. It should resolve East/West differences.
It's "incompatible with the rules of the existing order for Russia to annex Crimea."
"(I)t should be possible to put (its) relationship with Ukraine on a less fraught basis."
Kiev "should reinforce Crimea's autonomy in elections" internationally monitored.
Kissinger called his notions "principles, not prescriptions." Key isn't "absolute satisfaction but balanced dissatisfaction," he added.
If differences aren't resolved, "confrontation will accelerate."
It's happening in real time. It bears repeating. Fascist regimes operate this way. Washington and Kiev are two sides of the same coin.
One decides. The other obeys.
Kissinger omitted explaining what's most important. As Nixon/Ford National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, he was part of Washington's dirty system.
His rap sheet is bloodstained. He was an early architect of new world order lawlessness.
He's guilty of multiple crimes of war, against humanity and genocide. In late May, he'll be 91.
His op-eds or other actions can't undo enormous harm he caused. He remains unaccountable.
At the same time, he largely addressed Ukraine sensibly. He foresaw what's unfolding. It's prelude to what's likely much worse to come.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Fascist Killers
Fascist Killers
by Stephen Lendman
Three nations among others stand out: America, Israel and Ukraine.
America's deplorable history reflects barbarism writ large. Killing civilians is longstanding policy. Doing so violates core international law.
It prohibits collective punishment. It forbids attacking noncombatants. Targets unrelated to military necessity are strictly off-limits.
Lawless attacks constitute crimes of war, against humanity and genocide. Committing them reflects official US policy. It's been so throughout America's sordid history.
It's guilty as charged. Its drone program alone is damning. It reflects out-of-control state terror.
Attacks are indiscriminate. Mostly noncombatant civilians are killed. A 2012 "Living Under Drones" report explained.
Stanford University's International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic (SU) and New York University School of Law's Global Justice Clinic (NYU) jointly prepared it.
Credible firsthand documentation was compiled. It "present(ed) (clear) evidence of the damaging and counterproductive effects of" Obama's drone-strike policy.
So-called benefits don't exist. Mostly noncombatant civilians are harmed. Men, women, children, infants, the elderly and infirm are murdered in cold blood.
"Living Under Drones" exposed what official accounts suppress.
US imperial wars killed millions of civilians. Indiscriminate mass murder reflects longstanding US policy.
March 19 marked the 10th anniversary of Washington's Iraq war. Waging it destroyed the cradle of civilization.
It's one of history's greatest crimes. It followed Gulf War devastation and punishing sanctions.
They caused about 1.5 million Iraqi deaths. Most were young children. Up to 7,000 died monthly.
Former UN humanitarian coordinator Dennis Halliday resigned in protest. He refused to be part of what he called "genocide."
Weeks of so-called "Operation Iraqi Freedom" destroyed virtually everything needed for normal functioning.
Terror bombings and ground assaults damaged or demolished targets unrelated to military necessity.
They included power plants, dams, water purification facilities, sewage treatment and disposal systems, telephone and other communications, hospitals, schools, mosques, residential neighborhoods, factories and private businesses, government buildings, historical sites and much more.
The region's most developed country was systematically destroyed. The cradle of civilization no longer exists. Dystopian hell replaced it.
Millions of Iraqis suffer horrifically. They struggle daily to survive. Their nation remains a cauldron of violence and instability.
US installed stooge governance remains. So-called elections are farcical when held. Democracy is pure fantasy.
Crimes of war and against humanity continue. Iraq is a virtual free-fire zone. Washington bears full responsibility. Obama continues what Bush began.
Hegemons operate this way. Fascist regimes give no quarter. America represents the worst of imperial barbarism.
Conquest, domination, colonization and plundering nations for profit matter most. Millions of human lives lost attest to Washington's ruthlessness.
They're inconsequential. They're considered a small price to pay. Coverup and denial suppress the worst of US policy.
America's human rights record is appalling. It's by far the world's worst. Every imaginable crime and then some was committed.
They continue out-of-control. They're largely out of sight and mind. They're unreported.
Torture is sanctioned. Peace and stability are verboten. Permanent war is official policy. So is global state terror.
America operates the world's largest gulag. Thousands of political prisoners fill it. Global torture prisons supplement it.
Crime bosses make policy. Monied interests control them. New World Order ruthlessness reflects official policy. Rule of law principles don't matter. Washington rules alone apply.
Israel operates the same way. So-called "Dahiya Doctrine" lawlessness is official policy. It's named after a Beirut suburb.
It reflects how all Israeli wars are waged. Former IDF Northern Commander Gabi Eisenkot explained earlier, saying:
"What happened in the Dahiya quarter of Beirut in 2006 will happen in every village from which Israel is fired on."
"We will apply disproportionate force at the heart of the enemy's weak spot (civilians) and cause great damage and destruction."
"From our standpoint, these are not civilian villages (towns or cities). They are military bases. This is not a recommendation. This is a plan. And it has been approved."
Terror bombings target civilians. They're murdered in cold blood.
Israel's preemptive 2006 Lebanon war horrific. Weeks of slaughter, destruction, mass displacement and human misery followed.
Over 1,000 died. One-fourth of Lebanese people fled for their lives. Terror bombings were merciless.
They destroyed or damaged ports, Beirut International Airport, roads, bridges, other infrastructure, schools, hospitals, power stations, commercial sites, factories, dams, civilian neighborhoods, government buildings, mosques, churches, radio and TV stations, an orphanage, Sidon's refugee camp and other non-military targets.
Jiyeh’s utility plant south of Beirut was struck. Doing so caused massive oil spillage. Over 90 miles of coastal waters were polluted.
Biodiversity was damaged. Heightened cancer risk followed. Many thousands of Lebanese remain vulnerable.
A land, sea and air siege was imposed. Illegal weapons were used. They included depleted uranium, chemical agents, as well as white phosphorous bombs and shells. They burn flesh to the bone.
So-called thermobaric bombs were dropped. They contain polymer-bonded or solid fuel-air explosives. They penetrate buildings, underground shelters and tunnels.
Their blast pressure sucks oxygen out of affected areas. It horrifically affects people in them. It’s a terror weapon designed to kill and destroy monstrously.
Israel's December 2008/January 2009 Gaza war replicated Lebanon atrocities. Appalling crimes of war and against humanity were committed.
Israel did so with impunity. Goldstone Commission findings were damning. They showed clear "evidence indicating serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law…"
They said Israeli "actions amount(ed) to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity." Indisputable evidence explained.
Over 1,400 Palestinians died. They were murdered in cold blood. Roads, bridges, other infrastructure, residential neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, mosques, public buildings, factories, Gaza's sole power plant, police stations, other structures and facilities were damaged or destroyed.
Israel's lawless siege prevents proper reconstruction. So do repeated air, ground and sea attacks.
They inflict more death and destruction. Children are affected most. Longterm trauma persists.
World leaders able to make a difference turn a blind eye. Doing so lets Israel get away with mass murder. Committing it is official Israeli policy. Unaccountability follows every time.
Ukraine represents America's latest imperial adventurism. Democratic governance was destroyed. Illegitimate coup-appointed fascists replaced it.
They're committing the unthinkable. They're waging war on their own people.
They're using tanks, artillery, mortars, APCs, helicopter gunships other heavy weapons, and toxic chemicals against lightly armed Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters.
They're willfully murdering unarmed civilians. They're doing it daily. The May 2 Odessa massacre killed around 300 defenseless city residents.
Doing so reflects how far they'll go. It suggests much worse to follow. Washington endorses their worst barbarism.
Orders come straight from the White House. No-holds-barred death and destruction was OK'd. Tyrants operate this way. One fascist regime supports another.
Washington blamed victims for their own deaths. It blames Russia for its crimes. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki consistently turns truth on its head. She lies for power.
She suppresses what people most need to know. She does it in regular press briefings. She substitutes misinformation Big Lies for vital truths.
On Friday, she outrageously "condemned the outbreak of violence caused by pro-Russian separatists…in Mariupol…"
Fact: Kiev putschists bear full responsibility.
Fact: They acted on direct orders from Washington.
Fact: They murdered around 20 civilians in cold blood.
Fact: They injured many others.
Fact: They violated core international law provisions.
Fact: They operate with impunity.
Fact: They likely plan much greater bloodbaths.
Fact: Eastern Ukrainian self-defense forces aren't separatists.
Fact: They're not terrorists.
Fact: They're federalist supporters.
Fact: They're freedom fighters.
Fact: They reject US-installed Kiev fascist putschists.
Fact: They want local autonomy.
Fact: They're Ukraine's best and bravest.
Fact: They fighting for rights everyone deserves.
Fact: They merit worldwide support.
Fact: Kiev putschists have no legitimacy.
Fact: They demand universal condemnation.
It bears repeating. Fascist regimes operate this way. America is by far the worst. Kiev putschists serve US interests.
They do so at the expense of their own people. Exploiting them ruthlessly is planned. So is letting Western corporations plunder Ukraine's resources. IMF diktats demand it.
War on Eastern Ukraine continues. Mass slaughter may follow. Bloodbath conditions promise much worse ahead.
It bears repeating. Hegemons operate this way. Proxy stooges serve their interests. One fascist regime supports another.
Longstanding US policy reflects its dark side. It shows America's true face. It exposes the depths of its depravity. Humanity's fate hangs in the balance.
A Final Comment
Jaime Lopez and Dallas Peavy endured weeks of political imprisonment. They're US citizens.
From March 14 through April 22, they were held lawlessly in Djibouti. They committed no crimes. They're uncharged.
US consular officials are complicit with Djiboutian authorities. They want Lopez/Peavy abuse kept under wraps. They want Congress US media kept uninformed.
On Saturday, Lopez emailed this writer. He asked for help. He explained what happened.
He detailed how grievously he and Peavy were treated. He explained:
"US embassy (officials) provided derogatory written and verbal information to US military base (Camp Lemonier)" authorities.
Doing so got its commander "to declare us to be persona non-grata at the base." Misinformation claimed "Mr. Peavy (was) wanted by the FBI."
US consular officials hold Lopez's passport. They won't return it. Both men committed no crimes. They want to go home.
They're prevented from doing so. They remain effectively imprisoned.
US consular officials lied. They claimed "they are no longer involved in the legal matter," said Lopez.
Even though both men are uncharged. US citizens warrant consular protection. Their fundamental rights were violated.
It bears repeating. Washington is complicit with Djiboutian authorities.
It's acting against the welfare of two of its citizens. It doesn't give a damn how they're treated. Lopez emailed this writer for help.
He and Peavy are two among countless victims of America's contempt for fundamental human rights. They're trapped against their will in Djibouti.
They can't get out. They can't go home. They're stuck where they don't want to be.
Consular officials haven't done a thing to help. Whether things get resolved appears unlikely short-term. Both men remain in limbo.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Palestine Under Siege
Palestine Under Siegeby Stephen LendmanIsrael denies Palestinians fundamental rights everyone deserves. Praying to the wrong God is considered terrorism. So is self-defense against Israeli brutality.So-called peace talks represent the greatest hoax in ...
Putin in Crimea
Putin in Crimea
by Stephen Lendman
On Friday, he arrived in Sevastopol. It was his first Crimean Federal District visit since reunification with Russia.
He came commemorating Moscow's Great Patriotic War victory. Its efforts were key to defeating Nazi Germany. Things might have turned out differently otherwise.
Putin honored fallen war heroes. He thanked living veterans. He praised their heroic contribution. They defeated Hitler.
They sacrificed greatly doing so. They did so more than all other allied countries combined. Millions of lost lives attested to their determination to prevail.
Putin congratulated Crimeans on Victory Day. He was delighted to be with them, he said. Sevastopol defenders were some of Russia's most heroic.
Despite Hitlers order "to hold every meter" of the city, Soviet forces triumphed in spring 1944. Doing so took nearly 18,000 lives and tens of thousands of injuries.
Sevastopol rose from its ruins. It was rebuilt. It became larger, stronger and more resilient.
It's a strategic Russian naval base. It's home to its Black Sea Fleet. Putin honored its importance to Moscow. He praised its war veterans.
"The heroic feat of the generation that defeated fascism, Nazism will always be an example of courage, valor and unbending will, an example of selfless service to the Fatherland," he stressed.
"We are looking up to you, dear veterans. You have passed on to us the greatest values of unity, fairness, and solidarity. You have taught us to act in good conscience."
"Generations that were raised in Crimea and Sevastopol have been relying on these values, being honest to the memory of those who worked on this land, in this beautiful city, who fought here defending Russia."
"The current year is the year of milestone events for the hero city. It is rich in outstanding historic events."
"Two hundred and thirty years ago, in February 1784, the city was given its present name by an Empress Ekaterina II decree."
"In September, it will mark the 160th anniversary of the heroic siege of Sevastopol in the Crimean War."
"I am confident that the year 2014 will also go down in its history, in the history of our state as the year, when peoples living here decided to be with Russia."
"This way they reiterated their fidelity to the historic truth and to the memory of our ancestors."
About 150,000 Sevastopol residents witnessed impressive activities. They included a huge naval parade.
A spectacular air show accompanied it. Celebrations came weeks after Crimean reunification.
State Department spokeswoman denounced Putin's visit. She shamelessly called it "provocative and unnecessary."
Crimea is part of Russia. Nearly 97% of residents voted for reunification. They did so lawfully. Self-determination is a universal right.
Not according to Psaki. "Crimea belongs to Ukraine," she said. "(W)e don't recognize…the illegal and illegitimate steps by Russia in that regard."
She turned truth on its head saying so. Her job is lying for power. It's twisting facts to fit US policy. It's disgracing herself in the process. She repeats it in daily press briefings.
The New York Times bashes Putin relentlessly. On May 9, it headlined "From Crimea, Putin Trumpets Mother Russia," saying:
"Putting his personal seal on the annexation of Crimea, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia traveled on Friday to the naval port of Sevastopol, where he used the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany to assert that Moscow had the right to take over the Black Sea peninsula."
"Over the past decade, Mr. Putin has gradually turned Victory Day into a celebration of resurgent Russian power and nationalism."
"The visit to Sevastopol, in southwestern Crimea, the historical home of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, was a potent manifestation of his goal of reviving Russia as a global power."
Fact: Putin acted honorably.
Fact: He visited Sevastopol to honor fallen war heroes.
Fact: He thanked living veterans.
Fact: The Times mocked their achievement.
Fact: It unjustifiably bashed Putin.
Fact: It lied doing it.
Fact: Moscow asserts legitimate rights alone.
Fact: Putin represents responsible geopolitical leadership.
Fact: Obama is polar opposite.
Fact: The Times represents some of the worst scoundrel media presstitution.
Fact: It substitutes for responsible journalism.
Fact: It's not in the Times' vocabulary.
Fact: Supporting wealth, power and privilege alone matter.
Ukraine's putschist Foreign Ministry reacted as expected. It protested Putin's visit. It accused him of violating international law.
It lied doing so. It ignored Kiev's illegitimacy. Governance by coup d'etat has none whatever.
It doesn't matter. It enjoys full Washington support. It bears repeating what other articles stressed. One fascist regime supports another.
Kiev issued a statement saying:
Putin's "provocation once again confirms that Russia deliberately chooses to escalate tensions in Russian-Ukrainian relations."
"We urge the Russian side to return to civilized methods of interstate relations."
NATO Secretary General Ander Fogh Rasmussen is a convenient US stooge. Orders come straight from Washington. He genuflects and obeys.
He called Putin's visit "inappropriate." He spoke from Tallinn. He did so during provocative Estonian war exercises. They ongoing close to Russia's borders.
On May 9, neocon Washington Post editors headlined "Vladimir Putin's meaningless words on Ukraine."
They lied claiming he "has no compunction about making demonstrably false statements."
"If he can sow dissension among Western governments with words, (he'll) do so," they said.
"But the words have no relation to Russia's actual behavior."
"On the ground, all evidence suggests that Moscow is still backing armed militants in eastern Ukrainian cities, seeking to undermine the elections and aiming at imposing its rule, directly or indirectly, on as much of the country as possible."
"Mr. Putin's triumphant appearance in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Friday showed that his aim is to manipulate the West into tolerating and eventually accepting his illegal aggression."
WaPo editors lied calling his actions "cynical gamesmanship."
Fact: They march in lockstep with America's imperial agenda.
Fact: They support its lawless aggression.
Fact: Putin deplores war.
Fact: He champions peace.
Fact: He respects other nations' sovereignty.
Fact: He calls rule of law principles inviolable.
Fact: No evidence whatever suggests he's involved in Eastern Ukrainian resistance.
Fact: Self-defense forces act entirely on their own volition.
Fact: They're not militants.
Fact: They're not terrorists.
Fact: They're not separatists.
Fact: They're freedom fighters.
Fact: They reject illegitimate fascist rule.
Fact: WaPo editors support what demands condemnation.
Fact: Putin seeks no territorial expansion.
Fact: His agenda is polar opposite Obama's.
Fact: He didn't arrive in Crimea "triumphantly."
Fact: He came to honor Crimea's fallen war heroes.
Fact: He paid tribute to survivors.
Fact: WaPo editors turned truth on its head.
Fact: Putin bashing persists.
Fact: It does so without justification.
WaPo editors wants tougher US policy adopted. They want it enforced. They want EU partners marching in lockstep.
They want Russian industry and financial interests targeted.
"The world will know Mr. Putin is serious about accepting an independent Ukraine when he pulls his special forces out of the east and Russian troops withdraw from the border," they said.
Fact: Putin respects sovereign independence for all nation-states.
Fact: Obama's agenda is polar opposite.
Fact: No evidence whatever suggests Russian forces in Ukraine.
Fact: Plenty shows NATO troops encroaching provocatively on Russia's borders.
Fact: Putin ordered Russian war games further removed from Ukraine's.
Fact: He acted in good faith.
Fact: WaPo editors responded by bashing him.
Fact: They're on the wrong side of history.
Fact: They're like other US scoundrel media editors.
Fact: They support what demands condemnation.
Fact: They do so unapologetically.
It bears repeating. Putin represents responsible geopolitical leadership. Obama is polar opposite. Don't expect scoundrel media editors to explain.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Odessa Massacre: Eyewitness Account
Odessa Massacre: Eyewitness Account
by Stephen Lendman
Fascists wage wars their way. Dirty ones rage. America fights this way.
It's done so throughout its existence. No-holds-barred barbarism reflects official policy.
Washington manipulates criminal events in Ukraine. Coup-appointed putschists are convenient stooges. They're murdering their own people. They're doing it in cold blood.
Donetsk People's Republic leaders said Mariupol self-defense forces were attacked with chemical weapons. A statement issued said:
"Kiev bears the entire responsibility not only for their state agencies' actions, but also for the actions by citizens who illegally apply means of chemical warfare."
"Armed groups controlled by Kiev used unidentified chemical weapons on May 6 while storming the City Council headquarters."
"The defenders of the City Council have left the contaminated area."
"Many of them had their breathing systems damaged, which is likely to have consequences and probably be a danger to their lives."
A toxic choking agent was used. One victim was diagnosed with unidentified gas poisoning.
Others were affected. Symptoms include first-degree chemical-inflicted eye burns, alcoholic-like intoxication, bodily lacerations and fainting. Victims were hospitalized.
At the same time, Kiev forces attacked Mariupol. They did so with tanks and other heavy weapons.
Federalization supporters screamed "Fascists." Armored vehicles fired on unarmed civilians. Reports suggest around 20 deaths. Many more were wounded.
The 0629.ua news service reported "a tank seized at the crossroads of Lenina and Torgovaya streets by the representatives of the Donetsk People's Republic."
"At 12.50, 14 tanks were spotted coming from the agricultural base towards Mariupol. According to medics, there are two dead and 8 wounded," the report added.
"(O)n Lenin avenue, two people were seriously wounded - one in the head and another in the stomach."
"A huge pool of blood (was) next to the Arbat cafe. It's not known whether the wounded people have survived."
"Witnesses sa(id) they were driven away in a passenger car. The fighting (went) on next to the main police department."
"Gunfire (was) heard. Two armored vehicles blocked Artyom street." Residents barricaded streets. They burned tires. They overturned cars.
They stormed Mariupol's Interior Ministry building. According to a self-defense force representative:
"Camouflaged people...storm(ed) the building of the city’s interior ministry department. A bus with soldiers dr(ove) up."
"They (came) from a military unit located in the vicinity of Mariupol. Policemen who refuse to obey Kiev regime's orders (were) detained."
"Policemen of the city department refused to obey Kiev's orders and guard the building of the city council, which had been seized a day earlier by the Ukrainian security services."
"As a result, Kiev authorities decided to storm the building of the city Interior Ministry department. Policemen are shooting back."
"The building (was) surrounded." Self-defense forces said "(a)rmored vehicles approached (it) and opened fire with heavy weapons."
"The building is old and has thick walls, so you can't penetrate it with machine-gun fire." A city resident added:
"On the central street of the city, I saw tanks and armored vehicles with the Ukrainian flags at around 11.40 am (local time)."
"Then, the city residents started to gather near the city executive committee building."
"Then some of the protesters tried to go to the district department of interior, but it seemed that the Kiev regime military was beginning to shoot at those who attempted to approach."
"I don't know if they were shooting to kill, but at their legs - that's for sure."
A separate report said the Interior Ministry was set ablaze.
RT International reported what happened. Its stringer was wounded. He's identified only as Andrey for his safety.
It happened while filming. He sustained a stomach injury. His bulletproof vest didn't help. He's hospitalized in serious condition. Reports suggest he'll survive.
On Friday, gun battles raged. Ukrainian MP Oleg Lyashko said:
"The perimeter around the Interior Ministry department building in Mariupol is completely blocked by the armed forces."
"Terrorists are barricaded inside and are now returning fire. An order has been issued not to take anyone alive."
Fascists fight this way. Friday was Victory Day. It commemorated Nazi Germany's defeat. Russia honored heroes of its Great Patriotic War.
Ukrainians did so nationwide. Many thousands were on city streets. Imagine waging war this day. Imagine attacking civilians.
Imagine targeting unarmed ones. Imagine doing so with thousands in harm's way.
Imagine US media scoundrels ignoring what happened. Imagine European ones misreporting it.
Imagine them calling freedom fighters "terrorists." Imagine them ignoring civilian casualties.
Imagine fascists fighting this way. Imagine Washington supporting their worst brutality. Imagine direct orders to commit mass murder. One fascist regime supports another.
About 1,500 Mariupol residents participating in Victory Day commemoration marched on police headquarters.
They did so resisting Ukraine's military. According to a self-defense forces spokesman:
"Demonstrators - about 1,500 in all - rushed to the police department building."
"Men wearing black camouflage walk(ed) towards them, firing shots in the air."
Other residents burned tires near City Council headquarters. Mariupol is one of many Eastern Ukrainian battlegrounds.
Kharkov is Ukraine's second largest city. On Friday, an anti-government rally was held. Around 1,500 residents participated.
One held a sign reading: "Referendum. We're not separatist!" Residents oppose Kiev's "junta." They called coup-appointed officials "US henchemen."
Putschists are waging "war against (their) own people," they said. Thousands of Donetsk residents rallied. They chanted greetings to Great Patriotic War veterans.
"Congratulations!" "Hurrah!" and "Russia!," they shouted. Self-defense forces leader Denis Pushilin thanked veterans for defeating fascism.
He urged people to vote in Sunday's referendum, saying:
"We must confirm our choice on May 11, confirm our holy duty to continue to carry the banner of Victory."
"We are Russians. The great Russian heritage is awakening in us, and we will win a victory whatever the cost."
Police were supportive. They wore St. George's ribbons. City residents applauded them.
Thousands in Slavyansk rallied. They celebrated Victory Day. They did so despite Kiev-imposed martial law.
Recently released People's Governor Pavel Gubarev urged residents throughout Southeast Ukraine "to join the people's militia under the command of Igor Strelkov."
Slavyansk People's Mayor Vyacheslav Ponomarev called on them to fight fascism. Vote in Sunday's referendum, he stressed.
Odessans displayed a red banner over the Trade Union House building. They did so honoring hundreds Right Sector thugs killed on May 2. Most were inside.
Crowds assembled in Taras Shevchenko Park. They did so to honor Soviet soldiers killed in the Great Patriotic War.
Others gathered in Kulikovo Field. Right Sector thugs burned activist tents on May 2. Doing so was prelude to murdering 300 unarmed civilians inside and outside the Trade Union House building.
Odessan mayoral candidate Aleksey Albu said:
"We have plans to put up a new tent camp after May 9. This time, there will be many more people there."
Odessa and other Eastern Ukrainian cities remain battlegrounds. Expect no end of fighting soon. Perhaps bloodbath conditions before things end.
Orders come straight from Washington. Eliminate opposition elements. Do it at all costs.
Unleash violence without mercy. Use tanks, artillery, mortars, APCs, helicopter gunships, and other heavy weapons against civilians.
Murder them in cold blood. Lie. Claim they're terrorists. Say you're protecting Ukraine.
Good journalism is the first casualty of war. It's a "weapon of war," said John Pilger.
Censorship is longstanding policy. Truth-telling is verboten. Media scoundrels suppress what people most need to know.
Managed news misinformation substitutes. Reporting on Ukraine has been appalling and then some. It matches the worst against Saddam, Gaddafi and Assad.
Bad fiction substitutes for hard truths. It persists daily. Presstitutes make street whores look good by comparison. Marching in lockstep with US policy alone matters.
Expect lots more of the same ahead. Ukrainian crisis conditions promise to get worse. Perhaps much worse before things end.
Perhaps Obama bit off more than he can chew. Ukraine isn't the walkover he planned. He's his own worst enemy.
He may have shot himself in the foot. Putin makes him look amateurish by comparison.
He outsmarted him since crisis erupted last November. At times he made him look foolish.
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland mocks the office she holds.
She was caught on tape using obscene language. She admitted Washington spent over $5 billion dollars toppling Ukraine's democratically elected government.
On Thursday, House Foreign Affairs Committee members challenged her with tough questions on Ukraine.
Dana Rohrabacher (R. CA) said Ukrainians had a "legitimate election before, and the legitimate president was removed after we had major street violence."
"There were pictures of people running around that we were told were neo-Nazis."
Nuland was hard-pressed to answer. Rohrabacher wanted straight talk. She failed to deliver. She lied saying:
"First of all, the vast majority of those who were participating on Maidan were peaceful protesters. There were mothers and grandmothers and veterans."
Rohrabacker interrupted her. He didn't mince words stressing:
"I saw those pictures, and I also saw a lot of people throwing fire bombs at groups of policemen."
"There were people shooting into the ranks of police. So, yes, there were mothers with flowers, but there were also very dangerous street fighters engaged in those demonstrations."
"The question is: were there neo-Nazi groups involved?"
Nuland was nonplussed. She couldn't deny credible video evidence. "There were many colors of Ukraine involved including very ugly colors," she said.
She stopped well short of truth, the whole truth, and nothing else. US-supported neo-Nazis bore full responsibility for Maidan violence. Likeminded extremists shared it.
Clear evidence proved it. Coverup and denial suppressed it. Ousted President Viktor Yanukovych had no involvement. Nor members of his government.
Nuland didn't explain. She's a war criminal. She's guilty of high crimes. Her policy positions indict her.
She belongs in prison doing hard time. So does Washington's entire criminal class. They mock legitimate governance.
They shame positions they hold. Washington makes more enemies than friends. They're heading America for tyranny and ruin.
It's too late for mere scattered reforms. Hubris, arrogance and overreach assure ending imperial rampaging sooner or later.
America is plagued by the same dynamic that doomed past empires. It's spending itself to death. It's bullying nations into supporting what harms their own interests.
It's threatening outliers that don't. It's increasingly having to work harder to accomplish less. It's falling short or failing more often. It's the world's top pariah state.
It bears repeating. It's heading for tyranny, bankruptcy and ruin. Misguided policies wreck all empires. Washington is no exception.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. When America goes, the crash will resonate worldwide. It can't happen a moment too soon.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev Uses Chemical Weapons
Kiev Uses Chemical Weapons
by Stephen Lendman
Fascists wage wars their way. Dirty ones rage. America fights this way.
It's done so throughout its existence. No-holds-barred barbarism reflects official policy.
Washington manipulates criminal events in Ukraine. Coup-appointed putschists are convenient stooges. They're murdering their own people. They're doing it in cold blood.
Donetsk People's Republic leaders said Mariupol self-defense forces were attacked with chemical weapons. A statement issued said:
"Kiev bears the entire responsibility not only for their state agencies' actions, but also for the actions by citizens who illegally apply means of chemical warfare."
"Armed groups controlled by Kiev used unidentified chemical weapons on May 6 while storming the City Council headquarters."
"The defenders of the City Council have left the contaminated area."
"Many of them had their breathing systems damaged, which is likely to have consequences and probably be a danger to their lives."
A toxic choking agent was used. One victim was diagnosed with unidentified gas poisoning.
Others were affected. Symptoms include first-degree chemical-inflicted eye burns, alcoholic-like intoxication, bodily lacerations and fainting. Victims were hospitalized.
At the same time, Kiev forces attacked Mariupol. They did so with tanks and other heavy weapons.
Federalization supporters screamed "Fascists." Armored vehicles fired on unarmed civilians. Reports suggest around 20 deaths. Many more were wounded.
The 0629.ua news service reported "a tank seized at the crossroads of Lenina and Torgovaya streets by the representatives of the Donetsk People's Republic."
"At 12.50, 14 tanks were spotted coming from the agricultural base towards Mariupol. According to medics, there are two dead and 8 wounded," the report added.
"(O)n Lenin avenue, two people were seriously wounded - one in the head and another in the stomach."
"A huge pool of blood (was) next to the Arbat cafe. It's not known whether the wounded people have survived."
"Witnesses sa(id) they were driven away in a passenger car. The fighting (went) on next to the main police department."
"Gunfire (was) heard. Two armored vehicles blocked Artyom street." Residents barricaded streets. They burned tires. They overturned cars.
They stormed Mariupol's Interior Ministry building. According to a self-defense force representative:
"Camouflaged people...storm(ed) the building of the city’s interior ministry department. A bus with soldiers dr(ove) up."
"They (came) from a military unit located in the vicinity of Mariupol. Policemen who refuse to obey Kiev regime's orders (were) detained."
"Policemen of the city department refused to obey Kiev's orders and guard the building of the city council, which had been seized a day earlier by the Ukrainian security services."
"As a result, Kiev authorities decided to storm the building of the city Interior Ministry department. Policemen are shooting back."
"The building (was) surrounded." Self-defense forces said "(a)rmored vehicles approached (it) and opened fire with heavy weapons."
"The building is old and has thick walls, so you can't penetrate it with machine-gun fire." A city resident added:
"On the central street of the city, I saw tanks and armored vehicles with the Ukrainian flags at around 11.40 am (local time)."
"Then, the city residents started to gather near the city executive committee building."
"Then some of the protesters tried to go to the district department of interior, but it seemed that the Kiev regime military was beginning to shoot at those who attempted to approach."
"I don't know if they were shooting to kill, but at their legs - that's for sure."
A separate report said the Interior Ministry was set ablaze.
RT International reported what happened. Its stringer was wounded. He's identified only as Andrey for his safety.
It happened while filming. He sustained a stomach injury. His bulletproof vest didn't help. He's hospitalized in serious condition. Reports suggest he'll survive.
On Friday, gun battles raged. Ukrainian MP Oleg Lyashko said:
"The perimeter around the Interior Ministry department building in Mariupol is completely blocked by the armed forces."
"Terrorists are barricaded inside and are now returning fire. An order has been issued not to take anyone alive."
Fascists fight this way. Friday was Victory Day. It commemorated Nazi Germany's defeat. Russia honored heroes of its Great Patriotic War.
Ukrainians did so nationwide. Many thousands were on city streets. Imagine waging war this day. Imagine attacking civilians.
Imagine targeting unarmed ones. Imagine doing so with thousands in harm's way.
Imagine US media scoundrels ignoring what happened. Imagine European ones misreporting it.
Imagine them calling freedom fighters "terrorists." Imagine them ignoring civilian casualties.
Imagine fascists fighting this way. Imagine Washington supporting their worst brutality. Imagine direct orders to commit mass murder. One fascist regime supports another.
About 1,500 Mariupol residents participating in Victory Day commemoration marched on police headquarters.
They did so resisting Ukraine's military. According to a self-defense forces spokesman:
"Demonstrators - about 1,500 in all - rushed to the police department building."
"Men wearing black camouflage walk(ed) towards them, firing shots in the air."
Other residents burned tires near City Council headquarters. Mariupol is one of many Eastern Ukrainian battlegrounds.
Kharkov is Ukraine's second largest city. On Friday, an anti-government rally was held. Around 1,500 residents participated.
One held a sign reading: "Referendum. We're not separatist!" Residents oppose Kiev's "junta." They called coup-appointed officials "US henchemen."
Putschists are waging "war against (their) own people," they said. Thousands of Donetsk residents rallied. They chanted greetings to Great Patriotic War veterans.
"Congratulations!" "Hurrah!" and "Russia!," they shouted. Self-defense forces leader Denis Pushilin thanked veterans for defeating fascism.
He urged people to vote in Sunday's referendum, saying:
"We must confirm our choice on May 11, confirm our holy duty to continue to carry the banner of Victory."
"We are Russians. The great Russian heritage is awakening in us, and we will win a victory whatever the cost."
Police were supportive. They wore St. George's ribbons. City residents applauded them.
Thousands in Slavyansk rallied. They celebrated Victory Day. They did so despite Kiev-imposed martial law.
Recently released People's Governor Pavel Gubarev urged residents throughout Southeast Ukraine "to join the people's militia under the command of Igor Strelkov."
Slavyansk People's Mayor Vyacheslav Ponomarev called on them to fight fascism. Vote in Sunday's referendum, he stressed.
Odessans displayed a red banner over the Trade Union House building. They did so honoring hundreds Right Sector thugs killed on May 2. Most were inside.
Crowds assembled in Taras Shevchenko Park. They did so to honor Soviet soldiers killed in the Great Patriotic War.
Others gathered in Kulikovo Field. Right Sector thugs burned activist tents on May 2. Doing so was prelude to murdering 300 unarmed civilians inside and outside the Trade Union House building.
Odessan mayoral candidate Aleksey Albu said:
"We have plans to put up a new tent camp after May 9. This time, there will be many more people there."
Odessa and other Eastern Ukrainian cities remain battlegrounds. Expect no end of fighting soon. Perhaps bloodbath conditions before things end.
Orders come straight from Washington. Eliminate opposition elements. Do it at all costs.
Unleash violence without mercy. Use tanks, artillery, mortars, APCs, helicopter gunships, and other heavy weapons against civilians.
Murder them in cold blood. Lie. Claim they're terrorists. Say you're protecting Ukraine.
Good journalism is the first casualty of war. It's a "weapon of war," said John Pilger.
Censorship is longstanding policy. Truth-telling is verboten. Media scoundrels suppress what people most need to know.
Managed news misinformation substitutes. Reporting on Ukraine has been appalling and then some. It matches the worst against Saddam, Gaddafi and Assad.
Bad fiction substitutes for hard truths. It persists daily. Presstitutes make street whores look good by comparison. Marching in lockstep with US policy alone matters.
Expect lots more of the same ahead. Ukrainian crisis conditions promise to get worse. Perhaps much worse before things end.
Perhaps Obama bit off more than he can chew. Ukraine isn't the walkover he planned. He's his own worst enemy.
He may have shot himself in the foot. Putin makes him look amateurish by comparison.
He outsmarted him since crisis erupted last November. At times he made him look foolish.
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland mocks the office she holds.
She was caught on tape using obscene language. She admitted Washington spent over $5 billion dollars toppling Ukraine's democratically elected government.
On Thursday, House Foreign Affairs Committee members challenged her with tough questions on Ukraine.
Dana Rohrabacher (R. CA) said Ukrainians had a "legitimate election before, and the legitimate president was removed after we had major street violence."
"There were pictures of people running around that we were told were neo-Nazis."
Nuland was hard-pressed to answer. Rohrabacher wanted straight talk. She failed to deliver. She lied saying:
"First of all, the vast majority of those who were participating on Maidan were peaceful protesters. There were mothers and grandmothers and veterans."
Rohrabacker interrupted her. He didn't mince words stressing:
"I saw those pictures, and I also saw a lot of people throwing fire bombs at groups of policemen."
"There were people shooting into the ranks of police. So, yes, there were mothers with flowers, but there were also very dangerous street fighters engaged in those demonstrations."
"The question is: were there neo-Nazi groups involved?"
Nuland was nonplussed. She couldn't deny credible video evidence. "There were many colors of Ukraine involved including very ugly colors," she said.
She stopped well short of truth, the whole truth, and nothing else. US-supported neo-Nazis bore full responsibility for Maidan violence. Likeminded extremists shared it.
Clear evidence proved it. Coverup and denial suppressed it. Ousted President Viktor Yanukovych had no involvement. Nor members of his government.
Nuland didn't explain. She's a war criminal. She's guilty of high crimes. Her policy positions indict her.
She belongs in prison doing hard time. So does Washington's entire criminal class. They mock legitimate governance.
They shame positions they hold. Washington makes more enemies than friends. They're heading America for tyranny and ruin.
It's too late for mere scattered reforms. Hubris, arrogance and overreach assure ending imperial rampaging sooner or later.
America is plagued by the same dynamic that doomed past empires. It's spending itself to death. It's bullying nations into supporting what harms their own interests.
It's threatening outliers that don't. It's increasingly having to work harder to accomplish less. It's falling short or failing more often. It's the world's top pariah state.
It bears repeating. It's heading for tyranny, bankruptcy and ruin. Misguided policies wreck all empires. Washington is no exception.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. When America goes, the crash will resonate worldwide. It can't happen a moment too soon.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev Obstructs Peaceful Dialogue
Kiev Obstructs Peaceful Dialogue
by Stephen Lendman
Coup-appointed putschists are convenient US stooges. Washington manipulates their policies. They salute and obey.
They spurn peaceful dialogue. They continue lawless aggression. They do so against their own people. They do it with full US support.
On May 8, Russia's Foreign Ministry said they sabotaged OECD peaceful conflict resolution dialogue.
"The reaction to the results of the Moscow meeting between the presidents of Russia and Switzerland that came from the Kiev authorities, who have essentially jeopardized the OSCE efforts to launch an inclusive dialogue, is deeply regrettable," the ministry said.
"Putting an immediate stop to the use of force, primarily of the regular army, and practical steps to disarm illegal armed groups are an obligatory condition."
"Russia expects the slaughter in Odessa to be investigated in an unbiased and comprehensive way and those guilty to be punished seriously."
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov added:
Vladimir Putin's "appeal yesterday to representatives of the south-eastern regions of Ukraine and supporters of federalization to postpone the referendum slated for May 11 creates favorable conditions for starting a substantive and equal dialogue between the Ukrainian sides on the basis of the roadmap proposed by the Swiss Presidency of the OSCE for settling the crisis in Ukraine."
On Thursday, Putin met with his Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan an Tajikistan counterparts. He did so in Moscow.
"Militant nationalism that once led to the emergence of the Nazi ideology is again rearing its head in Europe. We won't dwell on each particular hotbed; we know where we face this danger," he said.
"The example of Ukraine vividly shows that such an irresponsible policy leads to a lot of trouble and losses."
"Hundreds of thousands of people are deprived of the chance to live a peaceful and unharmed life."
"(W)e can't be indifferent to what is going on in Ukraine. We are determined to act within the framework of" four-party agreed on terms.
"Concrete steps have been planned to intensify the OSCE's efforts toward de-escalating tensions in Ukraine."
They've been taken "primarily through arranging a direct and equitable dialogue between the current Kiev authorities and representatives of the southeastern regions of the country."
Washington-directed Kiev actions subvert his best efforts. He's irresponsibly blamed for their reprehensible behavior.
"The world faces a lot of challenges and threats," Putin explained.
Kiev responded to Putin's diplomatic outreach by deploying 15,000 troops near Russia's borders. According to Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov:
At the same time, NATO massed forces menacingly in Eastern Europe. He called on its leaders "to quit cynically deluding the international society on the real state of affairs on the Russian-Ukrainian border."
On May 6, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke at Chicago's Council on Global Affairs. He enlisted support for escalated US belligerent involvement.
Less "forces us to be more engaged later," he said. "(A)t a higher cost in blood and treasure, and often on the terms of others," he claimed.
He called tough-minded engagement a national priority.
"Although Americans today are increasingly skeptical of foreign engagement and global responsibilities, it is a mistake to view these responsibilities as a burden or as charity," he said.
"Let us remember that the biggest beneficiaries of American leadership and engagement in the world are the American people."
America has 400,000 troops based in scores of countries worldwide. Hagel lied claiming they're there to build a peaceful, free, stable world.
They're involved in advancing America's imperium. They operate lawlessly. They're engaged in multiple direct and proxy wars. They make more enemies than friends.
"Even as we shrink our military’s size…we must continue strengthening the capabilities of our allies, forming new alliances and bolstering old ones, and investing in collective security arrangements,” Hagel said.
"We want our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines active around the world, deploying with greater frequency and agility, with the skills and expertise needed to build security capacity in each region."
He highlighted non-existing threats. He claimed a need to focus on high-intensity ones from sophisticated adversaries.
He names irregular forces, cyber terrorists, and others increasingly challenging America's technological advantage.
He urged major investments in next-generation weapons. He wants increased cyber and space capabilities.
He wants unmanned systems bolstered. He wants more precision strike platforms. He wants similar intelligence ones.
"I'm not interested in a fair fight," he said. "I don't want to be capable of only fighting the last war."
He wants Washington's war on humanity to continue. He irresponsibly threatens world peace.
No nation does so more than America. Former Reagan Office of Management and Budget Director David Stockman called for dismantling America's warfare state.
He called intervening against other nations "moronic." In 1989, Washington lied promising not moving "one inch to the East."
One mindless policy after another followed. Things get worse, not better. Stockman explained the problem as follows:
"The Washington beltway is floating in a sea of prosperity reminiscent of Imperial Rome."
"It reflects the fact that the vast machinery of the old cold war has been layered upon by the massive expansion that flowed from the War On Terror."
"Policy thus happens because our vastly augmented and wholly unnecessary Warfare State needs missions, purposes and a reason for being."
It's heading America toward tyranny and ruin. It threatens world peace.
Famed journalist George Seldes (1890 - 1995) highlighted a "worldwide munitions racket." He did so decades earlier. He called war profiteers "merchants of death."
They promote "imperialism (and) colonization," he said. They do so "by means of war."
"The healthfulness of their businesses depends on slaughter. The more wars," the greater their riches.
He worried about domestic "fascist forces." They're in government, industry and the media.
They promote wars. They cheerlead them. They mock responsible leadership. They represented a shadow of today's threats.
Viktor Medvedchuk heads the Ukrainian Choice public movement. On Thursday, he said US military aid "will be used to escalate aggression and provoke new conflicts and confrontation in the country."
"This is the real US goal," he added. "(T)he United Staes is ready to finance a new stage of confrontation and aggression in Ukraine."
Stop NATO editor Rick Rozoff went further. Washington wants "military domination of the entire planet," he said.
Its recklessness is unprecedented. It's permanently at war. Outrageous amounts are spent waging them. More is spent on militarism overall.
"I live in a country where many of us can’t afford even elementary healthcare, dental care, optical care; can’t afford to pay our rent," said Rozoff.
Vital needs go begging. Waging war on humanity takes precedence. So do bullying, pressuring, bribing and threatening other nations to support interests contrary to their own.
America is the only nation in world history ever to "carve up the entire (planet) into military commands," said Rozoff.
It's to solidify unchallenged military dominance. It's to wage war anywhere on a moment's notice.
Longstanding US policy reflects "a corrupt, money-driven political (duopoly) system." Popular interests have no say.
Paul Craig Roberts is right calling America a "gangster state." It's run by "two-bit punks."
"Dollar imperialism, threats, bribes, and wars are means by which US hegemony is extended," he said.
Democracy is fantasy. None whatever exists. None is tolerated anywhere. Accountability is non-existent.
Monied interests run things. Obama is their convenient stooge. So are officials around him. Congressional leaders are no better.
Officials able to make a difference dismiss public need. They pursue reckless policies. They're hopelessly corrupt. They represent gangsterism writ large.
Rule of law principles don't matter. Dissent is criminalized. Washington want its message alone getting out. It's institutionalizing tyranny.
Non-existent enemies are invented. It's done to generate fear. It's to wage war on humanity. It may not survive Obama's second term.
Rogue policies risk the unthinkable. Madness defines them. Obama represents the world's greatest threat. Stopping him matters most.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Putin’s Diplomatic Gambit
Putin's Diplomatic Gambit
by Stephen Lendman
Putin is polar opposite Obama. He represents responsible geopolitical leadership.
He wants Ukrainian crisis conditions resolved diplomatically. He does so despite knowing Washington's hardline agenda.
It's longstanding. It's all take. It's no give. Its rules alone matter. Unchallenged global dominance is sought. So is eliminating major rivals.
On Wednesday, Putin addressed ongoing Ukrainian crisis conditions. He did so forthrightly. He was candid, saying:
They've "tak(en) the worst direction in its developments lies with those who organised the coup d’etat in Kiev on February 22-23, and have not yet taken the trouble to disarm right-wing radical and nationalist groups."
"(W)e must look for ways out of the situation as it is today. We all have an interest in ending this crisis, Ukraine and its people above all."
"Thus I say that we all want the crisis to end as soon as possible and in such a way that takes into account the interests of all people in Ukraine no matter where they live."
"Russia urgently appeals to the authorities in Kiev to cease immediately all military and punitive operations in southeast Ukraine."
"This is not an effective means of resolving internal political conflicts and, on the contrary, will only deepen the divisions."
"We think the most important thing now is to launch direct dialogue, genuine, full-fledged dialogue between the Kiev authorities and representatives of southeast Ukraine."
"This dialogue could give people from southeast Ukraine the chance to see that their lawful rights in Ukraine really will be guaranteed."
"…(W)e appeal…to representatives of southeast Ukraine and supporters of federalisation to hold off the referendum scheduled for May 11, in order to give this dialogue the conditions it needs to have a chance."
"Let me stress that the presidential election the Kiev authorities plan to hold is a step in the right direction, but it will not solve anything unless all of Ukraine's people first understand how their rights will be guaranteed once the election has taken place."
"(D)irect dialogue between the Kiev authorities and representatives of southeast Ukraine is the key to settling this crisis."
"But one of the essential conditions for getting dialogue underway is an unconditional end to the use of force, whether with the help of the armed forces, which is completely unacceptable in the modern world, or through the use of illegal armed radical groups."
"Russia is ready to contribute as it can to resolving the Ukrainian crisis and playing an active and positive part in the Geneva process."
He dismissed notions about Russia "hold(ing) the key to resolving" things.
"The responsibility…lies with with the people who carried out an anti-constitutional seizure of power, a coup d’etat, and with those who supported these actions and gave them financial, political, information and other kinds of support and pushed the situation to the tragic events that took place in Odessa," he said.
"It's quite simply blood-chilling to watch the footage of those events."
"Russia will take every necessary step of course and do everything within its power to settle the situation."
"I can understand the people in southeast Ukraine, who say that if others can do what they like in Kiev, carry out a coup d'etat, take up arms and seize government buildings, police stations and military garrisons, then why shouldn't they be allowed to defend their interests and lawful rights?"
"(W)e are not a party to this conflict. The parties…are in Ukraine…"
"We were told repeatedly that our forces by the Ukrainian border were a source of concern."
"We have withdrawn our forces and they are now not on the Ukrainian border but are carrying out their regular exercises at the test grounds."
"This can be easily verified using modern intelligence techniques, including from space, where everything can be seen."
"We must do everything possible to ensure that people in southeast Ukraine understand, feel and believe that after the Ukrainian presidential election on May 24 or 25 their lawful rights will be reliably guaranteed."
"This is the real issue, not the presidential election, but ensuring that people in the southeast know that they won’t be abandoned and deceived."
"This is the crux of the matter, and it is for this that we need the dialogue we have been talking about today."
At the same time, Putin remains concerned about where he sees things heading. More Geneva talks aren't "realistic," he said.
Or internal ones with irreconcilable differences between putschists and elements wanting real democracy. Both sides are worlds apart.
Washington remains the main obstacle. It controls Kiev policy. Coup-appointed stooge represent it.
Putin "believe(s) that if we want to find a longterm solution…open, honest and equal dialogue is the only possible option." Getting it is another matter entirely.
On May 8, Itar Tass headlined "Putin discusses Ukraine with Russia's Security Council."
His spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the meeting "urgent," adding:
"Participants…discussed the ongoing matters of international policy."
They "debated in detail the current situation in Ukraine, including in the context of talks between President Vladimir Putin and Swiss President and Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Didier Burkhalter on the same day."
Top officials attending included:
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Chief of Presidential Staff Sergei Ivanov, speakers of both houses of parliament Valentina Matviyenko and Sergei Naryshkin, Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev and his deputy Rashid Nurgaliyev, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov, Foreign Intelligence Service Director Mikhail Fradkov and permanent member of the Russian Security Council Boris Gryzlov.
On Wednesday, Putin met with OSCE chief Didier Burkhalter. According to Itar Tass:
"Burkhalter (said) the OSCE would propose a roadmap for the Ukrainian crisis settlement to all four parties, which signed the Geneva accords, soon."
"The document offers concrete steps including ceasefire, de-escalation of tension, establishment of a dialogue and elections."
On the one hand, Putin called planned Ukrainian presidential elections "a movement in the right direction."
On the other, he said they'll "settle nothing if all Ukrainian citizens will not understand how their rights will be guaranteed after" elections are held.
Expect Putin's best efforts to fail. Washington is the main problem. It wants Ukrainian hardline rule institutionalized.
It wants democratic initiatives crushed. It wants ordinary Ukrainians exploited. It wants Ukraine made another pro-Western vassal state.
It wants it incorporated into NATO. It shares a near 1,500 kilometer border with Russia. Washington wants bases there.
It wants long range multiple warhead nuclear missiles targeting Russia's heartland. It wants Moscow marginalized, weakened, isolated and co-opted.
It wants it eliminated as a major rival. It wants pro-Western governance replacing its sovereign independence.
It wants Russia's resources plundered. It wants its people exploited. It risks potential war to achieve its objectives.
It bears repeating. Expect responsible Putin diplomacy to fail. Washington can't be trusted. It systematically violated every important treaty, convention and agreement it signed on to.
It says one thing. It does another. It blames other countries and parties for its own lawlessness.
It scorns diplomacy. It prioritizes belligerence. It has hundreds of global military bases. It's waging multiple direct and proxy wars.
US special forces infest over 120 countries. They're trained killers. They're not good will ambassadors. CIA agents operate everywhere. They do so covertly.
America deplores peace. It maintains a longstanding permanent war policy. It threatens world peace.
It's the real evil empire. None in human history match its ruthlessness. None its lawlessness.
None its wickedness. None its contempt for fundamental human and civil rights. None its war on humanity. None its genocidal legacy.
Unchallenged raw power alone matters. Millions of corpses are a small price to pay. Ravaging one country after another continues.
Eliminating Russia and China as major rivals matters most. Washington responded to Putin's diplomatic gesture as expected. It did so offensively.
A May 7 press secretary statement headlined "Statement by the Press Secretary on the President’s Notification to Remove Certain Trade Benefits from Russia," saying:
"The President notified Congress today that he intends to withdraw Russia's eligibility for trade benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program because Russia is sufficiently advanced economically that it no longer warrants preferential treatment reserved for less advanced developing countries, consistent with the requirements of the GSP program."
"Once Russia's eligibility is withdrawn, which would be effected via a presidential proclamation, US imports of GSP-eligible goods from Russia will be subject to normal, non-preferential rates of duty."
A same White House Office of the Press Secretary headlined "Message to the Congress - With respect to Russia’s status under the Generalized System of Preferences," saying:
"TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:"
"Consistent with section 502(f)(2) of the Trade Act of 1974 (the '1974 Act') (19 U.S.C. 2462(f)(2)), I am providing notice of my intent to withdraw the designation of Russia as a beneficiary developing country under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program."
"Sections 501(1) and (4) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2461(1) and (4)), provide that, in affording duty-free treatment under the GSP, the President shall have due regard for, among other factors, the effect such action will have on furthering the economic development of a beneficiary developing country through the expansion of its exports and the extent of the beneficiary developing country's competitiveness with respect to eligible articles."
"Section 502(c) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2462(c)) provides that, in determining whether to designate any country as a beneficiary developing country for purposes of the GSP, the President shall take into account various factors, including the country's level of economic development, the country's per capita gross national product, the living standards of its inhabitants, and any other economic factors he deems appropriate."
"Having considered the factors set forth in sections 501 and 502(c) of the 1974 Act, I have determined that it is appropriate to withdraw Russia's designation as a beneficiary developing country under the GSP program because Russia is sufficiently advanced in economic development and improved in trade competitiveness that continued preferential treatment under the GSP is not warranted."
"I intend to issue a proclamation withdrawing Russia's designation consistent with section 502(f)(2) of the 1974 Act."
BARACK OBAMA
So much for diplomacy. Hardline policy persists. More US sanction are expected. Ones imposed are illegitimate. They have no legal standing whatever.
Likely tougher ones are coming. Russia bashing remains intense. On May 7, US-led NATO reacted as expected.
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a convenient US stooge. He justified deploying NATO forces in Eastern Europe irresponsibly, saying:
"Russia's illegal and illegitimate aggression against Ukraine is the greatest challenge to Europe's security in a generation."
"So we have rightly reinforced the defence of our Allies, including Poland."
"NATO's greatest responsibility is to protect and defend our populations and territory," he added.
He demanded Russia deescalate Ukrainian crisis conditions, observe is international obligations, and stop supporting "separatists."
Fact: NATO is a US-led global killing machine.
Fact: It's for offense, not defense.
Fact: It threatens world peace.
Fact: Washington bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions.
Fact: It toppled Ukraine's democratically elected government.
Fact: It installed illegitimate fascist putschists replacing it.
Fact: It spurns diplomacy.
Fact: It prioritizes conflict and instability.
Fact: Putin represents responsible geopolitical leadership.
Fact: Obama is polar opposite.
Fact: World peace hangs by a thread.
Fact: Current conditions should scare everyone.
Putin understands what he faces. He's preparing for the worst. According to Russian Lt. General Yevgeny Bushinsky:
"Russia is a nuclear power. If NATO becomes more active, we will deploy a division of Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad Region."
He responded to NATO head General Philip Breedlove's day earlier comment. He said he'll consider permanently stationing NATO forces in Eastern Europe close to Russia's borders.
"We need to look at our responsiveness, our readiness and then our positioning of forces to be able to address this new paradigm that we have seen demonstrated in Crimea and now on the eastern border of Ukraine," he claimed.
At the same time, ongoing NATO exercises in Estonia are the largest since 1991. Russia's permanent NATO representative was clear and unequivocal saying:
They're "accompanied by bellicose rhetoric and only encourage Kiev to continue the punitive operation against its own people."
NATO provides coup-appointed putschists with enhanced support, he added.
Doing so shows it's "responsible for the criminal actions of its (so-called) 'partner for peace.' "
It bears repeating what earlier articles stressed. Ukrainian crisis conditions suggest much worse ahead.
The threat of a major East/West confrontation remains. Nothing so far defused things.
Washington bears full responsibility. Obama's agenda reflects madness. He risks the unthinkable. The worst of all possible outcomes may follow.
A Final Comment
Putin urged Eastern Ukrainians to delay their referendum initiatives. Donetsk and Lugansk intend holding theirs as planned.
They're scheduled for Sunday, May 11. According to Donetsk People's Republic leader Andrey Purgin:
"This is not our decision. This is the decision of the people of Donbas region. (They) got their chance to make a heroic deed, and we can't deprive them (of) this chance."
Donbas self-defense force leader Miroslav Rudenk added:
"People don't trust Kiev authorities. Also the reaction of (coup-appointed prime minister Arseny) Yatsenyuk to (Putin's diplomatic proposal) was inadequate."
Lugansk press service representative Vasily Nikitin said its "referendum will take place as planned. The ballots have already arrived at the polling stations."
Self-defense force leader Denis Pushin said "the region's people are determined to organize the referendum. There are millions of people who are ready to cast their votes."
They'll be asked whether or not they support independence. Yes or no. On Monday, results will be announced.
On Thursday, coup-appointed National Security and Defense Committee head Andrey Paribiy said lawless aggression will continue regardless of how Donetsk and Lugansk residents vote.
"The counter-terrorism operation will continue unhindered, despite the presence of terrorist and insurgent groups in the Donetsk region," he stressed.
So-called "terrorists" are Ukraine's best and bravest. Their heroic freedom fighters. They deserve worldwide support.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Bashing Putin’s Diplomatic Proposal
Bashing Putin's Diplomatic Proposal
by Stephen Lendman
It bears repeating what other articles stressed. Putin represents responsible geopolitical leadership. Obama is polar opposite.
Responses to Putin's diplomatic proposal didn't surprise. According to State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki:
"(W)e need to see more from President Putin than simply calling for (Eastern Ukrainian referendums) to be postponed."
"And we believe and we would call on Russia to use its influence to - with the militant groups to ensure a safe and secure environment for all Ukrainians to cast their ballots on May 25th. And that's how they can deliver on these words."
Russia is withdrawing its forces from close to Ukraine's borders. They never threatened Ukraine. They engaged in Western-monitored military exercises.
Putin said Western nations can use satellite intelligence to confirm what he announced.
Not according to Psaki, saying: "We have not seen evidence of such movement to date."
"(T)here are still efforts underway to hinder the preparations for the May 25th elections," she claimed.
Tougher US sanctions are being considered, she added. She ludicrously called Kiev's coup-appointed government "legitimate."
She blames Russia irresponsibly for US crimes. So do other US officials. They represent the worst of Washington's dark side.
Media scoundrels support what demands denunciation. The New York Times responded dismissively to Putin's responsible diplomatic proposal. It did so offensively, saying:
"(I)t remain(s) unclear to analysts and political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic whether he was truly reversing course on Ukraine or if this was just another of his judo-inspired feints."
According to Times editors:
"NATO officials said they saw no pullback of the 40,000 Russian troops who have been threateningly massed on the Ukrainian border for several weeks now."
Ongoing Eastern Ukrainian events "may have demonstrated to the Russian president that his strategy of manipulated rebellion could be getting out of hand."
"Moreover, a referendum on secession in rebel-controlled zones would have produced a predictably lopsided vote without a shred of credibility, but would have curtailed Mr. Putin’s exit options."
Fact: Putin's announced pullback was genuine.
Fact: He wouldn't have publicly said so otherwise.
Fact: Redeployment takes time.
Fact: By now, satellite images may show it clearly.
Fact: Washington bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions.
Fact: Eastern Ukrainians acted solely on their own volition.
Fact: No evidence whatever suggests Russian involvement.
Fact: As of May 8, Donetsk and Lugansk referendum will be held as planned.
Times editors irresponsibly accused Putin of initiating a "lightening-fast annexation of Crimea."
He "use(d) the threat of similar annexations in southeastern Ukraine to press Kiev and the West to agree to a federation structure (to) give Russia a strong influence over the eastern provinces and an effective veto against Ukraine forming alliances with the West," they said.
False! Putin annexed nothing. Nearly 97% of Crimeans voted for reunification with Russia. Turnout was 83%.
Putin endorsed their wishes. He could do no less. No evidence whatever suggests he seeks territorial gains anywhere. Nor does any exist showing he's meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs.
He respects Ukrainian unity. He supports democratic governance. It's up to citizens of countries themselves to pursue it.
International law prohibits outside interference. Putin respects its core provisions honorably. Washington consistently rejects them.
Times editors call Kiev's coup-appointed government "legitimate." They turned truth on its head claiming it.
Putin "deviously…exploited divisions in Ukraine," they said. They lied. They do so in numerous anti-Russian editorials.
They suggested Putin's diplomatic initiative may "prove to be another feint." If so, they added:
"(T)he United States and Europe are left with no choice but to press ahead with extensive and stern economic sanctions against Russia."
Fact: Times editors are notorious.
Fact: They're irresponsible.
Fact: They march in lockstep with the worst of Washington's dark side.
Fact: They substitute misinformation, distortion, and bald-face lies for truth and full disclosure.
Fact: It's longstanding Times policy.
Washington Post reporting matches the worst of Times' disinformation.
On May 7, it misinformed readers saying "key questions remained about whether Putin's efforts would actually rein in violence, including whether Russia retained control over the bands of armed separatists who have taken over cities across eastern Ukraine and whether his proposals were palatable to the Ukrainians."
Fact: Eastern Ukrainians aren't "separatists."
Fact: They're ordinary people.
Fact: They're freedom fighters.
Fact: They want rights everyone deserves.
Fact: Putin has no involvement in their activism.
Fact: Coup-appointed putschists unleashed violence.
Fact: They did so at Washington's behest.
Chicago Tribune editors asked if Putin "blinked on Ukraine."
They irresponsibly accused him of perhaps wanting diplomacy to resolve crisis conditions "he had a huge hand in creating."
Fact: Since trouble erupted last November, he's gone all-out to resolve things responsibly.
Fact: Washington escalated conflict lawlessly.
Fact: It deplores peaceful conflict resolution.
Fact: Longstanding policy prioritizes violence and instability.
Former national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinsk is a notorious Russian hater. Tribune editors irresponsibly quoted him, saying:
"What is at stake is a secure and open Europe." The alternative is "some sort of a Russian imperial enterprise next door, based largely on force, and as a result probably quite unstable. So the stakes are really enormous."
Tribune editors added:
"Russian tanks may or may not roll into Kiev one day, the way Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest in 1956 or Prague in 1968."
"Europe can't pursue business as usual with Russia. Not unless it wants to be responsible for losing Ukraine."
Fact: Soviet Russia bears no relation to today's. Any more than Berlin matches Nazi era harshness.
Don't expect Tribune editors to explain. Putin bashing remains official policy.
Coup-appointed prime minister Arseny Yatsenyuk accused Putin of "talking through his hat." His appeal was "hot air," he added.
Leading Kiev presidential aspirant/multi-billionaire Petro Poroshenko said:
"We are even ready to have a (national) referendum but not under the barrels of machine guns or automatic rifles."
"After the presidential election. After restoring law and order, we are ready to discuss any referendum and…constitutional changes…with anyone."
Fact: After Kiev fascists solidify power!
Fact: After they crush democratic resistance.
Fact: After they eliminate freedom initiatives.
Fact: After more Odessa massacres.
Fact: After potentially replicating Cambodia's Killing Fields.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen reacted dismissively to Putin's proposal, saying:
"This is not yet the moment when we can announce with enthusiasm that the crisis is over. We both hope that perhaps Putin's words indicate some kind of a more optimistic scenario, but today it is too early for us to confirm that."
Poland marches in lockstep with lawless US policy. It's Prime Minister Donald Tusk added:
"The Nato assessment, in line with ours, is that we should approach President Putin's statement with great caution."
Washington reacted as expected. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns accused Russia of heading down a "dangerous and irresponsible path."
He promised stepped up US pressure. He ignored Washington full responsibility for ongoing events. He turned a blind eye to Russia's forthright efforts to resolve them peacefully and diplomatically.
Anti-Russian political economist Nicolas Eberstadt got featured Wall Street Journal op-ed space.
"History is full of instances where a rising power, aggrieved and dissatisfied, acts aggressively to obtain new borders or other international concessions," he said.
"In Russia today, we see a much more unusual case: This increasingly menacing and ambitious geopolitical actor is a state in decline."
Irresponsible Russia bashing infested his op-ed. He outrageously accused Putin of "leading a country in serious decline."
"If his dangerous new brinksmanship" continues, "we should expect more of it in the future, possibly much more, " he claimed.
He ignored out-of-control US imperial adventurism. It's risking possible WW III.
Francis Boyle addressed the threat, saying:
"The Ukrainian crisis had been planned as well as the war. There was a war plan. Then it was revised and implemented."
"We are seeing steps now being taken that were planned in advance." It's despite no threat other than Washington invents.
It's "being used as a pretext to" involve NATO belligerently. Things "are clearly going ahead" as planned.
"The US has already resumed the Cold War with the neo-Nazi coup d'etat in Ukraine that the United States sponsored, controlled, and directed."
Washington wants "to provoke Putin to invade Ukraine. I think they plan to take over all of Ukraine to solidify control of Ukraine by the neo-Nazi thugs in Kiev, and then at least de jure to bring NATO military forces into Ukraine under one pretext or another."
Former CIA analyst/State Department official Larry Johnson fears something similar. A dangerous dynamic is unfolding, he said.
"Now there is a very strong element in the United States which is pushing for really almost a confrontation with Russia over Ukraine and they haven't really thought through it," he said.
"When they talk about arming the dissidents or arming folks opposing Russia in the Ukraine, they don't appreciate the possibility of the escalation that that can create."
"We tend to try to portray these things in a way that doesn't really take into account all the dynamics that are involved. And I think it's really dangerous," he added.
Sergey Lavrov repeated earlier statements about "fostering a national dialogue aimed at carrying out fair constitutional reform that would take into account the interests of all political forces and regions" in Ukraine.
"Otherwise, the presidential elections in Ukraine scheduled for May 25 will be senseless," he added.
Responsible comments like Lavrov's fall on deaf ears. Reprehensible ones head things recklessly toward potential East/West confrontation.
Francis Boyle is right. Things are headed dangerously in the wrong direction. It bears repeating what previous articles stressed. The worst of all possible outcomes may follow.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Fascism’s Willing Co-Conspirators
Fascism's Willing Co-Conspirators
by Stephen Lendman
Western media scoundrels mock legitimacy. They march in lockstep with lawless US policy.
They misinform readers and viewers. They spurn truth and full disclosure. They proliferate Big Lies.
They violate core journalistic ethics doing so. They shame themselves in the process.
Ukraine is in the eye of the storm. Managed news misinformation persists daily. Irresponsible Russia bashing is featured.
Truth is twisted to fit US imperial policy. It's turned on its head. It's pure garbage. It doesn't matter. It's featured daily.
America's so-called newspaper of record matches the worst of irresponsible journalism. The New York Times fronts for monied interests, power and privilege.
Its reports, commentaries and editorials distort, misinform, suppress, and deny what readers most need to know. Bald-faced lies substitute.
Its Ukraine coverage is appalling. It reads like bad fiction. It makes ordinary propaganda look good by comparison.
Washington elevated illegitimate Kiev putschists to power. They represent fascism's reemergence in Europe writ large.
Obama bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions. He's escalating conflict. He wants hardline rule institutionalized.
He wants democratic resistance crushed. He blames Putin irresponsibly for his crimes.
Russia's leader forthrightly supports peaceful conflict resolution. Not according to Times editors. In March, they headlined "Russia's Aggression."
They outrageously accused Putin of "exploit(ing) the Ukrainian crisis to seize control of Crimea (as well as) any other power grab he may be hatching."
They ludicrously claimed "an immediate threat to Ukrainian Russians is empty." Crimean self-defense volunteers put down attempts by Kiev infiltrators to seize government buildings.
Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters face merciless military assaults. Right Sector thugs murder them.
Times editors repeatedly lie. They support Kiev fascists. They twist truth irresponsibly. They're consistent.
They're on the wrong side of history. They ignore facts. They bury them.
They make stuff up. They lie for power. They defend the indefensible. They endorse the unthinkable.
So do Times columnists. Thomas Friedman matches the worst. His commentaries reflect hack journalism.
They're deplorable. They're superficial. They're shallow. They're dumbed-down rubbish. They're polar opposite truth. They're featured on Times pages.
On May 6, he headlined "Go Big, Get Crazy." He maliciously bashed Putin. He lied claiming he "unleashed" "separatist forces" (in) eastern Ukraine and dial(s) them up or down as he pleases."
He misinformed readers about ordinary Ukrainian activists. They're not "separatists." They're freedom fighters.
They're Ukraine's best and bravest. They want local autonomy. They want fundamental democratic rights everyone deserves.
Friedman wants them eliminated. "Get Crazy," he urged Obama.
"With one initiative he could simultaneously make America stronger, Putin weaker, the planet healthier and our grandchildren safer," he said.
He "should throw caution to the wind and go big." He wants Russian energy targeted. He wants US resources replacing it.
"…Putin thinks he knows the Europeans better, since so many are beneficiaries of his oil and gas," said Friedman.
He called Kiev fascist putschists "reformers."
"The last thing Putin wants is a fairly elected reformist government," Friedman claimed.
He turned truth on its head saying so. He lied claiming Kiev's coup-appointed government is legitimate.
He ludicrously said upcoming presidential elections will be free, fair and open. They'll be farcical when held.
They're illegitimate. Results are pre-determined. Institutionalized fascist rule is planned.
Washington fully endorses it. So does Friedman. He ignored malicious US Russia bashing.
He lied claiming Putin "Goebbels-scale propaganda in eastern Ukraine…"
His columns mock legitimacy. They lie for power. They support fascist extremism. They cheat readers. They represent hack journalism.
Neocon Washington Post editors match him. Their Ukraine opinions barely stop short of urging direct US intervention.
They crave war. They deplore peace. They support Kiev fascists. They do so irresponsibly.
An earlier editorial headlined "President Obama's foreign policy is based on fantasy." They bashed Syria's Assad, China's Xi Jinping and Putin.
They want Obama confronting them more aggressively. If he "doesn't make the case for global engagement, no one else" will, they said.
They claimed "the tide of democracy in the world" is "retrenching." They ignored Washington's direct role in subverting it at home and abroad.
WaPo columnist David Ignatius has longstanding US intelligence ties. He's one of many WaPo neocon contributors.
He twists truths to fit US policy. He fronts for power. He supports the worst of US imperial rampaging. On May 6, he headlined "Obama tends to create his own foreign policy headaches," saying:
"(H)e acts as if he's talking to a rational world, as opposed to one inhabited by leaders such as Russia's Vladimir Putin."
"In the realm of power politics, US presidents get points not for being right but for being (or appearing) strong."
"Say less…do more, Ignatius urged. "Stay the course (with) sanctions, diplomatic pressure, NATO resolve."
"The counter to Putin is strong, sustainable US policy…Suck if up," Ignatius urged Obama.
Fact: It bears repeating. Ignatius fronts for power.
Fact: He's a neocon favorite.
Fact: Putin represents responsible geopolitical leadership.
Fact: Obama is a war criminal multiple times over.
Fact: He elevated illegitimate Kiev fascist putschists to power.
Fact: He supports the worst of their crimes.
Fact: He bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions.
Fact: He deplores democratic governance.
Fact: He tolerates none at home or abroad.
Fact: Don't expect scoundrel correspondents, columnists, contributors or editors to explain.
Wall Street Journal ones match the worst of others. Their editorials irresponsibly bash Russia.
They target Putin. They consider him public enemy number one. So do neocon WSJ contributors.
William Galston heads the Ezra Zilkha Brookings Institution Governance Studies Program. He's a former Bill Clinton advisor.
He participated in six presidential campaigns. He's a regular Wall Street Journal contributor. His views are hard right.
On May 6, he headlined "The Ukraine Speech Obama Should Give."
He claimed "recent events in Ukraine…threaten a sovereign nation. (T)hey pose a profound challenge to the entire post-Cold-War order."
Putin "yearns to undo what he regards as the heart of that tragedy - the separation of Russian speakers into multiple countries divided by national borders."
"He is not free to achieve that objective through subversion and force - the means he has employed in Ukraine and may well use elsewhere if he is not stopped now."
Ukraine can't "protect itself against aggression" on its own.
"Will we abandon a nation that wishes only to integrate into the world economy and live in peace with its neighbors, or will we offer meaningful help in its hour of need?"
"We all have a responsibility to act, and the United States must lead."
Galston urges "a common (US/EU) front" against Russia. He barely stopped short of recommending direct US intervention.
"Events in Ukraine are part of a larger pattern: Around the world, threats to order and peace are intensifying," he claimed.
He wants Washington acting more aggressively. Misinformation, distortion and Big Lies infested his commentary.
Fact: It bears repeating. Obama created Ukrainian crisis conditions.
Fact: He toppled Ukraine's democratically elected president.
Fact: He elevated fascist putschists to power.
Fact: They have no legitimacy whatever.
Fact: They're societal misfits.
Fact: They represent mob rule.
Fact: The only external threats Ukraine faces are ones they invent.
Fact: Putin represents the best of geopolitical leadership.
Fact: Obama is polar opposite.
Fact: He threatens world peace.
Fact: He menaces humanity.
Fact: He risks global war.
Fact: Don't expect scoundrel media contributors to explain.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev Plans False Flag Against Russia
Kiev Plans False Flag Against Russia
by Stephen Lendman
Intense Russia bashing persists daily. It's official US policy. Resolving Ukraine's crisis diplomatically is systematically prevented.
Media scoundrels march in lockstep with what demands condemnation. Stoking conflict is prioritized. Russia is irresponsibly blamed for US-orchestrated Kiev crimes.
Orders come from straight from Washington. Coup-appointed putschists salute and obey.
On May 6, Voice of Russia (VOR) headlined "Ukrainian forces prepare provocation against Russia in Donetsk."
False flags are a longstanding US tradition. They go way back. They used often. Previous articles discussed them.
Wars followed. The 9/11 attack was the mother of all false flags. It's the biggest of Big Lies of our time. It launched over a decade of imperial wars.
They rage out-of-control. They continue after US forces withdraw. They persist at home. They target Muslims, Latino immigrants, whistleblowers, dissidents, activists of all stripes and other Americans.
They target independent nations lawlessly. They eliminate outlier foreign leaders. They aim to remove all challengers to US global dominance.
They prioritize conflict and instability. They create enemies where none exist. According to VOR, a false flag provocation against Russia is planned.
"Russian military uniforms and fake IDs of Russian officers have been taken to the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk," said VOR.
A staged attack on Ukrainian border guards is planned. It's reminiscent of how WW II began.
Nazis impersonated alleged Polish terrorists. They attacked the Gleiwitz radio station in Upper Silesia, Germany.
It bordered both countries. It was pretext to attack Poland. WW II followed.
Is Obama risking No. III? Is he mad enough to try? Is he beholden to crazies that extreme?
A Ukrainian official said on condition of anonymity: "The task is to stage an attack on Ukrainian border guards by people dressed in Russian military uniforms and make a video of it."
"The SBU (Ukraine Security Service) has transferred about 20 personal bodyguards of Dnepropetrovsk Region governor (Igor) Kolomoisky from Kiev to Donetsk."
"(T)he group" will team with (neo-Nazi) Right Sector" hoodlums. It'll "accompan(y) a cargo of about 200 sets of Russian military uniforms and about 70 (blank]) IDs of Russian military officers."
At issue is crushing Eastern Ukrainian resistance. It's eliminating freedom fighters for justice. It's smashing all opposition.
It's solidifying hardline rule. It's blaming its crimes on Russia. It risks igniting a major East/West confrontation.
It risks potential global war. It risks what no responsible leader would dare.
Sergei Lavrov is a world class diplomat. He's a bigger-than-life figure. He forthrightly stands tall.
He shames is Western counterparts. He makes John Kerry look illegitimate by comparison.
He's gone all-out to resolve Ukrainian crisis conditions diplomatically. He wants conflict contained. He wants it ended. He wants it kept from spinning out-of control.
He's deeply worried. He sees fascism reemergent in Ukraine. It took millions of Soviet Russian lives decades earlier.
"For many years, Europe has been turning a blind eye to the fact how this ideology is acquiring new supporters, how former Waffen SS legionaries found as war criminals at the Nuremberg Trials stage marches," he said.
In Ukraine, they're "already not just marches with slogans glorifying Nazi criminals, but a 'live' manifestation of fascism."
"What happened in the city of Odessa on May 2 is a sheer act of fascism, and we will not permit to sweep the facts under carpet as the ruling coalition tries to do so, concealing the investigation from the public."
"We will seek for the truth, will seek for all evidence which was produced by eyewitnesses and which show that current Kiev authorities are hushing up consciously the scale of tragedy and will seek for all the truth to be investigated and made public."
"We will not permit…fascism (again) in Europe (nor) in Russia," Lavrov added.
He accused Western countries of "turning a blind eye to the true causes of" Odessa's massacre. They suppressed neo-Nazi Right Sector crimes.
They irresponsibly accused Russia. They blamed victims for their own deaths. Extremists behind Friday's massacre "didn't hide that they were celebrating the victory of Russians," he said.
"We have witnessed a frank display of fascism. None of the radical nationalists who committed this terrible crime has been arrested."
"The Kiev authorities have vaguely expressed condolences, declared a mourning and opened (a less than serious) investigation."
"(N)ot many people will be surprised if" it's (whitewashed the same way as) fatal sniper shooting(s) in the Ukrainian capital in February."
"(S)uch a fate was prepared for Crimea, but its multinational people with Russia's support defended their future."
Last Friday, Odessa clashes erupted. Neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs provoked them. Slaughtering 46 activists followed. Scores of others were injured.
Dozens remain missing. They're unaccounted for. They're either dead or in ruthless Right Sector hands. They'll likely never be seen again alive. Fascists operate this way.
Right Sector hoodlums and likeminded extremists are some of the worst. Washington uses them advantageously. It does so to crush all opposition. It's to solidify unchallenged control.
Russia's Foreign Ministry was clear and unequivocal. It called what happened "criminal irresponsibility of the Kiev leadership indulging insolent nationalist radicals, including Right Sector, who are staging a campaign of physical terror against supporters of federalization and real constitutional changes in Ukrainian society."
Lavrov said America and rogue EU partners ducked commenting on diktats straight from Washington and Brussels.
They ordered harsh crackdowns against Ukrainians wanting to live free.
"In the midst of February Maidan confrontations in Kiev, Nato Defense Ministers and Secretary General stated the inadmissibility of intervention of the armed forces of Ukraine in the political process, and insisted on the neutrality of the army," said Lavrov.
"Today Washington and Brussels affirm the bogus legitimacy of so-called "anti-terrorist operation(s)."
Neo-Nazis thugs terrorize their own people. They're praised for committing mass murder. Washington wholeheartedly endorses their ruthlessness.
"In the midst of February Maidan confrontations in Kiev, Nato Defense Ministers and Secretary General stated the inadmissibility of intervention of the armed forces of Ukraine in the political process, and insisted on the neutrality of the army," said Lavrov.
"We don't do regime change. We don't do color revolutions, let alone brown-hued ones like those in Ukraine," he added.
At the same time, Russia is "not walking away from contacts with our Ukrainian counterparts, and one result of such contacts was the Geneva Statement of April 17."
"Practical steps can be taken only by the Ukrainians themselves if they are not restrained from cooperating with each other. Alas, our Western partners are not ready to agree to the equitable participation of southeastern Ukraine in the national dialogue."
"We honestly speak about that, in particular, with our American and European colleagues. They claim this is not so."
If not, "then anything is possible and let us not tear Ukraine apart between the East and the West but pool efforts and help start the dialogue, which can coordinate practical steps towards the fulfillment of all agreements and statements."
Lavrov is resilient. He's extraordinarily patient. He matches the best of Job.
Despite daily irresponsible Russia bashing, he persists seeking responsible conflict resolution.
He want all sides represented in forthright dialogue. He urges compromise to settle things.
He wants four-party Geneva agreement terms observed. He urges more diplomatic discussions.
He wants all Ukrainians treated fairly and equitably. He wants each showing respect for others
He wants Kiev to stop using its military, National Guard and Right Sector thugs against its own people.
"(T)he first and obvious step is to cancel the order to use the army and the National Guard for suppressing (legitimate) protests," he said.
He calls presidential elections held under conflict conditions unrealistic. Resolving conflict conditions equitably come first.
Prioritizing geopolitical ambitions above responsible governance assures continued conflict. It means no end of fighting.
It keeps Ukraine on the boil. Perhaps doing so longterm. Maybe escalating things out-of-control.
A previous article profiled Lavrov. It called him a true peace champion. His efforts represent the best of responsible conflict resolution.
He persists tirelessly for peace. He deserves Nobel award recognition. He's polar opposite Kerry. Previous articles compared them.
Kerry represents the worst of America's dark side. He mocks legitimacy. He's an unindicted war criminal. He shames the office he holds.
Demagoguery punctuates his comments. It exceeds the worst of Cold War rhetoric. He's been caught red-handed lying numerous times.
He disdains rule of law principles. He supports war. He deplores peace. He's indifferent to human suffering. He's a monument to wrong over right.
He disgraces his country, position and humanity. He belongs in prison, not high office. On May 6, he met with EU foreign policy chief Katherine Ashton.
They're partners in crime. We "covered a lot of ground," he said. We "shared strategy." They discussed Ukraine.
He lied saying Russia "fail(ed) to live up to the very plain and simple, easy-to-interpret commitments that were made in Geneva."
"Ukraine's government, literally before the ink was dry, started to implement on that agreement. And they have held up their end of the bargain."
"Ukraine has shown remarkable restraint. Almost immediately coming out of that meeting in Geneva, they ordered a cessation of any kind of counterterrorism activity, any effort to remove people from buildings based on the notion that both sides were going to work to bring people out of those buildings."
"And the fact is that they have been committed in Kyiv to trying to move their country forward through nonviolence, through constitutional reform, through dialogue, and by reaching out to the disaffected parts of Ukraine."
Fact: Russia fully complies with agreed on Geneva terms.
Fact: Washington systematically violated them straightaway.
Fact: So did coup-appointed Kiev fascists.
Fact: They launched aggression against their own people the next day.
Fact: They're murdering them in cold blood.
Fact: They deployed neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs.
Fact: They ordered them to kill, torture and otherwise abuse Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters.
Fact: The Odessa massacre followed.
Fact: Expect much worse ahead.
Fact: Orders to commit mass murder come straight from Washington.
Fact: Kerry fools no one paying attention.
Fact: His game is coverup and denial.
Fact: It's pointing fingers the wrong way.
Fact: It's blaming Russia for US-ordered Kiev crimes.
We're "very concerned about efforts of pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk, in Luhansk to organize, frankly, a contrived, bogus independence referendum on May 11th," said Kerry.
It's "the Crimea playbook all over again and no civilized nation is going to recognize the results of such a bogus effort."
Fact: Eastern Ukrainian activists aren't separatists.
Fact: They're not militants.
Fact: They're freedom fighters.
Fact: They're ordinary people.
Fact: They're factory workers, miners, farmers, store clerks, and defenders of right over wrong.
Fact: They're acting entirely on their own volition.
Fact: They want their fundamental rights respected.
Fact: They want local autonomy.
Fact: They don't seek separation from Ukraine.
Fact: Their planned referendums are entirely legitimate.
Fact: They deserve worldwide support.
Fact: Expect all "civilized nation(s)" to recognize their results.
"(I)f Russian elements continue to sabotage the democratic process and prevent Ukraine from holding a free and fair election 19 days from now on the 25th, then we stand ready to implement additional sanctions," said Kerry.
"And the 'we' is Europe and the United States together."
Fact: So-called upcoming elections have no legitimacy whatever.
Fact: So-called "Russian elements" don't exist.
Fact: Washington and rogue EU partners disagree sharply on sanctions.
Fact: European nations have valued political and economic ties to Russia.
Fact: They won't let Washington jeopardize them.
Fact: They won't impose sanctions harming their own self-interest.
Fact: Washington is largely isolated on its own imposing harsh ones if planned.
"We are not going to sit idly by while Russian elements fan the flames of instability, instead of fulfilling the commitments that we made," said Kerry.
"(W)e came together in a real spirit of trying to de-escalate. And we weren't playing a game."
"Regrettably, (it) was not met with reciprocity."
"So the choice is really Russia's. The United States, the EU, and our allies have made our choice very, very clear:"
"We are going to stand together united not just in support of Ukraine, but united in support of de-escalating; united in support of a peaceful, diplomatic solution…"
Facts on the ground are polar opposite Kerry's scenario. Big Lies infested his comments.
He twisted truth to fit US policy. At issue is advancing America's imperium. It's controlling Ukraine.
It's incorporating it into NATO. It's targeting Russia. It's eliminating a major rival.
It's transforming it into a subservient vassal state. It's plundering its resources. It's exploiting its people.
It's violating fundamental international, constitutional and US statute laws doing so.
It's waging war on humanity for unchallenged global dominance. It's recklessly risking WW III.
Kerry is Obama's geopolitical front man. It bears repeating. He represents the worst of America's dark side.
He supports war. He deplores peace. He risks possible WW III. At stake is humanity's survival.
Policies he furthers risk what no responsible official would endorse. The worst of all possible outcomes may follow.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Fascism’s Dark Side
Fascism's Dark Side
by Stephen Lendman
An earlier article called Ukraine the epicenter of European fascist reemergence. Kiev putschists reflect it.
Last Friday's Odessa massacre shows how far they'll go. No-holds-barred barbarism explains it.
What happened exceeded the horrors of early reports. Neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs set Odessa's Trade Union House ablaze.
People were trapped inside. Dozens were massacred. Scores more were injured. Many remain missing. They're either dead or in neo-Nazi hands.
If alive, they face torture and other forms of abuse. They won't survive. They might as well be dead.
Early reports way underestimated what happened. It's multiples worse than reported.
On May 5, Live Journal (LJ) headlined "How the thugs killed Odessa inhabitants in the Trade Union House (TUH) - the details of bloody scenario."
Casualties way exceed early reports. Neo-Nazis trapped Odessans inside TUH. Unwitnessed massacre followed.
Setting the building ablaze was strategy. It was done to conceal mass murder. Ordinary Ukrainians were slaughtered in cold blood.
Nearby tents were set on fire. Doing so preceded what followed. "Federalism supporters had no Molotov cocktails prepared in advance," said LJ.
Where inside the building did fire erupt," it asked? Right Sector thugs awaited there before slaughtering people began.
Police stood by and did nothing. They conspired with fascist killers. So did Odessa firefighters. They "only appeared when massive entrance doors were burned through," said LJ.
"Only in a single room in the five-story building with ceilings over 3 meters high had fire visible from outside."
Who had access to TUH's roof? "Perhaps those who in advance got the keys to locked steel gratings protecting the roof doors,"said LJ.
They were armed and dangerous. They were well prepared in advance. Charred bodies were shown on upper floors untouched by fire.
How did they get there? Who's responsible? They were murdered in advance. Things were made to seem like fire consumed them.
"The same bodies from another viewpoint:
- Wooden battery panel, wooden railings on the stairs and chipboard sheet don't look burnt;
- Blue oval points to the barricade made of tables, chairs and cabinets. It hadn't even touched by fire, unlike the charred bodies lying nearby;
- From where has the barricade appeared? It was built by the Right Sector thugs in order to lock people trying to save themselves on the above floors."
Corpses were dragged from where they died. People perished inside from gunshot wounds, strangling and beatings. Some were thrown from windows. They didn't jump.
It bears repeating. Setting TUH ablaze sought to mask what happened.
Fire didn't kill activists inside. Neo-Nazi hoodlums did.
"Have you noticed that…some dead people had burnt heads and shoulders only?"
Clothes they wore showed no signs of fire. Someone doused their shoulders and heads with "flammable stuff."
Hands and wrists were burned to the bone. Photos showed "a strange 'whitewash' " on the floor.
It's "powder from extinguishers…" Right Sector thugs used it on people they killed. They did so to protect themselves from fire and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Hardwood floors show no signs of fire damage. Victims were killed by other means.
"Note: according to one of the main versions of what happened on May 2 in Odessa, the Right Sector thugs performed a false flag operation."
"They put St. George's Ribbons (symbols of anti-Maidan federalism supporters) and organized violent provocation against Maidan supporters (i.e. against their own allies), in order to later blame federalism supporters and make them look responsible for death of many people," said LJ.
A dead woman was unclothed below her waist. "Most likely she was raped, then doused with a flammable mixture and set aflame."
Photographic evidence is damning. So are independent videos. They show mass murder by means other than fire and/or carbon monoxide poisoning.
Some bodies had multiple gunshot wounds to the head. People were executed in cold blood at point blank range.
A pregnant woman was strangled with an electric wire. She cried for help in vain.
Numbers killed may be as many as 300, said LJ. "Most people, especially children and women, were hacked to death with axes and clubbed to death with wooden sticks in the (TUH) basement."
On May 7, RT International correspondent Alexey Yaroshevsky interviewed a survivor. Tatyana Ivananko said pro-autonomy activists tried hiding from Right Sector thugs. They barricaded themselves for protection.
"On our way up the stairs, we were taking plywood sheets inside so that we could block the doors and prevent them from getting into the building," she said.
They were inside before fire started. They wouldn't let anyone out. They set parts of the first and third floors ablaze. Other floors weren't affected.
Video evidence showed death by means other than fire. "Have a look at the video," said Tatyanya. An "armed man in a vest is carrying a gun."
Shooting began outside. People tried to escape. They were trapped inside TUH doing it. "(M)any were strangled" to death.
Others were shot at point blank range. Some were thrown from windows. It bears repeating. They didn't jump.
"17-year-old hooligans were finishing off people with bats," said Tatyanya.
Claiming they were foreign nationals didn't wash. They were Ukrainians. They were Odessan residents.
"They all loved their city deeply. We stood shoulder to shoulder from the very first day," Tatyanya stressed.
"A regional council deputy, Vyacheslav Markin, is also known to have been killed" inside.
Victims "were innocent civilians who wanted to live a normal life rather than just 'survive' - as is now the case in Ukraine."
"The guilty party is the current government, which clearly seeks to divide Ukraine."
Videos circulating online are damning. One includes a woman atop UTH. She's screaming for help.
Street-level thugs said she's "not a woman. She's a separatist. Beat the s..t out of her, so that she finally shuts up!"
"Yeah, women sit at home with their children, and this one's an animal!"
Acting prosecuting general Oleg Makhnitsky lied. He claimed it's too early to know who set the building ablaze. Clear evidence is incontrovertible.
Coverup and lies conceal it. Mass murder is ignored. Kiev putschists praise it. Expect similar atrocities repeating. Expect much worse ones ahead.
Perhaps Eastern Ukraine will replicated earlier Cambodian Killing Fields before things end. Coverup and denial will try concealing it. Future reports will discuss more. The worst is yet to come.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Impeach Obama! Do It Now!
Impeach Obama! Do It Now!by Stephen LendmanIt's essential. It's more urgent now than ever. Madness defines his agenda. He promised hope and change.He delivered permanent wars, domestic ruthlessness and betrayal.He's ideologically out-of-control. He pre...
America’s Hidden Hunger Crisis
America's Hidden Hunger Crisis
by Stephen Lendman
Imagine tens of millions hungry in the world's richest country. Imagine bipartisan complicity ignoring a growing crisis.
Imagine uncaring policymakers. Imagine them cutting vital programs able to help when sizable increases are needed.
Imagine serving monied interests at the expense of popular ones. Imagine enriching themselves in the process.
Outnumber Hunger (OH) is a nationwide campaign. It enlists people in the growing fight against hunger. It works cooperatively with Feeding America (FA). More on FA below.
Hunger is a major problem. For nearly 50 million Americans, it's a daily reality. Around 13 million families are affected. Most are hardworking ones.
They don't earn enough to live on. Census data show poverty conditions or borderline ones affect around half of US households.
Kids don't get enough to eat. Around 16 million are affected. Feeding America is the nation's "leading domestic hunger-relief charity."
Its mission is "feed(ing) America's hungry." Its nationwide food bank network does so. It can't keep up with demand. Increasingly it outstrips supply.
According to FA's media relations director Ross Fraser:
"Food insecurity is higher than at any time since the Great Depression." One in six Americans face hunger. So do one in five children.
Missing meals is common practice. Nutritious balanced diets for growing millions don't exist. Belly-fillers substitute.
Protracted Main Street Depression conditions persist. Things go from bad to worse. Food stamps provide a woefully inadequate $1.40 per person per meal.
Food banks supplement recipients when monthly benefits run out. Most often it's around 10 days or more before month's end.
America is the land of I don't care. Equity and justice aren't in its vocabulary. Official numbers understate reality. Growing millions suffer out of sight and mind.
America's wealth doesn't help. Congress is dismissive. Food stamps were cut when most needed. More cuts are planned.
Last December, 1.3 million Americans lost unemployment benefits. Another 73,000 more joined them weekly.
On April 7, Senate members extended emergency benefits for five months. It did so retroactively from December 28.
House Republicans blocked legislation. Millions of America's jobless face harder than ever hard times. House Democrats circulated a discharge petition.
If enough Republicans join them, an immediate vote is required. So far, a majority is lacking. House Republican leaders block extended unemployment compensation (EUC).
US resources go for war-making. Corporate handouts matter more. Vital needs increasingly go begging. Thirdworldizing America is official policy. Privileged interests alone benefit.
America's wealth disparity is deplorable. The top 1% owns over half the nation's wealth. The bottom 90% has a decreasing share. Social inequality is institutionalized. It's unprecedented or close to it.
It matches or exceeds 19th century harshness. Protracted Depression conditions affect growing millions.
Poverty, unemployment, homelessness and hunger approach record levels. Millions struggle to pay rent, service mortgages, cover medical bills, heat homes, and manage other daily expenses.
Growing numbers don't get enough to eat. Social justice is fast disappearing. Monied interests alone matter.
America was never beautiful. For sure it's not now. Sink or swim defines policy. Growing hunger perhaps stands out most of all.
On April 16, USA Today headlined "Hunger is a 'silent crisis' in the USA," saying:
"Tianna Gaines Turner can't remember the last time she went to bed without worrying about how she was going to feed her three children."
"She can't remember the last time she woke up and wasn't worried about how she and her husband would make enough in their part-time jobs to buy groceries and pay utilities on their apartment in a working-class section of Philadelphia."
"And she can't remember the last time she felt confident she and her husband wouldn't have to skip meals so their children could eat."
Similar stories repeat nationwide. Parents struggle to feed children. Low-pay/part-time jobs don't provide enough to live on.
Millions of unemployed have no steady income. Government benefits increasingly are slashed.
Nicki Maxwell and her husband are like millions of other parents. They struggle daily to feed children. They turn to food pantries for help. They have no other choice.
"I remember feeling really hopeless," said Nicki. "I was depressed. I didn't know what to do. I was drowning under the weight of it."
She wasn't always poor. Years earlier, her family was solidly middle class. She and her husband are college grads. They had good jobs. They paid well. No longer.
They exhausted their savings. In 2012, they were homeless for six months. They relied on family and friends for help. They skipped meals.
They earn far less now than earlier. Survival is a daily struggle. Their children are aged eight, 12 and 14.
Millions of other poor Americans struggle the same way. Intolerable numbers live in crisis. Nicki feels like they do. "When you face food insecurity, it's hard to feel secure again," she says.
Feeding America's latest report is based on federal 2012 data. Nearly 50 million people are food insecure.
They eat less, skip meals, or go hungry. They suffer out of sight and mind. Children most of all. Their growing bodies need nutritious food.
Main Street Depression conditions persist. Economist Craig Gunderson studies hunger. "(F)ood insecurity rates are high," he says. "(T)ens of millions of Americans are…struggling" to get by.
Center for Hunger-Free Communities director Mariana Chilton said food stamps and other social benefit cuts combined with rising costs force families to choose between enough food and paying other expenses.
"This is a massive public health crisis, and it is a silent" one, she stresses.
Children's HealthWatch (CH) is a network of doctors and public health researchers. Data on children up to age four is collected. Around 29% of households CH tracks face growing hunger. In 2013, it was 25%.
Feeding America lists 10 states with significantly higher food insecurity than the 14.7% 2000-2012 national average. They include:
Mississippi: 20.9%
Arkansas: 19.7%
Texas: 18.4%
Alabama: 17.9%
North Carolina: 17.0%
Georgia: 16.9%
Missouri: 16.7%
Nevada: 16.6%
Ohio: 16.1%
California: 15.6
Illinois is this writer's home state. According to No Kid Hungry, more than one in five state children (22.2) "face a constant struggle against hunger."
They endure what well-fed kids don't face. They're ill-nourished when they need healthy diets most. Empty bellies make concentrating harder. Classroom performance suffers.
Illness and headaches are more common. So is vulnerability to infections. Hospitalizations are more likely.
Conditions worsen annually. According to 2011 data, over 745,000 Illinois children "are at risk of hunger." They don't get enough food "to lead healthy active lives."
"More than 23 percent of (state) households with children struggled to afford enough food for themselves and their families in 2010."
Things now are worse than then. This writer lives in Chicago. The Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) explained city food security.
Around "1 in 6 individuals" are affected. They don't know "when or where their next meal will be."
People struggle throughout greater Chicago. Data show high concentrations in west and south Chicago communities. Cook County's south suburbs are affected.
In Chicago's West Garfield Park, Lawndale and Austin, one in three people face food insecurity. Auburn Gresham, West Englewood, South Shore and Roseland are severely impacted.
South Chicago Harvey, Robbins and Ford Heights face 34%, 39% and 48% food insecurity rates respectively.
GCFD executive director Kate Maehr said "(o)lder adults face painful choices between paying for food and paying for medicine, or paying for food and she paying rent."
Federal budget cuts caused "more hunger," she added. Over 860,000 Cook County residents aren't sure where their next meal is coming from, she said.
Around 37% are children. About 9% are under age five. Nearly half of affected households say they're forced to choose between food and utilities.
Another 44% either buy food, pay rent, or maintain monthly mortgage payments. Employed and unemployed households face similar conditions.
So do communities nationwide. America is a let 'em eat cake society. Things aren't improving. Harder times keep getting harder..
In Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," he explained how struggling Cratchit family members struggled to get by. Ebenezer Scrooge was responsible.
On Christmas eve, dinner consisted of "one small atom of a bone upon a dish (followed by) speckled cannon-ball" pudding with a sprig of holly.
"But nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family. It would have been flat heresy to do so," said Dickens.
Cratchits were like many others in 18th century England. They made do with meager amounts of what they had.
So do growing millions of Americans. The world's richest country doesn't care. Lump of coal harshness is policy.
Fundamental rights don't matter. Human need goes begging. Washington has other priorities.
Serving monied interests tops the list. So does waging war on humanity. Maybe destroying it to save it is planned.
Battlefields shift from one theater to another. Conflicts rage without end. America's war machine reflects madness. Death squad diplomacy eliminates non-believers.
Tyranny is a hair's breadth away. Where things end, who knows. Hungry millions worry most about empty bellies. Policymakers don't give a damn if they starve.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israeli Independence Produced Palestinian Suffering
Israeli Independence Produced Nakba Suffering
by Stephen Lendman
Yom Ha'atzmaut (Independence Day) commemorates Israel's May 1948 Declaration of Independence.
It's celebrated annually on 5th of Iyar. It's according to the Hebrew calendar. It's preceded by Yom Hazikaron. It remembers fallen Israeli soldiers. It's Israel's Memorial Day.
Palestinians have reason to mourn. Edward Said explained Palestine's "holocaust," saying:
"Every human calamity is different, but there is value in seeing analogies and perhaps hidden similarities."
He called Nazi extermination "the lowest point of (Jewish) collective existence."
Palestinians today "are as powerless as Jews were" under Hitler,, he explained. They're devastated by "power used for evil purposes."
Ilan Pappe discussed Palestine's ethnic cleansing. He explained war without mercy.
He did so in exhaustive detail. He obtained previously suppressed documents. He explained what everyone needs to know. More on what he said below.
"Israelis across the country flocked to public parks and hiking trails on Tuesday to celebrate Independence Day with barbaques and other leisure activities."
"Earlier Tuesday, (unindicted war criminal) President Shimon Peres kicked off the day with the annual sing-along at (his) President's Residence in Jerusalem."
Palestinians didn't join in. They're not singing-along. They've got no reason to celebrate. Awards Peres gave IDF recipients came at their expense.
Festivities began Monday night. Things did so with pomp, flair and bombast. They kicked off the official Independence Day ceremony.
They included a torch-lighting ceremony. For the first time, all torch-lighters were women.
Peres called on Israelis to "be proud, but never satisfied." He stopped short of explaining how much more Palestinian land he covets.
He stole plenty earlier as prime minister. He did through other ministerial posts.
"I remember (Israel's) first days and the dream we had," he said. "I have to admit that the dream was too small when I see the reality that was born out of it."
Other festivities included displaying Israeli military might. The IDF opened some of its bases to visitors. Menacing warplanes overflew.
Israeli recounting of events preceding and following its independence twists truth. It reinvents history doing so.
Its war was well-planned. Palestinians never had a chance. In early March 1948, future Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion met with leading Zionists and military officers.
They finalized war plans. It was called Plan D (Dalet in Hebrew). It followed Plans A, B and C.
It bears repeating. It was war without mercy. It reflected Ben-Gurion's earlier plan. "I am for compulsory transfer," he said.
"I do not see anything immoral about it," he claimed. Hundreds of thousands of displaced or murdered Palestinians were considered a small price to pay.
Things unfolded as planned. Independence took six months to achieve.
Arab armies were no match for Israeli strength. False narratives claimed otherwise. Invaders were outmanned and outgunned.
According to Pappe, systematic terror followed. About 800,000 Palestinians were expelled. Doing so reflected genocidal ethnic cleansing.
Hundreds of Arab villages were depopulated. So were 11 urban cities. They included large parts of Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv and Haifa.
Many thousands of innocent victims were massacred. Mass rapes and other atrocities were committed.
Palestinian homes, property and belongings were bulldozed, demolished, and/or burned.
Palestinians wanting to return couldn't. They were systematically prevented from doing so.
Horrific Israeli crimes were committed. They matched what convicted Nazis were hanged for at Nuremberg.
They included cold-blooded mass murder. Survivors remember Deir Yassin. Other Palestinian villages were targeted the same way. Wholesale slaughter followed. So did mass displacement.
On April 9, 1948, things began. Israeli soldiers entered Deir Yassin. They did so violently. They machine-gunned houses randomly. Many inside were slaughtered.
Remaining villagers were assembled. They were murdered in cold blood. Children and infants weren't spared. They were treated like adults.
Elderly and infirm victims got no mercy. Women were raped before being killed. Estimates place the death toll at around 120.
An eyewitness said:
"I was (there) when the Jews attacked. (They) closed on the village amid exchanges of fire with us."
"Once they entered the village, fighting became very heavy in the eastern side and later it spread to other parts, to the quarry, to the village center until it reached the western edge."
"The Jews used all sorts of automatic weapons, tanks, missiles, cannons. They enter(ed) houses and kill(ed) women and children indiscriminately. The (village) youths...fought bravely."
Ensuing fighting killed dozens more. Many other villages were attacked the same way. Ethnic cleansing involved mass slaughter and displacement.
It's longstanding Israeli practice. Official policy aims for maximum land with minimum Arabs. "Every attack has to end with occupation, destruction and expulsion," said Ben-Gurion.
He meant displace, depopulate, slaughter. Do it without mercy. Erase Palestinian culture and history.
Replace it with Jewish tradition. Twist truth doing it. Justify genocidal slaughter any way it takes. Current Israeli policy hasn't changed.
Slow-motion genocide replaced decades earlier flank speed. It continues unabated. Forty-seven years of occupation reflect institutionalized persecution.
State terror defines official Israel policy. Palestinians have no power over their daily lives. They're terrorized. They live in fear for good reason. They face:
- economic strangulation;
- collective punishment for being Muslims, not Jews;
- loss of basic freedoms;
- Gaza under siege;
- enclosures by separation walls, electric fences and border closings;
- regular curfews, roadblocks, and checkpoints;
- bulldozed homes, crops and orchards; as well as
- arrest, imprisonment, and torture without cause.
They endure assaults, extra-judicial assassinations and punitive taxation.
They're denied basic services. They're essential to life and well-being. They include healthcare, education, and living-wage employment.
It's enough nourishing food and water. International tribunals don't help. Occupation harshness persists.
Zionism's roots began things. It became international in scope. Its founder Theodor Herzl said:
"We must expropriate gently the private property on the state assigned to us."
"We shall try to spirit the penniless population across the border…(We must do it by) denying it employment in our country."
The Al-Nakba Awareness Project (ANAP) involves volunteers with limited resources. They partner with likeminded local, regional and national organizations.
They're committed for truth and justice. They support universally recognized human and civil rights. They want rule of law principles enforced.
They want Palestinians recognized as victims. They want longtime denied justice reversed. Without it, regional peace is impossible.
Separate isn't equal. Years ago, two states were possible. No longer, they believe. Israel controls over 60% of West Bank land. More is added daily.
It vows to seize all of Jerusalem. It wants it as Israel's exclusive capital. One state for all its people equitablely is the only just solution.
Separating people by religion and/or ethnicity unfairly reflects institutionalized apartheid.
A so-called "Jewish and democratic state" is Orwellian. It's oxymoronic. It faux democracy. It's solely for Jews.
ANAP endorses "an integrated, egalitarian state with freedom and equal rights for all its citizens."
Arabs must be treated no less fairly than Jews. Zionism is enemy to Jews and non-Jews alike.
It's ideologically over-the-top. It surpasses the worst of South Africa's deplorable past. It's white, Jewish supremacist.
It's incompatible with fairness. It denies justice. It's heading Israel for self-destruction.
Systems short of viability can't survive. "A house divided against itself can't stand," said Lincoln. Forty-seven years is a historical blink-of-the-eye heartbeat.
Israel must repudiate Zionism, ANAP believes. It must "transform itself into a normal, multi-ethnic, constitutional democracy…" It must treat all its people equitably and fairly.
It must move beyond daily struggles. It must renounce war and other forms of violence.
It must embrace peace, equity and justice. It must govern without prejudice to survive.
Israel falls short and then some. It has a choice. Change or eventually perish. There's no in between.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Fascist Aggression in Ukraine
Fascist Aggression in Ukraineby Stephen LendmanIt rages. It shows no signs of abating. Obama neocons direct it. Orders come straight from Washington. US-installed fascist stooges represent Obama's imperial agenda. They're waging war on freedom. Th...
Obama’s War on Ukrainian Freedom
Obama's War on Ukrainian Freedom
by Stephen Lendman
Ukraine is a major global flashpoint. It's the gravest one since WW II. Washington bears full responsibility. Rogue EU partners share it.
Fascist putschist stooges do their bidding. Puppet government was installed. Aggression, repression and cold-blooded murder reflect official policy.
Police states operate this way. Accountability is absent. Coverup and crimes against humanity substitute.
Events so far are the tip of the iceberg. The worst is yet to come. Ukraine's Interior Ministry dispatched additional special forces to Odessa.
In late April, a National Guard Kiev-1 special unit arrived. It's separate from Ukraine's military.
It's part of a planned 60,000-strong armed branch. Its mandate is enforcing police state power.
It's supplemented by neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs. They're authorized to brutalize, terrorize and murder.
Official Kiev policy is anything goes. Rule of law principles don't matter. They're systematically trashed.
Anti-fascist activists are targeted. Odessa's massacre suggests far worse to come. Expect orchestrated events like last Friday to repeat.
Clear video evidence showed what happened. It followed a Chernomorets Odessa/Metalist Kharkov football match.
About 1,500 pro-Kiev supporters, football ultras and Right Sector thugs marched provocatively. They did so for Ukrainian unity. They got local authorization.
They chanted "Glory to Ukraine! Death to enemies! Knife the Moskals (a derogatory Ukrainian term for Russians)!"
Right Sector thugs wore neo-Nazi insignia. They had chains, bats and shields. They planned trouble.
They confronted hundreds of anti-Kiev activists. They did so with police support. Violence followed. Shots were heard.
Dozens of anti-Kiev activists sought shelter inside Odessa's Trade Unions House. They barricaded themselves inside for safety.
It didn't help. Right Sector thugs set the building ablaze. They blocked ways to escape. Police did nothing to stop them. They brutally beat activists able to get out.
Forty-six perished. Most succumbed to fire and/or carbon monoxide poisoning. Others jumped to their death from windows.
Video footage showed dead bodies, thick smoke, and bloodstained floors. Most bodies had St. George ribbons attached to their clothes. They signify anti-Kiev activism. They represent right over wrong.
Friday's massacre reflects fascism's dark side. Obama wholeheartedly endorses it. One fascist regime supports another it installed. Washington orchestrates Kiev policy.
Coverup suppresses hard truths. Facts are twisted to fit policy. Irrefutable evidence is systematically buried.
Right Sector crimes were ignored. Mass slaughter didn't matter.
Victims were charged with "mass disorders" as well as "threats and violence against law enforcers."
Coup-appointed prime minister Arseny Yatsenyuk accused Russia of engineering Friday's violence.
Yatsenyuk was directly involved. He and other putschists directed Right Sector thugs to commit violence. Blaming it on Russia doesn't wash.
He dismissed Moscow claims of his government's involvement. He lied pointing fingers the wrong way.
A Russian White Book contains documented evidence of unconscionable Kiev human rights violations. It covers them from late November through March.
According to Moscow's press service:
It's "based on reports in the Russian and Western media as well as statements by representatives of the current Kiev authorities and their supporters, eyewitness testimon(ies), observations and on-site interviews collected by Russian nongovernmental organizations."
Evidence indicts illegitimate putschists. It includes suppressing press freedom. Kiev fascists banned Russian TV channels.
They shut down independent Ukrainian ones. They want their message alone getting out. They harass, beat, and terrorize independent journalists.
They brutalize anti-fascist activists. They're waging aggression against Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters.
Clashes continue. Government troops attacked a self-defense forces Slavyansk checkpoint. At least 11 injuries followed.
RT International's Paula Slier twittered:
"#Slavanyansk: Activists report they've damaged armored vehicles from the #Ukrainian forces in one of the #checkpoints protecting the city."
"Am at TV station #Slavyansk -- see two helicopters -- can't get closer as the army is currently held by Kiev troops."
City bells tolled an alert. Residents were warned. Self-defense forces retreated into Slavyansk after clashing with government troops in Andreevka and Semyonoka villages.
Kiev Security Service spokesperson Marina Ostapenko said ongoing operations aim "to establish a security perimeter around the regions engulfed by violence."
At least one civilian death was reported. Hostilities show no signs of ending. It bears repeating. The worst is yet to come.
Republicans plan legislation authorizing $100 million in Ukrainian military aid. They claim it's to resist Russian "aggression."
They want Crimea again part of Ukraine. John McCain (R. AZ) ludicrously told Crimeans: "We will not abandon you."
Crimeans deplore US meddling. So do growing thousands of Ukrainians. America is public enemy number one. Obama represents the worst of its dark side. No pun intended.
Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are on the right side of history. They oppose US-installed junta illegitimacy.
They want democratic governance replacing it. They want fundamental human and civil rights respected.
They want fascist putschists held accountable. So does Moscow.
Its Civic Chamber is an advisory body. It analyzes draft legislation. It monitors parliament and other government bodies.
Russian citizens involved in special state services comprise it. They include academics, political scientists, economists, arts and culture figures, journalists, and lawyers, as well as business, religious and medical figures.
On May 5, Itar Tass headlined "Ukraine's authorities to be called to account at European Court for Odessa tragedy," saying:
"The Civic Chamber of Russia's most eminent in public life wants a role alongside experts from European states in an independent commission investigating Ukraine's Odessa fire tragedy, a chamber announcement said on Monday."
An announcement said:
"We will invite leading Russian and foreign lawyers to file a suit at the European Court of Human Rights."
"Those behind the terrible events in Odessa and other cities of the country must be brought to account."
Guilty parties must be punished. They include officials authorizing aggression and other forms of violence.
It's not accidental. It's well planned. It's orchestrated in Washington. Accountability is vital.
"To make our activity more efficient, we are considering establishing a special fund of support for Ukrainian citizens and organizing a broad Eurasian public anti-fascist front," the announcement added.
Russia Federation Civic Chamber members plan petitioning the European Court on Human Rights (ECHR). They want Odessa killers brought to justice.
According to Civic Council member Georgy Fyodorov:
"We are gathering information and preparing to file a suit against Ukraine with the Human Rights Council to the ECHR."
He wants blame laid where it belongs. He wants Kiev's putschists held accountable.
He wants their attempts to blame others exposed. "They need to lay the blame at somebody else's door and tell the Europeans that mythical provocateurs from Russia are guilty of everything," he said.
The petition text reads as follows:
"As of now, the rights of a large proportion of citizens in the State of Ukraine are not upheld by anyone inside that state!"
"People are kidnapped and taken away to an unknown destination without any charges brought against them."
"They are robbed and killed with impunity. Agencies that are responsible for the maintenance of law and order keep inactive."
"The self-styled government is stirring up and contributes to fomenting interethnic hatred and genocide against part of its own people!"
Russia's Civic Chamber plans addressing the UN and Council of Europe. They want Kiev's sham May 25 election delayed.
It mocks legitimacy. Holding it while Eastern Ukrainian conflict and instability continue compounds it.
According to Civic Chamber First Deputy Secretary Vladislav Grib:
"I and my colleagues are convinced that any elections in conditions when the country is embraced by bloody clashes and official state authorities cannot guarantee security to people are destined to falsification and will actually provoke only further escalation of current conflict."
"We will ask for support of our address by all foreign partners, including the member states of the International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions."
"After horrible crimes of this 'Kiev regime,' any tolerance or carefulness in their assessments is hardly suitable."
"Obviously this is a junta carrying out its punitive fascist operations…We will address separately to leading Russian media outlets asking to avoid excessive softness and vague wordings in these issues."
"People in our country as well as in any other country have a right to be aware of the scale of current threats."
Russia's Civic Chamber proposed an initiative. It wants a special open public list of Western politicians supporting aggression and other forms of violence against Eastern Ukrainian civilians.
Waging war on them reflects high crimes too grave to ignore. Accountability is long overdue.
Delay assures continued violence and slaughter. It threatens all Ukrainians. It risks spilling cross-border.
It bears repeating what previous articles stressed. WW III potentially looms.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Proposed Basic Law Declares Israel a Jewish State
Proposed Basic Law Declares Israel a Jewish State
by Stephen Lendman
Israel is the only nation without fixed borders. It wants them expanded. It wants territory not its own stolen.
It has no constitution. Basic Laws substitute. Netanyahu is a world class thug. He shames the office he holds.
He heads the most ruthless regional regime. It's one of the world's worst. It threatens its neighbors. It mocks democratic governance. Days earlier Netanyahu said:
"It is my intention to submit a Basic Law to the Knesset that would provide a constitutional anchor for Israel's status as the national state of the Jewish people."
He called doing so the most "basic ingredient in our national lives…"
Officially establishing it "will win legal status just as other central ingredients that constitute our fundamental core that have already been ruled into the Basic Law of Knesset," he said.
"Unfortunately, as we have seen recently, there are those who do not recognize this natural right and who seek to appeal the historical, legal and moral justification for the existence of the state of Israel as the nation-state of our people."
"I see it as one of my basic missions as prime minister to fortify the state of Israel as the nation-state of our people."
Doing so highlights peace process illegitimately. It drives another nail in its coffin. It's been fantasy since begun decades earlier. It's worse than ever under Netanyahu.
Israeli Arab citizens face institutionalized persecution. Occupied Palestinians fare much worse. They're treated as subhumans.
They vilified for not being Jewish. They're denied fundamental rights. They're confined to largely isolated communities.
Their homes are bulldozed and destroyed. Their land is systematically stolen. They're dispossessed. They're hugely repressed.
They face deplorable socioeconomic discrimination. So do Israeli Arabs. They're considered a fifth column threat. They're called a demographic one.
Netanyahu wants them further marginalized. He wants more ruthless discrimination imposed. He wants democratic values more than ever eliminated.
He lied saying non-Jewish minority rights will be respected. They're not now. They'll be less so.
Netanyahu turned truth on its head, saying:
"It is hard for me to understand that among those calling on Israel to make concessions in Judea and Samaria due to their understandable desire to avoid a bi-national state are those who oppose defining Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people."
"It is impossible to speak out in favor of a Palestinian nation-state just to preserve the Jewish character of the State of Israel, and at the same time, to oppose recognizing that the State of Israel is the nation-state of Jewish people."
"Supporting the creation of a Palestinian nation-state and opposing the recognition of a Jewish nation-state undermines in the long run the principle of the State of Israel's right to exist."
Israel's "Declaration of Independence sets, as the cornerstone in the life of the state, the national Jewish identity of the State of Israel."
"To my great regret, as we have seen recently, there are those who do not recognize this natural right."
"They seek to undermine the historic, moral and legal justification for the existence of the State of Israel as the national state of our people."
"(T)he most basic component in our life as a nation will receive constitutional status similar to the other main components that are the foundation of our state, as determined in the basic laws."
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett is a hard-right extremist coalition partner. He heads Israel's Habayit Hayehudi party. He supports what demands denunciation, saying:
"The nationality law is important for defining Israel as a Jewish state for the coming generations, and on this essential matter there must not be a (division between) left and right…"
"This law is part of the coalition agreement with Habayit Hayehudi, just like the referendum law that passed in the last Knesset session, and we consider its advancement an important goal."
Labor party head Isaac Herzog denounced Netanyahu's proposal.
"With all its being, the Labor Party supports Israel as a Jewish and democratic state," he said.
"Labor built the state and its leaders formulated the Declaration of Independence, the foundational document that anchors Israel as a Jewish state."
"Unfortunately, the diplomatic destruction Netanyahu is causing will lead Israel to lose its Jewish majority and become a binational state. This unfortunate fact is something no law can hide."
Meretz leader Gal-On added:
"The State of Israel also has non-Jewish citizens living in it, so it must define itself as the state of the Jewish people and of all its citizens. Whoever supports the two-state solution supports Palestinian sovereignty and asks the Palestinians to recognize Israeli sovereignty but not the character of the state."
Arab Knesset member Mohammed Barakeh heads Hadash. "Netanyahu is completing the series of racist laws that have been emerging in recent years and is leading Israel to become the first racial state of the 21st century," he said.
"The intent of his legislation is to realize John Kerry's description of Israel as an apartheid state."
"Passage of this law will revive the international debate over the issue of Zionism as racism."
"Arab citizens are not passersby in this country and they are not Netanyahu's guests."
"Our fight for equality and democracy alongside all believers in democracy will continue with or without Netanyahu's deluded and dangerous law."
"He's gone too far" this time. It doesn't surprise. He deplores equal rights. He vilifies Palestinians. He does so for not being Jewish. He terrorized them for years. He wants harsher treatment instituted.
Likud's MK Yariv Levin and Habayit Hayehudi's Ayelet Shaket recently introduced legislation similar to Netanyahu's.
It called the "land of Israel" Jews historic homeland. It afforded them exclusive self-determination rights. It ludicrously highlighted Israel's democratic status.
Enacting Netanyahu's "Jewish state law" aims at getting Israel's High Court endorsement. Doing so will change Israel's current self-styled definition. It's currently called "a Jewish and democratic state."
Israel's 1948 Declaration of Independence declared its Jewish status. A 1985 Basic Law amendment officially added "democratic."
Fact: You can't have both. They're opposites. They're contradictory. Democracy guarantees equal rights for all citizens.
It does so regardless of race, color, creed, gender, language, religion, political views, national or social origin, as well as other common characteristics.
Days earlier, John Kerry said Israel risks becoming an apartheid state. He ignored decades of apartheid policies. They exceed South Africa's worst dark days.
His "unitary state" characterization suggests business as usual. It refers to top down control.
It denies Palestinians self-determination. It exposes US/Israeli peace process hypocrisy.
Total Israeli control exists. Palestinians have no say whatever. Sovereign independence is denied. So are fundamental rights. Kerry admitted Israel's chokehold.
Apartheid remains official Israeli policy. Peace process duplicity rubber-stamps it.
Enacting legislation affording Israel exclusive Jewish state status assures institutes it. Supreme Court justices have final say. Approval will write it in stone. It remains to be seen what happens.
Hatnuah party head Tzipi Livni and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid said they oppose Netanyahu's proposal in its current form. Passage is uncertain.
Hard right Senator Rand Paul (R. KY) said he'll introduced legislation. It proposes cutting all US Palestinian funding unless the PA recognizes Israel as a Jewish state.
He did so in response to Fatah/Hamas unity pronouncements.
"In the absence of such a clear, unambiguous statement on the part of the newly unified Palestinian government, the United States should act to enforce the law and cut off aid to the Palestinian government until they recognize Israel's right to exist," he said.
Earlier he urged cutting US Israeli funding. He opposes foreign aid. He prioritizes national defense. He does so when America's only enemies are ones it invents.
He's a 2016 presidential aspirant. His politics run counter to mainstream America. Washington is infested with likeminded extremists. World peace hangs in the balance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukraine at War
Ukraine at Warby Stephen LendmanUkraine is engulfed in conflict. It may be only a matter of time until it spreads nationwide. It's Obama's war. It's low-intensity. It threatens to escalate. Mass slaughter may follow. At risk is spreading it c...
Scandalous Scoundrel Media Big Lies
Scandalous Scoundrel Media Big Liesby Stephen LendmanThey proliferate daily. Shameless propaganda substitutes for hard truths. it mocks legitimate journalism. It fronts for power. It does so reprehensibly. It betrays readers and viewers in the pro...
West Buries Truth on Ukraine
West Buries Truth on Ukraineby Stephen LendmanOn May 4, Itar Tass headlined "West actually imposes information blockade on Ukraine tragic events - Russia ForMin."Russia's Foreign Ministry was clear and unequivocal saying:"While Ukrainian punitive squad...
Putin Blames West for Ukraine Conflict
Putin Blames West for Ukraine Conflict
by Stephen Lendman
Washington bears full responsibility. Rogue EU partners share it. So do Kiev fascist putschists.
They're convenient US stooges. They mock legitimacy. State terrorism is official policy.
Washington fully supports it. Putin forthrightly condemns it. He represents responsible geopolitical leadership. He's polar opposite Obama.
His spokesman Dmitry Peskov released an official statement. It addressed Odessa's massacre, saying:
"The authorities in Kiev not only bear direct responsibility, but are complicit in these criminal activities. Their arms are up to the elbows in blood."
Odessa reflects "the connivance of those who consider themselves the authority in Kiev."
"They allowed extremists and radicals to burn unarmed people alive. I stress that these people were unarmed."
Washington and rogue EU partners represent "the highest manifestation of cynicism."
"The people who justify this punitive operation are the same ones that did not allow the legitimate President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich, to bring order to the country."
"In spite of consistent attempts to encourage dialogue, Russia has hit against provocation not only from Kiev, but also its Western sponsors."
Kiev putschists prevent any possibility for resolving things diplomatically, he added.
Obama outrageously called unrestrained violence "a move to restore order."
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton was no better. "(T)he state's monopoly on the legitimate use of violence needs to be respected," she said.
Peskov called her comment "monstrous," adding: "Our colleagues in the West are basically trying to justify the large numbers of murders we are seeing."
Moscow got thousands of Eastern Ukrainian calls for help, he said. "Desperate people call. They ask for help."
"The vast majority want Russia's help. All these calls are reported to President Vladimir Putin."
Kramatorsk shares the eye of the storm. Ukrainian military forces attacked city residents. Right Sector thugs joined them.
Street fighting rages. Overnight Friday, at least 10 activists were killed. Dozens more were wounded.
Journalist Graham Phillips said all roads "in and out of Kramatorsk (are) blocked off."
RT International's Paula Slier said one resident told her "he heard (about) Right Sector (thugs) putting people on their knees and shooting them in (the) back of the head…"
She believes neo-Nazi thug Dmytro Yarosh is in Kramatorsk directing cold-blooded murder.
Two city checkpoints were destroyed. A TV tower was seized. Regime snipers atop buildings fire on city residents.
Street fighting rages. Civilians are being murdered in cold blood. Coup-appointed Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said the operation's "active phase" would continue on Saturday.
"We are not going to stop," he added. A Donbas self-defense forces statement said:
"The security operation in Kramatorsk has resumed, snipers controlled by the Kiev government have occupied multi-story buildings and are firing from there."
"In addition, there is fighting on the town streets, involving the use of various weapons."
Casualties "are mainly civilians, who happened to be near the scene of fighting."
Donetsk regional cities are under attack. Activist Nikolai Solntsev said:
"(F)ull mobilization (was) declared. Our security services are ready for full-scale military actions."
"We will mobilize our people today in the united people's struggle resistance movement…" It's an ongoing struggle for freedom, he added.
Yasnogorka was attacked. It's adjacent to Kramatorsk. An eye-witness said hostilities began late Friday.
Lights were turned off. "Shots (were) heard across the city. Signal rockets (lit) up the sky…Peoples (said) the Ukrainian army is shooting at everything that moves right now."
Deaths and injuries were reported. Slavyansk hostilities continued. Self-defense forces headquarters was attacked.
Snipers target city residents indiscriminately. Odessa remains under attack. Lawless aggression defines official putschist policy.
Unarmed civilians are fair game. They're being killed and injured in cold blood. Fighting shows no signs of abating.
Continuing it reveals fascism's ugly face. Deaths and injuries mount. No end of conflict looms. Expect lots more deaths, injuries and suffering ahead.
Media scoundrels turned truth on its head. They ignored Kiev's responsibility for dozens of deaths and injuries.
The New York Times reported Odessa's massacre irresponsibly, saying:
"Violence also erupted Friday in the previously calmer port city of Odessa, on the Black Sea, where dozens of people died in a fire related to clashes that broke out between protesters holding a march for Ukrainian unity and pro-Russian activists."
"Ukrainian and Russian news media showed images of buildings and debris burning, fire bombs being assembled and men armed with pistols."
No mention of Right Sector thugs setting Odessa's Trade Union House ablaze.
Nothing about their blocking ways out. Nothing about their brutally beating dozens managing to escape. Nothing about around two dozen hospitalized in serious condition.
Nothing about Kiev putschists responsibility. Nothing about Washington ordering them to unleash violence against Eastern Ukrainian activists.
The Washington Post was no better. It turned truth on its head, saying:
On Friday, "Ukraine suffered its bloodiest day in nearly three months…when the army launched its first major assault on a rebel stronghold and 34 killed in clashes between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian mobs in the Black Sea port city of Odessa."
"A pro-Ukrainian rally attended by thousands of soccer fans before a game Friday night was attacked by pro-Russian separatists."
Fact: Ukraine's military and Right Sector fascist thugs bear full responsibility for what's happening.
Fact: So-called Russian mobs are ordinary civilians.
Fact: They're activists fighting for freedom.
Fact: They've been indiscriminately attacked.
Fact: Hooligans and Right Sector thugs attacked freedom fighting self-defense forces.
Fact: They're Ukrainians.
Fact: They're civilians.
Fact: They want Ukraine federalized.
Fact: They want local autonomy.
Fact: They want fundamental rights everyone deserves.
Don't expect the Washington Post to explain.
Wall Street Journal editors headlined "Ukraine Needs US Military aid," saying:
"The battle for Ukraine is entering a dangerous new phase, as the Kiev government is finally making an attempt to regain control over its eastern cities from local thugs and Russian special forces."
"Is it too much to ask the US to offer the military means to help Ukraine keeps its own territory?"
Washington bears full responsibility for Ukraine's violence. Journal editors irresponsibly blamed Putin.
He wants to "disrupt his neighbor," they said. He's doing it as May 25 elections approached, they added.
They'll be farcical when held. They'll have no legitimacy whatever.
"The Russian strongman wants to block the vote, or disrupt it enough so he can call it illegitimate," said Journal editors.
"His Russian-sponsored fighters moved this week from smaller towns in eastern Ukraine…"
Fact: Kiev-deployed Right Sector thugs attacked unarmed civilians indiscriminately.
Fact: They murdered dozens in cold blood.
Fact: Ukraine's military committed lawless aggression.
Fact: It continues unabated.
Fact: Unarmed civilians are shot.
Fact: They're murdered in cold blood.
Journal editors want US Washington-supplied military aid. They support lawless aggression. They consider civilians fair game.
They ignored Odessa's massacre. They turned a blind eye to Right Sector thugs shooting unarmed civilians in the back of the head.
They're mindless of fascism's dark side. They expressed full support.
The Chicago Tribune misreported on Odessa's massacre, saying:
Its "riot…ended in a deadly blaze in a trade union building…"
No mention of fascist Right Sector responsibility. Nothing about brutally beating unarmed civilians. Nothing about murdering them in cold blood.
Western countries blamed Russia "for stoking separatism and fear," The Tribune said.
"Moscow could be planning to repeat its 'annexation' of Crimea in other parts of Ukraine," it added.
It turned truth on its head saying so. Tribune readers have no idea what's going on.
Nor do US TV viewers. Their Ukrainian coverage blames victims for Kiev crimes.
Spin suppresses truth. Cold-blooded murder is called self-defense. Civilians are called "terrorists."
Military aggression is called defending Ukraine responsibly. Big Lies substitute for reality. CNN misreported. It's "unclear how (the Odessa) fire began," it claimed.
Fox News blamed Russian special forces. Thousands of Eastern Ukrainians asked Putin for help. According to Fox News, they asked Kiev for protection against Russia.
Other cable channels and broadcasters reported similar Big Lies. They pointed fingers the wrong way.
They've done so throughout months of conflict. They support right over wrong.
Western print and electronic media march in lockstep with imperial lawlessness. They support Kiev putschists.
They're propagandists. They masquerade as journalists. They turn truth on its head. They systematically lie to readers and views.
They endorse what demands condemnation. They do it 24/7 round-the clock.
The battle for Ukraine's soul continues. No end of conflict looms. Expect worse than ever ahead.
Bloodbath in a dozen or more cities could follow. Don't expect media scoundrels to explain accurately.
Expect Big Lies to repeat ad nauseam. Expect truth to be systematically buried.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Massacre in Odessa
Massacre in Odessa
by Stephen Lendman
Ukraine is the epicenter of European fascist reemergence. Friday's Odessa massacre revealed its ugly face writ large.
Unrestrained brutality explains it. More of the same is likely. Perhaps much worse ahead. Maybe Friday's incident was prelude for more planned slaughter.
On May 2, Itar Tass reported what happened in Odessa, saying:
"As many as 38 people died in a fire lit by Ukraine's Right Sector and self-defence radicals at the building of trade union council in the Black Sea city of Odessa on Friday, a spokesman for the Ukrainian interior ministry said."
"According to the ministry, thirty people died of carbon oxide intoxication, eight died having jumped out of windows. As many as 50 people sought medical assistance, including ten policemen."
On May 3, Itar Tass reported Ukraine's Interior Ministry saying:
"As a result of clashes and fire in the Trade Unions House in Odessa's Kulikovo Pole square, 42 people have died and 125 have been injured and taken to hospital. There are 21 policemen among the injured."
Itar Tass said survivors "were cruelly beaten by Kiev radicals with batons."
An Odessa region police report said:
"Thirty-seven people were killed and some 200 injured, including 22 policemen." Over 130 suspected perpetrators were detained. Ten criminal cases were initiated."
Neo-Nazi Right Sector were responsible. Kiev putschists helicoptered them in. They came with orders to attack self-defense force activists violently. They took full advantage.
Odessa regional council member/mayoral candidate Alexei Albu was attacked. He explained what happened, saying:
"When we came out of the burning building, a crowd of nationalists attacked us. I can say that about a hundred people were hurt."
"People jumped out of windows. Everything was in smoke. People lying on the ground were kicked with feet."
"I and one of our activists, Vlad, have serious head injuries. We are heading for a hospital. Earlier in the day, our activist Ivan received a bullet wound."
"Right Sector members who attacked the House of Trade Unions were fully equipped, armed and prepared beforehand."
On May 3, Itar Tass headlined "Kerry's refusal to discuss Ukraine is irresponsible approach."
Russia's Foreign Ministry said he asked to speak with Sergey Lavrov on Syria. When he knew "Russia proposed to include the Ukrainian issue, (he) postponed the talk…"
"Such an approach clearly indicates that the American colleagues are not interested to look for a way out of the explosive situation fraught with unpredictable consequences and actually play into the hands of the current leadership in Kiev."
Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin expressed shock "at the placidity of Western countries over the illegitimate Kiev leadership's actions with the use of force against residents in southeastern Ukraine."
"Such an attitude of the West made Kiev sure of impunity for its actions," he added.
On May 2, Obama expressed support for violence against Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters. He lied saying:
"(A)s as Ukrainian forces move to restore order in eastern Ukraine, it is obvious to the world that these Russian-backed groups are not peaceful protestors."
"They are heavily armed militants who are receiving significant support from Russia."
"The Ukrainian government has the right and responsibility to uphold law and order within its territory, and Russia needs to use its influence over these paramilitary groups so they disarm and stop provoking violence."
"(I)f the Russian leadership does not change course, it will face increasing costs as well as growing isolation - diplomatic and economic."
"(I)f Russia continues on its current course, we have a range of tools at our disposal, including sanctions that would target certain sectors of the Russian economy."
"(I) it continues to destabilize eastern Ukraine and disrupt this month's presidential election, we will move quickly on additional steps, including further sanctions that will impose greater costs. But that is a choice facing the Russian leadership."
"(T)he Ukrainian government has already shown itself more than willing to work through some of the issues that would ensure that the rights of all Ukrainians are respected, that you have a representative government."
"They've shown themselves willing to discuss amendments to their constitution that devolve power to a local level."
"The Ukrainian government in Kyiv has followed through on the commitments that it made in Geneva. We need Russians to do the same."
Fact: Washington bears full responsibility for elevating fascist putschists to power.
Fact: It bears full responsibility for Kiev violence.
Fact: It does so for Eastern Ukrainian brutality.
Fact: CIA director John Brennan traveled to Kiev covertly.
Fact: He came with orders.
Fact: He directed America's new friends to unleash violence against Eastern Ukrainian activists.
Fact: Vice President Joe Biden delivered the same message.
Fact: He green-lighted violence on his Kiev visit following Brennan's.
Fact: Kiev putschists attacked as ordered.
Fact: They deployed military forces against peaceful Eastern Ukrainian activists.
Fact: They helicoptered in neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs to beat and murder them.
Fact: Eastern Ukrainians freedom fighters acted solely on their own volition.
Fact: No evidence whatever suggests Russian involvement or backing.
Fact: The illegitimate "Ukrainian government has (no) right" to subvert law and order.
Fact: Eastern Ukrainian activists aren't militants. They're not paramilitaries.
Fact: They're ordinary people. They workers fighting for their legitimate rights.
Fact: Kiev putschists straightaway violated Geneva four-party agreement terms to resolve conflict diplomatically.
Fact: Russia supports them responsibly.
RT International interviewed Aleksei Albu. He escaped from the burning Trade Unions House. He was viciously attacked. He was brutally beaten.
"Militants from the Right Sector arrived from Kharkov to Odessa today," he said. "They attacked the center of the city first and then they moved on to the anti-Kiev protesters camp."
"They attacked the camp with about 200 people there - 100 of whom were women and men over 50 and 60 years of age - with Molotov cocktails."
"The people at the camp then barricaded themselves inside the Trade Unions House."
Right Sector thugs surrounded the building. They "began throwing stun grenades and tear gas" inside.
"I was there inside the building and took part in the defense. We tried to defend ourselves as much as we could."
"When we were finally able to jump out of the window from the second floor, we were met by the Right Sector radicals."
"They beat us with their feet using bats and chains. My friend got an open head injury."
"I received a wound six centimeters long and am now in a hospital waiting to get stitches. We were all covered in blood, our legs were beaten by bats."
A second unidentified activist told RT:
He was trapped on the Trade Unions House rooftop. So were about 50 others. "We tried to close all doors and windows that lead to the roof, got rid of all ladders," he said.
Right Sector thugs blocked building entrances. Police did nothing to stop them.
He was "waiting and hoping that someone (would) come here and help us get out alive."
"If police (didn't defend them) against this angry mob, then (he didn't) don’t know how (he and others would) find a way to leave."
Vitaly Churkin called what happened "reminiscent of the crimes of the Nazis from whom the Ukrainian ultra-nationalists derive their ideological inspiration."
RT video footage showed "disturbing scenes of dead bodies lying around the rooms with thick smoke in the air and blood stains on the floor."
Most bodies "had St. George ribbons attached to their clothes, distinguishing them as anti-Kiev activists."
Odessa authorities declared May 3, 4 and 5 "mourning days." Flags with black ribbons were lowered to half mast.
A Russian Foreign Ministry statement was clear and unequivocal, saying:
"The tragic events in Odessa on May 2, in which, according to reports, 38 people died and 50 were injured, are viewed in Moscow as criminal irresponsibility of the Kiev leadership indulging insolent nationalist radicals, including the Right Sector, who are staging a campaign of physical terror against supporters of federalization and real constitutional changes in the Ukrainian society."
"We categorically condemn it."
"Such intention to blame Russia for everything at any cost, even at the cost of cruelly killed people, is prompted by the attempt to remove the responsibility from the Kiev leadership for what is happening in Ukraine."
Friday's massacre revealed fascism's ugly face. Unrestrained brutality explains it. Obama endorsed it.
One fascist regime supports another. They share guilt. They promise more of the same. People of conscience everywhere condemn it.
Thousands of Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are its best and bravest. They vow continued resistance.
They reject illegitimate Kiev putschists. They do so justifiably. They demand fundamental rights everyone deserves.
They merit worldwide support. They're an example for freedom lovers everywhere to follow.
Power yields nothing. Change never comes top down. Always bottom up. Sustained commitment is required to achieve it.
If societies fit to live in aren't worth fighting for, what is?
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
State Department Big Lies
State Department Big Lies
by Stephen Lendman
John Kerry repeats them ad nauseam. They come in country reports. They're in press releases. They're in daily briefings.
May 3 is World Press Freedom Day. It reminds governments of their obligation to support it. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
On May 2, a State Department Fact Sheet addressed world press freedom. It did so disingenuously. Washington goes all-out to suppress it.
Not according to State Department misinformation, saying:
"On World Press Freedom Day, the United States pays special honor to the importance of media freedom - a crucial element of freedom of expression - at home and abroad."
"A diverse and independent press is crucial to holding governments accountable and promoting democracy around the world."
Washington deplores press freedom. It does so at home and abroad. It wants its message alone disseminated. It wants dissenting views buried.
The State Department lied claiming "(t)he US Government…brought media freedom issues to the fore at the UN and in regional multilateral forums."
Truth is the best disinfectant. Revealing it exposes America's dark side. It's evident in Ukraine.
On Friday, deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf addressed ongoing events.
Fantasy substituted for reality. She was asked about Kiev arresting hundreds of journalists.
"More than 500 have been harassed, beaten, abducted, and (one) killed," she said.
She pointed fingers the wrong way. She blamed ousted President Viktor Yanukovych. She turned truth on its head doing so.
Kiev putschists banned Russian TV channels. They shut down independent Ukrainian ones.
The OSCE's media watchdog criticized its actions. It voiced strong concerns. Its media freedom representative Dunja Mijatovic said:
"Banning programming without a legal basis is a form of censorship. National security concerns should not be used at the expense of media freedom."
"While I deplore any kind of state propaganda and hate speech as part of the current information war, everyone has the right to receive information from as many sources as he or she wishes."
"Switching off and banning channels is not the way to address these problems. Any potentially problematic speech should be countered with arguments and more speech."
At least 5 Russian channels were blocked. They include Vesti, Russia 24, Channel One (worldwide), RTR 'Planeta.' and NTV-World.
Over half of Ukrainians speak Russian. Around one-third call it their native language.
According to Crimea's Information Minister Dmitry Polonsky:
"From the moral point of view, all Ukrainian TV channels were rigidly censored by Kiev's illegitimate authorities."
They did so "(i)n violation of fundamental principles. They broadcast only one point of view."
They harass, beat, and terrorize independent journalists. Ukrainian media freedom is fantasy.
Challenging Kiev putschists risks brutalizing, arrests and death. Police states operate this way. Harf pretended otherwise.
Putin "has a choice to make now," she said.
"He can de-escalate the situation, pull back from the brink, or if he chooses to continue moving forward, we will impose additional costs, including sectoral sanctions that will make very clear to the Russian people that President Putin is more concerned with chest - beating in the region than actually giving his people the economic opportunities they deserve."
"We’ll keep imposing additional costs, and Russia will become increasingly isolated, their people will become isolated, their economy will become isolated."
"All the work they did in terms of the WTO, the G8, which is now the G7, all of that will go down the drain and they will become increasingly isolated, which will really, really, severely hurt their economy."
"And it's up to President Putin whether he wants those costs."
She ignored his geopolitical leadership. She turned a blind eye to his forthrightness. He prioritizes diplomatic conflict resolution.
Obama supports violence against Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters. So does Kerry. Harf didn't explain. Lies substituted for truth.
On April 28, an Office of the White House Press Secretary statement on Ukraine said in part:
"The United States has taken further action today in response to Russia's continued illegal intervention in Ukraine and provocative acts that undermine Ukraine's democracy and threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity."
"At the contact group meeting in Geneva on April 17, 2014, Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and the European Union decided on a number of steps to deescalate the situation in eastern Ukraine, including refraining from further violence or provocative acts."
"Since April 17, Russia has done nothing to meet its Geneva commitments and in fact has further escalated the crisis."
"Russia's involvement in the recent violence in eastern Ukraine is indisputable."
Fact: Washington bears full responsibility for "threaten(ing) (Ukraine's) peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity."
Fact: Putin forthrightly supports it.
Fact: He's gone all-out to resolve things diplomatically.
Fact: Washington systematically subverts his best efforts.
Fact: America's "involvement in the recent violence in eastern Ukraine is indisputable."
Fact: Blaming Russia doesn't wash. Repetition doesn't transform Big Lies into Truths.
"The international community has been unified in its position that Russia must cease its illegal intervention and provocative actions in Ukraine," the statement continued.
"The United States, working closely with its partners, remains prepared to impose still greater costs on Russia if the Russian leadership continues these provocations instead of de-escalating the situation, consistent with its Geneva commitments."
Fact: Sanctions have no legitimacy.
Fact: They have no legal standing.
Fact: It bears repeating. Washington bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions.
Fact: Russia continues going all-out to resolve them forthrightly.
Don't expect State Department officials to explain. Or spokespersons paid to lie.
Expect Big Lies to substitute. It's longstanding US policy. It's the American way.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev Losing Control?
Kiev Losing Control?
by Stephen Lendman
Growing thousands of Eastern Ukrainians reject Kiev putschists. Perhaps it's just a matter of time before Western ones join them.
Slavyansk is in the center of the storm. Ukrainian military forces blockaded the city. On Friday, an assault followed. Minimum casualties so far.
A self-defense force press statement said:
"The attack is targeting a few checkpoints at the same time."
"A few armored vehicles and airborne combat vehicles arrived and airborne troops descended from the helicopters and attacked the checkpoints. Some forces were dropped off around the train station, where we didn't have anyone."
Ukraine's Interior Ministry said 10 self-defense forces checkpoints were seized. Slavyansk's broadcast facility was captured. So was a police station.
A Ukrainian Ministry statement said:
"Outside of Slavyansk in the Donetsk Region, two Ukrainian military Mi-24 helicopters, which were carrying out aerial patrols, were downed."
"According to preliminary information, the military machines were taken down by unidentified individuals using mobile Zenit rocket systems."
"As a result, two military personnel were killed and several others have been injured."
Reports said a third helicopter was damaged. At midday Friday local time, Itar Tass reported two Ukrainian soldiers killed.
Several others wounded. One self-defender dead. Another injured.
Russian TV news channel Rossiya-24 reported a third Ukrainain military helicopter downed. An explosion destroyed it. Its crew's fate is unclear.
Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters vow continued resistance. Growing thousands fill their ranks. They're challenging US-supported illegitimate coup-appointed fascists.
They reject their authority. They control over a dozen Eastern Ukrainian cities. They want Ukraine federalized. They want local autonomy. They want fundamental rights everyone deserves.
Kiev is incrementally losing control. Elements of its military reject them. They refused to fight their own people. Fascist Right Sector thugs were deployed to do so. Foreign mercenaries joined them.
On Friday, a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said:
"We decisively demand that the West stop its destructive policies in regard to Ukraine and to those who have announced themselves the authorities in Kiev to immediately stop the punitive operation and any violence against its own people, to release political prisoners, and to provide complete freedom to journalists in their activities."
"Russia is concerned over the beginning of a punitive military operation in Slaviansk using terrorists from the Right Sector and other ultranationalist organizations."
"As we have repeatedly warned, the use of the army against its own people is a crime and will lead Ukraine to a catastrophe."
Attacking Slavyansk militarily bears close watching. Resistance weakens Kiev control. It may end up lost altogether.
Power depends of people accepting it. Otherwise it's too weak to govern effectively. Perhaps its days are numbered.
Most likely if Eastern Ukrainian resistance spreads nationwide. For sure if it's full-blown. It may just be a matter of time.
Fascists make more enemies than friends. IMF force-fed austerity heads Ukraine for Greek-style Depression.
Ukrainians are deeply impoverished. Hitting them harder assures inciting widespread anger. People take so much before rebelling. When pain thresholds exceed tolerable levels, all bets are lost.
According to Gerald Celente: "When people lose everything and have nothing else to lose, they lose it." Revolutions erupt this way.
Perhaps in Ukraine. Perhaps challenging Kiev putschists effectively. Perhaps letting people power prevail. Perhaps reclaiming Obama's imperial trophy. The fullness of time will tell.
On Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Washington. Ukrainian crisis conditions dominated discussions.
On May 2, the Wall Street Journal headlined "German Businesses Urge Halt on Sanctions Against Russia," saying:
Merkel arrived with a message. "…Germany's business lobby to the White House: No more sanctions. Major companies oppose them."
They include financial giant Deutsche Bank, Siemens AG, BASF SE, Volkswagon and Adidas AG among others.
They "made their opposition to broader economic sanctions against Russia clear in recent weeks, both in public and in private," said the Journal.
Germany is Russia's largest European trade partner. Annual volume exceeds $100 billion. Berlin is heavily dependent on Russian natural gas and oil. So is Europe overall.
According to the Journal:
"As the Ukraine crisis has worsened, German officials have faced a barrage of telephone calls from senior corporate executives, urging them not to take steps that would damage business interests in Russia, people familiar with the matter say."
Some German corporate bosses went public. They warned against harsher measures.
Former Daimler AG official Eckhard Cordes heads Ostauschuss. It's German industry's Eastern Europe lobbying arm. He spoke for corporate Germany, saying:
"If there's a single message we have as business leaders, then it's this: sit down at the negotiating table and resolve these matters peacefully."
BASF has close ties to Russia's gas giant Gazprom. Its CEO Kurt Bock said:
"It's up to politicians and historians to determine the efficacy of boycotts, but I have my doubts."
Many German companies depend heavily on business with Russia. It's a key growth market. It provides substantial revenue and profits.
US companies do far less business. They voiced concerns privately. They worry about losing sales to foreign competitors.
Other US allies reject harsh measures. They include Japan, Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Israel among others. They voiced concern about permanently rupturing Russia's Western ties.
Germany has clout. It's Europe's largest economy. It's an economic powerhouse.
Around 6,200 German companies do business in
Russia. They oppose political interference. Lost trade means thousands of lost jobs, they say.
According to German economist Klaus-Jurgen Gem:
"There's no question that Germany's economic interests would be best served by avoiding sanctions."
Imposing tough ones could slow German economic growth by up to 2%, he added. Berlin estimates as many as 300,000 lost jobs.
On April 30, Der Spiegel headlined "Little Love for Sanctions: Ukraine Crisis A Tightrope Walk for German Businesses," saying:
Longstanding "economic ties make disengagement next to impossible." On the one hand, EU governments warned Russia of "additional and far-reaching" sanctions.
On the other, they're reluctant to impose them. They cut both ways. They hurt European sales and profit. They harm their economies.
According to Spiegel, "politicians appear to be having a difficult time agreeing to far-reaching and painful sanctions, given Europe's energy dependence on Russia."
"The business community…has no interest in such punitive measures."
According to lobbyist Eckhard Cordes, "(w)e won't let the constructive work of the last decades be ruined for us."
Hundreds of German business officials feel the same way. For sure many throughout Europe and America.
According to BASF executive Rainer Seele, "(t)he Russians are dependable allies."
"Embargoes don't do anything for anyone. We shouldn't be frivolously be putting years of built-up trust in jeopardy."
German exports already suffered. In January and February, they're down 10% year-over-year. Russian state-owned companies began shifting to Asian suppliers.
Expect much more of the same ahead. Expect it whether or not tougher sanctions are imposed. Russia is defensively shifting East.
Later in May, Putin heads for Beijing. Consummating a major gas deal is planned. It involves supplying 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually.
It'll do so via pipeline. It's the first one between both nations. It's expected to cost about $22 billion to complete.
When fully implemented, energy trade will bypass dollar transactions. It'll weaken petrodollar strength.
Bilateral ruble/renminbi trade weakens dollar strength overall. Perhaps other countries may follow in their own currencies.
Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss increasing other bilateral trade. It includes timber and military contracts.
In 2013, China was Russia's largest trade partner. Moscow is Beijing's ninth. Both countries want closer economic ties.
Establishing them weakens Western interests. Sino/Russian unity provides a powerful counterweight to US-led Western economic, political and military dominance.
According to Analysis of Strategies and Technologies' Vasily Kashin:
“The worse Russia's relations are with the West, the closer Russia will want to be to China. If China supports you, no one can say you're isolated."
Both countries know Washington wants them weakened and controlled. Unity goes a long way toward preventing it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Right Sector Thugs Attack Odessa Activists
Right Sector Thugs Attack Odessa Activistsby Stephen LendmanKiev putschists helicoptered them in. They came with orders to cause mayhem. They attacked federalization supporters.They did so violently. Gunfire was heard. Three deaths were reported. So we...
Bloomberg at Harvard
Bloomberg at Harvardby Stephen LendmanHe's a multi-billionaire. He made money the old-fashioned way. On March 24, 2014, Forbes ranked him 16th on its World Billionaire List. It estimates his net worth at $33 billion.He's founder and 88% owner of Bloomb...
US State-Sponsored Terrorism
US State-Sponsored Terrorism
by Stephen Lendman
Washington notoriously points fingers the wrong way. It whitewashes its own crimes.
Its latest Country Reports on Terrorism 2013 omits the world's leading sponsor. More on it below.
Terrorism is what they do, not us, it's claimed. Reasons why imperial wars are waged are suppressed.
Might justifies right. Nations are destroyed to free them. Lives and freedoms lost don't matter. They're small prices to pay.
Mind manipulation turns truth on its head. People are convinced wrongs are right. Wars are glorified in the name of peace.
Peaceful countries become cauldrons of violence. Instability rocks them. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Yemen and others are US imperial victims.
So is Ukraine. It's a global flashpoint. Potentially it's worst of all. It threatens to spin out-of-control. It risks regional conflict. Possible East/West confrontation looms.
Washington bears full responsibility for numerous world hot spots. Imperialism works this way. It instigates violence. It fosters instability.
It promotes state-sponsored terrorism. It's what we do, not them. More on this below.
On April 30, the State Department issued its "annual assessment of trends and events in international terrorism…" It covers the period January 1 - December 31, 2013.
"It includes a strategic assessment, country-by-country breakdowns of counterterrorism efforts, and sections on state sponsors of terrorism, terrorist safe havens, and foreign terrorist organizations."
It bears repeating. The world's top sponsor by far is omitted. None in human history compare.
Washington uses Al Qaeda and similar groups strategically. They're allies and enemies at the same time. They're core elements of American imperial wars.
Tina Kaidanow is US ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism. In 2013, terrorism evolved rapidly, she said.
"The international community’s successful efforts to degrade al-Qaida, or AQ, senior leadership in Pakistan, coupled with weak governance and instability in the Middle East and Northwest Africa have accelerated the decentralization of what we refer to as al-Qaida core," she added.
"This has led to the affiliates in the AQ network becoming more operationally autonomous from AQ core and increasingly focused on local and regional objectives."
"The past several years have seen the emergence of a more aggressive set of AQ affiliates and likeminded groups, most notably in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Northwest Africa, and Somalia."
"Iran's state-sponsorship of terrorism and Hezbollah's activities are also of significant concern," she claimed.
"Interdictions in the past year have found Iran attempting to smuggle arms and Iranian explosives to Syria, to Yemen, and also to arm Shia opposition groups in Bahrain."
"And the IRGC Qods Force, Hezbollah, and Iraqi Shia militant groups have all been providing a broad range of critical support to the Assad regime since the start of the conflict."
Fake Washington-hyped terror threats persist. It's done to generate fear. America's only enemies are ones it invents. Demagogic duplicity claims otherwise. It turns truth on its head.
Inconvenient truths are buried. Michael Parenti exposed the terrorism trap. He did so post-9/11. Wars are waged "to keep the world safe for the Fortune 500," he said.
"To make sure that the transnational corporations and international global finance capital continues to control the land, labor, resources, and markets of most of the world, and ultimately, all of the world on terms that are extremely favorable to them."
"The goal is to destroy, to obliterate, to thwart any social movement or national leader who is trying for an alternative way of using the land, the labor, the natural resources, the markets, the capital of his or her country."
To institute a homeland police state apparatus. To destroy freedom in the name of stability. To lose both at the same time. To continue waging war on humanity.
To claim it's about spreading democracy. To tolerate it nowhere. To crush it wherever it emerges. To institute Washington rules. To enforce hardline rule.
To demand absolute obedience. To tolerate no outliers. To ravage humanity in the name of saving it. To make planet earth unfit to live on.
State-sponsored terrorism defines US policy. Demagogic duplicity conceals it.
US law calls "international terrorism" activities involving:
(A) "violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State;"
(B) are intended to -
(i) "intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii) influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
(iii) affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
(C) occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States...."
The US Army Operational Concept for Terrorism (TRADOC Pamphlet No. 525-37, 1984) called it "the calculated use of violence or threat of violence to attain goals that are political, religious, or ideological in nature....through intimidation, coercion, or instilling fear."
Merriam-Webster calls it "the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion."
The Oxford Dictionary calls it "the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims."
In his book "Terrorism, Theirs and Ours," the late Eqbal Ahmad called state-sponsored terrorism most important of all.
It includes "torture, burning of villages, destruction of entire peoples, (and) genocide" on a massive scale.
It's called "self-defense," protecting "national security," and/or "promoting democracy." Doing so conceals America's dark side. War on humanity follows.
"Who will define the parameters of terrorism, or decide where terrorists lurk," asked Ahmad?
"Why none other than the United States, which can from the rooftops of the world set out its claim to be sheriff, judge and hangman, all at one and the same time."
Martin Luther King called America "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today." He did so for good reason.
It's more menacing than ever. At stake is humanity's survival. Aggression is called humanitarian intervention. Freedom is crushed for our own good.
Big Lies substitute for truth. They proliferate to advance America's imperium. Mind manipulation convinces people to go along.
Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are called terrorists. US-led NATO takes full advantage.
Eastern European deployments continue. Doing so encroaches provocatively closer to Russia's borders.
Georgia and Russia share a common one. Its Defense Minister Irakli Alasania wants more NATO troops deployed internally.
He calls them "defensive actions," saying:
"(T)his is something we need to put in Georgia and Russians will understand that you are serious."
Americans and Europeans must work together, he stressed. It's "important for the United States to show leadership…to make sure (NATO's) next steps will be an adequate response to what's happening in Ukraine."
"We are talking about the Membership Action Plan, but we don’t really know how these discussions will end up, while, honestly, in fact after (developments in) Ukraine we should be talking about accession talks of Georgia and other aspirants to NATO."
According to NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow:
"We need to step up our support for defense reforms and military modernization of Russia's neighbors, and not just of Ukraine, but also Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan."
On April 27, Mossad-connected DEBKAfile (DF) headlined "Russian and Ukrainian armies shaping up for initial military clash over Slavyansk," saying:
"The outcome will determine who controls the Donetsk region and possibly all of East of Ukraine…"
"(I)t might be the last straw that undermines (Kiev's) shaky rule." Ukraine's military is no match against Russia's.
"Its threat to blockade the more than a dozen towns where separatists are entrenched in official buildings is unconvincing."
DF sees no broad international coalition for a "strong stand" against Russia forthcoming. Obama may be largely on his own.
On April 30, the Wall Street Journal headlined "Americans Want to Pull Back From World Stage, Poll Finds."
"Nearly Half Surveyed in WSJ/NBC Poll Back Anti-Interventionist Stance That Sweeps Across Party Lines."
Only 38% of Americans approve how Obama handles foreign policy. It's the low water mark of his presidency.
According to Democrat pollster Fred Yang:
"The juxtaposition of an America that wants to turn inward and away from world affairs, and a strong feeling of powerlessness domestically, is a powerful current that so far has eluded the grasp of Democrats and Republicans."
"The message from the American public to their leaders in this poll seems to be: You need to take care of business here at home."
Public support for Obama's handling Ukrainian crisis conditions dropped to 37%. In March it was 43%.
On April 30, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Washington isn't "concerned (about) the fate of Ukraine…but (has) a strong desire to prove (it) decides how things should be - always and everywhere."
Lavrov wants US officials to "discipline" putschists it elevated to power. Do it instead of sanctioning Russia, he stressed.
Moscow urges constructive dialogue, he added. "US and EU representatives have blocked this initiative," he said.
"We’ll continue to call for the full implementation of the Geneva Declaration, which our partners are trying to distance themselves from."
"But we cannot decide for the self-defense forces. Those people live under a constant threat coming from Kiev that the military and armored vehicles will be used against them; under constant threat from the extremists."
At the same time, Russia bashing persists. Eight Republican senators introduced hostile legislation.
If enacted, it'll strengthen NATO, enhance missile defense for offense, provide military aide to Ukraine, and sanction Russia's banking and energy sectors.
On Wednesday, coup-appointed president Oleksandr Turchynov said Ukraine's military went on full alert.
"Special tactical exercises" were held. Military forces were deployed on Kiev streets.
On Tuesday, Moscow's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said Kiev, "encouraged by Western 'friends,' is persistently pushing the country towards a catastrophe."
US imperialism bears full responsibility. State terrorism defines it. War on humanity persists.
Ukraine is in the eye of the storm. Flashpoint conditions risk spreading things out-of-control.
Obama's latest imperial adventurism risks global war. He's mindless about what's potentially unfolding.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Stoking Confrontation with Russa
Stoking Confrontation with Russia
by Stephen Lendman
Confrontation is dangerous. At risk is escalating things to conflict. Doing so is madness. Major wars start this way.
Extremists infesting Washington go where angels fear to tread. Peace is considered sissy.
The militant Atlantic Council's just concluded Defending the Vision of a Europe Whole and Free conference addressed crisis conditions in Ukraine.
Hawkish present and past Western officials participated. Barry Pavel heads the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security.
He moderated a discussion featuring four Eastern European defense ministers. They included Estonia's Sven Mikser, the Czech Republic's Martin Stropnicky, Georgia's Irakli Alasania, and Montenegro's Milica Pejanovic Duristic.
They expressed similar views. They replicated US ones. They lied saying Putin threatens Europe. His agenda is expansionist, they claimed. He's revanchanist, they said.
He wants to dominate regional countries, they added. Western nations should unite against him, they urged.
Tougher sanctions should be imposed, they stressed. Greater NATO deterrence should be prioritized.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow spoke. Putin's "aggression" challenges Europe, he said.
He's trying to rewrite history, he claimed. He invaded Ukraine, he added. He rejects working cooperatively with NATO, he said. He sees it as an enemy, not partner.
He urged upgrading its Response Force to act more quickly to threats. Ukrainian crisis conditions show more readily deployable forces are needed, he claimed.
Madeleine Albright was Clinton's Secretary of State. Stephen Hadley served as GW Bush's National Security Advisor.
They're two of America's worst. They relish war. They deplore peace. They addressed Atlantic Council attendees.
They agreed. Obama, Congress, and major media need to act in unison. Tell Americans, they said. Explain Ukrainian crisis conditions.
Blame Putin's aggression, they stressed. According to Albright, "Americans want to worry about themselves."
They "don't know what our role is." Washington wants to help Ukraine and Eastern Europe, she said.
Putin wants Russia's borders expanded, she claimed. He wants regional dominance, she added.
Obama, Congress, and US media haven't explained things effectively, she said.
"Obviously we all believe in Presidential leadership. But…we also need leadership in Congress. We cannot have people who are proud not to have passports."
Through major media, “there is not enough of an explanation to the American people as to how important it is" to address Russia's attacks on Ukraine, she stressed.
"We have now spent zillions of hours. I'm really sorry about the people who were lost in the Malaysian plane, but the bottom line is that what is happening in Ukraine is so much more important for America's future and there's no explanation of it."
"We are exhausted from (over 12 years of war in) Iraq and Afghanistan. It is very dangerous."
"We have to recognize that ultimately, if nothing is done (against Putin), in the long run we will pay for it.”
Accordingly to Hadley, enlisting public support "always takes a president who goes to the American people not once, not twice, but consistently, explaining…why what happens out there matters here, and what we can and need to do about it."
"When presidents have done that, in a systematic and sustained way, the American people get it…and support it."
Albright, Hadley and other conference participants barely stopped short of urging war. Hawkish comments escalated things closer toward it.
Washington thrives on it. Eliminating Russia as a global rival is prioritized.
Ongoing events show resolving conditions responsibly won't happen. US and Russian policies are geopolitical opposites.
Moscow wants Ukraine independent, sovereign and free. Washington wants it co-opted. It wants total control. It wants it incorporated into NATO.
It wants new bases encroaching on Russia's borders. It wants its heartland targeted. It wants it weakened, isolated and controlled.
It wants it made a shell of its proud self. It wants it colonized. It wants it plundered. It wants ordinary Russians exploited. It wants war if other ways to achieve goals don't work.
Europe is more moderate than Washington. Putin and Germany's Angela Merkel spoke. They addressed each other's concerns.
On Thursday, the Kremlin press service said:
"Putin stresses that the most important now consists in withdrawing army units from Southeastern Ukraine's regions, ending violence, and immediately launching Russian dialogue in the framework of constitutional reforms process involving all regions and political forces."
"The discussion of the development of the social and political crisis in Ukraine continues."
"Merkel asks for help in the release of military observers, from several European countries, including Germany, detained in southeastern Ukraine."
They're infiltrators. They're NATO spies. Included are three German Bundeswehr officers. Sending them is provocative.
It escalates things. It's unrelated to OSCE monitoring. Germany's defense ministry controls them. It's high time it explained its involvement.
Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed concern about Kiev's plans "to carry out a special assault operation in the south-eastern regions of the country using ultra-nationalist Right Sector units."
"Such irresponsible and aggressive actions by the present ‘Ukrainian government’ can have catastrophic consequences if implemented."
"Punitive measures against their own people would indicate the inability of the Kiev leadership to fulfill its obligations assumed under the Geneva Statement of April 17 to stop all violence as soon as possible and launch a broad national dialogue with all regions and political forces."
"Kiev and the conniving United States and the European Union which signed the Geneva agreement not to make criminal mistakes and to soberly assess the gravity of possible consequences for the use of force against the Ukrainian people."
"Kiev's intention to hold a nationwide (election) May 25 (is) a sham." Coup-appointed prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk claims it's to "decentraliz(e) power."
Coup-appointed cabinet members approved so-called "regional reform." Unspecified guarantees for Russian speakers were proposed. Lack of specificity assures none.
Russia's Foreign Ministry pulled no punches saying:
"Instead of launching an extensive nationwide discussion in the country to seek for ways out of the deep political and socio-economic crisis that would involve all political forces and all regions, Kiev authorities are engaged in staging sham actions."
"This will lead nowhere except to a further aggravation of the crisis in the country." Polar opposite policies are needed to avert a potentially catastrophic East/West confrontation.
A Final Comment
Dozens of countries commemorate May 1 annually. May Day is International Workers Day.
The first Monday in September is Labor Day in America and Canada. It once had meaning. It no longer does.
Years of organizing, taking to the streets, going on strike, holding boycotts, battling police and National Guard forces, as well as paying with blood and lives won real gains. Now they're lost.
Bargaining collectively with management on equal terms can be regained. So can peace and fundamental rights.
Mobilize! Mobilize! Mobilize! Don't compromise. Stay the course. Eastern Ukrainians won't do less.
Over 100,000 rallied in Moscow. They carried signs and banners saying "Unity!" "Solidarity!" "Rights of Working People!" "Decent Work - Fair Pay!"
Federation of Independent Trade Unions (FITU) Secretary Alexander Shershukov called this year's commemoration an "antifascist event."
It targets illegitimate Kiev fascist putschists. It deplores war. It champions peace.
Going all-out for conditions fit to live in makes them possible. Achieving them takes resolve. Struggles aren't won easily.
Power yields nothing. Direct action alone works. The only solution is world revolution. What better time than now.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Putin v. Kerry
Putin v. Kerry
by Stephen Lendman
Putin's statesmanship embarrasses Kerry. Both men are geopolitical opposites.
Putin represents responsible leadership. Kerry shames the office he hold.
On April 29, Putin addressed Ukrainian crisis conditions forthrightly. On the same day, Kerry irresponsibly addressed the Atlantic Council.
In 1961, it was established to support NATO. It's headquartered in Washington. It supports America's global agenda.
Past and current members include a rogue's gallery of reliable US imperial supporters.
They include Henry Kissinger, George Schultz, James Schlesinger, James Baker, Zbigniew Brzezinski, James Jones, Condoleezza Rice, Richard Holbrooke, Susan Rice, and an array of current and former top military officials.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel formerly served as chairman. Kerry's comments reflected US imperial arrogance. More on them below.
Putin pointed fingers the right way. What's ongoing in Ukraine "shows us who really was mastering the process from the beginning," he said.
"But in the beginning, the United States preferred to remain in the shadow(s)."
In addressing crisis conditions, Washington is "telling that they originally were behind this process, but now they just have emerged as (its) leaders."
US officials encouraged Maidan protesters. They supported them. They did so against Ukraine's democratically elected government.
They manipulated events. They aided and abetted Viktor Yanukovych's ouster.
They helped empower illegitimate fascist putschists. They did so lawlessly.
"It is necessary to understand that the situation is serious and try to find serious approaches to the solution," said Putin.
He called on coup-appointed officials to "treat equally the rights of those living in other areas of Ukraine, first of all, I mean, the east and southeast, establish a dialogue, find a compromise."
He addressed illegitimate US/EU sanctions, adding:
"We would very much wish not to resort to any measures in response."
"But if something like that continues, we will of course have to think about who is working in the key sectors of the Russian economy, including the energy sector, and how."
Major US companies are involved. They include ExxonMobil and Chevron.
"Regarding (sanctions imposed on Moscow), it's not clear at all what this is linked to, because there is no cause and effect link with what is happening now in Ukraine and Russia," said Putin.
At the same time, US/EU policy won't deter Russia's Eurasian integration process, he explained. It involves Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.
Putin prioritizes resolving Ukrainian crisis conditions responsibly. US policy is polar opposite.
Kerry fronts for power. He represents longstanding US imperial arrogance.
His comments leave no doubt where he stands. Big Lies infest them. They do so repeatedly.
He addressed the Atlantic Council's "Toward a Europe Whole and Free" conference.
Washington wants Europe co-opted. It wants full control. It wants it united against Russia.
It bullies, pressure and threatens European leaders to bend to its will. Outliers aren't tolerated. They're targeted for replacement. Washington rules apply.
The year 2014 marks NATO's 65 anniversary. Its mission is offense, not defense.
It's a machine for the manufacture of mass slaughter, destruction and unspeakable human misery.
Not according to Kerry. He lied saying "over (its) decades-long history, I think NATO, without any question, has done more to promote security, more to promote prosperity, and more to promote freedom than any other alliance in human history."
He cited nonexisting threats. Ukraine is Exhibit A, he suggested.
Its crisis "calls us back to the role that this alliance was originally created to perform, and that is to defend alliance territory and advance transatlantic security."
False! US-led NATO is a destabilizing machine. It prevents global security.
It advances America's imperium. It does so through lawless violence, belligerence and full-blown aggression.
"The events in Ukraine are a wake-up call," said Kerry.
He lied claiming "(o)ur European Allies have spent more than 20 years with us working to integrate Russia into the Euro-Atlantic community."
"It is not as if we really haven't bent over backwards to try to set a new course in the post-Cold War era."
"And so we've pursued serious bilateral engagement…But what Russia's actions in Ukraine tell us is that today Putin's Russia is playing by a different set of rules."
"And through its occupation of Crimea and its subsequent destabilization of Eastern Ukraine, Russia seeks to change the security landscape of Eastern and Central Europe."
"So we find ourselves in a defining moment for our transatlantic alliance, and nobody should mistake that."
"And we are prepared to do what we need to do, and to go the distance, to uphold that alliance."
"Our strength will come from our unity. And the strength of our alliance always has come from our unity over the course of the 65 years."
"So together, we have to push back against those who want to try to change sovereign borders by force."
"Together, we have to support those who simply want to try to live as we do or as others do."
Fact: Washington wants sovereign Russian independence eliminated.
Fact: It wants subservient pro-Western governance replacing it.
Fact: Longstanding US policy wants all independent governments replaced.
Fact: Eliminating major rivals matter most.
Fact: Russia and China are top targets.
Fact: Both countries deplore war.
Fact: They prioritize peaceful coexistence.
Fact: Advancing America's imperium prevents it.
Fact: Kerry lied suggesting otherwise.
"(W)e have to support those folks who want to live free, making their choices about their own future. Together, we have to continue our strong support for Ukraine," he said.
"(W)e have to make it absolutely clear to the Kremlin that NATO territory is inviolable. We will defend every single piece of it."
"(F)rom day one, Ukraine undertook to implement both the spirit and substance of" Geneva four-party agreement terms.
"(N)ot one single step has been taken by Russia."
"Every time you have a conversation, it’s pointing the finger at what the Ukrainians haven't done, without even tallying up what they have done or acknowledging their own zero in the column with respect to what they have undertaken."
"(I)t's fair to say they have escalated the crisis even further."
"There is strong evidence that I laid out several days ago of the degree to which Russian engagement exists directly in the east and has been building up over some period of time."
Russian policy persists "to pursue (its) own goals and…ends."
It has "a clear choice: Leave Ukraine in peace and work with us together to create a strong Ukraine, a Ukraine that is not a pawn, pulled and tugged at between East and West…"
"…I can guarantee this: The United States and our allies will stand together in support of Ukraine."
"This crisis is a wake-up call for us to accelerate the other work that we’ve been doing to promote a stronger, more prosperous transatlantic community."
Fact: Kerry repeated one Big Lie after another.
Fact: He's a serial liar.
Fact: He's a world class thug.
Fact: He makes lesser rogue officials look pacifist.
Fact: He makes mafia bosses look saintly by comparison.
Fact: He makes serial killers look like pussy cats.
Fact: "NATO, without a question, has done more to (subvert) security, more to (prevent) prosperity, and more to (destroy) freedom than any other alliance in human history."
Fact: NATO "was originally created" for offense, not defense.
Fact: "European allies have spent more than 20 years with (Washington) working to" marginalize, weaken and isolate Russia.
Fact: "(W)hat Russia's actions in Ukraine tell us is that today Putin's Russia" represents responsible geopolitical leadership.
Fact: No Russian "occupation of Crimea and its subsequent destabilization of Eastern Ukraine" occurred.
Fact: Moscow did nothing "to change sovereign borders by force" or any other way.
Fact: Washington and rogue EU partners want free people subjugated.
Fact: They want their fundamental freedoms eliminated altogether.
Fact: They want their futures destroyed.
Fact: "(F)rom day one, Ukraine (violated) both the spirit and substance of" Geneva four-party agreement terms.
Fact: (I)t's fair to say" Washington and rogue EU partners "escalated the crisis even further."
Fact: No evidence suggests Russian involvement with Eastern Ukrainian activists.
Kerry represents the worst of Washington's dark side. Lawless aggression reflects it.
Millions of corpses attest to America's barbarity. Don't expect Kerry to explain.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Fact Checking Scoundrel Media Lies
Fact Checking Scoundrel Media Lies
by Stephen Lendman
Edward Herman and David Peterson contributed an important chapter to a forthcoming cutting edge book on Ukraine.
It's titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." Watch for it. It's coming soon. Amazon lists it.
Herman and Peterson explain Western propaganda "in overdrive," saying:
"(D)eeply ingrained Cold War ideology remains in Western capitals and their political and intellectual culture."
"It's best understood as a dichotomous or binary system: One side is 'good,' the other side is 'evil.' "
"One side acts on behalf of universal values, the other acts out of narrow self-interests."
"One side helps other countries and peoples to build democratic institutions and good governance, and supports the rights to self-determination, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of all countries -the other side as a matter of principle rejects these rights and strives for power and territorial expansion."
Orwell explained his way saying: "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength."
Bad guys 'R us. Media scoundrels twist truth their way. Irresponsible Russia bashing persists daily. Big Lies repeat ad nauseam.
News, information and analysis people most need to know are systematically buried. Malicious daily propaganda substitutes.
Herman and Peterson pull no punches saying:
"The misrepresentations of the US media in dealing with the Ukraine crisis have been spectacular, reaching and perhaps surpassing their performance during the 50-year-long Cold War era, with the notion of 'objectivity' buried beneath a landslide of biased tone and word usage, rewritten or suppressed history, use of selective evidence, and double-standards."
Their detailed, documented analysis provides proof positive. Media scoundrels regurgitate official Big Lies. Truth is a powerful disinfectant. Burying it is prioritized.
It bears repeating what previous articles stressed. So-called New York Times news fit to print isn't fit to read. It's rubbish.
It's ideologically driven. It's one-sided. It's over-the-top. It's hypocritical garbage.
It violates fundamental journalistic principles. Truth-telling matters most. It's nowhere in sight. Bad fiction substitutes.
On April 29, Times editors headlined "Not Getting Through to Mr, Putin," saying:
US and EU imposed sanctions followed "Russia's involvement" with Eastern Ukrainian anti-Kiev activists. Times editors quoted Washington and Brussels. They lied calling it "indisputable."
Times editors call sanctions "justified." They accused Putin of "bluster."
He "demonstative(ly) disdain(s)" four-party "Geneva agreement" terms "along with the aggressive behavior of Russian troops massed on Ukraine's borders and the continued occupation of administrative and security buildings in southeastern Ukrainian cities by Moscow-directed secessionists," they said.
"(T)argeted penalties are not likely to change Russia's behavior."
Times editors urge tougher ones. "(T)here will be…costs" otherwise…"Europe and America (must) join in a unified response."
"(A) weak and fragmented response would call into question a longstanding trans-Atlantic commitment to protect international law and democratic values against the kind of aggression Mr. Putin is engaging in."
Fact: Sanctions imposed are illegitimate.
Fact: They have no legal standing.
Fact: They violate international law.
Fact: Russia alone abides by four-party agreement terms responsibly.
Fact: Washington, rogue EU partners and Kiev putschists systematically violated them.
Fact: No Russian hoards threaten Ukraine.
Fact: Anti-Kiev activists act on their own volition.
Fact: No evidence shows Russian involvement.
Fact: UN Charter provisions support all people's self-determination rights.
Fact: US and rogue EU states deplore international law and democratic values.
Fact: Lawless aggression is longstanding US/EU policy.
Fact: Putin champions peace and stability.
Fact: He deplores violence in all forms.
Fact: He denounces aggression.
Fact: He speaks out forthrightly against it.
Fact: Times editors lied claiming otherwise.
Putin "poses" "danger," they said. They urged "rein(ing) him in."
"His authoritarian behavior at home, his disdain for the Geneva agreement and, most recently, the capture of a European military observer mission in Slavyansk" demand tough measures against him, they said.
Crisis conditions will worsen "unless the West is prepared to unite behind serious economic sanctions that hurt Russia’s financial, energy and military sectors."
Fact: So-called military observers were exposed as NATO spies.
Fact: Putin responsibly challenges Washington's hegemonic ambitions.
Fact: He's humanity's best hope to curtail it.
Fact: He deserves worldwide praise.
Fact: He warrants universal support.
Fact: He forthrightly observes Geneva terms.
Fact: No evidence suggests otherwise.
Fact: Russian democracy shames America's sham version.
Fact: Putin heads a free and open society.
Fact: Obama heads a ruthless homeland police state apparatus.
Fact: US freedom is endangered.
Fact: It's being systematically destroyed.
Fact : Full-blown tyranny is a hair's breadth away.
Fact: Permanent war is official US policy.
Fact: Unchallenged global dominance is sought.
Fact: One country after another is ravaged and destroyed to achieve it.
Fact: Don't expect Times editors to explain.
Fact: Big Lies substitute for full and accurate reporting.
Fact: Regurgitating official Big Lies is longstanding Times policy.
Fact: Propaganda masquerades as real news and analysis.
Fact: Readers are systematically deceived.
Slawomir Sierakowski masquerades as a left-of-center political observer. His opinions reveal otherwise.
Times editors gave him featured op-ed space. On April 28, he headlined "Putin's Useful Idiots," saying:
"(M)any American and Western European intellectuals do all they can to minimize the dangerous aggression by Vladimir V. Putin."
Sierakowski turned truth on its head. He claimed putschist-run Ukraine represents "democracy." He called Russian truth-telling "propaganda."
He called neo-Nazi extremist Dmytro Yarosh legitimate because he's "deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council."
Sierakowski ignored his illegitimate appointment. He turned a blind eye to his open boast about "…fighting Jews and Russians till I die."
He lied claiming Yarosh pledged to "fight all instances of anti-Semitism, xenophobia and chauvinism." He ludicrously claimed "fascist phantoms in Ukraine."
He said independent "Western intellectuals" claiming otherwise support "not just with the autocrat in the Kremlin, but the legions of far-right parties across Europe that have come to Russia's defense…"
"Who says Russia needs propaganda," he asked? "It already has its useful idiots."
No self-respecting editors would touch Sierakowski's trash. Times editors featured it.
On April 28, neocon Washington Post editors headlined "Obama's half-measures give Vladimir Putin little to fear," saying:
His "assault on Ukraine has been relentless and increasingly reckless: Forces working with Russian personnel in eastern Ukraine are torturing and murdering opponents and holding international observers hostage."
"In contrast, President Obama's response has been slow and excruciatingly measured."
"New US sanctions announced Monday fall well short of the steps that senior officials threatened when the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine began three weeks ago."
It bears repeating. No evidence whatever shows Russian Eastern Ukrainian involvement.
None suggests self-defense activists commit torture or murder. So-called "hostages" are NATO spies.
Putin "made a mockery of the administration's diplomacy, blatantly ignoring the agreement accepted by his foreign minister in Geneva 11 days ago," said WaPo editors.
False! Putin acted responsibly. Obama, rogue EU leaders and coup-appointed putschists violated Geneva terms straightaway.
WaPo editors lied saying "Russia invaded Ukraine." US supported fascist putschist claims were cited as evidence. None whatever exists.
Inventing them out of whole cloth doesn't wash. Nor claiming Crimean reunification with Russia represents "the first forcible change of borders in Europe since World War II."
Nearly 97% of Crimeans voted to do so. They did peacefully, fairly, openly and democratically. International law supports them.
Don't expect WaPo editors to explain. Or call US wars on humanity lawless aggression. Or forthrightly denounce them.
On April 29, Wall Street Journal editors headlined "From Kharkiv (aka Kharkov, Ukraine's second largest city) to Brussels," saying:
Obama's "penalties look robust by comparison to the European Union's latest sanctions list."
"The 15 persons now facing EU travel bans and asset freezes include no companies; a lot of provincial nobodies; and some obvious malefactors who should have been sanctioned months ago…"
"Events in Ukraine are moving fast, and the next time EU officials meet to make their token sanctions list there may be much less of Ukraine to pretend to care about."
Daily Journal Russia bashing twists fundamental truths irresponsibly. Propaganda bad enough to make PR wizards blush substitutes.
Other US media scoundrels operate the same way. Official Big Lies are regurgitated. They repeat ad nauseam.
They read like bad fiction. They mock legitimate journalism. They substitute for the real thing.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukraine Hypes a Nonexistent Russian Threat
Ukraine Hypes a Nonexistent Russian Threatby Stephen LendmanFor the first time since WW II, overt fascists hold real power in Europe. They hold major government posts. They menace regional stability. They threaten world peace. Ukraine is Exhibit A...
Confronting Russia and China Militarily
Confronting Russia and China Militarily
by Stephen Lendman
Washington's imperial agenda reflects madness. Overreach may be its undoing. Potential global war threatens everyone.
On Tuesday, Obama ended his Asian trip. Confronting China was prioritized. On April 28, Stars and Stripes headlined "Obama's Asia trip yields better military ties but no trade concessions," saying:
He returned home "partly successful." In Japan and South Korea, he reaffirmed post-WW II ties.
"In Malaysia, he made strategic inroads in a country that’s long been one of China's closest friends in Southeast Asia."
He firmed up Washington's chokehold colonization over the Philippines. A new 10 year military agreement solidified it. More on it below.
He bragged about stronger than ever US/Asian military alliances. It challenges China provocatively.
Beijing responded diplomatically. Its Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Washington and China should promote regional peace, stability and security.
He expressed concern about America's Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). It returns US military forces to the Philippines.
It does so since Washington's Subic Bay naval base and Clark air force base 1992 closure. It invigorates longstanding US/Filipino military ties.
At the same time, it angers China. Obama's claim about not trying to contain Beijing rings hollow. Doing so is official US policy.
China isn't fooled. It intends close monitoring of US words and deeds, said Qin. According to Austrailian-based Southeast Asia expert Aaron Connelly:
"There are aspects of (Obama's Asia) pivot that are clearly being done with an eye toward China."
He was surprised at Beijing's "mild" reaction. At the same time, he knows diplomatic language disguises real concerns.
Nations don't take kindly to military encirclement. They react accordingly. They firm up their own alliances. A Sino/Russian one is formidable. It provides a powerful counterweight.
EDCA terms took months to negotiate. US forces will deploy on a rotational basis. They'll do so on Filipino military bases. Effectively they'll become US ones.
Washington gets greater archipelago access than in over 20 years. Manila's constitutional prohibition against foreign military bases is bypassed.
In 2011, Obama's Asia pivot was announced. Advancing Washington's military footprint is prioritized.
Doing so aggressively is planned. China's growing economic might and military strength are targeted. So is checking Russia at the same time.
Containment is policy. Both countries are formidable rivals. Confronting them militarily is madness.
Obama prioritizes global belligerence. He's cold-blooded about US interests. Advancing America's imperium matters most.
Waging war on humanity reflects it. Targeting Asia escalated regional tensions.
It bears repeating. Challenging Russia and China reflects madness. Doing so risks open confrontation. Washington has been rebalancing for years.
Strategy calls for strengthening military, economic, and political ties with Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam.
It involves undermining Chinese and Russian influence. It's about isolating them regionally. It's about weakening them.
It's about asserting US dominance over territories and waters not it own. Doing so risks flashpoints. Small disputes risk greater ones.
WW I and II echoes remain audible. Never again is possible. Challenging Russia and China militarily risks the unthinkable.
It bears repeating. US policy reflects madness. Obama's Asia pivot risks the worst possible outcome. His strategy involves much more than meets the eye.
It reflects longstanding US hegemonic ambitions. It prioritizes whatever it takes to achieve them.
Obama's trip accomplished multiple objectives. American troops are returning to the Philippines.
Hardline Japanese Prime Minister Sinzo Abe sidestepped his constitution. Article 9 renounces belligerence. It affirms international peace.
It prohibits Tokyo's Self-Defense Forces from waging war. It states:
"Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes."
"To accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained."
"The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized."
Obama backs Japan's East China Sea Senkaku/Diaoyu islands dispute. It guarantees military support.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye agreed to effective US control over half a million Seoul military forces.
Both leaders agreed to boost their military alliance. Doing so provocatively targets China.
Malaysia is not a formal US ally. According to National Security Council (NSC) advisor Evan Medeiros:
Seoul's "very substantial and very robust joint statement by the US government and the government of Malaysia about our position on the South China Sea."
"Very significantly in the joint statement, they actually came out in support of the principle of international arbitration, which has been a subject of some diplomatic wrangling in recent months as the Philippines has sought to pursue an arbitration case regarding its disputes with China.”
Washington one-sidedly backs Manila. It does so in disputes with China. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak "welcome(d) America's rebalancing toward Asia."
He affirmed greater "military-to-military cooperation," he said. It reflects a more "comprehensive partnership."
Doing so harms Kuala Lumpur's self-interest. Getting in bed with the devil assures trouble. For sure it undermines regional stability.
Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu expressed concern about Washington encroaching on Russia's borders.
He stressed Western anti-Russian hysteria. It escalates tensions. US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel lied.
He claimed Washington's increasing Eastern European presence has nothing to do with targeting Russia.
It's about strengthening Eastern European allies defensive might, he said. Why so without enemies he didn't explain.
At the same time, Shoygu categorically denied sending Russian agents to Ukraine. No "subversive actions" are planned, he stressed.
Claims otherwise are groundless, he said. Making them undermines stability.
Russia's Defense Ministry wants to discuss Ukrainian crisis conditions responsibly with Pentagon officials.
So far they stonewalled responding. Washington deplores constructive dialogue. Compromise is out of the question. Hegemons operate this way.
On April 29, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed fingers the right way. He blamed Washington and Western partners.
He did so for backing Kiev putschists. Moscow rejects them. They lack legitimacy.
He "denounce(d) sanctions in all their forms, including those that have been announced by the United States and the EU against all common sense due to events in Ukraine."
"We insist on immediate resolution through all-Ukrainian national dialogue," he added.
Since Ukrainian crisis conditions erupted, Lavrov went all-out to resolve them diplomatically. So did Putin and other Russian officials.
Washington spurned their best efforts. Rogue EU allies were bullied to go along. Unresolved conflict festers. It risks spinning out-of-control.
Coop-appointed Kiev defense minister Mykhailo Koval said military conscription could be reestablished.
"The army will be professional," he said. "This is the future of the Armed Forces."
"But now the Armed Forces are not ready for this. Therefore we might have to return 21-23-years-old men for a while, and they will serve the state."
Deescalating crisis conditions should be prioritized. Washington's imperial agenda undermines doing so.
Ukraine remains potential ground zero for the unthinkable. Obama bears full responsibility. He shows no signs of backing off.
A Final Comment
The Daily Beast is a neocon front publication. On April 29, it headlined "Kerry: US Taped Moscow's Calls to its Ukraine Spies," saying:
He "claimed in a private meeting that the US intelligence community has recordings of pro-Russian forces being managed by government handlers in Moscow."
"The United States has proof that the Russian government in Moscow is running a network of spies inside eastern Ukraine because the US government has recordings of their conversations," he said.
"Intel is producing taped conversations of intelligence operatives taking their orders from Moscow and everybody can tell the difference in the accents, in the idioms, in the language."
"We know exactly who's giving those orders. We know where they are coming from."
"It's not an accident that you have some of the same people identified who were in Crimea and in Georgia and who are now in east Ukraine."
"This is insulting to everybody's intelligence, let alone to our notions about how we ought to be behaving in the 21st century."
"It's thuggism. It's rogue state-ism. It's the worst order of behavior."
It bears repeating. Kerry mocks legitimacy. He shames the office he holds. He's a world class scoundrel.
He's been caught red-handed lying numerous times before. He's at it again.
Fact: No evidence suggests Russian Ukrainian crisis conditions involvement.
Fact: Plenty indicts Washington.
Fact: Kerry can't name names because none exist.
Fact: So-called taped phone calls are fake.
Fact: Washington bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions.
Fact: Blaming Russia reflects bald-faced lies.
Kerry lies read like bad fiction. He repeats them ad nauseam. They wore thin long ago. He makes more enemies than friends doing so. He mocks his own legitimacy in the process.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
More Kerry Bullying, Bluster and Big Lies
More Kerry Bullying, Bluster and Big Lies
by Stephen Lendman
He's no diplomat. He's a world class thug. He mocks legitimacy. He disgraces the office he holds. He represents the worst of America's dark side.
He's a serial liar. He's been caught red-handed lying numerous times before. He's at it again.
Big Lies infested his Monday Wall Street Journal interview. Truth was nowhere in sight. More on what he said below.
On April 28, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the following:
"Today, in response to Russia's continued actions in southern and eastern Ukraine, the United States is implementing additional restrictive measures on defense exports to Russia."
"Accordingly, the Department of State is expanding its export restrictions on technologies and services regulated under the US Munitions List (USML)."
"Effective immediately, the Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) will deny pending applications for export or re-export of any high technology defense articles or services regulated under the US."
"Munitions List to Russia or occupied Crimea that contribute to Russia's military capabilities. In addition, the Department is taking actions to revoke any existing export licenses which meet these conditions."
"All other pending applications and existing licenses will receive a case-by-case evaluation to determine their contribution to Russia’s military capabilities."
"The United States will continue to adjust its export licensing policies toward Russia, as warranted by Russia’s actions in Ukraine."
"We urge Russia to honor the commitments it made in Geneva on April 17 to deescalate the situation in Ukraine."
Fact: Washington bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions.
Fact: Russia prioritizes resolving them responsibly.
Fact: It's gone all-out to do so.
Fact: Moscow fully honors its Geneva commitments.
Fact: Washington violated them straightaway.
Fact: Sanctions are illegitimate.
Fact: They have no legal standing.
Fact: Imposing them is entirely political.
Fact: Washington wants Russia marginalized, isolated and weakened.
Fact: It wants its sovereign independence destroyed.
Fact: It wants it transformed into a pro-Western vassal state.
Fact: It wants its resources plundered.
Fact: It wants its people exploited.
Fact: It wants all independent countries eliminated.
Fact : It wants unchallenged global dominance.
Fact: It threatens world peace.
Fact: It wages wars to achieve ends.
Fact: Humanity's fate hangs in the balance.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov called US sanctions "revolting." They're "distorted and groundless," he said. Kremlin officials are "disgusted."
"We will respond although it is not our choice," he added. "(W)e can't leave this situation without reaction, without practical reaction, without by means of our own decisions."
"US behavior in the field is becoming provocative."
Kerry lied responding to Wall Street Journal questions. "You almost feel that (Putin is) "creating his own reality, and his own sort of world, divorced from a lot of what's real on the ground for all those people, including people in his own country."
"We're inches away from" targeting whole sectors of Russia's economy. "And if they continue on this path, that's where it's heading."
He unjustifiably blames Putin for US crimes. Ukrainian crisis conditions are "obviously very personally driven in ways that I think are uniquely inappropriate to 21st century leadership," he said.
"It's an amazing display of a kind of personal reaction to something that just doesn't fit into the lessons learned for the last 60 years or 70 years."
"It's so divorced that it leaves you feeling badly for the consequences. I think the Russian people are going to pay a price for this."
"It's unfortunate for the Russian people, who clearly don't fit into the costs that are being attached to this, because it appears to be so personal to President Putin."
Putin's appeal to 'nationalism' is "dangerous in this time and place."
"There's no question that plans were executed in a thoughtful way in Crime. Obviously there's a plan. And it's being carried out with a sort of singular resolve, I guess is the way to put it."
He called Putin's failure to bend to Washington's will "an example of bad faith and absence of legitimacy."
"You're supposed to try to find a diplomatic solution to things. If you can't do that then you have to take the steps necessary to enforce your policy."
He thinks things "could deteriorate into hot confrontation" even without Russian troops entering Ukraine.
"And there are provocateurs who are perfectly capable, who are trying to instigate that kind of flare-up."
He praised Kiev restraint from preventing it, he said. "But obviously you could have a flash point here."
Fact: Blaming Putin for US crimes doesn't wash.
Fact: Sanctions cut both ways.
Fact: Russia can punish America's economy effectively.
Fact: Trading bilaterally in rubles with other countries using their own currencies works best.
Fact: Doing so weakens dollar strength.
Fact: Dollar supremacy is at stake.
Fact: Its reserve currency status could end.
Fact: So could its ability to continue imperial adventurism.
Fact: Putin respects national sovereignty.
Fact: He observes rule of law principles.
Fact: He's not revanchist.
Fact: He has no imperial ambitions.
Fact: His so-called appeal to nationalism doesn't exist.
Fact: His good faith highlights his legitimacy.
Fact: Washington's bad faith reveals its dark side.
Fact: Crimeans acted solely on their own volition.
Fact: No Russian involvement encouraged them.
Fact: Diplomacy isn't Washington's long suit.
Fact: It bullies nations into compliance.
Fact: It threatens them.
Fact: It cows them into submission.
Fact: Ukraine is a major global flashpoint.
Fact: Kiev putschists have no legitimacy.
Fact: They violated Geneva four-party agreement terms straightaway.
Fact: They instigated violence.
Fact: They escalated it.
Fact: They continue it.
Fact: They deployed neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs to do so.
Fact: They hired foreign mercenaries to supplement them.
Fact: Expect things heading from bad to worse.
Fact: Expect possible civil war.
Fact: Expect potential East/West confrontation.
Fact: Washington's drive for hegemony risks WW III.
On April 29, Russia's Foreign Ministry accused EU nations of escalating Ukrainian crisis conditions, saying:
"If someone in Brussels hopes to stabilize the situation in Ukraine (through sanctions), it is an evident sign of their complete incomprehension of the domestic political situation in this country and a direct invitation for local neo-Nazis to continue anarchy and outrages regarding the civilians of the southeast."
"Instead of forcing the Kiev clique to sit at the table with southeastern Ukraine to negotiate the future structure of the country, our partners are doing Washington's bidding with new unfriendly gestures aimed at Russia."
At the same time, brutal clashes erupted in Donetsk. Pro and anti-Kiev forces clashed.
Right Sector thugs initiated things. They attacked peaceful protesters. Police were unable to contain things.
Over a dozen injuries were reported. At least eight people were hospitalized.
According to journalist Vitaly Ivanov, around 1,000 "neo-Nazi thugs" were involved. "We were expecting an attack," he said.
"We had objective information. Really, the guys arrived with baseball bats, sticks and rods."
About 200 anti-Kiev activists "met them halfway in order to regain the initiative."
"More and more people joined us at an incredible pace as we made our way."
"When we reached (pro-Kiev thugs), there were about 1,000 of us…We were received with aggression."
"Smoke grenades were thrown at us. Several people got injured."
"Then there were a couple of small scuffles with the ultras. And then they just dispersed."
"They didn't expect such a rebuff; that there'(d) be so many of us." Molotov cocktails and stones were thrown.
Activists shouted "Crimea! Donbass! Russia!"
"Fascism won't take hold."
"Say no to Nazism."
Activists sang songs in Russian. On Sunday, Right Sector thugs attacked Kharkov anti-Kiev elements.
Expect more incidents like these to follow. Perhaps throughout Southeastern Ukraine. Perhaps more deadly ones.
The neocon controlled Washington Post blamed peaceful Donetsk activists for neo-Nazi Right Sector violence. It called them "club-and whip-wielding separatists…"
It said they're "shadowy forces that make their view known, but rarely their identities."
It lied saying they attacked pro-Kiev supporters "(w)ith Ukrainian flags flying high and garlands of flowers in their hair."
They "ambushed" them. They "clubbed" them. They "swung whips." They "hurled Molotov cocktails."
It called what happened "the latest proof of disarray" engulfing Eastern Ukraine.
Chicago Tribune editors accused Putin of "grandiose plans to expand the Russian empire." No empire exists.
Putin isn't revanchist. Tribune editors lied claiming otherwise. "The Russian 'strongman' is wildly popular at home after his Crimea adventure," they added.
"(T)he Russian bear may prove to be…an economic paper tiger."
"Putin talks about asserting Russian dominance over the entire region."
You can't make this stuff up. Other lies followed. US media scoundrels proliferate them. Truth is whitewashed. It doesn't have a chance.
At risk is world peace. Ukraine is ground zero for potential East/West confrontation. All bets are off if it happens.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Unprecedented Settlement Construction Exposes Sham Peace Talks
Unprecedented Settlement Construction Exposes Sham Peace Talks
by Stephen Lendman
Talks began last July. They were dead on arrival. No resolution whatever was achieved. Israel abhors peace.
It craves violence and instability. It doesn't negotiate. It demands. It's all take. It's no give. Peace talks mock legitimacy.
So did multiple earlier rounds. They began decades earlier. They achieved nothing. Things are far worse now than then.
They're a deplorable charade. Both sides agreed to continue them until April 29. D-day arrived. Resolution remains as distant as ever. Chances for peace are nil. Believing otherwise is fantasy.
Throughout months of talks, Israeli lawlessly demolished over 500 Palestinian homes and structures. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported it.
Nearly 900 Palestinians were forcibly displaced. An entire Jordan Valley village was destroyed.
Throughout the negotiating period, nearly 3,700 Palestinians were lawlessly detained. Thousands of political prisoners languish in Israel's gulag.
Multiple daily community incursions target Palestinians lawlessly. Beatings and arrests follow. Children are vulnerable. So are women. Barbarism defines Israeli policy.
On April 29, Peace Now headlined "9 Months of Talks, 9 Months of Settlement Development."
Unprecedented constructions occurred. "During the 9 months of Secretary Kerry’s efforts in the region, the Netanyahu Government promoted plans and tenders for at least 13,851 housing units in the settlements and East Jerusalem…"
"(A)n average of 50 units per day and 1,540 units per month" were built. Doing so exposed sham peace talks duplicity.
Israel dragged them out to steal land. If they continue, months more same old, same old is certain.
Israel wants all valued Judea and Samaria land incorporated into Greater Israel. According to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), stolen West Bank land includes over 60% of historic Palestine.
Construction expands it daily. Since July 2013, Israel's Civil Administration approved a record 6,919 acres as state land.
In 1999, a so-called Blue Line task force was established. It's redefining Palestinian land. It's stealing it for Israel.
Its land considered most valuable. It potentially links Israeli towns with others.
Dror Etkes represents Rabbis for Human Rights. He tracks settlement policy.
"Anyone examining the places where territory was added to the land under settlement jurisdiction, and the work of the Blue Line team from early 2013 until today, is forced to conclude that from the perspective of the Israeli government, there is no Oslo, no fence, no negotiations," he said.
"This can be seen both in terms of the size of the land and the location of the places where the mapping was done."
"The approach guiding the Civil Administration is that all of Area C is designated for the expansion of Israeli settlements, as has indeed been happening in the field over the past 20 years."
Peace Now explained, saying 13,851 units include:
"Tenders for 4,868 units - 2,248 in West Bank settlements and 2,620 units in East Jerusalem."
Tenders for another 1,235 units were reissued. They reflect "calls for bids" to buy unsold units.
Plans promoted 8,983 units - 6,561 in West Bank settlements and 2,422 in East Jerusalem.
West Bank plans include:
- 4,793 units in isolated settlements (73%); and
- 1,768 units in settlements close to the Green Line (27%).
Throughout nine months of peace talks, tender numbers were four times higher compared to previous years.
From July through December 2013, construction on 828 new units began. It's nearly double the comparable 2012 period.
Two new outposts were established without Israeli authorization - Brosh in the Jordan Valley and Givat Eitam south of Bethlehem.
A new settlement was approved in Hebron city center for the first time since the 1980s.
Four unauthorized outposts were legalized - Nahalei Tal and Zayit Ra’anan near Ramallah, Givat Sal’it in The Jordan Valley, and Elmatan near Qalqilya.
A new Leshem settlement near Salfit was established. It houses 60 Israeli families. Expect many more to follow.
In East Jerusalem, two large-scale tourist projects were promoted in Palestinian Silwan's community.
An Issawiya area national park was approved. Israel's Housing Ministry published tenders for 24,000 units.
It did so in several West Bank Settlements. It includes the sensitive E1 area.
It's located between Ma'aleh Adumim and Jerusalem.
Israel plans developing Mevasseret Adumim neighborhood. At issue is establishing territorial contiguity.
It's creating a greater Jerusalem. It's doing it by Judaizing Palestinian neighborhoods.
It's part of Israel's ethnic cleansing process. Displacing Palestinians provides land for Jews. It's longstanding Israeli policy.
Peace Now was clear and unequivocal, saying "construction and the announcements of settlements" destroyed the peace process.
It "created facts on the ground…They proved more than anything else that the Netanyahu Government did not mean to go for a two states solution but rather acted in order to strengthen the Israeli control over the Occupied Territories."
In the 1980s, Israel's Supreme Court ruled land seizures for military purposes and settlement construction illegal.
Israel responded by declaring nearly one million dunams state land. It stole Palestinian territory doing so. It didn't matter. It's lawlessly confiscated.
Israel's Blue Line task force is reexamining land seized. It's doing so to confirm its state land status.
Israeli agencies can't authorize construction without doing it. Settlement leaders want things expedited.
Stealing land takes time. Israel fakes legitimacy doing it. Palestinians are defenseless. They can't stop Israeli marauding.
They can't stop losing land they most value. They can't achieve peace, equity and justice through talks.
Longterm struggle alone works. No other way is possible. Not now. Not ever.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Russia Bashing Escalates
Russia Bashing Escalates
by Stephen Lendman
It bears repeating what previous articles stressed. Washington bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions.
Russia alone goes all-out to resolve them responsibly. It doesn't matter. Propaganda wars rage.
Brazen lies repeat. Lawless sanctions were imposed. New ones followed. On Sunday, Obama's deputy national security advisor Tony Blinkin said:
"We're going to save a little news for Monday but what I can tell you is this. We will be looking to designate people who are in (Putin's) inner circle, who have a significant impact on the Russian economy."
"Starting this week, in co-ordination with our allies and partners, we'll be exerting additional pressure on people closest to Putin, the companies they control, the defense industry, all of this."
"We'll be looking to designate companies that they and other inner circle people control. We'll be looking at taking steps, as well, with regard to high-technology exports to their defense industry."
"All of this together is going to have an impact."
Obama lied claiming "strong evidence that (Moscow) encourag(ed) the activities in Eastern and Southern Ukraine."
"The goal here is not to go after Mr. Putin personally. The goal is to change his calculus with respect to how the current actions that he's engaging in could have an adverse impact on the Russian economy over the long haul."
"We're going to be in a stronger position to deter Putin when he sees that the world is unified and the United States and Europe is unified rather than this is just a US-Russian conflict."
World unity doesn't exist. Washington bullies other nations to acquiesce. EU ones harm their own self-interest complying.
Days earlier, coup-appointed putschist prime minister Arseny Yatsenyuk lied claiming Russia wants to "start world war three." He said it's doing it by occupying Ukraine "militarily and politically."
"Attempts at military conflict in Ukraine will lead to military conflict in Europe," he added.
"It is clear that Russia's goal is to wreck the election in Ukraine, remove the pro-Western and pro-Ukrainian government and occupy Ukraine politically and militarily," he claimed.
"Russia's support for terrorists and bandits who torture peaceful citizens is an international crime."
"If the United States, the European Union and the entire international community continues to be united and act together to compel Russia to fulfill its obligations, then we will maintain the peace, stability and international security system that Russia wants to destroy."
Fact: Sanctioning Russia has no legitimacy. Doing so is political. No legal authority exists.
Fact: Washington wants challengers to its global dominance eliminated. It wants pro-Western puppet regimes replacing them.
Fact: It bears repeating. Washington threatens, pressures and bullies other nations into compliance. Hegemons operate this way.
Washington exceeds the worst of previous ones. It threatens humanity's survival.
Fact: Russia goes all-out to resolve Ukrainian crisis conditions responsibly. Washington bears full responsibility for escalating things.
Fact: Washington orchestrated democratically elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's ouster.
Fact: It elevated xenophobic, ultranationalist, anti-Semitic, hate-mongering fascist extremists to power. They have no legitimacy whatever. They represent mob rule.
Fact: Yatsenyuk is a convenient US stooge. Blaming Russia for Kiev crimes doesn't wash.
Fact: Washington is humanity's greatest threat. Lunatics influence policy. Ukraine is ground zero. Challenging Russia risks possible WW III. Great conflicts start this way.
Freedom House calls itself "an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom around the world."
It deplores what it claims to support. It gets State Department and other US agency funding. It serves Washington's dark side. It furthers its imperial agenda.
David Kramer is executive director. He's hardcore neocon. He's a former Project for the New American Century (PNAC) senior fellow. He held various Bush administration positions.
He's a Russian specialist. He's an Obama task force member. It recommends Russian officials, business leaders and corporations to target.
"While imposing sanctions together with the EU would be nice, the US simply has to lead and not waste more time trying to present a united approach," he said.
"It's easier for us to do so than it is for the Europeans, and they will follow, as long as we lead."
China rejects US/EU sanctions. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Beijing "consistently opposed threatening or imposing sanctions."
"We believe that sanctions are not conducive to an issue's resolution, and may worsen tensions."
"We call on all sides to keep using dialogue and negotiation to appropriately resolve disagreements, to push for a political resolution to the Ukraine crisis. Sanctions are not in any party's interests."
Aleksey Pushkov heads Russia's lower house State Duma foreign affairs committee. He's a Moscow State Institute of International Relations professor.
"For the United States, Russia is an enemy and China is a potential enemy. But the confrontation course with both major powers is a strategic mistake," he said.
Obama's policy shows "the depth of his despair over (Moscow's) growing international" influence.
Separately, peaceful Kharkov weekend rallies became violent. Right Sector thugs attacked anti-Kiev protesters.
Over a dozen people were injured. So were two police officers. Local TV channels aired masked thugs beating activists.
They used bats and sticks. Cars were vandalized. Beatings were random. Anti-Kiev activists plan a massive May 1 demonstration.
They demand local autonomy. They chanted "No to bloody Kiev junta!"
At 11:30AM local time Monday, Kharkov Mayor Gennady Kerness was shot in the back while jogging.
He's seriously wounded. He may not survive. Interfax reported police investigators "working at the scene. The fact of the event has been entered in the single register of pre-trial investigations," it said.
"(E)fforts are under way to investigate all circumstances of this incident."
At the same time, police detained 15 local residents. They had masks, sticks and Molotov cocktails.
Slavyansk self-defense forces seized six Right Sector gunmen. They're being questioned.
Other self-defense forces were attacked en route to Kramatorsk's airport. Their spokesman said:
"We have obtained information that armed foreigners, mainly from the NATO countries, will be landing at the Kramatorsk airport, and sent our mobile group to check this information."
"We came under fire and had to retreat. However, none of our fighters were injured."
Journal Dmitry Timchuk coordinates anti-Kiev information resistance.
"The night went calmly," he said. "The only exception was the shots fired in the direction of our troops in the area of the Kramatorsk aerodrome."
"In the morning, law enforcement agencies came under fire here again."
On Sunday, pro-Russian activists seized a Donetsk TV station. They want blocked Russian channels reinstated. Technical work is underway to do it.
They plan Donetsk People's Republic television. They want Russian programming aired.
Channel 27 was removed. Russia 24 replaced it. According to station CEO Oleg Dzholos:
"There were many demands. First - switch off Ukrainian channels. I explained that we are Donetsk state TV and radio station and from our central control room, there is only our signal."
"There were experts and they understood me. The following demand was - not a demand, an ultimatum - to switch on, if I am not mistaken, Russia-24 TV channel."
Protesters brought satellite antennas and other equipment. Guards protected them.
In March, putschists blocked at least five Russian channels. They included Vesti, Russia-24, Channel One international broadcasts, RTR 'Pleneta,' and NTV World.
At the time an OSCE statement called doing so "repressive." It's "censorship," it added.
The battle for Ukraine's soul just began. It continues. It threatens to escalate out-of-control. At risk is potential East/West confrontation. All bets are off if it happens.
A Final Comment
Russia bashing propaganda remains intense. Anti-Russian Professor Keith Darden got feature New York Times op-ed space.
He headlined "The War on Truth in Ukraine." He lied claiming "Russian television made Slovyansk look like Guernica."
He cited Washington blaming Russia for crisis conditions beyond "a shadow of a doubt." He ignored clear evidence implicating putschists in Maidan killings.
He nonsensically called it "hard to pinpoint when (things) began." He equivocated on calling what happened a coup. He suggested sham May elections will be legitimate.
He said Russia may intervene "at the point of its own guns." He omitted what readers most need to know.
Washington installed putschists run things. They militant fascist thugs. They have no legitimacy whatever. Darden didn't explain.
Neocon Washington Post editors headlined "In Mr. Putin's Russia, the lights of liberty are flickering," saying:
"As Mr. Putin works to undermine Ukraine, he also is smothering what remains of the independent Internet-based news media and social media amid signs that discredited old Soviet tactics such as travel restrictions are coming back."
"The spark of free expression" is fading, they claimed. They praised Boris Yeltzin. He "g(ave) rise to a society freer than any in Russian history."
They ignored his dark side. He instituted Western-style shock therapy. He bled Russia dry.
He handed its wealth to kleptocratic oligarchs. He committed economic genocide.
He impoverished millions. He hung them out to dry. He let corruption and criminality flourish.
Grand theft became sport. Billions in stolen wealth were hidden in Western banks or offshore tax havens.
He surrounded himself with like-minded apparachiks. He used his presidency for unchallenged political power. He implemented policies behind closed doors.
Democracy was fantasy. Ordinary people had no say. Former Nezavisimaia Gazeta editor-in-chief Vitali Tret'iakov said earlier:
"(F)or the greater part of his presidency, Yeltsin slept, drank, was ill, relaxed, didn't show his face before the people and simply did nothing."
"Despised by the majority of (Russians, he'll) go down in history as the first president of Russia, having corrupted (the country) to the breaking point, not by his virtues and or by his defects, but rather by his dullness, primitiveness, and unbridled power lust of a hooligan."
He represented "free market" gangsterism. He was a Western darling. His human wreckage was ignored. WaPo editors turned a blind eye.
They bashed Putin irresponsibly for "working overtime to dismantle (his) legacy…(T)herein lies a second tragedy of the Ukraine coercion," they claimed.
They lied saying "(t)he rollback of democracy in Russia is not a new story. It began under Mr. Putin more than a decade ago."
Russian democracy shames America's fantasy version. WaPo editors didn't explain.
Wall Street Journal editors headlined "The Russia Problem," saying:
Western countries "need…rethinking (on) how to handle a revanchist Russia."
"…Mr. Putin grabbed Crimea…(H)is special forces are now fueling unrest in eastern Ukraine."
Russia "is an authoritarian regime bent on rewriting the rules of post-Cold War Europe."
"Lacking democratic legitimacy, (it) must employ an increasingly virulent nationalism and foreign conquest to maintain power."
"…(I)f unchecked (it) will continue beyond Ukraine."
Fact: Putin "grabbed" nothing.
Fact: Eastern Ukrainians act entirely on their own volition. No evidence suggests Russian involvement. Plenty indicts America overwhelmingly nationwide.
Fact: No Russian revanchism exists.
Fact: Putin respects national sovereignty and rule of law principles. He champions responsible polar-world policies.
Fact: Washington's hegemonic ambitions threatens humanity.
Fact: Foreign conquest is official US policy.
Fact: It bears repeating. Russian democracy shames America's sham version.
"The West…needs to act with more unity and conviction," said Journal editors. They want tougher anti-Russian policies.
They want more NATO involvement. They called Putin "a growing threat to Europe's peace and stability."
They barely stopped short of urging war. They substituted irresponsible hate-mongering rubbish for legitimate opinion. It's longstanding editorial policy.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Holocaust Remembrance Day Duplicity
Holocaust Remembrance Day Duplicity
by Stephen Lendman
Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated annually. It's on the Hebrew calendar's 27th day.
This year it runs from sundown April 27 to sunset April 28. Its 2013 theme is "1944: From Extermination to Liberation."
On April 27, six holocaust survivors lit torches. They did so during Yad Vashem holocaust museum ceremonies. Israeli officials laid wreaths.
Holocaust victim names were publicly recited all day. Much more takes place annually.
Never forget. Never again, was said. Hollow words. Other holocausts go unmentioned. Horrific ones exceed Hitler's final solution. More on this below.
At 10AM local Israeli time Monday, sirens echoed across Israel. Normal activity stopped. A ritual silence followed. Radio and television stations observed it.
Holocaust imagery is duplicitous. It rationalizes occupation harshness. It ignores Israeli state terrorism.
It turns a blind eye to its decades of crimes of war, against humanity and slow-motion genocide. It promotes unique Jewish suffering.
It characterizes Hitler's extermination policy as unparalleled. It's mindless of far greater genocides.
During WW II, three times as many Slavs died as Jews. Native American genocide was the greatest ever by far. An estimated 100 million perished. Ritual slaughter continued for 500 years.
Tens of millions of middle passage African slave lives lost don't matter. Nor do countless millions of corpses attesting to Washington's post-WW II barbarity alone.
Howard Zinn said America committed "genocide brutally and purposefully." It was done "in the name of progress."
US leaders buried ugly truths. They did so "in a mass of other facts, as radioactive wastes are buried in containers in the earth."
Zinn explained hundreds of years of ritual Native American slaughter. He did it from their point of view. He dispelled popular myths.
He called American slavery "the most cruel form in history: the frenzy for limitless profit that comes from capitalistic agriculture; the reduction of the slave to less than human status by the use of racial hatred, with that relentless clarity based on color, where white was master, black was slave."
His People's History of the United States explains what everyone needs to know. It covers what's airbrushed from duplicitous texts.
It exposes America's dark side. It's worse than ever today. It threatens humanity. Popular myths ignore it.
Vulgar dishonesty exploits Jewish suffering. Palestine's Nakba gets short shrift. Israel treats Palestinians like Hitler persecuted Jews.
Slow-motion genocide is official Israeli policy. State-sponsored viciousness reflects it. Yad Vashem ceremonies ignored it.
Mahmoud Abbas is a longtime Israeli collaborator. His promises lack credibility. His words ring hollow.
On Sunday, he called murdering Jews "the most heinous crime against humanity in modern history."
He ignored Nakba suffering. He said nothing about decades of Israeli ritual slaughter.
He expressed sympathy to the "families of the victims and the innocent people who were killed by the Nazis including the Jews and others."
He said the holocaust represents the "concept of ethnic discrimination and racism which the Palestinians strongly reject and act against."
He asked international leaders to combat racism and injustice. He urged them "to bring to justice and equity to the oppressed people wherever they are."
"The Palestinian people are suffering from injustice, oppression and denied freedom and peace," he said.
"We are the first to demand to lift the injustice and racism that befell on people subjected to such crimes."
"On this occasion, we call on the Israeli government to seize this current opportunity to conclude a just and comprehensive peace in the region, based on two-states vision, Israel and Palestine lives side by side in peace and security."
He's Israel's enforcer. He turns a blind eye to Palestinian suffering. He exacerbates horrific conditions. He's done nothing to alleviate them.
Netanyahu responded to his statement. One rogue followed another. Abbas "must choose between Hamas and true peace," he said.
He "made a covenant" with Hamas. He lied claiming it wants Israel destroyed. He's a serial liar.
He prioritizes state terrorism. He craves violence. He deplores peace. He partners in Washington's imperial crimes. He waged war on Palestine. He did so throughout his tenure.
He lied on holocaust remembrance day. He called it an occasion to "prevent a nuclear-armed Iran."
He asked why years before Hitler's "final solution" world leaders didn't see it coming. "How could it be that so many didn't understand reality," he asked?
"Like back then, some perceive Iran's nuclear aspirations as… something to accept. Like back then, they are making a historic mistake."
H lied claiming Iran calls for Israel's destruction "That's the reason it is building bunkers, a heavy-water facility," he said.
"That's why it's constructing ballistic missiles." He called on world leaders to demand Tehran abandon its (entirely peaceful) nuclear capabilities.
He ignored Israel's formidable nuclear, chemical and biological weapons arsenal. He said nothing about its intention to use it if threatened.
Longstanding Israeli state-terrorism went unmentioned. Holocaust remembrance day commemorations whitewashed Israel's dark side.
Iran-bashing was featured. Lies substituted for truth.
Separately, John Kerry said Israel risks becoming an apartheid state. More on this below. He ignored decades of apartheid policies. They exceed the worst of South Africa's dark days.
Colonialism, apartheid and longterm occupation breach fundamental international laws. UN Charter provisions affirm self-determination for all peoples.
So does the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It calls it a fundamental international law principle.
The 1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (the Declaration on Colonialism), condemns "colonialism in all its forms and manifestations."
The 1973 International Convention for the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid (the Apartheid Convention), calls it state-sanctioned discriminatory "inhuman" racism.
It's "committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them."
Apartheid is official Israeli policy. It's an international crime. The 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court affirms it. Israel is flagrantly guilty. It's yet to be held accountable.
Apartheid exists when states annex territorial control over another people's land. When it denies them self-determination. Israel does it by:
- violating Palestine's integrity;
- prohibiting meaningful self-government;
- integrating the area's economy into its own;
- controlling its resources;
- denying Palestinians economic enfranchisement, free movement, expression, and their historical heritage;
- denying them equity and justice;
- maintaining nearly 47 years of brutal militarized occupation;
- committing state-sponsored terrorism with impunity;
- committing crimes of war, against humanity and slow-motion genocide.
Kerry ignored what's most important, saying:
"A two-state solution will be clearly underscored as the only real alternative."
"Because a unitary state winds up either being an apartheid state with second class citizens - or it ends up being a state that destroys the capacity of Israel to be a Jewish state."
"Once you put that frame in your mind, that reality, which is the bottom line, you understand how imperative it is to get to the two state solution, which both leaders, even yesterday, said they remain deeply committed to."
Years ago two states were viable. No longer. Israel controls over 60% of West Bank land. It claims Jerusalem as its exclusive capital.
When completed, the Apartheid Wall will control up to 12% of Palestinian land. Isolated bantustans on worthless scrubland mocks legitimate self-determination.
Kerry's "unitary state" characterization suggests business as usual. It refers to overall top down control.
Doing so denies Palestinians self-determination on their own land and country. It exposes US/Israeli peace process duplicity.
Unitary state control exists. Israel controls borders, air space, offshore waters, vital resources, the official currency, tax revenues, and administration over all Greater Israel.
Palestinians have no say whatever. Sovereign independence is denied. Kerry's characterization reflects reality.
Breaking Israel's chokehold is vital. Kerry's comment suggests no change. Apartheid remains official Israeli policy. Peace process duplicity rubber-stamps it.
Jimmy Carter is right saying: "Apartheid is a word that is an accurate description of what has been going on in the West Bank, and it's based on the desire or avarice of a minority of Israelis for Palestinian land."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
More Lawless US Sanctions on Russia
More Lawless US Sanctions on Russia
by Stephen Lendman
"The United States has taken further action today in response to Russia's continued illegal intervention in Ukraine and provocative acts that undermine Ukraine's democracy and threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity."
"Since April 17, Russia has done nothing to meet its Geneva commitments and in fact has further escalated the crisis."
"Russia's involvement in the recent violence in eastern Ukraine is indisputable."
"Consequently, today the United States is imposing targeted sanctions on a number of Russian individuals and entities and restricting licenses for certain US exports to Russia."
"The Department of the Treasury is imposing sanctions on seven Russian government officials, including two members of President Putin's inner circle, who will be subject to an asset freeze and a US visa ban, and 17 companies linked to Putin's inner circle, which will be subject to an asset freeze."
"In addition, the Department of Commerce has imposed additional restrictions on 13 of those companies by imposing a license requirement with a presumption of denial for the export, re-export or other foreign transfer of US-origin items to the companies."
"Further, today the Departments of Commerce and State have announced a tightened policy to deny export license applications for any high-technology items that could contribute to Russia’s military capabilities."
"Those Departments also will revoke any existing export licenses that meet these conditions."
Fact: Sanctions on Russia have no legitimacy whatever.
Fact: They're political.
Fact: They have no legal standing.
Fact: They expose Washington's dark side.
Fact: Hegemons operate this way.
Fact: Washington exceeds the worst in world history.
Fact: It risks East/West confrontation.
Fact: It risks possible WW III.
Fact: It threatens humanity's survival.
On March 20, Obama's Executive Order Blocking Property of Additional Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine authorized Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to target Russian officials and economic interests lawlessly.
Expect harsher measures to follow. Expect heightened tensions to escalate.
Moscow promised an appropriate response. Sanctions cut both ways. Russia can hurt America numerous ways.
Bilateral ruble/renminbi trade weakens dollar strength. It's a pillar of America's geopolitical/military might. It furthers US supremacy. It does so at the expense of other nations.
It finances America's global military machine. It advances US imperialism. It benefits financial speculation.
It facilitates corporate takeovers. It does so at the expense of beneficial social change, human and civil rights. It denies democratic values.
Global central banks recycle dollar inflows. They do so into US Treasuries. They finance America's deficit. It matters with QE diminishing. Perhaps ending.
Petroruble/petrorenminbi trade weakens petrodollar strength. Imagine other nations going the same route.
Imagine petrodollar might becoming a shadow of its former self. Imagine destructive US policies waning.
Imagine mighty America going the way of all previous empires. It's not a matter of if. It's when. It's by what means. Sooner or later it's coming. It can't happen a moment too soon.
Itar Tass responded to Obama's arrogance, saying:
"The United States announced new sanctions against Russia in relation to the events in Ukraine."
"The US Department of treasury said that the list includes presidential envoy to the Crimean region Oleg Belaventsev, CEO of Rostech Sergei Chemezov, Deputy prime-minister Dmitry Kozak, Federal Guard Service Eugene Murov, Chairman of the State Duma lower house committee for international affairs Alexei Pushkov, head of Rosheft Igor Sechin, the first deputy head of the presidential administration Vyacheslav Volodin."
Earlier US sanctions targeted other Russian officials. Doing so reflects imperial arrogance.
Washington "suspended cooperation with Russia in the field of combating drug trafficking and in the space industry (except for the International Space Station project), and introduced restrictions for supplying military and double-purpose products to Russia," said Itar Tass.
EU countries "blacklist(ed) another 15 people." EU Council members targeted "those responsible for the lack of reduction of tension in the east of Ukraine."
EU states blacklisted 48 Russian officials to date. They're banned from EU travel until November. Their Western bank accounts, if any, are frozen.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov "strongly condemn(ed) the announced set of measures aimed at trying to put pressure on Russia by means of sanctions."
"Unilateral exterritorial sanctions are illegitimate in nature," he said.
"Not only do they not conform to the norms of civilised interstate communication and the practice of international relations, but they also run counter to international law."
"By making this decision, the United States was guided by absolutely distorted and unfounded perceptions regarding the events in Ukraine and around it."
"Washington is pouring oil on the flames but has done nothing, has not taken even one step to bring its proteges in Kiev to their senses."
"The new attempt at diktat and ultimatum undertaken by America against us will add no chance for a constructive resolution of the problems."
"The demands the protesters are putting forth in the eastern regions of Ukraine are absolutely legitimate."
"Instead of exerting pressure and making attempts to impose certain solutions, the United States should get preoccupied with more intensive and substantive work with its clients in Kiev in order to normalise the situation."
"We will respond, although it is not our choice. (W)e can't leave this situation without reaction, without practical reaction, without reaction by means of our own decision. US behavior in the field is becoming provocative."
Putin aide Andrei Belousov said sanctions imposed "are insignificant. There may be some short-lived effects, but they are unlikely to have any serious annual impact."
On Monday, Putin said Western sanctions advantage Russia in some ways. Domestic business is bolstered.
Offshore funds came home. Policymakers are establishing a domestic payment system.
Last week, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said sanctions make Russia stronger.
"Thanks to Western sanctions, Russia has been given the incentive to reduce its dependence on outside and instead regional economies are being more self-sufficient."
Restricting Russian Western exports redirects them to Asia. They're sold elsewhere. Expect Sino/Russian ties to become stronger than ever.
Perhaps other significant trading partners will join them. Perhaps Washington and rogue EU partners shot themselves in the foot.
It remains to be seen what follows. Perhaps more sanctions. Perhaps Russia retaliating in kind. Perhaps escalating tensions further.
Perhaps the worst of all possible outcomes. Stay tuned for further updates.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukraine: Ground Zero for Possible WW III
Ukraine: Ground Zero for Possible WW IIIby Stephen LendmanThe possibility is too real to dismiss. What's ongoing is how great conflicts begin. A forthcoming book discusses it in debth.It's titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony risks WW I...
NYT Russia Bashing Stench
NYT Russia Bashing Stench
by Stephen Lendman
In 2005, Chicago's famed City News Bureau closed. Times correspondents, contributors and editors ignore it notable principle.
"It your mother tells you she loves you, check it out with two independent sources," it said. Get it right before publishing.
Journalism requires truth-telling. Times rubbish features managed news misinformation. Readers are systematically lied to. The so-called newspaper of record is a de facto Washington house organ.
Discredited Times correspondent Judith Miller wrote daily propaganda rubbish. Front page space featured it.
War on Iraq was promoted. Lawlessly destroying the cradle of civilization followed.
Miller reflects the worst of irresponsible journalism. She was a reporter with an agenda.
She was a de facto Pentagon press agent. Her sources were a Noah's Ark of scam artists. She remains unapologetic.
So do current Times correspondents, contributors and editors. They continue her disgraceful agenda.
They lie for power. They substitute garbage for real news and information.
They bash Russia relentlessly. They do it irresponsibly. They ignore US imperial crimes. They support Kiev fascist putschists.
They make yellow journalism look good by comparison. The late Gore Vidal called The Times the "Typhoid Mary of American journalism." He did so for good reason.
An April 15 Times article headlined "Russia Is Quick to Bend Truth About Ukraine."
It lied about Putin and Prime Minister Medvedev. It called their honest assessment "misinformation, exaggerations, conspiracy theories, overheated rhetoric and, occasionally outright lies…"
It turned truth on its head claiming "an extraordinary (Kremlin) propaganda campaign."
A same day Times editorial headlined "Mr. Putin's Power Play," saying:
"When President Vladimir Putin of Russia talks about what is happening in Ukraine these days, it is as if he’s looking into a mirror."
"He says fascists and nationalists are running amok in Kiev, even as Crimea is annexed in the name of Great Russia…"
"(H)e says Russians are threatened in eastern Ukraine, even as Russia directs secessionists there to seize administrative buildings and arms…"
"(H)e calls on President Obama to use his influence to prevent the use of force in Ukraine, even as he puts a major military force on the Ukrainian border."
Fact: Washington toppled Ukraine's democratically elected government. It violated international, constitutional and US statute law doing so.
Fact: It elevated illegitimate fascist putschists to power.
Fact: They're xenophobic, ultranationist, anti-democratic, anti-Semitic, anti-Russian hate-mongers.
Fact: Washington threatens world peace. So do Kiev putschists.
Fact: Putin prioritizes peaceful conflict resolution.
Fact: Washington prioritizes war, mass slaughter, destruction and world domination.
Don't expect Times editors to explain. Lies, damn lies and Big ones substitute for credible news and analysis.
"What the world sees is an outrageous and highly dangerous power play," said Times editors.
"A report by the United Nations high commissioner for human rights says 'greatly exaggerated stories of harassment of ethnic Russians by Ukrainian nationalist extremists' in Crimea were 'systematically used to create a climate of fear and insecurity.' "
Fact: Russian Ukrainian policy represents the best of peaceful conflict resolution.
Fact: Washington's agenda features "dangerous power play" policies.
Fact: Times reporting substitutes propaganda for real news, information and analysis. It's longstanding editorial policy.
Fact: Eastern Ukrainians acted on their own volition. They've done so without Russian involvement.
Not according to Times editors. They lied claiming Moscow "incit(ed) secessionists…" They make stuff up. No credible evidence supports them. None exists.
Fact: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay lost credibility long ago. She's an imperial tool. She disgraces the office she holds.
Her reports bury truth. They substitute misinformation garbage. She's pro-putschist. She's anti-democratic governance.
She marches in lock step with US imperial policy. So do Times editors. Russia bashing persists irresponsibly. Truth is systematically buried.
Big Lies follow earlier ones. In early April, The Times hyped fake satellite photos. They "show(ed) Russia(n)" hoards on Ukraine's borders.
NATO supplied them. Images "offered some of the first documentary evidence of a military buildup that the West says Russia could use to invade Ukraine at any moment," said The Times.
Images released dated from August 2013. Russia's General Staff exposed them. Times mea culpa didn't follow. Liars don't apologize. Big Lies repeat.
A follow-up Times report hyped fake photos allegedly linking masked men in East Ukraine to Russia.
It lied calling them the same "Russian military and intelligence forces - equipped in the same fashion as Russian special operations troops involved in annexing the Crimea region in February."
Clear evidence showed otherwise. Claiming Russian military involvement in Crimean reunification reflected another Times Big Lie.
On April 26, The Times headlined "For Russia, Negatives Seem to Outweigh Positives for an Invasion," saying:
"Thousands of Russian troops are maneuvering along the border, with Russian fighter jets menacing Ukraine’s airspace."
"Ukrainian leaders have warned that border crossings by any soldiers would be considered an invasion, even while the country pursues military operations against a pro-Russian rebellion in the east."
Fact: Russian military exercises don't threaten Ukraine.
Fact: Its airspace wasn't violated. Russia's Defense Ministry debunked spurious accusations. Its statement said:
"Russia's airspace monitoring systems have not registered any violations of air borders of the states adjacent to Russia, including Ukraine."
On the one hand, said The Times, Putin "seems to have strong reasons to dispatch his tanks: shaping the Ukraine he wants well before elections scheduled for May 25 put a new, legitimate government in place; reclaiming an area that was historically part of Russia; gaining direct access to natural resources and factories that have been crucial to Moscow's military-industrial complex since Soviet times."
"And his land grab of Crimea in March made him wildly popular at home."
On the other, it added:
"Yet the reasons for Mr. Putin to refrain from further military adventurism make a longer, more tangled list: the cost of a huge occupation force and the responsibility for the welfare of millions more people; the effect of new, more severe Western sanctions on an already weak economy; the possibility of significant Russian casualties caused by an insurgency in eastern Ukraine; a new, implacably anti-Russian western section of Ukraine; and likely pariah status internationally."
Fact: Putin and Obama are geopolitical opposites.
Putin isn't expansionist. His agenda isn't revanchist. He deplores imperial rampaging. He prioritizes peace and stability. He respects for rule of law principles.
Obama trashes international, constitutional and US statute laws. He's waging multiple direct and proxy wars. His imperial policy threatens world peace.
Don't expect The Times to explain. "Mr. Putin would rather feed the insurrection from afar," it claims.
He "never quite allow(s) the calm that would give Ukraine the opening needed to join the European Union, or worse, NATO."
"It is a tactic Russia has used successfully in previous attempts by former Soviet republics to shift westward."
Fact: Putin respects national sovereignty. He's polar opposite Washington. He doesn't intervene against other nations lawlessly like Obama and previous warrior presidents.
He supports peace and stability. He backs multi-polar world policies. He's geopolitically on the right side of history. He reflects leadership America lacks.
Claiming "signs that Russia seems poised to invade" is another Times Big Lie.
A matching one calls US aggression humanitarian intervention. So-called responsibility to protect is pretext for ravaging, destroying and plundering one country after another.
Times correspondents, contributors and editors leave inconvenient truths unexplained. Big Lies substitute.
Longstanding policy features them. Rubbish substitutes for news fit print. Increasing numbers of readers vote with their feet and ignore it. Maybe some day everyone will.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Mass Hunger Striking for Justice
Mass Hunger Striking for Justice
by Stephen Lendman
Thousands of Palestinian political prisoners languish in Israel's gulag. Hundreds are detained administratively.
They're uncharged. They committed no crimes. Many are held longterm. Some are released and rearrested.
Prolonged arbitrary detention breaches international law. Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states:
1. "Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention."
"No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedures as are established by law."
2. "Anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for his arrest and shall be promptly informed of any charges against him."
4. "Anyone who is deprived of his liberty by arrest or detention shall be entitled to take proceedings before a court, in order that that court may decide without delay on the lawfulness of his detention and order his release if the detention is not lawful."
Arbitrary administrative detentions violate international laws, standards and norms. Israeli abuse of power is longstanding.
Four Israeli entities have authorizing power:
- its Israeli Security Agency (ISA);
- military commanders;
- military prosecutor's office; and
- military judges adjudicating cases.
ISA or police interrogate detainees. Military commanders decide on whether to hold them and for how long.
Judges have final say. Each order permits three or six month detentions. They can be indefinitely renewed. They can last years. Potentially forever.
Innocent Palestinians suffer grievous Israeli injustice. On April 24, 186 administrative detainee began hunger striking for justice.
A press release called it the only way possible for legitimate rights. Prisoners urged widespread public support.
They demand their unconditional release. International law supports them.
On April 24, the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association headlined "Mass Hunger-Strike Launched by Palestinian 'Administrative Detainees,' " saying:
"All those involved are being held under administrative detention, which is a procedure whereby detainees are held without charge or trial."
Palestinian hunger strikers reflect uncommon courage. Mass willingness to die for justice is unprecedented. Many hunger struck before en masse. In 2012, about 2,000 political prisoners were involved.
In May 2012, Israeli promises were made. They were systematically broken. They included:
- ending administrative detentions except under special circumstances;
- ending solitary confinement with 72 hours;
- ending family visitation bans;
- revoking the punitive Shalit Law; it toughened prison conditions; and
- improved conditions overall.
Israeli promises aren't worth the paper they're written. Key ones Palestinians demanded were violated straightaway.
Ofer, Megiddo and Naqab Prison detainees hunger stuck. Plans suggest escalating it if key demands aren't met.
Strikers want long denied justice. They want administrative detentions ended. They want current ones limited to one 3 - 6 month extension only.
Israel's Prison Service responded harshly. Strikers were isolated. They're held in tents. They're uncharged. They're untried.
They're detained on secret nonexistent evidence. Defense counsel can't access it. Denying them violates fundamental international law. Israel does it with impunity.
Some detainees spend years in prison. They're never told why. Since June 1967, tens of thousands of Palestinians were administratively held.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees, over 800,000 were lawlessly imprisoned since June 1967 overall. Around 5,000 are currently held.
"Administrative Detention is the 'unknown enemy' which the detainees face, as it is a punishment without a charge, without an indictment," said the Ministry.
"Administrative detainees are held without trial. Neither they or their lawyers are allowed to defend themselves, simply because they face what Israel calls a 'secret file' that no one is allowed to see."
"Each arbitrary Administrative Detention order is usually 1 to 6 months, issued by military commanders in the occupied Palestinian territories."
"Such orders target both men and women of different ages, young and old, including physicians, engineers, professors, teachers, journalists and elected legislators and officials."
"Such orders are repeatedly renewed and, in many cases, just as the detainees are about to step out of prison, they are informed of a new order, often spending months and years under such orders without even knowing when, or if, they will ever be freed."
Addameer is clear and unequivocal saying it "holds the Israeli authorities solely responsible for the health of all hunger strikers."
It "demands that all contracting parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention pressure Israel to immediately release all administrative detainees and cease the use of administrative detention."
It "calls on global civil society to mobilize without delay in support of the striking detainees and 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners currently being held in Israeli prisons."
A Final Comment
"Stop administrative detention(s)," says Addameer. "Join (its) Global End Administrative Detention Campaign!"
"Addameer calls on activists and people of conscience to stand in solidarity with all political prisoners and join Addameer Prisoners' Support and Human Rights Organization's upcoming global campaign against administrative detention."
Around 5,000 "Palestinians are currently detained by Israel; 10 of them women, 193 of them children, and (nearly 200) under administrative detention, a decrepit policy that Israel uses to hold Palestinians on secret information indefinitely without charging them or allowing them to stand trial."
"Not only are these prisoners held arbitrarily, but Israel's use of administrative detention violates several international standards, such as deporting Palestinians from the occupied territory to Israel, denying regular family visits and failing to take into account the best interests of child detainees as required under international law."
"We need your support to break their chains and the silence on administrative detention."
"Today, Israel has outsourced security for prisons where Palestinians are held to a British-Danish company named G4S."
"Along with the Israeli Prison Service, G4S is responsible for the harsh conditions the prisoners faced during the historic 2012 hunger strikes that thousands of Palestinians participated in, including two hunger strikers that neared death in protest of their arbitrary detention, Khader Adnan and Hana Al-Shalabi."
"G4S is also complicit in Israel’s detention of nearly one-third of the Palestinian Legislative Council since 2006, and for dozens of human rights defenders being arrested every year for participating in popular resistance."
"The government of Israel should release all administrative detainees, and in the meantime, all administrative detainees must be granted their rights in accordance with international law."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama’s War on Net Neutrality
Obama's War on Net Neutrality
by Stephen Lendman
In 2008, candidate Obama pledged "(s)upport (for) the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet."
He'd "take a back seat to no one," he said. He lied. He didn't surprise. He's a serial liar. He broke every major promise made.
He heads a repressive homeland police state apparatus. He's waging war on free expression. He prioritizes intellectual property protection over Internet freedom.
He's targeting it for elimination altogether. His first FCC chairman Julius Genachowski was disastrous. He established an "Open Internet Rule."
It was "doomed from the start," said Free Press.net. It was "(b)uilt on a flimsy legal foundation."
It was riddled with corporate-friendly loopholes. In January, federal appeals court judges shot it down. According to Free Press Senior Director of Strategy Tim Karr:
They "stripped the agency of its ability to stop companies like AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner Cable from blocking websites and degrading Internet access."
Last November, Genachowski stepped down. Tom Wheeler replaced him. Obama lied saying he's "a strong supporter of Net Neutrality." He's polar opposite.
On April 24, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) headlined "FCC's New Rules Threaten Net Neutrality."
They let Internet service providers (ISPs) charge content companies extra for preferential treatment.
It lets content they send reach "pay to play" users ahead of others. On May 15, FCC commissioners hold their next public meeting.
They'll vote up or down on Wheeler's rules. Free Press President and CEO Craig Aaron said the following:
"With this proposal, the FCC is aiding and abetting the largest ISPs in their efforts to destroy the open Internet."
"Giving ISPs the green light to implement pay-for-priority schemes will be a disaster for startups, nonprofits and everyday Internet users who cannot afford these unnecessary tolls."
"These users will all be pushed onto the Internet dirt road, while deep-pocketed Internet companies enjoy the benefits of the newly created fast lanes."
"This is not Net Neutrality. It's an insult to those who care about preserving the open Internet to pretend otherwise."
"The FCC had an opportunity to reverse its failures and pursue real Net Neutrality by reclassifying broadband under the law."
"Instead, in a moment of political cowardice and extreme shortsightedness, it has chosen this convoluted path that won't protect Internet users."
"This approach is almost certain to be rejected by the courts. Contrary to statements by Chairman Wheeler, the court did not invite the FCC to pursue this path."
"The court clearly told the FCC that if it wishes to ensure Internet users can send and receive information free from ISP interference, then the FCC has to classify ISPs as telecom carriers under Title II of the Communications Act."
"The FCC apparently doesn't realize the dangerous incentives these rules would create. The routing of data on the Internet is a zero-sum game. Unless there is continual congestion, no website would pay for priority treatment."
"This means the FCC's proposed rules will actually produce a strong incentive for ISPs to create congestion through artificial scarcity."
"Not only would this outcome run counter to the FCC's broader goals, it actually undermines the so-called Section 706 legal basis for these rules."
"This proposal is short-sighted and should be strenuously opposed by the broader Internet community - including millions of Americans who have urged Chairman Wheeler and his predecessors to safeguard the open Internet."
"The only parties cheering this idea on will be the largest ISPs that stand to profit from discrimination. We urge Chairman Wheeler's colleagues not to support this item as currently drafted and to demand nothing less than real Net Neutrality."
Internet architecture lets anyone innovate. It does so without ISP permission. Wheeler's scheme plays favorites.
Pay more, get more. At the same time, weaken Net Neutrality on route to destroying it altogether.
Prioritizing Internet data is a zero-sum game. Unless congestion exists, web sites so far don't pay extra for special treatment.
Wheeler's scheme encourages congestion. It does so through "artificial scarcity," says Free Press.
It does it by "clamping down on the data stream and charging more per bit." Internet users deserve opposite operating rules.
They deserve "fast, open, affordable and abundant" ways to access data, Free Press added.
"Under Wheeler's scheme, there is no motivation for ISPs to deliver the next-generation Internet." He lied claiming it protects Net Neutrality.
Doing it, said Free Press, requires "reclassif(ing) broadband providers as common carriers they are."
Wheeler's "convoluted prioritization scheme…undercuts" level playing field conditions. Existing ones made the Internet "a powerful engine for opportunity."
EFF called Wheeler's "pay to play" scheme "profoundly dangerous for competition." Innovator startups can't afford extra costs. They can't to reach customers at same speeds.
Nor can most web companies. Wheeler rules make ISPs "gatekeepers to their subscribers." On April 24, an FCC statement lied, saying:
Proposed new rules won't let ISPs "act in a commercially unreasonable manner to harm the Internet, including favoring the traffic from an affiliated entity."
At the same time, ISPs will decide how "commercially reasonable" will be interpreted. They'll take full advantage. Maximize profits matters most.
The devil is always in details, said EFF. FCC procedure requires a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM).
Once issued, people are invited to comment. Protecting Net Neutrality demands it. FCC members must respond. Much is on the line on how they rule.
Wheeler assumed FCC duties last November. He's not what Net Neutrality supporters had in mind.
He's a former top Obama fundraiser. He's an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He's a former cable and wireless industries lobbyist.
Candidate Obama pledged "to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over."
President Obama benefits enormously from millions they contribute and raise on his behalf. They host fundraisers.
They're White House favorites. They got the FCC boss they wanted. The Los Angeles Times once called Wheeler "the rock star of telecom."
He's a longtime communications industry insider. He was an Obama 2008 transition team member. He served on his Intelligence Advisory Board.
He previously headed the National Cable Television and Cellular Telecommunications and Internet (lobbying) associations.
He's Core Capital Partners' managing director. He previously founded cable, wireless and video communication services companies.
He's connected to 16 board members in 16 organizations representing 21 communications-related industries."
He's industry friendly and then some. He's opposite of what Net Neutrality advocates deserve. Consumer advocacy isn't his long suit.
His "pay to play" scheme is polar opposite his duplicitous commitment to "free and open Internet" policy.
During his June 2013 Senate confirmation hearing, he lied saying:
"If I am fortunate enough to be confirmed, my client will be the American public and I hope that I can be as effective an advocate for them as humanly possible."
His "payola Internet" policy insults "millions of people who have actively called on (FCC members) to preserve the open Internet," said Free Press.
It belies Obama's promise to do so. Free Press is blunt saying:
Obama's choice is clear. He's either "for Net Neutrality (or) Wheeler's Internet payola." No in between. No longer "for both."
On April 25, Free Press headlined "It's Time to Launch the Biggest Protest the FCC Has Ever Seen."
It's vital to stop Wheeler's "pay to play" rules. Establishing them lets telecom giants "pick winners and losers."
It lets them "discriminate against online content and applications." Wheeler "has the nerve to call this 'Net Neutrality.' "
Users demand the real thing. Grassroots activism is needed. "Demand Real Net Neutrality," said Free Press.
"Stop the FCC from Breaking the Internet." Write Tom Wheeler as follows:
"The future of the open Internet is in your hands. And yet you have proposed rules that would actually break it.
Your proposed path would open the door to widespread discrimination online.
It would give Internet service providers the green light to implement pay-for-priority schemes that would be a disaster for startups, nonprofits and everyday Internet users who cannot afford these unnecessary tolls.
I urge you to scrap these proposed rules and instead restore the principle of online nondiscrimination by reclassifying broadband as a telecommunications service."
May 15 is decision day. Pay for play rules are planned. "Goodbye open Internet," says Free Press President Craig Aaron. "Hello payola Schinternet."
His scheme isn't the last word. He needs majority FCC agreement to prevail.
Public comment comes next. Final rules not until late summer. Most likely after November elections.
Acting now is crucial. Doing so through mid-May builds public pressure.
Plenty is needed to defeat Wheeler. It's his way or Net Neutrality. It's top down or bottom up control. There's no in between.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev-Style Democracy
Kiev-Style Democracy
by Stephen Lendman
Kiev putschists have total control. They usurped it illegitimately. Challengers aren't tolerated. Democracy is pure fantasy. Police state lawlessness replaced it.
Dissenters are targeted. So are Russian nationals. Sham May elections will be farcical when held. Fascism operates this way.
Thought control is official policy. Aleksandr Panteleyonov learned the hard way. He was National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU) acting CEO. A previous article discussed him.
Last month, neo-Nazi thugs stormed his office. He was accused of airing anti-Ukrainian programming. He was threatened, bullied and beaten.
He was forced to resign. He's lucky to be alive. "Write your resignation," he was told. "Sit down. I told you, sit down."
"You are feating in my Ukraine…Here is a paper (and) pen. Write the resignation now quickly, you animal…You are Moskal garbage." It's a Ukrainian ethnic Russian slur.
Panteleymonov said he's Ukrainian, not Russian. Putschists called him "sh.t!"
"You campaigned for Moscow," they said. "You lied to Ukrainians for our money. NTU is Ukraine's largest state broadcaster.
Putschists want their message alone aired. They want dissenting views silenced. Independent voices are prohibited.
So are Russian TV channels. RT International said its former satellite service provider was "threatened by unknown gunmen."
Days earlier, radicalized masked elements stormed a Kiev city council meeting. They came armed with bats and hammers.
They forced anti-regime members to resign. Lots more disturbing incidents followed. Democratic governance is gone.
Oleg Tsarev is a presidential aspirant. A previous article discussed him. He's a former Yanukovych-led Party of Regions people's deputy.
On April 7, he was lawlessly expelled. During months of US-manipulated violent Maidan protests, he forthrightly opposed them.
He participated in a Svoboda Slova talk show. He paid dearly for doing so. Neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs attacked him.
He was brutally beaten. He was seriously injured. His candidacy stands. He won't withdraw. He's barred from presidential debates.
"I am the sole presidential candidate who has been stripped of the right to use government-provided bodyguards," he said.
"I agreed to participate in the TV debates via a video channel. In response, I was told that the national television company (NTU) is unable to arrange for this."
"Too bad. It would be a good chance to explain the way the people in the country's southeast feel to the authorities and to the whole of Ukraine."
Presidential candidate Mikahil Dobkin participated on the same talk show as Tsarev. En route, Right Sector thugs confronted him.
They blocked his car. They damaged it. His aides were attacked. Dobkin explained on air. He was doused with flour and green antiseptic solution.
He and Tsarvev are independent candidates. He vowed to revive diplomatic relations responsibly with Moscow if elected.
Putschists intend having one of their own become president. Unchallenged rule is planned.
Violent incidents aren't isolated. Tsarev was attacked in Odessa. His press service reported him missing.
Possible kidnapping was suggested. Later he resurfaced. Earlier, he and presidential candidate Sergey Tigipko were pelted with eggs.
These type incidents are "being carried out by the fighters, hired by local (pro-Kiev) authorities," said Tsarev.
"In all areas of the south and the east, these questions are supervised by first deputies newly appointed by the governors."
"Everyone has around 200 fighters on their allowance," he added. Right Sector neo-Nazis and "local small criminals" are enlisted.
"Present day authorities in Kiev with their Right Sector and the National Guard, consisting of former militants, have not invented anything new," Tsarvev added.
They use "language of threats and individual terror." They enforce hardline rule. They aim to "discourage not only historical memory, but also very fresh memories of 'Eurorevolution.' "
Putschists "ignored adopted laws which they passed themselves, for example, an amnesty for all participants in the riots."
They call Eastern Ukrainian protests "separatist." They call participants "terrorists (and) bandits."
Obama's new friends are militant fascist thugs. He calls them democrats. One fascist regime supports another.
Ukrainians nationwide have much to fear. So do peace-loving people everywhere. Escalating crisis conditions threaten much worse ahead.
Russian journalists are persona non grata. Over 20 were denied entry to Ukraine. Reasons given were spurious.
Moscow expressed outrage. So did the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), saying:
"Democratic governments have no business barring journalists from working based on nationality."
"Restricting media access only increases suspicion and misunderstanding."
Russian TV channel Avezda correspondent Maksim Dodonov explained his ordeal, saying:
"I spent nearly seven hours in a room they called either a hotel or a lounge."
"It was a small, very hot stuffy room with nothing but a bed and a table there."
"There are no people there. They just lock you in and leave."
Crews from a dozen other Russian news agencies were blocked. They included Russian business daily Kommersant, RT International and Forbes Russia.
Forbes journalist Pavel Sedakov said "(w)e showed our press cards, but that only made things worse."
"They told us we’re being denied entry for three years. They interrogated us for quite a long time and then filmed all the equipment we had with us."
A joint CPJ Europe/Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ornianova statement said:
"We call on Ukrainian authorities to ensure that all journalists, foreign and domestic, are able to report freely and without obstruction on the unfolding events in Ukraine."
OSCE Media Freedom representative Dunja Mijatovic called on Kiev to stop attacking Eastern Ukrainian journalists violently.
She ignored Kiev-imposed thought control nationwide. Russia's Foreign Ministry denounced her, saying:
"The emphases are often put in the anti-Russian mood. Dunja Mijatovic focuses attention on the developments that took place around the buildings of television companies in Kharkov, Donetsk and Lugansk on April 7."
"But she says nothing about the fact that the actions of the protesters were triggered by the limitations of their right to receive information after the closure of Russian television channels."
Last month, Kiev blocked four Russian TV channels. Doing so violated internationally recognized media freedom standards.
Moscow's Foreign Ministry Commissioner for Human Rights Konstantin Dolgov said banning Russian content violated "every (one's) right to watch television and have access to media in Russian."
A Reporters Without Borders statement said:
"Since Crimea's incorporation into Russia, several Russian media have reported cases of their journalists being turned back at the Ukrainian border."
"When Kommersant reporter Andrey Kolesnikov and photographer Dmitry Azarov tried to visit Kharkov on April 8 to cover the events there, border guards denied them entry on the official grounds that they did not have enough money on them."
Anti-regime figures are targeted. In early March, Donetsk's people's governor Pavel Gubarev was arrested.
He's charged with "organizing mass disorder (and) infringing the territorial integrity and independence of the state."
He's a political prisoner. He's isolated. He's on hunger strike for justice.
According to his wife, Ekaterina, his lawyer said it's "in solidarity with guys who are on the barricades now, defending our land and people."
"He would really want to be with them, but he is a hostage of the Kiev junta."
Russia's Foreign Ministry human rights commissioner Dolgov said his deteriorating health "causes concern."
His lawyer, Aleksandr Groshinsky, said he acted following the "shooting of civilians" in Slavyansk.
"This way, he wants to demonstrate that he is with those who are fighting for their civil rights and civil position."
"When Pavel learned that on Easter the Right Sector shot our militia men at the checkpoint, he voiced his discontent," his wife added.
His Facebook people's governor page said a dispute between him and Ukrainian Security Force (SBU) personnel occurred in detention.
In response, "the jail keepers took away his mattress and bed linen, so that he permanently feels uncomfortable."
On March 7, he was detained for two months. On May 7, rubber-stamp regime judges may order his term extended. Maybe indefinitely.
Geneva four-party agreement terms mandate freeing all political prisoners. It doesn't matter.
Fascists say one thing. They do another. Perhaps they want Gubarev dead. He's very much endangered. So are others like him.
Hundreds of political prisoners languish in Kiev's gulag. They're denied all rights.
Sergey Lavrov expressed concern about Ukrainians "arrested and thrown into prison because they participated in political actions."
Moscow wants immediate access to Gubarev and other political prisoners. It filed an official document with the OSCE and Red Cross demanding it.
Four-party officials discussed Gubarev in Geneva. According to Lavrov:
"He has never taken part in the seizure of administrative buildings, never carried arms."
"He simply spoke at a meeting and said that he was ready to work in interests of reforms and would speak up for a referendum on the federalization of Ukraine."
Lavrov and Kerry discussed Gubarev by phone. On Friday, Lavrov said they'd "do so again today."
"Every time I remind John Kerry about the necessity to address the problem, but he cannot say anything clear."
"Yesterday we received information that Pavel Gubarev is seriously ill, and that he has been beaten and tortured."
Police states operate this way. Kiev putschists threaten fundamental freedoms. They intend eliminating them altogether.
It bears repeating. They enjoy full US support. Two fascist states march in lockstep. Democracy is strictly verboten.
It's pure fantasy. Police state harshness gives no quarter. Dark side politics rules.
A Final Comment
G-7 partners plan new sanctions on Russia. Washington bullied its allies to do so. They'll target Putin "cronies." Perhaps Russian companies. On Monday, they're expected to be announced.
Imposing them follows Russia's failure to implement four-party agreement terms, they said.
"Instead, it has continued to escalate tensions by increasingly concerning rhetoric and ongoing threatening military maneuvers on Ukraine's border," they added.
"We have now agreed (to) move swiftly (against) Moscow."
"We have committed to act urgently to intensify targeted sanctions and measures to increase the costs of Russia's actions."
"We underscore that the door remains open to a diplomatic resolution of this crisis."
They duplicitously "praised" Kiev putschists. They claimed they implemented agreed on terms. Straightaway they violated them egregiously.
Russia's Foreign Ministry calls sanctions "inappropriate and counterproductive."
EU politicians and businessmen fear negative blow back. Various banks and energy related companies deplore sanctions.
They want them eased. They want them eliminated. They're bad for business.
According to BASF Wintershall subsidiary chairman Rainer Seele:
"Neither in energy terms, nor politically, should we turn away from Russia. Sanctions will not help anybody, they would not just hurt Russia, but also Germany and Europe as a whole."
Austrian energy supplier OMV has longstanding Gazprom relations. CEO Gerhard Roiss said:
"You cannot talk about sanctions if you don't know the outcome of sanctions Europe has developed over the last 50 years into a region where we have a division of labor and a division of resources, and this means in concrete terms that energy is imported from Russia and products automotive or machinery are exported from European countries into Russia."
Other EU executives feel the same way. Sanctions cut both ways. Targeting Russia harms their companies. In some cases more-so.
Politics trumps reason. Washington rules apply. EU partners are bullied to accept what harms their interests.
Expect heightened tensions to escalate. Unpredictable dire consequences may follow.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev Waging Water Wars
Kiev Wages Water Wars
by Stephen Lendman
Kiev putschists target Crimea. Dnieper River water was halted. North Crimean Canal sluices were closed. They run from the Khakhovka Reservoir to Kersh.
On April 24, The Moscow Times headlined "Water War With Ukraine to Devastate Crimean Harvest," saying:
It'll "cost Crimean farmers up to 5 billion rubles ($140 million), according to Russia's Agricultural Ministry."
Ag Minister Nikolai Fyodorov said crops "will be partially or fully lost across 120,000 hectares of farmland…" Rice production is hit hardest.
Moscow will partly compensate for losses. Southern Ukrainian Dnieper River water provides over 80% of Crimean water.
It has few readily available internal sources. Earlier in April, Kiev cut water flows from 90 cubic meters per second to seven cubic meters.
It's the "lowest technically feasible volume," said The Moscow Times. Kiev's decision to do so didn't wash.
It reacted to Russian reunification. It's inflicting punishment in response. How effectively for how long remains to be seen.
More on this below. According to Fyodorov:
"We are going to lose the irrigated crops this year. Maybe not 100 percent, but the greater part."
Half of 120 affected hectares are in vineyards. Another 30,000 produce rice.
It'll take time to compensate for what's lost, said Fydorov. Various options are being considered.
They include supplying Crimean water by pipeline from Southern Russia's Kurban region across the Kerch Strait.
In 2012, Crimea's agricultural output totaled $4.3 billion. It's about 10% of the peninsula's economy.
Harvest losses this year could affect over 30% of Crimea's agricultural sector.
Total Crimean agricultural land totals over 1,800 hectares. Most is arable.
It's in Dzhankoy, Pervomayskoe, Krasnogvardeyskoe, Saki, Simferopol and Kirovskoe regions.
Temperate and subtropical zone crops are grown. They include grapes, apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, cherries, aromatic plants, rapeseed and rice.
High quality wines, brandy and fruit juices are produced. Average annual production is around 120,000 tons of grapes and 14 - 16 million wine materials.
Exports to dozens of countries follow. Livestock production includes poultry, sheep, pigs and cattle.
Azov-Black Sea basin and inner basin fish breeding is growing. Milling produces around 280,000 tons of grain annually.
Around 101,000 tons of bakery products are produced each year. So are 18,000 tons of noodles and 75 tons of macaroni.
Canned fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, butter, other dairy products, beer and soft drinks are produced.
On April 26, Voice of Russia headlined "Crimean authorities say they have fallback water supply plan, not dependent on Kiev."
Plenty of regional fresh water around, said Prime Minister Sergei Aksyanov. "Crimea will not be left without water." Drinking water not affected.
"We have fallback plans." There are no problems with fresh water. Land is being redrawn in likely most affected areas.
"Agricultural producers will receive compensations for losses." No one will be left high and dry.
"We are also considering an alternative plan for drilling wells, and we are working on this day and night," Aksyanov explained.
Kiev putschists "act like enemies trying to cause their former fellow citizens harm."
"But they will get a proper assessment from the people of Crimea and will always be persona non-grata in the republic. Usually, those who mischief hatch, mischief catch."
Kiev blocking plans circulated on April 18. At first, Ukraine's Government Agency for Water Resources denied them.
Earlier, Crimean Standing Commission of the State (economic/fiscal/investment policies) Council chairman Vitaly Nahlupin said advance payment was offered.
Kiev "sabotaged" talks. Only about 5% of water needed comes through North Crimean Canal sluices. Other amounts were halted.
Expect Kiev's policy to be a temporary setback. Reunification with Russia promises far greater benefits than remaining in Ukraine.
Separately, Lavrov called for ending Kiev's Eastern Ukrainian offensive. He wants Right Sector killings halted.
He raised "the issue of political prisoners and urged the United States to use its influence for the release of protest movement leader arrested in southeastern Ukraine."
According to Moscow's Foreign Ministry:
"The attention of the Secretary of State has been drawn to the proposals of the Party of Regions and public movements of the southeast regarding the beginning of all-Ukraine national dialog and constitutional reform."
"Kerry assured that Washington will aspire to use its capabilities to encourage the Kiev authorities for certain steps to decrease tension and expressed hope that the southeastern regions will respond to these steps."
"The parties have also discussed the measures being taken to resolve the situation with the detention of military monitors of European countries, who arrived to Ukraine upon the invitations of the Kiev authorities in the framework of procedures stipulated in the Vienna document of 2011 on measures to enhance trust and security and who went to the southeast without appropriate notification of public structures controlling the situation on sites."
On April 25, Eastern Ukrainian self-defense forces blocked a bus. Pro-Kiev intelligence operatives were aboard. So were OSCE monitors.
According to spokesman Yevgeny Gorbik:
OSCE representatives "denied any relation" to others traveling with them. They had "cryptograms and notebooks with secret notes."
"A Bulgarian officer had a notebook with notes in Russian which confirm his intelligence activities and speak of a meeting with agents."
"No charges have been brought against them so far. But they've ended up in a company that calls into question the legitimacy of their activities."
"The investigation is underway to find out what they were doing and where."
Eastern Ukrainian areas remain targeted. Putschists want all opposition eliminated. Military operations are underway to achieve it. The battle for Ukraine's soul continues.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kerry Bullying, Bluster and Big Lies
Kerry Bullying, Bluster and Big Lies
by Stephen Lendman
A previous article called Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov a world class diplomat. John Kerry is polar opposite. He represents the worst of America's dark side.
He's vying for Washington's worst ever Secretary of State top dishonor. He's what Paul Craig Roberts calls a "two-bit punk."
He's a war criminal multiple times over. Demagoguery punctuates his comments. It exceeds the worst of Cold War rhetoric. He's been caught red-handed numerous times in bald-faced lies.
He disdains rule of law principles. He supports war. He deplores peace. He's indifferent to human suffering. He's a monument to wrong over right.
He disgraces his country, position and humanity. He belongs in prison, not high office. On April 24, he bashed Russia irresponsibly.
He did so recklessly. He did maliciously. Big Lies infested his rhetoric. He turned truth on its head.
Four parties in Geneva "agreed that all sides would refrain from violence, intimidation, and taking provocative actions," he said.
"We agreed that illegal groups would lay down their arms…We agreed to implement" objectives discussed.
"From day one," he added, "the government of Ukraine started making good on its commitments - from day one."
"From day one, Prime Minister Yatsenyuk has kept his word. He immediately agreed to help vacate buildings."
"He suspended Ukraine's counterterrorism initiative over Easter, choosing de-escalation, despite Ukraine’s legitimate, fundamental right to defend its own territory and its own people."
Fact: Kiev putschists have no legitimacy whatever. They have no legal authority. They represent mob rule.
Fact: "From day one," they violated agreed on Geneva terms. They did so straightaway. They deployed military forces and Right Sector thugs to Eastern Ukraine.
They attacked nonviolent civilians. They committed cold-blooded murder.
Fact: Yatsenyuk lied. He escalated conflict. Kiev buildings remain occupied illegally.
Kerry: "…On day one, Yatsenyuk…committed his government to undertake constitutional reform that will strengthen the powers of regions."
"He directly addressed the concerns expressed by the Russians, and he did so on day one."
Fact: No constitutional reform exists. No steps were taken so far. No legitimate ones are planned. Putschists want unchallenged nationwide control.
They reject local autonomy. They declared war on freedom. They're waging it against fundamental rights. They're murdering their own people.
Russian nationals are threatened. They live in fear for good reason. Claiming otherwise is false.
Kerry: …"Yatsenuk has publicly announced amnesty legislation -once more, in his words - for all those who surrender arms, come out of the premises and will begin with the Ukrainian people to build a sovereign and independent Ukraine."
"That is a promise made by the interim government to the people of Ukraine."
Fact: Coup-appointed fascists run Ukraine. Neo-Nazi extremists hold high government positions.
Trust isn't their long suit. Pledges aren't worth the paper they're written.
Major ones so far were broken straightaway. Business as usual continues. Expect nothing different going forward.
Kerry: "That is leadership that upholds both the spirit and the letter of a Geneva agreement."
Fact: Actions speak louder than words. Putschist policies reveal their true agenda. Kerry lied claiming otherwise.
Kerry: "The world has rightly judged that Prime Minister Yatsenyuk and the Government of Ukraine are working in good faith."
"And the world, sadly, has rightly judged that Russia has put its faith in distraction, deception, and destabilization."
"For seven days, Russia has refused to take a single concrete step in the right direction."
"Not a single Russian official, not one, has publicly gone on television in Ukraine and called on the separatists to support the Geneva agreement, to support the stand-down, to give up their weapons, and get out of the Ukrainian buildings."
Fact: Yatsenyuk is an illegitimate "two-bit punk." He's a convenient US stooge.
Russia has gone all-out tirelessly to resolve Ukrainian crisis conditions responsibly. Washington-directed putschists escalated them.
On Friday, Lavrov addressed Ukraine. He did so forthrightly. He "insists on the fulfillment of the Geneva agreements…" He opposes "attempts to distort them."
Kiev putschists acted against their own people, he added. "The so-called Easter ceasefire was disrupted."
"What Kiev authorities are doing today is just a punitive operation which already resulted in many victims."
"These are bloody crimes for which they will be held responsible." Washington and rogue EU partners want unchallenged Ukrainian control.
"It is high time (they) admit(ted) the truth that they do not have a monopoly (on) truth. (T)his is unacceptable to make a certain picture of current events as the West want it to be."
"The West wants to take control of Ukraine guided only by their geo-political ambitions."
"Today it is impossible to conceal the truth. And attempts to do so lead to nothing good."
Lavrov wants Kiev-directed violence stopped. He wants Right Sector neo-Nazis disarmed.
He wants Geneva agreed on terms fully implemented. He called doing so fundamental to resolving Ukraine's crisis.
Russia is doing everything possible to help, he explained. Kiev putschists initiated violence.
They're escalating it. They're following US diktats. Lavrov pointed fingers the right way.
RT International (formerly Russia Today) represents the best of responsible news, commentary and analysis.
Not according to Kerry. He lied saying "the propaganda bullhorn that is the state-sponsored Russia Today program, has been deployed to promote - actually, Russia Today network - has deployed to promote President Putin's fantasy about what is playing out on the ground."
"They almost spend full time devoted to this effort to propagandize and to distort what is happening or not happening in Ukraine."
"Instead, in plain sight, Russia continues to fund, coordinate, and fuel a heavily armed separatist movement in Donetsk."
"Meanwhile, Russian leaders are making increasingly outrageous claims to justify their action - that the CIA invented the internet in order to control the world or that the forces occupying buildings, armed to the teeth, wearing brand new matching uniforms and moving in disciplined military formation, are merely local activists seeking to exercise their legitimate rights."
"That is absurd, and there is no other word to describe it."
Fact: It bears repeating. RT International shames Western media. Managed news misinformation garbage substitutes for responsible journalism.
RT delivers the real thing. Claims otherwise are false. Kerry's comments turned truth on its head. Big Lies infested them.
Kerry: "The world knows that peaceful protesters don’t come armed with grenade launchers and automatic weapons, the latest issue from the Russian arsenal, hiding the insignias on their brand new matching military uniforms, and speaking in dialects that every local knows comes from thousands of miles away."
"The world knows that the Russian intelligence operatives arrested in Ukraine didn't just take a wrong turn on the highway."
"In fact, we have seen soldiers wearing uniforms identical to the ones Russian soldiers wore in Crimea last month."
Fact: "The world knows" that Eastern Ukrainian self-defense forces are nonviolent.
"The world knows" their fundamental rights are threatened.
"The world knows" they have every right to defend themselves.
"The world knows" fascist military forces and Right Sector neo-Nazi thugs attacked them.
"The world knows" self-defense activists act on their own volition. No "Russian intelligence operatives" are involved.
Nor in Crimea weeks earlier. Kerry lied claiming otherwise.
Kerry: "As international observers on the ground have borne witness, prior to Russia's escalation, there was no violence. There was no broad-scale assault on the rights of people in the east."
Fact: "The world knows" Kiev putschists govern illegitimately.
"The world knows" all Ukrainians are threatened.
"The world knows" how fascists rule. Fundamental freedoms are being crushed. Rule of law principles are being violated.
"The world knows" Kerry lied about so-called "Russia(n) escalation."
"The world knows" Eastern Ukrainians want stability. US-directed putschists prevent it.
"The world knows" they instigated violence. They escalated it. They intend more. They're waging war on their own people.
Kerry: "The Government of Ukraine has reported the arrest of Russian intelligence agents, including one yesterday who it says was responsible for establishing secure communications allowing Russia to coordinate destabilizing activities in Ukraine."
Fact: Kiev putschists lied. So-called Russian intelligence agent arrests never happened. No Russian efforts to destabilize Ukraine exist.
Kerry lied claiming otherwise. He outrageously called coup-appointed putschists "legitimate."
Kerry: Russia chose "an illegitimate course of armed violence to try and achieve with the barrel of a gun and the force of a mob what couldn’t be achieved any other way."
"They've tried to create enough chaos in the east to delay or delegitimize the elections, or to force Ukraine to accept a federalism that gives Russia control over its domestic and foreign policies, or even force Ukraine to overreact and create an excuse for military intervention."
"This is a full-throated effort to actively sabotage the democratic process through gross external intimidation that has brought inside Ukraine, and it is worse even."
Fact: Russia goes all-out for responsible conflict resolution. US-directed putschists prevent it.
No Russian intimidation exists. Kiev deplores democracy. So does Washington. So-called May elections when held will be farcical. They'll have no legitimacy whatever.
Kerry: "We have seen this movie before. We saw it most recently in Crimea, where similar subterfuge and sabotage by Russia was followed by a full invasion - an invasion, by the way, for which President Putin recently decorated Russian special forces at the Kremlin."
Fact: Crimeans acted on their own volition. They overwhelmingly chose reunification with Russia. They voted 96.77% to do so. Turnout was a record 83%.
Independent monitors called referendum voting scrupulously open, free and fair. Not a single irregularity was found.
No Russian invasion happened. Kerry invented one out of whole cloth. Irresponsible Russia bashing infested his rhetoric. Big Lies substituted for truth.
Kerry: "Nobody should doubt Russia's hand in" what's ongoing.
"Our intelligence community tells me that Russia's intelligence and military intelligence services and special operators are playing an active role in destabilizing eastern Ukraine with personnel, weapons, money, operational planning, and coordination."
Fact: US intelligence has no information about Russian involvement in Eastern Ukraine. None exists. No "personnel, weapons, money, operational planning, and coordination." Kerry lied claiming otherwise.
Kerry: "The world will remain united for Ukraine. So I will say it again. The window to change course is closing. President Putin and Russia face a choice."
"If Russia chooses the path of de-escalation, the international community - all of us - will welcome it."
"If Russia does not, the world will make sure that the cost for Russia will only grow. And as President Obama reiterated earlier today, we are ready to act."
Fact: The world supports fundamental rights of all Ukrainians. Kiev putschists want them denied.
Washington supports their worst policies. Fascists are hardline. They rule one way. They crush resistance. They do so violently. It do it lawlessly.
Russia remains committed for equity, justice and peace. It's strong and resolute. It has responsible leadership. Rolling over for Washington won't happen.
Kerry represents US hegemonic ambitions. He reflects the worst of dark side politics. He deplores democracy.
He disdains fundamental human and civil rights. He trashes rule of law principles. He supports war on humanity. He wants it for unchallenged global dominance.
It bears repeating. He's a "two-bit thug." He belongs in prison, not high office.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Irresponsible RT International Bashing
Irresponsible RT International Bashing
by Stephen Lendman
RT International (formerly Russia Today) represents the best of responsible news, commentary and analysis.
John Kerry lied saying "the propaganda bullhorn that is the state-sponsored Russia Today program, has been deployed to promote - actually, Russia Today network - has deployed to promote President Putin's fantasy about what is playing out on the ground."
"They almost spend full time devoted to this effort to propagandize and to distort what is happening or not happening in Ukraine."
RT justifiably demands an apology. Its Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said Kerry "refuse(s) to recognize facts that he doesn't like and makes such ungrounded accusations."
He twists vital truths. He does so for political advantage. Lies, damn lies, and Big ones substitute.
It's standard Kerry practice. He's been caught red-handed numerous times. He's unapologetic.
"We are planning to write an official request to the State Department for concrete examples of when RT has distorted facts," said Simonyan.
"It's unfortunate that the head of the State Department knows so little about what's going on in Ukraine at the moment."
"It surprises me that at this difficult and embarrassing time for the US, State Secretary John Kerry has nothing else to worry about apart from our television channel."
Sergey Lavrov called his comments "uncivilized (and) prosecutorial." Western nations were "convinced for some time that (they) had a full monopoly on mass media," he said.
RT International "won a large audience in the US and Western Europe, not to mention Latin America and the Arab world."
Voice of Russia (VOR) said Kerry "leav(es) a lot of people uneasy." He doesn't "have an elegant way with words." He twists them irresponsibly.
"A bigger question…is how long Americans (will) put up with (his) inaccuracies." Increasing numbers shun mainstream media.
They do so for good reason. They suppress real news and information. They substitute managed news misinformation garbage.
Cable channels feature it 24/7. Print publications do it online. Viewers and listeners are systematically lied to. Propaganda enlists public consent.
Media scoundrels distort, exaggerate and lie. Biased, irresponsible, sensationalist reporting masquerades as legitimate journalism.
Uncomfortable truths are hidden. State interests are served. So are corporate ones. So-called news fit to print isn't fit to read.
Television is worst of all. It's a wasteland of worthlessness. It sells junk people don't need. It's a machine for manufacturing Big Lies.
Murdoch's world reflects it. Others replicate his demagoguery, propaganda, warmongering and junk food news.
They reflect what famed journalist George Seldes (1890 - 1995) called "prostitution of the press." He fought censorship. He exposed Big Lies.
Major media today are worse than ever. Free and open societies aren't tolerated. They're at risk. Fiction substitutes for facts.
Monied interests control things. State propaganda proliferates. Media scoundrels regurgitate it ad nauseam.
News and information are carefully filtered. Dissent is marginalized and suppressed. Imperial wars are called liberating ones. Pacifism is considered sissy.
Human and civil rights are suppressed for our own good. Patriotism means going along with government lawlessness.
Reality is upside down. Terrorism is what they do, not us. Popular interests are spurned. Beneficial social change is considered heresy.
Wealth, power and privilege alone matter. Lives and freedoms lost are considered small prices to pay. Humanity is at risk but who cares.
Imperial and monied priorities alone matter. People are systematically lied to. Non-believers are cowed into submission.
De facto one-party rule is ignored. Sham elections are called legitimate ones. Democracy is pure fantasy.
Media propaganda glorifies wars. It does so in the name of peace.
Managed news misinformation manufactures public support. Mind manipulation convinces people to back what demands condemnation.
Invasions and occupations are called liberation. Crimes of war, against humanity and genocide are whitewashed.
Plunder is called economic development. Exploitation and imperial control are called democracy.
Might justifies right. Code language conceals real motives. Official policy involves ravaging the world one country at a time or in multiples. Nations are destroyed for their own good.
Truth is the most powerful disinfectant. Suppressing it is official policy. Alex Carey's book titled "Taking the Risk Out of Democracy: Corporate Propaganda versus Freedom and Liberty" explained, saying:
"The twentieth century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy."
PR/propaganda pioneer Edward Bernays did earlier. His 1928 book titled "Propaganda" said it's possible to "regiment the public mind every bit as much as an army regiments their bodies."
"If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, is it not possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing about it?"
He called doing it "engineering of consent." He invented the press release. He was Sigmund Freud's nephew.
He drew on his psychoanalytic ideas. He pioneered PR techniques. He believed propaganda works the same way.
Effective repetition gets people to believe it. Especially when real news and information are suppressed.
His 1947 book titled "The Engineering of Consent," called manipulating public opinion "the very essence of the democratic process, the freedom to persuade and suggest."
It convinces people that harmful policies help them. It does so deceptively. Wealth, power and privilege alone are served.
Popular interests don't matter. They're disappearing in plain sight. America is on a fast track toward tyranny.
Media scoundrels cheerlead what threatens us. They're on the wrong side of history. They support what harms us.
Repeating Big Lies gets people to believe them. Deplorable outcomes follow. Managed news misinformation works this way.
Suffering millions know best. Media scoundrels have much to answer for. Big Lies proliferated share responsibility for crimes too grave to ignore.
Neoliberal harshness is supported. So is America's police state apparatus. Thousands of political prisoners languish in its gulag.
It's the world's largest by far. Dozens of torture prisons supplement it worldwide. Media scoundrels suppress what goes on. Deplorable US practices are buried.
The worst of Obama policies are ignored. He wrecked the economy. He looted the nation's wealth.
He stole it from ordinary people. He handed it to Wall Street, war profiteers and other corporate favorites.
He consigned growing millions to impoverishment, unemployment, underemployment, homelessness, hunger and deprivation.
He's heading America for full-blown tyranny. He targets whistleblowers, dissenters, truth-tellers, Muslims, Latino immigrants, and environmental and animal rights activists called terrorists. Exposing government lawlessness is considered criminal.
Monied interests own him. He serves their interests alone. He spurns popular ones. He broke every major promise made.
He contemptuous of human need. He deplores democratic values. He destroyed hard won labor rights.
He's commodifying public education. He's making it another business profit center.
He's anti-progressive, hard-right, reactionary, belligerent, and pro-corporate. His financial reform enriched predatory bankers.
Obamacare scams millions. It's unaffordable for many. It benefits insurers, drug giants and large hospital chains. It denies full and effective medical treatment when most needed.
Obama represents the worst of rogue governance. Impeaching him is a national imperative. Media scoundrels ignore his worst malfeasance. Lies drown out truth.
Fundamental journalistic principles are violated. Scurrilous reporting substitutes. Doing so makes yellow journalism look good by comparison.
Doing the right thing is its own reward. So is good journalism. Savvy readers and views know one from the other.
Growing numbers choose reliable alternative sources. Maybe some day everyone will.
Imagine the difference. Imagine a nation fit to live in. Imagine what's essential to work for. More than ever now it's crucial.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Slavyansk Braces for Onslaught
Slavyansk Braces for Onslaught
by Stephen Lendman
It could happen any time. Kiev putschists said "second stage" operations were launched. Strategy calls for "completely isolat(ing)" Slavyansk.
It's a freedom fighting stronghold. Self-defense forces prepared. Coop-appointed presidential administration head Sergey Pashinsky said:
"The aim is to…localize the problem." Operations remain ongoing. Pashinsky lied saying "terrorists have placed their key strong points in kindergartens and hospitals."
He called what doesn't exist "classic terrorism." Freedom fighters denounced him. They called his accusations "ridiculous."
Journalist Graham Phillips said area troops built up. Snipers in forests are positioned.
Slavyansk was encircled. Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) first deputy head General Vasily Krutov lied saying:
"We will not go the length of (civilian) casualties to storm the city. We understand that this may lead to many people coming to harm."
Freedom fighters brace for the worst. Fascists give no quarter. Armored vehicles positioned around Slavyansk.
Troops with no insignia were spotted. Onslaught could follow any time. So could massacring city residents.
Moscow's Foreign Ministry policy is polar opposite America's State Department. It addressed what's happening responsibly.
"Russia is urging explicitly to stop immediately all battles and actions and violence, to withdraw troops and to start complete implementations of the Geneva statement of April 17, 2014 by the Ukrainian parties," it said.
"Taking into account the current crisis, we think it is necessary to start with passing the measures stipulated in the agreement of February 21, 2014, which was signed by leaders of the coalition formed in Verkhovna Rada and witnessed by the German, Polish and French foreign ministers."
"This would allow us to begin a practical de-escalation in accordance with the Geneva statement."
Kiev putschists spurn doing so. They say one thing. They do another.
"One of the key (Geneva) provisions requires immediate(ly) start(ing) a wide national dialogue in the framework of constitutional reforms," Russia's Foreign Ministry said.
It "must be inclusive, transparent and accountable. (It must) involv(e) all regions and political forces."
"(It must) take into account public comments and suggested amendments."
Putschist parliamentarians "demonstratively evad(e)" their responsibilities. They "visibly demonstrate" opposition to "a way out of the deep political crisis in the country."
"Again we call on the Ukrainian side to actively, and not only in words, to demonstrate a sincere attempt to finding national agreement in Ukraine."
Sergey Lavrov addressed what's happening forthrightly. Moscow doesn't bully others to obey, he said.
"We won't force anyone. We won't blackmail anyone with threats, that if you don't vote like we want you to, we'll cut your aid."
"That's how the Americans do it when they collect votes from around the world," not Russia, he added.
We know how they operate. "We know all of this because we were told."
"We were told of the methods of how the Americans work with governments of all the various regions."
"That's not our method. We won't blackmail. We won't threaten. We are after all respectful people," Lavrov stressed.
"To complain to us that we have signed something in Geneva that legitimizes the actions of the (Kiev) regime and demand that we take some de-escalating steps only in the southeast, is simply a lie."
"(W)e will insist on respecting the Geneva Accords and will categorically reject attempts for them to be distorted."
"US propaganda power has always been aimed at and continues being aimed at distorting the picture of what is happening in Ukraine, smearing the Russian Federation and smearing those who protest against the illegitimate actions of powers trying to ban the Russian language."
Moscow supports Geneva four-party agreement terms. It's gone the extra mile. It's gone all-out to implement them.
Washington says one thing. It does another. It has "a mind-blowing ability of turning everything upside down," said Lavrov.
Its actions speak louder than words. It systematically violates Geneva. So do Kiev putschists. Agreement was dead on arrival.
Peaceful conflict resolution is fantasy. Barrel-of-a-gun diplomacy substitutes.
Things head from bad to worse. Out-of-control bloodbath conditions may follow.
Expect freedom fighters to be blamed for putschist crimes. So will Russia. Expect greater trouble coming.
Fascists rule one way. Democracy is strictly verboten. Compromise is out-of-the question. So is local autonomy.
Over 80% of Ukrainians speak Russian. They're in danger. Putschists are Russophobes.
A Lvov woman was fatally beaten for speaking Russian. Imagine what others face. Nazi Germany vilified Jews. Mass extermination followed.
It remains to be seen what Ukrainians face. Early signs aren't encouraging. Ukraine is unsafe to live in.
Police state harshness threatens. Full-blown tyranny approaches. It's arriving at flank speed.
A Final Comment
Separately, spurious accusations claim Syria launched several chemical weapons attacks. UN Ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari denounced them.
"The Syrian government categorically rejects use of chemical weapons and recent all allegations on using chlorine gas by the Syrian Arab Army or any affiliated unit," he said.
"The main aim of these allegations is to disturb the successful arrangements of the presidential elections in Syria...and those who come up with such allegations will not spare any efforts to break down the election process."
Russia's Foreign Ministry backs al-Jaafari. It has reliable information supporting his comments.
CW accusations are spurious. Circulating them is a thinly veiled pretext "for using force," it said. Al-Nusra extremists bear full responsibility.
They used CWs before. Assad was falsely blamed. He's systematically eliminating all Syrian CWs.
Reliable reports said 92% were destroyed. Remaining ones will be shortly. Doing so won't stop fabricated accusations. Obama wants Assad toppled.
He wants stooge leadership replacing him. No end of conflict looms. It remains to be seen what follows.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Profile of a World Class Diplomat
Profile of a World Class Diplomat
by Stephen Lendman
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov stands out. He shames his US and EU counterparts.
He's a true peace champion. His efforts in Syria and Ukraine alone represent the best of peaceful conflict resolution efforts.
He tirelessly pursues them. He's done it despite continuing US-led Western imperial adventurism.
He most of all deserves Nobel Peace Prize recognition. War criminals most often get it. Obama is Exhibit A. Nobel committee members believe war is peace.
Lavrov's career is long, outstanding and meritorious. He's a 1972 Moscow State Institute of International Relations graduate.
He's fluent in Russian, English, French and Sinhalese. His mother worked for the Soviet Ministry for Foreign Trade.
His diplomatic career began as a Sri Lankan advisor, analyst, translator and attache. From 1976 - 1981, he was third and second Section of International Economic Relations of the USSR secretary.
At the time, he worked with various UN organizations. In 1981, he was appointed New York-based senior Soviet UN mission advisor. Through 1988, he was USSR UN first secretary, counselor and senior counselor.
In 1988, he was Moscow-based Section of International Economic Relations deputy chief. From 1990 - 1992, he was Foreign Ministry Department of International Organizations and Global Problems director.
From 1992 - 1994, he was Russian Federation International Organization Foreign Ministry director and Deputy Foreign Minister.
His responsibilities included overseeing human rights and international cultural cooperation. He did so for Commonwealth of Independent Countries (CIS) and international organizations.
From 1994 - 2004, he was Russia's UN ambassador. In that capacity, he was Security Council president seven times (in December 1995, June 1997, July 1998, October 1999, December 2000, April 2002 and June 2003).
On March 4, 2004, President Vladimir Putin appointed him Foreign Minister. He succeeded Igor Ivanov.
He's a consummate, sophisticated, tough-minded, extremely capable diplomat. He received many well-deserved government awards.
He holds the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation.
He's arguably the world's most outstanding foreign minister. He deserves high praise for his efforts.
He's on the front lines for peaceful conflict resolution. He's up against Washington's lawless imperial agenda.
He's heavily involved in trying to resolve Ukrainian crisis conditions. He faces enormous obstacles to overcome. He persists despite out-of-control rogue US policies.
On April 23, RT International's Sophie Shevardnadze interviewed him at length. His comments on Ukraine were incisive, straightforward and important.
Washington "put(s) all the blame on Russia," he said. "(I)ncluding the origin of the conflict and including the steps which must be taken. They accuse us of having Russian troops, Russian agents in the east and South of Ukraine."
"They say that it is for the Russians only to give orders and the buildings illegally occupied would be liberated and that it is for the Russians to make sure that the East and South of Ukraine stops putting forward the demands for the federalization and the referendum and so on and so forth."
"This is absolute…you know." They switch the goal post to suit their agenda.
"In Geneva we all agreed that there must be reciprocal approach to any illegitimate action in Ukraine, be it in Kiev, be it in the West, be it in the East, be it in the South."
"And the people who started the process of illegitimate actions must step back first."
Washington and other Western nations refuse to acknowledge Maidan's continued occupation, he added.
"(T)hat buildings in Kiev are still occupied and in some other cities, that those who put on fire the buildings belonging to Communist party headquarters in Kiev, the buildings belonging to the Trade Union headquarters are not even under investigation."
"I don't even want to mention the sniper cases because everyone forgot about those snipers."
"And we only hear that 'Let’s concentrate on eliminating terrorist threats in the East and in the South."
In Geneva, four-party representatives agreed on ending all violence. Straightaway, coup-appointed president Oleksandr Turchynov declared a state of emergency.
He "ordered the army to shoot" peaceful protesters, said Lavrov. Right Sector thugs were deployed to do so. Multiple provocations followed. Reported killings keep mounting.
Vice President Biden visited Kiev after CIA director John Brennan days earlier. "So I don't have any reasons not to believe that the Americans are running the show in a very close way," said Lavrov.
They're manipulating events on the ground. They have "overwhelming influence. They act in a much more open way without any scruples compared to the Europeans."
"(T)here are numerous reports which were revived recently on what was the role of the American embassy during the events in Maidan - direct interaction and communication with the activists who were armed and who were planning the actions like storming the buildings and other illegal acts."
"All this has not been denied in the way which would be persuasive." He noted daily duplicitous John Kerry calls saying: "You must. You must. You must."
He blames Russia for lawless US actions. Eastern Ukrainians reject Kiev putschists. They "revolted after several months of total neglect of their interests," said Lavrov.
"They just don't want a repetition what happened in Kiev and what was attempted in Crimea, by the way, and these people, of course they want to be friendly with Russia, they have many Russian relatives, they listen very carefully to what Russia says."
"But these people are not puppets…They are fed up with words. They need real deeds."
"The regime must withdraw the order to use the army against the people. (It) must liberate political prisoners. (It) must start doing what (it) committed (itself) to" do.
Their policies are polar opposite. They represent hardline fascist rule. It's "absolutely unbelievable" for Washington to claim Kiev buildings were occupied legally, said Lavrov.
At the same time, they insist peacefully occupying Eastern Ukrainian ones are illegal.
Russia has no "moral authority" to pressure Eastern Ukrainians "to do something unilaterally in front of the army, being ordered to go against them, in front of the Right Sector who should have been, must have been disarmed long ago and in the face of the political prisoners who continue to be taken."
Russia has no troops, special agents or other elements operating in Ukraine, said Lavrov. Claims otherwise are false.
At the same time, "(i)f we are attacked, we would certainly respond."
"If our interests, our legitimate interests, the interests of Russians have been attacked directly, like they were in South Ossetia for example, I do not see any other way but to respond in full accordance with international law."
"Russian citizens being attacked is an attack against the Russian Federation."
"The only thing I would like to highlight at this stage is that the Russian troops are on the Russian territory."
"The request for inspections under the so called Vienna Document of 2011 and under the treaty of the Open Sky, they have all been granted."
"The inspectors visited the areas of deployment of the troops who are participating in training exercises."
"Planes flew over the areas where the exercises and no one who participated in the inspections, including the Americans, Ukrainians and Europeans ever brought up any fact that would indicate that Russia was engaged in some dangerous military activity."
"So we are on our territory and we are doing nothing which is prohibited by any obligation of us."
"The Ukrainian troops are also on their territory, but the difference is the fact that they have the order from Turchynov to use weapons against civilians and this is a criminal order."
What's ongoing goes way beyond Ukraine, said Lavrov. It reflects Washington's "unwillingness to yield in the geopolitical fight."
It "cannot impose ready-made solutions on everyone…" It cannot run things its way.
It cannot force others to accept its demands. It cannot force Eastern Ukrainians to surrender their fundamental rights.
"So if we think about (how) Ukrainians want to live, then it shouldn't be very difficult to help (them) find the national compromise and national reconciliation," said Lavrov.
He understands Washington's dark side. Doing the right thing isn't its long suit. What serves its interests harms people everywhere.
Lavrov remains committed to peaceful conflict resolution. Imagine if America and rogue EU partners had top officials like him.
Imagine peace, equity and justice. Imagine governments of, by and for everyone. Imagine a world safe to live in. Imagine democratic values replacing fascist ones. Imagine goals essential to work for.
A Final Comment
On April 24, Ukrainian troops, tanks and armored vehicles attacked Slavyansk. Three self-defense checkpoints were destroyed.
According to activist Miroslav Rudenko, "fighting started on the outskirts of Slavyansk. We are checking reports of one dead and one injured. There are shootings at a number of checkpoints at some of Slavyansk exit-roads."
Rossiya 24 TV reported a slow Ukrainian offensive. Other armored infantry vehicles targeted Izyum. Mi-8 helicopters overflew Artyomovsk near Slavyansk.
By early afternoon April 23, five activist deaths were reported. At least one police officer and a Ukrainian soldier were wounded.
Gunmen attacked a checkpoint near Slavyansk. Two activists were killed. According to self-defense spokeswoman Stella Horosheva:
"Unfortunately, the reports of a shooting have been confirmed. Every night some sort of an incident takes place at one of our checkpoints."
"This time suspicious armed people were passing by and the self-defense members approached them to check their IDs. But the gunmen opened fire."
Other gunmen opened fire in Artemovsk. Early reports said no fatalities or injuries are known.
According to an unnamed Slovyansk spokesman:
"(A) a group of armed persons was spotted on a motorway leading from Slovyansk to Slavianohirsk."
"A mobile group headed to the site from the 'Kombirkomochny' checkpoint. However, fire was opened on them from a nearby forest."
"The information available to us indicates that one person was killed and another one was injured."
Overnight Wednesday, armed men attacked activists inside Mariupol's city council building. Five injuries were reported.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry claimed about 100 people attacked an Artemivsk military unit with automatic weapons, grenade launchers and fragmentation grenades.
Ukrainian forces remain in charge, the ministry added. Vladimir Putin called attacking ordinary people "a very serious crime."
He called Kiev putschists "a junta, some kind of clique." Conditions remain fluid. Washington bears full responsibility. It's playing a dangerous game.
At risk is open conflict. Russia won't let its nationals be slaughtered. It remains to be seen what follows.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama Threatens Russia and China
Obama Threatens Russia and China
by Stephen Lendman
Obama represents the worst of rogue leadership. He's a war criminal multiple times over. He threatens world peace.
On Wednesday, he arrived in Tokyo. It's the first leg of his Asian tour. South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines follow.
He noticeably snubbed China. He reassured Tokyo saying relations with Beijing won't come "at the expense of Japan or any other ally."
At issue is advancing regional hegemony. It's targeting Russia and China. Obama heightened US/Beijing tensions, saying:
"The policy of the United States is clear. The Senkaku islands are administered by Japan and therefore fall within the scope of Article 5 of the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security."
"(W)e oppose any unilateral attempts to undermine Japan's administration of these islands."
Beijing's Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang responded saying:
Washington "should respect the facts, in a responsible manner abide by its commitment not to choose sides over a territorial sovereignty issue, be cautious on words and deeds and earnestly play a constructive role for peace and stability in the region."
Much more than a territorial dispute is at stake. Regional tensions could erupt into something much more serious.
Washington wants Russia and China contained. It wants them isolated, weakened and co-opted.
It wants them transformed into US-controlled vassal states. Great conflicts begin this way.
Obama warned Russia. Sanctions are "teed up and ready to go," he said.
"Assuming they do not follow through, we will follow through with what we said, which is that there will be additional consequences."
Expect them "in days, not weeks," he added. He lied saying Moscow isn't "abiding by the spirit or letter" of Geneva four-party agreement terms.
"So far the evidence doesn't make me hopeful," he said. "We have been preparing for the prospect that we have to engage in further sanctions."
They require "technical work" and coordination with other countries. "There are some things the United States can do alone but ultimately it's going to have to be a joint effort, a collective effort."
"The fact I haven't announced them yet, doesn't mean they aren't" ready to be implemented.
On Wednesday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki lied claiming menacing Russian hoards "mass(ed) on the border of a country they've just illegally occupied…"
"Were talking about illegally occupied buildings in eastern Ukraine where the legitimate government is taking steps to ensure there's law and order, versus tens of thousands of troops in a threatening position on the border of the country," she said.
Russia's comments don't suggest it plans implementing four-party Geneva agreement terms, she added.
New sanctions are expected to target high-level Kremlin officials as well as entities they oversea. Others on key Russian industries may follow depending on events as they unfold.
Putin responded to Obama's threats. He did so from a St. Petersburg media forum. Sanctions "are absolutely not critical in nature, but you can't of course say they are a good thing," he said.
Russia isn't planning to punish Visa and Mastercard, he added. "We are not envisioning any steps to punish the careless partners, but they have undermined their credibility, meaning they will definitely lose the market," he said.
Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka commented on Russian sanctions, saying:
"The Czech government holds a skeptical position on the introduction of 'broad-based' sanctions because it would also hurt economic growth in Europe."
Imposing them cuts both ways. Other EU countries expressed concerns. Washington bullies them to go along.
Eastern Ukrainian events aren't encouraging. Kiev's military attacked Donetsk region self-defense forces. A Donetsk People's Republic spokesman said:
"An all-arms operation has been launched in Slovyansk. This means just one thing - a civil war." Acting Mayor Vyacheslav Ponomarev warned residents to stay home.
He said local police and self-defense forces are ready to counter military attacks. "There will undoubtedly be resistance. We are restraining" Kiev forces.
"All roads are blocked. We are prepared for them if they break through."
"The convoy of armored vehicles has yielded ground. The people's police have got reinforcements from the city of Krasny Liman."
"Volunteers - even unarmed - continue to arrive at the strategic post." Reports suggested Ukrainian forces pulled back. They massed from a more distant point.
Police and self-defense forces swept a nearby forest area. They looked for Right Sector thugs and other hostile elements.
In response to crisis conditions, Russia ordered new military exercises. They're planned for regions bordering Ukraine.
"We are compelled to react to (the) situation," said Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
"From today, military exercises have started in regions bordering Ukraine involving battalions of tactical forces of the southern and western military districts."
"The order to use force against civilians has already been given, and if this military machine is not stopped, the amount of casualties will only grow."
"War games by NATO in Poland and the Baltic states are not helping the normalization of the situation. We are forced to react to the situation."
Drills involve ground and air exercises, he added. They in response to 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers, 160 tanks, 230 armored vehicles, and at least 150 artillery pieces, he said.
They're targeting their own people lawlessly. "National guard units and Right Sector extremists are fighting against the peaceful population, as well as a volunteer Donbass 'anti-terrorist' unit."
"Also security and internal forces transferred to Lugansk and Donetsk from other areas of the country are suppressing dissent."
Self-defense forces are way outnumbered and outgunned, Shoigu explained.
Ukrainian sabotage units were deployed near Russia's border, he added. Things seem headed from bad to worse.
Lives of Russian nationals are threatened. Lavrov said they won't be left unprotected. Targeting them is attacking the Russian Federation, he said.
US paratroops arrived in Poland. They're the first ones in Eastern Europe since Ukrainian crisis conditions erupted.
They're Vicenza-based 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team members. They arrived a day after the Pentagon announced plans to deploy 600 US forces to Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said they're part of a series of rotational deployments. They'll continue throughout 2014. Perhaps into 2015.
"Russia's aggression in Ukraine has renewed our resolve to strengthening NATO's defense plans and capabilities, and to demonstrate our continued commitment to collective defense in reinforcing our NATO allies in central and eastern Europe," he said.
Deploying them isn't symbolic, he added. "Any time you put troops on the ground and doing exercises, in this case for a month at a time, it's more than symbology."
"The kind of work that we're going to be doing is real infantry training. And that's not insignificant."
Former Polish foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski called it "a first step to change our security status."
"We hope this is one of the many steps to enhance the security of Poland and central Europe," he added.
"Fifteen years ago, when we joined NATO, it was a second-class, class B membership. It was a completely different geopolitical situation."
"We expected Russia would, many of us hoped would, follow along with democratization. We know now we were living under an illusion."
Irresponsible Russia bashing continues. Big Lies repeat with disturbing regularity. Media scoundrels regurgitate them.
Days earlier, The New York Times lied about so-called "mysteriously well-armed, professional" Eastern Ukrainian masked gunmen.
It cited fake administration photos. They bogusly identified them as "Russian military and intelligence forces."
The Times was caught red-handed lying. It unsuccessfully tried buying the story. It did so well into a follow-up report.
Downplaying Big Lies doesn't mitigate them. It wasn't the first time its bogus reports were exposed. For sure it won't be the last.
Daily Times Russia bashing continues. Shameless misinformation substitutes for legitimate journalism. Readers are consistently lied to. So-called fit to read news is garbage.
On April 23, The Times headlined "Eastern Europe Frets About NATO's Ability to Curb Russia."
So-called Russian threats don't exist. Claiming otherwise turns truth on its head. So is saying "Moscow's muscular intervention in neighboring Ukraine" threatens its neighbors.
Don't expect Times correspondents, commentators or editors to explain. Wall Street Journal editors bash Russia relentlessly.
On April 24, they headlined "Putin and Navalny." More on what they said below.
Putin challenges Obama's imperial adventurism responsibly. Navalny is a convicted embezzler.
He masquerades as an anti-corruption crusader. He's a Western darling. He's a convenient stooge.
He's no democrat. He's ideologically over-the-top. He gets generous State Department funding.
Don't expect Journal editors to explain. They lied claiming he was convicted on "trumped-up corruption charges." He was caught red-handed.
He's under house arrest. He awaits trial on other grand theft charges. He "warned for years that an authoritarian Putin would eventually become a threat to the West, but they were dismissed by Westerners who said it was none of our business," said Journal editors.
"Now we can see who was right, as Mr. Putin carves up Ukraine, with more of Europe potentially on the menu."
Truth is polar opposite duplicitous Journal editor claims.
Days earlier, they headlined "Putin's Westward March: Revisionist powers are rising as Obama and Europe fail to respond."
Putin "refuse(s) to withdraw his troops massed at the border. (He's) ready to invade if he pleases…"
"All of this continues the pattern of Mr. Obama and Europe underestimating the Russian strongman."
Fact: Russian hoards aren't "ready to invade."
Fact: Russian democracy under Putin shames America's sham version.
Fact: Putin respects rule of law principles.
Fact: Obama consistently violates them.
Fact: Putin goes all-out for peaceful conflict resolution.
Fact: Obama wages one war of aggression after another.
Journal editors reported other Big Lies. "Iran is attempting to (develop) nuclear weapons," they claimed. Clear evidence shows otherwise.
China threatens its regional neighbors. It's "pressing its territorial claims in the East and South China seas."
It's "pressing" what it considers its legitimate rights.
"Russia is marching west with a goal of reclaiming the influence and perhaps the territory it lost with the collapse of the Soviet Union."
No evidence whatever suggests a revanchist Moscow agenda. Journal editors lied claiming Putin "march(es) on."
He's the one world leader above all others challenging Washington's imperial rampaging responsibly. Sino/Russian cooperation has the best chance to contain it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev Declares War
Kiev Declares War
by Stephen Lendman
In mid-April, CIA director John Brennan went to Kiev. He did so quietly. He held secret talks. He met with Obama's new friends.
He came to plot war strategy. He wants Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters eliminated. He wants them slaughtered in cold blood.
He wants challengers to Washington's imperium crushed. After his visit, coup-appointed president Okeksandr Turchynov announced a northern Donetsk region "anti-terrorist operation."
To "protect the citizens of Ukraine," he claimed. To be conducted "stage-by-stage," he added. So-called "terrorists" are committe freedom fighters.
They're Ukraine's best and bravest. They're putting their bodies on the line courageously. They're doing it for fundamental rights everyone deserves.
On April 19, Turchynov declared an Easter truce. Straightaway he broke it. He violated agreed on four-party conflict resolution terms.
On April 23, he ordered special operations in Ukraine's East resumed. They never ended. Turchynov wants more.
"I demand that security services resume and conduct productive anti-terrorist operations aimed at protecting Ukrainians living in the east of the country," he said.
Putschist first deputy prime minister Vitaly Yarema announced a "relaunch(ed) active phase (of Kiev's) "anti-terror operation."
It's not yet underway, he said. "In the near future, appropriate measures will be taken and you will see results," he added.
"We have obtained the support of the United States, that they will not leave us alone with an aggressor," he said. "We hope that in the event of Russian aggression, this help will be more substantive."
Two bodies were discovered in Slavyansk. One allegedly was former parliamentary speaker Vladimir Rybak.
Self-defense force leader Vyacheslav Ponomaryov called discovered bodies a provocation. "Let's wait for the official identification and forensic medical examination results," he said.
Turchynov lied saying "terrorists who effectively took the whole Donetsk region hostage have now gone too far, by starting to torture and murder Ukrainian patriots."
He lied saying "(t)hese crimes are being carried out with the full support and indulgence of the Russian Federation."
Vice President Joe Biden visited Kiev. He addressed putschist legislators. He repeated one Big Lie after another.
"…(W)e want to be your partner, your friend," he said. "We stand with you. (It's) personal, an emotional commitment, as well, by millions of Americans," he claimed.
He vowed Washington will never recognize Russia's "illegal occupation" of Crimea. He called on Moscow to stop supporting "masked gunmen" occupying Eastern Ukrainian government buildings.
He warned of additional sanctions if "provocative behavior" doesn't stop. He lied claiming Russian special forces operate in Eastern Ukraine.
He claimed they promote unrest. They're involved in occupying government buildings, he said.
He ignored Washington's full responsibility for elevating illegitimate putschists to power. He was silent about neo-Nazis running things.
He said nothing about militant fascist extremism. He turned a blind eye to brazen US-manipulated coup d'etat illegitimacy.
He praised his new friends. He pledged more US help. "You will not walk this road alone," he said. "We will walk it with you."
Deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes lied claiming "(i)nternational order is at stake. Our (Ukraine policy) is targeted at upholding the international order that we believe has been violated," he said.
He stopped short of explaining Washington's full responsibility. Blaming Russia doesn't wash. Sergei Lavrov was clear and unequivocal, saying:
"There is no reason not to believe that the Americans are running the show" in Ukraine. He called Biden's Kiev visit no coincidence. He came at the same time Turchynov announced renewed "anti-terrorist" operations.
"It's quite telling they chose (this) moment," Lavrov added. Biden's visit followed John Brennan's days earlier.
Russia will retaliate if necessary, said Lavrov. "If we are attacked, we would certainly respond."
"If our interests, our legitimate interests, the interests of Russians have been attacked directly, like they were in South Ossetia for example, I do not see any other way but to respond in accordance with international law," he stressed.
Washington's Ukraine agenda relates solely to its imperial interests. It "doesn't show the slightest understanding of what is happening," said Lavrov.
It ignores root crisis causes. It offers irrelevant "ready-made solutions." Moscow will never fail to aid Russian nationals anywhere, Lavrov stressed.
"Russian citizens being attacked is an attack against the Russian Federation," he said.
"Ukraine is just one manifestation of the American unwillingness to yield in the geopolitical fight. Americans are not ready to admit that they cannot run the show in each and every part of the globe from Washington alone."
Russia rejects illegitimate Kiev putschists. "In Geneva, we agreed there must be an end to all violence. Next afternoon, Turchynov declared almost a state of emergency and ordered the army to shoot at the people."
On Tuesday, he ordered "anti-terrorist" operations resumed. Moscow rejects use of force throughout Eastern Ukraine and anywhere.
Separately, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby announced 600 US troops sent to Poland and Baltic states.
They'll participate in military exercises. They'll continue throughout 2014. Perhaps into 2015.
Deploying US forces sends a strong message NATO allies, he said. Washington's commitment is firm.
"If there's a message to Moscow, it is the same exact message that we take our obligations very, very seriously on the continent of Europe," he added.
"Russia's aggression in Ukraine has renewed our resolve to strengthening NATO's defense plans and capabilities, and to demonstrate our continued commitment to collective defense in reinforcing our NATO allies in Central and Eastern Europe," he claimed.
At the same time, Finland agreed to a NATO Memorandum of Understanding. It involves maintaining Alliance warships and aircraft on its territory.
Defense Secretary Carl Haglund claimed doing so isn't a step toward NATO membership. "(I)n times of crisis, we are better qualified for receiving assistance from other EU countries, the Nordic countries and NATO countries," he said.
On April 22, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said:
"Moral pressure is being exerted and attempts are being made to convince the public that 'the Russians are bad' and they should choose an orientation towards European democracy."
"They are talking about some kind of military-technological assistance, advisors and a larger number of joint exercises."
"NATO pursues the sole task of driving a wedge between Russia and its allies, detaching us from one another."
"We can see that the alliance continues to mount its military presence near our borders."
"They kept telling us about certain camps training soldiers and officers for missions in 'hotbeds' and 'semi-hotbeds.' "
"Now it is not a secret that these military units of NATO will be permanent. Whatever they may be called – bases, contingents or formations – their meaning does not change. A military potential is emerging by the Russian borders."
"If anyone thinks that Russia will rush into a project as soon as NATO crooks a finger at us, this is a profound mistake to make."
Russia bashing continues relentlessly. Big Lies substitute for straight talk. The Washington Post headlined "In Russia, a Soviet revival grips leadership," saying:
"…(T)he Soviet Union is suddenly alive and well again in the minds of a giddy cohort of the Russian elite. Not the ideology, please - but the gravity, the cold-eyed assertion of power abroad and at home, and the allegiance demanded by the state."
A litany of lies followed. It's standard WaPo practice. A day earlier, its editors headlined "President Obama, disregarding his own red line, dithers on Ukraine," saying"
Russia "continue(s) to escalate. Its operatives and those they control have not withdrawn from the government buildings they occupy."
"For weeks, Mr. Obama has held back on forceful measures against Mr. Putin’s aggression in Ukraine on the theory that a measured approach matched with diplomacy would yield results."
"The policy has failed. Now Mr. Obama must act - or doom Ukraine to dismemberment."
Fact: Russian democracy shames America's sham version. It's more fantasy than real.
Fact: Russia has gone all-out to resolve Ukrainian crisis conditions responsibly. Washington's strategy is polar opposite. It bears full responsibility for what's ongoing
Fact: US-supported putschists have no legitimacy whatever. Eastern Ukrainians have every right to reject them.
They deserve universal support. Don't expect WaPo editors to explain. Big Lies substitute for responsible reporting.
They proliferate recklessly. They risk escalating things out-of-control. They risk possible East/West conflict.
Washington deplores peace. It rejects diplomatic solutions. Ones agreed to aren't worth the paper they're written on.
Promises made are systematically broken. US strategy prioritizes controlling all former Soviet republics and Warsaw Pact countries.
Ukraine is the crown jewel. In his 1997 book titled "The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy And Its Geostrategic Imperatives," Zbigniew Brzezinski said:
"Without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be a Eurasian empire." US control is prioritized. It's been so since Washington broke GHW Bush's pledge not to expand NATO East.
No encroachment on Russia's borders would happen provided Moscow let its former republics become independent. Former President Mikhail Gorbachev was lied to.
America's word is never its bond. Former Russian republics Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are NATO members.
Other Eastern European ones include Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovenia.
Washington wants all remaining Eastern European nations co-opted. It wants them part of NATO.
US bases encircle Russian and Chinese borders menacingly. So-called missile defense systems intended for offense target them.
Neither country threatens America. Positioning strategic weapons near their borders shows Washington's real intentions.
The battle for Ukraine's soul continues. Washington is losing control. Michael Hudson believes it has "no means to follow through."
"The effect is to make the United States look like what Mao Tse Tung called it: a Paper Tiger. Having waved a big stick, the United States and its NATO satellites are now leaving Ukraine broke," he said.
"The aim of prying it out of the Russian orbit has left Ukraine heavily in debt to Russia for arrears in payments for gas (now no longer subsidized) and in danger of losing Russia as its major market for industrial exports."
Business as usual continues. Saber rattling dares Moscow to respond. Cold War 2.0 rages. Recklessness defines US policy. Russia is wrongfully blamed for US lawlessness.
Vilifying its policies persists. Calling them a major danger doesn't wash. Putin prioritizes diplomatic conflict resolutions. Advancing America's imperium prevents it.
One crisis segues to others. Will Ukraine be Washington's undoing? Rodney Shakespeare suggests a possible "turning point in history." US hubris may precipitate its own downfall.
Is America's empire declining? Washington hasn't won a war since WW II. Militants battle for control in Iraq and Libya. US-installed puppet regimes are weak.
Over 12 years of Afghanistan's war resolved nothing. Nor will another decade of fighting if it continues.
Obama's proxy Syria war reflects failure. America makes more enemies than friends. Will Ukraine hasten Washington's decline? Will its grip on world power weaken?
Will current allies lose patience? Will they cut their losses and abandon partnering in America's imperial adventurism? Will Ukraine be the last straw?
Hindsight is the best foresight. The fullness of time alone will tell. Ending Washington's imperial rampaging can't happen a moment too soon. Humanity's survival depends on it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israel Wants Temple Mount Control
Israel Wants Temple Mount Control
by Stephen Lendman
The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque rank third in Islamic importance. They do so after Mecca's Sacred Mosque and Madina's Mosque of the Prophet.
Israel wants control. Naftali Bennett is Israel's Jewish Home Party leader, Economy minister, and Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs minister.
In February, he told the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations of plans for greater Israeli control over East Jerusalem.
"Unfortunately, the Temple Mount today doesn't allow for the full exercise of freedom of religion, and there is discrimination against Jews there," he said.
Knesset members debated establishing greater Temple Mount sovereignty. Arab world criticism followed.
PA officials held an emergency session. A statement followed saying:
"If Israel continues this policy, it proves it does not want peace but continues to violate international laws and resolutions."
One-third of Jordanian parliamentarians urged annulling Amman's peace treaty with Israel. They called Israeli efforts for more Temple Mount sovereignty a clear peace treaty violation. It's "aggression against Jordanian custodianship," they said.
Jordan and the Jerusalem-based Islamic Waqf jointly administer the Temple Mount. They've done so since June 1967. Proposed Israeli changes bear full responsibility for unrest.
Its provocations are commonplace. In 2014 alone, the Al-Aqsa Foundation and Heritage reported 1,720 Israelis invaded the mosque compound provocatively.
Virtually daily they create one or more incidents. Most often they want to pray where they don't belong. They want to incite violence. They want Israeli security forces blaming Palestinians for their provocations.
Extremist Israeli rabbis want full control over the entire area. So do right-wing ideologues. It covers 144 dunums. It includes both mosques, an Islamic museum, a Sharia Islamic court and other facilities.
Palestinian worshipers remain inside the Al-Aksa Mosque compound to protect it. Israeli forces storm it belligerently all too often.
On April 17, they did so. They fired rubber-coated steel bullets at worshipers. Dozens were hurt.
Al-Aqsa Mosque director Sheikh Azam al-Kahtib said "about 1,000 Israeli officers stormed the compound." They used "live ammunition," he added.
Special forces deployed around the main gates since dawn. They blocked worshipers outside from getting in.
Ministry of endowment employees and students attending school inside were denied entry.
Security guards did so. So did men aged over 65. Several worshipers prayed in alleys outside.
Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld lied. He claimed peaceful Palestinians provocatively threw "stones and firecrackers" at police. They responded with rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades.
About 100 worshipers remain inside the compound day and night. They do so to protect it.
On April 20, Haaretz headlined "Temple Mount closed to visitors as police, Palestinians clash."
Hardline Jewish extremists bear responsibility. They want their rituals conducted where they don't belong. On Sunday, two Border Police were slightly injured.
For the first time, violence spread into the Old City's Muslim Quarter. Israeli security forces closed the Temple Mount. Doing so justifiably infuriated Muslim worshipers. According to Haaretz:
"Most incidents involve Jews attempting to access the area in order to pray or demonstrate a Jewish presence."
"The growing strength of the Jewish Temple Movement and other organizations that seek to change the status quo on the Temple Mount has exacerbated these tensions, as has the crisis in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations."
Hardline Jewish extremists get US-based support. American Friends of LIBI provide it.
It's a 501c3 NGO. Pro-Israeli volunteers run it. "When you donate to LIBI USA, over 95% of your donation goes directly to support Israeli soldiers," they say.
It's an official IDF fund. In 1980, former Prime Minister Menachem Begin and then Staff IDF chief of staff Rafael Eitan established it.
The did so "to provide educational, religious, medical and recreational needs of Israeli soldiers."
On April 13, American Friends of LIBI headlined:
"BREAKING NEWS: This morning, after Palestinian and Arab rioters threw stones and Molotov cocktails on the Temple Mount, the police were forced to close the area."
"Is it time for Israel to take control of the Temple Mount, end the violence, and open it to people of all religions? Click here to
vote!"
A photo shows "(m)asked Palestinian youths throw(ing) stones towards Israeli riot police during clashes following Friday prayers at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound on February 7, 2014."
American Friends of LIBI support institutionalized Israeli racism. "Time to…get the Arabs out," they asked?
It bears repeating. The Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque rank third in Islamic importance. Zionist zealots don't care.
They want Muslims denied entry to Islam's third holiest site. They want Jews allowed on sacred ground where they don't belong.
Israeli police lie. They claimed dozens of Palestinian youths provocatively threw stones and firecrackers at them from within the compound. Many were masked, they added.
Arrests followed. Dozens of Palestinians were injured. Dozens more arrested. Israeli initiated violence rocks the Temple Mount. It does so virtually daily.
Palestinians are wrongfully blamed. Israeli zealots and security forces bear full responsibility.
On April 21, dozens of settler extremists stormed through Mughrabi gate. Israeli police protected them. They blocked Palestinian worshipers. They unsuccessfully tried entering the Temple Mount.
On April 21, an Israeli court exiled six Jerusalemites for varying periods. Izzideen al-Shaloudi, Malik al-Showaiki, Mohammed Romman, Ihab Ighbarieya, and Muhannad Atieya were targeted.
Israeli zealots target Palestinians throughout the Occupied Territories. On April 18, they vandalized an Umm al-Fahm mosque.
They torched its front door. They spray-painted hate graffiti on its walls. They did so over the Passover holiday period (April 14 - April 22).
"Arabs out," they wrote. Friday's attack followed earlier ones. Investigations when held are whitewashed. Crimes go unpunished.
Palestinians are fair game. Radicalized Jews act with impunity. Israeli security forces do nothing to stop them.
They encourage lawlessness by inaction. They do it with overt support. So-called "price tag" attacks describe retaliations relating to Israeli government actions limiting their political goals.
They occur with disturbing regularity. They're documented by time, type, location, number of injuries and/or deaths. They do so by settlements of origin.
Israeli and collaborating Palestinian security forces do virtually nothing to stop them.
Ordinary Palestinians are left vulnerable on their own. They're in a virtual war zone. Israel is an occupying power.
International law is clear. Palestinian security and safety come first. Israel ignores its mandated responsibility. Punishments don't follow Israeli crimes against humanity.
Separately, Nikolayev, Ukraine's main synagogue was firebombed on April 19. At the time, it was empty.
The synagogue's security camera recorded the incident. A passer-by extinguished the fire. In late February, Zaporizhia's Giymat Rosa synagogue was attacked the same way.
Jewish media selectively report these incidents. Western ones largely ignore them. Putschist controlled presstitutes turn a blind eye.
Last week, fake letters circulated to Donetsk Jews. They called on those over 16 to register. Failure threatened citizenship revocation, deportation and assets seized.
Jew baiting followed Kiev putschists usurping power. Racist hate is unstated official policy.
Ukrainian Jews nationwide have one thing alone to fear. They're targeted. They're endangered.
Neo-Nazi putschists threaten them. Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are wrongfully blamed.
Kiev putschists are fascist extremists. Svoboda Party and Right Sector leaders openly display neo-Nazi symbols and insignia.
Svoboda's slogan is "Ukraine for the Ukrainians." It earlier called itself Socialist-Nationalists.
It bears erie resemblance to Hitler's National Socialism. It reflects fascism writ large.
Hooliganism is longstanding neo-Nazi policy. So is anti-Semitism. It's rife in Ukraine. Earlier Jewish populations suffered pogroms and other hate crimes.
Current ones are targeted in other ways. Svoboda Party head Oleh Tyahnbok once said Ukraine is headed by a "Muscovite-Jewish mafia."
Fascist elements openly display Celtic crosses. They reflect neo-Nazi white nationalist pride. The symbol 14/88 is prominent.
The 14 represents a white nationalist 14-word slogan. The 88 stands for 'Heil Hitler." "H" is the alphabet's 8th letter.
Black Sun occult symbolism is used. Allegedly it was drawn for Heinrich Himmler from an old Aryan emblem. It represented inner-circle SS power.
It united three important Nazi ideological symbols - the sun wheel, the 12 SS Knights of the Order of the Death's Head, and their three retainers.
Red and black flags are openly displayed. Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera featured them. He participated in mass executions and ethnic cleansing.
He wanted Ukraine made ethnically pure. Mass extermination followed. Current Ukrainian neo-Nazis have their own methods.
Bandera's legacy thrives in Ukraine today. His present day counterparts get open US support.
Repressive power politics dominates America, Israel and Ukraine. State terrorism reflects official policy.
Anyone challenging state power is targeted. Coverup and denial claim otherwise.
These countries aren't fit to live in. They're unsafe. Fascist hardliners run them. They threaten world peace.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
With Greg Hunter on USAWatchDog: Banks Will Take Deposits in the Coming Financial Meltdown,...
--2014--
761. Oct. 6-9, speaker, Praxis Peace Institute conference, THE ECONOMICS OF SUSTAINABILITY-Emerging Models for a Healthy Planet, Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco
760. July 29-Aug. 5. Moving Beyond Capitalism conference, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
759. July 9, speaker, 2014 Annual Conference of the Council of Georgist Organizations, Inc., Radisson Newport Beach Hotel, near the Orange County John Wayne Airport, 9:15 a.m. PT
758. May 26, interview, Wealth DNA Radio Show, Blog Talk Radio, wealthdna.us, noon EST
757. May 10, United We Stand Festival, Pauley Pavilion, UCLA,
https://unitedwestandfest.com/confirmed-guests/
756. May 1, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 9 a.m. PDT
755. April 29, moderator, Great Minds #66 with Nomi Prins, Los Angeles, CA., 7 pm PT
754. April 23, Ellen interviews Nomi Prins on It's Our Money. Listen to archive here.
753. April 21, interview with Robert Stark and Jeff Crow, Valley Talk Live, centralvalleytalk.com, Fresno, 4:30 PT
752. April 17, interview Dr. Rima Truth Reports, with Dr. Rima Laibow, 10 pm EST
751. April 17, interview with Greg Hunter, USAWatchdog.com, 11:30 EST
750. April 8, It's Our Money with Ellen Brown, interiews Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers. Listen to archive here.
749. April 8, interview with Alan Butler, Butler on Business, Liberty Express Radio, 11:30 AM EDT
748. April 3, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 9 a.m. PDT
747. April 3, interview with James Banks, KGNU radio, Boulder, CO, 5 p.m. PT
746. April 2, interview, WHDTWorldNews, Nextnewsnetwork.com, 10:30 a. m. PDT
745. March 26, 1 pm PDT, It’s Our Money with Ellen Brown. Ellen interviews Prof. ROBERT HOCKETT--fascinating background material for understanding the banks' role in the foreclosure mess and the eminent domain solution. Listen to the archive here.
744. March 24, interview with Kevin Zeese JD and Margaret Flowers MD, Clearing the FOG on We Act Radio, 1480 AM Washington, DC, 8 a.m. PDT
743. March 23rd, "Banking for the People—Not for Wall Street," Agenda for a Prophetic Faith Lecture Series, Claremont United Methodist Church, 211 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont, CA 91711, http://www.claremontumc.org/, 7 pm PT
742. Apr. 13, Interview with Chris Moore, KDKA Pittsburgh, 5 pm EST
741. March 18, 2 pm, Democratic Club, Friendly Valley Conference Room, Newhall, CA.
740. March 13, interview with Fred Smart, American Underground Network, 8 pm, CDT
739. March 12, 12 pm PDT, It's Our Money radio show with Ellen Brown, featuring Prof. TIM CANOVA on the Federal Reserve. Listen to archive here.
738. March 4, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report, 4:30 PST
737. Feb. 23, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST
736. Feb 20, interview with Bill Deller, 3CR radio, Melbourne, Australia, 3 pm, PST
735. Feb. 17, interview, Strike Debt Bay Area, KPFA, Berkeley, 2 pm (?) PST
734. Feb16, interview with Gary Dubin, The Foreclosure Hour (http://www.foreclosurehour.com/the-host.html), 5 pm PST
733. Feb. 11, interview with Clint Richardson, RBN 5 pm PST
732. Feb 9, interview with Stephen Golden, DEFENDING THE AMERICAN DREAM, KABC Los Angeles, 6 am, PST Listen to the archive here.
731. Feb. 6, interview, Move to Amend Reports, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/movetoamend, 5 pm PST
730. Feb. 5, interview with Sinclair Noe, Financial Review, MoneyRadio.com, 9:30 am PST
729. January 30, interview, Kerry Lutz - Financial Survival Network, 12 pm EST
728. January 30, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report, 4:30 PST
727. January 29, interview on Latin Waves, 8 pm PST
726. January 28, Green Party Shadow Cabinet response to State of the Union Speech. http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus 6 pm PST
725. January 26, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST. Listen here.
724. January 23, interview, The Tim Dahaney Show, 12 noon PST. Listen here.
723. January 22, interview with Utrice Leid, "Leid Stories,", PRN.FM, 1 pm EST
722. January 21, interview, Independent Underground Radio LIVE, 9:15 PST. Listen here.
721. January 12, Open Forum with Green Party candidates Luis Rodriguez, Laura Wells and Ellen Brown, hosted by LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) 11277 GARDEN GROVE BLVD., Garden Grove, CA. 2-4 pm
720. January 11, interview with Bill Still on running for California Treasurer. Watch it here. And see another one here.
719. January 8, interview, The Tim Dahaney Show, 12 noon PST. Listen here. (It's the one labelled "Take the Fed Reserve Public.")
718. Jan 7, interview, The Burt Cohen Show, 12 noon ET
--2013--
717. Dec. 30, interview, Stuart Vener Tells It Like It Is, see http://stuartvener.com for stations, 11:30 am EST
716. Dec. 26, interview Dr. Rima Truth Reports, with Dr. Rima Laibow and Ralph Fucetola, 10 pm EST
715. Dec. 21, interview, KPRO Radio San Francisco, 9:30 am PST
714. Dec. 18, interview, The Power Hour with Joyce Riley, 8 a.m. CT
713. Dec. 18, interview, Unwrapped Radio, WRFG, http://www.tuneinradio.com/, 12:40 EST
712. Dec. 15, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST, listen here.
711. Dec. 15, presentation, A Public Bank for Mendocino, at the Crown Hall in Mendocino, Ca., 7 pm
710. Dec. 15, presentation, Why We Need to Own Our Own Bank, Mendocino Environmental Center
106 West Standley, Ukiah, CA 95482, 2 pm
709. Dec. 14, presentation, Why We Need to Own Our Own Bank, Little Lake Grange, Willits, Ca. 7 pm
708. Dec. 13, interview on All About Money, KZYX radio, 9 a.m. PST
707. Dec. 13, interview, Radio Islam, WCEV 1450 AM, 12:05 pm, CST
706. Dec. 12, appearance with Doug McKenty, "The Shift," Mendocino TV, 4:30 pm PST
705. Dec. 11, interview on WHDT World News, http://NNN.is/on-WHDT, 5:30 and 11:00 pm EST. Watch the archive here.
704. Dec. 11, interview, WORT Community Radio, Madison, Wisconsin, 6:10 a.m. PST
703. Dec. 11, interview with Sinclair Noe, Financial Review, MoneyRadio.com, 10:30 PST
702. Dec. 9, UnWrapped Radio, Atlanta, 1 pm PST.
701. Dec. 9, GOHarrison, KPFK Los Angeles, 3:30 pm PST.
700. Dec. 9, interview, Air Cascadia show, KBOO radio, Portland, 10 am PST
699. Dec. 5, interview, WHDT World News TV, 2 pm PST
698. Dec. 4, interview with David Swanson, talknationradio, 7pm PST
697. Dec. 4, interview with Rob Kall, The Rob Kall Bottom-Up Radio Show, 1360 AM, 7:30 pm EST
696. Dec. 3, interview with Kim Greenhouse, It's Rainmaking Time, listen here.
695. Dec. 2, interview with Val Muchowski, Women's Voices, KZYX, 7 p.m. PST
694. Nov. 29, interview with Gregg Hunter, USAWatchdog.com, 11:30 PST
693. Nov. 16, interview This is Hell! radio show, WNUR 89.3 fm, thisishell.com/live, 11.20 a.m. EST. Listen to archive here
692. Nov. 15, interview with George Berry, The Financial News Network Show, truthfrequencyradio.com, 1 pm PST
691. Nov. 14, interview with Stanley Montieth, The Doctor Stan Show, Radio Liberty, 4 pm PSTf
690. Nov. 14, interview with Neil Foster, Reality Bytes show, Awake Radio (UK), Shazziz Radio (US), 8 pm UK time.
689. Nov. 13, interview with Bonnie Faulkner, KPFA, Los Angeles. Listen to archive here.
688. Nov. 12, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report, 4:30 PST
687. Nov. 11, interview, Between the Lines News Magazine, WPKN radio, Bridgeport, CT, 9 p.m. ET. Listen to archive here
686. Nov. 10, skype participant, forum at the Putrajaya International Islamic Arts and Cultural Festival, "Global Economic and Monetary Crisis: What Needs to be Done?" Putrajaya, Malaysia, 11 a.m. MYT, 7 pm, Nov. 9 PST
685. Nov. 3, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST
684. Oct. 31, interview with Voice of Russia radio, American edition, 2:30 pm, CET (Central Europe Time.) Listen to archive here.
683. Oct. 23, interview with Daniel Estulin on RT tv
682. Oct. 16, interview with Per Fereng, KBOO radio, Portland, 11 am PST
681. Oct. 15, presentation, "The Public Banking Forum in Ireland," 7-9 PM, Hudson Bay Hotel, Athlone, Ireland.
680. Oct. 14, presentation, Cork, Ireland
679. Oct. 12, presentation, "The Public Banking Forum in Ireland," 2-4 PM, Springfield Hotel in Leixlip, County Kildare, Ireland. Information on these three events here.
678. October 4, interview with Bill Deller, 3CR radio, Melbourne, Australia, 2:30 pm, PST
677. Oct. 3, interview with Joyce Riley, the Power Hour. Listen to archive here.
676. Oct. 1, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report 7:30 EST
675. Sept. 29, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST
674. Sept. 27, interviw with Kevin Barrett, AmericanFreedomRadio.com, NoLiesRadio.org:
http://TruthJihadRadio.blogspot.com, 2 pm PST
673. Sept. 19, interview, The Gary Null Show, 9:30 a.m. Pacific
672. Sept. 19, Interview on the Global Research News Hour with Michael Welch--check site for time and archive.
671. Sept. 18, interview with David Sierralupe, Occupy Radio, KWVA, 88.1 FM, Eugene
670. Sept. 15, interview with Niall Bradley, Sott Talk Radio, sott.net, 2 p.m. EST
669. Sept. 14, interview FDLBookSalon, firedoglake.com, 5pm EST
668. Sept. 10, "Turning Hard Times into Good Times" with Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 12:30 pm PST. Listen to archive here.
667. Sept. 9, interview with Ken MacDermotRoe and Del LaPietro, In Context Report, 9 am PST. Listen to archive here.
666. Sept 7, interview with Valerie Kirkgaard, WakingUpInAmerica.com, 6 am, PST. Listen here.
665. Sept. 6, Interview with Al Korelin, The Korelin Economics Report, 12:30 pm PST
664. Sept. 5, discussion of how to bring public banking to Colorado on "It's the Economy, Stupid," KGNU, Boulder, 5 p.m. PST
663. Sept. 5, interview with Patrick Timpone, oneradionetwork.com, 8 a.m. PST
662. Sept. 3, interview (along with Elliott Spitzer?), "Turning Hard Times into Good Times" with Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 1 pm PST Listen to archive here.
661. Sept. 3, interview with Jeanette LaFeve, The People Speak, 6 pm PST
660. Aug. 25, Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
659. Aug. 22, interview with Christopher Greene, AMTV Radio, simulcast in audio/video over GoogleHangouts and American Freedom Radio, 1 p.m. PST
658. Aug. 22, interview, TheAndyCaldwellShow.com,
CalChronicle.com, 3 pm PST
657. Aug. 21, interview with Merry and Burl Hall, blogtalkradio.com/envision-this, 5 pm PST
656. Aug. 21, interview with Lori Lundin, America's Radio News Network, 10:30 a.m. ET.
655. Aug. 16, interview with Sinclair Noe, Moneyradio.com, 4 pm PST
654. Aug. 15, interview with Justine Underhill, Prime Interest, Russia Today TV, 1:30 pm PST
653. Aug 14, interview with Jim Goddard, This Week in Money, 4 pm, PST. Listen to archive here, starting at minute 32.
652. Aug. 14, interview with Mary Glenney, WMNF 88.5, 10 a.m. PST
651. Aug. 14, interview with Chuck Morse, irnusaradio.com, 8 am, PST
650. Aug. 13, interview with Thomas Taplin, Dukascopy TV, Switzerland, 9 am PST
649. Aug 7-11, Madison Democracy conference, https://democracyconvention.org/
648. Aug. 6, radio interview, INN World Report with Tom Kiely, http://feeds.feedburner.com/INNWorldReportRadio 4:30 PST
647. Aug 5, interview with Arnie Arnesen, 94.7 fm, Concord, NH, 9 am PST
646. Aug 3, interview with Diane Horn, Mind Over Matter show, KEXP radio, 90.3 FM, Seattle, 7:00 a.m. PST
645. July 31, interview with Mike Beevers, KFCF Fresno, 4:30 pm PST
644. July 28, Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
643. July 2, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PDT.
642. July 2, interview with Arnie Arnesen, 94.7 fm, Concord, NH, 12:30 EST.
641. June 30, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT. Listen to archive here.
640. June 24, interview on RT tv re student debt, 10:30 am PST
639. June 17, interview on The Andy Caldwell Show, 3:30 pm PST
638. June 16, interview with Jason Erb, 5 pm Pacific
637. June 13, interview with Paul Sanford, "Time 4 Hemp-LIVE," http://www.AmericanFreedomRadio.com, 10 am, PST
636. June 6 presentation with Jamie Brown at the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center in Walnut Creek. Info at Favors.org, 7 to 9 pm
635. June 1, interview with Kris Welch, KPFA Los Angeles, 10 am PST
634. May 28, interview with Malihe Razazan, "Your Call" radio, KALW, San Francisco, 10 am PST.
633. May 26, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
632. May 23 interview with Simit Patel, InformedTrades.com (youtube) 3:30 pm PST
631. May 22, Thousand Oaks, 3 expert panel, "A Parachute For the Fiscal Cliff," University Village 2-4 pm
630. May 22, interview with Jack Rasmus, 11 am PST. Enjoy the interview here.
629. May 22, Guns and Butter show, KPFA, http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/91790
628. May 14, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PDT.
627. May 13, live appearance on RTTV, 3 pm PST Watch it here.
626. May 8, interview with Valli Sharpe-Geisler, Silicon Valley Voice, KKUP, 3 pm PST
625. May 8, interview, the Meria Heller Show, 11 am PST
624. May 4, interview, Latin Waves with Sylvia Richardson, 10 am PST
623. April 30, Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 1 pm PST
622. April 29, interview with Rob Kall, Bottom Up Radio, 9 am Pacific
Listen to archive here.
621. April 28, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
620. April 25, interview, the the Dr. Katherine Albrecht Show, 5 pm EDT
619. April 17, interview with Mike Harris, rense.com, 1 pm PDT
618. April 16th, speaker, Valley Democrats United (Democratic Party of San Fernando Valley), Van Nuys, Ca. 7-9pm
617. April 13, interview with Darren Weeks, Govern America, noon Eastern, listen here
616. April 9, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PDT.
615. April 6, phone conference, Justice Party, http://www.justicepartyusa.org/public_banking_conference_call, 9 a.m.
614. April 5, interview, Butler on Business, 11 a.m. EDT
613. April 3, interview with Michael Welch, Global Research News Hour, 8:30 a.m. PDT
612. April 2, interview with Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 12:30 PDT. Listen here.
611. April 1, interview with Brannon Howse, www.worldviewradio.com, 11 a.m. PDT
610. April 1, interview with Scott Harris, Counterpoint,
WPKN Radio, 8:30 pm, ET Listen to archive here.
609. April 1, interview with Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese. Watch and listen to archive here, starting at minute 50. Articles based on the interview are at Truthout.org.
608. March 31, interview with Jason Erb, Exposing Faux Capitalism, Oracle Broadcasting, 11 a.m. Pacific
607. March 31, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT Listen to the archive here.
606. March 29, interview, The Gary Null Show, 9:30 a.m. Pacific
605. March 28, interview with Stan Monteith, radioliberty.com, 9 pm PDT
604. March 28, radio interview, INN World Report with Tom Kiely, http://feeds.feedburner.com/INNWorldReportRadio 4:30 PDT
603. March 27, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PdT.
602. March 27, interview with Jack Rasmus on PRN, 11 a.m. PDT
601. March 25, interview on the Richard Kaffenberger show, KTOX, Needles, CA. 3:15 PDT
600. March 22, newly available archived radio interview, Mandelman Matters. Listen here.
599. March 22, interview with James Fetzer, The People Speak Radio, 5-7 pm PDT
598. March 22, interview , Our Times With Craig Barnes, KSFR radio, Santa Fe, 10 a.m. MST
597. March 12, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST.
596. March 11, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PST
595. March 9, Interview with Sylvia Richardson, Latin Waves, CJSF 90.1FM, 9:30 am PST
594. March 6, interview with Charlie McGrath, wideawakenews.com, 6pm PST. Watch and listen here.
593. March 3, interview with Lateef Kareem Bey, Fix Your Mortgage Mess, 4 pm PST
592. March 2, Interview with Stuart Richardson, Latin Waves, CJSF 90.1FM, 11 am PST
591. Feb. 27, interview with Jim Banks, KGNU, Boulder, 12 pm PST
590. Feb 27, interview with Sinclair Noe, Financial Review, 10 am PST
589. Feb. 25, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST.
588. Feb. 6, Interview with Phil Mackesy, This Week in Money, TalkDigitalNetwork.com, 11 am PST. Listen to the archive here: http://talkdigitalnetwork.com/2013/02/this-week-in-money-70/
587. Feb. 4, interview with Ken Rose, What Now radio show, KOWS RADIO OCCIDENTAL 107.3 FM, 11 am PST.
586. Jan. 31, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Radio Report, 5:00 pm PST
585. Jan. 27, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio
network, 10 am PST
584. Jan. 23, interview on KPFK, 8pm PST
583. Jan. 22, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST.
582. Jan. 3, interview with Mary Glenney, WMNF 88.5, Tampa, 3 pm EST
581. Jan. 2, interview, The Bev Smith Show, thebevsmithshow.net, 5 pm PST
--- 2012 ---
580. Dec. 27, video interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, listen and watch here.
579. Dec. 24, October talk at First Unitarian Church in Portland aired on KBOO radio, http://kboo.fm/, 8:00 am PST
578. Dec. 24, interview with Ron Daniels, the WWRL Morning Show with Mark Riley, wwrl1600.com, 5:05 am PST
577. Dec. 21, interview with Andy Caldwell, TheAndyCaldwellShow.com, KZSB AM1290 Santa Barbara / Ventura and KUHL AM1440 Santa Maria / San Luis Obispo, 3:30 pm PST
576. Dec. 20, interview with Fred Smart, aunetwork.tv, 9 pm EST
575. Dec. 19, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST. Listen here.
574. Dec. 19, interview with Dr. Jack Rasmus, Alternative Visions, Progressive Radio Network, 2 pm EST
573. Dec. 17, The Bev Smith Show, thebevsmithshow.net, 4 pm PST
572. Dec. 15, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST. Listen here.
571. Dec. 14, interview with Craig Barnes, Our Times With Craig Barnes, KSFR radio, 9 am PST Listen to the archive here.
570. December 9th, speaker, Mayo Arts Center (10 Mayo Street) in Portland, ME
http://mayostreetarts.org/about-us/where-we-are 7:30-9pm
569. Dec. 7, Vermont's New Economy conference, Vermont College of the Find Arts, Montpelier, VT, 9 am to 4 pm and reception at 4:30. $25
www.global-community.org/neweconomy to register
568. Dec. 5, speaker, Pennsylvania Public Bank Project's Forum on Public Banking, at the David Library of the American Revolution, Washington Crossing, PA, 7pm
567. Nov. 26-27, 3rd Annual World Conference on Riba, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
566. Nov. 22, presentation before Royal Scottish Academy -- "A Public Bank for Scotland" (here), Riddle's Court, 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PG Scotland, 6 pm
565. Nov 8, Healthy Money Summit, speaking with Hazel Henderson at 1-2 pm PST, information here.
564. Sunday, Oct. 28, Keynote Speaker; The Buck Starts Here, 2:00pm, sponsored by the Kairos Occasional Speakers Series & OFOR, Kairos Milwaukie UCC, Milwaukie, OR.
563. Saturday, Oct. 27, Keynote Speaker; OFOR Saturday Symposium: The Buck Starts Here, 10am - 3pm, Molalla, OR
562. Friday-Sunday, Oct. 26-28, Keynote Speaker; Oregon Fellowship of Reconciliation Fall Retreat - The Buck Starts Here, Camp Adams, Molalla, OR, Friday, 5pm- Sunday 12 noon
561. Friday, October 26, Invited Commentator; screening of “HEIST” (new documentary about the roots of the American economic crisis), sponsored by First Unitarian Church of Portland's Economic Justice Action Groups, Alliance for Democracy, KBOO, Move to Amend, 7:00pm, First Unitarian Church, Portland, OR
560. (Oct. 25-28, Bioneers Conference, Portland, OR)
Oct. 25, Keynote Speaker; sponsored by Portland Fellowship of Reconciliation (PFOR) and the First Unitarian Church of Portland's Economic Justice and Peace Action Groups, 7:00-8:30pm, First Unitarian Church, Portland, OR
559. Oct. 24, interview with Per Fagereng, KBOO radio, Portland, 9 am PST
558. Oct. 24, KPFA "Guns and Butter" interview. Listen to archived show here.
557. Oct. 21, speaker at BBQed Oysters and Beer Fundraiser Party for PBI, San Rafael, CA, 4 pm PST
556. Oct. 14, Live Gaiam tv interview appearance. Watch it here free at 7pm EST.
555. Oct. 12, interview with Matt Rothschild of The Progressive, 10 a.m. Central time
554. October 11-14, speaker, Economic Democracy Collaborative, Madison, Wisconsin
553. Oct. 11, radio interview with Norm Stockwell, WORT, 12 pm CST
552. Oct. 9, interview with Kevin Barrett, No Lies Radio, listen to archive here.
551. Oct. 8, interview, "Mountain Hours Revolution Radio" with Wayne Walton, on RBN, 12-1 pm PST
550. Oct. 7, interview with Lloyd D'Aguilar, "Looking Back Looking Forward", http://lookingbacklookingforward.com/, 2 pm EST
549. Sept. 26, interview with Douglas Newberry, markettoolbox.tv, 1pm EST. Listen here.
548. Sept. 25, interview with Dr. Stanley Montieth, radioliberty.com, 3pm PST
547. Sept. 24, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PST.
546. Sept. 22, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
545. Sept. 17 interview along with Hazel Henderson, National Teach In for Occupy Wall Street, http://www.livestream.com/owshdtv 5pm EST
544. Sept. 10, interview with Thomas Taplin, Dukascopy TV (Switzerland), 7 am PST Watch and listen here
543. Sept. 7, interview with Mike Harris, republicbroadcasting.org, 6 am PST
542. Sept. 6, interview with Douglas Newberry, markettoolbox.tv, 1pm EST. Listen here.
541. Aug 28, interview, the Meria Heller Show, 11 am PST. Listen to archive here. And listen to excellent Meria Heller show here.
540. Aug 26, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, listen to archive here.
539. August 21, interview with Charlie McGrath, wideawakenews.com. Listen to archive here.
538. Aug 20, interview with Kim Greenhouse, It's Rainmaking Time, listen here.
537. Aug 16, interview with Mike Harris, republicbroadcasting.org, 6 am PST
536. Aug. 14, interview, TheAndyCaldwellshow.com, 4:30pm PST
535. August 13, interview with American Free Press, 1 pm PST
534. July 24, interview along with Victoria Grant, The People Speak, 6pm, PST
533. July 24, interview with Kevin Barrett, NoLiesRadio.org, 9 am PST
532. July 23, interview with Charlie McGrath, wideawakenews.com, 6 pm PST
531. July 22, interview with Dave Hodges, The Common Sense Show, 7 pm PST
530. July 22, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST. Listen to archive here.
529. July 19, interview with Mike Beevers, KFCF Fresno, 4:30 pm PST
528. July 10-12, Speaker, Conference on Social Transformation, Faculty of Economics, Split University, Split Croatia
527. July 10, video interview with Max Keiser, the Keiser Report, on the ESM. Watch it here.
526. July 7, Interview with Phil Mackesy, This Week in Money, TalkDigitalNetwork.com, 3 pm PST
525. July 6, video interview with Dr. Mercola, see it here.
524. June 23, Interview with Al Korelin, The Korelin Economics Report, 1 pm PST. Listen to archive here.
523. June 21, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Radio Report, 4:30 pm PST
522. June 21, interview on the Gary Null Show, 9:20 am PST
521. June 18, interview with Ken Rose, What Now radio show, KOWS RADIO OCCIDENTAL 107.3 FM, 1 pm PST. Listen to archive here.
520. June 17, interview with Bill Resnick, KBOO radio, 9 am PST
519. June 16 interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST. Listen to archive here.
518. June 9, interview with Sylvia Richardson, Latin Waves, 9:45 am PST. Listen to archive here.
517. June 5, interview, Truth Quest With Melodee, KHEN radio, 7pm PST
516. June 2, interview about Web of Debt, Our Common Ground,http://www.blogtalkradio.com/OCG, 7pm PST
515. June 1, interview with Robert Stark, The Stark Truth listen here.
514. Newly available video of interview on "Moral Politics" -- see it here
513. May 30, interview, The Tim Dahaney Show, ll am PST
512. May 28, interview with Pedro Gatos, "Bringing Light into Darkness", KOOP.ORG, 6 pm CST
511. May 24, interview, Make It Plain With Mark Thompson, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, 2pm PST
510. May 20, interview, Women's View Radio, blogtalkradio.com, 10 am Central Time. Listen here.
509. May 13, interview, www.Blogtalkradio.com/fixyourmortgagemess, 4:15 pm PST
508. May 12, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST Listen here.
507. May 9, seminar, Re-imagining Money and Credit, Art bldg. rm 103, El Camino college, Torrance, Ca. 5-7:30 pm
506. May 8, interview with Mike Harris, republicbroadcasting.org, 9 am EST
505. May 7, radio discussion on "The Myth of Austerity", Connect the Dots, KPFK Los Angeles, 7 am PST. Listen here.
504. May 4, interview The Unsolicited Opinion, republicbroadcasting.org, 8 am PST
503. April 27-28, speaker, Public Banking Institute Conference, Friends Center, Philadelphia. Listen here.
502. April 25, speaker Global Teach-In (globalteachin.com), 12 noon EST
501. April 17, Interview with Leo Steel, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lasteelshoworg, 8:30 pm EST. Listen here.. 31 minutes in.
500. April 14, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
499. April 14, interview with Al Korelin, The Korelin Economics Report
498. April 10th-12th Speaker at Claremont Conference, “Creating Money in a Finite World” Claremont, CA . See video here.
497. April 5, interview , This Week In Money with Phil Mackesy (howestreet.com) 12:30 PST. Listen to the archive here.
496. April 3, speaker at COMER with Paul Hellyer, "Escape From the Web of Debt," Toronto, 7:30 pm
495. March 27, speaker on "Why are we so Broke? New ways to look at the Finances of our State and City," League of Women Voters luncheon, San Diego, 12 noon
494.5 March 24, radio interview, Mandelman Matters. Listen here.
494. March 17, speaker via skype, SCADS conference, London
493. March 15, interview with Per Fagereng, Fight the Empire, KBOO radio, 9:30 am PST
492. March 15, speaker, San Rafael City Hall 6 pm
491. March 13, speaker at Sergio Lub's house, Walnut Creek, info at Favors.org, 6pm
490. March 11, speaker, TedxNewWallStreet. See it here.
489. March 10, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
488. March 6, interview with Melinda Pillsbury-Foster, http://radio.rumormillnews.com/podcast/, 11 am PST
487. Feb. 25, interview with Martin Andelman, http://www.mandelman.ml-implode.com, 9:30 am PST
486. Feb. 25, interview, This Week In Money with Phil Mackesy (howestreet.com), 3 pm PST
485. Feb. 25, interview on CIVL Radio, Latin Waves, How Greece Could Take Down Wall Street, 11:30am PST
484. Feb 23, interview with Thomas Kiely, INN World Report Radio, 7:30 pm EST
483. Feb. 17, featured speaker, Public Banking in America weekly call, 9 am PST
482. Feb. 11, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
481. Feb. 8, interview with Mike Beevers, KFCF Fresno, 4:30 pm PST
480. Feb. 7, interview with Kevin Barrett, NoLiesRadio.org, 9 am PST; listen to archive here
479. Feb. 6, participant, Occupiers and Wells Fargo Executives Gather to Discuss the American Foreclosure Crisis, The Center of Nonprofit Management at California Endowment Building 1000 N. Alameda, Los Angeles, meeting 3 pm and press conference 5:30 pm
478. Feb. 2, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report Radio, 7:30 pm EST
477. Feb. 2, interview with Patrick Timpone, oneradionetwork.com, naturalnewsradio.com. Listen to archive here
476. Jan. 31, interview, Liberty Coins and Precious Metals, 9 am PST
475. Jan. 27, interview KPFA, Project Censored, 8:30 am PST
474. Jan. 27, FILMS4CHANGE-INSIDEJOB, panel speaker, Edye Second Space, Santa Monica Performing Arts Center, 7:30 pm
473. Jan 22, interview with Dave Hodges, The Common Sense Show, 7:30 pm PST. Listen live here.
472. Jan. 20, interview with Mike Harris, The Republic Broadcasting Network, 7 am PST
471. Jan. 16, interview with Rob Lorei, WMNF fm, Tampa, 2 pm PST
470. Jan. 14, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
469. Jan. 11, interview with Jeff Rense, rense.com, 8pm PST
PLO/Hamas Detente?
PLO/Hamas Detente?
by Stephen Lendman
Reports announced it. Previous efforts failed. We've been here, done that several several times before. Is this time different?
It remains to be seen. On April 23, Haaretz headlined "Palestinian factions prepare to implement reconciliation deal."
Mounib Al-Masri headed Abbas' negotiating team. "There has been great progress, and we are near ready to sign a deal at 11AM" local time, he said.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahawiri issued a similar statement. A formal announcement followed. Maan News headlined "PLO/Hamas announce agreement to end political division," saying:
"PLO and Hamas representatives announced an historic unity deal on Wednesday to bring to an end more than seven years of political division between the main Palestinian political parties."
Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh announced "the end of years of Palestinian political division in a press conference in Gaza City…"
He said both sides worked as "one team." They did so "to form one government, one political system and one national program."
We're "happy to declare the end of the period of inter-Palestinian division," he added. All sides stressed the need to achieve results after repeated failures.
Palestinian People's Party (PPP) secretary general Bassam al-Salili said agreement was reached on a "road map plan."
It begins with establishing national unity. In six months or less, presidential and parliamentary elections will follow.
In April 2011, both sides met earlier. They did so in Cairo. They announced a draft reconciliation agreement.
Egypt's MENA news agency confirmed "a complete understanding after talks on all the points, including the formation of a transitional government with a specific mandate and setting a date for elections."
Hamas official Izzat Ar-Rishiq said differing issues between both sides were resolved.
Fatah's delegation head, Azzam Al-Ahmad, confirmed it. Both sides agreed to a "government of independents," he said.
They'll be "tasked with preparing for presidential and legislative elections within a year."
Palestinian groups welcomed the announcement. PLC deputy head Ahmad Bahar called it "historic." Hamas said it broke new ground.
Reconciliation didn't follow. Agreed on terms were ignored. A similar Doha 2012 agreement followed. Announced national unity governance wasn't consummated.
Netanyahu reacted as expected. He demanded Abbas "choose between peace with Israel or peace with Hamas."
"There cannot be peace with both because Hamas strives to destroy the state of Israel and says so openly," he said.
"I think that the very idea of reconciliation shows the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and creates the prospect that Hamas could retake control of Judea and Samaria just like it took control of the Gaza Strip."
More below on his reaction this time.
It bears repeating. Is this time different? There's good reason for doubt based on past failures. Agreed on terms largely reflect what Cairo and Doha negotiators resolved.
Both sides agreed to reactivate the Palestinian Legislative Council. Some issues remain to be discussed. They include who'll control Hamas' security forces.
Ahead of general elections, Hamas agreed to temporary PLO leadership. It'll represent all Palestinian groups. They include Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Talks will continue. Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad said neither side accepts resuming so-called peace talks without clear guidelines. More on this below.
On April 23, Netanyahu cancelled Wednesday's scheduled peace talks, saying:
"This evening, when talks are still underway to extend negotiations, (Abbas) has chosen Hamas over peace. Whoever chooses Hamas does not want peace."
Netanyahu told John Kerry: "We view this move as a return to the familiar pattern of the Palestinians who run away every time they need to make decisions."
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett rejected what he called a "unity government of terror," adding:
"Hamas will continue to murder Jews and (Abbas) will continue to demand their release. Whoever thinks (he's) a partner should think again."
Defrocked/reinstated Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman echoed Netanyahu and Bennett, saying:
"The signing of an agreement for a Fatah-Hamas unity government means the end of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority."
Chief Israeli negotiator Tzipi Livni lied saying reconciliation harms "the opportunity (for peace) that has just opened up."
"In light of the new situation, Israeli must examine what this development means and reconsider its steps."
Since talks began last July, nothing substantive was resolved. Both sides are as far apart as ever. Chances for peaceful conflict resolution are virtually NIL.
An unnamed senior US official said:
"We have been clear about the principles that must guide a Palestinian government in order for it to play a constructive role in achieving peace and building an independent Palestinian state."
"Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognition of the State of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations between the parties, including the Roadmap. President Abbas has been committed to these principles."
"If a new Palestinian government is formed, we will assess it based on its adherence to the stipulations above, its policies and actions, and will determine any implications for our assistance based on US law."
US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki called the announcement "troubling."
"It is hard to see how Israel will negotiate with a government that does not recognize its right to exist."
"The Palestinian reconciliation deal raises concerns and could complicate the efforts to extend peace talks."
"The ball is in the Palestinian court to answer questions about how government announcement affects peace talks."
Abbas said unity with Hamas doesn't affect peace talks. He stipulated terms for continuing them. He said for nine more months if negotiations include:
- borders discussed immediately for three months;
- a complete settlement construction freeze throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem; and
- release of 30 more agreed on pre-Oslo Palestinian prisoners; 14 are Israeli citizens.
An unnamed senior Israeli official categorically refused. Settlement construction will continue, he said. Borders are separate from other core issues, he claimed.
They include diaspora Palestinians right to return, Jerusalem's status, security and mutual recognition, he said.
"It is impossible to define borders before an agreement" on these and other issues, he added.
"At the same time, (Abbas) makes unfounded declarations of peace, (he's) holding talks with Hamas - which is known to the whole world as a terror organization that calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and the murder of Jews."
False! Earlier, Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin pledged to end its struggle in return for Palestinian self-determination inside pre-1967 borders.
It represents 22% of historic Palestine. Israel flatly refuses. It wants all valued Judea and Samaria land annexed. It wants Jerusalem as its exclusive capital. It offers Palestinians virtually nothing in return.
Likud hardliner Ofir Akunis called Abbas "Arafat in disguise. Palestinian leadership…changed only in tone, not in content," he said.
"Underneath the diplomatic sweet talk hides an extremist leadership whose face is not turned toward peace or an agreement, but toward endlessly extorting the release of murderers, concessions and retreats by Israel - as conditions just for the holding of negotiations."
Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin said the PA "once again has exposed the true unity of purpose between Hamas terrorists and the Fatah leaders - the annihilation of the Jewish state."
"One should not be surprised that those who refuse to even discuss recognition of the Jewish state in any borders whatsoever, and pays huge salaries to Palestinian terrorists who murdered Israelis and are doing time in Israeli jails, finally found his natural place in the warm embrace of the Hamas murderers."
In July 2000, so-called "permanent status" talks were held. Clinton hosted Arafat and then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Media scoundrels lied. They called an offer designed to be refused a "generous (and) unprecedented" one.
Barak was hardline. He insisted Arafat agree, declare an "end of conflict," and end any legal claim to land rightfully belonging to Palestinians.
No Israeli offer in writing was presented. No documents. No maps. Arafat had no choice. He rejected Barak's duplicitous offer.
He became persona non grata. He was a marked man. He was targeted for elimination.
Israel lay siege to his compound. Most of it was destroyed. On November 4, 2004, he died in a Paris hospital.
Suspicions of foul play surfaced. Evidence showed he was poisoned. Polonium was used to kill him.
It's around 109 times more toxic than hydrogen cyanide. Its main hazard is radioactivity. It's most lethal when ingested or inhaled. It's hard to detect.
Israel bore full responsibility. Will Abbas be targeted the same way? Will Hamas leaders?
Rogue states operate this way. Targeted assassinations are longstanding Israeli policy. Rule of law principles are systematically violated.
Peace is a convenient illusion. Israel deplores it. So does Washington. Unconditional Palestinian surrender is demanded.
Will PLO/Hamas reconciliation matter if it's consummated? Will Israeli tactics change?
It takes a giant leap of faith to think so. Palestinians remain on their own for justice.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
US Threatens Russia
US Threatens Russia
by Stephen Lendman
Washington bears full responsibility for elevating illegitimate fascist putschists to power. Doing so reflects another sordid chapter in US history. For sure, it won't be the last.
Bullying, bluster and threatening ultimatums define US policy. John Kerry warned Sergei Lavrov.
Moscow has "days, not weeks," to assure Ukrainian four-part agreement terms are implemented. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki repeated his threat, saying:
"The secretary urged Russia to take concrete steps to help implement the Geneva agreement, including publicly calling on separatists to vacate illegal buildings and checkpoints, accept amnesty and address their grievances politically."
"He also called on Russia to assign a senior diplomat to work with the OSCE mission in eastern Ukraine to make absolutely clear to the separatists that Russia supports the agreement and wants de-escalation."
"The Secretary also made clear that Russia’s recent public statement casting doubt on Ukraine's commitment to the Geneva agreement flies in the face of the facts."
"The Government of Ukraine put forward a broad amnesty bill for separatists to give up buildings and weapons, and has sent senior representatives to the east with the OSCE to help implement the agreement, and had called an Easter pause in its counterterrorism operations."
"He asked that Russia now demonstrate an equal level of commitment to the Geneva agreement in both its rhetoric and its actions."
"As noted in Geneva, without implementation, the joint statement is only a piece of paper, and what is needed is true de-escalation."
"The Ukrainians have taken steps. The Russians have to take additional steps." Otherwise, they'll be "consequences for inaction."
Fact check
Kiev putschists deployed neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs. They did so to Eastern Ukraine. They unleashed violence. They violated Easter truce terms straightaway.
Deescalation is a convenient illusion. Washington bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions. Rogue EU nations partner in crime.
Cold War 2.0 rages. At stake is world peace. A potential East/West confrontation looms.
Washington wants all rival governments eliminated. It wants pro-Western stooge ones replacing them. It wants unchallenged worldwide dominance. It risks possible global conflict in the process.
Psaki didn't explain. She irresponsibly blamed Russia for US imperial adventurism. It persists relentlessly. Core international, constitutional and US statute laws are violated.
Ukraine is in the eye of the storm. The worst of all possible outcomes may follow. Targeting Russia raises the stakes.
Sergei Lavrov is a consummate diplomat. He shames his US counterpart. Washington should take responsibility for its actions, he said.
"Before giving us ultimatums, demanding that we fulfill demands within two or three days with the threat of sanctions, we would urgently call on our American partners to fully accept responsibility for those who they brought to power," he stressed.
Threatening Russia with consequences won't work, he added. It's "big, independent (and) power(ful)…(It) knows what it wants."
Washington, rogue EU partners and Kiev putschists lie. They "invent possible and impossible arguments against Russia," Lavrov said.
Claiming Russian arms in Eastern Ukraine proves Moscow interference doesn't wash. Saying so is "ludicrous. Everybody has Russian arms in Ukraine."
At the same time, illegal Ukrainian elements have US weapons, not Kiev's military.
Putschist "authorities are doing nothing, not even lifting a finger, to address the causes behind this deep internal crisis in Ukraine," Lavrov stressed.
They violated four-party agreement terms straightaway. Days earlier, CIA head John Brennan arrived in Kiev. He came with US administration instructions.
Wage war on Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters, they were told. Putin warned of potential "civil war."
So did Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Putschists launched violence, he said.
"The illegal rulers are trying to restore the order they cynically trampled on when they participated in an armed uprising," he added.
They deployed military forces east. They unleashed Right Sector neo-Nazis thugs. They lied claiming otherwise.
According to Lavrov, they're "running the show" in central and Western Ukraine. They're "trying to affect eastern regions."
Kiev putschists claim Maidan "act(s) legally which is totally inadmissible." Attacking Slavyansk activists shows Kiev want four-party agreement terms derailed, Lavrov said.
"The fact that extremists started to shoot at unarmed civilians is unacceptable." At the same time, putschists target foreign journalists.
Some are blocked. They're denied permission to enter Ukraine. Others are threatened, harassed and arrested. So are Southeastern Ukrainian activists.
Police states operate this way. Ukraine is one of the worst. Order must be restored, said Lavrov. Real constitutional reform is essential.
So far it's nowhere in sight. Extremism as well as ethnic and religious intolerance continue.
Illegally armed groups operate freely. They do so extrajudicially. They rampage with impunity. They threaten anyone challenging them. They shoot to kill.
Russia won't allow civil war in Ukraine to erupt, said Lavrov. "There has been a surge in appeals to Russia for saving them from this outrage."
"We are being put into an extremely complex position," he added.
"Those who are deliberately pursuing a civil war, possibly, in an attempt to start a big, serious bloody conflict, are pursuing a criminal policy."
"And we will not only condemn this policy but will also stop it," he stressed.
"Geneva agreements on Ukraine specify no timeframe, but measures should be taken urgently." Putschists haven't done so, said Lavrov.
"Everything points to the fact that (they) are not able to control extremists, or do not want to control them."
"The main thing now is to prevent any kind of violence in Ukraine. It is the first clause of the Geneva agreements, the first requirement."
"This part of the Geneva agreement is not fulfilled, but on the contrary, steps are taken by (Kiev putschists) in violation of" its terms.
"We are concerned that instead of confirming the responsibility for the situation, Kiev and the West-European countries are trying to make Russia responsible."
Claiming four-party agreement terms don't apply to Maidan is "absolutely acceptable," Lavrov added.
Obama dispatched Vice President Joe Biden. He arrived in Kiev. He did so to meet with his new friends. He expressed full US support.
Washington will help its "leaders" create national unity, he said. They face "humiliating threats" and "daunting problems," he added.
He called planned sham May elections the most important in Ukraine's history. They'll be farcical when held. Biden didn't explain.
He came for a victory lap. It's for Obama's latest imperial trophy. If he can hold it, a previous article explained.
Eastern Ukrainians reject Kiev putschists. They want their legitimate rights respected. They want local autonomy. They're going all-out to get it legitimately.
On April 21, Voice of Russia headlined "Biden to test US face-saving retreat plan for Ukraine," saying:
He'll "explore the possibilities for Washington's face-saving exit from its foreign policy catastrophe in the country…"
Rostislav Ishchenko heads the Kiev-based Centre for Analysis and Prognosis. Washington's failure in Ukraine necessitates a retreat without losing face, he said.
Biden arrived with a mandate. It's "to cover up (America's) retreat." Kiev can't "suppress" Eastern Ukrainian activists. It won't fulfill four-party deal terms.
Biden came to make the best out of a bad situation. Putting lipstick on this pig won't work.
Fascists running Kiev can't hide their extremism. Big Lies don't wash. Washington is public enemy number one.
Kiev putschists are convenient stooges. They have no legitimacy whatever. Eastern Ukrainians reject them. They do so responsibly.
Perhaps Western ones will join once their full agenda is implemented. Repression and neoliberal harshness reflect it. People take only so much before rebelling.
Scoundrel media lie. New York Times misinformation is scandalous. Russia bashing repeats daily. On April 21, The Times headlined "Russia Displays a New Military Prowess in Ukraine's East," saying:
It "combine(s) cyberwarfare, an energetic information campaign and the use of highly trained special operation troops to seize the initiative from the West."
It "project(s) power in the 'near abroad.' " It "road-tested" strategy in Crimea. It combines "hard and soft power."
"For its intervention in Crimea, the Russians used a so-called snap military exercise to distract attention and hide their preparations."
"Then specially trained troops, without identifying patches, moved quickly to secure key installations. Once the operation was underway, the Russian force cut telephone cables, jammed communications and used cyberwarfare to cut off the Ukrainian military forces on the peninsula."
Moscow "sen(t) small, well-equipped teams across the Ukrainian border to seize government buildings that could be turned over to sympathizers and local militias."
"Police stations and Interior Ministry buildings, which stored arms that could be turned over to local supporters, were targeted."
"The Kremlin has used its military deployment to buttress its diplomatic strategy of insisting on an extensive degree of federalism in Ukraine, one in which the eastern provinces would be largely autonomous and under Moscow’s influence."
Fact check:
You can't make this stuff up. Times reports read like bad fiction. No evidence whatever supports its claims. They're manufactured out of whole cloth. They lack credibility.
At the same time, daily content is silent about Washington elevating illegitimate putschists to power. The Times supports them. It pretends they're democrats.
Readers are systematically lied to. Managed news misinformation substitutes for truth and full disclosure.
America's imperial rampaging continues. Times correspondents, contributors and editors support it.
All so-called news fit to print is rubbish. Readers are on their own to learn truth. Times management excludes it from daily content. Doing so is longstanding editorial policy.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Outrageous Pro-Kiev Op-Ed
Outrageous Pro-Kiev Op-Edby Stephen LendmanHaaretz editors published it. They know better. They shame their US counterparts. They feature writers excluded from their pages. Western ones substitute propagandists. They're illegitimate. They lack cre...
Cold War 2.0
Cold War 2.0
by Stephen Lendman
A previous article said welcome to Cold War 2.0. The first one never ended. Since Soviet Russia's 1991 dissolution, Western policy remained hard-wired in place.
Putin and Obama are geopolitical opposites. They're world's apart. Their ideologies clash. They represent conflicting values.
Putin defends Russian sovereignty. He opposes US imperial lawlessness. He affirms UN Charter and other rule of law principles.
Obama claims a divine right to pursue unchallenged global hegemony. Washington considers Putin public enemy number one. At risk is potential East/West confrontation.
Russia bashing persists. It's intense. It rages daily. It exceeds the worst of Soviet era levels.
Daily vilifying reinvents the Evil Empire. It's back to the future. It doesn't surprise. Neocons infest Washington. Business as usual continues.
Recklessness defines US policy. At stake is world peace. On April 19, Putin said there's "nothing to prevent us from normalizing (US/Russian) relations and (reestablishing) normal cooperation."
At the same time, he knows how Washington operates. He knows its dark side. He knows what hasn't existed in a century or more.
He knows it takes a giant leap of faith to expect America to act responsibly. It hasn't throughout its sordid history. Why expect change now.
On April 19, The New York Times headlined "In Cold War Echo, Obama Strategy Writes Off Putin," saying:
"…Obama and his national security team are looking beyond" Ukrainian crisis conditions." They plan "forg(ing) a new long-term approach to Russia…"
They want one "appl(ying) an updated version of the Cold War strategy of containment." Presidential advisor George Kennan (1904 - 2005) shaped Washington's containment policy.
He prioritized curtailing its influence in strategic areas. His July 1947 "X" article headlined "The Sources of Soviet Conduct."
He urged "counter(ing) it "effectively." He stressed "containment, saying:
"The main element of any United States policy toward the Soviet Union must be that of a long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies."
He called doing so "vital to the national security of the United States." He urged undermining Soviet strength.
He outlined covert and overt strategies. He included political alliances, economic policies. He encouraged underground resistance initiatives.
He urged establishing "Liberation Committees" across Europe. He supported policies short of war.
Influential US official Paul Nitze (907 - 2004) helped shape post-WW II US policy. His Joint State-Defense Department Committee National Security Memorandum No. 68 (NSC-68) prioritized containing Soviet Russia.
Inflammatory language called it an enemy "unlike previous aspirants to hegemony...animated by a new fanatic faith, antithetical to our own (wishing to) impose its absolute authority over the rest of the world."
Obama launched Cold War 2.0. According to The Times, he's "focus(ing) on isolating Russia…"
He'll do it "by cutting off its economic and political ties to the outside world, limiting its expansionist ambitions in its own neighborhood, and effectively making it a pariah state."
Even if Ukrainian crisis conditions are resolved, he'll "never have a constructive relationship with Mr. Putin, aides said." He'll spend his remaining time in office containing him.
He'll cooperate only "where progress remains possible." Previous articles explained. Washington's longstanding policy wants all independent governments eliminated.
Unchallenged US hegemony depends on it. Russia is America's main military rival. China is the world number two economy.
In a half dozen more years or so, it'll surpass America. It'll be number one. Washington is going all-out to prevent it. It wants its military might unchallenged.
It wants rival states marginalized, weakened, isolated, neutralized and contained. It wants unchallenged global dominance. It's going all-out to achieve it.
Co-opting Ukraine into NATO is a key element of US strategy. Doing so ensures encroaching on Russia's entire Western border.
Positioning nearby US bases threatens its heartland. Doing so weakens its potential resistance. It achieves greater isolation.
More absolute US dominance is possible. At the same time, world peace is threatened. Last month, The Times headlined "If Not a Cold War, a Return to a Chilly Rivalry," saying:
"Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Washington and Moscow had struggled to replace their Cold War rivalry with a new form of partnership, one that was tested by crisis after crisis but that endured in its own peculiar way."
After previous ruptures, resets put both countries "back onto an uneasy equilibrium." Putin's decision to "snatch Crimea" changed things, said The Times.
It "usher(ed) in a new, more dangerous era." It involves sustained "confrontation and alienation…" It'll be "hard to overcome." Further resets "appear far off and far-fetched."
The Times left unexplained what's most important. Crimea is a useful pretext. So are overall Ukrainian crisis conditions. Russia's opposition to America's imperial agenda matters more.
It military strength matters most. Washington accepts no rivals. It wants uncontested dominance.
Achieving it requires eliminating all challengers. Russia alone matches America's military strength.
It formidable nuclear arsenal and sophisticated delivery systems reflect it. Neutralizing them is prioritized. Efforts to do so go on in real time.
They'll continue throughout Obama's remaining tenure. His successor will persist where he leaves off. At risk is potential East/West conflict. All bets are off if it happens.
Last month, the Washington Post headlined "The 'Russia reset' was already dead; now it's time for isolation," saying:
"…(B)y end of 2013, the issues that animated the reset had withered."
"The relationship was at its lowest point since the collapse of the Soviet Union when Barack Obama won the presidency; it is now far worse."
WaPo pointed fingers the wrong way. Obama bears full responsibility. Current policy exacerbates things.
US-Russia 2009 reset policy was more illusion than reality. Washington's intentions prevent normalized relations. Obama is more belligerent than Bush. Conflict is prioritized over diplomacy.
Encircling Russia with US bases prevents normalized relations. Militarizing North Africa, the Middle East and part of Eurasia breached GHW Bush's pledge to Mikhail Gorbachev not to do so.
Washington's promises aren't worth the paper they're written on. Russia understands well. At a time no nation threatens America, the Pentagon maintains a growing network of well over 1,000 global bases. Unknown secret ones exist.
Many are positioned near Russia's borders. Doing so is provocative and belligerent. So called missile defense systems and advanced tracking radar are for offense, not defense.
Friendly countries don't treat others this way. Doing so is fraught with risks. Russia knows it's targeted. US policy destroys trust.
On April 20, the Wall Street Journal headlined "US-Russia Relations Come Full Circle After Ukraine: Despite 'Reset,' Ukraine Crisis Shows US-Russia Tensions Far From Extinguished."
Obama policy "lurched" from reset to "benign neglect and awkward cooperation" to "punitive sanctions and sharp (anti-Putin) criticism."
The Journal like other US scoundrel media lie. They claim Putin aims to restore Russia's imperial might. America alone seeks unchallenged supremacy.
Permanent wars reflect official policy. Transforming all independent governments into subservient pro-Western ones is prioritized.
Eliminating major rivals matter most. Don't expect media scoundrels to explain. Russia bashing continues.
Putin "seek(s) confrontation, said the Journal. He's gone all-out to resolve things diplomatically. Claiming otherwise doesn't wash. Big Lies persist.
Polls show propaganda works. More than two-thirds of Americans believe Russia invaded Ukraine. Three-fourths believe no justification for what didn't happen.
Over 80% consider it a violation of international law. Before Ukrainian crisis conditions erupted, 44% of Americans called Russia an ally.
Currently, 68% call it unfriendly or an enemy. More than two-thirds view Putin unfavorably. It's polar opposite how most Russians perceive him.
His US public opinion rating is the worst since Soviet Russia's 1991 dissolution. At the same time, only 35% of Americans believe Washington's Russia policy should toughen.
Over 50% say America should stay uninvolved. They think current conditions are beyond US control. Washington has no responsibility to intervene over Crimea, they say.
Sanctions alone are supported. Over half of Americans back Washington and EU states imposing them. Only a scant one-third think they'll be effective.
Earlier post-Soviet Russia views were more positive. According to a late March Gallup poll, half of all Americans think their government and Russia are heading into a new Cold War.
At the same time, 58% believe Washington shouldn't play a leading rule in resolving international problems. Stay uninvolved, they say.
Steven Pifer is a retired foreign service officer. He's a former US ambassador to Ukraine. He's currently Brookings' Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative director.
He's its Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence as well as Center on the United States and Europe in Foreign Policy senior fellow.
He points fingers the wrong way saying:
"We certainly are headed toward perhaps the rockiest period in US-Russia relations since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991…Unless the Russians change course, we're going to be in a very difficult time, unfortunately."
"Vladimir Putin by his military occupation of Crimea has violated the rules of the game…You haven't seen this (type) blatant grab in the last 25 years," he claims.
He ignored US imperial wars. Post-WW II, they raged. They did so globally. They continue. One country after another was targeted, ravaged, and destroyed.
Some were occupied, colonized and exploited. Hegemons operate this way. Rule of law principles don't matter. Unchallenged dominance is official US policy.
Big Lies claim otherwise. Fingers point the wrong way. Victims are called perpetrators. US aggression is called humanitarian intervention.
Professor Michael Kimmage says ongoing events don't reflect a new Cold War. "It's worse," he claims. Western ideals embody "Plato-to-NATO sensibility," he says.
Russia is a "latter-day Persia…Putin and Obama committed themselves to two irreconcilable visions of international politics."
Putin's "politics is set by the assertion of power," he claims. "Russian nationalism and American internationalism (leave little) room for diplomatic maneuvering," he added.
Kimmage reflects mainstream anti-Russian sentiment. Putin is unjustifiably bashed. Longstanding US imperial policy is ignored.
America bears full responsibility for most global flashpoints. Confronting Russia irresponsibly risks much more than Cold War 2.0 politics.
Ukraine is in the eye of the storm. Sergei Lavrov is right. He accused Washington of elevating illegitimate putschists to power.
It should take responsibility for its actions. It should stop issuing ultimatums to Russia. Ukrainian crisis conditions are deepening.
Nothing is being done to change things. Things lurch from bad to worse. Restoring order to crisis-torn Ukraine should be prioritized, says Lavrov.
Washington and EU partners "invent possible and impossible arguments against Russia," he added. Outrageous accusations follow.
"Attacks are continuing in Slaviansk, Mariupol, and other different places in southeastern Ukraine, as well as the attacks carried out by militants in masks, who are acting ruthlessly," Lavrov said.
New York Times policy is one-sidedly anti-Russian. Irresponsible bashing continues daily. Big Lies persist. On April 20, it headlined "Photos Link Masked Men in East Ukraine to Russia."
It called them the same "Russian military and intelligence forces - equipped in the same fashion as Russian special operations troops involved in annexing the Crimea region in February."
No evidence whatever suggests it. Clear evidence points fingers the right way. Kiev-deployed Right Sector neo-Nazis murdered four Slavyansk activists.
Don't expect The Times to explain. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki was quoted. She lied saying:
"There has been broad unity in the international community about the connection between Russia and some of the armed militants in eastern Ukraine, and the photos presented by the Ukrainians last week only further confirm this, which is why US officials have continued to make that case."
Unnamed US and Kiev putschist officials were cited. Concealing the identity of its forces reflects Russian strategy, they claim.
The Times calls it "Russia's flair for 'maskirovak' - disguised warfare." It's more evident under Putin, it says.
Truth is systematically buried. Big Lies substitute. Putin bashing persists. Obama risks letting things spin out-of-control. Rogue leaders operate this way.
Potential East/West conflict may follow. It bears repeating. All bets are off if it happens.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Marwan Barghouti on Sham Peace Talks
Marwan Barghouti on Sham Peace Talks
by Stephen Lendman
In May 2004, he was lawlessly convicted of three attacks killing five people. A three-judge panel admitted he had no involvement.
It didn't matter. Weeks later, he got five life sentences plus 40 years imprisonment. He's a prisoner of conscience.
He calls himself "a political leader, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, elected by my people. Israel has no right to try me, to accuse me, to judge me."
"This is a violation of international law. I have a (legal) right to resist occupation."
In October 2002, he called the "State of Israel directly and indirectly criminally responsible for committing specific acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, including uprooting Palestinians by military attacks, arbitrary arrests and illegal imprisonment, administrative detention, attacks on women, children and the elderly, systematic and wanton destruction of property and homes, (and) systematic expropriation and dispossession…"
He included numerous other crimes. He accused Israel of willfully imposing inhumane conditions. He remains imprisoned. On April 15, he was interviewed.
He commented on sham peace talks. He had much more to say. Academic Adnan Abu Amer interviewed him in Arabic. More on what he said in translation below.
Last July, Israeli/Palestinian negotiation began. They were dead on arrival. They've gone nowhere. Israel demands everything its way. It offers nothing in return.
Talks are worthless. An agreed on April 29 deadline approaches. Abbas is a longtime Israeli collaborator. He agreed to extend them irresponsibly.
He said through year end. Perhaps well into 2015. In return, he demands concessions too minor to matter.
Why he'll have to explain. On April 18, Maan News headlined " 'No breakthrough' in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks," saying:
On April 17, five hours of "very difficult discussions" ended with no agreement. An unnamed Palestinian source said:
"The gap (between both sides) is still wide. There was no breakthrough." On Friday, US negotiator Martin Indyk met separately with both sides. Nothing whatever was accomplised.
Israeli commentator Nahum Barnea compared nine months of talks to prolonged "mutual torture."
He said "Kerry keeps them going like a gambler in a casino, who insists on putting his money on the roulette wheel, in the hope that the wheel will stop on his number at some point."
"He believed that he would reach a peace agreement. Then he limited himself to a framework agreement."
"He later limited himself even further to an American proposal for a framework. And then just to ideas."
"In the end, the entire prestige of the United States is invested in a marginal, questionable deal, which will only prolong the mutual torture."
It bears repeating what earlier articles stressed. Chances for an equitable, just deal are virtually nil.
Extending talks doesn't matter. Multiple earlier rounds accomplished nothing. Don't expect this time to be different.
Barghouti had his say. He did so from prison. In May 2002, he was kidnapped, he said. Abducting him followed several failed Israeli attempts to kill him.
Over three months of grueling investigation followed. He spent several years in solitary confinement.
His cell was two meters long by 1.5 meters wide. Cockroaches, rats and mosquitos infested it.
No ventilation existed. "I was completely isolated from the world," he said. He got six books every six months. International Red Cross representatives supplied them.
He mastered Hebrew while incarcerated. After solitary confinement, he was moved to an isolation ward. He called the Palestinian situation "increasingly difficult."
Israel "thwart(s)" peace process efforts. Occupation harshness persists. "Israelis again elected government unwilling at all to end the occupation and settlements, and making peace with the Palestinians."
He blames Fatah for not reconciling with Hamas. Failure "complicate(s)" the "Palestinian scene," he said.
He supports "national unity." He said achieving it "constitutes the law of the victory of the national liberation movements of oppressed peoples."
"Reconciliation is a prerequisite for the unity of the people and the establishment of the state," he added.
He's confident unity and reconciliation one day will happen. Palestinians will triumph, he said.
Ongoing peace talks are futile, he believes. They failed because Israel prioritizes violence, instability and dominance.
He wants full Palestinian UN membership. He wants full participation in international agreements and conventions. He wants Israeli officials held accountable in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He wants more international community help isolating and punishing Israel. He wants Israel boycotted politically, economically and militarily.
He wants popular resistance escalated. He wants all Palestinian elements involved. He wants a future Palestinian state within 1967 borders.
He deplores US involvement in peace talks. It provides one-sided supported for Israel, he said. Doing so makes peaceful conflict resolution impossible, he added.
America isn't an honest broker. If it wanted regional peace, it would have "demanded in a clear and explicit way."
Achieving it depends "ending the occupation of the territories occupied in 1967."
In "preparation for the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem," he added. And "implement(ing) Resolution 194."
In December 1948, it said "refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage which, under the principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the governments or authorities responsible."
Israel's UN admission was conditional on accepting and implementing Resolution 194. General Assembly members affirmed the right of return dozens of times.
Israel denies them. An earlier Israeli Supreme Court decision said:
"Judea, Samaria and Gaza have been under the State's belligerent occupation. They are not part of the State of Israel."
It doesn't matter. Israel governs extrajudicially. Hardliners running things ignore their own High Court decisions.
Jews alone have rights. All aspects of life are affected. Palestinians are systematically denied what's too vital to forego.
Rights include sovereignty, land, housing, culture, education, healthcare, employment, and religious freedom among others. They include everything grounded in international law.
Failure to achieve a just and equitable peace threatens to turn a low-level conflict into a greater one, said Barghouti.
"The Arab Peace Initiative constitutes the minimum accepted by the Arabs to settle (equitably) with Israel," he added.
"But what was issued by the Arab ministerial delegation in Washington in terms of readiness to amend the 1967 borders and accept the principle of the exchange of land damaged the position of Arab and Palestinian rights."
It open(ed) the appetite of Israel for more concessions. No one has the right to modify or exchange a land border," he stressed.
He wants full Israeli withdrawal from Palestine within 1967 borders. He includes "all settlements." They're on stolen Palestinian land.
They have no legitimacy. He rejects incorporating them into Israel.
He calls "the only possible solution at this moment a two-state solution." He stresses sovereign Palestine within 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
It "must not be abandoned," he said. Occupation harshness must end. He wants Palestinian unity working for "an independent state with full sovereignty."
"Israelis should be aware that the last day at the age of occupation is the first day of peace in the region." It must "announce its willingness to end the occupation."
To withdraw outside 1967 borders. To recognize Palestinian self-determination, "including their right to establish an independent state with full sovereignty and its capital in East Jerusalem."
Barghouti demands Israeli "apartheid" end. He calls it "based on occupation, settlements and racism."
"The alternative for the failure of the two-state solution will not be a bi-national state, but a continuing and widening conflict on the basis of a conflict of existence, (one with) no compromises."
Israeli peace with regional countries won't achieve overall stability, he said.
"The Israelis are mistaken if they believe that the status quo will continue as it is, but they have to realize that the security will only be achieved in peace, and that the Arab people have changed and they can not challenge the region forever."
Abbas "missed a historic opportunity to reach peace in the past eight years," he said. He conspires irresponsibly with Israel, Barghouti believes.
He's Israel's enforcer. He "coordinate(s) an unprecedented security" against his own people. In return, Palestinian land is stolen.
Jerusalem is Judaized. Palestinians are displaced. Their homes, freedoms and futures are destroyed.
Oppressed people have a right to resist, he stressed. By "all means and methods approved by the United Nations Charter and international law."
Abbas' time is passing. Palestinians alone must choose his successor, said Barghouti. He's committed to keep struggling for their freedom, independence and peace.
He prioritizes doing so. He devoted his whole life to popular struggles. He's confident Palestinians will be free one day. Occupation's "demise" is "inevitable," he said.
He believes Arabs reject "tyranny and dictatorship, occupation and repression, and do not have to live within the confines of an Arab regime paralyzed and helpless, harrowed and subject to the subordination and domination of American political security and" military strength.
"Arab regimes failed (to) build democratic" institutions. Constitutional reform must end decades of dictatorship and repression, he said.
"(N)ew foundations must be built." Democratic rights must be established. They must be based on "political pluralism," religious rights, intellectual freedom, and rule of law principles.
Revolutionary change depends on it, he stressed. Doing so is the only way to end "subordination."
Regional peace depends on Palestinians achieving their fundamental rights. He includes sovereign independence, equity and justice.
He believes one day they'll be achieved. He'll work imprisoned or free for that day.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev Breaks Easter Truce
Kiev Breaks Easter Truce
by Stephen Lendman
On April 19, Kiev putschists pledged no Easter weekend Eastern Ukraine attacks. They promised "suspension of the active phase of the anti-terrorism operation" to defuse crisis conditions.
A state security service (SBU) spokeswoman said suspension was "linked to the implementation of the Geneva agreement and the Easter holidays."
Putschist Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia added:
"The anti-terrorist operation was put on hold for the Easter time, and we will be not using force against them at this moment."
A day earlier, he said "more concrete actions" will follow next week if activists don't stop resisting. He demands unconditional surrender.
Protesters remain firm. They want their fundamental rights respected. They want local autonomy. They want real democracy.
They reject Kiev putschists. They're illegitimate. They demand they resign.
At the same time, earlier deployed neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs attacked Slavyansk activists.
Reports indicate six killed - four residents and two gunmen. Rossiya-24 TV said:
"Three residents of Slavyansk were shot dead by unidentified gunmen who attacked a block-post in the north of the town. Another person was wounded and is in hospital in critical condition."
"Several cars drove up to the block-post and then those inside the cars open fire. Self-defense fighters promptly arrived at the scene and returned the fire, killing two attackers."
Activists seized two cars. Evidence inside was incriminating. It included Right Sector paramilitary emblems, military uniforms, a machine gun, other weapons, plastids, smoke pellets, US-made night vision devices and aerial photograph maps.
According to RT International, 26 local residents manned the checkpoint attacked. They were unarmed. They had bats alone for protection.
"As (they) ran from the checkpoint, a group of 20 protesters with firearms were called from their camp in the city," said RT.
"They opened fire on the attackers, killing two of them and sending the rest running, according to a Life News report."
Casualties may rise. Gunmen retreated to a nearby forest. Hunting for them continues.
They may have planned attacking an activist-held TV tower, said RT. It's encircled on maps found in their cars.
Separately, other gunmen attacked residents in central Slavyansk. Two injuries were reported. Both victims are hospitalized.
In response to Saturday's violence, activist leaders ordered a midnight to 6AM curfew.
On April 17, Russian, US, EU and Ukrainian foreign ministers met in Geneva. Discussion focused on deescalating Ukrainian crisis conditions.
A joint document was agreed on. It's meaningless. It's not worth the paper it's written on. It calls for all sides to end "violence, intimidation or provocative actions."
It condemns "all expressions of extremism, racism and religious intolerance, including anti-semitism."
It "calls for an immediate commencement of a broad national dialogue which must be inclusive, transparent and accountable."
It stresses doing so "within the framework of the constitutional process, which must be inclusive and accountable."
Ukrainians alone must resolve things. They must do it without foreign interference.
US-led Ukrainian collusion assures doing things their way. Expect Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters to respond accordingly. They have every right to do so.
Successfully implementing four-party agreement terms depends on real constitutional reform representing vital interests of all Ukrainians equitably, fairly and democratically.
Chances for doing so are virtually NIL! I bears repeating. The agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on. It was dead on arrival.
Kiev putschists violated terms straightaway. They acted with full US support. Obama's new friends represent the worst of societal misfits. They have no legitimacy whatever.
They rule lawlessly. They tolerate no opposition. It's targeted for elimination. Their Eastern Ukrainian aggression continues. It includes cold-blooded murder.
Calling it an "anti-terrorist" operation doesn't wash. Ukrainian terrorism is entirely state-sponsored. Neo-Nazi thugs operate as expected.
Further escalation is likely. Perhaps civil war. Maybe spilling conflict cross-border. Perhaps involving Moscow and Washington.
Great conflicts begin this way. Perhaps the unthinkable will follow. US hegemonic ambitions risk it. Obama may be damn fool enough to pursue what responsible leaders wouldn't dare.
America's rage for war, its formidable weapons, and reckless ambitions makes anything possible.
In May 2000, the Pentagon's Joint Vision 2020 called for "full spectrum dominance" over all land, surface and sub-surface sea, air, space, electromagnetic spectrum and information systems with enough overwhelming power to fight and win global wars against any adversary.
It asserted the right to use nuclear weapons preemptively. So did Bush's December 2001 Nuclear Policy Review. His 2002 and 2006 National Security Strategies reaffirmed it.
Bush and Obama administrations violated 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) provisions. The 1972 ABM Treaty was abandoned.
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty provisions are ignored. So are the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention and Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty. It prohibits additions to current stockpiles.
International laws, treaties, conventions, standards and norms don't matter. Washington rules alone apply. Might v. right reflects them.
So-called proactive, anticipatory self-defense, first-strike preemption asserts America's right to use all weapons in its arsenal. At issue is achieving unchallenged global dominance.
Obama's 2010 Nuclear Posture Review was old wine in new bottles. Policy remains unchanged. Washington "reserves the right" to do whatever it pleases.
Stop Nato editor Rick Rozoff if one of many distinguished contributors to a forthcoming Clarity Press book. It's titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks Global War."
Ukraine's geopolitical importance in US-led NATO's drive East is significant, says Rozoff. Co-opting it into the Atlantic Alliance ensures encroaching on Russia's "entire Western flank."
It'll do so from "the Arctic Ocean and Barents Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south with NATO air bases, naval docking facilities, firing ranges, aircraft, radar installations, interceptor missiles, armored vehicles and troops."
Rozoff calls Ukraine "the decisive linchpin" in US-led NATO plans to establish "a military cordon sanitaire."
Achieving it assures cutting off Russia from Europe. Isolating and weakening it at the same time.
In December 2008, "NATO initiated its Annual National Program with Ukraine," said Rozoff. The same year, Washington "launched the United States-Ukraine Charter on Strategic Partnership."
Founding document objectives stated in part:
"Deepening Ukraine's integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions is a mutual priority."
"We plan to undertake a program of enhanced security cooperation intended to increase Ukrainian capabilities and to strengthen Ukraine’s candidacy for NATO membership.
"Guided by the April 3, 2008 Bucharest Summit Declaration of the NATO North Atlantic Council and the April 4, 2008 Joint Statement of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, which affirmed that Ukraine will become a member of NATO."
"Recognizing the persistence of threats to global peace and stability, the United States and Ukraine intend to expand the scope of their ongoing programs of cooperation and assistance on defense and security issues to defeat these threats and to promote peace and stability."
"A defense and security cooperation partnership between the United States and Ukraine is of benefit to both nations and the region."
With US-installed putschists ruling Ukraine, Washington is hell bent on transforming it into a "gargantuan" Pentagon-run NATO "forward base."
It's part of America's "inexorable" longstanding drive East. Doing so more than ever threatens world peace.
It hangs by a thread. The slightest miscalculation risks anything. All bets are off given this risky scenario.
"Flashpoint in Ukraine" includes much more incisive analysis like Rozoff's. Other distinguished contributors assure it.
Content is special. It's polar opposite mainstream Big Lies. It's required reading to know what's ongoing, the threat it poses, and what's likely ahead.
On April 19, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov highlighted the threat. US-led NATO's further encroachment "one more step towards the Russian border" changes things entirely, he said.
"(T)he entire European security architecture (will need) to be overhauled," he stressed. Further NATO enlargement poses a serious threat.
It remains a belligerent/aggressive military alliance. "Russia will have to take serious measures to ensure its own security," said Peskov.
A potential East/West confrontation looms. Reckless US policy risks it. Today is the most perilous time in world history. The worst of all possible outcomes remains possible.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Unacceptable Kiev-Sponsored Murder
Unacceptable Kiev-Sponsored Murder
by Stephen Lendman
Fascist thugs operate this way. Moscow denounced them. Slavyansk Mayor Vladimir Ponomaryov asked Russia to send peacekeepers for protection. More on this below.
A companion article said Kiev putschists pledged no Easter weekend Eastern Ukraine attacks. Straightaway they occurred.
Earlier deployed Right Sector neo-Nazis murdered 4 Slavyansk activists. They did so in cold blood.
Other gunmen attacked central city residents. Two victims were injured. They remain hospitalized. Expect more Right Sector initiated violence ahead.
They bear full responsibility for Maidan killings. Clear evidence proves it. Ousted President Viktor Yanukovych had nothing to do with what happened.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet's leaked conversation with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton confirmed it.
He visited Kiev. He commented on what he learned. It's polar opposite mainstream propaganda. He explained what's vital to know.
Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed, he said. "(T)here is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovyich, but it was somebody from the new coalition."
"The Russian side is enraged by the militant provocation which is an indication of the reluctance of the authorities in Kiev to bridle and disarm nationalists and extremists."
On March 12, 2014 former Ukrainian Security Service head Aleksandr Yakimenko confirmed Paet's assessment. He blamed putschist official Andrey Parubiy. He's a neo-Nazi Svoboda party leader.
"Shots came from the Philharmonic Hall," he said. "Maidan Commandant Parubiy was responsible for this building."
"Snipers and people with automatic weapons were 'working' from this building on February 20. They supported the assault on the Interior Ministry forces on the ground who were already demoralized and had, in fact, fled," he added.
"When the first wave of shootings ended, many have witnessed 20 people leaving the building."
They were carrying military-style bags used for sniper and assault rifles with optical sights.
Many witnesses saw them. Foreign elements may have been involved. Perhaps CIA, US special forces, and secret service operatives.
What happened was well planned in advance. "These were the forces that carried out everything that they were told by their leadership - the United States," Yakimenko stressed.
Maidan leaders practically lived at Washington's embassy, he added. As security chief, he was ready to order Ukrainian troops to enter the building and remove the snipers, he said.
He needed approval from Parubiy to do it, he explained. Otherwise, so-called "self-defense" elements would have attacked him, he believes.
"Parubiy did not give such consent," he said. He controlled access to weapons used in Independence Square.
Moscow expressed outrage over Slavyansk killings. A Foreign Ministry statement said:
"The Russian side is enraged by the militant provocation which is an indication of the reluctance of the authorities in Kiev to bridle and disarm nationalists and extremists."
"It is surprising that the tragedy occurred after the signing on April 17 in Geneva of the final statement of the four-sided meeting of representatives of Russia, the USA, EU and Ukraine which calls for refraining from any violent actions, intimidation or provocations."
"The Russian side insists on the strict fulfillment by the Ukrainian side of its commitments concerning the de-escalation the situation in southeast Ukraine."
"The Eastern ceasefire was violated in Slavyansk on April 20. As a result of an armed attack by the so-called Right Sector innocent civilians died."
"Local residents seized the vehicles of the attackers in which they discovered arms, aerial maps of the area and Right Sector paraphernalia."
Slavyansk Mayor Ponomaryov wants protection. He asked Russia for help. City residents are vulnerable. Right Sector thugs target them.
"They kill our people," said Ponomaryov. "They don't talk to us but just kill. The town has actually been besieged by the Right Sector."
Only Russia can help, he said. He asked Putin to send peacekeepers to Eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
Print US media scoundrels largely ignored Slavyansk killings. BBC and US television accounts misreported. Propaganda substituted. Fingers pointed the wrong way.
On April 19, The New York Times headlined "Pro-Russian Forces Work on Consolidating Power," saying:
They "paused what had been the daily expansion of their territory in eastern Ukraine." They're focusing on "consolidating political power over areas already under their control."
They "pressured…dissenters and the media in ways that are commonplace in Russia but had not been in Ukraine until now."
Fact check
Times editors support Kiev fascist putschists. They have no legitimacy whatever. They usurped power lawlessly. They represent mob rule.
Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are the best and bravest. They reject Kiev putschists. They want their inviolable rights respected.
They want local autonomy. They want democratic governance. They want what everyone deserves.
They're putting their bodies on the line for equity, fairness and justice. They enjoy growing widespread support.
Russian democracy mocks America's sham process. Kiev putschists blocked Russian males aged 16 from 60 from entering Ukraine.
Russian TV channels were shut down. Russian nationals and Jews are targeted. Don't expect The New York Times to explain. Managed news misinformation garbage substitutes.
It claimed threatening Russian hoards massed near Ukraine's border. It called courageous Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters "militants." It did so in the worst sense of the term.
It said "Kiev had expressed some hope that a settlement was still possible." It stopped short of explaining ruling putschists demand unconditional surrender.
It called "separatists' political grip" on cities they control "a setback." The Times supports unchallenged illegitimate fascist rule.
It reported Kiev's pledge to suspend Eastern Ukrainian attacks over Easter weekend. It ignored cold-blooded murder that followed.
It blamed Eastern Ukrainian activists for struggling for their freedom.
"(I)t was clear all along that for (four-party agreement terms) to have a chance for success, the Kremlin would have to pressure the militants to loosen their grip on areas already seized," it said.
It's "clear" that Ukrainian freedom depends on struggling for it. On replacing putschist rule with democracy. On turning East, not West.
On maintaining sovereign independence free from US dominance. Don't expect Times correspondents, contributors or editors to explain.
Or neocon Washington Post editors. On April 18, WaPo headlined "After Russian moves in Ukraine, Eastern Europe shudders, NATO to increase presence."
It lied claiming Russia intervened in Ukraine. No evidence whatever suggests it. Eastern European countries aren't vulnerable.
Washington pressured them to say so. At issue is expanding US-led NATO east. It's encroaching closer to Russian's borders. It's targeting its heartland. It's threatening its sovereignty.
WaPo ludicrously calls NATO "a mutual defense organization." It was established for offense, not defense.
It's a US-controlled killing machine. It's expanding from an Atlantic to a global alliance. It aims to become a worldwide police force.
It wants all sovereign independent governments ousted. It wants subservient pro-Western puppet regimes replacing them. Don't expect WaPo to explain.
Propaganda substitutes for truth and full disclosure. Readers are systematically lied to.
Alternative independent sources are the only choices for real news, commentaries and analysis. Growing numbers rely on them. They're abandoning scoundrel media they don't trust.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Canada Targets Russia
Canada Targets Russia
by Stephen Lendman
Right-wing Prime Minister Stephen Harper marches in lockstep with Washington. He's Obama's unctuous little sidekick. He dances to his tune. He partners in his dark side. No pun intended.
Canadian travel restrictions were imposed on senior Russian officials. Crimean ones were targeted. Economic sanctions followed. Last month, Harper announced them, saying:
"It's my strong belief we must keep the pressure on and we must continue to maintain sanctions and maintain putting in place strong steps to dissuade this behaviour."
"What the Putin regime has done cannot be tolerated and can never be accepted. The individuals targeted are responsible for undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and for facilitating Russian military action against Ukraine."
"Canada will not stand by while Russia violates Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity."
He condemned legitimate Crimean reunification. He twisted truth claiming otherwise. He supports Kiev putschists. His new friends are fascist extremists He promised additional ways to help.
In mid-April, he announced more travel bans and sanctions. Foreign Minister John Baird said Canada "cannot sit by while Russia illegally occupies Ukraine."
"Russia's continued provocative actions in Crimea and elsewhere are completely unacceptable."
"Canada and its allies are prepared to take additional steps that will further isolate Russia economically and politically."
He lied claiming Russian "aggression." Russia attacked no one. No Moscow threats exist. Putin deplores war.
He goes all-out for diplomatic solutions. Don't expect Harper or complicit Ottawa officials to explain.
Canadian lawlessness includes participation in US-led NATO's 1999 Yugoslavia raping. Ottawa is a US coalition of the willing partner. It was part of Washington's war on Afghanistan.
It helped America selectively against Iraq. It actively participated in Obama's Libyan aggression.
Harper ignores rule of law principles. He's mindless of democratic rights. He supports Obama's war on Syria.
He endorses lawless drone strikes. He's comfortable about Washington's globalized torture black sites. Police state laws don't trouble him.
He's in lockstep with the worst of Washington's imperial agenda. He's part of US-led NATO's anti-Russian alliance.
He supports illegitimate Kiev fascist putschists. He's in bed with some of the worst societal misfits. He calls them his new friends.
They include neo-Nazi extremists. They're ideologically over-the-top. They threaten regional peace. They risk open conflict.
Harper matches Obama's belligerence. He supports hardline measures. He wants Russia marginalized, weakened and isolated.
Last month, he said Putin has "no desire to be a partner." He supports "rivalry" instead, he claimed. He twisted truth saying so. He's part of Obama's plan to plunder Ukraine for profit.
He supports making it another Western colony. He wants it geopolitically annexed. He wants it economically looted.
He wants its people ruthlessly exploited. He wants Canadian business interests served. His predecessor Paul Martin supported Bush's Orange Revolution.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) was involved. Paul Grod serves as president. He accompanied Harper on his March 22 Kiev visit.
Neo-Nazis infest Ukraine's Svoboda Party. UCC members support them. Their predecessors massacred Jews. They partnered in some of Hitler's worst crimes.
Harper partners in Washington's imperial rampaging. He hopes Canadian interests benefit hugely. He wants Canada's oil displacing Russia's European exports.
He wants Keystone XL pipeline built. When completed, it'll run from Alberta to America's Gulf coast. It'll transport tar sands bitumen to US oil refineries.
Harper played Cold War geopolitics in Sochi. He skipped participation. He symbolically bashed Russia. He rained on Putin's parade. He acted during a disturbingly tense time.
He's in lockstep with Washington's war on humanity. He's a supportive junior partner. He opposes fundamental freedoms. He's geopolitically hardline.
He ludicrously calls America the "indispensable nation." He supports its "exceptionalism." Paul Craig Roberts is right saying its "corruption and mendacity" alone make it "exceptional."
It pressures, bullies and bribes other nations to go along. It eliminates independent foreign leader outliers. It wages one war after another. It does so worldwide.
"The Russians have a real leader," said Roberts. America has "two-bit punks." They masquerade as legitimate politicians. So does Stephen Harper.
He's polar opposite what Canadians deserve. He mocks legitimate leadership. He supports wealth, power and privilege.
He spurns social justice. He trashes rule of law principles. He's an unindicted war criminal. He belongs in prison, not high office.
He endorses "Fortress North America." He does so when Canada and America have no enemies except ones they invent.
He partners in Washington's wars of choice. Lawless aggression defines them.
He targets US enemies. Russia is in the eye of the storm. Harper may have bit off more than he can chew. Obama has a tiger by the tail.
Ukrainian crisis conditions just started. The worst may lie ahead. Thousands, perhaps millions, of Eastern Ukrainians aren't going quietly into the good night. Maybe their Western counterparts will join them.
Activists on the front lines for freedom. They're going all-out to achieve it. Obama thought he had as easy imperial trophy. If he can keep it, an earlier article said.
It may be slip-sliding away. It may launch greater conflict in the process. It may do what no responsible leader would dare.
It may cross the point of no return. The worst of all possible outcomes may follow. Allying with Washington against Russia makes Harper share responsibility for what happens.
He mocks legitimate leadership. He's deploying Canadian warplanes to Eastern Europe. Positioning more Canadian Armed Forces personnel at NATO headquarters is planned.
More sanctions may be imposed on Russian officials and business interests. He's in lockstep with potential global conflict. He hypes nonexistent Russian threats.
He claims Moscow "expansionism (and) militarism." He calls what doesn't exist "a longterm, serious threat to global peace and security."
He may partner with US-led NATO's Arctic presence. Doing so will involve him in Obama's new millennium resource wars.
They're ongoing. They're part of a modern-day great game. Resources are increasingly important. World supplies are finite.
Major powers scramble for as much as they can control. Oil is especially valued. No one's sure how much is left.
America, China, Russia and other major nations want control over as much as possible. They're going all out to get it.
Energy is a strategic source of world power. America's "imperial grand strategy" prioritizes controlling as much of the world's supply as possible.
The Arctic may become another global battleground. US wars have nothing to do with protecting national security. Claiming otherwise doesn't wash.
Harper boasts about supporting Kiev putschists. He turned truth on its head accusing Russia of "aggressive, militaristic and imperialistic" practices.
He ignores Canada's longstanding partnership in US imperial wars. He wants Canada's share of Ukrainian spoils.
In mid-April, Canadian media said he's quietly preparing for possible military involvement in Syria.
Censored documents allude to "the rapidly deteriorating conditions in Syria, its impact on neighbouring counties and…the importance of Middle East security."
Syria remains "defiant," they say. "(M)ost likely (and) worst case" outcomes are claimed. They include greater regional conflict.
A possible pretext for intervention assumes that Ottawa recognizes "a legitimate armed opposition group." Details aren't explained.
At the same time, separate documents show Canadian involvement in training anti-Assad elements.
Partnering in Obama's wars threatens world peace. Harper has much to answer for.
Scoundrel media propaganda suppresses his crimes of war and against humanity. Expect more ahead if he, Obama and rogue EU partners aren't stopped.
Mass public opposition is needed. It's time enough ordinary people stepped up to the plate and acted.
Mass public opposition is needed. It's time enough ordinary people stepped up to the plate and acted.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Russia Bashing Continues
Russia Bashing Continues
by Stephen Lendman
Washington bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions. Russia alone has gone all-out to resolve them responsibly.
Putin and Sergei Lavrov deserve Nobel Peace Prize recognition. War criminals alone get it. Obama is Exhibit A.
US bullying, bluster, and threats continue. Brazen lies repeat. Sanctions were imposed. Obama threatened more saying:
"My hope is we do actually see follow-through over the next several days, but I don't think, given past performance, that we can count on that, and we have to be prepared to potentially respond to what continues to be efforts of interference by the Russians in eastern and southern Ukraine."
Neocons infest Washington. National Security Advisor Susan Rice is one of the worst.
"We expect and we will be watching whether Russia does or does not uphold its responsibility to use its very considerable influence to restrain and withdraw those irregular militia from the buildings and spaces that they've occupied," she said.
"If we don't see action commensurate with the commitments that Russia has made yesterday in Geneva, which we all welcome, then obviously we've been very clear that we and our European partners remain ready to impose additional costs on Russia for failing to adhere to its obligations."
Eastern Ukraine freedom fighters reject Kiev putschists. Putin and Lavrov call them illegitimate.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki saying usurping power "was not a coup." A "vacuum of leadership" was filled, she claimed.
Russia has a "responsibility" to "de-escalate" Eastern Ukraine crisis conditions and implement Thursday's four-party agreement, she added. Otherwise, she warned, they'll be "consequences."
"We're going to test (Russia) over the coming days (on) whether the accord sticks, whether it will be implemented," she added.
"(T)he president (and) Secretary Kerry (see) a strong connection between these separatists and Russia. (Moscow can) influence (them) and change the situation on the ground. There's no question about that."
"I will say we’re clear-eyed about Russia's record of not implementing steps in the past, so we will see if they do take steps this time, and if they don't take steps there will be consequences."
"But I'm not going to put a date on that. We won't know for a couple of days."
Moscow reacted sharply. Putin press secretary Dmitry Peskov warned against new sanctions. He called imposing them "absolutely unacceptable."
"One cannot treat Russia like it is a shameful student, and brandish a piece of paper on which we put crosses next to the duties it has accomplished."
A separate Foreign Ministry statement was sharply critical. In part, it said:
"The assessments voiced in Washington regarding the meeting held between representatives of Russia, the US, Ukraine and the European Union are disappointing."
"The US is trying persistently yet again to lighten the actions of the current Kiev authorities."
"(T)he guilt for the Ukrainian crisis and its current escalation is put groundlessly on Russia…"
"(S)ome statements by US officials have ultimatums and they try to threaten us with sanctions and this is absolutely unacceptable."
"It appears that sanction language substitutes normal diplomacy more and more for Washington."
"The essence of the Geneva meeting was to send a clear signal to Kiev that the situation can be stabilized solely via the launch of comprehensive dialog with regions, especially those, where Russian-speaking residents prevail and whose opinion the central authorities should start listening to."
"We expect that real actions of our Ukrainian and western partners amid the decisions made jointly in Geneva will be more in line with the content of the agreements reached."
On April 18, Moscow's EU ambassador Vladimir Chizhov said:
"We proceed from the fact that Ukraine needs a profound constitutional reform. Ukraine and its people deserve a better constitution than the one that is changed by each new president."
"The work that has been done in Kiev until recently is the wrong path. A reform can be successful only when it takes into account the opinion of all regions, all political parties of a country."
"It is absolutely natural. And such a reform should be carried out based on the referendum results."
"I think there is no way a referendum can be avoided. The question is its format and essence."
"Eastern regions insist that it should be held at the regional level. This is a difficult task. So, let us wait and see which solution will be found by Ukrainians."
"As concerns federalization, the first step in this direction has already been made. After all, all the signatories to the Geneva documents agreed that decentralization was needed."
"The main thing is not how to call this solution but how to implement it. It is vital that such a decision be passed openly, transparently and was accepted in all regions of the country."
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Lavrov stresses "the of the immediate and complete fulfillment by the Ukrainian authorities of the Geneva statement provision that provide in particular non-use of force and the beginning of a nationwide dialogue on a new constitution involving all key political forces and Ukrainian regions."
All sides must refrain from violence, intimidation and provocations. Lavrov said four-party representatives condemned (all) manifestations of extremism, racism and religious intolerance, including anti-Semitism."
Russia's Foreign Ministry added:
"The Americans are once again stubbornly trying to whitewash the actions of the Kiev authorities, who have embarked on a course of violently suppressing protesters in the southeast who are expressing their legitimate indignation over the infringements of their rights."
On Friday, Kerry warned Lavrov. According to an unnamed senior State Department official, he holds Russia responsible for "full and immediate compliance" with four-party agreement terms.
"He made clear that the next few days would be a pivotal period for all sides to implement the statement's provisions, particularly that all illegal armed groups must be disarmed and all illegally seized buildings must be returned to legitimate owners," the official added.
Ukraine's foreign minister Andriy Deschytsia warned Eastern Ukrainian activists. They'll face "more concrete actions" in days if they don't vacate occupied buildings.
People's Republic of Donetsk Governor Denis Pushilin said Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters weren't represented in Geneva.
Kiev putschists usurped power lawlessly. He rejects them. He demands they resign.
"The Kiev junta is signing agreements and fulfilling none of them," he said. "They are provoking crisis."
Illegitimate putschist president Turchynov "committed a crime against his own people. We will keep going to the end."
Georgy Muradov is Moscow's Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) affairs deputy head. On Friday, he said:
Western countries are fighting "total war…Within the context of this policy, they are trying to give a final blow to the Commonwealth of Independent States."
They want its total "disintegration." Key members are being expelled. At issue is eliminating Russian allies.
The Ukrainian scenario may repeat if Russian nationals living abroad aren't protected.
Illegitimate putschist National Security and Defense Council head Andriy Parubiy co-founded the ultranationalist neo-Nazi Social National party. It's now called Svoboda.
He said Kiev intends withdrawing from CIS. Russia's Foreign Ministry denounced the decision. Implementing it adversely affects millions of Ukrainians, it said.
Separately, Lavrov said:
"We are not keeping anyone in the CIS by force but this decision was made not for the benefits of the Ukrainian population but to stage another anti-Russian campaign of propagandistic nature. I don't doubt that."
The Warsaw, Poland-based Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OECD) main body involved with elections, human rights and democratization.
Russia's Foreign Ministry denounced its biased position on Ukraine. It ignored Kiev's latest human rights violation.
"It is outrageous there has been no official reaction from the ODIHR to Kiev's discriminatory measure against Russian men aged 16 to 60, who have in fact been banned from entering the territory of Ukraine since April 17," said Russia's Foreign Ministry.
"The incomprehensible explanation of these actions taken by Ukraine as an OSCE member-state…was just shocking."
"(T)he ODIHR has supported the provocative action against Russian citizens. This nearly total ban on visits by our citizens that the current authorities in Kiev have imposed cannot but cause indignation."
"There have been many examples in history showing that such decisions are just one step away from persecution of other people on account of race."
At the same time, ODIHR turned a blind eye to other flagrant Kiev abuses. Brutally beating Ukrainian presidential aspirant Oleg Tsarev was ignored.
"(O)ne cannot but feel indignant over (ODIHR's) lack of proper reaction," Russia's Foreign Ministry added.
At the same time, it called OECD equating Kiev violence against journalists to Crimea's media climate "absolutely unacceptable."
At issue was OECD media representative Dunja Mijatovic's statement. After visiting Ukraine in mid-April, she lied calling Crimea's media climate "very dangerous."
Russian journalists are vulnerable. They've been attacked. Some are barred from entering Ukraine. Russian TV channels are blocked.
Days earlier, assailants beat Evgeniy Polojii. He's Panorama newspaper editor. Gorlovka.ua's editor was kidnapped. So were Hromadske TV and RT International journalists.
Police states operate this way. Western media scoundrels ignore their crimes. So do ODIHR and OSCE officials.
Russia bashing continues relentlessly. The American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) is a right-wing think tank. Neocons infest its Board of Advisors.
They include former CIA director James Woolsey and Newt Gingrich. Stephen Blank is a senior fellow.
On April 18, he headlined "Russia's Lurch Toward Fascism."
He outrageously accused Moscow of invading Ukraine. He lied saying Kremlin "attempts to destroy the foundations of Ukrainian statehood, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are also aimed at Russia's domestic opposition to Putin."
"It represents the culmination of his campaign to suppress political dissent under a wave of officially imposed quasi-religious nationalism akin to that of the later Tsars and (more recently) to the late Stalin and late Brezhnev periods."
He accused Moscow of "fulminat(ing) against 'supposed' neo-Nazis and anti-Semites terrorizing Ukraine…"
He ignored clear evidence proving it. "But what we really see emerging are clear (Moscow) aspects of fascism," he claimed.
Russian democracy shames America's sham version. Monied interests control things. People have no say.
Neocon fascists infest Washington. They're in Europe. They influence policy. They hold high government positions.
They ignore popular sentiment. They enforce police state laws. They target independent governments.
They want them toppled. They want pro-Western puppet regimes replacing them.
Putin and Western leaders are geopolitical opposites. Doing the right thing isn't tolerated. Supporting responsible global policies made him public enemy number one.
Blank lies for power. "Putin's Russia resembles its fascist predecessors," he said.
His "actions in Ukraine show (he) can now only move forward to more attacks, threats, and ever intensifying repression that ends in crisis and stagnation," he added.
Putin's Russia is polar opposite his assessment. It applies solely to Washington, its rogue allies, and installed puppet regimes. Don't expect Blank to explain.
Separately, Stars and Stripes headlined "Report: US ground troops to be sent to Poland, Estonia," saying:
Deployment is planned "for a series of upcoming ground exercises aimed at reassuring allies shaken by Russian intervention in neighboring Ukraine."
No intervention whatever exists. Moscow plans none. Claims otherwise ring hollow. Russia bashing continues.
US-led NATO plans call for encroaching close to its borders. It's threatening its heartland.
Last week, NATO said its Eastern European land, sea and air presence will increase. Doing so is provocative.
According to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, "an entire range of possibilities and measures are being considered."
Hegemons operate this way. Washington exceeds the worst of earlier ones.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Koch Brothers-Style Free Society
Koch Brothers-Style Free Society
by Stephen Lendman
Charles and David Koch are modern-day robber barons. They're multi-billionaires. Forbes estimates their April 2014 net worth at $40.3 billion each.
Charles is Koch Industries (KI) chairman and CEO. David is executive vice president.
They're $6 billion richer this year than last. They make money the old fashioned way. Behind every fortune lies a great crime, said Balzac. Maybe he was thinking of Charles and David.
KI is America's second largest private company. Agribusiness giant Cargill holds top spot. Its estimated 2013 revenues were $136.7 billion.
KI's are an estimated $115 billion. Both companies way outdistance number three ranked Dell. Its estimated 2013 revenues were $56.94 billion.
Heads of these and other industrial giants won't go begging. Koch brothers want lots more billions than already.
Getting them any way possible alone matters. They go all-out for all they can. Charles was quoted earlier saying:
"Most power is power to coerce somebody. We don't have the power to coerce anybody."
Their deep pockets do their coercing for them. They want unfettered market freedom. They each own 42% of KI. They prefer remaining private. Charles once said KI will publicly offer shares "literally over (his) dead body."
KI operates in dozens of countries worldwide. It's in 45 US states. It employs tens of thousands of workers.
Its businesses include manufacturing, energy, oil refining and distribution, chemicals, fiber, intermediates and polymers, minerals, fertilizers, pulp and paper, chemical technology equipment, ranching, finance, commodities trading, plus other ventures and investments.
Both brothers buy influence. They finance radical right interests to get it. They bankroll neocon political action groups, think tanks, and ideologically over-the-top politicians.
They advance extremist limited government notions. They favor business friendly anti-populist policies.
They abhor regulations. They want freedom to swindle, cheat and grab all they can.
They want state enterprises sold at fire sale prices. They want first dibs to buy them. They want minimal corporate taxes. Ideally they none at all.
They want their personal tax obligation shrunk to as little as possible. They want ordinary people forced to pay more so they can pay less.
They want social justice eliminated entirely. They want trade unionism weakened. Ideally they want it gone.
They oppose universal healthcare, financial fairness, public education, and environmental sanity. They love job-killing trade deals.
They'll benefit hugely from Keystone XL's pipeline's completion. According to a report released last October, it represents a potential $100 billion windfall.
KI and both brothers separately own two million acres of Alberta, Canada land. It's where Keystone XL's proposed route begins.
KI subsidiaries benefit from pipeline construction. Tar sands oil development is on Koch Exploration Canada land. Koch Supply and Trading benefits from oil derivatives activities.
KI donated millions lobbying for Keystone XL's construction. Supportive think tanks and congressional members are beneficiaries.
Charles and David's influence is pernicious and then some. They want unfettered freedom replacing civil society restraints. They want information about their activities suppressed.
They want unchallenged control. They want nothing interfering with generating maximum revenues.
They donate millions annually to right wing causes. On March 27, the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) headlined "Inside the Koch brothers' campus crusade."
It spans America. It philosophizes about the "moral imperatives of free markets and individual liberty."
It's proselytizing goes way beyond Capitol Hill. It focuses on winning hearts and minds of college students.
It manipulates their minds destructively. It does so at 163 colleges and universities. They're in 41 states and the District of Columbia. Many are left of center. Some have liberal faculty members.
Koch Brothers want students turned against them. They want their vision taught in classrooms. They claim otherwise. So do recipient schools.
Funds aren't donated strings-free. Agenda politics comes with them.
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) advocates entrepreneurship freedom. It abhors regulatory restraint. It wants minimal taxes.
It wants "encroachment of government in the economic lives of citizens" halted. It wants nothing restricting what business wants to do.
It fronts for Koch Industries. In 2004, David Koch and KI board member Richard Fink were co-founders. AFP targets progressive initiatives. Millions are spent doing it. Funding surges in election years.
AFP's agenda is corporatist, soulless, anti-labor, anti-eco-sanity, and anti-fairness. It's against consumer protections. It abhors populism. It wants corporate crooks kept free from prosecution.
It's pro-business, pro-war, pro-privilege, pro-super-wealth, anti-dissent, anti-democracy, anti-civil and human rights, and anti-government of, by and for everyone equitably and fairly.
Charles Lewis serves as American University School of Community Investigative Reporting Workshop's executive director. Earlier he founded CPI.
"The Kochs are on a whole different level," he said earlier. There's no one else who has spent this much money."
"The sheer dimension of it is what sets them apart. They have a pattern of lawbreaking, political manipulation, and obfuscation."
"I've been in Washington since Watergate, and I've never seen anything like it. They are the Standard Oil of our times."
Their lobbying expenses rank among America's highest. They go all-out to have their interests served.
Ideally they want their message alone getting out. They pressure employees to support candidates they endorse.
They warn them about dire consequences otherwise. Their jobs are on the line. They'll pay for disobedience.
What Charles and David say goes. They represent dual noxious influences. They're more dangerous than corrupt politicians in positions of power.
They wield their own irresponsibly. Super-wealth lets them do what they want. They take full advantage.
For every dollar spent, they expect huge returns. They take no prisoners. They're all take and no give.
They oppose labeling carcinogens found in their products. They want them freely used.
They're mindless about potential harm to millions. Profits alone matter. People are expendable. Their welfare is unimportant. Business priorities count most of all.
Tony Carrk is Center for American Progress Health Care War Room director. In April 2011, he headlined "The Koch Brothers: What You Need to Know About the Financiers of the Radical Right," saying:
"Any attempt to understand the modern conservative movement will eventually lead to billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch."
"Using their vast wealth and connections, the Koch brothers are key players in bankrolling right-wing political action groups, think tanks, and individual politicians, using this array of political power to advance their ideological agenda of limited government and less regulation."
"Chances are they are part of any recent right-wing attack you have seen lately."
Charles and David use their vast wealth, business empire, and "political network to pursue their right-wing agenda at nearly every level of government. "
"Whether they are contributing millions in campaign contributions, spending millions on lobbying, or investing millions in right-wing think tank and advocacy groups, the Koch brothers’ influence is pervasive."
Their extreme right wing agenda benefits them at the expense of popular interests. They want them eliminated altogether.
They want unfettered freedom to invest, speculate, trade and accumulate maximum wealth unrestrained. They want nothing interfering in their right to do so.
Anti-government fervor was a Koch brothers opportunity. They helped organize and fund Tea Party protesters. They turned their private agenda into a mass movement.
They took full advantage shaping and controlling an anti-big government uprising. They turned it into serving their personal interests.
They got millions of ordinary people to support what harms their own welfare. They got supportive right-wing media help.
Talk show hosts, commentators, and other media figures joined the movement. The New York Times earlier called it "a diffuse American grassroots group that taps into anti-government sentiment."
It's well-organized. It's controlled top down. It's a combination of loosely affiliated organizations. They're ideologically anti-big government, anti-spending, anti-immigration, and anti-compromise.
They're organized, funded and controlled by right-wing corporate lobbying groups. They're manipulated to support business interests.
Companies like KI benefit enormously. It denies involvement disingenuously. Its communications director said earlier:
"Koch companies value free speech and believe it is good to have more Americans engaged in key policy issues."
"(N)o funding has been provided by Koch companies, the Koch foundations, Charles Koch or David Koch specifically to support the tea parties."
Their activities declined significantly since 2010. According to Professor Theda Skocpol, chapters dropped from about 1,000 to 600.
It's still a "very good survival rate," she said. Most groups shifted from national to local issues.
Doing so affected their visibility. Chapters place more emphasis on getting preferred candidates elected than pubic events.
Involvement in 2012 Republican presidential primaries was minimal. Perhaps lack of enthusiasm for unimpressive candidates was responsible.
After Mitt Romney chose Paul Ryan as his running mate, The New York Times called Tea Party lawmakers "indisputably at the core of the modern Republican Party."
Koch brothers influence is very much involved. They bankroll Tea Party candidates. They do so with company and personal contributions.
They're a pernicious influence on US politics. What benefits them harms most others.
They're not going away. Their financial clout hugely influences US policies. Americans get the best democracy money can buy.
A Final Comment
Wall Street Journal editors gave Charles Koch feature op-ed space. On April 2, he headlined "I'm Fighting to Restore a Free Society."
What he has in mind isn't fit to live in. He lied claiming his vision would "create greater well-being and opportunity for all Americans."
He means super-rich ones like himself at the expense of all others. He claims to oppose big government.
He wants federal, state and local politicians as well as bureaucrats benefitting him. He wants government resources helping his interests.
He wants social America destroyed. He ludicrously claimed he's not "trying to rig the system."
Millions spent lobbying buy influence. They're not used for good will. They're investments. Effective ones reap huge returns.
They go right to KI's bottom line. They fill Charles and David's pockets. They come out of ours.
His notion of "liberty" is more for him and less for us. Everyone should embrace his "vision," he urges.
America already is unfit to live in. Imagine one run his way. Orwell put it this way:
"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kiev Violates Four-Party Agreement
Kiev Violates Four-Party Agreement
by Stephen Lendman
The ink wasn't even dry. On April 17, deal terms was struck. A previous article discussed them. Hold the cheers. They're not worth the paper they're written on.
Washington negotiates duplicitously. Promises made are systematically broken. Don't expect this time to be different.
Kiev's illegitimate putschists didn't surprise. They violated agreement terms. They did so straightaway. They acted with full US support. More on this below.
On April 17, a joint US/EU/Russia/Ukraine statement said the following:
"The Geneva meeting on the situation in Ukraine agreed on initial concrete steps to de-escalate tensions and restore security for all citizens.
All sides must refrain from any violence, intimidation or provocative actions. The participants strongly condemned and rejected all expressions of extremism, racism and religious intolerance, including anti-semitism.
All illegal armed groups must be disarmed; all illegally seized buildings must be returned to legitimate owners; all illegally occupied streets, squares and other public places in Ukrainian cities and towns must be vacated.
Amnesty will be granted to protestors and to those who have left buildings and other public places and surrendered weapons, with the exception of those found guilty of capital crimes.
It was agreed that the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission should play a leading role in assisting Ukrainian authorities and local communities in the immediate implementation of these de-escalation measures wherever they are needed most, beginning in the coming days. The US, EU and Russia commit to support this mission, including by providing monitors.
The announced constitutional process will be inclusive, transparent and accountable. It will include the immediate establishment of a broad national dialogue, with outreach to all of Ukraine’s regions and political constituencies, and allow for the consideration of public comments and proposed amendments.
The participants underlined the importance of economic and financial stability in Ukraine and would be ready to discuss additional support as the above steps are implemented."
A White House statement said Obama "commended the government of Ukraine's approach to today's discussions in Geneva, where it put forward constructive proposals to expand local governance and ensure the rights of all Ukrainians are protected."
"…Russia needs to take immediate, concrete actions to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ukraine, including by using its influence over the irregular forces in eastern Ukraine to get them to lay down their arms and leave the buildings they have seized."
"(T)he United States and Europe are prepared to take further measures if this de-escalation does not occur in short order."
They support Kiev's sham May 25 presidential election. When held it'll be farcical. It'll have no legitimacy. It doesn't matter.
Washington rules apply. Ukrainians have no say. Police states operate this way. Radicalized fascist ones are worst.
Ukraine is Exhibit A complete with prominently displayed swastikas, Iron Crosses, SS insignia, and other Nazi symbols. Media scoundrels ignore them.
Obama's new friends represent the worst of societal misfits. They have no legitimacy whatever.
They rule lawlessly. They tolerate no opposition. It bears repeating. They enjoy full US support.
So much for deescalation. Kiev said its Eastern Ukrainian offensive continues. It lied calling it an "anti-terrorist" operation.
Agreement terms stress "all sides (refraining) from violence, intimidation (and) provocative actions."
Not according to illegitimate putschist Foreign Minister Andrey Deshchytsa. Kiev isn't bound by what it agreed to, he claimed.
Ukrainian "troops in the East of the country are carrying out a special operation and can remain where they are," he said.
At the same time, his Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying:
"All sides have pledged to refrain from any form of violence, intimidation or provocative actions."
"The participants of the meeting strongly condemned and rejected all forms of extremism, racism and religious intolerance, including manifestations of anti-Semitism."
Deshchytsa stressed four-party "joint efforts to start the process of de-escalation in eastern Ukraine."
At the same time, Kiev putschist policy is polar opposite. Illegitimate Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk lied saying Kiev will "fulfill" all agreement terms.
Violations occurred straightaway. Expect more ahead. Fascist governance works this way. Crisis conditions persist.
Escalation is likely. Perhaps civil war spilling cross-borders. Perhaps an East/West confrontation. At risk is global war.
Chances for equitable and just conflict resolution are virtually nil. It takes a giant leap of faith to think otherwise.
Ongoing events bear erie resemblance to September 20, 1938. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared "peace in our time."
He returned from Munich. He waved Hitler's agreement. It wasn't worth its paper written on. Chamberlain pretended otherwise.
"We, the German Furhrer and Chancellor, and the British Prime Minister, have had a further meeting today and are agreed in recognizing that the question of Anglo-German relations is of the first importance for our two countries and for Europe," he said.
"We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again."
"We are resolved that the method of consultation shall be the method adopted to deal with any other questions that may concern our two countries, and we are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference, and thus to contribute to assure the peace of Europe."
"My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour."
"I believe it is peace for our time...Go home and get a nice quiet sleep."
Hard reality awaited. WW II followed. Tens of millions perished. "Peace in our time" became mass slaughter and destruction.
History has a nasty way of repeating. Will flashpoint Ukraine conditions spark the unthinkable? Will Eastern Ukrainian conflict escalate out-of-control? Major ones start this way.
Russia bashing continues. It exceeds the worst of Cold War years. It bears repeating what earlier articles explained. Putin is public enemy number one.
On April 18, the Wall Street Journal headlined "Putin Defiant as Ukraine Pact Reached," saying:
"Yet even as the deal was being struck, Mr. Putin spoke at a televised event in which he adopted some of the language of the separatists and implied that Russia has more of a historical claim to territories in eastern Ukraine than its neighbor does."
False! He respects national sovereignty. It's inviolable, he said many times. No nation may interfere in the internal affairs of others. Doing so violates core international law.
On April 17, Washington Post editors headlined "US, EU, Russia strike a balance on Ukraine," saying:
Agreed on terms "do(n't) mean that Vladimir Putin has given up his goal of bringing as much of Ukraine as possible under Moscow’s suzerainty - and making the rest ungovernable."
"His performance in a televised appearance Thursday, in which he reiterated that the Russian parliament had given him authority to invade eastern Ukraine and referred to the region as 'new Russia,' made clear that his ambition to upend the post-Cold War order in Europe remains unchecked."
False! Putin forthrightly said he's "not trying to undermine the relations between Russia and Europe." He fears Western nations may try to do so.
He called allegations of Russian forces in Ukraine "nonsense." None exist. "There are no Special Forces," he said. "There are no instructors."
Anti-Kiev Eastern Ukrainian sentiment is entirely grassroots. It's local. It's homegrown. Ordinary people alone are involved.
There are no plans to invade, said Putin. Russia's upper house Federation Council unanimously authorized him to use military forces to protect Russian nationals if needed, he added.
He hopes they won't be needed. He stressed resolving crisis conditions diplomatically. He's realistic. He knows Washington's dark side.
He knows illegitimate putschists run things. They usurped power lawlessly. They sent "tanks, armored vehicles and weaponry" against peaceful civilians. He called doing so a "very serious crime."
"The coup-appointed government in Kiev needs to come to its senses before we can negotiate," he said.
Outside party intervention is unacceptable, he stressed. "Compromise must be reached between various political forces" internally, "not between third parties."
"All we can do from the outside is to support it in some way and go along with it."
Don't expect neocon WaPo editors to explain. Lies substitute for truth. Putin pursues "creeping invasion of Ukraine," they said.
"The United States and its allies must now ensure that Russia genuinely puts an end to its intervention - and that Ukraine is not forced into unacceptable concessions in order to prevent another one," they added.
Their version of events is polar opposite reality. Chicago Tribune editors accused Putin of "flagrant aggression against Ukraine."
First Crimea, they said. Now he "apparently want(s) eastern Ukraine." Russian hoards "close to (Ukraine's) border…could cross over on short notice," they claim.
"By now, there may be no realistic option for stopping the Kremlin from gobbling up another chunk of sovereign Ukrainian territory."
"Europe will be a safer and more stable place if the Russians know that no bad deed will go unpunished."
Ongoing conditions are polar opposite these type views. Big Lies substitute for truth. Recklessness triumphs over reason.
Things head toward escalating out-of-control. The worst of all possible outcomes may follow.
A Final Comment
On April 18, Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a highly critical statement statement saying:
"The assessments voiced in Washington regarding the meeting held between representatives of Russia, the US, Ukraine and the European Union are disappointing."
"The US is trying persistently yet again to lighten the actions of the current Kiev authorities."
"At that, the guilt for the Ukrainian crisis and its current escalation is put groundlessly on Russia, despite the fact that the conversation in Geneva was held in a business-like manner and without propaganda."
"Moreover, some statements by US officials have ultimatums and they try to threaten us with sanctions and this is absolutely unacceptable."
"It appears that sanction language substitutes normal diplomacy more and more for Washington. We would like to emphasize due to this that solely the internal position of Ukraine was discussed in Geneva."
"This is reflected clearly in the accorded Geneva statement, which stipulates certain measures to resolve the situation, including disarmament of all illegal armed formations, release of all buildings and streets occupied illegally and amnestying rally participants."
"It is evident that when we speak about disarmament, it concerns firstly taking arms from Rights Sector rebels and other pro-fascist groups involved in the February revolt in Kyiv."
The very Maidan supporters should firstly free state offices and other facilities they have taken in Kiev and western regions."
"The essence of the Geneva meeting was to send a clear signal to Kiev that the situation can be stabilized solely via the launch of comprehensive dialog with regions, especially those, where Russian-speaking residents prevail and whose opinion the central authorities should start listening to."
"We expect that real actions of our Ukrainian and western partners amid the decisions made jointly in Geneva will be more in line with the content of the agreements reached."
At the same time, Donetsk activist Sergei Tsyplakov responded to four-party agreement terms, saying:
"If (putschists) release all political prisoners, stop persecutions, and Right Sector lays down their arms and a referendum on Ukraine's political system is in the pipeline, then of course administrative buildings will be freed and the struggle will come to an end."
Tsyplakov doubts Kiev's commitment. Right Sector thugs won't disarm, he said. Activists won't surrender their legitimate rights. Their struggle continues. They deserve worldwide support.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Fake Donetsk Letter Circulating
Fake Donetsk Letter Circulating
by Stephen Lendman
John Kerry denounced it, saying:
"During the past couple of days Jews in one of the cities were sent letters that they should declare themselves as Jews. The letter also contained threats."
"By 2014, after all the lessons that history has presented to us, it is not just unacceptable. It is - absurd. This is - beyond acceptability."
"People involved in this kind of activity on both sides need to understand that there is no place for this."
The story went viral. Media scoundrels feature it. The New York Times headlined "Demands That Jews Register in Eastern Ukraine Are Denounced, and Denied.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) national director Abraham Foxman hypes anti-Semitism hysteria. He supports Jewish supremacy over Arabs. The Times quoted him saying:
"We have seen a series of cynical and politically manipulative uses and accusations of anti-Semitism in Ukraine over the past year."
"The perpetrators and their targets are opposing politicians and political movements, but the true victims are the Jewish communities."
"We strongly condemn the anti-Semitic content, but also all attempts to use anti-Semitism for political purposes."
ADL's international affairs director Michael Salberg said Russia or one of its splinter groups distributed the leaflet.
He accused Moscow of cynically exploiting anti-Semitism. "The message is a message to all the people that is we're going to exert our power over you," he said.
"Jews are the default scapegoat throughout history for despots to send a message to the general public: Don't step out of line."
The Washington Post headlined "What we know about the "grotesque" leaflet handed out to Jews in Donetsk."
It's written in Russian. It has Russia's national symbol on it. It includes an alleged Donetsk People's Republic of Donetsk insignia.
It calls for Jews over 16 to register before May 3. It demands a detailed list of property they own. Failure to comply means citizenship revocation, deportation and assets seized, it said.
The leaflet reads as follows:
"Dear Ukraine citizens of Jewish nationality.
Due to the fact that the leaders of the Jewish community of Ukraine supported (Nazi era allied) Bendery Junta and oppose the pro-Slavic People's Republic of Donetsk, (it) decided that all citizens of Jewish descent, over 16 years of age and residing within the republic's territory are required to report to the Commissioner for Nationalities in the Donetsk Regional Administration building and register."
"ID and passport are required to register your Jewish religion, religious documents of family members, as well as documents establishing the rights to all real estate property that belongs to you, including vehicles."
"Evasion of registration will result in citizenship revoke and you will be forced outside the country with a confiscation of property."
Jews were ordered to pay $50 to register. "(W)ho is behind the leaflet," asked WaPo? "That's not exactly clear," it said. It looks authentic, WaPo suggested.
"And who received the leaflet," it added? "Again, this isn't exactly clear." Allegedly it was distributed by "masked men wearing military uniforms and carrying a Russian flag Tuesday."
"So, what is going on," WaPo asked? It urged caution. At the same time it said:
"It certainly seems possible that the flier was the work of pro-Russia separatists, working with or without the support or knowledge of" People's Republic of Donetsk Governor Denis Pushilin.
He denounced it. He called it fake. More on his comments below.
"Whatever actually happened, there is one clear takeaway here," said WaPo.
"With both sides accusing the other of being 'Nazis,' and accusing the other of anti-Semitism, Eastern Ukraine's Jewish community is having an especially tough time during the Ukrainian crisis."
Ukrainian Jews nationwide have one thing alone to fear. They're targeted. They're endangered. Neo-Nazi putschists threaten them.
Right Sector leader Dmitry Yarosh openly boasts about "killing Jews and Russians till I die." Media scoundrels ignore his threat.
USA Today headlined "Leaflet tells Jews to register in East Ukraine," saying:
"World leaders and Jewish groups condemned a leaflet handed out in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk in which Jews were told to 'register' with the pro-Russian militants who have taken over a government office in an attempt to make Ukraine part of Russia, according to Ukrainian and Israeli media."
US Ukraine ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt lied calling the leaflet "the real deal."
Zionist Organization of America president Morton Klein said:
"This is a frightening new development in the anti-Jewish movement that is gaining traction around the world."
Donetsk People's Republic Governor Denis Pushilin allegedly signed it. His spokesman Alexander Maltsev denied it. "This has nothing to do with us," he said.
"It is a provocation." Pushilin called it fake, saying:
"There are similar letters not only addressed to Jews, but also to businessmen, foreign students, people of certain other occupations."
"This is actually a fake, and not a good one. There's a sign 'People’s Governor."
First of all, no one calls me by that title. No one elected me.
"Secondly, the stamp is the former mayor's. Everything's photoshopped."
RT International said the leaflet directed to Jews appears "fake." Former ruling Party of Regions parliamentarian Boris Kolesnikov visited Eastern Ukraine.
He urged carefully checking this type information. Its authenticity is suspect. He said Ukrainian law enforcement official aren't honest.
They lied claiming Russian servicemen involvement in protests. No evidence whatever suggests it. He cited a video. It appeared online.
It features a man dressed in military attire. He addressed anti-Kiev city of Gorlovka police officers. He claimed Simpheropol, Crimean Russian Lt. Col. credentials.
He lied. He was recognized. Local residents said he's a former local cemetery director. According to Kolesnikov, he was "fired two years ago for selling 38 fences, stealing a monument, and extorting money from old women for new graves."
"There are Interior Ministry and intelligence services in the country, which should give us truthful information," he added.
Donetsk activists threaten no one, he stressed. Misinformation buries truth. Putschists spread it. Washington officials hype it.
In early April, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki lied saying Eastern Ukrainian protests "appeared to be a carefully orchestrated campaign with Russian support."
Asked if the State Department assesses conditions based on Kiev information, she added:
"Well, of course we remain very closely in touch with the Ukrainian Government, and that's who we work closely with, and of course, they are on the ground, so their information is often very relevant and current."
Propaganda wars rage. Washington's dirty hands bear full responsibility. Obama's "new friends" share it.
Plundering Ukraine is planned. Controlling its resources. Exploiting its people ruthlessly.
Incorporating Ukraine into NATO. Deploying nuclear armed missiles on Russia's borders. Targeting its heartland. Doing the unthinkable.
Risking global conflict. It bears repeating. The worst of all possible outcomes may follow.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israel Targets Fundamental Freedoms
Israel Targets Fundamental Freedoms
by Stephen Lendman
Numerous Knesset bills compromise speech, assembly, association and dissent. Israel's free press is endangered.
Palestine is ruthlessly targeted. The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) documents events daily. Monthly updates follow.
It's latest report covers March. "(N)o significant improvement" occurred, it said. Throughout the Occupied Territories, "violations against (Palestinian) journalists" increased.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) target them with "stun grenades and rubber bullets…" Injuries result. Arrests follow.
On March 23, Israeli forces attacked AP photographer Iyad Hamad. He was covering Israeli soldiers. They were targeting Aida refugee camp Palestinian youths.
On March 29, IOF attacked journalists covering a Jerusalem Earth Day commemoration.
On March 7, Israeli settlers assaulted three Palestinian photojournalists. Abbas Momani, Maath Misha'al, and Abdul Karin Mesetif were victimed.
On March 16, settlers attacked Palestine Today TV correspondent Fida Nasser. IOF ignored their violence.
They detained Nasser. She was preparing a report on how Jewish holidays affect Palestinians in Hebron.
On March 23, IOF detained six Palestinian journalists near Nablus and Bethlehem. Mohamed Assayed, Mohamed Hassan, Rami Abdu, Mousa Alshaer, Abd-Alrahman Younis, and an unnamed US photographer were targeted.
On March 29, IOF Al Roaya TV correspondent Ahmed Barahma and cameraman Mohamed Shousha were attacked.
They were en route to a village near Jericho to film "Bab Alkarama."
On March 2, OIF prevented Alquds Net correspondent Diala Jwehan from covering protests against closing the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
On March 18, Maan TV cameraman Jalal Hamied as well as photojournalists Abd-Alrahaman Younis and Mousa Alshaer were prevented from covering a Tekoa area military jeep rollover incident.
On March 24, IOF prohibited Shihab News Agency correspondent Amer Abu Arafa from covering Israeli forces raiding Hebron City near Alansar Mosque.
Journalist Diala Jwehan said she moved from one place to another to take photos. A "Special Forces man approached and he pushed me hard," she said.
"I was also approached by security men who were about to beat me, but colleagues quickly dragged me away from them."
Faten Alwan-Alhura said:
"(S)ecurity personnel in…civil cloth started pushing us and all the journalists who were present on site, including my colleague, Yahya Habayeb - (an) Alhura TV cameraman…"
"(W)hen (she) asked him why are you doing this…he commanded me to stay away or he (would) confiscate the camera…"
"(W)hen (she) asked him what his name was, he told (her): 'you journalists need discipline,' and then he said: 'Thank your Lord that you are not a man."
She demanded knowing the security person's name. She wanted to file a complaint against him. "I'm a ghost no one can punish me," he said.
Journalist Abu Taima expressed frustration saying:
"There is a heavy burden on Palestinian women, and for 20 years we have begged the successive governments to protect women by amending the legal penalties and personal status, but without a avail, and since all Palestinian laws guarantee citizens the right to freedom of expression, it is our right as journalists to express our opinions about the government's different policies especially those relating to women."
"The attempts to intimidate women journalists, offending and abusing them in any form, and imposing censorship on their writing are unacceptable and contrary to the spirit of the laws."
Photographer Abbas Momani said:
"I went to cover the clashes happening near the Israeli settlement of Beit Eil, and before I arrived to the site, I was surprised by armed settlers, they attacked my car and began throwing large stones at it from within a walking distance, and I remained inside the car."
"The Occupation soldiers did not interfere to prevent it or stop it, and the settlers were moved away by the soldiers after they caused major damage to my car."
"Luckily I only got minor injuries in my left hand, but they caused major damage to the car, the windshield was crashed and many parts of the car were damaged."
Photojournalist Maath Misha'al said:
"While I was shooting the attack on Momani, a group of arm settlers attacked me and my colleague Mesetif, where one began to beat us and put his hand on the camera lens to prevent us from coverage, and told us that photography is prohibited, and I told him you are not entitled to prevent us and you do not have the authority to do so, he pointed the gun at me, and the situation was scary, so I screamed at the Israeli army, and they moved him away."
Soldiers nearby did nothing to help him while under assault. He could have been seriously injured.
Complaints when filed are whitewashed. Most often Israeli security forces are at fault. Palestinian journalists aren't safe. Attacking them is standard practice.
Fida Nasserfor said settlers attacked, beat and sprayed her with red wine. Soldiers detained her.
Police interrogated her. She was charged with assaulting female settlers. They testified against her. They lied. Their word against Fida's mattered most.
Incidents like these are commonplace. Palestinian rights are violated. Journalists aren't safe. They're fair game. They're targeted for doing their job.
Majd Kayyal is an Israeli Arab journalist/researcher/political activist. On April 12, Richard Silverstein reported his arrest on return from Lebanon and Jordan.
Israel calls him a national security suspect. He attended a Beirut event. It commemorated As-Safir's 40th anniversary. It's a supportive Hezbollah publication, said Silverstein.
Kayyal participated in a 2011 humanitarian flotilla to Gaza. He's involved with the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. He's linked to the Israeli Arab Balad political party.
His activism makes him vulnerable. He's a "ready target," said Silverstein. After his arrest, Israeli security forces raided his Haifa home. They stole his computer. They took other electronic devices and materials.
He's denied him access to counsel. Doing so is standard Israeli practice during interrogations.
Kayyal's lawyer said "prohibiting a meeting with an attorney is a gross violation of the suspect's basic rights."
Victims are isolated. They threatened. They're beaten. They're tortured. Some face rape and/or other forms of sexual abuse threats. They're forced to sign confessions.
Innocence is no defense. Persecution is longstanding Israeli practice. Palestinians are criminalized for not being Jewish. Rogue states operate this way. Ruthlessness defines Israeli policies.
Silverstein posted an earlier Kayyal Mondoweiss interview. He was asked about being concerned about mistreatment for being Palestinian.
"I hope not, but usually Palestinian activists face more problems from Israeli armed forces," he said.
"However, as a Palestinian citizen of Israel, it's extremely important to show the unity of the Palestinian people to the international community and remind the political leadership that they cannot abandon our rights and must include the status of '48 Palestinians in any just solution."
Asked how he sees today's Palestinian struggle, he said:
"I think that the Arab spring is the most inspiring and is providing us with a renewed motivation."
He misread events at the time. Arab spring was far from blooming. Conditions today in countries like Egypt and Bahrain are worse than ever.
Iraq, Libya and Syria are cauldrons of violence and human misery. Saudi Arabian persecution continues unrelenting.
Tunisians where Arab spring protests began remain repressed. Yemenis got same old, same old under new leadership. Palestinian suffering remains extreme.
Kayyal was hopeful, saying:
"I see that we need to rebuild the popular struggle on the ground. We need to revitalize the participation of the youth and the students in forging a more powerful movement…"
"Now is the time to move beyond partisan problems and focus on the main target, which is the colonial and racist regime Israel has imposed on the Palestinian people."
His arrest "constitutes a severe assault on press freedom," said Silverstein.
Israeli lawlessness is under gag order. Israeli media can't report what happened or remains ongoing. Doing so risks possible prosecution.
On April 14, Silverstein reported more. Kayyal's remand was extended until April 22. Doing so gives Israeli interrogators more time to brutalize him.
He remains incommunicado. He's isolated from outside help. Police state ruthlessness defines official Israeli policy.
Silverstein got a copy of Israel's gag order (o139 blog). The Electronic Intifada obtained a copy of the charge sheet.
Kayyal is being lawlessly investigated for "unlawful travel to Arab counties." For "contact with a (so-called) foreign agent."
Israel lies calling doing so constitutes "serious offenses against the security of the state."
Jewish Israeli journalists travel freely to Lebanon, Jordan and other Arab countries. Some are told not to. Prosecutions don't follow.
Jewish justice is one thing. Arabs another. Even for Israeli citizens. Rights aren't apportioned equally. Racism is institutionalized. Persecution follows.
Kayyal's freedom flotilla participation to Gaza alone makes him an enemy of the state. He's a marked man. Expect justice systematically denied. Perhaps longterm imprisonment.
Thousands like him languish in Israel's gulag. It's one of the world's worst. Abuse and other forms of ill-treatment are common practice.
Palestinians have no rights whatever. Silverstein puts it this way. Israel is the only so-called regional democracy "where citizens are created equal and treated so - unless you're Palestinian."
Adalah criticizes Israel restricting Palestinian citizens from traveling to other Arab countries. Doing so "impose(s) severe limitations on social, cultural and religious ties between (them and) wider Arab and Muslim nations."
Translated court proceedings indicate Kayyal said:
"I ask to be told the names of the attorneys and the court gave me their names."
"The court has explained to me about the prohibition from meeting attorneys until 14 April 2014, at midnight, and told me that the hearing was held in the presence of my attorneys, who asked the representative of the police questions."
"The court has explained to me that my father, mother and brother were present in the courtroom. I have nothing further to add."
Full translated court proceedings were as follows:
At the Magistrate’s Court in Haifa
13 April 2013
Days of Arrest 23318-04-14 Central Unit vs. Kayyal
Before the honorable justice Dr. Zayed Falah
Petitioner: Police Central Unit Versus Suspect Majd Kayyal
Present
- Attorney for the petitioner - Warrant Officer Marcel Daman
- Attorney for the suspect - Adv. Aram Mahamid and Adv. Fadi Khouri
- Suspect - no appearance (he is brought into the court after the interrogation by the attorney for the suspect and the summaries)
- Relatives of the suspect – his father, brother and mother
Minutes
Attorney for the Petitioner
Restates the content of the petition. Presents the investigative file to the court for perusal. Presents secret material.
Attorney for the Petitioner, in response to questions from the attorney for the suspects:
Q: Are you informed about all the investigative actions taken to date:
A: No.
Q: Have you given the court all the investigative material that has already been collected?
A: Indeed.
Q: Does the material presented to the Court include investigative memoranda and investigative actions that have already been done?
A: Yes.
Q: Have you also conveyed all of the actions that are yet to be taken?
A: Yes.
Q: At what stage is the investigation?
A: The investigation is still at its very beginning. The suspect was only arrested yesterday. According to the material that was found, he is expected to be investigated a few more times and the full future plan is before the court. I cannot commit myself to the number of investigations because I am not an investigator.
Q: What is the suspect suspected of?
A: What appears in the warrant. Contact with a foreign agent, leaving the country unlawfully.
Q: Is there a version for the suspicions?
A: (it is) all before the court. I have not investigated him and I will not investigate him. It’s all by the Security Service (Shabak).
Q: About the foreign agent crime - is it known who he is?
A: I cannot specify. It is all in the secret report.
Q: What are the circumstances of the contact with the agent?
A: It’s indicated in the secret report. As to dates - there is no exact date, everything is in the secret report.
Q: About the two suspicions - are they related?
A: I think so.
Q: Did the contact with the foreign agent happen while he was carrying out the second offense?
A: The investigation is being performed by the security services. All the material is before the court, for perusal. I cannot specify beyond this.
Q: An order restraining a meeting with an attorney at 8. The arrest warrant was issued at 9:30. Explain the gap.
A: It’s a technical computer transaction, (it took) until we took out the computer. He was arrested yesterday evening. He was apprehended at 19:50 hours. This restraining order is under the responsibility of the security entities.
Q: In the matter of the order - did you explain the suspect that he is prohibited from meeting an attorney?
A: I did not review the content of the warning because the security service did the investigation. All the material is before the court and there is a secret report attached. The security services could not appear in court, and that is why I am here.
Q: Did he wish to give a message to his relatives?
A: I know that there was contact with his relatives. He was informed that he is under arrest. Beyond that I have no idea.
Q: Did you inform one of his relatives that he is restrained from contacting an attorney?
A: I have no answer about that. It is in the investigative material.
Q: Was the suspect investigated about one event or about several events?
A: All the material is before the court, all the actions taken from the moment he was arrested to this day. I cannot confirm the number of events.
Q: Can you confirm that the suspect cooperated in his interrogation and answered all the questions?
A: I have not reviewed what was investigated and asked. I was asked to come [here] for extension of the detention. The security services continue their investigation. All the material is before the court.
Q: How many investigative activities did you do yesterday?
A: A preliminary investigation and a continuation today. I don't know how many investigations were done yesterday. There was a preliminary investigation.
Q: Explain why you are asking for 15 days of detention?
A: These are serious offenses against the security of the state and there is material to be investigated.
Q: Are there details of all 15 days that require his continued detention, in the form of a work plan?
A: There are not specific details of each stage and what is done every day. The actions that are detailed could change, because they are dynamic. They cannot be done when he is discharged. The suspect was arrested at his home in Haifa.
Q: Was the search performed in one house or two?
A: The material is in the investigative file.
Q: Did you have a search warrant?
A: Yes. I know about the search warrant at the up-to-date address, which the Israel Police has. I know one address, (REDACTED) Street.
Q: Did you issue search warrants to two addresses?
A: I issued a search warrant for (REDACTED) Street, which is his address, as recorded in his personal ID card.
Q: Confirm that the suspect has no criminal record.
A: I did not examine his criminal record.
The attorney for the petitioner summarizes:
I repeat the petition. I ask that it be fully granted.
The attorney for the suspect summarizes:
This is a 23-year old journalist, with no criminal record, who was apparently apprehended on the Israel/Jordan border.
Since his arrest he has not been permitted to consult an attorney. No notice was given to his attorney and/or his family to visit him in his detention nor with regard to the prohibition on his meeting an attorney.
As you know, and it is decided law, that prohibiting a meeting with an attorney is a gross violation of the suspect’s basic rights. I ask the court to take this into account and examine how many actions are required when the suspect is under arrest.
I ask that he be released immediately. Alternatively, that he be released under conditions. As another alternative, that the number of days required under detention be reduced.
The suspect is brought into the courtroom, his family and attorney leave the room.
The suspect:
I ask to be told the names of the attorneys and the court gave me their names.
The court has explained to me about the prohibition from meeting attorneys until 14 April 2014, at midnight, and told me that the hearing was held in the presence of my attorneys, who asked the representative of the police questions.
The court has explained to me that my father, mother and brother were present in the courtroom. I have nothing further to add.
Decision
1. I have before me a request to extend the suspect’s detention for 15 days, due to suspicion of committing the crimes of contact with a foreign agent and unlawful travel to Arab countries.
2. I have reviewed the evidentiary material presented to me and have been persuaded that there is reasonable cause to suspect that the suspect has committed the crimes he is charged with.
I have also been persuaded that there is the risk that if he is released he could disrupt the investigation and endanger public security.
3. I have perused the secret report prepared by the Shabak, which I have marked BM/1.
This report includes background, investigative actions taken, and investigative actions that are still required, and I have been persuaded that the security entities must be permitted to complete their investigation fully, to come to the study of the truth.
4. I considered the possibility of releasing the suspect for an alternative form of custody and come to the conclusion that at this stage, there is no space for any alternative.
5. I have taken into account the fact that an order has been issued to prohibit meeting an attorney and I have also taken into account that the court must be permitted to oversee the investigative actions performed by the security entities, and for this reason I have decided to grant a number of detention days (than those) requested.
6. For this reason, I am extending the detention of the suspect until 22 April 2014, at 10am.
7. I issue an order prohibiting publication with regard to all proceedings in this case until 22 April 2014 at 10:00 and the proceedings will be held in camera until that date.
These minutes constitute reference for the detention.
Handed down and informed today, 13 Nissan 5774, 13 April 2014, in the presence of those persons present.
(signature)
Dr. Zayed Falah, Judge
Note: Israeli media are forbidden from publishing this transcript. Israelis are denied permission to read it.
Police states operate this way. Israel is one of the world's worst.
A Final Comment
On April 17, an Israeli court lifted Kayyal's gag order. According to Adalah:
"Following a request we submitted to the court, the gag order regarding the matter of a visit to Lebanon that foreign media have reported on will be canceled. The cancellation will take effect at noon" April 17 local time.
Lifting it doesn't help Kayyal. At the same time, he was released from detention. It doesn't matter. Israel wants him prosecuted. His fate hangs in the balance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukrainian Offensive Falters
Ukrainian Offensive Falters
by Stephen Lendman
Western media headlined it. The New York Times said "Ukraine Push Against Rebels Grinds to a Halt." Things "unraveled in disarray."
An "entire contingent of 21 armored vehicles…surrendered or pull(ed) back…It was a glaring humiliation for the new government in Kiev. (Events) underscored (its) weakness."
The Wall Street Journal said "Ukraine's Efforts to Regain Control of East Sputter." Locals "halted army columns."
"The faltering 'antiterrorist' operation, launched a day earlier, leaves the government looking increasingly powerless in the face of separatists who are holding government buildings in as many as 10 cities close to the Russian border."
"The stumbling start underscored difficulties faced by the new government…(It) leaves Kiev with narrowing options."
"(M)uster(ing) more force…risk(s) further undermining its already shaky legitimacy in the east, as residents accuse it of sending soldiers against unarmed civilians."
BBC headlined "Ukraine crisis: Armored vehicle(s) 'rebranded as Russian."
Russian flags were hoisted. Weapons were surrendered. Soldiers joined locals.
One resident asked: "Why did you come to our land? Why are you driving over our fields? We are peaceful people! And we just want our demands to be respected!"
Reuters said "pro-Moscow separatists took control of some of their armored vehicles and crowds surrounded another column, forcing the troops to hand over the pins from their rifles and retreat."
Other reports highlighted elite Ukrainian units defecting. They refused to attack unarmed civilians.
Ukrainian forces were lied to. They were ordered to wage an "anti-terrorism operation." One soldier perhaps spoke for others saying:
They were told "Russian invaders who have taken the local population hostage are waging war at us." Orders said "free Donbas from occupants."
"This morning, we started our attack, but the picture we saw (in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk) turned out to be completely different."
"We saw in front of us a crowd of locals, mostly adults, women and men."
"They explained to us that there are no occupants here and there is no one to fight. Instead, they gave us food and talked to us."
Dozens of soldiers vowed "not to follow orders and shoot at these people." Some sided with residents. Others stayed neutral.
APCs hoisted Russian flags. Elite units refused to obey orders. They fraternized with residents. They surrendered their weapons.
Following negotiations in Slavyansk, around 300 Ukrainian soldiers refused to fight. They agreed to go home. Locals cheered.
Media scoundrels lied. They didn't seize armored vehicles and weapons. Soldiers switched sides peacefully. A Slavyansk activist said:
"…Ukrainian troops arrived here flying a Russian flag. (T)hey have taken the side of the people."
Photos showed women and children climbing atop APCs. They fraternized with soldiers. In Pchyolkino village, similar scenes occurred.
Ukrainian troops were exhausted. According to one soldier:
"They've had us running around for about two months now. We're being sent to one city, then to the next. We cannot even wash, or eat normally or rest."
Others complained about media propaganda. "(F)ake information is spread." Doing so "creat(es) unnecessary tension."
Soldiers found "no (local) aggression." Peaceful locals weren't threatening.
State-controlled Ukrainian media lied saying soldiers will "never surrender."
Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR) leader Vitali Kitschko allies with illegitimate fascist putschists.
He lied claiming Eastern Ukrainian pro-Russian supports get "300 to 500 dollars a day." Funds come "from abroad," he said. Moscow sends them, he added.
No evidence whatever suggests it. State-controlled Ukrainian media featured his comments.
Separately, they claimed they claimed Russian "shock troops" massed on Ukraine's border near Chernihiv, Sumy and Kharkov.
Ukrainian Center of Military and Political Studies head Dmytro Tymchuk lied, saying:
They consist of "airborne forces and special groups of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the Russian Federation." They're "battalion" sized tactical groups.
Another report said "(s)abotage and terrorist groups and local extremists have seized several armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region."
"In the center of the town the column was blocked by locals, including representatives of Russian subversive and terrorist groups."
So far, one exception proved the rule. Mariupol-based soldiers attacked unarmed civilians.
Illegitimate putschist interior ministry head Arsen Avakov lied. He called them "armed militant." Three deaths were reported. Over a dozen others were injured.
Protesters approached the base peacefully. They posed no threat. They urged soldiers to support their struggle. They refused.
They fired on defenseless civilians. Whether this type incident repeats remains to be seen. So far, Kiev's offensive failed.
Illegitimate putschist president Okeksandr Turchynov ordered Ukraine's 25th separate airborne brigade "disestablished."
It "showed cowardice and surrendered (its) arms," he said. Its members "will stand trial," he added. Kiev's prosecutor-general was told to prepare charges.
Illegitimate putschist prime minister Arseny Yatsenyuk lied accusing Moscow of "exporting terrorism."
"The Russian government must immediately call off its intelligence-diversionary groups, condemn the terrorists and demand that they free the buildings," he said.
Eastern Ukrainian activists aren't terrorists. "Who are you at war with," they asked soldiers? "With which terrorists?" Local residents are peaceful. They threaten no one.
One perhaps spoke for others, saying:
"Today, Ukrainian troops sided with the people. (T)roops sent to our city to suppress 'terrorism' " found none.
"We do not see any terrorism in our city. This means they have been sent to fight with peaceful civilians, with women and children…to fire at those women and elderly people who have gathered on the city's square."
"Before we had chance to talk with the boys, we had to feed them. It is because they threw those boys at us like kittens, to fire at us, but forgot to even provide them with food."
One soldier called himself a 25th paratrooper division member. "We are all boys who won’t shoot our own people, he said.
Kathrin Hille is Financial Times Beijing correspondent. She shills for power. She headlined "Putin: Russia's great propagandist," saying:
He "annex(ed) Crimea." On March 18, he "lashed out against a 'fifth column' of 'national traitors' enlisted by the West to subvert Russia."
"He vowed to respond forcefully." Hille called Russia's "imperfect democratic institutions under severe threat."
"Since the Crimea annexation, there have been frequent moves that symbolise a Soviet revival," she claimed.
No evidence whatever suggests it. Invented misinformation substitutes for hard facts. Russian democracy shames America's sham process.
Putin enjoys overwhelming popular support. Polls at times shows it tops 80%. Major Western leaders are scorned.
Hille didn't explain. She claims "Putin is tightening his grip."
"The Russian government is determined to control the internet as part of its quest to tighten the noose around free speech."
Voice of Russia, RT International, RIAN, and other Russian media shame their Western counterparts.
They feature real news, information and analysis. Don't expect Hille to explain.
She lied claiming "Putin brought almost all traditional media either directly under state ownership or into a position where they could be indirectly controlled…"
Western media feature Russia bashing. Putin is public enemy number one. He defends Russian sovereignty. He does so responsibly.
He opposes lawless US imperialism. He says what everyone needs to hear.
A separate article discusses his April 17 annual televised Q & A session. He holds them with ordinary Russians.
In 2013, it ran a record four hours, 48 minutes. No Western leader matches him. Rare US events are carefully scripted.
Regime supporters alone participate. They do so by invitation. Questions and answers resemble a love fest. Propaganda substitutes for straight talk.
Ongoing events are worrisome. Kiev wants direct NATO intervention. Putschist grip on power is weak without it.
Eastern resistance shows its vulnerability. So do military units refusing to fight. London's Guardian said "large chunks of the east (are) in open revolt."
"Ukraine is rapidly vanishing as a sovereign state. Its army is falling apart."
"What was meant to be a show of strength" turned into a fiasco. Kiev declared war.
It did so on Washington's orders. Soldiers refused to fight. It remains to be seen what follows.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Putin Speaks
Putin Speaksby Stephen LendmanOn April 17, Putin held his annual televised Q & A session. He did it with ordinary Russians nationwide. He did it for the 12th time. Doing so connects with them. He responded to questions forthrightly. Most conce...
Four-Party Agreement on Ukraine
Four-Party Agreement on Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
On April 17, Russian, US, EU and Ukrainian foreign ministers met in Geneva. Discussion focused on deescalating Ukrainian crisis conditions.
A joint document was agreed on. It's not worth the paper it's written on. Washington's word isn't its bond. Its history reflects one broken promise after another.
Don't expect this time to be different. Ukraine's crisis may escalate. Perhaps the worst of all possible outcomes will follow. The fullness of time will tell.
Following discussions Sergei Lavrov explained an agreement reached, saying:
All parties must refrain from "violence, intimidation, or provocative actions."
"Participants strongly condemned and rejected all expressions of extremism, racism and religious intolerance, including anti-semitism."
Agreement "calls for an immediate commencement of a broad national dialogue which must be inclusive, transparent and accountable."
It must be "within the framework of the constitutional process, which must be inclusive and accountable."
It "must be resolved by the Ukrainians themselves concerning an end to the conflict."
Real constitutional reform is vital. Without it, legitimate May elections are impossible.
Illegal armed groups must be disarmed. Seized buildings throughout Ukraine must be freed.
"The measures we have stated concern all regions of Ukraine without exception and all problematic questions without exception," said Lavrov.
"An amnesty for all the protesters must take place, except for those who committed grave crimes.
"Those who took power in Kiev as a result of a coup - if they consider themselves as representing the interests of all the Ukrainians - must show the initiative, extend a friendly hand to the regions, listen to their concerns, and sit down with them at the negotiation table."
All Ukrainians must agree on decisions reached. They "must be mutually acceptable...as this is a guarantee of stability of the Ukrainian state with due regard for the linguistic peculiarities of different regions of the country."
Russia supports OSCE monitoring. It endorses constructive dialogue among all sides.
"We urge the special monitoring mission of the OSCE to play a leading role, in accordance with its mandate, in assisting Ukrainians and the Kiev authorities in carrying out measures to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine."
"We will support the work of this mission to foster dialogue between the sides in order to unblock the situation step by step."
"We have agreed to meet in different formats" by way of followup.
Agreement terms exclude specific guidelines for a future political system.
"We did not use any terms," said Lavrov. "There are federations where the rights of the regions are limited, and there are unitary states in name only where the regions have broad authority."
Lavrov said Ukrainians are responsible for their own stability. They must ensure "each region can protect its history and language."
"Only then will Ukraine be a strong state, a proverbial bridge between the East and the West."
Lavrov provided his US, EU and Ukrainian counterparts with documents Eastern Ukrainians prepared.
They call for "a through vision of how their interests should be reflected in the new (Ukrainian) constitution."
Washington has "decisive influence" over Kiev putschists, said Lavrov. He wants it used responsibly to resolve crisis conditions.
He knows how America operates. It takes a giant leap of faith to believe it supports doing the right thing.
He said Russia "does not want to send any troops to Ukraine." Doing so runs against "the fundamental interests of the Russian federation," he added.
His chief concern is protecting the rights of all Ukrainians, including Russian nationals. He wants them respected.
He called undermining Ukraine's non-aligned status unacceptable.
"The fact that Ukraine has chosen non-aligned status and enshrined it in its law must be respected by all and there should not be any attempts to doubt it or to erode its meaning," he stressed.
He categorically rejected allegations of Moscow instigating Eastern resistance.
The New York Times reported agreement terms its way. It "calls for armed pro-Russian bands to give up the government buildings they have seized in eastern Ukraine and outlines other steps to de-escalate the crisis," it said.
It "does not specifically require Russia to remove the approximately 40,000 troops it has on Ukraine’s border, as President Obama has demanded."
It can't remove what's not there. No Russian hoards threaten Ukraine. No invasion is planned. No aggression. No seizure of Ukrainian land.
Russia isn't committed "to holding direct talks with the interim Ukrainian government, which has been another American demand," said the Times.
Putin was clear and unequivocal. He rejects Kiev putschists. He called them "illegitimate." Ukrainians deserve real democracy, he said.
Viktor Yanukovych remains Ukraine's legitimate president. Claiming otherwise is false.
Don't expect The Times to explain. It supports putschist governance. It said US officials want Ukraine given time for its May elections "without more extensive Russian interference."
None whatever exists. Russia respects national sovereignty. Washington ignores it. Ousting democratic governments is Exhibit A. So is assassinating foreign leaders.
High crimes too grave to ignore reflect longstanding US policy. It bears repeating. Don't expect The Times to explain.
Agreement terms excludes Crimean/Russian reunification. Washington and rogue EU partners falsely accused Moscow of orchestrating Eastern Ukrainian resistance.
John Kerry wants all government seized buildings vacated. He holds Russia responsible for assuring it. Local activists acted on their own volition.
"If there is no progress in these next days, then there will be additional sanctions, additional costs," said Kerry.
Unresolved is whether federalizing Ukraine will follow. Growing numbers of Eastern Ukrainians demand local autonomy.
They reject fascist rule. It remains to be seen how they'll react. Their demands are fundamental. Expect likely resistance if they're not met.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukraine on the Brink
Ukraine on the Brink
by Stephen Lendman
Obama declared war on Ukraine. He dispatched CIA chief John Brennan to Kiev. He arrived with administration instructions.
Obama's proxy putschist stooges were unleashed to wage war on Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters. The battle for Ukraine's soul escalated.
The country is "on the verge of civil war," said Putin. Prime Minister Medvedev said the same thing. Putschists launched violence.
"The illegal rulers are trying to restore the order they cynically trampled on when they participated in an armed uprising," Medvedev added.
Their military forces headed east. Tanks, armored vehicles and artillery are on the move. An assault on activist controlled Eastern Ukrainian cities began.
Kramatorsk's airfield was stormed. Gunfire and explosions were heard. Ukrainian warplanes were involved.
Soldiers manning six tanks switched sides. They hoisted Russian flags. A local resident said:
"We found them at a square near the railway station. A group of women surrounded them."
"We started telling them we were peaceful residents who are just fighting for their rights and that there are no terrorists. They won't shoot us."
"The main armored transport vehicle had a Russian flag on it and they left together with our insurgents towards Slavyansk."
"We are deeply concerned over the military operation launched by the Ukrainian special forces with support of the army. There have already been victims," he said.
"Current events demonstrate persistent unwillingness of Kiev's authorities to organize a dialogue with Ukrainian regions, which is necessary for the country," he added.
On Tuesday, Slavyansk was attacked. According to Donbass people's militia head Sergey Tsyplakov:
"Currently there is a major attack on Slavyansk. Armored personnel vehicles are entering the city."
"There are many troops. The men are getting ready to defend" the city. "There is a lot of military machinery here. But the shooting hasn't started yet."
An uneasy calm awaits a likely storm. Activists still maintain control. Hundreds gathered in central Skavyansk.
They're not leaving. They want local autonomy. So do growing thousands across Eastern Ukraine. They're putting their bodies on the line for freedom.
One activist said civil war erupted. So far no major hostilities. Just local flareups. It remains to be seen what's next.
Fascists operate lawlessly. Washington runs things. Putschists are proxy stooges. Claiming they acted with "great caution" is polar opposite truth. So is saying they're "prov(ing) law and order."
Behind the scenes manipulation is longstanding US practice.
Sergei Lavrov condemned using military force against Eastern Ukrainian civilians.
"We will seek tranquility and insist on the respect of Kiev leaders for the opinions and demands of the southeast and Ukrainian citizens who live there, as well as on negotiations aimed to de-escalate the situation rather than escalate it with the involvement of law enforcement authorities, moreover, the army, which is clearly prohibited by Ukrainian law," he said.
Putschists have no legitimacy. Growing numbers of Eastern Ukrainians reject them. East/West divisions threaten civil war.
"(U)nity state (authority) stopped working in Ukraine," Lavrov added.
"Its foundations were shattered by a series of political disasters that were shaking the country for years."
"One of the main reasons of such situation is the absence of a balanced basic law in Ukraine, which adequately takes into account the interests of all ethnic and language groups and ensures the rights and interests of all the citizens of Ukraine."
"It is impossible to consider the situation, when after each Presidential election the Constitution of the country fixing a particular form of government was changed depending on the desire of the victorious political forces, to be normal."
"Therefore, federalization is a way to ensure that each region feels comfortable and secured in his rights, traditions and traditional ways of life."
"All this should be reflected in the reformed Constitution, and the multi-ethnic Ukrainian society should treat it as a reliable foundation of the legal state meant for a long-term perspective."
"I am convinced that it will be difficult for Ukraine to preserve its unity and to solve urgent tasks aimed at overcoming the current severe crisis."
"Of course, no one can dictate a scheme of organizing a state system to the Ukrainian side. But Ukrainians must start a dialogue and ensure its inclusive and comprehensive character."
"The idea is that all regions and political forces of Ukraine, without exceptions, should participate in it on an equal basis and have equal rights in solving essential issues."
Media scoundrels twist truth daily. They disgrace themselves in the process. They're presstitutes. They make street whores look respectable by comparison.
On April 15, The New York Times continued its daily Russia bashing. Gore Vidal once called The Times the "Typhoid Mary of American journalism."
He did so for good reason. It headlined "Russia Is Quick to Bend Truth About Ukraine."
It called above quoted Putin and Medvedev comments "bluster and hyperbole." It lied calling their honest assessment "misinformation, exaggerations, conspiracy theories, overheated rhetoric and, occasionally outright lies…"
It claimed "an extraordinary (Kremlin) propaganda campaign." A "new brazenness," it added.
A "24-hour vortex of alarmist proclamations of Western (sponsored) aggression…"
"Sinister claims of rising fascism and breathless accounts of imminent hostilities by the 'illegal' Ukrainian government in Kiev…"
You can't make this stuff up. It bears repeating what earlier articles stressed. All the news Times editors call fit to print isn't fit to read.
Truth is systematically buried. Lies, damn lies and bigger ones substitute. Times editors and management notoriously support lawless US imperialism.
Their longstanding overall record is deplorable. It's worst of all when America goes to war, plans one or uses proxy stooges. Unquestioning support follows.
A companion April 15 Times article headlined "UN Cites Abuses in Crimea Before Annexation Vote."
A litany of lies followed. A previous article discussed duplicitous human rights misinformation on Ukraine. Not according to The Times.
It reported bald-faced lies as truth. It said Crimea's model democratic voting process was "rigged."
It falsely claimed harassment, journalist abductions and torture occurred. It ignored independent monitors saying Crimea's process was scrupulously open, free and fair.
Not a single irregularity took place. Not a sign of wrongdoing. No crimes were committed before, during or after Crimeans voted. Claims otherwise were false.
Twisting truth for power is longstanding Times policy. It's buried. Readers are systematically lied to. Misinformation is featured.
Washington propaganda is worst of all. On March 5, the State Department published misinformation on Russia. It claimed Putin "fiction."
Russia "spins a false narrative to justify its 'illegal' actions in Ukraine," it said. It wrongfully claimed "Russian aggression in the Ukraine."
A litany of lies followed. More on April 13. The State Department headlined "Russian Fiction the Sequel: 10 More False Claims About Ukraine."
It lied claiming "Russia continues to spin a false and dangerous narrative to justify its illegal actions in Ukraine."
"The Russian propaganda machine continues to promote hate speech and incite violence by creating a false threat in Ukraine that does not exist."
"We would not be seeing the violence and sad events that we've witnessed this weekend without this relentless stream of disinformation and Russian provocateurs fostering unrest in eastern Ukraine.
More lies, damn lies, and bigger ones followed.
(1) "Russia Claims: Russian agents are not active in Ukraine."
No evidence suggests otherwise. Not according to the State Department.
It said Kiev putschists arrested "more than a dozen 'suspected' Russian intelligence agents…"
Innocent victims are targeted. Lies substitute for truth.
(2) "Russia Claims: Pro-Russia demonstrations are comprised exclusively of Ukrainian citizens acting of their own volition…"
Again no corroborating evidence refutes this. "This is not the grassroots Ukrainian civic activism of the EuroMaidan movement," said the State Department.
No "grassroots" activism existed. Washington orchestrated Kiev lawlessness. It manipulated events disruptively.
It funded fascist thugs. It did so to unleash violence. It ousted Ukraine's democratically elected government.
(3) "Russia Claims: Separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine enjoy broad popular support."
The State Department claims a "large majority" of Donetsk region residents reject them.
No evidence suggests it. Growing thousands across Eastern Ukraine reject Kiev putschists. The State Department didn't explain.
(4) "Russia Claims: The situation in eastern Ukraine risks spiraling into civil war."
It's happening. It risks spilling cross-border. It risks a potential East/West confrontation.
Uprisings "would not be happening without Russian disinformation and provocateurs fostering unrest," claims the State Department.
They "would not be happening if a large Russian military force were not massed on the border, destabilizing the situation through their overtly threatening presence."
No Russian disinformation exists. No provocateurs. No Russian forces massed on Ukraine's border. No threatening presence. State Department Big Lies don't wash.
(5) "Russia Claims: Ukrainians in Donetsk rejected the illegitimate authorities in Kyiv and established the independent 'People's Republic of Donetsk.' "
Not according to the State Department. It ignored mass anti-Kiev opposition. It lied claiming a "small number of separatists" are involved.
For every one active on Donetsk streets and elsewhere across Eastern Ukraine, hundreds, perhaps many thousands, more support them.
(6) "Russia Claims: Russia ordered a 'partial drawdown' of troops from the Ukrainian border."
"No evidence" suggests it, said the State Department. Russian forces are involved in nonthreatening military exercises.
Western monitors observed them. They've had direct contact with Russian commanders.
They took on site photos. They reported no irregularities. Nothing suggests Moscow threatens Ukraine. US officials lie claiming otherwise.
(7) "Russia Claims: Ethnic Russians in Ukraine are under threat."
The State Department lied claiming no threat exists. Neo-Nazi thugs run key ministries. They hate all opposition elements. They live under threat. Their lives and safety are endangered.
(8) "Russia Claims: Ukraine's new government is led by radical nationalists and fascists."
The State Department twisted truth claiming otherwise. Neo-Nazi thugs prominently display swastikas, Iron Crosses, SS insignia and other fascist symbols.
US officials ignore it. Obama's new friends are thugs. They represent the worst of societal misfits.
They threaten all Ukrainians. They threaten regional peace. They risk turning Ukraine's crisis into global conflict.
(9) "Russia Claims: Ethnic minorities face persecution in Ukraine from the 'fascist' government in Kyiv."
All Ukrainians are at risk. Fascists tolerate no opposition. Presidential aspirant Oleg Tsarev is Exhibit A. He opposes Kiev putschists.
A previous article discussed him. Neo-Nazi Right Sector Sector thugs attacked him. They brutally beat him. He's hospitalized in critical condition. Washington ignored what happened. Scoundrel media buried the story.
His candidacy stands. He's not pulling out. If he recovers, maybe putschist thugs will kill him. Fascists operate this way. Obama supports them.
(10) "Russia Claims: Russia is not using energy and trade as weapons against Ukraine."
The State Department lied claiming otherwise. Since 2009, Moscow subsidized Ukraine's economy.
It provided unprecedented natural gas discounts. They totaled $17 billion. Plus another $18.4 billion Ukraine incurred as a minimal "take-or-pay fine."
"No other country provided such support except Russia," said Putin. Western ones provided none.
They want Ukraine colonized. Plundering its resources is planned. Exploiting its people. Turning Ukraine into a pro-Western vassal state. Incorporating it into NATO.
Deploying US nuclear armed missiles on Russia's borders. Threatening regional peace and stability unconscionably. Risking WW III.
Don't expect the State Department to explain. Or neocon infesting Washington.
Or supportive scoundrel media. War winds head dangerously toward gale force. Risks demanding headlines are buried.
A Final Comment
On April 16, Odessa anti-Maidan activists proclaimed the People's Republic of Odessa. They issued a statement saying:
"From today, Odessa region becomes the People's Republic of Odessa, where the power belongs to the people living in its territory."
City residents were urged to prevent outside traffic from entering except ambulances. Odessa activists joined their counterparts in over a dozen other Eastern Ukrainian cities.
Growing protests demand local autonomy and democratic rights.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
More NATO Forces for Eastern Europe
More NATO Forces for Eastern Europe
by Stephen Lendman
US-led NATO threatens world peace. It's a global killing machine. It prioritizes militarism and war. It threatens humanity in the process.
It's escalating East/West tensions. It supports Kiev fascist putschists. It buries truth. It spreads lies about Russia.
On April 16, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said:
"We have just taken further measures to respond to the crisis in Ukraine."
"We call on Russia to be part of the solution. To stop destabilising Ukraine, pull back its troops from the borders and make clear it doesn't support the violent actions of well armed militias of pro-Russian separatists."
NATO deployed warplanes to Eastern Europe provocatively. US navy vessels patrol Black Sea waters. France plans sending one of its own to join them.
Rasmussen announced stepped up measures. He called doing so "reinforc(ing) our collective defence and demonstrat(ing) the strength of Allied security."
More warplanes are coming. More ships. More troop deployments. Sending them means more "readiness" on land, he said.
Measures announced are being implemented straightaway. "More will follow, if needed, in the weeks and months to come," he added.
Doing so "send(s) a clear message. NATO will protect every Ally and defend against any threat against our fundamental security. That is our firm commitment."
No threats exists. Invented ones substitute. Rasmussen didn't explain. He's a convenient US stooge. He serves at America's behest. He's one of its imperial frontmen.
Stars and Stripes is a Pentagon publication. On April 16, it headlined "NATO to deploy more forces to eastern Europe in response to Ukraine crisis."
It quoted Rasmussen saying "(m)ilitary staff from allied nations will deploy to enhance our preparedness, training and exercises. Our defense plans will be reviewed and reinforced."
General Philip Breedlove ordered increased readiness. He's Washington's European commander/Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)/NATO Allied Command Operations head.
He wants more US-led NATO warplanes, ships and land forces. He wants them closer to Russia's borders. He does so despite no Moscow threat. Claims otherwise are false.
Commodore Georgiy Alafuzoff formerly was Finland's Defense Forces Intelligence Manager. He's currently EU intelligence military intelligence head.
No Russian involvement in Eastern Ukraine exists, he said. No reported military presence. Moscow had nothing to do with seizing government buildings in Eastern Ukraine cities, he stressed.
Claims otherwise are false. "In my opinion, it's mostly people who live in the region who are not satisfied with the current state of affairs," he explained.
They're concerned about their own welfare. They risk losing fundamental freedoms. Alafuzoff agrees with what Sergei Lavrov and other Russian officials stress.
Western propaganda claims otherwise. It drowns out truth. It substitutes lies. On April 16, Itar Tass headlined "Foreign observers carry out 8 inspections in Russia's territory."
They reflect Moscow's military transparency measures. They comply with 2002 Open Skies Treaty provisions. Thirty-four nations are signatories.
They include Russia, America, Canada, Turkey, Ukraine and most other European states. They permit unarmed surveillance overflights. They promote military activity openness.
In March alone, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said foreign inspectors carried out eight Russian territory inspections.
Seven were near the Ukraine/Russian border. No evidence suggests a massive military buildup. Claims otherwise are false. They're groundless, said Antonov.
"We have mechanisms of transparency agreed in Vienna within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)," he explained.
"There is the Open Skies Treaty and the 2011 Vienna Document on Transparency and Confidence-building Measures which provide for certain verification procedures," he said.
"It is nonsense to say that the nuclear West is disarming while the nuclear Russia is building up forces."
Russia destroyed over 2,000 ground-based ballistic missiles. They included cruise missiles able to hit targets from 500 to 5,500 kilometers away.
More than 3,000 nuclear warheads with a combined 500,000 ton yield were eliminated. So were 825 launchers.
"NATO has 10,000 tanks," said Antonov. "(W)e have only 3,500…"
"NATO has 22,000 armored vehicles compared to Russia's 7,500," he added. Don't figures speak for themselves, he stressed.
They're ignored. They're not reported. Russia bashing takes precedence. Lies substitute for truth.
Putin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Western news consumers are denied real information.
"It's very regrettable but it's so," he said. Even comments by Putin, Lavrov, and other top Russian officials are ignored. A "concrete wall of censorship" blocks them out.
"We never saw anything like this before. We never thought this could happen and that it could happen so openly," said Peskov.
On geopolitical issues, the Washington Post is a de facto CIA publication. Columnist David Ignatius has longstanding close US intelligence ties.
His commentaries lack credibility. He lies for power. On April 15, he headlined "The Cost of Putin's adventurism in Ukraine."
None whatever exists. Not according to Ignatius. He lied saying he "seiz(ed) Crimea."
He's "fomenting unrest in eastern Ukraine, perhaps as a prelude to invasion."
"…Russian agents infiltrat(ed) eastern Ukraine, backed by 40,000 troops just across the border," he claimed.
Truth is polar opposite. It bears repeating. Ignatius lies for power. He willfully spreads disinformation. He's stoking conflict.
"(T)he White House sees Putin weighing three options," he said. He calls all of them "bad for the West." Two are fabricated. More on them below.
The other is accurate. Putin supports involving all Ukrainian political voices in a federalized state. He favors Ukrainian nonaligned status.
Option two, said Ignatius, is "annex(ing) eastern Ukraine." Putin forthrightly opposes it. Claims otherwise are false.
Option three is "invasion, using the pretext of civil war in eastern Ukraine," said Ignatius.
Putin plans none. At the same time, he's committed to protecting Russian nationals if endangered.
Western leaders would do no less for their own. Washington invents threats. It does so to deploy US forces to foreign countries.
Putin responsibly uses his. He prioritizes saving lives. Mass slaughter and destruction follow Pentagon deployments.
Don't expect Ignatius to explain. He claims Putin "prefers the veneer of legitimacy." He shames his US counterpart.
He respects national sovereignty. He supports rule of law principles. His governance is polar opposite Obama's.
Ignatius claims he prefers "paramilitary covert action, rather than rolling tanks across an international border."
Russia's military strength is a "warning sign that (he'll) keep the threat of force alive until his demands are met," he added.
Hegemons operate this way. Washington is Exhibit A. One country after another is targeted. They're systematically ravaged and destroyed.
Putin prioritizes peace and stability. His policies reflect his pronouncements. Ignatius didn't explain.
Lies substituted for truth. His columns feature them. He's part of the Putin bashing crowd. He's one of many.
Outrageous misinformation persists. Readers are cheated. They're grossly misinformed. War of words is vicious.
Propaganda wars precede hot ones. Conflicts glorify them. They do so in the name of peace. They rage one after another.
Hegemons give no quarter. Mass slaughter and destruction are standard practice. All US direct and proxy wars turn out this way.
Ukraine may become the latest example. Victims are blamed for US crimes. Today's yellow journalism makes earlier stuff look tame by comparison.
The so-called "newspaper of record" operates as lead US ministry of information and propaganda. The Washington Post doesn't hide its CIA connection.
Big Lies repeat ad nauseam. Perhaps employment contracts mandate proliferating misinformation, deceit and distortion.
Truth is buried. Ethical standards are ignored. Daily fare reads like bad fiction. Television is worst of all.
Demagoguery, warmongering, Big Lies, censorship, pseudo-journalism, and juiced-up junk food news substitute for vital information viewers most need to know.
May Ukrainians for peace, equity and justice prevail. May they inspire activists globally. May they motivate others to join them.
May their ranks overflow. May freedom triumph worldwide. May humanity be saved.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama Heads for War in Ukraine
Obama Heads for War in Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
Permanent war is official US policy. At issue is unchallenged global dominance.
All independent governments are targeted. Eliminating them is prioritized. So is replacing them with pro-Western puppet states.
Ukraine is Exhibit A. Obama bears full responsibility for ousting its democratically elected government. Elevating illegitimate fascist putschists to power followed.
Sham May elections will be farcical when held. Here's an example showing why.
Oleg Tsarev is a presidential aspirant. He's a former Yanukovych-led Party of Regions people's deputy.
On April 7, he was lawlessly expelled. During months of US-manipulated violent Maidan protests, he forthrightly opposed them.
He participated in a Svoboda Slova talk show. After finishing, neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs attacked him. They brutally beat him. He's hospitalized in critical condition.
His candidacy stands. He won't withdraw, he said. Washington ignored what happened. So did other Western countries. Media scoundrels buried the story. Russia bashing takes precedence.
Russian Foreign Ministry human rights commissioner Konstantin Dologov noted a "shy (Western) silence."
Presidential candidate Mikahil Dobkin participated on the same program. En route, Right Sector thugs confronted him.
They blocked his car. They damaged it. They attacked his aides. Dobkin explained on air.
He and Tsarvev are independent candidates. Ruling putschists intend having one of their own become president.
Rigged voting assures it. Opposition elements aren't tolerated. Tsarvev's treatment reveals their dark side. Police states operate this way.
Last weekend, CIA director John Brennan held secret talks in Kiev. Russian media said he arrived under an assumed name.
He held "a series of secret meetings." He did so with Obama's new friends. They're fascist thugs. They're societal misfits.
They represent mob rule. They have no legitimacy whatever. It doesn't matter. They enjoy full US support.
Washington belatedly confirmed Brennan's visit. White House press secretary Jay Carney lied claiming his arrival was "part of a trip to Europe."
"Senior level visits of intelligence officials are a standard means of fostering mutually beneficial security cooperation," he added.
CIA elements operate disruptively. They're not good will ambassadors. Their history reflects dozens of lawless operations.
Brennan came to plot war strategy. He wants Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters attacked. He wants them eliminated. He wants them slaughtered in cold blood.
He wants challengers to Washington's imperium crushed. He risks civil war in Ukraine. He risks potential East/West confrontation. Putin is obligated to protect Russian nationals.
Weeks earlier, he issued a statement, saying:
"Due to the emergency situation in Ukraine and a threat being posed to the lives of Russian nationals, our compatriots, and the Russian military contingent stationed in Ukraine (the Autonomous Republic of Crimea) in compliance with international agreements, I ask the Federation Council for permit to use Russian armed forces on the territory of Ukraine until social and political situation in the country stabilizes."
Under Article 102 of Russia's Constitution, upper house Federation Council members are responsible for deciding whether to deploy government troops externally.
On March 1, they voted unanimously to do so. They won't let their nationals go unprotected. Nor will Putin.
On April 14, Sergei Lavrov was clear and unequivocal saying:
"If the authorities in Kiev use force, our entire cooperation on the Ukrainian issue will be undermined. We have let this known to our Western partners."
"Here is what is in line with Russian interests - an integral, united, brotherly Ukraine friendly to us, in which citizens live calmly," he added.
"This can be achieved solely by carrying out a deep constitutional reform, in which all political forces without an exception and all Ukrainian regions should participate on an equal basis."
"We support the stance of the southeast…Western hypocrisy over Ukraine is blown out of proportion."
Kiev's "decision to apply military force is an extremely dangerous development."
"Those, who encourage such actions in Kiev should be held responsible to the full extent."
He means Washington and rogue Western partners without naming them.
Ukraine is Russia's red line. Putin stressed it earlier. He forthrightly supports right over wrong. He's viciously bashed for doing so.
Russia's permanent NATO representative Alexander Grushko said Moscow will act responsibly to protects its interests.
Russia "exited the Cold War and has no intention to return there," he said. "At the same time, we will take into account in our military planning any possible changes in NATO forces and configurations and, if necessary, will take necessary measures in the interests of ensuring our security."
US-led NATO countries alone threaten world peace. Challenging Russia recklessly is official policy. Escalating conflict in Ukraine risks letting things spin out-of-control.
Obama risks doing it. He appears headed for war. Institutionalized recklessness threatens everyone. Confronting him resolutely matters.
Stopping him matters most. Putin most of all needs to do so. If not him, who? Humanity's fate hangs in the balance.
On April 15, illegitimate putschist president Aleksander Turchynov announced an "anti-terrorism operation" launched in northern Donetsk region.
Overnight Monday it began, he said. He lied claiming it's "to protect the citizens of Ukraine." It's being conducted "stage-by-stage," he said.
A video clip showed Rodinskoye residents stopping a tank en route to engage peaceful protesters.
Putschist National Security and Defense Council head Andrey Parubiy said first battalion National Guard forces "comprised of volunteers from Maidan self-defense troops" were deployed to southeast Ukraine.
Earlier Turchynov proposed having so-called UN peacekeepers involved. Ones he has in mind are regime-supporting paramilitary thugs. The kind Washington endorses.
Lavrov categorically condemned using them. He called doing so "totally unacceptable." Security Council authorization is needed to send them. Russia's veto threat assures blocking deploying them.
Brennan plotted with Turchynov and other regime thugs to wage war. Apparently it started. Neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs are involved. Widespread bloodshed is likely.
On Monday, Putin urged Obama to prevent it. Doing so fell on deaf ears. A Kremlin statement following their conversation said:
"In response to the president of the United States' expressed concern about Russia's supposed meddling in southeastern Ukraine, the president of Russia noted that such speculations are based on inaccurate information."
Kiev putschists bear full responsibility for Eastern Ukrainian resistance. They're unwilling and unable "to take into account the interests of the Russian and Russian-speaking population," it added.
Obama criticized Putin. He wants Ukrainian freedom fighters crushed. He lied about Russian troops mobilized on Ukraine's border. He told Putin to withdraw what doesn't exist.
Putin stressed involving "all political forces in the country, creating a federalized state and guaranteeing Ukraine's nonaligned status."
His press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Kremlin authorities got repeated pleas from Eastern Ukrainians for protection.
"He is getting a lot of appeals addressed personally to him, asking him to intervene in one way or another. He is monitoring the situation in Ukraine with great concern."
On April 15, Itar Tass cited witnesses claiming a downed Ukrainian warplane. Government "armored vehicles…entered the city of Slavyansk in the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk Oblast," it said.
Local media reported "500 servicemen, 20 armored personnel carriers (APCs), buses and other vehicles."
According to acting mayor Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, Slavyansk is reportedly surrounded.
Kiev-appointed illegitimate mayor Nelli Shtepa lied claiming looters terrorized city residents.
Ponomaryov said she willfully spreads disinformation. She's part of the problem. She's not the solution.
"(S)he betrays her own city," said Itar Tass. She "fled Slavyansk the day before." The city appears calm.
"No cases of riots or looting (were) registered since" federalization protests began.
"Most shops, clinics and a hospital work in line with (their) ordinary schedule."
"Classes in schools and kindergartens (were) suspended. Slavyansk residents move around the city easily."
Public transport keeps running. Restrictions limit private cars from entering city center areas.
Anti-putschist protesters said Kiev forces seized Kramatorsk's airfield.
"They started negotiating with the people's militia, which is in control of the airfield. The shooting started unexpectedly."
"There are injured among the people's militia, and there may be deaths," they said.
Other militia members blocked Kramatorsk's entrance. They're ready to defend their city. They control it.
"We were forced out of the airfield," they said. They won't let Kiev troops inside their city. A bloody confrontation may follow.
General Vasily Krutov is Ukrainian Security Bureau (SBU) first deputy head. Putschists put him in charge of Anti-Terrorist Center operations. He's leading them against protesters.
He warned them to lay down arms. Otherwise they'll be attacked. They'll be "destroyed," he said.
He lied claiming hundreds of Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) elements involved.
Putin's press secretary Dmitry Pushkov responded, saying:
"These are absurd statements. There are no Russian troops there. The president and the foreign minister have spoken about it."
"We can only be startled by the fact that all these statements made by the Russian side are deliberately chosen not to be heard."
Truth is systematically silenced. Big Lies block them out. Moscow calls ordering attacks on anti-regime protesters "criminal."
Jay Carney lied. He accused Russia of "provocative actions."
"I can assure you that Russia's provocations - further transgressions and provocations - will come with a cost," he said.
"And I'm not here to specify what cost will come from which specific action, but there have already been costs imposed on Russia; there will be further costs imposed on Russia."
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington stands ready to impose sanctions on more individuals and entities.
She named financial services, energy, metals, mining, engineering and defense sectors. Doing so cuts both ways.
Russia and China plan mutual trade in their own currencies. Doing so will greatly impact dollar strength. Other countries may follow suit.
America is vulnerable. Chickens eventually come home to roost. Maybe sooner expected. Perhaps with major impact.
It's long past time America got its comeuppance. No nation in world history is more ruthless. None more lawless. None more reckless.
None more venal. None more run by criminals masquerading as politicians. None more controlled by monied interests.
None more contemptuous of democratic values. None more recklessly out-of-control.
None more responsible for human misery globally. None more threatening humanity's survival.
Stopping this monster's rampaging matters most. Replacing it with responsible governance. Holding its criminal elements responsible.
Survival depends on it. American tyranny is by far the world's most dangerous. Resisting it is a moral imperative. If not now, when? If not us, who? If that's not reason enough to act, what is?
A Final Comment
Days earlier, Putin addressed 18 EU leaders. He did so by letter. He did responsibly. He called for urgent cooperation. He discussed Ukraine's gas debt.
It's been unpaid for three months. He wants addressing it prioritized. Failure to do so risks cutting off supplies.
Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said European officials planned a joint Monday response.
European Commission chairman Jose Manuel Barroso requested it. He'll deliver it in person in Moscow.
It'll address issues Putin raised. EU members stress "preserving unity in relations with the Russians," Sikorski said.
On Monday, Itar Tass discussed what Moscow wants EU officials to say. Russia's permanent EU representative Vladimir Chizhov said four-power April 17 Geneva talks depend on it.
He's unimpressed with what EU officials sent. Their document
contains many issues, he said. "(B)ut I would like to pay attention to what it lacks."
"Unfortunately, it does say a word, gives no assessment to actions of Kiev authorities which are prepared to throw not only eastern Ukraine, but also the whole country in turmoil of the civil war."
"(T)he EU Council conclusions condemned only some armed elements in eastern Ukrainian cities who allegedly try to destabilise that country."
"The fact that those who seized power in Kiev in an armed coup consistently destabilise Ukraine by their actions is not mentioned in the document."
"It also contains the scope of wordings biased and unjust for Russia's policy towards Ukrainian crisis up to a demand that is already absolutely unacceptable and is not just interference in domestic affairs, but also domestic lawmaking."
It wants Putin's authorization to use troops to protect Russian nationals cancelled. It wants Western-backed Ukrainian forces given free reign to attack their own people.
"As for practical consequences, this document is purely political which we will certainly take into account, but mostly important is that what will be happening…in Ukraine in next few days and even hours."
"Appeals and vigorous statements over a four-party meeting in Geneva this Thursday sound certainly optimistic, but it is clear that if the situation in Ukraine grows in(to) a massive bloodshed, there will be nothing to discuss with the so-called acting Ukrainian foreign minister."
Incendiary conditions exist. Mass slaughter may follow. It bears repeating. Washington bears full responsibility. Brennan authorized full-scale conflict. It's early stages appear underway.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israel Seeks Regional Anti-Iranian Alliance
Israel Seeks Regional Anti-Iranian Alliance
by Stephen Lendman
Israel is a global menace. It threatens world peace. It wants regional hegemony.
It wants all rivals eliminated. It wants powerless, balkanized mini-states replacing them. Longstanding policy reflects it.
In 1982, Israeli Foreign Affairs senior advisor Oded Yinon urged it. He published a document titled "A Strategy for Israel in the NIneteen Eighties."
The late Israel Shahak (1933 - 2001) obtained it. He translated it. He retitled it "The Zionist Plan for the Middle East."
The Association of Arab-American University Graduates called it "the most explicit, detailed and unambiguous statement to date of the Zionist strategy in the Middle East."
"Its importance...lies not in its historical value but in the nightmare which it represents." It continues unfolding. Divide and conquer explain it.
Balkanizing Iraq into Sunni, Shia and Kurdish areas reflects it. Israel wants all regional states treated the same way.
Especially Iran. Israel wants the Islamic Republic eliminated altogether. Nonexistent threats are invented. War is threatened.
An earlier article discussed an unholy Israel/Saudi Arabia alliance. Both represent the worst of rogue state ruthlessness.
Crimes of war and against humanity are standard practice. Last October, Saudi Prince Bandar arrived secretly in Israel.
Doing so broke a longstanding taboo. Bandar was the first Saudi official to visit Israel. He came to discuss mutual interests.
They included toppling Syria's Assad. They want Iran confronted belligerently. They're strange bedfellows.
They formed a dark anti-Tehran alliance. It's hard imagining a darker regional one.
It's an axis of evil writ large. It combines Saudi wealth with Israeli might. It's nuclear armed and dangerous.
Its other weapons are formidable. It useds them lawlessly. It does so ruthlessly.
Riyadh wants a Sunni awakening. Israel wants a key regional rival eliminated. On April 15, Press TV headlined "Israel, seeking anti-Iran alliance."
Former Israeli secret service Shin Bet head Ami Ayalon urges it. According to Press TV:
"He said Israel should consider Iran as a 'threat to all pragmatic players in the region.'
It "should work (toward) the goal of establishing a coalition against Tehran."
Ayalon "mocked a US intelligence assessment…" Iran isn't pursuing nuclear weapons, he said. Claiming otherwise is false.
His comments followed Israeli intelligence admitting no "smoking gun" exists suggesting an Iranian nuclear program military component.
"The Israeli minister without portfolio expounded that the Zionist who insists Iran is a danger to (Israel's) existence should not rule out any option against Tehran," said Press TV.
"Analysts believe while the international community is analyzing the US National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, Israel and the United States are colluding against the Islamic Republic," it added.
Doing so may subvert P5+1 talks. Final resolution agreement may not follow. Longstanding US/Israeli anti-Iranian policy remains unchanged.
Obama violated interim agreement terms straightaway. Doing so revealed his real intentions. US deals aren't worth the paper they're written on.
Promises made are systematically broken. Iran bashing continues. Big Lies persist. Targeting Iran's peaceful nuclear program is red-herring cover for regime change.
Tehran deplores nuclear weapons. It has none. It's not developing any. It prioritizes a nuclear-free Middle East.
Israel is the only regional state with them. It's so-called open secret is common knowledge. Its arsenal is longstanding. It's formidable. Israel threatens its use if needed.
It uses radiological, biological and chemical weapons against adversaries. Palestinians are regularly attacked. Iran prioritizes peace and stability.
It hasn't attacked another nation in centuries. It's an enviable record. It's ignored. Tehran sought normalized Western relations for decades.
It offered major nuclear concessions. It did so in vain. Will this time be different? Not if Israeli priorities take precedence. Not if Obama goes along. Not if he continues longstanding anti-Iranian hostility.
Occasional conciliatory rhetoric masks his likely real intentions. Hypocrisy defines them. Earlier he asked Congress to hold off imposing new sanctions.
Unilaterally he imposed his own. Will ongoing P5+1 talks end up more subterfuge than real? Will hoped for conflict resolution fail?
Will longstanding anti-Iranian policies persist. Will its nuclear facilities be attacked? Will doing so ignite regional war?
Will Obama risk more conflict than already? Will Syria be directly targeted at the same time?
Washington deplores peace and stability. Longstanding policy prioritizes war. Multiple US ones remain ongoing.
Will Iran follow Obama's Eastern Ukrainian strategy? Will endless conflicts persist? Nonexistent threats are invented to wage them.
Diplomatic mumbo jumbo justifies them. Millions of corpses attest to their barbarity. Obama has lots more death and destruction in mind.
So does Israel. Iran is their main regional target. Anything goes is official policy to eliminate its independent government.
It's going all-out by all means possible. Rogue states operate this way. America and Israel the world's two worst. Axis of evil extremism defines them.
They threaten world peace and security. They risk global war. Out-of-control policies head inexorably toward igniting it.
Rogue leadership risks what responsible governance wouldn't dare. Advancing imperial priorities matters most. Doing so involves eliminating all rivals.
Waging war on humanity follows. Doing so risks destroying it altogether. Attacking Iran reflects madness. Targeting Russia is worse.
WW I was called the war to end all wars. WW II followed. WW III will end future wars. Mushroom cloud denouement assures it.
Imagine risking armageddon. Imagine destroying planet earth to save it. Imagine calling doing so humanitarian intervention.
Imagine lunatics making policy. They infest Washington and Israel. They risk the unthinkable. They do it mindlessly.
Israel conspiring with Arab states against Iran may be pretext for greater conflict. Its ultranationalist defrocked/reinstated Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman admitted holding secret talks.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry lied claiming "no ties or talks with Israel at any level."
Ignored was Prince Bandar's October 2013 visit. Mutual strategizing against Iran followed. Despots run most regional Arab states.
Overtly they're hostile to Israel. Private diplomatic contacts are maintained. Mutual interests unite them.
Lieberman lied claiming concern over Iran's nuclear program transcends anti-Israeli sentiment.
"For the first time, there is an understanding (regionally) that the real threat is not Israel," he said. Nor "Jews or Zionism."
"It is Iran, global jihad, Hezbollah and Al Qaeda. There are contacts. There are talks, but we are very close to the stage in which within a year or 18 months, (they'll) no longer be secret."
They'll "be conducted openly." He claims being in touch with "moderate" Arabs. Ones he means don't exist.
He's comfortable visiting rogue states like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and others.
"I have spent more than a few years (engaging in) meetings and talks with them," he said.
"As far as they are concerned," he claims, "there is only one red rag and that is Iran." Gulf states want Sunni-dominated regimes. They want Shia ones eliminated.
They're comfortable about belligerent confrontations. Lieberman expects future open diplomatic relations with them. He expects peace accords signed by 2019 or perhaps earlier.
"I'm certain by then we will have a situation in which we have full diplomatic relations with most of the moderate Arab states," he said.
"And you can count on my word," he added. How while occupation harshness continues he didn't explain.
While brutalizing Palestinians persists. While peace remains a convenient illusion. While achieving it is more distant than ever.
While justifiable Palestinian anger may erupt like twice before. While Israeli crimes keep being exposed. While rogue leaders threaten humanity.
While Israel remains the only regional nuclear threat. While all Arab states know what they rarely acknowledge.
While Israel and Washington bear full responsibility for incendiary Middle East conditions.
According to the Israeli think tank Institute for National Security Studies:
"To Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, the cost of open relations with Israel at this time may be higher than the benefit, given the position of the Arab street."
As long as institutionalized racism remains official Israeli policy, overt rapprochement may not follow.
Not according to Lieberman, saying:
"I think that they too are stewing in their own juice and reaching an awareness that there will be no choice but to move from the secret stage of the dialogue between us to the open stage of the talks."
Saudi Arabian ones Israel calls "historic," Riyadh denies holding them. So does Kuwait. It's state-run KUNA news agency said:
"There (are) no meetings or contacts, formal or informal, secret or declared, with Israel."
Anti-Iranian schemes persist. Resolving things responsibly look distant.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Duplicitous Human Rights Misinformation on Ukraine
Duplicitous Human Rights Misinformation on Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
A previous article discussed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. It discussed her duplicitous anti-Assad report. It wasn't her first one. It won't be her last
She's a reliable imperial tool. She buries truth. She lies for power. Her credibility long ago was lost. Not a shred of it remains.
She never had any in the first place. It launched her career earlier. It sustained it.
Her new report supports illegitimate putschist fascists. It's titled "Misinformation, propaganda and incitement to hatred need to be urgently countered."
During months of Maidan protests, Berkut special police showed remarkable restraint. Pillay lied claiming otherwise.
They used "excessive force," she said. So did other security elements, she added. Doing so "led to the radicalisation of the protest movement," she claimed.
Yanukovych government "(v)iolations related to the Maidan protests should be investigated and addressed in order to ensure accountability of perpetrators," she said.
"Most acts of severe beatings, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment were reportedly attributed to the Berkut."
False! Western-supported and paid radicalized elements bore full responsibility. Pillay lied saying otherwise.
She claimed Crimea's reunification referendum had "no validity."
Saying it "raised a number of human rights concerns pertaining to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and other civil and political rights flies in the face of reality.
Pillay twists truth for power. She does so to please her Western sponsors. She does consistently.
Crimea's referendum reflected model democratic process. Independent monitors called it scrupulously open, free and fair. Not a single irregularity was reported.
Not according to Pillay. She accused Crimean authorities of "vote-rigging." She lied saying so.
She said "paramilitary" and "soldiers without insignia" intimidated voters. Not one report on the ground said so. Conditions were polar opposite.
"What is clear from our findings is that there is an urgent need to ensure full respect for the rule of law and human rights in Ukraine and thus guarantee the enjoyment of all human rights for all, including minorities," she said.
"The international community, including the UN, can play a role in supporting the creation of such an environment."
"My Office and its monitoring team can provide impartial and authoritative human rights assessments to contribute to establishing the facts, de-escalating tension, and paving the way for an environment that is conducive to the holding of free and fair elections on 25 May."
Results when held will be farcical. Ballot choices exclude democracy. Junta power victory is certain. Illegitimate putschists run things. Don't expect Pillay to explain.
It bears repeating. Throughout her career, she's been a reliable imperial tool. Her reports include a litany of lies.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich responded to her latest one. It mocks legitimacy. It reads like bad fiction.
On April 15, Lukashevich was unsparing. He was clear and unequivocal, saying:
"We have to acknowledge that the report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Ukraine is one-sided, politicized and unobjective, and does not reflect the real situation in this country."
"The authors of the report chose not to notice that the current 'authorities' in Ukraine have become such as a result of an armed coup d’etat."
"There is not a word about the February 22 events, including an attack and takeover by illegal armed formations of administrative buildings."
"The individuals who gained power illegally are positioned as a legitimate government."
"Facts testifying that from their first minutes the 'new' authorities have been working in the atmosphere of violence and lawlessness are being deliberately omitted."
"No attention is being paid to a very dangerous trend - the unchecked rise of aggressive nationalism and neo-Nazism."
"The almost 30-page document makes no use of the term 'neo-Nazism' at all."
It pretends it doesn't exist. It suggests fascist putschists are democrats. Doing so flies in the face of reality. Radicalized criminals run Ukraine.
"The rampant chauvinism staged by Right Sector and other ultra-right groups in western and central Ukraine is described as certain sources sharing their feelings that the minorities' right to take part in the political life is not fully taken into consideration."
Regime rights violations go unnoticed. Criminal acts aren't mentioned. Coverup and denial substitutes. Pillay supports lawlessness. She fronts for power.
She blames victims for putschist high crimes. She twists truth to fit Western policy. She commits grave human rights violations in the process.
Her report "ignores a whole host of other gross human rights violations by the self-proclaimed authorities, including, in particular, kidnappings, tortures, extrajudicial killings, encroachments on the independence of the judicial system, the suppression of mass media and civil society," said Lukashevich.
"The document abounds in flagrant selectiveness. It depicts radical actions on Maidan in late February as a peaceful protest and manifestation of popular discontent and effectively justifies it."
"Its attitude towards protests in the country's southeast is different." Pillay's so-called 'observers' failed to see the legitimate interests of the Russian population of this region."
"The report gives odious opinions on the situation around freedom of speech and press as if ignoring the ongoing attempts by the Ukrainian 'authorities' to resist objective coverage of the situation in the country, threats and intimidation of reporters, denying entry to foreign reporters."
"Overall, the impression is that the report was fabricated in accordance with preset conclusions, for which one need not have travelled to Ukraine."
Western-supportive elements wrote it. Truth was systematically buried. Big Lies substituted. It's longstanding imperial policy.
Putschists bear full responsibility for human rights abuses. Pillay blamed victims for their crimes. She does so consistently. She does it unapologetically. She disgraces the office she holds.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Duplicitous Obama Civil Rights Hyperbole
Duplicitous Obama Civil Rights Hyperbole
by Stephen Lendman
Obama represents the worst of rogue governance. On April 10, he honored Lyndon Johnson. One war criminal paid tribute to another.
He spoke at his Austin-based Presidential Library and Museum. He did so commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
His words rang hollow. The New York Times called his speech "stirr(ing)." It stopped short of denouncing his duplicity. More on what he said below.
America's human and civil rights record is by far the world's worst. No other nation matches its lawlessness. None approach it.
It's by far the world's most unprincipled. It's responsible for virtually every crime imaginable and then some.
It's police state than democracy. It's more battleground than homeland.
Lawless FBI, CIA, NSA, FEMA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol, and other federal operatives work jointly with state and local authorities.
They target fundamental freedoms. They harm their own people.
Anyone can be arrested, charged, prosecuted, and imprisoned for any reason or none at all. US citizens at home or abroad can be murdered. Obama can order them killed by presidential diktat.
Others can be arrested and detained. They can be held indefinitely. They can be thrown into military dungeons. They can be denied civil justice. They can be held uncharged.
Innocence is no defense. State terrorism is official policy at home and abroad. Police states operate this way. America is by far the world's worst.
Freedom, human rights, and other democratic values don't matter. Supporting right over wrong is hazardous.
Challenging Washington's right to dominate globally risks persecution or death. America is unfit to live in. Things go from bad to worse.
Obama exceeds the worst of his predecessors. Rogue governance defines his agenda. Humanity may not survive on his watch.
On July 2, 1964, Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law. Officially it's called:
"An act to enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States of America to provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the Attorney General to institute suits to protect constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes."
It was more feel good than do good. Objectives fell short of promise. They were more hype than reality. They weren't achieved. Things today are worse than ever in modern times.
On June 11, 1963, Jack Kennedy called for legislation "giving all Americans the right to be served in facilities which are open to the public…"
He included "hotels, restaurants, theaters, retail stores, and similar establishments." He urged "greater protection for the right to vote."
Segregationists kept legislation from being enacted. Bottling it up in committee works as intended.
Kennedy's November 22, 1963 assassination changed things. Johnson was a former Senate Majority Leader. He was a powerful mover and shaker.
He wielded bully pulpit power as president. He supported civil and voting rights legislation. On November 27, 1963, he told Congress:
"No memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honor President Kennedy's memory than the earliest possible passage of the civil rights bill for which he fought so long."
Enactment of legislation he sought followed. Designed to prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin fell woefully short.
Powers enacted were weak. They remain so. Equal protection under law is more fantasy than real. It's a figure of speech.
Millions of persons of color bear witness. Muslims in America at the wrong time know the sting of US injustice. They're persecuted for praying to the wrong God. Constitutional protections don't help.
Johnson's July 2, 1964 statement rang hollow. He called signing the Civil Rights act a "proud triumph."
"Americans of every race and color have died in battle to protect our freedom," he said.
They died for imperial lawlessness. More than ever today. Johnson didn't explain. Nor presidents following him.
"Americans of every race and color have worked to build a nation of widening opportunities," he said. For America's rich, well-born and able alone.
"Now our generation of Americans has been called on to continue the unending search for justice within our own borders," he added.
It's selectively given. America has the best democracy money can buy.
"We believe that all men are created equal," said Johnson. "Yet many are denied equal treatment."
The vast majority do today. A select few benefit. They do so at the expense of all others.
"We believe that all men have certain unalienable rights," said Johnson.
"Yet many Americans do not enjoy those rights." Overwhelming numbers enjoy few today.
Freedom is an endangered species. It's disappearing in plain sight. Tyranny is on a fast track toward replacing it. International, constitutional and US statute laws don't matter.
Democracy is pure fantasy. A year after civil rights legislation passed, the Voting Rights Act followed. On August 6, 1965, Johnson signed it into law.
It nominally supports 15th Amendment protections. They prohibit federal or state governments from denying citizens voting rights based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
On February 3, 1870, it was ratified. Fulfillment didn't follow promise. Nor from the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
US voting rights were constitutionally flawed by design. America's founders enfranchised adult white male property owners only.
Laborers were excluded. So were women. They were considered homemakers and child-bearers alone. Slaves were called property, not people.
Native Americans, free Black men, apprentices, felons, and persons considered incompetent were denied.
From inception to today, US elections were never open, free and fair. Big money controls them. Electoral fraud is rife.
Things are pre-scripted. Voters have no say. Secrecy and back-room deals substitute for a free, fair and open process.
Candidates are pre-selected. Monied interests own them. Key outcomes are predetermined. America is a one-party state.
Republicans and Democrats are two sides of the same coin. Not a dime's worth of difference separates them.
Independent candidates are shut out. Media scoundrels ignore them.
Issues mattering most are unaddressed. Horse race journalism and trivia substitute.
Millions of Americans are disenfranchised. Criminal records alone exclude many. Effort to suppress minority voters are rife.
Half of eligible voters opt out. They do so because interests they most care about go unaddressed.
Because candidates from either party don't care. Because corporate-controlled touchscreen electronic voting machines are rigged.
They're programmed using secret software. They're easy to manipulate. They steal elections.
They provide no receipts. Excluding them prevents vetting. Opponents end up with voter choices. Losers are declared winners.
Partisan politics serves privileged elites. Democracy is pure illusion. It's a figure of speech. It bears repeating. Americans get the best one money can buy.
Supreme Court rulings affirmed it. One dollar = one vote. Deep pockets cast many. It's the American way. It shams the right way.
Commemorating civil rights legislation ignores today's deplorable conditions. Duplicitous Obama rhetoric highlighted the disgraceful state of the nation. He called expressing them "a singular honor."
Doors "swung open for" him, he said. "That's why I'm standing here today," he added.
"…I have lived out the promise of LBJ's efforts." He spoke at the end of a three-day summit. It commemorated civil rights law. Carter, Clinton and GW Bush spoke earlier.
None connect to popular struggles. Jim Crow never touched their lives. Human and civil rights eroded on their watch.
So did other fundamental freedoms. They did nothing to prevent it. They support wealth, power and privilege. Ordinary people don't count. People of color least of all.
Clinton signed the repressive 1996 Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) into law. It violates constitutional protections.
It compromises habeas rights. It limits judicial relief. It assured more capital punishment for innocent victims.
Nearly always, people of color, Muslims, or others among society's most disadvantaged are affected.
Clinton lied calling AEDPA "an important step forward in the federal government's continuing efforts to combat terrorism."
Its enactment had nothing whatsoever to do with it. International or homegrown terrorism is a ruse.
Clinton said he requested legislation after Oklahoma City. On April 19, 1995, a massive explosion destroyed its downtown Murrah Federal Building.
It killed 168 people. Hundreds more were injured. A 16-block area was affected. Over 300 buildings were destroyed or damaged.
Elgin Air Force Base's Armament Wright Laboratory studied the incident. No single truck bomb caused it.
Former director/explosives and ordnance expert/(Ret.) Brig. General Benton K. Partin was in charge. His report was damning. In part it said:
"Indeed, a careful examination of photographs showing the collapsed column bases reveal a failure mode produced by (internally installed) demolition charges and not by a blast from (a) truck bomb" as claimed.
Additional forensic evidence showed other devices were involved. Official reports suppressed what happened.
Lies substituted for truth. It's longstanding US practice. So-called terror plots are state-sponsored. 9/11 is Exhibit A.
Bush administration police state laws followed. Civil and human rights were targeted. They were eviscerated.
Patriot Act legislation alone gutted Fifth and 14th Amendment due process rights.
First Amendment ones eroded. Anyone can be wrongfully accused. Prosecutions can claim membership in, association with or support for so-called "undesirable groups."
Fourth Amendment protections against illegal searches and seizures no longer exist. Unchecked surveillance was authorized.
Powers include accessing personal financial, medical and other records. So-called "sneak and peak" searchers are OK.
"Delayed notice" warrants were approved. Warrantless searches became standard practice.
So were roving wiretaps, email and text message tracking, as well as Internet and telecommunications monitoring.
Prosecutions include secret evidence withheld from defense counsel. It's officially OK. It's common police state practice.
Guilt by accusation follows. For the first time, so-called "domestic terrorism" became a federal crime.
Virtually none exists. Numerous innocent victims were charged. They languish unjustly in America's gulag. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other political prisoners do so.
Patriot Act legislation began things. Other harsh measures followed. Homeland Security is America's Gestapo.
It operates ruthlessly. It does so extrajudicially. It targets innocent victims. It lies calling them terrorists.
Military commission legislation gutted civil protections. It grants extraordinary power to detain, interrogate, and prosecute alleged terrorists extrajudicially.
It legalized torture. Bush made it official US policy. It continues under Obama. He exceeded the worst of all his predecessors.
He presides over a repressive police state apparatus. Big Brother watches everyone. Mass surveillance is official US policy.
Fake war on terror persists. Rule of law principles don't matter. Nor democratic values. Human and civil liberty violations are rife.
Administration policies are the most secretive in US history. Whistleblowers are ruthlessly targeted. Exposing government lawlessness was criminalized.
So is protesting for fundamental constitutional rights. Tyranny is official US policy. Executive diktats can declare martial law.
Constitutional law can be suspended. It can be abolished altogether. Federal troops can be deployed against ordinary people.
Peaceful protests are endangered. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) legislation authorized indefinite detentions.
Anyone can be held without charge or trial. Solely based on suspicions, baseless allegations or none at all is OK.
Presidents have unchecked authority to arrest, interrogate and indefinitely detain law-abiding citizens. They can target anyone they wish. They can do it extrajudicially.
No one is safe. Due process, civil protections, and judicial fairness don't apply. Abuse of power replaced them. Obama endorses them.
He mocks legitimacy. He governs lawlessly. His duplicitous civil right rhetoric rings hollow. His agenda bears witness to his lies.
'No one knew politics and no one loved legislating more than President Johnson," he said .
"He was charming when he needed to be, ruthless when required."
"Those of us who've had the singular privilege to hold the office of the presidency know well that progress in this country can be hard and it can be slow, frustrating. And sometimes you're stymied."
"You're reminded daily that in this great democracy, you are but a relay swimmer in the currents of history, bound by decisions of those who came before, reliant on the efforts of those who will follow to fully vindicate your vision."
"But the presidency also affords a unique opportunity to bend those currents by shaping our laws and by shaping our debates, by working within the confines of the world as it is, but also by reimagining the world as it should be."
Obama's demagoguery wore thin long ago. Duplicity substitutes for truth. His deplorable record speaks for itself. He's a world class con man.
He's a war criminal multiple times over. He's a serial liar. He's a moral coward. Throughout is tenure, he waged war on freedom.
He's gone all-out to destroy it altogether. He deplores equity and justice for all. He's beholden solely to monied interests.
He supports wealth, power and privilege. He's mindless of popular needs. He trashed human and civil rights throughout his tenure.
He represents the worst of rogue governance. His agenda is state terrorism writ large. His worst crimes go unpunished.
He's got nearly three more years left in office. Humanity may not survive his onslaught.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukrainians Resist
Ukrainians Resist
by Stephen Lendman
They're the best and bravest. They reject Kiev putschists. They're what democracy looks like.
They want fundamental rights everyone deserves. They're putting their bodies on the line for them.
They're a model for freedom-loving people everywhere. The only solution to state repression is revolution.
It grips Eastern Ukraine. It's spreading throughout the region. Activists in a dozen or more cities are involved. So are others in small towns and villages.
What's ongoing perhaps heads toward mass insurrection. Democratic change requires sustained resistance.
Ukrainians represent hope. They deserve universal support. On April 14, Reuters headlined "Ukraine's east braces for anti-rebel operation as deadline passes."
Lawless full-scale assault looms. Illegitimate putschist president Oleksandr Turchynov blames Moscow. "We will not allow Russia to repeat the Crimean scenario in the eastern regions of Ukraine," he said.
Obama's UN envoy Samantha Power lacks credibility. She's ideologically over-the-top.
Her husband, Cass Sunstein, is former Obama Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs administration. Francis Boyle calls him a "lethal neocon."
Power is one of many administration extremists. She disgraces the office she holds. At an emergency Saturday Security Council session, she railed irresponsibly against Russia.
Power lied maliciously. She outrageously accused Moscow of spreading "disinformation and propaganda." Her notion of "facts" is polar opposite truth.
She lied claiming Russian forces invaded Ukraine. She wrongheadedly blamed Moscow for ongoing protests. "We know who is behind" them, she said.
"Indeed, the only entity in the area capable of these coordinated, professional military actions is Russia," she said.
Washington bears full responsibility for toppling Ukraine's democratically elected government.
It elevated fascist putschists to power. It did so lawlessly. It acted illegitimately.
Growing numbers of Eastern Ukrainians demand fundamental democratic rights. They reject Kiev extremists denying them.
Ongoing protests are local. They're spontaneous. They're homegrown. Russia has no involvement in them. Power lied claiming otherwise.
Moscow's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin explained things responsibly. His comments fell on deaf ears.
He denounced Kiev putschists. He did so before. "The international community must demand the stooges of Maidan stop the war against their own people," he said.
"Reckless actions (threaten) to rip apart the delicate garment of Ukrainian mosaic society."
Kiev putschists ignore justifiable Eastern Ukrainian public anger. Growing numbers reject their “radicalized, chauvinistic, russophobic, anti-Semitic forces."
"Some, including those in this hall, constantly look for Moscow's hand in the events in the southeast, persistently without wishing to see the true reasons of the events in Ukraine. Quit doing it," Churkin said.
"Quit spreading tales that we built up military armadas on the border with this country, ready at any moment, within a few hours to reach almost as far as La Manche, that we sent hordes of agents to coordinate actions of the protesting people of Ukraine."
Illegitimate Kiev parliamentarians responded to Eastern Ukrainians demands for fundamental rights by passing "draconian laws."
They threatened longterm imprisonment for "separatism (and) terrorism." Churkin denounced anti-Russian accusations. He warned against using force against peaceful protesters.
"Let's move aside from speculations, accusations, from searching for Russian phantoms flying all over different corners of Ukraine, but let’s concentrate attention on what we can do - in this case I'm directing my eyesight at my Western colleagues - in order to prevent the Kiev authorities' reckless actions, which at this moment are embodied in the criminal order of Mr. Turchinov, and to prevent the realization of this order, which will have the most severe implications primarily for the people of Ukraine," he said.
"Why did you not accuse of terrorism those who were terrorizing your government for a span of several months?"
"Those who actually terrorized the security forces, who actually set on fire the policemen, shot at them, just like they did at those who were protesting against the authorities and seemingly acted on their side."
"Those people, for some reason, you did not call terrorists, and even relieved them from any liability for their criminal actions that were conducted over several months."
He called anti-Russian accusations "ridiculous." Throughout Ukraine's crisis, Moscow went all-out for resolving things responsibly, Churkin explained.
"It is not our fault what we are witnessing" now, he added. He accused Western nations of double standards.
Their hypocrisy is brazen. They encouraged violently overthrowing Ukraine's legitimate government. They manipulated events to do so.
They duplicitously call Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters "terrorists."
On Sunday, Russia's Foreign Ministry condemned Kiev's full-scale military operation order as "criminal."
"The Kiev authorities, who self-proclaimed themselves as a result of a coup, have embarked on the violent military suppression of the protests," it said.
On Monday, Sergei Lavrov criticized Western hypocrisy. Elements encouraging force must be held responsible, he said.
"The decision to apply military force is an extremely dangerous development. Those, who encourage such actions in Kiev should be held responsible to the full extent."
"We do not interfere in Ukraine’s domestic affairs. There are no Russian agents, neither GRU, nor FSB," he added.
"Russia is interested in an integral, united, friendly Ukraine, where all citizens live in peace, exercise their rights, have the possibility to normally interact with their neighbors."
"It is possible to achieve this through a complete constitutional reform. The case in hand is that all Ukrainians should be equal in their rights, there would be no subhumans, who are forced to hear daily insults and tolerate humiliation from neo-Nazis."
"Russian-speaking residents in the south and east of the country felt betrayed by those authorities that spoke about freedom, equal rights for all Ukrainians, but haven't even stirred a finger to start a responsible dialogue with the South-East until the South-East stated that it would not tolerate this situation."
"Only in recent days, some actions have been taken, but still these actions were spoiled by the decision to apply force in full extent, including army units."
"We have clearly stated that applying force against the protesters would substantially undermine…the prospects of cooperation in setting the Ukrainian crisis."
At a Sunday press conference, ousted President Viktor Yanukovych warned of impending civil war. "Blood was spilt today," he said.
"The Kiev junta has issued a criminal order to use armed forces and the army against the protesters."
"During my time in Kiev, we never used such methods against radicals and extremists."
He blamed Washington for crisis conditions. CIA head John Brennan secretly visited Kiev. He met with putschist officials.
Announced use of military force followed. Washington's dirty hands are involved. Brennan "de facto sanctioned" assaulting protesters violently, said Yanukovych.
He urged Kiev security forces to disobey "unlawful orders." Don't shoot the "people of Ukraine," he said. "You will never be forgiven."
Referendum choice is the only solution, he added. "Now there is an urgent question of the referendum, which can protect the country from split," he said.
First a referendum. Then real constitutional reform. Followed by democratic elections. Putschists plan polar opposite policies. Expect greater chaos to follow.
Former Ukrainian internal affairs minister/national police service head Vitally Zakharchenko warned of Kiev plotting Ukraine/Russia border provocations.
"According to our information, in eastern regions of Ukraine, provocations are being planned near the border in order to discredit the military personnel of the Russian Federation," he explained.
He urged Ukrainian security forces to disobey illegal orders. He condemned Kiev putschists for issuing them.
"From the legal point of view, illegal orders are given out by the illegitimately appointed Turchyno, Avakov, Nalivaychenko (and) Makhnitsky," he said.
Anonymous Ukraine interior ministry sources confirmed what's planned, he added.
"Kiev authorities are preparing a big provocation, with a purpose to discredit the people of Donetsk and Lugansk regions who are committed to holding a referendum and federalization of the country" he said.
"An order arrived at the management of divisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the armed forces of Ukraine deployed in Donetsk region, to use fighters from the Right Sector to simulate armed attacks on the these divisions."
Lavrov expressed concern about Brennan's secret Kiev visit.
"We would like to understand what reports about the CIA Director Mr. Brennan's urgent trip to Kiev could mean. We have not received any reasonable explanation so far," he said.
Eastern Ukrainian protests are growing. They spreading. Donbas miners are involved. Detachments are guarding occupied government buildings.
A retired miner perhaps spoke for others, saying:
"It's hard to arouse the miners, but when you do, there will be trouble." They oppose Kiev putschists.
They're involved in protests against them. They're defiant. Their involvement strengthens anti-Kiev resistance. So do growing numbers across the region.
Western propaganda gives no quarter. On April 12, The New York Times headlined "Xenophobic Chill Descends on Moscow." The Times lied claiming Moscow invaded Ukraine.
"From the moment that Russia's invasion and annexation of Crimea cast a new, bitter chill over relations with the West, a sinister jingoistic vibe has pervaded this unsettled capital - stirred up by state-controlled television and Mr. Putin himself," it said.
Wall Street Journal editors are vicious. Bashing Russia is official policy. On April 13, they headlined "Russia's Second Invasion," saying:
Vice President Joe Biden heads for Kiev next week. He's going to express Western support. A litany of Big Lies followed, adding:
He "may want to speed up his" visit. "By then Vladimir Putin may already have annexed another chunk of Ukraine."
"…Russia('s) invasion of eastern Ukraine may already be underway," they hyperventilated.
"Masked and armed Russian speakers with the distinct look of special forces, but no military insignias, took over police stations and other locations in much of Ukraine's east over the weekend."
"This was the Russian president's stealth mode of invasion in Crimea. By the time the West figured out what was going on, the deed was done."
Russia didn't invade Crimea. Invading Eastern Ukraine isn't planned. Polar opposite policies stress responsible crisis resolution. Don't expect Journal editors to explain.
Big Lies repeat. Readers are deceived. Malicious misinformation substitutes for truth and full disclosure. Russia bashing persists daily.
Journal editors suggest Putin plans full-scale invasion. Within weeks, they said. "(F)aux diplomacy" masks his intentions, they claim.
"His real goal is to redraw the postwar map of Europe to Russia's advantage," they added. "(B)y force if necessary."
Twisting truth to fit official US policy is longstanding scoundrel media practice.
On April 13, neocon Washington Post editors headlined "Escalation in Ukraine," saying:
"The Ukrainian government, for its part, has rightly taken the position that it cannot allow Russia to take over its cities by force of arms without fighting back."
"Moscow is demanding that the country be chopped up into pieces and that areas under its influence be given a veto over Ukraine's foreign policy."
"It may be too late to prevent war in eastern Ukraine. But the United States must quickly take the measures promised by Mr. Obama and Mr. Kerry, or lose what little credibility it retains on Ukraine."
"If Ukrainians are forced to fight for their country, they should be helped."
WaPo editors support Obama's war on Syria. They support illegitimate Kiev fascist putschists.
They barely stopped short of urging Washington confront Russia belligerently. They deplore peace and stability.
They're against legitimate democratic governance. They're part of the Russian bashing chorus. They shame themselves in the process.
A Final Comment
On April 14, Voice of Russia (VOA) headlined "Leaked UN report claims Russia 'rigged' Crimean referendum."
VOR cited an April 10 Foreign Policy (FP) propaganda report. It's titled "Exclusive: UN Hints Russia and Its Allies Rigged Crimea's Secession Vote."
Washington's dirty hands were involved. Lies substituted for truth. Not according to FP.
It's Washington Post owned. WaPo is CIA-linked. US propaganda is prominently featured.
On April 15, a so-called confidential UN report will be presented to Security Council members.
It wrongfully blames ousted President Yanukovych for ordering "a bloody crackdown on pro-Europe protesters."
He "plunged the country into turmoil," it says. It led to "unrest in Crimea and Russia's subsequent invasion and annexation…"
It claims 10 days before Crimea's referendum, reunification critics "were threatened, detained and tortured."
"(V)ote rigging" was rife, it added. Unidentified sources lied. They claimed "non-Ukrainians" participated. They "vot(ed) numerous times in different locations."
Ivan Simonovic is UN Secretary-General for Human Rights. He's a convenient US stooge. He wrote the report.
"Preliminary findings, based on publicly available information as well as reports from civil society representatives in Crimea, suggest that the referendum on March 16 raised a number of concerns in terms of respect for human rights," he said.
Crimeans were "victims of (Russian) propaganda and misinformation," he added.
Moscow "stage-managed the Crimean crisis." Its "military presence" raised concerns.
At the same time, Simonovic's report suggests that "Crimea's Russian-speaking majority (wouldn't) have voted any differently if conditions were less threatening to dissidents," said FP.
It begs the question FP didn't ask. Why rig election results assuring reunification support. Independent pre-election polls showed it overwhelmingly.
Independent monitors called voting scrupulously open, free and fair. Not a single irregularity was reported. Nor any human rights abuses.
Crimea's vote was a model democratic exercise. It shamed America's sham process. It has no legitimacy whatever.
Don't expect FP to explain. Or Simonovic. He lied claiming "credible allegations of harassment, arbitrary arrest, and torture targeting activists and journalists who did not support the referendum."
No evidence whatever exists. No credible sources have any. Invented rubbish substitutes. Russia bashing is official US policy.
Simonovic marches in lockstep. His report included a litany of Big Lies.
VOR cited Moscow justifiably saying Crimea's referendum "was fully compliant with international law and must be recognized as legitimate."
Claims otherwise have no credibility whatever. Big Lies substitute for clear unequivocal truth.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Navi Pillay: US Imperial Tool
Navi Pillay: US Imperial Tool
by Stephen Lendman
On April 14, her latest report looked like earlier ones. She lies for power. She condemned "rampant use of torture in detention in Syria."
She duplicitously blames Assad largely. More on what she said below.
Syria condemned earlier fabricated torture reports. On January 22, its Justice Ministry dismissed a UK Carter-Ruck law firm politicized report. It called it baseless.
It lacked "objectivity and professionalism," it said. Carter-Ruck is linked to Syrian opposition groups. Its report was malicious propaganda. It buried truth.
It had no credibility whatever. Its aim was discrediting Syria. It tried subverting peaceful conflict resolution efforts.
The Syrian Lawyers Syndicate called its report fabricated. Allegations were pure fantasy. Fake photo evidence was used. Truth was systematically suppressed.
In May 2013, Human Rights Watch published fabricated accusations. It wasn't the first time. It won't be the last. Its Middle East director Nadim Houry said:
"The documents, prison cells, interrogation rooms, and torture devices we saw in the government's security facilities are consistent with the torture former detainees have described to us since the beginning of the uprising in Syria."
HRW lied saying it "repeatedly documented widespread violations by Syrian government security forces and officials, including enforced disappearances, torture, and arbitrary and incommunicado detentions of peaceful protesters, activists, humanitarian assistance providers, and doctors."
Most often it downplays repeated horrific opposition group atrocities. Assad is wrongfully blamed for their crimes.
Media scoundrels regurgitate Big Lies demanding condemnation. Assad has been mercilessly vilified throughout more than three years of conflict.
False accusations persist. Washington makes plenty of its own. Rogue partners regurgitate its Big Lies. Syria bashing persists.
Navi Pillay is a longtime imperial tool. She long ago fell from grace. Perhaps she never had any.
She's undeserving. She disgraces the UN High Commission for Human Rights post she holds.
It'll be six years this September 1. Throughout her tenure, she ignored Western and Israeli crimes.
She's a former South African High Court judge. She served on the International Tribunal for Rwanda (ICRT). From 1999 - 2003, she was president.
ICRT lacked credibility. It served imperial interests. It pointed fingers the wrong way. Guilty parties were absolved. Victims were prosecuted. While president, Pillay bore full responsibility.
She serves Washington's imperial agenda. She did so on the International Criminal Court (ICC). She served from 2003 - 2008.
ICC targets victims. Washington and rogue Western powers want them charged with crimes of war, against humanity and genocide. Responsible major powers are absolved. Victims are guilty by accusation.
Pillay went along. Doing so advanced her career. She's at it again. She's waging war on Syria. She targets victims. Guilty parties on the ground are largely ignored. Western ones and regional partners entirely.
She wrongfully blames Assad for their crimes. She wants him toppled. She ignores his overwhelming popularity. Mass rallies support him publicly. Media scoundrels turn a blind eye. So does Pillay.
Syrians value the protection he provides. They'd be defenseless without him. Don't expect Pillay to explain.
Big Lies filled her latest report. She "condemned the rampant use of torture in detention facilities across Syria by Government forces and some armed opposition groups…"
She claimed "a broad pattern of torture and ill-treatment against individuals in Government facilities…"
She gave short shrift to horrific opposition use of torture and other forms of abuse. She ignored their repeated atrocities.
She turned a blind eye to ongoing mass murder, hostage taking and other high crimes.
She said nothing about Western-enlisted death squad invaders. They're not homegrown.
Their recruited from dozens of countries. They're smuggled in cross-border. Turkey, Israel and Jordan are involved. So is Saudi money.
Syria is Obama's war. He bears fully responsibility for ravaging and destroying a sovereign independent state.
It's not his first high crime. It won't be the last. He has lots more death and destruction in mind. He's got nearly three years left in office for much more.
Pillay wrongfully blames Assad. Her accusations wore thin long ago.
"Upon arrival at a detention facility, detainees are routinely beaten and humiliated for several hours by the guards in what has come to be known as the 'reception party,' " she said.
"Men, women and children have been routinely picked up from the street, their homes and workplaces, or arrested at Government-manned checkpoints," she claims.
"Many are activists - often students - as well as lawyers, medical personnel and humanitarian workers, and some just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Her accusations have no credibility whatever. Lies substitute for truth.
She tried having things both ways on opposition groups responsible for torture and other forms of abuse.
She said they "appear to be on the rise since 2013." Verifiable evidence shows they've been horrific throughout over three years of conflict.
Pillay didn't explain. She claimed documenting opposition groups "allegations (is) particularly challenging due to constantly evolving alliances and changes in memberships, power structures and areas under their control."
Nonsense! Independent groups provide tons of credible evidence. Pillay ignores it. Bashing Assad alone matters.
"(T)estimony collected from victims suggests that those most at risk of being detained and tortured by some armed opposition groups are activists attempting to document human rights violations and individuals perceived to be pro-Government or affiliated with other armed opposition groups," she added.
Rubbish! Alawites and other Assad loyalists are targeted. Noncombatant men, women, children, infants, the elderly and infirm are vulnerable.
They're brutalized. They're murdered in cold blood. Some are taken hostage. Babies are killed like adults. Pillay turned a blind eye.
It bears repeating. Assad is consistently blamed for insurgent crimes. Lies substitute for truth.
"Former detainees described abhorrent conditions in Government detention centres," she claims. They're not named.
Insurgent victim survivors are ignored. Their pain and suffering don't matter. Nor Western high crimes.
Syria enjoyed peace and stability until Obama intervened. Pillay didn't explain. Bashing Assad is prioritized. So is toppling a leader most Syrians support.
Despots are vilified, not admired. Obama increasingly is despised. So are other Western leaders.
At 18%, President Francois Hollande's approval rating is lowest in modern French history. Anti-austerity protests rage across Paris.
Rome demonstrators clashed with police. It's over Mateo Renzi's war on workers. Greek ones are enraged. Unemployment approaches 30%. Youth unemployment tops 60%.
Social benefits are being eviscerated and destroyed. Paying bankers come first. In late March, hundreds of thousands of Spanish workers and unemployed rallied for social justice.
"No more cuts," they demanded. Visceral anger across Europe and elsewhere is visible. In places it's sub-surface. Expect it sooner or later to boil over.
Growing rage against repression combined with neoliberal harshness persists.
Eastern Ukrainians may be the canary in the coal mine. They reject junta power. They demand democracy. Perhaps revolutionary fervor is growing. People take only so much before rebelling.
Beleaguered Syrians are polar opposite. They overwhelmingly support Assad. They rally publicly doing so.
Despots aren't admired this way. It bears repeating. They value vital protection he provides. They'd be defenseless without it. Don't expect Pillay to explain.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
We’re All Ukrainians Now
We're All Ukrainians Now
by Stephen Lendman
On February 22, 2014, Ukrainian freedom died. Western-supported fascist putschists seized power. They ousted Ukraine's democratically elected government.
Mob rule replaced it. Illegitimate xenophobic, ultranationalist, neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic thugs run things. They do so with full US backing.
Eastern Ukrainians reject Kiev putschists. They want democracy. They want the real thing. They want what Americans don't have. They're going all-out to get it.
They're a role model for freedom fighters everywhere. They deserve universal support.
They continue rallying across Eastern Ukraine. They seized government buildings. They're peaceful. They're courageous.
They want local autonomy. They want Crimean-style referendum authority to decide. They want their democratic rights respected. They're entitled to demand them. So do people everywhere.
Illegitimate putschist prime minister Arseny Yatsenyuk backed off from earlier threats. He promised legislation granting regional referenda.
He spoke as a 48-hour deadline given protesters to evacuate public buildings expired. He'll support greater autonomy, he said.
His U-turn was short-lived. He ordered crackdowns on Slavyansk protesters. Kiev calls them terrorists. They're in Donetsk's industrial region. They're under attack.
Transport helicopters ferried in troops. They besieged the city. Fighting erupted. Gunfire was heard. Injuries were reported.
Illegitimate putschist interior minister Arsen Avakov called protesters "Russian aggression." He announced a "zero tolerance policy." He ordered an "anti-terrorist operation." He issue a statement saying:
"An anti-terrorist operation has begun in Slavyansk. It is being directed by the anti-terrorist center of the state security service."
"Forces from all the security units of the country have been brought in."
He claimed one Kiev security force member killed. Another five injured. Protesters sustained casualties, he said. He gave no further details.
Donetsk region health authorities reported one person killed. It happened on a road connecting Slavyansk with Artymovsk. Another five Slavyansk residents were injured.
It's unclear whether these casualties are ones Avakov reported. Slavyansk protesters reported one death. Two other protesters were injured. Two Kiev troops were killed, they said.
Barricades were set ablaze. New ones were erected. Activists persist courageously. Freedom fighting entails risks.
Protesters still control Slavyansk police headquarters. They reinforced it with barricade protections. They're confronting siege conditions valiantly.
Reuters said "(a) group of up to a 100 civilians, many of them elderly women, stood in front of (an occupied government) building, chanting messages of solidarity to the protesters inside, including "Referendum!"
Conditions are fluid. Local security forces refused orders to attack protesters. Western Ukrainian elements came in.
John Kerry blamed Russia for Eastern Ukrainian protests. He lied calling called them "orchestrated and synchronized."
They're "similar to 'previous attacks' in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea," he claimed. He warned Sergei Lavrov.
"If Russia didn't take steps to deescalate in Eastern Ukraine and move its troops back from (its) border, there would be additional consequences," he said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry dismissed Kerry's arrogance. Lavrov justifiably blamed crisis conditions on Kiev's failure "to take into account the legitimate needs and interests of the Russian and Russian-speaking population."
He denied Kerry's allegations about Moscow's involvement. In diplomatic language, he said put up or shut up.
No evidence whatever links Russia to Eastern Ukrainian protests. They local. They're homegrown.
They're spontaneous. They're glorious. They're growing. They're spreading. They reflect the best of legitimate resistance.
Lavrov warned Kerry saying:
"If Kiev’s threats to use force against people driven to despair in the southeast are carried out, prospects for further cooperation on the Ukrainian issue, including a planned four-party meeting in Geneva, will be foiled."
A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said "the acute political crisis in Ukraine in general and in its south-eastern regions in particular was caused by the present Kiev authorities’ failure to take into account the legitimate needs and interests of the Russian and Russian-speaking population."
"The leadership in Kiev is showing its inability to assume responsibility for the fate of the country and to effectively engage all political forces and regions in an inclusive process of drafting a new constitution."
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt pointed fingers the wrong way. He condemned Eastern protests.
He lied calling them "a coordinated armed action to seize control over key parts of Eastern Ukraine."
US-led NATO lied. It issued a so-called "Fact Sheet." It's titled "Russia's accusations - setting the record straight."
It twisted reality to fit Western policy. It accused Russia of "aggression." A litany of lies followed. So-called "facts" were invented to do so. It's longstanding US policy.
"To divert attention away from its actions, Russia has leveled a series of accusations against NATO which are based on misrepresentations of the facts and ignore the sustained effort that NATO has put into building a partnership with Russia," it said.
"Russia has also made baseless attacks on the legitimacy of the Ukrainian authorities and has used force to seize part of Ukraine's territory," it added.
"…Russia now appears to be attempting to recreate a sphere of influence by seizing a part of Ukraine (and) maintaining large numbers of forces on its borders…"
On Sunday, Itar-Tass said Kiev putschists "may impose a state of emergency in Eastern Ukraine. (They) would not have happened without Russia," they claimed.
Voice of Russia headlined "Operations begin in three cities in east Ukraine('s) (Donetsk region) to knock protesters out of seized administrative buildings."
Putschist appointed Donetsk regional governor Sergei Taruta said:
"In connection with the current developments the decision has been made to reinforce law enforcement agencies of the Donetsk region."
"We will use all legal means for prompt restoration of order."
Former Berkut riot police refused to obey orders. They side with protesters. They offered security and protection.
They occupied Donetsk police headquarters. They tied St. George ribbons to their uniforms. A representative said:
"Berkut has always been and will remain with (Ukraine's) people. I want to assure you that if you're faced with threats, any type of threat, we will all rise up and come to your rescue."
Crowds cheered his statement. They shouted "Berkut! Berkut!" Protesters demanded Donetsk's police chief resign. Major General Konstantin Pozhidaev obliged.
Neo-Nazi Right Sector leader Dmitry Yarosh ordered militants he controls mobilized. He issued a statement saying:
"Considering the current situation, I order all of the Right Sector structures to conduct full mobilization and prepare for decisive actions to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country."
He urged law enforcement authorities "not to block" him. He accused Kiev officials of failing to act decisively.
Kiev's interior ministry said protesters occupied Kramatorsk's police headquarters. The city is an important mechanical engineering center.
Three administrative buildings in Enakiyeve were seized. Others were occupied in Druzhkovka, Krasny Liman, Konstantinovka, Snezhnoe, Mariupol and elsewhere.
Eastern Ukrainian activism is growing. It's spreading. Perhaps it's just a matter of time until Western Ukrainians react. '
Repression gets people to react. Combined with force-fed neoliberal harshness, conditions are potentially incendiary.
Perhaps hindsight will show Washington reaped the whirlwind in Ukraine. It's post-9/11 agenda did so. Perhaps its entire post-WW II one.
It hasn't won a war since then. It makes more enemies than friends. Its influence is waning. Eventually it'll go the way of all empires.
None survived. Nor will America. Extremism is its own worst enemy. Washington is worst of all.
Will Ukraine be its Waterloo? Will people power show its strength? Will ordinary Ukrainians defeat its might?
Will dismissive Americans be awakened? Will they act in their own defense? Public anger across Europe is encouraging.
"When people lose everything and have nothing left to lose, they lose it," says Gerald Celente.
When pain levels cross a threshold of no return, all bets are off. Change never comes top down. Bottom up alone works.
Hindsight is the best foresight. The moment of truth perhaps draws closer. It can't come a moment too soon. The fullness of time will tell.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israeli State Terrorism
Israeli State Terrorismby Stephen LendmanIt has many forms. Palestinians are longstanding victims. They're isolated on their own. World leaders able to make a difference at best pay them lip service. They do nothing to alleviate their suffering. T...
What Ukraine Propaganda Looks Like
What Ukraine Propaganda Looks Likeby Stephen LendmanIt's like US propaganda. Like other Western propaganda. Big Lies repeat. They proliferate. They follow one after another. Truth is systematically buried.The Ukrainian News Agency (UNA) is Kiev-based. ...
Ukrainians Denied Democracy
Ukrainians Denied Democracy
by Stephen Lendman
Claiming otherwise doesn't wash. Moscow called Kiev events "an illegitimate fascist coup and a military seizure of power." Western-supported putschists seized it.
At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urges deescalating crisis conditions. It's completely possible, he said.
It requires replacing putschists with democratic governance. It involved instituting responsible policies. Ones that protect fundamental legal rights and freedoms of all Ukrainians. Ones that guarantee them.
Russia is on the right side of history. It promised help. It set four conditions. It wants legitimate Crimean independence recognized.
It wants Ukrainian democratic constitutional reform. It wants Eastern Ukraine's crisis conditions resolved responsibly. It wants Russian speakers' rights guaranteed.
Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said:
"If Ukraine fulfills these four conditions, then Russia will be able to propose further steps on additional help both on financial and gas issues."
He urged deescalating Eastern Ukrainian crisis conditions peacefully. He said doing so "without discrimination against Russian-speaking population, without victims and bloodshed" is fundamental.
He stressed holding legitimate May presidential elections. Early indications suggest they'll be polar opposite.
Moscow rejects Kiev putschists. It wants legitimate governance "with which one may negotiate," said Siluanov. Vladimir Putin addressed 18 EU leaders. He did so by letter. He did it responsibly.
He called for urgent cooperation. He said Ukraine's gas debt reached a "critical" level. It's been unpaid for three months. He wants addressing it prioritized.
At issue is cutting off supplies. Gazprom wants advance payments going forward. Putin's letter was forthright. Ukraine's economy is "plummeting," he said.
Its industrial and construction sectors "declin(ed) sharply." Conditions head from bad to worse.
"Its budget deficit is mounting," said Putin. "The condition of its currency system is becoming more and more deplorable."
"The negative trade balance is accompanied by the flight of capital from the country. Ukraine's economy is steadfastly heading towards a default, a halt in production and skyrocketing unemployment."
Russia and EU nations are major Ukraine trading partners. They agreed to consult on ways to develop its economy.
"(A)ll attempts on Russia's part to begin real consultations failed to produce any results," said Putin.
Plundering Ukraine for profit takes precedence. Western nations plan unrestrained looting. Corporate interests matter most. Human needs don't count.
Washington wants Russia shut out entirely. Western partners share blame. They want unfettered freedom to control Ukraine their way.
They want their interests alone served. Putin said they "want to unilaterally blame Russia for the consequences of Ukraine's economic crisis."
"Right from day one of Ukraine's existence as an independent state, Russia has supported the stability of the Ukrainian economy by supplying it with natural gas at cut-rate prices."
(U)ninterrupted transit through" its territory was guaranteed. Russia fulfilled its contractual obligations. It did so "to the letter and spirit" of what was agreed on.
It "granted Ukraine a whole string of unprecedented privileges and discounts on the price of natural gas," Putin added.
From 2009 to today, they total $17 billion. Plus "another 18.4 billion US dollars incurred by the Ukrainian side as a minimal take-or-pay fine."
Russia subsidized Ukraine's economy. It provided $34.4 billion since 2009. It helped preserve "stability and credibility." It saved jobs.
"No other country provided such support except Russia," said Putin. "What about European partners?"
They deny support. They "talk about a declaration of intent." Actions don't follow promises. EU nations take full advantage.
They want Ukrainian resources. They want its "raw foodstuffs, metal(s) and mineral(s)." They want free market access on their own terms. They want it for their own products and services.
They want unlimited profits. They want them at Ukraine's expense. They created a huge trade imbalance. It exceeds $10 billion. It's two-thirds of Ukraine's 2013 deficit.
It negatively affects Ukraine's ability to fulfill "its contractual obligations to pay for deliveries of natural gas supplied by Russia," said Putin.
Moscow won't "unilaterally bear the burden of supporting Ukraine's economy by way of providing discounts and forgiving debts…"
Ukraine's unpaid gas Gazprom debt grows monthly. In November/December 2013, it was $1.451.1 billion.
"(I)n February 2014, it increased by a further 260.3 million and in March by another 526.1 million US dollars."
Gazprom deserves payment. It intends "switch(ing) over to advance payment for gas delivery, and in the event of further violation of the conditions of payment, will completely or partially cease gas deliveries," said Putin.
"In other words, only the volume of natural gas will be delivered to Ukraine as was paid for one month in advance of delivery."
It's "an extreme measure." It's coming. Businesses don't provide products or services free. For sure, not Western ones.
"In order to guarantee uninterrupted transit, it will be necessary, in the nearest future, to supply 11.5 billion cubic meters of gas that will be pumped into Ukraine's underground storage facilities, and this will require a payment of about 5 billion US dollars," said Putin.
EU nations "unilaterally withdr(ew) from the concerted efforts to resolve" Ukraine's crisis responsibly. They shut out Russia entirely. It leaves "no alternative," Putin stressed.
Resolving things requires "consultations…without delay," he said. He urged them "at the level of ministers of economics, finances and energy…"
At issue is stabilizing Ukraine's economy. It's ensuring uninterrupted Russian natural gas deliveries.
Doing so requires fulfilling contractual obligation terms to the letter. Putin emphasized Russia's considerable "investments, contributions and expenditures…"
It "shouldered" the burden "alone" long enough. It's time for Western nations to step up to the plate and help.
"(O)nly such an approach can lead to success," Putin stressed. He did so forthrightly. He showed responsible leadership.
He shames his Western counterparts. Major ones lack legitimacy altogether. Especially Obama. Hegemonic US ambitions trample on fundamental freedoms.
White House press secretary Jay Carney's comment didn't surprise." He outrageously said "(w)e've made clear in the past that it is wholly inappropriate to use energy exports to achieve diplomatic or geopolitical objectives."
Maybe he wants Russian gas supplied free. Maybe he supports what he'd denounce if US corporations were affected.
Angela Merkel got Putin's message. She responded differently, saying:
"(T)here there are many reasons to seriously take into account this message…and for Europe to deliver a joint European response" straightaway.
She and other EU foreign ministers plan meeting on Monday. Other talks will involve Russia, Washington, and Ukraine.
"When we take all these steps, we can be sure that we have reached a joined response for the countries that encounter this problem because they get natural gas from Gazprom," she said.
"We want to be good clients, but it means that we can base ourselves on the supplies, and Ukraine knows this and should understand it," she added.
It remains to be seen what follows. Putin showed extraordinary patience. He deserves praise, not irresponsible treatment.
Instead endures unconscionable bashing. He's vilified for doing the right thing.
Sohrab Ahmari is a Wall Street Journal Europe editorial page writer. He substitutes lies for truth. On April 11, he headlined "Waking Up to the Russian Threat."
None whatever exists. He lied claiming otherwise. He called NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen "one of Europe's most serious thinkers on defense matters."
He's a convenient US stooge. He supports Pentagon policy. He's an unindicted war criminal. He spoke to Ahmari. His comments didn't surprise.
He lied saying Putin wants "to restore Russian greatness by re-establishing a sphere of influence in the former Soviet space."
His strategy, said Ahmari, involves "(d)estabilizing Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus."
According to Rasmussen, "(i)ts in Russia's interest to see frozen, protracted conflicts in the region, such as in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia, Transnistria in Moldova, and Crimea."
He's alarmed, he said. "(W)e have seen an incredible development of (Russia's military) to act determinedly and rapidly."
He ignored US-NATO's aggression against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. He was silent about its killing machine.
He said nothing about its responsibility for millions of deaths. Their corpses bear testimony to lawless US-led NATO policy. Ahmari didn't challenge Rasmussen responsibly.
He lied claiming 40,000 Russian troops are massed on Ukraine's border. Calling them an imminent threat rings hollow.
Rasmussen's claims are polar opposite truth. He expressed concern about increased Russian military spending. It's a tiny fraction of NATO member expenditures.
Moscow isn't belligerent. It poses no threat. Putin prioritizes peace and stability. US-led NATO threatens humanity.
Not according to Rasmussen. He bashed Putin irresponsibly. He considers NATO a threat. "He can't seriously" think so, Rasmussen said.
"We have never had an intention to attack Russia," he claimed. He left unexplained why NATO wants all former Russian republics and Warsaw Pact countries incorporated into its alliance.
Why it's deploying hostile forces close to Russia's borders. Why it irresponsibly lies about its threat. Why it's poised perhaps to strike belligerently if it chooses.
Rasmussen lied claiming NATO members and others on Europe's periphery share basic people-friendly values.
They include "individual liberty, democracy, the rule of law and on top of that economic opportunities, because our community of nations also represents economic freedom," he said.
He turned truth on its head saying so. He's militantly anti-Russian. He lied claiming otherwise.
Ahmari let him comment without challenge. Doing so showed complicity with NATO lawlessness.
It showed support for war. It showed disdain for peace. It showed contempt for growing thousands across Eastern Ukraine.
They're protesting for fundamental rights too important to sacrifice. They continue in Kharkov (Ukraine's second largest city), Donetsk (its largest industrial city), Dnepropetrovsk, Lugansk, Odessa and Nikolayev.
They spread to Slavyansk and elsewhere. Government and police headquarters buildings were seized.
Activists reject Kiev putschists. They urged local authorities join them. What's ongoing is spreading.
Maybe Western Ukrainians will rally the same way. Obama's new imperial trophy looks insecure. It may slip-slide away.
His entire tenure reflects failure. It reflects lawlessness writ large.
Mass protests reflect people power. Ordinary Ukrainians want better. They deserve it. They're putting their bodies on the line responsibly.
They're role models for freedom fighters everywhere. Resisting tyranny is a universal right. It's a moral obligation.
Ukrainian protesters take their role seriously. Perhaps others may follow. Defeating hegemonic ruthlessness depends on it. Hopefully activism will grow when most needed.
A Final Comment
On Saturday, Chicago activists held a Ukraine teach-in. Speakers included Stop NATO's Rick Rozoff, Anti-War Committee member Holly Kent-Payne, and International Action Center's Sara Flounders, among others.
Advance information expressed outrage over US hegemonic ambitions. Anti-Russian sentiment exceeds the worst of Cold War days. Putin is public enemy number one.
Obama ousted Ukraine's democratic government. He elevated illegitimate putschist fascists to power.
He sanctioned Moscow for rejecting them. He did so for embracing lawful Crimean reunification.
He deployed US military forces close to Russia's borders. He did it belligerently. He risks a potential East/West confrontation.
He threatens global conflict. Stopping him is top priority. Ordinary people have power to do it.
Protests work when sustained. The more disruptive the better. Jefferson's opposition to John Adams' repressive 1978 Alien and Sedition Acts is relevant. He commented saying:
"A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles."
Ordinary people have power when they use it. Collective defiance works when sustained. It's essential for real democracy.
Eastern Ukrainians can teach Americans a thing or two. They deserve worldwide support. Humanity stands to benefit. It needs all the help it can get.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
US Anti-Iranian Arrogance
US Anti-Iranian Arrogance
by Stephen Lendman
Iranian President Hassan Rohani appointed Hamid Aboutalebi as permanent Tehran UN ambassador. It's effective July 25, 2014. More on him below.
Last week, Congress unanimously voted to deny him visa permission to enter America. Effectively he was declared persona non grata.
Legislation passed "den(ies) admission to the United States to any representative to the United Nations who has engaged in espionage activities against the United States, poses a threat to United States national security interests or has engaged in a terrorist activity against the United States."
Neocon Ted Cruz (R. TX) sponsored Senate legislation. He outrageously called Iran a "rogue nation."
Rep. Ed Royce (R. CA) was no better. He maliciously said appointing Aboutalebi "show(s) contempt for the United States."
"Congress has unanimously approved legislation that sends a message to Tehran: 'Application Denied.' "
On Thursday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama opposes Aboutalebi's appointment. His position was "communicated to the Iranians that the selection they've put forward is not viable."
"We concur with the Congress and share the intent of (its) bill." Aboutalebi earlier was Tehran's ambassador to Australia, Italy, Belgium and the EU.
He served as Ministry of Foreign Affairs political director general. In the 1990s, he was part of Iran's New York UN delegation.
He holds a Belgium-based Katholieke University of Leuven historical sociology doctorate. He's a Sorbonne master's degree graduate. His bachelor's degree is from Tehran University.
His publications include Basic Challenges of US Foreign Policy towards Iran, Rocky Mountains of Nuclear Extremism, Turkey: Modern Diplomacy and New Ottoman Caliphate, and New Challenges of Iran Foreign Policy towards US.
His anthropological book is titled Anthropology of Ethics: First Volume of Philosophy of Social Ethics in 2013.
Iran denounced his rejection. It called doing so "not acceptable." It's illegal. More on this below.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham called Aboutalebi one of Iran's most capable diplomats.
Washington earlier granted him visa permission to enter America. Iran insists its appointment stands.
Iranian National Security and Foreign Policy Commission parliamentarian Mohammad Hassan Asafari called barring Aboutalebi "sheer interference in the internal affairs of the UN."
"The Americans are not entitled to the right to oppose the entry of the Islamic Republic of Iran's representative at the UN and the US Senate approval is illegal," he added.
All nations have sovereign rights to appoint their diplomatic representatives. Others have no right to interfere.
Washington ignores international laws, standards and norms. Its rules alone apply. Rogue states operate this way.
America is by far the worst in world history. None past or present match its ruthlessness. Numerous examples explain.
Denying Aboutalebi is its latest deplorable act. It's illegal. It violates an "Agreement Between the United Nations and the United States Regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations, Signed June 26, 1947, and Approved by the General Assembly October 31, 1947."
At the time, General George Marshall was US Secretary of State. Trygve Lie was UN Secretary-General.
The Agreement said "federal, state or local authorities of the United States shall not impose any impediments to transit to or from the headquarters district of representatives of Members or officials of the United Nations."
Hassan Rohani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and other Iranian leaders freely attended New York UN sessions. So did Gaddafi, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, and Yasser Arafat.
Syria's permanent UN Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari attends Security Council and General Assembly sessions. So do Cuban and North Korean envoys.
Representatives from all UN member states may attend. It bears repeating. Denying them is illegal.
Aboutalebi is a distinguished diplomat. Deny him US entry is unacceptable. At issue was his alleged involvement during 444 Iranian hostage crisis days.
It lasted from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1971. Carter called holding dozens of US diplomats "victims of terrorism and anarchy."
Media scoundrels regurgitated Washington's position. They called hostage taking "vengeance and mutual incomprehension."
Aboutalebi had no involvement in what happened. He wasn't a hostage taker. He didn't participate in taking over America's embassy. He explained saying he only served as translator during negotiations.
At the time, he was a student. He was a Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line (MSFIL) member. So were others involved in occupying Washington's Tehran embassy.
They did so justifiably. They believed it was a den of espionage. They acted nonviolently. Participants were young.
They were orderly. They were well-behaved. They were calm, responsible men and women.
In February 2013, the film Argo took top honors. Hollywood's 85th Academy Awards chose it the year's top film. There's nothing best about it.
It should have been denounced. It was unconscionable anti-Iranian propaganda. It was malicious. It turned truth on its head.
It related a little known hostage crisis episode. Fifty-three Americans were held captive. Six others escaped.
Former Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor sheltered them in his home. He's highly critical. He said script writer Chris Terrio misportrayed events.
Argo recounts their rescue. It downplays Canada's involvement. Terrio took creative liberties. Scenes were fabricated.
People were mischaracterized. Iran's hospitable side was ignored. It's commonplace Hollywood practice. Truth is twisted to fit official US policy. It's systematically buried.
Argo is Iranophobic. It's trash. It's rubbish. It's fiction, not fact. It's unjust. It's one-sided. It's politically motivated.
It reinvented history. It turned it on its head. It bears no relation to what happened. It ignored the 1981 Algiers Accords. Iran and Washington signed it. Most Iranian assets were unblocked.
A day later, US hostages were released. It was moments before Reagan's inauguration. Washington want US/Iranian conciliation at the time concealed. It was short-lived.
Argo ignored what should have been featured. It bashed Iran unjustifiably in the process.
It's part of Washington's propaganda machine. It shouldn't surprise. Doing so is longstanding practice. Hollywood does it for profit.
America prioritizes unchallenged dominance. It deplores sovereign independence. It wants vassal governance replacing it. Don't expect Hollywood to explain
Argo was some of its worst propaganda. It fomented anti-Iranian hatred. It stereotypically portrayed Iran. It did so according to Western misinformation.
US Anti-Iranian policies persist. Rogue states operate this way. Scoundrel media regurgitate official policy. They march in lockstep. Hollywood follows the same script.
The New York Times downplayed denying Aboutalebi visa permission to perform his UN duties. A Mark Landler/Rick Gladstone article stopped short of denouncing it. They called Washington's decision "unusual."
A same day editorial was worse. It discussed ongoing Iranian/P5+1 nuclear talks. It's common knowledge in high places that Tehran's nuclear program has no military component.
Not according to Times editors. They lied saying it's "naive to understate how hard it will be to remove the threat of Iran's producing a nuclear weapon."
They discussed denying Aboutalebi's visa rejection. They ignored reality. They called congressional legislation doing so "unclear legality."
At the same time, they said Obama will "set an unfortunate precedent…saying (he'll) deny Mr. Aboutalebi a visa anyway."
As UN host, America "is supposed to admit" member states' envoys, they said. False! It's legally bound to do so. Failure violates the 1947 agreement.
Times editors outrageously called appointing Aboutalebi "a real misstep."
"It's hard to believe (Rohani) does not know how acutely the embassy takeover affected Americans and did not realize that he was handing hard-liners a new issue."
Times editors stopped short of explaining Aboutalebi's noninvolvement in what happened.
Twisting truth to fit US policy is longstanding Times practice. Failure to denounce Washington lawlessness shows which side they're on. Doing the right thing is systematically avoided.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Palestinian Children’s Day 2014
Palestinian Children's Day 2014
by Stephen Lendman
In 1925, the World Conference for the Well-Being of Children first proclaimed a day to honor children. In 1954, it was universally established.
Dozens of countries recognize it. Variants include the UN's November 20 Universal Children's Day.
It was established to encourage all countries to institute a day. It urged doing so to promote mutual exchange and understanding for children's rights.
It was done to promote child welfare worldwide. On November 20, 1958, UN members adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
On November 20, 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) became law.
Universal Children's Day is commemorated on other days. Many countries do so on June 1.
It's done to create awareness about violence, exploitation, discrimination, and other abuses affecting children.
They're horrific. They're rampant worldwide. They occur virtually everywhere. They're mostly below the radar. Children are among societies' most vulnerable.
They're used as chattel and other forms of labor. They recruited as combatants. They're sexually abused. They're harmed in many other ways.
Many are too young to resist. Abuse is a universal problem. It's getting worse, not better.
Palestinians commemorate Children's Day on April 5. Ahead of this year's commemoration, Defense for Children International (DCI) released data revealing Israeli brutality.
Nearly 700 Palestinian children aged 12 to 17 are detained annually. They're held under horrific conditions.
They isolated. They're threatened. They're terrorized. They're harshly interrogated. They're forced to confess to crimes they didn't commit. Or ones too minor to matter.
In February, 230 children below age 18 languished in Israel's gulag. Israeli security forces murdered others in cold blood. Some are shot in the back. None posed threats.
Cruel and inhuman treatment defines official Israeli policy. Young children suffer most of all. Many become traumatized.
They're affected longterm. Some never recover. None forget. Many never forgive.
Since September 2000 Intifada resistance began, militarized occupation harshness affected virtually all Palestinian children.
Israeli security forces systematically murder them in cold blood. Others saw loved ones and friends killed.
They witnessed Israeli missiles and other munitions destroying their homes and neighborhoods. They saw family members brutally arrested pre-dawn.
Israel is a CRC signatory. It systematically spurns its provisions. It ignores them. It commits horrific violations. Doing so based on security concerns doesn't wash.
Israel's only threats are ones it invents. Victims are blamed for its crimes. They persist daily. They show no signs of ending.
Palestinians suffer horrifically. Children most of all. They're defenseless against Israeli brutality. Its security forces take full advantage.
On April 5, PA social affairs minister Kamal al-Sharafi said Israeli forces murdered 1,525 Palestinian children since 2000. Another 6,000 were injured.
More than 10,000 were arrested. Currently over 200 are lawlessly imprisoned. "Protecting and supporting children should be a national responsibility," said al-Sharafi.
He urged PA officials to do more to help. A UN Children Fund (UNICEF) report documented 700 Palestinian children aged 12 - 17 arrested, brutally interrogated and imprisoned during 2013.
Doing so constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. International law is violated. It doesn't matter.
Israeli rules are enforced. They're horrific. They're extrajudicial. They persist. UNICEF's report was damning.
Its report covered what it called "the occupied Palestinian territory, which includes the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip."
It said Israeli treatment "amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention against Torture."
In response, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmer lied saying:
"Israel will study the conclusions and will work to implement them through ongoing cooperation with UNICEF, whose work we value and respect."
According to UNICEF, "(t)he pattern of ill-treatment includes…the practice of blindfolding children and tying their hands with plastic ties, physical and verbal abuse during transfer to an interrogation site, including the use of painful restraints."
Minors accused of stone throwing endure horrific treatment. They're defenseless on their own against it.
Children's rights are denied "during court appearances, including shackling of children, denial of bail and imposition of custodial sentences and transfer of children outside occupied Palestinian territory to serve their sentences inside Israel," said UNICEF.
It's "widespread, systematic and institutionalized." UNICEF's report was based on 400 documented cases since 2009.
It used Israeli legal papers, government and NGO reports, interviews with Palestinian minors, as well as others with Israeli and Palestinian officials and lawyers.
Clear evidence revealed extreme Israeli brutality. Children are violently arrested. They're beaten. They're blindfolded.
They're painfully shackled. They're isolated. They're sleep-deprived. They're brutalized in other ways.
They're "physically and verbally abused." They're given limited access to "water, food, toilet facilities and medical care."
They're denied access to family members and lawyers. They aren't told their rights. Confessions are "extracted under duress."
They're forced to sign them in Hebrew they can't read. They're threatened with physical violence, death, "and sexual assault against themselves (and/or) family members."
Few children can resist this type sustained treatment. Nor can many adults.
Jean-Nicolas Beuze is UNICEF's child protection regional advisor. "Israel is the only place in the world where automatically a child, when he is under arrest, is put before a military tribunal," he said.
In other countries, doing so is "an exception," he added. "A child is a civilian."
On April 5, Palestinians commemorated Children's Day. It's no celebratory event. Not under brutalizing occupation.
Not when horrific suffering persists. Not when countless numbers of defenseless Palestinian children are grievously harmed.
Children's Day reminds. It highlights high Israeli crimes too grave to ignore. It's about murdering children in cold blood. It's terrorizing them.
It's arresting them lawlessly. It's imprisoning them. It's torturing them. It's attacking them at home, at checkpoints, at play, heading to school or coming home.
It's systematically denying their rights. It's about world leaders able to make a difference turning a blind eye. It's about letting Israel get away with murder and much more.
UNICEF says violence against children is "everywhere." It's in plain sight. Other times it's "hidden behind closed doors. It's invisible" out of sight.
"All children have the right to live free from violence. (It) harms their physical and mental growth. (It affects) every society." It's worst of all against children.
Their day highlights Israeli crimes. They're too grave to ignore. They harmed generations of Palestinian children. Their rights are systematically denied.
Annual commemorations include speeches, marches, school events, poetry readings, theatrical productions, music and more.
They're held to highlight children's rights. They defend them. They support them. They protest against abuses too grave to tolerate.
According to Defense for Children International (DCI), Universal Children's Day includes little joy in Palestine.
Israel "consistently fail(s) to fulfill or respect the rights of Palestinian children…It systematically sideline(s) or violate(s) these rights…"
It's done so throughout decades of militarized occupation. Murdering and brutalizing Palestinian children is longstanding Israeli practice.
So is harming them in many other ways. Accountability is rare. Convictions are "almost unheard of."
Soldiers are "indifferent to Palestinian children's right to life." They commit murder and other high crimes with immunity.
As a CRC signatory, Israel is obligated to protect children under its jurisdiction. Non-compliance with fundamental international law is common practice.
DCI calls Israel's occupation "illegal." It appealed to world leaders to demand Israel respect Palestinian children's rights.
They turn a blind eye to doing so. Palestinian children today suffer more than ever. They're defenseless on their own.
A Final Comment
Sham peace talks continue. How much longer remains to be seen. An April 29 cutoff date looms.
Perhaps Palestinian negotiators will agree to extend it. If so, they'll have to explain. Months of talks went nowhere. Nor will months more.
Days earlier, Abbas applied to join 15 UN bodies and treaties. Joining dozens more should be prioritized. They include the International Criminal Court and World Court.
Abbas should have done it years ago. Joining is one thing. Using them responsibly another. Israeli officials outrageously denounced Abbas' initiative.
They want Palestinians denied all rights. They want Jews alone having them. On Sunday, Netanyahu commented for the first time.
He did so saying: "Unilateral steps by the Palestinians will be answered with unilateral steps on our part."
He omitted explaining "unilateral" Israeli lawlessness. Palestinians are systematically brutalized. They're attacked multiple times daily.
They're beaten, terrorized, arrested and detained. They're tortured. They're murdered in cold blood. Don't expect Netanyahu to explain.
Palestine already is a state. It became one in November 1988. Most UN members support it. Netanyahu won't acknowledge what exists.
"(T)he Palestinians will get a state only though direct negotiations, and not through empty declarations, nor through unilateral actions that will only keep the peace agreement further away," he said.
He deplores Palestinian self-determination. He's gone all-out to prevent it. He wants occupation harshness continued.
He wants all valued Palestinian land stolen. He wants Palestinians kept brutally oppressed. He wants them denied all rights.
Peace process talks mock legitimate ones. Multiple previous ones were dead on arrival.
Current talks are worthless. Israel concedes nothing. It negotiates one-way. Netanyahu lied claiming:
"Right when we were about to come close to that framework, Abbas rushed to declare he will not even discuss recognizing Israel as the national state of the Jewish people - not even discuss, not to mention agree."
Recognizing Israel as a Jewish state violates the fundamental rights of its 20% Arab population. It consigns them to oblivion. It makes them non-persons.
Israeli peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan included no recognition of Israel as a Jewish state provision. Demanding it likely would have killed both initiatives.
Abbas acted, Netanyahu added, "even though he knows no agreement will be signed without the recognition of Israel as the national state of the Jewish people, something that the US president and other world leaders also made clear."
False! World leaders oppose it. So do Obama and John Kerry. During a March meeting with Abbas, Obama never raised the issue.
He said nothing about recognizing Israel as a Jewish state. Kerry called Israel's demand a "mistake." He wants it excluded from talks. Netanyahu lied claiming otherwise. He continued, saying:
"Unfortunately, as we approached the talks' deadline, the Palestinian leadership rushed to unilaterally join 14 (15, not 14) international treaties."
"Thus the Palestinians significantly violated the agreements that were achieved. The threats to turn to the UN do not affect us. The Palestinians have plenty to lose in a unilateral step."
Abbas acted legally. He violated nothing. Harsh Israeli recrimination is likely.
It's longstanding rogue state practice. Millions of ordinary Palestinians suffer most. Expect dark times to get darker.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Escalating War on Syria
Escalating War on Syriaby Stephen LendmanSyria is Obama's war. He didn't launch it to quit. He wants Assad ousted. He's stronger now than when conflict erupted. It began in March 2011. It's in year four.Assad enjoys overwhelming support. It's no surpri...
Big Lies Drown Out Truth
Big Lies Drown Out Truth
by Stephen Lendman
Beating up on Russia persists irresponsibly daily. Big Lies repeat ad nsuseam. Truth is systematically suppressed.
Fake satellite photos are the latest. Images of Russian troops allegedly massed on Ukraine's border date from August 2013. More on this below.
On April 10, The New York Times hyped the Big Lie. It headlined "Satellites Show Russia Mobilizing Near Ukraine, NATO Says."
Times correspondents, contributors and editors avoid due diligence. Regurgitating official Big Lies substitutes. The pattern repeats daily. Truth is systematically buried.
"NATO released satellite photographs on Thursday showing Russian military equipment, including fighter jets and tanks, that it described as part of a deployment of as many as 40,000 troops near the border with Ukraine," said The Times.
Images "offered some of the first documentary evidence of a military buildup that the West says Russia could use to invade Ukraine at any moment."
Brig. General Gary Deakin heads NATO's Comprehensive Crisis and Operations Management Center. He lied claiming photos show a menacing force.
"The Russians have an array of capabilities, including aircraft, helicopters, special forces, tanks, artillery, infantry fighting vehicles," he said. "These could move in a matter of hours."
He lied claiming images were taken between March 22 and April 2. One showed 20 helicopters near Belgorod. It's 25 miles from Ukraine's border. Other images were further away.
Russia categorically denied NATO accusations. Deploying alliance forces near Russia's borders violates international agreements.
They include the 1997 Founding Act. It's based on "mutual relations, cooperation, and security between NATO and the Russian Federation signed in Paris, France."
In response to NATO's accusation, a Russian General Staff statement said:
"Satellite imagery of Russian troops allegedly amassed at present on the border with Ukraine dates back to August 2013…"
"In reality, the images released by NATO show units of Russia's Southern Military District taking part in various exercises last summer, including near the borders with Ukraine."
They're routine. They're not threatening. Nor are more recent ones. Claims otherwise are lies. They persist maliciously against Russia.
On April 7, Times editors headlined "A Familiar Script in Ukraine," saying:
Events in Eastern Ukraine follow "the script laid down in Crimea to the letter. (Putin) may not have the same designs (there as) on Crimea, but it is no longer possible to preclude any such moves."
Washington and EU partners "said time and again that 'further' Russian aggression would prompt a stern and painful response. Now is the time to prepare for it."
Times editors barely stopped short of urging war. They lied accusing Putin and "his jingoistic supporters" of massing "tens of thousands of well-equipped troops…within striking distance of Ukraine…"
They turned truth on its head claiming Crimean reunification "was a blatant transgression of international law."
"The next Western response must be ready and credible," they urged. It must challenge Russia more than already, they added.
Times editors march in lockstep with US imperial lawlessness. Lies substitute for truth. Don't expect them to explain.
NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a convenient US stooge. He regurgitates official US policy. He's militantly anti-Russian.
He sent Moscow a message. He lied saying "(y)ou have a choice. (S)top blaming others for your own actions."
"(S)top massing your troops. (S)top escalating this crisis and start engaging in a genuine dialogue."
"Pull back your troops…For the first time (since) the Cold War ended, we see one state trying to grab a part of another's territory at gunpoint."
"We have seen the satellite images, day after day. Russia is stirring up ethnic tensions in eastern Ukraine and provoking unrest. And Russia is using its military might to dictate that Ukraine should become a federal, neutral state."
Fact check
Russia supports peace and stability. It respects nation-state sovereign independence. It affirms rule of law principles. Its actions back up its words.
Russian troops aren't massed on Ukraine's borders. Claims about imminent invasion are false.
US-led NATO aggression was conveniently forgotten. Raping Yugoslavia was ignored. So was ravaging and destroying Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
NATO EU nations and Turkey partner in Obama's war on Syria. What's next remains to be seen.
NATO is an aggressor. It's a killing machine. It threatens world peace. Don't expect Rasmussen to explain.
US-led NATO forces are deployed in Eastern Europe. Perhaps more are coming. On April 10, Stars and Stripes (S&S) headlined "NATO to focus on reassuring allies worried about Ukraine," saying:
"NATO's next move in response to the crisis in Ukraine is likely to be more of the same: more NATO fighters patrolling over the Baltics, more rotations of warships into the Black Sea and more surveillance of Russian movements around Ukraine."
NATO aims to boost its presence Eastern European countries close to Russia. According to its commander/US European Command head General Philip Breedlove:
"Essentially, what we are looking at is a package of land, air and maritime measures that would build assurance for our easternmost allies."
"I'm tasked to deliver this by next week. I fully intend to deliver it early."
Texas-based 1st Cavalry Division forces are part of NATO's Reaction Force. They're ready to be deployed to Eastern Europe.
Other alliance options include "deployment of aircraft to guard NATO airspace that borders Russia as well as planes capable of striking against ground forces," said S&S.
"A more prominent naval presence in the Baltic and Black seas could also be an option for the alliance."
S&S cited former NATO commander Admiral James Stavridis. Likely alliance actions include deploying aircraft, ships and troops in Eastern Europe. Especially in the Baltics and Poland, he said.
Expect more support for Ukraine's military. It'll take various forms. Included will be weapons and munitions transfers, training, intelligence sharing and more.
Washington may enhance its Eastern European force level in response to regional conditions, said Stavridis.
"I would guess the entire drawdown is being re-evaluated, and we may end up with three or even four combat brigades back in Europe, as well as restoration of the combat aircraft cuts of recent years," he added.
US European Command and US authorities are likely "to look seriously at the US ground and air footprint. Assuming decisions by the end of the year, effects would begin to be felt in 2015."
"(W)e certainly look to be heading into a very frosty (posture) in the years ahead."
On April 9, NATO headlined "Transformation Seminar Charts Path to Summit," saying:
On April 8 and 9, "(m)ore than 250 NATO and military and civilian leaders met in Paris…"
Topics addressed included "How to Adapt NATO to Face Multiple and Complex Challenges."
"(T)he current crisis in Ukraine also drove much of the discussion."
"Ukraine highlighted the need for a strong commitment as well as solidarity in what we should do to face this crisis."
"It highlighted as well the need for us to deliver on the major initiatives we have enhanced."
Former Yugoslavia Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic said Europe suffers from the effects of US-led NATO aggression on his country.
A precedent was set. "US/NATO aggressive wars in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Mali and other locations" followed.
Millions of victims suffer from "endless war and aggression."
"These crimes against humanity have not been only military in nature but also clandestine, such as what we are seeing in Ukraine, Syria and Venezuela today."
"The West has had only objective: the domination of the world by the US/NATO and its surrogates."
He called 1999 NATO/US led aggression against Yugoslavia "a turning point toward globalization of interventionism, toward militarization of European and international relations."
Toward "global domination of the West," he added. He thinks "the Ukrainian case and the Crimean referendum to reunite with Russia is another kind of turning point."
He believes "multi-polar world relations" will follow. Western global dominance efforts will be resisted, he said.
Ongoing events are the "the beginning (of) relieving Europe and the world of the threats of domination from one side only."
His vision is well-meaning. Shorter-term, major threats exist. Escalating East/West tensions risk conflict. Major ones start this way.
Today is the most perilous time in world history. Washington bears full responsibility. Out-of-control hegemonic ambitions risk global war. Preventing it matters most.
A Final Comment
Growing thousands of Eastern Ukrainians reject Kiev putschists. They want local autonomy. They want their democratic rights respected.
Previous articles discussed their activism. They occupied government buildings. They did so nonviolently.
Kiev threatened brute force. Protesters braced for it any time. For now apparently it's not coming. More on this below.
Donetsk activists include civil volunteers, police and army defectors. They're ready to "defend their motherland from the fascist army that’s going to kill them," they say.
They demand "a referendum to be independent from Kiev." They favor "being with Russia."
They abhor violence. They'll respond accordingly if targeted. An unnamed protester said:
"I only have a stick to defend myself. They are coming with machine guns, and all I (have is) a chair leg."
Another activist said:
"The protest in Donetsk is against nationalism. We are for social justice. The creation of our republic means drastic changes in the way our territory is organized."
"We are for equality of languages. We are against the oppression by the majority by the nationalist minority, and against threatening ethnic Russians."
Lugansk protesters refused unconditional surrender demands. It masqueraded as an amnesty offer.
One protester spoke for others saying: "We demand concretely a referendum on federalization so that the will of the people is heard."
Apparently they'll get it. Illegitimate putschist prime minister Arseny Yatsenyuk promised legislation permitting regional referenda.
It's a key protester demand. They want their rights respected. They want local autonomy. They want democracy. They reject fascist rule.
Yatsenyuk spoke as a 48-hour deadline given protesters to evacuate public buildings expired. He'll support greater autonomy, he said.
He'll abolish Kiev-appointed regional governors. His U-turn perhaps is significant. It came after Ukraine's elite Alpha unit reportedly refused to roust protesters from government buildings.
In Donetsk, one of its commanders said his mandate is rescuing hostages. It's fighting terrorism. He'll only act lawfully, he explained. He won't attack nonviolent protesters.
His comments came days after Kharkov police arrested dozens of activists. Local police lieutenant-colonel Andrey Chuikov said Kiev deceived him and others.
They were lied to. They were told to go after dangerous armed bandits. They were peaceful protesters. They posed no threat. They showed no resistance when confronted.
Chuikov said he'll no longer take "criminal" orders. He resigned in protest. He wants no part of lawless governance.
Eastern Ukrainian putschist rejection deepens. It may be just a matter of time until it spreads nationwide. Western Ukrainians haven't yet felt the full impact of what's coming.
It combines fascist governance with IMF-imposed neoliberal harshness. Hammering impoverished Ukrainians harder risks mass rebellion.
It remains to be seen what follows. Obama's imperial trophy may slip from his grasp. It can't happen a moment too soon.
John Kerry lied. He accused Moscow of stirring Eastern Ukraine unrest. He claimed Russian agents, special forces and provocateurs are involved.
This "could potentially be a contrived pretext for military intervention just as we saw in Crimea," he said.
Nothing whatsoever took place. Kerry is a serial liar. He consistently twists facts his way. He's been caught red-handed lying many times.
IlIegitimate putschist interior minister Arsen Avakov outrageously pointed fingers the wrong say, saying:
"All this was inspired and financed by the Putin-Yanukovych group."
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Eastern European protests bear "all the hallmarks of a Russian strategy to destabilize Ukraine."
Putin and Foreign Minster Sergei Lavrov go all-out to resolve things responsibly. Washington bears full responsibility for crisis conditions. EU partners share it.
On April 10, neocon Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland testified before Senate Foreign Relations Committee members.
She conveniently twisted truths. She did so to fit administration policy. She lied claiming Russia "occup(ied) Crimea."
She called its legal referendum "illegitimate." She outrageously claimed it was "conducted at the barrel of a gun."
It was open, free and fair. It was a model democratic exercise. It mocked America's sham process. It has no legitimacy whatever. Especially in federal elections.
Nuland ludicrously claimed "Russia('s) occupation shocked the conscience." She lied about "intimidat(ing)" Russian forces on Ukraine's borders.
She called peaceful Eastern Ukraine protests "violent." She called Ukraine's illegitimate fascist government "a frontline state in the struggle for freedom…"
She wants Russian "aggression" punished. She claimed upcoming sham May elections will be "free (and) fair."
She called Russian truth and full disclosure "propaganda, lies and efforts to destabilize Ukraine's regions."
She accused Russia of "pressur(ing) Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and other neighbors of Ukraine."
She called them "victims" of Moscow policy. She ludicrously claimed Washington supports peace, security and prosperity.
She urged greater NATO diligence in Eastern Europe. She wants military budgets increased, not reduced.
She blamed Russia for US crimes. Earlier she was caught red-handed urging regime change on video.
Her conversation with US Ukraine ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt was recorded. It circulated on You Tube. It's more evidence of America's dark side.
Nuland fronts for imperial lawlessness. So do likeminded extremists infesting Washington.
It bears repeating. Challenging Russia irresponsibly risks confrontation. It risks possible global war. Humanity's fate hangs in the balance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Meet Obama’s New HHS Chief
Meet Obama's New HHS Chiefby Stephen LendmanShe's like the old Health and Human Services chief. She's Sylvia Mathews Burwell. More on her below. Kathleen Sebelius is out. She said she resigned. Maybe she was pushed. Obamacare claimed its latest vi...
Europe Targets Russia Irresponsibly
Europe Targets Russia Irresponsibly
by Stephen Lendman
European nations follow Washington's lead. They act disgracefully. They do so reprehensibly. They harm their own self-interest.
They partner in America's wars. They embrace confrontation. They harm their own people. Russia bashing is prioritized.
On Thursday, the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe (PACE) stripped Russia's voting rights through yearend. It imposed other sanctions.
Members voted 145 to 21. Another 22 abstained. Russia's right to vote against its own ostracism was denied. Democracy is a dead letter. Acting responsibly is verboten.
Moscow is excluded from leadership positions. It's removed from Presidential and Permanent committees. Observer rights are denied.
Alexei Pushkov heads Russia's PACE delegation. He condemned the decision saying:
"The most unpleasant thing in this history is that the Parliamentary Assembly betrayed its own principles: rule of law and rule of human rights."
"The majority took the path of serving the interests of a group of states that is poised on the geopolitical grasping of Ukraine."
The "decision on future Russia-PACE relationship will be made in the coming weeks." Moscow walked out of PACE's April session.
"We will not partake in this session any longer," said Pushkov. "We are leaving this session in protest and reserving the right to consider the further involvement of Russia in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe."
PACE condemned legitimate Crimean/Russian reunification. It expressed disapproval of Russia's responsible Ukraine policy.
It ludicrously claimed "no right-wing takeover of the central government in Kiev, nor was there any imminent threat to the rights of the ethnic Russian minority in the country, including, or especially, in Crimea."
Saying so turns a blind eye to reality. PACE's new friends include a rogue's gallery of societal misfits. They're lawless putschists.
They're xenophobic, hate-mongering, ultranationalist anti-Semites. They represent mob rule.
They're militant fascists. Their worst elements are neo-Nazis. They openly display swastikas, Iron Crosses, Nazi SS insignia and other fascist symbols.
Washington elevated them to power. PACE member states support them. They do so unconscionably.
They target Russia irresponsibly. They condemned Putin's all-out effort to resolve crisis conditions equitably and fairly. They want Crimeans denied their legal self-determination rights.
They're in bed with US imperial lawlessness. They endorse what demands denunciation. They made one spurious accusation after another.
They destroyed their credibility in the process. Pushkov called their action a "political farce." It's an "inquisition," he added.
If they want to be inquisitors, "let them (do) it on their own," he said. Russia will consider whether to opt out of PACE altogether.
Its action destroyed its legitimacy. Its credibility no longer exists. Hypocrisy defines its agenda. It's complicit in crimes of war, against humanity and genocide.
It backed raping Yugoslavia. It supported Washington's lawless aggression on Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
It endorses Obama's war on Syria. It abhors human and civil liberties. It opposes rule of law justice.
On April 10, Itar Tass headlined "Russia will not be forced to act in West's way - deputy PM."
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov responded to reprehensible Western actions, saying:
"We will be looking for ways to protect our own interests. No threats will make either President Vladimir Putin or other political forces act the way the US, Germany and other partners want them to."
"The more appeals for sanctions we hear, the tougher they are, the stronger the Russian society will mobilize, the more united we will be."
"The Western community is discussing developments in Ukraine beyond the context of the key reason of the conflict."
"It is criminal to pull Ukraine in different directions, making it choose between the EU and the Russian Federation."
"We, in Russia, are interested in a stable and prosperous Ukraine more than anybody else."
Washington and other Western nations plan plundering it for profit. They want its resources stolen. They want its crown jewels sold at fire sale prices.
They want their people exploited. They want Ukraine incorporated into NATO. They want hostile bases close to Russia's borders.
They want Russian sovereignty weakened. They want it eliminated altogether. They want pro-Western subservient governance replacing it.
They want control over Russian policy. They want another vassal state. Ideally they want balkanized, powerless mini-states.Their policies risk open confrontation. Perhaps war.
Hardliners influencing policies risk what responsible officials wouldn't dare. The worst of all possible outcomes may follow.
Russia won't let rogue Western nations run roughshod over its interests. It defends them responsibly. It has every right to do so.
On April 10, RT International headlined "Standoff between gvt, protesters intensify, 24 hours before Kiev ultimatum ends."
Kiev putschists threatened force against Eastern Ukrainian protesters. Reports said tanks headed for Donetsk.
"Several locals were allegedly injured trying to stop the convoy," said RT. "An eyewitness (named Lyudmila) confirmed the information about military forces arriving in the city," saying:
"At about 2pm we received information that military hardware had arrived at our local train station."
"We went there and saw APCs, military vehicles and troops. The whole town gathered nearby."
"The soldiers tried to start moving, and the people tried to stop the vehicles." Soldiers responded belligerently.
They "twisted the arms of pensioners. There were two men standing there…" Tanks "drove over their feet."
"I was pulled back by local coalminers while I tried to stop the vehicles. They didn't even look at who was in front of them."
"The men started shouting for them to stop, saying there were girls and women in front of them, but they didn't care."
Illegitimate putschist acting president Aleksandr Turchinov signed a decree to use force.
Fascists operate this way. Kiev ones are allied with their US counterparts. They waging war on freedom.
They want Ukraine strip-mined for profit. They want dystopian harshness imposed.
On Wednesday, putschist interior minister Arsen Avakov said "special police task force" elements arrived in Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkov.
They're ordered to use force if needed. Greystone Limited mercenaries were deployed in Eastern Ukraine. Reports say about 150. Maybe others will follow.
They're notorious. They're trained killers. They operate extrajudicially. They're unaccountable under local laws. They represent America's imperial agenda.
They came to suppress nonviolent protests. They're free to do whatever it takes to do so. It's standard procedure wherever they show up.
It remains to be seen how targeted Ukrainians respond. Bloody confrontation may follow.
RT said protesters still control Donetsk and Lugansk power structure buildings. They built barricades. They're preparing in case outside forces assault them.
They're burning tires. They're singing songs. They're waving Russian and regional flags. Women and elderly participants stand with others on center city night watch.
They'll alert others if needed. "We will be on duty here all night," they said. "(T)he assault could begin at any moment."
Thousands more locals are ready to join them. "Several times over the last few days, activists assembled to train their response to emergency situations," said RT.
On Tuesday, "armed men without insignia and masked law enforcement officers" stormed Kharkov's administration building. They did so after local police refused Kiev's order to attack.
About 100 newly-formed Ukrainian National Guard elements arrived at Donetsk's airport.
They're joined by about 100 neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs, "as well as a hundred employees from a private US military company operating under contract with Kiev" putschists.
They comprise about 300 "professionals or well-trained and motivated fanatics." People's Militia of Donbas deputy director Sergey Tsyplakov told RT:
"This is a major force, but we are ready to fight."
Earlier, Donetsk protesters blocked two buses with camouflaged armed men. They did so near the city's military commissariat.
Activists think they're Western mercenaries. They couldn't identify them. They said nothing. They refused to answer questions.
The New York Times suppresses real information on Ukraine. It supports lawless putschists. It ignores their fascist agenda.
It downplayed Eastern Ukrainian resistance. It ludicrously claimed Donetsk protesters have "no authority outside an 11-story Ukrainian government building…"
It called activists inside "an unruly Russian-speaking, club-bearing crowd…" It called the Donetsk People's Republic "a quixotic and, to many here, (a) crackpot project…"
It's limited to "the few hundred people now holed up in the government building," it said.
Growing thousands of Donetsk residents reject Kiev putschists. They're resolute in standing against them.
Others across Eastern Ukraine want their own local autonomy. They're putting their bodies on the line to get it. They're courageously rallying for justice.
They want their legitimate rights respected. Don't expect The New York Times to explain. It's on the wrong side of fundamental issues. It fronts for wealth, power and privilege.
It deplores popular rights. It suppresses vital information. It substitutes unacceptable misinformation. It's part of America's propaganda machine. It works against most of its readers.
Neocon Washington Post editors produce some of the most outrageous scoundrel media misinformation. They maliciously bash Russia. They bury truth doing it.
On April 8, they headlined "Russia will respond only to increased sanctions over Ukraine."
They lied claiming Russian forces invaded Crimea. Nonthreatening Russian military exercises were falsely called a possible "invasion (of) three Ukrainian cities."
They maliciously called Eastern Ukrainian activists "rent-a-mobs." They quoted John Kerry's lie.
He recklessly accused Moscow of an "illegal and illegitimate effort to destabilize a sovereign state and create a contrived crisis with paid operatives."
He ignored Washington elevating extremist putschists to power. WaPo editors support them.
They call lawless fascists democrats. They turned truth on its head saying:
"It's not too late to prevent Russia from destroying Ukraine, but this time the West must act quickly."
They suggested Moscow perhaps intends disrupting May elections. They're illegitimate. They'll maintain putschist power.
Russia has no intention of interfering. It rejects lawless governance. Ukrainians deserve real democracy. They're denied it.
Don't expect WaPo editors to explain. They lied claiming Kiev authorities show "admirable restraint." They call Eastern Ukrainian activists "provocateurs."
They want tougher US sanctions imposed on Moscow. Not just against targeted individuals, they urged.
Against "sectors of the economy." They ignored doing so cuts both ways. Maybe they don't care. Punishing Russia harshly matters most, they claim.
Wall Street Journal editors express similar sentiments. They bash Russia relentlessly. They consider Putin public enemy number one.
On April 8, they headlined "Putin Invades, Obama Dismantles." They lied claiming Russia "seized Crimea." It massed "50,000 troops as a potential invasion force," they said.
They ignored repeated US treaty violations. They lied claiming Moscow ones. Obama is "maneuvering the US closer to a position of absolute nuclear inferiority to Russia," they claim.
America has the world's largest nuclear stockpile. It's the most formidable. It's sophisticated delivery systems can strike targets worldwide with pinpoint accuracy.
It well over 1,000 empire of bases can do it shorter range. Russia prioritizes peace and stability. America deplores both. Permanent wars define official policy.
Don't expect Journal editors to explain. Or that Washington is humanity's greatest threat.
Pointing fingers the wrong way is longstanding scoundrel media policy. Journal editors blame Putin for Obama's crimes.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Abbas Intends Extending Sham Peace Talks
Abbas Intends Extending Sham Peace Talks
by Stephen Lendman
That's the word from Cairo. He requested an emergency Arab League meeting. Regional foreign ministers attended. More on this below.
Extending sham talks contradicts Abbas' earlier position. In January, he categorically rejected doing so. Nine months agreed on is enough, he said.
"We have had a large number of negotiation sessions, during which we discussed major issues."
"There is not talk about an extension. We need to focus on the remaining time and not think about prolonging the talks."
Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat expressed the same sentiment. After the agreed on April 29 cutoff date, Palestinians won't add "even...a one-day extension," he said.
That was then. This is now. Expect Abbas to agree to what he rejected earlier. He says one thing. He does another.
He's a longtime Israeli collaborator. Equitable conflict resolution is impossible on his watch. Why Palestinians put up with him, they'll have to explain. Replacing him should be top priority.
The League of Arab States calls itself "a voluntary association of independent countries whose people are mainly Arabic speaking, (its) purposes are to strengthen ties among the member states, coordinate their policies, and promote their common interests."
Pro-Western despots head most of its 22 member states. An earlier article explained League history.
In 1942, Britain hoped to unite Arabs against Nazi Germany. In 1944, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, North Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Transjordan (Jordan and Palestine) formed the League of Arab States.
In 1945, a formalized Arab League Pact inaugurated it. Its members expanded to 22. In 1976, the Palestine Liberation Organization was admitted.
In 1979, suspension followed Egypt's peace treaty with Israel. League's headquarters relocated from Cairo to Tunis.
In 1987, diplomatic ties with Egypt were restored. In 1989, Egypt was readmitted. League headquarters returned to Cairo. It remains there.
Observer states include Brazil, Eritrea, India and Venezuela. Effective November 16, 2011, Syria was suspended.
Most member states affirm Pan-Arabism. In practice, they ignore it. PLO de-Arabization was a US/Israeli Oslo prerequisite. Most Arab states went along.
In 1998, 12 PLO National Charter articles were deleted. Another 16 were amended without Arab League objection. Most dealt with Pan-Arabism.
Palestinians get rhetorical support only. Member states represent power and privilege. They didn't condemn Israel's 2008-09 Gaza or 2006 Lebanon aggression.
Nor was its lawlessness officially rebuked. Isolating Israel never happened.
Arab League states didn't stop its 1947/1948 Nakba. Or its 1967 West Bank/Gaza/East Jerusalem/Golan/Sinai occupation.
Its 1982 Lebanon war/southern area occupation wasn't condemned. Or its de facto Lebanon Shebaa Farms annexation.
League members support US imperialism. Washington's 1991 Operation Desert Storm wasn't denounced. Nor its 2003 Iraq war and occupation.
In March 2011, UN Resolution 1973 was backed. No-fly zone authority was pretext for war. League members supported ravaging and destroying Libya.
They're on board against Syria. They condone what demands denunciation. Credibility isn't their long suit. Nor integrity, honor, democratic values and affirmation of rule of law principles.
They comfortable about conquering, colonizing, occupying and plundering some of their own member states. They've done nothing to end Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine.
They're silent about Bahrain atrocities. Washington's drone war on Yemen and Somalia goes unmentioned. Balkanizing Sudan didn't matter.
League members represent the worst of rogue governance. They target their own people. They arrest, imprison and brutalize them. They do so for protesting political, economic and social injustice.
Abbas and League ministers discussed failed talks. They were dead on arrival. They have zero chance for success.
Ministers promised financial aid. They pledged $100 million monthly. They want talks continued. Reports said Abbas agreed. Why he'll have to explain. They're going nowhere.
Israel yields nothing. Palestinian rights don't matter. Economy Minister Naftali Bennett reflects majority hardline rule.
Israel controls over 60% of West Bank land. He wants it officially annexed. He wants more besides. He wants it incorporated into Greater Israel.
"It is clear that the diplomatic process has run its course and that we are entering a new era," he said.
"We have been hitting our heads against the wall of negotiations over and over again for years and we kept getting surprised when the wall did not break. The time has come for new thinking."
His Settlement Blocs First plan calls for annexing Ariel, Gush Etzion, Ma’aleh Adumim, Beit El-Ofra, other Jews only areas, and communities around Ben-Gurion Airport.
Ideally he wants them exclusively for Jews. Palestinian residents would become second class citizens. Perhaps ethnic cleansing would follow.
Conflict resolution isn't planned. Israel prioritizes violence and instability. It blames Palestinians for its crimes.
Business as usual remains official policy. Daily barbarism reflects it. Israeli soldiers use live fire against Palestinians. They gun them down in cold blood.
Tanks, bulldozers, and other heavy equipment conduct daily raids. They do so near border areas. They destroy Palestinian agricultural lands.
They attack farmers in their fields. They do so against Gazan fishermen. They shoot children for target practice. They call cold-blooded murder self-defense.
They turn a blind eye to settler vandalism and violence. They demolish Palestinian homes. They replace them with Jews only ones.
They kidnap, imprison and brutalize Palestinian civilians. Their crime is wanting to live free on their own land in their own country.
Thousands of political prisoners languish in Israel's gulag. It's merciless. It's one of the world's worst. World leaders turn a blind eye to what goes on. Israel gets away with murder and much more.
Peace is a convenient illusion. Conflict persists without end. Increasing amounts of Palestine keep getting colonized. Israel wants all it can grab.
Ata Hindi is a Birzeit University Institute of Law communications officer, human rights, and international humanitarian law secretariat researcher.
On April 10, he headlined "International treaties and the prospects for justice for Palestinians." He fears what reports say Abbas accepted.
Sham peace talks appear heading past April 29. They'll do so "while Israel continue(s) its ongoing violations against Palestine and the Palestinian people," said Hindi.
International laws and treaties don't matter. "Many have been frustrated with the PLO for the perceived continuing disregard for the pain and suffering of" of its own people.
It continues during sham talks. Joining world bodies won't matter. "(J)ustice and accountability for the Palestinian people (isn't a) priority," said Hindi.
PLO history reflects failure. Instruments for justice aren't used. Palestinian rights aren't supported.
Occupation harshness isn't condemned. Nothing is done to end it.
"How can (Palestinians) negotiate with" Israel and Washington when neither "recognize(s) the State of Palestine," Hindi asked?
"(L)aw and justice are there in front of" Abbas. He ignores it. He spurns his own people's rights.
It is our time to get" what he denied: real equitable "peace, justice, accountability and freedom."
Not with Abbas around. Palestinians are on their own to act. Hindi reminded them of Malcolm X's challenge, saying:
"Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it."
"We are a people asking for justice and accountability," said Hindi. "Let us take it."
Note: On Thursday, PLO executive committee member Wasel Abu-Youssel said Palestinian leadership will consider whether to extend talks.
They haven't decided. They'll set conditions to continue past April 29. No further details were provided.
An unnamed Israeli official said 26 more Palestinian prisoners will be released on condition Abbas "freezes the situation."
Israel demands he rescind world body applications. He rejected doing so. It remains to be seen if he again reverses course.
A Final Comment
Neocons infest Washington. Norman Podhoretz is one of many loathsome examples. He met privately with Bush during his presidency.
He urged waging war on Iran. He wants its peaceful nuclear facilities destroyed. He's mindless about mass civilian deaths. He lied telling Bush:
"You have an awesome responsibility to prevent another holocaust. You're the only one with the guts to do so."
Podhoretz reflects lunatic fringe fanaticism. Racist hate defines his worldview. He supports the worst of imperial lawlessness.
He endorses horrific Israeli crimes. He wants all its rivals eliminated. He's disdainful of Palestinian rights. Wall Street Journal editors gave him feature op-ed space.
He headlined "Pity the Palestinians? Count Me Out," saying:
"I wish to make a confession: I have no sympathy - none - for the Palestinians. Furthermore, I do not believe they deserve any."
"In my unenlightened opinion, this picture of the Palestinian plight is nothing short of grotesquely disproportionate."
Podhoretz ludicrously claims Israeli Arab citizens "enjoy the same political rights as Israeli Jews…"
At best, they're second class citizens. They're considered fifth column threats. They're denied fundamental rights.
They're persecuted for praying to the wrong God. Israel wants them gone. Palestinians are horrifically treated.
Gazans suffer most of all. Slow-motion genocide suffocates them. Don't expect Podhoretz to explain.
He lied claiming Palestinians "provoked" Israel's 1967 Six Day War.
In 1972, Israeli IDF chief General Haaim Barlev said:
"We were not threatened with genocide on the eve of the six-day war, and we had never thought of such a possibility."
In 1967, General Modechai Hod commanded Israel's air force. In 1978, he explained Israeli strategy, saying:
"Sixteen years of planning had gone into those initial eighty minutes. We lived with the plan. We slept on the plan. We ate the plan. Constantly we perfected it."
Other Israeli officials and generals admitted no threat whatever existed. Israel preemptively attacked. War of aggression followed.
At the time, claims otherwise were false. Israel chooses war over peace. It did then. It does now. It bears repeating. Don't expect Podhoretz to explain.
Palestinians justifiably want self-determination. They want it on illegally occupied land. Podhoretz outrageously accused them of "revanchism or irredentism."
He lied claiming occupation is their own fault. They refused good faith Israeli offers for their own state "on most of the territory taken by Israel in 1967 and with Jerusalem as its capital," he said.
False! Israel wants all valued Judea and Samaria areas. It wants Jerusalem as its exclusive capital.
It wants Palestinians confined to isolated bantustans on worthless scrubland. It wants them denied all rights.
In 1993, Palestinians renounced armed struggle. They recognized Israel's right to exist. Not according to Podhoretz.
"(T)hey want…a state of their own…that replaces Israel altogether," he said.
"(T)hey have never ceased declaring that their goal is to wipe (Israel) off the map."
Their official position is polar opposite. In 1948, Israel stole 78% of historic Palestine. In 1967, they took the rest.
Palestinians are willing to settle for 22% of their land. Compromise more than necessary defines their position. They deplore conflict. They prioritize peace.
They want it based on equity and justice. Israel denies them entirely. It's done so from inception.
Podhoretz calls legitimate Palestinian rights "evil intent." It keeps him "from having any sympathy for them…"
He represents the worst of reprehensible racist policy. Responsible editors wouldn't touch his rubbish. Journal editors featured it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Growing East/West Divide
Growing East/West Divide
by Stephen Lendman
US hostility toward Russia is unprecedented. It exceeds the worst of Cold War politics. John Kerry's Tuesday Senate testimony highlights what's ongoing. Big Lies substitute for truth.
Kerry hypes one after another. Credibility isn't his long suit. Or integrity. He represents the worst of imperial arrogance. His style reflects demagoguery, bullying, and bluster.
He's contemptuous of rule of law principles. He deplores democratic values. He's committed to war, not peace. He's vying to become America's worst ever diplomat.
His Senate testimony was transparently dishonest. He turned truth on its head. He threatened more sanctions. He maliciously accused Moscow of "aggression" on Ukraine.
He blamed nonexistent "Russian provocateurs" and special forces for spontaneous Eastern Ukrainian protests.
He lied saying "everything that we've seen in the last 48 hours from Russian provocateurs and agents operating in eastern Ukraine tells us that they've been sent there determined to create chaos."
"And that is absolutely unacceptable. These efforts are as ham-handed as they are transparent, frankly."
"And quite simply, what we see from Russia is an illegal and illegitimate effort to destabilize a sovereign state and create a contrived crisis with paid operatives across an international boundary engaged in this initiative."
"Russia's clear and unmistakable involvement in destabilizing and engaging in separatist activities in the east of Ukraine is more than deeply disturbing."
"No one should be fooled, and believe me, no one is fooled by what could potentially be a contrived pretext for military intervention just as we saw in Crimea."
"It is clear that Russian special forces and agents have been the catalyst behind the chaos of the last 24 hours."
"Some have even been arrested and exposed. And equally as clear must be the reality that the United States and our allies will not hesitate to use 21st-century tools to hold Russia accountable for 19th-century behavior."
"We have stated again and again that our preference - and the preference of our friends and allies - is de-escalation and a diplomatic solution."
"But Russia should not for a single solitary second mistake the expression of that preference as an unwillingness to do what is necessary to stop any violation of the international order."
Russia has a choice, Kerry added. Bow to Western demands or "face greater isolation."
Fact check
Washington bears full responsibility for toppling Ukraine's democratic government. It did so violently.
It installed illegitimate fascist putschists replacing it. Eastern Ukrainians reject them. Perhaps Western ones will follow.
It's likely once the full impact of repression combined with IMF neoliberal harshness hits home. People take only so much before rebelling. Perhaps it's coming nationwide.
Uprisings across Eastern Ukraine are significant. Ordinary people want their rights respected. They want local autonomy.
They want democratic governance. They want what Washington won't tolerate at home or abroad. It remains to be seen what follows.
Obama's new imperial trophy is far from secure. Throughout his tenure, his policies reflect one blunder after another. Perhaps Ukraine will turn out his worst.
He's already America's worst ever president. A previous article urged impeaching him. It called doing so a national imperative. World peace depends on it. The alternative is too unacceptable to tolerate.
America makes more enemies than friends. Its influence has been declining for decades. It's low heading lower. It may disappear altogether.
The late Chalmers Johnson was right. Militarism is "bankrupting" America. It's heading the country for "ruin."
He said "dismantling the empire (is its) last best hope." He called reliance on global imperialism a "suicide option."
Hubris and overreach assure self-destruction. It's unavoidable, he said. It's far too late for mere scattered reforms. Things are way too out-of-control to make a difference.
History is clear, said Johnson. Choose democracy and survive. Or continue as present and perish. America is plagued by the same dynamic that doomed past empires unwilling to change.
"(I)solation, overstretch, the uniting of local and global forces opposed to imperialism, and in the end bankruptcy," he explained. Combined with growing despotism and loss of personal freedoms.
America is on a fast track to ruin. It's permanently at war with invented enemies. It's waging it against humanity.
It seeks one imperial conquest after another. It's unaccountably repressive. It's the most ruthless government in world history. Bipartisan complicity supports it.
Monied interests decide things. Democracy is a convenient illusion. Media scoundrels stoke fear. They do it to manipulate public sentiment. It's to manufacture consent.
Johnson predicted military dictatorship or its civilian equivalent. "(T)he combination of huge standing armies, continuous wars, military Keynesianism, and ruinous military expen(ditures) destroyed…republican (governance)," he said.
Once down that path, destructive dynamics follow. Freedom is fast disappearing. World peace hangs in the balance. Potential global war looms. Humanity may not survive its destructiveness.
Kerry is Washington's diplomatic front man. He's unprincipled. He represents rogue state policies. NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a convenient US stooge.
On April 8, he addressed an Allied Command Transformation seminar. He discussed Eastern Ukrainian events.
His comments reflected US sentiment. He noted great concern. He irresponsibly blamed Russia, saying:
"Any further move into Eastern Ukraine would represent a serious escalation, rather than the de-escalation that we all seek."
"We call on Russia to pull back the tens of thousands of troops it has massed on Ukraine's borders, engage in a genuine dialogue with the Ukrainian authorities, and respect its international commitments."
"We must prepare a readiness action plan. We must reinvest in our defence. And we must reinforce the transatlantic bond."
"Because from Sevastopol to Syria and the Sahel, we are facing a dangerous world. Where threats are complex, unpredictable and interconnected."
"Newer challenges, such as terrorism, failed states, cyber and missile attacks. And old challenges in new guises, such as attempts to redraw borders by force."
"The current crisis poses a serious challenge to our common security. But North America and Europe stand together in facing up to it. And we stand united in our firm response."
He barely stopped short of declaring war. Washington wants Russia marginalized, weakened, isolated, contained, and co-opted. It risks open conflict to achieve objectives.
US policies reflect madness. Johnson left one thing out of his analysis - possible mass annihilation. An ancient proverb said "(t)hose whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad."
Perhaps they had Obama in mind. Perhaps neocons infesting his administration. Perhaps bipartisan complicity. Imperial madness is self-destructive. Super-weapons threaten humanity.
Confronting Russia belligerently risks mutually assured destruction. Cold warriors wouldn't risk it. Today's lunatics might do what they wouldn't dare. The worst of all possible outcomes may follow.
Mumbo jumbo security threats don't exist. Power politics trumps reason. Russia prioritizes peace and stability.
Aggression isn't in its vocabulary. Claiming otherwise turns truth on its head. Big Lies repeat one after another.
Provocatively challenging Russia risks global war. Waging it risks armageddon. Push heads dangerously closer to shove.
Washington bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions. Moscow didn't send troops cross border. It has no intention doing so. It's official statements fall on deaf ears.
A Tuesday Foreign Ministry statement said "everyday activity by Russian forces on its national territory does not threaten the security of the United States of America or other OSCE member states."
No evidence suggests otherwise. "The attempts to accuse Russia of building up armed forces are groundless," its FM added.
It accused Washington and Kiev putschists of waging propaganda war on Moscow. Doing so substitutes Big Lies for truth.
Provocative US policies persist. Increasing numbers of Pentagon assets are being deployed in Eastern Europe.
Doing so provocatively targets Russia. Around 300 marines are in Romania. Another 175 will join them. It's part of Washington's Eastern European buildup.
The USS Truxton guided missile destroyer provocatively patrols Black Sea waters. A second one will join it. The Donald Cook is set to be deployed.
On April 9, US Assistant Defense Secretary Derek Chollet said it's being sent "within a week." It's in response to Ukrainian crisis conditions, he said.
Crimean reunification with Russia "challenges our vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace," he added.
Claiming it is polar opposite US policy. Chollet didn't explain. Lies substitute for truth. It's longstanding US practice.
Pentagon spokesman Col. Steven Warren said America's buildup is "primarily to reassure our allies and partners in the region that we're committed to the region."
What's ongoing and planned targets Russia provocatively. Sergei Lavrov responded saying:
"There exists the Montreux Convention, which gives extremely clear criteria limiting the deployment of warships not belonging to the Black Sea governments in regard to tonnage and length of stay."
"We have noticed that US warships have extended their deployment beyond the set terms a couple of times lately, and at times they did not always comply with the regulations that are set within the Montreux Convention."
Itar Tass quoted Russia's Defense Ministry saying:
"It isn’t known yet if the ship will call into the port of Odessa to demonstrate the US support for the incumbent illegitimate authorities in Kiev, which owe so much to the Americans for arrival at power."
US actions reflect "an extreme intensification of visits of their warships fitted out with the antimissile system to the Black Sea."
Pentagon warships provocatively patrol Black Sea waters "on a regular basis. As soon as one ship leaves, (another) or sometimes a detachment of ships arrives."
Eastern Ukrainian protests continue. Right Sector thugs arrived to confront them. Dmytro Yarosh heads them.
He has presidential aspirations. He's militantly anti-Russian. He openly boasts about "fighting Jews and Russians till I die."
Greystone Limited mercenaries were deployed in Eastern Ukraine. Reports say about 150. Maybe others will follow.
Greystone formerly was an Academi (aka Blackwater USA) owned company. Both firms maintain close ties. Elements involved are trained killers. They're terrorists.
They operate extrajudicially. They're unaccountable under local laws. Their mission is mischief. It's destabilization.
They represent America's imperial agenda. They operate covertly. They get away with murder. They came to suppress nonviolent protests.
They'll do whatever it takes to try. Expect bloodshed. It follows wherever they're deployed.
An earlier notorious incident reflected numerous lessor ones. In September 2007, Blackwater elements killed 17 Iraqi civilians. Another 20 or more were injured.
They were attacked in Baghdad's Nisour Square. No one was held accountable. Cold-blooded murder didn't matter.
Private military contractors (PMCs) operate under their own rules. Challengers face possible death.
PMC's are notorious. Expect Ukrainians to feel the brunt of their harshness. How they'll respond remains to be seen.
Crisis Ukrainian conditions remain incendiary. Escalating them makes things worse. A potential East/West confrontation looms. Washington bears full responsibility.
A Final Comment
On April 8, illegitimate Kiev putschist parliamentarians targeted Eastern Ukrainian activists. They passed legislation criminalizing what they called "crimes against the foundations of the country's national security."
They threaten it. So do fascist ministers. They operate in collaboration with Washington and rogue EU partners.
Pro-Russian protesters are targeted. Dozens were arrested. They face separatism charges.
During debate, Communist Party leader Piotr Simonenko was attacked. He voiced sympathy for Eastern Ukrainian protesters.
He accused putschist officials of dismissiveness toward their rights. He urged respecting them. He was accosted while speaking.
He was dragged from the rostrum. He was shoved. He was jostled. He was roughed up. He was denied his right to speak freely. Fighting followed between his supporters and Svoboda neo-Nazis.
Fascist regimes operate this way. Washington offers Kiev full support. Both countries partner in crime. A potential social explosion looms. Perhaps open conflict.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama’s War on Immigrants
Obama's War on Immigrantsby Stephen LendmanObama exceeds the worst of his predecessors. He governs lawlessly. He does so multiple ways. He targets humanity globally. He does so at home. He's waging racist war on immigrants. He mocks notions of wel...
Netanyahu Declares War on Palestine
Netanyahu Declares War on Palestine
by Stephen Lendman
He's a world class thug. He represents the worst of rogue state leadership. He exceeds Sharonian evil. Why Israelis put up with him they'll have to explain.
He's militantly racist. He deplores peace. He thrives on violence and instability. He blames Palestinians for Israeli crimes.
He calls sham peace talks legitimate ones. They've been stillborn decades. They remain so now.
Netanyahu wants Palestinians denied all rights. He wants them cowed into submission. He wants his rules enforced.
Palestinians have no legitimate peace partner. They never did. For sure not now. They're on their own like always. Israel spurns equity and justice. Occupation harshness persists.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu ordered government officials to stop cooperating with PA ones. It's in response to Abbas' "grave violation of (his) commitments to the framework of the peace talks," he claimed.
He lied saying so. Israel bears full responsibility. He stressed eliminating meetings between Israeli ministers and their Palestinian counterparts.
He did so in response to Abbas applying to join 15 UN bodies and treaties. He wants Palestinians denied their legal rights.
Cabinet secretary Avichai Mendelblit informed Israeli minsters by telephone. Only low-level cooperation is permitted.
Israeli Defense Ministry/PA contacts continue. Maintaining them relates to security. Abbas serves as Israel's enforcer. Peace talks aren't affected.
Fatah official Mohammed al-Madani said he's unaware of details on what happened. "If true, this decision is mistaken," he said.
"It’s impossible to sever the ties between Israelis and Palestinians. We must continue to have normal relations in order to reach a just and lasting peace."
Opposition Labor chairman Isaac Herzog reacted. He accused Netanyahu of aggravating sensitive conditions.
"The prime minister is handing petrol and flammable materials to the last of Israel's haters," said Herzog.
"It's not clear what good will come of this superfluous move of cutting off relations with the Palestinian Authority," he added. "In fact, it's quite clear what damage will come of this step."
"It will harm the interests of the state of Israel and its economic sector. The prime minister has begun a process of disengagement between Israel the world."
"This is the result of frustration and helplessness, and the prime minister of Israel's lack of ability to operate within a plan and reached any sort of achievement in that realm. Frustration and helplessness are not diplomatic policy."
Meretz party MK Nitzan Horowitz said:
"Netanyahu is confirming that he killed the diplomatic process after making the talks explode, when he didn't give them a real chance in the first place. He's destroying what's left."
He's hurting Israel most, he added. His action is "irresponsible" and "dangerous."
Environmental Protection minister called his decision "useless." It "deserv(ed) prior discussion," he added.
"I intend to ask the prime minister to hold an in-depth discussion on the significance and implications of this decision," he said.
Finance Committee chairman Nissan Slomiansky supports the move. Palestinians need contacts more than Israel, he said.
"It's a serious mistake to think that we need to pay a price just so people will talk to us," he added.
"I commend the prime minister for his decision to respond with determination to the Palestinian Authority's provocations."
Hardline Economy Minister Naftali Bennett called settlement construction Israel's divine right.
"Some people describe the construction as a boom in settlement activities, and I am telling them we will continue to build in the capital of our Jewish homeland," he said.
"Some tried to prevent us from living in our capital, but Zionism will continue to build, nobody will ever be able to stop us."
PA spokesman Ehab Bseiso said Israel undermined efforts "to revive the negotiations, to proceed with a constructive solution to the challenges facing the peace process."
Former US peace negotiator Aaron David Miller claimed:
"A collapse of the (talks) add(s) to the perception that we really don't know what we're doing."
Gulf Research Center senior advisor Mustafa Anali said Arab expectations of Washington are about as low as they can get.
"That's because Arabs never trusted this administration as a peacemaker."
Obama deplores peace. He's a warrior. He waged multiple direct and proxy wars. He's done so throughout his tenure. He's targeting Russia. He's playing with fire.
He wants all independent governments removed. He wants pro-US vassal states replacing them. He one-sidedly supports Israel. He says one thing. He does another.
Netanyahu goes way out of his way to incite conflict. He bears full responsibility for failed talks. Washington shares it. Kerry tried disingenuously to deflect blame.
Hours before Netanyahu's order, he blamed Israel for impasse peace talks conditions. He did so during Senate Foreign Affairs Committee testimony.
He said Abbas applying for UN body memberships followed Israel disrupting so-called peace talks.
"Both sides, whether advertently or inadvertently, wound up in positions where things happened that were unhelpful," he said.
"Clearly, going to these treaties is not helpful, and we have made that crystal-clear," he added.
"Unfortunately, prisoners were not released on the Saturday they were supposed to be released. And so day one went by, day two went by, day three went by."
"And then in the afternoon, when they were about to maybe get there, 700 settlement units were announced in Jerusalem and, poof, that was sort of the moment. We find ourselves where we are" now.
Damage control followed Kerry's testimony. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said he was misunderstood. He didn't place blame primarily on either party, she claimed.
"Secretary Kerry has been consistently crystal clear that both sides have taken unhelpful steps, and at no point has he engaged in a blame game," she said.
"The fact is, it is up to the parties and their leaders to determine whether they are going to make the tough choices needed, and that has always been the case."
Kerry's above quoted comments need no further explanation. He blamed both sides. He criticized Israel most. It deserves it entirely.
Abbas should have joined all world bodies years ago. He should have done much more. He abstained instead of acting responsibly.
Throughout his tenure, he's been a reliable Israeli collaborator. Betrayal defines his policy. Joining world bodies doesn't matter without willingness to use them.
Most important is holding Israel responsible for high crimes too grave to ignore. Abbas never did so before. Expect nothing this different time.
Failure renders his action meaningless. Kerry and Netanyahu made mountains out of mole hills. Criticizing legal Palestinian rights reveals their true agenda.
They want them entirely denied. They want Israel alone afforded them. They want Palestinians ruthlessly exploited. They want war, not peace.
Israel reacted sharply to Kerry's remarks. An unnamed Israeli official was "deeply disappointed." He referred to what he called his "poof speech."
He countered holding Palestinians responsible for Israel's intransigence. Kerry's remarks "both hurt the negotiations and harden Palestinian positions," he claimed.
Kerry "knows that it was the Palestinians who said 'no' to continued direct talks with Israel in November; who said 'no' to his proposed framework for final status talks; who said 'no' to even discussing recognition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people; who said 'no' to a meeting with Kerry himself; and who said 'no' to an extension of the talks," he said.
"At the same time, in the understandings reached prior to the talks, Israel did not commit to any limitation on construction."
"Therefore, the Palestinian claim that building in Jerusalem, Israel's capital, was a violation of the understandings is contrary to the facts."
"Both the American negotiating team and the Palestinians know full well that Israel made no such commitment."
An unnamed PA official holds Israel entirely responsible. It's "undermining the American role in the peace process," he said.
Palestinian negotiators "never raised any issue that is not already an Israeli obligation."
Settlement construction is illegal, he stressed. Israel is obligated to halt it entirely. Failure to release prisoners agreed on threw fuel on the fire.
Months of talks reveal failure. Israel "clearly show(s) no interest" in viable Palestinian statehood.
It demands Abbas rescind his world body applications. Palestinian officials said they stand as submitted. They won't be reversed.
An unnamed Israeli official said "Israel wants to see the negotiations continue and will persist in its efforts to resolve the current crisis."
At the same time, he warned: "In response to unilateral Palestinian steps, Israel will take unilateral steps of its own."
It began doing so. It widens the gap between both sides. It makes conflict resolution less likely.
Given Israel's longstanding hardline position, it's virtually impossible. With Netanyahu in charge, it's zero.
Giving peace a chance is no option. Conflict resolution is more distant than ever.
Days earlier, Netanyahu imposed other punitive measures. He said more would follow. He suggested tax revenues due Palestine would be frozen.
Israel collects them and customs duties. It's obligated to return them to PA officials. They provide operating revenues.
They amount to about $100 million monthly. They're on goods imported into Palestine. Israel froze them earlier. It was during times of heightened security and diplomatic tensions.
Twenty-six political prisoners scheduled for release remain incarcerated. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and General Yoav Mordechai were told "to prepare a list of all possible measures."
One suspends Palestine's Wataniya wireless provider. It operates in the West Bank. Permission to do so in Gaza will be denied.
Implementing 3G cellular technology in PA-assigned areas is frozen. So are Area C promotion master plans.
On Tuesday, Abbas arrived in Cairo. He came for an emergency Arab League foreign ministers meeting. It convened at his request.
Failed peace talks were discussed. He asked for economic help. He wants $100 million monthly in case Israel withholds tax revenues.
Arab League foreign ministers want talks continued. Why they'll have to explain. They're futile. They reflect decades of failure. Nothing is different this time.
London-based Asharq Al-Awsat quoted unnamed Palestinian sources saying PA "leadership is open to the idea of extending negotiations but not at any price."
In response to Netanyahu ordering government officials to stop cooperating with PA ones, Hamas called for ending PA security coordination with Israel.
It urged greater resistance against occupation harshness. It said Palestinians should "give full rein" to doing so.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoun said Abbas should act based on Netanyahu's decision. He should let resistance "deter the Israeli occupation and defend our people, our land, and our holy sites."
He should end negotiations. He should recruit regional and international opposition. He should challenge Israeli lawlessness. If not now, when?
Failed peace talks show Hamas was right. Negotiating with Israel assures failure. Doing so negatively impacts Palestinians. They're much worse off than ever.
Earlier talks did more harm than good. Sham ones work this way. They accomplish nothing. They give Israel free rein to benefit at Palestinians' expense.
They suffer horrifically under Israel's boot. Nothing suggests improvement going forward.
Challenging Israeli repression responsibly matters most. The alternative is slow-motion suffocation.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Fascist Police Attack Anti-Maidan Protesters
Fascist Police Attack Anti-Maidan Protesters
by Stephen Lendman
Fascist police operate the same way everywhere. They do it across America. They brutalized nonviolent Occupy Wall Street activists.
FBI officials equated them with terrorists. Independent journalists covering them were harassed, arrested, handcuffed and beaten.
It happened in New York's Zuccotti Park. They were accused of trespassing. They had valid NYPD-issued press passes.
It happened nationwide. Peaceful protesters were accused of pursuing violence. Rogue cops got free reign to attack them.
Global justice activists are treated the same way. Free expression is denied. So is public assembly. Petitioning government about grievances is considered heresy.
A previous article discussed Eastern Ukrainian resistance. Thousands in Kharvov, Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Lugansk, Odessa, Nikolayev and elsewhere reject Kiev putschists.
They want local autonomy. They want Crimean-style referendum authority to decide.
They took over Donetsk's Security Service building. They proclaimed a People's Republic of Donetsk.
Kharkov protesters took over the Regional State Administration. They occupied the putschist UNIAN news agency building.
They proclaimed independence.
Protesters flooded streets. It's happening across Eastern Ukraine.
On April 8, RT International headlined "Kiev cracks down on eastern Ukraine cities after two proclaim independence."
Police arrested at least 70 activists. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said:
"The anti-terrorist operation has begun. The center of the city and Metro stations are closed. As soon as we finish the operation, we will unblock them."
"The building of Regional State Administration is totally free from the separatists who seized it earlier."
He threatened to sack 30% of Khakov's police, adding:
"I said yesterday that a considerable number of police officers not so much had been serving their Motherland as sabotaging the process."
"I believe at least 30% of Kharkov police will be dismissed."
According to RT, police attacked protesters violently. They "used fire-hoses, stun grenades, and tear gas…"
In response, activists threw Molotov cocktails. They did so at the building. They avoided harming anyone. They set tires ablaze.
It spread on the building's first floor. Fire crews extinguished the blaze. Minor damage was reported.
Eye-witnesses said putschist provocateurs triggered violence. Earlier, pro-EU elements clashed with federalization supporters.
Witnesses said demonstrators still control the building. RT said an activist used a loudspeaker.
He proclaimed Kharkov independence. He said a regional referendum will decide it up or down. Demonstrators responded supportively.
Protesters erected barricades around administrative buildings. They did so around Security Service headquarters.
Donetsk protesters reacted the same way. Mariupol Donetsk region port city conditions remain tense.
On Saturday, pro-Russian activists stormed the local prosecutor's building. They demanded people's mayor Dmitry Kuzmenko's release.
Odessa residents protested against Kiev repression. Clashes erupted in Nikolaev. It's in southern Ukraine.
Hundreds of activists tried storming the city's administration building. Police attacked them with rubber bullets.
At least 15 injuries were reported. Eleven were hospitalized. Over 20 arrests were made.
Dnepropetrovsk authorities tried reason over violence. They moved to negotiate with protesters.
Boris Filatov is regional vice governor. Protesters agreed to refrain from "calls for separatist actions," he said.
Authorities let them operate out of administrative building facilities. They provided free print media access.
On April 8, Voice of Russia (VOR) headlined "Tanks heading for Ukraine's Lugansk on Kiev order," saying:
Southeastern self-defense squads are readying "for an armed attack." According to activist Yury Germes:
"Citizens are all wound up. Lugansk residents are demanding a referendum on self-determination. It was hard to negotiate with the interior ministry representatives."
"We've just got info on six armored vehicles and soldiers heading for Lugansk. We will not give in. There must be a referendum!"
Donetsk mayor Alexander Lukyanchenko blamed Kiev. Fascist extremists ignited protests.
"New Ukrainian authorities do not quite understand what is happening in Donetsk now."
"Indeed, the seizure of administrative buildings is illegal and bad. Separatist slogans that were voiced in city squares are unacceptable."
"Yet all these problems are a consequence of the new authorities' incorrect policy, their unwillingness to look into the problems to understand them."
They have themselves to blame. Protesters reject them. They want their rights respected. Putschist extremists deny them.
On April 8, Itar Tass headlined "Federalization crucial for Ukraine - Russian lawmaker."
According to Moscow's lower house State Duma Education Committee chairman Vyacheslav Nikonov:
"It's perfectly clear that if the Kiev authorities do not go the way of federalization, do not give official status to the Russian language and non-aligned status to Ukraine, it will probably be doomed as an independent and integral state."
Growing thousands across Eastern Ukraine demand it. Protesting reflects "the extremely near-sighted nationalist policy pursed by so-called incumbent Kiev authorities," Nikonov added.
Russia may have to intervene to avoid violence and bloodshed, he said. Doing so would excluded troops, he stressed.
Socioeconomic conditions alone are deplorable. IMF diktats assure far worse ahead. Plundering Ukraine is planned.
So is sacking thousands of workers. Increasing poverty exponentially is certain. Ukraine heads toward becoming Greece 2.0.
Horrific conditions reflect things. Growing human misery describes them. Expect angry Ukrainians becoming enraged ahead.
They've yet to feel neoliberal harshness full force. It's coming. It's planned. It'll hit like a hammer on arrival. It'll leave millions of Ukrainians on their own out of luck.
It remains to be seen how they'll react. Perhaps not just in Eastern cities. Maybe nationwide. People take only so much before rebelling. A potential social explosion looms.
Maybe civil war. Maybe what opposition putschists can't contain. Will US-led NATO forces intervene? Will mass slaughter follow?
Will Obama's grand strategy fail? Will conflict spread cross-border? Will Russia be targeted? Will it be blamed for US-led lawlessness? These and other important questions remain unanswered.
Sergei Lavrov is a consummate diplomat. He shames John Kerry. He deserves Nobel Peace Prize recognition. War criminals alone get it. Obama is Exhibit A.
On April 7, Lavrov's London Guardian commentary headlined "It's not Russia that is destabilizing Ukraine."
He called what's ongoing a "profound and pervasive crisis." It's "a matter of grave concern," he added.
External forces should be helping Ukraine, he stressed. At issue is "protect(ing) the foundations of civil peace and sustainable development…"
Moscow goes all-out to do it. Lavrov is front and center involved. Russia more than any other country. Best efforts are criticized.
Misguided Western ones substitute. Kiev was "undemocratically" seized. Putschists have no legitimacy.
No one elected them. Legal authority is absent. Self-appointing themselves mocks lawful governance. It reflects tyranny writ large.
At the same time, US-led NATO encroaches closer to Russia's borders. Doing so is provocatively dangerous.
"No less troubling is the pretence of not noticing that the main danger for the future of Ukraine is the spread of chaos by extremists and neo-Nazis," said Lavrov.
"Russia is doing all it can to promote early stabilisation in Ukraine."
"We are firmly convinced that this can be achieved through, among other steps: real constitutional reform, which would ensure the legitimate rights of all Ukrainian regions and respond to demands from its south-eastern region to make Russian the state's second official language; firm guarantees on Ukraine's non-aligned status enshrined in its laws, thus ensuring its role as a connecting link in an indivisible European security architecture; and urgent measures to halt activity by illegal armed formations of the Right Sector and other ultra-nationalist groups."
Moscow imposes nothing on anyone, Lavrov added. If policies benefitting all Ukrainians fairly aren't implemented, crisis conditions may spiral out-of-control.
With "unpredictable consequences," said Lavrov. Russia is ready to partner with Western nations. It urges "achieving (important) goals."
Belligerent actions worsen things. Sanctions are counterproductive. They cut both ways. They're stupid. They're lose - lose.
"De-escalation should begin with rhetoric," said Lavrov. It's time to stop "whipping-up" tensions. He urges cooperation. Serious work remains unresolved.
It's up to both sides to do it. Russia wants no less. It can't pursue mutually beneficial policies without a willing partner.
It has none. Washington prefers confrontation. It drags its EU partners along. Doing the wrong thing assures its own punishment.
What's worse than global war. Odds of it erupting increase with every Western provocation.
They repeat with disturbing regularity. Media scoundrels echo Big Lies. Murdoch controlled Wall Street Journal editors are some of the worst.
Putin bashing writ large persists. On April 7, they headlined "Putin's Latest Escalation."
He's "back on the offensive," they said. They lied claiming it. They outrageously blamed him for Eastern Ukrainian protests.
Moscow has nothing to do with them. Claiming otherwise hypes a Big Lie. It's featured. It's longstanding Journal editorial policy.
Truth is systematically buried. It's verboten. It's not tolerated. It's opposite the acceptable narrative.
Journal editors suggest "bloodshed could provide the excuse Mr. Putin wants to order Russian forces to take over another chunk of the country, not that the Russian has shown he needs a pretext."
They hyped the Big Lie about Russia invading Crimea and annexing it. Crimeans acted on their own. They did so overwhelmingly.
They voted 96.77% for reunification. Record turnout made it more impressive. Ordinary Crimeans chose. International law supports them. UN Charter principles endorse self-determination.
Washington can't deny them. Nor Journal editors. Big Lies can't hide truth. Calling Crimea's referendum a "sham" doesn't wash.
Nor blaming Russia for Eastern Ukrainian activism. It's spontaneous. It's self-generated. It's real. It's legitimate. It has legs.
It's spreading. It may go nationwide. Obama's new imperial trophy may slip from his grasp. Maybe he'll go to war to save it.
Maybe Journal editors will cheerlead it. They're in lockstep with all US imperial wars. Calling them humanitarian interventions turns truth on its head.
So does saying Putin uses Russia's "military (for) leverage." Claiming its parliament is "rubber-stamp."
Suggesting "Russian forces (are) green-lighted…anywhere in Ukraine to protect Russian speakers." Lying about them ready to invade Ukraine "at any moment."
They bury legitimate voices. They give them no say. They quoted illegitimate/fascist extremist/self-appointed president Oleksandr Turchynov. He maliciously accused Russia of:
"Debstabilization, toppling the current government, thwarting elections and tearing the country apart."
Things were stable until he and other putschists allied with Washington and Western partners. They wrecked Ukraine doing it.
They established illegitimate fascist rule. They plan sham May elections. They'll be manipulated to install likeminded extremists.
Democracy is strictly verboten. Ukrainians have no say. Not according to Journal editors.
They praised coup d'etat "democracy." They hailed a "prosperous alignment with the West." They lied claiming Putin wants things his way.
His "troops on the border are a reminder of what can happen by force if Kiev declines the offer."
Legitimate editors wouldn't touch this rubbish. Journal ones feature it. Propaganda substitutes for required reading. War winds head toward gale force.
A Final Comment
On April 8, John Kerry testified before Senate Foreign Relations Committee members. He highlighted the Big Lie.
He blames "Russian provocateurs" for spontaneous Eastern Ukrainian protests. He claimed Moscow may use them as a pretext to invade cross border.
He cited nonexistent Russian special forces involvement. He mentioned intelligence operatives. He said they're acting as catalysts. They're stoking unrest, he claimed.
"Quite simply, what we see from Russia is an illegal and illegitimate effort to destabilize a sovereign state and create a contrived crisis with paid operatives across an international boundary," he said.
It's hard understanding why anyone takes him seriously. He's transparently disingenuous. He hypes one Big Lie after another. He's been caught red-handed many times.
He's not deterred. He blames Russia for US crimes. He blames Syria and Palestinians the same way.
He mocks legitimate statesmanship. He lacks honor. Integrity isn't his long suit. Nor credibility. Sergei Lavrov shames him by comparison.
Mismatch describes their relationship. A diplomatic giant v. a tactless incredibly shrinking pretender.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Sham Peace Talks Continue
Sham Peace Talks Continue
by Stephen Lendman
They mock legitimate ones. Palestinians agreed to continue them despite zero chance for success. Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir once said:
"I would have conducted the autonomy negotiations for 10 years, and in the meantime we would have reached half a million souls in Judea and Samaria."
"I didn't believe there was a majority in favor of a greater land of Israel. But it could have been attained over time."
"Without such a basis, there would be nothing to stop the establishment of a Palestinian state."
Shamir went all-out to prevent it. So did other Israeli prime ministers before and after him. Netanyahu deplores the notion.
He demands unconditional Palestinian surrender. He wants occupation harshness continued. He wants all valued Judea and Samaria land stolen.
He wants Palestinians denied all rights. Talks with his negotiators reflect the futility of hoping for what won't happen.
UN Special Rapporteur for Palestinian human rights Richard Falk condemns Israeli colonialism, apartheid and ethnic cleansing. In late March, he said:
"Every increment of enlarging the settlements, or every incident of house demolition is a way of worsening the situation confronting the Palestinian people and reducing what prospects they might have as the outcome of supposed peace negotiations."
"To sustain indefinitely an oppressive occupation containing many punitive elements also seems designed to encourage residents to leave Palestine, which is consistent with the apparent annexationist, colonialist and ethnic-cleansing goals of Israel, especially in relation to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem."
Falk noted "a strong internal Israeli opposition" to Palestinian self-determination. Netanyahu and other right wing extremists mock it. They deplore it. They won't permit it.
Ongoing talks are a charade. They mock legitimacy. They continue. Why Palestinians participate futilely they must explain.
Every stolen dunum of Palestinian land makes viable statehood less likely. Every settlement expansion.
Every demolished Palestinian home. Every ethnically cleansed resident. Every Palestinian blame game victim of Israeli intransigency.
Every Palestinian murdered. Everyone arrested. Every day without conflict resolution. Every Israeli effort to subvert talks. Every opportunity lost.
Israeli/Palestinian/US negotiators met Monday. Again on Tuesday. Zero progress was made. An unnamed Israeli official said talks will continue. No date for more was set.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki lied saying: "Gaps remain but both sides are committed to narrow the gaps."
Chasms remain. Nothing whatever was resolved. Nothing will be. Israel won't permit it. Nor Washington. They want unconditional Palestinian surrender.
Israeli rights alone matter. Palestinians are on their own like always. They're blamed for what Israel denies them. Netanyahu and likeminded extremists call wanting to live free on their own land "terrorism."
New York Times editors one-sidedly support Israel. It's longstanding policy. It goes back decades. Jodi Rudoren serves as Jerusalem bureau chief. Her agenda is obscuring reality.
She avoids discussing Israeli torture, targeted assassinations, cold-blooded murder, demolished Palestinian homes, dispossessions, and other lawless practices, as well as unaccountable settler violence and vandalism.
She equates BDS activism with anti-Semitism. It reminds her of Nazi era practices.
At best, she calls Israeli settlements "controversial." International law calls them illegal. No ambiguity exists.
She believes sham peace talks are legitimate. Palestinians share blame for no progress, she claims. On April 7, she discussed political prisoner Marwan Barghouti.
She linked him to peace talks. She lied calling him a convicted "murderer." He faced spurious charges. He's no terrorist.
He calls himself "a political leader, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, elected by my people." Israel had no right to try him, he said.
He's a political prisoner. Israel lawlessly gave him multiple life sentences plus 40 years. He's Palestine's most popular political figure.
Why Israel wants him imprisoned and forgotten. In a free, fair, open presidential election, he'd win in a landslide. Palestinians want him freed to participate.
Rudoren ludicrously calls him Palestine's Jonathan Pollard. He's a convicted spy. Barghouti is a framed Palestinian hero.
He challenges Israel responsibly. His political statements circulate. Rudoren ignores Palestinian suffering. She ducks controversial issues.
She ignores key Palestinian voices. She substitutes one-sided Israeli support for full and accurate reporting.
She blames Palestinians for peace talks failure. She called legitimately applying to 15 UN bodies and treaties "contentious."
Her featured Netanyahu comments suggest she believes he negotiates in good faith. Truth is polar opposite.
The Elders is an independent group. Its members include global leaders. They support peace and human rights. Archbishop Desmond Tutu formerly served as chairman.
In May 2013, he stepped down. He remains an Honorary Elder. Members have shared interests. They call human rights universal.
They support Palestinian self-determination. They endorse fair and equitable peace talks.
They issued a supportive Palestinian statement. They're "deeply worried by the impasse in peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians," they said.
They "welcome(d) Mahmoud Abbas' decision" to join 15 UN bodies and treaties.
Gro Harlem Brundtland is a former Norwegian prime minister. He's current deputy Elders chair. He issued a statement, saying:
"As a UN non-member observer state, Palestine is entitled to join international bodies. We welcome President Abbas’ decision to sign the Geneva Conventions and other important international human rights treaties."
"This move opens the way to more inclusive and accountable government in the West Bank and Gaza."
"It has the potential to strengthen respect for human rights and provide ordinary Palestinians with essential legal protections against discrimination or abuses by their own government."
"In global terms, it will also increase their ability to enjoy, in practice, the protection of their basic rights granted to them by international law."
Jimmy Carter is an Elders member. He supports Palestinians joining 15 UN bodies and treaties.
"The decision by the Palestinians to exercise their right to join international organizations should not be seen as a blow to the peace talks," he said.
"I hope that, on the contrary, it will help to redress the power imbalance between Israelis and Palestinians…"
"More than ever, both parties urgently need to make the necessary compromises to reach a lasting peace with two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security."
In 2012, Carter criticized Netanyahu. He rejects a two-state solution, said Carter. Conditions reached "crisis stage," he added. Decades-long conflict shows no signs of resolution.
Carter's book titled "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" called Israel's version "worse…than what we witnessed in South Africa."
He hoped his book would stimulate debate. "There's never been (any) on this issue of any significance," he said.
He holds Netanyahu and other Israeli hardliners responsible. They're "moving forward towards a 'greater Israel," he stressed.
Doing so makes peace impossible. Achieving it is more distant now than then.
"Israel will never have peace until they agree to" end occupation and grant Palestinians self-determination, Carter said.
They show no signs of doing so. They negotiate one-way. They're hardline. They're unbending. They're all take. They're no give. Militarized occupation is illegal. It's unforgiving.
So is the worst of Israeli apartheid. It's institutionalized. It's illegitimate.
International law is clear and unequivocal. Article 7(1)(j) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court calls apartheid a crime, stating:
"For the purpose of this Statute, (a) 'crime against humanity' means any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack:
The crime of apartheid" includes murder, extermination, enslavement, torture, arbitrary arrest, illegal imprisonment, denial of the right to life and liberty, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and other abusive acts imposed by one group on another.
Racist Zionist exclusivity is key to understanding Israeli policy. It's extremist, undemocratic and hateful.
It denies non-Jews equal rights. It claims Jewish supremacy, specialness and uniqueness.
It eschews peace and reconciliation. It chooses confrontation over diplomacy.
It believes in strength through belligerence and intimidation. Doing so threatens Jews and non-Jews alike.
Apartheid extremism is longstanding Israeli policy. Palestinians suffer horrifically.
They're denied their cultural heritage. They're driven from their own land. Israeli settlers occupy it. More come daily.
Doing so violates international law. Fourth Geneva's Article 49 states:
"Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportation of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of the motive."
Neither shall "The Occupying Power...deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies."
Apartheid is the worst form of racism. Israeli militarized occupation is the worst form of apartheid.
It incorporates state terrorism, belligerence, land theft, home demolitions, dispossessions, targeted assassinations, mass arrests, torture, destruction of property and agricultural lands, isolation and genocide.
Besieged Gazans suffer most of all. Slow-motion suffocation explains their condition. West Bank Palestinians face multiple daily community incursions. Arrests and detentions follow.
Sham peace talks continue. They do so despite daily Israeli violence. On April 8, Israeli soldiers invaded Tal and Osarin villages.
They kidnapped five Palestinian civilians, including one child. Two more were lawlessly abducted in Hebron.
Army elements bulldozed two Bethlehem homes. Israeli naval vessels attacked Gazan fishermen. They used live ammunition.
They do it often. Deaths, injuries and heavy property damage follow. Bulldozers escorted by Israeli troops destroyed agricultural structures northwest of Hebron.
At the same time, they uprooted fields. PA security forces collaborate. Doing so shows which side Abbas supports.
He uses riot police and undercover security service forces against his own people. They attack anti-sham peace talks protesters.
They do so violently. Dozens are arrested. They're accused of protesting without permit permission. Abbas serves as Israel's enforcer.
Conflict resolution is impossible with him in charge. Expect applying for membership in 15 UN bodies and treaties to be all show and no dough.
Membership is worthless without taking full advantage. Full UN membership is important. Abbas could have gotten it straightaway as president.
Most UN members support it. An overwhelming number. Enough to assure de facto and de jure membership.
Petitioning the General Assembly through the 1950 Uniting for Peace Resolution 377 assures it.
It's veto proof. Washington can't override it. Membership gives Palestinians the same rights as all other member states.
Observer status lets them join the World Court and International Criminal Court. Doing so lets them challenge Israel as well as current and past government and military officials.
Perhaps holding them accountable is possible. Not if attempts aren't made to do so. Abbas never tried.
Nor will he. He's close to retirement. He won't spoil a good thing now. He's on the wrong side of history. Betrayal is one of the worst crimes. Abbas stands guilty as charged.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Peace Process Hypocrisy
Peace Process Hypocrisyby Stephen LendmanSunday so-called Israeli/Palestinian/US peace talks ended in failure. More on this below.Fact: Washington is no honest broker!Fact: It never was!Fact: It's not one now!Fact: Longstanding US policy one-sidedly fa...
Eastern Ukrainian Resistance
Eastern Ukrainian Resistance
by Stephen Lendman
Thousands of Eastern Ukrainians reject Kiev putschists. Perhaps millions. They want local sovereignty. They want autonomy rights.
They want them respected. They reject fascist rule. They demand their own referendum. They want Ukraine federalized.
Protests continue in Kharkov (Ukraine's second largest city), Donetsk (its largest industrial city), Dnepropetrovsk, Lugansk, Odessa, Nikolayev and elsewhere.
They're growing. They're spreading. They have legs. Maybe parts of Western Ukraine will join them.
Ukrainians are long-suffering. They rejected Orange Revolution rule years earlier. Perhaps Orange Revolution 2.0 won't fare better. It remains to be seen what happens going forward.
Will Eastern Ukrainian resistance spread? Will it do so nationwide? Will Ukrainians overwhelmingly reject fascist/predatory IMF rule? Will they demand equitable change?
Will they protests en masse like before? Will they sustain it long enough to matter? Will they refuse what demands rejection?
Eastern Ukrainians reacted first. On April 7, RT International headlined "Pro-Russian protesters seize govt buildings in Ukraine's Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkov."
Included was Donetsk's Security Service building. "The people's militia seized Ukraine’s Security Service in 15 minutes, at 3:32 in the morning," its members said.
It's blocked to protect against local security forces. On Sunday, thousands rallied in Eastern Ukrainian cities.
They flooded streets. They waved Russian flags. They chanted "Russia! Russia!"
They demanded local sovereignty. They called Kiev putschists an "illegal junta."
They demand Kiev appointed governor/oligarch Sergey Taruta "get out." They burned a Nazi zealot's effigy publicly.
They called doing so "an act of annihilation of fascism." Clashes with police broke out. Protesters seized their riot shields.
They entered the Security Service building. They replaced the Ukrainian flag with the Russian one.
According to activist Aleksandr Borodin:
"The situation is pretty tense. The demonstrators are occupying the city council building and are demanding that an independence referendum is held to determine the future of the region of Donetsk."
"The protesters are calling on officials to conduct a special session over the referendum situation."
"If it doesn't take place, the demonstrators say they will organize an initiative group to settle the issue."
They won't "acknowledge the Kiev-appointed authorities and are also demanding freedom for the recently elected so-called 'public governor.' "
On April 7, Itar Tass headlined "Legislature of just proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic asks Putin move in peacekeepers."
They formed a Republican Council of the Donetsk's People's Republic. They adopted legislation saying:
"The territory of the republic within the recognized borders is indivisible and inviolable."
They ruled on holding a referendum. They'll do so no later than May 11. They'll decide whether or not to join Russia.
"On March 1," said Itar Tass, "Russia's Federation Council gave its consent to the president for using the armed forces on the territory of Ukraine."
"The relevant decision was unanimously adopted by the upper house of Russian parliament at an extraordinary session."
"Earlier, Vladimir Putin submitted to the Federation Council an address on using the armed forces of Russia on the territory of Ukraine until the normalization of the socio-political situation in that country."
"This initiative was proposed with regard to a plea by Ukraine's legitimate president Viktor Yanukovych."
At issue is protecting the security of Russian-speaking nationals. It's securing their rights.
Lugansk events are unfolding like Donetsk's, said RT. Around 1,000 people rallied outside the local Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) building.
They demand protest leader Aleksandr Kharitonov's release. He's been lawlessly detained since mid-March.
So were 15 pro-Russian activists on Saturday. People carried Russian flags. They chanted "Shame on the SBU." "Freedom to political prisoners."
Clashes erupted. Injuries were reported. Kiev appointed governor released six anti-putschist activists.
Violence erupted in Kharkov. Pro-Russian protesters clashed with Right Sector extremists. Police separated both sides. No injuries were reported.
Around 1,500 pro-Russian supporters occupied the putschist UNIAN news agency building.
According to RT:
"Pro-Russian rallies are taking place almost every weekend in major cities in the Russian-speaking part of Ukraine since the nationalist coup ousted Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovich, in late February."
Things remain fluid. The struggle for Ukraine's soul continues. RT highlighted Donetsk activists declaring a local republic.
They want one independent from Kiev. They reject putschist rule. They want legal governance replacing it. They proclaimed their Regional Council the sole legitimate governing body.
They did so pending a planned referendum. It'll be held by May 11 or sooner. Ukrainian activism is spreading. So far in Eastern cities. Perhaps nationwide soon.
At the same time, Russia bashing continues relentlessly. So do US-led Western efforts to marginalize, isolate, weaken and contain Moscow.
Political and military cooperation was suspended. Other options include positioning US-led NATO forces closer to Russia's border.
Provocative military exercises are planned. Challenging Moscow is madness. It's happening in real time. It's escalating dangerously. Doing so risks potential major conflict madness.
A previous article discussed Zero Hedge headlining "Petrodollar Alert: Putin Prepares to Announce 'Holy Grail' Gas Deal With China," saying:
If Washington and EU partners intended greater Sino/Russian unity, "one (nation) a natural resource…superpower and the other a fixed capital/labor output…powerhouse, in the process marginalizing the dollar and encouraging Ruble and Renminbi bilateral trade, then things are surely 'going according to plan.' "
Moscow/Beijing unity against Western imperialism is their best defense. Conditions head both nations more closely together against it.
Russia is preparing a "Holy Grail" energy deal with China. Doing so will send "geopolitical shockwaves around the world," said Zero Hedge.
It'll lay "groundwork for a new joint, commodity-backed reserve currency…" It'll bypass dollar transactions. It'll weaken petrodollar strength.
Moscow's "Holy Grail" is a major natural gas deal with Beijing. Negotiations are close to complete. It involves supplying 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually.
It'll do so via pipeline. It's the first one between both nations.
Putin plans visiting China in May. He's expected to close the deal. The more Western nations pressure Russia, the closer it's drawn to China.
Bilateral ruble/renminbi trade weakens dollar strength. Perhaps other countries may follow in their own currencies.
India and Iran are prime candidates. Perhaps Brazil and others will follow suit.
Washington reacted as expected. According to Zero Hedge, it threatened Russia. It did so over a "petrodollar-busting deal."
It warned against "possible oil barter(ing)" transactions. It warned Iran against them. US-led Western sanctions are counterproductive.
Perhaps Washington shot itself in the foot. Russia has plenty of retaliatory ammunition. What better way than by weakening petrodollar strength.
It's a pillar of America's geopolitical/military might. It furthers US supremacy. It does so at the expense of other nations.
It finances America's global military machine. It advances US imperialism. It furthers financial speculation.
It facilitates corporate takeovers. It does so at the expense of beneficial social change, human and civil rights. It prevents potential democratic change outbreaks.
Global central banks recycle dollar inflows. They do so into US Treasuries. They finance America's deficit. It matters with QE diminishing. Perhaps ending.
Moscow/Beijing bilateral trade in their own currencies "is rapidly turning out into a terminal confirmation of (US) weakness," said Zero Hedge.
"Russia seems perfectly happy to telegraph that it is just as willing to use barter (and perhaps gold) and shortly other 'regional' currencies, as it is to use the US Dollar," it added.
It's "hardly the intended outcome of the western blockade, which appears to have just backfired and further impacted the untouchable status of the Petrodollar."
"If Washington can't stop this deal," perhaps others will follow. Perhaps a groundswell among leading nations.
Petrodollar trading gives America major unfair advantages. According to Voice of Russia, "Moscow is ready to take (them) away."
So is China. Imagine a combination petroruble/petrorenminbi weakening petrodollar strength. Imagine other petrocurrencies doing it further.
Imagine petrodollar might becoming a shadow of its former self. Imagine destructive US policies waning. Imagine a world safer to live in.
Imagine a fairer one. Imagine what won't happen easily or soon. Imagine what one day perhaps is possible. Top Russian officials support petrodollar weakening.
Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukaev urged Russian energy companies to ditch the dollar. "They must be braver in signing contracts in rubles and (partner country) currencies," he said.
Last month, VTB CEO Andrei Kostin said gas giant Gazprom, state-own oil company Rosneft, and exclusive defense-related weapons/ technologies/dual-use products/and services company Rosoboronexport "can start trading in rubles."
They don't mind switching, they said. They need a "mechanism" to do so. Russian upper house Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said no efforts will be spared to create one.
Putin intends challenging Washington responsibly. Chinese leader Xi Jinping appears willing to join him. Together they're a formidable combination.
Perhaps Moscow/Beijing commodity exchanges will exclude dollar transactions. Maybe they'll replace them with ruble/renminbi ones.
Rosneft signed large oil contracts with China. It's close to major ones with Indian companies. They exclude dollar transactions.
Russia heads toward trading goods for oil with Iran. If Rosneft deals in rubles, petrodollar strength will suffer.
According to Zero Hedge, "US sanctions have opened a Pandora's box of troubles for the American currency." Russian retaliation promises unpleasant consequences.
What if other countries follow Russian and Chinese examples? What if avoiding dollar transactions catches on?
What if long prevented US comeuppance happens? What if America met its match? What if it's responsibly weakened? The sound you hear is overwhelming popular approval.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Madness in Ukraine
Madness in Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
This year's March madness wasn't in America. Nor what continues in April. Or what preceded it. Or perhaps what's likely to follow. It's in Ukraine.
It's ground zero. It represents the greatest geopolitical crisis since WW II. It threatens a third global conflict. It that's not madness, what is?
Obama bears full responsibility. His rap sheet is blood-drenched. He's waging multiple direct and proxy wars. He's got lots more mass slaughter and destruction in mind.
He wants unchallenged US global dominance. He wants Russia marginalized, isolated, weakened, contained and co-opted. His objectives risk global war.
Ukraine is a major geopolitical flashpoint. It's hugely dangerous. Challenging Russia recklessly may ignite what no responsible leader would risk.
Obama represents the worst of rogue leadership. He's ideologically extreme. He's over-the-top and then some. He's a con man like no other. He risks potential armageddon.
Aijaz Ahmad is a political commentator. He's a New Delhi-based Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Professorial Fellow.
He's a York University, Toronto visiting Political Science Professor. He's the Indian newsmagazine Frontline senior news analyst.
It's a Hindu Group fortnightly English language publication. It covers domestic and world news. It features analysis.
In its April 18 edition, Ahmad headlined "The 'Great Game' in Europe," saying:
"In its eagerness to complete the encirclement of Russia by turning Ukraine into a forward country for positioning NATO bases, the US is paving the way for fraternal genocide and ethnic cleansing."
"A closer strategic alliance between Russia and China may well be the one positive outcome of the Ukrainian fiasco."
On April 4, RIA Novosti discussed Ahmad's analysis. It headlined "US Instigating 'Yugoslav Scenario' of Fraternal Genocide in Ukraine."
From March 1991 through mid-June 1999, Balkan wars raged. Yugoslavia "balkanized" into seven countries.
They include Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia.
From March 24 through June 10, 1999, US-led NATO war raped and destroyed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY).
Known or suspected military sites were targeted. So were many civilian areas and infrastructure unrelated to military operations.
Cities, villages and other locations were struck. Mass slaughter, displacement, destruction and human misery followed.
America claimed another imperial trophy. The former Yugoslavia no longer exists. Imagine this happening to Ukraine.
Imagine it igniting global conflict. Imagine the madness of risking it. Ahmad addressed the issue.
Washington ousted Ukraine's democratically elected government. It elevated fascist putschists to power.
It opposes legitimate Crimean reunification with Russia. It challenges Moscow irresponsibly. It does so recklessly.
What's ongoing represents a "turning point and a watershed event" in US/Russian relations, said Ahmad.
It followed Obama's Asia pivot. It's about hardening America's Pacific presence. It involves advancing Washington's military footprint.
Doing it aggressively is planned. China's growing economic might and military strength are targeted. So is checking Russia at the same time.
Obama wants both countries contained. They're formidable adversaries. Permanent war is longstanding US policy.
Bush said "You're either with us or against us." Independence isn't tolerated.
Washington began rebalancing East Asia years ago. Strategy involves strengthening military, economic, and political ties with Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam.
It involves undermining Chinese and Russian influence. It's about isolating them from neighbors. It's asserting Washington's dominance over territories and waters not its own.
WW I and II echoes remain audible. Never again grows more likely. Flashpoint conditions risk the unthinkable. Small disputes ignite major ones.
It's back to the future. Cold War politics never ended. It morphed into new form. Containing Russia and China involve civilizations clashing. Perhaps belligerently.
Obama exceeds the worst of his predecessors. He's biting off more than he can chew. He defends the indefensible. He risks the unthinkable.
Ahmad is justifiably concerned. Obama initiated a European pivot, he said. Encircling Russia with US/NATO bases is reckless.
Ukraine may become another Yugoslavia. Doing so risks WW III.
"IMF-imposed austerity on a ruined economy and NATO-propelled militarization for eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with Russian power is just the kind of combustible combination that may well lead to a civil war, a regional war, and heaven knows what else - in a country where 70 per cent in a recent Gallup poll voted against joining NATO," said Ahmad.
China and India support Moscow's Ukraine agenda. It's legal. It's responsible. It's polar opposite Washington's intentions.
Putin prioritizes peace and stability. Obama risks East/West confrontation. Recklessness defines his agenda. The worst of all possible outcomes may follow.
Earlier Great Game confrontations were minor compared to what's ongoing today. At stake is humanity's survival.
US-led NATO is a killing machine. It's a weapon of mass destruction. Millions of corpses bear witness to its ruthlessness.
Washington and rogue NATO allies threaten world peace. They suspended political and military cooperation with Russia. A joint statement said:
"We have decided to suspend all practical civilian and military cooperation between NATO and Russia."
"Our political dialogue in the NATO-Russia Council can continue, as necessary, at the Ambassadorial level and above, to allow us to exchange views, first and foremost on this crisis."
NATO partners plan "additional measures to reinforce (the alliance's) collective defenses." Detailed proposals will follow.
A Kremlin statement said earlier efforts to integrate Ukraine into NATO led to a "widening of the split in Ukrainian society, the majority of which anything but supports the idea of Ukraine entering the NATO military block."
It doesn't matter. It's happening in real time. NATO members plan enhanced military cooperation with Ukraine. Doing so includes involving Kiev in NATO military exercises.
It's integrating it into other NATO activities. They involve encroaching closer to Russia's border.
According to NATO ministers, they're considering "options ranging from stepped-up military exercises and sending more forces to eastern members states, to the permanent basing of alliance forces there…"
Doing so is hugely provocative. Claiming a Russian threat doesn't wash. None whatever exists.
Moscow prioritizes peaceful co-existence. America is obsessed with empire building.
A circulating social media graphic shows Western and Eastern Europe infested with NATO bases encroaching on Russia's borders.
How dare Moscow locate its territory close to NATO military installations, it suggests.
Putin is geopolitically polar opposite Obama. He prioritizes peace and stability. He's gone all-out to prevent East/West conflict.
It's the world's greatest threat. Preventing it matters most. Best efforts may fail. Hegemons want things their way.
Washington exceeds the worst of earlier ones. Obama represents the worst of rogue leadership.
It's a combustible combination. It risks global war. Ukraine may be flashpoint enough to ignite it.
Efforts to defuse things aren't happening. Polar opposite policies are ongoing. They're escalating.
A nonexistent Russian threat is being hyped provocatively. America's sordid history is long and disturbing.
Enemies are invented. They're pretexts for war. America won't quit waging them. It plans more. Advancing its imperium alone matters.
Challenging Russia is madness. It's happening in real time. It bears repeating. The worst of all possible outcomes may follow.
A Final Comment
On Saturday, Afghans voted. A previous article called Afghanistan elections more farcical than fair.
Bribes, intimidation, violence, ballot-box stuffing, and other massive fraud characterized previous elections. Pro-Western candidates are featured. Independent ones are shunned.
Eight candidates vied to become Afghanistan's next president. US-anointed stooge Harmid Karzai vowed no third term.
He's constitutionally ineligible to seek one. Hundreds of candidates competed in provincial elections.
Weeks or perhaps months will pass before knowing who won most contests. If no presidential aspirant wins a majority, runoff voting will follow.
It's scheduled for May 28. The two top polling candidates will compete. A previous article said it hardly matters.
Afghans already lost. Choices excluded hope and change. Democracy is nowhere in sight. It's strictly verboten.
Militarized occupation prevents it. Barrel of a gun rule excludes it. So does out-of-control daily violence. Not according to Obama.
On April 5, a duplicitous White House statement "congratulated the millions of Afghans who enthusiastically participated in today's historic elections, which promise to usher in the first democratic transfer of power in Afghanistan's history and which represent another important milestone in Afghans taking full responsibility for their country as the United States and our partners draw down our forces."
"We commend the Afghan people, security forces, and elections officials on the turnout for today's vote - which is in keeping with the spirited and positive debate among candidates and their supporters in the run-up to the election."
"These elections are critical to securing Afghanistan's democratic future, as well as continued international support, and we look to the Afghan electoral bodies to carry out their duties in the coming weeks to adjudicate the results - knowing that the most critical voices on the outcome are those of Afghans themselves."
"Today, we also pay tribute to the many Americans - military and civilian - who have sacrificed so much to support the Afghan people as they take responsibility for their own future."
"The United States continues to support a sovereign, stable, unified, and democratic Afghanistan, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the new government chosen by the Afghan people on the basis of mutual respect and mutual accountability."
Fact check
Afghans have no democracy. Not now. Not planned. Not any time short or intermediate term. Washington tolerates none at home or abroad.
It abhors sovereign independence. It demands subservient vassal states. It wants pro-Western puppets leading them. Regime change targets outliers. Aggressive wars are waged to replace them.
America's "partnership" with Afghanistan reflects a master/colonial subjugated servant relationship. Washington rules apply. Afghans have no say.
Plundering Afghanistan for profit is prioritized. So is exploiting its people.
It's flooding the world with massive amounts of heroin from locally grown opium. It's targeting Russia and China from nearby US/NATO bases.
Human lives don't matter. Equity, justice, and other democratic values are verboten. Hegemons operate this way.
America is by far the worst in world history. It may end up destroying planet earth to own it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israeli Supremes Endorse War Crimes
Israeli Supremes Endorse War Crimes
by Stephen Lendman
They didn't surprise. They're like US Supremes. They support wealth, power and privilege. They rubber-stamp war crimes when asked.
They ignore fundamental rule of law principles. Israel High Court justices declined to hear petitioner Marwan Dalal.
He's an Israeli Arab jurist. Earlier he served as a Hague International Criminal Court senior prosecutor. He's the only Palestinian ever to serve in this capacity.
On April 2, Israeli Supremes heard evidence of IDF war crimes in Lebanon and Gaza. A previous article explained.
Dalal filed a 52-page petition. He addressed Israel's:
- preemptive 2006 Lebanon war;
- its Operation Cast Lead Gaza aggression (December 2008 - January 2009,) and
- murdering nine Turkish Mavi Marmara Gaza humanitarian mission activists in May 2010 in cold blood.
Evidence against Israel is damning. It's overwhelming. It's indisputable. It's incontestable. Systematic coverup followed.
Israel remains unaccountable for high crimes too grave to ignore. On April 3, Israeli Supremes rubber-stamped approval.
They ruled crimes of war and against humanity are OK. Their terse statement lied saying:
"The petitioner didn't provide enough evidence that could prove the connection between the respondents and the events that, as the petitioner sees them, could be called 'war crimes.' "
From July 12 - August 14, Israel attacked Lebanon preemptively. It blitzkrieged large areas mercilessly. It did so lawlessly.
It killed over 1,000. It caused vast destruction. It displaced around one-fourth of Lebanon's four million population. It willfully targeted civilians.
It admitted doing so. It called them legitimate targets. It defined its Dahiya Doctrine strategy. It's named after a Beirut suburb. Israel destroyed it entirely.
At the time, it said it's how future wars would be fought. Disproportionate force will be used against civilians and non-military-related infrastructure.
Doing so reflects prohibited collective punishment. International law forbids attacking non-combatants and targets unrelated to military necessary.
Beirut, Tyre, Sidon, and other Lebanon cities and towns were attacked.
Terror bombings destroyed or damaged ports, Beirut International Airport, roads, bridges, other infrastructure, schools, hospitals, power stations, commercial sites, factories, dams, civilian neighborhoods, government buildings, mosques, churches, radio and TV stations, an orphanage, Sidon's refugee camp and other non-military targets.
Jiyeh’s utility plant south of Beirut was struck. Doing so caused massive oil spillage. Over 90 miles of coastal waters were affected.
Biodiversity was damaged. Heightened cancer risk followed. Many thousands of Lebanese remain vulnerable.
A land, sea and air siege was imposed. Illegal weapons were used. They included depleted uranium, chemical agents, as well as white phosphorous bombs and shells. They burn flesh to the bone.
So-called thermobaric bombs were dropped. They contain polymer-bonded or solid fuel-air explosives. They penetrate buildings, underground shelters and tunnels.
Their blast pressure sucks oxygen out of affected areas. It horrifically affects people in them. It’s a terror weapon designed to kill and destroy monstrously.
On July 19, a bus carrying Israeli tourists and others was attacked. Eight deaths were reported.
It bears repeating. Israeli war crimes were indisputable. Lawless collective punishment is longstanding Israeli practice. It persists daily. It does so in multiple ways.
From December 27, 2008 - January 18, 2009, Israel waged lawless aggression on Gaza. On September 15, 2009, Goldstone Commission findings were damning.
It reported "evidence indicating serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law committed by Israel during the Gaza conflict, and that Israel committed actions amounting to war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity."
"While the Israeli Government has sought to portray its operations as essentially a response to rocket attacks in the exercise of its right of self defence, the Mission considers the plan to have been directed, at least in part, at a different target: the people of Gaza as a whole."
Defensive rocket attacks responded to repeated Israeli provocations. Israel lawlessly used them as a pretext for naked aggression. Operation Cast Lead followed.
On September 21, 2010, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) said:
It's clear "that the IDF had not distinguished between civilians and civilian objects and military targets."
"Both the loss of life and the damage to property were disproportionate to the harm suffered by Israel or any threatened harm. Israel's actions could not be justified as self-defense."
"The IDF was responsible for the crime of killing, wounding and terrorizing civilians (as well as) wonton(ly) destr(oying) property and that such destruction could not be justified on grounds of military necessity."
HRC members called IDF crimes so grave, "it was compelled to consider whether (genocide) had been committed."
It said Israel "committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and, possibly genocide in the course of Operation Cast Lead."
On May 31, 2010, lawlessly interdicted Freedom Flotilla vessels in international waters. Doing so constitutes piracy. They were bringing vitally needed aid to besieged Gazans.
Nine Turkish nationals were aboard the Mavi Marmara mother ship. They were massacred in cold blood. Dozens of other activists on board were wounded. Everyone was arrested.
At the time, UK-based Stop the War Coalition activists called it "(y)et another act of Israeli barbarism." Thousands of Gazans protested angrily.
Mass anti-Israeli protests followed in Amman, Cairo, Damascus, Tehran, Ankara, Istanbul, Beirut and other regional cities.
Israel's propaganda machine reached new highs of duplicity. Damage control prioritized coverup. Big Lies drowned out truth.
Forensic evidence was damning. Victims were shot multiple times at close range. Some in the back.
A Human Rights Council (HRC) investigation criticized Israel's "outrageous attack on aid ships attempting to breach a blockade on the Gaza Strip."
It called doing so "piracy, (an) act of aggression, (a) brutal massacre, (an) act of terrorism, (a) war crime, (a) crime against humanity, unprovoked...unwarranted...atrocious, (and) brutal."
It said humanitarian activists onboard were "peaceful, innocent, noble, unarmed, (and) defenseless."
Attacking them "was unnecessary, disproportionate, excessive, inappropriate and resulted in the wholly avoidable killing and maiming of a large number of civilian passengers."
"Israel made "a deliberate attempt...to suppress or destroy evidence." Its own version of events was fabricated. Fake videos were used. So were other falsified materials.
Crimes against humanity were committed. So was piracy. HRC members called Israeli guilty as charged.
It said "a series of violations of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, were committed by the Israeli forces during the interception of the flotilla and during the detention of passengers in Israel prior to deportation."
"The preponderance of evidence from impeccable sources is far too overwhelming to come to a contrary opinion."
Attacking Mavi Marmara activists was well-planned in advance. Premeditated murder was indisputable.
Israeli commandos had photos of Turkish nationals marked for death. They murdered them in cold blood.
They remain unaccountable. So do Israeli commanders and responsible government officials.
No Israeli official or military commander was held accountable for Lebanon and Cast Lead war crimes. None for earlier acts of aggression.
None for daily crimes against humanity. None for ongoing ones. None since Israel was established in 1948.
None for decades of systematic slow-motion genocide. Israeli Supremes continued a longstanding tradition.
They turned a blind eye to high crimes too grave to ignore. They endorsed what demands accountability. Perhaps one day. For sure not now.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Supreme Court Rules for Big Money
Supreme Court Rules for Big Money
by Stephen Lendman
It didn't surprise. It's supremely pro-business. It's always been this way. It's more than ever now.
It supports Big Monied interests. It does so over democratic governance. It's on the wrong side of most issues mattering most.
On April 2, it repeated a familiar pattern. Its McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission decision ruled one dollar = one vote. It struck down federal campaign contribution limits. It did so disgracefully.
It gave monied interests more power. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts referred to the landmark 1976 Buckley v. Valeo ruling saying:
"We conclude that the aggregate limits on contributions do not further the only governmental interest this court accepted as legitimate."
"They instead intrude without justification on a citizen's ability to express the most fundamental First Amendment activities."
Justice Stephen Breyer ruled otherwise. He read his comments from the bench saying McCutcheon "eviscerated our nation's campaign finance laws."
"If Citizens United opened a door, today's decision we fear will open a floodgate." It creates "huge loopholes in the law; and that undermines, perhaps devastates, what remains of campaign finance reform."
"It understates the importance of protecting the political integrity of our governmental institution."
"It creates, we think, a loophole that will allow a single individual to contribute millions of dollars to a political party or to a candidate's campaign."
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus lied calling McCutcheon "an important first step toward restoring the voice of candidates and party committees and a vindication for all those who support robust, transparent political discourse."
Responsible voices called it another step on the road to tyranny. It tramples on First Amendment freedoms.
It gives monied interests near-exclusive rights. It denies them to all others. It lets powerful voices drown them out.
More on McCutcheon below. In 2010, the High Court's Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruled corporations are entitled to unconstrained federal campaign spending.
Writing for the majority at the time, Justice Anthony Kennedy said:
"(W)e now conclude that independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption."
"The fact that speakers (aka donors) may have influence over or access to elected officials does not mean that these officials are corrupt."
His opinion drew on earlier ones, adding:
"Favoritism and influence are not…avoidable in representative politics. It is in the nature of an elected representative to favor certain policies, and, by necessary corollary, to favor the voters and contributors who support those policies."
"It is well understood that a substantial and legitimate reason, if not the only reason, to cast a vote for, or to make a contribution to, one candidate over another is that the candidate will respond by producing those political outcomes the supporter favors. Democracy is premised on responsiveness."
In other words, limitless corporate spending drowning out other voices = democracy.
At the time, Ralph Nader denounced Citizens United, saying:
It "shreds the fabric of our already weakened democracy by allowing corporations to more completely dominate our corrupted electoral process."
"It is outrageous that corporations already attempt to influence or bribe our political candidates through their political action committees (PACs), which solicit employees and shareholders for donations."
"With this decision, corporations can now also draw on their corporate treasuries and pour vast amounts of corporate money, through independent expenditures, into the electoral swamp already flooded with corporate campaign PAC contribution dollars."
"This corporatist, anti-voter decision is so extreme that it should galvanize a grassroots effort to enact a Constitutional Amendment to once and for all end corporate personhood and curtail the corrosive impact of big money on politics."
"It is indeed time for a Constitutional amendment to prevent corporate campaign contributions from commercializing our elections and drowning out the civic and political voices and values of citizens and voters."
"It is way overdue to overthrow 'King Corporation' and restore the sovereignty of 'We the People' "!
Dark money infests politics. America's political system is scandalous. Duopoly power corrupts it. Voters get the best democracy money can buy.
Corporations, NGO advocacy groups, and other powerful interest groups decide everything. Ordinary people have no say.
Democracy is a convenient illusion. On April 1, America's Supremes affirmed it writ large. Federalist Society (FS) members dominate decision-making.
They include Chief Justice John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, and Clarence Thomas. They're ideological extremists.
FS began 30 years ago at Harvard, Yale and University of Chicago law schools. Initially it was a student organization. It challenges orthodox liberalism. It corrupts itself in the process.
It advocates rolling back civil liberties. It wants New Deal social policies ended. It supports imperial wars, corporatism, and police state harshness.
It wants reproductive choice, government regulations, labor rights, and environmental protections ended. It spurns justice in defense of privilege. It defiles constitutional protections doing so.
The words "Equal Justice Under Law" adorn the Supreme Court Building's west facade. The motto "Justice, the Guardian of Liberty" faces east.
In America, wealth, power and privilege alone count. "We the people" never mattered. For sure not now.
Egalitarian principles exist in name only. Checks and balances, equity and justice, as well democratic values are meaningless figures of speech.
Men rule America, not laws or high moral and ethical standards. Executive, congressional, and judicial officials systematically lie, connive, and pretty much do what they please for their own self-interest.
Most High Court justices are some of the worst. They're ideologically over-the-top. They're as unprincipled and venal as political rogues infesting federal, state and city governments.
Money does not equal speech. Ruling otherwise defiles First Amendment principles. In McCutcheon v. FEC, justices ruled 5 - 4.
They struck down limits on what individuals can donate during each federal two-year electoral cycle. Earlier it couldn't exceed a maximum $123,200.
Public advocacy groups say they can now contribute nearly $6 million during the same period.
The ruling leaves unchanged base donor amounts permitted for each candidate or committee.
It's currently $2,600. It's $32,400 for each political party. Big donors on their own can spend unlimited amounts on supportive or attack ads, as well as other campaign efforts.
Shaun McCutcheon is a Republican National Committee member/Alabama businessman. In 2012, he donated to 15 federal candidates.
He wanted to give more, he said. Federal law constrained him. He nonsensically claimed cap limits infringe on his speech rights.
He challenged Federal Election Campaign Act section 441. It limits biennial individual donor amounts. He wants none whatever imposed.
He wants Big Money deciding who'll rule. He wants ordinary people shut out. They can't make sizable contributions. Even among individuals able to give maximum amounts, only about 0.1% do so.
Deep-pocketed interests contribute most. During the 2012 electoral cycle, less than 600 gave federal candidates an estimated $3.1 billion.
Democracy 21 president Fred Wertheimer said:
"With its Citizens United and McCutcheon decisions, the Supreme Court has turned our representative system of government into a sandbox for America's billionaires and millionaires to play in."
"The court's decisions have empowered a new class of American political oligarchs."
America more than ever reflects plutocratic interests. High Court ideologues are on the wrong side of history.
The National Constitution Center (NCC) called McCutcheon Citizens United 2. It's "now history," it said. It's a huge step backwards.
NCC quoted NYT legal/Supreme Court writer Jesse Wegman calling McCutcheon "another blow to democracy."
According to People For The American Way:
"Our nation's wealthiest people don’t need even more political influence, but that’s what today’s decision hands them."
"The Supreme Court has given its stamp of approval to a government unduly influenced by the rich and powerful."
"As with the 2010 Citizens United decision, the consequences for our democracy of today's deeply misguided decision will be grave, opening the door to for wealthy donors to give, in aggregate, millions of dollars in direct contributions in a single election cycle."
"The Roberts Court has once again proven itself to be ideologically-driven, going out of its way to protect the interests of the most powerful among us at the expense of everyday Americans."
McCutcheon dealt freedom another major body blow. It's already on life support. It's eroding in real time.
It's practically gone already. It's one more major homeland false flag attack away from disappearing altogether. Full-blown tyranny is a hair's breadth away.
Corrupted officials hasten its arrival. It could happen any time. Perhaps when least expected. Perhaps with public approval.
Perhaps for added security at the expense of fundamental freedoms. Perhaps not knowing sacrificing them loses both. Perhaps awakening too late to matter. Perhaps it already is now.
America is too corrupted to fix. It's unfit to live in. Transformational change is needed. So is disruptive people power more than ever.
Making it the new normal is vital. The alternative is police state ruthlessness. It's monied interests over popular ones.
It's permanent wars for global dominance. It's dystopian harshness. It's what free societies don't tolerate. It's government of, by and for powerful interests only.
It's preventing it for everyone equitably and fairly. It's institutionalizing dark side rule. It's up to ordinary people to prevent it.
"If not now, when? If not us, who?" If not soon, maybe never. If that's not incentive enough, what is?
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Afghans Vote
Afghans Vote
by Stephen Lendman
Afghan elections are more farcical than fair. Fraud substitutes for a free and open process. Voters have no say.
In December 2001, Washington installed Hamid Karzai as president. He's a convenient stooge. He's a CIA asset.
Formerly he was Chevron Oil subsidiary Unocal's chief consultant. He's stepping down this year. Supposedly because of constitutional ineligibility for another term.
Changing it could keep him president longer. Earlier he vowed no third term.
On April 5, Afghans voted to replace him. Choices excluded hope and change. Or democracy. Militarized occupation assures illegitimacy. So do Washington rules.
If no aspirant wins a majority, runoff voting will follow. The two candidates with the highest vote total will participate. They'll do so on May 28.
Weeks or perhaps months will pass to know who won. It hardly matters. Afghans already lost.
Vote-rigging was prominently featured. It's longstanding Afghanistan practice. One observer calls Afghan elections more about ballot rigging and how effectively manipulators orchestrate fraud.
After September 2010 parliamentary elections, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lied calling them "an important milestone on (Afghanistan's) road to becoming a full and rightful member of the community of democratic nation."
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen ludicrously said the election would be "more transparent and reliable" than 2009 presidential polling.
UN Afghanistan envoy Staffan de Mistura said 2010 would "be better than last year's election." He turned truth on its head saying it.
Dozens of Karzai opponents were marginalized, threatened and disqualified. "Vetting committee" stooges did so.
Approved candidates included Karzai collaborators. Washington had final say. Illegitimacy describes Afghanistan's political process. This year is no different.
A rogue's gallery of pro-Western puppets assures business as usual. Meet the candidates. A larger field dropped to eight. Pressure forced candidates Washington wanted eliminated out.
Abdullah Abdullah is a former US-installed foreign minister. He represents business as usual. He's no populist. He supports US imperial interests.
In 2009 presidential elections, he finished second. He got 30.5% of the vote. He claimed fraud. He opted out of the runoff process. He let Karzai stay president unopposed.
Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai is a technocrat. He's a former Afghan finance minister and World Bank official.
He's Kabul University chancellor. In 2009, he won 3% of the vote. How much better he'll do this time remains to be seen. Perhaps too little improvement to matter.
Qayoum Karzai earlier chose to run. Pressure forced him out of contention. He endorsed Zalmai Rassoul. More on him below.
Qayoum is Hamid's older brother. He's a businessman. His other brothers Mahmoud and the late Ahmed were involved in rampant corruption.
Hamid's regime is notoriously tainted. US supplied billions disappear into black hole tax free havens and other foreign assets. Perhaps Qayoum got his share.
Zalmal Rassoul is a former Afghan foreign minister. He resigned to run for president. Previously he was Karzai's national security advisor.
Both men maintain close ties. Perhaps he's Washington's choice. In the fullness of time we'll know.
Abdul Rasoul Sayyaf is an Afghan politician. In 2005, his Ittehad-al-Islami (Islamic Union) was transformed into a political party - the islamic Dawah Organization of Afghanistan.
Two days before 9/11, he was accused of involvement in Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud's assassination.
Two Arab men posing as journalists killed him. Both died. One during the attack. The other trying to escape. Taliban officials denied involvement.
Massoud was a national hero. He was independent. In the 1980s, he fought against Soviet invaders. He wanted Afghanistan freed from occupiers.
Perhaps Washington wanted him eliminated. He was reportedly closer to post-Soviet Russia and Iran than America. He wasn't the US choice for president. Eliminating him smoothed Karzai's anointment.
Qutbuddin Hilal is a former deputy prime minister and first vice president. He served in the early 1990s under President Burhanuddin Rabbani.
He earlier headed a military commission charged with uniting jihadi organizations. He's running as an independent candidate.
Hezb-e Islami political party leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar endorsed him. During Soviet Russia's war on Afghanistan, Hekmatyar got active CIA support. He's now a US-designated "global terrorist."
Gul Agha Sherzai is a former warlord turned Karzai "special advisor." He served as Kandahar and Nangarhar governors.
He resigned from the latter position to run for president. He's doing so as an independent candidate. His poor human rights record is notorious.
He's suspected of involvement in opium trafficking. It's rife under Karzai. Afghanistan produces enough for over 90% of world heroin supply.
Earlier Sherzai was a mujahideen commander. During Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, both men met.
Hedayat Amin Arsala is a former Karzai foreign minister, finance minister, commerce minister and vice president. Until October 2013, he was Karzai's senior minister/advisor.
He was a National Islamic Front of Afghanistan (NIFA) founding member. He was a Supreme Council of Mujahideen official.
Earlier he headed a so-called Independent Commission of Administrative Reforms, a National Statistics Commission, and an Economic Cooperation Committee.
In 1969, he became Afghanistan's first World Bank official. In October 2013, he resigned from his senior ministerial post to run for president.
Mohammad Daoud Sultanzai is a pilot by training. In the 1980s, he lived in America. Post-9/11, he returned to Afghanistan. He served as a parliamentarian. He's a political commentator/talk show host.
Around 12 million Afghans are eligible to vote. It remains to be seen how many did. Perhaps official turnout numbers will be fraudulent.
Perhaps ballot-box stuffing will enhance them. Many Afghans want no part of rigged elections.
Around 6,000 polling centers accommodated those who do. Another thousand scheduled to open never did. Saturday was Afghanistan's third presidential election post-9/11.
Media scoundrels called it the nation's first peaceful democratic transfer of power. Truth is polar opposite.
On Saturday, The New York Times headlined "Afghans Vote in Strong Numbers Despite Dangers."
They "(b)raved cold, rain, and threats of Taliban attacks…If successful, the election will mark the first time Afghans have changed their leader at the polls in modern history…"
Doing so ends Karzai's "dozen years in power." A runoff election is virtually certain. "Even partial results (aren't) expected for a week."
Rassoul, Abdullah and Ghani are expected to be leading vote-getters. It'll take days or longer to know either way. The top two candidates will compete in May's runoff election.
Karzai voted early, saying: "I as a citizen of Afghanistan did this with happiness and pride." He spoke perhaps with tongue in cheek.
Afghanistan remains occupied. It's a cauldron of violence. Death, destruction and human misery haunt millions.
Washington bears full responsibility. Karzai shares it. He's a convenient US stooge. Whoever replaces him will serve Western, not popular interests.
Washington's criminal legacy is longstanding. It's notorious. Over 12 years of war left millions dead. Violence, displacement, deprivation, starvation and diseases killed them.
Many others suffer horrifically. America turned Afghanistan into a savage wasteland. Hegemons aren't responsible nation-builders. They have other priorities.
No end of conflict looms. Perhaps another decade or longer will follow. Expect it as long as America is involved.
Its legacy left over half of all Afghan children suffering from severe malnutrition. An entire generation is affected. Millions live under deplorable conditions.
Violence, hunger, homelessness, disease epidemics, poor sanitation, and environmental contamination affect them. So do unsafe water as well as inadequate healthcare, education and other vital services.
Millions of refugees remain internally or externally displaced. Women are horrifically treated. Many, including young girls, are beaten, raped or murdered.
Humanitarian assistance enough to matter is sorely lacking. Children die from exposure to bitter winter cold.
America's war claims thousands more. Air and ground attacks are responsible. Deaths mount daily.
Civilians suffer most. They're killed indiscriminately. Horrific incidents go largely unreported. Afghan lives and welfare don't matter.
US war crimes persist daily. Death by drones murder civilian men, women and children. So do ground assaults.
Deaths, injuries, torture and other atrocities reflect daily life. Ordinary Afghans suffer most. US aggression is one of history's greatest crimes.
Afghans are some of the world's most long-suffering people in modern times. Washington bears full responsibility for ravaging and destroying their country.
Don't expect post-election change. Don't expect a new US puppet any different from Karzai.
Don't expect withdrawing more Pentagon troops to help. Militarized occupation remains official US policy.
Over 100,000 private military contractors infest Afghanistan. They're a hostile occupying force.
They'll remain indefinitely. They serve American and other Western interests, not Afghan ones.
They're US military surrogates. They operate extrajudicially. They do so with impunity. They're unaccountable for human rights violations.
Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent maintaining them. They do far more harm than good.
America's Afghanistan legacy is deplorable. It reflects millions of lost lives. It includes unspeakable human misery.
It's about trillions of wasted dollars. Afghanistan under militarized occupation resembles hell on earth. Staying alive is a daily struggle.
Extreme poverty, unemployment, and deprivation affect all aspects of people's lives. Afghanistan's human development indicators are among the world's worst.
Over 12 years of war and militarized occupation left millions hugely denied. Throughout his tenure, Karzai was a caricature of a leader.
He lacks legitimacy. He's widely despised. He won't be missed. Without heavy round-the clock protection, he wouldn't last a day on his own.
He profited hugely from Afghanistan's elicit drugs trade. So did other corrupt officials around him.
In October 2001, America arrived violently. It did so to conquer, colonize, occupy, plunder and dominate Afghanistan.
It's a geopolitical prize. At issue is controlling Eurasia's vast oil, gas and other resources.
Afghanistan has its own riches. It has vast natural gas and other mineral reserves. They include copper, lithium, iron, cobalt and gold.
It has the world’s largest opium supply. It floods world markets with heroin. It provides enormous profits for Wall Street. It gives CIA access to billions of dollars in elicit drug money.
Occupied Afghanistan is America's strategically located land-based aircraft carrier. It's part of Washington’s plan to encircle Russia and China with bases.
Both nations are Washington's only global challengers. China is the world's second largest economy.
In a decade or less it may surpass America. Russia is a formidable military power. It's the only nation able challenge Pentagon might.
It has enormous oil and gas reserves. China badly needs them. Both nations benefit strategically by allying.
Doing so weakens Washington longterm. America came to Afghanistan to stay. Abandoning what's geopolitically important won't happen. Not short-term at least.
How much longer Americans put up with permanent wars and occupations at the expense of homeland needs remains to be seen. Mass/sustained public opposition alone can end them.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Mideast Peace Negotiators Meet
Mideast Peace Negotiators Meetby Stephen LendmanA previous article said talks through last Thursday floundered. They're close to collapse. Breathing life into failure won't work. It hasn't for decades. It won't now. Multiple rounds of futility def...
Kiev Sniper Shootings: Lies v. Truth
Kiev Sniper Shootings: Lies v. Truth
by Stephen Lendman
Ukraine putschist authorities are illegitimate. Arsen Avakov is interim interior minister. On Thursday he lied. He pointed fingers the wrong way.
He outrageously accused Ukraine's legitimate President Viktor Yanokovych, his interior minister Vitali Zakharchenko, and Russian security elements of direct involvement in Kiev sniper shootings.
"The former government of the country gave criminal orders and a huge number of people suffered in the 'mincer'," he said.
He cited no evidence whatever proving it. None exists. He said a dozen Ukrainian so-called Black Unit Berkut police officers were detained on suspicion of what happened.
In late February, putschist authorities disbanded the Berkut. Its force numbered around 4,000. At the time, Avakov said "Berkut no longer exists."
Its officers complained about neo-Nazi provocations. They and their families were threatened.
One former Berkut officer said threats painted on houses they used said "You're dead" or "We'll hang you and kill all your family one by one."
Donetsk and Sevastopol residents called Berkut elements heroes. Sevastopol Mayor Aleksey Chaly said they "d(id) their duty with dignity. (They) show(ed) themselves to be true men."
They're "now being thrown to the gang of nationalists…" They deserve better than they got.
They had no involvement in sniper shootings. Their own ranks were targeted. Putschist snipers shot them from occupied buildings.
They killed them. At the time, they were doing their job with restraint. They're heroes, not villains.
Clear evidence shows Kiev putschists recruited Euromaidan snipers. They bear full responsibility for what happened. Claims otherwise are lies. More on this below.
Illegitimate Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Valentyn Nalivaichenko head lied. He claimed Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) elements collaborated with Yanukovych's security service SBU authorities in December and January.
Russian citizens were present at SBU headquarters, he alleged. Moscow delivered explosives and weapons to Kiev, he claimed.
(Phantom) planes loaded with over 5,000 kilograms of Russian explosives and other materials delivered them, he said.
"They brought the means of organizing the shooting and destruction of our protesters on Maidan," he added.
No corroborating evidence was cited. None exists. Outrageous charges have no legitimacy. Avakov turned truth on its head. Lies substituted.
An FSB press service statement added: "Let these statements remain on the conscience of (Yanukovych's) SBU."
On Thursday, illegitimate putschist prime minister Arseny Yatsenyuk outrageously accused Yanukovych of direct involvement in planning Kiev sniper shootings.
He issued a statement saying "as a politician, I can state that the former president is personally responsible and we would like to bring (him) to justice."
"It is unacceptable when the Russian Federation covers for a man who is under investigation for the charges of mass murder and crimes against humanity."
Russia categorically denied sniper shootings involvement. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was clear and unequivocal.
He cited hard evidence showing putschist Right Sector responsibility for what happened. "(A) good deal of facts…point to" this conclusion. Moscow informed Western authorities, he said.
"I cannot say I'm 100 percent sure, but there are a slew of facts that indicate just as much," he added. "Of course, they should be double-checked."
"(S)weep(ing) (truth) under the rug" is unacceptable. Substituting lies is worse.
Kiev authorities ignored hard evidence, said Lavrov. Legitimate investigation into what happened was whitewashed.
Independent analysis was ignored. Kiev authorities turned a blind eye to Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet's comments.
On February 25 , he and EU foreign policy Catherine Ashton spoke.
They were monitored. They didn't know it at the time. Their discussion was leaked. Paet commented on what he heard in Kiev.
He confirmed putschist involvement in sniper shootings. He said "there is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovich, but it was somebody from the new coalition."
"All the evidence shows" they were shooting at people from both sides. They targeted police and protesters. Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed.
Paet spoke to Kiev doctor Olga Bogomolets. She's a Bogomolets National Medical University professor.
She said snipers shot protesters and police. Paet called Dr. Bogomolets' evidence "quite disturbing."
She showed him photos. They revealed "the same handwriting, the same type of bullets, and it's really disturbing that now the new coalition, that they don't want to investigate what exactly happened," said Paet.
Around 100 people were killed. Another 900 were injured. Paet blamed putschists for cover-up. They refuse to investigate, he said.
They want evidence suppressed. Snipers were neo-Nazi hitmen. Yanukovych and others in his government had no involvement.
On March 12, former Ukrainian Security Service head Aleksandr Yakimenko confirmed Paet's assessment. He blamed putschist official Andrey Parubiy. He's a neo-Nazi Svoboda party leader.
"Shots came from the Philharmonic Hall," he said. "Maidan Commandant Parubiy was responsible for this building."
"Snipers and people with automatic weapons were 'working' from this building on February 20. They supported the assault on the Interior Ministry forces on the ground who were already demoralized and had, in fact, fled," he added.
"When the first wave of shootings ended, many have witnessed 20 people leaving the building."
They were carrying military-style bags used for sniper and assault rifles with optical sights.
Many witnesses saw them. Foreign elements may have been involved. Perhaps CIA, US special forces, and secret service operatives.
What happened was well planned in advance. "These were the forces that carried out everything that they were told by their leadership - the United States," Yakimenko stressed.
Maidan leaders practically lived at Washington's embassy, he added. As security chief, he was ready to order Ukrainian troops to enter the building and remove the snipers, he said.
He needed approval from Parubiy to do it, he explained. Otherwise, so-called "self-defense" elements would have attacked him, he believes.
"Parubiy did not give such consent," he said. He controlled access to weapons used in Independence Square.
Moscow wants an independent investigation. It wants full disclosure of what happened. Deep East/West divisions remain.
Russia and independent analysts are on its own to investigate. Evidence revealed will be buried.
Ukraine's dark future is planned. It remains to be seen how ordinary Ukrainians react. Perhaps Euromaidan protests 2.0 will follow. The battle for Ukraine's soul continues.
A Final Comment
On Thursday, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said 25 ultranationalist Ukrainians were detained. They're held on suspicions of planning terrorist attacks in seven Russian regions.
They include Rostov, Vogograd, Tver, Orel, Belgorod regions, as well as Kalmykia and Tatarstan republics.
An FSB statement said:
"As a result of measures taken on the basis of information about the preparation of terrorist acts on the territory of the Russian Federation by activists of the so-called Right Sector movement during the period from March 14 to March 16, some 25 Ukrainian citizens have been detained."
They admitted intentions to do so. They said Ukraine's SBU sent them to photo survey Russian military exercises. They were told to establish contacts with Russian radicals.
They were detained "before committing any illegal actions damaging Russian security," the statement added.
At least three Right Sector members were involved. Expect similar provocations ahead. Washington's dirty hands are likely involved.
Confronting Russia irresponsibly continues. A US navy warship was deployed to Black Sea waters. Pentagon authorities didn't confirm what vessel was sent.
Two US destroyers are nearby - the USS Donald Cook and USS Ramage. They're involved in eastern Mediterranean exercises with Greek and Israeli navies.
According to US European Command Capt. Gregory Hicks:
"We are making plans to meet the intent vocalized by (US and NATO officials) to lay out a sustainable maritime presence in the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, but we do not have anything to announce at this time."
US naval forces operate provocatively in Black Sea waters and others nearby. Lavrov criticized Pentagon deployments responsibly.
They violate Montreux Convention provisions, he said. It's a 1936 international agreement.
It restricts naval warships' passage through the Bosporus Straits and Dardanelles. It pertains to non-Black Sea area nations.
Lavrov issued a statement saying:
"There exists the Montreux Convention, which gives extremely clear criteria limiting the deployment of warships not belonging to the Black Sea governments in regard to tonnage and length of stay."
"We have noticed that US warships have extended their deployment beyond the set terms a couple of times lately, and at times they did not always comply with the regulations that are set within the Montreux Convention."
Washington ignores international laws, conventions and treaties. Its own rules alone apply. It does what it wants. It operates extrajudicially.
Escalating tensions threaten potential conflict with Russia. The worst of all possible outcomes could follow.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israeli/Palestinian Peace Talks Flounder
Israeli/Palestinian Peace Talks Flounder
by Stephen Lendman
Last July, sham talks began. They were dead on arrival. They continue. They'll do so through an agreed on April 29 cutoff.
Perhaps they'll go on weeks or months longer. Futility defines them. It bears repeating what earlier articles stressed.
Israel and Washington don't negotiate. They demand. They're all take and no give. They want unconditional Palestinian surrender.
They want business as usual continued. They want what no responsible Palestinian negotiators would accept.
Whether they'll get it remains to be seen. It happened so many times before. It may again. Israel doesn't take no for an answer easily.
Nor does Washington. Rogue states operate this way. They demand obedience. Denying them assures trouble. Israel assured retaliation.
On April 4, the International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC) headlined "Israel Punishes PA for Filing Requests to Join International Organizations," saying:
Netanyahu "decided" to do so. He'll impose various "measures and restrictions." Twenty-six political prisoners scheduled for release will stay imprisoned for starters.
Other punitive actions will follow. Netanyahu told Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and General Yoav Mordechai "to prepare a list of all possible measures."
One suspends Palestine's Wataniya wireless provider. It operates in the West Bank. Permission to do so in Gaza will be denied. Implementing 3G cellular technology in PA-assigned areas is frozen.
So are Area C promotion master plans. Other punitive measures will be announced later. Financial aid may be suspended.
Increased repression is likely. Expect more arrests. Perhaps some PA officials will be targeted. Hardball is official Israeli policy. State terror reflects it.
Coordinator of Government Activities in Judea and Samaria Major General Yoav Mordechai now heads contacts between PA officials and Israel until further notice.
On April 4, The New York Times headlined "Kerry Says US to Review Its Approach to Mideast Talks," saying:
He's reevaluating "whether it was worth continuing its effort in light of the inability of Israel and Palestinian negotiators to make progress."
It's "reality check time," he said. "There are limits to the amount of time and effort that the United States can spend if the parties themselves are unwilling to take constructive steps in order to be able to move forward."
"We intend to evaluate. Both sides say they want to continue. Neither party has said they have called it off. But we are not going to sit there indefinitely. It is not an open-ended effort."
He left unexplained what's most important. One-sided talks offer Palestinians nothing. Accepting them assures continued militarized occupation harshness.
It lets Israel steal more land. It lets them control Palestinian air, water, borders and resources. It prevents diaspora Palestinians from returning.
It gives Israel sole right to Jerusalem. It keeps Gazans entirely left out. It assures war, not peace.
On April 4, Israel National News headlined "Officials Say Kerry About to Abandon Peace Talks," saying:
"Sources close to (him), including senior White House staff, say (he) may throw in the towel on peace talks in the very near future."
An unnamed US official said "(a) point will come where he has to go out and own the failure."
For now, he needs to "lower the volume and see how things unfold. If he goes too far, there's the risk of looking desperate."
On Thursday, Kerry said there's little more he can do to save talks. "You can facilitate, you can push, you can nudge, but the parties themselves have to make fundamental decisions to compromise."
Compromise isn't in Israel's vocabulary. Nor Washington's. Kerry didn't explain. He said talks faced a "critical moment."
He was blindsided by Abbas applying for membership in 15 UN bodies and treaties, he added.
Retired Israeli General Michael Herzog serves as consultant to talks. He ludicrously said Abbas doing so "pushed us into a deep crisis."
In other words, he wants Palestinians denied legitimate rights. They're entitled to join all world bodies and treaties. They're obligated to do so to govern responsibly.
Israel wants things its way. It wants Palestinians entirely denied. It's always been this way. It's no different now.
Kerry shares blame with Netanyahu. They didn't surprise. They conspired against Palestinians.
They want them subjugated. They want them exploited. They want them repressed. They want decades of denial continued.
On April 3, The Times of Israel headlined "No formal declarations, but both sides indicate talks over," saying:
They "irretrievably collapsed." Abbas was disingenuously quoted saying:
"I would rather become a martyr" than rescind applications to join 15 UN bodies and treaties. His future doesn't include martyrdom.
Palestinians presented new demands. They include:
(1) Israel saying in writing it recognizes Palestinian borders within 1967 lines with East Jerusalem its exclusive capital.
(2) Releasing Palestinian political prisoners former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to free. They include Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Saadat and Fuad Shweiki among others.
(3) Lifting Gaza's siege and implementing a border-crossing agreement.
(4) Returning exiles deported during Bethlehem's 2002 siege.
(5) Stopping East Jerusalem settlement construction entirely, as well as opening the city's closed institutions.
(6) Letting 15,000 Palestinians reunite with their families.
(7) Staying entirely out of Palestinian controlled areas, as well as granting PA part control of Area C.
Omitted was demanding Israel's occupation entirely end. It's illegal. Maintaining it means war, not peace.
Other key demands weren't stated. They include the right of return, as well as full Palestinian control over their resources, air, borders and offshore waters.
They include rich gas reserves. They're estimated at about 1.4 trillion cubic feet. Potentially much more. They're worth at least $4 billion. Maybe billions more.
They're too valuable to sacrifice. They belong to Palestine, not Israel. Revenue derived can assure financial independence.
It can generously fund government services. It can provide vital social benefits. It can operate in ways impossible now. It can create a model socially just society. Everyone in it can benefit.
Washington and Israel obstruct granting Palestinians what they deserve. So does illegitimate Palestinian president Abbas.
It bears repeating what other articles stressed. He's a longtime Israeli collaborator. He sold out at Oslo. The late Edward Said called it a Palestinian Versailles.
Abbas serves as Israel's enforcer. His presidential term expired in January 2009. He refuses to call new elections. He betrays his people disgracefully. He's done it for many years.
It's too late to change him now. It's high time he's replaced. Palestinians deserve legitimate leaders representing them, not Israel.
Getting them requires replacing virtually all PA officials. They've been around too long. They govern irresponsibly.
They've done nothing for their people. They're on the wrong side of history. They benefitted greatly for betrayal.
Saeb Erekat is chief Palestinian negotiator. He part of the problem. He's no solution. He denied involvement in the above listed demands. They're not part of his negotiating position, he said.
He should have made them and more a precondition for holding talks. He should have done it before starting them.
Former Palestinian co-negotiator Mohammed Shtayyeh wants borders within 1967 lines prioritized. He wants it settled before considering other issues.
"If we had the issue of borders settled, we would have wrapped up several major sticking points, mainly settlements…and security arrangements," he said.
"Each side would have known where his border lay, and we would have gone on to negotiate about Jerusalem and water, but Netanyahu and his government began raising difficulties and obstacles."
"What's important to (him) is to preserve his coalition and not to reach an agreement."
Erekat long ago lost credibility. He can't be trusted. Al Jazeera's 2011 released Palestine Papers exposed him.
Hundreds of internal documents showed his willingness to concede all East Jerusalem settlements to Israel except one.
He compromised disgracefully on diaspora Palestinians right of return. He suggested abandoning it except for token amounts.
He agreed unconditionally to key Israeli demands. He betrayed his people in the process. Abbas operates the same way. Edward Said called him "Israel's sheriff."
He and Erekat took part in all peace talks since Madrid Conference attempts to restart them in 1991. As chief PA negotiator, Erekat agreed to unprecedented compromises on the division of Jerusalem and its holy sites.
He ignored the rights of his own people. He's mindless about their needs. He's no different now than earlier.
When confronted about earlier duplicity, he lied. Doing so is the last refuge of a scoundrel caught red-handed. At time same time, he ignores daily violence Israel commits against Palestinians.
The latest occurred overnight Thursday. Israel again bombed Gaza. Its warplanes targeted 10 sites.
At least two injuries were reported. Gaza's health ministry said one was a 1-year old child. Israel deliberately targets civilians.
It lies calling them terrorists. IDF spokesman Peter Lerner said Israel "will retaliate, reciprocate and when required initiate the use of force in order to protect (Israeli) civilians from unlawful terrorist actions."
Palestinians are victims. They're not "terrorists." Israeli aggression targets them ruthlessly. It's ongoing multiple times daily. It occurs in various forms.
Near Ofer detention center in Ramallah, Israeli security forces attacked Palestinians. They did so during Friday prayers.
Palestinians protested against Israel's refusal to release 26 agreed on prisoners. Thirteen injuries were reported. Five suffered rubber-coated steel bullet wounds. A tear gas canister fired at close range struck a journalist in the head.
Settlers slashed tires of 40 Palestinian vehicles in Galilee. Israeli security forces did nothing to stop them.
Hundreds of settlers raided Joseph's Tomb east of Nablus. Soldiers protected them. Clashes erupted. Heavy gunfire was heard. Witnesses blamed Israel.
Kerry's "reality check" ignores what's most important. Palestinians face daily Israeli state terrorism. Peace is a convenient illusion. Violence is part of daily life.
Israel bears full responsibility. Conditions are worse now than earlier. Netanyahu is Israel's worst ever leader.
He exceeds Sharonian evil. Achieving peace while he's prime minister is impossible. How much longer the charade continues remains to be seen. Palestinians are on their own for justice.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Duplicitous Mideast Peace Talks
Duplicitous Mideast Peace Talks
by Stephen Lendman
Peace isn't in Israel's or Washington's vocabulary. Talks with Palestinians date from the mid-1970s. Multiple rounds were dead on arrival. Hypocrisy defined them.
They're the most outrageous scam in modern diplomatic history. This time is no different. Washington is hardline. It negotiates one-way. Longstanding Israeli policy is unchanged.
It claims an unassailable right to settle anywhere in the land of the Bible. Peace talks are a useful fiction.
Current Defense Minister/former Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon said earlier they're used "to sear deep into the consciousness of Palestinians that they are a defeated people."
Past and current Israeli officials call occupation permanent. Former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir (1983 - 1984 and 1986 - 1992) once said he wanted to drag out peace talks for a decade while vastly expanding settlements.
From Oslo (1993) through today, settler population more than tripled. It went from around 200,000 to about 650,000.
Numbers increase daily. Construction is unabated. Daily crimes against humanity prevent peace.
It's been stillborn for around 40 years. It's more so than ever under Netanyahu. Daily events explain.
On April 2, Israeli soldiers invaded Bil'in. Operations continued for two days. Dozens of Palestinian homes were broken into violently.
They were searched. They were ransacked. Residents panicked. Children were terrified. They were traumatized.
Bil'in residents are in the forefront of Apartheid Wall resistance. They number around 1,800. Israel stole over 60% of their land.
They hold weekly protests. They do so courageously. They're targeted for fighting for justice. Israel violently attacks them for doing so.
On April 2 and 3, The Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements said five groups of around 12 soldier each invaded.
They've done it many times before. They target other towns and villages throughout the West Bank. They do it multiple times daily.
They've done it every day throughout months of sham peace talks. Doing so reveals Israel's real agenda.
It reflects militarized occupation ruthlessness. Peace is a non-starter. It's a convenient illusion.
State terrorism is official Israeli policy. It's worse than ever under Netanyahu.
He wants Palestinians denied all rights. He wants Jews alone afforded them. Business as usual persists.
Months of talks accomplished nothing. On April 3, Maan News headlined "Heated Jerusalem peace talks end in impasse."
They lasted nine hours. US Special Envoy Martin Indyk, Israeli negotiators Tzipi Livni and Yitzhak Molcho, as well as PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat and Palestinian intelligence head Majid Faraj participated.
Unnamed sources called discussions a "fierce political battle." Erekat said "we are here to negotiate in the name of the UN-recognized State of Palestine, not in the name of a Palestinian Authority whose inputs and outputs are controlled by Israel."
Israeli negotiators responded as expected. Threats were made. "(E)ndless" sanctions would be imposed, they said. They called them unprecedented.
Financial aid would be cut off. Indyk duplicitously stressed Israel's security. No threats whatever exist. He lied claiming otherwise.
Faraj said Palestinians were there to discuss "political, not security" issues. They want assurances about East Jerusalem as their exclusive capital.
They want border issues resolved. They other major ones handled equitably. They want what Israel fundamentally opposes.
Borders are fundamental. Clear definitions are key. Israel won't discuss them. It wants them expanded at Palestine's expense.
It wants Palestinian land stolen. Annexation is planned. It controls around 60% of West Bank territory already.
It wants East and West Jerusalem exclusively. It wants control over air, water, and resource rights. It wants Palestinians having virtually no say over their own land.
It wants what no legitimate Palestinian negotiators would accept. Erekat perhaps made a hollow threat. If things escalate, he said, Palestinians will prosecute Israel in the World Court. Or its officials in the International Criminal Court.
John Kerry appealed to Netanyahu and Abbas to take the "lead." Do it to save the peace process, he said. How can what doesn't exist be salvaged? Kerry didn't explain.
He discussed Ukraine with EU foreign ministers in Brussels. Late Wednesday, he arrived in Algeria. He did so for regional security talks. His participation was criticized.
Three opposition Islamist parties comprise the Green Algeria Alliance. They warned against "American exploitation" of Algeria.
It's ongoing ahead of scheduled April 17 presidential elections. Incumbent Abdelaziz Bouteflika took office in April 1999.
He's Algeria's longest serving president. He seeks reelection. If successful, he'll serve another five years.
In April 2009, he won with over 90% of the vote. Several opposition parties boycotted the vote. They claimed "a tsunami of massive fraud." Perhaps again this time.
From Algeria, Kerry pressured peace talk negotiators long distance, saying:
"You can facilitate. You can push. You can nudge, but the parties themselves have to make fundamental decisions and compromises."
"The leaders have to lead and they have to be able to see a moment when it's there."
None existed before. For sure not now. Washington and Israel don't compromise. They warn. They threaten.
They bully others to comply. They offer nothing in return. Palestinians are worse off today than ever. Multiple rounds of peace talks lost more rights.
Kerry lied saying failure would be "trag(ic)" for both sides to miss out "get(ing) to those real issues that are the differences of the final status agreement."
So-called "real issues" have been unresolved for decades. Expect nothing different this time.
Late Wednesday, Kerry spoke to Netanyahu and Abbas from Algeria. He did so with talks on the brink of collapse.
Agreement was reached to keep talking through April 29. It's the final date agreed on earlier.
What happens next remains to be seen. For sure no conflict resolution. Palestine remains occupied. Militarized harshness persist.
Israel steals more Palestinian land daily. Besieged Gazans continue to be suffocated.
On March 28, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted four Palestinian related resolutions. Members voted 46 - 1. Washington alone expressed opposition.
Observing international law was stressed. This year's resolutions improved on earlier ones.
During discussions, the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) submitted a written statement.
It called on HRC members not to tolerate Israel's culture of impunity. It urged addressing its violations seriously. It called doing so a matter of urgency.
On March 27, HRC members adopted Israel's Universal Periodic Review (UPR). It was held on October 29, 2013.
It was rescheduled from January 2013. It was because Israel refused to engage in its review process. It wants its crimes buried.
It gets away with murder. It does so with impunity. It remains unaccountable. It gets undeserved concessions. US and EU allies assure them.
They partner with Israel. They're involved in each other's crimes. Victors' justice prevails. Victims alone are punished.
Accountability is nowhere in sight. Best efforts to change things go nowhere. Business as usual persists.
Last November, Palestinian negotiator Mohammad Shtayyeh resigned in disgust. Doing so was in response to "increasing settlement building and the absence of any hope of achieving results," he said.
Israel bears full "responsib(ility) for the failure of negotiations," he added. On Wednesday, he said Palestinians will continue talks until April 29.
If failure continues, joining 63 international organizations will follow, including the International Criminal Court. Negotiations throughout April will focus solely on borders.
He challenged Israel to present a map based on 1967 lines. He criticized Netanyahu's duplicity.
PLO executive committee member Yasser Abed Rabbo warned against meaningless Israeli gestures.
"We can't return to the empty routine, a search for a framework for talks - this empty routine which is negotiating about negotiating," he said.
"The Palestinian leadership…wants the political process to continue. But we want a real political process, without tricks," he added.
Israeli chief negotiator Livni lied saying "(w)e repeat and pledge that we will continue to fight for peace and stand like a fortified wall against the extremists, in the government as well, who are attempting to pass extreme legislation."
Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev duplicitously said "(t)he time has come to stop being the go-to sucker of the Middle East."
"I call on the prime minister and Minister Livni to end the entire negotiation process so long as Abbas doesn't withdraw his request from the United Nations, and unilaterally implement the many measures Israel has in order to convince the Palestinian leadership that it doesn't pay for them to fight us in the international arena."
In other words, Ze'ev demands unconditional Palestinian surrender. So do Netanyahu, other majority Israeli hardliners, and their negotiators bargaining one-way.
All take! No give! No compromises! How Israel always negotiates. It wants its demands alone accepted.
It wants Palestinians entirely denied. It's been this way for nearly 47 years. Nothing is different now.
Talks went nowhere for months. Failure defines them. Claims otherwise don't wash. Palestinians are blamed for Israeli obstructionism.
Israel irresponsibly called Palestine justifiably joining world bodies and treaties a "major breach" of trust.
Abbas should have done it years ago. Whether he'll use world organizations advantageously is another matter entirely.
It takes a great leap of faith to think so. He never did before. His entire tenure reflects lost opportunities. It reflected betrayal. Don't expect this time to be different.
A Final Comment
On April 3, a disappointing Haaretz editorial headlined "As Kerry falters, where is Netanyahu leading."
It claimed he "threw a spanner" into negotiations by demanding Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Israel's entire approach reflects "spanner" duplicity. Nothing respecting Palestinian rights is included. Israeli ones alone matter.
Haaretz editors didn't explain. They pretended otherwise. They falsely claimed Netanyahu committed himself to a two-state solution.
Achieving one demands including all land within 1967 borders. It's 22% of historic Palestine.
Palestinians agreed to sacrifice the other 78%. They'll do it in return for having their fundamental rights respected.
They want full sovereignty over West Bank and East Jerusalem territory. It's their land. It's their right. It doesn't belong to Israel.
Ending militarized occupation is fundamental. So are fixed borders and other important rights too important to sacrifice.
Netanyahu is committed solely to Israel. He spurns Palestinian rights. He wants them entirely denied. He's uncompromisingly hardline. Haaretz editors didn't explain.
They ludicrously claimed talks hit stalemate "without American mediation."
Nonsense! Washington is the problem. It's not the solution. It's been this way since Harry Truman became the first world leader to recognize the new Israeli state in May 1948.
It's been all downhill since. It's worse than ever now. Kerry one-sidedly favors Israel.
He gives Palestinian rights short shrift. He ignores them altogether. He's Israel's man in Washington.
As long as he and so-called US negotiators are involved, talks will go nowhere. Israeli rights alone will be served.
Palestinians will be entirely denied like always. This time is different in one respect only. It's worse than ever.
Combined US/Israeli heavy-handed tactics threaten Palestinians. They bully them to agree to what no responsible negotiators would accept.
They demand unconditional surrender. They demand Palestinians sacrifice all rights. Peace talks teeter on collapse.
Haaretz editors are partly right. They hold Netanyahu responsible. He shares it with Kerry.
Expect no meaningful change going forward. It takes a giant leap of faith to believe otherwise.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Reviewing James Petras’ The Politics of Empire: The US, Israel and the Middle East...
Reviewing James Petras' The Politics of Empire: The US, Israel and the Middle East (Part II)
Presidential Rule by Deception: Obama, the Master Con-Man
Petras pulled no punches saying "(i)n an electoral system, run by and for a corporate oligarchy, deception and demagoguery are essential elements - entertaining the people while working for the wealthy."
Every US president does it. All congressional leaders. It's "de rigueur" to pretend to be "everyman." It persists while committing "war crimes worthy of prosecution."
It's play-acting. It's duplicity. Obama is the "master of deceit." He lacks an honest bone in his body.
He condemns torture while practicing it. He denounces Wall Street excess while supporting it. He wages one war after another while promising peace.
He backs Palestinian rights while trashing them. He supports the worst of Zionist militancy. He ignores institutionalized Israeli racism.
His word isn't his bond. He broke every major promise made. He's "hands down" the "greatest con-man president in American history," Petras explains.
His predecessors pale by comparison. "(T)he enormous gap between style and substance, promise and performance, peace and war, capital and labor, has never been greater," he added.
He continually promises one thing and does another. He's a scoundrel in the worst sense of the term.
He betrayed loyal constituents who supported him. He did so without a second thought. He's more racist than most white Americans.
He reflects the worst of demagogic duplicity. He defends the indefensible. He's a weapon of mass destruction. It bears repeating. He made America unfit to live in.
The Two Faces of a Police State: Sheltering Tax Evaders, Financial Swindlers and Money Launderers While Policing the Citizens
Petras cuts to the chase saying "(n)ever in the history of the United States have we witnessed crimes committed on the scale and scope of the present day by both private and state elites."
Never has so much harm been done to so many to benefit an elite few.
Never was extreme wealth been accumulated more easily at the expense of countless millions harmed.
Never have so-called civilized societies so egregiously trashed longstanding cherished values.
Never was grand theft more institutionalized. Never were amounts involved as great as now.
Never did pillage more greatly become the national pastime. Never did so-called democratic governance more swindle its own people.
Never before did so many mega-crooks go unpunished. Never was high-crime more common practice.
Never was government in bed with business for stakes this great. Never were more people harmed in the process.
Guiding US doctrine endorses "too rich for jail, too big to fail," said Petras. Ordinary people alone suffer.
Steal a billion, two or three and stay free. Steal a loaf of bread for hungry children and face prison time. Doing it three times perhaps means for life.
Law and order don't exist. Judicial unfairness is official policy. Ordinary people haven't a chance. Monied interests control things.
The Power of Israel in the United States
Israel Buys the US Congress: Sabotaging the US-Iran Peace Negotiations.
War or peace hangs in the balance. Thirty-five years of anti-Iranian hostility persists. Zionist power wants the Islamic Republic destroyed.
It wants all Israeli regional powers removed. It wants unchallenged military dominance.
It wants Israel given the right to steal Palestinian land freely. It wants it permitted to wage aggressive wars with impunity.
Attacking Iran risks regional or global war. Since WW II, "Israel has bombed, invaded and occupied more countries in the Middle East and Africa than any previous colonial power, except the US," says Petras.
Its victims include "Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Sudan and Yemen." Its terror attacks and targeted assassinations include numerous other countries.
Israel operates lawlessly with impunity. America partners in its crimes. It provides billion of dollars in annual support.
Red lines, timelines, deadlines, sanctions, sabotage, subversion, cyber attacks, assassinations, saber rattling, warmongering, spurious accusations, manipulated to fail P5+1 talks, and inflammatory headlines up the stakes for war.
Pretexts are easy to invent. False flags precipitate them. Zionist power in America buys political support. It owns Congress. It gets most everything it wants.
Media scoundrels march in lockstep. Truth is systematically buried. Unflinching Israeli backing substitutes. Fifty-two major US Zionist organizations exert enormous influence. Political Washington bows to their will.
Obama with Israel Against the World
America is a dictatorship, says Petras. Constitutional law is null and void. It's "presidential toilet paper!"
"Legal hacks and whores scratch their backsides and regurgitate the previous illegal executive orders in order to 'legitimize' new arbitrary powers to declare war" and destroy fundamental freedoms.
Abuse of power demands impeachment. It's a national imperative. America's Declaration of Independence states:
"(W)hen a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, (it's the right of the people, it's) their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
Straightaway as president, Obama violated his sacred trust. He betrayed his constituents. He trashed rule of law principles.
He's guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors. He spurns fundamental civil and human rights. He mocks democratic values.
He threatens humanity. He's heading America for WW III. Removing him is top priority. The alternative is potentially grim.
Fifteen Minutes An American President
Obama's 2009 inaugural address promised "a new approach with a new emphasis on respect and a new willingness to talk."
Ravaging one country after another followed. So did overthrowing democratically elected leaders. Numerous other high crimes define his tenure.
He's a wolf in wolf's clothing. Neocons infest his administration. Peace is a four-letter word. Rule of law principles don't matter.
Diktat power runs things. Humanity is more than ever threatened. It may not survive on his watch. America is the real evil empire. No nation ever matched its ruthlessness. Perhaps none ever will.
Israel's Willing Executioners: AIPAC Invades Washington
"When a country, like the United States, is in decline, it is not because of external competition: declining competitiveness is only a symptom," says Petras.
"It is because of internal rot. Decline results when a nation is betrayed by craven leaders, who crawl and humiliate themselves before a minority of thuggish mediocrities pledged to a foreign state without scruples or moral integrity."
AIPAC is the most prominent face of US Zionist power. It fronts for Israel. It's an unregistered foreign agent. It calls itself "America's Pro-Israel Lobby."
Virtually no one in Congress confronts it. Doing so is a career-ender.
It has virtual veto power over war and peace, trade and investment, multi-billion dollar arms sales, enormous handouts to Israel, and all Middle East policies affecting the Jewish state under Democrat and Republican administrations alike.
It's a weapon of mass destruction. It supports Israel's worst crimes. Its annual meetings are "the most outrageous public display of Zionist-Jewish power as it shapes US foreign policy," says Petras.
"The sole purpose of AIPAC is to ensure Israel's unchallenged military and political power over a huge region from North Africa to the Persian Gulf."
Presidents, top administration officials, and congressional leaders pay homage to its power.
They march to the same drummer. They collaborate in high crimes. They support what demands condemnation.
They disgrace themselves in the process. They betray their constituents at the same time.
Fifty-two Major American Zionist Organizations control them. They serve a foreign government.
They do so against the interests of ordinary Americans. They do it "without scruples or moral integrity," says Petras.
The Great Transformation of Jewish American Charities
Charity no longer defines them. Over time, they shifted disgracefully. They did so, Petras said, from:
- "social aid for working Jews, poor immigrants and elderly Holocaust victims to political influence peddling at the service of the highly militarized state of Israel;
- from engaging in social welfare for American Jews to political lobbying for military transfers to Israel;
- from grassroots leaders sharing life styles and struggles with their rank and file donors to millionaire CEOs entertaining Zionist billionaires and banging tables for Israel at the White House while paying off the Congressional influential; and
- from reaching out and aligning with Americans working for peace with justice in the Middle East to embracing every tin horn monarch and dictator who signs off on Israeli annexation of Palestinian land."
In the process, they lost their popular mass base. Members resigned in protest. Others were forced out.
They're no longer Jewish community representatives. They front for lawless Israeli power. They do so without ethics or integrity.
Imperial and Zionist Wars and Terror in the Middle East: Palestine, Iran, Syria and Yemen
Israeli Terror: The "Final Solution" to the Palestine Question (page 130/31)
Longstanding ethnic cleansing reflects official Israeli policy. Palestinians are systematically dispossessed.
For decades, Israel "confiscat(ed) their lands, destroy(ed) (their) homes, bulldoz(ed) (their) orchards and (established) 'Jews-only' colonial settlements serviced by highways, electrical systems and water works for the exclusive use of the settlers and occupying soldiers," said Petras.
Israel is the only nation without declared borders. Its Greater Israel objective explains why. It wants them expanded.
In 1982, Oded Yinon prepared "The Zionist Plan for the Middle East." The Association of Arab-American University Graduates called it "the most explicit, detailed and unambiguous statement to date of the Zionist strategy in the Middle East."
"Its importance...lies not in its historical value but in the nightmare which it represents."
It states for Israel to survive, it must dominate the region. It must become a world power.
Doing so requires balkanizing Arab nations along ethnic and sectarian lines. It involves making them Israeli satellites.
Israel wants all historical Palestinian land, said Petras. It wants non-Jews "expel(led)." It wants Jews alone granted rights. It denies Palestinians entirely.
It commits high crimes too grave to ignore. It does so daily. It literally gets away with murder with impunity. So-called peace talks mock legitimate ones.
Palestinians are largely on their own to survive. Besieged Gazans suffer most of all. Israel keeps them isolated illegally.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas is a longtime Israeli collaborator. So are other PA officials. They're Israeli enforcers.
They betray their own people for generous benefits derived. They're complicit in causing enormous human suffering.
Obama at the General Assembly: Sacrificing Palestine for Zionist Campaign Funds
Petras discussed his September 21, 2011 address. He "overt(ly) pander(ed) to Israel," he said. He's done it at AIPAC conferences.
He supports lawless Israeli policy. He spurns fundamental Palestinian rights. He's indifferent to their vital needs.
"From the angle of satisfying the US Zionist power configuration (ZPC) and securing a massive flow of re-election financing, Obama's (2011) UN speech was a smashing success," Petras explained.
He grovels before Zionist interests. He supports hugely destructive ones. He turns a blind eye to Israel's settlement project.
He finances its wars of aggression. He vetoes all justifiable anti-Israeli Security Council resolutions
He supports wrong over right. He's a war criminal multiple times over. He disgraces the office he holds.
Israeli Bombers: Al Qaeda's Air Force
Israeli history reflects multiple crimes of war, against humanity and slow-motion genocide.
Generations of leaders deplored peace. They thrive on war. "Its foreign policy depends on perpetual regional wars and political instability," said Petras.
Fifty-two Major American Zionist Organizations endorse its lawlessness. Israel is partnered with Obama's war on Syria.
It wants another regional rival removed. Iran's turn awaits. In 2014, Israel budgeted nearly $3 billion dollars for war on the Islamic Republic.
Waging it would be madness. It remains to be seen what follows. It doesn't matter what Israel does most often.
"The entire Zionist power configuration in Washington has lined up to support the Jewish state," said Petras.
"When Israel commits an act of war against its neighbor, no matter how unjust and brutal the act, Zionists from the most religious to the most secular, the 'peacenik' and neo-cons, all form a united chorus in praise of the righteous and moral 'Jewish Bombs' even as they fall on the besieged people of Syria today and Iran tomorrow."
Peace remains elusive. It's nowhere in sight so far nor benefits accrued if it arrives.
The Bloody Road to Damascus: The Triple Alliance's War on a Sovereign State
Syria is Obama's war. Proxy death squad invaders are used. So far they lack an air force. Obama likely plans Libya 2.0.
Plans to initiate it last summer were postponed. They weren't cancelled. Full-scale war on Assad may be one major false flag incident away.
It remains to be seen what Obama plans. He wants another imperial trophy. Plans to oust Assad are firm.
The road to Tehran runs through Damascus. It's "paved with lies," Petras explains. It bears repeating. Iran's turn awaits. Perhaps regional war will follow.
Saudi Arabia: A Retrograde Rentier Dictatorship and Global Terrorism
Saudi Arabian governance mocks legitimacy. It "has all the vices and none of the virtues of an oil rich state like Venezuela," said Petras.
It's "governed by a family dictatorship which tolerates no opposition and severely punishes human rights advocates and political dissidents."
It "finances the most fanatical, retrograde, misogynist version of Islam, the 'Wahhabi' sect of Sunni Islam."
It's a valued US ally. America supports some of the world's most ruthless despots. It targets independent governments for regime change.
It want subservient pro-Western puppet leadership replacing them. It spurns democracy at home and abroad.
It's waging terror wars on humanity. It's spending trillions of dollars doing so. It lets vital homeland needs go begging. It wants unchallenged global dominance.
Iran-US Interim Agreement: Historic Breakthrough of Historic Sellout?
American agreements aren't worth the paper they're written on. US history reflects it. Native Americans suffered through centuries of heroic lost struggles. From 1492 to today, they experienced promises made and broken.
Winning the West involved betraying them. One US treaty after another was violated. Imperialism works this way. Things haven't changed. Today they're worse than ever.
Earlier US policy makers sought sea to shinning sea dominance. Today they want it globally. They want it unchallenged. They'll stop at nothing to get it.
Obama is America's latest rogue leader. He's a moral coward. He's a serial liar. His word isn't his bond. Petras asked if the so-called "historic (Geneva) breakthrough" was real or a mirage.
Does it end 34 years of Iran bashing? Or is it the latest US betrayal dressed up in diplomatic mumbo jumbo?
The Big Lie about an Iranian nuclear threat persists. It's fake. It's a red herring. US intelligence reports say so.
It's common knowledge in Washington. It doesn't matter. Congressional Iran bashing continues. So do punitive administration actions.
Petras said Geneva ostensibly "is directed toward undermining Iran's potential 'capacity' to have a nuclear program: there are no weapons to destroy, no weapons plans exist, no war plans exist and there are no strategic offensive military operations on the Iranian 'drawing board.' "
"We know this because repeated US intelligence reports" say so.
"So the entire current negotiations are over weakening Iran's ongoing peaceful, legal nuclear program..."
They aim to "undermin(e) any future advance in nuclear technology that might protect Iran from an Israeli or US attack..."
Longstanding US/Israeli policy prioritizes destroying Iranian independence. It's replacing it with pro-Western puppet governance.
It's advancing US/Israeli imperialism. It's eliminating all rival states. It's establishing unchallenged control. It's going all out by whatever means necessary.
Iran sought normalized relations with Washington and other Western countries for decades. It offered major concessions.
Its sincere efforts were spurned. Is this time different? Has Washington turned a page? Obama has all the proving to do. If past is prologue, don't expect it.
The Assassination of Anwar Al-Awlaki by Fiat
Obama ordered death by drone missile. He murdered a US citizen abroad. He did so without justification.
He committed cold-blooded murder. For sure not for the first time. Or the last. He governs by diktat authority. He ignores fundamental rule of law principles.
Bill of Rights protections are gone. International law doesn't matter. Washington rules alone apply. Hegemons operate that way.
So do rogue leaders like Obama. It bears repeating. He exceeds the worst of his predecessors.
Oligarchs, Demagogues and Mass Revolts…Against Democracy
US democracy exists in name only. Most other European ones operate the same way. Monied interests alone matter. Ordinary people have no say.
So-called "color-coded 'mass revolts' in Eastern Europe (including former Soviet republics) featured (duplicitous) popular leaders who exhorted the masses in the name of 'independence and democracy…," said Petras.
They were "pro-NATO, pro(Western) (imperial stooges) liked to neoliberal elites."
Modern-day "oligarchs privatized and sold off the most lucrative sectors of the economy, throwing millions out of work."
"They dismantled the welfare state and handed over their military bases to NATO for the stationing of foreign troops and the placement of missiles aimed at Russia."
They betrayed their own people in the process. Things are worse now than ever.
Washington's history reflects backing governments spurning the needs of their own people. Western monied interests alone matter.
Hard times inflict enormous punishment. Wars compound the worst of conditions. Things continue going from bad to worse. A race to the bottom harms countless millions.
Petras concludes saying "understanding imperial politics requires:
- analyzing its changing structure and operational code;
- identifying its ideology and technological innovations;
- analyzing the domestic foundations of empire and the interplay between overseas expansion and internal decay; and
- locating idiosyncratic domestic political configurations which influence and direct the particular policies and strategies of empire builders."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Reckless Russia Bashing Persists
Reckless Russia Bashing Persists
by Stephen Lendman
It's relentless. It persists daily. Big Lies drown out truth. Containing Russia is longstanding policy. Doing so reflects US hegemonic ambitions.
Eliminating a major rival is prioritized. Marginalizing, weakening, isolating, and co-opting it is planned. Escalated tensions risk belligerent East/West confrontation.
Whenever Washington wages war or plans one, media scoundrels march in lockstep. They regurgitate official propaganda ad nauseam. Doing so substitutes lies for truth.
New York Times editors, contributors and correspondents are some of the worst. Russia bashing persists daily.
It's in front page feature stories. It's malicious. It's irresponsible. It's longstanding against America's enemies. Times editorial policy long ago fell from grace.
Discredited correspondent Judith Miller perhaps is Exhibit A. She lied for power. She did it daily for months. She did it disgracefully.
She served up regular anti-Iraq propaganda. She used disreputable sources. They represented a Noah's Ark of scam artists.
She substituted Big Lies for truth. She claimed nonexistent WMDs. She sank to the level of straight Pentagon press handouts.
Her late 2001 - mid-2003 stories showed a reporter with an agenda. Garbage in. Garbage out. She almost single-handedly spearheaded Bush's drive for war.
She supported it. She promoted it. She used daily front page feature stories doing it. Strung together, they represented a litany of lies, damn lies, and misinformation.
Truth was systematically buried. Imperial adventurism alone mattered. She's gone from Times front pages. Other disreputable reporters replaced her.
They continue where she left off. They supported Obama's war on Libya. They back ravaging and destroying Syria.
They ignore the worst of America's longest war. They call imperial aggression humanitarian intervention. They mindlessly bash Russia.
Perhaps they want what Paul Craig Roberts calls "final war." Maybe they're comfortable about destroying planet earth to save it.
They support wealth, power and privilege exclusively. They do so over popular interests. They do it with disturbing regularity. They do it disgracefully.
They support NATO encroaching close to Russia's border. They repeat Big Lies about a nonexistent Russian threat. None whatever exists. Claiming otherwise turns truth on its head.
Moscow's Presidential Executive Office Chief of Staff Sergey Ivanov raised concerns about NATO strengthening its positions in Eastern Europe.
At the same time, he said "(l)ets wait and see" what happens. He doesn't dismiss the threat of potentially hostile forces massed near Russia's border.
Lavrov expressed concern about NATO suspending cooperation with Moscow. Doing so based on nonexistent Russian aggression doesn't wash.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said "(t)he decision taken by the foreign ministers in the NATO council to suspend civil and military cooperation with Russia creates a deja vu effect."
"The language of the statement reminds one of the battle of words during the Cold War era."
"It’s not hard to see who is going to benefit from curbing Russia and NATO's joint work on countering modern threats and challenges to international and European security, in particular in areas like fighting terrorism, piracy, and natural and man-made disasters."
"In any case, this is going to be neither Russia, nor NATO member-states."
Russia categorically denies "aggressive preparations." No evidence suggests any.
No military activities "aside from the previously declared." They're routine. They're non-belligerent. Russia has nothing to hide.
It welcomes foreign inspectors "who wished to get acquainted with the real situation in the border regions with Ukraine," said Lukashevich.
Lavrov was clear and unequivocal saying "(w)e have absolutely no intentions of crossing Ukrainian borders."
Nothing suggests otherwise. Not according to NYT reports.
On April 2, it headlined "NATO General Says He Sees Potent Russian Threat."
He sees what doesn't exist. General Philip Breedlove claims Russian hoards are within striking distance of Ukraine. They're "poised to attack on 12 hours' notice," he claims. He lied saying so.
They're able to "accomplish their military objectives within three to five days," he added.
"What we can say now is that we do see a battalion size unit moving, but what we can't confirm is that it is leaving the battlefield."
"Whether that movement is aft to a less belligerent configuration or returning to barracks, we do not see that."
Breedlove called what remains "a potent mix of warplanes, helicopter units, artillery, infantry and commandos with field hospitals and sufficient logistics to sustain an incursion into Ukraine," according to The Times report.
It might be a "coercive force," he added. It's able to move into Odessa, Transnistria, and intervene in eastern Ukraine areas.
"I think they have all the opportunities and they can make whatever decision they want," said Breedlove.
He lied claiming "(t)his is a very large, very well-equipped force to be called an exercise."
In January, Pentagon officials raised concerns about Russian ground-launched cruise missile tests.
They're silent about their own naked aggression. It's ongoing in multiple theaters. Post-9/11, it killed millions.
Russia is a powerful force for peace. It's up against a belligerent monster. It's headquartered in Washington.
Don't expect the NYT to explain. It ignores US war crimes. Bashing Russia takes precedence. Breedlove lies were featured. He stated one after another.
He outrageously said Russia used military exercises to mask its planned intervention. Once it begins, it'll "cut telephone cables, jam communications an engage in cyberwarfare to isolate the Ukrainian military on the peninsula," according to The New York Times.
Russia uses "snap" exercises to rehearse its ability to assemble substantial combat power in a short period of time," The Times added.
"They are absolutely able to bring great force to a position of readiness," said Breedlove.
"That is something that we have to think about: What does that mean geo-strategically that we now have a nation that can produce this ready force and now has demonstrated that it will use that ready force to go across a sovereign boundary?"
Stars and Stripes (S&P) is a Pentagon publication. Propaganda is regularly featured. On April 2, it headlined "Breedlove: Ukraine situation shows need for US forces in Europe."
He argued for greater US European troop strength "in light of a newly assertive Russia."
"We think it is ready to go and we think it could accomplish its objectives in between three and five days if directed to make the actions," he added.
He lied about a nonexistent threat. He said Russian hoards can invade Ukraine within 12 hours and take control in several days.
They deployed "the whole package" to the border, he claimed. Invented crisis conditions makes the case for enhancing Washington's Eastern European force presence, S&P added.
It's part of Pentagon strategy for greater military spending, not less. It's Washington's plan to confront Russia recklessly.
Doing so risks the unthinkable. World conflicts start this way. Deploying US-led NATO forces near Russia's border risks war.
Moscow wants answers. On April 3, Itar Tass headlined "Russia expects NATO to respect bilateral agreements - Lavrov."
"Russia expects explanations from NATO of its decision to deploy additional troops in East European states," he said.
"We have addressed questions to the North Atlantic military alliance. We are not only expecting answers, but answers that will be based fully on respect for the rules we agreed on," he stressed.
"It is necessary to de-escalate rhetoric which overshoots the mark and crosses into the unreasonable."
"Russia-NATO relations are based on certain rules, particularly the Rome Declaration, under which no country has a right to deploy additional troops in East European states," he added.
Doing so is a belligerent act. At the same time, NATO suspended "all practical civilian and military cooperation (with) Russia."
From Brussels, John Kerry urged greater NATO expansion. He wants more Eastern European military spending.
He wants it to show its "shared security" commitment. He lied claiming Russia confronts European borders "with force."
"It's clear the (North Atlantic) alliance is prepared for this moment…We are unified, and the alliance is strong," he added.
"…Article 5 of NATO's treaty means what it says on land, air and sea. The United States has already begun" to act.
It augmented its Eastern European presence. It plans more of the same. It "reject(s)" Crimean reunification.
"(W)e have all challenged" what doesn't exist. Kerry called it the tactics of intimidation, particularly the deployment of unprecedented amounts of military forces around Ukraine's borders."
He ludicrously claimed Ukraine is on a path toward "democratic and economic success."
He cited NATO Secretary General Rasmussen calling events in Ukraine "a wake-up call - a reminder that the stability and security in NATO's neighborhood requires our constant vigilance."
"To that end," Kerry urged "step(ped) up defense spending."
He outrageously claimed an expanding NATO "open(ed) doors for millions of people who, through the power of this alliance, now are able to experience greater opportunity, a greater prosperity, and greater security."
"As free nations, we will continue to stand together and stand always in defense of international law, of our mutual security, and of the right of nations and people everywhere to freely choose their own destiny."
On April 3, Itar Tass headlined "NASA suspends cooperation with Russia," saying:
"The US has suspended space cooperation with Russia. Ongoing activity on the International Space Station (ISS) is not affected by this decision."
"The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said on Wednesday that such a decision was taken over the current crisis in Ukraine."
"According to a NASA's memo, 'ongoing violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity' prompted the agency to halt contacts with Russia."
A growing East/West divide deepens. It does so recklessly. A leaked NATO plan calls for joint exercises and training between alliance members and three Eastern European nations - Armenia, Azerbaijan and Moldova.
It's part of NATO's so-called "smart defense" strategy. It proposes opening a Moldovan liaison office, Armenian military training, and Azerbaijan projects to secure Caspian oil and gas fields.
Ludicrous claims about Russia destabilizing Eastern Europe persist. Washington responded by beefing up its regional presence.
According to UK Prime Minister David Cameron:
"We should do everything we can to reassure our friends and colleagues in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland that we really believe in their NATO membership and the guarantees that we have given them."
Planned US-led NATO military exercises in Ukraine suggests trouble. Rapid Trident is scheduled for this summer. Similar exercises are conducted annually.
US forces in Europe web site says they're designed to "promote regional stability and security, strengthen partnership capacity, and foster trust while improving interoperability between the land forces of Ukraine, and NATO and partner nations."
Perhaps something sinister is planned this year. Maybe confrontation with Russia.
Days earlier, Vice President Joe Biden warned about Washington invoking NATO's Article 5 against Russia. It states an attack on one alliance member obligates them all to respond.
Reckless comments heighten tensions. They do so irresponsibly. Rhetoric risks becoming policy. It bears repeating. Great conflicts start this way.
On April 1, Ukraine's parliament unanimously approved joint military exercises with US-led NATO forces. Doing so puts Western troops close to Crimea.
Washington wants Ukraine made a NATO member. It's currently a Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) one.
Russia strongly opposes integrating Ukraine fully into NATO. Doing so assures US bases along its 1,400 kilometer border.
Nearby long-range nuclear-armed missiles will be deployed. They'll target its heartland. Doing so is reckless and dangerous.
Events seem headed in that direction. The worst of all possible outcomes may follow.
Avoiding confrontation with Russia should be top priority. Ongoing policies are polar opposite. On Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov commented, saying:
"In recent days we have been flooded by signals from Washington that in light of the events in Crimea and Ukraine, the US administration is changing the entire pattern of its dialogue and cooperation with us in a wide range of areas."
Washington is "seeking to demonstrate its refusal to recognize the free expression of will by the population in Crimea and the decisions adopted by us in connection with it, plans to suspend contacts even in areas where, in our opinion, the continuation of our dialogue meets the interests of the US itself."
US Russian policy "exacerbat(es) bilateral relations." Ryabkov hopes things will change. So far, East/West divisions deepen. Doing so risks the unthinkable.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Palestine to Join 15 UN Bodies and Treaties
Palestine to Join 15 UN Bodies and Treaties
by Stephen Lendman
On April 1, Abbas signed documents to do so. He'll submit them to UN authorities. It's high time he did so.
He should have years ago. It's Palestine's legal right. It's able to join all UN bodies and treaties. It can ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
It can file a formal state to state complaint against Israeli past and current officials. It can ask they be held responsible for crimes of war and against humanity.
It can ratify the Genocide Convention. It can sue Israel at the World Court. It can get a temporary restraining order. It can do so against Zionist lawlessness.
It can go to the Security Council for enforcement. If vetoed by Washington, it can petition the General Assembly.
It can do so under the 1950 Uniting for Peace Resolution 377. If approved, vetoes become null and void.
Restraining order enforcement perhaps can halt lawless settlement expansions. Perhaps lift Gaza's siege. Maybe end unlawful occupation.
Perhaps assure all long denied Palestinian rights. Failure to act responsibly assures business as usual.
Joining UN bodies and treaties is one thing. Using them responsibly alone matters. It's high time Israel was held accountable.
The alternative is continued occupation harshness. It's what no responsible leader would tolerate.
Abbas is polar opposite what Palestinians need. He's Israel's enforcer. He's a long time collaborator. He sold out at Oslo.
It remains to be seen if he's turned a leaf. It takes a great leap of faith to believe it. Smart money suggests business as usual.
Abbas has all the proving to do. His record isn't encouraging. Integrity isn't his long suit. Nor serving his people responsibly.
On Tuesday, he signed documents during a meeting with PLO officials. They unanimously endorsed them.
Abbas said he's ready to pursue an international campaign to oblige Israel to observe international law and related Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.
"We aren’t trying to pressure any party," he said. "We seek no confrontation with Tel Aviv and Washington."
"Our legitimate activities do not target any country. This is our right, and we are going to use it."
His words ring hollow. He made similar pious statements before. Nothing followed. Don't expect this time to be different. It never was before.
He says one thing. He does another. He's done so throughout his political career. He's an opportunist. He's a traitor.
It remains for responsible leadership to replace him. Israel and Washington will go all-out to prevent it.
Perhaps Cast Lead 2.0 will target all Palestine. Perhaps more ruthless than ever repression will follow.
Perhaps world leaders able to make a difference will continue turning a blind eye. They've done so since 1948. Expect nothing different this time.
Palestinians are on their own like always. They enjoy popular world street support. It's not followed by similar help in high places. That matters most.
Israeli officials believe Abbas acted to exert pressure on Israel and Washington for better peace talk terms.
So far they're entirely one-sided. Israel gets whatever it wants. Palestinians get virtually nothing. Business as usual persists.
Abbas may worry more about internal rebellion. Perhaps a third Intifada. Perhaps efforts to oust him. Maybe efforts to kill him.
Abbas said he and PLO officials acted after Israel failed to release an agreed on fourth round of Palestinian prisoners. Twenty-six remain incarcerated.
What about thousands of political prisoners languishing in Israel's gulag longterm? What about their freedom? Abbas ignores them entirely.
What about nearly 1.8 million lawlessly besieged Gazans? What about slow-motion genocide suffocating them? Their rights aren't part of peace talks?
Discussions exclude them. Abbas spurns them altogether. Claiming Israel's failure to release 26 prisoners as reason to join world bodies rings hollow.
Abbas said "(i)t is our right to turn to UN institutions, and we had postponed it for nine months and never agreed to give up that right."
He'll continue peace talks, he added. He'll do so through April 29. Perhaps longer. He'll seek conflict resolution, he said.
For a generation or longer, he did nothing responsible to do so. Don't expect this time to be different.
Abbas said the first document he signed petitioned to join the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols. ICRC and Swiss officials administer them.
Apparently he doesn't know Palestinian history. In 1989, Palestine did so. It's already a Geneva state party. Swiss authorities consider it valid.
No official request was made to join the International Criminal Court. Some reports suggested otherwise.
A previous article discussed convicted spy Jonathan Pollard's possible release. Reports said Kerry suggested doing so as an Israeli peace deal sweetener.
They said Pollard's release was imminent. Likely before Passover begins on April 14. Perhaps not now.
Things have a way of changing fast. On the one hand, Abbas petitioned to join 15 world bodies and treaties.
Kerry planned meeting with him on Wednesday. He cancelled doing so in response.
At the same time, a US parole board member Patricia Smoot said Pollard waived his planned parole hearing.
He declined to attend. It was scheduled for April 1. On the same day, Kerry and Netanyahu agreed on most details for continuing sham peace talks beyond April 29.
On April 2, meeting with Abbas was scheduled to do so. It's cancelled. It's unclear when rescheduling is planned.
An unnamed Israeli official said Washington is working on getting Abbas to agree on continuing talks.
"Things are not sealed yet but we are not far from it," he said. "We are waiting for the Palestinian response."
It remains to be seen what follows. More of the same is certain. Kerry is in lockstep with Netanyahu.
They want Palestinians denied all rights. They want Jews alone afforded them. Business as usual continues.
Sham peace talks change nothing. They were dead on arrival when began. They remain so now.
Pursuing them continues the charade. Palestinian rights are entirely spurned.
It's been this way throughout nearly 47 years of occupation. Expect no substantive change going forward.
Expect continued theft of Palestinian land. Expect occupation harshness persisting. Expect Palestinians denied all rights. Expect war, not peace.
Israeli officials reacted as expected to Abbas petitioning to join world bodies. Tourism Minister Uzi Landau said "they will pay a heavy price" for doing so.
"One of the possible measures will be Israel applying sovereignty over areas which will clearly be part of the State of Israel in any future solution," he added.
He referred to over 60% of West Bank territory Israel controls. Hardliners want it annexed to Israel.
They want East and West Jerusalem entirely. Landau wants Palestinian financial aid blocked.
Mustafa Barghouti is a former Palestinian presidential candidate. Israel rigged Abbas' election to spurn him.
He's a physician and activist. He's a BDS founding member. He's a Palestinian Legislative Council member.
He heads the Palestinian National Initiative. He wants Palestine joining all relevant world bodies and treaties.
"There will be many more international institutions and treaties to join," he said. "The International Criminal Court will be one of them in the future."
How soon he didn't say. Or whether Abbas and likeminded PLO officials will do so.
Palestinians prepared documents to join 63 world bodies and treaties. So far it's petitioning to join 15.
Expect others to follow. At issue is when, not if. Tuesday's decision was a step in the right direction. Much more needs to be done.
Most important is exercising lawful rights. Palestine is lawlessly occupied territory. It's high time past and current Israeli officials are held accountable for high crimes too grave to ignore.
It's time for World Court action against Israel. Accountability is long overdue. Pursuing it should be top priority. Long denied justice is impossible otherwise.
Legitimate Palestinian leadership is needed to pursue what Abbas failed at throughout his tenure.
He's polar opposite what Palestinians deserve. He collaborates with Israel irresponsibly. He does so illegally.
In October 2009, he pulled a draft resolution condemning Cast Lead war crimes. He turned a blind eye to Israeli lawlessness.
Before Israel attacked, he got advance word. Israeli officials briefed him. He concurred with their plans.
He urged Israel to crush Hamas. He ignored 23 days of mass slaughter and destruction. Toppling Hamas mattered more.
Avigdor Lieberman held ministerial positions under Sharon and Ehud Olmert. In April 2009, he became Netanyahu's Foreign Minister.
He explained Abbas' involvement, saying:
"Over the past year, I witnessed (Abbas) at his best. In Operation Cast Lead, (he) called us personally, applied pressure, and demanded that we topple Hamas and remove it from power."
During Cast Lead, a senior Olmert official called his comments "essentially accurate."
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said this information "reaffirms the fact that Mahmoud Abbas is no longer fit to represent our people, who conspired against his people during a war."
He was never fit to serve. He's not now. Israel and Washington chose him for that reason. He's easily manipulated against the interests of his own people. His entire political career reflects betrayal.
Cast Lead was planned months in advance. So was Israel's 8-day November 14 - 21, 2012 Pillar of Cloud aggression. Perhaps Abbas got advance word a second time.
During Israel's sustained terror-bombing, his comments were delayed, weak, meaningless and insulting. He did nothing to help beleaguered Gazans.
He ignored their suffering entirely. He concurred with Israeli mass slaughter and destruction. He deserves International Criminal Court prosecution.
Palestinians remain isolated on their own. Peace, equity, justice and liberation aren't forthcoming. Not any time soon. Not with Abbas and likeminded Israeli collaborators in charge.
A Final Comment
Longstanding New York Times policy one-sidedly supports Israel. It reacted to Abbas' decision as expected. It headlined "Abbas Takes Defiant Step, and Mideast Talks Falter."
He "defied the United States and Israel by taking concrete steps to join 15 international agencies - a move to gain the benefits of statehood outside the negotiation process."
Fact check
On November 15, 1988, the Palestinian National Council (PNC) "proclaimed the existence of the new independent state of Palestine."
It became a de facto, not a de jure, UN member. In late November 2012, it gained observer status.
Doing so permits joining all world bodies and treaties. Responsible leaders are obligated to take full advantage. Don't expect the NYT to explain.
It spurns truth. It twists facts irresponsibly. It supports what demands condemnation. It's on the wrong side of history.
It said Palestine joining world bodies and treaties created "crisis" conditions. It fears Israel one day being held accountable for decades of crimes of war and against humanity.
It fears long denied Palestinian liberation. It wants Israel alone having rights. Don't expect their editors to explain.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Reviewing James Petras’ The Politics of Empire: The US, Israel and the Middle East...
Reviewing James Petras' The Politics of Empire: The US, Israel and the Middle East (Part I)
by Stephen Lendman
It's Petras at his best. It's important reading. It covers vital topics. Petras tells readers what they need to know. His analysis is masterful. Below is an account of what he said.
Washington and Israel are longstanding imperial partners. Petras does some of the best analysis explaining it.
Overview: The State of the Empire
In the 1990s, imperial adventurism increased. Post-9/11, it accelerated. One war after another followed. They continue "unhampered by congressional or large-scale public opposition," said Petras.
At least so far. Popular opinion against Obama's Syria war postponed it. Resuming it could happen any time. Perhaps it's one major false flag attack away.
Other wars may follow. Iran's turn awaits. Ukraine's full-blown crisis and regime change aftermath happened largely beyond the timeline of Petras' book.
He's a valued contributor to a forthcoming Clarity Press (CP) account of Ukraine's crisis. It promises to be the definitive analysis of what happened, why it matters, and what may follow. Watch for CP's announced publishing date.
Zionists and militarists define their current imperial objectives as follows, says Petras:
"(1) destroying regimes and states (as well as their military, police and civil governing bureaucracies) which had opposed Israel’s annexation of Palestine;
(2) deposing regimes which promoted independent nationalist policies, opposing or threatening the Gulf puppet monarchist regimes; and
(3) supporting anti-imperialist, secular or nationalist-Islamic movements around the world."
Resistance was greater than they thought. Washington's Afghan war is its longest in history. It shows no signs of ending.
Iraq and Libya remain cauldrons of violence. Obama's war on Syria enters its fourth year.
Israel's goal isn't creating "political vacuum(s)." It's devastating its enemies. What follows is someone else's problem.
Tel Aviv loves getting Washington to wage its wars. The one Israel most wants most is destroying Iran. Whether America will oblige remains to be seen.
US economic conditions were different earlier than now. Overreach makes US leaders pause before undertaking what may cause more harm than good.
At the same time, public opinion is tired of wars. Enormous sums spent waging them harm their well-being.
A late 2013 Pew Research report confirms the gap between "elite and public opinion," says Petras.
"By a vast margin (52% to 38%), the public agree that the US 'should mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own,' " he explained.
In 2002, a scant 30% opposed foreign entanglements. Times changed dramatically.
Over 80% of Americans oppose Washington's Afghan war. Heading toward 14 years is too much.
Large majorities want domestic issues addressed. They want current jobs protected. They want new ones created. They want better ones. They want living wages. They want government serving their interests equitably.
They despise Wall Street. They reject new imperial wars. Whether they'll stop is another matter entirely.
America is addicted to war. It's the national pastime. Policymakers believe war is peace. Out-of-control imperialism reflects it.
At the same time, public antipathy to Obama's wars weakened his ability to wage new ones. Whether 9/11 2.0 can change things perhaps remains to be seen.
In 2001, public appetite for war was keener than now. "Intervention fatigue," says Petras, makes most Americans crave peace.
They're tired of endless imperial adventurism. They're suffering under the weight of pursuing it. According to Petras, they began to:
"(1) prioritize their choice of places of engagement;
(2) diversify their diplomatic, political and economic instruments of coercion; and
(3) limit large-scale, long-term military intervention to regions where US strategic interests are involved."
Washington isn't going soft by any means. A new page wasn't turned. Making the world safe for war profiteers is still policy.
Fear is stoked. It's used to manufacture consent. It's much tougher than before. It doesn't stop imperial rampagers from trying. Lots more effort is required.
Large-scale ground invasions are avoided. "Proliferation of special forces" substitutes. So do an array of destabilizing policies.
Ukraine is Exhibit A. Around $5 billion was spent replacing democratic governance with ultranationalist fascist extremists.
It's pocket change compared to trillions spent on Afghanistan and Iraq. It's changing Kiev on the cheap.
It doesn't always work. Wars remain a bottom line option. Libya is the optimal model. Shock and awe supplemented proxy ground forces.
Plans perhaps intend similar tactics against Syria. Objectives remain the same. Petras identified "at least eleven major or minor conflicts today engaging US empire builders to a greater or lesser extent."
They include "Ukraine, Thailand, Honduras, China-Japan-South Korea, Iran-Gulf States/Israel, Syria, Venezuela, Palestine-Israel, Libya, Afghanistan and Egypt."
Obama is more selective in choosing new targets. He's only got so much money to spend.
Debt reduction curtails open checkbook warmaking. Special forces in over 120 countries do it on the cheap if needed. So do CIA elements operating virtually everywhere.
China and Russia comprise Washington's bottom line targets. It's hard imagining planned war on either of them.
Co-opting neighboring states substitutes. So does surrounding them with US military bases. Weakening and isolating them matters most.
Perhaps regime change by a thousand cuts is policy. Strategy is longterm. Overreach may defeat Washington's agenda.
Perhaps China and Russia intend letting America overspend until bankruptcy. They've got their own problems to resolve at the same time.
Unity between them with likeminded allies is their best defense. America makes more enemies than friends. It's influence is declining.
China's star is rising. Russia hopes to ascend at the same time. How it weathers things over Ukraine remains to be seen. Whether America prevails is unclear.
The battle for Ukraine's soul continues. It's longterm. Russia drew a red line. It's defending its vital issues responsibly. Putin isn't rolling over for Washington. Nor should he.
Obama has a tiger by the tail. He's in bed with fascist extremists. They've got a mind of their own. He may have bitten off more than he can chew.
Putin's patience may best him. Public Ukrainian anger may defeat him. It's unclear how things will go. Knowing either way won't happen soon. Nor in other parts of the world.
Even superpowers can't prevail everywhere, all the time. Eventually they learn. Some do the hard way.
Obama's wars made America weaker. New ones may be counterproductive. Nothing will be resolved any time soon. Major struggles are longterm.
Modern day Spartas may succumb like earlier ones. Living by the sword usually means perishing the same way. America may spend itself to death. Hegemons risk overreaching and failing.
Obama "relied on a wider variety of interventions than (his) predecessor," said Petras. He subcontracted more to European allies.
France took the lead in Africa. Washington wants Japan and South Korea bearing a greater Asian burden.
It's "part of the long-term US strategy to encircle and limit China’s economic expansion," said Petras.
Middle East control and "undermining Iran" is prioritized. "The principal strategic weakness in US empire building policy lies in the absence of domestic support."
Zionist power remains the wild card. It's deeply embedded in Washington. Media support is overwhelming. So are powerful monied interests.
War is their national pastime. Aroused public opinion is the best defense against it. Revving it up now is needed more than ever.
The Obama Regime's Military Metaphysics Rejects Diplomatic Opportunities
Obama prioritizes belligerence over diplomacy. He never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity to pursue peace.
Replacing independent governments with subservient pro-Western ones is prioritized. Adversaries are ravaged and destroyed. Hegemons operate this way.
Opportunities for peace are spurned. Bullying takes precedence. Obama sacrificed a "Grand Bargain" with Iran to serve Israel.
Israeli "land-grabbing" overrode Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Destabilizing Venezuela is prioritized. Regime change matters more than normalized relations.
"Obama's Snowden caper revive(d) the Cold War," said Petras.
Obama's war on Syria rages. He's allied with perhaps uncontrollable death squad extremists.
Afghanistan is a bottomless pit of war. It could continue for another decade or two. Taliban fighters show no battle fatigue.
Containing China may end up a losing proposition. Lost US opportunities overall may not resurface. At least not in the short run.
"The world view of the Obama regime is one of mirror looking in an echo chamber," said Petras. "(I)t cannot visualize and accommodate the interests of rivals, competitors or adversaries, no matter how absolutely central they are to any meaningful compromise."
"The give and take of real world politics is totally foreign to the world's Chosen People." They only know how to " 'seize power' and create military facts, even as they then spend a dozen years and billions of dollars and millions of lives in endless wars, bemoaning lost markets amidst serial diplomatic failures."
"The epitaph for the Obama regime will read:
They fought the Wars.
They lost.
They turned friends
into enemies.
Who became
Friends of our enemies.
They stood alone, in splendid isolation,
And said it was their only choice."
The Decline of the US (and everyone else...)
Post-9/11, America "suffered a series of military defeats, experienced economic decline, and now faces severe competition and the prospect of further military losses," said Petras.
Some analysts believe US decline began decades earlier. The greater it overreaches, the faster its political and economic advantage wane.
America makes more enemies than friends. It aims to isolate Russia, China and other independent states. It may end up shooting itself in the foot trying.
Latin American countries reject US aggressiveness. They overwhelmingly oppose efforts to oust Venezuela's government.
In late March, Organization of American States (OAS) members refused to hear fascist legislator Maria Corina Machado discuss ongoing Washington manipulated violence.
She opposes democratic governance. She backed the aborted April 2002 coup against Hugo Chavez.
She's involved in instigating ongoing violence. Venezuelan National Assembly members want her investigated.
They want her charged with treason and incitement to crime. She's provoking civil war, they said. She's a Washington favorite.
Washington lost Asian influence to China. At the same time, it forged closer military ties with Japan, the Philippines and Australia.
The same holds in other areas. Empires don't fade easily. At the same time, they don't last forever.
In the end, they all die. America won't be an exception. None existed earlier.
Washington stands "totally alone" against Cuba, says Petras. OAS nations are "no longer a US haven."
At the same time, reports of US imperial decline are "overstated…(T)here is no alternative imperial or modern anti-imperial tendency on the immediate horizon," Petras explains.
Longer-term tells a different story. The 21st century began as America's. It may end as China's.
Cyber-Imperialism: The Logic Behind Mass Spying: Empire and Cyber Imperialism
Edward Snowden revelations about NSA spying connected important dots for millions. He's a gift that keeps on giving.
He explained what everyone needs to know. Doing so "provoked widespread protests and indignation and threatened ties between erstwhile imperial allies," said Petras.
Obama presides over a homeland police state apparatus. "One of (its) essential components (is) an all-pervasive spy apparatus operating independently of any legal or constitutional constraints," he explained.
Big Brother watches everyone. Claims otherwise don't wash. Electronic and telecommunications surveillance is sweeping.
It's pervasive. It targets everyone of potential interest. It operates globally. It's a power unto itself. It's unaccountable.
As technology advances, it promises worse ahead. No one can escape its spying eye. It monitors world leaders. It cracks encryption protections.
It listens to phone calls. It monitors emails and text messages. It accesses financial and medical records.
It conducts espionage to get a leg up on foreign competitors. It does so with electronic ease.
Huge stakes are involved. Empires need to do more to hold on to what they have. They want their power enhanced.
They want total unchallenged control. They want what's not easy to get.
The " 'Global War on Terror" (GWOT), became an open-ended formula for the civilian warlords, militarists and Zionists to expand the scope and duration of overt and covert warfare and espionage," said Petras.
It "provided the ideological framework for a police state based on the totalitarian conception that 'everybody and everything is connected to each other' in a 'global system' threatening the state."
"This 'totalistic view' informs the logic of the expanded NSA, linking enemies, adversaries, competitors and allies."
A Big Brother world is no fit one to live in. It exists. It seeks omnipotence. It wants total control. Civil liberties and human rights are discarded in the process. They're disappearing in plain sight.
Police State: The Domestic Foundation of Empire - Fabricating Terror Conspiracies
America's only enemies are ones it creates. Its war on terror is fake. It's waged to stoke fear.
Supportive propaganda rages. Media scoundrels march in lockstep. They hype what demands denunciation.
They do it without supportive evidence. None exists. They regurgitate official lies. They repeat them ad nauseam.
Alleged global and domestic threats are fraudulent on their face. Warnings repeat anyway. Lies substitute for truth. They wore thin long ago.
Most people are fooled anyway. Many pay no attention either way.
"By evoking a phony 'terrorist threat' abroad and its detection by the NSA, Obama hopes to re-legitimize his discredited police state apparatus," says Petras.
At the same time, he "seeks to cover-up (his) most disreputable policies, despicable 'show trials' and harsh imprisonment of government whistle blowers and political, diplomatic and military defeats and failures which have befallen the empire in the present period."
Petras calls Obama "the Master of Deceit." He's polar opposite what supporters want. He wages multiple imperial direct and proxy wars. He plans new ones.
He wrecked the economy. He looted the nation's wealth. He consigned millions to unemployment or underemployment.
Poverty, homelessness and hunger increased on his watch. He heads America toward full-blown tyranny.
Monied interests own him. He supports wealth, power and privilege. He let popular needs go begging.
He destroyed hard-won labor rights. He wants education commodified. He wants it made another business profit center.
He wages war on whistleblowers, dissenters, Muslims, Latino immigrants, and environmental and animal rights activists called terrorists.
He's a con man. Petras nailed him before taking office. He called him "the perfect incarnation of Melville's Confidence Man. He catches your eye while he picks your pocket. He gives thanks as he packs you off to war."
He spurns human need. He ignores rule of law principles. He deplores democratic values. He tolerates none at home or abroad. He wages war on freedom.
The Rise of the Police State and the Absence of Mass Opposition
Recent US history witnessed "the virtually unchallenged rise of the police state," said Petras. Diktat power rules. No mass pro-democracy movement confronts it. It rages out-of-control.
Bipartisan complicity supports it. So do media scoundrels. It reflects McCarthyism writ large. Anyone can be targeted for any reason or none at all.
Constitutional rights don't matter. Arbitrary rule replaced them. Police state powers reflect it.
It's "the dominant reality in US political life today," says Petras. It's largely unchallenged. Dismissiveness substitutes for mass outrage.
Obama gets away with murder and much more. Media scoundrels hype state-sponsored fear-mongering. Fake threats persist. Dissent is increasingly criminalized. Wars substitute for peace.
Part II continues discussing Petras' new book.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Another False Flag Chemical Weapons Attack Planned
Another False Flag Chemical Weapons Attack Planned
by Stephen Lendman
Jobar is a Damascus area suburb. On April 1, Syria's permanent UN envoy Bashir al-Jaafari said terrorists plan attacking it with chemical weapons.
He knew days earlier. He sent two identical letters to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Security Council President Joy Ogwu.
He said Syrian authorities monitored a landline call between two Jobar area terrorists. They discussed distributing gas masks to their elements to protect against a planned toxic gas attack.
A second intercepted call discussed launching it. Blaming Assad for their crime is planned. At issue is Ghouta 2.0.
On August 21, 2013, Assad was wrongfully blamed for insurgents attacking Ghouta. It's a Damascus suburb.
Clear evidence proved a false flag. Terror gangs launched others earlier. At the time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said:
"We’re getting more new evidence that this criminal act was of a provocative nature."
"In particular, there are reports circulating on the Internet, in particular that the materials of the incident and accusations against government troops had been posted for several hours before the so-called attack. Thus, it was a pre-planned action."
It reflects "another anti-Syrian propaganda wave." Calls for force "heard from EU capitals (are) unacceptable."
Assad demonstrated a "constructive approach." He did so by letting UN experts investigate sites of previous chemical weapons attacks.
Insurgents reject a similar cooperative approach, Lukashevich added.
Al-Jaafari said information obtained revealed Jabhat al-Nusra plans striking the suburban Damascus Adra area Sukkar site.
Video evidence showed a BMP armored vehicle loaded with 7,000 kilograms of TNT and C4. Another car was loaded with explosives. Both contained chemical weapons.
"There's nothing called the international community, unfortunately," al-Jaafari said.
"We directed two letters to the Security Council to have the countries that keep talking about the threats of chemical weapons to pressure the countries sponsoring and funding these terrorist groups - specifically the Turkish, Saudi, and Qatari governments - to prevent such terrorist acts by pressuring these terrorist gangs."
This matter is now in the hands of Security Council members. They've got it before an attack occurs. Whether it will now remains to be seen.
Al-Jaafari raised concern about Turkey's involvement in terrorist attacks. In the past week, Damascus sent five letters to Ban Ki-moon and Security Council President Joy Ogwu.
Terrorist groups "c(ome) from Turkish territories and were covered by Turkish artillery, tanks and aircrafts so that they aren't engaged by the Syrian Army in that area, with the purpose of the Turkish military involvement being an attempt to distract the Syrian Army form these terrorist groups so that they may commit their heinous acts," said al-Jaafari.
Western-backed death squads are desperate. They'll try anything. They've done it many times before. Assad was wrongfully blamed for chemical weapons attacks they launched.
Saudi Arabia is directly involved. So are CIA operatives, US special forces and Pentagon contractors. Terrorists are trained in CW use in Turkey and Jordan. Perhaps in Israel.
Syria is Obama's war. He bears full responsibility for over three years of horrific death, destruction, mass displacement and human misery.
State terrorism is official US policy. Humanity is targeted globally. Syria is in the eye of the storm. Obama wants another imperial trophy.
Israel wants a regional rival eliminated. Isolating Iran is planned. Perhaps attacking it. Dick Cheney is an unindicted war criminal multiple times over.
Last weekend, he addressed a closed-door Republican Jewish Coalition annual spring meeting. He did so in Las Vegas.
Former Florida Governor/perhaps 2016 Republican presidential aspirant Jeb Bush attended. So did Republican Governors Chris Christie (NJ), Scott Walker (WS), and John Kasich (OH).
Cheney ridiculed Obama's foreign policy. He's not tough enough, he said. He rejected ongoing P5+1 Iranian nuclear talks.
He voiced support for Israel attacking its facilities. Attendees responded with applause.
Sheldon Adelson is a gaming tycoon multi-billionaire. He's one of America's richest. He's ideologically over-the-top.
He's militantly hard right. He advocates nuking Iran. He did so last October. He wants an atom bomb detonated in an Iranian desert area. He wants it "serv(ing) as a shot across the bow."
"Then you say, 'See! The next one is in the middle of Tehran. So we mean business.' "
Neocon extremists want pro-Western puppet regimes replacing legitimate Iranian and Syrian governments. They endorse destroying both countries to achieve their objective.
They're mindless about potentially millions of lost lives. Imperial priorities alone matter. Wars of aggression persist.
Peace and stability are systematically spurned. Chemical, biological, radiological, and other illegal weapons are used. Anything goes is official policy.
No verifiable evidence shows Syrian forces used chemical weapons against anyone at any time throughout years of conflict. Claiming otherwise is willful, malicious lying.
Clear evidence proved terrorists used sarin and other chemical weapons multiple times.
UN investigators confirmed their sarin use. They did so before equivocating on their initial statement. Waffling followed heavy Western pressure.
In March 2013, credible evidence showed insurgents used chemical weapons. Home-made rockets fired contained CL 17.
It's a form of chlorine. It induces vomiting, fainting, suffocation and seizures. People nearby were affected.
Civilians are harmed most. Western-backed death squads target them. Assad loyalists are most vulnerable.
A no longer accessible January 29, 2013 UK Daily Mail report headlined "US 'backed plan to launch chemical weapon attack on Syria and blame it on Assad's regime,' " saying:
"Leaked emails have allegedly proved that the White House gave the green light to a chemical weapons attack in Syria that could be blamed on Assad's regime and in turn, spur international military action in the devastated country."
"A report released on Monday contains an email exchange between two senior officials at British-based contractor Britam Defence where a scheme 'approved by Washington' is outlined explaining that Qatar would fund rebel forces in Syria to use chemical weapons."
In May 2013, Turkish police arrested 12 suspected Al Nusra fighters. They were seized in southern Turkey. They were caught red-handed with a two gm cylinder of sarin nerve gas.
Initial Turkish media reports said four and a half pounds of sarin were seized. Handguns, grenades, bullets and various documents were found.
In December 2012, a Syrian insurgent video surfaced. It showed terrorists testing chemical weapons on lab rabbits. Threats to use them against Assad loyalists followed.
Lab equipment and chemical containers were shown. Some bore the Turkish chemical company Tekkim name.
An Arabic text wall poster read, "The Almighty Wind Brigade (Kateebat A Reeh Al Sarsar)."
A man was shown mixing chemicals in a beaker. It emits gas. Rabbits in a glass box have convulsions, collapse and die. The audio states:
"You saw what happened. This will be your fate, you infidel Alawites. I swear by Allah to make you die like these rabbits, one minute after you inhale the gas."
Death squads use terror tactics. They're no match against Syria's superior military. It's routing insurgents effectively. Impressive victories were achieved.
Terrorist leader Abdullah Ghazal was killed. An insurgent al-Batra position was destroyed. Many foreign fighters were killed or injured.
Numerous terrorist pockets were eliminated. Ones in areas around al-Zabadani, Douma, Bilal Abdelhaq, Deir al-Asafir, Ein Tarma, al-Mleiha, al-Masri, Pnoq al-Hawa, Abu Hawadid, Jeb al-Jarrah, al-Ghassebiyeh, al-Dar al-Kabira and elsewhere were destroyed.
In recent days, scores, perhaps hundreds, of terrorists were killed or wounded. Their weapons and munitions were eliminated or seized.
An al-Hosen Homs area explosives factory was discovered and destroyed. Terrorists sustain heavy losses daily.
What they plan next remains to be seen. Will US-led NATO Libya 2.0 follow? Is destroying Syria entirely planned?
Is eliminating the Syrian Republic altogether? Is replacing it with another subservient pro-Western puppet regime coming?
Does Israel plan its own direct intervention? Will perhaps hundreds of thousands of Syrians perish? Will horrendous more war crimes be committed?
Obama is a serial killer. There's no telling what he'll do. Anything is possible on his watch. At stake is humanity's survival.
Whether Americans awaken to the threat and act responsibly remains to be seen. They're largely dismissive.
Their welfare and future are at stake. They lie in their own hands. Passivity is no longer an option.
Resisting tyranny is a universal right. When governments act lawlessly, replacing them is a moral imperative.
It's obligatory. It's vital. World peace hangs in the balance. The alternative is police state repression. It's potential mass annihilation. Preventing it matters most.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
NATO Plans Global Dominance
NATO Plans Global Dominance
by Stephen Lendman
NATO was established in April 1949. It's a US imperial tool. It's been this way from inception. Washington provides the lion's share of funding. It's around 75%.
Claiming a NATO "political and military alliance for peace and security" doesn't wash. It never did. It's polar opposite truth. NATO's mission is offense, not defense.
Post-WW II, the Russians weren't coming. War devastated their country. It took years to recover. Cold War hysteria was contrived. It stoked fear.
It launched an arms race. War profiteers benefitted hugely. Napoleon once said: "Men are moved by two levers only: fear and self-interest."
Robert Griffiths is UK Communist Party general secretary. In 2010, he called NATO a "global military and reconnaissance infrastructure…created to support US, British and western European big business interests, especially energy, financial and armaments monopolies."
What began "as a cold war provocation against a non-existent Soviet threat (now) invent(s) or exaggerat(es) threats from so-called failed or rogue states, Islamic fundamentalism and cyber-terrorism."
NATO's original 12 members included America, Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Portugal and Iceland.
Four new members were added before the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. They included Greece and Turkey (1952), West Germany (1955), and Spain (1982).
NATO currently includes 28 member nations, 22 Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) ones, seven Mediterranean Dialogue countries, and four Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) states.
They comprise nearly one-third of world nations. NATO plans exponential expansion. It wants new members and partners on all continents. It wants them virtually everywhere.
It's Washington-led. It's a global killing machine. It wants all adversaries and potential ones eliminated. It wants unchallenged world dominance.
April 4, 2009 was NATO's 60th anniversary. Peace groups, global justice movements, trade unions, students, and others met in Strasbourg, France.
They rallied under the slogan "No to War - No to NATO." They called NATO an obstacle to world peace. They issued a public statement, saying:
NATO "is a vehicle for US-led use of force with military bases on all continents, bypassing the United Nations and the system of international law, accelerating militarization and escalating arms expenditures."
"To achieve our vision of a peaceful world, we reject military responses to global and regional crises. We refuse to live under the terror of nuclear weapons, and reject a new arms race."
World security depends on peaceful cooperation and coexistence. NATO dominance prevents it.
Bogus threats justify the unjustifiable. Enemies are invented when none exist. They're pretexts for aggressive wars.
They follow one after another. Multiple ones continue at same time. New nations await targeting.
A permanent state of war exists. World peace is threatened. Bosnia 1995 was NATO's first war of aggression. In 1999, raping Yugoslavia followed. So did war on humanity through today.
Most world nations are allied militarily with America and its NATO allies. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) alone includes 53 nations.
Dozens of countries partner in America's wars. Since 1999, they included air and ground conflicts on three continents - Europe, Asia and Africa.
Will more European war follow? Will US-led NATO dare risk it with Russia? Will South America be targeted? Will Venezuela be ground zero?
Will war on humanity destroy it? Will lunatics making policy risk it? Conditions today are incendiary. World peace was never more threatened.
Ukrainian geopolitical flashpoint conditions risk global war. Paul Craig Roberts calls it a "final" one. World wars I and II were warmups.
Weapons used then were toys compared to now. Humanity could be annihilated in 24 hours or less. The insanity of potential nuclear war makes the unthinkable possible.
Roberts says we're "again on the road to World War." The "drive (toward it) is blatantly obvious." Big Lies precipitating global conflict are "obvious."
America, rogue NATO partners, other willing governments and media scoundrels are involved. Propaganda wars precede hot ones.
Big Lies repeat with disturbing regularity. Rule of law principles don't matter. World peace is a non-starter. Global conquest is US-led NATO's long sought goal. It's insatiable. It's madness.
Imagine risking planet earth's destruction to control it. NATO plans eastern expansion.
Obama lied saying contingency plans must be "updated" to assure "we do more to ensure that a regular NATO presence among some of these states that may feel vulnerable" to Russia.
No threat whatever exists. America and its rogues allies alone threaten world peace. Their agenda goes all-out to prevent it.
Millions of corpses bear witness. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a US imperial stooge. He regurgitates what his US masters tell him.
"I join Barack Obama in considering additional NATO measures: updated defense plans, enhanced exercises, (and) appropriate deployments" closer to Russia's borders, he said.
Military cooperation with Ukraine will be enhanced, he added. On April 1, Reuters headlined "NATO plans support for east Europeans worried about Crimea."
It switched headlines midday to "NATO sees no sign of Russian pullback from Ukraine border."
On April 1 and 2, NATO ministers met in Brussels. They examined "options ranging from stepped-up military exercises and sending more forces to eastern members states, to the permanent basing of alliance forces there…"
Encroaching closer to Russia's border is hugely provocative. Imagine Washington's reaction if Moscow planned deploying its forces along America's northern and/or southern borders.
Imagine if its warships patrolled its east, west, and Gulf of Mexico waters. Imagine if its warplanes patrolled close to its airspace.
Imagine potential war erupting. Imagine it following provocative US-led NATO plans.
Claiming a Russian threat doesn't wash. None whatever exists. Moscow prioritizes peaceful co-existence. America is obsessed with empire building.
A circulating social media graphic shows Western and Eastern Europe infested with NATO bases encroaching on Russia's borders.
How dare Moscow locate its territory close to NATO military installations, it suggests.
Putin abhors acquiring territory belligerently. He's polar opposite Obama. He prioritizes peace and stability.
You'd never know it from how intensively he's bashed. He's an obstacle to unchallenged US global dominance.
He's the best chance around to prevent it. He deserves praise, not condemnation.
He deserves Nobel Peace Prize recognition. He deserves what only war criminals get. Obama is Exhibit A.
He claims no intention in intervening militarily in Ukraine. He's a serial liar. He broke every major promise made. His word isn't his bond.
He represents the worst of rogue leadership. His conspiratorial partners share responsibility. Wrongfully claiming Russia seized Crimean is a rallying cry for war.
Germany is more belligerent than any time since WW II. It's considering sending warplanes to patrol Eastern European airspace.
NATO deployed aircraft doubled in recent weeks. Expect more of the same ahead. Expect Western warships patrolling Black Sea waters provocatively.
Expect NATO forces establishing a permanent Ukrainian presence. Expect fascist putschists supplied destructive weapons and munitions.
Expect provocative NATO-led war games on Russia's borders. Washington already increased its Eastern Europe air patrols.
Its NATO ambassador Douglas Lute said Kerry would discuss additional measures with Eastern European allies.
"They will talk about…what more can be done to amplify the measures that have been taken already and to sustain them over time so that these measures are not simply short-term gestures," he said.
Preparing for was takes time. Perhaps plans were drawn to wage what Paul Craig Roberts calls the "final" one.
A nonexistent Russian threat is being hyped provocatively. America's sordid history is long and disturbing.
Enemies are invented. They're pretexts for war. Permanent ones reflect official US policy.
The late Gore Vidal once said "our rulers…made sure that we are never to be told the truth about anything that our government has done to other people, not to mention our own."
Historian Harry Elmer Barnes (1889 - 1968) worried about disturbing trends. If they continue, "we shall soon reach this point of no return, and can only anticipate interminable wars, disguised as noble gestures for peace," he said.
Washington threatens humanity. Hans Morgenthau (1904 - 1980) was a prominent geopolitical observer. Ignore reality and perish, he believed.
He called a third world war inevitable. A "strategic nuclear war," he said. "I do not believe anything can be done to prevent it."
"The international system is simply too unstable to survive for long." America bears full responsibility. Rogue European, Israeli and other conspiratorial partners share it.
Escalating tensions makes the unthinkable possible. Obama itches for more war. His entire tenure reflects it. He waged multiple and direct ones from day one to now.
They're wars of choice, not necessity. They lawless acts of aggression. They continue out-of-control. He's got lots more targets in mind. Imagine challenging Russia belligerently.
Imagine what no previous US presidents dared. Imagine lunatics doing it for unchallenged power. Imagine the worst of all possible outcomes. Imagine risking mass annihilation.
The road to hell is paved with megalomaniacal ambitions. Whether or not Nero fiddled while Rome burned pales in comparison today's threat.
Incendiary geopolitical global conditions exist. They're worse than any time since WW II. They're real. It bears repeating. At stake is humanity's survival.
Obama risks destroying it entirely. East/West global war is the surest way to do it. His agenda heads increasingly closer to waging it.
It's hard imagining anything more reckless. Stopping him before it's too late matters most. Humanity's survival depends on it. What greater priority than that.
A Final Comment
On April 1, NATO suspended all military and civilian cooperation with Russia. It did so based on lies relating to Ukraine. A statement said:
"We have decided to suspend all practical civilian and military cooperation between NATO and Russia."
"Our political dialogue in the NATO-Russia Council can continue, as necessary, at the Ambassadorial level and above, to allow us to exchange views, first and foremost on this crisis."
In June, NATO/Russian relations will be reviewed. NATO foreign ministers urged Moscow "to take immediate steps…to return to compliance with international law."
US-led NATO blames lawlessly targeted countries for its crimes. It's "implement(ing) immediate and longer term measures to strengthen Ukraine's ability to provide for its own security."
It's not threatened. It doesn't matter. NATO wants greater encroachment on Russia's border. It wants it provocatively targeted.
It wants long range nuclear armed missiles targeting its heartland. It wants what no responsible threatened leader would tolerate.
It wants its fascist putschist allies involved in provocative lawlessness. Perhaps a major false flag operation is planned.
Perhaps it's to goad Russia into belligerent confrontation. Perhaps it's for what Paul Craig Roberts calls "final" war.
Hegemons operate this way. America exceeds the worst of all earlier ones. Obama heads the world's most ruthless one by far.
World conquest involves lots more death and destruction he has in mind. It means eliminating all rivals and potential ones.
It may end up destroying planet earth to own it. Perhaps nothing will be left worth fighting for.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Jonathan Pollard’s Imminent Release?
Jonathan Pollard's Imminent Release?
by Stephen Lendman
On Monday, John Kerry traveled to Israel for the 11th time. He did so relating to sham peace talks. Last July they began. No progress whatever was achieved.
Kerry wants Palestinians relinquishing fundamental rights too important to sacrifice. He's Israel's man in Washington.
An April 29 deadline approaches. Kerry wants it extended. He wants more time for bullying and bluster.
He spent Monday in discussions with Netanyahu and Palestinian negotiators. He left Tuesday. He did so to attend day two Brussels NATO ministers talks.
He'll return on Wednesday for further discussions. Or will he? On Tuesday evening, he said he won't return after PLO officials said they'll apply for membership to 15 world organizations. They include the International Criminal Court.
It's their legal right to do so. Kerry isn't pleased. He wants Palestinians denied all rights. Talks will continue, he said. It's "up to the parties" to make progress, he added.
Speculation grows about an imminent Pollard release. In 1985, he was arrested. He's an American convicted on spying for Israel.
He's the only person in US history sentenced to life imprisonment for spying on an ally. Customary punishment is 10 years except in cases involving a US agent's death.
Or with regard to "nuclear weaponry…war plans, communications intelligence or cryptographic information." According to a CIA 1987 damage assessment, Pollard wasn't asked to spy on US military activities.
Just collect US information on Arab states, Soviet Russia and Pakistan, especially key weapons systems.
Israel asked for a signals intelligence manual. They wanted it to monitor Soviet advisers in Syria.
CIA's assessment said Israelis "never expressed interest in US military activities, plans, capabilities or equipment."
Pollard was voluntarily willing to supply information beyond what his handlers requested.
He provided over 1,500 daily Middle East and North Africa Summar(ies) (MENAS), Mediterranean Littoral Intelligence Summar(ies) (MELOS), Indian Ocean Littoral Intelligence Summar(ies), plus over 800 over stolen documents on other targets.
CIA's assessment suggested his personal life and professional behavior warranted alerting his superiors about a potential security risk.
Naval intelligence Task Force 168 was involved in HUMINT (human intelligence) collection. During a 1980 assignment with the operation, Pollard made false statements.
Rafi Eitan headed Mossad's operation to kidnap Adolph Eichmann. He was Prime Minister Menachem Begin's terrorism advisor.
He assumed responsibility for the Pollard affair. He resigned over what happened. He's now aged 87.
In 2006, he said Pollard provided "information of such high quality and accuracy, so good and so important to (Israel's) security (that) my desire, my appetite to get more and more material overcame me."
US officials said documents he collected would have measured 6 x 6 feet wide and 10 feet high.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said "Pollard was convicted of espionage and is serving his sentence. I do not have any update for you on his status.
Hardline Israeli officials said releasing Palestinian prisoners they want incarcerated is too high a price for his freedom.
Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon said he'd quit Netanyahu's coalition government if they're freed. Combining it with Pollard's release doesn't matter, he stressed.
On April 1, Haaretz headlined "Senior Israeli official: Deal on settlement freeze for Pollard's release nearly sealed."
Unnamed "senior Israeli officials" said Kerry and Netanyahu sealed "most…details of the deal to extend peace talks," Haaretz reported.
Palestinians were blackmailed to accept. They were bullied to do so. Disobeying Washington means unspecified consequences. Terms allegedly agreed on include:
- Palestinians extending talks another year;
- legitimate UN diplomatic moves they're entitled to pursue won't follow;
- Washington will release Pollard before Passover begins on April 14;
- Israel will release 26 more Palestinian prisoners; they'll include 14 Israeli Arab citizens;
- another 400 close to completing their imprisonments will be freed; choices exclude sick prisoners and significant political ones supporters demand be released;
- for the next eight months, Israel will freeze most settlement construction, government tenders, and marketing of lands and planning except for East Jerusalem;
Fact check: Settlement expansions continue unabated. It's longstanding Israeli policy. Netanyahu demands it.
Previous announced freezes were Big Lies. Netanyahu's promises rang hollow. They're no different now.
His word isn't worth the paper it's written on. He can't be trusted. He's like Obama. He's a serial liar. He says one thing. He does another. Expect no policy change going forward.
"Who is Jonathan Pollard," asked Haaretz? As a student in 1970, he first visited Israel. He came as part of a Weizmann Institute science program.
On September 19, 1979, US Navy Field Operational Intelligence Office's Anti-Terrorism Alert Center hired him as an analyst.
In 1984, Israeli air force veteran Aviam Sella recruited him to spy on America. He was told Washington denies Israel vital national security related information it needs.
On November 21, 1985 he was arrested. It was on suspicion of spying for Israel. In 1987, he was convicted on one espionage charge.
Because his crime occurred before November 1, 1987, he's eligible for parole after 30 years confinement. It's provided good conduct warrants doing so.
Under these terms, he can be freed on November 21, 2015. At his lawyer's request, Israel granted him citizenship in 1995. In 1998, he admitted spying for Israel for the first time.
Many Israelis consider him a national hero. They call his sentence disproportionately harsh.
He acted out of loyalty to Israel, they say. He meant America no harm. He obtained documents on countries other than his own. Numerous Israeli prime ministers lobbied for his release.
According to US officials, he did more damage to America than people realize. Admiral Thomas Brooks (ret.) claims Edward Snowden alone exceeded it.
He said he obtained information on US collection methods. He claimed an estimated 1.7 million documents dealing with US surveillance capabilities and those of its adversaries.
During Clinton's presidency, then CIA chief George Tenet threatened to resign if he was released.
In 1999, Seymour Hersh said Soviet Russia might have obtained information he sent Israel. Former US naval intelligence officers said the volume he provided alone warranted his longterm incarceration.
To force Palestinian negotiators to accept what no legitimate ones would consider, Washington may be willing to release him.
At stake is getting Netanyahu to agree on sticky issues he can later renege on.
Note: Hours after he allegedly agreed to freeze most government tenders, Israel issued 708 new residential ones beyond the Green Line. It's on stolen Palestinian land.
Another promise made. Another broken. This one perhaps in record time. In 2013, lawless West Bank settlement starts more than doubled.
Expect 2014 repeating what happened or exceeding it. Israel rages to steal as much Palestinian land. It wants it as quickly as possible.
It wants all valued Judea and Samaria territory colonized for Jews only. It wants Palestinians ethnically cleansed.
It wants them confined to worthless isolated bantustans. Ideally it wants them gone altogether.
It wants the worst of occupation harshness continued. It wants Jews alone given rights. It wants Muslims ruthlessly persecuted. It wants war, not peace.
It remains to be seen how Palestinian negotiators react to the latest betrayal. If past is prologue, expect business as usual to continue. Collaborators operate this way.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kerry and Lavrov: World’s Apart
Kerry and Lavrov: World's Apart
by Stephen Lendman
On Sunday, both men met for further talks. They did so in Paris. They discussed Ukraine for four hours. Nothing was resolved.
Kerry demands business as usual. He wants Washington rules enforced. He wants Ukrainians having no say.
Lavrov wants fundamental rule of law principles observed. He wants Ukraine free from fascist putschists.
He wants legitimate governance replacing them. He wants what Ukrainians want. He wants what Washington won't permit. A post-meeting Kerry statement said in part:
"The US and Russia have differences of opinion about the events that led to this crisis."
"Both sides made suggestions on ways to deescalate the security and political situation in and around Ukraine."
"We agreed to consider the ideas and the suggestions that we developed tonight and to continue our discussions soon."
"In a frank conversation this evening with Foreign Minister Lavrov, I made clear that the United States still considers the Russian actions to be illegal and illegitimate, and Russians' actions over the past several weeks have placed it at odds, obviously, with the rule of law and the international community, and we still believe on the wrong side of history."
"But any real progress in Ukraine must include a pullback of the very large Russian force that is currently massing along Ukraine’s borders."
"And tonight I raised with the foreign minister our strong concern about these forces."
"We believe that these forces are creating a climate of fear and intimidation in Ukraine."
"It certainly does not create the climate that we need for the dialogue and for the messages sent to both the international community as well as to Ukrainians themselves about the diplomatic channel."
"The Ukrainian Government has demonstrated remarkable restraint in the face of enormous pressure. It has shown the world a kind of courage and resilience that every country ought to applaud."
"And as it continues down this path, the United States of America and our partners will remain firmly by its side."
On the one hand, Ukraine's government is polar opposite restrained. It's militant. It's repressive. It's despotic. It's illegitimate. It assures hardline rule. It guarantees what follows continues it.
It bears full responsibility for growing fear gripping eastern and southeastern Ukraine. Western Ukrainians have yet to feel its full political, economic and repressive harshness. It's coming.
On the other hand, Russian hordes aren't massed on Ukraine's border. They pose no threat. They aren't coming. Kerry lied suggesting otherwise.
So did other US officials. Media scoundrels regurgitate their fearmongering ad nauseam.
Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman Diane Feinstein (D. CA) called (nonthreatening, Western monitored) Russian troops on routine maneuvers "a formation that looks like an invasion force."
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chairman Mike Rogers (R. MI) claims information he has suggests a possible Russian invasion of Transnistria.
It's a breakaway state. It's between the Dniestra River and eastern Moldovan border. It has a large ethnic Russian population.
Rogers claims Russian forces massed in South Ossetia. He lied saying Putin "is considering an invasion of both Georgia and Armenia." He wants Nagorno-Karabach "as part of an effort to create an overland link between Russia and Iran," he added.
General Philip Breedlove is Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander of US European Command. Last week, he spoke irresponsibly, saying:
Russia's "snap exercise puts an incredible force at a border. (It's) at the Ukrainian border now to the east and is very, very sizable and very, very ready."
"You cannot defend against that if you are not there to defend against it."
"So I think we need to think about our allies, the positioning of our forces in the alliance and the readiness of those forces…such that we can be there to defend against it if required, especially in the Baltics and other places."
He suggested Moscow could target Transdneistria next. "There is absolutely sufficient force postured on the eastern border of Ukraine to (do it) if the decision was made…and that is very worrisome, he added.
He called Russia "more…an adversary than a partner."
On Sunday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told Breedlove to consult with US allies in Brussels about a possible Russian invasion of Moldova.
The Big Lie about possible Russian aggression persists. Repeating it reflects irresponsible fearmongering.
It deflects attention from what matters most. US imperial madness escalates tensions. It risks stoking conflict.
Lavrov's comments reflect responsible diplomacy. He's going all-out for peaceful crisis resolution.
He knows what he's up against. Dealing with Washington isn't easy. Hegemons want things their way.
Following discussions in Paris, Lavrov said:
"We have held intensive talks, primarily on the crisis in Ukraine."
"We expressed differing points of view on its causes but agreed to look for points of contact in efforts towards a settlement of the situation in Ukraine."
"We agreed to work with the Ukrainian government, with the Ukrainian people in a broad sense in order to press for such priority measures as ensuring the rights of national minorities, language rights, the disarming of provocateurs, the effectuation of a constitutional reform, and the holding of free and honest elections under an unbiassed international supervision."
"We are convinced that federalism is a very important component of such a reform."
"The main thing is to ensure Ukraine's unity with due regard for the interests of all regions of the country without exception so that the country would function as an integrated state."
"It is essential to find compromises and consensus among all regions."
"Ukrainian statehood is yet to be sealed. I do not think that this will be possible to do on a steady basis if the fact of the Russian language as, undoubtedly, the second main language in Ukraine, is ignored."
"I do not think that in this way it will be possible to avoid accords, which in this or that way would signify a federalization of Ukraine."
"We do not impose any diagrams. The Ukrainians must reach agreement themselves as to how the rights are respected, those of both western, eastern, and southern regions."
"There must exist some diagram which would enable each region to elect its own leadership. I think that there is no way round it."
Lavrov denied alleged Moscow intention to split Ukraine. "Federation does not mean, as some in Kiev fear, an attempt to split" the country, he stressed.
"To the contrary, federation…answers the interests of all regions of Ukraine." It does so responsibly. It respects the rights of all Ukrainians.
Washington has other ideas. It abhors democracy. It wants unchallenged control over its latest imperial trophy.
It wants its rules imposed. It wants them enforced. It wants opposition elements eliminated.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the Atlantic Alliance intends increasing its Eastern European presence.
Stronger ties with Ukraine will be established. Rasmussen spoke days after Obama stressed establishing "a regular NATO presence (in so-called) vulnerable" countries.
None legitimately fear Russia. Washington is the sole global threat. Rogue EU partners and Israel make it a greater one.
Rasmussen ludicrously called NATO "one of the greatest success stories of our time." It's an alliance for war, not peace.
It's a killing machine. It's a US imperial tool. It threatens humanity's survival. Don't expect Rasmussen to explain.
He's beholden to Washington. NATO's "task is not yet complete," he said. It has lots more conquests in mind. It aims to become a global police force. It wants its will imposed on humanity.
Its involvement with Ukraine is getting "ever stronger," said Rasmussen. He outrageously accused Russia of violating its right to "freely determine its own destiny."
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Georgia sought NATO membership, he added.
"We are now considering revised operational plans, military maneuvers and adequate troop reinforcements. We will, for example, relocate more aircrafts to the Baltic States," he said.
Including Ukraine in NATO isn't a "foreseeable future" priority, he added. Longterm NATO goals include dozens more member countries.
It wants global expansion. It wants members and partners on every continent.
It wants an unprecedented all-powerful military bloc. It wants heavily armed military bases everywhere.
It wants the ability to eliminate all adversaries. It wants Russia and China isolated, weakened and co-opted. It wants unchallenged world domination. It threatens world peace.
Ukraine remains a global flashpoint. Eastern and southern Ukrainians demand rights Kiev wants them denied.
Ongoing protests continue. At issue is local autonomy. Eastern and southern Ukrainians want the same referendum right as Crimeans.
A growing East/West divide appears deepening. On Sunday, clashes erupted in Odessa. Pro-Russian and opposing elements faced off.
Pro-Russian marchers carried Russian flags. Opposition elements targeted them disruptively. Expect lots more of this throughout eastern and southern Ukraine ahead.
Days earlier, Voice of Russia (VOR) headlined "Ukrainian leadership to hire US mercenaries to suppress eastern region - source," saying:
"Private military company will be in charge of suppressing protest movements in Eastern Ukraine, said a source in the country's Security Service. According to him, the name of the company is Greystone Limited."
It's an Academi (formerly Xe Services/Blackwater USA) owned firm. It employs trained killers. A previous article discussed them.
VOR cited Itar Tass saying Ukrainian authorities don't think Security Service personnel can suppress local protests or neutralize leaders directing them.
An unnamed Security Service representative said:
"Therefore it was decided to attract foreign mercenaries, who will serve as political police and state security protection."
Washington's dirty hands are involved. Expect greater violence ahead. Perhaps civil war.
Perhaps cross-border spillover. Perhaps affecting the continent. Perhaps a greater East/West divide. Perhaps a serious East/West confrontation. Perhaps global war.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Olmert: Guilty As Charged
Olmert: Guilty As Charged
by Stephen Lendman
Exceptions prove the rule. Olmert's conviction is big. He's a former Jerusalem mayor (1993 - 2003). Earlier he held Israeli ministerial positions.
He was Israel's 12th prime minister (April 2006 - March 31, 2009). He's an unindicted war criminal multiple times over.
In 2006, he waged lawless aggression on Lebanon. From December 27, 2008 - January 18, 2009, he pursued Operation Cast Lead savagery of Gaza.
His rap sheet is blood-drenched. He remains unaccountable for high crimes too grave to ignore.
In August 2009, he was indicted in three corruption cases. They related to Rishon Tours as well as the Talansky and Investment Center affairs. More on them below.
On January 5, 2012, he and over a dozen others were indicted for allegedly giving or receiving bribes related to various real estate deals.
He was charged with taking bribes worth 1.5 million NISs (Israeli New Shekels - around $450,000).
The so-called Holyland case made headlines. It's a Jerusalem luxury housing project. Olmert was mayor at the time. Later he was Israel Land Administration minister.
In January 2012, Haaretz editors called Holyland corruption "a fight for Israel's soul. The Israeli entire public must reject corruption and remove those stained by it from government."
The Holyland complex "emerge(d) as an extravagant memorial to municipal corruption, riches to entrepreneurs, fringe benefits to elected officials, and kickbacks to go-betweens."
It was business as usual for real estate crooks and complicit politicians. It was "a watershed (case) in the way the public relates to the conduct of government," said Haaretz.
"(T)he system…will find it hard to present a case." It's fundamentally corrupt. It's not just in Israel.
It's rife with bribes, kickbacks, and cronyism. Crimes are committed multiple ways. Everyone involved steals all they can.
Doing so makes Israel's skyline look "ugly." It holds for numerous others worldwide.
Indictments were made nearly two years after Holyland corruption made headlines. Olmert was named. So were former Jerusalem mayor Uri Lupolianski and former Israel Land Administration (ILA) director Yaakov Efrati.
A key prosecution witness was identified only as "S." He served as middleman fixer in corrupt deals. He told police:
"(I)n talks I held with Mayor Olmert, with chairman of the local planning and building committee Lupolianski and with members of the local committee, it was made clear to me that via the 'give and take' method, I could get (what) I desired."
"I want to stress: The hints were from those people to me, not the reverse, because I wouldn't have dared."
Developers got huge tax breaks, additional building rights, and other benefits worth tens of millions of dirty dollars.
Hillel Cherney owned the original Holyland Hotel. He got permit permission to build three new hotels on the 30-acre site.
Real estate interests convinced him a major housing development project would be more profitable. Plans were drawn up to build it.
It involved multiple 12-story buildings and two 30-story ones. He sold part of the project to Holyland Park Corporation (HPC). It was a defendant in the case.
After around half a dozen buildings were completed, experts and Jerusalem residents called them the city's worst architectural eyesores.
Before construction began, questions remained unanswered. How did developers get excessive building allowances? Why did city and regional planning officials approve an architectural monstrosity?
Anomalies were too obvious to ignore. Police investigated. Evidence was lacking or insufficient. Nothing resulted.
Legitimate evidence surfaced months later. Witness "S" spilled the beans. He told all. He did so in return for immunity. He got help in resolving some of his debts.
A gag order prevented him being named. He was later identified as Shmuel Dachner. Cherney copped a plea. He did so on lesser charges. He was implicated in bribing city officials.
From 2003 - 2007, HPC and complicit parties bribed Jerusalem officials. In return they got what they wanted.
At the same time, so did others for farmland and other rezoning priorities. Months of investigation put the pieces together.
Olmert was implicated in earlier financial crimes. In 1988, he was involved in forging Likud party campaign donation receipts. Others were convicted. He got off scot-free.
In July 2013, he was acquitted of Rison Tours and Talansky corruption charges. He was convicted only of breach of trust in the Investment Center case.
Observers called it one of Israel's most significant corruption trials. Olmert was accused of double-billing $92,000.
His Rishon Tours account held funds in that amount. They were stolen from public organizations. He allegedly used them for private travel for himself and family members.
He built a relationship with Rishon Tours owner Emanuel Baumelshpiner. Charges alleged he ordered his agency to transfer funds from other customer accounts without their authorization or knowledge.
In the Talansky affair, he was charged with receiving $600,000 from US businessman Morris Talansky from 1993 - 2005.
Allegedly he helped him with various business deals. He claimed the funds were for political, not personal, use.
The court held that despite evidence of conflict of interest, none proved he used his office for criminal wrongdoing.
Prosecutors failed to prove charges beyond a reasonable doubt, it said. Olmert escaped conviction.
Charges relating to failure to disclose US businessman Joe Almaliah's donations to Israel's state comptroller as well as misleading him about their source didn't stick.
Olmert was convicted of one minor breach of trust charge. It hardly mattered. It was for failing to disqualify himself from oversight from various transactions.
The case forced his resignation as prime minister. At the time, Holyland charges remained. On Monday, they came home to roost.
Haaretz headlined "Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert convicted of accepting bribes in Holyland case."
Judge David Rosen's 700-page verdict convicted him on two bribery charges. They involve accepting 560,000 shekels (around $160,000) from Holyland developers.
Prosecutors alleged he got over 800,000 shekels. He was acquitted on two other corruption charges.
On April 28, lawyers will argue for each side on Olmert's sentencing. His spokesman Jacob Galanti said he'll appeal.
Judge Rosen was clear and unequivocal saying:
"Olmert tried to tarnish the name of the state witness and told lies in court. I reject (his) account of events entirely."
"The state witness bought the services of Ehud Olmert. He transferred NIS 500,000 to Yossi Olmert (Olmert's brother) following Ehud Olmert's request."
The case involved over a dozen other defendants. Cherney was convicted of bribing Jerusalem officials. So was Meir Rabin.
He was Shmuel Dechner's (witness "S") "right-hand man," said Haaretz.
Avigdor Kellnor was one of Holyland's founding partners. He was convicted of bribery. He was acquitted on other charges.
Former Jerusalem mayor Lupolianski was convicted of accepting bribes. So was former city chief engineer Uri Shitrit.
Israeli Land Administration head Yaakov Efrati was acquitted. So were Holyland Park managers Amnon Saffran and Shimon Galon.
Haaretz said prosecutors "requested a stay of exit order for all" convicted defendants. Olmert's lawyer said "(w)e need time to review and analyze the verdict."
Shula Zaken was Olmert's former bureau chief. Judge Rosen called her testimony problematic and inconsistent.
"It was clear in court she was willing to sacrifice herself," he said. Olmert believed she remained loyal.
In early March, information surfaced about her plea bargain negotiations in return for turning state's witness.
She "kept silent during the trial…and paid a price for it," said Rosen. Haaretz justifiably called Holyland one of Israel's largest ever corruption cases.
Crime usually pays. Convicting a former prime minister is almost unheard of. In Israel it was a first. It's nots over. It remains to be seen what follows on appeal.
A Final Comment
Last July, Israeli/Palestinian peace talks were dead on arrival. It bears repeating what earlier articles stressed.
Israel doesn't negotiate. Nor does Washington. They demand. They're all take and no give. Ongoing talks offer Palestinians nothing.
Longstanding issues mattering most aren't resolved. They include sovereign Palestine free from occupation, the right of return, settlements, borders, resource control, water and air rights, and East Jerusalem as Palestine's exclusive capital.
Ending besieged Gaza isn't even discussed. The rights of nearly 1.8 million Palestinians don't matter. Slow-motion genocide suffocates them.
Israel considers Arabs subhumans. Jews alone have rights. Muslims are criminalized for praying to the wrong God.
So-called peace talks teeter on collapse. An April 29 cutoff date was agreed on. It's four weeks away.
On Monday, PLO officials rejected Israel's proposal to extend talks. John Kerry is pressuring Abbas to continue them.
He arrived back in Israel. He left after Sunday talks with Sergei Lavrov on Ukraine. He'll meet with both sides.
Ahead of coming, a Palestinian official said "Israel made a proposal which was refused by the Palestinians."
It's "practicing a policy of blackmail and linking its agreement to releasing the fourth batch of prisoners with the Palestinians accepting to extend the negotiations."
Israel agreed to do so along with another 420. It means nothing. Choices mentioned exclude sick detainees, women, children, and significant political prisoners supporters demand be released.
At the same time, settlement expansions continue unabated. Gazan rights are entirely excluded. Occupation harshness persists.
"The Israeli proposal aims to continue the negotiations indefinitely, without any results, in parallel with continued settlement building," the PLO official said.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said "(e)ither the matter will be resolved (before long) or it will blow up."
Kerry said he'll reserve judgment. Decision-making time arrived, he added. Perhaps he means unconditional Palestinian surrender.
He pursued it from inception. He's Israel's man in Washington. His job is muscling Palestinians to accept what demands rejection.
It remains to be seen if Abbas betrays his people again. He supports occupation harshness. He ignores Palestinian suffering. He turns a blind eye to Gaza's siege.
He's Palestine's illegitimate president. Israel rigged his election. His term expired in January 2009. He refuses to step down.
He hasn't called for new elections. He sold out earlier at Oslo. He serves as Israel's enforcer.
He benefits handsomely for services rendered. He's near retirement. He doesn't want to spoil things now.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hourOLMERT
The Russians Aren’t Coming
The Russians Aren't Coming
by Stephen Lendman
It's back to the future. It's reminiscent of Cold War fearmongering. It claimed the Russians are coming.
Norman Jewison's 1966 film titled "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" portrayed a Soviet threat, albeit satirically.
Today, outrageous headlines irresponsibly suggest Russian hordes threaten Ukraine. Truth is polar opposite. It doesn't matter.
On March 28, Ukraine's propaganda news service Ukrinform headlined "Russia continues to redeploy troops to Ukrainian border."
It quoted Kiev's Military and Political Studies Center head Dmytro Tymchuk saying:
"According to live data of the Information Resistance group, redeployment of Russian troops to the border of Russia with Ukraine has continued over the past day."
In Rostov region, he claimed columns of technology were "fixed." They're "heading to the state border."
Included are 150 armored personnel carriers and 400 units of motor vehicles near the town of Millerovo, Tarasovsky settlement and the town of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, he said.
Overnight at Rostov-Tovarny's railway station, he claimed "eight MLRS (multiple rocket launchers) Uragan arrived (on) 12 freight cars."
So did "four BTR-80, about a dozen units of automotive vehicles (including fuel trucks)," he added.
"In Belgorod region...the column of vehicles was fixed, moving in the direction of the state border (30-40 km from the border): about 30 units of automotive vehicles, about 10 units of tracked engineering equipment."
BBC aired fake footage alleging Russian tanks heading for Ukraine's border.
CNN hyped the bogus threat headlining " 'The hordes are coming:' Ukrainians fear Russian invasion in northeast."
CBS News headlined "Putin reaches out to Obama as Russian troops continue to mass on Ukraine border."
USA Today headlined "Ukrainians fear Russian invasion near."
Foreign Policy (FP) magazine is a neocon Washington Post publication.
It headlined "The Russians Are Coming - 10 very good reasons not to believe Vladimir Putin when he says he's totally not going to invade eastern Ukraine."
Ten lies followed straightaway claiming:
(1) Up to 50,000 Russian troops massed on Ukraine's border; other putschist reports claimed 100,000;
(2) "Putin enjoys embarrassing the United States…;"
(3) "The IMF bailout;" FP portrayed grand theft loan-sharking as responsible lending;
(4) Legitimate Crimean reunification is illegal;
(5) What will Western nations do about threatened Russian invasion;
(6) Russian comments are anti-Western;
(7) "Russia's military and arms trade relies on Ukraine;"
(8) "The Kremlin lies shamefully and farcically;"
Daily malicious scoundrel media Big Lies are ignored.
(9) Russian "Kombinatsiya" (disinformation) "is very much in evidence now;" and
(10) "Modernizatsiya (modernization)" plans "the largest and most ambitious re-armament and modernization program" of Russia's military since the Soviet Union's dissolution.
Doing so wrongfully suggests a threat. Russian military spending is minuscule compared to America's bloated defense budget.
Washington Post neocons headlined "Donetsk fearful of Russian military might on Ukraine's border." They ludicrously claimed residents keep their cars "gassed up in case their families need to flee advancing tanks."
Murdoch's The Sunday Times headlined "The Russians are coming. We're ready. As Moscow's forces mass on the eastern border, volunteers are flocking to bolster Ukraine's poorly equipped national guard."
FP's article hyped a nonexistent planned Russian Ukrainian invasion. Other Western scoundrel media echo the same Big Lie.
It repeats with disturbing regularity. It does so despite no evidence whatever suggesting it.
Russian expert Dmitry Vostok said "(b)efore casting aspersions upon Russia, (Western leaders) should (consider) their own interventions."
Their collective memories are short. They ignore or mischaracterize numerous imperial interventions. They blame victims for their crimes.
They claim holier than thou reasons for lawless aggression. They threaten more. They justify the unjustifiable.
They defend the indefensible. They claim ravaging and destroying one nation after another to save them is OK.
They lack moral authority. Their agenda is world domination. They threaten world peace. They risk humanity's survival.
They turn truth on its head. Big Lies repeat. Media scoundrels echo them. They call self-defense terrorism. They call Putin's all-out conflict resolution initiatives aggression.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is a consummate diplomat. He does his nation proud.
He endures plenty dealing with Western leaders. He outshines them all. He deserves Nobel Peace Prize recognition. Recipients include a rogue's gallery of war criminals. Obama is Exhibit A.
Lavrov was clear and unequivocal. He said Moscow has no intention of invading Ukraine. Claims otherwise are spurious.
"We have absolutely no intention of and interest in crossing Ukraine's borders," he stressed.
"The only thing we really want is that the work should be collective and the lawlessness that some Western countries are trying to sweep under the rug and paint the situation in bright colors should be stopped, so that they realize their responsibility."
Russia "had no other choice than to accept Crimea," he added. "We didn't bother reflecting about what the reaction would be."
"We had no other choice. The choice we eventually made came from our history, international law, Russian statehood and our responsibility for the lives of those ethnic Russians who found themselves stranded abroad in a single day."
Reunification is entirely legal. International law principles affirm everyone's right to self-determination. Crimeans overwhelmingly chose to join Russia.
Moscow was obligated to oblige. Western nations plotted for years to split Ukraine from Russia, said Lavrov.
"It feels as though our Western colleagues…have long been working to 'tear' Ukraine away from Russia."
"Once they realized they had been wrong and it had been a mistake to act in violation of all post-Soviet agreements, they couldn't own up to it."
"A false idea of pride stood in their way. And all the sanctions we are seeing now are a knee-jerk reflex that makes them want to find a reasonable way to remedy their hurt feelings."
The same "you are either with us or against us" notion" exists. "We have long since given that up but unfortunately this kind of mentality is still there in the minds of politicians who today define the West's stance," Lavrov added.
He criticized Western nations for bullying 50 countries to vote against Crimean reunification legitimacy.
Threats were made. Nation were told they'd "face consequences." Moscow's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said:
"Many (nations) complained that they were experiencing enormous pressure from Western powers to make them vote" against reunification legitimacy.
"(T)he pressure produced a certain effect. Some countries voted (the wrong way) grudgingly, shall I say, and complained to us about the strong pressure they had experienced."
Washington and rogue Western partners ousted legitimate Ukrainian governance. They elevated a rogue's gallery of societal misfits to power.
They're miscreants. They're dangerous. They're fascist extremists. They're illegitimate. They represent mob rule.
On March 30, RT International headlined "Ukrainian nationalists attack anti-coup motor rally with hammers and bats," saying:
Southeastern Ukrainians "are facing increasingly violent intimidation." Western media suppress what's happening. Putschists are portrayed as democrats.
Euromaidan thugs attacked cars displaying Russian, regional and Ukrainian flags. They came from Melitopol. They headed for a Zaporozhye anti-government rally last week.
Eye witness Artyom Tymchenko told RT:
"When the motor rally was about to enter Zaporozhye, it became clear that an ambush was being organized by the Maidan criminals."
"Near the railway station the column was stopped by the Maidan bandits, who started beating people, taking their property, smashing cars."
Motorists said Right Sector thugs attacked them.
"The police, who are supposed to sort out the situation, are not going about their job with any enthusiasm, and although the attackers didn't hide their faces, no one has been arrested so far."
"Which simply leads to the conclusion that they acted under the protection of the criminals currently in power."
Vladimir Balagura heads an anti-putschist initiative called "Our Town."
"It is very scary to witness when people are running at you with weapons, shovels, and batons, with chains, metal rods," he said.
RT said Dnepropetrovsk residents are threatened. "Ukrainian vigilantes" are targeting people they call "pro-Russian thugs."
Right Sector neo-Nazis established their own political party. Their January 2014 manifesto states:
"(A)ll those those who at this point would try to tame the revolutionary energy of the masses should be proclaimed traitors and punished in the most severe way."
"Death to the regime of internal occupation! Freedom or death! Glory to Ukraine!"
On May 25, sham presidential elections are scheduled. A previous article said aspirants look more like a police lineup.
Democracy is strictly verboten. Various candidates registered to participate. Others submitted bids. It's unclear how many will stay in the race.
Former heavyweight boxing champion turned politician Vitaly Klitschko dropped out. He'll participate in Kiev's mayoral race instead.
A mid-March poll showed billionaire chocolate magnate Pyotr Poroshenko had 36.2% support. He hasn't officially registered to participate. He's expected to do so.
Klitschko had 12.9% support. He endorsed Poroshenko's candidacy. Convicted/imprisoned/now illegally freed mega-crook Yulia Tymoshenko's approval was 12%.
Ousted Party of Regions' Sergey Tigipko scored 10%. Other candidates have single-digit support or practically none at all.
In early March, Right Sector neo-Nazi leader Dmytro Yarosh announced his candidacy. Russia's Investigative Committee (IC) said he's wanted for involvement in killing Russian soldiers in Chechnya.
If apprehended, he'll be prosecuted. IC representative Vladimir Markin said there's enough evidence against him to put him on a "wanted list."
He openly boasts about "...fighting Jews and Russians till I die."
He calls Russia Ukraine's "eternal enemy." He said war between both countries is inevitable.
He openly supports Chechen militants. He backed Georgia's 2008 aggression against South Ossetia.
Yarosh and likeminded Right Sector extremists are the worst of a bad lot of rogues running Ukraine.
They're gun-toting, radicalized terrorists. Imagine them and likeminded scoundrels holding influential portfolios in Ukraine's government.
They're cold-blooded killers. They believe in barrel-of-a-gun rule. State terrorism defines their agenda. Anyone opposing them is targeted for elimination.
Yarosh has delusions of grandeur. He enjoys too little support to become president. Unless he intends seizing it by force. His extremism suggests anything is possible.
He and other Right Sector leaders have thousands of supporters. They're militants. They're capable of anything. They threaten everyone opposing their agenda.
Their extremism risks civil war. So do Svoboda neo-Nazis. Their leader Oleh Tyahnybok is a presidential aspirant. It remains to be seen what follows May elections.
On Sunday, John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov met in Paris. Crisis conditions in Ukraine was discussed. Nothing was resolved. Washington remains hardline. Ahead of talks Lavrov said:
"We have no common plan yet. We view the situation differently. Right now we are exchanging views, but we cannot say that we have found a single approach to the problem."
"To find a solution that would suit both of us we need regular consultations."
On March 30, Itar Tass headlined "An Action in support of bank Rossiya to take place in Moscow."
Russia's national currency will replace dollar transactions. Putin wants an independent payment system. Itar Tass quoted action organizers saying:
"Russia, at its present stage of development, should not be dependent on foreign currencies; its internal resources will make its own economy invulnerable to political wheeler dealers."
"In order to protect the bank's customers from dishonest actions by foreign financial institutions AB Rossiya has decided to operate only in the domestic market and exclusively with the national currency of the Russian Federation - the rouble."
"The bank has already notified some U.S. banks that it is closing its correspondence accounts. Similar notifications have been sent to other foreign financial institutions."
VTB bank president Andrei Kostin said Rossiya's decision to delink from foreign currencies is a step forward to work exclusively with the ruble.
"We have been moving towards wider use of the Russian rouble as the currency of settlement for a long time. The rouble became fully convertible quite a long time ago," he added.
Kostin urges Russian products sold abroad and foreign good bought transacted solely in rubles.
"Only then are we going to use (its) advantages of…being a foreign currency in full measure," he added.
Sanctions cut both ways. Moscow signaled earlier about responding to Western measures.
It remains to be seen what follows. East/West tensions remain heightened. Washington bears full responsibility.
Targeting Russia is longstanding US policy. Doing so risks belligerence replacing diplomacy.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
One-sided Human Rights Council Vote on Syria
One-Sided Human Rights Council Vote on Syria
by Stephen Lendman
On March 28, UN Human Rights Council members voted 32 - 4 to renew investigating war crimes in Syria for another year. Eleven members abstained.
Washington, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Morocco initiated the resolution.
Other HRC members were bullied for support. Washington and Western partners threatened refusers with consequences.
Russia, China, Venezuela and Cuba voted no. So-called investigations are biased. They're one-sided. They largely blame Assad for insurgent crimes. They do so duplicitously.
UK ambassador Karen Piece said three resolution aims include:
- continuing to investigating human rights abuses;
- condemning violators; and
- supporting efforts to hold culpable parties accountable.
Doing so is almost entirely one-way. Victims are blamed for insurgent crimes.
Pierce lied saying: "We believe that this resolution represents a measured response to the worst human rights situation that this council has ever faced."
She stopped short of explaining her government's culpability. It's directly involved in Obama's war on Syria. So are other rogue EU partners, Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, other Gulf states and Jordan.
Commission of Inquiry for Syria chairman Paulo Pinheiro prepared spurious lists of people and groups he holds responsible for Syrian crimes. It includes:
- Syrian intelligence branches and officials;
- government detention facility officials;
- Syrian military commanders;
- airport officials from which attacks are planned and executed; and
- leaders of armed groups.
Syria's HRC envoy Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui called its resolution biased against his government. It's wrongfully blamed for Western-supported death squad crimes.
Russia's Foreign Ministry denounced the resolution, saying:
"For instance, while enumerating the violations of human rights, the resolution does not make any mention of violence on the part of rebels that was described in (HRC's) report in detail…"
It includes "mass executions, abductions of women and children, sexual violence, the use of children soldiers, mortar shelling of densely populated areas, as well as the terrorist acts committed by the groups making up the Syrian Free Army and closely linked to the Islamic Front."
Western nations call some groups committing atrocities and other high crimes Syria's "moderate opposition," Russia's Foreign Ministry added.
They're cold-blooded killers. Washington and rogue partners support them. They plan arming them more heavily.
They intend recruiting larger numbers of like-minded extremists. They plan stepped up efforts to oust Assad. They likely intend Libya 2.0.
Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed concern about refusing Moscow's suggestion to condemn terrorism in Syria.
"The Russian side has been actively working with a group of co-authors and proposed a number of amendments for a balanced text," it said.
"Most of our proposals, however, were not taken into account."
“This is despite the fact that the agreed counter-terrorism clause is in Resolution 2139 of the UN Security Council," it added.
Duplicitous HRC members exceeded their mandate. They urged Syria to accelerate eliminating its chemical weapons.
They're being disposed of responsibly. "The UN Council on Human Rights is not authorized to interfere in the process, to dictate priorities and decide which provisions of the Geneva communique need special attention," Russia's Foreign Ministry stressed.
Western-supported Syrian violence claimed tens of thousands of lives. Many more were injured. Mostly civilians are affected.
Death squad invaders target Assad loyalists. Dozens die daily. Obama's war on Syria entered its fourth year. He bears full responsibility for mass slaughter and destruction.
He's waging multiple direct and proxy wars. He's ravaging one country after another lawlessly. He wants multiple imperial trophies collected.
He targets anyone considered a state enemy for extrajudicial assassination. He governs by diktat. He's got more death and destruction in mind.
He's waging war on humanity. He's doing it at home and abroad. He exceeds the worst of his predecessors.
He's the greatest menace of our time. He threatens world peace. He risks global war. He's surrounded by likeminded neocon extremists.
They deplore peace. They promote war. They want unchallenged global dominance. They're willing to destroy planet earth to own it.
Lunatics think this way. They operate this way. They do so extrajudicially. They ravage and destroy countries indiscriminately. They falsely claim humanitarian intervention.
They're destroying humanity to save it. They infest Washington. They target Americans like others abroad. They tolerate no opposition.
Anything goes is policy. Business as usual persists. Powerful interests control things. They partner with likeminded extremists. No one is safe anywhere with them around.
A Final Comment
Israel is a lawless rogue state. It's the Middle East's most ruthless regime. It wages wars on Lebanon and Palestine. It bombs Syria.
It gets away with murder and other high crimes too grave to ignore. Justice is systematically denied.
Israel's High Court most often is rubber-stamp. On March 30, RT International headlined "Israeli Supreme Court to hear war crimes case against top officials - report."
RT cited Jonathan Cook's article titled "Israel to consider war crimes case," saying:
Palestinian Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel lawyer Marwan Dalal brought charges. He's an Israeli citizen.
He's the only Palestinian jurist "to have served as a senior prosecutor in one of the international criminal courts at The Hague in the Netherlands."
On April 2, Israel's High Court for the first time will hear evidence of Israeli war crimes in Lebanon and Gaza.
A 52-page petition was submitted. It addressed three Israeli operations. They include:
- its preemptive 2006 Lebanon war;
- its Operation Cast Lead Gaza aggression (December 2008 - January 2009,) and
- murdering nine Turkish Mavi Marmara Gaza humanitarian mission activists in May 2010 in cold blood.
Evidence against Israel is overwhelming. Culpability is indisputable. Systematic coverup whitewashed it. Independent reports were denounced.
Israel remains unaccountable for high crimes too grave to ignore. It's high time things changed. Don't expect Israeli Supreme Court justices to do it.
It won't matter either way. Israel does what it wants whatever they rule. It ignored the World Court calling its Apartheid Wall illegal.
It ordered it dismantled. It mandated compensation for victims. Justice was systematically denied. Lawless Israeli settlements expand exponentially.
Besieged Gazans struggle daily to survive. They endure slow-motion genocide. They live in the world's largest open-air prison. Multiple daily Israeli incursions target West Bank Palestinian communities.
Nonviolent civilians are ruthlessly persecuted. Praying to the wrong God is criminalized.
Soldiers shoot children for target practice. Fishermen are attacked at sea. Settlers freely commit vandalism. Once in a while murder. Israeli security forces do nothing to stop them.
High Court justices will hear "strong factual and legal findings," said Cook. They're from public sources.
They include official Israeli inquiries. They implicate high-ranking military and government officials.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, current Justice Minister/former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and perhaps current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are vulnerable.
So are two former IDF chiefs of staff, a former domestic intelligence chief, and a former defense minister.
Dalal plans arguing that Israeli police are legally required to investigate charges relating to possible war crimes.
Prosecutors must order them. "The evidence is in the public realm and obliges Israeli prosecutors to order investigations," he said.
"The failure to do so is unreasonable conduct and the court must rectify the matter."
Indisputable war crimes were committed. Clear evidence proves them. Claiming otherwise doesn't wash. Getting High Court justices to agree is another matter entirely.
Most often they rubber-stamp official policy. A conservative majority makes it more likely. B'Tselem spokeswoman Sarit Michaeli said:
"There has been no discussion in Israel of the responsibility of high-ranking officials for issuing apparently illegal orders such as using white phosphorus in built-up areas, the adoption of flexible open-fire regulations, and a policy of targeting certain population groups, such as males over a certain age."
Rogue states operate this way. Israel is one of the world's most ruthless. It's a democracy in name only. Jews get a sham version.
Muslims are considered subhumans. Israeli Arabs are considered fifth columns threats. Palestinians have no rights whatever.
Institutionalized racism is official policy. Equity, peace and justice are non-starters. Jews alone have rights.
Israel's gulag alone attests to its barbarity. Thousands of Palestinian political prisoners languish inside. Horrific treatment occurs daily.
Proper food and medical care are denied. Brutal treatment is standard practice. International law is systematically violated. Israel remains unaccountable for high crimes.
Don't expect High Court members to hold culpable officials accountable. Don't expect Israeli war criminals to be punished.
Business as usual persists. Long denied justice remains a distant dream.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Planned Turkish False Flag Exposed
Planned Turkish False Flag Exposed
by Stephen Lendman
Welcome to police state Turkey. It's no democracy. Claiming otherwise is a convenient illusion.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is tyrannical. He's ruthless. He blames victims for his crimes. He's unapologetic.
He heads Ankara's rogue government. Turkey is one of 28 NATO countries. Erdogan partners with Washington's imperial wars.
He's part of Obama's agenda to ravage and destroy Syria. At issue is ousting Assad. It's replacing him with pro-Western puppet leadership.
It's denying Syrians all rights. It's exploiting them ruthlessly. It's stealing Syrian resources. It's eliminating an Israeli rival. It's isolating Iran before targeting its government the same way.
It's reckless. It's lawless. It's out-of-control. It risks regional war. It risks expanding it globally. It risks what no responsible leader would dare. It's happening in real time.
Obama wants a pretext for full-scale US-led NATO intervention. Last summer's false flag Ghouta chemical weapons attack failed.
Hoped for popular US support didn't follow. Mass opposition emerged. Libya 2.0 was postponed. It wasn't cancelled. It remains another major false flag incident ahead.
On March 28, RT International headlined "You Tube ban: How Turkish officials conspired to stage Syria attack to provoke war."
At issue is pretext for invoking NATO's Articles 4 or 5.
Article 4 calls for members to "consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any" is threatened.
Article 5 considers an armed attack (real or otherwise) against one or more members, an attack against all. It calls for collective self-defense.
Invoking it gives Obama pretext for war. Bombs away would follow. Libya 2.0 would entirely ravage and destroy Syria. Perhaps turning it to rubble is planned.
Potentially hundreds of thousands could die. Many more would be injured. Millions more displaced.
Humanitarian disaster conditions would increase exponentially. Obama's rap sheet already is blood-drenched.
How many more millions does he plan to murder? Is war with Russia next? Doing so is as simple as ordering ready, aim, fire. Major conflicts start this way.
Turkey was caught red-handed. Ergodan responded lawlessly. He blocked You Tube. He lied claiming national security concerns.
Days earlier, he restricted Twitter access. He called the You Tube recording "a vile, cowardly, immoral act."
Turkey is notorious. It suppresses press freedom. It imprisons more journalists than any other country. Speaking truth to power is criminalized.
Thousands of journalists, lawyers, activists and others are falsely accused of state terrorism. An atmosphere of fear prevails. No one is safe. Everyone is potentially vulnerable.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) earlier said Turkish "authorities are waging one of the world's biggest anti-press campaigns in recent history."
"Dozens of writers and editors are in prison, nearly all on terrorism or other anti-state charges. The evidence against them? Their journalism."
Erdogan restricts free expression. He denigrates it. He goes all-out to quash it. He represents hardline rogue governance.
His latest dirty scheme was exposed. What follows remains to be seen.
Leaked audio revealed comments made by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Hakan Fidan.
Others involved included Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu and Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. General Yasar Guler.
They discussed plotting a false flag pretext for full-scale war on Syria. Davutoglu was heard saying "I'll make up a cause of war by ordering a missile attack on Turkey" from insurgent held Syrian territory.
He called doing it "a declaration of war. He suggested targeting the Tomb of Suleiman Shah. It's inside Syria. It's sovereign Turkish territory. It's authorized under 1921 Treaty of Ankara terms.
Davutoglu was heard saying:
"The prime minister said that in the current conjuncture, this attack must be seen as an opportunity for us."
Fidan replied saying:
"I'll send four men from Syria, if that's what it takes. I’ll make up a cause of war by ordering a missile attack on Turkey. We can also prepare an attack on Suleiman Shah Tomb if necessary."
Sinirlioglu said: "Our national security has become a common, cheap domestic policy outfit."
Guler: "It's a direct cause of war. I mean, what're going to do is a direct cause of war."
The full conversation reveals how rogue states operate. It continued as follows:
Davutoglu: "I couldn't entirely understand the other thing; what exactly does our foreign ministry supposed to do?"
"No, I'm not talking about the thing. There are other things we're supposed to do."
"If we decide on this, we are to notify the United Nations, the Istanbul Consulate of the Syrian regime, right?"
Sinirlioglu: "But if we decide on an operation in there, it should create a shocking effect. I mean, if we are going to do so."
"I don't know what we're going to do, but regardless of what we decide, I don't think it'd be appropriate to notify anyone beforehand."
Davutoglu: "OK, but we're gonna have to prepare somehow. To avoid any shorts on regarding international law."
"I just realised when I was talking to the president (Abdullah Gul), if the Turkish tanks go in there, it means we're in there in any case, right?
Guler: "It means we're in, yes."
Davutoglu: "Yeah, but there's a difference between going in with aircraft and going in with tanks…"
Guler: "Maybe we can tell the Syrian consulate general that, ISIL is currently working alongside the regime, and that place is Turkish land. We should definitely…"
Davutoglu: "But we have already said that, sent them several diplomatic notes."
Guler: "To Syria…"
Sinirlioglu: "That's right."
Davutoglu: "Yes, we've sent them countless times. Therefore, I'd like to know what our Chief of Staff's expects from our ministry."
Guler: "Maybe his intent was to say that, I don't really know, he met with Mr. Fidan."
Fidan: "Well, he did mention that part but we didn't go into any further details."
Guler: "Maybe that was what he meant...A diplomatic note to Syria?"
Fidan: "Maybe the Foreign Ministry is assigned with coordination…"
Davutoglu: "I mean, I could coordinate the diplomacy but civil war, the military…"
Sinirlioglu: That's what I told back there. For one thing, the situation is different. An operation on ISIL has solid ground on international law."
"We're going to portray this is Al-Qaeda, there's no distress there if it's a matter regarding Al-Qaeda. And if it comes to defending Suleiman Shah Tomb, that's a matter of protecting our land."
Guler: "We don't have any problems with that."
Fidan: "Second after it happens, it'll cause a great internal commotion (several bombing events is bound to happen within). The border is not under control…"
Sinirlioglu: "I mean, yes, the bombings are of course going to happen. But I remember our talk from 3 years ago…"
Guler: "Mr. Fidan should urgently receive back-up and we need to help him supply guns and ammo to rebels."
"We need to speak with the minister. Our Interior Minister, our Defense Minister. We need to talk about this and reach a resolution sir."
Davutoglu: "How did we get special forces into action when there was a threat in Northern Iraq? We should have done so in there, too."
"We should have trained those men. We should have sent men. Anyway, we can't do that. We can only do what diplomacy…"
Sinirlioglu: "I told you back then, for God's sake, General. You know how we managed to get those tanks in. You were there."
Guler: "What, you mean our stuff?"
Sinirlioglu: "Yes, how do you think we've managed to rally our tanks into Iraq? How? How did we manage to get special forces, the battalions in?"
"I was involved in that. Let me be clear. There was no government decision on that. We have managed that just with a single order."
Guler: "Well, I agree with you. For one thing, we're not even discussing that. But there are different things that Syria can do right now."
Davutoglu: "General, the reason we're saying no to this operation is because we know about the capacity of those men."
Guler: "Look, sir, isn't MKE (Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation) at minister's bidding?"
"Sir, I mean, Qatar is looking for ammo to buy in cash. Ready cash. So, why don't they just get it done? It's at Mr. Minister's command."
Davutoglu: But there's the spot we can't act intergratedly. We can't coordinate."
Guler: "Then, our Prime Minister can summon both Mr. Defence Minister and Mr. Minister at the same time. Then he can directly talk to them."
Davutoglu: "We, Mr. Siniroglu and I, have literally begged Mr. Prime Minster for a private meeting. We said that things were not looking so bright."
Guler: "Also, it doesn't have to be a crowded meeting. Yourself, Mr. Defence Minister, Mr. Interior Minister and our Chief of Staff, the four of you are enough."
"There's no need for a crowd. Because, sir, the main need there is guns and ammo. Not even guns, mainly ammo. We've just talked about this, sir."
"Let's say we're building an army down there, 1000 strong. If we get them into that war without previously storing a minimum of 6-months' worth of ammo, these men will return to us after two months."
Davutoglu: "They're back already."
Guler: "They'll return to us, sir."
Davutoglu: "They've came back from...What was it? Cobanbey."
Guler: "Yes, indeed, sir. This matter can't be just a burden on Mr. Fidan's shoulders as it is now. It's unacceptable. I mean, we can't understand this. Why?"
Davutoglu: "That evening we'd reached a resolution. And I thought that things were taking a turn for the good. Our…"
Sinirlioglu: "We issued the MGK (National Security Council) resolution the day after. Then we talked with the general…"
Davutoglu: "And the other forces really do a good follow up on this weakness of ours. You say that you're going to capture this place, and that men being there constitutes a risk factor."
"You pull them back. You capture the place. You reinforce it and send in your troops again."
Guler: "Exactly, sir. You're absolutely right."
Davutoglu: "Right? That's how I interpret it. But after the evacuation, this is not a military necessity. It's a whole other thing."
Sinirlioglu: "There are some serious shifts in global and regional geopolitics. It now can spread to other places. You said it yourself today, and others agreed…"
"We're headed to a different game now. We should be able to see those. That ISIL and all that jazz, all those organisations are extremely open to manipulation."
"Having a region made up of organisations of similar nature will constitute a vital security risk for us."
"And when we first went into Northern Iraq, there was always the risk of PKK blowing up the place. If we thoroughly consider the risks and substantiate...As the general just said…"
Guler: "Sir, when you were inside a moment ago, we were discussing just that. Openly. I mean, armed forces are a "tool" necessary for you in every turn."
Davutoglu: "Of course. I always tell the Prime Minister, in your absence, the same thing in academic jargon, you can't stay in those lands without hard power. Without hard power, there can be no soft power."
Guler: "Sir."
Sinirlioglu: "The national security has been politicised. I don't remember anything like this in Turkish political history. It has become a matter of domestic policy."
"All talks we've done on defending our lands, our border security, our sovereign lands in there, they've all become a common, cheap domestic policy outfit."
Guler: "Exactly."
Sinirlioglu: "That has never happened before. Unfortunately but…"
Guler: "I mean, do even one of the opposition parties support you in such a high point of national security? Sir, is this a justifiable sense of national security?"
Sinirlioglu: "I don't even remember such a period."
Guler: "In what matter can we be unified, if not a matter of national security of such importance? None."
Davutoglu: "The year 2012, we didn't do it 2011. If only we'd took serious action back then, even in the summer of 2012."
Sinirlioglu: "They were at their lowest back in 2012."
Davutoglu: "Internally, they were just like Libya. Who comes in and goes from power is not of any importance to us. But some things…"
Guler: "Sir, to avoid any confusion, our need in 2011 was guns and ammo. In 2012, 2013 and today also. We're in the exact same point. We absolutely need to find this and secure that place."
Davutoglu: "Guns and ammo are not a big need for that place. Because we couldn't get the human factor in order…"
Turkish officials responded as expected. They lied calling the conversation "partially manipulated." It was a "wretched attack" on Turkey's national security, they added.
Rogue states caught red-handed reply this way. Their conversation speaks for itself.
It represents Turkey's alliance with Washington. It's Obama's lead anti-Assad attack dog. It's a convenient proxy.
It's a useful stooge. Days earlier, Ankara provocatively downed a Syrian warplane.
It lied claiming it violated Turkish airspace. At most only briefly before correcting a navigational error. It crashed inside Syria. The pilot ejected. He landed safely on Syrian soil.
Turkey's plot was exposed. Will plans proceed anyway? Will something new be proposed? Is full-scale US-led NATO war on Syria coming? Ankara appears part of a conspiracy to wage it.
Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mikdad denounced Turkey's agenda. Erdogan bears full responsibility.
He supports anti-Syrian terrorist groups, he said. They're responsible for numerous atrocities.
Erdogan and likeminded government officials are "insane and stupid," Mikdad added. He'll "achieve results similar to those achieved by all insane and stupid people."
On Friday, Syria's UN envoy Bashar al-Jaafari denounced Erdogan. He cited the above leaked conversation.
He called plotting aggression on Syria a "major scandal." He wants Security Council members to address what's revealed.
He wants Turkey held responsible for escalating terrorism on Syria. He called doing so "infringing blatantly upon the sovereignty of a UN member state."
Whether full-scale war on Syria follows remains to be seen. Obama didn't initiate conflict to quit. He wants another imperial trophy.
Ruthlessness defines his agenda. Rogue state hegemons operate this way. America is by far the worst.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Debunking Western Propaganda
Debunking Western Propaganda
by Stephen Lendman
It's malicious. It's unrelenting. Big Lies repeat one after another. Official sources announce them.
Media scoundrels regurgitate them as gospel. It's standard practice. Agitprop substitutes for accurate reporting.
Ukraine crisis misinformation proliferates. Responsible Russian replies get short shrift. Often they're ignored. Sometimes they're twisted irresponsibly.
On March 28, Vladimir Putin said professional Russian action saved Crimean bloodshed. He thanked "the command and service members of the Black Sea Fleet, other units and formations based in Crimea, for their stamina and personal courage."
He praised their "clear and professional actions." They "avoid(ed) provocations and prevent(ed) bloodshed and ensure(d) conditions for a peaceful and free referendum."
One observing UN Charter principles. One entirely legal. One contradicting Western lies claiming otherwise.
"Serious work must be done to modernize the military structure in Crimea," he added.
"We need to complete the formation of police, emergency and penitentiary, as well as security, investigative and drug-control agencies in the new constituent regions of the Federation."
Most Ukrainian forces reject Kiev putschists. They remain in Crimea. They do so freely. Reports otherwise are false.
Those wishing to remain on active duty are being integrated into Russia's military.
Their services are valued. "They will retain their military ranks and service record and have their school diplomas recognized," said Putin.
"The(ir) pay and social status will be brought in line with the Russian legislation." Moscow's military pay is "about four times that of Ukraine."
"Over the next few days the Russian government will make relevant decisions on all the matters concerning military pensions, allowances and salary payouts."
"We respect the choice of those Ukrainian service members and other law enforcement officers who are returning to Ukraine."
"Attitudes towards them and their families must be extremely correct, as required by the traditions of military honor."
All Ukrainian military personnel in Crimea wishing to return home either left or plan to. Around 2,000 of Kiev's 18,000 contingent chose to do so. Moscow provided them help to return home.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said "the organized withdrawal of the units of the Ukrainian army which have expressed a wish to continue serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been completed."
"The state symbols have been replaced on all ships and in all units that have taken the side of the Russian army."
"No acts of desecration and disrespectful treatment of Ukrainian state symbols have taken place."
Spurious Western reports lied about Russian troops massing on Ukraine's border. Invasion perhaps is imminent, they suggested. Saying so is malicious propaganda.
Throughout Ukrainian/Crimean crisis conditions, Putin acted responsibly. International laws were observed. They still are. He's geopolitically opposite Obama.
Reprehensible Western reports claim otherwise. Lies substitute for truth. On March 28, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich responded responsibly.
He debunked false charges. The Russians aren't coming. Aggression isn't planned. No evidence suggests an imminent attack.
Inspectors from Belgium, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Lativa, Switzerland and Ukraine were in direct contact with Russian military unit chiefs on the ground.
They photographed deployed sites and military equipment freely. They accompanied Russian forces on maneuvers.
They know no threat exists. They informed their superiors. Falsified reports claim otherwise. They stoke fear.
They bash Russia maliciously. They do it daily. It bears repeating. Big Lies drown out truth. Media scoundrels echo them like gospel.
Lukashevich issued a detailed statement. It's repeated below in its entirety, saying.
"In the light of claims on an allegedly threatening deployment of units of the Russian Armed Forces on the border with Ukraine, which are fanned by mass media at the instigation by certain politicians in the U.S and some other NATO countries, we find it necessary to make the following remarks."
"The practice of collaboration among member-states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) - and all of NATO's member-states also have membership of the OSCE - boasts a number of well-adjusted and fairly reliable methods of 'getting analgesia' in the form of ground-based and aerial inspections under the 2011 Vienna Document, as well as surveillance flights under the Treaty on Open Skies."
"An opportunity to hold these inspections was offered to everyone who wished to get familiarized with the actual state of affairs in the areas (of Russia - Itar-Tass) adjoining the Ukrainian border. The results of the inspectors' work were reflected in the official reports distributed to all the member-states of the OSCE.
"The unbiased information contained in them should have become, in our opinion, a subject of scrupulous analysis and the groundwork for further conclusions. And did the inspectors establish any signs of a military threat to Ukraine on the part of Russia?"
"Nothing of this kind. A total of four international inspections held on the Russian territory under the 2011 Vienna document on trust-building and security measures involved representatives of Latvia, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Estonia, Belgium, France, and Ukraine, who did not track down any aggressive preparations and did not see any military activity apart from the one, on which Russian had sent notifications earlier."
"Even a Ukrainian inspection group that visited the Belgorod region from March 18 to March 20 agreed that the Russian Armed Forces were not conducting any major military activity there."
"The three battalions of Airborne Troops it had found outside the zone of permanent stationing - that is, in the process of a military exercise - could scarcely be viewed as signs of a "menacing buildup of military muscle."
"Apart from inspections under the Vienna document, US and German inspectors made surveillance flights under the Treaty on Open Skies in March."
"Although their officials conclusions will be known somewhat later after the processing of photo materials is over, one can assume that had our partners registered some aerial signs of large concentrations of Armed Forces, they would not have procrastinated with presenting "hardboiled evidence."
"But they did not, and this means such evidence simply does not exist. In connection with the aforesaid, a few questions arise."
"What is the sense of verifications in the military and defense policy sphere if their results do not influence political practices, including the formation of US and NATO approaches to the situation around Ukraine?"
"Is it linked to the fact the unbiased information gathered by military inspectors does not reach political leadership?"
"Or are these very same leaders so susceptible to emotions that they might ignore facts in favor of own political tastes and preferences?"
"In any case, our Western counterparts give grounds for calling the efficiency of the International Security Treaty mechanism from the angle of consolidating trust and security."
"We will take account of this in our work on further improvement of the Vienna document and in the process of scrutiny of supplementary initiatives in the format of the OSCE forum on security cooperation."
On Friday, Putin called Obama. He did so to discuss Ukraine. Itar Tass said he stressed ongoing violence by extremists. They're "committing acts of intimidation against civilians," he said.
They act with impunity. Putin urged international efforts to stabilize things. John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov will meet to discuss joint US/Russian efforts to do so.
Putin acted responsibly. An irresponsible White House press release lied saying otherwise.
"President Obama reiterated that the United States has strongly opposed the actions that Russia has already taken to violate Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said.
Obama ludicrously claimed "the the Ukrainian government continues to take a restrained and de-escalatory approach to the crisis and is moving ahead with constitutional reform and democratic elections."
He urged Putin to support what demands rejection. He lied claiming Russian troops massed on Ukraine's border. Avoid "further provocations," he said.
He twists facts repeatedly to fit policy. He threatens world peace. He threatens humanity's survival.
Putin isn't naive. He knows what he's up against. He knows Washington's imperial ambitions. He's been outspoken about them many times.
He knows how great conflicts begin. So does Paul Craig Roberts. "We are again on the road to World War," he fears. "(T)he drive to war is blatantly obvious."
Washington bears full responsibility. Rogue Western nations and supportive media scoundrels share it.
"(T)he world (is) again being led down the garden path by lies and propaganda…(T)his time (it's) (on) behalf of (unchallenged) American world hegemony," Roberts stresses.
Putin understands the threat. He's going all-out to defuse it. He has no willing partner in Washington. Advancing America's imperium matters most.
Obama reflects the worst of rogue leadership. He's duplicitous. He's a serial liar. He represents corrupted monied interests. He's a war criminal multiple times over.
He's waging war on humanity. He's doing it at home and abroad. He blames victims for his crimes. Millions of corpses attest to his barbarity. His belligerence risks World War III.
On Friday, Security Council members met in closed-door session. They did so to discuss Ukraine. UN envoy Vitaly Churkin explained Moscow's position publicly.
"Someone must seriously think through what they are doing and the consequences of certain actions they are advocating," he said.
"Our international partners insist that the only way out is to have this presidential election on May 25."
"In a situation of political chaos in the country? What will be the effect of those elections if some of the regions do not participate or turnout is very low in the course of those elections?"
Ukraine needs legitimate governance. It needs constitutional reform. It needs them in place before elections are held, Russia stresses.
"There is no political leader in sight who might be able to unite the country," said Churkin.
"All the politicians one can hear about are extremely divisive for the Ukrainian society."
"The other thing that is going to come up in the next couple of months is most likely dramatic decline of the living standards of people, because of IMF package which now has been proposed to them" and accepted.
Western nations urge Russia to engage in dialogue. At the same time, they turn a deaf ear to what it's saying.
"If you want dialogue, please respond to what we've been saying," said Churkin. "They are responding, sometimes, but the response is that: 'Well, but you know, the Ukrainians…' "
"We understand the importance of constitution, but how can they do it now? Can they do this constitutional assembly? There is no one to organize the constitutional assembly!"
"Well, if there is nobody to organize, maybe this is exactly the role of the international community? This Compact support group we have been proposing to help them organize those things if there is nobody currently in Ukraine who can take this responsibility."
"Our position is very clear. (It's) disappointing that those things which are obvious to us do not seem to sink in in the minds of our international interlocutors and our Ukrainian colleagues."
Ukrainian conditions remain chaotic. Stability is nowhere in sight. Fascist putschists run things. Responsible governance is absent.
Sham May elections aim to legitimize illegitimate rule. Democracy is strictly verboten. Russia in under no illusion.
Western supported rogue Ukrainian governance threatens its security. Potential civil war looms. Igniting it risks cross-border spillover. Doing so risks global war.
Russia is going all-out to defuse things. Its best efforts may not be enough.
Separately, Lukashevich said irresponsible Western sanctions "cannot go without reaction." Moscow intends "a responsive measure, which we are mirroring to a large extent."
Hungary opposes Western sanctions. Germany has mixed feelings. Angela Merkel wants "de-escalation."
She's against economic sanctions. She hopes to avoid them. Germany is heavily dependent on Russian natural gas. After China, it's Berlin's largest trading partner. Volume approaches $100 billion annually.
Thousands of German companies are involved. Hundreds of thousands of jobs are at stake. Safeguarding them is vital to Germany's economy. Merkel is responsible for doing so.
Russian parliamentarians are considering imposing sanctions on US companies. Reports suggest setting limits to offices considered legal entities.
Duma Deputy Vadim Dengin said:
"If the US cares little about losing business contacts with Russia through imposing its sanctions, then Russia should have long since started supporting Russian producers in full."
US companies want business as usual to continue. Bottom line priorities matter most. Political disagreements hurt them. How much they're able to curb further action remains to be seen.
It bears repeating what previous articles stressed. Today is the most perilous time in world history.
Paul Craig Roberts is justifiably worried. People don't "learn from history," he says. Obama bears full responsibility.
He justifies US aggression irresponsibly. He's heading down "the road to World War."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
UN Report Denounces US Human Rights Record
UN Report Denounces US Human Rights Recordby Stephen LendmanIt's deplorable. It's longstanding. It's by far the world's worst. It's a pariah state for good reason. Claims otherwise ring hollow.Ongoing genocidal crimes of war and against humanity contin...
The Struggle for Ukraine’s Soul Continues
The Struggle for Ukraine's Soul Continues
by Stephen Lendman
Ukraine remains a global flashpoint. Turmoil, possible internal power struggles and uncertainty reflect things. Plundering its economy is planned.
Obama's Brussels speech was duplicitous. It was provocative. It stoked confrontation with Russia.
Daily inflammatory Western headlines continue. Anti-Russian vitriol remains intense. Lies substitute for truth.
Friday's Wall Street Journal was typical. It headlined "Russian Buildup Stokes Worries."
No "buildup" whatever exist. Not according to Journal contributors. Propaganda substitutes for accurate reporting. Lies drown out truth.
Unnamed US officials were cited. Credibility isn't Washington's long suit. Nor Journal editors and contributors.
"Russian troops massing near Ukraine are actively concealing their positions and establishing supply lines that could be used in a prolonged deployment, ratcheting up concerns that Moscow is preparing for another major incursion and not conducting exercises as it claims," the Journal reported.
"Such an incursion could take place without warning because Russia has already deployed the array of military forces needed for such an operation," it added.
According to US officials, Russia massed 50,000 troops on Ukraine's border. An unnamed Ukrainian official said 100,000.
A "senior US official" said "(w)hat matters is the intent. And we don't have a clear sense of that."
False! No Russian buildup exists. No Ukraine invasion is planned. Putin isn't expansionist. He respects sovereign rights of other nations.
His agenda is polar opposite Washington's. Don't expect Journal editors or contributors to explain. Russia bashing continues daily.
Its intensity exceeds the worst of Cold War years. It shows no signs of ebbing. Lies, damn lies, and misinformation remain official Western editorial policy.
Stars and Stripes is a Pentagon publication. On March 27, it featured a McClatchy Foreign Staff report. It quoted illegitimate Orange Revolution leader Viktor Yushchenko.
Washington elevated him to power fraudulently. He left office widely despised. His last public act was naming Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera a Hero of Ukraine.
It's the highest national title award. It's given for "personal heroism and great labor achievements." Bandara collaborated in mass executions and ethnic cleansing.
Yushchenko lied claiming "Putin will not pause…This is harvest time for" him. "(H)is mission in this life is to restore the USSR."
Russia "has not changed, not in 50 years, or 100 years, or 200 years. When Russia builds an empire, it starts with Ukraine."
"In other words, to build a new empire, the success of Putin's policy rests on the war in Ukraine. His mission is not complete without it."
"The biggest European state is disappearing before our eyes. It must be a common cause to stop the aggressor. Crimea was a test. If we don’t understand that, we're inviting the aggressor to advance even further."
Ukraine's problems are its own making. Possible internal power struggles emerged. Right Sector neo-Nazis are involved. They're militantly hardline.
They're the worst of a bad lot of rogues running things. They're gun-toting, radicalized terrorists. They want more authority than already.
They're incensed about Aleksandr Muzychko's (aka Sashko Bilyi) assassination. He was killed in Rovno. It's in western Ukraine. He coordinated Right Sector elements. They vow revenge.
Over 1,500 Right Sector extremists encircled Kiev's parliament (Rada). On Thursday, they threatened to storm it.
They wore masks. They came armed. They brandished bats.They demand Interior Minister Arsen Avakov's ouster. "Avakov get out," they screamed!
They want him tried for murder. Right Sector Dmitry Yarosh said:
"We'll wait for the negotiators from the Parliament, the MPs, but we won't settle for Avakov's resignation. We want his tribunal."
On Friday, Voice of Russia (VOR) said Right Sector members postponed storming Kiev's parliament.
An interim commission was formed. It'll investigate Muzychko's killing. Right Sector members will be involved.
Oleh Odnorozhenko is one of its Political Council officials. Following negotiations with parliamentarians, he said:
"(T)he demands put forth by the Right Sector have been fulfilled, and tomorrow we will gather outside the Verkhovna Rada and will continue to monitor the situation at the Verkhovna Rada."
Demands for Avakov's ouster continue. He's getting Right Sector threats, he said. He "accepts the challenge," he added. On Friday, rallies outside Kiev's parliament continued for his removal.
Right Sector elements want Sokil (Falcon) special police involved in Muzychko's killing arrested. Conditions in Kiev remain tense. Internal conflict could erupt any time. Perhaps civil war.
A previous article discussed plundering Ukraine for profit. A $14 - 18 billion "Stand-By Arrangement" IMF loan was arranged. Financial terrorism describes it.
It's usury of the worst kind. It's grand theft, not aid. It assures debt bondage. It guarantees Greek style depression conditions. It promises unspeakable human misery.
It doesn't matter. It's official Kiev policy. It has nothing to do with restoring economic stability and growth. It has everything to do with strip-mining Ukraine of its material wealth.
Getting in bed with IMF rogues assures polar opposite policies than what's needed. Dystopian harshness is certain. Selling off Ukraine's crown jewels at fire sale prices is coming.
So are mass layoffs, deep social spending cuts, frozen or lower wages, deeply impoverishing millions, and harsh crackdowns on nonbelievers.
Not according to New York Times editors. A disgraceful editorial headlined "Welcome Help for Ukraine," saying:
"(T)he country just got some encouraging economic news." IMF money is coming. Congress approved $1 billion in loan guarantee help plus $150 million in direct aid. Europe agreed to $2.2 billion.
"(N)ew financing…could help a desperate country avoid default and begin rebuilding its economy and an effective democracy," said Times editors.
False! Putschist governance reflects despotism, not democracy. IMF loans guarantee polar opposite conditions than what Times editors claim.
They hailed what demands condemnation. It's longstanding Times policy. It's consistently on the wrong side of history. Don't expect them to explain.
Bashing Russia takes precedence. On March 27, Russophobes Jason Pack and Brendan Simms were featured.
They headlined "A Weak EU Can't Stop Putin." They called Crimea's legitimate referendum "a sham."
They denounced "Mr. Putin's thuggery." They urged a more robust EU response. They want member countries more effectively "defend(ing) their own backyard."
They lied saying Russia threatens them. No threat whatever exists. If EU countries "do not unite to face the Russian threat, Europe will cease to be a player on the world stage," they claimed.
Remaining confrontational risks igniting an East/West conflict. Don't expect Times contributors to explain.
Pack and Simms praised NATO's war of aggression on Libya. They called it "a best-case scenario (of) shared…objectives."
Ukraine's crisis represents a "worse-case" one, they added. Russia is a key trading partner. Economic and political punishment cut both ways.
Crisis conditions give European leaders a "perfect opportunity (for) genuine Continent-wide integration," they said.
The ludicrous alternative they envision is Putin being able to restore Russia's empire, "manipulate energy prices, roll back human rights and destabilize the Middle East."
No responsible editors would publish this rubbish. Times editors featured it.
Separately, The Times headlined "Former Prime Minister Announces Candidacy for President of Ukraine."
What followed omitted what readers most need to know. She was an illegitimate Orange Revolution prime minister.
She's a convicted mega-crook. She stole millions. She was imprisoned for embezzlement and serious "abuse of public office."
Charges included illegally diverting $425 million meant for environmental projects into pension funds. A second case involved stealing around $130 million for personal use.
Illegitimate Kiev putschists lawlessly freed her. She belongs in prison serving hard time. She's the best-known presidential aspirant in a field largely resembling a police lineup.
Times editors largely suppressed information about her leaked phone conversation with former Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council deputy secretary Nestor Shufrych.
She called for turning Russia to ashes. "It's about time we grab our guns and kill those katsaps (a derogatory Ukrainian term) together with their leader."
Referring to Putin, she said she's ready to "grab a machine gun and shoot that m…erf…er in the head."
Her comments circulated on You Tube. They got wide alternative media coverage. Western media largely ignored it.
Times editors entirely did at first. Times Tymoshenko report contributors gave it short shrift. They did so well into their account. It stopped well short of proper coverage. It demanded headlines.
Tymoshenko resembles Washington-installed fascist putschists running Ukraine. They have no legitimacy whatever. Nor she. Don't expect Times editors to explain.
Separately, Washington imposed more sanctions on Russia. The Commerce Department banned exports of so-called "dual use" items with potential military applications.
Its Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) did so weeks earlier. It was done quietly. Its web site said:
"Since March 1, 2014, BIS has placed a hold on the issuance of licenses that would authorize the export or re-export of items to Russia. BIS will continue this practice until further notice."
On March 27, Foreign Policy headlined "US quietly imposes more sanctions on Russia," saying:
It did so "without anyone really knowing about it." It called its report "exclusive."
"In 2013, BIS approved 1,832 export contracts to Russia for so-called dual use products like lasers and explosives…"
"The deals were worth roughly $1.5 billion, $800 million of which was for devices cryptically described as "designed to initiate an energetic charge."
Authorized exports of "defense articles and defense services to Russia" were stopped until further notice. At the time, no announcement was made.
On Thursday, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf discussed it saying:
"The State Department has also placed a hold on the issuance of licenses that would authorize the export of defense articles and defense services to Russia."
New deals are blocked. Doing so cuts both ways. US producers are affected.
House members overwhelmingly authorized new sanctions on Russian officials. Russophobe Senators Dan Coats (R. IN), John Cornyn (R. TX) and others urged Obama to impose more sanctions, saying.
"We call on you to cancel all existing DoD contracts with Rosoboronexport, as well as any plans for future deals, and impose sanctions to ban contracts with any company that cooperates with Rosoboronexport on military programs."
"Doing so would require our foreign partners to make a choice between America and Putin."
"Rosoboronexport is an arm of the Russian government and a powerful instrument of Vladimir Putin's increasingly belligerent foreign policy, and it handles more than 80 percent of Russia's weapons exports."
Days earlier, Coats introduced a Ukrainian aid bill amendment. It prohibits doing business with Rosoboronexport. It cancels existing contracts and agreements.
Intense Russia bashing continues. It remains to be seen how far things go. Too far risks them spinning out-of-control. Major conflicts start this way.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israeli Crimes Go Unpunished
Israeli Crimes Go Unpunished
by Stephen Lendman
They're longstanding. They continue daily. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) highlights them. It did so in its 2013 annual report.
PCHR Director Raji Sourani called 2013 "the worst year ever due to the Israeli crimes which went unpunished…"
"(T)he world's silence towards Israel's closure of any door to justice in the face of the Palestinian victims (includes) pressure exerted on countries which adopt universal jurisdiction…"
Israeli war criminals want immunity. They want unrestricted freedom to brutalize Palestinians unaccountably. They want slow-motion genocide continued against besieged Gazans.
They want thousands of Palestinian political prisoners to suffer unjustly. Cruel and unusual treatment is official Israeli policy. Mercy is verboten
World leaders able to make a difference turn a blind eye. Doing so lets Israel get away with murder. It lets Palestinian suffering continue. It lets conditions go from bad to worse.
A previous article discussed Amnesty International's recent report. It's titled "Trigger-Happy: Israel's Use of Excessive Force in the West Bank."
It discusses crimes too grave to ignore. Palestinian children posing no threat are murdered in cold blood. Soldiers and responsible superiors remain unaccountable.
They're promoted. They're decorated. They're honored for committing high crimes. Dozens are killed. Some are shot in the back.
Thousands of Palestinians are wounded annually. Thousands more are lawlessly arrested and detained. Many get long prison terms.
Persecution, deaths and injuries are part of daily Palestinian life. World leaders turn a blind eye. Media scoundrels report virtually nothing.
Lawlessness continues unabated. On March 26, B'Tselem highlighted another Israeli murder. It headlined "Responsibility for killing 14-year-old Palestinian lies primarily with commanders who ordered armed ambush."
More on its report below. On March 28, Haaretz editors called what happened "Nothing short of a war crime."
Israeli soldiers ambushed Yusef a-Shawamreh. He was shot in the hip. He lay on the ground. He bled to death.
Soldiers lied saying "they noticed three suspicious Palestinians who were vandalizing the separation fence, and opened fire at them according to the procedure for arresting a suspect."
"When the Palestinians refused to respond to the soldiers’ calls, the force opened fire, wounding one of the Palestinians."
No vandalism occurred. Shots were fired without warning. Haaretz editors called what happened "extremely grave. There is no other way to describe the circumstances of (Yusef's) death."
"The IDF cannot make do with its spokesman's attempt to whitewash the incident. It must hold a vigorous investigation and then put on trial the soldiers responsible and the commanders who sent them on the mission."
B'Tselem discussed Yusef's killing. It did so in detail. He died on March 19. Three Palestinian youths crossed through a breach in Israel's Apartheid Wall.
They did so to pick gundelia. They're edible thistle-like flowering plants. They commonly found in semi-desert areas. They provide income for local residents.
Yusef's family owns farmland "separated from them by the barrier," said B'Tselem. "(T)hat land is where the three youths were heading to gather plants."
Two surviving ones said they heard three or four shots. They were fired without warning. Yusef was hit. One of his friends helped him get back to the road.
Soldiers emerged. Their base is a short two kilometers away. A military ambulance arrived too late to help. It could have been there in five minutes. It took 30 to show up.
Yusef was pronounced dead at Beersheba's Soroka Hospital. He was taken to Hebron's 'Aliyah Hospital. Examination found a single bullet wound in his left thigh.
As explained above, an IDF spokesperson lied about what happened. It's standard Israeli practice. Victims are systematically blamed. Perpetrators go unpunished.
B'Tselem was blunt saying "(b)y (wrongfully) justifying the use of lethal fire in broad daylight at youths who posed no danger to any other persons," the IDF "conveys a cynical lack of concern for the life of a Palestinian teenager."
"Israel's security forces in the area are well aware that, for the past two years, Palestinians have been crossing the Separation Barrier at the breach at that particular point at this very season to pick gundelia on their own farmland."
They have every right to do so. Yusef's friend al-Muntaser Beallah a-Dardun said Israeli police detained him and three youths with him days earlier. They did so at the same location.
Before letting them go, they beat them. They confiscated their plants. They were lucky not to be shot.
Ambushing and killing a Palestinian youth posing no threat to anyone constitutes a high crime. Israel commits them repeatedly.
Palestinian life is considered cheap. Security forces are trained to kill. Children are used for target practice.
Israel's Open-Fire Regulation Booklet provides instructions on confronting Palestinians. It disgracefully calls those attempting to cross through the Apartheid Wall without permit permission a "suspect in a dangerous crime."
"(S)uspect apprehension procedure" is authorized. Live fire may be used except when individuals are "identified as harmless…posing no threat to our forces."
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Palestinians posing no threat cross through Apartheid Wall breaches daily. Police don't consider them dangerous.
They pose no security threat. Procedure calls for Palestinians arrested for the first time for "illegal presence" in Israel to be cautioned.
No penalties are imposed. They're returned to the West Bank without incident. Regulations are clear. Shooting Palestinians posing no threat is prohibited.
Israel forbids doing so as an "exception." B'Tselem called for giving it "front stage." Permitting soldier discretion to decide doesn't work. Palestinians die needlessly.
Policy remains fixed. It's lawless. It condones cold-blooded murder. It goes without saying. Civilians aren't "automatically" terrorists.
Live fire is disproportionately used. Culpable parties go unpunished. Israel's Military Police Investigations Unit (MPIU) began investigating Yusef's killing. Whitewashing these type crimes nearly always follows.
B'Tselem director Jessica Montell said "primary responsibility for (Yusef's death) lies with the commanders who sent the soldiers out on armed ambush."
"The MPIU must examine whether the commanders bear personal criminal responsibility in this case and if they must be held accountable for the death of a youth."
It bears repeating. Israeli crimes nearly always go unpunished. Rare exceptions prove the rule. Occasional low-level soldier hand-slap penalties follow. Higher-ups are virtually always absolved.
A Final Comment
Last summer, Netanyahu got cabinet approval to release 104 Palestinian prisoners. Freeing them is coincidental with so-called peace talks.
They're an empty gesture. Implementation is in four stages. In mid-August, 26 were freed. On October 29, an equal number followed.
On January 7, 26 more were released. Thousands remain lawlessly imprisoned. New arrests occur regularly.
March 28 was the final agreed on prisoner release day. Israeli law requires revealing their names 48 workday hours in advance.
It's done to permit High Court appeals. On Friday, Netanyahu's committee in charge of releases didn't convene. Tzipi Livni is chief Israeli peace negotiator.
She said no "automatic commitment to release prisoners unrelated to making progress in negotiations" exists.
Sham talks began last July. They continue one-way. They offer Palestinians virtually nothing.
Israel so far freed 78 prisoners. Another 26 were to be released on Saturday. An April 29 deadline looms.
Israel demands Palestinians extend it. According to Fatah official Jibril Rajoub:
"The Israeli government has informed us through the American mediator that it will not abide by its commitment to release the fourth batch of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for…Saturday March 29."
"Israel has refused to commit to the names that were agreed upon of prisoners held by Israel since before the 1993 Oslo agreement."
Israeli officials had no immediate comment. Earlier they said releases were conditional on progress.
Virtually none was made. Nor will there be ahead short of unconditional Palestinian surrender.
Rajoub said "(n)ot releasing the prisoners will mark the beginning of the efforts in the international community to challenge the legality of the occupation."
Talks teeter on collapse. Israel doesn't negotiate. It demands. It's all take and no give. Peaceful conflict resolution remains elusive.
Major issues remain unresolved. They include ending Israel's occupation, controlling Palestinian resources, the right of return, settlements, borders, air and water rights, as well as East Jerusalem as Palestinian territory and future capital.
In 1993, Palestinians got nothing in return renouncing armed struggle, recognizing Israel's right to exist, and agreeing to leave major unresolved issues for later final status talks.
They're still waiting. Expect nothing from current negotiations. They exclude ending Gaza's lawless siege entirely.
It remains the world's largest open-air prison. Frequent Israeli air, ground and sea attacks kill nonthreatening civilians.
West Bank neighborhood incursions and other incidents kill more. Yusef's murder highlights a danger all Palestinians share. They're prisoners on their own land.
They're denied all fundamental rights. They're vulnerable to ongoing Israeli lawlessness. Muslims are considered terrorists. Praying to the wrong God is criminalized. No end of conflict looms.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama Sells Confrontation with Russia
Obama Sells Confrontation with Russiaby Stephen LendmanOn Wednesday, Obama spoke at Brussels' Palais des Beaux-Arts (Palace of Fine Arts). Lies, damn lies, and demagogic Russia bashing were featured. He duplicitously hailed Western "ideals." They'...
Plundering Ukraine for Profit
Plundering Ukraine for Profitby Stephen LendmanOn March 27, an IMF press release headlined "IMF Staff Level Agreement with Ukraine on US $14 - 18 billion Stand-By Arrangement." Nikolay Gueorguiev is IMF Mission Chief for Ukraine. He's loan shark c...
Willful Medical Negligence in Israeli Prisons
Willful Medical Negligence in Israeli Prisonsby Stephen LendmanUN Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners affirm their fundamental rights. They require they "be treated with the respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings.""...
The Real Evil Empire
The Real Evil Empireby Stephen LendmanNone in human history compare to America. It's by far the most lawless. It's the world's most egregious civil and human rights abuser.It's done more harm to more people for longer than any combination of other nati...
New York Times Editors Front for Power
NYT Editors Front for Power
by Stephen Lendman
The New York Times is an establishment broadsheet. It's the leading one. It dates from September 18, 1851. Its feature stories get worldwide coverage.
Its editors are notorious. They support wealth, power and privilege. They're on the wrong site of history. They defend the indefensible.
They're in lockstep with Western imperial lawlessness. They endorse US global dominance.
They turn a blind eye to homeland police state repression. They're mindless about disappearing freedoms.
They ignore monied interests running America. They support what demands condemnation.
The so-called newspaper of record is the closest thing to an official US ministry of misinformation and propaganda.
Reports, editorials, commentaries and op-eds are biased. They're one-way. They ignore what readers most need to know.
Vital truths are buried. Managed news misinformation substitutes. Rare exceptions prove the rule.
Outrageous contributors get feature op-ed space. Previous articles explained. Saudi Arabia is one of the world's most ruthless regimes. It mocks legitimacy.
It's a terror state. Democracy is verboten. Fundamental freedoms are denied. Authority rests solely with King Abdullah and royal family members.
Dissenters face arbitrary arrest and imprisonment. Political critics, independent journalists, academics, foreign nationals, and human rights activists are especially vulnerable.
Fundamentalist Sunni Islam Wahhabism is official state religion. Fanaticism defines it. Majority Shia nations are considered enemies. So are secular Arab ones.
Saudi despots want Syria's Assad ousted. They're heavily involved in recruiting, funding and arming terrorist invaders.
They were caught red-handed supplying them with chemical weapons. New York Times editors buried what demanded headlines.
They turn a blind eye to US/Saudi-backed death squad atrocities. Doing so supports horrendous crimes too grave to ignore.
Royal family member Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz al Saud is Saudi Arabia’s UK ambassador.
Last December, Times editors gave him feature op-ed space. Imagine publishing what no legitimate editors would touch. His op-ed was vicious. It was outrageous. It was polar opposite truth.
It repeated one Big Lie after another. It endorsed toppling Syria's sovereign government.
It outrageous called Saudi despots "champions of moderation." He blamed victims for crimes committed against them. Times editors embraced his rubbish. It's longstanding editorial policy.
On March 19, convicted Russian embezzler Alexey Navalny got feature op-ed space. He masquerades as an anti-corruption activist.
He's a Western darling. He ludicrously calls himself a "patriot." He's no democrat. He's ideologically driven. He's way over-the-top. He gets generous State Department funding.
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) provides it. Doing so advances US interests.
NED, its National Democratic Institute (NDI) arm, the International Republican Institute (IRI), and similar organizations are destabilizing US foreign policy tools.
They support pro-Western and/or regime change initiatives worldwide. They're CIA alter egos. They covertly fund opposition groups. They're actively anti-Putin.
Navalny and likeminded ideologues are convenient US imperial stooges. Don't expect Times editors to explain. Don't expect apologies for featuring them.
His op-ed featured Russia bashing. Pile on punishment, he urged. A litany of lies followed.
Times editors didn't challenged his misinformation. They featured it. They highlighted it. They match it with their own vitriol.
At the same time, neocon Washington Post editors gave Garry Kasparov got feature op-ed space. He's another convenient US stooge. He's a former world chess champion turned hard right politician.
He gets generous National Endowment for Democracy funding like Navalny and likeminded ideologues. His diatribe said Putin must go.
Lies substituted for truth. Kasparov is connected to some of the most extremist neocon ideologues.
They deplore peace. They endorse war. They want one country after another ravaged. They want them plundered. They want monied interests alone benefitting.
They want ordinary people exploited. They want despots they control replacing democrats. Their agenda risks global war.
Imagine featuring ideology this extreme. It's longstanding Times and WaPo policy. On March 25, neocon extremist Zalmay Khalilzad got featured NYT op-ed space. More on this below.
He's an Afghanistan native. He studied under Albert Wohlstetter (1913 - 1997). He was a controversial Cold War nuclear strategist.
He was a RAND Corporation senior policy analyst. In 1985, Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He endorsed suppressing it.
He heavily influenced neocon thinking. He chaired dissertation committees for Wolfowitz and Khalilzad.
Both figures are notorious neocon extremists. Their rap sheets are long and loathsome. Khalilzad is a former Bush administration ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the UN.
He's a Project for the New American Century (PNAC) founding member. It's now called the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI). It deplores peace. It endorses war.
Khalilzad is a Republican party hardliner. In the 1980s, Wolfowitz recruited him. He was a Reagan administration State Department policy planning staff member.
He was involved in Washington providing anti-Soviet mujahideen fighters with military, logistical, and related support. He advised on US Iraq/Iran war policy.
Under GHW Bush, he helped draft post-Cold War military strategy. He, Wolfowitz and I. Lewis Libby produced the 1992 Draft Defense Planning Guidance (DPG) policy paper. It was militantly over-the-top.
At the time, Dick Cheney was defense secretary. Richard Perle and Wohlstetter were involved. So was Pentagon Office of Net Assessment Andrew Marshall.
They called for massive defense spending increases. They urged assuring America sole superpower status. They endorsed preemptive wars. They promted global ones.
DPG said Washington must "show the leadership necessary to establish and protect a new order that holds the promise of convincing potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role or pursue a more aggressive posture to protect their legitimate interests."
"Our first objective is to prevent the reemergence of a new rival. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to generate global power. These regions include Western Europe, East Asia, the territory of the former Soviet Union, and Southwest Asia."
"There are three additional aspects to this objective: First the United States must show the leadership necessary to establish and protect a new order that holds the promise of convincing potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role or pursue a more aggressive posture to protect their legitimate interests."
"Second, in the non-defense areas, we must account sufficiently for the interests of the advanced industrial nations to discourage them from challenging our leadership or seeking to overturn the established political and economic order."
"Finally, we must maintain the mechanisms for deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global role."
Their extremist draft document was initially rejected. It later became National Security Strategy policy. Post-9/11 wars followed.
They continue ruthlessly under Obama. All sovereign independent governments are targeted. Eliminating US rivals is prioritized. Ongoing Russia bashing reflects it. Whether confrontation erupts belligerently remains to be seen.
Author James Mann called Khalilzad one of a handful of extremist Wolfowitz acolytes. For over two decades, he and likeminded ideologues comprised "the heart of a new neoconservative network within the foreign policy bureaucracy," said Mann.
Zbigniew Brzezinski once called him a "broad-minded and insightful strategist." In 2002, foreign policy analyst Anatol Lieven said "(i)f he was in private business rather than government, he would have been sacked long ago."
In 2000, he headed the Bush/Cheney defense issues transition team. He served as their presidential foreign policy team member.
He's a right-wing Center for Strategic and International Studies counselor. He heads his own international consulting firm - Khalizad Associates. Likeminded ideologues staff it.
He's a RAND Corporation Middle East Studies Center and National Endowment for Democracy board member.
In 2001, he co-authored with Straussian acolyte Abram Shulsky the Pentagon policy paper titled "The United States and Asia: New US Strategy and Force Posture."
He's connected to Big Oil. He was a Unocal adviser. While at Cambridge Energy Research Associates, he conducted risk analyses in doing business with repressive oil-rich nations.
He's fiercely militant. He endorsed war on Afghanistan and Iraq. He believes first-strike nuclear weapons policy is essential for what others like him call "permanent peace."
He supports US imperial wars to achieve it. Unchallenged US dominance defines it. He opposes sovereign independent governments. He urges toppling them. He wants subservient pro-Western regimes replacing them.
He warns of a nonexistent Iranian threat. He urges "immediate" US "leadership" to counter it.
On March 25, he headlined "Stand Up to Russia Now." Its Security Council veto provides "leverage against Western interests," he said.
"On issues that the West is intent on handling through the United Nations, Russian obstructionism in the Security Council could impose tradeoffs that the West is unwilling to make for the sake of punishing Moscow."
"In the wake of the Ukraine crisis, Russia is most likely to retaliate on issues like Iran, Syria and Afghanistan - three fronts where American strategy has relied on understandings with Russia to enforce nonproliferation standards…"
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow might "raise the stakes." It may retaliate diplomatically, economically and other ways in response to irresponsible Western bashing.
Klalilzad expressed concern. Putin could enhance Iranian air defenses and other capabilities, he said.
He could "double down on his backing of Bashar al-Assad’s regime despite having brokered a Security Council agreement to disarm Syria of chemical weapons."
"Russian intransigence" shouldn't deter Western Ukrainian policy, he urged. He endorsed illegitimate Kiev putschists.
He wants them sent military support. He wants stiffened anti-Russian policy. He urged "American missile defense commitments and the movement of NATO forces into Eastern Europe."
He wants "arm(ed) forces willing to resist a Russian occupation of Eastern Ukraine."
He lied claiming Moscow is "emboldened to pursue absolute hegemony in the region…"
He ludicrously claimed nations near Russia's borders are threatened. He urged "heightened American engagement in Iran, Syria and Afghanistan."
He supports Washington confronting Russia. Perhaps belligerently. He endorsed bypassing Security Council authority. It's longstanding US policy.
"Russia has much to lose if the United States relies on alternatives to the United Nations - including the prerogative to check Western interventions," he said.
He barely stopped short of urging all-out war. He's ideologically driven to endorse it. Times editors embraced his militant over-the-top rant.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama’s Ruthless Egyptian Friends
Obama's Ruthless Egyptian Friends
by Stephen Lendman
Obama's rap sheet is long and loathsome. He heads a homeland police state apparatus. He's waging war on humanity.
He supports some of the world's most ruthless despots. He's in bed with criminal elements of the worst kind. He wants fundamental freedoms eliminated.
He wants all sovereign independent governments removed. He wants vile elements replacing them. He elevated Ukrainian fascist putschists to power.
Last July, he conspired with Egypt's junta to oust Mohamed Morsi. Martial law followed. Egypt's constitution was suspended. Tanks patrolled streets. Peaceful demonstrators were murdered in cold blood.
A previous article compared Egypt's General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to Chile's Pinochet. A reign of terror followed. His "Caravan of Death" reflected it. A climate of fear included mass arrests, disappearances, torture and murder.
Opposition government officials, academics, union heads, independent journalists, student leaders, activists, and other suspected regime opponents were targeted.
Death squads killed thousands. El-Sisi is Egypt's Pinochet. He instituted reign of terror justice. Sweeping crackdowns continue.
What's ongoing might make ordinary despots blush. Junta power runs Egypt. Democracy is verboten. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) rules.
Fascist generals control things. US-trained el-Sisi heads them. He's a presidential aspirant. Elections are planned for around mid-year.
Perhaps he intends winning the old-fashioned way. Mubarack remained president for 30 years that way.
El-Sisi rule so far makes him look almost benign by comparison. He's murdered hundreds of regime opponents. Thousands more were imprisoned.
Torture and other forms of abuse are standard practice. Egypt runs one of the world's most repressive gulags.
Muslim Brotherhood members are prime targets. El-Sisi wants them entirely eliminated. He going all-out to do it.
He ordered the most outrageous mass-murder in modern Egyptian history. Even New York Times editors were outraged. More on that below.
A Muslim Brotherhood (MB) London-based press release headlined "Mass Sentencing to Death of 529 Egyptians Violates Judicial Norms," saying:
"The shocking and unprecedented sentencing of 529 Muslim Brotherhood supporters without due process is evidently inhumane and a clear violation of all norms of humane and legal justice."
"The verdict is yet another clear indication that the corrupt judiciary is being utilized by the coup commanders to suppress the Egyptian revolution and install a brutal regime which has already surpassed decades long of oppression and tyranny in Egypt's history."
"We will take all legal actions to appeal the court ruling and defend basic rights of Egyptians."
"These unjust sentences will not weaken our resolve. Egyptian people will continue their peaceful revolution until justice is served."
On March 24, Upper Egypt's Minya Criminal Court sentenced 529 MB members summarily. No due process. No defense arguments. No witness testimonies. No defendant statements. Diktat justice substituted.
MB's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) member Hamza Zawbaa denounced what happened. "(T)he death sentence against politicians and revolutionaries means the Revolution has entered a new phase that requires new methods," he said.
Ali Khafagi is a Giza-based FJP youth secretary. He called the court's death by diktat "genocide."
He compared hanging judges to security forces killing peaceful protesters in cold blood.
Wassat party member Mohamed Mahsoub said "death sentences against 529 Egyptians for allegedly attempting to kill a police officer, who in fact did not die, are certainly a death certificate for the Egyptian justice system itself as well as the last remaining vestiges of the judges' honor and reputation."
Former Mohamed Morsi advisor/Egyptian political figure Mohamed Seif El-Dawla said "wholesale executions are the latest results of the military's Road Map of the Future, a very special kind of justice never seen before by mankind, that will be registered in the name of Egypt's junta in all the books of law and history."
Most defendants were arrested during peaceful protests. Muslim Brotherhood members are vulnerable.
Since last July, they've been hunted down. Some were arrested separately. Others went underground. MB membership is banned.
Police state laws run things. Violators face long prison terms. Others face death by diktat. Obama supports fascist lawlessness.
So does bipartisan complicity. Legislation was enacted approving military and economic aid. Congress and Obama intend it for Ukrainian putschists.
Democracy is verboten. Both countries abhor it. Planned sham elections substitute. Harsh crackdowns target nonbelievers.
Junta leaders call MB a "terrorist organization." Israel calls Palestinians and supportive groups wanting freedom and justice the same thing.
Monday's Egyptian court verdict may be prelude for more to come. On March 25, a second mass show trial began. More on that below. Police states operate this way.
Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia are the region's worst. They're valued US allies. Militarized ruthlessness substitutes for legitimate governance.
Kangaroo court show trials substitute for legitimate ones. Predictable outcomes follow. They resemble Nazi era Roland Freisler proceedings. He helped Nazify German law.
He was State Secretary of the Reich Ministry of Justice/Judge President of the People's Court. Show trials reflected his reign of terror.
Verdicts nearly always sided with prosecutorial charges. They were virtual death sentences. Thousands were imposed. Freisler was judge, jury and executioner. His word was law.
He humiliated defendants in court. He railed against them. He admired Andrei Vyshinsky. He was chief prosecutor during Stalinist purge trials. Freisler acted the same way.
So did Egyptian Judge Said Youssef. Hd shouted during court proceedings. He did so in response to defense counsel protests. Some were barred from his court entirely.
Judgment was rendered before prosecutions began. Defense counsel were banned from hearing Youssef's verdict.
Reuters said "(f)amily members stood outside the courthouse screaming after" it was rendered. Defense counsel said it was unprecedented in modern times.
State television reported what happened without comment. A government spokesman said Cairo officials don't comment on judicial matters. Junta leaders ordered them. Rubber-stamp courts enforce them.
Sayaf Gamal was sentenced to death in absentia. He's undercover in hiding. He told Reuters by phone:
"We did not expect such a brutal sentence. But at the same time, this military regime just wants to kill anybody who wants to express an opinion" contrary to its own.
"They are willing to kill everybody so that there is no freedom of expression."
Mohamed Mahsoub was Morsi's legal affairs minister. On Facebook, he called the court's decision "a ruling calling for the execution of justice."
Dubious charges included violence, inciting murder, storming a police station, attacking state personnel, as well as damaging public and private property.
Nabil Abdel Salam defends MB members. "This is the quickest case and the number sentenced to death is the largest in the history of the judiciary," he said.
Mohamed Zaree is Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies program manager.
He said "(a) second year student in the faculty of law would never issue this verdict. There are a lot of flaws in this verdict. I think maybe an appeal could be successful but nothing is predictable."
Human Rights Watch's Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson said:
"It’s shocking even amid Egypt's deep political repression that a court has sentenced 529 people to death without giving them any meaningful opportunity to defend themselves."
"The Minya court failed to carry out its most fundamental duty to assess the individual guilt of each defendant, violating the most basic fair trial right. These death sentences should be immediately quashed."
Amnesty International called the ruling "grotesque." Its Middle East and North Africa program director Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said:
"This is injustice writ large and these death sentences must be quashed. Imposing death sentences of this magnitude in a single case makes Egypt surpass most other countries' use of capital punishment in a year."
"Egypt's courts are quick to punish Mohamed Morsi's supporters but ignore gross human rights violations by the security forces."
"While thousands of Morsi's supporters languish in jail, there has not been an adequate investigation into the deaths of hundreds of protesters."
"Just one police officer is facing a prison sentence, for the deaths of 37 detainees."
"Without an independent and impartial process that can deliver truth and justice for all, many will question whether Egypt's criminal justice system has indeed anything to do with justice."
"In any event, recourse to the death penalty is inherently unjust, and the Egyptian authorities should impose a moratorium on executions, with a view to abolishing it."
On March 25, 683 more MB members went on trial. Mohamed Badie among them. He was arrested last August. He's MB Supreme Guide.
Trial proceedings were adjourned until April 28. Defendants face charges similar to those convicted.
Hundreds more may ahead. Egypt's caravan of death continues on streets. It's ongoing in court. It shows no signs of ending.
A Final Comment
New York Times editors support virtually every US tinpot despot ally. They endorse Kiev fascist putschists. They're blind to Israeli injustice.
They whitewash state-sponsored crimes. Ones too grave to ignore are suppressed. They're back wrong over right. They occasionally surprise.
A previous article said broken clocks are right twice daily. On March 24, Times editors surprised. They headlined "Egypt's Miscarriage of Justice," saying:
"Its been on an alarming downward spiral ever since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011."
"Even so, the court verdict on Monday that condemned 529 Islamists to death for the killing of a single police officer last summer was a uniquely shocking example of a judicial system run amok."
"(I)t represents an outrageous escalation of the military-led government's ruthless crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist supporters of its ally, Mohamed Morsi."
Give credit where it's due. It begs the question. Why aren't Times editors always on the right side of history? Why only on rare occasions?
Being there is its own reward. This writer challenged Times editors before by open letter.
It asked if imperial wars bothered them. Does human suffering matter? Is business as usual OK? Are sham elections? Is democracy for the few alone?
Do corporate interests count more than popular ones? Do wealth, power, privilege, and unchallenged dominance alone matter? What about an unconscionable growing wealth gap?
How about corporate and political lawlessness? What about a private banking cartel controlling America's money?
Is looting the federal Treasury OK? What about reckless money printing madness serving them?
Do growing poverty, homelessness, hunger and deprivation concern you? What about deepening social decay symptomatic of national decline?
How about growing millions worldwide calling America a pariah state for good reason? Is this the America you support, it asked?
Expose what's wrong. Denounce it. Be consistent. Do it daily. Try publishing "All the News That's Fit to Print" for real.
You'd be heroic for trying. You'd be eulogized. You'd gain worldwide support. Try it sometime and see.
Real news and commentaries substituting for managed misinformation would help reverse your tarnished image.
What better time to reverse longstanding policy than now. This writer will lead cheers if you try. So will many likeminded truth, equity and justice supporters.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Tymoshenko Caught in the Act
Tymoshenko Caught in the Act
by Stephen Lendman
Her leaked phone conversation was damning. She spoke with former Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council deputy secretary Nestor Shufrych.
She called for turning Russia to ashes. Her comments are available on You Tube. More on this below.
Weeks earlier, Assistant Secretary of State for European and European Affairs Victoria Nuland was caught red-handed on tape.
Her leaked conversation circulated on You Tube. It's more evidence of America's dark side.
She and US ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt discussed regime change. Current putschist prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk was named as a Washington favorite.
The leaked video was damning. It's four minutes long. It's titled "Maidan puppets." It refers to Kiev's Independence Square.
In early March, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet's conversation with EU foreign policy head Catherine Ashton was leaked.
He was heard saying "there is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovich, but it was somebody from the new coalition."
Maybe more damning leaked conversations will follow. Don't expect scoundrel media coverage.
Tymoshenko is a billionaire mega-thief. She heads the fascist Batkivshchya/All-Ukrainian Union (Fatherland) party.
She and neo-Nazi Svoboda co-founder Andriy Parubiy co-led Washington's 2004 Orange Revolution. He heads Ukraine's National Defense and Security Council.
She was an illegitimate Orange Revolution prime minister. At the time, Western officials praised her as a force for democracy and freedom. So did media scoundrels.
She was imprisoned for embezzlement and serious "abuse of public office."
Charges included illegally diverting $425 million meant for environmental projects into pension funds. A second case involved stealing around $130 million for personal use.
Putschist extremists illegally freed her. She has presidential aspirations. She may head Ukraine's illegitimate government after sham May elections.
At one time, evidence showed she had nearly 300 secret foreign bank accounts. Over a dozen remain open.
She controlled Ukraine's United Energy Systems. Former Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko awarded it monopoly rights to import Russian natural gas.
He profited handsomely for doing it. In 2004, a US court convicted him of money laundering, theft, and hiding funds in foreign accounts.
His indictment called his crime "part of a conspiracy (related to) receiv(ing) money from companies owned or controlled by Tymoshenko, including United Energy Systems, in exchange for which (he) exercised his official authority in favour of (her) companies."
Tymoshenko was up to her ears in wrongdoing. Perhaps she remains so. She's a mega-crook.
US prosecutor Martha Moerosch cited "evidence that companies controlled by Tymoshenko took part in the schemes for transferring money to Lazarenko's accounts."
"There were bank statements" proving it, she said. Prosecutors found Tymoshenko funds worldwide.
Ukrainian analyst Orysia Lutsevych said as Orange Revolution prime minister, "she did nothing to reform the economy and establish rule of law."
"Instead, she focused her attention on infighting inside the Orange Revolution in order to prepare her presidential race."
"Most (Euromaidan protesters) were not demanding her release." Her shady business practices earned her the nickname "gas princess."
Her leaked phone conversation took place on March 18. She was caught saying she wants to mass-murder Russians. She wants Putin dead.
Media scoundrels reported nothing. The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and others were silent. Russia bashing lies drown out important truths. It's standard presstitute practice.
RT International broke the story, headlining "Time to grab guns and kill damn Russians - Tymoshenko in leaked tape."
Her vitriol was extreme. She urged scorched earth where Russia now stands, said RT. She said: “It's about time we grab our guns and kill those katsaps (a derogatory Ukrainian term) together with their leader."
She confirmed the call's authenticity. She did so via Twitter, saying:
"The conversation took place, but the '8 million Russians in Ukraine' piece is an edit."
"In fact, I said Russians in Ukraine - are Ukrainians. Hello FSB :) Sorry for the obscene language."
Shufrych's press service went into damage control mode overdrive. It lied calling the tape fake. According to korrespondent.net, the "conversation didn't take place," it said.
It followed Putin signing the Crimean reunification treaty. It kickstarted what culminated days later.
Tymoshenko was enraged. Her inflammatory comments followed. She called what happened "really beyond all boundaries." Her comments expressed rage to kill.
If she was in charge, she said, "there would be no f…ing way that they would get Crimea then."
Shufrych said Ukraine "didn't have any force potential" to keep Crimea. Tymoshenko said she would have found "a way to kill those katsaps."
"I hope I will be able to get all my connections involved. And I will use all of my means to make the entire world raise up, so that there wouldn't be even a scorched field left in Russia," she added.
Referring to Putin, she said she's ready to "grab a machine gun and shoot that m…erf…er in the head."
She's like Washington-installed fascist ultranationalist putschists running Ukraine. She belongs in prison. They have no legitimacy whatever. They represent mob rule.
They risk civil war. They risk spreading it cross-border. They risk confrontation with Russia. They risk the unthinkable. They threaten world peace.
Obama embraces them. He supports what demands rejection. They're a rogue's gallery of societal misfits. They're hugely dangerous. They make mafia bosses look saintly by comparison.
They run an important central European country. It nearly matches France in territorial size. It's almost double the size of Germany. It's larger than Britain, Italy or Spain.
It's important industrially. It's called Europe's breadbasket for good reason. It's dark soil is the continent's richest. It has over 130,000 square miles of arable land.
Its other resources include iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, and timber.
Western corporate interests plan to exploit them. They want Ukraine strip-mined for profit. Banks and other financial interests want its wealth stolen. IMF indebtedness assures taking it from ordinary Ukrainians.
The worst of conditions awaits them. They're headed for greater than ever impoverishment, unemployment and deprivation. How they'll react remains to be seen.
On March 23, RT International reported "(m)assive anti-Maidan rallies (across) eastern Ukraine…" They reject Kiev putschists.
They want referendums deciding their future. Thousands rallied in Kharkov (Ukraine's second largest city), Donetsk, Lugansk, Odessa and elsewhere.
Residents want Ukraine federalized. They want local authority free from fascist Kiev rule. Many favor joining Russia. It remains to be seen if Western Ukrainians begin acting the same way.
A previous article discussed reports about US private military contractors operating in Ukraine. Perhaps Academi (formerly Xe Services/Blackwater USA) forces are involved.
They're mercenaries. They're hired guns. They're trained to kill. They operate extrajudicially. Academi maintains close CIA/Pentagon ties.
On March 2, Voice of Russia (VOR) headlined "Ukrainian leadership to hire US mercenaries to suppress eastern regions - source," saying:
"Private military company (operatives) will be in charge of suppressing protest movements in Eastern Ukraine…"
Itar-Tass was cited. It named Greystone Limited. It provides "protective services." Its personnel include former law enforcement agency and military operatives. They're skilled in the art of killing. It's owned by Academi/formerly Blackwater USA.
VOR reported Itar-Tass saying "Ukrainian authorities believe that the Security Service is not able to suppress the protest mood and neutralize the leaders and activists of the pro-Russian movement in the eastern regions."
Illegitimate putschist president Alexander Turchinov believes it.
VOR reported a Ukrainian Security Service representative saying "it was decided to attract foreign mercenaries, who will serve as political police and state security protection."
Kiev appointed billionaire oligarchs running Dnepropetrovsk and Donetsk regions urged getting guns for hire involved. Perhaps they're now operating in Eastern Ukrainian cities.
Separately, RT International headlined "Notorious Ukrainian nationalist militant shot dead in police raid." Aleksandr Muzychko (aka Sashko Bilyi) was named.
He was killed in Rovno. It's in western Ukraine. He coordinated ultranationalist neo-Nazi Right Sector elements.
They include paramilitary extremists. They were centrally involved in Euromaidan violence. Their ranks include thousands.
They wore hoods and helmets. They used fire bombs and other tactics. They performed sniper killings. Dmytro Yarosh is a Right Sector leader. He's way over-the-top.
He openly boasts about "...fighting Jews and Russians till I die."
He calls Russia Ukraine's "eternal enemy." He said war between both countries is inevitable.
Muzychko's killing appeared other than what was officially reported. He was a wanted man. Perhaps others like him await the same fate.
According to Ukrainian First Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Yevdokimov, he was shot resisting arrest.
His elimination appeared more like a political assassination. He and likeminded extremists were used to seize power.
They're no longer needed. Regime security forces replaced them. They're hardline. They're controllable.
Right Sector extremists are a power unto themselves. They promised revenge for Muzychko's killing. They refused to disarm as putschists ordered. They formed their own political party.
What's ongoing appears similar to Nazi Germany's early days. Hitler used SA Brown Shirts to consolidate power.
In 1934, its leader Ernst Rohm was eliminated during the so-called Night of the Long Knives. A potential Hitler rival was removed.
Other SA leaders were arrested. Many were shot. Rohm was given a chance to commit suicide. He refused. SS elements killed him.
Killing Muzychko may be part of an old-fashioned extremist regime purge. Other Right Sector elements may be targeted the same way.
They're militant. They're well armed. They're able to fight back. How ably remains to be seen. RT International quoted Right Sector Rovno coordinator Roman Koval saying:
"According to Ukrainian First Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Yevdokimov, he was shot resisting arrest." Koval doesn't believe it.
His elimination appeared more like a political assassination. He and likeminded extremists were used to seize power.
They're no longer needed. Regime security forces replaced them. They're hardline. They're controllable.
Right Sector extremists are a power unto themselves. They promised revenge for Muzychko's killing. They refused to disarm as putschists ordered. They formed their own political party.
"We will take revenge on (Interior Minister) Arsen Avakov for the death of our brother," said Koval.
Muzychko's killing was "an assassination ordered by the minister. Muzychko never received any notices concerning criminal offenses and was never summoned anywhere," he added.
Other Right Sector elements called the Interior Ministry's version of what happen an "outright lie." They claimed Muzychko's hands were tied when killed.
According to a former Ukrainian intelligence official, its head, Valentin Nalivaichenko, ordered him eliminated.
"The goal of the operation was not to capture, but to neutralize Muzychko, to take him off stage," he said.
RT said he was on a Ukrainian police wanted list. Moscow put him on an international one. It's on charges of torturing and killing at least 20 Russian soldiers during the first 1994-95 Chechen War.
Internal Ukrainian power struggles may get nasty. They bear close watching. Washington's dirty hands are very much involved.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
NATO’s Rape of Yugoslavia
NATO's Rape of Yugoslavia
by Stephen Lendman
March 24, 1999 will go down in history as a day of infamy. US-led NATO raped Yugoslavia. Doing so was its second major combat operation.
It was lawless aggression. No Security Council resolution authorized it. NATO's Operation Allied Force lasted 78 days.
Washington called it Operation Noble Anvil. Evil best describes it. On June 10, operations ended.
From March 1991 through mid-June 1999, Balkan wars raged. Yugoslavia "balkanized" into seven countries. They include Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia.
Enormous human suffering was inflicted. Washington bears most responsibility.
Diana Johnstone's book titled "Fools' Crusade: Yugoslavia, NATO and Western Delusions" is a definitive account of what happened.
Claims about Milosevic's "Greater Serbia" ambitions were false. Washington-led wars wanted Yugoslavia balkanized. Germany was very much involved.
Both countries encouraged cessation. They provoked conflict. After ravaging and destroying Yugoslavia, they took credit for ending it.
Milosevic wanted Yugoslavia's disintegration prevented. He wanted minority Serbs protected. Johnstone said Washington's aims included:
- preventing a European-backed settlement;
- "assert(ing) its dominance over European allies in the arbitration of European conflicts;"
- expanding NATO through a new "out of area" humanitarian mission (aka US dominated colonization); and
- "gain(ing) influence in the Muslim world by championing the Bosnian Muslims."
She called "government by international bureaucracy (a) new trend in the New World Order."
After the 1995 General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Dayton Accords), "Bosnia-Herzegovina (was) ruled by…a complicated set of local authorities under the strict supervision of a 'High Representative' (a contemporary Proconsul or Viceroy) who can, and does, annul laws adopted by the local democratic institutions or dismiss democratically chosen officials" not supportive of US imperial aims, said Johnstone.
In other words, democracy was verboten. It prevented from emerging. Washington rules were instituted. Colonization ended Yugoslavia's market socialism experiment.
Predatory free-market harshness replaced it. Complete with IMF-imposed financial terrorism. In October 1998, a NATO air verification mission was agreed to for Kosovo.
In November, Milosevic agreed to a framework political settlement. A second Verification Mission was established to assure compliance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1160 and 1199.
The former banned arms sales to Serbia. It imposed economic sanctions. The latter ordered both sides in Kosovo to end hostilities and observe a ceasefire.
The so-called February 1999 Interim Agreement for Peace and Self-Government in Kosovo (the Rambouillet Agreement) was prelude for war.
It was an ultimatum Milosevic couldn't accept. It was designed for rejection. It was a take-it-or-leave-it demand.
It ordered Milosevic to surrender Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) sovereignty to a NATO occupation force.
It demanded unimpeded access to its land, airspace and territorial waters, as well as any area or facility therein.
It required the FRY to let NATO freely operate outside federal law. Demanding it was outrageous. Milosevic's justifiable refusal became pretext for war.
It followed mercilessly. Nobel laureate Harold Pinter denounced what happened.
He called US-led bombing and dismemberment of Yugoslavia "barbaric (and despicable), another blatant and brutal assertion of US power using NATO as its missile (to consolidate) American domination of Europe."
For 78 days, around 600 aircraft flew about 3,000 sorties. Thousands of tons of ordnance were dropped, as well as hundreds of ground-launched cruise missiles. Up to then, its ferocity was unprecedented.
Nearly everything was struck. Massive destruction and disruption followed. Known or suspected military sites were targeted.
So were civilian sites and infrastructure unrelated to military operations. They included:
- power plants;
- factories;
- civilian transportation;
- telecommunications facilities;
- roads, bridges and rail lines;
- fuel depots;
- schools;
- a TV station;
- China's Belgrade embassy willfully on a false pretext (claiming a mistake didn't wash);
- hospitals;
- government offices;
- churches;
- historic landmarks; and more.
Cities, villages and other areas were struck throughout the country. NATO began running out of targets. It didn't matter. Bombing continued relentlessly.
It was willful, lawless aggression. Horrendous war crimes were committed unaccountably. Humanitarian disaster followed.
Outrageous claims about humanitarian intervention were fraudulent. Washington claimed another imperial trophy. The former Yugoslavia no longer exists.
An estimated $100 billion in damage was inflicted. Environmental contamination was extensive.
Large numbers were killed, injured or displaced. Two million people lost their livelihoods. Many their homes and communities. Most their futures.
Serbia's sovereign Kosovo territory was lost. It's now US/NATO occupied territory. It's home to Camp Bondsteel. It's one of America's largest military bases.
Kosovo is run by Hashim Thaci. He's a former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright protege.
In 2000, she ordered then chief Hague prosecutor Carla del Ponte to exclude his name from a list of suspected war criminals.
He's a street thug posing as prime minister. He's nicknamed "The Snake" for good reason.
Former Clinton Balkans envoy Robert Gelbard called him and likeminded figures "terrorists."
Former US DEA official Michael Levine said:
He has known organized crimes ties. "The KLA (he formerly headed) is tied in with every known Middle and Far Eastern drug cartel."
"Interpol, Europol, and nearly every European intelligence and counter-narcotics agency have files open on drug syndicates that lead right to the KLA…"
He remains unindicted. Washington, EU nations and UN officials elevated him to power.
He's a former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander. Post-war, he usurped power. He took control of many municipalities.
It doesn't matter. He's Washington's man in Kosovo. He runs it like a crime family. Friends in high places support him.
Washington and complicit EU partners opened an avenue to Eurasia. A permanent US military presence was established where it previously didn't exist. It serves America's broader imperial agenda.
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria followed. So does slow-motion genocide in Palestine. Iran's turn awaits.
Washington's dirty hands want Venezuela's democratically elected government ousted. Obama's war on humanity continues.
Russia is in the eye of the storm. Global war is threatened. Neocons infest Washington. They influence administration and congressional policy.
What's ongoing bears erie resemblance to events preceding WW I. Barbara Tuchman's "The Guns of August" explained its beginning and early weeks.
One thing led to others. Events spun out-of-control. Deadly consequences followed. Before it ended, over 20 million died. Many more were wounded and/or maimed. An entire generation of youth was lost.
Weapons used then were toys compared to now. A possible armageddon end times scenario looms. Irresponsible leaders risk it. Media scoundrels support what demand opposition.
History has a disturbing way of repeating. George Santayana famous dictum is forgotten. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," he said.
George Bernard Shaw once said: "We learn from history that we learn nothing from history."
Damn fools run things now like before. Today's super-weapons make earlier ones seem like toys.
Crazies act like nuclear missiles and bombs are king-sized hand grenades. Humanity's fate hangs in the balance.
Will Ukraine become a flashpoint for East/West confrontation. Will something erupt making Yugoslavia's destruction look insignificant by comparison?
Will Washington neocon extremists challenge Russia belligerently? Will media scoundrels support them? Will public outrage fail to materialize?
Will potential armageddon be risked? Will never again really happen this time? Einstein once said he didn't know what WW III weapons would be used.
"…WW IV will be fought with sticks and stones," he said. Betrand Russell was an Einstein contemporary.
"Shall we put an end to the human race, or shall mankind renounce war," he asked? It's the only way to live in peace. The alternative risks annihilation.
The choice is clear. The wrong one assures potential disaster. America heads humanity dangerously toward it. Either we end wars or they'll end us. There's no in between.
A Final Comment
The late Michael Mandel (1948 - 2013) was among a group of law professors wanting justice. They filed war crimes charges against numerous Western officials and complicit allies.
They did so at International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Notable US ones charged included Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright, William Cohen and General Wesley Clark.
European ones included Tony Blair, Robin Cook, George Robertson, Javia Solana, Jamie Shea, and numerous others - 68 in all.
On February 22, 2000, in testimony before Canada's House of Commons, Mandel explained he "specialize(d) in criminal law and comparative law with an emphasis on domestic and foreign tribunals."
He got involved because of the outrageous "killing and maiming of innocent people for what…were purely self-interested motives."
He called it "the farthest thing from humanitarianism." NATO's war was illegal, he stressed. Force is justified only in self-defense or when Security Council authorized.
He explained relevant UN Charter provisions. They leave no ambiguity. They were systematically violated. So was the NATO Treaty and Canadian law.
The NATO Treaty Preamble states:
"The Parties to this Treaty reaffirm their faith in the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and their desire to live in peace with all peoples and all governments."
"Article 1: The Parties undertake, as set forth in the Charter of the United Nations, to settle any international dispute in which they may be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered, and to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations."
"Article 7: This treaty does not affect, and shall not be interpreted as affecting in any way the rights and obligations under the charter of the Parties which are members of the United Nations, or the primary responsibility of the Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security."
The Canada Defense Act states:
- "31. (1) the Governor in Council may place the Canadian forces or any component, unit or other element thereof on active service anywhere in or beyond Canada at any time when it appears advisable to do so.
- (a) by reason of an emergency, for the defence of Canada; or
- (b) in consequence of any action undertaken by Canada under the United Nations Charter, the North Atlantic treaty or any other similar instrument for collective defence that may be entered into by Canada."
Mandel was unequivocal saying:
"The illegality of NATO's war on Yugoslavia is not disputed by any legal scholar of repute, even those who had some sympathy for the war…"
"NATO has no humanitarian lessons to teach the world," he stressed.
"Much more plausible than the humanitarian thesis is the one that the United States deliberately provoked this war, that it deliberately exploited and exacerbated another country's tragedy…for purely selfish (political) and economic" reasons.
It ravaged and destroyed a country for power and profit. War crimes charges against culpable officials are warranted.
Grave international law breaches were committed. No Western or complicit official was held accountable. Justice remains denied.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
The Russians Are Coming
The Russians Are Coming
by Stephen Lendman
Churchill once said a "lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." Today it circulates instantly.
Goebbels said "(i)f you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."
"(T)ruth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State," he added.
Goebbels operated in pre-television days. Media scoundrels embrace his doctrine. They echo official administration policy. They lie, distort, misinform, hype, stoke fear, and falsify information willfully.
They bury truth. They suppress what readers and viewers most need to know. They one-sidedly support wealth, power and privilege.
They cheerlead America's worst imperial crimes. They vilify its enemies maliciously. They endorse Israeli lawlessness. They blame victims for aggressors' wrongdoings.
Russia bashing rages daily. Putin is public enemy number one. Big Lies vilify him. They substitute for truth.
Daily headlines are inflammatory. They're scandalous. They're abhorrent. They repeat with disturbing regularity.
Millions follow BBC regularly. Most don't know UK-controlled propaganda substitutes for real news and information.
It's been this way since BBC's 1922 inception. John Reith was its first general manager. He was clear and unequivocal saying Britain's government "know(s) (it) can trust us not to be really impartial."
Straightaway he betrayed the public trust. BBC is a reliable imperial tool. Credibility isn't its long suit.
Its claim about "honesty, integrity (being) what the BBC stands for, free from political influence and commercial pressure" is willful, deceptive hype.
UK-based Media Lens offers independent, "authoritative criticism." Its reports reflect "reality." It's free from corporate or government influence.
It covers BBC reporting. It once called it fundamentally one-sided, imbalanced, "biased, blinkered and culpable."
"Anyone can spot the propaganda with a modicum of vigilance while watching the news," it said.
Western interests alone are represented. Viewers and listeners get one side only. BBC is government funded, operated and controlled.
It's Britain's official voice. It pretends to be independent and impartial. It's polar opposite. It fronts for power. It supports imperial lawlessness.
On March 23, it headlined "NATO warns of Russian army build-up on Ukraine border."
It cited NATO commander General Philip Breedlove. It did so without proper due diligence fact-checking. He addressed the German Marshall Fund. He irresponsibly hyped fear.
He lied claiming Russian troops massed on Ukraine's border. He suggested a possible invasion.
Previously planned exercises are well within Russian territory. Holding them poses no threat. More on this below.
Breedlove said Russia's "snap exercise puts an incredible force at a border. (It's) at the Ukrainian border now to the east and is very, very sizable and very, very ready."
"You cannot defend against that if you are not there to defend against it."
"So I think we need to think about our allies, the positioning of our forces in the alliance and the readiness of those forces…such that we can be there to defend against it if required, especially in the Baltics and other places."
He suggested Moscow could target Transdneistria next. In 1990, it declared independence.
It's between the Dniester River and Moldova's eastern border. No evidence suggests Russian meddling in its internal affairs.
Breedlove called Russia "more…an adversary than a partner." BBC regurgitated his comments without challenge.
It irresponsibly cited Kiev's putschist foreign minister Andriy Deshchytsia. He ludicrously warned about possible war with Russia.
BBC regurgitated his rubbish. He expects Russia "might invade," he said. He repeated a Big Lie.
So did US Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken. BBC quoted him claiming helping Ukraine with "military assistance" won't likely "change Russia's calculus or prevent any invasion."
Putschist neo-Nazi National Security and Defense Council chief Andriy Parubiy was quoted. He lied claiming Putin's "troops massed at the border are ready to attack at any moment."
BBC's Ian Pannell lied claiming Russian troops used stun grenades in a Saturday raid on the Belbek airbase. More on this below.
BBC's Mark Lowen lied claiming Russian troops took over the Novofedoivka base in western Crimea. He implied illegality. Evidence and clarification were lacking.
Western media, especially America's, feature this type rubbish. The Big Lie marches in lockstep. Every opportunity is taken to vilify Russia.
Soviet era Cold War propaganda was never this intense. Truth is buried and ignored. Willful lies and misinformation substitute.
The New York Times is typical. It's a Washington propaganda machine. On March 21, it headlined "Russia's Shifting of Border Stirs US Worry," saying:
"The White House cast doubt Friday on the Kremlin’s claims that thousands of troops massing on the border of southeastern Ukraine are merely involved in training exercises, deepening fears that Russian aggression will not end in Crimea."
Russian troops aren't massed on Ukraine's border. No Russian aggression occurred. None is planned.
No evidence suggests it. Times editors know it. It's public information. It doesn't matter. They willfully published lies. They do it multiple times daily.
South African journalist Getahune Bekele once called National Security Advisor Susan Rice a "consummate ally of grubby despots."
Others condemn her bloody hands. Banality of evil describes her. Death and destruction don't bother her.
She was quoted once saying, "The only thing we have to do is look the other way."
In other words, commit horrendous crimes repeatedly, say nothing or claim otherwise. Genocidal slaughter never happened. Millions of corpses aren't dead.
Rice epitomizes disreputability. Not by Times' standards. They quoted her saying "(i)t's not clear" what the Russians are up to.
She lied adding: "Obviously given their past practice and the gap between what they have said and what they have done, we are watching it with skepticism."
An unnamed Pentagon official was cited, saying:
"The Russian forces are reinforcing and bulking up along the eastern Ukrainian border."
"Our view is they're preserving all their options, including going in, absolutely. If they choose to do that, we just wouldn't have much warning."
On March 23, RT International headlined "Moscow: No troop build-up or undeclared activity near Ukraine borders."
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov was clear, unequivocal and truthful saying:
"The Defense Ministry is complying with all international agreements on the limitation of troops in border areas."
"By the way, this issue has during the last month been regularly raised in telephone conversations between Russia's Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu, and his foreign counterparts, including US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and even acting Ukrainian Defense Minister Igor Tenyukh," he added.
Shoigu explained clearly. He was unambiguous. Russia has no intention to deploy troops on Ukraine's border, he stressed.
Russian-based inspectors from America, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Finland said "Russian Armed Forces are not undertaking any undeclared military activity that would threaten the security of neighboring countries," Antonov explained.
"Our venues and regions, where troops are stationed near Ukrainian borders, have twice been checked by the Ukrainian military," he added.
They spoke directly to Russian military unit chiefs. They took pictures of deployed sites and military equipment.
They accompanied Russian forces on maneuvers. They know exactly what's going on. They understand no threat exists. For sure they informed their superiors.
"We did our best to meet our partners' requests by allowing them to inspect all of the sites they wanted to. We have nothing to hide," Antonov stressed.
Falsified media reports suggest otherwise. It doesn't surprise. It's standard scoundrel media practice. Lies substitute for truth.
Headlines stoke fear. They suggest the Russians are coming. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen hyped the Big Lie. He called Ukraine's crisis a "game-changer."
NATO partners and allies must strengthen their economic and military ties in the wake of (nonexistent) Russian aggression, he said.
"The transatlantic bond and NATO matter more for Europe than ever before," he added. He urged a reaffirmed commitment to collective defense.
"(W)e can no longer do business as usual with Russia," he said. He wants a full range of capabilities to deter a nonexistent threat.
In mid-March, Washington deployed a dozen F-16s and around 300 military personnel to Poland.
Six F-15s and one K-135 aerial refueling aircraft were sent to Lithuania. Four F-15s were deployed earlier for air patrol missions.
Vice President Biden threatened to invoke NATO's Article 5 for war on Russia. Intense saber rattling defines Western policy. Doing so escalates tensions dangerously.
On March 23, an inflammatory New York Times headline said "Obama and Allies Seek Firm, United Response as Russia Grips Crimea."
The Times repeated the Big Lie about "Russia's invasion of Crimea and the lightening annexation of the peninsula."
No matter that 96.77% of Crimeans voted legitimately for reunification. UN Charter provisions affirm their self-determination right to do so.
Don't expect The Times to explain. Or clearly state no Russian invasion occurred. None is planned for Ukraine or anywhere else.
In contrast, imperial war invasions are longstanding US policy. Times editors claim ravaged and destroyed countries are liberated.
America acts with good intentions, they say. Only its enemies are bad guys. Facts are twisted to fit policy.
The Times claimed "Russian special forces" stormed Belbek airbase near Sevastopol on Saturday.
False! On March 22, RT International headlined "Crimean self-defense squads enter Belbek airbase," saying:
They "surrounded (it) after Ukrainian troops inside refused to lay down arms and leave the base in accordance to the Crimean prime minister's order."
According to Sevastopol ForPost news web site journalist Dmitry Osipenko, they now control the base.
Ukrainian forces were asked to leave. They're operating illegally. They're on Russian territory. They need permission to stay. It's not forthcoming.
Osipenko said "(a)ccording to his information, nobody was injured, but (he's) not sure."
He heard gunfire. It came from the Ukrainian side. It's unclear who was shooting, he said.
"The self-defense forces hid behind cars and then a car rammed the gate," he added. Sevastopol Cossacks were present.
RT quoted an order putschist defense minister Igor Tenyukh gave Ukrainian forces in Crimea. It's illegal. It said "remain in place." You're "allowed to use weapons."
The vast majority of Ukraine's Crimean forces abandoned their positions voluntarily. Most wish to remain in Crimea. They reject Kiev putschists. Don't expect media scoundrels to explain.
Instead, feature op-ed space is given to contributors who deserve none. Michal McFaul is former US ambassador to Russia.
He's a neocon connected with Stanford University's right-wing Hoover Institute. Its agenda includes:
- prioritizing marketplace sovereignty;
- deregulation;
- privatization of government services;
- ending social justice;
- abolishing affirmative action;
- waging class war; as well as
- controlling electoral politics and supportive media backing everything on its wish list.
Herbert Hoover's 1959 statement guides policy, saying:
America's "social and economic systems are based on private enterprise from which springs initiative and ingenuity."
"Ours is a system where the Federal Government should undertake no governmental, social or economic action, except where local government, or the people, cannot undertake it for themselves."
"(Safeguarding) the American system, (requires) individual, economic, and political freedom; private enterprise; and representative government."
Hoover acolytes want one representing their interests alone.
Times editors gave McFaul feature op-ed space. He irresponsibly headlined "Confronting Putin's Russia," saying:
Putin's "decision (to) annex Crimea ended the post-Cold War era in Europe."
"Our new era is one defined by ideological clashes, nationalistic resurgence and territorial occupation…"
McFaul absurdly claimed Washington "did not seek this confrontation. The new era crept up on us, because we did not fully win the Cold War."
A previous article discussed confronting Russia. Washington began in 1917. It never stopped.
The Cold War never ended. It's worse than ever now. America wants Russian independence destroyed. It wants pro-Western subservient leadership replacing it.
It wants Russia transformed into dystopian harshness like what's planned for Ukraine.
It wants control of Russian resources. It wants its people exploited. It wants a major world rival removed. It wants China isolated. It wants Beijing treated the same way.
Hegemons operate this way. America is the most ruthless in world history by far. Don't expect McFaul to explain. He's part of the problem, not the solution.
Putin wasn't "inevitable," he said. He lied suggesting his overwhelming 2012 electoral victory was fraudulent.
Independent monitors judged it scrupulously open, free and fair. America's sham process pales by comparison.
According to McFaul, Putin reinstituted Soviet policies. Nothing whatever suggests it.
He "need(s) an enemy," McFaul claims. He's gone all-out for cordial relations with all countries.
He justifiably opposes US imperialism. He's against American unipolar world policies. McFaul called his justifiable criticisms "propaganda."
"(A)nti-Americanism" is featured on "state-controlled television," he said. It "reached a fanatical pitch with Mr. Putin's annexation of Crimea."
McFaul obviously either didn't hear or read his mid-March wide-ranging interview on Ukraine, didn't say if he did, and for sure ignored his candor.
He lied claiming Putin "no longer feels constrained by international laws and norms, and is unafraid to wield Russian power to revise the international order."
Putin respects rule of law principles. No nation trashes them more than America. It wages lawless aggression against one country after another. A police state apparatus rules at home.
Don't expect McFaul to explain. He's part of the Russia bashing amen chorus. It's hard imagining how Moscow endured him as ambassador.
His entire anti-Russian diatribe repeated one lie after another. Times editors disgracefully featured them. McFaul ludicrously called putschist-run Ukraine "a democracy."
No one elected their power-grabbers. For sure most Ukrainians won't want them once they realize how grievously they were betrayed.
Police state lawlessness rules. Ahead comes IMF-imposed dystopian harshness. Crackdowns will confront nonbelievers. McFaul endorses state-sponsored injustice. He supports it at home.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Containing Russia
Containing Russia
by Stephen Lendman
It's longstanding US policy. In his March 18 address on Crimea, Putin was right saying:
"(W)e have every reason to assume that the infamous policy of containment, led in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, continues today."
Western nations are "constantly trying to sweep us into a corner because we have an independent position, because we maintain it, and because we call things like they are and do not engage in hypocrisy."
"Everything has its limits," he added. "(I)n Ukraine, our Western partners crossed the red line." They "act(ed) irresponsibly and unprofessionally."
Putin had the courage to say what needs to be heard publicly. Containing Russia is longstanding US policy. It reflects US hegemonic ambitions. It risks a potential belligerent East/West confrontation.
As early as 1917, Washington and Britain wanted the new Soviet state destroyed. Three months before WW I ended, Britain led a multi-nation force.
At the time, Lloyd George was Prime Minister. Churchill was UK Minister of War and Air. Woodrow Wilson was US president.
Thousands of US marines were involved. They invaded Russia. They intervened against Bolshevik forces. They remained until April 1920.
So-called "preventive war" failed. At the same time, "Red Scare" propaganda was intense.
Political scientist Murray Levin called it "a nation-wide anti-radical hysteria provoked by a mounting fear and anxiety that a Bolshevik revolution in America was imminent - a revolution that would change church, home, marriage, civility, and the American way of Life."
Newspapers hyped fear. Xenophobia raged. Industrial Workers of the World (IWW Wobblies) were demonized.
Latter-day media scoundrels called them "radical threats to American society" inspired by "left-wing, foreign agent provocateurs."
Labor strikes they led were called "crimes against society," conspiracies against the government," and "plots to establish communism."
Dozens of Wobbly members were arrested. They were convicted. They got long prison terms. The IWW was never the same again.
The infamous 1917 Espionage Act and 1918 anti-anarchist Sedition Act were enacted. Law Professor David Cole said Wilson "targeted alien radicals."
"(He) deported them for their speech or associations. (He) ma(de) little effort to distinguish true threats from ideological dissidents."
In 1918, the abusive Palmer raids followed. They continued into 1921. Wilson's Attorney General Mitchell Palmer ordered them. He targeted Wobbly members and other left-wing groups.
He launched J. Edgar Hoover's FBI career. It began in the Department of Justice Bureau of Investigation's newly created General Intelligence Division. In 1935, it became the FBI.
A year earlier, the Special Committee on Un-American Activities was established. The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) succeeded it.
From the mid-1950s through the early 1970s, Hoover's infamous COINTELPRO (counterintelligence) program targeted political dissidents, alleged communists, anti-war, human and civil rights activists, American Indian Movement members, and Black Panther Party ones, among others.
In their book, "Agents of Repression," Ward Churchill and Jim Vander Wall said:
"(T)he term came to signify the whole context of clandestine (usually illegal) political repression activities…"
They included "a massive surveillance (program via) wiretaps, surreptitious entries and burglaries, electronic devices, live 'tails' and bogus mail."
It was done to induce paranoia and "foster 'splits' within or between organizations."
Other tactics included:
- "black propaganda" through leaflets or other publications; it was "designed to discredit organizations and foster internal tensions;"
- "disinformation or 'gray propaganda' " for the same purpose;
- "bad-jacketing" to "creat(e) suspicion - through the spread of rumors, manufacture of evidence, etc." to turn some members against others violently;
- "harassment arrests (on bogus) charges;" and
- "assassinations (of) selected political leaders."
This writer vividly remembers December 4, 1969. Chicago police murdered Black Panther leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark while they slept. They did so in cold blood.
In November 1968, J. Edgar Hoover ordered FBI agents "to exploit all avenues of creating....dissension within the ranks of the BPP (using) imaginative hard-hitting counterintelligence measures aimed at crippling" the organization.
He targeted independent voices challenging America's imperial agenda. Soviet Russia supporters were prime targets.
Post-WW II, containing Russia became official US policy. US diplomat/ambassador to Soviet Russia/presidential advisor George Kennan (1904 - 2005) was "the father of containment."
He was a core member of so-called foreign policy "Wise Men." His advice inspired the Truman Doctrine. More on it below.
His 1946 "Long Telegram" from Moscow and 1947 "Sources of Soviet Conduct" claimed its government was inherently expansionist.
Containing its influence in strategic areas vitally important to America had to be prioritized, he argued. Cold War policies followed. Kennan was instrumentally involved.
In February 1948, his "Memo PPS23" said:
"(W)e have 50% of the world's wealth but only 6.3% of its population. (It makes us) the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships (to let us) maintain this position of disparity without positive detriment to our national society."
"To do so we will have to dispense with all sentimentality and daydreaming; and our attention will have to be concentrated everywhere on our immediate national objectives."
"We need not deceive ourselves that we can afford today the luxury of altruism and world benefaction...."
"We should dispense with the aspiration to 'be liked' or to be regarded as the repository of a high-minded international altruism."
"We should (stop talking about) unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of the living standards, and democratization."
"The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are hampered by idealistic slogans (ideas and practices), the better."
In July 1947, his so-called "X" article headlined "The Sources of Soviet Conduct."
He urged "counter(ing) it "effectively." He stressed "containment, saying:
"The main element of any United States policy toward the Soviet Union must be that of a long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies."
He quoted Lenin saying:
"Unevenness of economic and political development is the inflexible law of capitalism. It follows from this that the victory of Socialism may come originally in a few capitalist countries or even in a single capitalist country."
"The victorious proletariat of that country, having expropriated the capitalists and having organized Socialist production at home, would rise against the remaining capitalist world, drawing to itself in the process the oppressed classes of other countries."
He said Soviet power reflects "innate antagonism between capitalism and socialism."
"We have seen how deeply that concept has become imbedded in foundations of Soviet power. It has profound implications for Russia's conduct as a member of international society."
"It means that there can never be on Moscow's side a sincere assumption of a community of aims between the Soviet Union and powers which are regarded as capitalist."
"It must inevitably be assumed in Moscow that the aims of the capitalist world are antagonistic to the Soviet regime, and therefore to the interests of the peoples it controls."
Antagonism remains, said Kennan. "And from it flow many of the phenomena which we find disturbing in the Kremlin's conduct of foreign policy: the secretiveness, the lack of frankness, the duplicity, the wary suspiciousness, and the basic unfriendliness of purpose."
Russians will be "difficult to deal with" for a long time, he stressed. In November 1948, NSC 4 outlined "US Objectives with Respect to the USSR to Counter Soviet Threats to US Security."
NSC 7 followed. It covered "The Position of the United States With Respect to Soviet Dominated World Communism." It said:
"(A) defensive policy cannot be considered an effective means of checking the momentum of Soviet expansion."
"Defeat(ing)" communism was considered "vital to the security of the United States." It argued Washington should organize and lead a "counter-offensive" aimed at undermining Soviet strength.
It should "develop, and at the appropriate time carry out, a coordinated program to support underground resistance movements in countries behind the iron curtain, including the USSR."
Kennan's 1948 "Inauguration of Political Warfare" explained his ideas on how to conduct it. He discussed covert and overt strategies.
He included political alliances, economic policies, and encouraging underground resistance initiatives. He encouraged establishing "Liberation Committees" across Europe. He supported policies short of war.
"In the long run," he said, "there can be only three possibilities for the future of western and central Europe. One is German domination. Another is Russian domination."
"The third is a federated Europe, into which the parts of Germany are absorbed but in which the influence of the other countries is sufficient to hold Germany in her place."
"If there is no real European federation and if Germany is restored as a strong and independent country, we must expect another attempt at German domination."
"If there is no real European federation and if Germany is not restored as a strong and independent country, we invite Russian domination, for an unorganized Western Europe cannot indefinitely oppose an organized Eastern Europe."
"The only reasonably hopeful possibility for avoiding one of these two evils is some form of federation in western and central Europe."
In March 1946, Churchill spoke at Fulton, MO-based Westminster College. He delivered his famous "Iron Curtain" speech. He titled it "The Sinews of Peace."
He helped change the way Western nations viewed communist Eastern ones. In pointed language, he said:
"Nobody knows what Soviet Russia and its communist international organization intends to do in the immediate future, or what are its limits, if any, to their expansive and proselytizing tendencies."
"From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent."
"Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe."
"Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in many cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow."
Many analysts consider his speech the beginning of the Cold War.
In March 1947, Truman's Doctrine pledged "support (for) free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures."
He aimed to keep Greece and Turkey from going communist. His policy applied globally. He initiated America's National Security State strategy.
Establishing NATO followed. So did policy papers like Kennan wrote. Peace didn't last long. Truman attacked North Korea. More on this below.
In April 1950, a Paul Nitze-supervised Joint State-Defense Department Committee National Security Memorandum No. 68 (NSC-68) was about containing Soviet Russia.
Inflammatory language called it an enemy "unlike previous aspirants to hegemony...animated by a new fanatic faith, antithetical to our own (wishing to) impose its absolute authority over the rest of the world."
It claimed it at a time America was the only global superpower. Soviet Russia was devastated by WW II. Many more years were needed to regain normality. It threatened no one.
IF Stone's "Hidden History of the Korean War" explains a much different account than popularly believed.
In 1952, Monthly Review co-founders Leo Huberman and Paul Sweezy wrote in the preface:
"This book...paints a very different picture of the Korean War - one, in fact, which is at variance with the official version at almost every point."
Stone's investigation into official discrepancies led him "to a full-scale reassessment of the whole" war.
Publisher Claude Bourdet wrote his own article titled "The Korean Mystery: Fight Against a Phantom,"? saying:
"If Stone's thesis corresponds to reality, we are in the presence of the greatest swindle in the whole of military history."
It's "not a question of a harmless fraud but of a terrible maneuver in which deception is being consciously utilized to block peace at a time when it is possible."
Stone called it international aggression. Huberman and Sweezy agreed. In August 1951, they said:
"(W)e have come to the conclusion that (South Korean president) Syngman Rhee deliberately provoked the North Koreans in the hope that they would retaliate by crossing the parallel in force."
He did so at Truman's behest. Multiple South Korean provocations gave him the war he wanted. Millions perished. Northern areas were turned to rubble. More wars followed.
"The northerners," said Huberman and Sweezy, wanted Korea unified, not war. They "fell neatly into the trap." Truman took full advantage. He instigated conflict.
Stone believed it saying:
"(W)e said we were going to Korea to go back to the status quo before the war, but when the American armies reached the 38th parallel they didn't stop."
"They kept going, so there must be something else. We must have another agenda here, and what might that agenda be?"
The same one he later learned initiated Washington's Southeast Asian war and others. Permanent war is official US policy. Containing Russia continues today. More on this below.
Post-WW II, the Marshall Plan (European Recovery Program) had little to do with so-called "huge gestures of (US) benevolence."
Economist Walt Rostow helped implement the plan. He called it one part of an "offensive to strengthen the area still outside Stalin's grasp."
In December 1947, then Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs William Clayton said if aid wasn't provided, "the Iron Curtain would then move westward at least to the English Channel."
While implementation was being discussed, he said America "hold(s) in (its) hands the powerful weapon of discontinuance of aid if contrary to our expectations any country fails to live up to our expectations."
Economic Stabilization Bureau head Chester Bowles was candid, saying:
"The real argument for the Marshall Plan is a bolstering of the American system for future years."
The plan was named for popular General George Marshall. Post-war, Truman's popularity fell sharply.
Putting his name on it risked public anger enough perhaps to get congressional rejection.
Marshall played the game. He pitched the plan. He delivered canned speeches.
He disingenuously claimed it was to relieve "hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos." It was about saving capitalism from communism and Stalinist influence.
Containing Russia remains official US policy. It's back to the future. The Cold War never ended. It morphed into new form.
Putin is public enemy number one. He's vilified more intensively than Soviet era leaders. In 2007, during his first term as president, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed containing Russia, saying:
"The very (notion) appeals to instincts of the past. It not so much attests to the lack of imagination, but rather that for some individuals almost nothing has changed since the end of the Cold War."
"These people propose imposing the structure of international relations which took shape long ago in the Western alliance, to the present moment."
"The motives that dictated this policy of containment are making themselves felt at this new historical stage, as well."
"What kind of Russia should be contained," he asked? "What can be the goal of 'containing Russia' today?"
"A Russia that has renounced an ideology of imperial and other 'great plans' in favor of pragmatism and common sense."
"How can a nation, which has placed emphasis on its domestic development and is now progressing remarkably well, be contained?"
"Russia's consolidation through creative work has naturally been translated into the strengthening of its international positions. Russia's foreign policy is nothing more than the continuation of its domestic policy."
"We have realistic and understandable aspirations, namely: the maintenance of international stability as a major condition for our further development together with the natural evolution of international relations with the goal of achieving freedom and democracy."
Washington and Moscow are geopolitical opposites, he added. Therein lies what's at issue. Russia's peace and respect for national sovereignty priorities are at odds with America's imperial agenda.
Heightened tensions risk an East/West confrontation. Irresponsible US policy risks possible global war. If initiated there's no turning back. Humanity's fate hangs in the balance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Rogue State Israeli Policies
Rogue State Israeli Policies
by Stephen Lendman
Israel is no democracy. Right-wing ideologues govern. They're militantly over-the-top. They represent Israel's lunatic fringe.
They abhor peace. They endorse war. They threaten regional security. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon ordered Israel's military to prepare war plans on Iran.
Nearly $3 billion was allocated. It's around one-firth of Israel's budget. Both officials want Iran's nuclear facilities targeted. They want them eliminated.
Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan warned earlier. Attacking Iran assures blowback. Iran will counterattack.
Hundreds of missiles will strike Israeli cities and strategic facilities. Dimona and other Israeli nuclear facilities will be targeted.
Regional conflict may escalate beyond what stoppable. The entire region may be embroiled. So will America.
Attacking Iran is madness. Lunatics don't consider consequences. In March 2012, The New York Times headlined, "US War Game Sees Perils of Israeli Strike Against Iran," saying:
A "classified war simulation held this month" assessed significant repercussions of Israel attacking Iran. Doing so means regional war. America could get embroiled. Hundreds of US casualties would follow.
US Central Command's war game tested communication and coordination between its Tampa, FL headquarters and Persian Gulf forces.
Exercises were held. Then Central Command head General James Mattis was especially troubled. He told aides that "an Israeli first strike would be likely to have dire consequences across the region and for United States forces there."
Attacking Iran's nuclear facilities could affect millions catastrophically. If retaliatory Tehran strikes seriously damage or destroy Dimona and other Israeli nuclear sites, radiation will contaminate large parts of the region.
War games can't predict how nations will respond. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned earlier that Iran will retaliate if attacked. "(W)e will attack them at the same level as they attack us," he said.
Netanyahu wants ongoing Iranian nuclear attacks subverted. He called last November's Geneva agreement a "historic mistake."
At the time, Saudi Arabia called it "West(ern) treachery." An Israeli/Saudi alliance formed to subvert it. Doing so could serve as pretext for conflict.
Bottom line US/Israeli strategy hasn't changed. Both countries want Iranian governance they control. How achieved is optional.
Hawks in both countries urge war. Attack plans were readied years ago. They can be implemented straightaway if ordered.
False flag deception may precipitate it. Duplicity is longstanding US/Israeli tradition. Trustworthiness isn't their long suit.
Deals they offer aren't worth the paper they're written on. Anti-Iranian sentiment is decades old. Obama and Netanyahu prioritize war. They deplore peace.
Rapprochement with Tehran faces long odds. Israeli and US saber rattling show what Iranians face.
George Clemenceau once said America is the only nation that went "from barbarism to degeneration without the usual interval of civilization." The same applies to Israel.
Threats risk becoming policy. The IDF got direct orders from Netanyahu and Ya'alon. Prepare to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. Ignore ongoing P5+1 talks.
Netanyahu rejects last November's interim nuclear agreement. He's not bound by it, he said.
"…I believe that letting Iran enrich uranium would open up the floodgates," he said. "That must not happen. And we will make sure it does not happen."
"Letting the worst terrorist regime on the planet get atomic bombs would endanger everyone," he added.
He repeatedly repeats the Big Lie about Iran openly "call(ing) for our destruction." Claiming it wore thin years ago. It doesn't stop endless regurgitation.
Ya'alon added: "Weakness certainly does not pay in the world.
No one can replace the US as the world's policeman. I hope the US will come to its senses."
"We think that the United States should be the one leading the campaign against Iran."
"But the US has entered talks with them and unfortunately, in the haggling in the Persian bazaar, the Iranians were better."
"Therefore, on this matter, we have to behave as though we have nobody to look out for us but ourselves."
Iran remains hopeful about achieving a final agreement around mid-year. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Vienna talks this week made substantial progress.
"Today the other side has finally grasped what we had been trying to say, especially when it comes to the practical needs of having a nuclear program which is logical and peaceful. And this by itself is a major progress."
Discussions about major issues were clarified, he added. They include enrichment, sanctions, international peaceful nuclear cooperation and Iran's Arak reactor.
Dismantling parts of Tehran's nuclear program isn't being considered. "(W)e are not at the stage yet to draft a statement to predict how big the differences still are," Zarif said.
Reports suggest major ones remain. A senior US official called this week's Vienna talks "intense."
On January 20, multiple rounds began. They're expected to continue until July 20. Final resolution remains elusive.
Iran won't relinquish its nuclear rights. They fully comply with NPT provisions. No military component exists.
Iran is between a rock and a hard place. Eighty-three senators wrote Obama. They laid out "core principles."
They lied claiming "Iran has no inherent right to enrichment under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty." Tehran calls doing so fundamental. It won't sacrifice its legitimate rights.
Washington wants Fordow enrichment facility and Arak's heavy water reactor abandoned. Iran has no intention of doing either.
President Hassan Rohani said Iran won't relinquish its legal rights.
"The world has admitted that Iran is, and will be, among the countries which have nuclear technology, including enrichment, and there is no doubt about this for anyone."
He urges equitable resolution. It's long overdue. Whether possible given hardline US/Israeli policy remains to be seen. An unnamed US official in Vienna said:
Talks were serious. They were civil. "Everybody (was) very professional, very focused, no histrionics, no walking out, no yelling and screaming."
"People understand the stakes are pretty profound; there is a sense of the tremendous responsibility on people's shoulders."
Ukrainian tensions were temporarily ignored. How much longer remains uncertain.
P5+1 and Iranian nuclear experts will meet in Vienna from April 3 - 5. Negotiators will conduct more talks from from April 7 - 9.
Iran's main goal is "normalizing (its) case similar to every other member state of the NPT," Zarif stressed.
Tehran's fundamental rights won't be sacrificed. Israel wants Iran having none. Washington may add new demands not yet revealed.
Final resolution remains elusive. Netanyahu plans making it impossible. Key is whether Obama agrees.
A Final Comment
Israeli rogue state policies are multifaceted. Fundamental rule of law principles are systematically violated. Human and civil rights don't matter.
Palestinians have none whatever. Conditions go from bad to worse. Militarized occupation harshness bears full responsibility.
A new Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is disturbing. It discusses "The Likelihood, Consequences and Policy Implications of PA Collapse or Dissolution."
Financial and political pressures may precipitate it. PSR envisions three possible scenarios:
(1) Israel and/or Washington may impose "severe or crippling financial and political sanctions."
(2) PLO leadership may abandon a two-state solution. Achieving it on Israeli terms is impossible. Hundreds of thousands of settlers on stolen Palestinian land alone does so. Rights sought may be sought other ways.
(3) Economic, financial and political crises may be inevitable. Public outrage may follow. Perhaps a third Intifada. Fundamental demands unable to be met may cause PA collapse.
PSR got opinions from 30 experts. Dozens of others were involved. They represent finance, economics, internal security, law enforcement, health, education, communications, judicial affairs, local government, water, electricity, civil and domestic political affairs, as well as whether or not a two-state solution remains feasible.
For sure not on Israeli terms. PSR director Khalil Shikaki conducted the study. Palestinians require PA help, he said.
They depend on it for "financial well being, social and political status in society, and there are circles that depend on their relation to PA," he said.
"Anything that happens to the PA will take all of that away from them. These could be organizations, business interests or individuals who have positions of power that allow them to reward sympathizers."
"If they could call the shots, they would do their best to prevent (the PA's collapse)."
"But even those who have a vested interest in satisfying Israel, for the sake of preserving the PA, cannot do it for too long."
Palestinians get painfully little help. At the same time, they rely on whatever is forthcoming. It's better than nothing.
"People do not want to see themselves without a central authority that prevents chaos and anarchy in the streets, even if they have a lot of criticism of the PA and its functioning," said Shikaki.
"But the Palestinians are willing to risk it collapsing completely, if it happens in the midst of a struggle for a change in the status quo."
"If there is a good reason for it to collapse, then (Palestinians say) let it be."
Public discontent began years ago. Over time, it intensified. PA officials are Israeli enforcers. In over 20 years, they failed. They haven't achieved fundamental goals.
Things are much worse now than then. Economic and financial conditions alone cause horrific harm. Exploitation substitutes for social justice. Political rights don't exist.
PSR's " 'Day After' Final Report" is troubling. PA collapse may be inevitable. At the same time, "(a)ll Palestinians who participated in the discussion shared the view that Israel and the PA have a common interest in keeping the PA functioning," said Shikaki.
"Palestinian society in general understands that the PA is able to exist as long as Israel is happy with it, and as long as Palestinians find it useful to them."
Study participants assumed that "at all levels there will be an attempt to prevent collapse."
At the same time, both sides believe "they can do a lot of harm to the other without risking" it. In other words, Israel will save the day if necessary.
If PA officials voluntarily decide to dismantle, "Palestinians might seek to force Israel to either deepen its occupation, reverting to the situation that prevailed before 1994, or change its policies by seriously negotiating the end of its occupation, or unilaterally withdraw from most of the West Bank."
Impending collapse "might force Israel to re-examine its options."
Avoiding it requires PA officials abandoning counterproductive policies. They include poor planning, lack of transparency, excessive centralization, conflicting interests, rampant corruption, and benefitting Israel at the expense of their own people.
Hamas would benefit greatly from PA collapse. Israel's likely response would be another matter entirely.
Palestinians suffered injustice for decades. Nothing ahead suggests achieving their liberating struggle. It continues unresolved.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Crimean Reunification Day
Crimean Reunification Day
by Stephen Lendman
On Monday, Putin endorsed Crimean independence. He signed a decree affirming it.
He did it in the Kremlin's Yekaterininsky Hall. Federation Council and State Duma members attended the signing.
It recognizes Sevastopol as a city with "special autonomous status." It's within the Republic of Crimea.
Putin's signature kickstarted reunification. Russia's State Duma and Federation Council members overwhelmingly approved it. So did Russia's Constitutional Court. Two new Russian constituent territories were formed.
On March 21, the Crimean News Agency headlined "Putin signs final documents on annexation of Crimea," saying:
"Starting from this date, self-proclaimed Republic of Crimea is considered annexed to RF (Russian Federation)."
March 21 is Crimean reunification day. Simferopol is Crimea's capital. On Friday, thousands attended a celebratory concert.
Fireworks highlighted the occasion. Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksayonov thanked Crimeans and Russians for their support.
"We have achieved it ourselves. I would like to thank you for backing us up in the most difficult moment," he said.
"Thanks to you, we have obtained confidence and courage. I would like to thank Russian President Vladimir Putin and all Russians who stood by our side backing us up morally and physically when we needed that."
"I am sure that we are going to live in a new country, a country in which our fathers and forefathers wanted to live and of which they dreamed. We have deserved that."
A reunification treaty memo says it's "based on the free and voluntary expression of will of the Crimean people at an all-Crimea referendum held in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol on March 16, 2014, during which the Crimean people decided to reunite with Russia."
It's official on date of signing. Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar were declared official state languages.
Crimea's land border with Ukraine henceforth becomes Russia's state border.
Crimeans are now Russian citizens. Those wishing to retain Ukrainian citizenship have one month to decide.
A new Crimean Constitution will be drafted. State Council (parliament) Speaker Vladimir Konstantinov said:
"The work to draft the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea, I hope, will end within two weeks."
"Specialists from the Russian Federation will be employed, and I am convinced we will soon approve a draft Constitution."
A new political structure will be formed, he added. All Russian political parties will be represented.
Sanctions wars continue. On Friday, EU leaders named 12 additional Russian officials.
They include Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, State Duma Speaker, State Duma Chairman (speaker) Sergey Neryshkin, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and Putin economic advisor Sergei Glazyev.
Possible economic and financial sanctions may follow. They cut both ways. They're madness if imposed. They'll harm EU nations as much as Russia.
Trade wars benefit no one. EU/Russian trade is around 400 billion euros annually. It's tenfold US/Russian trade.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich called EU sanctions "torn from reality."
He urged "returning to the pragmatic ground of cooperation to meet interests of our countries."
"At the same time, it is clear that the Russian side reserves the right to give an adequate response to the taken action," he added.
George Soros is a billionaire speculator con man. He's a new world order predator. He profits from human misery. He was once quoted saying:
"As a market participant, I don't need to be concerned with the consequences of my actions."
Millions he's harmed say otherwise. He wants Moscow punished. He wants to Washington to crash the oil market. He claims doing so will hurt Russia's economy.
He urges dumping US strategic oil reserves in the market. He wants crude oil sold at depressed prices. His proposed scheme is hairbrained.
Less than 700 million barrels in US reserves amount to less than nine days of production. They're inconsequential.
Putin advisor Sergei Glazyev and economy minister Alexei Ulyukaev suggested Moscow will dump its dollar-denominated currency reserves in response.
It'll trade oil and gas in other currencies. It'll reduce dollar demand outside America. More on this below.
Russian flags now fly over 147 Ukrainian Crimean military facilities. Ukrainian forces manning them decided almost full strength to join Moscow's armed forces.
St. Andrew's naval flags were raised on 54 out of 67 Ukrainian vessels. They include eight warships and one submarine.
Ukrainian troops have a choice. They can leave Crimea, serve in its military, or end service and remain. On Saturday, Moscow's Defense Ministry said:
"As of March 21, less than 2,000 out of 18,000 Ukrainian servicemen staying on the territory of Crimea decided to go to Ukraine," reported Voice of Russia.
Those remaining will get transport help to relocate their families and belongings.
Eastern Ukrainians demand their own referendum. Kharkov is Ukraine's second largest city. Days earlier, thousands rallied in its central square.
Civic Platform movement leader Yury Apukhtin wants Ukraine federalized, saying:
"Our city has been Russian and will remain such albeit within Ukraine. We are ready to live in a single country but on our terms."
Demonstrators chanted pro-Russian slogans. They presented a letter to Putin at Russia's consulate. It requested he "guarantee their rights and freedoms."
They asked him to send Russian peacekeepers. They fear for their property and lives.
They urged he pass on their demands for a federalization referendum. They plan one for April 27.
Similar protests occurred in Eastern Ukraine. Donetsk is a large industrial city. Demonstrators demanded its parliament "remove from power the illegitimate cabinet."
They want its decisions annulled. They want a new coalition government.They want one serving their interests. They want Yanukovych's February 21 agreement honored.
They made other legitimate demands. They want "people's governor" Pavel Gubarev freed. On March 1, demonstrators appointed him.
On March 6, he was arrested on charges of violating Ukraine's territorial integrity, takeover of power, and seizing government buildings.
Dnepropetrovsk residents reject Kiev putschists. They demand their own federalization referendum.
Thousands of Lugansk anti-coup activists conducted a public poll. They handed out "ballot papers" for a regional "people's referendum."
Thousands of Odessan residents want their own. They shouted "Ukraine and Russia - one country" and "Odessa be bold. Drive the fascists out."
Resistance movement leader Rostislav Bard said:
"Odessa is against the coup in Kiev, paid for by the West and Ukrainian oligarchs who remained in power with the help deceitful extremists and militants."
"We are tired of living in poverty, and we are no longer going to tolerate the tyranny of oligarchs and officials."
Over 5,000 Nikolayev residents rallied. They expressed support for Crimea. They want a "public referendum," they said. They want one with two yes or no questions, asking:
"Do you support a federal system of Ukraine," and
"Do you support the creation of a federal district Novorossia within Ukraine, including the Nikolayev, Odessa and Kherson regions?"
Many Ukrainians throughout the country reject putschist rule. Expect lots more protests ahead. Expect people demanding their rights.
Previous articles discussed Western-backed ultranational putschists seizing power. They did so illegitimately.
They ousted Ukraine's democratically elected government. They substituted fascist dictatorship for democracy.
They rule by intimidation. They ignore rule of law principles. They eliminated political opposition. They banned dissenting information and opinions.
Illegitimate officials were appointed. They rule extrajudicially. Expect Ukrainians to awaken to what happened.
Expect public anger to grow. Expect harsh crackdowns. What follows remains to be seen.
On March 21, Zero Hedge headlined "Petrodollar Alert: Putin Prepares to Announce 'Holy Grail' Gas Deal With China," saying:
If Washington and EU partners intended greater Sino/Russian unity, "one (nation) a natural resource…superpower and the other a fixed capital/labor output…powerhouse, in the process marginalizing the dollar and encouraging Ruble and Renminbi bilateral trade, then things are surely 'going according to plan.' "
Strong Moscow/Beijing unity against Western imperialism is their best defense. Western nations have a tiger by the tail. Controlling Ukrainian fascists won't be easy.
At the same time, European countries are "scrambling to find alternative sources of energy should Gazprom pull the plug on natgas exports…"
Around 40% higher Ukrainian gas prices perhaps suggests what awaits them. According to Zero Hedge:
"Russia is preparing the announcement of the 'Holy Grail' energy deal with none other than China, a move which would send geopolitical shockwaves around the world and bind the two nations in a commodity-backed axis."
It'll "lay the groundwork for a new joint, commodity-backed reserve currency…" It'll bypass the dollar.
Reuters explained what's likely next. It headlined "Putin looks to Asia as West threatens to isolate Russia," saying:
Rosneft executive chairman/former deputy prime minister/close Putin ally Igor Sechin "warn(ed) Western governments that more sanctions over Moscow's seizure of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine would be counter-productive."
"The underlying message from the head of Russia’s biggest oil company, Rosneft, was clear: If Europe and the United States isolate Russia, Moscow will look East for new business, energy deals, military contracts and political alliances."
"The Holy Grail for Moscow is a natural gas supply deal with China that is apparently now close after years of negotiations."
"If it can be signed when Putin visits China in May, he will be able to hold it up to show that global power has shifted eastwards and he does not need the West."
Zero Hedge added:
"State-owned Russian gas firm Gazprom hopes to pump 38 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year to China from 2018 via the first pipeline between the world's largest producer of conventional gas to the largest consumer."
" 'May is in our plans,' a Gazprom spokesman said, when asked about the timing of an agreement. A company source said: 'It would be logical to expect the deal during Putin's visit to China.' "
"The worse Russia's relations are with the West, the closer Russia will want to be to China."
According to China expert Vaxily Kashin: "If China supports you, no one can say you're isolated."
Bilateral Ruble or Renminbi trade weakens dollar strength. If India, Iran, Iraq, and growing numbers of other countries follow suit in their own currencies, "wave goodbye to the petrodollar."
Trade in other areas could increase. China is the world's second largest economy. Its needs are huge. Both nations stand to gain from closer economic, political and military ties.
Together they're a powerful counterweight to Western economic and political influence. It's one to be reckoned with.
It promises to grow stronger. I'll do so while US influence wanes. Perhaps its go-along EU partners at the same time.
In 2013, Sino/Russian trade grew by 8.2%. At around $90 billion, it's a small fraction of its potential. It's likely to grow considerably ahead. It's estimated to be about $100 billion in 2014.
India is an important Russian trading partner. According to The Hindu publisher N. Ram, "Russia has legitimate interests in Crimea." India's government feels the same way.
Zero Hedge called what's unfolding a huge "geopolitical tectonic shift." While weak Western economies struggle, a potent "Asian axis" grows stronger.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Cold-Blooded Israeli Murder
Cold-Blooded Israeli Murderby Stephen LendmanIsraeli security forces are licensed to kill, injure and terrorize with impunity. They take full advantage. On March 22, they murdered three Palestinians in cold blood. Israeli soldiers, Shin Bet elemen...
Cheerleading Potential Disaster
Cheerleading Potential Disaster
by Stephen Lendman
Consider the times. Daily events should scare everyone. Washington rules alone matter. Unfettered power reflects things.
Rule of law principles are ignored. Core Bill of Rights protections are gone. Freedom hangs by a thread.
Democracy is a convenient illusion. Obama presides over a police state apparatus. Bipartisan complicity shares responsibility. Full-blown tyranny is a hair's breadth away.
Fundamental rights don't matter. Big Brother watches everyone. De facto one-party rule runs things.
Monied interests created a multi-headed monster. Super-wealth and privilege rule. Popular needs go begging.
Social justice is disappearing in plain sight. Money power in private hands is used to make more of it at the public's expense.
Imperial madness defines official policy. Sovereign independence is criminalized. It's considered justification for war.
Unchallenged global dominance is prioritized. Wars rage without end. New ones are planned. Humanity's fate hangs in the balance.
Warmakers win peace prizes. Peacemakers are scorned. War is considered peace. Criminality is rewarded. Doing the right thing is punished.
Today is the most perilous time in world history. Ukraine's crisis is the gravest since WW II. A potential clash of civilizations looms.
Media propagandists masquerade as journalists. Presstitution substitutes for real news, information and analysis.
Defending the indefensible persists. Doing so makes the unthinkable possible. Humanity survived two global wars.
Another one perhaps means armageddon. Avoiding it should be top priority. Russia bashing takes precedence.
It rages out-of-control daily. It's malicious. It's merciless. It's outrageous. It doesn't matter. It continues. More on this below.
Obama exceeds the worst of his predecessors. Recklessness defines his agenda. He imposed two rounds of sanctions on Russia. He threatened much tougher ones ahead.
Sergei Lavrov is a consummate diplomat. He responded, saying:
"Unilateral sanctions have never done any good. They are not legal. And they do not have international legal grounds."
"The UN Security Council is the only body entitled to decide on coercive measures towards sovereign states, but it has not made such decisions in regards to the Russian Federation and the Ukrainian administration of President Yanukovych."
"Even if we speak about the Ukrainian constitution, the people who grabbed power in Kiev in an anti-constitutional revolt did that with at least moral support and, I believe, that support was not just moral, by their actions."
"The trampling upon laws, which aimed to bring their stooges to power, who relied on blatant ultra-nationalists and who were unable to control even Kiev without them, and accusations of us and Crimeans of breaching Ukrainian laws are totally void from the legal point of view and, I believe, totally unacceptable from the point of view of morals and ethics."
A Foreign Ministry statement added:
"Lavrov stressed that the decision on Crimea's reunification with Russia reflected the expression of will of the absolute majority of its people, that it may not be reviewed and must be respected."
"Lavrov drew particular attention to the ongoing violence by ultranationalist and extremist forces targeting businessmen and journalists, dissenters, the Russian-speaking population and our compatriots."
"It is time to put an end to the condoning of the Right Sector militants and Svoboda party" extremists.
NATO Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a convenient US stooge. He endorses US policies. He supports Kiev neo-Nazi putschists.
On March 20, he lied saying "Russia will go beyond Crimea, and the next goal will be the eastern provinces of Ukraine."
Relations between NATO and Russia can no longer remain "just business," he added. Things are different than weeks earlier, he said.
He blamed Russia for Western imperial crimes. Perhaps he has war plans in mind. Perhaps planned US-led NATO military exercises in Ukraine suggest trouble.
Rapid Trident is scheduled for this summer. Similar exercises are conducted annually.
US forces in Europe web site says they're designed to "promote regional stability and security, strengthen partnership capacity, and foster trust while improving interoperability between the land forces of Ukraine, and NATO and partner nations."
Perhaps something more sinister is planned. Perhaps possible confrontation with Russia looms.
On Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden commented irresponsibility. Washington could invoke NATO's Article 5 for war on Russia, he said.
Perhaps he knows more than he's admitting. Reckless comments heighten tensions. So do irresponsible sanctions.
EU leaders targeted 12 additional Russian officials. Business ones were excluded. June EU-Russia summit plans were cancelled.
European leaders intend "targeted economic measures" if Russia "continues to destabilize Ukraine," they said. According to European Council president Herman Van Rompuy:
"We will assess each action, each incident in itself. We will not put all our cards on the table…But the preparations are ongoing."
Angela Merkel said: "As long as there is no political environment for such an important political format as the G-8, the G-8 doesn't exist anymore."
Vladimir Putin responded, saying:
"Are they hoping to put us in a worsening social and economic situation so as to provoke public discontent?"
"We consider such statements irresponsible and clearly aggressive in tone, and we will respond to them accordingly."
Columnist Roger Cohen is one of many New York Times imperial apologists. He never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Instead of choosing the right side of history, he's polar opposite every time. Especially when it matters most. Setting the record straight isn't his long suit.
He's been bashing Russia for weeks. On March 20, he headlined "Cold Man in the Kremlin," saying:
"Putin’s push for a revived Soviet-like space reached its apotheosis (with) the annexation of Crimea." He called it "a watershed moment for Europe, where such an event had not happened since World War II."
He ignored Yugoslavia's systematic destruction. He turned a blind eye to US-led NATO's full responsibility.
He said nothing about Washington transforming most former Soviet republics and Warsaw Pact countries into subservient pro-Western puppet states. He paid no attention to accompanying human misery.
"The Continent is once again combustible," he said. "The United States faces a foe in Moscow who laces his comments about America with contempt."
Cohen wrongfully compared Crimean/Russian reunification to Hitler's Austrian Anschluss. Both events were polar opposites.
Washington bears full responsibility for heightened continental tensions. Rogue EU partners share it. Putin's straight talk is derided. Don't expect Cohen to explain.
Defending the indefensible takes precedence. So does suppressing truth. "The language Putin understands is force and power," he claimed.
"If further Russian designs on Ukraine are to be stopped, President Obama has to respond to the Russian president in the idiom he understands," he added.
He lied accusing Putin of "proposing an alternative civilization of brutality, force, imperial expansion, systemic corruption, a cowed press, conspiracy theories and homophobia."
His characterization describes Washington. For sure not Putin. It bears repeating. Don't expect Cohen to explain.
Neocon Washington Post editors wage daily war on Russia. They repeated the Big Lie about Russian "aggression."
WaPo editors don't recognize the real thing. They call lawless US imperial wars humanitarian interventions.
They consider ravaging and destroying one country after another liberation. Unrestrained plunder is called economic development. Despots running things are labeled democrats.
Hit 'em again harder, they urge. Pile on tougher sanctions.
Punish Putin "while minimizing the collateral damage to the US, European and global economies that could come from a broader economic war."
Credit Obama "for leading the Western response…" US sanctions "still fall far short of what is needed to inflict the 'massive' damage to the Russian economy…"
WaPo editors repeated the Big Lie. Russia invaded Crimea, they screamed. They outrageously accused Putin of "steady escalation since Russian troops fanned out in Crimea nearly three weeks ago."
Putin "appears bent on bringing about the (Kiev government's) downfall," they claim.
Moscow justifiably rejects putschist illegitimacy. WaPo editors embrace it and then some.
"…Putin and his political elite appear drunk with euphoria over their successful seizure of Crimea and skeptical about the West's will to push back," they claim.
"If the latest sanctions do not quickly sober them up," WaPo editors wants tougher policies instituted. Again, they barely stopped short of urging war. Neocons prioritize it.
Garry Kasparov is a convenient US stooge. He's a former world chess champion turned hard right politician.
He's a dubious character and then some. He gets generous National Endowment for Democracy funding.
He's a former Center for Security Policy board member. Neocon Frank Gaffney heads it. Its board, staff and members include likeminded hardliners.
Kasparov is linked to former Yukos oil vice president Leonid Nevzlin. It's no longer operating.
Nevzlin was Russian oligarch Michael Khodorokvsky's partner. He fled to Israel to avoid charges of involvement with contract killers hired to eliminate "objectionable people."
In 2009, Kasparov met personally with Obama in Washington. At the time, they discussed internal Russian elements opposed to Putin.
Kasparov allied with a 2010 "Putin must go" initiative. WaPo editors gave him featured op-ed space. He headlined "It's time to stop Putin."
He repeated the same Big Lie. He "invad(ed) Crimea," he said. He called legitimate reunification "defiance."
He wants Putin confronted more forcefully. He wants tough pressure applied. He wants policies "target(ing) his hold on power."
He claims it's "all (he) cares about…" He berated Obama for saying he won't send US forces to defend Ukraine. He ludicrously called it "a gesture of peaceful intent."
He claimed there's "no dealing with Putin, no mutually beneficial business as usual." He turned truth on its head saying he "feels no obligation to operate by the rule of law or human rights in or outside of Russia."
"Putin is a lost cause," he hyperventilated. Russia "will be until he is gone. The West has been in denial about this for far too long."
"It has always been an error to treat (him) like any other leader; now, there are no more excuses."
You can't make this stuff up. Imagine featuring this type rubbish. Kasparov is no democrat. He's no populist. He's connected to some of the most extremist neocon ideologues.
They deplore peace. They endorse war. They want one country after another ravaged. They want them plundered. They want monied interests alone benefitting.
They want ordinary people exploited. They want despots they control replacing democrats. Their agenda risks global war.
Not according to Kasparov. "Obama and Europe's leaders keep trying to play by the rules even though Putin has ripped up the rule book and thrown the shreds in their faces," he claimed.
He wants him targeted ruthlessly. He wants him ousted. Maybe he has war in mind to do it. He's part of the problem. For sure not the solution.
Wall Street Journal editors continued their daily anti-Russia barrage. On March 20, they headlined "The Russo-Sanctions War," saying:
Putin "keeps ignoring Mr. Obama's pleas to stop carving up Ukraine…" On Thursday, "economic war" began.
Obama targeted Russian business figures. He included Bank Rossiya. It's Putin's bank. It handles financial transactions for other Russian officials.
Obama's Executive Order authorizes targeting key sectors of Russia's economy. Make it scream, Journal editors urge.
"(T)his is an economic war the US should be able to win," they said. If carried to extremes, not without a potential significant global cost.
Conditions worldwide are weak. They're unstable. China's economy is slowing markedly. Slowdown affects India, Brazil, and other emerging economies.
Eurozone countries are troubled. Italy faces major problems. Economic stagnation harms France. Spain, Portugal and Greece remain basket cases.
Problems experienced by one country affects others. US/Russia economic war could ripple globally. Crisis conditions could follow.
Journal editors should know better. They endorse what should be avoided at all costs. They want tougher measures taken.
They lied claiming Russia's "military is poised to move into Ukraine's south and east on the Kremlin's orders."
They urge countering Putin by "impos(ing) enough immediate and substantial pain on (him), his friends and the Russian economy…"
They want world banks forced "to choose between doing business with" America or Russia. They want Moscow's "dominance in European energy" confronted.
They want Ukraine given military aid. The want NATO forces deployed close to Russia's borders. It bears repeating. Perhaps they want WW III.
Media scoundrels lack legitimacy. They support wrong over right. They march in lockstep with lawless US policy.
They blame victims for crimes Washington commits. They lie to readers and viewers consistently. They endorse policies risking global conflict. Don't ask them to explain.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israel’ Racist War on Palestine
Israel's Racist War on Palestineby Stephen LendmanIt rages daily. Israel considers Muslims subhuman. Militarized occupation, colonialism and apartheid reflect official policy.So does institutionalized state terror. Rule of law principles are systematic...
Anti-Russian Media Wars
Anti-Russian Media Wars
by Stephen Lendman
Welcome to Cold War 2.0. The first one never ended. Since Soviet Russia's 1991 dissolution, Western policy remained hard-wired in place.
Putin defends Russian sovereignty. He opposes US imperial lawlessness. Washington considers him public enemy number one. At stake is world peace.
Russia bashing is intense. It rages daily. It exceeds the worst of Soviet era levels.
Daily attacks reinvented the Evil Empire. It's back to the future. It doesn't surprise. Media scoundrels march in lockstep with US imperial lawlessness. It's longstanding policy.
Propagandists masquerade as journalists. Managed news misinformation substitutes for truth and full disclosure. Readers and viewers are systematically lied to. Mind manipulation works this way.
Neocons infest Washington. They hugely influence policy. The Liz Wahl affair highlights to what lengths they'll go. More on this below.
Putin and Obama are geopolitical opposites. They're world's apart. A previous article explained.
Putin supports peace and stability. Obama wages one war after another.
Putin affirms UN Charter and other rule of law principles. Obama ignores them. He claims a divine right to pursue unchallenged hegemony. He does it belligerently.
Putin believes nation-state sovereignty is inviolable. Obama wants pro-Western puppet governments replacing independent ones.
Washington wants Boris Yeltsin reinvented. He presided over Russia's lost decade.
He let 80% of Russian farmers go bankrupt. He closed 70,000 state factories. He presided over an unemployment epidemic.
Half or more of ordinary Russians became impoverished. A permanent underclass was created. Crime, suicides, mortality, alcoholism, drug abuse, and HIV/AIDS soared to intolerable levels.
So-called "shock therapy" (aka force-fed austerity) produced economic genocide. GDP plunged 50%. Life expectancy fell.
Democratic freedoms died. An oligarch class accumulated enormous wealth. Western interests profited. They did so at the expense of millions of exploited Russians.
Yeltsin let corruption and criminality flourish. One scandal followed others. Grand theft became sport. So did money laundering. Billions in stolen wealth were secreted in Western banks or offshore tax havens.
Former Nezavisimaia Gazeta editor Vitalii Tret'iakov wrote earlier:
"(F)or the greater part of his presidency, Yeltsin slept, drank, was ill, relaxed, didn't show his face before the people and simply did nothing."
"Despised by the majority of (Russians, he'll) go down in history as the first president of Russia, having corrupted (the country) to the breaking point, not by his virtues and or by his defects, but rather by his dullness, primitiveness, and unbridled power lust of a hooligan."
Western governments loved him. So did media scoundrels. They praised his "democratic" change. He presided over free market gangsterism.
He created appalling human misery. Another generation or more may be needed to recover.
Putin's Russia is back. He's proud and re-assertive. He's not about to roll over for Washington. He's on the right side of history. He defends Russian sovereignty.
He does so responsibly. He's vilified for doing it. Daily attacks malign him. They're intense. They're vicious. They're merciless. They're unconscionable.
He's called a Russian strongman. Hillary Clinton outrageously compared him to Hitler. She did so disgracefully. Others take full advantage to vilify him.
RT International (formerly Russia Today) provides real news and information. It does so responsibly.
It airs what viewers most need to know. It's a vital service. It's an antidote to Western media propaganda.
RT America is part of its network. It's based in Washington. It includes New York, Los Angeles and Miami studios.
Former news presenter Liz Wahl became a cause celebre. She disgraced herself. She lost professional credibility.
She's geopolitically mindless. She swallows Western propaganda irresponsibly.
She sold out. She did so perhaps for benefits derived. She resigned on air. "It actually makes me feel sick that I worked here," she said.
"I cannot be part of a network funded by the Russian government that whitewashes the actions of Putin."
"I'm proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth, and that is why, after this newscast, I'm resigning."
RT responded professionally, saying:
"When a journalist disagrees with the editorial position of his or her organization, the usual course of action is to address those grievances with the editor, and, if they cannot be resolved, to quit like a professional."
"But when someone makes a big public show of a personal decision, it is nothing more than a self-promotional stunt."
It's that and much more. It's betrayal. It's supporting wrong over right. Wahl got feature air time on US cable channels.
They embraced her. They took full advantage of her Russia bashing. It's standard scoundrel media practice.
Official policy mandates misinformation, demagoguery, warmongering and junk food news. What viewers and readers most need to know is suppressed.
Wahl apparently prefers presstitution to real news. Whoring pays well. Maybe she's discussing new employment. RT viewers won't miss her.
The Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) is the Project for the New American Century's (PNAC) current incarnation. It's neoconservative and then some. It's ideologically over-the-top.
It's militantly pro-war. It deplores peace. It supports US imperial lawlessness. It does so shamelessly.
James Kirchick is an FPI fellow. He's based in Washington. He's a former US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty propagandist.
He performs similar services for FPI. He buries truth. He lies for power. He conspired with Liz Wahl. He did so beginning last August. FPI was involved. What happened on-air was carefully orchestrated.
Twenty minutes before Wahl's resignation, FPI twittered: "#WordOnTheStreet says that something big might happen on RT in about 20 - 25 minutes."
"Tune in RT now," it added. "The#WordOnTheStreet says it'll be worth your while."
At 5.26PM as Wahl quit, FPI twittered: "RT Anchor RESIGNS ON AIR. She 'cannot be part of a network that whitewashes the actions of Putin.' "
FPI tweets before and coincidentally with Wahl's resignation suggests carefully orchestrated complicity.
Around an hour daily, The Daily Beast published Kirchick's article headlined "Exclusive: RT Anchor Liz Wahl Explains Why She Quit," saying:
She "made Vladimir Putin's enemies list.." Her "announcement was stunning." It was pre-planned. It was carefully choreographed. It was straight from FPI's playbook.
Kirchick called her stunt "a very brave thing…Hopefully (she'll) inspire a wave of defections from Putin TV," he added.
On March 19, Max Blumenthal and Rania Khalek headlined their Truthdig article "How Cold War-Hungry Neocons Managed RT Anchor Liz Wahl's Resignation," saying:
Her on-air stunt made her "one of the most famous unemployed people in America." CNN, Fox News and MSNBC took full advantage. They jumped at a chance to interview her.
BuzzFeed is a social news and entertainment web site. It's been sued for plagiarism. It's political views are neoconservative. Credibility isn't its long suit.
Rosie Gray is one of its contributors. On March 13, she headlined "How the Truth Is Made at Russia Today."
It's RT International (or RT.com). Russia Today is its former name. Gray's headline was incorrect. What followed was compromised.
She lied claiming Russia invaded Crimea. No invasion occurred. She regurgitated Western propaganda. She embellished it her own way. She substituted rubbish for accuracy.
She bashed RT irresponsibly. She lied claiming it "produc(es) Russian propaganda." Apparently she's so brainwashed by managed news misinformation, she doesn't recognize legitimate reporting when she hears it.
According to Blumenthal and Khalek, "a cadre of neoconservatives was celebrating a public relations coup."
"Desperate to revive the Cold War, head off further cuts to the defense budget, and restore the legitimacy they lost in the ruins of Iraq, the tight knit group of neoconservative writers and stewards had opened up a new PR front through Wahl's resignation."
Complicit media scoundrels helped. Featuring Wahl played right into neocon strategy. It worked without "neoconservative fingerprints."
Inflammatory reporting escalates East/West tensions. Current RT employees take issue with Wahl.
Blumenthal and Khalek said six former colleagues call her "an apolitical, deeply disgruntled employee seeking an exit strategy from a job where, sources say, she was disciplined for unprofessional behavior and had been demoted."
One employee said she "always (was) apolitical and without any clear principles. She didn't talk about any politics outside of work."
Another said she rarely objected to RT's news coverage. "We do have editorial meetings in the morning to bring up questions and comments or concerns, an opportunity Liz rarely took," the employee said.
Before joining RT, she interned for Fox News host Sean Hannity. He's ideologically compromised and then some.
Last spring, said Blumenthal and Khalek, "Wahl was suspended for two weeks without pay and then demoted from anchor to correspondent after a series of outbursts in the office."
"She had become disgruntled about her salary, the sources said, then began complaining that she was receiving insufficient assistance from producers in writing her monologues."
She " 'wasn’t disgruntled about anything editorially. It was entirely about payment,' one ex-colleague remarked."
"Wahl expressed her outrage at co-workers, often berating them, according to her former colleagues, and by 'screaming' at management."
"She was ultimately suspended without pay for her unprofessional behavior, they told us, and demoted from anchor to correspondent until her duties were restored this past January."
Last year, she told a former colleague she was "approached by an unnamed person who wanted her to help undermine RT," said Blumenthal and Khalek.
She took full advantage of Ukraine's crisis. She acted irresponsibly. She's on the wrong side of history.
US cable channels are politically compromised. Propaganda substitutes for real news and information. Perhaps employment awaits Wahl at one of them. Who said betrayal doesn't pay.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Media Prostitutes Defend the Indefensible
Media Prostitutes Defend the Indefensible
by Stephen Lendman
They're propagandists. They masquerade as journalists. They make street whores look respectable by comparison.
A previous article said they're paid to lie, distort, and misinform. They blame imperial victims for horrendous crimes committed against them.
They support powerful monied interests. They cheerlead US imperial aggression. They call ravaging and destroying one country after another humanitarian intervention.
They ignore fundamental rule of law principles. They back wrong over right. They do it unapologetically. When America goes to war or intends to, they march in lockstep.
They beat up relentlessly on Washington's enemies. They bash them mindlessly. They do so irresponsibly.
Russia is in the eye of the storm. Putin is public enemy number one. Thankfully words can't kill. Media scoundrels use them like daggers.
Readers and viewers are carpet bombed with misinformation garbage. It's malicious. It rages nonstop daily. It's no surprise.
Russian blogger/Putin critic Alexey Navalny is gravely compromised. He masquerades as an anti-corruption activist.
He's a convicted embezzler. He was found guilty of misappropriating about $500,000.
He did so from state-owned Kirovles timber company. He's tied to Western monied interests. He's a US imperial stooge.
He was sentenced to five years in prison. He was fined about $15,000. He's currently under house arrest. He's an unrelenting Putin basher. He assails him irresponsibly.
New York Times editors gave him feature op-ed space. He headlined "How to Punish Putin," saying:
"…Russian people would soon weary of (his) empty promises." According to February poll numbers, nearly 68% of Russians approve his policies."
Reuters said his "popularity at home has been boosted by his action on Crimea." It's now 75%. Russians overwhelmingly support reunification. They back Putin's geopolitical forthrightness.
No Western politician approaches his popularity. None come close. Obama's approval rating hovers around 40%. Given his disdain for public interests, maybe it'll plunge before his second term ends.
Navalny lied saying "Russia sent troops to Ukraine…I underestimated Mr. Putin's talent for finding enemies," he added.
He's "dedicat(ed) to ruling as 'president for life," he railed. He wants "powers on par with the czars."
Russian democracy shames America's sham process. In 2012, pre-election polls predicted a 60% Putin majority. He won a 63.7% majority.
Among five presidential aspirants, his closest competitor got 17.2%. Putin won fair and square. Independent international monitors checked voting in over 30 Russian regions.
They called the process calm and orderly. "Elections were held in a normal mode and without serious violations," they said. Electoral law was scrupulously followed.
Don't expect Navalny to explain. He ludicrously calls himself a "patriot." He urged tougher sanctions. He wants Putin's "inner circle" targeted.
Punish his "war cabinet," he said. Putin wages war on no one. He respects other nations' sovereignty. Navalny lied suggesting otherwise.
Go after Gazprom, Rosneft, and other Russian businessmen, he urged. Target his "TV spin doctors, compliant Duma members and apparatchiks of (his) United Russia Party."
Go after "major cases of graft." He ignored his own grand theft. Polls show around 92% of Russians favor Crimean reunification.
Not according to Navalny. "(E)ven among the most nationalist and pro-Soviet of our people, a longing to restore Crimea to Russian rule faded years ago," he claimed.
Times editors didn't challenged his misinformation. They featured it. They highlighted his litany of lies. They publish plenty of their own.
They proliferate daily. They infest reports, commentaries and editorials. They mock real news and information. News they call "fit to print" is rubbish.
They let Navalny lie claiming Putin made "imperial annexation (a) strategic choice to bolster his regime's survival."
He's "motivated by the desire for revenge against the Ukrainian people revolting against a Kremlin-friendly government."
Navalny bashes Russian democracy. He supports Kiev putschist lawlessness. He's in lockstep with US imperial rampaging.
Lies infested his diatribe. He unconscionably said Crimean reunification (was) achieved at the end of the barrel of a gun…" He ignored near Crimean unanimity endorsing it.
He turned a blind eye to overwhelming support among Russian nationals at home. He accused Putin of "malign intent."
He's no democrat. He's no populist. He's ideologically driven. He's way over-the-top.
He's a Western media darling. Time magazine once ludicrously called him Russia's Erin Brockovich.
BBC once said he's "arguably the only major opposition figure to emerge in Russia in the past five years." In 2012, the Wall Street Journal called him "the man Vladimir Putin fears most."
Former New York Times executive editor Bill Keller said he's a "potential political leader." He's "young, thoughtful, politically astute, crowd-pleasing, and apparently unafraid."
He's a political opportunist. He's self-serving. He's involved for his own benefit. He's a Western stooge. So are Boris Nemtzov, Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Ryzhkov, and others like them.
Nemtzov and Kasparov met personally with Obama. They get State Department funding. So does Navalny. The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) provides it.
It's part of Washington's anti-Russian policy. NED wages war on democracy worldwide. It advances US interests.
It ruthlessly targets Putin. It finances political initiatives opposing him. It meddles in Russia's presidential and parliamentary elections.
NED, its National Democratic Institute (NDI) arm, the International Republican Institute (IRI), and similar organizations are destabilizing US foreign policy tools.
They support pro-Western and/or regime change initiatives worldwide. They're CIA alter egos. They covertly fund opposition groups. They're actively anti-Putin.
Navalny and likeminded ideologues are convenient US imperial stooges. Don't expect Times editors to explain. Don't expect apologies for featuring them.
A same day Times editorial headlined "Post-Crimea Relations With the West," saying:
"Vladimir Putin's annexation of Crimea (showed) disdain for the West and its sanctions and threats." Doing so reversed a historic wrong. Times editors didn't explain.
They're right for the wrong reasons saying reunification may prove "a watershed in post-Soviet East-West relations." Indeed so if confrontation follows.
Putin has no imperial ambitions. He doesn't attack regional countries. He fiercely defends Russia's interests. He has every right to do so. He does it diplomatically. He does it responsibly.
He's not "emboldened to contemplate a similar takeover in Southeast Ukraine," as Times editors suggest.
He supports the right of sovereign people to make their own choices freely. He's ready to help Russian nationals abroad if their lives are endangered.
He's ready to do it according to rule of law principles. Repeated Washington aggressive wars masquerade as humanitarian interventions.
Putin supports the real thing. He abhors war. He supports peace. He wants conflicts resolved diplomatically. He wants violence avoided at all costs.
He opposes partitioning Ukraine. He supports democratic governance. He rejects putschist illegitimacy. He does so responsibly. Don't expect Times editors to explain.
They support Kiev neo-Nazi power-grabbers. They do so disgracefully. They ignored the most brazen coup since Mussolini's 1922 march on Rome.
They turn a blind eye to the gravest geopolitical crisis since WW II. They're silent about Washington's full responsibility.
They wrongfully blamed democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych for Euromaidan sniper shootings. Putschist elements were involved. They enjoy full Western backing.
Times editors want Putin painfully punished. They want European dependence on Russian gas reduced. They want Western taxpayer money bolstering Kiev's illegitimate government.
They want Russia weakened and isolated. Perhaps they want WW III. They're in lockstep with all US imperial wars.
They ludicrously said "Mr. Putin should be made to understand that his authoritarian rule and imperial illusions are the problem, and not some perceived slights from the West."
Their editorial policy is upside down. It reinvents history irresponsibly. They disgrace themselves in the process. They betray their readers at the same time.
Washington Post anti-Putin wars rage. On March 19, WaPo editors headlined "Obama doesn't grasp Putin's Eurasian ambitions."
They lied accusing him of "mendacious charges that (Ukraine was) highjacked by 'nationalists, neo-Nazis, Russophobes and anti-Semites."
They support what demands condemnation. They endorse putschist illegitimacy. They ludicrously call it democratic governance.
They ignore US imperial lawlessness. They outrageously accused Putin of "threat(ening) European and global security." He goes all-out to secure it.
WaPo editors reinvent history. They support wrong over right. They endorse might is right. They ignore fundamental rule of law principles.
They make stuff up. They suggested Putin has imperial ambitions. They turn a blind eye to Washington's global ones.
They outrageously accused Putin of Crimean "aggression." They ludicrously said he's "bent on upending the post-Cold War order in Europe and reversing Russia's loss of dominion over Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia."
They ignore US-backed police state lawlessness. They call hugely exploited, impoverished former Soviet Bloc states model democracies.
They want all former Soviet republics and Warsaw Pact countries incorporated within NATO. They want US bases on Russia's borders.
They're militantly pro-war. It bears repeating what previous articles said. Perhaps they want WW III.
Wall Street Journal editors match the worst of their Western counterparts. On March 19, they headlined "Ukraine and Nuclear Proliferation."
They lied claiming "world order" damage "from Vladimir Putin's invasion of Crimea…" What didn't occur "will echo for years," they said.
They ludicrously alleged "nuclear proliferation. One lesson to the world of Russia's cost-free carve-up of Ukraine is that nations that abandon their nuclear arsenals do so at their own peril."
They cite Ukraine as Exhibit A. Before Soviet Russia dissolved, it had hundreds of short and long-range nuclear weapons. It had "air-launched cruise missiles and bombers."
Under 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security
Assurances, Ukraine signed NPT. It returned its nuclear weapons to Russia. It did so for its own security. It did the right thing.
According to JournalThink, Ukraine worried most about potential "Russian aggression." Nothing whatever suggested it. None does now.
Ridding nations of nuclear weapons is an important step in the right direction. Potential mushroom cloud denouement freedom won't happen until all nuclear weapons are eliminated.
Washington and Israel pose the world's greatest threats. They have powerful arsenals. They have long-range delivery systems. They have imperial ambitions. They threaten humanity.
According to Journal editors, Iran and North Korea pose nuclear threats. Nothing whatever suggests it.
Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful. It has no military component. Claims otherwise are false. North Korea's nuclear capability is unknown. Speculation substitutes for verifiable facts.
Journal editors twist truth. They ludicrously cited "Ukraine's fate." They claimed it'll deter Iran and North Korea from "giv(ing) up their nuclear facilities or weapons."
They suggested "nonnuclear powers and even close US allies (will) wonder if they can still rely on America's security guarantees."
None exist. Washington rules apply. Independent nations are targeted for regime change. War is America's bottom line option.
Don't expect Journal editors to explain. They prioritize concocting new lies. They ludicrously said when US "assurances are called into question, the world becomes a far more dangerous place."
Rogue Washington policies threaten everyone. World peace hangs in the balance. Permanent war is longstanding US policy. Waging one after another may extinguish planetary life entirely.
No greater threat exists. Journal editors pretend otherwise. They mock legitimate journalism. They support wrong over right.
They do so unapologetically. They prostitute themselves for power. They have plenty of scoundrel media company.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Sanctions Wars
Sanctions Wars
by Stephen Lendman
Call it tit for tat. On March 20, Russia responded to Obama's sanctioning Russian and Crimean officials as well as Ukraine's democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych. More on this below.
At the same time, Obama added insult to injury. His Thursday Executive Order "Block(s) Property of Additional Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine."
Doing so escalates tensions further. He blacklisted 20 Russian officials and businessmen.
Economic sanctions may follow, he warned. Potentially targeted sectors include energy, mining, defense and engineering.
He represents the worst of rogue governance. He threatens world peace. It hangs in the balance on his watch.
Impeaching him is a national imperative. Humanity depends on it. Recklessness defines his agenda.
One crisis follows others. He's in unchartered waters. Confronting Russia risks the unthinkable. He's proceeding mindlessly. He issued a statement, saying:
"We're imposing sanctions on more senior officials of the Russian government."
"In addition, we are today sanctioning a number of other individuals with substantial resources and influence who provide material support to the Russian leadership, as well as a bank that provides material support to these individuals."
Targeted individuals include:
- First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Aleksey Gromov;
- Presidential Executive Office Chief of Staff Sergey Ivanov;
- State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin;
- Federation Council Security and Defense Committee First Deputy Chairman Viktor Ozerov;
- Federation Council International Affairs Committee First Deputy Chairman Vladimir Dzhaborov;
- Federation Council member Nikolai Ryzhkov;
- State Duma Deputy Speaker Sergei Zheleznyak;
- State Duma member Sergei Mironov;
- Federation Council member Aleksandr Totoonov;
- Committee on Parliamentary Issues First Deputy Chairman Oleg Pangeleev;
- Government Duma of the Federal Gathering Chairman Sergey Naryshkin;
- Federal Drug Control Service Director Victor Ivanov;
- Military Intelligence Service head Igor Sergun;
- Putin aide Andrei Fursenko;
- Head of Administration Vladimir Kozhin;
- SMP Bank/SMP Group heads Arkady and Boris Rotenberg;
- Russian Railways president Vladimir Yakunin;
- Volga Group head Gennady Timchenko; and
- Bank Rossiya (the Russian name for Russia) and its head Yury Kovalchuk; he's Putin's personal banker; he handles financial transactions for other Russian officials.
Putin press secretary Dmitry Peskov responded angrily, saying:
"We are puzzled to see any names on the list, but even if there were none, lists like (Obama's) are totally unacceptable to us. In any case, it won't take Russia long to react."
Sergei Lavrov told John Kerry that reunification "is not subject to review." It's a fait accompli. Crimea's referendum complied fully with international law.
On Thursday, a joint Russian Public Chamber/Russian Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights/public chambers in Russian constituent entities said:
"The referendum was held with international democratic principles of demonstrating people’s initiative observed."
"Participation of people in the referendum was voluntary and free."
"No one exerted pressure on people to make them participate or prevent from participating in the referendum."
"Cases of obstructing free expression of will by people were not reported."
Presidential Council of Human Rights and Public Chamber noted:
"People participated in the referendum on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage, each participant in the referendum had the right for one vote."
Voting was open, free and fair. It reflected model democracy. It mocked America's fraudulent process. Monied interests control things. People have no say.
On March 20, Russia's lower house State Duma ratified reunification overwhelmingly. It voted 443 - 1. On March 21, upper house Federation Council is expected to follow suit.
Crimea is official Russian territory. Crimeans are coming home. They waited years to do so. Their moment arrived.
Russia issued its own sanctions. A Foreign Ministry statement said:
"In response to sanctions announced by US administration on March 17 against several Russian officials and deputies of the Federal Assembly as punitive measures for backing the Crimean referendum, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs states about imposing reciprocal sanctions against the same number of American officials and lawmakers.
"We have repeatedly warned that applying sanctions is a double-edged issue and would hit as a boomerang the USA itself."
"It is unacceptable and counterproductive to speak with our country in this way, as Washington could find out many times."
"However, the American side, as it seems, continues pinning faith on efficiency of such methods taken from the arsenal of the past, and does not want to admit the obvious:"
"Crimeans have democratically and in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter voted for the reunification with Russia, which respects and accepts this choice."
"Such a decision can be pleasant or not, but this refers to reality that should be faced."
"There cannot be any doubts: on every hostile step we will respond in an adequate way."
Moscow's initial list targeted:
- Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Caroline Atkinson;
- Assistant to the President/Senior Advisor for Strategy and Communications Daniel Pfeiffer;
- Deputy National Presidential Security Adviser for Strategic Communication Benjamin Rhodes;
- House Speaker John Boehner (R. OH);
- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D. NV);
- Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D. NJ);
- Senator Mary Landrieu (D. LA)
- Senator John McCain (R. AZ); and
- Senator Daniel Coats (R. IN)
Washington imposed visa bans and asset freezes. Moscow banned US officials from entering Russia or conducting business therein.
In response, S & P downgraded Russian debt from stable to negative. It cited "rising geopolitical and economic risks."
It did so in lockstep with US lawless imperial policy. It left America's debt rating unchanged.
EU leaders are considering about 20 new Russians to sanction. They march mindlessly in lockstep with rogue US policy.
Angela Merkel said EU countries are ready to impose so-called state-three economic sanctions in response to increased tensions.
Washington-led Western nations bear full responsibility. They operate recklessly. They do it mindlessly.
They're treading on thin ice. Perhaps a Rubicon crossing decision approaches. What follows ahead bears close watching.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Crimean False Flag Attack?
Crimean False Flag Attack?
by Stephen Lendman
On Tuesday, Simferopol snipers shot and killed a Crimean self-defense member and Ukrainian soldier. Another self-defense member and Ukrainian soldier were wounded.
Gunfire came from a building under construction. It's near a military research center. What happened resembled Euromaidan sniper killings.
Fascist thugs bore full responsibility. Kiev putschists apparently target Crimea. Expect similar incidents to follow. More on what happened below.
On Monday, Putin endorsed Crimean independence. He did so by decree. On Tuesday, he signed the Crimean reunification treaty.
Expect overwhelming State Duma and Federation Council approval. On March 19, Russia's Constitutional Court chairman Valery Zorkin said:
"The Constitutional Court recognizes that the Treaty corresponds to the Russian Constitution."
Crimeans are going home. Washington and rogue EU partners responded as expected.
Slap-on-the-wrist sanctions were imposed. Russian and Crimean officials were targeted. So was Ukraine's legitimate president, Viktor Yanukovych.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denounced Western sanctions. He called them "unacceptable." A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said:
Republic of Crimea "residents made their democratic choice in line with the international law and the UN charter, which Russia accepts and respects."
"The sanctions introduced by the United States and the European Union are unacceptable and will not remain without consequences."
White House press secretary Jay Carney warned "(m)ore (are) coming." He left unexplained what's intended.
Daily Beast contributor Josh Rogan suggested Russia intends sanctioning high-profile US senators, congressmen and administration officials.
Perhaps Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland is targeted. She's a neocon hardliner.
She was Obama's point person in charge of ousting democratically elected Viktor Yanukovych. She helped replace him with illegitimate fascist, ultranationalist putschist governance.
Vice President Joe Biden wrongfully accused Russia of a "brazen military incursion." None whatever occurred.
Washington may deploy regional ground forces. Other NATO members may add theirs.
Illegitimate putschist leaders include president Oleksandr Turchynov and prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. They issued a joint statement, saying:
"The Crimean issue…switches from a political to a military stage due to the Russian military."
Days earlier, Kiev mobilized for war. Turchyov ordered full mobilization of Ukrainian armed forces. He ludicrously warned of "potential (Russian) aggression."
He moved troops close to Russia's border. He's recruiting radicalized National Guard forces. He "invite(d) everyone who sees rising for the defense of homeland as an honor" to join.
He plans manpower strength up to 60,000. On March 17, Stars and Stripes headlined "NATO, Ukrainian minister talk closer ties in wake of Crimea referendum."
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said "NATO will forge closer ties with Ukraine and intensify efforts to help build up the country's military…"
A NATO news release added: "The secretary-general reiterated the alliance's firm commitment to support Ukrainian sovereignty and independence, and the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine's frontiers."
Expect Washington's dirty hands controlling things. John Kerry threatened Russia.
He warned against intervening in eastern Ukraine. Doing so would be "as egregious as any step I can think of," he said.
He barely stopped short of threatening war. Whether Washington intends risking it remains to be seen.
Russian nationals in Ukraine aren't safe. Expect incidents like what happened to Aleksandr Panteleymonov to repeat.
He's National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU) acting CEO. At least he was. Kiev putschist elements stormed his office. Neo-Nazi Svoboda party members were involved. Perhaps Right Sector extremists.
Panteleymonov was beaten. Putschists accused him of airing anti-Ukrainian programming. They forced his resignation.
He's lucky he wasn't killed. He was viciously assaulted. "Write your resignation," he was told. "Sit down. I told you, sit down."
"You are feating in my Ukraine…Here is a paper (and) pen. Write the resignation now quickly, you animal…You are Moskal garbage." It's a Ukrainian ethnic Russian slur.
Panteleymonov said he's Ukrainian, not Russian. Putschists called him "sh.t!"
"You campaigned for Moscow," they said. "You lied to Ukrainians for our money. NTU is Ukraine's largest public broadcaster.
Putschists want their message alone aired. They want dissenting views silenced. Independent voices are prohibited.
So are Russian TV channels. RT International said its former satellite service provider was "threatened by unknown gunmen."
Days earlier, radicalized masked elements stormed a Kiev city council meeting. They came armed with bats and hammers.
They forced targeted members to resign. It bears repeating. Expect lots more disturbing incidents to follow.
Democratic governance is gone. Police state lawlessness replaced it. Dissenters are especially endangered.
So are Russian nationals. Whether Putin intends to protect them if necessary remains to be seen.
Tuesday's Simferopol sniper killings resemble commonplace false flag provocations. Crimea's Interior Ministry said:
"According to preliminary reports, the shots were fired from one place in two directions."
"Someone fired from the window of a partially constructed building in the immediate vicinity of a military installation at self-defence unit soldiers checking up on a report that armed people had entered that building."
"The other shots were fired at the nearby Ukrainian military installation."
"The shooting was carried out from the same spot in two directions: against the self-defense fighters who were checking a warning about the presence of armed people in an uncompleted building, and in the direction of Ukrainian military base located nearby."
"As a result, one fighter has been killed and yet another injured. A man from the nearby Ukrainian military base has also sustained an injury. The shooting in both directions was carried out from the same spot."
The ministry suggested a well-planned provocation. Crimean self-defense forces were warned about armed militants in a partially inhabited building near Kubanskaya Street.
Sniper fire began during their investigation. Doing so wasn't accidental. It was on the same day Vladimir Putin signed the Crimean Reunification Treaty. He did so saying:
"I am submitting and asking the Federal Assembly to consider a constitutional bill on accepting two new constituent regions as part of the Russian Federation - the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol."
Crimea "has always been and it will remain Russian, Ukrainian, and Crimean Tatar."
RT International said one sniper was detained. Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov compared what happened to Euromaidan shootings.
"At the moment two people are dead as a result of a provocation, a sabotage," he said.
"The situation allows me to conclude that the same techniques that were used at Maidan are being used now because most likely one attacker fired at both sides - one Ukrainian serviceman and one man from the self-defense forces of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea were killed."
"The location of the sniper was identified," he added. Crimea's Interior Ministry called him a 17-year-old Lvov resident.
According to RT, "Ukrainian servicemen (said) unknown groups tried to break into several military bases" the previous night.
Crimean self-defense forces prevented them. RT producer Lida Vasilevskaya tweeted: "Guys from self-defense told me today that they were afraid of provocations."
It bears repeating. Expect lots more like them ahead. Maybe much more provocative. For sure wrongfully blamed on Russia and Crimean authorities.
Media scoundrels reported Simferopol shootings their way. As expected, misinformation followed.
The putschist-controlled Ukrainian News Agency headlined "Ukrainian Soldier Killed During Storming Of Photogrammetric Center In Simferopol," saying:
"A Ukrainian soldier has been killed during the storming by Russian troops and members of the 'Crimean self-defense' of the photogrammetric center of the central military topographic and navigation department of the Main Administration of Operational Provision of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Simferopol."
"The head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense's Crimean media center, Vladyslav Selezniov, wrote on his Facebook page:"
"One person was killed during the storming of the (center). This Ukrainian soldier was serving on the territory of the unit's park, he said."
"He also said another wounded person, a captain, was sent to the emergency hospital of Simferopol. The invaders told Ukrainian officers that they were arrested and took away their papers."
"As Ukrainian News earlier reported, unidentified gunmen presumed to be members of the Russian military and the 'Crimean self-defense' stormed the military base at about 15:00."
The Wall Street Journal regurgitated the Big Lie. It cited Ukraine's putschist defense ministry doing so. It headlined "Defiant Russia Claims Crimea As Violence Flares in Region.
It claimed "(t)he Ukrainian soldier was killed and another wounded in a shootout as their office in the Crimean capital of Simferopol was stormed by well-armed commandos wearing Russian uniforms that had been stripped of identifying insignia."
Qatar-controlled Al Jazeera propaganda headlined "Ukrainian serviceman killed in Crimea." It cited Kiev's illegitimate defense ministry.
It's reporter Nick Schifrin lied saying: "We saw what appeared to be Russian snipers leaving positions from a separate building that overlooks the" targeted area.
"A statement from the Ukrainian defence ministry said a decision had now been taken by the commander-in-chief and the acting defence minister to allow Ukrainian troops to use force in self defence."
On March 18, UK-controlled BBC propaganda reported its own version. It headlined "Ukraine officer 'killed in attack on Crimea base," saying:
"An (unidentified) eyewitness told the BBC that armed men arrived in two unmarked vehicles, storming the base in Simferopol and firing automatic weapons."
"The Ukrainian government said a junior officer who was on duty in a park inside the base had been killed and another officer injured."
"A third serviceman had leg and head injuries after being beaten with iron bars, it said."
"Defence ministry spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov told Reuters the attack was by 'unknown forces, fully equipped and their faces covered.' "
"The Ukrainians had their IDs, weapons and money confiscated, he said."
Yatsenyuk called "an emergency meeting." He barely stopped short of declaring war.
He said "Russian soldiers have started shooting at Ukrainian military servicemen and that is a war crime."
Almost by afterthought, BBC added:
"Reports from the Crimean news agency, Kryminform, said a pro-Russia defence force member had been shot dead."
"Crimean police later said both Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces had been fired on from a single location and that one Ukrainian was killed and one injured, and one pro-Russian was killed and one injured."
BBC's inflammatory headline mattered most. So did what immediately followed. Propaganda substituted for legitimate reporting.
It was repeatedly broadcast on air. Al Jazeera did the same thing. So did US cable channels.
Big Lies drown out truth. Anti-Russian propaganda rages. Hypocrisy is shameless. Scurrilous reporting substitutes.
Expect media wars to continue daily. Expect full support for illegitimate Kiev putschists. Expect Crimean democracy denounced.
Expect intense nonstop Russia bashing. Expect more false flag provocations. Perhaps something major.
Expect potential East/West confrontation. Expect what hopefully won't happen.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Heading Toward East/West Confrontation
Heading Toward East/West Confrontation
by Stephen Lendman
It bears repeating what earlier articles stressed. Ukraine's geopolitical crisis is the gravest since WW II.
Washington-backed putschists created a tinder box The entire region and beyond is affected. Inflammatory US/UK/French/German/NATO accusations heighten tensions.
Obama bears full responsibility. Is he spoiling for a fight? Does he want clash of civilizations conflict?
Does he plan full-scale intervention against Syria?" Does he intend it as prelude? Perhaps at the same time as battling for Ukraine?
Will Crimea become a geopolitical flashpoint? Will it divert attention from his plans for Syria?
On March 17, Daniel Rubinstein succeeded Robert Ford as US Special Envoy for Syria. On March 18, the State Department ordered Syria's Washington embassy and consular missions closed.
Rubenstein commented saying "(t)his week marks the three-year anniversary of" conflict in Syria.
He lied calling daily violence a "revolution." It's Obama's war. He bears full responsibility. Blood on his hands compounds numerous other crimes of war and against humanity.
Rubenstein turned truth on its head saying "Assad has refused to heed the call of the Syrian people to step aside."
He enjoys overwhelming support. The longer conflict persists, the greater it builds. Don't expect Rubenstein to explain.
He lied claiming Assad "directed a war against his own people and created a humanitarian catastrophe in in order to hold on to power and protect his narrow interests."
Most Syrians rely on him. They consider him their last line of defense. Washington-supported death squads terrorize them.
Assad challenges them responsibly. The alternative is perhaps Saudi-style governance. It reflects ruthlessness writ large.
Rubenstein said Washington "determined it is unacceptable for individuals appointed by that regime to conduct diplomatic or consular operations in the United States."
"Consequently, the United States notified the Syrian government today that it must immediately suspend operations of its Embassy in Washington, DC and its honorary consulates in Troy, Michigan, and Houston, Texas."
US-based Syrian diplomats are persona non grata. They're "no longer permitted to perform diplomatic or consular functions, and those who are not US citizens or lawful permanent residents must depart the United States."
They're ordered out effective by end of March. Administrative staff have until April 30 to entirely shut down operations and leave.
Syria's UN mission remains open. Two weeks ago, restrictions were imposed. Diplomats and staff are prohibited from traveling more than 25 miles outside New York without official US permission. Expect none forthcoming.
According to perverted WashingtonThink, diplomatic relations continue. Rubenstein called it "an expression of our longstanding ties with the Syrian people…"
Perhaps they include the tens of thousands Obama murdered.
Perhaps he expects surviving family members to thank him.
Perhaps anti-American sentiment is greater than ever. Perhaps it reverberates throughout the region. Perhaps well beyond.
In 2011, Washington withdrew its Damascus diplomats. In 2012, its embassy closed. Relations between both governments officially continued.
Syria's Washington embassy said consular services will end next Tuesday.
Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed concern. On March 19, an official statement said:
"We are worried and disappointed by the decision of the United States, which runs counter to the previous agreement between Moscow and Washington to jointly push for a peace settlement of the Syrian crisis in the framework of the Geneva Communique of 30 June 2012 through persevering cooperation with both the Syrian government and the opposition."
"It seems that regime overthrow has dwarfed the goal of demilitarizing the Syrian Republic by removing chemical weapons from it, as well as helping millions of Syrians who are suffering in the armed conflict, because it is impossible to achieve either of these goals without direct contact with the Syrian government."
Obama wants war. He wants direct US intervention. He wants Libya 2.0. He deplores peace. He subverted earlier so-called peace talks. They were dead on arrival.
Last summer's shock and awe bombing wasn't cancelled. It was postponed. Overwhelming public opposition delayed Obama's plans.
Perhaps Syrian embassy and consular closures suggests reactivation. Perhaps another major false flag pretext looms. Perhaps bombs away will follow.
Obama wants Assad ousted. He wants pro-Western puppet governance replacing him. He wants another imperial trophy. Perhaps more war looms.
Perhaps confrontation with Russia. On March 18, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen met with John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and National Security advisor Susan Rice.
A NATO statement said "(t)hey stressed the importance of a unified international response to Russia's continued violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty and breach of international law."
They "reviewed the whole range of NATO's agenda in preparation for the meeting of Alliance foreign ministers in early April."
Perhaps they discussed confronting Russia militarily. Hegemons operate this way. Rasmussen serves as Obama's NATO frontman. He does what he's told. He said:
"We're revising our relations with Russia now. We have already decided to suspend practical cooperation with Russia."
"And when foreign ministers of countries' members of the Alliance meet on April 1- 2, they will reconsider all our relations with Russia."
"We planned to conduct a joint operation at sea on providing the security of an American vessel, on board which Syrian chemical weapons will be destroyed."
"We will guard it, but Russia will not participate in the operation. This is one example of suspending cooperation."
Military cooperation with Kiev putschists will be enhanced, he added. NATO rejects Crimean reunification with Russia, Rasmussen said.
He lied calling it illegal. International law supports it. Crimea is part of Russia. Nearly 97% of Crimeans approve.
Illegitimate putschist prime minister Yatsenyuk's threatened switching from a political to a peninsula military phase. Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov responded, saying:
"No a single Ukrainian military serviceman will enter Crimean territory. I absolutely rule out such an option."
"The approaches to Crimea are blocked from all sides by self-defense units, and therefore not a single Ukrainian military serviceman will step on Crimean soil."
"This is impossible even theoretically, not to mention practically."
Kiev rhetoric is "nothing but intimidation. They have developed a habit for intimidating and pressing, but they can't do anything," he stressed.
Crimea is Russian territory. Ukrainian trappings were removed. Russian ones replaced them.
"Nobody will bully or scare us," said Aksynov. "All this talk about mobilization in Kiev is a bluff."
"I am sure the people of Ukraine and in Kiev itself don't want to fight with the Crimeans."
"Over a hundred people are on duty at checkpoints on the ways leading to Crimea."
"The airport and railway station are being monitored, and the ports are being checked, and all this is happening under our close control, and so I can't even imagine how these people in Kiev may try to enter Crimea. The citizens of Crimea are in absolute security."
On March 19, RT International headlined "Crimean protesters storm Ukrainian Navy base in Sevastopol."
Several thousand cut fences, went inside, removed Ukrainian flags and replaced them with Russian and St. Andrew's ones.
They did so peacefully. No violence occurred. No one was threatened. No one was hurt.
Crimeans are involved. They're negotiating with Ukrainian naval representatives.
Protesters want Ukrainian servicemen to leave the HQ. Russia's Black Sea commander Vice Admiral Aleksandr Vitko arrived.
He's holding talks with Ukrainian naval commander Rear Admiral Sergey Gaiduk. Itar Tass said the Sevastopol prosecutor's office temporarily detained him.
Gaiduk ordered Ukrainian military units to use weapons against civilians, it added.
Earlier the Russian news agency said Gaiduk and around 50 officers abandoned Ukrainian fleet headquarters.
They did so unimpeded. They took their personal possessions and military documents with them.
Precisely what happened isn't clear. Major media misinformation obscured things further. The New York Times cited illegitimate Kiev putschists as sources. Doing so is typical Times deception.
They claimed Ukraine's Sevastopol naval headquarters "had been overrun and that its commander, Adm. Sergei Gaiduk, had been 'taken by unknown men in an unknown direction.' "
An updated report said Kiev "plans to evacuate all of its military personnel and their families, and was prepared to relocate as many ass 25,000 of them to mainland Ukraine."
The Washington Post said "Pro-Russian forces br(oke) into Ukrainian naval base (headquarters) in Crimea."
They "began what appeared to be a steady occupation of Ukrainian military facilities…" Kiev putschists said its Crimean military forces will "stand (their) ground."
Many were seen leaving voluntarily in civilian clothes. Self-defense force member Igor Yeskin said Crimean units will take over other Ukrainian military facilities.
"Today the Ukrainian military is on the territory of the Russian Federation," he said. They have no authorization to stay there. They have two choices. They can either ally with Crimea or leave.
At the same time, Russian lower house State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin said legislation ratifying reunification could be approved as soon as Thursday.
He assured doing so "within the shortest period of time. And we will do everything to support the Crimean people in these hard times, especially in the transitional period," he stressed.
Crimea is official Russian territory. National Geographic respects it. "We map the world as it is, not as people would like it to be," NG said.
According to its geographer Juan Jose Valdes, once Russia's parliament approves reunification, its temporary "document will be revised to indicate…Crimea is officially part of Russia…"
"As you can surmise," he added, "sometimes our maps are not received in a positive light by some individuals who want to see the world in a different light."
Rand McNally operates by different rules. It does so disgracefully. Its spokeswoman, Any Krouse, said "we take our direction from the State Department." Doing so destroys RM's credibility entirely.
Map wars rage with propaganda ones. Google shows Crimea as part of Ukraine. Being on the right side of history matters most.
Kiev putschists are polar opposite. They're illegitimate. They said Ukrainian forces won't leave.
Whether confrontation follows remains to be seen. Washington's dirty hands may plan it. Perhaps expect NATO involvement.
Ukraine's military commander Mikhail Kucin told his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov he's authorized to use force.
At the same time, he urged deescalation. He wants things resolved diplomatically. He wants violence avoided.
Maybe he'll join former Crimean Navy Commander Deniz Berezovsky's good example. He resigned as Ukraine navel head.
He switched his allegiance to Crimea. He joined the right side of history. He did it because it matters.
Sevastopol Mayor Aleksei Chalyi asked Ukrainian servicemen to abandon their military units. He told them to report to a temporary registration office.
They'll receive further instructions. They're unauthorized to operate on Russian territory.
Crimean officials want transition handled responsibly. They want violence avoided. Perhaps Kiev putschists have other ideas. Perhaps Washington plans its own.
On March 19, Kiev putschists abandoned Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) involvement. Russians must apply for entry visas.
They want the UN to make Crimea a demilitarized zone. It has has no authority to do so. It's Russian territory. Kiev has no say. Nor Ban Ki-moon or other complicit UN officials.
Moscow reacted to Kiev's new visa rules. It's considering whether to introduce them for Ukrainians. Prior to putschists seizing power, citizens of both countries crossed each other's borders freely. They did so without visas.
On Wednesday, Russia's Federal Migration Service (FMS) began distributing passports to new Russian citizens. Crimeans wanting to join Russia will receive them.
Others are free to retain their Ukrainian citizenship. They're free to leave, if they wish. The rights of all Crimeans will be respected.
FMS head Konstantin Romodanovsky expressed concern about crisis conditions in Ukraine. He cited symptoms of a growing "humanitarian catastrophe."
Elderly people and children entering Russia doubled, he said. They're coming for freedom. They fear trouble. They reject putschist authority. They're concerned for their safety.
On Wednesday, Putin asked Moscow's Labor Ministry to increase Crimean pensions. He wants them matching Russia's level. Doing so will double existing benefits. He told Labor Minister Maksim Topilin:
"All citizens of Russia must be placed in the same conditions. How you do it is your business."
"(Talk) it over with State Duma deputies and do it. There must be no delays. Do it as soon as possible."
According to Topilin, Crimea and Sevastopol have 677,000 pensioners. They get around $160 monthly.
They'll get four times as much now. Kiev putschists slashed pensions by half. They authorized $80 monthly.
Tomilin assured Putin pension reform would be implemented as soon as possible. Authorizing legislation is being prepared. Expect enactment straightaway.
Russian financial aid will help ease transition. Moscow's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov announced it.
Russia is going all-out to assure smooth transition. Of greatest concern is what Washington and complicit EU partners may plan.
Rogue states make their own rules. They demand obedience. Moscow wants its sovereignty respected. It rejects Western bullying.
Obama threatens world peace. A previous article called impeaching him a national imperative. Eight-time US presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche Jr. agrees. At age 92, he remains active.
He accused Obama of "l(ying) repeatedly to the American people and the Congress and has subverted the US Constitution on behalf of foreign interests - the British/Saudi axis - and its allies."
"In his recent adventure in Ukraine, he is about to lead the United States into World War III."
He stressed the urgency to remove him to prevent it. "Obama's presidency as well as the Bush - Cheney presidency has been a force of pure evil not only inside US but also for Europe and elsewhere around the world," said LaRouche.
They installed "Nazi(s) in Ukraine" to govern. Bush/Cheney operated the same way, he said.
They want "Russia to collapse." They'll "be able to take on Asia" next.
Putin did "a very good job for his part in resisting every temptation to make big mistakes," he stressed.
Elements running Washington "are in stark violation of (America's) Constitution." They're "criminals, and we know these people must be removed from power if we want to save the peace of the planet."
Doing so is an urgent imperative. Humanity's survival perhaps depends on it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Putin Signs Crimean Reunification Treaty
Putin Signs Crimean Reunification Treaty
by Stephen Lendman
On Monday, he endorsed Crimean independence. He signed a decree doing so. It recognizes Sevastopol as a city with "special autonomous status" within the Republic of Crimea.
It took effect immediately on signing. It kickstarted the reunification process.
On Tuesday, Putin met with Crimean officials in Moscow. They signed the reunification treaty. Russian upper house Federation Council and lower house State Duma members overwhelmingly support it.
Crimeans are going home. Reunification affirms it. They're heading inexorably toward joining Russia.
Doing so is truly historic. It's important. It's similar to when Berlin's Wall fell. Around 92% of Russians support union. More on Tuesday's historic day below.
On Sunday, Crimeans chose overwhelmingly to join Russia. A previous article discussed their historic vote.
Crimean authorities showed how real democracy works, it said. International observers praised the process.
Crimeans spoke. They reject Kiev putschists. One voter perhaps spoke for others, saying: "We want to go home."
On March 17, The Crimean News Agency said an "extraordinary plenary session" was held. Crimea's parliament adopted a resolution "On the independence of Crimea."
It proclaimed Crimea "an independent sovereign state - the Republic of Crimea, in which the city of Sevastopol has a special status."
It asked UN authorities and world nations to recognize its independence.
It "revoke(d) the applicability of Ukrainian legislation" and Kiev "state bodies." Ukraine's "powers, property and funds of (its) bodies are transferred to…the Republic of Crimea."
It asked Russian Federation authorities for accession with the status of republic.
On Monday, Vladimir Putin expressed support for Crimean independence. He signed a decree recognizing it. It said:
"Considering the will of the peoples of Crimea expressed at the all-Crimea referendum on March 16, 2014, I hereby decree that the Republic of Crimea, where the city of Sevastopol has a special status, be recognised as a sovereign and independent state."
His approval kick-started accession. On March 18, Russia's lower house State Duma issued a statement on Crimea. A total of 441 of its 450 members expressed support, saying:
"Welcoming the expression of will by the Crimean people at the March 16 referendum on accession of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to Russia, the State Duma proceeds from the standpoint that the government bodies operating on the territory of Crimea will be maintaining inter-faith accord and language diversity of the republic."
"The State Duma will contribute to ensuring the safety of all people staying in Crimea, regardless of their citizenship, nationality, language or religion, and to observing their legitimate rights and freedoms."
Duma Deputy Speaker Sergei Neverov said: "All necessary legal decisions following (Crimea's) referendum will be adopted the most promptly."
"Results of the referendum in Crimea have demonstrated clearly that Crimea's people see their future only with the republic being a part of the Russian Federation."
"(T)he people have voted for the reunification of the people who have always lived in one country."
"We share the future - in this country, where laws are observed, where rights and freedoms are guaranteed, where the leader is strong, and whose principal position made it possible to restore the historic justice."
Russia's upper house Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvineko endorsed Crimea's accession.
"We shall be acting strictly in compliance with the law," she said. "The procedure will not take long. All that can be done rather promptly."
On Monday, Crimean officials traveled to Moscow to discuss accession. Parliament Speaker Volodmyra Konstantynov said Ukrainian military forces in Crimea have a choice.
They can either serve in Crimea's defense forces or "continue outside the borders of Crimea in the Ukrainian" military.
Obama responded to Putin's support for Crimean independence as expected.
A White House statement said he "emphasized that Russia's actions were in violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and that, in co-ordination with our European partners, we are prepared to impose additional costs on Russia for its action."
On Monday, he and EU partners imposed meaningless sanctions. Irresponsible slaps on the wrist. Typical Western bullying.
Obama issued an Executive Order "Blocking Property of Additional Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine."
He ludicrously accused targeted Russian and Crimean officials of:
- "undermin(ing) democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine;"
None whatever exist. Illegitimate putschists rule.
- "threaten(ing) its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity;"
Washington, EU partners, and Kiev fascists alone threaten all of the above.
- "contribut(ing) to the misappropriation of its assets, and thereby constitut(ing) an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."
No assets were misappropriated. No threat to US national security exists. Washington, EU partners, Israel, and other rogue partners alone threaten world security.
Washington targeted seven Russian and four Crimean officials. Brussels named 21 overall. Individuals named include:
Vladislav Surkov: former First Deputy of the Chief of the Russian Presidential Administration and Russian Deputy Prime Minister.
Sergei Glazyev: former State Duma minister and 2004 presidential candidate; he's nominally responsible for Moscow's relations with Ukraine.
Leonid Slutsky: chairman of the State Duma Committee on the "Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Eurasian Integration and links with compatriots."
He's State Duma Committee on International Affairs first deputy chairman.
Andrei Klishas: Russian upper house Federation Council Constitutional Law, Judicial and Legal Affairs Committee chairman.
Valentina Matviyenko: Federation Council Chairwoman. Russia's highest-ranking female politician. Former St. Petersburg Governor.
Dmitry Rogozin: Deputy Russian Prime Minister in charge of defense and space. Former ambassador to NATO.
Yelena Mizulina: Lawyer, professor and State Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs chairwoman.
Sergei Aksyonov: Republic of Crimea Prime Minister.
Vladimir Konstantinov: Republic of Crimea parliament speaker.
Viktor Medvedchuk: pro-Russian Ukrainian Choice party chairman. Targeted also for "materially assist(ing), sponsor(ing), or provid(ing) financial, material, or technological support for Yanukovych."
Viktor Yanukovych: Ukraine's democratically elected president.
Sergei Zheleznyak: Russian State Duma deputy speaker.
Sergei Mironov: Former Federation Council chairman. Current A Just Russia party head and parliamentarian.
Pyotr Zima: Crimean security chief.
Nikolai Ryzhkov: Federation Council Belgorod region representative:
Rustam Temirgaliev: Crimean First Vice-Premier.
Deniz Berezovsky: Crimean Navy Commander. He reject Kiev putschists. He resigned as Ukraine navel head. He switched his allegiance to Crimea.
Aleksei Chaliy: Sevastopol mayor.
Yuri Zherebtsov: advisor to Crimean parliament speaker Konstantinov.
Sergei Tsekov: Crimean Russian Community head.
Vice-Admiral Aleksandr Vitko: Russian Black Sea Fleet commander.
Viktor Zero: Russian Federation Council Defense Committee head.
Vladimir Dzhabarov: Federation Council International Affairs first deputy chairman.
Evgeny Bushmin: Federation Council Vice-Speaker.
Alexander Totoonov: Federation Council Science, Education, Culture and Information Policy member.
Oleg Panteleyev: Federation Council Regulation and Organization of Parliamentary Activity first deputy chairman.
Alexander Galkin: Russian Southern Military District commander.
Anatoly Sidorov: Russian Western Military District commander.
Witness to history: At 3PM Moscow time, Putin addressed Russia's upper house Federation Council.
He endorsed reuniting Crimea with Russia. He signed a reunification treaty. He cited overwhelming Crimean support.
He said Crimea's history, culture, religious, and spiritual ties bind it with Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. It's vital to ensure the rights of all Crimeans, he stressed.
Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar will be official languages.
"I am submitting and asking the Federal Assembly to consider a constitutional bill on accepting two new constituent regions as part of the Russian Federation - the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol," he said.
"The political decision is up to Russia itself," he added. "It can only be based on the people's will. Only the people are its source of power."
Russia seeks no further divisions in Ukraine, he stressed. "I want you to hear me, dear friends," he continued.
"Don't believe those who scare you with Russia, who are shouting that other regions will follow Crimea. We don't want a division of Ukraine. We don't need that."
"As for Crimea, it has always been and it will remain Russian, Ukrainian, and Crimean Tatar."
"I believe that Europeans, firstly Germans, will understand me."
During East and West Germany reunification talks, "at expert, but very high levels, representatives of not all countries, who were Germany's allies, supported the very idea of unification."
"Our country, on the contrary, supported explicitly and sincerely the aspiration of Germans for national unity."
"I am certain that you have not forgotten this and I count that German citizens will support the aspiration of the Russian world and historical Russia to restore unity."
He thanked China for "considering the situation concerning Ukraine and Crimea in its entire historical and political complexity."
"We highly appreciate India's constraint and objectivity," he said.
"Relations with Ukraine and its fraternal people are and will remain of key and fundamental importance for us. It's no exaggeration." he stressed.
"It is true that the Russian president has received the right from the upper house of parliament to use the armed forces in Ukraine," he said.
"Strictly speaking, the president has not even used this right so far. The Russian military did not enter Crimea."
"The troops were there already in compliance with an international agreement."
"It is true that we have strengthened our grouping. But I would like to make a point everyone should know and hear: we have not even surpassed the limit of 25,000 troops - the assigned strength of our armed forces in the Crimea. There was just no need in that," he stressed.
He called Kiev putschists "fascists, neo-Nazis and anti-semites."
"Kiev is the mother of all Russian cities. It's only up to Ukrainians themselves to restore order in their country."
"In the practical application of policies, our western partners - the United States first and foremost - prefer to be guided not by international law, but by the right of strength."
"They believe in their exceptionalism, that they are allowed to decide on the fate of the world, that they are always right."
He cited lawless US-led aggression in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. He mentioned US-orchestrated "colored revolutions in Eurasia and elsewhere.
Russia wants diplomatic dialogue, he stressed. Washington and EU partners want war.
"They were cheating us once more, took decisions behind out back, (and) presented us with a fait accompli."
"They are constantly trying to corner us in retaliation for our having an independent position, for defending it, for calling things by their names and not being hypocritical."
"Everything has its limits, and in Ukraine our western partners crossed the red line."
"They acted brutally, irresponsibly and unprofessionally."
"Russia is an independent and active participant of international relations. Just like any nation it has national interests that must be taken into consideration and respected."
Kiev putschists want NATO membership, they said. Admitting them would pose an imminent threat to Russia, Putin stressed.
"We stand against having a military organization meddling in our backyard, next to our homeland or in the territories that are historically ours."
"I just cannot imagine visiting NATO sailors in Sevastopol. Most of them are fine lads, by the way. But rather let them visit us in Sevastopol than the other way around."
Crimea's referendum complied fully with international law, he said. Russia respects its results.
It does so legitimately. It does forthrightly. It's the right thing to do. UN Charter principles affirm self-determination for all people.
The Kremlin now considers Crimea part of Russia. Its web site said:
"(T)he Republic of Crimea is regarded as accepted in the Russian Federation from the date of the (treaty) signing."
On September 14, Crimean and Sevastopol elections will be held. Until then, the Crimea State Council and Sevastopol Legislative Assembly will serve as governmental bodies.
Crimean union with Russia will undergo a transition period. It will last until January 1, 2015.
According to the Kremlin, its purpose is to "settle all issues relating to the integration of new regions of Russia [the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol in the economic, financial, credit, and legal systems of Russia, and also in the Russian public administration system."
From now until January 1, 2014, "(i)ssues relating to conscription and military service on the territory of the Republic of Crimea and the federal-status city of Sevastopol" will be resolved.
Russian citizens conscripted in Crimea and Sevastopol will serve there until 2016.
Crimean Ukrainians may either choose Russian or Ukrainian citizenship. They have one month to decide.
According to the Kremlin's web site:
"As of the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to Russia and the formation of new Russian constituent regions, the Ukrainian citizens and non-citizens permanently residing in the Republic of Crimea and in the federal city of Sevastopol are recognized as Russian citizens."
Except for Crimeans "who within one month from this day express their wish to retain their current citizenship for themselves and their underage children or to remain persons without citizenship."
Following Crimea's union with Russia, Black Sea and Sea of Azov maritime borders will be based on international law.
"The land border of the Republic of the Crimea adjacent to the territory of Ukraine shall be deemed the border of the Russian Federation."
Treaty terms will apply temporarily until they officially take effect.
It bears repeating. March 18 was historic. It'll long be remembered. Crimeans want union with Russia.
Putin and Moscow parliamentarians embrace them. Crimeans are going home.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Pre and Post-Crimean Independence Treaty Propaganda
Pre and Post-Crimean Independence Treaty Propaganda
by Stephen Lendman
A separate article called March 18 historic. Putin and Russian parliamentarians declared support for Crimea joining the Russian Federation.
So do 92% of Russian citizens. Crimeans are going home. They're legally entitled to do so. It's their fundamental right. Not according to Washington. Media scoundrels march in lockstep.
The New York Times headlined "Putin Recognizes Crimea Secession, Defying the West."
He "signed a decree on Monday formally recognizing Crimea as a 'sovereign and independent state…' "
Doing so "la(id) the groundwork for annexation and defying the United States and Europe just hours after they imposed their first financial sanctions against Moscow since the crisis in Ukraine began."
Throughout Ukraine's crisis, Times editors, commentators and correspondents systematically bashed Putin. They've done so relentlessly. They've done it irresponsibly.
They continue unconscionably. He remains "undaunted," said The Times. Putin provoked "a clash of wills."
He "created the most profound rift in East-West relations since the end of the Cold War."
He intends "redraw(ing) borders established by the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991."
"Every time the United States and Europe have tried to draw a line in recent weeks, Mr. Putin has vaulted past it."
Fact check
Washington and rogue EU partners bear full responsibility for Ukrainian/Crimean crisis conditions.
Putin forthrightly went all-out for resolving things responsibly.
Obama, David Cameron, Francois Hollande, Angela Merkel, and Kiev fascist putschists ignited a potential clash of civilizations. They recklessly risk WW III doing so.
Crimeans are legally entitled to declare self-determination. Joining Russia is their legitimate right.
Moscow legally embraced them. Don't expect Times editors, commentators or correspondents to explain.
Neocon Washington Post editors headlined "Western sanctions deliver only a slap on the wrist to Mr. Putin."
They want much tougher measures imposed. They lied claiming "Russian forces extended their invasion from Crimea to an adjacent area of Ukraine."
Their assertion doesn't rise to the level of bad fiction. It doesn't wash. It doesn't pass the smell test. It doesn't stop WaPo editors from repeating one Big Lie after another.
Russia committed "aggression," they hyperventilated. Unless stopped, "the result will likely be more," they claimed.
"…Putin's brazenness continues to escalate." US officials lied. Not according to WaPo editors.
They repeated the Big Lie about "ballots for (Crimea's referendum) arriv(ing) pre-marked and that the supposedly overwhelming vote for separating from Ukraine was grossly manipulated."
What rubbish! You can't make this stuff up. Monitors observing Sunday's referendum pronounced it scrupulously open, free and fair.
Not a single irregularity was reported. Sunday's vote was a model democratic exercise. It shamed America's sham process.
Don't expect WaPo editors explain. They're preoccupied concocting new Big Lies.
It's standard scoundrel media practice. Truth is systematically buried. Lies, damn lies and misinformation substitute.
WaPo editors urge hardball tactics on Russia. They want "real pain" inflicted. Perhaps they want WW III.
Charles Krauthammer is one of many neocon WaPo columnists. He's a lunatic fringe hard-right contributor. He's militantly pro-war. He deplores peace.
On March 13, he headlined "How to stop - or slow - Putin." He bashed Obama, saying:
"His fruitless 'accommodationism' has invited the kind of aggressiveness demonstrated by Iran in Syria, China in the East China Sea and Russia in Ukraine."
"What is to be done now," he asked? "Reassure NATO. Deter further Russian incursion into Ukraine. Reverse the annexation of Crimea," he urged.
Disregard rule of law principles, he suggested. Advance NATO to Russia's borders, he signaled. Confront Russia belligerently if necessary, he implied.
He wants decisive action. He wants Russia "severely squeez(ed)". He wants it weakened and isolated.
He wants "an emergency increase in defense spending." Minimally $100 billion annually. He barely stopped short of urging war.
Other US lunatic fringe members perhaps want it.
Wall Street Journal editors headlined "Obama's Unserious Sanctions," saying:
He "included a mere seven Russians and four Ukrainians." Putin and most "notable(s) around him aren't included."
Journal editors bashed Obama's "gradualism." Sanctions imposed "are more likely to reconfirm the Russian strongman's view that (he) has no stomach for a confrontation."
"And sure enough, within hours of the White House action, Mr. Putin signed a decree recognizing Crimea's independence from Ukraine."
Next comes "formal annexation of the peninsula.."
"The sanctions Mr. Obama announced are worse than useless because their main impact will be to make America look weak."
"(W)atch out, Moldova," Journal editors added. Perhaps they heard the news.
Rustavi 2 Broadcasting Company headlined "Moldova's two regions aiming to join Russia," saying:
Following Crimean developments, "Moldova's self-proclaimed region of Transistria has also expressed its intention to join the Russian Federation."
"The region has already applied to Russia to accept it in its borders. Transistria broke away from Moldova in 1990 and its residents voted in favour of joining Russia in a referendum held in 2006."
"Another region of Moldova, Gagauzia, has also announced its determination to split from the country…" It's "administration has already announced the formation of its army."
"Gagauzia is an autonomous region of Moldova, which conducted referendum last February supporting separation from Moldova."
"Moldovan government has assessed the referendum as illegal and illegitimate and even adopted a law, which prohibits conduct of such plebiscite on the territory of the country."
Previous articles discussed Mitt Romney's hard-right agenda. He was 2012 Republican presidential aspirant. He was indistinguishable from other party primary opponents.
They comprised a rogue's gallery of scoundrels. They looked more like a police lineup than legitimate candidates.
Romney made millions of dollars the old-fashioned way. His vulture capital tactics stole it. It profiteered unscrupulously. It did so with leveraged buyouts and asset-stripping companies.
It willfully bankrupted them. It left thousands of employees high and dry on their own.
Journal editors gave Romney feature op-ed space. He headlined "The Price of Failed Leadership," saying:
"From Crimea to North Korea, from Syria to Egypt, and from Iraq to Afghanistan, America apparently has no good options."
"If possession is nine-tenths of the law, Russia owns Crimea and all we can do is sanction and disinvite - and wring our hands."
He lied claiming Iran heads toward developing nuclear weapons. Assad must go, says Obama, but efforts to remove him aren't implemented, he said.
Obama doesn't act decisively, he claimed. He wants tough action following tough talk.
He lied claiming Putin invaded Crimea. He repeated the Big Lie regurgitated daily. Media scoundrels do so in lockstep.
Obama's "failure" is "painfully evident," he said. He "fail(ed) to act when action was possible, and needed."
He barely stopped short of urging war on Russia. Lunatic fringe current and former politicians think this way.
Former Congressman Ron Paul is geopolitically opposite Washington neocons. Crimeans are legally titled to join Russia, he said.
He called sanctioning Russian and Crimean officials "an act of war."
Aiding Kiev putschists mirrors supporting anti-Syrian terrorists, he added. They're "based on a moral principle of theft."
He was unequivocal citing "clear evidence that US-sponsored NGO's" got billions of dollars to "agitat(e)…Our hands are not clean," he stressed.
Meddling in Crimean internal affairs is unjustifiable, he added. It's their choice whether to stay with Ukraine or join Russia.
"I think everyone should have the right to express themselves" freely, he stressed. It's none of Washington's business what they do.
America was established this way, he explained. "It was the right of self-determination, and voting, and asking and even fighting for it, and seceding."
Sovereign people should make their own "decisions," said Paul. Other nations have no right to interfere.
Washington claims a divine right to do it. Empire building defines its agenda. Doing so risks global war.
Unchallenged dominance alone matters. Hegemons ignore potential consequences. Bipartisan Washington neocons think this way. Potential clash of civilizations disaster may follow.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Crimeans Choose Russia
Crimeans Choose Russiaby Stephen LendmanMarch 16 was historic. It was important. Crimean authorities showed how real democracy works. They shamed America's sham process. Monied interests control things. People have no say. Both major parties contr...
Post-Crimean Referendum Propaganda
Post-Crimean Referendum Propaganda
by Stephen Lendman
Previous articles discussed intense anti-Russian propaganda. It raged up to Sunday's referendum vote. On Monday, it continued.
The New York Times headlined "Global Crises Put Obama's Strategy of Caution to the Test," saying:
"(W)ith Russia poised to annex Crimea after Sunday's referendum, with a mounting threat to the rest of Ukraine and with the carnage in Syria accelerating, Mr. Obama's strategy is now under greater stress than at any time in his presidency."
"Mr. Obama's strategy" is his own making. He's waging multiple direct and proxy wars. proxy war on Syria. He replaced numerous independent governments with subservient Western ones.
Ukraine is his latest imperial trophy. A previous article said if he can keep it. The battle for Ukraine's soul didn't end. It continues. It just began. Perhaps years will pass to resolve it.
Obama's Iranian intentions are uncertain. Nuclear talks continue without resolution. Rapprochement remains a convenient illusion unless or until proved otherwise. No evidence suggests longterm US hostility eased. Plenty indicates otherwise.
Obama elevated neo-Nazi putschists to power in Kiev. He backs lawless governance. He spurns democratic legitimacy.
He bears full responsibility for crisis conditions. At issue is what he intends going forward. He risks potential global war. Don't expect Times editors and/or contributors to explain. They support what demands condemnation.
They repeat the Big Lie. "Putin invaded Crimea," they said. A former unnamed Obama senior national security aid was quoted saying: "We're seeing the 'light footprint" run out of gas."
Former Bush Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was quoted saying:
"There was a view that if the United States pulled back and stopped 'imposing' and 'insisting' in the world, the vacuum would be filled by good things."
"But what has filled that space has been brutal dictators; extremist forces, especially in Iraq and Syria; and nationalism."
"Pulled back?" From what? "Stopped imposing" its will? How so? Stopped "insisting" in the world?" Fundamental US policies under Democrats and Republicans enforce hardline Washington rules.
Multiple direct and proxy wars rage. Obama only stopped short of starting WW III. Perhaps he intends doing so. Don't expect Times and contributors to explain.
Jochen Bittner is Die Zeit's political editor. He's militantly pro-war. Last year, he complained about Germany's unwillingness to wage it.
He wrote about "rethinking German pacifism." He wants a greater military commitment. Die Zeit's editor, Joseph Joffe, urges "massive" Middle East war.
Both men aggressively promote escalated German militarism. Bittner got feature Times op-ed space. He took full advantage.
He headlined "Is Crimea the Next Yugoslavia?" He wrote from Simferopol, Crimea. He spoke to a man named Bratislav.
He said he came from Kosovo "to protect the Russian brothers from the fascists."
"I can tell you," he said, "Ukraine is becoming the next Yugoslavia. Only bigger." Other Crimeans told Bittner the same thing.
He called referendum results "a catalyst for disintegration. He claimed former "(d)ifferent cultural and ethnic identities that used to coexist peacefully" no longer exist.
He scorned referendum results saying so. Numerous Crimean Ukrainians and Tatars voted in lockstep. They support joining Russia.
Trouble doesn't exist in Crimea. It's based in Kiev. It's headquartered in Washington. It's in Brussels and other Western European capitals.
Bittner didn't explain. Indeed, the threat of Ukrainian civil war exists. The US/EU-created monster risks it.
Crimeans want peace and stability. They want union with Russia. They want Moscow guaranteeing their protection.
It's their best chance to avoid conflict. It's their best hope to survive it it erupts.
Bittner bashed Crimea's referendum. He mischaracterized it. He called it "nothing less than the emergence of two nations within one state."
"…Russian control may usher in outright oppression," he said. His logic is upside down.
Crimea joining Russia is its best chance to avoid it. He asked whether militants might be attracted to Crimea.
He stopped short of explaining only if Kiev, Washington and rogue EU partners enlist them to launch Euromaidan 2.0.
He blamed Putin for what may be planned. "Chetniks. Cossacks. Fascists. Zombies, Jihadis. Was this part of Mr. Putin's plan to enlarge his empire," he asked?
He called him the "Kremlin's would-be strongman." He "resembles Goethe's foolhardy sorcerer's apprentice," he said.
He pointed fingers the wrong way. He wrongfully blamed him for ongoing events in Crimea. He substituted misinformation for credible analysis.
Before Sunday's referendum, The Times headlined "Russia Moves Swiftly to Stifle Dissent Ahead of Secession Vote."
It lied claiming "Russian soldiers took up positions" at Simferopol's "television transmission center."
None invaded Crimea. None comprise an occupying force. The Times wrongfully claimed they're involved in "a broad effort to muffle dissent over the Kremlin-backed project to guide Crimea through a swift secession from Ukraine."
It spun a scenario of well-armed Russian troops, local self-defense forces called "pro-secession militia," carrying "whips" to intimidate anti-self-determination Crimeans.
It claimed tactics resembled what "accompanied rigged ballots across the old Soviet world."
It alleged fraud. It ignored a legitimate process. It turned a blind eye to what turned out to be a model democratic election. It puts sham US ones to shame.
It claimed "dissent (was) suppressed by the implicit threat of force." No evidence whatever suggested it. None exists.
"In a matter of days, the Kremlin has succeeded in recreating the constrained conditions of Russia's own civic sphere in Crimea," it claimed.
It cited nonexistent "targeted intimidation (and) an expansive military occupation by 'unmistakably' elite Russian units…"
You can't make this stuff up. The so-called "newspaper of record" reinvents history. It fabricates scenarios it calls news.
It cited Kiev fascist putschists as reliable sources. It repeated one Big Lie after another.
It suggested Russian forces "could be preparing to occupy parts of eastern and southern Ukraine."
It called Crimean democrats "strong-arm" bullies. It compared them to myths about Putin targeting opponents at home.
It lied claiming "Crimean journalists (were) ordered not to describe the soldiers on their soil as Russian or to use the word 'occupation.' "
It lied again saying "foreign and local journalists (were) beaten and had their materials confiscated…"
"…Russian troops (and supportive elements) "blockaded…Ukrainian government centers," it claimed.
This type reporting doesn't rise to the level of bad fiction. It doesn't pass the smell test. The Times has a long disturbing history. It's an establishment publication.
It supports wealth, power and privilege. It turns truth on its head. It suppresses vital information. It features rubbish.
It systematically ignores police state Kiev ruthlessness. It lied claiming Crimea's model democracy suppresses freedom. It shames itself in the process. The pattern repeats daily.
Neocon Washington Post editors headlined "US, EU must stay the course on Russian sanctions over Ukraine."
They lied claiming Russia "seize(d) Crimea." Washington and EU partners "must fashion a new policy…to counter (Putin's) aggression," they bellowed.
They called a model democratic exercise an "orchestrated" one. Maybe he plans "inva(ding) eastern Ukraine," they claimed.
They want Putin "punish(ed)" and "weaken(ed)." They want tougher measures than ones imposed.
They want Russia "massiv(ely)" damaged "economically and politically." Maybe they want WW III.
Neocons think this way. They promote war and violence. They deplore peace and stability. They endorse imperial lawlessness.
WaPo editors are some of the worst. Wall Street Journal ones match them. They headlined "Welcome to the 19th Century."
The repeated the Big Lie. They claimed Russia invaded Crimea. They quoted John Kerry saying "on a completely trumped up pretext."
Russia respects its neighbors. It doesn't wage lawless aggression. Doing so is a US tradition.
It dates from the 19th century. It continues recklessly out-of-control today. Don't expect Journal editors to explain.
They lied claiming Putin "consolidated his hold on Crimea Sunday by forcing a referendum with only two choices."
One was enough given an overwhelming near 97% majority and celebratory victory joy.
Journal editors lied claiming choices offered were to join Russia now or later. False! Crimeans voted on whether to join the Russian Federation or remain part of Ukraine.
"Next up for conquest may be eastern Ukraine," claimed Journal editors. Russian forces mobilized on its border ready to invade, they hallucinated.
"Russian agitators (may) create another 'trumped up pretext,' " they claimed. Moscow "revanchists moved (to create) new world disorder," they added.
Putin aims to "carv(e) up foreign countries when he feels he can," they said.
Journal editors want "renewed military deterrent." They want NATO involved. They want Western forces deployed near Russia's borders.
They want advanced weapons targeting its heartland. Maybe they want WW III.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Anti-Russian Propaganda Rages
Anti-Russian Propaganda Ragesby Stephen LendmanIt's intense. It rages daily. It's unprecedented. It exceeds the worst of Cold War vitriol. Malicious misinformation persists. Truth is systematically buried. It's turned on its head. Lies, damn lies ...
Irresponsible Iran/Syria Bashing
Irresponsible Iran/Syria Bashing
by Stephen Lendman
Washington and Israel are imperial partners in crime. Regime change is longstanding policy. Iran and Syria are prime targets.
Campaigns against their governments continue. Media scoundrels hype Big Lies. So do pro-Israeli and right-wing think tanks. They proliferate them ad nauseam. They drown out truth.
Emily Landau is an unapologetic Iran basher. She's an Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) senior research associate. She's a paid propagandist. She lies for power.
INSS is Tel Aviv-based. It's an Israeli front group. Many of its professionals have government and/or IDF backgrounds.
Israel helps fund it. Doing so assures its interests are promoted. It's point of view is featured. Opposing ones are suppressed.
Haaretz editors gave Landau feature op-ed space. Why they'll have to explain. She took full advantage. She headlined "Is the US determined enough to confront Iran?"
On Monday, interim Joint Plan of Action (JPA) talks resume. Iran's program is peaceful. It's legal. It fully complies with NPT provisions. No military component exists.
Landau suggests otherwise. Complying with P5+1 demands isn't enough. It's not "the whole story," she said.
She wants her version alone explained. She claims "crucial facts" are left out.
She lied saying Iran's nuclear program is "progressing dangerously." She calls it a "roll-forward" on "even more advanced generations of Iranian centrifuges."
It bears repeating. All aspects of Iran's program are legal. Tehran relinquished important legitimate rights.
It sacrificed much more than it received. It did so in the spirit of cooperation.
Joint Plan of Action terms don't restrict legitimate research and development. All NPT signatories are permitted to conduct them.
When low-enriched uranium is fed into "advanced centrifuges under development...Iran will very quickly be able to enrich to the higher levels needed for nuclear weapons," Landau alleged.
She claims "ambiguous" JPA language lets Tehran game the process. No evidence suggested it. She cites none.
Iran's nuclear program "thrives on ambiguity," she said. It "tries to avoid action that can easily be construed as an outright violation of an agreement (and achieves it) by exploiting ambiguity," she claims.
Throughout multiple rounds of talks, Iran negotiated responsibly. It's nuclear facilities are the world's most intensively monitored.
Nothing suggests anything resembling nuclear weapons development. Nothing indicates Iran wanting wanting it.
Plenty shows Tehran abhors nuclear weapons. It wants a region free from all weapons of mass destruction.
Israel maintains formidable nuclear, chemical and biological weapons arsenals. It threatens to use them.
Israeli apologists conveniently ignore what's most important. They irresponsibly bash Iran.
Landau lied claiming Tehran will "avoid (discussing) issues that will seriously undermine its ability to maintain a military nuclear option."
It won't shutter "Fordow and Arak, nor dismantle even one centrifuge." It won't address its "ballistic missile capabilities" and what Landau calls the "Probable Military Dimensions of its nuclear program."
She wants these issues included in a "final comprehensive deal."
She wants Iran relinquishing its legitimate rights. She wants issues unrelated to its nuclear program addressed.
She lied claiming Tehran continues "working hard in the coming months of negotiations…as it did regarding negotiations on the interim deal...to avoid including issues that will seriously undermine its ability to maintain a military nuclear option."
Iran bashing substitutes for verifiable proof. None whatever exists.
"Any comprehensive deal must reveal the military dimensions of (its) program," said Landau. None exist.
She wrongfully accused Tehran of "ly(ing) and "cheat(ing) for decades." Her diatribe concealed her real agenda.
She abhors rapprochement with Iran. She wants Tehran kept weak, isolated and vilified. She wants Israeli interests alone served.
She wants its major regional power eliminated. She wants regime change. Perhaps she wants war to achieve it.
It bears repeating what earlier articles stressed. Iran's nuclear program is red herring cover for replacing its independent government with a pro-Western stooge one.
Landau is part of a vilifying campaign to do so. Her diatribe is thinly veiled. It fools no one paying attention.
The Foreign Policy Institute (FPI) is the Project for the New American Century's (PNAC) current incarnation.
It promotes war. It abhors peace. It's part of America's neocon lunatic fringe. It promotes Washington's imperial agenda.
It does so irresponsibly. It does it dangerously. It risks what could become uncontrollable. It risks global war.
Christopher J. Griffin serves as FPI's executive director. Earlier he was former neocon Senator Joe Lieberman's legislative director. Like other FPI members, he's ideologically over-the-top.
So is Evan Moore. He's an FPI policy analyst. Earlier he was a State Department Office of WMD intern. He and Griffin headlined "Make a Clean Break From Failed Syria Policies."
Mass slaughter, destruction and what's called the gravest humanitarian crisis in decades aren't enough.
Over nine million Syrians were internally or externally displaced. An estimated 5.5 million children need shelter, food, healthcare, education and psychological help.
Syria is Obama's war. He bears full responsibility. Proxy death squads kill dozens daily. Over 60% of Syrians are impoverished. Half the population is unemployed.
Landmark cultural and archeological sites were destroyed. So were schools, hospitals, public buildings, private ones, vital infrastructure and much more.
Obama wants pro-Western puppet governance replacing Assad. He maintains overwhelming popularity. He's fighting to save his country.
He's routing death squad gangs responsibly. Others come in to replace them. He's "strengthening his grip on Syria," said Griffin and Moore.
They lied saying he's "win(ning) (his) war against the Syrian people." They ignored Obama's responsibility. They turned a blind eye to Israel's involvement.
They're silent about Britain, France, other EU partners, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and Turkey. They irresponsibly blame Assad for their crimes. They ludicrously blame Iran.
They blame Russia for supporting the interests of beleaguered Syrians. They called Syria "the world's largest safe haven for jihadists."
They point fingers the wrong way. They ignored who bears most responsibility for supporting them.
They lied claiming "Assad is not meeting deadlines to dismantle his chemical weapons."
He's disposing them responsibly. He's doing so to prevent terror gangs from stealing them. By mid-April, they may be entirely removed.
Syria may accomplish its task ahead of the agreed on mid-2014 deadline.
According to Griffin and Moore:
Obama "faces the same choice today that he has attempted to defer or dodge at each critical juncture over the past three years..."
He "can either lead an effort with our allies to defang Assad and bring about a post-Assad Syria that is free and inclusive for all Syrians - or watch as a bystander while the conflagration grows."
Syria enjoyed peace and stability until Obama unleashed his dogs. He bears full responsibility for over three years of conflict.
Griffin and Moore call his approach "hands-off." They ludicrously said his "good faith" peace efforts were "unrequited."
He went all-out to subvert peace. He wants war continued. He wants it escalated. He wants Syria entirely ravaged and destroyed.
He wants Assad blamed for his crimes. Don't expect Griffin and Moore to explain.
They claimed "Moscow and Tehran see an enfeebled United States as reasons to test new provocations."
They lied claiming Russia invaded Crimea. They lied saying "Tehran shipp(ed) missiles to Gaza militants."
They outrageously accused both countries of "betrayals." That "should free Obama...to pursue a clean break from his failed Syria policies."
They want increased weapons and munitions shipments to terror gangs. They want more death and destruction.
They want close coordination with allies. They want Obama "prepared to strike the Syrian regime and military targets if Assad misses" his deadline for eliminating his entire CW stockpile.
They want direct US intervention. They want bombs away. They want Libyan carnage replicated in Syria.
They lied claiming Syrians "want the Assad regime to fall." False! Polls show over 70% support.
If an election was held today, he'd win overwhelming. Why Obama and complicit allies won't tolerate one.
They want him replaced. They want him ousted. They want pro-Western allies competing for president and parliamentary positions.
They want Washington choices elected. They want Syrians having no say. They want war continued against their interests. They want their own alone served.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Crimeans Vote on Joining Russia
Crimeans Vote on Joining Russia
by Stephen Lendman
Ahead of the vote, John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov met in London. US pressure to get Russia to accept US demands failed.
Both nations are geopolitical opposites. Washington demands its way or else. Moscow respects the right of sovereign people to choose their own future freely.
Kerry called Russia's endorsing the right of Crimeans to secede "a backdoor annexation of Crimea." He demands it remain part of Ukraine.
He ignores the right of sovereign people to choose their future freely. He wants Washington rules enforced.
Lavrov said Russia respects "the declaration of the will of the Crimean people in the coming referendum of March 16."
"We have confirmed out stance...repeatedly," he stressed. Ukraine's crisis is not Russia's doing, he added.
Washington bears full responsibility. Rogue EU partners share it. Imperialism works this way. America wants all nations bending to its will. Outliers are targeted for regime change.
On Saturday, Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution on Crimea's referendum. UN envoy Vitaly Chirkin said:
"It's a secret to no one that the Russian Federation" intended to do so.
"We cannot go along with (its) basic assumption that is declaring illegal the…planned referendum."
Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov called it "unacceptable" to Moscow.
"Americans have submitted this resolution and our attitude towards it is most negative, he said. "We do not support such a resolution."
It "talks about things that the UN Security Council shouldn't discuss as international peace and security are not the issue here."
"The main thing that the draft resolution contains is an appeal not to recognize the results of the referendum in Crimea. Therefore such a resolution is of course unacceptable for us."
It "totally ignored the objective realities that have emerged."
"We think the right of people who are frightened of a repeat of the Cyprus scenario to express their will must be taken into account."
Russia "will of course respect decisions that referendum
participants vote for."
"We do not think that the Security Council ought to interfere in the decision by the legitimate authorities of Crimea regarding the organization of a referendum as this is not prohibited by the UN Charter or other international law."
Lavrov said Crimea "means immeasurably more" to Russia than the Comoro Islands to France or the Falklands to Britain.
If Kosovo's independence was "a special case," he added, he's "convinced that…Crimea is...no less special."
Days earlier, Vladimir Putin stressed the legitimacy of Crimea's referendum.
A Kremlin statement said he "underlined in particular that the steps taken by Crimea's legitimate authorities are based on international law and aimed at guaranteeing the legitimate interests of the peninsula's population."
This article is written ahead of referendum voting. A follow-up one will discuss results and reactions to them.
It bears repeating what earlier articles explained. Crimea's referendum is legal. Sovereign people have the right to choose their own future.
UN Charter provisions affirm it. "The organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members" and free people everywhere.
It promotes "friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace."
On September 18, 2014, Scottish citizens vote up or down on independence. It's their choice. Opponents don't claim illegality.
Under provisions of the October 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law, Crimeans may legally secede.
The World Court's July 2010 advisory opinion on Kosovo's declaration of independence affirms their right to do so.
It said "the adoption of (Kosovo's) declaration of independence of the 17 February 2008 did not violate general international law because (it) contains no 'prohibition on declarations of independence.' "
Crimeans may opt out of Ukraine. They can declare independence. They can vote to join Russia. It's their legal right. Claims otherwise are false.
Moscow has every right to welcome them. Odds strongly favor it. US threats won't stop it.
On July 4, 1776, 13 American colonies declared independence from Britain.
They said everyone has "certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
"That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
"That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government..."
"(W)hen a long train of abuses and usurpations (establishes) absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government."
Resisting tyranny is a universal right. Illegitimate putschists control Ukraine. Crimeans overwhelmingly reject them.
Don't expect The New York Times to explain. Misinformation rubbish substitutes for full and accurate reporting. On March 14, it headlined "Pressure and Intimidation Sweep Crimea Ahead of Secession Vote," saying:
Moscow "recreat(ed) the constrained conditions of (its) own civic sphere in Crimea."
Times reporters, commentators and editors misinform. They lie. They do so repeatedly. They claim Russia invaded Crimea.
No invasion occurred. None exists. Moscow's only Crimean-based forces relate to its Black Sea Fleet. Russian/Ukrainian 1997 Friendship Treaty terms authorize numbers up to 25,000.
About 16,000 are present. They're deployed legitimately. Claims otherwise are false.
Crimean self-defense forces are duplicitously called Russian ones. The Big Lie repeats ad nauseam. So do numerous others.
Russia bashing is intense. Putin is public enemy number one. The Times lied claiming "dissent (in Crimea is) suppressed by the implicit use of force."
It claims a nonexistent "military occupation by unmistakably elite Russian units and many of the trappings of the election-season carnivals that have long accompanied rigged ballots across the old Soviet world…"
No evidence whatever suggests election-rigging. Or intimidation. Or suppression of freedom. Or threats against Crimean Ukrainians and Tartars.
Crimeans overwhelmingly reject Kiev Putschists. Independent polls show over 80% favor joining Russia.
Don't expect The Times to explain. Managed news misinformation substitutes. Readers are systematically lied to. It's longstanding Times policy.
It gave feature op-ed space to John McCain. He's ideologically over-the-top. He's hardline neocon.
He's an embarrassment to legitimate governance. He's an unindicted war criminal. He supports lawless aggression against nonbelligerent countries.
On March 14, he headlined "Obama Has Made America Look Weak." He blamed Putin for "invad(ing) Crimea. He lied claiming it.
He represents lunatic fringe politics. He supports hardball US policies. He favors toughness over diplomacy. He nonsensically said Crimea "exposed (Obama's) disturbing lack of realism..."
He wants NATO expanded to Russia's borders. He wants so-called missile defense intended for offense targeting its heartland.
He favors clash of civilizations recklessness. Perhaps he wants WW III. Why Arizonans support him, they'll have to explain.
He lied claiming Putin wants former Soviet republics "brought back under Moscow's dominion by any means possible."
He maliciously accused him of "aggression in Crimea." He urged "sanctioning Russian officials." He wants Moscow isolated internationally.
He wants "increasing NATO military presence and exercises" near Russia's borders. He wants Sochi's scheduled G-8 meeting "boycott(ed)."
He wants G-7 countries (sans Russia) convening elsewhere. He calls Ukrainian neo-Nazi putschists "patriots."
Ronald Reagan called Afghan mujahideen fighters (today's Taliban) "the moral equivalent of our founding fathers."
McCain wants Ukraine "anchored firmly in Europe." He wants its resources stolen. He wants its people exploited.
He wants Crimeans denied the right to choose their own future. He wants Russia eliminated as a rival power.
Perhaps he favors war to achieve it. Why Times editors published his belligerent diatribe, they'll have to explain.
On March 16, Crimeans voted. They were asked two questions:
(1) "Do you support reunification of Sevastopol with Russia as its constituent member?"
(2) "Do you support the restoration of the Constitution of 1992 and Sevastopol's to Ukraine?"
The outcome is a foregone conclusion. Only the certified majority remains to be determined.
According to Referendum Commission chairman Mikhail Malyshev, 135 observers from 23 countries monitored voting. Over 600 journalists from 169 media outlets covered the process.
International observers from America, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria, Latvia and other countries came.
So did European parliamentarians, international law experts, and 1,240 Crimean organization representatives. Human rights activists were involved.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was invited. It declined. It issued a statement saying:
"In its current form, the referendum regarding Crimea...is in contradiction with the Ukrainian Constitution and must be considered illegal."
Observers "have a red certificate," said Malyshev. "Representatives of other organizations will have certificates of green and blue colors."
"We want as many observers as possible," he said. He wants confirmation of a free, fair, open process. On Monday, results will be announced.
Ahead of Sunday's vote, observers visited all Crimean regions. They did so to determine if voting procedures complied with local law and international standards.
European Geopolitical Analysis Centre's Mateusz Piskorski said observers are experienced in electoral monitoring.
According to international standards, Crimean media, including television, abstained from campaigning for independence or joining Russia.
At the same time, Crimeans were urged to vote. Nothing suggested which way. No pressure was applied. A Simferopol resident likely spoke for most others, saying:
"We made our choice long ago. Ukraine has given us nothing, so we will try to live in Russia."
A Kerch resident called what's happening in Ukraine "horrible. They won't let us live, it's clear."
Foreign journalists arrived in droves. A British reporter expressed surprise. Each taxi driver he asked gave "an approving nod when hearing the word 'Russia.' "
Other foreign journalists are surprised at how many cars display Russian flags. Popular sentiment overwhelmingly is pro-Russian.
Moscow's Simferopol consul general, Vyacheslav Svetlichny, said:
"We are in constant contact with the leadership of Crimea and feel all necessary measures to ensure security at the referendum are being taken."
"We think there are no grounds for anxiety and hope the referendum will be held in an atmosphere of stability and calm."
"The authorities of Crimea (and) self-defense units fully control the situation."
On Saturday, illegitimate Kiev putschist legislators voted to dissolve Crimea's lawful parliament. Effective immediately, they said.
Crimeans reject their authority. On Monday, we'll know how overwhelmingly.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israel Steals Palestinian Resources
Israel Steals Palestinian Resources
by Stephen Lendman
Ethnic cleansing is official Israeli policy. So is stealing Palestinian land and resources. Fundamental rule of law principles don't matter.
What Israel wants it takes. It's longstanding policy. Martin Schulz is European Parliament president. He visited Israel.
On February 12, he addressed Knesset members. Outrage followed his remarks. Fascist Israeli MKs walked out in protest.
Days earlier he met a Palestinian youth. "Why can an Israeli use 70 cubic liters of water daily and a Palestinian only 17," he asked.
Schulz raised the issue in his remarks. He said he hadn't "checked the data. I'm asking you if this is correct."
Right-wing extremist MK Moti Yogev shouted at him while he was speaking. "Shame on you," he said. "You support someone who incites against Jews.
Fascists infest Israel's Knesset. Naftali Bennett is one of the worst. He's Israel's Economy Minister. He heads the fascist Habayit (The Jewish Home) party.
He's a Netanyahu coalition partner. He deplores political activism. He wants truth and full disclosure suppressed. He and right-wing ultranationalist Avigdor Lieberman are ideological allies.
They spurn rule of law principles. They want settlements expanded. They want Palestinian resources stolen. They want them denied all rights.
Bennett left during Schulz's speech. He said "I will not tolerate duplicitous propaganda against Israel in the Knesset…especially not in German."
He accused Schulz of lying. He disgracefully alluded to Germany's Nazi past. "I say unequivocally that someone speaking in German should be even more careful about saying things critical of" Israel, he added.
Culture and Sports Minister Lomor Livnat expressed a similar sentiment, saying:
"We gave him every respect...but when he tells an outright lie, and in German, no wonder MKs and ministers got upset."
Likud party extremist Moshe Feiglin boycotted the Knesset session. He called it "inappropriate that a speech is given in the parliament of the Jewish state, in the language used when our parents were thrust into the railway wagons and in the crematoria."
Netanyahu accused Schulz of repeating claims without "check(ing) first." Doing so would largely verify his comments.
Israel systematically denies Palestinians their own resources. It steals them for its own use. It sells them for profit.
Schulz's comments addressed Palestinian persecution, saying:
They "have the right to self-determination and equality." They want to "live in peace and have unlimited freedom of movement." Gazans are entirely denied it, he added.
"The blockade...is your reaction to attacks on the civilian population. But it does not allow real development and drives people to despair, which in turn is used by extremists. Perhaps the blockade creates not more, but less, security."
Before he spoke, he said Israel won't tolerate justifiable criticism. It's "quite normal in a democracy," he stressed.
"The EU stands by its special relationship with Israel, but that does not mean that it has to agree every decision of (its) government."
B'Tselem monitors human rights in Occupied Palestine. There's "undeniable (Israeli) discrimination in the amount of water allocated to Israelis and Palestinians," it said.
Jews get up to over double the World Health Organization's (WHO) minimum daily recommendation. Palestinians on average get less than three-fourths the minimum needed. In Jenin, they get less than 40%.
More below on B'Tselem's analysis of polluted water Gazans are forced to use.
On Wednesday evening, Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein met privately with Schulz. He lied about water amounts Israel allows Palestinians.
He shamelessly claimed "no blockade of Gaza" exists. He lied saying Israelis are bombarded by missiles.
Israel attacks Gaza repeatedly. It does so by air, land and sea. It does so preemptively. It does it lawlessly
It shoots Palestinian farmers in their fields. It uses Palestinian children for target practice. It gets away with cold-blooded murder unaccountably. It calls legitimate self-defense terrorism.
On February 9, B'Tselem headlined "Over 90% of water in Gaza Strip unfit for drinking." Offshore waters are dangerously contaminated.
Coastal aquifer water is Gaza's main source for drinking. It's "been continuously over-pumped for decades."
"(T)he Palestinian Water Authority pumps some 180 million cubic meters (mcm) a year..." Replenishment falls way short of what's needed. It's about 50 - 60 mcm annually.
Groundwater is significantly lowered. Contamination results from seawater seepage as well as saline water "rising from deeper in the reservoir."
Israel sells Gaza 4.2 mcm of water annually. It agreed to sell another 5 mcm of desalinated water a year. Infrastructure to transport it doesn't exist.
It remains to be completed. Besieged Gaza has no proper wastewater treatment facility. Many residents aren't connected to a sewage system.
Domestic waste flows into cesspits. It seeps into groundwater. It contaminates it. "The problem (worsened) in recent years, primarily due to electricity shortages," said B'Tselem.
It's one of many serious problems affecting Gaza. Israel bears full responsibility. Cast Lead and Pillar of Cloud attacks severely damaged power and wastewater treatment facilities.
Huge amounts of sewage go untreated. War inflicted damage was largely repaired. Capacity can't keep up with need. "Gaza's wastewater treatment facilities are far from able to meet the required amounts and standards," B'Tselem explained.
Projects to improve things haven't progressed. Blockade restrictions bear full responsibility. Construction materials and equipment are inadequate. Lengthy bureaucratic delays exacerbate conditions.
The Palestinian Water Authority found a dangerous rise in nitrate levels. It's from contamination from agricultural pesticide use. It's from sewage seeping into aquifer water.
"Every day, only some 25 percent of Gaza's wastewater - about 30,000 cubic meters - is treated and recycled for agricultural use," said B'Tselem.
"Some 90,000 cubic meters of untreated or partially treated wastewater flows into the Mediterranean." Contamination follows. So do health hazards and damage to Gazan fishing.
Aquifer water is dangerously high in nitrogen and chloride. It makes "90 to 95% percent of (Gazan) water unfit for drinking and problematic for agricultural use."
PA Water Authority officials said only 6.5% of Gazan well water meets WHO minimum standards.
"Ninety-seven percent of Gazans are connected to the public water supply system." It doesn't provide enough water. Shortages exist. Inadequate infrastructure and power complicate things.
Residents suffer regular water outages. They "receiv(e) running water for only six to eight hours at a time: 25% of households on a daily basis, 40% every other day, 20% once every three days, and the remaining 15% (in Gaza City, Rafah and Jabaliya) only one day out of four."
Erratic supplies force Gazans to collect water in containers. They're placed on rooftops.
Power outages put pumps out of commission. Water can't be channeled into containers. Residents are forced to collect water at ground level.
Wafa al-Faran is a married mother of eight. She lives in Gaza City's a-Shuja'iya neighborhood. She explained her ordeal, saying:
"The power outages really interfere with the water supply to our houses. When there's no electricity, there's very little water in the taps."
"We had to buy a pump so that the water would reach the containers on our roof. We have four containers of 4,000 liters altogether."
"When we get running water, we turn the pump on and fill up the containers. But sometimes, there's no electricity when there’s water."
"When that happened, we used to operate the pump with a generator, so that we wouldn't run out of water. But the generator uses a lot of fuel, which is very expensive."
"Now there's no fuel from Egypt and the fuel from Israel is very expensive, so we don't use the generator at all. Even at night, when we don't have power, we make do with candles and flashlights."
"A few months ago, my husband bought a new water container, which we put at the entrance to the house, so that we can fill it up when there's no power."
"We get water out of the container in buckets, because it's not connected to our plumbing."
"We don't drink the water that from the pipes and don't use it for making coffee or tea or for cooking. We buy fresh water from water vendors."
"Sometimes, I use the fresh water to wash my daughters’ hair, and in the morning we use this water to wash our faces, because the water from the taps burns our eyes."
Imagine living through this daily ordeal. Most Gazans are impoverished. Many can't afford to buy fresh water. Imagine consuming what's unfit to drink.
Imagine the health risks doing it. Average Gazan daily water consumption falls below WHO minimums. Residents struggle to get by.
Ibtesam Kheir a-Din is a married mother of six. "The water we get is salty and unfit for drinking," she said. "Sometimes it even smells bad."
"We only use it to clean the house and do dishes and laundry, but nothing ever feels really clean."
"Clothes smell bad and get stained." She and family use vendor-supplied water for drinking.
Last November, Gaza's power plant shut. Enough fuel wasn't available. Generators ran sewage pumping stations.
In mid-month, one in a-Zaytun broke down. A generator malfunction caused 35,000 mcm of raw sewage to flood the neighborhood. Leakage entered homes.
In 2009, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) recommended ceasing coastal aquifer pumping. At issue is possible collapse of Gaza's water system.
Over-pumping continues. What other choice do residents have? No longterm solution exists. Gaza's water crisis deepens.
The Palestinian Water Authority and UNEP agreed. Coastal aquifer supplies "passed the point of no return in terms of rehabilitation options."
By 2016, pumping water no longer will be possible. Crisis conditions are serious. Another solution must be found.
At stake is the health and welfare of nearly 1.8 million Gazans. They need potable water to survive. Siege conditions exacerbate crisis conditions. It's unclear how they'll be resolved.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Washington’s Dirty War on Venezuela
Washington's Dirty War on Venezuelaby Stephen LendmanThroughout his tenure, Obama plotted one lawless regime change scheme after another. How many are too many?What new ones does he plan? How many more wars will he wage? How much more carnage will foll...
Propaganda War on Russia Rages
Propaganda War on Russia Rages
by Stephen Lendman
Media scoundrels march in lockstep with imperial US policies. Truth is systematically suppressed. One-sided misreporting, commentaries and analysis substitute.
The New York Times is a longstanding lead instrument of US propaganda. On March 13, it headlined "Russian Troops Mass at Border with Ukraine," saying:
"...Russia massed troops and armored vehicles in at least three regions along Ukraine's eastern border on Thursday, alarming the interim Ukraine government about a possible invasion and significantly escalating tensions in the crisis between the Kremlin and the West."
Fact check
Russia has no intention of invading Ukraine. Reports suggesting otherwise are false. They're malicious propaganda. They're standard scoundrel media practice.
Russian forces are conducting military exercises in Rostov, Belgorod, Tambov and Samara regions.
Moscow's Defense Ministry said their goal is achieving unit cohesiveness and combat readiness on unfamiliar territory and untested ranges.
Drills are in two stages. In stage one, "commanders and contingent of infantry, artillery and tank detachments gained experience during route marches from permanent dispositions in a combined method: afoot, by train and by air transport to final march objectives with further deployment afield."
"They followed up issues of cooperation with representatives of Russian Railways (RZD) and of uploading equipment on flat wagons."
Featured was a “set of practical trainings, when servicemen within their units have worked the standards of driving military and special equipment on unfamiliar territory, route reconnaissance, engineer reconnaissance, fortification of positions and special tactical training."
"In the planned activities, special focus is placed on stealth of movement and camouflage security in staging areas."
Unit commanders "are training the methods of staging different types of combat, detachment control and control of fire when fulfilling the combat training missions, learning to act unconventionally, fooling the enemy and achieving unexpectedness."
"During the training, a complex, combat type tactical environment with imitation of actions of the imaginary enemy is created."
During stage two, military units "at the ranges will master a set of practical exercises aimed at combat cohesiveness of units, with firearms training and battle firing, and the commanders will also check their ability to control artillery fire."
Exercises will continue through late March. Moscow has nothing to hide. Its Defense Ministry gave Ukraine permission to overfly territory bordering both countries.
Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said:
"We have decided to allow such a flight. We hope that our neighbors are assured that there is no military activity that threatens them on the border."
Illegitimate Ukrainian putschist defense minister Igor Tenyukh lied. He claimed Russia massed 220,000 troops, 1,800 tanks and over 400 helicopters in regions bordering Ukraine.
"Ukrainian military officials know full well that the entire (Russian) Southern and Western Military Districts put together don't have that much equipment," said Antonov.
"The only way you could arrive at that number of soldiers would be if you counted their families."
"I would dissuade Mr Tenyukh from adding fuel to the fire of the crisis, which is what he appears to be doing."
"He openly outlined the reasons for this himself, when he asked the Ukrainian parliament to issue him with more funding."
IlIegitimate Ukraine president Arseniy Yatsenyuk addressed the 6th emergency Council session this month on Ukraine.
He lied claiming Russian "military aggression" in Crimea. He urged Security Council members to end what doesn't exist.
Moscow UN envoy Vitaly Churkin addressed Council members. He denied notions of Russian aggression.
"Russia does not want war and neither do the Russians, and I'm convinced the Ukrainians don't want that either," he said.
"We don't see any basis to consider the issue in such terms," he added.
He expressed support for Crimeans right for self-determination. He called choosing it in this case "an extraordinary measure." A "legal vacuum exists," he said.
It "emerged as a result of an unconstitutional, violent coup d'etat carried out in Kiev by radical nationalists, as well as direct threats by the latter to impose their order on the whole territory of Ukraine."
Crimeans reject putschist authority. They have every right to do so. Staying free depends on it. They want no part of lawless neo-Nazi rule.
Kiev continues provocative training exercises in eastern Ukraine. They began last week. They threaten greater turmoil. According to Antonov:
"Staging exercises in an area that is gripped by mass protests against the new regime which came to power as a result of a coup is a risky endeavor, which could further destabilize the political situation in Ukraine."
NATO began its own. Air and Black Sea drills are in progress. Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) reconnaissance flights over Poland and Romania were deployed.
NATO air patrols over Baltic states continue. On March 13, Stars and Stripes headlined "US Army to proceed with planned exercise in Ukraine."
Pentagon chiefs "chose to go ahead with an exercise in Ukraine while canceling the one in Russia demonstrates Western support for Kiev in its confrontation with Moscow," it said.
It's scheduled in Lviv near Poland's border. According to Pentagon officials:
It's to "promote regional stability and security, strengthen partnership capacity, and foster trust while improving interoperability between USAREUR (US Army Europe), the land forces of Ukraine, and other (NATO and partner) nations."
It provocatively antagonizes Russia. What's ongoing escalates tensions further. It's doing it when efforts should focus on defusing them. Polar opposite US policies are chosen.
As of March 3, all exercises, bilateral meetings, port visits and planned conferences with Russia are suspended or cancelled.
On Friday, John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov met in London. They did so two days ahead of Crimea's March 16 independence referendum.
Moscow/US Ukrainian policies are polar opposite. Putin supports Crimeans right to determine their own future. Washington is firmly opposed.
Conflict resolution is nowhere in sight. A previous March 5 Kerry/Lavrov Paris meeting achieved nothing.
Moscow rejects Washington's imperial agenda. It drew a red line on Ukraine. It's firmly against its joining NATO. At stake is its national security.
It won't tolerate US bases on its borders. Who can blame Putin. He's acting responsibly. He's obligated to do so.
He's doing what America would do. Longstanding Monroe Doctrine principles warn outside powers, stating:
"....as a principle in which the rights and interests of the United States are involved, that the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers."
"(W)e should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety."
Doing so would be impossible to) behold...with indifference."
Meanwhile, Collective Security Treaty Organization nations Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan expressed alarm by NATO's buildup near Belarus' border.
CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha said:
"We cannot ignore the fact that NATO's air group is being consolidated near Belarusian borders." No response is planned, he added.
"We do not consider Russia a participant of the conflict and are not preparing any collective measures to respond to what is happening in the internal conflict in Ukraine," he stressed.
Belarus expressed alarm. Permanent House of Representatives Commission for National Security member Vasily Alekseyeko said NATO encroaching on Belarus' borders requires adequate steps in response.
"We need to clearly analyze the situation and make task-oriented smart decisions," he said.
"Government cannot sit by. Time has shown that one who plays the waiting game is late."
"We are doing the right thing because we protect the independence and security of our state."
President Aleksandr Lukashenko asked Russia to deploy up to 15 extra warplanes to its territory.
He called doing so "a reasonable response" to NATO's buildup.
Minsk "reacted calmly until a large exercise began in Poland which requested reinforcements and larger scope of the exercise," he said.''
Lukasenko reacted to Washington sending around a dozen F-16s and nearly 300 service personnel to Poland.
Six F-15s were sent to Lithuania. They bolster four others sent in January. NATO now patrols Baltic airspace.
Belarus shares borders with Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine. It's justifiably concerned about NATO'S buildup.
Washington long targeted Lukashenko's government for regime change. He opposes US imperial policies.
He didn't permit privatization of state enterprises. He rejects Washington rules. Most Belarusians support him.
They do so for good reason. They get free healthcare, other social benefits, employment and retirement protection, subsidized housing, and more.
According to the World Bank:
"Over the past decade, rapid economic growth translated into remarkable progress in poverty reduction, although the recent (economic) crisis" increased it "modest(ly)."
From 2002 to 2012, poverty declined from 30% to 6.3%. Unemployment is around 1%.
Retirement age for men is 60. For women it's 55. Belarus was the most prosperous Soviet republic.
It has one of the world's lowest inequality rates. Lukashenko remains extremely popular. Big Western Lies target him. He serves popular interests.
His policies are polar oppose America's. It shows. According to Census data, half of US households are impoverished or bordering it.
Around 100 million working age Americans have no jobs. Most others have low-wage/poor-benefit ones. Many are part-time or temp. Insecurity is high.
Last July, AP headlined "Exclusive: Signs of Declining Economic Security," saying:
"Four out of 5 US adults struggle with joblessness, near poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives."
It's a disturbing "sign of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream."
"Survey data exclusive to The Associated Press points to an increasingly globalized US economy, the widening gap between rich and poor, and loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs as reasons for the trend."
Economic insecurity is much worse than government data show. It affects over three-fourths of white Americans.
It's defined as experiencing unemployment some time during working years or needing government aid to survive.
Government data way understate dire economic conditions for most households. Things are much worse than official reports.
Most Americans struggle to get by. Impoverishment or close to it affects them.
It's harder than ever for millions of disadvantaged households to survive. Their numbers grow exponentially. Vital social protections are eroding. It's happening when they're most needed.
Polls show over 80% of Americans mostly distrust government. Congressional approval hit a record low.
America is being systematically thirdworldized. Washington wants all other nations looking the same way. It wants wealth shifted from ordinary people to powerful rich elitists.
It wants predatory Western corporations able to plunder countries freely. Raping and pillaging Ukraine is planned.
Regime change targets other nations. East/West tensions are high. Russia opposes US imperial expansion. Ukraine is a dangerous geopolitical flashpoint. It's is a vital red line to defend.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
White House Crime Boss Powwow
White House Crime Boss Powwow
by Stephen Lendman
On March 12, Ukraine's illegitimate putschist prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Obama met in the Oval Office.
A previous article said Yatsenyuk came to meet his new boss. He got marching orders. He learned more about Obama's plans to rape and pillage Ukraine. More on what they both said below.
Meanwhile, on March 5, House Res. 499 "Condemn(ed) the violation of Ukrainian sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity by military forces of the Russian Federation."
It called for removing all Russian military troops from Crimea except Black Sea Fleet forces operating in accordance with 1997 Friendship Treaty terms.
It permits up to 25,000 Russian forces. Around 16,000 are currently there. None operate illegally on Crimean territory. Claims otherwise are false.
House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce (R. CA) called the resolution "an important part of a larger effort to aid Ukraine and impose real costs on Russia."
It's "a very important declaration of support for the people of Ukraine during this crisis," he added. It condemns nonexistent 'Russian aggression' "in clear and unmistakable terms." It calls for:
- Removal of all Russian military forces from Ukraine's Crimean peninsula other than those operating in accordance with its 1997 agreement regarding its Black Sea Fleet stationed there.
- Deployment of independent monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Crimea and other areas of Ukraine.
- Suspension by NATO allies and European Union member states of military cooperation with Russia, including sales of military equipment.
- Boycott of the G8 summit in Sochi, Russia, by the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Britain and Japan.
The non-binding resolution passed 402 - 7.
On March 11, Senate Res. 378 "condemn(ed) illegal Russian aggression in Ukraine." It:
"(1) condemns the unprovoked and illegal Russian military seizure of the Ukrainian Crimea and demands the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces except as specifically allowed for by treaty;
(2) demands the immediate release of besieged Ukrainian security forces in Crimea, who have shown remarkable restraint under threat;
(3) warns that failure to do so or any additional military action against other areas of Ukraine will lead to swift and significant consequences in the Russian Federation's relations with the United States and those nations who share our views;
(4) urges the President to use all appropriate economic elements of United States national power, in coordination with United States allies, including loan guarantees matched with requirements of international financial institutions regarding Ukrainian economic reforms and transparency, to strengthen the Ukrainian economy and protect the independence, sovereignty, and territorial and economic integrity of Ukraine;
(5) urges the President to use appropriate economic and diplomatic measures, including calibrated sanctions, against those responsible for the illegal seizure of Crimea;
(6) urges the President to propose to G-8 nations to suspend the Russian Federation, and to propose to our NATO allies to suspend operation of the NATO-Russia Council and suspend the Russian Federation’s military and diplomatic representation at NATO;
(7) condemns the economic coercion pursued by the Russian Federation beginning in July 2013 against Ukraine, Moldova, Lithuania, and other countries in the region in order to obstruct closer ties between the European Union and the countries of the Eastern Partnership and supports the people of Ukraine in their desire to forge closer ties with Europe;
(8) supports assisting Ukraine and United States allies in the region in gaining energy security in order to alleviate their vulnerability to the Russian Federation’s threats and manipulations;
(9) expresses its continuing support for democratic allies who regularly face aggression on their borders from the Government of the Russian Federation and supports enhanced security cooperation with, and security assistance to, states in Central and Eastern Europe, including Ukraine;
(10) encourages governments in Europe to take similar and coordinated actions to make it clear to the Government of the Russian Federation that violating the territorial integrity of sovereign nations will have swift and significant consequences;
(11) calls for the immediate acceptance of a credible international observer mission in Crimea and other parts of the Ukraine;
(12) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to seriously engage with the Government of Ukraine in a political dialogue on a political and diplomatic path that respects Ukrainian sovereignty and the Crimea’s complex historic and ethnic makeup;
(13) supports the efforts of the Government of Ukraine to bring to justice those responsible for the acts of violence related to the anti-government protests that began on November 21, 2013;
(14) supports the efforts of the Government of Ukraine to recover and return to the Ukrainian state funds stolen by former President Yanukovych, his family, and other current and former members of the Government of Ukraine and elites; and
(15) calls upon the leadership of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to reconsider its decision to place World Cup 2018 matches in Russia."
The Senate's non-binding resolution passed unanimously. Profiles in courage were absent.
On March 12, Obama welcomed Yatsenyuk to the White House. He duplicitously praised "the courage of the Ukrainian people in standing up on behalf of democracy and on the desire that I believe is universal for people to be able to determine their own destiny."
He lied about "how ordinary people from all parts of the country had said that we want a change."
He ludicrously praised Yatsenyuk's "courage." He outrageously called him a leader possessing "great skill and great restraint."
He disgracefully said Ukraine's "most pressing challenge…is the threat to its territorial integrity and its sovereignty."
He lied claiming a "Russian incursion into Crimea outside of its bases..." He called what didn't happen "a violation of international law."
No country is more contemptuous of rule of law principles than America.
None in human history committed graver crimes of war, against humanity and genocide multiple times.
None more threaten humanity's survival. Obama bears full responsibility for months of Kiev violence. Illegitimate neo-Nazi putschists usurped power.
Courage is not one of their attributes. Ukraine's sovereignty was eviscerated. Plundering its resources is planned. So is exploiting its people.
Russia justifiably opposed what happened. In a wide-ranging interview, Vladimir Putin spoke out forthrightly. He denounced what he called "an anti-constitutional takeover, an armed seizure of power."
"Does anyone question this," he asked? "Nobody does." Viktor Yanukovych remains Ukraine's legitimate president. Putschists have no legitimacy whatever.
No one "should...support illegal change," he said. Authorities usurping power are illegitimate, he added.
"The current acting president is definitely not legitimate. There is only one legitimate president, from a legal standpoint."
Putin supports the right of all Ukrainians to determine their future democratically. He denounced accusations about Russian military forces invading Crimea.
None were sent. "So far, there is no need for (them), but the possibility remains" to protect Russian nationals if necessary, he explained.
Compare democracy to neo-Nazi putschists seizing power. Russia hasn't interfered in Ukraine's internal affairs, Putin stressed.
"(W)e firmly believe that all citizens of Ukraine, I repeat, wherever they live, should be given the same equal right to participate in the life of their country and in determining its future."
Obama promised Yatsenyuk full support. "(Y)ou can rest assured" you've got it, he said.
Yatsenyuk thanked Obama. "We will never surrender," he said. "Ukraine is and will be part of the Western world." What Ukrainians want doesn't matter.
By end of next week, he'll sign an agreement on joining the EU, he said. Doing so will surrender Ukrainian sovereignty to Western European authority.
He plans selling its soul to IMF debt bondage. He intends having ordinary Ukrainians bear the burden of paying bankers first.
On Friday, John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov will meet in London. "Our job is to present (Russia) with a series of options that are appropriate in order to try to respect the people of Ukraine, international law, and the interests of all concerned," said Kerry.
He'll try to persuade Russia through Lavrov not to annex Crimea. Both foreign ministers will meet two days ahead of Crimeans voting up or down on independence and joining Russia.
Polls show popular sentiment overwhelmingly favors doing so. It's entirely legal. Claims otherwise are false.
Kerry warned earlier that annexation would "close any available space for diplomacy." Russia isn't cowed by Washington threats. It's got plenty of ammunition to respond.
Evidence keeps surfacing about what really happened in Kiev's Independence Square. Putschist snipers bore full responsibility for killing up to 100 Ukrainian civilians and security police, as well as injuring hundreds more.
Days earlier, Estonian Prime Minister Urmas Paet pointed fingers the right way. He confirmed what's been independently believed all along.
"There is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovich, but it was somebody from the new coalition," said Paet.
On March 12, former Ukrainian Security Service head Aleksandr Yakimenko agreed. He blamed putschist official Andrey Parubiy. He's a neo-Nazi Svoboda party leader.
"Shots came from the Philharmonic Hall," he said. "Maidan Commandant Parubiy was responsible for this building."
"Snipers and people with automatic weapons were 'working' from this building on February 20. They supported the assault on the Interior Ministry forces on the ground who were already demoralized and had, in fact, fled," he added.
"When the first wave of shootings ended, many have witnessed 20 people leaving the building."
They were carrying military-style bags used for sniper and assault rifles with optical sights.
Many witnesses saw them. Foreign elements may have been involved. Perhaps CIA, US special forces, and secret service operatives.
What happened was well planned in advance. "These were the forces that carried out everything that they were told by their leadership - the United States," Yakimenko stressed.
Maidan leaders practically lived at Washington's embassy, he added. As security chief, he was ready to order Ukrainian troops to enter the building and remove the snipers, he said.
He needed approval from Parubiy to do it, he explained. Otherwise, so-called "self-defense" elements would have attacked him, he believes.
"Parubiy did not give such consent," he said. He controlled access to weapons used in Independence Square.
Moscow wants an independent investigation. It wants full disclosure of what happened. Deep East/West divisions remain.
Russia is on its own to investigate. Western plans for Ukraine are fixed. Evidence compromising them will be buried.
Ukraine's dark future is planned. It remains to be seen how ordinary Ukrainians react. Euromaidan protests 2.0 may follow. The battle for Ukraine's soul continues.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israel Attacks Gaza – Again
Israel Attacks Gaza - Againby Stephen LendmanIsrael invents pretexts to attack. Other times, it provokes them lawlessly. Palestinians are wrongfully blamed for its crimes. Incidents happen repeatedly.Islamic Jihad (IJ) responded to multiple Israeli kil...
Meet Obama’s New Ukrainian Friends
Meet Obama's New Ukrainian Friends
by Stephen Lendman
On February 27, 2014, they announced their so-called "Ukrainian government of people's trust."
It includes a rogue's gallery of societal misfits. Many are militant fascists. They're thugs. They're criminals.
They're illegitimate putschists. They're xenophobic, hate-mongering, ultranationalist anti-Semites. Combined they represent mob rule.
They make mafia bosses look saintly by comparison. They threaten world peace. They vowed to fight. They urge NATO intervention.
For the first time since WW II, overt fascists have real power. They hold major government posts.
In December 2012, European parliamentarians expressed concern about "rising nationalistic sentiment in Ukraine, expressed in support for the Svoboda party, which, as a result, is one of the two new parties to enter" Ukraine's parliament.
Their "racist, anti-Semitic, and xenophobic views go against the EU's fundamental values," they said.
Europe's parliament "appeal(ed) to pro-democratic parties in (Ukraine's legislature) not to associate with, endorse, or form coalitions with" these elements.
All is forgiven. EU officials look the other way. They turn a blind eye. They embrace what they denounced months earlier.
They march in lockstep with Washington hardliners. They mock democratic values they claim to support.
Olexander Turchynov serves as illegitimate president. He chairs Ukraine's coup d'etat parliament (its Verkhovna Rada).
He's a politician/economist/screenwriter. He replaced democratically elected Viktor Yanukovych.
He's Ukrainian armed forces commander-in-chief. He's Batkivshchyna/All-Ukrainian Union/Fatherland party deputy chairman.
He was acting prime minister earlier. From March 3 - 11, he served until Mykola Azarov replaced him. He's a wolf in wolf's clothing.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk serves as Ukraine's illegitimate prime minister. On March 12, Obama welcomed him at the White House.
He came to meet his new boss. He did so to get marching orders. He learned more about Obama's plans to rape and pillage Ukraine.
He's super-rich. He's a former central banker/economy/foreign minister and parliament (Verkhovna Rada) speaker.
He's a Batkivshchya/All-Ukrainian Union (Fatherland) leader. He betrayed his people. He sold out for greater wealth and power.
Billionaire mega-thief Yulia Tymoshenko heads it. She was imprisoned for embezzlement and serious "abuse of public office."
Charges included illegally diverting $425 million meant for environmental projects into pension funds. A second case involved stealing around $130 million for personal use.
Putschists freed her. They did so lawlessly. She was an illegitimate Orange Revolution prime minister.
She has presidential aspirations. She may head Ukraine's illegitimate government after sham May elections.
On March 7, the London Independent headlined "Exclusive: UK banks in row over Yulia Tymoshenko 'millions,' " saying:
"...(N)umerous foreign accounts were set up in (her) name (and) her family."
At least 85 bank accounts "containing millions of pounds were linked to (her) and relatives."
It bears repeating. She's a billionaire mega-thief. She accumulated wealth the old-fashioned way. She stole it.
Lawrence Graham is a UK lawyer. In March 2013, Ukraine's legitimate government enlisted him to investigate Tymoshenko's "allegedly misappropriated" wealth.
He reviewed 278 bank accounts in 26 countries. He learned Tymoshenko or family members "were either beneficiaries or signatories to accounts which included a number of UK banks."
They're now closed. At least 13 accounts worldwide remain open. Her lawyer, Sergey Vlasenko, denied reports of foreign accounts, saying:
"She has had no property, no assets, no accounts in USA, UK or Switzerland." He claimed reports otherwise were "falsified." He called them "part of a big dirty propaganda war."
Ukraine's legitimate government hired Graham "to trace more than $200 million (allegedly) siphoned off by Tymoshenko and another former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko, among others," said The Independent.
From the mid-1990s, the funds "disappeared." They did so when Tymoshenko ran United Energy Systems (UES).
Lazarenko awarded it monopoly rights to import Russian natural gas. In 2004, a US court convicted him of money laundering, theft, and hiding funds in foreign accounts.
His indictment called his crime "part of a conspiracy (related to) receiv(ing) money from companies owned or controlled by Tymoshenko, including United Energy Systems, in exchange for which (he) exercised his official authority in favour of (her) companies."
US prosecutor Martha Moerosch cited "evidence that companies controlled by Tymoshenko took part in the schemes for transferring money to Lazarenko's accounts."
"There were bank statements" proving it, she said. Graham discovered London's NatWest bank involvement. It held 40 million pounds in the name of UES.
Prosecutors found Tymoshenko funds worldwide. Ukrainian analyst Orysia Lutsevych calls her typical of "old generation" Ukrainian politics.
As Orange Revolution prime minister, "she did nothing to reform the economy and establish rule of law," she said.
"Instead, she focused her attention on infighting inside the Orange Revolution in order to prepare her presidential race."
"Most (Euromaidan protesters) were not demanding her release." Her shady business practices earned her the nickname "gas princess."
Ukraine's coup d'etat government is infested with criminal extremists. Obama embraces them.
Yatsenyuk's job is serving Western bankers. Paying them comes first. Ukrainians bear the burden.
Force-fed austerity is planned. IMF larceny features it. Onerous loans come with strings. They assure longterm debt bondage.
Terms demand mass layoffs, huge social benefit cuts, privatizing state enterprises at fire sale prices, letting Western corporations plunder Ukrainian resources freely, and cracking down hard on nonbelievers.
Andriy Parubiy co-founded the ultranationalist neo-Nazi Social National party. It's now called Svoboda. He did so with Oleh Tyahnybok.
Parubiy and Yulia Tymoshenko co-led Washington's 2004 Orange Revolution. He heads Ukraine's National Defense and Security Council.
Right Sector hard right neo-Nazi hate-mongering anti-Semite Dmytro Yarosh is his deputy. He openly boasts about "…fighting Jews and Russians till I die."
He calls Russia Ukraine's "eternal enemy." He said war between both countries is inevitable.
He openly supports Chechen militants. He backed Georgia's 2008 aggression against South Ossetia.
Doku Umarov is Russia's most wanted criminal. Yarosh urged him to terrorize Sochi's Winter Olympics.
He claimed responsibility for attacking Domodedovo airport in 2011 as well as Moscow's 2010 metro bomb incident.
He supports efforts to topple Syria's Assad. He self-appointed himself Russian North Caucasus emir.
Right Sector extremists are the worst of a bad lot of rogues running Ukraine.
They're gun-toting, radicalized terrorists. Imagine them and likeminded scoundrels in charge of Ukraine's government.
Imagine Obama embracing them. Next thing you know he'll call them freedom fighters. They're cold-blooded killers. They believe in barrel-of-a-gun rule.
State terrorism defines their agenda. Anyone opposing them is targeted for elimination. Yarosh has presidential aspirations. Perhaps he intends achieving them one way or another.
Oleh Tyahnybok heads Svoboda. He chose no portfolio after putschists seized power. Perhaps he has greater aspirations in mind. He's a force to be reckoned with.
Unaffiliated Vitaly Yarema is first vice prime minister. He formerly headed Ukraine's Internal Affairs Ministry. His portfolio includes law enforcement.
Svoboda's Oleksandr Sych is one of two lower-level vice prime ministers. Like fellow party members, he's ideologically over-the-top.
Unaffiliated Volodymyr Groysman is Ukraine's other vice prime minister. He's a former deputy prime minister for regional policy as well as regional development, construction, housing and communal services minister.
Batkivshchyna's deputy chairman Pavlo Petrenko is justice minister. He's a politician, jurist and lawyer.
Andrii Deshchytsia is foreign minister. He's a politician and diplomat. He formerly was Ukraine's ambassador to Finland.
Oleksandr Shlapak is finance minister. He's a former economy minister.
Pavlo Sheremeta is economical development and trade minister. Formerly he was Kiev School of Economics president.
Svoboda's Ihor Tenyukh is defense minister. He's Ukraine's former naval commander. Yanukovych sacked him for supporting Kiev putschists.
Batkivshchyna's Arsen Avakov is internal affairs minister. He's a former parliamentarian. He held various administrative posts.
Svoboda's Oleg Makhnitsky is prosecutor-general (Ukraine's attorney general). He's a politician and lawyer.
Six Svoboda members hold top government posts. Others include ecology minister Andriy Mokhnyk and agriculture minister Ihor Shvaika.
Neo-Nazi Ukrainian National Assembly/Ukrainian National Self Defense (UNA-UNSO) members Tetyana Chernoval, Dmytro Bulatov, and Yegor Sobolev hold government portfolios.
Chernoval chairs Kiev's anti-corruption committee. Perhaps she's in charge of dispensing spoils.
Bulatov is youth and sports minister. Sobolev is lustration (mass disqualification) committee chair.
He's charged with purging Yanukovych loyalists. Everyone pro-Russian is targeted. So is anyone left of far right.
Obama's new friends are ideological extremists. Imagine what Ukrainians can expect.
Their agenda makes peace activists cringe. They threaten civil war. Regional war could follow. They risk spreading it globally.
Yatsenyuk vowed never to give up "a centimeter" of Ukraine to Russia. "This is our land," he said. "Our fathers and grandfathers have spilled their blood for this land."
"And we won't budge a single centimeter from (it). Let Russia and its president know this."
Washington pledged full support. Obama pledged financial aid. Doing so violates US law. It's spurned by supplying Israel, Egyptian putschists and other rogue governments with military and financial aid.
The 1961 Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) and 1976 Arms Export Control Act (AECA) prohibit doing so.
AECA permits military related sales only for defense or internal security. FAA forbids aiding governments that engage:
"in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, including torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without charges, causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction and clandestine detention of those persons, or other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, and the security of person, unless such assistance will directly benefit the needy people in such country."
The 2001 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act's (FOAA) Leahy Law provision states:
"None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to support any training program involving a unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary of Defense has received credible information from the Department of State that a member of such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights, unless all necessary corrective steps have been taken."
FOAA prohibits funding foreign security forces that commit gross human rights violations unless its government "is taking effective measures to bring the responsible members of the security forces unit to justice."
Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and numerous other rogue state US allies commit the worst of high crimes against peace and humanity.
It doesn't matter. They're close US allies. They receive generous support.
FAA prohibits giving all forms of aid to putschist regimes. Obama pledged $1 billion in loan guarantees. Doing so violates US law.
It doesn't matter. Washington does what it wants. Russia's Foreign Ministry commented, saying:
According to US law, FAA prohibits aiding " 'the government of any country whose whose duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup or decree.' "
"Thus, by all criteria, the provision of funds to the illegitimate (Kiev) regime, which seized power by force, is unlawful and goes beyond the boundaries of the US legal system."
"The US administration will most probably continue to close its eyes on the dominance of the ultranationalist forces in Kiev, which have launched a hunt for dissidents across the country, increasing pressure on the Russian-speaking population and our compatriots, threatening the people in the Crimea with punishment for their desire for self-determination."
Neo-Nazi putschists threaten all Ukrainians. Ruthless hardline rule runs things. Fascists tolerate no opposition. State terrorism targets outliers. Darker than ever dark times loom.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
NYT Editors Wage War on Truth
NYT Editors Wage War on Truth
by Stephen Lendman
News fit to read isn't The Times long suit. Managed news misinformation substitutes for what readers most need to know.
Truth and full disclosure are verboten. Times editors are on the wrong side of history. They call imperial wars liberating ones.
Perpetual ones are glorified in the name of peace. Society's worst are honored. The best among us are vilified.
Warmakers win peace prizes. Doing the right thing is called wrongdoing. Daily events should scare everyone.
Today is the most perilous time in world history. Peace in our time no longer exists. US waged war on humanity replaced it.
Media scoundrels march in lockstep. Policies they support threaten everyone. They endorse a malevolent system. They support pure evil.
Malicious Russia bashing rages. Putin is public enemy number one. Challenging US imperial lawlessness responsibly isn't tolerated. Media scoundrels pillory him for doing so.
Times columnists, commentators and editors march in lockstep with other Putin bashers. Daily narratives reflect group think maliciousness.
Distortions and twisted logic drown out truth. Big Lies repeat ad nauseam. Readers are systematically betrayed.
Ukraine putschists are embraced. Responsible Russian opposition is denounced. Times editors want Putin punished. On March 11, they headlined "Penalties for Mr. Putin."
They lied claiming he "thr(ew) down the gauntlet: sending Russian forces to seize control of Crimea…" He "concoct(ed) nonexistent 'fascist threats to the Russian population..."
He "refus(ed) to recognize the interim government in Ukraine..." He "call(ed) for a phony referendum in Crimea on Sunday, and a vote in Russia on March 21 whose outcomes are foreordained."
Fact check
No Russian forces invaded Crimea. Claiming otherwise is false. Under Russian/Ukrainian 1997 Friendship Treaty terms, Moscow maintains its Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol and other Crimean locations.
It does so legally. It's permitted to station up to 25,000 military forces in Crimea. Around 16,000 are based there.
They're not involved in what's ongoing. No evidence whatever suggests it. Times editors lied claiming otherwise.
Kiev putschists threaten Russian nationals. They do so nationwide. Neo-Nazi Right Sector official Dymtro Yarosh is Andriy Parubiy's second in command.
Parubiy heads Ukraine's National Defense and Security Council. He wields power over Ukraine's military, police, courts and intelligence. Yarosh calls Russia Ukraine's "eternal enemy."
He openly boasts about "fighting Jews and Russians till I die."
He calls war between both countries inevitable. Times editors turn a blind eye to reality.
They embrace illegitimate Kiev putschists. Putin responsibly rejects them. Crimea's upcoming referendum is legal. America declared independence from Britain legitimately.
In 2008, Kosovo declared its own. The World Court endorsed it. So did The New York Times. "Independence marks a new beginning," it said.
Hypocrisy defines TimesThink. Crimeans alone may decide their own future. Don't expect Times editors to explain.
Irresponsible Putin bashing takes precedence. Times editors hyped a nonexistent Crimean Russian occupation.
They demand reprisals. They want penalties. "(I)t is time for Europe to join the United States in threatening the sort of costly sanctions that will leave Mr. Putin no doubt that they will not tolerate violations of Ukrainian territorial integrity," they said.
Fact check
Washington and complicit EU partners did so egregiously. Their dirty hands bear full responsibility. They planned regime change. They manipulated Kiev violence.
They support neo-Nazi putschists. They ousted Ukraine's democratically elected government. They replaced it with fascist mob rule.
Sanctions cut both ways. On March 6, the St. Petersburg Times headlined "Russia Preparing Response to US and EU Sanctions," saying:
"The Federation Council is drawing up a bill that would allow the government to confiscate the property of US and European companies in the event of Western sanctions..."
Western company asset freezes may be imposed. On March 10, Press TV headlined "Russia mulling sanctions against West," saying:
"Moscow is preparing a bill that would freeze the assets of European and American companies operating in Russia in response to potential Western sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Ukraine’s Republic of Crimea."
Russia's upper house Federation Council constitutional law committee chairman Andrey Klishas and other FC legislators "are working on plans to respond in kind to the US sanctions, as well as potential bans by other Western countries."
Times editors mindlessly ignore reality. They support what demands condemnation.
They want Washington and EU partners united against Russia. Perhaps they want open conflict.
They endorse all US wars. They cheerlead ravaging and destroying one country after another. They do so disgracefully.
Advancing America's imperium matters most. So does letting Western corporations carve up targeted countries for profit. Ukraine is low-hanging fruit. It's ripe for picking.
"Mr. Putin must be made to pay for what he has done," say Times editors. They want "serious penalties" imposed.
They support wrong over right. They do it consistently. They do it repeatedly. They're on the wrong side of history.
They support wealth, power and privilege. They march in lockstep with US lawlessness. They shame themselves in the process.
On March 11, The Times headlined "Obama Team Debates How to Punish Russia."
A nonexistent Crimean "invasion" was again hyped. Obama officials are "torn over just how far to go using economic weapons in (their) arsenal," it said.
They believe tough sanctions can "badly damage" Russia's economy. They know imposing them cuts both ways. Moscow can respond in kind.
Cooler heads reject "ruinous options." They fear "a dangerous cycle of retaliation." Corporate America doesn't want to lose business.
What the damn fool in the White House intends remains to be seen. He presides over declining US influence.
Imperial rampaging makes more enemies than friends. Obama exceeds the worst of his predecessors. He's heading America down a slippery slope of decline. He's mindlessly out-of-touch with reality.
His administration is infested with neocon extremists. They're waging war on humanity. Perhaps they'll end up destroying it altogether. Don't expect Times editors, commentators or correspondents to explain.
The Times said Assistant Secretary of State for European and European Affairs Victoria Nuland supports toughness.
She's hardcore neocon. She backed regime change. She supports Kiev putschists. She was involved in manipulating street thug violence.
She lied saying: "We stand with the people of Ukraine..." She was caught red-handed urging regime change on tape. Her conversation with US Ukraine ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt was recorded.
He supports tough sanctions. So do other administration hardliners. Debate continues on whether to act ahead of Sunday's referendum or wait to see how Moscow reacts.
Times editors gave Kiev putschist Oleksander Turchynov feature op-ed space. He's interim Ukrainian president. He serves illegitimately.
He represents neo-Nazi mob rule. He's an enemy of his own people. He's involved in planned plundering Ukraine for profit. He tolerates no opposition.
He headlined "Kiev's Message to Moscow," saying:
"(T)he final demise of the Soviet empire is unfolding." Resurrecting it "failed." He claims Ukraine "matured into an independent state that will determine its own domestic and foreign policy."
Under illegitimate hardliners aligned with Western interests, it's another US imperial trophy. If it can keep it. The jury is very much out. The battle for Ukraine's soul continues. It remains undecided.
Turchynov lied claiming Yanukovych "crossed the line and unleashed gunfire against his own people..." Convincing evidence shows otherwise.
He claimed Russia wants Ukraine weakened. Its strategy involves "prying some regions away from Kiev's control and establishing enclaves in the south and east," he said.
He cites no evidence whatever suggesting it. "Russia needs these frozen conflicts in order to prevent the normal development of the post-Soviet republics and to impede their integration into European and NATO structures," he claimed.
Demagogic hyperbole substituted for clear analysis. Russia supports the right of people everywhere to choose their own future.
Washington seeks unchallenged global dominance. It wants control over all former Soviet republics and Warsaw pact countries.
It wants working people turned into serfs. It wants them exploited for profits. It wants control over global resources.
It wants NATO transformed into a global military. It wants it belligerently transforming independent states into subservient pro-Western ones.
Turchynov regurgitated one lie after another. He did it shamelessly. He claimed lawless putschists rule legitimately.
He said "Russian troops moved outside their bases to occupy the Crimean peninsula. At the same time, (they) have massed along the Ukrainian border."
He called it "brazen...unjustified aggression." Russian forces "blockaded our government buildings," he said. They took over "our communications infrastructure and seized our military bases and weapons depot."
They "provok(ed) Ukraine to respond with force." They want "a pretext for full-scale military invasion..."
Kiev did "everything possible to avoid this trap and keep the peace." It's "prepared to defend (the) country."
"Russia's reckless actions would be unbecoming of Somali pirates."
No responsible editor would touch this rubbish. Times editors embraced it. They did so shamelessly. They did it disgracefully.
They substituted malicious propaganda for responsible analysis.
Why they'll have to explain.
It bears repeating. Turchynov's demagogic hyperventilating doesn't rise to the level of bad fiction.
It represents the worst of irresponsible commentary. It makes yellow journalism look good by comparison.
Times columnist Tom Friedman notoriously twists truths to fit his opinions. Journalism Professor Robert Jensen calls him "scary."
He features "underinflated insights," "twisted metaphors," "second-rate thinking," "third-rate writing," and "hack journalis(m)."
He's "stunningly shallow and narcissistic." He "lack(s) the capacity for critical self-reflection."
He's perfect "for a management-focused, advertising-saturated, dumbed-down, imperial culture that doesn't want to come to terms with the systemic and structural reasons for its decline."
He wins acclaim for writing rubbish. He avoids speaking truth to power. He's not alone.
Times pages are infested with likeminded imperial supporters. Savvy news consumers are best served by avoiding them.
On March 4, Friedman headlined "Why Putin Doesn't Respect US," saying:
He's "caught up in a dangerous fantasy that can't end well for him or his people."
"A wise Putin...would be fighting today to get Russia into the European Union, not keep Ukraine out."
He "prefers to turn Russia into a mafia-run petro-state - all the better to steal from."
This type ranting is pure rubbish. Putin supports peace. He abhors wars. He wants conflicts resolved diplomatically.
He responsibly opposes Washington's imperial rampaging. He calls national sovereignty inviolable.
He's polar oppose US lawlessness. He wisely avoids EU membership. Why jump aboard a sinking ship? Rats jump off, not on.
History won't be kind to Putin, Friedman claims. He yearns for Boris Yeltzin's reincarnation.
He institutionalized "shock therapy." Economic genocide followed. GDP plunged 50%. Life expectancy fell. Democratic freedoms died.
Oligarch predators accumulated enormous wealth. They did so at the expense of millions of harmed Russians.
One scandal followed others. Grand theft became sport. Billions in stolen wealth were hidden in Western banks or offshore tax havens.
Yeltzin let Russia be plundered under his rule. Washington and other Western governments loved him.
Friedman yearns for his new millennium reincarnation. He supports what demands condemnation. He lies for power.
He ludicrously claims Putin "threat(ens) global stability." His policies go all-out supportively.
It's "time we expose his weakness and our real strength," said Friedman. "It requires going after the twin pillars of his regime: oil and gas."
He ludicrously ignores Europe's need for both. He nonsensically claims US natural gas can replace what he supplies.
Maybe he fantasizes about trans-Atlantic pipelines replacing Russian ones. Maybe he needs a reality check.
Readers need legitimate alternative sources for real news, commentaries and analysis. They won't find it on Times pages. Or from likeminded media scoundrels.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Dueling East/West Agendas on Ukraine
Dueling East/West Agendas on Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
Washington's Ukrainian agenda is polar opposite Moscow's. It's irresponsible. It's unjustifiable. It's typical our way or else posturing.
Reports suggest it's in two parts. It calls for Moscow to halt Crimean annexation efforts.
It wants demobilization of legitimately deployed Russian troops related to its Black Sea Fleet as well as Crimea's self-defense force.
It wants a so-called contact group established. Included would be Washington, representatives of EU nations, Russia and Ukraine's illegitimate Kiev government.
It wants sham May 25 elections endorsed. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said:
"We want a cessation of Russian military activities in Ukraine. We want to see an end to the annexation of Crimea. I don't think it's a secret of what we're talking about here."
Russia rejects Kiev's illegitimate government. "How can we come up with a mechanism for the Russians and the Ukrainians to talk," asked Psaki?
"Obviously, the Russians haven't agreed to that or we'd be having those discussions now."
On Saturday, a State Department official commented on John Kerry's phone discussion with Sergei Lavrov, saying:
"He made clear that continued military escalation and provocation in Crimea or elsewhere in Ukraine, along with steps to annex Crimea to Russia would close any available space for diplomacy, and he urged utmost restraint."
On Saturday, Obama spoke with Britain's David Cameron, France's Francois Hollande, Italy's Matteo Renzi, as well as presidents Berzins, Grybauskaite and Ives of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia respectively.
An Office of the Press Secretary statement followed, saying:
"Obama welcomed the strong, unified stance of the United States and the European Union regarding Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, including in the conclusions of the March 6 European Council."
"The leaders reiterated their grave concern over Russia's clear violation of international law and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"He told Baltic country leaders of Washington's "unwavering commitment to our collective defense commitments under the North Atlantic Treaty and our enduring support for the security and democracy of our Baltic allies."
"All of the leaders agreed on the need for Russia to pull its military forces back to their bases, allow for the deployment of international observers and human rights monitors to the Crimean peninsula, and agree quickly on the formation of a contact group that could lead to direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia to de-escalate the situation and restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"The leaders rejected the proposed referendum in Crimea as a violation of Ukraine’s constitution and underscored that all decisions about the future of Ukraine must include the government in Kiev."
"The leaders made clear that Russia’s continued violation of international law will isolate it from the international community."
"They also discussed the need for the international community to provide strong support to the government of Ukraine as it works to stabilize its economy and prepares for elections in May."
Moscow rejects Washington's proposal. It wants Kiev putschists declared illegitimate. It takes the "situation created by the coup as a starting point," Lavrov stressed.
He said Russia's Security Council prepared its own. Moscow wants international law respected.
It wants all Ukrainians treated equitably, fairly and justly. "We are not just passively receiving proposals from our colleagues," said Lavrov.
"We have prepared our own," he added. "The idea is to bring the situation back into the framework of international law with due account taken of the interests of all Ukrainians without exception, given the current deep state crisis in that country."
"The US Secretary of State John Kerry last Friday handed me the paper that I have already made public." It "raises many questions."
"There is a concept in this document that we are not quite happy with, because everything has been formulated as though there is some kind of conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as though we admit certain facts really exist."
On March 6, Obama's Executive Order "Block(ed) Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine."
It includes what he calls "military intervention in Crimea." His action doesn't preclude further steps. Expect more to follow.
On Sunday, Deputy National Security Advisor Tony Blinken issued a statement saying:
"First, if there is an annexation of Crimea, a referendum that moves Crimea from Ukraine to Russia, we won't recognize it, nor will most of the world."
"Second, the pressure that we've already exerted in coordination with our partners and allies will go up."
"The president made it very clear in announcing our sanctions, as did the Europeans the other day, that this is the first step and we've put in place a very flexible and very tough mechanism to increase the pressure, to increase the sanctions."
Former US Russian ambassador Michael McFaul said annexation will "isolate Russia from the rest of the world for years to come, maybe even decades to come."
Hardball is longstanding US policy. Bullying is standard practice. Rule of law principles don't matter. Washington rules alone apply.
Russia won't roll over for America. It didn't invade Crimea. It's going all-out to protect its legitimate interests. It has every right to do so.
Putin was unequivocal calling what happened in Kiev "an anti-constitutional takeover, an armed seizure of power."
He wants "fratricidal war for the sake of peace (stopped), for the sake of justice and for the sake of Ukraine's future."
He addressed Crimea. He denounced claims of deployed Russian forces. None were sent besides those legally related to its Black Sea Fleet.
"So far, there is no need for (them), but the possibility remains" to protect Russian nationals if necessary, he said.
His biggest concern is "rampag(ing) reactionary forces, nationalist and anti-Semitic forces going on in certain parts of Ukraine, including Kiev."
They "chained and handcuffed" an eastern Ukraine governor. They "poured water over him in the cold of winter."
"After that, by the way, he was locked up in a cellar and tortured. What is all this about? Is this democracy? Is this some manifestation of democracy?"
Compare Crimea to out-of-control Kiev violence, he said. Compare democracy to neo-Nazi putschists seizing power. Russia hasn't interfered in Ukraine's internal affairs, he stressed.
"(W)e firmly believe that all citizens of Ukraine, I repeat, wherever they live, should be given the same equal right to participate in the life of their country and in determining its future."
Crimeans have the same right as other Ukrainians, he said. Moscow supports them.
"Putin underlined in particular that the steps taken by Crimea's legitimate authorities are based on international law and aimed at guaranteeing the legitimate interests of the peninsula's population," an official Kremlin statement added.
"We are often told our actions are illegitimate," Putin said. No one explains how responsibly.
Contrast Russia to America's lawless aggression. He cited Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. He omitted numerous other examples.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said European sanctions could be imposed next week if Moscow doesn't accept Western proposals.
"If they respond positively, John Kerry will go to Moscow and then sanctions will not be immediate," he said.
"If they do not respond or if they respond negatively, there will be a series of sanctions that could be taken as early as this week."
On Tuesday, Western officials met in London. Asset freezes and travel bans on targeted Russian officials were discussed.
Last week, visa talks were suspended. So was halting negotiations on a new EU/Russian investment agreement. An arms embargo and trade sanctions could follow.
Washington threatened to expel Russia from G-8 participation. Other harsh measures were suggested.
EU/Russian trade is nearly half a trillion dollars annually. Targeting Moscow cuts both ways. Will EU leaders shoot themselves in the foot? Will they harm their own interests?
Energy is a major issue. Europe is heavily dependent on Russian resources. Gazprom supplies Ukraine with over half its gas.
Europe gets 40% from Russia. Germany gets one-third of its oil and gas from this vital source. It remains to be seen where realpolitik overrides bluster.
Ukraine's illegitimate Foreign Minister Andrii Deshchytsya's hyperbole matches his Western counterparts.
We are practically in a state of war with Russia, he claimed. "We have to cope with an aggression that we do not understand."
Russia's Foreign Ministry denounced Right Sector neo-Nazi lawlessness. Its elements "now rule in eastern regions of Ukraine as a result of the actions of fighters of (its) fighters..with the full connivance" of Kiev putschists," it said.
"The shamefaced silence of our Western partners, human rights organizations and foreign media is surprising."
"It raises the question - where is the notorious objectivity and commitment to democracy?"
Russian citizens trying to enter Ukraine are blocked. Independent media voices are silenced. Kiev putschists want their message alone heard.
Washington plans provocative Black Sea drills with Bulgaria and Romania. Imagine if Russia or China held their own in America's Gulf.
US controlled NATO announced AWACS reconnaissance flights over Poland and Romania to monitor conditions in Ukraine.
Washington is waging geopolitical war on Russia. It wants it weakened and isolated.
It wants what remains of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) eliminated. It wants control over all former Soviet republics and Warsaw Pact countries. It wants them incorporated into NATO.
It wants new eastern European military bases established. It wants them targeting Russia and China.
It wants long-range multiple nuclear warhead-armed missiles targeting their heartlands.
It's playing with fire. It risks global conflict. It risks the unthinkable. Hegemons operate this way. America is by far the most dangerous in world history. Rogue elements make policy.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Crimea Declares Independence
Crimea Declares Independenceby Stephen LendmanOn March 11, Crimean parliamentarians along with Sevastopol ones separately adopted declarations of independence. Judicial procedures for becoming part of Russia require it.On March 16, Crimeans vote. They'...
Yatsenyuk Comes to Washington
Yatsenyuk Comes to Washington
by Stephen Lendman
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland calls him Yats. He's coming to Washington.
He'll arrive on Wednesday. He'll meet his new boss. He'll do so at the White House. He'll get marching orders. He'll learn more about Obama's plans for Ukraine. More on his visit below.
He's Ukraine's illegitimate prime minister. He serves its xenophobic, ultranationalist, neo-Nazi, hate-mongering, anti-Semitic, coup d'etat regime. A rogue's gallery of societal misfits runs it.
He's a natural. He's super-rich. He's a former central banker/economy/foreign minister and parliament (Verkhovna Rada) speaker.
He betrayed his people. He sold out for greater wealth and power. He's a Batkivshchya/All-Ukrainian Union (Fatherland) leader.
Billionaire mega-thief Yulia Tymoshenko heads it. She was imprisoned for embezzlement and serious "abuse of public office."
Charges included illegally diverting $425 million meant for environmental projects into pension funds. A second case involved stealing around $130 million for personal use.
Putschists freed her. They did so lawlessly. She was an illegimate Orange Revolution prime minister.
She has presidential aspirations. She may head Ukraine's illegitimate government after sham May elections.
Yatsenyuk's job is serving Western bankers. Paying them comes first. Ukrainians bear the burden.
Force-fed austerity is planned. IMF larceny features it. Harder than ever hard times loom.
Ukraine heads toward becoming another Greece. One zombie country will replicate another. Economic crisis conditions already exist. Plans call for tougher times on the backs of ordinary people.
Inflation alone harms them. Since January, Ukraine's currency (the hryvnia) declined 20%. Everything imported costs more.
Capital flight hammered Ukraine's foreign exchange. It's down to about $12 billion or less. It's dwindling at the rate of about $4 billion a week. It won't last the month without aid.
It's needed. It comes with onerous strings. It includes longterm debt entrapment.
Getting it demands mass layoffs, huge social benefit cuts, privatizing state enterprises at fire sale prices, and letting Western corporations plunder Ukrainian resources freely.
Economist Jack Rasmus believes Ukraine's currency collapse is virtually certain. At least $20 billion in aid may be needed "well before May 1," he said.
Ukraine's current debt is about $80 billion. By summer, it'll top $100 billion, says Rasmus.
Deepening black hole indebtedness entraps Ukraine. No end to its financial crisis looms.
It bears repeating. Ordinary people will bear the burden. Disaster awaits them. Greater than ever basket case conditions are certain.
According to Rasmus, Ukrainian aid won't come in amounts needed. Nothing beyond "superficial promises and token" short-run injections ahead of May elections.
Longer-term watch out. Ukraine's economy will be much worse off than now. It's currency will be near-worthless. Rampant inflation will destroy it.
Lost social benefits will create enormous pain and suffering. Western bankers and other corporate predators "will have a field day," says Rasmus.
They'll buy up everything in sight on the cheap. They'll rape and pillage Ukraine freely. They'll steal its resources. They'll exploit its people.
They'll operate freely for bottom line interests. They'll turn Ukraine into a dystopian wasteland.
Ukrainians have a rude awakening coming. They don't know what's planned. Wait until they lose pensions, other social benefits, and vital subsidies needed to offset high oil, gas and food prices.
Wait until they'll left high and dry on their own. Ukraine is one of Europe's poorest countries. Western diktats assure harder than ever hard times.
On Sunday, Yatsenyuk announced plans to visit Washington. "I am going to the United states to hold top-level meetings on resolving the situation unfolding in our bilateral and multilateral relations," he said.
He announced it a day after vowing never to give up "a centimeter" of Ukraine to Russia.
"This is our land," he said. "Our fathers and grandfathers have spilled their blood for this land."
"And we won't budge a single centimeter from (it). Let Russia and its president know this."
On March 9, a "Statement by the (White House) Press Secretary on the Visit of Prime Minister Yaysenyuk of Ukraine" said:
"President Obama will welcome Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk of Ukraine to the White House on March 12."
"The visit will highlight the strong support of the United States for the people of Ukraine, who have demonstrated inspiring courage and resilience through recent times of crisis."
"The President and Prime Minister Yatsenyuk will discuss how to find a peaceful resolution to Russia's ongoing military intervention in Crimea that would respect Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"They will also discuss support the international community can provide to help Ukraine confront its economic challenges, and the importance of uniting Ukraine and working to fulfill the aspirations of the Ukrainian people as they prepare for May presidential elections."
Deputy national security advisor Tony Blinken added:
"What we've seen is (Obama) mobilizing the international community in support of Ukraine to isolate Russia for its actions in Ukraine, and to reassure our allies and partners."
Fact check
Washington plans call for:
- destroying Ukrainian sovereignty;
- controlling its regime;
- plundering its resources;
- exploiting its people;
- incorporating it into NATO;
- establishing new US bases; and
- installing long-range nuclear-armed missiles along its 1,400 km border with Russia targeting its heartland.
Obama bears full responsibility for installing Ukrainian putschists in power. EU partners share it. Regime change plans were hatched in Washington and Brussels.
Russia didn't invade Crimea. Claims otherwise don't wash. No military intervention occurred.
Washington spurns Ukrainian sovereignty and integrity. Russia respects what Western countries disdain.
US officials and Yatsenyuk will discuss plans to rape and pillage Ukraine. Aspirations of its people don't matter. Exploiting them to pay bankers looms.
They'll have no say in upcoming elections. Power brokers will decide things. America works the same way.
Monied interests alone matter. They have big plans for Ukraine. Carving it up for profit looms.
Yatsenyuk lied claiming Russia invaded Ukraine. He called it "a declaration of war." Ukraine is on the verge of "disaster," he added. Policies he has in mind assure it.
On Monday, Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov said preparations to join Russia are well under way.
On March 16, Crimeans will decide by referendum. Public sentiment strongly favors it.
Aksyonov said Russian law will be instituted within about two months. Its ruble will replace Ukraine's hryvnia.
Russian will be the official language. Tartar community members were promised senior positions in a new Crimean government.
Crimea's Supreme Council chairman Vladimir Konstantinov said polls show "over 80%" of Crimeans favor "accession to Russia."
Weeks earlier it was 75%, he added. He attributed sentiment increase to actions by Kiev putschists.
Itar Tass said Sevastapol made Russian its official language. Over 70% of its residents speak it. Administration chief Dmitry Belik signed a resolution stating:
"In line with norms of international law, taking into account that the Russian language is native for the overwhelming majority of the city’s population, the Sevastopol city state administration rules to use it as the official language in all state document circulation."
Pro-Russian sentiment is strong throughout much of eastern and southern Ukraine. Public demonstrations express it.
Kiev putschists target them. Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed outrage. It issued a statement denouncing "actions of militants of the so-called Right Sector amid utter connivance of the new authorities as they call themselves."
"Things have come to such a point that on March 8, well-equipped people in masks and with firearms opened fire at peaceful protestors in Kharkiv," he added.
"People have been injured. The Dnipropetrovsk police have detained seven Russian reporters and attributed it to the fact that they were interested solely in 'certain provocative subjects.' "
Press freedom is targeted. It's comprised. It's denied. Kiev fascists won't tolerate it. They want their message alone getting out.
They "do not allow Russian citizens into Ukraine in violation of all existing bilateral agreements, virtually having blocked border cooperation."
"The shy silence of our Western partners, human rights organizations and foreign mass media outlets is surprising."
"A question emerges - where is the notorious objectivity and commitment to democracy?"
High-minded Western hypocrites are nowhere in sight. Russia rejects illegitimate Kiev putschists. Putin respects the right of Crimeans to decide their own future.
On Sunday, he discussed ongoing Ukrainian events with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
A Kremlin press service statement said:
Putin "underlined in particular that the steps taken by Crimea's legitimate authorities are based on international law and aimed at guaranteeing the legitimate interests of the peninsula's population."
He expressed concern about illegitimate Kiev putschists. They escalated pressure on Crimea.
They blocked its treasury's electronic system. They froze its accounts. They increased security forces on its borders.
Crimean Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliyev reacted saying actions taken won't affect planned policies.
Russian accounts are being opened. Frozen ones won't be used.
On Saturday, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin in charge of defense expressed alarm over US/NATO "overt threats."
On Facebook, he said:
"A hope that after the overt threats by the US and NATO, nobody will doubt the necessity of rearming our army and fleet and of reviving our defense industry and military science."
His comment followed Washington threatening sanctions, suspending military exchanges, deploying additional warplanes to the region, and showing the flag in the Black Sea.
Neocons infesting Washington threaten world peace. Russia knows forewarned is forearmed to act defensively.
A Final Comment
Media scoundrel Russia bashing continues relentlessly. Jim Thomas is Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments vice president and director of studies.
It's a hard-right think tank. It specializes in US defense policy. Neocon former CIA head James Woolsey is a board member. So are likeminded ideologues.
Wall Street Journal editors gave Thomas featured op-ed space. He took full advantage headlining "How to Put Military Pressure on Russia."
He lied claiming Russia seized Crimea. He called it "a wake-up call for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization."
He said the "absence of serious thinking about (its) territorial defense mission...prov(ed) catnip for Vladimir Putin."
It bears repeating what previous articles stressed. NATO is a killing machine. Its mission is offense, not defense. Don't expect right-wing ideologues like Thomas to explain.
He urges hardball tactics. "Sanctions, skipping the G-8 summit in Sochi, hitting Russian oligarchs in their pocketbooks, isolating Russia in international forums - all these options are legitimate responses to Mr. Putin's land grab in the sovereign state of Ukraine.
Washington and complicit EU partners alone bear full responsibility for land-grabbing. Doing so created the greatest geopolitical crisis since WW II. Their recklessness threatens global war.
Toughness Thomas urges perhaps makes it more possible. He recommended more lunatic fringe ideas.
Abandon NATO's 1997 NATO-Russia so-called Three Nos, he said. They were "shorthand" for NATO declaring "no intentions, no plans, and no reason" to station nuclear forces in new member states.
Thomas urges doing it. He wants nuclear missiles on Russia's borders. He wants them targeting it heartland.
He wants what no responsible official would contemplate. He may get what he wants.
He wants Polish warplanes "capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons so they could participate in NATO's nuclear mission."
He wants nuclear weapons positioned in locations close to Russia's borders. He wants greater NATO "conventional force" regional deployments.
"The time has come for the US and other NATO allies to consider permanently stationing forces in Poland and Romania as well as the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to back up their words of strategic solidarity," he said.
He wants NATO providing Ukraine with military aid - "especially if Russia escalates the crisis in Crimea or deploys its forces into other eastern Ukrainian provinces."
He wants stepped up action to oust Syria's Assad. He wants heavy-handed US/EU reprisals against Russia overall.
He wants Moscow treated as a strategic enemy. It's time to act aggressively, he urges.
Imagine giving feature op-ed space to this type lunacy. Don't ask Journal editors to explain.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Putin on Ukraine
Putin on Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
He gave a wide-ranging interview. It's the first extensive one he's given. He did so forthrightly. He did it responsibly. He covered important ground.
Ukraine is the most serious geopolitical crisis since WW II. Kiev neo-Nazis usurped power. They reckless. They're dangerous. Putin understands well.
He knows Washington and EU partners back them. East/West tensions head toward exceeding the worst of Cold War years.
Putin met with media representatives. He suggested a format. "Let's have a conversation, rather than an interview," he said.
He spoke forthrightly. He tried addressing as many vital issues as possible. He assessed what's happening in Kiev and Ukraine overall.
There's only "one," major issue, he stressed. What happened "was an anti-constitutional takeover, an armed seizure of power."
"Does anyone question this? Nobody does." An unanswered question remains, he added. "(W)hy was this done?" He knows full well. He posed the question largely rhetorically. He threw it out for open discussion.
He stressed the February 21 agreement. Negotiations agreed on terms.
Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych, Russian Human Rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski were involved.
Ukraine's then ruling Party of Regions called on "everyone involved in the confrontation to lay down their arms."
"This deed will be your greatest contribution to Ukraine's future," it said. "We should all consolidate around the common goal of restoring peaceful life on our soil."
"We should stop this fratricidal war for the sake of peace, for the sake of justice and for the sake of Ukraine's future."
Ukraine's legitimate parliament passed a resolution near unanimously. It condemned the use of force against protesters.
It prohibited Ukrainian Security Council counterterrorism. Yanukovych expressed willingness to hold early presidential and parliamentary elections later this year.
He was amenable to constitutional change before summer. He was willing to form a national unity government in days.
His best efforts didn't matter. He was toppled straightaway. Putschists acted lawlessly. Washington and EU partners manipulated what happened. They support it.
Putin stands forthrightly opposed. "I want to understand why this was done," he said. Yanukovych capitulated. He agreed to yield power.
Putin told him "he had no chance of being reelected. Everybody agrees on this. Everyone I have been speaking to on the telephone these past few days."
"What was the purpose of all those illegal, unconstitutional actions. Why did they have to create this chaos in the country?"
"Armed and masked militants are still roaming the streets of Kiev. This is a question to which there is no answer."
"Did they wish to humiliate someone and show their power? I think these actions are absolutely foolish."
"The result is the absolute opposite of what they expected, because their actions have significantly destabilized the east and southeast of Ukraine."
Putin addressed how this happened, saying:
"(T)his revolutionary situation has been brewing for a long time, since the first days of Ukraine's independence."
"The ordinary Ukrainian citizen, the ordinary guy suffered during the rule of Nicholas II, during the reign of Kuchma, and Yushchenko, and Yanukovych."
"Nothing or almost nothing has changed for the better. Corruption has reached dimensions that are unheard of here in Russia."
"Accumulation of wealth and social stratification - problems that are also acute in this country - are much worse in Ukraine, radically worse."
"Out there, they are beyond anything we can imagine. Generally, people wanted change, but one should not support illegal change."
"Only constitutional means should be used on the post-Soviet space, where political structures are still very fragile, and economies are still weak."
"Going beyond the constitutional field would always be a cardinal mistake in such a situation."
Putin understands intense Euromaidan sentiment, he said. Ordinary Ukrainians have legitimate grievances.
They want "radical change" for the better. They reject cosmetic papering over. They have no idea what they're in for. Previous articles addressed it.
They'll learn soon enough what's coming. How they'll react remains to be seen.
Maybe more angrily than against Yanukovych. It's their best chance to to prevent things going from bad to much worse.
Why do they want real change, asked Putin? "Because they have grown used to seeing one set of thieves being replaced by another."
"Moreover, the people in the regions do not even participate in forming their own regional governments."
"There was a period in this country when the President appointed regional leaders, but then the local legislative authorities had to approve them, while in Ukraine they are appointed directly."
"We have now moved on to elections, while they are nowhere near this. And they began appointing all sorts of oligarchs and billionaires to govern the eastern regions of the country."
"No wonder the people do not accept this. No wonder they think that as a result of dishonest privatization...people have become rich and now they also have been brought to power."
Billionaire oligarch Igor Kolomoisky was appointed Dnepropretrovsk governor. He's a "unique crook," said Putin.
"He even managed to cheat our oligarch Roman Abramovich two or three years ago."
"Scammed him, as our intellectuals like to say. They signed some deal. Abramovich transferred several billion dollars, while this guy never delivered and pocketed the money."
"And now this crook is appointed Governor of Dnepropetrovsk. No wonder the people are dissatisfied."
"They were dissatisfied and will remain so if those who refer to themselves as the legitimate authorities continue in the same fashion."
"...People should have the right to determine their own future, that of their families and of their region, and to have equal participation in it."
"I would like to stress this: wherever a person lives, whatever part of the country, he or she should have the right to equal participation in determining the future of the country."
"Are the current authorities legitimate? The Parliament is partially, but all the others are not."
"The current acting president is definitely not legitimate. There is only one legitimate president, from a legal standpoint."
"Clearly, he has no power. However, as I have already said, and will repeat: Yanukovych is the only undoubtedly legitimate President."
Under Ukrainian law, he can only be removed three ways, said Putin - death, stepping down or impeachment.
Usurping power by coup d'etats demands universal condemnation. No government should recognize Kiev putschists. They have no legitimacy whatever.
Putin addressed Crimea. "(W)e have decided to organize work in the Russian regions to aid" the Autonomous Republic.
Crimean authorities asked for help. They deserve it. "We will provide it, of course," said Putin.
He's not sure "how much, when or how..." He addressed claims of deploying Russian armed forces.
They're false. None were sent. "So far, there is no need for (them), but the possibility remains" to protect Russian nationals if necessary.
Recent military exercises were unrelated to Ukraine, he said. They were "pre-planned."
They weren't disclosed "because this was a snap inspection of the forces' combat readiness. We planned this a long time ago."
Exercises ended. Putin ordered troops sent home. When would armed forces be used, he asked?
"Such a measure would certainly be the very last resort." Doing so requires a legitimate reason.
Yanukovych asked for help. He wanted "the lives, freedom and health of" Ukrainians protected.
"What is our biggest concern," asked Putin? We see the rampage of reactionary forces, nationalist and anti-Semitic forces going on in certain parts of Ukraine, including Kiev."
"I am sure you, members of the media, saw how one of the governors was chained and handcuffed to something and they poured water over him, in the cold of winter."
"After that, by the way, he was locked up in a cellar and tortured. What is all this about? Is this democracy? Is this some manifestation of democracy?"
"He was actually only recently appointed to this position, in December, I believe. Even if we accept that they are all corrupt there, he had barely had time to steal anything."
"And do you know what happened when they seized the Party of Regions building? There were no party members there at all at the time."
"Some two-three employees came out, one was an engineer, and he said to the attackers: 'Could you let us go, and let the women out, please. I’m an engineer, I have nothing to do with politics.' "
"He was shot right there in front of the crowd. Another employee was led to a cellar and then they threw Molotov cocktails at him and burned him alive."
"Is this also a manifestation of democracy? When we see this we understand what worries the citizens of Ukraine, both Russian and Ukrainian, and the Russian-speaking population in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine."
"It is this uncontrolled crime that worries them. Therefore, if we see such uncontrolled crime spreading to the eastern regions of the country, and if the people ask us for help, while we already have the official request from the legitimate President, we retain the right to use all available means to protect those people."
"We believe this would be absolutely legitimate. This is our last resort."
In Crimea so far, there's been no gunshots fired. No casualties, Putin stressed. Compare Crimea to out-of-control Kiev violence.
Compare democracy to neo-Nazi putschists seizing power. Russia hasn't interfered in Ukraine's internal affairs, Putin stressed.
"(W)e firmly believe that all citizens of Ukraine, I repeat, wherever they live, should be given the same equal right to participate in the life of their country and in determining its future."
"We are often told our actions are illegitimate," he added. No one explains how responsibly.
Contrast Russia to America's lawless aggression. Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria are Exhibits A, B, C and D.
What kind of policy demands "(y)ou're either with us or against us?" What kind of government ravages one country after another? What kind doing this calls itself a beacon of democracy?
What kind bullies nations? What kind intimidates them? What kind threatens them irresponsibly?
What kind brutalizes them into submission? What kind is responsible for mass killing, destruction and unspeakable human misery?
"Our approach is different," said Putin. Barrel-of-a-gun diplomacy is verboten.
"We proceed from the conviction that we always act legitimately. I have personally always been an advocate of acting in compliance with international law."
"I would like to stress yet again that if we do make the decision, if I do decide to use the Armed Forces, this will be a legitimate decision in full compliance with both general norms of international law, since we have the appeal of the legitimate President, and with our commitments, which in this case coincide with our interests to protect the people with whom we have close historical, cultural and economic ties."
"Protecting these people is in our national interests. This is a humanitarian mission. We do not intend to subjugate anyone or to dictate to anyone."
"However, we cannot remain indifferent if we see that they are being persecuted, destroyed and humiliated. However, I sincerely hope it never gets to that."
Putin explained above what motivates him. "(W)hat motivates our partners," he asked? "They supported an unconstitutional armed take-over, declared these people legitimate and are trying to support them."
Let them explain. Hold their feet to the fire. Supporting illegitimate governance shows contempt for rule of law principles.
Conspiring against a sitting governance to install them shows complicity. Putin has no legitimate partner in Kiev, he said. No recognition will be extended until one exists.
"As for Crimea," he said, its parliament was formed in 2010. Its members are legitimate. Prime Minister Aksyonov "is definitely legitimate."
Armed men tried occupying the Crimean Supreme Soviet building, said Putin. They "wanted to apply the Kiev scenario..."
They planned "terrorist attacks (to) cause chaos." Local residents formed "self-defense committees and took over all the armed forces."
They did it without firing a single shot. Kiev putschists were trained "at special bases in neighboring states," said Putin.
"(I)n Lithuania, Poland and in Ukraine itself, too," he added. They operated like special forces. They had "Western instructors."
Asked how he sees Crimea's future, he said:
"(I) believe that only residents of a given country who have the freedom of will and are in complete safety can and should determine their future."
"If this right was granted to the Albanians in Kosovo, if this was made possible in many different parts of the world, then nobody has ruled out the right of nations to self-determination, which, as far as I know, is fixed by several UN documents."
"However, we will in no way provoke any such decision and will not breed such sentiments."
"I would like to stress that I believe only the people living in a given territory have the right to determine their own future."
"(W) do not plan, and we will not fight with the Ukrainian people."
If Russian forces are used, "it will only be to protect Ukrainian citizens."
Normalized relations with Kiev won't happen until legitimate governance is in power.
Ukrainians alone should decide who'll lead them democratically. So far they have no say. Putin remains concerned for good reason.
Neo-Nazis have control. "(W)e see them today, people wearing armbands with something resembling swastikas, still roaming around Kiev at this moment..."
These type people in power pose "serious consequences for" Ukraine, Putin stressed.
He covered much more ground. He patiently addressed questions raised. He summed up his position saying:
"(I)f the people who call themselves the government now hope to be considered a civilized government, they must ensure the safety of all their citizens, no matter in which part of the country, and we of course will follow this situation closely."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
US Private Military Contractors in Ukraine?
US Private Military Contractors in Ukraine?
by Stephen Lendman
Reports suggest their presence in Eastern Ukraine. Perhaps Washington deployed Academi (formerly Xe Services/Blackwater USA) forces.
Jeremy Scahill's book titled "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" described the organization.
He called it a "shadowy mercenary company (employing) some of the most feared professional killers in the world accustomed to operating without worry of legal consequences (and) largely off the congressional radar."
It has "remarkable power and protection (within) the US war apparatus." It's well funded. It operates extrajudicially.
It's unaccountable. It's licensed to kill, terrorize, destroy and destabilize. It takes full advantage wherever its forces are deployed.
Other private military contractors operate the same way. They're mercenaries. They're well-paid. They're well-trained. They're guns for hire. More on them below.
Washington bears full responsibility for ousting Ukraine's democratically elected government. EU partners share it.
Neo-Nazi putschists were installed. They have no legitimacy whatever. So-called May 25 elections are scheduled. They'll be sham ones when held.
The battle for Ukraine's soul continues. Expect hard times to get much harder. More on this below.
Most Crimeans reject Kiev putschists. They do so for good reason. On March 16, they'll choose their future. Popular sentiment suggests they'll join Russia.
Maybe by mid-April. According to Crimea's Supreme Council Speaker Vladmir Konstantinov:
"The transition from one jurisdiction to the other is a complicated process, but I think in the case of a favorable outcome of the referendum, the Crimeans will be able to feel as citizens of another country within a month."
They'll benefit in ways Ukraine denies them. Grigory Ioffe is Crimea's parliament first deputy chair. He called the March 16 referendum "historic."
It'll be "very democratic and open," he said. It'll fully comply with Ukraine's constitution and international law. Independent observers and foreign media are welcome.
Over 2.2 million ballots will be printed. About 1,250 voting stations will be ready. Russians comprise about 60% of Crimea's population, Ukrainians around 25% and Tatars 12%.
Sevastopol hosts most of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. It holds special status. It's not officially part of Crimea.
Its residents will vote in the March 16 referendum. They'll decide if they want to become part of Russia.
On March 8, Itar Tass headlined "Sevastopol to join Russia after referendum - city administration head" Dmitry Belik.
"We will hold one referendum with the rest of Crimea," he said. Constitutional changes will be made separately, he added.
Two referendum questions will be asked:
(1) "Do you support reunification of Sevastopol with Russia as its constituent member?"
(2) "Do you support the restoration of the Constitution of 1992 and Sevastopol's to Ukraine?"
On March 8, Belik addressed an International Women's Day rally.
"The salaries of public sector employees, medical and social workers will be preserved at their current level as a minimum or maybe even increased," he said.
"We are now working in close contact with Russian officials over a new social system for the city."
He thanked Putin and Russia's parliament for their support.
On March 8, Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov swore in the first group of self-defense forces. He called doing so a "historic event."
On March 16, they'll be deployed to assure things go peacefully. "The Armed Forces of the Republic of Crimea have been created for defense, not for offense," Aksyonov stressed.
They want all Crimeans protected. Many eastern Ukrainians reject Kiev putschists. Mass rallies were held in Donetsk and Lugansk.
Residents want their own referendum. They want the right to declare independence or join Russia.
Donetsk residents oppose Kiev appointing billionaire oligarch Sergey Taruta governor. They appointed their own "people's governor," Pavel Gubarev. He supports unification with Russia.
On March 6, he was arrested. On Saturday, hundreds of city residents rallied for his release. Tensions remain high.
Last week, Donetsk's administration headquarters changed hands several times. Videos began circulating. They're disturbing.
They showed several hundred unidentified well-armed men in military-style uniforms without insignia.
Russia's Rossiya 1 television believes they're Washington-enlisted Academi mercenaries.
Similar reports are circulating. London's Daily Mail headlined "Has Blackwater been deployed to Ukraine? Notorious US mercenaries 'seen on the streets of flashpoint city' as Russia claims 300 hired guns have arrived in the country."
Videos circulated. Donetsk residents were heard shouting "Blackwater! Blackwater!" Armed mercenaries were visible.
Interfax cited a Russian diplomat in Kiev, saying:
"These are soldiers of fortune proficient in combat operations. Most of them had operated under private contracts in Iraq, Afghanistan and other states. Most (came) from the United States."
Days earlier, Russian media said 300 "strong" men arrived at Kiev's Boryspil airport. They carried military-style bags.
On March 4, Voltairenet headlined "US mercenaries deployed in Southern Ukraine."
Russian political scientist Alexander Dugin was cited. He said Academi Greystone Limited mercenaries were sent to Ukraine.
They arrived "in groups." They wore civilian attire. They carried "bulky packs." From Kiev, "apparently" they went to "Odessa." It's in southern Ukraine.
On March 2, Before Its News.com (BIT) headlined 300 Blackwater Mercs Land in Ukraine?"
"According to our Ukrainian friends…charter flights began arriving...(S)trong young men in ordinary civilian clothes" disembarked.
BIT called them Greystone Limited mercenaries. "The only question is...who pays" them? "Who do you think?"
"Certainly not" Kiev putschists. Washington's dirty hands are involved.
Kiev-controlled Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) forces joined them. They conducted hit-and-run operations.
They arrested Gubarev. City authorities lawlessly charged him with attempting to seize power. Other activists were arrested.
Late Saturday, Donetsk residents attempted to storm local SSU headquarters. They demanded Gubarev's release.
They toppled a truck carrying arrested activists. Donetsk security forces arrived. Resident shouted "Do you remember those you're protecting? Those who mistreated you in Kiev?"
Lugansk is another hotbed of pro-Russian sentiment. Thousands rallied. They waved Russian flags. They chanted "Russia! Ukraine! Belarus! Together!"
They chose their own people's governor, Aleksandr Kharitonov. They confronted pro-Kiev elements earlier. They don't trust city police. They have their own self-defense forces.
Kharkov is Ukraine's second largest city. It's in eastern Ukraine. So are Donetsk and Lugansk. They're near Russia's border.
Kharkov residents held their own anti-Kiev rallies. Lots more in eastern Ukraine are likely. It bears repeating. The battle for Ukraine's soul continues.
Washington employs thousands private military contractors (PMCs). They're mercenaries. They're hired guns.
Peter Dale Scott once said they're "authorized to commit violence in the the name of their employers." They're "predatory bandits."
They're "uncontrollable subordinates…representing...public power (in) remote places."
They operate extrajudicially. They're unrestricted by US, international, or local governments' laws. They're free from civil or criminal accountability.
Under Article 47 of the 1977 Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions:
"A mercenary is any person who:
(a) is specially recruited locally or abroad in order to fight in an armed conflict;
(b) does, in fact, take a direct part in the hostilities:
(c) is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a Party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar ranks and functions in the armed forces of the Party;
(d) is neither a national of a Party to the conflict nor a resident of territory controlled by a Party to the conflict;
(e) is not a member of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict; and
(f) has not been sent by a State which is not a Party to the conflict on official duty as a member of its armed forces."
Washington substitutes them for Pentagon forces. At multiples more in cost. Using them gives US authorities cover for whatever crimes they commit. Doing so avoids accountability.
They're an integral part of America's imperial agenda. Apparently they're operating in Ukraine. Perhaps hundreds will increase to thousands.
Maybe in other Ukrainian cities. Maybe covertly in Crimea. If not now, maybe later. Expect East/West tensions to escalate. Expect the risk for open conflict to increase.
A Final Comment
US-backed putschists usurping power in Kiev was phase one. Next comes forced-fed austerity. IMF and other Western loans demand it.
Neo-Nazis in charge presented what they have in mind. Looting Ukraine began. Pensioner income was halved. It went from $160 to $80 dollars monthly.
Expect other social benefits slashed. Expect it across-the-board. Ordinary people will be hardest hit. Kommersant-Ukraine (K-U) obtained an internal document.
"The Finance Ministry has prepared a plan for optimizing budget expenditures, which implies budget sequestration is to be in force before the end of March," said K-U.
"For this purpose, in particular, it has been proposed to reduce capital costs, eliminate tax schemes and preferences and to cut social benefits, for example, 50 percent of pensions to working pensioners."
Putschists intend depriving ordinary Ukrainians to pay bankers. They're doing it straightaway.
Expect much greater pain and suffering. Expect mass layoffs. Expect deepening poverty. Expect predatory Western corporations taking full advantage.
Expect higher energy and food prices. In February, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported the highest increase in a basket of food commodities since mid-2012. A statement said:
"The figures were released amid news reports of spikes in wheat and corn prices in response to recent developments in Ukraine, though the February increase in the Index cannot be entirely attributed to those events."
Ordinary anti-Yanukovych Ukrainians may yearn for his return. They supported criminal elements. They did it unwittingly. How they'll react going forward remains to be seen.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Heightened US/Russian Tensions
Heightened US/Russian Tensions
by Stephen Lendman
US-style diplomacy features bullying, bluster and coercion. Cowing other nations to comply with its diktats is longstanding Washington policy. Outliers face stiff reprisals.
Post-9/11, former Bush Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage notorious warned Pakistan, saying: "You will either accept our carpet of gold or we will carpet-bomb you back to the Stone Age."
John Perkins was an "economic hit man." His job was plundering countries for profit. It's controlling their resources.
It's impoverishing them. It's bankrupting them. It's entrapping them in debt bondage. It's exploiting their people.
Nations refusing face major reprisals. Washington stops at nothing to achieve goals. Tactics include bullying, intimidation, punishing sanctions, assassinations, coups and lawless aggression.
Washington rules apply. It's a game as old as empire. Go along or else. Nothing too outlandish is out of bounds.
Rule of law principles are ignored. Human lives and welfare aren't important. Advancing America's imperium matters most.
Hegemons operate this way. Washington is totally out-of-control.
Neocons make policy. How many regime changes are too many?
When does overreach risk global war? Perhaps bullying Russia too much risks it.
The damn fool in the White House lost his senses. So did his damn fool Secretary of State. On March 8, The New York Times headlined "Kerry Warns Russia Against Annexation of Crimea."
According to an unnamed State Department official, doing so would "close any available space for diplomacy."
He warned against "continued military escalation and provocation in Crimea or elsewhere in Ukraine..." He "urged utmost restraint."
He responded to Russia's upper house Federation Council and lower house State Duma saying they support Crimean parliamentarians wanting to join Russia.
It's their choice. It's entirely legal. On February 17, 2008, Kosovo declared independence. A World Court July 2010 advisory opinion affirmed its right to do so," saying:
Its "declaration of independence of the 17 February 2008 did not violate general international law because (it) contains no 'prohibition on declarations of independence.' "
On September 18, 2014, Scottish citizens vote up or down on independence. It's their choice.
Crimeans can opt out of Ukraine the same way. They can declare independence or join Russia. It's their legal right. Claims otherwise are false.
Moscow has every right to welcome them. Odds favor it happening. US threats won't stop it.
Kerry is a world class bully. His counterpart Sergei Lavrov is a consummate diplomat. On Saturday, he said:
"We are ready to continue the dialogue on the understanding that the dialogue must be honest, partnership-like, without attempts to show us almost as a party to the conflict."
Moscow rejects Kiev putschist governance. It does so responsibly. It has no legitimacy whatever. Power-grabbers lack it entirely.
"The so-called interim government is not independent," said Lavrov. "To our huge regret, it is dependent on the radical nationalists who (lawlessly) seized power in an armed attack."
"It seems to me our Western partners are well aware of what they are because they visit there regularly, and share very alarming impressions in private candid conversations, but for the reasons of seemingly political expediency are trying to hush up these facts."
"Effectively, there is no state control whatsoever over public order, and the music is ordered by the so-called Right Sector which operates with the methods of terror and intimidation."
"Already, threats are sounded not only against officials in Kiev and other Ukrainian regions, but against heads of the Russian regions neighboring with Ukraine as well."
Lavrov wants Kiev sniper shootings independently investigated. Russia's State Duma intends to do so.
What happened "can no longer be swept under the rug," said Lavrov. Ousted President Viktor Yanukovych had nothing to do with them.
He was wrongfully accused. Evidence showed putschists were responsible. They murdered scores of civilians and police. They did so in cold blood.
They shot them from roof tops. He fired from windows of nearby buildings. Washington's dirty hands were involved. Nothing too underhanded is too dirty to topple sitting governments it opposes.
Rogue states operate this way. None match US ruthlessness.
In talks with John Kerry, Lavrov "warned against hasty and reckless steps capable of causing harm to Russian-American relations, particularly...sanctions which would inevitably hit the United States like a boomerang."
He urged common sense. It's not a US attribute. Lavrov knows what he's up against. Dealing with an out-of-control hegemon isn't easy.
Restraint is entirely lacking. Barrel-of-a-gun diplomacy is featured. One country after another is ravaged. Millions of corpses attests to US depravity.
Lavrov shows remarkable resilience. The patience of Job describes him. His bests efforts may fall short.
His Foreign Ministry issued a blistering statement, saying:
"A number of the member states and executive bodies of the OSCE have behaved in the worst traditions of double standards with respect to the situation in Ukraine."
"Despite their mandate, they said nothing about the rise of nationalist and neo-Nazi sentiments, and, of course, 'did not notice' the forceful activities of extremist forces."
"Ill-disguised attempts to turn a blind eye to crimes committed in Kiev and Western Ukraine are accompanied by a desire to strictly track the activities of the legitimate Crimean authorities aimed at independent determination of their future, and all this is being done in contravention of the OSCE’s basic principle of consensus, without taking into account the opinions and recommendations of the Russian side, without waiting for official invitations from the authorities of Crimea."
"Russia will not accept the language of sanctions and threats, but in the event of their implementation...they will not be left without a response."
Instead of resolving things responsibly, Washington and complicit EU states escalate them dangerously.
Media scoundrels hype Big Lies. Scurrilous reporting and commentaries proliferate.
The Los Angeles Times relied on illegitimate Kiev defense spokesman Alexei Mazepa. He lied claiming hundreds of Russian marines invaded Crimea.
"Russia is expanding its military presence on the peninsula," he said. "There are thousands of Russian troops now in Crimea in addition to the official contingent of the Black Sea fleet," he claimed
"There is no other word to describe the process but as an all-out invasion."
No responsible editor would publish this trash. Don't expect LA Times editors to explain.
AP was no better, headlining "Russia Reinforces Military Presence in Crimea," saying:
"Dozens of military trucks transporting heavily armed soldiers rumbled over Crimea's rutted roads Saturday as Russia reinforced its armed presence on the disputed peninsula in the Black Sea."
Crimean-based Kiev source Vladislav Seleznyov claimed Russian amphibious ships unloaded around 200 military vehicles on Friday.
"Neither the equipment nor the 'paratroopers' have insignia that identify them as Russian, but we have no doubt as to their allegiance," he said.
AP outrageously accused Russia of "seiz(ing) control of Crimea." So did most other media scoundrels. Their reports and commentaries say so.
Haaretz hyped the Big Lie. On March 9, it headlined "Russian forces tighten grip on Crimea despite US warning."
It cited Kiev spokesman Oleh Slobodyan claiming Russian forces took over a western Crimea border post. It controls 10 others across the Autonomous Republic, it said.
Fox News lied claiming "Russian troops hold Ukrainian border guards hostage."
No evidence whatever suggests Russian forces operating on Crimean territory except those related to its Black Sea Fleet.
Don't expect media scoundrels to explain. Big Lies proliferate like crab grass.
Putin said Russia has no intention of annexing Crimea unilaterally. At the same time, its residents are entitled to decide their status on their own, he maintained.
On Sunday, March 9, alone, scurrilous reports continued. The New York Times headlined "Suspicion Falls on Russia as 'Snake' Cyberattacks Target Ukraine's Government."
A second one headlined "Kerry Warns Russia Against Annexation of Crimea."
Days earlier, Times imperial apologist Roger Cohen headlined "Ukraine Fights for Its Truth."
The Washington Post headlined "Russian forces tighten grip on Crimea, surrounding border guard stations."
WaPo editors featured Bush Secretary of State/unindicted war criminal Condoleezza Rice headlining "The US must lead again."
The Wall Street Journal features one or more daily scurrilous reports and/or commentaries. A Saturday one headlined "Why Putin Fears Ukraine: It's an Alternative Russia."
The Chicago Tribune headlined "Putin, West butt heads over Crimean secession."
An accompanying editorial headlined "Be firm, be patient on Ukraine."
A days earlier commentary hyped "The Invasion of Ukraine."
A Los Angeles Times editorial headlined "Putin plays with fire in Ukraine."
Numerous other reports, commentaries and editorials proliferate Big Lies. They do it daily.
Lawless neo-Nazi Kiev putschists are considered Ukraine's legitimate government. Yanukovych was maliciously accused of mass murder they committed.
Clear evidence showing otherwise is suppressed. US imperial lawlessness gets no attention. Russia/Putin bashing exceeds the worst of Cold War geopolitics.
Big Lies drown out truth. Readers and viewers are systematically deceived. Headlining screaming misinformation substitutes for legitimate journalism.
It's available only in alternative spaces. It's a commodity perhaps more than ever needed. It bears repeating what other articles stressed.
Today is the most perilous time in world history. Peace may hang by a thread. Some savvy observers think war is inevitable.
Potential East/West confrontation looms. Humanity's fate hangs in the balance. What's more important than peace?
Mindless US policy risks global war. There's no turning back if it erupts. Perhaps they'll be no way of avoiding the worst of all outcomes. Imagine risking that possible outcome.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Big Lies Drown Out Truth
Big Lies Drown Out Truth
by Stephen Lendman
Propaganda war on Russia rages. It exceeds the worst of Cold War bluster.
Scurrilous reporting is featured. Media scoundrels scream Russian aggression. Putin is outrageously compared to Hitler.
Hypocrisy is shameless. It's shocking. It's disgusting. Western-supported neo-Nazi putschists usurped power in Kiev.
It was the most brazen post-WW II coup. Legitimate Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was blamed for their crimes. They continue. They're ignored.
Headlines call them democrats. Incendiary conditions exist. Open conflict is threatened.
Right Sector leader Dmitry Yarosh is unapologetically fascist. "I'll be fighting Jews and Russians til I die," he said.
He has presidential aspirations. He'll run to head Ukraine in so-called May elections. They'll be farcical when held. They'll be illegitimate.
Russia issued an international arrest warrant for Yarosh. He publicly supports terrorism. According to Russia's Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin:
"The investigators believe (he) has been publicly calling upon anti-Russian forces for extreme actions and terror on the territory of Russia."
Doku Umarov is Russia's most wanted terrorist. Yarosh urged him to "activate his fight (and) take a unique opportunity to win" against Russia.
He issued an ultimatum. He demands access to Ukraine's military arsenals. Itar Tass said he "doesn't rule out more decisive action on Ukraine if the government doesn't comply with (his) demands."
He and likeminded fascists run Ukraine. Washington supports them. So do EU partners. Media scoundrels ignore their lawlessness. Ukraine's crisis escalates.
Dubious reports circulate. On March 7, Time magazine headlined "Ukrainian Base in Crimea Resists Russian Raid."
It claimed Russian troops attempt to seize the base failed. It cited an anonymous Kiev coup d'etat defense ministry spokesman saying:
"The base is now in full control of the Ukrainian armed forces."
He claimed two Russian military trucks rammed the base's gate. Several dozen Russian troops were allegedly involved, he said.
"Russian forces...surround(ed) all of the Ukrainian bases in Crimea and barricade(d) their servicemen inside," said Time.
"By slamming through the gates with a military vehicle, the Russian forces initiated an escalation of the ongoing conflict over Crimea between Russia and Ukraine that could easily have led to bloodshed and a full-scale war."
"It not was immediately clear why the Russians withdrew," Time added. Its report was polar opposite truth.
Haaretz hyped the story. It headlined "Russian soldiers storm Ukrainian military base in Crimea."
They "demanded the Ukrainian soldiers surrender."
Russia flatly denies its troops are active in Crimea. Claims otherwise are false. Haaretz said Moscow doubled its forces to 30,000.
No verifiable proof suggests it. Big Lies substitute for truth. They proliferate daily.
AP covered the so-called storming incident. No shots were fired. No injuries were reported.
Allegedly Crimean self-defense forces were involved. Russian troops had nothing to do with what supposedly happened.
Don't expect media scoundrels to explain. Vicious propaganda continues daily. Russian voices are largely drowned out.
On March 6, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow won't "remain indifferent" in Crimea. It's "the country on which the Russian world rests upon" for help.
Support for Putin grows, he added. He called it "unique." He's on the right side of resolving the Crimean crisis. He wants it achieved diplomatically.
Russia's only Crimean-based forces relate to its Black Sea Fleet. Russian/Ukrainian 1997 Friendship Treaty terms authorize numbers up to 25,000.
About 16,000 are present. They're deployed legitimately. Claims otherwise are false. Neocon Washington Post editors pillory Russia.
On March 7, they headlined "The West must resist Mr. Putin's gambits in Ukraine."
They lied claiming Russia invaded. Putin "floated another radical measure: Russian annexation of Crimea," they bellowed.
They lied again claiming Moscow controls Crimea's parliament. They ignored overwhelming public sentiment.
Crimeans reject Kiev fascists. On March 16, they'll vote up or down on whether to secede, declare independence, or join the Russian Federation.
They're legally entitled to do it. A previous article explained. Claims otherwise are false. WaPo editors support Kiev fascist putschists. Russia bashing is relentless.
Out-of-control propaganda substitutes for legitimate reporting and opinion. It's vicious. It's relentless. WaPo readers are carpet-bombed with lies, damn lies, misinformation.
"No country has invaded and then annexed part of a neighbor since Saddam Hussein’s Iraq sought to swallow Kuwait in 1990," said WaPo editors.
"No such land grab has happened in Europe since the 1930s. A Russian annexation of Crimea would be an extraordinary violation of international treaties and the UN Charter."
"If tolerated by the world, it would open the way for aggression by many other powers with claims on their neighbors, including China."
Responsible editors would denounce this rubbish. Likeminded publishers wouldn't touch it.
WaPo features it. Russian bashing continues. It's ongoing daily. It's way over-the-top and then some.
WaPo long ago was was a respected broadsheet. Its publisher and editors fell from grace. Watergate-type exposes are strictly verboten.
Conflicts of interest are rife. WaPo editors changed from Nixon's nemesis to imperial America's cheerleader.
Doing so lost them all credibility. Their reporting almost makes yellow journalism look good by comparison.
Wall Street Journal editors match them blow-for-blow. Murdoch publications march in lockstep.
They feature demagogic, warmongering propaganda. Managed news misinformation substitutes for legitimate reporting and opinion. Daily editions are polar opposite what readers deserve.
On March 6, Journal editors headlined "Putin Escalates." He invaded Crimea, they claim. "He escalated the crisis," they said.
"The Kremlin's latest provocation took the form of a vote - unanimous, of course - by the Crimean parliament to join Russia, along with the promise of a referendum on March 16 to validate the move."
"The new parliament also wants to seize Ukrainian state assets on the peninsula."
According to JournalThink, Crimea's legitimate government seized power by force.
At the same time, they cheerlead Kiev fascist putschists. They call them democrats. Their analysis is polar opposite truth.
They lied claiming "Russian troops have seized the Crimean port of Kerch." More lies followed. Armed men threatened a UN envoy, they claimed.
Russian soldiers "surrounded...Ukrainian military facilities," they said. They "demand(ed) their defection," they added.
Russian soldiers operate on their bases. They're uninvolved in events outside them.
Putin reserves the right to use them to protect Russian nationals if needed. He hasn't done it so far.
Claims of Russia's military involvement on Crimean streets are bald-faced lies. Journal editors feature them.
Obama's most egregious crimes are ignored. Fingers point the wrong way. It's standard scoundrel media practice.
"What price will the US and its European allies impose on Mr. Putin's revanchism," asked Journal editors?
"So far, not much," they said. They urge much stiffer action. They wrongfully accused Putin of "aggression."
He "will not stop" with Crimea, they claimed. "(A) West that allows itself to be treated with contempt by one aggressive regime will be treated with contempt by others," they added.
Journal editors and likeminded ones feature this type rubbish daily. Why readers believe it, they'll have to explain.
It doesn't pass the smell test and then some. It's standard scoundrel media disinformation.
The Weekly Standard is a right-wing rag. It's called "the neocon bible" for good reason. It's way over-the-top.
In 1997, its editor, William Kristol, co-founded the Project for the New American Century (PNAC). The Foreign Policy Initiative is its current incarnation. It supports war. It deplores peace.
Its March 17 edition featured Eric Edelman. From 2005 - 2009, he was Bush undersecretary of defense for policy.
He headlined "Confronting Putin's Invasion." He called his agenda "mendacious." He lied saying so.
He called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a "poster child" of "duplicity."
Obama's "failed efforts at reset are now obvious for all the most deluded to see," he added.
He lied accusing Russia of invading Ukraine. "(I)f Putin can pull off a smash and grab operation against Crimea without being made to pay a serious and significant price, other will draw their own conclusions," he claimed.
A litany of other lies followed. Likeminded ideologues and naive readers alone buy it. "What is to be done," he asked?
He barely stopped short of urging war. He wants "a more targeted NATO military assistance program."
He wants a "strengthen(ed) NATO deterrent posture…" He wants "ground combat forces (in) former Warsaw Pact states..."
He wants "NATO military power closer to (Russia's) borders..." He wants increased defense spending. America already outspends the rest of the world combined.
His commentary sounds like he supports prepping for WW III. Lunatics like him infest Washington. They influence administration policy.
All bets are off it their advice is followed. Crisis could escalate to open conflict. Global war could follow.
Imagine what no responsible leader would risk. Imagine no one in Washington of that caliber. Imagine the worst possible outcomes. Imagine what should scare hell out of everyone.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israel Denies 45,000 Palestinians Water
Israel Denies 45,000 Palestinians Water
by Stephen Lendman
The Middle East Monitor (MEM) reported it. More on what it said below.
Fascists run Israel. Democracy is verboten. Peace is a convenient illusion. Ongoing talks are a sham. Chance for peaceful conflict resolution is ZERO.
Militarism defines Israeli policy. Belligerence enforces it. So does state-sponsored terrorism.
Human and civil rights abuses are extreme. Arabs are a target of convenience. They're considered subhuman.
They're ruthlessly persecuted. Institutionalized racism shows it. Occupied Palestinians bear the greatest cross.
They're terrorized. They're marginalized, denied, persecuted and brutalized. Multiple daily neighborhood incursions target them.
Illegal arrests follow. World leaders able to make a difference turn a blind eye. Israeli lawlessness is ignored. Media scoundrels are longstanding apologists.
They're mindless of Israel's worst crimes. An entire population is held hostage. Every day is Kristallnacht in Palestine.
Israeli forces terrorize Palestinians daily. They do with impunity. Anything goes is policy. Gross hypocrisy whitewashes truth.
Collective punishment is institutionalized. Peaceful demonstrations are assaulted. Free expression and movement are prohibited. Population centers are isolated. Borders are closed.
Normal daily life is denied. Economic strangulation and state-sponsored racism are imposed. So are curfews, roadblocks, checkpoints, separation walls, electric fences, and other barriers.
Neighborhood incursions, land, sea and air attacks, bulldozed homes, land theft, ethnic cleansing, slow-motion genocide, targeted killings, mass arrests, torture, and gulag imprisonment reflect daily life.
Fundamental civil and human rights are denied. Crimes of war and against humanity repeat without redress. Wanting to live free in sovereign Palestine is called terrorism.
Punitive taxes are imposed. Few services are provided. Vital ones are lacking or inadequate. Palestinian lawmakers are imprisoned for belonging to the wrong party.
Fishermen are attacked at sea. So are farmers working their land. Trying at the wrong time risks arrest, injury or death.
Children are used for target practice. They're murdered in cold blood. Some are shot in the back. Most are killed or injured at close range.
Crops and orchards are destroyed. Settlers commit regular attacks. Courts provide no help.
Gaza's seven year siege is suffocating. It's slow-motion genocide. Coverup suppresses what's ongoing. Reality is polar opposite vicious lies.
Netanyahu heads Israel's most extremist government in history. He's a world class thug. He's an unindicted war criminal. His coalition partners are militantly hardline.
They're racists. They're ideologically over-the-top. They abhor peace, stability, equity and justice.
They prioritize occupation harshness. They ruthlessly enforce it. Washington provides full support.
On March 3, John Kerry addressed AIPAC's annual conference. He ludicrously called America and Israel "examples" of "democratic values…to the world."
Both countries partner in each others crimes. Their agenda is imperial lawlessness. Their contempt for human and civil rights is unmatched. They threaten world peace.
"Israel's security is our first priority," Kerry stressed. Washington will counter all boycott attempts, he added.
His so-called peace plan mocks responsible conflict resolution equity. It's entirely one-sided. He lied claiming otherwise.
He's a longstanding Israeli apologist. His Senate pro-Israeli voting record was second to none.
He supports unwavering commitment to a special relationship. He turns a blind eye to Israel's worst crimes.
He once called Jerusalem "Israel's indisputable capital." In 1999, he signed a letter criticizing Clinton for not moving America's embassy there.
He's vying to become Washington's worst ever Secretary of State. His agenda matches the worst of his predecessors.
He's mindless of human suffering. He represents imperial arrogance writ large. He supports war. He deplores peace.
He flaunts rule of law principles. He's an embarrassment to the position he holds. Netanyahu's agenda is openly fascist.
Kerry calls him his good friend. He praised his "courage" and "commitment" for peace he deplores.
Both men represent two sides of the same coin. Rogue leader viciousness describes them.
On March 6, the Middle East Monitor (MEM) headlined "Israel cuts off water to 45,000 Palestinians."
For nearly three days, Shuafat refugee camp residents had no water. Nor did suburban Jerusalem's Ras Shehadeh, Ras Khamis, As-Salam and Anata.
Two weeks ago, Israeli water company Gihon began reducing supplies. Stopping them entirely followed.
On March 5, Shuafat's popular committee member Khaled Al-Khalidi said 23,000 camp refugees had no water for three days.
The above suburban Jerusalem Palestinian areas had none for 20 days.
Al-Khalidi demanded "UNRWA, the camp's service provider, fulfill its obligations towards the refugees and prosecute the Jerusalem municipality and Gihon to oblige them to return the water supply."
"UNRWA and Jordan signed an agreement in 1956 to provide water service to the Palestinian refugees without charge, and in 1967 the Israeli Civil administration joined the Convention," he explained.
"However in 1988, when Israel tried to cut off the water supply to the camp residents, the refugees prosecuted the company and forced it to return the water supply."
Jameel Sandouqa heads the Ras Al-Khamis development committee. He denounced Gihon's action. Educational and health institutions are paralyzed, he said.
"We addressed the Association for Civil Rights and filed a complaint against Gihon. We also contacted Gihon's Deputy Director General Eli Cohen, but he denied any cut off in the water supply," he added.
He contacted Knesset minister Effie Cole. He asked her to hold an urgent meeting.
He wants Knesset members to demand Gihon restore water to deprived areas immediately.
It "cut off water to the region to force us to receive services from the Jerusalem municipality and impose a new (unacceptable) reality in the region," he said.
One more thing, he added. The IDF closed Shuafat military crossing. It's been this way for three days.
Residents are greatly inconvenienced. They're endangered. They have to circumvent the area to get around.
On February 17, 972 Magazine headlined "Jerusalem's refugee camp: Abandoned by the state," saying:
"Although the Shuafat refugee camp is under the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Municipality, one look at the lack of basic infrastructure, the sewage running in the streets, and the unsafe conditions reveal that it is part of a different world."
It's one of countless examples of Israeli disdain for fundamental Palestinian rights.
Shuafat refugee camp is "hundreds of light years away from" Israeli Jerusalem areas.
Its landscape is polar opposite. It was established in the mid-1960s. Originally it had 1,500 refugees.
It currently has tens of thousands. Reports differ on how many. They're crammed into far too little space. Living conditions are deplorable.
Access roads are closed. Residents are practically imprisoned. Piles of waste and garbage are everywhere.
Foul sewage smell is horrific. Basic services are lacking. Residents live under conditions free people wouldn't tolerate.
They're deplorable. Imagine forced to live this way. Imagine no other choice. Israel's contempt for Palestinians is palpable. Cutting off camp water reflects its viciousness.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israel Hypes Nonexistent Iranian Threat
Israel Hypes Nonexistent Iranian Threat
by Stephen Lendman
On Thursday, Israeli Lt. Col. Peter Lerner lied. He claimed Israeli naval forces intercepted an Iranian arms vessel.
It was heading for Gaza via Sudan, he said. It carried medium-range missiles, he added. So-called Klos-C surface-to-surface M302 rockets were named.
The alleged incident happened in the Red Sea 1,500 kilometers from Israel's coastline, he claimed.
"We have conclusive evidence that there were rockets on board the ship, and we have proof and can say with certainty that Iran is behind this operation," he said.
He continued claiming rockets originated from Syria. They were placed on planes at Damascus airport. They were shipped to Iran.
They were loaded aboard its cargo ship. It set sail days ago for Sudan. It diverted north to Iraq. Rockets were covered with cement bags to disguise them. The vessel continued en route to Sudan.
Who knows what happened, if anything. Nothing links Iran or Syria with shipping rockets to Gaza. Israel has no evidence whatever proving it. Claiming otherwise doesn't wash.
The report's timing raised obvious suspicions. Netanyahu was in Washington. He met with Obama. He hyperventilated. He lied.
He said Iran is developing nuclear weapons. He repeats the Bog Lie often. He knows its nuclear program has no military component. He pretends otherwise. Iran bashing is longstanding Israeli policy.
He was silent about Israel's formidable arsenal. He claimed Iran threatens to bring Israel "to the brink of destruction."
He'll "do whatever (he) must to defend the Jewish state," he said. Its only enemies are ones it invents.
He addressed AIPAC's annual conference. His comments sparked a furious Palestinian response.
"It's time for Palestinians to stop denying history," he said. "Just as Israel is prepared to recognize a Palestinian state, the Palestinians must be willing to recognize a Jewish one."
He told Abbas to recognize a Jewish state and "abandon the fantasy of flooding Israel with refugees."
Palestinian official Nabil Shaath called his demand "an official announcement of a unilateral end to negotiations."
PLO senior member Hanan Ashrawi said it's "like telling Palestinians they did not exist all these hundreds of thousands of years, that this historically has been (an exclusive) Jewish land."
Following the AIPAC conference, Netanyahu told reporters:
Discovering so-called weapons revealed "the true face of Iran. (It's) been exposed for what it is."
"It smiles in Geneva talks about its own nuclear ambitions, gives soothing words, and as they are doing that, they're shipping these deadly weapons to the world's worst terrorists."
It's hard matching his bluster. His hyperventilating wore thin long ago. Even current and former Israeli officials don't trust him.
He's way over-the-top. He's his own worst enemy. His bullying/bluster offends. He repeats one Big Lie after another. It's habitual.
He considers Arabs subhuman. He obsesses over Iran. He heads Israel's rogue state government. He's a regional existential threat.
On Thursday, he was in Los Angeles. He spoke at the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance. His bluster continued.
He outrageously compared Iran's leaders to Hitler. He nonsensically claimed he called for Israel's destruction before it existed.
He lied claiming Iran calls for the same thing. "We shall not allow Iran to arm itself with the capability to destroy us," he said.
"We cannot be tolerant to the intolerant. We cannot be tolerant to the fanatics."
They infest Israel. They threaten regional peace and security. Netanyahu didn't explain.
"These people are out to destroy a section of people called the Jewish people," he bellowed. "We will not let them. We shall expose them and we will fight them."
"And I'll tell you another thing. We shall beat them."
Netanyahu met separately with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz and Mossad head Tamir Pardo.
He's going all-out to subvert P5+1 talks. He hyped a nonexistent Iranian threat, saying:
"At a time when Iran is talking with world powers, is smiling and uttering pleasantries, it is also sending deadly weapons to terrorist organization - via an elaborate network of secret operations around that world that aim to funnel rockets, missiles and other deadly weapons to be used to harm innocent civilians."
"This is the real Iran, and this country must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons."
"We will continue to do everything we must to protect the citizens of Israel."
Washington and Israel jointly concocted the alleged Iranian rockets seizure story. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki claimed US military forces were ready to intervene.
They let Israel "take the lead." It bears repeating. Who knows what happened. Believing Israel and Washington requires a giant leap of faith.
International law prohibits interdicting vessels in open waters. Doing so constitutes maritme piracy.
Under Article 101 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it includes "any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation...against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State (and) any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating (such) an act."
Usually it refers to robbery or criminal violence committed by private parties. It applies to states committing lawless acts.
UNCLOS permits interdiction at sea to prevent illegal arms and drug smuggling, the slave trade, or terrorist activities.
Verifiable proof is required. Israel has none. Inventing it doesn't wash.
Under maritime law, ships have "innocent passage" rights through international and coastal area waters. Certain restrictions apply.
UNCLOS defines "innocent passage" as expeditious, continuous passage through waters in ways not "prejudicial to the peace, good order or the security" of a coastal state.
America's Defense Department defines it as:
"The right of all ships to engage in continuous and expeditious surface passage through the territorial sea and archipelagic water of foreign coastal states in a manner not prejudicial to its peace, good order, or security."
"Passage includes stopping and anchoring, but only if incidental to ordinary navigation or necessary for force majeure (a natural or unavoidable catastrophe) or distress, or for the purpose of rendering assistance to persons, ships, or aircraft in danger of distress."
Legal interdictions may occur only within 12 nautical miles from shore. In international waters, they're prohibited.
Israel ignores international law. So does America. Both countries hype one Big Lie after another.
On Wednesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney repeated what US officials say often. It doesn't wash. He wrongfully accused Iran of being a "major state sponsor of terrorism."
"Even as we continue efforts to resolve our concerns over Iran's nuclear program through diplomacy, we will continue to stand up to Iran's support for destabilizing activities in the region, in coordination with our partners and allies, and made clear that these illicit actions are unacceptable to the international community and in gross violation of Iran’s UN Security Council obligations," he said.
Iran responded to Tel Aviv's outrageous accusation. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed it as "failed lies." His Twitter comment said:
"Captured just in time for annual AIPAC anti-Iran campaign. Amazing coincidence! Or same failed lies."
During an official visit to Jakarta, he said:
"Netanyahu (was) in Washington...and all of a sudden as a godsend, they (allegedly) capture a ship from Iran with missiles."
"Just a coincidence? If Netanyahu is a saint and can produce miracles, I believe the Israelis themselves will be amused by that."
"So if you cannot believe in miracles by Netanyahu, the only thing that you can believe s that this is a lie. And it is a lie."
"For the arms to go through Sudan and from Sudan back to somewhere and from that somewhere to Gaza - this is more like delusional thinking rather than even serious propaganda."
Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdullahian denounced Israel's lie. He stressed how Zionist media circulate it. They do it to vilify Iran, he said.
Iran's military categorically rejected Israel's claim. It called allegations of Tehran shipping weapons to Gaza a "sheer lie."
A Hamas spokesman called it a "silly joke." Islamic Jihad denounced Israel's fabrication.
According to Gaza Ministry of Interior spokesman Islam Shahwan, Israeli lies reflect a "dangerous move" to justify its lawless seven year siege.
He urged journalists to avoid "being tricked by the Israeli narrative about capturing a ship carrying weapons to Gaza."
Israeli naval vessels blockade its coastline. Anything approaching gets interdicted. Border areas with Egypt are heavily monitored.
An unnamed Islamic Jihad official said he knows nothing about an alleged weapons shipment.
If "the information is true," he added, "it is a medal of honor to the one who sent the shipment."
Israel's latest Big Lie came at the same time as its belligerent West Bank incursions. Air strikes against Hezbollah occurred days earlier. So did others targeting Gaza.
Since January, Israel killed eight Palestinian civilians. It did so in cold blood. Children were shot in the back and killed.
Rogue states operate this way. Washington and Israel partner in each other's crimes.
On Friday, US House of Representatives members voted to expand weapons and military related technologies to Israel as America's strategic partner.
They did so 410 to one. Expect Senate rubber-stamp approval. Discussions are ongoing to increase US aid.
Israel already gets billions annually and much more. US taxpayers funds its lawlessness.
AIPAC gloated after House members voted. They "once again reaffirmed (their) commitment to an unbreakable US-Israeli relationship," it said.
Israel's killing machine got an added boost. For sure it'll take full advantage.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukraine Crisis Escalates
Ukraine Crisis Escalatesby Stephen LendmanWar of words continues. Washington played the sanctions card. Obama acted unilaterally. He did so by executive order.He targeted "individuals and entities responsible for activities undermining democratic proce...
Putin v. Obama: Geopolitical Opposites
Putin v. Obama: Geopolitical Opposites
by Stephen Lendman
It bears repeating what other articles stressed. Putin supports peace and stability. Obama wages one war after another.
Putin affirms UN Charter and other rule of law principles. Obama ignores them. He claims a divine right to achieve unchallenged hegemony. He does it belligerently.
Putin believes nation-state sovereignty is inviolable. Obama wants pro-Western puppet governments replacing independent ones.
The Russian Public Opinion Research Center (WCIOM) is the leading post-Soviet opinion research company.
It's late February poll showed Putin's approval rating at a two-year high. Nearly 68% of Russians approve his policies.
Successful Sochi Winter Olympics helped. So did how he's handling the Ukrainian crisis. Russians strongly support him. Claims otherwise ring hollow.
In contrast, Obama's approval rating hit an all-time low. For the first time, a new Fox News poll has him at 38%. In February, he scored 42%. Last November, his previous low was 40%.
Approval for Democrats is 71%. Among Republicans it's 5%. For independents it's 28%.
Overall:
- 59% said he failed to create jobs;
- 56% said he failed to improve economic conditions;
- 34% called the economy better than five years earlier;
- 59% said he failed to run a transparent administration;
- 57% said he failed to improve healthcare;
- 56% reject his foreign policy;
- nearly half those polled said he failed to make America safer.
Around 40% of US voters call themselves independent. A large majority believe his tenure reflects failure.
Maybe a much larger one will going forward. Why anyone feels otherwise they'll have to explain.
His Ukrainian policy alone threatens humanity. He's out-of-control. He's surrounded by neocon advisors.
His rage to dominate risks WW III. Stopping him matters most. Daily developments should scare everyone.
Turkey granted an unnamed US warship permission to pass through the Bosphorus en route to the Black Sea.
Itar Tass expects a US destroyer to enter the area sometime this week. The USS Taylor (FFG-50) guided missile frigate remains there.
It's deployed with the USS Mount Whitney amphibious command ship.
According to Montreux Convention provisions, warships of countries not bordering the Black Sea can't remain there longer than 21 days.
Washington spurns all laws and agreements conflicting with its interests. Area tensions remain high.
Stars and Stripes is a de facto Pentagon publication. On March 5, it headlined "Pentagon sends 6 warplanes to patrol skies over 3 Baltic nations."
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered them over Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
"The move more than doubles American warplanes' presence in the NATO mission to 'protect' " them, said Stars and Stripes. No external threat exists.
Beefing up America's regional presence reflects dangerous saber rattling. It's ongoing at the wrong time. Training flights with Poland's military were increased.
Stars and Stripes called what's happening a "signal of American resolve in the face of the recent Russian 'aggression.' " Further details of what's planned weren't disclosed.
At the same time, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Martin Dempsey told Senate Armed Services Committee members of the need for "continued restraint in the days ahead in order to preserve room for a diplomatic solution."
On March 5, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stoked tensions further, saying:
"The situation in Ukraine presents serious implications for the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area."
"And Russia continues to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its own international commitments."
"So NATO decided today to take a number of immediate steps.
We have suspended the planning for our first NATO-Russia joint mission."
"The maritime escort for the US ship Cape Ray, which will neutralize Syria's chemical weapons. Let me stress, this will not affect the destruction of chemical weapons, but Russia will not be involved in the escort of the US vessel."
"We have also decided that no staff-level civilian or military meetings with Russia will take place for now."
"We have put the entire range of NATO-Russia cooperation under review. NATO Foreign Ministers will take decisions on this in early April."
At the same time, the door for political dialogue remains open, he added. In other words, heavy pressure will try to get Putin to reverse policy.
Washington determines NATO's agenda. Rasmussen lied claiming its "pledge to observe in good faith our obligations under international law. And our commitment to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, or any other state."
NATO is a US-led killing machine. It's involved in Washington's imperial wars. Lawless aggression reflects them.
One country after another is ravaged and destroyed. They're turned into dystopian wastelands. Their resources are plundered. Their people are ruthlessly exploited. Democracy is strictly verboten.
Alexander Grushko is Moscow's Permanent Representative at NATO. On Wednesday, he said:
"We are disappointed with the results of this meeting. Russia had expected it would feature a discussion where it we would be able to clarify our approaches to the settlement of the situation in Ukraine."
"But at the very beginning of the meeting, the NATO secretary general announced that the NATO Council had preferred not to wait till our today's meeting and had passed a decision to suspend cooperation in certain areas."
Doing so runs counter to Russian-NATO Council agreed on principles, the NATO-Russia Council, and NATO Lisbon Summit Declaration.
"Today's meeting was (more) evidence that NATO operates double standards and uses the Cold War stereotypes in respect of Russia," Grushko added.
Instead of mutual cooperation, NATO policy reflects "one against twenty-eight (or) one plus twenty-eight," Grushko said.
Moscow complained about this for years. Doing so fell on deaf ears. Today more than ever.
Crisis conditions in Ukraine show no signs of easing. Washington bears full responsibility. EU partners share it. Russia wants things resolved diplomatically.
Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are going all-out to do so. US imperial lawlessness compromises good faith efforts.
Crimea complicates Obama's plan to co-opt Ukraine entirely. He wants it incorporated into NATO.
He wants long-range nuclear-armed missiles targeting Russia's heartland. He wants them deployed along both countries' joint 1,400 kilometer border.
On March 6, Voice of Russia headlined "Crimean Parliament passes unanimous vote for joining Russia as autonomy."
First Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliyev announced it. Thousands of Crimeans were assembled outside parliament when he did so.
They cheered what happened. They chanted "Russia!"
On March 16, Crimeans vote. A referendum is scheduled. It follows parliamentary unanimity. Expect popular sentiment to endorse it.
Doing so was originally set for May 25. It was moved up to March 30. It's now nine days away. Crimeans will decide on two issues:
(1) "Are you in favor of Crimea becoming a constituent territory of the Russian Federation?"
(2) "Are you in favor of restoring Crimea's 1992 constitution?"
Crimea is part of Ukraine, it says. It defines its relationship according to mutually agreed on terms.
Sevastopol residents will vote. The city hosts Russia's Black Sea Fleet. It holds special status. It's not officially part of Crimea.
According to Fair Russia party leader Sergey Mironov, Russia's lower house Duma will consider Crimea's parliamentary decision next week. They'll vote on whether Russia approves.
Ukraine's neo-Nazi illegitimate government called holding a referendum illegal. They began a criminal investigation against Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Askyonov.
What follows bears close watching. If Moscow agrees to incorporate Crimea into Russia, expect a likely hostile Western reaction.
Tensions will increase further. So will intense Russia bashing. Flashpoint conditions already exist. They're incendiary.
On March 5, EU foreign ministers imposed sanctions on 18 targeted Ukrainians. Legitimate President Viktor Yanukovych tops the list.
At issue is alleged "misappropriation" of Ukrainian state funds. International law prohibits nations from interfering in the internal affairs of others.
If wrongdoing was committed, country authorities alone may decide how to address it. Others doing so act lawlessly. It's longstanding Western policy.
Washington plans punitive economic sanctions. Congressional members are split on whether to do so. Those opposed want multilateral ones imposed.
Germany, Britain, France and Italy oppose them. They do so for good reason. Russia is Western Europe's third largest trading partner.
It's nearly half a trillion dollars annually. It's 10 times more than US/Russian trade.
Energy is a major issue. Europe is heavily dependent on Russian resources. Gazprom supplies Ukraine with over half its gas.
Europe gets 40% from Russia. Germany gets one-third of its oil and gas from a source too vital to lose.
EU economic sanctions talk may be more bluster than action. Germany, Britain, France and other European countries partnered with Washington.
They caused crisis in Ukraine. They allied with fascist putschists. They ousted a democratically elected government. They replaced it with illegitimate neo-Nazis.
They unjustifiably blame Russia for their own wrongdoing. They gave Moscow until March 6 to deescalate things.
Otherwise, talks on greater economic and political cooperation will be suspended, they warned.
Turning off the spigot in response to Western sanctions will cause enormous problems. EU nations won't precipitate what harms them.
On March 6, Obama acted unilaterally. He signed an Executive Order. It authorizes sanctions against "individuals and entities responsible for activities undermining democratic processes or institutions in Ukraine."
It includes what he calls "military intervention in Crimea." His action doesn't preclude further steps.
The State Department imposed a visa ban on targeted officials and individuals Washington blames for undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Conflict resolution remains distant. Russia bashing takes precedence. Lies drown out truth. Incendiary conditions continue. A potential clash of civilizations looms.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has presidential aspirations. She's an unindicted war criminal.
On Tuesday, she spoke at a California fundraiser. Demagogic bluster was featured.
She lied saying Putin's agenda reflects "what Hitler did back in the '30s." His "mission is to restore Russian greatness," she claimed.
"When he looks to Ukraine, he sees a place that he believes is by its very nature part of Mother Russia."
Clinton represents the worst of imperial America. She's a monument to wrong over right.
She disgraced the office she held. Imagine far worse if she's elected president. Imagine what hopefully won't happen.
A Final Comment
A previous article discussed Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet' explosive revelation.
Kiev putschists bear full responsibility for Euromaidan sniper shootings.
Yanukovych had nothing to do with them. He was wrongfully blamed.
Asked about the revelation, a State Department spokesperson said:
"As I said around the last unfortunate case, this is just another example of the kind of Russian tradecraft that we have concerns about.
US media scoundrels buried the story. They reported nothing. Legitimate media would headline it.
It should be a game-changer. It won't be. It's the fallen tree in the forest no one heard. Vital truth is suppressed. Business as usual continues.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Waging War While Talking Peace
Talking Peace While Waging Warby Stephen LendmanSham Israeli/Palestinian peace talks continue. They began last July. They're supposed to conclude in April. Palestine's elected government wasn't invited. It's excluded from talks. Longtime Israeli c...
Evidence Shows Kiev Putschists Recruited Euromaiden Snipers
Evidence Shows Kiev Putschists Recruited Euromaidan Snipers
by Stephen Lendman
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet confirmed it. On February 25 , he and EU foreign policy Catherine Ashton spoke.
They were monitored. They didn't know it at the time. Their discussion was leaked.
Paet talked to Ashton after returning from Kiev, he said. "At the time, (he) was already in Estonia," he added.
On Wednesday, he held a press conference. He issued a statement saying Euromaidan killings demand an independent investigation.
Estonia's Foreign Ministry confirmed the leaked phone call's authenticity.
"We reject the claim that Paet was giving an assessment of the opposition's involvement in the violence," it stressed.
It's impossible reinterpreting what he meant.
He only commented on what he heard in Kiev. He spilled the beans. Intentionally or not, he confirmed what's been independently believed all along.
Ukraine's legitimate President Viktor Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed. He had nothing to do with Euromaidan killings.
The operation was a classic false flag. It was staged to blame him. It's now exposed.
Cui bono matters most. Yanukovych's involvement had everything to lose and nothing to gain.
Catherine Ashton's spokesperson, Maja Kocijancic, was silent. "(W)e don't comment on leaked phone conversations," she said.
Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officials loyal to Yanukovych reportedly hacked phones used by Paet and Ashton. They uploaded what they heard online.
Paet was heard saying "there is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovich, but it was somebody from the new coalition."
"All the evidence shows" they were shooting at people from both sides. They targeted police and protesters. Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed.
Ashton was nonplussed. She was tongue-tied. She was caught red-handed. She's part of the dirty scheme to oust him.
She reacted saying: "Well, yeah...that's, that's terrible. I think we do want to investigate."
"I mean, I didn't pick that up. That's interesting. Gosh." Expect all-out efforts to bury the story. Whether it's possible remains to be seen.
Paet spoke to Kiev doctor Olga Bogomolets. She's a Bogomolets National Medical University professor.
It's named after her great-grandfather Oleksandr. He founded and served as its Institute of Dermatology and Cosmetology chief.
She said snipers shot protesters and police. Paet called Dr. Bogomolets' evidence "quite disturbing."
She showed him photos. They revealed "the same handwriting, the same type of bullets, and it's really disturbing that now the new coalition, that they don't want to investigate what exactly happened," said Paet.
During weeks of protests, nearly 100 people were killed. Another 900 were injured.
US-linked Putschists were responsible. Perhaps CIA elements were involved. The game is as old as empire. Victims are blamed for perpetrator crimes.
Saddam was accused of having nonexistent WMDs. Gaddafi faced numerous false charges.
Assad repeatedly is blamed for US-supported death squad crimes.
Media scoundrels regurgitate official lies. They're complicit in imperial lawlessness.
So-called British forensic expects wrongfully blamed Yanukovych for putschist-linked sniper killings.
They refused to reveal their identity. They claimed useful evidence obtained for future prosecutions, they said.
They called what happened politically sensitive. They were part of an elaborate false flag scheme. Yanukovych was wrongfully blamed.
Paet blamed putschists for cover-up. "They don't want to investigate what exactly happened," he said.
They want it suppressed. Snipers were neo-Nazi hitmen. Yanukovych maintained his innocence.
He gave no orders to shoot, he stressed. He's wrongfully accused of mass murder. He's blamed for US-linked putschists' crimes.
This type information should making game-changing headlines. Expect all-out efforts to keep fingers pointed the wrong way.
Expect little said about Putin's 2014 Nobel Peace Prize nomination. Norwegian Nobel Institute director Geir Lundestad revealed it.
The International Academy of Spiritual Unity and Cooperation Among Nations of the World (IASUCANW) nominated him.
He's one of 278 candidates. They include 47 organizations. On Tuesday, Nobel Committee members met. They added their own proposals.
They focused on recent global turmoil. According to Lundestad:
"Part of the purpose of the committee's first meeting is to take into account recent events, and committee members try to anticipate what could be the potential developments in political hotspots."
Other 2014 nominees include Pope Francis, Edward Snowden, Bradley (Chelsea) Manning, and Malala Yousafzai.
She's perhaps the world's most famous teenager. She's called one of the world's 100 most influential people. In April 2013, Time magazine featured her on its cover.
She was nominated last year. She's a Pakistani blogger/activist for women's rights and education.
In October 2012, she boarded a school bus. Gunmen targeted her. She was shot in the left side of her forehead.
She was unconscious in critical condition. She survived. She remains threatened.
On October 10, this year's Peace Prize winner will be announced.
Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov both are worthy. They collaborate for peace.
They go all-out for it. They want conflicts resolved diplomatically. They persevere against long odds.
They persist tirelessly. They deserve recognition for their efforts.
Last October, IASUCANW President Georgiy Trapeznikov said its nominating "letter was sent to the Nobel Committee September 16 and it was received September 20."
"Vladimir Putin has proved his adherence to the cause of peace."
"We know very well what peacemaking role our president played in conflict regions, especially Beslan and South Ossetia."
He's very much involved in resolving Syria's conflict peacefully. He supports unity governance resolution in Ukraine the same way.
His press secretary Dmitry Pekov said:
"The primary criterion for the president is satisfaction from a job well done." He seeks no special recognition or awards.
State Duma MP Iosif Kobzon said Putin deserves this year's prize. He's polar opposite Obama.
"Barack Obama is the man who has initiated and approved the United States' aggressive actions in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Kobzon.
He bears full responsibility for Libya, numerous proxy wars and Ukraine violence.
Nobel Committee members deplore peace. They represent powerful monied interests.
They believe war is peace. It shows in their annual selections.
Past winners included Henry Kissinger, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, FW de Klerk, Al Gore, Kofi Annan, and four US warrior presidents.
Announcing Obama's award, Committee members said:
It reflects his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
He's "work(ed) for a world without nuclear weapons."
He "created a new climate in international politics."
"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future."
Throughout his tenure, he waged war on humanity. He has new targets in mind. He wants unchallenged global dominance.
He stops at nothing to get it. Putin is polar opposite. He supports peace and stability.
He champions multi-polar world cooperation. He deserves recognition for his efforts. So does Lavrov for his dedicated collaboration.
Expect malicious Russia bashing to deny them. Warriors win peace prizes. Peacemakers are spurned.
Putin opposes imperial lawlessness. He won't rollover for America. Doing the right thing tarnishes him.
He's public enemy number one. Being on the right side of history has a price. Waging war on humanity is rewarded.
A Final Comment: NATO Saber-Rattling
The North Atlantic Council (NAC) is NATO' "principle political decision-making body." On March 4, it met. It did so at Poland's request. It did it under the North Atlantic Treaty's Article 4.
It calls for members to "consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any" is threatened.
Article 5 considers an armed attack (real or otherwise) against one or more members, an attack against all. It calls for collective self-defense.
No threat whatever exists. Ukraine isn't a NATO member. Not yet at least.
Its statement said "Russia continues to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to violate its international commitments."
"These developments present serious implications for the security and stability of the Euro...Atlantic area."
"Allies stand together in the spirit of strong solidarity in this grave crisis."
"We undertake to pursue and intensify our rigorous and on-going assessment of the implications of this crisis for Alliance security, in close coordination and consultation."
"We continue to support all constructive efforts for a peaceful solution to the current crisis in accordance with international law."
"We welcome the ongoing efforts undertaken by the United Nations, the European Union, the OSCE and the Council of Europe."
"We will continue to consult with Ukraine within the NATO-Ukraine Commission."
"We will engage with Russia in the NATO-Russia Council. We will hold a meeting" Wednesday. What follows remains to be seen.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Propaganda War on Russia
Propaganda War on Russiaby Stephen LendmanPropaganda wars precede hot ones. Deception, popular fiction and Big Lies launch them. Intense Russia bashing risks international peace, stability and security.Washington's imperial war machine is humanity's gr...
Crisis in Ukraine
Crisis in Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
Crisis conditions in Ukraine are potentially the most dangerous since Nazism's scourge terrorized Europe.
Washington bears full responsibility. European partners share it. Obama claimed another imperial trophy. Whether he'll keep it is another matter entirely.
Vladimir Putin supports resolving conflict conditions responsibly. Western officials irresponsibly criticize him. Media scoundrels bash him mercilessly.
He's the only world leader challenging US imperial lawlessness responsibly. He deserves worldwide support.
At a March 4 news conference, he said Moscow supports peace, not war. He'll deploy troops only to protect Russian nationals.
Ukraine's legitimate President Viktor Yanukovych requested he do so. He asked him to help restore law and order.
He cited Western-influenced "terror and violence." He asked Putin to send Russian forces "to establish legitimacy, peace, law and order, stability and defend the people of Ukraine."
Russian nationals are endangered. He acted responsibly. He called what happened in Kiev a coup d'etat.
Viktor Yanokovych remains Ukraine's legitimate president. US-supported fascist extremists have no legitimacy.
"If we see this lawlessness starting in eastern regions, if the people ask us for help - in addition to a plea from a legitimate president, which we already have - then we reserve the right to use all the means we possess to protect those citizens," he said.
"And we consider it quite legitimate," he stressed. It's the right thing to do.
"We are not going to a war against the Ukrainian people. I want you to understand it unambiguously."
"If we do take a decision, it would only be to protect Ukrainian citizens. Let anybody in the military dare, and they’d be shooting their own people, who would stand up in front of us."
"Shoot at women and children. I'd like to see anyone try and order such a thing in Ukraine."
He said uniformed Crimean defense forces without insignias aren't Russian soldiers.
Moscow acted responsibly, he stressed. It acted legitimately. No international laws were breached. Claims otherwise are false. They're irresponsible.
At the same time, he pointed fingers the right way. Washington illegitimately uses military force repeatedly, he stressed.
"When I ask them: 'Do you believe you do everything legitimately,' they say 'Yes.' "
"And I have to remind them about the US actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, where they acted either without any UN Security Council mandate or through perverting a mandate, as was the case in Libya," he explained.
"Our partners, especially in the United States, always clearly and formulate for themselves their geopolitical and national interests, pursue them relentlessly, and then drag the rest of the world in, using the principle 'You are either with us or against us."
"And they harass those who refuse to be dragged in."
Putin advisor Sergei Glazyev warned Washington against imposing sanctions. He'll advise Kremlin officials to dump US bonds in response.
"We would find a way not just to reduce our dependency on the United States to zero, but to emerge from those sanctions with great benefits for ourselves, he stressed.
"We hold a decent amount of treasury bonds - more than $200 billion - and if the United States dares to freeze accounts of Russian businesses and citizens, we can no longer view America as a reliable partner."
"We will encourage everybody to dump US Treasury bonds, get rid of dollars as an unreliable currency, and leave the US market."
Putin called Western threatened sanctions and other harsh measures counterproductive. Consequences cut both ways.
He wants normalized relations with Ukraine. He has no legitimate counterpart in Kiev.
Resistance in eastern and southern Ukraine shows Kiev has no mandate to govern.
Coup d'etat leadership runs things. Moscow rejects it. Mob rule has no legitimacy. Western leaders calling what happened a revolution doesn't wash.
US Trade Representative Michael Froman suspended forthcoming trade and investment talks with Moscow.
"We have suspended upcoming bilateral trade and investment engagement with the government of Russia that were part of a move toward deeper commercial and trade ties," he said.
On Monday, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby announced a hold on US/Russia "military engagements." They include joint exercises and port visits.
An anonymous White House source said administration officials could "reinforce that the Russians still have an opportunity to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation or they face further political and economic repercussions from the international community."
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington "has a broad range of option available" against Russia should things escalate.
Previous articles said Obama's planned direct intervention in Syria wasn't cancelled. It was postponed. On March 4, Voice of Russia said:
"President Barack Obama officially asked the Congress for permission to conduct a military operation in Syria."
On February 25, Press TV headlined "US planning for cyber attacks on Syria." Days earlier, Obama's National Security Council (NSC) met.
It explored what an unnamed US official called "old and new options…It would essentially turn the lights out for Assad."
NSC spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden declined to discuss "the details of our interagency deliberations."
"But we have been clear that there are a range of tools we have at our disposal to protect our national security, including cyber" ones, she said.
In 2012, Obama signed a classified presidential directive. It relates to cyberoperations.
It "establishes principles and processes so that cybertools are integrated with the full array of national security tools," she added.
America wages cyberwar. In 2010, Washington and Israel collaborated against Iran. Their Stuxnet virus infected Tehran's Bushehr nuclear facility.
Had the facility gone online infected, Iran's entire electrical power grid could have been shut down.
More powerful tools are being developed. All US enemies are vulnerable.
The Atlantic Council is NATO-linked. It's headquartered in Washington. It supports Washington's global agenda. Past and current members include a rogue's gallery of reliable American imperial supporters.
They include Henry Kissinger, George Schultz, James Schlesinger, James Baker, Zbigniew Brzezinski, James Jones, Condoleezza Rice, Richard Holbrooke, Susan Rice, an array of current and former top military officials, and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
Jason Healy heads the Atlantic Council's Cyber Statecraft Initiative. He claims cyberoperations can be humanitarian. How he didn't explain.
He said Washington was "caught using Stuxnet to conduct a covert cybercampaign against Iran, as well as trawling the Internet with the massive Prism collection operation."
"The world is increasingly seeing US cyberpower as a force for evil in the world," he added.
He claims attacking Syria this way "might help to reverse this view." Again he didn't explain further. Doing so covertly would be hard to keep secret.
It's unclear what Obama plans. Maybe he has cyber and military attacks in mind. No further information is available at this time.
Obama opened a can of worms in Ukraine. He's got his hands full. Russia can respond in kind to whatever he may have in mind.
What he'll risk going forward remains to be seen. Whether he plans attacking Syria now isn't known.
Professor Yelena Mulkumian believes threatening Moscow with isolation and sanctions impacts Damascus. It could give Washington a pretext to attack.
Its grand scheme calls for regional destabilization. Weakening and isolating Russia is planned. Incorporating Ukraine in NATO furthers it.
Putin justifiably won't tolerate Western nuclear armed missiles targeting Russia's heartland. A previous article called Ukraine his red line. He'll defend Moscow's interests responsibly.
A rogue's gallery of US-supported fascist extremists usurped power in Kiev. Putin knows what he's up against. He won't roll over for Obama. He's too resolute to back down. The stakes are too high to do so.
Russia's Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov "took notice" of Washington irresponsibly freezing military ties with Moscow.
"We proceed from the assumption that any collaboration - and the one between defense departments in particular - can only be based on the principles of mutuality and strictest parity, because this approach is the only one assuring the absence of winners and losers," he said.
Trust, clarity and respect for Russia's security are lacking. Putin, Antonov and other top Kremlin officials aren't cowed. They'll defend Moscow's interests responsibly.
Leonid Kalashnikov is Russia's lower house Duma deputy international affairs committee head.
Moscow shouldn't make concessions under threat of sanctions, he said.
Doing so "under pressure...will be taken negatively not only" internally but worldwide, he stressed.
"The damage from that will be catastrophic." Principles aren't to be bargained away, he added. Nor lives of Russian nationals.
At the same time, Russia's Foreign Ministry called threats of US sanctions unacceptable.
"By ignoring any attempts to study difficult processes in the Ukrainian society and to assess the situation, which continues to deteriorate after radicals seized power in Kiev by force, the US Secretary of State uses the Cold War cliches and proposes to punish the Russian Federation and not who committed a coup d'etat," it said.
Moscow's position remains clear, open and consistent.
"If Ukraine is only a territory of geopolitical games for certain Western politicians, this is the brotherly country for us," the statement added.
Russia wants Ukraine kept strong, stable, independent and democratically governed.
It rejects radicalized putschists in charge. It wants resolution based on the February 21 agreement.
It calls for forming a legitimate national unity government. It wants all Ukrainians represented fairly. Washington has other ideas.
Crimeans brace for what's coming. They fear clashes with Western-backed extremists.
They're concerned about Euromaidan violence erupting. Self-defense forces man checkpoint to prevent it. Disbanded Berkut security forces joined them.
A potential clash of civilizations looms. Global war could erupt. The damn fool in the White House risks it.
So do other damn fool administration officials. Neocon extremists run things. Anything ahead is possible.
America is the real evil empire. Its hegemonic ambitions risk armageddon.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Media Scoundrels on the Wrong Side of History
Media Scoundrels on the Wrong Side of Historyby Stephen LendmanFamed journalist George Seldes (1890 - 1995) called them "prostitutes of the press." Paul Craig Roberts calls them "presstitutes."They're that and much more. They're propagandists, not jour...
“Fair Harvard” Lacks Fairness
"Fair Harvard" Lacks Fairness
by Stephen Lendman
"Fair Harvard" is the university's alma matter. Reverend Samuel Gilman (class of 1811) wrote it. He did so for Harvard's 200th anniversary.
It's sung to a traditional Irish air. Alumni recall it well. Little about today's Harvard is fair. Glorifying what demands condemnation deserves shame.
"VERITAS (truth)" is Harvard's motto. It appears on its Seal. It's on student rings. On geopolitical issues mattering most, it's nowhere in sight.
On March 4, The Harvard Crimson student newspaper headlined "Harvard Faculty, Researchers Voice Concerns about Ukrainian Crisis," saying:
"...Harvard affiliates have voiced concern over what one professor called Russia's 'naked aggression…' "
"...(M)any remain optimistic about possible US intervention."
Crimson contributors dismissively said Ukraine's legitimate President Viktor Yanukovych was "removed from office" after months of protests.
Not a word about US-supported fascists usurping power. No explanation about one of history's most brazen coup d'etats.
Nothing about Obama's full responsibility. Silence on what's potentially the most serious crisis since Nazism reigned terror across Europe.
Ukrainian History Professor Serhii Plokhii heads Harvard's Ukrainian Research Institute. Events surprised him, he said.
"The mood earlier in the week was that Russia could help stabilize Ukraine," he added.
He lied saying: "What we got instead was Russian occupation and intervention." Imagine the distorted history students get in his classroom. They'd be wise to seek knowledge elsewhere.
Professor George Grabowicz teaches Ukrainian literature. He lied calling Russia's response "naked aggression." He turned truth on its head claiming it's "an attempt to preserve the Soviet Union."
He's right believing things may potentially worsen. He left unexplained where blame lies.
"The worst possible scenario is outright war between Russia and Ukraine," he said.
"No state wants to be treated as an administration that has no control over its own territory," he added.
"Ukraine does have an army, and they have said they will not retreat from their border posts."
Nadiya Kravets is a Ukrainian Research Institute post-doctoral fellow. Her comments suggest support for power grabbing fascists.
She nonsensically hopes stronger democracy will emerge from crisis conditions. How can it with mob rule in charge?
Ukraine transitioned uneasily since 1991 independence, she said. "I now hope (it) will be a state that allows people to determine their own lives."
How can it after neo-Nazi thugs abolished all freedoms? State terror is policy. The worst of neoliberal harshness is planned.
Western support assures harder than ever hard times ahead. Millions of Ukrainians will be ruthlessly exploited. Crackdowns against nonbelievers will be severe.
Crimson contributors are students. They're young. They're naive. They ignored hard facts. They didn't research them.
They're mindless about what's ongoing. They cited wrong sources. They ignored credible ones.
They citing unnamed "Harvard affiliates" nonsensically claiming Washington can help resolve crisis conditions.
Obama bears full responsibility for causing them. He did so lawlessly. He created the most dangerous potential disaster in post-war Europe.
He risks WW III. Grabowicz remains optimistic. He claimed promised US aid will help.
"I very much favor the notion of an aid package because it's a strategic investment," he claimed.
"If we mean what we say about supporting democracy and the rule of law, then this is an investment that will eventually pay for itself."
On Tuesday, damn fool Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Kiev. He did so supportively. He met with America's new friends. With ones like these, who needs enemies!
He offered what media scoundrels call aid. He promised $1 billion.
It's not aid. It's a thinly veiled bribe. It supplements whatever Washington gave coup plotters earlier.
It's with strings. It demands payback. Expect harsh IMF and EU demands.
Grabowicz may know Ukrainian literature. He knows nothing about realpolitik. He's geopolitically ignorant. His comments show it.
Naive Crimson contributors featured them. They displayed their own ignorance doing so.
Perhaps they support imperial lawlessness. Fairness isn't Harvard's long suit. Or VERITAS.
Or supporting right over wrong. Or denouncing what demands doing so.
Students are on their own to seek truth. Classroom help isn't forthcoming.
Harvard taught students like this one to think. It taught us to learn.
It's our responsibility to do it on our own. It's more than ever crucial to seek truth. It's vital to tell others. It's essential we all spread the word.
We're our own last line of defense. Things are more dangerous now than at any time since Nazism's scourge existed.
It didn't die. It flourishes in America. It endangers Europe. It risks WW III. It bears repeating what previous articles stressed.
Resisting tyranny is a universal right. It's an obligation. We have a choice. Resist or perish! There's no in between!
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
East/West Confrontation Looms
East/West Confrontation Looms
by Stephen Lendman
Ousting Ukraine's democratically government was planned long before violence erupted last November. Obama's dirty hands bear full responsibility.
The damn fool in the White House targeted four countries at the same time for regime change.
Libya was ravaged and destroyed. Gaddafi's murder followed. Syria was targeted at the same time.
Imported death squads are involved. Dozens die daily. No end of conflict looms. Obama manipulated so-called peace talks to fail. Direct US intervention looks likely.
Venezuelan violence continues. Obama wants Bolivarian fairness crushed. He wants neoliberal harshness replacing it. He's got other targets in mind.
Plundering Ukraine is planned. Conditions remain incendiary. The damn fool in the White House may have bitten off more than he can chew.
Ordinary Ukrainians won't tolerate what's planned. Perhaps eastern Russian nationals will revolt.
Over the weekend, thousands rallied in Kharkov, Donetsk and other cities. They did so against Kiev putschists. They reject them.
Ukrainian flags were removed from government buildings. Russian ones replaced them.
On Friday, Ukraine's navy commander resigned. Illegitimate coup d'etat president Aleksandr Turchinov appointed Rear Admiral Denis Berezovksy to replace him.
Straightaway he switched sides. He swore allegiance to Crimea's people. He pledged to protect them.
Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov appointed him head of the Autonomous Republic's newly created naval forces.
"The Republic will have its own navy, which will be commanded by Rear Admiral Berezovsky," he said.
"Subsequently, this day will be considered the birthday of the naval forces of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea," he added.
"All Navy troops dislocated in Sevastopol are ordered to disregard any commands coming from Ukraine's new self-proclaimed authorities."
"Do not take any orders of using arms till my personal instructions."
"(A)ll soldiers (swearing) allegiance to the Crimean people will retain their allowance, health, social benefits, military rank and position."
Those unwilling may "retire." They "won’t be prosecuted." They're free to do what they wish.
On Sunday, reports said Crimean-based Ukrainian military units rejected Kiev authority. They did so en masse.
They sided with pro-Russian forces. They turned in their weapons. They did so peacefully.
Anti-Kiev sentiment is real. It's growing. It's spreading. Serious East/West divide conditions exist. Ukrainians for democratic governance reveal it.
What's ongoing is the most serious world crisis since the 1962 missiles of October. Jack Kennedy was president. He later said he had no intention of confronting Cuba or Russia belligerently.
The damn fool in the White House is no JFK. Neocons infest his administration. His scheme risks global war.
Stephen Cohen is a longtime Russian expert. On Saturday, CNN interviewed him. He was blunt, saying:
"We are witnessing as we talk the making possibly of the worst history of our lifetime."
"We are watching the descending of a new Cold War divide between west and east."
"Only this time, it is not in far away Berlin. It's right on Russia's borders through the historical civilization in Ukraine."
"It's a crisis of historic magnitude."
"If you ask how we got in it (and how) we get out, it is time to stop asking why Putin - why Putin is doing this or that, but ask about the American policy, and the European Union policy that led to this moment."
Western officials and suck up media scoundrels wrongfully blame Putin for policy made in Washington.
Go-along Western partners concurred. They created a horrendous mess. Civilizations may clash. Global war could erupt.
Encircling the Russian Federation with NATO bases risks it. Ukraine shares a 1,400 kilometer border with Russia.
Imagine nearby US nuclear-armed long-range missiles aimed at its heartland. Imagine what Putin won't tolerate. Or any other responsible leader.
The so-called EU agreement Yanukovych rejected had a clause he couldn't accept.
Doing so meant "abid(ing) by NATO military policy," said Cohen. It reflects an "ongoing march towards post-Soviet Russia," he added.
Putin had no choice. He had to act. He did so defensively. He did responsibly.
"(I)f you put him in a corner, you are going to see worse," said Cohen.
Washington's Cold War never ended. At issue is eliminating a major rival. Imagine risking war to do it. Imagine with the damn fool in the White House in charge.
Russia is going all-out to avoid confrontation. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "urge(d) the West to show a responsible approach and set aside geopolitical interests and (respect) the interests of the Ukrainian people."
He knows what he's up against. He knows Washington's real intentions. He knows targeting Ukraine is prelude to what's planned for Russia.
"There are reports that a series of new provocations are being prepared in Crimea, including against the Russian Black Sea Fleet," he added.
Boycotts, sanctions and other measures are threatened. Piling on assures escalated tensions. Russia will defend its interests vigorously. It'll do it responsibly.
Ukrainians must "dissociate themselves from (fascist) extremists who are tying to bring the situation under control through illegal means without shunning violence and open terror," said Lavrov.
Combustible conditions risk open confrontation. The damn fool in the White House makes it more likely.
What's ongoing stems from GHW Bush's broken promise. In 1989, he told then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev NATO wouldn't expand east.
It wouldn't do it to Russia's borders provided Moscow let its former republics become independent and abandoned its Warsaw Pact.
Former Russian republics Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are NATO members.
Other Eastern European ones include Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovenia.
Washington wants all remaining Eastern European nations co-opted. Especially Ukraine. It wants them part of NATO.
US bases encircle Russian and Chinese borders. They do so menacingly.
So-called missile defense systems intended for offense target them. Neither country threatens America.
Positioning strategic weapons near their borders shows Washington’s real intentions. Imagine risking global conflict doing so.
Imagine if Russia or China positioned nuclear armed missiles on America's northern and/or southern borders.
Imagine if their warships patrolled off its east and/or west coasts. Imagine if they entered Gulf of Mexico waters.
Imagine if their strategy called for ravaging and destroying one country after another. Imagine if they wanted all pro-Western governments toppled.
Imagine if they wanted subservient puppet regimes replacing them. Imagine if they prioritized permanent wars to achieve objectives.
Imagine a potential WW III scenario. Imagine potential armageddon. The damn fool in the White House risks what no responsible leader would dare.
Confronting him matters most. Doing so is crucial. It's the only way to stop his turning one country after another into dystopian wastelands.
He plans it for America. His administration includes a rogue's gallery of scoundrels. They're waging war on humanity.
John Kerry is no diplomat. He's an unindicted war criminal. He belongs in prison, not high office.
He's a billionaire. He wants more countries plundered. He wants his wealth increased.
His outbursts reflect bullying, bluster and imperial arrogance. He disgraces the office he holds. He's indifferent to human suffering. He shamelessly supports wrong over right.
He made the Sunday talk show rounds. He was on CBS, NBC and ABC. He regurgitated one lie after another. Scoundrel media hosts didn't challenge him.
On Saturday, his press statement discussed the situation in Ukraine. It turned truth on its head doing so.
It ignored well planned US crimes. It shamelessly "condemn(ed) the Russian Federation's invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory (in) full contravention of" its international law obligations.
Russia did nothing of the sort. It acted responsibly. It did so to protect the safety and security of its nationals.
It did so lawfully. In 1997, Russia and Ukraine agreed on Partition Treaty terms. Two independent national fleets were established.
Sevastopol, Crimean-based Black Sea Fleet leasing arrangements were agreed on until 2017.
In 2010, renegotiated terms extended them until 2042. Moscow got an additional option until 2047.
Ukraine and Russia maintain joint military control. Moscow's forces have a legal right to be there. It's especially important to protect public safety and security. Kiev fascists threaten it.
Don't expect Kerry to explain. He supports them. He ignores their worst crimes. He won't intimidate Putin to back down.
Claiming he "violate(d) Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity" doesn't wash. Washington does it aggressively. It does it repeatedly. It targets one country after another.
It spurns international law principles. It operates by its own rules. It demands subservience or else. It's by far the worst civil and human violator in world history.
Its rap sheet reflects tyranny writ large. It permanent war policy threatens humanity's survival.
Kerry's bombast doesn't cow Putin. He obeys international law. He calls independent sovereignty inviolable.
He doesn't invade other states. He doesn't threaten neighboring ones. He forthrightly opposes Washington's imperial rampaging.
He supports right over wrong. He's geopolitically polar opposite the damn fool in the White House.
His Foreign Ministry issued a damning statement. It condemned US policy. It did so justifiably.
It called for legitimate national unity governance representing all Ukrainians equitably, justly and lawfully. It denounced Washington and rogue EU partners.
They "turned a blind eye to the atrocities the Maidan militants were committing, their bullying of political opponents and ordinary citizens, their anti-Semitism and aggressive Russophobia, their desecration of the memory of heroes of the Great Patriotic War," it said.
"The West is now allying with unconcealed neo-Nazis, who sack both Orthodox churches and synagogues."
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is a consummate diplomat. He goes all-out for peaceful conflict resolution. He couldn't hold back on Ukraine. He forthrightly said:
"Those who try to interpret the situation as an act of aggression and threaten us with all sorts of sanctions and boycotts are the same (ones) who persistently encouraged political forces close to them to deliver an ultimatum and refuse to negotiate, to ignore concerns of southern and eastern parts of Ukraine and as result it led to the polarization of Ukrainians."
He condemned Kerry's "unacceptable threats." He blames Washington and Western powers for neo-Nazis usurping power.
He forthrightly opposes them. So does Putin. So should everyone cherishing freedom.
They menace everyone they control. They're consolidating power ruthlessly. They're doing so lawlessly.
They're doling out spoils to complicit allies. They appointed two unelected oligarch billionaires governors of Donetsk and Dnepropretrovsk Regions.
Igor Kolormoysky is Ukraine's third richest figure. He made money the old-fashioned way. He didn't do it honestly.
He's got lucrative business interests in banking, oil, ferroalloys, agribusiness and transport. He's worth an estimated $2.4 billion. He's in a position to increase his wealth substantially.
So is new Donetsk Region governor Sergey Taruta. He's worth about $2 billion of ill-gotten wealth. He has mining and smelting interests. He owns Donetsk's Metallurg Football Club.
Eastern regions want the right to elect their own officials. They reject Kiev appointees. It remains to be seen how they'll react to Kolormoysky and Taruta.
Perhaps they'll hold independence referenda. Ukraine may divide east and west. Crimea may choose its own self-governance.
Ukraine's military remains a wild card. Crimean forces switched sides en masse. On Monday, Ukraine's Sevastopol area-based air force 240th tactical aviation brigade pledged allegiance to Crimean authorities.
Its forces number around 800. It has 50 aircraft. Most aren't operational. A spokesman said:
"Today the command of the 204th base in Belbek has declared that it stands with the people of Crimea." Its force strength numbers about 6,000.
On Monday, RT.com reported large supplies of grenades, rifles, other arms and 400 kilos of explosives seized from vehicles with Kiev license plates on Crimea's border.
Shotguns, hunting rifles, axes and ammunition were confiscated from cars at self-defense established checkpoints.
A guard said they're in place to make "sure that everything is in order here" so Crimea isn't transformed into "another Maidan."
Coup plotters won't stop. Washington provides active support. Crimea faces an existential threat. So does Russia.
The damn fool in the White threatens world peace. Whether Putin can preserve it remains to be seen.
If past is prologue, expect full scale US intervention on Syria coming. At the same time, destabilizing Venezuela continues.
Replacing Bolivarianism with neoliberal harshness is planned. Targeting Iran comes next. Russia turn awaits.
Putin knows what he faces. Ukraine appears his red line. Defending it aggressively is vital. Doing it lawfully.
Beating the damn fool in the White House responsibly. Stopping his imperial rampaging. Besting him at his own game.
Doing it decisively. Now's the time to act. Second chances won't come easily. Humanity depends on the outcome. Its future hangs in the balance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Scoundrel Media War on Russia
Scoundrel Media War on Russia
by Stephen Lendman
Scoundrel media editors find new ways to embarrass themselves. They mock legitimate news and opinion.
They suppress it. They violate fundamental journalistic standards doing so.
They suck up to power. They support monied interests. They deplore popular ones. They endorse Western aggression. They do it repeatedly.
They blame victims for horrific US crimes committed against them. They condemn Putin for responsibly defending the safety and security of endangered Russian nationals.
Thank heavens he's around. He's the one world leader challenging the damn fool in the White House responsibly.
He's our best hope for world peace. He deserves worldwide support. His best efforts may not be enough.
Neocons infest Washington. They threaten everyone. The damn fool in the White House risks starting WW III.
His damn fool Secretary of State John Kerry said "we're now discussing all of the options."
He outrageously accused Russia of "aggression." No nation commits it more often against more nonbelligerent nations than America.
It wages one lawless war after another. It ravages and destroys countries doing so. Kerry is an unindicted war criminal. So is the damn fool in the White House.
They threaten world peace. They risk potential armageddon. Media scoundrels cheerlead what demands condemnation.
They denounce what demands praise. When America goes to war or plans one, they march in lockstep. They do it disgracefully.
New York Times editors stand out. They masquerade as legitimate journalists. They feature managed news misinformation rubbish.
They endorsed Ukrainian putschists. They ousted a democratically elected government. They did so with well-planned US help.
Stop NATO's Rick Rozoff called their coup the most overt one since Mussolini's 1922 march on Rome. It's no exaggeration. Nothing in recent memory matches their brazenness.
Times editors are mindless of mob rule governance. Fanatical putschists run things. They scare hell out of everyone paying attention.
Times editors turn a blind eye. Journalism the way it's supposed to be is verboten. On March 2, they headlined "Russia's Aggression."
They outrageously accused Putin of "exploit(ing) the Ukrainian crisis to seize control of Crimea (as well as) any other power grab he may be hatching."
They ludicrously claimed "an immediate threat to Ukrainian Russians is empty." Crimean self-defense volunteers already put down an attempt by Kiev infiltrators to seize government buildings.
Times editors ignore what refutes their arguments. They lied claiming Ukrainians in Crimea are endangered.
They have nothing to fear from responsible governance. Democrats in charge prioritize public safety.
Times editors wrongfully accused ousted President Viktor Yanukovych of coup plotter killings.
They murdered civilians in cold blood. They gunned down Kiev security forces. They did so in Independence Square.
Neo-Nazi snipers fired from rooftops. They operated from windows in nearby buildings. Everything that happened was well choreographed in advance.
Washington's dirty hands manipulated things. Obama bears full responsibility. He partnered with fascist thugs. He's got another imperial trophy.
Keeping it is another matter entirely. Ukrainians nationwide won't likely tolerate what's planned for them. Perhaps real revolutionary fervor will erupt.
Times editors are consistent. They're on the wrong side of history. They ignore facts. They bury them.
They make stuff up. They lie for power. They do it to defend the indefensible.
They lied claiming Putin wants "control over Crimea." He wants to "humiliate Ukraine," they said.
They want Obama, NATO and EU leaders challenging Putin "if (he) escalates his intervention in Ukraine."
He supports its sovereign independence. He opposes Washington's direct role in replacing democratic Ukrainian governance with mob rule fascists. Don't expect Times editors to explain.
Neocon Washington Post editors want more direct US intervention. They support ousting Syria's Assad forcibly. They endorse fascists usurping power in Ukraine.
They headlined "President Obama's foreign policy is based on fantasy." They bashed Assad, China's Xi Jinping and Putin.
They want Obama confronting them more aggressively. If he "doesn't make the case for global engagement, no one else" will for him, they said.
They claimed "the tide of democracy in the world" is "retrenching." They ignored Washington's direct role in subverting it at home and abroad.
In previous editorials, they barely stopped short of urging direct US intervention. They support Ukrainian fascists retaining power.
David Ignatius is one of many WaPo neocon columnists. He has longstanding close US intelligence ties. He's no journalist. He's a propagandist.
He openly favors arming anti-Assad death squads. He reports what Washington bullies want stressed.
Inconvenient facts are dismissed. Lies, damn lies and misinformation substitute. On March 2, he headlined "Putin's error in Ukraine is the kind that leads to catastrophe."
He lied claiming he "invad(ed) Crimea." He did no such thing. He'll deploy military forces to protect Russian nationals if needed. Any responsible leader would do the same thing.
Ignatius turned facts on their head. He claimed "former Soviet satellites" are "prosperous" EU members.
He ignored deepening poverty, unemployment and deprivation throughout its member states.
He ludicrously claimed countries making up the former Yugoslavia "emerged as strong democracies." Pro-Western puppet governments run them.
He blamed Yanukovych for fascist street thug crimes. They "courageous(ly) braved the cold and police brutality to protest," he said.
They committed cold-blooded murder. They ousted Ukraine's democratically elected government. They rule by brutal force. Don't expect Ignatius to explain.
He ludicrously envisions "a cascading chain of error that brings Russian troops deeper into Ukraine and sets the stage for civil war."
Putin wants it avoided. He's going all-out for stability and security. Fascist coup plotters will bear full responsibility if internal conflict erupts.
Ignatius is militantly hawkish. Obama "would be wise to seek to deter Russian aggression without specifying too clearly what the US ladder of escalation might be," he urged.
His commentary excluded what's most important for readers to know. Truth was systematically suppressed.
Wall Street Journal editors match the worst of outrageous opinion writers. Rupert Murdoch rules apply. On March 2, they headlined "Putin Declares War."
They lied saying he "seized Ukraine's Crimean peninsula by force (and) now has his sights on the rest of his Slavic neighbor."
"(B)razen aggression," they screamed. War threatens Europe's heartland "for the first time since the end of the Cold War," they claimed.
Post-WW II, it never once did until now. Washington's orchestrated coup ups the stakes. Obama threatens world peace.
Putin is the world's best chance to preserve it. Whether he's able deter possible US aggression remains to be seen.
Journal editors turned truth on its head. It's hard imagining more convoluted rubbish. They accused Putin of "moving to carve up Ukraine…"
They claim "a popular democratic uprising" toppled Yanukovych. They ignored a US-orchestrated fascist coup d'etat.
They called Russia's parliament "rubber-stamp." They lied accusing its members of "approv(ing) military intervention anywhere in Ukraine, which is nothing less than a declaration of war."
They called Obama's full responsibility for crisis conditions in Ukraine "made entirely in Moscow."
Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are world class diplomats. They're democrats. They're polar opposite Western fascists.
They're worthy Nobel Peace Prize nominees. They're more deserving than any other world leaders.
Nobel Committee members have their own system. They honor war criminals. Peacemakers needn't apply.
Journal editors write what responsible ones wouldn't touch. They claimed Putin seeks "entrench(ed) authoritarianism in client states."
He wants them "prevent(ed) from joining free Europe," they said. Freedoms in Western dominated areas are fast disappearing.
Neoliberal harshness is official policy. Ordinary people are ruthlessly exploited. Don't expect Journal editors to explain.
They lied claiming Russia's upper house Federation Council "approved (a) declaration of war."
They lied again calling Kiev's coup d'etat parliament democratic. They quoted Obama lying. He called Moscow's legitimate defense of Russian nationals a "breach of international law."
Journal editors urge aggressive anti-Russian measures. They want their officials targeted. They want Sixth Fleet warships patrolling Black waters close to Crimea.
Imagine their howls if Russian naval vessels entered the Gulf of Mexico. Imagine likely Washington countermeasures.
They want other NATO countries confronting Moscow. "Mr. Obama and the West must act," they said. They must do more "than merely threaten..."
They absurdly called Ukraine "a casualty of Mr. Obama's failure to enforce his 'red line' on Syria."
"Ukrainians can't be left alone to face Russia, and the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea can't be allowed to stand," they said.
They called Putin "the leading edge of what could quickly become a new world disorder."
Journal editors and commentators specialize in reinventing history. Their rubbish doesn't wash. They consistently turn truth on its head.
They suppress what readers most need to know. They disgrace themselves in the process.
A previous article quoted former Chicago columnist Mike Royko (1932 - 1997) saying: "No respectable fish would (want to) be wrapped in" a Murdoch paper. It's more than ever true now.
Ongoing crisis conditions persist. War winds threaten to become gale force. Potential East/West conflict is real.
Obama bears full responsibility if it erupts. Bellowing scoundrel media liars share it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Washington’s Arrogance, Hubris, and Evil Have Set the Stage for War
Washington’s Arrogance, Hubris, and Evil Have Set the Stage for War Paul Craig Roberts In some quarters public awareness is catching up with Stephen Lendman, Michel Chossudovsky, Rick Rozoff, myself and a few others in realizing the grave danger in…
The post Washington’s Arrogance, Hubris, and Evil Have Set the Stage for War appeared first on PaulCraigRoberts.org.
The Damn Fool in the White House
The Damn Fool in the White House
by Stephen Lendman
Geopolitical conditions today are incendiary. Obama's war on Syria rages. No end in sight looms.
Washington manipulated peace talks to fail. Odds favor full scale US intervention. Doing so risks regional war.
In late February, Israel bombed Hezbollah targets. It did so along Lebanon's border with Syria.
Hezbollah vowed to respond "at the appropriate time." It justifiably denounced "blatant" Israeli "aggression."
Washington and Israel partner in regional adventurism. Do Obama and Netanyahu want war on Lebanon? Are they planning regional conflict?
Will Iran be targeted? Will US-orchestrated Venezuelan violence continue? Will other nations be targeted for regime change?
The damn fool in the White House risks global war. Ukraine is a major flashpoint. Conditions today are the most dangerous since the 1962 missiles of October crisis.
Jack Kennedy was president. Early in his administration he changed from cold warrior to peacemaker.
He wanted all nuclear weapons abolished. He favored "general and complete disarmament." He wanted all US forces out of Vietnam by December 1965.
He wanted to "splinter the CIA in a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds."
After resolving the 1962 crisis, he said he "never had the slightest intention" of confronting Cuba or Soviet Russia aggressively.
The damn fool in the White House is no Jack Kennedy. Neocons infest his administration. Rogue elements make policy.
Ousting Ukraine's democratically elected government was planned long before violence erupted last November.
Obama partnered with neo-Nazis extremists. He's got a tiger by the tail. Millions of Ukrainians reject them. Expect millions more to join them once their agenda becomes apparent.
Eastern Ukraine is largely pro-Russian. Crimeans may choose independence. East/West tensions keep escalating.
The damn fool in the White House risks war. He outrageously warned Putin against intervening.
On Saturday, Russia's upper house Federation Council authorized use of military forces in Crimea.
Putin requested deployment permission to protect the safety of Russian nationals.
On Sunday, RIA Novosti reported "(l)arge movements of Russian troops...around the (Crimean) peninsula…"
Western media headlines lied. They screamed Russian invasion. The CIA-linked Washington Post claimed "Russian forces seize(d) Crimea."
Neo-Nazi coup d'etat interim Ukraine president Oleksandr Turchynov accused Russia of "direct aggression against the sovereignty of Ukraine."
Neocon WaPo editors headlined "Condemnation isn't enough for Russian actions in Crimea."
"Invasion," they screamed. They outrageously accused Putin of "provoking a separatist rebellion..."
Obama and EU partners "must act quickly to prevent Ukraine's dismemberment," they said.
They support Ukraine's illegitimate xenophobic, ultranationalist, anti-Semitic, neo-Nazi coup plotters. They demand Moscow recognize them.
They demand Obama order a "heavy price" otherwise. They want Western monied interests given a free hand to rape and pillage Ukraine. They barely stopped short of urging war.
On Saturday, Obama and Putin spoke for 90 minutes. The damn fool in the White House wrongfully accused him of breaching international law.
He threatened unspecified "costs." Washington won't participate in upcoming preparatory G-8 talks, he said. Russia risks political and economic isolation, he added.
Ukrainians have the right to determine their own future, he claimed. His orchestrated coup denies them entirely.
Putin won't be bullied. He won't roll over for Washington. He'll responsibly defend Russian interests.
He'll do so, he told Obama. He'll protect the safety and security of Crimean Russian nationals, he said. He'll do so in other eastern areas if needed.
Real threats exist. He'll address them responsibly. If violence threatens Russian nationals, he'll take "all necessary measures" against it.
He'll do so "within the framework of international law." He stressed the need to prevent crisis conditions from escalating. He expressed concern about Kiev ultranationalist putschists usurping power.
Security Council members held an emergency Saturday session. Vitaly Churkin is Russia's UN ambassador.
Crimean authorities requested Russian help, he said. Claims about invading Russian forces are false.
"In the eastern part of Ukraine and Crimea in particular, we have seen the emergence of people from Kiev with a clear intention of repeating what has been happening in the Western part of Ukraine," he said.
Coup plotters "want to replace regional governments," he stressed.
Radicalized elements control Kiev, he added. They replaced what remains of legitimate Ukrainian governance.
Churkin called on Security Council members to act responsibly. He wants them to tell Kiev elements to refrain from violence.
Gunmen attempts to seize control of Crimean government buildings were foiled, he explained.
Russia's Federation Council authorized limited stabilizing military forces "on the territory of Ukraine" until "socio-political" conditions "normal(ize)."
Putin hasn't yet ordered it, he said. Claims otherwise are false. Or that Russia intends using military force against Ukraine.
Churkin urged all sides act "with cool heads." He wants Security Council members to order reinstitution of the February 21 agreement.
He wants Ukraine's legitimate government respected. He recommended establishing national unity governance.
Events in Ukraine remain fluid. Voice of Russia (VOR) reported mass defections from Ukraine's military serving in Crimea.
Deployed units are joining local self-defense forces. Soldiers doing so reject Kiev putschists. They resigned from Ukraine's military. Key is what its commanders do ahead.
At the same time, thousands of pro-Moscow supporters rallied in eastern Ukrainian cities. They back Russia's anti-Kiev position.
On Saturday, RT.com headlined "Ukrainian Navy flagship takes Russia's side - report."
The Hetman Sahaidachny reportedly refused to follow Kiev orders. It hoisted the Russian flag.
Federation Council member Igor Morozov said it "c(ame) over to our side today." The move came after Ukraine's "Navy command resigned Friday," said RT.
Coup d'etat president Aleksandr Turchinov appointed Rear Admiral Denis Berezovsky new navy chief.
He defected straightaway. "I, Berezovksy Denis, swear allegiance to the Crimean people and pledge to protect them, as required by (military) regulations.," he said.
The Hetman Sahaidachny headed home to Sevastopol after taking part in a Yanukovych authorized counter-piracy operation with NATO and the EU.
On Saturday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev spoke to his illegitimate Ukrainian counterpart, Arseniy Yatsenyuk. He urged both sides prioritize stability.
He said Russia reserves the right to protect "the lawful interests of citizens and servicemen deployed in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea."
If needed, Russian forces "have the right to act in the framework of the mandate issued by the Federation Council to the president," he added.
Ukrainian officials act irresponsibly "if they make unlawful decisions on the use of force against Russian citizens," he stressed.
On Sunday, Ukraine's coup d'etat parliament held an emergency closed-door session. Reports suggest martial law may be imposed.
Neo-Nazis operate this way. Rule of law principles don't matter. Imposed tyranny ups the stakes further.
It remains to be seen how western Ukrainians react. Expect eastern ones to ignore Kiev diktats. What happens then is up for grabs.
On Sunday, Crimean Prime Minister Vladimir Konstantinov told Kiev to stay out of Crimea's business.
"You in Kiev sort it out between yourselves, and we will deal with the republic's problems," he said.
Most Crimean law enforcement and military officials feel the same way, he added. They support local defense forces.
They want protection from anti-Russian elements. Konstantinov warned Kiev against forcefully trying to usurp control in Crimea as well as other areas resisting its authority.
On March 2, Ukraine's Belgorod Governor Yevgeny Savchenko said three pro-Russian regions reported increasing refugee flows.
Thousands from southern, eastern and central Ukraine came to Belgorod. They reject Kiev authority. They're concerned for their safety.
Rostov Region Governor Vasily Golubev said Ukrainians no longer feel safe in their country. Bryansk Region Governor Nikolay Denin said the same thing.
Russia's Federal Border Guard Service estimates around 675,000 Ukrainians sought refuge in Russia in January and February.
Expect many thousands more to join them. Chaotic conditions drive them to seek safety.
On Saturday, Russian immigration authorities reported 143,000 asylum requests in a two week period. They promised expedited processing of their requests.
According to Federal Migration Service citizenship department head Valentina Kazakova:
"The tragic events in Ukraine have sharply increased the number of applications to regional migration authorities."
"People are bewildered, frightened and despondent, she added.
Increasing numbers of Ukrainians living in Russia are applying for citizenship.
The neocon infested Project for the New American Century (PNAC) renamed itself the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI).
Its directors and staff include a rogue's gallery of hard-right extremists. They deplore peace. They crave war. On March 1, they issued a statement on Russia's so-called "intervention in Ukraine."
They lied claiming "Putin has violated Ukrainian sovereignty..." Obama 'warned' him, they said. '(T)here will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine,' he said.
FPI rogues want Obama to "lead the world (in) impos(ing) (them) and to ensure his bullying fails."
They demand Putin renege on his promise to protect Crimean Russian nationals.
They want John Kerry and Chuck Hagel to visit Kiev. They want them to "show solidarity" with its neo-Nazi coup d'etat government.
They want bilateral US/Russian discussions suspended unrelated to ongoing events.
They want financial sanctions imposed on Russian officials.
They want NATO member states having the option of abandoning NATO-Russia Founding Act of 1997 provisions.
They include prohibiting NATO force deployments in former Warsaw Pact countries. Ten, including former Soviet republics, are NATO member nations.
"It is critical that the United States and the international community make clear to President Putin that his military intervention in Ukraine is unacceptable, and will isolate the Russian government diplomatically, politically and economically," said FPI.
"Failure to do so will only reward President Putin's indefensible and dangerous actions, and could embolden him to take further actions towards Ukraine and its neighbors."
Obama's administration is infested with FPI type extremists. How he'll respond to events remains to be determined.
At stake is world peace. Will the damn fool in the White House undermine it further? His track record isn't encouraging.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukrainian Neo-Nazis Mobilize for War
Ukrainian Neo-Nazis Mobilize for Warby Stephen LendmanWhen inmates run the asylum, anything is possible. Chaos is likely.Obama's Ukrainian allies include a rogue's gallery of societal misfits. They're militant fascists. They're thugs. They're criminals...
Israel Accused of War Crimes in West Bank
Israel Accused of War Crimes in West Bankby Stephen LendmanAmnesty International's (AI) new report is blunt. It's titled "Trigger-Happy: Israel's Use of Excessive Force in the West Bank." It begins saying:"Out of nowhere many soldiers jumped out and am...
Obama Warns Russia
Obama Warns Russiaby Stephen LendmanThe damn fool in the White House risks a potentially serious East/West confrontation. He bears full responsibility for toppling Ukraine's democratically elected government. He's criminally in league with fascist...
Turmoil in Ukraine
Turmoil in Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
Ongoing events are scary. Everyone should be worried. Reports reveal heightened tensions. Conditions resemble nations preparing for war.
On March 1, Voice of Russia (VOR) said Ukraine's border guard ships are on "battle alarm" at sea. "(E)xtreme measures (are being taken) to avert the seizure of a territory in Sevastopol."
Valentina Matviyenko is Russia's highest ranking female politician. She chairs its upper parliamentary Federation Council.
Under ongoing "circumstances," she said, "we might send a limited contingent of troops to ensure security of the Black Sea Fleet and Russian national residing in Crimea."
"Surely, it's up to the president to decide as he is commander-in-chief, but we don't rule out such a scenario. We must protect our compatriots."
Russian senators visited Crimea. They briefed their colleagues. Moscow can't be indifferent to the security and safety of its nationals, she added.
Lower house State Duma speaker Sergei Naryshkin asked Putin "to take measures to stabilize the situation in Crimea and use all available possibilities to protect the population of Crimea from lawlessness and violence."
Interim Ukraine coup d'etat defense minister Igor Tenyukh formerly headed Ukraine's navy.
In 2010, Yanukovych sacked him. He did so for initiating hostile action against Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
During Georgia's 2008 aggression against South Ossetia, he ordered Ukrainian ships to block Sevastopol waters. Russia's Black Sea Fleet was involved in "forcing Georgia to come to peace."
On Friday, Tenyukh accused Russia of invading Ukraine. Interim coup d’etat prime minister Arseny Yatseniuk said the country won't be "drawn into a military conflict by Russian provocations in the Crimea region."
On the one hand, his words ring hollow. Ukraine's military is no match against Russia's. It's unclear which side its commanders favor. They could intervene to impose their own authority.
Vladimir Chizhov is Russia's EU ambassador. He responded to Ukrainian accusations, saying:
"There are no troops whatsoever (in Crimea), no Russian troops at least."
Asked why "self-defense" groups were formed, he added:
"They have been hearing threats that so-called 'friendship trains' loaded with armed supporters of the Kiev Maidan were on their way to Crimea. Naturally the local population is worried."
He dismissed John Kerry's bluster, saying:
"The US with its tradition of interfering in other countries and sending troops overseas, may be acting according to its own mentality, I would say."
"But this is not a case of Russian interference. Actually many people in Russia are asking questions about why is the Russian government keeping such a low profile."
Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said:
"We have an agreement with Ukraine on the presence of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, and we have been acting within the framework of" its provisions.
It's dated April 21, 2010. Presidents of both countries signed it. It permits the presence of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea.
Throughout Ukraine's crisis, Putin remained uncharacteristically quiet. On Saturday, he asked Russia's Federation Council to authorize use of armed forces in Ukraine.
He issued a statement, saying:
"Due to the emergency situation in Ukraine and a threat being posed to the lives of Russian nationals, our compatriots, and the Russian military contingent stationed in Ukraine (the Autonomous Republic of Crimea) in compliance with international agreements, I ask the Federation Council for permit to use Russian armed forces on the territory of Ukraine until social and political situation in the country stabilizes."
Under Article 102 of Russia's Constitution, Federation Council members are responsible for deciding whether to deploy government troops externally.
On Saturday, at 11:23 EST, they voted unanimously to do so. More on this below.
America's Sixth Fleet ships were detected in the Black Sea heading for Crimean waters.
At the same time, unconfirmed reports suggest NATO forces arrived in western Ukraine's Lviv region. They came to protect the US-installed coup d'etat government.
It's unclear how Ukraine's military will respond. NATO's presence suggests concern about whether its commanders remain loyal to Yanukovych.
What's ongoing raises the stakes for a dangerous East/West confrontation. Perhaps it makes Crimean independence more likely. Perhaps eastern and southern Ukraine will break away.
The Security Council met on Saturday. Members "discuss(ed) the situation in Ukraine," according to an informed source.
They met on Friday. Ukrainian permanent representative, Yuri Sergeyev, urged its members to consider the Crimean situation "most seriously."
EU ambassadors are meeting in Brussels. They're discussing Ukraine ahead of an emergency Monday Foreign Affairs Council meeting.
NATO called an emergency Monday meeting. At issue is Ukraine's deteriorating situation.
Russia's Federation Council asked for Russia's US ambassador to be recalled. Russian Federation Council Deputy Chair Yuri Vorobyov called Obama a "direct threat" to the Russian Republic.
He crossed a "red line," he said. He "insulted the Russian people...We know that Maidan fighters were trained in Lithuania and Poland," he added.
"Now they want to take their activities to eastern regions of Ukraine and Crimea."
Federation Council member Vyacheslav Shtyrov expressed similar sentiments. "(E)vents occurring in Ukraine are the upshot of the extensive work that was done with the participation of foreign countries," he said.
"The US played a major role." Strings are pulled in Washington. Plans were made well before violence erupted last November.
Federation Council chair Valentina Matviyenko instructed the Committee on International Relations "to prepare an appeal to (Putin) without delay and send it to (him). (He'll) consider it and make the decision," she said.
The damn fool in the White House governs by Washington rules. Monied interests control him. They benefit hugely.
He opened a can or worms. He's getting more than he bargained for.
How he'll respond remains to be seen. Putin won't roll over for him. He'll defend vital Russian interests.
A previous article suggested Ukraine may be his red line. For sure, in Crimea to protect Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
On Saturday, thousands of Crimeans marched through Simferopol streets. They displayed large Russian tricolor flags.
They chanted pro-Russian slogans. They carried posters reading "No to fascism." "No to Nazism."
Russian flags were raised in Odessa, Kharkov and other Ukrainian cities. Battle lines increasingly are drawn.
Will the damn fool in the White House blunder into more mistakes than already? Will he challenge Russia more irresponsibly than what's he's foolishly done?
An email to a valued ally suggested he may make Custer look brilliant by comparison. He only had his forces routed.
Obama risks humanity. The damn fool in the White House may dare go where angels fear to tread.
A previous article said impeaching him is a national imperative. It's more urgent now than ever. He's guilty of multiple high crimes. They're too grave to ignore.
He's beholden to interests risking armageddon. He's heading America for possible WW III.
Stopping him at all costs matters most. The only solution is nonviolent revolution. US citizens are constitutionally empowered to resist.
They're entitled to challenged their government responsibly. Francis Boyle calls civil resisters our "sheriffs." Washington's criminal element are "outlaws."
They "disobeyed fundamental principles of international law as well as US criminal law, and thus committed international crimes and US domestic crimes as well as impeachable violations of the United States Constitution," said Boyle.
"The American people must insist upon the impeachment, dismissal, resignation, indictment, conviction, and long-term incarceration of all US government officials guilty of such heinous international and domestic crimes."
Accountability goes straight to the top. No one remains unaccountable. Those highest up are most culpable. Chop off the head and the snake dies.
We the people must act. Institutionalized tyranny threatens everyone. Humanity may not survive Obama's second term.
The damn fool in the White House isn't savvy enough to get it. He doesn't understand the irresponsible risks he's taking. He's manipulated by dark forces controlling him.
It bears repeating what previous article stressed. Today is the most perilous time in world history.
Imagine the worst of all possible outcomes. If that's not motivation enough to resist, what is?
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukraine: Potential Flashpoint for Global War
Ukraine: Potential Flashpoint for Global Warby Stephen LendmanObama heads the most recklessly dangerous regime in world history. It's ruthless. It's lawless. It's out-of-control. It's reincarnated Nazism writ large. War on humanity is the new norm...
Turning the World Right Side Up
Turning the World Right Side Upby Stephen LendmanLawless imperial rampaging turns it upside down. America is the main world belligerent. War on humanity is longstanding policy. So is replacing all sovereign independent governments with pro-US vass...
Hardened Racism in Israel
Hardened Racism in Israelby Stephen LendmanIsraeli racism already is institutionalized. On February 24, it got meaner. Fascist Knesset members approved legislation distinguishing between Muslim and Christian Arab citizens.At issue is separate and less ...
Obama’s Dirty Hands Manipulating Venezuelan Violence
Obama's Dirty Hands Manipulating Venezuelan Violenceby Stephen LendmanHe wants Venezuela looking like Ukraine. He wants fascists replacing democrats. He wants Washington dictating Venezuelan policy.He's mindless of what most Venezuelans cherish. Boliva...
Escalating East/West Tensions
Escalating East/West Tensionsby Stephen LendmanUkraine is ground zero. It's the most important former Soviet republic. It's a geopolitical prize. The struggle for its soul continues.US-supported fascists usurped power in Kiev. Most eastern Ukrainians r...
Cheerleading Ukrainian Fascism
Cheerleading Ukrainian Fascismby Stephen LendmanMajor media scoundrels praise what demands condemnation. They reinvent history doing it. Managed news misinformation substitutes for legitimate journalism. More on this below.Ukraine's fascist coup agains...
Scoundrel Media Putin Bashing
Scoundrel Media Putin Bashingby Stephen LendmanIt's relentless. It never quits. It's for any reason or none at all. Cold War geopolitics never ended.Since Soviet Russia's 1991 dissolution, Western policy remained hard-wired in place. Putin defends...
Obama Includes Iranian Missiles in Nuclear Talks
Obama Includes Iranian Missiles in Nuclear Talks
by Stephen Lendman
Netanyahu obsesses over a nonexistent Iranian nuclear threat. At his Sunday cabinet meeting, he railed again saying:
"Iran will practically realize its plan to become a nuclear threshold state, with enrichment (capability), and the ability to develop intercontinental missiles."
"This combination of enrichment, weapons, and the ability to launch missiles creates a situation where Iran gets everything and gives nothing."
Reality is polar opposite his rant. Tehran's program is entirely peaceful. It has no military component.
Washington knows it. So do EU partners. Netanyahu manufactures threats. He claims an ballistic missile one. Doing so serves his agenda.
Tehran has missiles able "to target Europe and the US (with) a nuclear payload," he railed.
He replicates Obama. Both leaders are serial liars. Nothing they say has credibility. They know Iran poses no existential threat.
They know its nuclear program is entirely peaceful. It doesn't stop them from lying.
Israel wants unchallenged regional dominance. Iran is its major rival. It's gaining influence at Israel's expense.
Netanyahu wants things reversed. He got Obama to include Iranian missiles in nuclear talks.
Doing so violates agreed on Joint Plan of Action (JPA) terms. Obama already violated them twice. Demanding missiles be discussed is a third time.
It remains to be seen how Iran reacts. Its government has gone all-out to negotiate responsibly. It's put up with more US abuse than most others ever would.
It'll take so much and no more. It wants genuine rapprochement. It won't sacrifice its sovereign rights pursuing it.
Odds favor it rejecting this demand. Or others violating JPA agreed on terms. Obama has other ideas.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said Iranians "have to deal with matters related to their ballistic missile program."
He claimed Security Council Resolution 1929 authority. On June 9, 2010, it imposed new sanctions. It prohibits nuclear weapons ballistic missile capability.
It forbids Iran from "undertak(Ing) any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology, and that States shall take all necessary measures to prevent the transfer of technology or technical assistance to Iran related to such activities."
Carney lied claiming Iran agreed in JPA terms. Not according to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Tehran's missile program is excluded from nuclear talks. Demanding it be included is provocative. It violates an Iranian red line.
"Nothing except Iran's nuclear activities will be discussed" in P5 + 1 talks, Zarif stressed. Both sides mutually agreed in Geneva.
Changing procedure in mid-negotiations won't be tolerated. Doing so shows Washington't real intentions.
Obama doesn't want longstanding Iranian hostility ended. He could have done so straightaway when entering office.
In May 2009, he promised "hope," "change," peace, and "a new era of openness" among other pledges.
His June 2009 Cairo speech promised a "new beginning" in US/Muslim global relations. He called it one "based on mutual interest and mutual respect..."
"(B)ased upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, or need be in competition."
"Indeed, they…share common principles...of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings."
His comments were demagogic boilerplate. Straightaway in office, he declared war on Islam. He waged it ever since. He continues it today. He does so at home and abroad.
Muslims are public enemies number one. Obama exterminated millions in office. His comment about "support(ing) reform throughout the region" was code language for business as usual.
His "historic opportunity" for change belied waging war on humanity. It continues unabated.
His Cairo speech concealed his scheme to exploit this resource-rich part of the world. Iran ranks third in global oil reserves.
It's second to Russia in gas resources. It's a prize Big Oil predators covet. Ongoing nuclear talks may be more subterfuge than real.
Demanding Iranian missiles be included may end up subverting them. JPA provisions refer only to "addressing the UN Security Council resolutions with a view toward bringing to a satisfactory conclusion (its) consideration of this matter."
They call for forming a "Joint Commission (to) work with the IAEA to facilitate resolution of past and present issues of concern."
They say nothing about Iran's missile program. Or any other weapons system. At issue only are "possible military dimensions" of Iran's nuclear program."
Its Panchin facility activities are mentioned with respect to any potential nuclear connection. No evidence suggests it.
Israel demands Iran's missile program be included in nuclear talks. On February 20, Haaretz said:
"One of the main issues to be determined is the question of whether to include Iran's ballistic missile program in list of topics to be discussed during the final-status negotiations."
"While the world powers demand the inclusion of the missile program, saying this falls under the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, the Iranians insist on excluding the missile program as an area unrelated to the nuclear issue."
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman heads US negotiations with Iran.
On Friday, she briefed Israeli officials. She met with Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz, Security Advisor Yossi Cohen and Foreign Ministry Deputy General in charge of arms control, Jeremy Issacharoff.
Before talks began, she spoke with French and British representatives. They coordinated their positions.
They stressed issues Israel calls most important. Steinitz said Iran's missile program must be part of final status (permanent agreement) talks.
He stressed Israel's opposition to any nuclear enrichment on Iranian soil. He demands what JPA provisions don't stipulate.
So do anti-Iranian congressional hardliners. Robert Corker (R. TN) is Senate Republican ranking Foreign Relations Committee member.
On February 4, he challenged Sherman, asking:
"Why did you not...address (Iran's) delivery mechanisms, the militarizing of nuclear arms?"
"Why was that left off since (Tehran, he baselessly claims,) breached a threshold everyone acknowledges?"
Sherman accepted his lie saying final agreement discussions will include what he wishes. It "has to be addressed as part of a comprehensive agreement," she stressed.
At the same time, she admitted that preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon "makes delivery systems almost...irrelevant."
Is Washington trying to sabotage final agreement talks? Will EU partners go along.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybakov said Moscow "considers that a comprehensive agreement must concern only and exclusively with the restoration of trust in a purely peaceful intention of Iran's nuclear program."
In other words, he suggested Russia won't support efforts to include discussions on Iran's missile program. It's not part of JPA. It can't be included belatedly.
In the 1990s, General Uzi Rubin headed Israel's Missile Defense Organization. He remains active at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
He says claims about Iran's missile program are wrong. Conventional ones are prioritized. They aim to destroy specific targets.
Nothing indicates an Iranian missile program designed to deliver nuclear weapons. Claims otherwise are fabricated.
Expect lots more from Israel and Washington. Expect Iran to defend its rights. Whether it's enough to agree on final status terms remains to be seen.
Expect Israel to go all-out to prevent it. Obama may have the same objective in mind. By around mid-year, we'll know one way or another.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
New York Times: Supporting US Imperial Lawlessness
New York Times: Supporting US Imperial Lawlessnessby Stephen LendmanIt bears repeating what previous articles stressed. All the news Times editors call fit to print isn't fit to read.Managed news misinformation substitutes for truth and full disclosure...
Israel Bombs Syrian/Lebanese Border
Israel Bombs Syrian/Lebanese Borderby Stephen LendmanWashington and Israel are longstanding imperial partners. Netanyahu supports Obama's war on Syria.He bombed Syria at least six times last year. Obama defended his lawlessness. Syria poses no threat. ...
Police State Ukraine
Police State Ukraineby Stephen LendmanWhat kind of government establishes itself by force? What kind does it extrajudicially? What kind of legitimacy do ultranationalist, xenophobic, neo-Nazi, anti-Semites have? What kind substitutes unrestrained ...
Wall Street Journal Reinvented History
Wall Street Journal Reinvented History
by Stephen Lendman
Mary O'Grady a Wall Street Journal columnist. She's one of its editorial board members. She's a Rupert Murdoch favorite. She's a neocon propagandist. She defends the indefensible.
She masquerades as a journalist. Her reinvented history doesn't wash. It doesn't pass the smell test. Her background gives her away.
Earlier she worked for Advest, Inc., Thomson McKinnon Securities and Merrill Lynch. She's associated with the neocon Heritage Foundation.
She co-edits its so-called Index of Economic Freedom. It's what most people worldwide deplore.
She's a right-wing Liberty Fund (LF) board of directors member. It's an extremist over-the-top organization.
In his book "The Assault on Reason," Al Gore said judges attending its seminars and conferences "are generally responsible for writing the most radical pro-corporate, anti-environmental, and activist decisions."
JF and likeminded groups don't "provid(e) unbiased judicial education," he added.
"They are giving multi-thousand-dollar vacations to federal judges to promote their radical right-wing agenda at the expense of the public interest."
O'Grady's reinvented history wins awards. They include the Inter American press Association's David Gleaner Award, the International Policy Network's Bastiat Prize, and the Association of Private Enterprise Education's Thomas Jefferson award.
Worst of the worst grand prize suits her best. Her reinvented history makes yellow journalism look good by comparison. She's ideologically over-the top and then some.
On February 23, she headlined "Behind the Turmoil in Venezuela." She lied calling Hugo Chavez a "dictator." She was just warming up. More on her diatribe below.
Washington-manipulated violence has been ongoing for weeks. Fascist US allies are involved. So are CIA operatives and State Department funded groups.
Middle class students were enlisted. Street thugs are paid to riot. Obama wants Venezuela's democratic government toppled.
He wants pro-Western stooge governance replacing it. He wants Bolivarian social justice crushed.
He wants control over Venezuela's oil. Its reserves are the world's largest. He wants another independent country plundered for profit.
Not according to O'Grady. She wrongfully accused President Nicolas Maduro of "unleash(ing) a wave of terror across the country."
"…National Guard (forces) and police went on a tear, firing their weapons indiscriminately, beating civilians, raiding suspected student hid-outs, destroying private property and launching tear-gas canisters."
Fact check
Since Chavez took office in February 1999, Washington went all-out to remove him. Political, economic and street violence destabilization schemes followed.
In early February, right-wing manipulated anti-government student protests began in San Cristobal. They erupted elsewhere. They turned violent.
Washington's dirty hands work this way. Violence continues disruptively. Scoundrel media misinformation accuses Maduro irresponsibly.
He's doing his job. He's defending his country. He's protecting his people. Opposition provocateurs want "injuries and deaths," he said.
He justifiably calls them fascists. He points fingers the right way. He knows Washington's dirty hands are involved. He forthrightly explains what's happening.
Professor Steve Ellner calls Washington's strategy "a wearing out…low intensity war." It may work, he believes.
He compared it to Reagan's 1980s Contra wars. A decade of fighting ended Nicaragua's Sandinista governance.
Weary voters had enough. They elected US-funded Violeta Chamorro. Will Venezuelans succumb the same way? Time alone will tell.
Bolarianism appears too institutionalized to subvert. It's hugely popular. It greatly benefits most Venezuelans.
Street violence occurs largely in middle class areas. Residents may tire of battleground tactics short of achieving objectives sought. Their staying power has limits, Ellner believes.
Venezuela is special, he adds. It's "in the center of world attention." It's a Bolivarian success. It's a model democracy. It enjoys majority citizen support. It's likely too strong to undermine. The fullness of time will tell.
O'Grady never quits. She makes stuff up. It doesn't rise to the level of bad fiction.
One canard follows others. "...Cuban intelligence runs the Venezuelan state security apparatus," she claims.
Venezuela's opposition isn't getting enough help from regional countries, she adds. Only right-wing governments in Colombia, Chile and Panama expressed support. According to O'Grady:
"The rest of the hemisphere doesn't have even a passing interest in human rights when the violations come from the left."
She claims Organization of American States (OAS) head Jose Miguel "shill(s) for Cuba."
OAS history is long and shameful. It usually "shills" for Washington. It's headquartered there. It often defiles the democratic institutions it's mandated to promote.
Its former leaders included father and son Duvalier in Haiti, Guatemalan fascist Rios Montt, Chile's Pinochet, an array of Mexican despots, Fujimori and likeminded Peruvian ones, Nicaragua's Somoza, Cuba's Batista, and various other regional democracy-spurning leaders.
Instead of combatting state terrorism as mandated, member countries at times practice it to some degree or largely turn a blind eye to what demands denunciation.
None have economic systems approaching Bolivarian fairness.
At the same time, US influence waned. According to James Petras:
"The weakening influence of imperial propaganda and the declining economic leverage of Washington, means that the US imperial networks built over the past half century are being eroded or at least subject to centrifugal forces."
"The economic crises of the late 1990s led to major uprisings and electoral defeats of practically all US clients in Latin America, spelling the decline of US imperial domination."
Imperial excess has a limited shelf life. America has been in decline for decades. Its military might alone is unchallenged. Its rogue agenda makes more enemies than friends.
"Venezuelans seeking change face daunting odds," says O'Grady. She omits what's most important to explain.
Most Venezuelans want US destabilization ended. They want their sovereign rights respected.
O'Grady called Washington's 2002 aborted coup "a march in Caracas (that) almost unseated Chavez."
She implied that state repression foiled it. Overwhelmingly popular support gets credit.
"This time the repression has been fierce," she claimed. She wrongfully blamed Maduro for responsibly confronting street thug violence. No leader would tolerate criminal elements terrorizing ordinary people.
According to O'Grady, "Maduro needs scapegoats for the violence he unleashed." She accused him of electoral fraud. She claimed "strong evidence (proving his) election (was) stolen."
None whatever exists. Venezuela is a model democracy. Jimmy Carter called its electoral system "the world's best." Independent monitors confirm what's incontrovertible.
Venezuela's system shames America's process. Monied interests run it. Voters have no say. For sure not now. America is a democracy in name only. None whatever exists.
Protesters are "hamstrung by a communications blockade," claims O'Grady.
Venezuela has the region's most open, free media system. It's predominantly privately controlled. Government criticism is commonplace.
Not according to O'Grady. "The government controls all Venezuelan television and radio airwaves." It manages news reporting, she claims.
It justifiably challenges incendiary misinformation support. All responsible governments would do the same thing.
Venezuela is strong and resilient. O'Grady called it "bankrupt..Many resent the Cuban occupation," she claimed. (N)o one should underestimate (it's) comparative advantage: repression," she added.
No respectable publisher would touch her rubbish. It's polar opposite reality. She turns truth on its head. She does so consistently.
She's entirely one-sided. She ignores plain-as-day facts. She's what this writer calls a paid liar. She supports what demands denunciation.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israel Targets Palestinian Children
Israel Targets Palestinian Children
by Stephen Lendman
Imagine waging war on kids. Imagine doing it no-holds-bared. A joint Four Corners/The Australian broadsheet investigation discusses ruthless Israeli treatment.
Palestinian boys are targeted. Beatings, arrests, detentions and torture follow. More on it below.
In November 2011, the weekend Australian magazine headlined "Stone cold justice," saying:
"You hear them before you see them." You hear "a shuffle of shoes and a clinking of handcuffs and shackles."
Four boys look bewildered in an Israeli military courtroom. Palestinians are denied civil justice.
"They wear brown prison overalls..." They're treated like hardened criminals. Military injustice awaits them. Guilt by accusation follows.
A new "Stone Cold Justice" report updated the earlier one. Australian lawyer Gerard Horton is involved.
He's trying to help arrested Palestinian boys. Three are discussed. More on them below.
Hundreds of Palestinians are mistreated annually. They're lawlessly arrested and detained. Children young as five are terrorized. They're too young to know why.
Imagine facing prison for stone-throwing. Imagine it awaiting hundreds whether or not they're guilty as charged.
Imagine being systematically abused. Imagine violating their fundamental rights. Imagine Israel doing it contemptuously. Imagine no way to stop it.
Israeli military court prosecutions produce nearly 100% convictions. Virtually no Palestinian is found innocent. Children are abusively treated. Some end up in adult prisons.
Trials are short as 60 seconds of less. Guilt pronouncements and sentencings complete them. Independent observers say they never saw anything like it anywhere.
Israel wants what goes on suppressed. Most Palestinians are lawlessly charged. They're coerced to confess. They're terrorized.
They're severely tortured. They're forced to sign Hebrew confessions they don't understand. They're brutalized until they agree.
Israel's criminal injustice system is like Guantanamo for kids. Many don't understand what's happening. Families can't intervene to help. Nor legal counsel except to plea bargain.
It bears repeating. Once charged, guilt by accusation follows. There's no escape. Generations of Palestinians have been abused this way. It's been ongoing for nearly half a century.
Gross mistreatment leaves lasting scars. Traumas don't go away. Emotional harm lasts. For many it's for a lifetime.
Imagine treating young children like hardened criminals. Imagine denying them due process. Imagine no judicial fairness. Imagine Nazism writ large.
Israel is a lawless police state. It's one of the world's most ruthless. Palestinians are targeted for being non-Jews. Praying to the wrong God is considered terrorism. So is self-defense.
Stone Cold Justice focuses on three Palestinian boys. Two were arrested in the middle of the night. They were taken to unknown locations. According to one boy's mother:
"Every soldier stood at the door of a room. I (addressed one of them saying) "What do you want with him?
He said 'Shut up woman.' And then they started hitting him and pulling him out of bed."
Her son said "(t)hey started kicking (him) with their boots in (his) stomach, slaps on (his) face. They pulled (him) up by (his) t-shirt and took (him) out of bed."
Israel calls this maintaining security. Palestinians call it institutionalized persecution. Enforced ruthlessness makes life intolerable.
"(T)hey want to kick us out out of here and drive us away because they don't want Arabs in this area."
Israel's Foreign Ministry lies claiming otherwise. Ethnic cleansing is longstanding Israeli policy. So is maximum land theft with minimum Arabs.
UNICEF released a scathing report. It said "children (are) threatened with death, physical violence, solitary confinement and sexual assault."
Other reports say the same things and more. Four Corners said "Palestinian children have more to fear than the Israeli army."
Reporter John Lyons (presented) clear evidence that "Israeli settlers in the West Bank regularly attack Palestinian school children, knowing authorities will not intervene."
On February 10, Stone Cold Justice aired. Presenter Kerry O'Brien discussed "a new generation of hatred in the making."
Imagine heavily armed soldiers making middle-of-the-night raids. Imagine it in Australia or any civilized society. Imagine arresting young children in their beds.
Imagine beating and kicking them. Imagine cuffing and blindfolding them. Imagine ordering parents not to intervene.
Imagine military prisons with young kids in shackles. Imagine isolating them from society outside. Imagine brutal interrogations.
Imagine no-holds-barred torture. Imagine forcing innocent kids to confess. Imagine brutalizing them until they do. Imagine the worst crimes against humanity.
Imagine hundreds of Palestinian children mistreated this way annually. Lyons said imagine a "peaceful evening in a small Palestinian village. A 14-year-old boy and his family sleep."
Vehicles arrive in the middle of the night. Soldiers are making a raid. Asai Zamara is targeted. He's a young teenager.
Soldiers claim he threw stones. He insists he did nothing wrong. It doesn't help. An "18 day nightmare" begins.
Qsai Zamara: "There was this big machine with all the electric wires in it, connected to the electricity. He wanted to give me electric shock with it."
"He would throw me on the ground and hit me, things like that. He also had a whip with a hose which he hit me with."
John Lyons: "Fathi Mahfouz would spend the next 82 days in prison - beginning with an interrogation."
He's 15 years old. He's innocent. Accusations were baseless. It didn't matter. He was brutalized to confess.
Faithi Mahfouz: "They were holding electric batons and they hit me with them. One of the officers lifted up his mask."
"They all had charcoal on their faces and their eyes were black. He would talk to me and frown at me to scare me and he hit me. He gave me electric shocks."
Horton said interrogators "started yelling at him and then (he) was placed on some sort of wooden device on the wall, similar in shape to a cross, although if had two legs."
His hands and legs were shackled to it. He was left there that way for hours. Faithi said "(b)ecause of all the shaking, a piece of wood snapped."
An interrogator kept hitting him. He asked "(d)on't you want to confess?" Faithi said he wouldn't "confess to something (he) didn't do."
Beatings continued to force him. After five hours, he was released from the structure.
He was in pain, he said. "Then white foam started coming out of my mouth. Two men came and took me to first aid."
"Then my chest was cramped. I couldn't breathe. They took me to the same area I was in, to the same building, there was this small clinic."
"He took me in and asked me 'Where's the pain?' Then he'd press on it and hit it, and make fun of me."
John Lyons: "As a 14-year old, Islam Dar Ayyoub (faced) Israel's security services."
Islam Dar Ayyoub: "He told me 'Here, sign this paper.' I told him 'It's in Hebrew and I can't read Hebrew. Can you read it to me?' "
"He said 'It's for your release. You need to sign it.' After I signed it at the court, I was surprised to find out it was a confession paper."
Hundreds of Palestinian boys face this type injustice annually. Attorney Gerard Horton is leading a campaign against systemic Israeli injustice.
Horton: Middle-of-the-night arrests have "a paralyzing effect on whole communities..."
State-sponsored "fear…makes this system work so effectively well with relatively few soldiers on the ground..."
It makes occupation harshness "cost-effective." It's ruthless state terror on the cheap. It's standard Israeli practice.
Israeli officials and spokespersons consistently lie. They claim no such policies exist. Irrefutable evidence proves otherwise. Denials ring hollow.
Maintaining security is a ruse. No violence exists except what Israel inflicts. Rogue states operate this way. Israel is one of the world's worst.
It's hard imaging policies more extreme. Police state ruthlessness describes it.
Horton: "So take a situation involving two children in the West Bank throwing stones, one a Palestinian child, one an Israeli child living in the settlements."
"The Palestinian child will be prosecuted in a military jurisdiction with far fewer rights and protections, whereas his Israeli counterpart, living sometimes 500 metres away, will be prosecuted in a juvenile justice system which meets international standards and complies, is a sort of system you would expected in any western-style democracy."
Prosecuting settler children or adults is almost unheard of. Rare exceptions prove the rule. Slap-on-the-wrist punishments at most follow.
Palestinians are fair game. To understand their mistreatment, "come to Hebron," said Lyons.
It's the largest West Bank Palestinian city. Around 800 settlers live in its center. They're surrounded by 180,000 Palestinians.
"The effect of Israel's occupation is obvious. (Hebron's center) is a ghost town. Israeli soldiers (prevent) Palestinians (from) walk(ing) along these streets."
They've been forced out of buildings. They've been ethnically cleansed. They're denied all rights. They have no recourse.
A Palestinian man wanted to visit his father's grave. Soldiers prevented him.
Lyons witnessed Israeli soldiers attacking Palestinian children heading to school. They tear-gassed them.
Allegedly in response to stone-throwing. "We could see no provocation from the children who were trying to avoid the gas," said Lyons.
Teachers said soldiers fire tear gas daily. They do it to protect settlers. They do it maliciously. They do what they can get away with. They do whatever they want with impunity.
Teachers want children in school learning. One teacher said three kids were hospitalized from gassing in the last week.
They're young children. They're not criminals. They're targeted for being Palestinians.
Lyons approached Israeli police. "Why do you fire tear gas (at) children going to school," he asked?
"We can't talk to you," police responded. Lyons persisted. He repeated his question. He was stonewalled.
Hebron is typical of West Bank injustice. Israelis have "one law," said Lyons. Palestinians another. Systemic injustice is longstanding Israeli policy.
Last July, Israeli soldiers targeted five-year old Wadi'a Mawadeh. An Israeli settler accused him of stone throwing.
Six soldiers terrorized him. They threatened him and his parents. They handcuffed and blindfolded his father.
They handed the boy over to police. They wrongfully accused him of stone-throwing.
Arrests are lawless. They're violent. Homes are broken into. Property is damaged or stolen.
Children are blindfolded and shackled. They're terrorized. They're beaten. Family members are threatened not to intervene.
Even five-year-olds aren't safe. Imagine detaining them for hours. Imagine traumatizing them.
Lyons asked Wadi'a what he thinks when he sees an Israeli soldier. "I'm scared of them," he said.
Gaby Lasky is an Israeli lawyer. "I want people to think what they would do if their five-year old child was being taken by an occupier's army, even by your local police."
"If a five-year-old was being held by an authority that is not you, you would do anything in order to try to get your child back."
"Military courts are the long arm of the occupation. We're not talking about courts of justice; we are talking about courts of occupation."
Former Israeli commander Yehuda Shaul said he "grew up believing that our actions as a military in the occupied territories (were) to protect Israel from terrorism."
"What I've learned from my three years of service and nine years of activism and Breaking the Silence...is that the main story here is about maintaining our absolute military control over (defenseless) Palestinians."
"When we see settlers attacking a Palestinian, our orders are not to intervene."
Israeli settlers harmed three-year-old Adele Biton for life. She has brain damage. Her mother Adva said:
"Eight months ago I was driving back from my parents' home, back to my home in Yakir, when Palestinian terrorists threw large building stones on my car."
"The stones, the building stones, hit Adele's head and also caused me to bump into a truck."
"We're fighting together to get her back to life." She's hospitalized.
"I don't think it's fair for her to sleep here in the bed and don't do things like children her age. It's not fair."
Israeli Lt. Col. Maurice Hirsh said it's unlikely she'll recover. "That is terrorism," he added.
It's state terrorism. Middle -of-the-night arrests, detentions and brutal interrogations reflect it.
According to Horton, "(y)ou'll be subjected to violence if you don't confess. You will be detained for an extended period of time..."
"(T)he intelligence is usually very good, so the interrogator will know if that child's father has a work permit, for example, to work inside Israel."
"If that's the case, the threats sometimes are of the nature of we will revoke your father's work permit unless you confess."
Horton said one interrogator stood out. He specialized in terrorizing children. He threatens rape.
He mentions someone outside the interrogation room. He says someone will come in and rape the child.
He threatened one boy by putting food on his head. A dog was brought in to eat it. The boy was terrified. The dog drooled all over him.
He feared being bitten any moment. Someone put food on his genitals. The dog was positioned to eat it. Imagine anyone enduring this.
Imagine a young boy terrorized this way. Imagine Israel calling itself civilized. Imagine rogue state terror writ large.
Most Palestinian boys convicted of stone-throwing face about three months in prison. They shouldn't face three minutes.
According to Lyons, Israeli security services devise ghastly new tactics. Young children are brutalized to extract information on their villages. Residents in them. On their parents, family members and neighbors.
Gaby Lasky added: "I can see a pattern that Israel's hasn't been able to put down the non-violent movement in the occupied territories through violent means."
"So the best way to do that is by incriminating those leaders, and the easiest way to do that, to achieve, to get those incriminations, is by arresting children which are the weakest link."
Israel uses Palestinian children for intelligence gathering. It does so by terrorizing them to collaborate.
Stiff punishment follows failure to cooperate. It includes torture and longer prison terms.
Daniella Weiss is an Israeli activist. She's a former Kedumim settlement mayor. She rejects settler lawlessness.
In the 1970s, she met regularly with Ariel Sharon. She did so when he was agriculture minister.
He was adamant then, earlier and later. "There would be no option for a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria," he said.
God promised Israel to Jews, he believed. All of it. He opposed Palestinian statehood. So do current Israeli hardliners.
Their notion of sovereignty is isolated bantustans on worthless scrubland. Palestinians can expect nothing more.
Not as long as Washington lets Israel have its way. Kerry's so-called framework agreement is structured this way.
It's entirely one-sided. It offers Palestinians virtually nothing. It continues occupation harshness.
It assures legions of traumatized Palestinian children. Perhaps another generation will be destroyed. Militarized occupation assures it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
An Open Letter to Barack Obama
An Open Letter to Barack Obama
by Stephen Lendman
Congratulations, Mr. President. You're the latest in a long line of lawless leaders. You achieved rogue status without really trying.
Contempt for rule of law principles, duplicity and moral cowardice define your administration. Pretense otherwise doesn't wash.
Instead of improving lives for ordinary Americans, you created worse than ever conditions.
You more than ever made America a gangster state. Millions worldwide call it a pariah one. They do so for good reason.
You stole public wealth. You handed Wall Street crooks trillions of dollars. You gave war profiteers trillions more.
You impoverished millions. You left 100 million working-age Americans unemployed.
You ignore human need. Homelessness and hunger aren't your concerns.
You're systematically destroying middle class society. You're heading America on a fast track toward third world status. A second one toward full-blown tyranny.
You promised hope and change. You campaigned for peace. You promised all US forces out of Afghanistan in your first year in office.
You assured Palestinian sovereignty free from occupation harshness. You said decades of what Israel imposed would end.
You promised Guantanamo closure once and for all. You pledged within one year of taking office.
Bush administration war criminals will be held accountable, you said. Torture will end by decree.
So will indefinite detentions. Lawless military commissions trials won't be tolerated.
Labor rights will be supported. So will public education. And you can keep your doctor, you said.
You guaranteed universal healthcare with a public option. It'll be more affordable than before, you claimed.
You'll end unconstitutional executive authority. You'll help Americans facing foreclosure keep their homes.
You promised real immigration reform within one year of taking office. You'll "revisit the Patriot Act."
You'll "overturn unconstitutional executive decisions during the past eight years."
You'll be a uniter, not a divider. You'll serve all Americans equitably, justly, fairly and honorably.
"It's time to turn a page," you said. "We'll restore our values." The "days of compromising them are over."
We'll "secure a more resilient homeland." We'll "adhere to the Geneva Conventions."
Freedom is too precious to lose. You've gone all-out to destroy it on your watch. You've done so at home and abroad.
You said openness and transparency in government will be a hallmark of your administration. You'll increase whistleblower protections.
Big Brother will be banished. "(N)o more illegal wiretapping of American citizens," you pledged.
No more "spy(ing) on citizens who are not suspected of a crime." No more privacy invasions.
No more human and civil rights violations. "No more ignoring the law when it is inconvenient."
No more extrajudicial operations. No more favoring monied interests over popular ones. No more wars for power and profit.
No more less than treating everyone equitably and justly. No more defending the indefensible.
Arundhati Roy once called Tony Blair a "psychopath." She described Bush the same way. She said you're no different from them. And then some, this writer adds.
You did more to make America unfit to live in than any of your predecessors. You've waged political, economic and hot wars on humanity.
You threaten its survival. Your policies risk WW III. You're unapologetic. Your rampaging continues.
Your waging multiple direct and proxy wars. You target all independent countries for regime change.
You're waging war on Syria. You launched it. You killed tens of thousands. You bear full responsibility. You want a subservient pro-Western stooge replacing Assad.
You ravaged and destroyed Libya for the same purpose. You turned it into a charnel house. You're doing the same thing to many other countries. Countless millions suffer horrifically on your watch.
Ukraine is your latest victim. Congratulations. You claimed another imperial trophy. As long as you can keep it.
It's at the expense of millions of Ukrainians deserving better. You want them marginalized, exploited, impoverished and denied fundamental freedoms.
You want Ukraine run by fascist extremists. You bought victory on the cheap. Keeping it is something else entirely.
Reports estimate you spent $5 - $10 billion transforming Ukraine from a democracy to a pro-Western fascist police state.
It's pocket change compared to multi-trillions waging war on Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and other countries below the radar.
You elevated anti-Semitic, hate-mongering, xenophobic, ultranational neo-Nazis to power.
You expressed support for their extremism. You called them "the voice of the people." You blamed Ukraine's legitimate government for their street crimes.
You endorsed usurpation of power. On Saturday, your press secretary lied, saying:
"We have consistently advocated a de-escalation of violence, constitutional change, a coalition government, and early elections, and today's developments could move us closer to that goal."
Fact check: You planned violence. You initiated it. You stoked it. You funded it. You want total control over Ukrainian policy. You want ordinary Ukrainians having no say.
"The unshakeable principle guiding events must be that the people of Ukraine determine their own future."
Fact check: You've gone all-out to prevent it. You stole their future.
"We welcome constructive work in the Rada and continue to urge the prompt formation of a broad, technocratic government of national unity."
Fact check: Usurped Rada (parliament) authority has no legitimacy. It's polar opposite real democracy.
You deplore it. You tolerate it nowhere. You deny Americans what they deserve. You operate the same way globally.
"We welcome former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s release from a prison hospital today, and we wish her a speedy recovery..."
Fact check: She's a criminal. She stole tens of millions of dollars. She did so at the expense of ordinary Ukrainians. She belongs in prison. Releasing her was lawless.
"We continue to urge an end to violence by all sides and a focus on peaceful, democratic dialogue, working pursuant to Ukraine’s constitution and through its institutions of government."
Fact check: It bears repeating. You spent billions on violently toppling Ukraine's legitimate government. You want pro-Western fascist extremism replacing it.
You got what you wanted so far. Keeping it may be something else entirely. The battle for Ukraine's soul continues. It has miles to go. It's outcome is very much undecided.
"Going forward, we will work with our allies, with Russia, and with appropriate European and international organizations to support a strong, prosperous, unified, and democratic Ukraine."
"…(T)he Ukrainian people should know that the United States deeply values our long-standing ties with Ukraine and will support them as they pursue a path of democracy and economic development."
Fact check: Ukrainian youths are ignorant. They're mindless about what's going on. They're easily manipulated. For how long matters most.
Older Ukrainians aren't stupid. They know how America operates. They know wherever it shows up, extreme violence and human misery follow.
They reversed George Bush's Orange Revolution. Don't bet they won't undo your 2.0 version. The battle for Ukraine's soul just began.
Note: Anonymous Ukraine monitors what's ongoing. It's members are divided. Some are brainwashed by Western propaganda.
Others know their country is being colonized for plunder. They'll fight it. They want no part of exploitive EU membership.
They reject US meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs. They oppose NATO membership. They deplore fascist extremists usurping power. They know your dirty hands are involved.
They want peace and stability. They want Ukrainians deciding their own future. They want sovereign independence defended.
They'll be heard from going forward. They won't stand by idly watching you wreck their country. They won't "go gentle into that good night."
"Operation Independence continues," they said. "Expect us."
One coup d'etat isn't enough for you. You want another. You want Venezuela's democratic government toppled.
You want Bolivarian social justice destroyed. You want Venezuela returned to its bad old days.
You bear full responsibility for street violence. You're funding it. You're directing it. You pull the strings.
Destabilization continues. CIA operatives are involved. So are State Department organizations.
Coup plotting is violent. Days of violence caused 10 deaths so far. Scores were injured. Your funded fascists are responsible.
Since 1999, you, Bush and Clinton spent billions of dollars targeting Venezuela for regime change. Bolivarianism survived everything done to destroy it.
It's resilient. It's institutionalized. The vast majority of Venezuelans support it. They won't tolerate your plot to steal what's too important to lose. Or the Hemisphere's most democratic country.
They'll fight to keep hard won gains. Victor Hugo once explained nothing stronger than "an idea whose time has come."
It's deep-rooted in Venezuela. It reflects Simon Bolivar's vision. He wanted the imperial curse "to plague Latin America with misery in the name of liberty" ended.
He wanted national resources distributed equitably and fairly. Chavez was his modern-day incarnation.
Chavismo reflects his commitment. Maduro carries his torch.
The battle to preserve Bolivarian values continues. They won't wane and die. Your dirty scheme is familiar.
You want Venezuela looking like America. You want police state viciousness replacing democracy. You want neoliberal harshness replacing Bolivarian fairness.
You want what Venezuelans won't tolerate. You want what they won't let you get.
Maybe Americans will awaken to reality. Maybe they'll react the same way. It's their future. If they won't protect it, no one will do it for them.
It bears repeating what other articles said. Resist or perish. There's no in-between. Spread the word. Tell others. We're all in this together. Defeating your agenda is too important a fight to lose.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukraine: Coup Plotters Consolidate Power
Ukraine: Coup Plotters Consolidate Powerby Stephen LendmanEvents continue fast moving. The Wall Street Journal headlined "White House Backs Political Change in Ukraine," saying:"The Obama administration Saturday issued a cautiously worded statement abo...
Ukraine: US-Orchestrated Coup d’Etat
Ukraine: US Orchestrated Coup d'Etatby Stephen LendmanA previous article called Obama the latest in a long line of lawless US leaders. He exceeds the worst of his predecessors and then some.His rap sheet is long and loathsome. He shames the office he h...
Right-Wing Politicians Usurp Power in Ukraine
Right-Wing Politicians Usurp Power in Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
Fascists infest Ukraine's parliament. They gained majority control. They did so after dozens of pro-government legislators bolted the ruling Party of Regions.
They violated Friday's agreed on terms. They did so in league with Washington. They impeached President Viktor Yanukovych.
They ousted him. They declared him unconstitutionally unable to carry out his duties. They did so lawlessly. They usurped power. They called early May 25 elections.
Yanukovych justifiably responded:
"I am not planning to leave the country. I am the legitimate president and I am not going to resign."
"I'm trying to do everything so that there won’t be bloodshed. Now of the people who are close to me."
"I am doing everything to bring order the country. We made all steps to stabilize the political situation in the country, but it happened the way it happened."
"I came to Kharkov late last night. I wanted to take part in the session of deputies. But it turned out that I could not go because I have to be connected all the time."
"I am trying to protect people who are chased by bandits in the places where they live and work."
Parliament speaker Volodymyr "Rybak resigned because he was beaten up. His car was attacked. He asked me to take him away and so I did. I have sent him for treatment to Donetsk."
Nanukovych is in Kharkiv. It's Ukraine's second largest city. It's near Russia's border. He arrived late Friday night.
His chief of staff, Andriy Klyuyev, needs protection, he said. Kiev resembles "Nazi occupation" ruthlessness, he added.
"The Communist Party is under restriction. My car was shot at, but I am not afraid for my life. I am afraid for my country. I will stay in Ukraine and try to stop the criminals."
"Deputies leave the Party of Regions under pressure. Some just cannot go through this. They are afraid for their families."
They're "traitors. I don’t want to talk about this. I don’t want to name their last names. Let it be on them."
"The party has lived through such times already in 2005 and 2004, when around 200,000 left the party, but later 600,000 joined the party."
"I think that the situation will repeat now. Even if 600,000 leave the party now, there are 1.5 million people" remaining.
"The party is healthy. We see it as the repeat of history when in the 1930s, Nazis coming to power were banning parties."
"I see this as the same. They ban Communists." Ruling Party of Regions houses and offices were set on fire. "More than 200 offices were burned."
"All these decisions voted in parliament are now illegal. They should hear this from me, I will not sign anything with the bandits that terrorize the whole country."
"All the international mediators I worked with gave me guarantees of safety. Now I will see how they are going to fulfill their guarantees."
"Everything that is going on today is mostly vandalism and banditry and state upheaval."
"What will I do next? I'll do everything to protect my country from separatism and will do everything to stop the bloodshed."
"I don't know how yet, but today I met many people and asked their advice."
"Now I will go to the eastern and southern parts of the country where people are less dangerous still. I want to find an answer about what will we do next in our country."
On February 22, Itar Tass said "Foreign agents spent over $10 billion" to oust Yanykovych. Coup d'etat plotting isn't cheap.
Itar Tass quoted Party of Regions deputy Vadim Kolesnichenko, saying:
“It took years to prepare the situation in Ukraine. Foreign agents of influence invested over 10 billion dollars in the coup d’etat and in agents, who work in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) under the cover of non-governmental organisations."
He blamed Washington and EU partners for wanting Yanukovych ousted.
"Today’s events in Ukraine are a coup d’etat. Deputies were threatened, and very often their families are hostages."
"The country needs changes. Every region should develop proportionately with the contribution to the country's economy."
Russian political analyst Fyodor Lukianov said Yanukovych "no longer expects a pleasant outcome to this situation."
He left Kiev for his safety. He's a marked man. His life is in danger.
Francis Boyle compared what's ongoing to a Nazi "Brownshirt revolution." Fascist violence defines it.
Controlling Ukraine is a longtime Washington objective, he explained. "(T)he EU (is a subservient) anteroom to (US-controlled) NATO."
What's ongoing is the destruction "of Ukraine as a state." It's a "very dangerous situation," Boyle stressed.
Russia calls Ukraine its cradle of civilization. It's strategically important. Putin won't abandon it to America.
Especially the Crimea. It's home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
In Ukraine's southeast, local council deputies said they're trying to restore constitutional order. Area officials said:
"We, the local authorities of all levels, the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol region decided (to ensure) the rights of citizens on their territory."
Thousands assembled in Kharkov. Spokespersons announced a number of measures they want local authorities to take.
They want them to assume full responsibility for all decision-making in their respective regions. They want them to ignore whatever Kiev coup plotters mandate.
They want local authority circumventing them until constitutional order is restored. They called coup d'etat legislation passed illegitimate.
They encouraged Ukrainians to form local militias. They're needed to protect public order.
Thousands of local council deputies assembled in Kharkov's Sport Palace. Over 10,000 people came to hear what went on.
Regional Governor Mikhail Dobkin said deputies came to save Ukraine. They oppose forming a separate country.
Kharkov administration head Gennady Kernes called the gathering "an attempt by qualified deputies from the east of the country to stabilize the situation."
"My colleagues and I have been personally threatened. But today we have gathered to change the situation. We will not give in. We will fight till the end."
Party of Regions deputy Vadim Kolesnichenko said he, others and their families were threatened.
No one's safe from America's long arm. CIA operatives infest Ukraine. On February 20, Before It's News (BIN) headlined "CIA Agent Captured in Ukraine Helping Ukrainian Protesters."
BIN was sent a video requesting it "publish this information immediately." It called it "MORE PROOF" that Obama instigated a coup against Ukraine's democratically elected government.
The agent captured is part of CIA's Special Activities Division (SAD). It's part of CIA's National Clandestine Service (NCS).
It's responsible for "special (covert) operations." It specializes in destabilizing governments, assassinating foreign leaders or toppling them by coup d'etat.
SAD has two separate groups. SAD/SOG (Special Operations Group) collects intelligence in hostile countries and regions.
It deals in high threat military or intelligence operations. They're ones Washington wants its involvement in kept secret.
Operatives carry no identification. Their affiliation is concealed. They wear no obvious clothing.
Their missions are top secret. If caught they're on their own. Washington maintains plausible deniability of their activities.
"SOG is generally considered the most secretive special operation force in the United States," said BIN.
Operatives come from "Delta Force, DEVGRU and ISA, as well as other United States special operations forces, such as USNSWC, MARSOC, USASF and 24th STS."
Their missions seek to advance America's imperium. They're illegal by any standard. They operate against Assad's government in Syria.
They're actively involved in Obama's plot to control Ukraine. Nothing too lawless is out of bounds to achieve US objectives.
Rogue states operate this way. America exceeds the worst in world history. Obama's waging war on freedom.
He wants it eliminated altogether. He wants fascist extremism replacing it. He wants unchallenged global dominance.
He's ravaging one country after another to achieve it. The only solution is nonviolent democratic revolution. People are empowered to act. It's high time they did so in time.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Fascism’s Ugly Face in Ukraine
Fascism's Ugly Face in Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
Far-right Ukrainian ultranationalists are fascist extremists. Washington provides support. Oleh Tyahnybok heads the neo-Nazi Svoboda party. It's allied with likeminded groups.
They openly display Stepan Bandera's Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN-B) red and black flag.
He was a Nazi collaborator. He participated in mass executions and ethnic cleansing.
Svoboda's slogan is "Ukraine for the Ukrainians." Bandera said the same thing. He wanted Ukraine made ethnically pure. Mass extermination followed to do so.
Svoboda earlier called itself Socialist-Nationalists. It bears erie resemblance to Hitler's National Socialism. It reflects fascism writ large.
Hooliganism is longstanding fascist strategy. Blackshirt and Brownshirt violence helped elevate Mussolini and Hitler to power respectively.
Communists, socialists, unionists and other opponents were attacked. El Duce's 1922 March on Rome coup made him Italy's youngest ever prime minister.
He took full advantage. He established a one-party state dictatorship. He eliminated competitors. Italy's business class, military and moderate right wing supported him.
In Weimar Germany's final years, economic and political crisis conditions existed. Ahead of 1932 parliamentary elections, Prussian authorities reported about 300 acts of politically motivated violence.
About two dozen were killed. Hundreds of others were injured. Brownshirt storm troopers enlisted working class support.
Goebbels provoked communists and social democrats. Propaganda highlighted Nazi martyrs killed or injured in street battles.
Hitler's Mein Kampf was a revolutionary manifesto. It denounced what he called the world's twin evils - communism and Judaism.
It openly said Germany's future "lie('s) in the acquisition of land in the East at the expense of Russia."
He blamed Weimar governance, communists, social democrats and Jews for Germany's crisis. He wanted an entirely new order established.
He wanted absolute control. He eliminated all competitors. He transformed Germany into a one-party state dictatorship. He wanted Nazi hegemony over Europe.
Right-wing extremism dominates Western societies today. America more than ever resembles a police state. Duopoly power runs things.
Rule of law principles don't matter. Human and civil rights are disappearing in plain sight. Friendly US fascism is increasingly unfriendly. It's a short leap to tyrannical rule.
Ideological extremists threaten Europe. They're more subtle than earlier day fascists. They're just as dangerous. They want unchallenged power replacing democratic freedoms.
Neoliberalism replaced social justice. Right-wing politics dominates. US Republicans and Democrats are two sides of the same coin.
Not a dime's worth of difference separates them. Most of Europe operates the same way. Societies are increasingly unfit to live in.
Hard line fascism is a short leap away. Con men like Obama and like-minded European counterparts take full advantage. Powerful interests are served at the expense of all others.
In summer 2013, months before violence erupted in Ukraine, Svoboda conducted paramilitary training.
Obama supports its extremism. So do key EU partners. Fascist elements operated openly in Ukraine since Washington's 2004 Orange Revolution.
Democratically elected Viktor Yanukovoych was ousted. Viktor Yushchenko replaced him.
Soros money was involved. So were State Department funded organizations. In January 2010, Yanukovych was reelected.
He defeated Yushchenko. His last presidential act was naming Bandera a Hero of Ukraine.
It's the highest national title award. It's given for "personal heroism and great labor achievements." Honoring Bandera caused uproar in Russia, Poland, Ukraine and elsewhere.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center and other Jewish groups condemned it. His award was later revoked.
Post-war, he worked for West German intelligence. Washington-recruited Nazi General Reinhardt Gehlen headed it. In 1959, KGB assassins killed him.
His close associates were CIA and MI6 operatives. Their past Nazi affiliation was no deterrent.
Bandara's legacy thrives in Ukraine today. His present day counterparts get open US support.
In late January, Ukrainian leaders, civic groups and religious organizations wrote Washington, EU officials and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
They condemned neo-Nazi support. They said in part:
"You should understand that in supporting the actions of the guerrillas in Ukraine…you...are directly protecting, inciting and egging on Ukrainian neo-Nazis and neo-fascists."
"None of these oppositionists (Yatsenyuk, Klitschko, and Tyahnybok) hide that they are continuing the ideology and the practices of the OUN-UPA."
"Wherever the Euromaidan people go in Ukraine, they disseminate, besides the slogans mentioned above, neo-Nazi, racist symbols."
"Also confirming the neo-Nazi nature of the Euromaidan is the constant use of portraits of the bloody executioners of our people, Bandera and Shukhevych - agents of the (Nazi military intelligence) Abwehr."
"Have the UN, the EU, and the USA ceased to recognize the Charter and Verdict of the International War Crimes Tribunal at Nuremburg, where the Hitlerite Nazis and their henchmen were convicted?"
"Have human rights ceased to be a value for the countries of the EU and the world community?"
"Is the Ukrainian nationalists' devotion to Hitler and his mass murders of civilians now considered democracy?"
Western-supported fascist elements are responsible for violent protests. They're terrorizing Ukrainians. They're murdering civilians. They're killing police.
They're occupying government buildings. They're setting others ablaze. Yanukovych defends his country responsibly.
He's wrongfully blamed for their violence. He's battling fascism's ugly agenda.
Rogue elements support it. Others are duped to do so. Washington and EU partners fund it. Most Ukrainians have no idea what's going on.
Their futures are on the line. So is Ukraine's sovereignty. Eighty-one years ago this past January 30, Hitler rose to power.
He became Germany's chancellor. He did so with Western support. He kept it through much of the 1930s.
He established a ruthless dictatorship. Mass slaughter, barbarism and anti-Semitism defined it. He ravaged most of Europe. He murdered millions.
He might have emerged victorious if he hadn't invaded Soviet Russia. Waging war on two major fronts defeated him. Imagine if things turned out the other way.
Fascism didn't die. It's alive and well. It resides in Europe. It thrives in America. US policy exceeds the worst of Nazi crimes.
Hitler's Third Reich lasted a dozen years. Post-WW II America wages war on humanity. It does so at home and abroad.
Millions ruthlessly slaughtered attest to America's ruthlessness. Syria is in the eye of the storm. So is Ukraine. Both countries are US-instigated battlegrounds.
How many more will die before both conflicts end? What will happen in their aftermath?
How many more countries will America attack? Venezuela is the top Western Hemisphere target. Iran tops the Middle East list.
Trotsky once wrote:
"Fascism is a particular governmental system based on the uprooting of all elements of proletarian democracy within bourgeois society."
"The task of fascism lies not only in destroying the Communist vanguard but in holding the entire class in a state of forced disunity."
"To this end, the physical annihilation of the most revolutionary section of the workers does not suffice."
"It is also necessary to smash all independent and voluntary organizations, to demolish all the defensive bulwarks of the proletariat, and to uproot whatever has been achieved during three-quarters of a century by the Social Democracy and the trade unions."
European Jews suffered most under Hitler. So did all other Third Reich enemies.
Washington wants all challengers eliminated. It wants supreme global power. It's waging war on humanity to achieve it.
It may end up destroying it altogether. How many wars are too many? How many more millions will suffer and die? How much more ravaging is too much?
When will Washington's imperial agenda be challenged? When will White House lies be universally denounced?
On February 20, an Office of the Press Secretary statement wrongfully blamed Yanukovych. It ignored months of US-instigated, manipulated, supported street violence. It lied said:
"We are outraged by the images of Ukrainian security forces firing automatic weapons on their own people."
"We urge President Yanukovych to immediately withdraw his security forces from downtown Kyiv and to respect the right of peaceful protest, and we urge protesters to express themselves peacefully."
"We urge the Ukrainian military not to get involved in a conflict that can and should be resolved by political means."
"The use of force will not resolve the crisis - clear steps must be taken to stop the violence and initiate meaningful dialogue that reduces tension and addresses the grievances of the Ukrainian people."
"The United States will work with our European allies to hold those responsible for violence accountable and to help the Ukrainian people get a unified and independent Ukraine back on the path to a better future."
It bears repeating. Washington bears full responsibility. Plans to topple Yanukovych were made well before violence erupted.
Obama chose when and how to initiate it. He's in league with Ukrainian fascist extremists. He wants another imperial trophy. He'll stop at nothing to get it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Ukraine: Shaky Truce with Consequences
Ukraine: Shaky Truce with Consequencesby Stephen LendmanA previous article discussed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and fascist opposition leaders agreeing on terms to end street violence.They suggest unconditional surrender. Events are so fluid...
Unconditional Surrender in Ukraine
Unconditional Surrender in Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
As things now stand, Obama won. EU partners won. Fascist extremists won. Russia lost.
So did ordinary Ukrainians. Months of struggling for something better apparently turned out in vain. More on this below.
Events remain fast-moving. Overnight negotiations produced an early Friday morning deal.
Talks lasted eight hours. Opposition leaders Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Oleh Tyahnybok and Vitali Klitschko were involved.
So were Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Russian Human Rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
Ukraine's ruling Party of Regions called on "everyone involved in the confrontation to lay down their arms."
"This deed will be your greatest contribution to Ukraine's future," it said. "We should all consolidate around the common goal of restoring peaceful life on our soil."
"We should stop this fratricidal war for the sake of peace, for the sake of justice and for the sake of Ukraine's future."
On Thursday, Ukraine's parliament passed a resolution near unanimously. It condemned the use of force against protesters.
It prohibits Ukrainian Security Council counterterrorism. Yanukovych expressed willingness to hold early presidential and parliamentary elections later this year.
He's amenable to constitutional change before summer. He's willing to form a national unity government in days.
In a Friday national address, he said:
"I am announcing steps needed to restore peace and avoid further victims of the standoff."
"There are no steps we should demur from taking together in order to restore peace to Ukraine."
His web site said "I declare the initiation of early presidential elections. I also invoke a return to the Constitution of 2004 with the redistribution of powers in the direction of a parliamentary republic."
"I summon to begin formation of the government of national trust."
His comments sounded more like unconditional surrender. If so, it's bad news for most Ukrainians.
It likely means new pro-Western government. Spurning EU membership last November let him dodge a bullet.
He did the right thing. EU countries covet Eastern expansion. Doing so adversely affects Russia.
It's disastrous for vulnerable populations like Ukraine's. EU membership involves harsh neoliberal austerity.
Financial demands include mass layoffs, deregulation, deep social spending cuts, wage freezes or cuts, unrestricted free market access for Western corporations, corporate friendly tax cuts, marginalized trade unionism, and harsh crackdowns on nonbelievers.
Ukraine will be pushed to join NATO. Doing so encroaches further on Russia's borders. It makes future confrontations more likely.
Ukrainians were manipulated against their own self-interest for months. They've been through this before. They ended up losers.
Promises made were broken. Exploitation followed. They should have known better. Once deceived should be enough. EU membership assures harder than ever hard times.
Poland's Sikorski said progress was made "but important differences remain." A statement released said the peace deal would be formally signed at noon Friday Kiev time. No further details were given.
An unnamed EU diplomat called it a "temporary agreement." The devil is more than in the details.
It resides in Washington. Obama wants regime change. He orchestrated violence to achieve it.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said "we cannot say anything definitive before the end of the morning."
"The opposition…wants to be able to consult with some of its members..."
"In this sort of situation, as long as things haven't really been wrapped up, it's important to remain very cautious."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said an agreement hadn't been reached - "only the content of an eventual agreement, since the proper subjects to build such an agreement are people."
Reuters quoted opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko saying: "We will sign the deal. We are prepared to do everything to obtain a peaceful solution."
"All arguments must be considered before it comes to a signature," he added.
Voice of Russia said Moscow's ombudsman Lukin "refused to sign the final document."
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin met with Security Council members to discuss ongoing events.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev issued a toughly-worded statement. He aimed it at Yanukovych, saying:
"We shall, of course, continue cooperating with our Ukrainian partners in all areas that have been agreed."
"We shall bend every effort to honor the pledges we have taken with regard to Ukraine."
"But for this to happen, our partners should be in good shape. Ukraine's authorities should be legitimate and effective and should not allow anyone to walk all over them."
Veronica Krasheninnikova heads the Russian Institute for Foreign Policy Studies. Opposition leaders Yatsenyuk, Tyagnibok and Klitschko by no means represent most Ukrainians, she said.
Yanukovych lost credibility by surrendering to their demands, she added. He's "part of the problem," she stressed.
He "opted out of the use of the mechanisms that he's been invested with by the constitution."
He failed to "tak(e) required measures to preserve the constitutional system, which is his presidential duty."
On Friday, thousands of protesters remained in Kiev's Independence Square. Violence continues. Ukraine's Interior Ministry said:
"Rioters opened fire at police officers and tried to break through in the direction of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament)."
Reuters quoted one protester calling the deal "just another piece of paper. We will not leave the barricades until Yanukovych steps down."
Ukraine's Health Ministry said at least 77 people died since Tuesday. Dead bodies remain on Kiev streets.
Accurate death and injury counts are hard to come by. Calm may not be easy to restore.
Events so far very much benefit Washington and EU partners. They disadvantage Russia. Days earlier, Putin offered to buy $2 billion worth of Ukrainian eurobonds straightaway.
Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said it's part of the $15 billion loan agreed on earlier. On Friday, doing so remains undecided in the wake of ongoing events.
Russia is very much concerned about possible new pro-Western Ukrainian government if new elections are held.
It wants clarity before committing cash. The advantage it gained earlier looks lost. It's a huge setback.
How Moscow reacts remains to be seen. Expect ordinary Ukrainians to awaken too late to realize they've been had again.
They endured plenty for something better. Opposition leaders duped them to expect it.
They deserve better than they got. As things now stand, they lost out entirely. Harder than ever hard times await them.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Scoundrel Media War on Ukraine
Scoundrel Media War on Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
Ukraine is being attacked. Kiev resembles a war zone. Obama bears full responsibility for months of conflict. What's ongoing was planned long before violence erupted.
Washington wants all independent governments toppled. Ukraine is the most important former Soviet republic. At stake is its national sovereignty. Its future is up for grabs.
It's low-hanging fruit. It's geopolitically important. America wants it plundered for profit. So do EU partners. They want it at Russia's expense.
Business as usual defines Western policy. Obama warned Ukraine. He threatened "consequences if people step over the line."
"We hold the Ukrainian government primarily responsible," he said. "We expect the Ukrainian government to show restraint, to not resort to violence in dealing with peaceful protesters."
Obama supports fascist opposition leaders. He's funding street thugs to commit violence.
They're armed and dangerous. They shot and killed 10 Ukrainian police officers. They're fully responsible for deadly violence.
They broke a February 19 brokered truce. Street violence continued overnight and through Thursday. Dozens, perhaps hundreds more were hurt.
Reuters and AP reported 70 killed on Thursday. RT.com reported at least 77 overall.
Accurate counts are hard to come by. Conditions are so fluid they're outdated soon after reported.
Ukraine's Interior Ministry said protesters captured dozens of police officers. They're likely holding them hostage.
Things are totally out-of-control. Washington's dirty hands are manipulating them.
Rooftop-positioned sniper fire targeted police. Other shots were fired from conservatory building windows. It overlooks Independence Square.
Around two dozen police officers were wounded. An Interior Ministry statement said protesters are "openly using fire arms against" security forces.
Itar Tass said protesters seized a luxury Kiev hotel. They broke into Ukraine's parliament building.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sergei Burlakov said:
"There has been evidence of some poisonous agent having been used against police. Measures are being taken to find out what the substance was."
Imagine if this type violence erupted in Western cities. Imagine no-holds-barred crackdowns to follow.
Imagine security forces using live fire. Imagine military troops involved. Imagine far greater bloodshed than in Ukraine. Imagine protesters bearing the brunt of the carnage.
The State Department imposed visa sanctions against 20 senior Ukrainian officials. It warned about adding financial ones. EU governments have their own in mind.
A Russian Presidential Executive Office statement said:
"Vladimir Putin...underlined that it is important for Western countries to give up their accusatory attitude towards Ukraine's incumbent leadership and stressed the importance of strongly condemning the opposition forces liable for organizing unlawful extremist and terrorist activities."
Media scoundrels march in lockstep with imperial US policy. Bashing Ukraine continues. It's been ongoing for months.
It's entirely one-sided. It's vicious propaganda. President Viktor Yanukovych is wrongfully blamed for US-manipulated violence.
Street thugs are paid to riot. CIA elements are involved. So are State Department-funded groups.
Dirty tactics persist. What's ongoing is as old as empire. Media scoundrel misinformation accompanies it.
New York Times editors find new ways to disgrace themselves. They one-sidedly support US imperial ruthlessness.
They routinely turn truth on its head. Managed news misinformation and opinion substitute. Deplorable Ukraine misreporting highlights it.
On February 19, New York Times editors headlined "Ukraine's Deadly Turn," saying:
"What is obvious now is that Mr. Yanukovych and his Russian enablers cannot restore the old order through violence."
"Mr. Yanukovych and the Russians predictably blamed 'extremists' and accused the West of supporting 'illegal' actions by the opposition."
"But it has become increasingly clear with every passing week and every new effort to block reforms that the Yanukovych government is destroying the credibility it needs with the moderate opposition leaders, Vitali Klitschko and Arseniy Yatsenyuk, to achieve any negotiated settlement."
Fact check
Times editors lied. They did so willfully. They acted maliciously. They support power-grabbing fascists.
They wrongfully blame Yanukovych for US-manipulated rioting. For turning Kiev into a war zone.
It bears repeating. Obama bears full responsibility for street violence. EU partners share it.
At stake is Ukraine's independence. It's future is up for grabs. Moderate opposition elements don't exist. Fascist ultranationalists are involved. Nazi symbols and rhetoric expose them.
Russia acts responsibly. It supports Ukraine's sovereignty. It's refrained from interfering in its internal affairs. Don't expect Times editors to explain.
Yanukovych "must abandon any illusion that he can fight his way out of the corner he has put himself into," they said.
"And the Russians must acknowledge that the problem is not the West or 'extremists,'..."
It's hard imagining more disgraceful rubbish. Times editors added insult to injury. They called for early elections. They want "a reduction of presidential powers."
They want their will imposed. They want Ukrainians having no say. On geopolitical issues, they're Washington propagandists. Credibility isn't their long suit.
Romano Prodi is a former Italian prime minister and European Commission president. He's an establishment figure.
He supports policies enriching Western elites. He's in lockstep with imperial US policy. Times editors gave him feature op-ed space.
He took full advantage headlining "How Ukraine Can Be Saved."
"(T)he West must make clear to Moscow that Ukraine…should not be the object of geopolitical games...Russian interference in Ukraine's internal affairs must not be tolerated."
As explained above, Moscow remained discrete throughout months of conflict. It deplores interfering in the internal affairs of other nations. Its policy is polar opposite Washington and EU partners.
Prodi nonsensically called most protesters "peaceful." He admitted "violent faction" elements involved.
At the same time, he claims restoring peace requires Yanukovych's government readiness "to stand down once order is restored..."
Doing so flies in the face of Ukrainian constitutional law. Don't expect Prodi to explain.
He wants Yanukovych to "extend an olive branch." He offered many to no avail. Washington subverts his efforts. So do EU partners.
"Europe should not accept interference by Russia in Ukraine's affairs, but it also cannot stand by as the crisis in Kiev rages," said Prodi.
"The European Union should re-engage Mr. Putin and make clear that all parties have everything to lose, and nothing to gain, from further violence."
Yanukovych has gone all-out to avoid it. He wants it ended.
Compared to thuggish Western security forces, Ukrainian ones have shown remarkable restraint. How much longer in the face of armed and dangerous fascist elements remains to be seen.
Washington Post editors are some of America's most hawkish. They're unapologetic neocons. They support war, not peace. They're in lockstep with imperial extremism.
On January 21, they headlined "The West must break Ukraine free from Mr. Putin's grasp."
They blame Yanukovych for US-manipulated street violence. They wrongfully accused him of "ramming a series of measures through parliament aimed at outlawing opposition demonstrations."
He's following Putin's "playbook," they said. He's "a product of (his) paranoid conviction that pro-democracy movements...are the result of Western government plots."
It's not the first time he let "Putin be his puppeteer." WaPo editors reinterpreted Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution. They rewrote what happened. They got things upside down.
Color ones are a US speciality. Washington's dirty hands manipulate things its way.
In 2004, Yanukovych was democratically elected. US orchestrated street protests, civil disobedience, sit-ins and general strikes followed.
New elections were called. Yanukovych was replaced. Ukrainians were deceived. They ended up losers. Promises made were broken. Exploitation followed.
Not according to WaPo editors. They said "Russia's secret services tried to rig (Yanukovych's election) the way they fix votes at home."
Russian elections shame America's sham process. It has no legitimacy whatever. WaPo editors endorse what demands condemnation.
They take every opportunity to bash Putin. They assail Yanukovych the same way. They accused him of using "government-sponsored provocateurs."
They denounced his "repression." They want Ukraine "integrat(ed) with the democratic West (instead of) becoming an autocratic Kremlin colony."
They want Putin held accountable for "attempting to impose his autocratic model on a country that has been struggling to become a genuine democracy..."
They want Ukrainian sovereignty destroyed. They want its resources plundered. They want its people exploited. They're in lockstep with imperial US policy.
Before current violence erupted, Chicago Tribune editors headlined "Ukraine's winter of discontent: The thrilling rejection of a repressive regime."
They blamed Yanukovych for US funded and supported fascist street thug violence.
"Many Ukrainians hope to follow the Western model, becoming prosperous and democratic. But a corrupt and repressive government has repeatedly dashed those hopes," they claimed.
Corporate interests and rich elites alone enjoy so-called Western prosperity. Neoliberal harshness harms most others.
Poverty, unemployment and deprivation affects growing millions. Democracy is a convenient illusion. Don't expect Tribune editors to explain.
They blamed Yanukovych for anti-government violence. They claimed his "agents" "disappeared" opponents.
"In the dead of winter," they said, "there is the promise of spring" in Ukraine.
There's all-out US-instigated holy war against Ukrainian sovereignty.
On February 19, Wall Street Journal editors headlined "Ukraine and America."
They want harsh sanctions imposed on Ukraine. They want Yanukovych shown "there are personal and political costs for lurching toward Vladimir Putin-style authoritarian rule."
They want Ukraine pulled "into the Western orbit as a matter of human dignity and strategic interest."
"A Europe-leaning Ukraine can join the company of free nations and fulfill the aspirations of its people."
"A Ukraine tilted toward the corrupt authoritarian regimes allied with Moscow will be a source of regional unrest at best, and part of a revived Russian empire if Mr. Putin has his way."
They want US force-fed policies on Ukraine. They want corporate America benefitting.
They want ordinary Ukrainians losing out entirely. They want Russia marginalized. They want Putin discredited.
Stephen F. Cohen is New York University/Princeton University Professor Emeritus. He's a Russian expert.
On February 11, he headlined "Distorting Russia: How the American media misrepresent Putin, Sochi and Ukraine."
It's reprehensible scoundrel media practice. It's been ongoing "for many years," said Cohen. "(M)edia malpractice is...pervasive."
Major broadsheets like the "venerable New York Times and Washington Post (fail to) adhere rigorously to traditional journalistic standards..."
They suppress "essential facts and context...Reporting on Russia today (is) less objective, less balanced, more conformist and scarcely less ideological than when (US media) covered Soviet Russia during the Cold War."
It began after Soviet Russia dissolved. Putin is viciously demonized. Reports, commentaries and editorials have "little regard for facts." Cohen asked:
"Was any Soviet Communist leader after Stalin ever so personally villainized" as Putin? Provocative US policies are ignored. "Autocrat" Putin is bashed.
He "stabiliz(ed) a disintegrating nuclear-armed country...(He) grant(ed) amnesty in December to more than 1,000 jailed prisoners, including mothers of young children."
Media scoundrels "eagerly await (his) downfall." He's Russia's most popular politician. He won reelection convincingly. It was open, free and fair.
Toxic coverage vilifies him. It does so reprehensibly. It tarnishes legitimate Sochi coverage. His winter games have been a notable success.
He's mercilessly bashed on Ukraine. Crisis conditions won't be resolved easily. "A new Cold War divide between West and East may be now unfolding," says Cohen.
Permanent confrontation may follow, he believes. The "threat of a hot war far worse than the one in Georgia in 2008" is possible.
"(I)nflammatory" US media accounts ignore what's most important. "(F)actual distortions" substitute for accurate reporting.
"(T)he most crucial media omission is Moscow's reasonable conviction that the struggle for Ukraine is yet another chapter in the West's ongoing, US-led march toward post-Soviet Russia..."
It began with 1990s NATO eastward expansion. It continues with US-funded NGO anti-Russian efforts inside the country.
Obama practices confrontational politics. Putin is public enemy number one. Relentless bashing risks potential conflict.
Responsible leadership would go all-out to avoid it. Imperial madness suggests otherwise. Imagine the world's two nuclear super-powers facing off.
Imagine the worst of all possible outcomes. Imagine winner-take-all strategy leaving everyone losers. Imagine what's too potentially grim to risk.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama Targets Press Freedom
Obama Targets Press Freedomby Stephen LendmanObama is obsessed with secrecy. He wants government wrongdoing suppressed.Whistleblowers are criminalized for doing their job. Independent journalism is threatened.Helen Thomas (1920 - 2013) covered five dec...
Peace Activist Nun Imprisoned
Peace Activist Nun Imprisoned by Stephen LendmanSister Megan Rice is a Roman Catholic nun. She's an anti-nuclear activist. She's aged 84. She's committed for peace. She's been involved in numerous anti-war protests. She was arrested more than...
Destabilizing Venezuela Continues
Destabilizing Venezuela Continuesby Stephen LendmanA previous article discussed multiple Obama regime change fronts. His rogue agenda exceeds the worst of his predecessors.He heads a homeland police state apparatus. He's waging war on humanity. He's ra...
US-Stoked Violence Rocks Ukraine
US-Stoked Violence Rocks Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
Washington bears full responsibility for three months of street protest violence. At issue is toppling Ukraine's democratically elected government. More on this below.
On Sunday, Ukraine offered amnesty to anti-government protesters. It did so provided they vacated occupied public buildings. An official statement said:
Amnesty "comes into force from February 17, 2014 and stipulates that charges against the people having committed offenses…will be dropped."
It took effect after protesters met authorities half-way. They left some occupied Kiev buildings. They evacuated others in Lvov, Ivano-Frankovsk and Ternopol.
Ukrainian authorities agreed to let OSCE ambassadors control the buildings. Unblocking Grushevsky Street began. Traffic was partly restored.
Municipal services began removing debris. Under amnesty agreed on terms, 268 people arrested from December 27 - February 2 were scheduled for release.
National Strategy Institute director for International Projects Yuri Solozobov said authorities prepared to honor their commitment even though opposition elements only partly observed theirs.
Amnesty terms required all occupied buildings be vacated. Only four in Kiev were returned to authorities. Only one was an administration building.
Batkivshchina party leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk demanded 2,000 detainees be released. Otherwise protests would continue until "final victory," he said.
He and other protest leaders are US stooges. They're self-serving. They represent Washington. They're mindless of what best serves Ukrainians.
Obama wants Ukraine's sovereignty destroyed. He wants a subservient pro-Western government replacing a democratically elected independent one.
The battle for Ukraine's soul continues. Washington wants control over all former Soviet republics. It wants them transformed into subservient US satellites.
It wants them plundered. It wants them colonized for profit. It wants Russia increasingly isolated and weakened.
On February 18, new violence erupted. It's gripping Ukraine. Opposition elements demand President Viktor Yanukovych resign. Their other demands aren't clear.
Hopes for ending three months of crisis faded. Rioting left buildings in flames. Death toll numbers keep rising.
Early Wednesday, 26 were reported. Ten police officers were killed. They were shot. They died from gunshot wounds. So was Vesti newspaper reporter Vyacheslav Veremey.
Around 700 others were injured. They include dozens of security forces. A Ukrainian Health Ministry statement said:
"Taking into consideration the nature of the dead civilians' wounds and also the nature of the weapons, which have been confiscated, we can assume that these wounds were inflicted by violent protesters."
"Police officers and interior troops do not use fire arms. Law enforcers are only using non-lethal weapons."
Western politicians wrongfully blame street thug violence on President Viktor Yanukovych's government. It doesn't surprise.
Washington threatens to impose sanctions. So do several EU nations. Ambassadors are paid to lie for their countries.
US ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, earlier was caught on tape openly plotting the overthrow of Ukraine's government with Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland.
On February 19, he said: "From this moment on, the USA holds Yanukovych responsible for everything that happens in Ukraine."
Moscow calls these type comments carte blanche authority for radicalized extremists to continue violence.
Vice President Joe Biden spoke to Yanukovych. He practically threatened him. "(T)he government bears special responsibility to de-escalate the situation," he said.
John Kerry through his spokeswoman Jen Psaki expressed similar views. He blamed Yanukovych for US-stoked violence.
The State Department issued a travel alert. It warned US citizens "of the increased risks of travel to Ukraine because of the ongoing political unrest and violent clashes between police and protesters."
"US citizens whose residences or hotels are located in the vicinity of the protests are cautioned to leave those areas or prepare to remain indoors, possibly for several days, should clashes occur."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cautioned against outside meddling. "We don't want to be as intrusive as our Western partners are trying to be, nor do we advise anyone else to be," he said.
"The situation must be settled within the limits of the constitutional prerogatives of the incumbent Ukrainian authorities."
"We caution against attempts at intrusive mediation. We have witnessed such attempts more than once."
"We call upon everyone to put the interests of the people of Ukraine above their own geopolitical plans."
Voice of Russia (VOR) reported weapons and ammunition stolen from an Ivano-Frankovsk region Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) facility.
Included were 268 pistols, two rifles, three assault rifles, 92 grenades, and 15,000 cartridges.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian Security Service head Oleksandr Yakymenko said:
"The Ukrainian Security Service and Antiterrorist Center decided today to start holding an antiterrorist operation in Ukraine."
"I have already informed the president of the decision regarding holding the antiterrorist operation."
Ongoing violence shows "growing escalation of forceful resistance and mass use of arms by extremist-minded groups."
"In many regions of the country, local authorities, structures of the Interior Ministry, Security Service, prosecutor's office, military units and storage facilities with ammunition are being seized."
"Court offices are burning, and vandals are destroying private apartments and killing civilians."
"In the past 24 hours alone, over 1,500 units of firearms and 100,000 pieces of ammunition ended up in criminal hands."
Ukraine's Security Service deputy head Volodymyr Porodko said it switched to "a higher state of readiness. (It's) in accordance with the law on fighting terrorism."
It's US-manipulated. It's Western-sponsored. It's aim is destabilizing Ukraine. It's toppling its government.
It's worse than anything so far seen since violence erupted in November. Security forces warned protesters to disburse. Otherwise a harsh crackdown will follow.
An official government statement said:
"Extremists are killing innocents on the streets of the capital, burning buildings and cars. Unless the disorder stops, we will have to restore order by all means envisaged by law."
Disruptive mayhem in parliament accompanied street violence. Opposition leaders want Ukraine's government transformed. They want a dominant parliamentary system replacing a presidential one.
They want Ukraine's 2004 constitution restored. They won't succeed by rioting. Nor by diktat declarations.
Yanukovych allies blocked their scheme. Events are fluid. They're incendiary.
Russia accused Washington of meddling in Ukrainian affairs. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said:
"Once again, we note that the United States is trying to impose the 'Western vector' of development on the Ukrainian government under the guise of calls to stop interference into the Ukrainian people's freedom of choice, and tells the authorities of a sovereign state what they should do next and how they should do it."
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf "offers numerous instructions for what the Ukrainian government should do next."
She issued outrageous Obama administration demands.
They include halting "all investigations, arrests, detentions and prosecutions against demonstrators and civil society activists."
"The next step in this process," she said, "should be the formation of a multiparty technical government, with genuine power-sharing and responsibility..."
Imagine any government irresponsibly making demands on another. Imagine lawlessly interfering in its internal affairs.
Imagine practically saying do it our way or else. Imagine manipulating street protests. Imagine stoking violence.
Imagine supporting fascist extremists. Imagine arming them with deadly weapons. Imagine directing their rioting.
Imagine trying to topple a democratically elected government. Imagine inciting violence to do it.
Imagine if violent protesters ran wild in Washington. Imagine if they occupied government buildings.
Imagine if they set some ablaze. Imagine if foreign elements armed them. Imagine if they used life fire. Imagine if they hurled petrol bombs and bricks.
Imagine if they shot and killed people. Imagine if they seriously injured many others.
Imagine if Russia demanded no arrests, investigations, detentions and prosecutions. Imagine if it demanded power-sharing.
Imagine Obama administration rage. Imagine it on Capitol Hill.
Imagine screaming anti-Russian headlines. Imagine greater than ever Putin bashing.
Acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara "call(ed) on foreign states and international organizations to make objective and impartial assessments of the situation in Ukraine and expect them to strongly condemn the illegal actions of radical forces."
An Interior Ministry report said "(f)ive interior troops were wounded."
"Doctors have taken a bullet from one serviceman's body and another one is bleeding."
"A pistol bullet has been removed from one serviceman's body. Another law enforcement official is now bleeding and doctors are trying to remove a bullet from him."
Police reported 37 law enforcement officials hurt. Government loyalists held their own rally.
They want Western manipulated violence stopped. They demonstrated around Kiev's parliament building.
They chanted "Stop Nationalism and Fascism!" "Support Viktor Yanukovych."
Washington and key EU partners bear full responsibility for stoking violence. They're in league with fascist extremists. They recruited street thugs.
They're paid to riot. Paul Craig Roberts quoted sources saying "most protesters get an average payment of 200 - 300 grivna (about 15 - 25 euros)."
Another just back from Ukraine said most protesters "get only 100 grivna. 300 is for students."
Washington is spending billions of dollars to control Ukraine. It's the most important former Soviet republic.
Ordinary Ukrainians are being duped. They're deceived. They're manipulated to support what's against their own self-interest. They'd never participate in this type destructive violence otherwise.
CIA and State Department funded organizations are involved. They're coup-fomenting experts. They've done it lots of times before.
Whether this one succeeds remains to be seen. Extreme violence was strategically timed. It wasn't spontaneous.
It's while Moscow largely focuses on Sochi. Putin prioritizes a successful Winter Olympics. On February 6, it began. It continues through Sunday, February 23.
On February 18, well-planned extreme violence erupted. It was after Kiev's amnesty offer. Washington manipulators chose this time to act. It remains to be seen how much worse things may get.
On February 19, RT.com headlined "Moscow blames radicals for deadly clashes in Ukraine, EU leaders ponder sanctions against government."
Russia's Foreign Ministry called ongoing violence a radicalized coup d'etat attempt. Moscow accused Western officials and supportive groups of "refusing to admit that all of the responsibility for (street violence) rests with the opposition."
Dmitry Peskov is Putin's press secretary. He said "Moscow strongly condemns violence on the part of the extremist elements, which used the fulfillment of conditions of the amnesty and immediately began violent actions."
Russia doesn't meddle in Ukraine's internal affairs, he added. Resolving what's ongoing "is the exclusive prerogative of the legitimate (Ukrainian) authorities."
Putin respects sovereign independence of all countries. He opposes outside interference. He knows Washington's dirty hands are manipulating ongoing violence. How he'll respond remains to be seen.
He's keeping close watch. He's not interfering. He's watching and waiting. The Federation Council is Russia's parliament upper house.
Its International Affairs Committee chairman Mikhail Margelov called ongoing violence stage-managed.
"(M)ilitants dealt with law enforcers' attacks...skillfully," he said. "There is an evident organized nature behind the fighting, he added.
Rioters "not only occupy state offices...but storm police wards and dismantle (special police unit) Berkut(s)."
Everything ongoing was carefully orchestrated. It's a Washington manipulated operation. It's similar to what's happening in Syria.
At issue is regime change. It's attempting a violent coup d'etat. Events remain fluid. Washington doesn't initiate violence to quit.
Expect no easy end of conflict. Perhaps things will get worse before improving. Maybe they'll spin entirely out-of-control.
Imperial ruthlessness operates this way. It's longstanding US policy. It involves ravaging and destroying one country after another.
It's the American way. Advancing its imperium matters most. So is making the world safe for corporate plunderers.
It's carving countries up for profit. It's looting their resources. It's exploiting ordinary people mercilessly. It's inflicting unspeakable human misery.
Obama exceeds the worst of his predecessors. Rapaciousness has no limits on his watch.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Britain Harasses Human Rights Lawyer
Britain Harasses Human Rights Lawyer
by Stephen Lendman
Britain, America and Israel are likeminded. They're rogue states. They're axis of evil partners.
They operate ruthlessly. They mock democratic values. They trash rule of law principles. They tolerate no one challenging their lawlessness.
They vilify them. They imprison some. They do so to threaten others. Most often they harass. They do it no-holds-barred.
The Government Accountability Project (GAP) calls itself "the nation's leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization."
Jesselyn Radack is a prominent human rights lawyer/whistleblower. She's GAP's National Security & Human Rights director.
She's involved mainly with national security and intelligence community whistleblowers. She focuses on torture, lawless surveillance, secrecy and political discrimination.
She represented former senior NSA official Thomas Drake. He won awards for truth-telling and intelligence integrity.
On April 15, 2010, he was wrongfully indicted. Obama prosecutors did so under the 1917 Espionage Act.
He faced multiple charges. They included willful retention of classified information, obstruction of justice and making false statements.
He leaked information on lawless NSA spying. He exposed agency waste, fraud and abuse.
He performed a vital public service. He deserved praise, not prosecution. In May 2011, 60 Minutes featured his case. He was lucky.
In early June, Obama's Justice Department dropped all charges. They did so in return for his pleading guilty to a misdemeanor too minor to matter.
He got one year probation. He agreed to perform community service. Federal Judge Richard D. Bennett presided at his sentencing hearing.
He chastised government prosecutors. He called it "unconscionable" charging Drake with crimes potentially calling for 35 years in prison only to drop them on the eve of trial.
He refused to impose a fine. Drake's defense devastated him financially. He lost his six-figure NSA job and pension.
Perhaps he inspired Edward Snowden's revelations. He's an activist against lawless surveillance state practices.
Last September, he called NSA spying too systemically out-of-control to fix. The only solution is shutting it down and starting over.
He should have included everything ongoing politically. It's unprincipled. It's lawless. It's corrupted. It's too broken to fix.
The only solution is turning a page. It's making a clean sweep. It's cleaning house. It's starting over. Nothing else can work.
Radack is on the frontline for justice. She's a Yale Law School grad. She's a former Justice Department ethics advisor. She practiced constitutional tort law.
She gained prominence from John Walker Lindh's case. He was captured in Afghanistan. He was persecuted unjustly. He was outrageously called the "American Taliban."
He was brutally tortured and abused. He was falsely accused of treason. He was victimized by post-9/11 hysteria. His case was the first prominent terrorism-related one. He was Bush "Detainee 001."
His trial was a travesty of justice. He was guilty by accusation. In 2002, he got 20 years without the possibility of parole.
With good behavior, it could be three less. It depends entirely on the political climate at the time.
America's fast track toward full-blown tyranny isn't encouraging. Lindh and many other political prisoners may stay buried in prison hell interminably.
Obama can detain anyone on his say alone. He can hold them indefinitely with or without charges.
Innocence is no defense. Police states operate this way. America is by far the worst.
Lindh, Bradley (Chelsea) Manning and many others like them bear testimony to US ruthlessness. It's worse than ever now. It shows no signs of improving.
Radack chronicled her whistleblowing connection to Lindh in her memoir titled "TRAITOR: The Whistleblower and the 'American Taliban.' "
She exposed Bush administration wrongdoing in his case. He was horrendously treated. He was brutally interrogated without legal counsel.
Justice Department officials suppressed important information. Attorney General John Ashcroft made false and misleading public statements.
Whistleblowing got Radack targeted. She was harassed. She experienced it at DOJ and subsequent private employment.
She was put on a No-Fly "Selectee" list. She remained on from 2003 through 2009. She endured unjustifiable/harassing security scrutiny.
She uses lessons drawn from her ordeal to help others. Lindh's mistreatment was a "harbinger" for what followed, she explained.
It included institutionalizing torture as official policy. Radack was the first post-9/11 whistleblower raising alarms. She exposed outrageous Bush administration wrongdoing.
"I am the Department of Justice attorney who blew the whistle on the government misconduct in the case of John Walker Lindh, the 'American Taliban."
She said so in Chapter 1 of her book. She's a leading whistleblower champion. "I don't wear the label 'whistleblower' comfortably," she said.
"Why should I get some special moniker for doing what I would have done anyway," she asked? Others like her call it "doing their jobs."
It's as simple as knowing right from wrong. It's how civil servants should behave. Just societies demand no less.
Whistleblowers should be honored. They deserve praise, not retaliatory targeting. Happy outcomes aren't typical, said Radack.
"(F)or every success story" like Daniel Ellsberg, "there are a hundred stories of professional martyrdom," she explained.
"Mine is one of them," she added. She represents Edward Snowden. She's in the line of fire.
She was detained at London's Heathrow Airport. She was interrogated about trips to Russia, Julian Assange, Bradley (Chelsea) Manning and Snowden.
She was asked why she went to Russia twice in three months. She spoke to Firedoglake's Kevin Gosztola.
A Border Force agent harassed her. She faced "very hostile questioning." She was asked why she was there. "To see friends," she said.
She was asked to identify them. They're members of a group called Sam Adams Associates. They're former CIA officers.
They're intelligence professionals for integrity. Annually they present the Sam Adams Award. It's named after Samuel A. Adams. He was a Vietnam War era CIA whistleblower.
Past recipients include Coleen Rowley, Katherine Gun, Sibel Edmonds, Craig Murray, Samuel Provance, Andrew Wilkie, Frank Grevil, Larry Wilkerson, Julian Assange, Thomas Drake, Thomas Fingar, Edward Snowden, Bradley (Chelsea) Manning and Radack.
She was asked where she planned to meet friends she came to see. "At the Ecuadorian Embassy," she said.
It's where Julian Assange remains a political refugee. Ecuador granted him asylum. He faces lawless extradition to America.
Obama wants him prosecuted. He wants him imprisoned longterm like Manning. He wants another message sent potential whistleblowers.
He wants them warned about being declared enemies of the state. He wants them told they'd receive harsh treatment.
Throughout his tenure, he waged war on freedom. Truth-telling and dissent increasingly aren't tolerated.
Whistleblowers are called threats to national security. Obama targeted more of them than all his predecessors combined.
Candidate Obama promised transparency, accountability and "change (to) believe in." President Obama delivered business as usual and then some.
Police state lawlessness defines his administration. So does waging war on humanity worldwide. He's gone all-out to defend the indefensible.
Americans have never been less safe. Doing the right thing is risky. Anyone trying becomes vulnerable.
Radack knows what whistleblowers face. She was "stone face cold" during Heathrow Airport interrogation.
She was asked if she represents Snowden. "Yes, "I'm a human rights lawyer," she said.
Her interrogator "barked" questions. His demeanor was "threatening." Radack was told she's on an "inhibited persons list." It's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) terminology.
A DHS document states:
" ‘Inhibited status’, as defined in this rule, means the status of a passenger or non-traveling individual to whom TSA (Transportation Security Administration) has instructed a covered aircraft operator or a covered airport operator not to issue a boarding pass or to provide access to the sterile area."
Radack later responded to her mistreatment, saying "(t)he government, whether in the US, UK, or elsewhere does not have the authority to monitor, harass or intimidate lawyers for representing unpopular clients."
It's standard American practice. It warns attorneys about steering clear of defendants Washington wants convicted. Otherwise they're vulnerable.
Pastor Martin Niemoller recounted how Nazis came for communists, socialists, trade unionists, and Jews.
Each time, he didn't speak out. He wasn't among those targeted. "Then they came for me," he said. "(T)here was no one left to speak" on his behalf.
Now they're coming after lawyers. They're doing it in America. Representing unpopular clients leaves them vulnerable.
Imagine targeting anyone for doing the right thing. Imagine spying on them lawlessly. Imagine ruthlessly harassing them.
Imagine violating attorney/client confidentiality. Imagine rule of law principles no longer applying. Imagine defending the indefensible.
Radack quoted former White House speechwriter Jerome Doolittle on Bush administration DOJ officials targeting her, saying:
"There is something primordial about Team Bush's reaction to dissent, something reptilian."
"They're like the gila monster, its jaws holding their poisonous grip even after its head is severed."
Radack added: "If the Bush administration was primordial, the Obama administration is downright pathological..."
She felt obligated to tell her story. She felt a "moral imperative" to do so. She had many "pent-up things to say."
If white, well-educated, "comfortably middle-class" US lawyers can lose freedom, what chance have people of color, Muslims, immigrants, or others most disadvantaged.
Howard Zinn said "you can't be neutral on a moving train...You cannot be neutral on the crucial issues of our time."
Doing so means accepting the unacceptable. Late in life he said:
"Wherever any kind of injustice has been overturned, it's been because people acted as citizens, and not as politicians. They didn't just moan."
"They worked, they acted, they organized, they rioted if necessary to bring their situation to the attention of people in power. And that's what we have to do today."
"(T)he emperor has no clothes," said Radack. "(E)xpos(ing) the nakedness of government policies should be applauded, not annihilated."
On 9/11, her "life-altering" journey began. "The years immediately following" what happened "were the most difficult of (her) life..."
At the same time, she deepened her commitment for human and civil rights. She promised to use her "voice to try to prevent" anyone with something important to say from being silenced.
Sunshine is the best disinfectant. Let it shine! Let it shine! Let it radiate where most needed.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Iran Nuclear Talks Resume in Vienna
Iran Nuclear Talks Resume in Vienna
by Stephen Lendman
On November 24, 2013, Iran and P5 + 1 countries agreed on Joint Plan of Action (JPA) terms. A previous article said hold the cheers. It asked if it matters.
Longstanding hardline US/Israeli policy won't change. Anti-Iranian AIPAC pressure is relentless.
Obama twice breached JPA terms. He did so unilaterally. On February 18, talks resumed. Focus is on agreeing on a comprehensive "permanent resolution." Prospects aren't encouraging.
Longstanding US policy calls for regime change. Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful. No evidence suggests otherwise.
It doesn't matter. "My goal is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon," says Obama. "All options are on the table."
On February 17, an unnamed senior administration official said Obama calls achieving a final agreement "a 50-50 proposition" at best. "(H)igh expectations" don't exist. We're "cautious, very cautious."
Iranians have just cause for concern. US agreements aren't worth the paper they're written on. Washington doesn't negotiate in good faith.
Promises made are broken. Obama broke every major one made. Throughout his tenure, he targeted Iran for regime change. Believing policy shifted now requires a giant leap of faith.
On Monday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said:
"What our officials started will continue. We will not renege…But I will say again: there is no use. (Talks) will not lead anywhere."
"Don't try to dress up America and erase its past record of terror, violence and ugliness."
"The nuclear issue is just hype. American officials are already raising other issues like human rights and missile threat."
Even if a comprehensive deal is reached, "everyone must know that America's enmity is with the core of the Islamic Revolution and with Islam."
"The enmity will not end with the negotiations" no matter what happens ahead.
Current talks are expected to last three days. They'll focus on how to proceed from here. According to an unnamed senior US official:
"This is the beginning of what will be a complicated, difficult and lengthy process."
"When the stakes are this high, and the devil is truly in the details, one has to take the time to ensure the confidence of the international community in the result."
The problem with Iran's nuclear program is Washington. It's Israel. Netanyahu is unrelenting.
In January, he addressed the World Economic Forum. He lied saying Arab countries "understand that Iran remains aggressive, supports terror, that it participates in the slaughter in Syria, (and) that (it's) pursuing the development of ballistic missiles and plutonium for nuclear weapons."
He said Rohani's address had "no connection to what's going on on the ground. (He) continues Iran's deception show."
"The goal of the Iranian ayatollahs' regime, that hides behind Rohani's smile, is to ease sanctions without giving up their program to produce nuclear weapons."
He urged the international community "not to be duped."
On February 16, he held his weekly cabinet meeting. He lied saying:
Iran "received a major easing of sanctions...(It's) continuing its aggressive policy both" internally and externally.
It's "execution innocent people. (I)t supports the continued killings by the Syrian regime."
It "continu(es) to arm terrorist organizations with advanced, deadly weapons and, of course, it is continuing to call for the destruction of the State of Israel."
"At the same time, Iran is continuing with advanced research and development of centrifuges. Iran is not prepared to concede even one centrifuge."
"Israel's policy is clear and is active on two tracks: First, to expose Iran's unchanging aggressive policy. Second, to demand the dismantling of Iran's enrichment capacity."
Fact check
Iran conceded plenty in Geneva. Much more than was warranted. It got little in return.
Its one success was getting Washington to bend modestly for the first time. Whether it's smoke and mirrors deception remains to be seen. Smart money says so.
Netanyahu said nothing about Israel's formidable nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. It's the elephant in the room routinely ignored.
Iran threatens no one. Israel represents a global threat. It never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
In 1993, it signed the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). It refused to ratify it. It did so for spurious reasons. It wrongfully claims it's surrounded by hostile neighbors. Israel's only enemies are ones it invents.
It never signed the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). Its policy is CBW ambiguity. It fools no one.
Netanyahu is unhinged. He's a world class bully. He shames the office he holds. He's an embarrassment to legitimate governance. He out-Sharon's Sharon.
He knows Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful. He knows Tehran threatens no one.
No Iranian leader ever threatened to annihilate Israel. Netanyahu's comments turn truth on its head. Last October, he said:
"Israel will never acquiesce to nuclear arms in the hands of a rogue regime that repeatedly promises to wipe us off the map."
"Against such a threat, Israel will have no choice but to defend itself. I want there to be no confusion on this point. Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons."
On February 17, Netanyahu addressed the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations (CPMJO) in Jerusalem.
He urged "more pressure on Iran, not less." He lied saying Joint Plan of Action terms set Iran's program back "four weeks. That's what Iran has given to the world, which means it's given practically nothing."
"But Iran received a great deal," he claimed. "It received the easing of sanctions. It received nations that are cuing up...to do more business with Iran."
Netanyahu wants talks demanding "zero centrifuges and zero enrichment." He wants Iran having no "capacity to produce a nuclear weapon."
He claimed Tehran is developing new centrifuges "50 times better than the ones they have now." They have missiles able to "target Europe and the US (with) a nuclear payload," he said.
He replicates Obama. Both leaders are serial liars. Nothing they say has credibility. They know Iran poses no existential threat.
They know its nuclear program has no military component. Israel wants unchallenged regional dominance. Iran is its major rival.
It's gaining influence at Israel's expense. Netanyahu wants things reversed.
Malcolm Hoenlein is CPMJO executive vice chairman. His views are entirely one-sided. He calls "educating" the world about the "dangers of Iran" his top objective.
Former Senator Joe Lieberman heads a special CPMJO Iran task force. Its purpose is bashing Tehran. It's spreading malicious propaganda.
Hoenlein lied saying "(w)e do not believe that things have changed under Rohani. He continues with the same threats, the same rhetoric."
"There are more executions under him, human rights violations and support for terrorists, and it is outrageous that the world doesn't challenge this."
Fact check
Israel is by far the region's most egregious human rights violator. It threatens its neighbors. It's waging slow-motion genocide against Palestinians.
It's done so for over 66 years. Its policies are ruthless. Edward Said once called Palestine an isolated prison. An entire population is being suffocated out of existence.
Israel impoverishes, starves and slaughters Palestinians. It does so unaccountably. State terrorism is official policy.
Artillery, tanks, F-16s, helicopter gunships, and banned terror weapons attack defenseless civilians.
Others are assaulted, arrested, imprisoned, tortured, humiliated, and otherwise abused.
For decades, they've endured every imaginable indignity, degradation, and crime against humanity.
Thousands of Palestinian political prisoners languish in Israel's gulag. It's one of the world's worst. Treatment Israel inflicts is horrific by any standard.
Palestinians wanting to live peacefully on their own land in their own country are called terrorists. Unrelenting Israeli viciousness targets them.
An unending cycle of violence persists. Netanyahu heads Israel's most extremist ever government. Fascists infest its Knesset.
Hoenlein supports what demands condemnation. So does Lieberman and likeminded scoundrels. They call legitimate Israeli critics anti-Semites.
They ignore longstanding Israeli high crimes doing so. They make overt threats to attack Iran. Imagine if nuclear weapons are used. Imagine the potential devastating toll.
Netanyahu wants punishing sanctions maintained. He wants new ones imposed. He wants Iran politically isolated.
He wants its economy crushed. He wants its legitimate nuclear program eliminated. He wants the right to dictate its policy.
He wants millions of Iranians grievously harmed. He wants them treated like he treats Palestinians.
He wants the Islamic Republic destroyed. Perhaps he has an Iranian holocaust in mind to do so. Don't bet against Obama not being likeminded.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama’s Multiple Regime Change Fronts
Obama's Multiple Regime Change Fronts
by Stephen Lendman
Previous articles discussed Obama's rogue agenda in detail. His destructive pattern continues unabated. Throughout his tenure, he did what supporters thought impossible.
He exceeded the worst of George Bush. His policies replicate Republican hardliners. Neocons infest his administration.
He's waging war on humanity. He's doing at home and abroad.
He wrecked America's economy. He looted the nation's wealth. He handed Wall Street crooks multi-trillions of dollars. He gave trillions more to war profiteers.
Other corporate favorites benefitted hugely. So did super-rich elites. Ordinary Americans struggle through protracted Depression level conditions.
Hard times keep getting harder. They persist. They show no signs of ending. Growing millions face impoverishment without jobs or futures.
Freedoms are disappearing in plain sight. Police state ruthlessness targets dissent. Abuse of power is institutionalized.
Multiple regime change fronts target foreign leaders. Independent ones aren't tolerated. Obama wants Syria's Assad replaced.
He's waging proxy to oust him. He's responsible for three years of bloody conflict. Mass slaughter, destruction and unspeakable human misery define it.
Millions of internally and externally displaced Syrians attest to his ruthlessness. War rages without end.
Peace talks are more pretense than real. Full-scale US intervention may follow their failure. They're currently deadlocked. They're going nowhere.
Syrians want their sovereign rights protected. Obama wants unconditional surrender. He wants pro-Western puppet governance replacing Assad. He wants similar stooges in charge elsewhere.
So-called Iranian nuclear talks may fail. Pursuing them is red herring cover for regime change.
Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful. It has no military component. Washington hardliners claim otherwise. So does Obama.
Saying so flies in the face of hard evidence. Annual US intelligence assessments affirm Iran's peaceful program. So do IAEA inspectors.
Regime change matters more. So does eliminating an Israeli rival. Perhaps Obama plans more war to do it. Maybe he intends manipulating nuclear talks to fail as pretext.
Maybe he'll attack Iran jointly with Israel. Maybe he'll risk regional war doing it. Imagine the unthinkable.
Imagine humanity threatening nuclear war. Bush administration's 2001 Nuclear Policy Review asserted first strike nuclear policy strategy.
His 2002 and 2006 National Security Strategies reaffirmed it. In 2010, Obama's Nuclear Posture Review was old wine in new bottles.
Rhetoric changed, not policy. Obama "reserves the right" to use nuclear weapons preemptively. He does so based on real or invented threats.
He does it against non-nuclear power states. His land/sea/air triad offensive can be activated on his call alone.
He can order bombs away against any country. He can claim preemptive defense against a nonexistent existential threat. He can risk mushroom-shaped cloud denouement doing so.
Total war risks what no responsible leader would dare. Obama waged multiple direct and proxy wars throughout his entire tenure.
He's got other targets in mind. How many more millions will suffer on his watch? How many more will perish? How much more human suffering is too much?
America's super-weapons include the Mother of All Bombs. It has globe-circling delivery systems. It has arsenal strength able to extinguish human life in hours. Days at most.
It's perhaps lawless enough to try. Evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr (1904 - 2005) said human intelligence doesn't guarantee survival.
Beetles and bacteria stand a better chance than humans. They may become the only species ever to self-destruct.
Hubris produces bad endings. America faces the same fate as all previous empires. None survived.
America's denouement may take humanity with it. Imagine having leaders willing to risk it. Imagine ending life on earth.
Waging war on Syria risks regional war. Attacking Iran risks the unthinkable. Plans were readied years ago. Updating followed.
Bombs away could happen with push button ease. Is Obama foolhardy enough to risk it?
Ukraine is targeted for regime change. The battle for its soul continues. Same old, same old reflects US policy.
Obama wants another independent leader toppled. He wants pro-Western stooge governance replacing him.
He wants opposition leader Arseny Yatsenyuk leading it. On Sunday, he addressed supporters publicly. He did so in Ukraine's Independence Square.
President Viktor Yanukovych extended an olive branch earlier. Yatsenyuk rejected his offer to become prime minister. He's forming his own government, he said.
He wants Ukraine's 2004 constitution reinstated. It calls for combined parliamentary/presidential rule.
Obama wants Ukraine colonized for profit. He wants its resources plundered. He wants ordinary Ukrainians turned into serfs. He wants Russia increasingly weakened and isolated.
He's in league with ultranationalist extremists. He's involved in inciting continuing violent clashes.
He wants all former Soviet republics transformed into subservient US satellites. He wants America's war machine encroaching on Russia's borders.
Imagine challenging the only other nation able to match America's nuclear might blow for blow.
Imagine the potential mother of all conflicts. Imagine the possible mother of all bad endings.
Imagine an irresponsible US leader willing to risk the unthinkable. Imagine bipartisan complicity doing nothing to stop him. Imagine strong anti-war sentiment absent on streets protesting.
Imagine America again getting away with mass murder. Imagine it on the most unspeakable of ugly scales.
Imagine risking humanity's survival in the process. Imagine imperial madness exceeding everything preceding it.
Imagine targeting Venezuela at the same time. Imagine wanting Bolivarian social justice destroyed.
Imagine trying for the past 15 years to extinguish it. Imagine new schemes following failed ones.
Imagine wanting control of Venezuela's vast oil reserves. They're the world's largest. Big Oil has its eye on the prize it covets.
Obama killed Chavez. He was either poisoned or infected with cancer causing substances.
Maduro believes he's targeted the same way. He knows Obama wants him ousted. He wants fascist governance replacing him.
US manipulated violence continues on Venezuelan streets. On Sunday, President Nicolas Maduro addressed thousands of supporters.
"You want to see people in the streets? We'll give you people in the streets," he said. Thousands cheered him.
"I'm not going to give one millimeter of the power the Venezuelan people have given me."
"Nothing will stop me from building this revolution which comandante Chavez left us."
Maduro denounced protesters as coup d'etat fascists. Responsible parties will be prosecuted according to the full letter of the law, he said.
He accused former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe of fomenting unrest. He called him an "enemy of Venezuela."
So is anti-Bolivarian fascist politician Leopoldo Lopez. He heads
Venezuela's hard-right Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party.
He incited violence. "There cannot be peace," he said. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
He's charged with murder, terrorism, conspiracy, incitement to crime, setting fire to a public building, damaging public property, public intimidation, and inflicting serious injuries.
Maduro called him "the face of fascism." He threatens Venezuelan freedom. He's against Bolivarian fairness. So are other likeminded extremists.
On Sunday, Venezuelan Minister of Interior and Justice Miguel Rodriguez Torres spoke publicly. He condemned opposition-provoked street violence.
"(V)andalism protests, he called them. Popular Will party extremists incite them. John Kerry issued an outrageous one-sided statement. In didn't surprise. In part, he said:
"We are particularly alarmed by reports that the Venezuelan government has arrested or detained scores of anti-government protestors and issued an arrest warrant for opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez."
"These actions have a chilling effect on citizens' rights to express their grievances peacefully."
He ignored Washington's role in inciting violence. He condemned what he supports.
Doublespeak duplicity defines US policy. Kerry called on Venezuela's government "to provide the political space necessary for meaningful dialogue with the Venezuelan people…"
He urged restoration of calm. He called "(f)reedoms of expression and peaceful assembly…universal rights."
Venezuela "has an obligation to protect" them," he said.
Bolivarian principles champion them. America systematically trashes rule of law principles. It's waging economic, political and street clash war on Venezuela. Don't expect Kerry to explain.
Obama has three years left in office. How many more independent governments does he plan to target?
How much more street violence will he cause? How many more wars will he wage? How much more carnage will follow?
How much longer will Americans tolerate his lawlessness? The only solution is nonviolent revolution.
Resisting tyranny is a national imperative. America's Declaration of Independence endorsed it, saying:
"(W)hever any form of government (threatens) life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government."
Jefferson, Madison and other notable Americans supported doing so. Tyranny is too unjust to tolerate. Good people are obligated to resist.
It's a noble tradition. It's a universal right for justice. It's high time Americans got some. The alternative is perhaps perish.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Washington v. Chavismo
Washington v. Chavismo
by Stephen Lendman
Destabilizing Venezuela is longstanding US policy. Chavez denounced it many times. President Nicolas Maduro does now.
After his April 2013 election, he accused opposition candidate Henrique Capriles of coup plotting against him.
"Preparations are under way for an attempt to de-recognize democratic institutions," he said.
Dark forces never quit. Washington prioritizes regime change. Venezuela is a prime target.
At the time, Maduro accused US embassy officials of plotting "acts of violence." He expelled two Obama military attaches.
He accused another embassy employee of plotting sabotage against Venezuela's electrical grid.
"I will use a hard hand against fascism and intolerance," he said. "I declare it. If they want to overthrow me, come and get me."
He asked Venezuelans to "(d)ecide who you are with...the country and peace and the people (or) fascism."
Destabilization continues. Obama wants regime change. On Sunday, Maduro addressed thousands of supporters.
He accused fascist elements of coup plotting. He called on Venezuelans to "combat in the streets with ideas, with values, in high quality debate, with respect for people's rights, without violence."
Roy Chaderton is Venezuelan Organization of American States (OAS) ambassador. He sent Maduro a report listing US demands. They include:
- dialoguing with opposition leaders;
- releasing detainees arrested during violent protests; and
- threatening that "the arrest of (fascist Popular Will party head) Mr. Leopoldo Lopez could cause negative consequences in their international ramifications."
Obama demands no legal action against him. Maduro called his demands "unacceptable and insolent...I don't accept threats from anybody," he said.
"They will be hard to stop us," he stressed. (W)e are willing to go to the end in defense of peace and democracy."
On Monday, he called other Latin American presidents. He urged them to denounce US threats. He asked Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) Secretary General Ali Rodriguez for support.
He told Foreign Minister Elias Jaua to declare three US embassy officials persona non grata. He ordered them expelled.
He accused them of involvement in destabilizing Venezuela. They weren't identified by name.
A Foreign Ministry statement said Washington seeks to "promote and legitimize the attempts to destabilize the Venezuelan democracy that have sparked violent groups in last days."
"...Venezuela strongly rejects the statements of…John Kerry…"
"…Obama lies when he...question(s) the validity of human rights and democratic guarantees in our country."
Bolivarian institutions guarantee "the exercise of political rights to all its citizens, in a framework of broad civic freedoms enshrined constitutionally."
"The US government is lying when it denounces the detention of (so-called) peaceful anti-government protesters."
"Venezuela has acted and will continue to (confront) violent actions by small groups of extreme (hardliners) conspiring against the liberties (and threatening) the life of our fellow citizens..."
Both countries have no ambassadorial relations. Last September, Maduro expelled Washington's charge d'affaires and two other embassy officials.
"…John Kerry…defends violent leader Leopoldo Lopez...(S)ufficient evidence" shows his involvement in anti-government street rioting.
"The people and the Venezuelan government…will continue imperturbably exercising all (legal) actions...necessary to…defeat" Washington's anti-Bolivarian agenda.
"We call (on all independent) governments...and peoples of the world against this serious US intervention."
US/Venezuelan relations have been strained since Chavez took office in February 1999. They remain so now.
Venezuela is infested with US coup plotters. CIA operatives have been involved for years.
Corporate funded right-wing think tanks want Venezuela returned to its bad old days. They go all-out to vilify Bolivarian fairness. Lies substitute for truth.
Heritage Foundation (HF) misinformation claims Venezuelan "economic and political freedom is nonexistent." Maduro is vilified for relations with China, Cuba, Russia and Iran.
Venezuela is a model of democratic fairness. Media freedom is the hemisphere's best. Not according to HF.
It lied claiming Maduro "persecutes political adversaries and critics."
"Restrictions on media freedom undermine the opposition," it added.
Doomsayers claim Venezuela's economy is troubled. Economist Mark Weisbrot calls pre-Chavez years "economic(ally) disast(rous)."
From 1980 - 1998, per capital income fell. Chavez turned disaster into success. Predictions of economic collapse deny reality.
Venezuela isn't Greece. Its "long awaited apocalypse" isn't likely, said Weisbrot. Around $100 billion in oil revenue avoids balance of payments problems.
About $40 billion of reserves adds stability. Bank of America calls Venezuelan bonds a good buy. Possible hyperinflation is remote.
Despite challenging problems, Venezuela's economy is far from troubled. Growth was positive for 13 straight quarters.
Jobs are available for most Venezuelans who want them. Chavez cut poverty from 60% to 26%. Extreme poverty decreased from over 16% to 7%.
Venezuelans have Latin America's highest minimum wage. According to Weisbrot, "Venezuela has sufficient reserves and foreign exchange earnings to do whatever it wants to do."
Over-dependence on oil can be overcome in time. So can other longterm structural problems.
Overcoming Washington's regime change agenda is most challenging. Right-wing think tanks support it.
Harold Trinkunas heads Brookings' Latin America Initiative in the Foreign Policy program.
He formerly chaired the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School.
On January 23, he headlined "Venezuela Breaks Down in Violence." It was a memo to Obama. It's a thinly veiled call for regime change. He urged US intervention.
He claimed "economic mismanagement." On the one hand, he said it "reached such a level that it risks a violent popular reaction."
Later in his memo he called the "risk of a violent outcome…low."
"(I)t is in the US interest that Venezuela remain a reliable source of oil," he said.
"Popular unrest in a country with multiple armed actors, including the military, the militia, organized crime and pro-government gangs, is a recipe for unwelcome chaos and risks an interruption of oil production," he added.
He urged Obama to enlist help from Brazil. It's interests are at risk, he claimed. He recommended efforts made "to convince (Maduro) to shift course."
If crisis conditions erupt, he wants Maduro ousted. He couched his language as follows:
Begin "quiet conversations" with other regional countries. Plan "steps to take should Venezuela experience a violent breakdown of political order."
Washington "would need to work with key states in the region - Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Peru and Colombia - on a regional consensus in favor of rebuilding 'democracy' in Venezuela."
The kind Trinkunas favors is none at all. He wants Obama enlisting help from regional allies. He wants Venezuela returned to its bad old days.
"(S)hould violence erupt," he wants Obama "to prepare a concerted regional response that leads to Venezuela's re-democratization."
In other words, he wants regime change. He pro-Western puppet leadership replacing Maduro. He favors coup d'etat.
He wants a repeat of April 2002. He wants it working this time. Why he expects above named countries to help, he'll have to explain.
Fearing Venezuela collapsing into violence doesn't square with reality. Trouble makers are relatively few. Chavistas way outnumber them.
Venezuelan democracy is the world's best. So is Bolivarian fairness. Not according to Trinkunas. He calls the political playing field "hardly level."
Maduro "undermined democratic institutions" he claimed. He "centralized power in the executive branch..."
He "prevent(s) other branches of government, opposition parties or civil society from influencing policy."
"There are no checks on the executive when it uses state resources to win elections and selectively applies the law to intimidate opponents."
He "foreclosed peaceful options." He's "interventionist and increasingly authoritarian."
He "put the armed forces on the street to enforce his economic decrees..." He fosters "popular discontent."
His memo reads like straight State Department propaganda. Fiction substituted for facts. Misinformation drowned out truth.
He supports regime change. So does Obama. Not if Venezuelans have their say. They did before. Expect no less this time if necessary.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama Plans Intervention Against Syria
Obama Plans Intervention Against Syriaby Stephen LendmanNeocons infest his administration. They want Assad forcibly ousted. Manipulated to fail diplomacy may be pretext to do it.Two rounds of Geneva talks deadlocked. Expect no change going forward. US ...
US Press Freedom Threatened
US Press Freedom Threatened
by Stephen Lendman
First Amendment rights matter most. Without them all other freedoms are at risk. Post-9/11 policies threaten them.
Bush waged war against them. Obama escalated it. He promised transparency, accountability and reform. He called whistleblowing "acts of courage and patriotism." He said one thing. He did another.
Press freedoms are endangered. An October Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) report discussed Obama and the press.
Journalists say he's waging war on dissent. He exceeds the worst of George Bush. He's heading America on a fast track to tyranny.
He wants information people have a right to know suppressed. He evades press scrutiny. He aggressively targets leakers.
Anyone suspected of disclosing information he wants concealed is vulnerable. Press freedom is gravely threatened.
On February 12, a CPJ press release headlined "Attacks on the Press: CPJ to launch annual global assessment of press freedom."
It named three key threats. They include digital surveillance, murdering journalists, and pressuring them to suppress what governments don't want revealed.
Authoritarian states used to be primary battlegrounds, said CPJ. No longer. New technologies potentially threaten press freedom everywhere.
"Governments' capacity to store transactional data and the content of communications undermines journalists' ability to protect sources," said CPJ.
Out-of-control NSA spying harms everyone. It's driving a stake in the heart of press freedom. It's compromised gravely in America.
CPJ first published "Attacks on the Press" in 1986. This year's edition features a chapter titled "The NSA Puts Journalists Under a Cloud of Suspicion."
Mass agency surveillance collects enormous amounts of data. It's retained. Doing so "poses a unique threat to journalism in the digital age," said CPJ.
Virtually everything digital can be monitored. NSA "recreate(s) a reporter's research." It retraces sources' movements.
It follows current and past communications. It uncovers confidential sources. It does so with technological ease.
It renders confidentiality promises meaningless. If current interactions escape scrutiny, they're reconstructed later on.
Doing so compromises free data flows. Sources become reluctant to cooperate. Disclosing information Washington wants concealed entails risks.
Suppressing what people need to know compromises press freedom. Advanced data storage technology creates another potential risk.
"It provides a deep breeding ground for artificial intelligence systems, which may in the future lead to more efficient, even predictive, spying machines," said CPJ.
Washington and other governments will spot what they most wish to know. Perhaps they'll do it in advance.
Imagine the potential ability to discover things before they happen. Unless checked, out-of-control spying may destroy press freedom entirely. Maybe all freedoms.
Perhaps what's ongoing now is prelude to much worse. CPJ interviewed William Binney. America is "a police state," he said. Mass spying is "a totalitarian process."
NSA monitors all journalists. It maintains "a record of all of them so (it) can investigate, so (it) can look at who they'll calling - who are the potential sources that they're involved in, what probable stories they're working on, and things like that."
National security expert James Bamford told CPJ he believes certain journalists get extra scrutiny.
"If you're writing about national security or the NSA itself, they consider you...a national security danger, and so they feel justified in doing whatever they're doing," he said.
ACLU attorney Alex Abdo litigated against NSA. At issue are compromised constitutionally guaranteed free speech and privacy rights.
"(A)ll reporters should be worried," he believes. Different things affect them.
"Reporters who work for the largest media organizations should be worried probably primarily because their sources will dry up as (they) recognize that there is no way to cover their trail."
Independent journalists may be targeted. They're vulnerable on their own. They lack "institutional protections" MSM reporters get.
When questioned, NSA consistently lies. Spokeswoman Vanee Vines told CPJ:
"NSA is focused on discovering and developing intelligence about valid foreign intelligence targets in order to protect the nation and its interests from threats such as terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."
It bears repeating what other articles explained. America's only threats are ones it invents.
Post-9/11, NSA spying uncovered zero terrorist threats. None! Claims otherwise are false.
Obama lied saying "US intelligence agencies (are) anchored in a system of checks and balances - with oversight from elected leaders, and protections for ordinary citizens."
He lied claiming mass surveillance "prevented multiple attacks and saved lives - not just here in the United States, but around the globe."
He lied saying federal courts and congressional oversight curbed "some of the worst excesses that emerged after 9/11..."
He lied saying he ordered "increased oversight and auditing, including new structures aimed at compliance."
He lied claiming nothing he's seen "indicate(s) that our intelligence community has sought to violate the law or is cavalier about the civil liberties of (American) citizens."
He lied saying "the men and women of the intelligence community, including the NSA, consistently follow protocols designed to protect the privacy of ordinary people."
He lied claiming "(t)hey're not abusing authority in order to listen to your private phone calls or read your emails."
He lied saying "(w)hen mistakes are made...they correct" them.
He lied saying "our intelligence community follows the law."
He lied claiming terrorist threats "are not going away any time soon. They are going to continue to be a major problem."
Director of National Intelligence (DNI) head James Clapper is an acknowledged perjurer. He belatedly admitted lying to Congress.
Senator Ron Wyden asked him: "Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?"
"No sir," said Clapper, "not wittingly." Facing perjury charges he wrote Senate Select Committee on Intelligence chairwoman Diane Feinstein. He apologized for "clearly erroneous" remarks under oath.
Russell Tice is a former Office of Naval Intelligence/Defense Intelligence Agency/NSA analyst. His career spanned 20 years.
Earlier he accused NSA of unconstitutionally wiretapping US citizens, saying:
"Everyone at NSA knew what they were doing was illegal, because it’s drilled into our heads over and over that it's against NSA policy, that you do not do that. The choice is to speak out and get fired."
Tice personally witnessed agency spying on news organizations and journalists.
Former army intelligence Sgt. Adrienne Kinne said she monitored phone conversations between journalists in Iraq and their spouses and editors.
Snowden revelations explained much more. Clapper lied to Congress claiming he caused "profound damage."
He exposed lawless spying. He connected important dots for millions. He told people what they need to know.
He's outrageously charged under the 1917 Espionage Act. It's a WW I relic. It has no relevancy today.
Obama uses against whistleblowers. He targeted more than all his predecessors combined.
Snowden charges include:
- "Theft of government property;
- Unauthorized Communication of National Defense Information (and)
- Willful Communication of Classified Intelligence Information to an Unauthorized Person."
Bradley (Chelsea) Manning was prosecuted for revealing serious war crimes. He got 35 years in prison for acting responsibly.
Journalists revealing what Washington wants suppressed are vulnerable. Last October, NSA chief General Keith Alexander expressed no patience with journalists investigating agency activities.
"I think it's wrong that newspaper reporters have all these documents, 50,000 or whatever they have, and are selling them and giving them out as these - you know it just doesn't make sense," he said.
"We ought to come up with a way of stopping it. I don't know how to do that..."
"(T)hat's more (for) the courts and the policy makers, but from my perspective it's wrong, and to allow this to go on is wrong."
Most journalists may not end up in NSA's crosshairs, said CPJ. All journalists need to know they're monitored. They're vulnerable if writing about affairs of state and related issues.
It's impossible to know everything NSA collects, said CPJ. It's enough to give everyone pause.
Constitutional violations threaten fundamental freedoms. They're eroding en route to perhaps disappearing altogether.
Computer security expert Bruce Schneier compares meta-data collection and analysis to hiring a private detective to snoop on someone's activities and associations.
"The result would be details of what he did: where he went, who he talked to, what he looked at, what he purchased - how he spent his day," said Schneier.
Bamford calls meta-data surveillance especially dangerous to journalists, saying:
"It’s always dangerous when the government has access to journalists' communication because what journalists guarantee sources is confidentiality, and if there's no such thing as confidentiality from the government, it would inhibit the future cooperation from sources."
This gravely compromises investigative journalism. If government "see(s) all the numbers you're calling, they're able to tell pretty much what kind of story you're working on, even without getting (its) content..."
"They're able to tell what the nature of the story is, (and names of) sources you're dealing with."
Binney said NSA didn't build its sophisticated Utah facility for transactional data alone. It's for collecting and storing "content of communications, not just metadata," he stressed.
"They are building more and more storage because they're collecting" vast amounts of data.
They "take everything" off communication lines "and store it." Information is "indexed to the graph of lives and social networks."
NSA can access content to determine a timeline of people's relationships. Binney believes the agency has content and meta-data for the past dozen years.
Unless checked, imagine how much more it'll have ahead. "(T)he more data you get, the more capacity you have to see into somebody,'s life," said Binney.
Technological advances let NSA spy in unprecedented ways. Journalists have to rethink how they communicate with sources.
"The NSA is gathering power and (it's) gathering more capabilities and more eavesdropping, more invasive technologies," said Bamford.
"At the same time, (it's) deceiving the very weak organizations that are supposed to be the oversight mechanisms - the Congress and the FISA Court."
"I think it's a very worrying situation, not just for journalists, but for anybody."
Over 100 years ago, former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis called sunlight "the best of disinfectants." He couldn't imagine how badly it's needed now.
A Final Comment
The Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) called February 11 "The Day We Fight Back."
It joined "thousands of websites in protesting (against) mass (NSA) surveillance…" It used its web site "as a platform for users to speak out against spying abuses..."
It helped them contact congressional members easily. Oppose the FISA Improvement Act, it said. Support the USA Freedom Act.
Protests were held in cities worldwide. People fought back for freedoms too important to lose.
On February 12, EFF asked "How Big Was the Day We (Fought) Back?" It showed a visual image of Michigan Stadium filled to capacity. It holds 109,901 people.
Imagine two MSs filled to capacity, said EFF. Imagine everyone in them "doing the same thing at the same time - contacting Congress and demanding an end to mass surveillance."
You'd be thousands short of nearly 250,000 Americans doing it. They called. They emailed. They demanded Congress support their rights.
Another 200,000 + participated in organized actions worldwide.
At peak times, congressional members were bombarded with over 7,000 calls an hour. EFF stressed what it said before.
February 11 wasn't a one-time action. EFF began challenging lawless NSA spying almost a decade ago. "(W)e're not going to stop now," it said.
Hundreds of thousands of people speaking out is "amazing," it added. "We're proud to have taken part" in what's so important.
EFF expressed gratitude to "many, many" other participants. Freedom isn't something handed out without struggle.
Getting rights requires fighting for them. The same holds for keeping them. Key is not letting energy wane.
Sustaining it makes winning struggles possible. What's more precious than fundamental freedoms for all.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Preordained Failure in Geneva
Preordained Failure in Genevaby Stephen LendmanWashington manipulated Syrian peace talks deadlock. Obama abhors peace. He wants war. He didn't launch it to quit.He wants Assad forcibly ousted. Ending conflict defeats his objective. It continues. Two ro...
Disgraceful NYT Op-Eds
Disgraceful NYT Op-Edsby Stephen LendmanNYT policy is consistent. It's longstanding. It's deplorable. It's opposite of what readers deserve.All news and opinions Times editors call fit to print aren't fit to read. Editorial policy endorses establishmen...
US Political Prisoner Near Death
US Political Prisoner Near Deathby Stephen LendmanThousands of political prisoners languish in America's gulag. It's by far the world's largest. It's one of the most ruthless.Injustice is longstanding US policy. Political targets are guilty by accusati...
Venezuelan Fascists Want Regime Change
Venezuelan Fascists Want Regime Change
by Stephen Lendman
Ongoing street violence isn’t happenstance. It didn’t erupt spontaneously. Dark forces planned it. On Friday it continued. More on this below.
Washington's dirty hands are involved. Longstanding US plans call for regime change.
Obama deplores democracy. He tolerates none at home or abroad. He wants Bolivarianism crushed. He wants social justice ended.
He wants pro-Western puppet governance replacing sovereign Venezuelan independence. He wants control of Venezuela's vast oil reserves.
On Thursday, President Nicolas Maduro blamed fascists for stoking violence. "The violent events on Wednesday had only one political intention," he said.
Anti-Bolivarian extremists "want to defeat a legitimate government, protected by legitimacy and constitutionality."
"I will tell these fascist fugitives...you are responsible for violence." Masterminds and perpetrators will be arrested, he said. They'll be brought to justice.
Maduro highlighted security force efforts, adding:
"I have raised the path of tolerance, dialogue, peace, but from the ranks of the right has arisen violence...(It tested the) patience of the Bolivarian National Police, whom I congratulate for (their) work."
Maduro instructed National Guard forces to protect all Venezuelans. Beware of "Miami fascists," he warned.
They're manipulating people. They're "pull(ing) the strings of those groups that are now in the streets."
Nuestra Tele Noticas 24 Horas (NYN24) is an international 24-hour news channel. It's available throughout Latin and Central America. Direct TV carries it in America.
On Wednesday, Maduro ordered it off air in Venezuela. Its broadcasts were inflammatory. They misreported. They expressed anti-government sentiment.
Maduro "denounce(d) AFP for manipulating information." He accused them of "wanting to create a very similar climate to 2002. (He) asked the information minister to speak clearly with their correspondents."
He accused dominant Venezuelan corporate media of misrepresenting what's happening. He denied false claims about police suppressing peaceful protests.
Fascist elements stoked violence for days. "(W)e've had a lot of patience with them," said Maduro.
Further violence won't be tolerated, he said. "Should I allow them to burn, to destroy this country," he asked?
His top priority is restoring order. It's protecting all Venezuelans. It's preventing a 2002 coup repeat. It stopping elements inciting it.
Anti-government media promote violence. They did so in days before the April 2002 coup.
Venezuelan corporate controlled Venevision, Globovision, Televen and RCTV suspended regular programming.
They replaced it with anti-Chavez propaganda. They called on Venezuelans to take to the streets. They said do it "for freedom and democracy...No one will defeat us."
They urged Venezuelans to rebel. They knew in advance when the coup was planned. A day ahead, General Nestor Gonzales got nationwide air time. Major corporate broadcasters cooperated.
He demanded Chavez step down. He said he'd be forcibly removed otherwise. The day after the coup, the dominant corporate media revealed their involvement.
Venevision featured coup plotters on air. They thanked corporate media channels for support. Coup leader Pedro Carmona used Venevision facilities as a "bunker."
It was a staging area for what followed. It was initiated on April 11, 2002. Carmona was seen leaving Venevision for the Miraflores presidential palace.
He did so to replace Chavez as president. He signed the infamous Carmona Decree. It named him head of state. It crushed democracy. It dissolved the National Assembly and Supreme Court.
It annulled Venezuela's Constitution. It ended Bolivarianism. It replaced it with fascist extremism. It did so in league with Washington.
Carmona's tenure was short-lived. It lasted 48 hours. Mass Chavista activism restored Chavez to office.
Is history repeating now? Are coup plans unfolding? Are dominant Venezuelan media involved? Did they have advance knowledge of what's happening?
Is something more sinister than street protests in play? They're violent. They're destabilizing. They continue. Participant numbers are too small to matter. So far at least.
The vast majority of Venezuelans oppose them. On April 13, 2002, hundreds of thousands of Chavez supporters rallied. They took to the streets.
They demanded his reinstatement. They did so while dominant TV channels aired old movies, cartoons and other distracting programming.
While ongoing, coup plotting got no coverage. Not on corporate TV. Not in dominant broadsheets. State television was suspended for 48 hours.
Venezuelans were on their own to act. They did so until conditions normalized. It was an impressive moment in Venezuelan history. Will they respond again now if needed?
Bolivarianism is too important to lose. So is sovereign independent freedom. Fascists want democracy crushed. They want social justice ended. They want hardline rule restored.
Their ability to achieve a successful coup is hugely constrained. It's possible. It's unlikely. Maduro knows what happened earlier.
He's instituting all measures possible to prevent it. He announced a Peace and Coexistence Plan. He wants it serving all Venezuelans responsibly. He involved state governors and cabinet ministers to implement it.
He ordered the arrest of opposition fascist leader Leopoldo Lopez. A previous article discussed him. He stoked street violence. He barely stopped short of urging national insurrection.
A warrant was issued for his arrest. He's charged with murder, terrorism, conspiracy, incitement to crime, setting fire to a public building, damaging public property, public intimidation, and inflicting serious injuries.
He bears much responsibility for what's ongoing. He threatens Venezuelan freedom. So do other likeminded extremists.
Maduro accused Lopez of stoking violence. He compared him to 2002 coup plotters.
"There you have the face of fascism," he said. "I tell these fugitives from justice. Give yourselves up."
"They should go behind bars," Maduro added. Lopez remains at large. Colleagues said he spent Thursday with advisers.
He challenged Maduro via Twitter. "Thanks for all your shows of solidarity," he said. "I'm fine. I'm still in Venezuela, and I'll stay in the streets. Strength!"
On Thursday, violent protests continued. Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez reported four deaths. Another 66 were wounded.
Dozens were arrested. Rodriquez accused them of "burn(ing) patrol (vehicles), attack(ing) police officers, and committing (extensive) vandalism."
"The human rights of all detainees are being respected," he said. "(W)hen they go to trial, they should explain the reasons for their actions...(They'll be) punished by the weight of the law."
Investigations are ongoing, he added. Efforts are being made to "determine as quickly as possible who is responsible" for instigating violence.
Late Thursday, things were calm. Perhaps before the next storm. Authorities are assessing damage. Rodriguez urged Venezuelans to be vigilant. "(B)e alert to destabilizing plans," he warned.
He expects fascist elements plan more violence. He said suspects arrested said so. Opposition leaders got funding and training from abroad, he added.
He left little doubt where from. It bears repeating. Washington's dirty hands are involved. Maduro referenced "Miami fascists."
Strings are pulled in Washington. Obama wants hardline governance replacing Maduro. How far he's willing to go remains to be seen.
On Thursday, National Assembly (AN) Committee on Domestic Policy members urged lawmakers to investigate Lopez. He heads the hard-right Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party.
They want AN member Maria Corina Machado's possible involvement in street violence examined.
She's a right-wing extremist. She's a longtime anti-Chavista. She signed the infamous Carmona Decree.
Evidence shows her involvement in other destabilizing schemes. Washington provides generous financial support.
She urged anti-government elements to stay in the streets. She called violent protesters peaceful. She blamed police for their crimes.
United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) lawmaker Jose Javier Morales said:
"While the government is promoting measures to ensure the welfare of all Venezuelans, (Lopez and Machado) generate chaos and crisis."
"Yesterday they inspired the people to embark on this wave of violence." He suggested it resembles what happened in 2002.
"It's time for the state to act against these acts of vandalism," he added.
What happens going forward bears close watching. Chavistas support Maduro. PSUV youth wing organzer Sonny Sanchez said activists will stay in the streets.
They'll do so in solidarity with Maduro. They oppose "fascists, Nazis (and) terrorists...(They're manipulated) to create chaos in the country," he said.
Opposition leader/former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles wrongfully accused security forces and Chavistas of stoking violence.
Anti-government fascist elements bear full responsibility. Maduro won't tolerate it, he said.
"I swear by my people that there will be justice for the blood shed in Venezuela today," he stressed.
"I swear that I will do justice in Venezuela. I want peace and justice. The Bolivarian Revolution will triumph by way of the Constitution."
He charged two other prominent opposition figures with involement. Fernando Gerbasi is a former ambassador to Colombia. Mario Ivan Carratu was a president Carlos Andres Perez military chief.
Cuba expressed solidarity with Maduro. An official statement condemned street violence. It blamed fascist plotters wanting him ousted.
"The government of Ecuador...express(ed) its full support to President Nicolas Maduro against these acts of violence organized by the opposition."
Bolivia's Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca expressed "total rejection of any attempt of destabilization in Venezuela." Argentina urged "an investigation to determine responsibilities."
Maduro said "(t)here will be no coup d'etat in Venezuela, you can rest assured. Democracy will continue, and the revolution will continue."
"I have given clear instructions to state security agencies to secure the country's main cities. Anyone who goes out to carry out violence will be arrested." Order will be restored, he added.
Bolivarianism is resilient. It survived numerous US destabilizing schemes. It's institutionalized. It's part of Venezuelan culture.
It has strong popular support. It won't wane and die. Venezuelans won't let it. They want no part of returning to their ugly past.
They enjoy benefits too important to lose. Constitutional law mandates what Americans can't imagine.
Major problems remain. Maduro promised to address them. He represents all Venezuelans fairly. He won't tolerate disruptive fascist violence.
He's committed to restoring calm and stability. It bears repeating. He has popular support to do so.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Syrian Peace Process Pretense
Syrian Peace Process Pretenseby Stephen LendmanSyrians genuinely want peace. Washington wants regime change. SNC stooges represent US interests.In January, talks convened in Geneva. Round one failed. So did round two. On February 14, UN/Arab League Syr...
Syrian Opposition Regime Change Plans
Syrian Opposition Regime Change Plan
by Stephen Lendman
Earlier articles explained. So-called Syrian National Coalition (SNC) delegates lack legitimacy. They're US stooges.
They're self-serving. They represent US interests. They're mindless of Syrian suffering. Assad must go, they demand.
They want Syrians having no say on who'll lead them. Day three of round two talks achieved nothing. SNC delegates presented a plan designed to be rejected. More on it below.
On February 12, Assad political/media advisor Bouthina Shaaban said talks so far resolved nothing. Opposition delegates want transitional governance.
Key is combating terrorism and ending violence. Dozens, at times hundreds, of Syrians die daily. What's more important than saving lives!
"We said that we will discuss all points of the Geneva 1 Communique, but in order and according to the interests of the Syrian people," said Shaaban.
"Undoubtedly the top priority for the Syrian people is stopping terrorism, and we want with the other side to put this as a primary objective and unfortunately, so far, we have not succeeded."
Steps and measures in Geneva I's communique included:
- ending armed conflict;
- implementing Kofi Annan's peace plan;
- observing provisions of Security Council Resolutions 2042 and 2043: they relate to monitoring agreed on ceasefire terms;
- releasing detainees;
- ensuring "freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists on a non-discriminatory visa policy for them;"
- respecting freedom of association and right to demonstrate peacefully;
- respect for and cooperation with UNSMIS (UN Supervision Mission in Syria) observers and securing their safety and security;
- allowing immediate and full humanitarian access to areas needing help;
- evacuating the wounded and civilians wishing to leave war-torn areas; and
- adhering fully with international law provisions.
Political transition guidelines and principles included:
- Syrian led transition representing everyone in the country;
- establishing clear steps and a firm time frame toward realizing stated goals;
- ensuring safety, stability and calm to assure doing so; and
- avoiding further bloodshed and violence.
Transitional governance must be "genuinely democratic and pluralistic."
It must conform with "international standards on human rights." It must include an independent judiciary respecting rule of law principles, and must offer "equal opportunities and chances for all."
Ending conflict depends on establishing "a transitional governing body" with "full executive powers. It could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent."
Syrians must "determine the future of the country." All groups and segments of society must be able "to participate in a National Dialogue" process. Outcomes achieved "must be implemented."
"The result of the constitutional drafting would be subject to popular approval."
Once established, "free and fair multi-party elections" must be held. Women must be "represented in all aspects of the transition."
Note: Geneva I's communique said Syrians alone will decide their future. Outside interference is prohibited.
Nothing suggested Assad must go. Syrians alone will decide. Assad said numerous times he'll respect the will of the people.
If they want him, he'll stay. If not, he'll go. If an election was held today, he'd win overwhelmingly. Independent polls show he's too popular to defeat.
Syrians will choose one way or another. They'll do so in independently monitored free, fair, and open elections. Syrian sovereign independence must be preserved.
Washington wants regime change. Obama wants to decide who'll govern. He wants Syrians having no say. SNC stooges represent him.
Ongoing talks aren't for peace. They're for regime change. They're for what Syrians reject. Round one accomplished nothing.
Nor round two so far. A previous article called them duplicitous diplomacy. War rages out-of-control. Violence and bloodshed are unabated.
No end of conflict looms. Talks remain deadlocked. On February 12, Reuters headlined "Exclusive: Opposition plan for post-war Syria ignores Assad," saying:
A document "seen by Reuters lays out a vision of post-conflict Syria with all ethnic groups participating in a transition aimed at restoring peace and stability."
It "deliberately (excludes) Assad…" He's not mentioned by name. It doesn't matter. SNC delegates insist he must go. They falsely claim excluding him conforms to Geneva I communique provisions.
False! Geneva I says Syrians alone will decide their future. Outside interference is prohibited.
SNC's document states: Transitional authority would be "the only legitimate body that represents the sovereignty and independence of the Syrian state and is the only one that represents the Syrian state internationally."
Syrian delegates reject prioritizing transitional governance. Ending terrorism and violence matter most.
An unnamed State Department official endorsed SNC's document. Washington wrote it. SNC stooges presented it.
It has no legitimacy whatever. It calls for a transitional body to "prepare and oversee a total ceasefire by taking immediate measures to stop military violence, protect civilians and stabilize the country in the presence of UN observers."
Fact check
US-supported death squad invaders bear full responsibility for mass killing and destruction. They abhor peace. They're not represented in Geneva.
Stopping violence requires halting all forms of support. It demands all anti-Syrian countries comply. It involves what's nowhere in sight.
Obama didn't wage war to quit. He wants regime change. He wants his will imposed. Peace talks are fake. They're smoke and mirrors deception.
Reuters cited Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad saying Damascus supports efforts to evict foreign fighters. So do Syrians.
At the same time, they reject outside elements deciding their future. International law supports them.
Mekdad accused opposition delegates of (misus(ing)" Wednesday's meeting. They diverted attention from the need to address terrorism, he stressed.
Doing so is top priority. He called focusing on transitional governance "a delusional proposal." It's "a recipe to kill the Geneva talks."
Syrian delegates presented their own document. It covers killings and atrocities committed by insurgent fighters.
Assad is wrongfully blamed. Mekdad said the material submitted responds to "the lies of the coalition."
Russian State Duma (lower house) international affairs committee head Alexei Pushkov called Obama obsessed. He wants Assad ousted.
He "reserves the right to a military operation in Syria," said Pushkov. "Being possessed by the idea to overthrow Assad, the US did not change its mind about a military invasion," he added.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Moscow will veto a one-sided Western Security Council resolution on Syria.
"The way (it's) drawn up, it is unacceptable to us and there is no doubt we will block it," he said.
Russia will present its own imminently, he stressed. It "will above all urge everyone to take the necessary steps and to pool efforts in the deterrence of the terrorist threat coming from the territory of Syria," he explained.
"I think that if our colleagues at the Security Council share our concerns about the danger of terrorism and, in my opinion, they increasingly come to the conclusion that this threat really exists and if they sincerely want to fight it, then it will make sense to pool our efforts in this field."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow's proposed resolution was submitted late Wednesday.
"We have drafted our own resolution that we expect to be discussed in the UN Security Council," he said.
"It is not mere amendments to the document submitted by Luxembourg, Australia and Jordan, but is essentially our take on the role that the Security Council can play in the settlement, if we mean it, and not just seek to provoke one or the other party."
The resolution is based on UN Charter principles, Lavrov added. It conforms to international law and standards. It seeks responsible conflict resolution.
Alexei Zaitsev is Moscow's UN press attache. He said submitting it counters the unacceptable Western proposal. He left details unexplained.
Whether both sides can agree on acceptable language remains to be seen. Russia's top priority is preventing Libya 2.0.
Talks continued on Thursday. Resolution remains elusive. It bears repeating. Syria wants responsible conflict resolution. It's going all-out to achieve it.
SNC stooges represent Washington. Peace talks are fake. Obama wants regime change. He launched war. US-supported death squad proxies wage it. No end of conflict looms.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israeli Ethnic Cleansing
Israeli Ethnic Cleansing
by Stephen Lendman
It's longstanding state policy. It's what former Israeli politician Yigal Allon called maximum land with minimum Arabs.
It's dispossessing them for Jewish exclusivity. It's doing it extrajudicially. It's doing it without compromise.
It's claiming all land Israel wants belongs exclusively to Jews. Palestinian rights don't matter. They're persecuted for their faith, ethnicity and presence.
They're ethnically cleansed to make way for Jews. It's happening one bulldozed Palestinian home at a time. Destroying entire communities reflect it.
Last September, Jordan Valley Khiret Khallet Makhul community homes were demolished. Sixty Bedouin Arab Israeli citizens were affected.
They've lived there for many years. They grazed their livestock. They had to sleep outside with no shelter.
Last August, Israel's Supreme Court rejected their petition. It sought to legitimize their legally built structures.
Since demolition, Israeli soldiers prevented community members and international aid agencies from erecting tents for shelter.
Their fundamental rights were denied. What Israel wants it gets. Ethnic cleansing is longstanding Israeli policy. The Jordan Valley is being systematically Judaized. Most of it is already.
Civil Administration policy denies Arab communities access to their own land. It does so various ways.
Closed military zones are declared. So are nature reserves. Palestinian land is declared state owned. They're excluded from nearly 90% of the Jordan Valley.
In areas where they live, they're prohibited from building homes and other structures. They can't do it without state authorized permits. They're practically impossible to get.
When Palestinians build on their own land, demolition orders follow. From 2006 through April 2013 alone, hundreds of Palestinian homes were targeted.
Around 1,600 family members were affected. Many were one or more times earlier. Israeli policy reflects its Judaization strategy.
It includes annexing Palestinian land. It's exploiting its water and other resources. It's denying homeless Palestinians humanitarian aid.
It's violating fundamental international laws. It's doing it repeatedly. It's ongoing during sham peace talks.
It prevents equitable conflict resolution. It punishes Arabs for not being Jews. Jordan Valley Khirbet 'Ein Karzaliyah residents are affected.
On January 8, their homes and other structures were demolished. Their only water pipe was destroyed.
Three families were affected. They include 10 adults and 15 children. They're farmers. They raise livestock.
Their possessions include three tents, six pens, five livestock sheds, two chicken coops and three flocks. They consist of about 750 sheep and goats.
In 1972, IDF commanders lawlessly declared their area a closed military zone. They claimed it was needed as a firing zone.
Residents explained otherwise. Until two years ago, no military activity was present.
In 2003, Israeli Civil Administration officials began ordering residents to evacuate their own land. Some of their homes and facilities were destroyed.
In January 2010, residents were ordered to leave the area within 72 hours. Closed military zone authority was again cited.
Palestinians petitioned Israel's High Court. At the same time, it issued an interim injunction. It halted evacuations. It did so pending their intention to rule on the issue.
On January 31, 2011, a hearing followed. Residents were denied their legitimate rights. State officials lied saying their land was needed for military training.
They claimed residents had no right to live on their own land. They were offered other sites. They were unacceptable. Palestinians refused justifiably.
It's their land. It's their right to live there. Resolution was months in coming. Justice was systematically denied.
On December 3, 2013, High Court justices ruled for Israel. They said Palestinians failed to prove their permanent residency status.
They were given three days to remove their belongings. They were told to resolve their differences with state authorities.
No understanding was reached. It didn't surprise. Israel is all take and no give. It demands. It does so extrajudicially. It offers practically nothing in return.
'Ein Karzaliyah families faced imminent dispossession. International law doesn't matter. Israel does whatever it wants. It does it repeatedly. It does it with impunity.
Palestinians have no rights. They're systematically denied. On January 8, 'Ein Karzaliiyah residents were left homeless. B'Tselem director Jessica Montell commented, saying:
"Israel has once again forgotten that control entails responsibility. The Jordan Valley cannot be addressed as a merely theoretical issue, discussing its future while completely disregarding the fate of its residents."
"At the moment, the authorities must set aside their political ambitions and consider the fate of 25 individuals, who do not know how they’ll get through the night and how their flocks, their only source of income and livelihood, will fare."
A previous article discussed Israeli plans to perhaps annex the entire Jordan Valley. It's 30% of the West Bank.
Israel controls nearly 90% of it already. It wants the rest. It wants Palestinians entirely excluded. They're systematically being removed.
Israel wants the entire area Judaized. It wants Arabs excluded. Nearly all Jordan Valley land lies in Area C.
It's under exclusive Israeli control. De facto annexation exists. Israel wants it made official.
Many communities were ordered to leave. They have no choice. They're forced out if don't leave voluntarily.
Thousands of Bedouin Arab Israeli citizens are affected. Israel wants them all out. Legally the Jordan Valley is occupied territory.
Israel is responsible for the well-being of its residents. It includes respecting their fundamental rights.
They include the right to live, build, and earn a living on their own land. Dispossessing legitimate residents violates fundamental international law.
Israel is obligated to respect it. Other nations are obliged to assure it. Professor William Cook comments about the longstanding plight of Palestinians.
His newest book is titled "Decade of Deceit 2002-2012." It's a major contribution toward understanding decades of Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Fifty-five essays explain longstanding Palestinian suffering. They cover indignities imposed by a racist/rogue occupier.
Palestine's Nakba never ended. State terror is official policy. Israel calls it self-defense. Lawful resistance to live free is called terrorism.
Daily life includes persecution, home demolitions, dispossessions, land theft, targeted assassinations, mass arrests, incarceration, torture, denial of virtually all rights, and living in fear of what's next.
Palestinians are largely on their own. World leaders able to help turn a blind eye. They support Israel's worst crimes.
In early January, Fars News interviewed Cook. He called longstanding Israeli persecution unjustifiable, indefensible and discriminatory.
"America’s poor suffer the consequences," he said. "(S)chools have no money to care for the deprived Americans, and that is but an example of what happens when we dedicate the taxpayers' money to slaughter and mayhem in a land we claim must defend itself when we can't even identify the boundaries of that state because it refuses to identify its borders as they are continually growing as they inflict further genocide on the people of Palestine."
Israel was established "in a pit of intentional deception," he explained. It was done "to create a false send of legitimacy to justify before the world community its right to exist."
Its creation came by stealing Palestine. It did so by ethnic slaughter and dispossession. It reflect Zionism's dark side. It includes high crimes against peace, equity and justice.
Where is the moral outrage? Cook asks: "How can the world communities allow such a state of affairs to exist?"
Why aren't Israeli leaders held accountable? Why is Palestinian suffering allowed to continue? Why aren't their legitimate rights respected? Why isn't international law enforced?
Terrorism's infrastructure lies in Israel's occupation, says Cook. Decades of Israeli leaders bear full responsibility. Palestinians are wrongfully blamed for their crimes.
Israel is guilty of slow-motion genocide. World leaders ignore what's longstanding. According to Jeff Halper:
"The problem in the Middle East is not the Palestinian people, not Hamas, not the Arabs, not Hezbollah or the Iranians or the entire Muslim world."
The problem is Israel, he stresses. Its leaders bear full responsibility for decades of regional "instability, extremism and violence…"
World leaders able to change things do nothing. They let Israel continue occupation harshness.
They permit high crimes against peace. They let Palestinian suffering persist unjustly. They do it for their own self-interest.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Street Violence in Venezuela
Street Violence in Venezuela
by Stephen Lendman
Since Chavez took office in February 1999, Washington instigated political, economic and street violence destabilization schemes.
On February 4, right-wing manipulated anti-government student protests began in San Cristobal. They erupted elsewhere. They turned violent. Washington's dirty hands are involved.
At issue is destabilizing Venezuela. It's toppling its government. Washington tried it before. Chavistas foiled an April 2002 coup attempt.
A 64-day 2002 - 03 general strike and oil management lockout followed. It caused severe economic disruption.
An August 2004 national recall referendum failed. Chavez won overwhelmingly. Other disruptions occur regularly. They continue. Current ones are the latest. More on them below.
Washington wants Bolivarianism crushed. It wants social justice ended. It wants Venezuela returned to its bad old days.
It wants state enterprises privatized. It wants control of Venezuelan oil. Its resources are the world's largest. They exceed Saudi Arabian reserves. It's a prize Big Oil predators covet.
Obama wants Venezuela's government toppled. He killed Chavez. He was either poisoned or infected with cancer causing substances.
Maduro believes he's targeted the same way. He knows Obama wants him ousted. He wants pro-US stooge governance replacing him. He likely wants him dead. Perhaps he's plotting to kill him.
Eliminating independent leaders is longstanding US policy. Bolivarian fairness is a thorn in Washington's side.
It's the threat of a good example. Crushing it is America's top regional objective. Leopoldo Lopez is an anti-Bolivarian fascist politician.
He's a former Chacao Municipality of Caracas mayor. He heads the anti-Bolivarian right-wing Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party.
In mid-2013, he said "we are not going to wait six years to be given change."
"There cannot be peace." He urged anti-government elements to restart street protests. Last April, violence took nine lives.
Dozens were injured. Maduro blamed opposition leader Henrique Capriles. Lopez was involved. Maduro calls them fascists.
He accused protestors of wanting "injuries and deaths. They want to project images to the world in order to disrupt our country."
Student protestors are manipulated. Some wear masks and hoods. They claim they're protesting insecurity.
They blocked roads, burned tires and threw stones. They attacked a government building project. They targeted Tachira state Governor Vielma Mora's residence.
They broke through his main gate. They threw stones, bottles and "some kind of molotov bomb," said Mora. They threatened his wife.
She blamed Lopez for what happened. He denied involvement. His words ring hollow. He called for protests. Fascists love violence.
Governor Mora said 12 police guarding his residence were injured. Authorities identified the perpetrators.
Maduro said violent protestors will be punished. He urged peaceful Venezuelans not to "fall for the provocation of hate-filled minorities that want to deviate us from the construction of the homeland and fill the country with chaos."
Protests continued through Wednesday. Radical participants chanted "Maduro resign now." Witnesses reported seeing indiscriminate live fire. Various buildings were targeted.
Some protesters threw rocks. An attempt was made to storm a Merida communal house. At a main intersection, masked protesters forced passengers off buses. They did so at gunpoint.
Motorists were attacked. An independent journalist was targeted. Protesters threatened to kill her. "Give us your camera or we'll kill you," they said.
Venezuelan fascist elements manipulate students. Washington's dirty hands are involved.
Liberation is a right-wing student movement. Villca Fernandez is national coordinator. Venezuelans face "growing insecurity," he claimed.
"Maduro has to understand that the student movement will never recognize him as president."
"He should resign, and we'll be in the streets until we recover freedom." He urged "all Venezuelans (to) go out into the streets and raise your voice against the violence."
He wrongfully claims it's state-sponsored. Radical students instigated it. Lopez is involved. He was heading for Tachira state. He planned to address student protesters.
He was involved in a Caracas airport incident. He physically attacked facility staff. His flight was delayed.
Ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) leader Diosdada Cabello said he'll be prosecuted for assault.
Youth Ministry head Victor Clark called protesters a minority fringe. They don't "represent Venezuelan youth who want peace, to study, and to use the university as a space to grow," he said.
February 12 is National Youth Day. It commemorates the victorious 1814 Battle of La Victoria.
It was during Venezuela's war of independence. Celebratory events are held. This year was a bicentennial remembrance.
Central University of Venezuela student leader Alejandro Padron said Lopez and those around him called for "violent mobilizations" at this year's commemoration.
He urged protesters to "destabilize the country." He hired "organized criminals." He "promote(d) criminal acts."
Communist Youth of Venezuela secretary Hector Rodriguez said opposition elements "aim to use violence to rupture the process of change that our country is carrying out."
Maduro warned about "plans coming out of Miami to fill Venezuela with blood." He urged Venezuelans not to "fall for the provocations."
His government promotes peace and stability. Fascist opponents "combin(e) strategies of economic war, psychological war, and trying to fill the country with blood," he said.
Violence marked this year's Youth Day commemoration. Hard-right protesters attacked government buildings. Bystanders were targeted.
Two deaths were reported. Around two dozen others were injured. About 30 arrests were made.
Maduro spoke publicly in Caracas. He did so around mid-afternoon. He praised peaceful morning celebrants.
Chavista community leader Juan Montoya was shot to death shortly afterwards. Cabello condemned his killing.
He blamed right-wing extremists. "They are fascists, murderers," he said. On the one hand, they urge "dialogue."
On the other, they commit cold-blooded murder. They want Venezuela destabilized. Cabello urged calm. He cautioned against reprisals.
Hooligans attacked various government buildings. Maduro said opposition thugs tried setting five police patrol vehicles ablaze. Some targeted the attorney general's office.
Others tried attacking the Miraflores Palace. It's Maduro's official workplace. It's Venezuela's White House.
Imagine how area cops, secret service operatives, perhaps backed by heavily armed Marines would respond to this type incident in Washington.
They'd be screaming major media headlines. They'd be no mercy shown. They'd be unrestrained police state violence.
They'd be protesters' blood in the streets. They'd be mass arrests. They'd be prosecutions, convictions and long imprisonments.
Venezuelan government supporters way outnumber extremist opponents.
One pro-government Youth Day marcher said he "believes in the project of our country. (It's) important to show that we are many. There are a lot of people who" support Bolivarianism.
Others said they want Venezuela kept out of the hands of violent extremists. They want sovereign independent governance preserved.
Maduro said two killed Venezuelans were shot in the head like "sharp shooters who murdered" civilians during Washington's aborted April 2002 coup attempt.
He warned violent protesters to expect arrests. He called them "trained groups...prepared to overthrow the government in a violent way."
"They have no ethics, no morals. We will not permit more attacks," he stressed.
Foreign Minister Elias Jaua accused Lopez of being the "intellectual author of the deaths and injuries in Caracas."
A warrant was issued for his arrest. He lives in a wealthy Caracas district. His whereabouts at this time isn't known.
Protester numbers are small. They make up for size with extreme violence. Fascist extremists manipulate them.
Washington has a long history of inciting this type violence. It targeted Venezuela numerous time before. This appears to be the latest outbreak.
Whether April 2002 2.0 is planned remains to be seen. It's unlikely. Protester are too few in number. Right-wing extremist leaders are known.
Thursday morning Caracas streets were calm. Perhaps before the storm continues. Early reports suggested no violence.
Most government opposition elements deplore it. They prefer expressing their views politically.
Fascists operate their own way. Hooligans are easy to recruit and manipulate. Washington money funds them. It's the American way. Rogue states operate this way.
Millions of dollars are spent destabilizing Venezuela. Obama exceeds the worst of George Bush. He wants Marduro ousted. Perhaps he wants him dead.
On February 13, Telesur interviewed Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua. He reported three deaths and 66 injured.
"The Venezuelan state is obligated to act justly to curb these violent fascist groups," he said. They "cannot stop the Bolivarian Revolution."
All measures will be taken to curb violence, he added. He expects a Western smear campaign blaming Venezuela's government for curbing street thug violence.
Fascists want "clashes between sectors and opponents of the Revolution. They want violence spread throughout the country and thus start a war," he stressed.
Corporate interests want Bolivarianism ended, he added. Extremists like Leopoldo Lopez "have received money from US" sources.
State Department-funded National Endowment for Democracy (NED) money is involved. It's an anti-democratic initiative.
It prioritizes destabilization and regime change. Likeminded US organizations operate the same way. Venezuela is a prime target. It's been so for 15 years.
Jaua urged Venezuelans to have confidence in measures authorities took. Others will follow "in the framework of the constitution and democracy," he said.
Early Thursday, Maduro met with National Executive representatives. "We are united as a single force that we are…We (will) confront and defeat the attempt to truncate democracy," he stressed.
The Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (VSC) issued a statement. It condemned "extreme right-wing violence." It "seeks the 'exit' of the government."
It's fascist manipulated and directed. Washington's dirty hands are involved.
"La Salida (The Ousting) is the political strategy identified with extreme right elements of the Venezuelan opposition's leaders," said VSC.
"Its declared aim is to oust the democratically elected government of President Maduro well before he finishes his constitutional mandate in 2019."
Street violence shows what Bolivarian supporters face. On Wednesday, fascist opposition leader Lopez said violence won't end until "we manage to remove those who govern us."
Right-wing extremists choose street "violence to make up for their electoral failings."
La Salida followed Maduro's productive dialogue with opposition mayors. It focused on stabilizing Venezuela.
It aimed to resolve differences through dialogue and negotiations. Discussions included ways to combat crime and economic speculation.
According to VCR:
Right-wing extremists, "and their external funders, see Maduro's calls for collaboration in peace and harmony as a threat to their illegal, undemocratic and unconstitutional practices."
"We therefore:
- condemn their lawless violence "and unconstitutional actions against the democratically elected and constitutional government of President Maduro."
- "...urge everyone to heed President Maduro's call for peace and dialogue..."
- "express our unconditional support for his government" and Venezuelan constitutional principles.
VSC urged Venezuelans to send solidarity statements of support as well as condemnation of right-wing violence.
"No to violence! No to coup-mongering! Yes to dialogue, peace and respecting the democratic will of the majority!"
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Duplicitous Geneva Diplomacy
Duplicitous Geneva Diplomacyby Stephen LendmanWashington can't be trusted. It doesn't negotiate in good faith. It never did. For sure, not now. Duplicity defines longstanding US policy.Are current Obama negotiations more smoke and mirrors deception? Ar...
Grand Theft Healthcare
Grand Theft Healthcareby Stephen LendmanHealthcare is about prioritizing health. Medical professionals say it's about maintaining, restoring and preserving it. It's doing it through illness and disease prevention. It's obeying Hippocratic Oath pri...
Obama’s Kill List
Obama's Kill Listby Stephen LendmanObama heads an administration Murder, Inc. agenda. He appointed himself judge, jury and executioner.He targets anyone, anywhere for any reason or none at all. US citizens are vulnerable like foreign nationals. Mu...
NYT Syria Bashing
NYT Syria Bashingby Stephen LendmanTimes editors find new ways to disgrace themselves. Since conflict erupted in March 2011, they wrongfully blamed Assad for Obama's war. He's vilified for US-backed death squad atrocities. He's held responsible fo...
US Intelligence Community Worldwide Threat Assessment
US Intelligence Community Worldwide Threat Assessmentby Stephen LendmanAmerica has 16 known intelligence agencies. James Clapper is Director of National Intelligence (DNI). On January 29, he presented his annual worldwide threat assessment. He did...
Racist Israeli Rabbis
Racist Israeli Rabbisby Stephen LendmanChief rabbis are most important. They have power. They impose customs and rituals. They enforce them. They alone decide who's a Jew and who's not.They determine who's married, who's divorced, who may marry, who ma...
Obama Violates Iran Geneva Agreement – Again
Obama Violates Iran Geneva Agreement - Again
by Stephen Lendman
On November 24, Iran and P5+1 countries agreed on nuclear Joint Plan of Action provisions. Interim agreement terms run six months.
On January 20, implementation began. Obama twice committed breaches. More on his latest one below.
America's agreements aren't worth the paper they're written on. US history proves it. It's strewn with broken promises. Betrayal is longstanding US policy.
Its word isn't its bond. Duplicity defines America. One treaty obligation after another is breached. Hegemons operate this way. Washington is by far the worst.
Iranians aren't surprised. They endured 35 years of US hostility. The Big Lie about an Iranian nuclear threat persists. It's duplicitous red herring cover for longstanding regime change plans.
On the one hand, Obama wants Congress refraining from imposing new sanctions. On the other, he imposed his own.
It did so unilaterally. He acted lawlessly. It doesn't matter. Hegemons make their own rules. They're unapologetic.
On December 12, an administration press release headlined "Additional Treasury and State Designations Targeting Networks Linked to Iran WMD Proliferation and Sanctions Evasion." In part it said:
"Today, the US Departments of the Treasury and State announced the designation of a number of companies and individuals for evading international sanctions against Iran and for providing support for Iran’s nuclear program."
"The Joint Plan of Action reached in Geneva does not, and will not, interfere with our continued efforts to expose and disrupt those supporting Iran’s nuclear program or seeking to evade our sanctions."
Asian, European and Iranian companies and officials were targeted. Authority cited was Obama's June 3, 2013 Executive Order 13645.
It's titled "Authorizing the Implementation of Certain Sanctions Set Forth in the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 and Additional Sanctions With Respect To Iran."
It ordered the Treasury and State Departments to impose them. Doing so violated the letter and spirit of Geneva.
Numerous previous articles explained what bears repeating. Throughout his tenure, Obama said one thing. He did another.
He broke every major promise made. Double-dealing deception defines his agenda. All governments lie. Obama does and then some.
He made lying an art form. He exposed his doublespeak duplicity in the process. Business as usual persists. Don't expect this time to be different.
On February 6, Obama again imposed new sanctions unilaterally. Doing so shows his willful intention to prevent resolving disagreements over Iran's nuclear program responsibly.
He targeted about three dozen companies in eight countries. The US Department of the Treasury headlined "Treasury Targets Networks Linked to Iran." In part it said:
"Today the US Department of the Treasury announced actions targeting a diverse set of entities and individuals located around the world for evading US sanctions against Iran, aiding Iranian nuclear and missile proliferation, and supporting terrorism."
"These actions reflect the United States' sustained commitment to continue enforcing our existing sanctions as the P5+1 and Iran work toward a comprehensive solution to address the international community's concerns over Iran’s nuclear program."
"The global targets designated today play key roles in supporting Iran's nuclear program and active support for terrorism."
"Today's actions target entities and individuals...operating in Turkey, Spain, Germany, Georgia, Afghanistan, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Liechtenstein."
Fact check
Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful. It's legal. It has no military component. No evidence suggests otherwise.
All imposed US sanctions are illegitimate. They largely harm ordinary Iranians. International law prohibits doing so.
It bears repeating. Washington makes its own rules. It spurns international, constitutional and US statute laws. It does so with impunity. Rogue states operate this way. America is by far the worst.
In early February, John Kerry warned France. He spoke to French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
He said French companies sending trade delegations to Iran will be punished if they violate US-imposed sanctions.
A senior Treasury Department official said new sanctions imposed "should leave no doubt that those who seek (ways around them) support Iran's nuclear program, or assist in Iran's promotion of international terrorism will continue to be called to account."
On February 3, Iran welcomed over 100 French executives. They represented some of France's largest companies.
They included Airbus, Total, Alcatel, L'Oreal, and Renault, among others. They want sanctions lifted to do business. So do many other companies worldwide. Oil giants especially.
Washington wants no change in hardline policy. It wants Iranian isolation maintained. According to Kerry:
"While the French may send some business people over there, they're not (allowed) to contravene the sanctions. They will be sanctioned if they do and they know it. And we've put them on notice."
On February 4, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman told congressional members:
"Tehran is not open for business because our sanctions relief is quite temporary, quite limited and quite targeted."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded, saying:
"Such talk isn't helpful and could adversely impact (nuclear talks). US officials should stop such comments so that we can reach a solution."
At issue is whether Washington really wants one. Don't expect 35 years of anti-Iranian hostility to end easily, quickly, or perhaps under any conditions short of regime change.
America uses "political muscle and economic muscle," lawlessly, Zarif added. Bullying other countries, companies, organizations and individuals into complying is longstanding US practice.
Iran condemned new sanctions imposed. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said:
"The move by the US government is another instance of the country's ill intention in the run-up to the future nuclear negotiations and it is indicative of the fact that the United States seeks to impose a new negative atmosphere on the talks just ahead of the new round of negotiations."
"Not only will the measure end in failure, it will be also followed by the Islamic Republic of Iran's reciprocal action."
Iran's Deputy Permanent UN representative, Gholam-Hossein Dehqani, said "(n)o government has the right to deprive other countries of their legal rights."
"Such attempts...leave negative impacts on international law and sovereignty."
"As it has been mentioned in the 'UN General Assembly's Declaration on the Rule of Law at National and International Level,' the right of development is an inalienable right of all nations that should not be restricted by others on any pretext."
Russia's Foreign Ministry said new sanctions imposed violate international law.
The General Assembly's 1974 Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States says no nation may use or encourage use of economic, political or other measures to coerce another country to to subordinate its sovereign rights in any way.
Under Part IV, Section 1, Chapter III, Article 54 of the Protocol 1 Additional to the Geneva Conventions (1977):
(1) Starving civilians during war is prohibited.
(2) Attacking, destroying, removing, or compromising indispensable items is prohibited.
They include foodstuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies, irrigation works, and other essential products, services, and facilities relating to them.
UN General Assembly Resolution 44/215 (1989) prohibits political and economic coercion against developing countries.
It specifically covers trade and financial restrictions, blockades, embargoes, and other economic sanctions. It calls coercion incompatible with UN Charter provisions.
It adversely affects the ability of nations to function politically, economically and socially. It harms civilians most.
The International Conference on Nutrition, World Declaration on Nutrition, Food and Agriculture Organization, and World Health Organization (1992) recognized the right to access nutritionally adequate and safe food as a fundamental right.
US imposed sanctions reflect crimes against humanity. Civilian populations must be protected at all times. Lawless sanctions violate their fundamental human rights.
Francis Boyle says US sanctions "punish and coerce the Iranian people." Their purpose is "try(ing) to turn them against their government." They fail to do so virtually always.
Earlier Boyle urged Iran to sue America, Britain, France, Germany and Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Ordinary Iranians are being collectively punished. Doing so violates fundamental international law.
Hague Regulations, Third and Fourth Geneva, as well as Additional Protocols I and II prohibit collective punishment.
The post-WW I Report of the Commission on Responsibility considered them war crimes.
Numerous military manuals prohibit collective punishment. Many nations enacted laws against imposing it.
The UN Human Rights Committee Comment No. 29 says parties may "in no circumstances" invoke emergency conditions "as justification for acting in violation of humanitarian law or peremptory norms of international law, for instance,...by imposing collective punishments."
Illegitimate sanctions harm fundamental human rights grievously. They're crimes too grave to ignore.
Washington imposes them unaccountably. It's longstanding US practice. Rogue states operate this way. America is by far the worst.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Syrian Peace Talks Resume
Syrian Peace Talks Resumeby Stephen LendmanTalks resumed on Monday, February 10. Conflict resolution prospects are virtually nil. Washington bears full responsibility. Obama wants war, not peace. He wants Assad's government toppled. In March 2011,...
Low Wage America
Low Wage America
by Stephen Lendman
Welcome to low-wage America. Lousy jobs, rotten pay, eroding benefits, and poor working conditions reflect things for growing millions.
Most workers live from paycheck to paycheck. They have few or no savings. They're trapped in financial insecurity. They struggle to survive out of sight and mind.
They do so to cover bare essentials. They're hard-pressed to do it. They're more than ever debt entrapped. They're increasingly on their own.
They're one missed payday from possible destitution, homelessness, hunger and despair.
Raising the minimum wage obscures things. Debating it crowds out reality. Where have all the good jobs gone?
They've been offshored to low-wage countries. Monthly employment reports show mostly low-pay/poor-or-no-benefit/part-time or temp jobs created.
Most pay poverty or sub-poverty wages. Households need two or more to survive. High unemployment makes finding one hard.
Previous articles explained. Reported 6.6% unemployment is fake. Real unemployment is 23.2%. Over 100 million working age Americans can't find jobs.
It's 10 million more than when Obama took office. His job creation boasting is phony. He's a jobs destroyer, not creator.
His job creation scheme is cutting corporate taxes. Doing so doesn't create jobs. It improves bottom line performance. It benefits shareholders. It does nothing to help workers or job seekers.
Real unemployment persists at Depression era levels. No federal policy was instituted to change things. Minimum wage debates divert attention from what's needed.
Americans deserve living wage protection. They deserve good benefits. They need Washington guaranteeing both.
They need policies instituted to do so. They need progressive governance. They need what bipartisan complicity denies.
Fairness isn't America's long suit. Class warfare defines official policy. Since the mid-1970s, inflation-adjusted wages declined. Workers earn less real money today than then.
Benefits steadily eroded. Good jobs disappeared. Class struggle between haves and have-nots persists.
Never have so few benefitted at the expense of so many. Privileged Americans never had things so good.
Wealth disparity extremes are unprecedented. Inequality defines America. Social justice is disappearing in plain sight.
Business as usual is policy. Ordinary people are exploited. Growing millions face poverty, unemployment, underemployment, homelessness, hunger and overall deprivation.
Government of, by and for everyone equitably doesn't exist. Monied interests alone thrive. Neoliberal harshness harms most others.
Bipartisan complicity force-feeds it.
It's institutionalized when vital aid is needed. Doing so wages financial war on millions. It's official policy. Most people struggle to get by.
Welcome to today's America. It's no fit place to live in. Progressive governance demands waging war on concentrated wealth and power.
Doing so would institute social justice. It would be official policy. Peace would be prioritized. Imperial wars would be end. So would foreign occupations.
Defense spending would be hugely slashed. Minimally to half its current size. Ideally much more.
America's empire of bases would close. Force levels would be cut to a small fraction of current size.
Progressive taxation would replace today's policy. No more free lunches. Corporate America would be forced to pay its fair share. So would rich elites.
Washington would support organized labor's right to bargain with management on equal terms.
Living wage protection would be instituted. It would take urban, rural, state and local conditions into consideration.
Legislation would penalize companies offshoring jobs for profit. Corporations moving abroad to escape penalties wouldn't work.
Doing business in America would require obeying fair practice policies. Exploitive companies would be shut out.
Anti-trust laws with teeth would be instituted. Monopoly and oligopoly power would be abolished.
Public education would be supported. It would be reinvigorated. It would be federally funded. States would have to conform to federal standards. It would be the law of the land.
Universal/single-payer healthcare would be instituted. Everyone covered. No one left out. Predatory insurers would be excluded. Except as a voluntary option.
Money power would return to public hands where it belongs. Wall Street crooks would be prosecuted. So would other lawless corporate predators.
Tobin taxation would be instituted. Large investors would be targeted. Speculation would be discouraged.
At one-half of one percent, hundreds of billions annually would be raised. A one-tenth of one percent tax on daily derivatives trading would raise over half a trillion dollars annually.
Imagine the benefits this kind of revenue could produce. Imagine social justice like no country ever before experienced. Imagine ending a broken system.
Imagine unprecedented fairness. Imagine making America fit to live in. Imagine making it a model to emulate.
Minimum wage debates obscure these issues. They're smoke and mirrors deception. They divert attention from what really matters.
Not according to New York Times editors. On February 8, they headlined "The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage," saying:
"(E)vidence show(s) that increasing the minimum wage is vital to the economic security of tens of millions of Americans, and would be good for the weak economy."
"An hourly minimum of $10.10, for example…would reduce the number of people living in poverty by 4.6 million..."
Fact check
Obama's $10.10 minimum wage scheme applies only to federal contractors. What about all public employees.
What about state and local ones. What about private sector workers. What about restoring lost benefits. What about strengthening them.
What about explaining what $10.10 an hour means: x 40 hours x 52 weeks = $21,000. The federal poverty level for a family of four is $23,500.
It's woefully below reality. It's based on a decades old guideline. Households need at least double that amount to avoid poverty.
They don't need minimum wage protection. They need guaranteed living wages. Enough to cover all essential expenses. Enough to live like most working Americans did decades ago.
Obama's scheme is smoke and mirrors mumbo jumbo. "Give America a raise," he said. His rhetoric rings hollow.
Working American wages eroded for decades. Inflation adjusted, they decline annually. Real inflation is multiples higher than fake numbers.
Times editors are right saying minimum wage debates are more political than economic. They're wrong supporting higher minimum pay at the expense of what people need to live on.
They're right saying it's no "cure-all." It's "not bold or innovative." It doesn't matter, they suggest. "(I)t deserves to pass," they say.
Americans deserve much better. What about restoring the dream of millions. What about instituting policies discussed above.
Longstanding Times policy supports wealth, power and privilege. Endorsing more crumbs for workers doesn't wash.
Ending let 'em eat cake policy really matters. So does making America fit to live in. Don't expect Times editors to explain.
Paul Craig Roberts discussed "recover(ing) justice." Doing so requires "a reasonable distribution of income, the accountability of government, (and making) corporations and banksters (conform) to the rule of law..."
Reinvigorating demand requires ending "the existing order that serves the one percent...The ladders of upward mobility must be restored."
Roberts justifiably opposes higher minimum pay to buy "compliance." To keep the rabble in line. To curb discontent. To let business as usual continue.
"By purchasing compliance, Washington can continue to masquerade as…indispensable, 'a light unto the world,' " a benevolent society, while..."murder(ing) people in half a dozen countries," and waging war on ordinary people at home, Roberts explained.
Ruthless unfairness defines today's America. Institutionalized policies are legally, morally and ethically degenerate.
Hardwired inequality harms growing millions. Changing things requires entirely dismantling an unjust system. It requires a total makeover.
It requires replacing injustice with fairness. It requires government of, by and for everyone equitably.
It requires what never before existed. It never will without organized people demanding no less.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Iran’s 35th Islamic Revolution Anniversary
Iran's 35th Islamic Revolution Anniversaryby Stephen LendmanFebruary 11 marks the 35th anniversary of Iran's 1979 revolution. A generation of repressive Reza Shah Pahlavi rule ended. More on this below.In 1953, Theodore Roosevelt's grandson Kermit engi...
UN Report Unfairly Bashes Syria
UN Report Unfairly Bashes Syria
by Stephen Lendman
Throughout many months of conflict, anti-Syrian propaganda proliferated. It continues without end. Misinformation is part of Washington's regime change strategy.
UN officials are involved. On January 27, a new report circulated. It's titled "Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic."
It's maliciously one-sided. It doesn't surprise. Ban Ki-moon is a subservient US imperial tool. Blaming Syria for US-sponsored death squad crimes is standard practice.
The UN reports discusses "unspeakable" horrors. It falsely calls Syria's conflict "civil." There's nothing civil about it.
Syria was invaded. Assad responsibly defends his country's sovereignty. He's going all out to protect Syrians from death squad atrocities. He's wrongfully blamed for their crimes.
Ban repeatedly turns truth on its head. He points fingers the wrong way. He does it consistently. He does it repeatedly.
He "urge(d) all parties to the conflict to take, without delay, all measures to protect and uphold the rights of all children in Syria."
Assad prioritizes it. Terrorist invaders bear full responsibility. Ban didn't explain.
The UN report covers the period from March 1, 2011 - November 15, 2013. According to Ban:
It "highlights that use of weaponry and military tactics that are disproportionate and indiscriminate by Government forces and associated militias has resulted in countless killings and the maiming of children, and has obstructed children’s access to education and health services."
"Government forces have also been responsible for the arrest, arbitrary detention, ill treatment and torture of children."
Almost as an afterthought he added:
"Armed opposition groups have been responsible for the recruitment and use of children both in combat and support roles, as well as for conducting military operations, including using terror tactics, in civilian-populated areas, leading to civilian casualties, including children."
US-supported death squads bear full responsibility for horrific crimes against humanity.
They murdered innocent civilians. They conducted numerous chemical weapons attacks. They committed gruesome atrocities.
They attack residential neighborhoods. They slaughter families while they sleep. They murder children in their beds.
They recruit others to join them. They do so under threat of torture and death. They hold civilians as human shields.
They destroyed or damaged dozens of hospitals, schools, mosques, public buildings, and private property.
They blew up vital infrastructure. They sabotaged oil and gas pipelines. They prevent humanitarian aid from reaching entrapped civilians.
They're armed, funded, trained and directed by America, key NATO allies and rogue regional states.
Point fingers the right way. Assign blame where it belongs. The UN report is largely polar opposite. It highlights children disappearing.
It claims Syria detained them young as 11 for alleged association with anti-government forces. It said Syria's military conducted large-scale arrest campaigns.
Children were tortured and abused, it said. It claimed Syrian forces did so to extract confessions, humiliate them, or pressure a relative to surrender.
It maliciously accused Assad of "ill-treatment and acts tantamount to torture." It claimed it includes:
- beatings with metal cables, whips, wooden batons and metal ones;
- electro-shocking to genitals and other body parts;
- ripping out fingernails and toenails;
- sexual abuses, including rape or threatening it;
- mock executions;
- cigarette burns;
- sleep deprivation;
- solitary confinement;
- exposure to relatives being tortured;
- suspending children to walls or ceilings by their wrists or other limbs;
- forcing their heads, necks, or legs through a tire while beating them; and
- beating them tied to a board.
An unnamed 16-year-old boy allegedly said he witnessed a 14-year-old male friend sexually assaulted and killed. Other uncorroborated accusations are similar.
They include young girls being raped and children beaten with metal bars or hammers. In some some cases killing them.
Unsubstantiated claims hold no water. Claiming them discredits the UN report. It almost entirely ignores horrific US-sponsored death squad atrocities.
They're well planned. Insurgents are well-trained. CIA operatives are involved. They're experts in the most gruesome torture techniques.
Death squad extremists terrorize civilians, starve them, hold them as human shields, and kidnap them for ransom.
They conduct targeted killings, arbitrary executions, brutal torture, other forms of ill-treatment, beheadings, and cutting out a victim's heart and eating it, as well as other violent crimes.
Pro-government loyalists are targeted. Syrian civilians are terrorized. No crime too gruesome to commit is avoided. They repeat with disturbing regularity.
Death squad killers are well trained. Washington wants wholesale carnage, pain and suffering. Body counts mount daily.
Peace is a convenient illusion. Hegemons spurn it. No-holds-barred ruthlessness reflects official US policy. The UN report didn't explain.
It merely cites allegations of sexual violence committed by opposition groups. They've been caught in the act numerous times committing gruesome atrocities. They're too outrageous to conceal.
The UN report did its best to do so. It focuses on maliciously vilifying Assad. It makes unjustifiable accusations. It back them with uncorroborated allegations. It discredits itself in the process.
It doesn't surprise. It happened so many times before. America calls the shots. Subservient UN officials comply.
Ban is notoriously one-sided. He's been so throughout his tenure. He's polar opposite what he swore to uphold. His record reflects failure and betrayal.
He consistently spurns core UN Charter provisions. He's beholden to wealth and power. He supports wrong over right.
He's complicit with US, NATO and Israeli crimes of war, against humanity and genocide. He's a model reprehensible secretary-general.
He blames victims for perpetrator crimes. Especially Western and Israeli ones. His deplorable record earned him two terms.
He lies for power. He turns a blind eye to Obama's imperial wars. His latest report shows it.
Imagine blaming Assad for attacking schools and hospitals. Imagine accusing him of killing civilians he's going all out to protect. Imagine saying:
"Injured opposition fighters and civilians, including children, admitted to Government hospitals in perceived pro-opposition areas in Aleppo, Dar’a, Homs and Idlib governorates were reportedly exposed to arrest, detention, ill treatment and acts tantamount to torture by civilian doctors, and/or elements of Government forces."
Imagine providing no evidence proving it. Imagine none existing. Imagine fabrications substituting for hard, independently verifiable facts.
Instead of pointing fingers the right way. Ban called on "all sides to stop all grave violations against children (and) civilian areas."
It bears repeating. US-supported death squads bear full responsibility. Unnamed so-called witnesses making unsubstantiated allegations don't wash. Don't expect Ban to explain.
Deputy Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad denounced his accusations. "I categorically deny there are any children being detained," he said.
He accused foreign-backed terrorists of crimes blamed on Assad. Interior Minister Mohammad al-Shaar said Syria is confronting "international systemized terrorism (committed by) armed terrorist" invaders.
Separately, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) headlined "Syria demands stop to politicization of Syrian chemical file."
Identical letters were sent to Ban and Security Council president Raimonda Murmokaite. Syria's Foreign Ministry said Washington and complicit SC members express unfair criticism.
"These countries have strayed from the truth and the objective assessment of what Syria has accomplished in the context of implementing its obligations according to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC),'' the letters said.
''The unfair campaign coincided with the convening of Geneva 2 and the positive attitude of Syria towards it."
"This escalation...is clear indication of more pressure brought to bear on Syria with the intent of influencing Geneva 2."
Syria's Foreign Ministry called on the international community to stop "leveling unfair accusations and resorting to cheap skepticism against the Syrian government."
Expect lots more accusations ahead. Expect vilifying Assad to continue. Expect regime change to remain official US policy.
Expect peace talks to go nowhere. Expect conflict to keep raging out-of-control. Expect possible false flag deception as pretext for direct US intervention.
When America wants regime change, no-holds-barred policies pursue it. If diplomacy, sanctions, and proxy wars fail, direct intervention is the bottom line option.
Last year, Obama postponed it. He didn't cancel it. Odds favor it ahead. It takes a giant leap of faith to believe otherwise.
Doing so would be unprecedented. Replacing Assad with pro-Western governance remains policy.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
ADL Honors George Bush
ADL Honors George Bushby Stephen LendmanThe Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is one of 52 Conference of Major American Jewish Organization (CPMAJO) Zionist groups.It mocks legitimacy. It supports wrong over right. It disseminates Israeli propaganda. It pro...
Unconstitutional Protect Academic Freedom Act
Unconstitutional Protect Academic Freedom Actby Stephen LendmanOn February 6, Rep. Peter Roskam's (R. IL) press release headlined "Roskam, Lipinski Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Academic Freedom by Preventing Academic Boycott of Israel."O...
Iranophobia
Iranophobiaby Stephen LendmanBeating up on Iran is longstanding US policy. It's a prime target of choice. Washington deplores independent governments.It wants pro-Western ones replacing them. It doesn't care if they're democratic, despotic or anything ...
Cold War Politics in Sochi
Cold War Politics in Sochiby Stephen LendmanOn February 6, the XXII Olympic Winter Games began. A geopolitically tense atmosphere prevails.Security is extremely tight. It's prioritized for good reason. Terrorist attacks are possible. Don't discount pot...
Washington’s Dirty Game
Washington's Dirty Game
by Stephen Lendman
Washington can't hide its dark side. It's too ugly to conceal. Its been exposed numerous times.
Here we go again. Assistant Secretary of State for European and European Affairs Victoria Nuland was caught red-handed. More on this below.
She's hardcore neocon. She's a career foreign service officer. She's worked with Democrat and Republican administrations.
Early in her career, she covered Russian internal politics at Washington's Moscow embassy.
She served on the Soviet Desk in Washington. She worked in the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. She served in Guangzhou, China.
She was Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large for the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union. She directed a task force on Russia, its neighbors and an expanding NATO.
She was Clinton's Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott's chief of staff. She was Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO.
She was Dick Cheney's Principal Deputy National Security Advisor. She was Permanent US Representative to NATO.
She was a National War College faculty member. She was Obama's Special Envoy for Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.
On September 18, 2013, she was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for European and European Affairs.
Her husband is Project for the New American Century (PNAC) co-founder Robert Kagan. He's a neocon foreign policy theorist/hardliner.
He advised John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. He served on Hillary Clinton's Foreign Affairs Policy Board.
The Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) is PNAC's current incarnation. He's a board of directors member. He represents the worst of America's dark side. So does Nuland.
She supports regime change. She backs neo-fascist governance replacing Ukrainian democracy.
She's involved in manipulating street thug violence. She's part of a US-instigated insurrection.
She wants legitimate Ukrainian governance toppled. She wants pro-Western stooge governance replacing it. She lied saying: "We stand with the people of Ukraine..."
She demands Ukrainian President Viktor Yanokovych engage "with Europe and the IMF."
She was caught red-handed urging regime change on tape. Her conversation with US Ukraine ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt was recorded.
It's circulating on You Tube. It's more evidence of America's dark side. It bears repeating. It's too ugly to hide.
The leaked video is damning. It's four minutes long. It's titled "Maidan puppets." It refers to Kiev's Independence Square.
The Kiev Post (KP) broke the story. On February 6, it headlined " 'F..k the EU,' frustrated Nuland says to Pyatt, in alleged leaked phone call."
On February 4, the Nuland/Pyatt conversation was posted on You Tube. It's unclear by whom.
Both US officials expressed frustration over EU "inaction and indecision," said KP. Nuland was heard saying "f..k the EU."
Pyatt called opposition figure Vitali Klitschko the "top dog." He heads the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform party (UDAR). Pyatt and Nuland agreed he's "too inexperienced to hold a top government post."
A US Kiev embassy spokeswoman had no comment. State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki downplayed what happened.
"I'm not going to confirm or outline details," she said. "I understand there are a lot of reports out there and there's a recording out there, but I'm not going to confirm private diplomatic conversations."
When pressed about the You Tube's authenticity, she said she "didn't say it was inauthentic. I think we can leave it at that."
She was pressed again about the conversation revealing US intentions opposite of public comments about Ukrainians deciding their own future.
She lied saying they aren't "inconsistent in the least bit." Her convoluted explanation doesn't wash.
She claimed Washington is working with Ukraine's government, opposition elements, as well as "business and civil society leaders to support their efforts..."
Obama wants regime change. He wants Ukraine's democratically elected government toppled. Not according to Psaki.
She lied claiming it's "up to the Ukrainian people themselves to decide their future. (It's) up to them to determine their path forward, and that's a consistent message that we're conveying publicly and privately."
Psaki was hard-pressed explaining why Nuland felt the need to apologize. Doing so shows You Tube dialogue was authentic.
White House and State Department officials barely stopped short of accusing Russia of surreptitiously recording Nuland's conversation.
Psaki called the incident a "new low in Russian tradecraft in terms of publicizing and posting this."
"I don't have any other independent details about the origin of the You Tube video," she added.
Snowden exposed NSA's systematic global spying. Foreign leaders are targeted. Their phone calls are monitored. Their emails are read. Psaki left that issue unaddressed.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said "since the video was first noted and tweeted out by the Russian government, I think it says something about Russia's role."
He wouldn't comment on what Nuland and Pyatt said.
Hours before the You Tube surfaced, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin's aide, Dmitry Loskutov, was among the first to tweet information about it, saying:
"Sort of controversial judgment from Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland speaking about the EU."
According to the Kiev Post, "(t)he leaked phone call appears to have been made following (Ukrainian) President Viktor Yanukovych's Jan. 25 offer to opposition leader Arseniy Yatseniuk to be prime minister and Klitschko to be deputy prime minister..."
In 2005 and 2006, Yatseniuk was Ukraine's economy minister. In 2007, he was foreign minister.
In 2007 and 2008, he chaired Ukraine's parliament (the Verkhovna Rada). It's a unicameral body.
The All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" is Ukraine's second largest party. Yatsenyuk heads its parliamentary faction.
He and Klitschko refused Yanukovych's offer to join his government. On January 28, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned. Yanukovych accepted his resignation. He signed a decree. He dismissed other cabinet officials.
He promised more concessions. He appointed a committee to propose constitutional revisions.
It didn't help. At the time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned street violence by "fascistic youths."
He warned against external interference. Russia "stands for a political settlement within the framework of Ukrainian law," he said.
Washington's dirty hands bear full responsibility for street violence. Regime change politics is longstanding US policy. It involves every dirty trick imaginable.
Syria is in the eye of the storm. So is Ukraine. Conditions remain volatile. Nuland/Pyatt intentions reveal what Ukrainians have to fear.
In December 1994, Washington, Russia, Britain and Northern Ireland welcomed Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, saying:
They "reaffirm(ed) their commitment to Ukraine, in accordance with the principles of the CSCE (Helsinki) Final Act, to respect the Independence and Sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine."
They "reaffirm(ed) their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine...in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations."
They "reaffirm(ed) their commitment…to refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by Ukraine of the rights inherent in its sovereignty..."
Washington is duplicitous. It can't be trusted. It's word isn't its bond. It's history is treacherous.
It systematically ignores international law. It violates treaty obligations repeatedly. It wants all independent governments toppled. It goes all out to remove them.
It targets Ukraine for regime change. Nuland told Pyatt a UN official she spoke to said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon agreed to send someone to Ukraine to "help glue this thing and have the UN glue it."
She was told Ban will appoint former Dutch Ukrainian ambassador, Robert Serry, as his representative.
"That would be great I think to help glue this thing and have the UN glue it," said Nuland. At that point, she said "And you know, f..k the EU."
"Exactly," Pyatt replied. "And I think we got to do something to make it stick together because you can be sure that if it does start to gain altitude the Russians will be working behind the scenes to torpedo it."
"Let me work on Klitschko," he added. "I think we should get a Western personality to come out here and midwife this thing."
Klitschko "is obviously the complicated electron here," said Pyatt.
"And you've seen some of my notes on the troubles in the marriage (among opposition leaders) right now."
"So we're trying to get a read really fast on where he is with this stuff."
"But I think your argument to him, which I think you’ll need to make...is exactly the one you made to Yats (Yatseniuk), and I'm glad you kind of put him on the spot in where he fits in in this scenario."
Nuland favors Yatseniuk for a leadership role. He's "the guy who's got the economic experience, the governing experience," she said.
"What he needs is Klitsch (Klitschko) and (Svoboda party fascist leader) Tiahnybok on the outside. He needs to be talking to them four times a week, you know."
"I think Klitsch going in, he's going to be at that level, working for Yatseniuk. It's just not going to work," she added.
"Yeah, I think that's right," said Pyatt. He urged Nuland to reach out directly to him and "help with the personality management among the three," he added.
The conversation ended with Nuland saying she can get Vice President Joe Biden to call Yanukovych "for an attaboy and to get the deeds to stick."
In December, Nuland spent days in Ukraine. She met publicly with opposition leaders. She joined their street protests. She handed out cookies.
Imagine if Russian, Chinese or other foreign officials acted the same way in Washington. Imagine the public rage. Imagine the threatening response.
On Monday, EU foreign ministers will meet in Brussels. They'll discuss imposing sanctions on Ukraine. Washington threatens its own.
On Thursday evening, Nuland met with opposition leaders Yatseniuk, Klitschko and Tiahnybok. They plotted strategy.
Hours earlier the European Parliament approved an anti-Ukrainian resolution. It called for imposing sanctions. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry responded saying:
"We're disappointed at prejudice with which the European Parliament assessed the Ukrainian government's actions and at the fact that it ignored the vast majority of constructive efforts made by the Ukrainian leadership in relation to the implementation of plans for building trust and engaging into a peaceful and inclusive dialogue with both the opposition and the civilian population."
"An unbalanced nature of the resolution and calls for introducing EU restrictions don't contribute to nationwide reconciliation and trust in Ukraine and undermine the process of settling the conflict."
Washington manipulated Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution. Yanukovych's earlier government was ousted.
In 2010, he was reelected president. He's targeted again. Orange Revolution 2.0 continues. At stake is Ukrainian sovereign independence.
What's ongoing involves weakening and isolating Russia. Washington's dirty game is transparent. Imperial ruthlessness is longstanding US policy.
All independent states are targeted. So are major rivals. America wants unchallenged global dominance. It wants world resources plundered for profit.
It wants ordinary people made serfs. It wants them impoverished. It wants vassal states beholden to US interests. It wants them trapped in debt bondage.
It wants ruthless control replacing democracy. It wants subservient stooges replacing legitimately elected officials.
Empire building is dirty. Tactics include bullying, intimidation, sanctions, assassinations, coups and lawless aggression.
Ukraine's future is at stake. Whether Yanukovych can save its democracy remains to be seen. The fate of 46 million Ukrainians hangs in the balance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Bernanke at Brookings
Bernanke at Brookings
by Stephen Lendman
On January 31, he stepped down as Fed chairman. Janet Yellen replaced him. He's entering a new world of million-dollar book deals. He'll make $100,000 a pop speeches.
Expect appointments to corporate boards. CEOs value his rainmaking services.
On February 3, Brookings headlined "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to Join Economic Studies at Brookings."
He's a "Distinguished Fellow in Residence." He's affiliated with the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy (HCFMP). On January 16, Brookings launched it.
Its board of trustees vice chair Glenn Hutchins contributed $10 million in seed money. He co-founded the multi-billion dollar private equity firm Silver Lake Partners. Guess what type policies HCFMP will endorse.
"We are proud to welcome chairman Bernanke into the Brookings family," said president Strobe Talbot. He's Clinton's former deputy secretary of state. He was directly involved in some of his worst policies.
Brookings' agenda is brazenly imperial. It's pro-corporate. It's anti-populist. It feigns concern about inequality. It supports government of, by and for privileged elites alone. Expect Bernanke to fit right in.
His Fed tenure was deplorable. He betrayed the public trust. His record attests to his wickedness.
His agenda was ruthlessly anti-populist. He did more to thirdworldize America for profit than any of his predecessors.
He handed Wall Street crooks multi-trillions of dollars. He facilitated the greatest wealth transfer in history. He created a protracted Main Street Depression. No end in sight looms.
Noted investor Jeremy Grantham's commentaries are refreshing. He cuts to the heart of issues. He pulls no punches doing so.
He titled an earlier commentary "Night of the Living Fed: Something Unbelievably Terrifying."
He highlighted "runaway commodities, (zombi) banks back to life, homes destroyed, families evicted, and currency wars."
He blamed Bernanke. "If I were a benevolent dictator," he said, he'd limit the Fed solely to maintaining price stability.
He'd make sure the economy got enough liquidity to function normally. He's "force (the Fed) to swear off manipulating asset prices through artificially low rates and asymmetric promises."
He referred to the Greenspan/Bernanke put. He'd eliminate "immoral hazard." It's immoral behavior. It's outsized excess. It's grand theft.
It bails out large investors. Doing so encourages imprudent risks. Winning is guaranteed. Regulatory checks are absent. Anything goes is policy.
Things persist "under the guise of 'saving the system,' " said Grantham. Money manipulators have things their way.
Fed chairmen are tools of monied interests. They know who butters their bread. They return favors manyfold. Greenspan did from August 1987 through January 2006.
Bernanke exceeded his worst policies. He did so from February 1, 2006 through January 31, 2014.
Both chairmen qualify as maestros of misery. They created bubble financial conditions. America's 1% profited hugely. They did so at the expense of most others.
Virtually all global assets are overpriced. Bubble conditions exist. Grantham compared them to Einstein's definition of insanity. The madness of repeating the same mistakes. Expecting a different outcome doesn't work.
Last spring, Grantham compared Fed policy to beating a donkey. He called it the 1% growing economy. "(H)e keeps beating it until it either turns into a horse or drops dead from too much beating," said Grantham.
"We've been conned." We're manipulated to believe "debt is everything." In 1982, it was one-and-a-quarter times GDP.
It's nearly triple that amount now. It has nothing to do with long-term growth. It's an "accounting world. It's paper," said Grantham.
"The real world is the quantity and quality of your people, and the quality and quantity of capital spending."
"Are you building new machines? Are you being inventive?" Are you educating a new generation properly?
"We're in this death grip that only paper things matter." Vital issues go unaddressed. Wealth keeps getting transferred "from the poor to the rich."
Interest rates are outrageously now. They're practically zero. Speculators benefit. Ordinary people lose out.
Retirees are deprived of vital income. Financial interests are served at the expense of the real economy.
During his tenure as Fed chairman, Bernanke handed speculators over $20 trillion. Most was practically interest free. They took full advantage.
Money printing madness defines Fed policy. Helicopter Ben dropped none on Main Street. In 2002, his helicopter money speech said:
"The US government has a technology, called a printing press (today its electronic equivalent)."
It "allows it to produce as many US dollars as it wishes at essentially no cost."
Most circulating money is bank-generated credit. It's created out of thin air. It's when banks extend loans.
When old ones are repaid faster than new ones, money supply shrinks. QE is supposed to reverse things.
Things haven't worked out this way. Key is where Fed money goes. Dropping it on Main Street stimulates economic growth.
Handing it to Wall Street crooks parks it in their reserve accounts. It's not used for lending.
Former Reagan budget director David Stockman said it "stayed trapped in the canyons of Wall Street." He called it "high grade monetary heroin."
It's "kill(ing) the patient." It's "legalized bank robbery." It's recklessly out-of-control.
It "inflate(d) yet another unsustainable bubble." They all burst. No exceptions. This time isn't different.
Money printing madness and bailouts reflect "the single most shameful chapter in American financial history," said Stockman.
Bernanke operated by Abraham Maslow's maxim. "(I)f the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail," he said.
QE continues. It's slowing. Yellen can rev it up full bore any time. It's self-defeating. It contracts the money supply. It's by sucking up collateral needed to create credit.
It constrains economic growth. It doesn't create jobs. It solely benefits Wall Street. Banksters made out like bandits. Speculators profited hugely. They did so at the expense of Main Street.
Financial warfare rages. America and other societies are affected. Ordinary people are hurt most. Hard times keep getting harder.
QE works when used constructively. Money injected responsibly into the economy creates growth. It creates jobs. When people have money they spend it.
A virtuous cycle of prosperity follows. America once was sustainably prosperous. Today it’s in decline. It's heading for third world status. It's more kleptocracy than democracy.
Money power in private hands assures trouble. Ellen Brown explained more. Up to 40% of "everything we buy goes (for) interest."
It goes to "bankers, financiers and bondholders." A third or more of national wealth shifts from Main Street to Wall Street.
Complicit politicians let it happen. They do so for generous benefits derived. Greed is the national pastime. So is looting America for profit.
Most people think paying bills and credit card charges on time avoids interest charges. Not so, says Brown.
"Tradesmen, suppliers, wholesalers and retailers all along the chain of production rely on credit to pay their bills."
Their costs pass on to consumers. Unwittingly they pay. Ordinary people make wealthy ones richer. They do so at their own expense. What better argument for public banking than that.
Borrowing from public banks eliminates or greatly reduces interest rate charges. It works at federal, state and local levels.
Public banks don't have to earn profits. They're not beholden to Wall Street or shareholders. They're self-sustaining. They can lend for their own needs. They can do it for businesses, farmers and consumers.
The more loans roll over, the more debt-free money is created. If used productively for growth, it's virtually inflation-free. As long as new money produces goods and services, price stability follows.
Economies flourish. All boats are lifted. Millions of high-pay/good benefit jobs can be created. Homes become more affordable. Foreclosures end. So do out-of-control speculation, booms and busts.
Private savings, pensions, and investments become secure. So do Social Security, Medicare and other vital social programs. They can be in perpetuity.
Surpluses replace deficits. Sustained prosperity follows. It's not pie in the sky. It happened before. It can happen again.
Good policies achieve good results. Bad ones wreck things for most people. Hard times get harder. Current conditions reflect Exhibit A.
They didn't happen by accident. Bernanke's Fed bears full responsibility. Economist Steve Keen commented on his legacy.
"It certainly won't be as he expected," said Keen. He'll likely "be blamed for causing the 'Great Recession...' "
He blamed his predecessors "for causing the Great Depression."
"His finger-pointing doesn't get any more blatant than" praising Milton Friedman on his 90th birthday. It was in 2002.
"I would like to say to Milton and Anna (Schwartz): Regarding the Great Depression. You're right. We did it. We're very sorry. But thanks to you, we won't do it again."
He's done it and then some. The worst is yet to come.
"(I)f Ben had truly learned from both his analysis of the data and 'Milton and Anna (Schwartz), then you'd think that surely he would have ensured that the rate of growth of M1" would never drop "to or below zero, wouldn't you?"
That's exactly what happened. America's money supply is lower than when he became Fed chairman. He has no control over whether banks choose to make loans.
Doing so increases money supply growth. Holding back shrinks it. "So on Ben's own theory of what caused the Great Depression, he could quite easily be found guilty," said Keen.
Crisis conditions occurred on his watch. His policies were "the very things he said the Fed got wrong in the late 1920s."
He wrote his own legacy. It won't change now. He's ideologically over-the-top. He's responsible for more human wreckage than any of his predecessors.
He caused epidemic levels of poverty, unemployment and deprivation. He engineered the greatest wealth heist in world history.
He debauched the dollar. He created multiple market bubbles.
He created worse crisis conditions than in 1929.
Market analyst Yves Smith calls him Greenspan on steroids. He'll be remembered as the economy wrecker of last resort.
He's unapologetic. Debt pyramiding doesn't work. Money printing madness reflects grand theft. Accountability isn't Bernanke's long suit.
He's off to greener pastures. He's cashing in for services rendered. He'll be well rewarded for enriching Wall Street. Banksters take care of their own.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Farm Bill Fiasco
Farm Bill Fiasco
by Stephen Lendman
On January 29, House members passed HR 2642: Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013. On February 4, Senate members followed suit.
Farm Bill legislation awaits Obama's signature. It's imminent. On February 4, a White House statement said:
"Statement by the President"
"Today, in a strong bipartisan vote, the US Senate came together to pass a comprehensive Farm Bill - legislation that will build on the historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, create new jobs and opportunities, and protect the most vulnerable Americans."
"This bill provides certainty to America’s farmers and ranchers, and contains a variety of commonsense reforms that my Administration has consistently called for, including reforming and eliminating direct farm subsidies and providing assistance for farmers when they need it most."
"It will continue reducing our deficits without gutting the vital assistance programs millions of hardworking Americans count on to help put food on the table for their families."
"And it will support conservation of valuable lands, spur the development of renewable energy, and incentivize healthier nutrition for all Americans."
"As with any compromise, the Farm Bill isn't perfect - but on the whole, it will make a positive difference not only for the rural economies that grow America’s food, but for our nation."
Farm bill legislation threw plenty of cash at agribusiness. Why not! Corporate lawyers wrote the measure. They crammed everything they wanted in it.
They added back what they subtracted and then some. Crop insurance subsidies expanded. Food production giants benefit most.
Shifting from direct payments to crop insurance makes handouts more politically acceptable. It's harder to eliminate them. They pay almost two-thirds of large farmer premiums.
They cover most insurance claims. They guarantee payments regardless of crop failures or price swings.
Older farm bill legislation expired in 2012. Its replacement is 959 pages long. It costs $956.4 billion over 10 years. It breaks down as follows:
- $756 billion for food stamps and nutrition;
- $89.8 billion for crop insurance;
- $56 billion for so-called conservation;
- $44.4 billion for commodity programs; and
- another $8.2 billion for everything else.
Current legislation is on track to spend $973 billion over 10 years. Its replacement cuts spending by about $16.5 billion.
Food stamps lose $8.7 billion. More on this below. Farm subsidy and commodity programs are $14 billion less. Conservation ones are $4 billion lower.
Crop insurance is $7 billion higher. It may be more depending on price shifts. Agribusiness giants benefit most.
Senator Tom Coburn's (R. OK) provision to reduce crop insurance payouts for farmers with over $750,000 in income was stripped from the final bill.
The Environmental Working Group is a sharp critic of crop insurance. It estimates around 10,000 beneficiaries get over $100,000 in annual subsidies.
Some get over $1 million. Small farmers average about $5,000. Exact numbers aren't known. Amounts given individual operators are secret.
Private insurance companies benefit from crop subsidies. In 2011, they got about $1.3 billion for administrative expenses.
Large farmers mainly benefit from one of two programs. They replaced direct payments. So-called Price Loss Coverage assures payments if harvested crops fall below a certain level.
Floor prices are raised to assure payouts for some crops. Large rice and cotton farmers benefit greatly.
Agriculture Risk Coverage covers "shallow losses" not covered under crop insurance deductibles.
For example, farmers experiencing 10% losses with 25% deductible crop insurance coverage get payments making up the difference. Doing so avoids all losses.
Of $40 billion in projected savings over 10 years from ending direct payments, insurance coverage adds back $27 billion or more. Depending on future crop losses and price swings, it may end up double that amount.
Despite political opposition to crop insurance, new legislation increases it. Operations with over $900,000 in annual income still qualify.
Individual farmers get up to $125,000 annually. Multiple individuals operating the same farm (including absentee investors) each get the maximum amount.
A provision eliminating the handout was stripped from final legislation. America's poor get less food and nutrition help. Business as usual benefits rich farmers.
According to the Environmental Working Group's Scott Faber: "We're replacing a discredited subsidy with a soon-to-be-discredited" one.
Shifting from direct payments to indirect crop subsidies is what author Suzanne Mettler calls "the submerged state." It's old wine in new bottles.
"Appearing to emanate from the private sector, such policies obscure the role of government and exaggerate that of the market," says Mettler.
The rich get richer. Others are largely on their own. Less visible programs are harder to eliminate. Corporate welfare assures business as usual. It does so at the expense of America's poor.
The new farm bill is largely Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) legislation. Last November, $11 billion in food stamp cuts over three years took effect.
It's the first time since Franklin Roosevelt instituted SNAP. It's when America's hungry more than ever need help.
They're getting less. Both Houses agreed on cutting $8.7 billion more. So did Obama.
Trillions of dollars flow to Wall Street. Trillions more for imperial wars. Corporate handouts are notorious. Howard Zinn once said:
"Let's face a historical truth: we have never had a 'free market.' We have always had government intervention in the economy, and indeed that intervention has been welcomed by the captains of finance and industry."
"These titans of wealth hypocritically warned against 'big government' but only when (it) threatened to regulate their activities, or when it contemplated passing some of the nation's wealth on to the neediest people."
The more business gets, the more it wants. Its appetite is insatiable. Looting the Treasury is standard practice. Doing so deprives America's most disadvantaged.
Imagine cutting food stamps when they're most needed. Imagine letting poor children go hungry. Imagine deficit cutting on their backs.
Imagine ignoring the ravages of growing poverty, unemployment and hunger. Food aid cuts deprive needy families of about $90 a month. It's about a week's worth of food for a family of four.
America's so-called "heat and eat" program is affected. It automatically increases food stamp benefits for families getting home heating help.
Instead of doing so after the first dollar of heating aid received, farm bill legislation requires families to get $20 before additional SNAP benefits are gotten.
Around 850,000 households are affected. They comprise about 1.7 million people in 16 states. They'll lose $90 a month on average. It's more than a meal a day. It assures more hungry children.
Millionaires infest Congress. Obama represents America's rich and powerful. They're mindless of empty stomachs. Farm bill legislation shows contempt for America's poor.
A previous article discussed hunger in America. It's real. It's increasing. Millions are affected. The world's richest country ignores its most disadvantaged when help is most needed.
Force-fed austerity is official policy. Bipartisan complicity enforces it. America was never beautiful. It's less so today than ever. Its dark side reflects reality.
Hungry people don't matter. Half or more are children. Many attending schools with hot breakfasts or lunches may get their only decent daily meal.
Growing millions are on their own sink or swim. Protracted Main Street Depression level conditions persist. Things are getting worse, not better. Hunger is a daily reality.
SNAP benefits should be doubled, not cut. It's morally indefensible for the world's richest country to spurn its most needy.
Tens of millions are affected. They're increasingly on their own. They'd starve without SNAP aid. Congress agreed on more cuts ahead. Obama signaled support.
Equity and justice don't exist. America is a let 'em eat cake society. Expect harder times ahead. Expect less federal aid on arrival.
On February 4, New York City Coalition Against Hunger Executive Director Joel Berg said:
"I am devastated, but unfortunately not surprised, by the Senate’s passage of a Farm Bill cutting SNAP by nearly $9 billion, on top of $11 billion in cuts that took place last November 1st."
"Our political system is so broken it has morphed into spineless versus heartless, and low-income Americans are, once again, those who will suffer most."
"Every member of Congress who voted for this legislation should be embarrassed."
"It's an orgy of corporate welfare and subsidies for the wealthy paid for by cuts to programs that help the needy put food on the table. It is Robin Hood in reverse."
A previous article discussed unprecedented inequality in America. Obama lied about "(m)aking sure our economy works for" everyone.
He called income inequality a defining challenge. He promised to address it. His policies are polar opposite.
Throughout his tenure, he waged all-out war on social America. He wants it eliminated altogether.
He let popular needs more than ever to begging. He facilitated the greatest wealth transfer in history.
It continues unabated. He plans more of the same ahead. He treats ordinary people callously. He's mindless of human suffering.
Berg urged him "not to sign (farm) bill (legislation) into law." Do it "(t)o prove he is serious about using (his) legal authority to reduce inequality."
Tell "Congress to go back to the drawing board...Come back with a bill that reduces hunger, aids small farmers, and serves taxpayers."
The above White House statement affirmed his opposite attention. He's headed for Michigan State University MSU).
On February 7, he'll sign farm bill legislation into law. MSU president Lou Anna K Simon said:
"This is an important piece of legislation for the country. It not only provides strong support for new research enterprises, but it also strengthens and grows Michigan’s agriculture economy and helps sustain America’s global competitiveness."
"As the pioneer land-grant institution in America, we are honored and pleased that President Obama will be signing the Farm Bill on MSU’s campus."
Sociology Professor Marion Nestle called farm bill legislation "politically corrupt." It's "awful," she said.
It's "hideously complex." It's laden with pork. It's a Christmas tree for agribusiness interests. It's not "what's best for (ordinary) American(s), (small) farmers, or the poor."
It mocks legitimacy. It "legislates further income inequality." Twice daily, broken clocks are right.
Washington Post editors are notoriously pro-business. Surprising they headlined "This farm bill deserves a veto," saying:
"(W)e hope Mr. Obama will pick up the phone, call Congress - and tell them he's preparing his veto pen."
"It is only a slight exaggeration to say that this legislative grotesquerie give to the rich and takes from the poor."
"(W)hat the bill takes from the ag lobby with one hand, it largely gives back with the other."
It's "hard swallow(ing)" SNAP cuts in legislation larded with corporate welfare.
"Exhausted by two years of trench warfare by farm lobbies, lawmakers are desperate to pass this turkey and move on."
"President Obama can put them out of their misery by signing it - or stand up for his declared principles by vetoing it."
New York Times failed to condemn Congress. They headlined "The Farm Bill Could Have Been Worse."
They called it "worthy" "on balance." Grudgingly they support what demands rejection.
They didn't surprise. They're consistent. They continued a longstanding Times tradition. They endorse establishment values.
They defend the indefensible. They support wealth, power and privilege. They back wrong over right.
Endorsing grotesque farm bill legislation is one of many examples. On February 7, it became the law of the land.
It's another nail in the coffin of equality. It further thirdworldizes America.
It creates more pain and suffering. Imagine taking food out of the mouths of hungry children. Don't expect Obama to explain. Or apologize.
Out-of-control militarism, serving America's monied interests, police state harshness, and sweeping social benefit cuts define his agenda. Expect much more of the same ahead.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obamacare Harms America’s Workforce
Obamacare Harms America's Workforce
by Stephen Lendman
Obamacare scams consumers. It's a ripoff. It's a corporate designed scheme. It's smoke and mirrors deception. It's rife with disturbing inequities. It makes a dysfunctional system worse.
It enriches insurers, drug companies and large hospital chains. It's fast food healthcare. It rations it.
It leaves millions uninsured. Millions more are way underinsured. It's outrageously expensive. It's double the cost of other developed countries. It makes healthcare more than ever unaffordable.
Millions of households have to pay 40% or more out-of-pocket. It's for co-pays and deductibles. It's on top of costly premiums. It gets worse.
New York Times editors are some of Obamacare's biggest boosters. They noticed a glaring problem. On February 4, The Times headlined "Health Care Law Projected to Cut the Labor Force."
A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis says so. By 2021, Obamacare will shrink the labor force by about 2.3 million workers.
An earlier estimate predicted 800,000 shrinkage. By 2024, CBO projects 2.5 million. Maybe a future update will hike numbers higher. The more closely Obamacare is examined, the worse it looks.
Ordinary Americans are getting squeezed. Obamacare makes things worse. Doing so harms public health.
The New York Times downplayed the impact. It did so saying the new law "nudges workers to work less."
"(I)nsurance expansion reduces the need for a person to take a full-time job just to get coverage. Premium subsidies effectively bolster household income."
Most workers want higher-paying full-time jobs. They want affordable healthcare coverage. They want what Obamacare denies.
The Times didn't explain. It touts a plan demanding condemnation. It's one of the greatest ever corporate scams.
Martin Luther King called healthcare injustice "the most shocking and inhumane" kind. Inequality is institutionalized. Treatment when most needed is inadequate. For too many it's denied.
Proper healthcare more than ever depends on what people can afford. It means low-wage workers get less. Limited resources make expensive treatments unaffordable.
CBO claims its report isn't about jobs. It states:
"The estimated reduction stems almost entirely from a net decline in the amount of labor that workers choose to supply, rather than from a net drop in businesses’ demand for labor, so it will appear almost entirely as a reduction in labor force participation and in hours worked relative to what would have occurred otherwise rather than as an increase in unemployment (that is, more workers seeking but not finding jobs) or underemployment (such as part-time workers who would prefer to work more hours per week).
Official unemployment numbers are fake. It's not 6.7%. It's 23.3%. It includes millions of workers wanting jobs who can't find them.
Imagine Obamacare making things worse. Imagine low-wage earners reducing their hours to keep Obamacare subsidies. Imagine "creating an implicit tax on (subsidy) earnings," said CBO.
Imagine them delaying or foregoing employment altogether. CBO can't predict numbers leaving the work force.
It doesn't know how many will shift to part-time work. It makes predicting how things will turn out ahead hard to do.
A shrinking workforce indicates economic decline. So does replacing high-pay/good-benefit full-time jobs with low-pay/poor-or-no-benefit part-time or temp ones.
America's workforce no longer resembles a developed country, says Paul Craig Roberts. It's a shell of its former self.
A shrinking workforce when population is rising accelerates its race to the bottom. Imagine designing a healthcare system this way.
Imagine one harming overall health. Imagine it reducing aggregate labor compensation. Imagine the impact of penalties.
They affect workers refusing to buy healthcare coverage. They impact employers not providing it to full-time workers.
Imagine dozens of new tax provisions letting IRS agents enforce Obamacare implementation. Imagine giving them this much power. Imagine making things more nightmarish.
Imagine a politicized healthcare system. Imagine one harming health more than protecting it. Imagine bad medicine multiple ways. Imagine Republicans taking full advantage.
"The president's healthcare law creates uncertainty for small businesses, hurts take-home pay, and makes it harder to invest in new workers," said House Speaker John Boehner.
"The middle class is getting squeezed in this economy, and this CBO report confirms that Obamacare is making it worse."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D. NV) said Americans "rightfully...shouldn't have job lock."
"We live in a country where we should be free agents. People can do what they want."
It they want to eat, pay rent and cover other vital expenses, they need jobs. They need decent incomes. They need government working for, not against them.
Senator Joe Manchin III (D. W VA) called the combination of low enrollments and workforce declines Obamacare's "Waterloo."
Whether true or not remains to be seen. CBO also estimated about a million fewer Americans than expected getting healthcare coverage this year.
Rollout problems bear much responsibility. So do fewer Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Plan enrollments.
CBO estimates six million Americans enrolling through exchanges this year. Earlier it estimated seven million.
Expanded Medicaid and other public programs will enroll about eight million Americans. It's down from nine million estimated earlier.
"Over time," said CBO, "more people are expected to respond to the new coverage options, so enrollment is projected to increase sharply in 2015 and 2016."
By 2017, it estimates 25 million enrollees. A White House statement said "individuals will be empowered to make choices about their own lives and livelihoods."
They'll "have the opportunity to pursue their dreams." Perhaps Obama endorses the American dream of not working.
Ordinary Americans can't survive without it. Obamacare promises were broken. Remember ones Obama made.
"If you like your health care plan," you can keep it, "period."
Millions of Americans lost theirs.
"If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period."
Doing so requires millions of Americans paying extra.
"(W)e'll lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year."
They're significantly higher for most households.
Up to "90% of Americans (with) health insurance (get) stronger, better and more secure (coverage than) before...They don't have to worry about anything else."
Onerous mandates are imposed on individuals with employer-provided coverage.
"(N)o family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase."
Obamacare mandates 18 tax hikes, fees and penalties. Middle class households are heavily impacted.
Obama said he wouldn't sign any plan "add(ing) one dime to our deficits - either now or in the future."
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates annual Obamacare costs will "increase the primary deficit by 0.7 percent of gross domestic spending."
Elements "reduc(ing) costs for families, businesses, and government (are) in this bill."
Higher insurance premiums and other increased costs assure higher spending, not less.
"I will protect Medicare," Obama promised.
Obamacare cuts Medicare spending. Mandates decrease it by over $700 billion from 2013 - 2022. Future reductions are planned.
Over the next decade or earlier, Medicare will be transformed radically. Obama wants it privatized en route to eliminating it altogether.
He wants the same for Social Security. Medicaid years ahead may be substantially downsized.
Obama promised a public option. He said he'd "sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of (his) first term as president that will cover every American."
Obamacare leaves millions uninsured. It leaves millions more woefully underinsured. It makes a dysfunctional system much worse. It enriches providers at the expense of proper healthcare.
"(T)his law means more choice, more competition, and lower costs for millions of Americans."
Obamacare is polar opposite. A fundamental human right is compromised. Human life and welfare are bartered for profit.
Marketplace competition decreased. In half of US counties, consumers have either one or two insurer choices.
Costs are much higher for most people. Americans deserve much more than they're getting.
Universal single payer advocates hope their day will come. Medicare for all is the obvious solution.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Abbas Accepts Occupation Harshness
Obamacare Harms America's Workforce
by Stephen Lendman
Obamacare scams consumers. It's a ripoff. It's a corporate designed scheme. It's smoke and mirrors deception. It's rife with disturbing inequities. It makes a dysfunctional system worse.
It enriches insurers, drug companies and large hospital chains. It's fast food healthcare. It rations it.
It leaves millions uninsured. Millions more are way underinsured. It's outrageously expensive. It's double the cost of other developed countries. It makes healthcare more than ever unaffordable.
Millions of households have to pay 40% or more out-of-pocket. It's for co-pays and deductibles. It's on top of costly premiums.
It gets worse.
New York Times editors are some of Obamacare's biggest boosters. They noticed a glaring problem. On February 4, The Times headlined "Health Care Law Projected to Cut the Labor Force."
A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis says so. By 2021, Obamacare will shrink the labor force by about 2.3 million workers.
An earlier estimate predicted 800,000 shrinkage. By 2024, CBO projects 2.5 million. Maybe a future update will hike numbers higher. The more closely Obamacare is examined, the worse it looks.
Ordinary Americans are getting squeezed. Obamacare makes things worse. Doing so harms public health.
The New York Times downplayed the impact. It did so saying the new law "nudges workers to work less."
"(I)nsurance expansion reduces the need for a person to take a full-time job just to get coverage. Premium subsidies effectively bolster household income."
Most workers want higher-paying full-time jobs. They want affordable healthcare coverage. They want what Obamacare denies.
The Times didn't explain. It touts a plan demanding condemnation. It's one of the greatest ever corporate scams.
Martin Luther King called healthcare injustice "the most shocking and inhumane" kind. Inequality is institutionalized. Treatment when most needed is inadequate. For too many it's denied.
Proper healthcare more than ever depends on what people can afford. It means low-wage workers get less. Limited resources make expensive treatments unaffordable.
CBO claims its report isn't about jobs. It states:
"The estimated reduction stems almost entirely from a net decline in the amount of labor that workers choose to supply, rather than from a net drop in businesses’ demand for labor, so it will appear almost entirely as a reduction in labor force participation and in hours worked relative to what would have occurred otherwise rather than as an increase in unemployment (that is, more workers seeking but not finding jobs) or underemployment (such as part-time workers who would prefer to work more hours per week).
Official unemployment numbers are fake. It's not 6.7%. It's 23.3%. It includes millions of workers wanting jobs who can't find them.
Imagine Obamacare making things worse. Imagine low-wage earners reducing their hours to keep Obamacare subsidies. Imagine "creating an implicit tax on (subsidy) earnings," said CBO.
Imagine them delaying or foregoing employment altogether. CBO can't predict numbers leaving the work force.
It doesn't know how many will shift to part-time work. It makes predicting how things will turn out ahead hard to do.
A shrinking workforce indicates economic decline. So does replacing high-pay/good-benefit full-time jobs with low-pay/poor-or-no-benefit part-time or temp ones.
America's workforce no longer resembles a developed country, says Paul Craig Roberts. It's a shell of its former self.
A shrinking workforce when population is rising accelerates its race to the bottom. Imagine designing a healthcare system this way.
Imagine one harming overall health. Imagine it reducing aggregate labor compensation. Imagine the impact of penalties.
They affect workers refusing to buy healthcare coverage. They impact employers not providing it to full-time workers.
Imagine dozens of new tax provisions letting IRS agents enforce Obamacare implementation. Imagine giving them this much power. Imagine making things more nightmarish.
Imagine a politicized healthcare system. Imagine one harming health more than protecting it. Imagine bad medicine multiple ways. Imagine Republicans taking full advantage.
"The president's healthcare law creates uncertainty for small businesses, hurts take-home pay, and makes it harder to invest in new workers," said House Speaker John Boehner.
"The middle class is getting squeezed in this economy, and this CBO report confirms that Obamacare is making it worse."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D. NV) said Americans "rightfully...shouldn't have job lock."
"We live in a country where we should be free agents. People can do what they want."
It they want to eat, pay rent and cover other vital expenses, they need jobs. They need decent incomes. They need government working for, not against them.
Senator Joe Manchin III (D. W VA) called the combination of low enrollments and workforce declines Obamacare's "Waterloo."
Whether true or not remains to be seen. CBO also estimated about a million fewer Americans than expected getting healthcare coverage this year.
Rollout problems bear much responsibility. So do fewer Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Plan enrollments.
CBO estimates six million Americans enrolling through exchanges this year. Earlier it estimated seven million.
Expanded Medicaid and other public programs will enroll about eight million Americans. It's down from nine million estimated earlier.
"Over time," said CBO, "more people are expected to respond to the new coverage options, so enrollment is projected to increase sharply in 2015 and 2016."
By 2017, it estimates 25 million enrollees. A White House statement said "individuals will be empowered to make choices about their own lives and livelihoods."
They'll "have the opportunity to pursue their dreams." Perhaps Obama endorses the American dream of not working.
Ordinary Americans can't survive without it. Obamacare promises were broken. Remember ones Obama made.
"If you like your health care plan," you can keep it, "period."
Millions of Americans lost theirs.
"If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period."
Doing so requires millions of Americans paying extra.
"(W)e'll lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year."
They're significantly higher for most households.
Up to "90% of Americans (with) health insurance (get) stronger, better and more secure (coverage than) before...They don't have to worry about anything else."
Onerous mandates are imposed on individuals with employer-provided coverage.
"(N)o family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase."
Obamacare mandates 18 tax hikes, fees and penalties. Middle class households are heavily impacted.
Obama said he wouldn't sign any plan "add(ing) one dime to our deficits - either now or in the future."
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates annual Obamacare costs will "increase the primary deficit by 0.7 percent of gross domestic spending."
Elements "reduc(ing) costs for families, businesses, and government (are) in this bill."
Higher insurance premiums and other increased costs assure higher spending, not less.
"I will protect Medicare," Obama promised.
Obamacare cuts Medicare spending. Mandates decrease it by over $700 billion from 2013 - 2022. Future reductions are planned.
Over the next decade or earlier, Medicare will be transformed radically. Obama wants it privatized en route to eliminating it altogether.
He wants the same for Social Security. Medicaid years ahead may be substantially downsized.
Obama promised a public option. He said he'd "sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of (his) first term as president that will cover every American."
Obamacare leaves millions uninsured. It leaves millions more woefully underinsured. It makes a dysfunctional system much worse. It enriches providers at the expense of proper healthcare.
"(T)his law means more choice, more competition, and lower costs for millions of Americans."
Obamacare is polar opposite. A fundamental human right is compromised. Human life and welfare are bartered for profit.
Marketplace competition decreased. In half of US counties, consumers have either one or two insurer choices.
Costs are much higher for most people. Americans deserve much more than they're getting.
Universal single payer advocates hope their day will come. Medicare for all is the obvious solution.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama Shifts Closer to War on Syria
Obama Shifts Closer to War on Syriaby Stephen LendmanIn March 2011, Obama launched proxy war on Syria. Regime change remains policy. Peace talks are subterfuge. They're fake. Geneva II reflects more sideshow than substance.Washington abhors peacef...
Free Expression on Trial in Israel
Free Expression on Trial in Israel
by Stephen Lendman
Israel mocks democratic values. It has no borders. It's to steal Palestinian land.
It has no constitution. Basic laws substitute. They fall woefully short. Ones in place are ignored.
Universally recognized rights are compromised. They include life, liberty and security. They assure privacy. They prohibit cruel and unusual punishments.
They assure everyone equal protection under the law. No distinction can be made based on race, nationality, ethnicity, gender or religious preference.
They guarantee free expression, free assembly, free movement, and free thought. They assure adequate food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, education and other vital services.
They guarantee government of, by and for everyone equitably and fairly.
Israel is no democracy. It never was. For sure it's not now. It wants critics silenced. Legislation, policies and judicial rulings violate free speech, a free press, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion.
Military censors have final say on published content. They can prohibit material called harmful to national security. True or false doesn't matter.
Israel's Supreme Court limits content suppression to "tangible (or) near certain" instances of public endangerment. Interpretations are crucial.
Israeli authorities are hardline. Rulings are twisted advantageously. Others are ignored. Fundamental rights are systematically violated. Police state justice prevails.
Anat Kamm is Israel's Bradley (Chelsea) Manning. In October 2011, she was prosecuted for whistleblowing.
She exposed Israeli crimes against humanity. They involved targeted Palestinian assassinations. Ordering them violates international law. Nothing justifies murder.
Kamm was initially charged with espionage. Plea bargaining reduced charges. Prior to conviction, she spent two years under house arrest.
Tel Aviv's District Court gave her 54 months imprisonment. It added another 18 months suspended sentence.
It did so on charges of collecting, holding and passing on classified material without authorization. She justifiably exposed wrongdoing. It didn't matter.
She was imprisoned. On December 31, 2012, Israel's High Court shortened her sentence to three and a half years. Her 18 month suspended sentence remained.
On January 15, Israel's Prison Service parole board approved her early release. It did so for good behavior.
On January 26, she was freed. It's after serving two years. Her conviction violated press freedoms.
Journalists are supposed to report government wrongdoing. It's their job to hold culpable officials responsible.
Not in America. Not in Israel. Potential prison time awaits those who try. Others are vulnerable for demonstrating publicly.
Daphni Leef is a video artist, editor and social activist. Neoliberal harshness is official Israeli policy. Social inequality is extreme.
Recent data show nearly 40% of Israeli families can't cover monthly expenses. Poverty affects growing numbers. Children and seniors are most vulnerable. Activist Israelis want change.
In summer 2011 and 2012, they rallied across Israel. Leef was a Tel Aviv tent camp organizer.
Israelis want long denied social justice. America, Britain and Israel are the most unjust developed societies. Neoliberal harshness writ large is policy.
Wealth, power and privilege matter more than human need. For two consecutive summers, Israelis said no more.
Grievances they demanded addressing still fester. Things are worse now than then. Issues include:
- unaffordable housing;
- high food and energy prices;
- low wages and eroding social benefits;
- onerous taxes;
- education and healthcare increasingly dependent on the ability to pay;
- weak labor rights;
- construction funding disproportionately allocated for settlement development; and
- the high cost of raising children.
Instead of addressing vital issues responsibly, Israeli officials ignore them. Privilege alone matters. Most Israelis increasingly are on their own, sink or swim.
Israeli police violence resembles America's. Peaceful protesters are viciously targeted. They're brutalized. They're arrested. They're treated like criminals.
Daphni Leef is Exhibit A. On June 22, 2012, Israeli police targeted her. They beat her. They acted on government orders to do so.
They dragged her out of a group of peaceful demonstrators. They did it violently. They threw her to the ground.
She tried protecting herself from repeated blows. She sustained multiple injuries doing so. They included a broken arm.
Police claimed peacefully protesting was illegal. They said authorization was needed to do so.
They lied claiming Leef and other demonstrators "disturbed the peace in a way that could intimidate" public order.
They wrongfully accused her of leading "angry demonstrators and encourag(ing) their acts against inspectors and policemen."
She and 11 others were arrested. They joined hundreds of other protestors. They rallied under the banner "Emergency protest! Returning power to the people."
They headed for Rothschild Blvd. In summer 2011, rallies, marches and tent cities were prominent there for weeks.
Leef and others planned more tent city activism. They were brutally targeted to prevent it. Police states operate this way. Israel is one of the worst.
Arab citizens are treated like fifth column threats. Dissenting Jews are treated like criminals.
Leef was forcefully dragged to a police van. She was thrown inside. Witnesses won't forget what happened. Police violence leaves lasting memories.
Last June, Leef refused plea bargain terms. They required false self-incrimination. In return, she'd perform 60 hours of community service. She declined to settle for anything less than all charges dropped.
They wrongfully accuse her of participating in a riot, using force and threats, resisting arrest, and obstructing police.
In January 2013, she was formally charged. Days passed before she knew. Summoning to a Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court hearing alerted her.
She requested a postponement. She needed time to study charges. The court acquiesced. She rejects all charges.
"I've been fighting to make (Israel) a better place for a year and a half now," she said. "There's something crazy about receiving an indictment that has no basis in reality."
She protested peacefully. She acted responsibly. Cops responded like thugs. They belong in the dock, not her.
Attorney Gabi Lasky represents her. Days after the incident, police admitted "arrest(ing) (her) was a mistake," she said.
"We'll prove that this indictment is an even greater mistake," she added.
On February 3, Haaretz editors headlined "Leave Daphni Leef alone," saying:
Police conduct "should be seen as a scare tactic aimed at deterring future demonstrators."
The evidentiary phase of Leef's trial began days earlier. They reflect Kafkaesque proceedings. They mock legitimacy.
"…Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein and Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino (began) to comprehend the injustice and the damage entailed in (Leef's) show trial," said Haaretz editors.
They'll reexamine criminal proceedings, they said. Evidence so far is woefully lacking.
It shows "video footage in which Leef does not even appear and testimony from a police special forces officer who said he saw Leef shove another officer, the identity of whom he could not remember."
Magistrate Court Judge Shamai Becker wasn't pleased. He criticized poor quality evidence presented. Other video clips showed police using brutal force against Leef.
It proves their culpability. Leef was brutally victimized. "It raises questions about the officers’ credibility and the motivation of the police in this affair," said Haaretz editors.
TheMarker is an Israeli publication. It interviewed Leef. "On the one hand I sit in court and know what a gap there is between what really happened and what the witnesses said, and on the other hand I understand how much this is a matter of the system," she said.
Weinstein and Danino "must put an end to the Leef affair," said Haaretz editors. They must "compel the police to retreat from the criminal proceedings against her."
They violate "fundamental democratic principles." Doing so is longstanding Israeli policy. Haaretz editors didn't explain.
Leef is one of many victims. Many face false charges. Some react their own way.
In July 2012, Moshe Silman died for justice. He self-immolated.
He left a letter saying:
"The state of Israel stole from me and robbed me. It left me helpless."
"Two Housing and Construction Ministry committees rejected me, even though I had a stroke."
Disabled and disheartened, he couldn't survive on his monthly $582 allowance. "I can't even live month to month," he said. "I won't be homeless, and so I am protesting."
He blamed "the state of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz for the humiliation that the weakened citizens go through every day, taking from the poor and giving to the rich."
During a 2012 July 14 street protest, he poured gasoline on his body, self-immolated and died days later. He was too far gone to save.
Israel betrayed him like many others. Rights are systematically denied. Imagine dying for social justice. Rallies supported Silman after his death.
They did so under the slogan: "We're all Moshe Silman - The Blood is on the Government's Hands."
Targeting Leef represents Inquisition justice. She deserves widespread support. Doing the right thing demands it.
Israel is one of the most socially unjust developed countries. Conditions go from bad to worse. Leef and likeminded activists demand change. It's more than ever needed.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Prosperity For Main Street, Not Wall Street
--2014--
735. July 29-Aug. 5. Moving Beyond Capitalism conference, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
734. Feb. 23, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST
733. Feb16, interview with Gary Dubin, The Foreclosure Hour (http://www.foreclosurehour.com/the-host.html), 5 pm PST
732. Feb 9, interview with Stephen Golden, DEFENDING THE AMERICAN DREAM, KABC Los Angeles, 6 am, PST
731. Feb. 6, interview, Move to Amend Reports, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/movetoamend, 5 pm PST
730. Feb. 5, interview with Sinclair Noe, Financial Review, MoneyRadio.com, 9:30 am PST
729. January 30, interview, Kerry Lutz - Financial Survival Network, 12 pm EST
728. January 30, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report, 4:30 PST
727. January 29, interview on Latin Waves, 8 pm PST
726. January 28, Green Party Shadow Cabinet response to State of the Union Speech. http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus 6 pm PST
725. January 26, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST. Listen here.
724. January 23, interview, The Tim Dahaney Show, 12 noon PST. Listen here.
723. January 22, interview with Utrice Leid, "Leid Stories,", PRN.FM, 1 pm EST
722. January 21, interview, Independent Underground Radio LIVE, 9:15 PST. Listen here.
721. January 12, Open Forum with Green Party candidates Luis Rodriguez, Laura Wells and Ellen Brown, hosted by LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) 11277 GARDEN GROVE BLVD., Garden Grove, CA. 2-4 pm
720. January 11, interview with Bill Still on running for California Treasurer. Watch it here.
719. January 8, interview, The Tim Dahaney Show, 12 noon PST. Listen here. (It's the one labelled "Take the Fed Reserve Public.")
718. Jan 7, interview, The Burt Cohen Show, 12 noon ET
--2013--
717. Dec. 30, interview, Stuart Vener Tells It Like It Is, see http://stuartvener.com for stations, 11:30 am EST
716. Dec. 26, interview Dr. Rima Truth Reports, with Dr. Rima Laibow and Ralph Fucetola, 10 pm EST
715. Dec. 21, interview, KPRO Radio San Francisco, 9:30 am PST
714. Dec. 18, interview, The Power Hour with Joyce Riley, 8 a.m. CT
713. Dec. 18, interview, Unwrapped Radio, WRFG, http://www.tuneinradio.com/, 12:40 EST
712. Dec. 15, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST, listen here.
711. Dec. 15, presentation, A Public Bank for Mendocino, at the Crown Hall in Mendocino, Ca., 7 pm
710. Dec. 15, presentation, Why We Need to Own Our Own Bank, Mendocino Environmental Center
106 West Standley, Ukiah, CA 95482, 2 pm
709. Dec. 14, presentation, Why We Need to Own Our Own Bank, Little Lake Grange, Willits, Ca. 7 pm
708. Dec. 13, interview on All About Money, KZYX radio, 9 a.m. PST
707. Dec. 13, interview, Radio Islam, WCEV 1450 AM, 12:05 pm, CST
706. Dec. 12, appearance with Doug McKenty, "The Shift," Mendocino TV, 4:30 pm PST
705. Dec. 11, interview on WHDT World News, http://NNN.is/on-WHDT, 5:30 and 11:00 pm EST. Watch the archive here.
704. Dec. 11, interview, WORT Community Radio, Madison, Wisconsin, 6:10 a.m. PST
703. Dec. 11, interview with Sinclair Noe, Financial Review, MoneyRadio.com, 10:30 PST
702. Dec. 9, UnWrapped Radio, Atlanta, 1 pm PST.
701. Dec. 9, GOHarrison, KPFK Los Angeles, 3:30 pm PST.
700. Dec. 9, interview, Air Cascadia show, KBOO radio, Portland, 10 am PST
699. Dec. 5, interview, WHDT World News TV, 2 pm PST
698. Dec. 4, interview with David Swanson, talknationradio, 7pm PST
697. Dec. 4, interview with Rob Kall, The Rob Kall Bottom-Up Radio Show, 1360 AM, 7:30 pm EST
696. Dec. 3, interview with Kim Greenhouse, It's Rainmaking Time, listen here.
695. Dec. 2, interview with Val Muchowski, Women's Voices, KZYX, 7 p.m. PST
694. Nov. 29, interview with Gregg Hunter, USAWatchdog.com, 11:30 PST
693. Nov. 16, interview This is Hell! radio show, WNUR 89.3 fm, thisishell.com/live, 11.20 a.m. EST. Listen to archive here
692. Nov. 15, interview with George Berry, The Financial News Network Show, truthfrequencyradio.com, 1 pm PST
691. Nov. 14, interview with Stanley Montieth, The Doctor Stan Show, Radio Liberty, 4 pm PSTf
690. Nov. 14, interview with Neil Foster, Reality Bytes show, Awake Radio (UK), Shazziz Radio (US), 8 pm UK time.
689. Nov. 13, interview with Bonnie Faulkner, KPFA, Los Angeles. Listen to archive here.
688. Nov. 12, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report, 4:30 PST
687. Nov. 11, interview, Between the Lines News Magazine, WPKN radio, Bridgeport, CT, 9 p.m. ET. Listen to archive here
686. Nov. 10, skype participant, forum at the Putrajaya International Islamic Arts and Cultural Festival, "Global Economic and Monetary Crisis: What Needs to be Done?" Putrajaya, Malaysia, 11 a.m. MYT, 7 pm, Nov. 9 PST
685. Nov. 3, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST
684. Oct. 31, interview with Voice of Russia radio, American edition, 2:30 pm, CET (Central Europe Time.) Listen to archive here.
683. Oct. 23, interview with Daniel Estulin on RT tv
682. Oct. 16, interview with Per Fereng, KBOO radio, Portland, 11 am PST
681. Oct. 15, presentation, "The Public Banking Forum in Ireland," 7-9 PM, Hudson Bay Hotel, Athlone, Ireland.
680. Oct. 14, presentation, Cork, Ireland
679. Oct. 12, presentation, "The Public Banking Forum in Ireland," 2-4 PM, Springfield Hotel in Leixlip, County Kildare, Ireland. Information on these three events here.
678. October 4, interview with Bill Deller, 3CR radio, Melbourne, Australia, 2:30 pm, PST
677. Oct. 3, interview with Joyce Riley, the Power Hour. Listen to archive here.
676. Oct. 1, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report 7:30 EST
675. Sept. 29, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST
674. Sept. 27, interviw with Kevin Barrett, AmericanFreedomRadio.com, NoLiesRadio.org:
http://TruthJihadRadio.blogspot.com, 2 pm PST
673. Sept. 19, interview, The Gary Null Show, 9:30 a.m. Pacific
672. Sept. 19, Interview on the Global Research News Hour with Michael Welch--check site for time and archive.
671. Sept. 18, interview with David Sierralupe, Occupy Radio, KWVA, 88.1 FM, Eugene
670. Sept. 15, interview with Niall Bradley, Sott Talk Radio, sott.net, 2 p.m. EST
669. Sept. 14, interview FDLBookSalon, firedoglake.com, 5pm EST
668. Sept. 10, "Turning Hard Times into Good Times" with Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 12:30 pm PST. Listen to archive here.
667. Sept. 9, interview with Ken MacDermotRoe and Del LaPietro, In Context Report, 9 am PST. Listen to archive here.
666. Sept 7, interview with Valerie Kirkgaard, WakingUpInAmerica.com, 6 am, PST. Listen here.
665. Sept. 6, Interview with Al Korelin, The Korelin Economics Report, 12:30 pm PST
664. Sept. 5, discussion of how to bring public banking to Colorado on "It's the Economy, Stupid," KGNU, Boulder, 5 p.m. PST
663. Sept. 5, interview with Patrick Timpone, oneradionetwork.com, 8 a.m. PST
662. Sept. 3, interview (along with Elliott Spitzer?), "Turning Hard Times into Good Times" with Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 1 pm PST Listen to archive here.
661. Sept. 3, interview with Jeanette LaFeve, The People Speak, 6 pm PST
660. Aug. 25, Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
659. Aug. 22, interview with Christopher Greene, AMTV Radio, simulcast in audio/video over GoogleHangouts and American Freedom Radio, 1 p.m. PST
658. Aug. 22, interview, TheAndyCaldwellShow.com,
CalChronicle.com, 3 pm PST
657. Aug. 21, interview with Merry and Burl Hall, blogtalkradio.com/envision-this, 5 pm PST
656. Aug. 21, interview with Lori Lundin, America's Radio News Network, 10:30 a.m. ET.
655. Aug. 16, interview with Sinclair Noe, Moneyradio.com, 4 pm PST
654. Aug. 15, interview with Justine Underhill, Prime Interest, Russia Today TV, 1:30 pm PST
653. Aug 14, interview with Jim Goddard, This Week in Money, 4 pm, PST. Listen to archive here, starting at minute 32.
652. Aug. 14, interview with Mary Glenney, WMNF 88.5, 10 a.m. PST
651. Aug. 14, interview with Chuck Morse, irnusaradio.com, 8 am, PST
650. Aug. 13, interview with Thomas Taplin, Dukascopy TV, Switzerland, 9 am PST
649. Aug 7-11, Madison Democracy conference, https://democracyconvention.org/
648. Aug. 6, radio interview, INN World Report with Tom Kiely, http://feeds.feedburner.com/INNWorldReportRadio 4:30 PST
647. Aug 5, interview with Arnie Arnesen, 94.7 fm, Concord, NH, 9 am PST
646. Aug 3, interview with Diane Horn, Mind Over Matter show, KEXP radio, 90.3 FM, Seattle, 7:00 a.m. PST
645. July 31, interview with Mike Beevers, KFCF Fresno, 4:30 pm PST
644. July 28, Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
643. July 2, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PDT.
642. July 2, interview with Arnie Arnesen, 94.7 fm, Concord, NH, 12:30 EST.
641. June 30, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT. Listen to archive here.
640. June 24, interview on RT tv re student debt, 10:30 am PST
639. June 17, interview on The Andy Caldwell Show, 3:30 pm PST
638. June 16, interview with Jason Erb, 5 pm Pacific
637. June 13, interview with Paul Sanford, "Time 4 Hemp-LIVE," http://www.AmericanFreedomRadio.com, 10 am, PST
636. June 6 presentation with Jamie Brown at the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center in Walnut Creek. Info at Favors.org, 7 to 9 pm
635. June 1, interview with Kris Welch, KPFA Los Angeles, 10 am PST
634. May 28, interview with Malihe Razazan, "Your Call" radio, KALW, San Francisco, 10 am PST.
633. May 26, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
632. May 23 interview with Simit Patel, InformedTrades.com (youtube) 3:30 pm PST
631. May 22, Thousand Oaks, 3 expert panel, "A Parachute For the Fiscal Cliff," University Village 2-4 pm
630. May 22, interview with Jack Rasmus, 11 am PST. Enjoy the interview here.
629. May 22, Guns and Butter show, KPFA, http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/91790
628. May 14, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PDT.
627. May 13, live appearance on RTTV, 3 pm PST Watch it here.
626. May 8, interview with Valli Sharpe-Geisler, Silicon Valley Voice, KKUP, 3 pm PST
625. May 8, interview, the Meria Heller Show, 11 am PST
624. May 4, interview, Latin Waves with Sylvia Richardson, 10 am PST
623. April 30, Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 1 pm PST
622. April 29, interview with Rob Kall, Bottom Up Radio, 9 am Pacific
Listen to archive here.
621. April 28, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
620. April 25, interview, the the Dr. Katherine Albrecht Show, 5 pm EDT
619. April 17, interview with Mike Harris, rense.com, 1 pm PDT
618. April 16th, speaker, Valley Democrats United (Democratic Party of San Fernando Valley), Van Nuys, Ca. 7-9pm
617. April 13, interview with Darren Weeks, Govern America, noon Eastern, listen here
616. April 9, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PDT.
615. April 6, phone conference, Justice Party, http://www.justicepartyusa.org/public_banking_conference_call, 9 a.m.
614. April 5, interview, Butler on Business, 11 a.m. EDT
613. April 3, interview with Michael Welch, Global Research News Hour, 8:30 a.m. PDT
612. April 2, interview with Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 12:30 PDT. Listen here.
611. April 1, interview with Brannon Howse, www.worldviewradio.com, 11 a.m. PDT
610. April 1, interview with Scott Harris, Counterpoint,
WPKN Radio, 8:30 pm, ET Listen to archive here.
609. April 1, interview with Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese. Watch and listen to archive here, starting at minute 50. Articles based on the interview are at Truthout.org.
608. March 31, interview with Jason Erb, Exposing Faux Capitalism, Oracle Broadcasting, 11 a.m. Pacific
607. March 31, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT Listen to the archive here.
606. March 29, interview, The Gary Null Show, 9:30 a.m. Pacific
605. March 28, interview with Stan Monteith, radioliberty.com, 9 pm PDT
604. March 28, radio interview, INN World Report with Tom Kiely, http://feeds.feedburner.com/INNWorldReportRadio 4:30 PDT
603. March 27, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PdT.
602. March 27, interview with Jack Rasmus on PRN, 11 a.m. PDT
601. March 25, interview on the Richard Kaffenberger show, KTOX, Needles, CA. 3:15 PDT
600. March 22, newly available archived radio interview, Mandelman Matters. Listen here.
599. March 22, interview with James Fetzer, The People Speak Radio, 5-7 pm PDT
598. March 22, interview , Our Times With Craig Barnes, KSFR radio, Santa Fe, 10 a.m. MST
597. March 12, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST.
596. March 11, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PST
595. March 9, Interview with Sylvia Richardson, Latin Waves, CJSF 90.1FM, 9:30 am PST
594. March 6, interview with Charlie McGrath, wideawakenews.com, 6pm PST. Watch and listen here.
593. March 3, interview with Lateef Kareem Bey, Fix Your Mortgage Mess, 4 pm PST
592. March 2, Interview with Stuart Richardson, Latin Waves, CJSF 90.1FM, 11 am PST
591. Feb. 27, interview with Jim Banks, KGNU, Boulder, 12 pm PST
590. Feb 27, interview with Sinclair Noe, Financial Review, 10 am PST
589. Feb. 25, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST.
588. Feb. 6, Interview with Phil Mackesy, This Week in Money, TalkDigitalNetwork.com, 11 am PST. Listen to the archive here: http://talkdigitalnetwork.com/2013/02/this-week-in-money-70/
587. Feb. 4, interview with Ken Rose, What Now radio show, KOWS RADIO OCCIDENTAL 107.3 FM, 11 am PST.
586. Jan. 31, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Radio Report, 5:00 pm PST
585. Jan. 27, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio
network, 10 am PST
584. Jan. 23, interview on KPFK, 8pm PST
583. Jan. 22, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST.
582. Jan. 3, interview with Mary Glenney, WMNF 88.5, Tampa, 3 pm EST
581. Jan. 2, interview, The Bev Smith Show, thebevsmithshow.net, 5 pm PST
--- 2012 ---
580. Dec. 27, video interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, listen and watch here.
579. Dec. 24, October talk at First Unitarian Church in Portland aired on KBOO radio, http://kboo.fm/, 8:00 am PST
578. Dec. 24, interview with Ron Daniels, the WWRL Morning Show with Mark Riley, wwrl1600.com, 5:05 am PST
577. Dec. 21, interview with Andy Caldwell, TheAndyCaldwellShow.com, KZSB AM1290 Santa Barbara / Ventura and KUHL AM1440 Santa Maria / San Luis Obispo, 3:30 pm PST
576. Dec. 20, interview with Fred Smart, aunetwork.tv, 9 pm EST
575. Dec. 19, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST. Listen here.
574. Dec. 19, interview with Dr. Jack Rasmus, Alternative Visions, Progressive Radio Network, 2 pm EST
573. Dec. 17, The Bev Smith Show, thebevsmithshow.net, 4 pm PST
572. Dec. 15, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST. Listen here.
571. Dec. 14, interview with Craig Barnes, Our Times With Craig Barnes, KSFR radio, 9 am PST Listen to the archive here.
570. December 9th, speaker, Mayo Arts Center (10 Mayo Street) in Portland, ME
http://mayostreetarts.org/about-us/where-we-are 7:30-9pm
569. Dec. 7, Vermont's New Economy conference, Vermont College of the Find Arts, Montpelier, VT, 9 am to 4 pm and reception at 4:30. $25
www.global-community.org/neweconomy to register
568. Dec. 5, speaker, Pennsylvania Public Bank Project's Forum on Public Banking, at the David Library of the American Revolution, Washington Crossing, PA, 7pm
567. Nov. 26-27, 3rd Annual World Conference on Riba, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
566. Nov. 22, presentation before Royal Scottish Academy -- "A Public Bank for Scotland" (here), Riddle's Court, 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PG Scotland, 6 pm
565. Nov 8, Healthy Money Summit, speaking with Hazel Henderson at 1-2 pm PST, information here.
564. Sunday, Oct. 28, Keynote Speaker; The Buck Starts Here, 2:00pm, sponsored by the Kairos Occasional Speakers Series & OFOR, Kairos Milwaukie UCC, Milwaukie, OR.
563. Saturday, Oct. 27, Keynote Speaker; OFOR Saturday Symposium: The Buck Starts Here, 10am - 3pm, Molalla, OR
562. Friday-Sunday, Oct. 26-28, Keynote Speaker; Oregon Fellowship of Reconciliation Fall Retreat - The Buck Starts Here, Camp Adams, Molalla, OR, Friday, 5pm- Sunday 12 noon
561. Friday, October 26, Invited Commentator; screening of “HEIST” (new documentary about the roots of the American economic crisis), sponsored by First Unitarian Church of Portland's Economic Justice Action Groups, Alliance for Democracy, KBOO, Move to Amend, 7:00pm, First Unitarian Church, Portland, OR
560. (Oct. 25-28, Bioneers Conference, Portland, OR)
Oct. 25, Keynote Speaker; sponsored by Portland Fellowship of Reconciliation (PFOR) and the First Unitarian Church of Portland's Economic Justice and Peace Action Groups, 7:00-8:30pm, First Unitarian Church, Portland, OR
559. Oct. 24, interview with Per Fagereng, KBOO radio, Portland, 9 am PST
558. Oct. 24, KPFA "Guns and Butter" interview. Listen to archived show here.
557. Oct. 21, speaker at BBQed Oysters and Beer Fundraiser Party for PBI, San Rafael, CA, 4 pm PST
556. Oct. 14, Live Gaiam tv interview appearance. Watch it here free at 7pm EST.
555. Oct. 12, interview with Matt Rothschild of The Progressive, 10 a.m. Central time
554. October 11-14, speaker, Economic Democracy Collaborative, Madison, Wisconsin
553. Oct. 11, radio interview with Norm Stockwell, WORT, 12 pm CST
552. Oct. 9, interview with Kevin Barrett, No Lies Radio, listen to archive here.
551. Oct. 8, interview, "Mountain Hours Revolution Radio" with Wayne Walton, on RBN, 12-1 pm PST
550. Oct. 7, interview with Lloyd D'Aguilar, "Looking Back Looking Forward", http://lookingbacklookingforward.com/, 2 pm EST
549. Sept. 26, interview with Douglas Newberry, markettoolbox.tv, 1pm EST. Listen here.
548. Sept. 25, interview with Dr. Stanley Montieth, radioliberty.com, 3pm PST
547. Sept. 24, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PST.
546. Sept. 22, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
545. Sept. 17 interview along with Hazel Henderson, National Teach In for Occupy Wall Street, http://www.livestream.com/owshdtv 5pm EST
544. Sept. 10, interview with Thomas Taplin, Dukascopy TV (Switzerland), 7 am PST Watch and listen here
543. Sept. 7, interview with Mike Harris, republicbroadcasting.org, 6 am PST
542. Sept. 6, interview with Douglas Newberry, markettoolbox.tv, 1pm EST. Listen here.
541. Aug 28, interview, the Meria Heller Show, 11 am PST. Listen to archive here. And listen to excellent Meria Heller show here.
540. Aug 26, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, listen to archive here.
539. August 21, interview with Charlie McGrath, wideawakenews.com. Listen to archive here.
538. Aug 20, interview with Kim Greenhouse, It's Rainmaking Time, listen here.
537. Aug 16, interview with Mike Harris, republicbroadcasting.org, 6 am PST
536. Aug. 14, interview, TheAndyCaldwellshow.com, 4:30pm PST
535. August 13, interview with American Free Press, 1 pm PST
534. July 24, interview along with Victoria Grant, The People Speak, 6pm, PST
533. July 24, interview with Kevin Barrett, NoLiesRadio.org, 9 am PST
532. July 23, interview with Charlie McGrath, wideawakenews.com, 6 pm PST
531. July 22, interview with Dave Hodges, The Common Sense Show, 7 pm PST
530. July 22, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST. Listen to archive here.
529. July 19, interview with Mike Beevers, KFCF Fresno, 4:30 pm PST
528. July 10-12, Speaker, Conference on Social Transformation, Faculty of Economics, Split University, Split Croatia
527. July 10, video interview with Max Keiser, the Keiser Report, on the ESM. Watch it here.
526. July 7, Interview with Phil Mackesy, This Week in Money, TalkDigitalNetwork.com, 3 pm PST
525. July 6, video interview with Dr. Mercola, see it here.
524. June 23, Interview with Al Korelin, The Korelin Economics Report, 1 pm PST. Listen to archive here.
523. June 21, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Radio Report, 4:30 pm PST
522. June 21, interview on the Gary Null Show, 9:20 am PST
521. June 18, interview with Ken Rose, What Now radio show, KOWS RADIO OCCIDENTAL 107.3 FM, 1 pm PST. Listen to archive here.
520. June 17, interview with Bill Resnick, KBOO radio, 9 am PST
519. June 16 interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST. Listen to archive here.
518. June 9, interview with Sylvia Richardson, Latin Waves, 9:45 am PST. Listen to archive here.
517. June 5, interview, Truth Quest With Melodee, KHEN radio, 7pm PST
516. June 2, interview about Web of Debt, Our Common Ground,http://www.blogtalkradio.com/OCG, 7pm PST
515. June 1, interview with Robert Stark, The Stark Truth listen here.
514. Newly available video of interview on "Moral Politics" -- see it here
513. May 30, interview, The Tim Dahaney Show, ll am PST
512. May 28, interview with Pedro Gatos, "Bringing Light into Darkness", KOOP.ORG, 6 pm CST
511. May 24, interview, Make It Plain With Mark Thompson, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, 2pm PST
510. May 20, interview, Women's View Radio, blogtalkradio.com, 10 am Central Time. Listen here.
509. May 13, interview, www.Blogtalkradio.com/fixyourmortgagemess, 4:15 pm PST
508. May 12, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST Listen here.
507. May 9, seminar, Re-imagining Money and Credit, Art bldg. rm 103, El Camino college, Torrance, Ca. 5-7:30 pm
506. May 8, interview with Mike Harris, republicbroadcasting.org, 9 am EST
505. May 7, radio discussion on "The Myth of Austerity", Connect the Dots, KPFK Los Angeles, 7 am PST. Listen here.
504. May 4, interview The Unsolicited Opinion, republicbroadcasting.org, 8 am PST
503. April 27-28, speaker, Public Banking Institute Conference, Friends Center, Philadelphia. Listen here.
502. April 25, speaker Global Teach-In (globalteachin.com), 12 noon EST
501. April 17, Interview with Leo Steel, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lasteelshoworg, 8:30 pm EST. Listen here.. 31 minutes in.
500. April 14, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
499. April 14, interview with Al Korelin, The Korelin Economics Report
498. April 10th-12th Speaker at Claremont Conference, “Creating Money in a Finite World” Claremont, CA . See video here.
497. April 5, interview , This Week In Money with Phil Mackesy (howestreet.com) 12:30 PST. Listen to the archive here.
496. April 3, speaker at COMER with Paul Hellyer, "Escape From the Web of Debt," Toronto, 7:30 pm
495. March 27, speaker on "Why are we so Broke? New ways to look at the Finances of our State and City," League of Women Voters luncheon, San Diego, 12 noon
494.5 March 24, radio interview, Mandelman Matters. Listen here.
494. March 17, speaker via skype, SCADS conference, London
493. March 15, interview with Per Fagereng, Fight the Empire, KBOO radio, 9:30 am PST
492. March 15, speaker, San Rafael City Hall 6 pm
491. March 13, speaker at Sergio Lub's house, Walnut Creek, info at Favors.org, 6pm
490. March 11, speaker, TedxNewWallStreet. See it here.
489. March 10, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
488. March 6, interview with Melinda Pillsbury-Foster, http://radio.rumormillnews.com/podcast/, 11 am PST
487. Feb. 25, interview with Martin Andelman, http://www.mandelman.ml-implode.com, 9:30 am PST
486. Feb. 25, interview, This Week In Money with Phil Mackesy (howestreet.com), 3 pm PST
485. Feb. 25, interview on CIVL Radio, Latin Waves, How Greece Could Take Down Wall Street, 11:30am PST
484. Feb 23, interview with Thomas Kiely, INN World Report Radio, 7:30 pm EST
483. Feb. 17, featured speaker, Public Banking in America weekly call, 9 am PST
482. Feb. 11, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
481. Feb. 8, interview with Mike Beevers, KFCF Fresno, 4:30 pm PST
480. Feb. 7, interview with Kevin Barrett, NoLiesRadio.org, 9 am PST; listen to archive here
479. Feb. 6, participant, Occupiers and Wells Fargo Executives Gather to Discuss the American Foreclosure Crisis, The Center of Nonprofit Management at California Endowment Building 1000 N. Alameda, Los Angeles, meeting 3 pm and press conference 5:30 pm
478. Feb. 2, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report Radio, 7:30 pm EST
477. Feb. 2, interview with Patrick Timpone, oneradionetwork.com, naturalnewsradio.com. Listen to archive here
476. Jan. 31, interview, Liberty Coins and Precious Metals, 9 am PST
475. Jan. 27, interview KPFA, Project Censored, 8:30 am PST
474. Jan. 27, FILMS4CHANGE-INSIDEJOB, panel speaker, Edye Second Space, Santa Monica Performing Arts Center, 7:30 pm
473. Jan 22, interview with Dave Hodges, The Common Sense Show, 7:30 pm PST. Listen live here.
472. Jan. 20, interview with Mike Harris, The Republic Broadcasting Network, 7 am PST
471. Jan. 16, interview with Rob Lorei, WMNF fm, Tampa, 2 pm PST
470. Jan. 14, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
469. Jan. 11, interview with Jeff Rense, rense.com, 8pm PST
WMD Deception: Pretext for War on Syria?
WMD Deception: Pretext for War on Syria?by Stephen LendmanHere we go again. A new London Sunday Times report claims Assad is hoarding WMDs. More on it below.We've seen it all before. It surfaced earlier against Syria. Obama repeatedly warned Assad agai...
Militarism in Germany
Militarism in Germany
by Stephen Lendman
A previous article discussed WW I's 100th anniversary. On July 29, 1914, it began. It was called the war to end all wars.
WW II followed. German involvement was central in both wars. In 1945, Hitler's Wehrmacht was disbanded.
It ravaged and destroyed much of Europe. It killed millions of people. Most Germans wanted never again. They renounced militarism.
A new Bundeswehr was established. It was constitutionally restricted to defense. Conscripts were called "citizens in uniform."
At the same time, West Germany joined NATO. It did so in May 1955. In October 1990, membership included the former German Democratic Republic (GDR).
NATO is a killing machine. It's a US-led imperial tool. It threatens world peace.
Germany bears its share of responsibility. Especially after reunification. In November 2010, a new combat medal was established.
At the time, the Frankfurter Rundschau said:
"For a long time we have heard very little about the citizen in uniform, but increasingly about combatants for German interests around the world."
"And good combat soldiers need not only proper equipment, but also recognition."
Months after German reunification, Bundeswehr policy objectives changed. They went beyond defense.
They include the "promotion and protection of worldwide political, economic, military and ecological stability."
They involve "maintain(ing) free world trade and access to strategic raw materials."
In 1998, Germany's ruling Social Democratic Party/Green Party coalition government approved combat in Yugoslavia. It was lawless aggression.
It was Germany's first involvement since WW II. It wasn't the last.
Germany is an active NATO member. Thousands of Bundeswehr soldiers served with US ones in Afghanistan. They did so for over a decade.
In October 2013, Der Spiegel discussed how "Afghanistan changed the German military."
It arrived over a decade ago. Allegedly as peacekeepers. In October 2013, Germany ceremonially handed over its Kunduz military base to Afghan security forces.
Then German Defense Minister Thomas d Maiziere said: "Here we built and fought, cried and consoled, killed and died."
Then German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle added: "We are not turning our backs on the people of Afghanistan."
Neither minister acknowledged Germany's role in ravaging and destroying a long-suffering country.
In more than ever turning it into a wasteland. In sustaining conflict without end. In causing mass slaughter, destruction, and horrific human suffering. In destroying an entire generation.
Afghanistan transformed Germany for the worst. Its Bundeswehr is an offensive fighting force. It partners in NATO aggression.
Retired General Harald Kujat/former Bundeswehr chief of staff acknowledged it, saying:
"Afghanistan has been the most important experience for the German armed forces."
"It was the first time since World War II that the German military was involved in real combat action."
Its experience made it a "real fighting force." Patrick Keller is a German foreign policy/security analyst.
"It's not too far fetched that we will have to be prepared to act" in future Middle East, North African, central and eastern European conflicts, he argued.
"Germany increasingly shoulder(s) more responsibility," he added. Militant Bundestag members want greater German assertiveness.
German parliamentarian Roderich Kiesewetter wants increased German leadership - "to take over responsibility where others are not willing to," he said.
German militarism is small compared to America's. Its budget is a small fraction of Washington's. It's less than what Britain, France, Japan and Saudi Arabia spend.
Its militarism assures it's only a matter of time until it's increased. Germany is Europe's economic powerhouse. It wields enormous political influence.
Hardline German officials stress the close connection between security and economic interests. German militarism reflects it.
So does Chancellor Angela Merkel. She wants Germany's NATO role increased. She wants it more involved in "shap(ing) the global order."
She's a reliable US imperial partner. On January 28, Der Spiegel headlined "Germany Weighs Stronger Military Role," saying:
"Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen want Germany to assume a greater role in world affairs, including military missions abroad."
Both ministers believe an economic powerhouse like Germany can't stay on the sidelines.
Policy changes are happening. Germany plans greater involvement in France's Mali operation.
It's "considering providing military aircraft for transport and medical evacuation in the Central African Republic," said Der Spiegel.
Greater military assertiveness is replacing earlier restraint. Steinmeier wants Germany "ready to engage in foreign and security policy issues earlier, more decisively, and more substantially."
An unnamed Foreign Ministry official said Germany can't stay uninvolved.
Merkel is rhetorically noncommittal. An unnamed Chancellery official claims "no fundamental change regarding foreign missions."
How far she'll go remains to be seen. Germans are "skeptical." They're leery about "engaging in combat missions," said Der Spiegel.
Most oppose greater involvement. Nearly half of Germans think the Bundeswehr is too engaged abroad.
At the same time, Merkel won't leave French foreign operations "left alone." Or America's.
Defense Minister von der Leyen wants Germany involved in a "joint European defense policy worthy of the name."
She wants Germany involved in "current crises and conflicts…To sit and wait is not an option," she said.
"If we have means, we have capabilities. We have the obligation and, we have the responsibility to engage."
Rhetorically, Merkel is largely ambiguous. Officially she's supportive.
German President Joachim Gauck's just concluded Munich Security Conference comments reflects it.
He called for greater German assertiveness. "Germany can't carry on as before," he said.
"Dramatic" new "open world order threats" require more frequent and decisive German responses, he added.
In other words, he argued for stepped up militarism. He wants Germany involved globally.
"Are we doing what we can to stabilize our neighborhood, both in the East and in Africa," he asked?
"Are we doing what we have to in order to counter the (non-existent) threat of terrorism?"
"And, in cases where we have found convincing reasons to join our allies in taking military action, are we willing to bear our fair share of the risks?"
In cases of military intervention, "Germany should not say no on principle."
Gauck, Foreign Minister Steinmeier, and Defense Minister von der Leyen share likeminded sentiment.
Germany has a disturbing pre-WW II history of militarism. Millions of Germans died in both wars.
Older Germans remember. They want never again. Younger ones never experienced the horrors of war. Everyone everywhere is vulnerable today.
Einstein explained saying: "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
Waging global war is unthinkable. Today's super-weapons can extinguish life worldwide. Imagine mushroom-shaped cloud denouement.
Helen Caldicott said enough nuclear explosions "would create nuclear winter, with the US covered with a cloud so thick that it would block out the sun for years, and that would be the end."
Nobel laureate George Wald (1906 - 1997) said "there's no such thing as safe nuclear power." He called dying from it "so ghastly ignoble as to be, I think, intolerable, altogether unacceptable."
He deplored nuclear weapons. He denounced them. He wanted them eliminated. "Our business is life, not death," he said.
He called for "closing down all nuclear power plants tomorrow."
He made Richard Nixon's enemies list.
He called political leaders of his time "insane." He called the Vietnam War one of "the most shameful episodes in the whole of American history."
Imagine what he'd say today. Admiral Hyman Rickover founded America's nuclear navy. In 1982, he told Congress:
"I do not believe that nuclear power is worth it if it creates radiation. Then you might ask me why do I have nuclear powered ships?"
"That is a necessary evil. I would sink them all. I am not proud of the part I played in it. I did it because it was necessary for the safety of this country."
That's why I am such a great exponent of stopping this whole nonsense of war. Unfortunately limits - attempts to limit war have always failed."
"The lesson of history is when a war starts every nation will ultimately use whatever weapons it has available."
"Every time you produce radiation, you produce something that has a certain half-life, in some cases for billions of years."
"I think the human race is going to wreck itself, and it is important that we get control of this horrible force and try to eliminate it."
Potential disaster awaits humanity. Deranged leaders risk the unthinkable.
Imagine waging war risking extinction. We have a choice. End them or they'll end us. There's no in between.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kerry and Lavrov in Munich
Kerry v. Lavrov in Munich
by Stephen Lendman
Kerry represents the worst of America's dark side. Imperial lawless defines it. So do permanent wars on humanity.
Lavrov and Vladimir Putin deserve Nobel Peace Prizes. They address regional conflicts responsibly. They want things resolved diplomatically.
They've gone all out for peace in Syria. They've done it tirelessly. They continue doing it against long odds.
They know Obama wants regime change. So does Kerry. They support death squad killers. They ignore their worst atrocities. They wrongfully blame Assad for their crimes.
They want Ukraine's democratically government ousted. They want pro-Western ultranationalist extremists replacing it.
They enlisted street thugs to incite violence. Aggressive protests were planned. Fascist Pravy Sektor hooligans are involved.
They're waging guerrilla war. Ukraine risks becoming another Yugoslavia. They published a manifesto saying:
"The time of peaceful singing and dancing (in Independence Square) is over. (It's) a waste of time."
"There can be no negotiations, no compromises with the ruling gang. We will carry high the fire of national revolution."
Alexander Gnativ is Ukraine Deputy Chief of Investigation Department of Ministry of Internal Affairs. Opposition forensic computer analysis showed mass protests were planned.
On November 21, they began. They weren't spontaneous. "I would note that among the materials which are available for the investigation, there is evidence that the planning of these actions provides a so-called 'power' version of its development," said Gnativ.
"That is an option under which force will be applied (by) the demonstrators, causing a wide resonance and undermin(ing) the credibility of the current government and the President."
Related evidence shows State Department-funded National Endowment of Democracy involvement. So are Washington extremist elements.
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland is involved. She openly supports street thug violence.
She's part of a US-instigated insurrection. At issue is toppling legitimate Ukrainian governance. She lied saying: "We stand with the people of Ukraine..."
She demanded Ukrainian President Viktor Yanokovych engage "with Europe and the IMF." She formerly worked for Dick Cheney. She's hardcore neocon.
Her husband is Project for the New American Century (PNAC) co-founder Robert Kagan. He's a neocon foreign policy theorist/hardliner.
He advised John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. He served on Hillary Clinton's Foreign Affairs Policy Board.
The Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) is PNAC's current incarnation. He's a board of directors member. He represents the worst of America's dark side. So do Nuland and Kerry.
They back neo-fascist governance replacing Ukrainian democracy. Munich hosts annual security conferences (MSCs). Heads of state and other top officials attend.
This year was MSC's 50th event. It was held from January 31 - February 2. Kerry and Lavrov attended.
Their agendas are polar opposite. At issue is war or peace. It's neo-fascism or democracy.
It's Washington deciding Ukraine's future or its people. It's colonization or sovereign independence. It's ruthless exploitation or freedom.
Lavrov accused Western politicians of inciting Ukraine violence. They support the worst of what's ongoing. They back hooliganism over responsible law and order.
"Why is no one condemning those who seize administration buildings, attack policemen and chant racist and anti-Semitic slogans," asked Lavrov?
"Why are prominent European (and US) politicians actually encouraging the moves in question, although in their own countries they immediately clamp down on any encroachments on the letter of the law?"
"How would the European Union (and America) react if the Russian government openly supported street riots in (Washington), London, Paris or Hamburg, and sent its ministers to these cities to encourage the protesters?"
"What does the inciting of street protests, which are growing increasingly violent, have to do with promoting democratic principles."
Lavrov defended Ukraine's right to stop violence. It's universally accepted. No nations tolerate street thuggery. None permit national insurrections.
Responsible governments quell things before they get out of hand. They're obligated to do so. Law and order depend on it. So does public safety.
"The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that the freedom of expression cannot be illegal and is a basic right," said Lavrov.
"But riots (and) violent actions give the grounds to limit those freedoms. A state must be strong if it wants to remain democratic."
The alternative is anarchy. It's tyranny. Russia supports the right of Ukrainians to decide their future. It backs Syrians the same way. It opposes outside meddling.
International law prohibits it. Moscow wants both conflicts resolved diplomatically. It rejects force. It abhors US ultimatums. It's against US threats of war.
Lavrov addressed global instability. He stressed the importance of rule of law principles in international relations.
He urged world unity to assure peace, stability and security. "Deficiency of strategic vision and confidence is still evident in the relations in the sphere of security," he said.
"Here we are still not able to overcome the phobia of a bygone era, an attempt to consider the situation through the prism of 'friend or foe.' "
"We need fewer slogans right now and more care about the results of efforts being undertaken by the Ukrainian leadership to return the country to a peaceful course."
Believing Ukraine must choose sides is "an idea from a bygone era."
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara said:
"We do not want to be pawns in a geopolitical game. We do not want anyone to interfere with our strategic partnership with Russia, but we are also drawn towards the European Union."
Munich residents held anti-NATO protests. "Do we want a war with Russia," they asked? People everywhere should question Washington's intentions. US policies risk global war.
The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity (RPIPP) supports non-intervention. It said Washington and EU partners want Ukraine's government violently overthrown.
It accused Kerry of "astounding hypocrisy on Ukraine." He "speaks out of both sides of his mouth." He tells opposition hooligans they have "full US support."
He warned against "outside powers" interfering in America's agenda. RPIPP urges "rein(ing) in Obama or suffer(ing) the consequences."
Kerry is his foreign policy front man. He addressed Munich attendees. He lied about increasing "threats of terrorism."
US-sponsored state terrorism threatens humanity. Kerry didn't explain. He lied about America's Middle East vision. Claiming it's for peace and security rings hollow.
He threatened Assad. "(S)top making excuses," he said. "(F)ulfill (your) promises and obligations. (M)eet the UN deadlines."
He referred to eliminating Syria's chemical weapons. Assad's doing it responsibly. Conflict creates obstacles. Key is preventing US-backed death squads from seizing them.
He lied about a nonexistent Iranian nuclear weapons program. He claimed interim agreement terms "freeze and roll (it) back."
He pressured Iran to reach a "comprehensive (final) agreement." He wants US terms enforced. The alternative is "force," he suggested.
He lied about Washington "pursuing a long-sought and much needed peace between Israelis and Palestinians."
"Failure is not an option," he said. He demands Palestinians accept US/Israeli dictated terms.
His so-called framework agreement is entirely one-sided. It gives Israel virtually everything it wants. It demands unconditional Palestinian surrender.
It assures continued occupation harshness. It makes peace in our time impossible. It continues business as usual. It assures festering Palestinian anger. It risks a third Intifada.
Kerry lied saying: "Nowhere is the fight for a democratic European future more important today than in Ukraine."
"...Ukrainians want to live freely in a safe and a prosperous country, and they are fighting for the right to associate with partners who will help them realize their aspirations."
"And they have decided that that means their futures do not have to lie with one country alone, and certainly not coerced."
"The United States and EU stand with the people of Ukraine in that fight."
It bears repeating. Washington planned street violence. Complicit EU partners are involved.
They recruited street thugs. They support ultranationalist extremists. They orchestrated ongoing violence.
At stake is Ukrainian sovereignty. Washington wants neo-fascist governance replacing it.
It wants control over Ukraine's future. It wants Ukrainians denied democratic choice. It wants Russia entirely shut out.
Hegemons operate this way. When other power-grabbing methods fail, war is the bottom line option.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke. He followed Kerry. He complemented his comments. Both officials are two sides of the same coin.
Hagel stressed US/EU "defense investments" against non-existing "threats and challenges."
"The centerpiece of our transatlantic defense partnership will continue to be NATO," he said. He lied calling it "the greatest peace movement in history."
It's a killing machine. It's America's imperial tool. It's responsible for ravaging one country after another.
Its agenda is war, not peace. Washington largely controls NATO policy.
It began as a Cold War provocation. It did so against a non-existent Soviet threat.
It justifies its existence and expansion by manufacturing fake ones. It invents them. Wars of aggression follow.
Mass slaughter and destruction define them. So does unconscionable human suffering. Millions of corpses attest to NATO's ruthlessness.
It's a merciless anti-peace alliance. Its war on humanity threatens its survival. Not according to Hagel, saying:
"In Afghanistan, NATO-led forces are doing extraordinary work to help the Afghan people by strengthening the Afghan army and police so that they can assume responsibility for their nation’s security."
"(W)e should all be very proud of what our alliance has accomplished."
"(W)e must all invest more strategically to protect military capability and readiness."
As long as NATO exists, world peace is impossible. Wars without end will continue.
Millions more will die. Humanity may not survive many more "proud" NATO "accomplish(ments).
Hagel didn't explain. He claimed NATO must combat "violent extremism." Nothing is more extreme than war on humanity.
He said "humanitarian catastrophes" must be avoided. NATO bears full responsibility for horrific ones.
Ravaged and destroyed countries attest to NATO's ruthlessness. Nobel laureate Harold Pinter once called NATO's Yugoslavia aggression "barbaric" and despicable.
It was a "blatant and brutal assertion of US power using NATO as its missile (to consolidate) American domination of Europe."
Lawless aggression became humanitarian intervention. Washington claimed another imperial trophy.
New targets followed. Waging war on humanity is official US policy.
NATO is its imperial tool. "(O)ur (collective security) alliance with Europe remains the strongest the world has ever known," said Hagel.
Humanity can't tolerate many more "humanitarian intervention(s)." Its survival depends on ending them.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Good News and Bad From Palestine
Good News and Bad from Palestineby Stephen LendmanFirst the good news. There's much to report. On November 29, 2013, the UN General Assembly designated 2014 as the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian people.A previous article asked wh...
Obama Planning War on Syria?
Obama Planning War on Syria?by Stephen LendmanObama is the latest in a long line of lawless US leaders. He's one of numerous past warrior ones. He campaigned as a peace president. On October 28, 2007, he said:"I will promise you this, that if we have n...
Kerry Backs Keystone XL Pipeline
Kerry Backs Keystone XL Pipeline
by Stephen Lendman
Kerry mocks legitimacy. He represents the worst of America's dark side. He's going all out to be Washington's worst ever Secretary of State.
He's Obama's war on humanity front man. He blames Syrian President Assad for US-supported death squad crimes. He wants him ousted. He wants Syrian sovereignty destroyed.
He wants Washington deciding Syria's future. He wants it colonized for profit. He wants Ukraine exploited the same way.
He supports ultranationalist extremists. He blames Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych for US-supported street thug violence.
He's Israel's man in Washington. His peace deal is fake. It's entirely one-sided. It demands unconditional Palestinian surrender.
He's a billionaire. He supports corporate-enriching trade deals. They legitimize selling unsafe foods, medicines and other products.
They're designed to make him richer. They're at the expense of enormous public harm. They risk ecocide.
On January 31, the State Department endorsed the Keystone XL Pipeline project. It risks enormous environmental damage.
It's a controversial 1,661-mile Alberta, Canada to Port Arthur, TX pipeline. At issue is transporting toxic tar sands oil from Western Canada to refineries on America's Gulf coast.
Doing so entails passing through environmentally sensitive areas in six states. They include waterways and the Ogallala Aquifer.
It's one of the world's largest. It supplies about 30% of America's irrigation ground water. It's vital for human consumption.
Friends of the Earth said Keystone XL (KXL) "will carry one of the world's dirtiest fuels: tar sands oil." Its route "could devastate ecosystems and pollute water sources, and would jeopardize public health."
It'll double America's dirty tar sands oil supply. Environmental toxicity will increase exponentially.
Big Oil wants it. So do Republicans and many Democrats. Expect Obama to rubber-stamp approval.
The State Department's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) falsely claimed no risks to health and safety. More on this below.
TransCanada Corporation will build KXL. It's spill-prone construction record assures trouble.
It promised its Keystone I pipeline would leak at most once every seven years. In year one, it leaked 12 times. It was once a month on average. It was unprecedented in US pipeline history.
TarSandsBlockade.org asks "Why Oppose KXL?"
For many reasons, it states. NASA scientist James Hansen calls it "a fuse to the largest carbon bomb on the planet."
All pipelines spill. Avoidance is impossible. Large-scale environmental damage is too great a price to pay.
TransCanada said up to 700,000 gallons of tar sands crude could leak without detection. Safeguards are weak and ineffective.
Pipeline construction abuses eminent domain. TransCanada "intimidated landowners" along planned routes. It did so in previous pipeline construction.
It contractually forced landowners to accede to its demands. It "fraudulently steals land from private citizens through eminent domain."
Water contamination is certain. The Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer (CWA) is threatened.
In March 2011, water resources & environmental engineer/consultant Lawrence Dunbar said CWA spillage would be environmentally disastrous. Human and natural resources would be impacted.
Release of enough tar sands contaminants would make affected water resources unfit for human consumption.
CWA "is one of the greatest assets of the East-Central region of Texas. It provides water for agriculture, industry, and human consumption and use."
It's far too valuable to contaminate. KXL assures it. Remediation would be hard to impossible to achieve.
According to Cornell University's Global Labor Institute, KXL will destroy more jobs than it creates. Its September 2011 "Pipe Dreams?" report said job creation claims lack credibility.
At best up to 4,650 temporary ones will be created. In two years or less they'll be gone. "KXL will not be a major source of US jobs, nor will it play any substantial role at all in putting Americans back to work."
Diverting tar sands oil "now supplying Midwest refineries, so it can be sold at higher prices to the Gulf Coast and export markets (means) Midwest (consumers) could be paying 10 to 20 cents more per gallon for gasoline and diesel fuel."
Doing so will adversely impact other spending and cost jobs. KXL will have "a chilling effect on green investments and green jobs creation."
Green investments generated "2.7 million jobs in the US and could generate many more."
"Tar Sands oil and energy independence really do not belong in the same sentence."
Cornell, the Natural Resources Defense Council and other independent assessments say KXL assures higher gas prices.
Exporting tar sands oil won't reduce US dependence on foreign supplies. Prioritizing exports is planned. At issue is selling at the highest possible price.
KXL violates tribal sovereignty. The Indigenous Environmental Network's "Mother Earth Accord" supports and urges opposition to tar sands development. At issue is preserving the integrity of US and Canadian First Nations and tribal lands.
TransCanada won't disclose an analysis of chemical dilutents used to facilitate transporting tar sands oil through KXL. At issue are human and environmentally destructive substances.
The Pipeline Hazardous Material Safety Administration told Congress that pipeline regulations weren't crafted with tar sands oil in mind.
They're woefully inadequate and require strengthening. At a time of business as usual, don't expect it.
On January 31, the State Department released its EIS report. Its analysis was rigged. Its methodology lacked credibility.
Results falsely claimed minimal environmental contamination risk. KXL's southern area "Gulf Coast Project" failed to conduct its own environmental assessment.
Issues related to the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, wild fires, droughts, and others weren't examined.
Friends of the Earth (FOE) responded, saying:
"The State Department’s environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline is a farce. Since the beginning of the assessment, the oil industry has had a direct pipeline into the agency."
"Perhaps most frustrating, is the apparent collusion between the State Department, oil industry and the Canadian government."
"In what could be perceived as eagerness to please the oil industry and Canadian government, the State Department is issuing this report amidst an ongoing investigation into conflicts of interest, and lying, by its contractor."
"It is unacceptable that the oil industry and a foreign government are better informed than the American Congress and its citizenry."
"By letting the oil industry influence this process, Secretary Kerry is undermining his long-established reputation as a leader in the fight against climate change."
"President Obama can end this charade; sufficient scientific data exists to justify denying the Keystone XL pipeline."
"It is a simple matter of having the political will, and courage, to stand up to the oil industry. This decision is a defining moment in his environmental legacy."
Last September, FOE said:
"(F)rom day one, the State Department's review of the pipeline (was) polluted by conflicts of interest, insider lobbying and the heavy hand of Big Oil."
State Department officials relied on TransCanada-picked contractors for their report. Doing so represents an outrageous conflict of interest.
Relying on Big Oil interests related construction company interests eliminated any chance for responsible analysis.
Obama had plenty of evidence without EIS to reject KXL. "The bottom line," said FOE, "it's not in the national interest. (K)ill "it now."
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) said:
"Thousands of people around the country are taking a stand against the import of dirty tar sands oil - from farmers and ranchers in Nebraska who don't want a tar sands pipeline plowed through their property, to families in Texas concerned about their drinking water, to Americans everywhere who want to move towards a clean energy future."
NWF "is working to stop this dangerous project, and your voice is urgently needed. Take a stand against" KXL!
The Sierra Club urged "no more Big Oil pipeline spills that endanger our water."
KXL "threaten(s) the drinking water of two million Americans." TransCanada has a deplorable environmental record.
In 2011 alone, over a quarter million Americans expressed opposition to KXL. Nebraska rancher Susan Luebbe perhaps spoke for others, saying:
"How can the State Department even think of approving a new tar sands pipeline when the existing one is springing leaks on average once a month."
"Ranchers, farmers and millions of other Americans depend on clean water from the Ogallala Aquifer, which lies directly under the path of" KXL.
Last November, Public Citizen published a report titled "TransCanada's Keystone XL Southern Segment: Construction Problems Raise Questions About the Integrity of the Pipeline."
It highlighted safety issues. Documented problems include "excessive bending or sagging, and pealing patches of field coating applied to cover damage on pipe about to be placed into the ground."
"Anomolies" in pipe "buried for months include "dents, sags, and other problems that could lead to spills or leakage of toxic tar sands crude."
Public Citizen's Texas office director Tom "Smitty" Smith said:
"The government should investigate, and shouldn’t let crude flow until that is done."
"Given the stakes - the potential for a catastrophic spill of hazardous crude along a pipeline that traverses hundreds of streams and rivers and comes within a few miles of some towns and cities - it would be irresponsible to allow the pipeline to start operating."
During construction of Keystone I, TransCanada made 50 special conditions pledges. It violated 47 of them.
In July 2011, its Bison natural gas pipeline exploded within six months of startup.
Iroquois Pipeline Operations is a TransCanada subsidiary. In the 1990s, four senior executives pleaded guilty to knowingly violating environmental and safety pipeline construction permit provisions.
They promised exceptional safety. They willfully failed to deliver. "TransCanada's history with pipeline problems speaks for itself," said Smith.
"I fear we could be looking at another pipeline whose integrity may be in question."
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) urged "Stopping the Keystone XL." Enormous potential environmental damage is risked, it said.
It'll transport "the dirtiest oil on the planet." It's "difficult, costly and energy-intensive to produce."
Constructing KXL will "kill more jobs than it creates." Oil transported is intended for export, not domestic use.
KXL "was never in America's national interest. Clean energy and fuel efficiency is the path forward for economic and energy security."
Reject "another tar sands pipeline." Expect rubber-stamp Obama approval. He's beholden to Big Oil. He's been this way throughout his political career.
His US Senate voting record was strongly pro-business. He supported strip-mining on public and private land.
He backed secretly drafted Bush administration energy policy. Rhetorically he opposed it.
He supported vastly expanding nuclear power, lax industry regulation, billions of dollars in subsidies, and other benefits demanding rejection.
He voted for biofuels production and other agribusiness interests. He strongly supports GMO foods and ingredients.
He's a corporate stooge. There's never "been a bigger con man in the White House than Barack Obama," said Ralph Nader. He says one thing. He does another. His rhetoric belies his policies.
He's a corporatist "from A to Z." So are Kerry and likeminded administration officials.
On February, the State Department opened a 30 day comment period. Eight US agencies have 90 days to weigh in. They'll offer feedback.
It's pro forma mumbo jumbo. What corporate America wants it gets. Obama's fully on board. Expect rubber-stamp KXL approval.
Last June, he signaled it saying he'll back construction if "it does not significantly exacerbate the climate problem."
Last week, TransCanada began shipping oil through its southern Keystone pipeline leg. It runs from Cushing, OK to Port Arthur, TX.
TC awaits approval to begin building its 1,179 mile northern pipeline. It'll transport tar sands oil from Hardisty, Alberta through Montana to Steele City, NB.
Environmental contamination will follow. Wealth, power and privilege alone matter.
Obama is no man of the people. He's a corporatist writ large. Change to believe in works one way. Betrayal and failure define him.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Reid Derails Fast Track
Reid Derails Fast Trackby Stephen LendmanSenate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D. NV) opposes fast track legislation. He broke with Obama on trade policy."I'm against fast track," he said. "I think everyone would be well-advised not to push this right now...
New York Ending Stop and Frisk?
New York Ending Stop and Frisk?
by Stephen Lendman
Stop-and-frisk is longstanding New York City policy. It's blatantly racist. It targets Blacks and Latinos. It's unconstitutional.
It violates privacy rights. In 2012 alone, nearly 700,000 people were affected. Ray Kelly was New York's longest serving police commissioner.
He served from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2013. He lied calling stop and frisk effective. Clear evidence proves otherwise.
The vast majority of those stopped are innocent victims. They're targeted based on race and ethnicity. They committed no crimes.
On January 30, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said:
"We're here today to turn the page on one of the most divisive problems in our city."
"We believe in ending the overuse of stop-and-frisk that has unfairly targeted young African-American and Latino men."
The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) initiated a federal class action lawsuit against New York City. Floyd, et al. v. City of New York, et al. challenged "NYPD's practices of racial profiling and unconstitutional stop-and frisks."
CCR called its class action New York's "trial of the century." It cut to the very heart of discriminatory police practices. It was "part of a larger citywide movement" to end them.
It said "(n)o court case is more important to the future of New York City." Police accountability is long overdue. It remains to be seen what's forthcoming.
Last August, US District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Shira Scheindlin issued a landmark decision.
Her 195-page ruling was scathing. She said NYPD "adopted a policy of indirect racial profiling."
"The New York City Police Department ("NPPD") made 4.4 million stops between January 2004 and June 2012." Personal lives were wrongfully "interrupted."
Doing so "violated their constitutional rights in two ways:
(1) they were stopped without a legal basis in violation of the Fourth Amendment, and
(2) they were targeted for stops because of their race in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment."
Scheindlin held top city and NYPD officials liable for constitutional violations. She accused them of willful indifference.
They turn a blind eye to flagrant racial discrimination, she said.
In November, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals stayed Judge Scheindlin's ruling. They didn't reverse it.
They ordered Floyd reassigned to a new district court judge. CCR responded, saying:
"We are dismayed that the Court of Appeals saw fit to delay the long-overdue process to remedy the NYPD’s unconstitutional stop-and-frisk practices, and we are shocked that they cast aspersions on the professional conduct of one of the most respected members of the federal judiciary and reassigned the case."
"The City carried out a whisper campaign against Judge Scheindlin but never once raised any legal claims of bias, even in its papers to the Court of Appeals."
"That, unprompted, they should reassign the case from a judge deeply steeped in the issues for the last 14 years, who gave the City every opportunity to defend itself in the course of this litigation, is troubling and unprecedented."
That was then. This is now. On January 30, CCR headlined "City of New York and Center for Constitutional Rights Announce Agreement in Landmark Stop and Frisk Case."
"With Questions of Law Settled, Next Phase of Charting NYPD Reforms to Begin," saying:
"After 14 years of litigation and decades of community action, plaintiffs' counsel and Mayor" de Blasio reached agreement.
Appealing Judge Scheindlin's ruling was withdrawn. Floyd v. NYC seeks long denied injunctive relief. At stake is ending unconstitutional racial profiling. It's doing it once and for all.
It remains to be seen what follows. If past is prologue, hold the cheers. At Thursday's press conference, "the focus was squarely back on reforming the police department," said CCR.
According to its Executive Director Vincent Warren:
"Today is the beginning of a long-overdue process: the reform of the NYPD to end illegal and racially discriminatory policing."
"For too long, communities of color have felt under siege by the police, and young Black and Latino men have disproportionately been the target."
"We are glad to have reached an agreement with the City and commend Mayor de Blasio for promising to drop the appeal and embracing reform. We are eager to finally begin creating real change."
CCR want a court-appointed independent monitor. Someone with impeccable civil and human rights credential. Someone to hold NYC police and administrative officials accountable.
Judge Scheindlin so-ordered. Under terms reached with city authorities, a monitor will be appointed. A three-year term will be served.
At stake is New York "substantially complying with the remedies," said CCR. "(T)he parties will begin the process for stakeholder input as soon as the paperwork is completed."
Lead CCR attorney Darius Charney said:
"We look forward to working with the communities directly affected on the streets every day to come up with solutions that protect the rights of all New Yorkers."
Plaintiffs' co-council Johathan Moore added:
"This agreement to drop the appeal in this case vindicates the findings by judge Scheindlin and provides the opportunity for the NYPD to reform policies and practices that the district court found unconstitutional."
"However, the agreement is only the beginning. All the parties have much work ahead to implement remedies that will bring meaningful change to the NYPD."
It won't happen easily. It won't be quickly. Racism in America is embedded. It's longstanding. It's institutionalized.
Hundreds of thousands of victimized Blacks and Latinos languish unjustly in America's gulag. They comprise two-thirds of America's 2.4 million prison population.
Most are nonviolent. Many committed no crimes. Many others committed offenses too small to matter. Just societies call misdemeanors. Minor at most penalties follow. Imprisonment is verboten.
Not in America. Criminal injustice reflects longstanding policy.
America's most vulnerable are victimized by judicial unfairness, get tough on crime measures , three strikes and you're out, mandatory minimums, racist drug laws, and guilt by accusation.
Long-term imprisonment is commonplace. Harsh conditions persist. In her book titled "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness," Michelle Alexander discussed it, saying:
"Any movement to end mass incarceration must deal with (it) as a racial caste system, not (a method) of crime control."
"We need an effective system of crime prevention and control in our communities, but that is not what the current system is."
"(It's) better designed to create crime, and a perpetual class of people labeled criminals, rather than to eliminate crime or reduce the number of criminals."
New York's 1973 Rockefeller drug laws are ruthlessly pernicious. Anyone convicted of selling two ounces or more of heroin, morphine, "raw or prepared opium," cocaine, or cannabis faces mandatory 15-year sentences.
Longer-term ones range up to life in prison. Possessing four ounces of these substances mandates the same sentences.
America's war on drugs has nothing to do with crime control. It targets people of color. It's filling prison beds.
It's Jim Crow writ large. It's fundamentally about control. "Racial caste is alive and well in America," says Alexander.
Justice is color-coded, not blind. More Blacks are imprisoned, on probation, or parole than were enslaved in pre-Civil War days.
More are disenfranchised than before 15th Amendment rights prohibited voting based on race.
Black children are less likely to be raised by both parents than during slavery days. Mass imprisoning Black fathers bears much responsibility.
One in three Black males spends some portion of their lives in prison. Many are considered felons for life. In Chicago, it's nearly 80%.
A permanent underclass exists. Fundamental rights are denied. They include disenfranchisement, exclusion from juries, loss of public benefits, and compromised access to education and proper healthcare.
In 1971, Nixon declared war on drugs. He did so to shift focus. He wanted attention off his disastrous Southeast Asian war. He wanted the subject changed.
He made so-called drug abuse a federal crime. He instituted mandatory sentencing. He got no-knock warrants authorized.
He filled prison beds. He began destroying a generation of Black and Latino male youths. Reagan continued where he left off. "Just Say No" instituted zero tolerance.
Incarceration numbers skyrocketed. They jumped from 50,000 in 1980 to over 400,000 in 1997. Blacks and Latinos were disproportionately targeted. They still are.
Democrats compete with Republicans. They're out to prove who's tougher. Clinton boasted about no one able to call him "soft on crime."
His policies increased America's prison population hugely. He exceeded all presidents in US history.
He waged war on Black America. He targeted Latinos the same way. He banned convicted drug felons from public housing. He denied them food stamps for life.
Jim Crow never died. It thrives. All decades earlier civil rights gains were lost. They were shaky to begin with. They were more myth than reality.
Conditions today are worse than when MLK was assassinated. His dream was a convenient illusion.
Caste system inequality is institutionalized. It's a longstanding racial nightmare. Will New York cops turn a new leaf?
Will hardcore commanders order it? Will they enforce it? Will Mayor de Blasio? Will other city authorities? Will their counterparts across America?
Will Blacks and Latinos be treated fairly? They never were before. It takes a giant leap of faith to expect change.
It's hard believing a new dawn in New York. It's hard believing it anywhere across America.
It's hard believing MLK's dream coming true. Maybe some day little boys and girls of all colors will grow up to be brothers and sisters. Maybe some day those of color will be "free at last."
Maybe everyone will enjoy rights being systematically destroyed. Maybe America will be fit to live in. Another world is possible. It's worth going all out to achieve.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama’s MyRA Proposal: Hold the Cheers
Obama's MyRA Proposal: Hold the Cheers
by Stephen Lendman
Americans don't need another phony retirement scheme. They need employer-provider defined benefits they once enjoyed.
They need guaranteed pensions. They need safe and secure ones. They need Social Security protected. They need it strengthened.
It's not an entitlement. It's not welfare. It's a contractual federal obligation. It's for eligible recipients who qualify.
It's funded by worker-employer payroll tax deductions. Insurance premiums work the same way.
It's America's most important retirement program. It's not going bankrupt. When properly administered, it's sound and secure.
Bipartisan complicity weakened it over time. It needs strengthening. Its original incarnation needs to be restored and improved.
Today it's not what it was created to be. Franklin Roosevelt's vision needs to be reestablished.
On August 14, 1935, he said in part:
"This social security measure gives at least some protection to thirty millions of our citizens who will reap direct benefits through unemployment compensation, through old-age pensions and through increased services for the protection of children and the prevention of ill health."
The law "give(s) some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty - ridden old age."
It "represents a cornerstone in a structure which is being built but is by no means complete."
Its purpose is to "take care of human needs and at the same time provide for the United States an economic structure of vastly greater soundness."
On January 11, 1944, Roosevelt's last State of the Union address proposed an economic bill of rights.
He didn't live long enough to implement it. He wanted the following guaranteed for all Americans:
- employment with a living (not a minimum) wage;
- freedom from unfair competition and monopolies;
- decent housing;
- proper healthcare;
- education; and
- strengthened social security.
He wanted all Americans freed from the ravages of poverty. Obama is no Roosevelt. He's ideologically opposite.
Obamanomics did more to wreck the American dream than any of his predecessors.
He presided over the greatest wealth transfer in history. He's beholden to powerful monied interests. They own him.
His rhetoric belies his policies. He's pro-business, pro-privilege, pro-war, anti-populist, and against all fundamental values real democracies cherish.
He's waged war on ordinary Americans. He wrecked the lives of millions. His entire agenda is opposite of what's needed. His new MyRA (retirement account) proposal is more scam than solution.
"Today, most workers don't have a pension," said Obama. He stopped short of explaining efforts to eliminate public and private pensions altogether.
"Social Security...often isn't enough on its own," he added. It could be much more than today. It should be. Proper strengthening would improve it greatly.
It's been weakened over time. Bipartisan complicity wants it privatized. Doing so assures wrecking it altogether. Obama's MyRA proposal ignores a problem needing fixing.
On January 28, he said he'll "direct the Treasury to create a new way for working Americans to start their own retirement savings: MyRA. It's a new savings bond that encourages folks to build a nest egg."
On January 29, a White House press release headlined "FACT SHEET: Opportunity for All: Securing a Dignified Retirement for All Americans."
It calls MyRAs "simple, safe and affordable 'starter' retirement savings accounts." Workers earning up to $191,000 are eligible.
Employers willing to participate will make automatic payroll deductions. No employer contribution is required.
Worker contributions are voluntary. An initial $25 is required. Subsequent ones can be as little as $5.
They'll be used to purchase US Treasuries. Yields fluctuate over time. They're rock bottom now.
Treasury bills earn practically nothing. Five year Treasury notes yield about 1.50%. Ten year notes around 2.70%. Inflation is multiples higher. Money invested today ends up worth less.
Savers can keep the same account if they change jobs. They can roll over the balance into a private IRA any time.
Once accounts accumulate $15,000 (or are held 30 years), they automatically roll over into a privately run Roth IRA with no tax loss.
According to Economic Policy Institute economist Monique Morrissey, doing so is bad news.
"The president's plan may serve to channel more savings into a high-risk, high-fee system without first addressing its failings," she said.
His plan is "nothing to get exited about." Savers "already have convenient access to low or no-risk investment options."
They can do it through retirement accounts. They can buy Treasuries or other financial instruments on their own.
Morrissey urges "holding out for a better retirement option." Obama's plan may seem "harmless," she said.
It "distracts from real reform efforts." They're more than ever needed. Obama and Congress ignore them. Obama's MyRA scheme is more smoke and mirrors than needed change.
According to the White House press release, accounts are "offered through an initial pilot program to employees of employers (that) choose to participate by the end of 2014."
Obama claims he's "committed to working with Congress to help secure a dignified retirement for all Americans."
Throughout five years in office, his policies have been polar opposite. Don't expect his MyRA scheme to change things.
According to Social Security Works co-director Eric Kingson:
"Instead of putting forward the MyRA proposal and making some noises about auto-IRAs, I wish (Obama) simply focused on the facts about the impending retirement income crisis, or acknowledged, along with his MyRA and the auto-IRA rhetoric, that these proposals can, at best, only make a small dent in a larger problem."
Crisis looms for millions approaching retirement. Most people haven't saved enough. Many accumulated nothing. They're more indebted than secure.
Obama's so-called "good start" is more sham than solution. It does practically nothing to resolve a festering crisis.
Longtime Chicago financial adviser, Terry Savage, reports the "Savage Truth." She discussed Obama's MyRA proposal.
"What a creative idea," she said. "It sounds so familiar. Wait. We already have that account. It's called SOCIAL SECURITY."
It's how it "was promoted when...enacted in 1935." In the 1980s, "growing surpluses (became) a tempting target…"
They were looted to fund government. Wall Street crooks benefitted. So did war profiteers and other corporate favorites. Super-rich elites got wealthier. The trust fund became their piggy bank.
Then Reagan National Commission on Social Security Reform head Alan Greenspan recommended it.
He lied claiming a Social Security "financing crisis." He wrongfully claimed the trust fund could run out of money "as early as 1983."
Congress acted irresponsibly. In April 1983, Reagan signed the Social Security Amendments of 1983 into law.
Doing so claimed to "resolve short-term financing problem(s) and (make) many other significant changes in Social Security law."
The public was scammed. Payroll taxes were raised. Rich Americans were exempted beyond a woefully low maximum limit.
Low-income earners today pay more in payroll than income taxes. Greenspan's commission was supposed to make Social Security fiscally sound for the next 75 years.
People were lied to. They weren't told no problem existed. Changes made transferred wealth to rich elites. Multiple income tax cuts benefitted them more. At the same time, the bottom 11% rate rose to 15%.
It was America's first ever tax cut making low-wage earners pay more. Their income and payroll taxes rose. Transferring wealth to corporations and super-rich elites continues. Inequality today is unprecedented.
"...Social Security was (meant) to be a tax-free return on your contributions," said Savage. It was so until "1983 reforms."
"(W)e've seen this movie before...In offering his new 'MyRa' proposal, the President said: 'MyRA guarantees a decent return, with no risk of losing what you put in.' "
...(A)nd you can keep your doctor, too," remember?
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on the voters! That's the Savage Truth!"
Social Security Works co-director Nancy Altman says "(s)trengthen Social Security." It didn't cause the federal deficit. It shouldn't be used to reduce it.
It didn't become law to fund government. It shouldn't be privatized. it shouldn't be means tested. High-income earners should pay the same percentage payroll tax as others.
Benefits should be increased, not reduced. Annual inflation adjustments should be real, not based on phony numbers. Low income Americans should be helped most.
In 2010, Professor James W. Russell discussed America's retirement crisis," saying:
"The great 30-year experiment in 401(k)s and similar retirement financing schemes that depend on stock market investments has failed."
"Even before" 2008 crisis conditions erupted, it was clear. "(V)ery few workers...accumulate enough wealth through these accounts to insure" secure retirement futures.
Until the 1980s, each generation since the 19th century was better off financially than earlier ones.
No longer. Inflation adjusted wages are worth less than decades earlier. Benefits steadily eroded. Inequality is the new normal.
Secure retirements are more myth than reality. Untampered with Social Security works as intended.
Strengthening it makes it work better. Russell calls it "the federal government's most successful and popular domestic program."
The 1978 Revenue Act changed things. Its sections 401(k), 403(b), and 457 let retirement plan contributions be made with pretax dollars.
Employer defined benefit plans became defined contribution ones. They offer no assurance of retirement income. Marketplace uncertainty becomes costly in crisis times.
Financial services industry predators profit hugely through large commissions and fees. They benefit. IRA holders lose out. They're scammed.
Privatized plans often don't deliver on promises. Secure retirements require strengthened Social Security, employer-provided benefits and personal savings.
Russell commented on Obama's MyRA proposal. He called it a "token response" at best to today's festering retirement crisis.
It "perpetuates the very myths and fallacies that caused the crisis." Its roots go back to when defined contribution plans replaced defined benefit ones.
IRAs guarantee nothing. They return "dramatically less retirement incomes than the pensions they replaced," said Russell.
Obama said "most workers don't have a pension." He failed to say they deserve one. Instead of recognizing a failed IRA experiment, he "implied that" crisis conditions only affect non-IRA holders.
He lied claiming they're much better off. MyRA's are another gift to financial predators. "The program will do little to benefit retirees," said Russell.
"No one ever obtained retirement security with savings bonds. Once more," Wall Street crooks stand to benefit most.
"The need remains urgent for a comprehensive public program to address the retirement crisis." Throughout five years in office, Obama proposed nothing to do it.
His MyRA scheme falls woefully short. It bears repeating. It's more scam than solution.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
America’s Criminal Afghanistan Legacy
America's Criminal Afghanistan Legacyby Stephen LendmanOver 12 years of war left millions dead. Violence, displacement, deprivation, starvation and diseases killed them. Many others suffer horrifically. Media scoundrels ignore high crimes of war, ...
Israel’s Secret Nuclear Program
Israel's Secret Nuclear Program
by Stephen Lendman
It's an open secret. It's been known for years. Media scoundrels suppress it. They pretend none exists.
It's real. It's menacing. Imagine ignoring what threatens humanity. Imagine pretending Iran's peaceful nuclear program does so. Imagine risking regional or global war by doing it.
London's Guardian is an establishment broadsheet. It's usually conformist. Once in a while it's not.
It wrote many times about Edward's Snowden's revelations. It told readers what they need to know. On January 15, it headlined "The Truth about Israel's secret nuclear arsenal."
Rarely ever would US establishment publications suggest one. Or Israel's chemical and biological weapons.
They're used freely against Palestinians and other adversaries. Doctors discover injuries never saw before seen. Media scoundrels ignore them.
Israel's nuclear program is one of the world's best known open secrets. It's still not publicly acknowledged. It's hard refuting indisputable evidence.
Israel began developing nuclear technology decades ago. It did so "deep beneath desert sands," said the Guardian.
It "us(ed) technology and materials provided by friendly powers…" It did it the old-fashioned way. A "clandestine network of agents" stole it.
It's the "stuff of pulp thrillers and the sort of narrative often used to characterise the worst fears about" Iran's nuclear program. One's military, the other entirely peaceful.
"In reality…neither US or British intelligence believes Tehran has decided to build a bomb..." Its program is the world's most closely monitored.
Israel's is entirely clandestine. It's illegal. Iran's fully complies with NPT provisions. Israel won't sign the landmark treaty. It wants nothing about its program revealed. It wants freedom to enhance it.
Its open secret reflects "an extraordinary feat of subterfuge," said the Guardian. It produced a powerful arsenal. It's enhanced by long-range delivery systems.
Israel threatens to use all its weapons if threatened. It's used chemical, biological and radiological ones against Gaza and Lebanon. It'll do it again in future conflicts.
Despite open knowledge of its nuclear program, Israel's position is never confirm or deny. In December, former Knesset speaker, Avraham Burg, broke the taboo.
He said Israel has nuclear and chemical weapons. He called official non-disclosure "outdated and childish." He called for "open and brave public discussion."
He said only "regional dialogue, including with Iran" could create a nuclear-free Middle East. Burg is a former Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee member.
He has direct knowledge of Israel's nuclear program. The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel is a right-wing group. It wants Burg investigated. It accused him of "treason."
He revealed a key national security secret, it said. He disclosed what's increasingly common knowledge. Israel's nondisclosure policy is nonsensical.
Western governments play along with Israeli "opacity." Obama won't discuss it. Nor other US officials. Nor media scoundrels. They pretend none exists.
Britain is largely silent. In November, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi was asked about it in the House of Lords. She tried being circumspect.
She said what's rarely heard. "Israel has not declared a nuclear weapons programme. We have regular discussions with the government of Israel on a range of nuclear-related issues," she said.
"The government of Israel is in no doubt as to our views. We encourage Israel to become a state party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."
According to the Guardian, countries conspiring with Israel's nuclear program include America, France, Germany, Britain and Norway. It omitted South Africa.
Israeli agents were involved. So was a Hollywood billionaire. Arnon Milchan admitted his role. He did so last month.
He was born in Israel. He supported Israel's nuclear program decades ago, saying:
"Do you know what it's like to be a 20-something-year-old kid (and your) country lets (you) be James Bond? Wow! The action! That was exiting."
He operated in 17 countries. He worked with 30 companies. He brokered deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
It was a challenge overcoming his arms dealing reputation, he said. He had to convince people he didn't "live off selling machine guns and killing."
He risked his life aiding Israel. Israeli President Shimon Peres was its unacknowledged nuclear weapons architect.
He recruited Milchan. Actor Ben Affleck calls him "a very mysterious, exotic figure in Hollywood." Actor Robert De Niro asked about his clandestine activities for Israel.
"He (said) he was an Israeli and that of course he would do these things for his country," De Niro said.
He had no qualms about being a secret agent. He wasn't concerned about its illegal nuclear program.
He didn't consider its potential harm. He ignored its destructiveness. Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, secretly ordered developmental activities.
It began after Israel's creation. Ehud Avriel was a European operative. He was a later MK. He recruited East European Jewish scientists.
Avraham Marcus Klingberg was enlisted. He later became an Israeli chemical and biological weapons (CBW) expert. He was Israel Institute of Biological Research deputy director.
Ernst David Bergmann was the father of Israel's bomb. He later headed the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC).
In his farewell address to the Israeli Armaments Development Authority (RAFAEL), Ben-Gurion defended his agenda, saying:
"I am confident, based not only on what I heard today, that our science can provide us with the weapons that are needed to deter our enemies from waging war against us."
He and Peres were the leading forces behind Israel's nuclear and CBW programs.
By the early 1970s, Israel had advanced nuclear technology. It had world class scientists. It had several dozen ready to launch bombs. It had delivery systems able to hit distant targets.
France and South Africa were Israel's main collaborators. Washington supplied a five-megawatt research reactor.
It was part of Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" program. Washington became complicit in Israel's illicit development.
Israeli scientists were trained at US universities. They had access to domestic weapons labs.
They got advanced technology transfers. They included supercomputers able to design sophisticated nuclear weapons and delivery systems.
Mordechai Vanunu became a heroic whistleblower. He did so long before term gained prominence. He exposed Israeli nuclear secrets. He revealed what everyone has a right to know.
He was unjustly punished. Israel dispenses it ruthlessly. He spent 18 years imprisoned. He was isolated brutally in solitary confinement.
He's been harassed ever since. His fundamental civil and human rights are denied. He's prevented from leaving Israel. He wants to do so to live free.
Daniel Ellsberg once called him "the preeminent hero of the nuclear era." Vanunu says he's neither traitor nor spy. "I only wanted the world to know what was happening," he said.
From 1988 - 2004, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize each year. His heroism is recognized worldwide.
Israel has destructive chemical and biological weapons arsenals. In 1993, it signed the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
It refused to ratify it. It did so for spurious reasons. It wrongfully claims it's surrounded by hostile neighbors. Israel's only enemies are ones it invents.
It never signed the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). Its policy is CBW ambiguity. It uses banned weapons in all its conflicts.
They include chemical, biological, and radiological ones. Monstrous new weapons are tested. Victims attest to their potency.
Corpses bear witness to hideous wounds, malformations and toxicity. Official policy prohibits discussing anything related to Israel's nuclear, chemical or biological programs. Doing so is considered treason.
Israel's destructive weapons threaten world peace. So do America's. Both countries partner in crime.
Daily events should scare everyone. Warmakers win peace prizes. Peacemakers are vilified. Criminality is rewarded.
Permanent war is official US policy. Israel is a warrior state. Both countries threaten humanity. It may not survive Obama's second term.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama’s Abominable State of the Union
Obama's Abominable State of the Union
by Stephen Lendman
Obama's State of the Union address reflected beginning-to-end empty rhetoric. More on his comments below.
Throughout five years in office, he's been consistent. Duplicity defines his agenda. He says one thing. He does another.
In his first State of the Union address, he promised "to get our economy growing again, save as many jobs as possible, and help Americans who'd become unemployed."
He called jobs creation his "number one focus." He promised tax relief for ordinary Americans. He promised help for "8 million Americans paying for college."
Graduates are more indebted than ever. Outstanding debt tops $1 trillion. It's second only to mortgage debt.
For millions of young Americans, it represents many years of debt bondage. For too many, it reflects lifetime debt.
Obama's been more a jobs destroyer than creator. Phantom numbers conceal today's reality. Official ones are statistical illusions.
Real unemployment exceeds 23%. Longterm unemployment is at record levels.
Over 100 million working-age Americans have no jobs. It's 10 million more than when Obama took office.
In December, 74,000 new jobs were created. Five times that number "left the labor force." They can't find work.
They're nonpersons. They're ignored. They're not counted. They don't exist. America's official unemployment rate is 7.3%. It's one of many Big Lies.
So is job quality. Most high-pay/good benefit/full-time jobs no longer exist. Part-time/low-pay/poor or no-benefit jobs replaced them.
Many pay poverty or sub-poverty wages. Obama waged war on organized labor. Permanent job losses, rotten ones created, gutted work rules, forfeited security and lost futures followed.
Decades of hard-won gains were lost. Industry got major concessions. Workers were entirely left out. They're worse off today than in generations. They're entirely without rights.
Obama's economic program is no banker left behind. Or war profiteer. Or other corporate favorites. Or America's super-rich.
So-called economic recovery is fake. Protracted Main Street Depression conditions persist. Hard times get increasingly harder.
Millions struggle to get by. Obama ignores America's most disadvantaged. Anti-populism defines him.
He's beholden to monied interests. Neoliberal harshness is official policy. Force-fed austerity reflects it. Safety net protections eroded on his watch. They're disappearing when most needed.
Obama wants social America destroyed. He cut many vital programs. He wants Medicare and Social Security privatized en route to eliminating them altogether.
He wants America's wealth shifted to its privileged class. Inequality today is unprecedented.
He wants Americans left on their own sink or swim. He pretends otherwise. His rhetoric belies his policies.
His first State of the Union address promised "slash(ed) tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas." Corporate America got new ones instead.
He asked for "a jobs bill on my desk without delay." His plan involved corporate tax cuts. His 2009 $787 stimulus bill handed them $400 billion.
Doing so didn't create jobs. Through December 2010, more were lost than created. Rotten ones replaced good ones.
Bush and Obama are two sides of the same coin. Their policies benefitted corporations and super-rich elites hugely. They never had it better.
Obama heads a rogue administration. Bipartisan complicity created the greatest wealth disparity in US history.
Half or more of US households are impoverished or bordering it. Good jobs are disappearing in plain sight.
Nearly 50 million Americans need food stamps to eat. In November, $11 billion in SNAP benefits were cut through 2016.
Average households of three lost $29 a month. It's the equivalent of 16 monthly meals. SNAP aid is less than $1.40 per person per meal.
On Monday, bipartisan complicity agreed on $8.7 billion more SNAP cuts. Expect quick congressional passage. Expect Obama enacting greater harshness into law.
Feeding hungry Americans no longer matters. Before Obama leaves office, SNAP benefits may disappear altogether.
He demands gutting vital social programs. His rhetoric claims otherwise. It rings hollow.
His policies throughout five years in office reflects reality. He's no friend of ordinary Americans. He's mindless of those most disadvantaged.
Hard times are getting harder. Needy households are increasing exponentially. At the same time, corporate profits are higher than ever.
Obama's annual State of the Union addresses reflect an exercise in empty rhetoric. He's a fraud. He's a moral coward.
He's a serial liar. Nothing he says can believed. Americans are tired of broken promises.
Over 60% lack confidence in his intention to serve them responsibly. Over 80% distrust political Washington.
Obama's presidency reflects duplicity. It reflects promises made and broken. It reflects public betrayal.
Voter confidence in him is polar opposite from when he took office. He represented hope and change. He delivered business as usual.
His Tuesday night address was a litany of lies and false promises.
He lied calling "the state of our union strong." America is in protracted decline. It's losing its economic and political dominance. It's been this way for decades. It accelerated under Obama.
He lied claiming the "lowest unemployment rate in over five years." It's higher than when he took office.
He lied claiming "the United States is better-positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on earth."
China's growth rate heads toward overtaking America. Perhaps by 2020 or earlier. Other BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa) are some of the world's fastest growing.
China is the world's largest exporter. India is an information technology powerhouse. Brazil is a dominant agricultural exporter.
Russia is oil and gas rich. South Africa holds resources worth an estimated $2.5 trillion. Other developing nations way outpace US growth.
Obama lied about being "committed to making Washington work better, and rebuilding the trust of the people who sent us here."
His agenda throughout five years in office destroyed it altogether. Political Washington is beyond fixing. Tinkering around the edges won't work. Nor rhetorical promises made to be broken.
Obama lied about "the budget compromise…leav(ing) us freer to focus on creating new jobs, not...new crises."
In December, bipartisan complicity struck a budget deal no responsible government would accept. Monied interests are served.
War profiteers benefit enormously. Cuts target vital social programs. They're too important to lose. Deficit reduction is too meager to matter.
Obama acknowledged inequality. He stopped short of accepting responsibility for accelerating America's unprecedented wealth disparity. A race to the bottom continues.
He lied saying "(o)ur job is to reverse these trends." He's gone all out to sustain them. He's destroying middle America.
He lied about "build(ing) new ladders of opportunity into the middle class." He'll act unilaterally if Congress won't, he claimed.
"(T)hat's what I'm going to do," he said. He's done nothing throughout five years. Expect pathetically little ahead. Expect same old, same old.
He lied about wanting to close "wasteful, complicated (tax) loopholes." They benefit monied interests he supports.
He lied about "transition(ing) to tax reform to create jobs rebuilding our roads, upgrading our ports, unclogging our commutes..."
Finance reform masqueraded as change. It was business as usual. Wall Street crooks wrote the legislation. Their interests are well served. Ordinary Americans got scammed.
He lied about his energy policy "creating jobs and leading to a cleaner, safer planet." He's beholden to Big Oil.
He supports dangerous nuclear power. He largely ignores clean energy.
He lied claiming "new partnerships in trade with Europe and the Asia-Pacific will help create more jobs."
The so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a secretive, multi-nation agreement. It's a jobs destroyer. It force-feeds corporate intellectual property rules.
It supranational. It tramples on national sovereignty. It destroys privacy and other personal freedoms. The Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) is its US/European equivalent.
Obama lied about "fix(ing) our broken immigration system." Throughout his tenure, he waged war on undocumented immigrants. His policy is racist.
He deported more migrants than any previous administration. He exceeded the worst of George Bush.
He inflicts harshness indiscriminately. His policies are irresponsible. Militarizing Mexico's border is prioritized. So is increasing Border Patrol staff by thousands.
Obama's pathway to citizenship excludes most immigrants. Qualifying means waiting 13 years or longer. Hurdles imposed are enormous.
Immigration reform reflects business as usual. Comprehensive reform is a convenient illusion. "(L)et's get immigration reform done this year," said Obama.
He lied claiming "ideas (he) outlined can speed up growth and create more jobs." They haven't so far. They won't going forward.
He lied about wanting to restore benefits 1.3 million jobless workers lost the week before Christmas. In 2014, millions more will lose theirs. Rhetorically he opposes it. He proposed nothing to prevent it.
He lied about wanting "every child (to have) access to a world-class education." Throughout his tenure, he waged war on public education.
He wants it privatized. He wants it made another business profit center. He cut Pell Grants. He supports America's student loan racket.
His so-called Race to the Top sacrifices quality education. It mandates marketplace rules. It lets Washington bureaucrats decide what's best for children. It's another black mark on his legacy.
His American dream promise is empty. He lied saying "hard work pays off for every American." They're worse off today than in modern memory.
"In the coming weeks, I will issue an Executive Order requiring federal contractors to pay their federally-funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour - because if you cook our troops' meals or wash their dishes, you shouldn't have to live in poverty," he said.
Note: $10.10 x 40 hours a week x 52 weeks = $21,000. The federal poverty level for a family of four is $23,500.
It's woefully below reality. It's based on a decades old guideline. Households need at least double that amount to avoid poverty.
They don't need minimum wage protection. They need guaranteed living wages. Enough to cover all essential expenses. Enough to live like most working Americans did decades ago.
Obama's plan is deplorable. Whether or not it becomes policy doesn't matter.
What about all public employees. What about state and local ones. What about private sector workers. What about restoring lost benefits.
"Give America a raise," said Obama. His rhetoric rings hollow. Working American wages eroded for decades. Inflation adjusted, they decline annually. Real inflation is multiples higher than fake numbers.
Obama touted his Affordable Care Act. "That's what (healthcare) reform is all about," he claimed.
ACA is a healthcare rationing scheme. It enriches insurers, drug companies and large hospital chains.
It scams millions of Americans. It's polar opposite what's needed. Obama's agenda abhors fairness.
He ignored his multiple war crimes. He lied about exiting Afghanistan. America came to stay. Permanent occupation is planned. So is his war on peace, stability and security.
He lied about terrorist threats. "(T)hat danger remains," he claimed. "We have to remain vigilant."
"We must fight the battles that need to be fought."
Hegemons operate this way. America's only threats are ones it invents.
Permanent war is official policy. Unchallenged global dominance is sought. Obama didn't explain. His rap sheet is blood-drenched.
He's waging war on Syria. He's destroying another country. He's doing it lawlessly.
He lied about "preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." No program exists to do so.
Whether or not he lied about vetoing possible legislation imposing new sanctions remains to be seen. Earlier promised vetoes were hollow.
He lied about Hezbollah "threaten(ing) our allies." Israel is the region's only existential threat.
He lied about "the ideals we stand for and the burdens we bear to advance them."
Imperial lawless reflects official US policy. Obama's police state apparatus targets homeland resisters.
Mass surveillance watches everyone. Whistleblowers and activists are considered existential threats.
America's state of the union is deplorable. Obama's entire address reflected empty rhetoric. It's an annual duplicitous exercise. Expect business as usual to continue.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Media Scoundrels Target Ukraine
Media Scoundrels Target Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
They do it in editorials. It's in commentaries. It's in feature op-eds. More on this below.
Previous articles discussed Ukraine. It's under attack. Western dark forces want regime change.
At stake is its national sovereignty. What's ongoing involves weakening and isolating Russia.
Western-sponsored violence continues. It erupted in November. Police showed remarkable restraint. They still do.
Western officials wrongfully blame President Viktor Yanukovych government for street thug violence. So do US media scoundrels.
On January 29, Russia's Federation Council (its upper parliamentary house) passed a resolution. It condemned Western interference in internal Ukrainian affairs.
It "expressed indignation at a number of Western politicians unceremoniously interfering...and consciously provoking destabilization in the country."
It blamed opposition groups for ongoing violence. It called them part of a "well-organized campaign to discredit and overthrow the legitimate government."
"Pogroms and fire-raising in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, the storming of an administrative building, aggressive actions against law enforcement officers that have led to deaths and a significant number of injured are occurring with the approval of those who have brought people to the streets," it said.
It expressed "confidence that the brotherly Ukrainian people and their leadership will find a way to restore peace in the country."
It's nowhere in sight. On January 28, Ukraine's parliament repealed its days earlier enacted anti-protest law.
Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned. Yanukovych accepted his resignation. He signed a decree. It dismissed his other cabinet officials.
He promised other concessions. He appointed a committee to propose constitutional revisions.
It didn't help. Protests continue. Violence accompanies them. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned "fascistic youths."
He warned against external interference. Russia "stands for a political settlement within the framework of Ukrainian law," he said.
Street thug "roughnecks" prevent it. They control areas around Kiev's Independence Square.
Barricades protect them. They occupy government building. They do so in all western regions of Ukraine except one.
On January 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a press conference. He did so following a Brussels-based EU-Russia summit.
"Russia will never interfere in" internal Ukrainian affairs, he stressed.
"I can only imagine how our European partners would have reacted if amid a crisis, say, in Greece or in Cyprus, our foreign minister had appeared at an anti-European rally and started making calls."
"We believe this is not very good in general, and, taking into consideration certain specifics of relations between Russia and Ukraine, this is simply unacceptable and impossible for us."
Russia will fully honor its bilateral Ukrainian agreements, Putin added. He mentioned what hasn't been explained elsewhere.
He cited an unnamed religious leader. He's a radical extremist. He called on Ukrainians to rally in Kiev. He preached insurrection.
He urged Yanukovych's ouster. He wants his legitimate government replaced. He used racial epithets. He said Russians, Jews and Blacks should be excluded from ruling Ukraine.
His agenda has no place in civil society, said Putin. It shows what peaceful Ukrainians are up against.
Washington's dirty hands are manipulating things. EU officials share blame. Hardball viciousness reflects ongoing policy. It's longstanding Western practice.
It's ruthlessly exploitive. It operates globally. It harms ordinary people horrifically. Ukrainians supporting Yanukovych's government have cause for concern.
US media scoundrels aren't neutral. They blame Yanukovych for street thug violence. New York Times editors pointed fingers the wrong way.
They urged Washington to "make abundantly clear to Mr. Yanukovich and his lieutenants that they will pay a price if they try to use the talks simply to gain time, or if they order a bloody crackdown."
Revoking visas for Ukrainian officials "was a good start," they said. They urged additional measures.
They wrongfully accused Yanukovych of "undermin(ing) his legitimacy." He did so, they said, by rejecting an EU deal.
They claimed it "could have opened the way to a brighter economic future."
The lied saying so. Western deals are one-way. They're all take and no give. They're exploitive. They ignore popular interests.
Ukraine dodged a bullet by rejecting what no responsible government would accept.
Not according to Times editors. On January 28, they gave four former US Ukrainian ambassadors feature op-ed space. They gave none to Yanukovych supporters.
John Herbst heads Washington's National Defense University's Center for Complex Operations.
William Green Miller is a Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars senior policy scholar.
Steven Pifer heads the Brookings Institution Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative.
William Taylor, Jr. is United States Institute of Peace Middle East and Africa vice president.
All four groups are Western establishment organizations. Their views are slanted. They're one-sided. They lack credibility.
So do former US ambassadors. Rare exceptions prove the rule. They're paid to lie. They support policies demanding rejection.
They headlined "What the West Must Do for Ukraine."
What's responsible was excluded from their commentary. Imperial priorities were featured. International law was ignored.
Things are "on the verge of spinning out of control," they said. They pointed fingers the wrong way.
They blamed "authoritarian (Yanukovych) policies." They lied saying so. They haven't abandoned their old ways.
"If the United States and European Union wish to encourage a peaceful resolution, they must use their leverage now," they said.
Peaceful Ukrainians deplore outside interference. They want dirty hands kept off their country.
Former ambassadors wrongfully accused Yanukovych of "employ(ing) force."
He's been remarkably restrained. Western governments attack peaceful protesters violently.
They do it consistently. They use brute force. Media scoundrels ignore what demands condemnation.
Yaukovych concessions are "too little, too late," said the ambassadors. He's gone way out of his way to be conciliatory.
Opposition thugs respond with more violence. They occupy government buildings.
If something similar happened in America or EU countries, police and other security forces would intervene forcefully. They'd do it violently. In some cases perhaps with guns blazing.
Injuries would follow. Maybe deaths. Mass arrests for sure. Media scoundrels would applaud supportively. So would former ambassadors.
They want "coordinate(d) Western action." Doing so ignores fundamental international law.
Nations are prohibited from interfering in the internal affairs of others. Self-defense is the only exception. Not according to former Ukrainian ambassadors.
"United States and European Union officials should make clear to Mr. Yanukovych that he must refrain from the use of force and must negotiate seriously to find a resolution to the crisis."
"That means going beyond his latest proposals. He must offer shared control over state security organs with the opposition."
Imagine if former Russian officials demanded Washington share power with anti-government opposition independent parties.
Imagine public rage. Imagine condemnation. Imagine the harsh response. Imagine media scoundrel editorials and commentaries denouncing unacceptable meddling.
Do what we say, not do, is official US policy. Former ambassadors don't forget.
"American and European officials should directly engage Mr. Yanukovych’s inner circle and underscore that they need to act now to promote a settlement or face Western visa and financial sanctions," they said.
"American and European officials...should leave Mr. Yanukovych a way out. He could still order the police to move against demonstrators." It would "hasten his departure from office."
Responsible governments confront lawless insurrections. They're not tolerated. They shouldn't be.
The alternative is anarchy. The worst of Ukrainian opposition elements aren't "demonstrators."
They're Western manipulated provocateurs. They're street thugs. They're ultranationalists. They're fascists. They're lawless.
Former ambassadors ignored what demands highlighting. They urged greater Western involvement. "Brussels needs to maintain a high-level team in Kiev for the duration of the crisis," they said.
Imagine if Russian officials said Moscow must do something similar in Washington to assure pro-Kremlin policy.
Former ambassadors want US and EU officials "visibly monitor(ing)" Kiev streets.
Who gives them the right to dictate Ukraine policy? Former ambassadors want them sending Moscow a "coordinated message."
They want Putin "caution(ed)." He "should understand that rough stuff with Ukraine would cast a shadow over" February's Sochi Winter Olympics.
They endorse hardball Western meddling. They call it the right thing to do. It bears full responsibility for inciting violence.
At stake is Ukrainian sovereign independence. Former ambassadors want pro-Western governance replacing it.
They want ordinary Ukrainians denied say over their own futures. They want them ruthlessly exploited.
They want Ukraine's resources stolen. They want another Western colony. They want what the vast majority of Ukrainians reject.
Why Times editors gave them feature op-ed space, they'll have to explain.
It wasn't the first time. It won't be the last. It's longstanding Times policy. So is supporting wrong over right.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
International Data Privacy Day
International Data Privacy Dayby Stephen LendmanIt's commemorated annually on January 28. More on its significance below.This year's DPA comes when revelations show unconstitutional NSA spying. Privacy no longer exists. Other fundamental freedoms ...
Deadlocked Syrian Peace Talks
Deadlocked Syrian Peace Talksby Stephen LendmanSo-called Syrian National Coalition (SNC) officials are US stooges. They have no legitimacy whatever. They're self-serving. They represent Western interests. They're mindless of fundamental Syrian rig...
Mass Surveillance Called Illegal
Mass Surveillance Called Illegalby Stephen LendmanIn 2004, Congress established the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB). It did so to advise executive branch officials on these issues.It was virtually moribund. It accomplished nothing u...
Unprecedented Inequality Under Obama
Unprecedented Inequality under Obama
by Stephen Lendman
It's unprecedented in modern memory. Obama declared war on social America. He's gone all out to destroy it altogether. More on this below.
On Tuesday, he'll deliver his annual State of the Union address. Expect empty promises. Expect duplicitous rhetoric.
Expect beginning-to-end demagogic boilerplate. Expect a litany of lies. Expect pledges without follow-through.
Expect business as usual to continue. Expect deepening poverty, unemployment, underemployment, homelessness, human suffering and deprivation.
Expect continued force-fed austerity. Expect popular needs more than ever going begging. Expect social inequality increasing. Expect a widening wealth gap.
Obama aids lied. They said he's got a "year of action" in mind. He'll address inequality, they claim.
The same way he benefitted Wall Street, war profiteers, other corporate favorites and super-rich elites throughout five years in office.
The same way he plans more of the same ahead. The same way he treats ordinary people callously. The same way he's mindless of human suffering.
The same way he force-feeds austerity. The same way he wants Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid handed to Wall Street crooks for exploitation and profit.
The same way he's waging war on humanity. The same way he broke every major promise made.
Clinton administration speechwriter Jeff Shesol said:
"This presidency is not going to be defined from here forward by big legislative initiatives." He's a lame duck. Republicans control the House. Perhaps the Senate after November 2014 elections.
Obama has three years left in office, said Shesol. "I think people will want to get the sense that he knows how to operate in this environment and that there is a strategy."
It''s same old, same old. It's benefitting corporate giants and super-rich elites. It's doing it at the expense of all others. It's saying one thing. It's doing other.
It's continuing what he began on day one in office. Never perhaps in US history has a president more betrayed his faithful.
Never have so few benefitted at the expense of so many. Presidential advisor Dan Pfeiffer lied saying his State of the Union address will offer "opportunity, action and optimism."
He'll promise "a set of real, concrete, practical proposals." He'll pledge policies for strengthening economic growth and jobs, Pfeiffer claims.
He's done it throughout his tenure. His economic stimulus plan is corporate tax cuts. More of them. They're planned. They're coming.
It's benefitting super-rich elites at the expense of all others. Obama's legacy is written in stone. It's unequivocal. It's not kind.
He'll be remembered as a president who said one thing, did another, and claimed otherwise. Inequality became unprecedented on his watch.
He let it fester. He let it grow. He did nothing to address it. His policies made things worse. He plans more of the same going forward.
On Tuesday night he'll lie claiming otherwise. He's a serial liar. Nothing he say has credibility. Nothing can believed. He's a con man writ large.
Monied interests own him. He serves at their pleasure. He enriched them more than ever. He's got lots of explaining to do. Expect no credible answers.
ObamaSpeak will substitute. His presidency is an unmitigated disaster. Rhetoric can't erase enormous harm done.
His anti-inequality campaign rings hollow. It's duplicitous. It's fake. Straightaway in office, he prioritized cutting vitally needed healthcare benefits.
He targeted Medicare. He called doing it restoring fiscal discipline. He lied claiming it's going broke. He said the same thing about Social Security.
When properly administered, both programs are sustainable longterm. Modest adjustments only are needed.
Universal healthcare (Medicare for all) would assure sustainability in perpetuity. Social Security was designed to be self-sustaining.
Its revenues are misused. They subsidize corporate handouts. They benefit Wall Street crooks. They finance warmaking. They enrich wealthy elites more than already.
Obama's war on social America plans eliminating vital benefits altogether. Doing so assures greater inequality.
He lies claiming otherwise. He's in lockstep with Republicans and most Democrats. He mandates austerity when stimulus is needed.
His agenda is anti-progressive. He's a reliable corporate tool. He serves powerful monied interests. He ignores popular ones. He harms America's most disadvantaged.
He's done so throughout his tenure. He's thirdworldizing America. Poverty, unemployment, inequality and deprivation are growth industries.
Growing millions struggle to get by. Help when it's most needed is denied. Social inequality is deplorable. It defines today's America.
It's institutionalized. It's unprecedented. It's worsening. America’s 1% has more wealth than the bottom 95%.
Income inequality is greater than in all other developed countries. Over three-fourths of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck.
Neoliberal harshness is policy. Bipartisan complicity force-feeds it. It's institutionalized when vital aid is needed. Doing so wages financial war on millions.
Obama exceeds the worst of George Bush. He's harming people most in need. According to Economics Professor J. Bradford Delong:
"(T)here is nothing on the horizon that would return the US economy (even near) its growth path before the 2008 financial crisis erupted."
Underperformance is the new normal. Ordinary people suffer most.
"(I)f we combine the costs of idle workers and capital during the downturn and the harm done to the US economy's future growth path, the losses reach 3.5 - 10 years of total output."
"That is a higher share of America's productive capabilities than the Great Depression subtracted - and the US economy is 16 times larger than (in) 1928 (5.5 times larger in per capital terms)."
Nothing in prospect suggests change. Future historians won't treat Obama kindly. They won't "regard the Great Depression as the worst business-cycle disaster of the industrial age," said Delong.
"It is we who are living in" the worst of times. And given America's direction, expect hard times ahead getting harder. Expect catastrophic disaster for growing millions.
Expect America looking like Guatemala. Expect police state harshness targeting resisters.
Obama's phony campaign to change things is duplicitous. Expect more promises Tuesday night. Expect business as usual to follow.
America's race to the bottom continues. Expect nothing substantive done to change things.
In December, Obama called income inequality the "defining challenge of our time."
"(T)he combined trends of increased inequality and decreasing mobility pose a fundamental threat to the American dream, our way of life, and what we stand for around the globe."
He'll lie Tuesday night pledging change. In December, he said "over the course of the next year and for the rest of my presidency, (he'll) focus all our efforts" on fighting inequality.
Hypocrisy substitutes for policy. He spent five years waging war on fairness. Expect nothing different going forward.
Expect business as usual to continue. Anti-populism remains official administration policy. It has bipartisan support.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Fake Syrian Peace Talks Continue
Fake Syrian Peace Talks Continue
by Stephen Lendman
Talks were stillborn when announced. Syria is Obama's war. He launched it. He continues it. He wants regime change.
He wants Washington in charge of Syria's future. He wants Syrians having no say. He wants pro-Western stooge governance replacing Assad.
He wants what Syrians won't tolerate. The so-called Syrian National Coalition (SNC) is a US construct.
Its leaders and representatives are beholden to Washington. They have no legitimacy whatever. Most aren't Syrians. They live abroad.
They have no connection to Syria. They don't give a damn how much they suffer. Most Syrians want nothing to do with them.
Their representatives are in Geneva. They're holding talks with Syrian officials. They're playing a dirty game. They represent Washington, not Syrians.
At first they refused talks unless Assad agreed to step down. They relented. They'd talk, they said, but not directly.
Again they about-faced. They met in the same room. They'd only speak through Lakhdar Brahimi. He's UN/Arab League Special Envoy to Syria.
He's no honest broker. He's Obama's front man. He acting as intermediary for both sides. They're addressing each other through him.
Sunday was day two of talks. Exchanging prisoners alone was discussed. SNC official Monzer Akbik said "we have presented our list."
On Saturday, both sides discussed sending humanitarian aid to Homs. It's an embattled city. US-supported death squads terrorize remaining residents.
Their presence makes delivering aid extremely dangerous. Assad political/media advisor Bouthina Shaaban said:
"In 2013, the Syrian government had a plan to deliver aid to all affected areas. But terrorists used snipers who killed people and blocked roads..."
They didn't "even (let) the Red Cross mission drive to the affected areas."
Geneva talks won't change things, she added. Syria has a plan to deliver aid, she explained. It's being implemented. What happens going forward remains to be seen.
After Saturday talks ended, Brahimi said "(w)e haven't achieved much but we are continuing."
At the same time, he expects Homs humanitarian aid to arrive on Monday. He announced efforts to evacuate women and children.
SNC spokesman Louay Safi said: "We are focusing on opening humanitarian corridors to allow food and medicine to arrive to people."
"There are areas in Syria that haven't seen any food and medicine in the last eight months."
"Negotiations will start on Monday, and (they're) about forming a transitional governing body."
False! An unnamed Syrian source said "there is no such topic on the agenda."
Syrian government officials want ending terrorism addressed. Peace is impossible without defeating it.
Talks won't do it. Nor have nearly three years of conflict. Restoring peace requires Obama calling off his dogs. He has no intention of doing so.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed the issue. On the one hand, he said no talks with terrorists will be held.
"We refuse to have talks and do not recommend other parties (do so) over principled considerations," he said.
Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra, the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), and other terrorist elements are excluded from talks. They "rampag(ing) and commit(ting) terrorist acts," said Lavrov.
They're not peace partners. "They go where more money is paid."
"It is important that the political process be accompanied with a union of sound forces, which think about their homeland, but not about creation of a Halifat in the Middle East or North Africa in order to unite them in different ways and help them combat terrorism."
"Extremists and terrorists call the tune increasingly in different Syrian regions."
Russia agrees with Syria. "The (main) goal is to combat terrorism."
It's "attain(ing) political accord between the Syrian government and reasonable, secular and patriotic opposition (officials) as quickly as possible and along with the political settlement help them unite to fight against these terrorists."
It's hard imagining they will. They take orders from Washington.
America enlists, funds, arms, trains and directs the most extreme anti-Assad elements. Halting their rampaging requires changing US policy.
Expect business as usual to continue. Expect Geneva talks to fail. Whether anything substantive happens remains to be seen.
As long as SNC representatives want talks focused on transitional governance (aka regime change), key issues won't be resolved.
RIA Novosti called talks so far "tense in the extreme." Both sides address each other through Brahimi.
"…Syrian journalists with differing political affiliations attack each other verbally and physically behind the scenes."
Lavrov is right. Ending terrorism matters most. Both sides must agree. Little else matters otherwise. Conflict will continue. It can do so indefinitely.
On Sunday, Assad's political/media advisor Bouthina Shaaban addressed reporters. Syria prioritizes ending terrorism, she said.
It's ridding the country of imported death squads. It's ending Syrian suffering. It's restoring security and stability. It's letting Syrians alone decide their future.
"We didn't notice seriousness from the coalition delegation called 'opposition,' " she said. It's self-serving. It's unconcerned about Syrian suffering. Or what benefits Syrians.
"In spite of that, we are positive, and we will continue (to) discuss all the points on the table," she said.
At the same time she stressed:
"Those who are present in Geneva from the Coalition delegation are not opposition. They are a very small team, and there is a greater national opposition inside Syria."
That's the main problem. Elements most involved in conflict want war. They deplore peace.
SNC officials have no connection to Syria. They "either have not been to Syria in thirty years, or they do not care about the suffering of the Syrian people," said Shaaban.
"(T)hey do not have any person in Syria, or, in the best circumstances and intentions, they have no vision, and we have noticed that they do not know anything about the reality, nor do they know anything about what should be done."
They want power transferred to themselves. It won't be discussed. Syrians alone will decide their future. Geneva talks won't do so, Shaaban stressed.
Only one delegation in Geneva represents Syria, she added. Only one wants Syrian needs addressed.
Only one wants their suffering ended. Only one wants genuine peace, stability and security restored. Only one is legitimate.
She estimates "over 2,000 armed groups fighting in Syria." It's a "difficult problem," she said. It's key.
Most important is US support. Conflict won't end as long as it continues. It shows no signs of ending.
On Saturday, Syria's Information Minister Omran Al-Zoubi addressed it, saying:
"The US is involved through its intelligence agencies in a lot of what happened in Syria supported by Turkey, (Saudi Arabia) and Qatar."
"Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Erdogan must be asked whether they have quenched their thirst for Syrian blood."
If anyone thinks Assad will step down, "they are living in a fantasy world," he added.
Throughout nearly three years of conflict, anti-Syrian media bias persisted. Misreporting continues. Lies substitute for real news, information and opinion.
New York Times editors turned truth on its head saying "deaths of thousands of civilians have not persuaded Russia and Iran to break with Mr. Assad or at least pressure him to end the slaughter and cruelty against civilians."
He's wrongfully blamed for US-supported death squad crimes. Times editors share blame with other media scoundrels.
It doesn't surprise. When America goes to war or plans one, they march in lockstep. They support its worst crimes.
They call mass slaughter and destruction liberation. They glorify war in the name of peace.
They consider plunder economic development. They call US-installed puppet regimes democracy. They mock legitimate journalism. They disgrace themselves in the process.
They wrongfully call Syria's conflict civil war. There's nothing civil about foreign invaders. Don't expect them to explain.
Times editors lied saying government forces "deprived civilians of food and other essential needs."
They lied throughout years of conflict. They do it in all US wars. So do other mainstream editors, reporters and commentators. They're paid to lie. Truth-telling is verboten.
On January 22, Washington Post editors headlined "On Syria, Obama administration is leading to failure."
WaPo editors are militantly anti-Assad. They wrongfully accused him of death squad atrocities throughout years of conflict.
They did again saying he dropped " ' barrel bombs' on schools." He fired "Scud missiles (on) apartment buildings."
He "blockaded neighborhoods where children die of starvation." They quoted John Kerry's lie about "systematic torture and execution of thousands of prisoners."
He called it "an appalling assault, not only on human lives but on human dignity and on every standard by which the international community tries to organize it."
No nation commits more human rights abuses than America. Kerry's quote pertained to a spurious UN report.
A previous article discussed it. Releasing it was strategically timed. It was two days before Syrian peace talks began.
It has no legitimacy whatever. London solicitors acted on behalf of Qatar. It's a police state. Its government supports anti-Assad death squads.
It wants him ousted. It wants stooge governance replacing him. So do WaPo editors.
It doesn't surprise. New owner Jeff Bezos has CIA ties. He's in bed with the devil.
He got a $600 million Agency contract. It's double what he paid to buy WaPo. Amazon has a disturbing history. It's long curried favor with national security officials.
WaPo long ago fell from grace. It's worse than ever now. It went from Nixon's nemesis to Bush supporter. It marches in lockstep with America's imperial agenda. It lies for power.
So do Wall Street Journal editors. On January 22, they headlined "The Syria Peace Follies."
They discussed inviting, then disinviting Iran to participate. What's the difference, they suggested.
"The Syrian opposition knows Iran is Assad's chief supplier of weapons, funding and reinforcements," they said.
Their source is John Kerry. He's a serial liar. He's been caught red-handed numerous times. He has no credibility whatever.
He claimed "Iran is currently a major actor with respect to adverse consequences in Syria."
"No other nation has its people on the ground fighting in the way that they are."
Journal editors accept his lies as gospel. Washington bears full responsibility for Syria's conflict.
Kerry has blood on his hands. Don't expect Journal editors to explain. Misinformation substitutes for truth.
Journal editors lied claiming claiming a "secret and illicit (Iranian) nuclear weapons program."
They support war, not peace. They endorse regime change. They're in lockstep with imperial lawlessness.
What's ahead for Syria remains to be seen. Conflict without end continues. A humanitarian crisis festers.
It bears repeating. Syria is Obama's war. He bears full responsibility for high crimes too grave to ignore.
He remains unaccountable. He risks embroiling the entire region in conflict. He risks possible WW III.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Remembering Shulamit Aloni
Remembering Shulamit Aloni
by Stephen Lendman
On January 24, longtime Israeli MK, minister, human/civil/women's rights champion, and outspoken critic of Israeli apartheid passed. She was 86.
Her roots were Polish. Her parents were rabbinical family descendants. She was born in Tel Aviv.
She was a prominent peace advocate. She opposed occupation harshness. She championed Palestinian rights.
As a youth, she was a socialist Zionist Hashomer Hatzair (Youth Group) member. During the British Mandate period, she was a Palmach brigade member.
Its mandate was much more than military. It contributed significantly to Israeli culture, values, character and spirit.
After Israel was established, she worked with child refugees. She helped establish a school for immigrant children. She studied law. She taught. She wrote. She spoke out forthrightly.
She held various government posts. She was a longtime MK and Israeli minister. Her portfolios included Education and Culture, Communications and Science and the Arts.
In 1973, she founded the Movement for Civil Rights and Peace (Ratz party). She established the Israel Consumers Council.
She led the Meretz party. She advocated Israeli secularism. She believed religion has no place in politics.
During Israel's 1982 Lebanon war, she established the International Center for Peace in the Middle East.
Ahead of 1984 elections, she aligned with Peace Now and the Left Camp of Israel. She advocated electoral reform.
She argued for establishing a constitution. Israel has none. Basic laws substitute. They fall way short of what's needed.
She opposed student tours to Nazi concentration camps. She said conducting them helps make Israel a warrior nation. It turns youths into aggressive, nationalistic xenophobes.
She was a Yesh Din board member. It defends Palestinian civil and human rights. It exposes Israeli abuses. It champions long denied accountability.
She believed anti-semitism is misused. It's done to suppress legitimate Israeli criticism. She was outspoken to the end.
She made fundamental rights her core issue. She was true to her values. She challenged Israel's establishment.
She stood up against government officials, generals and extremist rabbis against peace, equity and justice. She was fearless. She was unflinching.
In 1985, she received the Kreisky Prize for Human Rights. In 1996, the International Academy of Humanism awarded her a Decoration of Honor.
In 1998, she received a special lifetime Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Award. In 2000, she was awarded the Israel Prize.
It's Israel's highest honor. Aloni won it for her lifetime achievements. It was for her contribution to Israeli society.
She received honorary doctorates from Hebrew Union College, South Korea's Kon-Kon University, Brussels' Free University, and the Weizmann Institute of Science.
She taught courses at Ben-Gurion University, Tel Aviv University, Princeton University, and the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliyyah.
She was often a voice in the wilderness. Israel is more ruthless today than ever.
In January 2007, she headlined "Yes, There is Apartheid in Israel," saying:
"Jewish self-righteousness is taken for granted among ourselves to such an extent that we fail to see what’s right in front of our eyes."
"It's simply inconceivable that the ultimate victims, the Jews, can carry out evil deeds."
"Nevertheless, the state of Israel practices its own, quite violent, form of Apartheid with the native Palestinian population."
It "practices a brutal form of Apartheid in the territory it occupies."
"Its army has turned every Palestinian village and town into a fenced-in, or blocked-in, detention camp."
It turned Occupied Palestine into an open-air prison. "Indeed Apartheid does exist here. And our army is not 'the most moral (one) in the world' as we are told..."
Apartheid is "an international crime," she said. Israel "rob(s) (Palestinians) of their freedom, land and water."
"We apply collective punishment to millions of people" and much more.
After Operation Cast Lead (December 2008 - January 2009), she said the disgraced IDF is no longer Israel's Defense Forces.
She keynoted "A Gathering to Protest and to Mourn" Association for Jaffa Arabs program. Standing room only heard her.
She pulled no punches calling the IDF a "brutal and hedonistic army of conquest."
She called Gaza "a giant detention camp...with no way in or out."
"The (Israeli) public unashamedly celebrates the killing and the destruction. They rejoice that we have a large, strong army, but meanwhile Israel has abandoned its values..."
On her 81st birthday, she discussed the condition of the State of Israel. "What we do in (Gaza) and the West Bank is worse than all pogroms done to Jews," she said.
"It's hard for me to say a kind word about the state today. We are in great distress morally and socially, as well as in the realms of politics and law."
"The Right has two left hands. The Left doesn't exist...Since 2000, with the launching of the Second Intifada, we have murdered thousands. We have blood on our hands."
She denounced extremist settler violence and vandalism. "We are a nefarious people," she said.
At age 80, she published "Israel: Democracy or Ethnocracy?" She minced no words criticizing her homeland, saying:
"The state is returning to the ghetto, to Orthodox Judaism, and the rule of the fundamentalist rabbinate is becoming more profound."
In 1994, after Baruch Goldstein massacred 29 Muslims at the Tomb of the Patriarchs, she forthrightly denounced settler violence.
She was a pioneer peace, equity and justice champion. On Friday, allies and opponents praised her. They called her "a moral compass," "a special breed," "an inspiration for all women."
Eighty-eight-year-old former right wing Israeli MK Guelah Cohen said:
"It was impossible not to admire such a combative woman who fought for what she believed in and was prepared to pay the price."
Former Ratz/Meretz MK/minister Yossi Sarid called her "a phenomenon." She feared "absolutely nothing."
"She wanted to change the national and social agenda, and she did so on her own by virtue of her own capabilities, and attained great and unparalleled achievements."
Current Meretz leader Zahava Gal-On called her "trailblazing." She inspires Israeli human rights activists.
"She transformed Israel into a better place to live and never stopped fighting for the values she believed in with which she will forever be associated: peace, absolute equality irrespective of religion, gender and race."
Labor party leader Issac Herzog said she set an example for others. She "instigated significant change in Israeli public discourse."
She "broke down walls that protected antiquated ways of thinking. (A)s a nation, we must respect her. She will be remembered as a courageous fighter for peace, coexistence and minority rights."
Haaretz editors said "Farewell to one of Israel's true fighters on the left." With her death, "one can only hope (Meretz leader) Zahava Gal-On remains true to her opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu's government."
She uncompromisingly supported right over wrong. "(S)he was an undaunted fighter for human and civil rights as well as equality for women, while opposing religious coercion, the occupation and the settlements."
She warned about Israel on a "slippery slope of religious fascism, war crimes, and the silencing of freedom of expression."
Her ideals are more important today than ever. Netanyahu and Knesset extremists "turn(ed) Israel into an isolated fortress, repressing its citizens and threatened by international boycotts."
Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy called her Israel's "first lady." She became a legend in her own time. "(N)o one disputed her honesty, determination or courage."
"She invented Israeli enlightenment." She inspired others to follow her example. She was "a warrior for justice."
"Most of her dreams did not come true. Israel became a worse place - racist, ultranationalistic, occupying, theocratic and bullying."
It's polar opposite what she stood for. "Was she ahead of her time," asked Levy? "Absolutely not. She came at exactly the right time." She's gone too soon. It's when she's most needed.
She was humble. She was one of the least egoistical politicians of her time. She cared only about issues mattering most.
Peace Now mourned her passing. "The pillar of fire has been extinguished," it said.
She was "synonymous with the struggle for peace, security, equality and social justice." She wrote books on civil, women's and children's rights.
She was "a teacher and leading legal and ethical expert on these issues. She was a leading feminist and a courageous liberal voice of progressive values."
She died peacefully at her Tel Aviv District Kfar Shmaryahu home. Family members were with her.
Cause of death wasn't disclosed. One of her sons attributed it to old age. On Sunday she was laid to rest. An era passed with her.
Her friends called her Shula. She's survived by three sons, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Her books include The Citizen and His Country; Children's Rights in Israel; and Women as Human Beings among others.
She remained a human rights champion to the end. She's sorely missed. She leaves a huge void to fill. Hopefully others are up to the task.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Palestinians Against Fake Peace Talks
Palestinians Against Fake Peace Talks
by Stephen Lendman
Palestinians want genuine peace. They want their fundamental rights respected. They want long denied liberation. Activists reject ongoing talks. More on this below.
Israel wants unchallenged control. It wants unconditional surrender.
It wants militarized occupation harshness continued. It wants Palestinians denied all rights.
Washington provides full support. Kerry is no honest peace broker. Nor Netanyahu. Nor longtime Israeli collaborators.
They represent Palestine illegitimately. They have no credibility whatever. They sold out before. They did so for special benefits they derived. Another surrender is likely.
The charade continues. Peace in our time remains elusive. It's a convenient illusion. Palestinians have no legitimate partner. They never did. For sure not now.
On January 26, Haaretz headlined "Kerry to present Israeli-Palestinian framework deal 'within weeks.' "
He and Netanyahu met in Davos. They attended the 2014 World Economic Forum. They addressed participants.
Previous articles discussed their deplorable comments. One lie followed another throughout them.
Privately they discussed Kerry's framework agreement. It's duplicitous. It's entirely one-sided. It's a work in progress.
No legitimate Palestinian leader would accept it. Abbas is a longtime traitor. It remains to be seen what he'll do. Odds favor Oslo 2.0.
Nothing will be resolved. Occupation harshness will continue. So will settlement expansions.
Netanyahu was clear and unequivocal saying: "I do not intend to evacuate any settlements or uproot a single Israeli."
A previous article discussed Israel's likely Jordan Valley annexation. It comprises 30% of the West Bank. It's 90% Judaized.
In 1967, Jordan Valley Palestinian residents numbered around 320,000. Less than 60,000 remain.
Israel controls over 60% of the West Bank. It demands Jerusalem as its exclusive capital. Netanyahu and like-minded hardliners want all valued Judea and Samaria areas annexed.
Kerry endorses worthless land swaps in return. He wants them legitimizing the illegitimate. His plan assures leaving Palestinians worse off than ever.
He'll call it success. So will Netanyahu. Expect Abbas to accept what demands rejection. How Palestinians react remains to be seen.
On Friday, deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf lied saying Kerry's plan isn't a US one. "The framework that we are in discussions with is based on our discussions with both sides and the parties leading up to this point."
It's provisions "will guide the discussion on all of the issues going forward."
It's a US/Israeli one. Palestinians negotiators are being pressured to accept it.
Netanyahu lied saying Kerry only offered ideas so far. What Israel wants it's getting. Major issues are agreed on.
Fine tuning continues. Expect months more of the same. Maybe longer. Rights mattering most to Palestinians are denied.
The include ending occupation, genuine peace, Palestinian independence, control of their borders, offshore waters and air space, the right of return, illegal settlements, resource rights, and East Jerusalem as their exclusive capital.
Kerry's plan is more frame-up than framework. He said Palestinians will have an independent state.
False! They'll have isolated bantustans on worthless scrub land.
Israel will be left more secure, he said. It's a ruse to continue occupation harshness. It legitimizes annexation of over 60% of the West Bank.
Continued land theft takes more. When Israel's Apartheid Wall is completed, additional territory will be declared part of Israel.
Its only security problem is one it creates. No legitimate one exists. Nor regional threats.
An eventual full, phased, final Israeli army withdrawal is coming, said Kerry. False! Palestine will stay occupied. Israel will control its borders, coastal waters, air space and resources.
Kerry addressed diaspora Palestinians. He promised a just agreed on solution. False again! Since 1948, their legitimate right of return was denied. It remains so.
Nothing in Kerry's plan suggests equitable conflict resolution. He claims its terms end it and all claims. It mutually recognizes Palestine for Palestinians and Israel for Jews, he said.
It bears repeating. It's entirely one-sided. It gives Israel everything it wants. It denies fundamental Palestinian rights.
It leaves them worse off than ever. It makes ending conflict impossible. It assures continued Palestinian suffering.
Its negotiators are coming to Washington. They'll arrive this week. They'll meet with Kerry. Rhetorically they reject his terms. They fundamentally accepted them much earlier.
According to Haaretz:
"Both sides have come out with aggressive statements to make the other side derails the talks and bears responsibility for their failure."
Public comments belie what's agreed on privately. Fine-tuning continues. Abbas wants Palestinians fooled. Oslo 2.0 is disastrous. It's unconditional surrender. Expect him to call it success.
On January 26, Palestinians demonstrated across the West Bank. They held marches. They challenged ongoing peace talks. They denounced them as fake.
They called them farcical. They make conflict resolution impossible. Hundreds rallied in Hebron and Nablus. Talks intend to "liquidate the question of Palestine and prolong the Israeli occupation," they said.
Palestinian People's Party central committee member Fahmi Shahin called on PA officials to "immediately stop peace negotiations and reject US sponsorship to these talks."
America's proposal "to accept the Israeli occupation as a fact must be rejected," he stressed.
He urged PA officials to oppose recognizing Israel as a Jewish state. He demands they support Palestinians rights.
He wants Israel's occupation ended. Diaspora Palestinians right of return must be respected. Conflict resolution depends on granting Palestinians all rights sovereign independent states enjoy.
In Nablus, hundreds rallied at the Martyrs roundabout. Kerry's plan prevents conflict resolution. It makes current conditions worse.
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine political bureau member Ramzi Rabah said Kerry's drawn out talks give Israel more time to steal land, dispossess Palestinians and expand settlements.
He wants a new status quo worse then the current one. He's destroying any possibility of Palestinian liberation with East Jerusalem its exclusive capital.
He demanded PA officials categorically reject his ideas. He called for ending sham talks. He called them "a vicious circle of futile negotiations."
Israel alone benefits. Palestinian rights are being compromised. The longer talks are drawn out, the closer they are to being beyond fixing.
Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi called ongoing talks a slippery slope to "zero results."
He believes armed resistance is the only possible way to change things. "We must go back to initiating and become part of a circle of action," he said.
"If we become part of this circle, many things will change. I'm talking about all kinds of resistance, but within a unified Palestinian framework that is agreed to by all sides of Fatah and factions outside it."
"As part of our plan, we will choose the correct form of resistance and act accordingly."
"The big explosion in Palestine is coming," he believes. "All of Israel's actions have placed the Palestinian public under immense pressure. They have no choice but to explode in the face of the occupation."
"We know what the Israelis and Americans are suggesting" in private talks. "So far, the negotiations are taking place only with the Americans, not the Israelis, and the Americans are liars."
"There is no framework agreement. It’s a lie. Even if Kerry (presents) an agreement, Palestinians will reject it."
"There will be a vote, either inside Fatah or among the Palestinian leadership, and the American proposals will be rejected."
"Anyone who thinks there will be a (lsraeli/US recognized legitimate) state is sorely mistaken."
Under current conditions, he added, Palestinian liberation is impossible. Don't expect it in the next two decades.
US, other Western, and complicit Arab states pressured Palestinians to negotiate against their will, he added.
PLO secretary general Yasser Abed Rabbo said much the same thing. He called current talks futile. They fall short of even agreeing on a framework deal.
Palestinians can't accept his ideas. They're vague. They're entirely one-sided.
"Israel revealed its cards during the talks, and all the illusions that existed in the beginning have since drowned at sea," he added.
Talks began last July. Zero progress was made, he said. Everything Palestinians most want they're denied. Israeli demands alone are met.
It's pointless to continue what can't work, he said. It's futile without ending occupation harshness. It's impossible while Israel employs brutal force.
On January 25, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian. They injured five others. They used live fire in response to stone throwing.
In the week ending January 22, Israeli warplanes attacked Gaza eight times. Two deaths were reported. So were at least four injuries.
Israeli forces commit repeated high crimes against humanity. They murder Palestinians in cold blood. They kill young children.
From January 16 - 22, they conducted 73 incursions into Palestinian communities. Doing so reflects state terror.
At least 44 Palestinian civilians were arrested. They included 10 children and three women. They committed no crimes.
Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen. No casualties were reported. Several arrests were made.
Israeli violates international humanitarian law with impunity. It does so repeatedly. It does it multiple times daily.
So-called peace talks ignore these abuses. They're crimes against humanity. Palestinian negotiators should prioritize ending them.
They're not discussed. Nor settler violence. Nor the impossibility of peace with Netanyahu's fascist government.
In November 2013, the General Assembly declared 2014 as the "Year of Solidarity with Palestinians." Why this year? Why not every year? Why not action, not words accomplishing nothing?
Israel's UN ambassador Ron Prosor responded as expected. He's a right wing extremist. He fronts for Israeli lawlessness. His comments are way over-the-top. He turns truth on its head. He does it repeatedly.
He accused General Assembly members of "oiling the Palestinian propaganda machine."
"Rather that putting an end to Palestinian incitement, the UN is now the primary platform for Palestinian propaganda," he claimed.
"The organization allocates endless resources to advancing lies and half-truths of the Palestinian leadership instead of dealing with pressing issues facing the international community and the Middle East region."
He claimed encouraging solidarity with Palestinians fosters a climate of anti-Israeli sentiment.
He blamed Palestinians for Israeli crimes. Netanyahu does it repeatedly. Peace is elusive as ever. Palestinian liberation remains a distant dream. It's impossible under current conditions.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obamacare Enrollment Misinformation
Obamacare Enrollment Misinformation
by Stephen Lendman
Mark Twain popularized what Disraeli allegedly said: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics."
A good rule of thumb suggests disbelieving official government reports. Misinformation infests them. It's hard separating facts from fiction. It's best to disregard them altogether.
Agendas alone matter. Reality is twisted to fit policy. It's standard practice. In December, a White House PR campaign went all-out to sell Obamacare.
Multi-millions of taxpayer dollars were spent. Lies substituted for truth. Facts don't matter. Government claims are duplicitous.
On January 10, Obama twittered: "Six million Americans have gotten coverage thanks to health reform. Have you?"
Official government figures say around four million. Hard evidence suggests many fewer. Data is so incomplete and inaccurate it's hard knowing anything for sure.
A January 16 Washington Post report explained," saying:
"The 6 million figure comes from combining a figure of 2.1 million for people selecting a plan via state and federal exchanges, through December, and 3.9 million for Medicaid, through November."
"Thus the claim that '6 million Americans have already signed up for coverage thanks to health reform.' "
It's deceptive. It says nothing about how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affects Medicaid enrollment.
ACA expanded it to individuals with incomes up to 138% of the federal $15,850 poverty level. The Supreme Court let states decide whether or not to participate.
So far 25 plus the District of Columbia chose to do so. Four others are considering it.
ACA initially pays 100% of the cost. Later it drops to 90%. The current formula splits costs around evenly between states and Washington.
In 2014, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates about a nine million Medicaid enrollment increase.
Washington claims 3.9 million enrollees are people on Medicaid because of ACA provisions.
According to Assistant to the President and Deputy Senior Advisor for Communications and Strategy David Simas:
"When we break down the numbers a little bit more, this includes more than 2.1 million people who've enrolled in private plans through the federal and state-based marketplaces since October 1st and 3.9 million Americans who learned that they're eligible for coverage through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, also known as CHIP, in October and November."
Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Marilyn Tavenner claims ACA is working as intended.
"Nationwide enrollment for health care coverage surged in December," she said.
"Additionally, 3.9 million Americans learned they're eligible for coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in October and November."
"These numbers include new eligibility determinations and some Medicaid and CHIP renewals."
According to WaPo, "(t)he word 'some' should be a tip-off. Here's what the number actually includes:
- ''Medicaid and CHIP eligibility determinations made directly through state Medicaid and CHIP offices in every state.
- Medicaid and CHIP eligibility determinations made directly through state-based marketplaces (where the state is running their own marketplace).
- New eligibility determinations as well as renewals - i.e., people previously enrolled in Medicaid who are deemed eligible for another year."
Something is missing, added WaPo:
- "Any of the Medicaid or CHIP eligibility determinations made through healthcare.gov. (Through November, that figure was nearly 270,000 (not) 750,000."
"Note: this column was briefly posted with the (wrong) figure for the December report but the numbers have now been corrected."
Theoretically the Medicaid eligible November and December universe combined 3.9 million and 270,000.
CMS acknowledges some duplication. Maybe more than some. The actual number is unknown or unreported.
Reported numbers don't explain how many additional Medicaid enrollees ACA made possible. No one knows.
CMS claims accurate information will be available in April. It'll be when states bill Washington for their Q I refunds. According to WaPo:
"Determining how many people came out of the 'woodwork' - the previously eligible who suddenly focused on health care options and thus joined Medicaid - will take even more analysis."
It's false to claim ACA enrollees "are in any way equivalent to the 3.9 to 4.2 million" Medicaid eligible individuals.
December Medicaid enrollment numbers are due out. They'll be as deceptive as the 3.9 million figure. They're false unless proved otherwise.
On January 18, Forbes headlined "Coverage Expansion Fails: Less Than One-Third of Obamacare Exchange Enrollees Were Previously Uninsured," saying:
"(N)ew data suggests that Obamacare" fell short of its goal. "Instead of expanding coverage to those without it, Obamacare is" is mostly enrolling individuals with coverage.
"Surveys from insurers and other industry players indicate that" from 65 - 89% of enrollees were previously insured.
A McKinsey & Co. report says "only 11 percent of consumers who bought new coverage under the law were previously uninsured."
Over half of non-enrollees cited affordability. Another 30% indicated "technical challenges in buying the plans."
HealthMarkets is a Texas-based insurance holding company. It conducted its own survey. It found only 35% of enrollees were previously uninsured.
A Priority Health insurer survey found only one-fourth of enrollees without previous coverage.
Michigan health insurers expected about 400,000 sign-ups by yearend. They got less than 76,000. Most hadn't paid their first premium.
A Minnesota-based insurer doesn't know "if we're growing the number of people" seeking coverage. "We're just adding complexity," it believes. According to Forbes:
"If we assume that around one-third of exchange enrollees were previously uninsured, and that 90 percent of those who have 'selected a marketplace plan' will eventually enroll in coverage, the Obamacare exchanges have thus far only expanded coverage to 660,000 people, far less than the 7 million projected by the Congressional Budget Office."
A separate analysis contradicts administration enrollment claims. "Sean Trende of RealClearPolitics (estimates) that only 5 - 7.5% of (new) enrollees were due to Obamacare."
He examined new Medicaid enrollments in states expanding their rolls under Obamacare. He compared them to others that haven't.
Of about 1.7 million people in November "determined eligible for Medicaid and CHIP by state agencies" under Obamacare, 55% were in states not expanding Medicaid coverage.
In other words, most new enrollees were previously Medicaid eligible.
Trende learned people are enrolling and leaving Medicaid all the time. Aside from normal enrollment trends, "we have an actual estimate for Medicaid enrollment due directly to the ACA's expansion of Medicaid (by) 190,000," said Trende.
CBO projects about 14 million previously uninsured Americans will gain ACA coverage.
About 10 weeks remain in this year's enrollment period. "(W)e're looking at a coverage expansion of less than one million," said Forbes.
"(A)s many as 100 million previously insured Americans will (pay) higher premiums…under Obamacare."
Many face stiff increases. ACA beneficiaries may be way outnumbered by millions more harmed. It remains to be seen how disappointed Americans react.
On January 9, the Augusta Chronicle headlined "Most uninsured Americans haven't tried to sign up for health care plan."
Nearly 70% haven't visited Healthcare.gov or state web sites to do it. Most cite affordability.
Over 80% don't know they face a March 31 deadline. Many don't know they need to sign up. They're unaware of penalties for not doing it.
On January 18, The Hill headlined "Document: ObamaCare contractor faces mid-March deadline or disaster."
CGI Federal was hired to fix back-end Healthcare.gov problems. In mid-December, it wasn't found up to the task.
Accenture replaced it. Limited time remains to complete the task. According to a government document:
"If this functionality is not complete by mid-March 2014, the government could make erroneous payments to providers and insurers."
At risk is "financial harm to the government." Healthcare providers could be jeopardized.
"Additionally, without a Financial Management platform that accounts for enrollments and associated program costs that integrates with the existing CMS Accounting platform, the entire healthcare reform program is jeopardized."
Failure to meet the mid-March deadline may cause "inaccurate issuance of payments to health plans which could seriously put them at financial risk; potentially leading to their default and disrupting continued services and coverage to consumers."
Back-end problems extend beyond federal subsidy payments. The entire program is vulnerable to "inaccurate forecasting" of risk mitigation programs in place.
One issue among many is compensating insurers enrolling higher than expected numbers of sick consumers with costly illnesses.
This and other problems "potentially (put) the entire health insurance industry at risk," said The Hill.
By mid-March, Accenture must complete building a financial management platform. It must be able to track eligibility and enrollment transactions.
It must account for insurer subsidy payments. It must "provide stable and predictable financial accounting and outlook for the entire program."
It must be integrated with existing CMS and IRS systems. It's an enormous task to complete accurately in a short time.
It involves making sure 500 million lines of Healthcare.gov's code works. Imagine the complexity. Imagine the time constraints. Imagine possible failure.
Many unresolved problems remain. It's unclear how, when or if they'll be fixed. On January 20, Wall Street Journal editors headlined "The Young and the Obamacare-less," saying:
Evidence disputes ACA defenders. They claim huge numbers of enrollees. They way exaggerate reality.
"Lifting the veil of secrecy last week, the feds revealed that 2.2 million people nationwide had selected a plan through December."
"Traffic increased sevenfold over October and November." It's way short of expectations. It fails "by Obama's own standard."
"About one of six Americans under age 65 lack insurance in the official statistics. So where are they?" They haven't sought coverage. Why not?
Signing up young and healthy enrollees is crucial for ObamaCare's success. So far, "merely 24%...are between ages 18 and 34."
At least 40% is critical mass. Current enrollment "skews heavily to people 55 - 64 years old, at 33%."
"Insurance policies plunge into a 'death spiral' when premiums don't cover the cost of claims..." Rates surge to compensate. Current enrollees unable to afford them drop out.
Washington, Ohio, Texas, Indiana and four other states face this problem now. Humana expects ACA's risk pool to be "more adverse than previously expected."
"Expect managed-care (companies) to start making writedowns on their ObamaCare business," said Journal editors.
Will things improve or worsen ahead? Nearly four months of ACA experience suggest greater trouble than already.
Obamacare is unaffordable for millions. It makes underinsurance the new normal.
Sticker shock awaits millions. They're responsible for paying 40% of out-of-pocket costs. Doing so is on top of expensive premiums.
Millions will remain uninsured. Nothing controls spiraling costs. Obamacare has many disturbing surprises.
Eventually consumers will know they've been scammed. Corporate profits are prioritized over healthcare.
When it's most needed, it'll be unaffordable for millions. How they'll react remains to be seen.
America is the only developed nation without some form of universal coverage. Obamacare makes a dysfunctional system worse.
It appears worse than already imagined. Before end of 2014, we'll know more.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Kerry in Davos
Kerry in Davos
by Stephen Lendman
Secretary of State John Kerry mocks legitimacy. He's an unindicted war criminal. He represents the worst of America's dark side.
He craves power. He's mindless of rule of law principles. He supports imperial lawlessness. He's indifferent to human suffering. He's an embarrassment to the position he holds.
He's a moral coward. He's Israel's man in Washington. He deplores peace. He's unabashedly hawkish. He relishes the spoils of war.
On January 22, he participated in so-called Syrian peace talks. He brandished America's big stick.
He demanded Assad must go. He wants America to decide Syria's future. He wants Syrians having no say.
On January 23, he arrived in Davos. He came for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF). He participated many times before.
A previous article called WEF a money power celebration. It's a convocation of rich, powerful, privileged elites.
It's a billionaire's ball. Kerry is one of hundreds worldwide. He's wealthy in his own right. He's heir to the Heinz fortune through his wife. Their combined net worth is an estimated $3.5 billion.
Kerry came for bilateral meetings. He and fellow war criminal Tony Blair discussed carving up the Middle East for dominance, exploitation and profit.
He met with other world leaders. He addressed Davos participants. It was typical Kerry. Hubris and arrogance took center stage.
America is playing a critical world role, he said. "Perhaps as critical as ever in pursuit of peace, prosperity, and stability in various parts of the world."
Fact check:
Wherever America shows up, death, destruction and human misery follow. It's by far the world's leading civil and human rights abuser.
It tramples on rule of law principles. It deplores democratic values. It tolerates none at home or abroad.
It ravages and destroys one country after another. It threatens humanity's survival. Kerry champions wrong over right. He belongs in prison, not high office.
He lied saying he's "working with our partners to press the Government of Ukraine to forgo violence, to address the concerns of peaceful protesters, to foster dialogue, promote the freedom of assembly and expression."
Fact check:
Washington shares full responsibility for weeks of Ukraine turmoil. EU partners share it. At issue is Ukrainian independence. It's co-opting another nation.
It's imposing Western rules. It's letting monied interests run things. It's plundering Ukraine for profit.
It's ousting democratically elected officials. It's installing US subservient stooge replacements.
It's encroaching closer to Russia's border. It's weakening one of its main global rivals.
"We will stand with the people of Ukraine," said Kerry. He wants them transformed into serfs. He wants their rights denied.
He wants American interests served. He wants its divine right to carve up whole continents for profit preserved. He wants unchallenged US dominance.
He wants the right to eliminate rivals. He favors violence, instability, turmoil, coups, and war as ways to do it.
He endorsed two trade deals from hell. They're two sides of the same coin. They're ruthlessly exploitive. They're environmentally harmful.
They legitimize selling unsafe food, medicines and other products. They empower corporate interests. They do it at the expense of public ones.
Hyped benefits are fake. Negotiations continue secretly. Kerry supports what demands prohibiting.
He lied saying the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will "rais(e) living standards and creat(e) jobs."
His entire address reflected one lie after another. America remains engaged globally, he said. It remains so for the long haul. It causes enormous harm worldwide doing it.
"(T)here is no shortage of the places where we are engaged in the Middle East," he stressed.
"We will defend our partners and our allies as necessary, and we will continue to ensure the free flow of energy, dismantle terrorist networks, and we will not tolerate the proliferation of nuclear weapons."
He ignored Israel's arsenal. He suggested a nonexistent Iranian development program.
Its "nuclear weapons program is being rolled back in important ways," he said.
False! No such program exists. Iran made major concessions. It did so in return for minor benefits. It hopes for greater ones later.
Its core program remains in place. Peaceful nuclear development continues. Kerry wants it compromised entirely. He wants Iran's legitimate rights denied.
He challenged President Rohani saying no Iranian nuclear weapons development exists. He said statements are "meaningless unless actions are taken to give them meaning."
He wants Iran to prove a negative. He wants what can't be done. He claims there's no problem doing it.
Iran's nuclear program is the world's most heavily monitored one. America and Israel prohibit independent inspections. Kerry didn't explain.
He addressed Syria. He called what's ongoing an "almost unimaginable human tragedy."
He ignored what bears repeating. Syria is Obama's war. He launched it. He bears full responsibility. Assad is wrongfully blamed for his crimes.
Kerry demands Washington's right to determine Syria's future. Assad "cannot be part of" it, he says.
He lied claiming he caused "extraordinary havoc." He wrongfully blamed him for US crimes.
He "killed university students and doctors with Scud missiles," he said. He "gassed his own people in the dead of night - families sleeping, women, children, grandparents."
He "unleashed extraordinary force of artillery and barrel bombs against civilians against the laws of warfare."
"(T)he opposition will never stop fighting while he is there," Kerry added.
He must go, he said, "because the opposition will never consent to permit him to be there."
So-called opposition elements have no legitimacy. They're US proxies. They're largely non-Syrian.
They're hired guns. They're killers. They're death squads. They're imported from dozens of countries. They commit appalling atrocities.
Washington endorses their worst crimes. Assad is wrongfully blamed for committing them.
Kerry remains mindless of Syrian suffering. He's complicit in inflicting it.
His notion of "empower(ing) all of the Syrian people" is denying their fundamental rights entirely.
It's imposing America's will. It's legitimizing might over right. It's leaving another country in ruins.
It's creating intolerable turmoil. It's leaving a legacy of continued violence, instability and insecurity. It's preventing any possibility of peace and normality.
Kerry addressed what he called "the most intractable of all conflicts: the struggle to make peace between Israeli's and Palestinians."
Peace process hypocrisy is longstanding. It's fake. It's the greatest hoax in modern times.
It's been stillborn for decades. It remains so now. Palestinians have no legitimate partner.
Longtime Israeli collaborators represent them. Netanyahu's notion of peace is unconditional Palestinian surrender.
Kerry marches in lockstep. He's Israel's man in Washington. His so-called solution is none at all.
Palestinians are on their own as always. They're up against two ruthless adversaries.
Peace in our time remains elusive. It's impossible on US/Israeli terms. Kerry and Netanyahu remain the problem. No solution exists with them involved. Or Abbas.
He's a longtime Israeli collaborator. Odds are he'll agree to unconditional surrender. Expect Oslo 2.0.
In 1993, Palestinians got nothing in return for renouncing armed struggle, recognizing Israel's right to exist, and agreeing to leave major unresolved issues for later final status talks. They're still waiting.
Major issues include sovereign Palestinian independence free from occupation, the right of return, settlements, borders, water rights, and East Jerusalem as Palestine's exclusive capital.
Oslo 2.0 will resolve nothing. Palestine will remain occupied. Settlement expansions will continue. "I do not intend to evacuate any settlements or uproot a single Israeli,” Netanyahu said.
Israel will annex all valued Judea and Samaria areas it wishes. It's effectively done so already.
It'll legitimize the illegitimate by declaring all land within its Apartheid Wall sovereign Israeli territory. Worthless land swaps will be agreed on in return.
Palestinians will be worse off than ever. Kerry, Netanyahu and Abbas will call it success.
Maybe Obama plans his own White House lawn extravaganza. Clinton's in 1993 resembled Versailles.
It was unilateral surrender. Abbas was chief Palestinian negotiator. He betrayed his own people.
He did it for special benefits he derived. Israel made him president. He remains so five years after his term expired.
He amassed enormous wealth. He did it the old-fashioned way. He stole it. His grand theft continues. Betrayal is his greatest crime.
He sold out for status, privilege and profit. He harmed millions deserving better. He intends greater harm.
Everything Palestinians most value will be denied. He, Kerry, and Netanyahu will call it peace in our time.
Palestinians are more inert than activist. Intifada 3.0 is nowhere in sight. Liberation requires committed struggle. Effective leadership is lacking.
Israel's iron fist crushes resistance. Kerry wholeheartedly endorses it. He calls peace in the best interest of everyone. His version assures none at all.
It guarantees continued Palestinian suffering. It denies their fundamental rights. It keeps the region on the boil.
America's partnership with Israel may destroy it. Perhaps one more war will entirely. How many more millions of deaths will world leaders tolerate?
How much more human misery? How much more ruthless exploitation? How much more contempt for rule of law principles?
Kerry calls it "(i)ntensive, creative, strong diplomacy...(It) requires cooperation," he says. Washington is a partner for peace, he claims.
America's version is none at all. It's war on humanity. It's mass slaughter and destruction. It's ruthlessness writ large.
Kerry lied claiming otherwise. He left what's most important unaddressed. Imagine what he has in mind going forward.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
New York’s Zionist Mayor
New York's Zionist Mayor
by Stephen Lendman
On January 1, Michael Bloomberg was out. Bill de Blasio replaced him. Zionism remains empowered.
Imagine letting Israel influence NYC policy. Imagine giving AIPAC say.
Imagine Obama doing the same thing. Stanley Fischer is a Zionist zealot. Obama nominated him for Fed vice chairman.
He's rubber-stamp approval away from assuming his post. He'll let Israel influence US monetary policy.
On January 24, de Blasio delivered an unannounced address. He spoke in midtown Manhattan. He did so at a closed door AIPAC event.
Capital New York (CNY) calls itself "a publication for and about the people and institutions that shape New York, delivering fast, original, essential analysis and reporting on city and state politics and the media industry."
CNY reporter Azi Paybarah tried covering de Blasio's address. Security staff blocked him. Candidate de Blasio pledged more openness, transparency, and inclusiveness than his predecessor.
Mayor de Blasio wants his unswerving fealty to Israel kept secret. Capital New York got an audio recording of some of what he said. It's not what he wants his constituents to hear.
"Part of my job description is to be a defender of Israel," he said.
"There is a philosophical grounding to my belief in Israel and it is my belief, it is our obligation, to defend Israel, but it is also something that is elemental to being an American because there is no greater ally on earth, and that's something we can say proudly."
"There is no deeper connection across boundaries than this connection we share."
"We take inspiration from Israel for how it has stared down terrorism and kept moving forward."
It's done it through lawless aggression. It's been through cold-blooded murder. Land theft and ethnic cleaning reflect it.
So do decades of lawless occupation harshness. Palestinian rights don't matter. They're systematically denied.
State terrorism is official Israeli policy. So is slow-motion genocide. De Blasio didn't explain.
He visited Israel three times. He expressed solidarity with its people. They're "on the front line of fighting so many challenges," he said.
He's mindless of Palestinian rights. Only Jews matter. Racism resides in Gracie Mansion. Palestinians aren't welcome.
De Blasio is "inspir(ed)" by Israeli ruthlessness. Maybe he intends treating New Yorkers the same way.
Word got out about his AIPAC address. Reporters challenged him. He offered a weak-kneed mea culpa. He said he'll urge his aides to be more open about his whereabouts.
He said AIPAC wanted journalists excluded from its event. Public officials are supposed to let constituents they serve know what they're doing.
Gawker.com headlined "Reporter Kicked Out of Bill de Blasio's Secret Pro-Israel Speech," saying:
He "wants you to know he shovels his own snow-encrusted sidewalk…" He's polar opposite when it comes to "wooing the powerful pro-Israeli lobbying group AIPAC..."
Candidate de Blasio denounced BDS activism. He called it "inflammatory, dangerous and utterly out of step with the values of New Yorkers."
"An economic boycott represents a direct threat to the State of Israel. That’s something we need to oppose in all its forms."
"No one seriously interested in bringing peace, security and tolerance to the Middle East should be taken in by this" campaign.
Public de Blasio speeches feature demagogic boilerplate. He stresses income inequality, expanding sick-pay leave, taxing the rich, and other social issues.
He's held office less than one month. Early indications aren't encouraging. Expect business as usual to continue. He was chosen for that reason. He won't disappoint.
New Yorkers never had a true populist mayor. They don't have one now. De Blasio reflects same old, same old.
He's old wine in new bottles. He differs from Bloomberg in style alone. He represents the same monied interests.
His AIPAC speech omitted social issues. He focused solely on pledging allegiance to Israel.
Two attendees said he never once used the word "progressive." He features it in public addresses.
He concluded saying: "City Hall will always be open to AIPAC. When you need me to stand by you in Washington or anywhere, I will answer the call, and I'll answer it happily cause that's my job."
His job is serving NYC residents. All of them equitably and fairly. Not Israel.
Not monied interests at the expense of public ones. Not other powerful, privileged ones exclusively.
It's not hard imagining what's coming. Expect constituent hopes to be dashed. Early indications suggest it.
Bruce Ratner is Center for Constitutional Rights President Emeritus Michael Ratner's brother.
Their ideologies are polar opposite. Bruce is a prominent real estate developer. He's a corporate predator. He's the NBA Brooklyn Nets' minority owner.
His Brooklyn mega-development project ran roughshod over local community needs. Longtime resident/noted architect Frank Gehry called it "a nightmare for Brooklyn, one that, if built, would cause irreparable damage to the quality of our lives."
De Blasio's anti-developer/landlord rhetoric rings hollow. He endorsed Ratner's project. He did so wholeheartedly.
He's progressive in name only. He's a longtime Democrat party hack. He has close ties to Bill and Hillary Clinton.
He was a Clinton administration Housing and Urban Development official. He managed Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign.
Bill Clinton administered his swearing-in ceremony. Doing do affixed the Clinton name to his mayoralty.
Both Clintons are unindicted war criminals. They deplore populism. They're imperial tools. They're beholden to monied interests. They support unrestrained corporate empowerment.
They're unaccountable. They've got blood on their hands. They represent America's dark side.
Voters never learn. They're suckers for political deception. No matter how many times before they've been fooled, they're easy marks for more of the same.
They learn the hard way. They discover reality too late to matter. No one holds high office in America without careful advance vetting.
Monied interests run things. They choose winners and losers. Voters have no say. America mocks democracy. None whatever exists.
Government of, by and for wealth, power and privilege defines things. De Blasio's mayoralty represents the worst of what most voters deplore.
Nation magazine long ago betrayed its readers. It disingenuously calls itself "the flagship of the left." It never was. It's not today.
Last August, it endorsed de Blasio, saying:
"His candidacy is an opportunity for New Yorkers to reimagine their city in boldly progressive ways."
He represents "a once-in-a-generation opportunity (for them) to rewrite the narrative of their city."
One observer compared him to candidate Obama. Promises made were broken. De Blasio sounds like the same broken record.
He appointed Anthony Shorris deputy mayor. He's been active in New York politics for nearly three decades.
He was Ed Koch's budget director and finance commissioner. He was Bloomberg's deputy schools chancellor. He was Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive director.
His current appointment entails cutting New York's budget deficit. He'll do it on the backs of city workers.
Expect neoliberal harshness continued. De Blasio is no populist. His rhetoric pays lip service to progressivism and social justice. His record supports wealth and power interests.
Wall Street crooks contributed generously to his campaign. They buy politicians like toothpaste.
They don't bankroll populists. They back business as usual candidates. They know what's forthcoming in return. De Blasio's inaugural address suggested it, saying:
"We do not ask more of the wealthy to punish success. We do it to create more success stories."
He's no harbinger of America's shift left. None whatever exists. Neoliberal harshness remains policy.
Government of, by, and for everyone equitably remains a distant dream. New York is America's money power capital. It's the epicenter of plutocratic excess.
Monied interests manipulate things their way. They use money to make more of it. They do it the old-fashioned way. They steal it.
They chose de Blasio. He's their man. He won't disappoint. Wall Street is safe in his hands.
Big Apple progressivism awaits another day. Make it another era. For sure not now.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Syria Peace Talks: Rocky Start
Syria Peace Talks: Rocky Start
by Stephen Lendman
On January 22, talks began. Forty countries participated for two days. Syria bashing was almost nonstop. Invectives substituted for truth and full disclosure. Russia and China were two exceptions.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem responded. He did so forthrightly, eloquently and persuasively. He was way-outnumbered doing it.
On Friday, talks were scheduled to begin between Syrian and opposition delegations. They're postponed at least until Saturday. Both sides won't meet face-to-face. More on this below.
Lakhdar Brahimi is UN/Arab League Special Envoy to Syria. He's no honest broker. He's Washington's front man. He acting as intermediary for both sides. They'll address each other through him.
Syria prefers face-to-face talks. That's how negotiations should be. Opposition leader Ahmed al-Jarba refused. He mocks legitimacy. He's a US stooge. He does what his handlers order.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA):
Foreign Minister al-Moallem "told Brahimi that Syria's official delegation is serious, ready to work seriously, but this doesn't seem (to be) the other delegation('s)" intention.
Assad political/media advisor Bouthaina Shaaban is part of his negotiating delegation. On Friday, she said:
"We came to Geneva for the sake of our country, people and to stop terrorism, bloodshed through a political track that would be determined by the Syrians themselves, and we will not retreat."
Syria is for Syrians, she stressed. "(T)he coalition called opposition has no issue of a homeland or people."
Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said Syria came to Geneva to defend the country and its people.
"We are insisting on the success of the political track, and we have no intentions to complicate it."
"We have clear directives from President Bashar al-Assad to work for the success of this track."
"We came to Geneva with an open mind and a free, sovereign and independent national will and no one, neither major countries and institutions, nor regional states, can dictate its language and conditions on us at all."
"There is no meaning for any political process or step as long as guns and swords are still put on the necks of the citizens."
Syrian delegates came to Geneva for talks with "opposition forces, but it is obvious that (they're) not represented entirely..."
Instead "there is a partial, very narrow and simple representation."
At the same time, anti-Syrian media propaganda continues. Al-Zoubi called it "black political comedy."
Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mikdad said Washington, Saudi Arabia and Turkey want talks sabotaged.
"It is noticeable that the US, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, which have failed even to bring a tiny part of the so-called 'opposition,' want to blow up this conference..."
It's a lost cause because of "the children they sent for negotiations.”
"Syria’s official delegation will remain in Geneva and will exert every possible effort, whether through the UN or through the Russian friends, to start work as soon as possible because we have a principled and strong message from President Bashar al-Assad to make this conference a success and to work for halting bloodshed and foreign intervention."
Al-Moallem said Syrians alone will decide their future. They'll do so without foreign interference.
Government delegates are ready to begin talks. No one showed up on Friday to join them. Why isn't clear. Or when talks will begin. Or what will be accomplished when and if they do.
On January 24, Reuters headlined "Syria peace talks on verge of collapse before they begin."
So-called opposition delegates refused to meet with their Syrian counterparts. They didn't show up on day one. Orders come from Washington.
They stipulated unacceptable terms. They won't talk without "a protocol calling for a transitional administration."
Syrian delegates categorically refused. Talks were agreed on without preconditions. None will be added now.
Al-Moallem said delegates will return home unless serious talks begin within a day. Syrian television quoted him saying:
"If no serious work sessions are held by (Saturday), the official Syrian delegation will leave Geneva due to the other side's lack of seriousness or preparedness."
At the same time, it said talks between government delegates and Brahimi were "held in a constructive spirit."
Opposition delegate Haitham al-Maleh told Reuters:
"We have explicitly demanded a written commitment from the regime delegation to accept Geneva I. Otherwise there will be no direct negotiations."
Geneva I calls for transitional governance. It says nothing about excluding Assad or other ruling Ba'ath party members. Syrians alone must decide who'll lead them.
Imposing a precondition contravenes agreed on negotiating terms. Syria rejects doing so.
It wants talks focused on ending terrorism. It wants fighting halted. Syrians want peace and stability. They alone will decide their future. No outside interference will be tolerated.
UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said "(t)here are no Syria-Syrian talks at the moment."
"I cannot tell you anything about what will happen in the next few days."
Reuters said "(e)ven before the announcement that the direct talks were cancelled, the outlook was dim."
If talks begin, they'll do so in separate rooms. Brahimi will act as intermediary. Negotiating this way complicates shaky talks further.
Syria expressed willingness to discuss ceasefire terms, prisoner exchanges, and opening humanitarian corridors.
Information Minister al-Zoubi said Assad won't step down. Elections are scheduled for later this year.
"(B)efore organizing them, we will have to defeat terrorism in the country and stop the killing of civilians," he said.
He named four priorities. They include eliminating terrorists, helping ordinary Syrians, ending sanctions, and holding open, free and fair democratic elections.
Al Arabiya television said Syria agreed to free 5,500 prisoners. An unnamed source was cited. No further details are known so far.
On Friday, Voice of Russia said opposition delegation head Jarba remains in Switzerland. He's not planning to leave. At least not now. An unnamed source representing him said:
"Mr. Jarba is the head of our delegation. He has not gone anywhere. He will probably meet with the UN secretary-general's envoy Lahdar Brahimi."
"The negotiations will probably be conducted by the team of negotiators authorized by Mr. Jarba. He will be in close coordination with his team."
It's unclear where things stand. Reuters said Jarba won't talk without Syrian delegates agreeing to transitional governance without Assad.
It remains to be seen what follows. It bears repeating. Jarba and other Syrian National Coalition (SNC) officials are US stooges.
If Washington wants talks, they'll begin. Otherwise we're back to square one. Either way hardly matters.
Conflict rages. Extremist opposition elements aren't in Geneva. They want war, not peace.
Ending conflict depends on defeating them. Many months of fighting remain. Perhaps years.
Depleted jihadist ranks are replenished with new recruits. At the same time, Assad negotiates from a position of strength.
His military forces are superior. Opposition ones are no match in direct confrontations.
That won't change without Western intervention. It's possible, perhaps likely, if Geneva talks fail.
Things could come to a head later this year. Stalemate fighting won't continue forever.
Hillary Clinton once called Assad "dead man walking." He's much stronger now than when she said it.
He's not going away. He's strengthened further by opposition elements battling each other.
They're fragmented. They have no central authority. They have nothing matching Syrian firepower.
Its military and most civilians match their determination to win. They want no part of Wahhabi-style governance.
They want Syria remaining secular. They want foreign fighters defeated.
They want to determine Syria's future on their own. They want no outside interference.
Above all, they want bloodshed ended. They want opposition atrocities stopped.
Then want peace, stability and security restored. They want normality returned.
They want what Assad's forces are fighting for. They want what won't be achieved soon. Conflicts at times take on a life of their own.
Three years of fighting could become four or five. Negotiated settlements require representatives from all parties involved.
Syria's main opposition elements won't talk. Conflict without end could continue. Afghanistan is America's longest war.
It's raged since October 2001. It shows no signs of ending. It could continue for another decade. The same is true in Iraq and Libya.
Both countries are cauldrons of violence. US puppet regimes can't stop it. Dozens die daily. Nothing in prospect suggests resolving things.
Syria could end up the same way. Perhaps US strategy plans it that way. Terrorists "R" Us reflects longstanding policy.
Wherever America goes, mass slaughter and destruction follow. Nothing ahead suggests change. War on humanity continues. Maybe the worst is yet to come.
Note: Late Friday, Brahimi brokered a deadlock. Both sides agreed to "meet in the same room," he said.
Talks begin Saturday. What's accomplished remains to be seen.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Netanyahu and Rohani in Davos
Netanyahu and Rohani in Davosby Stephen LendmanDavos, Switzerland hosts the annual World Economic Forum (WEF). It's a money power celebration. It's a billionaire's ball. It's a convocation of rich, powerful, privileged elites.They're "committed to impr...
Western Manipulated Violence in Ukraine
Western Manipulated Violence in Ukraine
by Stephen Lendman
Last November, protests erupted in Ukraine. Violence followed. Previous articles discussed it. Washington's dirty game was explained. Imperial lawlessness reflects it.
It has many forms. It includes trampling on fundamental rule of law principles. Toppling democratically elected governments is OK.
So is assassinating foreign leaders. Replacing them by coup d'etats is longstanding US policy. Waging war to do it is standard practice.
Anything goes defines America. Washington rules alone matter. Imposing them worldwide matters most.
At issue is replacing sovereign independent governments with pro-Western stooge ones. It's denying democratic freedoms.
It's a game as old as empire. It's imposing diktat authority. It's plundering nations for profit.
It's impoverishing them. It's bankrupting them. It's trapping them in debt. It's turning workers into serfs. It's imposing police state rules. It's cracking down hard on resisters.
It's justifying might over right. It's calling destructive practices liberating ones. It's proliferating state-sponsored propaganda claiming it.
It's letting monied interests run things. It's letting them benefit at the expense of all others. It's championing wrong over right.
Rogue states operate this way. America is by far the worst. Ukraine is one of many US targets. The battle for its soul continues. It involves weakening and isolating Russia.
It's about exploiting Ukrainian resources. It's about denying worker rights. It's about wage slavery replacing freedom.
It's about imposing one-sided Western trade deals from hell. It's about benefitting foreign investors. It's doing it at the expense of popular interests. It's colonizing Ukraine for profit.
Washington's dirty game is transparent. EU partners are complicit. Street thugs were recruited. They're militants. They're paid to commit violence. Radical nationalists joined them.
Protests quieted down for some weeks. Days earlier things changed. Last Sunday, thousands demonstrated in Kiev's Independence Square.
Violent clashes followed. They continued for five days. They can persist much longer. Western enlisted thugs initiated things.
Washington wants democratically elected Viktor Yanukovyich ousted. It wants a convenient stooge replacing him.
It wants Orange Revolution 2.0. It wants 2004 repeated. It wants to take full advantage like earlier. It wants what most Ukrainians reject.
Protests erupted after Ukraine enacted new legislation. It criminalizes disruptive protests. It targets public disorder. It aims to prevent manipulated demonstrations from becoming a national rebellion.
It went too far. It risks press freedom. It criminalizes legitimate protests. Vaguely defined extremism carries a potential three year sentence.
Protesters face up to 15 years in prison. Wearing a helmet or mask while they're ongoing can mean 10 days in jail. So can pitching tents without police permission.
Criminalizing violent demonstrators is legitimate. Leaders promoting it bear most responsibility. Holding them accountable is vital.
The alternative is out-of-control anarchy. No nation would tolerate letting things go this far. That's what revolutions are made of.
Stopping violent ones protects everyone. Doing it responsibly is legal.
Peaceful protests are legitimate. Legislation shouldn't deny them. Last year, police showed remarkable restraint. Not this week. On the one hand, they had good reason to change tactics.
Protesters are extremely violent. They crossed the line. They became rioters. They hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at police. Fires erupted. Things escalated out-of-control. Over-the-top legislation followed.
Dozens of police were injured. They responded with tear gas, stun grenades, rubber bullets and water cannons. At least three protestors died.
RT (formerly Russia Today) said "protestors climbed atop the main gate of the Dynamo football stadium..." They used it "as a strongpoint…"
They bombarded police from that vantage point. At one point they had to retreat. "Demonstrators delivered gasoline canisters and empty bottles to make more Molotov cocktails," said RT.
Police "suffered head injuries, fractures, burns, stab and slash wounds, as well as poisoning by 'unknown substances.' "
A rubber bullet struck an RT cameraman. No injury was reported. A plastic shield on his back protected him.
A Ukraine ICTV channel cameraman was hit in the eye with a rubber bullet. Doctors expect him to lose partial sight.
Protesters "built a wooden catapult on European Square," said RT. A three-meter-tall ballistic device was used. It launched rocks and firecrackers at police. They destroyed it in response.
Protesters are nicknamed Euromaiden. Extremist elements lead them. They include Western enlisted militants. So-called Right Sector hardliners are involved.
Ukraine's Interior Ministry condemned the "commandants of Maiden." They're providing rioters with "dangerous cold steel arms," it said.
Prime Minister Mykola Azarov called extremist protesters terrorists. They're provocateurs. They're criminals. They warrant punishment.
Opposition elements gave protesters two-meter-long wooden sticks. They're dangerous. They have sharp metal tips. They're improvised weapons. They're can injure or kill.
Hardliners pledged continued disruptive protests. They demand Yanukovych resign. They demand snap elections.
On Thursday, Yanukovych called a special session of parliament. It's scheduled for next week. Speaker Volodymyr Rybak said relevant issues will be discussed.
"The opposition and the parliamentary majority should come together and consider the questions which have arisen: the resignation of the government and those questions linked to laws passed by parliament," he said.
Earlier this week, Yanukovych called for dialogue. He suggested compromise. At the same time, he said all legal means will be used to maintain stability.
Washington reacted as expected. Sanctions involving freezing assets abroad and travel bans were threatened. Some US visas were revoked.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf issued a statement. In part, she said:
"The United States strongly condemns the increasing violence on the streets of Kiev, which has led to casualties and the shooting deaths of two protesters."
"We urge all sides to immediately de-escalate the situation and refrain from violence."
"Increased tensions in Ukraine are a direct consequence of the Ukrainian government's failure to engage in real dialogue and the passage of anti-democratic legislation on January 16."
"We urge the Government of Ukraine to take steps that represent a better way forward for Ukraine, including repeal of the anti-democratic legislation and beginning a national dialogue with the political opposition."
"The United States has already revoked visas of several people responsible for violence, and will continue to consider additional steps in response to the use of violence by any actors."
Washington bears full responsibility for manipulating street violence. Complicit EU partners share it. They want unchallenged control of Ukraine. They want it politically and economically.
They want Russia shut out. It's mindful of what's ongoing. It's well aware of manipulative Western practices. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned about things "spinning out-of-control."
"We have information that much of this is being stimulated from abroad," he said. "(M)embers of several European governments rushed to the Maiden without any invitation and took part in anti-government demonstrations."
Fact check
In America, police routinely brutalize peaceful protesters. Occupy Wall Street ones were attacked nationwide. So are global justice advocates.
Patriot Act legislation created the crime of "domestic terrorism." Doing so potentially criminalizes dissent, anti-war protesters, civil and human rights defenders, environmental and animal rights activists, and all forms of legitimate civil disobedience.
On March 8, 2012, Obama signed the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011 into law. It passed both Houses near unanimously.
It "(a)mend(ed) the federal criminal code to revise the prohibition against entering restricted federal buildings or grounds to impose criminal penalties on anyone who knowingly enters any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority."
Protesters may be prosecuted for exercising their First Amendment rights. They can be imprisoned for doing so.
Vague language gives authorities wide latitude. They can interpret new provisions freely. Restraints aren't imposed. It's up for grabs how ruthlessly this law will be used.
Treating protesters violently in America isn't new. It's longstanding practice. Anything goes is officially sanctioned.
Double standard hypocrisy defines US policy. If anything half-resembling Ukraine protests erupted, extreme state-sponsored violence would confront them. It would happen straightaway.
Federal, state and local authorities would go all out to stop them. Nothing too extreme would be avoided.
In spring 1969, then California Governor Ronald Reagan declared a state of emergency. He did so when none existed.
He deployed National Guard troops and state police. He unleashed them against peaceful People's Park protesters. "Bloody Thursday" followed. Dozens were injured, some seriously.
Months later, Reagan defended his action. "If it takes a bloodbath, let's get it over with," he said. "No more appeasement."
On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guard troops murdered four Kent State protesters. Nine others were seriously wounded.
US history is full of similar incidents. During unionism's formative years, workers were terrorized for organizing."
In company-owned towns, they were evicted from homes, beaten, shot, and hanged. It was done to leave management empowered.
In May 1886, Chicago Haymarket Square demonstrators rallied peacefully. They did so for an eight-hour day.
Someone threw a bomb. Police violence followed. Eleven nonviolent protesters were killed. Dozens were injured.
Seven innocent defendants were sentenced to death. Another got 15 years in prison.
Justice was systematically denied. Things are much worse today. Unions are largely busted. Activism is treated harshly.
Police across America are brutal. They don't tolerate what Ukrainian cops did for weeks. It bears repeating. Until last Sunday, they showed remarkable restraint.
Where things go from here remains to be seen. On January 23, RT headlined "Ceasefire in Ukraine: Barricades doused out, violence an inch from reigniting."
Thursday was day five of violent confrontations. Opposition leaders and government officials are negotiating. It's doubtful whether "they will be able to stop the rioters," said RT.
Opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko said both sides agreed on a "quiet period." Protesters promised to refrain from violence. For how long remains to be seen.
Discussions focused on revoking new draconian legislation. Klitschko wants much more besides. He wants what he won't get.
He wants Yanukovych to resign. He wants ministerial resignations. He wants snap elections.
Wednesday negotiations accomplished nothing. Opposition extremists threatened "to go on the offensive." They've been doing it for five days. They did so for weeks last year.
"Protesters remain in Grushevskogo Street," said RT. "Radical anti-government activists" are positioned near Ukraine's parliament building.
Wednesday night throughThursday afternoon, rioters "burn(ed) tires, smash(ed) up streets, and erect(ed) barricades..."
Central Ukraine resembles a war zone. It's filled with smoke, barricades and debris. None of this would be tolerated in America for five minutes. It's continued in Kiev intermittently for weeks.
Former Ukraine President Leonid Kravchuk thanked police. He did so for showing more restraint than rioters deserved.
"I am grateful to the guys and (Ministry of Internal Affairs) Berkut (special units), who are standing there now," he said.
"I do not condone nor approve of the fact that they cleared out the students on November 30, although the right thing to do would be to criticize the person who gave out the order."
"Now they are going through an incredible challenge: being beaten up, having stones and burning mixtures thrown at them, and they stand there and endure."
"Not a lot of countries have militaries that would tolerate such treatment in a similar situation."
For sure not America, Britain, France or other major EU nations. State-sponsored viciousness would follow anything half-resembling Ukrainian violence.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces routinely bludgeon them. They target peaceful resisters. They shoot them in cold blood.
They mass-arrest others. They charge them with terrorism. They attack Gazans by land, sea and air. They fire missiles at nonviolent civilians.
US-supported Egyptian security forces operate the same way. Police state harshness is official policy. So is cold-blooded murder.
Before late Thursday's "quiet period," violent clashes exceeded anything previously seen. Five days of protests left three dead. Hundreds of protesters were injured. So were nearly 200 police.
According to RT:
"Shocking footage showed rioters armed with sticks and flares attacking cordons of security forces surrounding government buildings."
"Donned in orange helmets, the protesters threw stones, debris, and Molotovs directly at police."
"Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs published a video showing a group of officers being suddenly attacked from behind a fence on Monday."
"Petrol bombs are being thrown in the middle of the cordons, setting police uniforms on fire."
Prime Minister Azarov said police are told to use force only against violent protesters.
"Instructions given to law enforcement authorities were simple," he said. "Avoid the use of force against peaceful demonstrators, and prevent violent seizure of government buildings and institutions."
"The question of resignation is in the competence of Parliament," he added. It has sole authority. Yanukovych's coalition holds majority control. They're won't likely vote themselves out of office.
At the same time, added Azarov:
"It is absolutely unrealistic" to hold snap elections. New ones are scheduled "in less than a year."
"Do you think we can hold elections when the central part of Kiev has virtually been occupied by militants? What elections can we talk about when people are rioting?" Restoring stability matters most.
Ukrainian authorities aren't stupid. Nor Russian ones. Ararov called what's ongoing a coup d'etat attempt.
"The building of the Cabinet of Ministers is under siege and the building of the Lviv region's administration has been taken over."
"The people who are fighting against us are militants, not the opposition. These are different things."
"It's a real coup attempt, and everyone who backs this coup should clearly say 'Yes, we support the overthrowing of the lawful administration in Ukraine,' instead of hiding behind peaceful protesters."
"The line was crossed when so-called peaceful (ones) started using Molotov cocktails and taking over state buildings."
No government would tolerate what's ongoing. None should. What follows in Ukraine remains to be seen.
Conflict resolution is nowhere in sight. Don't expect Washington's dirty hands to yield. Nor complicit EU partners.
The battle for Ukraine's soul continues. At stake is preserving its sovereignty.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Sham Syrian Peace Talks
Sham Syrian Peace Talks
by Stephen Lendman
It bears repeating what previous articles explained. Talks aren't for peace. They're for US demanded unconditional surrender. They for bowing to Washington's will.
They're about destroying Syrian sovereignty. They're for replacing it with pro-Western stooge governance. They're about denying Syrians the right to determine their future.
They're for turning Syria into replicas of Iraq and Libya. They're about continued violence, instability and insecurity.
They're for regional exploitation. They're about controlling its resources. They're for turning ordinary people into serfs. They're about isolating Iran.
Day one in Montreux was an exercise in Syria bashing. Forty counties participated. Washington had final say on choosing attendees.
Iran is a major regional player. Obama vetoed its participation. He did so unilaterally. He represents the worst of imperial lawlessness. He bears full responsibility for ravaging and destroying Syria.
Most participants have no interest in equitable conflict resolution. Their comments showed it. They took their cue from John Kerry.
Assad must go, he demands. He "will not be part of" transitional governance. "There is no way, no way possible, that a man who has led a brutal response to his own people can gain legitimacy to govern."
Fact check
Previous articles explained. Syria is Obama's war. He launched it. He bears full responsibility for mass killing, destruction and brutal atrocities.
He's a crime boss. He's a war criminal multiple times over. Kerry is his front man. He shares guilt.
Blaming Assad for US crimes doesn't wash. Demanding transitional governance excluding him has no legitimacy.
Syrians alone will decide. They want no outside interference in determining their future. International law supports them.
On January 22, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened the conference. He's a US-installed stooge. He's a convenient imperial tool.
He lied calling Geneva II a "historic" chance for peaceful conflict resolution. No chance whatever exists. Not from Geneva.
Not as long as Washington demands regime change. Not as long as Ban regurgitates US diktats. Not as long as most other conference attendees do the same thing.
Bashar Jaafari is Syrian UN ambassador. Most conference participants are "anti-Syrian delegations," he said.
Their speeches were "provocative and repetitive statements based on hatred toward the Syrian government."
They were entirely one-sided. They mocked fairness. They bowed to Washington's will. They showed talks will achieve nothing.
China and Russia were exceptions. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged mutually acceptable conflict resolution.
"It is crucial to recognize that there is no military solution, and the Syrian people want to see a return of stability and order," he said.
"It is also crucial to appreciate the importance of a stable Syria to peace and security in the Middle East, including preventing the further spread of terrorism and extremism."
Minister Yi presented five principles for resolving Syria's conflict:
(1) Do it politically. Military solutions won't work. Dialogue and negotiations must replace it.
(2) Syrians alone must decide their future. No other way will work. Nothing else is legitimate. UN Charter provisions, principals and norms must be upheld. Nothing less is acceptable.
(3) An inclusive political transition must be agreed on. Syrians alone must choose it. Key is stopping violence.
(4) National reconciliation and unity must be achieved internally. Imposing it externally is unacceptable.
(5) Providing humanitarian aid is essential. Doing so for internally and externally displaced Syrians is vital.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said resolving Syrian's conflict must be "inclusive and peaceful." All parties must work together politically, he stressed.
"We hope that all external players will encourage the Syrians to reach an accord, to refrain - and to prevent the sides - from attempts to predetermine final agreements, from other steps capable of disrupting the negotiating process."
Moscow remains concerned. Western interests want Assad removed. They're mindless of how Syrians feel.
They want their will imposed. Greater regional conflict and instability are threatened.
"(T)he entire Middle Eastern region is going through the most difficult period of its history," Lavrov stressed.
"While Russia supports the Arab peoples' aspiration for a better life, sustained development and prosperity, the overdue reforms can be only efficient if implemented peacefully, non-violently, through a national dialogue."
Washington, other Western allies and regional ones want force-fed regime change. They want it through violence and instability.
They want another country entirely ravaged and destroyed.
Kerry's Montreux address included one lie after another. Wrongfully accusing Assad of US crimes doesn't wash.
Nor does demanding regime change. Kerry's notion of "a negotiated transition government formed by mutual consent" is one America imposes.
Reality is polar opposite what he said. Syrians reject his way forward. They want no part of US diktats.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem expressed their views. He delivered a powerful indictment of imperial lawlessness.
He did it forthrightly, eloquently and persuasively. He delivered it mostly to deaf ears and blind eyes.
He spoke to America, EU countries and despotic regional ones. They're responsible for mass slaughter, destruction, horrific atrocities and unspeakable human misery.
"Never have I been in a more difficult position," al-Moallem said.
"My delegation and I carry the weight of three years of hardship endured by my fellow countrymen - the blood of our martyrs, the tears of our bereaved, the anguish of families waiting for news of a loved one - kidnapped or missing, the cries of our children whose tender fingers were the targets of mortar shelling into their classrooms, the hopes of an entire generation destroyed before their very eyes, the courage of mothers and fathers who have sent all their sons to defend our country, the heartbreak of families whose homes have been destroyed and are now displaced or refugees."
"My delegation and I also carry the hope of a nation for the years to come - the right of every child to safely go to school again, the right of women to leave their homes without fear of being kidnapped, killed or raped; the dream of our youth to fulfill their vast potential; the return of security so that every man can leave his family safe in the knowledge that he will return."
Al-Moallem called it "regrettable" that Montreux participants include "representatives of countries that have the blood of Syrians on their hands."
They "exported terrorism." They deny Syrians the right to live in peace. They want their own will imposed.
They "shamelessly lecture us in democracy." They tolerate none at home. They prioritize destroying Syrian sovereignty. Their weapon of choice is state terrorism.
Syria remains wracked by violence. How can Saudi, Turkish and Western terrorist states "deliver on the aspirations of the Syrian people?"
Their proxies commit horrific atrocities. "(T)he wombs of pregnant women are butchered and their fetuses killed."
"Women are raped dead or alive...Men are slaughtered in front of their children in the name of the revolution."
"Worse still, this is done whilst the children of these foreign perpetrators sing and dance."
"(H)ow can so-called revolutionaries cannibalize a man's heart and claim to promote freedom, democracy and a better life?"
How can the worst of Wahhabi extremism be called good for Syria? How can what the vast majority of Syrians oppose?
"Under the pretext of the 'Great Syrian Revolution,' civilians, clergymen, women and children are killed, victims are indiscriminately blown up in streets and buildings regardless of their political views or ideologies."
"Books and libraries are burned. Graves are dug up and artifacts stolen. Children are killed in their schools and students in their universities."
"Women are extorted in the name of jihad al-nikah and other forms. Mosques are shelled whilst worshipers kneel at prayer."
"Heads are severed and hung in the streets. People are burned alive…" It's happening across Syria. One death squad atrocity follows another.
Assad is wrongfully blamed. Willful deception about what's happening can't be tolerated. "(W)eb of deceit" must be stopped.
Foreign terrorists invaded Syria. They're US proxies. They doing Washington's bidding. They came to mass murder.
They're "human monsters fully soaked in abhorrent Wahhabi ideology." They're responsible for Syrian bloodshed. They brought "misery and destruction."
It threatens the entire region. Terrorism respects no borders. It's "loyal only unto itself."
Killers from "83" nations were imported. They're murdering Syrian civilians. Syria's so-called "Great Revolution" is a Western sponsored foreign invasion.
Al-Moallem affirmed that "Syria, the sovereign and independent state, will continue to do whatever it takes to defend herself with whatever means it deems necessary, without paying the least bit of attention to any uproar, denunciations, statements or positions expressed by others."
"These have been and always will be Syria’s sovereign decisions." Syrians remain "steadfast," he stressed.
They endure against long odds. They've done it despite endless violence and destruction. They've withstood punishing sanctions.
They "starve the population." They cause "sickness and death."
"At the same time, factories were looted and burned." Food and pharmaceutical industries were "crippl(ed)."
"Hospitals and healthcare centers were destroyed. Our railroads and electricity lines were sabotaged, and even our places of worship - Christian and Muslim."
"When all this failed, America threatened to strike Syria." Big Lies tried justifying doing so.
Syria was falsely accused of using chemical weapons. Irrefutable evidence shows terrorists bear full responsibility.
Saudi Arabia supplied toxic agents. US operatives trained proxy killers in their use. At the same time, they preach democracy, human rights and freedom.
They do so while slaughtering Syrians. They do it while ravaging and destroying the country.
They do it while committing horrific atrocities. They do it while denying their own people what they demand for Syrians.
Their concerns ring hollow. They represent the worst of unconscionable ruthlessness. Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya mass murder and destruction represent what they stand for.
So-called "Friends of Syria" are their worst enemies. They deplore what they claim to stand for. They have Syrian blood on their hands.
They "liv(e) in five star hotels" while committing mass murder. They sold their souls to the highest bidder.
They're self-serving. They're traitors. They're criminals. They're responsible for three years of terrorism.
Al-Moallem thanked Russia and China. He did so for "respecting Syrian sovereignty and independence."
"Russia has been a true champion on the international stage strongly defending, not only with words but also with deeds, the founding principles of the United Nations..."
China, BRICS countries, Iran and Iraq have done so, he said. So have Latin American countries and others worldwide.
Western nations and rogue regional allies wage terrorism while claiming to fight it. They bear full responsibility for Syrian suffering.
Al-Moallem asked conference participants if this is the Syria they want. Do they support the loss of "thousands of martyrs and our once cherished safety and national security...?"
Do they endorse the worst of imported terrorism? Did they come to Montreux for this purpose? Have they no sense of decency? Are rule of law principles unimportant?
Is conflict without end OK? Is Syrian misery? Do self-serving interests trump all others?
Is greater regional conflict OK? What about risking its global spread? What about threats too grave to ignore?
Syria remains in the eye of the storm. It bears repeating. Obama bears full responsibility. Western and regional allies share it.
Geneva is an exercise in futility. Chances of success are zero. What follows remains to be seen.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Malicious Syria Bashing: Part II
Malicious Syria Bashing: Part II
by Stephen Lendman
Part I discussed spurious anti-Assad accusations. They're fake. They have no credibility whatever. Release was strategically timed.
It came two days ahead of sham Geneva II peace talks. Much ado about nothing describes them. Chances for conflict resolution are zero. More on this below.
Assad was wrongfully accused of "industrial scale killing of detainees." No verifiable evidence suggests it. None exists. Fabrications substituted.
Syria's Ministry of Justice denounced them. It called alleged evidence baseless. "The report is a mere gathering of photos of unidentified persons proving" nothing, it said.
Releasing it ahead of Geneva II was politically motivated. Doing so undermines peace.
London's Guardian was complicit. Two published articles reported malicious lies. London's Daily Telegraph shares guilt. It reported separate allegations. It did so disgracefully.
On January 20, it headlined "Syria's Assad accused of boosting al-Qaeda with secret oil deals." Western intelligence supplied fake evidence.
It's farcical on its face. Why would Assad conspire with terrorists he's going all out to eliminate? Why would they work with a government they're committed to topple?
Releasing more fake accusations two days ahead of sham Geneva talks wasn't accidental. According to the Daily Telegraph:
"The Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad has funded and co-operated with al-Qaeda in a complex double game even as the terrorists fight Damascus."
Western intelligence sources weren't identified. Most likely they're American. Throughout nearly three years of conflict, Obama officials spread malicious lies.
London's Daily Telegraph is complicit in publishing more misinformation. US and other Western sources have no credibility. Nor do rogue anti-Assad regional countries.
"Jabhat al-Nusra, and the even more extreme Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS), the two al-Qaeda affiliates operating in Syria, have both been financed by selling oil and gas from wells under their control to and through the regime," said the Telegraph.
It claims Assad "deliberately released militant prisoners." It said he did so "to strengthen jihadist ranks at the expense of moderate 'rebel' forces."
You can't make this stuff up. The Telegraph claims he did so "to persuade the West that the 'uprising' was sponsored by Islamic militants including al-Qaeda as a way of stopping Western support for it."
Fact check
It bears repeating what previous articles explained. Syria is Obama's war. It was planned long before he took office.
It aims to replace sovereign Syrian independence with pro-Western stooge governance.
Throughout the region, Washington uses Al Qaeda and other extremist elements strategically. They're US proxy forces. They're funded, armed, trained and directed.
CIA operatives are involved. So are US special forces. Jihadists comprise the majority of anti-Assad fighters.
Thousands cross Syria's porous borders. Most pass through Turkey. Others come from Iraq and Jordan. Some from Lebanon. They're recruited from dozens of countries. They're not Syrians.
Why would Assad contribute to their ranks? Why would he aid them? He's going all out to defeat them. Claiming otherwise turns reality on its head.
So does saying it's to shift Geneva talks from regime change to fighting terrorism. Assad is unequivocal. He's right. Independent observers agree.
Syria's main problem is eliminating jihadist terrorists. Geneva talks are a side show. They'll resolve nothing.
Conflict resolution depends on defeating terrorism. Extremist anti-Assad elements aren't in Geneva. They refused to participate.
They want war, not peace. They'll keep fighting regardless of Geneva's outcome. Saudi Arabia and other regional rogue states support them. So does Washington.
Assad can't be defeated without direct US intervention. Perhaps it's coming. Maybe later this year. In the meantime, proxy war continues. No end in sight looms.
Assad is committed to defeating terrorism. Not according to the Telegraph's so-called "intelligence source." Western ones have no credibility. Unidentified ones are worst of all. The Telegraph's source lied saying:
"Assad's vow to strike terrorism with an iron fist is nothing more than bare-faced hypocrisy."
"At the same time as peddling a triumphant narrative about the fight against terrorism, his regime has made deals to serve its own interests and ensure its survival."
If so-called evidence existed, why was it withheld until now? Why was it released two days before Geneva talks?
The Telegraph claimed Assad "began collaborating actively with (extremist) groups" in spring 2013 after doing so earlier.
Syria is a minor oil producer. It's unclear what portion of its resources jihadists control. Western collaboration with them is very clear.
Helping them loot Syrian oil is part of its strategy. According to the Telegraph's source:
"The regime is paying al-Nusra to protect oil and gas pipelines under al-Nusra’s control in the north and east of the country, and is also allowing the transport of oil to regime-held areas."
"We are also now starting to see evidence of oil and gas facilities under ISIS control."
The Telegraph's source blames Assad "for the rise of al-Qaeda in Syria." It defies logic to claim it. Why misinformation was published, Telegraph editors must explain.
They claim Western alarm about Al Qaeda and other extremist elements in Syria. Washington is directly involved in enlisting and supporting them.
It did so in Libya. The same pattern repeats in Syria. It's longstanding US strategy. It began in Afghanistan.
Mujahideen fighters were recruited. They were used against Soviet Russia. Ronald Reagan called them "the moral equivalent of our founding fathers."
He invited their representatives to the White House. Allies became enemies. They're strategically used both ways at the same time. America operates this way.
Claiming alarm about extremist fighters against Assad doesn't wash. It bears repeating. Washington aids and abets them. Claiming otherwise is patently false.
Propaganda wars accompany hot ones. Since early 2011, Obama waged both. New accusations reflect the latest example of deception.
It won't be the last. The battle for Syria's soul continues. At stake is its sovereign independence.
Sham peace talks began in Switzerland. Prospects for success are zero. Washington bears full responsibility for Syria's conflict.
Obama launched it for regime change. John Kerry lied blaming Assad for what's ongoing. He called it unthinkable for him to remain in power.
He's mindless of what most Syrians want. He ignores fundamental international law. No nation may interfere in the internal affairs of others.
Doing so is longstanding US policy. Rule of law principles don't matter. Washington rules alone apply.
Kerry blamed Assad for US crimes. Excluding him from transitional governance is essential, he claims.
Russia argues otherwise. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Geneva talks must "refrain from any attempt to predetermine the outcome of the process."
Moscow forthrightly respects Syrian sovereignty. Syrians alone must determine their future. They must do it with no outside interference. Not according to Washington rules.
On January 22, talks began. Forty countries participated in day one. Their representatives addressed attendees.
Syria and opposition elements sat face-to-face for the first time. Ahmad Jarba heads the Syrian National Coalition (SNC). It fronts for Washington.
Jarba is a convenient stooge. He's self-serving. He's mindless of what Syrians want. He called his participation a mission "to rid Syria of" Assad.
He spuriously accused him of Nazi type war crimes. He demanded regime change.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem accused rogue Arab regimes of financing terrorism. They're conspiring to destroy Syria, he said.
"They have used their petrodollars to buy weapons." They "flood the international media with lies."
"Where is the moderation in 'moderate' groups," he asked? They conduct "terrorist attacks disguising their activities as counterterrorism."
"This is the real truth. Those who do not see (it) are blind. Is this the Syria you want," he asked?
Syria won't remain in conflict forever, he said. "We have come here to put an end to this barbarism. We are here to protect the civil state."
"We are here to protect the cradle of civilization. We are here to protect the Christians of the East."
"Cease armed support to terrorists. Lift the sanctions. Remove the siege, and let us practice politics," he stressed.
He accused Turkey of exacerbating conflict conditions. "Syria has received a stab in the back from its neighbors," he said. "The Erdogen government has allowed terrorists into our land."
Saudi Arabia is directly involved. "Wahhabis are trying to throw the country back. They have virtually no ties with Syria."
"They rape women, kill children, cut off their heads, and hang them (in) the streets." Al-Moallem criticized other countries. They hide their intentions behind slogans like "the great Syrian revolution," he said.
"They've plunged the country in the dirt, but the masks are torn off now. We see what they want."
"They want to aggravate the situation in the country. They are pumping oil dollars to mercenaries, behaving like barbarians and hiding behind the goals of the Syrian revolution."
John Kerry said "(w)e see only one option, negotiating a transition government born by mutual consent."
"That means that Bashar al-Assad will not be part of that transition government." He wrongfully accused him of Washington's crimes.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged responsible conflict resolution.
"We hope that all external players will encourage Syrians to reach an accord, to refrain - and to prevent the sides - from attempts to predetermine final agreements, from other steps capable of disrupting the negotiating process," he said.
"It is necessary to engage Iran in the common efforts towards the fulfillment of the Geneva communique devoid of attempts to interpret it either way," he added.
"The essence of this document is that issues related to the future of Syria must be resolved by the consent of the government and the opposition."
"There can be no solution found through the use of force. Dialogue is the only way."
Russia supports Syrian sovereignty. Syrians alone must decide who'll govern. Outside forces have no right to choose.
Talks will shift from Montreux to Geneva. Syria and opposition representatives alone will participate.
Discussions will continue for days. A final communique will follow. Russia won't permit it to say Assad must go. Syrians alone must decide either way.
Geneva won't achieve conflict resolution. No end in sight looms.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama Maintains a State of National Emergency
Obama Maintains a State of National Emergencyby Stephen LendmanNo threat whatever exists. Alleged ones are fabricated. They're fake. They used to enforce police state harshness.Fearmongering is longstanding US policy. So is bald-faced lying. At issue i...
Malicious Syria Bashing
Malicious Syria Bashingby Stephen LendmanIt's longstanding. It began long before Obama's war erupted. It was nearly three years ago.Releasing a new report on Syria was strategically timed. It's out two days before sham peace talks begin in Montreux, Sw...
Harper in Israel
Harper in Israelby Stephen LendmanOn January 18, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived in Israel. It's his first official state visit. He's touring Israel, Jordan and the West Bank. More on his trip below.America's special relationship with Is...
Syrian Peace Talks: DOA
Syria Peace Talks: DOAby Stephen LendmanAn article was written yesterday for today. It was titled Iran Invited to Syria Peace Talks. No longer. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon withdrew his invitation. He did so disgracefully.He's a reliable imper...
Beating Up on Russia
Beating Up on Russia
by Stephen Lendman
An earlier article called America a super-bully nation. It did so for good reason. It's no fit place to live in. Obama represents its dark side. He's waging war on humanity.
He's doing it belligerently, politically, economically and socially. He represents the worst of rogue leadership. So does bipartisan complicity.
Washington is a cesspool of lawlessness. It's worse than ever now. Lawmakers are ruthless. They're corrupt. They're self-serving. So are administration officials.
Government by diktat is policy. So is state terror. Rule of law principles don't matter. They're routinely violated. Anything goes defines things. Democracy exists in name only.
America tolerates none at home or abroad. It demands all nations bow to its will. Outliers are targeted for regime change.
Russia is a convenient punching bag. It's one of the few countries able to assert its independence. It's able to get away with it. At least so far.
Putin bashing is unrelenting. Instead of partnering for peace and stability, beating up on him renews Cold War tensions.
Media scoundrels regurgitate what demands condemnation. They're complicit in hyperbolic/baseless accusations.
Mainstream misinformation calls him a strongman KGB thug. He's compared to Stalin, Hitler and Saddam. He's falsely accused of imperial ambitions.
Putinphobes claim he loves poking America in the eye. They bash his peace initiatives. Ritualistic demonization continues.
Doing so suggests reinventing the Evil Empire. It's back to the future. Where it's heading remains to be seen.
On January 17, the Daily Beast headlined "Congress Presses Obama on Russia sanctions."
Four senators called for doing so. They include John McCain (R. AZ), Bob Corker (R. TN), Robert Menendez (D. NY), and Ben Cardin (D. MD).
They want a provision of the so-called Magnitsky Act invoked. It lets lawmakers submit alleged human rights violator names for administration consideration.
Official accusations subject them to sanctions. They include visa bans and asset freezes. Complicit senators wrote John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, saying:
"On December 20, 2013, we received the Department of State’s first annual report."
"Disappointingly and contrary to repeated assurances and expectations, this report indicates that no persons have been added to the Magnitsky list since April 2013 and does not provide adequate details on the administration's efforts to encourage other governments to impose similar targeted sanctions."
"We look forward to your response to our request and hope you will also clarify when we can expect additional names to be added to the Magnitsky list as well as specific administration efforts to encourage other governments to adopt legislation similar to the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012."
They stopped short of targeting Putin directly. They named Alexander Bastrykin. He's former First Deputy Prosecutor General. He chaired the Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office.
They want alleged Russian organized crime boss Dmitry Klyeuv sanctioned. Maybe they have other names in mind.
Maybe they'll include Putin. Maybe they and other congressional hardliners plan rupturing US-Russian relations entirely.
Maybe they plan on doing it. Maybe Obama won't stop them.
On January 19, The New York Times headlined "Congressional Leaders Suggest Earlier Snowden Link to Russia."
House and Senate Intelligence Committee chairs suggested it. Rep. Mike Rogers (R. MI) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D. CA) offered no evidence whatever.
Baseless accusations began last June. They followed Snowden's revelations. "(T)here has been much speculation that he was collaborating with a foreign spy service," said The Times.
An unnamed FBI official said he likely acted alone. An Agency investigation continues.
"(D)ebate rages about whether he was a traitor, a whistle-blower or a violator of his oaths," said The Times.
Some in Washington say he's all three. Rogers accused him of knowingly or unknowingly being directed by a foreign intelligence agency.
"I believe there's a reason he ended up in the hands, the loving hands, of an FSB (Federal Security Service) agent in Moscow," he said. "I don't think that's a coincidence."
He went "way beyond his technical capabilities," claimed Rogers. "He had help. He stole things that had nothing to do with privacy."
According to The Times:
"Intelligence officials say they have no doubt that Chinese and Russian intelligence have obtained whatever information Mr. Snowden was carrying with him digitally."
He insists he gave nothing to other governments. Rogers accused him of stealing 1.7 million intelligence files.
He claimed billions of dollars are needed to undo his security breaches. He provided no evidence to prove it.
Snowden said nothing he revealed compromises national security. He exposed lawless NSA spying. He provided a public service. He began a much needed debate.
According to Rogers, his arrival in Moscow wasn't "gee-whiz luck."
ACLU lawyer Ben Wizner advises Snowden. He called Rogers' accusation "false" and "silly." He "exaggerated national security claims."
His actions before seeking asylum were entirely inconsistent with foreign espionage. He sought asylum in 20 countries.
He was stuck in Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport's transit area for weeks. It doesn't matter. House Homeland Security Committee chairman Michael McCaul (R. TX) said he was "cultivated by a foreign power."
FBI as well as House and Senate intelligence committee investigations continue. They've been ongoing for months. They found nothing linking Snowden to foreign espionage.
It doesn't matter. Accusations continue. Russia is Washington's main target. US officials remain furious about Putin refusing America's extradition request.
Snowden's charged under the 1917 Espionage Act. It's a long ago outdated WW I relic. It has no current relevance.
It doesn't matter. Or that Snowden committed no crime. He acted under the provisions of the 1989 Whistleblower Protection Act.
It protects federal employees. Reporting government wrongdoing provides a public service. Federal agencies are prohibited from retaliating against those who do so.
Acting otherwise violates federal law. It spurns constitutional protections. Federal charges include:
- "Theft of Government Property
- Unauthorized Communication of National Defense Information (and)
- Willful Communication of Classified Intelligence Information to an Unauthorized Person."
At the time, a Government Accountability Project
statement said:
Snowden "disclosed information about a secret program that he reasonably believed to be illegal, and his actions alone brought about the long-overdue national debate about the proper balance between privacy and civil liberties, on the one hand, and national security on the other."
He was Obama's 8th wrongfully charged victim under the Espionage Act. It's more than all previous administrations combined.
It's a damning indictment of US lawlessness. Beating up on Russia compounds it. Granting Snowden asylum had nothing to do with complicity. Nor refusing to extradite him.
Some in Washington want more than charges pressed. Snowden is public enemy number one.
An unnamed NSA analyst said:
"In a world where I would not be restricted from killing an American, I personally would go and kill him myself. A lot of people share this sentiment."
An unnamed defense contractor official said Snowden's "name is cursed every day over here. Most everyone I talk to says he needs to be tried and hung. Forget the trial. Just hang him."
An unnamed Army intelligence officer said:
"I think if we had the chance, we would end it very quickly. Just casually walking on the streets of Moscow, coming back from buying his groceries."
"Going back to his flat and he is casually poked by a passerby. He thinks nothing of it at the time starts to feel a little woozy and thinks it’s a parasite from the local water. He goes home very innocently and next thing you know he dies in the shower."
An unnamed Pentagon official/former special forces officer said:
"I would love to put a bullet in his head. I do not take pleasure in taking another human life, having to do it in uniform, but he is single-handedly the greatest traitor in American history."
Others would nominate Pentagon commanders for that "distinction." It's a killing machine. It's responsible for millions of lost lives. It routinely commits other high crimes.
So do many others infesting Washington. No nation causes more harm to more people globally than America. None are more out-of-control.
None are more sanctimonious. None more claim a divine right. None more abusively violate rule of law principles.
None more outrageously call naked aggression humanitarian intervention. None more gravely threaten humanity.
None have more apologists. None have more serial liars. None more disgracefully champion wrong over right.
America is in a class by itself. It's on a fast track toward full-blown tyranny. Some argue it already arrived.
Thousands of innocent people languish in gulag hell. Police state laws provide cover. Torture is official policy. So is diktat power over constitutional law.
High-level public and private wrongdoing is endemic. It's out-of-control. Permanent wars wage. America's only enemies are ones it creates.
Countries are ravaged one at a time or in multiples. No one is safe at home. Freedom is fast disappearing. Dissent is considered criminal. So is challenging government wrongdoing.
Exposing it is essential. Whistleblowers perform a public service. They deserve praise, not prosecution. Not in America. It's beautiful for its privileged alone. It's pure hell for most others. Change is nowhere in sight.
A Final Comment
On January 19, the Wall Street Journal headlined "Documents Show NSA Phone Program Provided 1,000 Terror Tips A Year to FBI."
Obama and NSA head General Keith Alexander lied claiming mass surveillance prevented 50 terrorist threats.
Domestic and foreign spying discovered none. It foiled none. Innocent victims are wrongfully charged. They languish unjustly in America's gulag.
The Journal said "newly declassified (DNI) documents" claim NSA's phone program provides about three potential terror tips daily.
Whether true, exaggerated or false, their quality or reliability isn't explained. According to the Journal:
"A recent presidentially appointed review of the program found the NSA phone surveillance program had not been essential to preventing attacks."
"The program's defenders argue it has been an important counterterrorism tool."
America's only terror threats are ones it invents. NSA spying has nothing to do with national security.
It's for control, political advantage and espionage. It doesn't keep America safe. It's unconstitutional. It continues unrestrained.
It does so more intrusively as technology improves. So-called Obama reforms assure business as usual.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
New York Times Editors: On the Wrong Side of History
New York Times Editors: On the Wrong Side of Historyby Stephen LendmanTimes editors support the worst of US crimes of war and against humanity. Managed news misinformation substitutes for unvarnished truth.Editorials wrongfully blame Assad for Western-...
UK War Crimes Exposed
UK War Crimes Exposedby Stephen LendmanBritain is complicit in most US wars of aggression. It's no surprise when new information surfaces. More on it below.The July 2002 "Downing Street memo" was leaked to The Sunday Times. In May 2005, it was revealed...
Shaky Syrian Peace Talks
Shaky Syrian Peace Talksby Stephen LendmanObama doesn't want talks for peace. He wants his rules imposed. He wants government by diktats. He wants unconditional surrender. He wants regime change. He wants Syrians denied the right to decide who'll ...
How Israel Gets Away with Murder
How Israel Gets Away with Murderby Stephen LendmanIsrael is above the law. It's exempt for observing rule of law principles. It's free to rampage extrajudicially. It kills and kills again. It does so with impunity. It justifies lawlessness the old...
Promised Land Disenchantment
Promised Land Disenchantment
by Stephen Lendman
Many Israelis want out. Haaretz said "almost 40 percent of (them) are thinking of emigrating." Recent polling said they'd leave if financially able.
Israeli governance combines militarism, repression, corruption, and neoliberal harshness.
It's no fit place to live in. Many Jews vote with their feet and leave. Others prepare by securing foreign passports.
Many of Israel's best and brightest go. In 2012, over 14% of Israeli science and engineering doctorate holders lived abroad for three or more years. They left to work or study.
They're in no rush to return. Many never do. It's hard getting them back once they're gone.
One of the most commonly given reasons for leaving isn't why they left. It's why it took them so long to do so.
At the same time, with so many of Israel's best and brightest leaving, why would their counterparts abroad consider immigrating?
On October 8, Haaretz headlined "Israel has worst rate of brain drain in West, study shows." It cited a Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel report.
It's titled the "State of the Nation Report 2013." A press release cited Israel's deteriorating higher education system. In part it said:
"The country’s top universities have fewer senior faculty positions today than they did four decades ago.
"Since 1973, the number of students per professor has more than doubled."
"The universities have moved away from employment of higher costing academic researchers and have increasingly outsourced the teaching to non-research, external lecturers."
"Israel's academic brain drain to the United States is unparalleled, with 29 Israeli scholars in the US for every 100 remaining at home in 2008 (the most recent data available), an increase from the 25 per 100 in the US just four years earlier."
"This is several orders of magnitude more than the 1.1 Japanese or the 3.4 French scholars for each 100 remaining in their respective home countries."
The emigration rate of Israeli researchers is the highest among Western countries. In the past 40 years, education spending per student dropped sharply.
In 1979, it was NIS 82,000 per student. In 2011, it was 26,500. Since then, funding increased. According to Taub Center executive director Dan Ben-David, amounts spent were far too little. Comprehensive change is lacking.
After establishing world-class research universities, "Israel underwent a dramatic about-face," said Ben-David.
"Over the course of the last four decades, the place of research universities has consistently fallen lower down the priority scale," he added.
The years between 2002 and 2010 fared worst of all. The prevalent academia view calls it "the lost decade." Ben-David considers the post-1970 period the lost four decades.
In 1973, every 100,000 Israelis included 131 senior faculty members. In 2011, it was 62. It represents a 53% decline.
Over the same period, student numbers pursuing higher education rose over 400%. Teaching staff increased 40%.
Last April, Haaretz headlined "Putting a lid on Israel's brain drain."
Worldwide technology companies demand top highly skilled engineers. They need other professionals. It prompts many qualified Israelis to pull up stakes and leave.
Eynet Guez heads Relocation Jobs. It's an Israeli-based firm. It provides "global relocation" and headhunting services.
"It's a bit sad, but these days we are seeing greater adventurism than in the past, due mainly to a feeling of despair and pessimism about what is happening in Israel," said Guez.
"In the past, people were less open to innovation and daring, because they believed they had options for getting ahead locally."
According to survey results her firm conducted, the number of high-skill/high-salaried professionals looking to improve their quality of life increased significantly.
They're leaving with or without higher pay. Quality of life matters more for some. Most don't come back.
On October 14, Jerusalem Post editors discussed the issue. Easy solutions are lacking, they said. IDF elite Talpiot Program graduates head for Silicon Valley. Some run high-tech Boston companies.
Reports surface about US hi-tech firms buying Israeli start-ups. They take their technology and skilled professionals to America.
"The latest public debate" came after three Jewish scientists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Ariel Warshel and Michael Levitt are Israelis. They all work in America.
They hold dual citizenships. Ben-David warned for years about the "catastrophic consequences" of the "hemorrhaging of leading minds."
Nearly a decade ago, science and technology minister Matan Vilna'i established a program. It encouraged outstanding Israeli scientists and researchers studying abroad to return home.
Nurit Eyal heads the Israel National Brain Gain Program. He's working to encourage Israeli emigres to come back.
He offers help finding employment. He's in direct contact with Israeli companies looking to hire. He says Israelis with one or more scientific degrees "can be absorbed in industry, medicine and research institutions or academics."
Hebrew University president Menahem Ben-Sasson urges government to provide more university funding. So does Ben-David. According to the Jerusalem Post (JP):
"(W)hile these are worthy initiatives that might convince talented Israelis to stay put, underlying trends and the Jews’ penchant for wandering seem to mitigate against easy solutions."
Years earlier, emigration was considered unpatriotic. Today it's a legitimate upward mobility option.
A recent Geocartography Knowledge Group survey found 48% of Israelis saying they'd rather live elsewhere. They wish they were born abroad.
Security, weather, physical surroundings and other issues were cited. "(W)andering seems to be in Jews DNA," said JP.
Throughout most Jewish history, "they existed as a people without a physical homeland. No government policy will change this."
In October, Israel's Channel 10 aired a series titled "The New Emigrants." Former IDF chief of staff Uzi Dayan said:
"Those who emigrate from Israel will forever be seen as a betrayal to the Zionist idea. Let us bring the Jewish nation back to their birthplace."
"Those who leave to go to Germany disgust me." More on German emigration below.
"To the Israelis who justify their emigration because of material reasons, I must remind you of anti-Semitic contention, that the Jews' homeland is wherever they feel good. Zionism contends that the only good place for the Jews is their homeland."
At the same time, Dayan acknowledged "plenty to fix in our country, but it should be corrected in our country."
"Every person has the right to choose where to live, just as I have the right to speak my mind about it," he added.
Talmudic and other teaching forbids Jewish homeland emigration. Zionist ideologues abhor the idea. More recently, criticizing emigres is less common.
Around 20,000 or more live in Germany. Berlin resident Tal Alon said she started Hebrew magazine Spitz in 2012. She did so because "exciting things" are happening there.
Thousands of Jews live in Berlin. Alon "moved for the experience, the adventure, to satisfy the will to broaden (her) horizons," she said.
She established Spitz to connect with local German and Israeli communities. It aims to "serve as a bridge for Hebrew speakers in the Berlin landscape."
Spitz means sharp tip. "It's a word that moved from German - and some claim Yiddish - to Hebrew," said Alon.
Financing and producing revenue is hard. Dozens of contributors haven't been paid. Currently around 250 subscribers get Spitiz free. Hundreds of copies are distributed throughout the city.
Many Israelis come to Berlin for similar reasons. It's multi-cultural. It's a magnet for young artists, musicians and writers.
It's easy for Israelis to get second passports. With it, they can live anywhere in Europe.
Around 100,000 Israelis hold German passports. Thousands apply annually for German citizenship. Germany attracts Jews because it's government wants to make amends.
It's an international city. Jews have deep roots in Germany. Post-war Jewish population was around 30,000. After Soviet Russia dissolved, over 200,000 emigrated.
In 2004, more former Soviet Jews went to Germany than Israel. Many fewer emigrate now. Israelis keep coming. Ex-pats call it a good place to raise children.
On October 10, New Yorker contributor Ruth Margalit headlined "The Real Reason for Israel's Brain Drain," saying:
Over "half a million Israelis" live abroad. Most reside in America or Canada. More recently, many emigrated to Europe. Germany is a favored destination.
Ex-pats "tend to be young and educated, in search of graduate degrees or better-paying jobs. Their reasons for leaving are largely financial or educational."
Most stay. Some return. Israel is increasingly unaffordable. One ex-pat said his parents came out of retirement to help."
A recent Calcalist financial publication survey found 87% of Israelis over aged 25 dependent on parents for support. It's not a luxury. It's necessary to meet expenses.
Calcalist interviewed an unnamed 40-year old Israeli engineer. His wife works. They have four young children.
They need both sets of parents for help. They can't make ends meet on their own. Nor can many other Israelis.
"I went to the army," the engineer said. "I pay my taxes. I feel like I'm doing everything right. It's really frustrating. I just can't see us managing on our own."
Promised land hype is more illusion than reality. Many Israelis give up and leave.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama Defends the Indefensible
Obama Defends the Indefensibleby Stephen LendmanOn Friday, Obama addressed sweeping NSA mass surveillance. He defended the worst of police state lawlessness.He believes privacy invasion intrusiveness should comfort us. He lied claiming it makes us safe...
Reactions to Obama’s NSA Address
Reactions to Obama's NSA Address
by Stephen Lendman
Hundreds of Stop Watching Us activists protested outside the Justice Department. They did so before he spoke.
They wore STOP SPYING glasses. They held signs saying "Stop Spying on Us." "Big Brother In Chief." "Obama = Tyranny."
CODEPINK members were there. On Thursday, co-founder Medea Benjamin said:
"Though President Obama is scheduled to lay out reforms for the NSA spying program, we have little reason to believe they will be sufficient of implemented."
"The intelligence agencies in the US are totally out of control - from mass dragnet spying, to killing by remote control…" and it's time for transparency and accountability."
Bill of Rights Defense Committee executive director Shahid Buttar said:
"Despite pledging to stop Bush era abuses, President Obama has repeatedly chosen to leave the NSA free to monitor the American people en masse."
"More than any other issue, his administration's complicity in mass surveillance will come to define its legacy."
It's certain unless he "chooses to finally support reforms like the USA FREEDOM Act, which would end bulk collection, and start a longer process needed to remove the officials caught lying to Congress, and fix the broken secret FISA court process."
Clearly, he has no intention of doing it. A same day article said the worst of business as usual will continue.
Skepticism and then some followed Obama's address. Center for Constitutional Rights President Emeritus Michael Ratner said:
"I didn't expect a lot, but I think we got almost nothing in terms of actually reining in what I call this national surveillance state."
"We have a right to privacy." Not according to Obama. "So you have this vast surveillance apparatus."
"And then you have a speech that basically lauds the people who are spies, talks about them really as, oh, they're your neighbor. They don't want to do anything wrong to you. They're only out to protect you."
His address was a shameless PR stunt. It was smoke and mirrors. It was long on rhetoric. It was short on substance. It delivered empty promises.
It was filled "with a lot of BS about oversight (and) transparency," said Ratner. It was "completely meaningless."
Obama wants us to trust the government "which we've shown can't (be) trust(ed)."
Former Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson called Obama's address "disappointing, but not surprising."
"It is simply not realistic to expect the federal government to voluntarily relinquish powers it has granted itself, even when (they're) unconstitutional."
"And when the government has convinced itself that it is OK to sweep up the phone calls, texts and emails of hundreds of millions of Americans, it is no surprise that the President is not really proposing to change anything."
TechFreedom president Berin Szoka said Obama's "speech will probably be remembered most for the much-needed reforms it didn't announce."
Law Professor Jonathan Turley called Obama's address "a nothing burger served hot and with a sympathetic smile."
"It was much of the same. Another review board composed of government officials. Another promise for the Executive Branch to review itself."
"I was underwhelmed. It seemed like another attempt to reinvent privacy in a new surveillance friendly image."
Mass surveillance "will continued and the intelligence community will retain its authority with little outside independent limits."
Obama's reform is "basically 'trust us, we're your government' (including a reminder that NSA people are your neighbors)."
His speech was "more spin than substance." It was typical Obama.
The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) said Obama's "proposed reforms (far) short of what is needed, particularly in terms of actionable solutions."
CDT director Greg Nojeim said:
"(W)e were disappointed in (Obama's) failure to offer a clear path forward on (vital) reforms."
His "proposed changes do not fully address the fundamental problem of bulk collection of personal metadata and fail to adequately protect the rights of people around the world."
Partnership for Civil Justice Fund co-founders Carl Messineo and Mara Verheyden-Hilliard said:
"Rather than dismantling the NSA's unconstitutional mass surveillance programs, or even substantially restraining them, President Obama today has issued his endorsement of them."
"The speech today was 'historic' in the worst sense. It represents a historic failure by a president to rein in mass government illegality and violations of fundamental rights."
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said Obama's so-called reforms have "have a long way to go. Now it's up to Congress and courts" to act.
EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn said:
"Mass non-targeted surveillance violates international human rights law."
"It is disproportionate because it sweeps up the communications and communications records of million of innocent people first and only sorts out second what is actually needed."
"(T)he NSA must be forbidden from engaging in mass, untargeted surveillance in the US or abroad."
ACLU executive director Anthony Romero said:
Obama's "decision not to end bulk collection and retention of all Americans' data remains highly troubling."
Glushko-Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic staff lawyer Tamir Israel said:
"Protecting foreigners' privacy rights" is essential. Recognizing it "in principle is unhelpful, as (Obama's) Directive leaves the US foreign intelligence apparatus' capacity to indiscriminately spy on all the activities of all foreigners all the time largely untouched."
Privacy International Legal Director Carly Nyst said:
"The reforms proposed by President Obama fundamentally ignore those who are spied on simply because they don't have an American passport."
"We need genuine, effective changes that account for the way the world now communicates. Secret international intelligence-sharing arrangements must come to an end and human rights must be properly guaranteed to humans, not just American citizens."
Amnesty International executive director Steven Hawkins said:
"The big picture takeaway from today's speech is that the right of privacy remains under grave threat both here at home and around the world."
Access executive director Brett Solomon said:
"The human right to privacy is universal. The rights of persons outside of the United States are as fundamental as the rights of U.S. citizens."
"However, the President’s defense of ongoing overseas intelligence collection programs ensures that the citizens of the world will continue to be subject to mass surveillance."
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange called Obama's speech "embarrassing." He spoke "for almost 45 minutes and sa(id) almost nothing."
"He's been very reluctant to make any concrete reforms, and unfortunately, today we see very few" presented.
On January 17, London's Guardian headlined Obama NSA reforms receive mixed response in Europe and Brazil," saying:
"Europeans were largely underwhelmed by Barack Obama's speech on limited reform of US espionage practices, saying the measures did not go far enough to address concerns over American snooping on its European allies."
NSA supporters loved Obama's speech. House and Senate intelligence committee chairpersons Rep. Mike Rogers (R. MI) and Diane Feinstein (D. CA) issued a joint statement, saying:
"Today President Obama gave a strong speech in defense of the need to collect and use intelligence in order to protect the nation and to prevent terrorist attacks around the world."
"We strongly agree with his comments in support and praise of the professionals in our intelligence community who do this work while upholding the civil liberties and privacy rights of all Americans."
Democrats largely supported Obama's speech. Republicans offered mixed reactions. Speaker John Boehner said:
"I look forward to learning more about how the new procedure for accessing data will not put Americans at greater risk."
"And the House will review any legislative reforms proposed by the administration." It "will not erode the operational integrity of critical programs that have helped keep America safe."
Senator Rand Paul dissented strongly, saying:
"The Fourth Amendment requires an individualized warrant based on probable cause before the government can search phone records and e-mails."
"I intend to continue the fight to restore Americans' rights through my Fourth Amendment Restoration Act and my legal challenge against the NSA. The American people should not expect the fox to guard the hen house."
The Financial Times called Obama "defiant on US surveillance activities."
Wall Street Journal editors said he delivered "a conflicted address…His new anti-terror proposals will do little to secure American privacy but they might make the country less safe."
New York Times editors support the worst of Obama's policies. They praised his speech. It "was in large part an admission that he had been wrong," they said.
He "announced important new restrictions on the collection of information about ordinary Americans…He called for greater oversight of the intelligence community..."
He "acknowledged that intrusive forms of technology posed a growing threat to civil liberties." At the same time, "his reforms (lacked) specifics..."
Calling "on Congress to create a panel of independent advocates (is) a huge improvement" over current practice.
Times editors largely defended the worst of lawless mass surveillance. They left rule of law principles unaddressed. They ignored America's fast track toward tyranny. They betrayed their readers in the process.
The Chicago Tribune defended Obama saying:
His "proposals outlined Friday are modest enough to give Americans some confidence that their privacy will be better protected without creating a greater risk to their security."
Los Angeles Times editors called Obama's "NSA reforms a significant step."
His "overarching theme...was that, with the best of intentions, the government over which (he) presides has gone too far in taking advantage of advanced technology."
He must "restore the proper balance between security and privacy."
Since mid-2013, the Washington Post discussed Snowden documents in detail. Numerous articles explained how NSA violates personal privacy.
Unless Obama acts to change current policy, intrusive "programs will carry on unabated," said WaPo.
Obama tried putting lipstick on a pig. Expect nothing substantive ahead to change. Washington is a cesspool of lawlessness. Things are worse than ever now.
Congress and federal courts are in lockstep with the worst administration policies. Rule of law principles don't matter.
Government by diktats threatens everyone. Freedom is fast disappearing. It's happening in plain sight.
Obama did more to destroy it than any previous president. It takes a giant leap of faith to think he'll reverse things.
He waged war on democratic values. He did so from day one in office. He's a duplicitous con man. He broke every major promise made.
He wants Americans to trust him. He gives chutzpah new meaning. He intends business as usual.
Sustained in-his-face public outrage is the only chance to stop him. Inertia so far keeps it contained.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Rafik Hariri Murder Trial
Rafik Hariri Murder Trialby Stephen LendmanOn January 16, the UN's Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) convened. It did so in the Hague. Nine years after Hariri's assassination, show trial proceedings began. Hezbollah members were wrongfully accuse...
Israel Denies Palestinians All Rights
Israel Denies Palestinians All Rightsby Stephen LendmanAccording to UN Special Rapporteur on Occupied Palestine Richard Falk, "Palestinians don't even have the right to have rights."Militarized occupation denies them. Harshness exceeding the worst of S...
Beating Up on Syria and Iran Persists
Beating Up on Syria and Iran Persists
by Stephen Lendman
Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett asked whether "Obama is trying to resolve or prolong the conflict with Syria?"
Given US preconditions, resolution is impossible. On January 22, talks are scheduled to begin. They'll do so in Montreux, Switzerland. They'll shift to Geneva.
It's unclear who's coming. Internal divisions leave Syrian National Coalition members undecided. They're supposed to say shortly if they'll come. Maybe some will. Maybe others won't.
Syria's National Coordination Body won't attend. Assad won't negotiate with Al Nusra, Al Qaeda or other terrorists. Nor should he. Nor should anyone. They want no part of peace talks anyway.
Iran wasn't invited. Kerry called its participation conditional. Tehran accepts no preconditions. Nor should any participant.
Kerry wants Washington rules enforced. What America says goes. Participants must approve regime change.
Assad must go, says Kerry. Syrians have no right to decide..
The Leveretts asked:
"Is it not reasonable to conclude that the great power in question is (how to put this gently) lying about its purported support for peace?"
"That, in a nutshell, is the Obama administration's posture toward the ongoing conflict in Syria."
Kerry is Obama's front man. He deplores peace. He demands unconditional surrender.
He lied claiming Geneva I excludes Assad's future political role. On January 16, he said Geneva II aims to establish "a process essential to the formation of a transition government body..."
It's "the only way to bring about an end to the civil war..." It bears repeating what numerous previous articles explained.
Syria is Obama's war. There's nothing "civil" about it. CIA and US Special Forces are involved. So are US-backed terrorists. They've been recruited from dozens of countries.
They enter Syria across porous borders. Washington supplies funding, weapons, training and direction.
It's doing so now. It'll do so throughout peace talks. Washington wants war, not peace. It'll continue as long as Assad remains president.
Obama bears full responsibility for what's happening. Kerry shares blame. He calls Assad "unacceptable" to govern.
He "cannot be a part of (Syria's) future. The United Nations, the United States, Russia, and all the (participating) countries know what this conference is about."
They agree on "implementing Geneva I." It stipulates Assad must go, says Kerry.
It says no such thing. Russia supports Syrian sovereignty. Syrians alone must decide who'll lead them.
On January 16, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
"We exchanged views on Geneva conference, and our views were identical on the necessity to exert every effort to make the conference a success," said al-Moallem.
"We want this conference to ensure a political solution to the crisis in Syria being the safest route and meet the Syrian people's aspirations, foremost combating terrorism," he added.
"We believe that this conference should lay the foundation for dialogue among the Syrians without any foreign interference and with respecting Syria's sovereignty and independence," he stressed.
Lavrov said he and al-Moallem "highlighted (a) common position that the goal of Geneva II is to end the bloodshed and prevent Syria from turning into a hotbed for international terrorism"
He stressed the necessity to respect Syria's independent, secular sovereignty. International law must be respected. No nation may impose its will on Syria or any other country.
Kerry said ending Syria's conflict won't be easy. Indeed not as long as Washington fuels it.
As long as Obama demands regime change. As long as death squads get US support. As long as Washington demands Assad must go. As long as it demands unconditional acceptance of US diktats.
Kerry lied saying "(w)e will continue to stand with the people of Syria writ large, all the people, in an effort to provide them with the dignity and the new Syria which they are fighting for."
They're fighting for their sovereign rights. They want US-supported death squads defeated. They want peace, stability and security restored.
They want the sole right to decide who'll lead them. They want America, NATO, Israel and rogue Arab states having no say. They want what international law demands.
Geneva I failed. Expect no conflict resolution this time. Obama won't quit until Syria is entirely destroyed.
His regional agenda prioritizes ravaging one country after another. He thrives on war. He deplores peace. Imagine what he plans going forward.
Rapprochement with Iran is very much in doubt. Obama's rhetoric belies his policies. Congressional hawks want business as usual.
They want new sanctions imposed. Doing so will scuttle Joint Plan of Action (JPA) agreed on terms.
Whether legislation called the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013 passes remains to be seen.
Fifty-nine senators support it. Sixty are needed to assure passage. Obama promised to veto legislation. A congressional two-thirds majority is needed to override him
Senate co-sponsor Richard Blumenthal (D. CT) has second thoughts.
"(A)s long as there is progress," he prefers delaying a vote. On January 20, JPA becomes effective. Its timeframe runs six months.
Final terms will be negotiated during the interim. Talks will show whether or not Obama wants rapprochement. Israel is fundamentally opposed.
AIPAC wants Iran isolated. It wants business as usual continued. So do congressional hawks. Most House and Senate members oppose rapprochement. Odds favor things turning out this way.
Iran is between a rock and a hard place. Thirty-four years of US hostility continues. On January 17, Press TV headlined "Hillary Clinton pushed for US 'green light" for Israeli attack on Iran."
She tacitly endorsed it. She discussed it during a 2010 White House meeting. She called it an option to consider. Two unnamed former US officials revealed it.
Obama didn't follow through. Israel didn't attack. It's uncertain what happens going forward. Kerry matches the worst of Clinton's belligerence.
Prominent hawks want JPA derailed. The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is an influential right-wing think tank. It's pro-business. It's pro-war. It's militantly anti-Iranian.
Danielle Pletka is vice president for foreign and defense studies. On January 13, she headlined "The unbearable lightness of US Iran policy."
She lied saying "Iran poses (a threat) throughout the larger Middle East." Washington "has no competitive strategy against" it, she claims.
"Rather, we have continued to plod along (in ways that do) little to undermine Iranian influence, challenge Iranian proxies, or otherwise advance principles that we hold dear."
"In short: it's not just the nuclear agreement that falls short."
"Everything America is doing in the Middle East is allowing Iran to consolidate power, co-opt Shiites, threaten our allies, and co-opt local populations. Surprised? Yeah, me neither."
Pletka barely stopped short of urging war. Maybe a follow-up commentary will. She wholeheartedly endorses US imperial madness. Warmongers act this way.
Maseh Zarif is AEI's Critical Threats Project deputy director. On January 15, he headlined "Iran action plan is no step forward," saying:
It "fails to verifiably eliminate Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons." It does "nothing to force Iran to address weaponization-related activities or its pursuit of ballistic missiles, which could serve as delivery vehicles for a nuclear warhead."
"(O)ver-reliance on Iranian cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency will be another problem."
"Uranium enrichment and other related projects will continue unchecked…The prospects (of resolving) flaws inherent in the first step...are dim."
"The regime and its leadership remain fundamentally hostile to the US worldview." Its regional agenda "is inimical to American interests."
"Unless the Obama administration confronts these realities and works to prevent Iran’s pursuit of its ambitions, it will lose the next six months as it has lost the last six months."
Fact check
Iran's nuclear program is peaceful. It has no military component. Nothing suggests otherwise.
Iran has as much right to nuclear power as dozens of other countries. It's entirely legal. It complies with NPT provisions.
Tehran seeks rapprochement with all nations. It wants regional peace, stability and security. It wants a nuclear weapons free Middle East.
It wants rule of law principles respected. It opposes Washington's imperial agenda. It justifiably does so. Don't expect right-wing extremists to explain.
James Kirchick is a Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior fellow. It's a neocon think tank.
Kirchick doubles as a US propagandist. He writes for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Mainstream publications feature his rubbish.
On January 16, he headlined "Slandering Senators as Warmongers." They have "good reasons" wanting the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013 to pass," he said.
JPA has "no explicit mechanisms to enforce Iran's compliance." Congress "is being cut out from a process with Iran" entirely.
Prior to agreeing on JPA terms, "Iran violated (its) spirt, if not (its) letter..."
It pursues only what JPA permits. It violates nothing. JPA very much has enforcement mechanisms.
Iran's nuclear program is the most heavily monitored one anywhere. JPA assures stepped-up intensity.
Current sanctions are illegal. Congress had no right to impose them. Nor new ones. Stiff enough ones head toward embargo conditions.
Imposing a total one approaches a blockade. It's close to declaring war. Jack Kennedy called blockades acts of war.
Iran is nonbelligerent. It threatens no one. Blocking all imports and exports constitutes illegal aggression. Doing so violates UN Charter and other international law provisions.
Kirchick claims more sanctions strengthens JPA. They force Iran to "negotiate and behave in good faith."
At issue are US intentions. Iran has reason for concern. American agreements aren't worth the paper they're written on.
Terms are routinely violated unilaterally. Obama did by imposing new sanctions on Iranian, European and Asian companies. He did so by Executive Order.
Doing it was just cause for Iran to declare JPA null and void. It chose not to. On January 20, implementation begins.
Kirchick wants it subverted. He cited "terror-sponsoring theocrats in Tehran." He calls Iran "the world's leading sponsor of terrorism."
"(T)ime and again (it) show(ed) itself to be reliable only in the sense that is reliably deceptive."
Turning truth on its head is longstanding neocon policy. No matter how well Iran observes JPA, expect criticism to follow.
Expect hardball efforts to prevent rapprochement. Expect Obama to be as duplicitous as congressional hawks.
Expect him to maintain longstanding anti-Iranian hostility. Perhaps he has another war in mind. Maybe he'll partner with Israel in waging one.
Perhaps the entire Middle East will be embroiled if he does so. It bears close watching what happens going forward.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama’s War on Freedom
Obama's War on Freedomby Stephen LendmanPerhaps no president in US history disappointed supporters more than Obama. He pledged "change you can believe it." He promised hope.He did Lincoln one better. He fooled most people enough times to matter. He nev...
The Ghost of Ariel Sharon
The Ghost of Ariel Sharonby Stephen LendmanPrevious articles discussed Sharonian evil. It's perhaps worse than ever without him. Multiple daily abuses explain best.Palestinians are fair game. Most people can't imagine what they endure. Police state rut...
Constitutional Despotism in Egypt
Constitutional Despotism in Egyptby Stephen LendmanJunta power runs Egypt. Democracy is verboten. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) rules. Fascist generals control things. US-trained Abdul Fatah-al Sisi heads them. Interim civilian of...
Net Neutrality: RIP?
Net Neutrality: RIP?by Stephen LendmanCandidate Obama promised to "support the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet." President Obama did woefully little to do so. He's waged war on free expr...
NSA’s Fake War on Terror
NSA's Fake War on Terror
by Stephen Lendman
A New America Foundation report suggests it. More on this below.
NSA spying is longstanding. It's ongoing abroad and at home. It has nothing to do with national security. It's unrelated to uncovering terrorist plots.
Homegrown ones virtually don't exist. Alleged ones are hatched. They're fake. Claiming dozens were foiled in time is false.
They're Big Lies. Previous articles discussed dozens of innocent victims. They included:
- a fake shoe bomber;
- fake underwear bomber;
- fake Times Square bomber;
- an earlier one there;
- fake shampoo bombers;
- fake Al Qaeda woman planning fake mass casualty attacks on New York landmarks;
- fake Oregon bomber;
- fake armed forces recruiting station bomber;
- fake synagogue bombers;
- fake Chicago Sears Tower bombers;
- fake FBI and other building bombers;
- fake National Guard, Fort Dix and Quantico marine base attackers;
- fake 9/11 bombers;
- fake Boston bombers; and
- numerous others.
At issue is generating fear. Washington's fake war on terror needs public support. FBI operatives are involved.
Orchestrated stings are used. Innocent victims are entrapped. Familiar schemes repeat. 9/11 is the Big Lie of our time. So is the fake war on terror.
Innocent victims languish in America's gulag. NSA spying watches everyone. It's unconstitutional. It's for police state control. It's ending privacy. It's destroying freedom.
Global spying is espionage. It's for political and economic advantage. It's to be one up on foreign competitors. It's for information used advantageously in trade, political, and military relations.
The New America Foundation (NAF) is an establishment organization. Bilderberg Group/CIA-connected Google CEO Eric Schmidt chairs its board of directors.
Right-wing ideologue Anne-Marie Slaughter is president and CEO. NAF study co-author Peter Bergen is CNN's national security analyst. His articles appear in establishment publications.
NAF's report is titled "Do NSA's Bulk Surveillance Programs Stop Terrorists?"
Two weeks after Edward Snowden's first revelations were published, Obama lied saying:
"We know of at least 50 threats that have been averted because of this information not just in the United States, but," abroad as well.
NSA director General Keith Alexander repeated the lie claiming:
"information gathered from these programs provided the US government with critical leads to help prevent over 50 potential terrorist events in more than 20 countries around the world."
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chairman Mike Rogers (R. MI) said:
"Fifty-four times (NSA spying) stopped and thwarted terrorist attacks both here and in Europe - saving real lives."
False! According to NAF's analysis, government contentions "about the role that NSA 'bulk' surveillance of phone and email communications records has had in keeping the United States safe from terrorism shows that these claims are overblown and even misleading."
Mass NSA surveillance "had no discernible impact on preventing acts of terrorism."
So-called evidence NSA claimed to uncover is easily gotten through conventional investigatory methods.
NAF analyzed 225 instances of alleged post-9/11 terrorism. Only two involved NSA meta-data.
None were legitimate. Alleged homegrown terrorism is fabricated. So are others abroad. They're fake. NAF's report didn't explain. It said:
"The overall problem for US counterterrorism officials is not that they need vaster amounts of information from the bulk surveillance programs, but that they don’t sufficiently understand or widely share the information they already possess that was derived from conventional law enforcement and intelligence techniques."
On Friday, Obama will address so-called NSA reforms. Last month, his hand-picked advisory committee recommended minor changes. They're too inconsequential to matter.
They legitimized lawless spying. They ignored what federal Judge Richard Leon called unconstitutional. They're "almost Orwellian," he said.
Expect Obama to rubber-stamp continuity. He'll maintain business as usual. He'll stress balancing civil liberties with protecting national security. He'll lie claiming it.
He'll legitimize what Electronic Frontier Foundation's Kurt Opsahl called "heinous."
He'll leave NSA's worst lawlessness untouched. He'll whitewash its crimes. He'll lie claiming otherwise.
Last November, the General Assembly addressed privacy rights in the digital age. Over 50 member states co-sponsored a resolution. It supports what's too precious to lose.
On December 18, the 193-member body unanimously approved a resolution titled: "The Right to privacy in the digital age."
It reaffirmed a fundamental human right. No one should be denied the right to privacy. No one should be lawlessly spied on.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) called the General Assembly's resolution "one small step for privacy, one giant leap against surveillance."
Obama stacked his so-called Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies with longstanding Washington insiders.
A previous article discussed them. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) head James Clapper supervised. He's an acknowledged perjurer. He's complicit in NSA crimes.
On December 12, Obama's committee released its report. It's titled "Liberty and Security in a Changing World." Its handpicked members included:
- former acting CIA head Michael Morell;
- former National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counterterrorism Richard Clarke;
- former Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Cass Sunstein; Francis Boyle calls him a neocon;
- Democrat party connected/political advocacy group Center for American Progress member Peter Swire; and
- University of Chicago Law Professor Geoffrey Stone.
Forty recommendations were made. They stopped well short of what's needed. They legitimized mass surveillance.
They ignored what's most important. Constitutional issues were unaddressed. Mass surveillance is illegal. It's unacceptable everywhere.
It's unrelated to alleged terrorism. It's police state ruthlessness writ large. It's Obama's war on freedom.
He promised no warrantless spying. Straightaway he authorized it. His explanation fell short and then some. He said:
"When I came into this office, I made two commitments that are more important than any commitment I made: number one to keep the American people safe, and number two to uphold the Constitution."
Americans are less safe than ever. Freedom is disappearing in plain sight. Obama's done more to subvert constitutional law than any previous president.
He made freedom a four-letter word. He claimed:
"You can't have 100% security and also then have 100% privacy and zero inconvenience."
"We're going to have to make some choices as a society. I think that on balance, we have established a process and a procedure that the American people should feel comfortable about."
He lied saying mass surveillance "help(s) prevent terrorist attacks." None whatever exist.
He lied again calling NSA spying "modest encroachments on privacy." It's sweeping, pervasive and lawless. It's unrelated to alleged terrorism.
Obama wants Americans to trust him. Why anyone would, they'll have to explain. He's a war criminal multiple times over. He's done more to destroy freedom than any of his predecessors.
He wants it eliminated altogether. He's a serial liar. Nothing he says has credibility. He lied claiming:
"When it comes to telephone calls, nobody is listening to your telephone calls. That's not what this program is about. As was indicated, what the intelligence community is doing is looking at phone numbers and durations of calls."
"They are not looking at people's names and they are not looking at content." Permission to do so, he claimed, requires "go(ing) back to a federal judge just like (for) a criminal investigation."
"With respect to the Internet and emails, this does not apply to US citizens and it does not apply to people living in the United States."
False! Obama authorized sweeping domestic spying. He did so unconstitutionally. He institutionalized it. It's ongoing daily. It's warrantless.
No one escapes NSA's spying eye. Everything communicated electronically is vulnerable. It's fair game.
NSA's mandate is "Get it all." Phone calls, emails, and other electronic communications are secretly collected. They're gotten without court authorization.
Probable cause isn't needed. Major telecom and Internet companies cooperate. They do so willingly.
All three branches of government are involved. They're complicit in sweeping lawlessness. Police states operate this way. America is by far the worst.
Expect nothing ahead to change. Expect worse with increasingly sophisticated NSA technology.
Cyberwar on freedom is official US policy. NSA is Big Brother writ large. Privacy no longer exists. Obama's waging war on freedom. It's vanishing in plain sight.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Subverting Peace
Subverting Peaceby Stephen LendmanWashington abhors it. So does Israel. Both countries deplore rapprochement with Iran. Decades of hostility prove it. Little ongoing now suggests otherwise.Last November's agreement represented a first time breakthrough...
Obama Nominates Three Fed Governors
Obama Nominates Three Fed Governorsby Stephen LendmanIt's official. A White House statement headlined "President Obama Announces his Intent to Nominate Three to Serve on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System."Nominees include Stanley Fis...
Sharonian Evil Lives
Sharonian Evil Livesby Stephen LendmanIt rages in Israel. It's worse in Washington. It infests most other Western states. Despots rule most regional ones. They dominate other parts of the world.State terror harms global billions. Human torment is extre...
Talking Peace, Waging War
Talking Peace, Waging Warby Stephen LendmanObama's war on Syria rages. It's taken a horrific toll nationwide. Tens of thousands died. Dozens more do daily. Millions were displaced. Numbers internally and abroad range up to one-third of Syria's pop...
Eulogizing a Mass Murderer
Eulogizing a Mass Murderer
by Stephen Lendman
On January 11, Ariel Sharon died. He's not missed. A previous article discussed his blood-drenched military and political career.
It did so in depth. It explained his decades of high crimes against peace. They began before Israel's creation. They continued until his debilitating stroke induced coma. It occurred in January 2006.
Sharon was pure evil. He was satanic. He was no saint. A special place in hell awaited him. It now claims him.
His criminal legacy remains. It's indisputable. It's well documented. Eulogizers largely ignored it. They did so shamelessly.
Obama and other world leaders praised him. A previous article quoted them. They ignored his high crimes. They have plenty of their own to answer for. The same place in hell awaits them.
Bill Clinton is one of many US unindicted war criminals. He was complicit in Sharon's crimes. One war criminal honored another. He issued a statement saying:
"Ariel Sharon gave his life to Israel to bring it into being, to sustain and preserve it, and at the end of his long service, to create a new political party committed to both a just peace and lasting security."
"It was an honor to work with him, argue with him and watch him always trying to find the right path for his beloved country.''
Congressional members mourned Sharon. House Speaker John Boehner (R. OH) called him "one of the greatest warrior-statesmen in modern history."
His "contribution to establishing and defending Israel's independence is incalculable, and his devotion to peace undisputed."
George W. Bush called him a "man of peace." Vice President Joe Biden said he'll lead a US delegation to his memorial service.
He'll do so "to pay tribute to the unshakeable partnership between the United States and Israel."
John Kerry said his "journey was Israel's journey. The dream of Israel was the cause of his life, and he risked it all to live that dream."
He did so over the corpses of many thousands of Palestinian civilians he slaughtered in cold blood.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R. KY) said "Israel lost one of its greatest sons and America a friend."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D. CA) called him "a powerful voice for his beliefs and values." He "always maintained the courage of his convictions."
Other congressional members offered praise. They did so when condemnation is demanded. Sharon's criminality went unpunished.
His high crimes were legendary. Racist hate, mass murder, destruction, and the worst of occupation harshness best describe them.
He avoided accountability. He never paid for his high crimes. Eulogizers have much to answer for. More on this below.
Tanya Reinhart (July 1943 - March 17, 2007) was a highly respected Israeli academic, linguist, author and political activist.
"How did it happen that Sharon, the most brutal, cynical, racist and manipulative leader Israel has ever had, ended his political career as a legendary peace hero," she asked?
He never changed, she said. "(T)he myth built around him reflects the present omnipotence of the propaganda system."
It makes saints out of sinners. It turns truth on its head. Sharon waged war on peace. He deplored it. He hated Arabs. He savaged them viciously.
"He proved that Israel can imprison (them), bombard them from the air, steal their land, stall any chance for peace, and still be hailed by the Western world as" a man of peace, said Reinhart.
UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights Richard Falk said earlier:
"Nothing has illustrated the pro-Israeli spin in the United States more clearly than the ability of Sharon while holding high office to avoid being tarnished as a civilian leader by his extensive military record of brutality and abuse, which includes well-documented terrorist attacks against Palestinian civilians."
His high crimes were legendary. He remained unaccountable to his death. Falk said Washington forged his international legitimization. So did "deferential media." They're on the wrong side of history. They ignore its dark side.
Haaretz editors shamelessly headlined "For all his flaws, Israel is poorer without leaders like Ariel Sharon."
On the one hand, Haaretz editors discussed his "aggressiveness and bullying." He "repeatedly led his troops into controversial and blood-soaked operations."
"Aggressiveness, hatred of Arabs and contempt for politicians also characterized" his political career. "He was the patron (saint) of settlers...He opposed all the peace accords signed by Israel with its neighbors."
"But the moment he fulfilled his dream and was elected prime minister, his approach changed. With supreme responsibility thrust on his shoulders, he remained within the bounds of power."
False! He was ruthless to the end. He committed the worst of high crimes. He bore full responsibility for Second Intifada mass murder. Sharonian evil bests describes it. A previous article said:
Nearly 4,200 Palestinians died. Included were 866 children and 271 women.
Many more were wounded. Over 3,500 were permanently disabled. Over 550 assassinations were committed. Around 8,600 Palestinians were imprisoned.
Over 2.3 million dunums of land were stolen. Another 73,600 were razed. Hundreds of thousands of trees were uprooted.
Over 7,700 homes were demolished. Another 94,000 were damaged.
His Gaza disengagement had nothing to do with peace. He deplored it throughout his life. He waged war to avoid it.
He murdered Yasser Arafat. He poisoned him to death. Haaretz editors didn't explain.
Since his departure, they said, "Israel has lacked leadership that acknowledges the limits of power, maintains its alliance with the United States, displays political courage in the territories and won't be deterred by the settlers."
Nothing in Sharon's criminal career warrants praise. Haaretz editors reinvented history trying. They failed.
Jerusalem Post editors headlined "Salute to Sharon," saying:
Israel "lost one of the most charismatic, colorful and influential figures in its annals." He was a "pugnacious in (military and) political life."
"(O)ne way or another (he) elicited a curious indulgence of the sort that was eventually denied other (Israeli) mythic heroes..."
"No matter how wayward his conduct, and no matter how much he may have willfully broken the rules, he retained the allure of the nation's favorite firebrand."
JP editors ignored his high crimes. They called him "an authentic native son, a generic Sabra and a popular hero."
American Jewish groups and leaders praised him. AIPAC called him "a legendary statesman and solider, who embodied the indomitable spirit and passion of the Jewish state."
"Because he knew the price of war, (he) was willing to courageously take risks for peace."
"He was a heroic warrior and leader whose life was dedicated to the peace and security of America's democratic ally."
Anti-Defamation League national chair Barry Curtiss-Lusher and national director Abe Foxman said:
His "legacy is a more secure State of Israel, safe on its borders and resolved to put an end to the campaign of Palestinian terrorism once and for all."
"We are deeply saddened at the loss of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. While he has just passed away, it has truly been eight years since we lost this great statesman and friend."
Jewish Federation of North America chairman Michael Siegal and president Jerry Silverman said:
He "was a highly regarded military leader, but he was also a peacemaker. One of the country's most daring and celebrated generals, he was also a man who was able to take bold steps in the hopes of achieving peace."
He "was not just the prime minister of the Jewish state, but a determined and inspirational leader of the entire Jewish world."
"Our heartfelt condolences go out to his sons Omri and Gilad, to the entire Sharon family, and to all the people of Israel."
The Israeli Policy Forum praised his lifetime commitment and "many sacrifices...to ensure the survival and success of the State of Israel."
Robert Sugarman chairs the Conference of Presidents of (52) Major American Jewish Organizations. Malcolm Hoenlein is executive vice president.
The issued a joint statement mourning Sharon's passing. The Conference maintained a decades-long relationship with him, they said.
"(I)n all his positions, (he) never missed an opportunity to meet with the Conference and address us, and often took us on tours to understand better the defense and security needs and the strategic issues confronting Israel."
"There were few in Israel's history who contributed so much to the State, who demonstrated courage and bravery as well as keen insight and incisive thinking."
B'nai B'rith International president Allan Jacobs said Israel lost a leader who "demonstrated the ability to change his way of thinking and seeking out new paths."
"He was a brave and fearless soldier, a wise and brilliant leader, who left a lasting impact on Israel."
American Jewish Committee head David Harris said his death ended "a defining chapter in Israel's history..."
Union of Reform Judaism president Rabbi Rick Jacobs called him "an iconic leader whose love for Israel and the Jewish people infused his entire illustrious career."
Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Rabbis said:
"There was no single Israeli general who inspired his troops and led them as effectively as he did, and he was a towering figure of Israel’s political scene for many years."
New York Times correspondent Ethan Bronner is a longtime Israeli apologist. He's deputy Times national editor. Earlier he was Jerusalem bureau chief.
He's ethically challenged and then some. He blames Palestinians for Israeli crimes. He largely ignores settler violence.
On January 11, he headlined "Ariel Sharon, Israeli Hawk Who Sought Peace on His Terms, Dies at 85."
He quoted Netanyahu calling Sharon "first and foremost a brave soldier and an outstanding military commander...(He) had a central role in the battle for Israel's security from the very beginning."
According to Bronner, he "hope(d) (to) fulfill the central goal of his life: ensuring a viable and strong state for the Jewish people in their historic homeland."
Palestine belongs to Palestinians. Long before Jews existed, nomadic indigenous peoples inhabited today's Israel.
Sharon wanted it for Jews alone. He mass murdered Arabs to achieve it. He thrived on war. He deplored peace. He shunned diplomacy. Don't expect Bronner to explain.
He lied saying Sharon led Israel's 1982 Lebanon invasion after "Palestinian guerrillas tried to assassinate the Israeli ambassador in London."
They had nothing to with it. Arafat was wrongfully blamed. Abu Nidal militants bore full responsibility.
Then Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir later explained why Israel invaded Lebanon. A "terrible danger" existed, he said. It was "not so much a military one as a political one."
Israel got the pretext it wanted. No threat whatever existed. Mass slaughter and destruction followed. Sharon bore full responsibility.
South Lebanon remained occupied until May 2000. Israel still holds Shebba Farms illegally. It's a 25 square km territory on the Syrian/Lebanese border.
Air-brushing inconvenient facts from history is longstanding Times policy. Bronner does so like other Times correspondents, contributors and editors. Failing to detail Sharon's high crimes against peace is one of many examples.
The Washington Post headlined "Israelis, world leaders mourn Sharon." A retired Israeli municipal workers was quoted calling him "bigger than life."
WaPo noted his "forceful will. (He's) celebrated in death by his country and world leaders." John Kerry was quoted saying:
"I will never forget meeting with this big bear of a man when he became prime minister as he sought to bend the course of history toward peace, even as it meant testing the patience of his own longtime supporters and the limits of his own lifelong convictions."
The last thing Sharon wanted was peace. He opposed it throughout his entire military and political career. He rejected it. He deplored it. He went to his grave an unrepentant warrior.
Human Right Watch Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson called his passing "another grim reminder that years of virtual impunity for rights abuses have done nothing to bring Israeli-Palestinian peace any closer."
Francis Boyle said:
"The United Nations General Assembly condemned the 1982 Massacre at Sabra and Shatilla as 'genocide.' "
"So what the world is witnessing now are innumerable government leaders, politicians, pundits, professors, intellectuals, media figures and the State of Israel paying formal tribute to a genocidaire - one who has committed genocide."
"Obviously, in their opinion, the slogan 'Never again!' does not apply to protect the Palestinians."
They're fair game for continued mass slaughter and destruction. Israel's killing machine assures it. So does US complicity. World leaders turn a blind eye.
Edward Said called Sharon a "homicidal prime minister." His entire military and political career reflected "systematic barbarity," he said.
"Isn't is clear that (he was) bent not only on breaking the Palestinians but on trying to eliminate them as a people" altogether, he stressed.
Sharonian evil best describes him. His entire career reflected racist hate and lawlessness. It demands condemnation, not praise.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
NAFTA’s Deplorable Legacy
NAFTA's Deplorable Legacy
by Stephen Lendman
Wall Street Journal columnist Mary O'Grady reinvents history. She does it her way. It's the wrong way. She turns truth on its head.
Her commentaries read like bad fiction. They substitute misinformation for indisputable facts. Responsible editors wouldn't touch her rubbish. Journal editors embrace it.
NAFTA was hugely destructive trade policy. It's opposite of what's needed. More on why below.
Not according to O'Grady. On January 5, she headlined "Nafta at 20: A Model for Trade Policy." It's a model for the wrongheaded kind.
O'Grady claims otherwise. She does so her way. Why anyone reads her rubbish, they'll have to explain. Journal editors feature it.
"Those who predicted that Nafta would lead to joblessness and poverty have been proven definitively wrong," claims O'Grady.
Hundreds of thousands of impoverished jobless workers explain otherwise. More on this below.
"Freedom to trade with the neighbors (Canada, Mexico and the US) has instead created wealth and opportunity and made the continent more globally competitive," she says.
Indeed so for corporate predators and rich elites. They profited hugely. They did the old-fashioned way. They benefitted on backs of exploited people.
O'Grady supports more of the same. She's for greater "North American integration." In other words, greater corporate favoritism. Fewer worker rights. More job losses. Lower pay and benefits. Profits at the expense of people.
"(E)xpanding economic freedom in North America requires a commitment to the cause," she claims.
She's on the wrong side of history. Anti-labor, anti-environment, anti-consumer and anti-democratic measures harm millions. One-sided "free trade" isn't fair.
NAFTA proponents promised tens of thousands of newly created jobs. Small farmers would export their way to wealth.
Mexican living standards would rise. Economic opportunities would reduce regional immigration to America.
Promises made never materialized. Reality disproved hype. It does it every time. Ideologues like O'Grady are exposed.
They're frauds. They're defrocked. They're discredited liars. She's paid to lie. She's one of the worst.
A decade post-NAFTA, about a million US jobs were lost. America's Mexican trade deficit alone cost around 700,000 jobs by 2010.
Government data show nearly five million US manufacturing disappeared since 1994.
NAFTA alone wasn't responsible. Losing them reflected broken promises, lost futures, and other trade deals from hell to follow. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) stand out.
Public Citizen's new report is titled "NAFTA at 20: One Million US Jobs Lost, Mass Displacement and Instability in Mexico, Record Income Inequality, Scores of Corporate Attacks on Environmental and Health Laws."
Lori Wallach heads Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. Ralph Nader calls her "the Trade Debate's Guerrilla Warrior."
Public Citizen calls her "a relentless campaigner." She's been so for 20 years. She's a Harvard Law School trained lawyer. In 1993, she founded Citizens Trade Campaign.
It's a national coalition of consumer, labor, environmental, family farm, religious, and civil rights groups. They represent over 11 million Americans. According to Wallach:
"NAFTA's actual outcomes prove how damaging this type of agreement is for most people, that it should be renegotiated and why we cannot have any more such deals that include job-offshoring incentives, requirements that we import food that doesn’t meet our safety standards or new rights for firms to get taxpayer compensation before foreign tribunals over laws they don’t like."
NAFTA remains hugely destructive. It's "equal parts disgusting and infuriating," says Wallach. Obama joined "the corporate Pinocchios."
They lie about NAFTA. They've done so from inception. They're doing it again now. They selling similar Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) snake oil. It's NAFTA on steroids.
Public Citizen's study discusses promises made and broken. Post-NAFTA trade and investments contributed to huge job losses, pay cuts and lost futures. Income inequality keeps growing.
America's trade deficit with Mexico and Canada is 45% higher than with countries not party to US trade agreements.
US manufacturing and services exports to NAFTA partners grew at less than half their pre-NAFTA rate. Polls show more than half of Americans want NAFTA renegotiated or abandoned.
Few want US membership continued. Opposition cuts across parties, income classes and educational levels.
Subsidized US corn exports to Mexico increased. Doing so destroyed the livelihoods of over one million Mexican small farmers.
Another 1.5 million agriculture-dependent Mexican workers lost jobs. Doing so doubled Mexican immigration to America. Most are undocumented. Desperate poor people come north for jobs.
They're still coming. Doing so increases competition for scarce service sector ones. Government data show the destructive effects of offshoring.
Affected workers lost 20% of their income on average. They did so compared to non-offshorable jobs gotten.
NAFTA damaged millions of lives. It doesn't matter. Obama wants TPP fast-tracked. He wants TAFTA legislation passed.
He wants millions more US workers displaced. He wants others rehired for less pay. He wants them consigned to poverty. He wants corporate predators profiting at their expense.
According to Wallach, NAFTA-type trade agreements are "corporate Christmas" presents year-round. Big business loves them.
They "jack up medicine prices with patent extensions for Big Pharma," says Wallach.
"Big Content loves them because (of) SOPA-type copyright rules. Chemical and pharmaceutical companies love them because" they're freed from regulations and inspections.
Big "oil and gas companies love them because they (get) absolute rights to natural resources."
"Chronic job offshoring companies love them because (they get) new investor protections" abroad.
They're win-win for corporate predators. Workers, America's unemployed and underemployed lose out big time.
Fast-tracking got NAFTA passed. It's an arcane Nixon-era procedure. It lets executive branch officials write legislation.
Corporate lobbyists do it for them. They stuff everything in measures corporations love.
Congress is denied debate. No amendments are allowed. Up or down voting alone follows.
Fast-tracking is a way of railroading legislation through Congress. It does so against enormous public opposition.
Anti-NAFTA sentiment before passage added more corporate sweeteners than originally planned.
NAFTA "established a radically new 'trade' agreement model," said Public Citizen. It differed from earlier trade deals. It's "only partially about trade."
It "created new privileges and protections for foreign investors.." It incentivized offshore investments and jobs. It did so by "eliminating many of the risks normally associated with moving production to low-wage countries."
NAFTA lets foreign companies and investors challenge domestic laws, regulations and standards. They can demand compensation for alleged lost profits.
Regulation of trucking, banking and other services is restricted. Medicine patent monopolies are extended.
Food and product safety standards are limited. So are domestic procurement preferences like "Buy American."
Pre-NAFTA enactment debate sold empty promises. It's record 20 years later proves otherwise. It's responsible for hundreds of thousands of lost jobs, lower wages, and grim futures for millions.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, two-thirds of NAFTA-displaced manufacturing workers able to find jobs lost 20% or more of their former wages.
NAFTA's deplorable record reflects race to the bottom reality. It includes unemployment, underemployment, low pay, poor benefits, and lost futures for millions.
According to Public Citizen, "a 188 percent rise in food imports from Canada and Mexico" had no impact on containing prices. They "jumped 65 percent since" NAFTA's implementation.
Scores of US companies promised to create specific numbers of jobs if NAFTA passed. They cut them hugely instead.
General Electric cut nearly 5,000 jobs. Chrysler eliminated over 7,700. Nearly 600 Caterpillar workers lost out. Many other companies betrayed their workforces and communities the same way.
Since NAFTA's implementation, the income of America's richest 10% rose 24%. For its top 1%, it was 58%. "NAFTA-style trade helps explain the soaring inequality," says Public Citizen.
"NAFTA has placed downward pressure on wages for the middle and lower economic classes by forcing decently-paid US manufacturing workers to compete with imports made by poorly-paid workers abroad."
"The resulting displacement of those decently-paid US workers has further depressed middle class wages by adding to the surplus of workers seeking lower-paying service sector jobs."
NAFTA contributes hugely to growing inequality. It gives companies enormous leverage. They can pay domestic workers less. They can offshore for greater savings.
Since NAFTA's implementation, over 60,000 US manufacturing facilities closed. WTO and other factors share responsibility. "After two decades of NAFTA, the evidence is clear," says Public Citizen.
"(T)he vaunted deal failed at its promises of job creation and better living standards while contributing to mass job losses, soaring income inequality, agricultural instability, corporate attacks on domestic health and environmental safeguards, and mass displacement and volatility in Mexico."
Obama wants more of the same. Whether he'll get it remains to be seen. TPP opposition is significant. Ordinary Americans and policymakers comprise it.
Congress may block passage. In November, a bipartisan group of 178 House members expressed fast-tracking opposition. Other congressional members expressed concerns about TPP overall.
NAFTA's failure prevented Free Trade Areas of the Americas (FTAA) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) adoption.
It's "two-decade legacy of tumult and hardship for millions could" kill TPP and other destructive trade deals, says Public Citizen.
Doing so would be a step in the right direction. Much more needs to begun.
Reversing longstanding race to the bottom policy requires wholesale change. Evidence of it happening is nowhere in sight.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
NAFTA’s Deplorable Legacy
NAFTA's Deplorable Legacy
by Stephen Lendman
Wall Street Journal columnist Mary O'Grady reinvents history. She does it her way. It's the wrong way. She turns truth on its head.
Her commentaries read like bad fiction. They substitute misinformation for indisputable facts. Responsible editors wouldn't touch her rubbish. Journal editors embrace it.
NAFTA was hugely destructive trade policy. It's opposite of what's needed. More on why below.
Not according to O'Grady. On January 5, she headlined "Nafta at 20: A Model for Trade Policy." It's a model for the wrongheaded kind.
O'Grady claims otherwise. She does so her way. Why anyone reads her rubbish, they'll have to explain. Journal editors feature it.
"Those who predicted that Nafta would lead to joblessness and poverty have been proven definitively wrong," claims O'Grady.
Hundreds of thousands of impoverished jobless workers explain otherwise. More on this below.
"Freedom to trade with the neighbors (Canada, Mexico and the US) has instead created wealth and opportunity and made the continent more globally competitive," she says.
Indeed so for corporate predators and rich elites. They profited hugely. They did the old-fashioned way. They benefitted on backs of exploited people.
O'Grady supports more of the same. She's for greater "North American integration." In other words, greater corporate favoritism. Fewer worker rights. More job losses. Lower pay and benefits. Profits at the expense of people.
"(E)xpanding economic freedom in North America requires a commitment to the cause," she claims.
She's on the wrong side of history. Anti-labor, anti-environment, anti-consumer and anti-democratic measures harm millions. One-sided "free trade" isn't fair.
NAFTA proponents promised tens of thousands of newly created jobs. Small farmers would export their way to wealth.
Mexican living standards would rise. Economic opportunities would reduce regional immigration to America.
Promises made never materialized. Reality disproved hype. It does it every time. Ideologues like O'Grady are exposed.
They're frauds. They're defrocked. They're discredited liars. She's paid to lie. She's one of the worst.
A decade post-NAFTA, about a million US jobs were lost. America's Mexican trade deficit alone cost around 700,000 jobs by 2010.
Government data show nearly five million US manufacturing disappeared since 1994.
NAFTA alone wasn't responsible. Losing them reflected broken promises, lost futures, and other trade deals from hell to follow. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) stand out.
Public Citizen's new report is titled "NAFTA at 20: One Million US Jobs Lost, Mass Displacement and Instability in Mexico, Record Income Inequality, Scores of Corporate Attacks on Environmental and Health Laws."
Lori Wallach heads Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. Ralph Nader calls her "the Trade Debate's Guerrilla Warrior."
Public Citizen calls her "a relentless campaigner." She's been so for 20 years. She's a Harvard Law School trained lawyer. In 1993, she founded Citizens Trade Campaign.
It's a national coalition of consumer, labor, environmental, family farm, religious, and civil rights groups. They represent over 11 million Americans. According to Wallach:
"NAFTA's actual outcomes prove how damaging this type of agreement is for most people, that it should be renegotiated and why we cannot have any more such deals that include job-offshoring incentives, requirements that we import food that doesn’t meet our safety standards or new rights for firms to get taxpayer compensation before foreign tribunals over laws they don’t like."
NAFTA remains hugely destructive. It's "equal parts disgusting and infuriating," says Wallach. Obama joined "the corporate Pinocchios."
They lie about NAFTA. They've done so from inception. They're doing it again now. They selling similar Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) snake oil. It's NAFTA on steroids.
Public Citizen's study discusses promises made and broken. Post-NAFTA trade and investments contributed to huge job losses, pay cuts and lost futures. Income inequality keeps growing.
America's trade deficit with Mexico and Canada is 45% higher than with countries not party to US trade agreements.
US manufacturing and services exports to NAFTA partners grew at less than half their pre-NAFTA rate. Polls show more than half of Americans want NAFTA renegotiated or abandoned.
Few want US membership continued. Opposition cuts across parties, income classes and educational levels.
Subsidized US corn exports to Mexico increased. Doing so destroyed the livelihoods of over one million Mexican small farmers.
Another 1.5 million agriculture-dependent Mexican workers lost jobs. Doing so doubled Mexican immigration to America. Most are undocumented. Desperate poor people come north for jobs.
They're still coming. Doing so increases competition for scarce service sector ones. Government data show the destructive effects of offshoring.
Affected workers lost 20% of their income on average. They did so compared to non-offshorable jobs gotten.
NAFTA damaged millions of lives. It doesn't matter. Obama wants TPP fast-tracked. He wants TAFTA legislation passed.
He wants millions more US workers displaced. He wants others rehired for less pay. He wants them consigned to poverty. He wants corporate predators profiting at their expense.
According to Wallach, NAFTA-type trade agreements are "corporate Christmas" presents year-round. Big business loves them.
They "jack up medicine prices with patent extensions for Big Pharma," says Wallach.
"Big Content loves them because (of) SOPA-type copyright rules. Chemical and pharmaceutical companies love them because" they're freed from regulations and inspections.
Big "oil and gas companies love them because they (get) absolute rights to natural resources."
"Chronic job offshoring companies love them because (they get) new investor protections" abroad.
They're win-win for corporate predators. Workers, America's unemployed and underemployed lose out big time.
Fast-tracking got NAFTA passed. It's an arcane Nixon-era procedure. It lets executive branch officials write legislation.
Corporate lobbyists do it for them. They stuff everything in measures corporations love.
Congress is denied debate. No amendments are allowed. Up or down voting alone follows.
Fast-tracking is a way of railroading legislation through Congress. It does so against enormous public opposition.
Anti-NAFTA sentiment before passage added more corporate sweeteners than originally planned.
NAFTA "established a radically new 'trade' agreement model," said Public Citizen. It differed from earlier trade deals. It's "only partially about trade."
It "created new privileges and protections for foreign investors.." It incentivized offshore investments and jobs. It did so by "eliminating many of the risks normally associated with moving production to low-wage countries."
NAFTA lets foreign companies and investors challenge domestic laws, regulations and standards. They can demand compensation for alleged lost profits.
Regulation of trucking, banking and other services is restricted. Medicine patent monopolies are extended.
Food and product safety standards are limited. So are domestic procurement preferences like "Buy American."
Pre-NAFTA enactment debate sold empty promises. It's record 20 years later proves otherwise. It's responsible for hundreds of thousands of lost jobs, lower wages, and grim futures for millions.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, two-thirds of NAFTA-displaced manufacturing workers able to find jobs lost 20% or more of their former wages.
NAFTA's deplorable record reflects race to the bottom reality. It includes unemployment, underemployment, low pay, poor benefits, and lost futures for millions.
According to Public Citizen, "a 188 percent rise in food imports from Canada and Mexico" had no impact on containing prices. They "jumped 65 percent since" NAFTA's implementation.
Scores of US companies promised to create specific numbers of jobs if NAFTA passed. They cut them hugely instead.
General Electric cut nearly 5,000 jobs. Chrysler eliminated over 7,700. Nearly 600 Caterpillar workers lost out. Many other companies betrayed their workforces and communities the same way.
Since NAFTA's implementation, the income of America's richest 10% rose 24%. For its top 1%, it was 58%. "NAFTA-style trade helps explain the soaring inequality," says Public Citizen.
"NAFTA has placed downward pressure on wages for the middle and lower economic classes by forcing decently-paid US manufacturing workers to compete with imports made by poorly-paid workers abroad."
"The resulting displacement of those decently-paid US workers has further depressed middle class wages by adding to the surplus of workers seeking lower-paying service sector jobs."
NAFTA contributes hugely to growing inequality. It gives companies enormous leverage. They can pay domestic workers less. They can offshore for greater savings.
Since NAFTA's implementation, over 60,000 US manufacturing facilities closed. WTO and other factors share responsibility. "After two decades of NAFTA, the evidence is clear," says Public Citizen.
"(T)he vaunted deal failed at its promises of job creation and better living standards while contributing to mass job losses, soaring income inequality, agricultural instability, corporate attacks on domestic health and environmental safeguards, and mass displacement and volatility in Mexico."
Obama wants more of the same. Whether he'll get it remains to be seen. TPP opposition is significant. Ordinary Americans and policymakers comprise it.
Congress may block passage. In November, a bipartisan group of 178 House members expressed fast-tracking opposition. Other congressional members expressed concerns about TPP overall.
NAFTA's failure prevented Free Trade Areas of the Americas (FTAA) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) adoption.
It's "two-decade legacy of tumult and hardship for millions could" kill TPP and other destructive trade deals, says Public Citizen.
Doing so would be a step in the right direction. Much more needs to begun.
Reversing longstanding race to the bottom policy requires wholesale change. Evidence of it happening is nowhere in sight.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama Sabotaging Syrian Peace
Obama Sabotaging Syrian Peaceby Stephen LendmanObama initiated war on Syria. He wants regime change. He wants continued bloodshed, destruction and human suffering to get it. He deplores peace.He bears full responsibility for nearly three years of confl...
Ariel Sharon’s Criminal Legacy
Ariel Sharon's Criminal Legacy
by Stephen Lendman
Gilad Sharon chronicled his father's life. He wrote his biography. It's titled "Sharon: The Life of a Leader." It discusses his history from soldier to general to political leader.
According to Gilad, his father "was a much better prime minister" than Netanyahu. He was Sharon's finance minister. He claimed he "gave and gave and gave."
"Palestinians got and got and got, and my question is, what did we get? Nothing and nothing and nothing."
"What the public wants to know is when will it get a prime minister who stops putting wind in the sails of terrorists and begins to demand things in return for concessions."
Gilad calls Netanyahu "subversive." He's "coward(ly)," he added. He left unexplained his father's blood-drenched career. Evil best describes it.
He committed multiple high crimes against peace. A special place in hell awaits him.
Some call him Israel's most Nietzschean leader. Others consider him the devil incarnate.
He was 85 years old. He was in stroke-induced coma. He clung to vegetative life for eight years. He faded. He's gone.
Eulogies were ready to be published. Israel calls them havatzelets. They're prepared in advance obits.
They're written ahead of notable figures' deaths. Sharon's are now being published.
His vital signs were weak. His kidneys failed. He clung to life for eight years. He's gone.
He was a rogue figure writ large for decades. He's responsible for numerous crimes of war and against humanity. He was Machievellian. He was a terrorist turned statesman.
He never changed his ways. He was responsible for regional violence and instability for decades. More on this below.
Why Israelis admire him they'll have to explain. Haaretz contributor Rogel Alpher said they don't "judge him like other prime ministers..."
"(H)e made them feel good about themselves." His status "was reserved for him alone." He was considered "beyond good and evil."
He was "outside the realm of moral judgment." Criminality and corruption accusations didn't stick. They "enhanced his popularity." He was "above criticism."
Reagan was called America's teflon president. Sharon was above reproach. He belongs in prison, not high office. He got carte blanche to do what he wanted.
His highest of high crimes went unpunished. His rap sheet is one of the region's worst. According to Alpher, he had no concept of justice. He did what he wanted with impunity.
He was cold-blooded. He was ruthless. He deplored peace. Accolades he got were undeserving. His military and political agenda reflects mass slaughter and destruction.
He committed high crimes too grave to ignore. He waged war on Islam. He terrorized Palestinians and neighboring countries.
He represents the worst of Zionist extremism. He devoted his military and political career to working for a Greater Israel. He believed mass slaughter and destruction further it.
His family members were Jewish nationalists. His autobiography "Warrior" said so. His father Samuil and grandfather were "Jewish nationalist(s), pure and simple," he said.
They had "no political allegiances whatsoever, not to socialism or communism or anything else."
Samuil always wanted to emigrate to Palestine. In 1921, he did so. In 1928, Ariel was born.
When he was 13, his father gave him a dagger. It "was symbolic, to protect ourselves from our enemies," he said. It was a "lesson" he "never" forgot.
Prior to joining the Haganah (the IDF's forerunner), he became a Jewish Settlement Police member. He fought in Israel's so-called War of Independence.
He got firsthand combat experience. He later used it in other campaigns. He prioritized "strik(ing) first and hardest."
"(A)lways escalate," he said. He remained a soldier. He rose to the rank of general. He never became IDF chief of staff.
Arrogance, insubordination, recklessness, and going his own way denied him. His military and political superiors deplored his attitude.
He lied for self-serving reasons. He disobeyed orders freely. He did often. Israel's Golani Brigade is one of its most ruthless.
In February 1948, David Ben-Gurion established it. He did so to ethnically cleanse Palestinians. Sharon was one of its first commanders.
Earlier he headed the notorious Alexandroni Brigade. Death squad killers filled its ranks.
Golanis operate the same way. They're responsible for numerous massacres. They committed them from inception to today.
In 1953, Sharon established Unit 101. It reigned terror on defenseless Palestinian civilians. It did so indiscriminately. It targeted young, old and helpless victims.
In August 1953, it attacked El-Bureig refugee camp in southern Gaza. Dozens of Palestinians were slaughtered.
In October 1953, Jordan's Qibya village was attacked. Then Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett said the "stain would stick to us and not be washed away for many years."
Israeli historian Avi Shlaim described what happened as follows:
"Sharon’s order was to penetrate Qibya, blow up houses and inflict heavy casualties on its inhabitants."
"His success in carrying out the order surpassed all expectations. The full and macabre story of what happened at Qibya was revealed only during the morning after the attack."
"The village had been reduced to rubble: forty-five houses had been blown up, and sixty-nine civilians, two thirds of them women and children, had been killed."
"Sharon and his men claimed that they believed that all the inhabitants had run away and that they had no idea that anyone was hiding inside the houses."
A UN observer at the time explained otherwise, saying:
"One story was repeated time after time: the bullet splintered door, the body sprawled across the threshhold, indicating that the inhabitants had been forced by heavy fire to stay inside until their homes were blown up over them."
Sharon's forces went house to house. They systematically murdered their occupants. They did so in cold blood.
Sharon atrocities repeated for decades. In August 1971, his forces destroyed 2,000 Gaza homes. Doing so displaced 16,000 Palestinians.
Hundreds of Palestinian men were arrested. They were brutally treated. They were deported to Jordan and Lebanon.
Hundreds of relatives of suspected Palestinian freedom fighters were exiled to Sinai. Dozens of militants were murdered in cold blood.
In 1982, Sharon was Menachem Begin's defense minister. On June 6, Israel invaded Lebanon. Fighting lasted nearly a year.
An Israeli false flag was pretext. Arafat was falsely blamed for Abu Nidal militants' attempted assassination of Israeli UK ambassador Shlomo Argov.
Israel got the war it wanted. Sharon was called the "Butcher of Beirut." Up to 20,000 Palestinians were massacred. Southern Lebanon remained occupied until May 2000. Israel still illegally holds Sheba Farms.
It's a 14-square mile water-rich area. It's near Syria's Golan. It's been lawlessly occupied since 1967.
Sabra and Shatila remain symbols of Sharonian ruthlessness. Around 18,000 Palestinians were slaughtered.
It turned out the way he planned. He let Phalangist fascists do his dirty work. Palestinian civilians were massacred in cold blood. Women were raped multiple times before being killed. Children were murdered like adults.
Whole families were shot, stabbed, bludgeoned to death, or buried dead or alive under homes. Some were tortured before dying. Bodies were decapitated.
Corpses were charred and violated. Eyes were gouged out. Faces were unrecognizable.
Sharon maliciously planned it. He led it. He called it "ridding the world of the center of international terrorism." No one to this day was punished.
Yitzhak Kahan headed an Israeli commission of inquiry. Its findings damaged Sharon. It didn't go far enough. On September 16, 1982, Sharon-directed Philangist death squads entered the camps.
Killings began "almost immediately." Militiamen entered homes. They began "slitting throats, axing, shooting, and raping, often taking groups outside and lining them up for execution."
"There was virtually no resistance. Only a very few camp residents" had small arms for protection. Slaughter continued until around sunset September 18.
Kahan Commission findings fell short of damning. Sharon's reputation was damaged. He wasn't held accountable. His actions were called "blunders."
He "failed to take appropriate measures" to prevent what happened, commission members said.
Sharon ordered mass murder. He directed it. He led it. He unleashed its full ferocity. He's fully responsible. Accountability didn't follow.
He refused to resign. On February 14, 1983, he lost his defense minister portfolio. He remained an unpunished cabinet minister without one.
He was fanatically anti-peace. He opposed 1991 Madrid conference talks. He was against the 1993 Oslo Accords.
He abstained on peace with Jordan. He opposed other peace initiatives. He rejected the so-called Quartet's road map.
It was doomed straightaway. Israeli violence, land theft, and targeted assassinations accompanied it. Sharon had no intention to seek peace.
He deplored it from soldier to general to defense minister to prime minister to his grave. "There cannot be a situation where there are two states for one people," he said. Let's make the issue clear."
He repeatedly blamed Palestinians for Israeli crimes. "My paramount responsibility is the security of the people of Israel and the state of Israel," he stressed.
Peace won't happen "without the abandonment and elimination of terrorism, violence and incitement." Israel alone commits it. Palestinians are repeatedly victimized.
Sharon's autobiography explained, saying:
Attacking Arabs aims "to create (in their minds) a psychology of defeat, to beat them every time, and to beat them so decisively that they would develop the conviction that they could never win."
Sharon deplored surgical strikes. He "believe(d) that whenever we were forced to strike, we should do so with the aim of inflicting heavy losses on the enemy troops."
He urged Israeli's premeditated/preemptive 1967 Six Day War. It was planned long in advance.
In 1948, Israel stole 78% of historic Palestine. In June 1967, it got what remained.
Settlement construction began straightaway. From 1967 - 1977, around 30 were established.
They were mainly in Jordan Valley locations. Settlers numbered about 5,000.
Under Prime Minister Menachem Begin (1977 - 1983), things changed dramatically. A new pattern emerged.
Heartland/central ridge West Bank settlements were established. Construction tempo increased.
Dozens of new settlements were added. Increasing amounts of Palestinian land were stolen. Construction continues unabated.
Israel controls over 60% of West Bank land. It claims Jerusalem as its exclusive capital. It's settler population exceeds 600,000. Numbers increase daily. Sharon endorsed unlimited expansion.
In 1969, he learned his military contract wouldn't be renewed. He fell out of favor with then IDF chief Bar Lev. It was over defending Sinai.
He turned to politics instead. He allied with Menachem Begin's Herut party. It was militantly hardline. It was ideologically Revisionist. It was hardcore Zionist. In 1988, it merged into Likud.
During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Sharon was called back to reserve duty. In elections that followed, he won a Knesset seat.
A year later he resigned. From June 1975 to March 1976, he was Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's aide.
In 1977, he founded the Shlomtzion party. Months later, it merged into Likud. Sharon became Begin's agriculture minister.
He supported Gush Emunim (Block of the Faithful) extremists. It was militantly hardline. It was committed to unlimited settlement expansions. Israel's Yesha Council replaced it.
It's ideologically over-the-top. It's like Sharon. It wants Greater Israel exclusively Jewish. It wants Arabs ethnically cleansed.
Sharon expressed his settlement policy as follows:
"Everybody has to move, run and grab as many (Judean) hilltops as they can to enlarge the (Jewish) settlements because everything we take now will stay ours."
"Everything we don't grab will go to them." In 1981, Begin appointed Sharon defense minister. He took full advantage.
He held other ministerial portfolios. As Construction and Housing Minister, he was called "the Bulldozer."
It was for good reason. He ruthlessly destroyed Palestinian homes. Throughout his military and political career, Sharon's message was submit.
Abandon independence notions. Accept Palestine as Israel. You don't belong here. Leave or we'll uproot you.
Sharon's way was no-holds-barred ruthlessness. On September 28, 2000, he initiated Second Intifada violence.
He did so by provocatively visiting the Haram al-Sharif (the Nobel Sanctuary). Around 1,000 security forces accompanied him.
Resistance followed. He responded violently. He did so until February 2005. Nearly 4,200 Palestinians died. Included were 866 children and 271 women.
Many more were wounded. Over 3,500 were permanently disabled. Over 550 assassinations were committed. Around 8,600 Palestinians were imprisoned.
Over 2.3 million dunums of land were stolen. Another 73,600 were razed. Hundreds of thousands of trees were uprooted.
Over 7,700 homes were demolished. Another 94,000 were damaged. Sabra and Shatila slaughter reflected the worst of Sharonian evil.
So did Second Intifada viciousness. His Gaza disengagement plan had nothing to do with peace.
It was getting Israeli settlers out of harm's way. It was relocating them to stolen West Bank/East Jerusalem land. It was gaining US support for doing so.
He was prime minister from March 7, 2001 to April 14, 2006. He murdered Yasser Arafat. He poisoned him to death. Stroke-induced incapacitation ended his political career.
On December 18, 2005, minor ischemic stroke symptoms appeared. Doctors discovered heart trouble. It required surgery, they said.
Bed rest ahead of cardiac catheterization was prescribed. Sharon ignored medical advice. He returned to work immediately.
On January 4, 2006, hemorrhagic stroke followed. Two surgeries stopped bleeding in his brain. They didn't prevent stroke-induced coma.
Since November 6, 2006, he's been in longterm care. His cognitive abilities were destroyed.
In late 2013, his condition deteriorated. On January 1, he suffered renal failure. He's fading. He could anytime.
His legacy reflects horrendous high crimes. It bears repeating. A special place in hell awaits him. Perhaps he already arrived.
A Final Comment
Sharon believed the only good Arabs were dead ones. He spent his entire military and political career slaughtering them. State terror was official policy on his watch.
World leaders paid him tribute on his death. They did so disgracefully. One war criminal remembered another. Obama issued a statement, saying:
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
"On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the family of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and to the people of Israel on the loss of a leader who dedicated his life to the State of Israel."
"We reaffirm our unshakable commitment to Israel's security and our appreciation for the enduring friendship between our two countries and our two peoples."
"We continue to strive for lasting peace and security for the people of Israel, including through our commitment to the goal of two states living side-by-side in peace and security."
"As Israel says goodbye to Prime Minister Sharon, we join with the Israeli people in honoring his commitment to his country."
Sharon was an unapologetic war criminal. His legacy reflects
decades of mass slaughter, destruction and human misery.
Britain's David Cameron disgracefully said he made "brave and controversial decisions in pursuit of peace. Israel has today lost an important leader."
France's Francois Hollande called him "a major player in the history of his country. After a long military and political career, he choose to move toward dialogue with Palestine."
He did no such thing. He murdered Yasser Arafat. He deplored peace and reconciliation. He hated Arabs. His policies proved it.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reacted as expected. He's a reliable imperial tool. He's complicit in Western war crimes. He said:
Sharon "will be remembered for his political courage and determination to carry through with the painful and historic decision to withdraw Israeli settlers and troops from the Gaza Strip."
He got them out of harm's way. Future aggression was planned. He relocated them on stolen West Bank Palestinian land.
Gaza remains occupied. Suffocating siege continues. Ban ignores Palestinian suffering. He supports Israel's worst crimes.
Fatah official Jubril Rajoub said:
"Sharon was a criminal, responsible for the assassination of (Yasser) Arafat, and we would have hoped to see him appear before the International Criminal Court as a war criminal."
Hamas spokesman Salah el-Bardaweel added:
"We pray to Allah that Sharon and all the Zionist leaders who committed massacres against our people go to hell."
"When the Palestinian people remember Sharon, they only remember pain, blood, torture, displacement and crimes. We will never feel sorry for his death."
Nor should anyone!
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Obama’s Fake Economic Recovery
Obama's Fake Economic Recoveryby Stephen LendmanShortly after he took office in 2009, headlines touted recovery. It never began. It doesn't exist. Protracted Main Street Depression conditions affect growing millions.Things go from bad to worse. Human s...
Fidel at 87
Fidel at 87Stephen LendmanLast August 13, Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz turned 87. He's a legend in his own time. He led Cuba's revolution. He did so for half a century. Freedom replaced police state rule. US imperial dominance ended. So did mafia bo...
Rich Congress, Poor America
Rich Congress, Poor America
by Stephen Lendman
The Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) calls itself "the nation's premier research group tracking money in US politics and its (corrosive) effect on elections and public policy."
"Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the organization aims to create a more educated voter, an involved citizenry, and a more transparent and responsive government."
Doing so remains a major uphill struggle. It shows virtually no signs of success. Conditions are worse than ever in modern times. Washington's political establishment is ruthless, corrupt and lawless.
Members infesting it are privileged. Most are very, very rich. Generous congressional benefits supplement their wealth.
A long ago discredited canard claims anyone working hard enough can get rich. Growing millions of poor, unemployed, underemployed, hungry and homeless Americans attest to the Big Lie.
F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote:
"Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early...They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we..."
"Even when they enter deep into our world...they still think that that they are better than we are. They are different."
Most House and Senate members for sure are. They live in their own world. It's light years from most constituents they serve.
Inside their bubble, it's paradise. Outside it's dystopian hell. They barely notice. They're indifferent. They don't care. They ignore human suffering. They do so dismissively. They do it disgracefully.
The American dream for growing millions is nightmarish. Congressional members worry most about being reelected.
They're beholden solely to wealth, power and privilege. They're mindless of constituent needs. Their voting record shows it. Public betrayal reflects it.
On January 9, CRP headlined "Millionaires' Club: For First Time, Most Lawmakers are Worth $1 million-Plus."
In tongue in cheek understatement, The New York Times said it's "hardly the kind of news that lawmakers in Congress would want to highlight during a week when unemployment benefits expired for (1.3 million) Americans."
Millions more will lose theirs before yearend. Congress won't renew benefits without offsetting social cuts. Whether December's dismal employment report changes things remains to be seen.
A meager 74,000 jobs were created. Consensus expected around 200,000. Major media reports ignore mostly low quality jobs. It's the same story monthly.
Jobs created are largely menial, low pay, part-time or temp. They're poor or no-benefit work.
They're largely jobs most Americans shunned decades earlier. Today they're grateful for any work.
The fake unemployment rate dropped to 6.7%. It's because hundreds of thousands of discouraged workers stopped seeking work. They can't find it.
Labor force non-participation hit a new all-time high. It's nearly 92 million adult men and women.
They want work. Enough jobs aren't available. They're blamed for disgraceful government policy. Job creation isn't a federal priority. Pathetically little is done to help.
America's unemployed go unnoticed. They're nameless, faceless, out-of-sight, out-of-mind non-persons. They're unwanted. They don't exist. They don't count.
They're growing millions of forgotten lost souls. Labor force participation is lowest since August 1977. It stands at 62.8%.
It's heading south to greater lows. It's a shocking indictment to bipartisan indifference. Protracted Main Street Depression conditions go unaddressed. Pathetically little is done to help.
National resources go for militarism, imperial wars, corporate handouts, and tax cuts for super-rich elites.
Social America is on the chopping block for elimination. Popular needs are increasingly ignored. Safety net protections are disappearing.
Real unemployment exceeds 23%. Numbers are manipulated to conceal it. Media reports don't explain. Misinformation echoes the charade. Fake excuses substitute for responsible policy.
Most House and Senate members are entirely self-serving. They're richer than ever. They live in their own world.
They're mindless of institutionalized inequality. America's poor ranks keep growing exponentially.
In the 1970s, about one in 50 Americans were on food stamps. Today it's around one in six. Since yearend 2008, recipients increased about 50%. Their ranks grow monthly.
Over half of US households need some form of federal aid. Bipartisan complicity keeps cutting it when most needed.
Most Republicans and Democrats want it eliminated altogether. They pretend otherwise.
A decade or two ahead, America will be entirely thirdworldized. Middle America is fast disappearing. Most children live in households considered low income or impoverished.
Over three-fourths of working people live from paycheck to paycheck. They're one missed pay period away from potential homelessness and destitution.
Most House and Senate members belong to America's top 1%. It has more wealth than the bottom 95%. Force-fed neoliberal harshness created this nightmare.
Class warfare isn't new. Today it rages. Private wealth benefits most. Popular interests aren't important. Increasingly they've gone begging.
According to the Economic Policy Institute's research director Josh Bivens:
"Congress not only seems more responsive to policy desires of the rich, but increasingly they are very rich."
Republicans and Democrats "know far fewer people cut off by the failure to extend unemployment benefits, and that makes them less sensitive to just how much damage that cutoff is going to cause."
Most congressional members don't care. Their voting records show it. So does their accumulated wealth.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP):
"Of 534 current members of Congress, at least 268 had an average net worth of $1 million or more in 2012, according to disclosures filed last year by all members of Congress and candidates."
Most congressional members are far wealthier than average Americans. "(B)ut the fact that now a majority…are millionaires represents a watershed moment..."
It's when lawmakers let unemployment benefits expire for 1.3 million affected people. They cut food stamps. Other social benefits are eroding when most needed.
Guaranteeing a living wage is shunned. Cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security matter more.
So does benefitting America's super-rich like themselves. According to CRP's executive director Sheila Krumholz:
"Despite the fact that polls show how dissatisfied Americans are with Congress overall, there's been no change in our appetite to elect affluent politicians to represent our concerns in Washington."
"Of course, it's undeniable that in our electoral system, candidates need access to wealth to run financially viable campaigns, and the most successful fundraisers are politicians who swim in those circles to begin with."
Republican and Democrat median wealth is virtually equal. Senators on average are threefold richer than House members.
Their median net worth is $2.7 million. It's no exaggeration calling the Senate a multimillionaire's club.
Around two-thirds of its members are super-rich. Some have enormous fortunes. So do super-rich House members. Congress' top 10 rank as follows:
Rep. Darrell Issa (R. CA) has an estimated maximum net worth of $597.9 million.
Senator Mark Warner (D.VA) has up to $418.7 million.
Rep. Jared Polis (D. CO) has $326.1 million.
Rep. John Delaney (D. MD) has $244.1 million.
Rep. Vernon Buchanan (R. FL) has $235.8.
Rep. Scott Peters (D. CA) has $197.4 million.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R. TX) has $183.8 million.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D. CA) has $174.9 million.
Senator Jay Rockefeller (D. W VA) has $139.3 million.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D. CT) has $121.3 million.
Note: Former senator/current Secretary of State John Kerry is heir to the HJ Heinz fortune. It's through his wife Teresa. He's super-rich on his own.
Estimates of their combined wealth range up to $3.5 billion. Clearly he's in a class of his own.
Congressional members are free from want. Halls of Congress don't echo brother can you spare a dime.
Harder than ever Main Street hard times go unnoticed. Republicans and Democrats never had it so good. They're richer than ever.
They dismissively ignore America's most disadvantaged. They do so in their greatest time of need.
They do it disgracefully. They do it shamelessly. They do it when wealth more than ever is disproportionately shared.
They do it when growing poverty, unemployment and human misery affects tens of millions. They do it because they don't care.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Anti-Iranian Sentiment Persists
Anti-Iranian Sentiment Persistsby Stephen LendmanNovember and subsequent Geneva nuclear talks fell far short of final resolution. Longstanding differences remain. It shows in continuing Big Lies.They wrongfully suggest an Iranian nuclear threat. They d...
Homelessness in Winter Cold
Homelessness in Winter Coldby Stephen LendmanImagine homelessness any time. Imagine struggling to survive outside. Imagine it in winter cold. Imagine it during what Chicagoans call Siberian Express conditions. From Sunday night through Thursday mo...
America’s Imperial Agenda
America's Imperial Agendaby Stephen LendmanMajor media editors support what demands condemnation. Wall Street Journal editors are worse than most. They endorse Washington's imperial agenda. They believe might makes right. On January 2, they headli...
The Third Battle of Fallujah
The Third Battle of Fallujahby Stephen LendmanIraq today is a grim reflection of America's ruthless imperial agenda. It includes mass slaughter, destruction, devastation, deprivation, human misery and unending violence.On August 31, 2010, Obama display...
Israel’s War on Asylum Seekers
Israel's War on Asylum Seekersby Stephen LendmanIsraeli policy reflects the worst of Zionism's dark side. Separate and unequal defines longstanding policy. Non-Jewish asylum seekers and refugees fleeing persecution aren't wanted. Arabs and black A...
Criminal Unaccountability
Criminal Unaccountability
by Stephen Lendman
Israel gets away with murder and much more. Crimes against humanity repeat multiple times daily. Palestinians are defenseless.
Who can contest Israel's military might? It's other security forces are ruthless. So are extremist settlers. Yesh Din Volunteers for Human Rights addresses them.
"Acts of violence are being committed by Israeli civilians against Palestinians in the West Bank on a daily basis," it says.
They repeat in many forms. They include violence and vandalism. They're not isolated incidences. They reflect more than hate or anger.
They're "part of a sophisticated wider strategy," says Yesh Din. They're "designed to assert territorial domination of Palestinians in the West Bank.
They include settler-imposed "no go zones." Palestinians face armed militants. They come from nearby settlements and outposts.
They "create effective 'no go zones.' " They're on privately owned Palestinian land.
Doing so gets them to abandon it. The do it in fear for their lives. Israeli soldiers, police and other security forces provide no protection. They support lawless settlers.
They commit so-called "price tag" attacks. Settlers use the term to describe retaliations relating to Israeli government actions limiting their political goals. Palestinians bear their brunt.
From September 2004 through 2011 alone, around 3,700 incidents occurred. They're documented by time, type, location, number of injuries and/or deaths, and settlements of origin.
Every West Bank governorate is affected. Key is that Israeli and collaborating Palestinian security forces do little to stop them.
Ordinary Palestinians are left vulnerable on their own. They live in a virtual war zone. Israel is an occupying power.
International law is clear. Palestinian security and safety must be protected. Israel ignores its mandated responsibility.
It's worse than that. Israeli forces commit daily crimes against humanity. Settlers commit their own with impunity.
Complaints go unaddressed. Investigations when conducted are whitewashed. According to Yesh Din, over 97% "of investigative files relating to damage to Palestinian olive trees are closed due to police failings."
Repeated vandalism incidents go unpunished. Evidence shows "Israeli police overwhelmingly (don't) investigate incidents (or) prosecute offenders."
Vandalizing olive and other fruit trees "has become one of the symbols of the occupation." Doing so repeats with disturbing regularity.
Crimes go unpunished. Palestinians are fair game. Settlers attack them and their property with impunity.
Israeli security forces are well aware of what's ongoing. They do nothing to stop it. They encourage it by inaction and failing to hold perpetrators accountable.
From 2005 through June 2013, Yesh Din documented 211 incidents of willfully damaging or destroying Palestinian fruit trees.
Four incidents alone led to perpetrators being punished. Doing so amounted to wrist slaps.
Vandalizing Palestinian property constitutes a serious assault on their well-being. Olive and other fruit trees provide employment and income for 100,000 Palestinian households.
According to Yesh Din researcher Noah Cohen:
"As the statistics show...areas of friction are well known. Nevertheless, the IDF leaves the Palestinian residents in these areas exposed to repeated violent attacks."
The implication of the ongoing failure (by Israeli police) to investigate and prosecute persons who vandalize trees is equally apparent."
It reflects the "complete abnegation of responsibility, and the abandonment of these areas to the control of violent and extremist elements."
Failure to hold them accountable leaves Palestinians frustrated. Why complain when doing so is fruitless. "Those who do have little hope for redress," says Yesh Din.
Israel's failure to hold criminal elements accountable "empowers them and supports the continuation of their strategic brand of violence."
Yesh Din confronts individual and institutional violence, as well as other criminal acts. Its volunteers take victims' testimonies. They document what goes on.
They file criminal complaints. They follow-up with local authorities. They represent aggrieved victims. They work toward advancing genuine reform. They do so because it matters.
Israeli soldiers commit daily violence. Impunity is institutionalized. Accountability doesn't matter.
"Most cases of violent crimes against Palestinians not only go unpunished - but often are completely ignored by the authorities," says Yesh Din.
"This is a blatant violation of the human rights of Palestinian civilians living in the West Bank and of Israel's duties under International Humanitarian Law."
Even when criminal investigations are initiated, accountability rarely follows. Never against higher ranking IDS soldiers.
"Very light sentencing" follows rare convictions. It's too little to matter. Palestinians trying to file complaints face "staggering obstacles" doing so.
"The complete absence of military police stations open to the public in the West Bank, for example, makes it literally impossible for Palestinians to file complaints directly with the military police," says Yesh Din.
Defending the human and civil rights of persecuted people is an enormous task. Confronting the frequency of Israeli lawlessness makes it overwhelming.
On January 7, Haaretz reported a rare instance of Palestinians giving extremist settlers a taste of their own medicine.
Ten settlers trespassed on Palestinian land. They were confronted. They "were apprehended and beaten by Palestinian villagers," said Haaretz.
They were handed over to Israeli soldiers. The incident began Tuesday morning. Civil Administration officials arrived at the settlers' outpost. They came to uproot olive trees planted on private Palestinian land.
Palestinians "organized themselves into security details. Hours later, 10 settlers arrived at Kfar Kusra village. They were masked. They wore gloves.
About 30 Palestinians surrounded them. They apprehended them. They took them to an abandoned building. They beat them. The incident lasted about an hour.
They were handed to soldiers. Some were injured. It's not known what Israeli authorities intend to do. A Yesh Din spokesman explained what happened, saying:
"After a (Civil Administration) action at the illegal outpost of Esh Kodesh...a group of Israeli civilians entered the villages of Kursa and Krayot, with the intention of harming the villagers."
"The Palestinians themselves reported the incident to the security forces and requested that they arrive to arrest the attackers."
They "were taken by the army and we hope that, in contrast to previous incidents, they will be transferred to the police for investigation and clarification about what they were doing in the village."
"Settler retaliation against Palestinians following action (by the civil administration) has become a regular and well-known phenomenon, particularly in that area."
"The fact that the IDF was not deployed to protect the Palestinian villagers is symptomatic of a policy that completely abandons the Palestinian residents of the area and ignores the basic duty of the IDF as the sovereign authority in the area."
"Unfortunately, past experience teaches us that today's incident will be followed by further revenge attacks against Palestinians."
"We expect the security forces to deploy as necessary in order to avoid all harm to the local residents."
Israel consistently won't do do so. Expect this time to be no different. Palestinians are on their own. Protection depends on their own resilience.
Israeli soldiers post a much greater threat. On January 5, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported one incident. It's much like many others.
It headlined "Israel: No Evidence that Boy Killed by Soldiers Posed Any Threat."
Israeli soldiers murdered a 15-year-old Palestinian boy. They did so in cold blood. On December 9, he was shot in the back. It happened near his school.
"It was the second incident involving the lethal shooting of a child in the back by Israeli forces deployed near a school in 2013," said HRW.
Witnesses explained what happened. Wajih al-Ramahi was shot and killed.
He and other youths were throwing stones at soldiers. They were about 200 meters away. They faced no risk of being hit.
Joe Stork is HRW Middle East and North Africa director. "Twice this year, Israeli soldiers hiding near schools, apparently to make arrests, have killed children who posed no apparent threat," he said.
"If the past is any guide, these boys' families can look forward to a prolonged, opaque, and fruitless process that does not hold perpetrators to account or deliver justice."
An earlier 2013 incident involved Israeli soldiers hiding near a Budrus village boys' school. They fatally shot 16-year-old Samir 'Awad.
He entered an open military gate in Israel's Apartheid Wall. Soldiers appeared. Awad threatened no one.
He tried to run away. He was shot and killed. IDF authorities said they're investigating both incidents. Expect whitewash to follow like always.
Medical sources and photos showed al-Ramahi "had a bullet wound in his back and no exit wound," said HRW.
"The lack of an exit-wound is consistent with statements that the bullet was fired from an assault rifle at considerable distance from al-Ramahi."
"There was no apparent justification for the use of live ammunition."
"International standards on the use of firearms in policing situations stipulate that lethal force may be used only as a last resort when strictly necessary to protect life."
"Should the incident be covered by the laws of war, which are applicable in the occupied West Bank, the shooting would violate the prohibition on targeting civilians, so long as the individual was not actively participating in hostilities."
"An attack on a civilian that is carried out intentionally or recklessly is a war crime."
Since September 2000, Israel only held six soldiers accountable for willful murder and other high crimes. The longest imposed sentence was seven months.
The open area where 'Awad was shot "slopes downhill from the school" he attended, said HRW. About 250 meters away, "a series of military structures form part of the Israeli" Apartheid Wall.
Witnesses said 'Awad and two other boys walked toward the Wall. A 15-year-old boy told HRW:
"This was the first time we'd ever seen the fence gate open. We just decided to go inside because there was no (military vehicle) on the road. We thought there weren't any soldiers there."
A 14-year-old boy said:
"We saw the gate was open, and we got excited, we decided to go through it. It’s a grey gate."
"We crossed the barbed wire coils and (two boys) went through the gate, first (a 13-year-old), then Samir, and then there were soldiers who had been lying in the ditch, four on the left and two on the right (of the gate)."
"They stood up and said, 'Stop.' The others ran back toward the village, and the soldiers fired in the air, two or three times."
"Samir got scared and ran the wrong way through the gate. He tried to climb the (second) fence, and one the four soldiers from the left-hand side shot him in the leg."
"He fell, got up, and came back through the gate toward the village. Another soldier grabbed him by the shoulder, but he got past and tried to run away toward the village."
"He was limping. One of (the soldiers) threw a sound bomb, and then another soldier shot him in the back and the head."
The boys and other children nearby posed no threat. They carried nothing in their hands. They weren't throwing stones.
Medical records show 'Awad was shot three times - in the leg, back of the chest and back of the head. He was murdered in cold blood.
These aren't isolated incidents. In 2013, Israeli soldiers killed 28 West Bank Palestinians. Children are targeted like adults.
At least 11 Gazan children were shot last year. Israeli air and ground attacks kill other Palestinians.
On January 3, 16-year-old Adnan Abu Khater was shot and killed. Since 2000, over 6,700 Palestinians were killed. Almost 1,400 were children.
Israel gets away with murder and much more. Excessive force is longstanding Israeli policy. Soldiers are taught to hate Arabs. They have license to kill. They take full advantage.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
A Century of War
A Century of War
by Stephen Lendman
July 29 marks WWI's 100th anniversary. It was called the war to end all wars. Never again was heard.
In 1928, Kellogg-Briand policy renounced aggressive wars. The UN Charter's Preamble states:
"We the Peoples of the United Nations Determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind..."
America, key NATO partners and Israel wage them on humanity. They're ongoing in multiple theaters. They cause horrific human suffering.
America waged wars at home and/or abroad every year in its history. They began long before the republic's inception.
It's an unparalleled record. It's shocking. It's deplorable. It continues out-of-control. Peace never had a chance. It's more endangered than ever.
Wars assure more of them. America by far is the world's leading offender. Israel, Britain, France and other key NATO partners are willing partners. So are other rogue states.
Barbara Tuchman's "The Guns of August" recounted WW I horrors. Events were fast-moving. Things spun out-of-control.
Over 20 million died. Many more were wounded or disabled. An entire generation of young men was lost.
Two decades later it repeated threefold. Never again became permanent war. It rages on humanity. Both world wars were preludes for what followed.
All wars include horrendous atrocities. America's tortured past reflects some of the worst.
They predate the republic. Accused 17th century Salem witches faced horrific abuse. Trials were grueling. They excluded fairness. Death by hanging awaited those convicted.
One or more victims were crushed under heavy boulders. It's unknown if any were burned alive.
Native Americans were mass-murdered. Columbus exterminated Hispaniola's population.
He did so by by torture, mass-murder, forced labor, starvation, disease, despair, stabbing natives for sport, dashing babies' heads on rocks, letting children be eaten by dogs, beheadings, and burning people at the stake among other atrocities.
Ward Churchill documented America's genocide. Native peoples were reduced to at most 3% of their original numbers.
According to Churchill:
Millions were "hacked apart with axes and swords, burned alive and trampled under horses, hunted as game and fed to dogs, shot, beaten, stabbed, scalped for bounty, hanged on meathooks and thrown over the sides of ships at sea, worked to death as slave laborers, intentionally starved and frozen to death during a multitude of forced marches and internments, and, in an unknown number of instances, deliberately infected with epidemic diseases."
America's genocide remains unparalleled in history. It repeats in new forms. It did so throughout the last century. It continues now.
A century of war begot a second one. New millennium conflicts rage. They show no signs of ending. They're ongoing in multiple theaters.
Torture and atrocities are weapons of war. John Dower's "War Without Mercy" documented viciousness by both sides in the Pacific. America is as unprincipled as the worst of its adversaries.
US forces mutilated Japan's war dead. They did so for souvenirs. They sank hospital ships. They shot sailors trying to abandon them.
They murdered pilots who bailed out. They killed wounded soldiers. They tortured prisoners. They killed them in cold blood.
They buried combatants alive. They attacked civilians. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are two of history's greatest crimes.
Gratuitous slaughter describes them. They had nothing to do with defeating Japan. Nor did firebombing Tokyo. America bears full responsibility for numerous crimes of war, against humanity and genocide.
Post-9/11, some of the worst occurred. Others happened earlier. Millions of North Koreans and Southeast Asians were slaughtered.
Air war alone killed millions of civilians. North Korea became rubble. Virtually everything in northern and central areas were destroyed. Napalm, cluster bombs, chemical and biological weapons, as well as other terror ones were used.
US forces dropped threefold the amount of WW II tonnage on Southeast Asia. Agent Orange's deadly legacy remains.
Dioxin is one of the most deadly known substances. It's a potent carcinogenic human immune system suppressant. Minute amounts cause serious health problems and death.
Agent Orange causes congenital disorders and birth defects. It causes cancer, type two diabetes, and numerous other diseases.
It remains toxic for decades. It killed millions of Southeast Asians. Many others were disabled and/or suffer from chronic illnesses. Future generations are affected like earlier ones.
Around three million US servicemen and women were harmed. So were many American civilians. Many died. Living victims endure diseases, birth defects, and other ill effects.
New generations of terror weapons replaced earlier ones. US wars are merciless. Fundamental laws are ignored. Anything goes is policy.
Civilians suffer most. America considers them legitimate targets.
Obama's Asia pivot perhaps intends repeating the worst of past and current conflicts. They're ongoing in multiple war theaters.
Washington's new millennium wars killed millions. Many more victims die daily. Wherever America shows up, mass slaughter, destruction and human misery follow.
War without mercy describes them. America is a killing machine. Making the world safe for war profiteers is policy. So is committing genocidal crimes.
The measure of national policy is its respect for life, liberty, equity and justice. America deplores them. It scorns them. It ruthlessly seeks unchallenged global dominance.
It thrives on war. It wages permanent ones. Its culture reflects violence, unfairness, cruelty and intolerance. It punishes its own. It does so like others abroad.
Torture is official policy. It's practiced worldwide. It operates the world's largest gulag. Thousands of political prisoners suffer inside. Anyone challenging US lawlessness is vulnerable.
So are America's poor, people of culture, others most disadvantaged, and human rights advocates championing their rights.
America is a dystopian wasteland. Millions are denied fundamental rights. Growing poverty, unemployment, underemployment, hunger and homelessness reflect horrific conditions.
Hot wars rage abroad. Financial ones cause more harm than standing armies. Bipartisan complicity wages war on fairness.
America's social contract is on the chopping block for elimination. Growing millions face protracted Depression conditions.
Families struggle to pay rent, provide sustenance, and handle other essential expenses. Harvard Magazine's January-February 2014 issue featured Elizabeth Gudrias' article.
It headlined "Disrupted Lives." It discussed Harvard Sociology Professor Matthew Desmond's research. His academic interests include poverty, race, ethnicity, organizations and work, social theory and ethnography.
He studied how evictions impact America's poor. It's a story raw datta hide. Sheriffs arrive disruptively. They've come to evict. Loud knocks announce them. If no one's inside they "kick the door in."
Desmond studies how poverty, housing and eviction affects America's most disadvantaged. Millions are horrifically harmed.
He captured an important snapshot. He did it through original research. It reflects hard times getting harder. It's ongoing out of sight and mind.
It's longstanding. It's raged since 2008 crisis conditions emerged. For growing millions, it never ends.
Imagine living life on the edge. Imagine it without house or home. Desmond witnessed what happened to Danielle Shaw and her partner, Jerry Allen.
"(D)eputies swept into (their) apartment," said Gudrias. They took over. They "briskly outlined" their intentions.
"The couple could choose to put their belongings in storage at the moving company’s warehouse - and pay a fee to retrieve them - or the movers would leave everything on the curb."
The couple had little advance notice. They learned only days before eviction. They had little time to plan.
Desmond's research showed "how common eviction is in the lives of poor people," said Gudrias.
Inner city people of color are harmed most. They have no recourse. Their lives are involuntarily disrupted.
Desmond studied inner city Milwaukee. He analyzed formal eviction court records. Others take place off the books.
Some landlords are adversarial. They cut off electricity. They stop heat in winter. They remove front doors. They use other ways to evict tenants.
Desmond found almost one in eight Milwaukee renters were evicted or involuntarily relocated. For blacks, it was one in seven. For Hispanics, it was one in four.
Many end up homeless. Some live on streets. Others end up in shelters. Ones finding substitute housing "are limited to decrepit units in unsafe neighborhoods."
Transient existence affects children's emotional well-being. Their school performance suffers.
Adults endure "depression and subsequent job loss, material hardship, and future residential instability," said Desmond.
Eviction compounds poverty and racial discrimination. "We are learning that (it) is a cause, not just a condition, of poverty," he said.
It gets little public attention. Most often it gets none at all. Imagine millions suffering enormous hardships. Imagine federal, state and local governments doing practically nothing to help.
Imagine media scoundrels ignoring what need to be headlined. Imagine a growing problem across America.
"The average cost of rent, even in high-poverty neighborhoods, is quickly approaching the total income of welfare recipients," said Desmond.
"The fundamental issue is this: the high cost of housing is consigning the urban poor to financial ruin."
Desmond was a University of Wisconsin-Madison doctoral student. Eviction "brings together poor and nonpoor people - tenants, their families, landlords, social workers, lawyers, judges, sheriffs - in relationships of mutual dependence and struggle," he explained.
He learned how little eviction was studied. No national data exist. He constructed Milwaukee facts and figures on his own.
He did it by examining tens of thousands of Milwaukee County eviction records.
He interviewed 250 tenants in eviction court. He conducted over 1,000 others with affected households.
He calls evictions and incarceration twin destructive forces. They relate to each other. They affect millions of inner-city lives.
They're out of sight and minds. They're nameless, faceless victims society forgot.
Many prior inmates can't find work. Others don't earn enough to live on. Criminal records are marks of cain. They're permanent. They affect victims for life.
Their ability to rent is hampered. Desmond lived in poor neighborhoods he studied. He learned human suffering firsthand. He explained, saying:
"I sat beside families at eviction court; helped them move; followed them into shelters and abandoned houses; watched their children; ate with them; slept at their houses; attended church counseling sessions, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and Child Protective Services appointments with them; joined them at births and funerals; and generally embedded myself as deeply as possible into their lives."
He discovered numerous cases where victims don't know their rights. They don't understand the process. They're given conflicting, inaccurate information.
They lack legal help. They're on their own. They're up against an unforgiving system. Disadvantaged people endure what America's privileged avoid.
Poverty is a process, he says. It involves victims, a system creating them, people benefitting from it, and society overall not caring.
Sociology Professor Eric Klinenberg admires his writing skill. It's "deceptively simple but devastatingly sharp," he said.
He's a voice for the voiceless. He lets them be heard. He explains their humanity. It needs to be known.
He hopes to make a difference. Disadvantaged households need all the help they can get.
America's wars include waging them on poor people. They're increasingly deprived. Force-fed austerity inflicts greater harm. It's ongoing when help is most needed.
Main Street economic recovery is nowhere in sight. Hard times for millions keep getting harder.
Federal, state and local governments dismissively ignore them. Today's America is the United States of I Don't Care.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Rogue State Accuses Victims of Incitement
Rogue State Accuses Victims of Incitementby Stephen LendmanBlaming victims repeats with disturbing regularity. More on this below. Extremist ideologues run Israel. They're criminals. They're thugs. They're militantly hardline. They threaten humani...
Corporate Taxes in America
Corporate Taxes in America
by Stephen Lendman
Raising them should be a national imperative. Corporations should pay their fair share. Not according to Laurence Kotlikoff.
He's a right-wing economist. He's a corporatist writ large. He claims abolishing corporate taxes will create jobs.
Doing so requires dropping money on Main Street. Get it in people's pockets directly. Do it by cutting their taxes.
Guarantee a living wage. Support worker-friendly legislation. Restore their bargaining power with management.
Return money creation power to public hands where it belongs. Initiate government jobs creation programs.
New Deal ones put millions back to work. Doing so reinvigorated the national spirit.
Unemployment was measurably cut. It dropped from 25% in 1933 to 11% in 1937. Doing the right things work.
In 1961, corporate tax cuts were linked to job creation. Business had to prove they added jobs to qualify.
No longer. Corporate tax cuts and credits are handed out freely. They're not linked to job creation. They're standard practice. More are planned this year.
Under Bush and Obama, corporations get tax cuts for overseas investments. Domestic job reductions accompany them. Offshoring is rewarded.
Multiple Bush tax cuts handed corporations around $3.4 trillion. Doing so was hailed as a way to create jobs.
Post-recession jobs creation during the early 2000s was the weakest on record. It took 46 months to recover those lost.
It'll take over a decade now. The so-called 2007 - 2009 Great Recession continues to take an enormous toll on ordinary Americans. Main Street Great Depression conditions persist unabated.
Low pay/poor or no benefit part-time jobs replaced higher paying, good benefit full-time ones. It's been ongoing for decades. America is in economic decline.
Offshoring millions of jobs exacerbates hard times. According to Paul Craig Roberts, only fools believe doing so is good for America.
Likeminded so-called experts can't see the forest through the trees. US corporations are hoarding cash. Bush and Obama tax cuts added $10 trillion or more to their balance sheets.
Much was shifted to offshore subsidiaries. Doing so avoids US taxes altogether. It's unknown how much corporate wealth sits in tax havens. Perhaps trillions from generous business handouts.
During the height of 2008 crisis conditions, $168 billion stimulus legislation was enacted. About $90 billion went to business and rich elites.
Jobs were lost, not created. From July through December 2008, nearly a million a month disappeared. Doing so matched the 1929-1930 rate.
Obama's February 2009 $787 billion stimulus bill handed corporations nearly $400 billion in tax cuts. Over $225 billion went for business/investor cuts.
Through December 2010, zero jobs were created. Part-time ones replaced higher paying full-time jobs.
Hundreds of thousands of federal, state and local public workers were laid off. Current unemployment tops 23%.
Official numbers are fake. They mask the greatest jobs crisis since the Great Depression. Before this one ends, it may be greater.
Bush and Obama benefitted corporations and rich elites hugely. They never had it better. Unprecedented wealth amounts shifted from ordinary people to them.
The great wealth transfer heist continues. America is being thirdworldized in the process. Employment opportunities are dreadful.
It bears repeating. Tax cuts don't create jobs. They could if linked to jobs creation. They haven't been since Kennedy's mandate.
Democrats and Republicans today are polar opposite. Reverse Robin Hoodism is policy. It created the greatest wealth disparity in US history.
Half or more of US households are impoverished or bordering it. Good jobs are disappearing in plain sight. Nearly 50 million Americans need food stamps to eat.
Hard times are getting harder. Needy households are increasing exponentially. At the same time, corporate profits are higher than ever.
Business taxes are way too low. The top nominal rate is 35%. Obama, Republicans and many Democrats plan cutting it to 28 or 25%.
Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D. MT) is retiring this year. He favors lower corporate rates. He helped spearhead Obamacare's enactment.
Doing so wrecked America's healthcare system. It did so to benefit business. The full fallout remains to unfold.
One of many propagated myths is that US corporations pay too much in taxes. "Abolish the Corporate Income Tax," says Kotlikoff. He wants people to believe what's untrue.
"Just ask" Seattle-based Boeing machinist workers, he said. They accepted major contract concessions. They did so for greater "long-term success," Kotlikoff claimed.
False! Contract terms substitute largely worker funded 401ks for company-paid pensions, higher healthcare costs, reduced wage increases, and no strikes.
Heavy pressure was applied. Union bosses claimed 51% of International Association of Machinists approved what no workers want. Others claimed vote rigging.
Kotlikoff said Boeing workers acted in their own best interest. How does cutting their standard of living do so?
"In recent decades, American workers have suffered one body blow after another," he admitted.
"What can (they) do to mitigate their plight," he asked? Eliminate corporate taxes, what else.
"It's not…a giveaway to the rich," he maintains. Corporate taxes are "economically self-defeating." They hurt "workers, not capitalists..."
He claims America "may well have the highest effective marginal corporate income tax rate of any developed country."
As explained above, nominally it's 35%. Bipartisan complicity agreed to cut it to 28 or 25%. Most large corporations pay less than half that amount.
Many pay much less. Some pay nothing. Others get rebates in profitable years. Corporate taxes have been in free fall for decades.
As a percent of GDP and national income, they're half what they were two decades ago. They're going lower. Obama demands it. He's doing so while waging war on ordinary Americans.
He's one-sidedly pro-business. He's anti-labor, anti-populist, anti-fairness. He wants greater austerity than already. He wants America's social contract eliminated.
He wants corporate giants handed trillions more than already. So does Kotlikoff. He supports the great tax giveaway.
He wants corporate ones entirely eliminated. He claims maintaining them gets business to shift operations abroad.
They do so largely for lower labor costs. They're in countries with no worker protections. They're free to exploit their workforce for greater profits.
Kotlikoff claims eliminating corporate taxes assures a "stunningly large" economic windfall. He's for raising personal income tax rates at the same time.
He wants ordinary people to bear the burden. They do so more than ever now. He claims hitting them when they can least afford it "leads to a short-run inflow of capital."
It'll "rais(e) (America's) capital stock (machines and buildings) by 23 percent, output by 8 percent, and the real wages of unskilled and skilled workers by 12 percent," he maintains.
It bears repeating. Corporate tax cuts don't create jobs. Clear evidence proves it. Throughout the new millennium, profits shifted abroad tax free.
They remain on business balance sheets. They went for stock buybacks, dividends, high executive salaries and bonuses, as well as other unrelated non-job creation purposes.
Why else would unemployment exceed 23%? Inflation-adjusted wages have been declining for decades. Benefits workers took for granted are disappearing.
So are good full-time jobs. Class war rages. Middle America is disappearing in plain sight. Detroit reflects nationwide decline.
Other troubled cities include major ones. Growing millions are on their own sink or swim. Predatory capitalism is malignant. It's eating its seed corn. It's killing its host.
It's been a stunning failure for decades. It hollowed out America. It harms its most vulnerable.
It caused the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history. Detroit once symbolized America's industrial might. It's zombie-like today.
Nothing is done to change things. Kotlikoff wants ordinary people hit harder. He claims raising their tax burden lifts all boats.
He says it does so when coupled with eliminating corporate taxes. He shows a shocking disregard for human welfare.
His formula assures greater crisis conditions. Millions already can't cope. More add to their ranks daily. Raising their taxes will accelerate the process.
How can destroying the well-being of most Americans be beneficial? Kotlikoff apparently believes doing so will save them. He admits that inflation-adjusted wages are "10 percent lower today than (in) 1966."
"This is America's nightmare, not its dream," he explains. "Turning things around requires getting a lot of things right, starting, (he argues) with corporate tax reform."
In 2007, his book titled "The Healthcare Fix" proposed ending Medicare, Medicaid, and employer-provider insurance.
He wants government-provided vouchers replacing them. He wants their cost maintained at a fixed 10% of GDP.
Well-off recipients could supplement coverage by buying more on their own. Others would be stuck with bare bones care.
Corporations are Kotlikoff's concern. Ordinary people don't matter. Deepening social inequality is OK.
Human misery is out of sight and mind. Kotlikoff's formula assures hard times getting harder for growing millions.
America already is unfit to live in. Kotlikoff wants impossible conditions for most people. Imagine if it turns out this way. Imagine the worst of all possible worlds.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/corporate-taxes-america/
Exonerate Edward Snowden Unconditionally!
Exonerate Edward Snowden Unconditionally!by Stephen LendmanIt's long past time to stop Obama's war on whistleblowers. It's time to hold him accountable for waging it.Whistleblowing is a national imperative. Exposing government wrongdoing is essential. ...
America Greatest Threat to World Peace
America Greatest Threat to World Peaceby Stephen LendmanA new poll affirms it. Respondents in 68 countries said so. Anti-US sentiment is palpable. It doesn't surprise. It's for good reason.Around one-fourth of people surveyed believe America is the gre...
Rand Paul v. NSA Spying
Rand Paul v. NSA Spying
by Stephen Lendman
He's Kentucky's junior senator. He's leading a class-action lawsuit. He's filing it in US District Court for the District of Columbia.
It's against the Obama administration's mass surveillance program. He urged everyone "to stop Barack Obama's NSA snooping on the American people."
His lead lawyer is former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli. He's acting as a private individual, not a US senator. More on this below.
Paul is a right-wing Republican. He's a Tea Party favorite. He's anti-populist and corporatist.
He prioritizes national defense. He does it at a time America's only enemies are ones it invents. At the same time, he's against preemptive wars.
Last summer he said:
"I believe individuals and countries can and should defend themselves, but I simply can’t imagine Jesus at the head of any army of soldiers, and I think as Christians we need to be wary of the doctrine of preemptive war."
"We must and should stand with our fellow Christians in the Middle East and around the world, but that does not necessarily mean war and it certainly does not mean arming sides in every conflict."
At the same time, he said:
"If we were to cut somewhere else in the budget, I would try to restore some money to the military."
He opposes drone warfare against Americans. Last March, he filibustered for 13 hours. He did so against nominating John Brennan as CIA director.
"Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil," he asked? "The answer to that is no," he said.
Paul voted against the FY 2013 and 2014 National Defense Authorization Acts. He did so because of provisions permitting Obama to order US citizens arrested and indefinitely detained on his say alone for any reason or none at all.
Ralph Nader says differences between him and his father "are ones of personality, policy and opportunism."
He's a 2016 presidential aspirant. His politics run counter to mainstream America. He "declines to challenge the (corporate managed trade) autocratic systems of transnational governance," said Nader.
On the one hand, he stresses constitutional preamble "we the people" language. On the other, he supports bloated military budgets, corporatism, cutting vital social benefits, and other anti-populist policies.
According to Nader:
"Corporatism, Empire, militarism, the big Wall Street Banks, crony capitalism and the unlawful, repressive national security bureaucracy" define the measure of the man.
Paul supporters and others have cause for concern. Would he send his own children to fight US imperial wars? Indeed so, saying:
"If the military action is justified and there is no other recourse, I will cast my vote with a heavy heart."
Arguably America had no just cause ever throughout its history. Its war of independence repackaged Crown rule under new management. Everything changed but stayed the same.
Wilson pledged to keep America out of WW I. Straightaway he went all-out for involvement. Roosevelt manipulated Japan to attack.
Doing so gave him the war he wanted. He had to convince Congress and a pacifist public. Pearl Harbor worked as planned.
So do false flags. They're longstanding US practice. They began in the 19th century. They repeated through 9/11. Every post-WW II war America waged was lawless. So do current direct and proxy ones.
Nuremberg Charter and Principles call them supreme crimes against peace. Paul has much to answer for.
Supporting lawlessness means complicity with high crimes. At the same time, he believes wars require Congress declaring them.
Shamefully he ignores UN Charter provisions. The Security Council alone has final say on whether one country may attack another. It's permitted only in self-defense.
Paul endorses wars on "radical Islam." It's not "go(ing) quietly into that good night," he claims. He includes Iran as a prime target.
Doing so ignores Tehran's longstanding peace agenda. It hasn't attacked another country in centuries. It threatens none now.
He uses incendiary rhetoric like "our enemies." It bears repeating. America's only ones it invents. Not according to Paul, saying:
"Until we understand the world around us, until we understand at least a modicum of what animates our enemies, we cannot defend ourselves and we cannot contain our enemies."
He calls "Iran developing nuclear weapons...the most pressing (issue) of the day." No matter that its nuclear program is peaceful. No evidence whatever suggests otherwise.
"I have voted for Iranian sanctions in the hope of preventing war and allowing for diplomacy," he said. "War should never be our only option," he added.
He's a pro-Israeli loyalist. America shouldn't meddle in its settlement construction program, he says. It's "none of our business." He ignores Palestinian rights. Their longstanding grievances don't matter.
Last year he visited Israel. "I came here to show that I am supportive of the relationship between Israel and America," he said.
At the same time, he opposes foreign aid. He wants Washington's annual multi-billion dollar Israeli package significantly reduced.
"The biggest threat to our nation right now is our debt," he says. He wants it cut at the expense of ordinary Americans.
He's waging war on social justice. He wants Social Security and Medicare privatized. He wants retirement eligibility age raised.
He's for cutting Medicaid and other vital social safety net protections. He wants Washington out of the business of helping ordinary people entirely.
He supports flat over progressive taxation. He wants capital gains, dividends and other investment income taxes eliminated.
He wants US resources benefitting Wall Street, war profiteers, other corporate favorites and privileged elites. He's against the Constitution's General Welfare clause.
Article I, Section 8 states:
"The Congress shall have power to...provide for (the) general welfare of the United States."
It means "We the People." It includes everyone equitably. It means what never was, isn't now, or won't ever be under a system Paul supports. It favors privilege, not fairness.
Democracy in America is the world's greatest scam. It's government of, by and for privileged elites.
Nader once called it "government of the Exxons, by the General Motors for the Duponts." It's polar opposite popular interests. It's run by rogues, scoundrels and crooks.
It mocks legitimacy. Monied interests decide who'll serve. Ordinary people have no say. Democratic values don't matter. It's the way it's always been. It's worse than ever now.
Congress permits war on humanity. It's waging it at home and abroad. It's destroying America's social fabric. Police state justice is official policy. Lawless spying reflects it.
On January 3, Paul told Fox News why he's filing suit, saying:
"The question here is whether or not, constitutionally, you can have a single warrant apply to millions of people."
"So we thought, what better way to illustrate the point than (by) having hundreds of thousands of Americans sign up for a class action suit."
Six months ago, he began collecting signatures. Anyone with a cell phone or connected online can join it.
"We're hoping...we can get a hearing in court, and ultimately get this class-action lawsuit, I think the first of its kind on a constitutional questions, all the way to the Supreme Court," he said.
He's targeting the Obama administration. "We want them to protect the fourth amendment. We want them to protect the right to privacy," he said.
"We think we can have security, that we can defend against terrorism, but that doesn't mean that every single American has to give up their privacy."
On December 16, his web site headlined "Sen. Paul Applauds the Protection of Fourth Amendment Rights," saying:
"I commend US District Court Judge Richard Leon for upholding and protecting our Fourth Amendment rights."
"This decision represents an important first step in having the constitutionality of government surveillance programs decided in the regular court system rather than a secret court where only one side is presented."
"In June, I introduced the Fourth Amendment Restoration Act which, if enacted, would have restored our Constitutional rights and declared that the Fourth Amendment shall not be construed to allow any agency of the United States government to search the phone records of Americans without a warrant based on probable cause."
"The NSA phone surveillance program is a blatant abuse of power and an invasion of our privacy."
"This ruling reminds the Federal government that it is not above the law. I will continue to fight against the violations of American's Constitutional rights through illegal phone surveillance until it is stopped once and for all."
RANDPAC is Paul's political action committee. "Stand With Rand," it headlines. "Join the Class Action Lawsuit."
"Wanted: Ten Million Americans to Sue to Take Back Our Rights."
"I'm outraged," said Paul, "and I'm going to do everything I can to END this madness."
"That's why I've asked Internet providers and phone companies to join me in a class-action lawsuit to STOP Barack Obama's NSA from snooping on the American people."
According to an unnamed senior Paul staffer:
Since he floated his class-action lawsuit last June, hundreds of thousands of people volunteered online as possible plaintiffs.
The ACLU, Electronic Frontier Foundation, as well as conservative activist Larry Klayman and Charles Strange filed other suits earlier.
Fighting Washington and winning rarely happens. Judge Leon granted Klayman and Strange a preliminary injunction. He ordered the Obama administration to stop collecting their phone data.
At the same time, he stayed his ruling. He cited potential "significant national security interests at stake."
He gave Obama's Justice Department time to appeal. His decision applies only to plaintiffs. It doesn't affect mass NSA surveillance. Odds favor reversing him on appeal.
Expect America's Supremes to have final say whether on this case or another. It's too important an issue for them not to address.
It's highly unlikely they'll side with justice. Right-wing judges deplore it. They control federal courts.
Supremes are pro-business, pro-war, pro-privilege and anti-populist. Right over wrong faces long odds.
NSA spying is longstanding. It's been ongoing for decades. It takes a giant leap of faith to think individual, group or class-action lawsuits will stop it.
Justice isn't Washington's long suit. Nor fairness. Nor doing the right thing. Rogue states don't embrace these values.
America is by far the worst. For sure it's the most dangerous. It threatens world peace, equity and justice. Mass surveillance is one of many ways.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/rand-paul-v-nsa-spying/
Kerry’s Peace Plan: Worthless
Kerry's Peace Plan: Worthlessby Stephen LendmanPLO secretary-general Yasser Abed Rabbo criticized Kerry's plan. The PA will ignore its "worthless framework," he said. It mocks legitimacy. It's totally one-sided. It ignores Palestinian rights. Peac...
Legislating Tyranny
Legislating Tyranny
by Stephen Lendman
Police state lawlessness reflects official US policy. Numerous examples explain. Congress opposes fundamental freedoms.
It terrorizes most people. So do rogue US administrations. Washington is more ruthless today than ever.
Waging war on humanity is much worse. It's ongoing globally. It's reflected in congressional legislation.
Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF - September 2001) approved open-ended permanent wars. They rage out-of-control. They do so at home and abroad.
The FY 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) targets freedom. It prioritizes militarism and permanent wars. It authorizes over $600 billion for global belligerence, mass killing and destruction.
It's a portion of what America spends overall. Around $1.5 trillion or more annually goes for domestic and foreign militarism.
It's authorized when America's only enemies are ones it invents. It's on top of trillions of dollars of Pentagon waste, fraud and grand theft.
In December 2006, George Bush signed FY 2007 NDAA into law. Included were hidden sections 1076 and 333. Media scoundrels ignored them.
They amended the 1807 Insurrection Act and 1878 Posse Comitatus Act. They prohibited using federal and National Guard troops for law enforcement.
They did so except as constitutionally allowed or expressly authorized by Congress in times of insurrection or other national emergency.
Presidents can now claim emergency powers. They can declare martial law unilaterally. They can suspend the Constitution.
They can do it on alleged "national security" grounds. They can deploy federal and/or National Guard troops on US streets.
They can do it to suppress whatever is called disorder. It includes lawful peaceful protests. America's First Amendment permits them.
Congress and Bush acted unconstitutionally. They did numerous times throughout Bush's tenure. Things got worse under Obama.
On May 21, 2009, he addressed national security and civil liberties issues.
He lied saying his "single most important responsibility as president is to keep the American people safe." He's gone all out to harm them.
He falsely claimed Al Qaeda "is actively planning to attack us again (and) this threat will be with us for a long time..."
Uncharged detainees pose no threat whatever to America. Obama maliciously claimed otherwise. He offered no evidence proving it. There is none. Innocent victims rot in prison on his say. Others are at risk.
He said those "who cannot be prosecuted" will be held indefinitely without trial. Indefinitely means potentially forever.
Doing so violates America's 8th Amendment. It prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. It doesn't matter. Core rule of law principles are null and void. Diktat power replaced them.
In December 2011, Obama signed FY 2012 NDAA into law. For the first time in US history, it codified indefinite military detentions.
It authorized US presidents to order America's military to capture, arrest, and indefinitely detain anyone anywhere in the world. US citizens are as vulnerable as others.
Indefinite detentions remain the law of the land. FY 2013 NDAA reaffirmed them. So did FY 2014 NDAA.
Detaining people based on uncorroborated suspicions or none at all remains official US policy.
It has strong bipartisan support. It violates core democratic freedoms. They're vanishing in plain sight. Militarized injustice replaced them.
Presidents have unchecked authority. No one anywhere is safe. Abuse of power replaced rule of law protections. Tyranny is official US policy.
Foreign nationals and US citizens are vulnerable. They can be arrested for any reason or none at all. They can be indefinitely detained in military prisons.
In September 2012, Southern District of New York federal Judge Katherine B. Forrest blocked Obama's indefinite detention law.
She called it "facially unconstitutional: it impermissibly impinges on guaranteed First Amendment rights and lacks sufficient definitional structure and protections to meet the requirements of due process."
"If, following issuance of this permanent injunctive relief, the government detains individuals under theories of 'substantially or directly supporting' associated forces, as set forth in" NDAA's section 1021, "and a contempt action is brought before this court, the government will bear a heavy burden indeed," she added.
Section 1021 states in part:
"Congress affirms that the authority of the president to use all necessary and appropriate force pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) includes the authority for the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons (as defined in subsection (b) ) pending disposition under the law of war."
"Covered persons" are defined as:
Anyone "who was a part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces."
In July 2013, the New York Second Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Judge Forrest's ruling. A three-judge panel did so unanimously.
They endorsed uncharged, untried indefinite detentions. Imprisoning US citizens and foreign nationals based on hearsay or nothing at all remains the law of the land.
FY 2014 NDAA reaffirmed what demands prohibiting. On December 26, Obama signed it into law. It went further than earlier. Enhancement of Capacity of the United States Government to Analyze Captured Records is authorized.
Doing so establishes new intelligence collecting. It enhances federal power. Indefinite surveillance is authorized.
The defense secretary is empowered to "establish a center to be known as the 'Conflict Records Research Center.' "
It's tasked with compiling "digital research database (information) including translations, and to facilitate research and analysis of records captured from countries, organizations, and individuals, now or once hostile to the United States."
It'll conduct research and analysis to "increase the understanding of factors related to international relations, counterterrorism, and conventional and unconventional warfare, and ultimately enhance national security."
The defense secretary is authorized to create an information exchange cooperatively with the director of national intelligence (DNI).
Doing so requires involvement of all 16 US intelligence agencies, as well as intelligence related operations.
Focus is on so-called "captured records." They're defined as "a document, audio file, video file, or other material captured during combat operations from countries, organizations, or individuals, now or once hostile to the United States."
They potentially include telecommunications, emails, text messages, web sites visited, medical history, financial records, and related information.
Ordinary information can be maliciously manipulated. It can be held against us. Potentially it becomes incriminating evidence.
It does if prosecutors say so. They're experts at creating indictments out of whole cloth. Truth or fiction doesn't matter.
Freedom is too precious to lose. More than ever it hangs by a thread. Constitutional protections don't help.
Alleged hostility is undefined. It's whatever Washington so designates. It includes nations, organizations and individuals. Anyone for any reason or none at all becomes a potential hostile entity.
FY 2014 NDAA sustains America's war on terror. It continues waging war on humanity. It jeopardizes everyone everywhere. It gives presidents more diktat power.
It further compromises fundamental freedoms. It makes everyone potential enemies. It pronounces guilt by accusation. It turns planet earth into a battleground. It does so unconstitutionally.
On January 29, 1788, James Madison commented in The Federalist No. 46 (The Influence of the State and Federal Governments Compared).
He said the way to combat federal overreach is by refusing "to cooperate with officers of the Union."
Resisting tyranny is a longstanding US tradition. Jefferson called doing so "obedience to God."
John Locke said when governments fail people their "trust must necessarily be forfeited, and the Power (shall) devolve into the hands of those that gave it…"
America's Declaration of Independence affirmed abolishing governments abusing their just powers derived from the consent of the governed.
Civil disobedience more than ever is essential. Henry David Thoreau affirmed "the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable.
America today is more unjust than ever in modern times. Arguably it Resistance is a national imperative. The alternative is full-blown tyranny. It's what no one should accept anywhere anytime.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/legislating-tyranny/
Palestinian Children in Cages
Palestinian Children in Cages
by Stephen Lendman
Israel willfully, systematically, maliciously and lawlessly abuses detained Palestinian children. They're treated like adult prisoners.
Mercy isn't Israel's long suit. Nor are peace, equity, justice or respect for fundamental human and civil rights.
Israel spurns them repeatedly. It's standard practice. It remains unaccountable for grave crimes against humanity.
The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) calls torture and ill treatment of any kind morally, ethically and legally incompatible with democratic values.
PCATI "advocates for all persons - Israelis, Palestinians, labor immigrants, and other(s)." It does so to "protect them from torture and ill treatment by" Israeli interrogation and enforcement authorities.
It does it in accordance with rule of law principles and other democratic values. It challenges longstanding lawless Israeli practices.
Torture is official Israeli policy. The UN Convention against Torture defines it as:
"any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain and suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity..."
Fourth Geneva's Article 27 states:
Protected persons "shall at all times be humanely treated, and shall be protected especially against all acts of violence or threats thereof..."
Its Articles 31 and 32 state:
"No physical or moral coercion shall be exercised against protected persons."
"This prohibition applies to...torture (and) to any other measures of brutality whether applied by civilian or military agents."
Its Article 147 calls "willful killing, torture or inhuman treatment...grave breaches" under the Convention and are considered "war crimes."
Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 7 states:
"No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."
Other international law statutes call torture a high crime against humanity. It's prohibited at all times, under all circumstances, with no allowed exceptions.
Israel operates extrajudicially. Crimes against humanity occur daily. Palestinians face torture and other forms of abuse. Children are treated like adults.
Principle 1 of the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child says:
"Every child, without exception whatsoever, shall be entitled to (fundamental human and civil) rights, without distinction or discrimination on account of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, whether of himself or of his family."
They're entitled to special protections and opportunities. It's to help them develop physically, mentally, morally, spiritually, and socially. It's so they'll do it under conditions of freedom and dignity.
They include the right to life, an adequate standard of living, healthcare, education, leisure, safety and peace. Israel systematically denies Palestinians all rights. Children are no exception.
Imagine putting them in cages. Imagine them outside in stormy winter weather. Israel did so in December.
Two Israeli National Public Defender lawyers witnessed it firsthand. They met with Palestinian prisoners. They included young children.
They were "shock(ed)" to see them confined outdoors at night in freezing stormy weather. They spent hours waiting to be taken to court around 6AM.
The practice has been ongoing "for months," they said. They verified it during previous visits.
They issued an emergency appeal "to prevent another night of such grave harm to humanity."
They were especially appalled at how young children are treated.
PCATI issued a lengthy statement. It headline "Childhood is not a Privilege but a Right!" It expressed "alarm and condemnation."
It accused Israel of "failure to protect Palestinian children from direct and indirect torture and ill treatment." It said "Torture Destroys Childhood, Families (and) Society."
Israel's Knesset Public Petitions Committee members discussed how security forces treat Palestinian children during arrests and imprisonment.
According to the Istanbul Protocol Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (the Istanbul Protocol):
"Perpetrators (of torture) often attempt to justify their acts of torture and ill-treatment by the need to gather information."
"One of the central aims of torture is to reduce an individual to a position of extreme helplessness and distress."
Torture "attack(s) an individual’s fundamental modes of psychological and social functioning."
"The torturer attempts to destroy a victim’s sense of being grounded in a family and society as a human being with dreams, hopes and aspirations for the future."
"In addition, torture can profoundly damage intimate relationships between spouses, parents, children, other family members and relationships between the victims and their communities."
Torture especially harms children. The effect on their well-being is devastating. It's traumatizing. It's long-lasting. It affects their development. Many children are scarred for life.
It causes profound personality changes. It creates anti-social behavior. PCATI gets scores of complaints. It's actively working on cases involving children.
It's gravely concerned about clear evidence. Other NGOs and human rights groups documented Israeli torture and abuse. They did so in cases involving children.
PACTI said "fail(ing) to allow the arrested child or minor to full enjoyment of his or her rights, including the failure to allow for an attorney or accompanying adult at the time of arrest and interrogation places the child in a state of helplessness, distress and increases the pressure being applied to the child by the security forces in order to achieve a confession or information during the interrogation."
The threshold for what's considered torture must be lowered in cases involving children, it said. They have the right to rehabilitation. So do adults.
They have the right to have their complaints fully examined, including by competent independent forensic experts. They have the right to testify in their own behalf.
Defense for Children International-Palestine and Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights said the following:
"Israel is the only nation to automatically and systematically prosecute children in military courts that lack basic and fundamental fair trial guarantees."
"Around 500-700 Palestinian children, some as young as 12 years old, are arrested, detained and prosecuted in the Israeli military detention system each year."
"The majority of Palestinian child detainees are charged with throwing stones, and 74 percent experience physical violence during arrest, transfer or interrogation, according to evidence collected by Defence for Children International Palestine."
"No Israeli children come into contact with the military court system."
PCATI stressed its position against torture and ill treatment of all kinds. It called on Knesset Public Petitions Committee members to address it responsibly.
It expressed especial concern for abused children. It wants international law enforced. It wants longstanding Israeli torture and ill treatment stopped.
Previous efforts to do so failed. Israel's Knesset is its most hardline ever. Anti-Palestinian fascists infest it. Expect business as usual to continue. Expect nothing substantive to change.
Expect efforts to relieve Palestinian suffering to get short shrift. Expect the worst of Israeli abuses to continue. Nothing suggests otherwise.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/palestinian-children-cages/
Lynne Stewart Arrives Home
Lynne Stewart Arrives Homeby Stephen LendmanShe's free at last. On New Year's day, she arrived at LaGuardia Airport. Deliverance took much too long. She's back where she belongs. She's home with loved ones, friends and supporters. "It's just reall...
Peace Process Hypocrisy Continues
Peace Process Hypocrisy Continues
by Stephen Lendman
On January 2, John Kerry arrived in Israel. It's his 10th visit since becoming Secretary of State. He's manipulating sham peace talks.
He's doing it disgracefully. He's Israel's man in Washington. He operated the same way throughout his Senate tenure.
His conflict resolution plan is one-sided. It favors Israel. It deplores peace. So does Netanyahu. Multiple rounds of talks for years produced nothing.
Israeli settlement expansions continue. Around 1,400 new units will be announced. Netanyahu delayed doing it until Kerry returns home.
Palestinians never had a legitimate peace partner. They have none now. Longtime Israeli collaborators represent them.
Continuing a sham process shames them. They do so for special privileges they derive. They betray their own people in the process. They've done it for years. Why Palestinians tolerate them they'll have to explain.
Kerry plans four days of talks. He hopes both sides will accept his one-sided framework. It mocks legitimacy. It denies what Palestinians want most.
It includes an independent state within 1967 borders. It represents 22% of original Palestine. Letting diaspora Palestinians return is fundamental.
So is East Jerusalem as Palestine's exclusive capital. Palestinians want control of their land, borders, air space, coastal waters and resources.
They want stolen land declared part of Palestine. They want occupation ended once and for all. They want Israel held accountable for decades of high crimes.
They want negotiators representing their interests, not Israel's. They want long denied peace, equity and justice.
They want what they've never gotten. They want world community support with teeth. They want what they won't get. Washington and Israel conspire against them. So do world leaders able to make a difference.
Pursuing sham talks mocks legitimate ones. So does Kerry's shuttle diplomacy. It's more hypocrisy than real.
On January 2, an unnamed senior State Department official (called SDO below) briefed unidentified questioners by teleconference.
SDO said both sides held "intensive" talks. All "core issues" were covered. Unsaid was that months of negotiations produced nothing. Israel is all take and no give. So is Washington.
"We are not coming (this time) with an American plan that would be imposed on the parties," said SDO. (W)e want (both sides to) bridge gaps which could lead to (an) agreement on the framework for permanent status negotiations."
"(T)his is not an effort to achieve an interim agreement." It aims for "a full and final peace treaty between the parties."
False! Peace is impossible when one side deplores it. Palestinians never had a legitimate partner. They have none in Netanyahu.
They have none in the most extremist ever Knesset. They have none because Israel rejects peace. So does Washington.
Peace defeats their agenda. Conflict and violence advance it. So does unconditional surrender.
Netanyahu claims a divine to all valued Judea and Samaria land. He demands Jerusalem as Israel's exclusive capital.
He continues land theft and dispossessions. He's terrorizing Palestinians into submission. He intends giving them no rights.
He wants exclusive control of their resources. He won't let diaspora Palestinians return. He mocks peaceful conflict resolution. He scorns equity and justice.
Peace in our time is laughable on its face. Continued conflict and occupation harshness are certain. It's been this way for over 46 years.
It's worse than ever now. War could erupt in Gaza anytime. Repeated Israeli provocations make it more likely. Palestinians show enormous restraint.
They respond defensively only after repeated attacks. Israel considers doing so terrorism. Air, ground and sea attacks follow.
So far they've been modest compared to Cast Lead and Pillar of Cloud. Things may not remain that way for long.
When Israel wants war it provokes it. All Israeli wars begin this way. So do smaller scale campaigns. Palestinians are blamed when they happen. They do so with disturbing regularity.
Israeli forces are poised to attack any time. Targeting civilians is an Israeli specialty. So is blaming Palestinians for its own crimes.
A previous article cited Professor Jeremy Salt. He commented during Cast Lead. He wrote "A Message to the brave Israeli Airmen."
His comments and this writer's apply to what happens numerous other times. It happened in late December. It'll repeat often this year.
What’s it like firing missiles at people you can’t see, asked Salt?
Does it help not knowing who you're killing?
Is your conscience eased by inflicting disproportionate force on people unable to fight back? Is destroying vital civilian infrastructure OK?
Are you comfortable about slaughtering defenseless civilian men, women, children, infants, the elderly and infirm?
Does it weigh on your conscience, or are you at ease?
Do you sleep well or have nightmares about defenseless civilians slaughtered at home, in beds, kitchens, living rooms, schools, mosques, at work, or at play?
Do farmers in their fields, mothers with children, teachers in classrooms, imams in mosques, children at play, the elderly, frail or disabled threaten your security?
Do you ever question what you’ve done and why?
Have you no shame, no sense of decency, no idea of the difference between right and wrong?
Do you know inviolable international law? Why do you violate it repeatedly? Doing so makes you guilty of crimes of war and against humanity? Do you know or pretend not to?
Do you blindly follow orders or have a mind of your own?
Have you murdered civilians before? Will you do it again if ordered? Will you keep following orders blindly or do the right thing?
"Brave" Israeli airmen, soldiers, sailors, and other security force personnel are cowards. They've acted lawlessly for decades. They inflict horrendous pain and suffering.
What's it like talking peace while waging war? How can daily state terrorism end conflict? How can saying one thing and doing another?
How can decades of broken promises solve anything? How can it when one side categorically refuses? How can it with Washington's dirty hands involved?
How can it when permanent war and state terror are official policies of both countries? What chance have Palestinians with these type peace partners?
Israel's main threat is its own belligerence. Palestinians' best hope is their longstanding redoubtable spirit. They've survived on determined will to do so. They won't quit now.
Sustained resistance gives them hope. So is growing worldwide support. Ordinary people provide it. BDS initiatives get results.
It's vital to keep challenging Israeli vulnerabilities. It's high time America was targeted the same way. Rebel or perish should be a rallying cry for millions.
On January 2, Kerry and Netanyahu held a joint press conference. Kerry is pushing a so-called "framework." It's more a rigged process than legitimate peace initiative.
Resolution "will take compromise by both sides," he said. He means but won't say he expects Palestinians to relinquish their most precious rights. He wants them to accept Israeli demands.
Netanyahu was blunt like always. His style is bullying. It's bluster. It's serial lying. It's blaming Palestinians for his crimes.
"Palestinian government incitement is rampant," he said. "(Y)ou see it in the state-controlled media...in schools, in textbooks, in kindergartens."
"You see it in every part of Palestinian society. Instead of preparing the Palestinians for peace, the Palestinian teachers are teaching how to hate Israel. This is not the way to achieve peace."
His comments describe longstanding Israeli policy. Israeli children, youths, and young adults are taught to hate Arabs.
They're indoctrinated from kindergarten through higher education to become warriors. They're taught to believe wars solve problems. By inference they told peaceful conflict resolution is self-defeating.
Washington and Israel make peace in our time impossible. Both countries deplore it.
Palestinians are on their own like always. Liberation remains a distant dream. Maybe some day. Not now. Not anytime soon. Not as long as rogue states America and Israel oppose it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/peace-process-hypocrisy-continues/
AIPAC’s Federal Reserve Vice Chairman
AIPAC's Federal Reserve Vice Chairman
by Stephen Lendman
Napoleon was no democrat. He had his own ideas about conquest and dominance. He knew a thing or two about money power. He said:
"When a government is dependent for money upon the bankers, they and not the government leaders control the nation."
"This is because the hand that gives is above the hand that takes. Financiers are without patriotism and without decency."
He wasn't the only world figure saying so. Jefferson, Madison and Lincoln said much the same thing. So do independent experts today.
The Fed just commemorated 100 years of financial terrorism. It operates lawlessly. It does so destructively. It enriches bankers.
It does it at the expense of popular interests. It does it more than ever today. Obama permits it. So does bipartisan complicity.
They let monied interests run America. Whatever they want they get. They take full advantage. They're waging financial war on humanity.
They do it by controlling money, credit and debt. They do it for private enrichment. They do it at the expense of millions grievously harmed.
In mid-December, Obama nominated Stanley Fischer as Federal Reserve vice chairman. If confirmed, he'll replace Janet Yellen.
She'll become Fed chairman end of January. She'll do so when current chairman Ben Bernanke steps down.
From January 2005 through June 30, 2013, Fischer was Bank of Israel governor. He holds dual US/Israeli citizenship. That alone should disqualify him.
He was involved earlier with the Bank of Israel. In 1980, he was a visiting scholar. In 1985, he was Reagan administration advisor to Israel's economic stabilization program.
At the time, neoliberal policies were implemented. Knesset members amended the Bank of Israel Law.
Doing so prohibited it from printing money for industrialization, full employment and immigrant absorption. Israel embraced transformative change for the worst.
Power began shifting from various government agencies to the Finance Ministry and Bank of Israel. It's similar to how America was financialized.
In 1985, Israeli policy included budget deficits reduced to near balance. Inflation was dampened the wrong way.
Wages, public pensions and other social benefits were cut. Shekel debasing began. Unions lost power. Worker exploitation followed.
The Arrangements Law established an emergency Economic Stabilization Plan. Doing so sidestepped normal legislative procedures.
Knesset members were prevented from debating its socially destructive provisions. A race to the bottom followed. It continued throughout the 1990s. It did so under Fisher. It does so today.
Policies include mass privatizations, welfare and social benefit cuts, wealth disproportionately shifted from ordinary Israelis to corporate interests and super-rich elites, as well as other so-called structural adjustments.
Israel resembles the worst of America. It does so politically, militarily, economically, financially and socially. Both countries are no fit places to live in.
Both threaten humanity. Both are socially destructive. Both favor privilege of popular interests. Fisher represents the worst of Israeli policy.
He hardened it during his tenure as Bank of Israel governor. Imagine what he has in mind for Americans.
If confirmed, his presence will make hard times for ordinary people harder than ever. He was born in Northern Rhodesia. It's now Zambia. Southern Rhodesia became Zimbabwe.
He studied in England and America. In the early 1970s, he was a University of Chicago associate professor. In 1976, he became a US citizen.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, he taught at MIT. From 1988 to August 1990, he was World Bank vice president and chief economist.
From 1994 through August 2001, he was IMF first deputy managing director. He's a former Citigroup vice president and president of Citigroup International. In late 2001, he became a Group of Thirty member.
Current ones include:
- former Fed chairman Paul Volcker;
- former ECB governor Jean-Claude Trichet;
- current ECB governor Mario Draghi;
- former Federal Reserve Bank of New York president/Goldman Sachs managing director E. Gerald Corrigan;
- current Federal Reserve Bank of New York president/former Goldman Sachs partner William Dudley;
- former Treasury secretary Larry Summers;
- former Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo;
- former Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner;
- former Bank of England governor Mervyn King; and
- current Bank of England governor Mark Carney, among others with similar credentials.
Fischer is a senior member. Group of Thirty policy is ideologically anti-populist. Its rogues gallery of members support wealth, power and privilege. They spurn popular ones.
They claim a divine right to control money. They want disproportionate amounts to make more of it. They do it the old-fashioned way.
They steal it manipulatively. They do so through fraud, grand theft, market manipulation, front-running, pumping and dumping, naked short selling, scamming investors, running key administration posts, and taking full advantage every time.
They're kleptocrats. They're gangsters. They're criminals. Mafia bosses pale by comparison. Fisher is a gang of 30 member in good standing. Imagine him running the Fed with Janet Yellen.
He harmed ordinary Israelis during his tenure. He'll continue destructive Greenspan/Bernanke policies in Washington. Obama wants him for that reason.
Neoliberalism writ large is official US policy. Wall Street bosses demand it. Whatever they want they get.
In the 1980s, Fisher helped Israel become by far the largest recipient of US aid. Loans increasingly became outright grants.
Israel today gets billions of dollars in annual aid, the latest weapons and technology, unrestricted US market access, benefits afforded no other nations, and much more.
It does so in violation of the 1961 US Foreign Assistance Act. It stipulates no aid be provided to governments that engage:
"in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, including torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without charges, causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction and clandestine detention of those persons, or other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, and the security of person, unless such assistance will directly benefit the needy people in such country."
Israel is a serial offender. It's guilty of multiple counts of crimes of war, against humanity and genocide. Its rap sheet is one the world's most blood-drenched.
It doesn't matter. It gets unconscionable amounts of US tax dollars. It does so annually. It gets America to fight its wars. It partners with other US dirty ones.
Fisher is AIPAC's man. He's Israel's man. Imagine appointing a dual US/Israeli citizen. Imagine him becoming the second highest Fed official. Imagine his fealty to Wall Street, not Main Street.
Imagine him supporting Israeli interests. Imagine him doing it at humanity's expense. Imagine his hardline neoliberalism harming millions more than already.
Imagine a Zionist zealot. Imagine one influencing US monetary policy. Imagine someone extremely anti-Iranian.
As Bank of Israel governor, he helped AIPAC's sanctions campaign. Its goal is financially and politically weakening and isolating Iran.
He supports regime change. He does so in Syria. He backs the worst of Israeli crimes. He's pro-war, pro-Wall Street, pro-business, pro-privilege, and anti-populist.
He's a deplorable Fed choice. He represents banksterism writ large. He's a globalist in the worst sense. He'll let Israel influence US monetary policy. He'll give AIPAC more control of US foreign policy.
He supports Israeli belligerence and occupation harshness. His appointment makes regional wars more likely.
He'll lobby for increased Israeli aid. Providing any harms ordinary people everywhere.
Fischer is polar opposite what's needed. Not according to the Wall Street Journal. It calls him "a dean among the world's top central bankers."
Wall Street bosses want him as Fed second in command. He'll "provide Ms. Yellen with a heavyweight partner," said the Journal.
His experience "places him very much at the center of the economic policy-making establishment of the past two decades..."
He was instrumental in arranging Citigroup's 2008 bailout. "The IMF was a lightning rod during his tenure..."
He supported the worst of its neoliberal unfairness. He did so as Bank of Israel governor. He's got more of the same in mind for Americans.
Bernanke supports his appointment. In November he said:
"Stan was my teacher in graduate school, and he has been both a role model and a frequent adviser ever since."
"An expert on financial crises, Stan has written prolifically on the subject and has also served on the front lines."
Former IMF chief economist Simon Johnson questioned his nomination. "What's the rationale for this candidacy," he asked? "I don't get it."
In November, Fisher addressed a Wall Street Journal CEO Council meeting. He called Fed QE "dangerous (but) necessary."
He lied claiming (w)ithout the Fed, we'd have had a much deeper recession."
"Without the extraordinary things that it's done, the economy would be in much worse shape today and we need to remember that."
False! QE reduced the money supply. It did so "by sucking up the collateral needed by the shadow banking system to create credit," said Ellen Brown.
It's an "asset swap." Assets for cash reserves "never leave bank balance sheets," she said.
Doing so is counterproductive. It’s self-defeating. It constrains economic growth.
It doesn’t create jobs. It benefits Wall Street. It does it at the expense of Main Street.
It works when used constructively. Money injected responsibly into the economy creates growth. A virtuous circle of prosperity is possible.
It creates jobs. When people have money they spend it. Bernanke's QE wrecked the economy. He did so to benefit bankers.
A protracted Main Street Depression harms millions. Conditions go from bad to worse.
Yellen and Fischer endorse the same policy. Imagine greater pain and suffering coming.
Imagine Obama conspiring with Wall Street to assure it. Imagine bipartisan complicity. Imagine harder than ever hard times.
Imagine growing millions suffering more than ever. Imagine rogue politicians permitting it. Imagine a nation unfit to live in.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Israel Targets Conscientious Objectors
Israel Targets Conscientious Objectorsby Stephen LendmanIt does it maliciously. It does it lawlessly. In mid-November, Bar Ahronovitch was imprisoned. Natan Blanc was victimized earlier. Omar Saad now faces Israeli injustice. On December 23, he wa...
Lynne Stewart Coming Home
Lynne Stewart Coming Home
by Stephen Lendman
For Lynne, husband Ralph, their children, other family members, and legions of worldwide supporters, New Year's day 2014 is special.
It's reason to celebrate. On December 31, Lynne wrote from Carswell federal prison as follows:
"My Dears:
Well, the impossible takes a little longer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We learned this morning that the US Attorney’s office has made the motion for my compassionate release and that the Order was on Judge Koeltl’s desk.
Since on the last go-round, he stated in Court that he would treat it 'favorably.' We are now just waiting expectantly.
The wonderful thing is that Ralph is here in Ft Worth for a visit and will bring me back to NYC with him.
We don’t know when but the rules state that the warden has 2 days to let me go after he receives the order so it could be as early as Friday or a few days more.
Whatever it is, I can’t stop crying tears of Joy!!
I can’t stop thinking of all the marvelous people worldwide who made this happen. You know because each of you played an integral role.
My daughter Z is already lining up Sloan Kettering, and we will have to see if there is a probation qualification attached to the Order and how it will affect me.
After that, Ralph will start making arrangements to rent Yankee Stadium for the Welcome Home...Smile.
So If this reaches you before midnight tonight, raise a glass of bubbly to the joy of all of us that the old girl is OUT!!
Love Struggle,
Lynne"
On December 31, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York filed a motion before federal Judge John Koeltl.
He requested Lynne be re-sentenced to time served. Doing so means she's eligible for immediate release. Judge Koeltl complied, saying:
Lynne’s "terminal medical condition and very limited life expectancy constitute extraordinary and compelling reasons that warrant the requested (sentencing) reduction."
"It is further ordered that the defendant shall be released from the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons as soon as her medical condition permits, the release plan is implemented, and travel arrangements can be made."
She'll be home within a few days at most. Her husband Ralph is in Fort Worth, TX near Carswell federal prison.
They'll return to New York together. They'll do it joyously. They'll do it despite Lynne's wrongful imprisonment. They'll do it despite her grave medical condition.
She's dying. She has Stage Four cancer. Previous articles explained. Others addressed Judge Koeltl.
He originally sentenced Lynne to 28 months in prison. It shouldn't have been 28 seconds. Lynne never should have been prosecuted in the first place. In passing sentence Judge Koeltl said:
"She has represented the poor, the disadvantaged and the unpopular, (and she had) enormous skill and dedication (earning little money for doing it)."
"It is no exaggeration to say that Ms. Stewart performed a public service not only to her clients but to the nation."
He cited hundreds of supportive letters. Former Attorney General Ramsey Clark sent one. So did law professors, former prosecutors, retired judges, and former clients.
On April 9, 2002, Lynne was wrongfully and maliciously indicted. At issue was decades of representing clients prosecutors wanted convicted. Bogus charges included:
- "conspiring to defraud the United States;
- conspiring to provide and conceal material support to terrorist activity;
- providing and concealing material support to terrorist activity; and
- two counts of making false statements."
On February 10, 2005, she was convicted on all counts. Jurors were intimidated to do so. Trial proceedings mocked fairness. Kangaroo court justice followed.
On October 17, 2006, Lynne was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment.
On November 17, 2009, a US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit three-judge panel upheld Lynne's conviction.
They wrongfully accused her of "knowingly and willfully making false statements." They redirected her case to Judge Koeltl. They pressured him to re-sentence.
They lied demanding enhancements for terrorism, perjury, and abuse of Lynne's position as a lawyer.
On November 19, 2009, Lynne was jailed in New York awaiting re-sentencing.
On July 15, 2010, Judge Koeltl imposed 10 years. A packed courtroom of Lynne's supporters heard him.
A collective gasp, a few shrieks and sobs followed his re-sentencing. Husband Ralph called it "a death sentence."
Lynne addressed the court as follows:
"I'm somewhat stunned, Judge, by the swift change in my outlook. We will continue to struggle on to take all available options to do what we need to do to change this."
"I feel like I let a lot of my good people down. Over the last eight months, prison has diminished me. Daily I confront the prospect of death."
Judge Koeltl ignored the American Bar Association's Model Code of Judicial Conduct. Its preamble calls for:
- "An independent, fair and impartial judiciary." It called it "indispensable to our system of justice;"
- "Judges...at all times (ensuring) the greatest possible public confidence in their independence, impartiality, integrity, and competence;"
- "establish(ing) standards (of) ethical conduct (including) overarching principles of judicial ethics" (and fairness), consistent with constitutional requirements, statutes, other court rules, and decisional law, and with due regard for all relevant circumstances."
Lynne's lynching showed America's true face. Police state justice rules. It has final say. Fundamental rights don't matter. Guilt by accusation suffices.
Koeltl wasn't finished punishing Lynne. She petitioned for compassionate release. She qualifies in all respects. America's 1984 Sentencing Act grants them "for extraordinary and compelling reasons."
None rise to the level of life threatening illness. Ramsey Clark said Lynne "meets every legal, rational and humane criterion."
Her attorneys argued accordingly. On August 9, 2013, Judge Koeltl denied her. He did so disgracefully.
In sentencing Lynne in 2006, he said he didn't want to impose a death sentence. He didn't want Lynne to die in prison.
He called her character "extraordinary." She's "a credit to her profession," he said.
Longterm imprisonment would be unjust, he added. It would be "unreasonable." He cited "the somewhat atypical nature of her case." He noted no "evidence that (anyone) was harmed."
It didn't matter. In July 2010, he re-sentenced Lynne to 10 years. On August 9, 2013, he denied her compassionate release request.
At the time, her attorney Jill Shellow said his ruling "is hardly the end of this fight."
Lynne re-petitioned for compassionate release. She wants the right to die at home. She calls prison "a strange and loveless place."
"I want to be where all is familiar - in a word, home," she said. Months passed without resolution.
She never lost hope. On New Year's eve it came. Jill Shellow informed Lynne. She'll return to New York.
She'll get expert medical care prison authorities denied her. It may be too late to save her. Her cancer metastasized.
It spread to her lungs, lymph nodes, bones, shoulder and left arm pit. Other parts of her body are vulnerable.
She may have only months to live. Whether expert medical care makes a difference remains to be seen.
On New Year's day 2014, Lynne's impending release awaits. She'll be home within days. She'll be reunited with loved ones.
Supporters will greet her. Yankee Stadium isn't big enough to hold them. After over four years of wrongful imprisonment, Lynne will be free at last.
Borrowing from Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech perhaps says it best," saying:
"Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty (Lynne's) free at last."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/lynne-stewart-coming-home/
Terrorist Crimes Against Humanity
Terrorist Crimes Against Humanityby Stephen LendmanLast Sunday and Monday, Volgograd, Russia was struck twice on successive days. Suicide bombings targeted its main train station and a crowded trolly bus during morning rush hour. At least 34 died. Doze...
NSA’s Top Hacking Unit
NSA's Top Hacking Unit
by Stephen Lendman
On December 29, Der Spiegel headlined "Inside TAO: Documents Reveal Top NSA Hacking Unit."
It's "considered to be (its) top secret weapon." Its covert network "infiltrates computers around the world and even intercepts shipping deliveries to plant back doors in electronics ordered by" whomever it targets.
More on this below. Snowden documents remain the gift that keeps on giving. Doing so made him a world hero. Washington calls exposing wrongdoing illegal. Lawlessness is official US policy.
Since 1993, Britain's Channel 4 broadcast an alternative Christmas message. It's an antidote to Queen Elizabeth's Royal Christmas Message.
In 1932, King George began them on radio. In 1957, Queen Elizabeth delivered the first televised broadcast. It's typical royal mumbo jumbo. Why Brits tune in they'll have to explain.
Snowden's comments are important. Orwell's warnings "are nothing compared to what we have available today," he said.
"We have sensors in our pockets that track us everywhere we go. Think about what this means for the privacy of the average person."
Children "born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at all."
"They'll never know what it means to have a private moment to themselves, an unrecorded, unanalyzed thought."
"And that's a problem because privacy matters. (It's) what allows us to determine who we are and who we want to be."
Snowden wants ordinary people to decide how governments monitor them. "All I wanted was for the public to be able to have a say in how they're governed," he explained.
He's doing it by revealing the extent of NSA spying.
"The conversation occurring today will determine the amount of trust we can place both in the technology that surrounds us and the government that regulates it," he said.
"Together we can find a better balance, end mass surveillance, and remind the government that if it really wants to know how we feel, asking is always cheaper than spying."
"I already won," he said. "As soon as the journalists were able to work, everything that I had been trying to do was validated."
"Because, remember, I didn't want to change society. I wanted to give society a chance to determine if it should change itself."
"All I wanted was for the public to be able to have a say in how they are governed."
Not as long as NSA has its way. Not while Congress and US administrations let it. Previous articles discussed its Office of Tailored Operations (TAO).
It's top secret. It has over 1,000 military and civilian hackers, intelligence analysts, targeting specialists, computer hardware and software designers, and electrical engineers.
It identifies computer systems and supporting telecommunications networks to attack.
It successfully penetrated Chinese computer and telecom systems. It's been doing it for over 15 years. It does the same thing globally.
Most NSA employees and officials know little or nothing about TAO. Its operations are extraordinarily sensitive. Only those needing to know are kept informed.
Special security clearances are required to gain access to its top secret work spaces. Armed guards keep others out.
Entering requires a correct six digit code. Retinal scanner checks are used. TAO targets foreign computer systems.
It collects hard to get intelligence. It does it by hacking, cracking passwords, compromising computer security systems, stealing hard drive data, and copying all subsequent emails and text messages.
TAO personnel penetrate, steal, damage, destroy or otherwise compromise targeted sites. It's perhaps the most important component of NSA's Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) Directorate.
It lets NSA get information not otherwise available. It can do it without being detected.
Der Spiegel called TAO NSA's 'top operative unit." It's "something like a squad of plumbers," it said. They're "called in when normal access to a target is blocked."
They're "involved in many sensitive operations conducted by American intelligence agencies." They range from counterintelligence to cyberwar to espionage.
Snowden's documents revealed TAO sophistication. It exploits technical weaknesses. It does so secretly, discreetly and efficiently.
It gets the "ungettable." According to a former unnamed TAO chief:
"It is not about the quantity produced but the quality of intelligence that is important," she said. (It's gotten) some of the most significant intelligence our country has ever seen."
It "access(es) our very hardest targets. (It) needs to continue to grow, and must lay the foundation for integrated Computer Network Operations."
It must "support Computer Network Attacks as an integrated part of military operations. (It has to acquire) pervasive, persistent access on the global network."
Its mandate is conducting aggressive attacks. Through the middle of the last decade, it accessed 258 targets. It did so in 89 countries globally. In 2010, it conducted 279 operations.
It penetrated protected networks of targeted world leaders. It did so against European telecommunications companies.
It cracked Blackberry's encrypted BES email servers. One document said doing so required "sustained TAO operation(al)" effort.
In 1997, TAO was created. At the time, only 2% of the world's population had Internet access. It was a year before Google was founded. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube weren't around. Yahoo was a fledgling operation.
TAO personnel work at NSA's Fort Meade, MD headquarters. They're in San Antonio, TX. They're in other locations. They're housed in their own wings. They're separate from other NSA operations.
Their match Star Trek. They do it for real. They go where no one went before. They do it round-the-clock. They do it globally.
They find ways to hack into global communications systems. They penetrate the most heavily protected ones.
They do what never before was possible. They do it secretly. They do it without being detected.
TAO employs new kinds of people. They're much younger than other NSA personnel. They're expert hackers. "Their job is breaking into, manipulating, and exploiting computer networks," said Der Spiegel.
They resemble geeks. They act like them. NSA director Keith Alexander is involved in recruiting. He attends major hacker conferences.
Sometimes it's in formal military attire. Other times, he wears jeans and t-shirts. It's to look and act like the geeks he's recruiting. It works.
TAO has operations in Wahiawa, Hawaii, Fort Gordon, GA, Buckley Air Force Base near Denver, Fort Meade, MD, San Antonio, TX and a liaison office near Frankfurt, Germany.
It's the European Security Operations Center (ESOC) "Dagger Complex. It's at a US military compound in Griesheim. It's a suburb of Darmstadt near Frankfort.
It's secured by a tall wire fence. It's topped with barbed wire. It's in relatively modest buildings. They're surrounded by green space. It's for added security.
It's one of Hesse state's best protected sites. NSA's European Cryptologic Center (ECC) is headquartered there. A 2011 NSA report calls it the "largest analysis and productivity (site) in Europe."
Information obtained ends up in Obama's daily briefings. He gets them on average twice weekly.
NSA considers Germany a prime target. Espionage is prioritized. So is German foreign policy.
Weeks after NSA spying on Angela Merkel was revealed, Berlin still awaits answers on what it's up to in Germany.
Documents Der Spiegel saw revealed intense NSA spying. Its personnel consider German intelligence gotten a "success story."
Tons of information were collected. Former NSA director Michael Hayden told Der Spiegel: "(T)he damage for the German-American relationship is huge."
Post-9/11, he tried working cooperatively with Germany's BND intelligence, he said. "I tried to avoid acting as an occupier," he claimed.
"We extended our cooperation." It's now jeopardized. He admits NSA espionage. "We steal secrets," he said. "We're number one in (doing) it."
NSA isn't malicious, he claims. "We steal stuff to make you safe, not to make you rich." NSA steals everything it gets its hands on. It compromises public safety. It does so globally.
Former NSA employee/whistleblower Thomas Drake said "September 11 was the trigger that (made) Germany a target of high priority."
Powerful tools are used to do whatever NSA wishes. To infiltrate wherever it wants to go. To steal as much as it can about virtually everything. NSA director Alexander says "get it all."
Der Spiegel called its Texas operations "uniquely impressive." The Texas Cryptologic Center employs less than 60 TAO specialists.
By 2015, plans are to increase staff to about 270. Another 85 specialists work in the Requirements & Targeting division. In 2008, they numbered 13.
Software developers are expected to increase from three in 2008 to 38 in 2015. San Antonio-based operations target Middle East Countries, Cuba, Venezuela, Columbia and Mexico.
According to Washington's planned intelligence operations, around 85,000 computers worldwide were expected to be infiltrated by year end 2013. Most involve TAO operations.
Cyber criminals run them. They hack into computer systems. They send emails disguised as spam. They contain links directing users to virus-infected web sites.
They implant NSA malware this way. They do it without targeted subjects knowing.
A major TAO goal is "subvert(ing) endpoint devices." They include "servers, workstations, firewalls, routers, handsets, phone switches, (and) SCADA systems, etc."
According to Der Spiegel:
"SCADAs are industrial control systems used in factories, as well as in power plants…(The) most well-known and notorious use of this type of attack was the development of Stuxnet..."
In spring 2010, Iranian intelligence discovered its malware contamination. It infected its Bushehr nuclear facility. At the time, operations were halted indefinitely.
Israel was responsible. So was Washington. Had the facility gone online infected, Iran's entire electrical power grid could have been shut down.
One of NSA's "most productive operations" is its direct "interdiction." Goods are rerouted from suppliers to secret TAO locations.
According to Der Spiegel:
TAO personnel "carefully open...package(s) in order to load malware onto the electronics, or even install hardware components that can provide backdoor access for the intelligence agencies."
"All subsequent steps can then be conducted from the comfort of a remote computer." Operations are conducted globally.
NSA targets virtually everyone. Its ultimate goal is leaving no one behind. Most important are "entire networks and network providers," said Der Spiegel.
Fiber optic cables handling global Internet traffic "along the world's ocean floors" are prime targets.
NSA responded to Der Spiegel's query. It lied saying TAO "is a unique national asset that is on the front lines of enabling NSA to defend the nation and its allies."
Domestic spying has nothing to do with national security. It's for control. It's global espionage for economic advantage. It's to be one up on foreign competitors.
It's for information used advantageously in trade, political, and military relations. It's lawlessly obtained. It's unconstitutional. It doesn't matter.
NSA is one of many US rogue operations. America's 15 other intelligence agencies operate the same way.
Congress, administrations and federal courts are worst of all. They function lawlessly. They legitimize the illegitimate.
They threaten humanity in the process. Imagine what they plan this year. Expect worse conditions perhaps than earlier. Rogue states operate that way. America is by far the worst.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/nsas-top-hacking-unit/
Released Palestinian Prisoners Aren’t Free
Released Palestinian Prisoners Aren't Free
by Stephen Lendman
What country is a modern day Sparta? Which one lives by the sword? Which one deplores peace and stability? Which one threatens an entire region and beyond?
Which one ignores rule of law principles? Which one has no constitution? Which one has no official borders?
Which one won't declare them? Which one won't do it because it wants them expanded? Which one intends doing so by stealing other people's land?
Which one mocks democratic values? Which one spurns fundamental human and civil rights? Which one institutionalized racism? Which one violates all international humanitarian laws?
Which one persecutes people for praying to the wrong God? Which one ignores all UN resolutions compromising its interests? Which one considers Muslims subhumans?
Which one is all take and no give? Which one has no legitimacy? Which one lacks credibility? Which one can't be trusted? Which one says one thing and does another.
Which one denies freedom to prisoners it releases? Which one illegitimately rearrests them?
Which one harasses, intimidates and terrorizes released prisoners? Which one treats an entire people the same way?
Which one does it because they're not Jews? Which one gets away with murder and lots more?
Which one operates with impunity? Which one gets away with it because world leaders able to make a difference support its worst crimes?
Which one rules lawlessly? Which one mocks fundamental decency? Which one considers mass murder, ethnic cleansing, land theft, torture, and other high crimes divine rights?
Which one wages aggressive wars without mercy? Which one did so to steal another people's land? Which one illegitimately transformed Palestine into Israel?
Long suffering Palestinians endure its cruelty. Thousands of political prisoners languish in its gulag.
It's one of the world's harshest. Cruel and unusual punishment is official policy. So is ruthlessness writ large.
Many Palestinian victims are held uncharged and untried. Others are wrongfully imprisoned on bogus accusations. Women are treated like men. Children are treated like adults.
Horrific treatment includes torture, other cruel and degrading treatment, food unfit to eat, medical neglect, poor ventilation, sanitation and personal hygiene, inadequate clothing, and frequent solitary confinement for any reason or none at all.
Last summer, Israel agreed to release 104 long held prisoners. Freeing them is coincidental with sham peace talks. Lawless settlement expansions are announced at the same time.
Releasing small numbers of political prisoners is meaningless. Implementation is in four stages. In mid-August, 26 were freed. On October 29, an equal number followed. On December 30, so did 26 more.
Every time Israel releases Palestinians, many more imprisonments follow. So-called good will is fake.
No Palestinian is safe. Israeli Arab citizens are vulnerable. Anyone can be imprisoned for any reason or none at all.
Police states operate this way. Israel is one of the worst. It operates ruthlessly. State terrorism defines official policy. A cabal of criminals run things.
They waging war on Islam. They consider Muslims state enemies. They transformed Israel into an obscenity.
Policies reflect self-righteous sophistry. Fascists pretend to be democrats. Hypocritical viciousness masquerades as Jewish exceptionalism.
Peace, equity and justice are four-letter words. Fantasy world pretense substitutes illusions for reality.
Palestinian prisoner releases are conditional. Strings attached reveal duplicity. Addameer prisoner support group general director Sahar Francis said operating this way undermines "hope" and "trust."
"Israel has showed it is putting conditions on prisoner releases, and the US supports" its policy, she said. "Prisoners held before 1993 should have been released 20 years ago," she stressed.
They never should have been imprisoned in the first place.
Releasing them after unjust longterm incarceration reflects Israeli viciousness.
Attached strings makes it worse. Releases deny freedom. East Jerusalem residents can't visit West Bank or Gaza communities. Many can't leave their own neighborhoods. They can't travel abroad.
Some aren't permitted to return home. They're deported to Gaza or abroad. Ayman Sharawna's release was conditional on spending 10 years in Gaza.
For Hana Shalabi, it was three years. They had no choice. It was agree or stay imprisoned. They remain vulnerable to rearrest anyway.
Violating draconian Israeli rules means more imprisonment. For some, it's for many more years.
Involvement in political activities is prohibited. According to Francis:
"These practices show that the Israelis are not really seeking justice and a lasting peace with the Palestinians."
"If (they) really had good intentions to end the conflict and grant Palestinians basic rights under international law, they should release all Palestinian prisoners and stop arresting (more) in the occupied territories."
Israel routinely rearrests many former detainees. Since 1967, various military orders authorized occupation harshness.
On May 1, 2010, Military Order 1651 codified them into Israel's Criminal Code. It consolidated past versions relating to arrests, prosecutions, and detentions.
It applies to children like adults. Israel makes no distinction. Children of any age risk abuse and ill-treatment. It's standard Israeli practice.
Imagine imprisoning children younger than 10. Imagine doing it on fake evidence. Imagine isolating them from parents and legal counsel.
Imagine torturing them to force confessions. Imagine children saying anything to stop pain. Imagine women abused the same way.
Military Order 1651, Article 186 lets a special Israeli military committee sentence released prisoners to complete unserved time. It can do so based on secret evidence or none at all.
Frequent rearrests are commonplace. Israel considers exercising fundamental rights terrorism. Military Order 101 criminalizes fundamental freedoms. Prohibitions include:
- organizing protests;
- participating in them;
- public assembles and vigils;
- holding them to seek relief from legitimate grievances;
- displaying Palestinian flags and other symbols;
- printing and distributing Palestinian political material; and
- influencing public opinion by "political incitement."
Supporting so-called "hostile organizations" is prohibited. Demonstrations sympathetic to Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Palestine, and similar groups are strictly forbidden.
Francis calls draconian Israeli conditions "serious" human rights violations. Imposing them reflects police state ruthlessness.
It shows Israel doesn't want peace. It never did. It doesn't now.
Sham talks assure none in our time. Multiple earlier ones were stillborn on arrival. Current ones are no different.
Palestinians never had a legitimate peace partner. Longtime Israeli collaborationists represent them. They ignore decades of Israeli high crimes demanding prosecution.
They pretend sham talks are real. They're fake like they always were. Israeli crimes against humanity continue daily while they're ongoing.
So-called Palestinian negotiators turn a blind eye to abuses too grave to be ignored. Israel considers Palestinians "terrorists," said Francis.
It doesn't recognize them "as people seeking their independence and self-determination, and this makes the whole difference in the treatment of prisoners in the political channel."
"We are happy that…26 (more) prisoners who spent years of their life in jail are being freed...(O)f course, the sadness is in thinking of the remaining (thousands still) suffering (unjustly) behind bars."
Freedom depends on ending what's too intolerable to accept. It demands Israeli officials be held accountable for high crimes too grave to be ignored.
It requires liberation. It means ending occupation harshness once and for all. It demands criminalizing state terrorism.
It means granting Palestinians all rights they deserve. It involves enforcing rule of law principles to the letter. It's exempting no one for any reason.
It's punishing high crimes against peace severely. It's making it in our time possible. It's supporting right over wrong. It's doing it because it matters.
Long suffering Palestinians deserve justice. It's high time they're no longer denied.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/released-palestinian-prisoners-arent-free/
2014 Predictions
2014 Predictionsby Stephen LendmanSome are best guesses. Others are easier to make. For billions worldwide, 2013 was grim. Expect 2014 to be no better. For many it'll be worse.Conflicts without end continue. Waging them threaten humanity. War profiteer...
Planned Israeli Jordan Valley Annexation?
Planned Israeli Jordan Valley Annexation?
by Stephen Lendman
In May 2011, Netanyahu addressed Congress. He was warmly welcomed. London's Guardian called it a "love-in." He received 29 standing ovations.
Jerusalem must remain Israel's exclusive capital, he said. Loud cheers followed him saying:
"Israel has no better friend than America, and America has no better friend than Israel. We stand together to defend democracy. We stand together to advance peace. We stand together to fight terrorism."
"Israel will not return to the indefensible boundaries of 1967," he stressed.
"Places of critical strategic and national importance (will) be incorporated into the final borders of Israel" under any agreement with Palestinians.
"Israel would never cede the Jordan valley. Israel would never agree to withdraw from the Jordan Valley under any peace agreement signed with the palestinians."
"And its vital - absolutely vital - that Israel maintain a long term military presence along the Jordan River."
A previous article discussed Israel's proposed legislation titled "The Bill to Apply Israeli Law to the Jordan Valley 5774 - 2013." It's nearly identical to how Israel annexed Golan.
Hardline Knesset members want all Jordan Valley land Judaized. They wanted Palestinians ethnically cleansed.
They want Jordan Valley territory "under (exclusive) Israeli sovereignty forever." They want it officially annexed. They want any Israeli/Palestinian peace deal affirming it.
On December 29, Ministerial Committee for Legislative Affairs MKs approved annexation. Likud's Miri Regev introduced the measure.
She's a former IDF brigadier general. She served as spokesperson. "It is no secret that the settlements in the valley have a strategic, security, and political importance of the first order," she said.
If enacted, her bill would give Israel exclusive Jordan Valley control. Doing so requires Knesset approval. Opposition MKs may defeat it. Doing so won't prevent its reintroduction.
On July 30, 1980, Israel's Jerusalem Law lawlessly annexed the city. It's unified as Israel's exclusive capital. It followed Security Council Resolution 465 (March 1, 1980) declaring:
"all measures taken by Israel to change the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure or status of the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, or any part thereof, have no legal validity and that Israel's policy and practices of settling parts of its population and new immigrants in those territories constitute a flagrant (Fourth Geneva) violation...and also constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East."
On August 20, 1980, the Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 478. America abstained. Resolution language "censured (Israel) in the strongest terms." It condemned its Jerusalem Law.
It called it a violation of international law. It refused recognition. Member states were told to withdraw their Jerusalem diplomatic missions immediately.
The Security Council and General Assembly called East Jerusalem occupied territory. Expropriated land is illegal, they said.
They declared Israeli legislative and administrative measures altering the city's character and status null and void. They ordered them rescinded forthwith. They never were. International community condemnation with teeth never follow.
On July 9, 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that "Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territory, including East Jerusalem, are illegal and an obstacle to peace and to economic and social development (and) have been established in breach of international law."
It doesn't matter. Israel flouts international law, UN resolutions and judicial rulings. It does so repeatedly. It ignores what conflicts with its interests.
It operates lawlessly. It does it with impunity. Washington's backing is firm. It's longstanding. It lets Israel get away with land theft, ethnic cleansing, murder and lots more.
In 2008, Democrat party platform language stated:
"Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths.
Obama personally insisted on including this language. His position remains unchanged. It's in gross violation of international law.
It doesn't matter. Obama, the entire Senate, and nearly all House members support Israel's worst crimes. Previous US governments did it for decades. They do it today. They do it lawlessly, shamelessly and disgracefully.
Israel is stealing all valued West Bank and East Jerusalem land. It's doing it dunum by dunum. It's been ongoing for decades. Judaization is official policy. So is ethnic cleansing unwanted Palestinians.
In 1967, Jordan Valley Palestinian residents numbered around 320,000. Less than 60,000 remain.
Approximately 90% of the area is Judaized. It includes 37 settlements, seven unauthorized outposts, exclusive Jewish development, 26 nature reserves, and closed military zones.
They're off-limits to Palestinians. Settlers are free to terrorize them. One Palestinian resident spoke for others saying police are supposed to protect people.
"But here, all settlers have to do is call (them) when they want to attack us. They only have to make a phone call, and then do nothing but watch the police and military beat up Palestinians. All of our trouble comes from the settlers."
In May 2011, B'Tselem released a report titled "Dispossession and Exploitation: Israel's Policy in the Jordan Valley and Northern Dead Sea."
Israel maintains control four ways, it said. It exploits land, water, tourist sites and natural resources.
"Israel has closed more than three-quarters of the land area to Palestinians and has prohibited them from working the area’s fertile land."
"Israel has restricted Palestinian access to water sources such that, in some Palestinian villages, water consumption is minimal and comparable to that of disaster areas."
"Israel restricts Palestinian movement and prevents Palestinians from building and developing their communities."
"It has also taken control of the tourist sites and enables private enterprises to exploit and profit from the minerals in the area."
Israeli economist Shir Hever explained:
"Israel has extensive agribusiness interests in the Jordan Valley, most notably through the company Carmel-Agrexco, which is the main exporter of agricultural products from Israel."
"Israeli colonist farmers in the Jordan Valley produce products that are sold to Palestinian consumers, Israeli consumers and exported abroad."
After its 1967 occupation, Israel sought exclusive Jordan Valley control straightaway.
Variations of Yigal Allon's plan emerged. They called for permanent militarized occupation, exclusive greater Jerusalem control, maximum land with minimum Arabs, and Jordan Valley annexation, among other provisions.
Nearly all Jordan Valley land lies in Area C. It's about 30% of the West Bank. It's under exclusive Israeli control. De facto annexation exists. Israeli hardliners want it made official.
Ethnic cleansing remains ongoing. Palestinians are being systematically displaced from their own land.
Entire communities have been ordered to leave. They have no choice. Thousands of Bedouins face loss of their way of life. Many have already.
Israel wants them all out. They represent over one-fourth of Palestine's Jordan Valley population. Israel denies them vital infrastructure and services.
John Kerry's notion of Israeli/Palestinian peace is none at all. It includes longterm militarized occupation.
Maintaining it along the Jordan River is prioritized. Kerry wants it ended only if Israel agrees. Effectively he wants it made permanent.
"If Israel's security can't increase as a result of an agreement, it's very difficult to make (one)," he said.
"Obviously, security is paramount in the minds of the prime minister and his team with respect to their ability to move forward on other issues."
In other words, whatever Israel wants, Washington approves. Kerry has other occupation measures in mind.
He wants a future Palestinian state demilitarized. He wants it defenseless. He wants US drones monitoring conditions on the ground.
He likely wants them replicating what's ongoing in Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
He wants a de facto state of war to exist. He wants Palestinian civilians left vulnerable to drone and ground attacks.
He wants Washington helping Israel maintain border and internal security. He favors billions of US dollars spent to improve Israel's intelligence and military capability.
He wants occupation harshness intensified. He wants a massive Jordan Valley security fence built. He wants one like Israel's apartheid wall.
He wants West Bank Palestinians effectively imprisoned. He wants them cut off from the outside world.
He wants Israel maintaining full authority. He wants fundamental Palestinian rights denied. He wants their sovereignty effectively eliminated.
Netanyahu conditionally approved. He did so subject to further concessions he demands. He's adamant on what he wants. He has strong Knesset support.
Kerry, Obama and most congressional members approve. Their notion of a future Palestinian state is one in name only.
Ali Jarbawi is former Palestinian Authority Minister of Planning and Administrative Development.
On December 25, he headlined "The Coming Intifada." Things exploded twice earlier, he said. "(N)o one should be surprised if a new intifada erupts in the next few months. Many experts" predict one.
"We Palestinians are living through the worst situation in years," he stressed. Despite surface normality, Palestinians are boiling. Four factors explain why, he said:
(1) "the collapse of any hope" about ending occupation; Palestinian statehood if agreed on would be meaningless; it would be in name only;
(2) increased Israeli violence throughout Occupied Palestine; it's accompanied by "frantically Judaizing Jerusalem" and "transform(ing) (Gaza) into a giant prison;"
(3) Palestinian Authority "economic and financial" failure; it's contributing "to the misery of Palestinians;" jobs are scarce; unemployment skyrocketed; Palestinian youths are most affected; public anger is palpable; and
(4) Arab Spring uprisings inspire a Palestinian one; according to Jarbawi, "why should we not be able to rise up against a foreign occupier," Arab youths say.
Palestine is on edge, said Jarbawi. PA efforts to contain things "won't (work) for much longer...(It's just) a matter of time until the Occupied Territories explode."
Failure to achieve peace, equity and justice makes it more likely.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/planned-israeli-jordan-valley-annexation/
Iran Nuclear Talks Resume in Geneva
Iran Nuclear Talks Resume in Genevaby Stephen LendmanOn December 30, Iran and P5+1 nations resumed negotiations. It's the third round since early November. Focus is on implementing Geneva agreed on terms.Iran's Foreign Ministry political and internatio...
US Universities of Shame
US Universities of Shame
by Stephen Lendman
A previous article discussed the American Studies Association (ASA). It's the nation's oldest and largest organization involved in the interdisciplinary study of US culture and history.
Members include academics, researchers, librarians, and public officials and administrators.
Academic ones represent many disciplines. They include history, literature, religion, art, architecture, philosophy, music, science, ethnic studies, anthropology, sociology, political science, education, and gender studies among others.
On December 16, ACA members voted to boycott Israeli academic institutions. They did so justifiably. They did so overwhelmingly.
Their December 4 resolution supported social justice. It opposed "all forms of racism, including anti-semitism, discrimination, and xenophobia..."
It stood in "solidarity with aggrieved peoples" everywhere. It did so righteously. It did it honorably. It did the right thing. It did it because it matters.
It said America "plays a significant role in enabling" Israel's occupation, its "illegal settlements and (its) Wall in violation of international law..."
It supports "systematic discrimination against Palestinians." It's had a "devastating impact on (their) well-being..." Their fundamental rights are denied.
Palestinian academic freedom is denied. ASA "is dedicated to the rights of students and scholars to pursue education and research without undue state interference, repression, and military violence" everywhere.
It "resolved (to) honor the call of Palestinian civil society for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions."
It's justified, it said, for the following reasons:
- US military and other support for Israel;
- Israel's systematic violation of international laws and UN resolutions;
- the harsh impact of its longstanding occupation;
- "the extent to which Israeli institutions of higher education are a party to state policies that violate human rights," and
- strong ASA member support.
Their resolution is binding until Israel stops violating human and civil rights, as well as international law. It doesn't apply to Israeli scholars. ASA supports their academic and related rights.
In response to ASA's boycott, four US universities cancelled their memberships. They include Brandeis, Penn State, University of Indiana, and Kenyon College.
Indiana University president Michael McRobbie affirmed his support for wrong over right. He did so disgracefully. He issued a statement, saying:
"Indiana University joins other leading research universities in condemning in the strongest possible terms the boycott of institutions of higher education in Israel as proposed by the American Studies Association and other organizations."
"Boycotts such as these have a profound chilling effect on academic freedom, and universities must be clear and unequivocal in rejecting them."
"Indiana University strongly endorses the recent statement on this matter by the Association of American Universities and the long-standing position in this area of the American Association of University Professors."
"Indiana University values its academic relationships with colleagues and institutions around the world, including many important ones with institutions in Israel, and will not allow political considerations such as those behind this ill-conceived boycott to weaken those relationships or undermine the principle of academic freedom in this way."
"IU stands firmly against proposals that would attempt to limit or restrict those important institutional relationships or this fundamental principle."
"Indiana University will contact the ASA immediately to withdraw as an institutional member. We urge the leadership of the ASA and other associations supporting the boycott to rescind this dangerous and ill-conceived action as a matter of urgency."
Other US universities issued statements opposing ASA's boycott. Doing so supports Israel's worst crimes. It's done reprehensibly.
Culpable schools include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Cornell, the University of Chicago, Northwestern, University of Maryland, University of Indiana, Wesleyan University, and New York University.
It bears repeating. Opposing ASA's courageous stand endorses Israel's worst crimes. It supports occupation harshness. It supports militarism writ large.
It opposes Palestinian liberation. It's against their right to live free on their own land in their own country.
It supports longstanding Israeli crimes of war, against humanity, and slow-motion genocide. It shames their academic reputation in the process. It destroys their credibility.
It gives pause to what they teach in classrooms. Supporting wrong over right has no place in academia. It has no place anywhere. It demands unflinching opposition.
Harvard's Drew Gilpin Faust said the following:
"Academic boycotts subvert the academic freedoms and values necessary to the free flow of ideas, which is the lifeblood of the worldwide community of scholars."
"The recent resolution of the ASA proposing to boycott Israeli universities represents a direct threat to these ideals, ideals which universities and scholarly associations should be dedicated to defend."
University of Maryland president Wallace Loh and senior vice president/provost Many Ann Rankin issued the following joint statement:
"We firmly oppose the call by some academic associations - American Studies Association; Asian-American Studies Association - to boycott Israeli academic institutions."
"Any such boycott is a breach of the principle of academic freedom that undergirds the University of Maryland and, indeed, all of American higher education."
"Faculty, students, and staff on our campus must remain free to study, do research, and participate in meetings with colleagues from around the globe."
"The University of Maryland has longstanding relationships with several Israeli universities. We have many exchanges of scholars and students. We will continue and deepen these relationships."
"In the United States, we can disagree with the governmental policies of a nation without sanctioning the universities of that nation, or the American universities that collaborate with them."
"To restrict the free flow of people and ideas with some universities because of their national identity is unwise, unnecessary, and irreconcilable with our core academic values."
Wesleyan University president Michael Roth called ASA's boycott "a repugnant attack on academic freedom, declaring academic institutions off-limits because of their national affiliation."
He "deplore(s)" what he calls ASA's "politically retrograde resolution...Under the guise of phony progressivism, the group has initiated an irresponsible attack on academic freedom. Others in academia should reject this call for an academic boycott."
Roth ignores important facts.
The Alternative Information Center (AIC) explained. It published a report titled "Academic Boycott of Israel and the Complicity of Academic Institutions in Occupation of Palestinian Territories."
Numerous Israeli universities have long disturbing histories. They support colonization, occupation and apartheid.
They turn a blind eye to Israeli crimes of war and against humanity. They include:
- Tel Aviv University;
- Bar-Ilan University;
- Hebrew University;
- Haifa University;
- the Weizman Institute;
- Peres Academic Center;
- Technion;
- the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center;
- Haddasah College;
- Judea and Samaria College for Engineering;
- Jordan Valley College; and
- Hollon College among others.
Nearly all Israeli academic institutions give IDF soldiers academic benefits. Doing so increases in times of war. It shows support for lawless aggression.
At the same time, many Israeli academics oppose their government's policies. They do it in writing. They do so publicly. They courageously support right over wrong. They risk their careers doing it.
Israeli Arab citizens comprise over 20% of Israel's population. Less than 10% have BA degrees. Less than 5% have master's degrees. Around 3% hold doctorates.
Only about 1% of Israeli institutions of higher learning are Palestinians. Israeli colleges and universities reject three times as many Arab applicants as Jewish ones.
Blatant discrimination is policy. Hebrew and Arabic are official Israeli languages. No major Israeli academic institution offers courses conducted in Arabic.
Palestinians not registered as students are treated differently from Jews. Hebrew University requires police-issued character references to visit its campus. It's to ensure they're not "terrorists."
Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University and others have separate campuses in Occupied Palestine. They're situated on stolen Palestinian land.
High ranking military and security officials hold positions in Israeli universities. Doing so legitimizes their crimes of war and against humanity.
Academic freedom is a universal principle. Not in Israel. Political dissent is discouraged. It's stifled. Anti-government activism risks trouble.
Students face disciplinary action. Academics are shunned by their colleagues. Some risk dismissal. Israeli academic freedom is more illusion than reality.
The campaign against South African apartheid included academic boycotts. Numerous well-known organizations supported it.
It was harsher than the global BDS campaign. It virtually spurned South African colleges and universities altogether. It did so for their complicity with apartheid. It was a model for future boycotts.
Israel is more vulnerable economically than South Africa. BDS and supportive boycotts are politically and psychologically damaging.
They build on their own momentum. Their pressure is effective. Doing the right thing is more than its own reward. When sustained, it gets results.
BDS is stronger and more effective than ever. Omar Barghouti co-founded the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).
On December 13, he headlined "On Academic Freedom and the BDS Movement," saying:
ASA's "academic boycott of Israel provides fresh evidence that (BDS) may be reaching a tipping point on college campuses and academic associations."
Israel "treat(s) (it) as a 'strategic' threat." John Kerry called it an "existential threat" to Israel.
BDS "represents the overwhelming majority of Palestinian society," said Barghouti. It "seeks to realize basic Palestinian rights under international law."
It does so by "applying effective, global, morally consistent pressure on Israel and all the institutions that collude in its violations of international law..."
Judith Butler is a UC Berkeley philosopher. She co-directs its Program of Critical Theory. She calls BDS:
"the most important contemporary alliance calling for an end to forms of citizenship based on racial stratification, insisting on rights of political self-determination for those for whom such basic freedoms are denied or indefinitely suspended, insisting as well on substantial ways of redressing the rights of those forcibly and/or illegally dispossessed of property and land."
Supporting it is a universal imperative. ASA supports justice. It's not alone. In April, the Association for Asian-American Studies endorsed an academic boycott.
It was the first US academic association to do so. It won't likely be the last. Justifiable initiatives have legs. They attract growing numbers of followers.
Sunshine is the best disinfectant. Truth drowns out misguided illusions. Spreading it is essential. Influential voices do it best.
The Teachers' Union of Ireland unanimously called for "ceas(ing) all cultural and academic collaboration (with the) apartheid state of Israel."
The French-Speaking Belgian Students (FEF) represents 100,000 members. It adopted "a freeze of all academic partnerships with Israeli academic institutions."
UC Berkeley and other North American universities called for divesting from Israeli companies. Those profiteering from occupation were targeted.
Calls for boycotting Israel are increasing. Legal scholar Noura Erakat says doing so represents "an ethic of legitimate dissent."
Francis Boyle supports BDS based on the South African anti-apartheid model. So do many other distinguished academics and public figures.
It's no longer taboo to do so. It's a vital imperative. It's important to urge others to do it. It's essential to hold Israel accountable.
BDS has nothing to do with compromising academic freedom. It has everything to do with demanding long denied justice.
Barghouti calls boycotting Israeli academic institutions vital. They're complicit "in planning, implementing, justifying or whitewashing aspects of Israel’s occupation, racial discrimination and denial of refugee rights."
Collusion takes many forms. Doing so spurns Palestinian rights. Zionism harms Jews and Arabs alike. It's the enemy of peace, equity and justice.
The UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (UNESCR) calls academic freedom:
- "the liberty of individuals to express freely opinions about the institution or system in which they work,
- to fulfill their functions without discrimination or fear of repression by the state or any other actor,
- to participate in professional or representative academic bodies, and
- to enjoy all the internationally recognized human rights applicable to other individuals in the same jurisdiction."
The 1993 World Conference on Human Rights said:
"All human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated."
"The international community must treat human rights globally in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing, and with the same emphasis."
Academic freedom requires letting all views be aired freely. It obligates institutions of higher learning to do so.
Peace, equity and justice requires holding Israel accountable. Ignoring its crimes of war and against humanity no longer is acceptable.
Academic institutions and others need to be in the forefront for justice. Failure to do so destroys their credibility.
A Final Comment
On December 27, Francis Boyle wrote Harvard president Faust. He responded to her opposition to ASA's academic boycott. He wrote as follows:
Dear President Faust:
"I notice your condemnation of the ASA Boycott against Israel in today's New York Times."
"I note for the record that Harvard has never once apologized to those of us Harvard Alums who participated in good faith in the Harvard Divestment/Disinvestment Campaign against Israel when your predecessor Larry Summers accused us of being anti-Semitic - a charge which he refused to defend against me as related below."
"As a matter of fact, Harvard is so notoriously anti-Palestinian that the late, great Edward Said refused to accept Harvard's top chair in Comparative Literature when Harvard offered it to him."
"As a loyal Harvard alum I spent an entire evening with Edward at a Chinese Restaurant in Manhattan trying to convince Edward to take this Chair."
"I thought it would be good for Harvard to have Edward teaching there. As a lawyer and a law professor, I can be quite persuasive."
"But Edward would have none of my arguments. As Edward saw it, Harvard was so anti-Palestinian that Harvard would have thwarted his intellectual creativity to move there."
"So Edward stayed at Columbia. Of course Edward was right. And the anti-Palestinian tenor and orientation of Harvard has certainly gotten far worse since when Edward and I were both students at Harvard."
"Harvard should be doing something about its own longstanding bigotry and racism against the Palestinians. Not criticizing those of us trying to help the Palestinians suffering from Israeli persecution, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and outright genocide."
Yours very truly,
Francis A. Boyle
Professor of Law
Harvard isn't alone among major US academic institutions. Support for Israel's worst crimes is widespread. So is spurning fundamental Palestinian rights.
International law affirms them. It high time discriminatory US academic institutions did so. Nothing less is acceptable! Not now! Not ever!
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/us-universities-shame/
Palestinian Political Prisoners
Palestinian Political Prisoners
by Stephen Lendman
Palestine imprisons no Israelis for any reason - zero. Thousands of Palestinians wrongfully languish in Israel's gulag.
They're tortured and abused. They're intimidated, humiliated and degraded. They're held under appalling conditions.
They're poorly fed and clothed. They're denied proper medical treatment when ill. They're mostly political prisoners. They're punished for being Muslims.
Since Israel's occupation began, over 800,000 Palestinians were incarcerated. It's about 20% of Palestine's population. It's around 40% of its male population. Doing so is unprecedented anywhere.
Nearly all Palestinian prisoners are held inside Israel. Incarcerating them outside Palestine violates Fourth Geneva's Article 49. It states:
"...forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons (including prisoners) from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of their motive."
Article 76 states:
"Protected persons accused of offences shall be detained in the occupied country, and if convicted they shall serve their sentences therein."
Fourth Geneva requires treating all prisoners humanely. Israel ignores all international humanitarian laws. It does it willfully. It maliciously subjects Palestinians to cruel and unusual punishment.
On December 28, Israel announced the release of 26 Palestinian political prisoners. On December 30, they'll be freed.
They've been wrongfully imprisoned for 19 - 28 years. Last summer, Netanyahu got cabinet approval for 104 releases.
Freeing them is coincidental with sham peace talks. New lawless settlement construction is announced at the same time.
Implementation is in four stages. In mid-August, 26 were freed. On October 29, an equal number followed. On December 30, so did 26 more.
Since releases began in August, Israel imprisoned many more Palestinians than it freed. Its so-called good will gesture is meaningless.
No Palestinian is safe. Anyone faces potential arrest and imprisonment any time for any reason or none at all. Police states operate this way.
Ahmed Qatamesh is a distinguished Palestinian academic, author, and human rights activist.
On April 21, 2011, Israel lawlessly arrested him. It did so pre-dawn. He was at his brother's home.
An hour earlier, heavily armed Israeli security forces terrorized his wife, children and two female relatives.
They were held hostage. It was done to compel Qatamesh's surrender. At gunpoint, his daughter Hanin was forced to call him. She explained her ordeal, saying:
"(T)hey pointed their machine guns at us and told us they wanted to search the house."
"After a futile search, the soldiers went to the apartment right above ours whose owners - US citizens - were away. They knocked down the main door and wrecked the place."
"They confiscated our phones, disconnecting us from the outside world. The commander forced me at gunpoint to call my father."
"He then grabbed my phone and shouted at him, 'Surrender yourself or we'll destroy the house!' "
"Perhaps the most important principle that I learned from my dad was never to allow obstacles to keep me from realizing my dreams."
"I will continue to dream of Palestinian freedom. Along the way, I will continue to expose the brutality of Israel's occupation and our land - and houses."
"It's so clear that he is there because of his ideas and political activism. He is a prisoner of conscience, and he is there because of political reasons."
His wife Suha said:
"It's so clear that he is there because of his ideas and political activism. He is a prisoner of conscience, and he is there because of political reasons."
Palestinian activist Mustafa Barghouti called his arrest "a shameless attempt at muzzling him in an unjustifiable attack on his freedom of expression."
Euromed Platform of NGOs vice president Gerarda Ventura called him "one of the most sensitive and intellectual people I have ever met." He highlighted his struggle for "freedom, justice and peace."
In 1969, his ordeal began. Israel detained him for several months. In 1972, he was arrested again. He was imprisoned for four years.
In 1992, he went underground. He did so until arrested in September. He was administratively detained for five and half years. Israel held him uncharged and untried.
He was tortured and abused for weeks. Israel shamelessly called him a "dangerous" leader. He documented his ordeal in prison notes.
He titled them "I Shall Not Wear Your Tarboush (a fez like cap)." He explained brutalizing torture and solitary confinement. Israel treats most Palestinian prisoners the same way.
At his October 31, 2011 military court hearing, he said:
"You are destroying my life, and I want to know why. As a human being, I have my own mind and I am educated, and I want to know what I am detained for."
In September 2011, Amnesty International (AI) declared him "a prisoner of conscience." He's imprisoned "solely for the peaceful expression of his political views," AI said.
In Occupied Palestine, Israel prohibits free expression and assembly. It denies Palestinians all rights.
Qatamesh was imprisoned administratively uncharged. So are many other Palestinians. They're denied due process.
They can't contest their detention. They can be held indefinitely. They're not told why. Three Israeli laws authorize detentions:
- the Order Regarding Administrative Detention; it's part of
- military law governing the West Bank;
- the Emergency Powers (Detentions) Law for Israel; and
- the Internment of Unlawful Combatants Law (the 2002
- Unlawful Combatants Law).
Four Israeli entities have decision-making authority:
- Shin Bet (Israel's Security Agency);
- military commanders in charge;
- the IDF prosecutor's office; and
- military judges adjudicating cases.
Administrative detentions last six months. They can be indefinitely renewed forever. Most detainees are held on individual administrative orders.
Israeli authorities decide based on a so-called "reasonable (belief) that the security of the region or public security" is threatened.
Prolonged detentions are common. Doing so grievously breaches international law. Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states:
"Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one
shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedures as are established by law."
"Anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of arrest,
of the reasons for his arrest and shall be promptly informed of any charges against him."
"Anyone who is deprived of his liberty by arrest or detention shall be entitled to take proceedings before a court, in order that that court may decide without delay on the lawfulness of his detention and order his release if the detention is not lawful."
On December 26, the Samidoun Palestinian Solidarity Network
headlined "Palestinian writer Ahmed Qatamesh released after 2 1/2 years of administration," saying:
He was "held in Israeli jails without charge or trial." His wife Sufa said he was released at Salem checkpoint.
Israel informed Addameer prisoner support group lawyer Mahmoud Hassan. Samidoun said Qatamesh "continued the struggle for justice and liberation for the Palestinian people inside and outside prisons for decades."
He "faced severe repressions for his clear voice of advocacy. (He's) a clear and heroic voice of dignity, justice, steadfastness and commitment to Palestinian rights."
On May 2, 2011, his daughter Hanin discussed "When Israeli soldiers came to arrest my father."
She was born in New York. She lived in Occupied Palestine through high school. She studied mass communication at the American University in Cairo (AUC).
"...I will not be silent," she said. "Israeli occupation soldiers" surrounded their house. They were heavily armed. They were "in combat formation. They "broke in and occupied the house."
"They threatened family members with machine guns. My 14-year-old cousin, Nai, and 69-year-old aunt were sleeping inside."
Nai "woke up trembling and speechless…After a futile search, the soldiers went to the apartment right above ours..."
US citizens owned it. They were away. Soldiers broke in. They "wrecked the place."
"There we were, four Palestinian females of different ages stuck in a room with a bunch of guns pointed at us. They confiscated our phones, disconnecting us from the outside world."
"The commander forced me at gunpoint to call my father, who was at his brother’s house. I did."
"He then grabbed my phone and shouted at him, 'Surrender yourself or we’ll destroy the house!' "
"My father shouted back, loudly enough so I could hear him, 'You and your soldiers are tools of the occupation.' "
"You are violating our basic rights. You have no right to be in our home. Come arrest me here and leave my family out of this!' "
Hanin vowed to continue exposing occupation harshness. Israel terrorizes millions of Palestinians. No one knows from one day to the next who'll live, die, be imprisoned, or remain free until another dawn.
Britain's University and College Union (UCU) is Europe's largest academic union. In May 2011, it called for Qatamesh's release, saying:
"Congress expresses its condemnation of this fundamental breach of human rights, instructs the General Secretary to raise the matter urgently with the (Foreign and Commonwealth Office), and the Israeli Embassy, and agrees to circulate the Amnesty appeal for Dr. Qatamesh to all members, urging them to write to MPs and the Israeli embassy calling for Qatamesh to be either released or charged and given a fair trial."
Gary Spedding founded the Queen's Belfast Palestine Solidarity Society. In 2012, he wrote Israel's UK ambassador Daniel Taub. In part he said:
"As concerned human rights campaigners we urge the Government of Israel to immediately and unconditionally release Ahmad Qatamesh from Israeli administrative detention."
He's "detained solely for the peaceful expression of his non-violent political beliefs."
"We urge you and the government you represent to release Ahmad Qatamesh immediately."
"We urge you to end the practice of 'administrative detention' once and for all. No one should be imprisoned without charge or trial."
"No individual or group of people should be subjected to collective punishment by an occupying power."
Twenty UK-based student society organizations endorsed Spedding's letter.
It didn't matter. Qatamesh was lawlessly detained for two and half years. He's now free.
For how long remains to be seen. He's a marked man. So are other Palestinian human rights defenders. It bears repeating. Police states operate this way. Israel is one of the worst.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/palestinian-political-prisoners/
US and Israeli Season’s Greetings: Part II
US and Israeli Season's Greetings: Part II
by Stephen Lendman
No nations more egregiously violate legal, moral and ethical principles, standards and norms. None do so more contemptuously.
None operate more lawlessly. None more mock the season's spirit. None more do it throughout the year after year after year.
None are more disgraceful. None inflict more harm on humanity. None more threaten its survival.
None more urgently need to be held accountable for high crimes of war, against humanity and genocide.
The 1950 Nuremberg Principles defined crimes against peace to include:
"(i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances; (and)
(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i)."
Justice Robert Jackson was chief Nuremberg prosecutor. Robertjackson.org discussed "The Influence of the Nuremberg Trial on International Criminal Law," saying:
No one is above the law. "The Nuremberg trials established that all of humanity would be guarded by an international legal shield and that even a Head of State would be held criminally responsible and punished for aggression and Crimes Against Humanity."
Things haven't exactly turned out that way. International crimes against peace continue. Twentieth century "horrors...are many."
New millennium ones perhaps exceed them. Imagine two rogue terror states obscenely calling themselves democracies. Imagine them matching the worst of Hitler and Stalin.
Both world wars "lead the world community to pledge never again," said robertjackson.org. Nazi atrocities "were not isolated incidents."
Post-WW II, wars without end rage. Millions were ruthlessly slaughtered. No nations are more guilty than America and Israel. Their war on humanity continues.
Despite Nuremberg, they haven't been held accountable. They escaped punishment and justice. They avoided censure. They continue brutalizing, torturing, slaughtering, destroying and governing ruthlessly.
According to Nuremberg Tribunal Principles, planning, preparing, initiating, and waging wars of aggression or in violation of international treaties, agreements, conventions, or accepted standards are high crimes against peace.
They demand accountability under inviolable international law. Post-WW II alone, America committed direct or proxy aggression and genocide against North Korea, Southeast Asia, parts of Africa, Central America, and Eurasia.
According to Francis Boyle:
"(T)he peoples of the world have witnessed successive governments in the United States that have demonstrated little if any respect for fundamental considerations of international law, human rights, and the United States Constitution itself."
"Instead, the world has watched a comprehensive and malicious assault upon the integrity of the international and domestic legal orders by groups of men and women who are thoroughly Machiavellian in their perception of international relations and in their conduct of both foreign affairs and American domestic policy."
Washington is responsible for "an ongoing criminal conspiracy because of its serial wars of aggression, crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes that are legally akin to those perpetrated by the former Nazi regime in Germany."
America willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly violates the letter and spirit of the:
- UN Charter;
- Nuremberg Charter, Judgment and Principles;
- US Army Field Manual 27-10;
- Law of Land Warfare;
- Hague Conventions;
- Geneva Conventions and Protocols; and
- all other international humanitarian laws.
Since 1948, Israel committed slow-motion genocide against Palestinians. It continues today. Gazans are harmed most.
Boyle calls Israel responsible for "inflicting outright genocide on the Palestinians in Gaza."
Both countries persecute their own. Thousands of political prisoners languish in their gulags. Their rights are systematically denied.
They're tortured and abused. They're brutalized for supporting right over wrong. They're punished extrajudicially.
Israel largely targets Palestinians. Praying to the wrong God is called terrorism. So is wanting to live free on their own land in their own country. Israel considers Muslims subhumans.
America's so-called war on terror reigns it on humanity. Freedom is eroding in plain sight. Constitutional rights don't matter.
Fundamental ones are considered quaint and out-of-date. Dissent is an endangered spies. Big Brother surveillance is the new normal. So are mumbo jumbo judicial rulings legitimizing it.
Federal Judge William Pauley's ACLU v. Clapper ruling is the latest example. He turned fundamental law on its head. He did so by calling lawless spying legal. He mocked judicial fairness doing it.
Last June, the ACLU filed suit. It challenged "the constitutionality of the National Security Agency's mass collection of Americans' phone records."
It argued that doing so violates fundamental Fourth and First Amendment rights. It didn't matter. Judge Pauley claimed otherwise. He spurned core constitutional protections doing so.
ACLU's deputy legal director Jameel Jaffer responded, saying:
"We are extremely disappointed with this decision, which misinterprets the relevant statutes, understates the privacy implications of the government’s surveillance and misapplies a narrow and outdated precedent to read away core constitutional protections."
"As another federal judge and the president’s own review group concluded last week, the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of telephony data constitutes a serious invasion of Americans’ privacy. We intend to appeal and look forward to making our case in the Second Circuit."
Full-blown tyranny is a hair's breadth away. The obscenity of Guantanamo is another example. Center for Constitutional Rights President Emeritus Michael Ratner calls it "12 years of US war crimes."
Over 150 victimized detainees remain. Most are uncharged, untried. Not a shred of evidence showed anyone held since Guantanamo opened committed any crimes.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other alleged 9/11 conspirators had nothing to do with what happened. They've been lawlessly held. They were brutally tortured. They're guilty by accusation. It's the American way.
"I want to make a prediction," said Ratner. "There will still be people there when President Obama leaves office, despite his promise to close Guantanamo in a year from when he went into office."
He lied. He doesn't give a damn. Nor does Congress or federal judges. Official policy is obscene. Indefinite detention uncharged, untried defines the worst of judicial unfairness.
It's "joined at the hip with our legal system," said Ratner. "It's an illegal, unconstitutional system. And it's sad that that's the case. So whether this Guantanamo closes, another one will open."
Dozens operate worldwide. Guantanamo if the tip of the iceberg. "(W)e're not winning this battle," said Ratner.
Injustice is the new normal. It's the law of the land. It threatens everyone. Police states operate this way. America is by far the worst.
It's the world's leading human rights abuser. It spurns fundamental rights. It does so at home and abroad.
It governs unaccountably. It rules through intimidation, state terror and permanent wars on humanity. Its rap sheet is blood-drenched. It's responsible for countless millions of deaths.
It brutalizes innocent victims. Alleged 9/11 conspirators are on trial. They're wrongfully blamed for state-sponsored crimes.
"Think about it," said Ratner. "Twelve years after Guantanamo opened, "it's still going on. And those people were tortured."
"They were taken to secret sites. And then they were put in front of made-up trials, military commissions, completely made up, completely illegal, completely contrary to international law. And there's these charades going on down there."
"And one of the most unique (Orwellian) things" is that brutalized victims "had their memories classified. Think about that."
"The criminality that's happened to them, the torture that's happened to them, they are not allowed to speak about it."
"They can tell their lawyers about it, but the lawyers cannot tell the public about it, and it's classified memory - I mean, unheard of."
It's beyond Kafkaesque. It's American justice. It's none whatever. Political prisoners fare no better in US civil courts. Guilt by accusation applies. It's rubber-stamp.
It's outrageous. It doesn't matter. It's the law of the land. It's no different from Nazi Germany and Stalinist show trials. Kangaroo court justice is official policy.
Constitutional and international rights matter. So do Magna Carta principles. It dates from 1215. It's 800 years old. It stood the test of time.
America "utterly shredded an 800 year legal history that said people can't be jailed by an executive or king," said Ratner.
"They have a right to go to court, a right to test their detention, a right to be tried...(a right to prove their innocence before an impartial judge and jury), "and (require) convict(ion) before they're sentenced."
No longer. Diktat law prevails. It bears repeating. Police states operate this way. America is by far the worst.
Israel is a conspiratorial junior partner. It reigns terror across the Muslim world and beyond. It's committing slow-motion genocide against Palestinians.
It's suffocating over 1.7 million Gazans ruthlessly. It lawlessly incarcerates thousands of political prisoners.
It conducts multiple daily incursions into Palestinian communities. It terrorizes innocent people doing it. Abductions, torture and imprisonments follow.
So does murder in cold blood. On December 27, The Census Department of the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees published its annual report.
It makes disturbing reading. It documents 3,874 Palestinians kidnapped in 2013 alone. Over 930 children were affected.
Four detainees died in custody. They were murdered by torture or neglect. Around 75% of Palestinian abductees were age 30 or younger.
Census Department head Abdul-Nasser Farawna said Israel deliberately targets young Palestinians, including children. They represent core Palestinian society.
Israel fears them. They're steadfast. They're courageous. They want freedom. They want independence. They're willing to go all out for what's right.
It's why they're "imprisoned, tortured, abused and intimated," said Farawna.
"The most serious violation is the fact that kidnapped children are beaten and tortured during interrogation. They were humiliated, subjected to physical and emotional torture."
Abuse begins at the moment of arrest. "They're blindfolded and placed into military jeeps where they are often beaten again, before they are dragged to interrogation facilities in military camps or settlements."
"Under interrogation, they face the most cruel methods of torture and abuse, physical and emotional, while being verbally threatened, amidst threats to harm their families unless they provide information."
Around 1,400 prisoners have serious health problems. They're denied proper treatment. Doing so constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
It inflicts pain and suffering. For many, slow-motion death by neglect follows. It can take months or years. It can be in or out of prison. Release often comes too late to matter.
Sham peace talks continue. Longstanding Israeli collaborators represent Palestine.
John Kerry is Israel's man in Washington. He's going all out to be America's worst ever Secretary of State. He works collaboratively with Israeli hardliners.
He represents their interests. He spurns fundamental Palestinian rights. He makes a mockery of peace, equity and justice. So does the most extremist Knesset in Israeli history.
Fascists rule. Netanyahu leads them. On December 27, the Times of Israel headlined "As peace talks plow on, right tries to make a legislative stand," saying:
Proposed Knesset legislation "seek(s) to annex or strengthen Israel's hold over portions of the West Bank..."
Extremist MKs want Israeli sovereignty declared over privately held Palestinian land. They want grand theft legitimized.
Legislation is titled "The Bill to Apply Israeli Law to the Jordan Valley 5774 - 2013." It's nearly identical to how Israel annexed Golan.
The measure "quickly won the support of the of the Knesset's most influential figures," said Times of Israel.
They include "Coalition Chairman Yariv Levin (Likud), Law Committee Chairman David Rotem (Yisrael Beytenu), former Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin (Likud), Jewish Home faction chair Ayelet Shaked, former Shas chairman Eli Yishai, and at least 13 other lawmakers."
The bill is the latest effort to steal Palestinian land. Others were introduced. More will follow.
The Jordan Valley bill states in part:
"The future of the Jordan Valley begins in the Israeli consciousness. Israel must decide to apply its sovereignty to this broad region, which has a relatively small Palestinian population, and to say openly: 'The Jordan Valley will remain under Israeli sovereignty forever.' "
Israel wants much more than Jordan Valley land. It currently controls over 60% of the West Bank.
It wants it officially annexed. It wants it declared official Israeli territory. It wants Jerusalem as its exclusive capital.
It wants Palestinians denied all rights. It wants resisters killed or imprisoned. Washington offers full support.
Both countries partner in crimes of war, against humanity and genocide. They deplore peace, equity and justice.
It's longstanding policy. It's ruthless. It's relentless. It's unforgiving. It's imperial lawlessness writ large.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/us-israeli-seasons-greetings-part-ii/
Debating Syria
Debating Syriaby Stephen LendmanWhen is a debate not one? When New York Times editors sponsor them. They've had them before. They've got a new one on Syria.Debates should give all sides equal time and space to air views. Times editors changed the rules...
Egypt’s Pinochet
Egypt's Pinochet
by Stephen Lendman
Junta power runs Egypt. It reflects the worst of fascism writ large. General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi rules as strongman. He heads the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).
He's Washington's man in Cairo. Since August 2012, he's been top military commander.
He's Defense and Military Production Minister. He's a 1977 Egyptian Military Academy graduate. He got US training. He's a US War College graduate.
He maintains close Pentagon ties. Washington manipulated Mubarak's ouster. It was complicit in toppling Mohamed Morsi.
It deplores democracy. It opposes it at home and abroad. It's governed by a homeland police state apparatus.
It backs pro-Western fascist despots globally. Doing so reflects business as usual.
Egyptian civilian officials have no legitimacy. They're appointed. They're figureheads. They're puppets. They're convenient stooges.
Elections when held won't matter. Brute force runs Egypt. Ousting Morsi on July 3 was reminiscent of September 11, 1973. Chileans old enough to remember won't forget.
A reign of terror followed. Pinochet's "Caravan of Death" reflected it. A climate of fear included mass arrests, disappearances, torture and murder.
Opposition government officials, academics, union heads, independent journalists, student leaders, activists, and other suspected regime opponents were targeted.
US citizens Charles Horman, Frank Teruggi, Boris Weisfeiler and Ronni Moffit were killed.
Horman's death was the subject of a 1982 Hollywood film. It was titled "Missing." He and thousands of others were Caravan of Death victims.
Nixon vowed to make Chile's economy scream. Kissinger was his national security advisor. He and CIA operatives orchestrated Salvador Allende's ouster.
After his 1970 election, Kissinger said:
"I don't see why we need to stand idly by and let a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its own people."
Allende was a progressive democratic leader. He was no communist. Junta head General Augusto Pinochet put General Sergio Arellano in charge of assuring provincial commanders complied with hard-line policies.
He was told to establish a uniform criteria of justice. He later explained, saying:
"With no concern for the guise of legality, as in the case of some War Councils, prisoners were taken out and shot under the cover of night. Most executions were attributed to attempts to escape."
Retired Lt. Col. Marcos Herrera Aracena said:
"General Arellano informed he that what Pinochet wanted was to bring an end to the remaining legal processes. In other words, finish with them once and for all."
Death squad justice was instituted. At issue was terrorizing Chileans. Instilling fear and crushing resistance were prioritized. Military commanders were ordered to go all out to solidify junta power.
Victims were buried in unmarked graves. Some were mutilated before being executed. General Joaquin Lagos explained why he didn't return some bodies to family members, saying:
"I was ashamed to see them. They were torn into pieces. So I wanted to put them together, at least leave them in a human form."
"Yes, their eyes were gouged out with knives, their jaws broken, their legs broken."
"At the end, they gave them the coup de grace. They were merciless. The prisoners were killed so that they would die slowly."
"In other words, sometimes they shot them by parts. First, the legs, then the sexual organs, then the heart. In that order, the machine guns were fired."
Death squads killed thousands. Chile remains one of Latin America's most unequal societies. Chicago School fundamentalism creates wastelands.
Chile remains a model of economic unfairness. Crony capitalism reflects out-of-control corruption, inequality and injustice.
General el-Sisi is Egypt's Pinochet. Since usurping power, he instituted reign of terror justice. Sweeping crackdowns continue.
Muslim Brotherhood (MB) members are targeted. So are supporters and others challenging junta authority. Thousands were arrested. Others were disappeared, tortured and murdered.
Over 1,000 nonviolent street protesters were killed. Everyone suspected of supporting MB is threatened. So are activists demanding democracy.
President Morsi is charged with murder, treason, espionage, and sponsoring terrorism. He's accused of collaborating with Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and anti-regime groups. Bogus charges claim he did so to destabilize Egypt.
Kangaroo court justice awaits him. He faces possible capital punishment. Around three dozen other MB officials face similar charges.
Morsi remains in maximum security prison confinement. He's held incommunicado. Attorneys and family members are denied access. Some MB co-defendants remain at large.
On December 25, Egypt's so-called cabinet declared MB a terrorist organization. It did so unconscionably.
It did it following Dakahlia Governate's Security Directorate headquarters bombing. Sixteen died. MB officials denied involvement.
A group named Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis (Supporters of Jerusalem) claimed responsibility. Crackdowns on MB members continue. According to journalist Shahira Amin:
"This is a new escalation in a long-running feud between the security state and the Muslim Brotherhood."
"What they are trying to achieve is to crush the Islamist group altogether and not to leave any room for that group to enter into political life again."
"Declaring the Muslim Brotherhood a terror group will mean criminalizing their activities, criminalizing their financing, and also criminalizing their membership."
"Their protests are already outlawed. Their leaders are already behind bars and thousands of their supporters languish in prisons."
IKHWAN WEB is MB's official English language web site. On December 27, it headlined 'Muslim Brotherhood Legal Committee: Classifying Group as Terrorist Legally Null and Void."
"This classification came without investigation, without evidence."
"No entity should be so classified or disbanded, except through legal procedures."
"Thus naming the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization is completely groundless in the absence of any evidence to prove this description which is vehemently rejected by the group."
"(T)he decision is invalid and illegal, because so far no court made any definitive judgments about the group and its leaders."
"The Brotherhood’s Legal Committee is considering an appeal of this decision. It will announce its course of action and legal position later."
Egypt Court of Cassation is its highest judicial authority. Seven appeals courts are next in importance.
Tanta Court of Appeals Judge Walid el Shaf'i called designating MB a terrorist organization illegal. If challenged in court, it'll be declared so, he said.
He cited Article 86 of Egypt's Penal Law. It can only be enforced by court order. Egypt's cabinet acted by executive decision. Doing so is illegal, he added.
On Thursday, dozens more MB members were arrested nationwide. Their land, funds, and other resources were confiscated.
Egypt's Islamic Medical Association hospitals are affected. An MB leader established them in the 1970s. They serve over two million patients annually.
They're mostly in poor neighborhoods. They're highly regarded. They considered preferred alternatives to poorly run government hospitals.
Since Morsi's ouster, government funding was cut. Admissions at Cairo's Nasr City district Central Hospital dropped by half. Many people fear seeking treatment. Doing so might suggest MB support.
Other network hospitals were forced to reduce services to save money. Central Hospital director Medhat Omar expressed concern, saying:
"If it goes on like this, we won't be able to take on any patients." Funds aren't available to pay salaries or other expenses.
Egypt's "war on terrorism" targets its own. It does so ruthlessly. It does it lawlessly. It aims to terrorize Egyptians into submission.
El-Sisi vowed to eradicate everyone challenging his power from "the face of the earth. Don't let these treacherous terrorist incidents affect your spirits," he said.
He referred to several recent bombings. "We're on the side of pronounced righteousness," he claimed.
Many, perhaps most, Egyptians believed it last July. Fewer do today. Police state viciousness makes everyone fearful.
Public demonstrations are banned. Anyone criticizing government policies risks arrest and imprisonment.
Dozens handing out pro-MB leaflets were arrested. One death was reported. During a Thursday army graduation ceremony, el-Sisi said:
"Egypt will stand firm in confronting terrorism and the people will never be afraid as long as the army is present."
Anyone charged with supporting MB "verbally or in writing" faces five years imprisonment. US expressed concern is too muted to matter.
Washington endorses coup d'etat harshness. A previous article asked when is a coup not one? It's when US officials suggest otherwise.
Reign of terror ruthlessness is official Egyptian policy. Rule of law principles don't matter. Government by diktat rules. No ones is safe from rampaging government forces.
MB officials risk being disappeared, tortured and murdered. Others face potential life in prison. So does anyone providing funding. Supporting MB publicly is considered terrorism.
Regular protests continue. People involved do so at great risk. One MB supporter perhaps spoke for others, saying: "People don't have anything to lose."
Rights can't be gotten without sustained struggle. Conditions today are far worse than under Mubarak.
State terror more than ever is official policy. Anyone challenging regime authority is vulnerable. Pinochet's ghost resides in Egypt. Same old, same old repeats.
London Guardian editors headlined "Egypt: back with a vengeance," saying:
"The skies are darkening over Egypt...How miserably different this is from" what most Egyptians hoped for.
Revolutionary change "is now being torn up by its roots...Mubarak regime (opponents) are now being victimized by its successor."
Egypt's rulers "are determined" to stamp out all opposition. "It is now evident that the Egyptian military, behind its unconvincing civilian facade, is ready to be as hard on its secular as on its religious opponents."
Mubarak's removal changed nothing. Junta power bided its time. It "gr(ew) a new head," said Guardian editors. "(N)ow (it's) back, quite literally, with a vengeance."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/egypts-pinochet/
Israel Bombs Gaza – Again
Israel Bombs Gaza - Again
by Stephen Lendman
Israeli regimes are guilty of decades of crimes of war, against humanity, and slow-motion genocide.
State terror is official policy. Besieged Gazans are being slowly suffocated. Over 1.7 million Palestinians are affected. Air, ground and sea attacks repeat with disturbing regularity.
The latest came late Thursday. Israeli warplanes bombed multiple sites. Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan and Al-Hawouz neighborhoods were targeted. So was Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza.
Other Israeli missiles struck vacant land east of Ash-Shujaeyya. It was close to where an IDF contract worker was killed.
Shifa Hospital sources said two Palestinians suffered shrapnel wounds. No deaths so far were reported.
Earlier repeated Israeli provocations targeted Gazan farmers, children and other civilians. One death was reported. A three-year-old Palestinian girl won't reach age four.
In response, gunfire from Gaza killed an IDF contract worker. On Tuesday, Israeli warplanes responded. So did tanks and ground forces from inside Israel's border.
Gazans responded again. They did so in self-defense. One or more homemade rockets hit an uninhabited area in southern Israel. No casualties or damage resulted. It didn't matter.
Israel bombed Gaza again. Official policy call civilians, residential neighborhoods, and other non-military related sites legitimate targets.
International law states otherwise. Israel spurns it with impunity. Rogue states operate this way. Israel is one of the worst.
On the previous day, Israeli soldiers destroyed dozens of dunums of agricultural land. They did so south of the West Bank town of Qalqilya.
Bulldozers and other heavy equipment uprooted almond, citrus and olive trees. Destruction was near Israel's apartheid wall.
Witnesses said soldiers prevented farmers from reaching their land. They tried. They weren't able to save crops too valuable to lose.
Hours before Israel bombed Gaza on Thursday, its forces stormed Beit Jala. They targeted Bethlehem one day after Christmas. Tourists there still celebrate it.
Soldiers and plain-clothed elements raided the heart of the city. They stormed homes with police dogs. They ransacked them. They damaged them. They arrested four civilians.
They blockaded areas where they lived. Israel declared privately owned Palestinian land a "closed military zone."
Heavy gunfire prevented residents from entering or exiting. Journalists nearby were threatened.
On Christmas night, Israeli forces stormed the Wadi Maale neighborhood. It's near Bethlehem's center. Two Palestinian homes were raided.
Families were terrorized. Hamzah al-Kamel and Shehadah Muhammad Shedadah were arrested. A third area home was targeted. An unidentified resident fled before soldiers arrived.
These type raids happen virtually daily. Usually it's multiple times daily. Holidays are no exception.
Palestinian civilians are terrorized. Children are traumatized. Crimes against humanity repeat. No Israeli commander or official in memory was ever held accountable.
Thugs pose as military commanders and government officials. Their policies speak for themselves. They consider self-defense terrorism.
They claim Israel has a divine right to terrorize, arrest, imprison, torture, and murder Palestinians with impunity.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon called Gazan self-defense terrorism. Other rogue Israeli officials say the same thing. They absolve their own high crimes too grave to ignore.
They've committed too many to count. Israel's rap sheet is bloodstained. It's long and deplorable.
On November 14, 2012, Israel murdered Ahmed Jabari. A missile struck his car. He was well known. He was highly respected.
Many considered him Hamas' most important military and political leader. Hours before his assassination, he concluded a truce agreement draft.
It included ways to establish ceasefires in case of future flare-ups. He was working with Egypt to establish permanent truce.
Israel killed him to prevent it. Operation Pillar of Cloud followed. It was premeditated naked aggression. Eight days of attacks ravaged Gaza. Serious war crimes were committed.
Around 170 Palestinians died. Over 1,000 were injured. Nearly half were women and children. At least 963 houses were damaged or destroyed.
They included 10 health centers, 35 schools, 2 universities, 15 NGO offices, 30 mosques, 14 media offices, 92 industrial and commercial facilities, 1 UNWRA food distribution center, 8 government buildings, 14 police/security stations, 5 banks, 34 vehicles, 3 youth clubs, 3 cemeteries, and 2 bridges.
On November 21, attacks ended. Egypt under President Mohamed Morsi acted as intermediary to do so.
Israel agreed to ceasefire terms. So did Hamas. They included:
"A. Israel should stop all hostilities in the Gaza Strip land, sea and air including incursions and targeting of individuals.
B. All Palestinian factions shall stop all hostilities from the Gaza Strip against Israel including rocket attacks and all attacks along the border.
C. Opening the crossings and facilitating the movements of people and transfer of goods and refraining from restricting residents' free movements and targeting residents in border areas and procedures of implementation shall be dealt with after 24 hours from the start of the ceasefire.
D. Other matters as may be requested shall be addressed."
Implementation mechanisms included:
"A. Setting up the zero hour for the ceasefire understanding to enter into effect.
B. Egypt shall receive assurances from each party that the party commits to what was agreed upon.
C. Each party shall commit itself not to perform any acts that would breach this understanding. In case of any observations, Egypt as the sponsor of this understanding, shall be informed to follow up."
Both sides agreed not to breach ceasefire terms. Hamas stuck by its agreement. Israeli ones aren't worth the paper they're written on.
Straightaway, it committed violations. It did so repeatedly. It continues to do so. On December 27, Maan News headlined "Islamic Jihad: 1,400 Gaza ceasefire violations since 2012," saying:
Israel violated ceasefire terms "over 1,400 times since December 2012…" Killing a three-year old Palestinian girl was the latest incident. Hundreds of others preceded it.
Al-Quds Brigades spokesman Abu Ahmad said Islamic Jihad supported ceasefire terms. They matter because Gazans benefit, he stressed. Given repeated Israeli violations, "we will not keep (them) forever," he added.
Ceasefires must be reciprocal. Israel's agreement was meaningless. "Every drop of blood that falls must be countered, but the nature of the field determines how," said Ahmad.
On December 26, Haaretz editors headlined "Israel must let the Gazans live. The Strip is a powder keg waiting to explode, and zero-hour is not far off."
Occupation harshness bears full responsibility. Lawless siege reflects it. So do repeated Israeli premeditated attacks.
Normal life is impossible. Israel's "government must reevaluate its policy toward Gaza and do what is necessary to allow its people to live a reasonable life," said Haaretz editors.
"Reasonable" isn't good enough. Nor in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Nothing short of liberation is acceptable.
Israeli accountability must be addressed. High crimes against peace must be punished. Failure to do so assures they'll continue.
Haaretz editors are right saying "Israel must let Gazans live." They stopped short of explaining what's required to do so.
They should demanded an end to occupation. They should have denounced settlement construction.
Jews only housing is built on stolen Palestinian land. Israel is expected to announce tenders for 1,400 new units.
Under agreed on peace talk terms last July, Israel promised to release 104 Palestinian political prisoners.
Twenty-six are scheduled for this Sunday. Israel usually combines prisoner releases with new settlement construction announcements.
It's done to make lawlessness look more acceptable. It fools no one. Land theft can't be justified any time for any reason.
So-called Palestinian peace negotiators are longtime Israeli collaborators. They disgraced themselves for special benefits long ago.
They betrayed their own people in the process. Their high-minded rhetoric means nothing. They speak with forked tongue.
They repeatedly warned about settlement expansions making peace impossible. The continue negotiating anyway. They do it disgracefully. The sham process persists.
They represent Israeli interests, not Palestinian ones. They've done it in earlier peace talk rounds. They surrendered to Israeli demands numerous times. Other times they accomplished nothing.
Occupation harshness persists. So does Palestinian suffering. It shows no signs of ending. Gazans suffer most. Siege and repeated Israeli attacks reflect conditions too intolerate to allow.
World leaders able to make a difference turn a blind eye. They don't give a damn. They literally let Israel get away with murder.
They've done it since 1948. They let Palestinian suffering continue. They don't care. They blame Palestinians for Israeli crimes. They whitewash their own at the same time.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/egypt-bombs-gaza/
ACLU v. Clapper Ruling
ACLU v. Clapper Ruling
by Stephen Lendman
A previous article said the following:
On June 11, the ACLU filed suit. It challenged "the constitutionality of the National Security Agency's mass collection of Americans' phone records."
It argued that doing so violates Fourth and First Amendment rights, saying:
"Because the NSA's aggregation of metadata constitutes an invasion of privacy and an unreasonable search, it is unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment."
"The call-tracking program also violates the First Amendment, because it vacuums up sensitive information about associational and expressive activity."
NSA claims authorization under the Patriot Act's Section 215. It's known as the "business records" provision.
It permits collecting "any tangible thing...relevant" to alleged foreign intelligence or terrorism related investigations. It way oversteps. It's unconstitutional.
It permits warrantless searches without probable cause. It violates fundamental First Amendment rights. It does so by mandating secrecy.
It prohibits targeted subjects from telling others what's happening to them. It compromises free expression, assembly and association.
It does so by authorizing the FBI to investigate anyone based on what they say, write, or do with regard to groups they belong to or associate with.
It violates Fourth and Fifth Amendment protections by not telling targeted subjects their privacy was compromised. It subverts fundamental freedoms for contrived, exaggerated, or nonexistent security reasons.
"Whatever Section 215's 'relevance' requirement might allow, it does not permit the government to cast a seven-year dragnet sweeping up every phone call made or received by Americans," said ACLU.
The 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorized surveillance relating to "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign powers" and "agents of foreign powers."
It restricts spying on US citizens and residents to those engaged in espionage in America and territory under US control.
No longer. Today anything goes. America is a total surveillance society. Obama officials claim no authority can challenge them.
Governing this way is called tyranny.
On December 16, Federal District Court of the District of Columbia Judge Richard Leon ruled against NSA spying.
He called it "almost Orwellian" and much more, saying:
"The threshold issue is whether plaintiffs have a reasonable expectation of privacy that is violated when the Government indiscriminately collects their telephone metadata along with the metadata of hundreds of millions of other citizens without any particularized suspicion of wrongdoing, retains all of that metadata for five years, and then queries, analyzes, and investigates that data without prior judicial approval of the investigative targets."
"I cannot imagine a more 'indiscriminate' and 'arbitrary' invasion than this systematic and high-tech collection and retention of personal data on virtually every single citizen for purposes of querying and analyzing it without prior judicial approval."
"Surely, such a program infringes on 'that degree of privacy' that the founders enshrined in the Fourth Amendment."
It's core constitutional law. It prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. Mass NSA surveillance does it lawlessly.
It has nothing to do with national security. Claims otherwise ring hollow. America spies for control. It does so for economic advantage. Espionage is longstanding policy.
Corporate secrets are stolen. So are political ones. Top foreign government and business officials are spied on. Virtually everyone is fair game.
Domestic spying is longstanding. It's unconstitutional. It doesn't matter. Two federal judges disagreed. If ACLU appeals to the Supreme Court, it'll likely lose.
It's stacked with right-wing extremists. Five current justices are Federalist Society members: Chief Justice John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, and Clarence Thomas.
Elena Kagan is ideologically sympathetic. As dean of Harvard Law School, she hired Bush's outgoing Office of Legal Counsel director, Jack Goldsmith. Francis Boyle called him a war criminal.
Kagan bragged about putting him on staff. Boyle quoted her saying she "love(s) the Federalist Society." It's ideologically over-the-top. It's extremely right-wing.
With these type justices on America's High Court, ordinary people haven't a chance. Nor judicial fairness.
In September 2012, Congress overwhelmingly passed the 2012 FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act.
Obama signed it into law. He called doing so a national security priority. He lied. It reflects police state lawlessness. It extends the 2008 FISA Amendments Act (FAA). It's for another five years.
It authorizes warrantless spying. It does so without naming names or probable cause. It violates Fourth Amendment protections.
Overseas phone calls, emails, and other communications of US citizens and permanent residents may be monitored without authorization. Perhaps domestic ones covertly.
Probable cause isn't needed. Anything goes is policy. Constitutional protections don't matter. Police states operate this way.
ACLU lawyers filed suit. It passed through lower courts to the Supremes. In October 2012, High Court justices heard oral arguments. Clapper v. Amnesty International challenged the constitutionality of warrantless spying.
On February 26, the Supreme Court ruled. It dismissed ACLU's case. It violated constitutional protections doing so.
It ruled against lawyers, journalists, human rights groups, and others challenging protections too important to lose.
It said they couldn't prove surveillance was "certainly impending." They didn't have required standing to sue, they claimed.
Saying so was absurd on its face. It's a standard never before used. Imposing it denies the legitimate right to sue. Doing so reflects police state justice.
It wasn't the first time fundamental rights were denied. It won't be the last. Warrantless electronic spying is intrusive. It's institutionalized.
Congress approves. So does Obama. America's Supremes violated the public trust. They've done it many times before. They'll do it again. Lawless NSA spying is safe in their hands.
In ACLU v. Clapper, Judge William Pauley heard arguments. ACLU called for the program to be ended. Ahead of the hearing, its legal director, Jameel Jaffer, said:
"This vast dragnet is said to be authorized by Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, but nothing in the text or legislative history of that provision remotely suggests that Congress intended to empower the government to collect information on a daily basis, indefinitely, about every American’s phone calls."
"This kind of dragnet surveillance is precisely what the fourth amendment was meant to prohibit."
"The constitution does not permit the NSA to place hundreds of millions of innocent people under permanent surveillance because of the possibility that information about some tiny subset of them will become useful to an investigation in the future."
ACLU argued against blanket seizure of its phone records. Doing so violates its core constitutional rights. It compromises its ability to work with journalists, advocacy groups, whistleblowers and others.
It claimed standing because NSA has access to its phone records. It didn't matter. Judge Pauley rejected its challenge. He called mass NSA surveillance legal.
He called it a valuable tool against terrorism. He said it "only works because if collects everything." He either lied or doesn't understand what's going on.
He claimed meta-data collection "represents the government's counter-punch" against Al Qaeda's terror network.
"The collection is broad, but the scope of counterterrorism investigations is unprecedented," he said.
Mass phone data collection "significantly increases the NSA's capability to detect the faintest patterns left behind by individuals affiliated with foreign terrorist organizations."
"Armed with all the metadata, NSA can draw connections it might otherwise never be able to find."
Without them, he claimed, "the civil liberties of every citizen" would be "imperil(ed)."
"The question for this court is whether the government's bulk telephony metadata program is lawful. This court finds it is."
"But the question of whether that program should be conducted is for the other two coordinate branches of government to decide."
Judge Pauley nonsensically said mass telecommunications surveillance could have perhaps prevented 9/11.
"The government learned from its mistake and adapted to confront a new enemy: a terror network capable of orchestrating attacks across the world," he claimed.
"It launched a number of counter-measures, including a bulk telephony metadata collection program - a wide net that could find and isolate gossamer contacts among suspected terrorists in an ocean of seemingly disconnected data."
It bears repeating. NSA mass surveillance has nothing to do with national security. Pauley knows nothing about spying. His ruling reads like an NSA press handout. His legal judgment leaves much to be desired.
Most other federal judges are no better. Police state lawlessness remains in good hands. Judge Leon is an exception who proves the rule.
He's an unheard voice in the wilderness. We need lots more to make a difference. We need them throughout the judiciary.
We need them on the highest court in the land. We need them in all government branches. We need what we don't have.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/aclu-v-clapper-ruling/
Corruption Scandal Rocks Turkey
Corruption Scandal Rocks Turkey
by Stephen Lendman
Turkey is a democracy in name only. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is ruling despot.
He's led Ankara's Justice and Development Party (AKP) since August 2001. He's been prime minister since March 2003. Why Turks put up with him they'll have to explain.
Last spring, anti-government protests rocked Ankara, Istanbul and other Turkish cities. Police violence followed. Brutality is longstanding policy. Corruption is deep-seated.
It's rife in Turkey's construction sector. Erdogan established a land sales office. Ostensibly it was to build affordable public housing.
Widespread privatizations followed. Billions of dollars worth of government assets were sold.
Sweetheart deals and bribes accompanied them. Well-connected companies got no-bid contracts. State banks provided generous financing.
Projects developed had nothing to do with public housing. Berat Albayrak heads Calik Holding. He's well connected. He's Erdogan's son-in-law.
He may be linked to the corruption probe. He builds power plants in Turkmenistan. He's involved in an AKP backed oil pipeline project. He has other government related business.
The current scandal stems from a year ago anonymous letter. It was sent to police. It alleged Ankara and local government authorities illegally facilitated construction projects. Huge profits were involved.
Surveillance, phone tapping, and other investigatory methods followed. They produced considerable evidence of corruption. Government ministers are involved. Million dollar bribes were paid.
State-run Halk Bank head was found with about $4.5 million in cash. It was at home. It was stashed in shoe boxes.
Millions more were seized from other suspects. Over a dozen are accused of bribery and money laundering, as well as gold and antiques smuggling.
On December 17, Turkey's Financial Crimes and Battle Against Criminal Incomes department detained 47 people.
Sons of Ankara's Economy, Interior and Environment and Urban Planning ministers are involved.
So is Fatih district municipality major Mustafa Demir and real estate tycoon Ali Agaoglu. Minister of European Union Affairs Minister Egemen Bagis is being investigated.
Whether scandal touches Erdogan remains to be seen. He claims attempts to do so will be "left empty handed."
On Christmas day, he reshuffled his cabinet. Three ministers resigned. He sack 10 others. He replaced them. Events are fast-moving.
Erdogan Bayraktar was Minister of Environment and Urban Planning. He was a member of parliament. He felt forced to resign both posts.
He said Erdogan should do so. He claimed suspect construction projects under investigation were approved with Erdogan's full knowledge.
"With your permission, I want to make very short statements in the form of a press statement," he said.
"It is of course a right and an authority for Mr. Prime Minister to work with whichever minister he wants and to remove whichever minister he wants from office."
"But I do not accept the pressure being put on me which says, 'Resign because of an operation in which there are statements of bribery and corruption and release a declaration that will relieve me.' "
“I do not (accept it) because a big part of the zoning plans that are in the investigation file and were confirmed were made with approval from Mr. Prime Minister."
"For the sake of the well-being of this nation, I believe the prime minister should resign."
He accused him of involvement in suspect property deals. He's linked to profiteering business interests.
Scandal heads closer to directly connecting him. Perhaps it will as investigations continue. Turkish Professor Soli Ozel called Bayraktar's call for Erdogan's resignation "extraordinarily dramatic."
He's "someone who was very close to the prime minister. This is someone you'd expect to fall on his sword without question."
Other analysts see things potentially spinning out of control. Whether Erdogan can prevent it remains to be seen.
He may end up victimized by his own transgressions. It depends on how much public anger grows. He weathered previous crises. It's hard to know if this one is too great to contain.
Investigations targeted over 90 suspects. Over two dozen were arrested. Dozens of police chiefs were sacked. Erdogan is far from squeaky-clean.
On December 21, Ankara's police department Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Unit head Hakan Yuksekdag was found dead in his car. Officially it was pronounced suicide.
Further investigation is being conducted. The incident occurred a day after 14 senior Ankara National Police Department officials were removed from their posts.
Erdogan blamed ongoing events on an international conspiracy. He vowed revenge on figures connected to Muhammed Fethullah Gulen.
He heads the movement bearing his name. He claims a million or more followers. They include judges and senior police officials.
He's currently in self-imposed exile. He's in Pennsylvania. He's a writer, former imam, and Islamic opinion leader. He's an important figure.
He's involved with issues relating to Turkey's future. He and Erdogan haven't gotten along for years.
Former Minister of Internal Affairs Idris Naim Sahin said Erdogan's actions fall short of law and justice. He's trying to defuse public anger, he said. He's shifting blame to do it.
Thousands of Istanbul, Ankara, and Ismir protesters demanded Erdogan's resignation. They did so on Christmas. They did it in other cities. They protested last spring.
They're justifiably outraged. Their longstanding anger hasn't waned. Erdogan works against their well-being. Clashes with police erupted. Arrests followed.
Protesters chanted; "Three ministers aren't enough. The whole government should resign. Corruption is everywhere. Resistance is everywhere."
Opposition party members accused Erdogan of deepening despotic rule. Critics use the term "deep state." It refers to a shadowy power structure. It lacks checks and balances.
Turkey's Republican People's Party (CHP) is Erdogan's main rival. It's Turkey's oldest political party. It's AKP's Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. Kemal Kilicdaroglu heads it.
"Erdogan has a 'deep state,' " he said. His AKP "has a 'deep state.' " Efkan Ala is new Interior Minister.
He's an Erdogan crony. He formerly was Diyarbakir Province governor. He's part of what's ongoing, said Kilicdaroglu.
He believes Ala's appointment is part of an Erdogan power grab. He wants greater police control. Outgoing Interior Minister Muammer Guler fired hundreds of police officers. Senior commanders were sacked.
Erdogan's new ministers were carefully chosen. He appointed officials "that will not show any opposition to him," said Kilicdaroglu.
Turkey is more police state than democracy. Press freedom is compromised. Censorship is standard practice. Dissent is verboten. Challenging government authority is called terrorism.
No country imprisons more journalists than Turkey. Corruption is deep-seated. Neoliberal harshness writ large is policy. Popular interests are spurned.
Erdogan represents wealth, power and privilege. It's hard imagining he's not involved in corruption in some way. He's gotten his son-in-law business tycoon sweetheart deals.
He prioritizes Turkey's business model. It reflects capitalism's dark side. It includes unrestrained profit-making, privatizations, cheap labor, deregulation, corporate-friendly tax cuts, marginalized worker rights, and speculative capital inflows.
Economic conditions are inherently unstable. Turkey suffers rolling recessions, crisis conditions, and fragile largely jobless recoveries. It's increasingly dependent on imports of resources and capital goods.
Youth unemployment tops 22%. An entire generation is affected. Conditions are socially and economically unstable.
Privation fuels public anger. Eventually it may spiral out-of-control. It may be just a matter of time. Turkey has a long history of rebellion.
Erdogan is increasingly hated. He weathered last spring's anti-government protests. It remains to be seen what's next.
Nicolas Spiro heads Spiro Sovereign Strategy. "The dismissal of half an entire cabinet is worrying enough," he said. "The corruption probe is escalating by the day."
It's "causing a further deterioration in market sentiment towards Turkey." Erdogan's new cabinet includes four deputy prime ministers.
Ayse Islam is the only woman appointed. She's Family and Social Policy Minister. Others include:
Deputy prime minister: Bulent Arinc
Deputy prime minister: Ali Babacan
Deputy prime minister: Besir Atalay
Deputy prime minister: Emrullah Isler
Justice: Bekir Bozdag
Defense: Ismet Yilmaz
Interior: Efkan Ala
Foreign Affairs: Ahmet Davutoglu
European Union: Mevlut Cavusoglu
Finance: Mehmet Simsek
Economy: Nihat Zeybekci
Energy and Natural Resources: Taner Yildiz
National Education: Nabi Avci
Labour and Social Security: Faruk Celik
Environment and Urban Development: Idris Gulluce
Health: Mehmet Muezzinoglu
Transport: Lutfi Elvan
Food, Agriculture and Husbandry: Mehmet Mehdi Eker
Science, Industry and Technology: Fikri Isik
Culture and Tourism: Omer Celik
Forestry and Water Affairs: Veysel Eroglu
Customs and Trade: Hayati Yazici
Development: Cevdet Yilmaz
Youth and Sports: Akif Cagatay Kilic
Scandal erupted months ahead of next March's local elections. Parliamentary elections involving Erdogan are scheduled in 2015.
If held today, voters might oust him. It's way too early to know how they'll react in 2015. Istanbul-based Global Source Partners analyst Atilla Yesilada said ongoing events suggest Erdogan is losing control.
"Forced to act, (he) tried to get rid of his burdens," he said. "But this is a political crisis, and it is hard to tell how it will unfold. These investigations may expand in coming months."
Doing so perhaps may link Erdogan to deep-seated corruption. If so, he may be forced to resign. The fullness of time will tell.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/corruption-scandal-rocks-turkey/
US and Israeli Season’s Greetings
US and Israeli Season's Greetingsby Stephen LendmanBoth countries wage war on humanity. They do it no-holds-barred. They perpetuate wrong over right. They flaunt rule of law principles. Their agenda reflects gross injustice, institutionalized pers...
America’s War on Humanity
America's War on Humanity
by Stephen Lendman
On Christmas day it raged. Holidays are no exception. America's killing machine observes none. Mass slaughter and destruction continue. It's longstanding US policy.
Historian Gabriel called the 20th century "the bloodiest in all history." Civilians suffered most.
Wars ravage humanity. New millennium ones rage. America bears most responsibility. Its quest for global dominance takes millions of lives. US leaders consider it a small price to pay.
Calls for peace go unheeded. In his Sermon on the Mount, Christ said: "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the sons of God."
In Syria, Christmas day violence restricted observances to prayers and masses. Martyrs who fought US-sponsored death squads were honored.
They died "for the safety of the homeland," said the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Mass was held at the Mariamate Cathedral of Damascus. Patriach Yahanna X Yazaji led it.
He prayed to God for peace in Syria. Patriarch Josef al-Absi led another mass at the Cathedral of Notre Dame of Dormition in Damascus.
He called for reconciliation, saying:
"(W)e are in need to be Syrians, as nationality is our nature and originality." He prayed to preserve Syria, protect its president, its army, and restore prosperity.
In occupied Jerusalem, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Sebastia Atallah Hanna said Christmas and New Year's celebrations would be subdued. They're limited to expressing solidarity with Syria.
He stressed close ties between Palestinians and Syrians, adding:
"(H)ow can I be happy during the holiday (season) when I see my brothers the bishops, my sisters the nuns abducted, and the Syrian people deprived of the joy of holidays?"
He expressed confidence in Syria's ability to overcome its ordeal. He thanked its leadership.
He praised the solidarity of its people. He did so against hostile invaders. He recognized the courage of Syrian soldiers.
He called violence an "imported phenomenon." The vast majority of Syrians oppose it. He offered condolences for those who lost loved ones.
He said terrorist attacks on Syrians threaten all humanity. It's everyone's duty to defend Syria, he stressed.
He denounced the Adra massacre. He blamed Arab Gulf states and holier than thou so-called democracies. They boast about human rights, he said.
They're indifferent to mass slaughter, destruction and human misery. They support crimes of war and against humanity. They bear full responsibility for ravaging Syria.
On December 12, Pope Francis delivered his first Message for the World Day of Peace.
"I wish to offer to everyone, individuals and peoples, my best wishes for a life filled with joy and hope," he said.
"In many parts of the world, there seems to be no end to grave offenses against fundamental human rights..."
"Can the men and women of this world…ever manage…to overcome indifference, egoism and hatred, and…accept…legitimate differences..."
(F)raternity (is) the foundation (of a) pathway to peace."
"An authentic spirit of fraternity overcomes the individual selfishness which conflicts with people's ability to live in freedom and in harmony among themselves."
"(O)nly love...enables us to accept and fully experience fraternity."
May "service to persons…bring peace...on this beloved earth."
Remember 1914's Christmas truce. It was during WW I. German and Allied forces stopped fighting.
Fraternization stopped war. Soldiers on both sides left their trenches. They did so over half the front. They took time off from fighting.
They defied orders calling "such an attitude…dangerous…(It) destroys the offensive spirit..."
They shook hands. They buried their dead. They chatted with each other. They enjoyed calm. They played football.
Unofficial truces occurred other times throughout history. They did several times during WW I. Never on the scale of Christmas 1914.
It sent a message heard today. War is the enemy of peace. It's the scourge of humanity. It risks annihilating it altogether. Waging peace, not war, matters most.
Wars are immoral, dirty, unjust and illegal. Good ones don't exist. They never did. WW II was worst of all. More on that below.
On October 15, 1900, Mark Twain expressed outrage about America slaughtering Filipinos. Things then were like today.
Imperial conquest isn't pretty. Mark Twain denounced it, saying:
"...I have seen that we do not intend to free, but to subjugate the people of the Philippines."
We have gone there to conquer, not to redeem."
"And so I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land."
"We have pacified some thousands of the islanders and buried them; destroyed their fields, burned their villages, turned their widows and orphans out-of-doors, (and) subjugated the remaining ten million by Benevolent Assimilation, which is the pious new name of the musket..."
He proposed a new American flag. He envisioned one "with the white stripes painted black and the stars replaced by the skull and cross-bones."
He was appalled that General Jacob Smith ordered his troops to "kill and burn."
"(T)his is no time to take prisoners," he said. (T)he more you kill and burn, the better."
"Kill all above the age of ten. (T)urn (the Philippines into) a howling wilderness."
Crimes of war, against humanity and genocide remain official US policy.
In his book titled "The Good War: An Oral History of World War II," Studs Terkel explained its good and bad sides. He did so through people who experienced it.
The only thing good was that America was spared. It "was the only country among the combatants that was neither invaded nor bombed," said Terkel. "Ours were the only cities not blasted to rubble."
The bad side was how it "warped our view of how we look at things today." We see them through the prism "of war."
"This twisted memory…encourages (people) to be willing, almost eager, to use military force" to solve problems. They exacerbate them more each time.
Wars are "lunatic" acts, said Terkel. They resolve nothing. They're horrific by any standard. They turn ordinary people into crazed killers. They destroy any hope for peace.
Howard Zinn denounced the myth of good wars. They prevent peace. They perpetuate violence. World War II was worst of all.
Modern warfare is indifferent about who dies from 30,000 feet. "You just press a button, you know, and somebody dies," said Zinn.
You don't see faceless victims. You don't hear children scream. You don't know about human flesh ripped to pieces. You think you're the good guys. Kill the bad ones.
"World War II is not that simple," said Zinn. "The good guys became the bad guys. War poisons everybody. It corrupts everybody."
Neither side reflects saintliness. Both sides are villains. All sides slaughtering civilians demand condemnation.
Did WW II stop fascism, asked Zinn? Did it stop racist persecution? Did it end militarism? Did it restore peace?
When it ended, Zinn got a letter from General George Marshall. It wasn't a "Dear Howie," he said.
All US armed forces personnel got the same one. It was "something like this," said Zinn.
"We've won the war. Congratulations for your service. It will be a new world."
"It wasn't a new world," said Zinn. "War after war after war after war" followed. They rage today. The second war to end all wars perpetuated them.
Millions died for nothing. Fascism, despotism and militarism didn't end. Zinn said wars can't be tolerated "no matter what we're told."
So-called good wars don't exist. They're worst of all. Every one harms civilians most of all. Children suffer like adults. Wars institutionalize violence. It persists globally.
If enough soldiers refuse to fight, if enough people say no more, if mass outrage demands peace, only then can things change.
Post-WW II, America had no enemies except ones it invents. Gratuitous slaughter persists. Imperial adventurism works this way.
Planet earth is America's battleground. How many more millions must die? How much human misery is enough? When will swords be turned into plowshares?
How much longer will populations tolerate what demands mass uprisings to stop? When will America be challenged righteously?
When will one century of war after another end? Is peace in our time possible? Will humanity survive long enough to find out?
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/americas-war-humanity/
Profile of a Racist Zionist State
Profile of a Racist Zionist State
by Stephen Lendman
Israel is no democracy. It deplores democratic values. It ignores rule of law principles. Non-Jews aren't wanted. Muslims are ruthlessly persecuted.
They're terrorized. Praying to the wrong God is criminalized. Last week was like all others. Israeli soldiers murdered 29-year old Odeh Jihad Hamad in cold blood.
He was well inside Israel's imposed border zone with Gaza. Soldiers shot him in the head.
They prevented ambulance help from arriving for around 90 minutes. They wanted to be sure he died. They wanted him to suffer if it took time.
In Jerusalem, Palestinian resident Hadassah Ein Karem was on his donkey. He was traveling along a bypass road. It's adjacent to al-Isawiya village.
He was in plain sight. A settler ran him over. He was critically injured. At Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital, he was pronounced dead.
In Jenin's refugee camp, Israeli soldiers fired on nonthreatening Palestinian civilians. One was killed. Another six were wounded.
Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen. They were nonthreatening. They were in Gazan waters. It didn't matter.
These type incidents happen often. Sometimes Israel damages fishing vessels. Other times they're confiscated. This time fishing equipment was stolen.
Israel apparently considers fishing a crime. Harming Palestinian well-being goes unpunished. Impunity is rubber-stamp.
On Friday, Israeli soldiers attacked peaceful Palestinian protesters in Bilin, al-Masara and Nabi Saleh villages. They used rubber bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades. Dozens were injured.
Israel considers all protests illegal. Palestinians want occupation ended. They want stolen land returned.
They want Israel's apartheid wall demolished. They want the right to live free on their own land in their own country.
They want world community support. They want Israel held accountable for high crimes of war and against humanity. They want long denied justice.
Ta'Ayush is an Arab Jewish partnership. It seeks togetherness "to end the Israeli occupation and to achieve full civil equality through daily non-violent direct-action."
Ta'ayush is Arabic. It means living together. It's a grassroots movement. It was founded in fall 2000. Activist Arabs and Jews work cooperatively.
They're "surrounded by walls and barbed wire: the walls of segregation, racism, and discrimination between Jews and Arabs within Israel; the walls of Apartheid, closure and siege encircling the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip; and the wall of war surrounding all inhabitants of Israel, so long as Israel remains an armed fortress in the heart of the Middle East," says Ta'ayush.
Its members work actively against racism and segregation. They're building "a true Arab-Jewish partnership."
They "strive for a future of equality, justice and peace."
They do so "through concrete, daily, non-violent actions of solidarity to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and to achieve full civil equality for all."
The lives and well-being of millions of occupied Palestinians have been "subordinated to Israeli interests for more than 40 years."
On Sunday, Haaretz columnist Amira Hass headlined "IDF barred Israeli activists from West Bank."
Ta'ayush members came to protect Palestinian farmers. They've been doing it for 13 years. They accompany "dozens of (West Bank) Palestinian shepherds and farmers...every Saturday…"
They do it to protect them from extremist settlers. They attack Palestinian farmers in their fields. They destroy their crops.
They commit other forms of vandalism. They commit violence. They do so with virtual immunity. Israeli security forces do nothing to stop them.
On Saturday, soldiers "separated the cars of Ta'ayush members from the rest of the Israeli cars entering the West Bank through the checkpoint on the Tunnel Road (Route 60) and the Betar checkpoint," said Hass.
When they reached it south of Jerusalem, Border Police stopped them. They "showed them a military order."
It was "signed by the commandeer of the Etzion Regional Brigade, Col, Amit Yamin, restricting their movements."
Soldiers told Ta'ayush activists they were waiting for another military order to arrive. They ordered them to remain at Betar checkpoint until it did.
When it failed to come, activists "passed through the checkpoint on foot. Soldiers and police officers pursued them."
Some Ta'ayush members reached south Hebron Hills. They were shown documents declaring Palestinian land closed military zones.
Judea Brigade commander Col. Avi Balut signed them. His order read: "No person shall pass through the checkpoint except with permission given by me or a person authorized by me."
Activists and Palestinian landowners were ordered out. An IDF spokesman said:
"The IDF is responsible for maintaining law and order in Judea and Samaria."
"Every week there are provocative gatherings in the area of Sussia and Mitzpe Yair, which have at times led to violent confrontations between residents of the area and even with the security forces."
"In accordance with the assessment and security considerations, it was decided not to allow free passage to all the buses, which, according to the assessment, were carrying people who were liable to disrupt public order, and to examine their entrance individually at a number of checkpoints in the southern area of Judea and Samaria."
Palestinians are barred from their own land. Activists trying to help them are blocked. Other times they're attacked.
Often they're injured, arrested, and detained. State terror is official Israeli policy. So is institutionalized racism.
Israel ruthlessly persecutes African migrants. They come seeking safe haven asylum. They fled repressive countries. Israel treats them like criminals.
International law protects refugees and asylum seekers. Article I of the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees calls them:
"Person(s) who owning to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of their nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail him/herself of the protection of that country."
Post-WW II, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established to help them.
To gain legal protection, they must:
- be outside their country of origin;
- fear persecution;
- be harmed or fear harm by their government or others;
- fear persecution for at least one of the above cited reasons; and
- pose no danger to others.
Israel's 1950 Law of Return grants all Jews worldwide the right to emigrate to Israel. Non-Jews aren't wanted. No refugee law exists.
Israel rejects non-Jewish refugees. It scorns them. It persecutes those arriving. Their fundamental rights are denied.
They're summarily detained. They held for extended periods. It's under extremely harsh conditions.
International law legally and morally obligates Israel to treat refugees humanely. Official state policy brutalizes them.
Israel's Infiltration Law is draconian. It calls non-Jewish migrants and asylum seekers criminals. They face harsh detention without trials or deportation.
Anyone caught helping them is liable. They face up to 15 years imprisonment. They do so for being good samaritans.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel calls its Infiltration Law brazenly undemocratic and shameful. It's "draconian and immoral." Its "entire purpose is to deter refugees from entering Israel."
It "blatantly disregards Israel's most basic commitments as a member of the community of nations and as a signatory to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees."
"The State of Israel has the right to protect its borders, but not by trampling human rights and ignoring democratic values."
Israel's longstanding inhospitable history is appalling. African migrants perhaps suffer most.
Even some Jewish ones are unwelcome. Israel wants white ones. Black ones are persecuted like Muslims.
On December 19, dozens of African migrants left Holot detention center. They marched toward Be'er Sheva. They did so in protest.
Immigration Authority officers arrested many. They returned them to detention. Others scattered into desert areas. Security forces are pursued them.
Migrants began marching after hundreds of other detainees did so toward Jerusalem. They did it to protest Israeli repression.
They didn't seek safe haven status to be persecuted. "Our stance is clear," said one migrant. "Either grant us asylum or give us to an international refugee agency."
Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy calls Israel's problem "racism." It's a separate, unequal society. It mocks fundamental human and civil rights.
It's one of the world's most repressive states. It considers Muslims existential threats. It treats African migrants the same way.
Netanyahu was never "caught expressing compassion," said Levy. Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar "seems to enjoy being cruel."
He "project(s) the kind of attitude that in Europe comes (from) gangs of skinheads."
Israeli society "is so tainted by racism that the agitators of the extreme right reflect its spirit almost without question."
"Africans must be gotten rid of, in any way or by any means," they believe. They're not "really human beings." There's "no place for them here." They "bring us only crime and disease."
It's OK "to abuse them, humiliate them and increase their misery without limit." Rule of law principles don't matter.
Israel's problem isn't security. It's Zionist fanaticism. It's racism writ large. It's believing Jews alone have rights.
Others don't deserve them. Human dignity doesn't matter. Right-wing extremists govern Israel. They menace the entire region. They threaten world peace.
They're waging slow-motion genocide on Palestine. Crimes of war and against humanity continue unabated. Anyone not Jewish is fair game.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
No Joy to the World This Christmas
No Joy to the World This Christmas
by Stephen Lendman
How can there be with wars raging out-of control! Who's celebrating while mass slaughter and destruction persist?
No Christmas cheer this year for billions. No Feliz Navidad. No happy holiday. No Wise Men spreading good will.
No silent, holy night. No decking the halls. No herald angels singing. None heard on high.
No coming all ye faithful. No telling it on the mountain. No merry gentlemen resting. No peace on earth coming upon a midnight clear.
No most wonderful time of the year. No having yourself a merry little Christmas. No holly jolly one. No wishing you one in times of war, injustice and human suffering. Imagine them on an unprecedented scale.
No frosty the snowman fun. No winter wonderland. No jingle bells joy. No auld lang syne.
No Christmas 2014 to remember. No Santa on his sleigh. None coming to town. No gifts for billions.
No peace with war winds raging. None with growing global human misery. America is Scrooge writ large. It's the Grinch that stole Christmas.
Scoundrel media editors claim otherwise. They support the worst of all possible worlds. They pretend aggressive wars are liberating ones.
They claim nations are destroyed to free them. They call imperial dominance democracy.
They glorify wars in the name of peace. Humanitarian intervention and responsibility to protect (R2P) mask ravaging one country after another. Mass slaughter and destruction reflect it.
They call plunder economic development. They pretend Christmas 2014 reflects peace and good on earth.
They ignore what matters most. They turn a blind eye to America's imperial savagery. Unprecedented human misery reflects it.
It persists globally. They sweep it under the rug. They air brush it from history. They ignore reality. Hypocrisy and indifference substitute.
New York Times editors headlined "This Day of Good Cheer." They called it "the most joyous and the most richly seasonal."
"Christmas can seem, somehow, outside the sequence of the ordinary year," they said.
How can it be when billions endure poverty, unemployment, hunger and homelessness? Millions more suffer the scourge of war.
Festiveness doesn't top their agenda. Survival matters most. Christmas is no different from other days. It's not a day off from human misery. It doesn't stop mass slaughter and destruction.
Not according to New York Times editors. It's "a day of good cheer," they said. It "comes to life on just this one holiday."
It's "enough to be here today," they claim. How can it be when unprecedented human misery overwhelms it?
Washington Post editors headlined "The Christmas story, still captivating the world."
A decades earlier radio program was called "The Greatest Story Ever Told." It related biblical narratives. It was popular at the time. It inspired a Hollywood film by the same name.
One Bible story remained popular, said WaPo editors. It's "a tale of universal appeal." It's "a story of love and triumph over adversity and also of humility, of the good to be found in the most modest of circumstances."
It reflects the spirit of Francis of Assisi, they said. He preached "reverence for all living things." He created the first manger creche.
His "living Christmas story was taken up in many towns and villages." They created their own manger scenes. They reflect the seasonal spirit.
"Their basic appeal lay in their warmth, humanity and simplicity." It's an "enduring reflection of...'comfort and joy,' " said WaPo editors.
For whom they didn't explain. For billions it doesn't exist. Human misery is their daily reality. WaPo editors substituted illusion for unconscionable human suffering.
Chicago Tribune editors headlined "As Christmas dawns." They published the same Christmas day editorial since 1988.
Perhaps they have no original thoughts. Maybe they don't care about what's most important. They asked:
"What is this day, this Christmas, that dawns with a chorus of joy? What river of love and magic speeds the message from that moment of wonder in Bethlehem across the cold darkness of centuries long forgotten?"
"How does it warm us this morning as we awaken in a world the Wise Men could scarcely imagine to a radiance that once each year makes it all just a little bit better?"
For whom, Tribune editors didn't say. For America's 1%, it never was better. For most others, it's lump of coal harshness.
Joy didn't arrive Christmas morning. It won't appear later in the day. Or the next one. Or throughout the holiday season.
It's absent throughout the year. So is the "Prince of Peace." No "(s)ing(ing) out the praises of Christmas... (No) sing(ing) them in shouts and whispers."
Tribune editors support the worst of imperial harshness. They deplore peace and good will. They claim otherwise.
They hypocritically said "remember…the pain of others...the Christmas joy of sharing out humanity."
"We are our brothers' and our sisters' keepers...Rejoice in the accumulated sights and sounds of the season that fill us this Christmas Day."
..."(W)e praise this day, this Christmas, that dawns with a chorus of joy."
Tell it to Chicago's homeless. Imagine sleeping outside in sub-freezing temperatures. Imagine having to beg for nickels, dimes and quarters. Imagine needing them to buy bare bones food.
Imagine having nowhere to go when sick. Imagine no one able to change things caring. Imagine suffering out of sight and mind.
In July 2013, the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless estimated around 116,000 affected Chicagoans.
It's 10% higher than year ago numbers. It includes nearly 19,000 students. Around 98% are children of color. An estimated 20% have disabilities and development delays.
On December 13, the US Conference of Mayors Hunger 2013 Homelessness Survey said Chicago homelessness increased 11.4% year-over-year.
Perhaps Tribune editors didn't notice. Maybe they don't care.
Los Angeles Times editors headlined " 'Miracles' of 2013: Some of our favorites."
Christians annually commemorate Christ's birth. LA Times editors call it "one of the central miracles of the New Testament."
No peace and good will miracles arrived Christmas morning 2013. Expect none throughout the holiday season for billions worldwide.
None appeared throughout 2013. Expect none next year. LA Times editors turned a blind eye to what's most important. They ignored Obama's war on humanity. They said nothing about global human suffering.
They focused on trivia. They highlighted NASA's Voyager 1 mission. It's "ventur(ing) out of our solar system." It's "a singular achievement in humanity's quest for knowledge," they said.
How about waging peace, not war. What about alleviating human misery. What about prioritizing right over wrong? How about replacing dismissiveness with caring.
Times editors expressed angst about not intervening directly against Syria. They said eliminating its chemical weapons may "solidify" Assad's hold on power.
They called Republicans and Democrats "compromis(ing)" on 2014's budget "amazing." Both parties agreed on deeper lump of coal harshness for millions.
They gave bankers, war profiteers, other corporate favorites, and America's super-rich virtually everything they wanted.
They're waging war on social justice. Perhaps Times editors didn't notice. Maybe they don't care.
They discussed a meteor "the size of a small building." It "hurtled toward Russia...in February." It crashed near Chelyabinsk in Siberia. Miraculously it didn't kill anyone, they said.
Imagine calling temporarily switching off LA billboards a 2013 highlight. They called ending city mayoral debates another one.
They claim Washington began negotiating with Iran in good faith. They ignored Obama breaching Geneva terms straightaway. His notion of good faith is none at all.
Times editors' 2013 highlights are ill-chosen. Why is LA's Museum of Contemporary Art quadrupling its endowment more important than millions of city residents struggling to get by?
Why is a so-called "layaway Santa" initiative? An anonymous benefactor is involved. He visits stores. He pays for toys parents had on layaway. He does it in LA County.
What about sheltering its homeless. How about feeding its hungry. What about employing county residents without jobs. How about giving underemployed Angelinos better ones.
What about freeing lawlessly imprisoned county inmates. What about doing so much more to relieve area human misery.
Why is it ignored? Why is it allowed to fester? Why is it permitted to deepen each year?
Why don't city and county officials change things? Why do they do nothing? Why don't Times editors hold them accountable? Why not on Christmas day? Why not throughout the year?
Wall Street Journal editors did Tribune counterparts one better. They've run the same Christmas day editorial since 1949.
Vermont Royster (1914 - 1996) wrote it. He was WSJ's editorial page editor from 1958 to 1971.
He headlined "In Hoc Anno Domini (in this year of our lord)." He discussed ancient Rome. "There was oppression," he said.
He highlighted Rome's "tax gatherer." It took "grain from the fields and the flax from the spindle to feed the legions or to fill the hungry treasury from which divine Caesar gave largess to the people."
There was "persecution" and "enslavement...Then, of a sudden, there was a light in the world, and a man from Galilee saying, Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's."
"…Paul of Tarsus...spoke to his brethren." His words would be remembered. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
Royster won two Pulitzer Prizes. His editorials and other writing reflected lump of coal harshness. He deplored social justice.
Dow Jones & Company began publishing the WSJ in July 1889. In August 2007, Rupert Murdoch bought it.
Throughout its history, hard right opinion shut out progressive fairness. Under Murdoch, it does so more than ever.
Royster championed free markets over fair ones. So do current Journal editors. They believe whatever government does, business does better so let it.
They want every one left on their own sink or swim. They believe whatever is good for business is good for America.
They support corporate and super-rich privilege over social justice. Power and profits matter most of all.
What would Jesus say today? What would he think about today's America? What would he do?
How would he address ideological extremism? What would he say about neoliberal harshness? How would he contest destructive dark forces?
He preached nonviolent resistance. He lived it. He taught it. He deplored injustice. He urged "go(ing) the second mile." He said "love your enemies. (D)o good to those who persecute you."
He spread revolutionary ideas. He opposed exploitive imperial harshness. Today he'd preach peace, equity and justice. He'd oppose war. He'd resist it.
Doing the right thing is its own reward. Doing it every day matters most. Imagine if everyone felt this way. Imagine a world at peace.
Imagine wars consigned to the dustbin of history. Imagine loving thy neighbor having real meaning. Imagine doing unto others responsibly.
Imagine a world fit to live in. Imagine it with liberty and justice for all. Imagine it on Christmas. Imagine it throughout the year.
John Donne was a poet, lawyer and cleric. "No man is an island," he said. We're all part of humanity.
"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind."
"(N)ever send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee."
It does so most in times of war. It bears repeating. It doesn't take time off for Christmas. It doesn't do it throughout the holiday season. Mass killing and destruction have lives of their own.
Hemingway's novel discussed "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Its background was the Spanish civil war. In times of all wars, it tolls for thee.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/joy-world-christmas/
Mission Accomplished, Says Snowden
Mission Accomplished, Says Snowden
by Stephen Lendman
On December 23, he told the Washington Post:
"For me, in terms of personal satisfaction, the mission’s already accomplished. I already won."
"As soon as the journalists were able to work, everything that I had been trying to do was validated. Because, remember, I didn’t want to change society. I wanted to give society a chance to determine if it should change itself."
"All I wanted was for the public to be able to have a say in how they are governed. That is a milestone we left a long time ago. Right now, all we are looking at are stretch goals."
WaPo called Snowden "an orderly thinker, with an engineer's approach to problem-solving."
"He had come to believe that a dangerous machine of mass surveillance was growing unchecked."
Woefully inadequate congressional oversight and rubber-stamp FISA court rulings reflect a "graveyard of judgment," he said.
NSA's business is "information dominance," he stressed. He didn't know if others would share his views.
"But when you weigh that against the alternative, which is not to act, you realize that some analysis is better than" none, he said.
"Because even if your analysis proves to be wrong, the marketplace of ideas will bear that out."
"If you look at it from an engineering perspective, an iterative perspective, it's clear that you have to try something rather than do nothing."
He succeeded beyond anything he could have imagined. He captured world attention. Millions consider him heroic. There's no turning back now.
On June 22, a Justice Department criminal complaint charged him with espionage and felony theft of government property.
He signed NSA's Standard Form 312. He called it a civil contract. "The oath of allegiance is not an oath of secrecy," he said.
"This is an oath to the Constitution. That is the oath that I kept that (NSA chief) Keith Alexander and (Director of National Intelligence) James Clapper did not."
He's irresponsibly accused of disloyalty. "I am not trying to bring down the NSA," he stressed.
"I am working to improve" it. "I am still working for the NSA right now. They are the only ones who don't realize it."
"The system failed comprehensively, and each level of oversight, each level of responsibility that should have addressed this, abdicated their responsibility," he said.
Some of his NSA colleagues feel the same way. They were "astonished to learn we are collecting more in the United States on Americans than we are on Russians in Russia."
"What the government wants is something they never had before," he stressed.
"They want total awareness. The question is, is that something we should be allowing?" Does Washington have the right to invade everyone's privacy?
Should NSA be permitted to eliminate private spaces altogether? Do rule of law principles no longer matter? Is freedom a convenient illusion?
Snowden dismisses disloyalty accusations. He didn't pass on state secrets to Russia and China, he stressed.
"If I defected at all," he said, "I defected from the government to the public."
It bears repeating. Millions call him a hero. He connected important dots. He's the gift that keeps on giving.
On December 20, Der Spiegel reported more. It headlined "How GCHQ Monitors Germany, Israel and the EU," saying:
Snowden documents "show that Britain's GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) signals intelligence has targeted European, German and Israeli politicians for surveillance."
Suspicions surfaced last summer, said Der Spiegel. Snowden documents confirm them. They provide "concrete evidence."
GCHQ and NSA operate jointly. They target UNICEF and other UN organizations. Medecins du Monde is a French organization. It sends doctors and other medical professions to conflict zones.
It's on NSA/GCHQ's target list. So is Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS) head Kadre Desire Ouedraogo. Communications with his colleagues are monitored.
Targeting Angela Merkel, Brazil's Dilma Rousseff, and other world leaders was disclosed earlier. New revelations show Israeli officials are watched.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was targeted. So was former Defense Secretary Ehud Barak and his chief of staff, Yoni Koren. More on surveilling Israel below.
European Commission Vice President Joaquin Almunia's name showed up on NSA/GCHQ's target list.
Last October, UK Prime Minister David Cameron endorsed an EU statement. It condemned NSA/GCHQ spying on world leaders.
He did so knowing it was ongoing at the time. He lied claiming opposition. He could stop it through parliamentary action. Legislation could declare it illegal.
Political Britain is in bed with GCHQ the way Washington endorses unconstitutional NSA spying.
Disclosures show both agencies are rogue operations. They go way beyond what's lawful. They do it with impunity.
Snowden documents provide no insight into why organizations and individuals unrelated to national security are targeted.
He called doing so NSA's "total awareness" obsession. It wants privacy entirely eliminated. It wants the ability to monitor everyone, everywhere, at all times. It wants no one escaping its dragnet.
US law prohibits economic spying. NSA does it anyway.
Under Britain's Intelligence and Security Act, GCHQ may work "in the interests of national security, with particular reference to the defence and foreign policies of Her Majesty's government; in the interests of the economic wellbeing of the United Kingdom; and in support of the prevention and the detection of serious crime."
Critics raise serious questions. National security is left undefined. So is protecting economic well-being beyond helping UK companies defend themselves against intellectual property theft or cyber-attacks.
Earlier Snowden documents showed NSA and GCHQ conduct industrial espionage. They do so for economic advantage. They do it illegally. They do it anyway. They do it with impunity.
When questioned, both agencies lie. They claim they operate lawfully. Clear evidence proves otherwise.
Documents show NSA/GCHQ spying is remarkably comprehensive. No government or other officials of interest are left behind. Ordinary people are mass surveilled.
According to Der Spiegel:
"In addition to many political and 'diplomatic targets,' (target) lists contain African leaders, their family members, ambassadors and businesspeople."
"They also include representatives of international organizations, such as those of United Nations agencies like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)."
"A noticeably large number of diplomatic missions to the United Nations in Geneva are also listed."
"Even non-governmental organizations like Doctors of the World (Medicins du Monde) appear on the British intelligence agency lists, along with a representative of the Swiss IdeasCentre and others."
"Individual companies can also be found on the list, especially in the fields of telecommunications and banking."
"The partly government-owned French defense contractor Thales, along with Paris-based energy giant Total, is also mentioned."
NSA and GCHQ constantly search for new targets. They want nothing of potential importance escaping their dragnet.
Netanyahu criticized NSA spying on Israel, saying:
"With regard to things published in the past few days, I have asked for an examination of the matter."
"In the close ties between Israel and the United States, there are certain things friends mustn't do to each other." They're "not acceptable to us."
Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said he assumes it's spied on by allies. He stopped short of admitting Israel's extensive spying operation.
Israeli MK Nachman Shai lied saying:
"Israel is a friendly state to the US." (It) stopped all espionage" on America 30 years ago.
False! Israel spies aggressively. It does so on all allies. In 2011, former CIA counterintelligence specialist/military intelligence officer Philip Giraldi said Israel steals everything it gets its hands on. It includes military and industrial secrets.
"The reality of Israeli spying is indisputable. (It) always features prominently in annual FBI reports."
Washington's Government Accountability Office (GAO) said Israel "conducts the most aggressive espionage operation against the United States of any US ally."
The Pentagon accused Israel of "actively engag(ing) in military and industrial espionage in the United States."
"An Israeli citizen working in the US who has access to proprietary information is likely to be a target of such espionage."
FBI whistleblower John Cole said Justice Department officials ordered dozens of Israeli espionage cases dropped. At issue was political pressure.
Despite longstanding ties, "US national security officials consider Israel to be, at times, a frustrating ally and a genuine counterintelligence threat," he added.
The CIA considers Israel its main Middle East counterintelligence threat. Its operations are highly sophisticated.
Netanyahu claiming allies don't spy on us doesn't wash. Israel violates fundamental rule of law principles. It does so as egregiously as America.
Obama exceeds the worst of his predecessors. So does Netanyahu. Both leaders threaten world peace and security. Lawless spying reflects the tip of their rogue governance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/mission-accomplished-says-snowden/
Hail to the Thief
Hail to the Thiefby Stephen LendmanOn December 19, Vladimir Putin pardoned Mikhail Khodorkovsky. He did it a day after announcing he'd do so.Western media scoundrels reacted as expected. They praised his release. They denounced Putin earlier for impris...
Israel Attacks Gaza
Israel Attacks Gaza
by Stephen Lendman
It wasn't the first time. It won't be the last. It's done it numerous times before. It strikes aggressively. It does it lawlessly. It's longstanding Israeli policy.
Cast Lead and Pillar of Cloud attacks were major acts of aggression. Many other strikes were modest by comparison.
Israel lies claiming only militants are targeted in response to attacks on its territory.
Non-combatants, residential communities, hospitals, mosques, schools, fishing vessels, refugee camps, other civilian targets, and vital infrastructure unrelated to military necessity are systematically attacked. They're considered prime targets.
For days, Israeli soldiers fired on Gazan farmers. Children were targeted. So were other civilians. One non-combatant was murdered in cold blood. Others were earlier.
In response, gunfire from Gaza killed an IDF contract worker. Israeli warplanes attacked Gaza. According to an army spokesperson, tanks and ground forces did so from its side of the border.
Whether true or not isn't clear. Militarized Israeli forces enter Gaza often. They strike civilian areas. They destroy crops. They lay waste to agricultural land.
They attack government, commercial, academic, medical and residential buildings. They strike refugee camps. They consider non-combatant targets fair game.
Al-Maghazi refugee camp was struck. A Palestinian woman and son were wounded. Her three-year old daughter was killed. At least 10 others were injured.
A home near a chicken farm was bombarded. These and similar attacks are crimes of war and against humanity. Israel commits them with impunity.
An IDF spokesman lied claiming terrorists and "terror infrastructure" sites were targeted. Israel considers noncombatant men, women, children, infants, the elderly and infirm terrorists.
A senior IDF officer said:
Israeli forces launched "a wave of attacks and are currently considering our next steps."
While army forces want no further escalation, he added, its Gaza division remains on high alert. It's ready to act "in case the situation deteriorates."
In other words, it can easily invent pretexts to attack Palestinian civilians whenever it wishes.
IDF forces do so with disturbing regularity. They do it throughout occupied Palestine. Gazan are prime targets. They suffer most.
The Palestinian Resistance Committees (PRC) took responsibility for killing IDF contractor Salah Abu Latif.
"One of our snipers hit an Israeli officer, who is in the Engineering Forces of the Israeli army, and seriously wounded him, near the border between eastern Gaza and Israel," it said.
A single shot was fired. No exchange of gunfire followed. Latif was involved in repairing Israel's damaged security fence.
He was airlifted to Soroka Medical Center for treatment. It was too late. He succumbed to severe wounds sustained.
He's the second Israeli killed this month. He's the sixth since September. Since September 2000, Israel murdered nearly 7,000 Palestinians.
Tens of thousands more were injured, arrested, imprisoned, tortured and otherwise brutalized. Israel calls premeditated aggression self-defense.
It calls justifiable Palestinian responses terrorism. It holds Hamas responsible for Gaza launched attacks. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said:
"We will not let life in the south be disrupted, and we will respond aggressively and painfully to any attack on our authority and against our civilians and soldiers."
"I suggest Hamas not test our patience and use its authority in the territory. If there is no quiet in Israel, there will be no quiet in Gaza."
Netanyahu called Latif's shooting "an extremely grave incident." Israel won't "ignore it," he said.
It's "policy" is shoot first and ask questions later. "(T)his is how we will act in this case as well," he stressed.
He was visiting Sderot near Gaza's border when Latif was shot. His employer said:
"We worked for there for a long time and nothing happened, and then suddenly everything started."
"We got used to wandering around the area freely, but after what happened I don’t think we'll go back there. It's scary."
He stopped of placing blame where it belongs. Palestinians don't act aggressively. Hamas goes way out of its way to avoid confrontations. So do other Palestinian resistance groups.
They respond solely to repeated Israeli provocations. They have every right to do so in self-defense.
They resent being used for Israeli target practice. One incident too many draws responses. Several occurred in recent days. Expect more if Israeli viciousness continues.
On December 20, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) blamed Israel for "excessive force."
IDF soldiers attacked two civilians. They were collecting scrap metal and plastics near Israel's border fence. They threatened no one. PCHR described what happened as follows:
"Israeli forces killed 'Odah Jihad Hamad (27) and wounded his Brother, Raddad (22), while being near the border fence."
"(A)t approximately (noon) on Friday, 20 December 2013, Raddad went with his brother 'Odah to the landfill near the border area, east of Beit Hanoun, in order to collect plastics and steels for livelihood."
"At approximately (5:30PM), when the area was very calm, Israeli forces stationed at the borderline opened fire at them without any prior warning."
"As a result, 'Odah was wounded by a bullet to the head and fell onto the ground while Raddad was hiding in a low area."
He "tried to reach his brother to rescue him, but Israeli forces opened fire at him (and) wound(ed) him by a bullet to the right hand."
"He immediately fled and managed to call the Palestine Red Crescent Society to send him an ambulance."
It "was delayed by Israeli forces till at approximately (6:15PM) when it obtained coordination through the International Committee of the Red Cross."
Its "staff searched for 'Odah...(They found) him wounded and then transferred him to the Beit Hanoun Governmental Hospital."
"He was entered into the Intensive Care Unit, but a few minutes later, he was pronounced dead."
Separately on the same day, IDF troops wounded three other civilians, including a child. They fired "at civilians who threw stones at the military site on the borderline, east of Jabalia," said PCHR.
On December 24, Mossad-connected DEBKAfile (DF) headlined "Israel holds back on punishment for Palestinian murder to save Mid East talks."
Peace talks? What peace talks? None exist. Legitimate ones were never held. Sham ones substitute every time.
Israel wants violence and instability. It deplores calm and peace. It wants brutalizing occupation continued. It wants Palestinians denied all rights.
It wants them treated like non-persons. It wants them ruthlessly exploited. It wants racist persecution continued. It lies claiming otherwise.
"…Israeli government and military chiefs (agonized) over how to fight back against surging Palestinian terrorism attacks without derailing ongoing US-sponsored Middle East peace talks," said DF.
It bears repeating. Palestinians show remarkable restraint. They respond only after repeated Israeli provocations. They have every right to do so in self-defense.
Israel is a longstanding rogue aggressor. Don't expect DF to explain. It called air and ground attacks on multiple sites "a relatively mild response."
It lied claiming Palestinians established a new Gaza and Istanbul "terrorist command."
Next week, more Palestinian political prisoners are scheduled to be released. Their crime is wanting to live free on their own land. They want it in peace and security.
DF calls them "terrorists." It ignores repeated acts of Israeli aggression. They include air and ground assaults, daily community incursions, mass arrests, imprisonments and overall police state thuggishness.
Palestinian suffering continues. Gaza's attack is the latest incident. Expect more to follow. Expect Palestinians to be blamed for Israeli crimes.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/israel-attacks-gaza/
Conflict in South Sudan
Conflict in South Sudanby Stephen LendmanUntil July 2011, Sudan was Africa's largest country. Balkanization changed things. It's now the third largest. South Sudan broke away. It did so by national referendum. Ordinary people were lied to. They we...
Samer Issawi’s Liberating Struggle
Samer Issawi's Liberating Struggleby Stephen LendmanThousands of political prisoners languish in Israel's gulag. It's one of the world's harshest. Detainees face torture, intimidation, humiliation, and other abuses.Administrative ones are held indefini...
100 Years of Financial Terrorism
100 Years of Financial Terrorismby Stephen LendmanDecember 23, 1913 will live in infamy. Three days before Christmas, House members passed the Federal Reserve Act (FSA). On December 23, Senate members did so. President Woodrow Wilson was a tool of...
Rogue State Israel
Rogue State Israel
by Stephen Lendman
Israel is no democracy. It never was. For sure it's not now. Its current government is its worst ever. It's dominated by right-wing ideologues.
Belligerence, state-sponsored terrorism, militarized occupation, racist persecution, settlement expansions, and neoliberal harshness reflect official policy.
Netanyanu's a world class thug. His coalition partners are militantly hardline. They're ideologically over the top.
They abhor peace, stability, equity and justice. Their policies reflect racist hate. They prioritize occupation harshness. They threaten regional security.
They consider Palestinians "foreigners." They call them "infiltrators." So-called peace talks assure none at all. They're a sham.
Netanyahu demands unconditional surrender. He wants Palestinians denied all rights. He has full US support.
Israeli author Eyal Megged calls Netanyahu's government "fascist." He does so for good reason.
"I would…dare to suggest that in Israel of the early 21st century, the fascist atmosphere with all its trappings...reflects the public mood more than in the classic fascist regimes of the 20th century," he said.
"Here, fascist politics is made in the very image and character of the nation, even more than it was made in the image and character of the Germans and Italians."
"Here, there is no disturbed, perverted and violent minority that is forcing its will on an entire culture - rather, this is the culture of the majority."
"Glorification of the race, hatred and aggression toward strangers, and a lack of any compassion for the weak and helpless are the characteristics of the majority here."
Israel is its own worst enemy. Megged believes fascist governance will be its eventual undoing.
Israeli consultant Nadav Berman Shifman says public education reflects fascist values. Young minds are manipulated malevolently.
In December 1948, Albert Einstein, political theorist Hannah Arendt, philosopher Sidney Hook, military-industrial complex critic Seymour Melman, and others wrote New York Times editors. They expressed concern about Israel's new Freedom Party.
"It was formed out of the membership and following of the former Irgun Zvai Leumi, a terrorist, right-wing, chauvinist organization in Palestine," they said.
Its leader, Menachem Begin, became a future Israeli prime minister. He and other party members spoke "of freedom, democracy and anti-imperialism, whereas until recently they openly preached the doctrine of the Fascist state."
"It is in its actions that the terrorist party betrays its real character; from its past actions we can judge what it may be expected to do in the future."
They "preached an admixture of ultranationalism, religious mysticism, and racial superiority."
"The undersigned," they said, took "this means of publicly presenting a few salient facts concerning Begin and his party."
They "urg(ed) all concerned not to support this latest manifestation of fascism."
It took root in Israeli society. It's more virulent than ever now. It threatens world peace. It considers Palestinians and other Arabs subhumans.
Daily persecution defines Israeli policy. So does police state Knesset legislation. Discriminatory laws are commonplace.
They mock democratic freedoms. They discriminate against non-Jews. Recent legislation sought to institutionalize preferential treatment for "contributors to the state."
It's for military or public service. It discriminates against Israeli Arab citizens. They're exempt from military service. It's for historical, cultural and political reasons.
Preferential treatment Jews enjoy include employment, pay, benefits, education, healthcare, land for housing, related subsidies, and other privileges.
Bill language claims special treatment isn't discriminatory under Israeli law. Clear evidence reveals otherwise.
Longstanding Basic Law calls Israel the nation state of the Jewish people. It subordinates democracy to Jewishness.
It affords fundamental rights solely for Jews. It grossly discriminates against Arab citizens. So do numerous other laws.
So-called Jenin, Jenin legislation threatens free expression. It lets Israeli soldiers file class action suits against occupation harshness and IDF belligerence critics.
They can sue for defamation. They can whitewash Israeli crimes. They can punish critics exposing them.
On Sunday, Israeli Ministerial Committee on Legislation members considered a controversial new bill. It calls for penalizing NGOs critical of Israel.
If enacted, it levies a 45% tax on foreign donations. It does so if one of its members supports boycott, divestment, and/or sanctions on Israel or its citizens.
It does it against groups wanting Israel held accountable in international tribunals.
It applies against organizations calling for resisting Israel's agenda. Israeli Attorney General is no champion of democracy.
This measure goes too far, he believes. He's against it. He'll submit a formal opinion challenging it.
He said bill provisions violate Israeli Basic Laws. He cited free expression and freedom of association. Enactment will have a chilling affect on donations, he believes.
"Limiting donations and harming non-profit organizations’ free speech, and in general harming human rights is something done by a group of countries that it is doubtful that Israel wants to join," he said.
The measure is ideologically over the top. It lacks any sense of proportion.
Proportionality is important. Under Israeli law, authorities may challenge acts harming basic rights.
They can do so provided it's consistent with state laws, intended for a proper purpose, and avoids disproportionate harm.
The bill's preface says it "wants to reduce the involvement of foreign policy entities in Israeli democracy, which is conducted via financial support for non-profit organizations, whose goals, or activities in practice, grossly exceed the limits of the Israeli democratic discussion and are an attempt to cause real harm and are a significant and serious interference in the basic characteristics of the State of Israel and its sovereignty."
In 2011, similar legislation was proposed. Netanyahu supported it. Critics expressed opposition. It failed to pass.
On December 15, Haaretz editors headlined "The law to limit democracy," saying:
"Once again, a McCarthyist bill to persecute, abuse and silence civil society organizations has surfaced in Israel."
At issue is silencing free expression. If one group member criticizes Israeli policy, the organization can be targeted.
"Alongside criminal acts such as incitement to racism and aiding terror of an enemy state - which are banned in any case - the list of activities for which donations to the nonprofit would be taxed include statements (even if not explicit) such as the rejection of Israel as a Jewish state," said Haaretz editors.
Legislation targets critics wanting Israel held accountable for crimes of war and against humanity.
"This proposed law is a mortal blow to the freedom of political expression and one of its important by-products - the freedom of association," said Haaretz editors.
"The bill applies the destructive proposed arrangements to nonprofit organizations in general, even when a member of its management is acting completely as a private individual."
It targets free expression. It establishes a blacklist. It does so against outspoken critics.
It does it against individuals signing petitions or denouncing Israeli lawlessness in other ways.
Enacting it threatens to harm Israel's international standing more than already. It's increasingly isolated. It's the region's most despised nation. It's for good reason.
It's ruthlessly undemocratic. It threatens neighboring states. It maintains lawless militarized occupation.
It denies its Arab citizens equal rights. It's governed by fascist extremists. It's unfit to live in. Many fed up Israelis vote with their feet and leave.
Haaretz editors called for rejecting legislation too abhorrent to accept. Free expression is a fundamental right.
Previous articles said without it all others are at risk. Freedom in Israel is fast disappearing. It's vanishing in America.
Both countries support wealth, power and privilege. Israel recognizes only Jewish rights. Racism is institutionalized. Palestinians are ruthlessly persecuted.
Freedom increasingly exists in name only. Non-Jews have virtually none. Police state justice prevails. Knesset legislation assures it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/rogue-state-israel/
Making War, Not Peace, in Syria
Making War, Not Peace in Syriaby Stephen LendmanOn January 22, so-called Geneva II peace talks begin in Montreux, Switzerland. On January 24, they'll continue in Geneva. They're dead on arrival before beginning. Radicalized elements dominate anti-...
New Iran Sanctions Bill
New Iran Sanctions Bill
by Stephen Lendman
Last July, House members overwhelmingly passed new Iranian sanctions. A companion Senate bill didn't follow. Members of both parties want one.
On December 19, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Robert Menendez (D. NJ) headlined his press release: "Twenty-Seven Senators Introduce the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act (NWFI)."
Multiple rounds of US sanctions were imposed earlier. NWFI proposes more. It does so if Iran breaches Geneva agreed on terms. By who's determination remains key.
Obama already violated Geneva. On December 12, he did so. He unilaterally imposed new sanctions. He lied claiming it doesn't interfere with Geneva's Joint Plan of Action.
He targeted 19 Iranian, Asian and European companies (including individuals). Doing so violates the letter and spirit of Geneva. It shows America doesn't negotiate in good faith.
It bodes ill for what's forthcoming. It suggests Washington is up to its old tricks. It indicates its dirty hands want Geneva subverted.
Menendez said he, Mark Kirk (R. IL), and 25 other senators introduced the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act.
He called doing so "bipartisan legislation proposing prospective sanctions on Iran should the regime violate the interim Joint Plan of Action agreed to in Geneva or should Iran fail to reach a final agreement."
Proposed sanctions target Iranian oil and gas operations. They "appl(y) further reductions in purchases of Iranian petroleum and applies additional penalties to strategic elements of the Iranian economy, to include the engineering, mining and construction sectors," said Menendez.
"Simultaneously, it gives the Administration continued flexibility and up to one year from the conclusion of an implementing agreement to pursue a diplomatic track resulting in the complete and verifiable termination of Iran's illicit nuclear weapons program."
No such program exists. Obama knows it. So do House and Senate members. Requiring Iran to prove a negative suggests trouble.
According to Menendez:
"Current sanctions brought Iran to the negotiating table and a credible threat of future sanctions will require Iran to cooperate and act in good faith at the negotiating table."
"The Iranians last week blamed the Administration for enforcing sanctions; now, they criticize Congress."
"The burden rests with Iran to negotiate in good faith and verifiably terminate its nuclear weapons program."
"Prospective sanctions will influence Iran's calculus and accelerate that process toward achieving a meaningful diplomatic resolution."
Kirk added:
"The American people rightfully distrust Iran's true intentions and they deserve an insurance policy to defend against Iranian deception during negotiations."
"This is a responsible, bipartisan bill to protect the American people from Iranian deception, and I urge the Majority Leader to give the American people an up or down vote."
Michael Siegal chairs the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). It's militantly Zionist. It supports stiffer Iranian sanctions.
"We believe a diplomatic solution to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capacity, a threat to the entire world, is vital," said Siegal.
"We stand firmly with President Obama as he and our P5+1 allies seek to negotiate a comprehensive agreement."
"We recognize economic sanctions have been successful in bringing Iran to the negotiating table, as well as in expressing the resolve of the global community."
"The threat of additional sanctions, with the appropriate Presidential waivers in this legislation, ensures that Iran knows this and all other options are on the table should negotiations fail."
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) national chair Barry Curtiss-Lusher and national director Abe Foxman match Siegal's militancy.
They back further Senate action. They said proposed legislation "further enhances the American strategy of tough sanctions in support of our negotiation efforts."
"By putting in place broader and deeper sanctions that would kick in after a year, the legislation makes clear to Iran the severe economic price it will pay if it does not negotiate seriously and plays for time."
"It also gives the administration time to pursue negotiations to end Iran’s nuclear weapons program."
Both men endorsed Obama's new unilateral sanctions, adding:
"(T)he the administration has also sent a message to those who may think now is the time to pursue new business opportunities with Iran by announcing a series of enforcement actions last week against entities found to be evading sanctions against Iran and providing support for its nuclear program."
"Enhanced sanctions together with negotiations will sustain the utmost pressure on a regime that poses a threat to America and our closest allies in the Middle East and offer a greater chance of achieving success through diplomacy."
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) is another extremist Zionist organization. It called proposed Senate legislation "an important contribution toward a successfully negotiated end to Iran's nuclear program."
AIPAC, ADL, JFNA, and JCPA, want Iran's nuclear program dismantled. They want stiffer sanctions imposed. They want Iran materially weakened.
They want an Israeli rival eliminated. Other Zionist groups are likeminded. They exert enormous pressure in Washington. Expect no letup ahead.
Obama promised to veto Senate legislation is passed. Whether true or false remains to be seen. He rates reaching a permanent Iranian agreement no "more than 50-50."
John Kerry told Congress he "came away from our preliminary negotiation (with Tehran) with serious questions about whether or not they're ready and willing to make some of the choices that have to be made."
Iran made major concessions. It got little in return. It's hoping a small step forward leads to greater ones. At best, it's a long shot.
It's betting against long odds. Administration comments aren't encouraging. Nor is congressional sentiment. America's media remain hostile.
On December 19, Washington Post editors asked "Does Iran truly want a nuclear deal?" They accused Tehran negotiators of breaking off Vienna talks.
They did no such thing. They suspended them temporarily. They resumed them the same day WaPo editors misreported.
"Perhaps such maneuvering is inevitable," they said. "But Iran is sending an early message that it does not intend to bargain in good faith."
"Mr. Obama and Mr. Kerry have devoted much time since the Geneva deal to persuading Congress not to approve additional sanctions on Iran."
"Perhaps their time would be better spent pushing the Iranian negotiators to stop posturing and stonewalling."
WaPo editors are extremely hawkish. New owner Jeff Bezos has CIA ties. He's in bed with the devil. He got a $600 million contract.
It's double what he paid to buy WaPo. In November, he said: "We look forward to a successful relationship with the CIA."
Perhaps it involves much more than meets the eye. He expects lots more business. For sure, CIA officials want plenty back besides Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Amazon has a disturbing history currying favor with national security officials. After WikiLeaks published State Department cables, it was removed from AWS.
WaPo's CIA coverage henceforth should explain Bezos' CIA connection. Readers should know its Agency reporting has a built-in bias.
Communications Professor/journalism scholar/media critic Robert McChesney commented, saying:
"When the main shareholder in one of the very largest corporations in the world benefits from a massive contract with the CIA on the one hand, and that same billionaire owns the Washington Post on the other hand, there are serious problems."
"The Post is unquestionably the political paper of record in the United States, and how it covers governance sets the agenda for the balance of the news media. Citizens need to know about this conflict of interest in the columns of the Post itself."
"If some official enemy of the United States had a comparable situation - say the owner of the dominant newspaper in Caracas was getting $600 million in secretive contracts from the Maduro government - the Post itself would lead the howling chorus impaling that newspaper and that government for making a mockery of a free press. It is time for the Post to take a dose of its own medicine."
For years, Iran negotiated in good faith. Sincere efforts were rebuffed. Washington has all the proving to do.
Rapprochement depends on what Congress and Obama plan going forward. Policies post-Geneva aren't encouraging. Business as usual persists.
Enforcing it assures trouble. Obama maintained hostile Iranian relations since day one in office. Vladimir Putin called new sanctions imposed counterproductive.
They'll "adversely affect the recent deal struck between Iran and the six world powers in the Swiss city of Geneva over Tehran's civilian nuclear activities," he said.
He affirmed Russia's support for Iran's right to peaceful nuclear technology. He said no country may impose discriminatory restrictions.
Iran suspended post-Geneva talks in response to Obama's unilateral action. On December 19, they resumed.
They focus on implementing Geneva terms. Resolving procedures going forward include choosing a starting date for beginning the six-month interim period agreed on.
Key is deciding when Washington will ease sanctions. Also what's expected from Iran in return.
Diplomats hope for late January implementation. Possibly January 20. It's when EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels. If Washington announces a sanctions easing date, odds favor EU nations following.
An unnamed Western diplomat said:
"We were at an advanced stage in Vienna. A lot of work has been done so we can go very fast."
At the same time, talks could be tougher going forward, he added. Obama's unilateral breaching of Geneva complicates things.
Issues resolved in Vienna last week include how IAEA inspectors will verify what Iran agreed on.
Unresolved so far is how Western governments will ensure banks understand what transactions are allowed.
Also how and when Tehran gets access to agreed on amounts of billions of frozen dollars in overseas accounts.
Other technical details need resolving. How will Iran limit its uranium enrichment to less than 20%.
Tehran committed to follow Geneva terms to the letter. It's very much uncertain whether Washington will follow through in turn.
The proof remains in the implementation. America has a long history of violating treaties, conventions and other agreements.
Whether this time is different is very much in doubt. It bears repeating. Washington has all the proving to do. Its track record isn't encouraging.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/new-iran-sanctions-bill/
Washington Abuses Indian Diplomat
Washington Abuses Indian Diplomat
by Stephen Lendman
India's New York consular official was targeted. Devyani Khobragade is Deputy Consul General. On December 12, US marshals abused her.
They arrested, handcuffed, detained, and strip-searched her multiple times. India's government had to post a $250,000 bond for her release.
She's charged with visa fraud and failing to pay her Indian maid proper wages. True or false doesn't justify treating her abusively.
Doing so compromised her diplomatic immunity. Her lawyer, Daniel Arshack, said she'll plead not guilty.
Her diplomatic status protects her from prosecution, he said. Regardless of pending charges, she deserved respect.
Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, she should have enjoyed full diplomatic immunity. Host countries are obligated to provide it.
It grants foreign officials free movement and travel. It requires treating them respectfully. All appropriate steps must be taken. Article 29 states:
"The person of a diplomatic agent shall be inviolable. He shall not be liable to any form of arrest or detention. The receiving State shall treat him with due respect and shall take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on his person, freedom or dignity."
If nations want their diplomats treated lawfully, they're obligated to treat foreign officials the same way. International law mandates it.
Washington spurns it with impunity. It violates core constitutional and US statute law provisions. It operates extrajudicially. It does so unapologetically. It does so hypocritically.
CIA agent Raymond Davis operated covertly in Pakistan. In January 2011, he was arrested and detained. He shot and killed two men. It was at a crowded Lahore traffic stop.
Pakistan charged him with murder and possession of a concealed, unlicensed gun. Washington lied claiming it was a botched robbery. So did Davis saying he acted in self-defense.
He shot both men 10 times in the back at close range. He fled the scene. He carried a telescope, a GPS set, bolt cutters, a survival kit, and a long-range radio.
His gun a powerful Glock semi-automatic pistol. It's able to fire 17 - 33 rounds. It depends on what magazine is used.
Davis assassinated two targeted victims. It didn't matter. Obama officials claimed diplomatic immunity. They demanded his release. Davis was no diplomat. CIA operatives are spies.
Washington applies pressure relentlessly. Doing so got Davis released. Murder didn't matter.
Alleged visa violations and underpaying wages apparently are more serious offenses. Only in America. Hypocrisy defines policy.
Why Washington would risk straining relations with India isn't clear. Why was it over offenses far less than major ones, if true? They pale compared to commonplace US policy brutality.
They don't rise to the level of American crimes of war, against humanity and genocide.
Khobragade didn't rob, brutalize or kill anyone. If tried and convicted, potentially she faces years in prison.
India's government expressed justifiable outrage. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called her treatment "deplorable." Other Indian officials voiced outrage.
Imagine if US embassy or consular officials were abused abroad. Imagine how Washington might retaliate. Khobragade explained her treatment, saying:
"I must admit that I broke down many times as the indignities of repeated handcuffing, stripping and cavity searches, swabbing, holed up with common criminals and drug addicts were all being imposed upon me despite my incessant assertions of immunity."
Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro endured a similar abuse. It happened years earlier. At the time, he was Chavez's foreign minister.
In September 2006, he was part of Venezuela's New York General Assembly delegation. He arrived without trouble. None occurred during his stay.
Heading home, things changed. He was accosted at JFK Airport. Officials demanded he surrender his ticket and boarding pass. They claimed his name was on a so-called "red list."
He was lawlessly detained. He was taken to a small room. He was maliciously strip-searched. It was done to harass and humiliate him. He protested in vain.
He identified himself as Venezuela's foreign minister. He said treatment then got worse. Police threatened to handcuff and beat him.
He was isolated. He was detained for 90 minutes. He was denied legal and other outside contact.
Venezuela's government demanded a full apology. A State Department spokesperson issued a contemptuous one.
It was typical Washington. What happened was Bush administration thuggery. It continues unapologetically. Obama operates the same way.
Lawlessness defines longstanding US policy. So does unjustifiable brutality. America's most disadvantaged are mistreated. People of color are targeted for not being white. It happens with disturbing regularity.
Thousands of political prisoners languish in America's gulag. It's by far the world's largest. It's one of the most abusive.
Torture is commonplace. Practices include dogs savaging prisoners, shocking them with cattle prods, burning them with toxic chemicals, harming them with stun guns, beating and abusing them in other ways.
Longterm isolation turns normal prisoners into dysfunctional ones. It contributes to anti-social behavior and mental illness. At times, it creates sociopaths.
Other victims become zombies. Isolation is like being buried alive. It can cause irreversible psychological trauma and harm.
It's common practice in US prisons. It's cruel and usual punishment. It violates America's 8th Amendment. It doesn't matter.
Violence in America is endemic. It's part of the national culture. Among all industrialized nations, America by far has the highest homicide rate.
Similar video games crowd out simpler street play. Violent films are some of the most popular. Women are routinely abused. Husbands mistreat wives and daughters.
One-fourth of adult women are victimized by forcible rape. It happens one or more times in their lives. Often it's by someone they know. Family members are responsible.
Many girls are molested as young children. Often it's repeatedly by a close family member.
An astonishing 75% of women experience extreme levels of violence in one or more forms. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury. It's the second leading cause of death.
Homes with adult males are the most dangerous places for millions of women. Assailants abuse them freely. Often it's with impunity. Societal help is lacking.
Children endure horrific abuses. Millions suffer serious neglect, physical mistreatment, and/or sexual abuse. Family members are more dangerous than strangers.
Childhelp addresses prevention and treatment of child abuse. It defines it as "any act of commission or omission that endangers or impairs a child's physical or emotional health and development."
It "includes any damage done to a child which cannot be reasonably be explained and which is often represented by an injury or series of injuries appearing to be non-accidental in nature."
Non-accidental injuries include "hitting, kicking, slapping, shaking, burning, pinching, hair pulling, biting, choking, throwing, shoving, whipping and paddling."
Sexual abuses include "fondling, penetration, intercourse, exploitation, pornography, exhibitionism, child prostitution, group sex, oral sex, or forced observation of sexual acts."
Neglect includes "(f)ailure to provide for a child's physical needs."
Examples include "lack of supervision, inappropriate housing or shelter, inadequate provision of food and water, inappropriate clothing for season or weather, abandonment, denial of medical care and inadequate hygiene."
Emotional abuse includes "(a)ny attitude or behavior which interferes with a child’s mental health or social development."
Examples include yelling, screaming, name-calling, shaming, negative comparisons to others, telling them they are 'bad, no good, worthless,' or 'a mistake.' "
It's failing to provide parental affection and support. It's needed to develop a child's emotional, social, physical and intellectual well-being.
All of the above practices are commonplace in America. Where's the public outrage? Why haven't authorities cared enough to act responsibly?
Why do they most often turn a blind eye to outrageous forms of abuse? Why are perpetrators so rarely prosecuted? Why is a national epidemic allowed to persist?
America's elderly and infirm are affected. Women most of all are harmed. The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates up to two million Americans aged 65 or older have been injured, exploited or mistreated by caregivers annually.
Often they're family members. Most often they're unpunished. Federal, state and local funding to combat it is less than years earlier.
Actor Mickey Rooney is aged 92. He's one of many victims. In March 2011, he testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
He implored members to stop what experts call chronic emotional, physical, sexual and financial abuse of elderly Americans by family members or other caregivers.
His stepson, Christopher Aber, intimidated him, he said. He blocked access to his mail.
He abused him various ways. He stole his money. He withheld medication and food.
"You can't believe it's happening to you," said Rooney. "You feel overwhelmed." He urged Congress to criminalize what's happening.
"I'm asking you to stop this elderly abuse," he said. "I mean stop it now. Not tomorrow. Not next month, but now." Pass legislation saying "it's a crime, and we will not allow it in the United States of America."
Rooney said he suffered in silence. He did so for years. "I didn't want to tell anybody. I couldn't muster the courage, and you have to have courage," he stressed.
"I needed help, and I knew I needed it. Even when I tried to speak up, I was told to shut up and be quiet."
Eventually he got a court order. He turned over his affairs to an attorney. He got a restraining order against his stepson. Countless others suffer similar abuses. They do so largely out of sight and mind.
Despite his age and frailty, Rooney devoted time and effort publicly. He's an advocate for elder abuse protection. His celebrity gives him credibility and attention.
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), over 14% of noninstitutionalized adults experienced some form of elder abuse in 2009.
It cautioned that reported numbers may way understate reality. Many elder abuse instances go unreported. So does widespread women and child mistreatment.
Dr. Mark Lachs heads geriatrics at the New York Presbyterian Health System. He was blunt, saying:
"I tell the physicians I train that if they've seen 15 or 20 older people in their practices then they have probably met an elder abuse victim, whether they realize it or not."
Based on a 2011 New York state study, "it would appear that for every elder abuse victim that makes it into an official service or reporting system, another 23 to 24 go undetected," Lachs stressed.
Women, children and elder abuse in America reflects a largely silent epidemic. Marie-Therese Connolly heads Life long Justice (LLJ). It's a nationwide initiative.
It pursues effective ways to safeguard America's elderly. Billions of dollars are spent to lengthen life. Elder abuse research gives pause for concern, says LLJ.
It estimates up to 11% of aged 60 or older elders at home suffer abuse, neglect or exploitation. Nearly half of all people with dementia at home are abused or neglected by caregivers.
"For every case of elder abuse (reported), 23.5 (others are) not." From "50% - 90% of nursing homes are understaffed at levels that harm residents."
"Elder abuse includes mistreatment, neglect and financial exploitation," says LLJ.
"It occurs in homes and facilities; cuts across all demographic groups; and causes untold suffering and cost, not just for its victims, but also for those who care about and for them."
"Victims often live their last years - impoverished, injured, neglected and in fear - with little effective assistance, protection or attention from any system."
They "suffer more injuries and illnesses and are three times more likely to die sooner than non-victims."
"In addition to depleting the resources of already stressed individuals and families, elder abuse costs taxpayers billions of dollars annually in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal, state and local program expenditures."
"We are at the early stage of a hidden epidemic," LLJ stresses. "As 77 million baby boomers age, and caregiving shortages grow more acute, the problem will" become much more serious than already.
Rooney expressed what many others feel, saying:
"You're afraid, but you're also thinking about your other family members." He noted concern about potential criticism from "family, friends, and people who know them."
"They might not want to accept the dysfunction. Everyone should love their families as I do. I love my family," he stressed.
He deserves as much back or more in return. Millions like him lack it. America's most vulnerable are harmed. Abuses continue largely out of sight and mind.
Even foreign dignitaries aren't safe. Diplomatic immunity doesn't matter. Nor does rule of law justice.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Elie Wiesel’s Anti-Iranian Agenda
Elie Wiesel's Anti-Iranian Agendaby Stephen LendmanOn December 18, The New Times ran a full-page anti-Iranian ad. It did so disgracefully. On December 19, the Wall Street Journal published it.It's an Elie Wiesel rant. It's hateful. It's racist. It's ma...
US Death Squad Diplomacy in Syria
US Death Squad Diplomacy in Syria
by Stephen Lendman
Radicalized elements dominate anti-Assad aggression. Salafist extremists are heavily involved. They comprise Washington's main fighting force. They get active US support.
Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, and other groups hold territory in northern Syria. In November, the Islamic Front was created. Zahran Alloush heads it. His father, Mohammed, is a Salafist cleric.
Zahran controls about 50 brigades. He commands tens of thousands of fighters. Saudi Arabia funds them. They're waging US proxy war on Syria.
Saudi analyst Jamal Khashoggi said: "For us in Saudi Arabia, the worst scenario is to let (Assad) survive. He has to go."
So-called moderate anti-government elements are weak by comparison to extremist ones. They're ineffective. They get little Western support. It's earmarked for US backed death squads.
It's been this way since conflict erupted in March 2011. Washington actively supports the most radicalized elements. Al Qaeda is a CIA creation.
Fighting continues out-of-control. Resolving it through peace talks is more myth than reality. Obama wants Assad ousted. He's going all out to eliminate him.
He's ravaging and destroying Syria in the process. Imperialism works this way. It's not pretty. Post-9/11, America has been responsible for millions of deaths. Media scoundrels ignore them.
Syria is in the eye of them storm. Civilians are ruthlessly terrorized. A previous article discussed Adra. US supported death squads massacred over 100 men, women and children.
Jabhat al-Nusra and Liwa al-Islam fighters were involved. They've committed appalling crimes against humanity. So have other radicalized groups.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blamed foreign support. He called on Washington, EU nations and regional ones discontinue supplying it.
Syrians must solve their own problems, he stressed. Russia is going all out to restore peace. It's futile as long as Obama wants war.
A new Amnesty International (AI) report is titled "Rule of Fear: ISIS Abuses in Detention in Northern Syria."
It discusses the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). It describes abductions, torture, floggings, Sharia courts and summary killings.
They're ongoing in secret ISIS detention centers. They're in northern Syria. Masked gunmen kidnap civilians. They hold them for weeks.
They're isolated in solitary confinement. They have no idea why they're held. They're electro-shocked. They're beaten with rubber generator belts or cables.
They're held in painful stress positions. They're wrists are bound over one shoulder. Doing so is called the "scorpion."
AI identified seven detention facilities. They're in al-Raqqa governorate and Aleppo. Philip Luther is AI's Middle East and North Africa director.
"Those abducted and detained by ISIS include children as young as eight who are held together with adults in the same cruel and inhuman conditions," he said.
Former detainees describe shocking abuses. Cruel and unusual punishment is routinely inflicted.
Some victims are wrongfully accused of theft. Others are unjustifiably charged with crimes against Islam. Examples include cigarette smoking and adultery.
Some victims are abducted for belonging to rival Syrian opposition groups. Assad loyalists are vulnerable. Foreign nationals are targeted. So are journalists.
Children abductees are treated like adults. An "anguished father" heard his son's "screams of pain." ISIS captors tortured him in a nearby room.
Two detainees witnessed a 14-year old's brutal treatment. During interrogation at Sadd al-Ba'ath prison, he was flogged more than 90 times.
Another young child was accused of stealing a motorbike. For several days, he was brutally flogged.
"Flogging anyone, let alone children, is cruel and inhuman, and a gross abuse of human rights," said Luther. "ISIS should cease its use of flogging and other cruel punishments," he added.
AI called on ISIS to end its appalling practices. Several former detainees said masked gunmen seized them. They were taken to undisclosed locations.
They were held up to 55 days. They had no idea where they were. AI named seven locations.
They include al-Raqqa governorate-based Mabna al-Mohafaza, Idarat al-Markabat, al-Mer'ab, Sadd al Ba'ath and al-'Akershi oil facility. Mashfa al-Atfal and Maqar Ahmed Qaddour are in Aleppo.
Sadd al-Ba'ath prison "is beside a dam on the Euphrates River at al-Mansura," said AI. The local Sharia court judge wears an explosives belt. He instituted a reign of terror on detainees.
Former detainees accused him of "presiding over grotesquely unfair 'trials' lasting no more than a few minutes," said AI.
Other detainees witnessed them. He imposed death sentences. They were "subsequently carried out."
"At his direction," detainees were mercilessly flogged. He participated in their beatings.
ISIS uses al-'Akershi oil facility as a military training area. Detainees held there are brutally tortured.
One victim was isolated for 40 days. He was "chained up in a tiny room full of electrical equipment with fuel on the floor."
Al-Raqqa governorate and Aleppo residents are "suffering under (horrific) tyranny imposed on them by ISIS," said Luther.
Arbitrary detentions, torture and executions are "the order of the day," he added. One victim described his ordeal as follows:
"They took me to a room that smelled of sweat and diesel. They sat me on the floor, tied my hands behind my back and fastened the handcuffs to the extent that I lost any feeling in my hands after five minutes."
"I was wearing my undershirt. A man, possibly 'Abu Huraira,'
asked me: 'How are you, Ali?' When I said I was OK he gave me an electric shock."
"This was the first of many electric shocks, which continued for about 40 minutes. Some shocks were stronger than others."
"I felt as if there was a device that controlled the strength of the shocks. I was screaming throughout."
"They kept on giving me electric shocks until my muscles started seizing up. They also gave me a shock on my neck. After that my sight became very blurry."
"It only came back to normal the following day. The man ordered me to stand up, but I couldn't. They pulled me up to stand but I kept on falling."
"I lost feeling in my body. When I couldn’t stand, they sat me on my knees and made me drink water."
"My hands were still cuffed behind my back. They then put a rope through my cuffs and pulled me up while tightening the rope to the pipes on the ceiling."
"I was pulled so high up that my toes could hardly touch the floor. My shoulder could not bear the weight of my body
and it broke."
"So my body fell a little bit closer to the floor and I was able to stand on one leg. Then they started hitting me using the cable."
The victim was released about a month later. He still suffers from shoulder pain. Many others experienced the same abuses. They continue.
AI called on the international community to block arms and other support for ISIS and other extremist groups.
They comprise Obama's main fighting force. He prioritizes getting them whatever they need. AI's call won't be answered.
Luther urged Turkey in particular to "prevent its territory being used by ISIS to bring in arms and recruits." Jordan is very much involved. So is Israel.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Gulf states actively support the most extremist elements. The human rights records of these states match the worst of radicalized Syrian groups.
ISIS and likeminded groups want secular Syria destroyed. They want it transformed into an Islamist state. They want it based on harsh Sharia law.
They want the entire region this way. They menace fundamental freedoms. They get active US support.
Paulo Pinheiro heads the so-called International Commission of Inquiry for Syria (COI). He's an imperial tool. He abhors peace.
He turns truth on its head. On December 19, COI issued a report titled "Without a trace: enforced disappearances in Syria." It said:
"(T)here are reasonable grounds to believe that acts of enforced disappearances were committed by Government forces as part of widespread and systematic attacks against the civilian population amounting to a crime against humanity."
"In the course of the investigation we established that such a tactic had been deployed all across the country."
"People, grown men for the most part, were detained by government forces representatives and pro-government military men during the mass searches of homes, at checkpoints and in hospitals."
"In some cases it was used as a punitive measure against families fighting against the government or those who were suspected of giving medical aid to the opposition."
"In all the cases documented by the Commission, survivors of enforced disappearances described being subjected to torture during their detention."
"Victims were consistently denied their fundamental right to due process and placed outside the protection of the law, at the mercy of their captors."
Almost inadvertently COI added:
"Over the last year, specific anti-Government armed groups have increasingly been taking hostages for prisoner exchange or ransom."
"Persons perceived to be supporting the Government, human rights defenders, journalists, activists, humanitarian workers, and religious leaders have been seized by various armed groups and held under the threat of death."
"While such offenses do not amount to enforced disappearances as the fate of the victims is not denied or concealed they do leave families in a state of uncertainty regarding the whereabouts of their relatives."
"However, in recent months, specific anti-Government armed groups have adopted practices that could be considered tantamount to enforced disappearances, in breach of their obligations under customary international humanitarian law."
Like previous COI reports, Assad is wrongfully blamed for insurgents' crimes. Pinheiro admits anti-government forces commit them.
They pale, he says, compared to Syrian wrongdoing. He lied saying so. He consistently lies. He's paid to lie. He's an imperial tool.
So is UN Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. She shames the office she holds. She serves Western interests. She's done it throughout her career. She's well rewarded for services rendered.
She wrongfully blames Assad for insurgents' crimes. She's done it multiple times. She lies doing so. She one-sidedly supports US-backed death squads ravaging Syria.
In early December, she cited nonexistent evidence claiming "very serious crimes, war crimes, crimes against humanity."
"(E)vidence indicates responsibility at the highest level of government, including the head of state," she claimed.
She consistently turns truth on its head. Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Saisal Miqdad responded to her latest accusation, saying:
"She has been talking nonsense for a long time, and we don't listen to her."
In May, she called the Syrian conflict "an intolerable affront to the human conscience."
She pointed fingers the wrong way. She does so consistently. Previous articles called Syria Obama's war. It was planned long before he took office.
Waging it is part of Washington's imperial agenda. Unchallenged dominance is sought. Achieving it requires replacing independent governments with pro-Western subservient ones.
Pillay didn't explain. Nor Pinheiro. Nor Ban Ki-moon. Nor complicit Western media. Syria is struggling to survive. Assad is battling foreign invaders.
Most Syrians support him. They do so for good reason. They want Syria's sovereignty respected.
They want foreign interference ended. They want secularism maintained. They want no part of Islamist extremism.
They want freedom from US/Israeli dominance. They want insurgent invaders defeated. Restoring peace and stability depend on it.
Don't expect reprehensible UN officials to explain. They sold out long ago for power, prominence and special privileges in return for services rendered.
They're complicit in US-sponsored crimes of war and against humanity. They continue daily out-of-control.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/us-death-squad-diplomacy-syria/
Remembering Eyad El-Sarraj
Remembering Eyad El-Sarrajby Stephen LendmanSarraj founded and headed Gaza's Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP). He called its mission: "Healing the Spirit. Instilling Hope."He said "(i)f you're not enjoying human rights, then you're definitely no...
Digital Age Privacy Rights
Digital Age Privacy Rightsby Stephen LendmanArticle 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) states:"No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to ...
Public Banking in Vermont: The Saga Continues
--2014--
719. July 29-Aug. 5. Moving Beyond Capitalism conference, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
718. January 26, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST.
--2013--
717. Dec. 30, interview, Stuart Vener Tells It Like It Is, see http://stuartvener.com for stations, 11:30 am EST
716. Dec. 26, interview Dr. Rima Truth Reports, with Dr. Rima Laibow and Ralph Fucetola, 10 pm EST
715. Dec. 21, interiew, The Mike Feder Show, 2 pm PST
714. Dec. 18, interview, The Power Hour with Joyce Riley, 8 a.m. CT
713. Dec. 18, interview, Unwrapped Radio, WRFG, http://www.tuneinradio.com/, 12:40 EST
712. Dec. 15, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST, listen here.
711. Dec. 15, presentation, A Public Bank for Mendocino, at the Crown Hall in Mendocino, Ca., 7 pm
710. Dec. 15, presentation, Why We Need to Own Our Own Bank, Mendocino Environmental Center
106 West Standley, Ukiah, CA 95482, 2 pm
709. Dec. 14, presentation, Why We Need to Own Our Own Bank, Little Lake Grange, Willits, Ca. 7 pm
708. Dec. 13, interview on All About Money, KZYX radio, 9 a.m. PST
707. Dec. 13, interview, Radio Islam, WCEV 1450 AM, 12:05 pm, CST
706. Dec. 12, appearance with Doug McKenty, "The Shift," Mendocino TV, 4:30 pm PST
705. Dec. 11, interview on WHDT World News, http://NNN.is/on-WHDT, 5:30 and 11:00 pm EST. Watch the archive here.
704. Dec. 11, interview, WORT Community Radio, Madison, Wisconsin, 6:10 a.m. PST
703. Dec. 11, interview with Sinclair Noe, Financial Review, MoneyRadio.com, 10:30 PST
702. Dec. 9, UnWrapped Radio, Atlanta, 1 pm PST.
701. Dec. 9, GOHarrison, KPFK Los Angeles, 3:30 pm PST.
700. Dec. 9, interview, Air Cascadia show, KBOO radio, Portland, 10 am PST
699. Dec. 5, interview, WHDT World News TV, 2 pm PST
698. Dec. 4, interview with David Swanson, talknationradio, 7pm PST
697. Dec. 4, interview with Rob Kall, The Rob Kall Bottom-Up Radio Show, 1360 AM, 7:30 pm EST
696. Dec. 3, interview with Kim Greenhouse, It's Rainmaking Time, listen here.
695. Dec. 2, interview with Val Muchowski, Women's Voices, KZYX, 7 p.m. PST
694. Nov. 29, interview with Gregg Hunter, USAWatchdog.com, 11:30 PST
693. Nov. 16, interview This is Hell! radio show, WNUR 89.3 fm, thisishell.com/live, 11.20 a.m. EST. Listen to archive here
692. Nov. 15, interview with George Berry, The Financial News Network Show, truthfrequencyradio.com, 1 pm PST
691. Nov. 14, interview with Stanley Montieth, The Doctor Stan Show, Radio Liberty, 4 pm PSTf
690. Nov. 14, interview with Neil Foster, Reality Bytes show, Awake Radio (UK), Shazziz Radio (US), 8 pm UK time.
689. Nov. 13, interview with Bonnie Faulkner, KPFA, Los Angeles. Listen to archive here.
688. Nov. 12, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report, 4:30 PST
687. Nov. 11, interview, Between the Lines News Magazine, WPKN radio, Bridgeport, CT, 9 p.m. ET. Listen to archive here
686. Nov. 10, skype participant, forum at the Putrajaya International Islamic Arts and Cultural Festival, "Global Economic and Monetary Crisis: What Needs to be Done?" Putrajaya, Malaysia, 11 a.m. MYT, 7 pm, Nov. 9 PST
685. Nov. 3, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST
684. Oct. 31, interview with Voice of Russia radio, American edition, 2:30 pm, CET (Central Europe Time.) Listen to archive here.
683. Oct. 23, interview with Daniel Estulin on RT tv
682. Oct. 16, interview with Per Fereng, KBOO radio, Portland, 11 am PST
681. Oct. 15, presentation, "The Public Banking Forum in Ireland," 7-9 PM, Hudson Bay Hotel, Athlone, Ireland.
680. Oct. 14, presentation, Cork, Ireland
679. Oct. 12, presentation, "The Public Banking Forum in Ireland," 2-4 PM, Springfield Hotel in Leixlip, County Kildare, Ireland. Information on these three events here.
678. October 4, interview with Bill Deller, 3CR radio, Melbourne, Australia, 2:30 pm, PST
677. Oct. 3, interview with Joyce Riley, the Power Hour. Listen to archive here.
676. Oct. 1, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report 7:30 EST
675. Sept. 29, interview with Stephen Lendman, The Progressive Newshour, 10 a.m. PST
674. Sept. 27, interviw with Kevin Barrett, AmericanFreedomRadio.com, NoLiesRadio.org:
http://TruthJihadRadio.blogspot.com, 2 pm PST
673. Sept. 19, interview, The Gary Null Show, 9:30 a.m. Pacific
672. Sept. 19, Interview on the Global Research News Hour with Michael Welch--check site for time and archive.
671. Sept. 18, interview with David Sierralupe, Occupy Radio, KWVA, 88.1 FM, Eugene
670. Sept. 15, interview with Niall Bradley, Sott Talk Radio, sott.net, 2 p.m. EST
669. Sept. 14, interview FDLBookSalon, firedoglake.com, 5pm EST
668. Sept. 10, "Turning Hard Times into Good Times" with Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 12:30 pm PST. Listen to archive here.
667. Sept. 9, interview with Ken MacDermotRoe and Del LaPietro, In Context Report, 9 am PST. Listen to archive here.
666. Sept 7, interview with Valerie Kirkgaard, WakingUpInAmerica.com, 6 am, PST. Listen here.
665. Sept. 6, Interview with Al Korelin, The Korelin Economics Report, 12:30 pm PST
664. Sept. 5, discussion of how to bring public banking to Colorado on "It's the Economy, Stupid," KGNU, Boulder, 5 p.m. PST
663. Sept. 5, interview with Patrick Timpone, oneradionetwork.com, 8 a.m. PST
662. Sept. 3, interview (along with Elliott Spitzer?), "Turning Hard Times into Good Times" with Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 1 pm PST Listen to archive here.
661. Sept. 3, interview with Jeanette LaFeve, The People Speak, 6 pm PST
660. Aug. 25, Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
659. Aug. 22, interview with Christopher Greene, AMTV Radio, simulcast in audio/video over GoogleHangouts and American Freedom Radio, 1 p.m. PST
658. Aug. 22, interview, TheAndyCaldwellShow.com,
CalChronicle.com, 3 pm PST
657. Aug. 21, interview with Merry and Burl Hall, blogtalkradio.com/envision-this, 5 pm PST
656. Aug. 21, interview with Lori Lundin, America's Radio News Network, 10:30 a.m. ET.
655. Aug. 16, interview with Sinclair Noe, Moneyradio.com, 4 pm PST
654. Aug. 15, interview with Justine Underhill, Prime Interest, Russia Today TV, 1:30 pm PST
653. Aug 14, interview with Jim Goddard, This Week in Money, 4 pm, PST. Listen to archive here, starting at minute 32.
652. Aug. 14, interview with Mary Glenney, WMNF 88.5, 10 a.m. PST
651. Aug. 14, interview with Chuck Morse, irnusaradio.com, 8 am, PST
650. Aug. 13, interview with Thomas Taplin, Dukascopy TV, Switzerland, 9 am PST
649. Aug 7-11, Madison Democracy conference, https://democracyconvention.org/
648. Aug. 6, radio interview, INN World Report with Tom Kiely, http://feeds.feedburner.com/INNWorldReportRadio 4:30 PST
647. Aug 5, interview with Arnie Arnesen, 94.7 fm, Concord, NH, 9 am PST
646. Aug 3, interview with Diane Horn, Mind Over Matter show, KEXP radio, 90.3 FM, Seattle, 7:00 a.m. PST
645. July 31, interview with Mike Beevers, KFCF Fresno, 4:30 pm PST
644. July 28, Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
643. July 2, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PDT.
642. July 2, interview with Arnie Arnesen, 94.7 fm, Concord, NH, 12:30 EST.
641. June 30, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT. Listen to archive here.
640. June 24, interview on RT tv re student debt, 10:30 am PST
639. June 17, interview on The Andy Caldwell Show, 3:30 pm PST
638. June 16, interview with Jason Erb, 5 pm Pacific
637. June 13, interview with Paul Sanford, "Time 4 Hemp-LIVE," http://www.AmericanFreedomRadio.com, 10 am, PST
636. June 6 presentation with Jamie Brown at the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center in Walnut Creek. Info at Favors.org, 7 to 9 pm
635. June 1, interview with Kris Welch, KPFA Los Angeles, 10 am PST
634. May 28, interview with Malihe Razazan, "Your Call" radio, KALW, San Francisco, 10 am PST.
633. May 26, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
632. May 23 interview with Simit Patel, InformedTrades.com (youtube) 3:30 pm PST
631. May 22, Thousand Oaks, 3 expert panel, "A Parachute For the Fiscal Cliff," University Village 2-4 pm
630. May 22, interview with Jack Rasmus, 11 am PST. Enjoy the interview here.
629. May 22, Guns and Butter show, KPFA, http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/91790
628. May 14, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PDT.
627. May 13, live appearance on RTTV, 3 pm PST Watch it here.
626. May 8, interview with Valli Sharpe-Geisler, Silicon Valley Voice, KKUP, 3 pm PST
625. May 8, interview, the Meria Heller Show, 11 am PST
624. May 4, interview, Latin Waves with Sylvia Richardson, 10 am PST
623. April 30, Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 1 pm PST
622. April 29, interview with Rob Kall, Bottom Up Radio, 9 am Pacific
Listen to archive here.
621. April 28, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT
620. April 25, interview, the the Dr. Katherine Albrecht Show, 5 pm EDT
619. April 17, interview with Mike Harris, rense.com, 1 pm PDT
618. April 16th, speaker, Valley Democrats United (Democratic Party of San Fernando Valley), Van Nuys, Ca. 7-9pm
617. April 13, interview with Darren Weeks, Govern America, noon Eastern, listen here
616. April 9, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PDT.
615. April 6, phone conference, Justice Party, http://www.justicepartyusa.org/public_banking_conference_call, 9 a.m.
614. April 5, interview, Butler on Business, 11 a.m. EDT
613. April 3, interview with Michael Welch, Global Research News Hour, 8:30 a.m. PDT
612. April 2, interview with Jay Taylor, VoiceAmerica, 12:30 PDT. Listen here.
611. April 1, interview with Brannon Howse, www.worldviewradio.com, 11 a.m. PDT
610. April 1, interview with Scott Harris, Counterpoint,
WPKN Radio, 8:30 pm, ET Listen to archive here.
609. April 1, interview with Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese. Watch and listen to archive here, starting at minute 50. Articles based on the interview are at Truthout.org.
608. March 31, interview with Jason Erb, Exposing Faux Capitalism, Oracle Broadcasting, 11 a.m. Pacific
607. March 31, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PDT Listen to the archive here.
606. March 29, interview, The Gary Null Show, 9:30 a.m. Pacific
605. March 28, interview with Stan Monteith, radioliberty.com, 9 pm PDT
604. March 28, radio interview, INN World Report with Tom Kiely, http://feeds.feedburner.com/INNWorldReportRadio 4:30 PDT
603. March 27, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PdT.
602. March 27, interview with Jack Rasmus on PRN, 11 a.m. PDT
601. March 25, interview on the Richard Kaffenberger show, KTOX, Needles, CA. 3:15 PDT
600. March 22, newly available archived radio interview, Mandelman Matters. Listen here.
599. March 22, interview with James Fetzer, The People Speak Radio, 5-7 pm PDT
598. March 22, interview , Our Times With Craig Barnes, KSFR radio, Santa Fe, 10 a.m. MST
597. March 12, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST.
596. March 11, interview with Stephen Lendman, Progressive Radio News Hour, 10 am, PST
595. March 9, Interview with Sylvia Richardson, Latin Waves, CJSF 90.1FM, 9:30 am PST
594. March 6, interview with Charlie McGrath, wideawakenews.com, 6pm PST. Watch and listen here.
593. March 3, interview with Lateef Kareem Bey, Fix Your Mortgage Mess, 4 pm PST
592. March 2, Interview with Stuart Richardson, Latin Waves, CJSF 90.1FM, 11 am PST
591. Feb. 27, interview with Jim Banks, KGNU, Boulder, 12 pm PST
590. Feb 27, interview with Sinclair Noe, Financial Review, 10 am PST
589. Feb. 25, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST.
588. Feb. 6, Interview with Phil Mackesy, This Week in Money, TalkDigitalNetwork.com, 11 am PST. Listen to the archive here: http://talkdigitalnetwork.com/2013/02/this-week-in-money-70/
587. Feb. 4, interview with Ken Rose, What Now radio show, KOWS RADIO OCCIDENTAL 107.3 FM, 11 am PST.
586. Jan. 31, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Radio Report, 5:00 pm PST
585. Jan. 27, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio
network, 10 am PST
584. Jan. 23, interview on KPFK, 8pm PST
583. Jan. 22, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST.
582. Jan. 3, interview with Mary Glenney, WMNF 88.5, Tampa, 3 pm EST
581. Jan. 2, interview, The Bev Smith Show, thebevsmithshow.net, 5 pm PST
--- 2012 ---
580. Dec. 27, video interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, listen and watch here.
579. Dec. 24, October talk at First Unitarian Church in Portland aired on KBOO radio, http://kboo.fm/, 8:00 am PST
578. Dec. 24, interview with Ron Daniels, the WWRL Morning Show with Mark Riley, wwrl1600.com, 5:05 am PST
577. Dec. 21, interview with Andy Caldwell, TheAndyCaldwellShow.com, KZSB AM1290 Santa Barbara / Ventura and KUHL AM1440 Santa Maria / San Luis Obispo, 3:30 pm PST
576. Dec. 20, interview with Fred Smart, aunetwork.tv, 9 pm EST
575. Dec. 19, interview, Crisis of Reality with Doug Newberry, oraclebroadcasting.com, 1pm EST. Listen here.
574. Dec. 19, interview with Dr. Jack Rasmus, Alternative Visions, Progressive Radio Network, 2 pm EST
573. Dec. 17, The Bev Smith Show, thebevsmithshow.net, 4 pm PST
572. Dec. 15, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST. Listen here.
571. Dec. 14, interview with Craig Barnes, Our Times With Craig Barnes, KSFR radio, 9 am PST Listen to the archive here.
570. December 9th, speaker, Mayo Arts Center (10 Mayo Street) in Portland, ME
http://mayostreetarts.org/about-us/where-we-are 7:30-9pm
569. Dec. 7, Vermont's New Economy conference, Vermont College of the Find Arts, Montpelier, VT, 9 am to 4 pm and reception at 4:30. $25
www.global-community.org/neweconomy to register
568. Dec. 5, speaker, Pennsylvania Public Bank Project's Forum on Public Banking, at the David Library of the American Revolution, Washington Crossing, PA, 7pm
567. Nov. 26-27, 3rd Annual World Conference on Riba, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
566. Nov. 22, presentation before Royal Scottish Academy -- "A Public Bank for Scotland" (here), Riddle's Court, 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PG Scotland, 6 pm
565. Nov 8, Healthy Money Summit, speaking with Hazel Henderson at 1-2 pm PST, information here.
564. Sunday, Oct. 28, Keynote Speaker; The Buck Starts Here, 2:00pm, sponsored by the Kairos Occasional Speakers Series & OFOR, Kairos Milwaukie UCC, Milwaukie, OR.
563. Saturday, Oct. 27, Keynote Speaker; OFOR Saturday Symposium: The Buck Starts Here, 10am - 3pm, Molalla, OR
562. Friday-Sunday, Oct. 26-28, Keynote Speaker; Oregon Fellowship of Reconciliation Fall Retreat - The Buck Starts Here, Camp Adams, Molalla, OR, Friday, 5pm- Sunday 12 noon
561. Friday, October 26, Invited Commentator; screening of “HEIST” (new documentary about the roots of the American economic crisis), sponsored by First Unitarian Church of Portland's Economic Justice Action Groups, Alliance for Democracy, KBOO, Move to Amend, 7:00pm, First Unitarian Church, Portland, OR
560. (Oct. 25-28, Bioneers Conference, Portland, OR)
Oct. 25, Keynote Speaker; sponsored by Portland Fellowship of Reconciliation (PFOR) and the First Unitarian Church of Portland's Economic Justice and Peace Action Groups, 7:00-8:30pm, First Unitarian Church, Portland, OR
559. Oct. 24, interview with Per Fagereng, KBOO radio, Portland, 9 am PST
558. Oct. 24, KPFA "Guns and Butter" interview. Listen to archived show here.
557. Oct. 21, speaker at BBQed Oysters and Beer Fundraiser Party for PBI, San Rafael, CA, 4 pm PST
556. Oct. 14, Live Gaiam tv interview appearance. Watch it here free at 7pm EST.
555. Oct. 12, interview with Matt Rothschild of The Progressive, 10 a.m. Central time
554. October 11-14, speaker, Economic Democracy Collaborative, Madison, Wisconsin
553. Oct. 11, radio interview with Norm Stockwell, WORT, 12 pm CST
552. Oct. 9, interview with Kevin Barrett, No Lies Radio, listen to archive here.
551. Oct. 8, interview, "Mountain Hours Revolution Radio" with Wayne Walton, on RBN, 12-1 pm PST
550. Oct. 7, interview with Lloyd D'Aguilar, "Looking Back Looking Forward", http://lookingbacklookingforward.com/, 2 pm EST
549. Sept. 26, interview with Douglas Newberry, markettoolbox.tv, 1pm EST. Listen here.
548. Sept. 25, interview with Dr. Stanley Montieth, radioliberty.com, 3pm PST
547. Sept. 24, interview with Charlie McGrath, Wide Awake News, 6-7 pm PST.
546. Sept. 22, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
545. Sept. 17 interview along with Hazel Henderson, National Teach In for Occupy Wall Street, http://www.livestream.com/owshdtv 5pm EST
544. Sept. 10, interview with Thomas Taplin, Dukascopy TV (Switzerland), 7 am PST Watch and listen here
543. Sept. 7, interview with Mike Harris, republicbroadcasting.org, 6 am PST
542. Sept. 6, interview with Douglas Newberry, markettoolbox.tv, 1pm EST. Listen here.
541. Aug 28, interview, the Meria Heller Show, 11 am PST. Listen to archive here. And listen to excellent Meria Heller show here.
540. Aug 26, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, listen to archive here.
539. August 21, interview with Charlie McGrath, wideawakenews.com. Listen to archive here.
538. Aug 20, interview with Kim Greenhouse, It's Rainmaking Time, listen here.
537. Aug 16, interview with Mike Harris, republicbroadcasting.org, 6 am PST
536. Aug. 14, interview, TheAndyCaldwellshow.com, 4:30pm PST
535. August 13, interview with American Free Press, 1 pm PST
534. July 24, interview along with Victoria Grant, The People Speak, 6pm, PST
533. July 24, interview with Kevin Barrett, NoLiesRadio.org, 9 am PST
532. July 23, interview with Charlie McGrath, wideawakenews.com, 6 pm PST
531. July 22, interview with Dave Hodges, The Common Sense Show, 7 pm PST
530. July 22, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST. Listen to archive here.
529. July 19, interview with Mike Beevers, KFCF Fresno, 4:30 pm PST
528. July 10-12, Speaker, Conference on Social Transformation, Faculty of Economics, Split University, Split Croatia
527. July 10, video interview with Max Keiser, the Keiser Report, on the ESM. Watch it here.
526. July 7, Interview with Phil Mackesy, This Week in Money, TalkDigitalNetwork.com, 3 pm PST
525. July 6, video interview with Dr. Mercola, see it here.
524. June 23, Interview with Al Korelin, The Korelin Economics Report, 1 pm PST. Listen to archive here.
523. June 21, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Radio Report, 4:30 pm PST
522. June 21, interview on the Gary Null Show, 9:20 am PST
521. June 18, interview with Ken Rose, What Now radio show, KOWS RADIO OCCIDENTAL 107.3 FM, 1 pm PST. Listen to archive here.
520. June 17, interview with Bill Resnick, KBOO radio, 9 am PST
519. June 16 interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST. Listen to archive here.
518. June 9, interview with Sylvia Richardson, Latin Waves, 9:45 am PST. Listen to archive here.
517. June 5, interview, Truth Quest With Melodee, KHEN radio, 7pm PST
516. June 2, interview about Web of Debt, Our Common Ground,http://www.blogtalkradio.com/OCG, 7pm PST
515. June 1, interview with Robert Stark, The Stark Truth listen here.
514. Newly available video of interview on "Moral Politics" -- see it here
513. May 30, interview, The Tim Dahaney Show, ll am PST
512. May 28, interview with Pedro Gatos, "Bringing Light into Darkness", KOOP.ORG, 6 pm CST
511. May 24, interview, Make It Plain With Mark Thompson, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, 2pm PST
510. May 20, interview, Women's View Radio, blogtalkradio.com, 10 am Central Time. Listen here.
509. May 13, interview, www.Blogtalkradio.com/fixyourmortgagemess, 4:15 pm PST
508. May 12, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST Listen here.
507. May 9, seminar, Re-imagining Money and Credit, Art bldg. rm 103, El Camino college, Torrance, Ca. 5-7:30 pm
506. May 8, interview with Mike Harris, republicbroadcasting.org, 9 am EST
505. May 7, radio discussion on "The Myth of Austerity", Connect the Dots, KPFK Los Angeles, 7 am PST. Listen here.
504. May 4, interview The Unsolicited Opinion, republicbroadcasting.org, 8 am PST
503. April 27-28, speaker, Public Banking Institute Conference, Friends Center, Philadelphia. Listen here.
502. April 25, speaker Global Teach-In (globalteachin.com), 12 noon EST
501. April 17, Interview with Leo Steel, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lasteelshoworg, 8:30 pm EST. Listen here.. 31 minutes in.
500. April 14, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
499. April 14, interview with Al Korelin, The Korelin Economics Report
498. April 10th-12th Speaker at Claremont Conference, “Creating Money in a Finite World” Claremont, CA . See video here.
497. April 5, interview , This Week In Money with Phil Mackesy (howestreet.com) 12:30 PST. Listen to the archive here.
496. April 3, speaker at COMER with Paul Hellyer, "Escape From the Web of Debt," Toronto, 7:30 pm
495. March 27, speaker on "Why are we so Broke? New ways to look at the Finances of our State and City," League of Women Voters luncheon, San Diego, 12 noon
494.5 March 24, radio interview, Mandelman Matters. Listen here.
494. March 17, speaker via skype, SCADS conference, London
493. March 15, interview with Per Fagereng, Fight the Empire, KBOO radio, 9:30 am PST
492. March 15, speaker, San Rafael City Hall 6 pm
491. March 13, speaker at Sergio Lub's house, Walnut Creek, info at Favors.org, 6pm
490. March 11, speaker, TedxNewWallStreet. See it here.
489. March 10, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
488. March 6, interview with Melinda Pillsbury-Foster, http://radio.rumormillnews.com/podcast/, 11 am PST
487. Feb. 25, interview with Martin Andelman, http://www.mandelman.ml-implode.com, 9:30 am PST
486. Feb. 25, interview, This Week In Money with Phil Mackesy (howestreet.com), 3 pm PST
485. Feb. 25, interview on CIVL Radio, Latin Waves, How Greece Could Take Down Wall Street, 11:30am PST
484. Feb 23, interview with Thomas Kiely, INN World Report Radio, 7:30 pm EST
483. Feb. 17, featured speaker, Public Banking in America weekly call, 9 am PST
482. Feb. 11, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
481. Feb. 8, interview with Mike Beevers, KFCF Fresno, 4:30 pm PST
480. Feb. 7, interview with Kevin Barrett, NoLiesRadio.org, 9 am PST; listen to archive here
479. Feb. 6, participant, Occupiers and Wells Fargo Executives Gather to Discuss the American Foreclosure Crisis, The Center of Nonprofit Management at California Endowment Building 1000 N. Alameda, Los Angeles, meeting 3 pm and press conference 5:30 pm
478. Feb. 2, interview with Tom Kiely, INN World Report Radio, 7:30 pm EST
477. Feb. 2, interview with Patrick Timpone, oneradionetwork.com, naturalnewsradio.com. Listen to archive here
476. Jan. 31, interview, Liberty Coins and Precious Metals, 9 am PST
475. Jan. 27, interview KPFA, Project Censored, 8:30 am PST
474. Jan. 27, FILMS4CHANGE-INSIDEJOB, panel speaker, Edye Second Space, Santa Monica Performing Arts Center, 7:30 pm
473. Jan 22, interview with Dave Hodges, The Common Sense Show, 7:30 pm PST. Listen live here.
472. Jan. 20, interview with Mike Harris, The Republic Broadcasting Network, 7 am PST
471. Jan. 16, interview with Rob Lorei, WMNF fm, Tampa, 2 pm PST
470. Jan. 14, interview with Stephen Lendman, progressive radio network, 10 am PST
469. Jan. 11, interview with Jeff Rense, rense.com, 8pm PST
New York Times Editors Support Wrong Over Right
New York Times Editors Support Wrong Over Right
by Stephen Lendman
Longstanding Times policy is consistent. It promotes establishment values. It supports wealth, power and privilege. It endorses global US dominance.
When America goes to war or plans one, Times editors march in lockstep. Propaganda substitutes for truth and full disclosure. Managed news misinformation is featured.
Editorial policy defends the indefensible. It backs wrong over right. It justifies what demands condemnation.
It supports banksters looting the federal treasury. It does so by not exposing and denouncing them. It does it by not demanding top Wall Street officials be prosecuted.
Monied interests run America. Times editors ignore it. They turn a blind eye to America's de facto one party state. They endorse sham US elections. They give legitimacy to a rigged process.
They give short shrift to growing US poverty, unemployment, underemployment, hunger, homelessness, and human misery.
They support destroying vital safety net protections when most needed. They endorse force-fed austerity instead of denouncing it.
News they claim fit to print isn't fit to read. Managed news misinformation substitutes. Vital truths readers most need to know are suppressed. Core journalistic ethics are violated.
On December 17, a flagrant human rights abuser got feature op-ed space. Doing so effectively endorses his nation's policy.
Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz al Saud is Saudi Arabia's UK ambassador. He's a royal House of Saud member. His father, Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz, is a close King Abdullah ally.
Giving bin Abdulaziz feature op-space effectively supports one of the world's most repressive regimes.
State terror is official policy. Human and civil rights are denied. Authority rests solely with King Abdullah and royal family members.
Democracy is strictly forbidden. Constitutional provisions afford ordinary citizens and other residents no rights. Women are especially marginalized and denied.
Political parties and national elections are prohibited. So is media freedom. Most web sites are blocked.
Anyone dissenting is subject to arbitrary arrest and detention. Political critics, independent journalists, academics, foreign nationals, and human rights activists are especially vulnerable.
Fundamentalist Sunni Islam Wahhabism is Saudi's official state religion. Fanaticism defines it. Majority Shia nations are considered enemies. So are secular Arab states.
Wahhabis want them toppled. They want their own version of Islam replacing them. They operate lawlessly. They employ extreme tactics to achieve aims.
Saudi Arabia is hostile to Iran. It wants Syria's Assad removed. It's heavily involved in recruiting, funding and arming terrorist invaders.
It was caught red-handed supplying them with chemical weapons. New York Times editors ignored what demanded headlines.
They reported nothing about new US/Saudi-backed death squad atrocities. Dozens of Adra, Syrian men, women, children, infants, the elderly and infirm were massacred in cold blood.
Doing so is one of the most egregious crimes since Syria's conflict erupted. Defenseless civilians were slaughtered like sheep.
Local residents called terrorist invaders "the decapitators." They burned some civilians to death.
They targeted government employees and their families. They had lists of names and addresses supplied them.
They conducted sham Sharia trials. Guilt by accusation assured death by beheading. Others were shot in cold blood. Some were burned alive in bakery ovens.
Eyewitnesses described mass slaughter everywhere. Children were massacred like adults. Terrorists waged war without mercy.
One survivor said everyone at Adra Ummalia hospital was killed. Syria is Obama's war. He supports death squad invaders.
He's providing funding, arming, training and direction. Death squad diplomacy substitutes for peaceful conflict resolution.
War could continue for years. There's nothing whatever civil about it. US-backed death squads invaded Syria. Assad responsibly battles to defeat them.
Syria is being ravaged and destroyed. Doing so adds another horrific war crime to Obama's rap sheet.
Unspeakable numbers of innocent Syrian civilians could perish before conflict ends. Obama bears full responsibility. Key NATO partners, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and rogue Arab state allies share it.
So do Times and other scoundrel media editors. Misreporting shows support for unconscionable crimes.
Giving feature op-ed space to an enemy of peace and egregious human rights abuser reflects it.
Bin Abdulaziz headlined his Times op-ed "Saudi Arabia Will Go It Alone."
He called relations "with our Western partners..tested..because of differences over Iran and Syria."
"We believe that many of the West’s policies on both (countries) risk the stability and security of the Middle East."
"This is a dangerous gamble, about which we cannot remain silent, and will not stand idly by."
"The crisis in Syria continues unabated." He stopped short of explaining Saudi involvement in exacerbating it.
Times editors ignore it. They wrongfully blame Assad for death squad invader crimes. They do it repeatedly. They do it reprehensibly.
It's longstanding Times policy. So is giving feature op-ed space to loathsome figures like bin Abdulaziz.
He called Assad's government "a weapon of mass destruction. Chemical weapons are but a small cog in (his) killing machine."
He called it "an evil regime that is hurting and harming the Syrian people." He lied multiple times throughout his commentary claiming it.
Recent polls show Assad has strong popular support. In early September, Press TV cited a US daily news service World Tribune one.
It showed 70% of Syrians support Assad. Another 20% back neither side. Only 10% endorse opposition elements.
Don't expect New York Times editors to explain. Don't expect bin Abdulaziz and likeminded rogues to feature truth and full disclosure.
Their agenda is ruthlessly repressive. Bin Abdulaziz wants the Islamic Republic of Iran and Syria's secular government toppled.
He wants Wahhabist extremism replacing them. He wants them turned into regional terror states. He wants them run as repressively as Saudi Arabia.
His notion of peaceful conflict resolution is preventing it. He accused "some Western capitals (of) risking the security of the whole Arab world" by failing to increase toughness.
"This means that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has no choice but to become more assertive in international affairs," he said.
He ludicrously claimed doing so is a way "to stand up for the genuine stability our region desperately needs."
"(W)e have a humanitarian responsibility to do what we can to end the suffering in Syria."
In February 1968, then AP correspondent Peter Arnett wrote about Ben Tre. He cited an unnamed US major saying: "It became necessary to destroy the village in order to save it."
Intensive bombing and shelling slaughtered Vietnamese civilians. In mid-March, Charlie Company entered My Lai. Destroying the village to save it repeated. Hundreds were slaughtered.
Most were women, children, infants, and elderly victims. Bodies were found mutilated. Women were raped, then murdered.
Crimes of war and against humanity reflect longstanding US policy. Since early 2011, they continue in Syria.
Media scoundrels ignore them. They wrongfully blame Assad for terrorists' crimes. Saudi Arabia is very much complicit. It's a rogue state writ large.
Bin Abdulaziz shamelessly called its monarchy and likeminded ones "champions of moderation."
His notion of "humanitarian responsibility" is mass slaughter and destruction. It's unspeakable atrocities.
It's wrongfully blaming victims. It's waging war on peace, stability and security. Times editors march in lockstep.
They do so disgracefully. They shamelessly betray readers consistently. Doing so reflects longstanding Times policy.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/new-york-times-editors-support-right-wrong/
Bracing for An Eventual Day of Reckoning
Bracing for An Eventual Day of Reckoning
by Stephen Lendman
Financial markets today reflect a total disconnect from reality. Former Reagan administration Office of Management and Budget director, David Stockman, calls the Fed "a serial bubble machine."
"It's only a question of time before central banks lose control," he warns. He expects "panic when people realize that (market) values are massively overstated."
They're "extremely dangerous, unstable, and subject to serious trouble and dislocation in the future," he stresses.
The Fed is responsible for "exporting lunatic policies worldwide." All bubbles burst. They end badly. For sure this one. It's a whopper. It's just a matter of time until all hell breaks lose.
Market analyst Graham Summers sees dangerous equity market topping signs. They include:
- margin debt hitting new all-time highs;
- bearish sentiment at all-time lows;
- market leaders peaking or approaching it;
- declining market breadth;
- earnings are falling; and
- equities "diverg(ing) dramatically from earnings and revenues.
Topping takes longer than many people expect, said Summers. Recent market movements aren't "promising."
"(F)or certain we are in a bubble. It's just a question of when it bursts."
Economic Collapse blog.com discussed 2014 forecasts by noted analysts. They warn about next year "shak(ing) America to the core." They may be right or wrong.
Money printing madness kept party time going longer than most analysts expected. Eventually good times end.
On December 13, the Wall Street Journal headlined "Markets Get Set to Lose a Crutch," saying:
"Investors are bracing for the Federal Reserve to reduce its market-boosting stimulus as soon as the coming week..."
Next Wednesday, Fed governors meet. They'll "decide the fate of (their) $85 billion monthly bond-buying" binge.
So-called tapering may be announced. If not now, perhaps early next year.
Harry Dent expects "another slowdown and stock crash accelerating between very early 2014 and early 2015." He expects more trouble later on.
Marc Faber warned investors early. He did so numerous times before. He's doing it again, saying:
"You have to say that we are again in a massive financial bubble in bonds, in equities, in (other) asset prices that have gone up dramatically."
Mike Maloney calls the 2008 crash "a speed bump on the way to the main event." The consequences will be "horrific," he warns.
"(T)he rest of the decade will bring us the greatest financial calamity in history."
Jim Rogers said "what happened in 2008-2009 (was) worse than the previous economic setback."
It's because "debt was so much higher." Now it's "staggeringly much higher."
Whenever the next market disruption comes, it's "going to be worse than in the past," he stresses.
It's "because we have unbelievable levels of debt, and unbelievable levels of money printing all over the world."
"Be worried and be prepared," he warns. He doesn't know when trouble will arrive, he says. "(B)ut when it comes, be careful."
Robert Shiller is worried. At the same time, he's "not sounding the alarm yet." Stock price levels are high. So are other financial assets. Things "could end badly," Shiller warns.
Economics Professor Laurence Kotlikoff said:
"Eventually somebody recognizes (what's happening), and starts dumping their bonds, and interest rates go up, and inflation takes off, and were off to the races."
Michael Pento said Washington "brought us out of the Great Recession, only to set us up for the Greater Depression, which lies on the other side of interest rate normalization."
Russel Napier believes we're "on the eve of a deflationary shock…" It'll "likely reduce equity valuations from very high to very low levels."
Market strategist Robert Farrell is best remembered for his "10 Market Rules to Remember:"
Number one: markets (always) return to their mean average over time.
Number two: excesses in one direction lead to opposite ones.
Number nine: when conventional wisdom agrees, "something else is going to happen."
Gerald Celente publishes his annual top 10 trends. He calls 2014 "a year of extremes." His number one trend is "March Economic Madness."
Timing is one of the toughest aspects of forecasting, he said. No one knows precisely when things will happen. Often they're when few expect them.
Celente "missed the mark with (his) Crash of 2010 prediction," he admitted. Why, he asked? Because of worldwide money printing madness.
It was unprecedented. Who could have predicted it? It can't last. Celente believes "around March, or by the end of" 2014 Q II, "an economic shock wave will rattle" world equity markets. It remains to be seen if he's right this time.
Market analyst Market Weiss calls the US economy so addicted to Fed money printing madness "that just the thought of withdrawal (causes) market convulsions."
Since crisis conditions erupted in 2008, Bernanke made one excuse after another. He did so irresponsibly.
He "smash(ed) the 100-year Fed prohibition against running the money printing presses 24/7," said Weiss.
First he claimed conditions left him no choice, saying:
"Unless we flood the banking system with money, megabanks will fail and global financial markets will collapse in a heap of rubble."
When the worst of crisis conditions eased, his "new rationale" was "trillion-dollar federal budget deficits year after year," said Weiss.
Former Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) head Neil Barofsky believes Wall Street perhaps got around $23 trillion.
Hundreds of billions more went to troubled European banks. Perhaps they're still getting plenty. Open checkbook Fed policy assures Wall Street whatever it wants.
Fed policy reasons that "(u)nless we buy Treasuries (and mortgage-backed) securities by the truckload, the deficits will smash the bond markets and sabotage the economic recovery?"
What recovery? It landed on Wall Street. It benefitted America's super-rich. It missed Main Street. Protracted Depression era trouble persists.
Ordinary people struggle daily to get by. Many never had things worse. Improvement is nowhere in sight.
A "long line-up of excuses" kept Fed policy "pedal to the metal on its giant money presses," said Weiss. Fed chairwoman elect Janet Yellen promises more of the same.
Things improved from earlier, she said. They haven't done so "enough." The "not improved enough" mantra is the theme heading into next year.
Before Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008, the Fed's monetary base was $849.8 billion. On October 30, 2013, it exceeded $3.6 trillion.
It expanded over threefold in six years. It did what no one thought possible. It did what honest analysts called irresponsible. According to Weiss:
If the Fed expanded the monetary base at the same pace it's done since 1961, "it would have taken nearly 150 years to come this far."
Pre-2008, expanding the monetary base rapidly occurred only two other times:
- ahead of potential Y2K trouble; and
- post-9/11.
So far, post-2008 monetary madness exceeded Y2K expansion 43-fold. It's nearly 70 times larger than post-9/11 policy.
Most alarming, said Weiss, is that the Fed hasn't "begun to resolve the underlying diseases" responsible for earlier crises. It "merely papered over their symptoms."
They fester and grow. They're worse than ever. They assure eventual day of reckoning trouble.
The 2008 crisis resulted from excessive debt, derivatives and other toxic financial assets, unprecedented wealth concentration among powerful institutions, and reckless speculation fueled by monetary madness and near-zero interest rates.
Total credit market debt keeps rising. In 2008, it was $53.5 trillion. Through 2013 Q II, it's $57.6 trillion.
The notional value of derivatives held by US banks grew from $175.8 trillion in September 2008 to $231.6 trillion this year.
According to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC):
"Derivatives activity in the US banking system continues to be dominated by a small group of large institutions."
It names four megabanks. They include JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank and Goldman Sachs. They control 93% of all banking industry derivatives.
Massive federal deficits persist. So does Europe's debt crisis. Money printing madness doesn't resolve things.
It kicks the can down the road. It does so irresponsibly. It creates greater problems ahead. It papers over what desperately needs addressing now. It needed it years ago.
Weiss thinks the only Fed solution is "panicky retreat." Consider history, he says. Fed policy created bond market trouble in the 1970s.
In 1979, Treasury bonds rose to 13% yields. T-bills to 17%, and the prime rate to 21%.
In the early 1990s, Fed policy kept short rates lower than normal. In 1994, things changed. The largest ever modern era calendar year decline in bond prices occurred.
Alan Greenspan wasn't noted for accurate forecasts. Weeks before the 2000 market peak, he claimed:
"The American economy was experiencing a once-in-a-century acceleration of innovation, which propelled forward productivity, output, corporate profits and stock prices at a pace not seen in generations, if ever."
It was reminiscent of noted economist Erving Fisher. Shortly before the 1929 crash, he fell from grace. He did so claiming economic fundamentals were strong.
Stock market prices were undervalued, he said. An unending era of prosperity lay ahead. It took over a decade to arrive. It took WW II to deliver it.
For years into the new millennium, Greenspan let growing financial trouble fester. In January 2006, he retired.
Ben Bernanke replaced him. Business as usual continued. Lehman Brothers collapse followed. So did hard times for millions. Things were never better for Wall Street.
Money printing madness continues. How will things change this time? Watch for telltale signs, Weiss advises.
He promised to discuss them as they occur. The moment of truth approaches. No one knows for sure when it'll arrive. It always did before. It will this time.
Watch bond prices. They're experiencing the biggest interest rate reversal in 37 years, says Weiss. Yields are rising.
How high remains to be seen. If history is a guide, the worst is yet to come.
Rising bond yields spell trouble for stocks. It remains to be seen how bad things eventually get.
Note: On December 17, Fed governors announced tapering. Monthly bond buying will be reduced from $85 billion to $75 billion on January 1.
Interest rates will remain near zero. Whether further tapering continues next year remains to be seen. So will how markets react going forward.
Wednesday they celebrated. Bubbles have a way of bursting when least expected. This one imploding is long overdue.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/bracing-eventual-day-reckoning/
Russian Ukrainian Aid v. US/EU Neoliberal Harshness
Russian Ukrainian Aid v. US/EU Neoliberal Harshnessby Stephen LendmanOn December 17, Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych met in Moscow. Russia offered generous aid.Ukraine's Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said providing it helped pre...
US Scholars Endorse Boycotting Israel
US Scholars Endorse Boycotting Israel
by Stephen Lendman
The American Studies Association (ASA) is the nation's oldest and largest organization involved in the interdisciplinary study of US culture and history.
In 1951, it was chartered. It has 5,000 members. It's affiliated with 2,200 libraries and other institutional subscribers.
Members represent many academic disciplines. They include history, literature, religion, art, architecture, philosophy, music, science, ethnic studies, anthropology, sociology, political science, education, and gender studies among others.
Members include academics, researchers, librarians, and public officials and administrators.
On December 16, ASA headlined "ASA Members Vote to Endorse Academic Boycott of Israel." They did so decisively. Over 66% of members support doing so. Less than 31% opposed. Another 3.4% abstained.
The vote followed ASA's December 4 resolution, stating:
"Whereas the American Studies Association is committed to the pursuit of social justice, to the struggle against all forms of racism, including anti-semitism, discrimination, and xenophobia, and to solidarity with aggrieved peoples in the United States and in the world;
Whereas the United States plays a significant role in enabling the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the expansion of illegal settlements and the Wall in violation of international law, as well as in supporting the systematic discrimination against Palestinians, which has had documented devastating impact on the overall well-being, the exercise of political and human rights, the freedom of movement, and the educational opportunities of Palestinians;
Whereas there is no effective or substantive academic freedom for Palestinian students and scholars under conditions of Israeli occupation, and Israeli institutions of higher learning are a party to Israeli state policies that violate human rights and negatively impact the working conditions of Palestinian scholars and students;
Whereas the American Studies Association is cognizant of Israeli scholars and students who are critical of Israeli state policies and who support the international boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement under conditions of isolation and threat of sanction;
Whereas the American Studies Association is dedicated to the right of students and scholars to pursue education and research without undue state interference, repression, and military violence, and in keeping with the spirit of its previous statements supports the right of students and scholars to intellectual freedom and to political dissent as citizens and scholars;
It is resolved that the American Studies Association (ASA) endorses and will honor the call of Palestinian civil society for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions."
"It is also resolved that the ASA supports the protected rights of students and scholars everywhere to engage in research and public speaking about Israel-Palestine and in support of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement."
In 2012, ASA's Academic and Community Activism Caucus (ACAC) asked its Executive Committee (EC) to consider a resolution endorsing an academic boycott of Israel.
It followed a call from Palestinian civil society to do so. ASA's EC forwarded the resolution to its National Council (NC).
Deliberative discussions followed. NC unanimously endorsed a revised version of the above resolution.
It did so "as an ethical stance, a form of material and symbolic action," said ASA.
"It represents a principle of solidarity with scholars and students deprived of their academic freedom and an aspiration to enlarge that freedom for all, including Palestinians."
ASA called its endorsement justified for the following reasons:
- US military and other support for Israel;
- Israel's systematic violation of international laws and UN resolutions;
- the harsh impact of its longstanding occupation;
- "the extent to which Israeli institutions of higher education are a party to state policies that violate human rights," and
- strong ASA member support.
It's symbolic. It's binding "until Israel ceases to violate human rights and international law," said ASA. It bars official collaboration with Israeli institutions.
It doesn't apply to individual Israeli scholars engaged in "ordinary forms of academic exchange, including conference presentations, public lectures at campuses, or collaboration on research and publication."
Following Israel's 2006 war of aggression on Lebanon, ACA's International Committee (IC) discussed a possible boycott.
After Israel's Cast Lead aggression on Gaza, ASA again considered doing so. Study and discussions followed. In 2012, so did an academic boycott resolution.
"In the last several decades," said ASA, it "welcomed scholarship that critically analyzes (America), its role domestically and abroad, and that reaches out beyond US borders."
ASA's National Council calls the above resolution "of particular significance" to American Studies scholars. "Together, we endorse it, and recommend" ASA members do so, it said.
Nineteen academics comprise ASA's National Council. Universities they represent include Stanford, Yale, Northwestern, University of Illinois, UC Berkeley, Bryn Mawr, and Rikko University, Tokyo among others.
ASA president Curtis Marez called the boycott "the best way to protect and expand academic freedom and access to education."
"Palestinian academics are frequently impeded by Israeli occupation authorities, schools and universities have been bombed by US-supported Israeli military forces, and the Wall blocks educational access for thousands of students," he stressed.
"As an association of scholars and educators, the ASA has an ethical responsibility to act."
ASA's boycott followed Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS) members unanimously approving their own resolution last April.
It was the first scholarly organization to do so. Inside Higher Education is a daily online publication. It focuses on academic topics.
It called ASA's resolution a big victory for the Israeli boycott movement. It has widespread European support. It's been absent in America until this year.
The Anti-Defamation League is one of 52 Zionist organizations. They disseminate pro-Israeli propaganda. They support Israel's worst crimes. They do so disgracefully.
ADL denounced ASA's decision. It called it "shameful, morally bankrupt and intellectually dishonest..."
Separately, ADL national director Abe Foxman called ASA's resolution "myopic...fundamentally distorted (and) manifestly unjust."
The New York Times one-sidedly supports Israel. It commented on ASA's resolution. It called it "a symbolic sting."
It's part of a "movement to isolate and pressure Israel. (It's) gaining ground in Europe." It's getting growing numbers of US supporters.
ASA's endorsement represents "a milestone" for global boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) supporters, said The Times.
Omar Barghouti is founder and director of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).
He called ASA's resolution "perhaps the strongest indicator yet that the BDS movement is reaching a tipping point, even in the US, the last bastion of support for Israel's unjust system."
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas is a longtime Israeli collaborator. He's coup d'etat leader.
Israel rigged his election. He has no legitimacy whatever. He opposes boycotting Israel. He does so disgracefully. Barghouti commented harshly, saying:
"There is no Palestinian political party, trade union, NGO, network or mass organization that does not strongly support BDS."
"Any Palestinian official who lacks a democratic mandate and any real public support, therefore, cannot claim to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people when it comes to deciding our strategies of resistance to Israel’s regime of occupation, colonization and apartheid."
"Any Palestinian official who today explicitly speaks against boycotting Israel shows how aloof he is from his own people's aspirations for freedom, justice and equality, and how oblivious he is to our struggle for their inalienable rights."
Stanford University Professor/ASA member David Palumbo-Liu said:
"People who truly believe in academic freedom would realize protesting the blatant and systemic denial of academic freedom to Palestinians, which is coupled with material deprivation of a staggering scale, far outweighs concerns we in the West might have about our own rather privileged academic freedoms."
Cornell University Professor/ASA member Eric Cheyfitz said:
"I am a Jew with a daughter and three grandchildren who are citizens of Israel."
"I am a scholar of American Indian and Indigenous studies, who has in published word and action opposed settler colonialism wherever it exists, including of course the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem."
"It is worth noting in this respect that just as the myth of American exceptionalism seeks to erase the genocide and ongoing settler colonialism of Indigenous peoples here in the United States so the myth of Israeli exceptionalism seeks to erase Israeli colonialism in Palestine and claim original rights to Palestinian lands."
"It is from these personal and professional positions that I applaud the decision of the NC to support the academic boycott of Israel, which I support, and urge ASA members to affirm that support with their votes."
UC Santa Cruz Professor Emerita/ASA member Angela Davis compared Israeli enforced segregation to Jim Crow in America.
She called endorsing ASA's resolution "an ethical imperative. (I)t should be clear that a mass movement in solidarity with Palestinian freedom is long overdue."
Many others feel the same way. ASA's resolution is important. Hopefully other initiatives will follow.
Longstanding Israeli lawlessness is abhorrent. Opposing it is a moral, ethical and legal imperative.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/us-scholars-endorse-boycotting-israel/
Federal Judge Rules Against Mass Surveillance
Federal Judge Rules Against Mass Surveillance
by Stephen Lendman
On December 16, Federal District Court of the District of Columbia Judge Richard Leon issued a damning 68-page ruling. He called NSA spying unconstitutional. It's "almost Orwellian," he said.
"The threshold issue is whether plaintiffs have a reasonable expectation of privacy that is violated when the Government indiscriminately collects their telephone metadata along with the metadata of hundreds of millions of other citizens without any particularized suspicion of wrongdoing, retains all of that metadata for five years, and then queries, analyzes, and investigates that data without prior judicial approval of the investigative targets."
"I cannot imagine a more 'indiscriminate' and 'arbitrary' invasion than this systematic and high-tech collection and retention of personal data on virtually every single citizen for purposes of querying and analyzing it without prior judicial approval."
"Surely, such a program infringes on 'that degree of privacy' that the founders enshrined in the Fourth Amendment."
It prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. Doing so violates core constitutional law. Mass NSA surveillance does it writ large.
It has nothing to do with national security. America's only enemies are ones it invents. NSA spies globally. It watches everyone. It monitors allies. It's about control.
It's for economic advantage. It's to be one up on foreign competitors. It's for information used advantageously in trade, political, and military relations.
Domestic spying is longstanding. It's institutionalized. It's unconstitutional. It doesn't matter. Nothing before was done to stop it. Judge Leon took an important first step
ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jameel Jaffer commented on his ruling, saying:
"This is a strongly worded and carefully reasoned decision that ultimately concludes, absolutely correctly, that the NSA’s call-tracking program can’t be squared with the Constitution."
"As Judge Leon notes, the government's defense of the program has relied almost entirely on a 30-year-old case that involved surveillance of a specific criminal suspect over a period of two days."
"The idea that this narrow precedent authorizes the government to place every American under permanent surveillance is preposterous."
"We hope that Judge Leon's thoughtful ruling will inform the larger conversation about the proper scope of government surveillance powers, especially the debate in Congress about the reforms necessary to bring the NSA's surveillance activities back in line with the Constitution."
"The bipartisan USA Freedom Act, which has 130 co-sponsors already, would address the constitutional problems that Judge Leon identifies."
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) calls the proposed measure "a substantial improvement to America's laws regarding mass surveillance."
At the same time, it's "a floor, not a ceiling." It addresses a small portion of NSA abuses and "overreaching government secrecy."
It leaves important unfinished business. EFF endorses passage. Lots more needs to be done, it stressed.
Judge Leon's ruling marks the first successful NSA legal challenge. Conservative activist Larry Klayman and Charles Strange filed suit (Klayman v. Obama). Strange's son was killed in Afghanistan.
Months earlier, ACLU filed a similar suit (ACLU v. Clapper). It challenged "the constitutionality of the National Security Agency's mass collection of Americans' phone records."
It argued that doing so violates Fourth and First Amendment rights, saying:
"Because the NSA's aggregation of metadata constitutes an invasion of privacy and an unreasonable search, it is unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment."
"The call-tracking program also violates the First Amendment, because it vacuums up sensitive information about associational and expressive activity."
NSA claims authorization under the Patriot Act's Section 215. It's known as the "business records" provision.
It permits collecting "any tangible thing...relevant" to alleged foreign intelligence or terrorism related investigations. It way oversteps. It's unconstitutional.
It permits warrantless searches without probable cause. It violates fundamental First Amendment rights. It does so by mandating secrecy.
It prohibits targeted subjects from telling others what's happening to them. It compromises free expression, assembly and association.
It does so by authorizing the FBI to investigate anyone based on what they say, write, or do with regard to groups they belong to or associate with.
It violates Fourth and Fifth Amendment protections by not telling targeted subjects their privacy was compromised. It subverts fundamental freedoms for contrived, exaggerated, or nonexistent security reasons.
"Whatever Section 215's 'relevance' requirement might allow, it does not permit the government to cast a seven-year dragnet sweeping up every phone call made or received by Americans," said ACLU.
On November 22, US District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge William Pauley heard arguments. He hasn't yet ruled.
Judge Leon granted plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction. He ordered the Obama administration to stop collecting their phone data.
He ruled whatever it currently has must be destroyed. At the same time, he stayed his ruling. He cited potential "significant national security interests at stake."
He gave Obama's Justice Department time to appeal. He said his decision applies only to plaintiffs. It doesn't affect NSA's mass data-mining.
At the same time, his ruling is an important first step. For years, he said, constitutional issues were adjudicated under "a cloak of secrecy."
He referred to the unaccountable FISA court. It's virtually rubber-stamp. It mocks judicial fairness and legitimacy.
Judge Leon's ruling is an important step in the right direction. "While Congress has great latitude to create statutory scheme like FISA," he said, "it may not hang a cloak of secrecy over the Constitution."
EFF called his decision "historic." Ruling for Klayman and Strange symbolically condemns mass surveillance.
Obama's Justice Department relies on two Supreme Court rulings. In Miller v. United States (1976), the Supreme Court ruled:
"The Fourth Amendment does not prohibit the obtaining of information revealed to a third-party and conveyed by him to Government authorities, even if it is revealed on the assumption that it will be used only for a limited purpose and the confidence placed in the third-party will not be betrayed."
The Court added that information revealed to another source "takes the risk (of being) conveyed" to someone else.
In Smith v. Maryland (1979), the High Court extended the so-called third party doctrine to telephone communications.
It said in "expos(ing) that information" to phone company equipment, individuals "assumed the risk that the company would reveal to police the numbers dialed."
In US v. Jones (2012), Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor acknowledged the need to update Fourth Amendment protections, saying:
"People disclose the phone numbers that they dial or text to their cellular providers, the URLS that they visit and the e-mail addresses with which they correspond to their Internet service providers, and the books, groceries and medications they purchase to online retailers."
"I would not assume that all information voluntarily disclosed to some member of the public for a limited purpose is, for that reason alone, disentitled to Fourth Amendment protection."
In United States v. US District Court (the so-called Keith case) (1972), a unanimous Supreme Court ruling upheld Fourth Amendment protections in cases involving domestic surveillance targeting a domestic threat.
Judge Leon addressed Smith v. Maryland, saying:
"The question before me is not the same question that the Supreme Court confronted in Smith." It's "a far cry from the issue in this case."
He differentiated between then and now. Obtaining limited information on one person is vastly different from daily mass surveillance. He was blunt stating:
"This short-term, forward looking (as opposed to historical), and highly-limited data collection is what the Supreme Court was assessing in Smith."
"The NSA telephony metadata program, on the other hand, involves the creation and maintenance of a historical database containing five years' worth of data."
"And I might add, there is the very real prospect that the program will go on for as long as America is combatting terrorism, which realistically could be forever."
"Admittedly, what metadata is has not changed over time."
"As in Smith, the types of information at issue in this case are relatively limited: phone numbers dialed, date, time, and the like."
"But the ubiquity of phones has dramatically altered the quantity of the information that is now available, and more importantly, what that information can tell the Government about people’s lives."
"Put simply, people in 2013 have an entirely different relationship with phones than they did thirty-four years ago."
"Whereas some may assume that these cultural changes will force people to 'reconcile themselves' to an 'inevitable' 'diminution of privacy that new technology entails,' I think it is more likely that these trends have resulted in a greater expectation of privacy and a recognition that society views that expectation as reasonable."
In other words, privacy intrusions today are simple. They happen with digital age technology ease. Greater diligence is required to protect rights too important to lose.
Courts and Congress are obligated to do so. Judge Leon's ruling represents an important first step in the right direction. Lots more needs to be done.
A Final Comment
Edward Snowden issued a statement. He praised Judge Leon's ruling, saying:
"I acted on my belief that the NSA's mass surveillance programs would not withstand a constitutional challenge, and that the American public deserved a chance to see these issues determined by open courts."
"Today, a secret program authorized by a secret court was, when exposed to the light of day, found to violate Americans. rights. It is the first of many."
Separately, he offered to help Brazil investigate harmful NSA spying. He'll do it in return for permanent political asylum. He said so in an open letter to all Brazilians. Folha de S. Paulo published it.
It's a Brazilian daily broadsheet. Snowden in part said:
"I've expressed my willingness to assist where it's appropriate and legal, but, unfortunately, the US government has been working hard to limit my ability to do so."
"Until a country grants me permanent political asylum, the US government will continue to interfere with my ability to speak out."
Brazilian senators asked Snowden for help. He's willing to provide it.
"I don't want to live in a world where everything that I say, everything I do, everyone I talk to, every expression of creativity or love or friendship is recorded."
"That's not something I'm willing to support, it's not something I'm willing to build, and it's not something I'm willing to live under."
It remains to be seen if Brazil takes him up on his offer. Snowden urged it, concluding:
"If Brazil hears only one thing from me, let it be this: when all of us band together against injustices and in defense of privacy and basic human rights, we can defend ourselves from even the most powerful systems."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/fedeeral-judge-rules-mass-surveillance/
Washington’s Dirty Game in Ukraine
Washington's Dirty Game in Ukraineby Stephen LendmanWeeks of Ukraine street protests continue. Washington's dirty hands are involved. They're manipulating things disruptively. Imperial ruthlessness operates this way.International law is clear and unequ...
Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
Gaza's Humanitarian Crisis Deepensby Stephen LendmanIsrael's lawless siege caused Gazans unspeakable misery. It shows no signs of ending. It got worse. Around 1.8 million people are affected.Mother nature wasn't kind. Once in a century storm conditions...
US Supported Death Squads Massacre Syrian Civilians
US Supported Death Squads Massacre Syrian Civiliansby Stephen LendmanThey've done it many times before. They do so with full US support. Major media scoundrels wrongfully blame Assad. Other times they turn a blind eye to crimes too grave to ignore...
Making the World Safe for War Profiteers
Making the World Safe for War Profiteersby Stephen LendmanAdam Smith said governments are "instituted for the defense of the rich against the poor." Wars are waged to make them richer.Howard Zinn called war "terrorism magnified a hundred times." Make i...
1,000 Days and Counting
1,000 Days and Countingby Stephen LendmanDecember 13 marked the 1,000th day of Bahraini protests. At issue are long denied fundamental rights. Majority Shias face systematic discrimination. The ruling Al Khalifa monarchy governs lawlessly. Ruthles...
Obama Violates Geneva Agreement
Obama Violates Geneva Agreement
by Stephen Lendman
American agreements aren't worth the paper they're written on. US history reflects it. Iranians aren't surprised. More below on Washington's latest betrayal.
Native Americans suffered through centuries of heroic lost struggles. From 1492 to today, they experienced promises made and broken.
Winning the West involved betraying them. One US treaty after another was violated. Imperialism works this way. Things haven't changed. Today they're worse than ever.
Earlier US policy makers sought sea to shinning sea dominance. Today they want it globally. They want it unchallenged. They'll stop at nothing to get it.
Obama is America's latest rogue leader. He's a serial liar. His word isn't his bond. James Petras asked if the so-called "historic (Geneva) breakthrough" was real or a mirage.
Does it end 34 years of Iran bashing? Or is the latest US betrayal dressed up in legal diplomatic mumbo jumbo?
The Big Lie about an Iranian nuclear threat persists. It's fake. It's a red herring. US intelligence reports say so.
It's common knowledge in Washington. It doesn't matter. Congressional Iran bashing continues. So do punitive administration actions. More on that below.
Petras said Geneva ostensibly "is directed toward undermining Iran's potential 'capacity' to have a nuclear program: there are no weapons to destroy, no weapons plans exist, no war plans exist and there are no strategic offensive military operations on the Iranian 'drawing board.' "
"We know this because repeated US intelligence reports" say so.
"So the entire current negotiations are over weakening Iran's ongoing peaceful, legal nuclear program..."
They aim to "undermin(e) any future advance in nuclear technology that might protect Iran from an Israeli or US attack.."
Longstanding US/Israeli policy prioritizes destroying Iranian independence. It's replacing it with pro-Western puppet governance.
It's advancing US/Israeli imperialism. It's eliminating all rival states. It's establishing unchallenged control. It's going all out by whatever means necessary.
For decades, Iran sought normalized relations with Washington and other Western countries. For years, it offered major nuclear program concessions.
It did so in vain. Sincere efforts were rebuffed. Is Iran again being set up? Is Geneva more mirage than real? Does betrayal remain official US policy?
On the one hand, Obama officials asked Congress to hold off on new sanctions. On the other, he imposed his own.
Doing so reveals his duplicity. It suggests his real intentions. His latest move shows it.
On December 12, an administration press release headlined "Additional Treasury and State Designations Targeting Networks Linked to Iran WMD Proliferation and Sanctions Evasion." In part it said:
"Today, the US Departments of the Treasury and State announced the designation of a number of companies and individuals for evading international sanctions against Iran and for providing support for Iran’s nuclear program."
"The Joint Plan of Action reached in Geneva does not, and will not, interfere with our continued efforts to expose and disrupt those supporting Iran’s nuclear program or seeking to evade our sanctions."
Targeted companies included Mid Oil Asia, Singa Tankers, Siqiriya Maritime, and Ferland Company Limited among others.
Iranian companies included Eyvaz Technic Manufacturing Company, The Exploration and Nuclear Raw Materials Production Company, Maro Sanat, Navid Composite Material Company, Negin Parto Khavar.
Authority cited was Obama's June 3, 2013 Executive Order 13645. It's titled "Authorizing the Implementation of Certain Sanctions Set Forth in the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 and Additional Sanctions With Respect To Iran."
It orders the Treasury and State Departments to impose them. Doing so violates the letter and spirit of Geneva.
It modestly eased some sanctions. Agreement was reached on refraining from imposing new ones. It did so throughout the interim agreement's six month period.
Iran's Majlis is its Islamic Consultative Assembly. It's Iran's parliament. Alaeddin Boroujerdi chairs its National Security and Foreign Policy Committee. He accused Washington of violating Geneva, saying:
"Undoubtedly, the latest US move to blacklist a number of Iranian companies and institutions is the flagrant violation of the Geneva nuclear accord, and the US officials revealed that they are not trustworthy."
"The recent US action showed that this country, despite its claim of being a world superpower, is in practice a follower of Zionist lobbies and is incapable of acting independently concerning its affairs and policies."
"Given (America's) hostile approach and the violation of (Geneva), one cannot be optimistic about the future of the nuclear talks."
"We should take (all) necessary measures to expedite our peaceful (nuclear) activities."
Mohammad Khazaei is Iran's UN envoy. "Although American officials link the recent measures to the sanctions imposed before the Geneva talks, such moves can, at this juncture, have serious negative consequences on the trend of the negotiations," he said.
"At this juncture, the negative implications of this move will deepen the suspicions of the Iranian nation and the international community which are waiting for a comprehensive win-win agreement as a result of the talks," he added.
"The move will also see the negotiations lose international and Iranians' support."
On December 12, The New York Times headlined "White House Punishes More Firms over Iran Sanctions," saying:
"(T)he Obama administration announced an expanded list of (targeted) companies and individuals." It aims "to block their trading activities around the world."
Asian, European and Iranian companies were named.
Singapore's Mid Oil Asia was "accused of helping the National Iranian Tanker Company make payments for services through money transfers."
It allegedly omitted naming vessels involved or their Iranian ownership. Singapore Tankers was accused of helping Iran make "urgent payments."
Five companies were accused of helping Tehran's nuclear and missile program.
Iran's Eyvaz Technic Manufacturing Company was accused of obtaining sensitive, hard to build centrifuge components.
Another company was accused of helping Iran build its Arak heavy water facility.
David Cohen is US Treasury Department Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. He said new sanctions show Washington's economic pressure will continue.
"Today's actions should be a stark reminder to businesses, banks and brokers everywhere that we will continue relentlessly to enforce our sanctions, even as we explore the possibility of a long-term, comprehensive resolution of our concerns with Iran's nuclear program," he said.
"No one should doubt our resolve to continue to hold accountable those involved in illicit conduct. Iran is still off limits."
Cohen said sanctions pressure in the new year will escalate. He disingenuously claimed doing so won't undermine Geneva.
He denied any link between new penalties and congressional efforts to pass sanctions.
At the same time, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman told Senate Banking Committee members:
"Now is not the time to introduce new sanctions because doing so could risk derailing the promising first step."
The administration is "prepared to ramp up sanctions" if Iran violates Geneva or a comprehensive deal proves unattainable.
An unnamed senior Obama administration official said:
"The sanctions framework that remains in place will allow us to continue to apply pressure on the Iranian government and the Iranian economy."
Doing so sends a "loud and clear message that we are quite serious about taking action against anyone who engages in this activity."
It sends a louder/clearer one about Obama's real intentions. It bears repeating what previous articles stressed.
Throughout his tenure, he broke every major promise made. He said one thing. He did another. Is this time different?"
Evidence so far shows duplicitous business as usual continues. Obama can't be trusted. He's a con man. He's a rogue leader. He's an unindicted war criminal.
On November 24, Geneva terms were agreed on. Doing so was hailed as a "historic breakthrough." It appears more subterfuge than changed policy.
Same old, same old persists. Iranian officials responded angrily. Vienna nuclear talks ended abruptly. They began Monday. On Thursday, they were halted.
The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted an unnamed Tehran official saying "Iran has ended the talks because of the addition of more individuals and companies to the sanctions list. It was against the path of agreements."
On December 14, Tehran's Mehr News headlined "Iran says new US sanctions go against the spirit of Geneva deal."
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said:
"The US administration has been recently making efforts to prevent the Senate from imposing new sanctions on Iran, and on the other hand they blacklist a number of additional companies under sanctions."
"This double game and indecision is not to the benefit of the negotiation atmosphere and is against the spirit of the Geneva agreement."
“We are evaluating the situation and will react accordingly."
Iran's Foreign Minister spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham added:
"The responsibility of the consequences of the imprudent measures rests with the US government."
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "The US administration's decision goes against the spirit of this document."
"Widening American 'blacklists' could seriously complicate the fulfillment of the Geneva agreement, which proposes easing the sanctions regime."
It bears repeating. US history reflects a trail of broken treaties and promises. This time appears no different.
Separately, The New York Times headlined "A Disappearing Spy, and a Scandal at the CIA."
Robert Levinson was a former FBI agent. In 2007, he went missing in Iran. He did so during a visit to Iran's Kish Island. He's been identified as a CIA spy.
The Times quoted him saying he's "done quite a few other crazy things in (his) life. I am questioning just why, at this point, with seven kids and a great wife, why would I put myself in such jeopardy."
A cover story said he was working on a documentary film. Other fabrications claimed he was investigating cigarette smuggling or researching a book on Russia's mafia.
"(H)e was a CIA contractor," said The Times. His disappearance cost three agency officials their jobs.
AP said he was on an unapproved mission. "He vanished while investigating the Iranian government for the US."
The CIA paid Levinson's family $2.5 million, said AP. It did so "to pre-empt a revealing lawsuit."
"This story reveals serious mistakes and improper actions inside the US government's most important intelligence agency," a separate AP statement added.
"Those actions, the investigation and consequences have all been kept secret from the public."
Iranians officials know full well how America operates. Spying reflects one of many longstanding reprehensible US activities.
They remain ongoing disruptively. They bode ill for ending 34 years of Iran bashing. So does breaching the letter and spirit of Geneva.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/obama-violates-geneva-agreement/
Rigging Foreign Exchange Markets
Rigging Foreign Exchange Marketsby Stephen LendmanIt's the world's largest financial market. It trades around $5 trillion daily. It's more than all global equity markets combined. It operates round-the-clock. It's manipulated for profit. More on that b...
Beltway Bandit Named Senior Obama Adviser
Beltway Bandit Named Senior Obama Adviserby Stephen LendmanOn December 11, Obama named John Podesta senior "counselor to the president." According to the White House, he'll mainly advise on energy, climate, and healthcare issues. Expect him to hea...
Hardball US Geopolitics
Hardball US Geopoliticsby Stephen LendmanAmerica seeks unchallenged global dominance. No holds barred tactics pursue it. Rule of law principles don't matter. Means justify ends. Might makes right.Events are manipulated. Wars, economic disruption, finan...
The Iran Sanctions Game
The Iran Sanctions Gameby Stephen LendmanIran threatens no one. It's nuclear program is peaceful. Multiple rounds of US-dictated sanctions are illegal.They target millions of ordinary Iranians. They target Iran's economy. Neocons want stiffer sanctions...
Venezuela v. US Budget Priorities
Venezuelan v. US Budget Prioritiesby Stephen LendmanBoth countries are polar opposites. Bolivarian fairness defines Venezuela. Government of, by and for wealth, power and privilege describes America.Venezuela treats all its people equitably. America ex...
US Hawks Want War on Iran
US Hawks Want War on Iranby Stephen LendmanNeocons infest Washington. Norman Podhoretz is one many loathsome examples. On December 11, he headlined a Wall Street Journal op-ed "Strike Iran Now to Avert Disaster Later."No respectable editors would touch...
The Battle for Ukraine
The Battle for Ukraineby Stephen LendmanUkraine matters. It's strategically located. It's in Europe's geographic center. It borders seven countries.In alphabetical order, they include Belarus, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Russia. Aft...
Congressional Budget Deal Betrayal
Congressional Budget Deal Betrayal
by Stephen Lendman
Days ahead of adjourning until January, bipartisan complicity struck a deal no responsible government would accept.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R. WI) and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D. WA) were involved.
On Tuesday, Obama thanked them for doing so. He asked for swift congressional action "so (he) can sign it into law and our economy can continue growing and creating jobs without more Washington headwinds."
He's mindless of the harm it causes. Throughout his tenure, he's waged war on social justice.
He wants America's resources earmarked for militarism, homeland repression, and generous corporate handouts.
Monied interests benefit enormously. Ordinary people are systematically denied. Budget terms hit them harder. More on that below.
Obama called Tuesday's agreement "a good first step." He lied saying it'll grow the economy and strengthen the middle class.
He wrecked both throughout his tenure. He wants ordinary people hit harder going forward. He wants them increasingly on their own out of luck.
Budget terms replace a small portion of harmful sequester cuts. It's far too little to matter. Around $1.2 trillion over 10 years was agreed on. Well over $1 trillion remains. Expect lots more added later.
Cuts target vital social programs too important to lose. Deficit savings come mostly at the expense of Medicare providers. They've been hit hard before. They're targeted again.
Doctors and hospitals lose another 2% of their income. Doing so amounts to over $120 billion over 10 years. Social Security and Medicaid were spared.
Federation of American Hospitals president Chip Kahn criticized the deal, saying:
"America’s hospitals have grave concerns about the Murray-Ryan proposed budget agreement and urge Members of Congress to oppose it."
"The budget agreement threatens access to critical health care services for seniors by trading off Medicare cuts for increases in government and defense spending today."
"Rather than providing relief to the arbitrary Medicare sequester cuts, this agreement maintains the current cuts and extends these cuts into the future."
"It sustains bad budget policy under the guise of solving real mandatory spending issues facing this country."
Last spring, American Medical Association president Dr. Jeremy Lazarus said:
"Over the last 12 years, Medicare payments to physicians increased only 4%, while the cost of providing care jumped 20%." Budget cuts make it harder for patients to get care, he added.
"One in five Medicare patients already (face) difficulties in finding a doctor to take them. If you cut their pay, this access problem will only get worse."
Federal law triggers annual Medicare cuts. Congress blocked a 29% provider cut last January. It blocked others over the past decade.
Deficit reduction is too meager to matter. A short explanation said:
"The budget proposal saves $28 billion over ten years by requiring the President to sequester the same percentage of mandatory budgetary resources in 2022 and 2023 as will be sequestered in 2021 under current law."
So-called mandatory budget resources refers mostly to Medicare providers. Budget deal terms are for two years. Government remains funded through September 30, 2015.
Cuts are about $63 billion in mostly domestic programs. FY 2014 spending increases to $1.012 trillion. In FY 2015, it's higher at $1.014 trillion.
This year's spending reflected compromise. Months earlier, Senate members passed a $1.058 trillion budget. House members approved $967.
Current fiscal year military spending is $520.5 billion. Generous off-budget add-ons and black budgets add tens of billions more.
Domestic programs are allocated $491.8 billion. Around $63 billion in new spending over the next two years provides somewhat more for Pentagon priorities than domestic ones.
Most sequester cuts are delayed. They'll continue annually through FY 2024. They'll be more later than now. Expect new cuts in the interim.
Social America is on the chopping block for elimination. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are prime targets. Expect stiff cuts later on.
Current ones affect Medicare providers. They hit newly hired federal workers. They'll pay more into their pension fund.
Washington will contribute less. Effectively their pay is cut. It comes when inflation is far more than officially reported. Current federal employees aren't affected.
Military retirees under age 62 face a 1% cost-of-living (COLA) cut. They'll get less than they expected and deserve.
Selected government fees rise. Air travel got more expensive. One-way increases from $2.50 to $5.60. For round trips, it's $11.20.
It's for TSA security. It's more illusion than reality. It enriches well-connected providers. They profit hugely.
Scamming people to falsely believe they're safer pays well. Profiteers will earn more going forward. They'll do so at travelers' expense.
A dozen or more other cuts are imposed. They save a billion here, a few billion there. Combined they decrease government services.
They do so when increasing vital domestic ones should be prioritized. Regressive policies head them the wrong way.
Agreement terms don't raise the debt limit. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates it'll be reached between March and June.
In October, Congress agreed to suspend the borrowing limit until February 7, 2014. Emergency Treasury measures let Washington keep doing it short-term.
They include suspending pension payments. Neither party said how they'll resolve the debt ceiling as next February approaches. Political brinksmanship may repeat.
Congress never failed to raise it. Since 1940, they did so 79 times. It lets the Treasury borrow more money. It's needed to pay federal obligations on time.
In theory, the debt ceiling is supposed to control federal spending. In reality, it does nothing of the sort. Expect another increase before Washington runs out of money next year.
Democrats largely support the budget deal. So do most House Republicans. Speaker John Boehner said:
"While modest in scale, this agreement represents a positive step forward by replacing one-time spending cuts with permanent reforms to mandatory spending programs that will produce real, lasting savings."
Some Republicans oppose it. Senator Rand Paul (R. KY) said "undoing tens of billions of this modest spending restraint is shameful and must be opposed."
Americans for Prosperity is a Koch Brothers affiliated group. AFP president Tim Phillips said:
"The American people demanded, and were promised, reasonable spending limits. Politicians choosing to go back on their promise will be held accountable for their actions."
"Republicans should once again stand firm in upholding the modest sequestration spending cuts."
Budget terms delivered a lump of coal for Christmas. Around 1.3 million longterm jobless workers are affected. Their unemployment benefits expire yearend.
Republicans, Democrats and Obama agreed. They won't be extended. They'll be cut off. So will another 3.6 million unemployed in the first and second 2014 quarters.
By summer next year, nearly five million needy people will be dumped. They'll be ignored. So will their families.
Tax cuts for rich elites went untouched. So did generous corporate handouts. In 2014, they'll get lower tax rates. It's separate from the budget deal. It keeps America's war machine well funded.
Vulnerable unemployed workers are on their own. It comes during protracted Main Street Depression conditions.
Real unemployment tops 23%. Fake numbers conceal reality. So-called recovery is a convenient illusion.
Leaving five million unemployed workers and their families on their own any time is reprehensible. Doing it when hard times keep getting harder is unconscionable.
Doing it while generously funding corporate interests and war profiteering exceeds harshness.
Imagine! The world's richest country doesn't care. Popular interests go begging. Others benefitting wealth, power and privilege matter most.
Budget deal duplicity continues force-fed austerity. Obama's tenure reflects multiple rounds of social spending cuts. Vital programs were slashed.
Medicare was hard hit. More cuts are planned. Other vital programs are targeted. They face major cutbacks or elimination altogether.
Food stamp recipients were hit at the worst possible time. America's hungry face less help ahead. Homeless people are entirely on their own.
America's most disadvantaged face harder than ever hard times. Budget priorities increasingly ignore them.
Millions needlessly suffer. Bipartisan duplicity force feeds misery. Obama mandates it. So do most congressional members. Washington wages financial war on its most disadvantaged.
Neoliberal harshness is official policy. So is destroying America's social contract. I don't care defines Washington's agenda. Profiles in courage are sorely lacking.
Waging war on living standards reflects race to the bottom priorities. America was never beautiful. It's worse than ever in modern times.
Institutionalized inequality defines immorality. Future prospects look grim. America appears headed for third world status.
Disproportionate wealth and poverty extremes reflect it. So do millions of hungry children.
Leaving them on their own ill-nourished bears testimony to callous indifference. Bipartisan complicity assures it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/congressional-budget-deal-duplicity/
Disturbing Obamacare Surprises
Disturbing Obamacare Surprises
by Stephen Lendman
Consumers are in for many rude surprises. Soon enough they'll know they've been scammed.
A previous article discussed insurers limiting hospital and doctor choices. Doing so cuts costs. Sacrificed is treatment from relied on providers when most needed.
Using their services requires paying costs out-of-pocket. Obama lied claiming:
"If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period," he said.
"If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what."
Obamacare deception is one of many lies he told. Marketplace medicine doesn't work. Obamacare prioritizes corporate profits. It does so at the expense of proper healthcare.
It's not a commodity. It's a fundamental human right. Not in America. Not under Obamacare for sure. Bottom line priorities matter most.
On December 6, the Washington Examiner headlined "Doctors boycotting California's Obamacare exchange," saying:
"An estimated seven out of every 10 physicians in deep-blue California are rebelling against the state's Obamacare health insurance exchange and won't participate, the head of the state's largest medical association said."
According to California Medical Association (CMA) president Dr. Richard Thorp:
"It doesn't surprise me that there's been a high rate of nonparticipation."
"We need some recognition that we're doing a service to the community. But we can't do it for free. And we can’t do it at a loss. No other business would do that."
CMA represents about 104,000 California doctors. California offers one of the nation's lowest reimbursement rates.
It's 30% lower than Medicare payments. Some reimbursement rates are even lower.
In September, insurers pegged them to California's Medicaid plan (Medi-Cal). Many doctors opted out in response.
Others consider early retirement. Former San Diego County Medical Society president Theodore Mazer said he just turned 55.
"Maybe there's something else we can do because this is just getting too onerous to keep on going," he said.
With many California doctors opting out or retiring, state healthcare could be overwhelmed. Other states may experience similar problems.
Alameda County Health Care Services Agency director Alex Biscoe already complains of a physician shortage.
It'll "get worse as more people enter the market," he said. He's not surprised about large numbers of doctors refusing to participate in a bad system.
If enough opt out nationwide, millions needing treatment won't get it. Others won't get adequate care for serious illnesses.
Healthcare in America is already dysfunctional for millions. Obamacare makes a bad system worse.
Around half of US households have employer-provided health insurance. By 2016, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates six million fewer people receiving it.
US Chamber of Commerce/International Franchise Association survey information shows 28% of mid-size companies plan to drop coverage. It's cheaper to pay imposed penalties than provide it.
Large and smaller firms maintaining it are shifting costs increasingly to employees. In 2015, Obamacare requires companies with 50 or more workers to provide coverage for full-time staff. Penalties are imposed on ones that don't.
National Retail Federation vice president Neil Trautwein said it's "definitely…less expensive to pay (them) than provide coverage."
At the same time, most companies prioritize temporary or part-time workers. They avoid full-time ones as much as possible. Doing so avoids having to provide health insurance.
Last August, Forbes magazine headlined "It's Fact, Not Anecdote, That ObamaCare Is Turning Us Into A Part-Time Nation," saying:
"An avalanche of 'anecdotes' continues to pile up as workers across the country are having their hours cut and their health benefits slashed across a broad range of industries."
Many employers say they have no choice. United Food and Commercial Workers Union president Joseph Hansen originally supported Obamacare.
No longer. It's having a "tremendous impact as workers have their hours reduced and their incomes reduced," he said.
Current data show one full-time job created for every four part-time ones. Employers have to play or pay. They're opting out by cutting back on full-time employees.
A Chamber of Commerce survey showed 71% of small businesses saying Obamacare makes growth harder.
Many said they'll either cut hours of full-time workers or replace them with part-time ones. One-fourth said they'll reduce hiring to stay under the 50-employee benchmark.
Large companies "are being hit, too," said Forbes. Delta Airlines estimates an extra $100 million healthcare cost increase in 2014.
UPS is cutting eligibility for employee spouses with access to healthcare elsewhere. The University of Virginia is limiting spouse health benefits.
Lots more than Obamacare turned America into a part-time nation. Employers gamed the troubled economy. They're still doing it.
They've cut staff, reduced wages, trimmed benefits, and shifted more heavily to temporary or part-time workers.
Obamacare makes things worse. It remains to be seen how severely going forward. Evidence so far isn't encouraging.
Struggling households face increasing stiff headwinds. They're more than ever on their own to get by. Obamacare adds an extra burden. It does so at the wrong time.
On December 4, the Wall Street Journal headlined "Drug-Cost Surprises Lurk Inside New Health Plans," saying:
"(D)epending on the coverage they select," consumers on expensive medications will end up paying up to half the cost themselves.
Many cancer, hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV, and other patients are in for rude surprises.
"(T)he lower a plan's monthly premium, the higher the portion of drug costs patients must bear," said the Journal. Other factors are involved.
They include "whether a medication is on the insurer's covered-drug list, or formulary; in what level, or tier, of coverage it is; and what cost-sharing formula applies to that tier."
It "can vary from plan to plan even among those offered by the same insurer in the same bronze, silver or other category."
Drug tiers depend on insurer/Big Pharma price arrangements. They "can make a huge difference in patient costs," said the Journal.
Understanding what various plans provide is hugely challenging. Doing so requires careful due diligence. Too few consumers bother.
Clear information isn't easy to access. Arthritis Foundation advocacy director Kimberly Beer said:
"We're concerned that people may be attracted to plans with low premiums and not have much drug coverage at all."
According to Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York Aids counselor Alexandra Remmel:
"Right now, the problem is not getting access to care - it's getting access to information."
Consumers complain about trying to find the right plan. Obamacare makes it harder, not easier.
On December 9, the Washington Post headlined "AIDS advocates say drug coverage in some marketplace plans is inadequate."
Insurers can't deny coverage to consumers seeking it. Even sick ones. They've got other ways to game the system. Examples above were discussed.
Patient advocates said some insurers "found a way to discourage the chronically ill from enrolling in their plans," said WaPo.
One way among others is offering "skimpy" drug coverage "for those with expensive conditions."
Some plans don't cover HIV medications. Or they require patients to pay up to half the cost. For some, it's over $1,000 monthly. It's much more than most people can afford.
AIDS Foundation of Chicago vice president John Peller said:
"The fear is that they are putting discriminatory plan designs into place to try to deter certain people from enrolling by not covering the medications they need, or putting policies in place that make them jump through hoops to get care."
According to National Health Council executive vice president Marc Boutin:
"The easiest way (for insurers) to identify a core group of people that is going to cost you a lot of money is to look at the medicines they need, and the easiest way to make your plan less appealing is to put limitations on these products."
Bottom line priorities depend on it. Insurers are experts at gaming the system. They've always done it. Especially in recent decades.
Swallowing Obamacare is enough to make most people sick. For insurers, it's a potential bonanza. Millions more consumers must be covered. Insurers have lots of wiggle room.
They can't turn away customers based on pre-existing or other conditions. They can discourage them in lots of ways.
They can make them pay half the cost of expensive drugs. They can restrict hospital and doctor choices.
They can pay limited amounts for treatments. They can require doctors to use certain drugs before prescribing more expensive ones.
They can do lots of things to make money. Key is attracting more healthy people and fewer sick ones. Important also is making healthcare decisions that should be solely up to doctors.
"A new (Avalere Health) analysis of (marketplace exchange plans) found that the benefits tend to be skimpier than in most other private insurance in the United States, with drug benefits a particular weak spot," said WaPo.
Patients needing expensive drugs "could encounter big bills right away." Avalere's head, Dan Mendelson, believes employers may go the same way as exchanges.
It's already happening. It's less expensive. It shifts costs to employees. Former MS Consortium neurologist Daniel Kantor believes "2014 is going to be a scary year."
"People are going to have to stop taking medicines they are already stable on because of this," he said.
Insurers hope "if they make in inconvenient for people with MS to get treatment, they will leave their rolls."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates over 1.1 million HIV/AIDS infected Americans.
About 50,000 more are infected annually. Around 15,000 die each year. "Perhaps the most politically sensitive issue related to drug coverage involves people" currently affected, said WaPo.
Studies show a single tablet/three to four HIV meds combined works best. It reduces hospitalizations. It keeps patients healthier.
An AIDS group coalition voiced concerns. It reviewed nationwide health plans. It found at least 47 exclude single tablet coverage and other standard treatments.
Some insurers are reconsidering earlier decisions. They may begin covering the drug. They may cut other costs to compensate. They may require patients to pay up to half the cost.
Plans excluding life-saving drugs show how insurers can game the system profitably. So does making patients pay plenty for expensive drugs covered.
Universal single payer coverage alone works. Everyone in, no one out should be mandated.
Insurers are predatory middlemen. They add around $400 billion annually to healthcare costs. They provide no care to ill patients.
America is the only developed nation without some form of government provided universal coverage.
Obamacare scams consumers. It rations care. It makes America's dysfunctional system worse. It sacrifices healthcare for profits. It does so irresponsibly.
Universal coverage provides care for everyone. It does it cheaper. Medicare for all alone works.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/peace-without-occupation/
http://www.dailycensored.com/disturbing-obamacare-surprises/
AIPAC Pressure Threatens Iran Nuclear Deal
AIPAC Pressure Threatens Iran Nuclear Dealby Stephen LendmanAIPAC wants the deal scuttled. It wants much tougher terms. It wants Tehran's government replaced. It wants a pro-Western one instead. It wants an Israeli rival removed. It exerts enormou...
Human Rights Day 2013
Human Rights Day 2013
by Stephen Lendman
In 1950, the UN proclaimed December 10 Human Rights Day. It did so to affirm the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the UDHR drafting committee. Seventeen other political, cultural and religious figures joined her. She said:
"We must show by our behavior that we believe in equality and justice and that our religion teaches faith and love and charity to our fellow men."
"Here is where each of us has a job to do that must be done at home, because we can lose the battle on the soil of the United States just as surely as we can lose it in any one of the countries of the world."
In September 1948, its first draft was completed. Over 50 member states were involved.
On December 10, 1948, UN Resolution 217 A (III) adopted UNHR. No members dissented. Eight abstained. Despite emerging Cold War tensions, common ground was found.
UNHR's 30 articles pledged "to promote respect for (fundamental human) rights and freedoms...both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction."
It called "the inherent dignity (and) equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world."
World War II atrocities inspired UNHR. The UN Charter's Preamble vowed never again. "(S)av(ing) succeeding generations from the scourge of war" was prioritized.
So was "reaffirm(ing) faith in fundamental human rights," "assur(ing) (respect for) justice and international law," and "promot(ing) social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom."
Since 1945, the UN failed dismally on all counts. Multiple global wars persist. Rule of law principles don't matter. Human rights are consistently ignored. Democracy is more illusion than reality.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is a US-installed imperial stooge. Disingenuously he said "let us intensify our efforts to fulfill our collective responsibility to promote and protects the rights and dignity of all people everywhere."
Throughout his tenure, he irresponsibly spurned them. He ignores what he's mandated to uphold. He one-sidedly backs wealth and power interests. Popular ones went begging on his watch. They still do.
He's done nothing to help long-suffering Palestinians. He turns a blind eye to horrific Israeli human rights violations. He does so consistently. He does it repeatedly.
He shames the high office he holds. He's in league with rogue powers. So are other senior UN officials.
On December 6, 2011, Haaretz editors headlined "Human rights in Israel are in jeopardy," saying:
"Israel ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." It spurns them consistently. It pays lip service to what it abhors. It shows in how occupied Palestinians are treated.
Israel's longstanding Human Rights Record is deplorable. On December 9, the Jerusalem Post headlined "ACRI annual report slams human rights problem with Israeli Arabs, migrants."
Ahead of Human Rights Day, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) reviewed major 2013 trends.
They reflect horrific treatment of "weaker sectors of society, discrimination against Israeli Arabs, (as well as) African migrants and" nonviolent protesters.
Violations include "rolling back subsidies for young children and the elderly, cutting off the supply of water to people who could not afford timely payments and the elimination of public housing."
Racist attacks increased. Workplace discrimination is widespread. Knesset legislation institutionalized repressive practices.
High Court rulings were circumvented. Ruling authorities consistently ignore them. Arab citizens and African migrants endure horrific abuses.
ACRI CEO Hagai Elad said:
"The annual report is a reminder of how much more work there is to do to improve the defense of the rights of the sons and daughters of Israel.”
"(W)ith our joint efforts, we hold in our hands the power to change the situation, not only to be those who raise (attention) to harming rights, but also to be the generators of change."
Elad also said "(o)ccupation will never be consistent with human rights." It reflects the worst of racist repression.
Militarized occupation is ruthless. On December 9, Addameer headlined "International Human Rights Day…Palestinian People's Suffering Continues."
This year "coincides with" Oslo's 20th anniversary. Palestinians got nothing in return for renouncing armed struggle.
Settler numbers tripled from 200,000 in September 1993 to well over 600,000 now. Israel wants permanent occupation legitimacy.
Sovereign Palestinian freedom is denied. Peace in our time is more illusion than reality.
"...Human Rights comes this year while the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) is continuously deteriorating, and the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the rules international human rights law derived from it, and international humanitarian law are violated," said Addameer.
"This year may be considered the worst at the level of the catastrophic deterioration of the Palestinian human rights situation resulting from" virtually daily Israeli crimes against humanity.
They include multiple daily home invasions, mass arrests, abusing young children like adults, targeted assassinations, kidnappings, torture, land theft, violent ethnic cleansing, calling Palestinian self-defense terrorism, and committing slow-motion genocide against 1.7 million Gazans.
World leaders able to make a difference turn a blind eye.
"Today, it is disgraceful that Palestinians have (to keep) struggl(ing) for freedom and self-determination (and must beg) for their rights to life, food, health care and living conditions that preserve their dignity, while their natural right to freedom and enjoyment of all civil and political rights as well as their cultural, social and economic rights continue to be denied," said Addameer.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) addressed this year's Human Rights Day commemoration.
It comes when Occupied Palestinian conditions keep deteriorating. Israel consistently violates core international humanitarian law principles.
It controls about 60% of stolen Palestinian land. Militarized occupation is ruthless. Palestinians are increasingly isolated in ghettoized bantustans.
Ethnic cleansing continues daily. International protection is entirely absent. Palestinians aren't sure each day if they'll see another.
Palestine is an isolated prison. Besieged Gaza is the world's largest open-air one. An entire population is being suffocated out of existence.
Palestinians endure virtually every type human rights abuse imaginable. They endure it multiple times daily. They endure it horrifically.
They sustain what no people anywhere should have to suffer. They do it isolated on their own virtually out of sight and mind. At the same time, sham peace talks continue.
Israeli-style peace is none at all. It's ruthless militarized occupation. It masquerades as self-defense.
Israeli historian Ilan Pappe believes Palestinians "don't have the luxury to wait" for Israel to change. It's been hardline for 65 years. It's more ruthless than ever now.
It's "more chauvinistic, ethnocentric (and) intransigent," said Pappe. Peaceful conflict resolution remains a distant hope. It's a present day illusion.
Waiting for Israel to change exacts an enormous price. Ignoring Israeli crimes assures increasing them. Stopping what's ongoing more than ever is urgent.
A "powerful model of (outside) pressure" is needed, said Pappe. It won't come from leaders able to make a difference. It's up to civil society. Initiatives like BDS are important.
Much more is needed. Sustaining it is vital. So is increasing it. Doing it globally. Attracting growing numbers of Jews. Including Israelis for long denied justice.
It's not easy. It takes time. Sunshine is the best disinfectant. The more the better. Big Truths repeated enough attract growing numbers of adherents.
Doing so represent steps one and two for change. The power of overwhelming popular sentiment works.
Politicians most want reelection. Spurning constituent wishes risks defeat. Pappe believes reality on the ground in Palestine reflects a one-state solution, not two.
"Five minutes on the ground shows you that the one state is already there," he says.
"It's a non-democratic apartheid regime." It's vital to change it. "You need to think about how to change the relations between the communities, how to affect the power structure in place."
How to transform an Israeli apartheid state into one nation with equal rights for all its people matters most. No other solution works.
On Human Rights Day 2013, that message should resonate. It's a core issue to support.
It's perhaps the best chance for conflict resolution. Maybe the only one. Continuing decades of repression assures none.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
http://www.dailycensored.com/peace-without-occupation/
Obama Sentences Lynne Stewart to Death
Obama Sentences Lynne Stewart to Deathby Stephen LendmanLynne's crime was compassion. She was imprisoned for doing the right thing. She did it honestly, admirably and courageously. She did it defending some of America's most disadvantaged for 30 y...
Peace Without Occupation
Peace Without Occupationby Stephen LendmanFor millions of occupied Palestinians, diaspora ones, and legions of global supporters, it remains a distant unfulfilled dream. It's been this way for decades. Rogue Israeli governance prevents responsible...