July 2008

Using a Crime To Justify a War
Posted: Wednesday, July 23, 2008

¤ Cuban-Venezuelan ties boom under Raul Castro
¤ Cuba and Venezuela to lay undersea Internet cable
¤ US picks compromise over confrontation with Iran
¤ Obama commits himself to Israel's security

¤ Obama (and Big Media) Turn Blind Eye to Israeli Apartheid
The presidential campaigns of Democrats and Republicans are no more about placing issues before the US public than competing commercials for new cars or bottled water are about the facts. Brought to us by the same corporate marketers that sell us lifestyles and beer, mainstream presidential campaigns aim to establish and exploit visceral, fact-proof loyalties to the brand of a party or candidate. The fact-proof nature of the Obama brand, and the lengths corporate media go to protect it were on prominent display during the candidate's brief visit to Israel Palestine this week.

¤ Blackwater Is Here to Stay

¤ G8 to Poor Women: Let Them Eat Dirt
Last week, leaders of the world's richest countries, the Group of Eight (G8), met to chart the course of the global economy at the luxurious Windsor Hotel Toya Resort and Spa in Toyako, Japan. While President Bush and his colleagues discussed world hunger over a six-course lunch, women in Haiti were preparing cakes of dirt for their children's dinner.

Eating dirt, mixed with salt and vegetable shortening, is the latest coping strategy of Haitian mothers trying to quiet hungry children in a year when the cost of rice (Haiti's staple food) has risen nearly 150 percent.

¤ Nine Reasons to Investigate War Crimes Now

¤ ‘Justifying' Torture: Two Big Lies
One can assume that former Attorney General John Ashcroft didn't mean it to be funny, but his testimony on Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee might strike one as hilarious, were it not for the issue at hand - torture.
Ashcroft is the Attorney General who approved torture before he disapproved it, but committee members spared him accusations of flip-flopping.
He explained that he initially blessed the infamous torture memoranda drafted by Justice Department lawyer John Yoo and others in mid-2002 because he (Ashcroft) believed it imperative to afford the President "the benefit of genuine doubt" regarding how to protect American lives in the "war on terror."

¤ Wal-Mart: Low Prices, but at What Cost?
¤ Here's Oil in Your Eye
¤ The Next New Yorker Cover Must Be ‘McBush'
¤ The Mother of All Messes
¤ How to Beat a Mining Company
¤ Are 400,000 Terrorists, 44 Terrorist Groups, and Five State Sponsors of Terror Trying to Attack the United States?

¤ Drive-by Cover Cartoon: The New Yorker Magazine Whacks the Obamas
"One good way to ensure that we continue to enjoy something like freedom of expression in America is to practice self-restraint when there is a temptation to abuse liberty as license."

¤ Using a Crime To Justify a War
¤ Why is Gordon Brown repeating a mistranslation ?

¤ Venezuela Leader in Belarus Decries "U.S. Imperialism"
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez vowed on Wednesday to work with Belarus, an ex-Soviet state long at odds with Washington, to defeat "hegemonistic" U.S. imperialism.
Chavez, a self-styled socialist revolutionary, was making his third visit to Belarus in as many years after overseeing energy deals in Russia that consolidated his country's relations with Moscow.

¤ United States Unfolding Financial and Economic Nightmare

¤ 50 Cent sues Taco Bell in NY over ad campaign

Zimbabwe: The return of colonial relations?
Posted: Monday, July 21, 2008

By Marion O'Callaghan
Monday, July 21 2008
newsday.co.tt

Gordon Brown, speaking after the Zimbabwean elections, made two important points. They are of interest beyond Mugabe's Zimbabwe. The first was a general remark on colonialism. The Labour Party, according to Gordon Brown, was never part of colonisation – they colonised no one.

The second important remark concerned the conditions under which the UK's and Europe's opposition to the Zimbabwean regime would end. These conditions were not only free and fair elections. They were also the return of lands seized, to their owners, or the payment of compensation. It should be noted that without in any way denying the personal horror of gangs unilaterally seizing property, this last is in contrast with the recent Canadian Government's position on the alienation of Amerindian lands. It is also in opposition to one of the gains of the 1970s and 80s: the recognition of communal ownership – the type of ownership in pre-industrial societies.
Full Article : newsday.co.tt

How Zimbabwe Exposes Mainstream Media
Posted: Sunday, July 20, 2008

By Ras Tyehimba
July 20, 2008

The recent Zimbabwe elections saw an escalation of attempts by external forces to intervene in the sovereign and independent nation. Given the complex circumstances surrounding Zimbabwe, for the millions of people in the Caribbean and around the world, it has been difficult to get balanced views of what is going on; ever since the Zimbabwe government, under President Robert Mugabe, started to reclaim land that was stolen during British Colonial rule. Since the start of this land reclamation exercise to now, the events in Zimbabwe have exposed, firstly, how complicit international media are in the imperial agenda of the United States and Britain and secondly, how irresponsible and lazy the local mainstream media are. Local media seem quite content to jump on the Anti-Mugabe bandwagon as they casually parrot news from international media sources such as BBC, CNN, Reuters and Associated Press.
Full Article : trinicenter.com

India Unwilling to Censure Mugabe
Posted: Friday, July 18, 2008

Zimbabwe Watch Reporters
July 18, 2008
ZimbabweWatch.com

India is unwilling to censure its old ally, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

President Mugabe earned another term in office last month in a run-off election that was boycotted by the MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Zimbabwe's Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa called the MDC leader's announcement of withdrawal a 'nullity'. "Effectively, the official position, from a constitutional (legal) point of view is that the election should go ahead, regardless of the MDC leader's withdrawal. This is what the Electoral Law in Zimbabwe provides."

India's foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon told reporters last week that India was "...looking to the African Union on the Zimbabwe crisis and would follow its lead." "India does not interfere in the internal affairs of another country," he said at that time.

India's Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma attended the African Union summit at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt in late June, where he met 23 African foreign ministers.

Prior to the summit, delivering a speech at the valedictory session of a seminar on Africa and Energy Security, organised by the Institute of Defence Studies Analyses and International Peace Research Institute, Sharma said India's engagement with the African continent is "distinct and different". He said, "India's approach has not been and never can be exploitative."

Contrary to US and European's hostile interference, especially with their relentless calls for more sanctions to be imposed on Zimbabwe, India's ongoing foreign policy is outlined as having close ties and cooperation to all African countries and intends to continue to consolidate those gains to intensify bilateral economic and commercial links for mutual benefit. As far back as 1996, India's Prime Minister, while in Harare, concluded a Memorandum of Understanding on the development of small-scale industries in Zimbabwe.

In June of this year, Indian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Venkatesan Vashok has said that Zimbabwe should fully exploit India's technological advancement to transform its economy and develop its infrastructure.

"I feel we have cutting edge technologies and human resources potential, both of which can be of great help to Zimbabwe particularly in key areas such as health, agriculture, infrastructure development and mining," Vashok said.

Some commodities exported by India to Zimbabwe include pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, rubber products, fabrics and transport equipment while the Asian country imports metals, steel, tanning and coloring material from Zimbabwe.

It has been reported India's "deliberate go-slow" on Zimbabwe was also a reflection of the "double standards" on the part of many Western nations, according to an Indian diplomat who declined to be named given the sensitivity of the issue.

He, however, admitted that India's new-found zeal to get cracking on its strategic partnership with the US may also have something to do with the go-slow on Zimbabwe. "India is balancing the nay-sayers on its new pro-West policies with its silence on Zimbabwe."

"Will the US and Britain make the same comments about Kenya, or even Pakistan?" the diplomat asked, adding, "India is not China, and that cuts both ways."

Russia and China on Friday, July 11, 2008, vetoed a resolution backed by the US and Britain along with other Western nations to impose additional sanctions on Zimbabwe at the UN Security Council.

After years of praise and accolades from the West, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe comes under severe criticism and sanctions from Western governments for expropriating stolen land from White settlers and their descendents for distribution to the Black majority in Zimbabwe. Since the accelerated land reclamation commenced, over 300.000 landless Black Africans have received land from this exercise.

Financial Collapse Edges Closer
Posted: Wednesday, July 16, 2008

¤ IndyMac Bank seized by federal regulators

¤ US inflation rate at 17-year high
US inflation accelerated at its fastest pace in 17 years in June, official figures have shown, driven higher by surging energy prices. Consumer prices were 5% higher than a year ago and rose 1.1% on a monthly basis, the Labor Department said. Federal Reserve boss Ben Bernanke has warned that the threat of rising inflation has intensified recently.

¤ Why the Bail Out of Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae is Bad Economic Policy
I am writing this article about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while sitting in the Queens Botanical Garden. This was not my plan today. The central air conditioning in my apartment broke down six weeks ago and still has not been fixed. (It's a nice condominium building, but accidents happen.) It is over 90 degrees outside, and nearly 100 as a result of the greenhouse effect in my apartment. Yesterday I took refuge in the Forest Hills Public Library, but it is closed on Sunday. One of the few libraries near public transport that normally is open on Sunday is in Flushing. So I went there to write the final draft describing the past week's financial turmoil.

¤ Freddie and Fannie Hit Snooze on American Dream

¤ Financial Collapse Edges Closer
The financial crisis in the United States and worldwide entered a new phase this week, as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two huge US home-loan institutions, began what appears to be a "death spiral" similar to that which claimed Bear Stearns four months ago. Fannie and Freddie are unique institutions and will almost certainly be bailed out by the long-suffering taxpayer. However, for the first time, the specter has been raised of a general financial meltdown, such as the US managed to avoid in 1933 but Sweden succumbed to in 1991.

¤ Crunchtime for Mexico's Oil
¤ Will Israel and / or the U.S. Attack Iran?
¤ Is There an Oil Shortage?
¤ The Un-tied States of America

¤ The Myths of Independence Day
If you relish myths and enjoy superstition, then the flatulent speeches of America's Independence Day, July 4, were just the thing for you. No religion on earth has more to offer along these lines than America celebrating itself.
Some, believing the speeches but curious, ask how did a nation founded on supposedly the highest principles by high-minded men manage to become an ugly imperial power pushing aside international law and the interests of others? The answer is simple: the principles and high-mindedness are the same stuff as the loaves and the fishes.

¤ Our Cry for Cheap Oil Is Crude and Deadly
¤ British MP : George Galloway Telling It Like It Is Audio

¤ Russia defends UN veto on Zimbabwe
UN approval for sanctions on Zimbabwe would have been a "dangerous precedent" for interference in countries' internal affairs, Russia said on Saturday, explaining its veto.
UN sanctions "would have created a dangerous precedent, opening the way for Security Council interference in the internal affairs of states in connection with one or another political event ... which is a gross violation of the UN charter," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.

¤ US 'Killed 47 Afghan Civilians'
¤ US troops poised to cross Afghan border for raid on bases

¤ Something Big is Happening
¤ Aristide supporters rally in Haiti
¤ Ecuador and Venezuela in oil pact
¤ War Crimes Paradox

¤ Help Me - Help Me - Help Me

¤ Kicking Sand In Russia's Face
¤ One million on US terrorist watch list: rights group
¤ Oil tumbles again; prices fall over $10 in 2 days

¤ Colombian military used Red Cross emblem in rescue
Colombian military intelligence used the Red Cross emblem in a rescue operation in which leftist guerrillas were duped into handing over 15 hostages, according to unpublished photographs and video viewed by CNN.
Photographs of the Colombian military intelligence-led team that spearheaded the rescue, shown to CNN by a confidential military source, show one man wearing a bib with the Red Cross symbol. The military source said the three photos were taken moments before the mission took off to persuade the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebels to release the hostages to a supposed international aid group for transport to another rebel area.

¤ Colombia apologises over use of Red Cross symbol in Betancourt rescue
¤ Hostage Rescue, According to Captured Guerrilla Leader

Hostage Rescue, According to Captured Guerrilla Leader
Posted: Wednesday, July 16, 2008

By Constanza Vieira
"The first thing the veteran guerrilla saw were two airplanes at a great height, circling the area. These had not been mentioned before in any of the accounts of the operation.

Then he saw the helicopters, white with a red stripe in the same design as those used in January and February to transport hostages unilaterally released by the FARC after mediation by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, in operations coordinated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which César had watched on television in the jungle.

One helicopter landed and four civilians wearing jeans and T-shirts got out. Two wore T-shirts with the image of Argentine-Cuban guerrilla Ernesto Che Guevara and a stripe at stomach height saying "International Red Cross." The other two had the ICRC logo on their T-shirts, the insurgent said.

"According to César, he could make out the International Committee of the Red Cross, the ICRC logo perfectly clearly," his lawyer Ríos told IPS.

Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe has since admitted the unauthorised use of the ICRC emblem in the rescue operation -- a ruse that is specifically prohibited by the Geneva Conventions -- and apologised to the humanitarian group, saying is was a mistake."
Full Article : ipsnews.net

» Colombian military used Red Cross emblem in rescue
Colombia's president says a Red Cross symbol was worn by a member of the military rescue mission that freed 15 hostages from leftist rebels.

» Colombia apologises over use of Red Cross symbol in Betancourt rescue

Africa Advocacy and The Zimbabwe Factor
Posted: Friday, July 11, 2008

By Netfa Freeman
July 10, 2008

Like some BlackCommentator.com commentaries of the last two weeks, accounts of the situation in Zimbabwe by Africa advocacy organizations are virtually identical to those of corporate media, UK and US government officials. Solidarity With The People of Zimbabwe by Nunu Kidane, the quote by featured cartoonist Tony Namate published in the June 26th issue No. 283, and Bill Fletcher's commentary titled, Mugabe Sworn in Officially...Simultaneously Loses his Legacy, in last week's issue No. 284 all depict Zimbabwe as descending to hell in a hand basket at the hands of a despotic Mugabe.

The disproportionate attention on Zimbabwe has intensified in the last few weeks as a result of the presidential run-off that took place Friday, June 27th. African (Black) people should see this attention clearly as a reason for extremely critical analysis on the matter.
Full Article : africaspeaks.com

Media lies, "broken limbs" and greed in zimbabwe
Posted: Thursday, July 10, 2008

¤ NY Times corrects front-page photo caption
¤ Doubts raised over haunting image from Zimbabwe
Original Article ¤ Robert Mugabe's thugs shout: 'Let's kill the baby'

¤ Media lies, "broken limbs" and greed in zimbabwe
In the past few weeks alone the Guardian has treated us to an article calling for the immediate invasion of Zimbabwe with the byline attributed to one Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of one of Zimbabwe's many opposition parties. When the article was brought to the fellow's attention, he hastily but incoherently denied writing it and as a result the Guardian took it off its website without any apology to the people of Zimbabwe or the Zimbabwean government. Many Zimbabweans myself included reacted angrily to one of the Guardian's editors, Siobhan Butterworth's attempts to defend their position on their CIF.

¤ Lies, kidnapping and a mysterious laptop
Sometimes you hear a stray sentence on the news that makes you realise you have been lied to. Deliberately lied to; systematically lied to; lied to for a purpose. If you listened closely over the past few days, you could have heard one such sentence passing in the night-time of news.

¤ Zimbabwe: Mugabe May Not, After All, Be Insane!
¤ EU not pulling out of Zim

¤ U.S. trade with Iran increases tenfold under Bush administration
¤ Years on, Iraq Rebuilding Still Failing

¤ It's the Oil, stupid!
The deal just taking shape between Iraq's Oil Ministry and four Western oil companies raises critical questions about the nature of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq — questions that should certainly be addressed by presidential candidates and seriously discussed in the United States, and of course in occupied Iraq, where it appears that the population has little if any role in determining the future of their country.

¤ A Few Words from the FARC
It was a perfectly executed rescue mission and they pulled it off without a hitch. A small group of Columbian military-intelligence agents, posing as aid workers on a humanitarian mission, touched-down in the heart of rebel territory, gathered up Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages, and whisked them away to safety while a small army of rifle-toting Marxist guerrillas looked on dumbfounded. Whew. What a shocker.
One of the American contractors who was freed in the mission even boasted to NPR that it was "the greatest rescue mission in history". Indeed, it may be, but it's a little too early to tell just yet. After all, it took about a week before the Jessica Lynch story began to unravel. This could take even longer. Many readers will remember Lynch as the baby-faced GI who supposedly fought off a swarm of Iraqi regulars "Rambo-like" before making her way to safety.

¤ A Rescue Staged for the Screen
What drew me to the Sunday edition of Diario Vea wasn't just the headline "Venezuela will never again be a colony of anyone" and a cover photo of women soldiers in full uniform, wearing make-up and carrying bazookas on their shoulders. I confess to a weakness for strong women and this was so very Venezuelan: The women, demonstrating the strength of the nation, nevertheless didn't neglect putting on eyeliner, eyeshadow and lip gloss. And for me the clincher was the woman in the middle of the photo, looking over her bazooka at the camera and smiling widely, as if to say, "Even in war we won't lose our warmth nor our sense of humor." But if you spend any time at all in Venezuela it's hard to avoid that conclusion.

¤ A Work Force Betrayed

¤ The Axioms Of Evil
Nelson Mandela was 44 years old when he was arrested in 1962, and subsequently imprisoned for leaving South Africa without a passport. Two years later, while serving this sentence, he was infamously convicted of sabotage and conspiracy to launch violent revolution, and spent his prime in prison as a result.
These facts are frequently rehearsed. More rarely noted is that Mandela's arrest was made possible by the CIA, which effectively handed him over to the South African security police by revealing his whereabouts and blowing his disguise. Mandela was a villain then. His anti-apartheid activism had a vaguely communist hue, and threatened to undermine a friendly South African regime. Thus was he condemned. As a terrorist, no less. That much was made official during the Reagan era when Mandela and his party, the African National Congress, were added to the US government's terror watch list.

¤ Officials say Israel could not attack Iran without U.S. support
¤ Living forever by bombardment
¤ Are They Really Oil Wars?

¤ Bush's Rampage in Somalia
While George Bush was breezing through photo-ops at the G-8 summit in Japan; his Ethiopian proxy-army in Somalia was grinding out more carnage on the streets of Mogadishu. More than 40 civilians have been killed in the last 48 hours.
On Sunday, Osman Ali Ahmed, the head of the UN Development Program in Somalia, was shot gangland style as he left a mosque after prayers. He died before reaching the hospital with wounds to the head and chest. Ali Ahmed is just the latest of the peace-keepers who have been killed in the ongoing battle between Bush's Ethiopian occupiers and the Somali guerrillas

¤ Scandal at Diego Garcia
¤ Can Reparations for Apartheid Profits be Won in US Courts?

¤ Just a Little Bit of Fraud
¤ Bush-Led 'Disaster Capitalism' Exploits Worldwide Misery to Make a Buck
¤ US wavered over S. Korean executions

¤ Too much damage already done
"Regardless of how these next few months are viewed, however, the level of damage accumulated over the last seven years and the shortage of time left makes it unrealistic to expect any significant breakthroughs, especially since the weakness of the US administration coincides with the weakness of leadership in the region, including both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Significant achievements are possible only if other international powers, i.e., European countries and Russia, can enter and fill the vacuum that the US administration has already left."

Zimbabwe To U.S. And Britain: Go Hang
Posted: Wednesday, July 2, 2008

¤ Zimbabwe Watch

¤ Zimbabwe To U.S. And Britain: Go Hang
The main point here is that the U.S. is once again trying to have its own stooges put in power by elections in foreign countries. The list of U.S. active involvement in elections of nations is long: Bosnia, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus, Iraq, Nicaragua and Venezuela are some of the more blatant incursions. In the case of Bosnia and Serbia, the U.S. unilaterally negated elections. The reason? According to Madeleine Albright, "The wrong side won."

¤ Sense of Honor, French and U.S. Style

¤ The Story Behind George Bush's Lies
Long accused of signature dishonesty, the Bush Administration now stands twice indicted, by Scott McClellan's book and by two damning reports from Jay Rockefeller's Senate Select Committee on Intelligence—the "Phase II" documents. These sources confirm beyond any doubt the Bush Administration, with propaganda and outright lies, deliberately misled the U.S. Congress into authorizing war.
That is the truth, but not the whole truth, and the backstory is no less appalling.

¤ Bush Used Phony Patriotism to Start War
The Russians call World War II "The Great Patriotic War." The current longest of our wars could well be called the same thing. It is a war that originated in the orgy of patriotism ("U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!") that followed the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and has been sustained by the patriotism of those who support it ("Our soldiers are defending American freedom") and false promises of some latter-day prophets ("We are winning the war in Iraq.") It is likely to be revived by the Iranian attack that the McCainites see as their main chance of winning the election.

¤ The Hidden History of US Broadcasting
¤ In Manassas, the Medium Is The Issue

¤ The Coming Attack on Iran: A Perfect Storm of Madness
The question is not whether Iran will be attacked, but by whom and whether the bombing will commence within the next several months or shortly after the November election.
The U.S. for many months has made bellicose noises about thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions with force -- complete with a virtual repeat of its pre-war propaganda campaign prior to "shock&awe" against Iraq. Israel is reported to have just carried out a military exercise practicing for an attack on Iran. Iran is letting it be known how destructive and unconventional its retaliation would be if it is bombed. What is going on?

¤ Gas Guzzlers and 'Ghostburbs'

¤ 15 Hostages Held by Colombian Rebels Are Rescued

¤ Iraq: Garbage collection, poor people's job to earn living

¤ Iraq Suffering Miles-Long Gas Lines Despite Oil Riches
¤ Living hell
¤ AFGHANISTAN: Humanitarian situation "deteriorating" – Holmes

¤ US' Violation of Human Rights in Afghanistan
Afghanistan has endured a quarter century of brutal wars during which human rights have been violated systematically by the occupying forces, the various regimes in power and the insurgent groups. The "war on terror" unleashed by the US promised a new dawn. But the Operation Enduring Freedom has brought neither the end of nightmare and miseries for the Afghans nor freedom of any consequence. The war on terror has led to widespread civilian deaths, often at the hands of unaccountable units led by the CIA and other foreign intelligence agencies. These foreign intelligence units "operate" with "impunity" in Afghanistan.

¤ It's The Constitution Stupid!: What Makes Any Idiot Eligible To Become President

¤ Oil ends at new record near $141 on supply worries
¤ Iraq fails to ink deals with global oil majors

¤ Russia's Lavrov warns against attack on Iran
Russia's foreign minister on Friday warned against the use of force on Iran, saying there is no proof it is trying to build nuclear weapons. Sergey Lavrov said Iran should be engaged in dialogue and encouraged to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear monitoring agency. Lavrov made the statement when asked to comment on an Israeli Cabinet member's statement earlier this month that Israel could attack Iran if it does not halt its nuclear program.

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