Bush’s Nightmare 12-2-2007

2, December 2007                   Bush’s Nightmare

"What Bush really meant to tell Tim" - a response to David Brook’s version (DN 10, February "04). "Tim, I have been unable to sleep, tortured by my decision to launch an unprovoked attack on Iraq. We planned this invasion a few days after I assumed office and were compelled to dismiss and ridicule the U.N. inspectors’ findings to justify our unprovoked attack. Off course, David Kay's report vindicates the U.N - no WMD,  no connection between al Qaeda, 9/11 and Saddam Hussein. This connection was hyped on my orders. I felt certain that the American people and the media would not challenge a "popular war' time president. Tragically, the media and the Democrats never challenged the policies of my Administration. The checks and balances, so painstakingly crafted by our founding fathers, failed and precipitated this crisis. As a devout Christian, I believe in the sanctity of life and it grieves me to know that my decision to invade Iraq has resulted in the tragic deaths of hundreds of our troops and thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians. I offer my sincere apologies to the American and Iraqi people and before I leave office, I will request the Congress to make restitution to the Iraqi people for the devastation we have caused to their country and people."

Bush and his war machine 11-30-2007

30, November 2007 Bush and his war machine

It is hard to imagine that the neo-cons of the Bush Administration have completely failed to comprehend the gravity of their ill-conceived Iraq adventure. These pro-life crusaders have unleashed a reign of terror on the Iraqis resulting in over 1 million civilian casualties and created the largest refugee problem in the world with 3 million fleeing to neighboring Syria and Jordan. Over 3 million Iraqis are internally displaced refugees.  
American body bags continue to arrive at Andrews Air Force Base completely hidden from the American public and the media have largely abandoned their role as independent watchdogs. Veteran hospitals are stretched to the limit trying to cope with the broken bodies of US soldiers returning home facing a grim future of a government that has shown callous disregard for their pain and suffering.
The scripted propaganda speeches which launched our nation into a disastrous occupation in Iraq are now being used to launch aerial bombing attack on neighboring Iran. Buoyed by his ‘successful war in Iraq’, the Bush war machine has asked the Pentagon to draw plans for an attack on Iran. Bereft of ground troops, a massive aerial attack is planned to rein death and terror on the Iranian people. According to investigative journalist, Seymour Hersh’s, latest article in the New Yorker magazine, the war rational has shifted from WMD’s (largely rejected by an increasingly skeptical public) to Iran’s alleged role in Iraq. Thus, the WMD threat has been repackaged as a counterterrorism threat. On the domestic front, President Bush continues his crusade against the most vulnerable population, young poor children, by denying them of much needed health care. On global issues Bush and his supporters continue to ignore the dire warnings of catastrophic climate changes. A group of eminent British scientists are warning that global warning will result in the extinction in of half of the earth’s species in the few centuries. I urge readers to break their long silence and demand accountability from our misguided leaders. We must insist that the U.S. charter a new course based on truth, peace and justice and not on militarism.  

Middle East Conference 11-29-2007

29, November 2007 Middle East Conference
The much touted Annapolis Middle East Peace Conference will without doubt turn out to be a complete sham designed to offer the Bush Administration an empty photo-op devoid of any meaningful substance. Predictably, Israel has already said it will delay talks on core issues, including the status of Jerusalem, the borders of a Palestinian state, the future of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the fate of Palestinian refugees. 

Also, off the agenda is the imprisonment of over 10,000 Palestinian prisoners, including many women and children. Hamas, the democratically elected ‘People’s Party’, has been barred from attending.

Aided by our tax dollars, the enormous repression of Palestinians will no doubt continue with the ongoing construction of the apartheid wall and thousands of barriers and police checkpoints that ‘Swiss Cheese’ the West Bank into tiny cantons. Meanwhile, Israel assured of unconditional US support, continues its unrelenting cruel treatment towards the Palestinians cutting off basic food, electricity and fuel supplies. In a stunning op ed article in the New York Times, Leslie Gelb revealed that every US administration since 1967 has privately favored returning almost all of the territory to the Palestinians for the purposes of creating a separate Palestinian state, notwithstanding public statements to the contrary. Finally, critically acclaimed authors, Idith Zertal and Akiva Eldar (Lords of the Land) shed much needed light on the dark history of Palestinian suffering.

McClellan & Valerie Plame 11-27-2007

27, November 2007 Scott McClellan & Valerie Plame
Scott McClellan, former White House Press Secretary, has now offered damning testimony to incriminate his former boss, President Bush’s direct involvement in the betrayal of Valerie Plame’s identity as a CIA operative.  With characteristic disdain for the truth, President Bush had promised to fire those responsible for revealing the identity of Valerie Plame. McClellan’s offers corroborating evidence to warrant impeachment of President Bush, Vice-President Cheney and vigorous investigation of Karl Rove and other senior White House officials. 
McClellan’s public statement leaves little doubt on the identity of the guilty parties - "I had unknowingly passed along false information, and five of the highest ranking officials in the administration "were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the president himself." 

It is now up to Congress to perform its oversight duties by initiating hearings and subpoena Scott McClellan. It is encouraging to learn that Senator Dodd has called for an immediate investigation. We must demand that Attorney General Mukasey follow through on his confirmation hearing promise to act independently of the White House. I ask Indo-Americans to hold Congress’s feet to the fire and demand swift action to restore our nation to one with respect for the rule of law.

Pakistan 11-17-2007

17, November 2007 Pakistan
The political crisis in Pakistan continues to worsen. A reign of terror has been unleashed by Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Thousands of brave citizens have taken to the streets to voice their vigorous opposition to the imposition of martial law.  All the pillars of democracy, the Constitution, free speech, the right of assembly, have been summarily suspended. All the top judges have been dismissed and thousands of human rights activists and lawyers have been arrested and jailed. 

The U.S. strategy of lending support to former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, (ousted on corruption charges) has failed. An attempt to window dress the military regime with a fig leaf of democracy and mollify the growing opposition has all but failed. 

Pakistan has received over 10 billion dollars of US aid since 1999 ostensibly to ‘fight terror’, but channeled much of the funds to stifle dissent and maintain a repressive military regime.  This latest debacle makes a complete mockery of our government’s claim to promote democracy.  It is time for our citizens to establish solidarity with the voiceless Pakistanis yearning to be free from the iron boots of their repressive military dictator and demand an immediate halt to US military aid. Failure to do so will fuel seething resentment against the U.S. and stoke the fires of Islamic fundamentalism.

TORTURE 11-14-2007

14, November 2007 TORTURE
‘Citizen’ Rumsfeld barely escaped the clutches of the law after four human rights groups filed a criminal complaint against the former U.S. secretary of defense for “ordering and authorizing torture” of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.

Rumsfeld was whisked away from the U.S. Embassy in Paris following a meeting sponsored by Foreign Policy magazine. Since Rumsfeld resigned, the veil of immunity has been lifted which exposes him to war crimes. This should send a strong message to the other Bush administration officials who may face similar war crimes if they ever trespass outside the protection of the U.S, once they leave office. 

The criminal complaint filed before the Paris prosecutor was brought under the 1984 Convention Against Torture ratified by the U.S, and France. Document paper trails and government memos recently published in the New York Times directly implicates Rumsfeld and other White House and Pentagon officials. Included in the written testimony is the damning testimony of Janis Karpinski, a former high-ranking U.S. army officer at the U.S. run U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Major General Miller, was Rumsfeld’s point man who crafted the grotesque interrogation methods which have brought such shame and dishonor to our nation. Unless we raise our collective voices to a deafening roar, ‘King George’ will continue to ignore Congress and the will of the people.

Blackwater 11-6-2007

6, November 2007 Blackwater
The growing penchant for using private contractors such as Blackwater to fight proxy wars is extremely disturbing. As a deep revulsion continues to grow against the war in Iraq, the use of mercenaries could well subvert the will of the people and would be a direct threat to our fragile democracy. The attempted theft of Iraq’s oil resources under the guise of ushering in the ‘fresh breeze of democracy’ has created a genocidal conflict exacerbated by the presence of soldiers of fortune Granted immunity from prosecution in Iraq by the now disgraced Paul Bremer, the former US czar of Iraq, these mercenaries have been responsible for scores of civilian fatalities and thus intensified the rage against US occupation forces. 

Tragically, Congress continues to bankroll these ‘for profit’ soldiers of fortune from Blackwater and at least 25 other private military corporations. According to R.J. Hillhouse’s website, TheSpyWhoBilledMe.com, the U.S, spends $42 billion  annually on private intelligence contractors amounting to 70 percent of the U.S. intelligent budget.  What is particularly galling is the practice of hiring these foreign companies to serve as law enforcement officers in U.S. cities.  For example, Blackwater and ISI—Instinctive Shooting International (veterans of Israeli military, police and intelligence operations) were used to ‘police’ New Orleans following the Katrina disaster. 

Nominee for AG 10-31-2007

31, October 2007 Nominee for AG
Once again, the Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee failed to fully challenge the nominee for Attorney General (AG), Michael Mukasey. Incredibly, Mukasey defended many of President Bush’s most egregious post-9/11 policies, including holding American citizens indefinitely without charge and denying them Habeas Corpus. Although he was harshly critical of the White House memo on torture, Mukasey failed to take a strong position on the grotesque ‘enhanced’ interrogation techniques now being employed, such as water-boarding,  stripping prisoners, hooding and exposing them to frigid temperatures, subjecting them to savage beatings, sexual humiliation, and shattering ear drums by exposure to loud music. 

The confirmation hearings are largely a charade to appease the public into believing that a change of policy will ensue after the new AG is confirmed. Guantanamo detainees will continue to be horribly abused and black rendition sites will be retained to outsource brutal torture activities out of sight of the US media which has largely remained deafeningly silent on such un-American practices. Mukasey even slithered unchallenged by the issue of warrantless, illegal wiretapping and surveillance which clearly violates US law. Unless the public responds with outrage and demands an apolitical AG, there is little doubt that Mukasey will be confirmed.

Response to local letter writer re: ISRAEL 10-22-2007

22, October 2007 Response to local letter writer re: ISRAEL
Lisa Cohen (letter, October 21) is right to condemn religious extremism. Sadly, she is very selective in directing her outrage against Islamic extremism but conveniently ignores radical Zionism which is the root cause of much of the violence in the Middle East. Cohen portrays Israel as the innocent victim of Muslim extremism. Nothing could be further from the truth. Israel has used terror and violence to seize Palestinian land and subjugate its people. Cohen reiterates Giuliani’s preposterous claim that Palestinians do not deserve their own state. Palestinians lands have been expropriated and replaced by Jewish only settlements reminiscent of South Africa’s repugnant apartheid government. 

Contrary to Cohen’s assertions, Giuliani is a self-serving politician who is merely making public statements to appease and placate the large and well-connected Jewish constituency to gain their political and financial support. Hillary Clinton is adopting a similar strategy. Giuliani has angered many Americans for his gross exploitation of the 9/11 tragedy and his complete failure to protect 9/11 responders who are now suffering from life threatening health problems. Fortunately, more and more Americans are voicing their strong opposition to our unconditional support to Israel which is fueling mounting rage and undermining the security of our nation. Perhaps, many Americans are unaware that Israel is now insisting that it receive its US foreign aid in Euros because of the declining value of the dollar. 

Diego Garcia 10-20-2007

20 October, 2007 Diego Garcia

Earlier this month, Avenidas (Palo Alto Senior Center) hosted a documentary, ‘Stealing a Nation’, made by the renowned film maker, John Pilger. This is one of the most shocking tales of the British and the US government’s connivance to expel the most vulnerable islanders of Diego Garcia from their homeland. 

Diego Garcia was an idyllic paradise situated in the Indian Ocean inhabited by 2000 people whose roots date back many generations. In the late 1960s, the government of British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, entered into a secret agreement with the United States to purge all the inhabitants and hand over the island to the United States – in complete violation of the United Nations Charter. What followed, according to Pilger (drawing from official documents), was a brutal effort to terrorize the population into submission.

 First they were starved of essential food supplies, then threatened with being bombed and finally witnessed their beloved pets being gassed to death. Many committed suicide and the remaining population were herded at gunpoint onto boats like cattle and dumped in the slums of Mauritius where many died of utter depression. Currently, Diego Garcia is the largest US military base in the world and is suspected of being a rendition site for ‘enhanced interrogation’ of detainees. In 2000, the highest British Court issued a judgment declaring a grave injustice had been done to Chagossians but this was overturned by a decree of the British Crown.    

Crime pays big time 10-17-2007

17, October 2007 Crime pays big time
In a startling new expose, Vanity Fair’s contributing editors Donald Barlett and James Steele, followed the money trail of $12 billion of US currency earmarked for the Coalition Provisional Authority for reconstruction between April 2003 and June 2004. To date, $9 billion have vanished. The US Federal Reserve Bank were the custodians of the funds which were Iraqi assets impounded during Gulf War 1 by the United Nations.   

The money was in the form of $100 bills packed into large pallets and loaded onto cargo planes bound for the Iraqi capital. Once the money arrived in Baghdad it seems to have been given away to American contractors on a basis of carry-as-much-as-like in the largest giveaway that the world has ever known with the total absence of any auditing efforts. The Coalition Provisional Authority initials, CPA, did not retain the services of a single certified public accountant. What is infinitely worse is the CPA was in fact a rogue agency created at the behest of the Pentagon and is therefore not accountable for its gross malfeasance. All efforts to recover the money have failed because the US government claims the CPA was not an entity of the US government. The Pentagon awarded the auditing contract to NorthStar Consultants, a shady corporation run out of a million-dollar home in La Jolla, California, with a post office box in Nassau, Bahamas. Who said crime doesn’t pay? 

IRAN 10-9-2007

9, October 2007 IRAN

Once again, the war drums are beating loudly as a war obsessed president launches his media propaganda blitz on a war weary nation. Buoyed by his ‘successful war in Iraq’ which has resulted in one million fatalities and over 4 million refugees, the Bush war machine has asked the Pentagon to draw plans for an attack on Iran. Bereft of ground troops, a massive aerial attack is planned to rain death and terror on the hapless Iranian people. According to investigative journalist, Seymour Hersh’s, latest article in the New Yorker magazine, the war rational has shifted from WMD’s (largely rejected by an increasingly skeptical public) to Iran’s alleged role in Iraq. Thus, the WMD threat has been repackaged as a counterterrorism threat. 
The pro-life president is now planning to dispatch more innocent civilians to an early grave. It is time for all Americans to speak out on the war crimes this administration is committing in our name. We must oppose plans to launch an air-strike on Iran and return our country to one which has respect for international law and human rights.  

General Petraeus 9-20-07

20, September 2007 General Petraeus

The troop surge in Iraq has coincided with a corresponding surge in White House propaganda. What a stunning coincidence that General Petraeus’s testimony  should commence on September 11, clearly a desperate effort to link the Iraq invasion to Al Qaeda as astutely observed by Senator Robert Byrd. Regrettably, General Petraeus is yet another hired gun willing to parrot the White House propaganda party line. 

This is the man, who in 2001, repeated the administration’s bogus claim of WMD biological labs in Iraq which paved the way for our disastrous invasion. Largely ignored is the far more credible GAO report which announced that only 3 of 18 of the so- called benchmarks have been met. In a stunning revelation of White House collusion, Comedy Central’s, Jon Stewart compared Petraeus’s sober testimony with verbatim passages of Bush’s past speeches. Then in a moment of mock irony, Bush announced his intention to follow through on Petraeus’s recommendations. We must increase the pressure on our lawmakers to bring the troops home now. Failure to do so will send more of our soldiers and Iraqi civilians to their death. I implore readers to break their long silence and demand an immediate end to this senseless and immoral war.  

IRAQ & VIETNAM 8-25-2007

25, August 2007 IRAQ & VIETNAM
Once again, President Bush, in an act extreme of folly and desperation has offered yet another reason to ‘stay the course’ in Iraq   He claims that a hasty exit from our illegal and ill-fated occupation of Iraq will condemn the Iraqis to a similar fate suffered by the Vietnamese and Cambodians after our hasty departure from their respective counties. Conveniently omitted from Bush’s speech is the inconvenient truth that we attacked Vietnam to install a puppet South Vietnamese government to forestall the democratic will of the people who would have elected a Communist government by popular mandate.
The killing fields of Cambodia were a direct consequence of our intervention and bore no connection to our withdrawal. The boat people had little choice but to flee after they were abandoned by their protectors. Contrary to predictions by Kissinger and Nixon, dominoes did not fall and Communism in modern day Vietnam has assumed a distinctive capitalist flavor. However, our legacy of Vietnam lives on effecting the health and wellbeing of the people. Our massive bombing using napalm, land mines and chemical defoliate, Agent Orange, continues to abort the lives of innocent people. The high cancer rate and abnormal births are a tragic commentary to our ill-fated foreign policy blunder. Tragically, Iraqis are suffering similar health problems from our indiscriminate use of depleted uranium. The puppet Iraqi government will no doubt beat a hasty retreat at the first sign of a US withdrawal from Iraq.      

US Between ‘Iraq and a hard place’ 8-24-2007

24, August 2007                     US Between ‘Iraq and a hard place’

Pity the new president, caught between Iraq and a hard place.

Sadly, many Americans are under the illusion that Democrats will ride into town like ‘Wild West’ gang busters to drive out the bad guys (read big, bad Republicans) and usher in an  era of honesty, integrity and a new, enlightened foreign policy. It is true that there may be a few minor gains in domestic policy but foreign policy will remain essentially the same. There has always been bi-partisan consensus that the U.S must control major foreign resources to continue feeding the US corporate juggernaut regardless of the human consequences. Under the smokescreen of ‘ushering in democracy’ and ridding Iraq of our former ally Saddam Hussein, we planned to relieve Iraq of its oil and establish permanent military bases from which to launch future military adventures and offer protection to Israel so that it could continue its ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland. The leading Democratic president contenders agree that we cannot forego our imperial designs and must therefore remain in Iraq indefinitely.

No politician, Democrat or Republican, barring the courageous Dennis Kucinich, has categorically stated that he would withdraw US forces from Iraq unconditionally. Instead, the candidates continue to support a policy of “order” and “stability” which are merely code words for continued American hegemony. Furthermore, instead of initiating impeachment proceedings to hold the president accountable for a host of high crimes, the weak and unprincipled Democrats granted the thoroughly disgraced Alberto Gonzalez and his boss unchecked powers. This was accomplished by voting to grant legality to an illegal activity by rewriting the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, euphemistically called the Protect America Act. Largely ignored is the inherent danger of granting the Bush administration such powers which he has so consistently abused to stifle dissent and intensify the propaganda war which has drawn us into disastrous conflicts. As Anthony Romero of the ACLU ruefully reflected – “this congress may prove to be as spineless in standing up to the Bush Administration as the one that enacted the PATRIOT Act or the Military Commissions Act.” It is time for readers to break their long silence and demand accountability from their elected officials.

IRAQ 8-23-2007

August 23, 2007 IRAQ
An extremely disturbing article appeared in the London Guardian, describing exhaustion and combat stress reducing the effectiveness of US troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Guardian reports US troops harboring seething resentment against the US media and Washington politicians who offer misleading sunny reports of successful combat missions to justify ‘the surge.’ Many soldiers have become addicted to drinking ‘Rip it and ‘Red Bull’ to stay alert. The war has caused havoc in soldier’s lives - the prolonged absences generating large numbers of divorces, increasing numbers of suicides and emotional and physical trauma. 
Anecdotal reports confirm what General Powell has been insisting for months, namely that the US army is ‘about broken’. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have destroyed a staggering 40 per cent of the US army’s equipment totaling $212 billion. Officers are leaving in alarming numbers and only one-third of the regular army is designated as combat ready. These statistics fly in the face of misstatements by White House and Pentagon officials. More and more combat missions are being launched from the air causing a significant increase in Iraqi civilian fatalities fueling more resentment against the occupation forces. It is time for citizens across the country to break their silence and demand an immediate withdrawal of all foreign occupation forces from Iraq. This is the only way we can collectively demonstrate support for our troops and stop the mayhem we helped to create.    

Karl Rove 8-14-2007

                                                                                    
14, August 2007                     Karl Rove
It certainly seems like the rats are deserting the sinking White House ship in growing numbers. Now comes the startling news that Karl Rove, the deputy chief of staff, “Bush’s brain’’ , is resigning, effective August 31. Rove’s imminent departure is no doubt precipitated by his shadowy role in the politicization of the Justice Department’s firing of nine US attorneys and the looming “sub-prime” mortgage loan debacle. It will certainly be interesting to see how Rove plans to continue to defy subpoenas issued by the Senate Judiciary Committee as a layman unprotected by current claims of executive privilege.


Rove barely escaped indictment for revealing Valerie Plame’s identity as a undercover CIA operative to columnist Robert Novak and Time Magazine reporter Matthew Cooper. Let us hope the Democrats will find the moral courage to investigate Rove and his ilk, who have been playing fast and loose with the law. It will be increasingly difficult for the “decider” to deflect growing disenchantment with his leadership and now founds himself trapped between “Iraq and a hard place”. It is entirely possible that Bush will manufacture a “new crisis” to deflect attention from the ‘sub-crime’ scandal where two million Americans face foreclosure of their homes.  

Warrantless Surrender 8-8-2007

8, August 2007                                   Warrantless Surrender

Once again, the Democrats buckled under pressure and collectively drove a giant stake through our vanishing democracy. Instead of holding Bush and company accountable for illegally spying on millions of Americans (arguably an impeachment offence), they granted the thoroughly disgraced Alberto Gonzalez and his boss unchecked powers. Once again, Bush’s use of the fear factor so paralyzed the Democrats that they succumbed and voted to grant legality to an illegal activity by rewriting the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, euphemistically called the Protect America Act. Largely ignored is the inherent danger of granting the Bush administration such powers which he has so consistently abused to stifle dissent and intensify the propaganda war which has drawn us into disastrous conflicts. As Anthony Romero of the ACLU ruefully reflected” This congress may prove to be as spineless in standing up to the Bush Administration as the one that enacted the PATRIOT Act or the Military Commissions Act.” 

The Pentagon’s new playing cards 6-20-2007

20, June 2007 The Pentagon’s new playing cards

The Pentagon’s penchant for playing cards has not abated. Four years ago, it issued card decks showing pictures of the close associates of our former ally, Saddam Hussein. In the ensuing years, the Pentagon has found new ways to squander our tax dollars. After destroying much of Iraq’s cherished historical monuments and heritage, the Pentagon now plans to send out 40,000 new card decks alerting troops of the need to preserve Iraqi historic monuments. Perhaps the Pentagon is unaware of its own dark deeds in the wanton destruction of Iraq’s historical sites? In the early days of the war, most historical sites were left unguarded giving rise to widespread looting of Iraq’s most precious, historical, treasures. 

In the searing heat of battle, it would seem unlikely that US troops will pay much attention to the color coded deck of playing cards; diamond for artifacts, spades for digs, hearts for “winning hearts and minds”, and clubs for preserving heritage monuments.  One Pentagon gem: “The five of clubs” which urges troops "Drive around - not over - archaeological sites!" 

Perhaps these cards might offer a few moments of levity to the troops, but will certainly be grist for late night comedians. 

Alberto Gonzales 6-11-2007

11, June 2007 Alberto Gonzales
According to James Comey’s (the former deputy head of the Justice Department), sworn testimony, Gonzales and his White House aids swooped down like mafia goons and tried to bully John Ashcroft, who was lying deathly sick in hospital, in signing off on a massive, illegal wiretapping scheme to snoop on millions of Americans. In doing so, Gonzales not only exhibited complete contempt of the law but also callous indifference to the welfare of John Ashcroft ignoring the plea of his wife that he not be disturbed. Contrary, to Gonzales’s testimony under oath, there was considerable opposition in the Justice Department over the White House spying program.

 It is sad that Gonzales has willing perjured himself in an effort to be an obedient servant to his White House boss. His egregious conduct prompted 56 members of his Harvard Law school class to take out an advertisement in the Washington Post excoriating his gross abuse of power. The Harvard Crimson reported that there was complete unanimity from his graduating class members in their collective censure. However, the real anger should be directed towards his White House boss who willingly allowed Gonzales to perjure himself in the pursuit of an imperial presidency.  

Terrorist released 5-31-2007

31, May 2007 Terrorist released
While Washington, its border police and immigration authorities round up hundreds of undocumented workers, another illegal immigrant, Luis Posada Carriles, guilty of mass murder, is allowed to walk free. Such is our skewed form of justice. The National Security Archives at George Washington University released documents, that “unequivocally prove” that Posada Carriles’ was the mastermind behind the 1976 mid-air bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed all 73 people on board. According to the released Archive (Electronic Briefing Book No. 153), Carriles was also responsible for organized terror attacks on Cuban installations in Panama, Colombia and Trinidad several months prior to the bombing of Flight CU-455. Attempts to expose the dark deeds of Carriles landed five Cuban Nationals (known as the “Cuban Five”) multiple life terms. The terror charges against Carriles were mysteriously dropped and replaced with lesser charges of immigration fraud. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone—a Bush appointee, dismissed all charges against Posada Carriles on May 8, allowing him to walk the streets of Miami a free man.

The ‘special treatment’ accorded Carriles triggered street demonstrations throughout the world and adds another sad chapter of our double-speak on the ‘war on terror’. 

World Trade Organization 5-27-2007

27, May 2007 World Trade Organization

More and more cases are emerging exposing the dark side of The World Trade Organization (WTO)  – a sinister acronym used to promote trade by rich countries to the detriment of the poor nations of the world. Increasingly, rich counties are flexing their economic muscles to bolster their trade with the emerging markets of India, China and Brazil The WTO is meeting in Brussels to craft a new strategy to increase commerce with the primary focus on bolstering agricultural exports. These unfair trade practices are having a devastating impact on Indian farmers who are unable to complete with heavily subsidized agricultural products from Western nations. Indian farm products do not enjoy the price support practices that are largely taken for granted by European and US farmers. The Indian government has ignored the desperate plight of Indian farmers and has instead stockpiled with cheaper imported wheat products from Australia and the US. This is but another glaring example of the predatory practices of the WTO. The long term effects for the Indian economy will be devastating. 

Many Indian farmers have been driven to suicide, others have been forced to assume heavy debt or forced to sell their land to commercial interests. For example, shopping malls have been built on prime agricultural land to satiate the voracious appetite of the noveau rich middle class. Vandana Shiva, a vehement critic of WTO, decried the plight of the Indian farmers stating, “The farmers are spending 10 times more for their costs of production, and earning 50 per cent to 70 per cent less than they were earning before. They are getting squeezed. And there's a magical word that the WTO has floated on the horizon called competition; if you get wiped out, it was your fault, not the twisted trickery of the WTO rules." Soon, laments Shiva, “the flour mills may become a farming relic displaced by cheaper foreign imports.” Kasmir Singh, a 40 year farmer crushed by a staggering loan of $12,000 he paid for his tractor ended his life by drinking pesticide crop he had brought for his fields. His grieving wife, Satvinder Kaur, is now condemned to a life of punishing poverty, another victim of globalization that pits poor countries against the trade practices of the US and European consortium. Similar agricultural repercussions are occurring in Africa. 

It is tragic that the ‘haves’ of the world are able to satiate their appetite for rampant consumerism on the backs of the ‘have nots’ under the much touted umbrella of globalization. As we drink our lattes in the comfort of Starbucks cafes dressed in our Nikes, slacks and designer shirts we should take pause and reflect on the exploited sweat shop slave labor, which enriches corporations and allows us maintain our high standard of living. Perhaps the Bible said it best, “on to he that hath it shall be given, on to he that hath not, it shall be taken, even that what he hath.” Let us jettison the siren song of unfettered wealth and work to creating a world based on fairness and justice for all.

India’s Trade Agreements with Israel 5-24-2007

24, May 2007 India’s Trade Agreements with Israel
India’s increasing trade agreements with Israel is extremely disturbing in light of Israel’s long history of using brute force to expel the indigenous population of Palestine. Israel’s tentacles penetrate deeply into the Bush White House, Congress and the Senate. The few politicians who had the courage to criticize Israel have been silenced. Paul Findley’s latest book, "They Dare to Speak Out" and "Silent No More" offers a disturbing glimpse of the influence of the powerful Jewish lobby, AIPAC. Findley, a former senior Republican represented Illinois in the U.S. House for 22 years, paid the ultimate price for speaking out in favor of Palestinian rights and criticizing the construction of Jewish-only settlements on confiscated Palestinian land. Findley was narrowly defeated by his opponent who received large amounts of money from the deep pockets of the pro-Israeli lobby. His book describes the tactics used by pro-Israeli groups to silence critics of Israel’s war of aggression. Other human rights stalwarts, such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and UN Envoy John Dugard, compare Israeli policies to former white South African apartheid. Surprisingly, even Israeli politicians such as former Education Minister, Shulamit Aloni, acknowledge that an apartheid system exists in Israel. Prof. John J. Mearsheimer and Prof. Stephen Walt, who warned of the undue influence of the pro-Israel lobby, were excoriated, mocked and largely silenced into obscurity.

However, it is encouraging that more and more high profile politicians, such as President Jimmy Carter, and renowned scholar, DePaul Professor, Paul Finkelstein, are voicing their concerns over the appalling plight of the Palestinians. Earlier this month, at Stanford University, Dr. Uri Davis, a dual citizen of the State of Israel and the UK, criticized Israel’s unrelenting efforts to dispossess Palestinians of their land and resources. Davis concluded that the overall strategy is clear - make life so unbearable for the Palestinians that they will choose to leave or rebel. Rebellions will then be countered with overwhelming brute force until all the land will become part of a larger Jewish state. Davis was an early critic of Israel and became the first academic to use the term apartheid to describe Israel's conduct toward Palestinians in his 1987 book 'Israel: An Apartheid State'. The London Economist further exposed Israel’s apartheid policies in its May 10 issue, describing the systematic effort to revoke citizenship to Palestinians living in Jerusalem – a staggering 1,363 lost their right to live in the city - a six-fold increase from the prior year. The Economist reported “a systematic under-funding of municipal services in the east drove many Palestinians to live in nearby Ramallah or Bethlehem, in the West Bank.” Arbitrary denial of “permanent resident” status will reduce the Palestinians to poverty and utter despair. Sadly, the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous inhabitants continues not unlike the Native American Indians in our own country. The blatant partiality of the US towards Israel is fueling much of the resentment in the Arab world and makes a complete mockery of our claim to be promoting human rights and democracy in the world at large (see Amnesty International blistering criticism of Israel and the US for their gross human rights violations). I urge readers to write to their lawmakers and demand an immediate halt to US aid to Israel 

ISRAEL Academics Speak out 5-22-2007

22, May 2007 ISRAEL Academics Speak out

It is encouraging that more and more high profile politicians, such as President Jimmy Carter, and renowned scholar, Dr. Paul Finkelstein are voicing their concerns over the appalling plight of the Palestinians. Earlier this month, at Stanford University, Dr. Uri Davis, a dual citizen of the State of Israel and the UK, described Israel’s unrelenting efforts to dispossess Palestinians of their land and resources. The overall strategy is to make life so unbearable that Palestinians will choose to leave or rebel. Rebellions will then be countered with brute force until all the land will become part of a larger Jewish state. 

Davis, was an early critic of Israel and became the first academic to use the term apartheid to describe Israel's conduct toward Palestinians in his 1987 book 'Israel: An Apartheid State'. The London Economist further exposed Israel’s apartheid policies in its May 10 issue, describing the systematic effort to revoke citizenship to Palestinians living in Jerusalem – a staggering 1,363 lost their right to live in the city - a six-fold increase from the prior year. The Economist reported “a systematic under-funding of municipal services in the east drove many Palestinians to live in nearby Ramallah or Bethlehem, in the West Bank.” Arbitrary denial of “permanent resident” status will reduce the hapless Palestinians to poverty and utter despair. Thus, the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous inhabitants continues not unlike the native American Indians in our own country. 

Israel - Response to local letter writers 5-13-2007

13 May, 2007 Israel - Response to local letter writers 

It is a pity that Sheree Roth and Norman Licht (letters May 8, 07) try to silence critics of Israel’s war of terror on the indigenous people of that region. They falsely claim Israelis to be victims rather than aggressors in this ongoing conflict. Roth and Licht carefully tip toe around legitimate charges of racism and apartheid.

The Israeli state, established exclusively for Jews, commenced a terror program of ethnic cleansing Palestinians from their land and replacing them with Jewish only settlements in complete violation of international law. More than 20 laws were passed granting explicit privileges to Jews over non-Jews. For example, the Law of Return grants automatic citizenship to Jews anywhere in the world, a right denied to the Palestinians.  Israel’s Basic Law of Human Dignity and Liberty Israel's "Bill of Rights" defines the state as "Jewish" rather than a state for all its citizens. It is a pity Roth and Norman Licht continue to remain silent on Palestinian home demolitions, the destruction of thousands of priceless olive trees and the wholesale terror imposed by IDF soldiers at military checkpoints.  I would urge readers to go to the following link to view the terrified looks of Palestinian children at these checkpoints.(http://www.elmandjra.org/School_in_Palestine_030706.htm)

Paul Wolfowitz 5-13-2007

13, May 2007 Paul Wolfowitz

President Bush continues to seek refuge in his tight bubble refusing to acknowledge the indefensible behavior of his appointees. No sooner had Alberto Gonzalez completed his lamentable “I don’t recall” testimony at the growing scandal of the firing of federal prosecutors, the nation was confronted with the inexcusable behavior of ‘big, bad Paul Wolfowitz’.   

As former deputy secretary of Defense, Wolfowitz, testified before the US Congress, that the occupation of Iraq wouldn’t cost the American taxpayer a single penny. He assured Congress, "There's a lot of money to pay for this that doesn't have to be U.S. taxpayer money .  .  . ." revenues of that country could bring between $50 and $100 billion over the next two or three years."  After guiding the ship of state towards the quick sands of an Iraqi quagmire, Bush appointed Wolfowitz to become head of the World Bank, where his autocratic style caused a mass exodus of many of  its senior professional staff. It is ironic that Wolfowitz should be caught with his hands in the Word Bank cookie jar attempting to grant his long time girlfriend, Ms. Riza, a huge raise at about the same time he launched an aggressive campaign to rid third world counties of corruption.

Hillary Clinton 5-7-2007

7, May 2007 Hillary Clinton 

It is sad to see so many Indo-Americans groveling before the sad crop of President Wannabes, hungry for quickie photo-ops. Few of these politicians had the moral backbone to oppose the Iraq war and most can be seen pandering to the powerful Jewish lobby to pledge their unwavering support to Israel, ignoring the enormous human rights violations committed by Israel against the Palestinians and Lebanese. The Iraq war and the apartheid policies of Israel has plunged the Middle East into utter chaos.  The current front runner, Hillary Clinton, is an extremely poor choice. 
She has yet to apologize for her initial support for the Iraq war and conveniently ignored repeated warnings from UN weapons inspectors that Saddam Hussein did not possess WMDs and there was no credible Al-Qaeda link to 9/11. Even a cursory glance at Clinton’s bio-data reveals a politician who is obsessed with wealth and power but sadly lacks moral judgment and integrity. Perhaps, readers are not aware that Clinton served on the board of directors of WAL-MART for 6 years. 

Wal-Mart is off course best known as the largest corporation in the world which does not allow unionization of its workers, and out sources 100% of its manufacturing to sweat shops throughout the world including several prison facilities in China. In 1994, Hillary was instrumental in cooking up a scheme to generate quick cash, $10,000 for a cup of coffee with her husband and $100,000 for a sleep-over at the Lincoln bedroom. One shadowy company that generated enormous profits from access to the Clinton’s was Entergy International. Entergy was able to successfully defend itself against charges of price hikes by Hillary’s law firm. As a junior law partner of Attorney General Webster Hubbell, Hillary was again embroiled in scandal. Hubbell was found guilty of a felony crime for inflating his legal bills. Hillary’s own billing records, which were crucial evidence in the trial, mysteriously disappeared. Despite the passage of time, the Hillary – Entergy connection remains strong. When Entergy encountered fierce opposition, by Code Pink and other environmentalist to its continued operation of Indian Point nuclear plant close to New York City, they were able to draw on the support of Hillary Clinton. Hillary’s checkered past makes her an unsuitable candidate as the new occupant of the White House in ’08.  

Somalia 5-1-2007

1, May  2007 Somalia

America’s dirty proxy war in Somalia, which has largely been ignored by the media, has resulted in the displacement of 350,000 Somalia’s in the past three months creating a massive refugee crisis. US-backed Ethiopian forces followed the US model in Iraq by attacking neighboring Somalia in order to install a puppet government acceptable to Washington. Hundreds of civilians are facing imminent death caused by a severe lack of food and fresh drinking water. US media networks, ABC, NBC and CBS have devoted a scant three sentences covering the war triggering charges of racism in media coverage. The unprovoked attacks from Ethiopia, is causing seething resentment. 

There is little doubt that the people of Somalia will resist the invaders and plunge the country into another long and bloody conflict. The authors of a British think tank, Chatham House, issued a scathing criticism of interference in Somalia’s internal affairs, stating “In an uncomfortably familiar pattern, general multilateral concern to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Somalia has been hijacked by unilateral actors, especially Ethiopia and the United States.” Unless international pressure can be applied on Washington, another humanitarian crisis is inevitable. This is yet another sad and tragic example of how our tax dollars are squandered, bringing so much misery to Africa’s poor and voiceless people. I urge readers to contact their lawmakers and demand an immediate pullout of Ethiopian forces from Somalia and to support humanitarian aid to resettle the refugees. 

George Tenet 4-30-2007

30, April 2007 George Tenet
George Tenet appearance on “60 Minutes” to promote his book, “At the Center of the Storm”, was a disingenuous effort to prop up his burnished image. It would have been far better for Tenet to have resigned with honor than to have been used as a ‘disposable diaper’ by the Bush Administration. Tenet was an eager and willing participant in the massive effort to deceive the American people with bogus claims of Iraq’s WMD’s and as such must share responsibility for the Iraq debacle with his former duplicitous bosses, Vice-President Cheney and President Bush. 

He ignored solid CIA Intelligence reports in September 2002, which rejected the presence of WMD’s, and replaced them with a fraudulent  National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) to please his bosses. Tenet further buttressed the case for war by falsely testifying an Al Qaeda link before Congress in February 2003. He allowed CIA analysts to be bullied and intimidated by Vice-President Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and then added the CIA stamp of approval to Colin Powell’s speech at the United Nations savaging CIA’s honor and credibility. It would be a befitting gesture of remorse if George Tenet returned the Medal of Freedom which was given to buy his silence and donated the royalties from his book to U.S. soldiers and their families who have paid the ultimate price for his lack of courage and leadership.

Virginia Tech 4-23-2007

23, April 2007 Virginia Tech     

It is a sad indictment of our society that regardless of the human tragedy that aborts our young and most vulnerable members, we stubbornly refuse to pass stringent laws banning hand guns. The blood of those that perished in the mass murder at Virginia Tech had barely dried when the NRA launched its offensive to demand that we turn our schools into shooting galleries by arming our teachers. Mindful of its loosening grip on a society disgusted and losing patience on the violence of our disaffected youth, the NRA repeats its tired mantra of the citizens ’right to bare arms’ – an obscene anachronism which needs to be vigorously challenged in the courts. 

Every community has armed militias – we call them law enforcement agencies. We have rightly become the laughing stock of the world with our gun obsession. Do we need military style weapons for hunting and killing God’s animals to fulfill some grotesque Rambo fantasies? The underlying statistics regarding gun violence delivers an unmistakable and troubling message – far more deaths occur from suicides and offensive actions than lives saved by defensive measures using guns. The NRA’s twisted, circular, logic is to persuade us to buy more guns to protect ourselves from the guns that have already been sold. The Virginia Tech tragedy should be a wake-up call for stricter laws regarding gun ownership. We need our politicians to respond to our concerns not to the deep pockets of gun lobbyists. 

Double Standard on War on Terror 4-20-2007

20, April 2007 Double Standard on War on Terror
It would appear our government and courts do not follow a uniform standard of administering justice. Take the case of ex-CIA agent, Luis Posada Carriles. In 1976 Carriles planned the midair bombing of a civilian passenger plane killing 73 people and thereafter directed the bombing of tourist hotels in 1997. He escaped from prison in Venezuela and then entered the U.S. illegally. The U.S. department of Justice ignored his horrific terror crimes and decided to charge him for minor infractions of immigration laws and fraud. 

The refusal of the U.S. government to try Posada smacks of a double standard on our alleged ‘war on terror’.  The Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civilian Aviation, ratified in 1971, mandates he be extradited or tried in the country where he is living. Judge Kathleen Cardone, of the El Paso Federal Court last Friday, granted Luis Posada Carriles freedom on bail. Posada’s favored treatment is in sharp contrast to the cruel conditions of René González, Fernando González, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, and Antonio Guerrero. These five Cubans, charged with monitoring private organizations inside the U.S.  planning terror attacks against Cuba, are enduring harsh double life sentences in maximum security prisons.  This makes a complete mockery of our claims to be a bastion of peace and justice. I urge readers to write to their representatives in Washington and demand that Posada be tried for terror crimes and the ‘Cuba Five’ be released immediately and unconditionally. Their continual incarceration is a travesty of justice.

Bill Moyer’s Iraq video 4-17-2007

17, April 2007 Bill Moyer’s Iraq video (April 25)
Bill Moyers, has assembled a 90 minutes video summarizing the lies told by the Bush administration to sell the Iraq war to the American people. It will be aired on PBS from 9 to 10.30 on April 25. Moyer’s, clips shows many media reporters to be willing accomplices. Among the guilty are the Weekly Standard, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, William Safire and Judith Miller of the New York Times and George Will of Newsweek.  
Even Oprah does not escape criticism. Video clips show her silencing a caller who challenges some of the pro-war assertions of her guests. Moyer’s reserves special criticism of Murdoch’s Fox News, who offered the most toxic soup of propaganda to deceive the American people.  Dan Rather, who expressed excitement of large scale bombing (‘shock and awe’) of Baghdad during the onset of the war, Peter Beinart and the then Chairman and CEO of CNN, Walter Isaacson all get a resounding failing grade. Conversely, Bob Simon of “60 Minutes” and Landsay of Knight Ridder both receive passing grades. Tim Russet of ‘Meet the Press’ also gets a failing grade for not challenging the Administration’s outrageous assertions.

Video clips of Hillary Clinton and John Kerry are both shown to be enthusiastic supporters of Bush’s war of deception. Conversely, Moyers replays clips of speeches made by Senators Robert Byrd and Ted Kennedy who attempted to pierce the administration’s web of deception but were unfortunately drowned out by the war hawks 

Iraqgate 4-16-2007

16, April 2007 Iraqgate

In the continuing saga of Iraqgate, two prominent authors have recently published explosive new books which offer conclusive evidence of the high crimes of the Bush Administration in selling the Iraq war to the American people. 

Carlo Bonini is the Italian reporter who broke the infamous ‘yellow cake uranium’ Niger story. His latest book is called “Collusion: International Espionage and the War on Terror.” Peter Eisner is a senior foreign correspondent and is currently an editor at the Washington Post. His latest book is “The Italian Letter: How the Bush Administration Used a Fake Letter to Build the Case for War in Iraq.”  Both authors offer convincing evidence that the false claims by the Bush Administration accusing Saddam Hussein of importing weapon grade material from Niger, was deliberately fabricated and included in the 2003 State of the Union Speech under vigorous opposition by the CIA and British Intelligence. Bonini and Eisner unravel the mystery behind the forged document which was seized by the Bush White House to launch a ‘war of terror’ on the hapless Iraqis. The authors trace the forged document to a former officer of Italian Intelligence with an extremely shady past. It is time for the Democrats to issue subpoenas to White House officials to unmask the murky details of this sordid chapter in our national politics. 

The Israeli Lobby 4-10-2007

10, April 2007 The Israeli Lobby 
Desmond Tuck’s letter to the ‘Daily’ (April 6) contains a number of misleading statements. He claims that the Israeli lobby doesn’t exist. Nothing could be further from the truth. Its influence is both profound and insidious. Witness its aggressive and relentless attacks on former Jimmy Carter and its more recent efforts to deny tenure to Norman Finkelstein, a Professor of Political Science at DePaul University.

I would urge Tuck to read Paul Findley’s latest book, "They Dare to Speak Out" and "Silent No More."  Findley, a former senior Republican represented Illinois in the U.S. House for 22 years, paid the ultimate price for speaking out in favor of Palestinian rights and criticizing the construction of Jewish-only settlements on confiscated Palestinian land. Findley was narrowly defeated by his opponent who received large amounts of money from the deep pockets of the pro-Israeli lobby. His book describes the tactics used by pro-Israeli groups to silence critics of Israel’s war of aggression. Other human rights stalwarts, such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and UN Envoy John Dugard, compare Israeli policies to former white South African apartheid. Surprisingly, even Israeli politicians such as former Education Minister, Shulamit Aloni, acknowledge that an apartheid system exists in Israel. Prof. John J. Mearsheimer and Prof. Stephen Walt, who warned of the undue influence of the pro-Israel lobby, were excoriated, mocked and largely silenced into obscurity.

Captured British soldiers 4-10-2007

10, April 2007 Captured British soldiers

The capture of 15 British sailors and subsequent confessions aired on Iranian television, demonstrates the complete fallacy and danger in our own policy of condoning torture and allowing confessions obtained during torture. The Guantanamo detainees recently tried under the Military Commission Act, have all recanted, claiming they were tortured or coerced into making confessions. The British government and our own Administration are hardly in a position to criticize Iran when the Iranians can claim they were merely adopting the ‘American way’ of extracting confessions. As it turns out, the Iranian guards treated the captured Brits with a great deal of civility, allowing them to watch soccer games, play ping pong, chess and card games. They even gave them nice tailored suits on their release. The Brits readily admitted that they were spying and could have obtained much harsher treatment as ‘enemy combatants’ or spies. It is therefore the height of hypocrisy for the U.S. Administration and their British cousins, the Blair government, to accuse the Iranians of ‘inappropriate behavior’ when so many of their own detainees have been tortured and are rotting inside medieval dungeons around the world.  

All forms of torture must be abolished. The Military Commission Act, which allows the President to decide what interrogations techniques constitute torture, must also be abolished. For example, President Bush has refused to outlaw “water boarding”, an extremely cruel method of torture that produces an overwhelming sense of drowning. The U.S. sentenced a Japanese officer to 15 years of hard labor for water boarding American servicemen during World War 11. If Congress fails to act, our government will continue sending prisoners to countries that practice torture. Torture produces lasting physical, psychic and emotional scars on the victim, perpetrators and society at large. Human Rights Watch has conducted considerable research on the victims of torture and conclusively states that torture does not yield a shred of useful information. It is totally ineffective and violates all norms of civilized conduct. I urge readers to call their representatives and demand an immediate repeal of the Military Commission Act and all forms of torture. 

U.S. AID to Israel 4-9-2007

9, April 2007 U.S. AID to Israel
Contrary to the opinion of many letter writers to the Daily News, the staggering US aid given to Israel is a major impediment to bringing about a peaceful settlement with the Palestinians.  According to Thomas Stauffer (see full report by staff writer David Francis of the Christian Science Monitor), a consulting economist in Washington, Israel has drained a staggering $1.6 trillion from the U.S. Treasury since 1973.

At a White House meeting last month, Israeli officials are now demanding $4 billion in additional military aid and $8 billion in loan guarantees to prop up the recession-bound economy. This money is being diverted from critically needed U.S. programs such as education and health care. U.S. aid money has always been paid to Israel without pre-conditions. There is little doubt that the funds have been used to construct roads and settlements for the exclusive use of Jews giving rise to an apartheid system of government. A growing number of former Israeli Defense Forces soldiers (see IDF ‘breaking the silence’) have chosen to speak out and have vigorously denounced the constant harassment and intimidation of Palestinians by IDF soldiers. It is time for U.S. taxpayers to break the silence and demand an immediate halt to unconditional military and economic support to Israel.

Exploitation of Indian laborers 4-6-2007

6, April 2007 Exploitation of Indian laborers
Thousands of Punjabi immigrants, many in their 50’s and 60’s, came to Canada to be close to their loved ones who sponsored them. What they encountered was a mixture of disappointment and disillusionment. Many work back breaking 12 hour days picking berries in Canada’s Frazer Valley. Some even work seven day work weeks for below minimum wages - without overtime compensatory pay and holidays. Any laborers who dare to complain are immediately fired by their contractors.  These ‘sweat farms’ operate under the radar of public scrutiny. Stiff necks, sore knees and backs are common. Many are compelled to travel long distances by buses or vans leaving virtually no time for rest and recuperation from their hard labors. Vans and buses are often overcrowded lacking seat belts and other safety standards.  Local governments are supposed to protect these types of abuses but are woefully understaffed or unwilling to offer much help. 

Under public pressure, the government of British Columbia hired Punjabi speaking officials to town halls, agricultural fairs and farms to advise these poor workers of their basic rights. Websites have been established with relevant information in Punjabi and Hindi but it is somewhat doubtful whether these day laborers have the time or possess the computer skills to take advantage of these facilities. Three inspectors, some with Punjabi and Hindi skills, visit farms on a random basis, handing out brochures and investigating egregious complaints of violations of labor laws. Labor contractors found guilty of such violations have been issued warnings or compelled to pay small fines. It is doubtful that such fines serve as an effective deterrent. Most government officials are loath to interfere with a system that has been largely un-policed for the past 20 years. Farmers are a strong political constituency and therefore carry clout which discourages interference with their labor practices.  

Indo-Canadian laborers have replaced Japanese laborers who preceded them and were also subjected to abuse and exploitation. Sikh temples, who have the resources to offer help and guidance to these senior Punjabis, have largely failed. Instead, they may be unwitting accomplices by promoting the service of unscrupulous Indo-Canadian labor contractors, many who have been found guilty of tax fraud, insurance scams and withholding wages. Working conditions are abysmal. Port-a-potties and running water are scarce forcing workers to urinate or defecate in the fields and then continue to pick berries with unwashed hands. Berries are weighed ‘Indian style’ with crude scales that invariably favor the labor bosses.  The laborers are often fully aware of these abuses but are afraid to speak out lest they be blacklisted or deported. This is yet another example, of man’s exploitation of his fellow man driven by the siren song of wealth and power. 

Aid to Isreal 3-30-2007

30, March 2007 Aid to Isreal
According to Thomas Stauffer (see full report by staff writer David Francis of the Christian Science Monitor), a consulting economist in Washington, Israel has drained a staggering $1.6 trillion from the US Treasury since 1973. This nets out to be $5,700 per person based on the current U.S. population (or more than twice the cost of the Vietnam War). Israeli officials are now asking for more money. At a White House meeting last month, $4 billion in additional military aid and $8 billion in loan guarantees is being demanded to prop up the recession-bound economy.  Based on the history of past loan guarantees, there is little likely hood, that Israel will ever pay back the loan, saddling US taxpayers with both principal and interest payments. 

U.S. aid money has always been paid to Israel without pre-conditions. Thus, it is very likely that this aid money and loan will be used to dispossess the Palestinians of more of their land to build ‘for Jews’ only illegal settlements. This comes at a time when more than 82% of the Palestinians are suffering from acute malnutrition resulting from the crippling economic sanctions and theft of Palestinian revenue by Israel. I urge readers to pierce the blanket of silence and demand an immediate halt to unconditional economic and military aid to Israel.  

City of Palo Alto overstaffed? 3-25-2007

25, March 2007 City of Palo Alto overstaffed?

Response to Diana Diamond’s Article, March 21, 2007  
Diana Diamond (“Guaranteed work for life for Palo Alto city employees”, Wednesday March 21) deserves our support. Many excellent articles have appeared in the Weekly addressing concerns over the perennial infrastructure problems largely ignored by members of our city council and city staff. The comparative analysis by city included in Diamond’ article, offers a disturbing picture. Palo Alto appears to be overstaffed compared to other cities with comparable populations and services. Cities should follow the lead of private industries by trimming back their workforces when budgets are tight. No city has a social obligation to maintain large number of employees when operating at record deficits. No doubt the presence of  large number of ‘purpose shirt union employees’ had the desired effect of discouraging city council members from making the hard choices of outsourcing work to save money which is desperately needed for upgrading our crumbling roads. Unless the city staff makes tough choices, unfunded liabilities will cripple us financially.

Human Trafficking Needs to End 3-25-2007

25, March 2007          Human Trafficking Needs to End

India has now assumed the dubious distinction of becoming a world leader in human trafficking (I-W, June 8). According to a recent article in the New York Times, the situation in India for poor young girls is dire. The story chronicles the horrors endured by one of its victims, Meena Khatun, who was kidnapped by a trafficker in north India when she was only 11 years old. Tragically, Meena had become another statistic in the 10 million children around the world forced into prostitution.

In addition to forcing these girls to endure unspeakable horrors to serve as 'cash cows' to their owners, these girls are also 'encouraged' to become pregnant to provide a continuous source of human slaves - prostitutes and cheap laborers. When Meena became pregnant, her two children, Naina and son Vivek, were snatched away. In desperation, Meena escaped and sought help from the local police who callously turned her away, exhibiting a common attitude of Indian law enforcement agencies.

Fearing for her life, Meena was unable to return to the brothel and was forced to leave her two children behind. When Naina turned 12, the brothel owners decided to sell her. Her brother, Vivek, was forced to work in the brothel's laundry. Eventually their sad plight came to the attention of a wonderful, caring agency, which specializes in anti-trafficking, Apne Aap. It is run by a former journalist, Ruchira Gupta. Gupta approached the local police and applied relentless pressure to seek the release of Naina who is recovering in a hospital from savage beatings inflicted by her captors.

The owners have not been arrested but are threatening to kill Meena, her children and her rescuers as they are material witnesses in a criminal case against them. I would encourage NRIs and others, who have contacts in India to urge religious and social organizations to crusade against the growing exploitation of God's ignored and forgotten children.

Guest Worker Programs 3-16-2007

16, March 2007 Guest Worker Programs

President Bush made several stump speeches during his trip to Central and South America, offering ‘cheap labor’ to corporate America. Largely ignored by the US mainstream media, is the dark side of this much touted program which often results in gross exploitation of these workers.

For example, hundreds of guest workers were recruited from India after paying from $15,000 to $20,000 to obtain H2 visas. Many took loans at exorbitant high interest rates and others spent their entire life savings to get these visas with promises of lucrative jobs, green cards and permanent residency in the US. They were told they would be housed in comfortable hotels and paid a handsome salary. On arrival, they had their passports and visas seized and were told they could not seek employment elsewhere. The ‘hotels’ turned out to be large containers housing 24 workers who had to share two bathrooms. A strict ban on outside visitors was enforced. 288 workers were employed by Signal International at their shipyard in Pascagoula Mississippi and about 200 in Texas living under the same conditions. They were paid sub-standard wages contrary to what they had been promised and charged exorbitant rents for their sub-standard housing. Driven by utter despair, the workers decided to go public to protest their appalling working and living conditions under threats of job terminations. Mindful, of the adverse publicity, Signal told seven of the workers that their jobs had been terminated and they would be sent back to India. On hearing the news, one of the workers, Sabu Lal, became so despondent that he tried committing suicide by slashing his wrists. 

Saket Soni, spokesman for the Alliance of Guest Workers for Dignity explained that Signal is one of hundreds of employers who have used the guest worker program to entice cheap imported labor to undercut wages across the industry and maximize company profits. Last month, 30 plus Mexican workers in Sulphur, Louisiana held a press conference to protest their working conditions. Tragically, guest workers have invoked the resentment of African-Americans who have been displaced in favor of imported cheaper labor. Courageously, the Indian workers at Signal have now formed their own union. They are demanding reinstatement of the fired workers, immediate release of imprisoned workers, refund of their ‘visa money’ obtained under false promises, and a restitution of back wages. I urge readers to offer their solidarity and support to their less fortunate brethren by contacting Sharda Sekaran, Associate Director, National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI) at sharda@nesri.org or call 212-253-1771.

Alberto Gonzales 3-14-2007

14, March 2007 Alberto Gonzales

It certainly comes as no surprise that an increasing number of lawmakers are demanding the resignation of Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales. His egregious actions to subvert the Constitution and destroy the careers of federal prosecutors must not be tolerated. By doing so, he has shown complete disdain and contempt for the rule of law. 

But surely he is not alone. Emails between the White House and the Attorney General’s office clearly show that it was senior White House officials who orchestrated the firings. It is time the Democrats used the subpoena power to expose another shameful episode of this administration. It is time to repeal the Patriot Act which has been abused to elevate the power of the Executive Branch, weaken the Legislative and Judicial Branches of government and punish dissenters and independent thinkers. It is time that Gonzales and his erstwhile bosses in the White House tender their resignations and spare the American people more pain and misery. Finally, Democrats must share some of the blame. Most supported the Patriot Act which bypassed the need for confirmation hearings on federal judicial appointments.   

“Scooter” Libby 3-8-2007

8, March 2007 “Scooter” Libby

The indictment of “Scooter Libby”, the former chief of staff of Vice President Cheney is the latest saga of an Administration utterly devoid of morality and ethics. Libby is the designated ‘fall guy’ chosen by his White House masters to shield them from impeachable offenses of high crimes. There is little doubt that Libby will escape his 25 year sentence with a presidential pardon. Clearly, the whole sordid affair of revealing the identity of Valerie Plame was an act of retribution orchestrated by senior White House officials. Bush and Cheney were clearly incensed that Ambassador Wilson should challenge their fictional account of WMD material being shipped from Niger. It certainly comes as no surprise that Bush reneged on his promise to fire anybody who leaked this information.

Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s decision not to seek indictments of any other White House officials is baffling in view of his earlier statement, - “there is a cloud over the vice president... a cloud over the White House over what happened.” Dennis Collins, one of the jurors, expressed disbelief and outrage that Karl Rove and his bosses had escaped punishment. 

It is ironic that the Bush administration feigns outrage whenever their dark illegal activities are revealed in the media but unhesitatingly reveals the name of a CIA operative. What hypocrisy! 

GAO’s Warning, US heading for bankruptcy 3-6-2007

6, March 2007 GAO’s Warning, US heading for bankruptcy
Americans would do well to readjust their financial investments and long term goals in preparation for the economic realities envisioned by US’s head accountant, David Walker. Walker is the highly respected head of the General Accountability Office, or GAO, He issued a dire warning when he appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes last Sunday (March 4, ’07). He stated that a far greater threat than “a man hiding in a cave in Afghanistan or Pakistan’, is our own fiscal irresponsibility." Walker, whose job is to audit the government’s books, has concluded that we are heading for a serious financial meltdown, a “dirty little secret everyone in Washington knows”. Politicians are ignoring the inconvenient truth lest they get tainted with recommending unpopular remedies such as raising taxes and/or trimming back entitlements.

 Walker is now on a cross country ‘fiscal wakeup’ crusade hoping to stir up the citizenry to pressure politicians to take remedial action to save our ship of state from bankruptcy. He warns of a lack of leadership and truth telling intended to lull our people into a deep slumber and continued delusion of our financial well-being. But, a far greater threat than the obscene Defense budget and our penchant for waging wars, is the massive entitlement programs which if left unchecked will most surely cripple us financially. 60 years ago, an important demographic change occurred with an upward shift in the nation’s fertility rate spawning a ‘baby boom’ generation. These boomers will be receiving their first entitlement checks beginning January 2008 when 78 million Americans will be become ‘dependents’ of the US taxpayers. Just 3 years later, the massive new entitlement of Medicare will ‘kick in’. With medical costs rising at twice the rate of inflation, the system is unsustainable. This will serve as a death knell for all other government programs such as national defense (more appropriately call the ‘national war’ department). homeland security, education etc. The only silver lining in this doomsday scenario, is the decline of US hegemony which should usher in a period of relative global calm. No longer will the US be able to flex its economic muscle and military might to force nations to bend to its imperial will. Furthermore, the welfare checks to repressive governments, such as Egypt, Jordon, Pakistan and Israel will cease and the citizens of this country will be forced to adjust to a much lower living standard. Social unrest may well result during this period of economic adjustment. 

GAO’s Warning, US heading for bankruptcy 3-6-2007

6, March 2007 GAO’s Warning, US heading for bankruptcy
David Walker, the highly respected head of the General Accountability Office, or GAO, issued a dire warning when he appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes last Sunday (March 4, ’07). He stated that a far greater threat than “a man hiding in a cave in Afghanistan or Pakistan’, is our own fiscal irresponsibility." Walker, whose job is to audit the government’s books, has concluded that we are heading for a serious financial meltdown, a “dirty little secret everyone in Washington knows”. Politicians are ignoring the inconvenient truth lest they get tainted with recommending unpopular remedies such as raising taxes and/or trimming back entitlements.
Walker is now on a cross country ‘fiscal wakeup’ crusade hoping to stir up the citizenry to pressure politicians to take remedial action to save our ship of state from bankruptcy. He warns of a lack of leadership and truth telling intended to lull our people into a deep slumber and continued delusion of our financial well-being. But, a far greater threat than the obscene Defense budget and our penchant for waging wars is the massive entitlement programs which if left unchecked will most surely cripple us financially. The economic reality is fast approaching when the baby boomers generation will be jumping on the entitlement bandwagon in January 2008. Three years later, these new retirees will be entitled to Medicare coverage further draining the dwindling resources of the US treasury.  

Captured British soldiers 3-5-2007

5, March 2007 Captured British soldiers

The capture of 15 British sailors and subsequent confessions aired on Iranian television, demonstrates the complete fallacy and danger in our own policy of condoning torture and allowing confessions obtained during torture. The Guantanamo detainees recently tried under the Military Commission Act, have all recanted, claiming they were tortured or coerced into making confessions. The British government and our own Administration are hardly in a position to criticize Iran when the Iranians can claim they were merely adopting the ‘American way’ of extracting confessions.
All forms of torture must be abolished. The Military Commission Act, which allows the President to decide what interrogations techniques constitute torture, must also be abolished. For example, President Bush has refused to outlaw “water boarding”, an extremely cruel method of torture that produces an overwhelming sense of drowning. The U.S. sentenced a Japanese officer to 15 years of hard labor for water boarding American servicemen during World War 11. If Congress fails to act, our government will continue sending prisoners to countries that practice torture. Torture produces lasting physical, psychic and emotional scars on the victim, perpetrators and society at large. Human Rights Watch has conducted considerable research on the victims of torture and conclusively states that torture does not yield a shred of useful information. It is totally ineffective and violates all norms of civilized conduct. It is time for the American people to raise their collective voices to condemn this hideous assault on human life.

India’s Human Scavengers 3-2-2007

2, March 2007 India’s Human Scavengers      
It is gratifying that in the midst of the rapid economic engine propelling India’s growth, humanists are emerging to offer a healthy blend of social activism to help India’s largely forgotten and ignored underclass. A Stanford University graduate student recently visited India to document the pioneering work of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, a modern day Mahatma Gandhi, who has provided much needed relief and dignity to India’s scavengers. These ‘untouchables’ have traditionally been condemned to a life of servitude carrying and disposing human excreta. It is estimated that 700 million Indians defecate in fields, roads and even along railway tracks scenes that were graphically encapsulated by V.S. Naipaul and Ronal Segal. A staggering 110 million homes have no toilet facilities and 10 million homes have only bucket toilets. The lack of adequate sanitation is responsible for rampant disease especially amongst India’s children. It is estimated 1 million children die every year from dehydration caused by open defecation.

Women would be restricted to early morning hours or late evenings when they felt their modesty would not be compromised. The appalling lack of sanitation and institutionalized caste discrimination prompted Pathak to abandon his ‘safe’ teaching position as a social scientist and seek a solution to India’s lack of sanitation facilities. Although, Pathak did not possess the necessary technical skills, it seems like an unseen divine hand guided his work and gave impetus to his missionary zeal. What has emerged from his efforts, was a low cost pilot called Sulabh Shauchalaya (two-pit pour flush toilet) based on a UN model of a human waste hygienic water disposal system that he modified and implemented.

Initially, Pathak encountered stiff resistance and derision and the public shunned his facility. However, he was able to overcome this inertia when he reminded the public that the sanitation facilities would offer a safe and dignified place for their womenfolk. He charges a nominal fee of only R2 and uses the profits to expand his facilities and offer free education and training to India’s untouchables. Since his humble beginnings, Pathak’s plants have generated bio-energy and produced bio-fertilizers, liquid solid waste management and integrated rural development. He has gained international fame for his work to lift India’s poor and integrate them to mainstream society. It is laudable that Pathak has rejected all the trappings of fame and fortune and remains firmly committed to his social cause in offering succor to India’s social outcastes. 

Dr. Pathak traveled all over the country, visited and lived with scavengers in their bastis, studied their habits and social mores (he did his Ph. D. on scavenging), their history and geographical spread to eventually declare that scavengers were a special class united in their miseries and social degradation

Dr. Pathak observed after studying scriptures that scavenging has no religious sanction and, hence, those who practice untouchability commit a sin; it is unproductive and revolting to manually clean excreta and we are wasting the waste which can be profitably used to raise farm production and produce biogas.

Dr. Pathak lived with scavenger families, and did rigorous research, before he launched the movement. Following rapid adoption of the Sulabh technology of pour-flush toilet system, more than 240 towns have been freed from scavenging and 50,000 scavengers liberated and resettled in other professions. It was possible by converting 10,00,000 bucket latrines into Sulabh toilets. Moreover, Sulabh has built 3,200 community toilets with bath, laundry and urinal facilities operated on pay-and-use basis. Sulabh is now operating in 338 districts of 25 states with over 50,000 trained and experienced workers.

Now Sulabh is operating and maintaining more than 5,500 community complexes in 1075 towns across the country. One such complex is in Bhutan. These complexes have electricity and 24-hours water supply. The complexes have separate enclosures for men and women. The users are charged nominal sum for using toilets and bath facilities. Some of the Sulabh complexes are also provided with bath with shower facility, cloak-rooms, telephone and primary healthcare. These complexes have been widely welcomed both by the people and the authorities due to their cleanliness and good management. Pay-and-use system ensures self-sustainability without any burden on public exchequer or local bodies. The complexes have also improved the living environment considerably. 

Sulabh has set up a number of vocational training institutes. Here liberated scavengers, their sons and daughters and persons from other weaker sections of society are given training in various vocations like computer technology, typing and shorthand, electrical trade, woodcraft, leather craft, diesel and petrol engineering, cutting and tailoring, cane furniture making, masonry work, motor driving etc. The purpose of imparting vocational training to them is to give them new means of livelihood, alleviate poverty and bring them into the mainstream of society. 

Sulabh has set up an English medium School in Delhi for children of the scavengers, the first of its kind in India. Half the number of children are from scavenger families and the remaining half from other castes. This heterogeneous composition ensures that there is enough interaction between kids of scavengers and others. The school aims to prepare children from weaker sections of society for a better life. It brings quality education within the reach of boys and girls from scavenger families.