The following letter was sent to President Elect, Barack Obama. 11-20-2008

20, November 2008
The following letter was sent to President Elect, Barack Obama.
Dear Mr. Obama, 
I offer you my sincere congratulations on your well-deserved victory in the hotly contested presidential campaign. As president you will be challenged with many daunting issues which will require courage, fortitude, boldness and visionary solutions. To this end may I respectfully offer you some suggestions?

On the economy, resist seeking the advice and guidance of the moneyed folks from Goldman Saks who have contributed in a major way to the economic morass that we are now facing. Thus far, the financial bailout has been a monumental disaster with no restrictions imposed on those institutions who have squandered their assets and taxpayers bailout funds to reward their incompetent executives with obscene bonuses, shareholders dividends and bank buyouts. Such bank consolidations create non-competitive entities and fail-safe behemoths. 

Do not support the bailout of the auto industry. General Motors, Chrysler and Ford have contributed to their own demise by ignoring the public’s hunger for more fuel efficiency cars in favor of short term profits and marketing gimmicks (offering lower gas prices for gas guzzlers and low interest car loans). These companies have mocked climate change doomsday pundits and have instead lobbied politicians to postpone fuel efficiency legislation. They must be allowed to sink into receivership and forced to replace board members with new blood. Gross incompetence must not be rewarded with more government largesse. 

Call an immediate moratorium on home foreclosures and allow bankruptcy judges to restructure the loans downwards to reflect actual home values. Banks should absorb the difference between the original loan values and the restructured loans. 

Provide relief to seniors by suspending the mandatory redemption of IRA’s at age 701/2. 
Charge a federal excise tax on oil imports and offer a portion of the revenue in the form of loans to innovators to encourage the manufacture of fuel efficient cars and alternate energy sources. 
Pursue vigorous diplomatic efforts to promote world peace and harmony. Abandon policies which promote US commercial interests to the exclusion of the basic needs of the people the world. The Bush administration has alienated much of the world with their bellicose ‘axis of evil’ language. Use your high office to elevate the level of discourse and abandon the failed polices of the Bush administration which perpetuated rancor with nations such as Iran, Venezuela and Cuba and remove existing trade embargos. Reach out to the governments of Venezuela and Bolivia and Ecuador, each of which is currently under subversive attack by the United States. Restore trade relations with Cuba.

Close Guantánamo, Abu Grab and Bagram Air force Base and scrap the Military Commissions Act. Allow prisoners to be tried in US federal courts granting them the right to due process and dismiss confessions extracted under torture. The current system is an absolute outrage and has rightly been criticized by JAG lawyers.  Call an immediate halt to all forms of torture and extraordinary renditions. Restore Habeas Corpus. Banish ‘unlawful combatants’ from our lexicon and instruct Pentagon officials to stop offering financial inducements to ‘turn in’ Afghani people. According to the International Red Cross, most of those arrested are completely innocent and have been arrested on false information to settle tribal scores or for financial gain. Do not escalate the war in Afghanistan. Instead negotiate a speedy withdrawal with a specific timetable. Our continual presence violates international law and basic common sense.  The high rate of civilian deaths is fueling more anger and bitterness and our illegal occupation is doomed to failure. Offer massive reparations to innocent civilians who have been killed by US or international forces. 

Reign in military spending. Banish private soldiers of fortune such as those hired by Blackwater who have a dark history of committing war crimes and have squandered billions.
Appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the war crimes of Bush & Company. 
Curtail excessive spending of the Department of Homeland Security and phase out this bloated bureaucracy which does little to preserve our security and wellbeing. An ounce of diplomacy will reap tons of security. 

Eliminate cluster bombs which continue to maim hundreds of innocent men, women and children each year. 

Close the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly known as the ‘School of the Americas’. This institution has an extremely dark history training its recruits in barbaric treatment of its citizens, principally in Latin America. 
Phase out US agricultural subsidies which place third world countries at an uncompetitive disadvantage and have contributed to thousands of farmer suicides in India and Africa.  
Resist the siren song of powerful lobbies such as AIPAC. These lobbies have driven US foreign policy and have done incalculable harm to our nation drawing us into unnecessary conflicts. Their influence must be neutralized. Appoint former president Jimmy Carter as a special envoy to heal the deep wounds inflicted by the failed policies of Bush- Cheney.

The following letter was sent to President Elect, Barack Obama.11-20-2008

20, November 2008

The following letter was sent to President Elect, Barack Obama.

Dear Mr. Obama,

I offer you my sincere congratulations on your well-deserved victory in the hotly contested presidential campaign. As president you will be challenged with many daunting issues which will require courage, fortitude, boldness and visionary solutions. To this end may I respectfully offer you some suggestions?

On the economy, resist seeking the advice and guidance of the moneyed folks from Goldman Saks who have contributed in a major way to the economic morass that we are now facing. Thus far, the financial bailout has been a monumental disaster with no restrictions imposed on those institutions who have squandered their assets and taxpayers bailout funds to reward their incompetent executives with obscene bonuses, shareholders dividends and bank buyouts. Such bank consolidations create non-competitive entities and fail-safe behemoths.

Do not support the bailout of the auto industry. General Motors, Chrysler and Ford have contributed to their own demise by ignoring the public’s hunger for more fuel efficiency cars in favor of short term profits and marketing gimmicks (offering lower gas prices for gas guzzlers and low interest car loans). These companies have mocked climate change doomsday pundits and have instead lobbied politicians to postpone fuel efficiency legislation. They must be allowed to sink into receivership and forced to replace board members with new blood. Gross incompetence must not be rewarded with more government largesse.

Call an immediate moratorium on home foreclosures and allow bankruptcy judges to restructure the loans downwards to reflect actual home values. Banks should absorb the difference between the original loan values and the restructured loans.

Provide relief to seniors by suspending the mandatory redemption of IRA’s at age 701/2.

Charge a federal excise tax on oil imports and offer a portion of the revenue in the form of loans to innovators to encourage the manufacture of fuel efficient cars and alternate energy sources.

Pursue vigorous diplomatic efforts to promote world peace and harmony. Abandon policies which promote US commercial interests to the exclusion of the basic needs of the people the world. The Bush administration has alienated much of the world with their bellicose ‘axis of evil’ language. Use your high office to elevate the level of discourse and abandon the failed polices of the Bush administration which perpetuated rancor with nations such as Iran, Venezuela and Cuba and remove existing trade embargos. Reach out to the governments of Venezuela and Bolivia and Ecuador, each of which is currently under subversive attack by the United States. Restore trade relations with Cuba.

Close Guantánamo, Abu Grab and Bagram Air force Base and scrap the Military Commissions Act. Allow prisoners to be tried in US federal courts granting them the right to due process and dismiss confessions extracted under torture. The current system is an absolute outrage and has rightly been criticized by JAG lawyers.  Call an immediate halt to all forms of torture and extraordinary renditions. Restore Habeas Corpus. Banish ‘unlawful combatants’ from our lexicon and instruct Pentagon officials to stop offering financial inducements to ‘turn in’ Afghani people. According to the International Red Cross, most of those arrested are completely innocent and have been arrested on false information to settle tribal scores or for financial gain. Do not escalate the war in Afghanistan. Instead negotiate a speedy withdrawal with a specific timetable. Our continual presence violates international law and basic common sense.  The high rate of civilian deaths is fueling more anger and bitterness and our illegal occupation is doomed to failure. Offer massive reparations to innocent civilians who have been killed by US or international forces.

Reign in military spending. Banish private soldiers of fortune such as those hired by Blackwater who have a dark history of committing war crimes and have squandered billions.

Appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the war crimes of Bush & Company.

Curtail excessive spending of the Department of Homeland Security and phase out this bloated bureaucracy which does little to preserve our security and wellbeing. An ounce of diplomacy will reap tons of security.

Eliminate cluster bombs which continue to maim hundreds of innocent men, women and children each year.

Close the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly known as the ‘School of the Americas’. This institution has an extremely dark history training its recruits in barbaric treatment of its citizens, principally in Latin America.

Phase out US agricultural subsidies which place third world countries at an uncompetitive disadvantage and have contributed to thousands of farmer suicides in India and Africa. 

Resist the siren song of powerful lobbies such as AIPAC. These lobbies have driven US foreign policy and have done incalculable harm to our nation drawing us into unnecessary conflicts. Their influence must be neutralized. Appoint former president Jimmy Carter as a special envoy to heal the deep wounds inflicted by the failed policies of Bush- Cheney.

End the siege of Gaza immediately. Israel has committed one of the greatest crimes in modern history by confining 1.5 million in a ghetto who are on the brink of starvation. Demand an immediate freeze on new Jewish-only settlements. Structure a phased withdrawal from existing settlements and demand a removal of the separation wall. Put Israel on notice that continued US aid is conditional on withdrawal of illegal settlers from confiscated Palestinian lands and respect for international law.

Resist Zionist demands for territorial conquests.  Your earlier stump speech before AIPAC was disappointing especially the statement you made promising Jerusalem will remain the undivided capital of Israel. I urge you to replace ‘Israel’s lawyers’ such as Dennis Ross, and Martin Indyk with more honest brokers. Robert Malley, Zbigniew Brzezinski, or President Carter would be far better choices.

Close the monstrous US embassy in Baghdad and accelerate the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq closing all US military bases. This will go a long way to engendering the trust and respect for the US. Make equal rights, civil rights, basic human rights and freedom of expression the centerpiece of your administration. Jettison the ideological, rapacious, Pentagon war-making machine which has brought misery and death to so many innocent people. Stop the genocide in Darfur and the Congo. Use the US military to achieve noble goals such establishing a no-fly zone in Darfur.  Honor our verbal commitments to promote peace and goodwill. For example, the US has failed to meet its stated promise of providing $50 million to African Union troops who are attempting to halt the killing in so many African nations.

I wish you all the success as the first African-American President of this nation.  

Pentagon targeted journalists 6-5-2008

5, June 2008                           Pentagon targeted journalists

New testimony has recently emerged countering the official Pentagon version of the shelling of the Palestine Hotel in the early days of the Iraq war in 2003. The targeted attack killed two journalists, Reuter’s cameraman Taras Protsyuk and Jose Couso, a cameraman for the Spanish television network, Telecinco. The Pentagon brushed aside the killings as accidental, but this has been challenged by Army Sgt. Adrienne Kinne (Ret.) who saw US military documents listing the Palestine Hotel as a possible target. During her service in military intelligence Kline was also ordered to eavesdrop on Americans working for news organizations and NGO’s in Iraq, in complete violation of US law. A documentary of the assassinations, ‘Hotel Palestine: Killing the Witness’, has been produced by Tecinco of Spain.

It appears the Pentagon has engaged in an ongoing effort to silence independent reporting which might turn world opinion against the illegal invasion of Iraq. First, Al Jazeera TV was ordered to shut down its operations. This was followed by attacks on the offices of Abu Dhabi TV, which in turn was followed by the shelling of the Palestine Hotel. It is an absolute outrage that these killings were planned by the top brass of the Pentagon with complete disregard to the lives of reporters and the devastating impact on their families. When will these serial killers be held accountable?

Americans die, VA lies 6-2-2008

2, June 2008               Americans die, VA lies

In an effort to shield the Bush administration from its ongoing deception and minimize the ire of the American people, Dr. Ira Katz, head of mental health services for the Department of Veterans Affairs, knowingly, understated the number of suicides of returning US veterans. In 2007, Katz testified before the House of Representatives Veterans’ Affairs Committee that the number of suicides for all of 2007 was 790. Unfortunately, an incriminating email from Katz to a colleague has since surfaced, “Our suicide prevention coordinators are identifying about 1,000 suicide attempts per month among the veterans we see in our medical facilities. Is this something we should (carefully) address ourselves in some sort of release before somebody stumbles on it?” CBS research showed that more than 6,250 Americans servicemen took their own lives in 2005 and according to Pentagon records 2006 proved to be the highest rate of suicides in 26 years. This is yet another sad episode which demonstrates the utter lack of compassion towards US war veterans fighting internal demons heaped upon them by our government.

McClellan 6-2-2008

2, June 2008                           McClellan

McClellan, the former White House spokesman and a close confident of President Bush, took to the airwaves to promote his new book accusing the Bush administration of deliberately misleading the public to wage war in Iraq. Clearly, loyalty is not a cherished personality trait with McClellan and his ilk. It is hard to believe that McClellan was not fully aware that he was being fed false information which he dutifully regurgitated at the White House press briefings, bullying reporters with his characteristic bluster. It is extremely sad that McClellan’s ‘affection for the president’, triumphed concerns over the lives of thousands of US servicemen and Iraqi civilians. Perhaps, McClellan might consider donating his ill-gotten book royalties to US veterans and Iraqi civilians, many of whom have paid the ultimate price for his lack of courage and integrity. Finally, the damning testimony that it was none other than President Bush who was responsible for the outing of Valerie Plame must surely seal the fate of this disgraced president    

NYT image tarnished

8, May 2008                              NYT image tarnished

The reputation of the former hallowed New York Times continues to falter. The latest debacle was triggered by a recent article by Michael Gordon in which he claimed that the   Lebanese group Hezbollah is training Iraqi militants inside Iran. These unsubstantiated claims from ‘unnamed sources’ were completely refuted by an Iraqi government spokesman. 


John Stauber of PR Watch heaped his scorn on Gordon’s article stating that it was “reminiscent of the horrendous errors of judgment and bad journalism committed by Michael Gordon, Judith Miller and others at the New York Times who turned the paper into a conduit for phony stories that sold the war in Iraq.” Retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner said he feels the article is “part of a strategic communications plan.” Once again the propaganda merchants have been cooking up a new stew to justify an attack on Iran to please our ‘special friend’ in the Middle East.  Former Ambassador, John Bolton a dangerous ‘loose cannon’ favored by the Bush Administration called for strikes against Iran when he was interviewed by the most untrustworthy, unbalanced cable network, Fox News. 

NYT image tarnished 5-8-2008

8, May 2008                              NYT image tarnished

The reputation of the former hallowed New York Times continues to falter. The latest debacle was triggered by a recent article by Michael Gordon in which he claimed that the   Lebanese group Hezbollah is training Iraqi militants inside Iran. These unsubstantiated claims from ‘unnamed sources’ were completely refuted by an Iraqi government spokesman.  


John Stauber of PR Watch heaped his scorn on Gordon’s article stating that it was “reminiscent of the horrendous errors of judgment and bad journalism committed by Michael Gordon, Judith Miller and others at the New York Times who turned the paper into a conduit for phony stories that sold the war in Iraq.” Retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner said he feels the article is “part of a strategic communications plan.” Once again the propaganda merchants have been cooking up a new stew to justify an attack on Iran to please our ‘special friend’ in the Middle East.  Former Ambassador, John Bolton a dangerous ‘loose cannon’ favored by the Bush Administration called for strikes against Iran when he was interviewed by the most untrustworthy, unbalanced cable network, Fox News. 

Silence is betrayal – impeach Bush 4029-2008

April 29, 2008                        Silence is betrayal – impeach Bush

In an unguarded moment, the Nation’s chief executive, George Bush, told millions of viewers on ABC News that he had approved torture of US detainees – including waterboarding. In his interview, Bush freely admitted that Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and George Tenet collectively approved the decision and by doing so, had committed high crimes – for which there is one Constitutional remedy – impeachment. This stunning admission flies in the face of previous public statements. There is no longer any need for an investigation following Bush’s admission of guilt. This finally clears the way for a senate vote for removal of Bush and Cheney and prosecution of Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and George Tenet who have violated their oath of office to uphold the Constitution. Our Nation is in urgent need to remove these lawbreakers from high office before they commit our Nation to more reckless adventures. Finally, we should heed the wise words of Dr. Martin Luther King who famously said, "A time comes when silence is betrayal.”

General Petraeus 4-25-2008

25, April 2008                           General Petraeus


Predictably, General Petraeus’s appearance before Congress offered nothing new, just more of the same rhetoric couched in muddled language which the late night comedians picked up and scorned with abandon. Petraeus dutifully delivered the White House scripted version allowing Bush to play for time until the end of his disastrous presidency. Bush vigorously supported what was essentially the White House strategy of, ‘staying the course’, assuring Petraeus that he had all the time in world to achieve a mythical victory. The Congressional hearings were largely for public consumption and accomplished little. This charade turned out to be another victory selling the war on a six month installment plan but a monumental failure for the American people, US soldiers mired in a quagmire and the Iraqi people who have lost so many loved ones in this illegal war of occupation. Meanwhile, the future for Americans is extremely gloomy. According to a BBC report large numbers of US citizens are seeking refuge in Canada. Tent cities have now been established in major metropolitan cities to accommodate US economic refugees. Every day brings us closer to our eventual demise and the Day of Judgment before our common Creator. I wonder how all those neocons, who have committed war crimes, in our name, will be judged.  

Monsanto’s corporate bullying 4-21-2008

21, April 2008                         Monsanto’s corporate bullying

While food shortages and costs continue to climb, agricultural companies, like Monsanto, post record profits.  Like their oil company cousins, Monsanto has quickly learned that scarcity can generate high profits. The stock has risen 95% percent during the past 12 months and a staggering 1,600 percent over the past five years. What is extremely troubling is Monsanto’s corporate bullying of local farmers and opposition to warning labels on milk cartons. Vanity Fair exposes these predatory practices in its recent article, “Monsanto’s Harvest of Fear.” The company forbids farmers from storing and recycling their seeds which they have done for millennia and insists they buy fresh seeds every year to ensure the company’s high profitability. 

To increase milk production, ‘Monsanto cows’ are injected with an artificial hormone which may prove to be a health hazard.. There seems to be little doubt that most consumers would prefer to drink the old-fashioned milk. I urge concerned readers to write to the lawmakers and insist such ‘tainted’ products be clearly identified. Our nation is going through an epidemic health crisis and can no longer trust corporations to serve our best interests. In the meantime, I suggest concerned shoppers purchase milk cartons labeled, “No RBGH,” which means “no bovine growth hormone.”  Finally, ‘little David’, Ben and Jerry’, deserve credit for challenging Goliath Monsanto to label their products free of the growth hormone.

Torture 4-9-2008

9, April 2008                          Torture                                                                                                          
The brutal treatment of prisoners is again in the public spotlight with the declassification of the 2003 torture memo.

According to British attorney Philippe Sands’s article in Vanity Fair (“The Green Light”), John Yoo and other high-ranking administration attorneys helped craft interrogation methods used at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and secret CIA prisons. Pentagon attorney Diane Beaver, stated that the interrogation techniques used were modeled on the TV program ‘24’.
It is extremely disturbing that John Yoo, a passionate advocate of torture, should be allowed to teach at students UC Berkeley. He should be fired, disbarred and tried on war crimes.
Many prisoners may well be innocent of any crimes such as German born who was kidnapped and brutally tortured (see March 31 ‘60’ Minutes).   Bent on retribution, and ignoring the FBI and German intelligence who found Kurnaz innocent, this Darth Vadar administration tortured him and robbed him of 5 years of his life  


The administration, recognizing the potential war crimes charges it could face, hastily adopted legislation in the Military Commissions Act granting immunity to those engaged in torture. Also, buried deep inside a bill currently before Congress, is a startling provision which would grant Bush and other members of his administration retroactive immunity from war crimes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHQ7Prwh7Gc).

Divide & Conquer Policies 3-25-2008

 25 March 2008          Divide & Conquer Policies

 Email to Senator Feinstein,

I am most troubled by your recent email. I would respectively like to remind you that, contrary to your assertions, there weren’t long simmering sectarian conflicts between Sunnis and Shia’s prior to our illegal and immoral intervention in Iraq. Our unwanted presence fueled this conflict and our military strategy followed the old ‘divide and conquer policies’ which have been used by other imperial powers to weaken and pacify the local population.

Many Iraqi expatriates have challenged the fallacy of such statements reminding us of integrated neighborhoods and families prior to our ill-fated invasion. I sincerely hope you have heard the testimonies of US soldiers and veterans who barred the souls and spoke of committing the most horrific crimes against innocent Iraqis at the ‘Winter Soldiers’ meeting earlier this month – an event that was unreported by the local US mainstream corporate media but widely reported in over 80 countries around the world.

Our invasion has unleashed a war of terror, disdain and racially motivated crimes against the Iraqi people by the US military who freely admit that there was a complete absence of ‘rules of engagement’ which generated extremely hostile reactions. Tragically, they reported that the racist attitudes occurred at all levels of the US military.  Iraqis and brown skinned foreign workers are commonly addressed by the demeaning epithet as ‘Hajis’. I ask that you direct your energies to bringing about an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all combat US forces and private mercenaries (contractors) from Iraq. Finally, I ask that you demand the removal of the US embassy in Baghdad (largest embassy in the world) and US military bases which are an unwanted symbol of imperial power. Failure to take these steps will ensure a continuation of hostilities and further erosion of US influence and power. The Iraqis have suffered enough by our presence and must be granted billions of dollars in reparations for the destruction of their country and the death and injuries of millions of their people

ISRAEL 3-23-2008

23, March 2008                      ISRAEL (Response to local letter writer) 

         

In his letter of March 22, Desmond Tuck, offers some skewed statistics which demand a response. It is not surprising that the majority of Palestinians support their democratically elected government’s anger over the wanton killing of its innocent civilians. Overwhelming force, with the latest U.S. high-tech weapons, has been used to kill and maim hundreds of Palestinian civilians. In the past two-week Israeli forces invaded Gaza by land and air killing 126 people, mostly civilians including 24 children. Tuck, and other letter writers supporting Israel, are very loose and selective on using the word ‘terrorism’.

Theft of Palestinian land, demolitions of their homes, destruction of hundreds of olive trees, denying Palestinian free access to schools and clinics are all acts of terrorism. The destruction of the basic infrastructure of Gaza was an act of terrorism. Halting food supplies to starving Palestinians, withholding electricity and fuel shipments are acts of terrorism. Aerial arracks killing innocent civilians are acts of terrorism. Arbitrary arrests of innocent civilians, torturing them and tossing them into medieval dungeons are acts of terrorism. 

Hard liners such as Rabbi David Shalem, director of the Institute of Talmud Studies at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem, called for the Ehud Olmert government to attack Palestinians “everywhere, in Gaza, and the north and inside.” 

This yeshiva vigorously opposes any form of Palestinian sovereignty and seeks the theft of Palestinian land by terrorizing or killing its rightful occupants.

Footnotes:

Gideon Levy, columnist of Haaretz wrote a stinging indictment of Mercaz Harav in his March 10 article in Haaretz.  

This yeshiva vigorously opposes any form of Palestinian sovereignty and seeks the theft of Palestinian land by terrorizing or killing its rightful occupants. Thus, a creeping annexation (a term used by Gen. Moshe Dayan) has been an official Israeli policy since its founding.
With complete disdain for international law, Israel announced plans to expand yet another settlement, Givat Ze’ev, five miles from central Jerusalem, which invoked a strong rebuke from Condeleeza Rice. 

IRAQ 3-18-2008

18, March 2008                      IRAQ
         
As we approach the fifth anniversary of our occupation of Iraq (March 19) and close to 4,000 US fatalities, there is an urgent need to beat the drums for an immediate withdrawal. The war has been an unrelenting nightmare for the US and Iraq. Renowned economists, Joseph Stieglitz and Linda Bilmes, have conservatively estimated the war costs to be in excess of three trillion dollars. It has drained our economy and caused a free fall of our currency. The politically well-connected war profiteers such as Halliburton, and Blackwater have enriched themselves at the expense of working class youth, many of whom volunteered to join the army out of economic necessity. Our president and many of our lawmakers have embraced the medieval practice of torture and totally abandoned the teachings of Jesus Christ whom they claim to revere. Our public discourse regarding abortion reeks of hypocrisy. Our oil intoxicated politicians have aborted the lives of thousands of US soldiers and millions of Iraqis and still cling to the grotesque notion of ‘victory’. 


Over 1 million Iraqis have been killed and hundreds of thousands maimed. Sectarian fighting, absent prior to the occupation —makes daily life a living hell. Last week, former and current US soldiers bared their souls and provided testimony of war crimes they committed against innocent Iraqi civilians at the ‘Winter Soldier’ hearings. This important news was ignored by the US media but was widely reported in over 80 countries around the world.  

William Buckley 3-14-2008

14, March 2008                      William Buckley 
         

Contrary to the media’s gushing commentaries on William Buckley as the architect of modern conservatism, he was an unapologetic racial bigot. He likened Dr. Martin Luther King with the Nazi leader, George Lincoln Rockwell. In numerous articles in his National Review he vigorously supported white supremacy arguing in a 1957 editorial, “Why the South Must Prevail.” Unmoved by the lynch mob mentality of the South, Buckley argued there exists, “a median cultural superiority of White over Negro ... that cannot be hidden by ever-so-busy egalitarians and anthropologists.”

He was a vehement supporter of apartheid in South Africa, opposing Mandela’s release from years of incarceration, famously commenting in 1985. “Where Mandela belongs, in his current frame of mind, is precisely where he is: in jail.” He railed on gays during his public exchanges with author, Gore Vidal. In 1986 he advocated tattooing HIV positive men, starkly reminiscent of Hitler’s Third Reich with its pink triangles. He repeated this monstrous proposal in 2005. He displayed monumental disdain for women’s liberation describing the literature as “so stupefying awful.” Buckley was an ardent supporter of the dirty war against Vietnam that killed millions. He described Spanish fascist dictator Franco “a national hero.” Like his nemesis, Henry Kissinger, Buckley supported the merchant of death merchant, Pinochet in Chile and the Argentine generals who tortured and “disappeared” thousands.

Cholesterol Lowering Drugs (Statins) 2-28-2008

28, February 2008                 Cholesterol Lowering Drugs (Statins)             

Our airwaves, print media and medical doctors are constantly bombarding us with the need to aggressively lower blood cholesterol. While there can be no doubt of the wisdom of healthy eating and exercise to achieve these goals what seems to be suspect is the increasing pressure from pharmaceutical companies to establish new lower targets which are virtually impossible to achieve through diet alone. Thus, more and more people are taking cholesterol lowering drugs (CLD’s or statins). It would be interesting to follow the money trail of studies claiming such benefits. Remember how Vioxx was touted as the miracle ‘one pill a day’ arthritis drug? The drug was eventually withdrawn after patients experienced serious adverse events, a fact the company withheld from the public, profits taking precedence over safety concerns. Women, were similarly advised to take estrogen only to learn many years later of serious side effects.

Focus, Harvard’s news bulletin, reported pioneering research conducted on muscle weakness caused by CLD’s. They discovered a gene called atrogen-1 which causes a breakdown of proteins in muscle tissue. The Harvard bulletin reported the personal experience of one of its own doctors, Dr. Ikas Sukhatme, who experienced severe muscle weakness after taking a statin. It took nine months for Dr. Sukhatme to recover. Dr. Jim Wright, director of a British Colombia drug watchdog group commented that CLD’s may be doing more harm than good.

Water Fluoridation 2-27-2008

27, February 2008                  Water Fluoridation              

It seems that we may be over-medicating ourselves in pursuit of nebulous goals rooted in questionable science. Local utilities have deemed it desirable to fluoridate our water to reduce tooth decay, a decision vigorously supported by local dentists. A far more compelling, contrary conclusion was published by the prestigious British Medical Journal in 2000 (more commonly referred to as the York Study) following a long term study of water fluoridation. The results of this study found that only one in six individuals benefited from water fluoridation compared to approximately 50% who suffered from dental fluorosis or mottling and discoloration of the teeth. This alarming statistic offers serious doubt on the overall benefits of water fluoridation. 

Furthermore, fluoride is potentially toxic to our bones, brain and endocrine (hormonal) system. More information can be found in the Fluoride Action Network Web site. Is it not time we demand more a more rigorous scientific study to justify this potentially harmful practice?

Military Commissions Trials Rigged 2-23-2008

23, February 2008 Military Commissions Trials Rigged                    
The long term incarceration of six Guantanamo prisoners charged with conspiracy to commit war crimes has come to haunt the Pentagon. According to the Nation magazine, the trial might be rigged from the start to save the Pentagon the embarrassment of possible acquittals. The Nation reported a revealing comment made by the administration-appointed Pentagon General Counsel, William Haynes, to Colonel Davis, the former chief prosecutor for Guantanamo’s military commissions. Haynes admitted that , “we can’t have acquittals. If we’ve been holding these guys for so long, how can we explain letting them get off? We can’t have acquittals, we’ve got to have convictions.” 

It speaks volumes that Colonel Davis resigned from the military commissions in October 2007, decrying the system had become “politicized” and ineffective. Davis’s comments cast a pall on military commission’s clear bias and claims of ensuring fair trails. In view of Hayne’s comments, the military commissions have been badly tainted and smacks too much of ‘kangaroo court proceedings’, rather than a system based on fairness and true justice. What is also most troubling is Hayes was an early advocate of using torture techniques and insisted statements made under extreme coercion could be used as evidence of guilt. Is it any surprise that the administration has been so reluctant to denounce the grotesque practice of water-boarding as torture?

Arun Gandhi forced to resign 2-15-2008

 February 15, 2008 Arun Gandhi forced to resign
           
The right wing supporters of apartheid Israel can chalk up another victory. The American Jewish Committee, ADL, in concert with right-wing Indian American groups, such as the Hindu American Foundation, effectively forced the resignation of Arun Gandhi (grandson of Mahatma Gandhi) as the director of the Institute for Nonviolence at the University of Rochester. It is tragic that great humanitarians like Gandhi can be effectively silenced by these radical groups. Gandhi merits vigorous support for his commendable role in promoting non-violence and religious tolerance. 

The American Jewish Lobby has been responsible for tilting US support for Israel which has received hundreds of billions of dollars in military and economic aid. This aid has been used to subjugate the Palestinians who have had their land stolen and thousands of their people killed in a systematic effort to ethnically cleanse them from their ancestral lands. Palestinians refugees are imprisoned in ghettoes and are subjected to daily harassment by IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) who make their lives a living hell. A growing number of IDF soldiers have been so appalled by the utter brutality inflicted on the hapless Palestinians that they have gone public to expose the dark deeds of the Israeli military. Google to ‘IDF soldiers breaking the silence’, to learn more about this growing movement. Also, to gain a sense of the terror inflicted on young Palestinians, Google to ‘If Americans Knew’. Arun Gandhi’s ‘crime’ was to urge Israel to make peace with its neighbors and not resort to ‘weapons and bombs’. It is ironic that the US remains silent on Israel’s huge stockpile of WMD’s and continues to fund its war machine. This has fueled much of the rage in the Arab world and compromised the security of both the US and Israel.  

Arun Gandhi is but the latest victim of pro-Israeli right wing groups. Earlier, President Carter encountered viscous attacks in response to the publication of his book ‘Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid’. Carter was accused of anti-Semitism and being a “Jew-hater” because he likened Israel’s polices in the Occupied Territories to South Africa’s apartheid regime. Another recent victim is Professor Finkelstein (son of holocaust survivors) and a vigorous critic of Israel’s apartheid policies. Finkelstein was denied tenure because of his outspoken views. To learn more about the sinister impact of the powerful Israeli lobby, I urge readers to obtain a copy The Israel Lobby, by Stephen Walt (Harvard) and John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago). Finally, the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, had it exactly right when he stated in 1946 that Jewish settlers "have erred grievously in seeking to impose themselves on Palestine with the aid of America and Britain and now with the aid of naked terrorism.”

LIES told by Bush administration 2-15-2008

15, February 2008 LIES told by Bush administration
Now, two highly respected organizations have officially exposed the blatant falsehoods of the Bush administration in the lead up to the Iraq war. What is even more telling is the corporate media’s eager willingness to echo these lies and serve as cheerleaders for the Bush propaganda machine. The Center for Public Integrity, working alongside the Fund for Independence in Journalism, tallied 260 lies told by Bush himself, including 231 statements claiming that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and 28 that Saddam Hussein had close ties to al-Qaida. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill admitted that the Bush administration began plotting the invasion right after Sept. 11, 2001. The, then Secretary of State Colin Powell, clocked 254 lies and was the only administration figure to be publicly embarrassed.  He paid the ultimate price destroying his career and integrity. The influential New York Times and the Washington Post have admitted their role as ‘in-bed’ journalists but tragically continue to propagandize the administration in its highly dubious rhetoric of claiming the “surge” to be a success and amplifying the danger of Iran. Largely ignored by the media is the corresponding increase in aerial bombardment which is killing and maiming more Iraqi civilians and destroying their homes. 

Narendra Modi 2-2-2008

February 2, 2008 Narendra Modi
It is extremely puzzling why so many letter writers have heaped such accolades on the Hindu nationalist politician Narendra Modi of Gujarat in view of his active role in the massacre of 2,500 Muslims. An explosive expose in the Indian magazine Tehelka’s revealed that in 2002, Modi gave Hindu rightwing activists three days to attack Muslims with impunity. A reporter for Tehelka, Tarun Tejpal, infiltrated a right-wing Hindu organization for six months and gathered damning evidence that anti-Muslim violence, led by Modi, was highly organized and premeditated.  The mainstream Indian media incorrectly reported that the attack on Muslims was a “spontaneous” reaction to an attack by Muslims on a train carrying rightwing Hindu activists when the train stopped in the town of the Godhra. 

The evidence gathered by Tejpal included a spycam video footage of Hindu activists bragging about killing Muslims and directly implicating Modi and other high officials of the Gujarat government. Most troubling is Modi’s BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) party’s link to a network of right wing Hindu organizations. Haresh Bhatt, a  BJP member of the Gujarat state assembly from Godhra confirmed that  Narendra Modi gave Hindu rightwing activists three days to act with impunity to systematically slaughter Muslims. According to Tejpal, what happened in 2002 was probably the most outrageous planned act of religious violence aided and abetted by the state paralleling the slaughter of Sikhs in Delhi in 1984.

It is truly tragic that following this orgy of violence, there has been no effort to bring the guilty to justice and no statement of remorse from the guilty, in spite of Tejpal’s courageous efforts. Police collusion had been well established by the Tehelka investigation. One of the most grotesque incidents of the mayhem was revealed by Babu Patel, leader of the extreme militant youth wing Bajrang Dal, who boasted of slitting open the womb of a pregnant Muslim woman and pulling out the fetus. Subsequently, Patel was fully protected by the state and escaped imprisonment and the gallows for his hideous crime. Most of those arrested were released on bail. Such is the state of justice in India. It is unconscionable that the architect of the massacre, Narendra Modi, should now be re-elected as Chief Minister. According to the Indian media, a large number of NRI’s offered financial support to Modi’s re-election. Modi may have escaped justice but will surely pay the ultimate price when he departs from this world. All those who supported this monster to escape justice and re-elect him to high office should bow their heads in shame. 
Related Links
Tehelka's Report: "The Truth in the Words of the Men Who Did It: Gujarat 2002" 

CIA destroyed Torture Tapes 1-29-2008

29, January 2008 CIA destroyed Torture Tapes
As further evidence of our nation’s decline in morality and the rule of law, we now learn that the C.I.A has destroyed critical evidence of its harsh treatment of detainees. The agency’s nonchalant response was to defend its unlawful activity by stating that to preserve such evidence would expose its employees to legal risks. Really, how inconvenient! The destruction of the tapes raises serious, important issues of what additional information the C.I.A. withheld from Congress, the courts, the September 11 Commission and the general public.  General Hayden, only ‘came clean’, after the New York Times’ exposed the insidious torture practices. 
Two top members of the House Intelligence Committee vigorously denied that had been informed of the planned destruction of the tapes, as Hayden claims. Clearly someone is not telling the truth. The then committee chair, Representative, Peter Hoeksra was’ incensed’ that he was not informed of the planned destruction of the tapes. Jane Haman, of California, had previously informed the C.I.A. that destruction of interrogation tapes was a “bad idea”. The response from our lawmakers has been extremely disappointing. Congressional hearing should be held to investigate the malfeasance of the C.I.A. Predictably, the newly appointed Attorney General, Michael Mukasey,  failed to live up his promise to distance himself from the dark shadow of the White House by failing to vigorously investigate the unlawful conduct of the C.I.A. and refusing to acknowledge that Water-Boarding constitutes torture.

GAZA 1-25-2008

25 January 2008                    GAZA           
Despite Licht and Cohn’s efforts (Daily January 25) to put a positive spin on the medieval blockade of Gaza, the facts speak for themselves. Since its inception, Israel has driven out the indigenous people from their homes at the barrel of a gun. Their homes have been demolished and the basic source of income from their land has been destroyed. A million-and-a half refugees are now residing in Gaza and find themselves locked in a giant prison without food, electricity, medicine and are being subjected to a daily bombing barrage which has killed 30 (mainly civilians) in four days. To subject a population to such brutal collective punishment is a clear violation of international law and borders on genocide. The people of Gaza are on the point of starvation. Many civilians, including men, women and children have died at health clinics because of lack of medical supplies.
In an act of utter desperation, the wall separating Gaza and Egypt was breached allowing its citizens to replenish their household goods. As award winning Israeli journalist Gideon Levy (a fierce critic of Israel’s occupation), explained “when you try to make an experiment in human beings, putting them into a huge cage for months and months, you can’t expect that they will not do anything possible to find a way out.” It is time for all Americans to demand an immediate halt of our tax dollars which is funding Israel’s maniacal occupation and state sponsored terrorism.

Yonatan Shapira, Former Captain in the Israeli Air Force and Black Hawk pilot squadron. In 2003 he authored “The Pilots’ Letter,” refusing to participate in attacks in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Bassam Aramin, Former Fatah fighter, now a peace activist with Combatants for Peace. Spent seven years in an Israeli prison. His ten-year-old daughter Abir was killed on January 16, 2007, when an Israeli Border Police jeep fired rubber bullets in a school zone. He is also the head of the Al Quds Association for Democracy and Dialogue.

They are from a group called Combatants for Peace that’s made up of former fighters from both Israel and Palestine. Bassam Aramin spent seven years in an Israeli prison, was an armed member of Fatah, the Palestinian political faction once led by Yasser Arafat. Bassam’s ten-year-old daughter Abir died one year ago after being shot by Israeli soldiers while she was on her way home from school. Yonatan Shapira is a captain in the Israeli Air Force and Black Hawk pilot squadron—well, he was. In 2003, he authored the “Pilots’ Letter,” refusing to participate in attacks against Palestinians. The organization in 2005 by four Palestinians and seven Israelis. Now we are around 400 ex-combatants from both sides. 

Petro-euros 1-24-2008

24, January 2008 Petro-euros
The white hot rhetoric from our government, directed against Iran, coupled with the falling US dollar may be worsening the US economic crisis. Next week the Iran Bourse will open to trade Iran’s oil revenue in euros, precipitating the further decline in the dollar. Following the Wall Street crash of 1929, the US insisted that it receive gold as payment for its trading goods leading to a huge stockpile of the precious metal in US vaults. This led to the establishment of the dollar as the ‘gold standard’ reserve currency. A staggering 66% of the total wealth of the world is stored in US dollars – mainly overseas. In 1971, attempts were made by several countries to exchange their dollar holdings to gold but all such requests were rejected by the US government. 
Coincidently, in 2000 Saddam Hussein announced Iraq would switch from selling its oil from dollars to euros and began converting all their petro-dollars to euros. Could this have been the reason for the preemptive strike on Iraq? In the early days of the invasion, the oil fields were well protected but Iraq’s priceless national treasures, housed in its museums, were looted.  Predictably, oil sales reverted back to dollars following the invasion. To better comprehend the exchange currency dilemma, just Google `petroeuro'. 

To better understand our bellicose attitude towards Iran, and the identity of the foreign government which persuaded the US administration to embark on its disastrous war in Iraq, Google ‘Mearsheimer and Walt’. There you will find the answer

IRAN 1-15-2008

15, January 2008 IRAN

The White House propaganda machine is in overdrive spewing out more unsubstantiated claims of a dangerous provocation in the Strait of Hormuz. New evidence now reveals that contrary to White House claims, the encounter was a routine incident.  A Navy spokesman told ABC News that the recorded threat to US ships might not have come from Iranian gun boats.Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, commander of the 5th fleet in Bahrain, made it abundantly clear that US ships were never in danger, and had no intention on firing on the Iranian patrol boats – an important statement completely ignored by the US media.

It is tragic that the mainstream media which failed to challenge Bush’s bogus claims of Iraqi WMD’s, is still willing to echo more false claims of the White House which could easily have precipitated our nation into launching another war. Both CNN, CBS and other networks, as well as the print media, allowed itself to be completely duped by misleading White House statements. It is time the mainstream media insulates itself from the cancerous influence of the Pentagon and White House and serves as an honest watchdog.

It is incredulous that anybody would still believe public statements from the president who has demonstrated his complete disdain for the truth and the rule of law.  It is time for Congress to stiffen its spine and remove this president and his partner in crime, Vice-President Cheney, from office. Failure to do so will plunge our nation deeper into the abyss. 
Ref: Gareth Porter, Investigative historian specializing in U.S. national security policy. He writes regularly on Iran for the Inter Press Service. His latest book is called “Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam.” Material from Democracy Now, 1-11-08

GAZA 1-10-2008

10, January 2008 GAZA
The situation in Gaza is deteriorating by the hour. The Israeli siege of Gaza constitutes an international crime of collective punishment. Food and other basic necessities, including desperately needed medical supplies, have been halted. Garbage rots on the streets because Israel has severely restricted fuel supplies to operate garbage trucks. Most businesses have closed their doors and laid off their workers. Local health clinics are closing down due to lack of medical supplies.  The 1.5 million Palestinians residing in Gaza, driven from their ancestral homes, constitute one of the most impoverished people of the world. 

The 25 mile strip, under total Israeli control, has been reduced to a giant concentration camp. Israel has destroyed the airport and prevented the construction of a harbor. It is reneged on its promise to allow a “safe passage” to the West Bank. Predictably, President Bush has failed to condemn the illegal settlements which have stolen huge swaths of Palestinian land. It is time for Americans of all stripes to vigorously oppose the state sponsored terror unleashed on the Palestinians and demand Israel abides by international law.