27, February 2012 Soaring Gas Prices
A key part of the reason for the sudden spiking of oil prices is the media frenzy over a possible military confrontation with Iran. Our current policy based on strangulation and capitulation of Iran is completely misguided. Have we learned nothing from our failed policy of Iraq? Remember, we imposed crippling sanctions imposed on Iraq caused the death of 500,000 innocent men, women and children – and there was no WMD’s when the Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld cabal tried to convince us otherwise? As Michael Moore so aptly stated, fool us once shame on you, fool us twice, shame on us!
Our media is inundating us with a one-sided debate about Iran. The non-Ron Paul embarrassing cadre of Republicans presidential candidates buttressed by the Liebermann-Graham-McCain is hyperventilating over the big bad wolf – Iran. There is universal repugnance over the autocratic rulers of Iran but let us not add to the woes of the Iranian people who are already being oppressed by their government. There is little doubt that Iranians will rally behind their government if they feel that their country is being unfairly victimized by the international community.
The CIA, the Pentagon, the Israeli internal security agency, the Mossad – have all stated categorically that Iran is not developing a nuclear weapon. Let’s dial back the incendiary rhetoric and demand that our policy makers actively engage with serious dialogue and constructive diplomacy.
Finally, let’s rein in the trigger happy Israelis and demand that there be no-preemptive strike on Iran.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Yemen 2-22-12
22, February 2012 YEMEN
It is an outrage that the Obama administration continues to defy international law by violating the sovereign air space of foreign countries. A disproportionate number of civilians in Pakistan, Afghanistan and more recently in Yemen are being killed giving rise to mounting anger towards the US. The so called ‘war on terror’ has become ‘a war of terror’ on innocent civilians.
Shrewd and corrupt leaders from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and now Yemen are capitalizing on our obsessive compulsive behavior of launching endless wars by enriching themselves at the expensive of US taxpayers.
Jeremy Scahill, the national security correspondent for The Nation reports in a cover story, that the US jihad in Yemen has given rise to an Islamist uprising and pushed the country to the brink of starvation. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, more than half of Yemen’s 12 million children are chronically malnourished. Unemployment in the country has reached 35 percent.
Scahill writes that Saleh is “a master chess player, and has milked counterterrorism as his cash cow.”
He constantly exaggerates the threat of al-Qaeda to ensure an uninterrupted supply of US weapons which he uses to neutralize his political opponents.
So why are we hosting this brutal dictator at the Ritz-Carlton? One of the protestors outside the hotel was, the Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize winner, Tawakkul Karman, who demanded that President Saleh be tried in the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
It is an outrage that the Obama administration continues to defy international law by violating the sovereign air space of foreign countries. A disproportionate number of civilians in Pakistan, Afghanistan and more recently in Yemen are being killed giving rise to mounting anger towards the US. The so called ‘war on terror’ has become ‘a war of terror’ on innocent civilians.
Shrewd and corrupt leaders from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and now Yemen are capitalizing on our obsessive compulsive behavior of launching endless wars by enriching themselves at the expensive of US taxpayers.
Jeremy Scahill, the national security correspondent for The Nation reports in a cover story, that the US jihad in Yemen has given rise to an Islamist uprising and pushed the country to the brink of starvation. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, more than half of Yemen’s 12 million children are chronically malnourished. Unemployment in the country has reached 35 percent.
Scahill writes that Saleh is “a master chess player, and has milked counterterrorism as his cash cow.”
He constantly exaggerates the threat of al-Qaeda to ensure an uninterrupted supply of US weapons which he uses to neutralize his political opponents.
So why are we hosting this brutal dictator at the Ritz-Carlton? One of the protestors outside the hotel was, the Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize winner, Tawakkul Karman, who demanded that President Saleh be tried in the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Afghanistan 2-12-12
12, February 2012 Afghanistan
A courageous whistleblower, Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis, offered a stark contrast to the sunny reports issued by General Petraeus who claimed that the Taliban's momentum had been "arrested in much of the country" and that progress was "significant."
Col. Davis returned from his second yearlong deployment to Afghanistan with a fervent conviction that the war was going from bad to worse and accused the senior military leaders of grossly misleading the American public. Now he is on a one-man crusade exposing the misstatements of the Pentagon and attempting to bring end to the disastrous conflict.
His outspoken comments have generated a fierce debate on the House floor and within the usually tight-lipped military establishment.
Predictably, the Pentagon has launched a coordinated smear campaign attempting to undermine Colonel Davis’s reputation and defuse his important message.
Rolling Stone magazine obtained Colonel Davis’ full unclassified report and posted it online. Its title, “Dereliction of Duty II,” is a reference to H.R. McMasters’ classic report of Vietnam. He rightly poses the rhetorical question, “How many more men must die in support of a mission that is not succeeding?" Let us raise our collective voices and demand an end to this senseless and immoral war. Let us heed the wise words of Ron Paul who has campaigned unequivocally that we should our temper and jingoistic tendencies to fight wars on foreign lands unless our security is threatened.
A courageous whistleblower, Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis, offered a stark contrast to the sunny reports issued by General Petraeus who claimed that the Taliban's momentum had been "arrested in much of the country" and that progress was "significant."
Col. Davis returned from his second yearlong deployment to Afghanistan with a fervent conviction that the war was going from bad to worse and accused the senior military leaders of grossly misleading the American public. Now he is on a one-man crusade exposing the misstatements of the Pentagon and attempting to bring end to the disastrous conflict.
His outspoken comments have generated a fierce debate on the House floor and within the usually tight-lipped military establishment.
Predictably, the Pentagon has launched a coordinated smear campaign attempting to undermine Colonel Davis’s reputation and defuse his important message.
Rolling Stone magazine obtained Colonel Davis’ full unclassified report and posted it online. Its title, “Dereliction of Duty II,” is a reference to H.R. McMasters’ classic report of Vietnam. He rightly poses the rhetorical question, “How many more men must die in support of a mission that is not succeeding?" Let us raise our collective voices and demand an end to this senseless and immoral war. Let us heed the wise words of Ron Paul who has campaigned unequivocally that we should our temper and jingoistic tendencies to fight wars on foreign lands unless our security is threatened.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
War Drums Getting Louder 2-5-12
5, February 2012 War drums getting louder
Israel continues to huff and puff threatening to launch a preemptive strike on Iran mindless of the potential loss of life and chaos that would follow. Such an irresponsible act of war would undoubtedly expose Israel to massive retaliation. Opposition to the repressive, autocratic Iranian regime would evaporate overnight as all Iranians of whatever political stipe would unite to defend their country. Israel’s increasing belligerence is a testament to our failed Middle East policies where we have allowed Israel’s blatant violations of international law and apartheid policies to escape unchallenged.
We are committing utter folly by encouraging Israel to embark on these reckless military adventures. Israel’s threat of an early strike is no accident. It is likely to occur when Obama is deeply engaged and preoccupied in his reelection campaign (remember Israel’s massive attack on Gaza occurred just before Obama’s first term inauguration). We cannot and should not allow this to happen.
Meanwhile Israeli propaganda machine to justify such an action is in overdrive. Moshe Yaalon, Israel’s deputy prime minister and minister for strategic affairs, made the preposterous claim that Iran has developed a missile with a range of 10,000 kilometers. Such statements have been dismissed by US experts as “wildly exaggerated.”
It’s time for Israel to halt its thuggish actions, assassinating Iranian scientists and launching bombing raids on its neighbors and open its own borders for inspection of its nuclear sites. Failure to do so will further isolate Israel and expose it to charges of monumental hypocrisy.
Israel continues to huff and puff threatening to launch a preemptive strike on Iran mindless of the potential loss of life and chaos that would follow. Such an irresponsible act of war would undoubtedly expose Israel to massive retaliation. Opposition to the repressive, autocratic Iranian regime would evaporate overnight as all Iranians of whatever political stipe would unite to defend their country. Israel’s increasing belligerence is a testament to our failed Middle East policies where we have allowed Israel’s blatant violations of international law and apartheid policies to escape unchallenged.
We are committing utter folly by encouraging Israel to embark on these reckless military adventures. Israel’s threat of an early strike is no accident. It is likely to occur when Obama is deeply engaged and preoccupied in his reelection campaign (remember Israel’s massive attack on Gaza occurred just before Obama’s first term inauguration). We cannot and should not allow this to happen.
Meanwhile Israeli propaganda machine to justify such an action is in overdrive. Moshe Yaalon, Israel’s deputy prime minister and minister for strategic affairs, made the preposterous claim that Iran has developed a missile with a range of 10,000 kilometers. Such statements have been dismissed by US experts as “wildly exaggerated.”
It’s time for Israel to halt its thuggish actions, assassinating Iranian scientists and launching bombing raids on its neighbors and open its own borders for inspection of its nuclear sites. Failure to do so will further isolate Israel and expose it to charges of monumental hypocrisy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)