Israel 10-29-13

29, October 2013                  Israel

Max Blumenthal’s meticulous research captured in his new book, ‘Goliath Life and Loathing in Greater Israel’, has caught America by storm. He has exposed the extreme policies of Israel’s Likud who are pursuing a far more aggressive expropriation of Palestinian land.  Blumenthal devotes much of his book highlighting the transformation of Israeli society into a growing intolerance towards the Palestinians and encouraging racist attitudes in its education system. Palestinian homes have been firebombed by groups of religious fanatics who are able to do so with complete impunity. According to one of the most reputable pollsters in Israel, Camille Fuchs, a majority of Israeli youth expressed their refusal to have an Arab neighbor and supported a total expulsion of African migrants from Tel Aviv. Even more disturbing is a recent Ynet poll which showed that a majority of Israelis supported settler terrorism. A rising star in the Likud, Miri Regev, stated that ‘Africans are a cancer in Israel’s body’

In its latest land grab Israel is expelling 80,000 Bedouins living in the Negev desert who are Israeli citizens, who serve in the Israeli army but are denied electricity, access to water and public services because they are not Jewish.

It is time for US taxpayers to raise our collective voices and demand an end to economic and military support to Israel’s apartheid policies. 

Israel 10-29-13

29, October 2013

Israel

Max Blumenthal’s meticulous research captured in his new book, ‘Goliath Life and Loathing in Greater Israel’, has caught America by storm. He has exposed the extreme policies of Israel’s Likud who are pursuing a far more aggressive expropriation of Palestinian land.  Blumenthal devotes much of his book highlighting the transformation of Israeli society into a growing intolerance towards the Palestinians and encouraging racist attitudes in its education system. Palestinian homes have been firebombed by groups of religious fanatics who are able to do so with complete impunity. According to one of the most reputable pollsters in Israel, Camille Fuchs, a majority of Israeli youth expressed their refusal to have an Arab neighbor and supported a total expulsion of African migrants from Tel Aviv. Even more disturbing is a recent Ynet poll which showed that a majority of Israelis supported settler terrorism. A rising star in the Likud, Miri Regev, stated that ‘Africans are a cancer in Israel’s body’

In its latest land grab Israel is expelling 80,000 Bedouins living in the Negev desert who are Israeli citizens, who serve in the Israeli army but are denied electricity, access to water and public services because they are not Jewish.

It is time for US taxpayers to raise our collective voices and demand an end to economic and military support to Israel’s apartheid policies.

NSA Spying 10-26-13

26, October 2013

NSA Spying

The diplomatic fallout of NSA spying continues. Last month, President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil cancelled a state visit after news reports that the N.S.A. had intercepted messages her messages and had conducted espionage on the state oil company, Petrobras. The German newsmagazine, Der Spiegel, revealed the NSA had gained access to communications to and from President Felipe Calderón of Mexico when he was still in office. The French newspaper, Le Monde disclosed that a large number of French citizens private communications had been captured by the NSA. 

Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor appears to be the latest victim. These invasive intelligence gathering exercises has severely tarnished our nation’s image.   More revelations are likely. Ebay founder, Pierre Omidyar is planning to build a media platform to publicize new details of Edward Snowden’s cache of documents. The spying activities of the NSA echo the worst excesses of Nazi and Communist governments which we have always excoriated.   The NSA continues to make doubtful   claims of thwarting terrorist attacks, the details which can never be revealed under the guise of protecting National Security – how convenient!  This is a government agency that has been overfunded and has escaped any meaningful government oversight.

It is time for James R. Clapper, director of national intelligence, to resign failing which President Obama should have him fired. He has lied to members of Congress, to the American people and to our allies.  

NSA Overreach 10-14-13

14, October 2013

NSA Overreach

The National Security Agency has recently received approval from the ultra-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to extend its dragnet of U.S. phone records. The director of National Intelligence previously denied that such collections were taking place.

In a rare appearance, Edward Snowden, accompanied by four former U.S. whistleblowers accepted an award from the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence. He used the occasion to issue dire warnings about the perils of the mass surveillance state. He refuted claims that such unfettered access to U.S. emails and phone records is required for intelligence purposes; on the contrary he warned the huge volume of redundant data would severely overload the data storage devices and make us less safe. Furthermore, he warned that such sensitive private data could be grossly abused to silence government critics and stifle free speech. Example – Thomas Drake, of the NSA who blew the whistle on enormous waste and mismanagement at the agency was charged with violating the Espionage Act in 2010 and subsequently exonerated.  

Over 60 percent of Americans feel that NSA surveillance has gone too far and drastic reform is necessary.

Internet companies who are being pressured by FISA court orders to turn over phone records of their customers, without probable cause, will suffer their angst and may suffer heavy financial losses. It makes little sense to add redundant data to an enormous digit haystack when hunting for a real terrorist threat. The Congressional oversite committee has clearly failed in its mission.

Press Censorship 10-12-13

12, October 2013  Press censorship

The Committee to Protect Journalists has just issued its first report warning President Obama has ushered in a paralyzing climate of fear for both reporters and their government sources. The author, Leonard Downie Jr., former executive editor of The Washington Post, was informed by dozens of journalists that officials are "reluctant to discuss even unclassified information … because they fear that leak investigations and government surveillance make it more difficult for reporters to protect their sources."
Glenn Greenwald, of the London Independent, warned that the Obama administration has declared a war against journalists and seriously undermined the freedom of the press. No longer can we accuse China, Iran and Russia of waging an assault on press freedom; such criticisms only expose us to charges of hypocrisy.

The President’s defense of this unprecedented crackdown - “for the safety of our troops and intelligence officers” doesn’t hold muster. This is more to do with damage control of government missteps.  

If it wasn’t for the enormous courage of Daniel Ellsberg, who released the Pentagon Papers, we may still be embroiled in Vietnam. 

The president promised to have the most transparent government in American history. He promised to make it easier to obtain government information through the Freedom of Information Act. He signed presidential directives about open government his first day in office. These are not being carried out by his administration. He still has time for his legacy to make good on these promises but time is running out.