Jindal’s D efense of Bush misguided 12-23-2014

23, December 2014                Jindal’s Defense of Bush misguided

It is baffling why Louisiana governor, Bobby Jindal, should stubbornly defend the heinous torture practices authorized by former President Bush. There was a time when the United States urged all nations to strictly adhere to international treaties and respect for human rights, freedom of expression and liberty for all. American leaders denounced dark dungeons where people were held without charge, tortured and killed. All that changed during the disastrous years of the Bush/Cheney (BC) administration. In a short eight years BC gave the green light to the CIA and US military to establish rendition sights to conduct medieval torture, violating every norm of human behavior and decency – and international law. By so doing the Bush administration has dishonored our former high moral standing and squandered the respect of nations who now rightly accuse us of dishonesty and hypocrisy. Not only did President Bush and his aides condone torture and appalling abuse of mostly innocent victims at secret prisons, but also conducted a systematic campaign to mislead Congress and the American people. Following the 9/11 attacks, Mr. Bush ordered the creation of Gestapo like interrogation sites where Central Intelligence Agency operatives were told to use brutal torture methods to extract confessions from the hapless victims. Some of their methods — simulated drownings, exposure to extreme heat and cold, prolonged stress positions and isolation — had been classified as torture for decades by civilized nations. The Japanese who conducted waterboarding on prisoners were tried and hanged. A compliant US media and a thoroughly meek Congress were cowered into silence by a nasty and thoroughly belligerent White House. No, Governor Jindal, Bush was not a good man. He was a bad man – a very bad man who, with his co-conspirators, should be tried for war crimes. I urge you, as a devout born again Christian, to review the Good Book and ask yourself whether Jesus would condone such appalling abuses. Finally, contrary to your false assertion that Bush helped keep America safe, his torture practices and Rambo attitude were the impetus in generating so much anger and hostility towards the United States.

CUBA 12-22-2014

22, December 2014                CUBA

Cuba is yet another example of our government’s penchant of imposing its will and military might on smaller nations – with disastrous results. Our relations with Cuba have been frayed for more than half a century. The botched attempt by the CIA to overthrow the Castro government is generally considered one of the greatest military fiascos of the modern era. Fabian Escalante, the former head of Cuban counterintelligence, estimated at least 638 assassination attempts on Castro’s life. Preceding Castro’s rise to power was the thoroughly despised dictator, Fulgencio Batista, who was closely allied to the US mafia making huge profits from opulent hotels and casinos. His regime engaged in arbitrary arrests, torture and executions. Under his rule, the Cuban people suffered in dire poverty with virtually no access to education, health care or decent paying jobs. This established the climate for a violent revolution and Castro was initially lauded as a great hero of the Cuban people. While Castro certainly has his detractors, today Cubans enjoy the same life expectancy as the US and experience less infant mortality. Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in the world far surpassing the US. The island has developed one of the finest medical systems in the world sending doctors to the Ebola crisis and, earlier, to victims of Hurricane Katrina. President Obama made the right decision to begin the process of normalizing relations with Cuba. Congress should follow his example by lifting the crippling embargo.

Israel’s identity crisis 12-18-2014

18, December 2014                      Israel’s identity crisis

Israel is undergoing a significant identity crisis. Its image has been severely tarnished following the attack on Gaza last summer. Public statements by US officials notwithstanding, Netanyahu’s relationship with the Obama administration has turned outright hostile. In a desperate move to salvage his falling popularity, Netanyahu has called for new elections for March 17 and is aggressively wooing right wing settler and ultra-religious zealots like Naftali Bennett, the economics minister. If Bennett, who is the front runner, displaces Netanyahu as prime minister, Israel will make a dangerous tilt to the Right.

New York Times reporter, Thomas Friedman,  and Ari Shavit the Haaretz columnist, expressed grave concern that Israel is edging towards becoming a pariah state - shunned by the rest of the free world. American and European Jews are speaking out in larger numbers unfraid of being labelled ‘anti-Semites’ a favorite strategy used to silence critics of Israel.  It is become apparent that Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have no intention of negotiating a peace treaty with Palestinians lest they are forced to negotiate borders and thus foreclose on their vision of a greater Israel encompassing the whole of the West Bank.  The only way forward is for Israel to adhere to its core principle as enshrined in its Declaration of Independence, by ending its crippling occupation, lift the siege of Gaza and guarantee equal rights for all its citizens – the hallmark of a true democracy. 

Cuba 12-17-2014

17, December 2014            Response to NYT OP ED RE Cuba

A double standard has been applied by successive US administrations regarding the ‘war on terror’. The Cuban Five were arrested in Miami, Florida on September 1998. They have been charged and on counts ranging from using false identification to espionage and conspiracy to commit murder. In June 2001, they were convicted of all 26 counts by a U.S. federal court in Miami and in December and sentenced to varying terms.
The group were closely monitoring the activities of anti-Castro exile groups CORU, Alpha 66, Omega 7 and Brothers to the Rescue. The anti-CASTRO group was allowed to operate with complete impunity. The UN catalogued a staggering 3,478 deaths that were directly attributable to these groups. These acts include plane bombing and other acts of terrorism. Petitions filed by the defense team to move the trial out of Miami were denied. Cuban-Americans were excluded from the jury. The Cuban Five languished in jail for three years pending commencement of the trial. The jury buckled under intense pressure and passed a guilty verdict.

Nobel Prize winners have written and sent a document to the U.S. Attorney General calling for freedom for the Cuban Five. Six British MPs wrote a letter to Tony Blair calling on the government to apply pressure on the US to act against terrorists in Florida and to immediately release the Five.

President Obama has made the right decision in normalizing relations with Cuba.

CIA Torture Practices 12-11-2014

11, December 2014                CIA Torture Practices

The CIA has made frantic efforts to prevent its dark insidious, medieval torture practices made public. It is using the Bush/Cheney playbook to warn of dire consequences should the full torture report be published. This surely implies that they were well fully aware of the repercussions of their crimes. The CIA has a long history of misleading the public and hiding its brutal interrogation practices and black sites. Their claim that such techniques provided useful intelligence leading to the capture of Bin Laden defies belief. This sentiment was forcefully rejected by the Senate Intelligence Committee. It concluded the intelligence agency failed to disrupt a single plot despite torturing al-Qaeda and other captives, many of whom were innocent of any crimes.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are calling for a criminal investigation of senior Bush administration officials. Many victims made false confessions under extreme duress out of fear their family members would be assaulted and their women folks raped. The architects of these torture practices were two clueless psychologists who had no interrogation experience and no knowledge of the local culture or language; to add insult to injury they were paid a staggering $81 million. Unless we hold these torturers, and more importantly their Washington enablers, fully accountable for war crimes, these disgusting practices will surely continue (remember Vietnam, Blackwater, Abu Ghraib). The complete unredacted report should be made public and President Obama should fire top CIA officials.

Response to NYT OP ED RE: Israel’s policies 12-8-2014

8, December 2014          Response to NYT OP ED RE: Israel’s policies

Jonathan Schanzer betrays his utter bias in echoing Israel’s tiresome propaganda to deflect growing criticism over its apartheid policies. Israel uses the standard playbook of former colonial powers describing any opposition parties to its occupation as terrorists. It is time Israel stops being coy about its own huge arsenal of nuclear weapons. Unlike the US who pledges undying love for Israel regardless of its mammoth crimes, a seismic shift is occurring in European capitals increasingly frustrated by Israeli’s intransigence towards Palestinian sovereignty, – building more and more settlements on Palestinian land - and its home demolitions. The European Union has urged Israel to immediately halt its expansionist policies, end its illegal occupation and lift the siege of Gaza. Current Israel policy, driven by right wing ideologues, is fueling much of the intensifying Palestinian rage and the cycle of unending violence.

Dahlia Scheindlin, an Israeli analyst and pollster, said, “Israel is losing Europe and Public opinion has shifted decidedly against Israel.” There is a growing realization that the soft talk of the US Administration has been an abject failure and must be replaced with European economic sanctions.

7, December 2014                  Afghanistan

We now learn to our dismay that American jets, bombers and drones will be deployed .to bolster Afghan troops on combat missions. U.S. air-strikes would be used to support Afghan military operations throughout the country. Ghani has reportedly lifted limits on U.S. airstrikes and joint raids that his predecessor Hamid Karzai had banned. This is certain to intensify resentment of US presence and serve as a recruitment aid for the Taliban. With the impending departure of Defense Secretary Hagel, the US generals are once again in charge exerting undue influence in foreign policy decisions. Contrary to Obama’s earlier declaration of no combat troops in the Middle East, General. Dempsey has upended his boss declaring a possible combat role to fight ISIS. Since President Ashraf Ghani’s inauguration there have been about 41 street-side bombing attacks across the country and 24 of those in Kabul. President Ashraf Ghani is caught in the same military madness as the U.S.-NATO coalition. Meanwhile the suffering of Afghans continues. Local labor organizations put the unemployment figure as high as 80%. A vast majority of the people are suffering from severe malnutrion and a feeling of utter despair. More and more Afghans are ending their lives through self-immolation and administering poison - so bleak and hopeless is their future. Let’s replace bullets with acts of kindness and a massive infusion of resources to improve the lives of ordinary Afghans. This would be a winning strategy – far more effective then more bombs and night raids.

Black Rage 12-5-2014

5, December 2014                 Black Rage                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

The multi-generational racism that blacks have had to endure has recently bubbled to the surface. If white America had to walk in their shoes and face the same daily humiliations there is little doubt white folks would explode with the same seething rage. Blacks are disproportionately arrested and indicted on the most minor infractions presumably to bolster crime statistics.

There is a strong message that blacks are not valued in society. A majority have no access to good schools and are condemned to eking out a living often in low paid jobs with inadequate housing and no access to affordable health care.

So many have been stripped of their manhood - Randolph Evans, Patrick Dorismond, Abner Louim, Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, and countless others brutalized by police officers who are largely immune from accountability – insulated by a dysfunctional grand jury system. The public prosecutor assigned in Mike Brown’s case went to extraordinary measures to influence the Grand Jury to indict the victim instead of his killer. The testimony of 18 witnesses who insisted that Brown’s hands was raised – were ignored. His dead body was left 4.5 hours in a final gesture of extreme callousness and insensitivity. The police officer who performed an illegal chock hold on Eric Garner was guilty of murder and his 4 officers who jumped on Garner’s back were guilty of accessories to murder. What makes this crime even more egregious is the cavalier way police officers looked on as Garner was gasping for life.

Israel and the European Union 11-24-2014

24, November 2014          Israel and the European Union

A seismic shift is occurring in European capitals increasingly frustrated by Israeli’s intransigence towards Palestinian sovereignty, – building more and more settlements on Palestinian land - and its home demolitions. The European Union has urged Israel to immediately halt its expansionist policies, end its illegal occupation and lift the siege of Gaza. Current Israel policy, driven by right wing ideologues, is fueling much of the intensifying Palestinian rage and the cycle of unending violence.

Dahlia Scheindlin, an Israeli analyst and pollster, said, “Israel is losing Europe and Public opinion has shifted decidedly against Israel.” There is a growing realization that the soft talk of the US Administration has been an abject failure and must be replaced with European economic sanctions.

The antipathy towards Israel has heightened after its attack on Gaza last summer which resulted in large number of fatalities of innocent civilians and enormous damage to its basic infrastructure. European leaders fully comprehend that unless the siege of Gaza is lifted, the people of Gaza will live in a perpetual state of suicidal despair. Unlike the US, where images of the attack on Gaza were largely hidden, the Europeans witnessed raw images which reshaped their perception of the conflict.

If Israel continues on its present course it could seriously jeopardize its lucrative trade with Europe worth about 30 billion euros a year and its tariff-free access to the 28 member states.

Response to the following NYT Op Ed 11-20-2014

20, November 2014   Response to the following NYT Op Ed

In the aftermath of last Tuesday’s attack that killed five Israeli civilians in a Jerusalem synagogue, simmering tensions will inevitably lead to more violence. The occupation is now in its fifth decade and Jerusalem has become the latest flashpoint. Calls from senior ministers in the like Naftali Bennett to take over the Haram al-Sharif, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, - the center of Muslim devotion for more than 1,400 years – and turn it into a Jewish holy place has inflamed Palestinians. There is every likelihood that these latest actions will precipitate an all-out religious war and serve as a magnet to other regional players. If this happens, Israel may be drawn into a wider conflict with its old ‘good friend’ the United States. 


Footnote: The US has been the enabler in this long simmering conflict. Regardless of what Israel does, kill, maim, torture Palestinian men women and children, steal their land demolish their homes – the US always pledges their undying love. Lawmakers and the executive branch always follow the 11^th commandment – look after your own self-interest above all else lest the wrath of AIPAC and its supporters will drive you out of office. 


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/21/opinion/roger-cohen-two-ideas-of-israel-palestine-jerusalem-synagogue.html?comments#permid=13386318

Response to NYT op ed 11-19-2014

19, November 2014            The following is in response to NYT op ed 

In a rare moment of introspection, Friedman is exactly right when he surmises that America does not know what it is doing. For decades, American policy has been crafted on self-interest (interest of US corporations) seemingly unconcerned that we were perpetuating the rule of brutal dictators who savagely oppressed their people (Haiti, Chile, Colombia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya .  . ). or, overthrew governments when we coveted their resources (Iran, Chile, . .). As I recall the NYT and many of its writers including Judith Miller and Friedman supported the invasion of Iraq paralyzed with fear of challenging the bogus lies of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice .  .). Recent reports exposed our duplicity in supplying Saddam Hussein with chemical weapons which he used in his war with Iran. Our Rambo style ‘shock and awe’ invasion of Iraq plunged the whole region into complete chaos. We have created multiple Frankenstein’s and have no clue how to  destroy them. 80% of the weapons used in all the world’s conflicts can be traced back to the good ole USA, and Europe.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/opinion/thomas-friedman-did-dubai-do-it.html?comments#permid=13378621

Whistleblower goes public 11-17-2014

17, November 2014               Whistleblower goes public

The courageous whistleblower,  Alayne Fleischmann , who exposed JPMorgan Chase’s mortgage fraud has finally  moved out of the shadows and gone public.  She provided details how she witnessed massive criminal securities fraud in the bank’s mortgage operations. Her story is profiled in Matt Taibbi’s new Rolling Stone investigation, "The $9 Billion Witness . .” Fleischmann accused JP Morgan of committing outright fraud by overstating the quality of mortgages it was selling to investors. When the toxic securities turned sour investors lost faith in the banking system which precipitated the housing crisis of 2008 that caused millions of home foreclosures. 

Fleischmann voiced her complete frustration in her earlier attempts to motivate the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission to take remedial action – both seemed to be paralyzed with inaction – afraid to confront the all-powerful and politically connected bank. She complained that an iron curtain had descended between the compliance and the due diligence departments to ensure that the dirty business of toxic mortgages was well hidden. No emails were allowed between the two departments. In short a massive fraud was being perpetrated – the ‘liar loans’ were like selling like old beat up cars advertised as new.


Eventually, The Justice Department was forced to act and imposed large fines on JP Morgan and other large banks and agreed to wash away all the incriminating details of the guilty corporate executives.  None faced jail time and many were rewarded hefty bonuses. 

Winston Churchill 11-9-2014

9, November 2014                  Winston Churchill

Boris Johnson claims that Winston Churchill was the greatest statesman Britain had ever produced. Perhaps Mr. Johnson is unaware of Churchill’s dark colonial legacy. Shashi Tharoor a high ranking Indian diplomat in his recent book, Pax India, accuses Churchill’s conservative government of ruthlessly exploiting India and responsible for genocide. Between 15 and 29 million perished tragically from starvation. This large scale famine took place under Churchill’s rule. Approximately 4 million died in the Great Bengal famine as a direct result of Churchill’s decision to divert critical food supplies to British soldiers and buttress European stockpiles. Churchill arrogantly asserted that “starvation of underfed Bengalis is less serious than that of sturdy Greeks”. Several British officers were so appalled at Churchill’s callousness they dispatched a telegram expressing their outrage. Churchill’s response - “why hasn’t Gandhi died.” Contrary to Johnson’s assertions, history will expose Churchill as the last of a long line of ruthless and inhumane prime minister’s ruling over the last embers of the British Empire.    

American Red Cross 11-3-2014

3, November 2014                   American Red Cross

The second anniversary of Superstorm Sandy which pummeled the New York City region,  comes on the heels of a joint investigation by ProPublica and NPR who contend the American Red Cross diverted critical resources away those in need and instead launched a massive PR campaign to buttress its image. According to a ProPublica reporter Justin Elliott and Richard Rieckenberg, former disaster expert with the Red Cross, 30% of the meals it was producing for the Sandy victims were wasted. The investigation was based on Red Cross’s internal documents, post disaster reports and talking to disaster officials. The collective conclusion was the Red Cross failed in its mission of providing adequate relief after the storm. For example, emergency vehicles were diverted away from the disaster area to serve as backdrops at press conferences in photo ops. The investigation drew on a Red Cross internal "Lessons Learned" presentation titled, "hindrances to service delivery." The first bullet point stated that national headquarters were "diverting assets for public relations purposes." In an earlier disaster, Hurricane Isaac, Red Cross ordered 80 trucks and emergency response vehicles to leave the lot empty, drive around Mississippi, to make it appear as though they were actively engaged in disaster relief. The senior mass care chief in the country, Bob Scheifele, reminded charities that it was far more important to feed disaster victims than it was to squander resources telling the world you fed them.

Force feeding of prisoners at Guantánamo 11-1-2014

1, November 2014     Response to NYT op ed RE: Force feeding of prisoners at

Guantánamo

According to the New England Journal of Medicine the practice of force feeding prisoners at Guantánamo is not the practice of medicine; it is “aggravated assault”. The practice of force feeding has triggered world-wide revulsion at the despicable, barbaric practice. How are the prisoners force-fed? They are strapped to electric chairs, and then have a tube manually inserted up their nose, down the esophagus, while they’re restrained, often for up to two hours. The same unwashed tube is then forcefully rammed down the noses of the remaining prisoners, often spewing blood – a practice that is in complete violation of medical ethics, protocol and the Geneva Conventions. The American Medical Association has joined the World Medical Association in condemning the practice. Why are these prisoners being held in indefinite detention?

This defies basic common sense and fairness. Are we no longer a nation of laws that respect basic rights to fair trial?  If the prisoners are so dangerous the presumption must be that we have evidence to make such a determination or was the evidence obtained under torture and therefore inadmissible. America the beautiful is rapidly morphing into America the ugly. It is time to close this gulag.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/opinion/joe-nocera-the-guantanamo-tapes.html?comments#permid=13219285

jag

Wall Street recidivism 10-30-2014

30, October 2014                  Wall Street recidivism

Buoyed by the certainty that that the Justice Department would never hold the titans of Wall Street accountable for their financial shenanigans, they are back engaging in the same dirty business. Just two years after conducting massive fraud, some of the world’s biggest banks are now suspected of a repeat performance.  Several large banks and their hired guns - high powered consulting firms - are again in the cross hairs of federal prosecutors.

Several large foreign banks have been cited for doing business with Iran in violation of US law which was enacted out of deference to Israel which is itself in complete violation of international law. Makes sense?

Historically, when banks have repeatedly run afoul of the law, they have paid a small fine, pocketed huge bonuses and returned to business as usual in sharp contrast to the average ‘small’ petty criminal.   The fines are tax deductible and regarded as the cost of doing business.

Prosecutors have traditionally favored so-called deferred-prosecution agreements, which suspend criminal charges in exchange for the bank’s paying a fine and promising to curtail their criminal behavior. This has enabled a disturbing pattern of Wall Street recidivism. It is ironic that when assessing the magnitude of the criminal behavior, the government outsources the task to consultants who are often the bank’s own customers. In short, the system is rotten to the core.

War on Terror 10-30-2014

30, October 2014                   War on Terror

We express outrage when we witness barbaric acts of terror but sadly, our ‘war on terror’ has unleashed the dark side of our own nature. We have committed appalling atrocities in our theatres of war in Vietnam and more recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. A federal judge recently ordered the Obama administration to outline in detail its reasons for concealing as many as 2,100 photographs showing the torture of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2009, Obama agreed to release the photos, but later changed his mind, saying they would "inflame anti-American opinion and put our troops in danger." As part of a decade-long transparency case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, the judge ordered the government to delineate, for each photograph, its reasons for keeping the images from the public. The photographs are reportedly more disturbing than the famous images of torture by U.S. forces at Abu Ghraib.

Pressure on Israel Grows 10-28-2014

28, October 2014                   Pressure on Israel Grows

The British House of Commons vote to endorse diplomatic recognition of a Palestinian state is a vitally important gesture.  Israel and the US should not ignore the message which is a sign of the growing frustration and anger over Israel’s settlement expansion. Ignoring stated US policy, Israel announced it plans to build 1,000 new housing units in areas of Jerusalem which the Palestinians claim encroaches on their independent state. Richard Ottaway, a Conservative lawmaker and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee voiced the frustration of many of Britain’s lawmakers when he stated “such is my anger over Israel’s behavior in recent months that I will not oppose the motion. I have to say to the government of Israel that if they are losing people like me, they will be losing a lot of people.” Sweden’s new left-of-center government recently announced that it would become the first major Western European nation to recognize Palestine. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has urged the United Nations Security Council to set a specific deadline for Israel to end the occupation.

The European Union has imposed restrictions on loans to Israeli scientific institutions that operate in the West Bank and has plans to label products made in Jewish settlements. Much like apartheid South Africa the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions program is increasing exponentially.

Finally, the United Nations Film Festival hosted a superb documentary on Palestine last Sunday which captured the essence of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict (see http://www.unaff.org/2014/f_people.html). 

Cuba & the Ebola Crisis 10-24-2014

24, October 2014               Cuba & the Ebola Crisis

While much of the world is finding it difficult to recruit trained medical staff to dispatch to West Africa to combat the Ebola epidemic, one nation is responding to the crisis. Cuba has already dispatched 165 health workers to Sierra Leone and is sending 91 additional staff to Liberia and Guinea. This brings the total to 256 people, more than a third of all foreign medical staff. Cuban President, Raúl Castro, offered to work with the United States to help combat the Ebola epidemic.


Cuba deserves credit for its show of compassion and it is heartening that after some hesitation, the US agreed to work with Cuba.  It is encouraging that Cuba offered an olive branch to the US in spite of suffering from decades of crippling economic sanctions. Cuba has an excellent health care system and highly trained medical professions and has trained many Latin American students to become doctors, free of charge. The Cuban embargo has been a complete an utter failure; it has not forced the Castro’s out of power and indeed Cuba was once a close US ally. The continued embargo is politically motivated to pander to a relatively small number of ex-pat Miami Cubans. If we have had several successful rapprochements with autocratic governments such as Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia China, Russia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and others, why not normalize relations with Cuba and lift the crippling embargo which disproportionately hurts the poor?        

‘TERRORISM’ 10-20-2014

20, October 2014          Response to NYT oped RE: use of the loaded word ‘TERRORISM’

Tomis Kapitan offers a very thoughful analysis of the highly charged use of the word ‘terrorism’. Most of the indigenous peoples of the word who resisted oppression and colonial domination were described as terrorists. I was nearly inducted into the British army in the 1950’s when the Brits were fighting the Mau Mau – a rebellious group of ‘terrorists’ fighting their British colonial masters. Fortunately I just escaped the draft but was always conflicted which side I would have supported.

I recently saw a short documentary film during the UNAFF 2014 Film Festival which exposed the most brutal treatment of East Africans by the British. Filmed over three years, the film traces the story of a group of elderly Kenyans in the legal battle to hold the British government fully accountable for the horrific torture they had to endure (many men were castrated and women mutilated). What I found truly amazing was the willingness of the surviving elders to forgive their oppressors. The British government maintained a tight lid on its dark history under the draconian Official Secrets Act. Recently some of the documents came to light under the Freedom of Information Act, which validated the litigants’ claims in great detail. The British government used every legal tactic hoping that the elderly Kenyans would fade away through attrition. Netanyahu’s tactics demonizing Hamas as a terrorist group is the same tired approach of foreclosing any meaningful negotiations with the Palestinians.

James Risen, a Pulitzer Prize winning hero 10-20-2014

20, October 2014        James Risen, a Pulitzer Prize winning hero

In a determined effort to punish James Risen, the New York Times investigative reporter, the Bush and now the Obama administration has threatened him with imprisonment unless he reveals his source who provided him details of the massive illegal warrantless wiretapping conducted by the National Security Agency. This case will undoubtedly become the most significant challenge to press freedom in decades. Fearful that such a revelation could torpedo Bush’s 2004 reelection, the administration applied intense pressure on the NYT to delay publication. Sadly, the NYT capitulated; had the story been published earlier the outcome of the election might have resulted in a John Kerry victory.

In 2006 Risen won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting and has more recently published a book, “State of War” which provides startling details of the long dark history of the CIA and the Bush administration. The government accuses the CIA officer, Jeffrey Sterling, of giving Risen classified information about the agency’s role in disrupting Iran’s nuclear program, which Risen argues effectively gave Iran a blueprint for designing a bomb. In what appears to be a crude effort to silence Risen to prevent the botched ‘Sterling Affair” coming to light, the Obama administration has intensified its effort to compel Risen to reveal his source. In a gesture of defiance, Risen responded to the Justice Department highhandedness by releasing another book, titled  "Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War."  He stated that "you cannot have aggressive investigative reporting in America without confidential sources — and without aggressive investigative reporting, we can’t really have a democracy." This may prove to be a landmark case which may eventually determine the future of journalism. His latest book is a savage indictment of what he calls the "homeland security-industrial complex." It is tragic that President Obama who ran his presidential campaign promising a more open government has become mired in secrecy and developed an aggressive attitude determined to silence and punish whistleblowers. 

Revoke Columbus Day 10-13-2014

13, October 2014               Revoke Columbus Day

Christopher Columbus was allegedly the first ‘illegal immigrant’ to arrive into the “New World” in 1492.The day evokes a great deal of sadness and anger among Native Americans, who object to honoring a man who opened the door to European colonization, pestilence and the slave trade. Bucking the prevailing holiday, Seattle City Council unanimously adopted a resolution to celebrate the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Socialist City Council member Kshama Sawant stated that "we’re making sure that we acknowledge the absolute horrors of colonization that happened in the Americas at the hands of the European so-called explorers, and Columbus was one of the primary instigators." He was a prolific slave owner. The European mission launched a war of terror to plunder and pillage, and was responsible for mass enslavement and a genocide, which reduced the population of the indigenous communities within a few decades from about 150 million to a few thousand. Hollywood bears much of the responsibility for their negative stereotyping of native Indians as wild natives who deserved to be killed by handsome cowboys giving rise to the hideous, deplorable slogan, “the only good Indian is a dead Indian.” It is time to acknowledge the sins of Christopher Columbus, revoke Columbus Day, and construct a holocaust museum as a living testament to our dark history. Finally, let us reach out to a native brothers and sisters whose great culture is rapidly fading.

ISIS 10-12-2014

12, October 2014                   ISIS

The massive US bombing has not stunted the expansion of ISIS. Contrary to President Obama’s stated goal to ‘degrade and destroy ISIS’, they appear to be very much alive and only six miles from the Turkey border town of Kobani. If Kobani falls, ISIS will be in control of more than half of Syria’s border with Turkey. If this is allowed to happen it will be a massive military victory. ISIS is a guerrilla organization and has no central ‘Pentagon’ and is therefore relatively immune to US bombing. Contrary, to the facts on the ground the Pentagon PR machine continues to debunk civilian casualties and exaggerate its bombing successes.  

ISIS has demonstrated its effectiveness by appealing to extreme religious fanaticism combined with military expertise drawn from disaffected Sunnis who were margined by our 2003 invasion and the highly sectarian former Prime Minister, Maliki. Despite Obama’s claim of cobbling together a collation of 44 of counties, our allies seem to be hopelessly divided.

Saudi Arabia is playing a double game – sending weapons and millions of dollars to their Sunni ISIS friends while outwardly supporting US efforts. Turkey is likewise seriously conflicted, reluctant  to support the US coalition. Turkey and Jordon are also overburdened with tens of thousands of refugees fleeing  from Syria.  There appears to be no close liaison between the US and the people who are actually fighting ISIS, such as the Syrian Kurds and the Syrian army and other groups in Iraq and Syria.

Fareed Zakaria's interview with Netanyahu 10-11-2014

11, October 2014                 Fareed Zakaria's interview with Netanyahu

Email sent to Fareed Zakaria responding to his interview with PM Netanyahu on Sunday 5, November 2014

Your interview with PM Netanyahu last week was extremely disappointing. You allowed Netanyahu to use CNN as a sounding board for his propaganda. What was particular offensive was his linkage of Hamas to ISIS ignoring Israel’s own dark history which is rooted in terrorism. Israel since its founding has used the South African apartheid model to impose its will on the indigenous population. Your softball questions made no effort to hold Netanyahu guilty of his many crimes. For example, the death of the three Israeli teenagers was used to launch a blistering attack on Gaza. Subsequently, Israel admitted that Hamas was not responsible for their deaths. Thus, the attack on Gaza was a political decision to drive a wedge between the unity government of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority – not in defence of rocket attacks by Hamas. I urge you to use your considerable talents to offer more balancing reporting in the future.

Isreal 10-7-2014

Oct 7, 2014                               Isreal

Roger Cohen (NYT op ed) you are constantly conflating Hamas with terrorism while giving Israel a free pass. You conveniently ignore the inconvenient truth that Israel was founded by terrorist organizations since its birth and continues to use terror to achieve its ultimate of goal of creating a greater Israel. It has used the South African apartheid model to maintain its power. Sadly, PM Netanyahu is given access to most of the US networks to continue his dog and pony show linking Hamas to ISIS. Last Sunday Fareed Zakaria allowed CNN to be used as an Israeli propaganda platform. Zakaria never raised the issue of the settlements, suffocating occupation and the siege of Gaza.   Last Tuesday, the Peace & Justice Center of Stanford University hosted a panel discussion on the aftermath of Israel’s recent attacks on Gaza. They speculated that the recent upheaval of the region with ISIS could be a game changer which may force Israel and the US to reexamine its failed policies. The panel gave examples on how Israel’s Gaza assault has backfired in significant ways – Israel’s tourism has been devastated, losing hundreds of millions of dollars; the boycott, divestment and sanctions program has dramatically increased and membership to Jewish Voices for Peace has seen an exponential growth. The blistering attack by the Obama administration on Israel’s latest massive land grab settlement also seems to be a shift in US policy. The Obama administration has shown increased irritation with the Israeli tail wagging the US dog.

Eric Holder Could Have Brought the Country Together 10-2-2014

Oct. 2, 2014            Eric Holder Could Have Brought the Country Together

Eric Holder and his boss, the president, have had a unique opportunity to put much of "race" in our rearview mirror.

Wall Street Journal

Regarding your editorial "Eric Holder's Legacy of Politics" (Sept. 26): Eric Holder deserves credit for aggressively pursuing civil-rights cases and using his high office in advancing race relations. On the flip side his record on prosecuting financial fraud has been an abysmal failure. None of the executives have been held accountable for the Wall Street crash which led to the worst recession in 80 years. The Justice Department decided to give a virtual free pass to most of these offenders, though they whacked the companies' stockholders with unprecedented fines. A war on journalists and whistleblowers has been pursued using the odious Espionage Act of 1917 which was used to repress dissent during wartime. Finally, Mr. Holder's DOJ-sanctioned drone attacks have resulted in the death of scores of innocent civilians and provided the legal cover for raw executive power. The New York Times's James Risen, whom the Obama administration wants to prosecute, told a New York Times columnist that President Obama is "the greatest enemy to press freedom in a generation."

Tejinder Uberoi

Los Altos, Calif.

Stanford University discussion on Gaza 10-3-2014

3, October 2014                     Stanford University discussion on Gaza

Last Tuesday, the Peace & Justice Center of Stanford University hosted a panel discussion on the aftermath of Israel’s recent attacks on Gaza. Panelists included professors Beinin, Bisharat, and Omer. Beinin offered a chronology of the events which led up to the attacks. He dismissed Israel’s claim that the attack was in defense of Hamas’s rocket attacks. He stated that Netanyahu used the tragic death of the three Israeli teenagers to launch the attacks and weaken the unity government of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas and fan the flames of settler attacks.

Israel has recently admitted that a shadowy rogue group was responsible for the death of the three teenagers. The other members of the panel concurred with Beinin and stated that the root cause of the ongoing conflict was the suffocating siege and occupation. They launched a blistering criticism on Israel’s bombing of Gaza’s infrastructure and warned that the recent upheaval of the region with ISIS could be a game changer which may force Israel and the US to reexamine its failed policies. The panel gave examples on how Israel’s Gaza assault has backfired in significant ways – Israel’s tourism has been devastated, losing hundreds of millions of dollars; the boycott, divestment and sanctions program has dramatically increased and membership to Jewish Voices for Peace has seen an exponential growth. The blistering attack by the Obama administration on Israel’s latest settlement also seems to be a shift in US policy. 

Stanford University discussion on Gaza 10-3-2014

3, October 2014                     Stanford University discussion on Gaza

Last Tuesday, the Peace & Justice Center of Stanford University hosted a panel discussion on the aftermath of Israel’s recent attacks on Gaza. Panelists included professors Beinin, Bisharat, and Omer. Beinin offered a chronology of the events which led up to the attacks. He dismissed Israel’s claim that the attack was in defense of Hamas’s rocket attacks. He stated that Netanyahu used the tragic death of the three Israeli teenagers to launch the attacks and weaken the unity government of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas and fan the flames of settler attacks.

Israel has recently admitted that a shadowy rogue group was responsible for the death of the three teenagers. The other members of the panel concurred with Beinin and stated that the root cause of the ongoing conflict was the suffocating siege and occupation. They launched a blistering criticism on Israel’s bombing of Gaza’s infrastructure and warned that the recent upheaval of the region with ISIS could be a game changer which may force Israel and the US to reexamine its failed policies. The panel gave examples on how Israel’s Gaza assault has backfired in significant ways – Israel’s tourism has been devastated, losing hundreds of millions of dollars; the boycott, divestment and sanctions program has dramatically increased and membership to Jewish Voices for Peace has seen an exponential growth. The blistering attack by the Obama administration on Israel’s latest settlement also seems to be a shift in US policy.

Who are the Khorasan Group? 9-30-2014

30, September 2014               Who are the Khorasan Group?

Who are the new fighters who have suddenly emerged in Syria called the Khorasan group? The administration claims they were closely linked to Bin Laden but this appears to be a pretext for launching the heavy bombing campaign which had the predictable results of killing a significant number of innocent victims a number who were fighting ISIS. The reason given for the attacks in Iraq and Syria keep changing – first it was humanitarian, now it’s to thwart an imminent attack on our homeland. This bombing may have given Obama a new ‘get tough John Wayne’ persona but it will surely backfire much like our disastrous intervention in Libya which has resulted into a brutal civil war. There is absolutely no overall strategy, only a military mindset which is counterproductive and will surely generate more extremism. This war, euphemistically, called a counter-terrorism campaign, is illegal under international law and has no Congressional or UN approval. A far better approach would be to impose a complete embargo on all weapons in the region and elicit the help of Iran and yes, Syria to counter the ISIS and Khorasan threat. We must swallow our national pride and accept Iran’s offer of assistance by first accelerating the unresolved nuclear issues. This will enable our two countries to develop a common strategy to thwart the ISIS/Khorasan threat to regional instability. 

Eric Holder’s Legacy 9-26-2014

26, September 2014               Eric Holder’s Legacy

Eric Holder deserves credit for aggressively pursuing civil rights cases and using his high office in advancing race relations. On the flip side his record on prosecuting financial fraud has been an abysmal failure. None of the executives have been held accountable for the Wall Street crash which led to the worst recession in 70 years. The DOJ found large firms which engaged in money laundering on behalf of narcotraffickers in countries hostile to the US but decided not to prosecute them because they were too big to fail or too big to jail. This sent a comforting message to these financial institutions that they were beyond reach of the law and thus encouraged to continue their illegal, profitable practices.

The DOJ decided to give a virtual free pass to most of these offenders and used deferred and non-prosecution procedures which amounted to small fines and no prosecutions. An unprecedented war on Journalists and whistleblowers has been pursued using the odious 1917 Espionage Act which was used to repress dissent during wartime. Finally, Holder’s DOJ sanctioned drone attacks resulting in the death of scores of innocent civilians and provided the legal cover for raw executive power. New York Times's James Risen, who the Obama administration wants to prosecute, told Maureen Dowd that President Obama is "the greatest enemy to press freedom in a generation”.

President Obama leads on ISIS 9-26-2014

26 Sept 2014                      President Obama leads on ISIS

There is little doubt that President Obama decision to go to war was largely driven by domestic politics. He has been stung repeatedly by the war hawks, McCain, Graham and Feinstein who have portrayed him as weak and indecisive. Former President Bush’s playbook is being used justify the war. The ‘shock and awe’ bombing campaign has begun with notable civilian casualties. The coalition of the unwilling have been cobbled together – made up of a few Arab countries many of whom have been funding the ISIS rebels. Billions of dollars will be spent on training and arming rebel forces whose loyalties change from passing day. Historian Alastair Cooke, described “moderate” insurgents as "rarer than a mythical unicorn."

Sponsors of radical jihadists are going to train "moderate" jihadists. The so-called "rebels" are mercenaries who come from over 20 countries. They constantly organize and reorganize into new groups with allegiances driven by whosever is paying them or supplying them with arms at any given moment. The U.S. has supplied weapons to the Iraqi government and to Syrian rebels which have ended up in the hands of ISIS. The déjà vu bombing has begun and the associated fear campaign which worked so well in 2003 invasion of Iraq is being used again to justify the war which has been falsely promoted as a counter-terrorism exercise to bypass Congressional approval. Oh, America will we never learn from our mistakes?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/26/opinion/roger-cohen-obama-leads-on-isis-he-is-right-to-take-the-risk.html?comments#permid=12900945

ISIS 9-25-2014

25, September 2014               ISIS

There is little doubt that President Obama decision to go to war was largely driven by domestic politics. He has been stung repeatedly by the war hawks, McCain, Graham and Feinstein who have portrayed him as weak and indecisive. Former President Bush’s playbook is being used justify  the war. The ‘shock and awe’ bombing campaign has begun with notable civilian casualties. The coalition of the unwilling have been cobbled together – made up of a few Arab countries many of whom have been funding the ISIS rebels. Billions of dollars will be spent on training and arming rebel forces whose loyalties change from passing day. Historian Alastair Cooke, described “moderate” insurgents as "rarer than a mythical unicorn."

Sponsors of radical jihadists are going to train "moderate" jihadists.  The so-called "rebels" are mercenaries who come from over 20 countries. They constantly organize and reorganize into new groups with allegiances driven by whosever is paying them or supplying them with arms at any given moment. The U.S. has supplied weapons to the Iraqi government and to Syrian rebels which have ended up in the hands of ISIS. The déjà vu bombing has begun and the associated fear campaign which worked so well in 2003 invasion of Iraq is being used again to justify the war which has been falsely promoted as a counter-terrorism exercise to bypass Congressional approval. Oh, America will we never learn from our mistakes?

Who are the War profiteers? 9-21-2014

21, September 2014               Who are the War profiteers?

A new report finds many talking heads who have been fanning the flames of war in the news media have close ties to Pentagon contractors. Lee Fang, a reporter of the Nation, describes how television analysts including retired generals Jack Keane and Anthony Zinni and former Department of Homeland Security official, Frances Townsend, make regular appearances on television but fail to disclose the huge fees they collect as paid directors and advisors to some of the largest military contractors in the world. Keane, is a special adviser to Academi, formerly known as Blackwater, and a board member to military manufacturer General Dynamics. He also has a financial interest in SCP Partners, an investment firm that works with defense contractors.  General Jack Keane makes regular appearances on Fox News supporting military strikes against ISIS. Commentator Frances Townsend, who appears on CNN on almost a daily basis, has also been advocating  a stronger response to ISIS. Not disclosed is her ties to defense contractor - MacAndrews & Forbes, which owns several defense contractors.

Former head of CENTCOM, retired four-star general, Anthony Zinni, a board member to BAE Systems, one of the largest defense contractors in the world, has been advocating for a large deployment of U.S. troops to the region.  It is a pity that the networks misled their viewers by not disclosing the blatant conflict of interest of their ‘think tank’ experts.

Multiculturalism and Rape in Rotherham 9-16, 2014

Sept 16, 2014               Multiculturalism and Rape in Rotherham

Poor white girls are not the only victims. Hindu & Sikh girls are being wooed aggressively, married, forced to convert to Islam and many suffer life-long abuse. A lot of the radical beliefs and misbehavior can be traced back to Imams who spew out hateful messages – “death to the infidels, death to the police.” The British authorities need to stiffen their spines, round up these Jihadists and toss them into the clinker. The offending mosques should lose their non-profit status if found guilty of harboring these radical Imams. Bah humbug to political correctness!

In India, Hindu activists are fighting back warning of a “Love Jihad” to discourage Hindus from marrying Muslims and being forcibly converted to Islam. Muslim scholars must take bold measures to examine Koranic texts and expunge hateful, offensive passages.

Israeli’s Elite refuse to kill 9-15-2014

15, September 2014               Israeli’s Elite refuse to kill

It is gratifying that more and more courageous Israelis are stepping forward and publically denouncing the appalling treatment of Palestinians under the crippling, suffocating occupation. The latest refusenicks are veterans from an elite secretive intelligence unit that have publically declared they will no longer “take part in the state’s immoral actions against Palestinians because of what they call “our moral duty to act.”

43 veterans of the super-secret Unit 8200 complained the information collected is used for political persecution and is used to oppress innocent people fueling the never ending conflict.   They stated that under the present occupation it is impossible for Palestinians to “lead normal lives.” The letter was published in Israel’s Yediot Aharonot newspaper as well as The Guardian in Britain and reflects a growing disenchantment within the Israeli Defense Forces. Earlier, a group of 27 pilots refused orders of targeted assassinations inspired by the actions of another 13 members of commando unit Sayeret who refused targeted killings. A spokesperson of Unit 8200  described Israel as a “nondemocratic, oppressive regime that controls the lives of millions of people.”  They complained bitterly that they were forced to perform actions which were “highly immoral” and had nothing to do with self-defense

ISIS 9-15-2014

15, September 2014               ISIS

The battle against the militant group ISIS has started off badly. According to Human Rights Watch, Iraq  has been accused of indiscriminately bombing Sunni areas. 31 civilians, including 24 children died when a school was bombed – no Islamic fighters were around the school site. The grotesque beheading of several western reporters has invoked seething anger and desire for revenge. Inexplicably, President Obama has proposed a bombing campaign devoid of any serious diplomatic efforts. We should first follow the Hippocratic Oath and do no harm. Boots on the ground are fast multiplying.


There are currently about 1,500; there will be close to 1,800 very soon and more and more ‘guns for hire’ contractors are reaching out for their boots. A much greater diplomatic effort is needed including the active participation of Iran which has enormous influence on Iraq. This effort should be directed at forming a much greater inclusive government blunting Sunni support for ISIS. We should stop beating Putin like a Piñata and extend our diplomatic efforts by seeking Russia’s help in bringing about a cessation of hostilities in Syria. This would have the added benefit of reducing tensions in Ukraine if we can assure Russia that NATO won’t be extended to their front door threatening their security. A tight arms embargo should be imposed on the conflict zones because who we perceive as friends could very quickly become foes. Finally, we should stop the private funding of ISIS, which according to “WikiLeaks” comes mainly from private wealthy Saudi donors.  

Obama’s speech and ISIS 9-11-2014

11. September 2014               Obama’s speech and ISIS

President Obama’s speech outlining his strategy was short on details and sounded more like a mini-State of the Union speech. Mr. Obama sited Yemen and Somalia as success stories. This claim was vigorously refuted by Richard Engel, Chief foreign correspondent of NBC, who reported that both countries suffered significant defeats degrading their power and stated that Obama’s ISIS Speech as ‘Wildly Off-Base’ and ‘an Oversimplification of the Problem’. US opinion polls generally favor action driven by the horrific beheadings of two American reporters. Public support of the bombing campaign could soon evaporate if there are casualties. ISIS, who seem adept at using social media, are sure to display graphic images of civilian casualties to gain support and inflame passions against the infidel sky invaders. To be effective, airstrikes need to be followed by ground troops to recapture lost territory and therein lies the core problem. Arming and training the Iraqi army proved to be a disaster. ISIS roundly defeated the army and captured huge arsenals of US weapons. 

Furthermore, there are no ‘moderate’ forces in the region with the possible exception of the Kurds who have no desire to move far away from their own territory. Obama would do well to try and bring about an accord between Sunni Saudis and the Shia Iranians; this could serve as an effective force to neutralize the radical ISIS and simmer tensions in the region. Unfortunately, coalition ‘infidels’ are reluctant to support us lest they inflame Islamic militants within their own countries. 

Israel seizes another 1,000 acres of Palestinian land 9-6-2014

6, September 2014           Israel seizes another 1,000 acres of Palestinian land

With its recent announcement of seizing another 1,000 acres of Palestinian land, Israel has forever dispelled the last lingering doubts that it is serious in allowing a Palestinian State to exist This is another slap in the face of US stated policies which has vigorously opposed the theft of Palestinian land.

At a news briefing, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Power, criticized Israel’s announcement and demanded that it reverse its decision. Israeli professor and historian, Ilan Pappé was outraged declaring that “Israel has made a decision that it prefers to be a racist apartheid state and not a democracy." Henry Siegman, the former executive director of the American Jewish Congress and head of the Synagogue Council of America was equally outraged and described the Palestinian struggle for a state, "the mirror image of the Zionist movement" that led to the founding of Israel in 1948.


The ruling Likud party has worked aggressively to ensure that the Palestinians will never have their own state. The Naftali Bennett’s party, the HaBayit HaYehudi, openly declares that there will never be a Palestinian state. These policies will ensure millions of Palestinians will continue to live in this subservient position without rights and without security, without hope and without a future. Sadly, our government has been complicit in this grave injustice diverting billions of our tax money into Israeli coffers which makes a mockery of our claim to support peace and justice.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/09/opinion/roger-cohen-a-war-of-choice-in-gaza.html?comments#permid=12766547

Ukraine 9-6-2014

6, September 2014                             Ukraine

The ceasefire comes at a time when the Ukrainian military has suffered a number of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Russian-backed rebels. 2,600 people have been killed and over one million displaced. Tim Judah of the New York of Books reports of the utter devastation in southeastern Ukraine and the large number of children rendered homeless (50,000 to 70,000). It bears an eerie resemblance to Gaza. The Ukrainian army is fleeing leaving behind much of their heavy equipment and it’s likely that the important city of Mariupol may be lost if the fighting continues. The big bad wolf, Putin, is now in a much stronger position to negotiate on his terms.

The pro-war hawkish government, the three Baltic States, Poland and Romania, are at odds with the more dovish governments – the Germans, the French and Spanish who want to maintain the trade relationship with Russia. There is little doubt that both the United States and Russia have contributed to the destabilization of Ukraine. The root cause of the conflict was precipitated by the overthrow of an elected pro-Russian president and our ill-advised messianic zeal to align Ukraine with Europe and NATO. What makes the situation even worse is government steps being taken to dismantle the pillars of democracy with arbitrary arrests, censorship and banning the Communist party. If Russia is pushed too far they may respond with short-range tactical nuclear weapons which will draw the US and Europe into another world war.