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.   

Ukraine should stay neutral 9-3-2014

3, September 2014 Ukraine should stay neutral
Mr. President I think it is time for the US, the European Union, Ukraine and Russia to dial back the harsh rhetoric lest more and more people die in this senseless conflict. Already close to 3,000 have already been killed. A Human Rights Watch report accuse the rebels of arbitrarily detaining civilians and subjecting them to torture, degrading treatment, including forced labor.  Satellite images show Russian artillery, vehicles and troops in and around eastern Ukraine. In a major display of unity, 28 NATO countries and Ukraine are holding an emergency meeting. Both sides accuse each of escalating the conflict. There is little doubt that national pride will triumph concerns for human life.  It is apparent that Russia is trying to prevent Ukraine joining NATO which it perceives to be a direct security threat. That is precisely what many in the West, more especially in the Baltic countries, and the neocons in Washington want. I implore you to resist more aggression and persuade our war hungry allies to respect Russia’s legimate security concerns by supporting Russia’s and Chancellor Merkel’s call for an immediate cease fire and urging Ukraine to remain neutral, postponing an alignment with NATO or the European Union for say five years. This would dramatically de-escalate tensions.  After all how would we respond if Canada and Mexico were to join an alliance hostile to the US?

Ukraine should stay neutral 9-3-2014

3, September 2014                 Ukraine should stay neutral
It is time for the US, the European Union, Ukraine and Russia to dial back the harsh rhetoric lest more and more people die in this senseless conflict. Already close to 3,000 have already been killed. A Human Rights Watch report accuse the rebels of arbitrarily detaining civilians and subjecting them to torture, degrading treatment, including forced labor.  Satellite images show Russian artillery, vehicles and troops in and around eastern Ukraine. In a major display of unity, 28 NATO countries and Ukraine are holding an emergency meeting. Both sides accuse each of escalating the conflict. There is little doubt that national pride will triumph concerns for human life.  It is apparent that Russia is trying to prevent Ukraine joining NATO which it perceives to be a direct security threat. That is precisely what many in the West, more especially in the Baltic countries, and the neocons in Washington want. President Obama should show leadership and persuade our war hungry allies to respect Russia’s legimate security concerns by supporting Russia’s and Chancellor Merkel’s call for an immediate cease fire and urging Ukraine to remain neutral, postponing an alignment with NATO or the European Union for say five years. This would dramatically de-escalate tensions.  After all how would we respond if Canada and Mexico were to join an alliance hostile to the US?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/03/world/europe/us-and-europe-are-struggling-with-response-to-a-bold-russia.html?comments#permid=12716809

"A Slaughter of Innocents": Henry Siegman, a Venerable Jewish Voice for Peace, on Gaza 9-1-14

Reposted from Democracy Now

Video

Today, a special with Henry Siegman, the former executive director of the American Jewish Congress, long described as one of the nation’s "big three" Jewish organizations along with the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League. Henry Siegman was born in 1930 in Frankfurt, Germany. Three years later, the Nazis came to power. After fleeing Nazi troops in Belgium, his family eventually moved to the United States. His father was a leader of the European Zionist movement, pushing for the creation of a Jewish state. In New York, Siegman studied and was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi by Yeshiva Torah Vodaas. He later became head of the Synagogue Council of America. After his time at the American Jewish Congress, Siegman became a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He now serves as president of the U.S./Middle East Project.

Over the years, Siegman has become a vocal critic of Israel’s policies in the Occupied Territories and has urged Israel to engage with Hamas. He has called the Palestinian struggle for a state "the mirror image of the Zionist movement" that led to the founding of Israel in 1948. In July, wrote an op-ed for Politico headlined, "Israel Provoked This War." Democracy Now! hosts Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh sat down with him on July 29 — in the midst of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

TRANSCRIPT

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: Today, a special with Henry Siegman, the former executive director of the American Jewish Congress, long described as one of the nation’s "big three" Jewish organizations along with the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League. Henry Siegman was born in 1930 in Frankfurt, Germany. Three years later, the Nazis came to power. After fleeing Nazi troops in Belgium, his family eventually moved to the United States. His father was a leader of the European Zionist movement, pushing for the creation of a Jewish state. In New York, Henry Siegman studied and was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi by Yeshiva Torah Vodaas. He later became head of the Synagogue Council of America. After his time at the American Jewish Congress, Siegman became a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He now serves as president of the U.S./Middle East Project.

Over the years, Henry Siegman has become a vocal critic of Israel’s policies in the Occupied Territories and has urged Israel to engage with Hamas. He has called the Palestinian struggle for a state, quote, "the mirror image of the Zionist movement" that led to the founding of Israel in 1948. In July, he wrote a piece for Politicoheadlined "Israel Provoked This War."

Democracy Now!'s Nermeen Shaikh and I sat down with him on July 29th in the midst of Israel's offensive in Gaza. I started by asking Henry Siegman if he could characterize the situation in Gaza at the moment.

HENRY SIEGMAN: Yes, it’s disastrous. It’s disastrous, both in political terms, which is to say the situation cannot conceivably, certainly in the short run, lead to any positive results, to an improvement in the lives of either Israelis or Palestinians, and of course it’s disastrous in humanitarian terms, the kind of slaughter that’s taking place there. When one thinks that this is what is necessary for Israel to survive, that the Zionist dream is based on the slaughter of—repeated slaughter of innocents on a scale that we’re watching these days on television, that is really a profound, profound crisis—and should be a profound crisis—in the thinking of all of us who were committed to the establishment of the state and to its success. It leads one virtually to a whole rethinking of this historical phenomenon.