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.