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