Israeli Settlements 12-30-2016

30, December 2016                Israeli Settlements

Secretary of State John Kerry was right in excoriating Israel for its settlement policy - its ongoing theft of more and more Palestinian land to house Jewish only citizens.  But what is puzzling is why Kerry/Obama waited so long in voicing their criticism.  Even more puzzling is why prior US administrations rewarded Israel with billions of dollars of aid for its bad behavior – allowing its settlement expansion and denying Palestinians basic human rights. It is apparent that Netanyahu, the most reviled head of state for decades, will never advance a two-state solution which risks his leadership of Israel’s right-wing coalition or leads him on a collision course with Jewish settlers who continue to penetrate deeper and deeper into the West Bank.

Kerry was right when he stated that the settlers’ goal is very clear, “strategically place settlements in locations that make two states impossible, so that Israel will eventually annex all of the West Bank”.

A single state, under current conditions, would also condemn millions of Palestinians to live permanently in segregated enclaves in the middle of the West Bank, under a permanent military occupation, much like apartheid South Africa.

Unconditional US support has emboldened Israel to continue its suffocating military occupation. This support is an act of monumental betrayal. As Tom Friedman wrote in The New York Times, “you don’t supply a driver with more alcohol, you don’t let him drive drunk. And Obama let Israel drive drunk”.

US Ambassador to Israel 12-27-2016

27, December 2016                US Ambassador to Israel

President-elect Trump has been widely criticized for selecting Friedman as US ambassador to Israel. Former ambassador, Daniel Kurzer, assailed the appointment stating that Friedman’s appeals to a small minority of Israeli and American extremists.  J Street joined the mounting outrage stating the "this nomination is reckless, putting America’s reputation in the region and credibility around the world at risk."

So who is Friedman and what are his qualifications for such an important diplomatic position? As president of American Friends of Beit El Institutions, he has raised millions of dollars to support illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. According to a tax filing, Trump donated $10,000 to the group in 2003.

Friedman has no diplomatic experience but does have the dubious distinction of serving as bankruptcy attorney for Trump during the past 15 years.

He shares his disdain for international law, supporting the annexation of the entire Palestinian territory. He vigorously opposes a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

Intoxicated by his victory, Trump feels that he has now assumed the role of an autocrat making far right appointments thumbing his nose at career diplomats at the US Foreign Service establishment. Friedman will reinforce fears of Israel’s accelerated move to an apartheid system aggressively annexing more and more Palestinian land.  This sends a chilling message that the US can no longer be counted on to broker a peaceful settlement to the festering Middle-East conflict.

Yemen 12-19-2016

19, December 2016                              Yemen

According to the U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, one child is dying every 10 minutes in Yemen, victims of devastating air attacks by Saudi Arabia. Britain and the United States have sold Saudi Arabia billions of sophisticated weapons which have been used indiscriminately in its ongoing conflict with Houthis rebels causing devastating civilian deaths.  In addition, the US continues to refuel Saudi planes allowing them to intensify bombing raids leading to more fatalities. Missile fragments have the unmistakable markings of British and American defense ordinances. This is fueling intense hostility against the coalition partners, the British, US and the Gulf States, who seem totally unconcerned by the ongoing human suffering. Over half a million children are suffering severe malnutrition and 2.2 million others are in urgent need of care. Over 58 hospitals have been bombed by coalition airstrikes.

The Saudis are also blocking food supplies entering Yemen. According to the Times of London reporter, Iona Craig based in Sana’a, a high profile strike killed 140 civilians in a double-tap strike killing first and second responders. Our ongoing unconditional support of Saudi Arabia makes us and the British complicit in war crimes. This must stop.

I ask readers to call the White House, Comment Line 202-456-1111 (9 am – 5 pm Mon – Fri PST) and demand an immediate halt to weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

Russian Spying 12-18-2016

18, December 2016                       Russian Spying

Dirty tricks seem to be endemic to American politics. Recall the bugging of the Democratic Party offices by President Nixon or hiring a woman to strip naked at a Democratic press conference and scream her love for one the attendees. But Donald Trump and his Russian spymasters have accomplished the impossible – the theft of the American presidency and our democracy. It is a pity that senior Clinton officials failed to take action after an FBI agent issued repeated warnings that their computers were being hacked. The CIA failed to issue such warnings and block the intruders. Putin must have laughed uproariously at President Obama’s tepid response at their hacking admonishing them to “cut it out.”

Sadly, the CIA has a dismal history of predicting world events from 9/11, Russia’s annexation of Crimea to its incursion into Ukraine and its intervention in Syria. Before we point an accusing finger at the big bad wolf, Vladimir Putin, and his ‘gang of depolorables’, we should recall the CIA’s decades long misdeeds in overthrowing democracies who failed to bend to our will.     

A few examples: 1953 CIA overthrows the democratically elected Mohammed Mossadegh.

1954 CIA overthrows the democratically elected Jacob Arbenz of Guatemala.

1957-1973 The CIA carries out approximately one coup per year trying to nullify Laos’s democratic elections. 1959 The CIA helps the thug, “Papa Doc” Duvalier become dictator of Haiti. Multiple failed attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro including exploding cigars.

 As the saying goes, “what goes around comes around”.

Filipino’s Strongman 12-14-2016

14, December 2016                    Filipino’s Strongman

In an effort to combat drug related crime populist, President Rodrigo Duterte, has given the green light to his law enforcement agencies to engage in vigilante killings which has resulted in mind numbing slaughter. Since July 1, the police have killed more than 2,000 people suspected of criminal behavior.  Duterte responded with outrage to President Obama’s criticism of his policies calling him a ‘son of a whore’. Meanwhile, the population is living in constant fear. Death can strike anyone at any time with complete impunity protected by Deterte’s draconian promise to root out the drug problems with rewards being offered to anyone that helps. This may well give rise to bounty hunters or people settling scores. Duterte has also ignored calls by the international community, the United Nations, and the European Union to stop the killings threatening to pull the Philippines out of the United Nations and the International Criminal Court.

Mr. Duterte says he has found a sympathetic ear in President-elect Donald Trump, who gushed enthusiastically at Duterte’s crackdown. Perhaps Trump’s business interests in the Philippines have a lot to do with his support for the Filipino strongman. This does not bode well for the world where populist autocrats are on the rise contemptuous of the rule of law.

 

Torture 12-10-2016

10, December 2016                       Torture

The latest survey on American attitudes towards torture reveal a staggering 46 percent approve of using such cruel methods to extract information from enemy combatants, ignoring repeated studies which completely counter the effectiveness of such techniques. On the contrary, such methods only intensify the hostility towards the US. One need only reference the pioneering work on ‘Crime and Punishment’ by Cesare Baccaria in 1764 who called for the total abolition of torture not only on the grounds of its immorality but also because it simply doesn’t work. Victims will say anything to stop the torture. President-elect Trump wants to bring back waterboarding and ‘much worse.’ How brave of our future president who used his wealth to avoid being drafted to the killing fields of Vietnam. Trump needs to remember that torture is a war crime which has been banned by international law.

President Obama can help prevent torture from making a comeback by releasing the Torture Memo which highlights the dark deeds of the CIA during the Bush years.   

If he fails to do so, torture will surely re-emerge under president-elect Trump who has shown an appalling fascination in torture. The fact that torture is a federal crime under US anti-torture statute hasn’t damped his enthusiasm for its practice.

President Obama made a tactical blunder refusing to prosecute high level officials responsible for the torture program under the Bush presidency. His administration’s insistence of looking forward not back created a sense of impunity.

Trump’s hypocrisy 12-7-2016

 7, December 2016                     Trump’s hypocrisy

Just weeks away from his inauguration, Trump seems to have embraced President's Nixon's infamous dictum: "when the president does it, it is not illegal.

More and more facts are coming to light on his bizarre business activities. He hypocritically denounced Boeing for buying steel from China conveniently ignoring that Trump Tower was built with Chinese steel.

He hired 300 undocumented Polish workers on temporary visas to demolish the old Bonwit's building to make way for Trump Tower and then stiffed them by using a hired gun pretending to be his lawyer warning them that the immigration authorities would deport them.  He has multiple law suits for similar crimes including failing to pay three little girls, the "Freedom Kids," who sang in his honor.

Trump continues to violate ethical norms. Argentina's government denied permits to Trump building resorts for nine years. But one phone call between President-Elect Trump, Ivanka and President Macri, and voila’ within three days, the permits were approved. Ivanka failed to get her line of jewelry approved by the Japan's government-supported Sanai Int'l for two years. But just days after she and her father had a secret meeting with PM Abe, the deal was approved. Trump needs to remember that the majority of the people did not vote for him, they voted for Clinton.

The delegates of the Electoral College have a stark choice, if they put party before country we are doomed to embark on a historic descent into demagoguery, intimidation and tyranny.

The Trump saga continues 12-6-2016

 

6, December 2016                The Trump saga continues

Before he has even ascended to the White House throne, Donald Trump continues to wield his mighty hammer driving a deeper wedge between Democrats and Republicans.

Craving for adulation from his adoring fans, he visited Cincinnati for a victory lap delivering a campaign-style speech, gloating and boasting and falsely claiming that he saved 1,100 jobs at the Carrier plant. According to the Wall Street Journal and ABC News 300 of the 1,100 were never intended to move to Mexico.  This will cost Ohio $7 million or $14,000 per worker – hardly a brilliant deal. This is an exceedingly bad precedent. Other companies may seek similar state subsidies threatening to export jobs overseas.

Trump’s demagoguery and conflicts of interest are in complete violation of Federalist 68 and he should therefore be rejected by the Electoral College. As President Obama ruefully advised, “Mr. Trump wait until your inauguration before you destroy the world.”