Cover-Up in Yemen 3-20-12

20, March 2012                      Cover-up in YEMEN

The arrest of Yemini journalist, Abdullah Haider Shaye is a classic case of the messenger of bad tidings being unfairly arrested. Jeremy Scahill, national security correspondent for The Nation magazine reports that that Shaye traveled to the village of al-Majala in southern Yemen on December 17, 2009 to investigate the aftermath of a series of strikes against Al-Qaeda training camps allegedly conducted by the Yemini government.

What he found was the evidence of a massacre of many elderly civilians including 14 women and 21 children – and the unmistakable imprint of US missile strikes. He photographed remnants of Tomahawk cruise missiles and cluster bombs carrying “Made in USA”. The Yemini government, acutely embarrassed by Shaye’s reporting, arrested him on triumphed up charges of terrorism. The trial created international outrage with human rights groups and organizations to protect journalists demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Shaye. International pressure seemed to be working, and a pardon was prepared for then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s signature. However, Scahill, and other reporters and bloggers including Salon's Glenn Greenwald, allege that Saleh’s release was rescinded by an urgent call from the Obama White House. This appears to be yet another US missile strike gone awry which resulted in a tragic loss of innocent civilians followed by a clumsy effort on damage control. Meanwhile a courageous reporter languishes in a Yemini dungeon at the behest the Obama White House – another travesty of justice.   

Our Fading Democracy 3-15-12

15, March 2012                      Our fading democracy

Oligarchs seem to be getting a free pass in our criminal justice system. For example, former head of MF Global, Jon Corzine, and his senior executives stole money from their customer accounts just days before it declared bankruptcy. The amount is staggering - $6.2 billion of which $1.6 billion is still missing. The executives of MF Global offer the absurd claim that it was “all a big mistake” and inexplicably federal prosecutors appear to be willing to accept this fiction. This is despite a barrage of damaging MF Global emails urging bosses “to raid customer accounts” to save the company. This follows a number of other high profile cases of egregious fiscal mismanagement, impropriety and outright fraud in which former CEO’s have remained unscathed and escaped long prison terms.  Angelo Mozilo, the former chairman and CEO of Countrywide and Richard Fuld former chairman of Lehman Brothers have escaped indictment and are free men. The sub-prime mortgage fraud which resulted in millions of people losing their homes has not resulted in a single prison term of bank officials.

Many now believe a 2-tier system of justice exists. Those living in super-zip communities – the politically well-connected – often get a free pass. Remember, Corzine, a former governor of New Jersey was big fund raiser for President Obama. 

It is not surprising that the prevailing lack of accountability will only deepen the cynicism people feel about their government. Our democracy is eroding while the oligarchs are rejoicing. 

Massacre in Afghanistan 3-13-12

13 March 2012                       Massacre in Afghanistan

The seething anger triggered by the slaughter of 16 Afghan civilians, mainly women and children, by a U.S. soldier comes amidst outrage over other civilian deaths. Last week violence erupted by the burning of the Koran by U.S. troops. In January American marines were captured on video urinating on dead Taliban militants. A US army ‘kill team’ was also caught on video cutting off dead body parts as souvenir trophies. On February 8th, helicopter gunships slaughtered eight shepherds on a mountainside as they were out grazing their flocks. Just three days later in Kapisa, four civilians were killed, mistaken for insurgents.

Daily night raids and drone attacks continue with an alarming numbers of civilian deaths.

President Karzai’s demands that such attacks stop have been ignored. Whole villages have been burned (NYT, March 13, 2012) eerily similar to the rational given in justifying such atrocities in the Vietnam war and brings forth the ghost of the  My Lai massacre.

Meanwhile hundreds of Afghan children are dying  daily from hunger as we continue to support our illegal occupation robbing our treasury of $2 billion a month. Our hidden agenda appears little to do with nation building (our large scale destruction of Iraq is hardly a good model) but more to do with maintaining a large military presence with 450 bases and protection of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline.

It is time to end our occupation now. Period. 

Soaring Gas Prices 2-27-12

27, February 2012 Soaring Gas Prices

A key part of the reason for the sudden spiking of oil prices is the media frenzy over a possible military confrontation with Iran. Our current policy based on strangulation and capitulation of Iran is completely misguided. Have we learned nothing from our failed policy of Iraq? Remember, we imposed crippling sanctions imposed on Iraq caused the death of 500,000 innocent men, women and children – and there was no WMD’s when the Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld cabal tried to convince us otherwise? As Michael Moore so aptly stated, fool us once shame on you, fool us twice, shame on us!

Our media is inundating us with a one-sided debate about Iran. The non-Ron Paul embarrassing cadre of Republicans presidential candidates buttressed by the Liebermann-Graham-McCain is hyperventilating over the big bad wolf – Iran. There is universal repugnance over the autocratic rulers of Iran but let us not add to the woes of the Iranian people who are already being oppressed by their government. There is little doubt that Iranians will rally behind their government if they feel that their country is being unfairly victimized by the international community.

The CIA, the Pentagon, the Israeli internal security agency, the Mossad – have all stated categorically that Iran is not developing a nuclear weapon. Let’s dial back the incendiary rhetoric and demand that our policy makers actively engage with serious dialogue and constructive diplomacy. 

Finally, let’s rein in the trigger happy Israelis and demand that there be no-preemptive strike on Iran.

Yemen 2-22-12

22, February 2012     YEMEN

It is an outrage that the Obama administration continues to defy international law by violating the sovereign air space of foreign countries. A disproportionate number of civilians in Pakistan, Afghanistan and more recently in Yemen are being killed giving rise to mounting anger towards the US. The so called ‘war on terror’ has become ‘a war of terror’ on innocent civilians.
Shrewd and corrupt leaders from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and now Yemen are capitalizing on our obsessive compulsive behavior of launching endless wars by enriching themselves at the expensive of US taxpayers. 

Jeremy Scahill, the national security correspondent for The Nation reports in a cover story, that the US jihad in Yemen has given rise to an Islamist uprising and pushed the country to the brink of starvation. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, more than half of Yemen’s 12 million children are chronically malnourished. Unemployment in the country has reached 35 percent. 
Scahill writes that Saleh is “a master chess player, and has milked counterterrorism as his cash cow.” 
He constantly exaggerates the threat of al-Qaeda to ensure an uninterrupted supply of US weapons which he uses to neutralize his political opponents. 

So why are we hosting this brutal dictator at the Ritz-Carlton? One of the protestors outside the hotel was, the Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize winner, Tawakkul Karman, who demanded that President Saleh be tried in the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

Afghanistan 2-12-12

12, February 2012 Afghanistan

A courageous whistleblower, Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis, offered a stark contrast to the sunny reports issued by General Petraeus who claimed that the Taliban's momentum had been "arrested in much of the country" and that progress was "significant." 

Col. Davis returned from his second yearlong deployment to Afghanistan with a fervent conviction that the war was going from bad to worse and accused the senior military leaders of grossly misleading the American public. Now he is on a one-man crusade exposing the misstatements of the Pentagon and attempting to bring end to the disastrous conflict. 

His outspoken comments have generated a fierce debate on the House floor and within the usually tight-lipped military establishment. 

Predictably, the Pentagon has launched a coordinated smear campaign attempting to undermine Colonel Davis’s reputation and defuse his important message. 

Rolling Stone magazine obtained Colonel Davis’ full unclassified report and posted it online. Its title, “Dereliction of Duty II,” is a reference to H.R. McMasters’ classic report of Vietnam.  He rightly poses the rhetorical question, “How many more men must die in support of a mission that is not succeeding?" Let us raise our collective voices and demand an end to this senseless and immoral war. Let us heed the wise words of Ron Paul who has campaigned unequivocally that we should our temper and jingoistic tendencies to fight wars on foreign lands unless our security is threatened.  

War Drums Getting Louder 2-5-12

5, February 2012 War drums getting louder

Israel continues to huff and puff threatening to launch a preemptive strike on Iran mindless of the potential loss of life and chaos that would follow. Such an irresponsible act of war would undoubtedly expose Israel to massive retaliation. Opposition to the repressive, autocratic Iranian regime would evaporate overnight as all Iranians of whatever political stipe would unite to defend their country. Israel’s increasing belligerence is a testament to our failed Middle East policies where we have allowed Israel’s blatant violations of international law and apartheid policies to escape unchallenged. 

We are committing utter folly by encouraging Israel to embark on these reckless military adventures. Israel’s threat of an early strike is no accident. It is likely to occur when Obama is deeply engaged and preoccupied in his reelection campaign (remember Israel’s massive attack on Gaza occurred just before Obama’s first term inauguration). We cannot and should not allow this to happen.   

Meanwhile Israeli propaganda machine to justify such an action is in overdrive. Moshe Yaalon, Israel’s deputy prime minister and minister for strategic affairs, made the preposterous claim that Iran has developed a missile with a range of 10,000 kilometers. Such statements have been dismissed by US experts as “wildly exaggerated.” 

It’s time for Israel to halt its thuggish actions, assassinating Iranian scientists and launching bombing raids on its neighbors and open its own borders for inspection of its nuclear sites. Failure to do so will further isolate Israel and expose it to charges of monumental hypocrisy.