Senator Robert Byrd RIP

''But, today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned.

Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of pre-emption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place.

We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split. After war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America's image around the globe.

The case this Administration tries to make to justify its fixation with war is tainted by charges of falsified documents and circumstantial evidence''

Decent, prescient words and we at Wolves In The City salute you and your memory

Boneheads and Droneheads

This stomach turning article is a bizarre propaganda exercise which could be titled ' The Human Face of Indiscriminate Death from 20,000 feet.'A few phrases from the piece in the Houston and Texas News illustrate the neo-colonialist mentality at the bonkers end of US foreign policy. Here's a few nuggets with my own commentary in caps:

''It kinda gives ’em a warm, fuzzy feeling to know there’s somebody up there looking after them''

THE WARM, FUZZY FEELING OF THE OCCUPIER.

“We’re in what is the largest growth industry in the military. We have a secure future. We’re doing leading-edge work. We’re in the fight, day-to-day.”

IT KINDA GIVES ME A FUZZY FEELING TO KNOW THAT YOUR JOBS ARE SECURE.

“We’re still just figuring out this way of warfare, and it’s revolutionary,”

MAYBE SOMEDAY YOU'LL GET IT RIGHT.

''At 20,000 feet we can put a Hellfire (missile) through a standard windowpane.”

MANY RELATIVES OF YOUR INNOCENT VICTIMS WILL TESTIFY TO THAT.

''In May, a military investigation blamed “inaccurate and unprofessional” reporting by Predator operators at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada for a missile strike that killed 23 Afghan civilians. The incident demonstrated the risks of drone warfare.''

I HAVE A FEELING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE RISKS TO THE USERS RATHER THAN THE POTENTIAL VICTIMS AND COLLATERAL DAMAGE FATALITIES.

“I flew a combat mission overseas and saw my daughter born, all within a couple of hours,” Stiles said. “So that was pretty neat''

PRETTY NEAT, YES. I'M SURE YOU SLEEP WELL AT NIGHT.

Shahzad Faisal - Muslim Soldier

A Pakistani newspaper reported in May that 687 civilians had been killed in approximately 60 drone strikes carried out since January 2008. More than 30 drone attacks have been launched since and the number of Pakistani civilians killed may be more than a 1,000 by now.

Questioned about his motives in his trial in the US last week,Shahzad Faisal replied, “Well, the drone hits in Afghanistan and Iraq…don’t see children; they don’t see anybody. They kill women, children. They kill everybody. It’s a war. And in war, they kill people. They’re killing all Muslims: I am part of the answer to the U.S. terrorizing the Muslim nations and the Muslim people. And … I'm avenging the attack. Living in the United States, Americans only care about their own people, but they don't care about the people elsewhere in the world when they die."Mr. Shahzad was unapologetic. “I want to plead guilty, and I’m going to plead guilty 100 times over, because until the hour the U.S. pulls its forces from Iraq and Afghanistan,…and stops the drone strikes and stops the occupation of Muslim lands, and stops killing the Muslims, we will be attacking U.S., and I plead guilty to that.”Shahzad also answered the judge’s questions about his background and even his family. “I had a wife and two beautiful kids.” They have returned to Pakistan to be with his parents.US officials portray the missile strikes as attempts to kill leaders of al Qaeda. US media quote unnamed intelligence officials who claim the victims of the missile strikes are all “militants,” without any validation of who were killed.

Gaza Blockade 'Lifted'

In a dramatic new development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he would now allow essential Israeli troops to enter Gaza. He said 'The troops will bring with them much-needed bullets, tanks and supplies of white phosphorous.'

Said Israeli stoogePeace Envoy Tony Blair 'This is an important day for the peace process and road map. Do I get paid for this? Cherie would prefer cash.'

Obama Looking For Image Makeover

It's not just the Gulf disaster either.

The general impression conveyed in Afghanistan is that of discord and clearly divergent views. This siege within is particularly damaging to Obama since the cohesion of the US political and military strategy has come under serious scrutiny and doubt. McChrystal's fate will have repercussions for the war 'strategy' such as it is.

Besides, Britain’s envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Sherard Cowper-Coles has reportedly gone on extended leave over disagreement with US and NATO officials over the strategy to deal with insurgency. With at least 10,000 troops in Afghanistan, Britain has already suffered losses of over 300 soldiers since 2001. While the new British government has reiterated its commitment to the war it is likely to face serious hurdles with military operations entering a decisive phase. Mounting NATO casualties in Afghanistan have cast a shadow over an already dismal situation. While these figures pale in comparison to civilian casualties, ironically they will have a bigger impact on the war. Every new fatality spells doom for the US-led coalition even as Washington strives for a larger military commitment from its European allies. Furthermore, it creates inherent pressure on the domestic front with mounting public opposition to a war still not owned as necessary. With the US strategy heavily inclined towards boosting number of forces to turn the tide of the insurgency, disagreements abound. The Obama administration appears in a haste to transfer responsibility and control to Afghan forces. However, it overlooks the inherent weaknesses within the Afghan military administration and balancing the ethnic composition of the army including officer rank. Not only is that a serious issue, the operational capability of the national forces remains a major issue as does the distribution of weapons, corruption and power struggle within the military and political circles.

Top 10 Palestine/Israel Myths

H/T to Reality Zone for this article

Iraqi Refugee Ordeal Festers On

'Voluntary repatriation in 2009 hit a new low in two decades. The UNHCR said that 251,500 refugees returned home last year; of those, only 38,000 were Iraqi.' When asked at the Chilcott Inquiry if he knew how many Iraqis had been displaced by the occupation, Jack Straw ducked the question. They let him away with it. He is one of many who must be summoned back to clarify their shabby responses. Blair, Campbell and 'cab for hire' spiv Geoff Hoon should be dragged back too.

Goodbye, Dubya - Tony Blair Has A New Boss Now

''In the conversations I’ve had with the Israeli Prime Minister there is now, in principle, agreement for Israel to allow goods in” Tony Blair said on Monday. And like magic, an official Israeli statement today announced the ‘easing’ of the Gaza blockade. After three years of lucrative ambassadorial work, the man best known for invading Iraq on doctored evidence is back in the big time. As pressure mounts on Netanyahu’s government to end the illegal blockade on Gaza following the flotilla massacre, the former PM has been asked to step up his Hasbara duties. No word on when or how or in relation to what the 'easing' will take place but hey, Tony, makes a good headline for Israel in the Murdoch (your former boss's) media channels.

New Wikileaks Scoop - US Spooks Descend

The whistleblowing website WikiLeaks says it plans to reveal a new secret military video of one of the deadliest US air strikes in which scores of children are believed to have been killed. WikiLeaks announced the move in an email to supporters. It said it fears it is under attack after the US authorities said they were searching for the site's founder, Julian Assange, following the arrest of a US soldier accused of leaking the Afghanistan video and another of a US attack in Baghdad in which civilians were killed. It says it is still working to prepare the film of the bombing of the Afghan village of Garani in May 2009. The Afghan government said about 140 civilians were killed in Garani, including 92 children. The US military initially said that up to 95 people died, of which about 65 were insurgents. However, American officials have since wavered on that claim and a subsequent investigation admitted mistakes were made during the attack.

The video could prove to be even more embarrassing to the US military and risks weakening support for the disastrous campaign. The US said it was targeting Taliban positions when it used weapons that create casualties over a wide area, including one-tonne bombs and others that burst in the air. But two US military officials told a newspaper last year that no one checked to see whether there were women and children in the buildings. General David Petraeus said a year ago that the military's video of the attack would be made public as evidence that the US assault on Garani was justified. But it was not released.

Assange said WikiLeaks has the Garani video and "a lot of other material that exposes human rights abuses by the US government". Last week, it was revealed that US authorities are trying to make contact with Assange to press him not to publish information the Pentagon says could endanger national security. Assange cancelled an appearance in Las Vegas last Friday. In his email, Assange also calls on supporters to protect the website from "attack" by the authorities following the detention of a US soldier, Bradley Manning, who was arrested in Iraq after admitting to a former hacker that he leaked the Garani and Baghdad videos to WikiLeaks.

Help For Heroes Appeal

Grown men aren't supposed to cry. But if you have been through all that Alastair has, going to hell and back, crying is impossible to avoid. Alastair still has flashbacks to the war in Iraq and how he helped start it. It was his job. He was good at it. He sat up all night copying things from the internet to warn the nation that they were going to be blown up in 45 minutes. Now he sits alone staring out of the window trying to make a new life for himself as a diarist. But the past keeps coming back to haunt him. Even on Sunday mornings when he is tirelessly plugging his books on TV AM, memories of his former life can overwhelm him and he loses control. He will blurt out things like ' I lost my best buddy in that war. I owed him everything. Tony was a great guy. We covered each other's backs.'

DONT FORGET ALASTAIR AND GIVE GENEROUSLY NOW.

Help For Heroes

PO BOX 2003

Fallujah Industrial Estate.

Bloody Sunday - Justice of a Sort After 38 years

The same British Army mentality which operated in January 1972 in Derry was there in Basra in 2003 when Baha Mousa joined the list of victims. Let's hope his family does not have to wait so long for the truth to be admitted and justice achieved. Link to the Baha Inquiry details here.

Chilcott And Presumptions

It seems to me that Clegg does – or did – understand the issues around 'presumption of disclosure'. I wrote to him about this in November and he replied in the right terms. By coincidence he ambushed Brown on the issue a few weeks later, just after the public hearings began, accusing Brown of "suffocating" the inquiry. He seemed to understand the issue was that the inquiry had to ask permission for each and every disclosure, with nine separate reasons for refusal and with the government ultimately having a veto. He challenged Brown to withhold information only on grounds of national security. In January, Clegg said that the inability of the Chilcot team to properly question witnesses meant it was being "gagged". He also claimed it would be a "cover-up" if secret documents relating to Blair, who gave evidence the next day, could not be discussed.

Last Sunday – under questioning from Philippe Sands QC – Clegg agreed there should be a "presumption of publication" and that national security would be the only reason for blocking publication of any documents. These are significant developments, and you can hear the audio recording here. But Clegg was far less clear about when anything may be released, putting a worrying emphasis on publication alongside the inquiry's final report and citing unspecified difficulties in "trying to unpick" the way the inquiry works. And the Cabinet Office has told the BBC – having failed to give me any clarification – that it is not going to change the protocol. If that is true, nothing will change. Documents will still be suppressed for reasons other than national security.

As Sands pointed out on the Today programme this morning on BBC Radio 4, it is within the power of the government to set the inquiry free today to do what it has already said it wants to do. It can change the protocol. The inquiry already has all the documents. It could, in theory, start to publish the most important papers straight away. It would be up to the government to tell the inquiry pretty quickly what should be withheld. This would not be a problem for the inquiry, particularly if the reasons for suppression are limited to national security, but would be a nightmare for an establishment that loves secrecy.

Like To Buy a Murderous Gang of Mercenaries?

The security company formerly known as Blackwater is looking for new ownership, announcing Monday that it is pursuing a sale of the company that became famous for its involvement with the U.S. government in Iraq and elsewhere. The Moyock, N.C.-based company now called Xe Services announced its decision in a brief statement that gave few details.
"Xe's new management team has made significant changes and improvements to the company over the last 15 months, which have enabled the company to better serve the U.S. government and other customers, and will deliver additional value to a purchaser," the statement said.
Owner and founder Erik Prince said selling the company is a difficult decision, but constant criticism of Xe helped him make up his mind. "Performance doesn't matter in Washington, just politics," he said.
The private company became infamous as Blackwater, which provided guards and services to the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. It became one of the biggest defence contractors in the world, but it also attracted criticism over its role in those missions.
It has been trying to rehabilitate its image since a 2007 shooting incident in Baghdad that killed 17 people, outraged the Iraqi government and led to federal charges against several Blackwater guards. The accusations later were thrown out on a technicality after a judge found that prosecutors mishandled evidence. In March, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin suggested the Pentagon should consider banning Xe from a $1 billion deal to train Afghan police. He said he thought the company's involvement was hindering the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. The announcement comes less than 3 months after Xe sold its aviation division for $200 million to AAR Corp in a bid to boost Xe's balance sheet.
More recently, five former executives, including Gary Jackson, the company's ex-president, were indicted on charges of conspiring to violate US firearms laws. Jackson was among the top officials who left the company last year.

Israeli Massacre - Eyewitness Account

Eyewitness Jamal Elshayyal speaks:

'There was a second helicopter hovering over the ship, trying to lower Israeli soldiers down on a rope. On either side there was tear gas being thrown in from the boats, canisters which they were firing from a sort of gun. One man was shot in the top of the head from the helicopter. He collapsed on the ground. I snatched a microphone from one of the Turkish reporters to say one man had been killed. As I did that another man was shot. Those people died instantly.

Until that point I had not yet seen an Israeli soldier on deck. As far as I am concerned, it's a lie to say they only started shooting on deck. Only then did I see an Israeli soldier on deck.

The men who were dead had been fired on from above.

[Later, about 7am] a soldier shouted to me to put my hands behind my head. Come to me, he said, and get on your knees. As I did he pushed me and shoved me to the ground. I hit the ground hard. He said put your hands behind your back; he cuffed them with those plastic cuffs. Plastic cuffs, one hand above the other, extremely tight, not even a millimetre's movement between them. He was standing on my feet. He then kicked me down to the ground and then told me to get up. I hit the ground with my head and my shoulder. It was obviously very difficult to get up. He marched me and a woman to the end of the room.

Outside there were more soldiers. All were masked. They took my wallet and passport and threw them on the ground, so another soldier picked them up and put them in my pocket. After that they pushed us against the wall, so I was facing the wall. About a minute or so later they then took me upstairs.

On the deck above, everyone else was there. Some people were handcuffed with their hands in front, some behind. After an hour I needed to go to the bathroom. I asked one of the soldiers; he said OK. He got me up. As we started walking, I was pushed to the ground. I assumed it was just to wait my turn, so when the other got back I said can I go now? He shook his head. I said I really need to go. He said no toilet for you. I said I desperately need to go. So he ushered me with his face and gun, and said go to the toilet where you are. He said: "You piss here."

[Eventually, three hours later, he was allowed to use the toilet.]

Afterwards, I saw two things on deck that shocked me. There was a Malaysian man sitting in front of me to the right. His hands were tied behind his back, but his hands had gone blue. He pleaded with the soldiers to release him or to loosen his cuffs, but they kept saying no. After the fourth time of pleading with the guy, the soldier went up to him and said "OK" and then tightened it. The man gave out a huge scream, a spine-chilling scream I will never forget. It was only when the superior came later, three hours later, that he was released.

The other thing that shocked me was how the soldiers would walk up and down and kick people lying there. One man, who was Palestinian, was old and had diabetes. He was not very healthy. He requested to go to the toilet on numerous occasions but was refused.

We reached Ashdod at about 8pm. When we went back down below we saw the place had been completely ransacked. Clothes were everywhere, bags emptied, as if it were the aftermath of an earthquake.

So when I came off the ship they searched us again. A man with a black and white Palestinian scarf round his neck was told, "This is illegal in Israel". I said just take it off. The soldier then turned to me and said: "Welcome to Israel. You like Israel?" I didn't reply.

They put us on the bus which then took us to Beer Sheva prison. I spent a night in jail and I was released in the afternoon. I was not allowed to speak to my family. There was only one meal and that was frozen slices of bread and potatoes. Two Irishmen refused to leave the jail, and one of them was beaten up horrendously. The captain of the ship had been poisoned so we all did blood tests and urine tests.

As far as I am concerned I was kidnapped by Israel and abandoned by Britain.'

Legacy of The Occupation

'Displacement is largely a result of sectarian cleansing in mixed neighbourhoods. Sunnis have fled Basra, while Shi’as were driven out of areas north of Baghdad such as Samarra and Baquba. The US ‘surge’ did not create peace, but rather cemented sectarian segregation. In the majority Sunni village of Abou Jabour, south of Baghdad, where US forces dropped 45,000 kg of explosives in 10 days in January 2008 as part of the ‘surge’, survivors were left to dig through the rubble with their bare hands.' More here

US Closes Ranks With Israeli Pirates

The formal statement submitted to the U.N. by the U.S. Ambassador today rather clearly seeks to blame everyone -- from Hamas to those attempting to deliver the aid -- for what happened: everyone, that is, except for the party which actually did the illegal seizing of the ship and the killing (Israel).

Yet again Israel has turned the international credibility of an American administration to ashes as we watch the hypocrisy unfold. North Korea kills sailors on the high seas and it's an outrage, Israel does it and it's just a little unfortunate.

Israel is making apartheid South Africa look like a home for more moderate racists and the American President still doesn't want to upset them too much. Democrat, Republican, doesn't matter a damn.