Chomsky On Wikileaks

CHOMSKY on WIKILEAKS from CaTV on Vimeo.

Scottish Referendum Question

Freedom In Fourteen Rose

The referendum choice should consist of only one question worded as follows : 


''As you know, Nu£abour, Bankers, News International and the Westminster Coalition have turned Britain into a neocon shitpit. Do you want to leave?'' Yes/No (Delete as preferred).

Iran And Iraq

Iranian products account for a significant chunk of Iraq’s imports, but Iran’s presence in Iraq is most pronounced through growing commodity exports and the numerous Iranian pilgrims who regularly visit holy shrines in Karbala and Najaf. Iranian commodities, from vegetables to electronic products, construction materials, machinery, and automobiles, have flooded Iraqi markets. Iran has also been active in health, education, and major infrastructural projects in Iraq. The relationship is friendly and comprehensive.
Prior to the fall of Saddam Husain, Iran had to contend with decades of hostile, expansionist pan-Arabist ideology, espoused by Sunni-dominated Iraq. Both the monarchical and revolutionary Iran had to grapple with a hostile Arab neighbor to the west. While the pro-American Shah of Iran was bent on reining in the intransigence of Soviet-backed Baghdad – a state which engaged in territorial disputes and sponsored separatist movements within Southern Iran – a nascent post-revolutionary Iran greatly suffered as a result of the 1980 Iraqi invasion. From here.

Iraqis Outraged By Drone Infestation

The drones are the latest example of the State Department’s efforts to take over functions in Iraq that the military used to perform. Some 5,000 private security contractors now protect the embassy’s 11,000-person staff, for example, and typically drive around in heavily armored military vehicles.

When embassy personnel move throughout the country, small helicopters buzz over the convoys to provide support in case of an attack. Often, two contractors armed with machine guns are tethered to the outside of the helicopters. The State Department began operating some drones in Iraq last year on a trial basis, and stepped up their use after the last American troops left Iraq in December, taking the military drones with them. More.

100,000 In Anti-Drone Protest

“We are not the enemies of the people of the West and the United States, but we reject the Americans’ attitude by which they always demand of a servile obedience from us,” JUI leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman told the crowd in Pakistan’s financial capital.
… “Movements like Occupy Wall Street are just the beginning of the end of the imperialism of America and its Western allies,” he [Rehman] said.
“We are being forced to become extremists. When you and your religion are humiliated in Guantanamo Bay detention centre and your children are being crushed under tanks, then what the victims will ultimately do? They’ll counter your extremism with extremism.” Link.

France's Armenian Genocide Bill

Although it has been passed by both the lower house of the French parliament, controlled by the UMP and its allies, and the Senate, recently won by the Socialists and their allies, the proposed law has divided both the major parties.
A Senate committee even tried to prevent it being debated, leading the leaders of both parties’ Senate groups to hack a deal to persuade dissidents in their own ranks to abstain.
When it came to the vote only 57 out 132 UMP senators and 56 out of 130 Socialists backed it. Nine Socialists and 19 UMP members went so far as to vote against.
The Communists and their allies and the centrists were also split, although they officially supported the bill.
A number of senators either abstained or refused to take part in the vote.
Only the Greens and a cross-party group called the Rassemblement démocratique et social européen managed to maintain unity. They all voted against. From here.

Crony Capitalism

The fuss over the bonus awarded to Stephen Hester, boss of RBS, a nationalised bank, has been running all week on the basis that it was conveniently just under a round £1m. David Cameron, one moment has been saying it was nothing to do with him, the next moment claiming credit for having cut it to 60 per cent of what it could have been. As we report today, Mr Hester's bonus turns out to have been a highly coloured decoy designed to draw outrage away from the main story, which is that the total sum he can hope to collect from his three years in charge of the bank, already heading towards £39m, could reach £50m in a couple of years more if the share price performs well. Read more.

Billions of Dollars Unaccounted For In Iraq

"Without more comprehensive knowledge about reconstruction projects the (Iraqi government) will not be in a position to maximize the use of its resources," the report says.
Billions of dollars in spending are not reported to Iraq under the current system, the report says.
In a response letter, Peter Bodde, assistant chief of mission for the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, says that while the current system is incomplete, "it does capture the vast majority of reconstruction projects and there is no other alternative that captures more." LINK.

Sanctions Biting On Ordinary Iranians

"The cost of foreign products, whose value is linked to the dollar, has risen by 20 and 50 percent in recent months," says Ali, who runs a grocery in north Tehran.
"On the other hand, the government closely controls the price of products made in Iran," which represent 90 percent of consumed products. "Dairy products for example have not risen by more than five to 10 percent."
But with inflation officially now pegged at around 21 percent, the real cost of numerous consumer goods is significantly higher, aggravated by the weaker rial.
Iran's long overvalued currency, which the central bank allowed to weaken in recent months to shore up its foreign currency reserves, has almost halved in value over the past year.
The rial tumbled in black market trading to a new record low against the dollar, news agencies said earlier this week, with the unofficial rate in central Tehran at around 20,500 for one greenback.
All imports, notably electronic equipment such as computers, mobile phones, televisions and fridges, have shot up in price by more than 50 percent. More here.

Responsible Capitalism

Filipinos Protest Use Of Country As US Base

Computer Games Or Real Carnage?

'But it reminded me uncannily of a long, bloody day in Libya on 24 September 2011.
I was alongside a rebel battalion photographing for The Sunday Times as they pushed headlong into Sirte, the last pro-Gaddafi stronghold in the country. It was a nasty day, Gaddafi's forces amassed and stopped the rebel advance dead in its tracks, killing 24 and wounding over 70 by the time it got dark.
But the noises, the hellish cacophony, the crashes of the RPGs and the complete chaos - all of it had been eerily similar to that hour-long session of digitised warfare on my computer.' Link.

Even Mossad Don't Believe Iran Warmongering

Excellent post and resource feed from Calgacus Here.

Newt Gingrich Testimonial

So what if Ol' Newt did quit his wife on her deathbed or whatever. He's still the King of the Porky Faces for me and the Washington Elite. Newt Gingrich has approved this message. (Not really).

Barhrain Human Rights Demonstrations 25th January

Some Stats From The 'New Iraq'

Statistics as at December, 2011.

• Judicial killings are running at over 600 people a year. 
• Extra-judicial killings by state sponsored actors are much higher, and still higher are killings by various violent factions.
• There are fewer than a third as many operational hospital beds as before the invasion.
• There are fewer than 20% of the doctors. 
• The previous two figures are against a background of three million maimed people in Iraq. 
• Available electricity in MW/h is about 30% of pre-invasion levels.

Obama's SOTU speech on Tuesday omitted to mention any of this. 

Paula Broadwell - Petraeus Whitewashed

If you think the US-led debacles and bloodbaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are a 'great success' (copyright NATO, ISAF and Obamya's speechwriters), Paula Broadwell's book  about General Petraeus is for you. She is not so much an embed-journalist as an embed-author. With a US special ops background she was given an undiluted propaganda 'unlimited access' pass by Petraeus' assistants and PR team. Guess what the written results were. Yes, it's thumbs up for Diamond Dave, surges, COIN, nation-building and regime change across the board. No time for those pesky 'terrorists'. The 'bad guys' get the written equivalent of a botched 'precision guided' drone attack. I hope nobody in Iran is reading Paulyanna's stuff. I doubt it to be honest and would be embarrassed to even put up a link to it.

More Blasts Rock Iraq

Last Days Of The Union

Political Map of Scotland December, 2011

Salmond operates with the freedom of one who knows that there is no one commanding opponent to challenge him - at least not yet. David Cameron, so nimble in a crisis and so fluent, is the only politician in Britain who could be his match but he has larger problems: in spite of his Scottish surname, he knows that as an upper-middle-class English Conservative - Eton-educated and plummily poised - he would in all likelihood be received with derision in Scotland as and when the time came for him to go up against Salmond in the pulpit.
Then there is Gordon Brown, who keeps his silence at home in Fife. "He's lost confidence," I was told by one of his former aides. "He keeps asking himself - 'What was that all about?' He can't quite believe what has happened to him and to Labour." (not quite the) Full story.

Julia Gillard Targetted By Anti-Racist, Aboriginal Demonstrators

Indigenous Australians regard Australia Day celebrations on January 26 – which marks the arrival of the First Fleet from Britain in 1788 – as "invasion day". Relations between the Aboriginal community and Canberra's politicians have often been strained as governments failed to overcome high rates of indigenous crime, poverty and poor health. More.

François Hollande - 60 Engagements Pour La France

François Hollande prévoit le retour à l’équilibre budgétaire en 2017 et entend réduire la dette publique à 80,2% du PIB à cette date contre 88,7% en 2012. Il a construit son projet sur une hypothèse de croissance à 2 à 2,5% à partir de 2015.
Quatre jours après son premier grand discours de campagne, dimanche au Bourget, le candidat socialiste tient ce jeudi une conférence de presse matinale à la Maison des Métallos, à Paris.Il sera le soir l’invité principal de l’émission de France 2 'Des paroles et des actes', où il débattra avec le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Alain Juppé.

Wuterich Verdict 'Assault On Iraqi Blood'

The victims included 10 women or children killed at point-blank range. Six people were killed in one house, most shot in the head, including women and children huddled in a bedroom. In Haditha itself, residents of those killed reacted with shock and disgust.
“This is an assault on the blood of Iraqis,” lamented Khalid Salman, a Haditha councillor and lawyer for the victims.
“That is only a punishment for... small crimes. But killing 24 innocent people, and only receiving a punishment of three months? This is an assault on humanity.” More here.

Anniversary of Egyptian Revolution

Happy Burns Day

“Ye Hypocrites, are these your pranks
To murder men and gie God thanks
Desist for shame, proceed no further
God won't accept your thanks for murder.”
― Robert Burns

34 Executed In One Day In 'New' Iraq

The total number of individuals sentenced to death in Iraq since 2004 is believed to stand at more than 1,200. The total number actually executed since then is not known, although at least 63 individuals are thought to have been executed in the past two months alone. Read more.

France Passes Armenian Genocide Bill

Haditha Families Outraged By Verdict Farce

"This sentence gives us the proof, the solid proof that the Americans don't respect human rights," Ali Badr, a Haditha resident and relative of one of those killed, told Reuters. "This is an insult to the victims and an insult to all Iraqis."

One of the survivors, Awis Fahmi Hussein, told The Associated Press in Haditha: "I was expecting that the American judiciary would sentence this person to life in prison and that he would appear and confess in front of the whole world that he committed this crime, so that America could show itself as democratic and fair."

Military judge Lt. Col. David Jones began hearing arguments from both sides Tuesday at Camp Pendleton, Calif., before making a sentencing recommendation to be considered by the commander of Marine Corps Forces Central Command.

Legal experts said the case was fraught with errors made by investigators and the prosecution that let it drag on for years. The prosecution was also hampered by squad mates who acknowledged they had lied to investigators initially and later testified in exchange for having their cases dropped, bringing nto question their credibility.

In addition, Wuterich was seen as taking the fall for senior leaders and more seasoned combat veterans, analysts said. It was his first time in combat when he led the squad on Nov. 19, 2005.

Brian Rooney, an attorney for another former defendant, said cases like Haditha are difficult to prosecute because a military jury is unlikely to question decisions made in combat unless wrongdoing is clear-cut and egregious, like rape.

"If it's a gray area, fog-of-war, you can't put yourself in a Marine's situation where he's legitimately trying to do the best he can," said Rooney, who represented Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the highest-ranking Marine charged in the case. "When you're in a town like Haditha or Fallujah, you've got bad guys trying to kill you and trying to do it in very surreptitious ways."

The Haditha attack is considered among the war's defining moments, further tainting America's reputation when it was already at a low point after the release of photos of prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison. It still fuels anger in Iraq today.

"We wonder about such a sentence issued against the defendant. We called upon U.S. to be fair in passing sentences. Regrettably, we are disappointed about the issuance of such sentences," said Khalid Salman Rasif, a member of the Provincial Council in Haditha, adding he would contact the lawyer for victims' families for an explanation.

Kamil al-Dulaimi, a Sunni lawmaker from the Anbar provincial capital of Ramadi, called the plea agreement proof that "Americans still deal with Iraqis with no respect."

"It's just another barbaric act of Americans against Iraqis," al-Dulaimi told The Associated Press. "They spill the blood of Iraqis and get this worthless sentence for the savage crime against innocent civilians."

Wuterich, the father of three children, had faced the possibility of life behind bars when he was charged with nine counts of manslaughter, which will be dropped. Along with facing a maximum of three months in confinement, he could also lose two-thirds of his pay and see his rank demoted to private when he's sentenced.

Khalid Salman, a lawyer for the Haditha victims' relatives, told Reuters he could not believe the sentence and had to check that it was true.

"This is not a traffic felony," said Salman, who had a cousin killed in the massacre.

Wuterich, his family and his attorneys declined to comment Monday after he entered the plea. Prosecutors also declined to comment on the plea deal.

During the trial before a jury of combat Marines who served in Iraq, prosecutors argued he lost control after seeing the body of his friend blown apart by the bomb and led his men on a rampage in which they stormed two nearby homes, blasting their way in with gunfire and grenades. Among the dead was a man in a wheelchair. In the deal, Wuterich acknowledged that his orders misled his men to believe they could shoot without hesitation and not follow the rules of engagement that required troops to positively identify their targets before they raided the homes.

He told the judge that caused "tragic events."

"I think we all understood what we were doing so I probably just should have said nothing," Wuterich told the judge. He said his orders were based on the guidance of his platoon commander at the time, and that the squad did not take any gunfire during the 45-minute raid.

Former Navy officer David Glazier said the case shows such rules are essential to helping the United States prevail in an armed conflict. "The reality is that this incident has had significant consequences for the U.S. in Iraq," said Glazier, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. "It probably fueled the resistance and so it probably ended up costing additional soldiers and Marines their lives.'' 

Butcher Of Haditha Walks Away

One of the Haditha victims is carried away from the massacre scene

3 months 'confinement' isn't bad for a mass-murderer. 'Shoot first, ask questions later' were Frank Wuterich's instructions to the other killers. They all walked away. The victims were:
House 1—7 killed, 2 injured (but survived), 2 escaped
1. Abdul Hamid Hassan Ali, 76—grandfather, father and husband. Died with nine rounds in the chest and abdomen.
2. Khamisa Tuma Ali, 66—wife of Abdul Hamid Hassan Ali
3. Rashid Abdul Hamid, 30.
4. Walid Abdul Hamid Hassan, 35.
5. Jahid Abdul Hamid Hassan, middle-aged man.
6. Asma Salman Rasif, 32.
7. Abdullah Walid, 4.
Injured: Iman, 8, and Abdul Rahman, 5.
Escaped: Daughter-in-law, Hiba, escaped with 2-month-old Asia
House 2—8 killed, 1 survivor: Shot at close range and attacked with grenades
8. Younis Salim Khafif, 43—husband of Aida Yasin Ahmed, father.
9. Aida Yasin Ahmed, 41—wife of Younis Salim Khafif, killed trying to shield her youngest daughter Aisha.
10. Muhammad Younis Salim, 8—son.
11. Noor Younis Salim, 14—daughter.
12. Sabaa Younis Salim, 10—daughter.
13. Zainab Younis Salim, 5—daughter.
14. Aisha Younis Salim, 3—daughter.
15. A 1-year-old girl staying with the family.
Survived: Safa Younis Salim, 13.
House 3—4 brothers killed
16. Jamal Ahmed, 41.
17. Marwan Ahmed, 28.
18. Qahtan Ahmed, 24.
19. Chasib Ahmed, 27.
Taxi—5 killed: Passengers were students at the Technical Institute in Saqlawiyah
20. Ahmed Khidher, taxi driver.
21. Akram Hamid Flayeh.
22. Khalid Ayada al-Zawi.
23. Wajdi Ayada al-Zawi.
24. Mohammed Battal Mahmoud.

As I Walked Out One Evening - W.H.Auden

Wuterich, Butcher of Haditha, To Get Slap On Wrist

AP
A Marine accused of killing unarmed Iraqi women and children pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty on Monday, reaching a plea deal and ending the largest and longest-running criminal case against U.S. troops to emerge from the Iraq War.
Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, of Meriden, Conn., led the Marine squad in 2005 that killed 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha. 

Wuterich's plea Monday interrupted his trial at Camp Pendleton before a jury of all combat Marines who served in Iraq. Wuterich faces a maximum of three months confinement, two-thirds forfeiture of pay and a rank demotion to private when he's sentenced, likely on Tuesday. The issue at the court martial was whether Wuterich reacted appropriately as a Marine squad leader in protecting his troops in the midst of a chaotic war or disregarded combat rules and ordered his men to shoot and blast indiscriminately at Iraqi civilians. Wuterich was charged with nine counts of manslaughter, among other charges, and is one of eight Marines initially charged. None has been convicted. Prosecutors said he lost control after seeing the body of his friend blown apart by the bomb and led his men on a rampage in which they stormed two nearby homes, blasting their way in with gunfire and grenades. Among the dead were women, children and elderly, including a man in a wheelchair.
Wuterich's former squad members testified that they did not take any gunfire during the 45-minute raid on the homes nor find any weapons, but several squad members testified that they do not believe they did anything wrong, fearing insurgents were inside hiding. The prosecution was further hurt by the testimony of Wuterich's former platoon commander who said the squad was justified in its actions because house was declared "hostile," and from what he understood of the rules of combat at the time that meant any use of force could be used and Marines did not need to positively identify their targets.
Wuterich has said he regretted the loss of civilian lives but believed he was operating within military combat rules.
After Haditha, Marines commanders ordered troops to try and distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The killings in Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005, still fuel anger in Iraq and was the primary reason behind demands that U.S. troops not be given immunity from their court system. It is considered among the war's defining moments, further tainting America's reputation when it was already at a low point after the release of photos of prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison.
The trial was delayed for years by pre-trial wrangling between the defense and prosecution, including over whether the military could use unaired outtakes from an interview Wuterich gave in 2007 to CBS "60 Minutes." Prosecutors eventually won the right to view the footage
Six squad members have had charges dropped or dismissed, including some in exchange for testifying at the trial. One was acquitted.

Israel And The Mistreatment Of Child Prisoners

These claims and descriptions come from affidavits given by minors to an international human rights organisation and from interviews conducted by the Guardian. Other cells in Al Jalame and Petah Tikva prisons are also used for solitary confinement, but Cell 36 is the one cited most often in these testimonies.
Between 500 and 700 Palestinian children are arrested by Israeli soldiers each year, mostly accused of throwing stones. Since 2008, Defence for Children International (DCI) has collected sworn testimonies from 426 minors detained in Israel's military justice system.
Their statements show a pattern of night-time arrests, hands bound with plastic ties, blindfolding, physical and verbal abuse, and threats. About 9% of all those giving affidavits say they were kept in solitary confinement, although there has been a marked increase to 22% in the past six months. More here.

Kazimiyah, 'The New Iraq' January 19th, 2012

Anti Scottish Propaganda - Craig Murray

I guess we are in for a full three years of anti-Scottish lies from the mainstream media. One of the most common unionist lies is that Spain would veto Scottish independence, as claimed in today’s Independent. This canard has been about for years and is assiduously spread by unioinists. I have discussed it in the past with senior Spanish diplomats, and they have been unanimous that it is impossible that Spain would seek to veto Scottish membership.
Firstly, nobody in the EU has ever left the EU voluntarily, let alone been expelled, and the idea that 5 million EU citizens in a stongly pro-EU country would be thrown out against their will is not in the realm of practical politics. The whole dynamic of the EU is expansive, with countries continually accepted into membership who technically should not be. Everybody knows, for example, that Romania and Bulgaria were not remotely close to compliance with the acquis communitaire when they were admitted. There is no appetite anywhere in the EU to argue that an EU member successor state would have to re-apply.
Secondly, Scots are much liked internationally. There is a strong popular understanding throughout Europe of Scottish desire for independence – bagpipes, Braveheart and a separate football team are an intrinsic part of this strong Scottish popular recognition. There are no votes in Europe in being beastly to the Scots, and that includes Spain. The Spanish government are not stupid. It would be very unpopular in Spain to act against the Scots, and would infuriate the Catalans and actually boost the independence movement there. Tactically, there are times when it is best to pretrend to be relaxed about self-determination, as Cameron is doing.
Thirdly, there is a real difference here with the Kossovans. Spain does not oppose Slovenia, Croatia or other parts of the former Yugoslavia from EU membership. It did not oppose the Czech Republic or Slovakia. Spain does not automatically argue against EU membership for splitting states – that is a lie spread by English unionists. Unlike Kossovo, the Scottish state is not inextricably linkes with organised crime, and is not outside the EU.
Finally, as an example of Unionist lies and tricks, read the Independent article very carefully. You will see that the anaonymous “source” of the claim that Spain will veto Scottish EU membership is not anything to do with the Spanish government, but a Whitehall official.
The actual headline of the article should be:
Whitehall Official Lies that Spain Would Veto Scottish EU Membership”.

Hamas Leader Stepping Down

Police State - That's Obama's 'New Iraq'

"Iraqis are quickly losing ground on the most basic of rights, including the right to free speech and assembly," said Samer Muscati, an Iraq researcher for the group. "Nowadays, every time someone attends a peaceful protest, they put themselves at risk of attack and abuse by security forces or their proxies," he said. Read More.

Tensions In Iraq

There are already signs that Asaib's move has sparked tension within the government. Members of the Sadrists' party, whose support is critical to the Maliki government, have made it clear they oppose Asaib's entry into politics.
Hussein Talib, a member of parliament from the Sadrist bloc, said they would oppose Asaib's inclusion in the political process.
"We will not allow their participation; it threatens Iraq's unity," he said.
Muqtada al-Sadr issued a statement accusing Asaib of being "killers with no religion - all they care about is position." From Here.

Colbert (Herman Cain) In South Carolina

Warmongers' Groundhog Day

Ten Classic Clips From Etta

Link here. Scroll down the page.

US Still Drowning In Iraq Bloodbath

'Having ignored multiple advisories from Iraqiya chief Ayad Allawi, who warned in early December that “Iraq is not a democracy,” Obama greeted al-Maliki shortly afterward with the hope of turning Iraq’s page into history. The President’s approval of al-Malikitriggered a landslide of criticism from the Sunni opposition, starting with Deputy premier Saleh al-Mutlaq’s assertion that al-Maliki is ruling like “a dictator.” Allawi subsequently urged the administration to act in an ominous op-ed to The New York Times; amid U.S. silence, one of its authors hit an IED outside Samarra. Finance Minster Rafe al-Essawi, a vocal opponent of the Premier, held al-Maliki's forces accountable for security lapses as officials denied the incident.' More here.

Sunday Kind Of Love - Love You, Etta.

Not enough will be written about Etta this weekend in the light of the sad news. One thing is for sure to me - Etta James will never die.

Two Poems On Current Politics

One, By Hugh Macdiarmid, from here in Scotland, the other, like all Edith Sitwell's poetry, applies to the wider world (maybe the universe). I hope Macdiarmid's poem doesn't come true for us in 2014.
   

   
The Little White Rose - Hugh Macdiarmid

   
   The rose of all the world is not for me. 

    I want for my part 

   Only the little white rose of Scotland

   That smells sharp and sweet—and breaks the heart.

Excerpt From Sleeping Beauty - Edith Sitwell

And there are terrible and quick drum-taps 

That seem the anguished beat of our own heart 

Making an endless battle without hope 

Against materialism and the world. 

And sometimes terrible lumbering Darkness comes 

Breaking the trivial matchboard floors that hide 

From us the Dead we dare not look upon: 

O childish eyes, O cold and murdered face— 

Dead innocence and youth that were our own!

Obama Outmanoeuvred By Israelis

In a telephone interview from his office at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., Brzezinski has both praise and criticism for the president: “He was an improvement by a very large score over his predecessor, but he could have been better.” He thinks the Obama administration “should have stuck to its guns in promoting a fair settlement” in the Middle East. A longtime foe of Israel’s partisans in the United States, he says the Obama team “fumbled by getting outmaneuvered by the Israelis.” Then he gets blunter: “Domestic politics interceded: The Israelis have a lot of influence with Congress, and in some cases they are able to buy influence.” Read More.

Civilian War Casualties

Together, these leaks and many others offered a composite portrait of military and political debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan whose grinding theme has been civilian casualties, a fact not much noted here in the U.S. A tiny number of low-ranking American soldiers have been held to account for rare instances of premeditated murder of civilians, but most of the troops who kill civilians in the midst of the chaos of war are not tried, much less convicted. We don’t talk about these cases a lot either. On the other hand, officials of all types make free with lusty condemnations of Bradley Manning, whose leaks are luridly credited with potential (though not actual) deaths. Link.

Support The BDS Movement

In 2005, Palestinian civil society issued a call for a campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights. A truly global movement against Israeli Apartheid is rapidly emerging in response to this call. BDS Site HERE.

NATO Accused Of War Crimes In Libya

"We are asking questions, especially about what happened in Sirte," referring to Nato strikes in that city last September, when 47 civilians were killed. Eye-witnesses in the city told report investigators that civilians converged at the site of Nato strikes on two trucks, and were subsequently killed by a third missile. Link.

Massacre In Korea By Picasso

In case you think this is a thing of the past, read this and this. H/t Reality Zone.

UK Complicity In Torture

It is now more than six years since the Guardian first reported indications of complicity, when it found that CIA flights were refuelling at British airports as they flew prisoners across the world to countries where torture was used. The reports marked the beginning of a prolonged confrontation between the rule of law and the war on terror, one that remains unresolved. After the supreme court ruled last July that closed hearings, where defendants would not be entitled to know the evidence against them, were a breach of a fundamental common law right, it seems in the courts the rule of law has triumphed. But in the murky politics of the war on terror, a sustained rearguard action by the security and intelligence services, in alliance with civilian Whitehall itself, is perilously close to gaining the upper hand. The two questions Gibson's inquiry had to answer were whether British agencies knowingly and therefore illegally returned suspects to countries where they might be tortured, and whether politicians – expressly, the foreign secretaries at the time, Jack Straw and David Miliband – knew about it, the enormity of which could destroy a career. Full details.

Iraq Veteran Latest US Iraq War Victim

Long returned in 2008 from a six-month deployment struggling with bouts of depression, according to the statement.
“Friends have relayed moments when Rob would try to share his haunting memories from the war, but even the memories were overwhelming and difficult to express.”
Long, 26, was shot while threatening officers with a rifle. Full story.

Four Days In Guantanamo

Yemeni Town Taken By AQ

Detention Of Foreign Contractors In Iraq

Remembering Fallujah

14-year-old Suad Abdullah, is mourned by her father at a clinic in Falluja where she was killed by the US Army assault on the town in April 2004.

Freedom In '14 Sabotaged By Daily Telegraph

SCOTLAND was last night fleeing in terror after a surprise attack from the first battalion of Her Majesty's Daily Telegraph.
The newspaper launched an all-out assault on the tiny northern country with repeated salvos of debt-ridden commentary and a devastating air strike about the Euro or something. Communities across Scotland dived into Telegraph shelters, huddling together as the newspaper's air force bombarded them with made-up facts about oil revenues and why Alex Salmond wants to pelt the Duchess of Cambridge with 'neeps'. Bill McKay, a rebel from Carnoustie, said: "Ah hud a squatch at the Telegraph websitey aroon ten o' the clack.
"Within meenits the sirens were blairin' like a hoolie.
"Even inside the shelter ah could hear the terrifyin' soond o' some fat, baldin' English journalist sayin', 'you'll be exactly the same as Zimbabwe!'.
"Ah don't mind tellin' ye, ah fair shat mahsel."
Meanwhile, as at least seven heavily kilted weirdos launched a counter-attack near a 'burn', Captain Peter Oborne of the Queen's Light Telegraph shouted 'Princess Anne!' before collapsing into a hedge and urinating involuntarily.
Under the Geneva Convention any Scottish person that captures him will have to call him a taxi.

Hell Of Obama's 'New Iraq'

During two trips to the country before and after the US withdrawal from the country on 18 December, the Guardian interviewed 14 detainees and five officers in different branches of the security service in Baghdad. All the detainees said they had had to pay money to be freed, even though most had been acquitted in the courts. Some had been jailed for three days and some, like Yassir, for five years. In three cases, officers changed a detainee's "confession" – often extracted under torture – in return for money. In one case, an officer lost the detainee's documents in return for a bribe and he was released due to lack of evidence. One prisoner we interviewed is still in jail and in the middle of negotiations with officers. Story link.

Denmark To Close Iraq Embassy

Søvndal  Compliments Clinton On Looking So Well

The embassy in Baghdad will be shut down by the end of July. Denmark, a toady state to the US, was one of the first countries to establish an embassy in the Iraqi capital in 2004 amid many plaudits from George Bush.
Foreign Minister Villy Søvndal said that the closing of the Baghdad embassy is part of a 'change in priorities' i.e they are broke.
“A modern Foreign Services must ensure that Denmark has the right presence to ensure proper safeguarding of Denmark’s global interests,” Søvndal said.
He also added that the embassy closings were also in part due to the savings efforts the Foreign Ministry has been forced to undertake. It is a testimony to the dire economic straits of the US that they can't even subsidise one or two Danish Embassies as a reward for years of sycophancy.

Assange on NYT and Journalistic Corruption

Julian Assange on The New York Times: Part 1 from NYT eXaminer on Vimeo.

'Freedom' And The New Right

The conflicts of negative freedom were summarised in one of the greatest poems of the 19th Century, which could be seen as the founding document of British environmentalism. In The Fallen Elm, John Clare describes the felling of the tree he loved, presumably by his landlord, that grew beside his home).

“Self-interest saw thee stand in freedom’s ways
So thy old shadow must a tyrant be.
Thou’st heard the knave, abusing those in power,
Bawl freedom loud and then oppress the free.”

The landlord was exercising his freedom to cut the tree down. In doing so, he was intruding upon Clare’s freedom to delight in the tree, whose existence enhanced his life. The landlord justifies this destruction by characterising the tree as an impediment to freedom: his freedom, which he conflates with the general liberty of humankind. Without the involvement of the state (which today might take the form of a tree preservation order) the powerful man could trample the pleasures of the powerless man. Clare then compares the felling of the tree with further intrusions on his liberty.

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Guantanamo - Interview With Lakhdar Boumedienne

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More Victims of Iraq Bloodbath

None of these victims, including the killer, will appear in the statistics or the history books. But they are all victims of the Iraq debacle.

US Soldier Told To Lie About Iraqi Killings

He testified that the Iraqis did not appear to have any weapons and were not making any quick moves toward the car. He said he then saw a man drop to the ground.”That’s when I saw Staff Sergeant Wuterich kneeling with his gun aimed at the Iraqi. He was by the road holding the weapon in a firing position,” said Dela Cruz, demonstrating that position in the courtroom.
He said he could not recall how many gunshots he had heard. Dela Cruz also said that when he looked back in the direction of the car he did not see any of the men anymore.
“I run through there and crouched on the side of the vehicle. I saw four to five Iraqis dead near the trunk area of the car,” he said.
“I saw Sergeant Wuterich approach the bodies, he shot at them,” said Dela Cruz, adding that Wuterich went around to each corpse and shot it in the upper body from close range. More here.

Iran - William Hague Reads Speech From White House

Western governments, including Britain, have moved to step up sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme, threatening an embargo on vital oil exports. Tehran has threatened to block the Straits of Hormuz oil shipment route in response.
The prime minister, David Cameron, warned Iran during a visit to Saudi Arabia on Friday that the world would "come together" to ensure the straits remained open. Link

La Tunisie Apres Ben Ali

Iran Blames CIA, MI6 For Political Assassination of Scientist

The Light Brigade And The 'Fog Of War'

The madness of war goes back to the Crimea and long, long before. A great poem by ALT, meant to reflect glorious warfare but only succeeding, despite it's majestic rhythms, in spotlighting the waste and futility. I wonder how many of their families even found out what happened to them.

Barhrain's Very Own Hasbara

Following the news that the Countess of Wessex had accepted lavish gifts of jewellery from Bahrain's royal family, the Guardian published an article on its website looking at the long and cosy relationship between the UK and the despots in Bahrain.
Cracknell then contacted the Guardian, describing himself as "an adviser" to the government of Bahrain and saying that it had asked him to request a right of reply.
Cracknell offered an article presenting "the counterview" of Bahrain. But the "counterview" he proposed would not come from some Bahraini spokesperson; it would come from Sir Harold "Hooky" Walker, a former British ambassador. This unwittingly reaffirmed the point made in the original article – that relations between Britain and the Bahrain regime are too close for comfort. More here.

Gitmo Through Cuban Eyes

General James Mattis

Wonder where the urinating US Marines get their core values? "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet." Yes, General Mattis is a bonehead's bonehead.

US General And Potential Bond Villain James Mattis