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Jan 31

How Honoring Dr. King is Connected to Celebrating Ahmed Seku Ture and Amilcar Cabral

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How Honoring Dr. King is Connected to

Celebrating Ahmed Seku Ture and Amilcar Cabral

By

Obi Egbuna, Jr.

As the Democratic Party’s machine inside and outside the African community just recently celebrated the 83rd birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it is important to note that our former colonial and slave masters have immense difficulty accepting that while history certainly can be hidden, it can never be erased. This dynamic automatically puts all of Dr. King’s colleagues and relatives who are still with us in the flesh and who decided his birthday is the best platform to discuss his work and vision, on an unavoidable collision course with people all over the world who prefer to celebrate him on the day he was assassinated instead. What adds further insult to injury is that the memorial built in his honor is so close in proximity to memorials dedicated to a slave owner named Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, whose legacy in US presidential politics represents a political masquerade that has yet to be duplicated or surpassed.

One of the most damaging ideas ever propagated by US imperialism past or present is Lincoln freed Africans from slavery, mainly because of certain demonstrative gestures associated with this historical moment. There are two examples most worthy of in depth focus in relationship to this matter.  One is that Dr. Carter G. Woodson decided to establish African History month during the 2nd week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, and Barak Obama choosing to use Lincoln’s Bible to be sworn in as the 44th US President. In the case of Dr. Woodson we have a true fighter whose loyalty to African people can never be questioned, and those who bark up that tree obviously suffer from a severe case of self righteousness.  But his legitimizing of Lincoln resulted in President Obama politically showboating with Honest Abe’s good book during his inauguration without any parameters or shame.

While no African on earth is expecting the physical reappearance of Dr. King, as Christians await Jesus Christ’s return, in order to set the record straight concerning what he fought and stood for.  However, the logic of his memorial on the mall is the cultural and political equivalent of the Palestinian freedom fighter Yasser Arafat having a memorial in front of the Israeli Knisset (Israel’s Parliament) or the prophet Mohammed having a statue in front of the Vatican in Rome. A crucial part of our never ending struggle is to have the last word on our history, which happens to be a universal responsibility imposed on all people who have walked the planet.  We should also take pride in knowing that many who occupy this historical space will take steps to ensure future generations completely understand and continue Dr. King’s work on our behalf.  What this approach demands is that today’s historians, writers and activists whose political expression too often wreak of grandstanding and opportunism, will eventually reach the conclusion that writing our history the way its supposed to be written, is much more beneficial to our community worldwide as opposed to indulging in countless critiques aimed at boosting their reputations as experts on an array of topics.

Because Dr. King was a student and champion of non-violence, it is extremely vital to always connect his frontline service and contributions with the positive action campaigns in Ghana and Guinee, that not only put a permanent dent in the armor of British and French colonialism, but made Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah and Ahmed Seku Ture the most feared African heads of state at the height of the anti-colonial movement on our beloved Motherland.  To  link  Dr. King  with  both  Nkrumah  and  Seku  Ture  is  actually  running  downhill  intellecually, especially  since  Dr.  King  made a cultural  pilgrimage to  Ghana  for  the  purpose of  attending  their independence celebration, and the CIA orchestrated coup that overthrew Nkrumah’s Government  on  February  24th  1966 when he was in route to Hanoi to present a proposal to end US imperialism’s brutal and genocidal war on Vietnam. Because courageously opposing the Vietnam War not only robbed the African world of a very special freedom fighter at the peak of his resistance, when  we  were  only  two  years  removed  from  losing Africa’s first government to free itself from settler colonial rule.  In this respect, Nkrumah and King, historically speaking, are joined at the hip forever. Through  this  powerful  connection  the  terrible message sent to African people that we always must look outward for clarity and inspiration when resisting oppression is put to rest, along with the biographical overview that Dr. King’s only influence on the question of civil disobedience was Mahathma Gandhi.

 

We can begin right this minute by making sure, on a Pan African scale, that our children are reminded that January 7th is Ahmed Seku Ture’s birthday and January 20th marks the assassination of Guinee Bissau’s bravest patriot Amilcar Cabral. Because the 1960’s generation remains the driving force behind teaching our history in educational, political and cultural circles, making a deliberate effort to aggressively share the value of Ture and Cabral around the same time as Dr. King’s birthday is celeberated should meet very little resistance.  The  only  opposition  we  anticipate  receiving   in  our  community  concerning  this  effort,  would  be  from  certain  elements  due  to  political  domestication  and   bribery,  have  already  come  out  of  the  closet  to  let  us  know  from  their  vantagepoint  Mother  Africa  takes  a  back  seat  to  Uncle  Sam.     In his autobiography Malcolm X correctly and respectfully refers to Ghana as a fountainhead of Pan Africanism.  While Malcolm’s claim is virtually impossible to challenge, the tenure of Guinee under Seku Ture is certainly worthy of equal praise and recognition.

 

There are two reasons this has not taken place already: Nkrumah is an English-speaking African, while Seku Ture is a French-speaking African.  Nkrumah is also a graduate of Lincoln University, a Historically Black College, and Seku Ture’s formal education took place on African soil. If we follow the example of Minister Louis Farrakhan this gap will be bridged in no time.  During his introduction of Seku Ture at an event in his honor at Howard University in 1982, Minister Farrakhan revealed to the audience that just as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is his spiritual father, Seku Ture is his political father.

 

In his recent HBO documentary Sing Your Song, the artist and activist Harry Belafonte reflected on the historic 10 member SNCC delegation that traveled to Guinee through his coordination, where he had the honor and privilege of having quality exchanges with Seku Ture and the leadership of the Democratic Party Of Guinee. Because it was none other than Seku Ture himself who taught us “the greatest crime one can commit is that of being ungrateful,” we must give Belafonte the highest level of praise for arranging SNCC’s visit to Guinee.  However it is rather curious that the documentary fails to mention that the 4th chairman of SNCC, Kwame Ture, spent the last 31 years of his natural life residing, studying and waging struggle in Guinee. Kwame Ture’s invitation to live in Guinee, came from none other than Seku Ture and Kwame Nkrumah.  This humble overture itself is equally, if not more historically significant than his decision to accept their once-in-a-lifetime offer. In his last statement to the African world entitled “Hell Yes We Are Going To Libya,” Kwame Ture discussed being criticized by many activists in the US for deciding to make Guinee his home.  At that point of their political development, Ture and Nkrumah obviously considered the Guinean Revolution a foreign policy issue. Before Ture’s transition to the ancestors in November of 1998, he was appointed the head advisor to the Democratic Party of Guinee, something he considered one of the greatest honors ever bestowed upon him. He certainly lived up to the names of Kwame Nkrumah and Seku Ture, in deed as well as word.

Since SNCC’s approach to the Civil Rights Movement was considered by many to be on the cutting edge, they obviously felt right at home in Seku Ture’s presence, many dimensions of SNCC’s activity and outlook was compatible with Africa’s anti-colonial resistance. By deciding to form political parties on the battlefield, as opposed to creating fronts, unions, and movements, Seku Ture, Amilcar Cabral and of course Kwame Nkrumah raised the stakes surrounding political empowerment in Africa. During the same period in history, SNCC came to the conclusion that becoming Democrat meant rubbing shoulders with George Wallace, Ross Barnett, and Orval Farbus, therefore, establishing the Loundes County Freedom Organization (the first Black Panther Party) and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party on the path to self-determination. The decision Seku Ture and the PDG  made to vote no concerning the French Union referendum proposed by Charles DeGaulle, making Guinee the only colony of France in West Africa to opt for immediate and total independence, exemplified the slogan Black Power First coined by Frederick Douglass but popularized by SNCC in the 1960’s.

As the next US Presidential election steadily approaches and our community, who votes 95% democrat, are meeting around the clock to develop full proof voter registration and education strategies, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to finally study Nkrumah’s Covention People’s Party, Ture’s Democratic Party Of Guinee and Cabral’s Party For The Independence of Guinee and Cape Verde in order to expand our horizons. When Africans in the US learn that Seku Ture was expelled from school at the age of 14 for organizing a food strike, he automatically will be connected to our illustrious archives of young warriors like Claudette Colvin, the 15-year-old who took part in a bus boycott in Montgomery months before Rosa Parks, or Lil Bobby Hutton the first recruit of the Black Panther Party for self defense, who was shot and killed by the police in Oakland, California on April 6, 1968, two days after Dr. King’s assassination. While frontline struggle is arguably our most significant and uplifting tradition, we rarely witness torches of resistance trickle their way down the nuclear family tree.  In this regard, both Seku Ture and Dr. King were truly blessed. The only difference is Dr King was passed the torch by his biological father who headed Atlanta’s NAACP chapter and the Pastor of Ebenezer’s Baptist Church.  Seku Ture followed the footsteps of his great-grandfather Samory Ture, who was the spark of the Guinean people revolting against French colonial domination.

The unyielding commitment that Dr. King had to the tactic of non-violence is irrefutable. What Seku Ture did in Guinee after independence sheds an entirely different light on the infamous discussion around King parting ways with Malcolm’s tactical stance best captured with four words, “By Any Means Necessary.” After Guinee’s independence from French colonial rule, Seku Ture established a people’s militia rooted in the premise that a truly patriotic people must be the extension of their military. If we strive to be objective and think beyond our comfort zone, the brilliance of this decision saved Guinee from an invasion plot engineered by the Portuguese, French and US Government called Operation Green Sea. There were between 350 to 420 Portugese soldiers committed to three objectives: the capturing of Amilcar Cabral, the rescue of Portugese mercenaries in Guinee Bissau, and the overthrow of Seku Ture. This is where the tone of our anti-war expression differs from what white liberals choose to swear by.  We are diametrically opposed to imperialist driven repression and violence, but gain confidence and motivation when our comrades throughout the world defeat them on the battlefield.

When Commandante Fidel Castro visited Guinee in May of 1972, he compared the manner in which the People of Guinee’s Militia in conjunction with their soldiers handled the invasion, as almost identical to the bravery Cuba demonstrated during the CIA’s cowardly Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961 that was planned and carried out by the Kennedy administration. After all these years, many of us still marvel at one of Dr. King’s most utilized quotes from his speech during the March on Washington in 1963, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged not by the color of their skin but the content of their character.”  Seku Ture boldly took these exact sentiments to new unprecedented heights by eloquently stating “Fidel Castro, a white man, is more of a brother to me than Mobutu Sese Seko, an African.”

What Seku Ture and Nkrumah teach us is that even though they came to power through positive action campaigns, both of them understood the necessity of not only rock solid defense inside your territorial borders, but aiding liberation movements throughout Africa where the people would have been slaughtered by their colonial masters if they failed to take up arms. In his book, Class Struggle in Africa, Nkrumah documented all the liberation movements engaged in protracted armed struggle that he stood by faithfully until he was overthrown.  Both Nkrumah and Cabral were eternally grateful to Seku Ture.  Before the shock of the coup that ousted Nkrumah sank in, Seku Ture appointed him Guinee’s co-President. What helped the Cabral and the PAIGC’s guerilla fighters in Guinee Bissau maintain their resolve was a deep understanding that Seku Ture’s was equally devoted to the defeat of Portugese Colonialism in Guinee Bissau, as he was to maintaining the sovereignty of Guinea.

When speaking of Dr. King, we must make it our duty to share the compelling story of his mother, a schoolteacher certified by Hampton University, who forced to give up her job because she was married.  In those days female teachers could not be married and remain in that capacity. It is a tragedy that many of us who swear by Dr. King’s every word are not even aware that his mother was shot in cold blood while playing the organ in Ebenezer Baptist Church, only six years after we lost her son that fateful evening at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. From the very moment Seku Ture formed the PDG in Guinee, our sisters were the cornerstone of the revolution and constantly challenged the men in their lives to be part of the anti-colonial struggle.  If Alberta King had lived in Guinee instead of Atlanta, she would have been on the frontline, and Guinee under Seku Ture would have never treated female trailblazers like Ella Baker, Daisy Bates, Amelia Boynton Robinson and Queen Mother Moore as mere human footnotes in our history we feel compelled to mention just to save face.

The best practical example of this is after Nkrumah’s overthrow in Ghana, he was accompanied to Guinee by none other the widow of Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, sister Shirley Graham DuBois, who was welcomed in both Ghana and Guinee the way Assata Shakur is in Cuba today. We must not forget that since Dr. Dorothy Height did not speak during the March on Washington, we were deprived of the opportunity to hear a sister’s point of view, and that it was the Queen of Gospel, Mahalia Jackson, who urged Dr. King to share his dream because she already heard him express it publicly. Another awesome sister who witnessed firsthand the beauty of the Guinean people is none other than the revolutionary singer and icon Miriam Makeba who lived there during her marriage to Kwame Ture.  Another  bold  step  towards  total  women’s  empowerment in  Guinee  when  Seku  Ture  and  the  PDG  banned  polygamy  in  the  country,  because  the  common  sentiment  was  if  the  sisters  could  help  liberate  the  nation,  living  as  equals  made  the  revolutionary  process  come  full  circle.

As Jimmy Carter parades around the world today posing as the savior of the Palestinian people, compared to Seku Ture, to call him a Johnny-come-lately would be a gross understatement.  Seku Ture is one of the original co-sponsors of the UN Resolution 3379 Zionism is Racism, and was one of the first African Heads of State that called for breaking diplomatic ties with the Zionist State of Israel.  Because the  Zionist  state  of  Israel’s  propaganda  machine,  have  always  dangled  Dr.  King’s  position  on  the  1967  six  day  war, as  a  means  to  garner  more  support  for  their  conquering  and  persection  of  the  Palestinian  people.

Our  people’s  unwavering  solidarity  with  the  Palestinians.should  not  only  be  the  tip  of  the  iceberg,  this  means  intensifying  our  efforts  to  expose  the  genocidal  nature  of  Israel’s  foreign  and  African  policy,  which  in  the  final  analysis  is  the  best  compliment  to  the  Palestinians  never  ending  battle  to  attain  and  maintain  independence  and  self  determination.

We are fully aware that mother Africa is scarred by cultural tensions, or what our former colonial and slave masters call tribal warfare for the purpose of implying we are savages incapable of resolving our differences amicably.  We mourn the millions of Africans under the soil in Nigeria, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Eritrea lost to senseless violence. What Seku Ture established in Guinee from 1958 to 1984 was a nation supremely loyal to Guinee and Africa as a whole, taking precedence over belonging to the Mandingo, Fulani or Sisu nations.

The life of Amilcar Cabral was certainly one of impact and quality.  His training as an agronomist and emphasis on teaching the masses of Guinee Bissau better farming techniques was strategically brilliant because this protected the PAIGC against the falsehoods being peddled by the Portugese colonial rulers who attempted damage control by labeling them terrorists. The story of Cabral and the PAIGC helps put in proper focus and context the need to support institutions that are part of the HBCU family, such as Tuskegee, FAMU, North Carolina A&T, and Prairie View A & M University, to name a few.  By  placing  such  a  strong  emphasis  on  agriculture  during  Guinee  Bissau’s  heroic  armed  struggle,  Cabral  and  the  PAIGC  paved  the  way  for  future revolutionaries  like the  late Thomas Sankara  who  during  time  he  served  as  the  President  of  Burkina  Faso,  made  the country  completely  food  self sufficient.  These  stories  automatically  link  Cabral  and  Sankara  to  George Washington Carver, especially during the 47 year period he directed the Agricultural Department of Tuskegee, at the behest of Booker T. Washington. We can only let our imaginations wander concerning Cabral and Carver developing and  maintaining  a working relationship, identical to the one that existed between Nkrumah and DuBois, which led to DuBois spending his final days developing Encyclopedia Africana with Ghana’s resources at his disposal. Because Carver  made  his  transition  to  the  ancestors  in  1943,  and  even  Cabral  himself  was  assassinated  8  months  before  Guinee  Bissau’s  declaration  of  independence, the  beautiful  site  of  Dr. Carver  utilizing  his  one  of  a  kind  skillset  on  authentic  African  soil  never  came to  pass.

It is safe to say that Cabral is smiling down on President Mugabe and people of Zimbabwe, who 12 years ago reclaimed 70% of the country’s most agriculturally resourceful land, from 4,500 white commercial farmers and returned it to 350,000 indigenous Zimbabwean families.

The mock communication exercises that Cabral used to train PAIGC militants to conduct, reminds Africans in the US of the door-to-door efforts of the Freedom Riders over 50 years ago.  It was a staple of each and every Civil Rights organization that ever  fought  to  change  our  conditions. It also sheds light on every organization from Marcus Garvey’s UNIA to the Nation of Islam, whose membership, when selling their newspapers and distributing literature all over the country, were required to attempt to share its organizational goals and visions and persuade you to join their ranks.

Because of their intense devotion to African Culture, both Seku Ture and Amilcar Cabral were visionaries wise well beyond their years.  When discussing the role of culture in the struggle in Guinee Bissau, Cabral stated “Liberation itself is an act of culture,” and Seku Ture in his essay A Dialectical Approach To Culture stated “Culture is the sum total of spiritual and material values obtained by humanity throughout its history.”

As it pertains to preserving our cultural integrity and space, the daughters and sons of Africa born and raised in the US, appear to have decided that hitching our star to Western popular culture has become their utmost priority.  It is by no means accidental that exactly one week after Dr. King’s birthday, a movie highlighting the Tuskeegee Airmen called Red Tails was released. The film is produced by George Lucas and the screen play was written by two of our own, John Ridley and Aaron McGruder. In addition to co-authoring Red Tails Ridley has written for the Martin Lawrence show, and movies like Bobby, Street Kings, Three Kings, Undercover Brother just to name a few.  Ridley also has 7 novels to his credit. The film’s other co-author is the creator of the brilliant and groundbreaking cartoon The Boondocks.  In an interview with the Wall Street Journal Ridley stated that an uncle of his was a Tuskeegee Airmen. A few years ago McGruder created a Boondocks episode about how Dr. King would be perceived by our people if he was alive today.  Since McGruder earned an undergraduate degree in African American Studies from the University of Maryland, he should ask himself if Dr. King would still consider the US Government the greatest purveyor of violence in the world? It appears that all of our cultural workers accept a mandate from the powers that be in Hollywood that before they call it quits, using their talents to pay homage to Uncle Sam, the idiot box, or the big screen is a prerequisite.

In the midst of the quarrel between filmmakers Spike Lee, who aggressively accused Perry of promoting coonery and buffoonery, and Tyler Perry concerning how Africans should be depicted in films we produce and direct, what somehow got lost is Lee deciding to become a pitchman for the US Navy. During the summer of 1999, Lee filmed and directed six commercials for the Navy for a campaign in conjunction with the advertising firm BBDO.  These commercials were shown in 16,000 theaters throughout the country. The commercial topics ranged from Life After the Navy, Education and Travel.  The general theme of the campaign was “Let the Journey Begin,” and the target was youth between the ages of 17 and 21. To ensure they hit the target, the Navy and BBDO aired commercials on the following TV stations: WB, ESPN, MTV, and of course BET.  The other strategic targets were slots during the NBA playoffs and NFL games for that upcoming season.  The Navy’s commanding officer Edward Brownlee discussed how Lee was able to connect with the audience they were trying to recruit. What can’t be overlooked is Lee voluntarily bid for this job, and Brownlee stated the Navy fell 7,000 recruits short of their goal the previous year.

It  would  be  interesting  to  hear  Spike  Lee’s  answer  to  an  extremely  important  political  question,  since  it’s  clear  he  wouldn’t  like  to  see  young  African   men   cross-dress  like  Tyler  Perry  when  he  plays  Madea,  does the  image  of  them  in  a  US  Navy  uniform  dropping  bombs  on  poor  and  innocent  people  all  over  the  world  make  him  sleep  better  at  night?

From the moment President Truman desegregated the US military, our former colonial slave masters have used their classrooms as laboratories to brainwash each and every one of us into believing it is our patriotic duty to die for the stars and stripes in every corner, all over the world. This is why you hear baseless rhethoric like “We don’t support the war but we support the troops” coming out of our people’s mouths. By continuing to make movies like Miracle at St Anna and Red Tails, Lee, McGruder and Ridley not only feed Hollywood’s pro-military frenzy, but demonstrate that the earlier victims of mis-guided patriots like Crispus Attucks, Peter Salem,  or  Cathay Williams, the female Buffalo Soldier, still have a looming influence on our community today. What they must understand is that for future generations of Africans a burial in Arlington Cemetery is an unwelcomed detour from the trail walked by Dr. King, Seku Ture and Amilcar Cabral.

As if the conventional warfare of US Imperialism isn’t enough to deal with, its diplomatic arm in the information age could perhaps be a bigger threat to world peace. This is why US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appointing NBA legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar to serve as the cultural ambassador for the US State Department has extremely dangerous implications. Since the jump ball is how basketball games begin, we can start by examining Jabbar’s comments on the Libyan situation.  He stated, “What we did with President Obama’s tactics in Libya enabled them to obtain their goals and see us as people who were helpful and sticking up for the rights of the common people in Libya confronting a tyrant.” Prior to these remarks Jabbar made the following statement in defense of President Bush “a lot of people criticized him from the very first day he said he was not at war with Islam, he was dealing with terrorists who happen to be Muslim.”
Since Jabbar  has  earned  praise  for  both  his  intellect  and  appetite  for  knowledge,  one  wonders  if  he  has  ever  read  Seku  Ture’s  book  Islam  For  The  People’s  Benefit. These statements along with his choice to serve as the cultural face of the State Department imply Jabbar has undergone a complete political makeover, and he would like nothing more than to put his decision to boycott the 1968 olympics because of the Vietnam War behind him once and for all.  We now have to wonder if Jabbar might come out with a statement that he should  have  followed  the  course  of  the  NFL  player Pat Tillman, who gave up his football career and went to fight in Afghanistan.

It is no secret that for standing on the side of justice in his early 20′s, the NBA and corporate media went beyond the call of duty to make him feel underappreciated as an athlete. Just last year Jabbar voiced his displeasure concerning the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he won five championships, who have yet to erect a statue in his honor.  Jabbar appeared to be disgruntled that Magic Johnson, Jerry West and the broadcaster Chick Hearn were honored with statues before him. It is deplorable that the State Department decided to appoint Jabbar Cultural Ambassador when he was feeling rejected by the sport that he had dedicated his entire life to, and he responds by condoning the bombing of Libya where people who share his faith were slaughtered like sheep.

The  Obama  administration  appears  to  have  developed  an  unofficial  project  that  could  be  labeled  Operation  Distance  Yourself   From  Your  Past.  It  would  be  a  tragedy  if  Maya  Angelou  goes  to  her  grave  being  remembered  solely  for  reciting  Phenomenal  Women at  Bill  Clinton’s  Inauguration  or  having  Obama  put  the  Presidential  Medal  of  Freedom  around  her  neck,  as  opposed  to  the  work  she  did  with  Julian  Mayfield  in  Ghana  on  the  African Review magazine.  Another dissapointing site  was  to  was  witness  another  Bill Russell, a protest  athlete  from  the  60′s  at  last  year’s  NBA  All  Star  Game  still  sporting  his  Presidential  Medal  of  Freedom  days  after  the  White  House  ceremony.  Russell  resembled  a  21st  century  athlete  or  entertainer  sporting  a  fancy  piece of  jewelry in bling-bling  mode.

We  applaud  Will  and  Jada  Pinkett  Smith  along  with  Jay-Z  for  financing  the  Broadway  play  centered  around  the  life  of  Fela Kuti.  Because the Smith family and Jay-Z provided the additional capital needed to complete this play, comparisons were made to how Bill Cosby, Oprah Winfrey and others stepped in and gave Spike Lee finances to complete Malcolm X.  Unfortunately, since then Cosby has become a self-appointed attack dog of our youth who are more than capable of making the transformation as Malcolm X did, from the trappings of the hood to the frontline of our liberation struggle.  But the  follow-up  must  be them coming  together  with  activists  in  their  peer groups  who  are  ready  to  wage cultural warfare with US Imperialism or  their  role  in  the  raping  and  plundering  of  Nigeria  and the African continent, such as Dead Prez and Immortal Technique.  This,  after all,  was  the  work what Fela and  his mother Fumilayo  Kuti  before him dedicated  their  entire  to  lives  in  the  first  place.  Let us remember what Cabral told us “Tell no lies, claim no easy victories.”

Because greed, exploitation and war are the cornerstones of the US Imperialist value system, the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has to work overtime, through attempting to bandage the government’s list of countless atrocities committed everywhere on the map. Since the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, which happens to be the same year Patrice Lumumba was assassinated in the Congo, the State Department began developing full proof strategies to seek out and train cultural mercenaries. As early as 1956 the legendary Jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie served as the State Department’s Jazz Ambassador and was followed a few years later by Louis Armstrong.  However, it appeared Armstrong was having a change of heart when he accepted Nkrumah’s offer to become the dean of music at the University of Accra. Unlike Armstrong Gillespie truly blossomed into a cultural agent for US Imperialism, which was on display when he worked in clandestine fashion to help the trumpet player Arthuro Sandoval escape Cuba and seek asylum in the United States. The State Department now has a Hip-Hop ambassador position, that in partnership with gospel, bluegrass and jazz musicians will visit 40 countries this year as a partnership with American Voices.  These artists are baited to become double agents with their weapon of choice being song and dance. It was none other than Seku Ture who said “To be part of the African Revolution it is not enough to write a revolutionary song, you must fashion the song with the people and the songs will come of themselves and by themselves.”

Another issue with a similar twist is the Hip Hop artist and movie star Curtis “50 Cent”

Jackson’s pledge to feed 2.5 million children in Africa.  It  is  public  knowledge  that  our  brother  has  certainly  expanded  his  knowledge  base,  which  is  commendable, but we also hope  he  comes  across  Seku  Ture’s  statement  “An  African  Statesman  is  not  a naked  boy  begging  for  rich  capitalists.” Because Brother 50 has decided to tackle hunger in Africa, it would be interesting to get his response to US-EU sanctions on Zimbabwe that were imposed as a vindictive response to Zimbabwe’s reclaiming land which rightfully belongs to them and no one else. Our  brother will  realize the  struggle  to  end  hunger  is  inextricably  linked  to  Africa’s  fight  to  become  liberated,  unified  and  socialist.  Our  hunger  for  those  goals  exceed  what  the  United  Nations  Food  Program  can  put  on  a  plate.

The artists who travel the world on behalf of the State Department, prior to this experience, have very little or no history whatsoever of organizing at the grass roots level to change US policy towards the countries they end up visiting as a result of these posts.    What this means is that their political points of references are either their artistic counterparts they meet and befriend in these countries or the public relations apparatus of the State Department  who denounce their governments because they clamor a more comfortable life in the US.  The distraction created by the artists talent and to their  craft,  cause them to loose site of  their  relationship  to  the  politics  on  the  ground  in  the  country. Due to the State Department’s traveling circus these artists either become loyalists and apologists for US Imperialism, or condemn US foreign policy when it’s convenient to do so.  We might even have to wait until they are on their death beds for them to speak truth to power. Some  of  these  artists  who  work  under  the  banner  of  the  State  Department may  find  themselves  at  the  crossroads  plagued  with  guilt,  and  as  a  result  could  try  to  transform  into  spooks  who  sat  by  the  door.  Others  might  proclaim  they have been double agents the entire time they have been in these  posts, and were seeking to penetrate the State Department the same way we maneuver  inside the Democratic  Party  and  Corporate  USA.  In the spirit of Dr.  King,  Amilcar  Cabral and  Ahmed  Seku  Ture we  seek  to  play  our  rightful  role  in  history  with  humility  and  dignity.

Obi Egbuna is the US Correspondent to the Herald (Zimbabwe’s National Newspaper),

a US-based member of the Zimbabwe-Cuba Friendship Association. Egbuna is also a frequent contributor to Your World News. He can be contacted via e-mail:  obiegbuna15@gmail.com

 

Jan 30

Europe’s Losing Game

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Europe’s Losing Game

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Partnering with America has consequences.  Europe’s paying by shooting itself in the foot.

 

On January 23, EU representative for foreign and security affairs, Catherine Ashton, broke the news. She announced an “unprecedented” anti-Iranian oil embargo, effective July 1 and immediately from new contracts.

 

The ban covers crude oil, petroleum and petrochemical products, oil related business, equipment and technology, selling Tehran refined products, new investments, and dealing with its central bank.

 

Europe buys up to 20% of its oil from Iran. Ending it means greater strain on economically stressed countries. Making up lost volume won’t be easy. Putting lipstick on this pig doesn’t wash.

 

Alternatives are few and far between. Claiming Saudi Arabia can compensate is false. Iran’s reserves are third largest globally. No combination of Gulf states can replace its shipments.

 

Seyyed Emad Hosseini, Iran Majlis (parliament) Energy Committee spokesman said:

 

Iran’s “powerful and oil sanctions imposed by European countries will only harm the European Union because Iran can easily prove its oil supremacy in the Middle East region.”

 

MP Nasser Soudani said “Europe will burn in the fire of Iran’s oil wells….the structure of (Europe’s) refineries is compatible with Iran’s oil,” so what’s their alternative.

 

Moreover, expect oil prices to spike. Economic damage will follow. Weak EU nations will crater. Policy makers behind this scheme should be fired and replaced.

 

It gets worse. On January 28, Soudani said Iran’s Majlis (parliament) Energy Committee finalized a bill to “halt all oil exports to European countries as long as they continue to ban oil imports from Iran.”

 

Moreover, another clause forbids importing goods from countries imposing sanctions. If adopted, EU oil shipments may end in days. Vital supplies will be lost. Rogue EU countries will be left high and around 20% dry.

 

Sanctions cut both ways. Iran’s extracting its own price. Going along with America is misguided. Policy makers in other countries know better. China’s Foreign Ministry said “blindly pressur(ing) and impos(ing) sanctions on Iran are not constructive approaches.”

 

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said:

 

“We have very good relations with Iran, and we are putting much effort into renewing Iran’s talks with the 5+1 (the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany) mediators’ group. Turkey will continue looking for a peaceful solution to the issue.”

 

Too bad Ankara isn’t like-minded on Syria and wasn’t firm against join NATO’s anti-Libyan alliance. As a result, its credibility falls short.

 

Rogue EU states gave Iran an ultimatum. Like Washington, they’re using its alleged nuclear threat to pursue regime change plans. Direct intervention may follow if other measures fail. In response, Iran’s hitting EU nations where it hurts.

 

At the same time, its saying partner with America’s belligerence and suffer the consequences. As a result, some EU nations may have second thoughts.

 

Others already dismissed sanctions, including Russia, China, Brazil, India, and perhaps Japan and South Korea. Expect growing numbers to join them. Partnering with Washington’s self-destructive. Wiser nations refuse when their own interests are sacrificed.

 

Washington’s also harmed in other ways. It’s showing up in non-dollar denominated bilateral trade agreements. America relies on global dollar hegemony.

 

China excludes dollar transactions in numerous bilateral deals. So do many other countries, including Russia, Brazil, India, Argentina, Indonesia, Iran, UAE, South Korea, Malaysia, Syria, Cuba, Belarus, Venezuela, and others.

 

In fact, swap agreements are proliferating. In 2009, seven Latin American nations established the Bank of the South. They include Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Ecuador.

 

Plans are to include all regional countries, outside the dollar, IMF and World Bank. Part of it’s establishing a new SUCRE currency within the Union of South American Nations, independent of America.

 

Moreover, oil-rich Middle East countries plan their own monetary union and common currency. In the late 1990s, Asia’s Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI) promoted financial cooperation among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

 

ASEAN swap agreements expanded to the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM), regional bond markets, and bilateral swap deals. China’s arrangement with Japan is especially significant given their mutual trade volume. It also promises others regionally away from the dollar, weakening it in the process.

 

While China, Japan, India, Brazil, Russia and other developing countries build strong bilateral and multilateral ties, America’s making more enemies than friends.

 

In May 2009, Nouriel Roubini warned about a dollar decline. It’ll take a decade or longer, he believes, but could happen sooner if America doesn’t “get its financial house in order.”

 

Moreover, the more other countries diversify, the faster it’ll happen. It’s only a matter of time as long as Washington’s wicked ways continue. So far, there’s no ending them in sight.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Jan 30

Targeting AIPAC

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Targeting AIPAC

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

On January 23, Occupy AIPAC announced plans to confront the powerful Israeli Lobby in Washington from March 2 – 6. More on what’s planned below.

 

Since last September, OWS inspired affiliate groups. Among others they include Occupy Together, Occupy Everything, Occupy Arrests, Occupy Police, Occupy Marines, Occupy Veterans, Occupy Writers, Occupy Filmakers, Occupy Schools, Occupy the World Wide Web, Occupy Freedom, Occupy NATO, Occupy Congress, Occupy the White House, and Occupy Your State Capital America.

 

Many communicate online through social networks like Facebook. They spread information globally and hopefully inspire others to join a worldwide movement for change.

 

From March 4 – 6, AIPAC will hold its annual Washington conference. Deferentially, politicians, presidents, their hangers-on, media scoundrels and others show up to pay homage to its influence and the government it represents.

 

AIPAC’s an unregistered foreign agent. Calling itself “America’s Pro-Israel Lobby,” it’s represented Israeli interests since founded in 1953. In 1963, it was incorporated as a division of the American Zionist Council (AZC), its precursor.

 

Virtually no one in Congress confronts it. Doing so is a career-ender. Notably, it has virtual veto power over war and peace, trade and investment, multi-billion dollar arms sales, enormous handouts to Israel, and all Middle East policies affecting the Jewish state under Democrat and Republican administrations alike.

 

It’s a weapon of mass destruction, fronting for Israeli crimes. Among other tactics, it spuriously rails against Syria, Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah.

 

It calls Iran “the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and is racing toward a nuclear weapons capability.”

 

It calls Hizbollah, Hamas, as well as Iraq and Afghanistan “Insurgents” its “proxy armies.”

 

It falsely accuses Syria of “brutally crush(ing) the growing protest movement (while) maintaining its support for terrorist groups.” It says Assad “undermin(es) peace and security.”

 

It calls Hamas, Palestine’s legitimate government, a “terrorist group….with the self proclaimed goal of the destruction of Israel.”

 

It calls Hezbollah (part of Lebanon’s ruling coalition government) “an Iranian-backed terrorist network that poses a direct threat to American interests and Israel, (and) has killed more Americans than any terrorist group other than al-Qaeda….”

 

Since inception, AIPAC lacked credibility. It spews lies and hate. It viciously attacks opponents. It should be banned for not registering as a foreign agent and prosecuted for libel.

 

Instead, by intimidating Congress, it gets free reign to do what it pleases and attracts political Washington en masse to its annual conference.

 

Confronting AIPAC

 

Move over AIPAC now calls itself Occupy AIPAC. Over 120 organizations endorse it.

 

They include American Jews for a Just Peace, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Artists Against Apartheid, CODEPINK, Christians for Palestinian Rights, Citizens for Palestinian Self-Determination, Friends of Palestine, Global Exchange, If Americans Knew, International Solidarity Movement, Rachael Corrie Foundation, Stop AIPAC, United for Peace and Justice, US Boat to Gaza, Veterans for Peace, and many others.

 

The pro-Israeli Commentary magazine attacked the initiative. On January 20, Jonathan Tobin headlined, “Occupy AIPAC Next Step for Leftist Group,” saying:

 

“Many Jewish liberals have been in denial about the anti-Israel and often anti-Semitic tone of much of the Occupy Wall Street movement since its inception.”

 

In other words, when hard truths can’t be denied, it call those supporting them “anti-Semites.” Commentary fronts for Israel. The US Campaign to End the Occupation’s Josh Ruebner calls it a “neo-con rag.”

 

It’s that and much more. It backs Israel’s worst crimes, and organizations like AIPAC, promoting war and violence. Why else would activists for peace, justice, and Palestinian rights plan confronting them in March.

 

Ruebner says, “So, yeah, Commentary, we’ll be there protesting AIPAC’s agenda and all your silly accusations about who we are and what we stand for won’t stop us.”

 

Occupy AIPAC

 

In May 2011, during AIPAC’s conference, it organized an initiative called “Move over AIPAC: Building a New US Middle East Policy.”

 

Then and now, it aims “to wean US policy away from AIPAC’s grip towards an even-handed position that respects international law and the human rights of all people in the region.”

 

From March 2 – 6, it’s coming back and asks others to join it. It’s agenda includes teach-ins, cultural performances, protests, creative direct actions, educational panels on Iran, Palestine, the Arab uprisings, and OWS, and a preview of the forthcoming film, “Roadmap to Apartheid.”

 

Panel discussions and workshops include:

 

“Preventing War, Promoting Peace: Shifting US Policy Toward Real Diplomacy with Iran”

 

“From the Arab Uprisings to the Occupy Movement: Freedom & Justice vs. the Right-Wing Israel Lobby”

 

“Palestine, Israel & the US – Changing Discourse, Challenging Policy”

 

“Poets, Comedians and Musicians – Tears and Laughter for Palestine”

 

“Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions”

 

“Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere: Palestine and the African American Experience”

 

“Ending Military Aid to Israel”

 

March 6 is called Lobbying Day – Lobbying Congress for a just peace in the Middle East. This and more is planned throughout the March 2 – 6 gathering.

 

Occupy AIPAC calls it “a mandatory ‘occupy target.’ ” Now’s the time to oppose “the stranglehold the Israel lobby continues to hold over our government.”

 

It’s essential to confront it actively with sustained pressure. Showing up in Washington is step one.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Jan 29

Targeting Iranian Nationals

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Targeting Iranian Nationals

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Washington’s first regime change priority is Syria. At issue is isolating Iran. Then devoting full attention to replacing its current government with a pro-Western one.

 

At the same time, covert war’s raged against Tehran for years. Destabilization tactics include fake accusations, political and economic sanctions, isolation, covert and direct confrontation, cyberwar, targeted assassinations, and other provocations short of war – so far.

 

Everything tried so far failed. Oil sanctions won’t fare better. EU countries imposing it shot themselves in the foot. Sensible ones won’t go along. Major ones like China, Russia, India and Brazil reject them. Expect Japan, South Korea and others to follow at least partially.

 

The more America goes rogue, the fewer allies it retains. Eventually perhaps they’ll be none besides its Israeli/UK axis of evil partners and some Middle East despots.

 

With Washington, they’re involved in funding and arming anti-Syrian insurgents. They also support America’s latest outrage. Press TV announced it, saying:

 

“The United States has arrested and charged an Iranian semiconductor scientist for buying high-tech US lab equipment, a development likely to further worsen Iranian-US relations.”

 

On January 26, AP offered more details headlining, “Documents show US has arrested Iranian scientist,” saying:

 

Seyed Mojtaba Atarodi was charged “with violating US export laws….” He’s a Sharif University of Technology Assistant Professor and microchip expert.

 

He authored or co-authored dozens of microchip technology scientific papers, none military related.

 

Prison records show he’s held at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI), Dublin, CA. near San Francisco. The prison’s web site calls it “a low security facility housing female offenders” with “an adjacent administrative detention facility (for) adult males on holdover or pre-trial status….”

 

On January 26, San Francisco federal district court held Atarodi’s bond hearing. Proceedings were closed except for attorneys and family members. Friends said he was detained on December 7 after arriving in Los Angeles by air.

 

Charges against him are sealed. Justice Department officials won’t discuss them. An unnamed Sharif University spokesman said it involves buying ordinary US instruments available to anyone without a license. He spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid possible repercussions, adding:

 

“The fact of the matter is that he was just a professor, and he was trying to buy some equipment for his lab, and the equipment was very, very simple, ridiculously simple stuff that anybody can buy.”

 

The arrest follows Washington’s familiar pattern. Atarodi committed no crime. He’s now victimized by the Obama’s war on Iran.

 

Following a brief hearing, his family said he’ll be released on bail, subject to electronic monitoring. In part, it’s for medical reasons. In the past 14 months, he suffered two heart attacks, a stroke, and underwent two heart surgeries.

 

His attorney, Matthew David Kohn, said he’s been treated well in custody. He also believes prosecutors “meticulously” built their case against an innocent man. He came to Los Angeles for medical treatment from his brother’s cardiologist.

 

Arresting Iranians for alleged embargo violations is rare. It shows how far Washington’s willing to go to antagonize Iran, hoping perhaps for retaliation it can use as pretext to incite conflict.

 

Iranian scientists, especially nuclear ones, are central figures in America’s destabilization plans. Former Sharif University vice chancellor Fredun Hojabri, now living in America, said longstanding US/Iranian friction causes problems for them.

 

He cited a 2006 incident involving over 50 Iranian researchers, engineers and executives. En route to a Santa Clara, CA disaster management forum, they were detained and deported because their visas were revoked. A Sharif University alumni group organized the event.

 

America not only plays hardball, it plays dirty. Innocent people suffer, especially Muslims falsely accused of terrorism, terrorist related charges, or other bogus ones like what Atoradi faces. Hopefully he’ll weather the storm, be free and allowed to go home.

 

A Final Comment

 

In June 2006, Iranian American Seyed Mousavi’s ordeal began when FBI and IRS agents raided his home and confronted him and his family at gunpoint. Though not imprisoned, he was hounded for months.

 

In August 2007, things came to a head. After early morning prayers, he was arrested outside his mosque and bogusly charged with six felony counts under the catch-all International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

 

Though spurious and malicious, he was accused of doing business illegally with a Kuwaiti company linked to two Iranian ones, establishing an Iranian bank and leasing company, filing false tax returns, impeding tax collections, and illegally securing citizenship by falsifying information under oath.

 

Though innocent of all charges, in April 2008, he was convicted for violating America’s Iran embargo, omitting group membership information on naturalization forms, and income tax evasion.

 

Imprisoned, he was denied all rights, isolated without reason, dehumanized and punished for being a Muslim in America at the wrong time from the wrong country.

 

This time, justice was only delayed. In January 2010, Mousavi was released. He still awaited a Ninth District Court of Appeals decision pertaining to immigration charges. On May 5, 2010 it came, overturning a lower court’s conviction. His web site Free Seyed Mousavi announced the news, saying:

 

“Seyed Mahmood Mousavi is a free man and as a result of the reversal, continues to be a legal citizen of the United States.”

 

He and his family “sincerely thank (everyone) for (their) continued support” throughout his ordeal. Justice in the end prevailed. Others aren’t as lucky.

 

As a result, they wrongfully languish in US prison hellholes for their faith, ethnicity and nationality, not any crimes they committed.

 

Mousavi’s a free man to explain it. He’s also someone this writer knows, admires, wrote about, and discussed on air.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Jan 29

Washington’s War on Syria

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Washington’s War on Syria

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

On January 28, Arab League monitors suspended operations in Syria. In early February, they’ll decide whether to end them altogether. League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby blamed Assad for “resort(ing) to escalating the military option in complete violation of (his) commitments.”

 

In fact, he’s contesting a Western-generated insurgency. League despots support it. They also condoned NATO’s Libya war, including massacres too great to ignore.

 

They back NATO’s plan to colonize, occupy and plunder Middle East states, including Iraq, Libya, Syria and Iran, as well as ongoing atrocities in Bahrain, Yemen, Somalia, Palestine, and elsewhere in the region.

 

On December 26, Arab League observers began monitoring Syrian cities. Sudanese General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi led them. Instead of delivering the goods as planned, he called Assad “cooperative.”

 

Ergo, end the mission. Initiate Plan B.

 

At issue is regime change and isolating Iran, not democracy and peace. America deplores both and won’t tolerate them at home or abroad.

 

After ravaging Libya and toppling Gaddafi, Syria was next. For months, Western-backed insurgents killed thousands. No one knows how many. UN estimates lack credibility by pointing fingers the wrong way.

 

Washington wants Assad vilified, delegitimized, weakened and toppled. Tactics include violence, propaganda, and attempts to pass Security Council measures, inching closer to intervention. More on that below.

 

Whether Assad survives is uncertain. So far he’s hanging on resiliently. Nonetheless, the State Department calls him “dead man walking,” and Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood expects him out in months. In fact, Israel’s Ehud Barak thinks in weeks. Don’t bet on it.

 

For now, he successfully resisted Western efforts to topple him with Russian, Chinese, and internal popular support. Syria’s military is also strong and supportive. Loyalists run it with much to gain by standing fast, not yielding to opposition pressure. In contrast, so-called Free Syrian Army ranks are weak by comparison.

 

In addition, anti-Assad elements are divided and disorganized. Internal National Coordination Body for Democratic Change ones oppose foreign intervention and conflict. They want grievances settled politically and diplomatically.

 

In contrast, Turkey-based Syrian National Council (SNC) officials support it. They claim Syria’s situation replicates Libya’s. They also represent Western imperialism against the rights and interests of most Syrians.

 

Nonetheless, they’re also internally split, unable to agree on a common agenda. Many don’t trust SNC leader Burhan Ghalioun. Some call him authoritarian for unilaterally wanting SNC/NCB unity.

 

So far, Western and/or regional states haven’t directly intervened. Whether that continues is uncertain. The longer Assad holds on, the greater the pressure to do so. Behind the scenes, Washington, rogue NATO allies and Israel seek ways to replicate Libya’s model, either alone using regional proxies and/or by direct NATO intervention. The situation remains tense.

 

Strong Russian/Chinese Opposition

 

So far, Russia and China firmly oppose intervention. As a result, Western Security Council resolutions failed. Russia’s against a new draft. On January 27, Itar Tass headlined, “Western draft resolution on Syria in UN SC unacceptable for Russia,” saying:

 

Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Russia won’t support it. It “almost does not take into account our position,” he said. “The document lacks key aspects, which are essential for us.”

 

At issue is preventing military intervention and assuring UN Charter provisions aren’t violated. It’s also about vague language like in Resolution 1973 against Libya, smoothing the way to war. It says “additional measures will be considered” if Assad doesn’t comply.

 

What measures, asked Gatilov? As a result, he said the “current draft resolution is unacceptable for us.”

 

Washington rejected Russia’s draft. It focuses on “the need to launch political negotiations between the government and opposition….” It also stresses ending violence.

 

RIA Novosti quoted Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin saying:

 

“I made it clear that we, the Russian delegation, did not see that draft as a basis on which we can agree.” However, it “doesn’t mean that we refuse to engage.”

 

Specifically, he’s concerned about similarities to Washington’s October resolution Russia and China vetoed. Its language potentially facilitates a “Libya scenario” both countries reject.

 

Russia also opposes Washington/EU unilateral sanctions. On January 26, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow will “stonewall attempts to gain UN approval….”

 

Washington’s inching closer to direct and/or proxy military intervention. Rogue NATO partners including Turkey, complicit Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, Jordan, and Israel are on board.

 

Ideas floated include a no-fly zone, a humanitarian corridor between Turkey’s Hatay province and Syria, and direct military intervention.

 

Turkey’s involved in sponsoring anti-Assad insurgents. Nonetheless, in mid-January, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara will “take a leadership” to prevent “a religious, sectarian, racial war.” Perhaps he means by instigating more conflict than now.

 

In mid-January, Obama called Syria’s government “unacceptable.” He wants Assad “to step aside.” On December 21, a White House Press Secretary statement said:

 

“….the only way to bring about the change that the Syrian people deserve is for Bashar al-Assad to leave power….The United States is deeply disturbed by credible reports that (his) regime continues to indiscriminately kill scores of civilians and army defectors….Time and again, the Assad regime has demonstrated that it does not deserve to rule Syria.”

 

No matter that most Syrians support Assad. In addition, Washington notoriously backs some of the world’s worst despots, while America’s making enemies faster than friends.

 

Syria’s targeted to install a pro-Western government and isolate Iran. Russia, China and other key countries oppose it. Nonetheless, New York Times writer Ellen Barry says few “world capitals” support Assad.

 

For months, numerous Times editorials vilified him, stopping just short of advocating war. If Western invention follows, Times’ support is assured. In contrast, Vladimir Putin’s strongly against.

 

Notably, he accused Washington of “want(ing) to control everything” and make other countries “vassals.” He also cited America’s “missile defense” system targeting Russia, saying:

 

Obama officials aren’t “prepared to cooperate on equal terms either with Europe or us. Cooperation….means determining threats together and working out a system of response to them together. They flatly reject that.”

 

They also reject peace. The business of America is war, permanent wars, plundering one nation after another for wealth, power, and dominance while homeland needs go begging. Opposition governments are targeted for regime change.

 

A Final Comment

 

Obama’s America’s latest warrior president. He spurns peace to fuel conflicts. He supports preemptive wars, using first-strike nuclear and other terror weapons “to keep the American people safe (and advance) the nation’s values and ideals.”

 

Unstated, they include unchallengeable global/space dominance, ruling by intimidation and war, and making the world safe for capital.

 

As a result, America’s permanent war doctrine threatens humanity. No matter. It doesn’t stop deranged officials from pursuing it – Republicans and Democrats.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Jan 28

Forecasting Economic Decline

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Forecasting Economic Decline

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Economic analyst Harry Dent’s 2009 book, titled “The Great Depression Ahead” became a national bestseller. He predicted the current crisis and worse ahead.

 

His new book, co-authored with Rodney Johnson, predicts “The Great Crash Ahead.” He calls it inevitable and sees protracted trouble worse than 2008. It’s coming between 2012 and 2014 he believes.

 

In 1992, he correctly forecast the decade’s economic/stock market surge in his book titled, “The Great Boom Ahead.” He’s now Dr. Doom, predicting harder than ever hard times. He blames sharply falling incomes and aging Boomers among other factors.

 

He may or may not be right. He called the 1990s boom accurately but wrongly thought Dow values would reach 40,000. Now he sees massive money creation buying time but little else. Housing crashed. Major banks are dead. He calls Europe a “retirement community in debt.”

 

He forecasts “economic winter” and advises:

  • avoid chasing short-term gains;

 

  • stress capital preservation;

 

  • choose high quality income streams;

 

  • pay down debt sooner, not later;

 

  • rent, don’t buy; and

 

  • keep your day job until promising alternatives arrive.

 

Recent IMF and World Bank forecasts also spell trouble.

 

On January 18, the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects said world economies teeter “on the brink of another major decline” with “anemic growth” at best through 2013.

 

Predicting “significantly downgraded” prospects from months earlier, it warned that ‘”the world economy has entered a dangerous period” as Eurozone turmoil spreads globally.

 

“The downturn in Europe and the slow growth in developing countries could reinforce one another more than is anticipated, (causing) further complicating efforts to restore market confidence.”

 

Moreover, “the medium-term challenge represented by high debts and slow trend growth in other high-income countries has not been resolved and could trigger sudden adverse shocks.”

 

It calls world growth less than 3% recession. Europe’s already experiencing it, and high-income countries are expected to grow only 1.4%, signaling decline. Moreover, given unaddressed excesses, greater trouble than 2008 is possible “on both sides of the Atlantic….”

 

In other words, despite massive money creation, nothing’s been resolved. In fact, conditions now are worse than when trouble began. For the moment, they’re contained by throwing money at them.

 

That only works so long. Longer-term, it’s a losing strategy doomed to fail, especially as unemployment rises, wages and benefits fall, safety net protections erode, public anger grows, and politicians offer no solutions.

 

The IMF’s nearly as glum. It’s predicting 3.3% growth in 2012, down 0.7% from months earlier. It also warned about “intensifying strains in the euro area” and fragilities elsewhere. They suggest “weaker underlying growth” ahead.

 

“(D)ownside risks (have) risen sharply,” especially from “the intensification of adverse feedback loops between sovereign and banking pressures in the euro area.”

 

The combination of high bond rates, massive debt levels, eroding consumer purchasing power, and troubled banks pressure governments to help. Moreover, Europe’s trouble assures spillover.

 

Overall, the IMF sees the “current environment – characterized by fragile financial systems, high public deficits and debt, and (short) interest rates close to the zero bound – provides fertile ground for self-perpetuating pessimism and the propagation of adverse shock, the most critical of which is the worsening of the crisis in the euro area.”

 

But trouble there spreads it everywhere. Unless “healing” occurs, a “1930s moment may arrive….where trust and cooperation break down and countries turn inward. (A) downward spiral….engulf(ing) the world” could result.

 

Meanwhile, China’s slowing. Japan’s in recession, and Europe’s sickest of all. It’s sinking while real Japanese GDP is expected to contract by 0.4% in the year ending March 2012. Headwinds may force down the Bank of Japan’s 2% 2013 growth forecast because of protracted economic weakness.

 

New McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) Report

 

Titled, “Debt and Deleveraging: Uneven Progress on the Path to Growth,” it suggests systemic unresolved problems.

 

It calls deleveraging begun in 2008 “proving to be long and painful.” Moreover, it’s “in its early stages in most countries.” In fact, debt’s risen in the “ten largest mature economies….due mainly to rising government debt.” It exploded but MGI glossed over a major problem getting worse, not better.

 

Among the world’s 10 largest economies, debt increased by $7.8 trillion. In fact, it’s more because information’s suppressed. US household debt shrunk $584 billion (or 4%) since 2008. Home mortgage defaults accounted for up to 80% of the total. Jingle mail’s been heavy and promises to increase.

 

Historical precedence suggests years more deleveraging to go. When it ends, US consumers “won’t be as powerful an engine of global growth as they were before the crisis.” Why? Because excess mortgage refinancing is gone. It added $2.2 trillion in spending power.

 

In its mid-January report, the Bank of Canada was just as glum, saying:

 

Europe’s recession is “expected to last longer and be somewhat deeper than anticipated.” B of C blamed tight credit and fiscal austerity reducing consumer purchasing power.

 

Modest US growth is expected at best. At issue is “ongoing household deleveraging, fiscal consolidation, and negative spillover” from Europe’s crisis.

 

So far, fallout from Europe’s crisis “has consisted mostly of a general retrenchment of risk-taking. (Ahead), the impact is expected to become more widespread (in) the form of increased funding pressures, adverse confidence effects and reduced availability of credit.”

 

Europe and US bank deleveraging will reduce credit and restrain investment. Yearend 2011 baseline trend in real GDP was 1.6%. B of C sees Europe’s crisis erasing half of it. It suggests rosy scenario forecasts are misguided.

 

Both McKinsey and B of C explain that today’s environment is far different than any experienced since the 1930s. Other post-WW II recessions were short and shallow during decades of secular credit expansion. No longer.

 

Noted investor/market analyst Jeremy Grantham explains that positive market conditions unleash “animal spirits.” They’re carried to extremes using credit as fuel.

 

Trouble always follows. Every bubble bursts. On the upside, markets overshoot and do the same coming down. They mean reverse and then some. It happens every time. In fact, the more extreme going up, the greater the fall.

 

Grantham calls it a “principal truth….(W)e live in a mean-reverting world in investing. (A)ll bubbles eventually burst.” The most recent occurred in 2000 in America. It’s second phase began in fall 2007 and remains ongoing.

 

Secular market declines always feature sharp rallies. The overall trend doesn’t end until a final mean-reversed bottom based on sustained better prospects. Achieving that benchmark’s years away.

 

Economist David Rosenberg agrees, saying the “multi-decade debt boom….will take years to mean revert.” McKinsey said deleveraging’s got a long way to go. Moreover, when governments and business act together, powerful headwinds risk crashing economies.

 

The seeds of trouble are planted. No one knows when they’ll sprout. Often it’s when least expected. It’s why Rosenberg says market upswings should be rented, not owned.

 

Progressive Radio News Hour regular Bob Chapman believes the euro is living on borrowed time. France’s April presidential election could be decisive. If Sarkozy loses (he trails in recent polls), “the euro is history and perhaps the EU as well.”

 

French and German voters want their currencies back. “They want change.” Their citizens “no longer want the euro and all the responsibilities (and headaches) that go with it.”

 

At the same time, dollar supremacy is threatened by other countries trading bilaterally in their own. China, Japan, Russia, Iran, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and many others do it. At issue is long-term dollar decline and eventual loss of its world reserve currency status.

 

The implications are immense. With dollar supremacy comes power. It fuels investment, speculation, corporate takeovers, imperial wars, and America’s ability to influence global policies.

 

Replace the dollar with another currency and things change. It won’t happen soon but bears watching. Chapman believes its dethroning is happening. “Over time, the US dollar will lose its preeminent position.” China’s yuan and Japan’s yen will strengthen. If the euro fades as Chapman expects, they’ll be more important.

 

“Without a euro, the dollar” faces greater pressure. It’s “acted as a blocker and cover for the dollar,” but that’s ending.

 

So is America’s century. It’s ebbing as China rises, Washington makes more adversaries than friends, and eventually perhaps they have none except their axis of evil partners Israel and Britain. It can’t happen a moment too soon.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Jan 28

ACTA: Worse Than SOPA and PIPA

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ACTA: Worse Than SOPA and PIPA

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Internet freedom’s on the line. SOPA and PIPA threatened Net Neutrality and free expression. So does ACTA. More on it below.

 

For now, the largest online protest in Internet history got Congress to abandon SOPA and PIPA for now but not permanently. Expect resurrection in modified form. Language may change but not intent. ACTA’s worse.

 

Launched on October 23, 2007, America, the EU, Switzerland and Japan began secretly negotiating a new intellectual property enforcement treaty – the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).

 

Other nations got involved, including Canada, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan, Singapore, and the UAE. Ostensibly for counterfeit goods protection, it’s about fast-tracking Internet distribution and information technology rules at the expense of Net Neutrality, privacy, and personal freedoms.

 

It establishes unrestricted supranational global trade rules. In the process, it tramples on national sovereignty and personal freedoms. Moreover, negotiations were secret until WikiLeaks reported in May 2008:

 

“If adopted, (ACTA) would impose a strong, top-down enforcement regime, with new cooperation requirements upon (ISPs), including perfunctionary disclosure of customer information.”

 

“The proposal also bans ‘anti-circumvention measures which may affect online anonymity systems and would likely outlaw multi-region CD/DVD players. The proposal also specifies a plan to encourage developing nations to accept the legal regime.” Those opting out face retaliatory measures.

 

On April 22, 2010, Electronic Frontier Foundation writer Gwen Hinze headlined, “Preliminary Analysis of the Officially Released ACTA Text,” saying:

 

“The text (leaves no doubt) that ACTA is not just about counterfeiting.” It’s far more. It covers copyrights, patents, and other intellectual property forms, including the Internet.

 

It’s also about the ability of users to “communicate, collaborate and create” freely. In addition, it imposes obligations (on) Internet intermediaries (and), requir(es) them to police” cyberspace and its users. As a result, it raises serious questions about open affordable access, free expression, personal privacy, and “fair use rights.”

 

On May 27, 2011, the Foundation for Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) said the European Commission published a final ACTA text with few changes from its last known version. Since introduced, major media scoundrels reported little about its destructive provisions.

 

Last October, Washington, Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea signed ACTA. US deputy trade representative Mariam Sapiro hailed the occasion, saying:

 

“As with many of the challenges we face in today’s global economy, no government can single-handedly eliminate the problem of global counterfeiting and piracy. Signing this agreement is therefore an act of shared leadership and determination in the international fight against intellectual property theft.”

 

Public Knowledge attorney Rashmi Rangnath called the deal the Obama administration’s “attempt to foist US law on other countries.”

 

It also broke another candidate Obama promise to “(s)upporte the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.”

 

In fact, doing so lawlessly circumvented Congress. On October 1, 2011, Obama acted by “executive agreement.” He falsely claimed ACTA’s not a treaty requiring Senate approval. Constitutional issues remain unresolved.

 

By law, executive agreements apply only to sole presidential authority issues. Treaties must be ratified by a two-thirds Senate supermajority. As a result, a circulating petition demands Senate consideration. By February 21, 25,000 are needed. So far, thousands are recorded. Dozens of legal scholars support it.

 

So far, the administration’s stonewalling. It’s circumventing the law like it always does and breaking a campaign pledge in the process. Post-SOPA/PIPA, Obama diktat authority rammed it through illegally.

 

In contrast, the Mexican Senate rejected it in a non-binding resolution. On January 26, Poland’s Japan ambassador, Jadwiga Rodowicz-Czechowska, signed it. It’s yet to pass parliament.

 

Public anger raged across the country against it. The hacktivist group Anonymous targeted signatory countries’ official web sites. It threatened to reveal sensitive information about officials in countries passing it.

 

Anti-ACTA sentiment affected Poland’s parliament. Opposition MPs wore masks to reflect their refusal to back it. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he’ll submit the treaty to parliament and sign it provided “the government is sure Polish law guarantees freedom on the Internet….”

 

On January 26, infojustice.org headlined, “EU Signs ACTA, But Treaty Remains in Doubt,” saying:

 

The European Parliament (EP) has final say. Consideration begins late February or early March. Committee voting follows in April or May. In June, Parliament decides.

 

After SOPA and PIPA’s derailing, expect a close vote.

 

On January 23, 2012, FFII headlined, “EP (European Parliament) legal service consistently overlooks known issues with ACTA,” saying:

 

In a letter to members of the European Parliament, FFII said:

 

“The legal service fails to see major issues with damages, injunctions and provisional, border and criminal measures. The legal service consistently overlooks known issues.” Clearly, “ACTA goes beyond current EU law, the acquis.”

 

According to FFII’s Ante Wessels:

 

“ACTA will negatively impact innovation, start up companies, mass digitization projects, access to medicines and Internet governance. ACTA threatens the rule of law and fundamental rights.”

 

FFII asked Parliament to reject ACTA. Issues cited included:

 

(1) Violating EU law.

 

(2) Unjustifiably discriminating. Threatens access to generic drugs and local foods.

 

(3) Criminalizes “everyday computer use.” Liability extends to private individuals, newspapers, web sites, office workers forwarding files or documents, and whistleblowers revealing information in the public interest.

 

(4) Civil measures also apply to the digital environment. ACTA pressures ISPs to preemptively censor online communications. It also “incites privatized enforcement outside the rule of law.”

 

“The ARTICLE 19 organization” said ACTA’s “fundamentally flawed from a freedom of expression and information perspective. If enacted, it will greatly endanger the free-flow of information and the free exchange of ideas, particularly on the internet.”

 

(5) Endangering public health by restricting access to medicines. It cracks down on generic drugs, makes food patents more extreme, enforces global standards on seed patents, empowers agribusiness, and threatens small farms and food independence.

 

(6) Global pricing and cultural life issues aren’t addressed.

 

(7) Violates Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), stating:

 

“The Union’s action on the international scene shall be guided by the principles (of) democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms….”

 

Negotiations were conducted secretly. Civil society, public interest groups, and legislatures were entirely shut out. Major decisions were made extralegally. They violate established laws and fundamental freedoms.

 

On December 27, 2011, the Electronic Frontier Foundation said:

 

ACTA threatens personal and digital freedoms. It creates an extralegal “global IP enforcement institution to oversee its implementation.” It turns ISPs into enforcers.

 

The agreement requires signatories “promote cooperative efforts within the business community” on issues regarding copyright and trademark infringement.

As a result, Internet access, censoring, and lost freedom may result.

 

“ACTA suffocates collaborative creativity and innovation, and less explicitly, but just as gravely, threatens free speech through provisions that may lead to Internet access restrictions for the ‘sake’ of combating ‘imminent violation’ of intellectual property laws.”

 

Worst of all, secret negotiations facilitate similarly drafted future international agreements, benefitting powerful interests at the expense of personal freedoms. For ACTA, heavy-handed Washington pressure forced through draconian provisions.

 

Civil society organizations are outraged. In addition, some nations exposed gross political treachery in back-room dealmaking. For example, Brazil called ACTA “illegitimate.” The Dutch Parliament refused to consider it. India strongly opposes it. So do other emerging economies saying it stifles their development.

 

Other nations are undecided. They all have until May 2013 to vote up or down. As a result, Washington’s exerting immense pressure to bring opponents on board.

 

EFF calls back room dealmaking “an affront to a democratic world order.” It’s committed to work with other anti-ACTA groups to defeat ACTA.

 

The Inquisitr calls the agreement worse than SOPA and PIPA. It “takes a fairly bland idea – the right of companies to profit from their own intellectual property – and turns it into a governmental power grab and an excuse to weaken” Internet privacy.

 

La Quadrature du Net (Internet & Libertes) says ACTA “has absolutely no democratic legitimacy.” Unelected bureaucrats drafted it. It urges mass actions to defeat it.

 

A Final Comment

 

ACTA potentially criminalizes almost anything online. It lets government and corporate predators censor, shut down sites, and prosecute owners if they object to posted content. Imagine the effect on free thought and opinion.

 

Criticize government or corporate lawlessness and be silenced behind bars. That’s why stopping ACTA is crucial. SOPA and PIPA outrage was round one. ACTA’s the main event.

 

A truth emergency exists. So far, it’s mostly below the radar. Exposing it widely is crucial. Now’s the time to act before it’s too late.

 

Internet freedom’s on the chopping block for elimination unless mass public outrages stops it. EFF cites other plurilateral deals like the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). It’s more draconian than ACTA.

 

Secret negotiations again drafted it. Bureaucrats alone were involved. Civil society, public interest groups, and lawmakers had no say.

 

Internet freedom’s on the line. The stakes are immense. Jefferson understood by saying that:

 

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”

 

Now’s the time to assure it doesn’t happen. Spread the word! Mobilize! Agitate! Involve Congress! Stop this monster! It’s our Internet! Get in the fight to save it!

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Jan 27

Profile of a Rogue State

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Profile of a Rogue State

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

America’s unmatched globally. However, pound for pound, based on size, its policies, and regional threat, Israel stands out.

 

Daily, its crimes against humanity continue. On January 23, Jerusalem police arrested two Palestinian officials, Khaled Abu Arafeh and Mohammed Totah.

 

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said both men were wanted for unspecified “Hamas activities” with no further comment.

 

Hamas, of course, is Palestine’s legitimate government. Israel and America spuriously call it a terrorist organization. Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri said arresting both men was a “Zionist crime.” Palestine’s parliament hasn’t functioned since Hamas and Fatah split in 2007.

 

Both men were arrested at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Sheikh Jarrah offices. For the past 18 months, they sought refuge there protesting Israel’s illegal deportation orders after their ID cards were revoked.

 

Abu Arafah served as Hamas minister for Jerusalem affairs. Totah’s a Hamas PLC representative. Months earlier, Hamas legislator Mahmoud Atoun was arrested. He also sought ICRC refuge.

 

Hamas parliamentarians are repeatedly targeted. Around two dozen remain imprisoned. Twenty are uncharged under administrative detention. At one time, 40 Hamas PLC members were lawlessly incarcerated for belonging to the wrong party, not any crimes they committed.

 

On January 19, Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Aziz Dweik was arrested for alleged terrorist connections. Despite a thinly veiled lie, a military court on January 24 ordered him detained uncharged for six months.

 

On January 20, lawmaker Khaled Tafesh was arrested and detained at Ofer Prison.

 

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemned Israel’s actions. It called them “a plan to undermine the results of the (January 2006) Palestinian legislative elections (and) to abort the Palestinian reconciliations efforts.”

 

PCHR also called them Fourth Geneva-prohibited collective punishment. It demanded immediate release of those held, strongly condemned storming ICRC’s office, and said doing so violated international humanitarian law.

 

Israel falsely claimed ICRC’s office has no diplomatic status, making it fair game for Israeli lawlessness.

 

Israel’s War on Hamas

 

On January 25, Jerusalem Post writer Khaled Abu Toameh headlined, “Israel has declared war on Hamas in West Bank,” saying:

 

In the past few days alone, five Hamas PLC members were arrested. “Early Tuesday, IDF soldiers arrested Abdel Jabbar Fukaha, a Hamas legislator, in Ramallah and confiscated documents, a laptop and mobile phones from his home.”

 

His wife said their son Mujahed was summoned to appear Sunday for interrogation. After serving a four-month sentence, Fukaha was released from Israeli prison in February 2011.

 

“In a related development, Hamas legislators in Tulkarm said on Tuesday that an Israeli security official phoned them and ordered them to close their office immediately. Fathi Qarawi and Riad Raddad said it was the second threat received in the past month.”

 

It’s part of an Israeli campaign to destroy Hamas, they believe, adding:

 

“Israel has declared war on Hamas. But we won’t be deterred and we will continue to fulfill our duties.”

 

Hamas leaders believe Israel’s trying to sabotage reconciliation with Fatah and foil planned May parliamentary and presidential elections. It wouldn’t be the first time strong-arm Israeli tactics subverted Palestinian elections and other legitimate activities.

 

Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri denounced Israeli’s scheme, saying:

 

“Israel thinks that the arrests will destroy Hamas’ chances of winning the elections. On the contrary, these measures will only increase (our) popularity.”

 

He also called on human rights organizations to intervene and pressure Israel to release lawlessly detained “legislators who were elected by the people in a democratic vote.”

 

Lawless Home Demolitions, Land Theft and Dispossessions

 

Among other rogue policies, home demolitions and land theft define Israeli repression. On January 23, East Anata’s bedouin compound was bulldozed and destroyed for the fifth time.

 

The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) calls it “a living symbol of resistance to Occupation and the desire for justice and peace.”

 

ICAHD’s Itay Ephshtain said:

 

“People are somber, traumatized and grief stricken. Nearly 100 people are out in the elements now on a cold night. Children, babies, mothers, fathers. Some of us from ICAHD did try to block the bulldozer, but were beaten back by soldiers.”

 

In fact, Epshtain was personally beaten and sustained minor injuries.

 

Called Beit Arabiya, the site was home to Arabiya Shawemreh, her husband Salim and seven children. Their home was previously destroyed four times.

 

Each time, ICAHD, Palestinians, and international peace activists rebuilt it. Now it’s again gone. On January 23 around 11PM, a bulldozer accompanied by soldiers arrived. Beit Arabiya as well as other residential and agricultural structures in Arab al-Jahalin Bedouin compound were destroyed.

 

Beit Arabiya initially got a demolition order in 1994. At issue was failing to get a building permit on their own land. ICAHD Director Jeff Halper vowed to help Salim and Arabiya rebuild, saying:

 

“We shall rebuild. We must rebuild forthwith as an act of political defiance of the occupation and protracted oppression of Palestinians.”

 

“ICAHD is as determined as always to rebuild the home, and endure in its struggle to bring about justice and peace.”

 

Salim and Arabiya dedicated their home to Rachael Corrie and Nuha Sweidan. Both women, an American and Palestinian, were murdered resisting Gaza home demolitions.

 

Weeks earlier on December 6, The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights called on Israel to cease house demolitions, forced evictions, and residency revocations.

 

ICAHD’s publication “No Home, No Homeland” highlights the issue. It estimates about 26,000 Palestinian homes destroyed since June 1967 for “punitive, land clearing/military, and administrative” reasons.

 

On Occupied Palestinian land, doing so violates international law. Israel spurns it. As a result, Palestinian suffering continues. Women and children are especially affected. Forced displacement further harms them. ICAHD called 2011 a record year.

 

World leaders turn a blind eye. Israeli officials are green-lighted to commit crimes with impunity. They take full advantage.

 

Obama’s “Ironclad” Commitment

 

In his January 24 State of the Union address, Obama highlighted his unwavering support, saying:

 

“Our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history.”

 

Among other ways, it’s reflected in billions in military aid and regular increased amounts. In August 2007, Bush increased it by $6 billion over the next decade. Despite budget constraints, Obama added more.

 

In FY 2012 alone, an additional $236 million will help develop three Israeli missile programs: Arrow-2, David’s Sling, and Arrow 3. Israel already gets over $3 billion annually, plus unknown add-ons if requested.

 

“If Americans knew” reports that while Israel gets “at least $8.2 million each day in military aid,” Palestinians get zero.

 

A Final Comment

 

On January 22, London Guardian writer Harriet Sherwood headlined, “The Palestinian children – alone and bewildered – in Israel’s Al Jalame” Prison, saying:

 

Young children are physically and verbally abused. It’s nightmarish. Cell 36 and others like it are “where Palestinian children are locked in solitary confinement for days or even weeks. One 16-year-old” said he’d been isolated for 65 days.

 

Cells are “barely wider than the thin, dirty mattress that covers the floor. Behind a low concrete wall is a squat toilet, the stench from which has no escape in the windowless room. The rough concrete walls deter idle leaning; the constant overhead light inhibits sleep.”

 

Low-quality food arrives through door flaps, depriving children of human contact. Brutal interrogations break the monotony.  Shackled hands and feet to a chair for hours, they’re questioned.

 

Most often, their alleged “crime” is stone-throwing. Most deny doing it. Physical and verbal abuse follow. Many face sleep deprivation exhaustion. “Day after day they are fettered to the chair, then returned to solitary confinement. In the end, many sign confessions” in desperation. Later they say they were coerced.

 

As many as 700 Palestinian children are arrested annually. Some are 10 or younger. Mistreatment is extreme. Emotional trauma results.

 

According to Nader Abu Amsha, director of Beit Sahour’s YMCA juvenile rehab program:

 

“(F)amilies think that when (their) child is released, it’s the end of the problem. We tell them (it’s only) the beginning. You see children who are totally broken. It’s painful to see the pain of these children, to see how much they are squeezed by the Israeli system.”

 

It’s more evidence of rogue Israeli lawlessness. Imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti told Maan News that conflict and abuses will continue until Israel ends occupation and withdraws to pre-1967 borders.

 

He believes Palestinian national unity and nonviolent resistance stand the best chance of achieving it.

 

Barghouti’s a prisoner of conscience serving five consecutive life sentences plus 40 years for wanting to live free. Free or imprisoned, he symbolizes hope. Supporters hope he’ll be freed one day to lead them.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Jan 27

Selling War

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Selling War

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Throughout its history, America glorified wars in the name of peace. From inception, they’re perpetuated against one or more domestic or foreign adversaries.

 

They include mass killing, assaults and abuse. Pacifism’s called sissy or unpatriotic. Propaganda insists America’s peace-loving. In fact, more than ever today, it’s addicted to permanent war and violence.

 

Nonetheless, initiating them requires public support. Famed US journalist Walter Lippmann coined the phrase “manufacture of consent.” It’s a euphemism for mind control.

 

In 1917, George Creel first used it successfully to turn pacifist Americans into raging German-haters. It works the same way now. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson was reelected on a pledge of: “He Kept Us Out of War.” Straightaway, he began planning US involvement.

 

In April 1917, he established the Committee on Public Information (CPI or Creel Committee). It operated through August 1919. Its mission was enlisting public support for war and undermining opposition sentiment.

 

Corporate America was so impressed, it recruited Edward Bernays, a nephew of Sigmund Freud. He became a PR/propaganda pioneer. His 1928 book titled “Propaganda” said it’s possible to “regiment the public mind every bit as much as an army regiments their bodies.”

 

“If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, is it not possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing about it?”

 

He called the technique the “engineering of consent.” He invented the press release. One of his most successful campaigns involved convincing women to smoke in public when it was considered taboo. He pursuaded business that news, not advertising, best manipulates public opinion.

 

He drew on Freudian psychoanalytic ideas. In an age of mass production, he believed techniques were needed to distribute ideas the same way. On behalf of United Fruit, his propaganda campaign helped overthrow Guatemala’s democratically elected Jacobo Arbenz Guzman.

 

His pioneering PR techniques got Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter to describe him and Ivy Lee as “professional poisoners of the public mind, exploiters of foolishness, fanaticism and self-interest.”

 

In his 1947 book titled, “The Engineering of Consent,” he called it “the very essence of the democratic process, the freedom to persuade and suggest.” In fact, it’s used manipulatively more for ill, than good, especially in selling war.

 

Australian-born social psychologist Alex Carey helped pioneer the study of corporate propaganda. His seminal work is titled, “Taking the Risk Out of Democracy: Corporate Propaganda versus Freedom and Liberty.”

 

He said “The twentieth century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy.”

 

Using Deception to Launch Wars

 

Coalition to Oppose Arms Trade coordinator Richard Sanders said:

 

“Throughout history, war planners have used various forms of deception to trick their enemies. Because public support is so crucial (to wage war), the home population is also subject to deceitful stratagems. The creation of false excuses to justify going to war is a major first step in constructing public support….”

 

“The corporate media (are) central to the success of” manufacturing consent. So is repetition to blot out other narratives. Media giants and PR wizards are master mind manipulators, marshaling public support for war.

 

It works the same way every time. Truth is suppressed. Public fear is stoked. Patriotism and democratic values are highlighted. People are manipulated to support war to protect national security. Wilson claimed entering WW I “kept the world safe for democracy.”

 

During the WW II buildup, anti-war proponents were called subversives and Nazi sympathizers. Once begun, anti-German/Italian/Japanese propaganda censored media and other communications to enlist support. Other techniques included posters, advertising, comic books and cartoons, leaflets, and films extolling America and portraying the axis as bad guys.

 

Steven Casey’s ground-breaking book titled, “Selling the Korean War: Propaganda, Politics, and Public Opinion in the United States” analyzed Truman and Eisenhower administration efforts to shape public discourse, influence media coverage, and gain popular support for limited conflict and anti-Soviet Cold War policies.

 

He also showed how Truman officials redefined war as it continued with mounting casualties. His analysis used previously unavailable archives, including government documents, papers of leading congressmen, newspaper editors, and war correspondents. His book’s the definitive word on how public opinion was manipulated during America’s “forgotten war.”

 

Noam Chomsky calls the Vietnam War “a classic example of America’s propaganda system.” Major media scoundrels let doves and hawks debate, but “(b)oth sides agreed on one thing. We had a right to carry out aggression,” but refused to admit it took place.

 

America’s presence was called defense against enemy aggression. “Like the Soviets in Afghanistan, we tried to establish” a pro-US Saigon regime. Escalation led to invasion. Anti-war activists on principle were banned from public discourse. “The debate was essentially over tactics,” not legitimacy.

 

Over time, anti-war sentiment grew, especially after the January 1968 Tet Offensive and June 1971 Pentagon Papers release. They showed the Johnson administration lied to the public and Congress. Gallup Polls showed 70% of Americans thought Vietnam was “fundamentally wrong and immoral, not a mistake.”

 

Opposition produced the “Vietnam Syndrome.” Chomsky called it “a grave disease in the eyes of America’s elites because people understand too much.”

 

He also discussed months of propaganda preceding Congress voting on contra aid in March 1986. He reviewed 85 New York Times and Washington Post editorials and op-eds. All were anti-Sandanista. Opposition opinion was suppressed despite Nicaragua directing popular social services in contrast with repressive US allies Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

 

Of course, all wars are based on lies. When major media scoundrels suppress truth, administrations get away with murder.

 

It was true in Central America, Grenada on the pretext of rescuing medical students, manufactured incidents to oust Panama’s Manuel Noreiga, entrapping Saddam Hussein to invade Kuwait that launched the Gulf War, 9/11 as pretext to attack Afghanistan and continue a decade of imperial wars against nonbelligerent states.

 

In April 2007, Washington Post writer Tom Shales headlined, “A Media Role in Selling the War? No Question,” saying:

 

“It’s always depressing to learn that you’ve been had, but incalculably more so when the deception has resulted in thousands of Americans dying in the Iraq war effort” based on lies.

 

As in all wars, the more people rely on television for news, the less they know, and more susceptible they become to government and media propaganda.

 

In their book, “Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush’s War on Iraq,” Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber showed how manipulative propaganda sold the public on war.

 

Combining PR and media deception, Operation: Iraqi Freedom was created. Deconstructing the process, they showed how top Bush officials planned war prior to his election, but waited until September 2002 for “product launch” to inform the public.

 

Using ‘big lie” tactics, they associated Saddam with 9/11, forged documents to allege WMDs, and worked secretly to create the opposition Iraqi National Congress (INC). The PR Rendon Group coined the term. It got millions in funding and worked closely with CIA operatives. It became a driving force for war.

 

“Weapons of Mass Deception” exposed how aggressive PR and manipulative media convince people to go along with policies harming their interests.

 

The Pentagon’s very much involved. It spends half a billion dollars selling wars. Truth’s suppressed doing it. Lies launch them and continue throughout conflicts. Anti-Syrian and Iranian rhetoric replicates what preceded attacking Iraq and Libya.

 

On January 16, Russia Today (RT.com) reported how major media scoundrels incite war on Iran. Appearing regularly on US television, hardline figures push it. Alternative voices are shut out.

 

Warmongering’s constant. On-air voices cheerlead it. Slanted news shuts out truth. Former MSNBC producer Jeff Cohen said pressure was constant to support war in the run-up to the Iraq invasion.

 

A Final Comment

 

Things remain the same. Deceptive reports manipulate the public mind on Syria and Iran. “There is no doubt that the mainstream media are crucial in this idea of selling that the US is going to be in a perpetual war.”

 

They’re key in making Americans believe military intervention is vital. Robert Parry said:

 

“I’ve worked at Newsweek as well (as AP) and other major US news organizations. And what I saw, especially at places like Newsweek, was this idea that the media was actually part of the establishment. It was that the American people were to be guided more than informed.”

 

In fact, “political solutions” are alien to America’s vocabulary. War profiteers demand jingoism. A century ago people were manipulated to accept war with Cuba. William Randolph Hearst hyped the big lie about Spain sinking the battleship Maine when, in fact, a coal bunker explosion did it.

 

Hearst, however, told his Havana illustrator: “You furnish the pictures, and I’ll furnish the war.” To this day, lies launch them. They’re all based on lies to get people to go along with what wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Jan 27

Torture and Abuse in Libya

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Torture and Abuse in Libya – by Stephen Lendman

 

NATO’s alleged “responsibility to protect” was subterfuge. Months of terror bombings left Libya a charnel house.

 

Africa’s most developed country was ravaged. Tens of thousands were killed, multiples more injured, and millions left on their own sink or swim.

 

When is war not war? It’s when mass killing and destruction are called the right thing. It’s also when terrorizing and traumatizing an entire population goes unaddressed.

 

Add horrific torture to other crimes and abuses, according to Amnesty International (AI), Doctors Without Borders, and Human Rights Watch (HRW).

 

In its World Report 2012: Libya, HRW said:

 

Post-Gaddafi prison conditions are “sub-standard, with overcrowding, inadequate food and water, and consistent reports about abuse, including beatings (and) use of electric shock.”

 

Investigator Sidney Kwiram said HRW documented “ongoing torture” used “to force confessions or for punishment.”

 

HRW left unaddressed that most held are pro-Gaddafi political prisoners. Doing so is lawless repression. It’s also more proof of NATO and its puppet NTC regime’s contempt for human rights.

 

On January 26, AI headlined, “Libya: Deaths of detainees amid widespread torture,” saying:

 

Libyan detainees are tortured and abused. As a result, some died. Victims are pro-Gaddafi loyalists. AI met detainees “in and around Tripoli, Misrata and Gheryan.”

 

Torture marks were visible, including “open wounds on the head, limbs, back and other parts of the body.”

 

It’s inflicted “by officially recognized military and security entities as well as a multitude of armed militias operating outside any legal framework.”

 

AI knows international law prohibits torture and abuse committed by any authority at all times, under all conditions with no allowed exceptions. Nonetheless, it didn’t explain.

 

AI’s Donatell Rovera called it “horrifying to find that there has been no progress to stop the use of torture. We are not aware of any proper investigations into (these cases), and neither the survivors or relatives of those who have died in detention have had any recourse to justice or redress for what they have suffered.”

 

“While many detainees have described their experiences of torture to us, some have proved too scared to speak – fearing harsher torture” by doing so. Instead, they just showed their wounds.

 

They came from being “suspended in contorted positions, beaten for hours with whips, cables, plastic hoses, metal chains and bars and wooden sticks, and given electric shocks with live wires and Taser-like electro-shock weapons.”

 

Injuries AI saw confirmed detainee testimonies. So did medical reports. Suspected pro-Gaddafi loyalists and Black African foreign workers are affected. NTC authorities and armed militias are responsible.

 

Victims confess to stop pain. They have no legal representation. One Misrata detainee told AI:

 

“This morning they took me for interrogation upstairs. Five men in plain clothes took turns beating and whipping me….They suspended me from the top of the door by my wrists for about an hour and kept beating me. They also kicked me.”

 

Another said he was beaten on wounds sustained weeks earlier and added:

 

“Yesterday they beat me with electric cables while my hands were cuffed behind my back and my feet were bound together. They threatened to send me back to the militia (that) captured me, who would kill me.”

 

Others died from torture-inflicted injuries. Deep bruises and open wounds confirmed it.

 

Despite AI’s requests for months, NTC authorities “failed to conduct effective investigations into cases of torture and suspicious deaths in custody.”

 

Moreover, the “police and judiciary remain dysfunctional across the country.” AI’s Donatella Rovera said there’s been “a complete failure on the part of those in power to take concrete steps to end torture and other ill-treatment of detainees and to hold those accountable responsible for such crimes.”

 

On January 26, a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) press release headlined, “Libya: Detainees Tortured and Denied Medical Care,” saying:

 

MSF confirmed torture and abuse against Misrata detainees. They’re also denied “urgent medical care.” As a result, MSF suspended operations.

 

Since August 2011, they treated Misrata’s war-wounded detainees. “Since then, (they observed) injuries caused by torture during interrogation sessions.” They treated 115 cases. They informed Misrata authorities. “Since January, several of the patients returned to interrogation centers were again tortured.”

 

“Some officials (tried) to exploit and obstruct MSF’s medical work,” according to general director Christopher Stokes.

 

“Patients were brought to us in the middle of the interrogation for medical care, in order to make them fit for further interrogation. This is unacceptable. Our role is to provide medical care to war casualties and sick detainees, not to repeatedly treat the same patients between torture sessions.”

 

Responsibility belongs to Libya’s National Army Security Service. It conducts interrogations. They prevented MSF from treating detainees requiring “urgent and specialized” hospitalization care.

 

Instead they were interrogated again and tortured. On January 9, MSF addressed the Misrata Military Council, the Misrata Security Committee, the National Army Security Service, and the Misrata Local Civil Council “demanding an immediate stop to any form of ill treatment of detainees.”

 

Nothing was done, said Stokes. Torture continues. In response, MSF suspended operations, but continues providing mental health services. It’s also keep helping Black African workers, refugees, and those internally displaced around Tripoli.

 

MSF’s performed medical services in Libya since February 2011. Under NATO/NTC-imposed conditions, it’s no longer able to treat torture and war-wounded victims by providing emergency care, surgeries, and orthopedic follow-up treatment.

 

A Final Comment

 

Libya was developed and peaceful until NATO arrived on cruise missiles, bombs, shells, other munitions, depleted and enriched uranium, other terror weapons, fifth column infiltrators, media liars, and other rogue tactics.

 

It’s another imperial trophy to colonize, plunder and exploit. State-sponsored terror continues. Human misery is incalculable.

 

Libyans wanting to live free are vulnerable. Keep their freedom flame alive no matter how NATO monsters try to destroy it.

 

We’re all Libyans now! Their struggle is ours! It better be because our turn may be next!

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

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