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Palestinian Rights Activism Endangered

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Palestinian Rights Activism Endangered

by Stephen Lendman

In America, Israel, Europe and elsewhere, supporting Palestinian rights publicly is dangerous.

In September 2010, FBI agents raided homes of Chicago and Minneapolis human rights activists.

Two Chicagoans affected said 20 FBI agents ransacked their home. They and others had computers, cell phones, and other personal belongings taken.

They weren’t terrorists. They committed no crimes. Most supported the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. It publishes a newsletter called Fight Back.

An FBI spokesman lied, saying raids targeted people “providing, attempting and conspiring to provide material support” to terrorist groups. In fact, those named are legitimate, lawful and/or resistance organizations. They included Hezbollah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and FARC-EP.

In June 2010, the Supreme Court Humanitarian Law Project v. Holder ruling is relevant. It targeted First Amendment rights. The Justice Department likely used it as justification for the raids and others.

Individuals or groups opposing policies of America, NATO, Israeli, or other US allies can be targeted for expressing views publicly.

In its 6 – 3 decision, the Court criminalized “knowingly provid(ing) material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.” The State Department can designate any group a “foreign terrorist organization,” whether or not it’s true.

Designations are largely political, not terrorist related. Claims about threatening US security are used to heighten fear and justify hostile actions. Wars sometimes follow.

Washington, NATO allies, Israel, and rogue Arab League states conspire to wage them. Anti-war groups, human rights activists, and Palestinian supporters are vulnerable. Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) were targeted.

They call themselves “a student-run political and advocacy organization that was created for the purposes of stimulating a heightened awareness among the FAU community and South Florida, in general, for the plight of the Palestinian people living in Occupied Palestine.”

Similar groups exist on dozens of US campuses. Among others, they include UC Berkeley, Yale, Penn State, Purdue, NYU, Harvard Law, Georgetown, Colombia, Brown, Brandeis, and University of Texas (Austin).

They advocate Palestinian self-determination, ending Israel’s occupation, the right to resist to achieve it, respecting international law and human rights, the right of return, and other social and political justice issues.

FAU activists protested against Israel demolishing Palestinian homes. In response, they got death threats. Pro-Israeli groups threatened them.

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), National Lawyers Guild (NLG), Jewish Voices for Peace, CODEPINK, and 11 other human rights organizations issued a statement defending their free speech rights. In part, they said:

“We, the undersigned, condemn efforts, both on and off campus, to silence student speech in support of Palestinian rights, and affirm the First Amendment rights of students to engage in such speech.”

“It is not anti-Semitic to criticize the conduct of the State of Israel. It is not “hate speech” to challenge violations of international law and internationally recognized human rights standards.”

They cited the Supreme Court’s Terminiello v. Chicago decision. It ruled speech “may indeed best serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger.”

“Speech is often provocative and challenging. It may strike at prejudices and preconceptions and have profound unsettling effects as it presses for acceptance of an idea.”

Speech is constitutionally protected. Without it, all other rights are endangered. In Keyishian v. Board of Regents, the Supreme Court ruled that protecting free expression “is nowhere more vital” than on campuses.

Academic freedom shares equal importance. Silencing anyone for unpopular or other political views can’t be tolerated in free societies. Millions support Palestinian rights worldwide.

FAU and other students are constitutionally protected to do it. So is everyone. Censorship is abhorrent everywhere.

Defending human rights is vital. So is supporting justice for those denied it.

Targeting Australian Palestinian Rights Activists

On May 1, Palestine solidarity goes on trial. Nineteen Melbourne, Australia activists were targeted for nonviolently protesting last July for Palestinian rights.

Outside a Max Brenner (MB) chocolateria store, police attacked them violently. The Israeli conglomerate Strauss Group owns MB. It supports militantly occupying Palestine.

Activists are charged with besetting (meaning to surround a building) and trespass. Some face additional charges, including “riotous manner,” resisting and/or hindering arrest.

Their protest was one of several the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid organized. It’s part of the global boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign.

The case involves speech, public solidarity, and right to protest peacefully in a free society. Expressing Palestinian, anti-imperial, and social justice support publicly risks retaliation in many Western countries and elsewhere.

Police violence, arrests, and false accusations follow. Melbourne protesters were brutalized. One woman had her shoulder dislocated. Another said:

“I was dragged behind police lines. Once they grabbed me and started dragging me, I went limp and dropped to the ground.”

“As I was being carried through the corridors of the loading dock, I lost consciousness because one of the police had me in a choke hold. I am not sure how long I was out, probably a few minutes. I woke up on the loading dock floor and heard the police saying I was ‘out.’ ”

Pro-Israeli supporters held counter-demonstrations. The fascist/Islamophic Australian Protection Party (APP) and Australian Defense League (ADL) held their own in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.

One APP leader held a sign, saying: “I’m more interested in the purer form of fascism.” It included other extremist comments as well.

Palestinian activists called it no accident that neo-Nazis and pro-Israeli zealots united against the Melbourne 19. They said success in Australian politics depends on unswerving loyalty to Israel and cracking down hard on opposition groups.

The case involves collusion among pro-Israeli groups, police, the shopping center management where MB’s store is located, and the Victorian government.

New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies head Vic Alhadeff discussed tactics used. He said they’re “not limited to engagement with civil society and politicians, patronage of boycotted outlets, cooperation with police, shop owners and centre managers, and exposure of the motives behind the BDS movement.”

Strategy he said should be “speak softly” but carry “a big stick.” Police provide big ones but don’t “speak softly.”

During a July 27, 2011 bail hearing, Victoria police admitted that confrontation was decided before protesters demonstrated. It followed meetings with Zionist organizations, the local government, shopping center management, and Max Brenner.

Palestinian solidarity is criminalized. So is BDS activism. Anyone supporting right over wrong is vulnerable. Doing it publicly may bring fines and jail. It also subjects activists to police brutality. Whether in Melbourne, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, or Jerusalem, criticizing Israel is dangerous.

Militarized police lash out violently. In Australia, America Europe, and elsewhere, special units have been trained. Designations include Special Operations Groups (SOGs). Critical Incident Response teams are part of the Victorian Police Force Response Unit Command.

Tactics used include close monitoring and infiltrating groups, as well as kettling. It involves confining demonstrations to small areas.

A Final Comment

Following last July’s confrontation, Stop the War Coalition Sydney (SWCS) headlined “Support the Melbourne Boycott-Israel 19 Defence Campaign!” saying:

Attacking Palestinian rights activists “highlights increasing attempts to criminalise BDS and pro-Palestine solidarity activism internationally.”

Hundreds in America and Europe face criminal charges for supporting what’s right. Their civil liberties are violated. Melbourne’s Herald Sun said a new 42-member “Public Order Response Team” was established for involvement in “breaking up public protests.”

Representing the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid, civil liberties lawyer Rob Stary denounced the attacks and arrests. He said they show that “the new Victorian government is prepared to criminalise legitimate dissent.”

SWCS called on “all supporters of human rights, freedom of speech and civil liberties to stand in solidarity with” the Melbourne 19.

Over two dozens human rights groups and over 100 activists, scholars, journalists, other professionals, students, unionists, and at least one courageous politician signed the Melbourne 19 solidarity pledge and defense campaign support statement.

They urged those able to please donate to their defense fund as follows:

Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Commonwealth Bank

BSB: 063-262 Account: 1052 9148.

Please tag donations DF19

Defend Palestinian rights! Defend their right to resist! Defend the right to protest! Defend the Melbourne 19 for courageously doing 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/.

Apr 30

What’s Next for Libya?

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What’s Next for Libya?

NATO’s “responsibility to protect” (R2P) was subterfuge to wage war. Months of terror bombing left Libya a charnel house.

Africa’s most developed country was ravaged, not liberated. Protracted struggle continues. Expect it to persist for years.

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 continues unaddressed.

Libya was developed and peaceful until NATO intervened. It arrived on cruise missiles, bombs, shells, other munitions, depleted and enriched uranium, other terror weapons, fifth column infiltrators, and media scoundrel complicity, as well as coverup and denial.

No nation or alliance may interfere in the internal affairs of another except in self-defense if attacked. NATO R2P authority was Trojan Horse deception. Crimes of war and against humanity followed. They continue out-of-control.

NATO’s still involved. Thousands of US forces guard key oil facilities, ports, and perhaps other strategic sites. Occasional air attacks occur. NATO warships occupy Libya’s ports. US, Italian, French, and perhaps other forces are involved. January reports from Misrata said Apache helicopters slaughtered rebels trying to scale Brega oil platforms.

Insurgents battle each other and Green Resistance for control. Frequent clashes leave rivals and civilians dead or injured. Militias control local areas and neighborhoods. Thousands of Gaddafi loyalists and Black African guest workers were murdered or held captive and tortured. Dark-skinned Libyans and guest workers are especially threatened.

On October 23, Obama duplicitously “congratulated the people of Libya on today’s declaration of liberation. After four decades of brutal dictatorship and eight months of deadly conflict, the Libyan people can now celebrate their freedom and the beginning of a new era of promise.”

He’s a frontman for power. He’s an inveterate liar and war criminal multiple times over. He added another imperial trophy to colonize, plunder and exploit. Keeping it’s another matter. Libya’s one of history’s great crime. Green Resistance struggles to restore Jamahiriya rule.

Obama matched the worst of Bush and exceeded him. Libyans, Afghans, Iraqis, and Syrians revile him. So do millions of others for good reason. Hopefully one day they’ll have the last word.

Liberation never comes easily or quickly. For sure, it’s worth protracted struggle to achieve, no matter the cost.

Gaddafi was no coward or quitter. Neither are Libyans and others throughout North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.

Their liberating struggle won’t end until America’s imperial scourge ends, and NATO’s consigned to the dustbin of history. Humanity depends on it.

NATO’s sole new millennium accomplishment consists of endless unwinnable wars. Coalition partners eventually tire and pull out.

America may end up isolated. It excels in making enemies and losing friends.

The battle for Iraq continues. Afghanistan’s war was lost years ago. Libya’s also though political Washington, coalition partners, media scoundrels, and NATO won’t admit it.

The alliance wages lawless imperial aggression against nonbelligerent countries. Yugoslavia was first, then Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

Daily terror bombings massacred tens of thousands of Libyans. Insurgent gangs continue committing shocking atrocities. Libya’s revolutionary struggle won’t end until Green Resistance purges them eliminates NATO’s control.

Gaddafi’s murder investigation was whitewashed. Killers don’t judge themselves guilty.

In mid-February, a UN News Centre release “welcomed….Libya’s new electoral authorities.” It urged “free elections” be held as soon as possible.

On February 12, members of Libya’s so-called Higher National Electoral Commission (HNEC) were sworn in days after National Transitional Council (NTC) officials adopted electoral laws to choose National Congress members. A 200-member constituent assembly is planned.

The Jamahiriya News Agency (JANA) quoted HNEC’s Othman al-Kajiji saying last week in June “elections will be held on schedule as set by the constitutional declaration.”

So-called elections install powerless puppets subservient to Washington, Britain, France, and other rogue NATO partners. Free Libya won’t exist until loyalists regain it.

Last September, Security Council Resolution 2009 established a UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Its mandate belies its mission.

Allegedly it’s tasked to “restor(e) public security and the rule of law, promot(e) inclusive political dialogue and national reconciliation, and (help) the (NTC) embark on the drafting of a new constitution and on laying the foundation for new elections.”

In fact, it’s part of NATO’s imperial occupation. UN Special Representative for Libya’s Ian Martin heads it. He’s Ban Ki-moon’s Post-Conflict for Libya Special Advisor. He serves Washington and other NATO allies, not Libyans.

They face enormous challenges to overcome. They include imperial occupation, destabilization, divisiveness, and violence ravaging the country. Media scoundrels report nothing. Libyans fear what’s next.

Insurgents battle for local control. Death squads eliminate rivals and other targeted victims. Tawergha residents were terrorized last year. Their nightmare continues.

Thousands were killed or exiled to refugee camps. Raids continue. Arrests, torture and deaths result. Human rights atrocities are horrific. Other areas are targeted. Libya’s a raging cauldron. No central control exists.

NATO intends the same fate for Syria and elsewhere. Installing Western puppets is planned. In Libya, they got more than they bargained for. The same holds for Afghanistan and Iraq. Nonetheless, conflicts and violence continue. With more planned, the entire region’s threatened.

Libya was ravaged and destroyed. Tens of thousands were killed, many more injured and displaced. Violence, fear and poverty replaced Gaddafi’s social state. No wonder most Libyans supported him. No wonder they revile NATO.

The alliance hailed a successful mission accomplished. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called the war an “inspiring revolution.” He added that Washington helped “creat(e) a unique alliance against tyranny and for freedom.”

Libyans know otherwise. Daily terror replaced peace and calm. None of it shows signs of ending. No one knows who’s next to die. Everyone suffers. Kafkaesque reality plagues the country. Few doubt who’s responsible.

In February 2011, the UN Human Rights Council established the International Commission of Inquiry on Libya. In March 2012, it reported crimes of war and against humanity committed by both sides.

It said insurgents “committed serious violations, including war crimes and breaches of international human rights law, the latter continuing at the time of the present report. The Commission found these violations to include unlawful killing, arbitrary arrest, torture, enforced disappearance, indiscriminate attacks, and pillage.”

It didn’t address horrific NATO war crimes. Instead it said participating nations “conducted a highly precise campaign with a demonstrable determination to avoid civilian casualties.” It added that further investigations are recommended to evaluate its effectiveness.

Thousands of bombing missions reigned death and destruction for months. Civilians were willfully targeted. Western and Qatari Special Forces aided insurgent violence. Coverup and denial whitewash NATO crimes. Washington orchestrated and directed them. Gaddafi’s Libya no longer exists.

On January 21, Press TV cited the London-based pan-Arab daily Asharq Alawsat saying Washington sent 12,000 soldiers to Libya. They landed in Brega. They came to control key oil fields, facilities and ports.

A Final Comment

Wherever NATO intervenes, death, destruction, and human misery follow. Libya’s disintegrating in chaos and violence. Tribes and rebel gangs battle for dominance. NTC control’s impossible. A new semi-autonomous Cyrenaica region was declared. It extends from Sirte to Egypt’s border. It holds about two-thirds of Libya’s oil.

Oil rich Fezzan region also seeks independence. Tripolitania remains. Its own oil fields lie close to Tripoli. Syrian insurgents are being trained there.

Last year, some observers predicted balkanization. In early March, factional Eastern leaders discussed recognizing Tripoli as Libya’s political capital and Benghazi its financial one – sort of like a Washington/New York division.

Given ongoing violence, instability and lawlessness, perhaps June elections won’t happen as planned. Establishing legitimate rule’s impossible. Restoring peace and calm won’t happen soon. It may take many years to accomplish.

Dozens of insurgent factions remain heavily armed. Operating independently, they won’t integrate into a national army. Clashes continue across mostly Northern areas. Thousands of Gaddafi supporters languish in prisons.

Green Resistance fighters struggle for freedom. So do major tribes against puppet governance. Libya’s so violent, dysfunctional, and unstable, neighboring countries are threatened.

Mali’s late March military coup appears fallout from Libya. It may be replicated elsewhere in North Africa and perhaps beyond. Niger’s also endangered. There’s more involved than meets the eye, including controlling regional resources. Besides oil, Libya, Mali, and Niger have valuable uranium deposits. Washington seeks control.

America and the IMF are involved in Nigerian violence. Western oil giants largely control its oil. However, China made inroads with exploration and infrastructure deals. It wants more. That puts Beijing at odds with Washington and other Western interests.

Currency wars are also at issue. Nigeria’s foreign reserves are 80% in dollars. The rest are in euros and Sterling. Russia, China, India, Iran, and other countries increasingly want less dollar dependence. Moving away enough threatens it as the dominant world reserve currency. Washington’s determined to prevent it. Succeeding’s another matter.

The more China becomes a major Nigeria player, the less dominant dollars in the country become. Destabilizing violence may be involved to prevent it. It’s too early to know for sure but bears watching.

At issue is controlling North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Washington seeks global dominance, especially over resource rich areas. Independence and freedom depend on preventing it.

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

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

Apr 29

Drone Warfare in Yemen

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Drone Warfare in Yemen

by Stephen Lendman

Predator drones sanitize killing on the cheap compared to manned aircraft and ground troops. Teams of remote warriors work far from, and at times, closer to battlefields.

Drone pilots operate computer keyboards and multiple monitors. Sensor staff work with them. They handle TV and infrared cameras, as well as other high-tech drone sensors. Faceless enemies nearby or half a world away are attacked. Virtual war kills like sport.

At day’s end, home-based operators head there for dinner, relaxation, family time, then a good night sleep before another day guiding weapons with joysticks and monitors like computer games.

Dozens of drone command centers operate worldwide. Dozens more are planned. Pentagon and CIA personnel run them. Some are bare bones. Climate-controlled trailers work fine. They operate effectively anywhere. They maintain constant radio contact with command centers.

Others are sophisticated command and control centers. Two operate at CIA’s Langley, VA headquarters. Nevada’s Creech and Nellis Air Force Bases near Las Vegas have others. Plans last year called for Nellis operations to be moved to Florida’s Hurlburt Field Special Operations Command.

Domestic bases also operate from command and control centers in California, Arizona, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Missouri, Ohio, New York, and perhaps elsewhere. Eventually they could be anywhere.

Washington plans escalated surveillance and predator drone operations at dozens of global sites. Expanding them to hundreds is likely. The Pentagon and CIA are tightlipped.

Currently, around one in three US warplanes are drones. One day perhaps they’ll all be unmanned. Sanitized killing is cheap and efficient. Rule of law principles and other disturbing issues aren’t considered. Secrecy and accountability go unaddressed.

Last September, the Washington Post headlined, “US assembling secret drone bases in Africa, Arabian Peninsula, officials say.”

Pentagon and CIA officials plan aggressive campaigns against “al-Qaeda affiliates in Somalia and Yemen, U.S. officials said.”

Ethiopia is home to one installation. Al-Shabab fighters are targeted. Another is based in the Seychelles. Since September 2009, Air Force and Navy MQ-9 Reaper drones operated there.

Called “hunter-killers,” they’re equipped with Hellfire missiles and satellite-guided bombs. Operational secrecy suppresses details of planned missions.

Besides elsewhere, drones are used in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq, Somalia, and Yemen. Among other locations, they operate from Djibouti.

The CIA is building “a secret airstrip in the Arabian Peninsula so it can deploy armed drones over Yemen.”

And when you leave take your pictures with you

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And when you leave take your pictures with you

By: A Writer who wishes to remain anonymous

We have witnessed a mass shedding of black blood at the hands of white supremacy in our recent past. With the slayings of Trayvon Martin, Troy Davis, the drone attacks on Libya and the mass incarceration and torture of black folks in prison, these extreme acts of violence serve as a deadly reminder of how these historic patterns of terror is a fact for us living in such a racist capitalist-imperialist world. The order of the day is no doubt a thirst for black blood and degradation. And we cannot be so naïve to think that the blatant acts of terror we face are not dialectically linked to the more subtle acts of terror survived by us daily. Our exploiters are unyielding in their fantasizing of the many ways they can slaughter and destroy our physical bodies and any hope of us having a shred of humanity in “their” world. From the inception of the capitalist nation-state, they have been taught that dehumanizing people of color is a pastime to be indulged and enjoyed. The racist “African” circumcision cake, unveiled by the Minister of Culture at the Exhibition in Sweden is yet another example of the ways Black life is used as entertainment at the hands of white capitalist supremacy. Whiteness constantly refuses to admit its thirst for Black blood. After all, Blackness is such a hated thing in need of total destruction within the White psyche.

Perhaps the image of the white women clustered around the cake will give us a peek into the minds and habits of a largely White privileged class, if we look historically at the many “cuttings” and “carvings” they have done laughing all the way to the bank.

The literal carving up and consumption of this African cake, conjures up images of the carving of Africa, the consistent rape, lynching, pillage and torture of those from African origins, spread all over the earth to work and die, build and sustain a White empire only to be further humiliated and dehumanized. It conjures up the beginnings of colonization and what we know today to be imperialism, where the greatest purveyor of violence, the U.S, continues to kill our brothers and sisters in the Global South and violently militarizes Africa, starving the continent as it further plunders its resources through the death machine called AFRICOM. Or how about the brutal mutilations and cuttings Whiteness has performed on non-white bodies for medical experimentation and its own medical advancement? Why aren’t these mutilations accounted for?

To add insult to injury, in the age of the non-profit/social justice industrial complex, Whiteness seeks to assuage its guilt by saying that they are “helping black-dark-poor-Third World” people “help themselves.” So valiantly saying that, “We are in this fight together!” and even shedding a few tears to boot! These lies have become the excuse to go into our countries, neighborhoods and communities with their “well intentions” and set up NGOs to work “with” us po’ dark folks. All of their “efforts and sacrifices” to make a real difference in this world while they willfully ignore the supremacy that pervades White communities in this country and abroad, conservatives and so called revolutionaries alike. The hard work inactively struggling to change this thinking, this thinking that reinforces that a non-white life is a little less important than a white one, that white is ultimately right and all that is just lets these violent acts happen day in and day out. When people of color begin to call out the white supremacy embedded in this sense of entitlement and the material benefits that result from the complex of wanting to help, wanting to participate in this business of profiting off our suffering, we are met with hostility and litanies of how we need “to all work together” and build “multiracial justice movements”, or how it’s “all about class anyway,” without Whiteness wanting to check its need to always run the show or even take the time to analyze how this power imbalance between who’s doing the helping and who’s being helped is unfair and keeps the current class structures in order. When I look at this cake, I see the many ways in which Whiteness is constantly nourishing itself off of the suffering of non-white folk. This is a doomed relationship indeed. And such a relationship thrives off of subordination and a hard-wired superiority complex. This historical relationship reflects the barring we face whenever we truly try to have a voice within predominantly White movements. Often, we find that to really get the work of the emancipation of all human beings done, we have to make an intentional or separate space where our voices are heard to ensure that we do not get left behind and/or betrayed.

A Time to Break the Silence

And look again at the image! The lovely smiling white “liberal” faces—in this case a majority white female—smiling, taking pictures, pristine, wine glasses and gut full of red velvet cake, encompassed in the shape of a dormant black African female body. How appropriate that the site of this exploitation is in a museum, which was a more “formal” way for the ruling classes to loot from people of color and put the markers of their labor, culture and creativity on display. Even going so far as to begin putting their actual physical bodies on display for the never-ending perverse curiosity of white supremacy to further poke and prod at its subjects. What makes this whole spectacle even more telling is that no one thought to take a political position that would act in opposition to white supremacy. Instead this behavior was protected. It was all fun and games until they realized that we were watching, and that we saw one of the many ways Whiteness constantly agrees, complies and holds on to its class power when we are not there. Because when they are in our presence we either get convoluted justifications for it not being about white supremacy and privilege, or their silence. It begs the question what they are really thinking and hoarding for themselves when the face of their fear is not there to hold them accountable.

And of course, we are not there to tell our own story, or to redefine ourselves in a more emancipatory way. It is better to have us maimed and disfigured than heard. It is even better if we get to sit there and quietly watch while it is done.

This point of having people of color, specifically women of color, seen but not heard is further reflected in “This Bridge Called my Back.” in the chapter, And when you leave take your pictures with you, the failures of our white sisters to ever truly stand in solidarity with us and relate to us as true equals is called out: “Within cultural and academic circles, Third World women have become the subject matter of many literary and artistic endeavors by white women, and yet we are refused access to the pen, the publishing house, the galleries and the classrooms” (Barbara Smith). The suffering of our lives at the hands of this system is something to be laughed at, consumed and even pre-determined as a fact of our existence. White supremacy has named the order of the day: we must serve as targets for White rage and its entertainment. We are met with these disdainful and hateful images that continue to kill us en mass, as these coddled women in all their privilege and galore go on in happy oblivion partaking in this festivity.

Good Intentions

And yes, these supposed white progressive allies will shriek and shrill convincing themselves that they preach a platform of humanitarianism and even radical politics. Their stance gives insight into the types of individualist excuses we are given daily from our white brothers and sisters when they are met with their inadequacy to interrupt the white racism rampant amongst their peers. Instead we get carefully crafted excuses, fragmented sentences that carefully leave out exactly who is doing what to whom and the most asinine arguments ranging from: Well the Swedes did not oppress black people so I don’t think it’s racism-Well, she’s just backwards in her thinking I mean that was one incident-well it’s ruling class ideology anyway… but we certainly don’t perpetuate it. After all “comrade” look at this historical moment here when blacks took a reactionary stance on this working class position and blah blah blah…! Or the most sugar-water retort of them all. Well we had good intentions! We’re good people. Isn’t there anything to say for that?! No. There really isn’t. And It doesn’t matter. A professor of mine said, once you put something out into the world it becomes a social force, and that social force does not exist within a vacuum, it is interpreted through the eyes of history and experience. You are not exempt from history and the legacy it has left for us, to think so is an individualist-arrogant stance.

And I don’t care if the person who made this cake is Black and does artwork to question stereotypes about Blackness, nor do I care if Barack Obama is Black, nor do I care if Trayvon Martin’s killer is half Latino. If you don’t understand how people of color have been used as an effective tool to sustain white supremacy and this capitalist system then we do not have much to talk about. Such a thought is a more liberal racist slant and a way to absolve Whiteness of any accountability in what is has spent centuries so carefully cultivating. Good intentions without thinking of its impact on the lives and daily terrors done to people of color is a selfish position, especially when your darker brothers and sisters have been pleading with you to stop the harm you cause. We cannot quantify your good intentions alone, it can only be measured by the impacts your actions have, and if your actions keep creating destruction then your very thoughts are destructive, plain and simple. We have suffered your feelings long enough.

Moving through Betrayal

This article is far too short to cover the historic and deep betrayals of white supremacy, specifically in our struggles for liberation from a largely white ruling class. Perhaps, by taking a look at the initial divisions among labor lines and its resulting class struggles in the United States we can look closely at the types of agreements, complicities and ultimately the peace gained from taking the few nuggets that the ruling class so begrudgingly offered to subdue and buy off the white middle and working classes. This sets the foundation for why it has been so difficult for white folks who should be aligned with us to not idly stand by and watch as we are destroyed by the overt and covert manifestations of white supremacy. Perhaps this is why we always get tears and excuses from white folks when trying to talk about this. I personally am convinced it is the hesitance to not divest oneself of this power and desperately try to stall long enough to find an argument that supports your position and absolves you of any responsibility, or at least lets you somewhat off the hook by blaming everything on the white ruling class or even better yet, putting the onus of this work back on us. After all, they create it, its divide and conquer you say. But people of color have been trying to tell you that for some time now, so you can remember not to do harm and constantly see the struggle from your eyes. Inherent in the word system is reproduction, and it is not only done through war and physical violence, it is also done through soft power, ideology, which allows us to uphold these values though even we are not the ones physically pulling the trigger. Standing in solidarity has to be a disciplined effort that is done concurrently in the world and in ourselves and there are a lot of sacrifices to be made and truths to be spoken. There really are no shortcuts. And what I see in this image is a complete blood bath and happy forgetfulness at the expense of your darker brothers and sisters. There is much to atone for.

If you are interested in writing or serving as a community correspondent for Your World News, please email: solo@yourworldnews.org

Apr 27

Land Day: Why It Matters

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Land Day: Why It Matters

by Stephen Lendman

In 1948, Israel stole 78% of Palestine. In 1967, they took the rest. The Israeli/Palestinian conflict remains the longest unresolved one of our time.

Long denied justice awaits. Western complicity with Israel prevents Palestinians from living free. So did Arafat’s Oslo surrender. Abbas and PA cronies continue working against their own people for whatever benefits they derive.

Palestine’s an isolated prison. State terror is official Israeli policy. So is attacking nonviolent Palestinian protesters. Edward Said once said, “Jonathan Swift, thou shouldst be living at this hour.”

He’d blanche at how bad things are now. We all should and do something about it. Change depends on it.

Occupied Palestine is the region’s epicenter. Israeli police state terror suffocates Palestinians for not being Jews. An inexorable quest for dominance and corrupted self-interest deny justice.

Nonetheless, Palestinians persist. Living free on their own land drives them. Every March 30 they commemorate what’s important to remember every day.

Since 1976, Palestinians worldwide observe Land Day and why it matters. Nationwide protests and general strike action erupted. At issue was Israel’s land confiscation policy and brutal occupation harshness.

Israel declared demonstrations illegal. Palestinians ignored the threat and rallied. Thousands of Israeli security forces confronted them violently. Six Palestinians died. Dozens more were injured. Hundreds were arrested.

That’s how police states operate. Nothing changed to this day. Professors Baruch Kimmerling and Joel Migdal said Land Day 1976 was special. Palestinians showed “daring confidence and political awareness” lacking earlier.

This time they weren’t “passive or submissive.” They “initiated and coordinated” nationwide political activity. Security force violence confronted them. Nonetheless, Palestinians showed they’d no longer be ignored.

Thirty-six years ago, Israel announced a plan to confiscate thousands of acres of Palestinian land for “security and settlement purposes.” Palestinians had enough and resisted. They vowed to defend their land and rights.

They’re important. So are Arab identity and heritage. Occupied Palestinians and Israeli ones united. They protested against Israel’s plan to replace them with Jews.

In early 1975, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin announced a project to Judaize the Galilee. “Developing the Galilee,” he called it. The idea was to transform it into a majority Jewish region, construct eight industrial estates, and develop its economy overall.

On March 1, 1976, General Yisrael Koenig, in charge of Israel’s northern region, prepared a secret report. It planned removing Arabs from the area, confiscating their land, and Judaizing it.

It warned about Arabs becoming the majority population. He called it a serious threat to Israel’s character. Israelis today warn of a “demographic bomb.” It’s when Palestinians will outnumber Jews. Longstanding Israeli policy aims to prevent it. “De-Arabization,” it’s called.

Key is displacing Palestinians from their land, stealing all valued parts, expelling as many non-Jews as possible, consigning those remaining to worthless, isolated bantustans, and erasing an Arab heritage.

In 1976, Koening recommended encouraging Jewish immigrants to populate the Galilee and Negev regions. At the same time, he wanted Arabs removed to accommodate them.

Rabin issued an order to confiscate about 21,000 dunams in Deir Hanna, Sakhnin and Arabeh. Land Day protests resulted. It was a milestone, a turning point in Israeli/Palestinian relations. For the first time, masses across Palestine and Israel challenged what no one should tolerate.

It was also a catalyzing event. It united them to resist occupation and repression. The price of freedom involves resistance. One day alone isn’t enough, but Land Day is important.

Dozens of cities worldwide commemorate it. Diaspora Palestinians participate. So do supporters. On Land Day 2012, Haaretz said clashes erupted in Jerusalem, at checkpoints, and at the border crossing near Rachel’s Tomb.

Other rallies occurred across the West Bank and Gaza. Thousands rallied in Deir Hanna. Defense Minister Ehud Barak deployed security forces to confront them. Border crossings were closed. Palestinians and supporters participated in a “Global March to Jerusalem.”

Clashes erupted. Dozens of Palestinians were injured. At least one death occurred. Maan News reported on how the day unfolded. Thousands participated but less than expected.

Nonetheless, unity won the day. “Not just in the occupied territory but in Arab states and elsewhere, all for this goal.” Activist Abir Kopty said “(u)nity is so important for us, for Palestinians.”

Commenting on how PA security forces worked jointly with Israeli ones, she added: “It’s a shame. What else can I say? Just a shame.”

According to the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, 34 protesters were arrested. Amnesty International‘s Ann Harrison said:

“News that Israeli forces are firing live ammunition on Land Day demonstrators near the Erez Crossing in Gaza, and that scores have been injured in protests in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem is extremely worrying, particularly in the light of frequent and persistent use of excessive force against Palestinian protesters.”

“We are also concerned at reports that Palestinian Authority security forces have tried to prevent protests in areas under their control, while Hamas security forces have beaten protesters in Gaza. All those involved in policing demonstrations should respect freedom of assembly and must adhere to international policing standards.”

Hezbollah’s Sheikh Nabil Kauk said:

“The nation’s right to the whole of Palestine is not dead. Palestine is not waiting for the Arab summit or international decisions. The Palestinian nation relies on the guns of fighters in Gaza, in Ramallah and in Bint Jbeil.”

Gaza protests continued all day. Israel border guards confronted them with live fire. Over two dozen were wounded, several seriously. Israel claimed warning shots only were fired.

Witnessing clashes firsthand, Ebaa Rezeq said Israeli forces opened fire after protesters managed to remove part of a border area metal fence. “People are falling here like flies,” he said. “Blood everywhere.”

Mondoweiss contributor Leehee Rothschild said ambulance sirens “combine(d) with the screams to create a horrible cacophony.”

“Once again, I’m struggling to find the words to describe eyes which are blinded by clouds of tear-gas, and the foul smell of the skunk water that creeps through the nose. All senses are consumed, and the rubber coated bullets are buzzing around, they’re shooting them from canons now, ten at once.”

Bloody Friday won’t easily be forgotten. Nor will other days marked by Israeli state terror. Hardly any pass without it. Why else do Palestinians resist to be free?

One day they will be because courage that resolute pays off. Remembering the six Land Day victims provides inspiration. A Sakhnin cemetery monument bears their names and inscription saying:

“They sacrificed themselves for us to live.” Two sculptors created the monument, one Jewish, the other Arab. Perhaps it’s a good omen.

A Final Comment

On April 25, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) headlined, “Occupied Lives: Marking Land Day, marking lives,” saying:

Peaceful Palestinian demonstrations faced Israeli violence. One death was reported. Dozens more were injured, including 18 children. Commenting on the day, Mahmoud Khaled Mahmoud Abed Nabi said:

He “was shot in the chest. The bullet entered on the left of my chest and exited from my right side. It was fired from a watchtower in the fence.”

The incident occurred at Beit Hanoun checkpoint near Israel’s border with Gaza.

“I had been to demonstrations before, marking different events,” said Mahmoud. “Land Day is a very important day because we have to defend our lands, which continue to be occupied by Israel. We have to sacrifice to protect them.”

“All the young people were going to the area to protest, because it is such a well-known day, even internationally. I marched with others and went beyond where the Gazan authorities were stopping people, and we headed towards the border.”

Mahmoud said soldiers shot tear gas, shouted threats through loudspeakers, and “started firing bullets directly at us. There were no warning shots.” They shot a few at a time. Those injured were taken out by motorbike.

He said his wounds were serious. He’s in pain and not improving. The bullet passed near his heart. He explained his family can’t afford costly antibiotics he needs to take. Infections are developing. He has difficulties breathing and sometimes throws up blood.

He was severely wounded earlier when Israeli soldiers shot him and a friend gathering wood during Cast Lead. Neither one fully recovered. Now this. If he survives, he worries about his future. “I cannot work in this condition,” he said. The pain’s too much to bear.

Israeli violence destroys many lives. Many survivors aren’t the same. International law mandated right to life didn’t help them.

State terror is official Israeli policy. Palestinian resistance won’t quit until it ends. One day it will. Bet on it.

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

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

Apr 22

Protesting for Justice in Bahrain

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Protesting for Justice in Bahrain

by Stephen Lendman

Long-suffering Bahrainis want democratic change. In response, Al Khalifa security forces attack them.

Washington turns a blind eye. So did Formula One’s governing body. On April 22, Bahrain’s Grand Prix goes on as planned. Protesters call it “blood on the track.”

Money, prestige, and face saving matter most. So does enforcing power through the barrel of a gun. Justice is nowhere in sight.

From April 20 – 22, the February 14 Youth Coalition promised “three days of rage.” Huge masses rally for justice. London’s Telegraph said protesters “flooded a main highway in a march stretching for miles….”

Out with the hated monarchy. Stop the hypocrisy of racing in a virtual war zone. Security forces responded as expected. Violence raged. It still does. Tear gas, rubber bullets, stun grenades, sound bombs, buckshot, and what some called toxic gas are used.

On April 20, Bahrain’s senior Shiite cleric, Sheik Isa Qassim, delivered a sermon denouncing Al Khalifa brutality. Ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix, he said crackdowns resembled “a war” zone.

“This is a crisis of a government that does not want to acknowledge the right of people to rule themselves and choose their representatives,” he added.

On April 19, the US-based Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) issued a press release denouncing the “indiscriminate and systematic use of tear gas against civilian protesters and densely populated Shia neighborhoods.”

According to PHR’s Richard Sollom, tear gas is “potentially lethal” when used against “men, women, children, and the elderly….” Long-term health consequences include miscarriages and birth defects.

PHR’s past president, Holly Atkinson, said:

“When all eyes turn to Bahrain this weekend to watch the Formula One race, we cannot forget the protesters who are being constantly attacked by their own government.”

PHR expressed concern for tear gas’ “suspected severe health impact on the population.” It also stressed Al Khalifa hypocrisy. Despite promising long needed reforms, excessive force is used. Instead of improved conditions, they’ve deteriorated.

In solidarity with protesters under the banner of “#OpBahrain,” the Anonymous hacking group took down Formula1′s web site. At least temporarily it couldn’t be accessed. An accompanying message said in part:

“For over one year the people of Bahrain have struggled against the oppressive regime of King Hamad bin Al Khalifa. They have been murdered in the streets, run over with vehicles, beaten, tortured, tear gassed, kidnapped by police, had their businesses vandalised by police, and have tear gas thrown in to their homes on a nightly basis.”

It continued saying instead of reform, crackdowns increased. F1′s Grand Prix “should be strongly opposed.” Its governing body knows what’s ongoing but plans to race anyway. Authorities promised to use live fire to assure it.

Anonymous won’t be silent. “We Do Not Forgive. We Do Not Forget. Expect Us.”

An earlier OpBahrain press release said Anonymous launched “Operation Lightening Rod” along with “Operation Gun Shy.” Both provide news on Bahrain.

On April 20, London Guardian Middle East editor Ian Black headlined, “Bahrain Grand Prix revs up polarisation of Gulf state,” saying:

Despite demands to cancel it, King Hamad plans going ahead as scheduled. “Bahrain is gearing up for trouble as the controversial Formula One grand prix gets under way. But whatever the outcome on the track, it’s a fair bet that the Gulf island state’s political tensions are not going to disappear very soon.”

Unwanted foreign journalists were denied visas or entry permission on arrival at Manama’s airport. PR spin doctors try putting a brave face on unspeakable repression and the hypocrisy of racing while it’s ongoing.

“Even the slickest PR cannot disguise the fact that the monarchy has failed to enact constitutional and institutional reforms to ensure a fairer division of power.”

On April 21, London Independent journalist Robert Fisk headlined, “This is politics not sport. If drivers can’t see that, they are the pits,” saying:

“When the Foreign Office urges British motor racing fans to stay away from Bahrain, this ain’t no sporting event, folks, it’s a political one.”

“The Bahraini authorities prove it by welcoming sports reporters but refusing visas to other correspondents who want to tell the world what’s going on in this minority-run, Saudi-dominated kingdom.”

What if Jews, not Shia Muslims, were being attacked, asked Fisk? F1′s governing board would turn tail fast.

An Independent op-ed headlined, “No credit to Bahrain or Formula One,” saying:

“The Formula One Grand Prix should not be happening in Bahrain this weekend. That is the long and the short of it.”

Officials handling security said assuring it can’t be guaranteed. At issue isn’t security, it’s doing the right thing and condemning Al Khalifa brutality by F1 governing board and drivers canceling out and going home.

Two members of the UK-based Force India team asked to leave after seeing petrol bombs burning in streets. A car carrying four team members witnessed police violence against protesters.

Bob Fernley, the team’s deputy principal, let two of his staff go home. They wanted no part of what’s going on. Police already killed one man. His body was found near Mananma clash areas. More deaths and injuries may follow.

April 22 potentially could replicate Derry, Northern Ireland’s January 30, 1972 Bogside Massacre called Bloody Sunday. UK soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilian protesters and bystanders.

Fourteen deaths resulted as well as injuries. Later reports said five civilians were shot in the back. The incident occurred during a nonviolent Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march.

Critics called what happened reckless. Authorities largely cleared participating soldiers of blame. The controversy still resonates today. Everyone shot was unarmed. Much too late to matter, a 2010 Saville Inquiry said killings were “unjustified and unjustifiable.”

In response, UK Prime Minister David Cameron made a formal apology. Lost lives won’t be restored. Nor will surviving family members forgive.

During Sunday’s race, Bahrain authorities promised to use live fire against disruptive protesters. Blood on the streets and track may follow. In his Saturday radio address, Obama said nothing.

The best from America’s State Department was spokeswoman Victoria Nuland expressing administration concern about “the increase in violence in Bahrain, especially leading up to the Formula 1 race. These are unproductive, unhelpful acts….”

Throughout months of state-sponsored terror, the administration’s been largely silent. Comparisons with Syria are obvious, the hypocrisy glaring. Most US domestic and foreign policies disregard fundamental human and civil rights.

Washington gets away with murder. So do valued allies like Bahrain. If blood flows Sunday, expect little said in response. Bahrainis are on their own.

Their courage shows they won’t quit. Eventually they may prevail. Maybe they’ll inspire others. The so-called Arab Spring’s just a slogan, not a reality. Sustained freedom fighting may make it one, and not just in Bahrain.

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

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

Apr 21

Grand Prix Hypocrisy in Bahrain

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Grand Prix Hypocrisy in Bahrain

by Stephen Lendman

Al-Khalifa despots rule Bahrain repressively. Bahrainis want democratic change. In summer 2010, sporadic protests began. In mid-February last year, major ones erupted.

They continue daily nonviolently. Courageous Bahrainis brave vicious security force attacks. Saudi troops are involved. In March 2011, they entered Bahrain guns blazing.

They remain. They’re terrorizing Bahraini men, women, children, doctors, other medical professionals, journalists, human rights activists, and foreign observers. So do state police.

They’re beating them, arresting them, torturing them, imprisoning them, and killing them. No matter. Let the race begin.

On April 13, Formula One’s (F1) governing body announced Bahrain’s Grand Prix will go ahead as planned, saying:

“Based on the current information the FIA has at this stage, it is satisfied that all the proper security measures are in place for the running of a Formula One World Championship event in Bahrain.”

“Therefore, the FIA confirms that the 2012 Gulf Air F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain will go ahead as scheduled on Sunday, April 22.”

In protest, Bahraini youths promised “three days of rage” from April 20 – 22. In 2011, they and human rights activists got F1′s race cancelled. It’s governing body did the right thing. This year, president/CEO Bernie Ecclestone claims all’s well. We’re coming, saying:

“I know people who live there, and it’s all quiet and peaceful.” At age 81, perhaps senility replaced reason. Money always matters most. Bahrain’s 2010 F1 Grand Prix drew 100,000 visitors and grossed half a billion dollars.

The Al-Khalifa monarchy wants it this year for reasons besides revenue. It’s seen as a way to improve Bahrain’s image and create an illusion of normalcy despite daily state-sponsored terror against peaceful protesters.

Amnesty International (AI) highlighted “flawed reforms,” saying:

“With the world’s eyes on Bahrain as it prepares to host the Grand Prix, no-one should be under any illusions that the country’s human rights crisis is over.”

“The authorities are trying to portray the country as being on the road to reform, but we continue to receive reports of torture and use of unnecessary and excessive force against protests.”

A Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report said:

“(A)uthorities had committed gross human rights violations with impunity, including excessive use of force against protesters, widespread torture, and other ill-treatment, unfair trials and unlawful killings.”

Participating drivers ducked commenting on racing in a virtual war zone. Seven-time world champion, Michael Schumacher, dismissed conditions, saying: “I don’t want to mix the sport with political things. I am here for the sport.”

Like others involved, he’s also money driven. Earnings amount to millions. From May 2010 – May 2011, Forbes magazine said he earned $34 million.

On April 19, The New York Times headlined, “Unease Surrounds Bahrain Grand Prix,” saying:

“It was almost business as usual for Formula One in Bahrain on Thursday, as the teams prepared their cars in their garages and the drivers met the media for the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.”

Throughout months of vicious crackdowns against nonviolent protests, The Times remained largely dismissive.

On April 20, Reuters headlined, “Protests rage as Bahrain Grand Prix practice begins,” saying:

Ahead of Friday’s practice session, “protests had flared in villages surrounding the capital, far from the circuit where the race will be held. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators in clashes that have been building in the week leading to Sunday’s round of the World Championship.”

According to Index of Censorship’s Kirsty Hughes:

“The Bahraini government wants to bask in the positive international publicity it anticipates receiving through the Formula One motor race going ahead.”

“Yet all the signs are that the government is likely to intensify its harsh clampdown on local activists before and during the Grand Prix.”

Escalated Crackdowns Ahead of F1

On April 18, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) said:

“….Bahraini authorities have escalated their violent crackdown against pro-democracy protesters and human rights activists.”

“Villages and houses have been attacked continuously for the past few days. Pre-dawn house raids are being conducted and dozens of protesters are either arrested or wanted for arrest.”

“As F1 is approaching, human rights activists in Bahrain Center for human rights are being targeted with arrests and prosecution, in an effort to undermine thier work in reporting the violence against protesters during the F1.”

On April 15, BCHR’s Sayed Yousif Al Mahafdha and two Human Rights Watch (HRW) members (Tom Malinowski and Nadim Houry) were attacked and arrested while observing a peaceful protest. They were held, harassed, interrogated, and released.

According to Al Mahafdha, when protesters reached the main road, riot police confronted them violently. Tear gas and stun grenades were used. Al Mahafdha took shelter in a nearby home. Police stormed it. They pepper-sprayed and beat those inside.

In recent weeks, BCHR president Nabeel Rajab was arrested several times for exposing human rights abuses, as well as expressing his views freely and participating in peaceful demonstrations. Authorities accused him and others of “participating in an illegal assembly.”

Rajab was formally charged with violating Bahrain’s Assembly code. On May 6, his trial begins. The repressive Assembly law lets police repressively disrupt nonviolent public gatherings. Its article 11 states:

“No one shall organize demonstrations or marches or rallies that are held or going near shopping malls.”

Those convicted face fines, imprisonment, or both. BCHR members are repeatedly targeted. Sixteen-year old Mansoor Al Jamri assisted their human rights abuse documentation efforts. He was arrested, beaten, tortured, and detained.

Hunger striker Abdulhadi Alkhawaja is a former BCHR president. April 21 marks his 73rd day without food. His life hangs by a thread. He could go any time. Al-Khalifa despots face a dilemma.

They want him dead but need him alive through Sunday’s Grand Prix. They’re also concerned about creating a world-renoun martyr. They could avoid it by freeing him, but won’t.

A Final Comment

Commenting on Bahrain’s Grand Prix, a London Guardian editorial headlined, “Bahrain: chequered flag,” saying:

The event “backfired before it has even begun….The race has become a magnet for protest, a magnifying glass of dissent bubbling away below the surface. ‘Don’t race over our blood,’ the slogan goes in Manama, but that is what Formula One teams propose to do today.”

Coverup and denial can’t hide daily security force brutality. Videotape evidence documents it. So do independent media reports.

“Britain and America make clucking noises but are just as cynical as the Bahraini royal family itself. Strategic alliances trump human rights. What is the difference between Bahrain and Syria?”

The hypocrisy is glaring. Al Khalifa terror rages. F1 engines won’t drown it out. Washington maintains silence. Bahrain’s a valued ally. It’s home to America’s Fifth Fleet.

In contrast, the Obama administration actively aids Syrian insurgents. Doing so violates America’s Constitution and international law.

At issue is imperial dominance. Supporting regional despots and replacing independent regimes with client ones furthers it.

Human rights abuses don’t matter when valued allies commit them. Regimes confronting Western-generated violence responsibly are called terrorists.

Sunday’s F1 spectacle won’t change things. Daily repression continues whether or not it’s held. Washington’s presence supports it.

Ending its rage to ravage humanity matters most. Imagine if Americans matched Bahraini courage. Imagine peace instead of war.

Imagine a socially responsible nation instead of one benefitting its privileged alone. Imagine one fit to live in, not feared.

Imagine if Americans cared enough to go all out for it. The possibilities are breathtaking.

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

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

Apr 20

Fidel Castro and Ozzie Guillen: Evasion of Truth

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Originally appeared in Black Agenda Report at:

http://www.blackagendareport.com/content/fidel-castro-and-ozzie-guillen-evasion-truth

Fidel Castro and Ozzie Guillen: Evasion of Truth

by Solomon Comissiong

“Ozzie Guillen has shown a lot of cowardice as he has allowed the US media, and many Miami Cubans, to fold him up like a cheap suit.”

On April 10, 2012, Ozzie Guillen, the manager of the Miami Marlins major league baseball team, “decided” to hold a press conference to “clear up” some statements he made to a reporter from Time magazine. What were Guillen’s comments that would warrant him to feel compelled to state that he was embarrassed, and fly back to Miami to hold a press conference regarding the issue? And what “reprehensible” comments did he make that would cause his employer/overseer to suspend him for five days? Mr. Guillen made statements that included love and admiration for Fidel Castro, that he respected the way Castro had survived in power for 60 years. Yes – this statement set off a firestorm within the pre-programmed minds of millions of oblivious Americans. This firestorm was started by the right wing Cubans that continue to make Miami their home, long after their brutal dictator was toppled in 1959. No, I am clearly not referring to Fidel Castro – I am referring to none other than Fulgencio Batista. These right wing Cubans, along with the amoral American corporate media, carefully made sure not to mention these significant facts as they carried out their mass false propaganda campaign.

Corporate media very well know that myriad Americans will mentally consume whatever slop is fed to them. They know that many Americans, akin to lab animals, have been trained to not recognize blatant contradictions regarding their own country and its long history of supporting terror. And since most Americans lack vital critical thinking skills, the media can prop a Cuban face on a screen that is willing to vilify Fidel Castro, and they will believe it as if these people represent all Cubans, or better yet – all Latinos. The corporate media were clever when they opened their airwaves, for political commentary, from a Cuban-American sports writer by the name of Dan Le Batard. The disingenuous Le Batard had the temerity to refer to Fidel Castro as “Hitler” for the Cubans. Despite this being a patently false statement, it was used to conjure up one of the most heinous images Americans have been trained to picture when they think of terror and evil. After all, if most Americans had any kind of historical point of reference, they would think of the likes of Christopher Columbus when they thought of terror – this devil did things that would make Hitler blush. Instead of cursing his name, America celebrates Columbus each October with a federal holiday.

“The disingenuous Le Batard had the temerity to refer to Fidel Castro as ‘Hitler’ for the Cubans.”

If Dan Le Batard were an honest man he would have described Fidel Castro as an individual who helped save Cuba from an actual murderous dictator: Fulgencio Batista. If Dan Le Batard was concerned with being truthful he would have disclosed the fact about the thousands of people Batista murdered and how he willingly allowed the United States to plunder Cuba’s natural resources. While we are being honest, let’s be completely candid about why the US despises Fidel Castro – it has nothing to do with human rights or so-called dictators. The US loathes Castro because he came to power in a popular revolution that put a swift end to the United States’ plundering of that Caribbean nation. Castro rightfully nationalized Cuba’s natural resources, such as its sugar cane plantations, and put them in state control. When the US privately controlled these resources it was for the sole benefit of the US and its corporations – not the people of Cuba. Under this nefarious arrangement a relatively small number of Cubans benefitted – mainly elites – mostly white Cubans. Dan Le Batard’s family was among this class, thus the false propaganda he and some other Miami Cubans are spreading. These people have no scruples and are hell-bent on returning Cuba to a capitalist playground. Cuban-Americans of this ilk are known as Gusanos – Spanish for worm. Worms like Le Batard slither above ground in the US, spreading false and out of context propaganda about Fidel Castro – aimed at regime change. These folks don’t give a damn about the “average” Cuban, and especially not Afro-Cubans (Spanish speaking Africans who are from Cuba). Afro-Cubans, by the way, live approximately 5 years longer [7] than African-Americans. They have something most African-Americans don’t have – access to free, quality healthcare.

“The US loathes Castro because he came to power in a popular revolution that put a swift end to the United States’ plundering of that Caribbean nation.”

While the likes of Dan Le Batard parade around acting as if they speak on behalf of all Cubans worldwide, millions upon millions of Africans extoll Castro and the Cuban revolution. Had it not been for the likes of Fidel Castro, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, and the good people of the Cuban revolution, much of Southern Africa would have endured the evil of European colonization a lot longer. As leader of an anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist free Cuba, Castro sent over 300,000 Cuban troops into Southern Africa to assist native Africans in liberating themselves from brutal European colonization. While Castro was doing this, the United States was supporting governments like the white minority apartheid regime in Azania (South Africa), as well as funding terrorist groups like UNITA (The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola).

Africans know very well about the contributions of Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution. This is why one of the first countries Nelson Mandela visited after being freed from the bowels of Robben Island was that of Cuba. Why? He went there to thank Fidel Castro and the good Cuban people [8] for their selfless internationalism. Since then, Cuba has gone on to send literally tens of thousands of Cuban doctors throughout the Global South, including Africa – for free. These doctors went as part of their internationalist duty to assist people from those countries, as well as to help them establish stronger medical institutions. Where was the damn US corporate media in telling these stories or talking to the innumerable people who routinely give glowing praise to Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution? Fidel Castro even offered up well over 1,000 medical and hurricane relief specialists immediately after hurricane Katrina. However George W. Bush and the US government placed their egos well before the lives of people dying throughout the Gulf Region, and swiftly declined the humanitarian offer. Castro is revered around the globe no matter how much the US government, corporate media pundits, and many Miami Cubans, lie to try to cover that fact up.

“Fidel Castro even offered up well over 1,000 medical and hurricane relief specialists immediately after hurricane Katrina.”

The US seems to enjoy dedicating its time and resources to killing people rather than saving lives. This is why the US Empire can be found waging war throughout the globe. Meanwhile, sadly, 44,000 Americans die each year simply due to a lack of health insurance. While countries such as Cuba and Venezuela spend much of their budgets on universal healthcare programs, the US spends taxpayer money towards the nefarious expansion of an empire.

Unfortunately Ozzie Guillen has shown a lot of cowardice as he has allowed the US media, and many Miami Cubans, to fold him up like a cheap suit. Like an angry parent, they have made a grown man retract his rightfully sincere words about Fidel Castro. It was a gross understatement when Guillen said, “I love Fidel Castro . . . I respect Fidel Castro . . .” for surviving “when a lot of people have wanted to kill him.” What Guillen may or may not know, is that it was the US government which has made numerous attempts on Fidel Castro’s life. However, these assassination attempts on Castro’s life are nothing new to the US. The US government, mainly through its CIA, has assassinated, funded assassinations of political figures, and orchestrated coups aimed at destabilizing various nations such as Congo, Guatemala, and Chile. The US has a strong track record at committing actual crimes against humanity, however through its almost perfect programs of mass indoctrination, scores of Americans are completely oblivious to these facts.

The US is a scalding hot cauldron of institutional racism and white supremacy. However, some fraudulent Cuban-Americans, like Dan Le Batard, have the audacity to masquerade around as if they give a damn about human rights. Where has his voice been in challenging the US government’s illegal and destructive military campaigns in places like Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan? Don’t hold your breath awaiting someone who, if they had their feeble ways, would return Cuba to the dark days when it was controlled by their favorite murderous dictator, Fulgencio Batista, as well as US corporations. Where is Dan Le Batard, and the talentless Cuban-American rapper, “Pitbull,” when it comes to speaking out about the scores of black political prisoners that continue to languish within the America gulag prison system? Where are these Cuban-Americans when it comes to confronting the fact that the US government harbors known terrorists like Luis Posada Carriles [9]? They are nowhere whatsoever, because they don’t given a damn about justice – they care about returning Cuba to capitalist rule, which is why these Cuban-Americans support the ongoing 50 year economic embargo on the island nation. This embargo has cost the good Cuban people over 100 billion dollars. [10]

“They would return Cuba to the dark days when it was controlled by their favorite murderous dictator, Fulgencio Batista, as well as US corporations.”

Those who attempt to label Fidel Castro as some sort of tyrant and even comparing him to Adolf Hitler are selective frauds, at best. As noted within this article, Cuba, under Fidel Castro’s leadership, has helped dozens of nations by providing doctors, nurses and has even helped liberate African nations from the brutal yoke of white colonization. These things mean very little to “Gusanos.” They could not give a damn about the millions of people worldwide who have been aided by Castro’s humanitarianism. And they most certainly don’t give a damn about the millions of people who have lost their lives and homes because of US wars, imperialism, and state sponsored terrorism.

US officials, and those who wish to blindly or disingenuously champion America as a paragon of social justice, are mouthpieces for the greatest purveyor of violence in the world, in one way or another. The country they choose to selectively extoll as a beacon of light for the whole world to admire and model itself after, has built a strong reputation as a global thug. If Fidel Castro and his Cuban government did even a fraction of the reprehensible things the US has done, they would justly be worthy of the vilification Castro receives from their relatively small number of detractors. If they went on murderous campaigns throughout the world causing wars of imperialist aggression, criticism would be justified. And if Cuba went from country to country orchestrating coups to take out democratically elected leaders, such as Patrice Lumumba, Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán, and Mohammad Mosaddegh (to name a few), world condemnation would be roundly warranted. However, the monster that does those things is not Fidel Castro or Cuba – it is the United States itself.

“Where are Castro’s outspoken critics when it comes to America’s gigantic shop of horrors?”

And all of this talk of the US being opposed to so-called dictators is pure subterfuge. The United States government adores dictators, no matter how brutal they are, as long as they support America’s “interests.” The American government, for decades, has installed and supported brutal dictator after brutal dictator. Whether it was Cuba’s Fulgencio Batista, Congo’s Mobutu Sese Seko, the Shah of Iran (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi), or Augusto Pinochet of Chile, America has embraced cozy relationships with individuals with enough blood on their collective hands for the world to swim in. And when it comes to folks like Saddam Hussein and Manuel Noriega, the US government uses them as long as they conveniently can, no matter how much evil they are responsible for. Where are Castro’s outspoken critics when it comes to America’s gigantic shop of horrors? Can you hear that? It’s the sound of pin dropping within the filthy crowds of those hypocritical individuals. When will a large collective of American voices step up, in unison, and demand an end to the countless domestic and international injustices that are orchestrated by their own government?

Many more Americans need to detach the governmentally programmed strings from their minds. Stop pointing your collective fingers at whomever your government and corporate media tell you who is the enemy. Think for yourself and better yet, research for yourself. If you do these things, you will find out that many of people they have taught you to hate and label as dictators, are not so. And if you take an honest look at your own government, you will find out that it is not what you have been programmed to believe either. Sometimes the truth is painful to swallow – especially for those who have blindly trumpeted false propaganda that has been force fed to them. Nonetheless, it’s time to take your truth serum – drink up. A world free of social injustice, imperialism, and colonization depend on the erasure of your mental malady – delusion.

“The propaganda system allows the U.S. leadership to commit crimes without limit and with no suggestion of misbehavior or criminality; in fact, major war criminals like Henry Kissinger appear regularly on TV to comment on the crimes of the derivative butchers.” – Edward S. Herman, political economist and author.

Solomon Comissiong is an educator, community activist, author, public speaker and the host of the Your World News media collective (www.yourworldnews.org [11]). He can be reached at solo@yourworldnews.org [12]

Apr 20

Israel Using Oslo Accords to Steal West Bank Land

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Israel Using Oslo Accords to Steal West Bank Land

by Stephen Lendman

In 1993, Edward Said minced no words denouncing the Oslo Accords and Declaration of Principles, explaining:

“the fashion-show vulgarities of the White House ceremony, the degrading spectacle of Yasser Arafat thanking everyone for the suspension of most of his people’s rights, and the fatuous solemnity of Bill Clinton’s performance, like a 20th century Roman emperor shepherding two vassal kings through rituals of reconciliation and obeisance, (and) the truly astonishing proportions of the Palestinian capitulation.”

It was unilateral surrender, a Palestinian Versailles. It affirmed a vaguely defined negotiating process. No fixed timeline or outcome were specified. Israeli officials obstructed and delayed. They refused to make concessions, and continued stealing Palestinian land. They never stopped.

Colonization is policy. Israel wants all valued Judea and Samaria areas, as well as Jerusalem for its exclusive capital. At most, Palestinians will get worthless cantonized scrubland.

They got nothing for renouncing armed struggle, recognizing Israel’s right to exist, and agreeing to leave major unresolved issues for later final status talks. They’re still waiting.

Major issues include an independent sovereign Palestine free from occupation, the right of return, settlements, borders, water rights, and East Jerusalem as Palestinian territory and future capital.

A new Palestinian Authority (PA) was established. Arafat agreed to enforce Israeli authority.

Subsequent agreements followed. The West Bank was divided into three parts. Each has distinct borders, administrations, and security rules. They include Areas A, B and C, plus a fourth for Greater Jerusalem. A complicated system works as follows:

Area A under Palestinian control for internal security, public order, and civil affairs;

Area B under Palestinian civil control for 450 West Bank towns and villages; Israel retains overriding authority for settler safety and its own interests; and

Area C, its water resources, and settlements under Israeli control on the West Bank’s most valuable land; they’re connected by special by-pass roads for Jews only.

Besides besieged Gaza, Israel controls the West Bank and Jerusalem. When Separation Wall construction’s completed, its settlements, military areas, no-go zones, nature reserves, commercial areas, by-pass roads, tourist sites, checkpoints, and other barriers will comprise well over 50% of West Bank territory and Palestinian East Jerusalem

A longtime collaborator, Mahmound Abbas took credit as Oslo architect. Israel, of course, controlled everything. Arafat ran Palestine’s side. Instead of driving a hard bargain, he capitulated. So did Abbas. Israel took full advantage. Things keep getting worse.

A previous article explained Israel’s planned theft of 10% more West Bank land.

On April 10, Haaretz headlined, “Netanyahu is using Oslo Accords to annex more West Bank land,” saying:

Israel’s grabbing all it can get. An unnamed IDF officer defines Areas A, B and C as follows: “A is for Arafat, B is for bollixed up, and C is ours.”

It’s actually worse than that. Area C alone comprises over 60% of the West Bank. Israel considers it sovereign territory. Said knew a sellout when he saw it. The chickens keep coming home to roost.

“The division into three areas of control, meant as a temporary, transitional stage on the way to a final agreement, turned into a ‘legal’ repository for the settlement enterprise.”

Land theft is official Israeli policy. Palestinians living in Area C believe land they’re on belongs to them. They have documents proving it, but Israel steals what it wants anyway.

All sorts of schemes are used. In January, Netanyahu established a committee to examine West Bank land. “Headed by former Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy, the panel has invited testimony from several human rights organizations, including Peace Now, B’Tselem and Yesh Din.”

Yesh Din won’t let its members cooperate. It considers what’s going on illegitimate. It bypasses and challenges Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein’s authority. He has final say.

Yesh Din believes the committee was set up without his knowledge. Weinstein told Netanyahu that committee recommendations won’t be binding on him or his office.

Former Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair sits on Yesh Din’s board. He said if still in Weinstein’s post, he’d ”have announced at the outset that he does not require the committee’s advice even it turns out to be close to his own position. He said the committee’s establishment infringes on the standing of the 350 employees of the Attorney General’s Office.”

No matter. Israel works its way around everything for what it wants. Palestinians are ruthlessly exploited and persecuted. They lose title to their own land. It took Israel 45 years to steal over 40% of the West Bank. It’s heading toward well over 50% en route to over 60%, then more, plus all East Jerusalem.

A Final Comment

PA UN envoy Riyad Mansour submitted letters to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council. Their content urged condemnation of Israel’s lawless settlement project, as well as “other illegal Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said Israel’s actions “not only inflame tensions but further underscore the dubious nature of the occupying power’s claims of readiness to negotiate a peace settlement.”

It’s part of its wider scheme to steal all valued Palestinian land, solidify occupation control, subvert peace, and prevent a viable two-state solution.

Maliki wants Israeli settlements topping UN priorities. In fact, they barely register at all. Israel knows it has a free hand. It takes full advantage. Ban Ki-moon’s on board. Washington’s support goes without saying.

Rhetoric aside, Abbas collaborates willingly. Palestinians are denied. Liberating justice depends on getting it on their own. It’s been that way for decades. Nothing changed. Palestine’s struggle continues with no end so far in sight.

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

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

Apr 20

Warning: Visiting Israel Is Dangerous

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Warning: Visiting Israel Is Dangerous

by Stephen Lendman

Don’t visit Gaza by sea. In May 2010, nine Mavi Marmara activists died trying. Anyone planning Gaza, West Bank, or East Jerusalem trips be warned.

Interdictions, beatings, arrests, interrogations, detentions, deportations, or even death may follow. Israel’s indeed dangerous.

Arrivals supporting Palestinian rights risk harshness. Don’t come wearing jerseys or bearing signs saying solidarity with Palestine. Don’t say you plan West Bank East Jerusalem, and/or Gaza visits. Worse is admitting you’ll help build schools, plant trees, or repair damaged wells.

Don’t suggest you plan protesting against illegal settlement construction. If asked, don’t tell. Any one or combination of these may result in close encounters with security forces leaving lasting impressions and realization that avoiding trouble requires staying mum.

On April 14, Danish activist Andreas Ias learned the hard way. Jordan Valley Brigade deputy commander Lt. Colonel Shalom Eisner rifle-butted him in the face. Hospitalization followed. His offense was peacefully participating in a Palestinian demonstration.

He and others were singing songs calling for Palestine’s liberation. The incident was videotaped. On April 16, Andreas said IDF claims about protester violence were “a complete lie….If I thought this would happen I would have protected myself. It came out of nowhere” for no reason. It was unprovoked.

Two female activists were also injured. Others were assaulted and shoved to the ground. Rarely do investigations and punishment follow similar incidents. Practically never for IDF officers, especially high-ranking ones.

Eisner was about to be promoted. He was transferred to a staff position. Israel said it’s for two years. Chief of Staff Benny Gantz wants the dust to settle and headlines to disappear. So does Netanyahu and other officials.

Eisner wants to lay low for a while. He’s not even apologetic. He said he “does not accept this as a moral failure in any way.” Why should he? It’s official Israeli policy.

He’ll be back but more circumspect not to get caught on videotape. His offense wasn’t assaulting Andreas. It was showing up on You Tube for the whole world to watch.

These type incidents are commonplace. Most occur out of sight and mind. Only aggrieved Palestinians and supporters know them. Headlines and videos don’t tell others.

On April 17, a Haaretz editorial headlined, “Israel’s leaders incite the public against peace activists,” saying:

Following the Eisner/Andreas incident, “the officer was widely criticized by the public – not for using excessive force, but for granting human rights groups a photo op serving their interests.”

Damage control required Gantz and other Israeli officials to say and do something. “Such reactions are necessary, but certainly not sufficient.”

Beating up on nonviolent peace activists can’t “be swept aside” with denunciations or transfers. Criminal offenses require punishment. They also demand policy changes. What’s almost daily routine must stop.

They don’t because Netanyahu, other officials, and top military officers call activists “anarchists,” “provocateurs,” and “terror supporters.” Palestinians are called worse. Doing so sanctions violence.

Haaretz said Netanyahu and other officials “should memorize the verdict Jerusalem Magistrate Judge Haim Li-Ran” rendered recently regarding Sheikh Jarrah solidarity activists in Jerusalem, saying:

“The right to demonstrate or express an opinion is deeply rooted in the foundations of democratic government….Thousands of human being have paid and are paying with their lives on this alter.”

Protesting is a human right. International law permits it. Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) states:

“The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”

Article 22 affirms “the right to freedom of association with others….” In democratic societies, no restrictions are permitted “in the interests of national security or public safety….”

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

Article 20(1) says:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.”

Everyone has the right to do it without getting rifle-butted or otherwise brutalized.

On April 18, Haaretz writer Zvi Bar’el headlined, “World nations should issue a travel warning to Israel,” saying:

Eisner’s assault on Andreas “was spectacular.” Someone whose life was threatened might react that way. Doing it unprovoked was intolerable. It resembled a Serengeti “kill scene.” Eisner was predator, Andreas the prey.

“When a country behaves as if it is a nature preserve where the species living in it feel they are in danger of extinction,” its policies go off the rails.

Tourists visiting actual nature preserves know restrictions they must observe. Israel calls itself civilized. In fact, it’s a “dangerous preserve and responsible nations should have issued a travel warning for this country long ago, or at least published a detailed guide of what is permitted or forbidden to do here.”

Forewarned is forearmed, perhaps not to come. Anyone visiting “Somalia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Chechnya or Sudan, or merely to go on a safari, knows what” to bring, wear, say, go, and not go.

Israel once welcomed visitors hospitably. “But when it grew fat and expanded its living space,” it decided who can come, who can’t, what’s permitted, what’s not, and what to expect from a nation mindless of international standards by enforcing its own.

“This is how Israel is turning itself into an enclave of nationalist fundamentalism in which the covenant between its citizens (the Jewish ones, of course) is not based on equality or shared values but on the ceaseless marking of its borders with the outside world.”

“This is an enclave which (feeds on alleged) threat(s)….” It thrives on them. It provides pretexts for challenging anyone for any reason or none at all. Those believing sovereign Palestine is justified and presents no threat pose “existential danger” enough to get “whacked in the face,” whether he’s Danish, Palestinian, Israeli, or any one else.

Come at your own risk. Human rights activists beware. Israel’s a jungle, a wild nature preserve. Step out of line and get eaten alive or at least see an M16 close up enough to know it’s dangerous without being fired.

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

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

Archive

For April, 2012

Palestinian Rights Activism Endangered

What’s Next for Libya?

Drone Warfare in Yemen

And when you leave take your pictures with you

Land Day: Why It Matters

Protesting for Justice in Bahrain

Grand Prix Hypocrisy in Bahrain

Fidel Castro and Ozzie Guillen: Evasion of Truth

Israel Using Oslo Accords to Steal West Bank Land

Warning: Visiting Israel Is Dangerous

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