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US Proxy Al Qaeda Death Squads in Syria

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by Stephen Lendman

Washington’s agenda involves death squad diplomacy. Evidence mounts proving it. It’s standard practice in all US direct and proxy wars. It’s how America treats its enemies.

Massacres and unspeakable atrocities are committed. Women are raped. Civilians are treated like combatants. They’re indiscriminately killed.

Others are targeted for opposing US aggression. Children are harmed like adults. Prisoners are tortured. No crime’s too gruesome to commit.

Lies, duplicity, and coverup follow. Media scoundrels bear direct responsibility. Their hands are bloodstained like US officials, forces and proxy killers.

Vietnam’s Operation Phoenix became a prototype for today’s wars. It included intimidation, kidnappings torture, and mass murder. At issue was eliminating opposition elements. Terrorizing people into submission was policy.

Southeast Asia tactics are replicated in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. Barbarism defines US policy.

On July 11, German writer Jurgen Todenhofer confirmed the presence of Al Qaeda insurgents in Syria. He met with them, he said. He holds them and others like them responsible for mass terror attacks.

He described a “massacre marketing strategy.” He called it “among the most disgusting things that I have ever experienced in an armed conflict.”

He added that Western media distort what’s happening on the ground. Viewers and readers know it’s their stock and trade. They’re paid to lie. Journalists dedicated to truth and full disclosure need not apply.

On July 24, Asia Times writer John Rosenthal headlined “German intelligence: al-Qaeda all over Syria,” saying:

“German intelligence estimates that ‘around 90′ terror attacks that ‘can be attributed to organizations that are close to al-Qaeda or jihadist groups’ were carried out in Syria between the end of December and the beginning of July, as reported by the German daily Die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).”

Die Welt and Bild published similar reports. All three name Al Qaeda behind the May 25 Houla massacre. Russian journalist Marat Musin was there. He said hundreds of “bandits and mercenaries” were responsible.

Washington’s imperial tactics involve cutthroat killer atrocities. Human lives have no value. Only wealth, privilege and dominance matter. US officials don’t keep body counts. Objectives are pursued lawlessly.

Rosenthal cited Die Welt contributor Alfred Hackensberger. Taldo is part of Syria’s Houla region. Insurgents controlled it for months, said Hackensberger. They bear responsibility for Houla killings.

He visited the area. He interviewed an eyewitness. He left him unidentified for his safety. He was at Qara’s Saint James Monastery. Victims were pro-Assad Sunnis, he said. Many people know what happened but won’t say “out of fear for their lives.”

“Whoever says something can only repeat the rebels’ version. Anything else is certain death.”

Hackensberger related similar stories. A former Qusayr resident said Christians and others refusing to “enroll their children in the Free Syrian Army” were shot. He held “foreign Islamists” responsible.

“I have seen them with my own eyes,” he said. Pakistanis, Libyans, Tunisians and also Lebanese. They call Osama bin Laden their sheikh.”

A Homs Sunni resident told Hackensberger he witnessed armed insurgents stopping a bus. “The passengers were divided into two groups: on one side, Sunnis; on the other, Alawis.”

Nine Alawis were decapitated.

Rosenthal said:

“That the German government would cite national interest in refusing to disclose its information (publicly) concerning the circumstances of the Houla massacre is particularly notable in light of Germany’s support for the rebellion and its political arm, the Syrian National Council (SNC).”

It plays a quiet behind the scenes role, he added. Its foreign office is involved in developing “political transition” plans.

So is former US Saudi Arabia ambassador Prince Bandar, reports Haaretz. His close ties to the Bush family earned him the nickname “Bandar Bush.”

For years he’s been involved with Washington’s Syria regime change plans. He now serves as Saudi intelligence chief. He’s also National Security Council secretary-general.

His intelligence appointment involves “preparing for the next stage in Syria,” said Haaretz. His wife has Al Qaeda “connections.” He’s considered “CIA’s man in Riyadh.” He’s “known as a can-do” guy.

He spares nothing to achieve objectives. He participated directly in America’s Contra wars. He helped fund Central American death squads and Afghan mujahideen fighters against Soviet forces.

He’s active in current Washington plans to depose Assad. Like other US allies, his hands are bloodstained.

In her daily press briefing, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland condoned the murder of Syrian officials. She justified her position, saying they “organize(d) Assad’s military campaign….”

She tried having it both ways, adding “we don’t condone violence of any kind.” She ignored Washington’s direct role in orchestrating it.

US rhetoric about supporting human rights and other democratic values rings hollow.

America is the world’s worst human rights abuser. It spurns democracy. It’s intolerant at home and abroad. It’s hardline, belligerent and repressive.

Saying one thing and doing another is policy. At the same time, it audaciously points fingers at China.

On July 25, Bloomberg headlined “US Finds China’s Human Rights Situation Is Deteriorating,” saying:

According to Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Michael Posner, conditions in China are worsening. We have human rights issues in America, he added. He left unsaid how US policy spurns them at home and abroad.

Do as I say not as I do is policy. So is practicing wrong over right. Interfering in the internal affairs of other countries blatantly violates international and constitutional law.

Doing it by direct or proxy belligerence adds crimes of war, against humanity and genocide. Justice Robert Jackson called aggressive war “the supreme international crime against peace.”

Convicted Nazis were hanged. America repeatedly gets away with murder unaccountably.

A July 25 Washington Post article provided more evidence, saying:

Free Syrian Army fighters have safe havens in Turkey. In Antakya, they “stride through its narrow streets sunburned and sweaty from the battlefield, hoping to meet benefactors to provide them with money and arms.”

“Salafi Muslims, who have come to offer help from the countries of the Persian Gulf region, huddle over kebabs, their long beards and robes conspicuous in secularist Turkey.”

Ankara officials are largely tight-lipped. Little is said about “rebel fighters” passing freely cross border to Syria and back. Military trucks ferry weapons into Syrian territory.

Turkish authorities deny what independent observers confirm. Officials claim only humanitarian aid is provided. At the same time, Hurriyet daily headlined “PM declares Syria intervention a ‘natural right,’ ” saying:

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Syrian-based Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) elements give Turkey the right to intervene. “We will not tolerate PKK cooperation with other organizations in the area,” he said.

This, earlier hostile comments, and Turkey’s provocative violation of Syria’s airspace suggest Ankara’s looking for a pretext to intervene.

Washington calls the shots. Erdogan’s a useful tool. He’s complicit in US regime change plans. Whether he’ll initiate preemptive cross-border attacks remains to be seen.

It’s unclear if Israel plans getting involved. Recent tax increases were announced. Mossad-connected DEBKAfile says they’re “steps towards a $25-30bn war budget.”

Israel already spends an enormous amount on militarism. Like America, it does it at a time it has no enemies except ones it invents.

Between militarism, settlement construction, and corporate favoritism, little remains for domestic needs mattering most to ordinary Israelis.

Whether Israel plans more war won’t be known unless or attacks confirm it. Threats alone don’t signify policy. Netanyahu and other Israeli officials make them often. On July 25, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said:

Israel faces “tough and crucial (security) decisions. I am well aware of the difficulties involved in thwarting Iran’s attempts to acquire a nuclear weapon.”

“However, it is clear to me that without a doubt, dealing with the threat itself will be far more complicated, far more dangerous and far more costly in resources and human life than thwarting it.”

Israel may or may not be planning to confront Syria. On July 24, IDF Chief of Staff General Benny Gantz was ambiguous about an alleged Damascus chemical and biological weapons threat.

On the one hand, he urged caution. On the other, he said Israel might “find itself in a wider conflict that it planned” if military operations against Syria are initiated.

He left unexplained what he meant except to suggest attacking WMDs may have unintended consequences. He added that IDF policy sometimes means engaging in action. At other times, it’s about holding back.

The Syrian pot is boiling. Both countries share a common border. Full-scale war could spill over. Syria run by extremist elements means anything going forward is possible.

Israel, Western states and regional allies plan regime change. Achieving it might bring more than what they bargain for.

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

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

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

Jul 27

War Without Mercy on Syria

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by Stephen Lendman

Western media misreport what’s happening in Syria and why. Propaganda substitutes for truth and full disclosure.

Syrians are struggling to prevent Western conquest, exploitation, and control. They’re fighting for their lives to stay free.

At issue isn’t whether Assad’s government is democratic, despotic or anything in between. Its sovereign independence made it vulnerable.

Washington tolerates no governments it doesn’t control. Replacing them with puppet regimes is policy. Whether Assad can hold out and prevail isn’t known. Most Syrians depend on him.

The longer conflict persists, the greater his support. Who else can Syrians turn to for help? They want no part of becoming another pro-Western vassal state. They know the daily horrors Afghans, Iraqis and Libyans face.

Syria was calm and peaceful until Washington unleashed its dogs last year. Daily violence, mass killing and destruction followed. It’s the American way. Media scoundrels support it.

Syria’s conflict isn’t an uprising, revolution or civil war. These characterizations distort reality. There’s nothing civil about what’s ongoing. Washington orchestrated everything. Its bloodstained hands control the conflict.

At issue is naked Washington-led Western aggression. Key NATO allies and regional partners are involved. Insurgents are Washington proxies. Protracted violence and bloodshed persist.

Imperial wars are called liberating ones. Western end game strategy calls for total war if other methods fail. Washington wages them two ways. In Afghanistan and Iraq, US forces are involved.

In Libya, a combination of air assets and ground proxies were used. Protracted conflict persists. Daily violence ravages the country. Media scoundrels ignore it.

They report little about Iraq and Afghanistan. They let nightmarish conditions pass beneath their radar. Only wealth, privilege and dominance matter. Charnel house conditions go unacknowledged.

So far, Western proxies alone battle Syrian forces. Despite heavy weapons, training and direction, military regulars outmatch them. Expect eventual direct Western intervention. Electoral politics dictates timing.

Voltaire Network’s Thierry Meyssan is right. Reagan’s Contra war 2.0 ravages Syria. Death squads employed are today’s Contras. In the 1980s, they battled Nicaragua’s Sandinista government. Washington enlisted, armed, trained, funded and directed them.

Anastasio Somoza ruled Nicaragua despotically. He ran it like a US colony. In 1979, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) ousted his regime after years of conflict.

In 1981, Reagan authorized covert CIA intervention. Sandinistas were falsely called Moscow puppets. Contrarevolucionarios (Contras) were recruited. Many were former cutthroat Somoza National Guard regulars.

They became Washington proxy death squads. Contra wars raged throughout the decade. From Honduran bases they conducted cross-border terrorist raids. Nicaraguans suffered greatly. Many thousands died.

Managua’s economy was devastated. Resources needed for defense left little for domestic needs. In 1988, A New York Times op-ed headlined “Wrong From the Start; Reagan’s Contra War, Reagan’s Failure,” saying:

Reagan’s “seven-year record in Nicaragua is a chronicle of deceit and incompetence in pursuit of an unwinnable war.”

Expect nothing comparable today about Obama’s war on Syria. Times correspondents, commentators and editorial writers march in lockstep. They supported Reagan throughout the decade. Perhaps Iran-Contra caused the above change of heart.

Washington prevailed when Violeta Chamorro defeated Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega electorally in 1990.

The FSLN remained one of Nicargua’s two main parties. Washington manipulated electoral politics until Daniel Ortega was reelected president in 2006. He and FSLN parliamentarians prevailed again in November 2011.

They’re a shadow of their former selves. They’re more right of center than left. Ortega sought alliances with the conservative Catholic Church and Nicaraguan business interests. FSLN governance became more bourgeois than progressive.

Washington Consensus interventionism replaced counterinsurgency belligerence. Neoliberalism is America’s regional weapon. Finance is a new form of warfare. End results resemble military conquest without the death and destruction.

Modern-day Contras are jihadi extremists. They replicate Al Qaeda-linked Libya Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) insurgents. In December 2004, the US Treasury designation LIFG a Foreign Terrorist Organization, saying it:

“threatens global safety and stability through the use of violence and its ideological alliance with (Al Qaeda) and other brutal terrorist organizations.”

Washington strategically uses Al Qaeda fighters as allies and enemies. They’re assailed publicly while used against US enemies. They helped ravage Libya. They’re waging bloody war in Syria. They’re used as long as needed.

They’re allies of convenience. They’re returned to enemy status when services rendered no longer are needed.

After Syrian officials were killed at Damascus National Security headquarters, they launched Operation Damascus Volcano. Instead of “liberating” Damascus as planned, they were routed.

Official reports, media scoundrels, pro-Western observers, and hangers on proclaimed a conflict turning point. Syrian forces, in fact, have things well in hand.

Mostly calm returned to Damascus. Fighting shifted to Aleppo. It’s Syria’s largest city and commercial hub. Battles persist. Expect a similar outcome as Damascus. Western misinformation distorts what’s happening and why it matters.

Claims about Syria destabilized and Assad fleeing the country were falsified. Propaganda wars try to offset military failures. In confrontations against insurgents, Syrian forces consistently prevail.

Daily State Department press briefings combine imperial arrogance and misinformation. On July 24, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland claimed Assad “is increasingly losing control of swaths of territory, and clearly the opposition is trying to consolidate so it can have a base from which to operate.”

Washington is “committed to helping” them, she added. She left unaddressed in what ways, and that so far what’s been tried failed. What’s ahead remains to be seen.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta urges more “aggressive” international action. On July 24, Foreign Policy contributor Josh Rogin headlined “Conservatives call on Obama to establish ‘safe zones’ in Syria,” saying:

A Foreign Policy Initiative/Foundation for the Defense of Democracies letter said:

“We believe it is clear that multilateral diplomacy and non-military pressure, by themselves, will neither compel Assad to step down nor ensure that America’s national security interests in Syria and the wider region are protected.”

“America’s national security interests are intertwined with the fate of the Syrian people and the wider region.”

“The longer we wait to act, the more others with interests contrary to ours will fill the void, limiting America’s ability to ensure a multi-sectarian pluralistic Syria.”

“We therefore believe it is long past due for the United States to adopt a strategy that will help the Syrian people to quickly end the Assad regime and actively promote order and stability after the regime’s fall.”

A rogue’s gallery of co-signers included Karl Rove, Elliot Abrams, Douglas Feith, Paul Bremer, and Robert Kagan, among others.

They support war and imperial conquest. Their letter also said inaction means “complicity in oppression.”

Mitt Romney made similar accusations, saying:

“While Russia and Iran have rushed to support Bashar al-Assad and thousands have been slaughtered, President Obama has abdicated leadership and subcontracted US policy to Kofi Annan and the United Nations.”

“Under this president, American influence and respect for our position around the world is at a low ebb.”

Safe zones are ground-based no-fly replicas. Both are acts of war. They’re belligerent and lawless. They assure full-scale intervention.

Co-signer hawks said “multilateral diplomacy and non-military pressure (won’t) compel Assad to step down nor ensure (US) national security interests in Syria and the wider region….”

They want war. So does Obama. Only their timetables differ. Post-election, expect the worst.

Perhaps Russia foresees it. On the one hand, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was clear and unequivocal. He condemned US support for terrorism.

He referred to Washington’s failure to denounce insurgents attacking Syria’s National Security headquarters, saying:

“This is quite an awful position, I cannot even find the words to make clear how we feel. This is directly justifying terrorism. How can this be understood?”

“In other words, to say it in plain Russian, this means ‘we (the United States) will continue to support such terrorist acts for as long as the UN Security Council has not done what we want.’ ”

Lavrov also criticized UN envoy Susan Rice’s hostile comments and Arab League leaders for pressuring Assad to step down.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said warships entered the Mediterranean. Three vessels carry marines. They’ll rendezvous with other Russian ships off Syria’s coast.

Perhaps they’ll be positioned at Tartus. Moscow maintains its only Mediterranean base there. It’s strategic importance may be used. What’s planned remains unknown.

Russia has vital regional interests. So does China. Hopefully both countries will go all out to protect them and make their intentions known. Perhaps doing so can prevent war. There may be no other way.

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

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

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

Jul 23

Washington’s Plan B for Syria

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by Stephen Lendman

Replacing independent governments with pro-Western puppets is official US policy. So is war on Islam.

After Soviet Russia dissolved, Muslims replaced communists as public enemy number one. Since the 1990s, millions were ruthlessly killed. Many more die daily. Dozens succumb every day in Syria. US-sponsored death squads murder them.

On July 20 or 21st, Ramadan began. It continues for 30 days until August 18. It’s a time for prayer, fasting, reflection, spiritual purification, self-sacrifice, charity, and forgiveness.

On July 20, Obama hypocritically “extend(ed) warmest wishes to” American and global Muslims. He wished them a “blessed month.” He did it despite official US policy to murder them. It doesn’t stop in deference to Ramadan, Christmas, or any other time of year.

He contemptuously expressed support for their determination to achieve “democracy,” “equality,” “justice,” and “universal rights.” He said his administration stands forthrightly with them.

He lied. He’s a serial liar. He’s also a war criminal multiple times over.

America deplores these values at home and abroad. It won’t tolerate them. They’re anathema to the nation’s imperium. It seeks unchallenged global dominance. Ravaging the world one country at a time or in multiples is policy to achieve it.

Plans to get Security Council authorization for war failed. Russia and China vetoed three resolutions. Vladimir Putin said no to Libya 2.0.

He denounced efforts to circumvent Security Council authority. He said Russian National Security Council members deplore Western attempts to link ongoing violence to Moscow’s position.

Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov called Washington’s statements “hypocritical.” He added that America subverts efforts to urge opposition leaders to dialogue responsibly with Assad.

He called Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice accusations “absolutely unacceptable.”

Taking aim at Washington and Britain primarily, Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said don’t “be misled by humanitarian discourse by some countries.”

“The policies on Syria are more geopolitical than humanitarian.”

“Unfortunately, the consequences of these policies will make the conflict and bloodshed continuous.”

He indicated that so-called aid is a prelude and pretext for military intervention, adding:

“The US and the UK intervened in Iraq under the most sublime of pretexts, causing (massive numbers of) civilian (deaths), let alone the displaced people inside and outside Iraq.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich warned of serious consequences if Washington intention circumvents Security Council authority and intervenes directly in Syria’s internal affairs.

He said doing so constitutes “a very very alarming signal.” He rejected US retaliatory threats. He criticized congressional action and Western media denunciations.

Russia’s Duma International Affairs Committee Chairman Aleksey Pushkov called Western nations’ position on Syria political cover to escalate tensions. He rejected calls for unilateral approaches.

He accused Washington and so-called “Friends of Syria” of “double standards.” On the one hand, they support diplomatic solutions. On the other, they further violence, bloodshed, and resolving Syria’s conflict militarily. Russia stands firmly opposed.

Last week, Washington upped the stakes. Killing Syrian officials at Damascus National Security headquarters Wednesday was strategically timed.

They happened ahead of the latest Western Security Council scheme to authorize military intervention. It failed. At the same time, battles raged in and around Damascus and elsewhere. They failed.

Efforts were made to hijack Syria’s satellite channel frequencies and silence other state run online media. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) was repeatedly hacked and shut down. On Sunday it was operating. It and other Syrian media remain vulnerable.

So far Western and complicit regional attempts to destabilize, weaken, and perhaps bring down the government failed. Expect continued schemes to topple Assad and his regime.

On July 21, a New York Times editorial headlined “Stymied at UN, US Refines Plan to Remove Assad,” saying:

Obama officials “abandoned efforts for a diplomatic settlement to the conflict in Syria, and instead it is increasing aid to the rebels and redoubling efforts to rally a coalition of like-minded countries to forcibly bring down the government of President Bashar al-Assad, American officials say.”

Obama officials are meeting with Israeli, Turkish, and Western counterparts. They’re also discussing policy with Syrian opposition leaders.

Internal Washington “daily high-level meetings” are held. At issue is Plan B “to help map out a possible post-Assad government.”

“The administration has had regular talks with the Israelis about how Israel might move to destroy Syrian weapons facilities, administration officials said.”

Washington is directly involved in arming, funding, training, and directing Syrian opposition mercenaries. They’re cutthroat killers. They’re enlisted to commit mass murder.

They target pro-Assad civilians and others randomly. Expect stepped up efforts ahead of direct Western and/or regional allies’ intervention.

Unnamed US officials said:

“You’ll notice in the last couple of months, the opposition has been strengthened. Now we’re ready to accelerate that.”

According to hawkish, pro-Israeli Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) member Andrew Tabler:

“We’re looking at the controlled demolition of the Assad regime.”

He left unsaid that official Washington policy includes all options. They include full-scale war.

International Crisis Group member Robert Malley warned of “war that never ends.” Syrians won’t tolerate being ruled by elements now fighting them.

Josh Rogin reports on national security, foreign policy, and defense issues. On July 20, his Foreign Policy article headlined “Inside the quiet effort to plan for a post-Assad Syria,” saying:

Senior Syrian opposition group representatives are meeting covertly in Germany. The State Department provides funding.

For “the last six months,” they’ve been working with so-called US Institute for Peace (USIP) members. They’re planning a post-Assad government.

USIP is a pro-Western front group. According to the Weekly Standard:

Washington supplies millions of dollars. “Since 1985, taxpayers have forked over more than $720 million (inflation adjusted).”

“That has included support for a gleaming new 150,000 square foot office building in the shadow of that other taxpayer-supported institution (allegedly) devoted to peace: the State Department.”

USIP’s Steven Heydemann heads the initiative. In June, he met with Friends of Syria representatives in Istanbul. The project is called:

“The day after: Supporting a democratic transition in Syria.” Heydemann said USIP is “working in a support role with a large group of opposition groups to define a transition process for a post-Assad Syria.”

USIP shortly plans releasing a report. It’s a regime change strategy document. Implementing initial priorities needs to start now, said Heydemann. He disingenuously claims pushing Assad from power isn’t discussed.

“We have very purposely stayed away from contributing to the direct overthrow of the Assad regime,” he said. “Our project is called ‘the day after.’ There are other groups working on the day before.”

Of course, they’re interconnected. As the lyrics to the well-known spiritual “Dem Bones” say, the hip bone is connected to the thigh bone, etc.

USIP board chairman J. Robinson West is a corporate CEO (PFC Energy). President Richard H. Solomon is a former Assistant Secretary of State. Vice chairman of the board George E. Moose is a former Assistant Secretary of State.

Other board members include:

Judy Van Rest: right-wing International Republican Institute (ISI) executive vice president.

Michael H. Posner: Obama’s Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

Of course, all US administrations deplore these values. They tolerate none of them at home or abroad.

James N. Miller: Obama’s Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

Nancy McEldowney: Interim president of the National Defense University (NDU).

Eric S. Edelman: A retired US Foreign Service Career Minister. He also held senior Defense Department positions.

Judy Ansley: Previously she held various high-level national security and Senate staff positions.

Syrian opposition members support violently overthrowing Assad’s government. Most Syrians support it. In May, free, fair, and open parliamentary elections were held. Ruling party members won most seats.

Washington, key NATO partners, and so-called Friends of Syria don’t recognize them. They represent Syria, not Western interests.

Replacing them with subservient puppets is policy. USIP was enlisted to help. It’s a wrongly named imperial tool. It supports war, not peace. It’s well paid for furthering Washington’s imperium. Destroying Syria is prioritized.

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

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

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

Jul 21

Security Council Showdown Aftermath

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by Stephen Lendman

On July 19, Russia and China vetoed a Western resolution on Syria. Invoking UN Charter Chapter VII, it effectively authorized war.

Recriminations followed Thursday’s vote. At the State Department’s July 19 press briefing, spokesman Patrick Ventrell said:.

“We think (Moscow and Beijing’s veto was) deplorable, and certainly we’re not pleased with the outcome of the vote.”

“Having said that, we’re going to remain focused on all elements of our national security strategy in terms of keeping the pressure on the Assad regime (for the) kind of political transition” Washington demands.

Asked about America’s next step, he said “Assad is not going to stay in power, and there is going to be a change to a new government.”

Pressed on if Washington planned circumventing UN authority, he admitted that “avenues outside of the Security Council” are being considered.

He barely stopped short of saying if other methods fail, war is the final option.

Asked what he knew about the Bulgarian bombing incident, he said US officials are involved in investigating it.

He stressed that “Israel and Israeli citizens are targets of vicious acts of terrorism.” He ignored what appears like another Mossad false flag.

He said nothing more about his previous day dismissiveness over the July 19 cold-blooded murder of Syrian officials. US-backed death squads killed them. A state funeral paid final respects.

Comments from American officials reflect outrageous imperial arrogance. Ventrell is no exception.

Russia responded harshly in response to criticism from Washington and other Western nations. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said:

“Attempts by certain Western countries to hold Russia responsible for an escalation in the violence in Syria over its refusal to back a resolution containing threats of sanctions against the Syrian authorities are totally unacceptable.”

He also condemned a July 19 House of Representatives “revenge” vote. Members voted 407 – 5 for an amendment to the FY 2013 Department of Defense Appropriations Act (HR 5856).

It punished Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport. It lost its Pentagon contract. Jim Moran (D. VA) introduced the measure. He called it wrong to partner with “lords of war” supplying arms to Syria.

He lambasted Pentagon officials for awarding the contract. It called for selling 10 Mi-17 attack helicopters to Afghanistan’s military.

America plays hardball. If Russia and China don’t acknowledge who’s boss, expect tougher recrimination ahead.

Vladimir Putin stressed several times he won’t tolerate Libya 2.0. His June 2 “Russia and the Changing World” article said:

“(W)e intend to be consistent in proceeding from our own interests and goals rather than decisions dictated by someone else. Russia is only respected and has its interests considered when the country is strong and stands firmly on its own feet.”

Civilization requires respecting the “inalienable right to security for all states, the inadmissability of the excessive use of force, and the unconditional observance of the basic principles of international law.”

“To neglect any of these principles can only lead to the destabilization of international relations.”

He deplored America’s offensive missile shield near Russia’s borders. “Regrettably, our Western partners are unresponsive and have simply brushed our concerns aside,” he said.

He stressed the importance of the UN “and its Security Council to effectively counter the dictates of some countries and their arbitrary actions in the world arena.”

“Nobody has the right to usurp the prerogatives and powers of the UN, particularly the use of force with regard to sovereign nations.”

He pointedly referred to Washington and NATO. He denounced what he called “humanitarian operations” and “missile-and-bomb democracy.”

“It seems that NATO members, especially the United States, have developed a peculiar interpretation of security that is different from ours.”

“No one should be allowed to employ the Libyan scenario in Syria. The international community must work to achieve an internal Syrian reconciliation.”

“It is important to achieve an early end to the violence no matter what the source, and to initiate a national dialogue – without preconditions or foreign interference and with due respect for the country’s sovereignty.”

He warned America and NATO partners not to circumvent Security Council authority. He expressed concern about possible war on Iran and “disastrous” consequences if it happens.

“He’s equally worried about Syria. He said US/Russian relations “continue to ebb and flow.”

“The instability of the partnership with America is due in part to the tenacity of some well-known stereotypes and phobias, particularly the perception of Russia on Capitol Hill.”

He said relations with America depend on “principles of equal and mutually respectful partnership.” He knows Washington doesn’t respect these notions.

Meanwhile on July 20, the Security Council unanimously extended UNSMIS monitors another 30 days. Failure to agree would have ended their mandate at midnight EDT.

The measure says further extensions depend on future Secretary-General reports, whether the Security Council confirms no further heavy weapons use, and significantly less violence overall.

Britain proposed the resolution. It’s offensive, one-sided, and resolves nothing. It’s UN envoy and Washington’s called it a “last chance” to keep observers on the ground.

Expect nothing positive between now and late August. Washington, key NATO partners, and regional allies won’t allow it.

At the same time, Western efforts target credible reporting from Syria. SANA state media is repeatedly hacked. On July 20, its web site can’t be accessed. On July 14, it headlined “SANA Website Attacked to Prevent it from Conveying Truth of Events in Syria,” saying:

Foreign elements attack the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Doing so blocks credible news and information reporting.

“After the failure of several attempts to hack the website and publish fabricated news on it, foreign sides targeted the website with a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS attack).”

SANA publishes daily news and articles in English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Turkish and Arabic. On July 19, it was unavailable. Days earlier it couldn’t be accessed.

On July 20, it was up only for a short time. It’s struggling to keep operating despite relentless efforts to silence it. Other Syrian media have also been attacked. If they had nothing important to say, they’d be ignored.

Meanwhile, scoundrel media war on Syria continues relentlessly. On July 18, The New York Times headlined “Washington Begins to Plan for Collapse of Syrian Government,” saying:

“Pentagon officials were in talks with Israeli defense officials about whether Israel might move to destroy Syrian weapons facilities.”

Obama’s national security adviser, Thomas Donilon, discussed plans with Israeli officials last weekend. Obama tried pressuring Putin by phone. A White House statement said significant differences remain between the two leaders.

On July 18, a Times editorial headlined “Assassination in Damascus” practically gloated about it, saying:

Assad wages “bloody war against his people..convinced he (can) weather the storm.” In other words, murdering top officials is fair game to prove him wrong.

Russia was also denounced for “abetting Mr. Assad’s killing spree by supplying him with helicopters (and) stubborn(ly) support(ing him).”

Suppressed was Washington’s complicity in supplying Western-recruited deaths squads with heavy weapons, munitions, funding, training, and direction.

On July 18, a Washington Post editorial headlined “Syria’s nerve agents,” saying:

Killing Syrian officials “blew a hole in (Assad’s) regime (and) could lead to the government’s loss of control over territory.”

Syria’s alleged chemical stockpile was stressed, their weaponization, and possible use. Israel’s security was highlighted.

The editorial omitted mention of Israel’s nuclear, biological and chemical arsenal. It used chemical, depleted uranium, and other terror weapons against Lebanon in 2006 and Gaza during Cast Lead. Media scoundrels say nothing.

Syria threatens no one. Israel menaces humanity. So does America. Issues this important are suppressed. Fingers repeatedly point the wrong way.

Media scoundrels betray their readers and viewers. Condemn them. Ignore them. Get real news and information. Learn what’s going on.

Understand real, not fake, global threats. Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and other states are victims. So are people everywhere wanting to live free.

Washington, key NATO partners, Israel, and rogue Arab League states threaten it. Ending their scourge is humanity’s only chance.

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

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

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

Jul 21

Spoiling for Another Lebanon War

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by Stephen Lendman

Lebanon has the misfortune of bordering Israel. The IDF attacked its northern neighbor in 1978, 1982, 1996, and 2006. More on the most recent war below.

Israel still illegally occupies Sheba Farms and Ghajar Lebanese territory.

Since at least the 1960s, it conducted repeated violations of its territory. Its warplanes overfly Lebanon provocatively. It committed thousands of terrorist attacks. It remains unaccountable for all of them.

Hezbollah was born out of Israel’s 1982 war. It’s a legitimate part of Lebanon’s government. It’s not a terrorist organization. It’s repeatedly accused of attacks it didn’t commit. The July 19 Bulgarian false flag is the latest. More on the aftermath below.

Hezbollah threatens no one. It’s fully prepared and committed to defend itself and its territory if attacked. International law supports it. In contrast, Israel is a serial war criminal. It’s a regional menace. Its nuclear, chemical and biological arsenals threaten humanity.

In July 2006, Israel committed naked aggression. Lebanon was preemptively attacked. Thinly veiled pretexts were used as justification. Israel lies about all its belligerence.

Crimes of war and against humanity were committed. Doing so is official Israeli policy.

Against Lebanon, Israeli strategy revealed its “Dahiya Doctrine.” Named after the destroyed Beirut suburb, it’s how all Israeli wars are waged.

Collective punishment/disproportionate force against civilians and non-military infrastructure is policy. Israel’s 2006 blitzkrieg killed over 1,000, injured thousands more, and displaced one-fourth of Lebanon’s four million people.

Beirut, Tyre, Sidon, and other Lebanon cities and towns were attacked. Targets destroyed or damaged included major ports, Beirut International Airport, 70 bridges, dozens of key roads, electrical power plants, gas and fuel stations, factories, schools, radio and TV stations, mosques, churches, hospitals, dams, civil defense centers, Sidon’s refugee camp, an orphanage, and civilian neighborhoods.

Jiyeh’s utility plant south of Beirut was also struck. Doing so caused a massive oil spill. It affected over 90 miles of coastal waters. It threatened biodiversity and heightened the risk of cancer for many thousands of Lebanese.

A land, sea and air siege was imposed. Illegal weapons were used. They included depleted uranium, chemical agents, white phosphorous bombs and shells that burns flesh to the bone, and so-called thermobaric bombs.

They contain polymer-bonded or solid fuel-air explosives. They’re able to penetrate buildings, underground shelters and tunnels. Its blast pressure sucks oxygen out of affected areas and people in them. It’s a terror weapon designed to kill and destroy horrifically.

On July 19, a bus carrying Israeli tourists and others was attacked. Eight deaths were reported. Israel spuriously blamed Hezbollah and Iran.

The New York Times regurgitated baseless Israeli/US accusations saying “American officials on Thursday identified the suicide bomber responsible for a deadly attack on Israeli vacationers here as a member of a Hezbollah cell that was operating in Bulgaria and looking for such targets, corroborating Israel’s assertions and making the bombing a new source of tension with Iran.”

An unnamed “senior American official” said “the bomber ‘act(ed) under broad guidance’ to hit Israeli targets when opportunities presented themselves….”

Two other unnamed US officials blamed Hezbollah. They called Iran “its primary sponsor.” They claimed the motive was in retaliation for assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists.

As always when these type accusations are made, no evidence whatever is cited. Charges without clear corroboration are baseless. The identity of a so-called bomber remains unknown.

Clearly one or more bombs exploded. Whether suicide was involved remains pure speculation. Most likely a Mossad operative safely distant from its detonation bore responsibility.

Hezbollah and Iran categorically denied involvement. Repeatedly they’ve said they don’t target civilians. They respond only when militarily attacked. International law permits it.

On July 19, Press TV said Tehran’s Sofia embassy dismissed spurious Israeli/US charges, saying:

“The Islamic Republic of Iran regards terrorism as an anti-human phenomenon and condemns acts of terror by whomever, for whatever purposes and deems it unacceptable.”

“The baseless remarks by the Israeli regime’s officials and the accusations against Iran regarding its alleged participation in the bus explosion are a known Israeli approach with political purposes, which shows the desperation of the accusers.”

Iran and Bulgaria maintain friendly relations was explained, adding:

“The enemies’ threadbare plots will never damage the strong cordial relations between Tehran and Sofia.”

On July 19, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov called it “wrong and a mistake to point fingers at this stage of the investigation at any country and organization.”

It’s “wrong to jump to conclusions….At this stage,” very little is known, he added.

The Bulgarian false flag bears classic Mossad fingerprints. Car bombs are a favorite tactic. Netanyahu adds more lawlessness to his criminal legacy. He deflected attention saying:

“We will pursue the attackers and extract a heavy price from those who sent them. We will continue fighting Iranian terror, we will act against it with great force.”

“For over a year, Iran, along with its protege Hezbollah, has been waging an international terror campaign. (It’s) the world’s number one exporter of terror (along with its) Hezbollah ‘long arm.’ ”

“A terrorist state must not have a nuclear weapon,” he added.

Israeli officials spuriously claim the Iranian Quds Force and Hezbollah conduct numerous terrorist attacks. An unnamed Israeli official said “(t)hey work together when necessary and separately” otherwise.

He added that he couldn’t confirm if an alleged bomber intended to blow himself up or if he suffered a “work accident.” We’ll never know, he added. Conveniently that leaves a crime without an identifiable suspect by name.

Bulgarian authorities are trying to blame someone. They’re working with Israeli, US and Interpol operatives. DNA was taken from an alleged bomber. How he was selected remains unknown. Everyone on the bus looked like tourists.

The suspect wore plaid shorts, an Adidas T-shirt, and a baseball cap. Allegedly he had a fake driver’s license. Who can know what’s true and what’s not.

On July 19, Haaretz headlined “Netanyahu wants to turn the Israeli intelligence failure over Bulgaria into an excuse to strike Iran,” saying:

Before the dust settled in Bulgaria, he said “all signs lead to Iran.” Without proof, no suspect exists. Nonetheless, “Netanyahu and Barak are eager to deploy IDF forces on an attack mission targeting facilities in Iran.”

“They lack a convincing excuse,” and Obama is preoccupied until after November elections.

Israel also wants revenge for Hezbollah’s effectiveness in 2006. It embarrassed the vaunted IDF. It proved a formidable adversary no matter how much death and destruction it inflicted.

It’s likely better equipped, armed, and ready now than then. Nonetheless, Israel likely wants a longstanding grievance resolved.

It also covets Lebanon’s 20-mile stretch from its border to the Litani River. At issue are considerable water resources and offshore oil and gas.

The Tamar and Leviathan gas fields contain an estimated 25 trillion cubic feet supply as well as four billion or more barrels of oil. A prize this great exceeds any revenge benefit, but in a nation addicted to militarism and belligerence, both issues matter.

Official reports leave another issue unaddressed. Israel faces internal unrest. Most Israelis have longstanding social injustice grievances. Nationwide protests persist. People demand relief from unaffordable housing prices and eroding benefits.

Promises made were broken. Public rage grows. What better way to diffuse it than by hyping an alleged terrorist threat.

Expect a continued drumbeat to heighten fear, blame Iran and Hezbollah, and perhaps use the Bulgarian incident to attack Lebanon ahead of a possible war on Iran.

Who can know for sure what Israel plans. Given its history, anything is possible.

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

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

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

Jul 18

Land of Barbarism: A Glimpse of America

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By Solomon Comissiong

“I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don’t see any American dream–I see an American nightmare.”
― Malcolm X

When Western Europeans embarked upon their expansion of death and destruction throughout what is now commonly known as America, they would often justify these grizzly campaigns in the name of “civilization”. They felt it was necessary to civilize the “barbaric red-man”. These people whom they often referred to as “Injuns” (a racist term used by white settlers/thugs to label indigenous people throughout North America), were in their way of land that wanted to plunder. The amoral hypocrites from Western Europe needed to conjure up some specious reason to rationalize the tidal waves of mass murder they were soon to unleash upon the people that regarded as “uncivilized heathens”. Europeans felt as though these “Injun heathens” needed a European brand of “civilizing”, and they needed the white man’s numerously rewritten bible.

It did not matter that these Western Europeans fled England in large part due to religious persecution; these frauds were now referencing their “holy book” to validate brutal massacres. As a matter of fact, they, and their European cousins (Spanish, Portuguese, French, et al), made a habit of imposing their bible and religion upon indigenous people of color—no matter where they went. They simply had to “civilize” and bring culture to the world’s “savages” of color, or so they said. They were deemed “savages” predicated on simple facts like; they were non-white and they had different cultures. Oh—they were also on land the Europeans wanted to steal. Europeans needed little justification to execute their routine acts of savagery and barbarism. This was the European way.

It mattered little that, no matter where they went, there were prosperous societies riddled with indigenous people of color. It didn’t matter that these societies were much better off, more democratic, and humane than the regions these Europeans fled. And it surely did not matter that these indigenous people had their own form of spirituality. What mattered was that they were different and occupied land they wanted. This simply became reason enough for the real barbarians to initiate killing sprees that would make Hitler blush. They were the teachers—Hitler became their pupil.

Indigenous people of color throughout the globe were not the savages; it was those who imposed incessant onslaughts of terror upon them. Their actions make this an undeniable conclusion. These horrific true tales happened throughout the globe almost wherever Europeans roamed, including throughout what we now call “America”.

America’s foundation is built upon the bloodied, mutilated, and lifeless bodies of innumerable people—-mostly of color. Given the undeniable historical background of the illegal founding of this country, it should be of no surprise that its legacy of death and destruction continue unabated, even in 2012. It should; however, be a surprise the level of complicity most Americans have with the barbarism that is often done in their name, and with their tax dollars. Americans have become, in essence, complicit in their overall mental and social demise. They have allowed a government they believe represents them to psychologically dumb them down, as well as to rob them of humanity. Each time someone (anyone) is complicit with the loss of innocent lives, regardless whoever is the murderer, they are exhibiting disregard for humanity. Martin Luther King, Jr. had it right when he said, “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

Barbarism has become entrenched within American society—although the foundation was built hundreds of years ago, it is now perfected. The rulers of this strange society have convinced its populace that lies are truths and that truths are lies. The people believe almost anything their government (and its unofficial 4^th branch called the media) feed them. Ostensibly it matters little to most Americans that their government has created carnage throughout the globe. Americans have been easily persuaded in to believing that somehow these people are a different kind of human, therefore their lives are less valuable. We cannot evade the fact that America is a swampland of institutional racism and white supremacy. These realities make it easy for many Euro-Americans to accept the mass killings of people of color throughout the globe. And they certainly don’t give a damn about the state sponsored loss of black life within their own stolen country, let alone that of other countries.

The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement recently released a vastly important report detailing the extrajudicial killing of 110 black people between January 1, 2012 and June 30, 2012, by police, security guards or self-appointed law enforcement in America. How many Euro-Americans give a damn about this report or the rampant police brutality and terror communities of color are subjected to throughout this so-called land of “freedom and democracy”?

How many of the white corporate owned media outlets (MSNBC/NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX ‘News’, ABC) give a damn enough to do a feature on this human rights crisis? Please don’t hold your collective breaths waiting for an answer other than ‘zero”! The corporate media in the US has a duty to make sure the overall status quo is upheld. They do this primarily by making sure Americans are oblivious to various issues (which means keeping it off their limited radar), and if they do think about these kinds of issues (police brutality), their job it to make sure Americans cast immediate doubt on the victims (people of color murdered by police) and not on the murderers (cops that kill people of color). In a sane and civilized country there would be a national outcry to immediately put a stop to a system of policing that nefariously preys upon specific communities. Is there a national outcry regarding police brutality in black and brown communities in America? If you correctly answered “no” you also answered the question whether the US is a sane and/or civilized nation.

America is a nation where even its highest government officials, like Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, routinely exhibit themselves like bloodthirsty cave dwellers. When Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was barbarically murdered on camera by US financed terrorist thugs, it was Hillary Clinton who savagely proclaimed on camera, “we came we saw he died“. Only a nation of mentally obsequious zombies would condone this kind of barbaric behavior from one of their high-ranking government officials. Americans accept this kind of inhumane behavior because they have been trained (programmed) quite well.

Hillary “the barbarian” Clinton would be a suitable name if she were a professional wrestler, however she is not—nonetheless the name is still befitting of a proud war criminal. Are we to believe that US Secretary of State Clinton has genuine well-intentioned reasons for recently visiting Laos? Are we to believe that she actually gives a damn that decades after the US imperialist Vietnam war there are still people dying from undetonated bombs? These incredibly destructive weapons were left over from the 2 plus million tons of bombs the United States military indiscriminately dropped on Laos. Hillary Clinton claims the US is so concerned that they are now willing to clean up the leftover bombs. Really? Are civilized human beings to revel at the idea of the US spending 9 million dollars this year to cleanup a mess they created? Where are the hundreds of billions of dollars (at least) of reparations, nations like Laos are owed so that they can move forward towards truly rebuilding much of their nation? There can never be a price tag placed on the countless lives lost( millions throughout Southeast Asia), however with a justifiable reparations package these resilient people can further rebuild their region, thus creating a more stable and prosperous future for their children. Once again, don’t hold your breath on the US doing the right thing in this case either. Providing justifiable reparations to the people of Southeast Asia would validate culpability. Euro-America wants not part in accepting responsibility for its crimes against humanity, past or present. This is why Euro-America has never taken seriously the issue of reparations in regard to the decedents of enslaved Africans or Native Americans whose land they stole (and people they massacred). They don’t want to admit guilt for the crimes of Euro-Americans who build their economy and infrastructure on the blacks of kidnapped African people—and on land they had no right to.

Doing the right thing regarding human rights, in America, has become an elusive idea. Americans have largely accepted the narrative imposed upon them, which is often referred to as “American Exceptionalism“. This most dangerous idea moves Americans further and further away from the majority of the global community. They are allowing themselves to be moved to a state of isolation from those within the global community who appreciate humanity and want a world free of war and injustice. Americans have decided to put on the myopic eyeglasses given to them by their government—-which ultimately impedes them from visualizing a world of peace, justice, and equality. US residents have accepted barbaric narratives of “justifiable wars” and “humanitarian wars”, when conveniently fed to them from a trough full of lies.

America’s wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Libya (to name a few), are the furthest thing from humane. They are nothing less than wars of death and destruction—all in the name of Western Imperialism. The United States’ insatiable appetite for destruction is growing. The US government now has its ravenous sights set on Iran and Syria.

A politically and socially engaged US populace can make all the difference in the world, literally and figuratively. However, in the meantime many Americas are roaming around a psychologically deleterious pasture, after been led there by shepherds who care little about their overall well-being. It is time for these sheep to break free and realize that there is a vast world out there, well beyond the limitations of their troublesome worldview. In essence, it is time for Americans to regain their humanity and lose the barbaric tendencies they have been programmed to embrace. It is time to join other humanity centered global citizens in creating a more livable world, free of injustice. Americans must understand that this important goal cannot be achieved through the status quo. Opting not to speak out or not to organize do more harm than good. The struggle to build a better world is going on at this very moment. When will a majority of Americans use tools at their disposal and become the social justice carpenters this world needs, and ultimately join others throughout the globe in building a more humane global society? Hopefully we won’t have to hold our breath on that question. It is long overdue that Americans reject all forms of barbarity, especially when it comes from their own government.

Solomon Comissiong is an educator, community activist, author, public speaker and the host of the Your World News media collective (www.yourworldnews.org). Solomon is the author of A Hip Hop Activist Speaks Out on Social Issues. He can be reached at: solo@yourworldnews.org

Jul 13

Media Scoundrels Endorse Sham Libyan Election

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by Stephen Lendman

In their book titled “Demonstration Elections,” Edward Herman and Frank Broadhead described US-staged elections.

They’re manipulated to consolidate American power and influence public opinion to believe sham processes are legitimate.

Herman and Broadhead defined what goes on as:

“A circus held in a client state to assure the population of the home country that their intrusion is well received.”

“The results are guaranteed by an adequate supply of bullets provided in advance.” They’re freely used to achieve desired outcomes.

The authors’ main theme was that “elections held under conditions of military occupation and extensive pre-election ‘pacification’ ” aren’t free.

They’re conducted to install client regimes. Those in charge are pro-Western puppets, not legitimate leaders.

US-style democracy is engineered. It’s illusory, not real. Force backs it to assert control.

Elections are instruments of US dominance. Selling deception is crucial. Media scoundrels regurgitate the Big Lie. Herman says “the media leopard never changes its spots.”

Managed news substitutes for truth and full disclosure. Readers and viewers are deceived and betrayed. It happens repeatedly at home and abroad.

Libya’s July 7 sham elections are the latest example. Democracy was absent from the ballot. Puppet National Transitional Council (NTC) leaders manipulated the process. On Tuesday, votes were still being counted.

It hardly matters who wins. Washington engineered its own victory whether Islamists or secularists take charge separately or in coalition government.

They’ll serve as proxies for power, privilege, and neoliberalism’s death grip. Ordinary Libyans want to live free. Liberation depends on fighting for it.

Protracted struggle continues. Libya remains a cauldron of violence and instability. Washington needs these conditions to justify its presence. US and perhaps other NATO forces guard Libyan oil installations and other strategic sites.

Media scoundrels say nothing. Instead, they hailed Libya’s first democratic election. Fiction substituted for fact. Democracy was nowhere in sight.

A Wall Street Journal editorial said Libyans “joyously voted….The vote for a new legislative body wasn’t perfect but went off better than expected.”

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Most Libyans have a different view. Media scoundrels excluded them from those quoted.

They downplayed a nation in shambles, millions impoverished on their own, extreme human misery, protracted conflict, and liberation struggles likely continuing for years.

On July 9, a New York Times editorial headlined “Libya’s Election,” saying:

“Freed from (Gaddafi’s) repression, (Libyans) cast ballots Saturday in the country’s first free election in decades.”

“This is a heartening outcome because the election of a national assembly, judged by independent observers to be reasonably free and fair, was not a given.”

Thus spake the Newspaper of Record. It represents power and privilege. It supports corporate interests. It cheerleads imperial wars. It backs US client regimes. It endorses sham elections pretending to be legitimate ones.

On Tuesday, Reuters headlined “Wartime PM (Mustafa Abdul) Jalil takes early lead in Libya vote,” saying:

Initial tallies suggest Islamist parties did worse than expected. Jabril says “his multi-party alliance is neither secular nor liberal and includes sharia Islamic law among its core values.”

It hardly matters. At issue only is who pulls the strings and controls things. Libya’s government is headquartered in Washington. Other countries America destroyed are dominated the same way.

“Democratic transitions are invariably long and messy,” said The Times. Ignored was that America spurns democracy at home and abroad. Money power runs things. People have no say.

Nonetheless, The Times called Libya’s election “a huge step away from the Qaddafi nightmare.”

In fact, most Libyans supported Gaddafi. The longer war raged, the more it grew. Near the end of conflict it was overwhelming. It likely still is given what Libyans lost.

His 1999 Decision No. 111 afforded all Libyans free healthcare, education, training, rehabilitation, housing assistance, disability and old-age benefits, interest-free state loans, subsidies to study abroad and for couples when they marry, and practically free gasoline.

Libyans also got free use of land for agriculture. The idea was to foster self-sufficiency in food production. Moreover, all basic food items were subsidized. They were sold through a network of “people’s shops.”

Until NATO arrived, Libyans had Africa’s highest standard of living. Oil revenues provided them. They also stimulated economic development. According to “Qaddafi and the Libyan Revolution,” authors David Blundy and Andrew Lycett said:

“The young people are well dressed, well fed and well educated.”

“Every Libyan gets free, and often excellent, education, medical and health services.”

“New colleges and hospitals are impressive by any international standard.”

“All Libyans have a house or a flat, a car, and most have televisions” and other conveniences.

“Compared with most citizens of Third World countries, and with many (others), Libyans have it very good indeed.”

Gaddafi’s Green Book explained Jamahiriya benefits, saying:

“The house is a basic need of both the individual and the family, therefore it should not be owned by others.”

“Women, like men, are human beings.”

They could vote and participate politically. They could also own and sell property independently of their husbands. Under the 1969 Constitutional Proclamation, Clause 5, they got equal status with men. Education and employment were included even though men played a leading role in society.

“(A)ll individuals have a natural right to self-expression by any means….”

“In a socialist society, no person may own a private means of transportation for the purpose of renting to others, because this represents controlling the needs of others.”

“The democratic system is a cohesive structure whose foundation stones are firmly laid above the other (through People’s Conferences and Committees). There is absolutely no conception of democratic society other than this.”

“No representation of the people – representation is a falsehood. The existence of parliaments underlies the absence of the people, for democracy can only exist with the presence of the people and not in the presence of representatives of the people.”

Green Book ideology rejected Western democracy and exploitive capitalism. It was one among other reasons why Washington wanted Gaddafi ousted.

On January 4, 2011, the Human Rights Council (HRC) prepared its “Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review: Libya Arab Jamahiriya.”

It said Gaddafi’s government protected “not only political rights, but also economic, educational, social and cultural rights.” It also praised his treatment of religious minorities, and “human rights training” of its security forces.

Washington’s intervention prevented its expected overwhelming approval. Instead it was postponed. Now it’s buried. It’s little more than a little known footnote about Libya under Gaddafi.

According to The Times, Libya’s transition will be “long and messy” because it has “almost no government institutions to build on.”

At the same time, Saturday’s elections represent “a huge step away from the Qaddafi nightmare.”

So much for truth and full disclosure. Times editorials exclude it.

The view from the Washington Post matches its deception and disingenuousness. On July 9, its editorial headlined “Libya’s all-important post-election steps,” saying:

Gaddafi “left (Libya) with no recognizable political institutions, no rule of law and no established political parties.”

The Post, like all other US scoundrel media, excludes “recognizable” truths in its commentaries.

After decades under Gaddafi, it said, “Saturday’s general election was a remarkable achievement.”

At most, it was “remarkable” deception. Legitimacy was entirely excluded.

Libya’s new government will succeed, said the Post, if its leaders can “impose(e) its authority across the country, including disarming militias or integrating them with official security forces….”

“NATO’s intervention….paved the way for Saturday’s landmark election. Now the Obama administration and its allies should help the new authorities attain their goal of a democratic Libya.”

In fact, Libya is colonized and occupied. Carving up its corpse for profit began last year. Ordinary Libyans are entirely excluded.

What Gaddafi gave, Washington-led NATO destroyed. New puppet leaders will replace interim ones. Exploitive neoliberalism’s death grip stays in charge. The new Libya resembles a level of hell Dante forgot, not liberation.

For Libyans, their protracted struggle to live free continues. It won’t end until America’s imperial scourge is vanquished.

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

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

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

Jul 12

Missy Anne’s on the look out for me…

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By: Guest Contributor

missy anne can’t handle that i’ve left the plantation
she got a sentimental thing for me
she’d tell you she’s liberal–for all human emancipation
down with the struggle
you know–for rights and self determination
would sing the tune of justice before any integration
but she can’t respect my boundaries

you wouldn’t take no for an answer
when I first said no to your pressure
for us to meet
greet
and–get together

still got your wily ways
still sly

and crazed
got my number

and address

yes! you know how to follow your slave

and this is the modern day twenty-first century abomination
of trying to get off the goddamn plantation

What you need to see Missy Anne?

that I’m in a ditch?
in a ravine?
with child?
stupid?
still shiftless as can be?

that I’m jobless?
unemployed?
on welfare?
poor and hungry?

that I’m still so black?
so loud mouthed?
or that no one really likes me?
that I get no respect?
no love?
no dignity?

Missy Anne you done travelled all the way out!

what words you got to say?

what words you got to shout?!

What kinda high you getting off of seeing me?
was it such a surprise, that I survived
that I made it through alive?

Missy Anne

what you want

what you want from me?!!

‘Cause you’re prattling along
saying,
“Everything’s still nice
…quiet
…we doing good
…fighting the good ole fight

…well we have yet to start a riot
…but we getting along
…you know how it is
…do you still keep in touch?”
Now, now Missy Anne you know what’s up!!!

and you know when I left I had done given up
the possibility of you leaving the security of your lies
the sharp tongues of denial
contempt

and despise

I wrote my letters
cried my tears
quivered and quaked
through all the heart break

and you all said it was my fault
that my work didn’t measure
that I was not worth my salt

that you gave me the “opportunity” to show my worth
speak my truth
hold my own
that you wanted to hear what I had to say
and if I needed a break
it was a terrible mistake
‘cause clearly I needed to know my rightful place

and boy oh boy, black naive little me
such a tawdry discredit, to my race

and you made sure to snipe,
“Even John Brown knew what’s right!
and look at you you’re black
you should struggle harder for your people!”
while you sit perched unconcerned
with keeping the playing field equal

and you made sure your stature was still in tact
with your theory without practice
with your this

without that

throwing my hurt in my face
made your case on why I should to stay
“out there is cruel
out there’s much worse
so it’s best that you stay

you modern day slave
Lest you want to be alone

and displaced.”

So what’s up Missy Anne, why you sit so quiet, do you really think I’mma break your silence?!?

Come on now!
I know you all gossip about your slaves
you know how I left all hurt and frayed
so what you want to really set your eyes on?
a vindication that you weren’t wrong?

What you need to say Missy Anne, what ever could it be?!!!!???!!

‘Cause I wasn’t checking for you, you were checking for me

What?! did you think I’d spill my guts
tell you how I had hated the manipulation
while you quietly agree–

safe away from the plantation?

god forbid you yell and scream
can’t tarnish your genteel sensibilities!

do you need to cry tears to soothe your insides?
even attest
to how the Master causes you stress
lay your head in my bosom and call me “Mammy?”

have me wipe your tears with my handkerchief ?

Or wait!
are you still giving in to those narc tendencies?
to bring back information, to the good ole plantation?
and fulfill your true role as Missy Anne indeed!

Or better yet

am I in an interrogation?
Do you need me to give some sort of explanation?
to poke and prod at all my beliefs?
check something wrong with my thinking?
so you can laugh during tea time with your friends
snickering,
“Ha! she’s still as stupid as the day she left,
we were right all along she ain’t got no good sense.”

Did you want to see me stutter?
Would you like it if I showed deference
use my “emotions” to say I’m politically inept?
Still infantile?
Immature?
Just not ready yet?

Would you have felt satisfied
sitting atop your white horse
say,
“Well she ain’t a fit enough breed of course!”

Missy Anne I’ve gone through the scenarios
of what all this means
but you still sit puttering
quiet
contemplating

and this is so confusing
for someone who would preach
that my silence is fatal
so why you do you want to meet?

‘Cause there’s gotta be more
than small talk about the weather

oh yes Missy Anne
I forgot you too clever!

you often like to hear my thoughts
to undercut and shame
when you need someone there

to place the blame
and target for your inadequacy
you remember my words and thrash brutally

well to tell you my thoughts
no I will not
and perhaps that’s why you’re sitting
eyes shifty
body distraught

and yes I’m fine, to your surprise
and yes of course,
supremacy knows no boundaries
quite similar to yourself if you know what I mean
so yes life at times ain’t so peachy keen

and I’ve given all I will to this conversation
any more time and I’ll ask for due compensation
so if it’s your shame
your guilt
your sorrow
you need to heal
well let me just keep it real
i’ve suffered enough fools
and you know the deal
I ain’t magical
don’t carry cure all elixirs
uppers
downers
quicker fixers
to aid you in your quest for your own liberation
Missy Anne I declare you just head on back to that good ole plantation!!!!!

Jul 10

Stolen Haitian Relief Money

By No Comments

by Stephen Lendman

Following Haiti’s catastrophic January 12, 2010 earthquake, billions of dollars in relief aid were raised. Suffering Haitians got virtually none of it.

Hundreds of thousands remain homeless. A cholera emergency still exists. On June 19, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent said:

“There is a significant probability of a major cholera emergency in Haiti in the coming months but resources have been severely diminished.”

Increased numbers of cases were reported in the Artibonite, Nord-Ouest, Nord-Est, Ouest, Gonave island, and homeless camps in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) estimates another 170,000 new cases by end of 2012.

Haiti’s problems are severe. Deep poverty, deprivation, and unemployment torment millions. Earthquake devastation compounded them. Little relief came. It was stolen for commercial development.

It’s common practice to divert relief aid to private developers. In 2004, a second tsunami struck Sri Lanka. The first one took 250,000 lives and left 2.5 million homeless throughout the region.

Coastal areas were scrubbed clean. Everything was gone. Sri Lankans living there lost everything. New rules prohibited rebuilding homes where they once stood. Buffer zone restrictions insured it.

Beaches were off-limits to people who once lived there. Displaced Sri Lankans were shoved into temporary grim inland camps. Soldiers prevented them from coming home.

At issue was developing coastal areas for profit. Luxury destinations were planned. Formerly occupied land was sold to commercial buyers. Privatization was the new game.

Displaced residents were entirely left out. What they lost, they never got back. Land grab money making became policy.

Tsunami victims in other ravaged countries suffered the same fate. The pattern repeated everywhere. People were prohibited from rebuilding where they once lived.

What nature wrought, corporate developers and corrupt politicians compounded by stealing their land for profit.

New Orleans Katrina victims suffered the same way. Blank became beautiful. Erased communities were replaced with upscale condos and other high-profit projects on choice city real estate.

Residents who once lived there were forced out. Politicians conspired with developers to assure they didn’t come back.

History not only rhymes, as Mark Twain once said, a lot of times it repeats. Haitians now suffer like Sri Lankans, other East Asian tsunami victims, and Katrina displaced New Orleans residents.

Haitians are no strangers to adversity and anguish. For over 500 years, they suffered severe oppression, slavery, despotism, colonization, reparations, embargoes, sanctions, deep poverty, starvation, unrepayable debt, and natural calamities.

They included destructive hurricanes and numerous magnitude 7.0 or greater regional earthquakes.

The last major one came in 1946. A magnitude 8.1 quake struck adjacent Dominican Republic. Haiti was also affected. Earlier catastrophic ones were in 1751 and 1770. Both devastated Port-au-Prince. In 1842 Cap-Haitien was destroyed.

In 2004, Washington militarized Haiti after ousting Jean-Bertrand Aristide. After January 2010, in came the marines.

After its worst catastrophe in nearly 170 years, Haitians need food, housing, medical care, clean water, and other vital services, not military forces confronting them repressively. They still do.

US marines are gone. MINUSTAH shock troops remain. For years, they’ve committed murders, kidnappings, extrajudicial detentions, rapes, non-sexual assaults, physical threats, and other type abuses. They’re enforcers for political and corporate crime bosses.

Haiti always was open for profit and exploitation. Earthquake devastation created new opportunities. The country was declared open for business. Washington and other Western predators took full advantage.

So did hundreds of for-profit NGOs. They skim most relief aid donations for themselves. So do corporate developers and other profiteers. They steal private donations and pledged amounts freely. Haiti’s pseudo-government then and now acquiesces.

No one helped Haitians like Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Two coups ousted him. Exile followed each time. He’s back but out of politics. Electoral manipulation installed Washington’s man.

Stealth Duvalierist Michel (Sweet Micky) Martelly became president. Most Haitians despise him. It hardly mattered. They had no say in preventing his illegitimate elevation to the nation’s highest office. Haitian suffering continues.

In January, Bill Quigley and Amber Ramanauskas headlined “Where the Relief Money Did and Did Not Go – Haiti after the Quake,” saying:

Despite billions in pledged and donated aid, “Haiti looks like the earthquake happened two months ago, not two years.”

Rarely does this news get covered. Over half a million people then remained homeless. They still do. Most debris lay where it fell. Cholera was killing thousands. It’s still out of control because too little is done to stop, control, and treat it.

Instead of relief going to help Haitians, it’s given to profiteering companies and NGOs. Haitians then and now ask where did the money go? It hasn’t helped them.

Washington diverted the largest amount. Instead of helping, it sent in the marines, let contracts for corporate predators, and funded well-connected profiteering NGOs. Haitians got hardly anything. They’re still waiting for desperately needed aid.

Their government got 1% of the money. Little went to Haitian companies or local NGOs. Private companies specializing in disasters got funding. Much of what was pledged never came. It happens every time.

Other funds received weren’t spent. Quigley and Ramanauskas are human rights lawyers. They said:

“Respect, transparency and accountability are the building blocks for human rights.”

“Haitians deserve to know where the money has gone, what the plans are for the money still left, and to be partners in the decision-making for what is to come.”

Once relief aid stops, they’ll be responsible entirely for solving problems so far not even addressed.

On July 5, The New York Times headlined “Earthquake Relief Where Haiti Wasn’t Broken.”

It provided a rare mainstream glimpse at how Haitians have been harmed and cheated.

“On the first anniversary of the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake, in a sleepy corner of northeast Haiti far from the disaster zone, the Haitian government began the process of evicting 366 farmers from a large, fertile tract of land to clear the way for a new industrial park.”

They didn’t “understand why authorities wanted to replace productive agricultural land with factories in a rural country that had trouble feeding itself.”

Many other troubling incidents followed. Haitians are virtually helpless to stop it.

Bill Clinton co-chairs the so-called Haiti recovery commission. He celebrated the Caracol Industrial Park project by “cementing an agreement with the anchor tenant – Sae-A-Trading.” Wife Hillary helped seal the deal.

Sae-A is a South Korean clothing manufacturer. It’s a major supplier for Walmart and other large retailers.

They, like other local manufacturers, want to exploit Haitians lucky to have work no matter how poorly they’re paid and treated. They get below poverty wages. They’re treated little better than slaves.

Two and a half years after the quake, “Haiti remains mired in a humanitarian crisis.” Hundreds of thousands are homeless. They’re largely on their own to survive.

This and other commercial developments benefit profiteers, not Haitians. “Caracol Industrial Park is hardly reconstruction in the strictest sense.”

Its developers downplay labor and environmental concerns. They came to make money, not help Haitians. Sae-A has an odious reputation. It closed its Guatemala factory over troubled labor relations.

The AFL/CIO urged Haiti’s government not to accept them. A detailed memo described “egregious antiunion repression.” It includes “acts of violence and intimidation.” Guatemalan monitor Homero Fuentes called Sae-A “one of the major labor violators.”

Worker Rights Consortium executive director Scott Nova calls the company “a big player in a dirty industry with a track record that suggests a degree of ruthlessness even worse than the norm.”

Other critics expressed concerns about its Guatemalan labor and criminal law violations. Company executives used every dirty tactic imaginable to squeeze out profits. Manufacturing is conducted amidst intimidation, death and other threats on workers.

Nonetheless, Bill and Hillary Clinton welcomed Sae-A with open arms.

Caracol Bay contains Haiti’s most extensive mangrove reserve and valued coral reef. Better suited sites were bypassed. Haiti’s Audubon Society head Arnoud Dupuy called doing so “heresy.”

Environmental considerations were ignored. Despite objections, development went ahead as planned. It includes a heavy fuel oil power plant, a dense housing project, and port on a soon to be lost pristine bay.

Instead of promised “building back better,” profits superseded environmental and people concerns. Local backers and US officials downplayed the enormous damage done.

Haitians won’t be helped. They’ll be ruthlessly exploited for profit. Caracol’s mayor, Landry Colas, wasn’t consulted. He’d have picked a different site, he said.

This one is vast. It comprises nearly a square mile. It’s in Haiti’s north, south of Cap-Haitien. It’s bisected by the Hole of the North River and fed by the Massacre Aquifer.

Land was cleared last year. Small farmers were evicted. The tract resembles “a gravelly lunar landscape. Its perimeter is fenced, and outside the gate, a banner drapes a church, proclaiming ‘Sae-A Loves You.’ ”

It reminds some of Orwell’s “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”

Sae-A executives see Caracol Bay as a blank slate to develop and exploit as they wish. Haitians have a much different view. Land chosen has a history of foreign exploitation and agrarian struggle. Peasants alternated between occupation and eviction.

In 1986, residents reclaimed the land after Baby Doc Duvalier fell from power and fled to France. They divided it into hundreds of small farms. Many paid yearly rent to squat. The land’s replete with “collective memory.”

Bill and Hillary Clinton added more. Aggrieved Haitians won’t forget or forgive. The William J. Clinton Foundation and Inter-American Development Bank lured hundreds of potential investors to Haiti.

Big profits were promised. The industrial park was bait. Away from Haiti’s devastated south, it was ideal.

Ravaged areas remain troubled by slow rubble removal, problems securing land, and institutional ones.

Export processing zones aren’t new in Haiti. Choosing the best sites are prioritized. Professor Laurent Dubois calls developing industrial parks a “tired” idea, saying:

“The way I see it, in a deep, long, historical way, Haiti was founded by ex-slaves who overthrew a plantation system and people keep trying to get them to return to some form of plantation.”

“There have been cycles of (these) type project(s), where the idea is that foreign investment will modernize the country. But things have gotten progressively worse for Haitians.”

A local bank manager called developing a garment maquiladora zone a last resort idea. Free land, slave wages, extensive infrastructure development, and other investment incentives lured Sai-A. In return, it’s spending a modest amount.

Environmentalists were shocked that the company would anchor a giant industrial park. Before Haiti’s quake, they designated Caracol Bay to become the country’s first marine protected site.

Development imperils conservation. Haiti’s government chose the site. Washington’s heavy hand made the difference. It has valued soil and water resources. It’s ideal for farming.

Environmental impact studies weren’t done. After the fact, concerns were raised. It was too late. Caracol’s mayor Colas worries that his city will become another Cite Soleil slum.

He added that he feels like he’s being used. Signing ceremony attendees stop by City Hall, he said. They greet him, but there’s no relationship or involvement in planning or deals signed. Foreigners know more about what’s going on than he does, he complained.

Millions of Haitians have known nothing but brutal exploitation and numbing poverty for hundreds of years.

Caracol Bay and other commercial development projects change nothing. Haitian suffering continues.

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

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

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

Jul 10

Maligned for Doing the Right Thing

By No Comments

by Stephen Lendman

Twice Cynthia McKinney lost her congressional seat for supporting Palestinian rights.

Doing the right thing is costly. Going along with what’s wrong pays well. Staying in government depends on it. McKinney is too principled to play that game.

The Israeli Lobby went all out to get her. Ruining her political career became policy. Ariel Sharon even bragged about it on an earlier visit to Georgia. McKinney lives there. It’s her home state.

Virtually no one in Congress criticizes Israel. Doing so risks being a career ender.

A TV commercial once showed Mother Nature’s wrath following a tag line saying “It’s not nice to fool” her.

The Israeli Lobby practically matches her blow for blow.

Democratic National Committee (DNC) member Evelyn Garcia felt its sting. A July 3 Palm Beach Post article explained.

Earlier emails she wrote surfaced. She took a principled stand. She criticized Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Her comments were accurate and honorable. Pressure forced her DNC resignation.

She’s a candidate for Florida’s House of Representatives. She’s the eldest child of Haitian immigrants.

She likely knows its history of adversity and anguish. Living in South Florida avoids its harshness. She appreciates how oppressed people suffer and said so.

News broke about her criticism at the wrong time.

On August 14, voters will accept or reject her bid to represent Florida’s District 88. It includes parts of West Palm Beach and Riviera Beach.

She’ll continue campaigning. She and three other Democrats vie for the same seat. Republican challengers are absent. The August 14 winner will represent District 88 post-November elections.

While holding firm on moral principles, she apologized for her remarks. Doing so is politically correct. Honor and integrity on sensitive topics and politics don’t mix.

It goes with the territory. Consequences follow standing up for what’s right.

Her emails were sent anonymously to local Democratic party leaders. Some were written to a South Florida congressional aide.

On July 26, 2011, she said:

“The continued Israeli occupation of Palestine is ugly on moral, ethical, religious and legal grounds.”

“Palestinians had nothing to do with the holocaust and it is time that this guilt trip was taken off their backs….And I deeply resent U.S. taxpayer funds being used to continue Israeli aggression.”

On May 24, 2011, she wrote:

“Slavery was ended, apartheid was ended and so this occupation must end.”

County Democratic party chairman Mark Siegel expressed outrage, saying:

“I was shocked by her choice of words.” She never showed “animus toward Jews she encountered in her work for the party.”

She showed none in her emails.

County commissioner Burt Aaronson also expressed anger, saying:

“She can say what she wants but not as an executive of the Democratic Party. The party, locally, statewide and nationally, supports the state of Israel.”

“I am personally offended as a Jew, as a Democrat and as a supporter of the state of Israel. The Democratic Party is better off without her.”

Criticism of Israel is unrelated to views about Jews. Siegel and Aaronson know it. So do other party leaders. Speaking forthrightly like Garcia isn’t part of their portfolio.

Israel is a political state. It’s also an apartheid one. It’s accountable for its actions under international laws and its own. Criticizing its lawless behavior is justifiable and principled. Failure to do so is dishonorable and cowardly.

In 2008, Garcia was elected to the DNC. The same year, she served as a party delegate at its Denver national convention.

On June 29, she resigned expressing “great sadness and a heavy heart.” She was dismayed that private emails were released “by someone I believed was my friend.”

“In passionately advocating my position supporting the rights of people I felt were being harmed, I used language that I now regret.”

“The gist of the conversation had to do with my concern for innocent people being oppressed, but such support for the oppressed does not diminish my support for the good people of Israel.”

Separately, she emailed the Palm Beach Post, saying:

“My comments were not only inappropriate and hurtful, they are exactly the kind of ugly rhetoric that is not conducive to the overall atmosphere needed to create a prosperous peace and security for both parties.”

“I apologize to anyone I offended and to my friends in the Democratic Party, in particular, members of the Jewish faith whom I have worked with for years.”

“My continued presence would merely serve as a distraction to the good work of Democrats and it is for this reason I have submitted my resignation.”

In criticizing Israel, she spoke her heart and conscience. In apologizing, she commented like a political candidate seeking votes.

Serving at federal, state or local levels and doing the right thing is incompatible.

A Final Comment

Mondoweiss.net covered this story several times. It published further Garcia comments made on July 6, saying:

Her private emails in question went to Lauren Londner and Dan Liftman. Why did either or both individuals release them months later to “members of an unelected Palm Beach County political action group,” BIZPAC?

It calls itself Palm Beach County’s “voice of business in the political arena.”

Who authorized their release to BIZPAC, she asked? “Was it Diana Demarest, former Palm Beach County Democratic Party Secretary, or another member or surrogate of ‘the PAC?’ ”

“What was their intended purpose? Was it to spur a debate about US policy in the Middle East? Did they not anticipate the barrage of hate mail and threats I’ve been receiving from places as far away from Palm Beach County as Oklahoma?”

“And, who are ‘they’ anyway and what do ‘they’ stand for? Did this unelected so-called leadership demonstrate sound leadership in contributing to tactics which appear to be pathetic attempts to silence or crush an opposing point of view?”

“Are they raising issues of loyalty and patriotism? “Or, did they really intend a conversation among the wider electorate of the extent to which U.S. taxpayers are subsidizing an illegal occupation by Israel? And, who says it’s an occupation and illegal?”

“Well, let me count the ways: numerous United Nations resolutions, J Street, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Presbyterian Church, CodePink, religious and political leaders and public opinion worldwide.”

She added that she holds BIZPAC responsible for what happened. Hate threats against her are totally uncalled for. So are anti-Semitism accusations.

Doing so presents a chance to publicly discuss why US taxpayers have to “subsidize the illegal, immoral occupation of Palestinian territories. How about” airing that topic “instead of persecuting one messenger?”

Don’t Palestinians have rights? Aren’t they entitled to a homeland like Jews?

She stressed her support for “freedom, human rights, civil rights, and the right to self-determination.”

She said she fought anti-Semitism since high school. In whatever capacity ahead, she intends “to remain true to these principles.”

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

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

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

Archive

For July, 2012

US Proxy Al Qaeda Death Squads in Syria

War Without Mercy on Syria

Washington’s Plan B for Syria

Security Council Showdown Aftermath

Spoiling for Another Lebanon War

Missy Anne’s on the look out for me…

Stolen Haitian Relief Money

Maligned for Doing the Right Thing

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