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The system needs changing, don't you think? Iraq and America--victims of capitalist family values. http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/3770
"BAGHDAD, Housekeeper and mother of three Anisah Kaseb, 58, says the relentless violence in Iraq has damaged her family psychologically: Her younger son committed suicide and her daughter now requires psychological help.
"Widowed and dependent on her deceased husband’s pension, Kaseb tries to make some extra money by cooking for marriage parties or washing laundry at home. Her plight has worsened of late.
“'My son Muhammad, who was only 28 years old, was desperate: He had no job for the past two years and couldn’t marry because we didn’t have enough money. He was out on the streets one day looking for a job when a car bomb exploded near him. The incident affected him badly and he committed suicide, leaving us a letter saying that he couldn’t bear life in Iraq any more and felt useless because he could not help his family economically.
“'It was the most terrible day in my life. He killed himself on the day of his sister’s birthday on 14 May and since than my daughter Alia’a, 32, has tried to commit suicide twice, firstly by cutting her wrists and then by jumping in front of a car - which left her with a broken leg that required hours of surgery.
“'The violence pushed my son to suicide, and sometimes I think that if Alia’a kills herself, I would rather die too. I don’t have any other person to live for as my eldest daughter, Juan, is married and lives in Syria with her husband.
“'I thought many times of taking poison after my son died, and I prayed to God for hours to dispel these thoughts.
“'My sister-in-law got desperate after my brother was killed in an explosion: She poisoned her two children and then herself, leaving a letter saying she wasn’t able to support them and that she would rather they all died together than see them killed like her husband.
“'People in Iraq are living in constant fear of violence, unemployment, hunger and displacement. We are tired and many aren’t able to flee the country and, like my son, end their lives.”
Found on Meanwhile in Palestine and Iraq
SIRATYST (Stuff I Read and Thought You Should Too) -- “To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace.” (Calgacus, as quoted by Tacitus, Agricola 30-31)"
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Kids Die in "Family Values" America
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Real U.S. family values--why wasn't there decent, affordable daycare for these kids? http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Dead-Toddlers.html
"HANAHAN, S.C. (AP) -- Two young children who had been left in a hot car while their mother was at work were later found dead, their bodies wrapped in trash bags under an apartment sink, authorities said Tuesday.
"Autopsies were scheduled Tuesday to determine what killed 1-year-old Triniti Campbell and her 4-year-old brother, Shawn Campbell Jr., Berkeley County Deputy Coroner George Oliver said.
"The children's mother, Sametta Heyward, 27, had taken them to work Monday in downtown Charleston and left them in her car all day as the temperature outside rose to 88 degrees, Oliver said.
"Officers investigating a report of a disturbance at Heyward's apartment Monday night found her crying and yelling, '''Oh, my babies,''' according to a police report.
"A man holding Heyward told officers ''the kids were in trash bags and under the cabinet.'' The police report said Heyward tried to bite and kick the officers, had to be restrained, and was taken to a hospital because medics thought she could be having seizures.
'''She stated she wanted to die and asked officers to kill her,'' the report said.
"Neighbor Brandon Coving said he saw Heyward and the children on Sunday. ''They were running around, and she had a big smile on her face, and it seemed like a regular day,'' he said.
Hanahan is about 15 miles north of Charleston.
"HANAHAN, S.C. (AP) -- Two young children who had been left in a hot car while their mother was at work were later found dead, their bodies wrapped in trash bags under an apartment sink, authorities said Tuesday.
"Autopsies were scheduled Tuesday to determine what killed 1-year-old Triniti Campbell and her 4-year-old brother, Shawn Campbell Jr., Berkeley County Deputy Coroner George Oliver said.
"The children's mother, Sametta Heyward, 27, had taken them to work Monday in downtown Charleston and left them in her car all day as the temperature outside rose to 88 degrees, Oliver said.
"Officers investigating a report of a disturbance at Heyward's apartment Monday night found her crying and yelling, '''Oh, my babies,''' according to a police report.
"A man holding Heyward told officers ''the kids were in trash bags and under the cabinet.'' The police report said Heyward tried to bite and kick the officers, had to be restrained, and was taken to a hospital because medics thought she could be having seizures.
'''She stated she wanted to die and asked officers to kill her,'' the report said.
"Neighbor Brandon Coving said he saw Heyward and the children on Sunday. ''They were running around, and she had a big smile on her face, and it seemed like a regular day,'' he said.
Hanahan is about 15 miles north of Charleston.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Kids Being Prescribed Powerful Antipsychotic Drugs.
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Very scary article about the prescription of "atypical" drugs to children as young as 3 yrs. old. Pharmaceutical companies are pushing these things (shock!). Portion below; whole article here: http://www.sptimes.com/2007/07/29/Worldandnation/The__atypical__dilemm.shtml
"Initially billed as wonder drugs with few significant side effects, evidence is mounting that they can cause rapid weight gain, diabetes, even death.
"They're also expensive. On average last year, it cost Medicaid nearly $1,800 for each child on atypical antipsychotics. In the last seven years, the cost to taxpayers for atypical antipsychotics prescribed to children in Florida jumped nearly 500 percent, from $4.7-million to $27.5-million.
"Medicaid and insurance companies have fed the problem, encouraging the use of psychiatric drugs as they reimburse less and less for labor-intensive psychotherapy and occupational therapy.
"Another factor: Doctors have been influenced by pharmaceutical companies, which have aggressively marketed atypicals.
"Whatever the reasons for the soaring use of psychiatric drugs in children, things have gotten out of whack, according to Dr. Ronald Brown. Last year he headed an American Psychological Association committee that looked into the issue.
"'The bottom line is that the use of psychiatric medications far exceeds the evidence of safety and effectiveness," Brown said.
"'What people need to do is what's in the best interest of children instead of what's in the best interest of people's pocketbooks. But children don't vote."
Found on Whateverhappened.com
"Initially billed as wonder drugs with few significant side effects, evidence is mounting that they can cause rapid weight gain, diabetes, even death.
"They're also expensive. On average last year, it cost Medicaid nearly $1,800 for each child on atypical antipsychotics. In the last seven years, the cost to taxpayers for atypical antipsychotics prescribed to children in Florida jumped nearly 500 percent, from $4.7-million to $27.5-million.
"Medicaid and insurance companies have fed the problem, encouraging the use of psychiatric drugs as they reimburse less and less for labor-intensive psychotherapy and occupational therapy.
"Another factor: Doctors have been influenced by pharmaceutical companies, which have aggressively marketed atypicals.
"Whatever the reasons for the soaring use of psychiatric drugs in children, things have gotten out of whack, according to Dr. Ronald Brown. Last year he headed an American Psychological Association committee that looked into the issue.
"'The bottom line is that the use of psychiatric medications far exceeds the evidence of safety and effectiveness," Brown said.
"'What people need to do is what's in the best interest of children instead of what's in the best interest of people's pocketbooks. But children don't vote."
Found on Whateverhappened.com
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Speaking for the Innocent Palestinians in Lebanon's Camp
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Speaking on behalf of the innocent children still stuck in Nahr Al-Barid.
Speaking on behalf of the innocent children still stuck in Nahr Al-Barid.
Found on Angry Arab Newservice
Friday, July 27, 2007
A Life Gone Missing
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Just a tale to tell
I miss my son
I miss my home
I miss green grass and beautiful flowers in my garden
I miss my extended family, we can't visit any more
I miss our gatherings on Thursdays
I miss walking to the roundabout, with my kids, for exercise every evening
I miss Mutanebbi Street on Friday mornings, where I bought countless second-hand books – the only kind there are.
I miss al-Ilwiya Club lunches on Fridays and Bingos on Tuesday evenings
I miss going to the swimming pool and being emmersed in water
I miss shopping around midnight
I miss my life
I thank God for my daughter and my son
I thank God that I am able to support them through my job and needn't beg a living from my male relatives (as is customary if I am jobless)
I thank God for good health and strength …… But I still miss my life – and I know that the life I knew here in Baghdad is gone forever and all that remains is a tale to tell… to those who don't know the Baghdad that I knew.
http://washingtonbureau.typepad.com/iraq/2007/07/just-a-tale-to-.html
I miss my son
I miss my home
I miss green grass and beautiful flowers in my garden
I miss my extended family, we can't visit any more
I miss our gatherings on Thursdays
I miss walking to the roundabout, with my kids, for exercise every evening
I miss Mutanebbi Street on Friday mornings, where I bought countless second-hand books – the only kind there are.
I miss al-Ilwiya Club lunches on Fridays and Bingos on Tuesday evenings
I miss going to the swimming pool and being emmersed in water
I miss shopping around midnight
I miss my life
I thank God for my daughter and my son
I thank God that I am able to support them through my job and needn't beg a living from my male relatives (as is customary if I am jobless)
I thank God for good health and strength …… But I still miss my life – and I know that the life I knew here in Baghdad is gone forever and all that remains is a tale to tell… to those who don't know the Baghdad that I knew.
http://washingtonbureau.typepad.com/iraq/2007/07/just-a-tale-to-.html
Watch Out When the Dems Start Using the Word "Nuanced"
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I'd call this approach paternalistic and misogynist. Is that nuanced enough for you?
"She [an adviser] has been urging Democrats to embrace programs aimed at helping women in crisis keep their pregnancies, in an effort to show voters that "pro-choice" does not mean "pro-abortion." The leading Democratic presidential candidates are increasingly making that more nuanced case.
"At a recent presidential forum, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York decried the failure of activists on both sides to work together to bring down the number of abortions. She repeated a mantra her husband made famous more than a decade ago: Abortion, she said, should be "safe, legal and rare."Then Clinton paused and added deliberately: "And by rare, I mean rare."
"At another forum, this one sponsored by Planned Parenthood, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois called a woman's right to abortion "one of the most fundamental freedoms we have in this country." But he also urged alliances across ideological lines to promote initiatives that value motherhood, such as paid maternity leave."
"If the argument is [too] narrow, oftentimes we lose," Obama said.Democrats first began field-testing this message in 2006. Candidates for governor in Ohio and Michigan made a point of talking about abortion reduction even as they supported abortion rights.
"In one mailer, Ohio candidate Ted Strickland spoke of his desire to give all children "every opportunity to reach their God-given potential. This includes working together, across our differences, to reduce the need for and numbers of abortions."
"Both Strickland and Michigan incumbent Jennifer Granholm won their campaigns. Exit polls showed they did better than national Democrats among weekly churchgoers — and much better among white evangelicals, who tend to be conservative on abortion.
"'This approach is not going to all of a sudden bring the pro-life crowd over to the Democrats, but it creates an opening," said Eric Sapp, a political consultant who helped craft the Michigan and Ohio campaigns. With the nation so closely split, even a small boost in support for the Democrats "could reshape the political landscape," Sapp said.
"She [an adviser] has been urging Democrats to embrace programs aimed at helping women in crisis keep their pregnancies, in an effort to show voters that "pro-choice" does not mean "pro-abortion." The leading Democratic presidential candidates are increasingly making that more nuanced case.
"At a recent presidential forum, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York decried the failure of activists on both sides to work together to bring down the number of abortions. She repeated a mantra her husband made famous more than a decade ago: Abortion, she said, should be "safe, legal and rare."Then Clinton paused and added deliberately: "And by rare, I mean rare."
"At another forum, this one sponsored by Planned Parenthood, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois called a woman's right to abortion "one of the most fundamental freedoms we have in this country." But he also urged alliances across ideological lines to promote initiatives that value motherhood, such as paid maternity leave."
"If the argument is [too] narrow, oftentimes we lose," Obama said.Democrats first began field-testing this message in 2006. Candidates for governor in Ohio and Michigan made a point of talking about abortion reduction even as they supported abortion rights.
"In one mailer, Ohio candidate Ted Strickland spoke of his desire to give all children "every opportunity to reach their God-given potential. This includes working together, across our differences, to reduce the need for and numbers of abortions."
"Both Strickland and Michigan incumbent Jennifer Granholm won their campaigns. Exit polls showed they did better than national Democrats among weekly churchgoers — and much better among white evangelicals, who tend to be conservative on abortion.
"'This approach is not going to all of a sudden bring the pro-life crowd over to the Democrats, but it creates an opening," said Eric Sapp, a political consultant who helped craft the Michigan and Ohio campaigns. With the nation so closely split, even a small boost in support for the Democrats "could reshape the political landscape," Sapp said.
Eloquent Story of Stubborn Humanity
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This story has a happy ending, but the earlier part where the US soldier goes through all kinds of contortions because the girl he wants to help may not have US citizenship gives one an idea of the reality of life in an occupation. Portion below; whole story here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003808094_iraqrescue27.html
"'Thank you, sir," he [girl's father] managed to say, and when he was unable to say anything else, he bowed his head, and then sat, and then wiped his eyes, and then followed the doctor into the treatment area, where his Iraqi daughter was surrounded by American doctors and medics.
"The injuries to the girl were serious. There was a deep cut across her cheek, and, worse, something that had gone into the left side of her forehead and was embedded in her skull.
Her father held her hand until the doctors swaddled her in a sheet, making sure to wrap her arms tightly. Her mother closed her eyes. The doctors leaned in.
"It took a while, and at the worst of it the little girl couldn't remain quiet, but then the doctors were showing her what they had found — a solid piece of glass that was nearly 2 inches long — and soon after that she was smiling.
"The glass was part of an apartment that no longer existed, in a part of Baghdad where the sounds Thursday night were of mourning.
"But in this part of Baghdad, the sounds were of a mother who no longer had a home kissing her Iraqi daughter's cheek, and a father who no longer had a home kissing his Iraqi daughter's hand, and a little girl who no longer had a home saying something in Arabic that caused her parents to smile, and Cummings saying quietly in English, "Man, I haven't felt this good since I got to this hellhole."
"'Thank you, sir," he [girl's father] managed to say, and when he was unable to say anything else, he bowed his head, and then sat, and then wiped his eyes, and then followed the doctor into the treatment area, where his Iraqi daughter was surrounded by American doctors and medics.
"The injuries to the girl were serious. There was a deep cut across her cheek, and, worse, something that had gone into the left side of her forehead and was embedded in her skull.
Her father held her hand until the doctors swaddled her in a sheet, making sure to wrap her arms tightly. Her mother closed her eyes. The doctors leaned in.
"It took a while, and at the worst of it the little girl couldn't remain quiet, but then the doctors were showing her what they had found — a solid piece of glass that was nearly 2 inches long — and soon after that she was smiling.
"The glass was part of an apartment that no longer existed, in a part of Baghdad where the sounds Thursday night were of mourning.
"But in this part of Baghdad, the sounds were of a mother who no longer had a home kissing her Iraqi daughter's cheek, and a father who no longer had a home kissing his Iraqi daughter's hand, and a little girl who no longer had a home saying something in Arabic that caused her parents to smile, and Cummings saying quietly in English, "Man, I haven't felt this good since I got to this hellhole."
Chalmers Johnson on the CIA's Legacy of Ashes (Tim Weiner book)
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Chalmers Johnson here reviews Tim Weiner's book, "Legacy of Ashes," about the CIA's incredibly rotten history. Looks like it goes a long way toward showing the US is not the "shining city on the hill'; more like the "burning city from hell." Portion below; whole article here: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18071.htm
"On the clandestine side, the human costs were much higher. The CIA's incessant, almost always misguided, attempts to determine how other people should govern themselves; its secret support for fascists (e.g., Greece under George Papadopoulos), militarists (e.g., Chile under Gen. Augusto Pinochet), and murderers (e.g., the Congo under Joseph Mobutu); its uncritical support of death squads (El Salvador) and religious fanatics (Muslim fundamentalists in Afghanistan) -- all these and more activities combined to pepper the world with blowback movements against the United States.
"Nothing has done more to undercut the reputation of the United States than the CIA's "clandestine" (only in terms of the American people) murders of the presidents of South Vietnam and the Congo, its ravishing of the governments of Iran, Indonesia (three times), South Korea (twice), all of the Indochinese states, virtually every government in Latin America, and Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The deaths from these armed assaults run into the millions. After 9/11, President Bush asked "Why do they hate us?" From Iran (1953) to Iraq (2003), the better question would be, "Who does not?"
Found on Information Clearinghouse
"On the clandestine side, the human costs were much higher. The CIA's incessant, almost always misguided, attempts to determine how other people should govern themselves; its secret support for fascists (e.g., Greece under George Papadopoulos), militarists (e.g., Chile under Gen. Augusto Pinochet), and murderers (e.g., the Congo under Joseph Mobutu); its uncritical support of death squads (El Salvador) and religious fanatics (Muslim fundamentalists in Afghanistan) -- all these and more activities combined to pepper the world with blowback movements against the United States.
"Nothing has done more to undercut the reputation of the United States than the CIA's "clandestine" (only in terms of the American people) murders of the presidents of South Vietnam and the Congo, its ravishing of the governments of Iran, Indonesia (three times), South Korea (twice), all of the Indochinese states, virtually every government in Latin America, and Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The deaths from these armed assaults run into the millions. After 9/11, President Bush asked "Why do they hate us?" From Iran (1953) to Iraq (2003), the better question would be, "Who does not?"
Found on Information Clearinghouse
What the U.S. Is Currently Up to in Iraq
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Still winning hearts and minds. Below is a portion of a report from Al-Ahram weekly. Whole article here: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=34823&s2=27
"Meanwhile, parliament postponed its summer recess, but it has no plans to discuss thorny issues for the moment. The oil and de-Baathification laws will be debated after the recess, now scheduled for August. Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki has urged the cabinet to cancel, or at least shorten, the recess so as to "help the government resolve outstanding issues", according to a statement from his office.
"President Bush and his administration are still pushing for a speedy promulgation of the controversial oil law. Former oil minister Essam Shalabi denounced the oil law as an attempt to partition Iraq. The Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) issued an edict prohibiting the implementation of that law. The edict, claimed AMS spokesman, prompted the Americans to raid Um Al-Qura Mosque, the AMS headquarters in Baghdad, early this week. US troops arrested 18 AMS officials and wrecked AMS offices during the raid.
"The US administration says that violence is likely to escalate in August. But Operation Imposing Law in Baghdad and Operation Arrowhead Ripper in Diali, 75 kilometres northeast of Baghdad, are still in full swing. US statements speak of the arrest and death of dozens of "terrorists". Resistance forces claim in Internet statements that they are inflicting significant losses on occupation forces. Baquba inhabitants say that relative calm has been restored in their city, but they complain of food and fuel shortages.
"In separate news, US helicopters strafed Al-Huseiniya in north Baghdad, believed to be a stronghold of the Mahdi army, killing 18 civilians and wounding dozens. Nassar Al-Rubiei, spokesman for the Sadr Group, called on parliament to denounce the US shelling. US forces searched Al-Adhamiyah neighbourhood of Baghdad following an attack on a US patrol. Al-Adhamiyah has for the past few months been surrounded by a five-metre high cement barrier.In Kirkuk, 100 civilians were killed in a suicide attack mounted by a truck laden with explosives. The attack comes one week after the bombings in Amirli, considered to be the worst since April 2003. US Ambassador Ryan Crocker visited Kirkuk for talks with local officials following the attack. Once the ambassador left, the northern Kurdish administration announced plans to deploy 6,000 peshmerga, or Kurdish fighters, around vital institutions to pre-empt acts of "terror".
"Oil-rich Kirkuk is a multi-ethnic city that has a strong Turkomen presence, but Kurdish political forces have been trying to incorporate it into their region. Their decision to deploy peshmerga in Kirkuk angered local Arab and Turkomen communities. Aydin Aksu, a key figure in the Iraqi Turkomen Front, told Al-Ahram Weekly that, "the presence of 6,000 peshmerga would increase tension and deepen the rift in this town. It would generate resentment among other communities in the city, for it is unconscionable for one community to have all the power. The protection of vital institutions is just an excuse."
"Meanwhile, parliament postponed its summer recess, but it has no plans to discuss thorny issues for the moment. The oil and de-Baathification laws will be debated after the recess, now scheduled for August. Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki has urged the cabinet to cancel, or at least shorten, the recess so as to "help the government resolve outstanding issues", according to a statement from his office.
"President Bush and his administration are still pushing for a speedy promulgation of the controversial oil law. Former oil minister Essam Shalabi denounced the oil law as an attempt to partition Iraq. The Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) issued an edict prohibiting the implementation of that law. The edict, claimed AMS spokesman, prompted the Americans to raid Um Al-Qura Mosque, the AMS headquarters in Baghdad, early this week. US troops arrested 18 AMS officials and wrecked AMS offices during the raid.
"The US administration says that violence is likely to escalate in August. But Operation Imposing Law in Baghdad and Operation Arrowhead Ripper in Diali, 75 kilometres northeast of Baghdad, are still in full swing. US statements speak of the arrest and death of dozens of "terrorists". Resistance forces claim in Internet statements that they are inflicting significant losses on occupation forces. Baquba inhabitants say that relative calm has been restored in their city, but they complain of food and fuel shortages.
"In separate news, US helicopters strafed Al-Huseiniya in north Baghdad, believed to be a stronghold of the Mahdi army, killing 18 civilians and wounding dozens. Nassar Al-Rubiei, spokesman for the Sadr Group, called on parliament to denounce the US shelling. US forces searched Al-Adhamiyah neighbourhood of Baghdad following an attack on a US patrol. Al-Adhamiyah has for the past few months been surrounded by a five-metre high cement barrier.In Kirkuk, 100 civilians were killed in a suicide attack mounted by a truck laden with explosives. The attack comes one week after the bombings in Amirli, considered to be the worst since April 2003. US Ambassador Ryan Crocker visited Kirkuk for talks with local officials following the attack. Once the ambassador left, the northern Kurdish administration announced plans to deploy 6,000 peshmerga, or Kurdish fighters, around vital institutions to pre-empt acts of "terror".
"Oil-rich Kirkuk is a multi-ethnic city that has a strong Turkomen presence, but Kurdish political forces have been trying to incorporate it into their region. Their decision to deploy peshmerga in Kirkuk angered local Arab and Turkomen communities. Aydin Aksu, a key figure in the Iraqi Turkomen Front, told Al-Ahram Weekly that, "the presence of 6,000 peshmerga would increase tension and deepen the rift in this town. It would generate resentment among other communities in the city, for it is unconscionable for one community to have all the power. The protection of vital institutions is just an excuse."
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
We Call on International Agencies to Support the Fishermen of Gaza
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The Free Gaza Group (they are planning to sail into Gaza in September in solidarity with the people there) issues this press release about the circumstances of Gazan fishermen. If you know any people involved in the marine fisheries, please forward this article to them. Portion below. Whole article is here at the Free Gaza website: http://www.freegaza.org/pages/media/0707_fishermen.html
"Issues
"Also, this illegal restriction of the current fishing zone gives access only to a shallow coastal zone. Hence, a spawning and nursing zone that normally would be protected from most fishing activities and serve to populate the surrounding waters has become overexploited.
"Over almost thirty years, the fishing area available to Palestinian fishermen has been systematically reduced from a gigantic 75,000 sq km (before 1978, it included waters off the Sinai coastline), to 1,100 sq km (after 1978) to a mere 300 sq km today.
"Today, there are about 3,000 registered fishermen along with 2,000 people who are indirectly dependent upon the fishery industry. Another 35,000 Palestinians (assuming a seven person family size) depend upon the income of fishing and its related industry. The fishermen's catch could be one of priceless value for the 1.4 million struggling Palestinians.
"The Israeli boats are now fishing under Israeli navy protection in the area legally owned by the Palestinian fishermen. They are the ones that have access to high-priced species such as tuna and mackerel that are found only out in the twenty-mile zone and beyond. Fish are now caught by Israeli fishermen, who then turn around and sell back to the Palestinians for high prices to anyone who can afford them.
"Issues
- The basic human right of being allowed to feed oneself
- The environmental threats imposed by illegal military actions
"Also, this illegal restriction of the current fishing zone gives access only to a shallow coastal zone. Hence, a spawning and nursing zone that normally would be protected from most fishing activities and serve to populate the surrounding waters has become overexploited.
"Over almost thirty years, the fishing area available to Palestinian fishermen has been systematically reduced from a gigantic 75,000 sq km (before 1978, it included waters off the Sinai coastline), to 1,100 sq km (after 1978) to a mere 300 sq km today.
"Today, there are about 3,000 registered fishermen along with 2,000 people who are indirectly dependent upon the fishery industry. Another 35,000 Palestinians (assuming a seven person family size) depend upon the income of fishing and its related industry. The fishermen's catch could be one of priceless value for the 1.4 million struggling Palestinians.
"The Israeli boats are now fishing under Israeli navy protection in the area legally owned by the Palestinian fishermen. They are the ones that have access to high-priced species such as tuna and mackerel that are found only out in the twenty-mile zone and beyond. Fish are now caught by Israeli fishermen, who then turn around and sell back to the Palestinians for high prices to anyone who can afford them.
Russell Mokhiber--The Michael Vick/George Bush Thing
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"Here's my take on the Michael Vick/George Bush thing.
"What is the Michael Vick/George Bush thing, you ask?
"Under what rock have you been living?
"The big issue in the sports world this week has been Michael Vick-the star quarterback for the
Atlanta Falcons.
"Vick was indicted last week for dog fighting.
"The particulars are not pretty.
"They include executing dogs who didn't perform well in the dog fights.
Execution by hanging, drowning, or just slamming them to the ground.
"The media is in an uproar.
"Animal rights groups are picketing the NFL demanding that Vick be suspended from pro football.
"Far more big radio air time had been spent in the last week on Vick's alleged killing of dogs than on--you guessed it--than on George Bush's killing of human beings.
"Unlike Vick, Bush has not been indicted.
"That's because the Democratic Party--the party in control of the House of Representatives, the House that could bring the indictment (aka articles of impeachment)--was in on the human killing--actually approved of killing.
"What is the Michael Vick/George Bush thing, you ask?
"Under what rock have you been living?
"The big issue in the sports world this week has been Michael Vick-the star quarterback for the
Atlanta Falcons.
"Vick was indicted last week for dog fighting.
"The particulars are not pretty.
"They include executing dogs who didn't perform well in the dog fights.
Execution by hanging, drowning, or just slamming them to the ground.
"The media is in an uproar.
"Animal rights groups are picketing the NFL demanding that Vick be suspended from pro football.
"Far more big radio air time had been spent in the last week on Vick's alleged killing of dogs than on--you guessed it--than on George Bush's killing of human beings.
"Unlike Vick, Bush has not been indicted.
"That's because the Democratic Party--the party in control of the House of Representatives, the House that could bring the indictment (aka articles of impeachment)--was in on the human killing--actually approved of killing.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Time for a New Palestinian Liberation Movement
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I'm not Palestinian, but what Tony Sayegh says here about the necessity for a new Palestinian liberation movement makes sense to me. We ALL need to liberate ourselves from the US gov't that is planning this "new Middle East." Whole article here: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=34714&s2=23
"July 22, 2007
"Let’s face it, the Palestinians are at a major decision point and the reality today is not what it was just a month ago. The forces amassed against them are preparing a major push to liquidate Palestinian rights, once and for all. There is nothing new in seeing the U.S., the E.U., the U.N. and the puppet Arab regimes conspiring for a final solution.
"What is new is the formation of a Vichy, collaborationist "government" that is working openly with the occupier to formalize this liquidation of Palestinian rights. It is true that the main quislings in this open collaboration are old faces who have been preparing for this day for sometime. What is new is their emergence in the open as a tool of the occupation, with no apologies or shame. Some of the collaboration used to take place quietly, behind closed doors, and if found out, used to be denied; no more. When the "old man" Arafat was around, this vermin did not dare to go this far in their collaboration and treason, and that is why they conspired with the Mossad to poison him.What is to be observed is that the Vichy forces of Abbas and Fayyad are not just collaborating with USrael in occupied Palestine. They are now solidly a part of the hegemonic U.S. axis in the region, which primarily revolves around Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE, the so-called Arab quartet. After Siniora in Lebanon, Abbas is the latest addition to this kennel.
"Therefore, it was not a surprise to read a week ago that Fatah’s representative in Lebanon was urging the Palestinians in the refugee camps in Lebanon to fight with the Siniora army, the same army which was still shelling and destroying their refugee camp in Nahr El-Bared after expelling 35,000 Palestinian refugees. If we put the events in Nahr El-Bared in perspective, we realize that the USraeli goal is to amass forces in Lebanon to fight Hizbullah and to Iraqize Lebanon by spreading the same creative destruction that Iraq enjoys today to Lebanon. Abbas’ assigned role is to be on the side of Siniora and to join the fight against Hizbullah. After all, the Arab quartet was cheering for Israel last summer hoping that Israel would vanquish Hizbullah. It is no secret that the goal of eliminating Hizbullah as the most effective Arab fighting force has not been abandoned, and this time Abbas wants to join the fight against the Lebanese resistance just as he is fighting the Palestinian resistance.
"There is a bigger plan being contemplated to settle Palestinian refugees in surrounding countries, using Arab oil money, since the right of return will be forfeited by Abbas and his "government." Part of the price of settlement in Lebanon is that the Palestinians fight for the U.S. stooge, Siniora. Credible news from Lebanon indicate that the destroyed Nahr El-Bared will not be rebuilt; is this the prototype for other Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon? Is Fath Al-Islam or another "Islamic" group created by Siniora and Hariri getting ready to repeat the same scenario of Nahr El-Bared in other camps as a prelude for their destruction in the coming civil war? All these are distinct possibilities. The important thing to keep in mind is that Abbas and what is happening in Lebanon are elements in a much bigger picture to engineer a "new" Middle East.
"Given this background and the seriousness of the Palestinian condition, it is not adequate for the Palestinian organizations (primarily Hamas) that are determined to oppose this liquidation of Palestinian rights and continue with the resistance to just keep repeating calls for Abbas for dialog. What dialog, and for what purpose? It is a disservice to all Palestinians to keep pretending that nothing has changed. I was one of the people who wrote against the so-called unity government. I opposed it and said that it would not last. Of course I did not have a crystal ball, but the contradictions involved were too many and were impossible to overcome.
"July 22, 2007
"Let’s face it, the Palestinians are at a major decision point and the reality today is not what it was just a month ago. The forces amassed against them are preparing a major push to liquidate Palestinian rights, once and for all. There is nothing new in seeing the U.S., the E.U., the U.N. and the puppet Arab regimes conspiring for a final solution.
"What is new is the formation of a Vichy, collaborationist "government" that is working openly with the occupier to formalize this liquidation of Palestinian rights. It is true that the main quislings in this open collaboration are old faces who have been preparing for this day for sometime. What is new is their emergence in the open as a tool of the occupation, with no apologies or shame. Some of the collaboration used to take place quietly, behind closed doors, and if found out, used to be denied; no more. When the "old man" Arafat was around, this vermin did not dare to go this far in their collaboration and treason, and that is why they conspired with the Mossad to poison him.What is to be observed is that the Vichy forces of Abbas and Fayyad are not just collaborating with USrael in occupied Palestine. They are now solidly a part of the hegemonic U.S. axis in the region, which primarily revolves around Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE, the so-called Arab quartet. After Siniora in Lebanon, Abbas is the latest addition to this kennel.
"Therefore, it was not a surprise to read a week ago that Fatah’s representative in Lebanon was urging the Palestinians in the refugee camps in Lebanon to fight with the Siniora army, the same army which was still shelling and destroying their refugee camp in Nahr El-Bared after expelling 35,000 Palestinian refugees. If we put the events in Nahr El-Bared in perspective, we realize that the USraeli goal is to amass forces in Lebanon to fight Hizbullah and to Iraqize Lebanon by spreading the same creative destruction that Iraq enjoys today to Lebanon. Abbas’ assigned role is to be on the side of Siniora and to join the fight against Hizbullah. After all, the Arab quartet was cheering for Israel last summer hoping that Israel would vanquish Hizbullah. It is no secret that the goal of eliminating Hizbullah as the most effective Arab fighting force has not been abandoned, and this time Abbas wants to join the fight against the Lebanese resistance just as he is fighting the Palestinian resistance.
"There is a bigger plan being contemplated to settle Palestinian refugees in surrounding countries, using Arab oil money, since the right of return will be forfeited by Abbas and his "government." Part of the price of settlement in Lebanon is that the Palestinians fight for the U.S. stooge, Siniora. Credible news from Lebanon indicate that the destroyed Nahr El-Bared will not be rebuilt; is this the prototype for other Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon? Is Fath Al-Islam or another "Islamic" group created by Siniora and Hariri getting ready to repeat the same scenario of Nahr El-Bared in other camps as a prelude for their destruction in the coming civil war? All these are distinct possibilities. The important thing to keep in mind is that Abbas and what is happening in Lebanon are elements in a much bigger picture to engineer a "new" Middle East.
"Given this background and the seriousness of the Palestinian condition, it is not adequate for the Palestinian organizations (primarily Hamas) that are determined to oppose this liquidation of Palestinian rights and continue with the resistance to just keep repeating calls for Abbas for dialog. What dialog, and for what purpose? It is a disservice to all Palestinians to keep pretending that nothing has changed. I was one of the people who wrote against the so-called unity government. I opposed it and said that it would not last. Of course I did not have a crystal ball, but the contradictions involved were too many and were impossible to overcome.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
US Marine ‘Scot free’ After Iraqi Civilian
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Trent Thomas found guilty of conspiracy to murder receives mere reduction in rank, bad conduct discharge.
From a post on Middle East on Line: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=21508
CAMP PENDLETON, California - A US Marine convicted of plotting to murder an Iraqi civilian outside Baghdad last year has escaped a jail sentence for his crimes, the military said on Friday.
Trent Thomas, who was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap and murder Hashim Ibrahim Awad in Hamdania on April 26, 2006, hugged his family after receiving a reduction in rank and bad conduct discharge.
"I can't wait to start spending time with my family, get a job and get on with my life," Thomas said. "It was God's will that I'm here today."
The 25-year-old former lance corporal, who has been held in detention since the allegations first surfaced last year, could have faced a life prison sentence for his role in Awad's killing.
On Thursday prosecutors had recommended Thomas be jailed for 15 years in order to send a message to other Marines during a hearing at the Camp Pendleton base
Tragedy at Rafah Crossing--World Stands Idly By
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Portion below; whole story here on Uruknet.info: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=34686&s2=21
"July 20, 2007
"Occupied Jerusalem: "Please destroy the wall and let me get through to see my children before I die. I can't stand it." These were the last words of Sana' Shanan, a 27-year-old woman from the Jabalyah camp who has been stuck at the Rafah passage, which has been closed for almost two months.
"Her 35-year-old husband, Salim, told Gulf News that he called to check on her health and heard her desperation. He recounted her words, "Nobody cares about the Palestinians' suffering ... nobody can live for 38 days under the burning sun."
"She asked God to help her and the many other sick people who are threatened by death. Salim who was trying to suppress his tears added that "Sana' left me and three children: the eldest Jamal Salim Shalhah is four, Mohammad is three and the youngest is six months old and never stops crying for his mother who has not been able to give him her love."
"Sana' had fallen sick with hepatocirrhosis (a chronic disease due to degeneration of the liver cells) and had travelled to Cairo for treatment. After her successful treatment, she headed back to the Rafah passage to return home, but instead she found herself waiting for her death.
"She is one of more than 28 Palestinians who have died at the Rafah passage since its closure after Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip.
"July 20, 2007
"Occupied Jerusalem: "Please destroy the wall and let me get through to see my children before I die. I can't stand it." These were the last words of Sana' Shanan, a 27-year-old woman from the Jabalyah camp who has been stuck at the Rafah passage, which has been closed for almost two months.
"Her 35-year-old husband, Salim, told Gulf News that he called to check on her health and heard her desperation. He recounted her words, "Nobody cares about the Palestinians' suffering ... nobody can live for 38 days under the burning sun."
"She asked God to help her and the many other sick people who are threatened by death. Salim who was trying to suppress his tears added that "Sana' left me and three children: the eldest Jamal Salim Shalhah is four, Mohammad is three and the youngest is six months old and never stops crying for his mother who has not been able to give him her love."
"Sana' had fallen sick with hepatocirrhosis (a chronic disease due to degeneration of the liver cells) and had travelled to Cairo for treatment. After her successful treatment, she headed back to the Rafah passage to return home, but instead she found herself waiting for her death.
"She is one of more than 28 Palestinians who have died at the Rafah passage since its closure after Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip.
Friday, July 20, 2007
The Next Invasion of Iraq--Patrick Cockburn
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Elections in Turkey this weekend could trigger a Turkish invasion into Kurdish Iraq.
July 19, 2007
In the Qandil Mountains.
"Hiding in the high mountains and deep gorges of one of the world's great natural fortresses are bands of guerrillas whose presence could provoke a Turkish invasion of northern Iraq and the next war in the Middle East.
In the weeks before the Turkish election on Sunday, Turkey has threatened to cross the border into Iraq in pursuit of the guerrillas of the Turkish Kurdish movement, the PKK, and its Iranian Kurdish offshoot, Pejak.
"The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, warns that there are 140,000 Turkish troops massed just north of the frontier.
"'Until recently, we didn't take the Turkish threat that seriously but thought it was part of the election campaign," says Safeen Sezayee. A leading Iraqi Kurdish expert on Turkey and spokesman for the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Massoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Mr Dezayee now sees an invasion as quite possible.
"The Iraqi Kurds are becoming nervous. The drumbeat of threats from Turkish politicians and generals has become more persistent. "The government and opposition parties are competing to show nationalist fervour," says Mr Dezayee. Anti-PKK feeling is greater than ever in Turkey.
"Most menacingly, Turkey is appalled that the Kurds are key players in Iraqi politics and are developing a semi-independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq.
"After the election, Ankara may find it impossible to retreat from the bellicose rhetoric of recent weeks and will send its troops across the border, even if the incursion is only on a limited scale.
Found on Uruk.net
July 19, 2007
In the Qandil Mountains.
"Hiding in the high mountains and deep gorges of one of the world's great natural fortresses are bands of guerrillas whose presence could provoke a Turkish invasion of northern Iraq and the next war in the Middle East.
In the weeks before the Turkish election on Sunday, Turkey has threatened to cross the border into Iraq in pursuit of the guerrillas of the Turkish Kurdish movement, the PKK, and its Iranian Kurdish offshoot, Pejak.
"The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, warns that there are 140,000 Turkish troops massed just north of the frontier.
"'Until recently, we didn't take the Turkish threat that seriously but thought it was part of the election campaign," says Safeen Sezayee. A leading Iraqi Kurdish expert on Turkey and spokesman for the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Massoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Mr Dezayee now sees an invasion as quite possible.
"The Iraqi Kurds are becoming nervous. The drumbeat of threats from Turkish politicians and generals has become more persistent. "The government and opposition parties are competing to show nationalist fervour," says Mr Dezayee. Anti-PKK feeling is greater than ever in Turkey.
"Most menacingly, Turkey is appalled that the Kurds are key players in Iraqi politics and are developing a semi-independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq.
"After the election, Ankara may find it impossible to retreat from the bellicose rhetoric of recent weeks and will send its troops across the border, even if the incursion is only on a limited scale.
Found on Uruk.net
Gorilla Suit
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This columnist says the US is a "lumbering superpower in a gorilla suit," but I think that's giving gorillas an undeserved bad name. He's definitely right that while people in the US are "suffering" with a broken political system, the carnage that system is creating around the world is definitely the worse of the two situations. Whole article here: http://commonwonders.com/archives/col404.htm
"In both countries, even the proxy governments want the superpower to stop killing their people. In Afghanistan, according to the Observer — where the new head of NATO operations, American Gen. Dan McNeill, is nicknamed “Bomber McNeill” — President Hamid Karzai has condemned the coalition’s careless use of extreme force and its attitude that Afghan lives are “cheap.” And a British officer, commenting on the carnage of the Helmand Province air strike, said, “Every civilian dead means five new Taliban.”
"In Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the U.S. had no business raiding Sadr City and, as AP reported, declared: “The Iraqi government totally rejects U.S. military operations ... conducted without a preapproval from the Iraqi military command. Anyone who breaches the military command orders will face investigation.”
"And here we are, back at home with our poll numbers and our consciences. The political process is broken; the war and the undisclosed agenda — permanent U.S. occupation of a strategic region — have, if not complete political immunity, then at least what seems like indefinite opportunity to pursue a failed strategy. Maybe things will turn around!
"On the same day that coalition bombers were pummeling the Afghan village for three hours, children in nearby Zabul Province added another dimension to the drama. Three were killed and a fourth was injured when an old rocket they were playing with exploded. Their deaths reminded some of us, perhaps, that wars never end and that the reality TV show that’s “going very badly” for us is going a lot worse on location.
Found on Iraq Today
"In both countries, even the proxy governments want the superpower to stop killing their people. In Afghanistan, according to the Observer — where the new head of NATO operations, American Gen. Dan McNeill, is nicknamed “Bomber McNeill” — President Hamid Karzai has condemned the coalition’s careless use of extreme force and its attitude that Afghan lives are “cheap.” And a British officer, commenting on the carnage of the Helmand Province air strike, said, “Every civilian dead means five new Taliban.”
"In Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the U.S. had no business raiding Sadr City and, as AP reported, declared: “The Iraqi government totally rejects U.S. military operations ... conducted without a preapproval from the Iraqi military command. Anyone who breaches the military command orders will face investigation.”
"And here we are, back at home with our poll numbers and our consciences. The political process is broken; the war and the undisclosed agenda — permanent U.S. occupation of a strategic region — have, if not complete political immunity, then at least what seems like indefinite opportunity to pursue a failed strategy. Maybe things will turn around!
"On the same day that coalition bombers were pummeling the Afghan village for three hours, children in nearby Zabul Province added another dimension to the drama. Three were killed and a fourth was injured when an old rocket they were playing with exploded. Their deaths reminded some of us, perhaps, that wars never end and that the reality TV show that’s “going very badly” for us is going a lot worse on location.
Found on Iraq Today
Enabling the Indonesian Military--Conn Hallinan
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Portion below; whole story (from Antiwar.com via Whatreallyhappened) here:
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/hallinan.php?articleid=11318
"This is a tale about politics, influence, money and murder. It began more than 40 years ago with a bloodletting so massive that no one quite knows how many people died. Half a million? A million? Through four decades, the story of the relationship between the United States and the Indonesian military has left a trail of misery and terror. Last month it claimed four peasants, one of them a 27-year-old mother. Unless Congress puts the brakes on the Bush administration's plans to increase aid and training for the Indonesian army, there will be innumerable victims in the future as well.
"Speaking alongside Indonesia's defense minister in Singapore last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the White House intends "to deepen the strategic partnership" between the two countries.
"Given what that partnership has led to over the past four decades, it was a profoundly disturbing statement.
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/hallinan.php?articleid=11318
"This is a tale about politics, influence, money and murder. It began more than 40 years ago with a bloodletting so massive that no one quite knows how many people died. Half a million? A million? Through four decades, the story of the relationship between the United States and the Indonesian military has left a trail of misery and terror. Last month it claimed four peasants, one of them a 27-year-old mother. Unless Congress puts the brakes on the Bush administration's plans to increase aid and training for the Indonesian army, there will be innumerable victims in the future as well.
"Speaking alongside Indonesia's defense minister in Singapore last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the White House intends "to deepen the strategic partnership" between the two countries.
"Given what that partnership has led to over the past four decades, it was a profoundly disturbing statement.
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