Hosted by Dr.G., Minister of Information of the Northbay MDS. Tune in Thursdays 4 to 5pm (PST), at 89.5FM in the northeast San Pablo Bay Area, or on a Smart Phone [link], Desktop U-stream [link], Live Mp3 (.pls) stream [link], Netbook [link]. Be a Community Journalist with our Community Journalist's Notebook [link]. Send news & info to [NorthbayMDS@) gmail.com]! Northbay Uprising News scripts [link]. Archived webpages at (archive.org) and at (archive.today) are available even if the original is taken down. News links are provided for educational purposes only, and do not constitute an endorsement of political tendencies, or, of foreign governments.
ACTION CALENDER
A list of gatherings, workshops, and educational events in the greater Bay Area region
* #Native Lives Matter #Justice For Lakota Gall BrightmanThursday, September 17, 1 to 3pm,
at the Contra Costa County Superior Court House Located, 1020 Ward Street in Martinez.
Read the news article here [archive.is/dUZE6].
More info here [archive.is/jrISD].
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* SF Rally To Stop “Hanging Noose” Incidents And Other Racist Attacks In The Workplace!
Monday, September 21, 12 noon to 1pm
At the Recology Company, 501 Tunnel Avenue, San Francisco
More info at [archive.is/HiskX].
Stop “Hanging Noose” Incidents and
Other Racist Attacks In The Workplace!
Recology, Stop Retaliating Against IBT 350 Member Daryle Washington & Other Recology Workers!
Sponsored by:
- Transport Workers Solidarity Committee [transportworkers.org]
- United Public Workers For Action [upwa.info]
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* Rally to Protect Workers' Right to Join A Union!
Tuesday, September 22nd, 11am,
in front of The Hyatt Regency Santa Clara (5101 Great American Pkwy, Santa Clara).
Security Officers and Hotel Workers who contribute to big tech’s success also deserve to benefit from Silicon Valley’s booming economy. Join SEIU-USWW, Unite Here, and Silicon Valley Rising to call on Universal Protection Service and The Hyatt Regency Santa Clara to support good jobs in the Silicon Valley community. You can read more about workers who are standing together in Silicon Valley to combat growing income inequality in their community in this great In These Times article: Silicon Valley’s Labor Uprising [archive.is/k03dG]
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18th Annual Progressive Festival,
Sunday, September 27, 12 noon to 5 PM
Speakers include: DAVEY D of KPFA’s Hardknock Radio program, Journalist; MIKO PELED, Peace and Justice Activist, Author of “The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,” SUSAN LAMONT, Law Enforcement Accountability; PETER PHILLIPS, Radical Independent Media; Music by Francisco Herrera & Friends, Sky I, and the Hubbub Club. Also, Speakers on crucial issues: Homeless Action!, Iraq Veterans for Peace, Immigrant Rights, Climate Change, Women's Justice!; GMO Labeling, and more! Network with many Social Justice, Environmental, Labor, and Community Organizations with booths.
To reserve booth space, call: (707)763-8134 ProgressiveFestival.org
Walnut Park, Petaluma Blvd. South and D street, Petaluma.
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ACTION HEADLINES!
Stories are reviewed and provided by Northbay MDS Committees and Affiliates
information collected by the
SOLANO PEACE, JUSTICE, AND FREEDOM COALITION
[SolanoPeaceJustice.blogspot.com], to end the USA's endless wars, in harmony with Principle 1 & 6 of International Law [archive.today/tmncz], the 5 protocols of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW)[archive.is/LhUTj], and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [archive.is/U1Ota].
* "The Power of Conscience: The US Military and the myth that humanity is predisposed to violence" (2015-09-09, otherworldsarepossible.org) [archive.is/fvIRy]
* "20 years of peace since the founding of the Republic" (2015-09-11, Immortal Technique) [archive.is/cMj5z]
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* "Obama Talks Peace, Wages Endless Wars of Aggression" (2015-09-18, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/jOMgc]
* "All Four Hemispheres Of The World Now Engaged In A Single War" (2015-09-10, truepublica.org.uk) [archive.is/V6wTD]
* "The imperialist lie that won’t die: America is making the planet safer; The U.S. maintains 800 military bases across the globe. They're a threat to national security -- and harm us all" (2015-09-20, Tomdispatch.com) [archive.is/3atwZ]
* " 'Collateral Damage' From America’s De-Stabilizing, Endless, Post-911 'Wars on Terror'. The Rebirth of Fascism" (201-509-20 by Dr. Gary G. Kohls) [archive.is/jKskQ]
* "The U.S., Britain and Israel have Used Chemical Weapons within the Last 10 Years" (2013-08-26, washingtonsblog.com) [archive.is/KU8WL]
* (2015-09-21, Troll Atheist) [archive.is/MOuQD]: If Islam is so wonderful... they why is every land they rule a Hell Hole from which they are trying to flee??? I live in a country where the majority are muslims and I can assure you my friends that they are worse than animals. Fuck islam.
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* "ICOR call for Anti-War-Day 2015" (2015-08-08) [archive.is/3YKKE] [begin excerpt]: Seventy years after the end of the Second World War wars are omnipresent worldwide. On 6 August all over the world people commemorate the altogether almost 400,000 victims of the consequences of the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and on 1 September they commemorate the altogether 60 million people killed especially among the working masses during the Second World War. 70 years after the liberation of the world from fascism the Kurdish liberation struggle in Rojava is the most progressive struggle for freedom and democracy. The aggression of the million men strong Turkish army, supported by NATO and USA, against the Kurdish people and the PKK in northern Iraq, lumping them together with the IS, has given the Kurdish liberation struggle a new dimension in terms of quality.
The Afghanistan as well as the Iraq war have ended in a complete disaster for US imperialism. The military campaign against the so-called “international terrorism” has failed and thus also the strategy of US imperialism in the Middle East. As a consequence US imperialism again more often used the form of fascism justified in Islamist terms, be it the Al Nusra Front or the IS. The class character of the Islamist terror organizations (Boko Haram in Africa) is a form of fascism connected to feudal structures. They use Islam as justification for their terror.
Newly strengthened regional powers like Qatar, the Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have influence at the stock markets and have acquired a high share of western corporations. In order to enforce their own interests of supremacy the grand dukes of Qatar and Saudi Arabia finance Islamist fascist movements.
An expression of the comprehensive crisis proneness of imperialism is the crisis of the national states and as its consequence a growing number of so-called disintegrating states like Somalia, Sudan, Congo, Nigeria, Mali, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Libya, Syria. Wherever the masses do not want to live in the old way in these shattered neocolonially dependent countries any longer, the Islamist fascist terror appears as a pseudo alternative which is especially pushed. These terror organizations are utterly inhuman and have a use of vocabulary like under Hitler fascism. In a demagogic way they also use socialist slogans and even seemingly support the Palestinian liberation struggle with antiimperialist slogans. From Europe alone 7500 persons are active for the IS as paid mercenaries.
Because of deep economic and political crises and internal unrests the instability in many regions of the world has brought about all kinds of violence and terror spreading an unprecedented barbarism. The struggle against the Islamist fascists must be led politically and militarily, but also regarding world outlook against their socialfascist and pseudo-antiimperialist demagoguery.
The struggle against this Islamist fascist terror becomes a more and more important condition of the struggle for freedom, democracy and socialism. The victory in the battle over Kobanê after more than 130 days of military fighting has worldwide radiance. On the one hand the roots of the success are the heroic struggle of the Kurdish liberation fighters who could be victorious in spite of inferiority regarding arms technology and on the other hand the international solidarity without which this success would not have been possible. The Kurdish liberation struggle deserves support as part of the world revolutionary process. This is what the ICOR solidarity pact is for. All people minded in a democratic, antifascist and revolutionary way must resolutely protest, if forces who are in the forefront of the liberation struggle against the fascist ISIS gangs, are arrested and criminalized and the liberation struggle in Rojava and Kobanê is placed under “suspicion of terrorism”. [end excerpt]
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* "Wooooooooo!!!!!" (2015-09-10, Ben Wikler, MoveOn.org Political Action):
At 3:48 p.m. today, sitting in the third row of the gallery overlooking the U.S. Senate floor, I watched 42 lawmakers—almost every Democrat and independent in the Senate—walk up to the podium, thrust out a thumbs-down to vote "no"—and take our country off the path to war.
There's no cheering allowed in the Senate. So I had to hold it in.
But now I can finally let it out: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Today, we did it. The other side had tens of millions of dollars. Our side had millions of people. The other side had TV ads. We had facts. The other side had fear. We had courage.
Sure, the Republicans will keep trying to undercut the Iran deal, just like they voted 60 times to repeal Obamacare. But today, with this vote, we made crystal clear that they're going to lose—and the defenders of diplomacy and security are going to win. Because of that, America is stronger, and the world is a safer place.
To be honest, I'm still pinching myself. Did this really happen?
Not long ago, it seemed like a very long shot that the Iran deal would survive. Republicans would be united, the prediction went, and Democrats would be divided. The bill to torpedo the deal would sail through the House, through the Senate—and then, President Obama's veto would be overridden by supermajorities in both houses.
But then the wind changed.
Through July, through August, we organized. Tens of thousands of MoveOn members and our friends made phone calls, visited their members of Congress, and spoke up at town halls. We signed petitions, chipped in for billboards and field organizers, and organized vigils—including more than 200 events just tonight [youtube.com/watch?v=pbMZqwHww_o].
Republicans had hoped that this summer would be like the summer of 2009, when rampaging Tea Partiers terrified Democrats and emboldened the most extreme Republicans. Instead, voices of reason and peace and diplomacy rose above the shouts on the other side.
And one after another, instead of rushing in fear to oppose the Iran deal, Democrats in Congress actually took the time to read it, to ask questions, to listen to scientists and veterans and faith leaders, to constituents, and to their consciences. Israeli security experts explained why they supported the deal. Ambassadors from allied countries made their case. Democratic leaders in both houses—including Senators Durbin, Reid, and Murphy, and Representatives Pelosi, Schakowsky, Lee, Doggett, Price, and so many others—reminded their colleagues that this was one of the most important votes of their careers, and not one to be taken lightly.
And in the last two weeks, right up to the last moment, the trickle of support for the deal became a flood. We won the closure vote in the Senate today [archive.is/FnoWg]. And enough Democrats have announced their support for the deal to sustain a veto in the House. Republicans may try more shenanigans—we'll have to be vigilant—but there's no going back.
Today was a breakthrough. But it wasn't just two months in the making—it took us more than a decade of work. MoveOn members have tirelessly organized alongside allies like J Street, Win Without War, CREDO, the National Iranian American Council, Democracy for America, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Daily Kos, Peace Action, the Council for a Livable World, and many more.
Yesterday, I visited undecided Democrats in Congress with a group of people who knew the price we paid for getting this wrong before. Retired generals, combat veterans—and a Gold Star mom, whose son had died in Iraq on Memorial Day. Please, they all said: Give diplomacy a chance. At last, their voices have been heard.
In the twelve years since we went to war in Iraq, we've elected a president, sent progressive champions to Congress, and changed the politics of war and peace.
None of this was easy. But as hard as it's been, it's hard to imagine anything more worthwhile.
Thanks for all you do.
[end letter]
* "Tom Cotton Alarmed That The Capital Of Iran Is Controlled By Iran" (2015-03-15, thinkprogress.org) [archive.is/Z2As6]
Live from Capital Hill - A 15-year Intelligence Committee member and Iran Deal detractor seriously just testified that his opposition was based in the "reality" that "the deal will lead to the destabilization of the Middle East and an American holocaust".
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* "Votel Promotes False Anti-Russian Narrative" (2015-08-11, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/fZapF] [begin excerpt]: At a Security Forum sponsored by the wealthy, Madison Avenue-based “Aspen Institute” General Joseph Votel, Head of the US Special Operations Command went on an anti-Russia tirade. His widely circulated comments declared “Russia is looking to challenge us wherever they can…the intent is to create a situation where NATO can’t continue to thrive…” Votel went on to say that Russian President Vladimir Putin, “…as a threat to him and I think what they (Moscow) are attempting to do is create these frozen conflicts and create situations that are very, very difficult to resolve along their border.” Votel further described Russian foreign policy as “coercion and pressure on neighbors along their periphery to meet their particular objectives.” [end excerpt]
* "Pentagon Updating War Plans Against Russia" (2015-09-21, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/FRTbL]
* "Reuters Claims to Uncover ‘Secret’ Russian Plan to Build Military Base in Russia" (2015-09-09, antiwar.com) [archive.is/4G07l] [begin excerpt]: Reuters is releasing huge numbers of articles about Russia’s military today, mostly centering on the idea that Russia’s military advisers in Syria, despite having been there for years, are a new and major issue.
But they also announced an “exclusive” story about Russia planning to build a “major military base” inside Russia [archive.is/U0kWK], but not far from the Ukrainian border. Despite referring to it as a “secret” base in the article, they confirm that the information was obtained from publicly available Russian military documents.
And the “major” base? Not so much. The base is described as 300 hectare site, which makes it about 700 acres. By comparison, most “major” US military bases are more than 100,000 acres in size, meaning this new base is less than 1% of that. [end excerpt]
The War against Russia currently is being pushed thanks in-part to the fabricated history of the Holodomor. Yet, the Communist Party of Ukraine was among the 3rd largest political party in the Ukraine until this year, that the people who "suffered under communism" were pleased with the Communist Party of Ukraine throughout last decade.
Historical accuracy is a necessity. Even during the height of the Cold War (1950s through 1980s) the "Holodomor" was NOT given much prominence because the information was coming from Hitler-collaborators, and were obviously falsified.
* "The myth of Holodomor" video [archive.org/details/TheMythOfHolodomor], video by US Friends of the Soviet People [usfriendsofthesovietpeople.org]
* "Fraud, Famine, and Fascism: The Ukrainian Genocide Myth from Hitler to Harvard" (.pdf) [http://is.gd/gM8Pmi]
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Bay Area CODEPINK has been returning annually to Creech AFB in Nevada since 2009 to resist drone murders. Creech is the most important center for the United States' illegal and brutal targeted killing operations by drones, and it is where hundreds of children and thousands of others from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Libya, Iraq and elsewhere have been murdered remotely under the top command of the CIA. Please join us in creating a peaceful force opposing militarism and barbaric drone killing & surveillance.
At the entrance to Creech AFB, send a strong message to base personnel: NO DRONES! WAR IS NOT WORKING! MUSLIM LIVES MATTER!
Watch SHUT DOWN CREECH 2015 Documentary [www.youtube.com/watch?v=enRbp51pVSI] (24 min.....WARNING: graphic images in first 2 min.)
CODEPINK at Creech Air Force Base, April 2014:
* [youtube.com/watch?v=vAFi5NbYBZ8] (36 min.)
* [youtube.com/watch?v=hVB6D2iVb70] (Short Version: 6 min.)
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* "When ‘human rights’ hurts North Koreans: A defense of WomenCross Critics of inter-Korean peace march ignore militarization as driving force behind regime’s abuses" (2015-08-14, nknews.org) [http://is.gd/XSUghT]
* Christine Ahn and Ann Wright on The Women’s Walk For Peace Across the DMZ, June 14, 2015 @ Rev Books (2015-06-14) [youtube.com/watch?v=2MHmSYpYwLc]: On May 24, 2015, thirty international peacemakers from around the world walked with Korean women, north and south, to call for an end to the Korean War and for a new beginning for a reunified Korea. Christine Ahn and Ann Wright were on the march and in this talk, shared their experiences. For more information on the march: [womencrossdmz.org]
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* "Global Leaders Using Refugee Plight to Push Military Escalation Observers say war is the cause—not the solution—of the ongoing humanitarian crisis" (2015-09-06, commondreams.org) [archive.is/E83gU]
* "Bombs for Peace: A Review" (2015-09-09, by Gregory Elich, mrzine.monthlyreview.org) [archive.is/B5J5T] [begin excerpt]: In Bombs for Peace, George Szamuely, a senior research fellow at the Global Policy Institute at London Metropolitan University, has produced a revealing and sharply argued analysis of Western intervention in the Balkan wars of the 1990s. The primary focus of the book is on Western diplomatic and military interventions, which played a crucial role in the breakup of Yugoslavia and the plunge into conflict. Continued intervention fueled deeper conflict, as the United States repeatedly smashed every prospect for peaceful settlement until it could impose its control over the region.
The author places these events in a wider policy context, exploring how Western leaders capitalized on conflict in the Balkans to reorient NATO into an offensive organization suited for out-of-area operations. From participation in the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan to the bombing of Libya, NATO's aggressive role is firmly established. Feeding the public with simple-minded morality tales, Western leaders distracted attention from their real goals. "NATO," Szamuely writes, "under constant U.S. prodding, seized on the crisis in Yugoslavia to transform itself from a defensive alliance into a global superpower, a coalition of powers that would purport to use force to secure peace and stability, a protagonist in other people's conflicts yet also a referee. NATO could nonetheless not admit publicly that it had now become a war-making machine. So it came up with an ingenious formula. . . . Humanitarian war was to become its credo." Non-Westerners rightly perceived NATO's humanitarian war doctrine "as a fraud, a smokescreen to confuse the public, a mélange of wild exaggerations and deceptions to justify intervention in the affairs of small, weak states or in complicated conflicts on behalf of certain protagonists and against others."
In his opening chapter, "Yugoslavia: Destroying States for Fun and Profit," Szamuely lays bare the myriad diplomatic maneuvers by U.S. and Western European officials that guaranteed the destruction of the state and made war inevitable. Western intervention was consistently one-sided and heavy-handed, aimed at the demise of Yugoslavia, the last remaining socialist nation in Europe. [end excerpt]
* "That Summer of 2000 in Croatia" (2015-09-04, greanvillepost.com) [archive.is/WvLrM] [begin excerpt]: The vicious ideology of “humanitarian wars” invests war with merit while canceling responsibility for consuming the lives of hundreds of millions of human beings. The new wretched of the earth are fleeing the American and European wars and the miserable impoverishment of their countries, rich in resources and lands, by the wars’ mother-ideology—rapacious neoliberalism. A report by International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War informs us that, following 9/11, the victims of humanitarian wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan alone were 1.300.000 people. This body count excludes the victims of the subsequent wars in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and the Donbas—as well as Somalia, the symbol of this epochal turn to the balkanization of the world, which also expressed itself in the actual Balkans in the 90s, killing Yugoslavia.
I still remember the shock in the 1980s when I returned to Italy after a five-year absence and saw my first beggar–the first since the war. It’s not that I didn’t already know theoretically that market fundamentalism would have this result. But seeing a mother with a child in one arm and the other stretched out begging in the street of a post-war Italian city felt uncanny. And nothing in the mid-1980s had happened yet–nothing like the monumental misery that followed the West’s peacock strut across the globe after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
Back in what I still call Yugoslavia in summer of 2000, a few kilometers east of Trieste, I was in Opatjia, on the Gulf of Kvarner, at the northern tip of the Adriatic Sea. Before 1918, Opatjia had been the Riviera of the land-locked Viennese aristocracy and bourgeoisie. After 1945, Opatjia was in Yugoslavia, and after the fratricidal wars of the 1990s, it found itself in Croatia. Sumptuous art nouveau villas perched on white karst rock over the emerald sea; luscious parks and gardens; shaded, wisteria-scented paths winding above lapping waves, the resort town’s beauty seemed both intensified and diminished by a sense of desolation, as though ruing that it no longer belonged to itself, or even to a country, but to something transient and mercenary, calling itself the market. Neo-capitalist entrepreneurs from Zagreb were buying up the villas for a song. I was buying all I could from the street vendors, who were actually beggars–exquisite lace work; artifacts in wood, even Tito’s bust in a junk shop. One woman told me her mother worked all winter to make the lace to sell in Optajia’s streets to feed the children. The lace I bought from her is my loot from the “triumph of the West” over “commonism”–way too cheap for its incomparable skill and beauty, worked in little light and less warmth by old, patient hands somewhere in the hinterlands of Croatia.
It was a hallucinating summer. Ten years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a global nightmare was materializing before my very eyes, disorienting because it felt as though the earth had suddenly turned on its axis to move in the opposite direction. A world, as before the war in the bourgeois liberal democracies, full of scrupulous social meanness, xenophobia, farcical politics, racial prejudice, bombastic military adventurism, intellectual bankruptcy—a world now bloated with a triumphant lack of solidarity, smirking at all humanity with the hubris of naked greed. In 2000, this old New World Order had behind it already, to its shameful credit, the bombing of a capital in the heart of Europe: Belgrade; the slow starvation and bombing of Iraq; the invasion of Panama, and the martyrization of Somalia. [end excerpt]
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* "Son of Victim Arrested for Protesting Military Exploitation of 9/11; 'Using Sept. 11 as a justification for an unnecessary war, torture, drone strikes and civilian casualties compounds my grief and is wrong-minded and counterproductive' " (2015-09-22, commondreams.org) [archive.is/r1366]
* "Mantra for 9/11 Fourteen Years Later, Improbable World" (2015-09-08, tomdispatch.com) [archive.is/UDbnB]
* "9/11: Eternal Pretext, Eternal War" (2015-09-11, by Larry Chin, globalresearch.ca) [archive.is/ZDKtR]
* "US Remembers 9/11 But Not 1.3 Million Dead from 'War on Terror' " (2015-09-11, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/iFPYq]
* "Legacy of 9/11: Endless US Wars against Humanity" (2015-09-11, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/A245c]
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* "US military revolt against Obama’s decision to “support Al Qaeda in Syria" (2015-09-12, inspiretochangeworld.com) [archive.is/FNrxp]
* "Visas for Al-Qaeda" (by J. Michael Springmann, intro by whowhatwhy.org)
- part 1: "A sordid tale" [archive.is/6quPF]
- part 2: "Treachery" [archive.is/RAjV1]
- part 3 "Backstabbing" [archive.is/l2pgq]
* "Bill Clinton Worked Hand in Glove with Al Qaeda: 'Helped Turn Bosnia into Militant Islamic Base' " (2015-09-13, by Prof Michel Chossudovsky) [archive.is/7t4aF]
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* "Kissinger hid war outbreak from Nixon; Former sec. of state wanted to keep him from interfering in Yom Kippur War" (2007-04-03, jpost.com) [archive.is/8TXFQ]
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BAY AREA SOLIDARITY
Updates on campaigns for for Peace, Justice, & Freedom across the greater Bay Area, Norcal, and Socal
* "First Anniversary of Pedie Perez Killing Rally" four videos (2015-09-22, oscargrantcommittee.org) [http://is.gd/l03tUs]: On 9/12/15 about 60 people showed up outside Uncle Sam's Liquors in Richmond to remember Pedie Perez, who was shot dead there on 9/14/14 by Richmond police officer Wallace Jensen. Pedie was unarmed and resisting arrest; although Jensen claimed that Pedie had tried to take his gun, witnesses dispute this. (Video: 16:27)
The store's surveillance video shows that after a struggle on the ground, Jensen got up and backed away with his gun still holstered, and shot Pedie from about six feet away. Police were unable to find any of Pedie's DNA on Jensen's belt, holster, gun, or anything else.
Stop State Terrorism! Work with the Oscar Grant Committee [oscargrantcommittee.org]
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* "Stop Hanging Noose Incidents And Retaliation Against Whistleblowers At SF Recology" (2015-09-22, by Labor Video Project) [archive.is/dyUtl], videos [http://youtu.be/g5PBHHR2m38] [http://youtu.be/K1x7H81Llc8] photo caption: IBT 350 member and SF Recology worker Daryle Washington spoke at the rally on September 21, 2015 about the effort to get justice at the company and end the continuing racist workplace bullying incidents.
* "Public Letter To SF Mayor Ed Lee, Sheriff Mirkarimi, and SF Sups On Hanging Nooses" (2015-09-18, by United Public Workers For Action) [archive.is/LdedH]. Photo caption: IBT Local 350 Member Daryle Washington wrote a letter to SF city officials about the blatant racist incidents at the Recology Company including a hanging noose incident and a city investigation since Recology has a major contract with the city and county of San Francisco
"A injustice to one is an injustice to us all"
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* (2015-09-09, by a friend of the Rev. Dr. Floyd Harris jr.) [archive.is/70Ju1]: About one hour ago, two Federal Marshall's appeared at Rev. Dr. Floyd D. Harris Jr. church New Light for New Life church Of God looking for someone, I assume to arrest. A friend of mine, who is a member of the Church, and I were close by, a short 30 yards from the Church when my friend received a phone call. It was obvious from the voice that it was Rev. Harris having a heated discussion with someone. My friend went in first, followed by me..
Rev. Harris asked for a card, or ID and was refused. Rev. Harris called 911 on the Marshals. Then it was good cop, bad cop. I've seen so many good cop, bad cop moves it is almost boring now.The bad cop was a total ass which was his job, but do you go on God's grounds and attempt to intimidate a Reverend? Just to find out if the person was there or if Rev Harris knew where the person wanted was?
My point to you is if they go to a Church, and treat a Reverend that way. What will they do do you??
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* "#BlackLivesMatter Protesters Shut Down Oakland Whole Foods" (2015-09-10, sfweekly.com) [archive.is/0XzWy]. Judith Gips: I was there. about 100 people outside and another 100 inside, singing (mostly "Which Side are You on?"," canting, and reading demand lists. it was totally non-violent and no arrests were made though the Oakland police were circling. I brought the red Food Not Bombs truck and the police did not say a word about it being in a red zone while I was handing out coconut water to the picketers.
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[facebook.com/frankie.rivera.5076]
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BAY AREA SOLIDARITY: Updates on campaigns across the Nation!
Andre and Bryson are two youth kids shot by police. They are now getting charged with 2nd and 4th degree assault for allegedly using skateboards to attack him.* photos (2015-09-21): At the washington capitol keeping up the pressure. Here til we get justice. won't stop even then!
Brought it inside the capitol. No justice, no peace!
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SOLANO PEACE & FREEDOM PARTY
[SolanoPFP.blogspot.com] Use the ballot for our own People's candidates and legislation, campaign for the future!
* "Seattle Socialist Kshama Sawant Cheered in Oakland" (2015-09-20, by Jonathan Nck) [archive.is/GZJEs]
* "Sawant and Hedges Speak in Oakland" (2015-09-20, oaklandsocialist.com) [archive.is/2QooT]
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* "Want Independence? Angola Will Show You What It Is" (2015-07-07, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/yBuq5] [begin excerpt]: Any ethnic group whose homeland is in another country dreams of independence. Now Scotland wants it after the UK elections, Reepublika Srpska in Bosnia wants it, Catalonia wants it, Kashmir wants it. What independence actually means is left to the prospective new country to work out for itself. The trouble is, they never do.
Most countries like to think that their problems are entirely their own, the product of the local situation, not pattern of a general pattern which afflicts newly independent countries. They also like to think they can become another Estonia – take advantage of the international situation, get accepted into NATO or the equivalent, improve living standards and never be heard of again.
But the model all wannabe independent states should look at is not even in Europe. More than any other state, Angola expresses in microcosm what all independent states will have to go through sooner or later. It isn’t a pretty sight, but it is the very sight the idea of independence consistently blinds people to. If you think you aren’t Angola, just wait.
There are various nations who don’t have their own state whose causes are genuinely believed in – the Basques, for example, the Kurds, the indigenous peoples of Australia. They don’t have countries of their own precisely because the justice of having them is widely acknowledged. If other countries are prepared to make your independence a reality what you will be left with is a less accountable form of colonialism.
Most of the countries which were formed after the breakup of the Soviet Union are worse off economically than they were in Soviet times. Most of them expected this, and even those who have improved since then miss some aspects of the Soviet-era system. But none of them want to give up their independence, and new places such as Chechnya, Ingushetia and Daghestan want to join the list of independent states.
Angola went through this process 40 years ago. This means most contemporary Angolans cannot recall the colonial days. They have no personal memory of that era, only the tales of a generation largely in exile or lost in fighting and the official line they have been brought up with. They should therefore be able to create a new state which doesn’t automatically fall into the old patterns. They haven’t been able to do so precisely because they can’t remember the past: they recognise their present condition as Angolan, whereas it remains colonialism in another form.
The main political parties in Angola are still the nationalist armies that fought the war. They have created a native ruling class but are as dependent on foreign support as ever. Involvement with the wartime past is still a plus point for the Angolan politician of today, and no one is interested in funding Angolans to develop alternative parties which reflect general strands of thinking rather than who some external actor wanted to win the civil war.
The residents of Scotland, Republika Srpska, Catalonia or Kashmir may think they have little in common with Angolans. So did those in most of the former Soviet Union and the rest of Africa. They have all ultimately found that they have fallen into the Angolan model because that is the only form of independence the great powers will allow: at their convenience, for their reasons, and as an alternative to actual independence. The roads may look different, but they all lead to the same place. [end excerpt]
---
* Popular Resistance newsletter: "Transformation-Elections & Movements" (2015-09-20) [archive.is/5RfG5] [begin excerpt]: This week for the fourth Anniversary of Occupy Wall Street activists gathered in Zucotti Park to discuss economic injustice and government corruption. Occupy was an important phase in the social movement for economic, racial and environmental justice. It was a tactic that was right for the moment showing widespread anger at Wall Street, the unfair economy and the tremendous wealth divide and that people were willing to revolt. A-We-are-the-99-protest-i-007
Some recognize that Occupy succeeded in radically changing the debate on the economy and the impact of Wall Street on the economy and government. If not for Occupy would Bernie Sanders be getting the reaction he has gotten? Would Jeremy Corbyn win the leadership of Labor in the UK?
The social movements changed the political culture and opened up space for new views. Occupy revolted against the Wall Street bailout, blocked home foreclosures and highlighted a corrupt government that protected bankers and not the 99%. Occupy highlighted the massive college debt that anchors many youth to an impossible economic future. And, it displayed anger at the poverty wages of US workers. Police violence was put under the spotlight as police misused their power and undermined Freedom of Speech and Assembly.
Occupiers joined in protests against police violence in communities of color and helped expose that issue. Occupy did its job of raising the flag of resistance, letting people see they were not alone and putting new issues on the national agenda. The encampment phase did its job, serving as a take-off for a new social movement. After getting through the landing, when people thought nothing had been accomplished, now we can see how the social movement has evolved into a host of fronts of struggle and is now doing the job of building national consensus.
We are in the midst of what might be the transformative change we seek, but how do we get there? [end excerpt]
---
* "The Charleston SC Massacre & Beyond: anti-fascist notes from an anarchist perspective" (2015-09-09, First of May Anarchist Alliance, m1aa.org) [archive.is/YdqY4]
---
* "The Problem with Privilege" (by Andrea Smith) [archive.is/RGodK] [begin excerpt]: At the 2005 World Social Forum in Brazil, activists from Chiapas reported that this movement began to realize that one cannot combat militarism with more militarism because the state always has more guns. However, if movements began to build their own autonomous zones and proliferated them until they reached a mass scale, eventually there would be nothing the state’s military could do. If mass-based peoples’ movements begin to live life using alternative governance structures and stop relying on the state, then what can the state do? Of course, during the process, there may be skirmishes with the state, but conflict is not the primary work of these movements. And as we see these movements literally take over entire countries in Latin America, it is clear that it is possible to do revolutionary work on a mass-scale in a manner based on radical participatory rather than representational democracy or through a revolutionary vanguard model.
Many leftists will argue that nation-states are necessary to check the power of multi-national corporations or will argue that nation-states are no longer important units of analysis. These groups, by contrast, recognize the importance of creating alternative forms of governance outside of a nation-state model based on principles of horizontalism. In addition, these groups are taking on multinational corporations directly. An example would be the factory movement in Argentina where workers have appropriated factories and seized the means of production themselves. They have also developed cooperative relationships with other appropriated factories. In addition, in many factories all of the work is collectivized. For instance, a participant from a group I work with who recently had a child and was breastfeeding went to visit a factory. She tried to sign up for one of the collectively-organized tasks of the factory, and was told that breastfeeding was her task. The factory recognized breastfeeding as work on par with all the other work going on in the factory.
This kind of politics then challenges the notions of “safe space” often prevalent in many activist circles in the United States. The concept of safe space flows naturally from the logics of privilege. That is, once we have confessed our gender/race/settler/class privileges, we can then create a safe space where others will not be negatively impacted by these privileges. Of course because we have not dismantled heteropatriarchy, white supremacy, settler colonialism or capitalism, these confessed privileges never actually disappear in “safe spaces.” Consequently, when a person is found guilty of his/her privilege in these spaces, s/he is accused of making the space “unsafe.” This rhetorical strategy presumes that only certain privileged subjects can make the space “unsafe” as if everyone isn’t implicated in heteropatriarchy, white supremacy, settler colonialism and capitalism. Our focus is shifted from the larger systems that make the entire world unsafe, to interpersonal conduct. In addition, the accusation of “unsafe” is also levied against people of color who express anger about racism, only to find themselves accused of making the space “unsafe” because of their raised voices. The problem with safe space is the presumption that a safe space is even possible. [end excerpt]
---
* "Creating a 'People's Budget' ; The Community Democracy Project is pushing a radical ballot initiative in Oakland that would give citizens the power to decide how to spend taxpayer funds" (2015-09-09, eastbayexpress.com) [archive.is/wXBqA]
---
* "Make the People’s Democratic Revolution Successful by Fighting Against Revisionism" (1965, CPI) [archive.is/YWW8c] [begin excerpt]: As revisionist thinking nestled in the Indian party for a long time, we could not build up a correct revolutionary party. Our primary task today is to build up a correct revolutionary party fighting uncompromisingly against this revisionist thinking.
(1) The first among revisionist thought is to regard ‘Krishak Sabha’ (peasants’ organisation) and trade unions as the only Party activity. Party comrades often confuse the work of peasants’ organisation and trade union with the political work of the Party. They do not realise that the political tasks of the Party cannot be carried out through the peasants’ organisation and trade union. But it should be remembered at the same time that the trade union and the peasants’ organisation are one of the many weapons for serving our purpose. On the other hand, to regard peasants’ organisation and trade union work as the only work of the Party, can only mean plunging the Party in the mire of economism. The proletarian revolution cannot be made successful without an uncompromising struggle against this economism. This is the lesson that com. Lenin has given us.
(2) Some comrades think and are still thinking today that our political task ends with the launching of a few movements on demands, and they regard a single victory through these movements as a political victory of the Party. Not only has that, these comrades sought to confine the responsibility of carrying out the political tasks of the Party within the limits of these movements only. But we, the true Marxists know that carrying out the Party’s political responsibility means that the final aim of all propaganda, all movements and all organisations of the Party is to establish firmly the political power of the proletariat. It should be remembered always that if the words “Seizure of Political Power” are left out, the Party no longer remains a revolutionary Party. Although it will remain a revolutionary Party in name then, it will be actually reduced to a reformist party of the bourgeoisie. When speaking of seizure of political power, some mean the Centre. They think that with the gradual expansion of the limits of the movement, our only aim will be to capture power centrally.
This thinking is not only wrong; this thinking destroys the correct revolutionary thinking within the party and reduces it to a reformist party. At the World Trade Union Congress in 1953, the well-tested and well-established Marxist leader of China, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, asserted firmly that in the coming days the tactics and strategy of the unfinished revolution of Asia, Africa and Latin America will follow the footsteps of China. In other words, the strategy and tactics of these struggles will be area-wise seizure of power. It was not only that comrade and member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Party, but Com. Lenin also mentioned area-wise seizure of power in his writings. Above all, the working class in Russia gave a concrete proof of Lenin’s conclusion when they kept the town of Kronstad under seizure for three days. In the era of socialism, all the elements of area-wise seizure of power are present in our framework.
A burning instance of the fact that this is possible is the Naga rebellion. The main condition of this area-wise seizure of power is weapons in the hands of the revolutionary forces. To think of seizing power without arms, is nothing but an idle dream. Our Party has a very long history of struggles. We gave the leadership to the peasants’ and workers’ movements in the extensive countryside of North Bengal. Naturally, we shall have to examine and analyse the movements of the past and draw lessons from them and we shall have to move forward anew in the present revolutionary era. Analysis of the concrete events and experiences of the Tebhaga Movement in 1946 and 1947 The participant peasants in this movement numbered about six million. It should be remembered that in the entire peasant movement this was a golden era. In the massiveness of the movement, in the intensity of emotions, in the expression of class hatred, this movement was the highest stage of class struggle. [end excerpt]
Most countries like to think that their problems are entirely their own, the product of the local situation, not pattern of a general pattern which afflicts newly independent countries. They also like to think they can become another Estonia – take advantage of the international situation, get accepted into NATO or the equivalent, improve living standards and never be heard of again.
But the model all wannabe independent states should look at is not even in Europe. More than any other state, Angola expresses in microcosm what all independent states will have to go through sooner or later. It isn’t a pretty sight, but it is the very sight the idea of independence consistently blinds people to. If you think you aren’t Angola, just wait.
There are various nations who don’t have their own state whose causes are genuinely believed in – the Basques, for example, the Kurds, the indigenous peoples of Australia. They don’t have countries of their own precisely because the justice of having them is widely acknowledged. If other countries are prepared to make your independence a reality what you will be left with is a less accountable form of colonialism.
Most of the countries which were formed after the breakup of the Soviet Union are worse off economically than they were in Soviet times. Most of them expected this, and even those who have improved since then miss some aspects of the Soviet-era system. But none of them want to give up their independence, and new places such as Chechnya, Ingushetia and Daghestan want to join the list of independent states.
Angola went through this process 40 years ago. This means most contemporary Angolans cannot recall the colonial days. They have no personal memory of that era, only the tales of a generation largely in exile or lost in fighting and the official line they have been brought up with. They should therefore be able to create a new state which doesn’t automatically fall into the old patterns. They haven’t been able to do so precisely because they can’t remember the past: they recognise their present condition as Angolan, whereas it remains colonialism in another form.
The main political parties in Angola are still the nationalist armies that fought the war. They have created a native ruling class but are as dependent on foreign support as ever. Involvement with the wartime past is still a plus point for the Angolan politician of today, and no one is interested in funding Angolans to develop alternative parties which reflect general strands of thinking rather than who some external actor wanted to win the civil war.
The residents of Scotland, Republika Srpska, Catalonia or Kashmir may think they have little in common with Angolans. So did those in most of the former Soviet Union and the rest of Africa. They have all ultimately found that they have fallen into the Angolan model because that is the only form of independence the great powers will allow: at their convenience, for their reasons, and as an alternative to actual independence. The roads may look different, but they all lead to the same place. [end excerpt]
---
* Popular Resistance newsletter: "Transformation-Elections & Movements" (2015-09-20) [archive.is/5RfG5] [begin excerpt]: This week for the fourth Anniversary of Occupy Wall Street activists gathered in Zucotti Park to discuss economic injustice and government corruption. Occupy was an important phase in the social movement for economic, racial and environmental justice. It was a tactic that was right for the moment showing widespread anger at Wall Street, the unfair economy and the tremendous wealth divide and that people were willing to revolt. A-We-are-the-99-protest-i-007
Some recognize that Occupy succeeded in radically changing the debate on the economy and the impact of Wall Street on the economy and government. If not for Occupy would Bernie Sanders be getting the reaction he has gotten? Would Jeremy Corbyn win the leadership of Labor in the UK?
The social movements changed the political culture and opened up space for new views. Occupy revolted against the Wall Street bailout, blocked home foreclosures and highlighted a corrupt government that protected bankers and not the 99%. Occupy highlighted the massive college debt that anchors many youth to an impossible economic future. And, it displayed anger at the poverty wages of US workers. Police violence was put under the spotlight as police misused their power and undermined Freedom of Speech and Assembly.
Occupiers joined in protests against police violence in communities of color and helped expose that issue. Occupy did its job of raising the flag of resistance, letting people see they were not alone and putting new issues on the national agenda. The encampment phase did its job, serving as a take-off for a new social movement. After getting through the landing, when people thought nothing had been accomplished, now we can see how the social movement has evolved into a host of fronts of struggle and is now doing the job of building national consensus.
We are in the midst of what might be the transformative change we seek, but how do we get there? [end excerpt]
---
* "The Charleston SC Massacre & Beyond: anti-fascist notes from an anarchist perspective" (2015-09-09, First of May Anarchist Alliance, m1aa.org) [archive.is/YdqY4]
---
* "The Problem with Privilege" (by Andrea Smith) [archive.is/RGodK] [begin excerpt]: At the 2005 World Social Forum in Brazil, activists from Chiapas reported that this movement began to realize that one cannot combat militarism with more militarism because the state always has more guns. However, if movements began to build their own autonomous zones and proliferated them until they reached a mass scale, eventually there would be nothing the state’s military could do. If mass-based peoples’ movements begin to live life using alternative governance structures and stop relying on the state, then what can the state do? Of course, during the process, there may be skirmishes with the state, but conflict is not the primary work of these movements. And as we see these movements literally take over entire countries in Latin America, it is clear that it is possible to do revolutionary work on a mass-scale in a manner based on radical participatory rather than representational democracy or through a revolutionary vanguard model.
Many leftists will argue that nation-states are necessary to check the power of multi-national corporations or will argue that nation-states are no longer important units of analysis. These groups, by contrast, recognize the importance of creating alternative forms of governance outside of a nation-state model based on principles of horizontalism. In addition, these groups are taking on multinational corporations directly. An example would be the factory movement in Argentina where workers have appropriated factories and seized the means of production themselves. They have also developed cooperative relationships with other appropriated factories. In addition, in many factories all of the work is collectivized. For instance, a participant from a group I work with who recently had a child and was breastfeeding went to visit a factory. She tried to sign up for one of the collectively-organized tasks of the factory, and was told that breastfeeding was her task. The factory recognized breastfeeding as work on par with all the other work going on in the factory.
This kind of politics then challenges the notions of “safe space” often prevalent in many activist circles in the United States. The concept of safe space flows naturally from the logics of privilege. That is, once we have confessed our gender/race/settler/class privileges, we can then create a safe space where others will not be negatively impacted by these privileges. Of course because we have not dismantled heteropatriarchy, white supremacy, settler colonialism or capitalism, these confessed privileges never actually disappear in “safe spaces.” Consequently, when a person is found guilty of his/her privilege in these spaces, s/he is accused of making the space “unsafe.” This rhetorical strategy presumes that only certain privileged subjects can make the space “unsafe” as if everyone isn’t implicated in heteropatriarchy, white supremacy, settler colonialism and capitalism. Our focus is shifted from the larger systems that make the entire world unsafe, to interpersonal conduct. In addition, the accusation of “unsafe” is also levied against people of color who express anger about racism, only to find themselves accused of making the space “unsafe” because of their raised voices. The problem with safe space is the presumption that a safe space is even possible. [end excerpt]
---
* "Creating a 'People's Budget' ; The Community Democracy Project is pushing a radical ballot initiative in Oakland that would give citizens the power to decide how to spend taxpayer funds" (2015-09-09, eastbayexpress.com) [archive.is/wXBqA]
---
* "Make the People’s Democratic Revolution Successful by Fighting Against Revisionism" (1965, CPI) [archive.is/YWW8c] [begin excerpt]: As revisionist thinking nestled in the Indian party for a long time, we could not build up a correct revolutionary party. Our primary task today is to build up a correct revolutionary party fighting uncompromisingly against this revisionist thinking.
(1) The first among revisionist thought is to regard ‘Krishak Sabha’ (peasants’ organisation) and trade unions as the only Party activity. Party comrades often confuse the work of peasants’ organisation and trade union with the political work of the Party. They do not realise that the political tasks of the Party cannot be carried out through the peasants’ organisation and trade union. But it should be remembered at the same time that the trade union and the peasants’ organisation are one of the many weapons for serving our purpose. On the other hand, to regard peasants’ organisation and trade union work as the only work of the Party, can only mean plunging the Party in the mire of economism. The proletarian revolution cannot be made successful without an uncompromising struggle against this economism. This is the lesson that com. Lenin has given us.
(2) Some comrades think and are still thinking today that our political task ends with the launching of a few movements on demands, and they regard a single victory through these movements as a political victory of the Party. Not only has that, these comrades sought to confine the responsibility of carrying out the political tasks of the Party within the limits of these movements only. But we, the true Marxists know that carrying out the Party’s political responsibility means that the final aim of all propaganda, all movements and all organisations of the Party is to establish firmly the political power of the proletariat. It should be remembered always that if the words “Seizure of Political Power” are left out, the Party no longer remains a revolutionary Party. Although it will remain a revolutionary Party in name then, it will be actually reduced to a reformist party of the bourgeoisie. When speaking of seizure of political power, some mean the Centre. They think that with the gradual expansion of the limits of the movement, our only aim will be to capture power centrally.
This thinking is not only wrong; this thinking destroys the correct revolutionary thinking within the party and reduces it to a reformist party. At the World Trade Union Congress in 1953, the well-tested and well-established Marxist leader of China, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, asserted firmly that in the coming days the tactics and strategy of the unfinished revolution of Asia, Africa and Latin America will follow the footsteps of China. In other words, the strategy and tactics of these struggles will be area-wise seizure of power. It was not only that comrade and member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Party, but Com. Lenin also mentioned area-wise seizure of power in his writings. Above all, the working class in Russia gave a concrete proof of Lenin’s conclusion when they kept the town of Kronstad under seizure for three days. In the era of socialism, all the elements of area-wise seizure of power are present in our framework.
A burning instance of the fact that this is possible is the Naga rebellion. The main condition of this area-wise seizure of power is weapons in the hands of the revolutionary forces. To think of seizing power without arms, is nothing but an idle dream. Our Party has a very long history of struggles. We gave the leadership to the peasants’ and workers’ movements in the extensive countryside of North Bengal. Naturally, we shall have to examine and analyse the movements of the past and draw lessons from them and we shall have to move forward anew in the present revolutionary era. Analysis of the concrete events and experiences of the Tebhaga Movement in 1946 and 1947 The participant peasants in this movement numbered about six million. It should be remembered that in the entire peasant movement this was a golden era. In the massiveness of the movement, in the intensity of emotions, in the expression of class hatred, this movement was the highest stage of class struggle. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
CHICANO POWER! LUCHA PARA LA NUEVA AZTLAN!
Humanity Trail, in Murrieta, CalifAztlan. March for our Gente.
---
Brown Berets - Prison Chapter
---
Message from Steven Payan, of the Brown Berets de Sacraztlan [archive.is/0jk8S]. Message from Xihuatl Teotl: "I'm so proud of my other half Steven Payan for always putting in work in our communities to create economic/social change by trying to create and manifest a better world for our children. I'm truly honored and proud of all the work he does with the help of our comrades. I love you so much."
===*===*===
SOLIDARITY WITH THE NEW AFRICAN NATION!
Black Power! Revive the Community! Defend the Nation!
The Rev. Floyd Harris Jr. of Fresno, walking the long road towards Black Liberation
---
You think white privilege in America is a thing of black imagination.. this picture will show you otherwise. [archive.is/lJfqK]
* White American Nationalist Survivalist "Zombie Hunter Shoots Police Officer Three Times, Walks Away Free" (2015-01-19, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/ERsPi]
* "Black Kids Get Less Pain Medication Than White Kids in ER" (2015-09-15, nbcnews.com) [archive.is/ztXAT]
* "Study: Whites Think Black People Feel Less Pain" (2013-07-11, npr.org) [archive.is/oKCpB]
---
Arkansas 16% Black - 52% in Prison
Georgia 29% Black - 64% in Prison
Louisiana 33% Black - 76% in Prison
Mississippi 36% Black - 75% IN Prison
Alabama 26% Black - 65% in Prison
Tennessee 16% Black - 53% in Prison
Kentucky 7% Black - 36% in Prison
South Carolina 30% Black - 70% in Prison
North Carolina 22% Black - 64% in Prison
Virginia 20% Black - 68% in Prison
The above statistics are from Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. at the weekly meeting of Operation Rainbow/PUSH on 25 March 2011.
---
* "4 reasons 'All Lives Matter' gets race and police brutality wrong" (2015-01-21, dailydot.com) [archive.is/W6Xf6] [begin excerpt]:
Reason 2) It's used in counter-protests and counterarguments that sneer at the issue -
"All Lives Matter" is often used as a form of counter-protest, along with other jabs such as "Pants Up, Don’t Loot" or variations of "I Can Breathe." The two latter phrases are clearly targeted at those who’ve chanted "Hands Up, Don’t Shoot" and "I Can’t Breathe," both of which respectively signal the tragic incidents with Brown and Garner. As framed for a counter-protest, "All Lives Matter" takes the issues of anti-black racism in policing, rendering them irrelevant and silly.
Further, the phrase is employed alongside indictments of "black-on-black crime," pointing toward intra-racial violence as a tool of invalidating broader concerns of race and policing. Most crime actually takes place between people within a given racial category, including white people and non-black people of color. Of course, crime and violence aren’t desirable in any light. But the ongoing conversation about black lives asks people to openly question why black people consistently endure harassment and violence at the hands of law enforcement. [end excerpt]
* "Please Stop Telling Me That All Lives Matter" (2014-11-25, huffingtonpost.com) [http://is.gd/RYynHH] [begin excerpt]: When I say "Black lives matter," it is because this nation has a tendency to say otherwise. Racial discrimination does affect all minorities but police brutality, at such excessive rates, does not.
A black person is killed extrajudicially every 28 hrs, and Black men between ages 19 and 25 are the group most at risk to be gunned down by police. Based on data from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, young Blacks are 4.5 times more likely to be killed by police than any other age or racial group.
African-Americans have comprised 26 percent of police shootings though we only makeup 13 percent of the U.S. population, based on data spanning from 1999 to 2011.
In the 108 days since Mike Brown was killed by Darren Wilson and left on display in the middle of the street for four and a half hours, at least seven Black males have been shot and killed by law enforcement officers.
Officers are provided the unrestricted right to use force at their discretion -- and will not hesitate to do so -- and Black bodies are more susceptible to greeting the business end of those state-issued firearms. [end excerpt]
----
* "Texas Man Arrested in Hoax Claiming Members of #BlackLivesMatter Vandalized His Truck; Scott Lattin, 45, of Whitney, Texas, received $6,000 in an online fundraiser to repair the vehicle" (2015-09-19, theroot.com) [archive.is/47MfT]
---
* "Police In Pasadena Charge Organizer of BlackLivesMatter With Terrorism" (2015-04-10, anonhq.com) [archive.is/WhU5e]
---
* " 'Black Lives Matter' Anti-Racist Movement Threatened by US Intelligence, Media and Police Agencies" (2015-09-17, by Abayomi Azikiwe) [archive.is/Aiyks] [begin excerpt]: A similar scenario is developing today however under somewhat different circumstances. During the counter-intelligence operations (cointelpro) against the African American movement from the 1950s through the 1970s, there was a broader mass movement among the youth, workers and farmers which encompassed elements within the education, religious, industrial, agricultural and prison sectors of the population.
Other nationally oppressed groups inspired by the African American struggle developed their own organizations such as the Young Lords (Puerto Rico), Brown Berets (Chicano), the American Indian Movement (Native People), the LGBTQ communities, women, environmental, people with disabilities, students, seniors, etc. These organizations would form alliances to fight for common objectives such as the struggle for self-determination and full equality.
In 1968, the Peace and Freedom Party formed an alliance with the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense running Eldridge Cleaver, then Minister of Information of the BPP, for president. The following year in July 1969, a National Conference for a United Front Against Fascism was convened in Oakland, California where a coalition against repression was further advanced.
1970 witnessed the May Day actions at Yale University in New Haven where the president of the elite university shutdown the campus saying it was impossible for Black revolutionaries to receive a fair trial in the U.S. BPP leaders Bobby Seale and Erica Huggins were on trial for murder and faced the possibility of being sentenced to the electric chair.
Later in 1970, the Panthers initiated the Revolutionary People’s Constitutional Convention (RPCC) designed to build a broad front of progressive and anti-capitalist forces to transform the racist system.
However, the role of the intelligence forces, local law-enforcement and the corporate press created the conditions for the targeting of the movement for criminalization and disruption. Scores of activist were killed, railroaded into prison, driven into exile and underground.
Such a fate could await the new upsurge in antiracist activism if people do not get organized and build strategic and tactical alliances. The U.S. and world capitalist system is more unstable and fragile than it ever was during the immediate decades of the post-World War II period and therefore a mass movement seeking fundamental change could shake the system at its foundations.
These recent emergent movements such as Immigrant Rights, Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter are a reflection of the failure of the world system to provide a stable future for the majority of people within the U.S. and internationally. This decayed system will do whatever it can to retain its capacity to exploit, oppress and repress the majority of people in this country and around the globe. [end excerpt]
* "Black Lives Matter Backlash Gets Real; Bill O’Reilly is calling the movement a “hate group.” Others are blaming it whenever an officer is killed or hurt. It’s a whole lot of bluster for a nonviolent movement whose only weapon is its mouth" (2015-09-04, theroot.com) [archive.is/ywhRr]
* "Fox Host Suggests Black Lives Matter Movement Is Endangering Police Officers" (2015-08-14, mediamatters.org) [archive.is/GbTMn], from the August 14 edition of Fox News' Outnumbered. Watch the video (.mp4) [http://is.gd/2OWDMe]
* "There's nothing linking Black Lives Matter to a Texas cop's death. Fox News did it anyway" (2015-09-03, vox.com) [archive.is/5sflE]
* "Fox News Graphic Calls Black Lives Matter The ''Murder' Movement" (2015-08-31, mediamatters.org) [archive.is/loTAp], From the August 31 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends. Watch the video here (.mp4) [http://is.gd/3nRkYg]
* "#FYF911: why conservative media thinks Black Lives Matter is planning 9/11 attacks on police" (2015-09-11, vox.com) [archive.is/0E6wB]
* "#FYF911, is the Black Lives Matter movement organizing an attack on 11 September 2015?" (2015-09-11, snopes.com) [archive.is/q5wwO] [begin excerpt]: In September 2015, several conservative media outlets warned about a pending attack on white police officers planned for 11 September 2015 by the Black Lives Matter movement. These reports all centered on a series of videos by “King Noble” with titles such as “Its Open Season On Killing Whites and Police” and “King Noble Reveals the Secret Location of #FYF911".
While it’s true that King Noble threatened police officers in these videos and claimed that an attack would occur in Stone Mountain, Georgia on 11 September 2015, these videos are not associated with the Black Lives Matter movement.
In fact, in a video uploaded on 4 September 2015, King Noble explicitly said that the Black Lives Matter movement was not responsible for the planned attack [youtube.com/watch?v=T2bARDBXEoI]. There is also no mention of the alleged plan on the BLM web site or social media profiles. [end excerpt]
* "Exclusive: Law Enforcement Agencies On Alert For ‘Black Lives Matter’ Attacks On 9/11" (2015-09-09, dailycaller.com) [archive.is/fjeWB] [begin excerpt]: According to several Be On Look Out (BOLO) alerts sent from several law enforcement agencies and exclusively obtained by The Daily Caller, some members of the “#blacklivesmatter and #fyf911 are calling for the murder of more police officers on a site called blog radio.” One BOLO says, “The narrator known as ‘King Noble’ on Facebook states: ‘It’s open season on killing whites and police officers and probably killing cops period. It’s open season. Picking them off. Today we live in a time when the white man will be picked off,” he goes on to claim “the predators are now the prey.’”The BOLOs states further that the “#fyf911 (Fuk Yo Flag)” website [archive.is/gwgRi] calls for burning the American flag on 9/11 and “and physically breaking free of the imperialist, colonialist, and racist empires.” Additionally, according to the BOLO’s description of the website, the plan also includes burning Confederate flags, police uniforms, and “ALL representations of organized evil and oppressive nations.”
The website says, “We also will be raising the Liberation flag and building on a new nation for the people. This is an INTERNATIONAL movement and a day of unity, progressive action, and liberation. To all OPPRESSIVE AND ORGANIZED EVIL after #FYF911 the people will not be bound to you any longer!”
Another BOLO shows a picture associated with the #FYF911 movement and “depicts a police officer hanging from a tree and Uncle Sam in a military uniform with a branch of the tree up his posterior end.” [end excerpt]
Of course, the idea that anyone who claims "Black Lives Matter" are supportive of "#fyf911" is an idea taken as fact by fascists who are so easily lead to believe anything that vindicates their perspective that New Afrikans need to be "put back in their place", as shown by web search results here [archive.is/xikWs].
The previous article, syndicated to self-described "conservative" news media, contained the following social media meme [archive.is/cqnS3]:
This meme contains the name and logo for the Black Riders Liberation Party alongside slogans which are to be construed as names of actual organizations (though none with these names are know to exist): "Black Supremacy" and "Black Radicals of Amerikkka".The association of the entire Black Riders Liberation Party with "#fyf911" is not confirmed by a web search using Google.com [archive.is/ISFWt], and in fact the search results show absolutely nothing that could be construed as a connection.
* "#FYF911" video page at youtube.com (2015-08-16) [archive.is/Kyc07], watch the video (.mp4) [http://is.gd/pNSH0Y]
* "Its Open Season On Killing Whites and Police", watch the video (.mp4) [http://is.gd/8Qcd5q]
* "King Noble Reveals the Secret Location of #FYF911" video page at youtube.com (2015-09-04) [archive.is/lXxCs], watch the video (.mp4) [http://is.gd/iEAsI5]
* The webpage (Kingnobleblackrulership.com) is taken off the internet as of 2015-09-13 [archive.is/uByMm], and a cache of the page is somewhat scrubbed [archive.is/xJxOr].
* The "#fyf911 (Fuk Yo Flag)" website [archive.is/gwgRi] appears to be a "fake", that is, there seemed to be no indications that it was made by a dedicated group of revolutionaries with an agenda. The website also contains dead links. None of the links in the top bar work on the original page, and appear to be have been part of the template design.
Despite all the publicity, the "#fyf911" operation receives only eight visitors, who are among the bravest New Afrikans in the U$A for having shown up. However, this shows how much of a "following" King Noble and company really have. If this were a true Black Revolutionary gathering, with full participation by the Black Riders Liberation Party, hundreds would have shown up, and the event would not have been explicitly calling for the killing of pigs.
* "#FYF911 Protest in Stone Mountain Fizzles Badly" (2015-09-11, pjmedia.com) [archive.is/T3N8a]
* "Muslims, Jews, Scientologists, African-Americans, Inmates & Neo-Nazis Carry Out False Flags; Not Just Governments … Private Idiots, As Well" (2015-005-30, washingtonsblog.com) [archive.is/QJ0w1]
Self-described "conservative" online news media have historically targeted the New Black Panther Party, including with the following example
* "Is Black Panther Leader Malik Shabazz a Government Provocateur?" (2014-08-19, Pete Santilli Show) [youtube.com/watch?v=Exili3pVIHQ] [archive.is/bERAx]: Asane Mohammed, CFO for Black Panther leader Malik Shabazz’s organization joins Pete to address questions regarding Mr. Shabazz’s actions on the ground in Ferguson, Missouri. Santilli asks some hard questions and in this interview you will notice how Ms. Mohammed squirms to avoid accountability. It’s a thought provoking interview, and Americans will certainly ponder the thought as to why Malik Shabazz inspires protesters to rise up on one day, only to publicly call for them to stand down on the next day. Is Black Panther leader Malik Shabazz a government provocateur, or a media opportunist? The Pete Santilli Show broadcasts live exclusively on the Rense Network and the Guerilla Media Network http://guerillamedianetwork.com, Monday thru Saturday 10am PST
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* " 'War On Cops': Fox News Abandons Its Catchphrase When Bike Gangs Threaten Police" (2015-05-22, mediamatters.org) [archive.is/vsyA5] [begin excerpt]: After African-American communities in Baltimore and Ferguson, MO came together to demonstrate against the deadly and racially disparate policies of law enforcement, Fox News branded the protests a "war on cops." But when the story became a mostly white Texas biker gang plotting to kill police with grenades and car bombs, the network took a decidedly less sensationalist approach in its reporting. [end excerpt]
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* "2 Black Self-Determination Grand Openings and a Forum" (2015-09-14) [archive.is/1ItGQ]
Come support two African People’s Education & Defense Fund grand openings:
First, Akwaaba Hall (7911 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland) presents a night of food, entertainment and a tour on Fri., Oct. 9 from 6-9pm. Under president Ona Zene Yeshitela’s tireless leadership and infinite vision, the African People’s Education and Defense Fund is growing at a breakneck speed. APEDF is finishing the renovations at the Uhuru House community center and opening it to the community as “Akwaaba Hall” for community rentals as well as for APEDF programs.Second, Uhuru Furniture & Collectibles (3742 Grand Ave., Oakland) will unveil its new expanded space on Sat., Oct. 10 from 10am-6pm including refreshments, music and amazing deals. Celebrate the support of people like you in the Bay Area that has contributed to this 27-year-old landmark store’s capacity to expand. A short program will take place from 2-3pm.
Then, on Sun, Oct. 11 from 1-3pm participate in a forum at Akwaaba Hall entitled “African Working Class – Push for Economic Development” discussing the importance of Africans ourselves building our own African independent economy. APEDF is launching African community economic development institutions such as Uhuru Jiko Community Kitchen. Uhuru Jiko in Oakland will be home to a workforce development project providing employment and training – including those in the African community who have experienced incarceration which drastically limits opportunities to contribute to their families and communities.
STUDENT POWER!
information collected by the Committee to Defend Public Education!
* "Confidential Charter School Memo Blasted as 'Outline for a Hostile Takeover' ; Critic says billionaire's plan to 'charterize' Los Angeles public schools is 'a ham-handed effort to circumvent democracy in a major American city' " (2015-09-23, commondreams.org) [archive.is/PnlZy]
WORKER'S POWER!
information collected by the Worker's Defense Committee [NorthbayMDS.blogspot.com/2009/05/WorkersPower.html]
* "The Evidence Keeps Piling Up: Unions Are Good For US Workers (Very Good)" (2015-09-10, commondreams.org) [archive.is/sjGix]
* "How an Area’s Union Membership Can Predict Children’s Advancement" (2015-09-09, nytimes.com) [archive.is/UWvWl] [begin excerpt]: It is well established that unions provide benefits to workers — that they raise wages for their members (and even for nonmembers). They can help reduce inequality. A new study suggests that unions may also help children move up the economic ladder. Researchers at Harvard, Wellesley and the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, released a paper Wednesday showing that children born to low-income families typically ascend to higher incomes in metropolitan areas where union membership is higher. [end excerpt]
* "Bargaining for the American Dream What Unions do for Mobility" (2015-09-09, Center for American Progress) [archive.is/za6vp]
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* "Workers Fight Back Against Walmart" (2015-09-11, Labor's Edge newsletter):
Back in April, Walmart closed several stores including the Pico Rivera location in Southern California. At the time Walmart cited blamed the closures the stores on "plumbing issues". It just so happens those stores had workers who were standing together and organizing. Now those workers are bravely calling out Walmart with a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board.
You can support workers by signing their petition calling for the reinstatement of workers at [action.changewalmart.org/page/s/stop-the-lay-offs].
* "Walmart Closes Stores to Quell Worker Movement" (2015-05-14, calaborfed.org) [archive.is/nHPnM]
* "Unions file new Wal-Mart labor complaint related to store closure" (2015-09-10, Reuters Newswire) [archive.is/d09db]
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* "Silicon Valley’s Labor Uprising Unions are spreading like wildfire through tech’s low-wage workforce" (2015-09-07, inthesetimes.com) [archive.is/k03dG]
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* "Hotel Frank bosses blow town and shut down" (2012-10-15, beyondchron.org) [archive.is/DJ1in]
* "Hotel Frank(enstein) Becomes Hotel G(oofy)" (2015-09-08, by Marc Norton) [archive.is/Hmjnj] [begin excerpt]: Hotel Frank was a small, boutique hotel downtown, located just a block off Union Square. The hotel had a Union contract – a
very good contract, I might add – for nearly 40 years. But in 2010 a cuckoo owner drove the hotel into bankruptcy. Wells Fargo took over, brought in an out-of-town management company called Provenance, and tried to bust the Union.
Provenance threw our Union contract in the trash, and proceeded to fire a couple of workers, including a lead Shop Steward. Then they fired me. That gave me all the free time I needed to organize picket lines at the hotel. Meanwhile, UNITE HERE Local 2 (the San Francisco hotel, restaurant and culinary union) organized a boycott campaign.
I spent the next two years in front of the hotel, bullhorn in hand and other noisemaker (human and otherwise) at the ready, along with an assortment of Hotel Frank workers, other Local 2 workers, Local 2 staff, and various labor activists. The location of the hotel made this a very visible picket line. The fact that there is only one door in-and-out of the hotel made our line a very in-your-face matter, and the militancy of the pickets made quite a scene.
“Early in the morning, late at night, we are here and ready to fight” was not just a chant.
Hotel Frank became a bellwether struggle in the increasingly important small, boutique hotel sector. Union density has been steadily declining in this sector for years, as new boutique hotels open with little attempt at organizing by Local 2.
After two years, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ordered the hotel to put me back to work, with two years of back pay. The hotel had essentially paid me all that time to organize the picket line. Best job I ever had.
Provenance got its rear end wiped. Having lost money the whole time they were here, they split town. They paid the Union many thousands of dollars in order to make good on missed medical and pension payments, and paid a substantial sum to Hotel Frank workers in severance pay.
However, on their way out the door, Provenance sold the hotel to a new owner. I got to return to work for exactly one day before the door was shut.
Fast forward 18 months. The hotel had been dark all that time. Mike Casey, then the President of Local 2, swore up and down that the new owner would be required to put all the Hotel Frank workers back to work, or the picket line and boycott would resume.
But in the end Casey negotiated a little sweetheart deal. Local 2 got recognition. The back-of-the-house (room cleaners and housemen) got their jobs back. The front-of-the-house(front desk, bellmen) did not, including yours truly. The workers who were left on the street got some money, but no job.
To make matters worse, when Hotel G opened in the Spring of 2014, the Union negotiated a sub-standard “interim agreement” that left workers at Hotel G working harder and longer hours than at any other Local 2 hotel in town. There is no negotiated wage scale. There is no language limiting the workload for the room cleaners, one of the bedrock provisions in every other Local 2 hotel contract. There is no paid lunch break, another bedrock provision in every other Local 2 hotel contract, so Hotel G workers have an 8-and-a-half hour day, rather than the standard 8-hour day.
These are the very same working conditions that drove Hotel Frank workers into the fight five years ago. A Union that does not protect its rank-and-file leaders is a Union in trouble. [end excerpt]
* "Labor proposes measure to extend California taxes on wealthy" (2015-09-15, AP Newswire) [archive.is/waaFJ]
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* "How Do We 'Change Everything' without Pitting Workers against the Planet?" (2015-09-08, labornotes.org) [archive.is/syNTd] [begin excerpt]: As Shell Oil’s drilling rig and ice cutter churned toward the Arctic, activists in Seattle and Portland, paddling kayaks and dangling from cables, tried to block them. Some unions backed the protests, but not the usually progressive Longshore Workers (ILWU).
Servicing Shell’s fleet will provide “an awful lot of family-wage jobs,” said Justin Hirsch, an ILWU Local 19 executive board member—at a time when condo developers are eyeing the waterfront and longshore jobs are squeezed by shipping industry consolidation.
Don’t get him wrong. Hirsch also says “climate change is a massive issue, and it’s going to have to be dealt with by labor.”
But he’s worried the shift to a green economy offers employers an opportunity to destroy the pay, benefits, and workplace control it took generations of struggle to achieve. Will green jobs be lower-waged and nonunion? [end excerpt]
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* " 'Fighting for Incredible List of Educational Reforms,' Seattle Teachers Go on Historic Strike" (2015-09-09, commondreams.org) [archive.is/iDHTD]
* "Seattle Teachers Strike Halts Start of School Year" (2015-09-09, labornotes.org) [archive.is/kIj9k]
* " 'Won't Back Down': Seattle Teacher Strike Continues for Third Day Organized educators take stand for their profession, their students, and 'people everywhere who are working for vital public schools and social justice' " (2015-09-11, commondreams.org) [archive.is/tmlje]
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* Resolution in Solidarity with the Farmworkers in San Quintin (Mexico) and Skagit County (Washington State) [http://is.gd/wFzNFm]:
Whereas, as many as 70,000 farmworkers (jornaleros) in the Valley of San Quintín, Baja California (Mexico) have been waging intermittent strikes and organizing road blockades and mass mobilizations since mid-March 2015 to demand an increase in their daily wage from 100 pesos to 200 pesos per day [raise from $7.50 per day to $15], an eight-hour workday, health care, overtime pay and vacation days, an end to the widespread sexual abuse, and, most important, the legal recognition of their independent union — the Alianza de Organizaciones Nacional, Estatal y Municipal por la Justicia Social del Valle de San Quintín (Alliance National, State and Municipal Organizations for Social Justice in the Valley of San Quintín, or Alianza) — as the bargaining agent for these 70,000 workers; and
Whereas, these farmworkers (many of them indigenous workers from Oaxaca) pick strawberries, tomatoes, and other fruit primarily for export to the United States under the label of Driscoll’s, through its Mexican subsidiary, BerryMex; and
Whereas, the farmworkers are currently “covered” by “protection contracts” signed between the growers and the CTM, the CROM and the CROC — essentially government- run unions — where the contracts signed are nothing more than sweetheart deals favoring the growers; and
Whereas, articles in the mainstream media about the conditions of farmworkers in San Quintín describe rat-infested camps, some without functioning toilets, with workers routinely having their wages illegally withheld, and many facing debt after being gouged by the overpricing of necessities sold at company stores, and with pay so low that it amounts to less than one-tenth of what U.S.-based farmworkers earn”; and
Whereas, over the weekend of May 9-10, 2015, the Baja California government, instead of opening negotiations with the farmworkers, as promised, sent in police to quash the farmworkers’ protest, severely wounding 70 workers, many with rubber bullets shot at close range, leaving some of the workers in critical condition; and
Whereas, the repression against the farmworkers of San Quintín made front-page news and created a huge backlash across Mexico, forcing the government to (1) meet with representatives of the Alianza and promise to legally recognize the workers’ independent union (promising a “registro” to the Alianza) and (2) promise to implement many of the demands raised by the workers that pertain to Mexican labor law; and
Whereas, the growers are refusing to abide by the agreement between the Mexican government and the Alianza, arguing that they have more than 60 signed contracts with the CTM, the CROM, and the CROC, and that they will therefore not recognize nor open negotiations with the Alianza; and
Whereas, the leadership of the Alianza, soon after the strike began, issued a call to the U.S. labor and community movements to organize a boycott across the United States of Driscoll’s, extending the boycott of Driscoll’s that was launched one year earlier by the Familias Unidas por la Justicia; and
Whereas, upon learning of the strike of the farmworkers in San Quintín, unionists and community activists in cities throughout California and other U.S. states launched a campaign incorporating the struggle of the San Quintín workers into the Driscoll’s boycott; and
Whereas, many of the San Quintin farmworkers have either worked in the farms owned by Sakuma Brothers in the state of Washington, or have family who work for Sakuma Brothers, where the workers have been subjected to a wide range of abuse for years, such as inadequate piece rates, wage theft, racist and sexist abuse by supervisors, substandard housing and continuous retaliation for their efforts to improve their conditions; and
Whereas, the Washington State AFL-CIO has recognized the independent union formed in 2013 by the Sakuma farmworkers — the Familias Unidas for la Justicia — and has endorsed and supported the boycott of Sakuma Brothers Farms; and
Whereas, Miles Joseph Reiter is the Chairman of the Board of Driscoll’s Inc and is also a member of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture and this board has responsibility for oversight of this industry. We question and oppose his serving on this board due to the conditions of the striking farm workers and the families in San Quintin, Baja, California;
Therefore Be It Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO, goes on record in support of the struggle of the 70,000 farmworkers in San Quintin and the 468 farmworkers in Skagit County, Washington, for better wages, working conditions, and the recognition of their fighting unions — Familias Unidas por la Justicia and the Alianza de Organizaciones Nacional, Estatal y Municipal por la Justicia Social del Valle de San Quintín (Alliance of Farm Workers of San Quintín) — as the legitimate bargaining agents for these workers; and
Be It Further Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council opposes the “protection contracts” signed between the growers and the company unions, and urges the Mexican government to formally give the “registro” to the Alianza, as promised, that it meet the Alianza’s demands pertaining to Mexico’s labor laws, — and that the government use all its powers to compel the growers to rescind the “protection contracts” with the company unions, negotiate directly with the Alianza, and agree to increase the workers’ wages to 200 pesos a day, while resolving the other demands raised by the workers; and
Be It Further Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council reiterates its call on Sakuma Farms to rehire strikers and sign a contract with Familias Unidas por la Justicia in Washington State; and
Be It Further Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council calls upon the California Federation of Labor and the entire trade union movement in the United States to add Driscoll’s to their “Do Not Patronize” list and to actively promote a boycott of Driscoll’s – as well as build ties of solidarity with the San Quintín farmworkers, organizing union-to-union solidarity, visits to San
Quintín, and tours to the United States of representatives of the Alianza so that these workers can tell their stories directly to U.S. workers; and
Be It Further Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council will link the struggle of the Sakuma Brothers and Driscoll’s workers in the state of Washington, to the struggle of the San Quintín workers; and
Be It Finally Resolved,that the San Francisco Labor Council will send this resolution to the Alianza and Sakuma Farms workers, with copies to the broader labor movement, to be used as a template for further resolutions in solidarity with the farmworkers of San Quintín and Familias Unidas por la Justicia in Washington State.
Submitted by Alan Benjamin, OPEIU 3 and Maria Guillen, SEIU 102, and adopted unanimously by the San Francisco Labor Council on August 10, 2015.
Respectfully,
Tim Paulson Executive Director
===*===*===
HANDS OFF OUR HOMES!
[HandsOffHomes.blogspot.com]
* "Standing together: Reporting from the Portland Renter Assemblies" (2015-09-11, blackrosefed.org) [archive.is/evUQU] [begin excerpt]: The Renter’s Assemblies have been something that people in housing justice circles have been hearing rumbles about for a while. Rumored to be coming out of the Right to the City Coalition, which deals with progressive solutions to economic and housing problems, the assemblies were meant to have an open air of possibility for tenants from around the country to come together locally and talk about both problems and solutions. In Portland, Tori Abernathy and Nick Caleb began promoting the first Renter’s Assembly in Portland, Oregon, looking to discuss the rising difficulty of being a working-class tenant in a city that is being driven by “creative class” gentrification. There was a sequence of three renter’s assemblies in February, where tenants could share their experiences and local organizations that deal with housing issues would discuss their projects and ideas for the future of local housing justice. A discussion would then form where people could reflect both on the experiences that were shared and the organizing proposals that they heard, with the hope that we could eventually head in the direction of something tangible.
From the beginning, the assemblies were driven by an almost base level of emotion as people shared stories of almost universal exploitation. People reported about being forced out of their homes of more than a decade by developers gentrifying the area. Renter’s almost forced on the streets after having their requests for repairs answered with an eviction notice. Discussion went towards how the older working-class communities of the city were being forced out of the city center and into the fringes, being pushed further and further away from the city that had held their heart for years.
After the success of the first sessions, the Renter’s Assemblies were organized again for April 21st and 26th, with an organizing committee forming of people both coming in as individuals as well as those who are already involved in housing groups. On April 21st, the Socialist Alternative began by presenting their vision for working towards rent control in Portland. Following the model established by victories in Seattle, they want to follow up Portland’s $15Now campaign, which is fighting for a $15/hr minimum wage, by pushing into rent control, just like was done in Seattle after their minimum wage battle was won. They discussed the centrality of affordable housing to class struggle more broadly, saying openly “a renter is crisis is a worker in compliance.” This draws on the fact that when housing is unstable, it can often force workers to be less willing to challenge orthodoxy and organize. [end excerpt]
* "Solidarity in action: Housing and labor groups support workers at Janus negotiations" (2015-09-15, blackrosefed.org) [archive.is/sWVJT], video [www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAUKY_DM23Q]
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* "Nonprofit Quarterly brings national attention to Richmond & San Mateo rent battles" (2015-09-19 by Lynda Carson) [archive.is/Sluoy]
* "In bizarre perverse twist of fate, anti-tenant group CAA partners with United Way" (2015-09-16 by Lynda Carson) [archive.is/09Sss]
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* "Indicted for bank fraud, landlord Scott Safadi is evicting many renters in Burlingame"(2015-09-22, by Lynda Carson) [archive.is/hYIet]
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* "Santa Rosa City Council: Enact Rent Control for the City of Santa Rosa" petition (2015-09) [archive.is/1Vdgc], sign the petition [change.org/p/santa-rosa-city-council-enact-rent-control-for-the-city-of-santa-rosa] [begin excerpt]:
People of the City of Santa Rosa here by petition to amend the Charter of the City of Santa Rosa to add this Article, to take effect immediately as an emergency measure, to be entitled "Tenant Protection", and to be voted upon at a Special Election:
Rent Control Petition -
The People of the City of Santa Rosa here by petition to amend the Charter of the City of Santa Rosa to add this Article, to take effect immediately as an emergency measure, to be entitled "Tenant Protection", and to be voted upon at a Special Election:
I. Purpose -
The purpose of Rent Control is to stop unrestrained, unwarranted rent increases and evictions which adversely affect the peaceful enjoyment of the renting majority of our urban population, take revenue away from local merchants, dramatically exacerbate inflation, inhibit home ownership, and upset the education of our children. Normal market forces, the City Council and existing laws have failed to protect Santa Rosa from those impacts. This Article is a consumer revolt and shall be construed to protect the right to decent, affordable homes for all tenants. This Article applies to all residential real property in Santa Rosa , except for such State or Federal preemption as may be established in court. [end excerpt]
* "CAA is pressuring Santa Rosa to oppose rent control & Section 8 protections" (2015-09-15, by Lynda Carson) [archive.is/sos6T]
* "Call to action: Santa Rosa Rent Control; Santa Rosa studying measures such as rent control, Section 8 mandates" (2015-09-14, caanet.org) [archive.is/AcyPs]
* "Affordable housing crisis in Sonoma County" (2014-08-05, pressdemocrat.com) [http://is.gd/cJDwgh]
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* "Petition to repeal Richmond’s renter protections may not be valid" (2015-09-17 by Lynda Carson) [archive.is/Z7drL]
* "Richmond progressives respond to CAA petition blocking renter protections" (2015-09-14, by Lynda Carson) [archive.is/PwMrz]
* "A peak at CAA the nonprofit that stole Richmond’s renters protections" (2015-09-07, by Lynda Carson) [archive.is/DIXAY]
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* "In 2015 over 700 families displaced by no-cause evictions in San Mateo" (2015-09-20, by Lynda Carson) [archive.is/io4fN]
* "San Mateo needs rent control & just cause eviction protections" (2015-09-19, by Lynda Carson) [archive.is/RiPnR]
* "CAA pressures San Mateo to stall just cause renter protections" (2015-09-13, by Lynda Carson) [archive.is/U2Ozo]
* "CAA is meddling in San Mateo efforts to protect renters" (2015-09-09, by Lynda Carson) [archive.is/HRXvN]
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* "San Jose affordable housing law headed to U.S. Supreme Court" (2015-09-15, mercurynews.com) [archive.is/LmSX9] [begin excerpt]: The California building industry has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its legal challenge to a San Jose affordable housing law upheld earlier this year by the state Supreme Court.
In a petition filed Tuesday in the U.S. Supreme Court, lawyers for the industry argue that San Jose's law and others like it across California violate federal constitutional protections against the "taking" of private property. The Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative Sacramento group representing the industry, has taken its fight to the nation's high court.
"The California Supreme Court's ruling carves arbitrary limits and loopholes in core constitutional property rights safeguards as laid down by the U.S. Supreme Court," said Brian Hodges, the foundation's attorney. [end excerpt]
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* "Yes on F in SF to Save Rent Control" (2015-09-11) [archive.is/9ABWx]
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* "Stop The Displacement: SF Housing Evictions Threaten Workers, Children, Seniors & Poor" (2015-09-11, by Labor Video Project) [archive.is/C0Qjf]: Hundreds of workers, seniors and community members rallied against the evictions and displacement of poor and working people from San Francisco. They demanded legislation that would stop the epidemic of evictions. Tens of thousands of San Francisco workers, children and poor face evictions as speculators running San Francisco drive them out of their homes. According to workers and activists who rallied at San Francisco City Hall on September 10, 2015 they are being driven out of the city with the government in collusion with the speculators and landlords. Democratic Mayor Ed Lee and his allies on the Board of Supervisors are also in collusion with these crooked developers and speculators according to some of the protesters. Watch the video [youtube.com/watch?v=RrkcRyFu5wQ]
* "Housing Activists in San Francisco Once Again Take-Over City Hall!" (2015-09-10, by D. Boyer):Housing activist groups once again marched through San Francisco City Hall and loudly chanted their demands: NO EVICTIONS, NO, NO EVICTIONS!
Other demands include:
- Stronger Tenant Protections! (Eviction Protections 2.0)
- Build Affordable Housing, Not Luxury Condos!
- Plan for People, Not for Profits!
- Preserve SF Arts and Culture!
- YES on Prop I • YES on F!
- Don’t $upersize SoMa!
- No Beast on Bryant • No Fright on Folsom • No Monster in the Mission!
- Save Yerba Buena Island Public Lands in Public Hands!
The event titled “THE CITY TAKES CITY HALL :: OUR CITY IS NOT FOR SALE” attracted hundreds of activists, and was organized by over 13 organizations or groups.
Organizers included: “ACCE • Bayan NorCal • Calle 24 Latino Cultural District • Causa Justa :: Just Cause • The Cultural Action Network • Gabriela SF.
Photos [archive.is/c86KT] [archive.is/r25YX] [archive.is/QDLnC] [archive.is/PA6mV] [archive.is/ebLLA].
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* "Indicted for bank fraud, landlord Scott Safadi is evicting many renters in Burlingame" (2015-09-22, by Lynda Carson) [archive.is/MF7kj]
===*===*===
information collected by the Committee to
DEFEND THOSE WITHOUT HOMES!
* "It’s unconstitutional to ban the homeless from sleeping outside, the federal government says" (2015-08-13, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/dJx1L]
* "No Council Meet But Freedom Sleepers Gather for SleepOut #11" update (2015-09-20) [archive.is/Au8Uz]
* "10th Homeless SleepOut at City Hall" (2015-09-12, by Robert Norse, of Freedom Sleepers):
BACK AGAIN FOR ROUND TEN -
In a continuing challenge to the community to support new priorities in policing and restoration of rights for the poor, Freedom Sleepers will be back against with another Community Campout.
PUNISHMENT TO DRIVE AWAY THE PROTESTERS -
There will be light PB and J snacks at mid-evening and coffee and bagels or pastries in the morning. City Manager Martin Bernal and Police Chief Kevin Vogel are likely to set up their protest-punishing klieg lights, no parking zones, and harsh ticketing at midnight policies. Nor have they agreed to let the public walk on the grounds to view city council agendas--as required by law, or to walk through along the accessways--as also mandated by law.
Lucero Luna, a vocal Spanish-speaking worker, was roughly grabbed last week without warning or charge by three police officers whose "compliance holds" left bruises on her body when she was released with an 'interfering with an officer" type charge three hours later. Lucero's response--she'll be back Tuesday night.
WHY ARE WE THERE?
The Freedom Sleepers goal is to both change police practice, city law criminalizing homeless people at night if they fall asleep after 11 PM, and a safer space for homeless people to sleep. In spite of the police raids, many feel it is safer to sleep in groups with housed observers and some media nearby.
City hall is a place for the unhoused and the housed to meet and petition the government to recognize that the right to sleep is as elementary, as attorney Ed Frey once put it, as the right to breathe.
NO SHELTER, NO MERCY -
The Paul Lee Loft-- closure in June essentially left no Emergency Shelter in Santa Cruz. The Department of Justice has declared in an Idaho case that harassing homeless people at night if there's no shelter is an unconstitutional form of cruel and unusual punishment. Neither Mayor Lane, nor Councilmember Posner, nor the eager "Drive the homeless RV's out of town" crew that makes up the Council majority have put any remedy on the agenda.
Meanwhile homeless folks report getting ticketed multiple times at night, even at places where they had previoulsy been left alone--such as the Red Church at Lincoln and Cedar.
* "Sleepout protest fighting Santa Cruz anti-camping ordinance moves into tenth week" (2015-09-17 by Zav Hershfield, indybay.org) [archive.is/oHSQq]
* "2 Harassment Arrests, 2 "Standing in a Parking Spot" Cites at Freedom Sleepers Protest #10" (2015-09-16, by Robert Norse) [archive.is/bQmJq]
* "Police Action Against Protest For Homeless People Last Night" (2015-09-16, by Steven Argue):
I was at the protest in Santa Cruz last night against the laws that make it illegal for homeless people to sleep at night. Brent spoke out against the protest and in favor of his sanctuary camp. I pointed out that his sanctuary camp doesn't exist and that protest against the sleeping ban was just and should be commended. A Black woman was arrested on a charge of assault. I did not see the beginning of the arrest, but I got eye witness accounts that she accidentally brushed up against a First Alarm security guard. This was the basis of her being arrested on charges of assault. After they wrongfully handcuffed and arrested her, she started fighting back. She was then thrown by the privatized cops face first into some agave. She was screaming with pain. I yelled at them to get her face out of there, which they eventually did do. Soon the whole protest was swarming with cops which was no doubt the goal of the security guards in initiating the provocation.
* "First Alarm Security Guards Violently Detain Woman at Santa Cruz City Hall" (2015-09-16, by Alex Darocy) [archive.is/RtchR] [begin excerpt]: On the evening of September 15, two First Alarm security guards, Nathan Hammack and Ken Hietala, violently detained Christina Latic Barnes, a black woman who had been peacefully sitting on the lawn in the courtyard of Santa Cruz City Hall during hours the area is open to the public. The security guards were employed by the city to monitor the Freedom Sleepers, who held their tenth in a series of all-night sleepouts at City Hall organized to protest local laws that criminalize homelessness. [end excerpt]
Note by Norse (2015-09-16): Christina Barnes was not the only person falsely arrested last night by police backing up the new freeze-em-with-force-and-fear policies of police and city-funded goon squads (i.e. First Alarm). With Council member Micah Posner looking on, SCPD punished Rabbi Phil Posner and his wife Louise Drummond for standing in one of the "no parking zones" set up by the cops all around City Hall. They cited the two for a vehicle code, though their real crime seemed to be trying to get close enough to witness police behavior towards Christina Barnes. Posner's only response to all this was that he'd "speak to the chief."
Shortly thereafter, they stopped Food Not Bombs organizer Abbi Samuels when she crossed the street with a coffee container. When asked her name, she referred them to Sgt. Forbis standing nearby, and was immediately handcuffed and hauled off to jail for "obstructing an officer".
The level of harassment is rising
I have further comments below and encourage folks to go to [archive.is/HbXIB] to make or read more commentary.
* "Santa Cruz Police Make More Arrests at City Hall Sleepout #9" (2015-09-12, by Alex Darocy) [archive.is/umO9l]
* "9th SleepOut Holds The Sidewalk, Faces Klieg Lights, Parking Barriers, Police Retaliation" (2015-09-10, by Robert Norse) [archive.is/6343a]
* "Robert Aguirre Visits Freedom SleepOut #9" (2015-09-10, by Robert Norse): The 9th Freedom SleepOut lured Robert Aguirre who spent the night with us on the sidewalk on Tuesday September 8th through the 9th. He, like others, was forced onto the narrow sidewalk as 14 cops forced all sleepers off the grass and the bricks, ticketing as many people with "being in a closed area" for exercising their right to be in front of City Hall at night. This has been criminal since the Mayor, Police Chief, City Manager, and Parks and Rec Director had a private meeting and closed down the entire grounds to crush an earlier homeless protest called PeaceCamp2010, see "Weathering the Police Storm at City Hall" at [archive.is/szBge]. Robert has been active in San Jose as part of his organization H.O.M.E.L.E.S.S. working to protect and organize homeless folks in The Junge over there. For comments and video with the story below go to [http://is.gd/qOQPZi]. Another story by Robert Aguirre at a better website is at [http://is.gd/RwrB5K]. Robert also expressed some optimism about a Santa Clara County Task Force described at [http://is.gd/ubyoM9].
---
* "Take Back Santa Cruz (TBSC) Targets Homeless RV Dwellers 8/8/2015 Santa Cruz City Council" (2015-09-08) [archive.is/qIoZC]
---
* "American Canyon’s “new” homeless problem, inherited from Vallejo?" (2015-09-14, timesheraldonline.com) [archive.is/aoLeN]
---
* "Tech bus drivers forced to live in cars to make ends meet" (2015-09-21, sfchronicle.com) [archive.is/9NF5D]
---
It is illegal for city or county governments to not provide sufficient beds for homeless people in California. Chico city needs to be sued to force them to follow the law!
* (2015-09-12, Chico City Council member Andrew Coolidge) [archive.is/QcHcK]: We need your support on one of the most important issues facing Chico! PLEASE SHARE!! This coming Tuesday, September 15, 2015 the Chico City Council will consider the "Offenses Against Waterways and Public Property Initiative". Proposed by Vice Mayor Sean Morgan, the initiative is a strong step in the right direction. Transient populations have taken over many of our local waterways and public property. This ordinance will give local law enforcement the much needed tools to work towards solving this problem.
Additionally, the ordinance will also apply to City Hall and City Civic Center where so many of the issues have become centralized in the past few years. This ordinance will help protect our creeks, tributaries, riparian corridors and associated natural resources.
The council will hear this item on Tuesday, September 15th, likely around 7:30 p.m. (meeting will start at 6:30 p.m.) We need you to voice your opinion. Typically members of the public are given three minutes to speak on an issue (though this time may be reduced to two minutes). Make sure to complete a speaker card when you arrive and give it to the City Clerk.
We need you to attend this meeting and speak in favor of the ordinance!
This could be a very effective tool in the City's work towards solving our out of control transient problems and cleaning up our public spaces. Come and support Chico and speak in support of this very important ordinance. Please also spread the word on social media and with friends and family. Here is a link to it, it is quite large to post, but the link has the entire ordinance [http://chico-ca.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=224&meta_id=46298].
* (2015-09-12, Guillermo Mash of Chico, CA):
This is a recent Facebook post that Chico City council member Coolidge has posted. I just placed several respectful and informative posts as "Without a Roof" (a facebook.com page I administer) that were promptly deleted. I plan to post both of those right now in my public name. One of the comments that were deleted was this one: "I'm posting this for someone who is intimidated to publicly state this... Please spread the word. I DO NOT want another ordinance and have to watch cops yell at homeless people in front of City Hall. I work there and all of the workers at City Hall don't seem to have a problem with the homeless hanging out. After all City employees work for anyone living in Chico."
This reply to my comment was left in the thread: "Yeah right. I call BS on that ^^ I know several people who work at City Hall who are NOT comfortable with the transients hanging about and harassing them as they arrive and leave WORK."
I also posted a Without a Roof video vignette from Meagan Meloy, one of the most respected experts on Homeless youth in Butte county. It too was promptly deleted by a publicly elected official. Sad state people... elections have consequences.
* "We Need a Youth Shelter in Butte County!" (2015-01-14) [youtube.com/watch?v=YvsB_3XY9s4]: 900 school children experiencing homelessness, a poverty rate greater than 1 in 4 and one of the largest Foster Care counties per capita in the state and we have NO YOUTH SHELTER. This is totally unacceptable and something Without a Roof is going to champion if I have to chain myself to city hall!
* (2015-09-13, by Guillermo Mash) [archive.is/20G3x]: Without a Roof participated in the creek walk on September 12th sponsored by the Butte Environmental Council with support from CSU Geography majors. The primary purpose of the walk was to get GPS coordinates of areas/camps that needed to be cleaned-up and to inform campers of the upcoming sweep. We spoke to roughly six different individuals at three different camps. The creek bed was in far better shape than I had anticipated given the plethora of negative publicity surrounding the problem.
I focused attention on clean camps, those that were used as sleep and go spots with limited impact on the creek. These camps were ~4x more prevalent than camps that were setup as base camps with large objects, yet otherwise clean, and the handful of sites we found that were litter strewn. I encountered one under-bridge camping area that was using a spot nestled under a narrow access point as a toilet. This was noticed by odor, versus sight and was the only incident of fecal matter I witnessed on the walk. We also didn't have any trouble finding illegal dumping activity and spotted several parcels of private property that were pseudo dumps alongside the creek.
The bridges were in amazingly good shape with only one that I would call poor in regards to litter. A good many things played into this, including over stating the problem, campers with good etiquette, property owners taking responsibility for areas of the creek, better access to the river with the removal of invasive bamboo and several groups and agencies that were actively cleaning up problem spots. One of those spots was described by a camper himself on the way out of the creek as having been totally trashed with chop shops and litter before concerned citizens took it upon themselves to clean the area up. Kids and Creeks detailed plans they had to do a field trip to the area in the near future.
It was a great experience being out in nature and to see the myriad of bridge architecture and variety of plant life, and rocks…plenty of rocks. Shalom.
---
* " 'They Throw Away Our Lives': Honolulu Sued Over Homeless Crackdown" (2015-09-17, commondreams.org) [archive.is/6mlI6]
===*===*===
* "No Council Meet But Freedom Sleepers Gather for SleepOut #11" update (2015-09-20) [archive.is/Au8Uz]
* "10th Homeless SleepOut at City Hall" (2015-09-12, by Robert Norse, of Freedom Sleepers):
BACK AGAIN FOR ROUND TEN -
In a continuing challenge to the community to support new priorities in policing and restoration of rights for the poor, Freedom Sleepers will be back against with another Community Campout.
PUNISHMENT TO DRIVE AWAY THE PROTESTERS -
There will be light PB and J snacks at mid-evening and coffee and bagels or pastries in the morning. City Manager Martin Bernal and Police Chief Kevin Vogel are likely to set up their protest-punishing klieg lights, no parking zones, and harsh ticketing at midnight policies. Nor have they agreed to let the public walk on the grounds to view city council agendas--as required by law, or to walk through along the accessways--as also mandated by law.
Lucero Luna, a vocal Spanish-speaking worker, was roughly grabbed last week without warning or charge by three police officers whose "compliance holds" left bruises on her body when she was released with an 'interfering with an officer" type charge three hours later. Lucero's response--she'll be back Tuesday night.
WHY ARE WE THERE?
The Freedom Sleepers goal is to both change police practice, city law criminalizing homeless people at night if they fall asleep after 11 PM, and a safer space for homeless people to sleep. In spite of the police raids, many feel it is safer to sleep in groups with housed observers and some media nearby.
City hall is a place for the unhoused and the housed to meet and petition the government to recognize that the right to sleep is as elementary, as attorney Ed Frey once put it, as the right to breathe.
NO SHELTER, NO MERCY -
The Paul Lee Loft-- closure in June essentially left no Emergency Shelter in Santa Cruz. The Department of Justice has declared in an Idaho case that harassing homeless people at night if there's no shelter is an unconstitutional form of cruel and unusual punishment. Neither Mayor Lane, nor Councilmember Posner, nor the eager "Drive the homeless RV's out of town" crew that makes up the Council majority have put any remedy on the agenda.
Meanwhile homeless folks report getting ticketed multiple times at night, even at places where they had previoulsy been left alone--such as the Red Church at Lincoln and Cedar.
* "Sleepout protest fighting Santa Cruz anti-camping ordinance moves into tenth week" (2015-09-17 by Zav Hershfield, indybay.org) [archive.is/oHSQq]
* "2 Harassment Arrests, 2 "Standing in a Parking Spot" Cites at Freedom Sleepers Protest #10" (2015-09-16, by Robert Norse) [archive.is/bQmJq]
* "Police Action Against Protest For Homeless People Last Night" (2015-09-16, by Steven Argue):
I was at the protest in Santa Cruz last night against the laws that make it illegal for homeless people to sleep at night. Brent spoke out against the protest and in favor of his sanctuary camp. I pointed out that his sanctuary camp doesn't exist and that protest against the sleeping ban was just and should be commended. A Black woman was arrested on a charge of assault. I did not see the beginning of the arrest, but I got eye witness accounts that she accidentally brushed up against a First Alarm security guard. This was the basis of her being arrested on charges of assault. After they wrongfully handcuffed and arrested her, she started fighting back. She was then thrown by the privatized cops face first into some agave. She was screaming with pain. I yelled at them to get her face out of there, which they eventually did do. Soon the whole protest was swarming with cops which was no doubt the goal of the security guards in initiating the provocation.
* "First Alarm Security Guards Violently Detain Woman at Santa Cruz City Hall" (2015-09-16, by Alex Darocy) [archive.is/RtchR] [begin excerpt]: On the evening of September 15, two First Alarm security guards, Nathan Hammack and Ken Hietala, violently detained Christina Latic Barnes, a black woman who had been peacefully sitting on the lawn in the courtyard of Santa Cruz City Hall during hours the area is open to the public. The security guards were employed by the city to monitor the Freedom Sleepers, who held their tenth in a series of all-night sleepouts at City Hall organized to protest local laws that criminalize homelessness. [end excerpt]
Note by Norse (2015-09-16): Christina Barnes was not the only person falsely arrested last night by police backing up the new freeze-em-with-force-and-fear policies of police and city-funded goon squads (i.e. First Alarm). With Council member Micah Posner looking on, SCPD punished Rabbi Phil Posner and his wife Louise Drummond for standing in one of the "no parking zones" set up by the cops all around City Hall. They cited the two for a vehicle code, though their real crime seemed to be trying to get close enough to witness police behavior towards Christina Barnes. Posner's only response to all this was that he'd "speak to the chief."
Shortly thereafter, they stopped Food Not Bombs organizer Abbi Samuels when she crossed the street with a coffee container. When asked her name, she referred them to Sgt. Forbis standing nearby, and was immediately handcuffed and hauled off to jail for "obstructing an officer".
The level of harassment is rising
I have further comments below and encourage folks to go to [archive.is/HbXIB] to make or read more commentary.
* "Santa Cruz Police Make More Arrests at City Hall Sleepout #9" (2015-09-12, by Alex Darocy) [archive.is/umO9l]
* "9th SleepOut Holds The Sidewalk, Faces Klieg Lights, Parking Barriers, Police Retaliation" (2015-09-10, by Robert Norse) [archive.is/6343a]
* "Robert Aguirre Visits Freedom SleepOut #9" (2015-09-10, by Robert Norse): The 9th Freedom SleepOut lured Robert Aguirre who spent the night with us on the sidewalk on Tuesday September 8th through the 9th. He, like others, was forced onto the narrow sidewalk as 14 cops forced all sleepers off the grass and the bricks, ticketing as many people with "being in a closed area" for exercising their right to be in front of City Hall at night. This has been criminal since the Mayor, Police Chief, City Manager, and Parks and Rec Director had a private meeting and closed down the entire grounds to crush an earlier homeless protest called PeaceCamp2010, see "Weathering the Police Storm at City Hall" at [archive.is/szBge]. Robert has been active in San Jose as part of his organization H.O.M.E.L.E.S.S. working to protect and organize homeless folks in The Junge over there. For comments and video with the story below go to [http://is.gd/qOQPZi]. Another story by Robert Aguirre at a better website is at [http://is.gd/RwrB5K]. Robert also expressed some optimism about a Santa Clara County Task Force described at [http://is.gd/ubyoM9].
---
* "Take Back Santa Cruz (TBSC) Targets Homeless RV Dwellers 8/8/2015 Santa Cruz City Council" (2015-09-08) [archive.is/qIoZC]
---
* "American Canyon’s “new” homeless problem, inherited from Vallejo?" (2015-09-14, timesheraldonline.com) [archive.is/aoLeN]
---
* "Tech bus drivers forced to live in cars to make ends meet" (2015-09-21, sfchronicle.com) [archive.is/9NF5D]
---
It is illegal for city or county governments to not provide sufficient beds for homeless people in California. Chico city needs to be sued to force them to follow the law!
* (2015-09-12, Chico City Council member Andrew Coolidge) [archive.is/QcHcK]: We need your support on one of the most important issues facing Chico! PLEASE SHARE!! This coming Tuesday, September 15, 2015 the Chico City Council will consider the "Offenses Against Waterways and Public Property Initiative". Proposed by Vice Mayor Sean Morgan, the initiative is a strong step in the right direction. Transient populations have taken over many of our local waterways and public property. This ordinance will give local law enforcement the much needed tools to work towards solving this problem.Additionally, the ordinance will also apply to City Hall and City Civic Center where so many of the issues have become centralized in the past few years. This ordinance will help protect our creeks, tributaries, riparian corridors and associated natural resources.
The council will hear this item on Tuesday, September 15th, likely around 7:30 p.m. (meeting will start at 6:30 p.m.) We need you to voice your opinion. Typically members of the public are given three minutes to speak on an issue (though this time may be reduced to two minutes). Make sure to complete a speaker card when you arrive and give it to the City Clerk.
We need you to attend this meeting and speak in favor of the ordinance!
This could be a very effective tool in the City's work towards solving our out of control transient problems and cleaning up our public spaces. Come and support Chico and speak in support of this very important ordinance. Please also spread the word on social media and with friends and family. Here is a link to it, it is quite large to post, but the link has the entire ordinance [http://chico-ca.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=224&meta_id=46298].
* (2015-09-12, Guillermo Mash of Chico, CA):
This is a recent Facebook post that Chico City council member Coolidge has posted. I just placed several respectful and informative posts as "Without a Roof" (a facebook.com page I administer) that were promptly deleted. I plan to post both of those right now in my public name. One of the comments that were deleted was this one: "I'm posting this for someone who is intimidated to publicly state this... Please spread the word. I DO NOT want another ordinance and have to watch cops yell at homeless people in front of City Hall. I work there and all of the workers at City Hall don't seem to have a problem with the homeless hanging out. After all City employees work for anyone living in Chico."This reply to my comment was left in the thread: "Yeah right. I call BS on that ^^ I know several people who work at City Hall who are NOT comfortable with the transients hanging about and harassing them as they arrive and leave WORK."
I also posted a Without a Roof video vignette from Meagan Meloy, one of the most respected experts on Homeless youth in Butte county. It too was promptly deleted by a publicly elected official. Sad state people... elections have consequences.
* "We Need a Youth Shelter in Butte County!" (2015-01-14) [youtube.com/watch?v=YvsB_3XY9s4]: 900 school children experiencing homelessness, a poverty rate greater than 1 in 4 and one of the largest Foster Care counties per capita in the state and we have NO YOUTH SHELTER. This is totally unacceptable and something Without a Roof is going to champion if I have to chain myself to city hall!
* (2015-09-13, by Guillermo Mash) [archive.is/20G3x]: Without a Roof participated in the creek walk on September 12th sponsored by the Butte Environmental Council with support from CSU Geography majors. The primary purpose of the walk was to get GPS coordinates of areas/camps that needed to be cleaned-up and to inform campers of the upcoming sweep. We spoke to roughly six different individuals at three different camps. The creek bed was in far better shape than I had anticipated given the plethora of negative publicity surrounding the problem.
I focused attention on clean camps, those that were used as sleep and go spots with limited impact on the creek. These camps were ~4x more prevalent than camps that were setup as base camps with large objects, yet otherwise clean, and the handful of sites we found that were litter strewn. I encountered one under-bridge camping area that was using a spot nestled under a narrow access point as a toilet. This was noticed by odor, versus sight and was the only incident of fecal matter I witnessed on the walk. We also didn't have any trouble finding illegal dumping activity and spotted several parcels of private property that were pseudo dumps alongside the creek.
The bridges were in amazingly good shape with only one that I would call poor in regards to litter. A good many things played into this, including over stating the problem, campers with good etiquette, property owners taking responsibility for areas of the creek, better access to the river with the removal of invasive bamboo and several groups and agencies that were actively cleaning up problem spots. One of those spots was described by a camper himself on the way out of the creek as having been totally trashed with chop shops and litter before concerned citizens took it upon themselves to clean the area up. Kids and Creeks detailed plans they had to do a field trip to the area in the near future.
It was a great experience being out in nature and to see the myriad of bridge architecture and variety of plant life, and rocks…plenty of rocks. Shalom.
---
* " 'They Throw Away Our Lives': Honolulu Sued Over Homeless Crackdown" (2015-09-17, commondreams.org) [archive.is/6mlI6]
COMMUNITY FASCISM WATCH
Documenting human-rights abuse by domestic security agencies
Vallejo Police Officer Jodi Brown is being accused for alleged excessive force against residents in the South Vallejo district, an area with high crime. Jodi Brown was hired by VPD in 2013 (.pdf)[http://is.gd/VZAOn4], and endured a rough childhood [archive.is/fq34k], for which she is recognized as a potential mentor to foster-care children who endure similar circumstances.
---
* "Sac County Sheriff talks about 'Stingray' use; ABC10 reporter denied access to press conference" (2015-09-15, abc10.com) [archive.is/Ih64e]
---
* "ACLU Sues California Police Over 'Exorbitant' Body Cam Footage Charge; Hayward, California police department charged National Lawyers Guild nearly $3,000 to view crowd control footage from Black Lives Matter protest" (2015-09-16, commondreams.org) [archive.is/s0aT0]
---
* "Police Shoot Man For Recording Them With Phone, Claim They Feared For Their Lives" (2015-09-12) [countercurrentnews.com/2015/09/california-cops-recording-man]:
Sheriff’s deputies in California claimed they feared for their lives after shooting a man who was filming them from his own garage.
The Sacramento sheriff’s deputies shot Danny Sanchez on Friday. Sanchez is currently in the hospital at the UC Davis Medical Center, where he underwent surgery to remove bullet fragments, according to his father, John Sanchez.
The shooting occurred when the Sheriff’s department SWAT team showed up to arrest a neighbor, Ben Ledford, 62, after he fired off an illegal machine gun across the street.
When Sanchez saw the incident, and the SWAT team converge, he began recording from his garage. He assumed there wouldn’t be any problem, since he was so far away from the incident, on his own property and even out on the edge of the garage.
Police say that Sanchez was extending his arm with “an object” in his hand. That “object” was a cellphone, Sanchez’s father John “Sonny” Sanchez said. His son was simply trying to videotape the arrest of Ledford. That’s when police opened fire on him.
“He was yelling, ‘Dad I’m shot, I’m shot,’ so I grabbed him inside and closed the garage door. I put a tourniquet around his leg and a clean towel,” John Sanchez explained.
He pointed out four additional bullet holes in his garage as well as several more in his car.
“You can see how many shots they did: one, two three, four — shooting at my son with a cell phone. C’mon that’s ridiculous,” Sanchez commented.
Sgt. Jason Ramos, of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s department said “I think it’s reasonable to think that the officers perceived an immediate threat either to themselves or continued threat to that individual.”
On top of shooting him and arresting him, Sanchez’s home was also searched. But Sgt. Ramos acknowledged Sanchez committed no crime and is not facing any charges whosoever.
(Article by Jackson Marciana and M. David)
* More articles [archive.is/KUVwO] [archive.is/GWXzK]
(2015-09-13, Maile Hampton): This is bullshit. This could happen to ANY one of us. They really searched his home after shooting him for recording. This is ameriKKKa
"Sheriff’s deputies in California claimed they feared for their lives after shooting a man who was filming them from his own garage. When Sanchez saw the incident, and the SWAT team converge, he began recording from his garage. He assumed there wouldn’t be any problem, since he was so far away from the incident, on his own property and even out on the edge of the garage.
On top of shooting him and arresting him, Sanchez’s home was also searched. But Sgt. Ramos acknowledged Sanchez committed no crime and is not facing any charges whosoever."
---
* " ‘I feel traumatized’: California teen speaks out after nine cops violently arrest him for jaywalking" (2015-09-18, rawstory.com) [archive.is/4MgOH]
* "Teen Who Was Brutally Beaten and Arrested by 9 Cops For Jaywalking Speaks Out" (2015-09-21, countercurrentnews.com) [http://is.gd/iXqGlG]
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* "ACLU-NC Sues San Francisco Police Department for Excessive Force, False Arrest on Behalf of 23-Year-Old Black Man" (2015-09-09, aclunc.org) [archive.is/dUv57]
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* "California Police Ransacked Public Apartments Without Warrants Under ‘Neighborhood Blitz’ Program" (2015-09-10, thinkprogress.org) [archive.is/sjNfP]
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* "Once again: There is no ‘war on cops.’ And those who claim otherwise are playing a dangerous game" (2015-09-10, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/vGvUV]
* "5 facts exposing the media’s lies about police shootings" (2015-09-07, usuncut.com) [archive.is/DKZMj]
* "2015 may be one of the safest years for law enforcement in a quarter century The US is on pace for 36 non-accidental, firearm-related police fatalities in 2015, which would be the lowest total in 25 years, aside from 2013" (2015-09-04, theguardian.com) [archive.is/bJO7X]
---
* "9/11/15 Oakland "Stop Urban Shield" Rally" three videos (2015-09-20, by Ed Rippy) [http://is.gd/KrqS7I]: On 9/11/15 about 150 people showed up outside the Alameda County Sherriff's office in downtown Oakland to protest the ninth annual "Urban Shield" exercise. I have done my best to spell the names right, but no guarantees. You can hear police helicopters overhead throughout.
* "Stop Urban Shield 2015" campaign page [archive.is/tE43z]:
From September 11th to 14th, in Pleasanton, California, and across Alameda County, Urban Shield -- a trade show & training exercise for SWAT teams and police agencies -- will bring local, national and international law enforcement agencies together with defense industry contractors to provide training and introduce new weapons to police departments and security companies.
Last year, Stop Urban Shield Coalition and broader community organizations and members built upon Oakland’s rich history of organizing against policing and for self-determination by forcing the City of Oakland to stop hosting Urban Shield. This was a hugely significant victory for our city and demonstrated the power of our collective grassroots organizing.
But the fight is not over. Urban Shield mistakenly thinks that they can evade accountability to our communities by moving the convergence to the City of Pleasanton, even though the City of Oakland, along with cities all across the Bay Area, California and the U.S. will still be fully participating. Let's show them they're wrong! As communities around the country rise up demanding an end to racist police violence, it is now more important than ever to build upon our victories and work toward shutting down Urban Shield entirely.
While Urban Shield is just one front in the fight against the state's attempt to militarize every aspect of our lives - from its war-making here and abroad, to the increasing presence of police in our schools, to the systemic murder of Black and Brown people at the hands of police - stopping Urban Shield would be a major victory against this growing trend of militarization in cities everywhere, from Oakland to Ferguson to Baltimore. Join us in resisting violence against our communities and in fighting for genuine visions of justice, safety, and self-determination.
Sign onto this pledge to support the fight against militarization against our communities!
We call for decreasing violence in our communities by ending the militarization of the police:
- We demand the Alameda County Board of Supervisors defund all activities related to Urban Shield.
- We demand that all city agencies, locally and nationally, withdraw their participation in Urban Shield.
We call for an end to the use of our communities as testing grounds for tactics of global repression:
- We demand an end to all collaborations with the Apartheid State of Israel.
- We call on the Alameda County to issue a report on all collaborations between US police agencies participating in Urban Shield and international law enforcement agencies.
- We call on Alameda county to reject all US wars and occupations here or abroad.
We affirm our right to community self-determination:
- We demand that Alameda County residents - and residents nationwide - have decision-making power in the process to determine priorities for public safety and emergency preparedness.
- We demand that Alameda County - and the cities and towns it contains - invest in community-based programs proven to decrease violence and harm instead of in the increased militarization of its police force and emergency services.
We call on our communities to continue fighting back and resisting state violence and repression:
- We ask our allies and partners to adopt these principles and take a stand against the policing and repression of our communities.
By signing this pledge, my organization is committed to taking a stand against militarization and repression and will support the coalition in:
- Spreading this pledge throughout my networks & on social media, such as our Facebook page: [facebook.com/pages/Stop-Urban-Shield/515805795263322]
* "Community to Lawmakers: Stop the Showcase of Military and Surveillance Technology in Alameda County" (2015-09-10, eff.org) [archive.is/HdFwB]
===*===*===
===*===*===
Community Fascism in itty-bitty Santa Cruz:
* "It's official: Racism, Bigotry and Hate are alive and well in Santa Cruz" (2015-09-14, by Beach Flats Neighborhood) [archive.is/Ot7qS]
===*===*===
Documenting human-rights abuse by domestic security agencies
Vallejo Police Officer Jodi Brown is being accused for alleged excessive force against residents in the South Vallejo district, an area with high crime. Jodi Brown was hired by VPD in 2013 (.pdf)[http://is.gd/VZAOn4], and endured a rough childhood [archive.is/fq34k], for which she is recognized as a potential mentor to foster-care children who endure similar circumstances.
---
* "Sac County Sheriff talks about 'Stingray' use; ABC10 reporter denied access to press conference" (2015-09-15, abc10.com) [archive.is/Ih64e]
---
* "ACLU Sues California Police Over 'Exorbitant' Body Cam Footage Charge; Hayward, California police department charged National Lawyers Guild nearly $3,000 to view crowd control footage from Black Lives Matter protest" (2015-09-16, commondreams.org) [archive.is/s0aT0]
---
* "Police Shoot Man For Recording Them With Phone, Claim They Feared For Their Lives" (2015-09-12) [countercurrentnews.com/2015/09/california-cops-recording-man]:
Sheriff’s deputies in California claimed they feared for their lives after shooting a man who was filming them from his own garage.The Sacramento sheriff’s deputies shot Danny Sanchez on Friday. Sanchez is currently in the hospital at the UC Davis Medical Center, where he underwent surgery to remove bullet fragments, according to his father, John Sanchez.
The shooting occurred when the Sheriff’s department SWAT team showed up to arrest a neighbor, Ben Ledford, 62, after he fired off an illegal machine gun across the street.
When Sanchez saw the incident, and the SWAT team converge, he began recording from his garage. He assumed there wouldn’t be any problem, since he was so far away from the incident, on his own property and even out on the edge of the garage.
Police say that Sanchez was extending his arm with “an object” in his hand. That “object” was a cellphone, Sanchez’s father John “Sonny” Sanchez said. His son was simply trying to videotape the arrest of Ledford. That’s when police opened fire on him.
“He was yelling, ‘Dad I’m shot, I’m shot,’ so I grabbed him inside and closed the garage door. I put a tourniquet around his leg and a clean towel,” John Sanchez explained.
He pointed out four additional bullet holes in his garage as well as several more in his car.
“You can see how many shots they did: one, two three, four — shooting at my son with a cell phone. C’mon that’s ridiculous,” Sanchez commented.
Sgt. Jason Ramos, of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s department said “I think it’s reasonable to think that the officers perceived an immediate threat either to themselves or continued threat to that individual.”
On top of shooting him and arresting him, Sanchez’s home was also searched. But Sgt. Ramos acknowledged Sanchez committed no crime and is not facing any charges whosoever.
(Article by Jackson Marciana and M. David)
* More articles [archive.is/KUVwO] [archive.is/GWXzK]
(2015-09-13, Maile Hampton): This is bullshit. This could happen to ANY one of us. They really searched his home after shooting him for recording. This is ameriKKKa
"Sheriff’s deputies in California claimed they feared for their lives after shooting a man who was filming them from his own garage. When Sanchez saw the incident, and the SWAT team converge, he began recording from his garage. He assumed there wouldn’t be any problem, since he was so far away from the incident, on his own property and even out on the edge of the garage.
On top of shooting him and arresting him, Sanchez’s home was also searched. But Sgt. Ramos acknowledged Sanchez committed no crime and is not facing any charges whosoever."
---
* " ‘I feel traumatized’: California teen speaks out after nine cops violently arrest him for jaywalking" (2015-09-18, rawstory.com) [archive.is/4MgOH]
* "Teen Who Was Brutally Beaten and Arrested by 9 Cops For Jaywalking Speaks Out" (2015-09-21, countercurrentnews.com) [http://is.gd/iXqGlG]
---
* "ACLU-NC Sues San Francisco Police Department for Excessive Force, False Arrest on Behalf of 23-Year-Old Black Man" (2015-09-09, aclunc.org) [archive.is/dUv57]
---
* "California Police Ransacked Public Apartments Without Warrants Under ‘Neighborhood Blitz’ Program" (2015-09-10, thinkprogress.org) [archive.is/sjNfP]
---
* "Once again: There is no ‘war on cops.’ And those who claim otherwise are playing a dangerous game" (2015-09-10, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/vGvUV]
* "5 facts exposing the media’s lies about police shootings" (2015-09-07, usuncut.com) [archive.is/DKZMj]
* "2015 may be one of the safest years for law enforcement in a quarter century The US is on pace for 36 non-accidental, firearm-related police fatalities in 2015, which would be the lowest total in 25 years, aside from 2013" (2015-09-04, theguardian.com) [archive.is/bJO7X]
---
* "9/11/15 Oakland "Stop Urban Shield" Rally" three videos (2015-09-20, by Ed Rippy) [http://is.gd/KrqS7I]: On 9/11/15 about 150 people showed up outside the Alameda County Sherriff's office in downtown Oakland to protest the ninth annual "Urban Shield" exercise. I have done my best to spell the names right, but no guarantees. You can hear police helicopters overhead throughout.
* "Stop Urban Shield 2015" campaign page [archive.is/tE43z]:
From September 11th to 14th, in Pleasanton, California, and across Alameda County, Urban Shield -- a trade show & training exercise for SWAT teams and police agencies -- will bring local, national and international law enforcement agencies together with defense industry contractors to provide training and introduce new weapons to police departments and security companies.
Last year, Stop Urban Shield Coalition and broader community organizations and members built upon Oakland’s rich history of organizing against policing and for self-determination by forcing the City of Oakland to stop hosting Urban Shield. This was a hugely significant victory for our city and demonstrated the power of our collective grassroots organizing.
But the fight is not over. Urban Shield mistakenly thinks that they can evade accountability to our communities by moving the convergence to the City of Pleasanton, even though the City of Oakland, along with cities all across the Bay Area, California and the U.S. will still be fully participating. Let's show them they're wrong! As communities around the country rise up demanding an end to racist police violence, it is now more important than ever to build upon our victories and work toward shutting down Urban Shield entirely.
While Urban Shield is just one front in the fight against the state's attempt to militarize every aspect of our lives - from its war-making here and abroad, to the increasing presence of police in our schools, to the systemic murder of Black and Brown people at the hands of police - stopping Urban Shield would be a major victory against this growing trend of militarization in cities everywhere, from Oakland to Ferguson to Baltimore. Join us in resisting violence against our communities and in fighting for genuine visions of justice, safety, and self-determination.
Sign onto this pledge to support the fight against militarization against our communities!
We call for decreasing violence in our communities by ending the militarization of the police:
- We demand the Alameda County Board of Supervisors defund all activities related to Urban Shield.
- We demand that all city agencies, locally and nationally, withdraw their participation in Urban Shield.
We call for an end to the use of our communities as testing grounds for tactics of global repression:
- We demand an end to all collaborations with the Apartheid State of Israel.
- We call on the Alameda County to issue a report on all collaborations between US police agencies participating in Urban Shield and international law enforcement agencies.
- We call on Alameda county to reject all US wars and occupations here or abroad.
We affirm our right to community self-determination:
- We demand that Alameda County residents - and residents nationwide - have decision-making power in the process to determine priorities for public safety and emergency preparedness.
- We demand that Alameda County - and the cities and towns it contains - invest in community-based programs proven to decrease violence and harm instead of in the increased militarization of its police force and emergency services.
We call on our communities to continue fighting back and resisting state violence and repression:
- We ask our allies and partners to adopt these principles and take a stand against the policing and repression of our communities.
By signing this pledge, my organization is committed to taking a stand against militarization and repression and will support the coalition in:
- Spreading this pledge throughout my networks & on social media, such as our Facebook page: [facebook.com/pages/Stop-Urban-Shield/515805795263322]
* "Community to Lawmakers: Stop the Showcase of Military and Surveillance Technology in Alameda County" (2015-09-10, eff.org) [archive.is/HdFwB]
===*===*===
NORTHBAY COPWATCH: Domestic Security Agencies and private-sector partners
* "Decriminalize Dissent" (2015-09-17, commondreams.org) [archive.is/GI1jK]
* "The No-Fly Follies: How to Censor Yourself Before the Government Even Has the Chance" (2015-09-20, by Rebecca Gordon, tomdispatch.com) [archive.is/j0o2m]
---
* "Understanding Manufactured Dissent in America" (2015-07-14, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/T5VeQ]
---
The following is written by a campaign organizer in Santa Cruz who has been targeted for ES/OH tactics by domestic security agencies, including online trolling designed to give a pretext for censorship by otherwise uncensored online platforms, like the Indybay Newswire...
* "Take Action Against The Pro-Cop Bias And Censorship At Indybay Santa Cruz" (2015-09-12 by Steven Argue) censored version originally posted to Indybay.org [archive.is/YsYE5], and one posted to the Revolutionary Tendency facebook.com page [archive.is/oR0tS]
* "Another Attempt To Defend My Good Name Is Censored by the Pro-Cop Censors at Indybay" (2015-09-13, by Steven Argue) [archive.is/U311K]
---
* "Spies ‘R’ Us: Constructing the Corporate Security State" 2004 to 2010 (williambowles.info) [archive.is/8jqVh]
---
* "Sex, Drugs & the CIA" (2002-06-20, by Douglas Valentine) [archive.is/Ia2dJ]
* "Dark Alliance: The Story behind the Crack Explosion" (1996 by Gary Webb) [http://is.gd/ateivt], introduction by narconews.com [archive.is/xtsvx].
For the better part of a decade, a San Francisco Bay Area drug ring sold tons of cocaine to the Crips and Bloods street gangs of Los Angeles and funneled millions in drug profits to a Latin American guerrilla army run by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, a Mercury News investigation has found.
This drug network opened the first pipeline between Colombia’s cocaine cartels and the black neighborhoods of Los Angeles, a city now known as the crack capital of the world.
– From the introduction to the original Dark Alliance website, August, 1996
----
* "Twitter's decision to ban archiving of politicians' deleted tweets is a mistake; Who does Twitter serve?" (2015-08-24, theverge.com) [archive.is/gTkCI]
* "Twitter shuts down 30 international versions of Politwoops" (2015-08-24, sunlightfoundation.com) [archive.is/4IpdZ]
* "Twitter Just Killed Politwoops" (2015-06-03, tktk.gawker.com) [archive.is/fvu2G] [archive.is/pFPAf]
* "Eulogy for Politwoops" (2015-06-04, sunlightfoundation.com) [archive.is/Rf0dm]
* "Twitter just made it harder to hold politicians accountable" (2015-09-14, fightforthefuture.org) [archive.is/IUH7O], sign the petition [http://is.gd/KZiEzY], text: Social media can be used for transparency and accountability, or it can be just another tool for politicians to market their campaigns. By shutting down more than 30 sites around the world that preserved politicians' deleted tweets, Twitter just handed more control to the powerful. Sign the petition to Twitter: The Politiwoops sites are essential for public accountability in the digital age. Update your terms of service so that statements made by politicians and public officials can be stored as a matter of record. Allowing politicians to permanently scrub their words from the public record is dangerous for democracy.
Campaign message:
Twitter just shut down more than 30 sites that hold politicians accountable around the world. It’s censorship, and Twitter needs to reverse its decision immediately — click here to sign the petition and click here to tweet at them.
For the last 3 years, Politwoops has been collecting and publishing the deleted tweets of candidates and elected officials in more than 30 countries to make sure they’re held accountable for the things they say.
Sites like Politwoops help hold politicians accountable and don't let them hide their (often revealing) mistakes. Banning them is censorship. It stops the public from getting crucial information about their political leaders, and sets a dangerous precedent that endangers government transparency by handing more control to the powerful.
The good news is that Twitter lives and dies by what its users are saying — so if enough people speak out, we know they’ll change their position.
Twitter claims their decision is about treating all users equally — that everyone should be able to delete tweets — even though they have multiple of policies in place that discriminate between users, including a few that boost the reach of verified elected officials’ accounts.
The most ridiculous part, though, is that Twitter’s decision to ban Politwoops came around the same time that they began allowing companies and political campaigns to pay for instant and complete access to every historical public tweet (including deleted tweets) to help them target their messaging and ad campaigns.
These policies are aberrations for Twitter. For years Twitter was a powerful force for free speech, with their previous CEO even calling them, “the free speech wing of the free speech party.” That’s why this is sudden change so disappointing, but it’s also why we know that if enough of us take action, Twitter will reverse their position.
An example of what Twitter.com is helping to hide:
* "Democratic Delaware Governor Tweeted A Photo Of A Woman In Bondage Gear" (2014-09-04, buzzfeed.com) [archive.is/YG65Q]
---
* "Never Forget … Your Country Admits to False Flag Terror; Presidents, Prime Ministers, Congressmen, Generals, Spooks, Soldiers and Police ADMIT to False Flag Terror" (2015-09-11, washingtonsblog.com) [archive.is/WxHlO]
---
* "Narcotics and Covert Intelligence: How the CIA Commandeered the 'War on Drugs' ” (2015-09-12, Douglas Valentine, globalresearch.ca) [archive.is/9mmyu]
* "Retired CIA agent: 'We run the Afghan opium trade' " (2015-09-09) [archive.is/07hcx]
* " 'Bring Back the War on Drugs' … But it Never Left" (2015-09-12, from Cristina, whowhatwhy.org): The former directors of drug control policy for George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, William Bennett and John Walters, respectively, came together to write an op-ed lamenting the turn in policy on the drug war and calling for the Obama administration to “bring back the war on drugs.” However, it doesn’t appear that the war on drugs has really gone anywhere — it’s just changed tactics. Bennett and Walters point to a rise in heroin and opioid painkiller abuse as the primary cause for alarm, and claim the current focus on eradicating mass incarceration due to drug convictions and combating addiction — and thus the desire for heroine — is causing the spread of death and addiction.
The real problem Bennett and Walters seem to have is the apparent lack of law enforcement measures to combat drug supply coming into the US through Mexico. The fact of the matter is, the federal government is still spending money on law enforcement measures, they’re just not increasing it. Instead, they’re increasing the amount of money spent on treatment and prevention, while the amount spent on law enforcement has remained the same for the last several years. The problem is the war on drugs wasn’t working and no one really wanted it. As a result, it had to change. But contrary to what “the Bushes’ drug czars” think, the drug war never ended.
Read more at "The Bushes' drug czars want to "bring back the war on drugs." But the drug war never left" (2015-09-09, vox.com) [archive.is/fUUZT], and at "Bring Back the War on Drugs" (2015-09-09, by William Bennett & John P. Walters) [archive.is/959NI].
---
Blanketing the world with internet access also provides the platform for universal surveillance.
* "Elon Musk Wants to Launch 4000 Satellites to Provide Global Internet; Never exactly criticized for a lack of ambition, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has a new plan to make the Internet accessible from anywhere on the globe. How? By launching a fleet of 4,000 satellites into low Earth orbit" (2015-09-19, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/3JqG5]
* "DOJ Wants Access to Everything, Everywhere" (2015-09-10, whowhatwhy.org):
If the Department of Justice (DOJ) has its way, the US government would be allowed to demand access to any email sent and received through an email provider headquartered in the United States. The reason: DOJ says those emails constitute “business records” of the hosting company. In other words, when a 12-year-old Belgian girl uses a Gmail (or Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.) account to send an email wishing her granny all the best on her 70th birthday, DOJ argues that constitutes a Google/Microsoft/Yahoo business record and the US government should be allowed to read it upon demand — even if it is stored on a server abroad. It is difficult to see how that kind of argument will stand up in court, but, as WhoWhatWhy readers know, judges make peculiar decisions when the government’s insatiable appetite for information — and control — is at stake. This time around, DOJ goes up against Microsoft in a landmark case described in this article [archive.is/TWByF].
Microsoft counsel addresses question of US search warrant for Hotmail emails stored in Ireland: ‘We would go crazy if China did this to us’.
* "Microsoft, US clash in court on overseas email warrant" (2015-09-09, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/TUP5z]
---
* "X-band and UHF Milsatcom services available for Asia Pacific region from 1st September" (2015-09-15, airbusgroup.com) [archive.is/gHo6m]
---
* "First Library to Support Anonymous Internet Browsing Effort Stops After DHS Email" (2015-09-10, propublica.org) [archive.is/NzRGk]
* "Library Freedom Project" [archive.is/iAPLV]
Support Tor and Intellectual Freedom in Libraries [act.eff.org/action/support-tor-and-intellectual-freedom-in-libraries]
---
DHS agencies contact schools across the USA to warn their faculty on the dangers of "terrorism" and the indications for it.
* "Irving 9th-grader arrested after taking homemade clock to school: 'So you tried to make a bomb?'" (2015-09-15, dallasnews.com) [http://is.gd/INvKFN]
* "Ahmed Mohamed, 14, arrested over clock mistaken for bomb" (2015-09-15, bbc.com) [archive.is/1yR2b]
* "Mayor Of City Where Muslim Teen Was Wrongly Arrested Is Anti-Sharia Crusader" (2015-09-16, talkingpointsmemo.com) [archive.is/FY5np]
---
Psychological terror through Milab (Military Abduction) and other ES/OH tactics are employed by a spectrum of domestic security agencies of both the public and private sectors, and in individual endeavors by trained operators who can afford such techniques.
Scopolamine [archive.is/N2Mjq] and other weaponized psychedelic substances [http://is.gd/Hthoqb] are used to effectively incapacitate the target. The power of suggestion is also employed, so that under the influence of a substance, the target who is not supposed to recall anything, but who may later recall snippets, will still be under the influence of suggestive imagery during the event that gives the impression it is an "alien abduction" scenario.
* "Did It Happen? Yes" (2014, by Laura S.) [archive.is/PgG2W], concerning what occurred during this event [archive.is/gl7RS] [youtube.com/watch?v=c7fYVVyXUjA]. The incident is also discussed at [archive.is/msPPe] [archive.is/6mICV], and in this video [archive.org/details/MilabAbductionHenderson], although, of course, it could be all fictional.
* Book review for "Milabs: Military Mind Control & Alien Abduction", a book by Helmut and Marion Lammer, published 1999:
Helmut and Marion Lammer are German nationals who have co-written and published, together and separately, a number of books on `fringe' subjects mainly in the German language. This infamous 1999 paperback book originally published by Illuminet Press is generally regarded as a highly original and courageous one-off piece of documentary research, which due to rarity now changes hands for high prices.
Throughout the 1990s to the present (January 2012) many high-profile alien abductees who have gone on the public record - the late Dr. Karla Turner & her husband Casey, Leah Haley, Melinda Leslie, Jim Sparks, Beth Collings, Kay Wilson, Debbie Jordan-Kauble and others - have claimed that in addition to their `alien-type' experiences they also remember being drugged by injection, kidnapped and taken to various covert but very human-looking `underground' locations where they were aggressively interrogated by military/paramilitary and medical personnel. In some cases, door locks of their houses have been broken by force, which is never a feature of the `normal' abduction phenomenon. These so-called `MILAB' (i.e. `military abduction') incidents are radically different in character to the `usual' experiences with non-human entities. Harassment by unmarked black helicopters circling or hovering over their homes also feature prominently; many close-up and well-defined photos of these aircraft exist and have been published, notably by Bob Luca in Raymond Fowler's classic book `The Andreasson Affair Phase 2' but also in other places.
All this speaks of a very human interest by government or quasi-governmental agencies in the experiences of genuine abductees. These incidents are reported almost exclusively from the USA and, the authors point out, almost none of the high-profile researchers into the abduction phenomenon (with notable exceptions like the late Dr. Karla Turner, and Kay Wilson) will acknowledge the problem or deal with it.
Following a brief introduction to the subject, the authors take us on a trip through a `documented history of secret mind control and behaviour control experiments': CHATTER, BLUEBIRD, ARTICHOKE, MKULTRA, MKSEARCH and the rest. Much of this history is already known but summarised here very succinctly. The text is helpfully illustrated and heavily referenced with copious notes; the authors know their subject.
Discussion then moves on to speculate about the purpose of MILABS, the activities of black helicopters and details of alleged kidnappings. Chapter 8 really gets into conspiratorial territory as it speculates about the move towards a controlled society and evidence for `terrestrial' implants - which, believe it or not, seems to be substantial and backed up by X-rays, documents, patents granted for such devices and a few surgically removed artefacts.
The book contains some detailed case studies (including, surprisingly, one from Sweden), transcripts of relevant scientific papers, photos, documents extracted through FOIA, and X-rays of the heads of victims with implants clearly visible. Statements from accredited surgeons and psychiatrists, letters and detailed reports from a number of abductees complete the picture.
The authors are to be commended for the thoroughness of their investigation and for amassing such a substantial body of evidence, which adds up to a compelling indictment - but of whom, exactly? It certainly puts a different (and far more serious) spin on the abduction phenomenon: it seems that not only are alien abductions real, but there are agencies here who know it, have more than a passing interest in the subject and are prepared to break the law and invade the privacy of abductees - who then become `double victims' - in order to better understand what is being done. All this activity is covert and hidden from media intrusion, violates normal legal rights and safeguards and is obviously outside the regular processes of democratic government.
The question left open at the end of the book is: what is going on?
The book is quite short at 160 pages, is in places a bit repetitive and several typos and examples of poor syntax have been left unedited. These minor irritants demote this otherwise extraordinary piece of work from a full five stars. The bibliography however is enormous and the citations plentiful and substantial.
One can't help but feel the subject of this book is so alarming, and has such compelling evidence to support it, that it deserves more serious and widespread academic attention.
---
* "The CIA and Human Experiments" (2015-07-07, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/4Pgp8]
===*===*===
NORTHBAY COPWATCH: Five-Eyes, and other transnational partners
* "Decriminalize Dissent" (2015-09-17, commondreams.org) [archive.is/GI1jK]
* "The No-Fly Follies: How to Censor Yourself Before the Government Even Has the Chance" (2015-09-20, by Rebecca Gordon, tomdispatch.com) [archive.is/j0o2m]
---
* "Understanding Manufactured Dissent in America" (2015-07-14, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/T5VeQ]
---
The following is written by a campaign organizer in Santa Cruz who has been targeted for ES/OH tactics by domestic security agencies, including online trolling designed to give a pretext for censorship by otherwise uncensored online platforms, like the Indybay Newswire...
* "Take Action Against The Pro-Cop Bias And Censorship At Indybay Santa Cruz" (2015-09-12 by Steven Argue) censored version originally posted to Indybay.org [archive.is/YsYE5], and one posted to the Revolutionary Tendency facebook.com page [archive.is/oR0tS]
* "Another Attempt To Defend My Good Name Is Censored by the Pro-Cop Censors at Indybay" (2015-09-13, by Steven Argue) [archive.is/U311K]
---
* "Spies ‘R’ Us: Constructing the Corporate Security State" 2004 to 2010 (williambowles.info) [archive.is/8jqVh]
---
* "Sex, Drugs & the CIA" (2002-06-20, by Douglas Valentine) [archive.is/Ia2dJ]
* "Dark Alliance: The Story behind the Crack Explosion" (1996 by Gary Webb) [http://is.gd/ateivt], introduction by narconews.com [archive.is/xtsvx].
For the better part of a decade, a San Francisco Bay Area drug ring sold tons of cocaine to the Crips and Bloods street gangs of Los Angeles and funneled millions in drug profits to a Latin American guerrilla army run by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, a Mercury News investigation has found.
This drug network opened the first pipeline between Colombia’s cocaine cartels and the black neighborhoods of Los Angeles, a city now known as the crack capital of the world.
– From the introduction to the original Dark Alliance website, August, 1996
----
* "Twitter's decision to ban archiving of politicians' deleted tweets is a mistake; Who does Twitter serve?" (2015-08-24, theverge.com) [archive.is/gTkCI]
* "Twitter shuts down 30 international versions of Politwoops" (2015-08-24, sunlightfoundation.com) [archive.is/4IpdZ]
* "Twitter Just Killed Politwoops" (2015-06-03, tktk.gawker.com) [archive.is/fvu2G] [archive.is/pFPAf]
* "Eulogy for Politwoops" (2015-06-04, sunlightfoundation.com) [archive.is/Rf0dm]
* "Twitter just made it harder to hold politicians accountable" (2015-09-14, fightforthefuture.org) [archive.is/IUH7O], sign the petition [http://is.gd/KZiEzY], text: Social media can be used for transparency and accountability, or it can be just another tool for politicians to market their campaigns. By shutting down more than 30 sites around the world that preserved politicians' deleted tweets, Twitter just handed more control to the powerful. Sign the petition to Twitter: The Politiwoops sites are essential for public accountability in the digital age. Update your terms of service so that statements made by politicians and public officials can be stored as a matter of record. Allowing politicians to permanently scrub their words from the public record is dangerous for democracy.
Campaign message:
Twitter just shut down more than 30 sites that hold politicians accountable around the world. It’s censorship, and Twitter needs to reverse its decision immediately — click here to sign the petition and click here to tweet at them.
For the last 3 years, Politwoops has been collecting and publishing the deleted tweets of candidates and elected officials in more than 30 countries to make sure they’re held accountable for the things they say.
Sites like Politwoops help hold politicians accountable and don't let them hide their (often revealing) mistakes. Banning them is censorship. It stops the public from getting crucial information about their political leaders, and sets a dangerous precedent that endangers government transparency by handing more control to the powerful.
The good news is that Twitter lives and dies by what its users are saying — so if enough people speak out, we know they’ll change their position.
Twitter claims their decision is about treating all users equally — that everyone should be able to delete tweets — even though they have multiple of policies in place that discriminate between users, including a few that boost the reach of verified elected officials’ accounts.
The most ridiculous part, though, is that Twitter’s decision to ban Politwoops came around the same time that they began allowing companies and political campaigns to pay for instant and complete access to every historical public tweet (including deleted tweets) to help them target their messaging and ad campaigns.
These policies are aberrations for Twitter. For years Twitter was a powerful force for free speech, with their previous CEO even calling them, “the free speech wing of the free speech party.” That’s why this is sudden change so disappointing, but it’s also why we know that if enough of us take action, Twitter will reverse their position.
An example of what Twitter.com is helping to hide:
* "Democratic Delaware Governor Tweeted A Photo Of A Woman In Bondage Gear" (2014-09-04, buzzfeed.com) [archive.is/YG65Q]
---
* "Never Forget … Your Country Admits to False Flag Terror; Presidents, Prime Ministers, Congressmen, Generals, Spooks, Soldiers and Police ADMIT to False Flag Terror" (2015-09-11, washingtonsblog.com) [archive.is/WxHlO]
---
* "Narcotics and Covert Intelligence: How the CIA Commandeered the 'War on Drugs' ” (2015-09-12, Douglas Valentine, globalresearch.ca) [archive.is/9mmyu]
* "Retired CIA agent: 'We run the Afghan opium trade' " (2015-09-09) [archive.is/07hcx]
* " 'Bring Back the War on Drugs' … But it Never Left" (2015-09-12, from Cristina, whowhatwhy.org): The former directors of drug control policy for George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, William Bennett and John Walters, respectively, came together to write an op-ed lamenting the turn in policy on the drug war and calling for the Obama administration to “bring back the war on drugs.” However, it doesn’t appear that the war on drugs has really gone anywhere — it’s just changed tactics. Bennett and Walters point to a rise in heroin and opioid painkiller abuse as the primary cause for alarm, and claim the current focus on eradicating mass incarceration due to drug convictions and combating addiction — and thus the desire for heroine — is causing the spread of death and addiction.
The real problem Bennett and Walters seem to have is the apparent lack of law enforcement measures to combat drug supply coming into the US through Mexico. The fact of the matter is, the federal government is still spending money on law enforcement measures, they’re just not increasing it. Instead, they’re increasing the amount of money spent on treatment and prevention, while the amount spent on law enforcement has remained the same for the last several years. The problem is the war on drugs wasn’t working and no one really wanted it. As a result, it had to change. But contrary to what “the Bushes’ drug czars” think, the drug war never ended.
Read more at "The Bushes' drug czars want to "bring back the war on drugs." But the drug war never left" (2015-09-09, vox.com) [archive.is/fUUZT], and at "Bring Back the War on Drugs" (2015-09-09, by William Bennett & John P. Walters) [archive.is/959NI].
---
Blanketing the world with internet access also provides the platform for universal surveillance.
* "Elon Musk Wants to Launch 4000 Satellites to Provide Global Internet; Never exactly criticized for a lack of ambition, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has a new plan to make the Internet accessible from anywhere on the globe. How? By launching a fleet of 4,000 satellites into low Earth orbit" (2015-09-19, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/3JqG5]
* "DOJ Wants Access to Everything, Everywhere" (2015-09-10, whowhatwhy.org):
If the Department of Justice (DOJ) has its way, the US government would be allowed to demand access to any email sent and received through an email provider headquartered in the United States. The reason: DOJ says those emails constitute “business records” of the hosting company. In other words, when a 12-year-old Belgian girl uses a Gmail (or Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.) account to send an email wishing her granny all the best on her 70th birthday, DOJ argues that constitutes a Google/Microsoft/Yahoo business record and the US government should be allowed to read it upon demand — even if it is stored on a server abroad. It is difficult to see how that kind of argument will stand up in court, but, as WhoWhatWhy readers know, judges make peculiar decisions when the government’s insatiable appetite for information — and control — is at stake. This time around, DOJ goes up against Microsoft in a landmark case described in this article [archive.is/TWByF].
Microsoft counsel addresses question of US search warrant for Hotmail emails stored in Ireland: ‘We would go crazy if China did this to us’.
* "Microsoft, US clash in court on overseas email warrant" (2015-09-09, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/TUP5z]
---
* "X-band and UHF Milsatcom services available for Asia Pacific region from 1st September" (2015-09-15, airbusgroup.com) [archive.is/gHo6m]
---
* "First Library to Support Anonymous Internet Browsing Effort Stops After DHS Email" (2015-09-10, propublica.org) [archive.is/NzRGk]
* "Library Freedom Project" [archive.is/iAPLV]
Support Tor and Intellectual Freedom in Libraries [act.eff.org/action/support-tor-and-intellectual-freedom-in-libraries]
---
DHS agencies contact schools across the USA to warn their faculty on the dangers of "terrorism" and the indications for it.
* "Irving 9th-grader arrested after taking homemade clock to school: 'So you tried to make a bomb?'" (2015-09-15, dallasnews.com) [http://is.gd/INvKFN]
* "Ahmed Mohamed, 14, arrested over clock mistaken for bomb" (2015-09-15, bbc.com) [archive.is/1yR2b]
* "Mayor Of City Where Muslim Teen Was Wrongly Arrested Is Anti-Sharia Crusader" (2015-09-16, talkingpointsmemo.com) [archive.is/FY5np]
---
Psychological terror through Milab (Military Abduction) and other ES/OH tactics are employed by a spectrum of domestic security agencies of both the public and private sectors, and in individual endeavors by trained operators who can afford such techniques.
Scopolamine [archive.is/N2Mjq] and other weaponized psychedelic substances [http://is.gd/Hthoqb] are used to effectively incapacitate the target. The power of suggestion is also employed, so that under the influence of a substance, the target who is not supposed to recall anything, but who may later recall snippets, will still be under the influence of suggestive imagery during the event that gives the impression it is an "alien abduction" scenario.
* "Did It Happen? Yes" (2014, by Laura S.) [archive.is/PgG2W], concerning what occurred during this event [archive.is/gl7RS] [youtube.com/watch?v=c7fYVVyXUjA]. The incident is also discussed at [archive.is/msPPe] [archive.is/6mICV], and in this video [archive.org/details/MilabAbductionHenderson], although, of course, it could be all fictional.
* Book review for "Milabs: Military Mind Control & Alien Abduction", a book by Helmut and Marion Lammer, published 1999:Helmut and Marion Lammer are German nationals who have co-written and published, together and separately, a number of books on `fringe' subjects mainly in the German language. This infamous 1999 paperback book originally published by Illuminet Press is generally regarded as a highly original and courageous one-off piece of documentary research, which due to rarity now changes hands for high prices.
Throughout the 1990s to the present (January 2012) many high-profile alien abductees who have gone on the public record - the late Dr. Karla Turner & her husband Casey, Leah Haley, Melinda Leslie, Jim Sparks, Beth Collings, Kay Wilson, Debbie Jordan-Kauble and others - have claimed that in addition to their `alien-type' experiences they also remember being drugged by injection, kidnapped and taken to various covert but very human-looking `underground' locations where they were aggressively interrogated by military/paramilitary and medical personnel. In some cases, door locks of their houses have been broken by force, which is never a feature of the `normal' abduction phenomenon. These so-called `MILAB' (i.e. `military abduction') incidents are radically different in character to the `usual' experiences with non-human entities. Harassment by unmarked black helicopters circling or hovering over their homes also feature prominently; many close-up and well-defined photos of these aircraft exist and have been published, notably by Bob Luca in Raymond Fowler's classic book `The Andreasson Affair Phase 2' but also in other places.
All this speaks of a very human interest by government or quasi-governmental agencies in the experiences of genuine abductees. These incidents are reported almost exclusively from the USA and, the authors point out, almost none of the high-profile researchers into the abduction phenomenon (with notable exceptions like the late Dr. Karla Turner, and Kay Wilson) will acknowledge the problem or deal with it.
Following a brief introduction to the subject, the authors take us on a trip through a `documented history of secret mind control and behaviour control experiments': CHATTER, BLUEBIRD, ARTICHOKE, MKULTRA, MKSEARCH and the rest. Much of this history is already known but summarised here very succinctly. The text is helpfully illustrated and heavily referenced with copious notes; the authors know their subject.
Discussion then moves on to speculate about the purpose of MILABS, the activities of black helicopters and details of alleged kidnappings. Chapter 8 really gets into conspiratorial territory as it speculates about the move towards a controlled society and evidence for `terrestrial' implants - which, believe it or not, seems to be substantial and backed up by X-rays, documents, patents granted for such devices and a few surgically removed artefacts.
The book contains some detailed case studies (including, surprisingly, one from Sweden), transcripts of relevant scientific papers, photos, documents extracted through FOIA, and X-rays of the heads of victims with implants clearly visible. Statements from accredited surgeons and psychiatrists, letters and detailed reports from a number of abductees complete the picture.
The authors are to be commended for the thoroughness of their investigation and for amassing such a substantial body of evidence, which adds up to a compelling indictment - but of whom, exactly? It certainly puts a different (and far more serious) spin on the abduction phenomenon: it seems that not only are alien abductions real, but there are agencies here who know it, have more than a passing interest in the subject and are prepared to break the law and invade the privacy of abductees - who then become `double victims' - in order to better understand what is being done. All this activity is covert and hidden from media intrusion, violates normal legal rights and safeguards and is obviously outside the regular processes of democratic government.
The question left open at the end of the book is: what is going on?The book is quite short at 160 pages, is in places a bit repetitive and several typos and examples of poor syntax have been left unedited. These minor irritants demote this otherwise extraordinary piece of work from a full five stars. The bibliography however is enormous and the citations plentiful and substantial.
One can't help but feel the subject of this book is so alarming, and has such compelling evidence to support it, that it deserves more serious and widespread academic attention.
---
* "The CIA and Human Experiments" (2015-07-07, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/4Pgp8]
===*===*===
NORTHBAY COPWATCH: Five-Eyes, and other transnational partners
* "Deep State Harassment of Peaceful Protest Groups" (2015-09-17, truepublica.org.uk) [archive.is/2PK4X]
* "Britain Moves From Democracy to Authoritarian State in Pernicious Veil of Secrecy" (2015-09-16, truepublica.org.uk) [archive.is/VcDsE]
---
* "Robert Baden-Powell’s Entomological Intrigues" (publicdomainreview.org) [archive.is/3MYZf] [begin excerpt]: Upon the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, the fifty-seven-year-old Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Baden-Powell, K.C.B., contacted Lord Kitchener and offered to come out of retirement to serve Britain in its hour of need. The War Secretary, however, believed that the veteran officer had a far more crucial part to play on the home front, training and mobilizing the organization he had founded six years earlier and that now constituted an army in itself: the Scouting Movement. Under the auspices of their beloved Chief Scout, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides were soon working in a variety of capacities and taking up key positions left vacant by soldiers and nurses who had gone to the front lines.
In addition to marshaling this children’s crusade, Baden-Powell’s other wartime duty was to maintain his self-created legend through publications and appearances. But even before his apotheosis, the young officer had spent the last quarter of the nineteenth century pursuing a romantic persona, taking part in a bewildering array of military engagements and intelligence operations throughout India, Africa, and the Mediterranean. After his return to England, the officer discovered that lads of all ages were enthusiastically devouring his army scouting manuals, and he surmised that the time was ripe for a youth movement designed to revitalize the ailing empire. In 1908, Baden-Powell published the first edition of Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship, a volume whose overall sales would soon rival both Shakespeare and the King James Bible.
The ideological and propagandic valence of Baden-Powell’s project reached its zenith during the Great War, and his writings at the time worked to mythologize British resourcefulness. In 1915, he published My Adventures as a Spy, an account of his varied experiences in the field of military intelligence, primarily in the Mediterranean region between 1890 and 1895 (he gives few dates and is often vague about locations). Half memoir, half manual, this slim, loosely-organized volume reinforces the crucial correspondence between “scouting” and “spying” that Baden-Powell established in his earlier handbook, thereby underscoring for a wartime audience that scouting was not only defensive but potentially offensive, a means of gathering intelligence and sabotaging the enemy’s operations. Essentially writing as an apologist for the spy, whom he believed was unjustly maligned in the popular culture of the time, the Chief Scout interlaces personal anecdotes with advice and illustrations concerning proper methods of disguise, surveillance, and encryption. Highlighting the training-potential of play-acting and games like “Hide-and-Seek,” the author yarns about how he successfully put these skills to the test, duping foreign officials from North Africa to the Balkan Peninsula.
My Adventures as a Spy is possibly Baden-Powell’s most quixotic work — which is saying quite a lot. Most curiously, the former military intelligence officer includes a section titled “The Value of Being Stupid,” in which he contends that the best way to navigate enemy territory unnoticed (in peace time, presumably) would be to play the daffy Briton — specifically, to pose as an eccentric artist or naturalist out for a jaunt with brushes and easel, seemingly oblivious to the strategic military base that just happens to be blocking his view of the coastline. For Baden-Powell, the entomologist is a particularly useful cover, for who would suspect a scholarly gentleman sketching the antennae of turf ants to be secretly observing the construction of a hydroelectric dam? While Scouting for Boys limits its discussion of insects to their being tasty treats and examples of good citizenship — bees, the Chief Scout remarks, “are quite a model community, for they respect their Queen and kill their unemployed” — My Adventures as a Spy takes the bug to a whole new level, graphically illustrating that entomological drawings themselves may be used to conceal maps and diagrams of enemy fortifications. “Once I went ‘butterfly hunting’ in Dalmatia,” Baden-Powell recalls; tasked with investigating a series of mountain-top batteries, the spy pretended to be one of those “harmless lunatics” out for a bit of amateur lepidoptery: "I went armed with most effective weapons for the purpose, which have served me well in many a similar campaign. I took a sketch-book, in which were numerous pictures—some finished, others only partly done—of butterflies of every degree and rank, from a ‘Red Admiral’ to a ‘Painted Lady.’ Carrying this book and a colour-box and a butterfly net in my hand, I was above all suspicion to anyone who met me on the lonely mountain side, even in the neighbourhood of the forts."
Upon inspecting the sketch-book, foreign officials failed “to notice that the delicately drawn veins of the wings were exact representations, in plan, of their own fort, and that the spots on the wings denoted the number and position of guns and their different calibres.”
Image [archive.is/bJT3i], caption: “This sketch of a butterfly contains the outline of a fortress, and marks both the position and power of the guns. The marks on the wings between the lines mean nothing, but those on the lines show the nature and size of the guns, according to the keys below”, from Baden-Powell’s My Adventures as a Spy (1915)
Image [archive.is/cMy3Z], caption: Concealing a fort in a moth’s head, from Baden-Powell’s My Adventures as a Spy (1915)
[end excerpt]
* "Britain Moves From Democracy to Authoritarian State in Pernicious Veil of Secrecy" (2015-09-16, truepublica.org.uk) [archive.is/VcDsE]
---
* "Robert Baden-Powell’s Entomological Intrigues" (publicdomainreview.org) [archive.is/3MYZf] [begin excerpt]: Upon the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, the fifty-seven-year-old Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Baden-Powell, K.C.B., contacted Lord Kitchener and offered to come out of retirement to serve Britain in its hour of need. The War Secretary, however, believed that the veteran officer had a far more crucial part to play on the home front, training and mobilizing the organization he had founded six years earlier and that now constituted an army in itself: the Scouting Movement. Under the auspices of their beloved Chief Scout, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides were soon working in a variety of capacities and taking up key positions left vacant by soldiers and nurses who had gone to the front lines.
In addition to marshaling this children’s crusade, Baden-Powell’s other wartime duty was to maintain his self-created legend through publications and appearances. But even before his apotheosis, the young officer had spent the last quarter of the nineteenth century pursuing a romantic persona, taking part in a bewildering array of military engagements and intelligence operations throughout India, Africa, and the Mediterranean. After his return to England, the officer discovered that lads of all ages were enthusiastically devouring his army scouting manuals, and he surmised that the time was ripe for a youth movement designed to revitalize the ailing empire. In 1908, Baden-Powell published the first edition of Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship, a volume whose overall sales would soon rival both Shakespeare and the King James Bible.
The ideological and propagandic valence of Baden-Powell’s project reached its zenith during the Great War, and his writings at the time worked to mythologize British resourcefulness. In 1915, he published My Adventures as a Spy, an account of his varied experiences in the field of military intelligence, primarily in the Mediterranean region between 1890 and 1895 (he gives few dates and is often vague about locations). Half memoir, half manual, this slim, loosely-organized volume reinforces the crucial correspondence between “scouting” and “spying” that Baden-Powell established in his earlier handbook, thereby underscoring for a wartime audience that scouting was not only defensive but potentially offensive, a means of gathering intelligence and sabotaging the enemy’s operations. Essentially writing as an apologist for the spy, whom he believed was unjustly maligned in the popular culture of the time, the Chief Scout interlaces personal anecdotes with advice and illustrations concerning proper methods of disguise, surveillance, and encryption. Highlighting the training-potential of play-acting and games like “Hide-and-Seek,” the author yarns about how he successfully put these skills to the test, duping foreign officials from North Africa to the Balkan Peninsula.
My Adventures as a Spy is possibly Baden-Powell’s most quixotic work — which is saying quite a lot. Most curiously, the former military intelligence officer includes a section titled “The Value of Being Stupid,” in which he contends that the best way to navigate enemy territory unnoticed (in peace time, presumably) would be to play the daffy Briton — specifically, to pose as an eccentric artist or naturalist out for a jaunt with brushes and easel, seemingly oblivious to the strategic military base that just happens to be blocking his view of the coastline. For Baden-Powell, the entomologist is a particularly useful cover, for who would suspect a scholarly gentleman sketching the antennae of turf ants to be secretly observing the construction of a hydroelectric dam? While Scouting for Boys limits its discussion of insects to their being tasty treats and examples of good citizenship — bees, the Chief Scout remarks, “are quite a model community, for they respect their Queen and kill their unemployed” — My Adventures as a Spy takes the bug to a whole new level, graphically illustrating that entomological drawings themselves may be used to conceal maps and diagrams of enemy fortifications. “Once I went ‘butterfly hunting’ in Dalmatia,” Baden-Powell recalls; tasked with investigating a series of mountain-top batteries, the spy pretended to be one of those “harmless lunatics” out for a bit of amateur lepidoptery: "I went armed with most effective weapons for the purpose, which have served me well in many a similar campaign. I took a sketch-book, in which were numerous pictures—some finished, others only partly done—of butterflies of every degree and rank, from a ‘Red Admiral’ to a ‘Painted Lady.’ Carrying this book and a colour-box and a butterfly net in my hand, I was above all suspicion to anyone who met me on the lonely mountain side, even in the neighbourhood of the forts."
Upon inspecting the sketch-book, foreign officials failed “to notice that the delicately drawn veins of the wings were exact representations, in plan, of their own fort, and that the spots on the wings denoted the number and position of guns and their different calibres.”
Image [archive.is/bJT3i], caption: “This sketch of a butterfly contains the outline of a fortress, and marks both the position and power of the guns. The marks on the wings between the lines mean nothing, but those on the lines show the nature and size of the guns, according to the keys below”, from Baden-Powell’s My Adventures as a Spy (1915)
Image [archive.is/cMy3Z], caption: Concealing a fort in a moth’s head, from Baden-Powell’s My Adventures as a Spy (1915)
[end excerpt]
from the Committee to
FREE 'EM ALL!
[PoliticalPrisonersUSA.blogspot.com] End the Drug War! Stop Jim Crow! Close the Torture Chambers!
Become a Human Rights Pen Pal! [link]. [solitarywatch.com] [facebook.com/incarceratedworkers] [supportprisonerresistance.noblogs.org] [denverabc.wordpress.com] [prisonlegalnews.org] [prisonbooks.info][nycabc.wordpress.com] [powmedicaljustice.com] [sacprisonersupport.wordpress.com]
* "Political Prisoners and Politicized Prisoners" (2015-09-07, by Steve Martinot) [archive.is/sXYhJ] [begin excerpt]: Prisoners who are politicized by their experience in prison often write about it in a different vein from those who were imprisoned during and/or because of their political activity. Both attempt to go to "the root" in their radical analyses, but they begin in different landscapes. There is a necessity to bring to the outside the thinking of those politicized on the inside because they see things in a very direct manner that is something sometimes greatly needed. [end excerpt]
* "A History of America’s War on Whistleblowers and Journalists Since 9/11" (2015-01-06, by Joachim Hagopian, globalresearch.ca) [archive.is/GjXZ7]
---
* Call to action from the PHSS Emergency Response Network [510-426-5322] [phssreachingout@)gmail.com]:
Prisoners in Pelican Bay State Prison's SHU report the ill effects of "welfare" or "suicide" checks occurring every thirty minutes, forty-eight times a day. The checks are being aggressively conducted and prevent people from sleeping for over thirty minutes at a time. Loud stomping, the slamming of doors, the striking of electronic wands against buttons installed by cell doors, and the shining of lights into prisoners' faces are routine. Noise reverberates throughout the concrete-and-steel pod and is basically non-stop.
As a result of the Coleman lawsuit, the CDCR was ordered by the court to conduct checks (which have been occurring at all SHUs for the better part of two years; not just Pelican Bay). However, it was left to the Department how to conduct them.
Attorneys involved in Coleman are aware of distress resulting from the checks, and have taken the problem up with the CDCR. In the meantime, we're asking you to immediately contact Pelican Bay's warden, Clark E. Ducat, to demand that the noise stops. Below is a sample letter/script, along with Warden Ducat's contact information.
NOTE: If you e-mail Warden Ducat, please bcc [phssreachingout@)gmail.com]
This will enable us to inform the Coleman attorneys how many e-mails were sent. Or, if you call, please send a one-line e-mail to [phssreachingout@)gmail.com] stating, "I called Ducart."
Contact information for Warden Clark E. Ducart: [Pelican Bay State Prison, P.O. Box 7000, Crescent City, CA 95531-7000] [707-765–1000 ext. 9040] [CDucart@)cdcr.ca.gov] [clark.ducart@)cdcr.ca.gov] (Send email to both addresses)
Sample letter/script -
Warden Ducart: Prisoners in Pelican Bay State Prison's SHU report the ill effects of "welfare" or "suicide" checks occurring every thirty minutes, forty-eight times a day. The checks are being conducted in an aggressive way and prevent people from sleeping for over thirty minutes at a time. Loud stomping, the slamming of doors, the striking of electronic wands against buttons installed by cell doors, and the shining of lights into prisoners' faces are routine. Noise reverberates throughout pod and is basically non-stop. The checks are court-ordered, but the noise and disruption is not. Please make sure that the noise and disruption stops now. Sleep deprivation and relentless exposure to loud noise are known methods of torture that can cause mental impairment. As John R. Martinez wrote in a letter to the secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: "Deprivation of sleep is a common form of torture and has no place in a civilized society. Sleep is a basic human need and a fundamental constitutional right and I shouldn't have to be starving myself so I and my fellow prisoners can get some sleep."
---
* "Prisoners’ Struggle Ends Indefinite Solitary Confinement" (2015-09-15, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/loOKN]
---
* " 'Our movement rests on a foundation of unity: our Agreement to End Hostilities', Statement of plaintiffs on settlement of Ashker v. Governor of California" (2015-09-05, prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com) [archive.is/HHZfr]. Attached video "After decades in solitary they joined forces. Here’s what happened" [youtube.com/watch?v=xDyOBOnAQUI]
* "Summary of Settlement Terms in Ashker v. Brown (Governor of California)" (2015-09-09, Center for Constitutional Rights) [archive.is/U5HvF]
* "Latif Asad Abdullah: Prisoners led the successful fight against solitary confinement" (2015-09-08, mercurynews.com) [archive.is/xrCpe]
---
* "Build a United Front for Peace in Prisons" (2011-03, updated 2015-09-12, prisoncensorship.info) [archive.is/bZOC8]
---
* "Call for Solidarity Demonstration September 9" (2012-07, by SAMAEL) [archive.is/6UZni]* "Summing up September 9 Protests" (2014-11, by MIM-Prisons) [archive.is/usZLg]
* "Lessons from the Attica Prison Uprising: 1971 - 91" (MIM Notes) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/Fu1J0u]
---
* "Torture Continues: CDCR Settlement Screws Prisoners" (2015-09, by Wiawimawo of MIM-Prisons) [archive.is/gasFU]
* "(Un)Due Process of Validation and Step Down Programs" (2014-10, by cipactli of Brown Berets - Prison Chapter) [archive.is/1gtrQ]
* "New Rules for California Security Threat Groups - Same Old Repression" (2012-12, prisoncensorship.info) [archive.is/BC82u]
* "STG Pilot Program Primer" (2013-08, prisoncensorship.info) [archive.is/OrOfa] [begin excerpt]: Editor: Clearly there is nothing in these new rules that could be considered an advance for the plight of California prisoners who face torture (and the threat of torture) in the Security Housing Units. We print this for informational purposes for those facing this repression and hoping to understand it better.
This is in regards to "the new rules for deciding who is a gang member or associate and whether those prisoners are placed in a Security Housing Unit."
Prisoners in California: you must request and insure that your institution makes the new rules concerning "gang validation" available to every prisoner as they are not currently making them so. In the meantime if you wish to receive them independent of CDCR, then you can request them directly from the California 'Prison Law Office.' You should also request the new 'Pilot Program Memorandum' concerning the new validation process as this has also not been made available to many prisoners. You can also request the newly revised criteria for the 'Step Down Porgram' (SDP) as the Title 15 California Code of Regulations has not yet been changed to reflect these changes. "The new rules are being phased in between October 2012 and summer 2013 and will be in effect at all CDCR prisons. The pilot program will last for two years while the CDCR evaluates whether it is "effective."
What are the main changes under the Pilot program?
The validation and housing rules now refer to a broader category of "security threat groups" STG which includes prison gangs, disruptive and/or street gangs;
When validating prisoners as STG affiliates, the CDCR will continue to take into account similar types of "source items" as under prior gang validation rules. However, there is a new "point" system by which different sources carry different weights. There must be three source items adding up to at least 10 points to validate a prisoner as a STG affiliate, replacing the old rule that just required three source items. To be current, evidence of STG behavior must have occurred within the previous four years.
STG behavior or possession of STG contraband are now listed as administrative rules violations. STG related directing, controlling, disruptive or violent behavior is a serious rule violation. STG behavior is that which promotes, furthers or assists a STG. There is a matrix setting forth the consequences of STG related rule violations on housing and program status for validated STG affiliates or former affiliates. [end excerpt]
---
* "Prisoners report on San Quentin health crisis: Legionella outbreak prompts water shutdown" (2015-09-05, by Kevin D. Sawyer, sfbayview.com) [archive.is/gTv1L]
* "At Louisiana’s Angola Prison, Lawsuit Claims, the Sick Face Neglect, Isolation, and Death" (2015-09-23, solitarywatch.com) [archive.is/nEHyO]
* "Lawsuit Filed Against Angola Prison and Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections Over Unconstitutional and Deficient Medical Care" (2015-05-20, laaclu.org) [archive.is/eGbRs]
* Read the lawsuit document (.pdf)[http://is.gd/gCkokm]
---
* "Former policeman leads effort to free Omaha Two COINTELPRO prisoners" (2015-09-22, by Michael Richardson, examiner.com) [archive.is/egKsz]
---
* "Imprisoned by Injustice, Judge Refuses to Release Last of 'Angola Three' ; Albert Woodfox, who served 43 years in solitary confinement, will once again stand trial for charges that were three times overturned" (2015-09-21, commondreams.org) [archive.is/aL1aY]
---
* "Prisoners Who Fight Wildfires in California: An Insider’s Look For $2 a day, 'It’s a hairy adventure, let me tell you' " (2015-08-20, themarshallproject.org) [archive.is/Rnr3p]
* "30 Percent of California's Forest Firefighters Are Prisoners About 4,000 inmates battle blazes in the Golden State's woodlands" (2015-08-14, motherjones.com) [http://is.gd/uL4aDu]
---
* "New Orleans Running 'Modern Debtors Prison,' Lawsuit Charges; Judges, city officials, and others charged with building "illegal, unconstitutional and unjust" criminal court system" (2015-09-18, commondreams.org) [archive.is/n7u46]
---
* " ‘WRAP’ Torture Device Used on Incarcerated Arkansas Youth Ignites Outrage" (2014-10-13, theantimedia.org) [http://is.gd/VjuY2d]
---
* "Prison Dispatch: Leonard Peltier on His 71st Birthday" (2015-09-12, whoisleonardpeltier.info) [archive.is/5FfDf]
* "71st birthday of US Indigenous political prisoner Leonard Peltier: Freedom Now!" (2015-09-12, samidoun.net) [archive.is/XjXxH]
* "Sovereign imagination: The art of Leonard Peltier" (2015-09-04, redwedgemagazine.com) [http://is.gd/2b06U4]
---
* "Remember and Revive the Militant Tradition of September 3, 1984!" (2015-09-03, Campaign to Free the Boiketlong Four) [archive.is/W0IMG] [begin excerpt]: On 3 September 1984, the Vaal Triangle, which is located southeast of Johannesburg and was part of the industrial heartland of South Africa, exploded into unrest. A general stay-away from work was called, schools were closed, buses and taxis stood idle and militant protest spread across the country. It was the most significant and large-scale rebellion of the black working class since the Soweto Uprising of June, 1976, and signified one of the final nails in the coffin of apartheid and white minority rule.
For the black working class living in the townships across the Vaal Triangle, such as Sharpeville, Sebokeng, Evaton, Bophelong, Boiketlong, Zamdela and others the conditions were very similar to those of today. A slump in the steel industry had led to many workers being retrenched, there were evictions of rent defaulters and bribery, corruption and self-enrichment of local councillors was rife. Councillors’ election promises went unfulfilled and township residents demanded their resignation.
Thirty-one years later, on 21 April 2015, the Sebokeng Magistrate’s Court in the Vaal sentenced four community activists from Boiketlong to sixteen years in prison each for allegedly setting fire to the local ward councillor’s house and cars during a protest action.
The Boiketlong Four, as they have become known, were found guilty on charges of assault, arson and malicious damage to property – despite the fact that no credible evidence was presented by the prosecutor in court and key state witnesses could not even identify the four accused! Moreover, the magistrate denied bail and leave to appeal the case, allowing only leave to appeal the severity of the sentence. This means that just to apply for bail and to petition for full leave for appeal and if successful, the actual appeal itself, are all High Court processes. This places a huge financial and emotional burden on the families of the detainees and the Boiketlong community.
Like so many townships, rural areas and poor communities across South Africa, the community of Boiketlong has long suffered from the broken promises of the ANC government. Since the first multiracial elections in 1994, the ANC has repeatedly been re-elected on the backs of empty promises of service delivery, job creation and to develop and upgrade townships and other underdeveloped areas that have long suffered a lack of sanitation, water, electricity and housing as well as a lack of access to education and health care. The Boiketlong Four are part of the collective leadership assigned by the community to lead their struggle for houses and for what the ANC government promised them to get elected into power. This is their only ‘crime’. They are political prisoners of the capitalist state. They are not criminals. [end excerpt]
For more information on how to support the Campaign to Free the Boiketlong Four contact:
[sithembiso.mqolozana@)gmail.com] or [073 451-3177] or [011 850-3477]
articles recommended by the
SAN PABLO BAY ECOLOGICAL PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION
Campaigns, info, and more [SanPabloBayEPA.blogspot.com]. Science [discardstudies.com]
* "Green cement plant and other portly blunders?" (2015-09-14, vibvallejo.com) [http://is.gd/TmhXTu]
* Vallejo Marine Terminal/ORCEM EIR (2015-09-03, cityofvallejo.net) [archive.is/968hE], download the EIR Report and appendixes at [https://archive.org/details/OrcemProjectDraftEIR]
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* "MWD, Westlands consider purchasing Delta islands in tunnels' path" (2015-09-22, by Dan Bacher, indybay.org newswire) [archive.is/tWLz5] [begin excerpt]: In a scenario eerily reminiscent of "Chinatown" - or when the LA Department of Power and Water bought up land in the Owens Valley in order to seize Owens River water - the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California is considering purchasing land in the imperiled Delta to "bring L.A. to the water."
In a statement, Restore the Delta (RTD) revealed that MWD's executive committee has scheduled behind closed doors what appears to be the purchase of parcels for the proposed massive Delta Tunnels project in its meeting on Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at 8:30 AM.
The agenda for the MWD Real Asset and Property Management Committee contains the list of these parcels within its public notice. “Delta Wetlands Properties; under negotiation: price and terms of payments; to be heard in closed session...”
The parcels consist of four islands - Webb Tract, Bouldin Island, Holland Tract and Bacon Island - that are now in agricultural production. The total acreage of the parcels is 20,000 acres. They are controlled by Zurich American Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of a swiss insurance company.
Restore the Delta pointed out that a number of these same parcels are listed in Delta Design Construction Enterprise [DCE] eminent domain documents that were obtained through a recent Public Records Act request. They are in the direct path for the construction of the Delta tunnels.
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta, questioned why it was necessary for MWD to conduct its purchase of Delta land behind closed doors.
“In secret, it appears MWD is getting into the land management business acquiring properties for a project that is neither approved, nor, as proposed, complies with federal and state water quality and environmental protection laws. Why is it necessary for MWD General Manager Jeff Kightlinger to conduct such a transaction behind closed doors?” she asked.
These parcels are currently owned by the "Delta Wetlands Project," a public-private partnership for which Semitropic Groundwater Storage District is the lead agency. Created several years ago, the Delta Wetlands Project included the conversion of two Delta islands, now in the path of the tunnels, for habitat and storage for water that could be sold to San Joaquin Valley farmers, according to Barrigan-Parrilla.
She said the Delta Wetlands Project was originally created by "outside interests," and working relationships for water storage exist between Semitropic Groundwater Storage Agency and Metropolitan Water District. [end excerpt]
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* "Bulldozing Nature to Save It? The Lack of Caltrans Wisdom" (2015-09-10, Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters BACH) [archive.is/u4C0T]: After a relentless campaign of opposition to Caltrans' use of herbicides in their "wetlands restoration", the agency has taken herbicides off the table. For now. As we know, today's victories can quickly turn into tomorrow’s resurrected campaign, but it is a huge victory. credit due to the vigilance of the defenders of wetlands and archaeological sites in Mendocino County.
However, Caltrans continues its backward policy of bulldozing wetlands to "save" them, and disrespecting protocol concerning Native archaeological sites. There is a great short video documenting what is going on currently, with compelling testimony from representatives from the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians. It's a very worthwhile overview; I highly recommend watching this 14 minute video [youtube.com/watch?v=E2HbRVVyqZA].
t’s produced by Maria Gilardin, part of the Mendocino County community involved in this campaign and an excellent journalist who produces TUC radio.
Richardson Grove update -
We are expecting Caltrans to release new environmental documents for their two other planned northcoast ecological disasters (causing disaster, not cleaning it up); the Richardson Grove Highway Expansion and the highway project near the Smith River in far northern California (197/199 highway widening). If you recall, after Caltrans tried to ram the Richardson Grove proposal through for years, with strong opposition standing up for the redwood forest and native ecology that would be battered in the process, a legal agreement was reached after “our side” won in court. The outcome—Caltrans withdrew all its documents and permits for the project in December 2014 in a move we hoped would be permanent. But despite the fact that they made fools of themselves in court, Caltrans isn’t throwing in their sad towel yet.
A new group has formed in Humboldt County, comprised of people long opposed to this highway expansion in the redwoods to conduct new research and outreach from a (sane) transportation planning perspective. They are called the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP). They just had their first public "meet and greet" Aug. 26 in Eureka. We will be tracking their research and priorities and plug in whenever we can, while we continue working with others on the 101 corridor projects to preserve the forests, rivers and precious habitats under threat by state agencies like Caltrans as well as the extractive industry.
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* "Saving The Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog Rana boylii" (savethefrogs.com) [archive.is/4oDAQ] [begin excerpt]: The Foothill-Yellow Legged Frog (Rana boylii) is an amazing amphibian species that lives in and near rivers throughout California. The species is under threat from hydroelectric and water diversion projects that alter the river's water temperature, timing of floods, and streambed characteristics. Droughts in California exacerbate the problems for these frogs. Invasive American Bullfrogs prey on Foothill Yellow-Legged Frogs and compete with them for habitat and food.
SAVE THE FROGS! is actively working to prevent the City of San Francisco's attempts to destroy portions of the Little Yosemite Canyon of Alameda Creek. This is some of these frogs' finest habitat, so we must protect it. Alameda Creek is southeast of the San Francisco Bay.
Please read this six page letter that SAVE THE FROGS! Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger submitted to the City of San Francisco's Planning Department, titled "The Impact of the Proposed Alameda Creek Recapture Project" (.pdf) [http://is.gd/4zgtXv].
* "Foothill Yellow-Legged Frogs under threat at Alameda Creek" (savethefrogs.com) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/jgdLV2]
Please read this letter that SAVE THE FROGS! submitted to the United States Fish & Wildlife Service on August 20, 2015, titled "The proposed listing of Rana boylii under the Endangered Species Act" (.pdf) [http://is.gd/scr8pk]
One of SAVE THE FROGS! Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger's favorite photos, taken at Alameda Creek, April 2010.
Saving the Foothill Yellow-Legged Frogs at Tesla Park -SAVE THE FROGS! is actively working to protect the amphibians of Tesla Park. This biologically rich area is threatened by expansion of off-highway vehicles from nearby Carnegie Vehicular State Recreation Area (60 miles east of San Francisco). Please visit the STF! Tesla Park page [savethefrogs.com/actions/tesla-park/index.html] and also the Save Tesla Park page [teslapark.org] to learn more and get involved: we need your help to win this campaign and save the Foothill Yellow-Legged Frogs!
Thank you to the 453 SAVE THE FROGS! supporters who sent in letters to the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division of CA State Parks in 2015 urging them to cancel their plans to expand into Tesla Park.
A message from Celeste M. Garamendi (Friends of Tesla Park): "Thank you for considering sharing our efforts to preserve this irreplaceable natural and cultural landscape."
Please read this letter that SAVE THE FROGS! along with our partner groups submitted to the United States Fish & Wildlife Service on August 13, 2015 [http://is.gd/IOJaVv].
Photo: Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog at Carson Falls, Marin County, 2015
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* "Prime Wildlife Habitat in Bay Area Spared From Urban Sprawl; Livermore Council Rejects Project to Build on Biologically Rich Grasslands But Future Fights Loom" (2015-09-15, biologicaldiversity.org) [archive.is/icl2p]
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* "The threat to the common waters" (2015-09-15, opinion piece by Chris Malan, napavalleyregister.com) [archive.is/38NaD]: Napa’s city water manager Joy Eldredge recently presented a critical watershed report to the City Council for long-term municipal watershed protection. All of our reservoirs are in the jurisdiction of the county unincorporated lands. Councilman Scott Sedgley understood Eldredge’s urgent message and championed a water supply/source protection resolution but the City Council opted instead for informal diplomacy with county bureaucrats, well outside of public scrutiny.
The Napa River is designated by regulatory agencies as impaired due to water quality pollutants such as: sediment, pathogens and nutrient. Recently, locals were amazed by a harbor porpoise that visited the River Oxbow area. Unfortunately, authorities speculate that the porpoise succumbed to neurotoxins created by massive algae blooms as a result of fertilizers. The entire riverine ecosystem is affected by degraded water quality as mercury contaminates fish that cannot be eaten. Additionally, declining groundwater levels causes state mandates on our county to have a sustainable groundwater agency by 2017 plus a Sustainable Groundwater Management Plan by 2020.
Drought and over-extracting water has rendered the Napa River (above tidal influence) a series of unnatural stagnant, disconnected pools from late spring to the first rains hence pushing our aquatic ecosystems to near collapse. The state and county have spent millions of taxpayer dollars for river habitat restoration, being a frustrated endeavor since surface and groundwater pumping are uncontrolled.
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* "Pollution dispersion in cities improved by trees, research shows" (2015-09-03, le.ac.uk) [archive.is/3VFVK]
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* "S.F. Bay shows signs of progress in biennial report" (2015-09-09, sfgate.com) [archive.is/GAw8g]
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* "Mitochondria mutation protects plants against TNT - you read that right" (2015-09-03, sciencecodex.com) [archive.is/hdiNw] [begin excerpt]: Researchers have identified a mutation in plants that allows them to break down TNT, an explosive that has become highly prevalent in soil in the last century, particularly at manufacturing waste sites, mines, and military conflict zones.
TNT, or 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, is a toxic and persistent environmental pollutant that accumulates in the roots of plants, inhibiting growth and development. The identification of a plant mechanism that not only evades the negative impacts of TNT, but breaks down this harmful substance could lead to improved revegetation and remediation of TNT-contaminated sites. [end excerpt]
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* "Along Oregon’s Rogue River, opposition to gas pipeline grows" (2015-09-09, peoplesworld.org) [archive.is/V3G29] [begin excerpt]: Everywhere you look in the Rogue Valley are bees, peaches, pears, grapes, and dairy cows. This is the land of Umqua milk and ice cream - the last a match for the very best ice cream in the world - and Tilamook cheese, as good as Wisconsin's. The soil is volcanic and fertile, the climate is temperate and the rainfall is plentiful. It is verdant and green. If you push a stick in the ground, a tree will grow.
And this is where the frackers want to put a pipeline, to feed a liquified natural gas (LNG) port, which will require a 4.2 megawatt, coal-fired power plant feeding a frack-gas liquidizing factory at the port.
The United States is awash in frack-gas, from the ruptured innards of Colorado, Utah and Arizona, to the point where production is dangerously close to overproduction. In other words, close to the point where energy prices for the consumer might drop. But of course, the market being a generalized-monopoly market, a drop in prices will not and cannot be allowed to happen. Instead, another market must be found for the gas.
An Asian market. And the contracts need to be signed and locked in before Russia can underbid and outperform the United States.
Thus the "'need" for another LNG terminal on the West Coast. Coos Bay, more or less in the middle of the southern Oregon coast, has been picked. Why the frack-gas cannot be left in the ground, since the United States does not need it, so as not to pose a threat to the climate, is a question that is not asked. To even pose such a question would not accord with the logic of capitalism. Growth without regard to consequence is the logic of capital, and cancer cells. [end excerpt]
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* "Big Oil rejoices over gutting of Senate Bill 350" (2015-09-11, by Dan Bacher) [archive.is/nrV9U]
* "NRDC Statement on Removal of Petroleum Reduction Goal from SB 350" (2015-09-10, Natural Resources Defense Council) [archive.is/oO0uA]
* "Governor Jerry Brown under fire for firing state oil regulators" (2015-09-07, by Dan Bacher) [archive.is/FMDup]
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* "How one US state went from two quakes a year to 585" (2015-09-20, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/02EwZ]
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* "Murres Dying in Massive Numbers, Our Canary in the Coal Mine As Humanity Is Threatened" (2015-09-07, by Steven Argue) [archive.is/qdoyV] [begin excerpt]: Attempting to enjoy the three day Labor Day weekend, I took a walk along the beach Sunday between Greyhound Rock and Big Basin State Park on a beach a little north of Santa Cruz and Davenport, California. As a botanist who has studied marine algae, I enjoyed observing the large numbers of species of red, green, and brown algae washed up on the shore and in tide pools. Not enjoyable were the large numbers of dead birds. In something like a mile or two stretch of beach there were 16 dead Common Murres, one dead Brandt's Cormorant, and one dead California Sea Lion.
The Common Murres are dead because they are starving to death in massive numbers. Speculation is that the higher water temperatures are driving fish to lower depths. On August 13th, the Monterrey Bay buoy recorded its highest-ever ocean water temperature since the buoy began monitoring temperatures in 1987. That record was 69 degrees Fahrenheit breaking a record of 68 degrees Fahrenheit set in July of last year.
Russ Curtis of the International Bird Rescue's San Francisco Bay Center says that the center took in 150 starving Common Murres this past August. Normally they take in about 10 in August. Russ Curtis says of the die-off:
"They're like the canaries in the coal mines. Common Murres are the first ones to tell us if there's an oil spill or if there's something wrong with our environment. We need to pay attention to them."
Like the Common Tern which has become kind of rare, the Common Murre may be headed in the same direction or worse. We are presently in a mass extinction with a rate of extinction higher than the Permian extinction that wiped out 95% species on Earth. Anthropogenic global warming is increasingly a cause of this extinction event. Common Murres may indeed be one of many canaries in the coal mine, problem is, unlike a mine shaft, we have no other planet to go to and no way to fix the damage as global warming makes our planet less and less habitable for the plants, animals, and human civilization that evolved on a cooler planet. [end excerpt]
SAN PABLO BAY EPA: Health and the Human Ecology
Monopolists enforce a regime that does not recognize the natural right to health and life
* "Coca-Cola Spent Over US$118 Million on 'Health Research' in US" (2015-09-23, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/xjtzc]
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SAN PABLO BAY EPA: Save The Birds [link]! and the Bees [link]!
A campaign to preserve and expand the habitat and populations of pollinators in the San Pablo Bay Area.
* "Many North American birds may lose part of range under climate change scenarios" (2015-09-02, phys.org) [archive.is/v5xet] [begin excerpt]: Over 50% of nearly 600 surveyed bird species may lose more than half of their current geographic range across three climate change scenarios through the end of the century in North America, according to a study published September 2, 2015 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE [archive.is/oO6Ar] by Gary Langham and colleagues from the National Audubon Society. [end excerpt]
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* "Federal Court Overturns EPA Approval of Bee-Killing Pesticide" (2015-09-10, earthjustice.org) [archive.is/0ek5V]
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* "Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation Objects to Disturbance of Sacred Land at Monarch Sanctuary" (2015-09-17) [archive.is/MfTeo]
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articles recommended by the
NO NUKES! campaign
[StopNuclearDeath.blogspot.com]
* "Will USA’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission allow the nuclear lobby to set radiation standards?" (2015-07-31, nuclear-news.net) [archive.is/Nx9GS]
* "The 'Radioactivity is Good for You' Push" (2015-09-10, commondreams.org) [archive.is/BDFHg] [begin excerpt]: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering a move to eliminate the “Linear No-Threshold” (LNT) basis of radiation protection that the U.S. has used for decades and replace it with the “radiation hormesis” theory—which holds that low doses of radioactivity are good for people.
The change is being pushed by “a group of pro-nuclear fanatics—there is really no other way to describe them,” charges the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) based near Washington, D.C.
“If implemented, the hormesis model would result in needless death and misery,” says Michael Mariotte, NIRS president. The current U.S. requirement that nuclear plant operators reduce exposures to the public to “as low as reasonably achievable” would be “tossed out the window. Emergency planning zones would be significantly reduced or abolished entirely. Instead of being forced to spend money to limit radiation releases, nuclear utilities could pocket greater profits. In addition, adoption of the radiation model by the NRC would throw the entire government’s radiation protection rules into disarray, since other agencies, like the EPA, also rely on the LNT model.”
“If anything,” says Mariotte, “the NRC radiation standards need to be strengthened.”
The NRC has a set a deadline of November 19 for people to comment on the proposed change. The public can send comments to the U.S. government’s “regulations” website [regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NRC-2015-0057]. [end excerpt]
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* "U.S. Gov’t intentionally ‘blew up’ nuclear reactor outside Los Angeles in massive human radiation experiment on public — Southern California covered in radioactive plume — Officials 'documented effects of long-range effluent cloud on people downwind' " (2015-09-06, ENENews) [archive.is/DEDFC]:
New York Times, Aug 24, 1994 [archive.is/l3gpd]: U.S. Nuclear Accident in 1965 Was Staged, Documents Show — The Atomic Energy Commission staged a nuclear rocket accident in the Nevada desert in 1965 that sent a radioactive cloud more than 200 miles to Los Angeles, documents released today showed… [Details] were discovered in archival documents from the Energy Department, as part of a continuing inquiry into the Government’s secretive human radiation experiments… Jan. 12, 1965, in Jackass Flats, Nev., part of a rocket’s nuclear core was intentionally vaporized so that scientists could study the behavior of the reactor and the environmental effects of the radiation, the documents showed… [C]onsiderably more people were exposed than in other experiments because the cloud traveled so far, [Congressman Edward Markey] said. The cloud was tracked by aircraft, and increased radioactivity… was observed in Barstow, San Bernadino, Los Angeles and San Diego…U.S. Dept. of Energy (.pdf) [http://is.gd/lLf9IA], 1995: Human Radiation Experiments… The Kiwi Transient Nuclear Test… involved a controlled nuclear excursion resulting in partial vaporization of the reactor core. This created a radioactive plume that, while low in radioactivity, was detectable far off-site… The U.S. Public Health Service monitored the cloud to beyond 200 miles downwind, which extended to Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean.
Los Alamos National Laboratory of the University of California (.pdf) [http://is.gd/UN0rMK], 1968: Environmental Effects of the Kiwi-TNT Effluent — The Kiwi Transient Nuclear Test (Kiwi-TNT) was a controlled excursion… to vaporize a significant portion of the reactor core. The test studied… environmental effects of the radioactive materials released… The U.S. Public Health Service [USPHS] monitored the neighborhood and collected milk samples in southern… California to beyond 200 miles downwind. The course of the effluent cloud was tracked by aircraft… From 5 to 20% of the reactor core was vaporized with approximately 67% of the products from about 3 x 10^20 fissions released to the effluent cloud… USPHS provided offsite radiation surveillance by aerial tracking of the effluent cloud, monitoring radiation dosage of the off-site population, and collecting environmental samples in southern Nevada and California… Following the test… milk samples were collected… 14 locations in southern California. The milk sampling program continued for approximately a week. Vegetation samples were obtained… [Aircraft] tracked the effluent cloud from Death Valley over the Los Angeles area and terminated contact over the Pacific Ocean… The weather at the time of the test fulfilled the desired conditions… The winds were northeasterly [blowing to southwest] at all levels, ranging from 14 to 27 knots… The Kiwi-TNT reactor was “exploded” in the sense that it was a violent disruption and dispersion of an originally intact object. It blew up in an unusual fashion… Because the Kiwi-TNT was a unique, controlled simulation of a phenomenon frequently called a maximum credible reactor accident, there was great interest in the radiological characteristics and effects of the effluent many miles from the test point… The USPHS documented the effects of the long-range effluent cloud on the people and agriculture downwind. [Personnel] observed the radioactive cloud shortly after it reached California and again as it reached the Pacific Ocean… At 11 hours 20 minutes after the Kiwi-TNT event… aircraft again attempted to locate the effluent cloud… Positive signals were received over the ocean from Los Angeles to near Santa Barbara… [Several hours later] it returned to the previous search area and again detected weak, but positive signals… A few days after… officials observed increased radioactivity in routine air samples from the Barstow, San Bernardino. Los Angeles, and San Diego, California, areas…
* "Los Angeles-area Meltdown: Cesium-137 still up to 1,000 times higher than standard — Plutonium also detected — Located between Chatsworth and Simi Valley" (2012-03-06, enenews.com) [archive.is/xsjuW]
* "Rocketdyne radiation is still abundant" (2012-03-05, contracostatimes.com) [archive.is/JYfDg]
* "Atomic Meltdown USA" part 1 [youtube.com/watch?v=DPk9kEaSyAY]
* "Simi Valley Nuclear Disaster" [youtube.com/watch?v=jAHmaEs5cYU], US nuke commission "essentially lied" about one of worst nuclear disasters in history near Los Angeles, up to 240 times Three Mile Island -- 13 fuel rods melted with no containment.
* "Full cleanup in doubt in Simi Hills" (2012-04-07, dailynews.com, Los Angeles) [archive.is/5EmEU]
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* "Fukushima disaster was preventable, new study finds Critical backup generators were built in low-lying areas at risk for tsunami damage — despite warnings from scientists" (2015-09-21, news.usc.edu) [archive.is/L8FiV]
* "Flooding swept away radiation cleanup bags in Fukushima" (2015-09-12, japantimes.co.jp) [archive.is/jh598]
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articles recommended by the
SAN PABLO BAY SOVEREIGNTY Think-tank
[SovereignSanPabloBay.blogspot.com]* "DIY Laundry-to-Landscape Graywater System" (ecologycenter.org) [youtube.com/watch?v=ytqB6iHniIg]: Learn how we installed a simple graywater system, using the water from a laundry machine to irrigate the yard. Lead by Babak Tondre of DIG Coop, we discuss how to plan a system, what plants to irrigate, what tools and supplies you need, and local resources in the East Bay Area.
* GREYWATER ACTION: GET STARTED WITH GREYWATER SYSTEMS
Saturday, September 26, 2015, 1pm to 3pm
$25, at the Ecology Center (2530 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley)
[ecologycenter.org/events/greywater-action-get-started-with-greywater-systems]
Greywater, water from sinks, showers, and washing machines, is a great source of irrigation and can greatly reduce your outdoor water use. Greywater systems are especially important in times of drought. Come learn about common and popular greywater systems, design considerations, water saving potential, costs, regulations, health and safety, soaps and products, and how to choose a system that is a good match for your home and landscape. Experienced instructor Natalie Kilmer will lead you through the design steps to plan your home greywater systems.
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* "Greenhouse Project wants agriculture on site marketed for housing" (2015-09-10, sfchronicle.com) [archive.is/IqE1u] [begin excerpt]: The ruins of the Portola district’s historic greenhouses — remnants of a once-robust flower farming industry — could be replaced by a senior housing development under a plan that represents a blow to residents who have been working for years to revive the property as a center for urban agriculture and education.
Since closing in 1994, the greenhouses have attracted not only stray cats and foxes, but also a growing group of residents, preservationists and advocates of sustainable food production who see the property as a last chance to carve out a piece of San Francisco real estate for urban agriculture. So far it’s a vision that has not been endorsed by the property owners, who have marketed the property for $10 million as a housing development site.
Over the last few months, the Greeenhouse Project, formed in 2008 by David Gabriner and Juan Carlos Cancino — San Francisco natives who fell in love with the property while out exploring the city on their bikes — seemed to be gaining momentum. It hired a new project manager, added board members and raised money from foundations and the city.
The project has the support of Supervisor David Campos and the preservationist group San Francisco Heritage. Architect Bonnie Bridges, who lives across the street from the site, sketched out a plan for an agricultural center that would include new high-density greenhouses, a farmers market, an education facility and 10 units of housing for interns who would work there.
Bridges says the land at 770 Woolsey St. represents the last remaining parcel in the city still zoned for agricultural use — it was rezoned for housing in 1998 but horticulture was grandfathered in as an allowable use.
“This is a legacy project for the city of San Francisco,” said Bridges, whose firm’s designs include coffee shops for Four Barrel Coffee and corporate headquarters for firms like Dropbox. “As far as we know, this is the only 2.2-acre parcel in the city that you could do this in.”
For a while this year it seemed like the interests of the family and the Greenhouse Project might align. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission entered into talks with the nonprofit about possibly incorporating the greenhouse project into a plan to daylight — basically uncover — Yosemite Creek, which runs under the property.
But the PUC concluded the property was too small to meet natural hydrology objectives. There are also two water mains and a gas line running beneath it, and those would be expensive to move, PUC spokesman Tyrone Jue said.
For Gabriner, a filmmaker and Berkeley firefighter, the Greenhouse Project has been life-changing. He bought a home on Girard Street nearby and is working on a film, a love story, based in the Portola.
“You had the whole city making itself beautiful with flowers from this neighborhood,” he said. “This is a neighborhood with a deep sense of history and a lot of people still feel connected to the horticultural traditions. It’s a rebranding of something that has been here since the inception.”
Meanwhile, art students and amateur photographers regularly make pilgrimages to the property, sketching and taking pictures of the moss-covered wooden fence along Woolsey Street.
Photo caption: Caitlyn Galloway harvests flowers at her Little City Garden in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015. Galloway is on the board of directors of a group hoping to acquire nearby abandoned greenhouses in the Portola district that have fallen in disrepair since 1992 when the business shut down.
[end excerpt]
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* "Grape waste could make competitive biofuel" (2015-08-20, adelaide.edu.au) [archive.is/oxRuh]
* "Turning cow poo into power is profitable for US farm" (2015-08-09, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/hZalL]
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articles recommended by the Committee for
ANIMAL RIGHTS
Protect Earth's Sentient Life!
* "Bonobos use finger-pointing, hand gestures to communicate" (2015-09-11, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/0yEek]
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* "Closing the Door on a Painful Chapter in the History of our Kin . . . and Opening the Door to New Discoveries — and Maybe New Rights" (2015-09-15, by Susan, whowhatwhy.org):
"A Disgraceful Era in Our Treatment of Chimps Ended Today," reads a headline in TheDodo.com [archive.is/lZVlE], which trumpets the news that, as of Monday, September 14, 2015, “all chimpanzees are now protected as 'endangered species' — bringing an end to the most shameful era of normalized exploitation and abuse against these animals.”
This US Fish & Wildlife Service ruling, published in the Federal Register on June 16, 2015 [archive.is/bgAam], goes into effect at a fortuitous time: Just five days ago, the International Business Times featured the headline, "Homo naledi: New 'Star Man' human ancestor discovered in South Africa cave" [http://is.gd/R2jyjh], which describes the work of an international team of scientists whose discovery is written up in the October issue of National Geographic magazine [archive.is/uW1pT] and in a new article in the scientific journal eLife [archive.is/9DWHY].
At the same time that a new branch is being added to the human family and new protections are being given in the US to chimpanzees, a new organization called the Nonhuman Rights Project [nonhumanrightsproject.org], founded by long-time animal protection attorney Steven M. Wise, is attempting to change the legal status of certain species of self-aware, autonomous nonhumans, including chimpanzees, from "things" to "persons." Wise explains the mission of NhRP in this TED talk [http://is.gd/9O65Zc].
The name of the cave where the fossils of the newly dubbed Homo naledi species may portend success for the four chimpanzees whose freedom from captivity Wise's group is currently fighting for in the New York State courts: Rising Star.
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ANIMAL RIGHTS: Save the Whales!
* "When sperm whales click, is it culture?" (2015-09-08, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/fJqUQ]
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UNITED STATES FASCISM WATCH
[UnitedStatesFascism.blogspot.com] Documenting the process of fascism and for whom it benefits.
Many self-identified "Libertarians" attempt to disassociate capitalism from capitalist dictatorships (fascism) by claiming that capitalism is the best economic system because "pure capitalism" would prevent dictatorships through voluntary associations building a utopia where everybody respects one another and engages in fair contractual transactions. Instead, history shows that the accumulation of capital leads to economic dictatorship, where government is imposed on the people for the benefit of the economic dictators...
---* "Why So Many Americans Defend the Failed Capitalist Experiment" (2015-09-14, commondreams.org) [archive.is/PBSnY] [begin excerpt]:
1. The Rich are Easy to Understand: Capitalism Justifies Selfishness
2. The Would-Be Rich: Dollar Signs Dance in Their Heads
3. The Rest of Us: The Media Keeps Telling Us that Capitalism is the Only Way to Live
4. Anyone Above the Lowest Class: It's Empowering to Look Down on Someone
[end excerpt]
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* "Not Everyone Is Buying 3.7% U.S. GDP in 2Q; 'Only the Chinese Numbers Are More Suspect' " (2015-09-08, wallstreetonparade.com) [archive.is/P0F44]
* "Goldman Sachs Beats Another Fraud Rap: Can the Public Ever Get Justice in New York Courts?" (2015-09-05, wallstreetonparade.com) [archive.is/oNBfk]
* "Did Small Investors Get Fleeced in the 1089-Point Plunge on August 24?" (2015-09-10, wallstreetonparade.com) [archive.is/jBHq7]
PROTECT DEMOCRACY FROM CORPORATE CRIMINALS
Petition to stop the influence of criminal corporations in our election systems [corporatecriminals.com].
We all know the sad truth that the Citizens United decision opened the floodgates for hundreds of millions in corporate spending to deluge local, state, and national elections.
But many don’t realize that some of the money flowing into our elections is coming directly from corporations that have been charged or found guilty of felonies and other criminal activity.
* "Who Turned the Stock Market Around at 4:47 A.M. This Morning?" (2015-09-23, wallstreetonparade.com) [archive.is/DBlNz] [begin excerpt]: We may have just gotten our answer to the puzzling question of why we can put a man on the moon but the Securities and Exchange Commission can’t create a consolidated tape of our markets for forensic auditing purposes: a consolidated tape would tell us just who it is that is messing around with stock futures in the middle of the night as well as creating flash crashes during the trading day. [end excerpt]
* "The 10 Worst Corporate Accounting Scandals of All Time" [http://is.gd/ldsO8I], infographic [archive.is/HAhaJ]
* "Here's What Could Be Fixed by the Taxes on Apple's Offshored Profits; These 26 big companies are sitting on billions that could go to schools, parks, and roads" (2015-04-02, motherjones.com) [http://is.gd/xInSoM].
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* "The Fed’s Chatter About a Rate Hike Is to Appease Foreign Investors – Which Includes Money Launderers" (2015-09-16, wallstreetonparade.com) [archive.is/uMLQ2]
* "Citigroup Was Using Taxpayer Bailout Funds While Committing Its Foreign Currency Felony" (2015-09-15, wallstreetonparade.com) [archive.is/iXeIR]
* "In Gutting California Climate Bill, Big Oil Won Skirmish — But Not War; 'It's a sad day when oil industry lies stand in the way of clean air, but if the industry thinks they have won a victory, it will be short-lived' " (2015-09-10, commondreams.org) [archive.is/OskTW]* "Rubio: Priority No. 1 is lifting U.S. oil export ban" (2015-09-03, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/DHefy]
* "California Gov. Jerry Brown Sends Ben Carson The Climate Evidence He Couldn't Find" (2015-09-11, huffingtonpost.com) [archive.is/GBRP2] [begin excerpt]: Retired neurosurgeon turned Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson received a flash drive on Thursday full of the evidence for climate change that he has apparently been looking for.
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) mailed Carson a copy of the synthesis report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), along with a letter asking Carson to utilize his "considerable intelligence" to review the material. The IPCC is the scientific body created by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization to provide regular assessments of the state of climate science for policymakers.
Brown's letter came after Carson asked to see the science demonstrating climate change was caused by human activity during a visit to California earlier this week.
"I know there a lot of people who say 'overwhelming science,' but then when you ask them to show the overwhelming science, they never can show it," Carson told The San Francisco Chronicle [archive.is/dXgI8]. "There is no overwhelming science that the things that are going on are man-caused and not naturally caused."
"Gimme a break," Carson added.
Brown said the flash drive contained the "overwhelming science" Carson wanted. [end excerpt]
* "Jerry Brown to Ben Carson: Do your homework on climate change" (2015-09-10, sfgate.com) [archive.is/sRfXc]
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* "Ayn Rand's Capitalist Paradise Is Now a Greedy Land-Grabbing Shitstorm" (2014-08-28, gawker.com) [archive.is/bvpU8]
* "The Fate of Galt's Gulch Chile" (2014-08-25, thedailybell.com) [archive.is/6khFk]
* "All You Need to Know about the Demise of Galt’s Gulch, Chile; US$10.5 Million Lost to Ken Johnson, Nothing to Show for It" (2015-05-04, panampost.com) [http://is.gd/h1RlB6]
* "Galt’s Gulch Chile Resurrects Marred Libertarian Project" (2015-04-29, panampost.com) [http://is.gd/xeGN1v]
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* "Fox's Stuart Varney Falsely Claims Seattle Minimum Wage Increase Cost 1,000 Food Service Jobs; Seattle Area Has Actually Added 1,800 Food Service Jobs Since The Start Of The Year, Despite Minimum Wage Requirement" (2015-09-11, mediamatters.org) [archive.is/kFkVK], from the September 11 edition of Fox Business's Varney & Company, watch the video (.mp4) [http://is.gd/GmKStE]
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The CIA and related security agencies have brought out propaganda demonizing Hugo Chavez, the democratically elected President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to stigmatize socialism. The lies are applied to demonize "leftist" targets, creating a polorization and consolidation of a fascist faction in the Democrat Party which, as represented by Hilary Clinton, propose unmitigated warfare, and no end to exploitive business practices, alongside anti-socialism.* "Clinton Camp Goes Negative on Bernie Sanders for First Time; A mailer compares Sanders to Britain's Jeremy Corbyn and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez" (2015-09-15, alternet.org) [archive.is/edTQn]
* "Clinton-allied group ties Sanders to Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez" (2015-09-15, charlotteobserver.com) [archive.is/ZjUCj] [begin excerpt]: The alleged smear on Sanders had to do with home-heating oil donations from Citgo to help poor Americans in Vermont and elsewhere in the U.S. Northeast. Since 1990, Citgo has been a wholly owned subsidiary of PDVSA. Citgo operates refineries in Texas, Louisiana and Illinois, and retail gasoline stations across much of the United States.
Amid a price spike after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, Venezuela began donating heating oil to the poor in Northeastern U.S. cities. The program, which involves both discounted and free heating oil, began with the help of former Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, D-Mass., and has continued ever since. It’s even touted on Citgo’s website as a symbol of corporate responsibility. [end excerpt]
* "How WSJ is off by $18 Trillion on Sanders’ Proposals" (2015-09-17, Institute for Public Accuracy) [archive.is/sRG6n]
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* "Plurality of Republicans Still Convinced Obama Is a Muslim" (2015-09-14, by Klaus, whowhatwhy.org): Almost seven years after the election of Barack Obama, a plurality of Republicans still believes that the president is a Muslim, according to a new CNN/ORC poll (.pdf) [http://is.gd/b9EPcl].A truly eye-popping 43 percent of Republicans (and 45 percent of conservatives) think that Obama is a Muslim, compared to 28 percent (27 percent among conservatives) who think that he is a Protestant/Christian. Almost equally stunning is that 15 percent of Democrats also think the leader of their party is a Muslim.
The poll also revealed that conservatives are most afraid of external threats. Asked whether they thought Iran, Russia, and North Korea are threats to the United States, 94 percent of conservatives believed that Iran poses a very serious or moderately serious threat (compared to 64 percent among liberals), 83 percent of conservatives believe North Korea poses such a threat (as opposed to 68 percent among liberals), and 77 percent of conservatives view Russia as such a threat (compared to 55 percent of liberals).
* "Poll finds almost a third of Americans would support a military coup; Online survey shows 29% would support possible takeover while 41% said they could not imagine supporting such an event" (2015-09-12, theguardian.com) [archive.is/GxntK]
* "43% Of GOP Say No To Elections, Yes To Military Overthrow" (2015-09-13, reverbpress.com) [archive.is/Z7DPe]
* "Ex-CIA Employee Admits President Obama is a 'RADICAL ISLAMIC' Enemy of America" (2015-09-01, conservativepost.com) [archive.is/mYOPA], original version [archive.is/BZ01U]
* "Trump Refuses To Correct Man Who Declares: 'Problem... Is Called Muslims' " (2015-09-18, commondreams.org) [archive.is/PY2kY] [begin excerpt]: As the Washington Post reports [archive.is/kqBGA]:
The exchange came during a post-debate rally in Rochester, N.H., during which Trump asked the audience for questions rather than giving a speech. To kick things off, Trump pointed at a man in the audience: "Okay, this man. I like this guy."
"We have a problem in this country, it's called Muslims," the man said. "We know our current president is one. You know, he's not even an American. Birth certificate, man."
"Right," Trump said, then adding with a shake of his head: "We need this question? This first question."
"But any way," the man said. "We have training camps... where they want to kill us."
"Uh huh," Trump said.
"That's my question: When can we get rid of them?" the man said.
Trump responded: "We're going to be looking at a lot of different things. You know, a lot of people are saying that, and a lot of people are saying that bad things are happening out there. We're going to look at that and plenty of other things."
Though unclear to some degree whether the man is referring to Muslims themselves or "the training camps" they have when he says "when can we get rid of them," Trump makes no effort to clarify that point and offers no correction when it comes to Obama's religion or to push back against the initial statement which was that the problem in this country "is called Muslims." [end excerpt]
* "The terrifying reason Donald Trump is winning: The infantilized conservative base wants rage, not ideas" (2015-09-05, salon.com) [archive.is/aexj2]
* "The GOP's Vicious Religious Warfare: The Arms Race for Extremists' Hearts and Minds Trump, Cruz, Huckabee & Carson are engaging in a heated campaign to get the support of the religious right" (2015-09-10, alternet.org) [http://is.gd/gTPoed]
* "Donald Trump and the Ghost of Totalitarianism" (2015-09-09, tikkun.org) [archive.is/Fk30J] [begin excerpt]: Missing from the commentaries by most of the mainstream media regarding the current rise of Trumpism is any historical context that would offer a critical account of the ideological and political disorder plaguing the American society—personified by Trump’s popularity. A resurrection of historical memory in this moment could provide important lessons regarding the present crisis, particularly the long tradition of racism, white supremacy, exceptionalism, war mongering, and extended wars on youth, women, and immigrants. Calling Trump a fascist is not enough. What is necessary are analyses in which the seeds of totalitarianism are made visible in Trump’s discourse and policy measures. One example can be found in Steve Weissman’s commentary on Trump in which he draws a relationship between Trump’s casual racism and the neo-fascist movements across Europe who “are growing strong by hating others for their skin color, religious origin, or immigrant status.” Few journalists have acknowledged the presence of white militia and white supremacists groups at his rallies and almost none have acknowledged the chanting of “white power” at some of his rallies which would surely signal not only Trump’s connections to a racist past but also to the formative Nazi culture that gave rise to genocide.
In the age of casino capitalism, time itself has become a burden more than a condition for contemplation, self-reflection, and the cultivation of thoughtful and compassionate social relations. The extended arc of temporal relations in which one could imagine long-term investments in the common good has given way to a notion of time in which the horizon of time is contained within the fluctuating short-term investments of the financial elite and their militant drive for profits at any price. What is lost in this merging of time and the dictates of neoliberal capital are the most basic elements of being human along with the formative culture and institutions necessary to develop a real, substantive democracy. [end excerpt]
* "Citing Trump as their role model, 2 white guys in Boston beat homeless Latino man nearly to death" (2015-08-20, boingboing.net) [archive.is/uWWcq]
* "Immigration Activist Assaulted At Rally By Donald Trump Supporter" (2015-09-09, latintimes.com) [archive.is/3TXgj]
* "Trump’s Immigrant Grandpappy Made The Family Fortune On Stolen Land, Hookers And Booze" (2015-09-20, addictinginfo.org) [http://is.gd/pI5ZXI]
* "Donald Trump isn't rich because he's a great investor. He's rich because his dad was rich" (2015-09-02, vox.com) [archive.is/7qAwF]
* "1927 news report: Donald Trump's dad arrested in KKK brawl with cops" (2015-09-09, boingboing.net) [archive.is/66yhX] [begin excerpt]: In an article subtitled "Klan assails policeman", Fred Trump is named in among those taken in during a late May "battle" in which "1,000 Klansmen and 100 policemen staged a free-for-all." At least two officers were hurt during the event, after which the Klan's activities were denounced by the city's Police Commissioner, Joseph A. Warren.
“The Klan not only wore gowns, but had hoods over their faces almost completely hiding their identity,” Warren was quoted as saying in the article, which goes on to identify seven men “arrested in the near-riot of the parade.”Named alongside Trump are John E Kapp and John Marcy (charged with felonious assault in the attack on Patrolman William O'Neill and Sgt. William Lockyear), Fred Lyons, Thomas Caroll, Thomas Erwin, and Harry J Free. They were arraigned in Jamaica, N.Y. All seven were represented by the same lawyers, according to the article.
The final entry on the list reads: “Fred Trump of 175-24 Devonshire Road, Jamaica, was discharged.”
In 1927, Donald Trump's father would have been 21 years old, and not yet a well-known figure. Multiple sources report his residence at the time—and throughout his life—at the same address. [end excerpt]
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* "Mike Huckabee: Dred Scott decision ‘is still the law of the land’ regardless of 14th Amendment" (2015-09-10, rawstory.com) [archive.is/Q7KCr]
* "Huckabee: Dred Scott Decision “Remains To This Day The Law Of The Land” The Dred Scott decision was overturned by the 14th Amendment" (2015-09-10, buzzfeed.com) [archive.is/xKohf], with the audio recording of the statement by Mike Huckabee.
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* "Lottery privatized under Christie falls $136 million short" (2015-09-15, AP Newswire) [http://is.gd/FJ5jMz]
* "Chris Christie: 'The Pope Is Lying To Everybody, He’s A Concealed Atheist' " (2015-09-16, religionlo.com) [archive.is/ilXG4]
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* "Jeb Bush’s tax plan is great for Jeb Bush" (2015-09-10, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/hE119] [begin excerpt]: As others have pointed out, Jeb Bush’s tax plan axes taxes for pretty much everyone, but especially for really, really rich people.
Including, coincidentally, Jeb Bush.
The Republican presidential candidate would make out like a bandit under his own plan. According to my quick-and-dirty, back-of-the-envelope calculations based on Bush’s 2013 tax return, his liability for that year would have fallen by about $800,000, or about a quarter of what he paid Uncle Sam.
Here’s how I got that number. Bush’s adjusted gross income (A.G.I.) — all the money he received from wages, investments, etc., less the deductible part of his self-employment tax — was $7,274,764.
From that, he can subtract personal exemptions, for himself and his wife, totaling $8,000. Under the current system, he is considered too rich to take these exemptions, but his plan would allow him to do so. [end excerpt]
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Can one be religious and still be elected to office? Many self-described "conservatives", spoken for by Ben Carson, feel that is it impossible... unless one is of their particular ideology.
* "Ben Carson blames 'PC culture' for Muslim comment flap" (2015-09-22, chicagotribune.com) [archive.is/wGEYT] [begin excerpt]: Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson on Tuesday blamed "P.C. culture" for the political fallout over his statement against electing a Muslim president.
Carson told reporters in Ohio that his view is that anyone wanting to be president must embrace the Constitution and American principles. He added that he would oppose a Christian for president who wanted to establish a theocracy.
Asked how his campaign can recover from the controversy, the retired neurosurgeon replied: "The only way we fix that is fix the P.C. culture in our country," referring to political correctness.
"We fix America, and we get people who actually start listening .... and stop trying to fit everything into a P.C. model," he said. [end excerpt]
* "Dr. Ben Carson, African-American Conservative, Hits All the Tea Party's Wacky High Notes" (2014-12-08, dailykos.com) [http://is.gd/tJpGd3]:
In October, Dr. Ben Carson told conservative radio talk show host Mark Levin that: "Before Obama, people barely noticed skin color; that goes back 150 years. Blacks were happy and grateful for what we were given."Vigorously opposed to Obamacare, calling it "the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery?" Check. Think America is "very much like Nazi Germany?" Check. Think Michael Brown may have caused his own murder? Check. If you need an opinion or a controversial remark from an African American conservative, Dr. Ben Carson has a quiver full. If you haven't yet heard of Dr. Ben Carson, that's probably because you're not watching the Fox News Channel often enough.
But have no fear, the major news networks are liable to be discovering him in the very near future. Mainstream appearances are likely to be triggered by: a) the networks' desperately seeking a conservative African American voice; and/or, b) Carson may be seriously considering a run at the White House in 2016.
Carson, who in late 2013 was added as a Fox News contributor, is a 62-year-old retired neurosurgeon, who, according to Wikipedia, is credited with being the first doctor to successfully separate conjoined twins at the head. Carson is emeritus professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. According to an amazon.com bio, he "serves on the corporate boards of the Kellogg Company, Costco Wholesale Corp., and American's Promise, among others, and is an Emeritus Fellow of the Yale Corporation."
He is the author of several books including his latest, One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America's Future (May 2014), which is currently on the New York Times bestseller list. Carson, on tour with this book, recently drew huge crowds at several appearances in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Carson is also the author of America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great (January 2012) and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (co-authored with Cecil Murphy – November 1996).
Just about every presidential election cycle has the Republican Party trucking out a conservative African American who will share the stage with the Party's mostly white male candidates. Last time around it was Herman Cain, the former CEO of the Godfather's Pizza chain, who boasted about his lack of political experience, and later was derailed by charges of sexual improprieties. Alan Keyes, the former diplomat and controversial conservative radio and television talk show host, made several runs at the GOP's nomination (1996, 2000, 2008). He was the darling of the Religious Right, and was always the most articulate man in the room. The Illinois Republican Party even drafted Keyes to run against Barack Obama for the U.S. Senate, a race in which he was overwhelmingly defeated.
Carson's USA First PAC-
According to CBS News' Washington, D.C. affiliate, Carson is in the process of raising money through a super Political Action Committee called USA First PAC. Appearing on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor," Carson said: "We've started the USA First PAC to do exactly that, but also to raise funds to help other candidates," Carson stated. "I think if we don't have a significant impact in November of this year, we're going to have lost the race so we really need to have a big impact now."
"There's no question that I haven't spent a lot of time in government, but it doesn't mean you can't make sure you have people around you who have spent that time," Carson added. "I think the thing that is actually more important is wisdom and understanding and knowing how to use facts."
Carson's interest in making the run may have been buoyed by his recent victory in the Polk County, Iowa Republican Party Dinner Straw Poll where he won 62 percent of the vote, handily defeating Senator Ted Cruz, who came in second with 7 percent.
If he is going to give it a go, Carson may have to reckon with some of his over-the-top rhetoric. In March, he talked about living "in a Gestapo age." He was asked by Fox News' Mallory Factor to explain. As quoted by Mediaite, Carson said: "I mean, [we are] very much like Nazi Germany. And I know you're not supposed to say 'Nazi Germany,' but I don't care about political correctness. You know, you had a government using its tools to intimidate the population. We now live in a society where people are afraid to say what they actually believe."
Late last month, Carson spoke at the "Defending the American Dream Summit" sponsored by Americans for Prosperity. While he was not ready to declare his candidacy, Carson once again took on political correctness.
"I hate political correctness so much," he said. "I'm not a politician and I don't believe in political correctness. I may say something that may offend someone. I frankly never plan on becoming a politician. That doesn't mean I won't do something in political office, but I won't become a politician in the process. The reason I hate political correctness so much is because it's antithetical to the founding principle of our nation – freedom of speech and freedom of expression. We have reached the point in this country where the average citizen is afraid to express himself. "
He continued: "Is it absurd that anybody who is pro-life is now called anti-woman? Does that make any sense at all? If you believe in traditional marriage, then you're anti-'gay,' you're a homophobe? If you're a white person and you disagree with a progressive black person you're a racist? If you're a black person and you disagree with a progressive white person you're crazy? It's all about intimidation. And it only works if you're afraid of them. And if you're not afraid of them, it doesn't work. I hope you will join me in not being intimidated by them."
Carson supporters have launched a National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee to raise the retired neurosurgeon's national profile.
A recent Carson column essentially blamed Michael Brown for his own murder.
Carson is scheduled to receive $43,000 to speak at Valdosta State University on September 11, in an event called "An Evening with Dr. Ben Carson," and "billed as a non-partisan fundraiser," according to the vsuspectator.com.
In reality, Carson is another in a long line of black conservatives that have no standing or following in the black community. They are mostly supported by white organizations and right-wing media outlets, and are very popular in gatherings of white conservatives.
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* "Ann Coulter Goes Off On Debate Rant About The 'F---ing Jews' " (2015-09-16, talkingpointsmemo.com) [archive.is/4Yu5f]
* "Columnist Ann Coulter Shocks Cable TV Show, Declaring 'Jews Need to Be Perfected by Becoming Christians' " (2007-10-11, foxnews.com) [archive.is/TcuTg]
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* "Arizona Drug Tested Welfare Recipients — Here Are the Shocking Results" (2015-07-21, mic.com) [archive.is/oUiWJ]
* "Trey Radel, Busted On Cocaine Charge, Voted For Drug Testing Food Stamp Recipients" (2013-11-19, huffingtonpost.com) [http://is.gd/pSjtq5]
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* "Pardon my skepticism" (2015-09-13, letter by Al Cardwell to the editor of napavalleyregister.com) [archive.is/vRrBn] [begin excerpt]: In an Aug. 28 letter (“Someone beyond human understanding”), Kent Cohea professed to be a true Christian who bases his life on the word of God (the Bible and Ten Commandments) rather than on the false teachings of the Age of Enlightenment (rationalism and humanistic philosophy). According to Cohea, it was self-sacrificing Christians who fought to end the horrid practice of slavery and who, practicing their faith, have made the world a better place.
Pardon my skepticism, but I have a different view of history.
As I recall, all the Southern plantation slave owners were practicing Christians (non-Christians were not tolerated), who even cited passages in the Bible to justify slavery. And in World War II, a majority of Germans who fought for Adolf Hitler were Christians (either Catholic or Lutheran). [end excerpt]
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* "Planned Parenthood Detractors Threaten Sole Safety-Net for Millions of Women; New research finds that the healthcare provider is often the only source of contraceptive care for minority and low-income women" (2015-09-09, commondreams.org) [archive.is/cXSH6]
* "Why We Must Fight the Attack on Planned Parenthood" (2015-09-16, by Robert Reich) [archive.is/SLY6Z]
* "Planned Parenthood is a symbol. This is the reality of one Ohio clinic" (2015-09-15, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/QGE5B]. Russ from whowhatwhy.org writes: Half of Planned Parenthood Clinics Don’t Even Perform Abortions, but PP clinics do provide vital services to mostly young and poor people. Yet, there’s a threat to shut down the federal government over funding to the organization. Check out the photo of the man protesting abortion in front of a clinic that … doesn’t even perform abortions.
===*===*===
USA FASCISM: Military State
* "Want to Cut Government Waste? Find the $8.5 Trillion the Pentagon Can’t Account For" (2013-11-25, finance.yahoo.com) [archive.is/4cxJg]
* "GOP offers $3.8T budget that boosts defense, repeals Obamacare" (2015-03-17, AP Newswire) [archive.is/f4Scp] [begin excerpt]: House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a $3.8 trillion budget plan for next year that effectively breaks tight budget limits on military spending while promising a familiar roster of big cuts to social programs such as food stamps and Medicaid.
The plan by Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price, R-Ga., pads Pentagon and State Department accounts for overseas operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere by $36 billion above President Barack Obama's $58 billion request for such spending, which is not bound by the return of automatic cuts next year.
In a statement, Price said the budget is the right solution as "our nation faces tremendous fiscal and economic challenges and, if nothing is done, a future of less opportunity and low expectations."
Price's plan, written in consultation with GOP leaders, borrows heavily from prior GOP budgets, including a controversial plan that would transform Medicare into a voucher-like program for seniors joining Medicare in 2024 or later. They would receive a subsidy to purchase health insurance on the private market.
The use of overseas military funds to skirt spending caps on the military, however, is a new feature. War spending is exempt from budget limits and the move would allow Republicans to use budget tricks to match Obama's proposal to boost defense spending by $38 billion above current limits. That was a key demand of the party's defense hawks. [end excerpt]
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* "Washington Continues to Violate 1972 Treaty on Bio-Warfare" (2015-09-15, Wayne Madsen) [archive.is/bMDCt]
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* "DOD starting new entity for sharing space information" (2015-09-14, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/lqIU0]
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* "Lockheed Martin protests new armored truck contract" (2015-09-09, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/PKb2N]
* "US Tests New Cerberus Electronic Attack System on Drones" (2015-09-10, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/QZiyD]
* "Orbital ATK producing more AARGM missiles" (2015-09-09, upi.com) [archive.is/uKUMC]
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* "U.S. Prisoners Build Missile Parts for Raytheon and Lockheed to Sell Abroad" (2011-03-10, allgov.com) [archive.is/3Na90]
* "Army recruits prisoners to make body armor" (2011-03-10, wired.com) [archive.is/23fdF]
* "Prisoners help build Patriot missiles" (2011-03-08, wired.com) [archive.is/qJJpg]
* "Defense Contractors Using Prison Labor to Build High-Tech Weapons Systems; Prison labor seems like a win-win to many, but a closer look reveals a race to the bottom for skilled workers" (2011-04-28, alternet.org) [http://is.gd/c0sBdq]
* "The Pentagon and Slave Labor in U.S. Prisons" (2011-06-23, by Sara Flounders, International Action Center and Global Research) [archive.is/2R4Cz]
* "What Do Prisoners Make for Victoria's Secret? From Starbucks to Microsoft: a sampling of what US inmates make, and for whom" (2008-07, motherjones.com) [http://is.gd/k0bZsi]
USA's Slave Labor camps all have torture chambers. Some prisons consist only of torture chambers.
* [ccrjustice.org/home/get-involved/tools-resources/fact-sheets-and-faqs/torture-use-solitary-confinement-us-prisons]
* "What is solitary confinement?" [solitarywatch.com/facts/faq]:
Solitary confinement is the practice of isolating people in closed cells for 22-24 hours a day, virtually free of human contact, for periods of time ranging from days to decades.
As Craig Haney, Professor of Psychology at UC Santa Cruz, testified in support of Ashker v Brown: “‘Solitary confinement’ and ‘isolated confinement’ are terms of art in correctional practice and scholarship. For perhaps obvious reasons, total and absolute solitary confinement—literally complete isolation from any form of human contact—does not exist in prison and never has. Instead, the term is generally used to refer to conditions of extreme (but not total) isolation from others.”
Few prison systems use the term “solitary confinement,” instead referring to prison “segregation” or placement in “restrictive housing.”
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The USA Military State is supported by millions of USA Citizens who support mass killings of foreign civilians, persuaded by the faked evidence produced by military propagandists in the employment of weapons manufacturers.
* "Trump, Cruz, Palin and others hold tea party rally against Iran deal" (2015-09-09, dailykos.com) [archive.is/CgYwx]
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* "Pax Americana: True Military Might or Glitch in the Matrix?" (2015-09-21, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/HN2jO]
===*===*===
USA FASCISM: Two Party Dictatorship
* "Why American Presidents are so Rotten" (2015-07-13, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/usAPu]
The Two-Party system is meant to dominate the elections by providing a "Liberal" faction and a "conservative" faction controlled by the same dominating economic dictators. Right now, it may appear to not be working...
Despite diverging campaigns, ALL candidates participating in either of the Two-Party primaries advocate more war, another example of how the Two-Party system masks a militarystate dictatorship.
* "Elections USA: All Republican Presidential Candidates Stand For War" (2015-09-21, by Dr. Paul Craig Roberts) [archive.is/NtfkY]
* Bernie Sanders on China [archive.is/krr9o], and Russia [archive.is/WTrLq], calling for more war, including economic warfare.
* "Votel Promotes False Anti-Russian Narrative" (2015-08-11, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/fZapF] [begin excerpt]: A lot of effort has been put into depicting Russia as “expansionist,” “imperialist” and otherwise threatening. Demagogic left-wing US Senator and Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders articulated these sentiments in an interview with Bill O’Reilly, saying, “The world has got to stand up to Putin.” [end excerpt]
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* "Corporate money" letter (2015-09-18 by Michael Biehl of San Francisco to the editor of SFChronicle.com) [http://is.gd/3gKN8n]: In “Reports of a few Republican sightings” (Sept. 17), C.W. Nevius suggests that Republicans in San Francisco are almost as rare hen’s teeth. I think that if you dig under the surface, you’ll find a far different picture. For instance, the most powerful politician in town is, in fact, a Republican: Mayor Ed Lee. I don’t care what he calls himself or how many Pride parades he attends. He invariably courts and caters to big corporate money. Hence, in truth, he’s a Republican and ought to change his official political affiliation. I don’t see how he can stand to look at himself in the mirror. Likewise, the entire high-tech industry that has taken over this town is run by people who, for the most part, call themselves Democrats, but are really cutthroat corporate capitalists; the type that the Republican party champions relentlessly. Calling yourself a Buddhist or a Christian doesn’t make you one. Neither does calling yourself a Democrat.
===*===*===
USA FASCISM: State Media Watch
* "Crucified Boy, Boiled Babies and Stone Fish Law" (2015-08-01, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/Wbfge] [begin excerpt]: Observing a simultaneous waging of several information wars, the author of the article often wonders why it happens that obvious fabrications are spread in the media. His conspiracy-addicted mind usually draws a picture, in which the chief editor of a propaganda newspaper instructs a journalist to write something dreadful, and the latter energetically elaborates a news-plant. Perhaps, this is how it used to work in the past. But today the mechanism of the elaboration of especially remarkable rumors looks something like that. [end excerpt]
* "Why the media is biased - understanding the propaganda model" (2015-09-03, anarkismo.net) [archive.is/9BWEj] [begin excerpt]: Though we are limited by space in this article, it is worth looking at the basic way in which the Propaganda Model works. Chomsky and Herman argue that censorship in the modern media functions a lot like the way a filtration system works - news acceptable to the interests of big business passes through the filters, whereas news that challenges the establishment is filtered out. According to Chomsky and Herman there are five main filters, all of which target and work against the production of "anti-establishment news". News that passes through one filter can often be caught by other filters down the line.
Introducing The Five Filters -
There are five main influences on the news and views that are produced by TV, radio and newspapers. These influences act like filters, separating out acceptable news from 'unacceptable news'. Because of these 'filters' we end up with a sanitised news and information service which helps most modern governments to rule:
1. Ownership: Three-quarters of the Irish print media is owned by just one billionaire - Denis O'Brien (and before him another billonaire, Tony O'Reilly). But Ireland is not unusual in having a situation like this. Across the world, the major media services from Sky Channel (Rupert Murdoch) to Reuters are in private hands. The reason for this is simple: news makes money. Murdoch once described a newspaper he was trying to buy as "a river of gold". This ethos - making money out of news - in itself creates a certain way of looking at the world. This is the first filter.
2. Advertising: Leonard Mattews of the American Association of Advertising Agencies once put it succinctly: "To expect private companies to go on supporting a medium that is attacking them is like taking up a collection among the Christians for money to buy more lions". Advertisers often exert subtle but firm influence on the media
3. News Experts: There is an increasing reliance on the 'expert' within the news media. However the vast majority of the 'experts' tend to come from within the confines of the 'establishment' itself. These 'experts' often have a definite 'ideological bent' - a factor that may not often be clear to the viewer. Also in this area, Government and business often employ Public Relations consultants to prepare and present their views to the media. These 'media-friendly' mediators (spin-doctors) can often guarantee coverage.
4. Balance and 'Flak': No one realises that media coverage is important in popularising an issue as does the Government and the business community. They often monitor the news in order to ensure that there is 'balanced coverage' of an issue that is of interest to them. The Government and the employers federation IBEC often pay people to do this specific job for them. Again this effect can alter the tone and direction of the news that we hear.
5. Overriding Concerns: What does the Cold War and Terrorism have in common? Quite a lot when it comes to the media. In the USA, the Cold War was often used to bludgeon "unruly" journalists into submission, around particular certain subject matters. The equivalent to the Cold War in Ireland is Terrorism (or more specifically "paramilitary terrorism"). As is well know (from Section 31 and so forth) large elements of the Irish media accepted overt censorship within the media for much of the last decades. While Section 31 was supposedly directed at certain organisations, its ethos extended far wider.
[end excerpt]
* "Why didn't CNN's international arm air its own documentary on Bahrain's Arab Spring repression? A former CNN correspondent defies threats from her former employer to speak out about self-censorship at the network" (2012-09-04, theguardian.com) [archive.is/E5cWn]
* "CNN Exposed: Emmy Winning Former CNN Journalist Amber Lyon Blows The Whistle, 'Let me repeat that.CNN is paid by the US government for reporting on some events, and not reporting on others. The Obama Administration pays for CNN content' " (2012-10-07, beforeitsnews.com) [archive.is/JhtfE] [begin excerpt]: Within this Canadian video report you will find footage of a CNN story on Egypt and Mohammed Al Zawahiri. It was produced by well-known CNN Journalist Nick Robertson. The entire video is excellent, but the pertinent aspect is at the 1:30 mark, view the video "Brian Lilley: The MSM is lying about the muslim riots" at [archive.org/details/EgyptSpringStarted].
Why would CNN [or CNNi] refuse to air the Nick Robertson report with Muhammed Al Zawahiri (brother of Ayman Al Zawahiri) that clearly shows the Egyptian uprising was 100% in response to his call for protests for release of the Blind sheik on 9-11.? Why would the “most trusted name in news“, hide the report showing the truth, and instead allow the false narrative to be sold, by them, to the American electorate?
Amber Lyon provides the answer(s).
CNN never aired the Nick Robertson report in Egypt because it completely contradicted the Obama Administration, and Hillary Clinton State Department, Egyptian assertions. In short, it proved they were lying – BIG TIME. The refusal to air the real reasoning for the Egyptian Embassy assault was intentional protection of President Obama specifically orchestrated by the CNN News group. Specific, intentional, lying. [end excerpt]
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* "Climate change denier Rupert Murdoch just bought National Geographic, which gives grants to scientists" (2015-09-05, boingboing.net) [archive.is/Z6Ehs]
* "A Firing at The Los Angeles Times Focuses Discontent" (2015-09-20, nytimes.com) [archive.is/OT2MB]
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* "TV Reporter Gets the Hook for Asking Senator about Hookers" (2015-09-10, whowhatwhy.org):
The Advocate reports that a Baton Rouge TV reporter was fired shortly after asking Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) whether the gubernatorial candidate still solicited prostitutes. Considering that the lawmaker was tied to not one [archive.is/51kO0] but two prostitution rings [archive.is/HqFql], it might seem like a fair question. Somebody clearly didn’t think so, and now TV reporter Derek Meyers is out of a job. He claims the reason is that Vitter’s people called his TV station and threatened to pull campaign ads. Both the station and Vitter’s campaign say that didn’t happen. You can read the entire story here [archive.is/UfkC1].
---
Police terrorise protesters in the USA with offensive military weapons. Yet, those who can afford to access cable television news or newspapers are programmed to believe that this happens in "repressive countries" like in the Sudan, a government which has long been a target of war by the USA. Every few months, as part of the anti-Sudan propaganda regime, a news article is released for domestic consumption describing how the security agencies of Sudan use tear-gas against "protesters" (many of whom are militant Islamic supremacists), examples at [archive.is/6C0cj] [archive.is/Y3vWX] [archive.is/l8ry5] [archive.is/tBjUF], while the routine use of tear-gas by USA domestic security agencies rarely is mentioned by the same monopolist news agencies.
The image posted here [archive.org/details/SudanUsesTearGas] is a screen-grab for the web search results for the term "Sudan uses tear gas", notice how often this type of article is used.
The USA State Dept. officially targets the Republic of Sudan as a state enemy, and orders it's monopolist media assets to reflect this policy, as shown in the following example that sensationalizes police practices against a human rights campaign that are also commonly used against Peace, Justice and Freedom campaigns in the USA.
* "Sudan police break up Omdurman protest with tear gas: witnesses" (2015-09-09, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/4Z5Jy]
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They also pulled Whoopie Goldbergs show because she made a comment about Bushes Policies!
===*===*===
USA FASCISM: Artificial Poverty and Starvation
* "The Number of Americans Living on Less Than $2 a Day Is Skyrocketing; Research shows 1.5 million households and 3 million children are living in desperate economic conditions" (2015-09-02, alternet.org) [http://is.gd/vpFnd3]* "Maryland Legislator Discusses Taking Food Stamps From Parents of Protesting Youth" (2015-04-30, theintercept.com) [archive.is/0qW10]
* "Maryland Republican Wants To Strip Food Stamps From Poor People Who Protest (AUDIO)" (2015-04-20, addictinginfo.org) [http://is.gd/f6zPMG]
Listen to the lawmaker's statements: [http://is.gd/YwUdiK] [http://is.gd/R5subr]
* "Kansas Republican Bill Literally Bans Poor People From Having Lives" (2015-04-07, addictinginfo.org) [http://is.gd/OZNcqN]
* "Wisconsin GOP Passes Bill Banning Poor People From Buying Shellfish, Potatoes And Ketchup" (2015-05-15, addictinginfo.org) [http://is.gd/QIOFQT] [begin excerpt]: Wisconsin Republicans are following through with their plan to be the cruelest state in the nation when it comes to the way poor people are treated by passing a bill that would ban them from eating a multitude of foods.
On Wednesday, Wisconsin Republicans in the statehouse took the first step in their agenda to punish people who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Assembly Bill 177 seeks to ban people who rely on food stamps to survive on a daily basis from buying a huge list of products deemed unworthy for the mouths of poor people and their children.
The legislation specifically bans poor people from buying any kind of shellfish, including lobster, shrimp, and crab. This particular ban, perhaps coincidentally, has a strong religious connection to it since the Biblical Book of Leviticus outlaws shellfish. So perhaps without meaning to, it appears conservative lawmakers are not only banning these foods for poor people, they are forcing only poor people to abide by an unconstitutional biblical law written thousands of years ago in a foreign land. That sure sounds like Sharia law to me.
It disallows red and yellow potatoes but allows sweet potatoes and yams. It also disallows nuts, trail mix, herbs and seasonings.
No jarred spaghetti sauce for poor folks, or soups, salsa, or ketchup. No canned beans, except for green, wax or yellow beans.
All of these items are generally inexpensive and are often the basic foods found in the pantries of many people. Many families literally live on spaghetti and soups because they don’t cost a lot and can feed many people. After all, the average food stamp recipient receives a paltry $125 a month [http://is.gd/MxVgP3]. But this bill would take all of these items away from poor people.
And that’s not all. If you think this is bad, you haven’t seen nothing yet.
The list of “disallowed” foods, which you can view here, also includes the following (.pdf)[http://is.gd/aX5zkO]:
- Cranberry sauce and pie filling. (Poor people can forget about making dessert for Thanksgiving dinner.)
- Creamed vegetables
- Baked beans
- Pickles
- Pork and beans
- Frozen veggies that come in packages featuring pasta, nuts, rice, cheese, or meats
- French fries and hash browns
- Sharp cheddar cheese, Swiss, and fresh mozzarella, shredded and sliced cheeses (except American cheese of course), cheese food, spreads, and products. Even Kosher cheese is banned unless you apply to get a specific check for it which basically could identify who the poor Jewish people are.
- Canned peas and green beans
- Albacore tuna, red salmon, and fish fillets
- Bagels, pita bread, English muffins
- White rice and wild rice
- Taco shells
- Almond, rice, goat, and soy milk.
- Brown eggs and any eggs produced by cage-free or free range chickens, which basically helps corporate chicken farms
- Several kinds of infant food
- Anything in bulk
- Anything organic or natural
Basically, Wisconsin Republicans are making it more difficult for poor people to buy food, let alone enjoy the food they eat.
Wisconsin GOP state Rep. Scott Allen claims his party designed the bill as a way to make poor people healthier.
“We as a country are spending a fortune on health care costs for largely preventable diseases, and a lot of that relates to our habits as people — we’re consuming the wrong foods.”
But that statement is clear hypocrisy (as well as total bullshit) considering that the food ban list supported by Republicans bans organic foods and a great many products that have nutritional value. Even shellfish has nutritional value in our diet. Banning it only deprives poor people of the benefits. [end excerpt]
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* "Artificial Scarcity: How Data Caps Harm Consumers and Innovation" (2015-07-07, media-alliance.org) [http://is.gd/I0icsq], concerning the limiting of data access of those of lower-income.
===*===*===GEOPOLITICAL NEWS
Provided by Northbay MDS Committees, and the 5th World News service [FifthWorldNews.blogspot.com], including Institutions of Self-Government not recognized by the United Nations. USA State Dept.'s legal statement supporting unilateral declarations of independence (2009-07) [.pdf link]: "The legal principle of territorial integrity does not prevent non-state entities from peacefully declaring its independence." Legal mandate set by the UN International Court (2010-07-22) [archive.today/mc6sX]: "No general prohibition may be inferred from the practice of the Security Council with regard to declarations of independence,” and “General international law contains no prohibition on declarations of independence."
WORLD FASCISM WATCH
Documenting the global economic dictatorship
* "The Age of Finance Capital—and the Irrelevance of Mainstream Economics" (2015-09-12, by Prof. Ismael Hossein-Zadeh) [archive.is/XAmmv] [begin excerpt]: One such distinctive feature of the age of finance capital is that, freed from regulatory constraints, finance capital at this stage can and often does grow independent of industrial or productive capital. Prior to the rise of big finance and the dismantlement of regulatory constraints, the role of finance was considered to be largely greasing the wheels of the economy. Commercial banks consolidated people’s savings as bank deposits and funneled them as credit to manufacturing and commercial enterprises. Under these circumstances, where regulatory standards stipulated the types and quantities of investments that commercial banks and other financial intermediaries could undertake, finance capital largely shadowed industrial capital; they grew or expanded more or less apace.
Not so in the age of finance capital where buying and selling of ownership titles, instead of producing real values, has become the primary field of investment, and asset price inflation constitutes the main source of profit making and (parasitic) expansion. Not only has this slowed down the traditional flow of national savings (through the banking system) into productive investment in the real sector of the economy, it has, indeed, reversed that flow of funds into productive investment. Today, there is a net outflow of funds from the real into the financial sector. [end excerpt]
* "Global Corporate Cash Piles Exceed $15 Trillion" (2015-09-21, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/9GZuV]
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* "The TPP Will Finish What Chile’s Dictatorship Started; Salvador Allende warned against neoliberalism’s disastrous effects just before he was overthrown. He was right to be worried" (2015-09-11, thenation.com) [http://is.gd/km0Bzw]
* "Bad economic news" (2015-09-05, manilastandardtoday.com) [archive.is/VQqO1] [begin excerpt]: The Philippines does not owe any money from the International Monetary Fund. In fact, it is the IMF that owes the Philippines money, $1 billion, which it promptly lent to the bankrupt banks and bankrupt countries of Europe. So if there is anyone who should explain why its lending or borrowing practices are bad, it is more the IMF, rather than the Philippines. Still, every year an IMF team comes to Manila to check on how the government is managing the government and how the economy is managing itself. [end excerpt]
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* "Wikipedia world view 'shaped by editors in the West' ; A new Oxford University study has found that nearly half of all edits to articles about places on Wikipedia were made by editors living in just five countries: the UK, US, France, Germany and Italy" (2015-09-15, ox.ac.uk) [archive.is/XFbAF]
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* (2015-09-09, asianjournal.com) [archive.is/2qTqD] [begin excerpt]: Socialists and liberals have sadly latched onto his deep and abiding concern for the poor and disadvantaged by trying but failing to spin his love for mankind to align with their warped view of seemingly caring for the poor but actually controlling the poor for political gain. The socialist spin is being done in the hope of gaining traction by riding with the authority and the increasing popular acceptance of this pope. [end excerpt]
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* "Human Rights Watch is not about human rights" (2015-09-03, by Dave Alpert) [archive.is/LIteX]
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* "Ending the Drug War Tragedy: From Honduras to NYC" (2015-08-27, by Ted Lewis, Director of Mexico program for Global Exchange) [archive.is/gIUxc]
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Capitalism.
The theory that you deserve to die of AIDS because the free market says so.
The USA gets a 5500% price increase, but what about Europe, the home location of Turing Pharmaceuticals? In the UK, a 30 tablet pack of Daraprim costs £13.00. I don’t even have to convert £ to $ to see that the cost in the UK is 3% of what it is in the USA.
* "Ex-hedge funder buys rights to AIDS drug and raises price from $13.50 to $750 per pill" (2015-09-21, rawstory.com) [archive.is/Pq4IE]
* "Ex-hedge funder who hiked AIDS pill cost by 5,500 percent says drug ‘still underpriced’ " (2015-09-21, rawstory.com) [archive.is/3TQ4J]
* "These 37 tweets show how the pharma CEO gouging AIDS patients is even worse than you think" (2015-09-21, rawstory.com) [http://is.gd/cv7UVa]
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* "The BBC’s Credibility Crisis is Terminal" (2015-09-15, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/K1TvK] [begin excerpt]: The BBC is seeking to establish a Russian version of its World Service. It claims it must do so to counter the well-funded “propaganda” of Russia’s RT. The problem for the BBC is, however, that it already has a larger budget than RT, plus a half-century head-start. The problem is not about a lack of funding, it is about a lack of credibility, something all the money on Wall Street and London cannot buy. For the longest time those in the West enjoyed a monopoly. Compared to the clunky state propaganda of the Soviet Union, China or any given nation the West sought to undermine, the slick presentations of the Western media were unparalleled. Their ability to make state and corporate-run propaganda look “independent” was perhaps the most important illusion they created. The amount of investment and time needed to build and perfect the marketing of lies through a media industrial complex was something only the West could have done.
In Ukraine, there really are Neo-Nazis running the government and marching in the streets, just as RT has said all along. The BBC is perhaps one of the few networks still refusing to admit as much, even as mobs flying fascist flags clash with the police in Kiev where injuries and even deaths are now taking place. When something is transpiring in front of the eyes of the world, and yet the BBC still refuses to accurately report on it, people turn elsewhere to understand what they are seeing. RT, for now, names names and sends readers, viewers and listeners to where they can get more, and more importantly, relevant information.
That could always change for RT. But the BBC along with the rest of the Western media should serve as an example and a warning to RT, and other national broadcasters working to break the West’s monopoly over the flow of information. However tempting it might be in the short-term to bend the truth, in the long term credibility is far more valuable than gold, harder to find, and harder to protect. Wall Street and London have all the “gold” in the world, yet with it, they find it impossible to acquire the credibility they need to get people to listen to their side of the story.
RT and others across the South and East should keep this lesson above all others close to heart.
They are winning the information war, and this is precisely why. The Independent fails to mention that despite what they claim are large sums of money by Russia invested into RT, that the BBC alone is still funded more. Taking into account that the BBC is just one of several massive media networks maintained by the West, all of whom coordinate their narratives, Western spending on media dwarfs that of Russia many times over.
The annual budget of RT is estimated to be approximately 300 million USD. Compare that with the BBC’s World Service who alone is funded some 370 million USD while the US State Department’s Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) who manages Voice of America, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and many others, receives annually 752 million USD. CNN alone consumes some 750 million USD annually. Then there are local “independent” media operations around the world funded directly by the US State Department through Freedom House, the National Endowment for Democracy, the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute.
The planet is essentially swimming in the lies of the US and UK. Clearly money and exposure is not their problem. Credibility is.
---
* "US Will Do Everything to Overthrow ‘Unwanted’ Governments - Assange" (2015-09-16, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/IbdCM] [begin excerpt]: Washington uses everything from military intelligence to commercial organizations to remove foreign governments that it considers unwanted. At the same time, the United States keeps increasing its firepower, establishing military bases across the world.
The current American "empire" consists of over 1,400 military bases in more than 120 countries. Meanwhile, Russia has only 12 military bases, one of which is in Syria that the Americans are currently trying to close down. Washington tried to do the same in Crimea, Assange said.
The American government doesn't act on behalf of its people, but serves to the interests of largest US corporations, the WikiLeaks founder said. [end excerpt]
* "Neocons Want to Ally with Groups Pentagon Lists as Terrorists" (2015-09-08, Wayne Madsen) [archive.is/28Csz]
* "Western-Financed Revolution-GmbH as New Comintern" (2015-09-12, strategic-culture.org) [archive.is/dRXDR] [begin excerpt]: It should also be kept in mind that although communist organizations were able to engineer revolutions abroad after the developments of 1917 in Russia (such as in Hungary in 1918), the new Russia that emerged in 1991 has not incited a single coup d’état in any foreign capital, nor has it showed any intention of doing so. Coups and revolutions suit Russia’s opponents – the United States and the European Union – which openly support «popular» takeovers of the governments of sovereign countries, such as in Ukraine in 2014, Libya in 2011, and Syria in 2012-2015. Thus a comparison between these «revolutionary» Western structures and the Comintern is actually quite apt, which Pat Buchanan, the famous American political columnist and former adviser to Ronald Reagan, did not fail to notice several years ago.
This one-time US presidential candidate suggestively titled his article on this topic, «Putin vs. the Neo-Comintern» [archive.is/MN0cL]. Pat Buchanan noted that even in the years immediately prior to WWII the Soviet Union refused to employ the Comintern to overthrow foreign governments, suggesting instead in 1935 that communists throughout the world focus their efforts on the creation of a «people’s front» to aid in the common struggle against fascism. Only Leon Trotsky, the «antipope of Bolshevism» championed the idea of permanent revolution, but he had already been driven out of the Soviet Union. Buchanan notes a great irony of history – by the end of the twentieth century, Comintern-style revolutionaries had reemerged, but from a very different, non-communist end of the political spectrum. Buchanan writes: «Trotskyism did not die with Leon Trotsky. It mutated and is today the taproot of that neoconservatism that calls for permanent revolution to advance not global communism, but global democracy.
Today… neoconservatives are using tax dollars to create and operate their own Neo-Comintern. The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which pumps out tens of millions of dollars to ‘promote democracy’ abroad, is its pivotal agency. For 20 years, it has been headed by Carl Gershman, who broke from the Socialist Party to organize Social Democrats USA, which rallied to the candidacy of liberal Democratic Sen. Henry ‘Scoop’ Jackson, whose staff was a nesting ground of neocons from Richard Perle to Frank Gaffney to Elliott Abrams».
Pat Buchanan’s observation about the «socialist» past of today’s American revolutionaries points to an important component of the creative team behind the current «Maidan contagion» – former leftists from the 1970s who had by 2000 been transformed into political spin doctors on the payroll of Western governments and large corporations. Why is it important for us to study the Maidan contagion? Because, infatuated by this contagion, the West decided to destabilize an array of states (from Yugoslavia in 1999-2001 to Ukraine in 2014). In all the efforts to overthrow Milošević, Yanukovych, or even Nikola Gruevski, the leader of tiny Macedonia – the pop culture of the sixties and seventies is omnipresent, as is the romance of ostensibly spontaneous and often outwardly nonviolent campaigns. The tactics of «peaceful youth protest» were first tested against Charles de Gaulle in France in 1968. And by the early 2000s it had become a real business tool for the US and EU, with billions (not millions, as Pat Buchanan thought a few years ago, not yet acquainted with Victoria Nuland’s acknowledgment of «five billion for Ukraine») of dollars in sales.
This tool was exposed in full detail as part of a Der Spiegel investigation bearing the evocative title «Die Revolutions-Gmbh» [http://is.gd/hh8TxM] (Revolution Ltd). The well-known Spiegel journalists Renate Flottau, Erich Follath, and Uwe Klussman argue that neither the events of 2000 in Yugoslavia nor the subsequent «revolutions» that occurred at Washington’s behest could have in any way been spontaneous popular uprisings. The new pro-Western revolutionaries paint themselves as the romantic «children of Gandhi and Coca-Cola», but in reality are quite able to count money and be cruelly pragmatic if necessary.
In an interview with Der Spiegel, the activist Alexander Maric acknowledges Freedom House’s leading role in the overthrow of Milošević, although he also notes that his associates from Washington did not force the Yugoslavs to commit to any specific course of action. The real story is how this business tool is being franchised: a «central office» in Washington «outsources» the work to its chosen representatives in a certain country, they change the name of their movement into a «brand» (such as Otpor in Belgrade), and the head office leaves the local marketing decisions up to the local branch.
This is what Maric told Der Spiegel: «Seminars were held with our American friends from Freedom House, not only abroad but also in the Serbian town of Novi Sad. We listened to everything, but only agreed to the suggestions that were most appropriate for us. For example, the American PR specialists recommended that we replace our clenched fist (the Otpor supporters took this symbol from the German Roter Frontkämpferbund movement, changing the color from red to black) with a more colorful, modern logo that would look better on Western TV screens. But we refused».
The German opposition website Nachdenkseiten, which is dedicated to exposing the ways in which the US and EU manipulate the media, lists eight typical phases that occur when utilizing this business tool masquerading as a «spontaneous revolutionary eruption of the masses» [archive.is/5JYIG]:
• The unwanted leader of a country is discredited as an autocrat, dictator, or even tyrant – regardless of whether or not he received a majority of the votes cast.
• That leader is accused of corruption, electoral fraud, and other crimes.
• A memorable symbol is chosen – for example, a rose or fist, as well as an appropriately bright color (such as orange).
• A slogan is chosen under which to unite, and it becomes a familiar catchphrase – for example, «It’s Time!» or «He’s Finished!» or in Ukraine, «Out With the Gang!» For Russia, the rallying cry «Putler Kaput!» was offered.
• Demonstrations are staged in such a way as to play well on the media.
• Special attention is given to ensure that the entire campaign against the legitimate government looks like a playful, entertaining, and seemingly unprofessional event. Opponents of the «regime change» are mockingly depicted as boring individuals out of touch with the pervasive mood of playfulness.
• «We are the children of Gandhi, Gates, and Coca-Cola – we are today’s heroes» is the general synopsis of the activists’ «self-portrait» that is offered for public consumption.
• Revolutions Ltd. fully avails itself of all the advertising and marketing practices of transnational corporations.
[end excerpt]
* (1999) Yugoslavia student
* (2000-05) Opposition leaders meets in Belgrade
* Photos showing Marovic, and Maric
* (2000-10) Opposition campaign gathers in Belgrade
* (2000-10-05) Mass demonstration in Belgrade
* (2003) Demonstranten in Georgien
Erstürmung des Parlaments in Tiflis (22. November 2003):
Siegesfeier nach der Abdankung des Präsidenten Schewardnadse in Tiflis (23. November 2003):
Minister Lomaja in Tiflis: Karriere eines Revolutionärs
===*===*===
WORLD FASCISM WATCH: Weapons for a New World Order
* "Making 3D Objects Disappear; Berkeley Lab Researchers Create Ultrathin Invisibility Cloak" (2015-09-17, newscenter.lbl. gov) [archive.is/wXx2F]
* "A Thermal Invisibility Cloak Actively Redirects Heat; Researchers in Singapore have rendered electronic components thermally invisible, thanks to thermoelectric modules" (2015-09-21, aip.org) [archive.is/OwIoF]
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* "Permanent Data Storage with Light; Researchers Develop the First Non-volatile All-optical Chip Memory Based on Phase Change Materials – Publication in Nature Photonics" (2015-09-22, kit.edu) [archive.is/BdiHP]
* "Pioneering research develops new way to capture light – for the computers of tomorrow" (2015-09-22, exeter.ac.uk) [archive.is/Dq6wQ] [begin excerpt]: Pioneering research by an international team of scientists, including from the University of Exeter, has developed techniques that will allow the first memory chip that can capture light. The key breakthrough will allow large quantities of data to be stored directly on an integrated optical chip, rather than being processed and stored electronically, as happens today. Light is ideally suited to ultra-fast high-bandwidth data transfer, and optical communications form an indispensable part of the IT world of today and tomorrow. However, a stumbling block so far has been the storage of large quantities of data directly on integrated chips in the optical domain. [end excerpt]
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Beyond Photonics: The Next Wave in Information Technology
* "Engineers trial wireless communication via human body" (2015-09-03, nfcworld.com) [archive.is/H8PTA]
* "Magnetic fields provide a new way to communicate wirelessly: A new technique could pave the way for ultra low power and high-security wireless communication systems" (2015-08-31, jacobsschool.ucsd.edu) [archive.is/qe0nK]
* "Physicists catch a magnetic wave that offers promise for more energy-efficient computing" (2015-09-08, nyu.edu) [archive.is/A9xtc]
---
* "One step towards faster organic electronics" (2015-09-09, Linköping Universitet) [archive.is/Q7Xa3], scientific abstract [archive.is/V0p9d]
---
* "All I Want for Christmas is a Laser Gunship: US Air Force General" (2015-09-20, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/ScBXh]
* "Digital Fusion Solutions to help U.S. Army with laser project" (2015-09-09, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/4WUld]
---
* "Marines send robotic dog into simulated combat" (2015-09-21, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/JyANn]
---
* "Australian student’s ion space drive reportedly beats NASA’s fuel efficiency record" (2015-09-19, rt.com) [archive.is/DiCJd]
* "Pentagon Wants Robots to Build Spaceships at High-Orbiting Transport Hub" (2015-09-16, Sputnik Newswire) [archive.is/sP0QK]
* "Reducing Complexity: DARPA Seeks New Composite Material and Process for Manufacturing Small Parts" (2015-09-14) [archive.is/6DoxP]
---
* "British Military to Buy Solar-Powered Drones Flying on Edge of Space" (2015-09-10, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/rlX9h]
---
* "Futuristic alloys three times stronger than steel yet malleable like chewing gum" (2015-09-16, newsroom.unsw.edu.au) [archive.is/3O632]
---
* "U.S. Trends in Synthetic Biology Research Funding" (2015-09-16, synbioproject.org) [archive.is/h6lbr] [begin excerpt]: A new analysis by the Synthetic Biology Project at the Wilson Center finds the Defense Department and its Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) fund much of the U.S. government’s research in synthetic biology, with less than 1 percent of total federal funding going to risk research.
A new analysis by the Synthetic Biology Project at the Wilson Center finds the Defense Department and its Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funds much of the U.S. government’s research in synthetic biology, with less than 1 percent of total federal funding going to risk research.
A new analysis by the Synthetic Biology Project at the Wilson Center finds the Defense Department and its Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funds much of the U.S. government’s research in synthetic biology, with less than 1 percent of total federal funding going to risk research.
The report, U.S. Trends in Synthetic Biology Research, finds that between 2008 and 2014, the United States invested approximately $820 million dollars in synthetic biology research. In that time period, the Defense Department became a key funder of synthetic biology research. DARPA’s investments, for example, increased from near zero in 2010 to more than $100 million in 2014 – more than three times the amount spent by the National Science Foundation (NSF). [end excerpt]
===*===*===
* "A Thermal Invisibility Cloak Actively Redirects Heat; Researchers in Singapore have rendered electronic components thermally invisible, thanks to thermoelectric modules" (2015-09-21, aip.org) [archive.is/OwIoF]
---
* "Permanent Data Storage with Light; Researchers Develop the First Non-volatile All-optical Chip Memory Based on Phase Change Materials – Publication in Nature Photonics" (2015-09-22, kit.edu) [archive.is/BdiHP]
* "Pioneering research develops new way to capture light – for the computers of tomorrow" (2015-09-22, exeter.ac.uk) [archive.is/Dq6wQ] [begin excerpt]: Pioneering research by an international team of scientists, including from the University of Exeter, has developed techniques that will allow the first memory chip that can capture light. The key breakthrough will allow large quantities of data to be stored directly on an integrated optical chip, rather than being processed and stored electronically, as happens today. Light is ideally suited to ultra-fast high-bandwidth data transfer, and optical communications form an indispensable part of the IT world of today and tomorrow. However, a stumbling block so far has been the storage of large quantities of data directly on integrated chips in the optical domain. [end excerpt]
---
Beyond Photonics: The Next Wave in Information Technology
* "Engineers trial wireless communication via human body" (2015-09-03, nfcworld.com) [archive.is/H8PTA]
* "Magnetic fields provide a new way to communicate wirelessly: A new technique could pave the way for ultra low power and high-security wireless communication systems" (2015-08-31, jacobsschool.ucsd.edu) [archive.is/qe0nK]
* "Physicists catch a magnetic wave that offers promise for more energy-efficient computing" (2015-09-08, nyu.edu) [archive.is/A9xtc]
---
* "One step towards faster organic electronics" (2015-09-09, Linköping Universitet) [archive.is/Q7Xa3], scientific abstract [archive.is/V0p9d]
---
* "All I Want for Christmas is a Laser Gunship: US Air Force General" (2015-09-20, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/ScBXh]
* "Digital Fusion Solutions to help U.S. Army with laser project" (2015-09-09, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/4WUld]
---
* "Marines send robotic dog into simulated combat" (2015-09-21, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/JyANn]
---
* "Australian student’s ion space drive reportedly beats NASA’s fuel efficiency record" (2015-09-19, rt.com) [archive.is/DiCJd]
* "Pentagon Wants Robots to Build Spaceships at High-Orbiting Transport Hub" (2015-09-16, Sputnik Newswire) [archive.is/sP0QK]
* "Reducing Complexity: DARPA Seeks New Composite Material and Process for Manufacturing Small Parts" (2015-09-14) [archive.is/6DoxP]
---
* "British Military to Buy Solar-Powered Drones Flying on Edge of Space" (2015-09-10, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/rlX9h]
---
* "Futuristic alloys three times stronger than steel yet malleable like chewing gum" (2015-09-16, newsroom.unsw.edu.au) [archive.is/3O632]
---
* "U.S. Trends in Synthetic Biology Research Funding" (2015-09-16, synbioproject.org) [archive.is/h6lbr] [begin excerpt]: A new analysis by the Synthetic Biology Project at the Wilson Center finds the Defense Department and its Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) fund much of the U.S. government’s research in synthetic biology, with less than 1 percent of total federal funding going to risk research.
A new analysis by the Synthetic Biology Project at the Wilson Center finds the Defense Department and its Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funds much of the U.S. government’s research in synthetic biology, with less than 1 percent of total federal funding going to risk research.
A new analysis by the Synthetic Biology Project at the Wilson Center finds the Defense Department and its Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funds much of the U.S. government’s research in synthetic biology, with less than 1 percent of total federal funding going to risk research.
The report, U.S. Trends in Synthetic Biology Research, finds that between 2008 and 2014, the United States invested approximately $820 million dollars in synthetic biology research. In that time period, the Defense Department became a key funder of synthetic biology research. DARPA’s investments, for example, increased from near zero in 2010 to more than $100 million in 2014 – more than three times the amount spent by the National Science Foundation (NSF). [end excerpt]
===*===*===
WORLD FASCISM WATCH: #OPDeathEaters [WorldFascists.blogspot.com]
* "Britain: The Pedophilic Establishment" (2015-08-19, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/oWyHF]
* "British Authorities Keep On Ignoring Child Abuse" (2015-07-14, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/Hhf2a]
---
* "Vallejo man, Vacaville woman charged with sex trafficking minors" (2015-09-10, timesheraldonline.com) [archive.is/iJ3kl]. What motivates a person to participate in trafficking of minors? Clues might be found at her social media and other sources [archive.is/7dCyc] [archive.is/NQgc0] [archive.is/olpBh#selection-1831.81-1831.127] [archive.is/6jrk8#selection-323.0-323.17] [archive.is/x15LS] [archive.is/mZ1we] [archive.is/kaLyv]. Somehow, a lower-class operative is able to participate in a secretive network servicing wealthy clients.
===*===*===
Global Anarchist vanguards & autonomous zones[anarchistnews.org] [ainfos.ca] [libcom.org] [anarchiststudies.org] [a-revolt.org]
* Who are South Wales Anarchists? [archive.is/ANRYV]
* Reclaim the Fields International Action Camp [archive.is/CTb0j]
The aims of the camp are:
To support local communities in the west and north west of England, and the north of Wales with their struggles against fracking
To increase participation in Reclaim the Fields
To demonstrate visible, active opposition to prison construction
To support Borras Community Protection Camp build a garden and infrastructure to become more self-reliant
To demonstrate the interconnection between these struggles
To inspire and radicalise everyone involved
* Mediterranean Anarchist Meeting [archive.is/m2d8v]:
A 10-day of events-discussions-actions
9-18 October
Peak: October 16-18, Chania, Crete
The Anarchist Campaign of Internationalist Solidarity "Three Bridges", with the coordination of IFA-IAF (International Anarchist Federations) is organizing a Mediterranean Anarchist Meeting in Greece, from the 9th-18th October 2015. This 10-day meeting will be full of open events-discussions-actions, which will be held in towns/cities where local partnership teams, individual teams or local initiatives, participating in the Campaign, are found (Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Larissa, Chania, Heraklion, Rethymno). At the same time, thematic discussion groups will be organized, with the participation of comrades-members of statewide or regional Anarchist Federations, individual anarchist groups or comrades, anarcho-syndicalist organizations, anarchist/libertarian squats, etc. [end excerpt]
---
* "Construction of the Social Revolution Self-Government" (2015-09-10, DAF) original [archive.is/eLxmx], machine translated [archive.is/rllYU]
* "Fear Terror State Sovereignty" (2015-09-09, by Merve Iron, DAF) original [archive.is/QUNUd], machine translated [archive.is/TSTdq]
---
* "Motion: Overall Guidance" (12th Congress of the Alternative Libertaire, 2015) [archive.is/PbViq] [begin excerpt]:
An internationalist strategy -
The last three years have been marked by significant advances in our internationalist work. This has materialized especially through our strong involvement in the International Meeting of Anarchism in St. Imier with the International of Anarchist Federations and Anarkismo were the drivers. Despite its weaknesses, Anarkismo today libertarian network that enjoys the widest international presence. U must strengthen its commitment to increase its capacity for expression, initiative and action.
Our international solidarity activity and intervention is very clear with regard to Latin America, the North African countries, Russia and Kurdistan including the revolution in Rojava. However we have not managed to score in the duration our support for the Syrian revolution. Support for the Syrian revolutionary and progressive opposition must not suffer equally necessary support to the struggle of the Kurds. Yet its reduced visibility suffered. There is however no less legitimate and we must be more attentive and involved-are in this fight.
Our international activity is characterized by an expression and action of our own power but also participation to unit managers. It has allowed us to be part of Blockupy assertive today as an anti-capitalist pole in both radical and essential unit on the scale of Europe not only to fight the austerity policies, but largely the capitalist system while affirming both practical political expression by the need for self-management and anti-capitalist alternative.
Blockupy is a coalition of social movements and political organizations ranging from revolutionary (autonomous, libertarian, revolutionary Marxists, radical environmentalists) Reformers (die Linke) but in which the revolutionary influence is decisive. After the success of blocking the launch of the ECB's March 18, 2015, AL believes Blockupy is a hopeful reunion for all those who think that a revolutionary alternative to the crisis of capitalism is possible and desirable. We must consider it as a significant fulcrum for both struggles for ideological combat in an extra-parliamentary perspective, anti-state and self-management and in a context where the crisis of capitalism worsens. Furthermore, it should create opportunities for discussion, collaboration and exchange with currents like Left interventionist.
Of course it is not the only one to fulfill this function Zapatismo, Occupy USA, Kurdish revolutionary movement, social struggles and the movement against repression in Spain also play a role in this direction.
If the international context is marked by imperialist wars, nationalism and race for power by various radical Islamist factions, it is also by resistors and critical currents far from negligible.
We see the challenges are immense and strengthening both the international secretariat as CAL on these issues is essential. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
European racial vanguardsIn a U.N. vote, on November 21st, only three countries — the United States, Ukraine, and Canada — voted against a resolution to condemn racist facsism, or “nazism,” and to condemn denial of Germany’s World War II Holocaust against primarily Jews. View the official UN vote tabulation (.pdf) [http://is.gd/w7mCyp].
* "US support of violent neo-Nazis in Ukraine: Video Compilation" [youtube.com/watch?v=_768w2pVkM8]: Shocking and insightful videos detailing the neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic, ultra-nationalist movement in Ukraine. The videos examine the ongoing US support of these groups, including the Svoboda party and Right Sector.
* thirty photos [archive.is/MfkrW]: Is this what the American people want to support in Ukraine? (If so, what did our grandfathers fight for then?)
* "Neo-Nazi mob riots at anti-immigration protest" (2015-09-13, libcom.org) [archive.is/BxVQF]
===*===*===
Canada
Map [archive.is/Y4Jtd]
* "The dimensions of the 2011 voter suppression fraud gravely underreported" (2015-09-09, rabble.ca) [archive.is/6FAoo]
* "Suppressing our knowledge of voter suppression" (2015-08-08, rabble.ca) [archive.is/NsvJJ]:
That 2011 voter-suppression scandal, the "robocalls" fraud: it was all smoke and mirrors, right? So how could Harper's Conservatives have organized a fraud that never happened?
Try consulting Paul Well's book The Longer I'm Prime Minister: Stephen Harper and Canada, 2006-, published in 2013. The jury citation for an award this book won called it "impeccably researched" -- and it contains not a whisper about the scandal.
And what do official sources say? On April 24, 2014 Yves Côté, Commissioner of Canada Elections, the bureaucrat who supposedly enforces the Canada Elections Act, published a Summary Investigation Report on Robocalls in which he indicated that the national voter-suppression scandal most of us remember must have been a collective hallucination.
Côté admits that confusing telephone calls were made across Canada. But except in Guelph -- where a 22-year-old Tory operative was thrown under the bus by Conservative Party national headquarters and Sun Media and then charged by Elections Canada with sole responsibility for the crime -- Côté's gumshoes found no evidence of criminal intention to violate the Elections Act. And so he shut down his investigation.
Beyond just stating his conclusions, Côté suggested how we should interpret this non-event: "the data gathered in the investigations does not lend support to the existence of a conspiracy or conspiracies to interfere with the voting process."
A chorus of those media pundits whom investigative journalist Michael Harris calls "Harper's Helpers" took the hint. "Sorry, Truthers," John Ivison trumpeted in the National Post on April 25, "the robocalls affair is not Canada's Watergate." Quoting Christopher Hitchens' description of conspiracy theories as "the exhaust fumes of democracy," Ivison hoped for a reduction in "similar emissions."
On the same day, Tasha Kheiriddin declared at iPolitics that the "conspiracy theory" around robocalls had indeed gone "poof," and proposed that the affair "may yet be filed under 'History's Greatest Hysterias', next to the Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic of 1962 and the Dancing Plague of Strasbourg in 1518." And on CBC News Peter Mansbridge suggested in his best funeral-director style that journalists who had received awards for investigative work on the scandal -- he meant Postmedia's Glen McGregor and Stephen Maher -- ought to apologize to the Canadian public.
These responses seem symptomatic of what Stephen Marche calls in The New York Times "The Closing of the Canadian Mind." The capacity of Canadians to gather information about ourselves, Marche says, has become stunted: "The Harper years have seen a subtle darkening of Canadian life." And since public ignorance fosters corruption, "The darkness has resulted, organically, in one of the most scandal-plagued administrations in Canadian history."
But isn't obscurantism what Harper-era pundits habitually do? Mansbridge has made a career out of substituting mournful sonorities for evidence, and furrowings of the brow for thought. And perhaps mere instinct led Ivison and Kheiriddin to scour Hitchens and Google for follow-ups to Côté's notion of how best to flush the voter-suppression scandal down the memory hole.
Yet the least attempt to research the subject would have shown them how vulnerable Côté's report is to elementary fact-checking: the first two statements in its Executive Summary are flatly misleading.
Côté writes that during the 2011 election (from March 26 to May 2, 2011) the Commissioner of Canada Elections "received approximately 100 complaints" from voters victimized by "nuisance telephone calls or calls providing them with incorrect poll location information." But we know from court documents filed by Elections Canada that more complaints were received in the early morning of election day in Guelph alone, while in an internal email William Corbett, Côté's precursor as Commissioner, confessed that Elections Canada's national communications system collapsed on election day under the volume of messages pouring into it.
Côté then claims that when, beginning on April 29, 2011, returning officers received complaints about misleading poll-location calls, they "dealt with these instances as errors." This is untrue: internal emails made public in November 2012 by Maher and McGregor show that Elections Canada officials at local and senior levels were aware from the start that the false information was being distributed by the Conservative Party.
On May 1, 2011, one election officer wrote to an agency lawyer that "The polling station numbers given out by the Conservative Party... are all wrong. Most of them are quite far away from the elector's home.... The workers in the returning office think these people are running a scam." And on April 29 and May 1, agency lawyers shared with Arthur Hamilton, the Conservative Party's lawyer, their knowledge that polling-station misinformation in a rapidly growing number of ridings across the country had been traced back to Conservative Party sources.
One reason for communicating with Hamilton may have been that an election official in St. Boniface, one of the first ridings in which misdirection calls were reported, had informed her superiors that the calls there were stopped by Conservative Party headquarters "at the request of the local [party] association."
So there is, after all, more to be said -- about Harperite fraud, cheating, lies, dishonour, and deception? Yes indeed.
===*===*===
The nations of the Inuit, the Metis, the 630 recognized First Nations governments, and traditional nations within the Realm of Canada.
Maps of the Inuit [archive.is/tHTzZ] [archive.is/7cycI] [archive.is/yVcDs]
* "Native tribe fights to save Boreal forest in Quebec" (2015-09-08, AFP newswire) [archive.is/qq1i1]
---
The Unist'ot'en Camp is an Indigenous homestead located in the far north west of so-called Canada, where the people (Unist'ot'en), who have always lived there, are occupying and utilizing their traditional territory, as they have for centuries.
Numerous companies, including Chevron and TransCanada, are illegally encroaching on the Unist'ot'en's territory, attempting to push forward the proposed pipeline project that threatens the Unist'ot'en's traditional territories, clean water, and generations to come. As well, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's presence is currently forcing the camp to remain on high alert.
Unist'ot'en playlist
- "Oil Gateway" (2011-09-16) [youtube.com/watch?v=FlM1n6tqZok]
- "The Action Camp" (2012-08-23) [youtube.com/watch?v=KyC4oUILmCk]
- "How To Stop An Oil And Gas Pipeline: The Unist'ot'en Camp Resistance" (2014-11-10)[youtube.com/watch?v=aiVxyLb1hJA]
- "Chevron attempts to enter Unist'ot'en Camp" [youtube.com/watch?v=fuxdd97LQcg]
- "Unist’ot’en Camp kicks out Transcanada crews" (2015-07-26) [youtube.com/watch?v=5vbyP_gg01A]
- * "RCMP Blocked from entering Unist’ot’en Camp" (2015-07-26) [youtube.com/watch?v=Kg1nQMrqfLY]
===*===*===
USA Homeland's resident nations
Nations exist alongside the Federal [archive.is/VXoPR], and State governance [archive.is/Cz2uF]. Demographic maps: 2000 [archive.is/nXHXz], 2010 [archive.is/nKbSA], religion [archive.is/XArBS]. The New Afrikan nation, the nation of Nueva Aztlan, the Boriqueno, and of the overseas territories each have their own section separately on this news page.
American Nation, including the State Sovereignty campaigns [tenthamendmentcenter.com]* "Dominionism Takes Center Stage in America" (2015-09-02, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/Y0vdX] [begin excerpt]: Did you stop to wonder how the political arena in the US got so top heavy with fundamentalist Christians? Indeed, as the social fabric began to fray under the multiplicity of stressors associated with modernization, a parallel movement of “back to fundamentals” began to emerge in all three Abrahamic religions. It is not only Islam that has birthed its own variety of fundamentalism. Orthodox synagogues are seeing a swelling of congregations, and a new strain of Christianity, which is both fiercely political as well as militant in its promotion of theocracy has emerged as a potent force on the American scene.
Christian Reconstructionism (CR) has been called “the American Taliban.”
Its ideology calls for the institution of a government under Biblical law. This mandate is called “Dominionism.” Christian Reconstructionists believe that the authority to exert political control in the material world is provided in Genesis, where it is written that: “Let them [man] have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” According to CR, this dominion is also to be executed over nations, specifically the American nation, which is seen as the instrument for God’s plan to rule the world.
Heady stuff, and somewhat redolent of the belief system inherent in Islamic fundamentalism and the concomitant Sharia law. Under the mantle of a religious call to political action, CR has taken on a number of quasi- moral political issues. Not only anti-abortion, CR is also anti-welfare, anti-social programs and anti-public education. [end excerpt]
---
* "Police: Anarchists assaulted Air Force pilot after spotting Confederate flags on motorcycle" (2015-09-08, q13fox.com) [archive.is/ySsgF]
---
* "Charleston Shootings Trigger Confederate Lynching Jihad" (2015-07-04, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/GeA1t]
* (2015-09-19, Chris Thomas, NBC12) [archive.is/YHPfo]: Protesters held rally near Jeff Davis Monument in Richmond speaking out against UCI bike race route going down Monument Avenue. AND plane circled above displaying Confederate flag with banner reading "Confederate Heros Matter"* "What foreigners think about Confederate symbols along the bike race route" (2015-09-17, wtvr.com) [archive.is/Qrt1h]
* "Let’s tear down the OTHER monuments to racism and division" (2015-06-30, wtvr.com) [archive.is/j9INi] [begin excerpt]: To those calling for the demolition of our Confederate monuments and symbols, why not start by tearing down the monuments to racism and division that are killing people TODAY? Richmond’s housing projects are 60- to 70-year-old failed social experiments that isolate and concentrate poor blacks and put them at such a disadvantage, it’s no wonder some turn to crime and violence.
This concentrated poverty festers all across the country – Ferguson, Baltimore, Detroit, Memphis, Chicago – inner cities where most of the nation’s murders occur. As the “Black Lives Matter”protesters gathered at the Jefferson Davis monument, another black life that didn’t register ended in Gilpin Court. [end excerpt]
---
* "Oregon police chief goes on racist tirade calling African Americans monkeys, supports Confederacy" (2015-09-08, dailykos.com) [archive.is/9kl6Y]
---
* "Oregon judge who refused to perform same-sex marriages hung portrait of Hitler in courthouse, bullied veterans: documents" (2015-09-09, nydailynews.com) [archive.is/tdRvB]
---
* "Major News Outlets Fail To Identify The Hate Group Representing Kim Davis" (2015-09-11, mediamatters.org) [archive.is/pSDZd] [begin excerpt]: Major news outlets have almost entirely failed to identify Liberty Counsel -- the group defending Rowan County clerk Kim Davis -- as an anti-LGBT "hate group," often only referring to the group as a "Christian" or "conservative" legal organization. [end excerpt]
* "Oath Keepers Send Armed Guards To Protect Kim Davis From US Marshals" (2015-09-10, rightwingwatch.org) [http://is.gd/v0Oruz]
---
Alan Hoyle has signs on his truck in front of the Rowan County Courthouse in Morehead.
---
* "List of U.S. Militia Groups by State" (darkgovernment.com) [archive.is/X7ZSF]
* "Find a local militia" (uscrow.org) [archive.is/lQfxm]
* Photo from Ohio Valley Minutemen - Citizen's Volunteer Militia Unit Photo Album (ovm-cvm.blogspot.de) [archive.is/2sTca], also showing photos from "CPX BLACK SWAN: PATRIOT'S DAY April 19th 2015", "OVM-CVM Joint FTX 03/22/15", and "FTX 7-16-11 Basic Land Navigation & Map class, Hasty Fighting Positions, Basic Tripwire, Patrolling", some photos of interest include [archive.is/AnhFa] [archive.is/8lT94] [archive.is/nqPKz] [archive.is/et5wj] [archive.is/8G5Ne].
* "III Percent Society FAQ" [http://is.gd/qnh9n8], intro [http://is.gd/y32Mz4], goal [http://is.gd/cZ81cY], they call their planned death-squad campaign the "Liberty Games" [http://is.gd/GXLSA9]. The website is administered by [Kerodin.com], who also posted at 1791party.blogspot.com [archive.is/QV3jJ].
* "III Battle Flag" [http://is.gd/EhQjgJ]
* "The III Redoubt" [http://is.gd/r1YJzs]: Good people. Maslow is covered. Off the line of attack. Safe. Home.
* "How many trained, fit Battle Buddies who can Shoot, Move & Communicate will meet you on the X?" poll (III Percent Society for America) [http://is.gd/uVX7MP]:
I have 1: 47 (21%)
I have 3-5: 39 (17%)
I have 6-15: 8 (3%)
At least a platoon: 6 (2%)
I'm fook'ed & Alone: 119 (54%)
Votes so far: 219
Poll closed
* Calling for action, April 19th, 2016 (III Percent Society for America) [http://is.gd/1wIM8m]
* "LGoPs - How to win Liberty in RevWarIII - in a week" (III Percent Society for America) [http://is.gd/Mnjc17]: After the demise of the best Airborne plan, a most terrifying effect occurs on the battlefield. This effect is known as the rule of the LGOPs (Little Groups of Paratroopers). This is, in its purest form, small groups of pissed-off 19 year old American paratroopers. They are well trained. They are armed to the teeth and lack serious adult supervision. They collectively remember the Commander's intent as "March to the sound of the guns and kill anyone who is not dressed like you" - or something like that. Happily they go about the day's work...
Little Groups of Patriots. Each group conducting their own Liberty Restoration operations to clear their respective AOs.Leaderless Resistance, following only the Commander's Intent.
Commander's Intent: Restoration of Rightful Liberty.
How: In the absence of orders, find something Evil and kill it.
Bring the materiel of war with you from home, but forage on the enemy... use the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.
Here is more [archive.is/H4jvl].
White Death: Simo Häyhä -
He killed Communists.
He killed 505 confirmed.
505 with an iron-sighted bolt action Mosin-Nagant.
...in 100 days...
...alone.
* Quote at (III Percent Society for America) [http://is.gd/RhpJMo]
* "The Real 100 Heads Theory" (III Percent Society for America) [http://is.gd/HCrOrj]: "...and the sad truth is that 95% of the problems we have in this country could be solved tomorrow, by noon… simply by dragging 100 people out in the street and shooting them in the fucking head.” - An anonymous former US Marine.
* "CPX Jackson: May Day" (III Percent Society for America) [http://is.gd/er7KY1]: May 1 is known to Red genetic waste as 'May Day'. Sparks31 offered a way to send signals to our Domestic Enemies that they are not alone, they will not be unchallenged. The signal is subtle. It will be missed by most of the Red mouth-breathers among us. But deep in their caverns of Police State gear, some will hear the blip. Some will know that nothing in life is free - especially if what you want to do is murder Liberty.
Some men will make you pay a heavy price.
CPX Jackson is a rattlesnake giving one more soft warning, before you step into the range of his fangs. The beauty is, to those in OpFor who will hear the blip, or be told of the blip - they already know they are within range of the fangs and venom.
When we will strike is our decision. And in the deepest part of their primal Lizard Brains, they know it, and they fear, even if their Ego will not permit those fears to bubble into the consciousness.
Here's the link.[https://sparks31.wordpress.com/2015/04/30/seven-days-in-may/], page taken down, google.com search results [archive.is/Urqib] cache was scrubbed.
* "RevWarIII Engagements" (III Percent Society for America) [http://is.gd/POsI7C]
* Tribute to William Joseph Donovan (III Percent Society for America) [http://is.gd/NCqYrO]: "Medal of Honor recipient, Creator of the OSS, and too much more to list. He was a pure-blood American." Tributes to other OSS agents include: Major Anders Lassen - Jedburgh [http://is.gd/tjIRQf], The Jedburgh Teams [http://is.gd/vzOvKP], Rex Applegate [http://is.gd/XwSvRi], Major Eric Sykes [http://is.gd/pK9MOQ], William Fairbairn [http://is.gd/rP6cuU], with a live link to a .mil website "The OSS Manuals", archived here [http://is.gd/fYto9d]
* "SOF Global Footprint" (III Percent Society for America) [http://is.gd/JcVhlM]:
I have zero problem with American SOF.
I have a significant problem with the way they are abused by our Civilian Authority.
Bring them home and pay them to teach American Militia.
Here's the piece. "What the global footprint of US special operations looks like" (2015-04-24, Business Insider) [archive.is/cDI2w]
* "Militia Patriots can Trust" (III Percent Society for America) [http://is.gd/N4hMNw]:
- Texas LightFighters 3/5
- 1st Oregon Recon
- KY 17th SOG
- 42nd Alpine Infantry Group
- Ohio Valley Minutemen
- Pennsylvania Light Foot
- Alamance County Rangers
* III Percent Society for America is affiliated with American Redoubt Radio Operators Network (AmRRON) [http://is.gd/LG2coj], and "Partisan Radio Podcast" [http://is.gd/QzTvtO]
* "Militia: Citizen Soldiers" (III Percent Society for America) [http://is.gd/4DoK4o]: Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state. ~ Thomas Jefferson, with a link to Everycitizenasoldier.org, a website which saw a spike of around 10,000 individual visitors on May 1st [archive.is/699tv], but was erased or hidden as of 2015-08-02, with only two cached copies of the webpages remaining [archive.is/fYpT8] [archive.is/5e4IQ], and the page titles still remaining for a websearch using Google.com, as shown here [archive.org/details/everycitizenasoldier.org].
"God - Family - Country" was a phrase coined to men anything to anybody, just as easily as "God" is claimed to be anything a fascist wants, including to justify the murder of "Leftists" by militia members in Colombia or Honduras. Meme from the Ohio Valley Minutemen - Citizen's Volunteer Militia (ovm-cvm.blogspot.de) [archive.is/cUsQP]
To murder socialism is glorious! No different than their next-of-kin in the Republic of Colombia, these masters of guerrilla warfare wish to murder any "Leftists", "Black Radicals", or "illegal Mexicans", and any interference from "Big Government" is proof that it is dominated by "socialists".
These death-squads have lists ready that includes all "traitors" and "domestic enemies", and they are waiting for the order to come down,..
---
* American National Militia, affiliated with the Oath Keepers [http://is.gd/r61OBh], alludes on their homepage to the "Socialist List" [http://is.gd/MANui3] kept for the upcoming social-cleansing campaign
---
* "Urgent call – need to listen to this call…" (2015-09-16) transcript [archive.is/KXqdi] [begin excerpt]:
TD: There are other nations with hundreds of thousands of people with rocks and sticks that are taking to the street in mass. Yet we have guns here and we are not doing anything. So they are looking at us and laughing because we haven’t done anything.
We have laid the lawful platform in West Virginia to do it. The documents being drawn up will not be released until they are finished and signed with enforcement ready to go. These documents are going to place the three men signing them in grave danger, so we need to see people in West Virginia before they are released.
A select few will be able to see the documents, but they will not be posted on-line anywhere or distributed until we see people — bodies in West Virginia. We are not looking for a cowboy affair here. We are simply looking for the removal of specific persons from specific locations and to hold that location long enough for the National Guard and Military to start receiving and obeying civil orders.
Caller6: When can we expect to see the non-coup and removal start to happen in West Virginia?
TD: As soon as people get their ass here.
Caller7: How many bodies do you need in West Virginia?
TD: As many as humanly possible.
Caller8: Is this a matter of weeks or months?
TD: (Days) Yeah, when the Pope leaves the UN the territories have been redrawn, the people will have been re-enslaved.
Caller9: How about the Military and National Guard in West Virginia? Are they on board? What is their position?
TD: Until they are under Civil Authority they are under direct control of the corporation.
Caller10: So they are in opposition?
TD: It’s possible. There is approximately 6000 National Guard in West Virginia.
Caller11: We are assuming that the National Guard is going to be opposition?
TD: At the last count I heard.
Caller11: So we need two or three times that number on the ground. Is the state militia informed on this?
TD: Unintelligible? – they backed out.
Caller11: Has Texas come forward with anything?
TD: No.
Becky Williams: We will be having a leadership conference in Cedar Park North of Houston. We are going to fast-forward with the militia here in Texas along with the biker groups and VFW’s in Texas.
[end excerpt]
---
What motivates them...
* (from an online source, look it up yourself) [begin excerpt]: The "victims", who are championed by Rockefeller liberals, include oppressed women, homosexuals, and the minority flavor-of-the-day. The "haters" are the intolerant people who defend the things the globalists want to destroy: nuclear family, religion, democracy, individualism and nationhood. The haters are "right-wingers" for whom the tolerant liberals have "zero tolerance." [end excerpt] This hatred against "liberals" goes back to the 1600s, but during the 20th century, propagadnists successfully convinced millions that "liberal" values are of foreign origin, as opposed to "good ol' 100% Americanism"
* "ALERT: Democrats Introduce National Gun Registry Legislation… Spread This to Warn Others" (2015-05-21, conservativetribune.com) [http://is.gd/A1yXVj]
* "Democratic Party Absorbs Soviet Bill of Rights" (2015-04-25, freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com) [archive.is/Bw7vx]
===*===*===
USA Homeland's resident nations
Sovereign nations of the "Indian Country", and of traditional lodges.Map [archive.is/s4FYb], News [indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com] [bsnorrell.blogspot.com]
* "Photos of Navajo Who Have Refused to Leave Their Land" (2015-09-08, vice.com/read) [archive.is/4v8Ux]
---
The Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association, in a September, 2015 letter to Pope Francis, opposes the canonization of the Franciscan Friar Junipero Serra. Fr. Serra was responsible for founding and building, by means of the forced labor of our Native ancestors, nine of the twenty-one Spanish Catholic missions that were eventually built on the traditional territories of our various Native nations in California. Pope Francis, you are evidently unaware of the deadly toll and devastating effect that the Catholic Mission system had on our nations and peoples here in California. How else can we make sense of you associating the image of “sainthood” with a Spanish Catholic missionary who instituted and imposed a Catholic mission system upon our ancestors with deadly and dehumanizing effects?
* Amah Mutsun Tribe Sends Sixth Letter to Pope Francis Opposing Canonization of Serra, intro [archive.is/XY2TU], letter (.pdf) [http://is.gd/y8tZYC]
* Tribal Chairmen’s Assn. Letter Opposing Serra Canonization (2015-09-12, via the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, amahmutsun.org) [archive.is/jFKl6]
* Association of Tribal Governments Letter Opposing Serra Sainthood (2015-09-12, via the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band) [archive.is/XUkVa]
More about the Amah Mutsun [archive.is/2wbPV]
---
* (2015-09-09, What I Love About Vallejo): Vallejo served as home to several Native American tribes including the Coastal Miwoks, the Suisunes and the Patwin tribes. There are three confirmed Native American sites that were located on White Sulfur Springs Mountain in Vallejo, above Blue Rock Springs Park.
The Coastal Miwoks- are a tribe that was the second largest group of Miwok Native American people. The Coast Miwok inhabited the general area of modern Marin County and Southern Sonoma County in Northern California, from the Golden Gate north to Duncans Point and eastward to Sonoma Creek. The Coast Miwok included the Bodega Bay Miwok from authenticated Miwok villages around Bodega Bay and Marin Miwok.
The Suisunes - When Spanish settlers entered Suisun Valley in the early 1800's, the hills around Bella Vista Ranch supported small bands of Indians who lived in grass huts and subsisted on acorns, berries, roots and insects, with fish and small game. Chief Solano’s, original native name Sem-Yeto (Brave) he was the famous Chief and Leader of the Suisunes Tribe., They lived around Vacaville, Putah Creek and Rockville
The Patwin - are a Wintun people native to the area of Northern California. The Patwin comprise the southern branch of the Wintun group, native inhabitants of California since approximately 500 AD (Golla 2011: 250). They lived between what is now Suisun, Vacaville and Putah Creek. By 1800 they had been forced by Spanish and European invaders into small tribal units - Ululatos (Vacaville), Labaytos (Putah Creek), Malacas (Lagoon Valley), Tolenas (Upper Suisun Valley) and Suisunes (Suisun Marsh and Plain).
===*===*===
Regional insights for the lands of... Anahuac, Carib, and Abya Ayla ("Latin" America)
"When the Eagle of the North flies with the Condor of the South, The Spirit of the Land, She will Reawaken". English language news [upsidedownworld.org] [narconews.com] [narcosphere.narconews.com] [nacla.org] [coha.org] [cepr.net] [cedema.org], Spanish language news [contrainjerencia.com]
* "The US and the Militarization of Latin America" (2015-09-02, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/n3oiC]
* "Corruption and Its Uses, from Guatemala to Colombia" (2015-09-17, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/Y17ZW]
----
* "Uruguay Shows the Way by Leaving Secret Trade Deal A strong coalition of trade unions, environmentalists and farmers working together on an effective public campaign were able to take on the interests of the world's biggest companies and win" (2015-09-17, commondreams.org) [archive.is/h8lU5]
===*===*===
United States of Mexico
* "Special Branch. An instrument of urban counterinsurgency in the Valley of Mexico (1976-1981)"
book in Spanish (.pdf) [http://is.gd/M2UMPK], table of contents original in Spanish [archive.is/giF89], machine translated [archive.is/ETlxO]
* "Identifican en redes a encapuchados, antes de la marcha en DF infiltrado"
(2014-11-21, aristeguinoticias.com) [archive.is/IdDxq]:
En las redes sociales mostraron fotografías que muestran a presuntos infiltrados en las manifestaciones del jueves en la Ciudad de México, en repudio por la desaparición de 43 normalistas de Ayotzinapa.
---
* "Tell Mexican officials: Return Oaxaca to the people" (2015-06-18, grassrootsonline.org): On June 5 thousands of federal police, soldiers and marines flooded Oaxaca, Mexico, under the guise of “safeguarding” the mid-term elections. However local residents and human rights leaders believe that the government used the elections as a ploy to militarize Oaxaca and stifle social movements working for change in the region since the military remains after the elections have ended. Our partners in Mexico and 54 other non-governmental agencies are standing in solidarity with them and demand that the military exit Oaxaca immediately. The recent military invasion has civil society groups worried because it echoes the beginning of the violent repression by military police that happened in 2006. The seven-month-long, large-scale mobilizations and social protests that occurred to support the teachers’ strike were violently repressed by the federal police. Allegations of arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial executions, incidents of torture and other human rights violations that occurred in 2006 still haven’t been investigated. Because of this history, civil society organizations fear a replay of 2006 and are worried that military forces will have a permanent presence like in Chiapas and Guerrero. This is why they are asking activists around the world to demand an immediate exit of military forces.
Photo: Military forces surround the state electoral institute and continue to patrol local streets long past the election.
===*===*===
Central America, an "Economic Sacrifice Zone"
Honduras fares worst, together with Guatemala, in the Social Inclusion Index 2015.
* [http://www.proceso.hn/component/k2/item/109753-honduras-ocupa-%C3%BAltimo-lugar-con-las-peores-cifras-del-%E2%80%9C%C3%ADndice-de-inclusi%C3%B3n-social-2015%E2%80%9D.html]
===*===*===
Republic of Guatemala
* "Guatemala: “Soft Coup” Scenario" (2015-09-20, strategic-culture.org) [archive.is/7hOx9]
===*===*===
Republic of El Salvador (ALBA Affiliate)
===*===*===
Republic of Honduras
[northbaymds.blogspot.com/2014/10/world-fascism-watch-honduras.html] Most of the comments are collected from the daily "Presente Honduras Digest", and from the "Honduras Solidarity Network" listserve, authored by experts in geopolitics and history of Latin America. Libre is the "leftist" party working to uphold human rights and sovereignty, JOH is the dictator of Honduras supported by the USA.
* "Honduras' IMF Agreement Includes Austerity Measures that May Make Conditions Worse, New CEPR Paper Finds" (2015-09-15, cepr.net) [archive.is/hHhKd]
The EU, World Bank, USAID, Canada and the Honduran government brought together $250 million to support the people affected by the drought. According to EU ambassador Ketil Karlsen receives the second most funds of all Latin American countries by the EU.
* [http://criterio.hn/con-250-millones-gobierno-y-cooperantes-afrontaran-la-sequia-en-el-pais/]
* [http://www.radiohrn.hn/l/noticias/honduras-es-el-segundo-pa%C3%ADs-de-am%C3%A9rica-latina-que-m%C3%A1s-fondos-recibe-de-la-uni%C3%B3n-europea]
FOSDEH published a report in which they criticize the government's economic and social policies.
* [http://fosdeh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Realidad_nacional_25.pdf]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/en-su-mas-reciente-informe-el-fosdeh-despedaza-joh-y-sus-politicas-economicas/]
According to a new report by the World Justice Project (WJP), Honduras is 90th out of 102 countries regarding the rule of law.
* [http://voselsoberano.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17167:honduras-entre-los-paises-con-menor-respeto-al-estado-de-derecho-segun-la-organizacion-world-justice-project&catid=1:noticias-generales]
* [http://data.worldjusticeproject.org/#groups/HND]
According to the teacher's union Colprosumah, some 800'000 children lack education in Honduras.
* [http://criterio.hn/800-mil-ninos-son-excluidos-de-la-educacion-en-honduras/]
On the occasion of Children's Day, Radio Progreso takes a closer look at their situation in the country, i.e. finding that 14% of them have to work to help sustain their families.
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2377-ni%C3%B1os-y-ni%C3%B1as-celebran-su-d%C3%ADa-con-una-pi%C3%B1ata-de-corrupci%C3%B3n-y-violencia]
According to ConexiHon, a military education is often the only way out for poor Honduran children.
* [http://conexihon.hn/site/noticia/derechos-humanos/ni%C3%B1ez-y-juventud/ser-militar-la-%E2%80%9C%C3%BAnica-opci%C3%B3n%E2%80%9D-para-ni%C3%B1os-pobres-hondure%C3%B1os]
---
Honduras Coup Update (sydneywithhonduras.wordpress.com)
* "Cases of persecution in August 2015" (2015-09-11, sydneywithhonduras.wordpress.com) [archive.is/tthWc], including the following stories:
- Attacks against the fire torch movement; one youth killed, protests violently repressed, and a doctor and politician receives death threat for supporting the marches.
- Taxi driver leader who spoke on TV against JOH killed
- More than 20 farmers violently arrested from the land occupation in La Paz, police tortured including children, 14 including 3 women continue in prison 39 days later
- High school student and child activist singled out for arrest and imprisoned overnight
- Community protest against blackouts and electricity privatisation evicted by cops
* (July 2015) [archive.is/nbEvK]
* (June 2015) [archive.is/dsrpm]
* (May 2015) [archive.is/B26N1]
* (April 2015) [archive.is/Ws79U]
* (March 2015) [archive.is/ZA7bZ]
* (February 2015) [archive.is/C5LOI]
* (January 2015) [archive.is/ORL0H]
* (December 2014) [archive.is/eu6p3]
* (November, October, September, August, July 2014, and other months as far back as 2010-06) [archive.is/QW515]
* (June 2014) [archive.is/gAqrr]
* "Still a coup?" (sydneywithhonduras.wordpress.com) [archive.is/o0lAo]: A military coup occurred against Hondurans on 28 June 2009 to further consolidate national and international capitalist interests. Despite massive repression, people took the streets everyday stopping business for about 150 days. There has been around one political assassination a week all through, it fluctuates, but it never stopped. Only news and information is less readily available over time and there is more political persecution than reported, perhaps massively so. The defacto repressive regimes have been: Micheletti, followed by Lobo, now fraudulently governing is JOH – Juan Orlando Hérnandez. One of the themes of the coup was the regime taking action to prevent participatory democracy – 4ta urna was smashed – and taking down any possible barriers from Honduras become the most desirable possible to sell whatever available to investors. The impunity and neoliberalism lived today largely caused by the regimes and allies of the regimes, and also globally – the system we live in’s ongoingness creates this…this impunity and neoliberalism affects all sectors of social movements in Honduras.
---
* "The tireless struggle against forced disappearance in Honduras: from the 80s to today" (2015-09-16, hondurasaccompanimentproject.wordpress.com) [archive.is/qMvL6]
In a week Honduras' government will appear before the Human Rights Council to address the 181 UPR recommendations they received in May. The same week, representatives of the Honduran civil society, organized in the UPR Platform Honduras, will travel as well to Switzerland and later on to Germany exposing their view of the Honduran human rights situation.
* [http://www.defensoresenlinea.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3734:el-estado-se-situa-muy-lejos-de-cumplir-con-las-recomendaciones-del-epu&catid=54:den&Itemid=171]
The ISHR, the International Platform against Impunity and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) published a joint report on the situation of human rights defenders in Honduras.
* [http://www.ishr.ch/news/honduras-oppression-against-economic-social-and-cultural-rights-defenders-must-end]
* "Honduras: Oppression against economic, social and cultural rights defenders must end" (2015-09-14, ishr.ch) [archive.is/c8yJ9], full report at "The situation of human rights defenders: Honduras Briefing Paper for the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - September 2015" (.pdf) [http://is.gd/ENkoLb]
---
* "US Marines are training Honduran naval against narcos; They learn to step up sea patrols and fight frontally against threats" (2015-09-08, laprensa.hn) original [archive.is/qIkr8] machine translated [archive.is/PiZQN]
---
* "In agony free expression in the country for criminal prosecution of journalists and legislative reforms" (2015-09-09, pasosdeanimalgrande.com) original [archive.is/4bdBL], machine translated [archive.is/sLS0q]. Pasos de Animal Grand outlines how difficult the situation in Honduras currently is.
---
Apparently Honduras won't benefit from the Millennium Challenge Account due to the high corruption level in the country.
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/ultima-hora-por-altos-niveles-de-corrupcion-gobierno-de-joh-fuera-de-la-cuenta-del-milenio/]
* [http://www.elheraldo.hn/inicio/878827-331/honduras-sin-opci%C3%B3n-a-la-iniciativa-cuenta-del-milenio]
* [http://proceso.hn/component/k2/item/109746-honduras-no-aplica-para-cuenta-del-milenio-eeuu-enfocado-en-alianza-para-prosperidad-nealon.html]
According to Cholusat Sur, the JOH administration has signed a $10 million contract with the public relations company Ketchum. Cholusat Sur also claims that JOH, during his visit in San Francisco of Twitter, asked the firm to delete the hashtags #fuerajoh and #cicihya.
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/juan-orlando-hernandez-contrata-firma-internacional-por-9-millones-de-lempiras-para-limpiar-su-imagen/]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/presidente-hernandez-viaja-la-sede-de-twitter-en-san-francisco-para-pedir-que-retiren-los-hashtag/]
JOH met US vice-president Joe Biden during his visit to the US and they talked about the Alliance for Prosperity Plan.
* [http://www.elheraldo.hn/alfrente/850568-331/la-casa-blanca-optimista-con-alianza-para-la-prosperidad]
Also, on June 17th, Juan Orlando Hernandez was at National Press Club for a forum on "world hunger". According to the press release [archive.is/CwQnt]: "Hernandez has prioritized solving hunger and poverty in order to provide new hope to the youth of his country."
* "Last Minute: For orders JOH Board Comptroller and agree to get the DEI Insurance 600 million lempiras" (2015-09-07, cholusatsur.com) original [archive.is/7KpvP] machine translated [archive.is/H646t]. Cholusat Sur reports that JOH ordered the intervention body at the IHSS to pay 600 million Lempiras, of IHSS funds, to the Executive Revenue Directorate (DEI) and therefore weakening furthermore the public health system for Hondurans. Photos of the documents [archive.is/whxYi] [archive.is/6EdyW] [archive.is/TPymg] [archive.is/SMTlz] [archive.is/s9yWd] [archive.is/RKekS] [archive.is/DST7v]
Apparently, more checks to the National Party were found in the archives of the following banks: Ficohsa, Atlantida, Lafise.
Cholusat Sur also hase some news regarding the contract between IHSS and Shucri Kafie's DIMESA: it was JOH who signed it back in 2011 as president of Congress.
The intervening committe to the IHSS, came already in 2012 to the conclusion that this contract should had never been signed.
* [http://criterio.hn/revelan-mas-cheques-de-fondos-desfalcados-al-seguro-social-de-honduras/]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/ultima-hora-juan-orlando-hernandez-aprobo-el-contrato-de-shucri-kafie/]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/ultima-hora-vilma-cecilia-morales-dijo-que-contrato-de-125-millones-de-dolares-nunca-debio-celebrarse/]
MADJ criticizes the role of the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ), Julieta Castellanos (the dean of the UNAH) and the Anti-Corruption Council (CNA) in the new campaign against corruption by JOH. Javier Suazo offers us an interesting analysis of the spreading 'march of the torches' by which the Honduran people demonstrate against the rampant corruption.
According to both Giorgio Trucchi and Marvin Ponce, the marches are carried by the young.
* [https://www.facebook.com/MADJhn/posts/10207246996759479?_fb_noscript=1]
* [http://www.alainet.org/es/articulo/170120]
* [http://www.alainet.org/es/articulo/170119]
* [http://www.pasosdeanimalgrande.com/index.php/en/contexto/item/823-las-juventudes-principales-protagonistas-de-las-movilizaciones-con-antorchas]
Meanwhile, the MP has release new 'requerimento fiscales' against 11 people involved with the IHSS corruption case. Due to an interview by JOH, dozens of articles were published on the case. Cholsat Sur alone published links to five articles by international newspapers pretending some admission of guilt by JOH. Nevertheless, things are more complicated and I leave you with a great overview by Honduras Culture and Politics.
* [http://www.hondurastierralibre.com/2015/06/honduras-ministerio-publico-presenta.html]
* [http://hondurasculturepolitics.blogspot.ch/2015/06/if-makes-all-difference-hernandez-on.html]
PAC president Salvador Nasralla surprised everyone by proposing to "forget" the corruption of the last and the current government and start fresh with a new government and a CICIH watching over them.
* [http://criterio.hn/salvador-nasralla-propone-salida-salomonica-de-borron-y-cuenta-nueva-sobre-robo-del-ihss/]
Some representatives of the protest movement, meanwhile, think about dropping the marches for the time being and reorganize the fight for a CICIH.
* [http://criterio.hn/indignados-analizan-suspender-marchas-de-las-antorchas-y-replantear-la-lucha/]
Cholusat Sur published some footage of Joe Biden speaking out in favor of a CICI in Honduras.
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/la-cici-sera-un-hecho-en-honduras/]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/joh-ya-sabe-cual-es-la-ruta-en-el-tema-de-la-cici/]
JOH will travel to Washington at the end of September to meet OAS secretary general Luis Almagro.
* [http://www.web.ellibertador.hn/index.php/noticias/nacionales/519-presidente-de-honduras-viajara-a-eeuu-para-dialogar-con-secretario-de-oea]
Guatemala's imprisoned president Otto Perez says that there are geopolitical interests to extend the CICI to Honduras.
A delegation of the International Commission of Jurists has ended its visit to Honduras with a press conference, in which they recommend the installation of a CICIH.
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/otto-perez-hay-interes-para-que-la-cici-se-extienda-hasta-honduras/]
* [http://criterio.hn/juristas-internacionales-recomiendan-cici-para-honduras/]
Various representatives of the Honduran civil society criticize the Alliance for Peace and Justice (APJ) for its counter proposal to an International Commission against Impunity in Honduras (CICIH), therefore debilitating the protests.
Of course, JOH welcomes such alternatives, as he continues to claim, that the judicial system in Honduras has been strengthened.
Proceso Digital reports on previous plans by the UN to nominate a special assessor for Central America.
* [http://criterio.hn/propuesta-de-la-apj-debilita-movimiento-de-las-antorchas/]
* [http://criterio.hn/sociedad-civil-pretende-dar-panos-tibios-con-su-propuesta-oposicion-indignada/]
* [http://www.pasosdeanimalgrande.com/index.php/en/contexto/item/852-cuestionan-propuesta-contraria-a-comision-internacional-contra-la-impunidad-en-honduras]
* [http://voselsoberano.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17209:madj-y-que-caigan-tambien-los-tapaderas-de-los-corruptos-y-corruptas&catid=1:noticias-generales]
* [http://criterio.hn/cicih-no-ha-sido-considerada-porque-en-honduras-se-ha-fortalecido-la-justicia-joh/]
* [http://www.proceso.hn/nacionales/item/104388-onu-intento-enviar-un-asesor-especial-para-centroam%C3%A9rica-pero-nunca-crear-cicih.html]
CONADEH renews its demand of a for a Honduran International Commission against Impunity.
* [http://www.radiohrn.hn/l/noticias/conadeh-pide-crear-cici-en-honduras]
According to journalist David Romero Ellner, an army colonel close to JOH is behind the threats against him and his family.
The national dialogue started without the presence of the political opposition. Libre president Manuel Zelaya explains why according to him the facilitators haven't so far created the conditions for a real dialogue.
* "Restart approaches to national dialogue in Honduras" (2015-09-08, ellibertador.hn) original [archive.is/GtoIo], machine translated [archive.is/SfoUn]
* "Zelaya warns new frustration of the OAS and UN if conditions are established for dialogue" (2015-09-08, criterio.hn) original [http://is.gd/ifz6zR], machine translated [archive.is/YcDUb]
The proposal by OAS receives another blow, as the UN announced that it won't participate - it diplomatically criticizes that the OAS went forward with a plan the UN wasn't informed about.
The Coalition against Impunity denounced the OAS plan in a press release. Radio Progreso spoke with analyst Gustavo Ir?a about the work of the OAS.
* [http://criterio.hn/onu-no-participo-en-la-propuesta-de-la-oea-para-reformar-sistema-judicial/]
* [http://criterio.hn/coalicion-contra-la-impunidad-decepcionada-con-propuesta-de-la-oea/]
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2392-oea-pierde-autoridad-en-di%C3%A1logo-hondure%C3%B1o-seg%C3%BAn-analista]
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CESPAD, meanwhile, started a new series on the chronology of the protests.
* [http://www.cespad.org/di%C3%A1logo-nacional-%C2%BFfracas%C3%B3-la-facilitaci%C3%B3n-de-la-oea]
Yesterday Honduras celebrated the region's independence day with street protests against corruption, for a functional judicial system and for a real independence.
* [http://www.defensoresenlinea.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3732:poblacion-rechaza-intervencion-partidaria-y-exige-una-verdadera-independencia&catid=42:seg-y-jus&Itemid=159]
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2383-protestas-irrumpieron-desfiles-oficiales-con-la-consigna-%C2%BFcu%C3%A1l-independencia?]
* [http://criterio.hn/en-movilizacion-paralela-fnrp-y-libre-claman-por-una-verdadera-independencia-en-honduras/]
Ronnie Huete Salgado reports on the protests by Hondurans in the US. One of the protestors is the son of murdered campesinxs leader Margarita Murillo. He is asking for political asylum in the US.
* [http://conexihon.hn/site/noticia/derechos-humanos/derechos-humanos/hijo-de-margarita-murillo-solicita-asilo-pol%C3%ADtico-en-los]
The protests in Honduras have been going on for three months already. They led to the creation of new organizational possibilities, like the Mesas de la Indignacion Ciudadana, the Oposicion indignada and the Plataforma de Jovenes Indignados. They all met last Sunday to discuss the democratization of these spaces and therefore integrating all sectors in the decision making process.
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2373-movimiento-indignado-busca-consolidar-articulaci%C3%B3n-para-fortalecer-la-lucha]
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The police commissioner Hector Ivan Mejia is denigrating and criminalizing the Honduran protestors. He claims that a small group of people is trying to create chaos.
* [http://www.proceso.hn/nacionales/item/110293-peque%C3%B1os-grupos-buscan-inestabilidad-del-pa%C3%ADs-para-crear-m%C3%A1rtires.html]
As an article in Pasos de Animal Grand shows, the criminalization of students continues in Honduras.
* [http://www.pasosdeanimalgrande.com/index.php/en/contexto/item/1000-espera-continua-hasta-en-el-mes-de-noviembre-se-conocera-resolucion-contra-lider-estudiantil]
Criterio collected statements from young protesters all relating that companies have started laying off people who participate in the protests.
JOH, meanwhile, claims that the protests are infiltrated by drug traffickers and tax evaders...
* [http://criterio.hn/empresas-despiden-jovenes-de-oposicion-indignada-por-protestar-contra-corrupcion-en-honduras/]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/juan-orlando-hernandez-asegura-que-ligados-al-narcotrafico-asisten-las-marchas/]
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The International Commission of Jurists warned in its press conference that the Supreme Court election will take place in a violent and corrupt environment. I doubt that the transparency portal of the IAIP will help.
* [http://criterio.hn/cij-advierte-que-corte-hondurena-sera-electa-en-un-contexto-de-violencia-y-corrupcion/]
* [http://www.radiohrn.hn/l/noticias/iaip-lanza-portal-de-transparencia-para-elecci%C3%B3n-de-los-nuevos-magistrados]
The Coalition against Impunity held a press conference yesterday to voice its worry about the nontransparent way the Nomination Committee for the Supreme Court election constituted itself.
* "Coalition demands transparency to the Nominating Board" (2015-09-08, defensoresenlinea.com) original [archive.is/VvRJ5], machine translated [archive.is/7hRV4]
* "Coalition Against Impunity requires transparency and objectivity to the nominating committee for the SCJ" (2015-09-08, criterio.hn) original [http://is.gd/lNlWIs] machine translated [archive.is/fkqXg]
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With the Military Police now present in all 18 Departments, the militarization of Honduras became apparent once more.
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2372-militarizaci%C3%B3n-de-la-segundad-ciudadana-sin%C3%B3nimo-de-violencia-y-represi%C3%B3n]
The body responsible for cleaning up the National Police, the DIECP, has sent some 538 cases to the MP, but the latter hasn't so far felt obliged to act.
Security Minister Julian Pacheco Tinoco announced that coming February the Anti-Drug Unit will start its work as a entity assigned to the National Police.
Meanwhile, some TIGRES agents received a combat training by Colombian and US experts.
* "Public Ministry has not resolved any of the 538 records that sent DIECP" (2015-09-08, radiohrn.hn) original [archive.is/jL2Bi], machine translated [archive.is/wAHNY]
* "Honduran police announced creation of Drug Unit from 2016" (2015-09-08, criterio.hn) original [http://is.gd/xC0X12], machine translated [archive.is/IFq4j]
* "TIGERS 74 graduate courses in combat" (2015-09-08, elheraldo.hn) original [archive.is/1iRta], machine translated [archive.is/qWbSw]
JOH inaugurated the First Battalion of the Military Police, a complex built for 80 million Lempiras. It is also planned to built three prisons in the facilities of the Military Police.
* [http://www.proceso.hn/component/k2/item/103599-este-mi%C3%A9rcoles-se-inaugur%C3%B3-el-primer-batall%C3%B3n-de-polic%C3%ADa-militar-en-francisco-moraz%C3%A1n.html]
* [http://www.tiempo.hn/nacion/item/34107-con-nueva-sede-la-policia-militar-de-honduras-se-independiza-mas]
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The Supreme Audit Institution (TSC) will investigate 30 municipal corporations.
* "TSC is investigating 30 municipal corporations" (2015-09-08, criterio.hn) original [http://is.gd/3sszCE], machine translated [archive.is/o9AVu]
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An US delegation from the group La Voz de los de Abajo published a report on their visit to Honduras for the International Week Against Forced Disappearances.
* [http://hondurasresists.blogspot.ch/2015/06/honduras-delegation-may-2015.html]
* "Honduras union leader gets death threats for work on Chiquita plantation" (2015-09-11):
U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP) has been following the situation on this plantation for a couple of years now and I'll be meeting with unions in Honduras next month to discuss campaign strategies to improve the rights of workers on banana plantations including this one.
>From the article: "Tom?s Membre?o P?rez, president of the agricultural workers union, Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Agroindustria (STAS), received death threats by phone and on Facebook in recent days and was followed as he traveled to the Santa Rita banana plantation where he is helping workers get a voice on the job."
http://www.solidaritycenter.org/anti-union-violence-in-honduras-sixth-time-this-year/
The Solidarity Center provides more updated info on the general situation, and we will be doing more in the coming months. At the moment I'm unaware of an urgent action request but we'll be looking into it and let you know.
For background info on what was going on with this same plantation in 2013, see this blog post (http://ilrf.org/blog/201307/honduran-union-leader-faces-death-threats) and page 2 of our Fall 2013 newsletter (http://www.laborrights.org/sites/default/files/docs/USLEAP_Newsletter_Fall2013.pdf).
* "Honduras: Murder and stigmatization after participating in protests" (2015-09-09, hondurastierralibre.com) original [archive.is/vo7yl] machine translated [archive.is/7Q7an]. The campesino Eliseo Rodriguez was murdered just two days after participating in a protest in the Bajo Aguan.
* "A hearing advocates for the right to land in Amapala and Danlí" (2015-09-09, defensoresenlinea.com) original [archive.is/ACqBO], machine translated [archive.is/MoqNN]. A report on the criminalizing trials against campesinxs currently taking place in Amapala and Danli.
* "ALERT: The COPINH denounces directed aggression and violence" (2015-09-05, copinh.org) original [archive.is/5FvzM], machine translated [archive.is/jwPM9]
* SUMMARY OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THE COMMUNITY SOMOLAGUA, SAN JUAN CEGUACA SEPTEMBER 2 (2015-09-11, Witness for Peace Honduras-Nicaragua International Team) [witnessforpeace.org]:
"They think they are better than us because we are poor ", said a community member of Somolagua, San Juan, Ceguaca in the department of Santa Barbara referring to the assailants that attacked their community last week. These attacks are a continuation of violence against the community that begun several months ago.
On Wednesday September 2, 2015 approximately 15 individuals including five of the Rio brothers; Florencio, Miguel, Saúl, and Arselio Francisco, threatened and asSaúlted the community of Somolagua where 25 families are in a land recuperation process that started in April 2015. The community also identified among the assailants a man by the last name of Rutia, an ex-preventive police officer and a resident of Ceguaca, as well as Felix Pineda, a member of the community of San Juan.
According to testimony from several members of the community, these fifteen individuals arrived in a Gray Toyota 3.0 at the detour for Santa Rita and entered through the main and back entrances of the community. All were visibly armed, carrying .38 pistols, shotguns, rifles, .22 rifles and 30-30 rifles and arrived between the hours of 2 and 4 in the afternoon and remained in the community for 18 hours. When the assailants first arrived, community members left and waited for members of COPINH to come. Community members immediately called the police who "were present but did nothing", according to the community.
Prior to the attack that afternoon, community members received a formal complaint by the Rio brothers in the morning with false allegations accusing them of usurping land as well as damaging property and crops. The Rio brothers are suing the community in the amount of 250,000 Honduran lempiras (approximately $11,400 U.S. dollars) in damages.
THREATS AND ATTACKS TO THE COMMUNITY -
Photo: Community meeting space that was burned by the assailants.
During the violent attack in the afternoon, the assailants burned property and crops belonging to the community including: a communal meeting space, several houses and sugarcane crops. They also ransacked the cornfield and stole a supply of food, clothing and 10,000 lempiras (approximately $500 dollars) from a community fund that was intended to repair their water pipe that was damaged by the Rios brothers in May of this year in a previous act of aggression. They also removed the cross at Moises Duron’s memorial site, commemorating where their fallen comrade was assassinated on May 20, 2015 by Saúl Rios, according to testimony from the community.
On this last occasion, Saúl Rios also directly threatened a member of the community with a gun. "He aimed a .22 pistol at me and with the gun in his hand, he told me...to go because the police are coming...so then I came back...but with fear because I had my back to him...but thank God he did not do anything [to me].”
Photos: The Rio brothers and their associates burned sugarcane and ransacked corn.
There was an assassination attempt against a community leader who was en route to the police station in Santa Barbara hours after the arrival of the Rio brothers in the community.
The community reported that they heard shots during the evening hours on September 2. Presently most women and children are outside the community for safety issues. Other community members returned on Thursday, September 3rd with about 100 supporters from other communities in the area and were also accompanied by COPINH.
To reach the community, members have to go through the town of San Juan where the assailants reside and where Moises Duron’s murderer is living with impunity. Upon entering or leaving the community, they are exposed to verbal threats and in one recent case earlier this month, a female community member was threatened with a gun by an associate of the Rio brothers. According to rumors spread by the family of the Rio brothers, the assailants were planning to return to the community on Monday, September 7th.
LACK OF ADEQUATE RESPONSE BY THE STATE -
The State's response has been minimal and virtually non-existent, according to community members. The community is waiting for a meeting with the National Agrarian Institute (INA) to follow up on their case. COPINH has denounced INA for negligence.
No public officials have arrived to the community to investigate within the first few days after the attack. The District Attorney summoned the protected witnesses (who already testified at the police station) but fear has prevented them from going.
The Police Commissioner of Santa Barbara accused COPINH of being a terrorist organization and told community members who went to denounce the attacks by the Rio brothers, that if someone had broke into his house (land), that he would have done the same [as the Rio brothers] and further, that they [the community] should arm themselves. According to community members, the Police Commissioner added that he could not do anything for them other than pray.
According to the community, the authorities have not followed-up on the murder of Moises Duron either.
---
32 years ago, father Guadalupe Carney was forcefully disappeared.
Honduran campesinxs still commemorate him every year.
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2394-conmemoran-32-a%C3%B1os-de-desaparici%C3%B3n-forzada-del-%E2%80%9Csacerdote-de-los-campesinos%E2%80%9D]
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Cholusat Sur's Esdras Amado L?pez react to the denigrating campaign against him and his channel.
Radio Progreso reports on a press conference by C-LIBRE and the Civil Society Group. They denounced an increase in attacks on journalists by the police and armed forces.
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/esdras-amado-lopez-yo-soy-responsable-de-la-criminalidad-el-robo-en-el-seguro-la-impunidad-y-la-indignacion-del-pueblo-el-responsable-es-el-presidente-de-la-republica-juan-orlando-hern/]
Cholusat Sur is being threatened by JOH once more to be closed down.
A team of Mundo TV, meanwhile, had all its equipment stolen why they were filming outside in Tegucigalpa.
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/presidente-de-honduras-amenaza-con-cerrar-canal-de-television-al-periodista-esdras-amado-lopez/]
* [http://www.proceso.hn/component/k2/item/109755-despojan-de-equipo-televisivo-a-periodistas-de-mundo-tv-en-plena-grabaci%C3%B3n.html]
* "Journalist Dunia Montoya: In the eyes of the police brutality and hatred felt" (2015-09-10, pasosdeanimalgrande.com) original [archive.is/wSZq1], machine translated [archive.is/IEZC0], about a journalist who recently suffered violence from the police.
* "Julio Ernesto Alvarado case: A serious setback for freedom of information and the commission" (2015-09-09, es.rsf.org) original [archive.is/NSiGt], machine translated [archive.is/0GXS9]. Reporters without Borders and PEN International condemned the action of the Honduran Supreme Court in the case of journalist Julio Ernesto Alvarado.
Another journalist of Globo, Ivis Alvarado, denounces acts of intimidation against him.
* [http://www.pasosdeanimalgrande.com/index.php/en/denuncias/item/824-el-periodista-ivis-alvarado-de-globo-tv-denuncia-actos-intimidatorios-en-su-contra]
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An arrest warrant was emitted for Enrique Flores Lanza, an official of the Zelaya administration.
* [http://criterio.hn/libran-orden-de-captura-contra-exfuncionario-del-gobierno-de-honduras/]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/orden-de-captura-contra-enrique-flores-lanza/]
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Members of the SEPHE labor union met outside of the Hospital Escuela to protest the attacks by the government against them.
* "Trade unionists outside the Hospital Escuela" (2015-09-09, cholusatsur.com) original [archive.is/AtWOb] machine translated [archive.is/Y4CcQ]
* "School hospital unionists protesting union office closure" (2015-09-09, ellibertador.hn) original [archive.is/TRi9n], machine translated [archive.is/irYx2]
The journalists Jairo Lopez denounced corrupt actions at the hospital in Choluteca, actions which are linked to Mauricio Oliva. Nevertheless, Gabriela Castellanos, the director of the National Anti-Corruption Council (CNA), denied to look into it.
* "Director of CNA rejects corruption allegations against Mauricio Oliva" (2015-09-09, criterio.hn) original [archive.is/h9ftG], machine translated [archive.is/GJUSl]
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After the murder of their lawyer, the Gutierrez family published a press release.
Meanwhile, the poet and writer Anarella V?lez Osejo wrote an open letter to her son Rigoberto Paredes, who confessed to the murder.
Radio Progreso also offers its views on the murder.
* [http://criterio.hn/lena-gutierrez-pide-aplicacion-de-justicia-para-crimen-de-su-abogado/]
* [http://criterio.hn/conoce-la-carta-que-escribio-la-poetisa-anarella-velez-osejo-a-su-hijo-rigoberto-paredes-velez/]
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2397-la-tragedia-perpetua-de-un-pa%C3%ADs-sin-justicia]
* [http://www.hondurastierralibre.com/2015/09/asesinato-de-abogado-hondureno-se-debe.html]
* " Headline in Honduras: Killing of defense lawyer" (2015-09-18, by Karen Spring): Something tragic and complex has happened here in Honduras. A young resistencia artist, Rigoberto Paredes, has confessed to killing
<http://www.elheraldo.hn/alfrente/881340-209/cuatro-minutos-dur%C3%B3-el-crimen-contra-el-abogado-eduardo-montes> Eduardo Montes, the defense lawyer of the Astropharma case who was representing the VP of Congress, Lena Gutierrez accused of frauding the public health system amongst other charges. Montes was stabbed various times in an elevator in a high rise building in Teguc. The accused, Rigoberto Paredes is an artist and son of a well-known artist Anarella Velez, university professor, and owner of Cafe Paradiso in the center of Tegucigalpa. Rigoberto Paredes Sr., the father of the accused, just passed away in March and was a very well known Honduran poet.
After he was arrested, Paredes talks about the injustice of the IHSS scandal, how various individuals involved in the scandal has killed people. His interview published in the Honduran papers can be found here <http://www.elheraldo.hn/alfrente/881066-209/habla-el-principal-sospechoso-de-matar-a-eduardo-montes>. Paredes will await his trial in jail.
Some are taking the opportunity because of this incident to criminalize LIBRE and resistence members making accusations that LIBRE has a secret guerrilla cell, etc, etc. The political polarization of the country, impunity and corruption make this a very difficult situation. Given the media around this issue and its link to the corruption case, I thought I would send around this note.
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Honduras Culture and Politics raises an important question regarding the ZEDE: Who Pays for the Infrastructure Needs of them? It concludes: "For all the hype of a ZEDE as a way to develop Honduras, the current proposal seems to be requiring a large outlay in infrastructure development from the host country before there is even a commitment of ZEDE development."
* [http://hondurasculturepolitics.blogspot.ch/2015/09/who-pays-for-infrastructure-needs-of.html]
===*===*===
Garifuna nation within the Republic of Honduras
The indigenous Garifuna organization OFRANEH signed an international public letter against the spreading of tree monocultures. According to them, the FAO and REDD+ policies are partly to blame for this.
* [https://ofraneh.wordpress.com/2015/09/20/dia-internacional-de-lucha-contra-los-monocultivos-de-arboles/]
OFRANEH also denounces the eviction in the Gar?funa community Puerto Castilla - a community which is thought to become a ZEDE.
* [https://ofraneh.wordpress.com/2015/09/18/zede-ciudad-modelo-y-el-desalojo-de-la-comunidad-garifuna-de-puerto-castilla/]
* "Warning: Militarized Garifuna community" (2015-09-10, ofraneh.wordpress.com) original [archive.is/PrsYr], machine translated [archive.is/CCNLL]
* "Garifuna community militarized this morning, protest continues" (2015-09-10, Presente-Honduras Digest): The Garifuna community of Cristales, which is right at the northwestern edge of Trujillo, is full of soldiers and police this morning while the community's occupation of the Cristales bridge continues, OFRANEH reports. The bridge is strategically located - blocking it blocks the road leading from the city west along the Trujillo Bay, where a number of communities and tourism projects (including Jorgensen's) are located. The community is demanding a meeting with the mayor of Trujillo to address a number of issues. OFRANEH denounces the militarization of the Garifuna community Cristales, Trujillo, whose inhabitants occupied the Cristales bridge in protest against the mayor Jose Antonio Lannez.
PROAH published a new article on the Gar?funa community of Barra Vieja, which is anew under attack for defending its territories.
* [https://hondurasaccompanimentproject.wordpress.com/2015/06/03/the-garifuna-community-of-barra-vieja-on-trial-for-defending-ancestral-territory/]
===*===*===
Tolupan nation within the Republic of Honduras
PROAH reports on the situation in Locomapa, where two years after the murders of three Tolup?n land rights defenders in 2013, these crimes remain in impunity.
* [https://hondurasaccompanimentproject.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/community-of-locomapa-impunity-violence-and-harassment-continue-against-tolupan-indigenous/]
Radio Progreso awaits with an update on the situation of the Tolupanes in Honduras.
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2398-pueblo-tolup%C3%A1n-sigue-resistiendo-en-medio-de-la-precariedad]
===*===*===
Republic of Nicaragua (ALBA member)
* "ALBA and Nicaragua - The Fight Against Hunger" (2015-08-27, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/U7PAs]
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* "Nicaragua: Making Cooperatives Central to Democratization" (2015-09-10, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/6TPMr]
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* "Nicaragua to Host Russian GPS-Equivalent Ground Stations" (2015-08-21, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/SyIN5]
===*===*===
Republic of Cuba (ALBA member)
* "John Kerry – Inspirer of Cuban Opposition" (2015-08-17, strategic-culture.org) [archive.is/yhYZK]
===*===*===
Republic of Haiti
* "Anatomy of an electoral coup" (2015-09-11, haitisolidarity.net) [archive.is/5FQ7D]: Marred by outright fraud, massive voter suppression in the form of intimidation, and violence, the August 9th Haitian legislative election was rejected by the people of Haiti. Yet, in a cynical re-write of history, the OAS, United States, and European Union put their stamp of approval on the election as a “step forward” for democracy.
As usual, the Haitian people resist. They insist on their right to fair elections. Angry protests across Haiti demand that the August 9th election be annulled. Haiti Action Committee fully supports this demand.
Fanmi Lavalas, the party of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, immediately declared the sham election “an electoral coup,” calling for its annulment, and demanded that a commission be convened to investigate. Other political parties soon joined this call. Many candidates throughout the country have formed “candidates’ collectives” to defend the Haitian people’s right to free and fair elections.
Below are some examples of the nation-wide pattern of disruption, voter suppression and terror that occurred during this sham election.
THE DECK IS STACKED:
•Poll watcher badges were only distributed to selected parties - PHTK, Bouclier, Verite, KID – all parties with close ties to Haitian president Michel Martelly.
•Observer badges were distributed to fake observers, facilitating the movement of armed gangs between polling centers
•Voters’ lists were not posted as required by the electoral law
•Sustained gunfire erupted nightly in areas throughout Port-au-Prince and other major cities leading up to the vote. This created an atmosphere of fear and terror; rumors of a curfew and a ban on public transportation were circulated and never dismissed by the authorities, causing people to stay home.
•Polling places were eliminated in working-class and impoverished communities and consolidated into difficult to access centers. Many people did not know where to vote, and when they did could not get there.
•Crude and numerous errors in registered voting lists prevented voters from casting their vote, and drove them away from the polls.
DAY OF THE VOTE
•Poll watchers from PHTK, Bouclier, and Verite and KID were allowed to enter polling sites, while other parties were excluded. By law, representatives of all political parties may observe the voting process.
•Polling sites opened late or closed early in poor and working class communities; in some departments, close to 50% of the electorate were disenfranchised by sites that were closed due to violence.
•Throughout the day, Radio Timoun, affiliated with the Aristide Foundation For Democracy, and other radio stations throughout the country broadcast testimony from Haitians who called in to report ballot stuffing, destruction of ballots, armed groups trashing polling sites, and people beaten and killed.
•Journalists and election observers photographed ballots tossed or stolen at multiple sites.
•Duly certified election officials were suddenly removed and replaced by Martelly operatives at numerous polling sites.
•Armed groups of men carrying assault rifles were allowed into polling stations by complicit police and electoral council staff. Photographs show some wearing the t-shirts of Martelly’s PHTK party. Haitian National Police were reported to stand by while ballots were destroyed, sites were trashed and ballots stuffed. The UN was nowhere to be seen.
RESULTS – THE FIX IS IN:
•Candidates of three parties allied with Martelly – PHTK, Bouclier and Verite - head the list of first-round winners for the legislature.
•Voter suppression was evidenced in extremely low turnout across the country, especially in the West - Haiti’s largest department, representing 41% of electorate – where violence and closure of voting sites were high.
•Figures indicate Haiti’s electoral council, the CEP, did not tabulate close to 25% of the votes for Senate and almost 23% of the votes for Deputy.
NO! TO STOLEN ELECTIONS
CEP President Opont defended the elections, saying “These are the realities of the vote in Haiti,” and “Acts of violence are a feature of elections.” These false and belittling characterizations disguise the perpetrators of the violence. These were not random acts– this was systematic government-sponsored violence throughout the country bearing all the features of paramilitary actions reminiscent of Haiti under dictatorship.
Fifteen years ago, free and fair elections brought President Aristide and Fanmi Lavalas to power on a platform of social and economic reform to benefit Haiti’s people. That vote was negated by the 2004 coup led by the US, France and Canada. Now these same powers, the OAS, and the UN are cheering on the Martelly government as the “electoral coup” of August 9th is consolidated.
This is a moment that demands our solidarity. Haitians are reminded of a similar moment in the early years of dictatorship under Francois Duvalier. It has to stop now. We can echo the voices of Haitians protesting stolen elections and pre-determined outcomes. We can override the media embargo on what’s happening in Haiti, get the word out, and stand with Haiti’s popular movement to demand justice and change.
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* "When Will MINUSTAH Leave Haiti?" (2015-09-09, dadychery.org) [archive.is/hFIJ0]
===*===*===
Puerto Rico (USA state) and the Boriqueno nation
* "Puerto Rico's soaring cost of living, from giant electric bills to $5 cornflakes; In recession since 2006, the island is grappling with supermarket items 21% higher than the US average – even as 41% live in poverty" (2015-07-12, theguardian.com) [archive.is/8KtEs]
---
* "For student protesters, a rare, decisive — and little-noticed — victory" (2015-05-21, pri.org/stories) [archive.is/85BNY] [begin excerpt]: The student movement in Puerto Rico does more than just protest. When student leaders met with García Padilla last week, they came with their own suggestions for government spending cuts. One example: Reduce contracts with private companies that tutor high school students, and instead have the university provide the service.
“We’re not against cuts necessarily. What we’re saying is cut in these other areas where you’re spending too much before giving this blow to the university,” Torres says. [end excerpt]
* "Puerto Rico's Massive Anti-Austerity Protests Ignored By U.S. Mainland Media" (2015-05-16, huffingtonpost.com) [archive.is/KnRGq]
* "Yes, Students Protested in San Juan on May 13 and the US Media Ignored It" (2015-05-14, latinorebels.com) [archive.is/IpCnV]
* "Defiant Student Protesters Force Withdrawal of Puerto Rican Police from Restive Campus" (2011-02-17, democracynow.org) [http://is.gd/dIxLEx]
* "In Puerto Rico, Protests End Short Peace at University" (2011-02-17, nytimes.com) [archive.is/jOWZg] [begin excerpt]: Months of unrest at the University of Puerto Rico seemed to be reaching a finale over the last 10 days. Scores of students were arrested or injured by riot police officers. Faculty and staff members held a two-day walkout. The president of the university resigned Friday, the police who had occupied campus were withdrawn Monday and an interim president arrived Tuesday.
But there were only three days of peace.
On Thursday morning, students blocked the stairs to classrooms in the social science department with trash cans and chairs, and also closed down the humanities department. At the social sciences building, students said only one professor had tried to get through the blockade.
The spark for the university’s problems was a budget cut that required students to pay a new $800 fee, increasing their costs by more than 50 percent.
“It is the same situation that many universities in the United States are facing,” said Miguel A. Muñoz, the interim president. “Our budget is about $1 billion, and we have been cut about $200 million. We need the $800 fee to cover the deficit, and our tuition is so low, $51 a credit, that it’s almost a gift.”
The tuition is indeed far lower than most other flagship public universities. But Puerto Rico is poorer than the mainland United States, and two-thirds of the students have incomes low enough to qualify for Pell grants.
Student leaders estimate that at least 5,000 of the university’s students were not able to pay the fee this semester. And the administration acknowledges that there are now fewer than 54,000 students this semester, compared with about 60,000 last semester.
Protests may well flare up again. A general student assembly is scheduled for Tuesday, to discuss whether to call a further strike to protest the $800 fee, program cuts, and the unwillingness of the authorities to negotiate.
Puerto Rico has its first Republican governor in decades, Luis G. Fortuño, a pro-statehood conservative who has cut the number of public employees by about 17,000. Last weekend, while the protesters were marching in the streets, Mr. Fortuño was in Washington as a featured speaker at the Conservative Political Action conference. [end excerpt]
---
A Republican Party member is elected as Governor of the Commonwealth and proceeds to dismantle public services, contracting more debt, and disregards extreme human rights abuse while facilitating business with illicit narcotic and sex slavery cartels.
The governor uses the debt as a pretext to expand private ownership of public assets, ensuring that the people pay more for services that are provided for profit to the benefit of foreigners and their domestic allies.
* "In Puerto Rico, a Governor Pushes Big Change" (2012-11-05, wsj.com) [archive.is/zW7Tm] [begin excerpt]: When Luis Fortuño became the first Republican governor of Puerto Rico in 35 years in 2008, he promised a new kind of government.
He meant it.
First, Mr. Fortuño slashed 38,000 government jobs, helping shrink the government by 20%. Then he cut income-tax rates by half and corporate-tax rates by nearly a third. The government needn't be in the business of paving roads, either, he said, and so the main highway of Puerto Rico was leased. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now maintains it and collects the toll.
In late 2008, Mr. Fortuño says he got a surprise as governor-elect: His transition team discovered the last administration had, through sloppy book-keeping, overstated Puerto Rico's revenues and understated its debt. The island was running a deficit of $3.3 billion, risking a downgrade to junk status that could have frozen it out of credit markets for decades.
"We were on the verge of being America's Greece," he says. "We didn't have enough money to meet our own payroll," he recalls, saying they had to take out a loan to cover salaries.
He then went on television to announce what would be the hallmark of his term: The start of cuts that would peak with the elimination of 38,000 government jobs, through a combination of buyouts, dismissals, and early retirements. He, too, would be part of the belt-tightening, accepting 10% lower pay. With the average government salary being around $25,000, the move cleaned up Puerto Rico's fiscal situation in one swoop. "It was just the beginning of what would be a paradigm shift of how Puerto Rico conducts itself," says José Pérez-Riera, who left his job in New York as an analyst at Barclays Capital to join Mr. Fortuño's economic team of private-sector businessmen.
The shift, written as an emergency measure known as Law 7, came as a surprise to many Puerto Ricans. The layoffs hadn't been part of Mr. Fortuño's platform during the campaign, and public-sector work and government programs were long popular. The unemployment rate shot up by another 2%.In spring of 2010, Mr. Fortuño's plan to raise tuitions at the public University of Puerto Rico by 20% and cut summer classes prompted students and unions to join against the governor in a strike. Thousands of students occupied the main campus at Rio Piedras, shutting it down with barricades for 62 days, an event which dominated the Puerto Rican news cycle for weeks.
Mr. Fortuño didn't budge. "I remembered what Ronald Reagan did when he needed things done and there were members of his own cabinet who didn't support him," he says. Mr. Fortuño ordered better riot training for police and tightened restrictions on protests in public buildings.
He says he is now focused on incentives, principally corporate-tax reductions, to generate a new private sector. Seven corporate tax brackets, the highest one 41%, were collapsed to just three, the highest now 30%. In 2014 there will be only two, 20% and 25%. The governor also passed laws creating tax incentives for companies opening offices in Puerto Rico and exporting services elsewhere and lowered taxes for investors who come to the island to live.
Since the tax breaks, more than 25,000 new corporations have formed.
Puerto Rico is also in the midst of a deadly crime wave, with more than 1,100 people killed last year. Gangland-style killings of three or more people are common in San Juan. Though crime has lessened from last year's peak, it still remains high and the majority of homicides appear linked to a surge of drug trafficking on the island. Police say they suspect some of the unemployed have gotten caught up in the narcotics trade.
Mr. Fortuño's cuts have been felt on those fighting the crime epidemic. An official in Puerto Rico's anti-narcotics unit says only five of the island's seven helicopters used to spot drug runners are operational because there is "no money to repair them." [end excerpt]
* "Republican Governors Congratulate Luis Fortuño on being sworn in as Puerto Rico’s new Governor" (2012-11-04, rga-org.myrga.org) [archive.is/4vwmj]
* "Puerto Rico Debt Crisis Splits Congress on Party Lines and Draws Muted Response From White House" (2015-06-29, nytimes.com) [archive.is/7Dvoo]
* "Republicans ignore Puerto Rico's debt crisis at own peril, says former governor" (2015-07-09, theguardian.com) [archive.is/kKTFq]
* "Is Puerto Rico on the Brink of Economic Disaster? Dollar Collapsing" (2015-04-11, silentcrownews.com) [archive.is/MMhaw]
* "3 factors crippling the Puerto Rican economy" (2015-07-15, World Economic Forum) [archive.is/vMXU4]
* "Puerto Rico's plan to pay all of its debt still falls short" (2015-09-09, money.cnn.com) [archive.is/FvpyL] [begin excerpt]: Right now, there is a $28 billion gap between what Puerto Rico must pay bondholders over the next five years and what it can actually pay, according to a new government report. The Puerto Rican government just released its plan to plug the gap. Even after all the proposed spending cuts and tax increases, the island would still be unable to pay back $14 billion, raising concerns that the island could default again. The commonwealth defaulted on a small portion of its debt in August for the first time in its history. The Puerto Rican government proposes a wide range of spending cuts and tax hikes to help pay off its debt over the next five years. First, the island's sales tax sharply increased from 7% to 11.5% in July. On top of that, the government plans to fully implement a value-added tax. That sales tax is higher than any other in the United States. (Tennessee is the next highest at 9.45%, according to the Tax Foundation, a research group). Puerto Rico also aims to consolidate its schools, lower health care spending and reduce the number of government employees. It lists several initiatives to spark economic growth on the island too. In total, Puerto Rico owes about $72 billion to its creditors. The commonwealth defaulted on a $58 million debt payment due in August. For years, Puerto Rico's economy has been in a "death spiral," Puerto Rico's governor, Alejandro Garcia Padilla said in June. [end excerpt]
* "Puerto Rico Lays Out 5-Year Plan for Restructuring Its Debts" (2015-09-09, nytimes.com) [archive.is/CpS5u] [begin excerpt]: The plan also calls for an ambitious package of economic reforms enabling the island to deliver public services and collect taxes more efficiently, stimulate business investment and job creation, and carry out long-overdue maintenance on roads, ports and bridges. It also proposes steps that include raising the tuition at the University of Puerto Rico, seeking a waiver from increases in the federal minimum wage, updating the government’s software to better track expenses, cutting health care costs, and contracting for-profit companies to run government properties, like roads and ports.
The plan offers an analysis showing that Puerto Rico has already preserved some of its cash by taking “extraordinary measures,” like delaying residents’ income tax refunds and liquidating the assets of three social-insurance funds. But even maneuvers like that cannot keep Puerto Rico afloat indefinitely, and the analysis showed that by next June, Puerto Rico’s cash would be completely exhausted.
The island has had such cash squeezes in the past, and it responded by simply borrowing more money, which is how it accumulated such a huge load of debt. Now, though, it has effectively lost its ability to borrow, and if it burns through its cash by next June, it will be unable to pay for essential public services — like policing and public education — that its Constitution also requires it to provide to residents of the island, who are United States citizens. [end excerpt]
* "Puerto Rican Republicans: A Modern-day Oxymoron" (2015-08-14, latinorebels.com) [archive.is/FUQXE] [begin excerpt]: The Republican Party has turned its back on Puerto Rico time and time again, whether it be through national budget cuts to social programs such as Medicare and social security, denying equal access to bankruptcy for the island’s economic crisis, or through the consistent and massive rejection of all the self-determination bills ever debated in the U.S. Congress. The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007 was rejected by an overwhelming number of Republican members of Congress, and the earlier Puerto Rico Political Status Act of 1998 died on adjournment. The Status Act was even sponsored by a Republican (Don Young) in 1998, but that did not keep it from its final fate.
Now let’s be very clear: All of the above bills were to provide a process for Puerto Ricans to decide their political status with the United States. They were not up and down bills on statehood. So Republicans not only oppose statehood behind closed doors for Puerto Rico, but they oppose Puerto Ricans even having a chance to decide for themselves among all options.
Numerous Republican leaders such as Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Gerald Ford and as recent as Jeb Bush have all verbally supported statehood. But Republicans in the U.S. Congress —the legislative body that has jurisdiction regarding any matters pertaining to U.S. territories in accordance with the U.S. Constitution— have always opposed statehood or equal rights for the 3.5 million American citizens on the island of Puerto Rico.
So why would Republican presidents and leaders verbally support statehood if their congressional leaders and members always oppose it, both verbally and with their vote on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives?
The answer is simple: money. For decades, the GOP has tapped into the pro-statehood party on the island to gather donations for their campaigns. They have been doing this for years, and they continue to do it because, to them, going to Puerto Rico is easy money. All they have to do is go down there, kiss babies, shake some hands, say they support statehood and bam! They almost instantly receive checks in the thousands and support by various extremist, Tea Party, statehood leaders, such as Dr. Miriam Ramírez de Ferrer. She is a former statehood party senator on the island who is known to belittle the Puerto Rican flag and idolize the flag of the United States—the country that to this very day holds 3.5 million American citizens on the island without equal rights. But to statehood leaders like Ramírez de Ferrer, that doesn’t matter, because she is American first and Puerto Rican second (or maybe even third). That’s why she is infamously known for posting American flags on lampposts in Puerto Rico which drew ridicule towards the statehood party by millions on the island.
The statehood party on the island needs to redirect its focus and mission as a party to that of a civil rights movement and not as the movement of brown-nosing beggars for equality. At the end of the day, the most affected are the middle class and the poor on the island of Puerto Rico, and not the political leaders who, regardless of whether or not they achieve statehood for the island, end up with wealthy careers as lobbyists on the island or K Street in Washington, D.C., while preaching about statehood to the humble people of Puerto Rico—knowing full well that statehood for the island has never been more dead in the U.S. Congress.
In 2012, Puerto Rico held a referendum to decide its political relationship with the United States. Over 61 percent of voters chose statehood. What has the Republican-controlled House and Senate done? Nothing. They dispatched that historical moment with a universal message that the results were not clear. The official White House response was: “The results were clear. The people of Puerto Rico want the status issue resolved, and a majority favored statehood … Now it is up to Congress to act.”
What have the Republicans in Congress done? Nada. Why would they anyways? After all, according to Donald Trump (you know, the guy with the weird hair who is ahead by double digits on all GOP polls) who needs a 51st state filled with “rapists and criminals” anyways?
Therefore, it befuddles me to see Republican Puerto Ricans. It’s truly today’s political oxymoron. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Republic of Colombia
[colombiasupport.net]
* "Colombians willing to die to get their land back" (2015-09-13, cctv-america.com) [archive.is/13uS4] [begin excerpt]: Colombia’s 50-year armed conflict has forced tens of thousands of farmers and peasants off their land. Now, as survivors try to recover that territory, they could lose their lives.
As Correspondent Toby Muse explains in his report, it is all part of an ambitious Land Restitution program that is seeking to right the wrongs of the past by returning territory to those who had it illegally taken from them. Many were small farmers. Most were forced from their land by armed groups during decades of violence between the government and paramilitary groups.
The majority of the displaced re-located to cities where life was unfamiliar and they were unable to find work.
The government’s decision to return the stolen lands back to their rightful owners may seem like the just and obvious choice and an important one if the country is to achieve peace. However, as thousands of farmers now return to their lands, armed groups like guerillas, paramilitaries and drug traffickers, don’t want them back.
Activists have been representing the farmers fighting for the land. But some of those activists are receiving threats and being killed and now require bodyguards. Activists say that as long as these “mafias” operate in the countryside, they’ll continue to need constant protection. [end excerpt]
---
* "Covert action in Colombia U.S. intelligence, GPS bomb kits help Latin American nation cripple rebel forces" (2013-12-01, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/4glz2]
* "US, Colombia: Conspiracy against Venezuela" (2015-09-04, strategic-culture.org) [archive.is/03irb]:
"Airtec Inc. has been awarded a contract for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) services in support of the U.S. Southern Command [archive.is/f5pU1]. The deal is expected to be completed in September 2018. The contractor will provide ISR services utilizing a Bombardier DHC-8/200.
According to José Vicente Rangel [archive.is/g74VI], a Venezuelan journalist, the aircraft will be equipped with cutting-edge equipment to effectively survey the border areas of Venezuela."
The US special services have applied a lot of efforts to incite tensions in the “conflict zone” on the border between the two states. There are forces in the ranks of Colombian political and military leadership that are ready to help Washington in its subversive operations against the “main regional adversary”. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, a henchman of tycoons’ families, has said many a time that he supports further progress in the “special relationship” with Washington, including military ties. Santos believes that the deployment of seven US military facilities on Colombian soil is a step on the way of engaging Colombian military in NATO activities. Bogota is an integral part of the US plan to restore its dominant positions in the region.
Colombia is used to undermine the process of Latin American and Caribbean integration. Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela, displays great tolerance against the backdrop of hostile actions undertaken by Colombia. American supervisors apply no special efforts to conceal their involvement. The intention is evident – the opposition is trying to prove that the Maduro’s government is unable to get the national economy back on track and fill Venezuelan stores to meet the legitimate demands of consumers for essentials. Internal sabotage is assisted by the activities of smugglers operating on the Colombian territory.
Joint efforts are required to fight smuggling but Colombian border guards do nothing to interrupt the criminal activities often headed by former paramilitares (paramilitaries), the militants of AUC (the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia). According to Venezuelan counterintelligence, their leaders collaborate with Colombian power structures.
AUC fighters have recently staged a provocation near the border area (machine translated) [archive.is/DSCq9] (original) [archive.is/hR0R3]. They laid an ambush for a Venezuelan patrol in pursuit of smugglers. Shots were fired and three servicemen got seriously wounded. President Maduro immediately introduced the state of emergency in one of the areas near the Colombian border (the state of Táchira) and sealed the border for uncertain period of time. Police and military reinforcements were sent out to find the attackers. Venezuela launched operations to pinpoint the paramilitares strongpoints - the bunkers serving as prisons for kidnapped people and stashes of smuggled goods. Thirty five militants were arrested so far. The interrogations provided information on the scale of crimes perpetrated by paramilitares in Venezuela, including even existence of secret burial places. Maduro said the findings about the activities of criminals and armed formations reveal the horrible truth and he, as a president, he has an obligation to do away with this evil in Venezuela.
His tough stand is justified. The economic war against Venezuela has come to the point when essentials, foodstuffs, hygiene stuffs and medicals evaporate from the stores located in the vicinity of border areas. Everything is taken out of the country – clothes, shoes, car parts, tires and oil production equipment. Filling stations run out of fuel. Gasoline prices are extremely low in Venezuela. It takes only 2 USD to fill a tank [archive.is/Enmfk]. That’s why great quantities of Venezuelan fuel are transported to Colombia along the whole length of the countries’ border. According to official data, the small town of San Cristobal, the Táchira’s capital, “has consumed” more gas than Caracas. It has gone far enough. The situation has reached the point when gas smuggling brings more profit to Colombian paramilitares than drug trafficking!
Smuggling thrives because there is a great difference in the prices of consumer goods (Venezuela allocates subsidies to bring the prices down). The rate of bolivar, the Venezuela’s currency, is used for large-scale scams. The Colombian city of Cúcuta has become the center of financial and economic subversive activities. It boasts around three thousand currency exchange shops. The general strategy is to devaluate the bolivar. It results in impoverishment of people and increasing discontent in Venezuela.
Cúcuta has always played an important part in conspirators’ plans. The US Defense Intelligence Agency and the Central Intelligence agencies are active there. This is the place where radical cells of Venezuelan opposition get instructions. The leaders of three groups formed especially for anti-Venezuelan activities - El Centro de Pensamiento Primero Colombia» (the Center of Thought Foundation - Colombia First), FTI Consulting (Forensic Technologies International) and La Fundación Internacionalismo Democrático (the Democratic Internationalism Foundation) – hold their meetings there. The anti-Venezuelan conspiracy is led by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency in mid-80s. The Agency used damaging information. He was number 82 on the list of drug dealers prepared by the US Drug Enforcement Administration. During all eight years of his tenure President Uribe was involved in subversive activities against Hugo Chavez trying to isolate the “Bolivarian regime” in the Western Hemisphere. With good reason the Venezuelan intelligence agencies consider him to be the key figure in the US-led plot to overthrow the “Maduro regime”.
The Sanchez government of Colombia enjoys the support of Western media, especially by the New York Times and the Washington Post. Their editorials say essentially the same thing. They spread the idea that the “border problem” with Colombia has been “invented by Maduro” and this entire hullabaloo is raised with the purpose to ratchet up the Venezuelan President’s support before the parliamentary election. Not a word is said about five and half million Colombians residing in Venezuela, part of them as refugees who fled the civil war, the activities of paramiltares, drug traffickers and smugglers operating on Colombian soil. The Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hit the nail right on the head when it disclosed the purpose of these publications. According to the Ministry, it’s all part of another plot staged by US media against Venezuela and its Bolivarian revolution.
Roy Chaderton, the Venezuelan Ambassador to the Organization of American States, said such Columbian media outlets as El Tiempo, RCN and Caracol radio stations and TV channels, as well as CNN Spanish language broadcasts, incite hatred towards Venezuela and its people. According to him, this hatred campaign could lead to a war. This scenario was avoided because Venezuelan leaders adopted quite different behavior patterns giving “positive signs” to Colombia. The Ambassador called on all the diplomats accredited with the Organization of American states not to trust Colombian media outlets waging a war of the fourth generation.
The US State Department made a statement regarding the closure of the border. It emphasized the humanitarian aspect of the problem and recommended to normalize the situation with the help of regional organizations. It said US diplomats were ready to contribute into launching a dialogue. But there are different types of diplomats. For instance, according to Contrainjerencia, a respectable website, Kevin M. Whitaker, the US Ambassador to Colombia, served as the head of CIA station in Venezuela in 2006 (original) [archive.is/cEHOA] (machine translated) [archive.is/enLPq]. It’s hard to believe that Whitaker and the like will really do anything positive. They have a quite different missions to carry out.
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* "Colombian colonel sentenced for faking civilian murders" (2011-07-14, bbc.com) [archive.is/Jnh5r] [begin excerpt]: A Colombian army colonel has admitted his unit murdered 57 civilians, then dressed them in uniforms and claimed they were rebels killed in combat. The scandal arose from a body bag culture in the army, in which soldiers were rewarded with prestige and promotions according to the number of rebels they killed.
The attorney general's office is investigating more than 1,400 cases involving thousands of victims.
Borja's unit was operating in the northern province of Sucre when the murders, for which he has been convicted, were perpetrated.
Most of the "false positives" occurred under the two administrations of President Alvaro Uribe. He is credited with beating back left-wing rebels who threatened to overthrow the state.
Now questions are being asked about the cost of this success in human rights abuses, says the BBC correspondent in Bogota, Jeremy McDermott.
Earlier this month, eight soldiers were sentenced to 60 years each for killing four farmers and then pretending they were guerrillas in 2006 in the province of Antioquia. [end excerpt]
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* "FBI Snooped on Colombian Author Garcia Marquez for 24 Years" (2015-09-07, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/IcmPM] [begin excerpt]: For almost a quarter of a century, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spied on famed Colombian writer and Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Washington Post has revealed.
The U.S. paper obtained recently declassified documents exposing how the police agency began to monitor the author and journalist after he came to New York for a short visit in 1961, and did not cease until 1985, three years after he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
It is unclear from the 137 released pages of the document why the FBI pursued Garcia Marquez, the Post reports, although it may be connected to his help in the foundation of Prensa Latina, the press agency for Cuba.
Marquez also supported a communist-backed takeover in Venezuela in 1958.
“In the event he enters the U.S. for any purpose, the Bureau should be promptly advised,” reads one memo in the document written by FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, in February 1961.
Gabo’s son, Rodrigo, told Washington Post he was not surprised the FBI monitored his father.
“Considering the fact that this Colombian guy was in New York opening a Cuban press agency, it would be unusual if he was not spied upon,” he said, adding that his father was aware of being followed by men who “appeared to communicate by whistling.”
Garcia Marquez remained close friends with Fidel and was hyper-critical of U.S. presence in Latin America until his death in 2014.
===*===*===
Towards a Bolivarian Republic of Colombia / Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army (FARC-EP)
* "Colombia president, FARC rebel chief head to Cuba in push for peace deal" (2015-09-23, rt.com) [http://is.gd/2a6OOl]
* "FARC-EP declares unilateral ceasefire" (2015-07-08, Central Secretariat of Staff of the FARC-EP) machine translated [archive.is/c0YNf]
* "Armed actions and arrests in Bogota" (2015-07-09, signalfire.org) [archive.is/kEslg] with four articles
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* "ELN Commander: Peace Talks with Colombian Gov't on the Horizon" (2015-09-11, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/urQap]
===*===*===
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ALBA member)
[venezuelanalysis.com] [rnv.gob.ve]
* "Maduro Open to People's Proposals for Peace in Border Region" (2015-09-11, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/4OvK3]
* "Colombia’s Santos Agrees to Meet with Maduro, Accuses Venezuela of Suppressing Citizens’ 'Right to Individuality' " (2015-09-09, venezuelanalysis.com) [archive.is/gAvW2]
* "Why is Leopoldo López in jail?" video report (2015-09-11, telesurtv.net) [http://is.gd/hen4ij]
===*===*===
Pluri-National State of Bolivia (ALBA member)
* "Operation Naked King: U.S. Secretly Targeted Bolivia's Evo Morales In Drug Sting A confidential informant says the DEA had its sights set on Bolivia's populist leader" (2015-09-15, huffingtonpost.com) [archive.is/rpv9j]
* "DEA Informant: U.S. Targets Bolivia with Secret Indictments" (2015-09-15, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/EHgEm]
===*===*===
Republic of Ecuador (ALBA member)
* "Washington Wants 'Regime Change' in Ecuador: 'What is the CIA Planning before Ecuador’s 2017 Elections?' " (2015-09-14, silentcrownews.com) [archive.is/VLeG2]
===*===*===
* "Memory of Swords: Alfaro Vive Carajo!, the arguments of history" book in Spanish (.pdf) [http://is.gd/IqUNPZ], table of contents original in Spanish [archive.is/WHb3b], machine translated [archive.is/JSwQv]
===*===*===
Towards a People's Republic of the Andes (Peru, Ecuador)
[movadef.net]
* "Day of Heroism" (2015-06, People’s Movement Peru - Reorganizing Committee) [archive.is/ga5d8] [begin excerpt]: That is, these evil revisionists try to deny the semi-colonial situation of the country in order to deny the necessity of the democratic revolution that is done with people’s war. Also, as part of this big divestiture, the process of land concentration in favor of the big latifundian property of natives and foreigners along the coast, mountain range and jungle of the country from the middle of the last decade of the last century it has exceeded the levels recorded in the 60s of last century, when the big latifundian property occupied nearly 70% of agricultural surface of the country; Today 84% of rural landowners have only 10% of the land according to the Ministry of Agriculture data of 2013. This, together with new forms of servitude that appear in the form of informal and child labor are denouncing the feudal character of the country. Over this expired basis keeps developing the bureaucratic capitalism subjugated by imperialism.
Add to this that the rural EAP, not counting children under 15 who work in the field, is more than 28% of the economically active population of the country, a figure much higher than that of other sectors of the economy. Besides, these 84% of rural landowners (peasants) they are the ones that are providing food to the national market. Sunday July 21, 2013, in the country’s newspapers was read that the Minister of Agriculture Milton von Hessen: “He commented that such is the dynamism of the agricultural sector that one in four people who make up the economically active population (EAP) belongs to this economic sector, although its productivity is 4,3 times lower than the rest of the productive sectors”. This “dynamic” with such low relative productivity expressed the backwardness as a consequence of the social relations of production already deciduous. Is important to mention that with the development of the people’s war progress was made to sweep semi feudalism as revealed in the official statistics of the agricultural census of 1994 (the third CENAGRO, see table 1) where the latifundian property figure below 30 %.
With weapons in hand and mobilizing the peasantry have advanced to destroy the landlords’ property, for example the so called non-associative and associative companies as the agricultural societies of social interest (SAIS), and with it the new forms of servitude which are rigged. This can not record any reactionary report. But that is the reality. With the resettlement of the old power in large countryside areas because of the direction problems of our people’s war, these old relations were established and that’s what show us the stubbornness of numbers after this census. The evil rats of ROD revisionist ans capitulacionist wants to deny this made to say that the country is already capitalist and deny the necessity of the democratic revolution. But if made what was said by Chairman Gonzalo that until we complete the democratic revolution with the seizure of Power in the whole country, these old relations will always be restored. But the reactionary action stirs the revolution. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Republic of Chile
* "Develop the violent struggle for our demands!" (2015-07-10) [archive.is/igpfw]:
We salute the student movement as part of the popular protest movement waging violent struggle in order to conquer their demands, attacking the undemocratic structure of schools controlled by the big bourgeoisie and the landowners who exercise class dictatorship against all the people. This struggle aims to transform high schools and universities imposing a democratic and popular free education. All the people have historically shown us the path of struggle must continue, workers, laborers, teachers marching and protesting for their demands, a fight that should be getting stronger, that makes reaction and its lackeys tremble and shows the true faces of those seeking to ride on our mobilizations.
The exploiting classes and their government headed by Bachelet seek to generate greater exploitation of the masses by deepening bureaucratic capitalism resolve their struggles amid mutual accusations of corruption to deceive the masses. They want to destroy the violence of the people by infiltrating their agents of the phony communist party and its mafia JJCC in our mobilizations along with the whole Chilean “left” of the MIR, autonomous left, FEL,[...]. However, many colleges and universities are demanding strikes and the “leaders” are bought off, same with the struggle of the teachers. So the CONFECH are now calling a national indefinite strike to take advantage of this struggle which has already been waged for months by students, seeking to use it as a bargaining chip for seats in parliament, as happened in 2011.
We must expose these opportunists because every time the most militant comrades of the people engage in violence, these leaders have criminalized and tried to isolate them, supporting the repression of the old state against the movement. Developing more occupations, protests, rallies, [..] That is the way of struggle that serves the preparation of a national-democratic revolution for the seizure of power by the armed sea of masses from the countryside to the city.
COMBAT AND RESIST!
LONG LIVE THE STUDENT STRUGGLE!
Revolutionary Student Front
On the path of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism
===*===*===
MIR - Guerrilla Army of the Poor (MIR-EGP) for the People of Chile
[mir-chile.com]
* "50 YEARS OF THE FOUNDATION OF CHILE MIR" (2015-08-15, National Secretariat, MIR) original (.pdf) [http://is.gd/iUCBrZ], text [archive.is/vZq92], machine translated [archive.is/w16aJ]. "They ripped our fruits. They cut our branches. They burned our trunks, but never managed to start our roots" - Maya proverb
* "Eleven political theses for the period" (2015-08-26, Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria MIR de Chile) original (.pdf) [http://is.gd/OdXQtW], text [archive.is/Oj8ux], machine translated [archive.is/dXsTT]
THE REBEL # 278
Date: 18 August 2015
Group: Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR)
REBEL, OFFICIAL BODY Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR)
ISSUE No. 278, SECOND HALF OF 2015
[http://is.gd/Y0DdQD]
CONTENTS:
- EDITORIAL
- POLITICAL ANALYSIS: THESIS ON THE CURRENT SITUATION
- POLITICAL ANALYSIS: MASS MOVEMENT FOR EDUCATION
- ON THE REVOLUTIONARY mass mobilization
- 50 YEARS OF THE FOUNDATION OF CHILE MIR
- Fundamental Principles of the MIR
---
* two historical photos of MIR's first 5 years (1965 to 1970): (1) In the rural area c.1967; (2) In the city, press conference c.1970
===*===*===
Federation of Brazil
* "Brazilian Auto Workers Strike against Mass Layoffs" (2015-09-11, labornotes.org) [archive.is/wuklj]
---
* "Landowners Kill Indigenous Leader In Brazil And Threaten More Violence" (2015-09-08, indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com) [archive.is/ELpsN]
---
* "Igor Mendes is free!" four photos (2015-06-26, A Nova Democracia): [archive.is/c24se] [archive.is/mJKCP] [archive.is/TYrbo] [archive.is/QQr9j]
===*===*===
NEW AFRIKAN PEACE MOVEMENT[northbaymds.blogspot.com/2014/10/world-fascism-watch-honduras.html] Most of the comments are collected from the daily "Presente Honduras Digest", and from the "Honduras Solidarity Network" listserve, authored by experts in geopolitics and history of Latin America. Libre is the "leftist" party working to uphold human rights and sovereignty, JOH is the dictator of Honduras supported by the USA.
* "Honduras' IMF Agreement Includes Austerity Measures that May Make Conditions Worse, New CEPR Paper Finds" (2015-09-15, cepr.net) [archive.is/hHhKd]
The EU, World Bank, USAID, Canada and the Honduran government brought together $250 million to support the people affected by the drought. According to EU ambassador Ketil Karlsen receives the second most funds of all Latin American countries by the EU.
* [http://criterio.hn/con-250-millones-gobierno-y-cooperantes-afrontaran-la-sequia-en-el-pais/]
* [http://www.radiohrn.hn/l/noticias/honduras-es-el-segundo-pa%C3%ADs-de-am%C3%A9rica-latina-que-m%C3%A1s-fondos-recibe-de-la-uni%C3%B3n-europea]
FOSDEH published a report in which they criticize the government's economic and social policies.
* [http://fosdeh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Realidad_nacional_25.pdf]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/en-su-mas-reciente-informe-el-fosdeh-despedaza-joh-y-sus-politicas-economicas/]
According to a new report by the World Justice Project (WJP), Honduras is 90th out of 102 countries regarding the rule of law.
* [http://voselsoberano.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17167:honduras-entre-los-paises-con-menor-respeto-al-estado-de-derecho-segun-la-organizacion-world-justice-project&catid=1:noticias-generales]
* [http://data.worldjusticeproject.org/#groups/HND]
According to the teacher's union Colprosumah, some 800'000 children lack education in Honduras.
* [http://criterio.hn/800-mil-ninos-son-excluidos-de-la-educacion-en-honduras/]
On the occasion of Children's Day, Radio Progreso takes a closer look at their situation in the country, i.e. finding that 14% of them have to work to help sustain their families.
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2377-ni%C3%B1os-y-ni%C3%B1as-celebran-su-d%C3%ADa-con-una-pi%C3%B1ata-de-corrupci%C3%B3n-y-violencia]
According to ConexiHon, a military education is often the only way out for poor Honduran children.
* [http://conexihon.hn/site/noticia/derechos-humanos/ni%C3%B1ez-y-juventud/ser-militar-la-%E2%80%9C%C3%BAnica-opci%C3%B3n%E2%80%9D-para-ni%C3%B1os-pobres-hondure%C3%B1os]
---
Honduras Coup Update (sydneywithhonduras.wordpress.com)
* "Cases of persecution in August 2015" (2015-09-11, sydneywithhonduras.wordpress.com) [archive.is/tthWc], including the following stories:
- Attacks against the fire torch movement; one youth killed, protests violently repressed, and a doctor and politician receives death threat for supporting the marches.
- Taxi driver leader who spoke on TV against JOH killed
- More than 20 farmers violently arrested from the land occupation in La Paz, police tortured including children, 14 including 3 women continue in prison 39 days later
- High school student and child activist singled out for arrest and imprisoned overnight
- Community protest against blackouts and electricity privatisation evicted by cops
* (July 2015) [archive.is/nbEvK]
* (June 2015) [archive.is/dsrpm]
* (May 2015) [archive.is/B26N1]
* (April 2015) [archive.is/Ws79U]
* (March 2015) [archive.is/ZA7bZ]
* (February 2015) [archive.is/C5LOI]
* (January 2015) [archive.is/ORL0H]
* (December 2014) [archive.is/eu6p3]
* (November, October, September, August, July 2014, and other months as far back as 2010-06) [archive.is/QW515]
* (June 2014) [archive.is/gAqrr]
* "Still a coup?" (sydneywithhonduras.wordpress.com) [archive.is/o0lAo]: A military coup occurred against Hondurans on 28 June 2009 to further consolidate national and international capitalist interests. Despite massive repression, people took the streets everyday stopping business for about 150 days. There has been around one political assassination a week all through, it fluctuates, but it never stopped. Only news and information is less readily available over time and there is more political persecution than reported, perhaps massively so. The defacto repressive regimes have been: Micheletti, followed by Lobo, now fraudulently governing is JOH – Juan Orlando Hérnandez. One of the themes of the coup was the regime taking action to prevent participatory democracy – 4ta urna was smashed – and taking down any possible barriers from Honduras become the most desirable possible to sell whatever available to investors. The impunity and neoliberalism lived today largely caused by the regimes and allies of the regimes, and also globally – the system we live in’s ongoingness creates this…this impunity and neoliberalism affects all sectors of social movements in Honduras.
---
* "The tireless struggle against forced disappearance in Honduras: from the 80s to today" (2015-09-16, hondurasaccompanimentproject.wordpress.com) [archive.is/qMvL6]
In a week Honduras' government will appear before the Human Rights Council to address the 181 UPR recommendations they received in May. The same week, representatives of the Honduran civil society, organized in the UPR Platform Honduras, will travel as well to Switzerland and later on to Germany exposing their view of the Honduran human rights situation.
* [http://www.defensoresenlinea.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3734:el-estado-se-situa-muy-lejos-de-cumplir-con-las-recomendaciones-del-epu&catid=54:den&Itemid=171]
The ISHR, the International Platform against Impunity and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) published a joint report on the situation of human rights defenders in Honduras.
* [http://www.ishr.ch/news/honduras-oppression-against-economic-social-and-cultural-rights-defenders-must-end]
---
* "US Marines are training Honduran naval against narcos; They learn to step up sea patrols and fight frontally against threats" (2015-09-08, laprensa.hn) original [archive.is/qIkr8] machine translated [archive.is/PiZQN]
---
* "In agony free expression in the country for criminal prosecution of journalists and legislative reforms" (2015-09-09, pasosdeanimalgrande.com) original [archive.is/4bdBL], machine translated [archive.is/sLS0q]. Pasos de Animal Grand outlines how difficult the situation in Honduras currently is.
---
Apparently Honduras won't benefit from the Millennium Challenge Account due to the high corruption level in the country.
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/ultima-hora-por-altos-niveles-de-corrupcion-gobierno-de-joh-fuera-de-la-cuenta-del-milenio/]
* [http://www.elheraldo.hn/inicio/878827-331/honduras-sin-opci%C3%B3n-a-la-iniciativa-cuenta-del-milenio]
* [http://proceso.hn/component/k2/item/109746-honduras-no-aplica-para-cuenta-del-milenio-eeuu-enfocado-en-alianza-para-prosperidad-nealon.html]
According to Cholusat Sur, the JOH administration has signed a $10 million contract with the public relations company Ketchum. Cholusat Sur also claims that JOH, during his visit in San Francisco of Twitter, asked the firm to delete the hashtags #fuerajoh and #cicihya.
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/juan-orlando-hernandez-contrata-firma-internacional-por-9-millones-de-lempiras-para-limpiar-su-imagen/]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/presidente-hernandez-viaja-la-sede-de-twitter-en-san-francisco-para-pedir-que-retiren-los-hashtag/]
JOH met US vice-president Joe Biden during his visit to the US and they talked about the Alliance for Prosperity Plan.
* [http://www.elheraldo.hn/alfrente/850568-331/la-casa-blanca-optimista-con-alianza-para-la-prosperidad]
Also, on June 17th, Juan Orlando Hernandez was at National Press Club for a forum on "world hunger". According to the press release [archive.is/CwQnt]: "Hernandez has prioritized solving hunger and poverty in order to provide new hope to the youth of his country."
* "Last Minute: For orders JOH Board Comptroller and agree to get the DEI Insurance 600 million lempiras" (2015-09-07, cholusatsur.com) original [archive.is/7KpvP] machine translated [archive.is/H646t]. Cholusat Sur reports that JOH ordered the intervention body at the IHSS to pay 600 million Lempiras, of IHSS funds, to the Executive Revenue Directorate (DEI) and therefore weakening furthermore the public health system for Hondurans. Photos of the documents [archive.is/whxYi] [archive.is/6EdyW] [archive.is/TPymg] [archive.is/SMTlz] [archive.is/s9yWd] [archive.is/RKekS] [archive.is/DST7v]
Apparently, more checks to the National Party were found in the archives of the following banks: Ficohsa, Atlantida, Lafise.
Cholusat Sur also hase some news regarding the contract between IHSS and Shucri Kafie's DIMESA: it was JOH who signed it back in 2011 as president of Congress.
The intervening committe to the IHSS, came already in 2012 to the conclusion that this contract should had never been signed.
* [http://criterio.hn/revelan-mas-cheques-de-fondos-desfalcados-al-seguro-social-de-honduras/]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/ultima-hora-juan-orlando-hernandez-aprobo-el-contrato-de-shucri-kafie/]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/ultima-hora-vilma-cecilia-morales-dijo-que-contrato-de-125-millones-de-dolares-nunca-debio-celebrarse/]
MADJ criticizes the role of the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ), Julieta Castellanos (the dean of the UNAH) and the Anti-Corruption Council (CNA) in the new campaign against corruption by JOH. Javier Suazo offers us an interesting analysis of the spreading 'march of the torches' by which the Honduran people demonstrate against the rampant corruption.
According to both Giorgio Trucchi and Marvin Ponce, the marches are carried by the young.
* [https://www.facebook.com/MADJhn/posts/10207246996759479?_fb_noscript=1]
* [http://www.alainet.org/es/articulo/170120]
* [http://www.alainet.org/es/articulo/170119]
* [http://www.pasosdeanimalgrande.com/index.php/en/contexto/item/823-las-juventudes-principales-protagonistas-de-las-movilizaciones-con-antorchas]
Meanwhile, the MP has release new 'requerimento fiscales' against 11 people involved with the IHSS corruption case. Due to an interview by JOH, dozens of articles were published on the case. Cholsat Sur alone published links to five articles by international newspapers pretending some admission of guilt by JOH. Nevertheless, things are more complicated and I leave you with a great overview by Honduras Culture and Politics.
* [http://www.hondurastierralibre.com/2015/06/honduras-ministerio-publico-presenta.html]
* [http://hondurasculturepolitics.blogspot.ch/2015/06/if-makes-all-difference-hernandez-on.html]
PAC president Salvador Nasralla surprised everyone by proposing to "forget" the corruption of the last and the current government and start fresh with a new government and a CICIH watching over them.
* [http://criterio.hn/salvador-nasralla-propone-salida-salomonica-de-borron-y-cuenta-nueva-sobre-robo-del-ihss/]
Some representatives of the protest movement, meanwhile, think about dropping the marches for the time being and reorganize the fight for a CICIH.
* [http://criterio.hn/indignados-analizan-suspender-marchas-de-las-antorchas-y-replantear-la-lucha/]
Cholusat Sur published some footage of Joe Biden speaking out in favor of a CICI in Honduras.
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/la-cici-sera-un-hecho-en-honduras/]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/joh-ya-sabe-cual-es-la-ruta-en-el-tema-de-la-cici/]
JOH will travel to Washington at the end of September to meet OAS secretary general Luis Almagro.
* [http://www.web.ellibertador.hn/index.php/noticias/nacionales/519-presidente-de-honduras-viajara-a-eeuu-para-dialogar-con-secretario-de-oea]
Guatemala's imprisoned president Otto Perez says that there are geopolitical interests to extend the CICI to Honduras.
A delegation of the International Commission of Jurists has ended its visit to Honduras with a press conference, in which they recommend the installation of a CICIH.
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/otto-perez-hay-interes-para-que-la-cici-se-extienda-hasta-honduras/]
* [http://criterio.hn/juristas-internacionales-recomiendan-cici-para-honduras/]
Various representatives of the Honduran civil society criticize the Alliance for Peace and Justice (APJ) for its counter proposal to an International Commission against Impunity in Honduras (CICIH), therefore debilitating the protests.
Of course, JOH welcomes such alternatives, as he continues to claim, that the judicial system in Honduras has been strengthened.
Proceso Digital reports on previous plans by the UN to nominate a special assessor for Central America.
* [http://criterio.hn/propuesta-de-la-apj-debilita-movimiento-de-las-antorchas/]
* [http://criterio.hn/sociedad-civil-pretende-dar-panos-tibios-con-su-propuesta-oposicion-indignada/]
* [http://www.pasosdeanimalgrande.com/index.php/en/contexto/item/852-cuestionan-propuesta-contraria-a-comision-internacional-contra-la-impunidad-en-honduras]
* [http://voselsoberano.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17209:madj-y-que-caigan-tambien-los-tapaderas-de-los-corruptos-y-corruptas&catid=1:noticias-generales]
* [http://criterio.hn/cicih-no-ha-sido-considerada-porque-en-honduras-se-ha-fortalecido-la-justicia-joh/]
* [http://www.proceso.hn/nacionales/item/104388-onu-intento-enviar-un-asesor-especial-para-centroam%C3%A9rica-pero-nunca-crear-cicih.html]
CONADEH renews its demand of a for a Honduran International Commission against Impunity.
* [http://www.radiohrn.hn/l/noticias/conadeh-pide-crear-cici-en-honduras]
According to journalist David Romero Ellner, an army colonel close to JOH is behind the threats against him and his family.
* [http://www.clibrehonduras.com/alerta/coronel-de-las-fuerzas-armadas-habr%C3%ADa-intimidado-periodista]
---The national dialogue started without the presence of the political opposition. Libre president Manuel Zelaya explains why according to him the facilitators haven't so far created the conditions for a real dialogue.
* "Restart approaches to national dialogue in Honduras" (2015-09-08, ellibertador.hn) original [archive.is/GtoIo], machine translated [archive.is/SfoUn]
* "Zelaya warns new frustration of the OAS and UN if conditions are established for dialogue" (2015-09-08, criterio.hn) original [http://is.gd/ifz6zR], machine translated [archive.is/YcDUb]
The proposal by OAS receives another blow, as the UN announced that it won't participate - it diplomatically criticizes that the OAS went forward with a plan the UN wasn't informed about.
The Coalition against Impunity denounced the OAS plan in a press release. Radio Progreso spoke with analyst Gustavo Ir?a about the work of the OAS.
* [http://criterio.hn/onu-no-participo-en-la-propuesta-de-la-oea-para-reformar-sistema-judicial/]
* [http://criterio.hn/coalicion-contra-la-impunidad-decepcionada-con-propuesta-de-la-oea/]
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2392-oea-pierde-autoridad-en-di%C3%A1logo-hondure%C3%B1o-seg%C3%BAn-analista]
---
CESPAD, meanwhile, started a new series on the chronology of the protests.
* [http://www.cespad.org/di%C3%A1logo-nacional-%C2%BFfracas%C3%B3-la-facilitaci%C3%B3n-de-la-oea]
Yesterday Honduras celebrated the region's independence day with street protests against corruption, for a functional judicial system and for a real independence.
* [http://www.defensoresenlinea.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3732:poblacion-rechaza-intervencion-partidaria-y-exige-una-verdadera-independencia&catid=42:seg-y-jus&Itemid=159]
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2383-protestas-irrumpieron-desfiles-oficiales-con-la-consigna-%C2%BFcu%C3%A1l-independencia?]
* [http://criterio.hn/en-movilizacion-paralela-fnrp-y-libre-claman-por-una-verdadera-independencia-en-honduras/]
Ronnie Huete Salgado reports on the protests by Hondurans in the US. One of the protestors is the son of murdered campesinxs leader Margarita Murillo. He is asking for political asylum in the US.
* [http://conexihon.hn/site/noticia/derechos-humanos/derechos-humanos/hijo-de-margarita-murillo-solicita-asilo-pol%C3%ADtico-en-los]
The protests in Honduras have been going on for three months already. They led to the creation of new organizational possibilities, like the Mesas de la Indignacion Ciudadana, the Oposicion indignada and the Plataforma de Jovenes Indignados. They all met last Sunday to discuss the democratization of these spaces and therefore integrating all sectors in the decision making process.
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2373-movimiento-indignado-busca-consolidar-articulaci%C3%B3n-para-fortalecer-la-lucha]
---
The police commissioner Hector Ivan Mejia is denigrating and criminalizing the Honduran protestors. He claims that a small group of people is trying to create chaos.
* [http://www.proceso.hn/nacionales/item/110293-peque%C3%B1os-grupos-buscan-inestabilidad-del-pa%C3%ADs-para-crear-m%C3%A1rtires.html]
As an article in Pasos de Animal Grand shows, the criminalization of students continues in Honduras.
* [http://www.pasosdeanimalgrande.com/index.php/en/contexto/item/1000-espera-continua-hasta-en-el-mes-de-noviembre-se-conocera-resolucion-contra-lider-estudiantil]
Criterio collected statements from young protesters all relating that companies have started laying off people who participate in the protests.
JOH, meanwhile, claims that the protests are infiltrated by drug traffickers and tax evaders...
* [http://criterio.hn/empresas-despiden-jovenes-de-oposicion-indignada-por-protestar-contra-corrupcion-en-honduras/]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/juan-orlando-hernandez-asegura-que-ligados-al-narcotrafico-asisten-las-marchas/]
---
The International Commission of Jurists warned in its press conference that the Supreme Court election will take place in a violent and corrupt environment. I doubt that the transparency portal of the IAIP will help.
* [http://criterio.hn/cij-advierte-que-corte-hondurena-sera-electa-en-un-contexto-de-violencia-y-corrupcion/]
* [http://www.radiohrn.hn/l/noticias/iaip-lanza-portal-de-transparencia-para-elecci%C3%B3n-de-los-nuevos-magistrados]
The Coalition against Impunity held a press conference yesterday to voice its worry about the nontransparent way the Nomination Committee for the Supreme Court election constituted itself.
* "Coalition demands transparency to the Nominating Board" (2015-09-08, defensoresenlinea.com) original [archive.is/VvRJ5], machine translated [archive.is/7hRV4]
* "Coalition Against Impunity requires transparency and objectivity to the nominating committee for the SCJ" (2015-09-08, criterio.hn) original [http://is.gd/lNlWIs] machine translated [archive.is/fkqXg]
---
With the Military Police now present in all 18 Departments, the militarization of Honduras became apparent once more.
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2372-militarizaci%C3%B3n-de-la-segundad-ciudadana-sin%C3%B3nimo-de-violencia-y-represi%C3%B3n]
The body responsible for cleaning up the National Police, the DIECP, has sent some 538 cases to the MP, but the latter hasn't so far felt obliged to act.
Security Minister Julian Pacheco Tinoco announced that coming February the Anti-Drug Unit will start its work as a entity assigned to the National Police.
Meanwhile, some TIGRES agents received a combat training by Colombian and US experts.
* "Public Ministry has not resolved any of the 538 records that sent DIECP" (2015-09-08, radiohrn.hn) original [archive.is/jL2Bi], machine translated [archive.is/wAHNY]
* "Honduran police announced creation of Drug Unit from 2016" (2015-09-08, criterio.hn) original [http://is.gd/xC0X12], machine translated [archive.is/IFq4j]
* "TIGERS 74 graduate courses in combat" (2015-09-08, elheraldo.hn) original [archive.is/1iRta], machine translated [archive.is/qWbSw]
JOH inaugurated the First Battalion of the Military Police, a complex built for 80 million Lempiras. It is also planned to built three prisons in the facilities of the Military Police.
* [http://www.proceso.hn/component/k2/item/103599-este-mi%C3%A9rcoles-se-inaugur%C3%B3-el-primer-batall%C3%B3n-de-polic%C3%ADa-militar-en-francisco-moraz%C3%A1n.html]
* [http://www.tiempo.hn/nacion/item/34107-con-nueva-sede-la-policia-militar-de-honduras-se-independiza-mas]
---
The Supreme Audit Institution (TSC) will investigate 30 municipal corporations.
* "TSC is investigating 30 municipal corporations" (2015-09-08, criterio.hn) original [http://is.gd/3sszCE], machine translated [archive.is/o9AVu]
---
An US delegation from the group La Voz de los de Abajo published a report on their visit to Honduras for the International Week Against Forced Disappearances.
* [http://hondurasresists.blogspot.ch/2015/06/honduras-delegation-may-2015.html]
* "Honduras union leader gets death threats for work on Chiquita plantation" (2015-09-11):
U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP) has been following the situation on this plantation for a couple of years now and I'll be meeting with unions in Honduras next month to discuss campaign strategies to improve the rights of workers on banana plantations including this one.
>From the article: "Tom?s Membre?o P?rez, president of the agricultural workers union, Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Agroindustria (STAS), received death threats by phone and on Facebook in recent days and was followed as he traveled to the Santa Rita banana plantation where he is helping workers get a voice on the job."
http://www.solidaritycenter.org/anti-union-violence-in-honduras-sixth-time-this-year/
The Solidarity Center provides more updated info on the general situation, and we will be doing more in the coming months. At the moment I'm unaware of an urgent action request but we'll be looking into it and let you know.
For background info on what was going on with this same plantation in 2013, see this blog post (http://ilrf.org/blog/201307/honduran-union-leader-faces-death-threats) and page 2 of our Fall 2013 newsletter (http://www.laborrights.org/sites/default/files/docs/USLEAP_Newsletter_Fall2013.pdf).
* "Honduras: Murder and stigmatization after participating in protests" (2015-09-09, hondurastierralibre.com) original [archive.is/vo7yl] machine translated [archive.is/7Q7an]. The campesino Eliseo Rodriguez was murdered just two days after participating in a protest in the Bajo Aguan.
* "A hearing advocates for the right to land in Amapala and Danlí" (2015-09-09, defensoresenlinea.com) original [archive.is/ACqBO], machine translated [archive.is/MoqNN]. A report on the criminalizing trials against campesinxs currently taking place in Amapala and Danli.
* "ALERT: The COPINH denounces directed aggression and violence" (2015-09-05, copinh.org) original [archive.is/5FvzM], machine translated [archive.is/jwPM9]
* SUMMARY OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THE COMMUNITY SOMOLAGUA, SAN JUAN CEGUACA SEPTEMBER 2 (2015-09-11, Witness for Peace Honduras-Nicaragua International Team) [witnessforpeace.org]:
"They think they are better than us because we are poor ", said a community member of Somolagua, San Juan, Ceguaca in the department of Santa Barbara referring to the assailants that attacked their community last week. These attacks are a continuation of violence against the community that begun several months ago.
On Wednesday September 2, 2015 approximately 15 individuals including five of the Rio brothers; Florencio, Miguel, Saúl, and Arselio Francisco, threatened and asSaúlted the community of Somolagua where 25 families are in a land recuperation process that started in April 2015. The community also identified among the assailants a man by the last name of Rutia, an ex-preventive police officer and a resident of Ceguaca, as well as Felix Pineda, a member of the community of San Juan.
According to testimony from several members of the community, these fifteen individuals arrived in a Gray Toyota 3.0 at the detour for Santa Rita and entered through the main and back entrances of the community. All were visibly armed, carrying .38 pistols, shotguns, rifles, .22 rifles and 30-30 rifles and arrived between the hours of 2 and 4 in the afternoon and remained in the community for 18 hours. When the assailants first arrived, community members left and waited for members of COPINH to come. Community members immediately called the police who "were present but did nothing", according to the community.
Prior to the attack that afternoon, community members received a formal complaint by the Rio brothers in the morning with false allegations accusing them of usurping land as well as damaging property and crops. The Rio brothers are suing the community in the amount of 250,000 Honduran lempiras (approximately $11,400 U.S. dollars) in damages.
THREATS AND ATTACKS TO THE COMMUNITY -
Photo: Community meeting space that was burned by the assailants.
During the violent attack in the afternoon, the assailants burned property and crops belonging to the community including: a communal meeting space, several houses and sugarcane crops. They also ransacked the cornfield and stole a supply of food, clothing and 10,000 lempiras (approximately $500 dollars) from a community fund that was intended to repair their water pipe that was damaged by the Rios brothers in May of this year in a previous act of aggression. They also removed the cross at Moises Duron’s memorial site, commemorating where their fallen comrade was assassinated on May 20, 2015 by Saúl Rios, according to testimony from the community.On this last occasion, Saúl Rios also directly threatened a member of the community with a gun. "He aimed a .22 pistol at me and with the gun in his hand, he told me...to go because the police are coming...so then I came back...but with fear because I had my back to him...but thank God he did not do anything [to me].”
Photos: The Rio brothers and their associates burned sugarcane and ransacked corn.
There was an assassination attempt against a community leader who was en route to the police station in Santa Barbara hours after the arrival of the Rio brothers in the community.
The community reported that they heard shots during the evening hours on September 2. Presently most women and children are outside the community for safety issues. Other community members returned on Thursday, September 3rd with about 100 supporters from other communities in the area and were also accompanied by COPINH.
To reach the community, members have to go through the town of San Juan where the assailants reside and where Moises Duron’s murderer is living with impunity. Upon entering or leaving the community, they are exposed to verbal threats and in one recent case earlier this month, a female community member was threatened with a gun by an associate of the Rio brothers. According to rumors spread by the family of the Rio brothers, the assailants were planning to return to the community on Monday, September 7th.
LACK OF ADEQUATE RESPONSE BY THE STATE -
The State's response has been minimal and virtually non-existent, according to community members. The community is waiting for a meeting with the National Agrarian Institute (INA) to follow up on their case. COPINH has denounced INA for negligence.
No public officials have arrived to the community to investigate within the first few days after the attack. The District Attorney summoned the protected witnesses (who already testified at the police station) but fear has prevented them from going.
The Police Commissioner of Santa Barbara accused COPINH of being a terrorist organization and told community members who went to denounce the attacks by the Rio brothers, that if someone had broke into his house (land), that he would have done the same [as the Rio brothers] and further, that they [the community] should arm themselves. According to community members, the Police Commissioner added that he could not do anything for them other than pray.
According to the community, the authorities have not followed-up on the murder of Moises Duron either.
---
32 years ago, father Guadalupe Carney was forcefully disappeared.
Honduran campesinxs still commemorate him every year.
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2394-conmemoran-32-a%C3%B1os-de-desaparici%C3%B3n-forzada-del-%E2%80%9Csacerdote-de-los-campesinos%E2%80%9D]
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Cholusat Sur's Esdras Amado L?pez react to the denigrating campaign against him and his channel.
Radio Progreso reports on a press conference by C-LIBRE and the Civil Society Group. They denounced an increase in attacks on journalists by the police and armed forces.
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/esdras-amado-lopez-yo-soy-responsable-de-la-criminalidad-el-robo-en-el-seguro-la-impunidad-y-la-indignacion-del-pueblo-el-responsable-es-el-presidente-de-la-republica-juan-orlando-hern/]
Cholusat Sur is being threatened by JOH once more to be closed down.
A team of Mundo TV, meanwhile, had all its equipment stolen why they were filming outside in Tegucigalpa.
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/presidente-de-honduras-amenaza-con-cerrar-canal-de-television-al-periodista-esdras-amado-lopez/]
* [http://www.proceso.hn/component/k2/item/109755-despojan-de-equipo-televisivo-a-periodistas-de-mundo-tv-en-plena-grabaci%C3%B3n.html]
* "Journalist Dunia Montoya: In the eyes of the police brutality and hatred felt" (2015-09-10, pasosdeanimalgrande.com) original [archive.is/wSZq1], machine translated [archive.is/IEZC0], about a journalist who recently suffered violence from the police.
* "Julio Ernesto Alvarado case: A serious setback for freedom of information and the commission" (2015-09-09, es.rsf.org) original [archive.is/NSiGt], machine translated [archive.is/0GXS9]. Reporters without Borders and PEN International condemned the action of the Honduran Supreme Court in the case of journalist Julio Ernesto Alvarado.
Another journalist of Globo, Ivis Alvarado, denounces acts of intimidation against him.
* [http://www.pasosdeanimalgrande.com/index.php/en/denuncias/item/824-el-periodista-ivis-alvarado-de-globo-tv-denuncia-actos-intimidatorios-en-su-contra]
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An arrest warrant was emitted for Enrique Flores Lanza, an official of the Zelaya administration.
* [http://criterio.hn/libran-orden-de-captura-contra-exfuncionario-del-gobierno-de-honduras/]
* [http://cholusatsur.com/noticias/orden-de-captura-contra-enrique-flores-lanza/]
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Members of the SEPHE labor union met outside of the Hospital Escuela to protest the attacks by the government against them.
* "Trade unionists outside the Hospital Escuela" (2015-09-09, cholusatsur.com) original [archive.is/AtWOb] machine translated [archive.is/Y4CcQ]
* "School hospital unionists protesting union office closure" (2015-09-09, ellibertador.hn) original [archive.is/TRi9n], machine translated [archive.is/irYx2]
The journalists Jairo Lopez denounced corrupt actions at the hospital in Choluteca, actions which are linked to Mauricio Oliva. Nevertheless, Gabriela Castellanos, the director of the National Anti-Corruption Council (CNA), denied to look into it.
* "Director of CNA rejects corruption allegations against Mauricio Oliva" (2015-09-09, criterio.hn) original [archive.is/h9ftG], machine translated [archive.is/GJUSl]
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After the murder of their lawyer, the Gutierrez family published a press release.
Meanwhile, the poet and writer Anarella V?lez Osejo wrote an open letter to her son Rigoberto Paredes, who confessed to the murder.
Radio Progreso also offers its views on the murder.
* [http://criterio.hn/lena-gutierrez-pide-aplicacion-de-justicia-para-crimen-de-su-abogado/]
* [http://criterio.hn/conoce-la-carta-que-escribio-la-poetisa-anarella-velez-osejo-a-su-hijo-rigoberto-paredes-velez/]
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2397-la-tragedia-perpetua-de-un-pa%C3%ADs-sin-justicia]
* [http://www.hondurastierralibre.com/2015/09/asesinato-de-abogado-hondureno-se-debe.html]
* " Headline in Honduras: Killing of defense lawyer" (2015-09-18, by Karen Spring): Something tragic and complex has happened here in Honduras. A young resistencia artist, Rigoberto Paredes, has confessed to killing
<http://www.elheraldo.hn/alfrente/881340-209/cuatro-minutos-dur%C3%B3-el-crimen-contra-el-abogado-eduardo-montes> Eduardo Montes, the defense lawyer of the Astropharma case who was representing the VP of Congress, Lena Gutierrez accused of frauding the public health system amongst other charges. Montes was stabbed various times in an elevator in a high rise building in Teguc. The accused, Rigoberto Paredes is an artist and son of a well-known artist Anarella Velez, university professor, and owner of Cafe Paradiso in the center of Tegucigalpa. Rigoberto Paredes Sr., the father of the accused, just passed away in March and was a very well known Honduran poet.
After he was arrested, Paredes talks about the injustice of the IHSS scandal, how various individuals involved in the scandal has killed people. His interview published in the Honduran papers can be found here <http://www.elheraldo.hn/alfrente/881066-209/habla-el-principal-sospechoso-de-matar-a-eduardo-montes>. Paredes will await his trial in jail.
Some are taking the opportunity because of this incident to criminalize LIBRE and resistence members making accusations that LIBRE has a secret guerrilla cell, etc, etc. The political polarization of the country, impunity and corruption make this a very difficult situation. Given the media around this issue and its link to the corruption case, I thought I would send around this note.
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Honduras Culture and Politics raises an important question regarding the ZEDE: Who Pays for the Infrastructure Needs of them? It concludes: "For all the hype of a ZEDE as a way to develop Honduras, the current proposal seems to be requiring a large outlay in infrastructure development from the host country before there is even a commitment of ZEDE development."
* [http://hondurasculturepolitics.blogspot.ch/2015/09/who-pays-for-infrastructure-needs-of.html]
===*===*===
Garifuna nation within the Republic of Honduras
The indigenous Garifuna organization OFRANEH signed an international public letter against the spreading of tree monocultures. According to them, the FAO and REDD+ policies are partly to blame for this.
* [https://ofraneh.wordpress.com/2015/09/20/dia-internacional-de-lucha-contra-los-monocultivos-de-arboles/]
OFRANEH also denounces the eviction in the Gar?funa community Puerto Castilla - a community which is thought to become a ZEDE.
* [https://ofraneh.wordpress.com/2015/09/18/zede-ciudad-modelo-y-el-desalojo-de-la-comunidad-garifuna-de-puerto-castilla/]
* "Warning: Militarized Garifuna community" (2015-09-10, ofraneh.wordpress.com) original [archive.is/PrsYr], machine translated [archive.is/CCNLL]
* "Garifuna community militarized this morning, protest continues" (2015-09-10, Presente-Honduras Digest): The Garifuna community of Cristales, which is right at the northwestern edge of Trujillo, is full of soldiers and police this morning while the community's occupation of the Cristales bridge continues, OFRANEH reports. The bridge is strategically located - blocking it blocks the road leading from the city west along the Trujillo Bay, where a number of communities and tourism projects (including Jorgensen's) are located. The community is demanding a meeting with the mayor of Trujillo to address a number of issues. OFRANEH denounces the militarization of the Garifuna community Cristales, Trujillo, whose inhabitants occupied the Cristales bridge in protest against the mayor Jose Antonio Lannez.
PROAH published a new article on the Gar?funa community of Barra Vieja, which is anew under attack for defending its territories.
* [https://hondurasaccompanimentproject.wordpress.com/2015/06/03/the-garifuna-community-of-barra-vieja-on-trial-for-defending-ancestral-territory/]
===*===*===
Tolupan nation within the Republic of Honduras
PROAH reports on the situation in Locomapa, where two years after the murders of three Tolup?n land rights defenders in 2013, these crimes remain in impunity.
* [https://hondurasaccompanimentproject.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/community-of-locomapa-impunity-violence-and-harassment-continue-against-tolupan-indigenous/]
Radio Progreso awaits with an update on the situation of the Tolupanes in Honduras.
* [http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/2398-pueblo-tolup%C3%A1n-sigue-resistiendo-en-medio-de-la-precariedad]
===*===*===
Republic of Nicaragua (ALBA member)
* "ALBA and Nicaragua - The Fight Against Hunger" (2015-08-27, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/U7PAs]
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* "Nicaragua: Making Cooperatives Central to Democratization" (2015-09-10, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/6TPMr]
---
* "Nicaragua to Host Russian GPS-Equivalent Ground Stations" (2015-08-21, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/SyIN5]
===*===*===
Republic of Cuba (ALBA member)
* "John Kerry – Inspirer of Cuban Opposition" (2015-08-17, strategic-culture.org) [archive.is/yhYZK]
===*===*===
Republic of Haiti
* "Anatomy of an electoral coup" (2015-09-11, haitisolidarity.net) [archive.is/5FQ7D]: Marred by outright fraud, massive voter suppression in the form of intimidation, and violence, the August 9th Haitian legislative election was rejected by the people of Haiti. Yet, in a cynical re-write of history, the OAS, United States, and European Union put their stamp of approval on the election as a “step forward” for democracy.
As usual, the Haitian people resist. They insist on their right to fair elections. Angry protests across Haiti demand that the August 9th election be annulled. Haiti Action Committee fully supports this demand.
Fanmi Lavalas, the party of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, immediately declared the sham election “an electoral coup,” calling for its annulment, and demanded that a commission be convened to investigate. Other political parties soon joined this call. Many candidates throughout the country have formed “candidates’ collectives” to defend the Haitian people’s right to free and fair elections.
Below are some examples of the nation-wide pattern of disruption, voter suppression and terror that occurred during this sham election.
THE DECK IS STACKED:
•Poll watcher badges were only distributed to selected parties - PHTK, Bouclier, Verite, KID – all parties with close ties to Haitian president Michel Martelly.
•Observer badges were distributed to fake observers, facilitating the movement of armed gangs between polling centers
•Voters’ lists were not posted as required by the electoral law
•Sustained gunfire erupted nightly in areas throughout Port-au-Prince and other major cities leading up to the vote. This created an atmosphere of fear and terror; rumors of a curfew and a ban on public transportation were circulated and never dismissed by the authorities, causing people to stay home.
•Polling places were eliminated in working-class and impoverished communities and consolidated into difficult to access centers. Many people did not know where to vote, and when they did could not get there.
•Crude and numerous errors in registered voting lists prevented voters from casting their vote, and drove them away from the polls.
DAY OF THE VOTE
•Poll watchers from PHTK, Bouclier, and Verite and KID were allowed to enter polling sites, while other parties were excluded. By law, representatives of all political parties may observe the voting process.
•Polling sites opened late or closed early in poor and working class communities; in some departments, close to 50% of the electorate were disenfranchised by sites that were closed due to violence.
•Throughout the day, Radio Timoun, affiliated with the Aristide Foundation For Democracy, and other radio stations throughout the country broadcast testimony from Haitians who called in to report ballot stuffing, destruction of ballots, armed groups trashing polling sites, and people beaten and killed.
•Journalists and election observers photographed ballots tossed or stolen at multiple sites.
•Duly certified election officials were suddenly removed and replaced by Martelly operatives at numerous polling sites.
•Armed groups of men carrying assault rifles were allowed into polling stations by complicit police and electoral council staff. Photographs show some wearing the t-shirts of Martelly’s PHTK party. Haitian National Police were reported to stand by while ballots were destroyed, sites were trashed and ballots stuffed. The UN was nowhere to be seen.
RESULTS – THE FIX IS IN:
•Candidates of three parties allied with Martelly – PHTK, Bouclier and Verite - head the list of first-round winners for the legislature.
•Voter suppression was evidenced in extremely low turnout across the country, especially in the West - Haiti’s largest department, representing 41% of electorate – where violence and closure of voting sites were high.
•Figures indicate Haiti’s electoral council, the CEP, did not tabulate close to 25% of the votes for Senate and almost 23% of the votes for Deputy.
NO! TO STOLEN ELECTIONS
CEP President Opont defended the elections, saying “These are the realities of the vote in Haiti,” and “Acts of violence are a feature of elections.” These false and belittling characterizations disguise the perpetrators of the violence. These were not random acts– this was systematic government-sponsored violence throughout the country bearing all the features of paramilitary actions reminiscent of Haiti under dictatorship.
Fifteen years ago, free and fair elections brought President Aristide and Fanmi Lavalas to power on a platform of social and economic reform to benefit Haiti’s people. That vote was negated by the 2004 coup led by the US, France and Canada. Now these same powers, the OAS, and the UN are cheering on the Martelly government as the “electoral coup” of August 9th is consolidated.
This is a moment that demands our solidarity. Haitians are reminded of a similar moment in the early years of dictatorship under Francois Duvalier. It has to stop now. We can echo the voices of Haitians protesting stolen elections and pre-determined outcomes. We can override the media embargo on what’s happening in Haiti, get the word out, and stand with Haiti’s popular movement to demand justice and change.
---
* "When Will MINUSTAH Leave Haiti?" (2015-09-09, dadychery.org) [archive.is/hFIJ0]
===*===*===
Puerto Rico (USA state) and the Boriqueno nation
* "Puerto Rico's soaring cost of living, from giant electric bills to $5 cornflakes; In recession since 2006, the island is grappling with supermarket items 21% higher than the US average – even as 41% live in poverty" (2015-07-12, theguardian.com) [archive.is/8KtEs]
---
* "For student protesters, a rare, decisive — and little-noticed — victory" (2015-05-21, pri.org/stories) [archive.is/85BNY] [begin excerpt]: The student movement in Puerto Rico does more than just protest. When student leaders met with García Padilla last week, they came with their own suggestions for government spending cuts. One example: Reduce contracts with private companies that tutor high school students, and instead have the university provide the service.
“We’re not against cuts necessarily. What we’re saying is cut in these other areas where you’re spending too much before giving this blow to the university,” Torres says. [end excerpt]
* "Puerto Rico's Massive Anti-Austerity Protests Ignored By U.S. Mainland Media" (2015-05-16, huffingtonpost.com) [archive.is/KnRGq]
* "Yes, Students Protested in San Juan on May 13 and the US Media Ignored It" (2015-05-14, latinorebels.com) [archive.is/IpCnV]
* "Defiant Student Protesters Force Withdrawal of Puerto Rican Police from Restive Campus" (2011-02-17, democracynow.org) [http://is.gd/dIxLEx]* "In Puerto Rico, Protests End Short Peace at University" (2011-02-17, nytimes.com) [archive.is/jOWZg] [begin excerpt]: Months of unrest at the University of Puerto Rico seemed to be reaching a finale over the last 10 days. Scores of students were arrested or injured by riot police officers. Faculty and staff members held a two-day walkout. The president of the university resigned Friday, the police who had occupied campus were withdrawn Monday and an interim president arrived Tuesday.
But there were only three days of peace.
On Thursday morning, students blocked the stairs to classrooms in the social science department with trash cans and chairs, and also closed down the humanities department. At the social sciences building, students said only one professor had tried to get through the blockade.The spark for the university’s problems was a budget cut that required students to pay a new $800 fee, increasing their costs by more than 50 percent.
“It is the same situation that many universities in the United States are facing,” said Miguel A. Muñoz, the interim president. “Our budget is about $1 billion, and we have been cut about $200 million. We need the $800 fee to cover the deficit, and our tuition is so low, $51 a credit, that it’s almost a gift.”
The tuition is indeed far lower than most other flagship public universities. But Puerto Rico is poorer than the mainland United States, and two-thirds of the students have incomes low enough to qualify for Pell grants.
Student leaders estimate that at least 5,000 of the university’s students were not able to pay the fee this semester. And the administration acknowledges that there are now fewer than 54,000 students this semester, compared with about 60,000 last semester.
Protests may well flare up again. A general student assembly is scheduled for Tuesday, to discuss whether to call a further strike to protest the $800 fee, program cuts, and the unwillingness of the authorities to negotiate.
Puerto Rico has its first Republican governor in decades, Luis G. Fortuño, a pro-statehood conservative who has cut the number of public employees by about 17,000. Last weekend, while the protesters were marching in the streets, Mr. Fortuño was in Washington as a featured speaker at the Conservative Political Action conference. [end excerpt]
---
A Republican Party member is elected as Governor of the Commonwealth and proceeds to dismantle public services, contracting more debt, and disregards extreme human rights abuse while facilitating business with illicit narcotic and sex slavery cartels.
The governor uses the debt as a pretext to expand private ownership of public assets, ensuring that the people pay more for services that are provided for profit to the benefit of foreigners and their domestic allies.
* "In Puerto Rico, a Governor Pushes Big Change" (2012-11-05, wsj.com) [archive.is/zW7Tm] [begin excerpt]: When Luis Fortuño became the first Republican governor of Puerto Rico in 35 years in 2008, he promised a new kind of government.
He meant it.
First, Mr. Fortuño slashed 38,000 government jobs, helping shrink the government by 20%. Then he cut income-tax rates by half and corporate-tax rates by nearly a third. The government needn't be in the business of paving roads, either, he said, and so the main highway of Puerto Rico was leased. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now maintains it and collects the toll.In late 2008, Mr. Fortuño says he got a surprise as governor-elect: His transition team discovered the last administration had, through sloppy book-keeping, overstated Puerto Rico's revenues and understated its debt. The island was running a deficit of $3.3 billion, risking a downgrade to junk status that could have frozen it out of credit markets for decades.
"We were on the verge of being America's Greece," he says. "We didn't have enough money to meet our own payroll," he recalls, saying they had to take out a loan to cover salaries.
He then went on television to announce what would be the hallmark of his term: The start of cuts that would peak with the elimination of 38,000 government jobs, through a combination of buyouts, dismissals, and early retirements. He, too, would be part of the belt-tightening, accepting 10% lower pay. With the average government salary being around $25,000, the move cleaned up Puerto Rico's fiscal situation in one swoop. "It was just the beginning of what would be a paradigm shift of how Puerto Rico conducts itself," says José Pérez-Riera, who left his job in New York as an analyst at Barclays Capital to join Mr. Fortuño's economic team of private-sector businessmen.
The shift, written as an emergency measure known as Law 7, came as a surprise to many Puerto Ricans. The layoffs hadn't been part of Mr. Fortuño's platform during the campaign, and public-sector work and government programs were long popular. The unemployment rate shot up by another 2%.In spring of 2010, Mr. Fortuño's plan to raise tuitions at the public University of Puerto Rico by 20% and cut summer classes prompted students and unions to join against the governor in a strike. Thousands of students occupied the main campus at Rio Piedras, shutting it down with barricades for 62 days, an event which dominated the Puerto Rican news cycle for weeks.
Mr. Fortuño didn't budge. "I remembered what Ronald Reagan did when he needed things done and there were members of his own cabinet who didn't support him," he says. Mr. Fortuño ordered better riot training for police and tightened restrictions on protests in public buildings.
He says he is now focused on incentives, principally corporate-tax reductions, to generate a new private sector. Seven corporate tax brackets, the highest one 41%, were collapsed to just three, the highest now 30%. In 2014 there will be only two, 20% and 25%. The governor also passed laws creating tax incentives for companies opening offices in Puerto Rico and exporting services elsewhere and lowered taxes for investors who come to the island to live.
Since the tax breaks, more than 25,000 new corporations have formed.
Puerto Rico is also in the midst of a deadly crime wave, with more than 1,100 people killed last year. Gangland-style killings of three or more people are common in San Juan. Though crime has lessened from last year's peak, it still remains high and the majority of homicides appear linked to a surge of drug trafficking on the island. Police say they suspect some of the unemployed have gotten caught up in the narcotics trade.
Mr. Fortuño's cuts have been felt on those fighting the crime epidemic. An official in Puerto Rico's anti-narcotics unit says only five of the island's seven helicopters used to spot drug runners are operational because there is "no money to repair them." [end excerpt]
* "Republican Governors Congratulate Luis Fortuño on being sworn in as Puerto Rico’s new Governor" (2012-11-04, rga-org.myrga.org) [archive.is/4vwmj]
* "Puerto Rico Debt Crisis Splits Congress on Party Lines and Draws Muted Response From White House" (2015-06-29, nytimes.com) [archive.is/7Dvoo]
* "Republicans ignore Puerto Rico's debt crisis at own peril, says former governor" (2015-07-09, theguardian.com) [archive.is/kKTFq]
* "Is Puerto Rico on the Brink of Economic Disaster? Dollar Collapsing" (2015-04-11, silentcrownews.com) [archive.is/MMhaw]
* "3 factors crippling the Puerto Rican economy" (2015-07-15, World Economic Forum) [archive.is/vMXU4]
* "Puerto Rico's plan to pay all of its debt still falls short" (2015-09-09, money.cnn.com) [archive.is/FvpyL] [begin excerpt]: Right now, there is a $28 billion gap between what Puerto Rico must pay bondholders over the next five years and what it can actually pay, according to a new government report. The Puerto Rican government just released its plan to plug the gap. Even after all the proposed spending cuts and tax increases, the island would still be unable to pay back $14 billion, raising concerns that the island could default again. The commonwealth defaulted on a small portion of its debt in August for the first time in its history. The Puerto Rican government proposes a wide range of spending cuts and tax hikes to help pay off its debt over the next five years. First, the island's sales tax sharply increased from 7% to 11.5% in July. On top of that, the government plans to fully implement a value-added tax. That sales tax is higher than any other in the United States. (Tennessee is the next highest at 9.45%, according to the Tax Foundation, a research group). Puerto Rico also aims to consolidate its schools, lower health care spending and reduce the number of government employees. It lists several initiatives to spark economic growth on the island too. In total, Puerto Rico owes about $72 billion to its creditors. The commonwealth defaulted on a $58 million debt payment due in August. For years, Puerto Rico's economy has been in a "death spiral," Puerto Rico's governor, Alejandro Garcia Padilla said in June. [end excerpt]* "Puerto Rico Lays Out 5-Year Plan for Restructuring Its Debts" (2015-09-09, nytimes.com) [archive.is/CpS5u] [begin excerpt]: The plan also calls for an ambitious package of economic reforms enabling the island to deliver public services and collect taxes more efficiently, stimulate business investment and job creation, and carry out long-overdue maintenance on roads, ports and bridges. It also proposes steps that include raising the tuition at the University of Puerto Rico, seeking a waiver from increases in the federal minimum wage, updating the government’s software to better track expenses, cutting health care costs, and contracting for-profit companies to run government properties, like roads and ports.
The plan offers an analysis showing that Puerto Rico has already preserved some of its cash by taking “extraordinary measures,” like delaying residents’ income tax refunds and liquidating the assets of three social-insurance funds. But even maneuvers like that cannot keep Puerto Rico afloat indefinitely, and the analysis showed that by next June, Puerto Rico’s cash would be completely exhausted.
The island has had such cash squeezes in the past, and it responded by simply borrowing more money, which is how it accumulated such a huge load of debt. Now, though, it has effectively lost its ability to borrow, and if it burns through its cash by next June, it will be unable to pay for essential public services — like policing and public education — that its Constitution also requires it to provide to residents of the island, who are United States citizens. [end excerpt]
* "Puerto Rican Republicans: A Modern-day Oxymoron" (2015-08-14, latinorebels.com) [archive.is/FUQXE] [begin excerpt]: The Republican Party has turned its back on Puerto Rico time and time again, whether it be through national budget cuts to social programs such as Medicare and social security, denying equal access to bankruptcy for the island’s economic crisis, or through the consistent and massive rejection of all the self-determination bills ever debated in the U.S. Congress. The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007 was rejected by an overwhelming number of Republican members of Congress, and the earlier Puerto Rico Political Status Act of 1998 died on adjournment. The Status Act was even sponsored by a Republican (Don Young) in 1998, but that did not keep it from its final fate.
Now let’s be very clear: All of the above bills were to provide a process for Puerto Ricans to decide their political status with the United States. They were not up and down bills on statehood. So Republicans not only oppose statehood behind closed doors for Puerto Rico, but they oppose Puerto Ricans even having a chance to decide for themselves among all options.Numerous Republican leaders such as Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Gerald Ford and as recent as Jeb Bush have all verbally supported statehood. But Republicans in the U.S. Congress —the legislative body that has jurisdiction regarding any matters pertaining to U.S. territories in accordance with the U.S. Constitution— have always opposed statehood or equal rights for the 3.5 million American citizens on the island of Puerto Rico.
So why would Republican presidents and leaders verbally support statehood if their congressional leaders and members always oppose it, both verbally and with their vote on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives?
The answer is simple: money. For decades, the GOP has tapped into the pro-statehood party on the island to gather donations for their campaigns. They have been doing this for years, and they continue to do it because, to them, going to Puerto Rico is easy money. All they have to do is go down there, kiss babies, shake some hands, say they support statehood and bam! They almost instantly receive checks in the thousands and support by various extremist, Tea Party, statehood leaders, such as Dr. Miriam Ramírez de Ferrer. She is a former statehood party senator on the island who is known to belittle the Puerto Rican flag and idolize the flag of the United States—the country that to this very day holds 3.5 million American citizens on the island without equal rights. But to statehood leaders like Ramírez de Ferrer, that doesn’t matter, because she is American first and Puerto Rican second (or maybe even third). That’s why she is infamously known for posting American flags on lampposts in Puerto Rico which drew ridicule towards the statehood party by millions on the island.
The statehood party on the island needs to redirect its focus and mission as a party to that of a civil rights movement and not as the movement of brown-nosing beggars for equality. At the end of the day, the most affected are the middle class and the poor on the island of Puerto Rico, and not the political leaders who, regardless of whether or not they achieve statehood for the island, end up with wealthy careers as lobbyists on the island or K Street in Washington, D.C., while preaching about statehood to the humble people of Puerto Rico—knowing full well that statehood for the island has never been more dead in the U.S. Congress.
In 2012, Puerto Rico held a referendum to decide its political relationship with the United States. Over 61 percent of voters chose statehood. What has the Republican-controlled House and Senate done? Nothing. They dispatched that historical moment with a universal message that the results were not clear. The official White House response was: “The results were clear. The people of Puerto Rico want the status issue resolved, and a majority favored statehood … Now it is up to Congress to act.”
What have the Republicans in Congress done? Nada. Why would they anyways? After all, according to Donald Trump (you know, the guy with the weird hair who is ahead by double digits on all GOP polls) who needs a 51st state filled with “rapists and criminals” anyways?
Therefore, it befuddles me to see Republican Puerto Ricans. It’s truly today’s political oxymoron. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Republic of Colombia
[colombiasupport.net]
* "Colombians willing to die to get their land back" (2015-09-13, cctv-america.com) [archive.is/13uS4] [begin excerpt]: Colombia’s 50-year armed conflict has forced tens of thousands of farmers and peasants off their land. Now, as survivors try to recover that territory, they could lose their lives.
As Correspondent Toby Muse explains in his report, it is all part of an ambitious Land Restitution program that is seeking to right the wrongs of the past by returning territory to those who had it illegally taken from them. Many were small farmers. Most were forced from their land by armed groups during decades of violence between the government and paramilitary groups.
The majority of the displaced re-located to cities where life was unfamiliar and they were unable to find work.
The government’s decision to return the stolen lands back to their rightful owners may seem like the just and obvious choice and an important one if the country is to achieve peace. However, as thousands of farmers now return to their lands, armed groups like guerillas, paramilitaries and drug traffickers, don’t want them back.
Activists have been representing the farmers fighting for the land. But some of those activists are receiving threats and being killed and now require bodyguards. Activists say that as long as these “mafias” operate in the countryside, they’ll continue to need constant protection. [end excerpt]
---
* "Covert action in Colombia U.S. intelligence, GPS bomb kits help Latin American nation cripple rebel forces" (2013-12-01, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/4glz2]
* "US, Colombia: Conspiracy against Venezuela" (2015-09-04, strategic-culture.org) [archive.is/03irb]:
"Airtec Inc. has been awarded a contract for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) services in support of the U.S. Southern Command [archive.is/f5pU1]. The deal is expected to be completed in September 2018. The contractor will provide ISR services utilizing a Bombardier DHC-8/200.
According to José Vicente Rangel [archive.is/g74VI], a Venezuelan journalist, the aircraft will be equipped with cutting-edge equipment to effectively survey the border areas of Venezuela."
The US special services have applied a lot of efforts to incite tensions in the “conflict zone” on the border between the two states. There are forces in the ranks of Colombian political and military leadership that are ready to help Washington in its subversive operations against the “main regional adversary”. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, a henchman of tycoons’ families, has said many a time that he supports further progress in the “special relationship” with Washington, including military ties. Santos believes that the deployment of seven US military facilities on Colombian soil is a step on the way of engaging Colombian military in NATO activities. Bogota is an integral part of the US plan to restore its dominant positions in the region.
Colombia is used to undermine the process of Latin American and Caribbean integration. Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela, displays great tolerance against the backdrop of hostile actions undertaken by Colombia. American supervisors apply no special efforts to conceal their involvement. The intention is evident – the opposition is trying to prove that the Maduro’s government is unable to get the national economy back on track and fill Venezuelan stores to meet the legitimate demands of consumers for essentials. Internal sabotage is assisted by the activities of smugglers operating on the Colombian territory.
Joint efforts are required to fight smuggling but Colombian border guards do nothing to interrupt the criminal activities often headed by former paramilitares (paramilitaries), the militants of AUC (the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia). According to Venezuelan counterintelligence, their leaders collaborate with Colombian power structures.AUC fighters have recently staged a provocation near the border area (machine translated) [archive.is/DSCq9] (original) [archive.is/hR0R3]. They laid an ambush for a Venezuelan patrol in pursuit of smugglers. Shots were fired and three servicemen got seriously wounded. President Maduro immediately introduced the state of emergency in one of the areas near the Colombian border (the state of Táchira) and sealed the border for uncertain period of time. Police and military reinforcements were sent out to find the attackers. Venezuela launched operations to pinpoint the paramilitares strongpoints - the bunkers serving as prisons for kidnapped people and stashes of smuggled goods. Thirty five militants were arrested so far. The interrogations provided information on the scale of crimes perpetrated by paramilitares in Venezuela, including even existence of secret burial places. Maduro said the findings about the activities of criminals and armed formations reveal the horrible truth and he, as a president, he has an obligation to do away with this evil in Venezuela.
His tough stand is justified. The economic war against Venezuela has come to the point when essentials, foodstuffs, hygiene stuffs and medicals evaporate from the stores located in the vicinity of border areas. Everything is taken out of the country – clothes, shoes, car parts, tires and oil production equipment. Filling stations run out of fuel. Gasoline prices are extremely low in Venezuela. It takes only 2 USD to fill a tank [archive.is/Enmfk]. That’s why great quantities of Venezuelan fuel are transported to Colombia along the whole length of the countries’ border. According to official data, the small town of San Cristobal, the Táchira’s capital, “has consumed” more gas than Caracas. It has gone far enough. The situation has reached the point when gas smuggling brings more profit to Colombian paramilitares than drug trafficking!
Smuggling thrives because there is a great difference in the prices of consumer goods (Venezuela allocates subsidies to bring the prices down). The rate of bolivar, the Venezuela’s currency, is used for large-scale scams. The Colombian city of Cúcuta has become the center of financial and economic subversive activities. It boasts around three thousand currency exchange shops. The general strategy is to devaluate the bolivar. It results in impoverishment of people and increasing discontent in Venezuela.
Cúcuta has always played an important part in conspirators’ plans. The US Defense Intelligence Agency and the Central Intelligence agencies are active there. This is the place where radical cells of Venezuelan opposition get instructions. The leaders of three groups formed especially for anti-Venezuelan activities - El Centro de Pensamiento Primero Colombia» (the Center of Thought Foundation - Colombia First), FTI Consulting (Forensic Technologies International) and La Fundación Internacionalismo Democrático (the Democratic Internationalism Foundation) – hold their meetings there. The anti-Venezuelan conspiracy is led by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency in mid-80s. The Agency used damaging information. He was number 82 on the list of drug dealers prepared by the US Drug Enforcement Administration. During all eight years of his tenure President Uribe was involved in subversive activities against Hugo Chavez trying to isolate the “Bolivarian regime” in the Western Hemisphere. With good reason the Venezuelan intelligence agencies consider him to be the key figure in the US-led plot to overthrow the “Maduro regime”.
The Sanchez government of Colombia enjoys the support of Western media, especially by the New York Times and the Washington Post. Their editorials say essentially the same thing. They spread the idea that the “border problem” with Colombia has been “invented by Maduro” and this entire hullabaloo is raised with the purpose to ratchet up the Venezuelan President’s support before the parliamentary election. Not a word is said about five and half million Colombians residing in Venezuela, part of them as refugees who fled the civil war, the activities of paramiltares, drug traffickers and smugglers operating on Colombian soil. The Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hit the nail right on the head when it disclosed the purpose of these publications. According to the Ministry, it’s all part of another plot staged by US media against Venezuela and its Bolivarian revolution.
Roy Chaderton, the Venezuelan Ambassador to the Organization of American States, said such Columbian media outlets as El Tiempo, RCN and Caracol radio stations and TV channels, as well as CNN Spanish language broadcasts, incite hatred towards Venezuela and its people. According to him, this hatred campaign could lead to a war. This scenario was avoided because Venezuelan leaders adopted quite different behavior patterns giving “positive signs” to Colombia. The Ambassador called on all the diplomats accredited with the Organization of American states not to trust Colombian media outlets waging a war of the fourth generation.
The US State Department made a statement regarding the closure of the border. It emphasized the humanitarian aspect of the problem and recommended to normalize the situation with the help of regional organizations. It said US diplomats were ready to contribute into launching a dialogue. But there are different types of diplomats. For instance, according to Contrainjerencia, a respectable website, Kevin M. Whitaker, the US Ambassador to Colombia, served as the head of CIA station in Venezuela in 2006 (original) [archive.is/cEHOA] (machine translated) [archive.is/enLPq]. It’s hard to believe that Whitaker and the like will really do anything positive. They have a quite different missions to carry out.
---
* "Colombian colonel sentenced for faking civilian murders" (2011-07-14, bbc.com) [archive.is/Jnh5r] [begin excerpt]: A Colombian army colonel has admitted his unit murdered 57 civilians, then dressed them in uniforms and claimed they were rebels killed in combat. The scandal arose from a body bag culture in the army, in which soldiers were rewarded with prestige and promotions according to the number of rebels they killed.
The attorney general's office is investigating more than 1,400 cases involving thousands of victims.
Borja's unit was operating in the northern province of Sucre when the murders, for which he has been convicted, were perpetrated.
Most of the "false positives" occurred under the two administrations of President Alvaro Uribe. He is credited with beating back left-wing rebels who threatened to overthrow the state.
Now questions are being asked about the cost of this success in human rights abuses, says the BBC correspondent in Bogota, Jeremy McDermott.
Earlier this month, eight soldiers were sentenced to 60 years each for killing four farmers and then pretending they were guerrillas in 2006 in the province of Antioquia. [end excerpt]
---
* "FBI Snooped on Colombian Author Garcia Marquez for 24 Years" (2015-09-07, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/IcmPM] [begin excerpt]: For almost a quarter of a century, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spied on famed Colombian writer and Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Washington Post has revealed.
The U.S. paper obtained recently declassified documents exposing how the police agency began to monitor the author and journalist after he came to New York for a short visit in 1961, and did not cease until 1985, three years after he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
It is unclear from the 137 released pages of the document why the FBI pursued Garcia Marquez, the Post reports, although it may be connected to his help in the foundation of Prensa Latina, the press agency for Cuba.
Marquez also supported a communist-backed takeover in Venezuela in 1958.
“In the event he enters the U.S. for any purpose, the Bureau should be promptly advised,” reads one memo in the document written by FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, in February 1961.
Gabo’s son, Rodrigo, told Washington Post he was not surprised the FBI monitored his father.
“Considering the fact that this Colombian guy was in New York opening a Cuban press agency, it would be unusual if he was not spied upon,” he said, adding that his father was aware of being followed by men who “appeared to communicate by whistling.”
Garcia Marquez remained close friends with Fidel and was hyper-critical of U.S. presence in Latin America until his death in 2014.
===*===*===
Towards a Bolivarian Republic of Colombia / Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army (FARC-EP) * "Colombia president, FARC rebel chief head to Cuba in push for peace deal" (2015-09-23, rt.com) [http://is.gd/2a6OOl]
* "FARC-EP declares unilateral ceasefire" (2015-07-08, Central Secretariat of Staff of the FARC-EP) machine translated [archive.is/c0YNf]
* "Armed actions and arrests in Bogota" (2015-07-09, signalfire.org) [archive.is/kEslg] with four articles
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* "ELN Commander: Peace Talks with Colombian Gov't on the Horizon" (2015-09-11, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/urQap]
===*===*===
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ALBA member)
[venezuelanalysis.com] [rnv.gob.ve]
* "Maduro Open to People's Proposals for Peace in Border Region" (2015-09-11, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/4OvK3]
* "Colombia’s Santos Agrees to Meet with Maduro, Accuses Venezuela of Suppressing Citizens’ 'Right to Individuality' " (2015-09-09, venezuelanalysis.com) [archive.is/gAvW2]
* "Why is Leopoldo López in jail?" video report (2015-09-11, telesurtv.net) [http://is.gd/hen4ij]
===*===*===
Pluri-National State of Bolivia (ALBA member)* "DEA Informant: U.S. Targets Bolivia with Secret Indictments" (2015-09-15, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/EHgEm]
===*===*===
Republic of Ecuador (ALBA member)
* "Washington Wants 'Regime Change' in Ecuador: 'What is the CIA Planning before Ecuador’s 2017 Elections?' " (2015-09-14, silentcrownews.com) [archive.is/VLeG2]
===*===*===
* "Memory of Swords: Alfaro Vive Carajo!, the arguments of history" book in Spanish (.pdf) [http://is.gd/IqUNPZ], table of contents original in Spanish [archive.is/WHb3b], machine translated [archive.is/JSwQv]
===*===*===
Towards a People's Republic of the Andes (Peru, Ecuador)
[movadef.net]
* "Day of Heroism" (2015-06, People’s Movement Peru - Reorganizing Committee) [archive.is/ga5d8] [begin excerpt]: That is, these evil revisionists try to deny the semi-colonial situation of the country in order to deny the necessity of the democratic revolution that is done with people’s war. Also, as part of this big divestiture, the process of land concentration in favor of the big latifundian property of natives and foreigners along the coast, mountain range and jungle of the country from the middle of the last decade of the last century it has exceeded the levels recorded in the 60s of last century, when the big latifundian property occupied nearly 70% of agricultural surface of the country; Today 84% of rural landowners have only 10% of the land according to the Ministry of Agriculture data of 2013. This, together with new forms of servitude that appear in the form of informal and child labor are denouncing the feudal character of the country. Over this expired basis keeps developing the bureaucratic capitalism subjugated by imperialism.Add to this that the rural EAP, not counting children under 15 who work in the field, is more than 28% of the economically active population of the country, a figure much higher than that of other sectors of the economy. Besides, these 84% of rural landowners (peasants) they are the ones that are providing food to the national market. Sunday July 21, 2013, in the country’s newspapers was read that the Minister of Agriculture Milton von Hessen: “He commented that such is the dynamism of the agricultural sector that one in four people who make up the economically active population (EAP) belongs to this economic sector, although its productivity is 4,3 times lower than the rest of the productive sectors”. This “dynamic” with such low relative productivity expressed the backwardness as a consequence of the social relations of production already deciduous. Is important to mention that with the development of the people’s war progress was made to sweep semi feudalism as revealed in the official statistics of the agricultural census of 1994 (the third CENAGRO, see table 1) where the latifundian property figure below 30 %.
With weapons in hand and mobilizing the peasantry have advanced to destroy the landlords’ property, for example the so called non-associative and associative companies as the agricultural societies of social interest (SAIS), and with it the new forms of servitude which are rigged. This can not record any reactionary report. But that is the reality. With the resettlement of the old power in large countryside areas because of the direction problems of our people’s war, these old relations were established and that’s what show us the stubbornness of numbers after this census. The evil rats of ROD revisionist ans capitulacionist wants to deny this made to say that the country is already capitalist and deny the necessity of the democratic revolution. But if made what was said by Chairman Gonzalo that until we complete the democratic revolution with the seizure of Power in the whole country, these old relations will always be restored. But the reactionary action stirs the revolution. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Republic of Chile
* "Develop the violent struggle for our demands!" (2015-07-10) [archive.is/igpfw]:
We salute the student movement as part of the popular protest movement waging violent struggle in order to conquer their demands, attacking the undemocratic structure of schools controlled by the big bourgeoisie and the landowners who exercise class dictatorship against all the people. This struggle aims to transform high schools and universities imposing a democratic and popular free education. All the people have historically shown us the path of struggle must continue, workers, laborers, teachers marching and protesting for their demands, a fight that should be getting stronger, that makes reaction and its lackeys tremble and shows the true faces of those seeking to ride on our mobilizations.The exploiting classes and their government headed by Bachelet seek to generate greater exploitation of the masses by deepening bureaucratic capitalism resolve their struggles amid mutual accusations of corruption to deceive the masses. They want to destroy the violence of the people by infiltrating their agents of the phony communist party and its mafia JJCC in our mobilizations along with the whole Chilean “left” of the MIR, autonomous left, FEL,[...]. However, many colleges and universities are demanding strikes and the “leaders” are bought off, same with the struggle of the teachers. So the CONFECH are now calling a national indefinite strike to take advantage of this struggle which has already been waged for months by students, seeking to use it as a bargaining chip for seats in parliament, as happened in 2011.
We must expose these opportunists because every time the most militant comrades of the people engage in violence, these leaders have criminalized and tried to isolate them, supporting the repression of the old state against the movement. Developing more occupations, protests, rallies, [..] That is the way of struggle that serves the preparation of a national-democratic revolution for the seizure of power by the armed sea of masses from the countryside to the city.
COMBAT AND RESIST!
LONG LIVE THE STUDENT STRUGGLE!
Revolutionary Student Front
On the path of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism
===*===*===
MIR - Guerrilla Army of the Poor (MIR-EGP) for the People of Chile[mir-chile.com]
* "50 YEARS OF THE FOUNDATION OF CHILE MIR" (2015-08-15, National Secretariat, MIR) original (.pdf) [http://is.gd/iUCBrZ], text [archive.is/vZq92], machine translated [archive.is/w16aJ]. "They ripped our fruits. They cut our branches. They burned our trunks, but never managed to start our roots" - Maya proverb
* "Eleven political theses for the period" (2015-08-26, Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria MIR de Chile) original (.pdf) [http://is.gd/OdXQtW], text [archive.is/Oj8ux], machine translated [archive.is/dXsTT]
THE REBEL # 278Date: 18 August 2015
Group: Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR)
REBEL, OFFICIAL BODY Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR)
ISSUE No. 278, SECOND HALF OF 2015
[http://is.gd/Y0DdQD]
CONTENTS:
- EDITORIAL
- POLITICAL ANALYSIS: THESIS ON THE CURRENT SITUATION
- POLITICAL ANALYSIS: MASS MOVEMENT FOR EDUCATION
- ON THE REVOLUTIONARY mass mobilization
- 50 YEARS OF THE FOUNDATION OF CHILE MIR
- Fundamental Principles of the MIR
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* two historical photos of MIR's first 5 years (1965 to 1970): (1) In the rural area c.1967; (2) In the city, press conference c.1970
===*===*===
Federation of Brazil
* "Brazilian Auto Workers Strike against Mass Layoffs" (2015-09-11, labornotes.org) [archive.is/wuklj]
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* "Landowners Kill Indigenous Leader In Brazil And Threaten More Violence" (2015-09-08, indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com) [archive.is/ELpsN]
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* "Igor Mendes is free!" four photos (2015-06-26, A Nova Democracia): [archive.is/c24se] [archive.is/mJKCP] [archive.is/TYrbo] [archive.is/QQr9j]
===*===*===
[NewAfricaPeace.blogspot.com], with the Green Charter Committee, for Pan-Afrikan Solidarity and Liberation!
* "The US Carried Out 674 Military Operations in Africa Last Year. Did You Hear About Any of Them? The US military publicly insists its presence in Africa is negligible. Is that why they call it an American “battlefield” behind closed doors?" (2015-08-31, greanvillepost.com) [archive.is/jS33S]
* "America’s Imperial Footprint in Africa" interview with Eric Draitser (2015-08-19, WBAI 99.5FM ) [archive.is/n0Rck]
* "The Hypocrisy of the US Promoting the "Rule of Law" in Africa" (2015-08-27, truth-out.org) [archive.is/6PR4V]
* "Problem Partners, Ugly Outcomes: U.S. Special Ops Missions in Africa Fail to Stem Rising Tide of Terror Groups, Coups, and Human Rights Abuses" (2015-09-10, by Nick Turse, intro by tomdispatch.com) [archive.is/c20iB]. Photo caption: Members of the U.S. Special Operations forces alongside soldiers from the 3rd Battalion Intervention Rapid (BIR) training together in Bamenda, Cameroon, on January 17, 2013. (Photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Larry W. Carpenter Jr.)
---
[water4.org/fightfortheforgotten]
* "The US Carried Out 674 Military Operations in Africa Last Year. Did You Hear About Any of Them? The US military publicly insists its presence in Africa is negligible. Is that why they call it an American “battlefield” behind closed doors?" (2015-08-31, greanvillepost.com) [archive.is/jS33S]
* "America’s Imperial Footprint in Africa" interview with Eric Draitser (2015-08-19, WBAI 99.5FM ) [archive.is/n0Rck]
* "The Hypocrisy of the US Promoting the "Rule of Law" in Africa" (2015-08-27, truth-out.org) [archive.is/6PR4V]
* "Problem Partners, Ugly Outcomes: U.S. Special Ops Missions in Africa Fail to Stem Rising Tide of Terror Groups, Coups, and Human Rights Abuses" (2015-09-10, by Nick Turse, intro by tomdispatch.com) [archive.is/c20iB]. Photo caption: Members of the U.S. Special Operations forces alongside soldiers from the 3rd Battalion Intervention Rapid (BIR) training together in Bamenda, Cameroon, on January 17, 2013. (Photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Larry W. Carpenter Jr.)
---
[water4.org/fightfortheforgotten]
===*===*===
Commonwealth of Iceland
* "Iceland Boycotts Israel" (2015-09-18, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/Yl5TC]
---
Asatru
[asatru.is] [transceltic.com]
Most Icelanders (about 80%) are members of the Lutheran State Church. 5% of the population are registered in the Free Church of Iceland and the Roman Catholic Church. Another 5% of the population practice the traditional Norse religion; Asatru, which is a form of Germanic neopaganism.
The main Asatru organization is the "Æsir Faith Fellowship (Ásatrúarfélagið, or "the fellowship of those who trust in the ancient gods")
Photo caption: Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson and other members of Ásatrúarfélagið walk to a blót at Þingvellir in the summer of 2009.
* "First Viking Temple in 1,000 Years Coming to Iceland" (2015-02-18, history.com) [archive.is/kqR5I]
* "Iceland's Asatru pagans reach new height with first temple" (2015-02-14, bbc.com) [archive.is/z8XJB]
* "Pre-Christian Norse Religion Gaining Ground in Iceland - Major Temple to Thor and Odin Under Construction" (2015-02-08, transceltic.com) [archive.is/kfY8b]
* "Why Iceland Is Building a Temple to Its Pagan Gods As the Ásatrú pagan religion becomes ever more popular, a group of followers is constructing a shrine overlooking Reykjavík to the gods Thor, Odin, and Frigg" (2015-02-05, thedailybeast.com) [archive.is/4a4eD]
* "How thousands of Icelanders suddenly started worshiping the Norse gods again" (2015-02-03, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/y6rp3]
* "Iceland to build first temple to Norse gods since Viking age; A modern version of Norse paganism has been gaining popularity in recent years as followers see the stories as metaphors for life not worship of the gods" (2015-02-02, theguardian.com) [archive.is/pYsJd]
* "After early christian opposition, iceland gets first pagan temple in nearly 1000 years" (2015-02-03, religiondispatches.org) [archive.is/yfrBk]
* "Covering Asatru: Plagiarism & disrespect" (2015-02-04, norsemyth.org) [archive.is/vAqUk]
* "Heathens on the BBC" (2015-02-03, norsemyth.org) [archive.is/s18xR], the author writes [begin excerpt]: At the top of the show, he described the upcoming segment: "Do they know it's not fantasy – or maybe it is? Iceland builds its first temple to the Norse gods since the Vikings."
Over the course of the interview, Mr. Abedayo seemed determined to paint Ásatrú as a religion based on fantasy and violence. I attempted to answer his misrepresentations and falsehoods as best I could. You can decide for yourself if he treated this minority religious tradition with disrespect, and whether I successfully answered his assertions. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Kingdom of Norway
Map showing world territories [archive.is/rDBc6]
* "Revenues down for oil-rich Norway" (2015-09-08, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/e6yQT]
* "Norwegian Army receives CV90s from BAE Systems" (2015-09-02, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/Vc3sg]
===*===*===
European Union (EU) / NATO
Documenting economic and political trends across the EU jurisdictions, and international operations. Maps: Homeland and overseas territories [archive.is/iqAFG], global Exclusive Economic Zone [archive.is/GJkE9]
* "European Commission Accused of 'Putting Lipstick on a Pig' With Rebranded Corporate-Friendly Trade Mechanism; 'This new proposal doesn’t change the fundamental problem of giving corporations frightening new powers at the expense of our national democracies' " (2015-09-16, commondreams.org) [archive.is/L4OaQ]
* "As Europe's One Percent Flourishes, Millions Sink into Poverty" (2015-09-09, commondreams.org) [archive.is/LvkD6]
* "Increasing Inequality Plunging Millions More Europeans into Poverty; Poverty and inequality in Europe have reached shocking levels, according to a new Oxfam report" (2015-09-09, oxfam.org) [archive.is/YwpB6]
* "OSCE Official: Media Freedom Declining in Europe" (2015-09-22, AP Newswire) [archive.is/7O1YY]
* "How Neocons Destabilized Europe" (2015-09-07, consortiumnews.com) [archive.is/g0Az8]
* " ‘US seek to control the EU elites via refugee crisis’ " (2015-09-16, translated by orientalreview.org) [archive.is/FhKGZ], an interview given by Andrew Korybko to the Iranian FARS News agency on the origins of Syrian war, refugee crisis in the EU and the US interest in making radicals infiltrate Europe.
and, in response, the People speak -
* "Portuguese Communist party on course for election success" (2015-09-06, theguardian.com) [archive.is/ZaNSB]
* "Slovenia: Thousands of people take to the streets in protest in favor of refugees" (2015-09-15, ainfos.ca) [archive.is/STK8V]
---
* "The Greek Crisis: Europe Turns Communist To Destroy Those Who Believe In It" (2015-07-22, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/LjLPa]
* "US Tanks Defend Poverty in Eastern Europe" (2015-06-30, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/OzVHj]
Polls show: Eastern Europeans miss Communism.
Socialist Parties are consistently second or third in a lot of Countries of the former Eastern Bloc (except for the Baltic States, and Poland).
In Russia the Communist party is second.
In Bulgaria the socialist party either wins elections or is the opposition.
In Romania the socialist party is second
In Hungary the socialist party is the second largest in Parliament.
The Czech communist party is third.
The Russian election of 1996 is widely considered to be rigged- less than a month before the "elections", Yeltsin's popularity rating was in the single digits. The same happened in Ukraine, in 1999. Naturally, there can be no fair elections in a mafia government.
Under the current capitalist dictatorship, public services, enterprises and pensions are attacked by "investor state dispute settlement" (ISDS) clauses contained in foreign-imposed trade treaties! ISDS are considered to grant "super-rights" for corporations that supersede national laws whenever they adversely effect the economic interests of corporations, the countries, and their taxpayers must now pay! Governments are being sued for merely doing what their people have voted for. And the corporations are winning these cases or stopping the behavior they sued about, like single payer health care in Achmea v. Slovak Republic (.pdf) [http://is.gd/9uv6cC]. Often after a suit has been filed, corporations "settle for" huge but confidential payoffs (which is basically winning). Its been estimated that some outcome which is against the public interest occurs in up to seventy percent of them.
* "Polls show: Eastern Europeans miss Communism" (2014) [archive.is/GeMOn]
* "Confidence in Democracy and Capitalism Wanes in Former Soviet Union" (2011-12-05, pewglobal.org) [archive.is/iYQAw]
* "Better Red Than Unfed? A Survey of Post-Communism" (2009-11-03, foreignpolicyblogs. com) [archive.is/a4Zp7]
* "End of Communism cheered but now with more reservations: Chapter 4. Economic Values" (2009-11-02, pewglobal.org) [archive.is/TRMN5] [begin excerpt]: Many Say Economic Situation Is Worse Today -
Majorities or pluralities in six of the eight Eastern European countries surveyed say the economic situation of most people in their country is worse today than it was under communism. Hungarians offer the most negative assessments – 72% say most in their country are worse off today. Majorities in Bulgaria and Ukraine share that view (62% each), as do about half of Lithuanians and Slovaks (48% each) and 45% of Russians.
Only in Poland and the Czech Republic do more respondents say that most people in their country are better off than say most are worse off. Nearly half of Poles (47%) and 45% of Czechs say that the economic situation is better today than it was under communism, while 35% and 39%, respectively, say it is worse.
As is the case with opinions about the move from a state-controlled economy to a market economy, women, those who did not attend college and those who are 65 or older are generally more negative in their assessments of whether most people in their country are better off or worse off today than they were under communism. The views of those in urban or rural areas vary slightly, if at all.
In nearly every Eastern European country surveyed, those under 30 are much more likely than those 65 and older to say that the economic situation of most people in their country is better today than it was under communism. In Russia, 39% of those who were young children during the Soviet regime say people are better off today and one-third say people are worse off. Among those who are 65 and older, about six-in-ten (62%) say the economic situation of most Russians is worse today and just 20% say it is better than it was under communism. A similar pattern is evident throughout the region. In Ukraine, however, the young and old are about equally likely to say the economic situation is better (13% vs. 11%, respectively). At the same time, older Ukrainians are far more likely than young people to say the economic situation is now worse (75% vs. 50%).
Views of Free Markets -
When asked whether they agree or disagree that most people are better off in a free market economy, even though some people may be rich while others are poor, Eastern European publics offer mixed views. Opinions are decidedly in favor of free markets in Poland (70%), the Czech Republic (63%) and Slovakia (56%). In Lithuania, half agree that people are better off in a free market economy, while 43% disagree. And in Ukraine, Bulgaria and Hungary, majorities or pluralities reject the notion that free markets are better, even if they produce inequalities (43%, 58% and 65%, respectively).
Views of free markets are, in large part, a reflection of opinions of how people have fared economically over the past two decades. For example, in Bulgaria, where overall support for free markets is low, more than seven-in-ten (73%) of those who say most people in their country are better off than they were under communism favor the free market model. Just 27% of those who say people are worse off today and 40% of those who say things are about the same for most people as they were under communism express support for free markets. [end excerpt]
* "Hungary: Better Off Under Communism?" (2010-04-28, pewresearch.org) [archive.is/3ZvUb] [begin excerpt]: A remarkable 72% of Hungarians say that most people in their country are actually worse off today economically than they were under communism. Only 8% say most people in Hungary are better off, and 16% say things are about the same. In no other Central or Eastern European country surveyed did so many believe that economic life is worse now than during the communist era. This is the result of almost universal displeasure with the economy. Fully 94% describe the country's economy as bad, the highest level of economic discontent in the hard hit region of Central and Eastern Europe. Just 46% of Hungarians approve of their country's switch from a state-controlled economy to a market economy; 42% disapprove of the move away from communism. The public is even more negative toward Hungary's integration into Europe; 71% say their country has been weakened by the process. [end excerpt]
* "In Romania, Opinion Polls Show Nostalgia for Communism" (2011-12-27, balkanalysis.com) [archive.is/MsNRF] [begin excerpt]: The most incredible result was registered in a July 2010 IRES (Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy) poll, according to which 41% of the respondents would have voted for Ceausescu, had he run for the position of president. And 63% of the survey participants said their life was better during communism, while only 23% attested that their life was worse then. Some 68% declared that communism was a good idea, just one that had been poorly applied. [end excerpt]
This article contains the following sources:
[1] "Ceauşescu reelected - 41 percent of Romanian he would vote if the presidential election were today" (2010-07-26, gandul.info) original [archive.is/gsC3x], machine translation [http://is.gd/ooZdyy] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/TKnnQ].
[2, 3, 10] "Present perception on communism" (2006-12-18, fundatia.ro) original [archive.is/kiMyR], translation (.pdf) [http://is.gd/3nTGjb] machine translation [http://is.gd/BgHYpQ] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/VPHpe]. Originally posted by Fundaţia Soros Romania (Soros Foundation Romania) as "Perceptia actuala asupra comunismului. Comunicat de presă (Actual perception on communism. Press release)" at [http://www.sfos.ro/ro/comunicate_detaliu.php?comunicat=21]
[4, 5] "Partizanii lui ‘inainte era mai bine’ (Proponents of 'it was better before')" (2009-01-29, by Sandra Scarlat, adevarul.ro), original at [http://is.gd/PWwPBV], machine translation [http://is.gd/sptyaE] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/8EmBU].
[6] “Romanii nu regreta comunismul (The Romanians do not regret communism)" (2009-11-07, by Ionela Sufaru, Jurnalul National), original at [http://is.gd/B9mdgj] with the attached diagram at [archive.is/hoebQ], machine translation [http://is.gd/I9eFTO] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/ls1OA]. The survey did not focus on the communist past, but some of the survey’s questions asked people to evaluate communism as an ideology, and many Romanians continue to consider it ‘a good’ idea.
[7] "Din ce clasă socială faceti parte? (To What Social Class Do You Belong?)" (2007, by Gabriela Neagu, business-adviser.ro), original at [http://is.gd/TRhJmk] machine translation [http://is.gd/bQbvyh] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/9G1CB].
[8] "Studenţii regretă perioada comunistă (Students regret the communist period)" (2008-08-13, by Alina Gavrilă, Adevărul) original at [http://is.gd/lsGgbK], machine translation: Over 30% of students believe that Romania was better before 1989, according to a study by the Agency for Governmental Strategies. The criteria on which students have expressed sympathy for communist Romania are performance and living standards of the education system. A third of students would prefer the establishment of an authoritarian regime if it would ensure rising living standards of the population and 24% of students would not approve any form, a dictatorship. Ignorance, the primary reason "When someone who lived under communism, says he regrets this era means that is currently unsatisfied," said Mircea Kivu, a sociologist. In turn, prof. Ph.D. Mihaela Miroiu believes that ignorance is the main reason why a large percentage of the students considered so it was better before 1989. "Do you think it was better before the Revolution and prefer the establishment of a totalitarian regime is stupid. These young people and their parents have not lived the trauma of the '50s," she said.
[9] "The Present-Day Perception on Communism" poll data gathered 2010, 2011 (crimelecomunismului.ro) page 1 [archive.is/OpdKX], part 2 [http://is.gd/KHFx57]
[11] "The Tragic Failure of “Post-Communism” in Eastern Europe" (2011-03-08, by Dr. Rossen Vassilev) [archive.is/WU6E5]
* "Nicolae Ceausescu is considered the best president of Romania. Followed by Ion Iliescu and Traian Basescu - poll" (2014-07-17, hotnews.ro), original at [http://is.gd/wPnL6q] machine translation [http://is.gd/QEmQ9i] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/6y2Aw].
* "Poll: Nearly 45% of Romanians believe that the communist regime meant "a good thing for Romania". Banat - most reluctant to communism, Moldovans - the most favorable" (2014-01-17, hotnews.ro), original at [archive.is/TEl81] machine translation [http://is.gd/LQiXGg] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/7BHBd].
* "POLL. 46% of Romanian respondents would vote for President Nicolae Ceausescu now" (2014-04-10, digi24.ro), original at [http://is.gd/pAR8Xj] machine translation [http://is.gd/PVu7Cv] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/wcmZS].
* "Poll: 53% of Romanian would return to communism" (2012-08-08, romanialibera.ro), original at [archive.is/9swz9], machine translation [http://is.gd/pROMg6] could not be archived but is available here: European harshly criticized and political torn, Romania awaits the verdict of the Constitutional Court to find out who will be president: Crin Antonescu and Basescu. Meanwhile, stand and Romanians, both economically, especially social. And recent surveys reveal an alarming state of mind of citizens to tensions, according to Mediafax.
In an overwhelming majority of Romanians believe that politics is stealing and lying. As for our European future, 64 percent believe that Romania is on the wrong track, 27 percent see us outside Europe, while 53 percent would return to communism.
If until now the erosion of the opposition government was joy, things seem to have changed. The Romanians did not look at the political opposition as clear and distinct alternative power. Even more, polls show discontent with the political class in general.
According to a survey conducted by the Romanian Institute of Social Studies, more than half of Romanian believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. The answer to this question was extracted from three surveys conducted on March 26, May 8 and June 27. Of the total respondents in March, 80% said that Romania goes in the wrong direction. In early May, the number of those who believed that Romania is heading in the wrong direction was down to 40% and at the end of June, the number had risen to 64%.
A percentage of 26% of Romanian believe that the country could be kicked out of the European Union in the near future because of the crisis at the top of the state.
To the question "How do you think that is now Romania's image in Europe?", 71% of respondents felt that the current picture is pretty bad.
The most shocking is that after 20 years of democracy, poll-Public Affairs, conducted from July 14 to 18, 53% of Romanian argued that it would return to communism and Ceausescu's regime has been badly applied.
As it concerns current polticienii Romanians remain reluctant to them. That's because, in the view of 51% of Romanian politicians "stealing public money" and 31% think they are "liars".
However, most citizens declare their interests in relation to the current situation, with 40% saying that interest them much, while 25% are indifferent. Most Romanians have chosen to procure information from television (81.8%) and all the other information channels, internet, newspapers or radio tiny percentage charge. [end machine translated article]
Statistics taken from "Flight from Freedom: What Russians Think and Want" by Richard Pipes, published in the May/June 2004 issue of Foreign Affairs
According to Yale Lecturer Richard Pipes, 74% of Russians surveyed for his 2005 book regret the demise of the Soviet Union and believe life was better under Communism.
78% of respondents in a 2003 survey said that democracy is a facade for a government controlled by rich and powerful cliques. Only 22% expressed a preference for democracy; 53% disliked it.
74% of Russians regret the Soviet Union's passing. Only 12% regard the post-communist regime as "legitimate". In an October 2003 survey they were asked how they would react to a Communist coup: 23% would actively support it, 19 would collaborate, only 10% would actively resist.
* "Homesick for a Dictatorship: Majority of Eastern Germans Feel Life Better under Communism; Glorification of the German Democratic Republic is on the rise two decades after the Berlin Wall fell. Young people and the better off are among those rebuffing criticism of East Germany as an "illegitimate state." In a new poll, more than half of former eastern Germans defend the GDR" (2009--07-03, spiegel.de) [archive.is/HFdaB]
* "Poll: Many Czechs say they had better life under Communism" (2011-11-21, praguemonitor.com) [archive.is/bFYoy], page censored [archive.is/7tUTi], then purged [archive.is/UFfGC] [begin excerpt]: Roughly 28 percent of Czechs say they were better off under the Communist regime, according to a poll conducted by the polling institute SC&C and released Sunday.
Only 23 percent said they had a better life now.
More goods in shops, open borders and better cultural offer are considered the biggest successes of the system that was installed after 1989.
Nine-in-ten are of the view that much better conditions for corruption arose after 1989.
Some two-thirds of those polled said leading politicians were less corrupt under the Communist regime than now.
Some 56 percent said Czech democracy was not working comparably with democracies in advanced countries. The opposite view is held by 44 percent of Czechs.
On the other hand, the voucher privatisation, the worsening of human relations and work of the civil service are its biggest flaws, most Czechs said. [end excerpt]
* "Former Czech Dissident, Now Against the West: Freest Under Czech Communism!" (2014-10-24, counterpunch.org) [archive.is/1x5OJ], intro and thirteen photos (2014-10-26, popularresistance.org) [archive.is/PZRPF]
* "Serbia Poll: Life Was Better Under Tito A poll shows that as many as 81 per cent of Serbians believe they lived best in the former Yugoslavia - 'during the time of socialism' " (2010-12-24, balkaninsight.com/en) [archive.is/S5R3i] [begin excerpt]:
The survey focused on the respondents' views on the transition "from socialism to capitalism", and a clear majority said they trusted social institutions the most during the rule of Yugoslav communist president Josip Broz Tito.
The standard of living during Tito's rule from the Second World War to the 1980s was also assessed as best, whereas the Milosevic decade of the 1990s, and the subsequent decade since the fall of his regime are seen as "more or less the same".
45 percent said they trusted social institutions most under communism with 23 percent choosing the 2001-2003 period when Zoran Djinđic was prime minister. Only 19 per cent selected present-day institutions.
According to the poll coordinator Srecko Mihailovic, "what seems to be most disturbing" in the answers is that 23 per cent of respondents think that Serbia is governed by criminals, 18 per cent believe that the country is run by the president, the government and parliament, the same percentage believe that the country is run by owners of large companies, while 12 per cent think that Serbia is ruled by "the international community". [end excerpt]
* "Former Soviet Countries See More Harm From Breakup; Residents more than twice as likely to say collapse hurt their country" (2013-12-19, gallup.com) [archive.is/El9yB] [begin excerpt]: Reflecting back on the breakup of the Soviet Union that happened 22 years ago next week, residents in seven out of 11 countries that were part of the union are more likely to believe its collapse harmed their countries than benefited them. Only Azerbaijanis, Kazakhstanis, and Turkmens are more likely to see benefit than harm from the breakup. Georgians are divided. [end excerpt]
---
* "Poland to Receive U.S. cruise missiles" (2015-09-14, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/aN2AB]
* "Youths in military uniform march through Warsaw on Soviet invasion anniversary" (2015-09-17, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/JvwEs]: The unprecedented rally took place 76 years to the day after the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland at the start of World War II -- just weeks after Nazi Germany attacked the country from the west.
"Peace is never a given once and for all," said Karolina Ratajczak of the national Federation of Pro-Defence Organisations, which has around 10,000 members.
"We should always be ready to repel an attack," she told AFP in the crowd of teenagers.
Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak was also there. His ministry began providing the paramilitary organisations funding and equipment after security fears swept through the country over Russia's Crimea annexation and backing of pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine.
"Poland is facing two big threats: Russia in the east and Islamist terrorism in the south," said Marcin Waszczuk, commander-in-chief of the Strzelec paramilitary organisation.
He estimates there are between 400,000 and 600,000 paramilitaries in Poland, adding that "these people could constitute a second army in the case of conflict."
A central European EU member of 38 million people, NATO-member Poland has about 100,000 professional military personnel and 20,000 reservists.. [end article].
The invasion of the old Republic of Poland (a fascist, anti-Semitic dictatorship) in 1939 by the Realm of Germany created a collapse in government and a administrative vacuum in western Ukraine and western Belarus, regions which were ruled with an iron fist by the Republic of Poland, so much so, that the residents in those areas welcomed the collapse of government, and, except for a sizable pro-Germany faction, their eventual incorporation into the USSR Republics of Ukraine and of Belarus. The article describes an organized military movement that defends the former fascist regime that ended in 1939.
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* "Global Leaders Using Refugee Plight to Push Military Escalation; Observers say war is the cause—not the solution—of the ongoing humanitarian crisis" (2015-09-09, commondreams.org) [archive.is/E83gU]
* "It Begins: Europe Flooded With Reports Of "ISIS Terrorists" Posing As Refugees" (2015-09-11, zerohedge.com) [http://is.gd/FDGyqv]
* "And so It begins…ISIS Flag Among Refugees in Germany Fighting the Police" [news360.com/article/311820821]: The Syrian operative claimed more than 4,000 ISIS gunmen had been smuggled into western nations – hidden amongst innocent refugees. The ISIS smuggler, revealed the ongoing clandestine operation is a complete success.Islamic State is believed to be actively smuggling deadly gunmen across the sparsely-guarded 565-mile Turkish border and on to richer European nations, he revealed. Well, with this new Leaked picture, everything seems confirmed.
---
* "NATO chief concerned by reported Russian Syria build-up" (2015-09-08, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/RWACy]
* "Bulgaria Closed Airspace to Russian Aid Flights to Syria to Please US?" (2015-09-08, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/K5CeQ]
* "Bulgaria bars Syria-bound Russian planes as NATO fears grow" (2015-09-08, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/uw32d]
* "U.S. Will Station New Nuclear Weapons in Germany Against Russia" (2015-09-22, by Eric Zuesse) [archive.is/La9kq]
* "US unveils Predator drones at Latvian airbase" (2015-09-08,AFP Newswire) [archive.is/OOBAt]
* "Elbit supplying UAV-based intel systems to European customer" (2015-09-08, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/V7eFk]
* "Poland launches new mine-hunter vessel" (2015-09-08, UPI) [archive.is/vzI2U]
* "First European-built F-35 has maiden flight" (2015-09-09, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/hLzxT]
* "Italy’s Role In a New European Disorder" (2015-09-17, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/bkhVl]
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* "Meet the new faces ready to sweep into the European parliament; The fresh crop of MEPs includes Holocaust deniers, fascists, xenophobes" (2014-05-26, theguardian.com) [archive.is/Y9rNQ] [begin excerpt]:
Janusz Korwin-Mikke, Poland -
The 72-year-old led his party New Right to fourth place in the elections, with 7.2% of the vote. He also gained 28.5% of votes among 18- to 25-year-olds – more than any other party. He favours a Dickensian-era style of capitalism in which there would be no labour laws and market forces could operate unhindered. He calls the EU a "communist project" which is run by "Maoists like Barroso" and has said he would like to put the European commission building to better use by "turning it into a brothel". He has said that "women are dumber than men and should not be allowed to vote". "Evolution has ensured that women are not too intelligent. After all, no intelligent being would last more than an hour a day with a baby and all its goo-goo ga-ga gibberish," said Korwin-Mikke, who also happens to be a champion bridge player. He is similarly derisive of democracy, calling it the "stupidest form of government ever conceived", favouring a monarchy instead. He has said he will spend no longer than 18 months in the European parliament as he now hopes to cross the 5% threshold needed to get into the Polish parliament in elections scheduled for next year.
Alessandra Mussolini, Italy -
Niece of Sophia Loren and granddaughter of Il Duce, Mussolini has had a career as colourful as her ancestry. She has posed topless for Playboy, played a nun in a critically derided film, and played a vocal role in far- and centre-right Italian politics since the early 90s. Now, 10 years after she was first elected an MEP for her (now defunct) Social Alternative list, she is to return to the European parliament – this time for Silvio Berlusconi's beleaguered Forza Italia (FI) party. Mussolini, 51, has never been short of an opinion, no matter how offensive. The far-right group in Europe of which she was a member broke up in 2007 after comments she made about crime rates among Romanians provoked a storm of protest – unsurprisingly – among her colleagues in the Greater Romania party. In 2006, responding to an accusation by a transgender MP candidate that she was a fascist, she declared: "Better fascist than faggot."
Udo Voigt, Germany -
Germany's first far-right MEP has praised Hitler as a "great statesman" and suggested that Rudolf Hess should win the Nobel peace prize. Voigt, 61, is a former head of the NPD, an organisation that Germany's interior intelligence service classifies as a far-right extremist party. During his leadership from 1996 to 2011, Voigt took the party into a more aggressively nationalist direction, prompting a failed attempt to outlaw the party by Germany's federal court in 2003. A renewed attempt, arguing that its ideology is identical to that of Adolf Hitler's Nazi party, is ongoing. The son of a former Wehrmacht officer, Voigt joined the NPD aged 16, and held on to his membership even when it cost him his job in the military services. After he took over the NPD leadership in 1996, he openly recruited younger neo-nazis to the organisation, against the will of other party members. In a 2004 interview with the rightwing newspaper Junge Freiheit, Voigt described Hitler as "a great German statesman", and the current democratic German republic as "an illegitimate system".
In 2005, Voigt received a four-month suspended sentence for incitement of the people, after calling for an armed uprising against the state at a 1998 rally. Police video recordings in 2007 showed that Voigt planned to suggest Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, as a candidate for the Nobel peace prize.
* "Neo-Nazi Holocaust Denier Joins EU Parliament Civil Rights Committee" (2014-07-08, talkingpointsmemo.com) [archive.is/prgGi]
* "Neo-Nazi takes seat on Parliament Civil Liberties Committee, Schulz furious" (2014-07-07, euractiv.com) [archive.is/mc863]
* "Outrage as neo-Nazi joins European Parliament civil rights committee" (2014-07-08, haaretz.com) [archive.is/imsWX]
===*===*===
United Kingdom of Great Britain (UKGB) (EU Member)
Map [archive.is/pyhbI]
* "Billions Spent on Secret Corporate Lobbying in UK Parliament; An estimated US$3 billion is spent on corporate lobbying of British lawmakers every year, much of which is being done secretively, with as much as US$5.2 million being paid to members of parliament for external advisory roles, Sputnik has been told" (2015-09-22, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/d7thV]
* "Great Britain is a centre of 'money laundering' " (2015-09-22, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/AAqDS]
* "Billions of Dollars Laundered Through United Kingdom Banks" (2015-07-13, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/9UrdP]
* "London is the world’s leading city for laundering drug money" (2015-07-05, metro.co.uk) [archive.is/Ftm3n]
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* "Great Britain is Violating Human Rights" (2015-09-09, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/gBgB7] [begin excerpt]: According to the Herald Scotland regional newspaper it is for exactly this reason, that United Nations staff intend to visit the UK to investigate the welfare reforms that have led to grave and systematic violations of the rights of certain categories of population in this country. In particular, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities intends to conduct thorough investigation of the situation, and has already launched an investigation into the activities of the head of the Department for Work and Pensions UK ( DWP ) Iain Duncan Smith.
The reason being that in late August of this year, the Minister for Work and Pensions, I.D. Smith, announced the Department for Work and Pensions’ plan to reduce benefits for the disabled, depriving a million Britons of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). These “new developments” will affect 43% of people with disabilities, as indicated in a report by the regional human rights organization Inclusion Scotland. What is quite remarkable is that, according to statistics recently released by the Department of Work and Pensions, from December 2011 to February 2014 2,380 Britons died, after social services found them ‘fit to work’ and struck them off the list of persons with disabilities. Inclusion Scotland reported in their study, that in 2018 more than 80,000 persons with disabilities in Scotland alone will lose all or some of their social benefits and currently disabled people in some areas already have to wait for their benefits for 10 months owing to the Department for Work and Pensions error.
UK authorities also intend to abolish unemployment benefits for young people in the near future. Civil service head, Matt Hancock, explained the measures as “the aim to reduce the unemployment rate among young people and to tackle welfare dependency.” The government also stated that the new system of payment does not exclude low-income citizens and those with small children, which is a direct violation of the commitments, upheld by those in power, to the social protection of the rights of disadvantaged people. [end excerpt]
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* "Corbyn’s Dilemma" (2015-09-18, williambowles.info) part 1 [archive.is/fa9Sl] part 2 [archive.is/6e9xs] [begin excerpt]: This is JC’s reality; he has to work within the ‘system’, a system created by capitalism, for capitalism. Okay, it (the capitalist state) has been forced to make some accommodation for the rest of us, well at least it used to during those thirty years, from 1945 to 1975, and this is the point: Does Jeremy Corbyn have the Parliamentary Labour Party behind him and what is it possible for him as an individual, to do about what is now a transnational ruling class as events in Greece so tragically demonstrate? [end excerpt]
* "British Labour's anti-war leader faces rebellion on Syria" (2015-09-19, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/M2QvZ]
* "Army plots against British PMs are not new" (2015-09-20, jonathan-cook.net) [archive.is/jmxOu] [begin excerpt]: There has been some debate about the significance of a warning issued this weekend through Rupert Murdoch’s Sunday Times by a British general that the army would “mutiny” and use “whatever means possible, fair or foul” should the new Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ever get near 10 Downing Street.
Here is what the general says:
Owen Jones has wondered whether this is tantamount to a threat of a coup by the military. I think it would be foolhardy indeed to read it as anything else. [end excerpt]
* "The plot against Harold Wilson" (2006, BBC) [youtube.com/watch?v=y6v1VxB5Lss]
* "A Very British Coup" part 1 [youtube.com/watch?v=IXGTMfqMRSE], part 2 [youtube.com/watch?v=hJ-t-yTTvno]: It is March, 1989, and Britain has a new Government. Ex-steelworker Harry Perkins has led his far-left Labour Party to victory on a manifesto which includes withdrawal from NATO, nuclear disarmament, and the removal of all US bases from Britain.
* "Our feral, lying, good for nothing media" (2015-09-19 by Richard Seymour) [archive.is/Mgk3y] [begin excerpt]: If you want to know what the consensus is made of, just look at what the media considers a gaffe. Corbyn, a republican, doesn't sing the royalist national anthem. Gaffe. Corbyn, a socialist, appointed a hard-left socialist as shadow chancellor. Gaffe. Corbyn refused to answer journalists' questions. Ultra-gaffe. That's just rude. From the Guardian to the Express, from the New Statesman's craven toeing of the Blairite line to the lies in supposedly neutral dailies like the Metro, from The Sun's made-up 'exclusives' to the queue of Labour MPs and liberal pundits lining up to spew bile for the Daily Mail, from Tory attack ads to the Telegraph screaming for Corbyn's head, the media and the political class have near total unanimity in their ferocious anti-socialism. I know we call them 'the bourgeois media', but not even the most crass, petty-minded Stalinist apparatchik could have produced a caricature as venomous and despicable as our lot.
In that vein, let me draw your attention to a story that has appeared in The Independent, with these words in the headline: "Jeremy Corbyn 'loses a fifth of Labour voters'" [archive.is/OxcfM]. Understand, this headline is a complete lie. The first warning is those scare quotes. Before the authors even get to the story, they're distancing themselves from its major argument. The next is the fact that the article opens, not - as would be logical - with a quick summary of the point of the story, but with some entirely other statistics. The third is that, when they actually do refer to the main point of the story in the second paragraph, it is already watering the story down, saying that one in five people who previously voted Labour are "more likely to vote Conservative next time". That is already not the same as Corbyn 'losing' a fifth of Labour voters. Unsurprisingly, even this claim is given no elaboration. Instead, the juice of the story is presented in a series of charts, which represent the results of the study. What the figures actually show is as follows:
63% of Labour voters say they are more likely to vote Labour in the next election with Corbyn as leader, as opposed to 20% of those voters who say they are more likely to vote Conservative. There are similarly polarised responses among other voters. So, for example, over a third of SNP voters, approximately a third of Lib Dems, about one fifth of UKIP voters and 8% of Tories are more likely to vote Labour with Corbyn as Labour leader. By the same token, four fifths of Tory voters are more determined to vote for their own party, just under a fifth of SNP voters would be more likely to vote Tory, while a third of Liberals and a whopping 40% of Ukipers would be more likely to vote Conservative. Corbyn has not lost a fifth of Labour voters. What he has done is polarised the voters. And polarisation, in this context, is a good thing. It shows that there's something in the fight, for once, and that people are being motivated. [end excerpt]
* "Guardian’s terrible dilemma over Corbyn" (2015-09-20, jonathan-cook.net) [archive.is/IhUBl]
* "BBC ‘anti-Corbyn bias’ challenged by 61,000-strong petition" (2015-09-17, rt.com) [archive.is/DuRFK]
* "The Bashing of Jeremy Corbyn has Commenced" (2015-09-14, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/UIzGl]
* "Watching Lips in Corbyn’s Britain" (2015-09-16, by Dr. Binoy Kampmark) [archive.is/JK7N7]
* "Jeremy Corbyn v. David Cameron" (2015-09-18, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/Q1HlF]
* "UK Prime Minister: Jeremy Corbyn a 'National Security Threat' " (2015-09-13, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/cFlqE]
* War Criminal David Cameron calls for war against the Labour Party [archive.is/bKmaA]
* Photo showing Corbyn and Hugo Chavez [archive.is/TTrea]
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* "Resources Squandered on Britain’s War Machine Could Save Millions from Starvation" (2015-09-18, by Daniel Jakopovich) [archive.is/SoQTO]
* "Nations using child soldiers are invited to British arms fair British-made weapons could be used to target children in war zones" (2015-09-12, theguardian.com) [archive.is/z3BsQ]
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* "State Has No Right to Implement Security Checks of Faith Leaders - NGO" (2015-09-17, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/eYnvk] [begin excerpt]: The state has no right to carry out government-specified security checks of religious leaders, as it is up to faith institutions to undertake appropriate checks, Fiyaz Mughal said (the founder and director of the Faith Matters non-governmental organization).
Last week, a draft of the UK’s new counter-extremism strategy appeared in the local media. According to the document, all imams, priests, rabbis and other faith figures in the country would have to enroll in a special register of religious leaders and undergo government-specified training and security checks.
"It is up to faith institutions to undertake appropriate checks and balances and the training of faith leaders so that they are able to work providing theological and pastoral support…This is Britain, not Egypt and the State has no right to intervene in aspects that faith communities should be carrying out," he said. [end excerpt]
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* "They say Cutback, We say... What?" (2015-09-12, afed.org.uk) [archive.is/GQNlG] [begin excerpt]: It’s now six years since David Cameron’s statement of intent at the 2009 Conservative Conference in Cheltenham, where he said that a new Tory government would usher in “a new age of austerity.”1 “Over the next few years, we will have to take some incredibly tough decisions on taxation, spending and borrowing – things that really affect people’s lives,” said Cameron. Whenever anyone talks about “tough decisions” or “hard choices,” the first question to ask is “Tough for who?” As we shall see in the first part of this article, the choices made by the Conservatives – with the support of the LibDems (remember them?) and most often the Labour Party – have been tough for working class people across the UK.
After a brief overview of the economic reality of austerity, we will take a step back from the stats to think about what austerity actually is – or rather, how it is used as a tool to redistribute money and resources from the working class to the ruling class. We will then look at the “official” responses to austerity from the TUC, and groups like the People’s Assembly and the rest of the Left.
Finally, in an article that looks pretty thin on good cheer, we will look at how groups and communities are fighting back against austerity in ways both more imaginative and more fruitful than Saturday afternoons spent traipsing through central London with a speech by Jeremy Corbyn at the end. As we will see – and as you might expect – the way that you think about austerity has a big impact on how you fight it. [end excerpt]
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* "Assessing Armed Actions" (2014-11-15, thepensivequill.am) [archive.is/qbUok] [begin excerpt]:
To date the combined efforts of the various IRA groupings have resulted in British/State casualties on a par only with the least successful IRA campaigns of the past. In addition the state has learned valuable lessons from those campaigns and has chosen not to give the Republican tradition anymore martyrs but instead to wear down the morale and resources of its limited support base with a conveyor belt system of questionable arrests, convictions and increasingly harsh sentencing. In this process they have been tutored well by former Militant Republicans now loyal to the state.
As unsavoury as that reality may seem, it remains a reality and one which is not likely to change should the IRA groupings remain within the tight pigeon-hole in which Britain and its Stormont subservients have clearly backed them into. Furthermore the military capability which would be required to kick hard enough in an attempt to break out of that dynamic quite simply does not exist.
The British state in Ireland has successfully gauged the extent to which the Irish public will tolerate Judicial and human rights abuses of Irish Citizens, the PSNI directed by MI5 are adhering strictly to a set policy of maximum depletion of Republican resources yet minimum comeback as in terms of any public backlash.
By and large that policy is working for them and not least because the public are being taught to focus upon failing and questionable armed actions of Republicans while ignoring the litany of crimes being committed against the Irish Working Class by both the British and 26 County states; ruthless austerity, cutbacks in health and social spending and a general downgrading of the lives of ordinary people. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Kingdom of Spain (EU Member)
* "Four held in French raid against ETA" (2015-07-09, signalfire.org) [archive.is/0eqZn], attached video [youtube.com/watch?v=Hub-KbX6chY]: Interior Minister Jorge Fernández Díaz on Wednesday confirmed that a total of four people have been arrested in the latest raid against ETA in France. Two further suspects have been detained following the arrest of two alleged leaders of the Basque terrorist group on Tuesday. Speaking in the hallways of Spanish Congress, Fernández Díaz did not provide the identity of the suspects, but did say that the new detainees are the owners of the home where the two alleged ETA bosses were apprehended on Tuesday.
Both suspects arrested on Tuesday are on Spain’s list of most-wanted terrorists These latter two are thought to be important members of ETA’s logistical leadership, and their arrests come after an investigation lasting over two years, sources familiar with the situation told the news agency Europa Press. The two leaders are thought to be Joseba Íñaki Reta de Frutos, aka “Zukaitz,” and Javier Goienetxea, aka “Goyele,” both of whom were in charge of managing ETA’s weapons and its hideouts.
Anti-terrorist sources said their identity would not be confirmed until later on Wednesday, when fingerprint tests are conducted. The arrests took place inside a home in the French municipality of Ossès, in the southern department of Pyrenées-Atlantiques. The operation was jointly conducted by the Spanish Civil Guard and French Police, according to the Interior Ministry. Both Joseba Íñaki Reta de Frutos, a 56-year-old explosives expert, and Javier Goienetxea, 35, are on Spain’s list of most-wanted terrorists, and are also among a group of eight individuals who publicly announced in late 2008 that they were planning to return to ETA activities. Reta de Frutos has served prison time on terrorism charges, while Goienetxea fled to France to avoid capture in Spain.
* "Four held in French raid against ETA" (2015-07-08, elpais.com) [archive.is/b1Q6B] [begin excerpt]: Both Joseba Íñaki Reta de Frutos, a 56-year-old explosives expert, and Javier Goienetxea, 35, are on Spain’s list of most-wanted terrorists, and are also among a group of eight individuals who publicly announced in late 2008 that they were planning to return to ETA activities. Reta de Frutos has served prison time on terrorism charges, while Goienetxea fled to France to avoid capture in Spain. [end excerpt] Photos of the apprehended Basque nationalists [archive.is/VKIko].
===*===*===
Republic of Italy (EU Member)
* "Greece — The One Biggest Lie You Are Being Told By The Media" (2015-07-03) [archive.is/G9MkE] [begin excerpt]: Every single mainstream media has the following narrative for the economic crisis in Greece: the government spent too much money and went broke; the generous banks gave them money, but Greece still can’t pay the bills because it mismanaged the money that was given. It sounds quite reasonable, right?
Except that it is a big fat lie … not only about Greece, but about other European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Ireland who are all experiencing various degrees of austerity. It was also the same big, fat lie that was used by banks and corporations to exploit many Latin American, Asian and African countries for many decades.
Greece did not fail on its own. It was made to fail.
In summary, the banks wrecked the Greek government, and then deliberately pushed it into unsustainable debt … while revenue-generating public assets were sold off to oligarchs and international corporations. The rest of the article is about how and why. [end excerpt]
* "About the results of the recent referendum" (2015-07-10, CPG M-L) [archive.is/HTJES]
* Statement (2015-06-28, CPG M-L) [archive.is/3KJzj]:
For the overthrow of imperialist dependence and capitalist domination!
We do not legalize the dead-ends of government policies!
We do not legalize the imperialist blackmails!
ABSTENTION FROM THE REFERENDUM!
People speak through their struggles!
For the overthrow of the anti-people policy of government – EU – IMF!
For the overthrow of imperialist dependence and capitalist domination!
The SYRIZA-ANEL government starting from its pre-election position of “we belong to the West” asked the people for five months now to await for “hope” and “a way out” of the social and labor middle ages through negotiations. Negotiations with the US and EU imperialists, all those that had formed the conditions and the context of the plundering of the country and its people. The government has recognized all these robbers and killers of people as “allies, “partners” and “guarantors” of democracy and progress for our people and country.
During this process the governmental aims evolved quickly into a submissive line: From the Thessaloniki relief program and the pro-people measures they moved quickly towards “a mutually beneficial agreement”, an “honorable compromise”, then an “painful compromise” ending in a government Memorandum of 47 pages in which new antipopular measures were constantly added by by the PM himself as with the pension system.
At the same time the government not only responded positively at the commitments of previous governments towards their US-NATO “partners” but they also sought and moved in the direction of upgrade and entanglement of the country in the imperialist and warmongering plans of the US in the region.
Under the wight of the dead-ends of this policy, knowing that they will have the people against them and the imperialist questions about the government’s effectiveness to assault the people, they resort to a referendum, in order to burden the people with their own stalemates. They try to preserve the image of a so-called “left” government which “saves” the people but they in fact preserve the barbarity and initiate new attacks and open the road for the strengthening of the traditional systemic forces. In order to legalize the new reactionary agreement – even though they propose a referendum “against the institutions proposals” – the negotiations continue until next Tuesday June 30!
Although the negotiation process was a stalemate and under the imperialist yoke the referendum proposal was also useful for all those forces and their parties. Inside and outside the country different forces are acting towards more reactionary developments. They want to take advantage of the disarmament of the people that was imposed by the SYRIZA-ANEL government, to increase the fear and to show that the only “salvation” is the imposition of new imperialist ties together with the fascistization of everyday life.
The CPG (m-l) calls to the people to turn their backs to the government blackmail. The alignment with the government of SYRIZA-ANEL in the referendum is not a defensive or resistance line for the people. At “best” it will only approve the governmental Memorandum that is the approval of the continuation of the assault. And with this it will bring the strengthening of the reactionary forces that want to promote this assault.
The CPG (m-l) calls to the people to reject the disillusionment and not approve the government stalemates. These are stalemates of a policy that wants to appear pro-people when in fact their foremost concern is to pledge their allegiance to the imperialist formations and serve the regime of dependence. The CPG (m-l) calls for ABSTENTION FROM THE REFERENDUM THAT LEGALIZES THE ASSAULT AND DEPENDENCE.
The defense of popular and workers rights, the overthrow of imperialist-capitalist barbarity, the cause of independence and the promotion of the people to the leadership of its country cannot be left in the hands of a government that uses “clever”-adventurous management that is baptized as “rupture” when the people stand aside. And all the more when in the false “No” block are crammed together leftists, “leftists”, far right nationalists and even Golden Dawn Neonazis.
Of course we are also against the black block of “yes”, that is those that had willingly served the barbaric policies of the past years, and had drowned the people into poverty, unemployment and despair. It is outrageous to see again these invertebrates who rally against the people due to the tragic dead-ends of the SYRIZA policies that have neutralized and disarmed the popular movement.
The following days will be very critical for the people. The people will be under great pressure from both sides.
If we finally go to a referendum the people will be bombarded with false preachings of “national pride” from those that until now had said that the imperialists are our “allies”. The people will bombarded with false preachings of “breakup” by all those that they want to use the outcome of the referendum as a bargain towards a new memorandum.
Of course the imperialist block and the local reactionary regime will not stand with their hands crossed. They will bombard the people with their own terror dilemmas, they will speculate on the people’s fears and anxieties. They will exploit the country’s dependence and the economic strangulation that they can impose. They will use every mechanism that they control.
That is why the people must be ready. The people must respond resolutely and with militant spirit. They must fight against the imperialists and their mechanisms as well as the government that has taken up the role of their local managers.
In this way only the people can show its strength. To the streets! In mass! Fighting! Not through a false referendum but against all those that remember and use the people in order to extract themselves from their own dead-ends. The people must open their own road for the overthrow of imperialist yoke and capitalist domination.
* "Managing the Occupation: Syriza Wins Again, … on Behalf of the Banksters" (2015-09-22, by Dr. Binoy Kampmark) [archive.is/wg96m]
* "Down with the new anti-people agreement and the continuation of barbarity!" (2015-07-17, KKE - M-L) [archive.is/hdKeP]: A week ago the SYRIZA-ANEL government asked the people to say “no” at the troika proposals and the “recessional policies” that the so called institutions wanted to implement. Today, and after a resounding “no” by the people, they cosign an antipopular agreement much worse than the rejected proposal, a new memorandum that extends and deepens the barbarous policy of austerity, unemployment, overtaxing, and of labor and social middle-ages.
This is not just a contradiction, but the culmination of the erratic and adventurist policy of SYRIZA, the end of the self-illusions about the possibility of a so-called “pro-people policy” and a so-called “alternative course” inside the imperialist wolf-pack of the EU. This marks the end for the dead-ends of a policy that has hidden and still hides the true, barbaric nature of imperialism and the true role of imperialist alliances like the EU and NATO. This is a policy which on the one hand was subjugated under the Western imperialist yoke and on the other assumed that could exploit imperialist contradictions and play with them by throwing glances East-side. This new antipopular and antilabor agreement is living proof of the complete failure of this policy and of the collapse of the illusions about the negotiation margins with the imperialist hawks. It will follow now a new round of a barbaric assault against popular and labor rights.
This time this assault will be in the name of “national consensus” and with the support of the whole bourgeois swarm (old and new), of all the political forces that had promoted this barbaric policy for five years now. This SYRIZA policy “managed” also to legalize and bring forth again all those political forces that had caused the people’s wrath and rage and had led to long and tough struggles during the years 2010-2012. The burden of resistance against the new round of barbarity and the overthrow of this agreement falls again on the shoulders of the working class, the toilers, the unemployed, the pensioners and the youth. This will be done through the launching of new resistances in the direction of building a broad Resistance Front for the defense of popular rights.
It is clear that we also have to fight against the new illusions that have already started to spread by Tsipras and his leading SYRIZA group. His comments about “financial stability”, “possibilities for recovery”, “debt restructuring” and “assured funding” are just lies similar to those accompanying the first two memorandums. Even his assurance that “Grexit is in the past” is nothing but wishful thinking.
The people must not be fooled neither by Tsipras” attempts to sugar the pill through the so called “growth package of 35 billion” or his assurances that the burden will not fall only on the shoulders of the poor. It is clear that every penny that the imperialists will give as loan will be paid back manifold. SYRIZA and Tsipras appear as guarantors of social justice and popular sovereignty when at the same time they cosign an agreement that serves the imperialist interests and the interests of capital, foreign and local.
The people must not be carried away by the nagging and gabble of the left section of SYRIZA because they had also helped to disarm ideologically and entrap the people. They had contributed to the illusions about “left governance” under the imperialist yoke and capitalist domination. They still spread illusions that a policy which will “simply” leave the country inside the EU but outside the Eurozone is something possible under the imperialist-capitalist domination.
They are the same persons who in their naivete and adventurism, and as government ministers, wanted us to believe that to change imperialist protectors would change things for the better. The CPG (m-l) calls the people to rise up against this new assault. We must take to the streets en masse. We must participate on the first mobilizations of 14 and 15 July 2015. The people must fight against disappointment, fatalism, and fear and organize their forces and resistance, everywhere.
DOWN WITH THE NEW EU-IMF-GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT AND THE PARLIAMENT ACTS THAT GO WITH IT!
DOWN WITH MEMORANDUMS OLD AND NEW!
NO WAITING, NO TOLERANCE!
WE MUST DEFEND OUR LIVES AND RIGHTS THROUGH STRUGGLE!
GREECE OUT OF THE EU AND NATO!
THE PEOPLES DO NOT NEED PROTECTORS!
===*===*===
Republic of Montenegro
* "Montenegro Could Be Headed For A Mountain Of Trouble" (2015-09-17, by Andrew Korybko, orientalreview.org) [archive.is/aJyej] [begin excerpt]: The tiny Balkan state of Montenegro is having a Ukrainian-esque “either-or” choice forced upon its population, which in this case is whether or not the country should join NATO by the end of the year. By all indications, the US will support an initiative to extend membership to Montenegro during the upcoming NATO meeting in December, and the almost more than two-decade-long-straight Djukanovic government appears more than eager to accept. The trouble, however, is that just as many people are against joining the military bloc as those who support doing so, and the Democratic Front party has called for the entire opposition to gather in the capital on 27 September to protest against the government’s unilateral action. They say that it would be undemocratic for such a significant decision to be made without a referendum, let alone in such a near-even polarized political climate, and the forthcoming manifestations next weekend in Podgorica might turn into a social referendum on the government itself. [end excerpt]
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Republic of Moldova
* "Moldova: Court upholds 30-day sentence for ‘Petrenko group’ activists" (2015-09-14, omg.md news agency) [archive.is/719N7]
* "Emergency picket and press conference Tell Moldovan officials, President Obama and European Union: Free Grigory Petrenko and anti-oligarchy protesters" call-to-action (2015-09-21, IACenter.org) [archive.is/PnbaL] [begin excerpt]: Petrenko’s party has been building a movement of workers, farmers and pensioners against austerity measures imposed by the ruling Alliance for European Integration. This summer, protests initiated by Red Bloc against planned hikes in utility rates and fuel prices succeeded in stopping some of these attacks. Red Bloc has made headway with its program of solidarity among all nationalities and language groups and upholds Moldova’s proud antifascist traditions. That’s why Grigory Petrenko and his comrades were targeted for arrest.
On Sept. 15, Petrenko’s spouse, Lilia Petrenko, was harassed by dozens of police carrying machine guns, who planted “evidence” in her vehicle. The frame-up attempt was caught on amateur video (view here [youtube.com/watch?v=ttTJuBicCMY] [archive.is/rP5M5]). Red Bloc reports growing intimidation and repression across the country, including illegal raids of offices and members’ homes. [end excerpt]
* "Petrenko from jail: 'Oligarch regime has passed point of no return' " (translated by Greg Butterfield, southfront.org) [archive.is/TZoZl]:
The following letter was sent by Moldovan political prisoner Grigory Petrenko, former parliamentary deputy and leader of the Red Bloc party [archive.is/YP6up]:
Dear friends!Although we have very little information about what’s happening outside the prison, I know that many of you have expressed your support and are doing everything possible to win our freedom. Thank you so much!
Today, the regime of Plahotniuc, through government structures it controls and through media propaganda, daily inflames tensions in society, creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation against members of the opposition, and permissiveness on the part of the repressive machine.
Under these conditions, every voice of protest is worth its weight in gold! Thanks to all who came out to support us at the court and expressed their civic position to change the measure of restraint!
The actions of the authorities – obstructing the right to free protest, the use of force against civilians, the demolition of the tents in front of the General Prosecutor’s Office on September 6, the ensuing arrest of opposition activists – all of this speaks to the regime’s hysterical fear of its own people.
But these oligarchic, corrupt, anti-people authorities reached the point of no return on September 6.
All further efforts of Plahotniuc and his minions to discredit and harass the opposition and its leaders, tightening the screws with arrests and suppression of protests, is equivalent to a race car driver pressing the accelerator while driving toward a concrete wall.
Plahotniuc and his entourage have apparently confused the pedals. They continue to accelerate. The result is predictable!
I’m sure that Moldova can be freed from the clutches of this mafia!
It depends on each and every one of us! The pressure on the authorities and the protests can’t stop!
Grigory Petrenko
09/09/15
Jail NR 13, Chisinau
===*===*===
Republic of Ukraine (EU / NATO associate state)
* "Ukraine’s wartime privatisation" (2015-08-28, bne.eu) [archive.is/Voqz1]Commonwealth of Iceland
* "Iceland Boycotts Israel" (2015-09-18, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/Yl5TC]
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Asatru
[asatru.is] [transceltic.com]
Most Icelanders (about 80%) are members of the Lutheran State Church. 5% of the population are registered in the Free Church of Iceland and the Roman Catholic Church. Another 5% of the population practice the traditional Norse religion; Asatru, which is a form of Germanic neopaganism.
The main Asatru organization is the "Æsir Faith Fellowship (Ásatrúarfélagið, or "the fellowship of those who trust in the ancient gods")
Photo caption: Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson and other members of Ásatrúarfélagið walk to a blót at Þingvellir in the summer of 2009.
* "First Viking Temple in 1,000 Years Coming to Iceland" (2015-02-18, history.com) [archive.is/kqR5I]* "Iceland's Asatru pagans reach new height with first temple" (2015-02-14, bbc.com) [archive.is/z8XJB]
* "Pre-Christian Norse Religion Gaining Ground in Iceland - Major Temple to Thor and Odin Under Construction" (2015-02-08, transceltic.com) [archive.is/kfY8b]
* "Why Iceland Is Building a Temple to Its Pagan Gods As the Ásatrú pagan religion becomes ever more popular, a group of followers is constructing a shrine overlooking Reykjavík to the gods Thor, Odin, and Frigg" (2015-02-05, thedailybeast.com) [archive.is/4a4eD]
* "How thousands of Icelanders suddenly started worshiping the Norse gods again" (2015-02-03, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/y6rp3]
* "Iceland to build first temple to Norse gods since Viking age; A modern version of Norse paganism has been gaining popularity in recent years as followers see the stories as metaphors for life not worship of the gods" (2015-02-02, theguardian.com) [archive.is/pYsJd]
* "After early christian opposition, iceland gets first pagan temple in nearly 1000 years" (2015-02-03, religiondispatches.org) [archive.is/yfrBk]
* "Covering Asatru: Plagiarism & disrespect" (2015-02-04, norsemyth.org) [archive.is/vAqUk]
* "Heathens on the BBC" (2015-02-03, norsemyth.org) [archive.is/s18xR], the author writes [begin excerpt]: At the top of the show, he described the upcoming segment: "Do they know it's not fantasy – or maybe it is? Iceland builds its first temple to the Norse gods since the Vikings."
Over the course of the interview, Mr. Abedayo seemed determined to paint Ásatrú as a religion based on fantasy and violence. I attempted to answer his misrepresentations and falsehoods as best I could. You can decide for yourself if he treated this minority religious tradition with disrespect, and whether I successfully answered his assertions. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Kingdom of Norway
Map showing world territories [archive.is/rDBc6]
* "Revenues down for oil-rich Norway" (2015-09-08, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/e6yQT]
* "Norwegian Army receives CV90s from BAE Systems" (2015-09-02, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/Vc3sg]
===*===*===
European Union (EU) / NATODocumenting economic and political trends across the EU jurisdictions, and international operations. Maps: Homeland and overseas territories [archive.is/iqAFG], global Exclusive Economic Zone [archive.is/GJkE9]
* "European Commission Accused of 'Putting Lipstick on a Pig' With Rebranded Corporate-Friendly Trade Mechanism; 'This new proposal doesn’t change the fundamental problem of giving corporations frightening new powers at the expense of our national democracies' " (2015-09-16, commondreams.org) [archive.is/L4OaQ]
* "As Europe's One Percent Flourishes, Millions Sink into Poverty" (2015-09-09, commondreams.org) [archive.is/LvkD6]
* "Increasing Inequality Plunging Millions More Europeans into Poverty; Poverty and inequality in Europe have reached shocking levels, according to a new Oxfam report" (2015-09-09, oxfam.org) [archive.is/YwpB6]
* "OSCE Official: Media Freedom Declining in Europe" (2015-09-22, AP Newswire) [archive.is/7O1YY]
* "How Neocons Destabilized Europe" (2015-09-07, consortiumnews.com) [archive.is/g0Az8]
* " ‘US seek to control the EU elites via refugee crisis’ " (2015-09-16, translated by orientalreview.org) [archive.is/FhKGZ], an interview given by Andrew Korybko to the Iranian FARS News agency on the origins of Syrian war, refugee crisis in the EU and the US interest in making radicals infiltrate Europe.
and, in response, the People speak -
* "Portuguese Communist party on course for election success" (2015-09-06, theguardian.com) [archive.is/ZaNSB]
* "Slovenia: Thousands of people take to the streets in protest in favor of refugees" (2015-09-15, ainfos.ca) [archive.is/STK8V]
---
* "The Greek Crisis: Europe Turns Communist To Destroy Those Who Believe In It" (2015-07-22, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/LjLPa]
* "US Tanks Defend Poverty in Eastern Europe" (2015-06-30, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/OzVHj]
Polls show: Eastern Europeans miss Communism.
Socialist Parties are consistently second or third in a lot of Countries of the former Eastern Bloc (except for the Baltic States, and Poland).
In Russia the Communist party is second.
In Bulgaria the socialist party either wins elections or is the opposition.
In Romania the socialist party is second
In Hungary the socialist party is the second largest in Parliament.
The Czech communist party is third.
The Russian election of 1996 is widely considered to be rigged- less than a month before the "elections", Yeltsin's popularity rating was in the single digits. The same happened in Ukraine, in 1999. Naturally, there can be no fair elections in a mafia government.
Under the current capitalist dictatorship, public services, enterprises and pensions are attacked by "investor state dispute settlement" (ISDS) clauses contained in foreign-imposed trade treaties! ISDS are considered to grant "super-rights" for corporations that supersede national laws whenever they adversely effect the economic interests of corporations, the countries, and their taxpayers must now pay! Governments are being sued for merely doing what their people have voted for. And the corporations are winning these cases or stopping the behavior they sued about, like single payer health care in Achmea v. Slovak Republic (.pdf) [http://is.gd/9uv6cC]. Often after a suit has been filed, corporations "settle for" huge but confidential payoffs (which is basically winning). Its been estimated that some outcome which is against the public interest occurs in up to seventy percent of them.
* "Polls show: Eastern Europeans miss Communism" (2014) [archive.is/GeMOn]
* "Confidence in Democracy and Capitalism Wanes in Former Soviet Union" (2011-12-05, pewglobal.org) [archive.is/iYQAw]
* "Better Red Than Unfed? A Survey of Post-Communism" (2009-11-03, foreignpolicyblogs. com) [archive.is/a4Zp7]
* "End of Communism cheered but now with more reservations: Chapter 4. Economic Values" (2009-11-02, pewglobal.org) [archive.is/TRMN5] [begin excerpt]: Many Say Economic Situation Is Worse Today -
Majorities or pluralities in six of the eight Eastern European countries surveyed say the economic situation of most people in their country is worse today than it was under communism. Hungarians offer the most negative assessments – 72% say most in their country are worse off today. Majorities in Bulgaria and Ukraine share that view (62% each), as do about half of Lithuanians and Slovaks (48% each) and 45% of Russians.
Only in Poland and the Czech Republic do more respondents say that most people in their country are better off than say most are worse off. Nearly half of Poles (47%) and 45% of Czechs say that the economic situation is better today than it was under communism, while 35% and 39%, respectively, say it is worse.
As is the case with opinions about the move from a state-controlled economy to a market economy, women, those who did not attend college and those who are 65 or older are generally more negative in their assessments of whether most people in their country are better off or worse off today than they were under communism. The views of those in urban or rural areas vary slightly, if at all.In nearly every Eastern European country surveyed, those under 30 are much more likely than those 65 and older to say that the economic situation of most people in their country is better today than it was under communism. In Russia, 39% of those who were young children during the Soviet regime say people are better off today and one-third say people are worse off. Among those who are 65 and older, about six-in-ten (62%) say the economic situation of most Russians is worse today and just 20% say it is better than it was under communism. A similar pattern is evident throughout the region. In Ukraine, however, the young and old are about equally likely to say the economic situation is better (13% vs. 11%, respectively). At the same time, older Ukrainians are far more likely than young people to say the economic situation is now worse (75% vs. 50%).
Views of Free Markets -
When asked whether they agree or disagree that most people are better off in a free market economy, even though some people may be rich while others are poor, Eastern European publics offer mixed views. Opinions are decidedly in favor of free markets in Poland (70%), the Czech Republic (63%) and Slovakia (56%). In Lithuania, half agree that people are better off in a free market economy, while 43% disagree. And in Ukraine, Bulgaria and Hungary, majorities or pluralities reject the notion that free markets are better, even if they produce inequalities (43%, 58% and 65%, respectively).
Views of free markets are, in large part, a reflection of opinions of how people have fared economically over the past two decades. For example, in Bulgaria, where overall support for free markets is low, more than seven-in-ten (73%) of those who say most people in their country are better off than they were under communism favor the free market model. Just 27% of those who say people are worse off today and 40% of those who say things are about the same for most people as they were under communism express support for free markets. [end excerpt]
* "Hungary: Better Off Under Communism?" (2010-04-28, pewresearch.org) [archive.is/3ZvUb] [begin excerpt]: A remarkable 72% of Hungarians say that most people in their country are actually worse off today economically than they were under communism. Only 8% say most people in Hungary are better off, and 16% say things are about the same. In no other Central or Eastern European country surveyed did so many believe that economic life is worse now than during the communist era. This is the result of almost universal displeasure with the economy. Fully 94% describe the country's economy as bad, the highest level of economic discontent in the hard hit region of Central and Eastern Europe. Just 46% of Hungarians approve of their country's switch from a state-controlled economy to a market economy; 42% disapprove of the move away from communism. The public is even more negative toward Hungary's integration into Europe; 71% say their country has been weakened by the process. [end excerpt]
* "In Romania, Opinion Polls Show Nostalgia for Communism" (2011-12-27, balkanalysis.com) [archive.is/MsNRF] [begin excerpt]: The most incredible result was registered in a July 2010 IRES (Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy) poll, according to which 41% of the respondents would have voted for Ceausescu, had he run for the position of president. And 63% of the survey participants said their life was better during communism, while only 23% attested that their life was worse then. Some 68% declared that communism was a good idea, just one that had been poorly applied. [end excerpt]
This article contains the following sources:
[1] "Ceauşescu reelected - 41 percent of Romanian he would vote if the presidential election were today" (2010-07-26, gandul.info) original [archive.is/gsC3x], machine translation [http://is.gd/ooZdyy] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/TKnnQ].
[2, 3, 10] "Present perception on communism" (2006-12-18, fundatia.ro) original [archive.is/kiMyR], translation (.pdf) [http://is.gd/3nTGjb] machine translation [http://is.gd/BgHYpQ] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/VPHpe]. Originally posted by Fundaţia Soros Romania (Soros Foundation Romania) as "Perceptia actuala asupra comunismului. Comunicat de presă (Actual perception on communism. Press release)" at [http://www.sfos.ro/ro/comunicate_detaliu.php?comunicat=21]
[4, 5] "Partizanii lui ‘inainte era mai bine’ (Proponents of 'it was better before')" (2009-01-29, by Sandra Scarlat, adevarul.ro), original at [http://is.gd/PWwPBV], machine translation [http://is.gd/sptyaE] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/8EmBU].
[6] “Romanii nu regreta comunismul (The Romanians do not regret communism)" (2009-11-07, by Ionela Sufaru, Jurnalul National), original at [http://is.gd/B9mdgj] with the attached diagram at [archive.is/hoebQ], machine translation [http://is.gd/I9eFTO] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/ls1OA]. The survey did not focus on the communist past, but some of the survey’s questions asked people to evaluate communism as an ideology, and many Romanians continue to consider it ‘a good’ idea.
[7] "Din ce clasă socială faceti parte? (To What Social Class Do You Belong?)" (2007, by Gabriela Neagu, business-adviser.ro), original at [http://is.gd/TRhJmk] machine translation [http://is.gd/bQbvyh] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/9G1CB].
[8] "Studenţii regretă perioada comunistă (Students regret the communist period)" (2008-08-13, by Alina Gavrilă, Adevărul) original at [http://is.gd/lsGgbK], machine translation: Over 30% of students believe that Romania was better before 1989, according to a study by the Agency for Governmental Strategies. The criteria on which students have expressed sympathy for communist Romania are performance and living standards of the education system. A third of students would prefer the establishment of an authoritarian regime if it would ensure rising living standards of the population and 24% of students would not approve any form, a dictatorship. Ignorance, the primary reason "When someone who lived under communism, says he regrets this era means that is currently unsatisfied," said Mircea Kivu, a sociologist. In turn, prof. Ph.D. Mihaela Miroiu believes that ignorance is the main reason why a large percentage of the students considered so it was better before 1989. "Do you think it was better before the Revolution and prefer the establishment of a totalitarian regime is stupid. These young people and their parents have not lived the trauma of the '50s," she said.
[9] "The Present-Day Perception on Communism" poll data gathered 2010, 2011 (crimelecomunismului.ro) page 1 [archive.is/OpdKX], part 2 [http://is.gd/KHFx57]
[11] "The Tragic Failure of “Post-Communism” in Eastern Europe" (2011-03-08, by Dr. Rossen Vassilev) [archive.is/WU6E5]
* "Nicolae Ceausescu is considered the best president of Romania. Followed by Ion Iliescu and Traian Basescu - poll" (2014-07-17, hotnews.ro), original at [http://is.gd/wPnL6q] machine translation [http://is.gd/QEmQ9i] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/6y2Aw].
* "Poll: Nearly 45% of Romanians believe that the communist regime meant "a good thing for Romania". Banat - most reluctant to communism, Moldovans - the most favorable" (2014-01-17, hotnews.ro), original at [archive.is/TEl81] machine translation [http://is.gd/LQiXGg] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/7BHBd].* "POLL. 46% of Romanian respondents would vote for President Nicolae Ceausescu now" (2014-04-10, digi24.ro), original at [http://is.gd/pAR8Xj] machine translation [http://is.gd/PVu7Cv] could not be archived but is available as a (.jpg) [archive.is/wcmZS].
* "Poll: 53% of Romanian would return to communism" (2012-08-08, romanialibera.ro), original at [archive.is/9swz9], machine translation [http://is.gd/pROMg6] could not be archived but is available here: European harshly criticized and political torn, Romania awaits the verdict of the Constitutional Court to find out who will be president: Crin Antonescu and Basescu. Meanwhile, stand and Romanians, both economically, especially social. And recent surveys reveal an alarming state of mind of citizens to tensions, according to Mediafax.
In an overwhelming majority of Romanians believe that politics is stealing and lying. As for our European future, 64 percent believe that Romania is on the wrong track, 27 percent see us outside Europe, while 53 percent would return to communism.
If until now the erosion of the opposition government was joy, things seem to have changed. The Romanians did not look at the political opposition as clear and distinct alternative power. Even more, polls show discontent with the political class in general.
According to a survey conducted by the Romanian Institute of Social Studies, more than half of Romanian believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. The answer to this question was extracted from three surveys conducted on March 26, May 8 and June 27. Of the total respondents in March, 80% said that Romania goes in the wrong direction. In early May, the number of those who believed that Romania is heading in the wrong direction was down to 40% and at the end of June, the number had risen to 64%.
A percentage of 26% of Romanian believe that the country could be kicked out of the European Union in the near future because of the crisis at the top of the state.
To the question "How do you think that is now Romania's image in Europe?", 71% of respondents felt that the current picture is pretty bad.
The most shocking is that after 20 years of democracy, poll-Public Affairs, conducted from July 14 to 18, 53% of Romanian argued that it would return to communism and Ceausescu's regime has been badly applied.
As it concerns current polticienii Romanians remain reluctant to them. That's because, in the view of 51% of Romanian politicians "stealing public money" and 31% think they are "liars".
However, most citizens declare their interests in relation to the current situation, with 40% saying that interest them much, while 25% are indifferent. Most Romanians have chosen to procure information from television (81.8%) and all the other information channels, internet, newspapers or radio tiny percentage charge. [end machine translated article]
Statistics taken from "Flight from Freedom: What Russians Think and Want" by Richard Pipes, published in the May/June 2004 issue of Foreign Affairs
According to Yale Lecturer Richard Pipes, 74% of Russians surveyed for his 2005 book regret the demise of the Soviet Union and believe life was better under Communism.
78% of respondents in a 2003 survey said that democracy is a facade for a government controlled by rich and powerful cliques. Only 22% expressed a preference for democracy; 53% disliked it.
74% of Russians regret the Soviet Union's passing. Only 12% regard the post-communist regime as "legitimate". In an October 2003 survey they were asked how they would react to a Communist coup: 23% would actively support it, 19 would collaborate, only 10% would actively resist.
* "Homesick for a Dictatorship: Majority of Eastern Germans Feel Life Better under Communism; Glorification of the German Democratic Republic is on the rise two decades after the Berlin Wall fell. Young people and the better off are among those rebuffing criticism of East Germany as an "illegitimate state." In a new poll, more than half of former eastern Germans defend the GDR" (2009--07-03, spiegel.de) [archive.is/HFdaB]
* "Poll: Many Czechs say they had better life under Communism" (2011-11-21, praguemonitor.com) [archive.is/bFYoy], page censored [archive.is/7tUTi], then purged [archive.is/UFfGC] [begin excerpt]: Roughly 28 percent of Czechs say they were better off under the Communist regime, according to a poll conducted by the polling institute SC&C and released Sunday.
Only 23 percent said they had a better life now.
More goods in shops, open borders and better cultural offer are considered the biggest successes of the system that was installed after 1989.
Nine-in-ten are of the view that much better conditions for corruption arose after 1989.
Some two-thirds of those polled said leading politicians were less corrupt under the Communist regime than now.
Some 56 percent said Czech democracy was not working comparably with democracies in advanced countries. The opposite view is held by 44 percent of Czechs.
On the other hand, the voucher privatisation, the worsening of human relations and work of the civil service are its biggest flaws, most Czechs said. [end excerpt]
* "Former Czech Dissident, Now Against the West: Freest Under Czech Communism!" (2014-10-24, counterpunch.org) [archive.is/1x5OJ], intro and thirteen photos (2014-10-26, popularresistance.org) [archive.is/PZRPF]
* "Serbia Poll: Life Was Better Under Tito A poll shows that as many as 81 per cent of Serbians believe they lived best in the former Yugoslavia - 'during the time of socialism' " (2010-12-24, balkaninsight.com/en) [archive.is/S5R3i] [begin excerpt]:
The survey focused on the respondents' views on the transition "from socialism to capitalism", and a clear majority said they trusted social institutions the most during the rule of Yugoslav communist president Josip Broz Tito.
The standard of living during Tito's rule from the Second World War to the 1980s was also assessed as best, whereas the Milosevic decade of the 1990s, and the subsequent decade since the fall of his regime are seen as "more or less the same".
45 percent said they trusted social institutions most under communism with 23 percent choosing the 2001-2003 period when Zoran Djinđic was prime minister. Only 19 per cent selected present-day institutions.
According to the poll coordinator Srecko Mihailovic, "what seems to be most disturbing" in the answers is that 23 per cent of respondents think that Serbia is governed by criminals, 18 per cent believe that the country is run by the president, the government and parliament, the same percentage believe that the country is run by owners of large companies, while 12 per cent think that Serbia is ruled by "the international community". [end excerpt]
* "Former Soviet Countries See More Harm From Breakup; Residents more than twice as likely to say collapse hurt their country" (2013-12-19, gallup.com) [archive.is/El9yB] [begin excerpt]: Reflecting back on the breakup of the Soviet Union that happened 22 years ago next week, residents in seven out of 11 countries that were part of the union are more likely to believe its collapse harmed their countries than benefited them. Only Azerbaijanis, Kazakhstanis, and Turkmens are more likely to see benefit than harm from the breakup. Georgians are divided. [end excerpt]
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* "Poland to Receive U.S. cruise missiles" (2015-09-14, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/aN2AB]
* "Youths in military uniform march through Warsaw on Soviet invasion anniversary" (2015-09-17, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/JvwEs]: The unprecedented rally took place 76 years to the day after the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland at the start of World War II -- just weeks after Nazi Germany attacked the country from the west.
"Peace is never a given once and for all," said Karolina Ratajczak of the national Federation of Pro-Defence Organisations, which has around 10,000 members.
"We should always be ready to repel an attack," she told AFP in the crowd of teenagers.
Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak was also there. His ministry began providing the paramilitary organisations funding and equipment after security fears swept through the country over Russia's Crimea annexation and backing of pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine.
"Poland is facing two big threats: Russia in the east and Islamist terrorism in the south," said Marcin Waszczuk, commander-in-chief of the Strzelec paramilitary organisation.
He estimates there are between 400,000 and 600,000 paramilitaries in Poland, adding that "these people could constitute a second army in the case of conflict."
A central European EU member of 38 million people, NATO-member Poland has about 100,000 professional military personnel and 20,000 reservists.. [end article].
The invasion of the old Republic of Poland (a fascist, anti-Semitic dictatorship) in 1939 by the Realm of Germany created a collapse in government and a administrative vacuum in western Ukraine and western Belarus, regions which were ruled with an iron fist by the Republic of Poland, so much so, that the residents in those areas welcomed the collapse of government, and, except for a sizable pro-Germany faction, their eventual incorporation into the USSR Republics of Ukraine and of Belarus. The article describes an organized military movement that defends the former fascist regime that ended in 1939.
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* "Global Leaders Using Refugee Plight to Push Military Escalation; Observers say war is the cause—not the solution—of the ongoing humanitarian crisis" (2015-09-09, commondreams.org) [archive.is/E83gU]
* "It Begins: Europe Flooded With Reports Of "ISIS Terrorists" Posing As Refugees" (2015-09-11, zerohedge.com) [http://is.gd/FDGyqv]
* "And so It begins…ISIS Flag Among Refugees in Germany Fighting the Police" [news360.com/article/311820821]: The Syrian operative claimed more than 4,000 ISIS gunmen had been smuggled into western nations – hidden amongst innocent refugees. The ISIS smuggler, revealed the ongoing clandestine operation is a complete success.Islamic State is believed to be actively smuggling deadly gunmen across the sparsely-guarded 565-mile Turkish border and on to richer European nations, he revealed. Well, with this new Leaked picture, everything seems confirmed.
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* "NATO chief concerned by reported Russian Syria build-up" (2015-09-08, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/RWACy]
* "Bulgaria Closed Airspace to Russian Aid Flights to Syria to Please US?" (2015-09-08, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/K5CeQ]
* "Bulgaria bars Syria-bound Russian planes as NATO fears grow" (2015-09-08, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/uw32d]
* "U.S. Will Station New Nuclear Weapons in Germany Against Russia" (2015-09-22, by Eric Zuesse) [archive.is/La9kq]
* "US unveils Predator drones at Latvian airbase" (2015-09-08,AFP Newswire) [archive.is/OOBAt]
* "Elbit supplying UAV-based intel systems to European customer" (2015-09-08, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/V7eFk]
* "Poland launches new mine-hunter vessel" (2015-09-08, UPI) [archive.is/vzI2U]
* "First European-built F-35 has maiden flight" (2015-09-09, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/hLzxT]
* "Italy’s Role In a New European Disorder" (2015-09-17, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/bkhVl]
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* "Meet the new faces ready to sweep into the European parliament; The fresh crop of MEPs includes Holocaust deniers, fascists, xenophobes" (2014-05-26, theguardian.com) [archive.is/Y9rNQ] [begin excerpt]:
Janusz Korwin-Mikke, Poland -
The 72-year-old led his party New Right to fourth place in the elections, with 7.2% of the vote. He also gained 28.5% of votes among 18- to 25-year-olds – more than any other party. He favours a Dickensian-era style of capitalism in which there would be no labour laws and market forces could operate unhindered. He calls the EU a "communist project" which is run by "Maoists like Barroso" and has said he would like to put the European commission building to better use by "turning it into a brothel". He has said that "women are dumber than men and should not be allowed to vote". "Evolution has ensured that women are not too intelligent. After all, no intelligent being would last more than an hour a day with a baby and all its goo-goo ga-ga gibberish," said Korwin-Mikke, who also happens to be a champion bridge player. He is similarly derisive of democracy, calling it the "stupidest form of government ever conceived", favouring a monarchy instead. He has said he will spend no longer than 18 months in the European parliament as he now hopes to cross the 5% threshold needed to get into the Polish parliament in elections scheduled for next year.
Alessandra Mussolini, Italy -Niece of Sophia Loren and granddaughter of Il Duce, Mussolini has had a career as colourful as her ancestry. She has posed topless for Playboy, played a nun in a critically derided film, and played a vocal role in far- and centre-right Italian politics since the early 90s. Now, 10 years after she was first elected an MEP for her (now defunct) Social Alternative list, she is to return to the European parliament – this time for Silvio Berlusconi's beleaguered Forza Italia (FI) party. Mussolini, 51, has never been short of an opinion, no matter how offensive. The far-right group in Europe of which she was a member broke up in 2007 after comments she made about crime rates among Romanians provoked a storm of protest – unsurprisingly – among her colleagues in the Greater Romania party. In 2006, responding to an accusation by a transgender MP candidate that she was a fascist, she declared: "Better fascist than faggot."
Udo Voigt, Germany -
Germany's first far-right MEP has praised Hitler as a "great statesman" and suggested that Rudolf Hess should win the Nobel peace prize. Voigt, 61, is a former head of the NPD, an organisation that Germany's interior intelligence service classifies as a far-right extremist party. During his leadership from 1996 to 2011, Voigt took the party into a more aggressively nationalist direction, prompting a failed attempt to outlaw the party by Germany's federal court in 2003. A renewed attempt, arguing that its ideology is identical to that of Adolf Hitler's Nazi party, is ongoing. The son of a former Wehrmacht officer, Voigt joined the NPD aged 16, and held on to his membership even when it cost him his job in the military services. After he took over the NPD leadership in 1996, he openly recruited younger neo-nazis to the organisation, against the will of other party members. In a 2004 interview with the rightwing newspaper Junge Freiheit, Voigt described Hitler as "a great German statesman", and the current democratic German republic as "an illegitimate system".
In 2005, Voigt received a four-month suspended sentence for incitement of the people, after calling for an armed uprising against the state at a 1998 rally. Police video recordings in 2007 showed that Voigt planned to suggest Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, as a candidate for the Nobel peace prize.
* "Neo-Nazi Holocaust Denier Joins EU Parliament Civil Rights Committee" (2014-07-08, talkingpointsmemo.com) [archive.is/prgGi]
* "Neo-Nazi takes seat on Parliament Civil Liberties Committee, Schulz furious" (2014-07-07, euractiv.com) [archive.is/mc863]
* "Outrage as neo-Nazi joins European Parliament civil rights committee" (2014-07-08, haaretz.com) [archive.is/imsWX]
===*===*===
* "Billions Spent on Secret Corporate Lobbying in UK Parliament; An estimated US$3 billion is spent on corporate lobbying of British lawmakers every year, much of which is being done secretively, with as much as US$5.2 million being paid to members of parliament for external advisory roles, Sputnik has been told" (2015-09-22, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/d7thV]
* "Great Britain is a centre of 'money laundering' " (2015-09-22, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/AAqDS]
* "Billions of Dollars Laundered Through United Kingdom Banks" (2015-07-13, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/9UrdP]
* "London is the world’s leading city for laundering drug money" (2015-07-05, metro.co.uk) [archive.is/Ftm3n]
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* "Great Britain is Violating Human Rights" (2015-09-09, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/gBgB7] [begin excerpt]: According to the Herald Scotland regional newspaper it is for exactly this reason, that United Nations staff intend to visit the UK to investigate the welfare reforms that have led to grave and systematic violations of the rights of certain categories of population in this country. In particular, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities intends to conduct thorough investigation of the situation, and has already launched an investigation into the activities of the head of the Department for Work and Pensions UK ( DWP ) Iain Duncan Smith.
The reason being that in late August of this year, the Minister for Work and Pensions, I.D. Smith, announced the Department for Work and Pensions’ plan to reduce benefits for the disabled, depriving a million Britons of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). These “new developments” will affect 43% of people with disabilities, as indicated in a report by the regional human rights organization Inclusion Scotland. What is quite remarkable is that, according to statistics recently released by the Department of Work and Pensions, from December 2011 to February 2014 2,380 Britons died, after social services found them ‘fit to work’ and struck them off the list of persons with disabilities. Inclusion Scotland reported in their study, that in 2018 more than 80,000 persons with disabilities in Scotland alone will lose all or some of their social benefits and currently disabled people in some areas already have to wait for their benefits for 10 months owing to the Department for Work and Pensions error.
UK authorities also intend to abolish unemployment benefits for young people in the near future. Civil service head, Matt Hancock, explained the measures as “the aim to reduce the unemployment rate among young people and to tackle welfare dependency.” The government also stated that the new system of payment does not exclude low-income citizens and those with small children, which is a direct violation of the commitments, upheld by those in power, to the social protection of the rights of disadvantaged people. [end excerpt]
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* "Corbyn’s Dilemma" (2015-09-18, williambowles.info) part 1 [archive.is/fa9Sl] part 2 [archive.is/6e9xs] [begin excerpt]: This is JC’s reality; he has to work within the ‘system’, a system created by capitalism, for capitalism. Okay, it (the capitalist state) has been forced to make some accommodation for the rest of us, well at least it used to during those thirty years, from 1945 to 1975, and this is the point: Does Jeremy Corbyn have the Parliamentary Labour Party behind him and what is it possible for him as an individual, to do about what is now a transnational ruling class as events in Greece so tragically demonstrate? [end excerpt]
* "British Labour's anti-war leader faces rebellion on Syria" (2015-09-19, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/M2QvZ]
* "Army plots against British PMs are not new" (2015-09-20, jonathan-cook.net) [archive.is/jmxOu] [begin excerpt]: There has been some debate about the significance of a warning issued this weekend through Rupert Murdoch’s Sunday Times by a British general that the army would “mutiny” and use “whatever means possible, fair or foul” should the new Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ever get near 10 Downing Street.
Here is what the general says:
Owen Jones has wondered whether this is tantamount to a threat of a coup by the military. I think it would be foolhardy indeed to read it as anything else. [end excerpt]
* "The plot against Harold Wilson" (2006, BBC) [youtube.com/watch?v=y6v1VxB5Lss]
* "A Very British Coup" part 1 [youtube.com/watch?v=IXGTMfqMRSE], part 2 [youtube.com/watch?v=hJ-t-yTTvno]: It is March, 1989, and Britain has a new Government. Ex-steelworker Harry Perkins has led his far-left Labour Party to victory on a manifesto which includes withdrawal from NATO, nuclear disarmament, and the removal of all US bases from Britain.
* "Our feral, lying, good for nothing media" (2015-09-19 by Richard Seymour) [archive.is/Mgk3y] [begin excerpt]: If you want to know what the consensus is made of, just look at what the media considers a gaffe. Corbyn, a republican, doesn't sing the royalist national anthem. Gaffe. Corbyn, a socialist, appointed a hard-left socialist as shadow chancellor. Gaffe. Corbyn refused to answer journalists' questions. Ultra-gaffe. That's just rude. From the Guardian to the Express, from the New Statesman's craven toeing of the Blairite line to the lies in supposedly neutral dailies like the Metro, from The Sun's made-up 'exclusives' to the queue of Labour MPs and liberal pundits lining up to spew bile for the Daily Mail, from Tory attack ads to the Telegraph screaming for Corbyn's head, the media and the political class have near total unanimity in their ferocious anti-socialism. I know we call them 'the bourgeois media', but not even the most crass, petty-minded Stalinist apparatchik could have produced a caricature as venomous and despicable as our lot.
In that vein, let me draw your attention to a story that has appeared in The Independent, with these words in the headline: "Jeremy Corbyn 'loses a fifth of Labour voters'" [archive.is/OxcfM]. Understand, this headline is a complete lie. The first warning is those scare quotes. Before the authors even get to the story, they're distancing themselves from its major argument. The next is the fact that the article opens, not - as would be logical - with a quick summary of the point of the story, but with some entirely other statistics. The third is that, when they actually do refer to the main point of the story in the second paragraph, it is already watering the story down, saying that one in five people who previously voted Labour are "more likely to vote Conservative next time". That is already not the same as Corbyn 'losing' a fifth of Labour voters. Unsurprisingly, even this claim is given no elaboration. Instead, the juice of the story is presented in a series of charts, which represent the results of the study. What the figures actually show is as follows:
63% of Labour voters say they are more likely to vote Labour in the next election with Corbyn as leader, as opposed to 20% of those voters who say they are more likely to vote Conservative. There are similarly polarised responses among other voters. So, for example, over a third of SNP voters, approximately a third of Lib Dems, about one fifth of UKIP voters and 8% of Tories are more likely to vote Labour with Corbyn as Labour leader. By the same token, four fifths of Tory voters are more determined to vote for their own party, just under a fifth of SNP voters would be more likely to vote Tory, while a third of Liberals and a whopping 40% of Ukipers would be more likely to vote Conservative. Corbyn has not lost a fifth of Labour voters. What he has done is polarised the voters. And polarisation, in this context, is a good thing. It shows that there's something in the fight, for once, and that people are being motivated. [end excerpt]
* "Guardian’s terrible dilemma over Corbyn" (2015-09-20, jonathan-cook.net) [archive.is/IhUBl]
* "BBC ‘anti-Corbyn bias’ challenged by 61,000-strong petition" (2015-09-17, rt.com) [archive.is/DuRFK]
* "The Bashing of Jeremy Corbyn has Commenced" (2015-09-14, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/UIzGl]
* "Watching Lips in Corbyn’s Britain" (2015-09-16, by Dr. Binoy Kampmark) [archive.is/JK7N7]
* "Jeremy Corbyn v. David Cameron" (2015-09-18, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/Q1HlF]
* "UK Prime Minister: Jeremy Corbyn a 'National Security Threat' " (2015-09-13, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/cFlqE]
* War Criminal David Cameron calls for war against the Labour Party [archive.is/bKmaA]
* Photo showing Corbyn and Hugo Chavez [archive.is/TTrea]
---
* "Resources Squandered on Britain’s War Machine Could Save Millions from Starvation" (2015-09-18, by Daniel Jakopovich) [archive.is/SoQTO]
* "Nations using child soldiers are invited to British arms fair British-made weapons could be used to target children in war zones" (2015-09-12, theguardian.com) [archive.is/z3BsQ]
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* "State Has No Right to Implement Security Checks of Faith Leaders - NGO" (2015-09-17, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/eYnvk] [begin excerpt]: The state has no right to carry out government-specified security checks of religious leaders, as it is up to faith institutions to undertake appropriate checks, Fiyaz Mughal said (the founder and director of the Faith Matters non-governmental organization).
Last week, a draft of the UK’s new counter-extremism strategy appeared in the local media. According to the document, all imams, priests, rabbis and other faith figures in the country would have to enroll in a special register of religious leaders and undergo government-specified training and security checks.
"It is up to faith institutions to undertake appropriate checks and balances and the training of faith leaders so that they are able to work providing theological and pastoral support…This is Britain, not Egypt and the State has no right to intervene in aspects that faith communities should be carrying out," he said. [end excerpt]
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* "They say Cutback, We say... What?" (2015-09-12, afed.org.uk) [archive.is/GQNlG] [begin excerpt]: It’s now six years since David Cameron’s statement of intent at the 2009 Conservative Conference in Cheltenham, where he said that a new Tory government would usher in “a new age of austerity.”1 “Over the next few years, we will have to take some incredibly tough decisions on taxation, spending and borrowing – things that really affect people’s lives,” said Cameron. Whenever anyone talks about “tough decisions” or “hard choices,” the first question to ask is “Tough for who?” As we shall see in the first part of this article, the choices made by the Conservatives – with the support of the LibDems (remember them?) and most often the Labour Party – have been tough for working class people across the UK.
After a brief overview of the economic reality of austerity, we will take a step back from the stats to think about what austerity actually is – or rather, how it is used as a tool to redistribute money and resources from the working class to the ruling class. We will then look at the “official” responses to austerity from the TUC, and groups like the People’s Assembly and the rest of the Left.
Finally, in an article that looks pretty thin on good cheer, we will look at how groups and communities are fighting back against austerity in ways both more imaginative and more fruitful than Saturday afternoons spent traipsing through central London with a speech by Jeremy Corbyn at the end. As we will see – and as you might expect – the way that you think about austerity has a big impact on how you fight it. [end excerpt]
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* "Assessing Armed Actions" (2014-11-15, thepensivequill.am) [archive.is/qbUok] [begin excerpt]:
To date the combined efforts of the various IRA groupings have resulted in British/State casualties on a par only with the least successful IRA campaigns of the past. In addition the state has learned valuable lessons from those campaigns and has chosen not to give the Republican tradition anymore martyrs but instead to wear down the morale and resources of its limited support base with a conveyor belt system of questionable arrests, convictions and increasingly harsh sentencing. In this process they have been tutored well by former Militant Republicans now loyal to the state.As unsavoury as that reality may seem, it remains a reality and one which is not likely to change should the IRA groupings remain within the tight pigeon-hole in which Britain and its Stormont subservients have clearly backed them into. Furthermore the military capability which would be required to kick hard enough in an attempt to break out of that dynamic quite simply does not exist.
The British state in Ireland has successfully gauged the extent to which the Irish public will tolerate Judicial and human rights abuses of Irish Citizens, the PSNI directed by MI5 are adhering strictly to a set policy of maximum depletion of Republican resources yet minimum comeback as in terms of any public backlash.
By and large that policy is working for them and not least because the public are being taught to focus upon failing and questionable armed actions of Republicans while ignoring the litany of crimes being committed against the Irish Working Class by both the British and 26 County states; ruthless austerity, cutbacks in health and social spending and a general downgrading of the lives of ordinary people. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Both suspects arrested on Tuesday are on Spain’s list of most-wanted terrorists These latter two are thought to be important members of ETA’s logistical leadership, and their arrests come after an investigation lasting over two years, sources familiar with the situation told the news agency Europa Press. The two leaders are thought to be Joseba Íñaki Reta de Frutos, aka “Zukaitz,” and Javier Goienetxea, aka “Goyele,” both of whom were in charge of managing ETA’s weapons and its hideouts.
Anti-terrorist sources said their identity would not be confirmed until later on Wednesday, when fingerprint tests are conducted. The arrests took place inside a home in the French municipality of Ossès, in the southern department of Pyrenées-Atlantiques. The operation was jointly conducted by the Spanish Civil Guard and French Police, according to the Interior Ministry. Both Joseba Íñaki Reta de Frutos, a 56-year-old explosives expert, and Javier Goienetxea, 35, are on Spain’s list of most-wanted terrorists, and are also among a group of eight individuals who publicly announced in late 2008 that they were planning to return to ETA activities. Reta de Frutos has served prison time on terrorism charges, while Goienetxea fled to France to avoid capture in Spain.
* "Four held in French raid against ETA" (2015-07-08, elpais.com) [archive.is/b1Q6B] [begin excerpt]: Both Joseba Íñaki Reta de Frutos, a 56-year-old explosives expert, and Javier Goienetxea, 35, are on Spain’s list of most-wanted terrorists, and are also among a group of eight individuals who publicly announced in late 2008 that they were planning to return to ETA activities. Reta de Frutos has served prison time on terrorism charges, while Goienetxea fled to France to avoid capture in Spain. [end excerpt] Photos of the apprehended Basque nationalists [archive.is/VKIko].
===*===*===
Movimento Femminista Proletario Rivoluzionario
* "For defense of living conditions and release of women political prisoners" (2015-07-26, MFPR) [archive.is/KEp2Q]
* Message from the PCm Italy on MFPR anniversary (2015-07-26) [archive.is/JBK19] [begin excerpt]: The MFPR plays a vanguard role in the struggles of proletarian women against the masters, governments, State, Church, parliamentary parties, official unions; fighting against both the petty bourgeois feminism and the underestimation of the role of women in the revolutionary organizations, in the base unions and mass organizations. This battle is central and decisive role of the proletarian women, who since the beginning and consistently has been the main front of organization and struggle of MFPR. By organizing themselves and struggling, proletarian women transform their way of thinking and acting and move ahead to take on a leading role in all spheres, in the women’s movement, the unions movement, the social movements and, most importantly, in the battle for the revolutionary transformation of our country, starting from taking in their hands the construction of the revolutionary party.
The MFPR is a fruit of the construction of the communist party of a new type, it is the light that illuminates the path of the Communist Party of a new type, where women are half the sky but also the frontline, within the party itself, against sexist, backward, understandings, methods and style of work, for the revolutionary proletarian world view. It is a difficult, against the current struggle. The road is tortuous but the path is bright! And the 20 years of MFPR prove it definitely! [end excerpt]
===*===*===
* "For defense of living conditions and release of women political prisoners" (2015-07-26, MFPR) [archive.is/KEp2Q]
* Message from the PCm Italy on MFPR anniversary (2015-07-26) [archive.is/JBK19] [begin excerpt]: The MFPR plays a vanguard role in the struggles of proletarian women against the masters, governments, State, Church, parliamentary parties, official unions; fighting against both the petty bourgeois feminism and the underestimation of the role of women in the revolutionary organizations, in the base unions and mass organizations. This battle is central and decisive role of the proletarian women, who since the beginning and consistently has been the main front of organization and struggle of MFPR. By organizing themselves and struggling, proletarian women transform their way of thinking and acting and move ahead to take on a leading role in all spheres, in the women’s movement, the unions movement, the social movements and, most importantly, in the battle for the revolutionary transformation of our country, starting from taking in their hands the construction of the revolutionary party.The MFPR is a fruit of the construction of the communist party of a new type, it is the light that illuminates the path of the Communist Party of a new type, where women are half the sky but also the frontline, within the party itself, against sexist, backward, understandings, methods and style of work, for the revolutionary proletarian world view. It is a difficult, against the current struggle. The road is tortuous but the path is bright! And the 20 years of MFPR prove it definitely! [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Republic of Greece (EU Member)
* "Greece – The Day when Democracy Died in Europe" (2015-09-13, by Peter Koenig, globalresearch.ca) [archive.is/Oi7AN]* "Greece — The One Biggest Lie You Are Being Told By The Media" (2015-07-03) [archive.is/G9MkE] [begin excerpt]: Every single mainstream media has the following narrative for the economic crisis in Greece: the government spent too much money and went broke; the generous banks gave them money, but Greece still can’t pay the bills because it mismanaged the money that was given. It sounds quite reasonable, right?
Except that it is a big fat lie … not only about Greece, but about other European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Ireland who are all experiencing various degrees of austerity. It was also the same big, fat lie that was used by banks and corporations to exploit many Latin American, Asian and African countries for many decades.
Greece did not fail on its own. It was made to fail.
In summary, the banks wrecked the Greek government, and then deliberately pushed it into unsustainable debt … while revenue-generating public assets were sold off to oligarchs and international corporations. The rest of the article is about how and why. [end excerpt]
* "About the results of the recent referendum" (2015-07-10, CPG M-L) [archive.is/HTJES]
* Statement (2015-06-28, CPG M-L) [archive.is/3KJzj]:
For the overthrow of imperialist dependence and capitalist domination!
We do not legalize the dead-ends of government policies!
We do not legalize the imperialist blackmails!
ABSTENTION FROM THE REFERENDUM!
People speak through their struggles!
For the overthrow of the anti-people policy of government – EU – IMF!
For the overthrow of imperialist dependence and capitalist domination!
The SYRIZA-ANEL government starting from its pre-election position of “we belong to the West” asked the people for five months now to await for “hope” and “a way out” of the social and labor middle ages through negotiations. Negotiations with the US and EU imperialists, all those that had formed the conditions and the context of the plundering of the country and its people. The government has recognized all these robbers and killers of people as “allies, “partners” and “guarantors” of democracy and progress for our people and country.
During this process the governmental aims evolved quickly into a submissive line: From the Thessaloniki relief program and the pro-people measures they moved quickly towards “a mutually beneficial agreement”, an “honorable compromise”, then an “painful compromise” ending in a government Memorandum of 47 pages in which new antipopular measures were constantly added by by the PM himself as with the pension system.
At the same time the government not only responded positively at the commitments of previous governments towards their US-NATO “partners” but they also sought and moved in the direction of upgrade and entanglement of the country in the imperialist and warmongering plans of the US in the region.
Under the wight of the dead-ends of this policy, knowing that they will have the people against them and the imperialist questions about the government’s effectiveness to assault the people, they resort to a referendum, in order to burden the people with their own stalemates. They try to preserve the image of a so-called “left” government which “saves” the people but they in fact preserve the barbarity and initiate new attacks and open the road for the strengthening of the traditional systemic forces. In order to legalize the new reactionary agreement – even though they propose a referendum “against the institutions proposals” – the negotiations continue until next Tuesday June 30!
Although the negotiation process was a stalemate and under the imperialist yoke the referendum proposal was also useful for all those forces and their parties. Inside and outside the country different forces are acting towards more reactionary developments. They want to take advantage of the disarmament of the people that was imposed by the SYRIZA-ANEL government, to increase the fear and to show that the only “salvation” is the imposition of new imperialist ties together with the fascistization of everyday life.
The CPG (m-l) calls to the people to turn their backs to the government blackmail. The alignment with the government of SYRIZA-ANEL in the referendum is not a defensive or resistance line for the people. At “best” it will only approve the governmental Memorandum that is the approval of the continuation of the assault. And with this it will bring the strengthening of the reactionary forces that want to promote this assault.
The CPG (m-l) calls to the people to reject the disillusionment and not approve the government stalemates. These are stalemates of a policy that wants to appear pro-people when in fact their foremost concern is to pledge their allegiance to the imperialist formations and serve the regime of dependence. The CPG (m-l) calls for ABSTENTION FROM THE REFERENDUM THAT LEGALIZES THE ASSAULT AND DEPENDENCE.
The defense of popular and workers rights, the overthrow of imperialist-capitalist barbarity, the cause of independence and the promotion of the people to the leadership of its country cannot be left in the hands of a government that uses “clever”-adventurous management that is baptized as “rupture” when the people stand aside. And all the more when in the false “No” block are crammed together leftists, “leftists”, far right nationalists and even Golden Dawn Neonazis.
Of course we are also against the black block of “yes”, that is those that had willingly served the barbaric policies of the past years, and had drowned the people into poverty, unemployment and despair. It is outrageous to see again these invertebrates who rally against the people due to the tragic dead-ends of the SYRIZA policies that have neutralized and disarmed the popular movement.
The following days will be very critical for the people. The people will be under great pressure from both sides.
If we finally go to a referendum the people will be bombarded with false preachings of “national pride” from those that until now had said that the imperialists are our “allies”. The people will bombarded with false preachings of “breakup” by all those that they want to use the outcome of the referendum as a bargain towards a new memorandum.
Of course the imperialist block and the local reactionary regime will not stand with their hands crossed. They will bombard the people with their own terror dilemmas, they will speculate on the people’s fears and anxieties. They will exploit the country’s dependence and the economic strangulation that they can impose. They will use every mechanism that they control.
That is why the people must be ready. The people must respond resolutely and with militant spirit. They must fight against the imperialists and their mechanisms as well as the government that has taken up the role of their local managers.
In this way only the people can show its strength. To the streets! In mass! Fighting! Not through a false referendum but against all those that remember and use the people in order to extract themselves from their own dead-ends. The people must open their own road for the overthrow of imperialist yoke and capitalist domination.
* "Managing the Occupation: Syriza Wins Again, … on Behalf of the Banksters" (2015-09-22, by Dr. Binoy Kampmark) [archive.is/wg96m]
* "Down with the new anti-people agreement and the continuation of barbarity!" (2015-07-17, KKE - M-L) [archive.is/hdKeP]: A week ago the SYRIZA-ANEL government asked the people to say “no” at the troika proposals and the “recessional policies” that the so called institutions wanted to implement. Today, and after a resounding “no” by the people, they cosign an antipopular agreement much worse than the rejected proposal, a new memorandum that extends and deepens the barbarous policy of austerity, unemployment, overtaxing, and of labor and social middle-ages.
This is not just a contradiction, but the culmination of the erratic and adventurist policy of SYRIZA, the end of the self-illusions about the possibility of a so-called “pro-people policy” and a so-called “alternative course” inside the imperialist wolf-pack of the EU. This marks the end for the dead-ends of a policy that has hidden and still hides the true, barbaric nature of imperialism and the true role of imperialist alliances like the EU and NATO. This is a policy which on the one hand was subjugated under the Western imperialist yoke and on the other assumed that could exploit imperialist contradictions and play with them by throwing glances East-side. This new antipopular and antilabor agreement is living proof of the complete failure of this policy and of the collapse of the illusions about the negotiation margins with the imperialist hawks. It will follow now a new round of a barbaric assault against popular and labor rights.
This time this assault will be in the name of “national consensus” and with the support of the whole bourgeois swarm (old and new), of all the political forces that had promoted this barbaric policy for five years now. This SYRIZA policy “managed” also to legalize and bring forth again all those political forces that had caused the people’s wrath and rage and had led to long and tough struggles during the years 2010-2012. The burden of resistance against the new round of barbarity and the overthrow of this agreement falls again on the shoulders of the working class, the toilers, the unemployed, the pensioners and the youth. This will be done through the launching of new resistances in the direction of building a broad Resistance Front for the defense of popular rights.
It is clear that we also have to fight against the new illusions that have already started to spread by Tsipras and his leading SYRIZA group. His comments about “financial stability”, “possibilities for recovery”, “debt restructuring” and “assured funding” are just lies similar to those accompanying the first two memorandums. Even his assurance that “Grexit is in the past” is nothing but wishful thinking.
The people must not be fooled neither by Tsipras” attempts to sugar the pill through the so called “growth package of 35 billion” or his assurances that the burden will not fall only on the shoulders of the poor. It is clear that every penny that the imperialists will give as loan will be paid back manifold. SYRIZA and Tsipras appear as guarantors of social justice and popular sovereignty when at the same time they cosign an agreement that serves the imperialist interests and the interests of capital, foreign and local.
The people must not be carried away by the nagging and gabble of the left section of SYRIZA because they had also helped to disarm ideologically and entrap the people. They had contributed to the illusions about “left governance” under the imperialist yoke and capitalist domination. They still spread illusions that a policy which will “simply” leave the country inside the EU but outside the Eurozone is something possible under the imperialist-capitalist domination.
They are the same persons who in their naivete and adventurism, and as government ministers, wanted us to believe that to change imperialist protectors would change things for the better. The CPG (m-l) calls the people to rise up against this new assault. We must take to the streets en masse. We must participate on the first mobilizations of 14 and 15 July 2015. The people must fight against disappointment, fatalism, and fear and organize their forces and resistance, everywhere.
DOWN WITH THE NEW EU-IMF-GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT AND THE PARLIAMENT ACTS THAT GO WITH IT!
DOWN WITH MEMORANDUMS OLD AND NEW!
NO WAITING, NO TOLERANCE!
WE MUST DEFEND OUR LIVES AND RIGHTS THROUGH STRUGGLE!
GREECE OUT OF THE EU AND NATO!
THE PEOPLES DO NOT NEED PROTECTORS!
===*===*===
Republic of Montenegro
* "Montenegro Could Be Headed For A Mountain Of Trouble" (2015-09-17, by Andrew Korybko, orientalreview.org) [archive.is/aJyej] [begin excerpt]: The tiny Balkan state of Montenegro is having a Ukrainian-esque “either-or” choice forced upon its population, which in this case is whether or not the country should join NATO by the end of the year. By all indications, the US will support an initiative to extend membership to Montenegro during the upcoming NATO meeting in December, and the almost more than two-decade-long-straight Djukanovic government appears more than eager to accept. The trouble, however, is that just as many people are against joining the military bloc as those who support doing so, and the Democratic Front party has called for the entire opposition to gather in the capital on 27 September to protest against the government’s unilateral action. They say that it would be undemocratic for such a significant decision to be made without a referendum, let alone in such a near-even polarized political climate, and the forthcoming manifestations next weekend in Podgorica might turn into a social referendum on the government itself. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Republic of Moldova
* "Moldova: Court upholds 30-day sentence for ‘Petrenko group’ activists" (2015-09-14, omg.md news agency) [archive.is/719N7]
* "Emergency picket and press conference Tell Moldovan officials, President Obama and European Union: Free Grigory Petrenko and anti-oligarchy protesters" call-to-action (2015-09-21, IACenter.org) [archive.is/PnbaL] [begin excerpt]: Petrenko’s party has been building a movement of workers, farmers and pensioners against austerity measures imposed by the ruling Alliance for European Integration. This summer, protests initiated by Red Bloc against planned hikes in utility rates and fuel prices succeeded in stopping some of these attacks. Red Bloc has made headway with its program of solidarity among all nationalities and language groups and upholds Moldova’s proud antifascist traditions. That’s why Grigory Petrenko and his comrades were targeted for arrest.
On Sept. 15, Petrenko’s spouse, Lilia Petrenko, was harassed by dozens of police carrying machine guns, who planted “evidence” in her vehicle. The frame-up attempt was caught on amateur video (view here [youtube.com/watch?v=ttTJuBicCMY] [archive.is/rP5M5]). Red Bloc reports growing intimidation and repression across the country, including illegal raids of offices and members’ homes. [end excerpt]
* "Petrenko from jail: 'Oligarch regime has passed point of no return' " (translated by Greg Butterfield, southfront.org) [archive.is/TZoZl]:
The following letter was sent by Moldovan political prisoner Grigory Petrenko, former parliamentary deputy and leader of the Red Bloc party [archive.is/YP6up]:
Dear friends!Although we have very little information about what’s happening outside the prison, I know that many of you have expressed your support and are doing everything possible to win our freedom. Thank you so much!
Today, the regime of Plahotniuc, through government structures it controls and through media propaganda, daily inflames tensions in society, creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation against members of the opposition, and permissiveness on the part of the repressive machine.
Under these conditions, every voice of protest is worth its weight in gold! Thanks to all who came out to support us at the court and expressed their civic position to change the measure of restraint!
The actions of the authorities – obstructing the right to free protest, the use of force against civilians, the demolition of the tents in front of the General Prosecutor’s Office on September 6, the ensuing arrest of opposition activists – all of this speaks to the regime’s hysterical fear of its own people.
But these oligarchic, corrupt, anti-people authorities reached the point of no return on September 6.
All further efforts of Plahotniuc and his minions to discredit and harass the opposition and its leaders, tightening the screws with arrests and suppression of protests, is equivalent to a race car driver pressing the accelerator while driving toward a concrete wall.
Plahotniuc and his entourage have apparently confused the pedals. They continue to accelerate. The result is predictable!
I’m sure that Moldova can be freed from the clutches of this mafia!
It depends on each and every one of us! The pressure on the authorities and the protests can’t stop!
Grigory Petrenko
09/09/15
Jail NR 13, Chisinau
===*===*===
Republic of Ukraine (EU / NATO associate state)* "Fire Sale, Everything Must Go! Ukraine Puts 345 State Firms Up For Sale" (2015-07-10, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/vnDU8]
* "Following the IMF billions in and out of Ukraine" (2015-09-06, johnhelmer.net) [archive.is/5lSa7]
* "Win or Lose In Ukraine: Some Rich Bastard Wins" (2015-09-14, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/uczSC]
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* "Clinton's Charity Ties With Oligarchs Behind Ukrainian Coup Revealed; The Clinton Foundation contributed to the February coup in Ukraine, having longstanding ties to Ukrainian oligarchs who pushed the country to European integration" (2015-03-23, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/Wrrwq]
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* "UN Condemns Ukrainian Government Cover-Ups" (2015-09-22, by Eric Zuesse) [archive.is/QosnT] [begin excerpt]: On September 18th, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights headlined “"Ukraine: Lives lost in an accountability vacuum, Statement of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns” [archive.is/kJEWP] and condemned there the current Ukrainian Government in strong language, regarding not only the coup which had brought them to power in February 2014, but regarding also the massacre of the people who on 2 May 2014 had been peacefully demonstrating in Odessa against the coup. Specifically, the ongoing cover-ups by the Ukrainian Government concerning both of these matters were condemned by him. [end excerpt]
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* "Ukraine: Law reform threatens workers and trade union rights" (2015-09-15, industriall-union.org) [archive.is/Eqqof]
* "The battle over changes to Ukraine’s Soviet-era labor code" (2015-09-17, translated by newcoldwar.org) [archive.is/wcH9S]
* The Law of Ukraine: “On making changes to the Criminal Code of Ukraine (on responsibility for producing, storing, and spreading materials of totalitarian and terrorist kind)” original [archive.is/BGfdm], machine translated [archive.is/6wSGb], unofficial translation [begin excerpt]:
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine decrees:
І. To make the following changes to the Criminal Code of Ukraine (The News of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 2001, № 25-26, article 131):
1. The article 2582 should have the following formulation:
“The article 2582. Public calls for committing terrorist acts
Public calls for committing terrorist acts as well as spread, production, import, possession, storage of materials, products, art performances which contain calls for committing terrorist acts and demonstration and wearing symbols of terrorist organizations
- will lead to community works for a period of up to six months, or restraint of freedom for up to three years, or imprisonment for the same period of time with the confiscation of property or without it.
Propaganda of Nazi, Fascist, Communist or other totalitarian ideology as well as spread, production, import, possession, storage (except museums) of materials, products, art performances which propagate Nazi, Fascist or other totalitarian ideology as well as demonstration or wearing Nazi, Fascist, Communist or other totalitarian symbols
- will lead to a fine ranging from five hundred to a thousand of a minimal untaxed income of a citizen, or restraint of freedom for a period of up to two years, or imprisonment for the same period”
ІІ. This Law takes effect from the day of its publication.
[end excerpt]
* Explanatory note (.doc) [http://is.gd/OVMURs]
* "New Attempts to Ban Communist Ideology" (2015-03-30, Communist Party of Ukraine, member of the Ukrainian Parliment and among the most popular political parties in the Ukraine) [archive.is/qFWqO]: Ukrainian power made new attempts to ban Communist ideology. In addition to the court trial to ban Communist Party of Ukraine and draft laws to prohibit ideology per se, the power proposed to establish criminal responsibility for propaganda of the Communist ideology.
The draft law # 2453 was submitted to the Parliament 23.03.2015 by two MPs of Poroshenko Block O.Dehtyarchuk and Yanitski V. The Draft is named “On making changes to the Criminal Code of Ukraine (on responsibility for producing, storing, and spreading materials of totalitarian and terrorist kind)”. But brief analysis of the text of the Draft and Explanatory Note let us conclude that it is aimed just to equate the Nazi and Fascist ideology to the Communist one, and prohibit even the possession of the symbols of Communist ideology. If this Draft is adopted, not only the national flag of Chinese People Republic could be prohibited in Ukraine, but also the national emblem of Austria and some other countries.
Elsewhere, this action is not without precedent, as shown in Hungarian Criminal Code 269/B.§ (1993) "(1) A person who (a) disseminates, (b) uses in public or (c) exhibits a swastika, an SS-badge, an arrow-cross, a symbol of the sickle and hammer or a red star, or a symbol depicting any of them, commits a misdemeanour—unless a more serious crime is committed—and shall be sentenced to a criminal fine (pénzbüntetés)."
This is illegal to display in the capitalist Republic of Ukraine:
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* "Mosaic of Facts" (2015-09-11, RT Documentary) [youtube.com/watch?v=bkD8VFOz4-8]:
U.S. resident Miguel Francis-Santiago is a Los Angeles film school graduate. He began his journey into the Ukrainian crisis with a trip to Crimea in 2014. After joining RT Doc for a late-2014 investigation in Donetsk and witnessing real horrors in the war-torn region, he felt compelled to search for answers. His latest investigative film takes him home to New York, to begin his quest to understand how the crisis came about, who was behind it and where it might lead in the future.Twenty-first-century warfare is now as much about words, pictures and video as guns, missiles and bombs. Meeting with American and European journalists, Miguel explores how crises in Ukraine and elsewhere are reported around the world. Headlines and sound bites have the power to shape public opinion. Sensationalism, censorship by omission and even falsified news; some claim there are no longer any taboos on the information battlefield.
The programme explores what governs media agendas in covering international news where unwritten editorial and geopolitical goals dictate how (and what) information is disseminated. What sources or news outlets can be trusted? We live in a connected age when the saying, ‘information is power’, has never been more true. At a time when the media has been dubbed “the fourth estate”, the thin grey line between facts and propaganda is becoming ever more blurred.
* "Donetsk: An American glance" (2014-11-12, RT Documentary) [youtube.com/watch?v=oV1dHMEft8k]: RTD and Miguel Francis Santiago, the author of “Crimea for Dummies”, go to Donetsk where the bloody conflict between the Ukrainian army and the anti-government forces is in full swing. With contradictory information coming from the region, witnessing the situation first-hand is the only way to find out what’s really happening there.
* "Crimea For Dummies" (2014-09-12, RT Documentary) [youtube.com/watch?v=oV1dHMEft8k]: Miguel Francis, a Los Angeles film school graduate, travels to Crimea to discover for himself how life there has changed since it was reunited with Russia. He explores the beautiful peninsula’s history and cultural heritage and takes in some of Crimea’s tourist attractions while talking to local people about their attitudes to becoming Russian citizens.
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* "Kiev Right Wing Violence: Time for Poroshenko to Look in the Mirror?" (2015-09-10, huffingtonpost.com) [archive.is/oRP2W]
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* "The Israeli mother who went to fight Nazism in Ukraine" (2015-09-03, newcoldwar.org) [archive.is/ilnWv]
* "Ukrainian nationalists destroyed a tent city erected by Hasidic Jews in Uman, Ukraine ahead of the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage" (2015-09-08, haaretz.org) and "Ukrainian nationalists storm Hasidic encampment" (2015-09-08, ynetnews.com) [archive.is/hTLXi]
* "Ukrainian ultra-rightists given major cabinet posts in government" (2014-02-28, peoplesworld.org) [archive.is/FxkOE]
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* "U.S.-Installed Ukrainian Regime Now Fears Return of Donbass to Ukraine" (2015-09-12, by Eric Zuesse, strategic-culture.org) [archive.is/Ij67T]
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* "Polio Paralyzes 2 Children in West Ukraine Outbreak" (2015-09-02, nytimes.com) [archive.is/YXqjk] [begin excerpt]: Although the infections are a setback in the global drive against polio, the W.H.O.’s director of polio eradication, Dr. Hamid Jafari, said that the outbreak appeared to be small and that similar ones had been quickly snuffed out. The two children, an infant and a 4-year-old, were not paralyzed by the “wild-type virus” that is now known to be circulating only in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but by a strain derived from the oral polio vaccine itself. The oral vaccine contains three strains of weakened live virus, and very occasionally — the W.H.O. estimates it as once in a million vaccinations — one mutates to become more virulent. Then, like wild virus, it can be shed in feces and spread to others in sewage. [end excerpt]
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* "The Snipers ’ Massacre on Maidan Square in Ukraine" (by Ivan Katchanovski, updated 2015-09) intro [archive.is/SsJFZ], the fuil paper (.pdf) [http://is.gd/cKXk53], blaming the sniper attack on the pre-coup government of the Republic of Ukraine, pro-USA fascists used the incident to gain public sympathy for their take-over of the government. This report shows that the sniper attacks were done by the pro-USA fascists themselves as a "false flag". The facts are evident.
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* "Latest sanctions and censorship measures by Kyiv target journalists and more Russian citizens and entities" (2015-09-17, newcoldwar.org) [archive.is/7HJN9]
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The following was a false propaganda story that cites disrepuitable sources. The purpose of the article is to persuade the audience that the opposing side is doing what the Republic of Ukraine Armed Forces (UAF) are documented as doing to the people of Novorossiya. Remember, people are fleeing the UAF, and not the Novorossiya Armed Forces, who are protecting the refugees.
* "UN monitors report mass killings of civilians by militants in Donbas" (2015-09-09, unian.info) [archive.is/m3n1u] [begin excerpt]: The monitoring mission of the UN Human Rights Council to Ukraine has recorded facts of mass killings of civilians, abductions, torture, sexual abuse, forced labor and extortion by Russian-backed militants in Donbas, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry. [end excerpt]
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* "Yatsenyuk fought in Chechnya - Russia’s Investigative Committee" (2015-09-08, unian.info) [archive.is/6WdNL] [begin excerpt]: Ukraine's current Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk used to fight in Chechnya against Russia, according to Aleksandr Bastrykin, head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, reports Ukrainska Pravda citing the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The Russian investigators have questions to the Ukrainian citizens Dmytro Korchinsky, Ihor Mazur, Valery Bobrovich of the UNA-UNSO, the leader of the Right Sector Dmytro Yarosh, the leader of the Svoboda Party Oleh Tiahnybok and his brother Andriy in connection with the war in Chechnya in 1994-1995, according to Bastrykin’s interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Ukrainska Pravda reported. "According to the investigation, Yatsenyuk took part in at least two of the armed confrontations that took place on December 31, 1994, on the Minutka square in Grozny and in February, 1995, outside the city hospital 9 in Grozny; as well as in torture and executions of prisoners," he said. In addition, Bastrykin says that Yatsenyuk was conferred Honor of the Nation Dzhohar Dudayev’s highest Honor of the Nation title in December, 1995. "In early 1995, Arseniy Yatsenyuk returned to Ukraine via Georgia with a group of journalists. Later, he was repeatedly seen at conventions and other events of UNA-UNSO in Kyiv," said Bastrykin. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Republic of Crimea (part of the Federation of Russia; claimed by the Republic of Ukraine)
* "Impressions from Crimea: Four articles from a visit in August 2015", part 1 [archive.is/9H12L], part 2 [archive.is/WTmP5], part 3 [archive.is/VQHPo], part 4 [archive.is/l4pZ4]
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* "Kiev Hopes to Win Crimeans' Hearts and Minds…by Cutting Off Their Food" (2015-09-20, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/7W2dC]
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* "Polish Students' Visit to Crimea Prompts Hysterical Backlash in Warsaw; Over the weekend, a group of Polish literature and poetry students arrived in Moscow to begin a week-long tour of Russia, including a trip to Crimea. The trip prompted a backlash in Poland, with media and the Polish-Russian Center for Dialogue and Understanding slamming the move, calling it a 'politicized,' 'immoral' act" (2015-09-22, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/knrl5]
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* "Ukrainian extremists blockade road connection between Ukraine and Crimea" (2015-09-21, New Cold War.org) [archive.is/tG5cX]
===*===*===
Union of People's Republics of NovorossiyaFor more info, with maps, and link, visit [NovorossiyaSolidarity.blogspot.com].
* "Ukraine's richest man plays both sides of war's frontline" (2015-09-22, AP Newswire) [archive.is/pyhaL]
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People's Republic of Donetsk (DPR, or DNR)
* "The Central Bank With No Currency, No Interest Rates, But ATMs" (2015-09-15, bloomberg.com) [archive.is/LzHKY] [begin excerpt]:
The Republican Central Bank has a governor, a couple of thousand employees and a glass-and-steel headquarters. It also has a bunker in its basement.
Here’s what the nascent, self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine is missing: a financial system. Absent from the central bankers’ toolkit are a currency and interest rates. Set up 11 months ago, the fledgling institution is the first building block by pro-Russian rebels to manage the economy in the vacuum created by the war to break away from Ukraine. Dependent on almost $40 million a month from their patrons in Moscow just to pay pensions and on a circuitous transfer system via another Russian construct in northern Georgia, the Donetsk officials say they’re making progress.
“We are proud that our bank is working, that we made a processing center,” chairwoman Irina Nikitina, 47, a former chief executive officer at a local bank. She spoke in her office at a building the rebels took over from Ukraine’s Eximbank. “We built the system, we want to improve it.”
Two people in the rebel administration said Russia transfers 2.5 billion rubles ($37 million) for pensions every month. They declined to be identified, citing security concerns. So far, the slump in Russian finances hasn’t hit them, Nikitina said. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Federation of Russia (EEU Member)
* "Russia's International Clout Comes as a Surprise to the West; Russia's current international clout and foreign policy achievements still come as a surprise for some political analysts. Jonathan Adelman, a professor at the University of Denver, called Russia's rebirth under the leadership of Vladimir Putin "the greatest surprise" in a world full of surprises" (2015-09-09, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/ufraN]
* "Revisiting The Russia & G7 Divorce: How Moscow Came Out On Top" (2015-09-09, orientalreview.org) [archive.is/MpQI2]
* "OPEC, Russia and the New World Order Emerging" (2015-09-16, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/nLLrc]
* "Russia's Special Economic Zones First Step of Overall Economic Reforms" (2015-09-05, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/ZHumw]
* "Kerry’s Double Assisted Suicide: Russia Oil Gains, America Loses from Sanctions" (2015-09-09, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/SCZ0y]
* "Vladimir Putin’s Foreign-Policy Objectives, & His Desire for U.S. to Be an Ally" (2015-09-14, by Eric Zuesse) [archive.is/AYK9Q]
* "Swedish Analyst – The Smear Campaign against Putin and the true US Agenda" (2015-09-07, newsvoice.se) part 1 [archive.is/1x2Vl]
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* "Moscow Exchange to Get Rid of Ukrainian Exchange Shares; The Moscow Exchange plans to sell its 43 percent of its stock of the Ukrainian Stock Exchange to Ukraine’s investment company Dragon Capital, the Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported citing sources familiar with the situation" (2015-09-23, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/gJXgu]
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* "Russia Shoots Down US Stealth Coup" (2015-07-31, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/y1aTa]
* " ‘US-based hackers tried to tamper with Russian polls’ – elections chief" (2015-09-14, rt.com) [archive.is/QRpXg]
Anonymous International, aka Shaltai Boltai (Humpty Dumpty)
* " ‘A man who’s seen society’s black underbelly’ ; Meduza meets ‘Anonymous International’ " (2015-02-02, meduza.io) [archive.is/uer0S]
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* "Putin Opens Russia's Largest Mosque Ahead of Eid Holiday" (2015-09-23, telesurtv.net) [archive.is/6Dt89]
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* "Face It: Liberals in Russia Are Just a Fringe; Local and regional elections in Russia on Sunday show a vigorous political life. It's just the liberals have no part in it" (2015-09-19, russia-insider.com) [archive.is/3tcBl]
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* "Security Services Bust Criminal Gang Running an Entire Russian Region" (2015-09-19, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/CWn4D]
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* "Russia set to extend its "universal jurisdiction" to Donbas" (2015-09-03, unian.info) [archive.is/KBops]: Such statement he made when speaking at a meeting devoted to "countering violations of human rights of the civilian population of the southeast of Ukraine," a Russia-based UNIAN correspondent reported.
Bastrykin said that under such circumstances the Investigative Committee "cannot keep aside" as this crime is related to violation of universally recognized norms and principles of international law, including the Geneva Conventions of 1949, as well as obligations under Minsk agreements, involving withdrawal from September 2014 of heavy weapons (over 100 mm caliber) to a distance of 15 km away from the front line, as well as a ban to use all weapons and conduct offensive operations considered as war crimes against peace and security of mankind.
Bastrykin said Russia has thoroughly explored the issue of Russian jurisdiction in connection with such events. According to him, the international humanitarian law provides grounds for Russia to apply its universal jurisdiction in the investigation of this category of cases.
Bastrykin believes "it is legitimate and justified for the Russian Investigative Committee, based on both the Russian legislation and the international law, to initiate criminal cases of genocide, as well as prosecute political and military leadership of Ukraine."
According to Bastrykin, the committed crime is proved by collected evidence and testimonies of witnesses and victims residing in the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and those who were forced to leave the territory of Ukraine.
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* Science is returning to the limelight in Russia: "Skoltech strives to repatriate Russia’s lost scientific talent" (2015-09-10, The Moscow Times) [archive.is/D5Guw]
* "Silicon nanoparticle is a new candidate for an ultrafast all-optical transistor" (2015-09-07, en.ifmo.ru) [archive.is/avjwf]
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* "First Ever Launch Vehicle to Be Sent to Russia’s New Spaceport in Siberia" (2015-09-05, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/62emB]
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* "Russia Testing New ‘Stealth’ Paint Making Tanks Almost Invisible; Tank crews in Russia’s central Chelyabinsk region are testing an advanced “stealth” paint that ensures low visibility against electronic surveillance systems, a military spokesman said earlier this month" (2015-09-23, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/HpWGx]
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* Russian Military Map and Report (2015-09-11, southfront.org) [archive.is/QyGSU]
* "Russia Developing Multirole Heavy Drone" (2015-09-10, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/QdA9c]
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* "Kremlin-backed hackers spying on Europe, Asia, US: cybersecurity firm" (2015-09-17, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/OBLPx], which is nothing when compared to the extent of surveillance by the USA and NATO member states over the entire World Wide Web infrastructure.
===*===*===
Republic of Georgia
* "Evidence Destroyed by FBI agent in Zurab Zhvania Murder Case" (2015-08-09, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/xAzRz] [begin excerpt]: The case of former Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who was found dead in a rented flat in suspicious circumstances back in February 2005, is finally being reexamined by the Georgian courts. No one has ever believed the official account of his death, and it is widely believed that former president Mikheil Saakashvili either ordered it or was directly involved.
Zhvania’s body was initially examined by Georgian forensic experts. When their conclusions did not fit the official story, they were silenced and US experts brought in to contradict them. Recently those original experts, and other witnesses, have been coming forward to tell what they know. Strangely enough, with members of the former government still employed in various parts of the state structure, many of them have then died, refused to speak further or gone missing, after promising to stick around and give their story to the courts.
One person Saakashvili’s friends have not silenced is Jeffrey K. Silverman, the Georgian Bureau Chief of Veterans Today, a US based military and intelligence journal. He recently gave Georgian newspaper Versia and others what is being described as “scandalous information” about the case.
According to Silverman, various pieces of evidence which were in the flat where Zhvania was found dead were destroyed on the orders of FBI agent Bryan Paarmann, who was leading the imported investigation team. Silverman maintains that Paarmann had been directed to destroy the evidence by his US paymasters because Zhvania was the only person able to normalise US relations with Russia. Another important reason for his demise was that Zhvania didn’t want Georgia to become the transit country for a wide range of illegal weapons, as the US subsequently succeeded in making it.Here we reprint a translated version of this interview; Judge for yourself. [end excerpt]
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* "No, I Was Right: Hepatitis C Drugs in Georgia" (2015-07-19, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/vvfQb] [begin excerpt]: On May 6 New Eastern Outlook published an article about the new Hepatitis C drugs being introduced to Georgia. It stated that this is another US-imposed programme in which patients will be given experimental drugs which they cannot give their informed consent to taking because not enough information is known about them to give that consent. Georgians will be used as guinea pigs, in other words.
These suggestions produced howls of protest from people working in Georgia’s healthcare sector. They insisted that the drugs were safe and the point of the programme was to see if Hep C could be totally eradicated in one go, using Georgians as a sample population. Even Georgia’s Health Minister, Dr. David Sergeenko, weighed in by announcing that the new drugs have been approved and “Georgia is not a testing country”.
The trouble is, Georgia’s Health Minister and the others involved with this programme are not telling the truth. If they don’t know this, they should resign. If they do, they should be in jail. [end excerpt]
* "Life is Cheap for Experimental Drug Trials Victims: 'Why Georgia?' " (2015-06-05, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/vIGvf]
===*===*===
Republic of Belarus
* "Belarus 'Will Get By' Without Foreign Loans - Lukashenko" (2012-12-17, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/WRCqP]
* "Belarus President to Cut Government by 30%" (2012-10-01, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/bLBET]
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* "Belarus: Dictatorship or Democracy?" (2010-08-24, globalresearch.ca) [archive.is/rB7yV] [begin excerpt]: Belarus has generally received scant coverage from alternative and left-wing media, which is rather surprising considering the fact that Fidel Castro has awarded Alexander Lukashenko with the order of Jose Marti, the highest honour bestowed upon friends of the Cuban people. In a recent visit to Belarus, the president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez praised Belarus as a model of socialist development, one which Venezuela should emulate. Yet there is a paucity of books and articles about this country and its ‘controversial’ leader. One notable exception to this hiatus comes from Stewart Parker who published a clear and revealing book on Belarus and the policies of Alexander Lukashenko in particular. For readers seeking an insight into this fascinating country, Parker’s The Last Soviet Republic: Alexander Lukashenko’s Belarus(2007) is a brilliant exposé of the lies and distortions emanating from the European Union and the US concerning ‘human rights’ violations in Belarus and the absence of ‘democracy’. What follows is an attempt to summarise and evaluate the findings of this valuable study.
Alexander Lukashenko came to power after a landslide victory in 1994. A former director in a collective farm during the USSR era, Lukashenko was one of the few Belarusian politicians to oppose the break up of the Soviet Union in 1990. Although the Belarusian leader had always been an outspoken critic of the USSR’s corruption, he remained committed to Marxism-Leninism, and opposed the rampant privatisation proposed by Boris Yeltsin and his followers. In the final years of the Soviet regime, Lukashenko, then a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, formed a group called ‘Communists for Democracy’. Lukashenko argued that the real problem in the USSR was the decline in democratic participation and the parasitism and corruption of the ruling bureaucracy. He also advocated more autonomy for the USSR’s constituent Republics.
Belarus had always been the most advanced Soviet Republics, which high achievements in education and science. In spite of economic stagnation and increasing corruption in other republics of the USSR, Belarus’s state planning had continued to yield impressive results with economic growth continuing throughout the Brezhnev era. In 1993 Lukashenko was appointed head of an ‘anti-corruption committee’. One of the numerous myths repeatedly circulated since the fall of the USSR is that a majority of the Soviet people wanted free market capitalism. This was certainly not the case in Soviet Republic of Belarus. It was Alexander Lukashenko’s defence of Soviet values, together with his outspoken criticisms of the Communist Party of the USSR and the apparatchiks of the soviet regime that earned him the respect and confidence of the Belarusian people. In 1994 Lukashenko was elected President of Belarus with over 80 percent of the votes. [end excerpt]
* "The Last Soviet Republic - Alexander Lukashenko's Belarus" book review (2008-04-30, posted to revleft.com) [archive.is/xDXSj] [begin excerpt]: The first thing to understand is that from the day the Byelorussian people elected Alexander Lukashenko and overthrew the bourgeois U.S./E.U. puppet regime of Stanislav Shushkevich in the first free elections in the nation, President Lukashenko has not been in an easy position.
In 1994 when he was elected by a landslide (to the surprise of Shushkevich’s western masters) Alexander Grigoriyevich made it clear to everyone that he would not sell out Belarus to foreign corporations and investors as did the other 14 former Soviet Republics. He immediately made an enemy of the United States and its allies in Western Europe.
Since that time he has been true to his word. 75% of the farms in Belarus are still collective (kolkhoz) or state farms. 80% of the businesses are state owned and heavy/strategic industries are all in state hands.
Television and radio are owned and controlled by the state and much of the printed media is also. Virtually all children attending primary and secondary schools are in the state educational system. 85% of the colleges and universities are state owned and operated.
Yes, from the point of view of Marxist-Leninists there are contradictions in Belarus. There are petite bourgeois businesses there. No, it is not a Communist state or a state claiming it is building Communism and world revolution.
However, Belarus is an anti-imperialist nation with a Socialist system where the people come first. President Lukashenko and the Byelorussian people have withstood pressures from all sides for the last 13 years. They have made some compromises in order to survive. But, they have survived and keep the history of the Great October alive in the minds of their young people.
Belarus is what it is. It is about as Socialist as it gets in the world today!
THE FORMER Soviet republic of Belarus is an unlikely candidate for the “axis of evil”. But this small landlocked republic, wedged between the might of the European Union and Putin’s Russia, has been branded by US imperialism as an “outpost of tyranny” for daring to defend most of the gains of the Soviet era and for refusing to kow-tow to the dictates of Anglo-American and Franco-German imperialism.
Imperialist venom targets one man – Alexander Lukashenko – who rose from the ranks of the old Belarus communist movement as a principled opponent of graft and corruption to win the presidential elections against all odds in 1994 to lead his country along the path of non-alignment and social progress.
Western diplomatic and economic isolation has backfired and attempts to unseat him by bourgeois and phoney “communist” parties funded by imperialism have all failed.
This is because Lukashenko enjoys immense popularity amongst the Belarusians who have been spared the mass unemployment, privatisation and collapse of education and the health service that was the fate of the rest of the former Soviet Union when it took the capitalist road.This book by Stewart Parker explains why. There are no oligarchs in Lukashenko’s Belarus. There’s virtually full employment and no one has to emigrate to Western Europe to find work. Over 90 per cent of the farms are still collectivised and most of the country’s industry remains in public hands. Health and education are still a priority in Belarus and the state guarantees low-cost food and housing.
When the counter-revolution succeeded in Moscow in 1991 Lukashenko was the only deputy in the Belarusian parliament to vote against the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He opposed the turncoat communists and bourgeois nationalists who came out of the woodwork to dominate the country in the early 1990s.
His record as a collective farm manager and his “clean hands” in the old Belarus communist party and parliament won the trust of working people who comprise the vast majority of the nine million or so Belarusians who live in this land-locked oasis of social justice in Europe.
Last November 80 communist and workers’ parties from over 60 countries, including the New Communist Party of Britain, attended the 9th international communist conference in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to discuss the relevance of the Russian revolution in the 21st century.
Many of those delegates felt they were stepping back in time when they toured the factories, farms and schools of Belarus. Lenin and the Bolsheviks are still honoured and the socialist sector is still largely intact. But Belarus isn’t in a time-warp nor are its economists trying to create a nostalgia theme-park for those hankering for the “good old days”.
Belarus is a “state of the people” that operates a mixed economy which they call “market socialism” or “social orientation”. Though not on the Chinese scale there are joint ventures with countries like Turkey and the Third World and there is a small self-employed and private sector which caters for some of the needs of the consumer industry.
Belarus bore the brunt of the Nazi invasion during the Second World War and it took the Belarusian people years to recover from devastation. The collapse of the Soviet Union could have led to economic chaos, and for a brief period it did when the tools of imperialism were in charge.
But Parker shows in some detail how the Lukashenko government has worked to rein in hyper-inflation and deal with its energy problems to ensure a secure and decent way of life for the millions of workers and farmers in the country.
And he also explains how genuine mass democracy works in this former Soviet republic and how its government defends the country’s independence; maintains a strategic relationship with Russia – its biggest trading partner – and demonstrates its solidarity with struggling people all over the world.
Though the author is clearly sympathetic to modern Belarus he is not a communist and this shows in his work. His off-hand description of the people’s democracies of eastern Europe as “puppets” and “satellites” of the Soviet Union is simplistic to put it mildly.
He barely mentions the Communist Party of Belarus (KPB) whose eight MPs support Lukashenko’s independent bloc in the House of Representatives or indeed how the other pro-government parties relate to the independent bloc.
But it is an easily readable and important book, essential for any understanding of what is happening in eastern Europe today. It’s well-worth buying or ordering from your local library.
* "Belarus, the last Soviet Republic" (2011-05-12, pravda.ru) [archive.is/qU1s4] [begin excerpt]: Lukashenko was first elected in 1994 by a considerable margin, 80% of the voting population. This is because his proposals were very close to the Soviet socialist system, which enjoyed great popularity among the citizens - as shown in the referendum made on the USSR in 1991, over 70% of the population favored the continuation of the socialist country.
Lukashenko defended a nation oriented to the welfare of the people and not for the enrichment of the bourgeoisie. The most prominent features of the Soviet system were kept, as the full range of services are efficient, modern and oriented to the population (among them, the educational system, health system, transport, security, etc.). , the strong nationalized and state economy, in addition to maintaining part of Soviet culture and traditions.
President Lukashenko firmly sticks to his principles, and has implemented his promises. The result was a huge contrast to other former socialist republics: progress. While Russia, Ukraine and others wallowed in misery after the criminal privatizations of popular wealth (millions of deaths resulting from lack of resources and public infrastructure that would give assistance to citizens), Belarus was developing at a good pace, with the economy growing on average 5% to 10% per annum. The illiteracy rate was maintained at very low levels by Soviet standards (0.3%) and unemployment below 1%. Another interesting index is the difference from the highest to the lowest salary which is only 5 times.
Remarkable is the similarity of the current Belarusian regime with the former Soviet Republic, with the difference that it is not a socialist state altogether. There are several private companies (about 47% of the population is employed by private companies) and, therefore, there is a bourgeois class. However, it is not favored by the government that maintains its goals aimed at the social development of its people. [end excerpt]
* "Belarus: The Last Soviet Republic" (2013-07-08, eurobloggers.wordpress.com) [archive.is/jEvpa]
* "Social Nationalism: The Political Thought of Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus" (2011-08-27, theoccidentalobserver.net) [archive.is/3uqvl]
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* "ABC Belarus on the release of the prisoners and the upcoming elections" (2015-09-05, Anarchist Radio Berlin) [archive.is/QvxUn]: On August 22, the Belarusian president Lukashenko signed papers to release all official political prisoners in the country. This includes the three anarchists that were still imprisoned. As Anarchist Radio Berlin, we talked with Anarchist Black Cross Belarus about their release and the upcoming elections among other things. You can find more information also in English on the website of ABC Belarus [abc-belarus.org]. For security reasons, this interview has been re-recorded using our own voices. You can download the audio at [http://is.gd/fEekGn]
===*===*===
Eurasian Union (EEU) / Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)EEU Map [archive.is/7gu7z]
* "Summer of Summits and Russia’s Grand Geo-Economic Strategy" (2015-09-07, orientalreview.org) part 1 [archive.is/FXvHd], part 2 [archive.is/HKqsh]
* "Russia Builds Unified Air Defense for CIS Collective Security" (2015-09-09, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/CmgVP]
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* "Schneider Electric to provide solution for first large PV power plant in Kazakhstan and CIS" (2015-09-09, solar.schneider-electric.com) [archive.is/YaA8A]
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* "Kyrgyzstan has Officially Joined the EAEC" (2015-09-04, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/dUur1]
===*===*===
Republic of Kyrgyzstan (EEU Member)
* "To Whom is Kyrgyzstan Grateful for its Independence?" (2015-09-19, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/aS43m] [begin excerpt]: On August 31, 2015 Kyrgyzstan celebrated the 24th anniversary of its Independence. On Ala-Too Square – the central square of Bishkek, the capital, – the Kyrgyz president Almazbek Atambayev delivered a speech in which he noted the main achievements of the country and defined tasks, on completion of which the future of Kyrgyzstan depends.
“Kyrgyzstan is the freest country in the region,” was announced in the speech of the president. There is a long path behind these words that was marked by the crisis of the 1990ies, corruption scandals, fight against gangsters and drug trafficking. There were dramatic events on the political level: The Aksy tragedy in 2002, the Tulip revolution in 2005 and another shift of power five years later. And all this surrounded by inter-ethnic disagreements and continuous terrorist threats.
Kyrgyzstan managed to reach relative stability only recently. According to President A. Atambayev, it was only under his leadership that Kyrgyzstan “headed towards the achievement of real independence.” Getting energy independence became an important step on this journey. For many years Kyrgyzstan was compelled to use energy from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan that gave these countries some powerful impact on the country. However that situation came to an end in August, 2015 when Power Line of “Datka-Kemin”, the largest energy project in the history of independent Kyrgyzstan, was brought into operation. From now on, the country has an autonomous electrical power ring which shall provide trouble-free operation of all networks of the Republic. The line is 405 km long and costs $400 million. “We did it. It is really the project of the century for our power industry,” commented the President of the country. The contract for construction was signed with the Chinese Company TBEA, and the credit of nearly $400 million was obtained by the “National Electrical Grid of Kyrgyzstan” JSC from the Export-Import Bank of China through the SCO credit line. It should be noted that now the debt of Kyrgyzstan under this project makes nearly $900 million which will be returned to China within 20 years. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Republic of Turkey (NATO member state)
* "Has Turkey Become a Fascist State?" (2015-09-21, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/PeQ75]
* "Let us defeat the fascist palace coup d'etat! Down with Putschist Erdoğan" (2015-07-25 by MLCP Central Committee) [archive.is/XIMGu]
* "Turkish-Uyghur Terror Inc. – America’s Other Al Qaeda" (2015-09-23, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/sU3jv]
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* "Cizire UnderAttack: State Terror in Cizre, Turkey" fourteen photos (2015-09-10) [archive.is/OX85v]: The town has been under siege by Police and Army and curfew has been in effect since last Friday 20:00. Entry to the town is not allowed. Water sources are cut, Electricity is sparse. (Power centers being shelled). There is danger of famine and disease. Until yesterday 9 people have died, and last night multiple deaths have been reported. Among the dead, there is Cemile Çağırga a 12 year old, Meryem Süme (53) mother of 7 children and two sister-in-laws Zeynep and Maşallah Edin. One of them was carrying her child, the child is injured (photo below) There is only one doctor working in Town. Ambulances are not allowed to take the wounded, and some people were reported to have died of bleeding. A sick baby has died due to not receiving treatment. There are congressmen in town, and a very crowded group including 40 HDP congressman and 2 ministers are being blocked (unlawfully) at the town entrance. The group walked 90kms to get to Cizre.
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* "Warning meat, Earn Money 'informant citizens' " (2015-09-08, meydangazetesi.org) original [archive.is/uZlhA] machine translated [archive.is/sT1gc]
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* "Conscientious objection International Symposium after 31 people announced their conscientious objection" (2015-09-06, sosyalsavas.org) original [archive.is/eiK6u] machine translated [archive.is/WgMQl]
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* "Why the State did this to us?" (2015-09-10, meydangazetesi.org) original with twelve photos [archive.is/M6Bg2], machine translation without photos [archive.is/ntgRG]
* "Günay Özarslan killed by Turkish police, scores of people arrested across Turkey and North Kurdistan today" (2015-07-24, turkeyharvest.blogspot.de) [archive.is/nMBOh] [begin excerpt]: Turkish police hit 140 addresses in 26 districts in Istanbul today in an operaton that was reportedly aimed at the YDG-H (Patriotic Revolutionary Youth-Movement) the DHKP-C (Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front) and ISIS/Daesh. While much is being made of the Turkish government's recent moves against ISIS, we believe that the government and the reactionary ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) are using the fight against ISIS for cover to instead attack the people's organizations within Turkey and North Kurdistan and revolutionary Rojava in northern Syria.
Günay Özarslan was killed by police in the raids in the Bağcılar district. Lawyers from the People's Law Bureau say that they suspect that Günay Özarslan, was assassinated by Istanbul police. The police claim that she opened fire on them but this seems unlikely. Police have refused to allow lawyers into the building. They fear that evidence is being covered up in the killing. The lawyers are continuing their sit-in outside the building.
The AKP government is continuing its operations of political genocide across North Kurdistan and Turkey. [end excerpt]
* "Mass repression in Turkey/Kurdistan" (2015-07-24, signalfire.org) [archive.is/pbJGg]
* "Sit-in outside house of slain leftist Özarslan" (2015-07-24, diclehaber.com) [archive.is/t0Opl]
* "Please note we will not forgive" (2015-09-11, DAF) original [archive.is/2fBed], machine translated [archive.is/10KDU]
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* "The arrested ATIK directors and activists must be released immediately!" (2015-07-13) [archive.is/ZN6HS] [begin excerpt]: It is clear that these operations have been conducted with cooperation by the Turkish and German states. Sooner or later the public will find out the true reasons of these arrests, which happened as a consequence of a secret deal between the Turkish and German authorities. During the recent years the German state has intensively executed such operations, arrested people and tried them based on the sections 129a and 129b of the German Criminal Code, which deal with “terrorist organisations”! [end excerpt]
* "Stop isolation torture of revolutionary prisoners" (2015-06-21, International Political Prisoners Solidarity committee UPOTUDAK) original [archive.is/gJFMx], translation [archive.is/8hFms]:
UPOTUDAK has published a statement about the revolutionaries who were arrested in the operations against the Confederation of Workers from Turkey in Europe (ATIK) and New Woman (Yeni Kadin). Upudotak made a call to demonstrate in front of the prisons,send letters and expend the petition campaign. International Political Prisoners Solidarity committee (UPOTUDAK) published a statement on the revolutionaries who were arrested in the operation against ATIK and Yeni Kadin which started with the German state [archive.is/duYpV] and was extended to Switzerland , France and Greece. UPOTUDAK called for support to prisoners in isolation and asserted that the revolutionary struggle of ATIK members is just and legal.
“It is hypocrisy …”UPOTUDAK stressed that calling ATIK’s activity ‘terrorism’ is not acceptable and drew attention to the isolation of prisoners observing: “The German government alleges itself an apostle for human rights and democracy but at the same time arrests our comrades, banning communication and visits, exercise, newspapers and books. These isolation conditions are nothing but hypocrisy.”
“The German state is supporting the Turkish Republic’s suppression of rebellion”
UPOTUDAK evaluated the treatment of the prisoners since 15th April as torture and said voices must be raised to remove isolation against the ten revolutionary prisoners and to struggle to put an end to this practice in prisons. UPOTUDAK noted that the prisoners have serious health problems as they were imprisoned by the Turkish Government. And the committee said that the German state detaining prisoners not for their political activities in Germany but on behalf of the Turkish state and MIT’s bogus intelligence is a major favor of the German state to the fascist Turkish government in its struggle to suppress resistance.
“We will not leave them alone“
UPOTUDAK said : “we should always be active to fulfill our mission and to express solidarity with prisoners. Let’s create mass public opinion by using our legal, democratic rights and turn the front of the prisons into places of protest, send letters to them, and expand the petition campaign.” UPOTUDAK gave the addresses of prisoners to write to, saying “we will not leave them alone”
1. Müslüm Elma ; 2. Seyit Ali Uğur ; 3. Musa Demir ; 4. Erhan Aktürk ; 5. Sinan Aydın ; 6. Banu Büyükavcı ; 7. Haydar Bern ; 8. Mehmet Yeşilçalı ; 9. Sami Solmaz
For the addresses of the prisoners (as of 2015-06) [archive.is/8hFms].
For more information, visit [ATIK-Online.net]
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* "Armed group Women's Freedom Force declared in Turkey" (2015-08-15, jinha.com.tr) [archive.is/J9lQn] [begin excerpt]: The women stated that in Turkey, the AKP and Erdoğan were responsible for the war on women through the legal system, the police, the government and capital.
"To those who let the killers of women go free, who raise rapists in the prisons, who torture revolutionary women: know that the rage of women, like the rage of the working class and the peoples, will take historic retribution," wrote the women. "Just like the reactionary fascist gang Daesh that has been a disaster for the peoples of the Middle East, you are one of the enemies against whom we are waging active war."
The statement called attention to the AKP's support for Daesh's attacks on thousands of Arab, Êzidî, Assyrian, Kurdish and Turkmen women. They noted that the practices of rape, massacre and selling women in bazaars took place with the ideological and military support of Turkey and other collaborating states in the region. They also called attention to the presence of thousands of Daesh supporters in Turkey, living undisturbed.
"Our current task is to strike the targets of the enemy, focused on the AKP-Daesh, with the organized struggle of women," said the statement. "The military targets of our war in this country and region are the AKP, Daesh and reactionary-fascist forces, and all their institutions, subcontractors and partisans. Let the killers of women, the harassers and rapists know: even if they have the state on their side, they won't be sleeping well at night."
The women promised to fight in the name of women murdered with impunity by their husbands and families, naming femicide victims Güldünya, Ayşe Paşalı and Gülay Armağan.
"This is why, in the name of our liberation, we have left behind the cities, homes and schools that imprisoned us," said the women. "Our flag is that of the Paris women who built the Commune barricades; the Bolshevik women workers who opened war on the palaces. We take our confidence from Krupskaya, Kollontai, Zetkin and Rosa Luxemburg. The women who stood tall against Nazi armies, Zionists, imperialists, torture devices and the barrels of fascist guns have left us their great history of resistance and their weapons.
"We have taken up the burden of forming a freedom force worthy of Tanya, Ulrike, Aynur, Zilan, Beritan, Arin, Sibel and the hundreds and thousands of other women fighters whose names we could not list here, especially those who fell in Rojava," said the women. "We get this strength from our mothers resisting in their homes and in the streets, from the women workers, from our sisters in the universities and from all organized women, especially on the front." The KÖG called on all women to escalate the struggle for their own freedom and declared "war on male domination." [end excerpt]
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* "Armed actions against rightwing newspaper and AKP district office" (2015-07-30, MLKP-FESK) [archive.is/vEvy8], translated [archive.is/YpO0z], edited for clarity (signalfire.org) [archive.is/f0AoJ]: The armed wing of the MLKP published a announcement about actions carried out on the 19th and 20th of July. The MLKP – FESK made a statement concerning the bomb planted outside the STAR newspaper on July 19: “We have left a bomb outside a building where the STAR newspaper is edited. After they had insulted all women cursing a revolutionary woman and we left a flag bearing the emblem of MLKP-OKC and the slogan “You can not silence women. We will increase” written on it.
The Star Media spokesman who made demagogic statements some days later, must know that there will be other revolutionary actions of this kind in the future and they will not have the chance to be warned again. ” The MLKP-FESK announced that the bomb left in front of the office of the AKP Sancaktepe District of July 21 had been found before the explosion.
“Our flag had been left at the location of the act. Although the fascist police AKP has hidden this from the workers and laborers, they know who committed the act. Our action was carried out in Sancaktepe where our comrade Yasemin was martyred, and her flag will wave again in the future. ” The MLKP-FESK said they ”will be accountable” and stressed that “Surely, justice will be rendered to the proletariat and the oppressed.”
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Armed action by TIKKO in Hozat* "Terrorists open fire on gendarmerie station in eastern Turkey" (2015-07-22, dailysabah.com) [archive.is/wGwb3]: A group of terrorists opened fire at a gendarmerie station located in the Hozat district of the eastern Tunceli province around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The terrorists reportedly opened fire from two different points using long barreled weapons. The Turkish soldiers at the gendarmerie station retaliated by firing back, as a result of which the terrorists ran away into the nearby forest. The attack might have been undertaken by the "Liberation Army of the Workers and Peasants of Turkey" (abbreviated as TİKKO in Turkish), which is the armed wing of the Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist–Leninist which is described as a Maoist insurgent organization, the Doğan news agency claimed. The group claims to be carrying out a 'People's War' against the Turkish government. Following the incident, in which there were no injuries or causalities, two helicopters were dispatched to the area, and security measures in the region have been tightened.
===*===*===
Pan-Arabia
[levantreport.com] [middleeasteye.net]
* "Hunger strike of communist prisoners in Morocco" (2015-07-07, signalfire.org) [archive.is/LkrLj]: Political prisoners of the Voie Démocratique Basiste (Sofiane Srir, Hassan Ahmouch, Zouhair Belaichi, Mustapha Srati) and other prisoners of the student movement (Hamza Kabaj, Omar Aaroussi, Mohamed Alhamri et Yassin Ait Larbi) have been on hunger strike since June 30th in protest against the conditions of their detention and for visitation rights and basic hygiene. The imprisoned student militants Hassan Koukou and Mounir Ait Khafou are participating for ten days in solidarity.
===*===*===
Arab Republic of Syria
[sana.sy/en] [syriatimes.sy] [sana-syria.org] [joshualandis.com/blog] [syriasolidaritymovement.org][syrianfreepress.wordpress.com] [syrianews.cc] [acloserlookonsyria.shoutwiki.com]
* "President al-Assad to Russian media outlets: 'We cannot implement anything unless we defeat the terrorism... The army is the most important symbol for any society' " (2015-09-16, sana.sy) [archive.is/GkpHG]
* President Bashar Al-Assad's al-Manar August 25, 2015 Interview (syriatimes.sy) [archive.is/x62Dj]
* "Polls Show Syrians Overwhelmingly Blame U.S. for ISIS" (2015-09-18, by Eric Zuesse, globalresearch.ca) [archive.is/3R71r]
* "Poll: Over 80 Percent of Syrians Believe US Created ISIS: 'A Foreign/ American Made Group' " (2015-09-16, by Mikael Thalen) [archive.is/Db8Bo]
* Maryana Naumova meets Asma al-Assad, First Lady of Syria [archive.is/LS92I]
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* "While EU Suffers From Migrant Crisis, US Approves Russia's Stance on Syria" (2015-09-23, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/eEDe6]
* " 'Without Cooperation With Russia, US Is Only a Second Fiddle in Syria' ; The US is in more need of cooperation with Russia in Syria than vice versa, according to the head of the Russian Lower House's International Affairs Committee; without it, Washington will only be able to play second fiddle in the region and will lose the battle for international public opinion" (2015-09-21, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/GhkAE]
* "Zasypkin: Russian initiative on resolving Syrian crisis to have three stages" (2015-09-20, almasdarnews.com) [archive.is/TJdo8]
* "So What Are the Russians Really Doing in Syria?" (2015-09-13, by The Saker, unz.com) [archive.is/d8uRE]
* "Putin’s Line in the Sand: No Regime Change in Syria" (2015-09-17, counterpunch.org) [archive.is/IpJI4]
* "Russia backs Syria’s fight against ISIS, not Assad’s regime – Lavrov" (2015-09-11, rt.com) [archive.is/FZAYl]
* "Russia says it sent military experts to Syria to assist al-Assad forces" (2015-09-10, cctv-america.com) [archive.is/q1J1W]
NATO/EU member state FR Germany would act as a forward advance guard infiltrating the Federation of Russia's personnel in the Arab Republic of Syria under the cover of "coordinating military operations" against the USA-backed Islamic State and al-Qaeda militias.
* "Germany Moves Away from the US Anti-Putin Alliance. Joins Forces with Russia in Coalition to Defeat ISIS?" (2015-09-18, southfront.org) [archive.is/5VGzJ]
* "The Syrian Missile Crisis? Russia’s Presence Reveals a Hole in Obama’s 'War on ISIS' " (2015-09-14, almasdarnews.com) [archive.is/AB2D9]
* "Washington is Supporting and Financing the ISIS. Moscow is Supporting Syria against the ISIS" (2015-09-12, by Prof Michel Chossudovsky) [archive.is/3MNut]
* "Iran and Greece declare their airspace open for Russian planes carrying humanitarian aid to Syria" (2015-09-10, almasdarnews.com) [archive.is/OXCqJ]
* "Madness of Blockading Syria’s Regime: The U.S. State Department is trying to block Russian supplies going to Syria’s embattled government despite the risk that collapsing the regime would create a vacuum filled by the Islamic State or Al Qaeda, another nightmare dreamt up by the neocons and liberal hawks" (2015-09-10, consortiumnews.com) [archive.is/QZJjX]
* "Russia’s Real Involvement in Syria. No Evidence of a Russian Military Buildup" (2015-09-22, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/07Nzb]
* "Russia has always supplied equipment to Syria to help fight terrorism - Foreign Ministry" (2015-09-08, rt.com) [archive.is/Z6VFG]
* "Make bombs, not refugees" (2015-09-09, by Pepe Escobar) [archive.is/a8ZVk] [begin excerpt]: The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming! Well, the Russians are always coming. The Russians never stopped coming since those heady Cold War days. The Russians are "invading" Ukraine. Every day. For over a year now. Now the Russians are "invading" Syria. [end excerpt]
* "US-Media Misinformation on Russian-Syrian Military Cooperation. Russia is Not Involved in Combat Operations" (2015-09-07, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/XbKmA], in response to "Exclusive: Russian troops join combat in Syria - sources" (2015-09-10, reuters.com) [archive.is/dY08o]
* "Fabricated Claims About Russian Troops in Syria" (2015-09-10, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/zBbwm]
* "On Russian military interventions (or lack thereof)" (2015-09-02, thesaker.is) [archive.is/LnbIl]
* "Social Engineering 101: How to Make a Refugee Crisis" (2015-09-13, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/4AwHo]
* "Russia SLAMS Western ‘Social Engineering’ in Syria as Cause of Migrant Crisis" (2015-09-09, 21stcenturywire.com) [archive.is/W9bUk]
* "Fox News Says Refugee Crisis Is “Putin’s Scheme”. The Backstory" (2015-09-11, by Eric Zuesse) [archive.is/OUpiz]
* "Migrant Crisis Fueled By Gas Pipelines; Don’t let anyone fool you: Sectarian strife in Syria has been engineered to provide cover for a war for access to oil and gas, and the power and money that come along with it" (2015-09-09, mintpressnews.com) [archive.is/dNJd6]. Map caption: Note the purple line which traces the proposed Qatar-Turkey natural gas pipeline and note that all of the countries highlighted in red are part of a new coalition hastily put together after Turkey finally (in exchange for NATO’s acquiescence on Erdogan’s politically-motivated war with the PKK) agreed to allow the US to fly combat missions against ISIS targets from Incirlik. Now note which country along the purple line is not highlighted in red. That’s because Bashar al-Assad didn’t support the pipeline and now we’re seeing what happens when you’re a Mid-East strongman and you decide not to support something the US and Saudi Arabia want to get done. (Map: ZeroHedge.com)
Syrian in Serbia Questions Official Refugee Narrative...
* "Rime Darious speech at the protest in Belgrade" (2015-09-06, Justice Portal) [youtube.com/watch?v=XbJ49oLS24A]:
Dear friends I am here today in front of you as a proud Syrian citizen, to tell you about situation in my country, that is also important to Serbia. We used to be loved and respected people. Before this war our biggest issue was Palestine . We wanted to solve our small problems compared to what we have today (Bureaucracy and Corruption in some sectors), we didn't know injustice, terrorism or criminality. We worked hard the last 10 years before this war and we made big steps. The most important thing that before this war we didn't have Syrian refugees.We had strong national identity. Those who you see out in the streets of Belgrade on their way to Germany or Holland , they are not the real Syrian. Don't miss understand me, I love my people , but my people those who are fighting for Syria for our homelands.
Yes those refugees suffered but who didn't suffer through this war? Why the rest of the Syrian are staying and resisting? If they are really refugees they would choose for the first safe place that they can reach and not fight with the Hungarian police cause they want to reach Germany. Let me ask you if the west doesn't want those refugees or doesn't want them to die in the sea, why it doesn't stop the sanctions on Syrian people? That already cost Syria 143 billion dollars?
If it is not the west agenda why it doesn't help those Syria to stay by supporting the Syrian army to get rid of the terrorist and make Syria safe again? Why they don't help to rebuild the destroyed houses of the people with the money that they spend on refugee? They took away the people who can rebuild this country. They want to break Syria and the Syrian people. They want to steal Syrian doctors and their best students on one hand. This will cause a braindrain. On the other hand multinationals want cheap laborers so they can lower the wages.
We lost 100.000 soldiers fighting against extremists till now, I don't hear the west crying on them , those who gave their souls to defend a nation leaving behind them proud families deserve to be helped, on the other side they cry on person died trying to run away and leave there country, many of them are jihadists, and even more they are paid thousands of euros for this.
Let me tell you that the money a family of 5 persons will pay to reach Europe is enough to buy a house in a safe area of Syria, start a new job and live good. They are not refugees they are economically motivated immigrants. After 5 years of war our navy still for-filling its international duties. Our coast is well guarded and not a single boat with immigrants leaves from there. Another trend those days is to take Christians out of Syria . Emptying one of the first Christian lands from Christians... What we have today in Syria is similar to what you had in Serbia before. They target our identity our unity and our sovereignty.
I want to underline that the Syrian nation and Serbian nation were always friends, we have big and respected orthodox community, Syria didn't recognize independence of Kosovo and we have many mutual enemies. You should know that as you fight against politicians who promote new world order, USA interests and mass immigration, at the same time you are saving many peoples lives and there future. We are more then connected, same Albanian terrorists that were fighting in Kosovo, are today killing civilians in Syria, and this is allowed by same corrupted politicians in the USA, there allies in EU, and there followers here in Serbia, and be aware that wave of migration will return to Serbia.
Dear friends all I ask you today is to stand by us as a people defending you in the same time as we defend our selves. Stand by our army by our right cause, because if we lost this war jihadists won't stop in Syria. Together we will resist until victory.
[At the video link, a comment posted 2015-09-08 reads: "Guess where this video was shut down and deleted? Reddit"]
* Venezuela to Take In 20,000 Syrian Refugees" (2015-09-08, venezuelanalysis.com) [archive.is/RZQyn]
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* " 'Mystery Inside an Enigma': Why Are US Neocons Dying to Intervene in Syria?; American analysts are weighing pro et contra of a potential Syrian campaign; "aye, there's the rub": if Washington topples Syria's Bashar al-Assad, the political vacuum will be most likely filled by the notorious ISIL and al-Qaeda extremists, Patrick J. Buchanan warns" (2015-09-18, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/R3kMD]
* "Assange on ‘US Empire,’ Assad govt overthrow plans & new book ‘The WikiLeaks Files’ " (2015-09-09, rt.com) [archive.is/XrHrX]
* "US Drones Attack Syria’s Military, 'Disguised as an Airstrike against ISIS' " (2015-09-14, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/wN664]
* "US Seeks Occupation as US Fighters Flood Syria" (2015-09-08, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/o53jj] [begin excerpt]: US corporate-funded policy think-tank, the Brookings Institution, published a June 2015 paper titled, “Deconstructing Syria: Towards a regionalized strategy for a confederal country” [archive.is/XIpNC]. The signed and dated open-conspiracy to divide, destroy, invade, then incrementally occupy Syria using no-fly-zones and both US and British special forces is now demonstrably underway [archive.is/pGsiX].
The paper would lay out in no uncertain terms that (emphasis added): "The idea would be to help moderate elements establish reliable safe zones within Syria once they were able. American, as well as Saudi and Turkish and British and Jordanian and other Arab forces would act in support, not only from the air but eventually on the ground via the presence of special forces as well. The approach would benefit from Syria’s open desert terrain which could allow creation of buffer zones that could be monitored for possible signs of enemy attack through a combination of technologies, patrols, and other methods that outside special forces could help Syrian local fighters set up. Were Assad foolish enough to challenge these zones, even if he somehow forced the withdrawal of the outside special forces, he would be likely to lose his air power in ensuing retaliatory strikes by outside forces, depriving his military of one of its few advantages over ISIL. Thus, he would be unlikely to do this." [end excerpt]
So, EU/NATO member states are declaring their role in the invasion of the Arab Republic of Syria... to defend what government? The "Free Syria Army" does not have a government. The UN seat is taken by the Arab Republic of Syria.
* "Spurred by IS Terror Plans in Syria, France to Strike Soon" (2015-09-16, nytimes.com) [archive.is/40XD3]
* "France ready to bomb Syria 'in self-defense' – foreign minister" (2015-09-22, rt.com) [archive.is/mTYfs]
* "Belgium says ready to dispatch troops to Syria" (2015-09-12, presstv.ir) [archive.is/DwafQ]
* "Belgium 'Ready' To Send Troops To Syria After Order Is Restored" (AFP Newswire) [archive.is/3KWNU]
* "Australia launches first air strikes inside Syria" (2015-09-16, bbc.com) [archive.is/aYcDR]
* "The Syria Chemical Weapons Saga: The Staging of a US-NATO Sponsored Humanitarian Disaster?" (2012-12-12, updated 2013-09-06, by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky) [archive.is/0ZPt6]
* "NATO powers move to exploit refugee crisis to intensify bombing of Syria" (2015-09-07, wsws.org) [archive.is/7U5xS]
* "Soros-Sponsored NGO in Syria Aims at Ousting Assad, Not Saving Civilians" (2015-09-08, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/mLUrr]
* "Swedish foreign aid to allies of Al Qaeda Sweden complicit in Syrian refugee crisis" (2015-09-11, proletaren.se) [archive.is/BbJjL]
* "Charity that helped academics flee Nazis aids Syrians and Iraqis" (2015-09-16, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/bqtdf]
* "Down the Memory Hole: NYT Erases CIA’s Efforts to Overthrow Syria’s Government" (2015-09-20, fair.org) [archive.is/uJKdE]
* "BBC Strings Lies Together to Propagandize for Assad’s Overthrow" (2015-09-19, by Eric Zuesse) [archive.is/GSdgV]
* "The Big Lie About Russian Forces in Syria" (2015-09-20, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/lPMme]
* "Western Media Hype ‘Russian Aggression’ in Syria" (2015-09-11, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/7g2w6]
* "New Western Info Fronts Against Syria: Refugees, Russia, And The Balkans" (2015-09-09, thesaker.is) [archive.is/KFrkr]
* "Barrel Bombing Us All" (2015-07-23, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/jJfEc] [begin excerpt]: Here is a fair question, why discuss barrel bombs at all? It is clear to anyone who pays attention to world news that President Assad of Syria is using old oil drums filled with caustic chemicals to wipe out his entire population. No western paper, no Russian news bureau, no Arab network of news website has challenged this “fact” so often reported, in all cases at the hands of the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, a CIA “sockpuppet” front.
Are people that stupid? The answer to that is a bit more complicated. In general we can say, “Yes,” but it goes further. You see, when you combined a “branded” lie, and the barrel bomb is quite an ingenious fabrication, all that is needed is to repeat the same story, endlessly like the BUK missile myth with the air to air downing of MH17 by a Kiev backed fighter jet [archive.is/ffSw4], you don’t need facts.
As soon as “barrel bomb” is brought up, suddenly the mass graves, the televised beheadings and the CIA training camps in Turkey and Jordan no longer exist, “Assad did it all,” as reality flies into the stratosphere, part of a well-orchestrated disinformation campaign where assertion is fact.
Any allegation that is printed or broadcast by the mainstream media is a “fact.” Groups like the Syrian Human Rights Observatory exist to infect the already controlled corporate media with disinformation created by PJ Media, the Heritage and Jamestown Foundations and the Rand Corporation. [end excerpt]
The following three article excerpts are from USA-based newswires who act as disinformation source materials. Notice the lack of proof, and the reliance on unknown sources:
* "Exclusive: Russian troops join combat in Syria - sources" (2015-09-09, Reuters Newswire) [archive.is/PQyPt] [begin excerpt]: Russian forces have begun participating in military operations in Syria in support of government troops, three Lebanese sources familiar with the political and military situation there said on Wednesday. The sources, speaking to Reuters on condition they not be identified, gave the most forthright account yet from the region of what the United States fears is a deepening Russian military role in Syria's civil war, though one of the Lebanese sources said the number of Russians involved so far was small. U.S. officials said Russia sent two tank landing ships and additional cargo aircraft to Syria in the past day or so and deployed a small number of naval infantry forces. The U.S. officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the intent of Russia's military moves in Syria was unclear. One suggested the focus may be on preparing an airfield near the port city of Latakia, a stronghold of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. U.S. officials have not ruled out the possibility that Russia may want to use the airfield for air combat missions. Two of the Lebanese sources said the Russians were establishing two bases in Syria, one near the coast and one further inland which would be an operations base. "The Russians are no longer just advisors," one of the sources said. "The Russians have decided to join the war against terrorism." [end excerpt]
* "Defiant Russia pledges more Syria assistance" (2015-09-10, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/Wtzdm] [begin excerpt]: A defiant Russia on Thursday said it was ready to increase military support to Syria's Bashar al-Assad if needed, dismissing suggestions it could hamper Western efforts to fight Islamic State militants. Washington has accused Moscow of solidifying its foothold in Syria, raising concerns it could throw a wrench in plans by the US-led coalition to step up operations against jihadists in the war-torn country. Speaking to reporters, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow wanted to avoid a repeat of the "Libyan scenario" in Syria and would therefore provide greater military assistance to the Syrian president if requested. And he rubbished suggestions any greater Russian involvement in Syria could complicate Western plans to fight Islamic State, which has taken control over swathes of Syrian territory. "This logic is uncomprehensible to me," Russia's top diplomat said. "The Syrian army is the most effective force that can stand up to the terror threat on the ground." [end excerpt]
* "Reports of Russian military build-up in Syria fuel concern" (2015-09-10, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/LKd14] [begin excerpt]: American officials also told AFP under condition of anonymity at least three Russian military transportation aircraft -- two Antonov 124 Condor cargo planes and a passenger jet -- have landed at Latakia airport in recent days. "All of this seems to be suggesting that Russia is planning to do some sort of forward air-operating hub out of this airfield," one official said. US Secretary of State John Kerry called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to warn the conflict could escalate if Moscow does increase its military support, a fear echoed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. [end excerpt]
* "US intel analysts revolt over rosy IS assessments" (2015-09-10, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/MMS2L] [begin excerpt]: More than 50 US intelligence analysts have complained that senior military officials altered reports so as to downplay the strength of Islamic State and Al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, the Daily Beast reported Thursday. The online news outlet said senior officials at US Central Command changed the reports to bring them into line with the White House's rosier public view that the United States was winning the war against the militant groups. [end excerpt]
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* "US general: Only handful of Syrian fighters remain in battle" (2015-09-16, AP Newswire) [archive.is/Zyssq]. Matt Florence writes: The USA spent a whopping $500 million training only 60 Syrian rebels. After the first 54 fighters were sent in to fight in July, a Syrian affiliate of al-Qaida attacked the group, killing several and taking others hostage while many fled. Asked how many remain, Gen. Lloyd Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee, "It's a small number. ... We're talking four or five."
---
* "How Islamist rebels engineered Israel’s oil grab in Syria" (2015-01-28, middleeasteye.net) [archive.is/tDdBg]
* "Israel Grants First Golan Heights Oil Drilling License To Dick Cheney-Linked Company" (2013-02-22, businessinsider.com) [archive.is/GWg8Y]
---
* "Color Revolution 2.0 in Lebanon: From Piles of Trash to Piles of Rubble" (2015-09-05, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/wxsx8]
* "Lebanon: Forget the Arab Spring – Here Comes the Real Arab Uprising!" (2015-09-04, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/bPaqD]
===*===*===
Global Islamic Caliphate / Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL ; ISIS)
* "ISIL: Total War Goes International" (2015-07-03, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/Q4hfC]
* "KHORASAN: Where ISIS, Caspian Energy, and Great Power Politics Meet" (2015-08-28, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/F3Ys4]
* "ISIS in Afghanistan: Proxy War against Iran and China" (2015-08-04, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/QWqUv]
* "The Agenda Behind ISIS’ Cultural Genocide" (2015-07-18, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/Kvz66]
---
* "How the Saudis, Israel and US started ISIS (The Islamic State)" (viewzone.com) [archive.is/6TShY], with primary documents
* "TIME Admits ISIS Bringing Arms, Fighters in From NATO Territory" (2015-07-12, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/S3gd9], referring to to the article “ISIS Fighters Kill 200 Civilians in Syrian Town" (2015-06-27, AP Newswire, for Time weekly newsmagazine) [archive.is/k7O7A]
* "ISIS leader admits to being funded by the US" (2015-09-16, australiannationalreview.com) [archive.is/nfumD] [begin excerpt]: In early 2015, Yousaf al Salafi, a man believed to be the Pakistani commander of Islamic State, confessed during investigations that he has been receiving money through the United States.
A few months after al Salafi revealed the funding he was receiving was routed through the United States, Michael Flynn, former director of Obama’s Defence Intelligence Agency, said he warned the Obama administration three years ago that the groups they were funding in Syria were actually Islamic jihadists. Now, a group of 50 intelligence analysts working out of the U.S. military’s Central Command have complained that their reports on Islamic State and the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda were being incorrectly changed by senior officials.
On January 22, law enforcing agencies in Pakistan claimed they arrested not only al Salafi, but also two other people during a raid in the city of Lahore. A source familiar with the investigation told Daily Express that during the investigation al Salafi admitted he received funding to run the organisation in Pakistan and “recruit young people to fight in Syria.” The Pakistani-Syrian entered Pakistan via Turkey last year, but it was previously reported that he crossed into Turkey from Syria, was caught there but managed to escape and went to Pakistan to establish ISIS in the region.
Daily Express cited sources as saying that John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State was familiar with al Salafi’s revelations and so was CENTCOM chief General Lloyd Austin. Al Salafi confessed he was recruiting people with a Pakistani accomplice to send them to Syria and was receiving around US$600 per person.
A recently declassified 2012 document shows that “Salafist, the Muslim Brotherhood and AQI [Al-Qaeda in Iraq]” were listed as the “major forces driving the insurgency in Syria.” The document also revealed that “the West, Gulf countries and Turkey support the opposition while Russia, China and Iran support the regime.” According to the declassified document, the Obama administration was warned in 2012 that these Islamic jihadists wanted to create a “Salafist principality in eastern Syria” and that ISI [Islamic State of Iraq] could declare an Islamic State through its union with other terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria, which will create grave danger in regards to unifying Iraq and the protection of its territory.” [end excerpt]
* "Analyst Blames US for Failing to Stop Funding Syrian Mercenaries; The aim of Washington's program to train the forces that are going against ISIL is to deliver arms to the Syrian opposition forces trying to topple President Assad, according to Scott Bennett, a former US Army officer and counterterrorism analyst" (2015-09-20, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/VvOma]
* "The Unspoken Truth: Obama’s “Responsibility to Protect” the Islamic State (ISIS). The Objective is to “Degrade and Destroy” Iraq and Syria" (2015-09-16, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/ilcrJ]
* "US Covert Support to the Islamic State (ISIS) as a Means to Creating Chaos and Destroying Syria" (2015-09-16, by Prof Rodrigue Tremblay) [archive.is/xfbFN]
* "Unmasking ISIS" (2015-09-11, washingtonsblog.com) archived version [http://is.gd/crBOzs], original version with videos [http://is.gd/nZYAjs] [begin excerpt]: And it’s not as if we only started supporting the rebels after the Syrian civil war started. Rather, the U.S. started funding the Syrian opposition 5 years before the civil war started … and started arming them 4 years beforehand. And a leaked 2006 U.S. State Department Cable from the U.S. Ambassador to Syria discussed plans to overthrow the Syrian government. So it’s not as if our intervention in Syria is for humanitarian reasons. We summarized the state of affairs in 2014: The Syrian rebels are mainly Al Qaeda, and the U.S. has been supporting these terrorists for years. Indeed, as reported in the Wall Street Journal, the National and other sources, Al Qaeda’s power within the Syrian rebel forces is only growing stronger. [end excerpt]
* "Lavrov: US knows ISIS positions, refuses to bomb" (2015-09-13, Pnp.ru, translated by Joaquin Flores for fortruss.blogspot.de) [archive.is/kgHzR]
* "America’s Phony War on the ISIS. Washington Recruits, Arms, Funds, Trains and Directs the “Islamic State” Terrorists" (2015-09-11, by Stephen Lendman) [archive.is/gC3Jj]
* "Al-Qaida, other groups take last army base in Syria's Idlib" (2015-09-09, AP Newswire) [archive.is/aovAo] [begin excerpt]: After a two-year siege, al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria and other insurgents on Wednesday captured the one remaining Syrian army air base in Idlib province, a development that activists said effectively expelled the last of President Bashar Assad's military from the northwestern province. Al-Qaida's Syria branch — known as the Nusra Front and a top rival of the Islamic State — and other Islamic insurgents now control nearly all of Idlib province, except for the predominantly Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya, which pro-government militiamen hold. Syrian state TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying that troops pulled out of the Idlib base with weapons, and that none of the equipment and warplanes left behind "were usable."
The military official said the attack on the base was carried out by "terrorist groups receiving support from Erdogan's government," referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is a strong supporter of Syrian opposition groups. The Syrian government refers to all groups fighting against Assad's forces as "terrorists." The Nusra Front is part of a coalition of insurgent groups called Jaish al-Fateh, or Army of Conquest, which has captured most of Idlib. [end excerpt]
Monopolist Newswires chartered in the USA (specifically the AP, AFP, and UPI newswires) are historically assets of the various clandestine agencies of the Federal Executive Branch, including the Department of Homeland Security, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. The following shows a USA clandestine agent's photograph of Al Qaeda. The agent is embedded in these USA-backed terrorist militias, in order to glorify their attacks, and give them valuable positive propaganda.
* Photo: Omar Haj Kadour, AFP / Getty Images [archive.is/5U8tg]: Members of al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate sit on top of a former army figther jet after they seized the Abu Zuhour military airport in the latest setback for President Bashar Assad’s forces.
* "Israeli Military Admits to Supporting Syrian Jihadis" (2015-07-23, washingtonsblog.com) [archive.is/JEul3]
* "Israel acknowledges it is helping Syrian rebel fighters" (2015-06-29, timesofisrael.com) [archive.is/Kd1Ez]
* "ISRAELI SPECIAL FORCES ASSASSINATED SENIOR SYRIAN OFFICIAL" (2015-07-15, firstlook.org) [archive.is/N96ZN]
---
* "FBI Identifies Online Jihadist as Joshua Ryne Goldberg" (2015-09-12, from Milicent, whowhatwhy.org): Who would have guessed that an online jihadist distributing information on explosives was a 20-year-old man named Joshua Ryne Goldberg? The FBI, working with the Australian Federal Police, tracked him down to Jacksonville, Florida, where he lives with his parents. "The man was arrested for distributing information relating to explosives and destructive devices to facilitate a possible terrorist act in the United States,” reported the FBI. Read more at "'Australian' jihadist was young American: report" (2015-09-11, msn.com) [archive.is/qc3jc]===*===*===
Kurdistan
[kurdishdailynews.org]
* Interview with the World’s First Army of Women: YJA-STAR (2015-03-23) [archive.is/pt8mk]
---
* "Repression and violations of human rights continue in Turkey and North Kurdistan and the people continue to fight back" (2015-07-30, collected from ANF Newswire) [archive.is/NEImb]
Armed Struggle in Turkey/Kurdistan -
Signalfire.org will produce a regular digest of the military conflict in Turkey/Kurdistan based on both bourgeois and progressive media. For further background we recommend Nouvelle Turquie [nouvelleturquie.wordpress.com] (French and English translations of material in the Maoist and Marxist-Leninist media), and Turkey Harvest [turkeyharvest.blogspot.com] (extensive coverage of the national democratic struggle of the Kurdish people).
* first week of August (2015-08-06) [archive.is/zB1oU] [archive.is/S3Y3G]
* (2015-08-10) [archive.is/Zx4SC]
* (2015-08-11) [archive.is/YvpRV]
* (2015-08-13) [archive.is/eKNa2]
* "Dozens of Turkish soldiers killed in actions by guerrillas-ANF" (2015-08-14, signalfire.org) [archive.is/qwNm1]
* "Turkish Jets is bombing Kurdish Guerrillas and civilians in South-Kurdistan (Iraq)" (2015-07-25, Kurdistan National Congress) [archive.is/0QLIz] [begin excerpt]: Yesterday on the 24th of July, at 10:55pm Turkish jets have bombed Kurdish areas (xakurke, Qandil, Behdin, Zap, Gare, Basye, Amedia, and Avasin) in south Kurdistan where mostly PKK guerrillas and civilians are situated. This attacks are still continuing.The AKP government authorized Turkish military and air force to bomb these civilian areas, including in Xakurke and the Enze village in Qandil. Reports from local sources indicate that a number of civilians were injured during these attacks, with villages, farms and homes destroyed. [end excerpt]
* "Turkish forces enter northern Iraq as PKK violence spirals" and "Over 50 Turkish jets bomb PKK targets in northern Iraq: report" (2015-09-08, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/Hdfrg]
---
* "Solidarity Pact of ICOR with the Kurdish liberation struggle" [http://is.gd/0qwxx4]
* "MLKP warrior Halil Aksakal (Mazlum Aktaş) who was martyred in the fight for the liberation of Tel Abyab was buried in his hometown of Hatay with thousands in attendance" (2015-06-27) original [archive.is/Ed9ej], translated [archive.is/84MG8], photos [archive.is/p35WA] [archive.is/hp4MG] [archive.is/VXop6] [archive.is/MSaod] [archive.is/pj90f] [archive.is/OXupB]
* "Mazlum Aktaş is immortal!" (2015-06-22, International Freedom Battalion) [archive.is/Afubx]
* International Freedom Battalion organization page [facebook.com/pages/International-freedom-battalion/1597451687171173]
* "TKP/ML-TIKKO celebrates the victory of Girê Spi" (2015-06-27, TKP/ML-TIKKO) original [archive.is/fhdO6], translated [archive.is/Fv0na], social media meme [archive.is/JGEpW].
* "2 Spanish members of International Brigade arrested" (2015-07-06, Marxist-Leninist Party - Reconstrucción Comunista), translated [archive.is/KhMKC], attached video [youtube.com/watch?v=yXEZqVlJemg]:
During this morning, the repressive forces of the Spanish State are carrying out the arrest of the comrades who have been fighting the fascist forces of DAESH (Islamic State) in Rojava. Due to the lack of further information, we ask you for support, solidarity and spreading the message. The homes of the comrades were searched by investigators of the Provincial Brigade Intelligence Office of the Madrid police. These comrades are two militants of the Partido Marxista-Leninista (Reconstrucción Comunista) that are accused by the police of appearing in this video. Police said that the two activists came into Syria via Turkey and Germany. They are accused of participating in an armed conflict outside Spain without the permission of the State, of collaborating with a terrorist organization (this is probably the PKK – Kurdish People’s Party being described here), use of military weapons and explosive devices, and of seriously undermining Spanish national interests. Reconstrucción Comunista is an organization composed of members of the Communist Youth who have broken with the Partido Comunista de España, PCE. Its founding members initially were active in this organisation before founding their own organization, close to the MLKP (Marksist-Leninist Komünist Partisi – Turkey) in 2009.WE WANT THE SPANISH MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL BRIGADE WHO HAVE FOUGHT ISIS TO BE RELEASED WITHOUT CHARGES!
DEFENDING THE CIVIL POPULATION FROM ISIS TERRORIST ATTACKS CAN’T BE PERSECUTED!
FREEDOM FOR THE ANTIFASCIST COMBATANTS!
INTERNATIONALIST SOLIDARITY IS NOT A CRIME!
---
Kurdistan in Turkey
* "Protest, armed action in Istanbul against Suruc massacre" (2015-07-21, MLCP Turkey/Kurdistan International Bureau) [archive.is/YeMEX], nine photos [archive.is/2MK5F] [archive.is/IFsN8] [archive.is/379aI] [archive.is/dOPlj] [archive.is/aGQje] [archive.is/SER25] [archive.is/xNDPd] [archive.is/UiZcu] [archive.is/fLFy4]
* "The massacre of at least 31 young socialists in Suruç today" (2015-07-20, turkeyharvest.blogspot.de) [archive.is/zXoL6]
* "Young Communists are immortal! We will ask account for the Suruc Massacre from the fascist IS and its collaborators!" (2015-07-20, MLCP Central Commitee - Turkey / Kurdistan International Bureau) [archive.is/rwK8C]
===*===*===
State of Israel and international operations
[dukium.org] [icahd.org]
* "The Alliance between Israel and Saudi Arabia" (2015-09-15, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/9YTQi]
---
* "Get gas flowing, Noble tells Israeli government" (2015-09-09, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/0czCP]
---
* "Angola Mineral, Mining Sector Investment and Business Guide - Volume 1: Strategic Information and Regulations", pgs. 86, 87 (USA International Business Publications) [http://is.gd/UMl2tG]:
ASCORP: THE COMPANY IT KEEPS -
Hong Kong-based Welox Ltd., part of the Leviev Group, is one of Ascorp's principal external investors. Lev Leviev runs a global commercial empire that includes the Leviev Group, Lev Leviev Diamonds and others. The Leviev Group is the largest manufacturer of diamonds in the world. with a reported turnover of $1.5 bilion US. Leviev is Chairman of Africa-Israel, a publicly traded Israeli company, and he holds considerable influence in Russia, where he is President of the Russian-Israeli Chamber of Commerce. Leviev's participation in Angola's diamond sector began through investment in the Catoca kimberlite project, currently the largest producer of Angolan diamonds. The mine is managed by Almazi Rossii Sakha (Alrosa), Russia's largest diamond producer, but Leviev's investment in the final stages of construction secured him the right to market Catoca's output. Leviev's involvement in Catoca appears to have paved the way for his participation in Ascorp, as well as in the Camafuca kimberlite pipe. It would appear, therefore, that the creation of Ascorp may have stemmed from Leviev's prominent position in Angola's formal diamond sector.
Other versions of Leviev's Angolan success are based on personal networks rather than diamonds: 'One version has it that Leviev was helped by his UNITA's production. but it would also increase the volume of diamonds being smuggled out of Angola.
Angola's official diamond trade could have been controlled without imposing a monopoly. Greater control could have been achieved by providing better supervision of the six licensed buying companies that operated prior to February 2000. The Angolan government used the conflict diamond campaign to justify the creation of the monopoly. The more immediate aim of the central authorities was to redirect diamonds controlled by peripheral power sources. such as FAA generals, provincial governors and merchants. The creation of Ascorp can thus be interpreted as an (sentence missing in original),
friend and eventual partner in Africa-Israel. Arcadi Gaydamak (sic), who opened doors for him in Angola. Gaydamak. with his French partner Pierre Falcone, sold millions of dollars worth of eastern European arms to Angola and became close associates of President Eduardo dos Santos'. Gaidamak, a businessman with Russian and Israeli citizenship, purchased 15 percent of Africa-Israel in January 2000. He worked as an economic advisor to President dos Santos, and was reportedly involved with Falcone in the renegotiation of Angola's debt to Russia in 1996 through the French bank Paribas and the Russian bank Menatap. The Yediot Aharonot quotes Gaidamak as saying that he 'initiated a deal in which Angola would sell oil drilling franchises and. with the money earned, buy weapons from the Russian Defense Ministry?' Some arms deals, however, were scrutinized by French authorities, and he was said to be 'wanted for questioning by Paris magistrates about a £450m allegedly illegal arms deal with Angola in the early 1990s'. The French newspaper, Le Parisian, reported that the French intelligence service had been observing Falcone and Gaidamak for possible money laundering through petrol and arms sales, as well as for Gaidamak's possible association with Russian organized crime. [end excerpt]
---
* "Detainees' Committee: '100 Palestinian Children Held In The 'Ofer Israeli Prison' " (2015-09-07, imemc.org) [archive.is/9n2qg]
---
* "Israel up in arms over the Corbyn threat" (2015-09-15, middleeasteye.net) [archive.is/UNb3L]
* "Outspoken anti-Israel politician elected as leader of British Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn has described Hezbollah and Hamas as ‘friends’ " (2015-09-13, ejpress.org) [archive.is/O56em]
* "Anti-Israel Jeremy Corbyn is new UK Labour leader; Far-left MP has empathized with Hezbollah, Hamas; UK Jews alarmed by his ties to ‘Holocaust deniers, terrorists and some outright anti-Semites’ " (2015-09-12, timesofisrael.com) [archive.is/w37Yd]
* "Analysis: Is Jeremy Corbyn anti-Semitic?" (2015-09-13, timesofisrael.com) [archive.is/8tszy], and posting at facebook.com [archive.is/P5zQI]
* "Jeremy Corbyn attacked as newspaper claims anti-semitic links" (2015-08-14, ft.com) [archive.is/dGLC1]
---
* "UC's new 'Principles Against Intolerance' fail free-speech test" (2015-09-16, latimes.com) [archive.is/ynJec] [begin excerpt]: Particular concerns have been raised about whether campus protests against Israeli policies have contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish students. Earlier this year, UC was urged to endorse a State Department document that defined anti-Semitism to include denying Israel's right to exist or subjecting the Jewish state to a double standard.
Critics — including this page — warned that endorsement by the university of that document could chill constitutionally protected speech. UC wisely backed away from the definition, but Napolitano promised to ask the regents to consider a broader statement opposing intolerance “including, but not limited to, anti-Semitism.” [end excerpt]
===*===*===
State of Palestine, exile community, and occupied territories
[english.palinfo.com] [qassam.ps] [pflp.ps/english]
* "Gaza water shortage catastrophic: ‘We can’t drink, cook or wash with it’ " (2015-09-06, rt.com) [archive.is/FSM2u]
* "Rights group says civilians harmed in Egypt's Sinai campaign" (2015-09-22, AP Newswire) [archive.is/b9Vit] [begin excerpt]: The Egyptian military's campaign against Islamic insurgents in northern Sinai is harming thousands of civilians and risks turning more people against the government, Human Rights Watch said in a report Tuesday.
The government has evicted 3,200 families over the past two years, and razed hundreds of hectares (acres) of farmland and thousands of homes in its bid to destroy illegal smuggling tunnels connecting the Gaza Strip with Egypt's northern Sinai Peninsula, the rights group said.
"Destroying homes, neighborhoods and livelihoods is a textbook example of how to lose a counterinsurgency campaign," said Sarah Leah Whitson, the organization's director in the Middle East and North Africa.
"The Egyptian authorities provided residents with little or no warning of the evictions, no temporary housing, mostly inadequate compensation for their destroyed homes — none at all for their farmland," the organization said in a statement.
Egypt's government wants to create a buffer zone along its border with the Gaza Strip to destroy a cross-border network of tunnels. The government accuses Islamic militants of using smuggling tunnels to move between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Gaza, which is ruled by the militant group Hamas.
The remote territory is characterized by hardscrabble towns, desert and mountainous areas suitable for guerrilla operations. Some disaffected local Bedouin tribesmen in the region, which suffers from economic hardship, turn to smuggling, organized crime and, in some cases, radical Islam.
The Egyptian government has been battling a long-running insurgency in the region, which escalated after the military ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013 amid massive protests against his rule and cracked down on Islamic groups. A local Islamic State affiliate has been claiming responsibility for militant attacks in northern Sinai. While violence has largely been confined to the region, bombs have also hit other parts of the country, including Cairo.
Human Rights Watch said the United States had trained the Egyptian military to use "sophisticated tunnel-detecting technology" to find and destroy tunnels and avoid wiping out entire neighborhoods.
The organization also said it received video footage showing American-made M60 tank shelling a building to demolish it. It called on the United States to access the area and make sure its weapons aren't being used in violation of human rights. [end excerpt]
===*===*===
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia & GCC Council member states
* "Fury after Saudi Arabia 'chosen to head key UN human rights panel' " (2015-09-20, independent.co.uk) [archive.is/y0ySl]
---
* "Crucifixion of teenager in Saudi Arabia highlights Britain's business deals with despots" (2015-09-17, ibtimes.co.uk) [http://is.gd/bpOJLI]
* "This man is going be crucified for political activism—by American ally Saudi Arabia" (2015-09-17, rare.us) [archive.is/2qjF4]
* "Man Arrested at 17 in Saudi Arabia to Be Crucified" (2015-09-17, newser.com) [http://is.gd/EYKLfD]
---
* "KSA takes zero refugees despite having 100,000 tents able to house 3 million people; While Europe takes the burden of the migrant crisis" (2015-09-11, Paul Joseph Watson) [archive.is/jbwwI]: While European countries are being lectured about their failure to take in enough refugees, Saudi Arabia – which has taken in precisely zero migrants – has 100,000 air conditioned tents that can house over 3 million people sitting empty.
The sprawling network of high quality tents are located in the city of Mina, spreading across a 20 square km valley, and are only used for 5 days of the year by Hajj pilgrims. As the website Amusing Planet reports, “For the rest of the year, Mina remains pretty much deserted.”The tents, which measure 8 meters by 8 meters, were permanently constructed by the Saudi government in the 1990’s and were upgraded in 1997 to be fire proof. They are divided into camps which include kitchen and bathroom facilities.
The tents could provide shelter for almost all of the 4 million Syrian refugees that have been displaced by the country’s civil war, which was partly exacerbated by Saudi Arabia’s role in funding and arming jihadist groups.
However, as the Washington Post reports, wealthy Gulf Arab nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and others have taken in precisely zero Syrian refugees. Although Saudi Arabia claims it has taken in 500,000 Syrians since 2011, rights groups point out that these people are not allowed to register as migrants. Many of them are also legal immigrants who moved there for work. In comparison, Lebanon has accepted 1.3 million refugees – more than a quarter of its population.While it refuses to take in any more refugees, Saudi Arabia has offered to build 200 mosques for the 500,000 migrants a year expected to pour into Germany.
Saudis argue that the tents in Mina are needed to host the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, but given that the Arabic concept of Ummah is supposed to offer protection to all Muslims under one brotherhood, surely an alternative location could be found so that Mina can be repurposed to house desperate families fleeing war and ISIS persecution?
While Europe is being burdened by potentially millions of people who don’t share the same culture or religion as the host population, Gulf Arab states refuse to pull their weight, resolving only to throw money at the problem.
The likelihood of the Saudis inviting Syrian refugees to stay in Mina is virtually zero, but the thousands of empty tents serve as a physical representation of the hypocrisy shared by wealthy Gulf Arab states when it comes to helping with the crisis.
===*===*===
Ansar Allah Revolutionary Government of Yemen ("Houthis")* "One year on, Yemen rebels still hold Sanaa despite air campaign" (2015-09-20, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/CjvkH]
* "One million Yemeni fighters prepare to invade Saudi Arabia" (2015-09-17, middleeastmonitor.com) [archive.is/veWwY]
* "31 dead as intense coalition raids pound Yemen rebels" (2015-09-08, AFP) [archive.is/kHT3Z]
* "Ground War Intensifies in Yemen as Scores of Saudi and UAE Troops Are Killed" (2015-09-08, by Abayomi Azikiwe) [archive.is/xQ81A]
* "Coalition jets hit rebel posts in Yemen capital" (2015-09-09, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/q9wD8]
* "Yemen map of war Sep. 7, 2015: The war escalates" (2015-09-07, southfront.org) [archive.is/dj27k], map [archive.is/hc2s8]
===*===*===
Islamic Republic of Iran, and international operations
* "I Testify That Iran Is Standing!" (2015-09-18, by Andre Vltchek) [archive.is/iKlMp]
* "Hopes for shopping revolution as malls sprout in Iran" (2015-09-17, AFP newswire) [archive.is/bRF5e]
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* "Iranian president to visit France in November, PM says" (2015-09-15, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/9LI7L]
* "Iran awaits Austrian energy investments" (2015-09-08, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/iFpS5]
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* "Contain Iran with oil, U.S. export backers say" (2015-09-09, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/c1ePv]
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* "Guardian’s Correspondent “Pinocchio” in Tehran: Demonizing Iranians, Nonsensical Propaganda A Response to Tehran Bureau/The Guardian’s Propaganda" (2015-09-18, by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich, globalresearch.ca) [archive.is/D4ylm]
===*===*===
Republic of Afghanistan / Islamic Republic Of Pashtunistan / Waziristan
[shahamat-english.com]
* "U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Afghan Allies’ Abuse of Boys" (2015-09-20, nytimes.com) [archive.is/MrKA7]
* "U.S. Soldiers Ordered To Allow Afghan Police To Rape Young Boys" (2015-09-21, yournewswire.com) [archive.is/qxGfD]
===*===*===
Republic of India
* "Narendra Modi and Monsanto: Making India Friendly to Global Capital" (2015-09-22, by Colin Todhunter, globalresearch.ca) [archive.is/G0vhE]
===*===*===
[signalfire.org/category/maoists-india] [icspwindia.wordpress.com] [liberationbase.wordpress.com] [sanhati.com]
* " ‘State an agent of globalisation’ " (2015-07-29, thehindu.com) [archive.is/SJPin]: The Maoist party has been successful in setting a model of resistance against the onslaught of globalisation in the country, poet and writer Varavara Rao has said.
Addressing Martyr’s Remembrance Week observation here on Tuesday, he said Maoists were dreaming of a self-reliant society without oppression, suppression or private property.
“The state has become the agency of implanting globalisation policies. Maoists are the only party, who fight against globalisation policies. The forest areas in the country are under the threat of corporates as those are the mines of natural resources and cheap labour. That’s why Maoists’ activities are focused on forests,” he said.
“Even when the Constitution gives adivasis the right over forest resources, most parts of the country’s forests are under the control of the paramilitary forces,” he noted. In the name of operations such as Green Hunt, Thunderbolt and Vijaya, the state has been unleashing violence against the poor tribals. It’s a paradox that in a democratic country, the Army rules the entire North East and Kashmir, he said. As long as classes exist, class struggles too will be there, he added.
The parallel government set up by the party in the Dandakaranya region of Chhattisgarh was a model of how people could win over oppression and harassment, Mr. Rao said.
Praising the alleged Maoist activities in the Western Ghats area, the writer said there had been attempts by the party to spread base in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and the Western Ghats.
“The Western Ghats area has the tradition of armed struggles right from the time of Naxalite activist Varghese. The government has tried to scuttle the activities through Operation Thunderbolt. Recently, they arrested leaders like Murali, Roopesh and Shyna. Though the arrests were a setback to the movement, they will reequip and hit back,” he said.
Leader of Porattam M.N. Ravunny presided over the function.
* "Manipur: Press Release on protest against police brutality on students" (2015-07-09, NEFIS) [archive.is/u44sc]: North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) condemns the brutal killing of a student while protesting against the government in Manipur!
Hundreds of NEFIS activists gathered and gheraoed Manipur Bhawan. Photos [archive.is/HINir] [archive.is/vWM6s] [archive.is/LTrld] [archive.is/A959V] [archive.is/CcLaC].
Today a large number of students from different regions of North-East, led by NEFIS protested against the high-handed crackdown of police on peaceful protesters in Manipur. The police brutality on people was once again demonstrated when on Wednesday, 8th of July, a student was killed while demonstrating against the Government. The victim was a Class 11th student, who was fatally wounded when to scatter the protesters, the tear gas shell fired from close range hit him.This incident is connected to other past incidents where peoples’ right to dissent has been gagged by the authorities and their democratic right to protest against the government, violated. It should be noted that the people who were protesting were innocent school students of different educational institutions. It is shameful that police could not tolerate even a peaceful protest by students and shockingly tried to disperse the protesters using reprehensible means. A delegation of NEFIS also met the Resident Commissioner of Manipur and submitted a Memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister of Manipur. The following demands were raised:
1. There should be an immediate and independent inquiry into the incident.
2. The Police personnel responsible for the death of the student should be immediately suspended.
3. There should be an immediate stop on any mode of repression on peaceful Democratic movements. NEFIS will take the issue to National level, if the demands are not immediately heard. We request your esteemed daily/magazine to cover our news, so that a democratic movement against police repression on people rights to dissent gains a big momentum. Thanking You, Chinglen Khumukcham, Convener, North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS)
* "Free Ajith! Free All Political Prisoners in India! Support People's War!" (2015-06-19, Communist Party of India Maoist - Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee) [archive.is/SAbv2]
* "International campaign to support people’s war: Austria" (2015-07-28) [archive.is/Ssz0L]
* "Support for the People’s War in Germany" (2015-07-26, signalfire.org) [archive.is/m6pES]. Photo: Solidarity event in Berlin.
* "Let us commit ourselves for building a strong global solidarity movement with the people’s war in India and exposing and resisting the crimes of the Indian state! Let us strive to shake heaven and earth for fight to release comrade Ajith and all other political prisoners!" (2015-06-26, Committee in Support of the People’s war in India - in Afghanistan-Pakistan) [archive.is/jYqCN]
* "A song in memory of Comrade Vivek" by Dappu Ramesh (2015-06-26) [youtube.com/watch?v=csTJLKblXeU]: Comrade Vivek has been killed by police in an alleged encounter in Chattisgarh state. He was an active participant in Telangana movement and joined CPI Maoist for a democratic cause. He has completed his law course and joined the movement an year ago. Most of you might have seen this chubby boy in all the Telangana militant struggles.
* "Observe the 44th martyr day of comrade Charu Majumder" (2015-07-27, signalfire.org) [archive.is/BoWKe]
* "Martyr’s week: Maoists take out rally on Andhra-Odisha border" (2015-08-01, thehindu.com) [archive.is/TrH5g]: The Pedabayalu Area Committee of the CPI (Maoist) organised a meeting on the Andhra-Odisha border on July 28, the first day of the Martyrs’ Week, according to delayed reports reaching here. People in hundreds from nearby villages took out a rally and paid tributes at the memorials of the party members Narender, Mahander, Sharat, Ganapathi, Laalu, Jogal and Sonu. Leaders of Adivasi Viplaval Rytu Coolie Sangham and Adivasi Viplava Mahila Sangham addressed the villagers. They also paid tributes to founder member of Virasam Chalasani Prasad who died a few days ago. Secretary of the Pedabayalu Area Committee Manganna said the villagers also donated cash and rice to be distributed to the families of martyrs. Manyam Pithuri Sena and People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army also took part in the meeting.
* Maoist Information Bulletin (MIB) Interviews CPI(Maoist) General Secretary Comrade Ganapathy (2014-09) [archive.is/qI3hF]
* "National Dedication Day Observed" (2015-07-24, Maoist Communist Party, Manipur MCPM) [archive.is/zjCIQ] [begin excerpt]: A great intensified movement was suddenly broken out by the disgruntled and piqued people of Manipur against the brutal killing of Thangjam Manorama Chanu after being arrested, snatched away, raped and murdered by occupied Indian Army. As a part of the movement five voluntary members of MAFYF decided firmly to burn themselves to death (immolation) for repealing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958. Today, the 24th July, 2015, Maoist Communist Party, Manipur (MCPM), as a tribute to them, has observed /celebrated the first “National Dedication Day” in the reminiscence of those five heroic stoics who led the then agitating mass of the movement even by determining themselves for immolation. Thangjam Chanu Manorama was arrested, snatched away, brutally raped and mercilessly murdered by the callous occupied Indian Army on the 11th July, 2004 defaming and demolishing the respect of feminism. [end excerpt]* "Maoists to observe August 15 as 'Black Day' " (2015-08-11, timesofindia.indiatimes.com) [archive.is/PElkD]: The outlawed CPI (Maoist) have urged locals to observe Independence Day as a 'Black Day' in protest against police excesses on tribals. The rebels have also demanded stop to combing operations in Koraput, Rayagada and Malkangiri districts.
Secretary of Bansadhara-Ghumusara-Nabagali division of the banned organisation Umakant through letters sent to a few mediapersons in Rayagada on Monday has charged the security forces with harassing and arresting tribals in false Maoist cases. "Scores of tribals are being implicated in false cases. Police are killing many tribals in fake encounters and labelling them as Maoists. We appeal to all to observe Black Day on August 15," the letter stated.
The Maoist leader has condemned the police encounter that took place at Madaguda in Kandhamal district on July 26 in which a couple were killed in police firing.
"Keeping an eye on Independence Day celebration, elaborate security arrangements are being made. All police stations are on high alert," said SP (Rayagada) K Siva Subramani.
* "PBCP ‘regional leader’ killed in Kushtia District" (2015-07-29, satp.org) [archive.is/pbSnn], map [archive.is/TizTR]: Palash Malitha (29), a ‘regional leader’ of Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) was killed during a gunfight with Police in Khamarpur village of Kushtia District on July 25, reports The Daily Star. Police recovered a firearm, three bullets and three sharp weapons from there.
People’s War in India news clippings
* (2015-06-20) [archive.is/0OLg3] * (2015-06-21) [archive.is/cHtNz]
* (2015-06-22) [archive.is/M39od]
* (2015-06-23) [archive.is/aB9Mb]
* (2015-06-24) [archive.is/w7u9s]
* (2015-06-25) [archive.is/HQQkK]
* (2015-06-26) [archive.is/O9tpB]
* (2015-06-29) [archive.is/wOL46] with twelve articles
* (2015-06-30) [archive.is/uJr3I] with four articles
* (2015-07-01) [archive.is/RS8TP] with three articles
* (2015-07-02) [archive.is/rc9tM] with six articles
* (2015-07-03) [archive.is/ZbLYG] with six articles
* (2015-07-06) [archive.is/aXMaF] with nine articles
* (2015-07-07) [archive.is/zyrzk] with four articles
* (2015-07-08) [archive.is/9U69Y] with two articles
* (2015-07-09) [archive.is/xs7xW] with nine articles
* (2015-07-10) [archive.is/6uo3x] with four articles
* (2015-07-17) [archive.is/5rJ2Q] with thirty-one articles
* (2015-07-18) [archive.is/4o419] with five articles
* (2015-07-19) [archive.is/ELKCN] with four articles
* (2015-07-20) [archive.is/M4eBG] with seven articles
* (2015-07-21) [archive.is/eMS2q] with eight articles
* (2015-07-22) [archive.is/c8LS1] with five articles
* (2015-07-23) [archive.is/ebqTI] with four articles
* (2015-07-24) [archive.is/qeoGX] with two articles
* (2015-07-25) [archive.is/cm4tA] with five articles
* (2015-07-27) [archive.is/DugLC] with twenty articles
* (2015-07-28) [archive.is/NaWWd] with ten articles
* (2015-07-29) [archive.is/ygXH9] with six articles
* (2015-07-30) [archive.is/SofZG] with eleven articles
* (2015-08-01) [archive.is/y5dFz] with fifteen articles
* (2015-08-04) [archive.is/TTyXa] with four articles
* (2015-08-11) [archive.is/bj44B] with five articles
* (2015-08-12) [archive.is/SfrNL] with six articles
* (2015-08-13) [archive.is/RcMM4] with four articles
* (2015-08-14) [archive.is/1V7Ym] with five articles
* (2015-08-15) [archive.is/dH8al] with eight articles
* (2015-08-16) [archive.is/ZQNWY] with two articles
===*===*===
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
* "Big Three invite disgruntled groups for talks" (2015-09-10, infonepal.net) [archive.is/gcOXp]: Top leaders of major three political parties have called on the agitating groups including the Madhes-based parties to come for talks.
A joint meeting of parties—Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist)—convened Constituent Assembly premises on Wednesday evening made an appeal in writing, inviting the disgruntled parties to resolve their issues through dialogue.
But they have insisted that the constitution drafting process won’t be stopped.
Earlier, the agitating parties turned down the appeal for talks made by Prime Minister Sushil Koirala on behalf of the government.
They have concluded that the demands of the agitating parties can be met through the current constitution drafting process.
Speaking to the journalists after the meeting, CPN-UML leader Jhalanath Khanal said that the three parties are ready for talks but that they would not stop the current process by bowing to any national or international forces.
Nepali Congress Vice President Ram Chandra Poudel said that the disgruntled parties have a final opportunity to get their demands addressed by coming to negotiating table. He insisted that the process won’t at all.
Nearly a month-long protests and strikes by Tharus and Madhesis have affected lives in the south of the country. Nearly 33 people, including protesters and security personnel have died during clashes.
* "CA members representing Madhesh urge Maoist Chair Dahal to address just demands" (2015-09-10, infonepal.net) [archive.is/ckTYZ]
* "UML urges agitating parties to keep refrain and option to protest" (2015-09-10, infonepal.net) [archive.is/Qzux3]
* "Nepal objects to India-China trade pact via Lipu-Lekh Pass" (2015-06-09, economictimes.indiatimes.com) [archive.is/wOsg4]* "Nepal should've been consulted before Lipulek pact" (2015-06-10, alagdhaar.com) [archive.is/UNFw1]
* "China welcomes Nepal pact, Lipulek route silence remains" (2015-06-14, nepaltoday.com.np) [archive.is/t7F6Y]
* "Group demands scrapping of Lipulek trade treaty between India and China" (2015-06-24, setopati.net) [archive.is/ai6TN]
* "Authenticity of Lipulekh border pass; Decision to expand Sino-Indian border trade through Lipulekh Pass disregards Nepal’s sovereign rights over the area" (2015-06-29, bordernepal.wordpress.com) [archive.is/YenDs]
===*===*===
[redstarnepal.com] [thenextfront.com]
Nepal Maoist Clippings
* (2015-07-24) [archive.is/CL6in] with six articles
* "CPN M men smear soot on face of graft-accused" (2015-07-27, kathmandupost.ekantipur.com) [archive.is/o9C3a]
* "Statement concerning the Lipulake agreement between the governments of India and China" (2015-06-01, Nepal Communist Party - Central Office) [archive.is/1DkgN]
* "CPN-Maoist cadres stage protest against Lipulek pact" (2015-06-24, kathmandupost.ekantipur.com) [archive.is/bv1bd]. Police on Wednesday intervened and rounded up around three dozen cadres of CPN-Maoist from Sundhara, Kathmandu while they were staging protest seeking abrogation of Lipulek agreement signed between India and China. According to Metropolitan Police Range, Teku, 32 protestors have been arrested including politburo member Tilak Pariyar. Superintendent of Police Bishwo Raj Pokhrel said no one is allowed to stage any form of protests in Kathmandu as the city has been declared emergency zone following recent earthquakes. He said further investigations are underway.
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* "Tarai unrest: Protesters obstruct newspaper delivery" (2015-08-30, kathmandupost.ekantipur.com) [archive.is/Dfdkz]* "Why there are violent protests against Nepal's 6-state plan" (2015-08-28, catchnews.com) [archive.is/rtc8A]
* "Chand cadres burn copies of statute draft" (2015-07-19, ekantipur.com) [archive.is/7w34e], photo of a copy of the draft constitution [archive.is/05N5M]: Cadres of Netra Bikram Chand -led CPN Maoist have burnt the copies of the draft of the new constitution in Dang district. The arson took place when discussions on the preliminary draft were underway at Tulsipur and Gorahi in the district. Cadres of the party burnt and tore the draft copies at Damargaun in Tulsipur and Rapti Super Lodge in Gorahi. The party’s district Secretary Bal Bahadur Oli informed that they will burn the copies of the draft and obstruct the opinion collection as the party has decided to obstruct the campaign. Dang DSP Ranjit Singh Rathaur said that anyone obstructing the opinion collection campaign and burning copies of the draft will be booked for further action. Dang CDO Loknath Paudyal said that large number of security personnel have been deployed in the district to make the opinion collection campaign a successful one.
* "Agitators pelt stone at Dahal in Lahan" (2015-07-20, kathmandupost.ekantipur.com) [archive.is/snolE]
===*===*===
People's Republic of China
History & the Current Context [http://is.gd/QwvQLr]
* "China Is Not As Capitalist As You Think" (2012-04-24, robertlindsay.wordpress.com) [archive.is/6Tu0i]
* "China Lifted 23 Million People out of Poverty" (2013-03-06, borgenmagazine.com) [archive.is/bmR7q]
* "China has almost wiped out urban poverty. Now it must tackle inequality" (2015-08-19, theguardian.com) [archive.is/ilF0I]
* "Party recruitment to tilt toward working class" (2014-06-02, globaltimes.cn) [archive.is/3LvYd]
* Social Composition of CCP membership chart for 2011, and 1978 [archive.is/fxwac]
* "China, rising wages and worker militancy" (2015-07-21, workers.org) [archive.is/valdo]
* "Why Do Chinese Billionaires Keep Ending Up in Prison?" (2013-01-29, theatlantic.com) [archive.is/peckN]
* "Tibet's GDP increased by 281 times in 50 years" (2015-09-06, en.people.cn) [archive.is/8EZP7]
* "China's Minorities Get Huge Affirmative-Action Benefits" (1997-08-26, seattletimes.nwsource.com) [archive.is/8xB9H]
* "China's Basic Principles of Criminal Reform" (china.org.cn) [archive.is/YYjFw]
China's rate of recidivism is among the lowest in the world. For many years, it has been around 6% to 8%.
* "The US and China’s Military Budget" (2015-09-16, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/aW6ew]
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* "A new type of Au deposits: The decratonic gold deposits" (2015-09-08, SCIENCE CHINA PRESS) [archive.is/g2fbF], the scientific abstract [archive.is/dBbxn].
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* "China’s 6 Magical Economic Corridors" (2015-08-20, themarketmogul.com) [archive.is/ObN30] [begin excerpt]: China is investing a hefty sum ($900bn) in a project known as the “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) initiative – this scheme seeks to boost integrated economic growth between Eurasia through mega infrastructure projects. The OBOR project includes 6 corridors under two roads, the New Silk Road Economic Belt running west towards Europe through Russia and Central Asia, and the 21st Century Maritime Road focuses on reaching Europe through South Asia and Southwest Africa.
As one of President Xi Jinping’s key policies, the OBOR project aims to connect China with 60 countries, setting up potential trade with a further 4.4bn people. The economic implications are enormous, valued at $21 trillion, whilst also boosting China’s GDP by 25%. China’s economy has recently stumbled, this should help it expand again and reach its 6.8% projected growth rate by easing exports and tightening international relations and global affairs.
The 6 corridors demonstrated below run between: China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor (CMREC); New Eurasian Land Bridge (NELB); China-Central and West Asia Economic Corridor (CCWAEC); China-Indo-China Peninsula Economic Corridor (CICPEC); China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC); and Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIMEC).
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), one of the first of the 6 corridors to start construction is receiving $46bn and a further injection of $1.6bn agreed in August. The scale and scope of how large this is, the investment from China is approximately 20% of Pakistan’s GDP. Construction of the CPEC is already well underway and gaining momentum with roads of 502km already constructed. With an expected completion date of 2017 it has been given priority and a fast track by the Pakistani Government says, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In theory, it should have a positive knock-on effect on the economy creating railways, roads, power plants, and hence jobs and investments. The corridor is being supported by the world’s largest solar power plan costing $1.5bn and a hydro power plant worth $1.6bn. The whole CPEC project brings about 4.5% in projected GDP growth.
Most importantly, other planned corridors in the OBOR initiative aim to connect China to the Middle East, giving it direct access the Arabian Sea and the energy-rich Persian Gulf markets whilst also closing the distance by at least 10,000km. Oil-rich countries in the gulf still face major challenges when it comes to exporting their oil. Only recently has Iran come out saying they have a lot more oil than countries are demanding. The passage is set to ease this problem with neighbouring countries already signing deals with the exporter.
However the ongoing turmoil with political and social power within the country is a huge problem, potentially pushing away foreign investment for a country with a population of 180 million. It will be interesting to see if the CPEC will be able meet its 2017 deadline.
Map showing the CMREC, NELB, CCWAEC, CICPEC, CPEC, BCIMEC
* " 'New Silk Road': Pros and Cons for Russia" (2015-07-10, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/Kg6Ot]
* "Have the EU and China 'Integrated?' " (2015-07-10, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/W5L09]
* "China Rails Linking Eurasia" (2015-08-28, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/X8q1Q]
* "The Silk Road Superhighway: Kazakh Transportation as Geopolitics" (2015-07-06, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/NmZRw]
* "Kyrgyzstan and the Chinese 'New Silk Road' " (2015-09-03, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/zxLDb]
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* "China: Reformers and Compradors" (20165-09-11, by Prof. James Petras) [archive.is/NRKhS] [begin excerpt]: China’s wealthiest classes have secured their recent fortunes through various means, both legal and illegal: These include (1) the privatization of public enterprises; (2) the savage exploitation of cheap labor after destroying workers rights , protections and social welfare legislation; (3) large-scale, long-term corruption of government officials; (4) the often violent state-sponsored land-grabs from towns, villages and farmers and the land transfer to private investors; (5) real estate speculation; (6) changes in state regulatory policies leading to oligopolistic control of markets; (7) large-scale tax evasion, money laundering and offshore transfers of profits and (8) state policies dictating low wage and salaries and repressing workers collective action. [end excerpt]
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* "Communist Party members 'preferred' for jobs on Kean U.'s new China campus, ad says" (2015-07-23, nj.com) [archive.is/c5nDW]
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Also in case people were wondering where I got my UNHCR number from, here is the link. (unhcr.org) [archive.is/DcQ24]
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* "Goldman Sachs chief 'would not invest in China' " (2015-09-17, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/hnIc3]
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Chinese Labor Party [http://www.chineselaborparty.org/] [clp_au@) hotmail.com]
* "Magazines Set up Labor Party to Champion Workers' Cause" (1999-01-04, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/HN8A7] [begin excerpt]: Several magazines are to set up a Chinese Labor Party to champion the cause of workers, but not challenge the ruling communists, a US-based rights group said Friday. Shengde Lian, executive director of the Free China Movement, said the initiators of the party were editors of several public opinion magazines including Yulun. "They have set up a steering committee to form the party. Its purpose is to monitor the Communist Party of China (CCP) and not to compete with it," Lian said. The party would take up the interests of workers, including China's army of retrenched workers, and protect their rights, he said, adding a Web site for the party would be ready on Friday. [end excerpt]
* Declaration of the China Labor Party (1999) [archive.is/KfIC3]
* from the preface to "The Power of Tiananmen: State-Society Relations and the 1989 Beijing Student Movement" book [http://is.gd/swIuKJ]: The legacy of the 1989 Movement has not gone away. In early 1999, a new wave of protests was occasioned by the tenth anniversary of the movement. In Beijing, Ding Zilin and four other people published their Manifesto of Freedom and Citizen Rights and Manifesto of Social Equality and Citizen Rights. In many Chinese provinces, intellectuals tried to establish new parties, such as the Chinese Democratic Party, the Chinese Socialist Party, and the Chinese Labor Party.
* (2004) [archive.is/o8WJa] Chinese Labor Party (Australia), and the China Labor Party(USA) [www.freechina.net/cwp] are listed as signatories on a letter authored by Falun Dafa. Read more here [archive.is/mqo5Y].
* (2006) [http://is.gd/uxlEmC] [begin excerpt]: An Qi, representative of the CIPFG, the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, announced that various organizations and individuals have joined in the coalition. They include Father Peter Caruana, Fang Yuan, the chairman of the Chinese Labor Party, Democratic Allies assembled by the Australia branch of Chinese Labor Party, Chinese Democratic Party, former Democratic movement activist Yang Jun, and former Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin. [end excerpt]
* 2013 [archive.is/35HLt], Chinese Labor Party continues it's relationship with Falun Dafa, and is participating in the "Quit Communist Party" campaign that claimed to have convinced 140 million (!) Citizens of China to quit, a claim that later turned out to be exaggerated, an outright fabrication supported by the USA State Department. More about the campaign here [archive.is/iXVwr] [archive.is/PsF8F].
===*===*===
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and Russia-China relations
* "Putin: Russia-China Ties Reach Peak in Their Entire History; Moscow and Beijing have common economic development targets, a shared view on the history of World War II and a joint responsibility for ensuring global stability, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a written interview with the Russian state news agency TASS and China’s Xinhua news agency" (2015-09-01, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/yp5dz]
* "War Waged Against Russia Now Being Waged Against China - Russian ex-Spy" (2015-09-06, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/vh6bu]
---
* "Russia, China May Create Joint Satellite Navigation System Receiver; Russia and China are negotiating the development of a joint four-system satellite navigation receiver which would include access to China’s BeiDou satellite navigation, a source in the Glonass satellite navigation company told Sputnik Thursday" (2015-09-18, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/P7hVT]
---
* "Chinese Companies Accounting for 1/6 of Country's GDP Visit EEF" (2015-09-05, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/gGNBY]
* "Rosneft-China Cooperation Volume to Amount to $500 Billion by 2035" (2015-09-04, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/yILR7]
* "Bridge Linking Russia’s Amur Region With China to Cost Over $230 Million" (2015-09-05, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/6Z7rn]
---
China Peace Campaign -
* "Secret Meeting Brings Taliban to China: The success of the Urumqi meeting between the representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban, also attended by Chinese and Pakistanis, is doubtful. The role of Pakistan in the organization of the meeting is the most controversial issue" (2015-05-28, carnegieendowment.org) [archive.is/JybF9]
* "Taliban 5 talks part of troubled Afghan peace push" (2015-06-01, aljazeera.com) [archive.is/cju7A]
---
* "China to Build Pipeline From Iran to Pakistan Long-thwarted project gets go-ahead as Islamabad anticipates lifting of sanctions on Iran" (2015-04-19, wsj.com) [archive.is/iKzKM]
* "China, Pakistan set to sign economic zone deal: officials" (2015-09-09, AFP Newswire) [archive.is/IryXW]
* "China-Pakistan economic Corridor" (2015-09-10, Council on Foreign Affairs) [archive.is/ngCvN] [begin excerpt]: Pakistan was set to sign (AFP) a forty-year lease with a Chinese firm to develop a special economic zone in the deep-sea port of Gwadar on Wednesday. The deal is part of China's $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative. Meanwhile, defense analysts said that Pakistan's indigenous drone (FT), which carried out its first attack on Monday, must have been supported, designed, or supplied by China. [end excerpt]
* "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor gains momentum in Pakistan" (2015-08-19, dailytimes.com.pk) [archive.is/1Kpc1]
* "Pak-China Industrial Corridor to Boost Pakistan's FDI, Mfg and Exports" (2014-12-10, riazhaq.com) [archive.is/rnJCn] [begin excerpt]: Industrial parks and special economic zones are part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor memoranda of understanding recently agreed between the leaders of the two countries. The key pre-requisites for the establishment of these zones are resolution of the energy crisis and building of a competitive infrastructure in Pakistan.
Energy and Infrastructure: The first phase of the economic corridor is focused on $45.6 billion worth of energy and infrastructure projects. China's state-owed banks will finance Chinese companies to fund, build and operate $45.6 billion worth of energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan over the next six years, according to Reuters. Major Chinese companies investing in Pakistan's energy sector will include China's Three Gorges Corp which built the world's biggest hydro power project, and China Power International Development Ltd. [end excerpt]
* "How China Could Become a Two-Ocean Power (Thanks to Pakistan)" (2015-06-12, nationalinterest.org) page 1 [http://is.gd/0oxxZp] page 2 [http://is.gd/zhhZ2v] [begin excerpt]: Under the agreement signed by Chinese and Pakistani leaders at a Beijing summit recently, $15.5 billion worth of coal, wind, solar and hydro energy projects will come online by 2017 and add 10,400 megawatts of energy to the national grid. An additional 6,120 megawatts will be added to the national grid at a cost of $18.2 billion by 2021. Pak-China economic corridor is a very ambitious effort by the two countries that will lead to greater investment and rapid industrialization of Pakistan. Successful implementation of it will be a game-changer for the people of Pakistan in terms of new economic opportunities leading to higher incomes and significant improvements in the living standards for ordinary Pakistanis. It will be in the best interest of all of them to set their differences aside and work for its successful implementation. [end excerpt]===*===*===
Dai Nippon (Empire of Japan)
* "Despite large protests, Japan’s Parliament approves militarization laws" (2015-09-18, newcoldwar.org) [archive.is/q1cZj]
---
* "Ex-CIA agent: Japan's military needed for North Korea collapse" (2015-09-16, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/NdBnE]
---
* "Social sciences and humanities faculties to close in Japan after ministerial decree; Seventeen universities are to close liberal arts and social science courses" (2015-09-14, timeshighereducation.co.uk) [archive.is/mqGot]
---
* "New generation of Japanese anti-war protesters challenge Abe; Students are demonstrating against a bill to alter Japan’s pacifist constitution to allow it to send troops overseas for the first time since WW2. Five protesters say why" (2015-09-16, theguardian.com) [archive.is/iHdRI]
===*===*===---
* "Ex-CIA agent: Japan's military needed for North Korea collapse" (2015-09-16, UPI Newswire) [archive.is/NdBnE]
---
* "Social sciences and humanities faculties to close in Japan after ministerial decree; Seventeen universities are to close liberal arts and social science courses" (2015-09-14, timeshighereducation.co.uk) [archive.is/mqGot]
---
* "New generation of Japanese anti-war protesters challenge Abe; Students are demonstrating against a bill to alter Japan’s pacifist constitution to allow it to send troops overseas for the first time since WW2. Five protesters say why" (2015-09-16, theguardian.com) [archive.is/iHdRI]
Republic of Korea (RoK) in southern Korea
* "Recalibrating Middle Power Diplomacy: The Changing ‘Soft Power’ Brands of Republic of Korea and Canada in Comparative Perspective" (2015-02, Andrew F. Cooper, University of Waterloo) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/TgwYxa]
---
* "South Korea’s Democracy Movement (1970-1993)" (Stanford Korea Democracy Project Report) (.pdf) [http://is.gd/IkZOG9]
===*===*===
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in northern Korea
Info collected by Juche-Buddhism Friendship Society, for Peace through Knowledge! [Juchebuddhism.blogspot.com], [nktoday.kr/?cat=305]
The tallest Pyramid in the World is... Ryugyong Hotel!
* "NADA Director on Successes in Outer Space Development, indicating possible satellite launch soon" (2015-09-14, KCNA Newswire) [archive.is/Ono6l]
* "Preparations for Running Sci-Tech Complex in DPRK" (2015-08-12, KCNA newswire) [archive.is/wdcGY]: The Central Information Agency for Science and Technology in the DPRK has pushed ahead with the preparations for running the Sci-Tech Complex, which is now under construction in Pyongyang.
The Agency concentrated its efforts on developing various kinds of service programs on a higher level. The programs include information retrieval system, database management system, print system and translation system.
It is also conducting at the final stage the work to synthesize and systematize a large amount of data.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 multimedia pieces and scores of diagrams were produced.
---
* "Shoot it down" (2015-09-17, freekorea.us) [archive.is/LRnvM]. Mike Basset writes: The Chief Architect of North Korea sanctions, and of the HRNK "Arsenal of Terror" policy book recommending North Korea be re-listed as a State Sponsor of Terror, has published on his blog a recommendation that the USFK alliance shoot down North Korea's satellite [which he mislabels as a rocket/missile] as it launches into the air. North Korea announced a half year ago that they would be launching this satellite for the purpose of further developing their internal education and information/communications infrastructure. In my opinion, one cannot demonize the country for "failing to educate their people," when you are shooting down every advancement and progress they make.
* "N.Korea’s neighbors oppose rocket launch; U.S., S.Korea define launch as 'missile,' China says it's for 'space development' despite opposition" (2015-09-16, nknews.org) [http://is.gd/ZyKhim]. Mike Bassett writes: "It's disinformation. The United Nations is a shadow government of the US government, so they frames satellite launches as missile tests, and want no one to realize that North Korea is proliferating a progressive information industry on their own. Not one journalist, pundit, analyst, or scholar will tie the satellite launch to the information technology and communications MegaPark they're developing."
* "North Korea says it has restarted all its nuclear bomb fuel plants; Announcement on state media says country is ready at ‘any time’ to use nuclear weapons against the US and others" (2015-09-15, theguardian.com) [archive.is/FPU93]
---
* "N. Korean delegation visits Russian gold mine During visit, Russian company agrees to extract gold from North Korea's South Hamgyong province" (2015-09-15, nknews.org) [http://is.gd/OPwFMH]
---
* "In North Korea, deals on the bus make markets go round" (2015-09-10, reuters.com) [archive.is/T6vhx] [begin excerpt]: Entrepreneurs can partner with state organisations to register buses on their behalf and share the profits, according to a 2014 paper from the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade in Sejong, South Korea.
The report, partly based on interviews with defectors, said servi-cha are often operated by local government bodies, giving them a semi-official status that suits the growing ranks of small traders that use them.
To pay for the rice, the buyer visits a small money transfer business, which takes the payment and calls a partner business in the seller's town - one in 10 North Koreans has a cellphone - who confirms the deal and hands cash to the seller. [end excerpt]
* photo [archive.is/QiUet]: North Korean Triangle Bank card (translated as "Electric payment card"), issued 2013. The user, a USA citizen who does business in the DPRK, writes: "The most efficient way to operate in the country is to come with euros in hand and load them on to one of these at the bank. But not all places accommodate cards so you still need some cash on hand. Bring RMB for the small expenses like food and entertainment. Use the card for major purchases and business."
---
* "The North Korean Website List" (updated 2014-07-17) [northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list]
* " No web threats from DPRK websites" [archive.is/FurQx]
---
* "Traveling to North Korea – 15 myths you shouldn’t believe" (2015-09-01, packthebackpack.com) [archive.is/zkNnx] [begin excerpt]:
9. You only see the carefully chosen beautified sights, you won’t see any poverty -
This statement is only partially true. Indeed, you can’t freely choose what to see and where to go. Therefore forget about making a road trip through the countryside, trekking independently in the mountains or – I’m sure someone will raise this point – getting even slightly close to one of the labour camps like Yodok.
On the other hand – you will still see poverty. A lot of it. All in all it’s impossible to hide all poor areas and poor people from the eyes of the tourists. While sitting on the train or on the bus you will see huge swaths of countryside which show obvious signs of poverty – peasants using bison or even bare hands to harvest the fields, poorly dressed locals, flood-prone dirt roads etc. Even in the cities, especially after the heavy rain, you will see a lot of buildings desperately needing a lick of paint. Poverty is there and hard to miss. On the other hand, it is nowhere near as serious as back in the 90’s when a lot of Koreans died from famine. People do not die anymore on the streets of DPRK these days. Sure, their diet is very basic and does not really fulfill everyone’s tastes. But this definitely not famine anymore.
Think about countries like Myanmar or Laos and you will roughly know where DPRK, especially the countryside, stands in terms of poverty. One striking difference though is that everything is way much cleaner in North Korea, hence things tend to look slightly ‘better’ in the Hermit Kingdom.
Photo caption: A man working in the field in the North-West of DPRK
[end excerpt]
Ask an expat!
"May seem on odd question but to anyone who has visited the DPRK, what is the situation with CCTV Cameras? Like, are they quite rare to see in Pyongyang/only in the city centre / shops or are they in vast abundance?"
- Frank M.: "I havent seen either. And i lived there two years."
- Shaun P.: "I have been to Pyongyang, over the years, six times in total, and I can say that there are no CCTV cameras at all in the DPRK capital, unlike the UK!!"
- Tim HJ: "I don't recall seeing particularly many, and I've been there twice."
A repressive technologically advanced government has no visible CCTV in their capital city? I know the capital is meant to be a safe zone for foreign visitors, but wouldn't that be a reason to install clunky old CCTV modules everywhere, to watch for saboteur and deter foreigners from considering moving about the capital (like a reminder that they are being watched, the same reasoning used for many CCTV in California).
* They have CCTV in the factories
* photo (2015-09-21) [archive.is/KqNiK] caption: With the nursery kids at Tongbong farm out near Hamhung City in North Korea.
Mike Basset writes: Defectors say; "tourism props up the regime. The country is a hell on earth - an unending Holocaust. The kids are actors indoctrinated to fake smile from birth. There is no genuine exchange taking place in the "Potemkin pics" tourists mindlessly dole out on behalf of Kim Jong-un, whom they unwittingly work for."
Some defectors publicly support tourism there, many have told me privately that they do; but they fear saying it publiclicly because human rights and Christian organizations will attack them; and they'll end up ostracized or even accused of being spies or double agents. They fear these organizations political goals could ruin their personal lives if they said something that undermines their narratives.
I re-posted this photo to challenge the popular narrative because I'm sick of the lies that keep the war going for the sake of its cottage industry of conflict profiteers.
---
The following translation of the Pyongyang Declaration is from the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) [archive.is/irJfs]:
The representatives of political parties from different countries of the world who are striving for the victory of socialism publish this declaration with a firm conviction to defend and advance the socialist cause.
Ours is an era of independence and the socialist cause is a sacred one aimed at realising the independence of the popular masses.
Socialism suffered a setback in some countries in recent years. As a consequence of this, the imperialists and reactionaries are claiming that socialism has ‘come to an end’. This is nothing but a sophistry to beautify and embellish capitalism and patronise the old order.
The setback of socialism and the revival of capitalism in some countries is causing a great loss to the achievement of the socialist cause, but it can never be interpreted as the denial of the superiority of socialism and of the reactionary character or capitalism.
Socialism has long been the ideal of mankind and it represents the future of mankind.
Socialist society is, in essence, a genuine society for the people where the popular masses are the masters of everything and everything serves them.
But the capitalist society is an unfair one where ‘the rich get ever richer and the poor poorer’. In this society money decides everything, exploitation of man by man predominates and a handful of exploiter classes lord it over all. It is inevitably accompanied by political non-rights, unemployment, poverty, drugs, crimes and other kinds of all social evils which trample human dignity underfoot.
Only socialism can eliminate domination, subjugation and social inequality of all kinds and ensure the people substantial freedom, equality, true democracy and human rights.
The popular masses have long carried on an arduous struggle for the victory of socialism and shed much blood in this course.
The path of socialism is an untrodden one and, therefore, the advance of socialism is inevitably accompanied by trials and difficulties. One of the reasons for the unsuccessful construction of socialism in some countries is that they failed to build a social structure conforming to the fundamental requirements of the popular masses and build socialism suited to the demand of the theory of scientific socialism.
The guarantee for the advance of a socialist society lies in that the popular masses become the genuine masters of the society.
Such a society makes a triumphant advance – this is a truth and reality proved by theory and practice.
The parties and progressive mankind aspiring after socialism have drawn a very precious lesson therefrom.
In order to defend and advance the socialist cause individual parties should firmly maintain independence and firmly build up their own forces.
The socialist movement is an independent one. Socialism is carved out and built with a country or national state as a unit. The socialist cause in each country should be fulfilled on the responsibility of the party and people of that country.
Each party should work out lines and policies which tally with the actual situation of the country where it is active and with the demands of its people and implement them by relying on the popular masses.
It should not abandon its revolutionary principles at any time and under any circumstances but uplift the banner of socialism.
The socialist cause is a national one and, at the same time, a common cause of mankind.
All parties should cement the ties of comradely unity, cooperation and solidarity on the principles of independence and equality.
Now that the imperialists and reactionaries are attacking socialism and people in an international collusion, the parties which are building socialism or aspiring after it should defend and advance socialism on an international scale and strengthen mutual support and solidarity in their efforts for social justice, democracy, the right to existence and peace against imperialist domination, subjugation by capital and neo-colonialism.
This is an international duty incumbent upon all parties and progressive forces for socialism and an undertaking for their own cause.
We will advance under the unfurled banner of socialism in firm unity with all progressive political parties, organisations, and peoples of the world who are striving to defend socialism against capitalism and imperialism.
Let us all fight it out to open up the future of mankind with a firm conviction in the cause of socialism.
Final victory is on the part of the people fighting in unity for socialism.
The socialist cause shall not perish.
* "Pyongyang declaration signed by 258 political parties" (2002-04-20, KCNA) [http://is.gd/XHUJxY] [begin excerpt]: The declaration was signed by 70 political parties at the time of its adoption but the number of the political parties that have inked it has reached nearly 260 as of today. This is a clear proof that the declaration enjoys absolute support and sympathy of the world revolutionary parties and people and it is the irresistible trend of the times and the law-governed process of the historical development to go in for socialism and independence. The declaration which confirmed that socialism is an ideal of humankind and a society representing its future is a militant programme common to humankind as it reflects the will and interests of the people advocating independence. [end excerpt]
* "Anniversary of Pyongyang Declaration Observed" (2009-04-20, kcna.co.jp) [archive.is/w4591] [begin excerpt]: Rodong Sinmun Monday dedicates a signed article to the 17th anniversary of the publication of the Pyongyang declaration which says that the world socialist movement has vigorously advanced upholding the declaration since its publication.
The world progressive political parties aspiring after socialism vied with each other in signing the declaration expressing full support to it. At a time when the declaration was adopted 70 political parties signed it and then the number increased to more than 140 after the lapse of half a year and by the end of 1992 the number reached over 150.
As of now more than 270 political parties signed the Pyongyang declaration. The world revolutionary parties and progressive people are struggling with the declaration as the historic charter for socialism and common program for their struggle.
Socialism is sure to emerge victorious when all the revolutionary parties and people struggle in unity under the banner of the declaration. [end excerpt]
* Communist Party of the Workers of Belarus (2013-11-29) [http://is.gd/sUEGW7]
* information from "Yearbook of the United Nations. 41.1987(1992)" [http://is.gd/pmWnEL] pages 377, 382
---
* "North Korea: The Devil You Know, And It Isn’t Kim Jong-Un" (2015-07-14, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/iGADv]
* "Got Enmeshed in Own Fabrications about North Korea?" (2015-08-11, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/lOzFA] [begin excerpt]: According to opportunistic propagandists from the Republic of Korea, the “crazy bloody tyrant” Kim Jong-un became notorious for a number of outrageous crimes. Here are some of them.
His first alleged crime was the poisoning of his own aunt. Jang Sung-taek’s wife was forced to take poison in the best traditions of a classical drama. This news was delivered by CNN citing “a defector from North Korea, who served as a senior state official.” The National Intelligence Service, however, refuted this story as a hoax.
The second “crime” that Kim Jong-un allegedly committed: he ordered the Defense Minister Hyon Yong-chol to be shot by anti-aircraft machine gun. Apparently, the Minister fell out of favor with Kim Jong-un, and he was removed from his office. At first, he no longer appeared in the company of his chief, and then the North Korea announced that another person was appointed to his post. But unlike the story with Jang Sung-taek, his image was not removed from documentaries and his old pictures appeared in the chronicle. Nevertheless, anti-North Korean forces already announced that he had been buried. They supported this statement with a number or heart-rending details speculating about the reason for his execution. He allegedly fell asleep at the parliamentary session in the presence of Kim! He was preparing a military coup! During his visit to Russia, he did not sign a secret military agreement! The sources of information in each case are always “reliable” and anonymous.
Thirdly, notorious Daily NK made Mr. Kim a radical animal rights activist. Referring to a phone conversation with a source in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, this online newspaper gives an account of the execution of a manager of a turtle farm in Pyongyang by shooting. It allegedly happened after the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un visited the farm and criticized its operation: not all the reservoirs had a sufficient quantity of feed and water causing the death of many turtles.
Fourthly, as British Metro newspaper reports, Kim Jong-un executed a chief architect of the new airport in Pyongyang because he failed to incorporate design ideas of the “great dictator” in his project. While inspecting the airport a week before its official commissioning, Mr. Kim ordered to make some designer’s “corrections,” one of which was the installation of a chocolate fountain in the middle of the main hall. The architect and the Chief Project Designer Ma Won-chun had a nerve to smile at such a proposal, for which he was allegedly executed.
According to the official version released by the North Korean authorities, Ma Won-chun was put to death “for corruption and inability to carry out orders.” What is curious, the airport still does not have a chocolate fountain. But who would care to verify that? The Stone Fish law works, horrors about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continue spreading, including those that have been exposed. Here is one of the recent examples. This time it is a “baby” of the Ukrainian press: Flamethrower, Mine Thrower and Poison: Kim Jong-un Boosts Loyalty among His Elite. [end excerpt]
* "Rimjingang" news media is among the sources for faked news about the DPRK [archive.is/VIT9m]. Among their more famous reports is one of a homeless person [archive.org/details/NorthKoreaStarvingRimjinGang], supposedly proving everything said about millions of homeless people starving in the streets.
---
* "Modern Warfare Korea: the Weaponization of Human Rights" (2015-09-11, by Michael Bassett) [archive.is/9zvPk]
---
* "More North Korean defectors report dissatisfaction with life in South; Defectors face a distinct set of obstacles in the South, including economic difficulties, isolation and loneliness, all factors in the suicide cases reported" (2015-09-09, upi.com) [archive.is/utaSb] [begin excerpt]: More North Korean defectors in South Korea are reporting they enjoyed a higher standard of living in the North, and their suicide rate has reached a new high since 2009, according to data from Seoul. [end excerpt]
---
Defective Defector YeonMi Park has claimed that despite living "in a holocaust", she grew up in a household of wealth, playing Nintendo... hear her words at "I Am a North Korean Millennial - Yeonmi Park" [youtube.com/watch?v=MsAXeSZRRXE]
---
* "Demonizing North Korea with monstrous lies" (2015-09-12, by Mike Bassett) [http://is.gd/edS62J]
* "Signs N. Korea may be expanding plutonium output: US think tank" (2015-09-05, AFP newswire) [archive.is/iOeyA] [begin excerpt]: Stepped up activity at North Korea's main nuclear complex could point to fresh plutonium production to expand its nuclear weapons stockpile, a US think tank said Wednesday. Fresh satellite images of the Yongbyon facility show high-level activity at two sites, including the five-megawatt reactor seen as North Korea's main source of weapons-grade plutonium, according to analysts at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University. While stressing the difficulty in determining a precise reason for the movement, the analysts suggested a number of scenarios, including renovation work or the replacement of contaminated equipment. [end excerpt]
---
Mike Bassett at DPRK Study Group (2015-09-14) [archive.is/j9Zfk]:
Friends, Liberty in North Korea contests (pic is from their FB page [facebook.com/libertyinnk]) that DPRK does not allow foreign information and ideas in the country. I have been challenged to prove that they do.
In this thread I will post my responses, and would appreciate it if you all would assist me in proving them wrong. A LiNK representative has been kind enough to participate in this debate.
Please treat Julian Joseph with courtesy and respect, and share anything you can that proves the country allows outside info and ideas in.
I thank you in advance for your assistance in this project.
Introduction -
The way it is written suggest they are prevented from knowing anything about the outside world whatsoever, which simply isn't true. Their Grand People's Study House has more foreign books and media than the Library of Congress. And their kids are exposed to foreigners from a young age, and wear clothes with foreign cultural icons on them such as Angry Birds or Cinderella. Nearly every family watches foreign dramas and I have seen numerous public televisions playing Disney movies, even ones that have subversive messages about liberation. Ive seen and heard foreign music being sung throughout their entire country in kereoke bars and have sang together with North Korean the American Star Spangled Banner. I am not the only one, there are many like me who have witnessed these things.
Even YeonMi Park herself testified in a LiNK talk that she owned a Nintendo in the 90's. So I really don't get how LiNK could post such nonsense like this. [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uDXkdjx7VAE]
Begin examples -
* * "Does North Korea have American video games, after all?" (2013-02-21, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/Lvd4F]
* North Korean students playing 'Take on Me.': [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBgMeunuviE]
* The best pizza in the world photo: Photo [archive.is/egxv6]
* Even the CIA sees it: "Hermit Surfers of P'yongyang North Korea and the Internet" (2007-04-14, cia.gov) [archive.is/IRBL]
* And of course every North Korean saw their Marshall with Dennis Rodman: "How Dennis Rodman Got To North Korea" (2014-01-17, buzzfeed.com) [archive.is/X1acZ]
* My guide's smartphone with some games you may recognize... Photo [archive.is/bSuqm]
* Book about NBA stars, photo [archive.is/3etgs]
* Pizza, kimchi, and wine, photo [archive.is/sRNFO]
* Bruce Lee Documentary in the DPRK: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD7M1b2NPzU]
* Kim Jun DPRK Int'l Children's Day celebration with children and parents from around the world (though of course still mostly Korean):
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jwHacpcvuA]
* Threading a portrait of a white woman: Photo [archive.is/aFz8W]
* Coca-Cola and Fanta, photo [archive.is/zgfxB]
* Snickers and Twix, photo [archive.is/XQUWg]
* No freedom of religion? Many North Koreans study Buddhism, Confucianism, Shamanism, and even Christianity: Photo [archive.is/mrAkV]
* Only Kim's works available? Photo [archive.is/K2fJA].
* Gangnam Style on iPad (they thought the imagery was immoral, but that was the point of the song, and they liked it). Photo [archive.is/ydAwU]
* Dear Leader on his shirt? Nope, Winnie the Pooh: Photo [archive.is/WOfVz]
* Thought control? Anybody need a tablet to learn English and science (ie critical thinking)? [archive.is/JZAIT]
* No foreign ideas?? Photo [archive.is/VLAUS]
* All State run TV is bellicose ideology? A gameshow: Photo [archive.is/kmgjx]
* Just buying candy after Tarkwondo practice: Photo [archive.is/IWVIc]
* On their most sacred ground, kid wearing clothes with foreign words on them! Photo [archive.is/jjBiQ]
* Studying Geology: Photo [archive.is/HUgHv]
* She was listening to The Beatles: Photo [archive.is/6uV6a]
* Ideological indoctrination? A magic show: Photo [archive.is/u5BuP]
* Very sexy fashion for an ongoing Holocaust: Photo [archive.is/TGgTu]
* Baby meets foreigner! Photo [archive.is/5sg5t]
* Espresso anyone? Photo [archive.is/t2Wt8]
* [Mike Bassett] The Grand People's Study House alone holds over 100,000 foreign books and media rivaling collections at the Library of Congress... And this isn't even counting all the media they turn a blind eye too. And as I said, it is a controlled proliferation of foreign ideas, and a reality regardless of that control. Many critics the impact of this controlled proliferation fail to acknowledge the fact that it leaves an impression on North Koreans regardless of how controlled it is.
* [Ryan H. Lee] People take off the Kim Badges in church.
* [Young Oh Jung] I've been aware of LiNK since its birth. I was lucky to grow up with the founder who was my "hyung" (older brother figure) and that relationship helped me gain knowledge of the situation in North Korea and later my academic interest. But we have to realize that this Mccarthyesque condemnation of anyone or anything that does not dehumanize or stand against the regime. There is this triumvirate power structure that makes all criticism of the current narrative of North Korea as a oppressive destructive dangerous regime: human rights, U.S driven geopolitics (remnants of the Cold War geopolitics in East Asia and simply anti-communism), and Christianity. What this kind of propaganda does is that it lowers and in my perspective dehumanizes the North Korean people into poor, oppressed, underdeveloped individuals who need to be rescued. This is where human rights and Christianity comes in with their attempt to "save" them with the politics they support criticizing and putting pressure on the regime.
[Julian Joseph]: disclaimer 1: just so you know I am a former LiNK intern who does consulting remotely; I'm not research and strategy, a political/academic scholar/or a media rep.... however I have done personal study on my own and have NK friends.
disclaimer 2: my opinions are mine and not LiNK's but I will mention with I believe LiNK might be saying based on my experience as an intern/consultant
disclaimer 3: I might switch between "we" or "they" when I talk about LiNK accidentally: sorry if that is confusing; I will try to stick with "they" since I'm not representing LiNK officially.
Mike Bassett and Kim Jun. Thanks, please continue to send what you got and I will def look it all over and respond. I think something to point out (perhaps this could be improved on LiNK's side) is the in this LiNK post when we say "the people" (I believe) they are referring to non-elite/wealthy NKs for the most part. So, it would be especially helpful if you could post articles or content regarding exposure to media for the "average" North Korean.
[Mike Bassett]: I'd like you to take notes and send them to the right people because it is only a matter of time before LiNK gets publicly humiliated for committing propaganda, and once that happens, there's no recovering.
[Julian Joseph]: Mike Bassett agree that something like this could hurt LiNK's reputation. If you convince me, then I will have a convo with LiNK leadership.
[Mike Bassett]: Members of this group will surely convince you. And if not that's too bad because their reputation hangs in the balance if they continue this blatant propaganda.
---
* "North Korea Blasts U.S. for Germ Warfare Program" (2015-09-17, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/6UArw]
* "Biological Weapons on the Korean Peninsula?" (2015-08-06, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/XdUgV] [begin excerpt]: On July 12, 2015, the North Korean permanent representative to the UN accused the U.S. of the intention to use biological weapons against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in case a war begins on the Korean Peninsula. This statement was made in the context of a disclosed case, in which anthrax spores were mailed from the U.S. to South Korea. [end excerpt]
* "The debunked ‘Bio-weapons defector’ backstory" (2015-09-10, by Michael Bassett) [archive.is/Pi9jC]:
The bio-weapons defector story broke in early July and international media bit on it without any scrutiny [archive.is/RhsYa], despite the fact that the Finnish government published the next day that they had received no such defector in the country (original) [archive.is/RsI6J] (machine translated) [archive.is/vZ2J9].
The story was later debunked [http://is.gd/1ID9Z2], but as usual, no investigation into its origins or backstory were provided anywhere.
I speculate that this story could have been intended for two purposes:
1. in failed attempt to replicate [operation?] Curveball [archive.is/cCGoX] [archive.is/ZN1ch], the lying defector who led the US into the Iraq War, or
2. to divert attention from the story that broke the same day about the US accidentally shipping live anthrax to the Korean peninsula [archive.is/iNHBG].
Speculation aside, this is another example of why all media coverage of the Korean War should be heavily scrutinized.
The links and stories herein could be used to inform that backstory, and will let readers deduce their own speculations from them. I share Greg Scarlatoiu’s point “Why lie when the truth is credible enough.” As always, I will continue keeping tabs on propaganda efforts used to agitate the conflict.
- A biochemical scientist who brought documents out of DPRK and arrested in China. Date: 2015-07-03 [archive.is/uds92]
- A biochemical scientist story. Date: 2004-03-03 [archive.is/EWOlk]
- A Gas chamber article comparing DPRK with Nazi. Date: 2004-02-04 [archive.is/ZmPHd]
The interesting part is that RFA says the scientist was arrested in China, but somehow for whatever reason Yonhup didn’t copy exactly the same story as RFA, probably because RFA wasn’t creative enough, they just repackaged an old story published on 2004 on their website. So Yonhup made some change and say the scientist made his way to Finland through Philippines. I guess they didn’t expect there would be people try to verify the source. And some journalists in South Korea even sent email to European parliament. Another interesting thing is the timing. It was when the publics in South Korea pressuring the government to question US about the anthrax incident, then out of sudden, this North Korea biochemical scientists drew people attention away from anthrax leak in US base.
The missing date on the article… Referring to: A biochemical scientist who brought documents out of DPRK and arrested in China (2015-07-03) [archive.is/uds92]
The URL for the article, like the other URLs, is embedded with the publication date. The article with the missing date has a URL that shows it was published 2004-02-06. This may show that the RFA was “upcycling” an old news article by giving it a new date. Here’s the same article, a cached copy with the date [archive.is/eufAl]. The copy I archived previously did not have the date [archive.is/uds92]. Compare them both, the same article, but one with the date (the cached copy), and one without the date. The google translate version of the article whose date was manipulated [archive.is/xpmpZ].
Kim Sang-hun, Database Center for North Koran Human Rights [archive.is/VLQW8] [archive.is/RitP0], MBC first ran the story with his name on July 3, [archive.is/VaoOq].
This is an RFA interview of Kim Sang-hun. The article shows he was being accused of fabricating information by the South Korean spy agency. But the date seems to say 2004, but obviously the interview would have conducted very recently [archive.is/3vGTY].
===*===*===The tallest Pyramid in the World is... Ryugyong Hotel!
* "NADA Director on Successes in Outer Space Development, indicating possible satellite launch soon" (2015-09-14, KCNA Newswire) [archive.is/Ono6l]
* "Preparations for Running Sci-Tech Complex in DPRK" (2015-08-12, KCNA newswire) [archive.is/wdcGY]: The Central Information Agency for Science and Technology in the DPRK has pushed ahead with the preparations for running the Sci-Tech Complex, which is now under construction in Pyongyang.
The Agency concentrated its efforts on developing various kinds of service programs on a higher level. The programs include information retrieval system, database management system, print system and translation system.
It is also conducting at the final stage the work to synthesize and systematize a large amount of data.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 multimedia pieces and scores of diagrams were produced.
---
* "Shoot it down" (2015-09-17, freekorea.us) [archive.is/LRnvM]. Mike Basset writes: The Chief Architect of North Korea sanctions, and of the HRNK "Arsenal of Terror" policy book recommending North Korea be re-listed as a State Sponsor of Terror, has published on his blog a recommendation that the USFK alliance shoot down North Korea's satellite [which he mislabels as a rocket/missile] as it launches into the air. North Korea announced a half year ago that they would be launching this satellite for the purpose of further developing their internal education and information/communications infrastructure. In my opinion, one cannot demonize the country for "failing to educate their people," when you are shooting down every advancement and progress they make.
* "N.Korea’s neighbors oppose rocket launch; U.S., S.Korea define launch as 'missile,' China says it's for 'space development' despite opposition" (2015-09-16, nknews.org) [http://is.gd/ZyKhim]. Mike Bassett writes: "It's disinformation. The United Nations is a shadow government of the US government, so they frames satellite launches as missile tests, and want no one to realize that North Korea is proliferating a progressive information industry on their own. Not one journalist, pundit, analyst, or scholar will tie the satellite launch to the information technology and communications MegaPark they're developing."
* "North Korea says it has restarted all its nuclear bomb fuel plants; Announcement on state media says country is ready at ‘any time’ to use nuclear weapons against the US and others" (2015-09-15, theguardian.com) [archive.is/FPU93]
---
* "N. Korean delegation visits Russian gold mine During visit, Russian company agrees to extract gold from North Korea's South Hamgyong province" (2015-09-15, nknews.org) [http://is.gd/OPwFMH]
---
* "In North Korea, deals on the bus make markets go round" (2015-09-10, reuters.com) [archive.is/T6vhx] [begin excerpt]: Entrepreneurs can partner with state organisations to register buses on their behalf and share the profits, according to a 2014 paper from the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade in Sejong, South Korea.
The report, partly based on interviews with defectors, said servi-cha are often operated by local government bodies, giving them a semi-official status that suits the growing ranks of small traders that use them.
To pay for the rice, the buyer visits a small money transfer business, which takes the payment and calls a partner business in the seller's town - one in 10 North Koreans has a cellphone - who confirms the deal and hands cash to the seller. [end excerpt]
* photo [archive.is/QiUet]: North Korean Triangle Bank card (translated as "Electric payment card"), issued 2013. The user, a USA citizen who does business in the DPRK, writes: "The most efficient way to operate in the country is to come with euros in hand and load them on to one of these at the bank. But not all places accommodate cards so you still need some cash on hand. Bring RMB for the small expenses like food and entertainment. Use the card for major purchases and business."
---
* "The North Korean Website List" (updated 2014-07-17) [northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list]
* " No web threats from DPRK websites" [archive.is/FurQx]
---
* "Traveling to North Korea – 15 myths you shouldn’t believe" (2015-09-01, packthebackpack.com) [archive.is/zkNnx] [begin excerpt]:
9. You only see the carefully chosen beautified sights, you won’t see any poverty -
This statement is only partially true. Indeed, you can’t freely choose what to see and where to go. Therefore forget about making a road trip through the countryside, trekking independently in the mountains or – I’m sure someone will raise this point – getting even slightly close to one of the labour camps like Yodok.
On the other hand – you will still see poverty. A lot of it. All in all it’s impossible to hide all poor areas and poor people from the eyes of the tourists. While sitting on the train or on the bus you will see huge swaths of countryside which show obvious signs of poverty – peasants using bison or even bare hands to harvest the fields, poorly dressed locals, flood-prone dirt roads etc. Even in the cities, especially after the heavy rain, you will see a lot of buildings desperately needing a lick of paint. Poverty is there and hard to miss. On the other hand, it is nowhere near as serious as back in the 90’s when a lot of Koreans died from famine. People do not die anymore on the streets of DPRK these days. Sure, their diet is very basic and does not really fulfill everyone’s tastes. But this definitely not famine anymore.
Think about countries like Myanmar or Laos and you will roughly know where DPRK, especially the countryside, stands in terms of poverty. One striking difference though is that everything is way much cleaner in North Korea, hence things tend to look slightly ‘better’ in the Hermit Kingdom.
Photo caption: A man working in the field in the North-West of DPRK
[end excerpt]
Ask an expat!"May seem on odd question but to anyone who has visited the DPRK, what is the situation with CCTV Cameras? Like, are they quite rare to see in Pyongyang/only in the city centre / shops or are they in vast abundance?"
- Frank M.: "I havent seen either. And i lived there two years."
- Shaun P.: "I have been to Pyongyang, over the years, six times in total, and I can say that there are no CCTV cameras at all in the DPRK capital, unlike the UK!!"
- Tim HJ: "I don't recall seeing particularly many, and I've been there twice."
A repressive technologically advanced government has no visible CCTV in their capital city? I know the capital is meant to be a safe zone for foreign visitors, but wouldn't that be a reason to install clunky old CCTV modules everywhere, to watch for saboteur and deter foreigners from considering moving about the capital (like a reminder that they are being watched, the same reasoning used for many CCTV in California).
* They have CCTV in the factories
* photo (2015-09-21) [archive.is/KqNiK] caption: With the nursery kids at Tongbong farm out near Hamhung City in North Korea.
Mike Basset writes: Defectors say; "tourism props up the regime. The country is a hell on earth - an unending Holocaust. The kids are actors indoctrinated to fake smile from birth. There is no genuine exchange taking place in the "Potemkin pics" tourists mindlessly dole out on behalf of Kim Jong-un, whom they unwittingly work for."Some defectors publicly support tourism there, many have told me privately that they do; but they fear saying it publiclicly because human rights and Christian organizations will attack them; and they'll end up ostracized or even accused of being spies or double agents. They fear these organizations political goals could ruin their personal lives if they said something that undermines their narratives.
I re-posted this photo to challenge the popular narrative because I'm sick of the lies that keep the war going for the sake of its cottage industry of conflict profiteers.
---
The following translation of the Pyongyang Declaration is from the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) [archive.is/irJfs]:
The representatives of political parties from different countries of the world who are striving for the victory of socialism publish this declaration with a firm conviction to defend and advance the socialist cause.
Ours is an era of independence and the socialist cause is a sacred one aimed at realising the independence of the popular masses.
Socialism suffered a setback in some countries in recent years. As a consequence of this, the imperialists and reactionaries are claiming that socialism has ‘come to an end’. This is nothing but a sophistry to beautify and embellish capitalism and patronise the old order.
The setback of socialism and the revival of capitalism in some countries is causing a great loss to the achievement of the socialist cause, but it can never be interpreted as the denial of the superiority of socialism and of the reactionary character or capitalism.
Socialism has long been the ideal of mankind and it represents the future of mankind.
Socialist society is, in essence, a genuine society for the people where the popular masses are the masters of everything and everything serves them.
But the capitalist society is an unfair one where ‘the rich get ever richer and the poor poorer’. In this society money decides everything, exploitation of man by man predominates and a handful of exploiter classes lord it over all. It is inevitably accompanied by political non-rights, unemployment, poverty, drugs, crimes and other kinds of all social evils which trample human dignity underfoot.
Only socialism can eliminate domination, subjugation and social inequality of all kinds and ensure the people substantial freedom, equality, true democracy and human rights.
The popular masses have long carried on an arduous struggle for the victory of socialism and shed much blood in this course.
The path of socialism is an untrodden one and, therefore, the advance of socialism is inevitably accompanied by trials and difficulties. One of the reasons for the unsuccessful construction of socialism in some countries is that they failed to build a social structure conforming to the fundamental requirements of the popular masses and build socialism suited to the demand of the theory of scientific socialism.
The guarantee for the advance of a socialist society lies in that the popular masses become the genuine masters of the society.
Such a society makes a triumphant advance – this is a truth and reality proved by theory and practice.
The parties and progressive mankind aspiring after socialism have drawn a very precious lesson therefrom.
In order to defend and advance the socialist cause individual parties should firmly maintain independence and firmly build up their own forces.
The socialist movement is an independent one. Socialism is carved out and built with a country or national state as a unit. The socialist cause in each country should be fulfilled on the responsibility of the party and people of that country.
Each party should work out lines and policies which tally with the actual situation of the country where it is active and with the demands of its people and implement them by relying on the popular masses.
It should not abandon its revolutionary principles at any time and under any circumstances but uplift the banner of socialism.
The socialist cause is a national one and, at the same time, a common cause of mankind.
All parties should cement the ties of comradely unity, cooperation and solidarity on the principles of independence and equality.
Now that the imperialists and reactionaries are attacking socialism and people in an international collusion, the parties which are building socialism or aspiring after it should defend and advance socialism on an international scale and strengthen mutual support and solidarity in their efforts for social justice, democracy, the right to existence and peace against imperialist domination, subjugation by capital and neo-colonialism.
This is an international duty incumbent upon all parties and progressive forces for socialism and an undertaking for their own cause.
We will advance under the unfurled banner of socialism in firm unity with all progressive political parties, organisations, and peoples of the world who are striving to defend socialism against capitalism and imperialism.
Let us all fight it out to open up the future of mankind with a firm conviction in the cause of socialism.
Final victory is on the part of the people fighting in unity for socialism.
The socialist cause shall not perish.
* "Pyongyang declaration signed by 258 political parties" (2002-04-20, KCNA) [http://is.gd/XHUJxY] [begin excerpt]: The declaration was signed by 70 political parties at the time of its adoption but the number of the political parties that have inked it has reached nearly 260 as of today. This is a clear proof that the declaration enjoys absolute support and sympathy of the world revolutionary parties and people and it is the irresistible trend of the times and the law-governed process of the historical development to go in for socialism and independence. The declaration which confirmed that socialism is an ideal of humankind and a society representing its future is a militant programme common to humankind as it reflects the will and interests of the people advocating independence. [end excerpt]
* "Anniversary of Pyongyang Declaration Observed" (2009-04-20, kcna.co.jp) [archive.is/w4591] [begin excerpt]: Rodong Sinmun Monday dedicates a signed article to the 17th anniversary of the publication of the Pyongyang declaration which says that the world socialist movement has vigorously advanced upholding the declaration since its publication.
The world progressive political parties aspiring after socialism vied with each other in signing the declaration expressing full support to it. At a time when the declaration was adopted 70 political parties signed it and then the number increased to more than 140 after the lapse of half a year and by the end of 1992 the number reached over 150.
As of now more than 270 political parties signed the Pyongyang declaration. The world revolutionary parties and progressive people are struggling with the declaration as the historic charter for socialism and common program for their struggle.
Socialism is sure to emerge victorious when all the revolutionary parties and people struggle in unity under the banner of the declaration. [end excerpt]
* Communist Party of the Workers of Belarus (2013-11-29) [http://is.gd/sUEGW7]
* information from "Yearbook of the United Nations. 41.1987(1992)" [http://is.gd/pmWnEL] pages 377, 382
---
* "North Korea: The Devil You Know, And It Isn’t Kim Jong-Un" (2015-07-14, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/iGADv]
* "Got Enmeshed in Own Fabrications about North Korea?" (2015-08-11, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/lOzFA] [begin excerpt]: According to opportunistic propagandists from the Republic of Korea, the “crazy bloody tyrant” Kim Jong-un became notorious for a number of outrageous crimes. Here are some of them.
His first alleged crime was the poisoning of his own aunt. Jang Sung-taek’s wife was forced to take poison in the best traditions of a classical drama. This news was delivered by CNN citing “a defector from North Korea, who served as a senior state official.” The National Intelligence Service, however, refuted this story as a hoax.
The second “crime” that Kim Jong-un allegedly committed: he ordered the Defense Minister Hyon Yong-chol to be shot by anti-aircraft machine gun. Apparently, the Minister fell out of favor with Kim Jong-un, and he was removed from his office. At first, he no longer appeared in the company of his chief, and then the North Korea announced that another person was appointed to his post. But unlike the story with Jang Sung-taek, his image was not removed from documentaries and his old pictures appeared in the chronicle. Nevertheless, anti-North Korean forces already announced that he had been buried. They supported this statement with a number or heart-rending details speculating about the reason for his execution. He allegedly fell asleep at the parliamentary session in the presence of Kim! He was preparing a military coup! During his visit to Russia, he did not sign a secret military agreement! The sources of information in each case are always “reliable” and anonymous.
Thirdly, notorious Daily NK made Mr. Kim a radical animal rights activist. Referring to a phone conversation with a source in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, this online newspaper gives an account of the execution of a manager of a turtle farm in Pyongyang by shooting. It allegedly happened after the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un visited the farm and criticized its operation: not all the reservoirs had a sufficient quantity of feed and water causing the death of many turtles.
Fourthly, as British Metro newspaper reports, Kim Jong-un executed a chief architect of the new airport in Pyongyang because he failed to incorporate design ideas of the “great dictator” in his project. While inspecting the airport a week before its official commissioning, Mr. Kim ordered to make some designer’s “corrections,” one of which was the installation of a chocolate fountain in the middle of the main hall. The architect and the Chief Project Designer Ma Won-chun had a nerve to smile at such a proposal, for which he was allegedly executed.
According to the official version released by the North Korean authorities, Ma Won-chun was put to death “for corruption and inability to carry out orders.” What is curious, the airport still does not have a chocolate fountain. But who would care to verify that? The Stone Fish law works, horrors about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continue spreading, including those that have been exposed. Here is one of the recent examples. This time it is a “baby” of the Ukrainian press: Flamethrower, Mine Thrower and Poison: Kim Jong-un Boosts Loyalty among His Elite. [end excerpt]
* "Rimjingang" news media is among the sources for faked news about the DPRK [archive.is/VIT9m]. Among their more famous reports is one of a homeless person [archive.org/details/NorthKoreaStarvingRimjinGang], supposedly proving everything said about millions of homeless people starving in the streets.
---
* "Modern Warfare Korea: the Weaponization of Human Rights" (2015-09-11, by Michael Bassett) [archive.is/9zvPk]
---
* "More North Korean defectors report dissatisfaction with life in South; Defectors face a distinct set of obstacles in the South, including economic difficulties, isolation and loneliness, all factors in the suicide cases reported" (2015-09-09, upi.com) [archive.is/utaSb] [begin excerpt]: More North Korean defectors in South Korea are reporting they enjoyed a higher standard of living in the North, and their suicide rate has reached a new high since 2009, according to data from Seoul. [end excerpt]
---
Defective Defector YeonMi Park has claimed that despite living "in a holocaust", she grew up in a household of wealth, playing Nintendo... hear her words at "I Am a North Korean Millennial - Yeonmi Park" [youtube.com/watch?v=MsAXeSZRRXE]
---
* "Demonizing North Korea with monstrous lies" (2015-09-12, by Mike Bassett) [http://is.gd/edS62J]
* "Signs N. Korea may be expanding plutonium output: US think tank" (2015-09-05, AFP newswire) [archive.is/iOeyA] [begin excerpt]: Stepped up activity at North Korea's main nuclear complex could point to fresh plutonium production to expand its nuclear weapons stockpile, a US think tank said Wednesday. Fresh satellite images of the Yongbyon facility show high-level activity at two sites, including the five-megawatt reactor seen as North Korea's main source of weapons-grade plutonium, according to analysts at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University. While stressing the difficulty in determining a precise reason for the movement, the analysts suggested a number of scenarios, including renovation work or the replacement of contaminated equipment. [end excerpt]
---
Mike Bassett at DPRK Study Group (2015-09-14) [archive.is/j9Zfk]:
Friends, Liberty in North Korea contests (pic is from their FB page [facebook.com/libertyinnk]) that DPRK does not allow foreign information and ideas in the country. I have been challenged to prove that they do.In this thread I will post my responses, and would appreciate it if you all would assist me in proving them wrong. A LiNK representative has been kind enough to participate in this debate.
Please treat Julian Joseph with courtesy and respect, and share anything you can that proves the country allows outside info and ideas in.
I thank you in advance for your assistance in this project.
Introduction -
The way it is written suggest they are prevented from knowing anything about the outside world whatsoever, which simply isn't true. Their Grand People's Study House has more foreign books and media than the Library of Congress. And their kids are exposed to foreigners from a young age, and wear clothes with foreign cultural icons on them such as Angry Birds or Cinderella. Nearly every family watches foreign dramas and I have seen numerous public televisions playing Disney movies, even ones that have subversive messages about liberation. Ive seen and heard foreign music being sung throughout their entire country in kereoke bars and have sang together with North Korean the American Star Spangled Banner. I am not the only one, there are many like me who have witnessed these things.
Even YeonMi Park herself testified in a LiNK talk that she owned a Nintendo in the 90's. So I really don't get how LiNK could post such nonsense like this. [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uDXkdjx7VAE]
Begin examples -
* * "Does North Korea have American video games, after all?" (2013-02-21, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/Lvd4F]
* North Korean students playing 'Take on Me.': [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBgMeunuviE]
* The best pizza in the world photo: Photo [archive.is/egxv6]
* Even the CIA sees it: "Hermit Surfers of P'yongyang North Korea and the Internet" (2007-04-14, cia.gov) [archive.is/IRBL]
* And of course every North Korean saw their Marshall with Dennis Rodman: "How Dennis Rodman Got To North Korea" (2014-01-17, buzzfeed.com) [archive.is/X1acZ]
* My guide's smartphone with some games you may recognize... Photo [archive.is/bSuqm]
* Book about NBA stars, photo [archive.is/3etgs]
* Pizza, kimchi, and wine, photo [archive.is/sRNFO]
* Bruce Lee Documentary in the DPRK: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD7M1b2NPzU]
* Kim Jun DPRK Int'l Children's Day celebration with children and parents from around the world (though of course still mostly Korean):
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jwHacpcvuA]
* Threading a portrait of a white woman: Photo [archive.is/aFz8W]
* Coca-Cola and Fanta, photo [archive.is/zgfxB]
* Snickers and Twix, photo [archive.is/XQUWg]
* No freedom of religion? Many North Koreans study Buddhism, Confucianism, Shamanism, and even Christianity: Photo [archive.is/mrAkV]
* Only Kim's works available? Photo [archive.is/K2fJA].
* Gangnam Style on iPad (they thought the imagery was immoral, but that was the point of the song, and they liked it). Photo [archive.is/ydAwU]
* Dear Leader on his shirt? Nope, Winnie the Pooh: Photo [archive.is/WOfVz]
* Thought control? Anybody need a tablet to learn English and science (ie critical thinking)? [archive.is/JZAIT]
* No foreign ideas?? Photo [archive.is/VLAUS]
* All State run TV is bellicose ideology? A gameshow: Photo [archive.is/kmgjx]
* Just buying candy after Tarkwondo practice: Photo [archive.is/IWVIc]
* On their most sacred ground, kid wearing clothes with foreign words on them! Photo [archive.is/jjBiQ]
* Studying Geology: Photo [archive.is/HUgHv]
* She was listening to The Beatles: Photo [archive.is/6uV6a]
* Ideological indoctrination? A magic show: Photo [archive.is/u5BuP]
* Very sexy fashion for an ongoing Holocaust: Photo [archive.is/TGgTu]
* Baby meets foreigner! Photo [archive.is/5sg5t]
* Espresso anyone? Photo [archive.is/t2Wt8]
* [Mike Bassett] The Grand People's Study House alone holds over 100,000 foreign books and media rivaling collections at the Library of Congress... And this isn't even counting all the media they turn a blind eye too. And as I said, it is a controlled proliferation of foreign ideas, and a reality regardless of that control. Many critics the impact of this controlled proliferation fail to acknowledge the fact that it leaves an impression on North Koreans regardless of how controlled it is.
* [Ryan H. Lee] People take off the Kim Badges in church.
* [Young Oh Jung] I've been aware of LiNK since its birth. I was lucky to grow up with the founder who was my "hyung" (older brother figure) and that relationship helped me gain knowledge of the situation in North Korea and later my academic interest. But we have to realize that this Mccarthyesque condemnation of anyone or anything that does not dehumanize or stand against the regime. There is this triumvirate power structure that makes all criticism of the current narrative of North Korea as a oppressive destructive dangerous regime: human rights, U.S driven geopolitics (remnants of the Cold War geopolitics in East Asia and simply anti-communism), and Christianity. What this kind of propaganda does is that it lowers and in my perspective dehumanizes the North Korean people into poor, oppressed, underdeveloped individuals who need to be rescued. This is where human rights and Christianity comes in with their attempt to "save" them with the politics they support criticizing and putting pressure on the regime.
[Julian Joseph]: disclaimer 1: just so you know I am a former LiNK intern who does consulting remotely; I'm not research and strategy, a political/academic scholar/or a media rep.... however I have done personal study on my own and have NK friends.disclaimer 2: my opinions are mine and not LiNK's but I will mention with I believe LiNK might be saying based on my experience as an intern/consultant
disclaimer 3: I might switch between "we" or "they" when I talk about LiNK accidentally: sorry if that is confusing; I will try to stick with "they" since I'm not representing LiNK officially.
Mike Bassett and Kim Jun. Thanks, please continue to send what you got and I will def look it all over and respond. I think something to point out (perhaps this could be improved on LiNK's side) is the in this LiNK post when we say "the people" (I believe) they are referring to non-elite/wealthy NKs for the most part. So, it would be especially helpful if you could post articles or content regarding exposure to media for the "average" North Korean.
[Mike Bassett]: I'd like you to take notes and send them to the right people because it is only a matter of time before LiNK gets publicly humiliated for committing propaganda, and once that happens, there's no recovering.
[Julian Joseph]: Mike Bassett agree that something like this could hurt LiNK's reputation. If you convince me, then I will have a convo with LiNK leadership.
[Mike Bassett]: Members of this group will surely convince you. And if not that's too bad because their reputation hangs in the balance if they continue this blatant propaganda.
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* "North Korea Blasts U.S. for Germ Warfare Program" (2015-09-17, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/6UArw]
* "Biological Weapons on the Korean Peninsula?" (2015-08-06, journal-neo.org) [archive.is/XdUgV] [begin excerpt]: On July 12, 2015, the North Korean permanent representative to the UN accused the U.S. of the intention to use biological weapons against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in case a war begins on the Korean Peninsula. This statement was made in the context of a disclosed case, in which anthrax spores were mailed from the U.S. to South Korea. [end excerpt]
* "The debunked ‘Bio-weapons defector’ backstory" (2015-09-10, by Michael Bassett) [archive.is/Pi9jC]:
The bio-weapons defector story broke in early July and international media bit on it without any scrutiny [archive.is/RhsYa], despite the fact that the Finnish government published the next day that they had received no such defector in the country (original) [archive.is/RsI6J] (machine translated) [archive.is/vZ2J9].The story was later debunked [http://is.gd/1ID9Z2], but as usual, no investigation into its origins or backstory were provided anywhere.
I speculate that this story could have been intended for two purposes:
1. in failed attempt to replicate [operation?] Curveball [archive.is/cCGoX] [archive.is/ZN1ch], the lying defector who led the US into the Iraq War, or
2. to divert attention from the story that broke the same day about the US accidentally shipping live anthrax to the Korean peninsula [archive.is/iNHBG].
Speculation aside, this is another example of why all media coverage of the Korean War should be heavily scrutinized.
The links and stories herein could be used to inform that backstory, and will let readers deduce their own speculations from them. I share Greg Scarlatoiu’s point “Why lie when the truth is credible enough.” As always, I will continue keeping tabs on propaganda efforts used to agitate the conflict.
- A biochemical scientist who brought documents out of DPRK and arrested in China. Date: 2015-07-03 [archive.is/uds92]
- A biochemical scientist story. Date: 2004-03-03 [archive.is/EWOlk]
- A Gas chamber article comparing DPRK with Nazi. Date: 2004-02-04 [archive.is/ZmPHd]
The interesting part is that RFA says the scientist was arrested in China, but somehow for whatever reason Yonhup didn’t copy exactly the same story as RFA, probably because RFA wasn’t creative enough, they just repackaged an old story published on 2004 on their website. So Yonhup made some change and say the scientist made his way to Finland through Philippines. I guess they didn’t expect there would be people try to verify the source. And some journalists in South Korea even sent email to European parliament. Another interesting thing is the timing. It was when the publics in South Korea pressuring the government to question US about the anthrax incident, then out of sudden, this North Korea biochemical scientists drew people attention away from anthrax leak in US base.
The missing date on the article… Referring to: A biochemical scientist who brought documents out of DPRK and arrested in China (2015-07-03) [archive.is/uds92]
The URL for the article, like the other URLs, is embedded with the publication date. The article with the missing date has a URL that shows it was published 2004-02-06. This may show that the RFA was “upcycling” an old news article by giving it a new date. Here’s the same article, a cached copy with the date [archive.is/eufAl]. The copy I archived previously did not have the date [archive.is/uds92]. Compare them both, the same article, but one with the date (the cached copy), and one without the date. The google translate version of the article whose date was manipulated [archive.is/xpmpZ].
Kim Sang-hun, Database Center for North Koran Human Rights [archive.is/VLQW8] [archive.is/RitP0], MBC first ran the story with his name on July 3, [archive.is/VaoOq].
This is an RFA interview of Kim Sang-hun. The article shows he was being accused of fabricating information by the South Korean spy agency. But the date seems to say 2004, but obviously the interview would have conducted very recently [archive.is/3vGTY].
Republic of the Philippines * "Bad economic news" (2015-09-05, manilastandardtoday.com) [archive.is/VQqO1] [begin excerpt]: The Philippines does not owe any money from the International Monetary Fund. In fact, it is the IMF that owes the Philippines money, $1 billion, which it promptly lent to the bankrupt banks and bankrupt countries of Europe. So if there is anyone who should explain why its lending or borrowing practices are bad, it is more the IMF, rather than the Philippines.
Still, every year an IMF team comes to Manila to check on how the government is managing the government and how the economy is managing itself. That team came in August this year. On Aug. 26, 2015, the IMF reported on its findings about the Philippines.
At first blush, the IMF report, summarized in a 769-word press release, sounds positive.
“The outlook for the Philippine economy remains favorable despite uneven and generally weaker global growth prospects. Real GDP is projected to grow by 6.2 percent in 2015, as lower commodity prices lift household consumption and improved budget execution raises public spending,” the Fund said.
“Lower fuel prices, partly offset by somewhat higher food prices due to assumed moderate El Niño conditions, should help keep inflation in the bottom half of the Bangko Sentral’s target band. The current account surplus is expected to rise in 2015 due to lower oil prices and continued inflows from business process outsourcing and remittances. Fiscal policy is expected to remain prudent,” the Fund added.
The IMF report seems to me bad news. This is given the recent economic and financial turmoil in China and its reverberation around the world (what the IMF calls “external headwinds”), and given the incompetence of the Aquino administration in handling taxpayers’ money to:
—finance badly needed infrastructure to boost investment;
—mitigate the daily suffering of Filipinos, especially those in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, in commuting from their homes to their workplace and back; and
—help the poor in a more meaningful way than politically motivated cash dole.
[end excerpt]
---
* "The really rich Filipinos" (2015-09-04, manilastandardtoday.com) [archive.is/7Cq00] [begin excerpt]:
Forbes magazine has published the 2015 list of the Philippines’ richest individuals. The Top 35 richest Filipinos with their estimated wealth in US dollar millions, according to Forbes, are:
1 Henry Sy Sr. (14,400); 2 John Gokongwei Jr. (5,500); 3 Andrew Tan (4,500); 4 Lucio Tan (4,300); 5 Enrique Razon Jr. (4,100); 6 George Ty (4,000); 7 Aboitiz Family (3,600).
8 Jaime Zobel de Ayala (3,500); 9 David Consunji (3,200); 10 Tony Tan Caktiong (2,200); 11 Lucio and Susan Co (1,700); 12 Roberto Coyiuto Jr. (1,600); 13 Manuel Villar Jr. (1,500); 14 Yap family (1,400).
15 Alfredo Yao (1,300);16 Dean Lao (1,100); 17 Oscar Lopez (1,000); 18 Andrew Gotianun (910); 19 Betty Ang (905); 20 Roberto Ongpin (900); 21 Inigo and Mercedes Zobel (870).
22 Vivian Que Azcona (780); 23 Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. (770); 24 Beatrice Campos (740); 25 Ricardo Po family (640); 26 Jorge Araneta (560); 27 Carlos Chan (550); 28 Mariano Tan Jr. (520).
29 Ramon Ang (510); 30 Alfonso Yuchengco (500); 31 Bienvenido Tantoco Sr. (480); 32 Manuel Zamora (450); 33 Concepcion family (400); 34 Edgar Sia (390) and 35 Frederick Dy (310).
The Forbes list is an indicator of who in the Philippines have money, influence and power in the Philippines. But it is not a very reliable indicator of who the really rich Filipinos are.
For instance, Forbes greatly overstates the wealth of the family of No. 8 richest, Jaime Zobel de Ayala, the father of the brothers Jaime Augusto and Fernando ($3.5 billion), and No. 5 richest, Enrique Razon of owner of ICTSI and the money-losing Bloomberry casinos ($4.1 billion).
In my book, John could indeed be the Philippines’ second richest, but with a wealth of $7.355 billion, not $5.5 billion per Forbes. Iñigo should be ranked No. 3, while Ramon should be No. 4, or No. 5 at the very least. Let me tell you why.
If you don’t believe my listing of the really rich, here is the 2013 list of biggest taxpayers: 1. Manny Pacquiao, P163 million; 2. Juanito Alcantara, P99.6 million; 3. Estelito Mendoza, P73 million; 4. Reynaldo Chico Jr., P67 million; 5. Andrew Tan, P67 million; 6. Lorenzo Tan, P60.89 million; 7. Jose Alvarez, P55.6 million; 8. Vivian Azcona, P51.6 million; 9. Oscar Reyes, P51 million; 10. Vicente Ayllon, P50,088,841; 11. Ronaldo Soliman, P46,636,876; 12. Ramon S. Ang, P46,471,324; 13. Lauro Baja, Jr., P45,194,110; 14. Piolo Pascual, P42,533,158; 15. John Lloyd Cruz, P41,976,592; 16. Kris Aquino, P40,481,146; 17. Federico Lopez, P39,899,018; 18. Victor Angeles, P39,762,021; 19. Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan, P39,049,235; 20. Willie Revillame, P38,305,824; 21. Justo Aboitiz Ortiz, P37,225,922; 22. Erramon Aboitiz, P35,819,446; 23. Nestor Tan, P33,563,178; 24. Jose Ma. Lim, P33,024,233; 25. Vicente Tan Lao, P32,924,363; 26. Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II, P32,224,696; 27. Manuel Pangilinan, P31,636,324; 28. Raul Mendoza Ang, P31,247,155; 29. Victor Valdepenas, P31,151,270.35, and 30. Francis Puno, P30,909,992.
[end excerpt]
* "Henry Sy Sr. is on a roll" (2015-09-11, manilastandardtoday.com) [archive.is/kq6dG] [begin excerpt]: Henry Sy Sr., 90, remains the undisputed richest Filipino. His wealth is estimated by Forbes magazine at $14.5 billion. My BizNewsAsia magazine reckons Tatang Henry’s wealth is $11 billion. He is on a roll, with his businesses expanding at an unprecedented pace, thanks to robust consumer spending that now accounts for 71 percent of the economy which in turn is boosted by $25 billion or P1.15 trillion of annual remittances. [end excerpt]
* "Fil-Am Chamber of Commerce schedules Philippine Mission" (2015-09-09, emanilamail.com) [archive.is/S2Wko]: THE Filipino American Chamber of Commerce [FACCSV] PhilippineSilicon Valley, schedules this October 26-30, 2015 the Business Exchange & Humanitarian Mission to Manila and Tacloban, Philippines.
The mission seeks to launch a continuing business exchange in Silicon Valley and humanitarian outreach to the Philippines, spearheaded by the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Silicon Valley [FACCSV]. This multi-pronged initiative primarily aims to establish vibrant business relationships between companies and entrepreneurs in the Philippines and in Silicon Valley, California, USA, in California and across the United States; connect law enforcement leaders in both countries; and, extend follow-up medical assistance to Filipinos still recovering from the monster storm Typhoon Haiyan/”Yolanda” in Tacloban, Leyte. The mission is in partnership with the California Asian Chamber of Commerce (www.calasiancc.org), the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (www.philippinechamber.org) and the Philippine Exporters Confederation (www.philexport.ph), among many other distinguished institutions as partners and sponsors. Leading the VIP Delegation is California Assemblymember Rob Bonta, the first Filipino-American CA legislator in the state’s history; Consul General Henry Bensurto Jr. of the Philippine Consulate-General-San Francisco; Ms. Tong Qin, Deputy District Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration in the San Francisco District Office and Director for Asian American and Pacific Islander Outreach for the U.S, SBA, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith, who will extend a personal invitation to the Philippine National Police for future training; together with highly-respected medical, dental and eye care professionals both from the U.S. and the Philippines, administering much-needed follow-up humanitarian care in Tacloban from October 29-30. A core convening in this mission is the 41st Philippine Business Conference of PCCI, from Oct. 26- 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Resorts World, Manila, keynoted by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, and is dubbed as the biggest gathering of business leaders and professionals in the Philippines every year.
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* "NSCB Reports: 27.9% of Filipinos Live Below Poverty Line" (2013-04-23, philnews.ph) [archive.is/dOa3g]
* "Poverty Remains Unchanged at 28% Despite Aquino’s Massive Public Spending" (2013-04-24, antipinoy.com) [archive.is/0ZvQA]
* "SWS survey: Jobless Filipinos up from 9M to 10.5M in last 3 months" (2015-09-09, mb.com.ph) [archive.is/RWKnv]: The number of jobless Filipinos increased by around 1.5 million in the last three months, based on the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results.
From 19.1 percent – corresponding to an estimated 9 million Filipinos – in the first quarter of 2015, the jobless rate in the second quarter increased to 23.2 percent, about 10.5 million Filipinos.
The nationwide SWS survey was conducted last June 5-8.with 1,200 respondents in the sample. The survey results were first published in BusinessWorld on Tuesday, September 8.
For the survey, the SWS said, the jobless were defined as individuals 18 years old and above without a job and looking for a job. Those who are not looking for work such as housewives and retired individuals are not included in this category.
Of the estimated 10.5 million jobless Filipinos in June, 4.7 million were adult Filipinos who quit their jobs, 4.4 million were adult Filipinos who had been retrenched, and 1.3 million were first-time job seekers.
Unemployment was higher among women (31.3 percent) than among men (16.9 percent).
The rate of unemployed Filipinos also increased among different age brackets. Joblessness among those aged at least 45 years old was 11 percent in June, higher than the 8 percent in March. Joblessness among those 35-44 years old was 20 percent in June, up from 16 percent in March. Joblessness among those 25-34 years old was 29 percent in June from 28 percent in March. And joblessness among those 18-24 years old was 55 percent in June from 50 percent in March.
In the same survey in June, Filipinos’ optimism on job availability in the next 12 months declined from a March “high” +20 (percentage of those saying there will be more jobs minus percentage of those saying there will be fewer jobs) to “fair” +17 in the June survey.
The SWS describes a net optimism score of +30 and above as “very high”; +20 to +29, as “high”; +10 to +19, as “fair”; +1 to +9, as “mediocre”; -9 to zero, as “low”; and -10 and down, as “very low.”
About 36 percent (from 38 percent in March) of Filipinos expects that the number of available jobs in the next 12 months would increase; while 33 percent (from 31 percent in March) said it would stay the same; and 19 percent (from 18 percent in March) believe that the number of available jobs would be fewer.
The funding breakdown by mission area are as follows: P63.56 billion for territorial defense, security, and stability; P1.53 billion for humanitarian assistance and disaster risk reduction; P667.81 billion for international engagements and peace support operations; and P93.10 billion for force level command and control, support and training inclusive of the pension of veterans and AFP retirees. [end article]
The following article is syndicated to newspapers in both the Republic of the Philippines and to newspapers serving Philippine national communities across the world.
* "Philippine Unemployment Rate Falls In July" (2015-09-09, rttnews.com) [archive.is/zB220]: The jobless rate in Philippine declined in July from a year ago, preliminary figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed Wednesday. The unemployment rate fell to 6.5 percent in July from 6.7 percent in the corresponding month last year. The number of unemployed people decreased to 2.7 million in July from 2.9 million a year earlier. Youth, aged between 15 and 24, accounted for 50.4 percent of the total number of unemployed people compared to 49.3 percent in the year ago period. At the same time, employment rate rose to 93.5 percent in July from 93.3 percent a year earlier.
* "Blackouts cripple many Mindanao industries" (2014-06-11, philippinestodayus.com) [archive.is/vGWGf]
* "Traffic to cost Philippines over $100mn a day by 2030" (2015-09-18, cctv-america.com) [archive.is/YgqAv]
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* "Is Aquino corrupt?" (2015-09-09, manilatimes.net) [archive.is/qRjyz] [begin excerpt]: “But he himself is not corrupt, right?”
That is a common refrain in conversations with Filipinos concerned about rising sleaze under President Benigno Aquino 3rd. Ironically, the same thing was once said about Ferdinand Marcos, a frugal Ilocano unlike his extravagant wife Imelda.
After five years of Tuwid na Daan, many are disturbed, if not enraged that smuggling tripled from $7.9 billion in 2009 to nearly $27 billion last year, based on International Monetary Fund data.
Pork barrel more than doubled to over P20 billion annually, while anomalies in commuter trains, license plates, combat planes and choppers, and even office supplies are the biggest ever. And Aquino’s P157-billion Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) is the largest malversation in Philippine history.
Aquino declined to put the Philippine National Police, the main weapon against jueteng, under anti-gambling nemesis Jesse Robredo. Instead of the DILG Secretary, Aquino himself supervised the PNP through his shooting buddy, then Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno — whom anti-vice crusader Archbishop Oscar Cruz named along with then PNP Chief Jesus Versoza as “ultimate recipients” of jueteng payoffs.
Aquino also kept smuggling — an even bigger source of multi-billion-peso payoffs — away from another proven sleaze fighter, former Customs Commissioner Guillermo Parayno, hired by the IMF as consultant in customs reform for his Ramos-era achievements.
What’s worse, Aquino never probed the country’s biggest surge of contraband ever — the 2011 disappearance of more than 2,000 cargo containers — even if records show who kept releasing untaxed, uninspected boxes, though hundreds already vanished.
[end excerpt]
* "20 lawmakers tied to new P500M pork scam" (2015-09-02, newsinfo.inquirer.net) [archive.is/TJlkx] [begin excerpt]: Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon Revilla Jr., former Sen. Edgardo Angara, and 17 current and former representatives have been accused of channeling at least P500 million of their pork barrel allocations to questionable nongovernment organizations (NGOs), documents made available to the Inquirer showed.
The documents included sworn statements executed by four new whistle-blowers that form part of the evidence being prepared by Levito Baligod, a lawyer who helped expose the P10-billion racket involving the diversion of the congressional Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to fake NGOs of Janet Lim-Napoles.
The PDAF funds were funneled to state-owned National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) and ended in the accounts of several organizations found by the Commission on Audit (COA) to be questionable, according to the documents. [end excerpt]
* "More than 500 donated fishing boats rotting in Leyte" (2015-09-08, sunstar.com.ph) [archive.is/mzXbg] [begin excerpt]: More than 500 units of pump boats amounting to P1 million donated by David M. Consunji Incorporated (DMCI) for typhoon-ravaged fishing and coastal communities in Leyte are now rotting. The wooden boats built in December 2014 are now stockpiled at the vicinity of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (Penro) at the Government Center in this town. Mid last year, the DMCI turned over the boats to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) regional office here. However, according to Leyte Penro officer Ranulfo Q. Arbiol, nobody yet from DILG came to get and distribute the boats to the beneficiaries. "I am afraid that the boats will not be of used because of too much exposure from sunlight and rain," Arbiol said. DILG Regional Director Pedro Noval said the distribution to beneficiaries has been delayed since they're still waiting for the list of beneficiaries from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
The project is designed to address the livelihood concerns of coastal communities in Leyte and Samar provinces badly hit by the 2013 catastrophe. More than 30,000 boats have been damaged and destroyed, according to government reports. [end excerpt]
* "US Justice Department probes Napoles family dollar accounts" (2014-06-11, philippinestodayus.com) [archive.is/HsWSe] [begin excerpt]: An investigation by authorities on the business and individual financial transactions of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, members of her family and business firms, has started.
This as The US Justice Department was reported by GMA News program "24 Oras" to be now looking into two bank accounts under the companies owned by Napoles, n an affidavit submitted to the DOJ on September 12, 2013, whistleblower Benhur Luy said the Napoles family has four bank accounts in California in the names of Napoles' daughter Jo Christine, brother Reynald Lim, nephew Jose Emmanuel, and Western Investment Corp.
Luy also said in his affidavit that Napoles used to buy dollars on the black market using her income from the pork barrel scam. [end excerpt]
* "Manila solon files perjury case vs Napoles" (2014-06-11, philippinestodayus.com) [archive.is/UhB4U]
* "Corruption in the Philippines" (2015-08-26, Angelo Lopez) [archive.is/1GXui]:
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* "Newspaper columnist shot dead in Ilocos Norte" (2015-09-09, PinoyNews) [archive.is/WDTHy] [begin excerpt]: A newspaper columnist was gunned down in Pasuquin town in Ilocos Norte Friday last week, bringing to four the journalists killed in the Philippines in less than a month.
A newspaper columnist was gunned down in Pasuquin town in Ilocos Norte Friday last week, bringing to four the journalists killed in the Philippines in less than a month.The victim was identified as Steve Barreiro, a columnist of the Pahayagan Ilocos Times.
Last August 28, broadcaster Cosme Maestrado was shot dead in Ozamis City in Misamis Occidental in Mindanao, the third journalist murdered in two weeks in the Philippines. Maestrado, 49, a news anchor at Radio Mindanao Network’s local dxOC station, was known for his hard-hitting commentaries on local corruption and abuse of power. But he had also served as a media consultant to the mayor of Ozamiz City.
On August 20, Teodoro Escanilla, a radio anchor for dzMS radio station in the Bicol province of Sorsogon - and a spokesman for the Karapatan human rights group - was shot dead in front of his house.
Two days earlier on August 18, newspaper publisher Gregorio Ybanez was shot dead in front of his house in Tagum City, in Davao del Norte.
The killing of journalists are happening despite a pledge of President Aquino to protect the working newsmen in the wake of a spate of murder of journalists early on his term.
The number of journalists killed is already the highest under the Aquino administration compared to previous administrations.
Six journalists have been killed in the Philippines this year, and 30 since Aquino took office in 2010.
[end excerpt]
---
* "No separation of church and state" (2015-09-07, jgli.net) [archive.is/fyhHF] [begin excerpt]: The show of force foisted by the followers of Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) charging Justice Secretary Leila de Lima with violation of the “separation of church and state” was based on the wrong appreciation of the constitutional principle and state policy and the bill of rights.
When Secretary De Lima accepted the torture and kidnapping cases filed by expelled INC member Isaias Samson, Jr. against INC leaders, the INC followers should have demanded that the Secretary should have remanded the cases down to the Quezon City Fiscal’s office because the Fiscal has original jurisdiction over the cases. By taking over the cases, Ms. De Lima left the parties in the cases without an entity where to file a motion for review or reconsideration of a resolution.
But as to the INC’s followers’ beef that there was a violation of the separation of church and state, I don’t see any. For the “Establishment” clause -- “Section 5. No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” -- to be violated, the following Lemon v. Kurtzman test must be observed: 1) the government was not neutral, or 2) had tried to advance or had inhibited itself on a particular religion or 3) exhibited “excessive entanglement” with any religion, which was not apparent in the kidnapping-torture cases. As to the “Free Exercise” clause, this is out of the question, as the government did not prohibit the INC followers from exercising their freedom of worship.
Perhaps, if the INC had its own “Canon Law" or Sharia or sharia law in the Islamic legal system, and it has its own self-policing mechanism to resolve criminal, civil and other secular cases and it has such an effective system that no member will go outside the INC confines to complain, then the Secretary of Justice would have no business intruding into INC’s private affairs.
Otherwise, it is perfectly all right for the Secretary of Justice to investigate any criminal complaint because it is the DOJ’s mandate to investigate secular cases like kidnapping and torture cases. The DOJ’s only mistake is for taking over the cases instead of referring the cases to the Quezon City Fiscal’s office.
But before the INC followers disrupt traffic again for five days, they should first peacefully file their complaints. If the DOJ will not listen to their concerns, that’s the time to mobilize their forces and hold a peaceful assembly, which is their right guaranteed by the constitution. [end excerpt]
* "Best and worst case scenarios for the Iglesia ni Cristo protest rallies" (2015-09-01, bworldonline.com) [archive.is/3rMYe]
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* "DFA rejects retaliation vs China on sea row" (2015-09-09, philstar.com) [archive.is/MCIZv]: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has rejected suggestions that the government retaliate against China over the West Philippine Sea dispute by padlocking Chinese businesses in the Philippines.
“We have adopted a policy of constructive engagement with China for our mutual benefit,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario told the House of Representatives appropriations committee chaired by Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab on Monday night.
“We will remain on that track until such time that there is conclusion to our arbitration case in the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS),” he said.
He was responding to calls from Rep. Fernando Hicap of party-list group Anakpawis for the government to cancel the licenses of businesses owned by Chinese nationals or Chinese state corporations like those in the mining and power sectors.
Hicap said such retaliatory actions might pressure China into abandoning its reclamation activities in some disputed islands as well as its blockade of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal off Zambales, where Chinese coast guard vessels have been driving away Filipino fishermen.
“Our fishermen are losing P300,000 a week in potential catch because the Chinese are preventing them from fishing in the Panatag Shoal area, which is their traditional fishing grounds,” he said.
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* "Pope Francis makes marriage annulment easier, faster & cheaper for estranged couples" (2015-09-09, asianjournal.com) [archive.is/Ir4WJ]
* "Abortion, an abomination" (2015-09-09, asianjournal.com) [archive.is/2qTqD] [begin excerpt]: “If you look at life as something that is consumed,” Pope Francis said, “it will also be something that sooner or later you can throw away, with abortion to begin with.”
“Human life, however, is ‘a gift from God’ and if it is accepted as such, then you have before you a valuable and intangible asset, to be protected by all means and not to be discarded.”
Pope Francis goes further and deeper than his predecessors. He connects the dots. He links the pro-life message of the Church to his view of the global economy and its throwaway culture—a major thrust of his pontificate.
Awake the Christian soldier in you! If the Holy Spirit moves you to stand for life as a gift of God and want to be a prayer warrior and/or to act and get behind the increasingly strong pro-life movement, currently experiencing quiet seismic shifts around the world, look locally for opportunities to protect the unborn.
Shield of Roses is a Catholic pro-life charitable organization promoting the Church’s teachings concerning the sanctity of the pre-born child. Its members have steadfastly stood witness to abortion facilities where babies, like our Lord Jesus Christ, are led to their deaths. Members try to talk to the women but if words fail, then their prayerful presence, like the presence of St. John, St. Mary Magdalene, and our Blessed Mother standing at the foot of the Cross, continue to stand witness to the dignity of the innocent and defenseless lives being lost in abortion clinics.
If you want to know more, visit www.shieldofroses.com or you can call Anna Maria at (818) 242 3912. [end excerpt]
* "Overpopulation in the Philippines" (2015-09-09, by Angelo Lopez) [archive.is/OSihC]:
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* "Incoming USAID mission director reaffirms strong partnership with the Philippines" (2015-09-03, jgli.net) [archive.is/rC0X0] [begin excerpt]:
The incoming Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is continuing USAID’s strong program and cooperation with activities of USAID in the Philippines.
Dr. Susan K. Brems, who will be taking over from outgoing USAID Mission Director Gloria D. Steele, reaffirmed her commitment for a strong partnership with the Philippine government during a meeting at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. with Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. last Sept. 1.Aside from the Philippines, Dr. Brems’ mission covers Pacific Islands and Mongolia.
Dr. Brems is a career member of the Senior US Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, who brings to Manila twenty-three (23) years of experience as a development diplomat for USAID. She previously served as Mission Director in Zambia (2011-2015), Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Global Health (2009-2011), and Mission Director for Angola (2007-2009).
During the meeting, Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. expressed appreciation for the technical and financial support that the United States, through the USAID, provides to the Philippines. He also briefed Dr. Brems on the recent economic developments, including the good governance efforts under the Aquino administration, particularly with respect to transparency and public accountability.
Photo caption: INCOMING USAID DIRECTOR: Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. is shown in this photo with Dr. Susan K. Brems, the incoming Mission Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) during their meeting last Sept. 1 in the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Embassy)
[end excerpt]
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* "US Embassy Seal Defaced" two photos (2015-09-15) [archive.is/NffTs]
===*===*===
Towards a People's Republic of the Philippines[ndfp.net] [philippinerevolution.net]
* "Silva and companions should be freed, not transferred to jails that are worse" (2015-06-23, facebook.com/kilusangmayouno) [archive.is/9zuLu]
* "Political Prisoners Speak Up" video (2015-06-26) [youtube.com/watch?v=jL-Sqy0ZzVo]: NDFP consultant Adelberto Silva, his wife writer-activist Sharon Cabusao, driver Isidro de Lima, & Andrea Rosal’s husband Diony Borre speak on their unlawful arrest and detention.
* "Ka Parago remained strong and vigilant under no less than five reactionary regimes" (2015-06-29, New People’s Army Regional Command Southern Mindanao) [archive.is/ReNqZ]
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Bangsamoro (including MNLF; MILF; ARMM)
* "Mindanao Wars: Political Solutions to an Economic Problem Does Not Work" (2015-01-26, antipinoy.com) [archive.is/G0HmG]
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research from the Committee for the Study of
HISTORY AND THE CURRENT CONTEXT
* "The Treadmill Originated in Prisons" (2014-01-10, mentalfloss.com) [archive.is/VFd8c]:
Exercising on a treadmill often feels like torture, and that’s not exactly a coincidence.
In 1818, an English civil engineer named Sir William Cubitt devised a machine called the “tread-wheel” to reform stubborn and idle convicts.
Prisoners would step on the 24 spokes of a large paddle wheel, climbing it like a modern StairMaster. As the spokes turned, the gears were used to pump water or crush grain. (Hence the eventual name treadmill.) In grueling eight-hour shifts, prisoners would climb the equivalent of 7,200 feet. The exertion, combined with poor diets, often led to injury and illness (as well as rock-hard glutes), but that didn’t stop penitentiaries all over Britain and the United States from buying the machines. In 1824, prison guard James Hardie credited the device with taming New York’s more defiant inmates. He wrote that it was the treadmill’s “monotonous steadiness, and not its severity, which constitutes its terror."
Over the years, American wardens gradually stopped using the treadmill in favor of other backbreaking tasks, such as picking cotton, breaking rocks, or laying bricks. In England, the treadmill persisted until the late 19th century, when it was abandoned for being too cruel. The machine was all but lost to history. But when Dr. Kenneth Cooper demonstrated the health benefits of aerobic exercise in the 1960s, the treadmill made a triumphant return. Today, well-paid personal trainers have happily taken the place of prison wardens.
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The best evidence for Abraham Lincoln's mixed ancestry is at wikipedia (the writer of the article cited alot of the source materials) [http://is.gd/WBT9R2]. While it is not known what Abraham's line of descent is, knowledge of his physical appearance lead to accusations that he was of some kind of "African mixture", lending to a propaganda campaign by slave-holders threatened by Abraham's anti-slavery campaign, to label him "Abraham Africanus the first". Here are two examples.
* Notice the Moorish attire of the example on the left. The African as Moor was known among the white Americans of the early 1800s, and for hundreds of years before. This image reflects this knowledge now lost. The slaves included those who profess Islam. And the Moorish kingdom of northern Africa who signed a peace treaty with the USA was mixed Arab and AFRICAN [http://is.gd/YZSO4g].
* The second example is of an anti-Abraham Lincoln book titled "Abraham Africans 1. His Secret Life, as revealed under the mesmeric influence; Mysteries of the White House", read it here [archive.org/details/abrahamafricanus00delm], more info here [archive.is/RWwQM]
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* "Why did Nazis fail to create a Ukrainian state in 1939?" (2015-09-08, Lenta.ru, translated by orientalreview.org) [archive.is/emH71]
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* "The Covert Operations Of Hans Tofte During The Korean War" (2014-12-22, returnofkings.com) [archive.is/ImMfj] [begin excerpt]:
By the beginning of 1951, the belligerents of the Korean War had been locked in a brutal struggle since June of the previous year. Ground combat had seesawed up and down the peninsula, at first seeming to favor the North Koreans, then the United States, then the Chinese, and then finally no one. China’s momentous entry into the war as American forces approached its border had sent the United States reeling; only by an extreme effort had the Americans been able to stabilize the front and prevent a complete collapse. The winter cold now brought unrelenting misery and disease to the Chinese, grinding their progress to a sickly halt.
Equipped only with quilted cotton uniforms and plagued by inadequate provisions, they had suffered immensely, far more than their American antagonists. But the orders from Peking (not yet called Beijing) were clear: attack and evict the Americans from the peninsula now, with one final push to Pusan. The spring of 1951 promised to bring a massive series of coordinated Chinese-North Korean offensives.
It was against this background that the director of CIA operations in Japan, Hans Tofte, received an intelligence report of great interest. A well-placed source in the Indian government had reported that a cargo of battlefield medical supplies was soon to leave Bombay, aboard a Norwegian vessel chartered by the Chinese government, and was bound for some communist port in North Korea or Manchuria.
Should those supplies reach the enemy, Tofte was warned, they would provide an immense material aid to the coming communist offensives. Regardless of the cost, the ship had to be stopped. To make sure that Tofte got the message, his superiors gave him $1 million in cash to work with, a vast sum by the CIA standards of the day.
Tofte’s plan called for Chinese Nationalist forces, disguised as pirates, to intercept the ship near Taiwan (then called Formosa) and seize the cargo. Chiang Kai-shek, whom Tofte had known personally before the war, promised men and material aid to the plan. The operation went off nearly seamlessly; without a shot being fired, the entire cargo had been stolen, in what had appeared to be a “random act” of piracy on the high seas.
It was the type of daring operation—which the agency had code-named “TP Stole”—that the twentieth century’s greatest commando, Otto Skorzeny, would probably himself have admired. The success of the operation without doubt saved many lives: deprived of medical logistics, the Chinese were unable to mount many of the offensives that they had planned for in 1951. [end excerpt]
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* "The origin of AIDS is the Polio Vaccine; Dr Koprowski tested his oral vaccine in the Belgian Congo" (2014-04-03) [archive.is/Q0UED] [begin excerpt]: While it is well understood what happens to the human immunodeficiency virus -- the virus that causes AIDS -- once it is inside the human body, it remains unknown how HIV got into humans to become one of the world's worst plagues. Depending on whom you ask, the answer lies with monkey hunters in Africa or a polio vaccine given to people in the Congo in the 1950s.
The latter hypothesis is the subject of a documentary that premiered in the United States last week at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The Origins of AIDS, directed by Peter Chappell and Catherine Peix, follows the evidence laid out by British journalist Edward Hooper in his 1999 book, The River. In it, Hooper proposed (based on nearly two decades of research) that one man's part in the race to create the polio vaccine launched the AIDS epidemic.
Hooper's conclusion, described by one biologist in the film as "medical science's worst-hated hypothesis" directly challenges the findings of other investigators who were interviewed for the documentary, but whose diverging opinions ended up on the cutting-room floor.
"The public doesn't hear my view, nor does it hear the view of anybody else who has doubts about this theory," said Beatrice Hahn, a professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Hahn's work tracking chimpanzees in the forests of Africa has produced a conclusion that nearly everyone agrees upon: HIV originally came from chimpanzees.
But how and when the virus that infects chimpanzees -- simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV -- became HIV is where Hooper and his detractors diverge.
Several scientists, Hahn included, pinpoint bushmeat hunting, an African practice during which hunters can incur bites or cuts while hunting or preparing wild animals (including chimpanzees) for food.
"From all the things we know, it's pretty clear that it crossed the species barrier naturally," said Dr. Michael Worobey, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona, who has worked with Hahn to track the simian beginnings of HIV.Hooper's theory, which forms the plot line of the documentary, argues against the bushmeat hypothesis. If bushmeat hunting was a historical practice, Hooper wondered, why did the AIDS epidemic only take off in the latter half of the 20th century? He found his answer in one of science's most noble endeavors: polio eradication.
The film profiles Dr. Hilary Koprowski, an American scientist racing Dr. Albert Sabin and Dr. Jonas Salk to create the polio vaccine, primarily in the 1950s. Koprowski tested his oral vaccine in the Belgian Congo. By mapping locations where the vaccinations were given and early cases of AIDS emerged, Hooper showed a geographic correlation between the two. The first documented case of HIV is from a blood sample taken in the Congo in 1959.
"The location coincides dramatically," wrote Hooper on his website. "The earliest known cases of AIDS occurred in central Africa, in the same regions where Koprowski's polio vaccine was given to over a million people in 1957-1960."
So, how could a vaccine give a monkey virus to humans? In the documentary, grainy archival footage of white-coated lab scientists shows the polio virus being grown in a soup of chopped-up monkey organs before it is made into a vaccine.
Hooper charges that during Koprowski's vaccination campaign, kidneys from chimpanzees infected with SIV were used to grow the virus. The film cites a historical precedent: Another anti-polio campaign in the 1950s injected millions of people with vaccines containing the monkey virus SV40, though none became ill from the injections.
Koprowski and scientists who worked with him deny that chimp kidneys were used. Independent testing of leftover samples of the vaccine in the United States, where it was produced using organs from other types of monkeys, showed no traces of chimp DNA or SIV. However, the documentary crew found several local workers in the Congo who allege that chimpanzee kidneys were harvested and may have been used to produce more vaccine locally. Samples actually used in the Congo are no longer available for testing. [end excerpt]
* "Origin Of AIDS: The Polio Vaccine" video (2004, 'Witness' news program, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) [archive.org/details/OriginOfAIDSThePolioVaccineCBCWitness2004]. As a source material, this authoritative news report shows evidence for a narrative exploring the origins of HIV (and AIDS) as the consequence of a vaccination program in West Africa that utilized live virus cultures grown in organs retrieved from still living monkeys and apes.
* "Debunked: The Polio Vaccine and HIV Link" (updated 2014-07-31, historyofvaccines.org) [archive.is/I6rtp] [begin excerpt]: In the late 1950s, several different groups of researchers were developing vaccines against polio, which at the time was still epidemic worldwide. One of these vaccines, developed by Hilary Koprowski, MD (1916-2013), was used in trials in Africa, after first being tested in the United States. The vaccine virus was grown in tissue cultures taken from macaque monkeys before being administered to about a million people in Burundi, Rwanda, and what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In 1992, Rolling Stone magazine published a story that discussed Koprowski’s oral polio vaccine (OPV) as a possible source of HIV and, in turn, the AIDS epidemic. Koprowski sued Rolling Stone and the writer of the article, and the magazine issued a clarification statement in December 1993.
Rolling Stone’s clarification notwithstanding, journalist Edward Hooper wrote a book called The River: A Journey to the Source of HIV and AIDS in 1999, based on the conjecture about an OPV/HIV link. Hooper argued that the animal cells used to culture the vaccine virus were kidney cells from chimpanzees local to where the vaccine was used, and that those chimpanzees had been infected with Simian Immunodeficiency Virus. According to Hooper, a vaccine made in such a cell culture would lead to human infection with HIV.
Although Hooper’s claims were widely publicized, evidence does not support (and in some cases directly contradicts) the idea of a link between OPV and HIV.
First, leftover stocks of the polio vaccine in question were examined by independent laboratories, and were confirmed to have been made using monkey cells—not chimpanzee cells, as Hooper had claimed. Furthermore, none was contaminated with HIV or SIV. This data reinforces the vaccine developers’ statements that only monkey cells, not chimpanzee cells, were used in producing the vaccine. [end excerpt]
* "Hilary Koprowski, Who Developed First Live-Virus Polio Vaccine, Dies at 96" (2013-04-20, nytimes.com) [archive.is/J86t6]
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* "How the Federal Government Built White Suburbia Federal housing policies didn't just deny opportunities to black residents. They subsidized and safeguarded whites-only neighborhoods" (2015-09-02, citylab.com) [archive.is/Mx1A1]
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* "Who Killed Martin Luther King?" (2000-02-21, by David Valentine, consortiumnews.com) [archive.is/q3faE] [begin excerpt]: On Dec. 8, a jury in Memphis, Tenn., deliberated for only three hours before deciding that the long-held official version of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination was wrong.
The jury's verdict implicated a retired Memphis businessman and government agencies in a conspiracy to kill the civil rights giant.
Though the trial testimony had received little press attention outside of the Memphis area, the startling outcome drew an immediate rebuttal from defenders of the official finding: that James Earl Ray acted alone or possibly as part of a low-level conspiracy of a few white racists.
Leading newspapers across the country disparaged the December verdict as the product of a flawed conspiracy theory given a one-sided presentation. The Washington Post even lumped the conspiracy proponents in with those who insist Adolf Hitler was unfairly accused of genocide.
"The deceit of history, whether it occurs in the context of Holocaust denial or in an effort to rewrite the story of Dr. King's death, is a dangerous impulse for which those committed to reasoned debate and truth cannot sit still," a Post editorial read. "The more quickly and completely this jury's discredited verdict is forgotten the better." [WP, Dec. 12, 1999]
The government's surveillance of King in Memphis -- by both federal agents and city police -- would rest at the heart of the case more than three decades later.
On April 4, 1968, at 6 p.m., King emerged from his room on the second floor of the Lorraine Motel. As he leaned over the balcony, King was struck by a single bullet and died.
As word of his death spread, riots exploded in cities across the country. Fiery smoke billowed from behind the Capitol dome. Government officials struggled to restore order and police searched for King's assassin.
One of those questioned was restaurant owner Loyd Jowers whose Jim's Grill was below the rooming house where James Earl Ray had stayed and from where authorities contend the fatal shot was fired.
Jowers told the police he knew nothing about the shooting, but had heard a noise that "sounded like something that fell in the kitchen." [The Commercial Appeal, Dec. 9, 1999]
The international manhunt ended at London's Heathrow Airport on June 8, 1968, when Scotland Yard detained Ray for carrying an illegal firearm. Ray was extradited back to the United States to stand trial as King's lone assassin.
The FBI insisted that it could find no solid evidence indicating that Ray was part of any conspiracy. But the authorities contended they had a strong case against Ray, including a recovered rifle with Ray's fingerprints. The rifle fired bullets of the same caliber as the one that killed King.
While Ray sat in jail, Jowers's name popped up again in the case. On Feb. 10, 1969, Betty Spates, a waitress at Jim's Grill, implicated Jowers in the assassination. She said Jowers found a gun behind the café and may actually have shot King. Two days later, however, Spates recanted. [The Commercial Appeal, Dec. 9, 1999]
On March 10, 1969, Ray accepted the advice of his attorney and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison.
Three days later, however, he wrote a letter to the judge asking that his guilty plea be set aside. He claimed that he was innocent and that his lawyer had misled him into making the plea.
Ray began telling a complex tale in which he was duped by an operative he knew only as "Raul." Ray claimed that Raul arranged the assassination and set Ray up to take the fall.
Government investigators rejected Raul's existence and insisted that Ray was simply spinning a story to escape a long prison term. The courts rejected Ray's request for a trial. As far as the legal system of Memphis was concerned, the case was closed.
But there did appear to be weaknesses in the prosecution case that might have shown up at trial.
For instance, Charles Stephens, a key witness placing Ray at the scene of the crime, appeared to have been drunk at the time and had offered contradictory accounts of the assailant's description, according to a reporter who encountered him after the shooting. [For details, see William F. Pepper’s Orders to Kill.]
Outside the government, other skeptical investigators began to pick at the loose ends of the case.
In 1971, investigative writer Harold Weisberg published the first dissenting account of the official King case in his book, Frame Up. Weisberg noted problems with the physical evidence, including the FBI's failure to match the death slug to the alleged murder weapon.
Questions about the case mounted when the federal government declassified records revealing the intensity of FBI hatred for King. The combination of factual discrepancies and a possible government motive led some of King's friends to suspect a conspiracy.
In 1977, civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy encouraged lawyer William F. Pepper to meet with Ray and hear out the convict's tale. Pepper said he took on the assignment in part because he had encouraged King to join in publicly criticizing the Vietnam War and felt a sense of responsibility for King's fate. [end excerpt]
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* "The My Lai Massacre and The "Tiger Cages' ", excerpt from "The Phoenix Program" book by Douglas Valentine, more at [archive.is/m1NK2]: On August 25, 1970, an article appeared in The New York Times hinting that the CIA, through Phoenix, was responsible for My Lai. The story line was advanced on October 14, when defense attorneys for David Mitchell — a sergeant accused and later cleared of machine-gunning scores of Vietnamese in a drainage ditch in My Lai — citing Phoenix as the CIA’s “systematic program of assassination,” named Evan Parker as the CIA officer who “signed documents, certain blacklists,” of Vietnamese to be assassinated in My Lai. When we spoke, Parker denied the charge.
As in any large-scale Phoenix operation, two of Task Force Barker’s companies cordoned off the hamlet while a third one — Calley’s — moved in, clearing the way for Kotouc and Special Branch officers who were “brought to the field to identify VC from among the detained inhabitants.” .
The CIA, via Phoenix, not only perpetrated the My Lai massacre but also concealed the crime.
As Jeff Stein said, “The first thing you learn in the Army is not competence, you learn corruption. And you learn ‘to get along, go along.’”
Unfortunately not everyone learns to get along. On September 3, 1988, Robert T’Souvas was apparently shot in the head by his girl friend, after an argument over a bottle of vodka. The two were homeless, living out of a van they had parked under a bridge in Pittsburgh. T’Souvas was a Vietnam veteran and a participant in the My Lai massacre.
T’Souvas’s attorney, George Davis, traveled to Da Nang in 1970 to investigate the massacre and while there was assigned as an aide a Vietnamese colonel who said that the massacre was a Phoenix operation and that the purpose of Phoenix was “to terrorize the civilian population into submission.”
Davis told me: “When I told the people in the War Department what I knew and that I would attempt to obtain all records on the program in order to defend my client, they agreed to drop the charges.”
Bart Osborn (whose agent net Stein inherited) is more specific. “I never knew in the course of all those operations any detainee to live through his interrogation,” Osborn testified before Congress in 1971. “They all died. There was never any reasonable establishment of the fact that any one of those individuals was, in fact, cooperating with the VC, but they all died and the majority were wither tortured to death or things like thrown out of helicopters.”
* "Fragging Bob: Bob Kerrey, CIA War Crimes, And The Need For A War Crimes Trial" (2001-05-17, by David Valentine) [archive.is/77OwY] [begin excerpt]: But the American establishment and media denied it then, and continue to deny it until today, because Phoenix was a genocidal program -- and the CIA officials, members of the media who were complicit through their silence, and the red-blooded American boys who carried it out, are all war criminals. As Michael Ratner a lawyer at the Center for Constitutional Rights told CounterPunch: "Kerrey should be tried as a war criminal. His actions on the night of February 24-25, 1969 when the seven man Navy Seal unit which he headed killed approximately twenty unarmed Vietnamese civilians, eighteen of whom were women and children was a war crime. Like those who murdered at My Lai, he too should be brought into the dock and tried for his crimes."
A famous Phoenix operation, known as the My Lai Massacre, was proceeding along smoothly, with a grand total of 504 Vietnamese women and children killed, when a soldier named Hugh Thompson in a helicopter gunship saw what was happening. Risking his life to preserve that "social contract," Thomson landed his helicopter between the mass murderers and their victims, turned his machine guns on his fellow Americans, and brought the carnage to a halt.
It was the CIA that forced soldiers like Kerrey into Phoenix operations, and the hidden hand of the CIA lingers over his war crime. Kerrey even uses the same rationale offered by CIA officer DeSilva. According to Kerrey, "the Viet Cong were a thousand per cent more ruthless than" the Seals or U.S. Army. [end excerpt]
* More of David Valentine's research [archive.is/9XWqc].
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* "Why Are the Pseudo-“Maoists” So Opposed to Grover Furr?" [archive.is/BtfHt]:
This is something that has plagued me for a while now. Here we have someone who, through meticulous archival research, in the original language, is taking apart the single greatest slur made against socialism and proving it to be false. You would think that everyone would be jumping for joy and cheering him on. Not so. A certain new brand of “maoist” represented by KASAMA and the NCP (LC) not only opposes Grover’s efforts, but has tried to silence him (Carlos Rivera-Jones played an active role in the recent attempt to delete the Wikipedia article on Grover). In some case, they even revert to reactionary, bourgeois, and even snobbish arguments to try to discredit Grover, such as “his degree isn’t in history” or “he teaches at a middle-level college.”
Why would they act this way? Is it concealed anti-communism or is something else involved?
For the longest time, I felt that their actions revealed their anti-communist core; and while this still may be the case, I think that there is something more profound at play here. I think that they find Grover’s research threatening for a very different reason and in a very different way: Grover’s work challenges their version of “maoism.”
A certain rejection of Stalin has always been part and parcel of some brands of “maoism.” Mao himself famously judged Stalin’s legacy as “70% good and 30% bad.” Mao published critiques of Soviet economics and cited Stalin for supposed errors and excesses. This has been taken up by some “maoists” to demean the importance of Stalin’s work to ML theory and to lessen the importance of his legacy to the world communist movement. This also provided some “maoists” with a variant of the old trotskyite gambit of “Stalin was horrible, but if only Trotsky. . . ” The new and improved version being “The bad things that happened were because of Stalin, but Mao. . . ”
So, where did Mao’s criticisms of Stalin come from? Obviously, Mao had no insider experience of what was happening among the Soviet leadership while he was in Yenan. The only information Mao could have had about Soviet events before 1949 would only come from either published sources or report-backs from deputies who had traveled to the USSR. Mao would have had no access to archival documents relative to Soviet decisions or internal disagreements — the very archival materials Grover is now uncovering. So, where did Mao’s information about Stalin’s “errors and abuses” come from?
They came from Khrushchev.
If one looks at Mao’s criticism of Stalin and the indictments made by Khrushchev against the former Soviet leader, they are pretty much identical. The difference between the two being one of perspective and interpretation; with Khrushchev making his charges to condemn Stalin, while Mao accepted those charges, but argued that Stalin’s “mistakes” were outweighed by his contributions. One is saying these charges are damning, the other saying the charges are “minor”. But both accept the same charges.Thus, by proving Khrushchev’s charges to be false, Grover is not only revealing Khrushchev to be a liar and opportunist, but he is also removing the foundation for much of Mao’s criticism of Stalin.
This, then, is utterly unacceptable to the “new-maoists” because it undermines their very raison d’etre, the very reason for their brand of “maoism” in the first place.
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* The Declaration of the Jue Group, 2nd draft, abstract (1968-01-25, leaflet from the Wuhan Area Liaison Office of the Jue Faction, re-published 1970-02 by the Writing Group of CCP Municipal Committee of Shanghai, in the Collection of Reactionary Materials During the Cultural Revolution) [archive.is/cHy02]:
The establishment of revolutionary committees has not eliminated the hostilities between the two major factions; it has merely used two new major factions to suppress the brand new conflict, which is entirely different from the old confrontation between the Gang and Xing factions. A new form of struggle has replaced the old form. Revolutionary committees have replaced the organizations of the revolutionary masses. However, it is not so much the revolutionary committees, as the confrontation between a rising force and a strong force represented by some individuals in the revolutionary committees that has replaced the organizations of the revolutionary masses.The revolutionary committees are nothing more than a makeshift entity that exists at a time when factionalism among various factions is forcefully suppressed, not to mention that this makeshift entity is itself very unstable. [. . .] It is impossible permanently to sustain a temporary power apparatus made up of all kinds of political forces. Rather, a dominant position has to be gained by one of the factions through struggles. [. . .] A new phenomenon such as a revolutionary committee, created by the revolutionary masses, will definitely be abolished by the revolutionary masses themselves. The challenge has without any doubt fallen on the shoulders of the Jue Group. In this struggle, the Jue Group will definitely destroy the capitalist state system that has lasted up to this day. The crux of the issue is what kind of path should be taken in transforming a makeshift form of power—revolutionary committees—into a formal state machine.
Some people have advocated “peaceful transition.” That is to say, the moment revolutionary committees are set up, solidified, and improved, the transitioning from the revolutionary committees to a formal power apparatus has begun. During this period, only transfers or removals of individual mem- bers of the revolutionary committees can take place. Our view is entirely the opposite. We believe the moment a brand new state machine comes into being is the day a makeshift power apparatus is overthrown by the revolutionary masses. We declare publicly that a real power machine can begin its life only through some fierce struggles against the makeshift power apparatus. The Jue Group will be able to improve and strengthen itself through such cruel struggles and rise to be the ruling power. Whether it was the “Bombardment Faction of Harbin” or the “April 11 Faction of Guizhou,” their struggles against the makeshift powers have all been heroic experiments for the Jue Group to fulfill its historical mission, whether they realized it or not.
Through analysis, we have concluded that those who first started workers’ rebellions were mostly the educated elements among workers; many of them are in power now. They are also faced with the process of reforming themselves in order truly to earn their credentials to represent the working class; or else, they are bound to be transient figures. However, once properly corrected and guided, those workers and peasants who were once hoodwinked can quickly become the proletarian revolutionaries who are determined to carry the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution to the very end. Maybe there are those who would accuse us of spreading the Left Transition Theory, to which we will plead guilty.
The temporary and contract workers, as represented by the “Second Battalion of the Red Workers Rebellion Headquarters” and “Non-Government Workers,” have fought heroic battles against the capitalist fellow-travelers within the Party, mostly because of their social status and their efforts to protect and solidify their economic status. This sizable portion of the population has been drawn into this unprecedented immense Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. The more thorough the revolution, the better it fulfills their hope. Therefore, they will miss those organizations formed during the movement. [. . .] Many among them will join the ranks of the Jue Group.
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* "20 years since the heroic resistance of Corumbiara!" [archive.is/BJrhG]:
On the 9th of August 1995 police attacked a encampment of landless peasants killing at least 13 people and destroyed the settlement after the occupiers successfully resisted a first attempt at eviction on the 18th of July. The area was sealed by military police and the survivors were subject to systematic beating and torture. Four photos [archive.is/9YFPZ] [archive.is/U4GBV] [archive.is/sB6eQ] [archive.is/kzxdE].
Maria dos Santos was in the kitchen cooking with her children Vanessa, aged seven,and Romerito, aged eight, when the shooting began. Dozens of women with their children flooded into the kitchen screaming. Maria took her children by the hand and ran towards the nearby stream. Vanessa was shot in the spleen by police. Maria picked her up in her arms and crossed the stream, but by the time she reached the other side Vanessa had died. Maria ran another four kilometres with her dead child in her arms.
Nelci Ferreira, aged 23, was shot in the head with two bullets as he bent down to help another peasant who had been shot. After he reached the pharmacy for help, police grabbed him by the hair and kicked him in the face. Another rural worker, Odilson Feliciano, was hit about the head until he fell, and then shot with a revolver in the back of the neck. As he dragged himself along the ground he was kicked and beaten in the back and head. Nelci Ferreira and Odilson Feliciano died on the way to hospital. Autopsy reports confirm that they were shot at close range in the back of the head and the neck. José Marcondes da Silva, aged 49, and Ercílio Oliveira de Campos, aged 41, reportedly gave themselves up and lay on the ground in surrender. Police grabbed women by the throats and used them as shields as they approached the two men who were lying on the ground.23 The police then allegedly shot them where they lay. Ercílio Oliveira de Campos’ autopsy reveals that he received 19 bullets in the heart, lungs and head. José Marcondes da Silva was unrecognisable due to massive head injuries.
Enio Rocha Borges died in hospital from a bullet wound in the stomach. After the killings and beatings, police made the men board trucks taking them away to detention in local police stations. In the nearby police camp, peasants were detained and beaten by police and by gunmen hired by a local landowner, who participated in beatings with the complicity of the police. Sérgio Rodrigues Gomes, aged 24, who had already been shot and was bleeding, was taken away from the camp in a blue Toyota pick-up, allegedly by the private gunmen. The truck returned without him. Two weeks later his dead body, showing marks of savage beating and gunshots to the head, was found in the river Tanaru 70 kilometres away from the Fazenda Santa Elina. The CER reported that one of the dead was completely unrecognisable because the entire face and head had been totally destroyed. The autopsy reports showed that the several victims had been shot in the head or in the back, and a number had been shot at close range, suggesting that they had been extrajudicially executed. Rosália Amâncio Bispo, aged 32 and one of the witnesses to the massacre, told reporters that she saw the police handcuff one peasant, tie him up with rope to a tree, beat him and finally kill him with machine gunfire. “I will never forget that scene,” said Rosália.
Many of the peasants were ill-treated after the initial confrontation when they were made by the police to lie on the ground face down in rows for many hours. They were beaten with truncheons, kicked and stamped on, sustaining serious head injuries and some reportedly had burst eardrums. Some were extrajudicially executed after arrest. The following victims gave their testimonies to the CER: Jeremias Gonçalves, 18 years old, was beaten whilst lying face down; Messias Ramos da Cruz was shot in the neck and beaten with a rifle butt whilst lying on the ground; Wanderlei Antonio Coelho was shot twice in the legs and once in the foot as well as being beaten; Felipe Sviderski had his ribs broken and had a lot of difficulty talking due to injuries to his face; whilst he was lying face down José de Souza Teixeira was hit with a rifle butt which smashed his ear and knocked out four of his teeth; Luiz de Souza was shot in the leg and beaten around the face and body with a truncheon; Jaime Alves was shot in the mouth and beaten; Genaro Rodrigues was kicked in the face; three young women, Zelina, 26 years old, Idalina Lúcia da Silva Medeiros, 19 years old, and one adolescent girl, Paula Alves, 15 years old, were also beaten.
The CER interviewed eight adolescents in the Gymnasium in Colorado do Oeste, where some 355 of the landless were being detained. They all showed signs of bruising and beatings. At the Vilhena Hospital the CER recorded on video Mauro Batista Dias, aged 35, who received broken ribs. Later he told journalists that he had been captured by military policemen who then threw petrol over him and threatened to set him on fire. “They humiliated us as much as they could”, he recalled. He confirmed that the peasants had already surrendered when the police began to beat them. Moacir Camargo Ferreira was shot after having helped the police to load the dead bodies onto a lorry. One policeman allegedly hit Alzira Monteiro, aged 44, in the mouth with his elbow, broke her dentures and shouted in her ear, “You are rats, the landowner has money to pay and kill everyone.” The same policeman had allegedly boasted after returning from chasing peasants, “I’ve killed two, and will kill another 20.” In another incident, police removed the crutches from 21 year-old handicapped José Carlos Moreira and made him drag himself along the ground. The policeman then allegedly beat him with a piece of wood with a nail in it, that they believed he had used as a weapon.
As peasants fled in panic into the forest, it took weeks to locate all the survivors. It was feared that they might have been injured or killed in the period in which police sealed off the encampment immediately after the massacre, and before there was independent access. The body of one of those listed as “disappeared”, Sérgio Rodrigues Gomes, was found in the river Tanaru two weeks Darli Martins Pereira was also last seen with Sérgio Rodrigues Gomes and remains “disappeared”. An investigation of morgue and hospital records in neighbouring municipalities revealed that two other peasants, Oliveira Inácio Dutra and Jesus Ribeiro de Souza, previously thought to be “disappeared”, had died within two months of the injuries they sustained that day. The toll from the massacre is thus: thirteen peasant and two police fatalities and one peasant Darli Martins Pereira who remains “disappeared”.
details from 1998 Amnesty International report: Corumbiara and Eldorado de Carajas: Rural violence, political brutality and impunity
---
* "Zbigniew Brzezinski: How Jimmy Carter and I Started the Mujahideen" (1998-01-15, counterpunch.org) [archive.is/VH3r]
* "America to Wage War for USSR Inheritance" (2001-09-19, by Anatoli Baranov, english.pravda.ru) [archive.is/3c6OR] [begin excerpt]: However, the ruling Republican Party is going to correct America's domestic and foreign policies due to the grand terrorist attack. The Democrats' remnants are going to be completely removed from the military and reconnaissance structures and the control over the private and public life of the American people is going to be toughened, including the business sphere. The U.S. will shift its emphasis from hi-tech constituents over to the raw materials companies - the ones which deal with oil and gas fuel first and foremost. The weight of the military and industrial complex in GNP will be raised and the national ABM program will certainly be launched. Bush and other figures of the American Republican administration are absolutely interested in this scenario - it is an open secret for everyone.
The USA will use those priority procedures when fortifying the armed forces in the Persian Gulf area, modernizing the bases there, and delivering additional arms and defense technology. The USA's military presence in the region, which is of strategic importance for the whole of the West, will be raised to the limit when total control over events happening will be moved to Washington.
America will increase its military presence along the entire 40th parallel, which is what we can see now in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Macedonia; soon we will also see it in the republics of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenia, and Uzbekistan.
The operation in Afghanistan has the following objective: to make the region closer to the zone of USA's vital interests. To begin with, the American army intends to gain control of the airports and other areas on Turkmenistan's territory (including the former Soviet republic in Termez). It is interesting that America is interested in the former Soviet base Bagram, which is on the territory of Afghanistan. This base is currently under the control of the Northern Alliance. In addition, the USA is going to bring its influence back into the northern Alliance: the tragic and very "timely" Ahmad Shah Masood's death (Afghan opposition leader).
Therefore, Russia's control over the region of Central Asia is going to fade away. The same thing will happen with its control over the Caucasus. The USA will make the republics of Middle Asia to reconsider the Collective Security Treaty of the CIS and Russian troops will be called back to Russian territory. The United States will gain total control over Central Asia, over the Indian ocean, and the country will be able to efficiently control the processes in Indo-China and Indonesia. This will actually bring about the total control of the United States of America over the Islamic world, since the moves of Iran, Pakistan, and Iraq will depend upon the military presence of the United States. [end excerpt]
Never forget the brave Soviet soldiers who defended the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the US, Saudi and Pakistani backed Mujaheddin [youtube.com/watch?v=EBDc2pDQgVg]
* "Sleeping With the Devil: How U.S. and Saudi Backing of Al Qaeda Led to 9/11" (2012-11-05, washingtonsblog.com) [archive.is/3oHu8]
Photo caption: Front row, from left: Major Gen. Hamid Gul, director general of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), Director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Willian Webster; Deputy Director for Operations Clair George; an ISI colonel; and senior CIA official, Milt Bearden at a Mujahideen training camp in North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan in 1987. (source RAWA)
* "Afghan Warlords, Formerly Backed By the CIA, Now Turn Their Guns On U.S. Troops They defeated the Soviets with Washington’s help, but now they attack Americans as the new occupiers" (2008-07-21, usnews.com) [archive.is/xTkqm]* "From U.S., the ABC's of Jihad; Violent Soviet-Era Textbooks Complicate Afghan Education Efforts" (2002-03-23, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/athkU]
---
* "The 9/11 Reader" (2012-09-11, by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky) [archive.is/2pQM4]
* "9/11 Facts: 10-Page Timeline of 9/11 Facts From Major Media" [archive.is/wvXu9]
* "The Media Response to the Growing Influence of the 9/11 Truth Movement. Part II: A Survey of Attitude Change in 2009-2010" (2010-02-15, by Elizabeth Woodworth) [archive.is/TyX8p]
* "9/11 Truth and the Joint Congressional Inquiry: 28 Pages of Misdirection on the Role of Saudi Arabia" (2015-09-11, by Dick Atlee and Ken Freeland) [archive.is/PW4jg]
* "9/11 Truth: The Mysterious Collapse of WTC Seven Why NIST’s Final 9/11 Report is Unscientific and False" (2009-09-14, by David Ray Griffin) [archive.is/inRDP]
* "The untold Saudi Royal connection to 9/11" (2011, whowhatwhy.org) [archive.is/KC4E5]
* "The Truth behind 9/11: Who Is Osama Bin Laden? At 11am, on the morning of 9/11, the Bush administration had announced that Osama was behind the attacks" (2001-09-12, by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky) [archive.is/qSEgl]
* "9/11 ANALYSIS: Where was Osama bin Laden on September 11, 2001" (2010-09-10, by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky) [archive.is/jExhB]
* "9/11 Truth: De-Bunking the Neocon 9/11 Narrative. The Workings of “Big Lie Propaganda” What the Perpetrators of 9/11 Have Been Telling the "Whistleblowing Searchers" for the Truth" (2015-09-10, by Dr. Gary G. Kohls) [archive.is/ST1Lr]
* "9/11 Myths Exposed By Firefighters, Architects & Engineers" [youtube.com/watch?v=57kdlbdYILM]
* "9/11 INTERCEPTED" (Pilots For 9/11 Truth) [youtube.com/watch?v=-Laaq44SDgg]
* "9/11: Decade of Deception" (2015, Press For Truth) [youtube.com/watch?v=xqqelDq4P48]
* "9/11: Explosive Evidence - Experts Speak Out" (AE911Truth.org) [youtube.com/watch?v=Ddz2mw2vaEg]
* "Firefighters, Architects & Engineers Expose 9/11 Myths" (2015) [youtube.com/watch?v=0GNww9cmZPo]
* "AE911 Truth & Firefighters for 911 Truth Demonstrate at NY Times" (2015-09-11) [youtube.com/watch?v=_sOB5PkaaNs]: Richard Gage founder of Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth & Eric Lawyer of Firefighters for 9/11 Truth with Luke Rudkowski of We Are Change demonstrate at the NY Times Building
* "Scientist Who Analyzed Dust From 9/11 Attacks Dies Suddenly" (2015-07-14, sputniknews.com) [archive.is/Aa8Rl]
* "9/11 Witnesses who were murdered" [youtube.com/watch?v=MYXkbE-bSM8]: Since 9/11 happened over a decade ago there have been a rash amount suicides and freak accidents of the witnesses that were planning to testify against the United States government.Same set of mysterious deaths occurred with dissident eyewitnesses concerning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy...
* "New Evidence of Foreknowledge of the 9/11 Attacks" (2015-09-09, Consensus911.org) [archive.is/2AHV2]
* "Silencing a Whistle-Blower, Gladio B and the Origins of ISIS" interview with Sibel Edmonds (2015-09-11, Global Research News Hour) [archive.is/trIVZ] [begin excerpt]: Ms. Edmonds went to work for the FBI in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks. While under the employ of the State Agency she uncovered ongoing criminal operations implicating foreign nationals and high level US officials. When she tried to report on these revelations, she was told to shut up and eventually dispatched from the agency.
Edmonds has reported instances of FBI foreknowledge of 9/11. For example, a disclosure by a long-term FBI informant to two FBI agents and a translator, which indicated a terrorist attack in US cities involving airplanes to take place within a few months. After the disclosure was forwarded to the Special Agent in Charge of Counter-terrorism at the Washington Field Office, no action was taken, and following 9/11, the agents and translator in question were told to keep quiet about the issue [archive.is/kdjJt].
In this week’s interview, conducted by Global Research News Hour contributor Jonathan Wilson, Edmonds discusses how she became “the most classified woman in America,” as well as how sensitive information gets contained, the rise of Islamic Terror as “Gladio B” and her assessment of the trouble-spots likely to emerge in coming months.
Listen-in (.mp3) [http://is.gd/MsMkFZ] (not archived)
[end excerpt]
* "9/11 Trillions: Follow The Money" (2015-09-12, corbettreport.com) [archive.is/usMUw]
* "Computer disk drives from WTC could yield clues" (2001-12-20, cnn.com) [archive.is/PRCwS] [begin excerpt]: An unexplained surge in transactions was recorded prior to the attacks, leading to speculation that someone might have profited from previous knowledge of the terrorist plot by moving sums of money. But because the facilities of many financial companies processing the transactions were housed in New York's World Trade Center, destroyed in the blasts, it has until now been impossible to verify that suspicion. [end excerpt]
* "German Firm Probes Final World Trade Center Deals" (2001-12-17, Reuters Newswire) [archive.is/rgW8d] [begin excerpt]: German computer experts are working round the clock to unlock the truth behind an unexplained surge in financial transactions made just before two hijacked planes crashed into New York's World Trade Center Sept. 11.
Were criminals responsible for the sharp rise in credit card transactions that moved through some computer systems at the WTC shortly before the planes hit the twin towers? Or was it coincidence that unusually large sums of money, perhaps more than $100 million, were rushed through the computers as the disaster unfolded?
A world leader in retrieving data, German-based firm Convar is trying to answer those questions and help credit card companies, telecommunications firms and accountants in New York recover their records from computer hard drives that have been partially damaged by fire, water or fine dust.
Using a pioneering laser scanning technology to find data on damaged computer hard drives and main frames found in the rubble of the World Trade Center and other nearby collapsed buildings, Convar has recovered information from 32 computers that support assumptions of dirty doomsday dealings.
"The suspicion is that inside information about the attack was used to send financial transaction commands and authorizations in the belief that amid all the chaos the criminals would have, at the very least, a good head start,'' said Convar director Peter Henschel.
"Of course it is also possible that there were perfectly legitimate reasons for the unusual rise in business volume,'' he told Reuters in an interview.
"It could turn out that Americans went on an absolute shopping binge on that Tuesday morning. But at this point there are many transactions that cannot be accounted for,'' Henschel said.
"Not only the volume but the size of the transactions was far higher than usual for a day like that. There is a suspicion that these were possibly planned to take advantage of the chaos.''
Richard Wagner, a data retrieval expert at the company, said illegal transfers of more than $100 million might have been made immediately before and during the disaster.
"There is a suspicion that some people had advance knowledge of the approximate time of the plane crashes in order to move out amounts exceeding $100 million,'' Wagner said. "They thought that the records of their transactions could not be traced after the main frames were destroyed.''
"We have been quite surprised that so many of the hard drives were in good enough shape to retrieve the data,'' he said.
"The contamination rate is high. The fine dust that was everywhere in the area got pressed under high pressure into the drives. But we've still been able to retrieve 100 percent of the data on most of the drives we've received.
"We're helping them find out what happened to the computers Sept 11 as quickly as possible. I'm sure that one day they will know what happened to the money.''
[end excerpt]
* Rare TV NEWS report about WTC bombing FBI Foreknowledge (1993) [youtube.com/watch?v=5F1Y6cGRXEs]. The bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 also had the indications of being allowed to happen.
---
And the anthrax letters pushed a terrified Congress into approving the Patriot Act without even reading it [archive.is/zZwK9]. Coincidentally, the only Congressmen who received anthrax letters were the ones who were likely to oppose the Patriot Act [archive.is/T6O2G].
* "Head of the FBI’s Anthrax Investigation Says the Whole Thing Was a sham" (2015-04-17, washingtonsblog.com) [archive.is/huf3L]
* "U.S. Inquiry Tried, but Failed, to Link Iraq to Anthrax Attack" (2001-12-22, nytimes.com) [archive.is/onLPT]
* "FBI was told to blame Anthrax scare on Al Qaeda by White House officials" (2008-08-02, nydailynews.com) [archive.is/Mevid]* "Anthrax Letter Writer Profile" (2001-11-09, FBI, Critical Incident Response Group) [archive.is/yYZR8]
The implications noted re:
- the "box lettering" and
- the peculiar slant of the lettering (Arabic is a left-to-right written language, of course),
- the use of the European-Middle Eastern for m of the number "1" and
- the idiomatic awkwardness of his language ("can not" vs. "cannot"),
- all suggest a possible to likely Middle East/ Arabic-language, non-US raised citizen tie.
---
- “Our armies do not come your lands as conquerors or enemies, but as liberators” - British Gen. Stanley Maude, 1917
- “When we have made Mesopotamia a model state, there is not an Arab (...) who wouldn’t want to be part of it.” - Brit. Colonial advisor Gertrude Bell, 1921
* "Government Officials Say 9/11 Was State-Sponsored Terrorism … But Disagree About WHICH Nation Was Behind Attacks; Did Iran Back 9/11 Hijackers? Saudi Arabia? Iraq? Afghanistan? America? Israel?" (2012-09-08, washingtonsblog.com) [archive.is/4ghMp]
* "Did Israel develop the doctrine behind Iraq invasion?" (2014-10-13, electronicintifada.net) [archive.is/mJe7C]
* "Did Cheney and the Oil Bigs Plan the Iraq War Before 9/11?" (2008-07-03, washingtonsblog.com) [archive.is/qwDUc]
* "Newly-Released Memo by Donald Rumsfeld Proves Iraq War Started On False Pretenses; Everyone Knew Iraq Had No WMDS … and Was Not Behind Anthrax Attacks or 9/11" (2013-02-20, washingtonsblog.com) [archive.is/3dCLI]
* "U.S. Officials Guilty of War Crimes for Using 9/11 As a False Justification for the Iraq War" (2012-10-24, washingtonsblog.com) [archive.is/rOian]
* "The impact of Bush linking 9/11 and Iraq American attitudes about a connection have changed, firming up the case for war" (2003-03-14, csmonitor.com) [archive.is/bynn]
* USA Vice-President "Cheney blasts media on al Qaeda-Iraq link Says media not 'doing their homework' in reporting ties" (2004-06-18, cnn.com) [archive.is/RrCzJ]
* "9/11 panel sees no link between Iraq, al-Qaida" (2004-06-16, nbcnews.com) [archive.is/ECXm3]
* "How Important is Cheney’s Admission that There was NEVER Any Evidence Linking Iraq and 9/11?" (2009-06-02, washingtonsblog.com) [archive.is/7UYYr]
* "Bush: Saddam was not responsible for 9/11" (2006-09-12, theguardian.com) [archive.is/HeZyo]
* "Document Says Oil Chiefs Met With Cheney Task Force" (2005-11-16, washingtonpost.com) [archive.is/xuWv]
* Maps and Charts of Iraqi Oil Fields (2001-03, introduced by judicialwatch.org) [http://is.gd/E4nd0w], press release [http://is.gd/EKUaoK]. These are documents turned over by the Commerce Department, under a March 5, 2002 court order as a result of Judicial Watch’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit concerning the activities of the Cheney Energy Task Force. The documents contain a map of Iraqi oilfields, pipelines, refineries and terminals, as well as 2 charts detailing Iraqi oil and gas projects, and “Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts.” The documents are dated March 2001. All are (.pdf)
- Iraq Oil Map [http://is.gd/vfor2s]
- Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts - Part 1 [http://is.gd/wOvuyT]
- Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts - Part 2 [http://is.gd/ESgOyB]
- United Arab Emirates Oil Map [http://is.gd/6TFiBj]
- United Arab Emirates: Major Oil and Natural Gas Development Projects [http://is.gd/he1iZV]
- Saudi Arabia Oil Map [http://is.gd/N7ZBrt]
- Saudi Arabia: Major Oil and Natural Gas Development Projects [http://is.gd/IRtqd0]
* "Truth Censored: US Media Cover President's Barefaced Lies" (2015-09-16, Eric Zuesse) [archive.is/A2v0C]
* "America’s News Is Heavily Censored" (2015-09-16, Eric Zuesse) [archive.is/6zky0] [begin excerpt]: On 7 September 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush blatantly lied to concoct a “new report” by the IAEA about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction program, and the U.S. news-media reported the statement but hid that it was a lie.
He said (and CNN and others quoted it): “a report came out of the Atomic — the IAEA that they were six months away from developing a weapon. I don’t know what more evidence we need,” when he was asked at a press conference, “Mr. President, can you tell us what conclusive evidence of any nuclear — new evidence you have of nuclear weapons capabilities of Saddam Hussein?” Immediately, the IAEA said then that there was no such “new report,” and that the last they were able to find, there was nothing left of WMD in Iraq.
The American news-media simply ignored the IAEA’s denial, and we invaded Iraq, almost six months after that boldfaced lie, a lie the press refused to expose, at all — ever. They still haven’t exposed it, even to the present day; and instead there remains a ‘debate’ as to whether George W. Bush lied or was instead merely misled by “defective U.S. intelligence.” In this particular instance, he wasn’t even citing U.S. intelligence, but instead the IAEA, and they immediately denied it, but the press failed to report that; so, really, the President was simply lying, and the press just continue to lie by saying he had only “been misled by the CIA” (which he actually controlled; but he didn’t control the IAEA). The American press hide the fact that the American President lied his nation into invading Iraq. The press lie that it was only “bad intelligence,” no lying President.
(Because of the news-media’s ignoring the IAEA’s denial of the President’s statement, the author of the IAEA’s denial, Mark Gwozdecky, spoke three weeks later, by phone, with the only journalist who was interested, Joseph Curl of the Washington Times, who headlined on 27 September 2002, “Agency Disavows Report on Iraq Arms” (.pdf) [http://is.gd/GbFNs2] — perhaps that should instead have been “President Lied About ‘Saddam’s WMD’” — and Curl quoted Gwozdecky: “There's never been a report like that [which Bush alleged] issued from this agency. … When we left in December '98 we had concluded that we had neutralized their nuclear-weapons program. We had confiscated their fissile material. We had destroyed all their key buildings and equipment.” Other news-media failed to pick up Curl’s article. And, even in that article, there was no clear statement that the President had, in fact, lied — cooked up an IAEA ‘report’ that never actually existed — and that he never corrected his false allegation; that he compounded his lie by not correcting it.) [end excerpt]
* (2003-03-17, by Michael Hammerschlag) [archive.is/hiAwP] [begin excerpt]:
Again and again GB2 has tried to tie Saddam with Osama: Saddam supports him, he gives Al Qaida refuge, he’s about to finish a nuclear bomb. All lies. OBL hates Saddam, he is an unbeliever who’s annihilated Moslem leaders along with any others who could lift a finger in opposition. Worse, he’s done it in the heart of the Islamic world, at the very cradle of civilization. OBL would boil him in oil, if given his druthers. Trumped up evidence, repackaged long past its freshness date, till it stinks with the corruption of this regime. Saddam had aluminum tubes for nuclear fabrication: not really; Iraq was buying uranium from Niger: the papers were forged. ("Fine," said Colin.); prohibited missiles: not if loaded with a warhead (they destroyed the short range missiles anyway); dangerous drones: actually ramshackle junk (though this might be an Iraqi scam). The truth is- Bush planned to invade Iraq, to outdo and avenge his father, to kill a persistent irritant, to guarantee a stable source of oil, to cow the world… before he became President (new proof 10/2004 [archive.is/Phc1J]) . All rationales, all reasons, all explanations, are window dressing on a clumsy thuggish foreign policy, one opposed by 98% of the world (not all their leaders, who can be bought and bullied). If Saddam was stripped naked and staked to the ground in the western Iraq desert, it wouldn’t be enough to stop Bush’s Wanton War. Two life long state department officials, and 2 British MP's have resigned in protest over Iraq policy [archive.is/6gwhb].
The result of all this untruth is that 42% of our people think Saddam was involved in planning 9-11, 55% think he’s in league with Al Qaida,(and 55% think an Iraq invasion won't increase terrorism-uh huh). They believe this because the President told them so. Of course, only 13% of 18-24 year olds could identify Iraq on a map. Of some 1000 satellite phone calls that OBL made, not one went to Iraq, but our media has let this gem sink in the sands of Mr. Bush’s propaganda. Is there any doubt that our troops will find (concocted or not-we will never know) evidence of WMD's, and is there any doubt that our fully militarized "embedded" press corp will dutifully report what it is fed? The truth is 30-40% of our nation has been soaking up raw propaganda in the right-wing exhortations of Rush, Reagan, Ollie, O'Reilly, Fox News, and other hate radio schlockmeisters for over a decade- they believe anything- as long as it has a clear villain. To rally support for his policies, Mr. Bush has twice gone to military bases: Fort Hood and Mayport Naval Air Station. The contemptibility of this can’t be overstated: these are kids-18,19,20 years old; these are the cream of American youth whose job it is the President’s to protect! This is like a pimp gleaning support and approval from the runaway girls at the bus station. [end excerpt]
* "Terrorism and the Justification for the War in Iraq" (2005-03-03, by Michael Hammerschlag) [archive.is/iMspv] [begin excerpt]: Ansar al-Islam was a fanatical group on the Iran border loosely allied with Al Qaida and formed after 9-11, but they were warring against the Kurds, who had great incentives to exaggerate connections and support by Saddam and Osama; Eradicated in beginning of war. [end excerpt] More about Ansar al-Islam [archive.is/5TELc] [archive.is/NEJqX] [archive.is/GBqoJ] [archive.is/iLu45].
* (2002-10-03) [archive.is/uXT0n] [begin excerpt]: Bush has provided no proof for any connection between Saddam and Al Qaida- the alleged meeting between Mohammed Atta and an Iraqi diplomat in Prague had to be embarrassingly disavowed. Of the hundreds of Bin Laden’s satellite calls [archive.is/5kzA1] before the embassy bombings to London, Yemen, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, USA, Pakistan, .. there wasn’t one to Iraq. [end excerpt]
And, what about those "Weapons of Mass Destruction"?
* (2015-09-20, jonathan-cook.net) [archive.is/IhUBl] [begin excerpt]: In autumn 2002 the Observer newspaper’s correspondent Ed Vulliamy found confirmation of a terrible truth many of us already suspected. In a world-exclusive, he persuaded Mel Goodman, a former senior CIA official who still had security clearance at the Agency, to go on record that the CIA knew there were no WMD in Iraq. Everything the US and British governments were telling us to justify the coming attack on Iraq were lies.
Then something even more extraordinary happened. The Observer failed to print the story. In his book Flat Earth News, Nick Davies recounts that Vulliamy, one of the Observer’s most trusted reporters, submitted the piece another six times in different guises over the next half year. Each time the Observer spiked the story.
Vulliamy never went public with this monumental crime against real journalism (should there not be a media trials section at the Hague?). And the supposedly liberal-left Observer was never held accountable for its grave betrayal of its readership and the world community. [end excerpt]
* "The Three-State Solution" (2003-11-25, by the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, for the nytimes.com) [archive.is/9ovjg]
* "Stopping the next Bosnia" (2003-11-05, by Michael Hammerschlag) [archive.is/btPkE] [begin excerpt]: As distasteful as it is, it seems clear America is going to be driven out of Iraq, within 9-12 months. This country won’t endure 2 or 5 or 20 dead Americans a day forever, and Karl Rove may pull the plug on Iraq at any time to save Bush’s plummeting reelection hopes. It’s likely a rushed Iraqi-ization of the war and pullout of Americans will occur─ what comes after will be a bloodbath. Since WW1, Iraq rulers have come from the 15-20% Arab Sunni minority, who maintained savage control over the 60-65% Shiite majority* and the 19% Kurdish non-nation (who are Sunni, but never part of the leadership). The second the American military presence is removed, the tens of thousands of Shiite militiamen will fight the trained Sunni Iraq Army and Baathists in a Civil War that could be Bosnia across a country the size of California, Beirut in a place with the third largest oil reserves¹; maybe even the mass slaughters of Rwanda. European countries were correct in opposing our unwarranted invasion, but they are blinded by their resentment and deeply mistaken in demanding a quick US withdrawal. Still, when commentators accurately describe why ‘we can’t leave Iraq’, one must add in parentheses (“till we do”).
Since we broke Iraq, it’s America’s responsibility to keep this dire state from transpiring.
The huge bombings of the Shiites at the Najaf mosque and the vicious bombings of the UN and Red Cross are probably the opening shots in this coming War. They are convinced America can be dealt with- first they’ve ensured no other governments will send sizable quantities of troops, and guaranteed their countrymen endless hardship without the solace of international relief agencies. The UN was emotionally shattered by the bombing- don't expect them to send more lambs to the killing zone. The rebels attacking US, Shiite, UN, and relief forces are from 6 groups: Baathist and Saddamites re-seeking their position at the top of the food chain; Sunni Army people who also want to reassert their dominance over the Shiites; people out to revenge killed, injured, or humiliated relatives in the invasion, occupation, or 12 year sanctions (which killed maybe 2/3 million); criminals released under Saddamnesty; foreign jihadists lured to Iraq by our reckless invasion; and radical Shiites who want to control their sect, think they could persevere in a Civil War, and still think of America as the Great Satan. There are way too few troops to do the job in Iraq, but against a guerrilla war, more troops are just more targets, and it’s probably already too late.
There may be a way to prevent or limit the onrushing civil war, though it would open us to real charges of nation building: partition Iraq into Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish states: a Kurdish north, Sunni center, and Shiite south below Baghdad, without forced migrations. For 12 years we de-facto already did this with the no-fly zones, which saved the Kurds and southern Shiites from terror from the skies. Iraq was cobbled together from wildly disparate elements, and has never functioned without suppression. We must overcome our natural arrogance in thinking we can transplant our successful multicultural modern society onto a tribal society riven by millennium old hatreds and divisions. Sometimes good fences make good neighbors- giving each faction a homeland that they can feel safe in may settle enflamed passions and prevent the need to battle for total control. Iraq is a pressure cooker, with the lid kept on for 40 years only by the murderous savagery of the Baathists and Saddam. 130,000 US troops aren’t able to prevent preliminary explosions; but the flashover into steam will be horrific. Dividing Iraq won’t be easy- south Baghdad’s Saddam (Sadr) City is a 2 million strong Shiite slum and a million Kurds live in the central region- but it might provide enough breathing room for the factions to build functioning societies, before dealing with each other. The Shiites could go radical or look towards Iran by themselves, but that might happen anyway. The ancient Kurds, who are the largest homeless ethnic minority on earth, spread across an Iraq size area of 6 nations, might finally have a nation of their own. Instead of killing them, maybe the EU could prevail on Turkey to provide a little corner of their mountains (and perhaps Iran too, whom the Kurds are closest related to) for a Kurdistan. [end excerpt]
* "Baghdad" (1995-02-18, from riverbend) [archive.is/Hm7Oa#selection-555.3-561.12] [begin excerpt]: It’s not about a Sunni government or a Shia government- it’s about the possibility of an Iranian-modeled Iraq. Many Shia are also appalled with the results of the elections. There’s talk of Sunnis being marginalized by the elections but that isn’t the situation. It’s not just Sunnis- it’s moderate Shia and secular people in general who have been marginalized.
The list is frightening- Da’awa, SCIRI, Chalabi, Hussein Shahristani and a whole collection of pro-Iran political figures and clerics. They are going to have a primary role in writing the new constitution. There’s talk of Shari’a, or Islamic law, having a very primary role in the new constitution. The problem is, whose Shari’a? Shari’a for many Shia differs from that of Sunni Shari’a. And what about all the other religions? What about Christians and Mendiyeen?
Is anyone surprised that the same people who came along with the Americans – the same puppets who all had a go at the presidency last year – are the ones who came out on top in the elections? Jaffari, Talbani, Barazani, Hakim, Allawi, Chalabi… exiles, convicted criminals and war lords. Welcome to the new Iraq.
Ibraheim Al-Jaffari, the head of the pro-Iran Da’awa party gave an interview the other day. He tried very hard to pretend he was open-minded and that he wasn’t going to turn the once-secular Iraq into a fundamentalist Shia state but the fact of the matter remains that he is the head of the Da’awa party. The same party that was responsible for some of the most infamous explosions and assassinations in Iraq during the last few decades. This is the same party that calls for an Islamic Republic modeled like Iran. Most of its members have spent a substantial amount of time in Iran.
Jaffari cannot separate himself from the ideology of his party.
Then there’s Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim, head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). He got to be puppet president for the month of December and what was the first thing he did? He decided overburdened, indebted Iraq owed Iran 100 billion dollars. What was the second thing he did? He tried to have the “personal status” laws that protect individuals (and especially women) eradicated. [end excerpt]
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* "FIRM of MIND, SOFT on FACTS" (2003-03-17, by Michael Hammerschlag) [archive.is/hiAwP] [begin excerpt]:
These lies have been aided and abetted by the press and the woeful ignorance of the public. For a year, they painted squeaky clean boy scout Al Gore as a liar, trumpeting minor transgressions into major perfidy, manufacturing “evidence”, while George the Second’s blatant hypocrisies, contradictions, and stupidity were whitewashed. He was congenial; he had nicknames; he was available. Al Gore’s reluctance to cozy up to the press wasn’t seen in light of his exposure to the 6 year Clinton witchhunt and the radioactive right-wing hatreds that fueled it. No, mild-mannered dryly witty Al was cold. Despite wall to wall coverage of the 2000 election, the fact that Gore won by 540,000 votes was never presented as a moral claim to victory (never presented at all- the number never went above 330,000) and 3 incredible outrages of Florida vote theft [archive.is/qZgHq] simply weren’t reported- the public was tired of the story. After the flaying experience of losing when he won, Gore tossed it in- I don’t blame him- the game was fixed. And now, in a stunning violation of broadcasting ethics and flex of propaganda muscle, Clear Channel, the huge radio network that owns over 1200 stations in 50 states, is holding 20,000 person rallies to support Bush's war in many cities [archive.is/9ZXrY].Bush pledged to bring us together- he appointed the dregs of the right-wing barrel: Ted Olson, John Poindexter, Elliot Abrams, Otto Reich. He pledged to rule from the middle, but he’s appointed a chain of unqualified extremists to the federal bench who might well overturn abortion rights and crush constitutional rights. Even after the debacle of Trent Lott’s racist pandering, Bush showed his true feelings by trying to abolish affirmative action. After another proposed tax giveaway to the rich: $165 billion, 45% to the top 1 %, Ari Fleischer suggested that hospital emergency rooms didn’t really have to treat the poor. This was rescinded 2 weeks later when even Repubs went ballistic. Bush claimed he would protect the environment; he’s abolished auto mileage and smokestack emission standards that were 32 years in the making- through 6 Presidents. Under cover of the horrendous deficits that Bush has created, he plans to shred the social safety net: partially privatizing Social Security, starving Medicare, and winnowing welfare. [end excerpt]
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