lovin' kucinich

Posted by: annie | Sep 8 2007 2:12 utc | 101

i appreciate petras also, esp when he's in his forte - latin america. however, i was put off last year by some of his online writings on the zionist lobby's control over u.s. foreign policy -- which took the form more of polemics than helpful analysis, including his snipes at (gatekeeper) chomsky. never bothered to read his book on the topic. was it any better?

his february article on somalia filtered thru a schema broadly outlining a "heirarchy of empire" is still very useful. The Imperial System: Hierarchy, Networks and Clients
The Case of Somalia

Posted by: b real | Sep 8 2007 4:28 utc | 102

American State department 'helpless'?

http://desertpeace.blogspot.com/2007/09/american-family-literally-torn-apart-by.html

Link thanks to George Galloway's website

Posted by: Rick | Sep 8 2007 7:25 utc | 103

Here is something in an Independent article which surprise surprise has not received heavy play in the mainstream media.
Doctors accuse US of 'unethical practices' at Guantanamo Bay

More than 260 doctors from around the world have launched an unprecedented attack on the American medical establishment for its failure to condemn unethical practices by medical practitioners at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba.

In a letter to The Lancet, the doctors from 16 countries, including Britain and America, say the failure of the US regulatory authorities to act is "damaging the reputation of US military medicine". . . .

The Lancet letter equated amerikan military doctors with the South African medicos who concealed the truth of Steve Biko's fatal injuries

On a similar note Human Rights Watch has concluded that the attacks upon Lebanese civilian centres by Israel during their attack upon Lebanese people last year was deliberate and duplicitous since "there was no basis to the Israeli claim that civilian casualties resulted from Hizbollah guerrillas using civilians for cover".

The rash of documentaries about this war, especially the one on the Norwegian UN soldiers who witnessed the Qana massacreshowed the considerable lengths which Hezbollah had gone to by building networks of redoubts connected via underground tunnels. These were spread throughout the border area of South Labanon. The whole purpose of these vast constructions was to ensure that Hezbollah troop concentrations were sheltered and far away from population centres so as not to endanger them. Israel ignored all that and tried to win by deliberately massacring innocents.

Their failure was inevitable - Can someone tattoo across the foreheads of all militarists "Bombing strengthens resistance"? Incidentally other docos have shown that Hezbollah has dug in further North this time outside the UN controlled "buffer zone" I guess they are allowing some intelligence of these constructions out so Israel cannot claim they didn't know about them and bomb population centres the next time the war re-ignites.

In another piece of news, anyone who had any doubt about a deal having been done between the appalling Benazir Bhutto and amerikan intelligence to create a false aura of democratic rule about Mushareef's Pakistani dictatorship, should take note of this:
Musharraf reopens charge against Sharif

General Pervez Musharraf has dramatically upped the stakes in his confrontation with Nawaz Sharif by reopening a corruption charge against the former prime minister days before he is to return to Pakistan to challenge the military leader. And a court ordered a murder warrant for the arrest of Mr Sharif's brother, Shahbaz, who is to return from London with him.

An anti-corruption court in Rawalpindi held a hearing in a five-year-old case relating to allegations that Mr Sharif's family defaulted on a bank loan. The case had been adjourned for years but was reopened at the instigation of the government last month. . .

Pakistan has been a nation of amerikan interest since 911, before that no one seemed to care, and many will be unaware of this nation's unlucky political history.

Mushareef's is the second major military dictatorship. The first was the government of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq who deposed then executed Benazir Bhutto's father, Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto for his alleged role in a murder.

Zia was eventually 'deposed' by a crate of explosives disguised as mangos which were loaded onto his personal military transport during a refuelling stop. American Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Raphel was also onboard when the plane was blown out of the heavens. Karma is a bitch.

Anyway the Bhutto administrations have held power in Pakistan for much longer than any other. They have had a stink of corruption about them since long before Zulfy Bhutto's ouster.

Mushareef has always claimed to be acting in the interest of a corruption free Pakistan, yet he will deal with Benazir Bhutto while refusing to countenence the far less corrupt Mr Sharif who in a cynically symmetric piece of political theatre will by tried and executed for the murder of a political opponent should he return to Pakistan.

The Bhutto bitch must have promised to allow the continued ethnic cleansing by amerika, of her fellow citizens in the tribal lands in return for getting her snout back in the trough. She will be ropeable that this has been delayed by arch-enemy Sharif's return.

With Sharif in the picture the amerikan puppeteers won't risk an election. Sharif may win and although he's not the islamacist Zia was (back in the day when amerika thought Islam a good thing), Sharif and his party The Pakistan Muslim League won't be happy to let brothers and sisters be murdered by infidels.

I don't know whether Mushareef can pull it off. It is true that the judiaciary is more in step with the corrupt secularism of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party - but they have just asserted their independence, and so avoided becoming Mushareef's plaything by asserting the primacy of the constitution. I doubt they will be in a hurry to endanger that principle and erode their newly acquired popular support by aassisting a patently corrupt railroading of Sharif.

Hence the punch telegraphing. One would have thought that if Mushareef was that interested in seeing justice done for the murdered man, he would stay quiet about the pending charges so that Shareef would return, and then he could bring him to justice.

Since the real object is to keep Shareef out of Pakistan so that Bhutto and Mushareef can each grab their percentage, they advertise Shareef's pending trial in an attempt to keep him out.

They've gone! The man left to pick up the pieces in Basra is a tale about the Brits withdrawal from Basra on Thursday. Will General Mohan, the man the Brits have invested their faith in be made from sterner stuff than the english generals or will he too cut and run?

Posted by: Debs is dead | Sep 8 2007 9:53 utc | 104

Thanks annie, (101) I'm glad I didn't miss that.

Posted by: beq | Sep 8 2007 14:36 utc | 105

@ annie 74

thanks for pointing to the New Yorker article "Private Jihad" and the SITE's Rita Katz. I am very impressed by this site's capacity of teaching me something through the many links to news and books.

Posted by: mimi | Sep 8 2007 16:37 utc | 106

@ annie 74

thanks for pointing to the New Yorker article "Private Jihad" and the SITE's Rita Katz. I am very impressed by this site's capacity of teaching me something through the many links to news and books.

Posted by: mimi | Sep 8 2007 16:38 utc | 107

I am sorry for the double posts. That happened now twice already. I am not aware of what I am doing wrong. If anybody knows why my posts appear twice, please let me know.

Posted by: mimi | Sep 8 2007 16:39 utc | 108

mimi, i love the new yorker. wrt the triple postings, when this happens to me it is usually a result of clicking and not thinking it has registered, and then clicking again. my suggestion who be to click once (save your text just in case) and shortly thereafter refresh and see if it has posted. don't double click. ;)

Posted by: annie | Sep 8 2007 17:00 utc | 109

Have no fear of Apophenia, Mimi, when it's just your doppelganger">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndrome_of_subjective_doubles">doppelganger here.

Seriously, welcome to the Bar of Knowledge. Pull up a stool and order your favorite drink. We aim to please here.

Posted by: Malooga | Sep 8 2007 17:10 utc | 110

Have no fear of Apophenia,

lol, yeah.. b does this to all the newcomers just to freak them out! ;)

or sometimes when the bar is slow it fills up the front page list of posters to appear as if the bar is crowded!

mimi, mimi, mimi, hey!! w/every post another shot of whiskey, fairly soon you will be drunk w/us!

Posted by: annie | Sep 8 2007 17:33 utc | 111

@ annie 101:

Yes, that was a consumate performance by Kucinich, he really has improved as a politician over the years. He didn't answer a single question, but stuck to his pre-arranged script. Of course, his views were standard fare for Republican moderates during the Nixon years.

Nevertheless, his message is still a mix of populist gobbedlly-gook, as one would suspect from the prime left-wing Democratic gatekeeper, who was only too happy to throw his democratically disaffected delegates to Kerry last selection. (None of those delegates seemed to realize that it would have just been easier to support the war-mongering Kerry directly.)

From his latest missive to supporters:

"Strength through Peace" - the Kucinich philosophy - means direct engagement, diplomacy, adherence to international law and upholding treaties. To me it means dismantling the US war economy, but that very real action might be a little politically unpopular back home, where Ohio receives nearly half of its R&D funds from the Department of Defense, and is therefore sensitive to trends in defense spending It was in that spirit that Dennis and Elizabeth decided to visit the Middle East; to see whether political and religious leaders as well as the citizens of the region were open to the kind of positive dialogue recommended in the Baker Hamilton report Yes, that was a progressive document, wasn't it?. The kind of dialogue ignored and dismissed by the White House.

The six day trip started in Syria. In the Golan region, they visited the site of the "Shouting Valley" where Syrians whose families were separated by the occupation have to literally shout to each other across a distance of several hundred yards in order to maintain family and personal contact.

Syria has accepted and settled more than one and a half million refugees from Iraq. Dennis and Elizabeth visited an area on the Syrian-Iraqi border, as well as one neighborhood in Damascus where some of the Iraqis had settled. The Syrian government is providing free education and healthcare. Perhaps they can provide some healthcare to the US "People are desperate," said Dennis. "They have lost loved ones in the war. They have nothing but the clothes on their back. This is a profound humanitarian gesture on the part of this country because it significantly increases the population of Syria. Now, someone must provide for these refugees." Unlike New Orleans.

On the second day, there was an extended meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. They discussed a wide range of other matters including building relations between Syria and the United States, So we can again send our torture victims there, now that the heat is on Guantanamo. the role of the European community in negotiations between Syria and Israel, hopes for a national unity government in LebanonAgainst the wishes of the majority, matters affecting Pakistan, and Assad's stated desire for a peace agreement with Israel.

Elizabeth met with the President's British-born wife One can never marry to far from Empire, with whom she shares an interest in community economic development, education and the welfare of refugees.

One of the most moving parts of their trip was a visit to the holy site of Notre Dame de Saydanaya, a revered Christian mecca where legend says the Virgin Mary appeared 1,500 years ago, fully veiled Muslim women worship together with Christians. "In this time of religious strife, it is important to bear witness to places that show the way of peace," Elizabeth observed.

Peace and harmony in the Axis of Evil?? Would that message be seen on American TV? No.

Next, Dennis and Elizabeth visited Lebanon. There, Dennis met with President Emil Lahoud and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora The two puppetswhere further discussions centered on resolving the conflict with Israel????Lebanon has a conflict with Israel, gee, that's news to me. I thought that Israel had invaded Lebanon (for the fourth time in several decades) and destroyed its infrastructure. I hate the passive voice. and issues surrounding stability in Lebanon.

President Lahoud was specific about the challenge of Shiites having resigned from the government: "Lebanon is governed by a consensus on every issue. To have this we must have the three main religious groups represented equally (Shiites, Sunnis and Maronites). When one group leaves, you cannot have a legal government." In other words, continue to follow the anti-democratic structure set up by the Imperial forces to control Lebanese politics, despite massive relative population changes of these three groups over the thirty years, effectively disenfranchising the majority.

And, in what may be a surprise to many here at home, there is a surprisingly for those who know nothing about how the US controls its dependencies large American population in Lebanon. How large? About 50,000, many of them active in "Democrats Abroad Lebanon", a branch of the Democratic Party's official overseas arm. Those U.S. citizens were thrilled to have a chance to meet Dennis and Elizabeth at a special evening meeting, and they used the event to kick-off their plans for getting Americans in the country to vote in Democrats Abroad's delegate selection process to choose delegates to attend the Democratic National Convention next year in Denver. Because Democrats, as we all know, are against war.

Lebanon's leading Christian cleric, Cardinal Sfeir, Patriarch of the Maronite Church met with Dennis and Elizabeth. Cardinal Sfier is no stranger to U.S. politics. He has met with George Bush, Dick Cheney and Condaleeza Rice in Washington. As the leader of a large segment of an ethnically and religious diverse nation, he told the Kuciniches, "We have to appreciate living together with persons who are not of our faith and working with them to achieve a common good."Well, I see little Dennis is finally hanging out with the big boys, fascists all, and bragging about it, too!

Dennis and Elizabeth also made plans to return to Qana, the site of heavy fighting That's polite newspeak for "Israeli massacre and brave resistance during last year's war and to participate in a televised 'Town Hall forum' smells like Soros is up to his old tricks again in downtown Beirut with residents of the city.

Dennis, who will be returning to the U.S. in the next few days, summed up the trip this way: "I believe that through direct communication, there is hope for peace. The world is ready to embrace America again. Oh really? And before we leave Iraq, pay reparations for our war crimes, or even apologize for our "mistakes?" It is important that America reaches out to show our true values That's the whole problem in a nutshell, Dennis. , our compassion and our willingness to work for peace."

Posted by: Malooga | Sep 8 2007 18:01 utc | 112

sheesh Malooga, why are you so bitter with Kucinich? In order for him to do anything at all he has to get elected. There is no way he could make public statements that would appeal to any of us here wrt reparations and middle eastern policy....we have arrived at the conclusions and beliefs we have after considerable study and discussion. To spring these ideas onto a general populace that has never questioned corporate media or anything that their government tells them would be a complete disaster.

I have always liked and admired Dennis Kucinich, he has stood for principle and lost his seat as mayor over privatization of municipal power...he wanted to keep it municipal. Politics is also the art of the possible and he seems to be able to get things done, even if he is short.

Posted by: dan of steele | Sep 8 2007 18:23 utc | 113

Bill Richardson: Why We Should Exit Iraq Now

In the most recent debate, I asked the other candidates how many troops they would leave in Iraq and for what purposes. I got no answers. The American people need answers. If we elect a president who thinks that troops should stay in Iraq for years, they will stay for years -- a tragic mistake.

Clinton, Obama and Edwards reflect the inside-the-Beltway thinking that a complete withdrawal of all American forces somehow would be "irresponsible." On the contrary, the facts suggest that a rapid, complete withdrawal -- not a drawn-out, Vietnam-like process -- would be the most responsible and effective course of action.
..
I am convinced that only a complete withdrawal can sufficiently shift the politics of Iraq and its neighbors to break the deadlock that has been killing so many people for so long.
...

Posted by: b | Sep 8 2007 18:39 utc | 114

I agree dan, probably we might give Dennis a star for being closest to the prevailing MoA attitude. That should be good for something, right?

Posted by: anna missed | Sep 8 2007 18:43 utc | 115

almost seems like a few wiseguys are getting whacked. kinda reminds me of the movie about Al Capone when he uses a baseball bat on a guy that was thinking about leaving the organization.

hometown business hero, a pillar of the community, a powerful voice on the City Council dais and a close ally of Mayor Rick Baker

Ohio Republican Representative Gillmor Found Dead

from above,

former Republican U.S. Representative Jennifer Dunn of Seattle died today after suffering a pulmonary embolism in her Virginia apartment

GOP Strategist Among 3 Found Dead

Posted by: dan of steele | Sep 8 2007 19:52 utc | 116

Something we moonies can appreciate?

Posted by: beq | Sep 8 2007 21:09 utc | 117

Couldn't resist passing on this mccain quote from Digby's:

In a small, mirror-paneled room guarded by a Secret Service agent and packed with some of the city's wealthiest and most influential political donors, Mr. McCain got right to the point.

"One of the things I would do if I were President would be to sit the Shiites and the Sunnis down and say, 'Stop the bullshit,'" said Mr. McCain, according to Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, an invitee, and two other guests.

"Stop the bullshit", and to think that simple answer was right under our nose all the time, how'd we miss that?

Posted by: anna missed | Sep 8 2007 21:18 utc | 118

DOS, from your gop strategists dead link..

From his home, Ralph Gonzalez operated the Strategum Group, a political consulting firm. His list of clients included U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla.

Posted by: annie | Sep 8 2007 21:30 utc | 119

errr, those last three sentences were mine

Posted by: annie | Sep 8 2007 21:31 utc | 120

I don't mean to be so harsh with Kucinich personally. He is probably a great guy, and you're right, of any elected major politician he probably has the best views.

But I do mean to be harsh with the role he plays.

First, the narrative he promulgates is the standard American myth of the great country. I do not believe that we can stop the destructive actions of this country until we educate people to see what the historical truth really is. So, you either tell a more truthful narrative, using your great power to educate people, or you continue to mislead the ignorant and gullible into believing that we are great, but have made a few mistakes. (Who's the "we" by the way? The servant classes need to wake up and see that there is no "we" there, and start defining and looking after their own needs, not The Council on Foreign Relations, or the Brookings Institute, or some such group's needs.)

Second, there seems to be the myth that if Kucinich was elected it would change things. (Let's not even deal with whether or not he is actually electable.) But just read this thread. They are busy knocking off conservative Republicans with doubts or qualms about this sinking ship we are on as fast as they possibly can. How long do you think Kucinich would remain alive if he were elected?

So, it comes down to asking whether Kucinich can play any positive role whatsoever. And there the answer is yes, if he can normalize opposition to empire, not just return to a Clintonian soft-war embargo which kills just as many.

Nader will tell you that this war is illegal, and we should get out and pay reparations. Kucinich will tell you that the war was a "mistake." I see no practical purpose in promulgating that view, besides covering the empire's great big backside.

It comes down to that Left Gatekeeper function I spoke about earlier.

Kucinich's view was the prevailing view when we got out of Vietnam, and while it ended the violence over there, it did not, in any way, end or constrict the empire's killing machine. The killing just moved to a different hemisphere and kept on going.

If we exit from Iraq and enter more fully into the Africom meatrix, we have accomplished nothing in sum total.

If I lived in Kucinich's district, I would work hard to make sure he is re-elected every two years. I would support a Senate campaign if he chose to run. But I will not support someone who gathers in all the disaffected on the left -- who could form a viable third party and either push the Dems to the left, or marginalize them -- and then dump all of those candidates in Kerry's or Hillary's lap. That is the Left Gatekeeper function -- to co-op the left and bring them into the fold, helpless sheep brought back to the only home they ever knew -- the corporate funded, war machine supporting, Democratic party.

Posted by: Malooga | Sep 8 2007 22:42 utc | 121

US army claims landmark drone kill

The US army has hailed the killing of two suspected insurgents in northern Iraq by a drone as a landmark in combat aviation history.
(snip)
"It's very humbling to know that we have set an army historical mark in having the first successful launch in combat from an army weaponised UAV," said Captain Raymond Fields of the American army's UAV division.

"This would not be possible without my soldiers and civilians working hard day in and day out in Iraq to accomplish this feat.

"I think that this success will set the tone for army aviation in years to come. We will see more weaponised army unmanned vehicles being used instead of manned platforms to save not only our aviator brethren but our army ground brethren from enemy contact."

Posted by: Alamet | Sep 8 2007 23:05 utc | 122

This is from Sept. 7 Iraq press roundup,

Azzaman Newspaper Reported Friday That During a Meeting Between Prime Minster Nouri Al-Maliki and Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, Maliki Promised He Would 'flush out the Sadrists from … the Holy Shrines of Najaf and Karbala.'

It quoted officials at Maliki`s Dawa party.

Dawa party members said 'flushing out … (Moqtada Sadr`s) gunmen will be similar to the de-Baathification process.'

And this is Sept. 8 news, Aide to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr killed in Najaf

Posted by: Alamet | Sep 8 2007 23:14 utc | 123

A HREF="http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/2007/09/news-views-090707.html">Iraq Today has a number of interesting stories on the showdown between privatization and Iraqi control of oil and power.

UPI is doing an oil blog. Now that the power system is a complete shambles they are trying to push through more privatization deals.

Posted by: Malooga | Sep 9 2007 0:30 utc | 124

Malooga

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Sep 9 2007 1:44 utc | 125

in memory - othman ali al-obeidiB

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Sep 9 2007 1:59 utc | 126