Military Report: Secretly ‘Recruit or Hire Bloggers’
blog.wired.com — A study, written for U.S. Special Operations Command, suggested “clandestinely recruiting or hiring prominent bloggers.”
Also, Pay Per Post CIA Connection

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Apr 3 2008 14:57 utc | 3

uncle #3
An alternative strategy is to “make” a blog and blogger. The process of boosting the blog to a position of influence could take some time, however, and depending on the person running the blog, may impose a significant educational burden, in terms of cultural and linguistic training before the blog could be put online to any useful effect.
for sure michael totten’s ‘middle east journal’ fits this category to a tee. i won’t bother linking to it but listen to this

Our first official stop of the morning was at a grade school. Children rushed to the windows to smile and wave as we walked up the steps.
A young boy came running out the front door with tears in his eyes and a bruise on his eyebrow. A soft-faced teacher or administrator in his forties stepped outside to make sure the kid didn’t run off too far. “He was in a fight,” he said and opened his palms.
Lieutenant Alleman called out to his unit’s medic. “See if you can clean this kid up,” he said. Our medic cleaned the boy’s wound and gently applied a band-aid.

complete w/national geographic type photos. yawn
also, long war journal, bill riggio jeez, the gov trolls LOVE that place. they are always trying to recruit people to drag their conversations over there. all the RW sites link to these guys. the comment sections are a joke. like this
Successes can be claimed for either side and the relative importance of factual details weighted in accordance to any viewpoint. Last weeks battles were not one sided with an obvious victor.
it is hard for me to grasp how anyone cannot see these for what they are. besides what are the chances this totten character can just stroll around iraq embedded w/the troops creating virtual wet dream military sagas day in and day out? so friggin transparent.
the riggio character is the ultimo alpha male blogger. another ‘neutral fair and balanced reporter’. lol

Posted by: annie | Apr 3 2008 17:44 utc | 5

Comic relief: I thought the new Clinton mashup was hilarious. You know, the one that makes fun of the famous 3:00 a.m. spot.

Posted by: Madison Guy | Apr 3 2008 20:02 utc | 7

i have no brief either for the farc or for robert mugabe but watching the media who rule from the roll of dollars – including al jazeera – leaves me felling positively sordid with all their fabricatory forms of presenting lies

Posted by: Anonymous | Apr 3 2008 23:22 utc | 9

& as far as zimbabwe arresting a ‘journalist’ from the new york times, i think countries should do that as a matter of course just in case they are judith miller

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Apr 3 2008 23:34 utc | 11

ah – the freedom loving peoples of croatia & albania can now be with the big boys at the big table of nato while they are hetting the ass whipped by the afghan people who supposedly have been bombed back to the stone age
the diplomacy of dread

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Apr 4 2008 1:09 utc | 13

Joe Bageant: The Audacity of Depression
As he has said, self-described blowhard, but I enjoy reading his stuff. Some of the themes in this latest piece seem familiar…might he be reading MoA?

Posted by: Dr. Wellington Yueh | Apr 4 2008 1:58 utc | 15

Thanks to Doc Wellington Yueh. That was one humdinger of an article by Joe Bageant. Scarifying and funny in a doom-laden sort of way. After you read it you’ll be certain that things are even worse than you think.
Well, all I can say is: “Never give the bastards the satisfaction of catching you with your chin down.”

Posted by: Copeland | Apr 4 2008 4:07 utc | 17

r’giap – i’ve been looking for some sturdy analysis of what’s going on in zimbabwe, but there’s so much obvious flak & prejudice in most of the regular coverage is disgusting & insulting, forcing me to scrub my eyeballs at frequent intervals. did the rural population turn on zanu-pf? did zanu-pf itself implode? did zims finally give in after usuk turned the screws enough to make the economy scream? how much manipulation took place by the mdc – who were, leading up to the elections, reportedly disjointed & stumbling?
at the end of feb, one senior analyst at ISS wrote:

The fairy godmother granting Zimbabwe’s veteran head of state the possibility of completing a three decade stay in office is this country’s opposition. Torn apart by divisions over strategy and leadership, they have lost any real opportunity to make good political mileage of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis.
Although the emergence of former Finance Minister Simba Makoni as a presidential candidate indicates that the President can anticipate mounting challenges from within his own political party, Mugabe still remains adept at outmanoeuvring challengers from the opposition, civil society and from within his ruling ZANU-PF party. Even though the real threat to President Mugabe’s election campaign will come from divisions within ZANU-PF and the deepening economic collapse, both of these factors are unlikely to prevent Mugabe’s birthday wish from coming true.

on mdc tactics, steven gowans, in an article from a little over a year ago on the demonization of mugabe, pointed out

So far the Milosevic treatment has failed to achieve its desired end in Zimbabwe. One of the reasons why is that the formal political opposition has failed to execute the plan to a tee. The lapse centers around what is know as Plan B. The Los Angeles Times describes Plan B this way: “Insiders are asking what happened to the opposition’s ‘Plan B’ that they had designed to put into operation the day after the March (2005) elections. The plan called for (the MDC leader, Morgan) Tsvangirai to claim a confident victory, with masses of his jubilant supporters flooding the streets for a spontaneous victory party — banking on the idea that with observers from neighbouring African countries and the international media present, Mugabe’s security forces would hesitate to unleash violence.” (Note the reference to the planned “spontaneous” victory party.)

they were better organized this time, evidently.
the stories on whether white farmers will be able to return to recover “their” lands that were “stolen” from them and the racist commentary sprouting up that zims are better off w/ whites running things is enough to make one apoplectic.
gotta be some decent analyses somewhere, but at this point the signal-to-noise ratio yields less than a bowl of cheerios.

Posted by: b real | Apr 4 2008 5:10 utc | 19

Thanks Lizard.

Posted by: beq | Apr 4 2008 11:20 utc | 21

i followed axe’s blogging from mogadishu last year & concluded that his understanding of the situation there was extremely shallow and heavily influenced by official narratives & ugandan sources. reading his dispatches, i was constantly asking (myself) if he was on some sort of un/AMISON junket, as rather than some maverick hotspot investigative reporter, axe came across as a spokesperson for the occupation or at least those backing the imposed TFG. from that entire series there was no original insight or perspective that helped me in my research there.
from this new article, axe writes

Granted, it was never the United States’ intent to make Somalia worse. After the deaths of those U.S. troops in 1993, until quite recently America’s policy was simply to stay out of Somali affairs. But in the early 2000s the hard-line Islamic Courts movement began a steady spread across Somalia. With growing popular support, Courts fighters toppled warlord after warlord until most of the country, including Mogadishu, was under Courts rule.

other observers, such as michael weinstein who i’ve linked to here time & again, more accurately recognize that the courts movement reflected a popular revolution against the warlords, many of whom were funded by the cia. “hard-line” is subjective term. again, somalia is something like 99.5% muslim.
and how can axe write “it was never the United States’ intent to make Somalia worse” unless he has only a minimal grasp of the evidence or facts as they’ve revealed themselves? after following & watching the situation there for more than 15 months, my understanding is that the intentions of the u.s. actors directing policy wrt somalia is the direct opposite of what axe claims – as is clearly evidenced by the current catastrophe that has transpired there.
axe continues

Much like in Iraq, the invasion was a stunning success, routing the Courts in just weeks. But it only created a security vacuum that gave rise to a tenacious insurgency initially composed of former Courts fighters, disaffected former warlords, and anti-Ethiopian nationalists.

reality check – why leave out the fact that the TFG itself was not accepted as a legitimate govt? just as much as somalis resist the occupation of their country by the ethiopians, so do they not accept the unelected TFG. this reality has been pointed out over & over again, both inside & outside somalia. for instance, the refugees international report issued earlier this week clearly states in bold

..the official Somali government propped up by the international community is viewed as illegitimate by its own people.

that report also lays out why the u.n. should be very hesitant about committing large numbers of ‘peacekeepers’ there until a political solution has been reached. there are signs that one component of the opposition, based largely in asmara for now, are willing to reach a political compromise after ethiopia pulls out. and interim president yusuf has been pressured to make public stmts now that he is willing to deal w/ all factions. (axe fails to mention the u.n. SECGEN’s recent call for the deployment of 27,000 u.n. troops in somalia, which would make it the largest peacekeeping deployment going.)
another thing i don’t think axe comprehends:

If, before the 2006 invasion, there was scant evidence of violent Islamic extremism in Somalia, by late 2007 Somali insurgents were declaring themselves kin of al Qaeda, signing death threats to journalists with “the mujahideen,” and borrowing weapons and tactics from their spiritual brethren in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon.

before the 2006 invasion there was no insurgency, duh. and, as was reported after the u.s. decided to add al shabaab to its list of int’l terrorists, robow replied “We were not terrorists. But now [that] we’ve been designated, we have been forced to speak out and unite with any Muslims on the list against the United States.”
again, who caused this current instability (and opportunities for ‘extremism’) in somalia? if axe were a bit sharper perhaps his efforts could actually help make a difference.

Posted by: b real | Apr 4 2008 15:49 utc | 23

i’d wager that axe is granted the access, attention, & dissemination as he is exactly because of his perspective, much of which is based on the packaging
—
following up on a story i linked to in the previous OT, sounds like the norwegian govt came under some heat for that story
Clarification of Norway’s policy in Somalia

In response to the considerable recent media focus on Norway’s policy in Somalia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to clarify the following points.
Norway has no intention to withdraw from the International Contact Group on Somalia, as has been claimed in some media reports. This is a misunderstanding. However, at the last Contact Group meeting in Addis Ababa on 30 January, which was hosted by the African Union (AU), there was discussion on restructuring the Group to make it more operational. A proposal is currently being discussed for linking the Contact Group more closely up to the UN, and for it to be headed by the UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah. This proposal will be further discussed at the next Contact Group meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Oslo at the end of April this year.
Norway will continue to actively support the efforts to deploy an effective international peacekeeping mission in Somalia with a view to improving the security situation in the country. However, Norway has limited opportunity to provide support for the military component of such a mission. We are therefore discussing with the AU the possibility of providing support for civilian components, for example support for police training programmes. Norway is already providing such support through UNDP. Norway’s total assistance to Somalia in 2007 amounted to nearly NOK 260 million, more than half of which was in the form of humanitarian assistance.

Posted by: b real | Apr 4 2008 16:24 utc | 25

James Earl Ray did not Assassinate MLK

FOUR DECADES OF DISINFORMATION

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Apr 4 2008 17:53 utc | 27

Asia Times, by Syed Saleem Shahzad,
Taliban welcome back an old friend

Like a voice from the grave, legendary Afghan mujahideen leader Jalaluddin Haqqani has emerged from years of silence to boldly launch the Taliban-led spring offensive in Afghanistan, at the same time burying any doubts of a split between his coalition of resistance groups and Mullah Omar’s Taliban.
(snip)

Posted by: Alamet | Apr 4 2008 23:45 utc | 29

Worth the read:
Agflation will change the course of history

WHILE consumers, savers and financiers in the Gulf fret about the current inflation surge and rightly attribute it to the dollar peg, offplan madness and the property speculation bubble, the prices of cement and steel, rent spirals, wage spikes, the money supply, 30 per cent bank credit growth and the tooth fairy, I am convinced that the Middle East’s next macroeconomic demon will be a spectacular rise in food prices.
(snip)

Posted by: Alamet | Apr 4 2008 23:52 utc | 31

@ #30
There are no Israeli intelligence agents in Zimbabwe
you gotta wonder how those guys can lie without blushing. what a stupid thing to say! what intelligence agency would not have a single operative anywhere?

Posted by: dan of steele | Apr 5 2008 12:26 utc | 33

alamet #30, from your election rigging link
“I am shocked by this fiction.”
lol, wow.

Posted by: annie | Apr 5 2008 13:08 utc | 35

From Martin Luther King’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech at Riverside Church in NYC, April 4, 1967, exactly one year before he was assassinated.
Many now neglect the more profound analysis of US society, toward which King’s work was leading him. Some believe that this direction of his teaching was what sealed his fate. A year later, a voice, which had gained mainstream credibility, honor across the world, and had become not only a popular advocate for the poor but also against imperial wars, was blasted into silence.
From Amy Goodman’s show on MLK; comments of Vincent Harding, the author of the speech, are particularly interesting.

A few years ago there was a shining moment… It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor — both black and white — through the poverty program. There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then came the buildup in Vietnam, and I watched this program broken and eviscerated, as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war, and I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube…
As I have walked among the desperate, rejected, and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through nonviolent action. But they ask — and rightly so — what about Vietnam? They ask if our own nation wasn’t using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of the hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent.
These are the times for real choices and not false ones. We are at the moment when our lives must be placed on the line if our nation is to survive its own folly. Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.
Now, there is something seductively tempting about stopping there and sending us all off on what in some circles has become a popular crusade against the war in Vietnam. I say we must enter that struggle, but I wish to go on now to say something even more disturbing. The war in Vietnam is but a symptom of a far deeper malady within the American spirit, and if we ignore this sobering reality, we will find ourselves organizing clergy- and laymen-concerned committees for the next generation. They will be concerned about Guatemala and Peru. They will be concerned about Thailand and Cambodia. They will be concerned about Mozambique and South Africa. We will be marching for these and a dozen other names and attending rallies without end, unless there is a significant and profound change in American life and policy.
… Five years ago [JFK] said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” Increasingly, by choice or by accident, this is the role our nation has taken, the role of those who make peaceful revolution impossible by refusing to give up the privileges and the pleasures that come from the immense profits of overseas investments. I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin…we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.
… True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.
A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa, and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say, “This is not just.” It will look at our alliance with the landed gentry of South America and say, “This is not just.” The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just.
… A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. … There is nothing except a tragic death wish to prevent us from reordering our priorities so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war.
…We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late….
We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent coannihilation. We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace in Vietnam and justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.

Full text: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm

Posted by: small coke | Apr 5 2008 16:53 utc | 37

re the mossad-zim story, the zimbabwean has ran a series of articles on connections between the two, but i’d exercise a healthy skepticism believing everything they print. some of it reads like straight propaganda & rumour mill stuff aimed at influencing the perceptions of the diaspora & influential friends. the tabloid originates out of london, started up by a ex-patriate, who apparently found that his criticism of the zanu-pf regime resonated better when he had british supporters, for instance – the british house of commons. i see lots of online chatter both pro & con on the paper.
at the time, i noticed one of these stories last september when the south african think tank institute for security studies picked it up
Mossad and ZANU (PF) – The Strangest of Bedfellows

According to a report by Itali Dzamara published in The Zimbabwean on 27 September 2007, Israeli intelligence operatives have been hired by the ZANU (PF) government to implement systems that will enable the regime to snoop on the phone and Internet communications of key opposition figures, civil society leaders and journalists. The Zimbabwean reports that, according to highly placed government sources, a list of names has been given to Mossad for monitoring. These include people who control key positions in airports, government offices and the finance and banking sectors. It is reported that Mossad agents have brought with them spying equipment for which the Zimbabwean regime is paying huge sums of foreign currency.

that reporter, itai dzamara, has a number of stories on mossad-zim which turn up in a quick google search. on the survelliance story cited above, i see that what dzamara was reporting on is something that’s already a reality in other parts of the world:

The paranoid Zanu (PF) regime recently passed a spy bill to make it “legal” for it to spy on the communications of its citizens. It has ordered internet service providers to install, at their own expense, equipment to make it possible for government snoopers to tap their clients’ communications. But experts say government lacks the capacity and equipment for the huge task.
“It is not going to be easy, even with the Israelis’ expertise,” a communications expert said on condition of anonymity.

anyway, enough about the zimbabwean
in the press coverage on this current accusation WRT rigging elections, the main story comes from stmts that a “senior” campaign staffer for former-zanu pf member-turned-opposition-candidate simba makoni gave to the mail & guardian.
‘Israeli spooks paid to clinch Mugabe win’

Mandaza claimed that Zanu-PF called on Mossad to help them because of the experience the intelligence agency has with elections. “They have expertise in vote-rigging. Also Mossad is looking for any kind of support and alliances and therefore Zimbabwe is the obvious target.”

alrightee – didn’t realize mossad was so desperate for “support and alliances” that zimbabwe would be in the short list. a jpost article on the accusations pointed out that there are maybe 700 jews living in zim. not seeing the “obvious” connection here. however, one cannot rule out something like that if the issue has involves diamonds, i suppose.
and when i first heard the accusation about vote rigging & tied it in w/ the earlier story, my immediate impulse was – another tactic from the opposition – seize the lead & accuse your rival of doing what you have already done – in that maybe israel was the link that provided the inside work to help the mdc & its foreign partners score. pure speculation on this point.

Posted by: b real | Apr 6 2008 5:10 utc | 39

U.S. supervising training of elite PA unit in Jordan

Some three weeks ago, the Palestinian interior minister, General Abdel Razak al-Yahya, arrived in the Jordanian village of Giftlik to visit the training camp of the “special second battalion” of the Palestinian National Security force. Yahya gathered all 620 soldiers and officers belonging to the first PNS battalion to undergo training under an American program and Jordanian guidance – the first supposedly elite unit of what used to be viewed as the Palestinian Authority’s army.
…
Potential recruits were subjected to quadruple vetting. First the PA rejected candidates who were unsuitable because of past involvement in crime or terror organizations. Then the Israeli Shin Bet, the Americans and Jordanians considered each candidate separately. Only 20 names were struck off the list by the Israelis.
…
This is the first battalion to undergo American training, but Dayton’s plan calls for training another four battalions of similar size. Palestinian Interior Ministry officials say a second group will be able to leave for training in Jordan in early August.

Posted by: b | Apr 6 2008 10:21 utc | 41

can we draw a solid line or just a dotted one connecting these two dots?
on april 1st uganda’s daily monitor reported

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces will retire 3,231 soldiers starting April, Daily Monitor has learnt. This will to be the biggest number of soldiers to retire from UPDF since 1986 when the National Resistance Army under Yoweri Museveni seized power.

on the next day they then reported
Colonel speaks of UPDF frustration

THE UPDF is a very frustrating institution, Colonel Michael Kyeyune Mbuga, one of the retiring 3,231 soldiers has said.
Col. Mbuga, alias Kojja, the most senior of all the soldiers the army officially sent home yesterday after several years of service, told Daily Monitor in an interview that most of the soldiers applied to retire out of frustration.
“Do you think all these people are sick or old? There are many young and energetic people in the group going home,” said Col. Mbuga. “People are frustrated. They are in the army, they want to serve their country but they don’t really see something coming their way in terms of career development.”
The UPDF, in one of the biggest retirement exercises yesterday issued retirement certificates to at least one Colonel, four Lieutenant Colonels, 15 officers at the rank of Major, 62 Captains and 150 Lieutenants.
Another 52, who retired were at the rank of Warrant Officer I, 155 Warrant Officer IIs, 225 Staff Sergeants, 217 Sergeants, 492 Corporals, 277 Lance Corporals and 1,576 Privates.
The junior soldiers and officers retiring in this lot are from all the UPDF units, including the Military Police, the Presidential Guard Brigade and the Air Force.
Col. Mbuga said promotions in the army todate do not take in consideration training courses a soldier has undertaken or the education record. He saidthere is a serious problem with career management in the army today.

four days later nairobi’s daily nation carries this story
US Army set to recruit Ugandans

Ugandans who want a career in the United States military, can sign up at the annual convention of the Uganda North American Association, organisers say.
American military recruiters will set up a booth at this year’s UNAA convention in Orlando, Florida, and seek out professional Ugandans, said Lt. Frank Musisi, himself an officer in the US Army.
Lt. Musisi, who comes from Kalangala District on Lake Victoria, is the current president of UNAA. He said the US military would also advise Ugandans on the “proper channels” to follow in enlisting.
…
UNAA is encouraging interested Ugandans to book flights to Orlando and take a shot at joining the US military. The organisation says it has made a deal with Kenya Airways/KLM for a discounted return ticket at $1,200 (Sh74,400). The conference fee is $190 (Sh11,700).

lt. musisi is also the prez of unaa. from his msg @ the website

Among the many career opportunities organized for this year’s convention is the opportunity to serve in the United States military for those who qualify. For the first time in UNAA’s history we are working with the professional military recruiters who will be at hand to showcase opportunities within the US military. UNAA members can choose to pursue careers as doctors, physician assistants, nurses, lawyers, priests, sheiks, engineers and many more. You will be serving with the leading military organization in the world while pursuing your lifelong career and professional goals. Bring your updated resumes and transcripts for onsite evaluations.

wow. the usarmy offers a career as a sheik now.
[approaching the threshold of links per comment courtesy of typespan, so this will spillover into the next comment]

Posted by: b real | Apr 7 2008 3:44 utc | 43

Iraq’s Maliki threatens to bar Sadr from vote

BAGHDAD, April 7 (Reuters) – Iraq’s prime minister raised the stakes in his showdown with followers of Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, saying in an interview broadcast on Monday they would be barred from elections unless their militia disbands.
The comments followed an offensive by government forces into the cleric’s Baghdad stronghold, the Shi’ite slum of Sadr City, in which heavy fighting returned to the capital after a week of relative calm when Sadr called his militiamen off the streets.
“A decision was taken … that they no longer have a right to participate in the political process or take part in the upcoming elections unless they end the Mehdi Army,” Maliki said in an interview with CNN, according to a report posted on the U.S. television network’s Web site.

Posted by: annie | Apr 7 2008 8:58 utc | 45

Important (as in “useful for thinking and acting”) analysis by Jerome a Paris of the rising memes being broadcast by neoliberal deregulators.
Of course, they are in full campaign to head off any regulation that might benefit society rather than MBA princes. At Eurotrib they’re working to get familiar with the fraud/sell so they can undermine it. Let’s know our enemy, shall we?

Posted by: citizen | Apr 7 2008 16:34 utc | 47

Israel buys oil in Iran – Israel’s Tehran connection

Posted by: b | Apr 7 2008 19:01 utc | 49

Anyone whom hasn’t watched the above lecture entitled, ‘How Unequal Can America Get Before We Snap’?, by former US secretary of labor Robert Reich at #46 really needs to understand his snap-back, snap-break theory, he states that, Inequality of income, wealth, and opportunity in America is wider now than it’s been since the 1920s, and by some measures since the late 19th century. Yet the nation seems unable or unwilling to do much of anything to reverse these trends.
He discusses what happens if we allow the trends to continue. Will they “naturally” reverse themselves? Depends, on many variables, but mostly the Democrats, and it is not at all looking good, because they aren’t even addressing these issues at all. That the disparities are so wide now that we finally need to take action. But not one of the candidates are even hinting in that direction. Alternatively, he sees to distinct societies in America.
Also, The children of big-donor Harvard alums are systematically given preference over legacy offspring of lesser means. It’s called, Pay to play
As stated before, there is a class war on this class-unconscious nation. So the only ones who are fighting are the elite, they are fighting nasty and dirty, and they are winning.
Also see, Critical Pedagogy and Class Struggle in the Age of Neoliberal Globalization: Notes from History’s Underside…

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Apr 7 2008 22:46 utc | 51

billmon’s archive’s are down. weird because i just linked to blowback yesterday. i guess one way to create reality reconstruction is to eliminate archives. hope this isn’t the case and they go back up soon. i like to reference them. hope it is temporary.

Posted by: annie | Apr 8 2008 0:59 utc | 53

sounds like more bloodshed in store for somalia
garowe online: Deadly explosions rock cities in Somalia as Ethiopian troops advance

Thousands of Ethiopian combat troops are reported to be amassing along the border with Somalia, with an unconventional concentration of troops along the central regions of Hiran, Galgadud and Mudug, sources said.
Units of the Ethiopian troops have already deployed inside border towns in Hiran region, although the troops have not conducted any military operations yet, according to villagers.
It is not clear why the Ethiopian government has redeployed thousands more troops along the country’s borer with Somalia, but conflicting reports are emerging with regard to the troop buildup.
Some reports said the Ethiopian forces are planning to close the border for yet-unspecified reasons.
But other reports said the government of Ethiopia, in conformity with Somali officials, has ordered the deployment of thousands of troops that would establish permanent bases in the central regions.
In recent weeks, Islamist insurgents have attacked and briefly seized several towns in the central regions, including the Hiran regional capital of Beletwein, a crucial supply route for Ethiopian troops deployed in southern Somalia.

Posted by: b real | Apr 8 2008 4:12 utc | 55

14,000 Ethiopian soldiers enter Somalia

Thousands of Somali citizens flee their homes as more than 14,000 Ethiopian soldiers have entered the East African nation’s territories.
Over 9,000 of the troops with armored vehicles are heading to the Capital, Mogadishu after crossing the border, a PressTV correspondent reported on Monday.
There are grave concerns about heavy clashes between Ethiopians and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) fighters in the area between Afgoye (less than 250 Km away from the Capital) and Mogadishu where thousands of displaced people are living in refugee camps.
Warning leaflets have been distributed in the camps, urging the people to leave the place as clashes may erupt any time.
It is also reported that over 5,000 other Ethiopian Soldiers have reached near Belet Weyne town, the Hiiraan regional capital in central Somalia.

Posted by: b | Apr 8 2008 6:15 utc | 57

News “from” Britain
USA 2008: The Great Depression
Food Stamp users at record high. Purchasing Power? Probably at record low.

The US Department of Agriculture says the cost of feeding a
low-income family of four has risen 6 per cent in 12 months.
“The amount of food stamps per household hasn’t gone up with
the food costs,” says Dayna Ballantyne, who runs a food bank
in Des Moines, Iowa. “Our clients are finding they aren’t
able to purchase food like they used to.”

Good thing we don’t eat rice so much. That’s doubled in price since late March – yes, 2 weeks ago.

Posted by: citizen | Apr 8 2008 16:06 utc | 59

citizen – your maps remind me of Inka Essenhigh’s Cheerleaders in the Sky.

Posted by: beq | Apr 8 2008 17:12 utc | 61

reuters: INTERVIEW-Somaliland keen to host US base, hopeful on oil

HARGEISA, Somalia, April 9 (Reuters) – The ruler of the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland said on Wednesday he wanted the United States to put a military base there and had high hopes for finding oil.
Dahir Rayale Kahin, president of the former British protectorate that broke away from war-torn Somalia in 1991, told Reuters he would seek a second — and last — term in presidential elections scheduled sometime after October.
Kahin, whose main goal is to win international recognition, said priorities this year were smooth elections, fighting Islamic militants and an auction for oil exploration licenses.
“The major thing is the election. We’re also trying our best to fight the terror — We’re the only Muslim country that has that in the constitution,” Kahin said..
…
Kahin said he had offered to host a U.S. naval base at the port of Berbera as part of efforts to win recognition. Kahin, who visited Washington and hosted the top U.S. diplomat for Africa early this year, did not say how his offer was received.
A planned auction of oil licenses will give priority to U.S. oil companies holding concessions from the 1980s, he said.
…
Oil majors such as ConocoPhillips, BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron staked out claims in the 1980s but suspended operations when Somalia imploded.
“We’ll invite them and they’ll have priority, but we’ll give the concessions to whoever is ready to invest,” Kahin said.

hiiraan online: Somaliland President and the US Military Base in Berbera

Hargeysa, March 17, 2008 (HOL) – The President of the breakaway Republic of Somaliland Mr. Dahir Riyale kahin declared that he has invited the Americans to use Berbera port as a military base, pointing out that the Americans used to have a base there previously. President Riyale told that he would welcome America and wished success in their elections.
“Though peace and stability have existed in our country for a long time, we have not been recognized and this has made us feel marginalized as, unlike other African countries, we do not receive funds from international donors. We are at war with the terrorists and we have hitherto untapped economic resources. We invite international investors to come and invest in this country without any hesitation” said Mr. Riyale as reported by the Geeska Africa newspaper which has been referring to the Ethiopian paper of Sub-Sahara published in Addis Ababa.
Mr. Riyale told that the Americans have pledged that they will push the African governments with the aim of giving Somaliland a recognition, mentioning that the visit of Ms. Janday Frazer to Somaliland has been the outcome of the visit he and his delegation have paid to the US in the beginning of this year.
…
The President has praised the Ethiopian government for its efforts to improve its relations with the Somaliland government and has shown how deeply he hopes to see Ethiopia become the first African country that recognizes Somaliland.
In speaking on the issue of offering a military base for the Americans in Berbera, the president said ” Life changes. Previously people used to say ´all roads lead to Italy but these days every road would take ýou to America.´ In that case we welcome the Americans and invite them to re-establish a military base the same way as they did before.”

monthly review zine: Somalia: A History of US Interventions

…
Carter easily forgot the rhetoric of being a “human rights president” whenever strategic interests were involved. Somalia, a sparsely populated desert nation with few natural resources, nonetheless lies in a vitally strategic position at the mouth of the Red Sea. The port of Berbera overlooks sea routes between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. US presence in Berbera, together with the southern port of Kismayu, would ensure control over the flow of Mid East oil. Moreover, American officials understood that the Somali ports could provide key bases in the attempt to neutralize nearby Soviet presence and defend US interests in the Persian Gulf (indeed, Berbera was used as an intermediate deployment base during the first Gulf War). Carter pledged military and financial aid in return for control of Berbera and other bases. Foreign multinationals, including four major oil companies, were quick to win concessions.
…
The Islamic Revolution in Iran and the concomitant loss of a base in the Indian Ocean convinced officials to finalize the deal; thus one of the Reagan Administration’s first acts was to move US troops and weapons into Berbera and send over $40 million in military aid to the Barre government. Somalia quickly became a US client state. In subsequent years the US delivered an average of $80 million in economic and military aid per year (through 1987), topping $115 million in 1984 and 1985. Somalia became one of the leading recipients of US military assistance in all of Africa in the eighties, and received almost $700 million in overall aid during the decade.
…
by the late eighties, Somalia’s strategic importance began to wane as Moscow’s influence in the region decreased and Saudi and Egyptian compliance with the US increased. By 1990, Barre had almost no support inside or outside the country, except for continued American logistical support, small-scale economic support, and military training. The extent of the rebellion and civil war was so widespread that Barre had little authority outside of the capital Mogadishu, an ignominious fact that earned him the derisory moniker “the Mayor of Mogadishu.” Barre’s power slipped rapidly, and he was finally overthrown by a coalition of guerilla groups in early 1991. Somalia has not seen a central government since.

Posted by: b real | Apr 9 2008 18:49 utc | 63

damnit – meant to rewrite that sentence i added about “ineligible to run again” before submitting – he can run again for one more term, but the current one expires may 16th. and he’s not popular enough to win another term at that time, so his foreign backers, including ethiopia & the u.s., among others, are trying to help him out.

Posted by: b real | Apr 10 2008 4:16 utc | 65

schism
Saudi blogger posts video on violent Christian extremism

A Saudi blogger has made a short video featuring alleged Christian extremists preaching violence and a Bible passage calling for war, in response to an anti-Quran film that sparked protests across the Muslim world.
Raed al-Saeed told The Associated Press on Thursday that the purpose of his six-minute video is to show Islam should not be judged by watching Dutch filmmaker Geert Wilders’ movie “Fitna,” which links terror attacks by Muslim extremists with texts from the Quran.
“It is easy to take parts of any holy book that are out of (context) and make it sound like the most inhumane book ever written,” al-Saeed said in a statement posted at the end of his video. “This is what Geert Wilders did to gather more supporters to his hateful ideology. To create schism.”

link includes video.

Posted by: annie | Apr 10 2008 21:36 utc | 67

followup to #43 above
US embassy clarifies on recruitment

The United States Embassy in Kampala has refuted media reports that the country’s military intends to recruit Ugandans with non-immigrant visas.
The media reported a few days ago that Ugandans who wanted to pursue a military career in the US could signup at the annual meeting of Ugandans in North America.
“The article implied that Ugandans seeking non-immigrant visas to attend the Ugandan North American Association (UNAA) convention in the United States would be eligible for recruitment into the US military. This information is false,” according a statement from the embassy issued yesterday.
It added that although they had been notified that the recruit team plans to attend the convention, foreigners with non-immigrant visas were not eligible but only American citizens or lawful residents in the country.

though word has it that they may make exceptions for those applying for those ‘sheik’ positions 😉
speaking of embarrassed ‘merican officials,
US shamed by Mandela terror link

A bill has been introduced in the US Congress to remove from databases any reference to South Africa’s governing party and its leaders as terrorists.
The African National Congress (ANC) was designated as a terrorist organisation by South Africa’s old apartheid regime.
At present a waiver is needed for any ANC leaders to enter the country.
…
Last week, Howard Berman, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, who introduced the bill said it was “shameful” that the United States still treated the ANC this way.
“Amazingly, Nelson Mandela still needs to get a special waiver to enter the United States based on his courageous leadership of the ANC. What an indignity. This legislation will wipe it away,” he said.

and, back to uganda for something that’s not all that embarrassing anymore
Phone tapping legalised

The phone tapping Bill entitled, The Regulation of Interception of Communications Bill 2007, has finally made it to the floor of parliament. Security Minister Amaama Mbabazi who tabled the 22 paged Bill yesterday to parliament admitted that government has been tapping phones illegally and now wants to formalise it. The tabling of the bill comes after the NRM caucus unanimously endorsed it on Monday this week.
It empowers the security minister, Chief of Defence Forces, the Inspector General of Police, the Director Generals of Internal and External Security organisations, Commissioner of Prisons to tap phones if terrorism, serious crimes such as robbery, or a threat to the State is suspected.
Mr Mbabazi said government will establish a Communications Monitoring Centre from where the phone tapping operations will be administered.
According to the Bill, all five telecommunication companies are required to install a hardware facility which will be connected to the main monitoring centre for easy tapping.
…
If these companies fail to comply with the regulation, the security minister can terminate their license or the managers be imprisoned for not more than five years.

“threat to the State” most definitely includes being a member of the political opposition, the press, and callers to radio shows

A man suspected to have insulted President Yoweri Museveni during a talkshow on NBS radio in Jinja has been arrested. Richard Ssenyonga alias Madiru was on May 21 picked by the Criminal Investigations Department boss Willy Panuha from the Bus Park in Jinja where he works.
Eastern Region Police Commander Christopher Kubai told journalists on Tuesday Mr Ssenyonga admitted having called the radio but said he was disconnected before he could convey his message to the President.
Mr Kubai said Mr Ssenyonga attempted to abuse the President when he said “Where is that man Museveni? He is the one I want to talk to…” when his call was cut off.
Mr Kubai said immediately the talkshow hosts realised Mr Ssenyonga’s intention to embarrass the President, they cut him off and alerted police who started hunting him.
…
Mr Kubai said they were still hunting three other people who made rude comments on air about the President. He said another caller, who attacked Mr Museveni alleging that the President intended to grab Mabira Forest for his family using Mehta Group, is still at large.

Posted by: b real | Apr 11 2008 3:40 utc | 69

thanks b real.

Posted by: b | Apr 11 2008 4:49 utc | 71

Ordinarily a story about how the vice president of the US authorized torture would be a major news story.
stand by to be underwhelmed.

Posted by: dan of steele | Apr 11 2008 6:44 utc | 73

Hello?
that’s the ‘free'(market)world for ya.

Posted by: annie | Apr 11 2008 10:35 utc | 75

thanks again b real. i know i don’t tell you enough. i really appreciate your posts and links.

Posted by: annie | Apr 11 2008 11:09 utc | 77

of course this is newsweek, after all, so one shouldn’t expect much in terms of substantial reporting, but in the leadoff to an interview they’re running w/ ethiopia’s premier pathological prevaricator, prime minister meles zenawi, they do state the following which, until only recently, was a taboo contextualization in the u.s. press

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is easily Washington’s most important African ally in its war on terrorism. In 2006, the United States quietly helped Zenawi’s forces invade neighboring Somalia after a U.S.-financed coalition of warlords lost the capital of Mogadishu to an Islamist alliance known as the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC).

and yes, the first part of that sentence misleads the reader since the u.s. did not just ‘quietly help’ but rather ‘strongly encouraged’ meles to invade somalia.
meles, per the usual, regurgitates the most mendacious stmts throughout the interview.
some examples:

There are two issues here. First is the threat that was posed by the Shabaab [the radical wing of the Union of Islamic Courts] to Ethiopia, when they threatened to take control of the whole of Somalia and at the same time declared jihad against Ethiopia.
…
Ethiopia was not in Somalia when the Shabaab took control of Mogadishu and threatened to take control of the whole of Somalia. Ethiopia was not in Somalia when the Shabaab declared jihad on Ethiopia. What Ethiopia did through its intervention is take the bubble out of this Shabaab phenomenon.

any observer will tell you that there were ethiopian forces inside somalia throughout 2006, which directly antagonized the islamic courts & is what their declaration of jihad on ethiopian forces inside somalia at the time was about. also there is the long-standing issue of the ogaden, the somali region inside ethiopian borders. also, zenawi is conflating al shabaab w/ the entire courts mvmt, which was a popular uprising/revolution against the cia-backed warlords & imposed transitional puppet institutions.

How many Ethiopian troops have died in Somalia since December 2006? How many injured?
Quite a few.
Do you have more precise numbers? Hundreds? Thousands?
In the hundreds.
How many troops are in Somalia right now?
A few thousand. Two, three thousand.
How much has the invasion cost Ethiopia in money terms?
Substantial amounts.
A hundred million dollars?
No. It’s a low-tech, low-cost intervention on the part of Ethiopia. That doesn’t mean that every cent we spent on Somalia couldn’t have been better spent in Ethiopia. But on the whole, we have managed without breaking our back economically, to sustain our presence in Somalia.
How much direct financial support has Ethiopia received from the United States to help pay for this intervention?
Zero.

and newsweek lets him get away w/ that answer!
on the ogaden,

Ethiopia has faced a number of accusations of atrocities in the Ogaden during the counterinsurgency. U.S. satellites have identified some burned villages in the region. Are there atrocities happening now?
No. There are no atrocities happening in the Ogaden. Naturally, when there is fighting, there is death, and sometimes death of civilians. But in this case because it was low-tech, labor-based type of fighting, collateral damage was minimal. I am not aware of any U.S. intelligence assessment that shows there was widespread violation of human rights or killing of civilians or burning of villages.

we’ve covered some of the rpts on those atrocities here over the last year (including how u.s. officials like jendayi frazer have helped provide cover for ethiopia’s crimes), but here are just two links for add’l info
reuters: Keep quiet about atrocities, Ethiopia warns aid workers

Aid workers in Ethiopia’s remote Ogaden region are currently facing an impossible dilemma. In order to carry on helping people in the east of the country, the government has warned them that they better keep quiet about allegations of army atrocities in the area.
International humanitarian staff have spoken anonymously to the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor about public executions, rapes, torture, arbitrary detentions and beatings of civilians by government forces in Ogaden, where most people are ethnic Somalis.
…
Relief agencies were expelled from Ogaden during Ethiopian government crackdowns on the ONLF in late 2007. They are now gradually being allowed to return with food and medicines – but only if they stay silent about what they see.
“We have two options: either we come out with a nasty press release tomorrow on protection of human rights, and we will have to leave behind a substantial population still facing atrocities, or we just do our work,” an aid worker said to the Monitor.

and
Ogaden Human Rights Committee

Posted by: b real | Apr 11 2008 16:19 utc | 79

This is so big, so incredibly big, it takes my breath away!
ECUADOR: ‘CIA Infiltration’ Charges Prompt Shake-Up in Armed Forces

QUITO, Apr 10 (IPS) – President Rafael Correa’s allegations that intelligence services in Ecuador had been infiltrated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have led to a shake-up in the armed forces of unforeseeable consequences.
Resignations and dismissals are the order of the day. Wellington Sandoval resigned as defence minister Wednesday and was replaced by Correa’s personal secretary Javier Ponce. The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hector Camacho, army commander Guillermo Vásconez, and the chief of police, General Bolívar Cisneros, also stepped down.
A high-level Ecuadorean military officer who asked not to be identified told IPS that the country is at a critical juncture, with only two possible routes: “either the military as an institution returns to its nationalist orientation or it submits itself once and for all to impositions from the U.S.”
(snip)

(Not too bad agency version here from Reuters)
If they can make it work… if only they can make it work…

Posted by: Alamet | Apr 11 2008 22:19 utc | 81

World Bank “Playing Both Sides of Climate Crisis”

A new study released by an independent policy think tank casts further doubts on the World Bank’s ability to stay neutral in the global politics of climate change.
“It is making money off of causing the climate crisis and then turning around and claiming to solve it,” charged Janet Redman, the study’s lead author and a researcher at the Institute for Policy Studies.
In releasing the 79-page report Thursday, Redman described the World Bank’s role in the so-called carbon markets as “dangerously counterproductive” to international efforts to tackle climate change.
(snip)

Posted by: Alamet | Apr 11 2008 22:26 utc | 83

tack this on to #79 above
from that newsweek interview (cough! propaganda! ah-hem-mm-hmm!) w/ meles

Local elections are approaching and a number of major leaders of the opposition who were jailed after 2005 aren’t participating. Some of the remaining opposition parties say they’ve faced intimidation, harassment. What can you tell us about the status of Ethiopia’s democracy efforts?
We are consolidating democracy with every step. After 2005 we discussed with the opposition who were in Parliament to address some of their concerns. We changed the way the national election board was organized. We have changed the bylaws of Parliament to make it possible for the minority to set the agenda for debate on specific dates. We are now processing a new press law that we very much hope will put our legislation on par with the best in the world. So we have continuously been addressing any shortcomings with the institutions in our country. Now, every time there is an election here, somebody cries foul. That unfortunately appears to be the normal practice in the continent, whether there is substantial evidence to back it or not. That we all have to live with.

substantial evidence, you say?
hrw: Ethiopia: Repression Sets Stage for Non-Competitive Elections

Opposition Candidates, Voters Silenced Ahead of Local Polls
(New York, April 11, 2008) – The Ethiopian government’s repression of registered opposition parties and ordinary voters has largely prevented political competition ahead of local elections that begin on April 13, Human Rights Watch said today. These widespread acts of violence, arbitrary detention and intimidation mirror long-term patterns of abuse designed to suppress political dissent in Ethiopia.
“It is too late to salvage these elections, which will simply be a rubber stamp on the EPRDF’s near-monopoly on power at the local level,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Still, officials must at least allow the voters to decide how and whether to cast their ballots without intimidation.”
Human Rights Watch carried out two weeks of field research during the run-up to the polls and documented systemic patterns of repression and abuse that have rendered the elections meaningless in many areas. That research focused primarily on Oromia, Ethiopia’s most populous region and one long troubled by heavy-handed government repression.
…
Candidates allied with the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) will run unopposed in the vast majority of constituencies across Ethiopia. On April 10, one of Ethiopia’s two major opposition coalitions, the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF), pulled out of the process altogether. UEDF officials complained that intimidation and procedural irregularities limited registration to only 6,000 of the 20,000 candidates they attempted to put forward for various seats. By contrast, state-controlled media reports that the EPRDF will field more than 4 million candidates across the country.
…
Ethiopia’s government is highly dependent on donor assistance but donor governments, including the United States and United Kingdom, have largely refused to criticize repression in Ethiopia or to demand improvements in the country’s human rights record. The United States in particular views Ethiopia as a key ally in the “war on terror,” and donor governments in general often express fear that Ethiopia’s government will react poorly to human rights-related criticisms. The Ethiopian government has refused to allow any foreign observers to monitor the upcoming elections.

and here’s an article from garowe online re the increased ethiopian troop mvmts in somalia
As Ethiopians expand into new regions, Islamists retake town

JOWHAR, Somalia Apr 11 (Garowe Online) – Ethiopian armed forced deployed in southern and central Somalia have expanded into new regions after a series of towns fell under the control of the country’s Islamist rebels.
On Friday, an Ethiopian army contingent reached the town of ‘Adado, in the central Galgadud region. Locals said it was the first time Ethiopian troops came to the area since the December 2006 invasion.
The Ethiopian troops in ‘Adado town were dispatched from bases along the Somali-Ethiopian border in response to a deadly takeover of ‘Adado by Islamist insurgents last week, security sources said.
…
Similarly in southern Somalia, Ethiopian troops backed by tens of armored vehicles reached the town of Jowhar, the provincial capital of Middle Shabelle region located 90km from the national capital Mogadishu.
The troops were dispatched from bases in Mogadishu and from the town of Bulo Burte, which is located northwest of Jowhar in the central region of Hiran. Ethiopian soldiers have been in Bulo Burte since last week, when Islamist fighters took over the town.
…
Locals in the towns of ‘Adado and Jowhar said the Ethiopian soldiers did not meet any armed resistance during the separate military operations.
But an independent journalist in Bulo Burte town told Garowe Online that heavily-armed Islamist gunmen retook control of the town hours after the Ethiopian troops withdrew towards Jowhar.
Journalist Abdirahman Mohamed Maalin said the Islamists’ guerrilla commanders spoke to the people of Bulo Burte publicly, advising locals to “stay calm.”
…
In related news, Islamist rebels shot and killed six militiamen manning illegal checkpoints in the outskirts of Jowhar.

Posted by: b real | Apr 12 2008 6:32 utc | 85

Re my post # 82, arrest of Saudi diplomat for Mugniyeh assasination, turns out Syria Comment had already refuted the report:

Syria has not arrested anyone, and certainly not a Saudi, in connection with the Mughniyeh murder. The Fars News agency and Jerusalem Post are muckraking here. And as MSK points out in the comments, all diplomats, including Saudis have immunity.

Posted by: Alamet | Apr 12 2008 17:32 utc | 87

for a rather funny, tongue-in-cheek look at how US corporate media covers the issues, take a look at this diary from Hunter over at DailyKos.

Posted by: dan of steele | Apr 13 2008 9:56 utc | 89

Big boobs.

Big boobs.

Posted by: Big boobs. | May 4 2010 21:27 utc | 91