So Obama won, predictably I think. The McCain/Palin ticket was truly the perfect embodiment of everything the world hates about the USA. But that is not the important thing here. What is far more significant is that the McCain/Palin ticket also embodied what so many Americans hate about their own country and that is why Obama won such an overwhelming victory. The readers of this blog must know by now
Between Hope and Reality By Ralph Nader (source: Information Clearing House) Dear Senator Obama: In your nearly two-year presidential campaign, the words “hope and change,” “change and hope” have been your trademark declarations. Yet there is an asymmetry between those objectives and your political character that succumbs to contrary centers of power that want not “hope and change” but the continuation of the power-entrenched status quo. Far more than Senator
More and more reports are surfacing about US troops raping and torturing women in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is nothing racist about these rapes – US soldiers are “equal opportunity rapists” – they even rape their own fellow women soldiers in what US Congresswoman called a “jaw dropping” raping spree by US servicemen. US mercenaries also rape and again, they even rape their own colleagues as the case of Jamie
As a follow up to my previous post, I would like to introduce Rahm Emanuel to those of you who are not familiar with him. Here are three excellent articles which I highly recommend to you all:Andrew Cockburn: Meet Rahm EmanuelJohn Walsh: How Rahm Emanuel Has Rigged a Pro-War CongressJohn Walsh: Emanuel’s War Plan for Democrats I think these three are a *must read* for anyone contemplating an Obama vote.
Check this AP news item: Barack Obama’s campaign has approached Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel about possibly serving as White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is, along with Joe Lieberman, just about the most fanatical Ziocon in Congress. He is at least as evil and fanatical as any Richard Perle or Paul Wolfowitz. The simple fact that Obama is seriously considering making him his Chief of Staff really says it
Russia to up Mediterranean presence? Press TV reports: The Libyan president will discuss opening a Russian naval base in Libya during his three-day visit to Moscow, according to a newspaper. “During these talks the colonel [Muammar Gaddafi] intends to raise the issue of opening a base for Russia’s navy in the Libyan port of Benghazi,” the business daily Kommersant quoted an unnamed source involved in preparing Gaddafi’s visit. “In line
By Reza Fiyouzat for Information Clearing House How long shall we allow the system to kick us in the head, take our money, insult us after taking our money, and still expect us to participate in its frauds? With every passing year, the differences between the two ruling political parties in the U.S. diminish further, and their outlook, conduct and even advertising campaigns merge so much so that their members
This from today’s Democracy Now: The Washington Post reports major US banks are on pace to spend more than half their bailout money on rewarding their shareholders. The thirty-three banks are set to receive some $163 billion in government bailouts. Half of that sum would go toward paying off shareholders over the next three years. The Bush administration touted the bank bailout as necessary to resume lending. But Treasury officials
There are increasing signs that the USraelian Empire is trying to negotiate some kind of deal with the Taliban including their chief, Mullah Omar. Some are rejoicing at this development seeing it as a way to finally get the US out of Afghanistan. I would agree with such optimistic hopes if the issue was only getting the US out of Afghanistan, but there is far more at stake here than
Amazing stuff. First, there was the information that the Hamid Karzai had invited Mullah Omar back to Afghanistan (which he probably never left anyway, but we know what he meant) and now it’s the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Patrick S. Moon who is quoted as saying that Omar would be taken off the US list of sought terrorists. Yep,
RIA Novosti reports that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proposed on Tuesday that Russia and China gradually switch over to national currency payments in bilateral trade, expected to total $50 billion in 2008. “We should consider improving the payment system for bilateral trade, including by gradually adopting a broader use of national currencies,” Putin told a bilateral economic forum. He admitted the task would be tough, but said it was
The shit is hitting the fan after the botched US raid on the Syrian village near the Iraqi border and even nominal US allies such as the Maliki government and even Fouad Siniora (!!) in Lebanon are condemning this aggression. Other protesting voices include Qatar, the OIC, the Arab League, Russia and China. Even the otherwise ‘tame and lame’ EU “voiced concerns” about this raid (which just goes to show
Exactly as I predicted: Press TV reports that An Iraqi lawmaker has warned that Sunday’s attack on Syria would negatively affect a security pact the US is insisting to sign with Iraq. “The air strike will send a negative message to Iraq’s neighbors,” MP Abbass al-Bayati told Voices of Iraq news agency on Tuesday. US commandoes onboard four helicopters attacked a Syrian border region on Sunday, killing at least eight
Press TV reports: The US military has threatened to halt vital services in Iraq if Baghdad refuses to sign a controversial US security pact with Washington. In addition to halting all military actions, US forces would cease activities that support Iraq’s economy, educational sector and other areas- ‘everything’ – Tariq al-Hashemi, Iraq’sVice President told the US newspaper McClatchy. According to al-Hashemi, many Iraqi politicians view the move as ‘political blackmail’.
Now I am sure of it. First, watch this: Notice a couple of things: 1) the footage of the attack was shot in daylight. That is *not* how you would conduct any real anti-insurgency raid (they happen at night). From the footage one can only conclude that even small arms fire (nevermind MANPADs) could have easily taken out these helicopters (had any insurgent force been there to begin with, of
Take a look at this al-Jazeera report about the US raid in Syria: From the information slowly trickling in it appears that the US SNAFUed this time again. The fact that any footage at all is coming from this village shows that there was nothing of any kind of value there, be it people or infrastructure. Then the accounts by the civilian victims also points to some rather pathetically inept
Ha’aretz: U.S. confirms strike on Syria that killed eight A U.S. military official confirmed late Sunday an American helicopter attack in an area along Syria’s border with Iraq, which left 8 people dead and three people wounded. Syria condemned the attack, which it called “serious aggression.” The raid indicated the desert frontier between the two countries remains a key battleground, more than five years into the Iraq war. The U.S.
This sounds too crazy to be true but then, we are talking about an Empire going crazy so who knows? Anyway, here are some of the reports. But, caveat emptor. Al JazeeraBBC NewsPress TVAFP
by Mickey Z. for Dissident Voice You don’t stick a knife in a man’s back nine inches, and then pull it out six inches, and say you’re making progress. – Malcolm X Another Election Day approaches and I’m reminded of something the late Pakistani dissident, Eqbal Ahmad said about Noam Chomsky in the book, Confronting Empire (2000): “He (Chomsky) has never wavered. He has never fallen into the trap of
