PROVIDING INFORMATION NOT FOUND IN THE ZIONIST CONTROLLED MEDIA,
MONITORING THE AGE OF DARKNESS, IGNORANCE, GREED AND STUPIDITY,
& THE ZIONIST WAR FOR GLOBAL DOMINANCE.
SETTING STRAIGHT THE RECORDS OF HISTORY
KALI YUGA REPORT 110924
1 - Mahmoud Abbas and Barack Obama : tragic hero vs political prostitute - Uri AvneryÂ
2 - Zionist schizophrenia, the Palestinian state and Obama - Gilad AtzmonÂ
3 - RAINLORE'S WORLD OF MUSIC : THE WANDERING WHO-BOOK REVIEWÂ
4 - Murder and Torture, the Lasting Legacy of America, Bataan Death March, Gestapo, Russian Gulags, America Has Exceeded It All - Â
   Gordon Duff
5 - NATO Troops On Ground In Libya : Intercepted Phone Call
6 - Gilad Atzmon : American Tragedy
7 - Gilad Atzmon : Progressive Choseness
8 - While many Americans may believe that US policies are designed to address American needs, America’s new Ambassador to IsraelÂ
   explains that this is far from the case - Alison WeirÂ
9 - Ignorance and 9-11 - Lawrence Davidson
10 - The one-sided US veto : an astounding display of hypocrisy - Neve Gordon and  Yinon Cohen,
11 - CROSSING THE ''VERBOTEN'' RUBICON : THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF PROFESSOR DAREK RATAJCZAK
12 - Bush regime retread, Philip Zelikow, appointed to Obama's Intelligence Advisory Board
13 - Israeli forces storm Nablus village after settler assault
14 - Noam Chayut : Israeli occupation is neither moral nor legitimateÂ
15 - Insider Trading Predicts October Crash
16 - The Theft of 2012 - Greg Palast
17 - Max Keiser : Expect New Crashes Unless 'OccupyWallStreet' Demands Are Met & OTHER VIDEOSÂ
18 - Wadi Fuqeen : Palestinian village between hope and despair, Film by Jakob Schiller and Lubna Sharief
19 - Jewish settlers attack Qasra village and damage hundreds of olive trees
20 - Jewish settlers burn mosque in Nablus village
21 - Cluster bombs: Drop today, kill tomorrow - Sara Ibrahim
22 - Book Details Communist War on Christianity - Dan Michaels/ Henry MakowÂ
23 - The state of Georgia has executed Troy Anthony DavisÂ
24 - Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government
25 - Probability of Large-Scale False Flag Terror Event Increasing As European Banking Panic Looms - Webster G. Tarpley, Ph.D.
26 - RED ALERT : FDA Set to Ban Your Supplements
27 - Israel Announces Suspension of OPT Demolitions and Promptly Demolishes Several Structures - Mikaela LevinÂ
28 - Ban Ki-moon: A Record of Failure and Betrayal - Stephen Lendman
29 - A World Declaration of Liberation from Criminal Israel - Dog Poet TransmittingÂ
30 - Tapping the Israeli Embassy - Philip Giraldi Â
31 - IHR News and CommentÂ
32 - September 11, 2001: Zionist shock therapy and the birth of the lie - Martin Iqbal Â
33 - The Democratization of Banking ?, California Legislature Passes Bill to Study State-owned Bank - Ellen BrownÂ
34 - US Knesset Threatens Turkey With a 'Shock and Awe" Bombing Campaign - Greg BaconÂ
35 - How 1 MILLION Pounds Of Organic Food Can Be Produced On 3 Acres
All articles are reproduced in accordance with Section 107 of title 17 of the Copyright Law of the United States relating to fair-use and are for the purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. The material presented underneath does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the editor. Then : everybody should do research of his own and check for deception or some 'agenda'. As always it is : 'Caveat Lector'!Â
Thanks to : Debbie Menon, Alex James, Vatic Project, "Information Clearing House'', Â Antiwar.com , DAILY CENSORED, VETERANS TODAY, REDRESS INFORMATION & ANALYSIS, PAK ALERT PRESS, INTIFADA PALESTINA, Global Research, Electronic Intifada, Sabbah Report, RADIO ISLAM, ET AL.
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1 - Mahmoud Abbas and Barack Obama : Tragic Hero vs Political Prostitute
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By  Uri Avnery
24 September 2011
Uri Avnery compares Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas’s gamble in making a bid for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations – and thereby putting Palestine at the centre of world attention – with Barack Obama’s sheer unprincipled prostitution in the service of Israel – all for the sake of a second term as president.
â€The Arab Spring may have been a last chance for the US to recover its standing in the Middle East. After some hesitation, Obama realized that...
“Now he has blown it, perhaps forever. No self-respecting Arab will forgive him for plunging his knife into the back of the helpless Palestinians. All the credit the US has tried to gain in the last months in the Arab and the wider Muslim world has been blown away with one puff.â€Â (Uri Avnery)
A wonderful speech. A beautiful speech.
The language expressive and elegant. The arguments clear and convincing. The delivery flawless.
A work of art. The art of hypocrisy. Almost every statement in the passage concerning the Israeli-Palestinian issue was a lie.Â
A blatant lie: the speaker knew it was a lie, and so did the audience.
It was Obama at his best, Obama at his worst.
Being a moral person, he must have felt the urge to vomit. Being a pragmatic person, he knew that he had to do it, if he wanted to be re-elected.
Obama – selling America’s national interests for a second term
In essence, he sold the fundamental national interests of the United States of America for the chance of a second term.
Not very nice, but that’s politics, OK?
It may be superfluous – almost insulting to the reader – to point out the mendacious details of this rhetorical edifice.
Obama treated the two sides as if they were equal in strength – Israelis and Palestinians, Palestinians and Israelis.
But of the two, it is the Israelis – only they – who suffer and have suffered. Persecution. Exile. Holocaust. An Israeli child threatened by rockets. Surrounded by the hatred of Arab children. So sad.
Obama spewed out a “straight right-wing Israeli propaganda line, pure and simple – the terminology, the historical narrative, the argumentation. The music.â€
No occupation. No settlements. No June 1967 borders. No Nakba. No Palestinian children killed or frightened. It’s the straight right-wing Israeli propaganda line, pure and simple – the terminology, the historical narrative, the argumentation. The music.
The Palestinians, of course, should have a state of their own. Sure, sure. But they must not be pushy. They must not embarrass the US. They must not come to the UN. They must sit with the Israelis, like reasonable people, and work it out with them. The reasonable sheep must sit down with the reasonable wolf and decide what to have for dinner. Foreigners should not interfere.
Obama gave full service. A lady who provides this kind of service generally gets paid in advance. Obama got paid immediately afterwards, within the hour. Netanyahu sat down with him in front of the cameras and gave him enough quotable professions of love and gratitude to last for several election campaigns.
Mahmoud Abbas – “a tragic heroâ€
The tragic hero of this affair is Mahmoud Abbas. A tragic hero, but a hero nonetheless.
Many people may be surprised by this sudden emergence of Abbas as a daring player for high stakes, ready to confront the mighty US.
If Ariel Sharon were to wake up for a moment from his years-long coma, he would faint with amazement. It was he who called Mahmoud Abbas “a plucked chickenâ€.
Yet for the last few days, Abbas was the centre of global attention. World leaders conferred about how to handle him, senior diplomats were eager to convince him of this or that course of action, commentators were guessing what he would do next. His speech before the UN General Assembly was treated as an event of consequence.
Not bad for a chicken, even for one with a full set of feathers.
His emergence as a leader on the world stage is somewhat reminiscent of Anwar Sadat.
When Gamal Abd-al-Nasser unexpectedly died at the age of 52 in 1970 and his official deputy, Sadat, assumed his mantle, all political experts shrugged.
Sadat? Who the hell is that? He was considered a non-entity, an eternal No. 2, one of the least important members of the group of “free officers†that was ruling Egypt.
In Egypt, a land of jokes and jokers, witticisms about him abounded. One concerned the prominent brown mark on his forehead. The official version was that it was the result of much praying, hitting the ground with his forehead. But the real reason, it was told, was that at meetings, after everyone else had spoken, Sadat would get up and try to say something. Nasser would good-naturedly put his finger to his forehead, push him gently down and say: “Sit, Anwar!â€Â Â
To the utter amazement of the experts – and especially the Israeli ones – this “non-entity†took a huge gamble by starting the 1973 October War, and proceeded to do something unprecedented in history: going to the capital of an enemy country still officially in a state of war and making peace.
Abbas’ status under Yasser Arafat was not unlike Sadat’s under Nasser. However, Arafat never appointed a deputy. Abbas was one of a group of four or five likely successors. The heir would surely have been Abu Jihad, had he not been killed by Israeli commandoes in front of his wife and children. Another likely candidate, Abu Iyad, was killed by Palestinian terrorists. Abu Mazen (Abbas) was in a way the choice by default.
Such politicians, emerging suddenly from under the shadow of a great leader, generally fall into one of two categories: the eternal frustrated No. 2 or the surprising new leader.
The Bible gives us examples of both kinds. The first was Rehoboam, the son and heir of the great King Solomon, who told his people: “my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpionsâ€. The other kind was represented by Joshua, the heir of Moses. He was no second Moses, but according to the story a great conqueror in his own right.
Modern history tells the sad story of Anthony Eden, the long-suffering No. 2 of Winston Churchill, who commanded little respect. (Mussolini called him, after their first meeting, “a well-tailored idiotâ€.). Upon assuming power, he tried desperately to equal Churchill and soon embroiled Britain in the 1956 Suez disaster. To the second category belonged Harry Truman, the nobody who succeeded the great Franklin Delano Roosevelt and surprised everybody as a resolute leader.
Putting Palestine at the centre of world attention
“Abbas has placed the quest for Palestinian freedom squarely on the international table. For more than a week, Palestine has been the centre of international attention.â€
Abbas looked like belonging to the first kind. Now, suddenly, he is revealed as belonging to the second. The world is treating him with newfound respect. Nearing the end of his career, he made the big gamble.
But was it wise? Courageous, yes. Daring, yes. But wise?
My answer is: yes, it was.
Abbas has placed the quest for Palestinian freedom squarely on the international table. For more than a week, Palestine has been the centre of international attention. Scores of international statesmen – and women – including the leader of the world’s only superpower, have been busy with Palestine.
For a national movement, that is of the utmost importance. Cynics may ask: “So what did they gain from it?†But cynics are fools. A liberation movement gains from the very fact that the world pays attention, that the media grapple with the problem, that people of conscience all over the world are aroused. It strengthens morale at home and brings the struggle a step nearer its goal.
Oppression shuns the limelight. Occupation, settlements, ethnic cleansing thrive in the shadows. It is the oppressed who need the light of day. Abbas’s move provided it, at least for the time being.
“Oppression shuns the limelight. Occupation, settlements, ethnic cleansing thrive in the shadows. It is the oppressed who need the light of day.â€
Barack Obama’s miserable performance was a nail in the coffin of America’s status as a superpower. In a way, it was a crime against the United States.
The Arab Spring may have been a last chance for the US to recover its standing in the Middle East. After some hesitation, Obama realized that. He called on Mubarak to go, helped the Libya-ns against their tyrant, made some noises about Bashar al-Assad. He knows that he has to regain the respect of the Arab masses if he wants to recover some stature in the region, and by extension throughout the world.
Now he has blown it, perhaps forever. No self-respecting Arab will forgive him for plunging his knife into the back of the helpless Palestinians. All the credit the US has tried to gain in the last months in the Arab and the wider Muslim world has been blown away with one puff.
All for re-election.
It was also a crime against Israel.
Israel needs peace. Israel needs to live side by side with the Palestinian people, within the Arab world. Israel cannot rely forever on the unconditional support of the declining United States.
Obama knows this full well. He knows what is good for Israel, even if Netanyahu doesn’t. Yet he has handed the keys of the car to the drunken driver.
The state of Palestine will come into being. This week it was already clear that this is unavoidable. Obama will be forgotten, as will Netanyahu, Lieberman and the whole bunch.
Mahmoud Abbas – Abu Mazen, as the Palestinians call him – will be remembered. The “plucked chicken†is soaring into the sky.
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2 - Zionist schizophrenia, the Palestinian state and Obama
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By Gilad Atzmon
17 September 2011
Gilad Atzmon argues that while internationally and in its English-language media Israel is vehemently opposed to the Palestinian bid for UN recognition, domestically and in their Hebrew media Israelis want the Palestinian bid to succeed “because this is the only solution that would save the ‘Jews-only state’ from a demographic meltdownâ€.
Those who monitor the Hebrew press and understand the Jewish state may be slightly puzzled to find out that while in the Hebrew press there is only just a little and insignificant attention to the current Palestinian leaders' drive for statehood, the Israeli English-labguage media outlets are saturated with news about the prospect of a pro-Palestinian resolution in the UN next week.
If you want to understand this clear discrepancy between the Jewish Hebrew press and English-language outlets, then here it is: we are dealing here with a clear split within the Jewish collective psyche.
A clear split within the Jewish collective psyche
“While the Israelis are reverting to the old Jewish ghetto attitude – they prefer to shrink, stay together and surround themselves with vast and impenetrable concrete walls – the Diaspora Zionist Jewish narrative is confrontational, belligerent, hawkish militant and expansionist. They want it all, with the Palestinians or without them.â€
I guess that some may be surprised to learn that Israel and most Israelis actually want the Palestinian initiative to go ahead and to succeed. They want a Palestinian state because this is the only solution that would save the “Jews-only state†from a demographic meltdown.
Recent polls in Israel prove that the majority of Israelis are very excited about the “two-state solutionâ€. Not only are the Israelis not threatened by the idea of a Palestinian state, but they actually love it because they believe it would settle their reality within a framework of international law.
Also, you may want to bear in mind that the Kadima party, which won the last two elections in Israel, has been and still is devoted to “disengagementâ€, a clear separation between the “Jews†and the Palestinians by means of unilateral Israeli withdraw. In other words, a Palestinian statehood achieves the exact same goal: it removes Israelis from any responsibility towards the territories they once occupied and destroyed. It is obvious that some elements in Israel oppose the Palestinian UN initiative: I guess that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is not too happy about it. West Bank settlers may also be very angry, but for some reason even they are relatively quiet these days.
And yet, the Jewish lobby around the world totally opposes the Palestinian UN initiative: it clearly holds a very simplistic image of an expansionist Jewish state from the “river to the seaâ€. And it would seem that it is not going to give up on its dream any time soon.
What we see here in practice is a clear identity crisis or even a schizophrenic counter flow of aspirations between the Israeli and the Diaspora Zionist. While the Israelis are reverting to the old Jewish ghetto attitude – they prefer to shrink, stay together and surround themselves with vast and impenetrable concrete walls – the Diaspora Zionist Jewish narrative is confrontational, belligerent, hawkish militant and expansionist. They want it all, with the Palestinians or without them.
Once again, we notice that Israel and Zionism have evolved into two separate and opposing discourses. While Israel is seeking to maintain its racially-oriented identity through the politics of segregation, the Diaspora Zionist discourse is still insisting on solving the “Jewish question†by the means of a conflict with no end.
Obama’s upcoming humiliation by the Judeo-centric schizophrenic apparatus
But let us for a moment look at America; let’s try to understand how the “world’s only superpower†is handling this Judeo-centric schizophrenic apparatus.
“...both the American administration and the Israeli government do realize that, as far as Israel and its “security’â€are concerned, the Palestinian UN initiative is not such a bad idea at all. In fact, Israel cannot pray for more than that.â€
President Barack Obama and his administration are obviously very confused. On the one hand, they are subject to some relentless pressure inflicted by the Jewish lobby. The lobby doesn’t leave the American administration with much room to manoeuvre. But on the other hand, both the American administration and the Israeli government do realize that, as far as Israel and its “security’â€are concerned, the Palestinian UN initiative is not such a bad idea at all. In fact, Israel cannot pray for more than that.
It is clear by now that President Obama is not going to be saved by any of America’s so- called “best friendsâ€. For the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the the rest of the lobby, Obama is an instrument. By now the lobby is used to regarding American politicians as their subservient puppets. Israel, on the other hand, is not going to save America either. It is too suspicious of the current administration. Israel is basically tired of the current American administration. It will be happy to see Obama beaten.
Consequently, the Obama administration is heading towards an inevitable humiliation in the UN. It will have to veto a decision voted for by many of America’s allies. This is clearly a disaster for Obama. And yet, one man can save America from its doomed fate. This man is no other than the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Only Abbas and the Palestinian Authority can let America off the hook.
But the meaning of it all is also very embarrassing. It means that the Palestinian President Abbas (who is a relatively weak figure in Palestinian politics as well as in international diplomacy) is the only person who can save our world’s ‘“only superpower†from a  diplomatic fiasco.
I cannot make up my mind whether this is funny or sad, but let me tell you: it is certainly volatile.
The time is certainly right for America, Britain and the West to find the strength to oppose Zionist lobbying and the power of Jerusalem.
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3 -Â RAINLORE'S WORLD OF MUSIC : THE WANDERING WHO-BOOKÂ REVIEW
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 AT 9:17PMÂ GILAD ATZMON
Â
Gilad Atzmon: It seems as if some Jews really like my new book. I may even manage to get the necessary message across. However, the man behind Rainlore World Of Music is a pretty unique character. I hope Harry's Place & Co are not going to terrorise him for being honest.
Â
Literary Review: Gilad Atzmon - The Wandering Who? - A Study Of Jewish Identity Politics
www.rainloresworldofmusic.net
A Study Of Jewish Identity Politics
zero books, 2011
ISBN-10: 1846948754
ISBN-13: 978-1846948756
 Gilad Atzmon is a man on what could be described as a holy quest: he is a true seeker of truth, beauty and freedom. This is, and always has been, a dangerous path to tread. But Atzmon is a genuinely courageous man, far beyond mere chutzpah, and even if for nothing else you have to admire, even envy him for this.The Wandering Who? is his latest endeavour to share this search for truth and freedom.
It is published by zero books on 4th October, 2011 and should be widely available through book stores and online sources such as Amazon.
“Liberty, if it means anything, is the right to tell people what they don’t want to hear.†This is the boldly stated 'mission statement' emblazoned on the racist 'Harry's Place' web page. And yet, with Atzmon's book not even available for several weeks yet, it was the same 'Harry's Place' that was at the forefront of a campaign against both author and work! The publishers, Zero Books, the editors, and Atzmon himself have already been, to quote the author, 'subjected to immense and intense pressure that included harassment, intimidation, and even anonymous threats, as the demands mounted on my publisher to pull the book.'
Atzmon and The Wandering Who? are obviously very dangerous. Or at least, are perceived as such by the people concerned. That really beggars the question, what exactly is it that these Israel-supporters, Zionists, Jewish Anti-Zionists, hasbarah (propaganda) writers and assorted others, are so terrified of? How is it that Atzmon, at least as much renowned as a leading jazz musician as for being an activist, and his Study of Jewish Identity Politics strike such terror into the hearts of these people that it appears to make them quake in their (jack-) boots?
At this point, before endeavouring to find the answers to these questions, it is perhaps as well to interject a dire warning that all this seems to conjure up. 'Beware the book burners!'
As for the answers to the questions raised above, they are to be found easily enough in the pages of Atzmon's The Wandering Who? - A Study of Jewish Identity Politics itself. It is Atzmon's quest for truth and his exposure of, for many uncomfortable, truths that is so dangerous. Atzmon here explores issues of Jewish identity, Jewish-ness, Zionism, Jewish anti-Zionism, Jewish politics - whether left, right or centre - Jewish history, Israeli history, Israel, and much else through autobiographical observations, philosophical (Atzmon also holds a Master's degree in philosophy, among his many accomplishments), historical and other scholarly arguments and explorations.
In this process, Atzmon reveals an integrity and courage for truth that is so sadly and appallingly lacking among modern Western intellectuals who are generally more concerned with political correctness. The Wandering Who? is deeply insightful as well as highly illuminating. Indeed, it should be read even more by Jews and Atzmon's detractors generally than by a non-Jewish readership. Some of the insights provided by Atzmon may be highly uncomfortable, disturbing or even shocking, possibly to both Jew and gentile alike, but truth rarely is very comfortable. More than anything, in The Wandering Who? Atzmon acts as a facilitator, much as a psycho-analyst does, and enables us to look in the mirror to see truth and help provide us with insight. We may accept what we see in the mirror, or we may reject it, at our peril. Reflection and discussion are thereby made possible and positively encouraged.
Gilad Atzmon's The Wandering Who? is a brilliant, courageous study as well as critical reflection on Jewish ethnocentrism that provides revealing and profound insights into the neo-ghetto mentality and politics of both the perceived Jewish Diaspora and the Israeli Jewish state. It is superbly well written with an innocent heart and mind yet razorsharp, mercilessly honest intellect, and full of wit, at once thought-provoking and provocative, as indeed one would expect from this author. The Wandering Who? is an engaging and persuasive delight to the seeker of truth. And this is, indeed, a very dangerous book. This is Atzmon at his most illuminating, erudite yet accessible best!
You can now order Gilad Atzmon's New Book onAmazon.com  or Amazon.co.uk
Â
© 2011 Rainlore's World of Music/Rainlore. All rights
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4 - Murder and Torture, the Lasting Legacy of America
DO WE HAVE ONE FOR WAR CRIMINALS? WE WOULD NEED A CONTAINER OF THEM
Bataan Death March, Gestapo, Russian Gulags, America Has Exceeded It All
Â
By Gordon Duff,
 Â
So many Americans still think torture, murder, gang rape of children is “fair and balanced†as a way of, of what? Waging war? Afghanistan is a war? Oh come now. Its an occupation, no more. Â
What America is doing, has been doing for a decade, is imprisoning Muslims, mostly, from around the world, on any pretense, and killing thousands of them. We may never know but as many as 200,000 people may have been systematically murdered, not just raped or tortured, very little of which involved “waterboarding.â€
The numbers are that high, not just Iraq and Afghanistan but even Gaddafi picked up his own political enemies, sold them to the US and we got rid of them. The few survivors, very few, come forward with tales beyond anything we have proof of from World War 2.Â
The problem is we have video of all of it and the “classified†stuff, not just the few pictures that hit the internet, is leaking out. We have hours of gang rapes of children, of people being butchered like cattle.
Christian Zionism - A National Security Threat ?
We also have a political party, the GOP, that thinks this should remain national policy, we have a religion, Christian Evangelism and its offshoot,Christian Zionism, that think rape is a form of legitmate questioning, we have political and military leaders who continue to support these policies.
We also have, within our society, those who ordered these acts, those who provided legal cover, those who commanded the murder and rape squads and those who participated who are war criminals, people with ranks from President of the United States to Private First Class.
Don’t forget the US Supreme Court, 5 of their members chose to participate as well.
How many of our military are war criminals? Over 2 million served, over 500,000 of them claim to be permanently psychologically damaged from taking part. My hope is the number is a minority, the smaller the better. These are our children.
I know a little about this. As a combat Marine serving in Vietnam, I periodically shot at people, perhaps a bit more than that. These were armed people. I also searched hundreds of homes.Â
I saw some among us choose to shoot at unarmed civilians. I saw this once. I saw one Marine lose his temper and scream at a civilian. I quieted him down.
We were trained professionals and did the best we could. To me, the rules were simple. You treat people with dignity and respect. Some didn’t follow that rule and in one case I saw a small unit singled out for attack because of abusive acts toward Vietnamese children, very minor by current standards. Slapping, not gang rape.
I was the first to reach them.Â
My Lai - Just One of So Many Incidents - by Both Sides
 Vietnam is all about My Lai. Whatever the rest of us were doing, over 2 million of us, one command in the Americal Division decided to murder hundreds of unarmed civilians, women and children. When the order came out, I would have immediately shot the person making it.
I am not just saying this. If ordered to commit a war crime, I long ago learned turning away isn’t enough. You kill mad dogs, you don’t “report them†to “mama.â€
How would the Marine Corps have responded? Does it matter? Are “orders†just “orders?â€Â
I know there are thousands of American kids out there now, who served with decency, showed kindness to everyone they could, shot who they had to, defended themselves and their buddies, but did it with honor.
Then again, we have hundreds, maybe thousands, we don’t know, who are responsible for kicking down doors and killing families, we have alot of that. This is a grey area a bit, fear and adrenalin. Then we have the torturers and murderers, some in the service and thousands veterans working for contracting companies.
In Vietnam we captured prisoners. We turned them over to the Vietnamese. I expected they would be tortured and killed. In one case, I knew we had a Chinese officer with valuable intelligence. In another, it was an 80 year old man one of my associates had shot in the leg, he had run because he was scared and my friend shot him because he was a mindless buffoon.
Did someone have the common sense to let the old man go? I remember when Ed, one of our other writers, and I loaded him onto my poncho and had him carried back. I think about this every day.
Now this is all we do, fueled by the Islamophobia of maniacs like Allen West, the congressman from Florida that lives on fear mongering and insanity. Lindsay Graham is another of this gang. John McCain, not a favorite of mine, is not.
He grew up.
International Criminal Court - the Hague
 There is a very real issue today. We have an entire former administration that can’t travel anywhere but Israel and Saudi Arabia without fear of arrest.Â
Indictments have been issued for top US government officials, former certainly. Are our policies so changed that President Obama is innocent? That has to be proven to me.
One of the funny things is the ICC (International Criminal Court) indictment of Gaddafi. What he is accused of is done in Israel every day, in Afghanistan every minute.Â
I am not a big fan of Gaddafi, I know too much about him, too many who suffered. I am aware of his 40 year history.
Problem is, there is nobody in the United States in a position to point a finger at him.
The criminals? Certainly the think tanks who supported the torture policies. We could go further. I would rather we opened up entirely and admitted tha the Global War on Terror was staged and orchestrated from day one, beginning with 9/11.Â
I believe that was a war crime, certainly American and maybe involving some from Israel as well. In fact, groups have prepared a list of 103 names of war criminals who they are ready to submit evidence against as complicit in 9/11.
Not one is a Muslim, Mr. West.
Everyone involved in handling the intelligence tied to the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, no, not just Iraq, needs to be investigated. Thousands are complicit in war crimes under the Geneva Convention. These wars were and continue to be criminal acts.
Those who own and manage many of our military contracting firms are directly involved in war crimes. The recent season of the TV show, Damages, covers one such issue in a ficitonal venue. Everything seems to be “fictional†now.
In truth, most news Americans get has always been fictional, from the first report of 9/11 or earlier when the “election†of George W. Bush was announced.
The United Nations with a Full House
If there are international tribunals, governments of honor around the world, attorney’s who care, those who served who still have a conscience, then lists of those involved have to be made.
The guilty must be punished, the innocent expunged, the heroic rewarded.
I am very suspicious that we have punished many of the innocent, expunged the guilty and certainly rewarded war profiteers, war criminals and psychotics.
We continue to elect and reelect people who belong in prison or should have been executed years ago.
We have hundreds, thousands, we don’t know how many, officers, NCOs, enlisted, that are not fit to be among our honorable serving military, those who have murdered, tortured and raped innocent civilians.
The End of the Road
The proof is overwhelming, many of the names have been in print, the photos and videos that have been leaked to most are the sanitized ones, the real ones are barbaric.Â
What kind of interrogation practice is dragging someone behind a vehicle until their body comes apart?Â
This is a practice far more common that ‘waterboarding’ and everyone at every level of command, president down, authorized it and knew about it.
Even when it began coming out, millions of Americans continued to support these criminal practices which they said were consistent with their Christian beliefs. We have the polls. Torture and “Evangelical Christianity†go hand in hand.
We have to begin.
Every person “missing†has to be accounted for. When were they taken, where did they go, where are they now. If they are alive, their testimony must be taken. If they cannot be found, we can assume they were murdered at one of our “rendition centers†around the world, their bodies disposed of.
We have to recognize everyone involved in this process, not just the Americans, the thousands of Pakistanis, Egyptians, Libyans, people from so many countries that sold their neighbors for a few pieces of silver.Â
Missing Man FormationAafia Siddiqui was one of those, a victim sold by a Pakistani gang to a group of American torturers and rapists. To cover the crime, an American court has jailed her for 87 years.Â
That process, everyone involved, judges and prosecutors too, should face an international trubunal.
Tribunals must enter every nation, investigate every crime, even if the cost is billions and we fill prisons around the world.
Failing to do this, none of us will ever be safe, not being ruled by war criminals, not having our military commanded by psychotics, our intelligence services run by the delusional, the fabricators and fictionalizers.
If we are going to win the war on terror, we have to recognize the real enemy first and learn to fight without mercy.
We have been looking in the wrong places.
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5 - NATO Troops On Ground In Libya: Intercepted Phone Call
Posted:Â 2011/09/21
From:Â Mathaba
Confirming what we have known, in addition to the 17 special forces captured in Bani Walid, this phone call which was intercepted between a rebel "rat" and the "rat council" TNC military commander, confirms Mathaba reports of the reality that the Libyan Jamahiriya is winning the battle (ED: ?)
This intercepted phone call is a dispute between a Misurati rebel leader and the NTC's Military spokesman, Colonel Ahmed Bani, showing numerous rebel's lies & hypocrisy. It confirms several facts:
- They talk about the presence of U.S & French troops within Misurata and Tripoli, and they are clearly admitting that foreign troops engaged in the attack & occupation of Tripoli which took place August 21, and are still there.
- A major conflict between the Misurata brigade and the NTC in Benghazi, about how the Misurata brigade is perceived by Benghazi, the minimizing of its role in the fights. The Misurati commander seems really tired of hearing the Military spokesman gloating on TV & in the news, talking about a so-called new National Army, while they are being crushed by the Libyan Defense Forces, without the help of Benghazi. He says “Your So-called National Army has been totally crushed at Dafniya by Gaddafi troops, and they took all the weapons and armoured vehicles. There is no National Army anymore. Where is your National army in Sirte? Are you talking about those waiting outside parading for TV and photographs? A Commander like you should come to the battleground, not go parading on TV! Stop acting like the Americans and French, like Sarkozy parading while the war is still ongoing in the country. Come to the battleground! â€Â
- Ahmed Bani, The NTC’s Spokesman, answers him about the psychological operation and aims justifying his use of the word “New National Armyâ€: he says that the whole world is fearing a guerrilla situation in Libya, fearing Al Qaeda and fratricide fights between the different factions. The international community must not see the Libyan rebels as a bunch of different factions, militias and brigades, so he uses the word “Libyan Army†to pretend that Libya is OK, that the situation is under control, and that there are only small pockets of pro-Gaddafi fighters to defeat. So they try to convince the US, Britain "UK" and France that a Libyan army is under construction, blablabla...
- The Misurata commander stops him, telling him that the US and French are very well informed about the situation on the ground, since they are with them on the ground. They were in Tripoli during the assault, and they are still there. He says in his own brigade only, there is a foreign intel. group of 12 US special ops, and 6 French (spies?), they are giving all the info, through internet and press(?). So the situation is quite clear for them, no need to pretend there is a new Libyan army.
- A dispute over the weapons and “troops†or “mercenaries†from Qatar. “Where are the weapons from Qatar, where are the troops when we need them?â€, says the Misurata rebel. The deficiency of backing troops and weapons from Benghazi, while they have given them 150 millions (?) for it- The Misurata commander says that they didn’t get the weapons they were promised while they know they are in Benghazi. He swears that each of those in Benghazi who betrayed the Misurata brigade will pay the hard price and that the ‘revolution’ will succeed with or without them. He says that even if colonel Bani pretends he didn’t betray, he needs to fix the situation, and give what they promised to the Misurata brigade, as he’s in power.Â
- The Misurata commander says that Benghazi owes them money and respect for the Misurata ‘martyrs’, the wounded and amputations(?),  for all what they have done, including destroying the Gaddafi army in Misurata and areas “Think about the armies we destroyed, Man, we destroyed 16 battalions in Misurata, there are MASS GRAVES of Gaddafi soldiers, but we are not supposed to talk about it. Who destroyed them? And you are talking about a National army?! Where is your National army of Benghazi? We are taking major casualties right now. Ambulances and planes are full of our casualties; hospitals are full of Misuratan rebels! Where is the help coming from Qatar? Where are the weapons coming from Qatar? You guys are excluding us from Libya like if we were Bangladesh. You are doing worse than Gaddafi, forgetting us and putting us apartâ€
Colonel Ahmed Bani 'NATO', NTC's Military Spokesman
Source https://twitter.com/#!/MuammarLGaddafi/status/115408340133220352 (18 SEP 2011)
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6 - Gilad Atzmon : American Tragedy
Thursday, September 22, 2011Â
Ynet’s Washington reporter, Yitzhak Ben - Horin, produced last night a clear and succinct reading of Obama’s recent UN General Assembly address:
“Likudnic in the White House."
“Netanyahu could not have written it better.â€Â
“Obama at this point, is in line with the Likud party.â€
“Obama is a pro-Israel president …Since January 2009, he provided Israel with all its needs both in diplomacy and in terms of securityâ€
Obama is not performing too well in the polls. He clearly needs the Jewish Lobby on his side. The American president ‘provided’ yesterday and the lobby was quick to react- “Israel has no better friend in the world today," wrote the president of the National Council of Jewish Democrats, David Harris.
According to Ynet, hours before his UN General Assembly Address Obama sought to ensure that prospective Jewish voters pay close attention to his speech.
“Three of Obama's aides held a conference call with the president's Jewish supporters and community leaders. The advisers, all Jewish themselves, asked the supporters to "spread the word" that Obama will give a pro-Israel speech which reflects his own genuine positions and implored them to pay close attention to the president's UN address.â€
The three Jewish advisers  “stressed that the Republicans intentionally distort Obama's statements to portray him as an anti-Israel president, when in fact their arguments are baseless.â€
If anyone was foolish enough to believe that America could ever be a broker for peace in the Middle East, the truth is now unavoidable. American political world is clearly hijacked by a foreign lobby that represents foreign interests. America cannot rescue itself. What we see in front of our eyes is basically a tragedy.
Greek tragedy depicts the downfall of a noble hero, usually through some combination of hubris, fate, and the will of the gods. The American tragedy contains the same elements. America has regarded itself as a ‘noble hero’ since its creation, ‘hubris’ is also far from being foreign to American culture. Americas’ fate has been written on the wall for more than a while. And what about the Gods, can you guess who the Gods are? I think that Obama and his party knew very well whom they were trying to appease last night. They know very well who their Gods are because they shamelessly mix with them at least once a year at AIPAC annual gathering.
However, Obama and his ‘advisers’ maybe mistaken here. Their ‘Gods’ are not stupid at all, they grasp what Obama is up to, Ben Horin wrote last night, they understand what ‘2nd term’ means in terms of Israeli politics. They remember, for instance, that during the election campaign in 2000, George Bush promised to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but once re-elected he was the man who pushed Sharon to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. They remember that the same George Bush was also the president who sided with Abu Mazen, and declared that negotiations with the Palestinians should be based on 49 armistice lines.
If Obama thinks that the ‘Gods’ are now beside him, he is deluded.
Obama made a grave personal mistake yesterday. But it is Americans, Israelis and Palestinians that will pay the price. What we see here is a classic tragedy, for America doesn’t posses the political power to save itself from itself.
The only question you may want to ask yourself at this stage is how long will it take for America to emancipate itself from its ‘Gods’.
You can now order Gilad Atzmon's New Book on Amazon.com  or Amazon.co.uk
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7 - Gilad Atzmon : Progressive Choseness
Wednesday, September 21, 2011Â
Gilad Atzmon
Some Palestinian solidarity campaigners are excited this morning about Rabbi Eric Yoffie's pearls of wisdom. The outgoing President of the Union for Reform Judaism, wrote in a recent blog post for the Jerusalem Post:Â
“I care about humankind, but I love my own group a bit more. I am more comfortable with them. I care more about them, just as I care more about my family than other families.â€
People who understand the full extent of Jewish tribalism shouldn’t be taken by surprise. Rabbi Yoffie is genuine and coherent. Consequently, his support of The Two State solution is consistent with his Jewish belief system.
“Without a two-state solution.†Says Rabbi Yoffie, “Israel will not longer be a state for my group; it will be a bi-national state without a clear Jewish identity. That is not the kind of place where I, or most Israeli Jews, will want to live.â€
As a supporter of the One State Solution I myself explored this exact issue at the Stuttgart One Democratic State Conference last year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlvaN2c-Oto
Needless to say, that the five German ‘progressive’ Jews who attended the conference insisted on my removal from the Conference’s protocol.
I believe that truth must be said - there is a clear unfortunate discrepancy between Jewish Ideology and the One State Solution. This discrepancy must be addressed rather than be swept under the carpet.
Sadly enough, Judeo centrism and racial orientation is inherent to any form of Jewish political setting. It isn’t just the Zionists, Israelis and the odd Rabbi who wants to live in a mono-cultural ghetto.
The Jewish Left follows exactly the same problematic mantra. J-BIG, for instance, is a UK ‘Jews only’ Israeli boycott campaign. For some reason they operate as a Judeo-centric segregated group apart from the general BDS movement.   The International Jewish Anti Zionist Network (IJAN) would also take into their ranks activists who are ethnically and racially qualified. Like Rabbi Yoffie they claim to care about humankind, but somehow, they probably ‘love their own group a bit more.’ They are just slightly ‘more comfortable with them’.
A few months ago, the progressive blogger Philip Weiss wrote to me: “I believe that all people act out of self-interest. And Jews who define themselves at some level as Jews -- like myself for instance -- are concerned with a Jewish self-interest. Which in my case is: an end to Zionism.  A theory of political life based on altruism or concern for victims purely is doomed to fail.â€
Philip Weiss and Rabbi Yoffie must agree then. Rabbi Yoffie cares more about his people just as he ‘cares more about his family than other families’, Weiss seems to be slightly more succinct, he actually explores the true meaning of Jewish non-altruistic political existence. Â
So here we are, many Jews believe in Zionism, a few Jews believe that Zionism is actually ‘bad for the Jews’ (as opposed to bad for humanity or the Palestinians). But all Jews who identify themselves politically as Jews act out of ‘Jewish self interests. They all prefer to operate in ‘Jews only cells’  I guess that this is the true practical meaning of ‘choseness’.Â
As it stands, universalism, humanism and altruism are still foreign to Jewish culture and Jewish political thinking. Those amongst us who dream of peace in the Middle East better address this crucial issue and find an adequate solution. As far as I can tell, this is a grave problem. Also, as long as progressive Jews keep operating in ‘Jews only’ political cells, they won’t be part of a solution but just another aspect of the problem.Â
Â
Gilad Atzmon’s New Book is available on Amazon.com  or Amazon.co.uk
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8 - While many Americans may believe that US policies are designed to address American needs, America’s new Ambassador to Israel explains that this is far from the case.
by Alison Weir
In a recent speech before the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI), Ambassador Daniel Shapiro clarified what drives US policies:
“The test of every policy the Administration develops in the Middle East is whether it is consistent with the goal of ensuring Israel’s future as a secure, Jewish, democratic state. That is a commitment that runs as a common thread through our entire government.â€
Shapiro went on to say: “This test explains our extraordinary security cooperation, our stand against the delegitimization of Israel, our efforts on Iran, our response to the Arab Spring, and our efforts on Israeli-Palestinian peace.â€
It also explains a factor in the downward slide in American prosperity and standing in the world.
US funding of Israel and its weapons industry
Shapiro elaborated: ‘Israel will receive over $3 billion in U.S. funding for training and equipment in the coming fiscal year. This assistance allows Israel to purchase the sophisticated defense equipment it needs to protect itself, by itself, including the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Our assistance has also helped boost Israel’s domestic defense industry.â€
On top of this, Shapiro pointed out, “Congress, at the request of President Obama, provided $205 million to accelerate production and deployment of the Iron Dome short-range missile system, a project to which I devoted particular attention during my tenure at the White House.â€
Shapiro failed to note that this system competes with American defense firms, causing still further job loss for Americans, who have a higher unemployment ratethan Israel.
Shapiro said that one of his first visits as Ambassador to Israel was to see an Iron Dome battery deployed near Ashkelon, where he “had very moving visits with the victims of rocket attacks in Ashdod.†Palestinian rocket attacks have killed approximately 20 Israelis. There is no report that Shapiro has visited the victims of Israeli shelling attacks on Gaza, where over 1,400 have been killed.
Opposing international initiatives, undermining US needs
Shapiro continued: “The test of our policy – that it advances Israel’s status as a secure, Jewish, democratic state – also explains our commitment to vigorously battle against those who would attempt to isolate or delegitimize Israel in the international community.â€
As a result, Shapiro said, the US withdrew from the South African conference on racism in Durban and vetoed UN efforts on Israel (which otherwise would have passed).
Currently, he said, the administration is “doing everything we can†to oppose the Palestinian bid for UN membership to come later this month. “We are taking our opposition to capitals around the world.â€
This campaign is reminiscent of previous pro-Israel campaigns, including the original pressure brought by Israel partisans in 1947 on the UN General Assembly to pass a recommendation to give over half of Palestine to a Jewish state.
It could also be a major blow to the US.
Prince Turki al-Faisal, a member of the Saudi Royal Family who headed up its intelligence service for many years, has just published Veto a State, Lose an Ally, in which he warns that if the US vetoes Palestinian UN membership, “Saudi Arabia would no longer be able to cooperate with America in the same way it historically has.â€
He writes that it would “provoke uproar among Muslims worldwide,†further undermining American relations with the Muslim world (over 1.2 billion people), “threaten regional stability,†and increase “the chances of another war in the region.â€
In 1973 Saudi Arabia, which has been an extremely important US ally, issued a warning based on a similarly reasonable request (that Israel obey international law – see discussion below). When Henry Kissinger ignored it, the US was thrown into a major recession and thousands of Americans lost their jobs and homes.
Author and international attorney John Whitbeck writes that “the adverse consequences for the United States of blocking Palestine’s membership are dazzlingly obvious. An American veto would constitute a shotgun blast in both of its own feet, further isolating the United States from the rest of mankind and outraging the already agitated and unstable Arab and Muslim worlds (notably including Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey).
Since 120 nations have already recognized Palestine, such a veto would outrage countries all over the globe.
Policies on Iran based on Israeli concerns
Shapiro went on to say:
“The test of our policy – to advance Israel’s status as a secure, Jewish democratic state – explains our persistent efforts and the President’s determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“Since 2009, the United States has led the world in imposing the toughest sanctions ever against Iran, through U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929, through the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions and Divestment Act, and through additional sanctions imposed by European and other partners beyond those mandated by the U.N. Security Council… We are working to increase pressure on Iran through additional means, and have taken no option off the table.
Twenty years ago similar pressure on Iraq created a humanitarian catastrophe in which, according to the World Health Organization, over 5,000 children under the age of five died each month from “embargo-related causes.â€
Arab Spring actions predicated on Israeli interests
Shapiro explained that concerns for Israel also drive the Administration’s actions regarding the Arab Spring:
“The test of our policy explains President Obama’s original outreach to the Muslim world, and his response to the Arab Spring.
“Israel’s interests were not served by the deep anger felt toward the United States in many Muslim communities, and the President made clear that those who would accept his outstretched hand must do so knowing that the United States will remain a fierce defender of Israel’s legitimacy and call on others to build their own connections with Israel.
“As the unprecedented events of the Arab Spring have unfolded, we have recognized the opportunity presented by the possible emergence of more open, transparent, peaceful, and democratic governments, who will make better neighbors, while remaining vigilant about the risks these changes could present. We know the stakes for Israel are high, and in a situation where neither of us can control outcomes, we are working closely together to chart a common strategy.â€
Shapiro said that US support for a “two-state solution†is also based on Israeli desires, explaining that he and the Administration are “convinced that a two-state solution is the only way to guarantee Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state.†Therefore, he said, the administration’s “vigorous pursuit of Israeli-Palestinian peace†also meets the pro-Israel test.
Need to bolster pro-Israel ties among Jewish Americans
Shapiro spoke of the close allegiance that most Jewish Americans feel for Israel, but expressed concern that “much research has shown that growing numbers of younger American Jews feel disconnected, or at best ambivalent, toward Israel. Valuable programs like Birthright have exposed many to this connection, but many more have not been reached.â€
He said that “a stronger commitment to Zionist education for American Jewish youth could do much to strengthen bonds that we want to be even stronger in the next generation, but may not be if left untended.â€
Helping Israeli finances even further
Shapiro said that “one of the most fruitful opportunities for deepening ties†between Americans and Israelis is in the economic sphere:
“There are approximately one dozen American-Israel Chambers of Commerce throughout the United States, based in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. These organizations are run and organized by Americans who care deeply about the U.S.- Israel relationship and strive to facilitate U.S.-Israel business connections.â€
Shapiro pointed out:
“In 2010 alone the U.S. imported $21 billion of Israeli goods and services; that’s 10 percent of Israel’s GDP. American companies and their representatives here directly employ about 60,000 Israelis; that’s fully 2 percent of Israel’s entire workforce. This figure does not include the many thousands more that are supported by American companies here as subcontractors or in downstream businesses.
“American companies have opened two-thirds of all foreign R&D facilities in Israel and brought in nearly 60 percent of all foreign direct investment. In 2011, American companies have acquired ten Israeli startups to the tune of $1.5 billion dollars, not just for their products, but to establish leading international R&D centers tapping into the greatest asset of Israel’s people, their brainpower. American-sourced venture capitalism provides more than half of all money for nascent technology companies to get off the ground.
“Just as other Diaspora communities are often in the lead in promoting economic ties with their countries of origin, many of these projects began because of Jewish-American ‘champions’ of corporate interaction with Israel.â€
Ambassador Shapiro failed to mention that Israel’s current account balance is 29th in the world; the U.S. comes in at 196th.
1973 War and Shapiro’s personal ties to Israel
In his speech, Ambassador Shapiro recounted his personal history “for the insights it can give us about the connection of the American Jewish community to the U.S.-Israel relationship.†He stated:
“I am a proud member of our Jewish community in Washington, DC, active in a Conservative synagogue and the Jewish day school that my children attend and where my wife, Julie, worked for many years. And my profound respect for the State of Israel and its remarkable achievements stems from a lifetime of exposure to the extraordinary people who brought Theodore Herzl’s Zionist dream to life.â€
Shapiro explained that his close attachment to Israel began in 1973 when he was four years old and his family spent a fall semester in Israel. They were there during the war in which Egypt and Syria tried to retrieve land that had been taken by Israel seven years before.
While Ambassador Shapiro didn’t go into this, there is a close US connection to the 1973 war, called by Israel and US media the “Yom Kippur War.â€
Before and during this war, Saudi Arabia called on the US to pressure Israel to return the lands that it had taken and held since 1967, in violation of international law. Instead, Henry Kissinger arranged a massive airlift of US weaponry to Israel, saving Israel from losing the war. This support led to the oil embargo against the US that caused a deep depression and cost thousands of Americans their jobs.
As historian Donald Neff later wrote, this boycott, induced by Kissinger’s weapons to Israel, left “economies around the world shattered and many individuals living poorer lives.†Neff wrote that while “Kissinger admitted, ‘I made a mistake,’ skeptics might wonder whether it was a mistake, or wanton disregard of U.S. interests during a passionate effort to help Israel.â€
Shapiro explained that the 1973 war had a major impact on his family:
“By the end of the war, and even more so, by the end of our stay, our family’s relationship with Israel had been utterly transformed, from a solid but light connection to the deepest of bonds. Throughout the remainder of my childhood, family dinner conversations turned easily to events in Israel, from the thrill of the peace with Egypt to the anguish of the Lebanon War [initiated by Israel; fatalities were approximately 25:1 Lebanese to Israelis]. The ample bookshelves in my parents’ home grew laden with studies in Zionism, Jewish history, and Israeli literature.
“A product of the Reform Movement, I nurtured my own connection to Israel primarily through summer camp experiences at the Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, an unlikely setting for some of the most innovative Jewish and Zionist education to be found anywhere.
“These experiences led me to spend half a year after high school in Israel on a Reform Movement program, living with an Israeli family in Jerusalem, studying at Hebrew Union College, traveling widely throughout the country, and volunteering on Kibbutz Yahel in the Arava.
“I returned for my sophomore year of college at Hebrew University, supplementing my studies with work as a waiter at the wedding hall in the Beit Knesset HaGadol and long walks in Rehavia, where my girlfriend – who is now my wife of 19 years – took an apartment.
“In the years since, I have made Israel, its history and people, its quest for peace and security in the Middle East, and its relationship with the United States, the centerpiece of my academic studies at Brandeis and Harvard, my work on Capitol Hill, and my service in the Clinton and Obama Administrations.â€
Shapiro emphasized that in many ways his story is not unique, stating that “it is impossible to deny the special connection that most in the American Jewish community feel for Israel…. wherever they fall on the political spectrum, and whatever their views on American policy, Israeli policy or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the vast majority of American Jews care deeply about Israel…â€
Shapiro said that he is deeply honored that President Obama has entrusted him with the “task and responsibility of strengthening and deepening†US ties to Israel.
Shapiro concluded: “… as a committed Jewish American, with deep roots in the American Jewish community and warm bonds of affection with Israel, I will have an opportunity to draw on those associations to help make the U.S.-Israel relationship, strong as it is, even stronger in the years ahead.â€
Alison Weir is an American freelance journalist and founder and Executive Director of If Americans Knew and president of  The Council for National Interest. Ms. Weir writes and speaks on issues covering the situation in Palestine/Israel, addresses the historical context and provides critique of how the media covers issues which challenges U.S. foreign policy and well-funded lobby interests. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the world’s major sources of instability. Americans are directly connected to this conflict, and increasingly imperiled by its devastation. It is the goal of  If Americans Knew to provide full and accurate information on this critical issue .
Bio and additional articles by Alison weir
For more information visit her website:www.ifamericansknew.org/aboutus/alisonweir.html. Ground breaking Articles by Alison Weir. She can be reached at contact@ifamericansknew.org.
www.veteranstoday.com, September 14th, 2011
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9 - Ignorance and 9-11
By Lawrence Davidson
17 September 2011
Lawrence Davidson reflects on the ignorance of the US public regarding the causes of 9-11, against the background of the decline of the United States – a decline caused by the self-delusion of US elites, public ignorance and a general intolerance of critical or alternative views.
On 12 September 2011 I had 65 students in a "Twentieth Century World" history class ask me what I thought were the origins of the 9-11 attacks. I said I was quite willing to tell them what I thought, but first they had to give me their opinions. The vast majority believed that Muslim fanaticism led to the tragedy. The only other competitive theory, held by a small minority, was that the attacks were the result of a conspiracy located within the US government itself.
I made it clear that I do not believe in the conspiracy explanation, if for no other reason than it would be impossible to keep that sort of thing secret in a political environment (Washington DC) which leaked information like a sieve. I was more interested in why they thought Muslim fanaticism caused the attack. They could not answer the question in any specific way. It was just the majority opinion that was somehow "in the air", And, indeed, it is what our leaders and the media suggest and is, by now, part of a shared national consciousness.
“...the attacks on 11 September 2001 were performed as revenge for decades of US foreign policy decisions that had caused enormous suffering in the Middle East.â€
Next I inquired why they asked me this question? They answered that as the fellow in the History Department who taught about the Middle East, they saw me as a credible source of information. With that established, I agreed that this was a good and indeed necessary use of class time. So I began.
Understanding 9-11 in its historical context
I told them that Muslim fanaticism did not cause the attack. Clearly the belief that one was acting in a way approved by God made it easier to hijack the planes and crash them into their targets. But that belief was not the motivation for these acts. Rather, the attacks on 11 September 2001 were performed as revenge for decades of US foreign policy decisions that had caused enormous suffering in the Middle East.
Student reaction was something like: "foreign policy, what foreign policy?" I told those 65 students that was exactly the right question. It was time (actually, it was long past due) that they understood 9-11 in its historical context. I then led them through a brief description of the following events, all of which identified the United States as an enemy of justice and democracy in the Middle East:
1. In 1953 the US overthrow the democratically established government of Iran and installed the Shah’s dictatorship.
　
2. In 1958 the US landed troops in Lebanon in support of a Maronite Christian president who was seeking to subvert the Lebanese constitution. We repeated the mistake 25 years later, in 1983, when Ronald Reagan once more sent US forces into Lebanon and quickly lost 241 servicemen to a suicide bomber.
　
3. We have subsequently backed numerous Middle East dictators, among them Mubarak in Egypt, Abdullah in Jordan, the Saudi monarchy in Arabia (where we kept troops on the holiest of Muslim soil), the king of Bahrain, etc. even while selectively opposing others such as those in Syria and Libya. Our criterion for support is not whether a government is a dictatorship or democracy, but rather whether it cooperates or not with American policies in the region.
　
4. The notorious regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq was an excellent example of this criterion. For a number of years this dictator was the beneficiary of American support (we sold him his poison gas and biological agents). However, he eventually invaded Kuwait (which the British had lopped off from Iraq in 1913) and we then turned against him. Following the First Gulf War a US sponsored blockade of Iraq resulted in the death of over half a million Iraqi poor people and children. I quoted Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s infamous 1996 confession on the TV programme “60 Minutes†that she thought all those deaths were "worth it". I am sure that Osama bin Laden thought exactly the same way about the deaths of the civilians in the Twin Towers and the hijacked airplanes.
　
5. And, of course, there is the consistent US support of Israel in its policy of relentless absorption of Palestinian land. This, in the eyes of many in the Middle East, makes Washington an accomplice in an imperialist and colonialist foreign occupation. As a function of this support the US sought to overturn the 2006 fair and free democratic election of the Hamas government in Palestine.
　
Finally, I explained to the students that however US officials might rationalize these policies, it is simply naive to expect that those who do not like our behaviour will stand by and do nothing. And they haven’t. As it turns out, most of those who have turned violent against us are non-state actors such as those associated with Al-Qaeda because, over the last 60 odd years, those Middle Eastern governments that opposed the US, and also Israel, have been proven impotent.
Ignorance and decline
"The vast majority of Americans have no clue about [the] history of US behaviour... As a consequence, Americans have no historical context through which to understand the ‘blowback’ such behavior engenders.â€
The vast majority of Americans have no clue about this history of US behaviour. And, the truth is that we simply cannot think critically about what we do not know. As a consequence, Americans have no historical context through which to understand the "blowback" such behavior engenders. That being the case, they are susceptible to whatever fantasies the media and their leaders feed them, as well as innumerable conspiracy theories. Most Americans accept the story that the terrorism of 11 September was motivated by religious fanaticism and carried out by those who "hate our freedoms". (To this contention I reply that those who fight against the US do not care what we Americans do in our country, they care what we do in their countries.) The sceptics gravitate to the conspiracy stories. They too have it wrong, though oddly the US government, by acting in the way described above, did engineer the disaster.
　
In the case of my students I have filled in the knowledge gaps. It is hard to know how deeply they will ponder this new information and what they can do with it if they do think it through. In any case, as the saying goes, they are but a drop in the ocean. I know that is a depressing thought, but it is an accurate one.
　
I have come to the conclusion that the United States, for all its ability to project force, is in decline. It is in decline for the same reason that most past empires and power states have faltered. They falter because, over time, their elites become self-deluded and the general public kept in ignorance. The elites come to mistake their own perceptions, limited by narrow interest and/or distorted by ideologies, for objective reality. None of them have ever seen fit to integrate a "devil’s advocate" into their deliberations.
Those who can see the world objectively are more likely than not to be ignored or outright fired. Without such people in the halls of power and the offices of the media we are blind. And, as the English poet Gerald Massey once observed, "in blindness we gather thorns for flowers".
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10 - The one-sided US veto: an astounding display of hypocrisy
By  Neve Gordon and  Yinon Cohen
21 September 2011
Neve Gordon and Yinon Cohen argue that the US plan to veto the Palestinians’ bid for UN recognition, under the pretext that unilateralism is misguided, is an astounding display of hypocrisy and double standards.
US President Barack Obama's decision to use the USA's veto prerogative if the United Nations votes to recognize a Palestinian state will constitute a blow to those seeking peace in the Middle East.
The Obama administration's claim that peace can be achieved only through dialogue and consent rather than through unilateral moves ignores the complex power relations that constitute peace-making between Israelis and Palestinians. History teaches that peace is achieved only when the conflicting sides believe that they have too much to lose by sustaining the conflict. And, at this point in history, the price Israel is paying for continuing the occupation is extremely small.
But if, for the sake of argument, one were to accept the view expressed by President Obama – that unilateralism is a flawed political approach – then one should survey the history of unilateral moves within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and examine the US response towards them.
A logical place to begin is 1991, when Israelis and Palestinians met for the first time in Madrid to negotiate a peace agreement. United Nations Resolutions 242 and 338, which call for Israel's withdrawal from the land it occupied during the 1967 war in exchange for peace, served as the basis for the Madrid Conference.
Ever since that conference, Israel has carried out numerous unilateral moves that have undermined efforts to reach a peace agreement based on land for peace. These include the confiscation of Palestinian land, the construction of settlements and the transfer of Jewish citizenry to occupied territories, actions that every US administration regarded as an obstruction to the peace process.
Settlement expansion
“If the idea behind a two-state solution is dividing land among the two peoples, how can Israel unilaterally continue to settle the contested land while carrying out negotiations?"
Consider, for example, the Jewish settler population. At the end of 1991, there were 132,000 Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem and 89,800 settlers in the West Bank. Two decades later, the numbers of settlers in East Jerusalem has increased by about 40 per cent, while the settlers in the West Bank, according to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, have increased by over 300 per cent. Currently, there are about half a million Jewish settlers.
If Israel had arrested its unilateral transfer of Jewish citizens to Palestinian land in 1991 once it had embarked upon a peace process based on the return of occupied territory, the number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank would have been less than 50 per cent of what it is today.
Indeed, estimations based on the natural growth rate of the West Bank settler population suggest that this population would have been less than 150,000 people in 2011, while today it is actually over 300,000.
An analysis of settler movement to the West Bank also reveals that settler population growth has not been substantially different when left-of-centre parties have been in power. During periods in which the Labour Party formed the governing coalition, the numbers have been just as high, if not higher, than periods during which Likud or Kadima have been in power. This, in turn, underlines the fact that all Israeli governments have unilaterally populated the contested West Bank with more Jewish settlers while simultaneously carrying out negotiations based on land for peace.
Seeing that the settlers are undermining any future two-state solution, the Palestinians have decided not to wait any longer and are asking the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. This, they intimate, is their last attempt to salvage the two-state route before abandoning it to the dustbin of history.
Their argument is straightforward: if the idea behind a two-state solution is dividing land among the two peoples, how can Israel unilaterally continue to settle the contested land while carrying out negotiations? Israeli unilateralism, in other words, has driven the Palestinians to choose the unilateral path. The only difference is that the latter's unilateralism is aimed at advancing a peace agreement, while the former's is aimed at destroying it.
One-sided US veto
“...the US has frequently used its veto to prevent the condemnation of Israeli policies that breach international law.â€
The US has never considered using its veto power to stop Israel from carrying out unilateral moves aimed at undermining peace.
Instead, the US has frequently used its veto to prevent the condemnation of Israeli policies that breach international law. Now the Obama administration wants to use the veto again, with the moral justification that unilateralism is misguided. But the real question is: why is unilateralism bad when it attempts to advance a solution, yet warrants no response when unilateralism threatens to undermine a solution?
President Obama should keep in mind that the Palestinian appeal to the international community might very well be the last chance for salvaging the two-state solution.
If the Palestinian demand for recognition falls through due to a US veto, then the necessary conditions for a paradigm shift will be in place: the two-state solution will be even less feasible, and the one-state formula will emerge as the only alternative.
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A version of this article was published on Al-Jazeera’s website. The version here is published by permission of Neve Gordon.
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KILLED FOR DOUBTING THE 6 MILLION NUMBER .......................................
http://www.radicalpress.com/?p=1327
11 -Â CROSSING THE ''VERBOTEN'' RUBICON : THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF PROFESSOR DAREK RATAJCZAK
CROSSING THE ''VERBOTEN RUBICON'': THE COST OF FREEDOM
Intro - I just consumed some thoughts from author Jared Taylor. In his cultural magazine he pens that the throttling of ideas is the first priority of bigots and tyrants. He believes that their schemes depend on the suppression of truth. Taylor tells about monopoly media’s disdain for Americans and freedom of speech. His readers learn about a Mr. Kevin Lamb being fired from his job. Lamb’s crime: He contributed to a periodical that rejects coerced multicultural policies. Author Taylor notes that he cannot fathom the mentality of those that wish to starve his family if they didn’t like what he has to say. His equating them with the KGB and Gestapo made me think of monopolio media and one European who ambulated in Taylor’s ideological shoes, Prof. Darek Ratajczak.
These few lines are about a very unusual freedom fighter. He was allergic to the suppression of debate. He also held a sincere belief in the free exchange of ideas. This resulted in him not reaching old age. This comrade was a modern-day acquaintance. We knew each other through snail mail, telephone conversations and cyberspace. He was a dreamer and a professor at a European University. This is his humanistic story.
THE SAGA AND MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF ONE FREE THINKER
Prof. Darek Ratajczak was a soft-spoken, polite and cultured individual. If I can remember properly his father’s family was raised in old Polish lands taken over by Stalin. This was an age of upsetting families, massive population transfer and Communistic military brutality. Local populations were used as pawns and bullied by military might. Millions were resettled in the land of the White Bear. Among the unfortunate were Balts, Poles, Germans, Magyars and others.
I’ve forgotten much about Darek’s early childhood. I can’t remember much about his mother (Alina). What is known is that DR was a prolific writer. He also devoted countless years into research; Darek had a ferocious appetite for books. Such an individual is a fascinating character for political scientists, historians, humanists and others. He’s a symbol of what can happen when the average person steps on powerful toes.
Because I was in a position to obtain expensive books that he could not secure, we both gained. In other words, works I had read could be shipped to the professor and he, in turn, could share them with others. In a normal world it was a win, win situation for eliciting knowledge. DR was lighting the fire of happiness in young minds. What more could any decent person request? In addition to educational books for kids, I sent him the memoirs of George Kennan, Salisbury and numerous others.
As far as most know, Darek had a lovely family life. It is generally acknowledged that he was a very popular professor. He taught history and it seemed as though he could never get enough information. Like his dad, Cyryl (a lawyer), DR had a tremendous thirst for knowledge. It seemed the world around him smelled of blossoming flowers, as sunshine grew the tastiest of intellectual fruits.
Ratajaczak saw his state go through alien Communist repression, perestroika, glasnost and independence. He was going to do his part to help humanity. He was an average guy with a Wikilink sense for justice (Without charges of sexual escapades).
Darek had a joyful life, to say the least. Compassion encompassed him on all sides.
He had a pretty woman. His wife took care of his children. Like most normal men, his family meant a lot to him. At work his admirers were a growing little army. Prof. Ratajczak was overwhelmingly loved by his students.
Moreover, he was slowly becoming more and more popular and (thus) his writings were read on four continents. Small newspapers, in various languages, carried his thoughts. DR lectured at institutes and was a guest at clubs, associations and on radio programs. He was gaining in popularity. He was a raising star with immense potential. The world belonged to him.
He was a symbol of hard work and being allowed in the Garden of Eden. His fall was a devastating example of suffering. His thoughts were what fills the souls of the Solzhenitsyns and Jared Taylors of our planet.
In all probability, DR’s troubles commenced when he figured he could comment on any topic. After all he didn’t dislike other ethnic groups. He was idealistic. He would cement friendships. All he had to do was be objective, cite other sources and demonstrate no animosity towards any particular element. He was more than willing to argue points. He could speak on the destruction of the Nazi era and vile Communistic oppressions without any problems. When Darek lectured his students became electrified. Ratajczak thought he could feed youthful growing appetites.
His students drank water from knowledge’s pristine springs. It seems that Darek’s dire straits were initiated when a member of his class became disgruntled about Darek’s small bite into the verboten apple; he ventured away from the transnational party line. I cannot be sure exactly why DR’s world came tumbling down. What is known is that it occurred during a time when I was preoccupied by assisting family members. It is a fact that I sent him several huge packages of books so his children could master the English language via DVDs. It was delightful to see a kind father’s heart concerned with phonics.
It was during this period that I learned Darek was suddenly having problems with University administrators. Their hindering of debate all seemed so silly and childish. This unhinged adolescent mindset expanded to the next level and involved the need for legalities. In 1999 he was brought to court and obtained a mild punishment. The judgement outraged some leading personalities. Newspapers screamed for a harsh verdict. It’s a pity particulars can’t be recalled, but anyways Darek, a creator of scholarly material, was now being hammered by authorities. From what was gathered, the case against him was fueled by hidden entities from outside and western realms. He was literally helpless against the domestic and international onslaught.
Apparently all of Darek’s troubles evolved around touching a topic that was off limits to the scholarly, academic and other communities. The professor had composed a booklet entitled The Dangerous Topic (Tematy niebezpieczne). It seemed to follow a path similar to Wilmot Robertson’s publications in America. It’s been written that this pamphlet initially consisted of a mere 3,000 copies. Later, Leszek Bubel, a newspaper editor, published an additional 30,000. Besides this, other friends, printed copies that numbered in the thousands.
In the United States a Mr. Czachor and others assisted in distributing the work of Mr. Ratajczak. Exactly how far did the findings of the professor spawn? Suffice to say that Australian revisionists published his writings and distributed his research. Tematy even surpassed the illustrious Wilmot Robertson’s The EthnoState in the number of copies sold.
In addition to the above, Darek’s helplessness against the international onslaught brought light to more than just a few brave souls. A Professor, Richard Bender, a renowned scholar, attempted to defend him. RD’s major crime? He had questioned a magical 6 million number. Suddenly it was discovered that he had been fired. Ratajczak was now an unemployed outcast.
Although moral partisans were unable to restore the professor back into the academic community, he was assisted by Christians and one priest in particular. His friends, Joseph Wozniak and Marciej Andraszyk were the glue of comradeship.
It seemed incredible what questioning a transnational Party Line can do. As noted, even the title of his controversial book, actually it was a booklet, was not mild. The Dangerous Topic was eye-catching.. The meaning was soon to elucidate and haunt Mr. Ratajczak. He discovered what it would do to his once-warm home.
The introduction was by Peter Raina, a world famous author. The meat of the topic indicated a need for more research. It seemed there was a discrepancy in numbers relating to atrocities in Eurocide II, commonly known as World War II. Did DR have too much faith in mankind? Darek had told me over the phone, or in a letter (I can’t remember) that the elucidation of facts pertaining to the horrendous 1939- 1945 conflict could create an improvement in freedom of speech; build a foundation for better understandings. This would result in facilitating a spirit of brotherhood. There would be harmony among Europeans and others. It was reasoned that a reduction in the numbers of those harmed would be welcome. Less deaths certainly could and should make people happy. Was his mind of a Wikilink nature?
After being thrown on the street of unemployment DR took any means possible for feeding his wife and children. He became a porter. He laboured and couldn’t pay his bills. He fell behind the crushing economic 8 ball. Writings were reduced.
Without adequate funds to initiate a job search he traveled extensively and wrote letters. Soon he lacked money for gas. Groceries became an issue. As a hot potato no respectable organization would risk permitting such an intellectual to join their staff. He suddenly became a pariah. Those in academia distanced themselves from this now divorced and polite man.
Then, suddenly this most controversial of figures, whose ideas were spawning all over the globe was found dead in his automobile (June 11, 2010). His saga was the stuff bestselling Sherlock Holmes mysteries are made of. How could he fall so hard and fast? Although he didn’t advocate multiculturalism and fought against the suppression of free speech, he didn’t harbour hate against anyone.
Authorities and a Police Department gave a dubious cause. Their allegation: Alcohol (it might have been involved). Yet, according to an intellectual and skilled journalist, by the name of Zbigniew Rutkowski, Mr. Ratajczak was not an alcoholic.
Later, there was a theory that he might have had psychological difficulties. This was because of the position he was pushed into. He was not the first middle class individual deprived of his pen due to intellectual ideology. Deportation and the loss of teaching positions had prevailed amongst Americans and Canadians debating specific ancient historical numbers.
In a Jewish publication a Hebrew female, by the name of Doroty Wodecka-Lasota, did not put Darek in a positive light. Prof. Ratajczak had permitted an interview with LaSota. According to Lasota, DR stated that if he had to do it all over again he never would have composed Tematy niebezpieczne. Was he a symbol for those crossing a chosen verboten Rubicon?
Overall there was controversial news pertaining to Dr. Ratajczak’s death. What appeared was painted in the darkest of colours. It was written that the professor became upset at being referred to in media as an anti-Semite. DR emphatically stated that he was a Liberal Conservative. Could Prof. Ratajczak be a victim of what “isms†are all about? You know, Nazism, Communism, Zionism?
How pathological can the fires of hate be? Well, Gazeta Wyborcza, Warsaw’s leading newspaper, mocked Prof. Ratajczak’s death. Of course he couldn’t defend himself. Other publications did the same, insinuating he was a liar. The fact is that Darek thought the death of even one individual was a tragedy.
Recollection shows that his next plan was to compose research about Christianity under communism. Could it be that he was jumping out of the frying pan into the fire? Why would he wish to confront an unscrupulous ten foot bully?
Was he after communists who had oppressed others and changed Red coats into democratic attire? If Nazis could face adjudication, why nor commies who preached one world multiculturalism at the expense of native values and traditions?
What a convenient time for Darek’s candle of life to expire. Perhaps it’s worthy to note that, in addition to his friends stating he was not an alcoholic, evidence demonstrates that he was found in the awkward position. His decomposed body was found between two seats in his car. How is that possible?
As for the psyche allegation, those close to him emphasize that he was in a positive mood before the discovery of his decomposed body. The shoddy allegation of the authorities that he must’ve committed suicide seems rather childish.
In concluding this piece pertaining to a noble freedom fighter, who attempted to advance free speech, it’s worthy to note, or emphasize, the two sides to this story. In retrospect there was an inadequate investigation that contains a slew of unanswered questions. Why would officials defend an average guy who hindered the wheels of an international elite’s apple cart?
On the other side, are the views of those with worthy intellectual abilities. These men insist this fine scholar was unfairly treated, to say the least. A good friend of Dr. Ratajczak, Mr. Zbigniew Rutkowski (of which some of the info in this piece was used), gave reference to the fact that DR was a practicing Catholic and (thus) would not be inclined to commit suicide.
Not long before Darek’s body was discovered, Mr. Rutkowski had a normal telephone conversation with the professor. Like others, ZR saw no indication of any psychological difficulty. Rutkowski also indicated that Mr. Ratajczak set upon his work like a father anticipating the birth of a new child. What is the likelihood of a person in such a state of mind, with no history of psychological problems, to venture to such extremes? A Christian who didn’t believe in suicide? Well?
Moreover, it might be of interest to note that Darek was enthusiastic about an upcoming journey to Norway. His goal was to produce a booklet on data gathered in that Scandinavian country. He had once related data to me about the folly of multiculturalism in a so called Benelux country. Perhaps the case of this once promising star, who crossed the Verboten Rubicon, will make others think about the obstruction of research and free speech. Certainly compassion is a virtue.
In a recent edition of the American Renaissance it’s written that the purpose of our First amendment is to ensure that people of all views, no matter how disconcerting, have the right to be heard. It is through argumentation and explanation - by competing in the marketplace of ideas - that truth is supposed to prevail. According to the American Renaissance, people fear free speech because they fear the power of ideas they cannot refute. Maybe that’s why the USSR sent millions to Siberia and Bush’s neokonski regime sought to reduce habeas corpus. It’s why Darek lost more than his job.
Mr. Rutkowski refers to the ADL and other Zionistic powerhouses. He doesn’t mention mankind’s problems due to the Israeli Lobby or unnecessary wars.
Lastly, it might be valid to again emphasize that prior to his death young Prof. Darek Ratajczak was not only working on a dissertation about Norway, but had anticipated conducting research pertaining to the Catholic Church in Opole. It was to be about the era under oppressive Communism. He was heating several tasty pots on the stove.
So, is it possible an individual, enthusiastic for life, with an active pen, was both a victim and a symbol?
bruno
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12 -Â Bush regime retread, Philip Zelikow, appointed to Obama's Intelligence Advisory Board
aletho | September 18, 2011  | URL:http://wp.me/pIUmC-88U
Written by Atheo | Aletho News | September 19, 2011
President Obama has appointed Philip Zelikow to serve on the President's Intelligence Advisory Board the White House announced this past week.
Zelikow served on the same presidential board between 2001 and 2003 under Bush during which time he revealed the perceived threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq which necessitated preemptive invasion.
"Why would Iraq attack America or use nuclear weapons against us?" asked Zelikow. "I'll tell you what I think the real threat (is) and actually has been since 1990 -- it's the threat against Israel. And this is the threat that dare not speak its name, because the Europeans don't care deeply about that threat, I will tell you frankly. And the American government doesn't want to lean too hard on it rhetorically, because it is not a popular sell," said Zelikow at the University of Virginia on September 10, 2002, speaking on a panel of foreign policy experts.
Apparently a war, sold to the world on false pretenses, for the sole benefit of Israel presented no dilemma for Zelikow. But then, Zelikow's academic background places him squarely in league with the Project for a New American Century (PNAC) proponents of wars for Israel as reported at Wikipedia.
In writing about the importance of beliefs about history, Zelikow has called attention to what he has called "'searing' or 'molding' events [that] take on 'transcendent' importance and, therefore, retain their power even as the experiencing generation passes from the scene." [...]
In the November-December 1998 issue of Foreign Affairs, Phillip D. Zelikow co-authored an article with Ashton B. Carter, and John M. Deutch entitled "Catastrophic Terrorism" describing a "Pearl Harbor" type of event that might occur in the United States that would result in the suspension of civil liberties and the increased surveillance of citizens. It seemed to describe exactly what has come to pass under the Bush Administration. They speculated that if the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center had succeeded, "the resulting horror and chaos would have exceeded our ability to describe it. Such an act of catastrophic terrorism would be a watershed event in American history. It could involve loss of life and property unprecedented in peacetime and undermine America’s fundamental sense of security, as did the Soviet atomic bomb test in 1949. Like Pearl Harbor, the event would divide our past and future into a before and after. The United States might respond with draconian measures scaling back civil liberties, allowing wider surveillance of citizens, detention of suspects and use of deadly force. More violence could follow, either future terrorist attacks or U.S. counterattacks."
Of course Zelikow was indispensable in heading up the 9/11 commission, an appointment which was opposed by the 9/11 Family Steering Committee which cited his "close ties" to the Bush administration. Zelikow had an obvious conflict of interest, having previously worked on the Bush transition team, which recommended candidates for Cabinet positions and other top national security appointments. Many Bush administration security positions had been filled by people associated with the PNAC (such as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld) which advocated for war on Iraq, and lamented that the goal would take a long time, unless there was a catalyzing event like "a new Pearl Harbor."Â After completing his work with the 9/11 Commission, Zelikow was hired by Condoleezza Rice as Counselor at the State Department until 2007.
David Ray Griffin points out another conflict of interest in Zelikow's appointment to the 9/11 commission, "the document in which the Bush Doctrine was first fully articulated---the 2002 version of The National Security Strategy of the United States of America (NSS 2002) ---was written by the same person who was primarily responsible for the 9/11 Commission’s report: its executive director, Philip Zelikow."
Griffin describes the connection between the events of 9/11 and the subsequent Bush Doctrine:
People known as neoconservatives (or simply neocons), the most powerful member of whom has been Dick Cheney, did not like the idea that America’s use of military power could be constrained by the prohibition against preemptive-preventive war. In 1992, Cheney, in his last year as secretary of defense, had Paul Wolfowitz (the undersecretary of defense for policy) and Lewis (“Scooterâ€) Libby write the Defense Planning Guidance of 1992, which said that the United States should use force to “preempt†and “preclude threats.†In 1997, William Kristol founded a neocon think tank called the Project for the New American Century (PNAC). In 1998, a letter signed by 18 members of PNAC---including Kristol, Wolfowitz, John Bolton, Richard Perle, Donald Rumsfeld, and James Woolsey---urged President Clinton to “undertake military action†to eliminate “the possibility that Iraq will be able to use or threaten to use weapons of mass destruction.â€
Only after 9/11, however, were the neocons able to turn their wish to leave international law behind into official US policy. As Stephen Sniegoski wrote, “it was only the traumatic effects of the 9/11 terrorism that enabled the agenda of the neocons to become the policy of the United States of America.†Andrew Bacevich likewise wrote: “The events of 9/11 provided the tailor-made opportunity to break free of the fetters restricting the exercise of American power.â€
The idea of preemptive-preventive war, which came to be known as the “Bush doctrine,†was first clearly expressed in the president’s address at West Point in June 2002, when the administration began preparing the American people for the attack on Iraq. Having stated that, in relation to “new threats,†deterrence “means nothing†and containment is “not possible,†Bush dismissed preemption as traditionally understood, saying: “If we wait for threats to fully materialize, we will have waited too long.†Then, using the language of preemption while meaning preemptive-prevention, he said that America’s security “will require all Americans . . . to be ready for preemptive action.†[...]
This unprecedented doctrine was, as we have seen, one that neocons had long desired. Indeed, neocon Max Boot described NSS 2002 as a “quintessentially neo-conservative document.†And, as we have also seen, the adoption of this doctrine was first made possible by the 9/11 attacks. Halper and Clarke themselves say, in fact, that 9/11 allowed the “preexisting ideological agenda†of the neoconservatives to be “taken off the shelf . . . and relabeled as the response to terror.â€
The 9/11 attacks, we have seen, allowed the Bush-Cheney administration to adopt the doctrine of preemptive-preventive war, which the neocons in the administration---most prominently Cheney himself---had long desired. One would assume, therefore, that the 9/11 Commission would not have been run by someone who helped formulate this doctrine, because the Commission should have investigated, among other things, whether the Bush-Cheney administration might have had anything to gain from 9/11 attacks---whether they, in other words, might have had a motive for orchestrating or at least deliberately allowing the attacks. Amazing as it may seem, however, Philip Zelikow, who directed the 9/11 Commission and was the primary author of its final report, had also been the primary author of NSS 2002.
Lying behind Zelikow’s authorship of NSS 2002 was the fact that he was close, both personally and ideologically, to Condoleezza Rice, who as National Security Advisor to President Bush had the task of creating this document. Zelikow had worked with Rice in the National Security Council during the Bush I presidency. Then, when the Republicans were out of power during the Clinton years, Zelikow and Rice co-authored a book together. Finally, when she was appointed National Security Advisor to Bush II, she brought on Zelikow to help with the transition to the new National Security Council.
The Obama regime has expanded upon the Bush doctrine, claiming unchecked executive privilege to assassinate perceived enemies, even US citizens. Drone attacks are now occurring in six different countries. These operations are not being subjected to any outside scrutiny whatsoever. While the US regime claims that Yemen and Pakistan for example are "terrorist sanctuaries" there is little or no evidence that any threat to the US or even to its interests could be emanating from these places. What we are actually seeing is the methodical subjugation and terrorizing of the global Islamic population whom seem to have been reduced to having no human rights at all as well as having been marked for dispossession.
Military dominance over any nation which might attempt to resist this this new order is a primary goal with Iran in particular in the cross hairs, though regime change is being pursued by State Department associated entities such as the National Endowment for Democracy through various non-military means as well in any nation which has supported the Hamas or Hezbollah resistance movements in any manner.
The background that Zelikow brings into the Obama regime bodes ill for the prospects of peace or the restoration of any respect for US or international law and frankly suggests that the Obama regime is headed toward further escalation of aggression and violence wherever threats or subversion fail to achieve Israel's aims.
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13 -Â Israeli forces storm Nablus village after settler assault
aletho | September 16, 2011 URL: http://wp.me/pIUmC-87v
Ma'an - 16/09/2011
NABLUS -- Israeli settlers assaulted a Nablus village Friday morning, leading to clashes with Israeli forces injuring 11 Palestinians.
After the settlers were removed by Israeli police, Israeli forces raided Qusra village injuring six villagers with rubber bullets, a Ma'an correspondent said.
Forces surrounded a house sheltering European press agency cameraman Alaa Bedarneh who had been filming the earlier settler attack, the correspondent reported.
Three children inside the house suffered tear gas inhalation during the military raid, and Bedarneh was injured in the hand, he said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said the journalist's agency had requested the army remove him from the village, and he was taken to safety.
Around 20 people were hurling rocks at forces, and the border police were operating in the village, she said, without giving further details.
Settler attack
The PA official monitoring settlement activity, Ghassan Doughlas, told Ma'an that earlier in the day around ten settlers from the neighboring settlement Migdalim came into Qusra village south of Nablus.
Fathallah Abu Rida, 25, was injured when settlers shot him in the leg, Doughlas said. Village guard units established in recent weeks held the settlers at the scene for 30 minutes, before Israeli police arrived and removed settlers from the village, he added.
Israel police say settler wounded in knifing
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Ma'an a settler was injured after an argument broke out between two settlers and a 50-year-old Palestinian in an open area near Qusra.
"The Palestinian pulled out a knife and the settler reacted by shooting the Palestinian in the leg," he said.
The injured settler and Palestinian were taken to hospitals, he added, saying police who arrived on the scene had opened an investigation into the incident.
Settler assaults increasing in West Bank
Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib warned on Thursday that a serious increase in settler violence towards West Bank Palestinians threatened escalation of the situation ahead of the Palestinians' bid for membership of the UN.
News reports said two weeks ago that Israeli forces were arming settlers with tear-gas canisters, stun grenades and even trained dogs to counter potential attacks by the Palestinians.
On Sept. 5th settlers broke into Qusra village mosque, smashing windows, burning tires inside the building, and spray-painting walls with offensive slogans.
Village council head Hani Ismail told Ma’an on Tuesday that young men volunteered to guard the entrances to the village after the attacks, and had blocked further groups of armed settlers from entering the village.
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14 - Noam Chayut : Israeli occupation is neither moral nor legitimate
Thursday, 22 September 2011
In 1979, the year I was born, the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank was 12 years old. I was 10 during the first Palestinian uprising, when my father and his comrades in a reserve unit forced innocent Palestinians out of their homes and shops and, as a form of collective punishment, sent them to clean the streets of graffiti opposing Israeli occupation.
When I joined the army, the 30th anniversary of occupation was being "celebrated", and three years later, as a young officer, I was sent with my soldiers to confront the second intifada. In one month of riots we killed a hundred Palestinians and many more were wounded by live ammunition.
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We were told that our goal was "to sear into the consciousness of Palestinian civil society that terrorism doesn't pay." To achieve this, we were to "demonstrate our presence". This meant entering Palestinian residential areas at any time, day or night, throwing stun grenades, shooting in the air or at water tanks, throwing tear gas grenades, creating noise and fear. For the very same reason, we committed revenge attacks such as demolishing the homes of terrorists' families, or killing random Palestinian policemen (armed or unarmed): an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If militants attacked a road, we would close it to Palestinian traffic; if stones were thrown at cars on a road, we would place an indefinite curfew on the closest village.
The Israeli military regime over the Palestinian population is now in its 45th year, and while Palestinian violence has dramatically declined, Israeli soldiers still testify about being assigned to "disrupt the day-to-day routine" in Palestinian areas to create in the local community the feeling of "being constantly pursued".
It is still unclear what the Palestinian leadership will propose to the UN tomorrow, beyond recognition of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. We don't know if, or how, the outcome of any vote will be felt on the ground. However, testimonies from more than 750 former Israeli soldiers and officers who have served in the Occupied Territories over the past decade, make one thing clear: from the point of view of the Israeli army, the occupation is not a temporary means of controlling the population. There is no end to it in sight.
Those who oppose the recognition of a Palestinian state cling to a false belief that Israel's occupation is temporary, its aim to create political space for democratic rule in a future Palestine. This belief is what makes the occupation morally tolerable. Because if an occupation is a permanent one, it can only be illegitimate, not just because the ruler is foreign, but because controlling people via coercion and military orders is immoral.
Even if we accept that a 44-year-long occupation is still temporary in a 63-year-old state; if we ignore the reality of hundreds of thousands of Israeli Jews settled in Palestinian territories, or the existence of two separate and unequal legal regimes imposed on the two ethnic groups in the same small piece of land, it is hard to remain optimistic about Israel's intentions to evacuate, when we hear its soldiers' reports to Breaking The Silence, an NGO which collects their testimonies.
We should accept the fact that the army does not intend to withdraw from the Occupied Territories, and that the status quo is the Israeli government's plan for the future. We should take the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs – who lives in a settlement on Palestinian land – at face value when he declares there won't be peace even in 50 years.
When security and prosperity continue to flourish for "us", while liberty and freedom are continually withheld from "them", it is difficult to think of any other non-violent action the Palestinian leadership can take besides seeking international support for ending the Israeli occupation.
The writer is a former Israeli army officer and member of 'Breaking The Silence', an NGO which gathers and publishes testimony from soldiers and works in partnership with Christian Aid to expose the realities of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories
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15 - Insider Trading Predicts October Crash
In order for the Illuminati Ponzi Scheme to work, those that own shares of individual companies that make up the S&P 500 have to start selling them into the market. As they accelerate their selling, owners of Put Options against those same companies will start raking in the dough.
Remember that the Kennedy Fortune did not come from bootlegging, it came from Put Options and the 1929 Stock Market Collapse.
Just another way to plunder the American populace of its hard-earned savings and retirement. This just in:
"Chief executives. Board members.
The head honchos. The people who know.
Just a few weeks ago, they were out in force, buying up shares in their own companies with both hands.
No longer. They’ve disappeared. Almost overnight.
“They’ve stopped buying,†says Charles Biderman, the chief executive of stock market research firm TrimTabs, which tracks the data. “Insiders aren’t buying this rally.â€
Insider stock purchases, which surged above $100 million a day in the market slump last month, have now collapsed to just $13 million a day." (Source)
It gets worse....
Meanwhile the ratio of insider sales to purchases has skyrocketed. Today insiders are dumping $7 in stock for each $1 that (other) insiders are buying. That’s a worrying ratio. Six weeks ago the amounts of purchases and sales were about equal.
It’s the kind of news that should give investors pause.
What insiders do with their own money is one of the stock market’s best barometers.
After all, who better than company executives know their own order books? Who knows the conditions in their industry better? (Ibid)
I project that we could see as much as an 80-90% correction in the stock market in the next month or so, based on the incredible number of Put Options that have been created against the October, 2011 S&P 500, and, the history of the Pirates and Thieves that have stolen everything else from us.
This will be followed by higher interest rates (double-digit?) and a collapse of the bond market as well. If you own a 401K or massive financial holdings, moving everything into a money market account, which will respond more favorably to higher interest rates, and out of the stock market, is a band-aid fix, but better than just giving them all of your hard-earned savings.
Money markets buy debt that matures in the next three-nine months.
The bond market collapse, higher interest rates, and a devalued dollar will ultimately destroy everything from CDs to Municipal Bonds. Inflation and hyper-inflation will kick in and commodities will shoot through the roof.
The problem is, the commodity market is also on the verge of catastrophe. Selling Futures on hard commodities in an inflationary market makes no sense whatsoever to a farmer or mine owner. They will opt for selling what they can at the rising market prices. The other problem with Futures in an inflationary economy is that being on the wrong end of a contract has bankrupted billionaires, so, getting paid could be the real issue.
Once again, we get down to buying all the food you can store at current market prices, heirloom seeds to replace the food you eat from your storage etc. The rest should go into precious metals.
To Buy Silver/Gold email pdrockton@aol.com
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16 - The Theft of 2012Â
by Greg Palast
September 21, 2011Â
Â
That was nuthin': In 2000, the Palast investigations team uncovered the purge of 58,000 legal Florida voters, most of them African-Americans, by Katherine Harris.Â
In 2004, we uncovered the "caging lists" which 're-elected' George Bush.Â
That was nuthin' too ... compared to the theft of 2012 that is now in the making.Â
Major TV and print outlets are finally recognizing that the Palast team has the expertise, the cojones and the nose to sniff out mass vote bending.Â
We are planning our strategy right now for the hard-core, dig deep, multi-state research that we need to get the details, the documents and the proof of the fix of 2012.Â
So, for the first time in this entire year, I am asking—frankly, I'm pleading—for your financial support to get this investigation going right now.Â
First, I'm looking for 24 donors to commit to provide $2,000 each, at minimum, to launch the Missing Ballot Investigation. It's tax deductible, it's non-partisan, it's hard-core journalism, "so relevant it threatens to alter history," says the Chicago Tribune. Donate and I'll proudly list you as a producer of our Election year prime-time broadcast.Â
And I am counting on 200 generous souls to donate at least $150. You'll receive a signed hardbound copy of my new book, Vultures' Picnic, which will be sent to you the week of its release on November 15. In the meantime, I'll send you 5 signed copies of Steal Back Your Vote, the world's first investigative comic book, co-authored by Bobby Kennedy with full color ink work of genius cartoonists Ted Rall and Lloyd Dangle.Â
Our work for BBC TV and the Guardian, once ignored by the US media, is now in demand. Unfortunately, "in demand" doesn't mean "in the money." PBS, The Washington Post, ABC-TV, The New York Times, LA Times are all taking our research, our film, our evidence ...but they don't pay for it. Well, we're not going to complain ... and we're not going to stop working.Â
We already have hot, hot leads... What's planned for voters, especially voters of color is sick, is slick ... But we're on to them. My co-author for my 2008 Rolling Stone exposé, Bobby Kennedy and I figured 6 million votes and voters were "disappeared" in 2008. The 2012 race will get uglier.Â
Our other work continues. Our Arctic to Amazon investigation took us on a hunt inside the dark blood vessels of Big Oil in FIVE continents. We have the exclusive discoveries on the real cause of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, on the coming disaster in the Arctic and out NEXT oil war ... in Central Asia. Our work is splashing all over the major media in Europe, and we will soon release it in the USA. But the cost of the investigation has left us totally busted.Â
And that's the truth. Our work on elections has been lauded by the US Civil Rights Commission, by Senators Kerry and the late Ted Kennedy...and Katherine Harris, who calls me "twisted and maniacal" - I'll take that as a compliment. But that don't pay the phone bill.Â
We rarely send requests for your donation—only when the need is real and the effort supremely difficult and important.Â
You can't count the votes unless you find the ballots... And the voters who've gone "missing" from the voter roles. Our work created the entire journalistic field of elections investigations ... But the more tricks we uncover, the trickier they get.Â
This is not about electing a candidate, it's about the soul of our democracy. Jim Crow elections are still with us ... But now they've gone to cyberspace.Â
Help us hunt down the missing ballots. Make a donation RIGHT NOW. It's your vote for democracy.Â
The Palast Investigative Fund has been a supremely successful experiment in citizen supported journalism. I can't thank you enough.Â
And if you've got something hot for me — a document, a lead...go to www.GregPalast.com/contact/ and we'll get on it.Â
This is Greg Palast reporting ... for you.Â
***Â
Greg Palast is a Nation/Puffin Foundation Fellow for Investigative Reporting and recipient of the George Orwell Courage in Journalism Prize for his BBC broadcast 'Bush Family Fortunes.'Â
Subscribe to Palast's Newsletter and podcasts.Â
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