Tuesday, June 4, 2013
American Fascism: Ralph Nader Decries How Big Business Has Taken Control of the U.S. Government
Democracy Now!
"Describing the United States as an "advanced Third World country," longtime consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader calls for a new mass movement to challenge the power corporations have in Washington. "It is not too extreme to call our system of government now 'American Fascism.' It’s the control of government by big business, which Franklin Delano Roosevelt defined in 1938 as fascism," Nader says. "We have the lowest minimum wage in the Western world. We have the greatest amount of consumer debt. We have the highest child poverty, the highest adult poverty, huge underemployment, a crumbling public works — but huge multi-billionaires and hugely profitable corporations. I say to the American people: what’s your breaking point? When are you going to stop making excuses for yourself? When are you going to stop exaggerating these powers when you know you have the power in this country if you organize it?" Nader has just published a new book, "Told You So: The Big Book of Weekly Columns."......"
"Describing the United States as an "advanced Third World country," longtime consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader calls for a new mass movement to challenge the power corporations have in Washington. "It is not too extreme to call our system of government now 'American Fascism.' It’s the control of government by big business, which Franklin Delano Roosevelt defined in 1938 as fascism," Nader says. "We have the lowest minimum wage in the Western world. We have the greatest amount of consumer debt. We have the highest child poverty, the highest adult poverty, huge underemployment, a crumbling public works — but huge multi-billionaires and hugely profitable corporations. I say to the American people: what’s your breaking point? When are you going to stop making excuses for yourself? When are you going to stop exaggerating these powers when you know you have the power in this country if you organize it?" Nader has just published a new book, "Told You So: The Big Book of Weekly Columns."......"
Kerry's new peace plan sets the Palestinians up to fail
By Jonathan Cook
The National
"Under heavy pressure from the US, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has paid grudging lip service over the past four years to the goal of Palestinian statehood. But his real agenda was always transparent: not statehood, but what he termed "economic peace".
Ordinary Palestinians, in Mr Netanyahu's view, can be pacified with crumbs from the master's table: fewer checkpoints, extra jobs and trading opportunities, and a gradual, if limited, improvement in living standards. All of this buys time for Israel to expand the settlements, cementing its hold over the West Bank and East Jerusalem...........
The National
"Under heavy pressure from the US, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has paid grudging lip service over the past four years to the goal of Palestinian statehood. But his real agenda was always transparent: not statehood, but what he termed "economic peace".
Ordinary Palestinians, in Mr Netanyahu's view, can be pacified with crumbs from the master's table: fewer checkpoints, extra jobs and trading opportunities, and a gradual, if limited, improvement in living standards. All of this buys time for Israel to expand the settlements, cementing its hold over the West Bank and East Jerusalem...........
But the real danger for the Palestinians, as they remember only too well from the 2000 Camp David talks, is that they are being set up as the fall guy. Should they refuse to sign up to the latest version of economic peace, Israel and the US will be only too ready to blame them for their intransigence.
This is win-win for Mr Netanyahu and another moment of disastrous slippage in the diplomatic process for the Palestinians."
This is win-win for Mr Netanyahu and another moment of disastrous slippage in the diplomatic process for the Palestinians."
US Deploys Patriot Missiles, Warplanes to Jordan
Deployments for a Drill, But 'May Remain'
Antiwar.com"Officially, the US military’s deployment of a Patriot missile battery and a number of F-16 warplanes to Jordan, at a time when there is growing concern of the US attacking neighboring Syria, is simply an unrelated “military exercise” planned in advance.
At the same time, officials concede, some or all of the military forces deployed for this drill “may remain beyond the exercise at the request of the government of Jordan,” suggesting this is actually a major escalation of the US military presence in the nation.
The US has been sending growing numbers of ground troops to Jordan over the past few months, primarily to operate a training camp for Syrian rebels. The US is also part of the NATO deployment on Syria’s north border, with Turkey....."
Turkey must end abusive use of force and reveal the extent of injuries
"The number of activists injured across Turkey as a result of police abuse will continue to escalate unless the authorities bring police tactics in line with basic human rights standards, Amnesty International said today.
Demonstrations in cities including Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir continued for a third day amid unprecedented levels of police violence against protesters.
The authorities have not confirmed the number of people injured, which is believed to be in the thousands, some of whom remain in hospital in critical state.
“Three days after the start of an unprecedented wave of police repression against protesters, the Turkish authorities have shown little remorse and no indication of a change in police tactics,” said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International.
“It is essential that the Turkish authorities take action to stop police violence and learn the lessons for policing demonstrations in the future. They must also publish a full list of those injured after the protests, the nature of their injuries and ensure those responsible are held accountable.”........."
Syria: A Stream of Bodies in Aleppo’s River
Human Rights Watch
"(London) - At least 147 people whose bodies were found in the city of Aleppo’s river between January and March, 2013, were probably executed in government-controlled areas.
Human Rights Watch visited the site where the bodies were discovered; interviewed local residents and activists who found the bodies, a forensic expert who examined the bodies, and 18 families of the victims; and reviewed more than 350 photographs and videos of the victims. Based on photographs, video footage, and witness statements, many of the victims bore signs of having been detained and then executed, such as hands tied behind their back, gunshot wounds to their head, and tape across their mouth.
“The bodies floating down Aleppo’s river tell a grisly tale,” said Ole Solvang, emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch. ”It’s hard to see how 147 people could have been executed and their bodies flung in the river in government-controlled territory, as the evidence indicates, without the knowledge of government forces operating in the area.”.........."
"(London) - At least 147 people whose bodies were found in the city of Aleppo’s river between January and March, 2013, were probably executed in government-controlled areas.
Human Rights Watch visited the site where the bodies were discovered; interviewed local residents and activists who found the bodies, a forensic expert who examined the bodies, and 18 families of the victims; and reviewed more than 350 photographs and videos of the victims. Based on photographs, video footage, and witness statements, many of the victims bore signs of having been detained and then executed, such as hands tied behind their back, gunshot wounds to their head, and tape across their mouth.
“The bodies floating down Aleppo’s river tell a grisly tale,” said Ole Solvang, emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch. ”It’s hard to see how 147 people could have been executed and their bodies flung in the river in government-controlled territory, as the evidence indicates, without the knowledge of government forces operating in the area.”.........."
Real News Video: 240,000 Turkish Workers Join As Mass Protests Reach More Than 67 Cities
Confederation of unions, stage two day strike in solidarity with protestors, against police brutality and for a more democratic Turkey
Ahhhhh...., The "New" Egypt: Egyptian court jails American, German in NGO case
"(Reuters) - An Egyptian court sentenced at least 15 U.S. citizens in absentia to five years in jail on Tuesday and jailed an American and a German for two years in a case against private foreign groups seeking to promote democracy.
Judge Makram Awad also ordered the closure of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) linked to the defendants, including the U.S.-based International Republican Institute (IRI), National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Freedom House.
The defendants were charged with running unlicensed organizations and receiving funds from abroad illegally.
The Americans sentenced in absentia include the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The case caused the worst crisis in decades in ties between the United States and Egypt, recipient of $1.3 billion a year in U.S. military aid.
At one point Egypt placed travel bans on the suspects, including U.S. citizens who took refuge in the U.S. embassy. They were allowed to leave the country on bail of $330,000 each, money that ultimately came from the U.S. government.
Egypt was run at the time by a military council that assumed power from the deposed Hosni Mubarak.
The jailed American is Robert Becker, a former NDI employee who opted to stay in Egypt and face trial instead of leaving. The German is a woman employee of Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Three others whose nationalities were not immediately clear were also given two years in jail........"
Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll
Do you support the decision of the the Gulf countries to take measures against Hizbullah's interests in their countries?
With about 500 responding so far, 88% said yes.
Turkey: a protest worth heeding
From micro issues to large ones, the common denominator is Mr Erdogan's and the AKP's overbearing personality
Editorial
The Guardian,
But that was then. What of now? The mushrooming protest has temporarily united a suspiciously wide spectrum of grievance – from those who object to their favourite Gezi park being turned into a shopping mall, to those who object to restrictions on the sale of alcohol, to the decision to name a third bridge over the Bosphorus after an Ottoman ruler responsible for the massacre of thousands of Alevis, the largest religious minority in Turkey, to those who object to Turkey's proxy war in Syria. From micro issues to large ones, the common denominator is Mr Erdogan's and by extension the AKP's overbearing personality. They are no longer seen as the facilitators of individual freedom but big brothers interfering in them.
The jury is still out about the ambitious marriage of forces that the AKP seemed to have achieved – Islamism as a reformist vehicle in a democracy under a secular constitution. But one thing is clear. Democracy is not just about elections and it is not, as Mr Erdogan once said, a means to an end. It is an end in itself. Mr Erdogan has done his job application for president no favours. He should react to this protest with humility and listen to what it is telling him. He has yet to do so."
Editorial
The Guardian,
There are many ways of reacting to the scenes on Istanbul's streets, if you happen to be the prime minister of Turkey. You can send in the riot police, and fill those streets with tear gas. You can denounce Twitter, and hope that no one observes that your aides tweet too. You can blame the opposition. Or you can ask yourself questions: what makes a localised and relatively peaceful campaign to save an inner city park balloon, in just a few days, into a national protest that has spread to half of Turkey's provinces ? And why is this urban revolt happening to a leader who has won three elections, each time by an increasing majority?
To answer these, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has to look at himself clearly. He has to dissociate himself from his legend. For the tall, swaggering, broad-shouldered man, who is famously proud and prickly, this will be difficult to do. For much of the last decade, his leadership has been legendary. It has seen strong economic expansion accompanied by waves of reforms; the military forced back into its barracks; the opening of EU accession negotiations; the end of torture in prison; a peace deal with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which, if it succeeds, would be historic in itself. When the eurozone faltered in 2008, Mr Erdogan had little difficulty refashioning Turkey as a champion of the Middle East. With the opposition in disarray, there was nothing to stop Mr Erdogan contemplating a new constitution with enhanced powers for the presidency, a role which he, naturally, reserved for himself.But that was then. What of now? The mushrooming protest has temporarily united a suspiciously wide spectrum of grievance – from those who object to their favourite Gezi park being turned into a shopping mall, to those who object to restrictions on the sale of alcohol, to the decision to name a third bridge over the Bosphorus after an Ottoman ruler responsible for the massacre of thousands of Alevis, the largest religious minority in Turkey, to those who object to Turkey's proxy war in Syria. From micro issues to large ones, the common denominator is Mr Erdogan's and by extension the AKP's overbearing personality. They are no longer seen as the facilitators of individual freedom but big brothers interfering in them.
The jury is still out about the ambitious marriage of forces that the AKP seemed to have achieved – Islamism as a reformist vehicle in a democracy under a secular constitution. But one thing is clear. Democracy is not just about elections and it is not, as Mr Erdogan once said, a means to an end. It is an end in itself. Mr Erdogan has done his job application for president no favours. He should react to this protest with humility and listen to what it is telling him. He has yet to do so."
Syrian disease outbreaks 'inevitable', warns WHO
Crowded insanitary conditions and a broken health system will cause hepatitis, typhoid, cholera or dysentery across the region
guardian.co.uk,
"Outbreaks of hepatitis, typhoid, cholera or dysentery are "inevitable" in Syria and its neighbours this summer while cases of measles and other infections are already growing because of the country's broken health system and increasing numbers of displaced people, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.
More than a third of Syria's public hospitals are out of action, in some areas 70% of health workers have fled and 4.25m internally displaced Syrians are living in overcrowded insanitary conditions, it said. Shortages of safe drinking water and disruption to vaccination programmes are increasing the risks.
With thousands of Syrians crossing the borders each day, diseases already prevalent inside Syria are being transmitted to neighbouring countries, according to the WHO's regional office for the eastern Mediterranean.
"All the risk factors that enhance the transmission of communicable diseases in emergencies are present in the current crisis in Syria and its neighbouring countries," said Jaouad Mahjour, its director for communicable diseases. "We are anticipating a number of public health risks from water-borne diseases, specifically hepatitis, typhoid, cholera and dysentery. Given the scale of population movement both inside Syria and across borders, together with deteriorating environmental health conditions, outbreaks are inevitable."
......"
guardian.co.uk,
Internally displaced Syrians at the Atmeh refugee camp in Idlib province. Photograph: Anonymous/AP
"Outbreaks of hepatitis, typhoid, cholera or dysentery are "inevitable" in Syria and its neighbours this summer while cases of measles and other infections are already growing because of the country's broken health system and increasing numbers of displaced people, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.
More than a third of Syria's public hospitals are out of action, in some areas 70% of health workers have fled and 4.25m internally displaced Syrians are living in overcrowded insanitary conditions, it said. Shortages of safe drinking water and disruption to vaccination programmes are increasing the risks.
With thousands of Syrians crossing the borders each day, diseases already prevalent inside Syria are being transmitted to neighbouring countries, according to the WHO's regional office for the eastern Mediterranean.
"All the risk factors that enhance the transmission of communicable diseases in emergencies are present in the current crisis in Syria and its neighbouring countries," said Jaouad Mahjour, its director for communicable diseases. "We are anticipating a number of public health risks from water-borne diseases, specifically hepatitis, typhoid, cholera and dysentery. Given the scale of population movement both inside Syria and across borders, together with deteriorating environmental health conditions, outbreaks are inevitable."
......"
Jordan blocks 200 news websites
The Guardian
"The authorities in Jordan have ordered the country's internet services providers to block access to more than 200 websites, reports Al Bawaba.
The decision was condemned by the International Press Institute (IPI) which staged its world congress in the capital, Amman, just two weeks ago.
The International Press Institute (IPI) condemned the blockage of internet news websites and urged Jordanian authorities to guarantee the public's free access to information.
IPI's deputy director, Anthony Mills, said the blockages and restrictions on social media "are an enormous blow to freedom of expression."
Jordan's telecommunications regulator issued the crackdown because it said new websites were not complying with a change to the country's press and publications law.
The law requires all news websites to be legally registered and the editors-in-chief of such sites must be members of the Jordan Press Association.
Among the blocked sites are those for Al-Jazeera, Time Out magazine and AmmanNet, which was founded by an IPI executive board member, Daoud Kuttab
He said: "This is a violation of Jordan's constitution which guarantees freedom of expression, Jordan's commitment to international conventions and a reneging on the promises made by the Jordanian prime minister to Jordanian media.""
"The authorities in Jordan have ordered the country's internet services providers to block access to more than 200 websites, reports Al Bawaba.
The decision was condemned by the International Press Institute (IPI) which staged its world congress in the capital, Amman, just two weeks ago.
The International Press Institute (IPI) condemned the blockage of internet news websites and urged Jordanian authorities to guarantee the public's free access to information.
IPI's deputy director, Anthony Mills, said the blockages and restrictions on social media "are an enormous blow to freedom of expression."
Jordan's telecommunications regulator issued the crackdown because it said new websites were not complying with a change to the country's press and publications law.
The law requires all news websites to be legally registered and the editors-in-chief of such sites must be members of the Jordan Press Association.
Among the blocked sites are those for Al-Jazeera, Time Out magazine and AmmanNet, which was founded by an IPI executive board member, Daoud Kuttab
He said: "This is a violation of Jordan's constitution which guarantees freedom of expression, Jordan's commitment to international conventions and a reneging on the promises made by the Jordanian prime minister to Jordanian media.""
So much for the Turkish model?
The Turkish model could still be saved, but only if Erdogan realises that it's about more than just a park.
By Mark LeVine
Al-Jazeera
Unless Erdogan takes action quickly to resolve the situation, it could completely discredit using a "Turkish" model as a template for budding democracies in Tunisia and Egypt
"Just as no one could predict on December 17, 2010, or on January 25, 2011, that protests in Tunis and Cairo would topple governments and change the course of Arab - and world - history, it's still too early to make predictions about what, if any, real political change the present protests in Turkey might produce.
Turkey under Tayyip Erdogan is not Tunis under Ben Ali, Egypt under Mubarak, or Libya under Gaddafi. Yet it is undeniable that, despite the unprecedented level of formal democracy and freedoms that have grown under AKP rule in the past decade, Erdogan has in fact moved towards more conservative - even authoritarian - rule in the past few years, just at the time the Arab uprisings showed the moral and political bankruptcy of such policies.........However, Erdogan could yet surprise everyone. The Turkish model can still be saved. But only if Erdogan quickly understands that this is about far more than a park or local politics. It's about citizens losing faith in the state to serve and represent their most fundamental interests. It might still be a minority of Turks who support the protests, but if they succeed in forcing the government to become even more regressive and repressive - and Erdogan's speech in which he declared the government would push ahead with the proposed construction despite the protests betrayed precisely the arrogance against which protesters took to the streets - the movement will spread, and even Turks who have heretofore supported the AKP will begin to lose faith in its ability to maintain a civil government.
If that happens, Turkey could in fact have a very hot spring and summer. Regardless of what happens, citizens and rulers across the Arab world will be watching with interest and concern, to see if there is in fact a hope for a religiously grounded liberal body politic, or whether, as with most other types of politics today, power breeds arrogance, violence and corruption regardless of its ideological underpinnings. That might be the most important lesson of the still uncertain Turkish uprising."
طبول الحرب الطائفية تدعونا للانتحار
A VERY GOOD PIECE!
"أسوأ ما يمكن أن يحدث في العالم العربي أن يتحول صراعه من أجل التقدم إلى صراع مذهبي يكرس التشرذم والتخلف.
(1)
أتحدث عن طبول الحرب المذهبية التي تدوي أصداؤها في فضاء المشرق طوال الأسابيع الأخيرة، خصوصا حين أعلن الأمين العام لحزب الله حسن نصر الله في خطابه في 25 مايو/أيار الماضي أن عناصر الحزب تقاتل إلى جانب النظام السوري في بلدة "القصير" التي كانت قوات الجيش الحر قد سيطرت عليها خلال العام الماضي.
وجاءت تصريحاته تلك محملة بثلاث رسائل هي: أن شباب حزب الله المشارك في الحكومة
اللبنانية أصبحوا يقاتلون بأعداد كبيرة في الصراع الدائر على الأرض السورية، وأن
تلك المشاركة لا تستهدف الدفاع عن قرى حدودية لبنانية ولا عن مقدسات دينية لدى
الشيعة وإنما هي بمثابة دفاع عن النظام وإسهام في قتل السوريين المتمردين الذين
ثاروا على مظالمه، كذلك دخول عناصر حزب الله إلى سوريا بمثابة اصطفاف من جانب
الشيعة، أو القطاع الأكبر منهم، إلى جانب النظام وشبيحته الذين ينتمي أغلبهم إلى
الطائفة العلوية.
.....
لماذا لا نقول صراحة إن معركتنا ضد سياسات نرفضها سواء من جانب إيران أو حزب الله أو حكومة المالكي في العراق، كما أننا ضد استبداد نظام الأسد وجرائمه، لكننا لسنا ضد الشيعة أو العلويين. وحتى إذا حاولت بعض الأنظمة استخدام المذهب أو الطائفة في تحقيق أهدافها، فإن الوعي بتلك التفرقة ينبغي أن يظل حاضرا في الأذهان طول الوقت. فنحن نظلم الشيعة العرب مثلا إذا حاسبناهم على حسابات السياسة الإيرانية في العراق أو أوزار حزب الله التي يرتكبها في سوريا. حتى إذا أيد البعض منهم تلك السياسات أو انخرط في الأوزار، فإن الإدانة ينبغي أن تلحق اختياره السياسي وليس انتماءه المذهبي.
قد يرى البعض أن التفرقة بين ما هو سياسي وما هو مذهبي صعبة في حالات كثيرة، لكني أزعم أنها ضرورية ولا بديل عنها، لأن المعارك مع السياسات محدودة الأجل، أما المعارك ضد المذاهب والانتماءات
العقيدية فهي عبثية وبلا نهاية، ناهيك عن أنها
وصفة تقليدية ومضمونة المفعول للانتحار
"
"أسوأ ما يمكن أن يحدث في العالم العربي أن يتحول صراعه من أجل التقدم إلى صراع مذهبي يكرس التشرذم والتخلف.
(1)
أتحدث عن طبول الحرب المذهبية التي تدوي أصداؤها في فضاء المشرق طوال الأسابيع الأخيرة، خصوصا حين أعلن الأمين العام لحزب الله حسن نصر الله في خطابه في 25 مايو/أيار الماضي أن عناصر الحزب تقاتل إلى جانب النظام السوري في بلدة "القصير" التي كانت قوات الجيش الحر قد سيطرت عليها خلال العام الماضي.
.....
لماذا لا نقول صراحة إن معركتنا ضد سياسات نرفضها سواء من جانب إيران أو حزب الله أو حكومة المالكي في العراق، كما أننا ضد استبداد نظام الأسد وجرائمه، لكننا لسنا ضد الشيعة أو العلويين. وحتى إذا حاولت بعض الأنظمة استخدام المذهب أو الطائفة في تحقيق أهدافها، فإن الوعي بتلك التفرقة ينبغي أن يظل حاضرا في الأذهان طول الوقت. فنحن نظلم الشيعة العرب مثلا إذا حاسبناهم على حسابات السياسة الإيرانية في العراق أو أوزار حزب الله التي يرتكبها في سوريا. حتى إذا أيد البعض منهم تلك السياسات أو انخرط في الأوزار، فإن الإدانة ينبغي أن تلحق اختياره السياسي وليس انتماءه المذهبي.
قد يرى البعض أن التفرقة بين ما هو سياسي وما هو مذهبي صعبة في حالات كثيرة، لكني أزعم أنها ضرورية ولا بديل عنها، لأن المعارك مع السياسات محدودة الأجل، أما المعارك ضد المذاهب والانتماءات
العقيدية فهي عبثية وبلا نهاية، ناهيك عن أنها
وصفة تقليدية ومضمونة المفعول للانتحار"
Monday, June 3, 2013
الطفيلي يتهم حزب الله بالاختباء وراء الشيعة والسيدة زينب.. ويسأل لماذا لا ترسل ايران جنودها للقتال في سورية؟
بيروت – “القدس العربي ” ـ من سعد الياس: بقيت العاصمة اللبنانية منشغلة بالتطور غير المسبوق الذي تمثّل في وقوع اشتباكات بين “حزب الله” ومجموعات من المعارضة السورية على الحدود مع البقاع اللبناني والتي أدت إلى سقوط العديد من القتلى وعكست اتساع رقعة “مهمات” الحزب المنخرط عسكرياً في معركة القصير، لتشمل حماية مناطقه داخل الاراضي اللبنانية التي تشهد قصفاً من المعارضة السورية كان يتركّز بدايةً على الهرمل قبل ان يتمدّد إلى قرى في بعلبك ولا سيما النبي شيت وسرعين.
في غضون ذلك، اكد امين عام حزب الله السابق الشيـخ صبحي الطفيلي “ان اختباء حزب الله خلف الشيعة والدفاع عن مقام السيدة زينب هو فقط من اجل الدفاع عن النظام السوري”، قال “ان حزب الله بنفسه غير مقتنع بالكلام عن ان هناك خطراً من جبهة النصرة والسلفيين وهم يدركون انه ليس صحيحا ودفاعهم هو فقط عن النظام”.
وعن دعوة اللبنانيين للقتال في سورية وليس على الأراضي اللبنانية قال الطفيلي “ان هذا يشكل دعوة صريحة وواضحة لقصف وضرب لبنان والدليل هو الصواريخ التي سقطت على الضاحية والتي تسقط في البقاع″، كاشفاً “بأن الحزب تلقى اوامر واضحة من طهران بوجوب الدفاع عن النظام السوري”. وسأل “لماذا لا ترسل ايران جنودها للقتال في سورية بينما يرسلون شباب لبنان والضحايا التي تسقط تكشف عن حجم الكارثة التي تورطنا فيها”.
........"
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