tagged w/ international affairs
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Following the removal by a military coup of José Manuel Zelaya on 28 June, the people of Honduras have been engaging in a peaceful struggle for his restoration as president, for their rights, and for the convening of a constituent national assembly. Much is said about a possible military intervention by the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez; of a supposed wish by President Zelaya to perpetuate himself in power; and of Zelaya's alleged crimes, but these are all being used simply to mask the real reasons for the coup.
Since his election, my father has promoted the idea of "citizen power": the involvement of citizens in the decision-making process. He promoted the Citizen Participation Law, giving the people the right to use surveys, plebiscites and referendums to participate in decision-making. From the beginning, the media criticised his ideas, proposals and actions. Sometimes they called him mad. They accused him of ignorance. They branded his government ineffective. Later they called him populist, and now they say he is a communist and fugitive from justice.Following the removal by a military coup of José Manuel Zelaya on 28 June, the... more
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In 2001, the Observer published a series of reports that claimed an "Iraqi connection" to al-Qaeda, even describing the base in Iraq where the training of terrorists took place and a facility where anthrax was being manufactured as a weapon of mass destruction. It was all false. Supplied by US intelligence and Iraqi exiles, planted stories in the British and US media helped George Bush and Tony Blair to launch an illegal invasion which caused, according to the most recent study, 1.3 million deaths.
Something similar is happening over Iran: the same syncopation of government and media "revelations", the same manufacture of a sense of crisis. "Showdown looms with Iran over secret nuclear plant", declared the Guardian on 26 September. "Showdown" is the theme. High noon. The clock ticking. Good versus evil. Add a smooth new US president who has "put paid to the Bush years". An immediate echo is the notorious Guardian front page of 22 May 2007: "Iran's secret plan for summer offensive to force US out of Iraq". Based on unsubstantiated claims by the Pentagon, the writer Simon Tisdall presented as fact an Iranian "plan" to wage war on, and defeat, US forces in Iraq by September of that year - a demonstrable falsehood for which there has been no retraction.
READ MORE AT LINK!In 2001, the Observer published a series of reports that claimed an "Iraqi... more
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Former FBI Language Specialist Sibel Edmonds finally gets to testify under oath, after being hit with a gag order.
Bombshells Under Oath: INCLUDE: CONGRESS MEMBERS NAMED IN ESPIONAGE, BRIBERY, SEXUAL BLACKMAIL SCHEMES; NEW BREWSTER JENNINGS / VALERIE PLAME DISCLOSURE...
Long gagged under the "state secrets" privilege by the Bush Administration, the Obama Administration's DoJ chose not to re-invoke privilege, paving the way for this information to finally make its way on to the unclassified public record.
LINK TO ARTICLE: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7348.
Former FBI Language Specialist Sibel Edmonds finally gets to testify under oath,... more
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In its zeal to protect us from Mexicans who want to pick our fruit and clean our homes, the federal government is walling off our southwestern border. Congress passed the “Secure Fence Act” [SFA] in 2006, authorizing barriers along some portions of the 1969-mile boundary; other stretches will contend with a “virtual” wall of motion-sensors and cameras. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was supposed to have built almost 700 miles of physical fence by the close of 2008 and the Bush Administration; we can assume it fell short since the Federal government is ever incompetent and since it’s tight-lipped about how many miles it has completed.
More people cross this international boundary each year than any other in the world – 250 million with government’s permission, a fraction of that without (estimates range from 400,000 to a million). Patches of the border, particularly urban ones, have been fenced and policed for decades. But this dotted line inconvenienced rather than stopped folks who neglected to secure a bureaucrat’s consent for their trip: travelers trying to exercise their inalienable right to free movement simply went around the barriers. The Feds never like being outfoxed, so they extended the fencing beyond populated areas. This drove migrants into increasingly remote and hostile terrain. There they not only had to survive encounters with America’s Border Patrol but also dehydration in the desert. No More Deaths, a group that=2 0caches food and water along routes migrants are likely to take, estimates that at least 238 travellers perished in Arizona alone in 2006, with more than 4000 “men, women, and children” overall “[losing] their lives in the deserts of the US-Mexico borderlands” from 1998 to the present.
Walling off Rights
You might think that would be tragedy enough for anyone. But as former President George Bush said when he signed the SFA, “We have a responsibility to enforce our laws. We have a responsibility to secure our borders. We take this responsibility seriously” – apparently, far more seriously than we do corpses or Constitutional limits on government. And so the Act “authorize[d] the construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along our southern border… more vehicle barriers, checkpoints and lighting to help prevent people from entering our country illegally. The bill authorize[d] the Department of Homeland Security to increase the use of advanced technology, like cameras and satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles to reinforce our infrastructure at the border.”
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE: http://www.alisterpaine.com/wall.htmlIn its zeal to protect us from Mexicans who want to pick our fruit and clean our... more
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Late last week, the Los Angeles rapper the Game launched a blistering attack against the legendary New York blogger rapper :>) Jay-Z. At a series of European shows, the Game led crowds in cheers of "F*** Jay-Z" and "Old Ass N*****", and at one point went into an obsenity laced (but rather wickedly funny) rampage against Jay-Z's fiance' (wife?) Beyonce. Over the weekend, he released "I'm So Wavy [Too Hardcore to be a Jay-Z]" an inconsistent but catchy attack on Jay-Z When I started feeding this stuff to my friend Spencer Ackerman last week, his first take was that "the countdown to the end of the Game's career starts today." Mine, me being a professor of international relations, was to start thinking about how this could be turned into a story about the nature of hegemony and the debate over the exercise of American power.
An interesting analogy, doo you think Jay-Z will prevail, or the sneaky Iran will gain power?Late last week, the Los Angeles rapper the Game launched a blistering attack against... more
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One month after a disputed presidential election sparked widespread unrest in Iran, the country's government has initiated a cyber-crackdown that is challenging hackers across the globe to find new ways to help keep Iranian dissidents connected to the Web.One month after a disputed presidential election sparked widespread unrest in Iran,... more
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Israel Navy prepares to attack Iran with consent from the West.
The only surprise that the Obama Administration is launching a proxy war by giving Israel the nod to strike Iran is that this could be a surprise.Israel Navy prepares to attack Iran with consent from the West.
The only surprise... more
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This is Chuck Baginski, the editor of Hard Power. Our mission is to keep you informed about the real news - when people are fighting and dying, when billions are changing hands, and when political power is taken out of some hands and put into others. These are the stories that change lives and change history.
There is no such thing as a slow news day - only slow reporters. I believe the big story isn't always the breaking news, and it isn't always popular. Big stories started a long time ago, but you probably don't know enough about them yet. Our goal is to put the pieces of the big story together, to give perspective, and help you bring all the stories together into the world.
Today I begin the first step: trying to bring the content together on sites like current.com to build up the network of people who are interested in real news. If we get to the point where I have enough people engaged in the discussion, we can start hiring the veteran freelance journalists to cover these stories in more depth, and generate original journalism on the topics. Advertising ultimately will have to pay for that journalism, and I won't know how much revenue we can get until you jump into the dialogue.
So in this first step, I'll be linking you to the news out in the wilds of the internet, and providing my commentary. Let's get the discussion rolling.This is Chuck Baginski, the editor of Hard Power. Our mission is to keep you informed... more
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"The Stoning of Soraya M." tells the timely and true story of a young mother stoned to death in Iran. Director Cyrus Nowrasteh and actresses Mozhan Marno and Oscar-nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo host a special Current Takeover focused on the human rights violations that continue under a Islamic fundamentalist regime.
If you're inspired to learn more about the issues at hand or want to get involved you can visit "The Stoning of Soraya M." website: thestoning.com
Human Rights Watch: hrw.org
Amnesty International: amnesty.org or
Vital Voices: vitalvoices.org"The Stoning of Soraya M." tells the timely and true story of a young mother... more
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At least 23 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Somalia in the latest clash between government troops and anti-government fighters in Mogadishu, the capital, medics have said.
Somali rebels have vowed to continue their attacks against the government and AU forcesAt least 23 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Somalia in the latest clash... more
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he wants to engage President Obama in "negotiations" before international media, a semi-official Iranian news outlet reported on Saturday.
Speaking at a meeting of medical school deans, Ahmadinejad said Iran "will soon pursue a new round of diplomatic activity" amid a new position of strength for the Iranian government, the Iranian Student News Agency quotes him as saying.
"I will go to the United Nations and will invite Obama to negotiations," Ahmadinejad said, adding that such talks would be "in front of the international media, not a sit-down behind closed doors in order to talk about matters."
The Obama administration has sought dialogue with Iran but also criticized the government for its handling of unrest after disputed presidential elections.
Last week, Obama said Iran's government must justify itself not in the eyes of the United States, but in the opinion of its own people.Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he wants to engage President Obama in... more
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Have any to add? From the article>> Quotes from President Barack Obama during his first 100 days in office.
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"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America ? they will be met." ? Inaugural address on Jan. 20.
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"I can say without exception or equivocation that the United States will not torture." ? Remarks on Jan. 22 to employees at the State Department, the same day he signed orders to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
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"I will be held accountable. You know, I've got four years. ... If I don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition." ? Interview aired Feb. 2 on NBC's "Today" show.
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"I'm here on television saying I screwed up." ? Interview with NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams," on Feb. 3, after abruptly abandoning his nomination fight for Tom Daschle a little more than 24 hours after he had said he was "absolutely" committed to his health nominee. Obama did similar interviews that day with all five television networks.
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"We have begun the essential work of keeping the American dream alive in our time." ? Before he signed into law a $787 billion stimulus package on Feb. 17.
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"The impact of this recession is real and it is everywhere. But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken, though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before." ? His first address to a joint session of Congress on Feb 24.
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"It's hard to move around out there sometimes, so I've got to bring the world to me." ? At a March 4 dinner with congressional leaders, Cabinet members and White House aides.
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"Our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values." ? Remarks on March 9 as he signed documents changing science policy and removing what some researchers have said were shackles on their work.
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"It was like the Special Olympics or something." ? Comment during an appearance March 19 on NBC's "Tonight" show, telling host Jay Leno he's been practicing at the White House bowling alley but wasn't happy with his score of 129. A spokesman quickly said Obama's remark was not meant to disparage the Special Olympics, only to poke some fun at his bowling skills.
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"It took us a couple of days because I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak." ? Comment after he was asked at a news conference March 24 why it took him so long to express outrage over executive bonuses at the big insurer American International Group Inc.
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"I remind everybody, the United States of America did not choose to fight a war in Afghanistan. Nearly 3,000 of our people were killed on September 11th, 2001, for doing nothing more than going about their daily lives." ? Remarks on March 27 announcing plans to send 4,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, part of a broad escalation troops.
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"The United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam." ? Address to the Turkish parliament on April 6.
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"It is time for us to transition to the Iraqis. They need to take responsibility for their country." ? Comment to about 600 U.S. soldiers during a visit to Baghdad on April 7.
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"I'm here to launch a new chapter of engagement that will be sustained throughout my administration." ? Statement to the heads of every democratic government across the Western Hemisphere, at the opening of the Summit of the Americas on April 17.
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"I try to figure out what's right in terms of American interests, and on this one I think I'm right." ? At an April 19 news conference, on critics of his friendly exchange with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at that summit.
///Have any to add? From the article>> Quotes from President Barack Obama during... more
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There is renewed effort to engage Iran on its nuclear programme. Washington has expressed willingness to hold direct talks with Tehran, which marks a dramatic shift between the policy of Barack Obama, the US president, and his predecessor George Bush.
The emphasis on dialogue comes as North Korea signals that it is restarting a nuclear plant that produces arms-grade plutonium, and Arab nations are importing nuclear technology and assistance at an unprecedented pace.
Al Jazeera spoke to Richard Falk, the chair of the board at the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, about Iran's nuclear programme, its effect on regional Arab ambitions for nuclear power, and whether the Middle East will enter a nuclear arms race.
The following are excerpts from the interview:There is renewed effort to engage Iran on its nuclear programme. Washington has... more
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As the US government moves to shutdown its detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, stories are emerging of the way it affected those inside.
Former inmates have talked about the deprivation and pressures they faced.
But Terry Holdbrooks was on the other side. He was a US soldier and he says he saw something in the behaviour of the inmates that changed him. He tells his story to Al Jazeera in his own words.As the US government moves to shutdown its detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, stories... more
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A senior U.S. intelligence official said a pirate who had been involved in negotiations to free Capt. Richard Phillips but who was not on the lifeboat was in custody.A senior U.S. intelligence official said a pirate who had been involved in... more
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In an interview, the Nobel Prize-winner and former chief economist at the World Bank talks about the Great Depression, Obama's stimulus package and today's financial crisis.
By Spiegel staffIn an interview, the Nobel Prize-winner and former chief economist at the World Bank... more
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Here is the full and uncensored video message given by the President of the United States, Barak Obama. It is over one full minute longer than the one which was originally posted here at Current and a full minute more substantive as well. It also has none of the pop-up ads and doesn't lag like the first one either.Here is the full and uncensored video message given by the President of the United... more
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