tagged w/ crimes against humanity
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The London 2012 Olympic Games were embroiled in further controversy last night as Meredith Alexander, a Sustainability Commissioner and Ethics Adviser for the games, resigned live on the BBC’s flagship news program Newsnight. In an interview with Jeremy Paxman she announced that her position at the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 (CSL) was no longer tenable in light of the LOCOG’s continued relationship with and defence of the Dow Chemical Company.
She stated, into TV cameras; “By coming on air tonight, I’m taking the decision to resign my position and stand up for my principles… I feel that I was part of a body that has been used to legitimize Dow’s involvement in the games.” She went on to state that while Dow Chemicals have an ‘army of PR people’ she hoped that her resignation could bring some attention to the continuing plight of victims in Bhopal.
The Dow Chemical Company took over Union Carbide corporation in 2001, but neither company have addressed the ongoing issue of water and soil contamination in Bhopal that continues to kill thousands and inflict even more with chronic illnesses. Lord Coe and LOCOG have been criticised for allowing Dow Chemical’s the opportunity to sponsor the London 2012 stadium.
Dow Chemical is currently a named respondent in two court cases pertaining to the Bhopal disaster and Dow’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Union Carbide, is involved in a US court case relating to the ongoing contamination. Union Carbide is also still wanted on criminal charges in India and the Indian courts have stated that Dow is ‘harbouring fugitives from justice’.
Further into the Newsnight interview, Ms. Alexander hinted at a developing crisis within the CSL regarding the Dow issue and stated that some of her fellow commissioners were also “very concerned” but she would not comment on the prospect of further resignations.
More at the linkThe London 2012 Olympic Games were embroiled in further controversy last night as... more
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By Stephen C. Webster
Saturday, December 31, 2011
President Barack Obama signed on New Year’s Eve a bill that gives the military authority to detain American citizens indefinitely and without criminal charge, breaking with the stroke of a pen one of his many campaign promises, even as he pledged that the new powers the bill grants will not be applied to U.S. citizens.
The provision was just one part of a massive $662 billion defense spending authorization that funds the military, penalizes Iran’s central bank and freezes military aid to Pakistan, among other things.
The president’s opponents in Congress, including some Democrats, attached the indefinite detention provision to force the administration to either accept a much heavier load of terrorism suspects, many who would be heading to the Guantanamo Bay military prison, or veto the bill and stand accused of opposing funds for the troops.
President Obama issued a veto threat after a provision was added that required all terrorism suspects be automatically rendered into military custody — a fundamental change to the criminal justice system that members of the administration warned could stymie other agencies or put investigations at risk.
Obama agreed to sign it after language was left in the bill that allows the administration to dedicate terror prisoners to civilian courts instead of military custody. In its final form, the bill stipulates that all terrorism suspects are to be handled by the military unless the administration decides otherwise and explains its reasoning to Congress.
“My administration will not authorize the indefinite detention without trial of American citizens,” President Obama said in a signing statement, a tactic presidents occasionally use to clarify how they interpret laws. “Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a Nation. My Administration will interpret section 1021 in a manner that ensures that any detention it authorizes complies with the Constitution, the laws of war, and all other applicable law.”
Obama went on to explain that as he understands the indefinite detention provision, his administration is being given “broad authority to determine how best to implement it,” which he said would be used to ensure American citizens are exempt.
“I reject any approach that would mandate military custody where law enforcement provides the best method of incapacitating a terrorist threat,” Obama wrote.
“As my Administration has made clear, the only responsible way to combat the threat al-Qa’ida poses is to remain relentlessly practical, guided by the factual and legal complexities of each case and the relative strengths and weaknesses of each system. Otherwise, investigations could be compromised, our authorities to hold dangerous individuals could be jeopardized, and intelligence could be lost. I will not tolerate that result, and under no circumstances will my Administration accept or adhere to a rigid across-the-board requirement for military detention.”
The signing statement, while likely a relief to some of the president’s more liberal allies, will not assuage all criticism. As one writer for the progressive blog FireDogLake pointed out, future administrations may interpret the law differently, applying a wholly new standard of who should or should not be held in military custody.
“President Obama’s action today is a blight on his legacy because he will forever be known as the president who signed indefinite detention without charge or trial into law,” Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, explained in a media advisory. “The statute is particularly dangerous because it has no temporal or geographic limitations, and can be used by this and future presidents to militarily detain people captured far from any battlefield. The ACLU will fight worldwide detention authority wherever we can, be it in court, in Congress, or internationally.”
“We are incredibly disappointed that President Obama signed this new law even though his administration had already claimed overly broad detention authority in court,” he added. “Any hope that the Obama administration would roll back the constitutional excesses of George Bush in the war on terror was extinguished today.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/12/31/obama-pledges-to-exempt-americans-from-indefinite-detention-law/
"You folks think this Guy deserves another 4 Years???"By Stephen C. Webster
Saturday, December 31, 2011
President Barack Obama signed on... more
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Does this list speak of a leader who strives for virtue in everything he does? Does it speak of preserving justice and working for the good of the whole? Does it speak of one who is sympathetic to the misfortunes of others? Where, in this legacy, do we find a “greatness of soul”? I can’t find it.
http://veracitystew.com/2011/12/14/former-bush-staffer-dubya-had-a-greatness-of-soul-video/Does this list speak of a leader who strives for virtue in everything he does? Does it... more
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By RUSSELL GOLDMAN | ABC News
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad defiantly denied any suggestion that he has ordered a bloody crackdown against protesters who are demanding that he resign, and claims instead that most of the people who died in the unrest were his supporters and troops.
Assad, whose regime has been condemned by the West, the Arab League and former allies, dismissed suggestions that he step down and scoffed at sanctions being imposed on Syria.
His defiant stance was on display in an exclusive interview with ABC News' Barbara Walters who confronted the Syrian dictator in Damascus with stories and evidence of civilians being tortured and killed, some of them children.
"People went from house to house. Children were arrested. I saw those pictures," Walters said to Assad.
"To be frank with you, Barbara, I don't believe you," Assad said.
Walters asked Assad about the case of Hamza al-Khateeb, a 13-year-old boy detained by Syrian forces after a protest whose lifeless body was returned to his parents shot, burned and castrated. The boy's death galvanized protesters, and photos on the internet inflamed world opinion.
Assad Tells Barbara Walters Violence Is By Terrorists, Not His Troops
Assad denied the boy had been tortured. "No, no, no. It's not news," he insisted. "I met with his father, the father of that child and he said that he wasn't tortured as he appeared in the media."
The tide of pro-democracy protests sweeping the Arab world reached Syria in mid-March and news of violent clashes between protesters and government agents have leaked out of this tightly controlled dictatorship and on to the Internet. The bodies of the dead, some of them children, have been found bearing the marks of torture.
According to a United Nations report released last week, more than 4,000 people have been killed and the country is embroiled in an undeclared civil war, an assessment Assad dismissed with the question, "Who said that the United Nations is a credible institution?"
In an unprecedented condemnation of a fellow Muslim nation, the Arab League recently threatened sanctions, and last month one-time ally Turkey called on Assad to resign the presidency, an office he's held since 2000.
In his interview with Walters, his first sit down with an American journalist since the protests began, Assad denied he ordered a crackdown and blamed the violence on criminals, religious extremists and terrorists sympathetic to al Qaeda he claims are mixed in with peaceful demonstrators.
He said the victims of the street violence were not civilians protesters battling decades of one-party rule, he insisted.
"Most of the people that have been killed are supporters of the government, not the vice versa," he said. The dead have included 1,100 soldiers and police, he said.
Assad conceded only that some members of his armed forces went too far, but claims they were punished for their actions.
"Every 'brute reaction' was by an individual, not by an institution, that's what you have to know," he said. "There is a difference between having a policy to crackdown and between having some mistakes committed by some officials. There is a big difference," said Assad.
"But you have to give the order," countered Walters.
"We don't kill our people… no government in the world kills its people, unless it's led by a crazy person," Assad said.
At another point he said, "There was no command to kill or be brutal."
More at the link/full video.
By RUSSELL GOLDMAN | ABC News
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad defiantly denied... more
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Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has made his first appearance before the International Criminal Court, where he faces four charges of crimes against humanity stemming from his role in deadly post-election violence.
Gbagbo, the first former head of state to be brought to the global court since its inception in 2002, was read his rights during Monday's hearing at The Hague but declined to have judges read out the charges against him.
The former president, wearing a dark suit, stood and answered questions from the court during the 20-minute hearing.
He said it was French troops who arrested him at the presidential residence in Abidjan in April and then handed him over to forces of the current Ivorian president, Alassane Ouattara.
He also said Ivorian authorities held what he called a surprise hearing to authorize his transfer to The Hague last week.
The ICC charges Gbagbo was an indirect perpetrator of murder, rape and other crimes committed during four months of clashes in Ivory Coast. About 3,000 people were killed and more than a million displaced after he refused to cede power to Ouattara, who defeated him in the November 2010 election.
As president, Gbagbo was able to mobilize sometimes violent mobs several thousand strong. The court says there are "reasonable grounds" to believe pro-Gbagbo forces attacked civilians thought to have supported Ouattara.
The court has scheduled Gbagbo's next hearing for June 18, when prosecutors must convince the court's judges they have enough evidence to bring Gbagbo to trial.
Chief ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo says investigations into the Ivory Coast violence continue and Gbagbo is only the first to be brought before the court.
Moreno-Ocampo has said there is evidence that both Ouattara and Gbagbo supporters committed war crimes. Ouattara, now in power, has created a reconciliation panel aimed at unifying Ivory Coast. He has vowed to hold accountable anyone who committed crimes during the unrest.
More at the linkFormer Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has made his first appearance before the... more
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Source: Raw Story / Press TV
Malaysian ‘tribunal’ finds Bush, Blair guilty of war crimes
By David Edwards
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
A symbolic tribunal in Malaysia ruled unanimously Tuesday that former U.S. President George W. Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair were both guilty of “crimes against peace” for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal, part of an initiative by former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad – a fierce critic of the Iraq war – found the former leaders guilty after a four-day hearing.
While the court is modeled after the post-World War II Nuremberg Tribunal, it carries no legal weight.
“War criminals have to be dealt with — convict Bush and Blair as charged,” a statement from Mahathir’s Perdana Global Peace Foundation said. “A guilty verdict will serve as a notice to the world that war criminals may run but can never ultimately hide from truth and justice.”
Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/23/malaysian-tribunal-finds-bush-blair-guilty-of-war-crimes
"Somebody get the handcuffs out! This has been long over due!!!"Source: Raw Story / Press TV
Malaysian ‘tribunal’ finds Bush, Blair... more
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KB723
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Well, I sincerly thought that the Western powers were going to steal the water, but David Dees seems to imply they merely poisoned it with depleted uranium.
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Gaddafi's vision of pristine water and abundant food for Libya was the world's most wondrous, massive irrigation project, pulling ice age water from deep under the Sahara desert.
The forty-year achievement was destroyed by US-NATO depleted uranium nuclear bombs, poisoning the water in one of the most inhuman crimes of our age.Well, I sincerly thought that the Western powers were going to steal the water, but... more
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Read PR puff piece written by Michigan's largest newspaper supporting an acid mine with few benefits - and run by a company (Rio Tinto) charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, bribery and other crimes:
http://detnews.com/article/20110907/OPINION01/109070324/Editorial--Return-mining-to-the-U.P.#ixzz1XKFJvBbT
I was shocked to see that the Detroit News would favor a mining project that will have few benefits and allow one of the world's worst polluters to leave a mess behind in seven years (life of mine) while destroying sacred Eagle Rock.
Rio Tinto has also been charged with war crimes, human rights violations, bribery and other crimes across the globe.
Your editorial wrongly claimed the company is respecting a very old Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) sacred site for Native American tribal rituals, religious ceremonies.
In fact, Rio Tinto/Kennecott Minerals will be dynamiting through sacred Eagle Rock to make the entrance of the mine (They already bulldozed the area directly around Eagle Rock).
To the Ojibwa, it is the same as dynamiting through a large church/cathedral in any Michigan city.
It's an undisputed fact that the Rio Tinto/Kennecott has one of the most dismal environmental records in the world - and find it less costly to leave a mess and possibly face litigation - than simply clean up their toxic waste.
Ex-Governor Granholm and Governor Snyder have refused to answer questions about their (or close family) financial ties to the project including campaign donations, favorable land deals, luxury trips, wining and dining, stocks and bonds, any and all gratuities from the companies or their representatives like lobbyists, others, etc.
As a reporter for Indian Country Today, I submitted those questions to all the candidates for governor - and ex-Gov. Granholm - all refused to comment (It would be easy to say they had no financial connections but instead refused to comment - talk about red flags).
The mining company also uses dirty tricks - like redesigning a water system to be above ground (in the severe U.P. winters) to avoid the federal clean water act regulations.
Plus two Ojibwa campers charged with trespassing were not allowed to present a defense - literally told they could not present the defense they planned. Ironically, the judge's name is extremely close to "Kangaroo" as in Kangaroo Court.
Your editorial sounds like it was written by a Kennecott PR person.
I understand why the small U.P. newspapers (who get mine advertising) have not done investigative stories - but am disillusioned now that the Detroit News would write this puff editorial.
Shame on the Detroit News for selling out.
Even with tough times at the major newspapers, I never though the Detroit News would not investigate before printing Rio Tinto/Kennecott claims.
The above is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scandalous info about this project - a few headlines:
• State allows DEQ/DNR financially going into bed with the mining company by allowing its employees to set up a non-profit using state addresses, state labor and state materials.
• DEQ/DNR hides a state-paid expert safety report critical of the project - stating major concerns over whether a vital trout stream would collapse into the mine. That would send a huge amount of sulfuric acid downstream into Lake Superior.
• During a reshuffle of the DNR/DEQ agencies - an interim boss approves mine permit despite serious objections from a state administrative law judge and others.
• Only half of the 150 employees will be locally hired.
• Company admits they will make billions in profits because of the size of the world record nickel deposit - but the state itself and local government tills will only get a small fraction of that cash.
That's why many have accused the company of making side deals with U.P. elected officials and others with decision powers - exactly like when Rio Tinto got caught and charged with bribing China officials and other countries.Read PR puff piece written by Michigan's largest newspaper supporting an acid... more
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Obama's imperial wars, permanent ones, will destroy another generation of America's youths, besides ravaging attacked countries entirely. They're also heading the nation toward tyranny and ruin because popular sentiment isn't outraged enough to stop them.
Besides issues of lawlessness and immorality, what better reasons for ending them, not later - now. http://www.opednews.com/articles/RIP-America-s-Anti-War-Mo-by-Stephen-Lendman-110819-754.htmlObama's imperial wars, permanent ones, will destroy another generation of... more
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US Hires Blackwater for Afghan Drug-Heroin War, Is the SEC Covering Up Wall Street Crimes?, US Oil Rig Count Passes 1,000, Why Are BCCI Fraudsters Being Protected?, Yemeni Opposition Forms “National Council”, Rick Perry’s Polluter Cronies, Drug Trafficking: Central America’s Dark Shadow, Turkish Warplanes Hit Northern Iraq, News Journalists Shill for the State & More! http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2011/08/18/bfp-select-nightly-news-editorials-august-18-2011/US Hires Blackwater for Afghan Drug-Heroin War, Is the SEC Covering Up Wall Street... more
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I've repeatedly noted that corruption at the top leads to lawlessness by the people.
William K. Black - Associate Professor of Economics and Law at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, and the former head S&L regulator - notes that conservative French economist Frédéric Bastiat said the same thing more than 150 years ago.
Specifically, Bastiat said that corruption and "plunder" by government officials causes lawlessness among the people http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/08/corruption-at-top-leads-to-lawlessness.htmlI've repeatedly noted that corruption at the top leads to lawlessness by the... more
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During an NPR interview of New York Times veteran reporter Thom Shanker, who co-authored Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda, we learn that the Pentagon routinely pretends to be al-Qaeda http://www.infowars.com/author-details-pentagons-fake-al-qaeda/During an NPR interview of New York Times veteran reporter Thom Shanker, who... more
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The staying power of the Big Lie is the barrier through which the 9/11 Truth Movement is finding it difficult to break. The assertion that the 9/11 Truth Movement consists of conspiracy theorists and crackpots is obviously untrue. The leaders of the movement are highly qualified professionals, such as demolition experts, physicists, structural architects, engineers, pilots, and former high officials in the government. Unlike their critics parroting the government’s line, they know what they are talking about. http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2009/09/16/why-propaganda-trumps-truth/The staying power of the Big Lie is the barrier through which the 9/11 Truth Movement... more
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The events of 9-11 are seared into the collective psyche of this generation. We have all been affected by the catastrophes of that fateful day, but what really happened on 9-11?
Some people believe an outlandish conspiracy theory involving 19 Arab hijackers who allegedly: commandeered four commercial jets with nothing more than their cunning, wit, resolve, hatred of America, and some box cutters; then proceed to fly these aircraft around US airspace unfettered for a total lapsed time of over an hour; on three of the planes, pulled stunning flight maneuvers beyond the capability of even expert pilots; and, managed to cause damage to their targets — one of which just happens to have been the most heavily defended building in the world — so extreme as to be in clear violation of several well understood laws of Physics, Chemistry, and Thermodynamics. This amazing conspiracy theory is even more suspicious and bizarre in that it is the one proffered by the United States Government (USG) and the 9-11 Cover-Up Omission Commission. In the 9-11 Truth Movement we call it the Official Conspiracy Theory (OCT).
Thankfully, despite the best efforts of the corporate-controlled media and virtually the entire US Congress, there are literally millions of people in this country and millions more around the world who do not believe that these 19 Arabs, as clever as they purportedly were, could have somehow suspended the laws of Physics on 9-11. http://www.whodidit.org/index.htmlThe events of 9-11 are seared into the collective psyche of this generation. We have... more
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It’s possible that all that funding, especially the moneys that have gone into our various wars and conflicts, our secret drone campaigns and “black sites,” our various forays into Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and other places may actually have made us less safe. Certainly, they have exacerbated existing tensions and created new ones, eroded our standing in some of the most volatile regions of the world, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the misery of many more, and made Iraq and Afghanistan, among other places, potential recruiting and training grounds for future generations of insurgents and terrorists. Does anything remain of the international goodwill toward our country that was the one positive legacy of the infamous attacks of September 11, 2001? Unlikely. http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175431/tomgram%3A_chris_hellman%2C_the_pentagon%27s_spending_spree/#moreIt’s possible that all that funding, especially the moneys that have gone into... more
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Larry Toenjes, 74, from Clear Lake Shores, Texas, is sailing his 39-foot sailboat, the s/v Liberty, to the coordinates of the June 8, 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty that killed 34 sailors and wounded another 173. 207 were killed or wounded out of the 294 on board the USS Liberty in the 90 minute attack by strafing attack planes and torpedoes. At the site, Toenjes will be holding a memorial service honoring those killed on the USS Liberty by the Israeli military. http://warisacrime.org/content/texas-man-making-dangerous-voyage-site-1967-israeli-attack-uss-libertyLarry Toenjes, 74, from Clear Lake Shores, Texas, is sailing his 39-foot sailboat, the... more
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With few exceptions – like some salacious rumor about the Kennedy family – the mainstream U.S. news media has little interest in historical stories. Such was the case when an ex-White House terrorism official accused a former CIA director of withholding information that might have prevented a 9/11 attack, Ray McGovern reports. http://consortiumnews.com/2011/08/16/did-tenet-hide-key-911-info/With few exceptions – like some salacious rumor about the Kennedy family –... more
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