Posting for January 16, 2021
Let us remember the real Martin Luther King, Jr. this holiday by recalling King's noble stand against the war in Vietnam, and war as policy of statecraft in general. So, as opposed to the repackaging of King by the Establishment into a quaint, memorable civil rights icon, let us remember the true MLK, Jr. for what he really was: a radical, outspoken boat-rocking, anti-Establishment, persistent activist for equality, justice, truth and peace. More than 50 years after your death, you still continue to inspire me today, sir.
"America’s debt has more than doubled over the past ten years, skyrocketing from $13 trillion to more than $27 trillion over just two presidential administrations. And, despite successive presidents’ promises to “wind down” conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the defense budget has only gone in one direction— up.
The dysfunctional budgeting process was on full display during the last week of 2020 when lawmakers crammed through a $740 billion defense funding deal as part of a massive $2.3 trillion spending bonanza. This included $696 billion for the Pentagon, and the rest for non-DoD spending like the nation’s nuclear weapons program under the Department of Energy. Members of Congress didn’t have all that much time to speed read through the bill’s more than 5,500 pages, allowing special interests to insert massive giveaways to the military-industrial complex. One government watchdog called the overstuffed stimulus package “a sweetheart deal for defense contractors.”
Washington needs to ramp up accountability, not goodies to contractors with clout. "
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/01/14/that-2-6-trillion-stimulus-was-one-heck-of-a-holiday-bonus-to-defense-contractors/
"Nuland would be a ticking time-bomb in Biden’s State Department, waiting to sabotage his better angels much as she undermined Obama’s second-term diplomacy."
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/01/14/will-senate-confirm-coup-plotter-victoria-nuland
"William J. Astore says that in America’s collective stockade of the mind, activism for peace is an aberration, while acceptance of the war state is second nature."
"In thinking about those POWs and the dark legacy of this country’s conflicts since World War II, however, I’ve come to a realization. In the ensuing years, we Americans have all, in some sense, become prisoners of war. We’re all part of a culture that continues to esteem war, embrace militarism, and devote more than half of federal discretionary spending to wars, weaponry, and the militarization of American culture. We live in a country that leads the world in the export of murderous munitions to the grimmest, most violent hotspots on the planet, enabling, for example, a genocidal conflict in Yemen, among other conflicts.
True, in a draft-less country, few enough Americans actually don a military uniform these days. As 2021 begins, most of us have never carried a military identification card that mentions the Geneva Convention on the proper and legal treatment of POWs, as I did when I wore a uniform long ago."
https://consortiumnews.com/2021/01/14/americans-are-all-prisoners-of-war/
"Biden must reaffirm his commitment to closure and take the necessary action to accomplish it before we have to mark the 20th anniversary next year," says the Center for Constitutional Rights."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/11/dark-stain-guantanamo-begins-20th-year-groups-demand-biden-close-offshore-prison
Another Biden warhawk to watch closely for the next four years:
"Power argued in favor of US intervention in Libya under the guise of protecting human rights and preventing genocide. She was joined in her crusade by then-Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Susan Rice, who served as the UN ambassador at the time.
Reports from 2011 say the pressure from Power, Rice, and Clinton is what led Obama to intervene militarily in Libya, even though his other top advisors were against it. Then-Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates would later say that in a “51 to 49” decision, Obama decided to bomb Libya.
The US-NATO intervention in Libya that led to the brutal murder of former Libyan ruler Moammar Gaddafi was an absolute disaster. Destabilizing Libya turned the country into a haven for al-Qaeda-linked militants, resulted in targeted killings of black Africans, sparked a refugee crisis in North Africa, and even led to the creation of slave markets."
https://news.antiwar.com/2021/01/13/biden-taps-veteran-interventionist-samantha-power-to-head-usaid/
Personally, I am rooting for South Korean President Moon and North Korean Premier Kim Jung-Un to move the ball forward to peace by increasing diplomatic overtures-------the U.S. will eventually follow along and pretend it led the way all along just as its political class acts at home in response to effective, mass activism.
"Given that comforting delusion, it’s not surprising that their "solution" is merely to restore the status quo ante – return US policy to what it was under Barack Obama. Given the train wreck that actually characterized the Obama administration’s foreign policy, it is a very dangerous assumption. Obama and his minions managed to launch three new, disastrous US military interventions in the Middle East – Libya, Syria and Yemen. They also perpetuated the seemingly endless war in Afghanistan and reversed an initial decision to exit the Iraq quagmire.
The administration’s performance was not much better elsewhere. By meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs to help unseat the elected, pro-Russia president, Washington further poisoned already fragile relations with Moscow. Tensions also continued to escalate with China, as the United States sought to execute a "strategic pivot" to East Asia, characterized by a buildup of US forces in the region and a surge of "freedom of navigation" patrols by the US Navy in the contested South China Sea.
Given that track record, merely returning to the policy status quo ante is a spectacularly bad idea. Nowhere is the need for meaningful change more urgent than with respect to Washington’s policy toward North Korea. Obama did little more than keep on autopilot the longstanding, sterile US strategy of trying to isolate the North Korean regime and compel it to relinquish its nuclear weapons. If Biden embraces that approach, we could be heading for a nasty confrontation with nuclear implications. New thinking and a new strategy is imperative."
https://original.antiwar.com/Ted_Galen_Carpenter/2021/01/13/biden-needs-to-embrace-new-thinking-on-north-korea/
"The Trump administration is escalating tensions on its way out and few things could be more foolish."
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/with-washington-in-chaos-lets-steer-clear-of-war-with-iran/
Newsflash to my fellow Americans: The Russians did not hack the United States during the 2016 elections or even recently--------this is American propaganda 101 to get you to fear and hate Russia and thus support the buttloads of money we waste on the Pentagon each year to counter this invented threat-------that is how the war Establishment works, that is their old, trusty tried-and-tested methodology, so the question is how many times are going to swallow their lies and believe everything you are told to believe, you gullible, naive morons?
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2021/01/10/its_trumps_last_chance_to_declassify_these_russia_non-collusion_mysteries_126696.html
Bounties-------American propaganda 101. If such a story were really true, wouldn't it make the most sense to pull troops out and go home?
"First it was Russia (FAIR.org, 7/3/20). And then Iran. But now it is China that has supposedly been placing bounties on the heads of US soldiers in Afghanistan—according to information received by outlets like the New York Times (12/30/20), Axios (12/30/20) and CNN (12/31/20).
Outlets worldwide ran with the news, many treating it as highly credible:"
https://fair.org/home/media-cry-wolf-for-third-time-on-afghan-bounties/
For all you Trumpsters out there, don't for a minute think that Trump isn't all about propaganda either----------for all the media hoopla, Trump has substantively demonstrated that his presidency is not so different than the presidency of Obama or Bush or Clinton or many other U.S. presidents, except that, in fairness, Trump did not start any new major wars as the other preceding presidents did, and that is to his credit. But many of his public pronouncements are just pure bullshit. You are being lied to--------BY BOTH PARTIES and by most media sources which do it in a more clever and subdued way as opposed to Trump's blatant manner. Trump and the Establishment both do the same thing------Trump is loud and blatant and obnoxious whereas the Establishment is softer, warmer, fuzzier and coyer but just as insidious as Trump.
"The dictionary definition of propaganda is “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.” VOA is United States government media, and on some level, VOA and its affiliates throughout the world are always broadcasting or publishing propaganda—what is in the interest of U.S. foreign policy.
But in the case of VOA, which is overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Pompeo’s speech was a particularly egregious example of propaganda."
https://shadowproof.com/2021/01/13/political-propaganda-great-again-pompeo-voa-speec/
There needs to be soul searching and truth telling about invasions, interventions, coups and sanctions that are far more destructive than the Trump lovers could ever be.
“The United States is not a ‘beacon of democracy’ or ‘shining city on a hill.’
“Of all the reactions created by the riot, defense of American exceptionalism is the most pervasive but unfortunately the most damaging.”
"All the living former presidents have made statements condemning Trump and his minions but none of them should escape scrutiny. George W. Bush should not be allowed to opine on the MAGA marchers’ vandalism without being questioned about his lies which led to the invasion of Iraq and the deaths of one million people or the kidnapping of Haitian president Aristide. Barack Obama destroyed Libya and tried to destroy Syria and created an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Bill Clinton supported Boris Yeltsin’s 1993 attack on the Russian parliament which resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people. He intervened in Russia’s 1996 election to keep Yeltsin in office.
Nor should foreign leaders who act as U.S. puppets be allowed to point fingers. NATO is a proud member of America’s crime syndicate and Justin Trudeau, Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron and others gladly work with the U.S. to undermine other nations. They shouldn’t be permitted to wring their hands about damage to democracy when they act as junior partners in crime when Washington tells them to do so."
https://www.blackagendareport.com/freedom-rider-capitol-riot-brings-us-foreign-policy-home
The FBI is full of shit. Don't believe a word of this nonsense--------Free Speech did not lead to capitol hill violence. If any such future restriction are place on Free Speech in the name of National Security, you should violate those laws and violate them often. This is all just another way of decreasing freedom and liberty at home in the name of national security as the United States slowly descends into a fascist state with many Liberals idiotically cheering that descent on. Your government lies to you often--------it lies to you now about these ridiculous claims about the dangers of Free Speech just as it lies to you when it claims U.S. military forces are defending the nation and doing good things around the world---------they are doing neither, they are but pawns in a global game of domination and Empire and the more wars we fight, the less free we become so if anything the troops are fighting for your continued oppression not for your supposed "freedom."
Tell the FBI to go fuck itself.
https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2021/01/14/the-fbi-claims-free-speech-prevented-warning-of-capitol-violence/
We are not victims, my fellow American, we are the aggressors. Our nation is collectively the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.
"President-elect Joe Biden condemned the protestors storming the Capitol who had deigned to “occupy offices” and were “rummaging through desks… it’s an insurrection.” A few congressional offices did have their filing cabinets opened and plundered. But where was the umbrage on Capitol Hill when the National Security Agency vacuumed up millions of Americans’ emails? Where was the outrage when Edward Snowden exposed NSA documents showing that the agency turns its surveillance dynamos on anyone “searching the web for suspicious stuff“? Thanks to lavish congressional appropriations, the NSA continues devouring Americans’ privacy."
https://www.aier.org/article/congressional-hypocrisy-and-the-crackdown/
"This past August, a U.S. military-trained African army officer staged a coup in an impoverished country – Mali – wracked by violence that’s long been folded under the opportunist umbrella of a global war on terror. Washington subsequently feigned surprise, pretended chagrin, suspended some aid – and quietly continued to back the new regime and its former French colonialist patrons. So what else is knew, right?"
https://original.antiwar.com/Danny_Sjursen/2021/01/13/in-other-news-another-franco-american-forever-war-failing-in-africa-mali-edition/
A wise and independent Europe would try to find and maximize economic opportunities with China and Russia and try to isolate and minimize potential economic traps such as NATO whose sole purpose is to be long-arm of American Imperialism in the European theater. Being a member of NATO requires that nations devote a portion of their national budgets to purchase U.S. armaments. Thus NATO, by its nature, intends to maximize profits for U.S. weapons-makers while, over time, sucking the blood out of the very noble and inspiring aspects of European social-democracies that provide adequate cradle-to-grave social benefits and protections for their respective populations. In short, you get more weapons and more austerity programs. In a nutshell, NATO is the tool that spells more for the rich particularly wealthy U.S. weapons-manufacturers and less for the European poor or the middle-class.
The lesson to Europe from the last 70 years should be this: Look at what is possible when you are not wasting all your money on military-expenditures. Look at the great societies you have built and inspired the world by building, as opposed to the early part of the last century where you convinced the world through military expenditures and devastating wars that Europe was less civilized and more barbaric than any other nations in their colonial grip.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/no-forever-guarantee-to-europe-refuting-natos-latest-dumb-ideas/
"I’m in favour of all the whistleblowers who are put on trial. Now, Julian is in a different class because he’s a publisher, like the New York Times or The Guardian. In that sense, his indictment is even more sinister, because it strikes directly at press freedom and the First Amendment [which, in the US, protects the freedom of speech and the press]. To be clear, the prosecution of sources like me is already very questionable under the First Amendment.
Major legal scholars argued at the time that it was unconstitutional to use against a former official like myself. They argued that freedom of the press and freedom of speech should assure protection of my statements. However, that hasn’t been upheld by any courts since my prosecution, and about a dozen such defendants have been convicted or actually made guilty plea bargains because of the risk of longer imprisonment that they faced.
The Supreme Court has, however, addressed the unconstitutionality of going after the press itself – which, after all, is the only non-government profession mentioned in the constitutional Bill of Rights. This isn’t because the press are wonderful people, but because they serve a role which is absolutely vital to a republic and to any country that aspires to be a self-governing democracy.
They provide the information that the public need if they are to be sovereign. So they are protected – and obviously Julian Assange should be protected. But for reasons that I can’t truthfully fathom, a number of journalists disclaim that he is a journalist. I don’t know what they hope to achieve by making a point like that."
https://www.exberliner.com/features/julian-assange-trial-2020/daniel-ellsberg-wikileaks/
"Chris Hedges and CN Editor Joe Lauria discuss Judge Vanessa Baraitser’s decisions to both block WikiLeaks’ publisher Julian Assange’s extradition to the United States and to deny him bail."
https://consortiumnews.com/2021/01/15/watch-chris-hedges-and-joe-lauria-discuss-julian-assange/
"It is amazing to me that President Trump has pardoned some people who he considered heroic while continuing to leave Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, two genuine heroes, in the lurch. Assange, of course, is getting the worst of it, given the brutal conditions under which U.S. and British officials have incarcerated him in England."
https://www.fff.org/2021/01/08/there-is-still-time-for-trump-to-do-the-right-thing/
Boycott, divest and sanction until all persons between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River are treated equally under the same law for all. Boycott Apartheid, boycott oppression, boycott for peace, love and justice.
"Israel’s decision to exclude Palestinians from its COVID-19 vaccination campaign may have surprised many. Even by Israel’s poor humanitarian standards, denying Palestinians access to life-saving medication seems extremely callous.
Amnesty International, among many organizations, condemned the Israeli government’s decision to bar Palestinians from receiving the vaccine. The rights group described the Israeli action as evidence of the "institutionalized discrimination that defines the Israeli government’s policy towards Palestinians."
https://original.antiwar.com/ramzy-baroud/2021/01/13/covid-19-under-apartheid-how-israel-manipulates-suffering-of-palestinians/
"This sobering look at reality need not lead to despair, but quite the opposite. It is a call for change. After all, people created this regime, and people can change it."
In its new report (pdf), B'Tselem rejects "the common perception in public, political, legal, and media discourse... [of] two separate regimes operat[ing] side by side in this area"—a democratic regime in the state of Israel that is home to about seven million Jewish citizens and almost two million Palestinian citizens, plus another regime in occupied Palestinian territories where nearly five million inhabitants "whose final status is supposed to be determined in future negotiations" are subject to "temporary" restrictions on mobility and/or military control by Israeli forces.
"One organizing principle lies at the base of a wide array of Israeli policies: advancing and perpetuating the supremacy of one group—Jews—over another—Palestinians," B'Tselem says. "We must look at the full picture and see it for what it is: apartheid."
Contrary to the claims of the Israeli government, the report states, the Palestinian residents of Israel do not enjoy equal rights."
"There isn't a single square inch between the river and the sea in which a Palestinian and a Jew are equal."
—Hagai El-Ad, B'Tselem
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