The best way that you can support the so-called rebels in Libya is to raise a battalion to go and fight side by side with them.
You say that getting rid of Qaddafi with be "worth the sacrifices in life and treasure."
I think you have gone down the slippery slope of neoconservatism when you are willing to sacrifice other people's lives and other people's treasures in another violent war for oil and other natural resources.
You also put yourself in service to NATO, which as I am sure you must know, is just another tool for in the US's quest for global hegemony over resources and economies, as currently in Afghanistan which has billions of dollars worth of precious minerals and natural gas.
I used to have a lot of respect for you and I know for sure that you are not ill-informed or stupid, so I wonder how many pieces of silver you earned for this one.
(SOAPBOX #92) – Cindy welcomes two notable guests. Cindy’s first guest, Thaddeus Russell, is an historian and cultural critic, author of A Renegade History of the United States. (And those are just his introductory credits!) A true nonconformist, he has a long list of public appearances. Yes, previously, our “Bad Thad” had moved past the social/ethical conservatism of our historical “cultural leaders” to focus on the actual people themselves. He regularly argued that many white Americans envied slaves for good reason, since slave culture offered many liberating alternatives to the highly repressive and work-obsessed, anti-sex culture of the early United States. He demonstrated that prostitutes, not feminists, won virtually all the freedoms that were denied to women but are now taken for granted. In short, this man is a truly creative & revolutionary thinker. It should come as no surprise the man today perceives himself as though he’s been on an island and yelling for three years now. (It seems he doesn’t want to kill the world’s unfortunates in order to SAVE them.) He asks why are today’s “liberal” people are not separating themselves from the slaughter of innocents? Hey there, boyz and grrls: Can you say “Bad mass murderer?” “Bad!” (I knew you could!)
Cindy’s next guest is Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, discussing our military intervention in Libya. Congressman Kucinich had SEVERAL objections to this action, all on quite serious grounds. This is a new nightmare for people in another land and a new nightmare for the American people. Yet the BIGGEST objection seems to be that the entire power to make war is given by our Constituation in Article I, section 8 to Congress; not to the President. This is not an academic debate. The Founders felt very strongly, indeed about putting the war powers in the hand of the country’s legislative body. Dennis offers MANY important points to consider!
Yesterday, I was scanning through the AM radio stations on my way to Berkeley to pick up something, when I heard a familiar voice, our old friend, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Oh)—and he didn’t sound happy. So I stopped the scan to listen.
Surprisingly, Congressman Kucinich was talking to another old “friend,” Sean Hannity of Fox News—the only thing I have to say about Sean Hannity is that I was on his TV show in NYC once and he paid for my assistant and I to fly the next day to Cuba—Sean financed a Federal Crime, but at least I have something on him, now.
Anyway, Dennis was talking to Sean about the recent US bombing of Libya and he was furious at President Obama for not consulting with Congress before this happened, (he consulted with the UN, he consulted with the Arab League, he consulted with Hillary Clinton—Secretary of State; Susan Rice—US Ambassador to the UN and Samantha Power—somebody?), but he didn’t talk to Congress—which is the governmental body under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that has the sole power to declare war.
Not only was Dennis angry about that, he was angry that the president sent Congress a weak letter this past Monday, after the fact, that justified his actions under Article II, which outline the duties of the executive branch. Well, the Constitutional Scholar was obviously incorrect about his assessment because nowhere in Article II does it say that the president has unilateral war making powers. In fact, as Dennis pointed out, in December 2007, Obama told the Boston Globe this little inconvenient truth that has arisen like a rattlesnake to bite him in the ass with the stark contradiction between what he said before he got the nomination, to what he actually did as president:
"The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation." Barack Obama, Boston Globe, December 20, 2007
So, I was pounding on the steering wheel, flabbergasted that for the first time in years, I was hearing something that was bold and non-partisan coming from the mouth of a Congress-critter—I have always had respect for Dennis, I have eaten cereal with him at his modest home in Cleveland and learned much from him—but I haven’t been so impressed with him since Obama has been the leader of his party. However, my respect for Dennis soared yesterday and I quickly got a hold of the producer of my radio show to see if Dennis would do me the honor of coming on to tell me and my listeners (from the far-left) how he felt and what his concerns were. I was a little nervous, because I have become persona non grata in the halls of power since I have questioned everyone in those halls, not just the R’s.
I was not only pounding the steering wheel out of exuberance that Dennis was saying these things--but because I have felt so utterly alone and thoroughly attacked for being against the Holy One's "humanitarian intervention" in Libya. I have really felt like I was on a lonely island of sanity in a world that has gone completely bonkers!
Anyway, the full interview will be on this Sunday at 2pm PDST on Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox, but I just wanted to point out a few highlights.
First of all, I think Obama is in big trouble. I don’t think he is in “impeachable” trouble, but who knows? The last time a president was impeached it was a Democrat, Clinton, during a Republican House Majority. Obama has great support from Senators like Levin of Michigan and Kerry of Massachusetts, and I doubt Obama would be convicted in the Senate—but he is in trouble.
Secondly, as I told Dennis, Sean Hannity’s agreement with Dennis and the Republican anger reeks of partisanship and Dennis, who has supported Obama in some big things I don’t agree with, lends his voice as a voice of what’s right over allegiance to political party—and with Dennis’s district being disappeared for 2012, he is taking another political risk and I admire him for that.
I also asked Dennis if he was going to change his mind and give Obama a primary challenge over this and his answer to me was: “I think someone should, but it’s not going to be me.”
I gave up on Robber Class politics a long time ago and I think that most politicians are motivated by cynicism and greed, and many of my supporters and comrades will tell me that Dennis is a shill to keep the antiwar segment of the Democratic Party tied to the party—and I think they could be correct—but Dennis will stand up for peace and against blatant power grabs no matter who is president. In fact, he and Ron Paul of Texas and Walter Jones of North Carolina (both R’s) just co-sponsored a bill to have the troops out of Afghanistan by the end of this year—it failed, but it got 28 more votes than last time. It might all just be a charade, but I also know that there is no great movement of civil society pushing hard to make Congress defund the wars to end them—it’s just not there. We are failing, too.
Of course, I would be thrilled if Dennis would leave the Democratic Party and become a Green, or Independent, like Bernie Sanders of Vermont, but we need his voice where it is, for now.
LISTEN TO THE SHOW SUNDAY AT 2PM (PDST), BESIDES DENNIS, MY GUEST ALSO WILL BE HISTORIAN, THADDEUS RUSSELL, WHO WROTE A FASCINATING BOOK CALLED: A RENEGADE HISTORY OF THE US. THAD ALSO GOES OFF ON OBAMA’S INSANE POWER GRAB.
I know many of you don't really care, but in exactly 15 days, it will be seven years since my oldest son (whom I never "abandoned" and raised with his father and three siblings until he went into the Army when he was 21), Casey was killed in this Empire's insane War OF Terror. Was Casey the first, or the last? No--but he was my first and the shock knocked me out of my quiet complacency--which was just as wrong as the Empire's unending wars.
When I began protesting, Bush was president and my protest and the energy that grew around it was used by you Democrats to regain political power in the federal government. Four years later and a change of Executive, this nation is still mired in Arab countries waging a war against Arabs of all, or no, faith. Now brought to us by the Blue Team.
Three days after the current evil Emperor was installed by the oligarchy, he ordered a drone bombing in Northern Pakistan (a country that we are supposedly not at war with) that killed 36 civilians and since then, he has been absolutely mad about drone bombings, increasing Bush's total over 300 percent in far fewer years. Even though I never supported Obama who funded wars as a Senator and who is NOT a peace president, I said at the time: "Three days in and already a war criminal." I was thoroughly attacked by Democrats who once affiliated as "peace" activists for not giving Obama "time."
Well, Gitmo is still open, military tribunals will resume for men who have been illegally detained for up to a decade now, US Tomahawk missiles are raining down on innocents in Libya (killing people to save them is the NEW PEACE), dictators are still supported, Israel is still occupying and oppressing Palestine, activists are being targeted by Obama's DOJ while BushCo are being protected, the USA PATRIOT ACT was renewed, the Gulf is dying--and where is the outrage?
This is where I think the outrage is--the oligarchy of this country is clever, they knew that it would take a person of color with an Islamic name who sold his soul many years ago--to fulfill the neocon agenda of planetary dominance (see: Project for a New American Century). So if one criticizes Obama, then we are attacked by War Loving Democrats for being: "divisive fanatics," "racist," "Tea Baggers," "crazy," etcetera. Could McCain be getting away with bombing North Africa? Or does that take an African-American to give political cover to the war jackals?
The last four paragraphs were for War Loving Democrats, Greens and Socialists--yes I have heard from all three groups denouncing me for being against bombing Libyans to save them (same thing BushCo said about Iraqis, by the way--and the very same rhetoric used for Vietnam, etc).
This next part is for war loving Republicans and "Independents,"
What? Are you people morons? First of all, you should be dancing in the streets praising the name of Obama like your comrades in the Democratic Party who hypocritically support his murders. Face it--YOU OVERTLY LOVE WAR--when a Republican is doing it. Admit it, you salivate over killing innocents so those "jihadist" babies won't crawl over here to cut your throats and make your women wear burkas! How dare you attack me and complain that I don't protest Obama's wars, when you should be out supporting him with all of your violent hearts and souls.
Before you write to attack ME for being a hypocrite, I suggest a five minute exercise in "googling." If you do that, then you'll see since before he was even elected, I opposed Obama, while I was running for election in San Francisco AGAINST a Democrat, Nancy (War Lover and Torture Supporter) Pelosi.
You'll also see that I wrote a book in January of 2009 detailing everything I discovered that was wrong with this Empire and the myths that bind both sides to the establishment. Then you'll find that I traveled to Martha's Vineyard in 2009 when the Obamas took a $50,000 per week vacation there to demand a meeting with him to ask him "What Noble Cause?"
But that's not all, my War Loving Republican "friends."
In March of 2010, I set up a Peace Camp called Camp Out Now on the lawn of the Washington Monument for two weeks protesting Obama and his wars. Near the end of that Camp, I was arrested in front of the White House and jailed for 52 hours, then given a four month "stay away" order from the White House--does this sound like someone who supports, or is supported by the Obama regime?
Not being one to abandon my principles so quickly, I went back in July for two weeks to try and do the same thing.
I have protested the regime's drone bombing campaign in front of CIA HQ in Langley, Va AND at the Smithsonian Institute where the harbingers of massacre are proudly displayed--I even traveled to Oslo, Norway to protest his awardence of the Nobel Peace Prize.
So, War Lovers on the "right"--hate me if you will, but hate me because I am diametrically opposed to everything you stand for, not because I am a "hypocrite." Look inside yourselves and realize that Obama is ONE OF YOU--scary isn't it?
And War Lovers from the "left"--hate me if you will, too, but not because I am a "fanatic" (how can one be a fanatic about non-violence?), hate me because the light I shine back at you exposes your own lack of integrity around these issues--be honest and look deeply inside yourself and see that if it were McCain/Palin or Bush/Cheney bombing the crap out of Libya, you would be furious with me, not at me.
Peace Before Partisan Politics,
Cindy Sheehan
PS: Being against the US and its toadies bombing Libyans DOES NOT mean I am for Qaddafi killing Libyans either (or anyone killing Libyans, or others, for that matter).
PPS: In his own words: "The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation." Barack Obama, Boston Globe, December 20, 2007
Thanks to the helpful feedback I have received over these past two, or so, years, I have seen the enormous error of my ways.
I used to be against ALL wars and the use of violence, but (and I must admit a little confusion on this one, at first) now it seems that I am against wars, acts of war, and violence ONLY if a Republican is president. Now I understand with perfect clarity that it was good to protest Bush—and if the US-UN resolution against Libya was done when Bush was president, it would have been wrong—but now it’s “compassionate.” I must admit, I was a little shocked to find out that the US actually commits compassionate acts and, again, silly me—I thought most acts of war and war were for profit. I realize that only a jerk (or racist) would think that now. I have repented.
I cringe with embarrassment when I think of the wasted years imagining that there could be any other way to solve problems without killing more innocent people! It’s okay to bomb Libyans to save Libyans (or Iraqis to save Iraqis; or Afghans to save Afghans; or Yemenis to save Yemenis, etc) because a Democratic president who has been given the cover of the UN Security Council may bomb them. Yep, it’s all starting to make sense. With all the continuing conflicts, imagining a world without war was starting to seem useless—and now I know it was! Phew!
This is another kooky idea I had—that the Security Council of the UN oftentimes, if not always, bowed to the will of the global oligarchy—or should we say, OILigarchy. I chuckle, because apparently that notion was either dead wrong, or was just a fact of life up until January 20, 2009.
Here’s another mistaken notion that I labored under all these years: Torture is inhumane and a war crime. Up until just last week, I thought the US torture camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba should be closed and that military tribunals should not resume—but President Obama signed an executive order to keep Gitmo open and resume military tribunals. Wow, it’s like from almost one day to the next, torture and illegal, indefinite detention became acceptable practices.
Pssst—since I am in confession mode, I want to, with a red face, confess something else. Please, I hope you laugh with me and not at me, but this is so hard to admit. I thought I learned that US citizens were to be arrested only with reasonable cause, given their due process, and THEN punished if found guilty. I must admit I still thought that was wrong earlier today, but when I was (not so) gently and repeatedly reminded that we have a change agent as president, the scales fell from my eyes and now I get it! If Barack Obama (D) thinks that a US citizen needs to be executed without a trial or even a handshake, then by golly that person must need to be killed. Barack Obama (D) is a Constitutional scholar after all and I am sure his interpretation of the Bill of Rights is the correct one. Who am I to argue? What a relief—thinking is so unnecessary and hard!
Now the skeptical, old and ignorant Cindy Sheehan would have thought that the US was only concerned with the regime in Libya “killing its own citizens” because Libya has large crude oil reserves, but that was before I reflected on the fact that Barack Obama (D) has told us that offshore drilling and nuclear power is safe! Like my new hero, Barack Obama (D) keeps saying, we do need to “reduce” US dependence on “foreign oil,” but not before we kill as many people as we must to get all of that oil. The old me also would have thought that we needed to entirely eliminate our dependence on petroleum and petroleum products all together, but if Barack Obama (D) says it’s safe, that’s good enough for me!
I just hope the people of Libya realize that it’s way more of an honor to be killed by a US bomb then by a Libyan bomb and what an honor it is that the US is paying attention to their internal strife, because we don’t always do that—we like to pick and choose—and Libya, it’s probably just a coincidence that we choose YOU because you have oil. My country would never do anything wrong when a Democrat is president and I will forget history, too, because I don’t need it anymore.
I also must admit that I used to spend a lot of time worrying about Pfc Bradley Manning being incarcerated and tortured at Quantico for allegedly dumping info about US policy to Wikileaks. Now, I believe that if he did that to my wonderful president, he must deserve the treatment he is getting. Manning, that traitor, is lucky President Obama (D) hasn’t just decided to drop a Hellfire missile on him from one of those righteous drones he loves to use! Additionally, if Obama (D) says that Manning’s treatment is “appropriate,” I believe him now. Worrying about Bradley was keeping me up at night and now I wish I had the money back that I incorrectly donated to his legal defense fund so I can send it to the Committee to Re-Elect the President.
The old axiom is true! Confession is good for the soul!
I hope with this confession and subsequent penance (10 Our Fathers, 20 Hail Mary’s and a pledge to vote Democrat for the rest of my life) that I am accepted back into the fold of the Democratic Party. I will also voluntarily swear to uphold healthcare for profit and to love Wall Street, the war machine, and the bankers with all my heart while detesting working people and those people who want to “kill Americans” for absolutely no reason.
In Obama I trust. What a relief! Having a conscience is very isolating.
Let’s Party with a capital D because if I can CHANGE, then there is HOPE for everyone and anyone else who are still lost wandering nearly alone in that wilderness of integrity.
“The US is deeply sorry…these deaths shouldn’t have happened,”
General David Petraeus after nine Afghan children gathering wood were slaughtered by the US.
On 3 March, occupying forces in Afghanistan killed nine children gathering wood in Kunar Province. This time, instead of despicably accusing Afghan parents of killing their own children to laughably cast the US in a bad light (we don't need any help), according to the L.A. Times, Petraeus “swiftly” apologized.
Well, as someone who has had a child killed in this Imperial insanity, I know that apologies and blood money are just not enough to assuage the overwhelming grief one feels when a child precedes a parent to the stone-cold permanence of death. If there is any worse thing than burying a child, burying one so that others can realize vastly improved bottom-lines has to be way up there.
Having a child killed in needless and senseless wars is as needless and senseless as having one killed by a drunk driver. Even though there are strict laws in my state to punish people who drive while they are under the influence, apparently there are no strict laws against committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. There is not even a “War Criminal’s Anonymous,” where arbiters of peace and justice can send these brazen and unrepentant criminals to, after nine youngsters are murdered in calculated cold-blood.
Tragedy can be described as a very sad or disastrous event. Tragic things happen to people every day at the hands of the Empire, and since the USA is the world’s top-evil Empire, the people that are on the receiving end are the ones that should have the most claims on our sympathy. However, we also know it is a fact that many US troops come home with what used to be called “shell shock,” but is now called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I would hope the ground-level soldier who made the “mistake” (but make no mistake about it—there are no “mistakes” in illegal wars of aggression—every activity is criminal) that killed these children in Afghanistan has the conscience of a human being and is at the very least troubled by what he/she did. We call things that kill people without remorse: Monsters.
Well, the Monster Petraeus claims that the U.S. is “deeply sorry,” for the deaths of the Afghan boys, but we know that few people at the helm of this demented ship of state are truly “sorry” that anyone is getting killed, let alone nine desperately poor children in Afghanistan—over a million people have been killed since 9/11/2001 and if any tears have been shed by the war mongers, they are of the crocodile variety, to be sure.
How about the rest of the people who reside and pay taxes in this Empire—do they even know about this incident? In the Charlie Sheen/Newt Gingrich soaked news-o-tainment industry, these deaths haven’t even been mentioned. When that tax check to Uncle Sam is written every year, or when he takes his pound of flesh every payday, does the average American even stop to think what his/her money pays for?
Our tax dollars don’t just go to pay for wanton murder, they go to pay to keep Guantanamo Bay torture facility open
During the marathon-infomercial some people like to call a “presidential campaign,” then candidate Obama, was very clear that he would close Guantanamo Torture Facility and “restore habeas corpus” to those detained. Candidate Obama correctly identified the existence of such a place as a detriment to America’s “image;” yet, as president, Obama recently signed an executive order to restore Military tribunals and has not kept his promise, nor carried out his other executive order to close the prison.
According to British journalist, Andy Worthington, dozens of teens, sometimes 12-13 years old have been incarcerated in Guantanamo. Who’s going to say “sorry” to them for having their lives stolen along with the unspeakable torture and inhumane treatment they received at the hands of the Beacon of Democracy?
One member of this Gitmo Youth Group, Mohammed Jawad of Afghanistan, was tortured in Gitmo, confessed to the crime he was accused of, and held in detention for seven years based on a confession gleaned from torture! Imagine being 12 years old, arrested by foreign occupiers and then tortured. What would you say? Would you “sing like a bird,” as U.S. officials derisively said about this child? Now imagine your own child or another relative being treated worse than an animal and imprisoned for 1/3 of their young life for nothing. No “swift” apology came for Jawad, and nothing, especially an empty apology, could give him back his life, anyway.
Speaking of torture, PFC Bradley Manning has been tortured at Quantico for over a year now for allegedly “leaking” information to the whistleblower site, Wikileaks. Bradley has been held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day for nearly a year now. He has been charged with 22 counts, including “aiding and abetting the enemy” and faces execution if convicted. The civilian and military leaders of this Empire “aid and abet the enemy” everyday by their actions, orders, greed and insanity. In fact, they are the ones that are the enemy, and if he did leak the material, Manning exposed them he did not “aid” them.
In fact, one of the things Manning allegedly leaked is the “Collateral Murder” video, which is an egregious example of military mayhem that shows an Apache helicopter crew in Baghdad strafing some journalists and a van with two children inside that rushes to the aid of the journalists. When the crew discovers that children were in the van, you hear a soldier with a deficient soul say, “Oh well, that’s what you get when you bring children to a war zone.” Actually, quite the opposite, the U.S. illegally and immorally brought the “war zone” to the children and is sending the children of our nation to slaughter the children of others.
The Empire reminds me of my nearly three year-old grandson, Jonah--whenever he knows he has done something he shouldn't, he says "I sowwy, I sowwy," right away thinking his "swift" apology will expunge his guilt and avoid punishment.
Jonah doesn't really mean it either, but he's too young to know the difference.
Monster Petraeus was correct about one thing--these deaths should never have happened, but the nine youngsters in Afghanistan weren't the first ones killed and they won't, unfortunately, be the last.
War is so ridiculous with grown men behaving like out of control toddlers with live ammo, planes, helicopters and bombs--time for this Empire to crumble as all Empires have in the past.
I am working very diligently on the internet book: Revolution, A Love Story, based on the footage and finished product that was hijacked from me by an ex-colleague. I had thousands of dollars invested in the project and instead of having all that money go down the drain, I decided to write this book.
I am offering a chance to pre-order the PDF of the book for $10 (US) and if you would like an autographed copy of the cover page mailed to your physical address the price is $20 (for book and signed cover page).
If you already ordered a copy of the DVD documentary, you will get the PDF and autographed copy of the cover page automatically.
If you gave a $50 (or higher) sponsorship, your name will be in the acknowledgments in the book.
This entire episode has been so educational for me in so many ways and I am excited to offer this book as my thanks for being able to be exposed to the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela, its charismatic and compassionate leader, and to you for all your support over these years.
Also included in this email are information for pre-ordering the book (book should be finished by March 31st)and a free PDF preview.
In love, peace, solidarity and gratitude,
Cindy Sheehan
Cindy@CindySheehansSoapbox.com
(When the book is finished, I will also be willing to come to your community to do readings, signings, and sharing my experiences--please email me for more info, or to make arrangements).
CLICK TO ORDER
REVOLUTION, A LOVE STORY
by Cindy Sheehan with foreword by Eva Golinger Read the preview (linked below) and if you like what you read, please pre-order your copy of Revolution, A Love Story. Click the image of the cover page for ordering info.
If you order your copy, as soon as the book is finished, a PDF will be delivered to your email inbox.
If you order a signed copy of the cover page, please give 2-3 weeks for delivery.
Thanks!
Cindy Sheehan
In February of 2010, based on the flimsiest of physical evidence and rampant anti-Muslim bias, a Pakistani woman, Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, was convicted in US Federal Court in Manhattan for ATTEMPTED "murder of an American" and sentenced to 86 years plus life in prison. The terms “kangaroo court” and “railroaded” spring easily to mind when I think about the case of Dr. Siddiqui. I wrote extensively about the case in an article called: Injustice in the Age of Obama.
The final chapter has not been written in the tale of Dr. Siddiqui and just recently a bold Senator from Pakistan has offered to come to the States to meet with everyone concerned with the Siddiqui case, as Senator John Kerry recently did in Pakistan in reference to the case of Raymond Davis.
Raymond Davis is a confirmed CIA asset who apparently was given diplomatic credentials who shot and killed two Pakistani (one in the back as he was fleeing) men in Lahore in January, claiming he was worried he was about to be robbed. A third Pakistani was struck and killed by a second CIA asset who rushed to Davis’s aid, even though, ironically, it wasn’t Davis who needed the aid—it is the people of Pakistan who needed protection from the CIA.
Not only was a “Diplomat” carrying a Berretta which killed the two Pakistanis, his car contained a loaded Glock, GPS equipment, several full magazines and a telescope. Weird cargo for a rental car—the car Davis was driving wasn’t even a consular car, which further undermines the contention that he was under some kind of Diplomatic immunity.
According to a UK Mail article on February 16th, US president Barack Obama said, “Davis' detention risked further straining relations between the countries,” and went on, “local prosecution of a diplomat posed a threat to American diplomacy in general.” Oh really?
The people of Pakistan have been up in arms against their government for years now, viewing it as a collaborator in connection to the CIA controlled drone bombings in Northern Pakistan which are responsible for killing hundreds, if not thousands of civilians, along with the sprinkling of suspected "al Qaeda." The government of Pakistan routinely “denounces” such US attacks, but allows some of the drones to be launched from Shamsi Airfield in Pakistan. Speculation has been rampant that Davis was deeply involved in this program especially since there were no drone strikes from the day of his arrest on January 27 until February 21 (after the year began with about one drone strike every five days). Mere coincidence? Weather? Hm?
(Just as I am writing this article, a news item comes in from the UK Telegraph stating: A US intelligence agent arrested after shooting dead two men was the acting head of the CIA in Pakistan and had been gathering intelligence for drone attacks, according to intelligence sources).
So, our suspicions that Davis worked for the CIA were not only true, but they were mega-true. If he has been “acting head” of the CIA in Pakistan--in 2010, 118 drone attacks were made that killed about 1000 people. The January 27th incident—that was fishy from the beginning—has the stench of black ops all over it. There is also speculation that Davis worked to recruit native-born CIA assets to stir up trouble to justify the drone bombing program and the continuing US War on Terror—there must be Terror to keep the War going, after all.
The people of Pakistan are also rightly inflamed about the brutal treatment of Dr. Siddiqui and the profound dearth of justice that followed from her arrest for “attempted murder of Americans” (not one person was even scratched in the room that Dr. Siddiqui supposedly sprayed with M-16 gunfire) to the foregone verdict of guilty at her “trial.”
So far, Pakistan has refused to recognize Davis’s diplomatic immunity and Senator Kerry was sent back to the US empty-handed from his diplomatic trip to see about the release of Davis. Indeed, the news from Pakistan on February 23rd is that Pakistani courts will handle the Davis matter. Even though he doesn’t deserve it, I hope he gets better treatment than Dr. Siddiqui received at the hands of the Barbaric Americans. I guess everybody deserves justice, though—even murderous Americans who deny it to other people.
Coincidentally, I wrote this in my October 2010 article about Dr. Siddiqui:
Even if Dr. Siddiqui did shoot at the Americans, reflect on this. Say this case was being tried in Pakistan under similar circumstances for an American woman named Dr. Betty Brown who was captured and repeatedly tortured and raped by the ISI - here in the states that woman would be a hero if she shot at her captors - not demonized and taken away from her life and her children.
Well, my scenario has come true, except it wasn’t Dr. Betty Brown who was captured, tortured, and repeatedly raped by the Pakistani ISI--equivalent of the CIA—no—it was a CIA agent who was arrested for actually committing a crime and there has been no report of Davis receiving ill treatment at the hands of the Pakistanis, apparently that’s our specialty here in the US. Of course there’s no outcry here in the US, (except from the State Department and Obama who want this murderer released), but the recent event in Lahore and the continuing aftermath should be HUGE news, but somehow, is not.
Even though most Americans have no idea who these people are, everyone in Pakistan intimately knows the stories of both and won’t rest until Davis is tried in a Pakistani court of law and Siddiqui is repatriated back to her home.
The weak government of Zardari in Pakistan constantly wishes to placate and stall every side in every debate, but if something comes between its money from the US (remember, that’s how US puppets get wealthy) and the people of the nation, (remember, Mubarak), the money will almost always win
There has been some unofficial talk in Pakistan about trading Raymond Davis for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. Even though, I want Dr. Siddiqui out of US prison and to accept such an offer so she could be home with her surviving children, trading a cold-blooded CIA killer for an innocent woman would be another miscarriage of justice—but even if the deal was offered by Pakistan, I wonder if the US would accept?
No matter what happens to Davis in Pakistan, trying him would be ONE for justice and ZERO for the Empire during this inning.
I can only imagine the hissy fit the Empire is throwing right now in response to its puppet, for the time being, dancing to a different master.
“Workers of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your chains.”
Karl Marx
"I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag."
Smedley Darlington Butler
I recently sent out a statement in solidarity with the workers who are standing firm against their respective states wanting to make the workers pay more for their benefits and retirement—Wisconsin is hoping to make state workers take what amounts to an 18% cut in pay by raising their contributions for these safety nets. Wisconsin is also trying to severely limit collective bargaining for state workers, which, of course would further undermine labor.
With the cost of EVERYTHING rising because the cost of the US’s “reserve currency,” gasoline, is rising, asking the working class to sacrifice any more is unconscionable, especially when it is not the fault of the workers that capitalism is in such a state of crisis right now. Where does the Robber Class always go to preserve its status quo? That’s right, right after the resources of the Robbed Class.
Last year on this date, the average price of a gallon of gas was $2.70, and today it’s $3.29! With the volatility of oil prices resting on increasing political turmoil in the countries that produce (or give unfettered access to canals and pipelines) the most oil, one would have to wonder who really is behind the chaos in these countries?
Today, with the average price per gallon of heating oil rising to 3.62 (up .72 cents per gallon from last year), the Obama administration is cutting back on and heating oil subsidies for the most vulnerable of our population after he just signed a two-year extension of tax cuts for the rich! Extending the Bush era tax cuts for the rich added almost 900 billion dollars to the deficit and to partially offset that wealthy-fare, he is slashing social programs for the poor.
The defense industry received another swelling of its coffers by the Pentagon (the cash machine for the profiteers) being allotted a record-shattering 550 billion dollars plus some 160 billion dollars for the OCO (Overseas Contingency Operation). That brings the Pentagon’s base budget (doesn’t include black-ops , the nuclear program , or foreign military aid ). All this from a "peace" president who campaigned on a platform unequivocally stating (with his fingers crossed behind his back), that, as president, he would include the cost of the wars in with the regular budgets and not ask for supplemental funding as his predecessor had done on numerous occasions.
I got a text from my sister in Southern California tonight and it said: “Wow, Ed Schultz (centrist radio talk show host and host of TheEd Schultz Show)is really bashing Obama for this thing in Wisconsin right now.” First of all, I don’t watch MSNBC, because once one starts cashing ones pay checks from the war machine, it changes a person. No matter how good he/she was before, the Imperial Puppet Show must go on!
Secondly, my reply to her was: “It’s about time, too bad few people have been disillusioned by Obama’s violent foreign policy!” Indeed, I have been watching the left-wing coverage of the stand in Wisconsin, and elsewhere (which I wholeheartedly support), and I have yet to see one sign that says something like: “End the Wars, End our Economic Woes.” Just because I haven’t seen a sign like that doesn’t mean there aren’t any out there, but there couldn’t be that many.
Madison is a town I have been to several times and I enjoy its radicalism and easy-going rhythms. I know it’s also a town steeped in antiwar radicalism, yet I wonder when was the last time that Madison got tens of thousands of people out for an antiwar rally—and when was the last time thousands of Wisconsinites occupied its state building and demanded that the Wisconsin National Guard (and millions of dollars) be brought back from the disastrous war of terror? I am not picking on the dear people of Wisconsin—I AM PICKING ON ALL OF US!
Last March, I called for the same kind of action on the National Mall—camp out and refuse to leave until Obama set a date for complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq—we didn’t even get tens of dozens of people to come out to Camp Out Now, and it’s not really possible to make a stand with about 20 people. Tens of thousands of committed people would have made a difference, twos of tens could not.
MoveOn.org, the amazing anti-Bush and anti-Republican online activist organization that has met few Democratic War Mongers that it didn’t love, is calling for rallies at all 50 state capitol buildings on February 25th—what a bunch of astounding hypocrites that organization has turned out to be—the only reason that MoveOn.org is getting behind the working people is because they know, that like the war in Iraq when Bush was president, this is an issue that can highlight the failures of the Republican Party while conveniently ignoring the fact that, besides take the money of organized labor, the Democrats have done very little in recent memory to elevate the economic and social conditions of the working class in this country. The failure of the economy to work for the working class is systemic--it is not a partisan issue. It’s a class issue—and while Obama gives lip service in support of the cause wherever there is a Republican governor, he’s sending the children of our working class (military recruitment has been Obama’s only successful jobs’ program) to kill the children of the disadvantaged in foreign lands.
It’s the war economy, duh. It’s been widely reported that it costs one million dollars a year to keep one troop deployed in Afghanistan—with about 100, 000 troops currently there, if that immoral misadventure ended tomorrow, that would be a 100 BILLION dollar savings just on troop upkeep!
Wisconsin is facing a 137 million dollar budget deficit—that’s 137 troops. If Obama brought home 137 troops and gave the savings to Wisconsin, that problem would be solved!
Indiana is facing a one billion dollar shortfall for 2012-2014 (they have two year budgetary cycles), and that would mean that 1000 more troops home would solve Indiana’s budgetary crisis.
My own dear state, California, is facing a WHOPPING 26 billion—because we’re a whopping state—Obama, bring home 2600 more troops and fork over the savings to us.
As a matter of fact without listing each state individually, 44 states plus the District of Columbia are in financial crises right now with a projected cumulative short fall of 125 BILLION dollars. Bringing every troop home from Afghanistan, and the remaining troops from Iraq would save 160 billion plus, because the troops are coming home, cancel that 36 billion dollar contract Boeing just received to build 179 tankers for the War Machine. Take the savings and reinvest that money back into the states and a real jobs’ program that isn’t chaired by the King of Outsourcing (Jeff Immelt), and we down here in our stratosphere would be sitting rather prettily.
Our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and friends would be home from the killing deserts and there would be decent paying jobs for them when they returned.
Don’t expect MoveOn.org to connect the dots of war spending with these budget emergencies—a look at the front page of its website mentions nada about wars, except to slam Rummy’s new book, but he’s just a Republican, anyway.
End the wars; End our Economic Woes.
It’s the War Economy, duh!
Bring our troops home and bring our prosperity home.
It's the War Economy, duh!
Plenty of Bread for War but no Bread for Bread.
It's the War Economy, duh!
No More Money for Occupation, We Need Money for Education!
It's the War Economy, duh!
Workers of the World Unite; you have nothing to lose but your chains!
Working women and men, I stand with you, because I am one of you!
Some people call me the “Peace Mom," because of my unwavering work and stand for peace. In 2004, my son Casey made the ultimate sacrifice for war profiteering and imperial hubris; he was only in the Army because he wanted to take pressure off of his family for college tuition. Because I am one of you, I know that working women and men make substantial sacrifices every day of their lives.
You do it for your kids. For your spouse. And yes, even for your country.
But the sacrifices you are being asked to make today (and make no mistake, leaders of both political parties are responsible) are excessive, egregious, unconscionable and simply unthinkable in the context of personal freedom, collective responsibility, and unconditional equality.
We hear a lot of talk from politicians about compassion and concern, but the minute a politician, or a CEO, thinks the cost of doing business is too high, all that talk goes out the window – and workers pay the ultimate price.
WE MUST CHANGE THAT AND THE STRUGGLE HAS BEGUN!
This is NOT a financial issue! State and national deficits rise and fall with economic cycles. Those who would rob you of your rights know this, and they are lying! They want to scare you into giving up your rights.
DON’T LET THEM! WE MUST STAND FIRM!
This is not a political issue! It has nothing to do with conservatives or liberals, as some try to portray it. A brand new poll says that over 60 percent of American workers SUPPORT your right of collective bargaining!
No my friends, this is not a financial issue. This is not a political issue. IT IS A HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE!
If a president or a governor or a legislature or a board of directors can organize to try to steal away your rights, you must exercise your basic right to organize against them!
THAT BASIC HUMAN RIGHT IS WHAT’S AT STAKE HERE, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! I STAND WITH YOU IN DEFENDING IT!
Stand your ground, fight for every thing that is rightfully yours, but don't let your principled and courageous stand be co-opted for crass political gain. Politicians love to grandstand on our movements and co-opt our sacrifices for votes and political contributions, but have a way of conveniently forgetting their promises shortly after election day.
As this assault on your rights continues, take a minute to think about how it happened. We got to this place because we have voted, year after year, for the LESSER OF TWO EVILS. Remember this fact the next time you vote, and remember this: THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS IS STILL EVIL.
If America is serious about leading the way in human rights, we must protect and expand the rights of those who keep America going: the working class.
"Uniting and Strengthening All by Mentoring Appropriate Trust Required to Instruct and Obstruct Tyranny"
EGYPTIAN WOMEN FIGHTING TYRANNY
Today, (Feb 16, 2011) the Senate approved an extension of the treasonous USA PATRIOT ACT, following the lead of the House of Representatives.
The USA PATRIOT ACT, commonly called "the Patriot Act," is an acronym contrived to make something that is completely tyrannical and fascist sound appealing. The USA PATRIOT ACT stands for: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act
With this nation overstretched in at least three foreign wars of aggression based on the lies of such international “luminaries” as confessed liar/murderer “Curveball,” and with the concurrent global economic crisis, it’s dubious whether the USA PATRIOT ACT “united or strengthened America,” in the first place. Secondly, there are many reasons to be cynical about the reasons for ramming the Patriot Act down our throats, anyway.
Michael Moore’s film, Fahrenheit 911 was probably the first international, semi-mainstream exposure that highlighted the way the Patriot Act was passed. Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) recounts how each office got a copy of this massive bill and were given instructions to pass it without having time to analyze or even skim it. Sixty-six House Members and one Senator, Feingold from Wisconsin, were the only ones who did not commit treason on October 26, 2001 by voting to flush what remained of the US Constitution down the toilet of manufactured-mass hysteria.
Of course, my opponent when I ran for US Congress in 2008, “liberal” Nancy Pelosi from “left-wing” San Francisco voted “aye.” Nancy Pelosi proves that not all women operate with the same instincts for peace and protecting the defenseless. This is a side note, but I read a transcript of the interview that I did with President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, (the interview was in English and Spanish) and when the person who transcribed the interview, who was switching from English to Spanish and doing a fabulous job, heard that I told President Chavez that I ran against “Nancy Pelosi,” she heard and wrote: “Nazi policy,” Nancy’s recent career and the trajectory of this Empire in reauthorizing the USA PATRIOT ACT today (under the regime of a Constitutional Law professor) only highlights the Freudian nature of that “slip.”
Well, unlike the POTUS, I am not a Constitutional Law professor, but it “doesn’t take a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” and I have felt the impact of the increased police state since the passage of this act in 2001.
I have written pretty extensively on the idea of "Matriotism" as a counterbalance to the oftentimes violent jingoism of "Patriotism," where in a time of national crisis, we are to rally around the leadership of this country and blindly follow them to death, or the death of our children (not theirs), no matter how demented their policies are, or no matter how much they contradict basic human rights, human nature and common sense. A Matriot rallies around common sense and peaceful conflict resolution in times of crises—we believe that every human being--not just white, Christian Americans—have the same rights to peace and prosperity and the only way we’ll ever fight is to protect defenseless souls from the encroachment of the dreaded Patriotism. “Patriotism and Patriarchy” stem from the same Roman root of patria which means “fatherland,” but sometimes Father doesn’t always Know Best!
Even though, as a Matriot, I have deep problems with the Constitution as it favored the immoral institution of slavery, did nothing to curb imperialism, or the slaughter of the indigenous populations, and didn’t even mention women, it was a fairly liberal document and became more so with the forced inclusion of a Bill of Rights—I think the US Constitution is far superior to the USA PATRIOT ACT, yet has been rendered totally irrelevant it.
The Patriot Act blatantly curbs our own human rights to privacy and due process in this country and has been used to justify everything from warrantless wire-tapping to indefinite detention—the Bill of Rights explicitly covers these two breeches in the 4th(The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized), and 6th(all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense), and 8th (excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted).
Security of ones person and papers and being free from torture and illegal detention were some of the major points of contention the colonials had with the British colonists.
So, in my opinion, here we live in a country where the government has no legitimate right to rule over us! If the Congress can abrogate the Bill of Rights and its enumerated power (Article I, Sect 8, Clause 11) to declare war, then it has abrogated itself!
Consequently, since today the Congress of the USA has just further made itself illegitimate under US law, a free people do declare that Congress is not the "boss of us."
We reject the USA PATRIOT ACT and its draconian oppressions and declare ourselves a free people based on the political and human law that says a government can only have authority over us with our permission.
Please join me in withdrawing your permission to be misgoverned—the USA MATRIOT ACT: the Unity and Strengthening All by Mentoring Appropriate Trust Required to Instruct and Obstruct Tyranny, is OUR WAY—whether you are male or female.
Education, peace, and the struggle against tyranny is our inalienable human responsibility.
America is a Nation with a mission - and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire. Our aim is a democratic peace - a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman. Emperor George the III
Once upon a time in the Evil Empire, there arose to the Most Powerful Office in the Land, a very stupidly evil man named, George Walker Bush (the III George of the Empire).
George the III had been a less than mediocre student in school, he failed in every business that he tried to operate and as governor of one of the far-flung provinces of the Evil Empire called Texas, he was an unmitigated disaster. The axe of his executioner swung wildly and he dismantled the education system while ruining the environment.
George Walker Bush was not much different that any other Ruler of the Evil Empire in his Evilness, but the arrogant stupidity of his Evilness began to turn many of the Subjects of the Evil Empire off. What was also so different about George the III was that he stole the office in not a subtle coup, as in previous times, but in an obvious coup that ripped any semblance of democracy to shreds.
In the first year of the Reign of George the III, the Evil Empire was attacked because of its Evil Ways around the globe and George the III and his Consort, Richard the Sick-Hearted, sent the Armies of the Evil Empire to various regions of the planet to murder, rape and pillage, thus causing more hatred and resentment towards the Evil Empire, and anon, the Subjects of the Evil Empire also became very restless.
The Subjects of the Evil Empire rose up in great numbers to oust George and Richard, but the Royal Ass-wipes in the Parliament refused to depose the dictators until the appointed time that they were to leave the Highest Office in the Land.
George and Richard returned to the comfortable lives of the Evil Empire’s Nobility, but when they left, they left two wars raging and an economic crisis that was the worst that the Subjects had experienced in generations.
Lo, and in the Year of the Lord 2008, an Angel appeared unto the Evil Empire (on CNN) and said: "Rejoice, you highly favored Ones! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among Nations!” And unto the Evil Empire was given a savior: Barack Obama.
The Subjects in the Kingdom of Democrats did rejoice with great rejoicing and the memory of the trials and tribulations of the last eight years receded from Memory—although the trials and tribulations remained.
In the Kingdom of the Republicans, though, the same trials and tribulations that Blinded them during the reign of George the III and Richard the Sick-Hearted miraculously appeared to them and they became most distressed and formed their rage into Tea Parties where no actual tea was served along with the stupidity and racism.
What is the point of this above Fairy Tale? The US is a Mythocracy where the puppets in apparent leadership roles dance to the whims of the real rulers of this country: the Corporatocracy:
Basically, what Economic Hit Men are trained to do is to build up the American empire. To create situations where as many resources as possible flow into this country, to our corporations, and our government, and in fact we've been very successful. John Perkins (Confessions of an Economic Hitman)
This fact is not a crazy conspiracy theory and the US isn’t the only country run by the super-wealthy—Anti-globalization movements like the ones against the economic oligarchies of the G8, G20, WTO and World Bank understand this simple fact.
Look at the recent democratic uprising in Egypt. The puppet of this global oligarchy, Mubarak, hung onto to power for 18 days, even sending in thugs to kill hundreds of anti-Mubarak protesters, stalling the inevitability of his departure.
Why did Mubarak stay for so long? He told CNN’s, Christiane Amanpour, that he didn’t even want to be “president” anymore, after 30 years of rape and pillage. He stayed, according to a recent article in the UK Telegraph, to make sure his wealth, estimated upwards of 70 billion dollars was secure. Mubarak was not about to beat a hasty retreat without making sure every last penny was securely away from being frozen by Swiss authorities or re-appropriated back to the people he stole it from.
Mubarak was never a public servant of the people of Egypt—public servants don’t amass Pharaoh-sized fortunes. He was given billions of pieces of silver to betray his people and the people of Palestine with this blood money.
The oligarchy’s hand-picked, hand-puppet in Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, and his family sit on a goldmine for them and their masters: vast mineral deposits and the CIA-opium trade. According to Wiki-leaks documents released late last year, the US is “distressed” at the corruption in Afghanistan and millions (if not billions) of dollars that flow into Afghanistan from US taxpayers, flow right back out of the country to such places as Dubai, where Karzai and his cronies can be assured that if they are chased out of Afghanistan by a popular uprising, their wealth is secured. If the US is so “distressed” by all the corruption and graft in Afghanistan, why is Karzai allowed to remain—it’s not because he has been “democratically” elected in a process that is blatantly fraudulent—no, it’s because he’s a willing dancer with the hand of the puppeteer firmly ensconced in his nether-regions.
There are some nations that are able to remain relatively independent of the global oligarchy and one such nation sits just 90 miles off the tip of Florida: Cuba.
Although Cuba was used as a wedge between the US and the USSR during the Cold War, it has never been a military or economic threat to us—what it is down there is a constant reminder to the Global Imperialists that, no matter how tiny, there are still places that can remain free and survive.
The propaganda about Cuba is stunningly wrong and pathetically obvious, and one doesn’t have to dig too deeply in the mire to find out the truth, but ask yourself this: Why is the US obsessed with Cuba and the Castros when it has supported too many dictatorships in Latin America to count? Why was Allende overthrown in favor of the appalling murderer and oppressor, Pinochet in Chile?
Why is the Empire obsessed with democratically elected and supported Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, yet props up a violent Narco-State like Colombia?
The still recent CIA-backed coup (they’re all CIA backed) in Honduras deposed Zelaya to install a more oligarchy friendly regime, is another example of blatant hypocrisy.
The reason the Karzais and Mubaraks of the world are so beloved by the globalists and hated by the people is the same reason that the Chavez’s and Castro’s of the world are hated by the globalists and loved by their people (and others who have been inspired by their stands)—leaders like Chavez and Castro have insulted this Corporatocracy by insisting that the wealth and resources of their respective countries belong to the people of that nation.
Let’s hope that the uprisings against the elites of this world that didn’t start in Egypt, but was so obvious there, continue.
Our brothers and sisters in Latin America have been doing an admirable, if unsung job, rising up against the puppet-masters from the bottom to the top in some cases.
Here we sit in the seat of the globalist’s wet dream—the United States of America. Ah, America, where the people on the bottom of the economic ladder still think it’s possible to claw, fight, kick, and scratch our way to the top and we won’t allow any pesky facts to get in the way of our quest for this impossible Madison avenue induced nightmare.
If most of us can’t even discern that it doesn’t matter who dances for the elite in the Oval Office, then all is lost before we even begin.
Emperor Obama, and Emperor Bush before him, were installed in their positions by the same institutions that installed Mubarak and Karzai. The difference is, with our complicit media, many of us still firmly believe in the illusion of political “choice.”
The elites of the world never call these people dictators, but their people do.
Will this Once Upon a Time have a happy ending for the heroes? Only the people themselves can decide that.
