Ordinary Joe’s actions, i.e. voting, weren’t illegal.
Whether or not something was effective, or in fact tipped an election one way or another, is a separate matter.
The purpose of the investigation is to determine whether or not laws were broken.
AMY GOODMAN: So they said, “Keep it in the ground.”
GOV. JERRY BROWN: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: And you responded by saying, “Let’s put you in the ground.”
GOV. JERRY BROWN: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you explain what you meant?
GOV. JERRY BROWN: That was a joke. Now, Amy, don’t use your media outlet for this kind of silliness. That was an ironic remark in the face of a noisy demonstration when it’s very hard to even hear, much less keep your thought there. And—
AMY GOODMAN: But it was Native Americans, and they took it very seriously. Do you—
The term “White terrorism” is used in the same manner as the more commonly deployed "Islamic Terrorism" to point out the false distinction made by those who use the term.
Manning wasn't pardoned, his sentence was commuted. That gives Assange a technicality to refuse extradition and Obama the appearance of not being too soft on a leaker, especially considering the ordeal that Manning has already endured.
The problem with focusing on Russia is that it drowns out other legitimate avenues of investigation and/or resistance, as well as undermining the credibility of the political institutions and media that are so narrowly focused.
By all means let us play "unfairly". Let us also be effective.
"Virtually every mainstream media article or broadcast on the United States aerial massacre of Syrian government troops, manages to work in a reference to barrel bombs as though this in some way justifies or mitigates the US action..." link to craigmurray.org.uk
The Bundy militia are disenfranchised with no recourse but violence? The poor, oppressed, well armed white male property fetishists that are subsidized by the very government they decry?
Don't let your disgust with the current hate-mongering make you question your accurate evaluation of the hate speech you heard last century. To suggest that the Nazi propaganda was correct because Palestinians now suffer the predation of Israel is a twisted, illogical conclusion.
"Putin is blind to the ways that al-Assad and his military brutality is prolonging the civil war. Backing his genocidal policies will just perpetuate that war."
Anyone backing any side of this conflict is guilty of prolonging and perpetuating this war. Is the West blind to their role in prolonging the war? No, they are doing it with their eyes open, as is Putin. By prolonging the war they delay an unfavorable end. The only question worth considering is, what is the path of least harm and of greatest benefit to the greatest number of people? Let's not engage in accusations that are equally applicable to "our" own actions.
Thank you. To suggest that only those who served in the military have a right to criticize others who others who served is a dangerous notion. I want nothing to do with a country wherein such Ouroboric logic holds sway.
Nothing in that NYTimes link refutes any of Juan's points. Uranium from Niger? Nope.
Defensive? Nope.
Humanitarian? Nope.
UN Security Council resolution? Nope.
Please tell us how Juan was wrong.
I've seen many right wing evangelical Christians pledging to stand with Israel against satanic Obama. Never mind that they believe that Jews are destined to go to hell if they don't find Jesus.
"Does Daesh now newly consider him a traitor, a bad Muslim, not a Muslim?"
Daesh has considered all Muslims that don't practice their brand of it to be traitorous non-Muslims deserving of death. That has always included Nasrallah
All the while leaving out any mention of Sunni terrorists encouraged by Western governments as a foil to Hezbollah in 2007.
"...To understand what is going on with Fatah al-Islam at Nahr el-Bared one would want a brief introduction to Lebanon’s amazing, but shadowy ‘Welch Club’.
The Club is named for its godfather, David Welch, assistant to Secretary of State Rice who is the point man for the Bush administration and is guided by Eliot Abrams.
Key Lebanese members of the Welch Club (aka: the ‘Club’) include:..." link to counterpunch.org
" As a result of this, P.L.O leaders never had established firm control over Gaza as a governing entity and Hamas effectuated a violent full takeover in 2007, jailing and torturing many leaders of the Fatah movement." This description leaves out the context of the US & Israel backed coup attempt after Hamas won the election.
I agree that such language is troubling. I do not seek to eliminate distinctions between men and women. I do seek to eliminate sexist language that equates "manning up" with honesty and bravery which leaves only their opposites for the opposite sex. It is a problematic pattern followed by warmongers and their critics alike.
The Nigerian military's propensity for rape and looting would likely mitigate any positive effects of a rescue operation.
Craig Murray writes that tribal and religious networks may be the solution to this specific dilemma. http://Www.craigmurray.org.uk
See also: US Intelligence agencies recruiting Peace Corps members, using false vaccination programs as cover, etc. All such actions undermine the effectiveness of such organizations and endanger the participants.
I always find myself supporting anyone who objects to conscription, even though in this case it is only for a select group. Hopefully the idea catches on with less orthodox Israelis.
Nader is the opposite of a narcissist. Blaming a lost election on someone with greater integrity who ran against you is a funny thing. I think Gore should accept the blame for his loss. But Nader should be proud that he was the better candidate and that he continues to expose the corrupt electoral system.
That's one. As in, "...very few, if any..." Also, see Nazi love of War as ultimate answer to most if not all questions. And of course we lose most if not all arguments by being the first to bring up Nazis;^)
I couldn't agree more. Note the lack of attention to the fact that not releasing the report prejudices the relationship in a favorable and fabricated manner.
"... . True, the theft of land and water is illegal under international law, but I get the sense they steal only what they need. Sometimes a bit zealous!..." You lack "sense" re: "only what they need". If that was sarcasm it didn't come across as such. If it was sincere I found it repulsive.
Maybe they've cut a deal behind the scenes and are actually making room for someone else to take their place on the Security Council in exchange for I know not what. Are there any countries that cone to mind that are strong contenders or who might benefit the most from occupying that seat and what interests might they share in common with Saudi Arabia?
Joe, is that a rhetorical question? Fear of Hezbollah is just as irrational as fear of Iran unless one admits that what they actually fear is a diminished capacity to dominate, displace and destroy Iranians and Lebanese
How absolutely terrifying to imagine the oh-so-eager-to-invade-everywhere Iranians getting access to spare parts or even weaponry! How will we manage to sleep at night?
Besides poaching there was also ther problem of European countries illegally dumping toxic waste off the coast of Africa. Some of this probably affected fisheries as well as contributed to a general sense of lawlessness.
" Under international law, they’re welcome to try."
Might makes right, eh? If they can do it, then International Law may apply. If they don't have the resources to enforce the law on their own then we are blameless for harboring and protecting the worst of the worst from justice.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander, rightght? I look forward to everyone having no problem with other nations snatching war criminals and terrorists from the streets of America.
While these points ought to play well for most Republicans and establishment boosters I have to say that the military cuts should be expanded and the savings used to fund civilian programs such as, though certainly not limited to, reopening national parks. Ted Cruz, the most effective accidental peace activist ever.
" Wouldn’t the conclusion one could draw from these observations be that that speculations about motives are less important than the actual issues at stake, and likely outcomes?"
Yes, by all means let us consider the actual issues and likely outcomes instead of assuming that a military strike will actually save lives.
The Allies didn't fight Nazi Germany to save Jews from extermination any more, and even less so, than the North fought the South in the American Civil War in order to free the slaves. Both were welcome side benefits and occasionally effective strategies or justifications. And if you wete a Syrian child whose family was tortured and murdered by Al Nusra, et al, or Israeli or US missiles, what sort of radical might you grow up to be? I don't ask in order to negate your question. Just to encourage us all to consider the humanity of all potential victims in this war.
Why do you keep harping about a century old norm against chemical weapons when that timeline is demonstrably false? Then you dismiss the main example of their use and US complicity while calling for the US to do something about it now.
Are we pretending that chemical weapons weren't used against Iran when we speak of the need to prevent the return of chemical weapons to battlefields? Did we intervene in that instance? Oh right, of course we did. By providing satellite intel for Saddam's troops.
The only reason I can imagine for using gas, particularly after inviting inspectors to the country, would be if the regime has decided that they've lost and want to go out with a bang by luring the US into an actual invasion. Apocalyptic delusions of grandeur?
"...Meanwhile, Lebanon is on tenterhooks with Nasrallah threatening to import the war from Syria..."
I don't believe the refrain repeated ad nauseum by the MSM that Lebanese Sunnis joined the fight against the Bath regime in Syria in response to Hezbollah's involvement on the opposite side. That sounds like pure propaganda in defense of forces sympathetic to Al Qeda that the West has been backing in Lebanon for some time. Next they'll tell us Hezbollah is setting off car bombs against their own people to garner sympathy. Yes, the Syria war is being brought to Lebanon, just not by Nasrallah.
I may have missed a post or perhaps events in Egypt overshadowed the revelation that NSA violated their own minimal restrictions thousands of times. Of course there is the reassuring excuse that many of those violations were "operator errors" or mistakes. Has this already been discussed at length here?
Not a chance that minimum wage is the problem. The minimum needs to be raised, they priming the economy with money spent on consumer goods. We also need a maximum wage since there are people being compensated
Without going as far as saying the Palestinians shouldn't enter negotiations, can understand the points made regarding the disadvantage of entering them while in a weak position and the problem of legitimizing one's adversary as they continue stealing, etc. Playing along may only assist in the deception and delaying tactics of the Zionists.
One could ask the same question of the Syrian rebels. What have they for to lose by participating in peace negotiations?
"The United States has failed to be the strong nation that treasured morals and values it once was."
I don't disagree that we've failed but how far back do we have to go to get an example of America treasuring morals and values? When were those halcyon days?
The US does NOT have the right to ensure that the President of Bolivia isn't aiding and abetting anything in the air over Europe any more than the rest of the world would be allowed to act on similar hunches. Otherwise everyone would be subject to search and seizure at all times at anyone's whim. Ludicrous.
" The United States has not, and does not, spirit dissidents out of China or anywhere else on Air Force One."
Neither does any other head of state's plane. Certainly not Bolivia's. And how exactly would anyone know that about Air Force One anyway?
Ah yes, all those European governments are so concerned about possibly being accessories to (US) crimes. Extraordinary rendition doesn't bother them so much. "Intelligence" gleaned from torture? A-OK. The list goes on and on.
My understanding is that Spain's offer re: refuelung in Canary Islands came too late so they landed in Austria. Austria claims they were invited to search the plane. Morales denies that he allowed a search. Then the plane continued on to Canary Islands. Conflicting reports now being forgotten with the big news from Egypt.
The German and French governments have demonstrated how hollow their indignant statements about being spied on really were.
I believe you're working on a different list. Maybe one that talks about the differences between what each of the accused has or may have done instead of the media topic Juan raised. Of course, my own comment below status from that narrow subject too, just without going to 11.
" The military’s highest court overturned a murder conviction Wednesday against a Camp Pendleton Marine, Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III, who has served about half of his 11-year sentence. The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces agreed with Sergeant Hutchins, who claimed that his constitutional rights were violated when he was held in solitary confinement without access to a lawyer for seven days during his interrogation in Iraq. He led an eight-man squad accused of kidnapping a retired Iraqi policeman in April 2006, marching him to a ditch and shooting him to death in the village of Hamdania." link to mobile.nytimes.com Too bad such defenses don't work for leakers who haven't murdered anyone.
Any suggestion that what Snowden did is inconsequential is proven false by the official overreaction to its revelation. He is a hero. That being said, we shouldn't be surprised. And faith that The Law exists for any purpose but to protect the powerful and subjugate the rest is blind faith. also, we didn't need Snowden's revelations to have an inkling that anything we write in public, "anonymously" or not, might earn us a spot on an Enemies List somewhere. However, many people incorrectly assumed that their "private" communications were in fact private.
That one side can wage class war dispassionately, i.e., without hate, hardly speaks well of them. Such cold, calculated destruction and deceit, rationalized as the pursuit of freedom and the greater good, is sociopathic.
One didn't see parties (on the news) celebrating the death of Chavez in large part because his policies improved the lives of far more people than they harmed. That didn't stop the western media from engaging in their own orgy of rewriting history and his legacy, trying desperately to villianize him during the death watch and after his passing.
Thatcher's gender is neither a cause for celebration nor denigration. While I shudder at the thought of her being held up as a role model, I am not comfortable with any non-gender neutral invective hurled her way.
Hopefully we can all celebrate with a state funeral for T.I.N.A. in the near future.
I would add that Carter's plan was to bait the Soviets into occupying Christian Afghanistan. US involvement didn't begin as a reaction to Soviet actions. Soviets were reacting to provocation, just as was hoped.
Thank you for this fine and educational article, Juan. My only quibble with the timeline is that instead of pointing out that it was the Carter administration that deliberately lured the Soviets into Afghanistan in hopes of dragging them into their own "Vietnam" you suggest that Reagan was reacting to Soviet imperialism.
@Bill: While the US certainly bears some responsibility for the Pakistan government's preference for military over education spending (as our own government does), that hardly makes it less important to show the Pakistani people that not all Americans support the drone war. Suggesting that Khan & Code Pink are less than brave for their actions is just wrong.
@Bill: I have no doubt that those who oppose US imperial designs would much prefer top wage symmetrical warfare with the US. Either we can give then uniforms, training & every last bit of lethal technology our forces possess or we can strip our troops of all equipment & even nutritional advantages in order to have square go. Of course we'll still win with God on our side. As far as hiding amongst civilians goes, that would apply to much of the US, including ground zero, no?
Any thoughts on ambassador Chris Stevens relationship to Gaddafi, ie: before he was against him he was for him, as revealed long ago in memos wikileaked? I never wished him dead but he surely had enemies on many sides.
Official unemployment figures hardly reflect the actual number of unemployed people. They can't simply be redefined out of existence. That's my only issue with the rebuttal.
"...I returned to the UK today to be astonished by private confirmation from within the FCO that the UK government has indeed decided – after immense pressure from the Obama administration – to enter the Ecuadorean Embassy and seize Julian Assange.
This will be, beyond any argument, a blatant breach of the Vienna Convention of 1961, to which the UK is one of the original parties and which encodes the centuries – arguably millennia – of practice which have enabled diplomatic relations to function. The Vienna Convention is the most subscribed single international treaty in the world..."
-Craig Murray
"Faced with a neutered Security Council, we have to redouble our efforts outside of the United Nations with those allies and partners who support the Syrian people's right to have a better future," she said" -Hilary Clinton as quoted by the BBC.
Interesting that she embraces the sexist, macho notion that what is needed is testicular fortitude to set things right.
That western media continues to refer to the Syrian opposition as "protesters", despite many being armed and having killed upwards of 2000 security forces, seems a tad disingenuous.
Passive resistance in Egypt, for instance, was made possible large by the brave and violent resistance that cleared and protected the space for them to gather. We can't pretend it was all Twitter and Facebook and forget the decades of organization by organized labor and other groups working for change and willing to fight back.
"... on a $2 million a year retainer from Iran." This isn't
a particularly large amount of money in the grand scheme of things
and since Iran is opposed to both al-Qaeda and a resurgent Taliban
I don't think this is a strong argument against Karzai being a key
ally of the U.S.. Of course plenty of the "bomb Iran" crowd would
see it as such but I don't believe emphasizing the whole Axis of
Evil chimera contributes to thoughtful consideration of the
complexity of the situation. If anything it could be used as an
argument that Iran itself is a key ally of the U.S. in
Afghanistan.
I'd argue that the Gimp in Pulp Fiction is more like The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, with Gaza being Butch and Marsellus, since the villains try to use the Gimp to guard their prisoner. Even though the Gimp is also a victim he has been enslaved and does the bidding of his masters. In the film he turns out to be an ineffectual minion and we can only hope that the Gazans manage the same trick of Butch's escape from bondage.
"...in the USS Liberty incident of 1967, instead of specifying that it was only some Israeli military personnel."
While this incident shouldn't be used to condemn Jews or even all Israelis it was hardly the work of a few rogue pilots, sailors, etc. Responsibility goes up the chain of command, including high government officials. Our own government's coverup is reprehensible as well. With all of the attention being paid to the USS Cole and the lack of closure around it's disastrous anniversary I couldn't help but think of the Liberty and the deafening silence shrouding it.
Except the bombing accelerated the ethnic cleansing, caused massive civilian casualties in Serbia, destroyed much infrastructure (largely to destroy state run industry to punish them for the refusal to allow neoliberal privatization restructuring to run rampant). Surely war crimes don't rank among Clinton's best decisions, dismal as many of his other domestic and foreign decisions were.
Also, not all the blowback from Western backed mujahdeen originates from Afghanistan.
I'd agree that if the EU and UN, et al can get on board with elevating an ethnic enclave in the middle of another sovereign nation to national status that it ought to be a no brainer to recognize a Palestinian state and back it up with some firepower. Which isn't to say that I think the former was a particularly wise decision.
And Obama tells the UN that killing Israelis is "not resistance" and "will do nothing to help the Palestinian people." . All he says about Israeli policy has to do with how he wishes they would extend the settlement building "moratorium". Apparently killing Palestinians does help the Israeli people since the president doesn't feel the need to address it.
Petraeus is slowly and slyly staging his own effort to expand the military's influence on foreign affairs. Gareth Porter's article can be found here: link to counterpunch.org
...and this just in with regard to putting "...down legitimate protests and demonstrations":
I think the U.S. can take full responsibility for Karzai & Co. None of the soldiers or civilians of any nation should have died as a result of a foolhardy American adventure. Karzai didn't happen to "us". "We" happened.
Perhaps you mistook the figures for "killed" only when it actually says "killed or wounded". The wounded figures don't come close to the actual number, possibly by an order of magnitude.
If that means the US and NATO forces are responsible for the other 39% it hardly speaks well for our technological superiority or the notion that we're supposedly there to protect Afghans.
House Republican Leader John Boehner has openly called for cutting of Social Security to pay for the war in Afghanistan. He was interviewed by the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. At least they have their priorities straight. Front page news, right? right.
Don't forget that Obama's on record saying that anyone violating immigration laws should be held accountable, despite the fact that he refuses to hold those responsible for torture, invasion, etc. accountable.
"The government of Israel could respond by establishing an inspection facility in Limassol, Cyprus, and requiring vessels heading to Gaza Port to get cleared here first."
...of course then they'd have to declare that Gaza is either occupied or a part of Israel. Otherwise they don't have a right to clear vessels headed there.
The terrorism accusations remind me of when the commander of the Guantanamo detention camp characterized the suicides of inmates as "an act of assymetrical warfare against us".
© 2025 All Rights Reserved
Ordinary Joe’s actions, i.e. voting, weren’t illegal.
Whether or not something was effective, or in fact tipped an election one way or another, is a separate matter.
The purpose of the investigation is to determine whether or not laws were broken.
Irony of ironies, Operation Olive Branch.
Is the King the most powerful piece in a Saudi chess set?
Jerry Brown decided it was a good time for jokes.
AMY GOODMAN: So they said, “Keep it in the ground.”
GOV. JERRY BROWN: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: And you responded by saying, “Let’s put you in the ground.”
GOV. JERRY BROWN: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you explain what you meant?
GOV. JERRY BROWN: That was a joke. Now, Amy, don’t use your media outlet for this kind of silliness. That was an ironic remark in the face of a noisy demonstration when it’s very hard to even hear, much less keep your thought there. And—
AMY GOODMAN: But it was Native Americans, and they took it very seriously. Do you—
link to democracynow.org
And of course he has to backpedal on the one reasonable statement he made:
link to bbc.com
And Kabul as well:
link to bbc.com
The term “White terrorism” is used in the same manner as the more commonly deployed "Islamic Terrorism" to point out the false distinction made by those who use the term.
I was wrong about the word "pardon". Assange used the word "clemency" and a commuted sentence certainly qualifies as such.
Manning wasn't pardoned, his sentence was commuted. That gives Assange a technicality to refuse extradition and Obama the appearance of not being too soft on a leaker, especially considering the ordeal that Manning has already endured.
The problem with focusing on Russia is that it drowns out other legitimate avenues of investigation and/or resistance, as well as undermining the credibility of the political institutions and media that are so narrowly focused.
By all means let us play "unfairly". Let us also be effective.
They've had that port for many decades already, no?
"Virtually every mainstream media article or broadcast on the United States aerial massacre of Syrian government troops, manages to work in a reference to barrel bombs as though this in some way justifies or mitigates the US action..."
link to craigmurray.org.uk
Yet cartoonists insulting Islam are exercising freedom of speech.
The Bundy militia are disenfranchised with no recourse but violence? The poor, oppressed, well armed white male property fetishists that are subsidized by the very government they decry?
Don't let your disgust with the current hate-mongering make you question your accurate evaluation of the hate speech you heard last century. To suggest that the Nazi propaganda was correct because Palestinians now suffer the predation of Israel is a twisted, illogical conclusion.
Iran condemns new US sanctions over missile test
link to bbc.com
"Putin is blind to the ways that al-Assad and his military brutality is prolonging the civil war. Backing his genocidal policies will just perpetuate that war."
Anyone backing any side of this conflict is guilty of prolonging and perpetuating this war. Is the West blind to their role in prolonging the war? No, they are doing it with their eyes open, as is Putin. By prolonging the war they delay an unfavorable end. The only question worth considering is, what is the path of least harm and of greatest benefit to the greatest number of people? Let's not engage in accusations that are equally applicable to "our" own actions.
Thank you. To suggest that only those who served in the military have a right to criticize others who others who served is a dangerous notion. I want nothing to do with a country wherein such Ouroboric logic holds sway.
Nothing in that NYTimes link refutes any of Juan's points. Uranium from Niger? Nope.
Defensive? Nope.
Humanitarian? Nope.
UN Security Council resolution? Nope.
Please tell us how Juan was wrong.
I've seen many right wing evangelical Christians pledging to stand with Israel against satanic Obama. Never mind that they believe that Jews are destined to go to hell if they don't find Jesus.
"Does Daesh now newly consider him a traitor, a bad Muslim, not a Muslim?"
Daesh has considered all Muslims that don't practice their brand of it to be traitorous non-Muslims deserving of death. That has always included Nasrallah
All the while leaving out any mention of Sunni terrorists encouraged by Western governments as a foil to Hezbollah in 2007.
"...To understand what is going on with Fatah al-Islam at Nahr el-Bared one would want a brief introduction to Lebanon’s amazing, but shadowy ‘Welch Club’.
The Club is named for its godfather, David Welch, assistant to Secretary of State Rice who is the point man for the Bush administration and is guided by Eliot Abrams.
Key Lebanese members of the Welch Club (aka: the ‘Club’) include:..."
link to counterpunch.org
link to m.bbc.com
Unusually frank examination of the issue for msm.
She's also touring with the book. Keep an eye out for her at a bookstore near you.
" As a result of this, P.L.O leaders never had established firm control over Gaza as a governing entity and Hamas effectuated a violent full takeover in 2007, jailing and torturing many leaders of the Fatah movement." This description leaves out the context of the US & Israel backed coup attempt after Hamas won the election.
Hollow Land by Eyal Weitzman has some in-depth analysis of the occupation of water resources. link to powells.com
I agree that such language is troubling. I do not seek to eliminate distinctions between men and women. I do seek to eliminate sexist language that equates "manning up" with honesty and bravery which leaves only their opposites for the opposite sex. It is a problematic pattern followed by warmongers and their critics alike.
The Nigerian military's propensity for rape and looting would likely mitigate any positive effects of a rescue operation.
Craig Murray writes that tribal and religious networks may be the solution to this specific dilemma.
http://Www.craigmurray.org.uk
See also: US Intelligence agencies recruiting Peace Corps members, using false vaccination programs as cover, etc. All such actions undermine the effectiveness of such organizations and endanger the participants.
I always find myself supporting anyone who objects to conscription, even though in this case it is only for a select group. Hopefully the idea catches on with less orthodox Israelis.
"But no one can credibly deny they are not an aggressive power in the region." Double negative suggests you agree that they are non-agressors
See also: George W Bush, et. al.
Nader is the opposite of a narcissist. Blaming a lost election on someone with greater integrity who ran against you is a funny thing. I think Gore should accept the blame for his loss. But Nader should be proud that he was the better candidate and that he continues to expose the corrupt electoral system.
That's one. As in, "...very few, if any..." Also, see Nazi love of War as ultimate answer to most if not all questions. And of course we lose most if not all arguments by being the first to bring up Nazis;^)
I couldn't agree more. Note the lack of attention to the fact that not releasing the report prejudices the relationship in a favorable and fabricated manner.
"... . True, the theft of land and water is illegal under international law, but I get the sense they steal only what they need. Sometimes a bit zealous!..." You lack "sense" re: "only what they need". If that was sarcasm it didn't come across as such. If it was sincere I found it repulsive.
Maybe they've cut a deal behind the scenes and are actually making room for someone else to take their place on the Security Council in exchange for I know not what. Are there any countries that cone to mind that are strong contenders or who might benefit the most from occupying that seat and what interests might they share in common with Saudi Arabia?
Thanks, Joe. Wasn't completely sure my original comment would come across as hyperbolic sarcasm either so I laid it on a little thick.
Joe, is that a rhetorical question? Fear of Hezbollah is just as irrational as fear of Iran unless one admits that what they actually fear is a diminished capacity to dominate, displace and destroy Iranians and Lebanese
How absolutely terrifying to imagine the oh-so-eager-to-invade-everywhere Iranians getting access to spare parts or even weaponry! How will we manage to sleep at night?
Besides poaching there was also ther problem of European countries illegally dumping toxic waste off the coast of Africa. Some of this probably affected fisheries as well as contributed to a general sense of lawlessness.
" Under international law, they’re welcome to try."
Might makes right, eh? If they can do it, then International Law may apply. If they don't have the resources to enforce the law on their own then we are blameless for harboring and protecting the worst of the worst from justice.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander, rightght? I look forward to everyone having no problem with other nations snatching war criminals and terrorists from the streets of America.
While these points ought to play well for most Republicans and establishment boosters I have to say that the military cuts should be expanded and the savings used to fund civilian programs such as, though certainly not limited to, reopening national parks. Ted Cruz, the most effective accidental peace activist ever.
" Wouldn’t the conclusion one could draw from these observations be that that speculations about motives are less important than the actual issues at stake, and likely outcomes?"
Yes, by all means let us consider the actual issues and likely outcomes instead of assuming that a military strike will actually save lives.
The Allies didn't fight Nazi Germany to save Jews from extermination any more, and even less so, than the North fought the South in the American Civil War in order to free the slaves. Both were welcome side benefits and occasionally effective strategies or justifications. And if you wete a Syrian child whose family was tortured and murdered by Al Nusra, et al, or Israeli or US missiles, what sort of radical might you grow up to be? I don't ask in order to negate your question. Just to encourage us all to consider the humanity of all potential victims in this war.
Why do you keep harping about a century old norm against chemical weapons when that timeline is demonstrably false? Then you dismiss the main example of their use and US complicity while calling for the US to do something about it now.
Are we pretending that chemical weapons weren't used against Iran when we speak of the need to prevent the return of chemical weapons to battlefields? Did we intervene in that instance? Oh right, of course we did. By providing satellite intel for Saddam's troops.
The only reason I can imagine for using gas, particularly after inviting inspectors to the country, would be if the regime has decided that they've lost and want to go out with a bang by luring the US into an actual invasion. Apocalyptic delusions of grandeur?
"...Meanwhile, Lebanon is on tenterhooks with Nasrallah threatening to import the war from Syria..."
I don't believe the refrain repeated ad nauseum by the MSM that Lebanese Sunnis joined the fight against the Bath regime in Syria in response to Hezbollah's involvement on the opposite side. That sounds like pure propaganda in defense of forces sympathetic to Al Qeda that the West has been backing in Lebanon for some time. Next they'll tell us Hezbollah is setting off car bombs against their own people to garner sympathy. Yes, the Syria war is being brought to Lebanon, just not by Nasrallah.
I may have missed a post or perhaps events in Egypt overshadowed the revelation that NSA violated their own minimal restrictions thousands of times. Of course there is the reassuring excuse that many of those violations were "operator errors" or mistakes. Has this already been discussed at length here?
...with far more money than they are worth at the expense of those under them.
Not a chance that minimum wage is the problem. The minimum needs to be raised, they priming the economy with money spent on consumer goods. We also need a maximum wage since there are people being compensated
Good examples of rhetorical flourishes. My personal favorite is "Make no mistake...".
Would that these academic policemen applied the same vigorous standards to the whitewashing of US history prevalent in so many so-called textbooks.
Without going as far as saying the Palestinians shouldn't enter negotiations, can understand the points made regarding the disadvantage of entering them while in a weak position and the problem of legitimizing one's adversary as they continue stealing, etc. Playing along may only assist in the deception and delaying tactics of the Zionists.
One could ask the same question of the Syrian rebels. What have they for to lose by participating in peace negotiations?
Well said, Joe. I concur.
"The United States has failed to be the strong nation that treasured morals and values it once was."
I don't disagree that we've failed but how far back do we have to go to get an example of America treasuring morals and values? When were those halcyon days?
The US does NOT have the right to ensure that the President of Bolivia isn't aiding and abetting anything in the air over Europe any more than the rest of the world would be allowed to act on similar hunches. Otherwise everyone would be subject to search and seizure at all times at anyone's whim. Ludicrous.
" The United States has not, and does not, spirit dissidents out of China or anywhere else on Air Force One."
Neither does any other head of state's plane. Certainly not Bolivia's. And how exactly would anyone know that about Air Force One anyway?
Ah yes, all those European governments are so concerned about possibly being accessories to (US) crimes. Extraordinary rendition doesn't bother them so much. "Intelligence" gleaned from torture? A-OK. The list goes on and on.
My understanding is that Spain's offer re: refuelung in Canary Islands came too late so they landed in Austria. Austria claims they were invited to search the plane. Morales denies that he allowed a search. Then the plane continued on to Canary Islands. Conflicting reports now being forgotten with the big news from Egypt.
The German and French governments have demonstrated how hollow their indignant statements about being spied on really were.
I believe you're working on a different list. Maybe one that talks about the differences between what each of the accused has or may have done instead of the media topic Juan raised. Of course, my own comment below status from that narrow subject too, just without going to 11.
" The military’s highest court overturned a murder conviction Wednesday against a Camp Pendleton Marine, Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III, who has served about half of his 11-year sentence. The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces agreed with Sergeant Hutchins, who claimed that his constitutional rights were violated when he was held in solitary confinement without access to a lawyer for seven days during his interrogation in Iraq. He led an eight-man squad accused of kidnapping a retired Iraqi policeman in April 2006, marching him to a ditch and shooting him to death in the village of Hamdania." link to mobile.nytimes.com Too bad such defenses don't work for leakers who haven't murdered anyone.
Any suggestion that what Snowden did is inconsequential is proven false by the official overreaction to its revelation. He is a hero. That being said, we shouldn't be surprised. And faith that The Law exists for any purpose but to protect the powerful and subjugate the rest is blind faith. also, we didn't need Snowden's revelations to have an inkling that anything we write in public, "anonymously" or not, might earn us a spot on an Enemies List somewhere. However, many people incorrectly assumed that their "private" communications were in fact private.
Thank you, Sherm!
That one side can wage class war dispassionately, i.e., without hate, hardly speaks well of them. Such cold, calculated destruction and deceit, rationalized as the pursuit of freedom and the greater good, is sociopathic.
One didn't see parties (on the news) celebrating the death of Chavez in large part because his policies improved the lives of far more people than they harmed. That didn't stop the western media from engaging in their own orgy of rewriting history and his legacy, trying desperately to villianize him during the death watch and after his passing.
Thatcher's gender is neither a cause for celebration nor denigration. While I shudder at the thought of her being held up as a role model, I am not comfortable with any non-gender neutral invective hurled her way.
Hopefully we can all celebrate with a state funeral for T.I.N.A. in the near future.
As far as skyrocketing costs for produce growers in California who could no longer exploit their laborers as easily I say, cry me a river.
I would add that Carter's plan was to bait the Soviets into occupying Christian Afghanistan. US involvement didn't begin as a reaction to Soviet actions. Soviets were reacting to provocation, just as was hoped.
The CIA & US military have zero credibility & I wouldn't trust any figures they willingly released.
Thank you for this fine and educational article, Juan. My only quibble with the timeline is that instead of pointing out that it was the Carter administration that deliberately lured the Soviets into Afghanistan in hopes of dragging them into their own "Vietnam" you suggest that Reagan was reacting to Soviet imperialism.
@Bill: While the US certainly bears some responsibility for the Pakistan government's preference for military over education spending (as our own government does), that hardly makes it less important to show the Pakistani people that not all Americans support the drone war. Suggesting that Khan & Code Pink are less than brave for their actions is just wrong.
@Bill: I have no doubt that those who oppose US imperial designs would much prefer top wage symmetrical warfare with the US. Either we can give then uniforms, training & every last bit of lethal technology our forces possess or we can strip our troops of all equipment & even nutritional advantages in order to have square go. Of course we'll still win with God on our side. As far as hiding amongst civilians goes, that would apply to much of the US, including ground zero, no?
Any thoughts on ambassador Chris Stevens relationship to Gaddafi, ie: before he was against him he was for him, as revealed long ago in memos wikileaked? I never wished him dead but he surely had enemies on many sides.
Official unemployment figures hardly reflect the actual number of unemployed people. They can't simply be redefined out of existence. That's my only issue with the rebuttal.
link to craigmurray.org.uk
"...I returned to the UK today to be astonished by private confirmation from within the FCO that the UK government has indeed decided – after immense pressure from the Obama administration – to enter the Ecuadorean Embassy and seize Julian Assange.
This will be, beyond any argument, a blatant breach of the Vienna Convention of 1961, to which the UK is one of the original parties and which encodes the centuries – arguably millennia – of practice which have enabled diplomatic relations to function. The Vienna Convention is the most subscribed single international treaty in the world..."
-Craig Murray
Q: Why hasn't there ever been a coup in Washington?
A: The US doesn't have an embassy there.
Unlikely any enemy of the 1% will make the ballot. Better write someone in.
"Faced with a neutered Security Council, we have to redouble our efforts outside of the United Nations with those allies and partners who support the Syrian people's right to have a better future," she said" -Hilary Clinton as quoted by the BBC.
Interesting that she embraces the sexist, macho notion that what is needed is testicular fortitude to set things right.
That western media continues to refer to the Syrian opposition as "protesters", despite many being armed and having killed upwards of 2000 security forces, seems a tad disingenuous.
And see Uzbekistan for an example of the kind of dictator we're sticking with. "They may be bastards , but at least they're our bastards."
Thank you for that.
Passive resistance in Egypt, for instance, was made possible large by the brave and violent resistance that cleared and protected the space for them to gather. We can't pretend it was all Twitter and Facebook and forget the decades of organization by organized labor and other groups working for change and willing to fight back.
Amen to that! ...if you'll excuse the religious sounding exclamation from an agnostic pagan.
Perhaps he meant, "...sorted for Es and Wizz." ala Pulp.
"... on a $2 million a year retainer from Iran." This isn't
a particularly large amount of money in the grand scheme of things
and since Iran is opposed to both al-Qaeda and a resurgent Taliban
I don't think this is a strong argument against Karzai being a key
ally of the U.S.. Of course plenty of the "bomb Iran" crowd would
see it as such but I don't believe emphasizing the whole Axis of
Evil chimera contributes to thoughtful consideration of the
complexity of the situation. If anything it could be used as an
argument that Iran itself is a key ally of the U.S. in
Afghanistan.
I'd argue that the Gimp in Pulp Fiction is more like The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, with Gaza being Butch and Marsellus, since the villains try to use the Gimp to guard their prisoner. Even though the Gimp is also a victim he has been enslaved and does the bidding of his masters. In the film he turns out to be an ineffectual minion and we can only hope that the Gazans manage the same trick of Butch's escape from bondage.
"...in the USS Liberty incident of 1967, instead of specifying that it was only some Israeli military personnel."
While this incident shouldn't be used to condemn Jews or even all Israelis it was hardly the work of a few rogue pilots, sailors, etc. Responsibility goes up the chain of command, including high government officials. Our own government's coverup is reprehensible as well. With all of the attention being paid to the USS Cole and the lack of closure around it's disastrous anniversary I couldn't help but think of the Liberty and the deafening silence shrouding it.
Except the bombing accelerated the ethnic cleansing, caused massive civilian casualties in Serbia, destroyed much infrastructure (largely to destroy state run industry to punish them for the refusal to allow neoliberal privatization restructuring to run rampant). Surely war crimes don't rank among Clinton's best decisions, dismal as many of his other domestic and foreign decisions were.
Also, not all the blowback from Western backed mujahdeen originates from Afghanistan.
I'd agree that if the EU and UN, et al can get on board with elevating an ethnic enclave in the middle of another sovereign nation to national status that it ought to be a no brainer to recognize a Palestinian state and back it up with some firepower. Which isn't to say that I think the former was a particularly wise decision.
And Obama tells the UN that killing Israelis is "not resistance" and "will do nothing to help the Palestinian people." . All he says about Israeli policy has to do with how he wishes they would extend the settlement building "moratorium". Apparently killing Palestinians does help the Israeli people since the president doesn't feel the need to address it.
Petraeus is slowly and slyly staging his own effort to expand the military's influence on foreign affairs. Gareth Porter's article can be found here:
link to counterpunch.org
...and this just in with regard to putting "...down legitimate protests and demonstrations":
link to nytimes.com
...though they changed the headline today from "F.B.I. Gave Wrong Information on Surveillance" to "F.B.I. Spying Not Fueled by Politics, Report Says".
I think the U.S. can take full responsibility for Karzai & Co. None of the soldiers or civilians of any nation should have died as a result of a foolhardy American adventure. Karzai didn't happen to "us". "We" happened.
Perhaps you mistook the figures for "killed" only when it actually says "killed or wounded". The wounded figures don't come close to the actual number, possibly by an order of magnitude.
If that means the US and NATO forces are responsible for the other 39% it hardly speaks well for our technological superiority or the notion that we're supposedly there to protect Afghans.
House Republican Leader John Boehner has openly called for cutting of Social Security to pay for the war in Afghanistan. He was interviewed by the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. At least they have their priorities straight. Front page news, right? right.
Yeah, the Supreme Court appointment argument's been shown to be quite hollow with Kagan's nomination.
Don't forget that Obama's on record saying that anyone violating immigration laws should be held accountable, despite the fact that he refuses to hold those responsible for torture, invasion, etc. accountable.
Nuclear power is not a reasonable solution to the quest for sustainability. In my opinion it's suicidal.
"The government of Israel could respond by establishing an inspection facility in Limassol, Cyprus, and requiring vessels heading to Gaza Port to get cleared here first."
...of course then they'd have to declare that Gaza is either occupied or a part of Israel. Otherwise they don't have a right to clear vessels headed there.
- The Israeli Ministry of Truth
The terrorism accusations remind me of when the commander of the Guantanamo detention camp characterized the suicides of inmates as "an act of assymetrical warfare against us".