Juan Williams was clearly in the wrong. But give the man a warning. But what is especially absurd to me is that NPR has allowed one lie after the next to be repeated about Iran. I have heard NPR's Fresh Air host Terri Gross not only allow guest to repeat the debunked "Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map" I have heard Terri Gross repeat this hooey many times herself. Along with referencing Iran's nuclear program as a nuclear weapons program. (not a mistake, intentional) I have heard Scott Simon do the same. I have heard NPR's Talk of the Nation host Neil Conan allow John Bolton to repeat one lie after the next about Iran on his program and never challenge Bolton. NPR has been allowing one Iran basher after the next on their programs for the last seven years. No challenges.
NPR reports in very biased way in regard to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. So hearing them say that Juan is not living up to their "standards" and "ethics" in journalism I almost choked. NPR has no room to talk at all.
NPR has had quite a few employees claim that there is “pervasive cronyism” at NPR in regard to who gets to climb the ladder or able to get into the host spots of many of the news and information programs. Allegedly there was an outside group brought into investigate these repeated claims of “pervasive cronyism” That report has never been released.
I did some digging into this story about 10 years ago. I was able to ask Juan Williams if these claims had any substance to them. Asked him this during a question and answer period at Ohio University. He said these repeated claims did have substance.
By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer Karin Laub, Associated Press Writer – 19 mins ago
KARMEI TZUR, West Bank – Israeli settlers have begun building new homes at an extraordinary pace since the government lifted its moratorium on West Bank housing starts — almost 550 in three weeks, more than four times faster than the last two years.
And many homes are going up in areas that under practically any peace scenario would become part of a Palestinian state, a trend that could doom U.S.-brokered peace talks.
According to an Associated Press count, ground has been broken on 544 new West Bank homes since Sept. 26, when Israel lifted its 10-month freeze on most new settlement building.
The survey, while not comprehensive, marks the most extensive effort yet to quantify the construction. It was based on visits to 16 of the West Bank's more than 120 settlements as well as phone calls to more than four dozen settlements and interviews with construction workers and mayors.
"This figure is alarming and is another indicator that Israel is not serious about the peace process, which is supposed to be about ending the occupation," said Ghassan Khatib, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' self-rule government in the West Bank.
------------------------------
Think Jon Stewart will mention this on his comedy program?
Of course this is one of the only places that we are hearing serious and necessary questions being asked about mine safety around the world.
AFL CIO PRES Richard Trumka touched on these issues on Chris Matthews Hardball
That segment with Trumka is under the segment (scroll down) with McDermott on the minimum wage. link to msnbc.msn.com
Trumka’s (3rd generation deep miner) words about the miners coming up were chilling “When they were bringing the first miners out and I can tell you they were like our brothers. And it was almost like I hit the lottery there was this feeling of elation because THE EARTH NORMALLY DOES NOT USUALLY GIVE UP A LIVE BODY AFTER BEING TRAPPED UNDER GROUND FOR THAT LONG” I found these words and description chilling.
Trumka goes onto talk about health and safety around the world
So when will it become a requirement for American 's who have dual citizenship in Israel to take an oath that states that they are committed to U.S. National Security?
More about the Illegal Israeli settler who hit the Palestinian kid and drove away
"The story begins with a right-wing Jewish settler organization called Elad, but also known as the Ir David Foundation, which for the past four years has exerted control over most of the holy city's excavations. Led by David Be'eri, an ex-Israeli commando who used to disguise himself as an Arab for undercover missions in the Palestinian territories, Elad now has the backing of the Israeli Prime Minister's office, the municipality, and the vaunted Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which monitors all archaeological work in the country and which Elad helps finance. Elad's own funding comes through unnamed private donors. (Israeli newspapers have reported that a few Russian-Jewish oligarchs, including Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, attended a 2005 Elad fundraiser.) The organization's aim is best expressed in a religious website's 2007 interview with development director Doron Speilman. He gestures toward Silwan, an Arab neighborhood that spills down from the Mount of Olives, and says: "Our goal is to turn all this land you see behind you into Jewish hands." (See pictures of 60 years of Israel.)
Elad's activities, in the views of its opponents, amounts to turning over Jerusalem's archaeology to extremist Jewish settlers. That has alarmed many Israeli and international scholars, Palestinian officials, and human-rights advocates. On a political level, it complicates efforts by the White House to enable both Palestinians and Israelis to share Jerusalem as their respective capitals, a key demand of the Palestinians. For scholars, it sparks concerns about whether Elad can be independent and objective in its work. And for Jerusalemites it raises a fundamental question: What matters more, the stones and bones of antiquity, or the lives of the people who live on top of all that history?
Someone should find that young woman and interview her. She had to be terrified. What about the camera person. A couple of arrogant assholes who should be prosecuted
Ahmadinejad says Iran may end higher enrichment link to salon.com
Iran would consider ending higher level uranium enrichment, the most crucial part of its controversial nuclear activities, if world powers send Tehran nuclear fuel for a medical research reactor, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters Friday.
Addressing a packed press conference in a New York hotel, Ahmadinejad also said Iran was prepared to set a date for resumption of talks with six world powers to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program, saying October would be the likely time for the two sides to meet.
Cole "The Nuremberg Tribunal declared that “To initiate a war of aggression . . . is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.”
That the United States has failed to come to terms with its war crimes in Iraq only sets us up for a repeat performance. For a nation that lives by laws and the esteem of allies to act like an outlaw will ultimately undermine its own foundation. It is like playing golf in a bathroom– you’re going to end up with a lot of self-inflicted bruises."
“Death at the hands of a private security guard rather than the state security is making these clashes more intense than usual. In an all ready volatile Silwan neighborhood. Tens of thousands of Palestinians live in this area along with the relatively recent addition of 7o families of Jewish settlers. Whose presence is considered ILLEGAL UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW”
“Time for the whole world to see”
Jesus Mary and Joseph get the illegal settlers out of there NOW
That Al Jazeera tape will surely not be shown on Rachel maddow, Keiths ,Chris matthews or Eds. Dylan Ratigan is stepping out the off limits territory a bit. Had Glenn Greenwald on the other night discussing the middle east a bit.
Phillip Weiss, Max Blumenthal (own blog) and Adam Horowitz and team are doing an amazing job covering the I/P conflict as well as other issues. Prof Cole hope you add Mondoweiss and Max Blumenthals blog to your recommended list
Cole "If Powell is acting as a spokesman for significant elements in the officer corps, they could be trying to signal through him that they are prepared to live with a nuclear Iran, just as they had lived with a nuclear Soviet Union– in preference to opening yet another front with a military that is already over-stretched."
So hope and pray this is the case.
Cole"Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, contrary to what The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Golberg recently attempted to imply, likely doesn’t have the cojones to attack Iran on his own, without a green light from Washington."
Do you think that House Resolution 1553 could be used the way the Iraq war resolution was used in the 2002 mid term election. Vote yes on this. "the you are either with us or against us" hooey link to govtrack.us
House Resolution 1553
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1553
Expressing support for the State of Israel’s right to defend Israeli sovereignty, to protect the lives and safety of the Israeli people, and to use all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the use of military force if no other peaceful solution can be found within reasonable time to protect against such an immediate and existential threat to the State of Israel.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 22, 2010
Mr. GOHMERT (for himself, Mr. AKIN, Mrs. BACHMANN, Mr. BARTLETT, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. BONNER, Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. CAMPBELL, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. CULBERSON, Ms. FALLIN, Mr. FLEMING, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. GINGREY of Georgia, Ms. GRANGER, Mr. GRIFFITH, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. HERGER, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. LATTA, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mrs. LUMMIS, Mr. MARCHANT, Mr. NEUGEBAUER, Mr. PENCE, Mr. PITTS, Mr. POSEY, Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. OLSON, Mr. ROONEY, Mrs. SCHMIDT, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Mr. ROSKAM, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. JORDAN of Ohio, Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mr. KINGSTON, and Mr. CARTER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
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Do you think an aggressive push for a vote on this could still come in Oct?
Micheal Oren...a madman
"You know that to create that neighboring state that you’re going to have to give up some land, but not just any land, but land regarded as sacred by the majority of the Jewish people for more than three thousand years. You know that a great many of your countrymen have made their homes in these areas and that numerous Israelis have given their lives in their defense. You know that Israel has in the past withdrawn from territories in an effort to generate peace but that it received no peace but rather war. And, lastly, you know that many Arabs view the two-state solution as a two stage solution in which the ultimate stage is Israel’s dissolution.
What, then, Mr. or Ms. Prime Minister, do you do?
You could opt for maintaining the status quo, with the risk of deepening Israel’s international isolation or you could specify a vision of peace that significantly reduces its perils. You could, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has done, insist that the future Palestinian State be effectively demilitarized, without an army that could bombard Israeli cities or an air force that could shoot down planes landing at Ben-Gurion Airport. You could insist that the Palestinian State reciprocally recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, and so put an end to all future claims and conflicts.
Even then, of course, Israel will be running incalculable risks, for what if the Palestinian state implodes and becomes another Gaza or Lebanon? What do you do if, a week after the peace treaty is signed, a rocket falls on Tel Aviv?
More than Gaza, more than peace, the ultimate quandary of statecraft centers on Iran.
This is the radical, genocidal Iran whose leaders regularly call for Israel’s annihilation and provides terrorists with the means for accomplishing that goal. This is the Iran that undermines governments throughout the Middle East and even South America, and an Iran that shoots its own people protesting for freedom.
Iran does all this without nuclear weapons—imagine what it would do with the nuclear arms it is assiduously developing. And imagine what you, awakening once again as the Israeli Prime Minister, will decide. Do you remain passive while Iran provides nuclear weaponry to terrorist groups, targets Tel Aviv with nuclear-tipped missiles, and triggers a nuclear arms race throughout the region? Or do you act, as Israel has now, joining with the United States and other like-minded nations in imposing sanctions on Iran, hoping to dissuade its rulers from nuclearizing? And, if that fails, do you keep all options on the table, with the potentially far-reaching risks those options entail?"
Sounds like Clinton was walking the I lobbies line.
Powell sure gave those of us who do not want the U.s. or Israel to attack Iran based on unsubstantiated claims or at all.
But read what warmongering Israeli ambassador Micheal Oren had to say yesterday/ Monday
The Washington Jewish Week
A warning from Israeli ambassador?
Debra Rubin
Was Israel’s ambassador warning the Jewish community on Kol Nidre that Israel has decided to take a preemptive strike in Iran?
Some congregants at Adas Israel Congregation in D.C. thought so following Ambassador Michael Oren’s remarks there on Friday night.
In a 15-minute speech (delivered at three services, including the one I attended; Oren delivered the same remarks twice more on Yom Kippur day — during Shacharit at Washington Hebrew Congregation and during Mincha/Nei'la at Kesher Israel) focused on the quandaries of leadership, Oren urged congregants to support Israel’s democratic leadership in whatever choices it makes.
“Back us in our efforts to defend ourselves from terrorist rockets. Uphold us if we have to make painful sacrifices for peace or if we decide that the terms of the proposed treaty fail to justify those sacrifices. Stand with us as we resist Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. Respect the decisions we take through our democratic system and respect the risks that we, more than any other nation, take.”
(Among those in the congregation to hear Oren speak was Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.)
Glenn Greenwald sure ripped it up today on Dylan Ratigan's. Discussed Iran, Israel
Glenn went up against Cliff May. Wiped up the floor with lies and inflammatory claims
The Andrea Mitchell interview with Ahmadinejad is very interesting.
Ahmadinejad "We think maybe President Obama wants to do something. But there are pressure groups in the United States who do not allow him to do so. Even if he wants to do something apparently thre are certain groups who do not allow him to do so" At this point the interpreter screams "they are zionist" but when you listen and watch the tape you never hear Ahmadinejad raise his voice like this.
Andrea Mitchells response " You are suggessting that President Obama does not have as commander in chief and leader of the U.S. does not have the decision making power over what he does"
Andrea Mitchells acts as if the I lobby has no effect no power on the President on Congress. Mitchells spin game is not working any more.
Then Mitchell says later
"well there has certainly not been any suggestion anywhere else that there are so called Zionist pressure groups who make decisions for President Obama"
Uh there have been many suggestions that President Obama and many other Presidents since Israel became a state have felt a great deal of pressure from Israeli pressure groups. Charles Freeman, Congressman Findley, Mearsheimer, Walt, Carter, Mandela, Archbishop Tutu etc etc have all said this. Guess Andrea Mitchell just can not hear
Whoa folks . Glenn Greenwald was on the Dylan Ratigan show with Cliff May discussing Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia. Glenn ripped it up and Dylan Ratigan allowed the conversation to take place. In fact Dylan was quite passionate. New territory for the MSM. Dylan even mentioned the uncounted dead in Iraq.
Listening to whether Diane Rehm will allow that debunked “Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map” hooey. She has allowed this to be repeated on her program numerous times in the past
Well Diane Rehm just allowed the “Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map” hooey without challenging the claim. She has done this so many times I have lost count. The two guest do not have diversity of opinion what so ever. Prof Cole hope you listen to this show and dissect it with your expert insights and opinion. Weak weak program I think. Not much information. Not many tough questions. Not much diversity of opinion in that hour
Plugging away trying to get the BBC to have Prof Cole on World service to address the situation in Pakistan. Hope folks will contact BBC and ask them to have Prof Cole on.
If it were not for Prof Cole and occasionally the BBC we would not be hearing anything about the tragedy in Pakistan
Really appreciate Maher's humor most of the time. But he is so pro Israel no matter what they do he can barely see straight. He includes Hamas in his terrorist list in the full interview with Larry King but does not mention the violent and murderous actions of the Israeli military. Silence.
Maher is completely blind when it comes to Israel. Clearly a PEP. Progressive except for Palestine.
Micheal Scheuer and Bill Maher/Israel link to youtube.com
Bet this news did not make it on any of the MSNBC outlets. Nope.
MostAmericans do not give a rats ass about Iraqi lives, deaths injuries, displaced. The majority do not care about the torture that has and is taking place in their names.
Stewart and his writers nail so many issues. So great that they opened up their off limits categories (I/P issue, I lobby anything criticizing Israel or their actions) the last few years. Noticed change.
Imagine if the suffering that has taken place from these floods got half as much MSM coverage as this hateful preecher man hiding behind "doves" is getting for fueling the fires of hatred.
Just do not understand this sort of silence on the suffering in Pakistan
to think that our intelligence folks go looking for Iman's who stoke the anti american fires. And then they let this a hole in Florida stir up the anti Muslim fires all he wants. And he gets endless mainstream coverage. Aye yi yi
Thought I linked this one yesterday. Here it is link to seminal.firedoglake.com
""Americans Don’t Burn Books" they cry. Oh yes they do. Americans most assuredly do burn books. They burn them with malice and with forethought as an expression of their hatred and contempt for the peoples’ of the lands they have invaded, for the peoples of those lands and for our religion.
I know for a fact that Americans burn books, in particular The Holy Qur’an because like other Gorilla’s Guides team members I have gone into Mosques to clean them after your soldiers have desecrated them."
Ouch. The truth link to seminal.firedoglake.com
Yes You Do (and People Too)
By: Mohammed Ibn Laith Tuesday September 7, 2010 2:20 pm
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"Americans Don’t Burn Books" they cry. Oh yes they do. Americans most assuredly do burn books. They burn them with malice and with forethought as an expression of their hatred and contempt for the peoples’ of the lands they have invaded, for the peoples of those lands and for our religion.
I know for a fact that Americans burn books, in particular The Holy Qur’an because like other Gorilla’s Guides team members I have gone into Mosques to clean them after your soldiers have desecrated them.
Your soldiers’ SOP for doing this is to shit on the prayer mats, to scrawl crude graffiti (mostly penises) on the walls, to spray paint hate slogans against Irakis, against Muslims, and against Islam on the walls, they also scrawl Christian and Jewish religious symbols on the walls, and they gather together copies of The Holy Qur’an, together with any other books they can find and set them on fire.
Don’t you dare try pretend that "Americans Don’t Burn Books" because I, other Gorilla’s Guides team members and plenty of other people in Irak can tell you from direct personal experience that yes you Americans damned well do burn books. They are Your American troops, from your American culture, imbued with your American culture’s values and yes they do burn books.
There is a proverb in the English language, I am told it comes from a Scottish poem, which expresses the desire "to see ourselves as others see us", well now you can. If you don’t like what you see then you can try to fix it. You can start that by refusing to mouth the comforting lies about how "Americans Don’t Burn Books", oh yes they damned well do.
You also burn people. — Ask the survivors of Fallujah.
If the Dove outreach center is going to burn the Quran they need to burn the Bible, the Torah right along with the Quran.
The head of that Dove out reach center should change the centers name to the HATE outreach center.
Important interview. Important discussion. Great information
Mearsheimer: There will be no two-state solution, only a greater Israel, and Palestinians will need the int’l community in the coming fight against apartheid link to mondoweiss.net
Nir Rosen slams Obama's speech about Iraq in his interview on Democracy Now.
"in many lives life was better for Iraqi's under Saddam"
"SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And Nir, well, talk about that suffering. I mean, there was a—you’ve documented closely the civil war that gripped Iraq a few years ago, as well as the refugee crisis that the war spurred. What has Iraq gone through in these past seven years?
NIR ROSEN: It’s become a [inaudible]. There’s not a [inaudible] I meet that hasn’t [inaudible] touched by [inaudible] having a loved one killed or beheaded or wounded in an explosion. There’s not a trip I make to Iraq where I don’t have to delete somebody’s name from my cell phone because they’re dead. Every time, there’s a few new names. Everybody has been touched by it.
Life, in most ways for people, has gotten much worse. In terms of services, most places here have one hour of electricity a day. People can’t go to sleep at night—it’s like 120 degrees—until 3:00 in the morning or quite late, because they’re waiting for the power to come back just so they can turn on the AC on. No sewage, dirty water, mounds of trash on the street. Baghdad and other areas are heavily militarized, which means that every minute or so when you’re driving, you get stopped by police or army. They search your car. Now, on the one hand, it’s reassuring; on the other hand, it’s just one more indignity and hassle the Iraqis have to go through to survive. And they don’t have the chance to think about the future. They have to think, in many cases, just about how am I going to get electricity today, how am I going to travel what should be a fifteen-minute trip across town that will take four hours because the city is so destroyed and shattered.
And, of course, there’s constant killing still, with silenced pistols, with magnetic sticky bombs, as they’re called. Nobody knows who’s doing it or why. Some of it’s mafia-related. Some of it’s political parties feuding with each other. Some of it, of course, is terrorist-related. Life remains quite scary for many Iraqis.
So, you have a competing trend, however, because despite the violence that’s quite scary, you also have life improving significantly since the peak of the civil war—people out until quite late. There’s a curfew at midnight in Baghdad, but until then, you have people out in many neighborhoods. It’s quite normal. New shops being opened, new cafes. Those who have money are no longer afraid to display their wealth. Obviously that’s a sign that criminal gangs are less of a threat than they used to be.
And you do have an Iraqi security force which is relatively competent and able to take out militias. And, in fact, they get many tips from citizens. I was talking to an Iraqi intelligence officer in one neighborhood and asking him if he was worried about the militias coming back, and he said no. Just recently, a former militia leader returned from Iran to the neighborhood, and he got over a hundred calls on his SIP line from people in the neighborhood letting him know.
So there are some improvements, but obviously Iraq deserves much better than this. In many ways, life was better under Saddam, certainly in terms of security, the cleanliness of the street. But I think it’s offensive to be celebrating this or even to be paying much attention to this day. It’s an artificial milestone. You still have 50,000 soldiers here. They consider themselves combat troops. I’d say that—their general says they’re combat troops on a non-combat mission. But they’re still authorized to to take preemptive action against any perceived threat. And in Mosul, it’s a real war. A friend of mine who’s on a base up there got killed—nearly got killed by a mortar just last night. In other parts of the country, you still see American military vehicles on the roads on patrol unescorted. So the Americans are still engaged in combat, and you have 4,000 American special forces troops who are going out with Iraqi special forces. Basically they can kill whoever they want, whenever they want. They’re nominally beholden to Prime Minister Maliki, but in fact they operate pretty much independently.
"Iraq Is a Shattered Country"–Nir Rosen on Obama Declaring an End to US Combat Mission in Iraq
Troops-iraq
President Obama declared an end to the combat mission in Iraq Tuesday night in the second Oval Office address of his presidency. Although tens of thousands of US troops, special operations forces and private contractors remain in Iraq, Obama announced that Operation Iraqi Freedom is now officially over. We go to Baghdad to speak with independent journalist Nir Rosen. [includes rush transcript] link to democracynow.org
Sorry re read. Prof Cole totally nails it
"How many Iraqis were killed in all this violence is controversial. It should be remembered that hundreds of thousands also died because of dirty water and lack of medical care, since many physicians and nurses fled the constant clashes. Surely the total death toll attributable to the US invasion and occupation, and the Iraqi reaction to them, is in the hundreds of thousands. Millions have been wounded. Some 4 million Iraqis were displaced, some 2.7 million of them inside the country, and most remain homeless. Iraq is a country of widows and orphans, of the unemployed and the displaced.
Except for not shedding some light or questions about just how many Iraqi people have been killed , injured and displaced as a direct consequence of our illegal and immoral invasion. How this omission (or not counting) is a crime in and of itself. What this willingness to ignore those numbers of dead says about our government , military, MSM and ultimately about the American people.
Follow the money is always a great chant. Well until it comes back around to expose oops the corporation you are employed by.
Basically total silence in the so called progressive blogosphere about ever expanding Israeli illegal settlements. Of course silence in our MSM. Hell even Rachel Maddow repeating inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims about Iran. Follow that money.
Have yet to hear Chris Matthews, Rachel, Keith etc address the increased in private contractors in Iraq. The other day Rachel Maddow was in the Green Zone and basically did a defense contractor commercial. Rachel has also repeated the debunked "Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map" hooey. So much for those progressive MSM host
"When it comes to the military and political balance, the U.S. has done enough damage, and can best help Iraqis by allowing them to return to being an independent country.”
Really something how the U.s. can direct un manned drones to find and destroy "terrorist" and kill innocent people in the process yet our military have been unable to count the numbers of Iraqi people who have died, been injured and displaced as a direct result of our invasion.
To think that someone would be interested in what the Iraqi people are feeling about this withdrawal? Wondering what the Iraqi people will be feeling about the increase in private security forces in Iraq?
Rachel Maddow sure did not ask any Iraqi people about what they were feeling. She just focused on what kind of tanks American forces had been using. What was up with that?
Wondering when Rachel, Keith or any of the other MSNBC talking heads will invite you on their programs Prof Cole. Rachel has even repeated the "Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map" hooey.
Just read in the Wall Street Journal that the “State Department said it will double the number of private security contractors it uses in Iraq as U.S. troops leave”
Wondering what the numbers of private contractors are now? And what doubling those contractors will add up to.
The other day Rachel Maddow broadcast live from the Green Zone. Her focus was on one of the tanks forget the name that has been used in Iraq. Felt like I was watching a defense company commercial. She sure did not mention the increase in private security contractors in Iraq. And she certainly did not mention the hundreds of thousands of dead and injured Iraqi people who we are rolling over as our troops leave Iraq. Not a whisper about any of this by that so called progressive Rachel Maddow. Silence. Instead we heard a defense equipment commercial
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another mention in the Wall street Journal this morning that the U.S. will be giving Pakistan 150 million instead of 90 million due to the victims of the flooding. Why does this number sound so small . Is that 3 billion that we give Israel every year? And what does it cost to make one drone that is sent to kill alleged terrorist in Pakistan and kills innnocent civilains cost the American taxpayer.
Still no mention of the hundreds of thousands dead, injured in Iraq due to our illegal and immoral invasion in our MSM. Not a whisper about those millions of people displaced. Rachel maddow broadcast from there. And all she talked about were one of the tanks. I felt like I was watching a commercial for defense equipment.
Rachel etc not a mention of how many people have died as a direct consequence of our invasion. Silence.
"Moreover, the reactor is being actively inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which continues to certify that no nuclear fuel is being diverted by Iran to weapons purposes."
And the facts just do not seem to matter
Before the invasion of Iraq I was in shock when a southeastern Ohio mother of 3 (me)could hear Scott Ritter on the Diane Rehm show, Ray McGovern and other former Cia middle east analyst questioning the vaildity of the pre war intelligence on Democracy Now, Talk of the Nation and a few other places before the invasion. Turn on the evening news and you would hear Wolfowitz, Rice, Cheney, Bolton, Kristol, Frum, Gaffney, Micheal Rubin etc etc repeating the false intelligence. The MSM talking heads would not challenge or go deep. Just rolled over
Then El Baradei came out in early March of 2003 and said the Niger Documents were forgeries and bad ones at that. And the invasion moved forward. I was in shock.
Millions of Americans marched against the invasion in New York, WAshington D.C. and across the nation with no effect. The MSM basically ignored us.
Then immidiately after the invasion. Bascially the same group of people started repeating the unsubstantiated and inflammatory claims about Iran. Heard them repeated on Chris Matthews, This week (Stephanapoulous was host) Face the Nation (heard both McCain and Obama repeat some of these statements) John Bolton on Talk of the Nation, Bill Kristol and Krauthammer etc on Fox, heard quest on NPR’s Fresh Air with host Terry Gross not only allowing guest to repeat the debunked “Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map” hooey I heard Terry Gross repeat this statement numerous times herself along with repeating that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. I heard NPR’s host Neil Conan allow John Bolton nto get away with repeating these false statements. I have heard Rachel Maddow repeat “iran wants to wipe Israel off the map”
No one challenged these unsubstantiated claims. NO ONE. Well until I heard Charlie Rose repeat some of these claims during an interview with Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett and Flynt corrected the stirred up Charlie Rose.
The MSM host have not challenged these statements for over seven years. It is not surprising that over 50% of Americans believe that Iran all ready has a nuclear weapons program. It has endlessly been repeated with with very few challenges.
The stage has been set.
Wondering why those so called progressive host like Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Ed, Dylan Ratigan etc do not have Flynt or Hillary mann Leverett on. Or Professor Juan Cole on for another view on Iran. Seems like RAchel as well as other MSM host are promoting myths about Iran.
After repeating all of the unsubstantiated claims about Iran over the last seven or more years...50% of the American public believe Iran has a nuclear weapons program. The repetition of these false claims has worked again.
I don't think the "next stop Iran" warmongers are down and out at all
Juan Cole " They no longer get much television time."
Bill Kristol on Fox, Reuel Marc Gerecht on the Diane Rehm show numerous times, John Bolton on Talk of the Nation quite a few times, McCain on Face the Nation , Chris Matthews pushing for more aggressive actions towards Iran. Hell over the last seven years I have heard many of the Iraq warmongers on MSM outlets repeat the unsubstantiated claims about and alleged nuclear weapons program. I have not only heard many host of both T.V. and national radio programs allow guest to repeat these unsubstantiated claims about Iran I have heard NPR's Terry Gross repeat them many times herself. I have heard Rachel Maddow repeat the debunked "Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map" hogwash. Rachel covered the protest in Iran so much I started to think the single payer supporters should start holding rallies in Iran so that Rachel would cover them.
As a soccer mom living in southeastern Ohio Ikept thinking there was no way the Bush warmongers would pull off the invasion of Iraq after El Baradei came out in early march of 2003 and confirmed that the Niger Documents were forgeries. I kept thinking that after Scott Ritter, Ray McGovern etc were questioning the validity of the pre war intelligence that the push for that war had been seriously shifted. But the facts did not get in the way.
These warmongers want to take out Iran real bad. I would not put anything past them. Hundreds of thousands dead, injured and millions displaced in Iraq mean nothing to them.
You have to watch this one. Morton Klein thinks that people are criticizing Israel because they have been so willing to appease. What a nut case
Israel’s PR war
I read Mr. Cole’s Salon article, and found it quite fascinating. Here’s the link again: link to salon.com
He makes great use of established, peer-reviewed Near Eastern Archaeology, linguistic studies, and textual analysis. The one question I would have for him is whether he thinks the Monotheistic movements of Akhenaten and Tutankhamen (and perhaps others of the Aten priesthood of that time) and have been found to have migrated into the Sinai may be connected to the roots of ancient Judaism. I have wondered if perhaps the Egyptian finds that indicate an EXPULSION of Atenites from the post Tutankhamen rule may be connected to the emergence of monotheism in Canaan.
OTherwise, I think his analysis is spot on. But here is the real problem in pragmatic terms:
Most of the Western World and Muslim world spiritual consensus has been built upon the cornerstone of the Abrhamaic faiths (“The people of the Book” concept). It becomes VERY HARD for average citizens of those nations to be willing to accept the realities of the history of their shared faiths. They close their minds to this archaeological history – not because they are Zionist. But because they are FUNDAMENTALISTS. Even if they think they are not fundamentalists. They cannot put their minds around the concept that the “Exodus” may be an after-the-fact contrivance by a religious elite to create a useful mythology. They cannot accept the textual history of the New TEstatement indicating that most of the “Canonical” books were penned by Rome-backed clergy after the 4th century. They cannot handle any indication that their “true faith” is based on myth. The same is true for Muslims, who are so certain that Jerusalem was sacred to the first two Abrahamic Faiths, and thus must be sacred to Islam as well.
All this is to say that if you accept the archaeological record, it poses MANY theological problems for people whose faiths are dependent upon fundamentalist and strict literalist renderins of their scriptures.
Its a catch 22. The ideal would be for this “holy land” to stop being the source of religious friction. For all these people of the world to realize that this is just a myth that has outlived its usefulness. But, its like a game of chicken – which faith group do you think will collectively come to that first? And if they did, the clergy’s of each monotheistic faith would endeavor to shut down the movement before it began. Religious Clergy have POWER over billions with the investment of those billions’ energy into believing those myths.
In many ways, the 3 millenia of “monotheism” have been a constant push to eliminate “Paganism” (which had nothing to do with Abraham, Jerusalem, or “one god”) so as to establish a monopoly over the power religion can yield in people’s lives. That campaign is now 2/3 complete. Almost 4 billion of the 6 billion people on this planet now are “captive” to the “One God” concept. And that “One God” concept fundamentally places Jerusalem as the center of the earth (or near to it) and fundamental to each traditions’ idea of the “One God.”
So, much of our WEstern moral tradition was built with the power of this concept of the “One God” but at the same time, it has allowed the most virulent and destructive and monopolistic forces (Monotheism’s war against heresy and paganism and “otherism”) to bring our civilization and world to the brink of Nuclear Armageddon.
And it is entirely conceivable that these 3 “People of the Book” of Abrahamic tradition will be willing to each engineer their version of Armageddon to spite the other 2 traditions.
Either society as a whole has to be prepared to “unwrought” was made with the engine of Monotheism, or we have to be prepared to continue to endure the blackmail and tyranny of this Monotheism in its present form.
So, “Zionism” is merely one aspect of this problem. Christianism and Islamism are no different than Zionism. And the societies and political cultures those 3 movements have created encompass most of the Western and Muslim world. China and India may be the most immune to this tyranny, as the majority of their adherents have no “spiritual stake” in the accuracy of the 3 “sacred texts,” no “Spiritual stake” in the status of Jerusalem, and no “spiritual stake” in this place called “Holy Land.”
If it is God’s, then let him have it. But most of history has demonstrated that if there is a God-forsaken patch on this planet, Jerusalem has been at the center of it for 3000 years.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Watt4Bob August 3rd, 2010 at 10:16 am
14
The PI conflict has almost nothing to do with religion, and is just over one hundred years old.
The roots of the present trouble lies in the poor choices made by Zionists and Palestinian Arabs alike in the early 1900’s as the interests of Zionist immigrants and indigenous Palestinians diverged.
If those Zionists who envisioned integration of Palestinian Arabs into the future nation had prevailed rather than those who considered integration of Palestinian Arabs an impossibility, things may have turned out differently.
If Palestinian Arabs had been a little further along on the path of developing nationalist organizations whose visions provided an alternative to being citizens of the fading Ottoman Empire, things may have turned out differently.
It’s necessary to appreciate the fact that Zionists were well-organized Europeans and Palestinian Arabs were, at the time, un-organized subjects of the Ottomans.
While a hundred years seems like a long time, it is still recent enough that there need be no archeology involved in learning the history, the public library is filled with books that can enlighten anybody who cares to know the history of the conflict.
Knowing the history a little better eases the mind a bit but in the end you will still find yourself in an environment filled with rancor, and the debate such as it is, dominated by powerful interests who, much like our own government can’t be bothered with the problems of those at the bottom of the pile.
When it became apparent how useful the land of Palestine could be in the Great Game played by the world’s powers, her people, whether Jewish, Moslem, or Christian, lost almost all hope that their own interests would ever be taken into account when those powers sat down to discuss the future.
And there was nobody at the table arguing about God.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The “Summer Camp Of Destruction:” Israeli High Schoolers Assist The Razing Of A Bedouin Town: by Max Blumenthal link to seminal.firedoglake.com
"Glick let slip at the end what is really going on. She is a cultist, who sees the world as black and white, good and evil. She and her movement are pure good. Those who oppose anything it does, including Apartheid, are evil.
And since the world will increasingly oppose Israeli Apartheid against the Palestinians, we are in for lots more furious rants and character assassination like Glick’s."
Glick sounds like she is slipping or exposing the slippage. Thank goodness for Jews who continue to be rational and fact based on this issue. Amy Goodman, Norman Finkelstein, Phillip Weiss, Max Blumenthal the many Jewish groups focused on justice when it comes to this ongoing conflict and the ongoing illegal occupation, destruction of homes, olive groves etc.
It is sad to think that Glick and folks who hide behind their bigotry and elitism are doing more harm to Israel based on the 67 border than many who want to witness peace and justice in this conflict
Thanks Prof Cole. Bet Rachel Maddow etc will not be having you on any time soon. MSNBC seems to be especially beholden to this faction
House Resolution 1553 Just in time for the fall elections. Demand that Reps pledge allegiance to Israel or the I lobby and the Bill Kristols will attack you the way they attacked Sestak
Sad to think that at the so called progressive Netroots Nation gathering the Race for Iran was not discussed nor the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Not much different than our MSM sad to say. Asked their crew months ago to set up panels discussing these issues. In fact begged them to contact Prof Cole, Flynt Leverett, Charles Freeman. As closed down as the MSM to these critical issues
Walt ” it is quite clear that some of the same groups and the same people who dreamed up the idea of going into Iraq in the first place way back in the late 90’s are now the loudest voices calling for a very hard line including the possibility of using military force against Iran.”
Same campaign going to be waged over the next six months
"The insidious damage that CAMERA and other such far rightwing organizations do to the United States of America is incalculable. They try to get journalists fired for not being as fanatical and narrow-minded as themselves, and they often succeed. We do not know their full impact because such decisions are taken behind closed doors by cowardly editors or corporate middle managers."
The Ministry of Truth
By: Barry Eisler Tuesday July 20, 2010 2:41 pm
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Recently, I had the good fortune to be invited by NPR to submit an essay on a favorite thriller of mine. I decided to write about George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, which is both an excellent thriller and an increasingly powerful and relevant political warning — a combination readers of my latest novel, Inside Out, will know I find appealing.
Though I’m of course pleased that NPR decided to run the essay (which you can find here, along with an unrelated radio interview I did with Michelle Norris on All Things Considered), I’m also disappointed that NPR insisted on watering down the essay through successive drafts. The NPR editor I was in touch with, Miriam Krule, found the first three drafts "too political" (my response — that an essay on Nineteen Eighty-Four that’s too political is like an essay about the Bible that’s too much about God — was unpersuasive), and though Ms. Krule didn’t articulate the precise nature of her objections, the parts of the essay that had to go nicely demonstrate what in this context "too political" really means. Here are two versions of the offending penultimate paragraph, neither of which NPR deemed acceptable:
As prescient as Orwell was about events, though, I believe his purpose wasn’t so much to forecast the future, which might take many forms, as it was to describe human nature, which is immutable. So no, we don’t have quite the kind of organized Two Minutes’ Hate depicted in the novel, but it’s impossible to recall the populace turning on our NATO ally France before our misadventure in Iraq, or more recently on our NATO ally Turkey over the Gaza flotilla incident, and not remember the scene in the book where a crowd instantly and obediently redirects its hostility from Eurasia to Eastasia. It’s impossible to watch pundits like Tom Friedman, Jeffrey Goldberg, Charles Krauthammer, and Bill Kristol—who were wrong about everything in Iraq—still being taken seriously as this time they agitate for war with Iran, and not imagine the bureaucrats at the Ministry of Truth sending the historical record down the memory hole for incineration. And it’s impossible to look at people who can’t see the obvious parallels I just described and not see Party members vigorously practicing their doublethink, by which they have "the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.
Also this was a whopper of a conversation with investigative reporter Tim Shorrock. Hosted by Emptywheel link to emptywheel.firedoglake.com
FDL Talks Intelligence Contracting with Tim Shorrock
By: emptywheel Wednesday July 21, 2010 7:00 am
The Washington Post has been turning lots of heads this week with a big series on intelligence contracting. But we here at FDL have been talking about it for years, not least when we hosted Tim Shorrock–who wrote the book on intelligence contracting, Spies for Hire–for a book salon two years ago.In light of all the attention focused on the issue this, week, I asked Shorrock to come back to talk to use about the series, the problems with contracting, and some other issues the WaPo didn’t hit.
As I pointed out on Monday, one thing Shorrock emphasized was the degree to which the contractors are partnering with the government to develop longterm strategy.
Prof Cole come here everyday for your insights. Everyday I think well he out did himself.
Thanks . When Sarah Palin was first put on the McCain ticket a commenter I believe at Washington Note Pissed off Patricia said "every time Sarah speaks we all feel smarter" Think that about covers it. If the words that come out of Sarah Palins mouth came out of a homely womans mouth she would be long gone.
Another male commenter at I believe Firedoglake said to other men "no Sarah is not going to have sex with you"
Muslim Children Gassed at Dayton Mosque After “Obsession” DVD Hits Ohio
————————————————————————–
Zoning panel’s rejection of proposed mosque raises questions
Is it religious intolerance?
By Jim DeBrosse
Staff Writer
Sunday, January 27, 2008
SUGARCREEK TWP., Greene County — When the First Baptist Church here advertised a speaker last fall who would tell “the truth about Islam,” Dina Ezzeddine of Kettering assumed it would be an interfaith gathering aimed at dispelling negative publicity about her religion.
Instead, former Muslim and Christian convert Shahram Parvani told a gathering of 500 people that “Islam is not a religion of peace,” that Muslims “want to control, they want to dominate” and that they spread their religion “by the power of the sword.”
replyReply
Leen July 19th, 2010 at 5:58 am
4
Prof Cole
“The US Senate, full of founding fathers, and the Adams government, approved the Treaty with Tripoli (now Libya) of 1797, which included this language:
“As the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”
The treaty is important for showing the mindset of the fashioners of the American system.”
"I am disturbed by this possibility because Amiri may have given false information to Washington. And the false information may have exaggerated Iran’s nuclear capabilities."
Not that this is new. Can we all say Curveball
-----------------------------------------
‘Emergency Committee for Israel’ is housed in ‘Liberation of Iraq’ offices link to mondoweiss.net
Why does Al Jazeera use the Israeli released clip of what took place on Mavi marmara instead of using Iara Lee's footage. Also why do they agree to show maps of Palestine and Israel that show Palestinians lands with out the illegal Israeli settlements and the non contiguous lands of the Palestinians broken into pieces by these illegal settlements?
I have heard from Art Gish and many other CPT members that have lived with Palestinians as witnesses for peace that the settlers adults and children are brutal. Finally cameras are entering the picture. Proof has been getting out for years now. Have heard about Palestinian children being spit on by settlers, screamed at, rocks thrown at them.
Have talked with witnesses who have been beat to a pulp by Israeli settlers. Most are vicious and cruel and have no conscience
full footage of Iara Lee who was on the humanitarian flotilla where 9 activist were executed by Israeli soldiers. Amy goodman interviewed her today link to democracynow.org
Really appreciate Kenneths truth telling and intrepid spirit. Bet Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Chris matthews will not be having him on. Although we should all demand that they do. the other side of the story
I think NPR is an off shoot of Israel's "Ministry of Truth"
this morning NPR did Israel’s work for them
In the coverage this morning on the tragedy. Steve Inskeep called all of those shot Turkish before Jackie Northrums piece.
Not once did Steve of Jackie whisper about how the 9 had been executed and that one of them was an American. Not once
the audio is not up yet.
Jackie Northrum seemed to be an agent for the Israeli government. Almost sounds like they wrote the script.
she focused on IIHS. Never touched how these people were executed. Bullets to the back of the head. The young Turkish American man with four bullets to the head. Linked the group to Hamas, referred to both IIHS and Hamas as terrorist groups.
Did not touch that Barak and Bibi had planned this tragic raid. Or how these people were executed . Did not even touch how many people were on the other ships and who they were. Silence on how the 9 were executed by Israeli soldiers.
Jackie Northrum and NPR should get their checks in the mail from the Israeli lobby. Oh that is all ready happening through NPR funding
Hope you will listen to this Prof Cole and give us your take on this spin
Raid Shines Light On Turkish Humanitarian Group
[4 min 39 sec]
Juan another home run. Spreading through the blogs. Hopefully you will not have been arrested for "terrorism" before I get back to read your next piece. Thanks so much for helping us widen our perspectives based on facts and your scholarly views.
Gaza flotilla activists were shot in head at close range
Exclusive: Nine Turkish men on board Mavi Marmara were shot a total of 30 times, autopsy results reveal
link to guardian.co.uk
“He calculated that during the bloodiest part of the assault, Israeli commandos shot one person every minute. One man was fatally shot in the back of the head just two feet in front him and another was shot once between the eyes. He added that as well as the fatally wounded, 48 others were suffering from gunshot wounds and six activists remained missing, suggesting the death toll may increase.
The new information about the manner and intensity of the killings undermines Israel’s insistence that its soldiers opened fire only in self defence and in response to attacks by the activists.”
Wondering when Israel will release the tapes of these executions so that Chris Matthews and the rest can show those clips 9 times in seven minutes.
thank you to all who participated in this dangerous humanitarian event. And thanks Juan for keeping us updated.
I have been letting people know for years that Informed Comment is one of the best places in the blog world to get verifiable information on the middle east.
If Israel thought what they were doing was legal why block satellite connections for the ship? Why collect all recording equipment of the activist? Why not allow the event to be recorded from beginning to end. Show the world what they did if they thought it was legal.
Israel and the Israeli lobby are spinning this to hell and back. They have to justify this violence
here is a great idea for the MV Rachel Corrie
Can The MV Rachel Corrie Heal the Wounds Left in the Wake of the USS Liberty?
"The MV Rachel Corrie should plan on reaching the exact point at which the USS Liberty was attacked by the Israeli Navy on June 8th 1967, on June 8th 2010.
They should ask for permission to lay wreaths and garlands from the families of those killed at that site 43 years ago.
They should ask that now, and continue to idle in the area north of Egypt.
They should also ask the U.S. government and Navy if they would like to send a vessel to be at the site for the wreath laying ceremony.
They should invite foreign dignitaries to charter vessels from Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and other countries to come to the site to witness the wreath laying.
They should invite American congressional leaders to come honor the dead from a brutal battle that earned the skipper of the Liberty the Medal of Honor.
They should invite rabbis, imams, ministers, priests, shamans and witches from all faiths to pray earnestly for peace. Atheists, too.
"Israel accuses some of the passengers of fighting back."
As is always the case Israel flipping the script, pointing at others...their fault...not us. Don't look at our brutal and violent ways..it's them over there
Will be so interested in what Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Ed and the rest have to say about this massacre. They along with the rest of the MSM (Diane Rehm, Terri Gross, Neil Conan) completely ignored the International flotilla headed toward the Gaza last week. Not a whisper...silence. When the spotlight is turned on such a critical issue like this those who have a tendency and a history of being very violent (Goldstone Report) will be less likely to be violent when the spotlight is on them. But no MSNBC, NPR,CNN are generally not interested until there is violence. And for weeks now they have had the Gulf of Mexico oil coming out of their ears, eyes and mouths
The MSM in the states has been shut down for decades about the I/P conflict...decades. This goes on until today. Oh NPR will throw a few truthful reports the publics way but spin that news by calling Israeli violence necessary and referencing Hamas as "terrorist" The organization FAIR did a study and report on NPR's bias.
The most recent examples of our MSM's black out is Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann etc did not even touch or mention the Goldstone Report. Nothing. Silence
Most recently none of these programs even whispered about the International flotilla last week when they began their voyage...not a whisper. But tonight you will either hear spin on the massacre or silence on MSNBC. Spin or silence.
Israeli forces took the activist recording devices, computers etc. Probably have destroyed. They do not want evidence...no evidence...
Does OBama really want to negotiate with Iran or not. Or will those who lied us into Iraq and have been marching towards a confrontation with Iran win out?
Ledeen, Bolton, Israeli leaders, Cheney, Reuel Marc Gerecht, Terri Gross, Aipac, Jinsa, Rep Gohmert from Texas, Ros Lehtinen, etc etc. Will these warmongers win out?
Slowly starving the people in the Gaza. Only physically though. Because their spirits seem to only grow stronger as well as people around the worlds support for their plight.
Until the U.S. deals with this critical situation more honestly and fairly the conflict will continue. How many times do we need to hear that the unbridled $$$$ support that the U.S. provides for Israel is one of the main reasons people in that part of the world are so pissed off at us? How many times do we have to hear this?
The MSM's coverage of the BP oil disaster in the Gulf has shut down all coverage on Iraq, Afghanistan, returning U.S. soldiers. The MSM has almost always been shut down to what is happening in the I/P conflict.
But now they have BP's oil in their eyes, ears and mouths.
Senate Foreign Relations Cmte. Hearing on START Treaty (May 18, 2010)
Senate Foreign Relations Cmte. Hearing on START Treaty In April, Pres. Obama and Russian Pres. Medvedev signed a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) that will limit long-range nuclear weapons. Sec. of State Clinton, Defense Sec. Gates and Jt. Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mullen discussed the treaty at a Senate Foreign Relations Cmte hearing. This would replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and the 2002 Moscow Treaty.
Washington, DC : 2 hr. 16 min.
Hillary "warmongering" Clinton claimed some things about Iran that I hope you dissect. She said that Iran IS enriching uranium above 20%. She was also saying that she had China and Russia on board for more sanctions. link to c-span.org
Have you noticed all of the energy commercials on the MSM? First they have a Iraqi Vet talking about how the US needs to get off the oil teat in the middle east, show US tanks being blown up by IED's, then they show a shot of the Iranian President and call him a MADMAN and how our oil addiction puts money in his pocket. Several versions of these commercials but they are being played all over the MSM. MSNBC, CNN etc.
© 2025 All Rights Reserved
I thought President OBama did very well.
Israel Crushes A Palestinian Gandhi: Bil’in Organizer Sentenced to 18 months
link to mondoweiss.net
Juan Williams was clearly in the wrong. But give the man a warning. But what is especially absurd to me is that NPR has allowed one lie after the next to be repeated about Iran. I have heard NPR's Fresh Air host Terri Gross not only allow guest to repeat the debunked "Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map" I have heard Terri Gross repeat this hooey many times herself. Along with referencing Iran's nuclear program as a nuclear weapons program. (not a mistake, intentional) I have heard Scott Simon do the same. I have heard NPR's Talk of the Nation host Neil Conan allow John Bolton to repeat one lie after the next about Iran on his program and never challenge Bolton. NPR has been allowing one Iran basher after the next on their programs for the last seven years. No challenges.
NPR reports in very biased way in regard to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. So hearing them say that Juan is not living up to their "standards" and "ethics" in journalism I almost choked. NPR has no room to talk at all.
NPR has had quite a few employees claim that there is “pervasive cronyism” at NPR in regard to who gets to climb the ladder or able to get into the host spots of many of the news and information programs. Allegedly there was an outside group brought into investigate these repeated claims of “pervasive cronyism” That report has never been released.
I did some digging into this story about 10 years ago. I was able to ask Juan Williams if these claims had any substance to them. Asked him this during a question and answer period at Ohio University. He said these repeated claims did have substance.
link to current.org
link to current.org
link to current.org
AP IMPACT: Israeli settlers building 544 new homes
link to news.yahoo.com
By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer Karin Laub, Associated Press Writer – 19 mins ago
KARMEI TZUR, West Bank – Israeli settlers have begun building new homes at an extraordinary pace since the government lifted its moratorium on West Bank housing starts — almost 550 in three weeks, more than four times faster than the last two years.
And many homes are going up in areas that under practically any peace scenario would become part of a Palestinian state, a trend that could doom U.S.-brokered peace talks.
According to an Associated Press count, ground has been broken on 544 new West Bank homes since Sept. 26, when Israel lifted its 10-month freeze on most new settlement building.
The survey, while not comprehensive, marks the most extensive effort yet to quantify the construction. It was based on visits to 16 of the West Bank's more than 120 settlements as well as phone calls to more than four dozen settlements and interviews with construction workers and mayors.
"This figure is alarming and is another indicator that Israel is not serious about the peace process, which is supposed to be about ending the occupation," said Ghassan Khatib, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' self-rule government in the West Bank.
------------------------------
Think Jon Stewart will mention this on his comedy program?
Of course this is one of the only places that we are hearing serious and necessary questions being asked about mine safety around the world.
AFL CIO PRES Richard Trumka touched on these issues on Chris Matthews Hardball
That segment with Trumka is under the segment (scroll down) with McDermott on the minimum wage.
link to msnbc.msn.com
Trumka’s (3rd generation deep miner) words about the miners coming up were chilling “When they were bringing the first miners out and I can tell you they were like our brothers. And it was almost like I hit the lottery there was this feeling of elation because THE EARTH NORMALLY DOES NOT USUALLY GIVE UP A LIVE BODY AFTER BEING TRAPPED UNDER GROUND FOR THAT LONG” I found these words and description chilling.
Trumka goes onto talk about health and safety around the world
So when will it become a requirement for American 's who have dual citizenship in Israel to take an oath that states that they are committed to U.S. National Security?
I feel sorry for witches being compared to O'Donnell
More about the Illegal Israeli settler who hit the Palestinian kid and drove away
"The story begins with a right-wing Jewish settler organization called Elad, but also known as the Ir David Foundation, which for the past four years has exerted control over most of the holy city's excavations. Led by David Be'eri, an ex-Israeli commando who used to disguise himself as an Arab for undercover missions in the Palestinian territories, Elad now has the backing of the Israeli Prime Minister's office, the municipality, and the vaunted Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which monitors all archaeological work in the country and which Elad helps finance. Elad's own funding comes through unnamed private donors. (Israeli newspapers have reported that a few Russian-Jewish oligarchs, including Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, attended a 2005 Elad fundraiser.) The organization's aim is best expressed in a religious website's 2007 interview with development director Doron Speilman. He gestures toward Silwan, an Arab neighborhood that spills down from the Mount of Olives, and says: "Our goal is to turn all this land you see behind you into Jewish hands." (See pictures of 60 years of Israel.)
Elad's activities, in the views of its opponents, amounts to turning over Jerusalem's archaeology to extremist Jewish settlers. That has alarmed many Israeli and international scholars, Palestinian officials, and human-rights advocates. On a political level, it complicates efforts by the White House to enable both Palestinians and Israelis to share Jerusalem as their respective capitals, a key demand of the Palestinians. For scholars, it sparks concerns about whether Elad can be independent and objective in its work. And for Jerusalemites it raises a fundamental question: What matters more, the stones and bones of antiquity, or the lives of the people who live on top of all that history?
Read more: link to time.com
‘Israel Is Addicted To Occupation’
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
Someone should find that young woman and interview her. She had to be terrified. What about the camera person. A couple of arrogant assholes who should be prosecuted
Ahmadinejad says Iran may end higher enrichment
link to salon.com
Iran would consider ending higher level uranium enrichment, the most crucial part of its controversial nuclear activities, if world powers send Tehran nuclear fuel for a medical research reactor, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters Friday.
Addressing a packed press conference in a New York hotel, Ahmadinejad also said Iran was prepared to set a date for resumption of talks with six world powers to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program, saying October would be the likely time for the two sides to meet.
Cole "The Nuremberg Tribunal declared that “To initiate a war of aggression . . . is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.”
That the United States has failed to come to terms with its war crimes in Iraq only sets us up for a repeat performance. For a nation that lives by laws and the esteem of allies to act like an outlaw will ultimately undermine its own foundation. It is like playing golf in a bathroom– you’re going to end up with a lot of self-inflicted bruises."
Clear, concise, nailed it as is always the case
prof Cole/ all have you seen this
Daily show great interview
link to thedailyshow.com
Father of five.
“Death at the hands of a private security guard rather than the state security is making these clashes more intense than usual. In an all ready volatile Silwan neighborhood. Tens of thousands of Palestinians live in this area along with the relatively recent addition of 7o families of Jewish settlers. Whose presence is considered ILLEGAL UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW”
“Time for the whole world to see”
Jesus Mary and Joseph get the illegal settlers out of there NOW
That Al Jazeera tape will surely not be shown on Rachel maddow, Keiths ,Chris matthews or Eds. Dylan Ratigan is stepping out the off limits territory a bit. Had Glenn Greenwald on the other night discussing the middle east a bit.
Phillip Weiss, Max Blumenthal (own blog) and Adam Horowitz and team are doing an amazing job covering the I/P conflict as well as other issues. Prof Cole hope you add Mondoweiss and Max Blumenthals blog to your recommended list
Cole "If Powell is acting as a spokesman for significant elements in the officer corps, they could be trying to signal through him that they are prepared to live with a nuclear Iran, just as they had lived with a nuclear Soviet Union– in preference to opening yet another front with a military that is already over-stretched."
So hope and pray this is the case.
Cole"Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, contrary to what The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Golberg recently attempted to imply, likely doesn’t have the cojones to attack Iran on his own, without a green light from Washington."
Do you think that House Resolution 1553 could be used the way the Iraq war resolution was used in the 2002 mid term election. Vote yes on this. "the you are either with us or against us" hooey
link to govtrack.us
House Resolution 1553
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1553
Expressing support for the State of Israel’s right to defend Israeli sovereignty, to protect the lives and safety of the Israeli people, and to use all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the use of military force if no other peaceful solution can be found within reasonable time to protect against such an immediate and existential threat to the State of Israel.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 22, 2010
Mr. GOHMERT (for himself, Mr. AKIN, Mrs. BACHMANN, Mr. BARTLETT, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. BONNER, Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. CAMPBELL, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. CULBERSON, Ms. FALLIN, Mr. FLEMING, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. GINGREY of Georgia, Ms. GRANGER, Mr. GRIFFITH, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. HERGER, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. LATTA, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mrs. LUMMIS, Mr. MARCHANT, Mr. NEUGEBAUER, Mr. PENCE, Mr. PITTS, Mr. POSEY, Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. OLSON, Mr. ROONEY, Mrs. SCHMIDT, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Mr. ROSKAM, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. JORDAN of Ohio, Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mr. KINGSTON, and Mr. CARTER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
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Do you think an aggressive push for a vote on this could still come in Oct?
Glenn Greenwald on Democracy Now about Iran/Mavi Marmara
link to democracynow.org
Micheal Oren...a madman
"You know that to create that neighboring state that you’re going to have to give up some land, but not just any land, but land regarded as sacred by the majority of the Jewish people for more than three thousand years. You know that a great many of your countrymen have made their homes in these areas and that numerous Israelis have given their lives in their defense. You know that Israel has in the past withdrawn from territories in an effort to generate peace but that it received no peace but rather war. And, lastly, you know that many Arabs view the two-state solution as a two stage solution in which the ultimate stage is Israel’s dissolution.
What, then, Mr. or Ms. Prime Minister, do you do?
You could opt for maintaining the status quo, with the risk of deepening Israel’s international isolation or you could specify a vision of peace that significantly reduces its perils. You could, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has done, insist that the future Palestinian State be effectively demilitarized, without an army that could bombard Israeli cities or an air force that could shoot down planes landing at Ben-Gurion Airport. You could insist that the Palestinian State reciprocally recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, and so put an end to all future claims and conflicts.
Even then, of course, Israel will be running incalculable risks, for what if the Palestinian state implodes and becomes another Gaza or Lebanon? What do you do if, a week after the peace treaty is signed, a rocket falls on Tel Aviv?
More than Gaza, more than peace, the ultimate quandary of statecraft centers on Iran.
This is the radical, genocidal Iran whose leaders regularly call for Israel’s annihilation and provides terrorists with the means for accomplishing that goal. This is the Iran that undermines governments throughout the Middle East and even South America, and an Iran that shoots its own people protesting for freedom.
Iran does all this without nuclear weapons—imagine what it would do with the nuclear arms it is assiduously developing. And imagine what you, awakening once again as the Israeli Prime Minister, will decide. Do you remain passive while Iran provides nuclear weaponry to terrorist groups, targets Tel Aviv with nuclear-tipped missiles, and triggers a nuclear arms race throughout the region? Or do you act, as Israel has now, joining with the United States and other like-minded nations in imposing sanctions on Iran, hoping to dissuade its rulers from nuclearizing? And, if that fails, do you keep all options on the table, with the potentially far-reaching risks those options entail?"
Sounds like Clinton was walking the I lobbies line.
Powell sure gave those of us who do not want the U.s. or Israel to attack Iran based on unsubstantiated claims or at all.
But read what warmongering Israeli ambassador Micheal Oren had to say yesterday/ Monday
The Washington Jewish Week
A warning from Israeli ambassador?
Debra Rubin
Was Israel’s ambassador warning the Jewish community on Kol Nidre that Israel has decided to take a preemptive strike in Iran?
Some congregants at Adas Israel Congregation in D.C. thought so following Ambassador Michael Oren’s remarks there on Friday night.
In a 15-minute speech (delivered at three services, including the one I attended; Oren delivered the same remarks twice more on Yom Kippur day — during Shacharit at Washington Hebrew Congregation and during Mincha/Nei'la at Kesher Israel) focused on the quandaries of leadership, Oren urged congregants to support Israel’s democratic leadership in whatever choices it makes.
“Back us in our efforts to defend ourselves from terrorist rockets. Uphold us if we have to make painful sacrifices for peace or if we decide that the terms of the proposed treaty fail to justify those sacrifices. Stand with us as we resist Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. Respect the decisions we take through our democratic system and respect the risks that we, more than any other nation, take.”
(Among those in the congregation to hear Oren speak was Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.)
The ambassador’s complete prepared text appears below:
link to washingtonjewishweek.com
Andrea Mitchell vs Ahmadenijad
link to msnbc.msn.com
Glenn Greenwald sure ripped it up today on Dylan Ratigan's. Discussed Iran, Israel
Glenn went up against Cliff May. Wiped up the floor with lies and inflammatory claims
The Ahmadinejad game
link to salon.com
The Andrea Mitchell interview with Ahmadinejad is very interesting.
Ahmadinejad "We think maybe President Obama wants to do something. But there are pressure groups in the United States who do not allow him to do so. Even if he wants to do something apparently thre are certain groups who do not allow him to do so" At this point the interpreter screams "they are zionist" but when you listen and watch the tape you never hear Ahmadinejad raise his voice like this.
Andrea Mitchells response " You are suggessting that President Obama does not have as commander in chief and leader of the U.S. does not have the decision making power over what he does"
Andrea Mitchells acts as if the I lobby has no effect no power on the President on Congress. Mitchells spin game is not working any more.
Then Mitchell says later
"well there has certainly not been any suggestion anywhere else that there are so called Zionist pressure groups who make decisions for President Obama"
Uh there have been many suggestions that President Obama and many other Presidents since Israel became a state have felt a great deal of pressure from Israeli pressure groups. Charles Freeman, Congressman Findley, Mearsheimer, Walt, Carter, Mandela, Archbishop Tutu etc etc have all said this. Guess Andrea Mitchell just can not hear
Whoa folks . Glenn Greenwald was on the Dylan Ratigan show with Cliff May discussing Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia. Glenn ripped it up and Dylan Ratigan allowed the conversation to take place. In fact Dylan was quite passionate. New territory for the MSM. Dylan even mentioned the uncounted dead in Iraq.
I am Checkmate over at Salon
link to salon.com
And our MSM still has not focused on just how many Iraqi people have died, been injured and displaced as a direct consequence of our illegal invasion.
Not Jon Stewart either
Listening to whether Diane Rehm will allow that debunked “Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map” hooey. She has allowed this to be repeated on her program numerous times in the past
Well Diane Rehm just allowed the “Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map” hooey without challenging the claim. She has done this so many times I have lost count. The two guest do not have diversity of opinion what so ever. Prof Cole hope you listen to this show and dissect it with your expert insights and opinion. Weak weak program I think. Not much information. Not many tough questions. Not much diversity of opinion in that hour
ot
Plugging away trying to get the BBC to have Prof Cole on World service to address the situation in Pakistan. Hope folks will contact BBC and ask them to have Prof Cole on.
If it were not for Prof Cole and occasionally the BBC we would not be hearing anything about the tragedy in Pakistan
Kabul Bank Taken over by Government
Really appreciate Maher's humor most of the time. But he is so pro Israel no matter what they do he can barely see straight. He includes Hamas in his terrorist list in the full interview with Larry King but does not mention the violent and murderous actions of the Israeli military. Silence.
Maher is completely blind when it comes to Israel. Clearly a PEP. Progressive except for Palestine.
Micheal Scheuer and Bill Maher/Israel
link to youtube.com
some reason for hope
Obama To Nominate Elizabeth Warren To Temporary Position
link to huffingtonpost.com
Stewart and writer team are ripping it up.
Evidence of Abuse
Bet this news did not make it on any of the MSNBC outlets. Nope.
MostAmericans do not give a rats ass about Iraqi lives, deaths injuries, displaced. The majority do not care about the torture that has and is taking place in their names.
Terrifying!
ot
Important read
by Jeff Kaye and Jason Leopold
Government Report on Drugging of Detainees Is Suppressed
link to truth-out.org
Stewart and his writers nail so many issues. So great that they opened up their off limits categories (I/P issue, I lobby anything criticizing Israel or their actions) the last few years. Noticed change.
Imagine if the suffering that has taken place from these floods got half as much MSM coverage as this hateful preecher man hiding behind "doves" is getting for fueling the fires of hatred.
Just do not understand this sort of silence on the suffering in Pakistan
to think that our intelligence folks go looking for Iman's who stoke the anti american fires. And then they let this a hole in Florida stir up the anti Muslim fires all he wants. And he gets endless mainstream coverage. Aye yi yi
The truth is shameful. And people like Sarah Palin, Beck, Limbaugh fueling the hateful fires. Shameful
Thought I linked this one yesterday. Here it is
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
""Americans Don’t Burn Books" they cry. Oh yes they do. Americans most assuredly do burn books. They burn them with malice and with forethought as an expression of their hatred and contempt for the peoples’ of the lands they have invaded, for the peoples of those lands and for our religion.
I know for a fact that Americans burn books, in particular The Holy Qur’an because like other Gorilla’s Guides team members I have gone into Mosques to clean them after your soldiers have desecrated them."
Important on the Corrie Family
link to mondoweiss.net
Ouch. The truth
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
Yes You Do (and People Too)
By: Mohammed Ibn Laith Tuesday September 7, 2010 2:20 pm
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"Americans Don’t Burn Books" they cry. Oh yes they do. Americans most assuredly do burn books. They burn them with malice and with forethought as an expression of their hatred and contempt for the peoples’ of the lands they have invaded, for the peoples of those lands and for our religion.
I know for a fact that Americans burn books, in particular The Holy Qur’an because like other Gorilla’s Guides team members I have gone into Mosques to clean them after your soldiers have desecrated them.
Your soldiers’ SOP for doing this is to shit on the prayer mats, to scrawl crude graffiti (mostly penises) on the walls, to spray paint hate slogans against Irakis, against Muslims, and against Islam on the walls, they also scrawl Christian and Jewish religious symbols on the walls, and they gather together copies of The Holy Qur’an, together with any other books they can find and set them on fire.
Don’t you dare try pretend that "Americans Don’t Burn Books" because I, other Gorilla’s Guides team members and plenty of other people in Irak can tell you from direct personal experience that yes you Americans damned well do burn books. They are Your American troops, from your American culture, imbued with your American culture’s values and yes they do burn books.
There is a proverb in the English language, I am told it comes from a Scottish poem, which expresses the desire "to see ourselves as others see us", well now you can. If you don’t like what you see then you can try to fix it. You can start that by refusing to mouth the comforting lies about how "Americans Don’t Burn Books", oh yes they damned well do.
You also burn people. — Ask the survivors of Fallujah.
Mohammed Ibn Laith.
link to gorillasguides.com
If the Dove outreach center is going to burn the Quran they need to burn the Bible, the Torah right along with the Quran.
The head of that Dove out reach center should change the centers name to the HATE outreach center.
Important interview. Important discussion. Great information
Mearsheimer: There will be no two-state solution, only a greater Israel, and Palestinians will need the int’l community in the coming fight against apartheid
link to mondoweiss.net
Even if they do not really care about these people's lives and well being good for their PR campaigns.
This is so sad
Send what you can
link to worldvision.org
link to actionagainsthunger.org
Anyone know which relief org is the best?
Nir Rosen slams Obama's speech about Iraq in his interview on Democracy Now.
"in many lives life was better for Iraqi's under Saddam"
"SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And Nir, well, talk about that suffering. I mean, there was a—you’ve documented closely the civil war that gripped Iraq a few years ago, as well as the refugee crisis that the war spurred. What has Iraq gone through in these past seven years?
NIR ROSEN: It’s become a [inaudible]. There’s not a [inaudible] I meet that hasn’t [inaudible] touched by [inaudible] having a loved one killed or beheaded or wounded in an explosion. There’s not a trip I make to Iraq where I don’t have to delete somebody’s name from my cell phone because they’re dead. Every time, there’s a few new names. Everybody has been touched by it.
Life, in most ways for people, has gotten much worse. In terms of services, most places here have one hour of electricity a day. People can’t go to sleep at night—it’s like 120 degrees—until 3:00 in the morning or quite late, because they’re waiting for the power to come back just so they can turn on the AC on. No sewage, dirty water, mounds of trash on the street. Baghdad and other areas are heavily militarized, which means that every minute or so when you’re driving, you get stopped by police or army. They search your car. Now, on the one hand, it’s reassuring; on the other hand, it’s just one more indignity and hassle the Iraqis have to go through to survive. And they don’t have the chance to think about the future. They have to think, in many cases, just about how am I going to get electricity today, how am I going to travel what should be a fifteen-minute trip across town that will take four hours because the city is so destroyed and shattered.
And, of course, there’s constant killing still, with silenced pistols, with magnetic sticky bombs, as they’re called. Nobody knows who’s doing it or why. Some of it’s mafia-related. Some of it’s political parties feuding with each other. Some of it, of course, is terrorist-related. Life remains quite scary for many Iraqis.
So, you have a competing trend, however, because despite the violence that’s quite scary, you also have life improving significantly since the peak of the civil war—people out until quite late. There’s a curfew at midnight in Baghdad, but until then, you have people out in many neighborhoods. It’s quite normal. New shops being opened, new cafes. Those who have money are no longer afraid to display their wealth. Obviously that’s a sign that criminal gangs are less of a threat than they used to be.
And you do have an Iraqi security force which is relatively competent and able to take out militias. And, in fact, they get many tips from citizens. I was talking to an Iraqi intelligence officer in one neighborhood and asking him if he was worried about the militias coming back, and he said no. Just recently, a former militia leader returned from Iran to the neighborhood, and he got over a hundred calls on his SIP line from people in the neighborhood letting him know.
So there are some improvements, but obviously Iraq deserves much better than this. In many ways, life was better under Saddam, certainly in terms of security, the cleanliness of the street. But I think it’s offensive to be celebrating this or even to be paying much attention to this day. It’s an artificial milestone. You still have 50,000 soldiers here. They consider themselves combat troops. I’d say that—their general says they’re combat troops on a non-combat mission. But they’re still authorized to to take preemptive action against any perceived threat. And in Mosul, it’s a real war. A friend of mine who’s on a base up there got killed—nearly got killed by a mortar just last night. In other parts of the country, you still see American military vehicles on the roads on patrol unescorted. So the Americans are still engaged in combat, and you have 4,000 American special forces troops who are going out with Iraqi special forces. Basically they can kill whoever they want, whenever they want. They’re nominally beholden to Prime Minister Maliki, but in fact they operate pretty much independently.
link to democracynow.org
"Iraq Is a Shattered Country"–Nir Rosen on Obama Declaring an End to US Combat Mission in Iraq
Troops-iraq
President Obama declared an end to the combat mission in Iraq Tuesday night in the second Oval Office address of his presidency. Although tens of thousands of US troops, special operations forces and private contractors remain in Iraq, Obama announced that Operation Iraqi Freedom is now officially over. We go to Baghdad to speak with independent journalist Nir Rosen. [includes rush transcript]
link to democracynow.org
Hope someone in the MSM picks up on Prof Coles speech that we wish Obama would give about Iraq. Have Rachel, Keith etc ever had Cole on?
could be the beginning of our nations 12 step program
Sorry re read. Prof Cole totally nails it
"How many Iraqis were killed in all this violence is controversial. It should be remembered that hundreds of thousands also died because of dirty water and lack of medical care, since many physicians and nurses fled the constant clashes. Surely the total death toll attributable to the US invasion and occupation, and the Iraqi reaction to them, is in the hundreds of thousands. Millions have been wounded. Some 4 million Iraqis were displaced, some 2.7 million of them inside the country, and most remain homeless. Iraq is a country of widows and orphans, of the unemployed and the displaced.
Prof Juan Cole nails it again.
Except for not shedding some light or questions about just how many Iraqi people have been killed , injured and displaced as a direct consequence of our illegal and immoral invasion. How this omission (or not counting) is a crime in and of itself. What this willingness to ignore those numbers of dead says about our government , military, MSM and ultimately about the American people.
Follow the money is always a great chant. Well until it comes back around to expose oops the corporation you are employed by.
Basically total silence in the so called progressive blogosphere about ever expanding Israeli illegal settlements. Of course silence in our MSM. Hell even Rachel Maddow repeating inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims about Iran. Follow that money.
Have yet to hear Chris Matthews, Rachel, Keith etc address the increased in private contractors in Iraq. The other day Rachel Maddow was in the Green Zone and basically did a defense contractor commercial. Rachel has also repeated the debunked "Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map" hooey. So much for those progressive MSM host
"When it comes to the military and political balance, the U.S. has done enough damage, and can best help Iraqis by allowing them to return to being an independent country.”
Really something how the U.s. can direct un manned drones to find and destroy "terrorist" and kill innocent people in the process yet our military have been unable to count the numbers of Iraqi people who have died, been injured and displaced as a direct result of our invasion.
Ever hear our MSM focus on those numbers. Nah
Will you be going into the increase of private contractors in Iraq?
To think that someone would be interested in what the Iraqi people are feeling about this withdrawal? Wondering what the Iraqi people will be feeling about the increase in private security forces in Iraq?
Rachel Maddow sure did not ask any Iraqi people about what they were feeling. She just focused on what kind of tanks American forces had been using. What was up with that?
Wondering when Rachel, Keith or any of the other MSNBC talking heads will invite you on their programs Prof Cole. Rachel has even repeated the "Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map" hooey.
Just read in the Wall Street Journal that the “State Department said it will double the number of private security contractors it uses in Iraq as U.S. troops leave”
Wondering what the numbers of private contractors are now? And what doubling those contractors will add up to.
The other day Rachel Maddow broadcast live from the Green Zone. Her focus was on one of the tanks forget the name that has been used in Iraq. Felt like I was watching a defense company commercial. She sure did not mention the increase in private security contractors in Iraq. And she certainly did not mention the hundreds of thousands of dead and injured Iraqi people who we are rolling over as our troops leave Iraq. Not a whisper about any of this by that so called progressive Rachel Maddow. Silence. Instead we heard a defense equipment commercial
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another mention in the Wall street Journal this morning that the U.S. will be giving Pakistan 150 million instead of 90 million due to the victims of the flooding. Why does this number sound so small . Is that 3 billion that we give Israel every year? And what does it cost to make one drone that is sent to kill alleged terrorist in Pakistan and kills innnocent civilains cost the American taxpayer.
150 millions sounds like chump change
Still no mention of the hundreds of thousands dead, injured in Iraq due to our illegal and immoral invasion in our MSM. Not a whisper about those millions of people displaced. Rachel maddow broadcast from there. And all she talked about were one of the tanks. I felt like I was watching a commercial for defense equipment.
Rachel etc not a mention of how many people have died as a direct consequence of our invasion. Silence.
"Moreover, the reactor is being actively inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which continues to certify that no nuclear fuel is being diverted by Iran to weapons purposes."
And the facts just do not seem to matter
Before the invasion of Iraq I was in shock when a southeastern Ohio mother of 3 (me)could hear Scott Ritter on the Diane Rehm show, Ray McGovern and other former Cia middle east analyst questioning the vaildity of the pre war intelligence on Democracy Now, Talk of the Nation and a few other places before the invasion. Turn on the evening news and you would hear Wolfowitz, Rice, Cheney, Bolton, Kristol, Frum, Gaffney, Micheal Rubin etc etc repeating the false intelligence. The MSM talking heads would not challenge or go deep. Just rolled over
Then El Baradei came out in early March of 2003 and said the Niger Documents were forgeries and bad ones at that. And the invasion moved forward. I was in shock.
Millions of Americans marched against the invasion in New York, WAshington D.C. and across the nation with no effect. The MSM basically ignored us.
Then immidiately after the invasion. Bascially the same group of people started repeating the unsubstantiated and inflammatory claims about Iran. Heard them repeated on Chris Matthews, This week (Stephanapoulous was host) Face the Nation (heard both McCain and Obama repeat some of these statements) John Bolton on Talk of the Nation, Bill Kristol and Krauthammer etc on Fox, heard quest on NPR’s Fresh Air with host Terry Gross not only allowing guest to repeat the debunked “Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map” hooey I heard Terry Gross repeat this statement numerous times herself along with repeating that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. I heard NPR’s host Neil Conan allow John Bolton nto get away with repeating these false statements. I have heard Rachel Maddow repeat “iran wants to wipe Israel off the map”
No one challenged these unsubstantiated claims. NO ONE. Well until I heard Charlie Rose repeat some of these claims during an interview with Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett and Flynt corrected the stirred up Charlie Rose.
The MSM host have not challenged these statements for over seven years. It is not surprising that over 50% of Americans believe that Iran all ready has a nuclear weapons program. It has endlessly been repeated with with very few challenges.
The stage has been set.
Wondering why those so called progressive host like Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Ed, Dylan Ratigan etc do not have Flynt or Hillary mann Leverett on. Or Professor Juan Cole on for another view on Iran. Seems like RAchel as well as other MSM host are promoting myths about Iran.
After repeating all of the unsubstantiated claims about Iran over the last seven or more years...50% of the American public believe Iran has a nuclear weapons program. The repetition of these false claims has worked again.
I don't think the "next stop Iran" warmongers are down and out at all
Juan Cole " They no longer get much television time."
Bill Kristol on Fox, Reuel Marc Gerecht on the Diane Rehm show numerous times, John Bolton on Talk of the Nation quite a few times, McCain on Face the Nation , Chris Matthews pushing for more aggressive actions towards Iran. Hell over the last seven years I have heard many of the Iraq warmongers on MSM outlets repeat the unsubstantiated claims about and alleged nuclear weapons program. I have not only heard many host of both T.V. and national radio programs allow guest to repeat these unsubstantiated claims about Iran I have heard NPR's Terry Gross repeat them many times herself. I have heard Rachel Maddow repeat the debunked "Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map" hogwash. Rachel covered the protest in Iran so much I started to think the single payer supporters should start holding rallies in Iran so that Rachel would cover them.
As a soccer mom living in southeastern Ohio Ikept thinking there was no way the Bush warmongers would pull off the invasion of Iraq after El Baradei came out in early march of 2003 and confirmed that the Niger Documents were forgeries. I kept thinking that after Scott Ritter, Ray McGovern etc were questioning the validity of the pre war intelligence that the push for that war had been seriously shifted. But the facts did not get in the way.
These warmongers want to take out Iran real bad. I would not put anything past them. Hundreds of thousands dead, injured and millions displaced in Iraq mean nothing to them.
Dennis Miller has his head up where the sun does not shine on many issues. Does not form his conclusions based on facts
You have to watch this one. Morton Klein thinks that people are criticizing Israel because they have been so willing to appease. What a nut case
Israel’s PR war
by Adam Horowitz on August 3, 2010
link to mondoweiss.net
posted Prof Cole's piece over at Firedoglake. Few of the responses over there
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
marsdragon August 3rd, 2010 at 8:12 am
5
I read Mr. Cole’s Salon article, and found it quite fascinating. Here’s the link again:
link to salon.com
He makes great use of established, peer-reviewed Near Eastern Archaeology, linguistic studies, and textual analysis. The one question I would have for him is whether he thinks the Monotheistic movements of Akhenaten and Tutankhamen (and perhaps others of the Aten priesthood of that time) and have been found to have migrated into the Sinai may be connected to the roots of ancient Judaism. I have wondered if perhaps the Egyptian finds that indicate an EXPULSION of Atenites from the post Tutankhamen rule may be connected to the emergence of monotheism in Canaan.
OTherwise, I think his analysis is spot on. But here is the real problem in pragmatic terms:
Most of the Western World and Muslim world spiritual consensus has been built upon the cornerstone of the Abrhamaic faiths (“The people of the Book” concept). It becomes VERY HARD for average citizens of those nations to be willing to accept the realities of the history of their shared faiths. They close their minds to this archaeological history – not because they are Zionist. But because they are FUNDAMENTALISTS. Even if they think they are not fundamentalists. They cannot put their minds around the concept that the “Exodus” may be an after-the-fact contrivance by a religious elite to create a useful mythology. They cannot accept the textual history of the New TEstatement indicating that most of the “Canonical” books were penned by Rome-backed clergy after the 4th century. They cannot handle any indication that their “true faith” is based on myth. The same is true for Muslims, who are so certain that Jerusalem was sacred to the first two Abrahamic Faiths, and thus must be sacred to Islam as well.
All this is to say that if you accept the archaeological record, it poses MANY theological problems for people whose faiths are dependent upon fundamentalist and strict literalist renderins of their scriptures.
Its a catch 22. The ideal would be for this “holy land” to stop being the source of religious friction. For all these people of the world to realize that this is just a myth that has outlived its usefulness. But, its like a game of chicken – which faith group do you think will collectively come to that first? And if they did, the clergy’s of each monotheistic faith would endeavor to shut down the movement before it began. Religious Clergy have POWER over billions with the investment of those billions’ energy into believing those myths.
In many ways, the 3 millenia of “monotheism” have been a constant push to eliminate “Paganism” (which had nothing to do with Abraham, Jerusalem, or “one god”) so as to establish a monopoly over the power religion can yield in people’s lives. That campaign is now 2/3 complete. Almost 4 billion of the 6 billion people on this planet now are “captive” to the “One God” concept. And that “One God” concept fundamentally places Jerusalem as the center of the earth (or near to it) and fundamental to each traditions’ idea of the “One God.”
So, much of our WEstern moral tradition was built with the power of this concept of the “One God” but at the same time, it has allowed the most virulent and destructive and monopolistic forces (Monotheism’s war against heresy and paganism and “otherism”) to bring our civilization and world to the brink of Nuclear Armageddon.
And it is entirely conceivable that these 3 “People of the Book” of Abrahamic tradition will be willing to each engineer their version of Armageddon to spite the other 2 traditions.
Either society as a whole has to be prepared to “unwrought” was made with the engine of Monotheism, or we have to be prepared to continue to endure the blackmail and tyranny of this Monotheism in its present form.
So, “Zionism” is merely one aspect of this problem. Christianism and Islamism are no different than Zionism. And the societies and political cultures those 3 movements have created encompass most of the Western and Muslim world. China and India may be the most immune to this tyranny, as the majority of their adherents have no “spiritual stake” in the accuracy of the 3 “sacred texts,” no “Spiritual stake” in the status of Jerusalem, and no “spiritual stake” in this place called “Holy Land.”
If it is God’s, then let him have it. But most of history has demonstrated that if there is a God-forsaken patch on this planet, Jerusalem has been at the center of it for 3000 years.
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Watt4Bob August 3rd, 2010 at 10:16 am
14
The PI conflict has almost nothing to do with religion, and is just over one hundred years old.
The roots of the present trouble lies in the poor choices made by Zionists and Palestinian Arabs alike in the early 1900’s as the interests of Zionist immigrants and indigenous Palestinians diverged.
If those Zionists who envisioned integration of Palestinian Arabs into the future nation had prevailed rather than those who considered integration of Palestinian Arabs an impossibility, things may have turned out differently.
If Palestinian Arabs had been a little further along on the path of developing nationalist organizations whose visions provided an alternative to being citizens of the fading Ottoman Empire, things may have turned out differently.
It’s necessary to appreciate the fact that Zionists were well-organized Europeans and Palestinian Arabs were, at the time, un-organized subjects of the Ottomans.
While a hundred years seems like a long time, it is still recent enough that there need be no archeology involved in learning the history, the public library is filled with books that can enlighten anybody who cares to know the history of the conflict.
Knowing the history a little better eases the mind a bit but in the end you will still find yourself in an environment filled with rancor, and the debate such as it is, dominated by powerful interests who, much like our own government can’t be bothered with the problems of those at the bottom of the pile.
When it became apparent how useful the land of Palestine could be in the Great Game played by the world’s powers, her people, whether Jewish, Moslem, or Christian, lost almost all hope that their own interests would ever be taken into account when those powers sat down to discuss the future.
And there was nobody at the table arguing about God.
Are folks aware of this?
In About-Face, Israel Agrees To U.N. Probe Of Raid
by The Associated Press
link to npr.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The “Summer Camp Of Destruction:” Israeli High Schoolers Assist The Razing Of A Bedouin Town: by Max Blumenthal
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
Thanks Prof Cole for challenging fanatical thinking
calling it like it is
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
"Glick let slip at the end what is really going on. She is a cultist, who sees the world as black and white, good and evil. She and her movement are pure good. Those who oppose anything it does, including Apartheid, are evil.
And since the world will increasingly oppose Israeli Apartheid against the Palestinians, we are in for lots more furious rants and character assassination like Glick’s."
Glick sounds like she is slipping or exposing the slippage. Thank goodness for Jews who continue to be rational and fact based on this issue. Amy Goodman, Norman Finkelstein, Phillip Weiss, Max Blumenthal the many Jewish groups focused on justice when it comes to this ongoing conflict and the ongoing illegal occupation, destruction of homes, olive groves etc.
It is sad to think that Glick and folks who hide behind their bigotry and elitism are doing more harm to Israel based on the 67 border than many who want to witness peace and justice in this conflict
Thanks Prof Cole. Bet Rachel Maddow etc will not be having you on any time soon. MSNBC seems to be especially beholden to this faction
Cnn stepping out a bit
House Resolution 1553 Just in time for the fall elections. Demand that Reps pledge allegiance to Israel or the I lobby and the Bill Kristols will attack you the way they attacked Sestak
thanks Prof Cole
Sad to think that at the so called progressive Netroots Nation gathering the Race for Iran was not discussed nor the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Not much different than our MSM sad to say. Asked their crew months ago to set up panels discussing these issues. In fact begged them to contact Prof Cole, Flynt Leverett, Charles Freeman. As closed down as the MSM to these critical issues
Israel: Strategic Asset or Liability? Former Amabassador Charles Freeman.
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
Call your Reps say NO NO NO to House Resolution 1553
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
Walt ” it is quite clear that some of the same groups and the same people who dreamed up the idea of going into Iraq in the first place way back in the late 90’s are now the loudest voices calling for a very hard line including the possibility of using military force against Iran.”
Same campaign going to be waged over the next six months
Great interview with Stephen Walt over at antiwar.com
Netanyahu's recently released comments, undermining of the Oslo accords etc
link to antiwar.com
"The insidious damage that CAMERA and other such far rightwing organizations do to the United States of America is incalculable. They try to get journalists fired for not being as fanatical and narrow-minded as themselves, and they often succeed. We do not know their full impact because such decisions are taken behind closed doors by cowardly editors or corporate middle managers."
Thanks for all of your work Prof Cole.
Prof Cole and others think you might be interested
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
The Ministry of Truth
By: Barry Eisler Tuesday July 20, 2010 2:41 pm
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Recently, I had the good fortune to be invited by NPR to submit an essay on a favorite thriller of mine. I decided to write about George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, which is both an excellent thriller and an increasingly powerful and relevant political warning — a combination readers of my latest novel, Inside Out, will know I find appealing.
Though I’m of course pleased that NPR decided to run the essay (which you can find here, along with an unrelated radio interview I did with Michelle Norris on All Things Considered), I’m also disappointed that NPR insisted on watering down the essay through successive drafts. The NPR editor I was in touch with, Miriam Krule, found the first three drafts "too political" (my response — that an essay on Nineteen Eighty-Four that’s too political is like an essay about the Bible that’s too much about God — was unpersuasive), and though Ms. Krule didn’t articulate the precise nature of her objections, the parts of the essay that had to go nicely demonstrate what in this context "too political" really means. Here are two versions of the offending penultimate paragraph, neither of which NPR deemed acceptable:
As prescient as Orwell was about events, though, I believe his purpose wasn’t so much to forecast the future, which might take many forms, as it was to describe human nature, which is immutable. So no, we don’t have quite the kind of organized Two Minutes’ Hate depicted in the novel, but it’s impossible to recall the populace turning on our NATO ally France before our misadventure in Iraq, or more recently on our NATO ally Turkey over the Gaza flotilla incident, and not remember the scene in the book where a crowd instantly and obediently redirects its hostility from Eurasia to Eastasia. It’s impossible to watch pundits like Tom Friedman, Jeffrey Goldberg, Charles Krauthammer, and Bill Kristol—who were wrong about everything in Iraq—still being taken seriously as this time they agitate for war with Iran, and not imagine the bureaucrats at the Ministry of Truth sending the historical record down the memory hole for incineration. And it’s impossible to look at people who can’t see the obvious parallels I just described and not see Party members vigorously practicing their doublethink, by which they have "the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.
Also this was a whopper of a conversation with investigative reporter Tim Shorrock. Hosted by Emptywheel
link to emptywheel.firedoglake.com
FDL Talks Intelligence Contracting with Tim Shorrock
By: emptywheel Wednesday July 21, 2010 7:00 am
The Washington Post has been turning lots of heads this week with a big series on intelligence contracting. But we here at FDL have been talking about it for years, not least when we hosted Tim Shorrock–who wrote the book on intelligence contracting, Spies for Hire–for a book salon two years ago.In light of all the attention focused on the issue this, week, I asked Shorrock to come back to talk to use about the series, the problems with contracting, and some other issues the WaPo didn’t hit.
As I pointed out on Monday, one thing Shorrock emphasized was the degree to which the contractors are partnering with the government to develop longterm strategy.
oops "not running our country"
Every time Sarah speaks we all feel smarter. Hope she sets her sights on writing plays like Shakespeare and not running on our country.
she is terrifying More terrifying is that the American people would elect such a fool
I don't remember if Shakespeare was trying to be the leader of a country
Prof Cole come here everyday for your insights. Everyday I think well he out did himself.
Thanks . When Sarah Palin was first put on the McCain ticket a commenter I believe at Washington Note Pissed off Patricia said "every time Sarah speaks we all feel smarter" Think that about covers it. If the words that come out of Sarah Palins mouth came out of a homely womans mouth she would be long gone.
Another male commenter at I believe Firedoglake said to other men "no Sarah is not going to have sex with you"
Muslim Children Gassed at Dayton Mosque After “Obsession” DVD Hits Ohio
————————————————————————–
link to daytondailynews.com
Zoning panel’s rejection of proposed mosque raises questions
Is it religious intolerance?
By Jim DeBrosse
Staff Writer
Sunday, January 27, 2008
SUGARCREEK TWP., Greene County — When the First Baptist Church here advertised a speaker last fall who would tell “the truth about Islam,” Dina Ezzeddine of Kettering assumed it would be an interfaith gathering aimed at dispelling negative publicity about her religion.
Instead, former Muslim and Christian convert Shahram Parvani told a gathering of 500 people that “Islam is not a religion of peace,” that Muslims “want to control, they want to dominate” and that they spread their religion “by the power of the sword.”
replyReply
Leen July 19th, 2010 at 5:58 am
4
Prof Cole
“The US Senate, full of founding fathers, and the Adams government, approved the Treaty with Tripoli (now Libya) of 1797, which included this language:
“As the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”
The treaty is important for showing the mindset of the fashioners of the American system.”
"The US has no embassy in Tehran.'
The I lobby has made sure of that. Along with little dialogue, debate the last thirty years. Where is Dennis Ross these days? What is he up to?
"I am disturbed by this possibility because Amiri may have given false information to Washington. And the false information may have exaggerated Iran’s nuclear capabilities."
Not that this is new. Can we all say Curveball
-----------------------------------------
‘Emergency Committee for Israel’ is housed in ‘Liberation of Iraq’ offices
link to mondoweiss.net
CHECK OUT THE NEW ATTACK ADDS ON JOE SESTAK
Resumption of House Demolitions in Jerusalem
Why does Al Jazeera use the Israeli released clip of what took place on Mavi marmara instead of using Iara Lee's footage. Also why do they agree to show maps of Palestine and Israel that show Palestinians lands with out the illegal Israeli settlements and the non contiguous lands of the Palestinians broken into pieces by these illegal settlements?
Settler violence
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
I have heard from Art Gish and many other CPT members that have lived with Palestinians as witnesses for peace that the settlers adults and children are brutal. Finally cameras are entering the picture. Proof has been getting out for years now. Have heard about Palestinian children being spit on by settlers, screamed at, rocks thrown at them.
Have talked with witnesses who have been beat to a pulp by Israeli settlers. Most are vicious and cruel and have no conscience
Prof Cole/ALL
Important to see if you have not all ready done so
“I stopped counting after I had received 50 death threats”
Israeli Knesset
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
ot
Prof Cole/all have you seen this video of the Mavi Marmara?
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
Prof Cole /all check this out
This is intense. folks should see this one
Video shows FBI visit to the home of a Palestine solidarity activist
link to mondoweiss.net
IMPORTANT
full footage of Iara Lee who was on the humanitarian flotilla where 9 activist were executed by Israeli soldiers. Amy goodman interviewed her today
link to democracynow.org
Released at the UN today
link to mondoweiss.net
Please help this video go big time viral
link to youtube.com
31,046
views
Really appreciate Kenneths truth telling and intrepid spirit. Bet Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Chris matthews will not be having him on. Although we should all demand that they do. the other side of the story
Have folks seen this. Important to watch
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
"Jewish Voice for Peace in the Middle East, is planning an aid flotilla to Gaza! Please send them money.
Has the Israeli lobby had this group categorized as a terrorist organization yet? Are you sure we will not be arrested for sending them money?
- The Israeli Ministry of Truth
Hell Medea Benjaman of Code Pink and retired Col Ann Wright were held up for a while at the Canadian U.S. border a while back
link to travelwatchlist.ca
I think NPR is an off shoot of Israel's "Ministry of Truth"
this morning NPR did Israel’s work for them
In the coverage this morning on the tragedy. Steve Inskeep called all of those shot Turkish before Jackie Northrums piece.
Not once did Steve of Jackie whisper about how the 9 had been executed and that one of them was an American. Not once
the audio is not up yet.
Jackie Northrum seemed to be an agent for the Israeli government. Almost sounds like they wrote the script.
she focused on IIHS. Never touched how these people were executed. Bullets to the back of the head. The young Turkish American man with four bullets to the head. Linked the group to Hamas, referred to both IIHS and Hamas as terrorist groups.
Did not touch that Barak and Bibi had planned this tragic raid. Or how these people were executed . Did not even touch how many people were on the other ships and who they were. Silence on how the 9 were executed by Israeli soldiers.
Jackie Northrum and NPR should get their checks in the mail from the Israeli lobby. Oh that is all ready happening through NPR funding
Hope you will listen to this Prof Cole and give us your take on this spin
Raid Shines Light On Turkish Humanitarian Group
[4 min 39 sec]
Hope you will listen to this
link to npr.org
Juan another home run. Spreading through the blogs. Hopefully you will not have been arrested for "terrorism" before I get back to read your next piece. Thanks so much for helping us widen our perspectives based on facts and your scholarly views.
"Completely unacceptable Use of Force"
Gaza flotilla activists were shot in head at close range
Exclusive: Nine Turkish men on board Mavi Marmara were shot a total of 30 times, autopsy results reveal
link to guardian.co.uk
“He calculated that during the bloodiest part of the assault, Israeli commandos shot one person every minute. One man was fatally shot in the back of the head just two feet in front him and another was shot once between the eyes. He added that as well as the fatally wounded, 48 others were suffering from gunshot wounds and six activists remained missing, suggesting the death toll may increase.
The new information about the manner and intensity of the killings undermines Israel’s insistence that its soldiers opened fire only in self defence and in response to attacks by the activists.”
Wondering when Israel will release the tapes of these executions so that Chris Matthews and the rest can show those clips 9 times in seven minutes.
thank you to all who participated in this dangerous humanitarian event. And thanks Juan for keeping us updated.
I have been letting people know for years that Informed Comment is one of the best places in the blog world to get verifiable information on the middle east.
Thanks for all of your work Juan
BP should be put right on that oil covered creature.
A picture Before BP and After BP
BBP and ABP
Important question
If Israel thought what they were doing was legal why block satellite connections for the ship? Why collect all recording equipment of the activist? Why not allow the event to be recorded from beginning to end. Show the world what they did if they thought it was legal.
Israel and the Israeli lobby are spinning this to hell and back. They have to justify this violence
Thanks for the report. The MV RAchel Corrie still headed for the Gaza
link to palsolidarity.org
here is a great idea for the MV Rachel Corrie
Can The MV Rachel Corrie Heal the Wounds Left in the Wake of the USS Liberty?
"The MV Rachel Corrie should plan on reaching the exact point at which the USS Liberty was attacked by the Israeli Navy on June 8th 1967, on June 8th 2010.
They should ask for permission to lay wreaths and garlands from the families of those killed at that site 43 years ago.
They should ask that now, and continue to idle in the area north of Egypt.
They should also ask the U.S. government and Navy if they would like to send a vessel to be at the site for the wreath laying ceremony.
They should invite foreign dignitaries to charter vessels from Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and other countries to come to the site to witness the wreath laying.
They should invite American congressional leaders to come honor the dead from a brutal battle that earned the skipper of the Liberty the Medal of Honor.
They should invite rabbis, imams, ministers, priests, shamans and witches from all faiths to pray earnestly for peace. Atheists, too.
And then,
They should be allowed to proceed to the port of Gaza, unhindered"
link to seminal.firedoglake.com
"Israel accuses some of the passengers of fighting back."
As is always the case Israel flipping the script, pointing at others...their fault...not us. Don't look at our brutal and violent ways..it's them over there
Will be so interested in what Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Ed and the rest have to say about this massacre. They along with the rest of the MSM (Diane Rehm, Terri Gross, Neil Conan) completely ignored the International flotilla headed toward the Gaza last week. Not a whisper...silence. When the spotlight is turned on such a critical issue like this those who have a tendency and a history of being very violent (Goldstone Report) will be less likely to be violent when the spotlight is on them. But no MSNBC, NPR,CNN are generally not interested until there is violence. And for weeks now they have had the Gulf of Mexico oil coming out of their ears, eyes and mouths
The MSM in the states has been shut down for decades about the I/P conflict...decades. This goes on until today. Oh NPR will throw a few truthful reports the publics way but spin that news by calling Israeli violence necessary and referencing Hamas as "terrorist" The organization FAIR did a study and report on NPR's bias.
The most recent examples of our MSM's black out is Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann etc did not even touch or mention the Goldstone Report. Nothing. Silence
Most recently none of these programs even whispered about the International flotilla last week when they began their voyage...not a whisper. But tonight you will either hear spin on the massacre or silence on MSNBC. Spin or silence.
Israeli forces took the activist recording devices, computers etc. Probably have destroyed. They do not want evidence...no evidence...
Brazil still Reaching out to Obama on Nuclear Deal
Does OBama really want to negotiate with Iran or not. Or will those who lied us into Iraq and have been marching towards a confrontation with Iran win out?
Ledeen, Bolton, Israeli leaders, Cheney, Reuel Marc Gerecht, Terri Gross, Aipac, Jinsa, Rep Gohmert from Texas, Ros Lehtinen, etc etc. Will these warmongers win out?
Israelis Threaten to Block it with War Ships
Decades of war crimes
Slowly starving the people in the Gaza. Only physically though. Because their spirits seem to only grow stronger as well as people around the worlds support for their plight.
Until the U.S. deals with this critical situation more honestly and fairly the conflict will continue. How many times do we need to hear that the unbridled $$$$ support that the U.S. provides for Israel is one of the main reasons people in that part of the world are so pissed off at us? How many times do we have to hear this?
The MSM's coverage of the BP oil disaster in the Gulf has shut down all coverage on Iraq, Afghanistan, returning U.S. soldiers. The MSM has almost always been shut down to what is happening in the I/P conflict.
But now they have BP's oil in their eyes, ears and mouths.
Silence on these other critical issues
Prof Cole did you watch the
Senate Foreign Relations Cmte. Hearing on START Treaty (May 18, 2010)
Senate Foreign Relations Cmte. Hearing on START Treaty In April, Pres. Obama and Russian Pres. Medvedev signed a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) that will limit long-range nuclear weapons. Sec. of State Clinton, Defense Sec. Gates and Jt. Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mullen discussed the treaty at a Senate Foreign Relations Cmte hearing. This would replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and the 2002 Moscow Treaty.
Washington, DC : 2 hr. 16 min.
Hillary "warmongering" Clinton claimed some things about Iran that I hope you dissect. She said that Iran IS enriching uranium above 20%. She was also saying that she had China and Russia on board for more sanctions.
link to c-span.org
Have you noticed all of the energy commercials on the MSM? First they have a Iraqi Vet talking about how the US needs to get off the oil teat in the middle east, show US tanks being blown up by IED's, then they show a shot of the Iranian President and call him a MADMAN and how our oil addiction puts money in his pocket. Several versions of these commercials but they are being played all over the MSM. MSNBC, CNN etc.
New strategy to fuel aggression towards Iran