Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts

Friday, December 27, 2024

Biden & Crew apparently believe almost anything said by the extremist Netanyahu

 https://www.democracynow.org/2024/12/26/michael_casey_resigns_over_gaza

Watch/listen to why a fifteen-year USA diplomat resigned from the State Department.  Several others also have done likewise, but we don't hear about it from the Mainstream/Corporate Media.

Casey was a frontline diplomat in the Israel-Gaza conflict.  He wrote numerous reports to the Upper Crust of the State Dept. detailing the war crimes of the Israeli military.  They were ignored.  Details are at the link above.

Israel continues to attack children, hospitals, schools, refugee shelters, ambulances, journalists, and basic infrastructure.  Biden & Crew continue their "ironclad support".  The tiny amount of humanitarian aid (food, water, medical supplies) which sometimes is allowed to get through to Gaza is grossly inadequate. People in Gaza are starving, dying from lack of medical care, and often being maimed or killed outright still to this day.  Where's compassion?

The entire scenario is a stain not only on Biden's Administration, but also on our country.  Yes, some are protesting and speaking out against this immoral Gaza policy, but not nearly enough.  Some world Leaders are boycotting Israel, but not enough.  What the Israeli Gov't is doing in Gaza is textbook genocide, and our Gov't is complicit in the execution of it.  There's a high probability that when Trump takes office, he'll make things even worse.

Watch the video at the link above, and then ask:  are the deaths of innocent people in Gaza simply "collateral damage"?  Keep in mind that genuine collateral damage is accidental.  The deaths in Gaza are are not such.  They are brought about on purpose.  The Israeli military knows children are in the hospitals, schools, shelters, etc., being attacked.  The excuse for the killing appears to be:  Hamas is hiding there, so we have no choice.  Really?!  There is, of course, always a choice in such matters.  No sane, ethical person would use such an excuse to murder innocent children.

Every government in the world should be shunning Netanyahu and boycotting Israel.  They should be doing so because millions of their citizens are demanding such actions.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well, and be a friction against the Machine.

Sunday, August 18, 2024

MORE idiocy, mostly from politicians

1.  As the Biden Admin bemoans the continuing excessive killing of civilians by the Far-Right Israeli Leadership, $20 billion more in military hardware for Israel has been authorized...with no conditions attached.  [It's true some of that hardware - F-16 fighter jets - won't be available until 2026; however, bombs-missiles-and other munitions probably will be shipped in less than a month from now.]

2.  Trump appears to be melting down.  His gaslighting tactics - lying, accusing his opponent of actions which apply to him, constantly changing the subject when backed into a corner by logic & truth, egregiously insulting people, making unsubstantiated claims, etc. - are not having any significant effect on his opponents.  He seems to be baffled by that, and as a result, when speaking publicly he rambles, whining about different things and spewing out topics which have little-to-no connection to one another.  He's now the confused, old man in the race.
 
3.  Spokesmen for the Israeli military claim everything is being done to avoid civilian deaths in Gaza.  "Everything" includes evacuation orders.  The problem is:  every place refugees evacuate to is attacked, and often without warning.  In a recent bombing of a school, over 100 people were killed.  Many of them were blown into so many pieces they were unidentifiable.  [Source:  the independent news show, Democracy Now!]  Israel says 31 Hamas members were killed in the attack.  Do the math: over two-thirds of the victims were civilians...including CHILDREN.

4.  Not too long ago, Elon Musk claimed Earth could support 80 billion people.  Such thinking is completely devoid of ecological knowledge, and is both delusional and idiotic.
https://www.unilad.com/news/elon-musk-believes-earth-could-hold-80-billion-people-799394-20231031

5.  Most of the top Democrats in DC oppose the Far-Right Trump Crew in the USA, but back the Far-Right Extremist Netanyahu in Israel.  That's idiocy.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Gaza, Israel, USA, Biden, and Netanyahu

Someone I care about wrote me and suggested I have compassion for Biden.  My response is below.

RE your "compassion for Biden" comment---

My compassion is for the children and other civilians in Gaza.  Biden is now a war criminal (according to several philosophers, UN humanitarian workers, university professors, & others), complicit in ethnic cleansing, genocide, and the outright starvation & murder of innocent children.  His hypocritical statements, e.g., "I'm doing everything I can to stop this [the "over-the-top" war]" are sickening.  He's not doing even half of what he could.

I wonder how compassionate toward Genocide Joe you'd be if your grandson had been killed in Gaza by U.S. supplied weapons.  Biden has materially helped to kill over 12,300 children.  Nothing can excuse that.  I don't care what his reasoning is.  He's complicit in war crimes, period.  Trump would be even worse, but that doesn't make Biden less of a war criminal.  What he's doing is a stain on him and everyone in this country.  It's totally unforgivable.  You don't back a thug (Netanyahu) who purposely attacks hospitals, UN shelters, ambulances, residences, etc., with innocent children in them...even if you believe your perceived enemy also is there.  It's criminal, immoral, unethical, and barbaric.  And yet, Biden keeps sending weapons to do the deed.
Outrageous.
Don't bother trying to change my mind on this... because no one can.  No one.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Friday, March 1, 2024

Ten reasons why it's time for President Biden to gracefully retire

  1.  President Biden, you tepidly stated the Israeli response to the initial Hamas attack was now "over the top".  It's much more than that; it's criminal.  Yet, you keep sending weapons and ammo to Israel, thus supporting the response which you say is too much, "over the top".  Hello!
  2.   Every country ( including the USA) should be sanctioning Netanyahu and other members of the current Israeli Leadership who are responsible for purposely killing thousands of children and other civilians.  Those victims are not collateral damage.  It was known they were in the hospitals, UN shelters, refugee camps, ambulances, residences, etc. which were attacked.  Netanyahu et al. are Trump-on-steroids.  That's what you're supporting, Mr. President.  Wake up.
  3.  According to Oil Change International,  twenty countries (including the USA) are planning to expand oil production for twenty-six more years.   https://priceofoil.org/content/uploads/2023/09/OCI-Planet-Wreckers-Report.pdf
  4.  You tout your climate mitigation efforts, but they really are a mixed bag.  In accordance with number 3. above, you are expanding drilling for fossil energy on public lands.  Plus, the Inflation Reduction Act (constantly bragged about by you and others) favors oil companies as much as efforts toward renewable energy.
  5.  Your Administration continues to pursue Julian Assange.  His "crime" was exposing US military misdeeds, some of which were war crimes.  Your backing of Netanyahu means you are complicit in war crimes.  That's according to many humanitarian scholars at the U.N., a few politicians here in the USA,  a few universities around the world, and several governments.  Wake up.  You're aiding in the murder of CHILDREN.
  6.  Yes, you're better than Trump as a Leader, but not better than so many other potential candidates.  Trump is so unAmerican and has such a cult mentality, but still might win the election if someone other than you isn't running against him.  You don't seem to know how to deal with his idiocy.  Like many others, you let him get away with constantly changing the subject whenever he's caught in a lie or otherwise backed into a corner.  He acts like a spoiled brat, and gets away with it.  Anyone who knows the first thing about debating could show him up to be the whining child he is in no time at all.  He's a gaslighter, a serial liar, a bully, and his knowledge of almost everything is pathetic.  He's not an unknown. 
  7.  Unlike a few politicians, you don't seem to understand ecological overshoot at all.  Plus, you don't appear to grasp any ecological principles (not just overshoot).  Like other anachronistic politicians, you apparently believe infinite economic growth - which, by the way, is exponential - is compatible with the health of a finite planet.  You don't see such as an oxymoron.
  8.  Like Obama and Trump, you're updating our nuclear weapons arsenal instead of eliminating it.  You seem to have bought into the idea that a "limited" nuclear war is possible without any significant consequences.  Sheer ignorance.
  9.  Trump has zero statesmanship, but yours isn't much better.  Putin warned the West about NATO expansion to his borders, and wanted talks about Ukraine.  Your Administration avoided talks.  Instead, you were quick to jump into a proxy war.
 10.  Your outmoded foreign policy is a disaster.  It's predicated on the idea of the USA as the world's police force.  It's stuck in a "unipolar" world, with the USA as the undisputed Head Honcho.  It fails to recognize the emerging multipolar world, in which other major nations actually get to have some influence in their regions.  See the Jeffrey Sachs interviews on Democracy Now for details.

The election still is eight months away.  Time to change horses.  There are plenty of potential candidates who have a much better chance than you, Mr. President, of defeating the poorest excuse for a politician in the history of our country.  Bow out gracefully, and you'll see a flood of (okay, maybe only several) candidates enter the race.  The wannabe dictator will be defeated first verbally, and then at the ballot box.  Hands down.  
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Israeli Leadership & Hamas are EQUALLY guilty of not only war crimes, but also stupidity

 Israel---

1)  Attacking facilities such as hospitals, residences, refugee shelters, schools, U.N. SHELTERS - where not only adult civilians but also CHILDREN are present - is totally inexcusable.  It's immoral, unethical, and unlawful.  It's criminal, no matter what the excuse for it.  [Have other countries (including the USA) done anything similar?  Yes, but such does not make it right or legal.]

2)  Telling refugees to evacuate to the south for safety, and then attacking the south, killing and maiming civilian adults AND CHILDREN, also is a war crime.

3)  The Leadership is stupid if they think the CRIMINAL acts of Hamas justify "collective punishment" in Gaza AND THE WEST BANK.  That doesn't fly in a civil society.  They're also stupid if they believe ethnic cleansing is justifiable, and if they think the world doesn't know they are trying to get all Palestinians to leave both Gaza and the West Bank.  Finally, they're stupid if they don't see that their actions are creating a whole new generation of militants.

Hamas---

a)  Because of its scale and immoral brutality, their initial attack was not only criminal, but also a WAR CRIME.  Period.

b)  Hamas is stupid because they had to know how egregious the Israeli response would be.  They had to know civilian "shields" wouldn't mean a damned thing to the Israeli Leadership.  Why?  Because the current Leadership has been strangling Gaza for quite awhile, and bulldozing Palestinian homes in the West Bank as well.  They don't care one whit about the lives of Palestinians.  [I'm referring only to Israel's current Leaders, not all Israelis.]

SIDE NOTE---  Most of the Fed Gov't here in the USA should be completely ashamed of their involvement in this whole scenario, and of their weak, tepid criticism of the KILLING OF OVER 5,000 CHILDREN.  The greatest amount of shame on you.  Such will not be forgotten for a long time.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Thursday, October 26, 2023

Genocide in Gaza


Isn't the killing of over 7,000 civilians (almost 3,000 of them CHILDREN) enough?  According to Israeli Leadership thinking, apparently not.  

If you truly don't believe the actions of Israel are genocide, then perhaps you should listen carefully to the philosopher, Professor Butler, at the link above.

No one I've heard is justifying the brutal murders of Israeli civilians by Hamas.  Those actions were criminality at its worst.  On the other hand, the actions ordered by the Leadership of Israel in response are over-the-top, beyond-the-pale, immoral, and unethical.  Even many Jewish people, in Israel, the USA, and other countries, are strongly protesting that response.

In Israel and the USA, government spokespersons essentially have stated:  this is war, it's messy, and civilians get killed.  In other words, too bad, such is life.

Sorry, that's not an ethically acceptable reason for the wholesale bombing of Gaza, which includes killing people in hospitals, schools, UN shelters, residences, and the like.  Nor is it justifiable to bomb entire neighborhoods because Hamas tunnels are under those neighborhoods.  Israeli Leaders seem to be assuming everyone living in such places was complicit in the construction and use of those tunnels.  The Leaders also appear to be assuming that all Gazans support the brutal murder of Israeli civilians.  Or, maybe they just think:  hey, tough luck, but that's war.

Here's a recent hypothesis proposed (which I believe is probable):  because some people in the Government of Israel seem to believe ALL Palestinians support terrorism, the current crisis is being used to make life in Gaza so unbearable that all the residents migrate out of the area, or alternatively, die from lack of food, water, medicine, and other supplies.

Israel claims it is targeting only Hamas.  Come on, that doesn't hold water, not a drop.  Why?  In addition to the bombing, Israel has laid siege to Gaza - no food, no water, no fuel for generators, no medical supplies, etc.  A siege targets everyone.  Yes, they finally allowed numerous supply trucks to enter.  For two million people, the amount of supplies was a pittance.  Inadequate.

All civil people everywhere should be objecting to the actions of Israel in Gaza.  Not only is the situation tragic and brutal, it's not ethically justifiable.  Finally, how extremely ironic it is that Israel is committing genocide.

Here's another irony:  the three Abrahamic religions ALL worship the God of Abraham, but often still can't be civil to one another.  It makes one wonder:  will humans ever "live and let live"?
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Attached photo is in the public domain.

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Wars, Governance, Complexity, the Astonishing Decline of USA's Diplomacy, and More

 The ecologist, Nate Hagens, interviews Chuck Watson, an expert with decades of experience in the geopolitics of the Middle East, the USA, and Russia.


AT LEAST watch the first 20 minutes or so of this penetrating piece.

In our evolutionary history, we humans have moved further and further away from the reality of Nature.  Instead of Nature, we've used social constructs to make up our own reality.  Mistakenly, it seems most humans now believe the constructs of economics, politics, formal religion, and various other ideologies have placed us in a position superior to and separate from Nature.  That's a false belief, and destructive to our habitat.

Such a view can cause, and is causing, catastrophic consequences.  For example, many governments now appear to believe planetary biophysical limits can be ignored.  As a result of such a belief, natural resources - essential to life - are being depleted or damaged or destroyed at astronomical rates.  One result of that is:  governments are going to WAR over land, water, minerals, fertile soil, natural gas deposits, oil, and the like.  
[See the last online link in the post immediately prior to this piece.  Also see:  https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/6/21/palestines-forgotten-oil-and-gas-resources ]

Nothing can excuse the brutal murder of civilians by Hamas; however, the context of Israel essentially strangling Gaza and the West Bank Palestinians for decades should not be ignored.  It isn't only about religion.  Immediately adjacent to Israel, sitting underneath the surface of Palestinian land are deposits of oil and natural gas.  Israel needs such for economic growth.  Like most countries, it believes in infinite economic growth on a finite planet.

Are our made-up constructs necessary?  Yes, that's a given.  But they must be implemented with care and comprehensive thinking, and if we desire to thrive as a species, they must not ignore the Laws of Nature.  In modern times, our social constructs have made our lives more and more complex.  In fact, the complexity now is so enormous it's beginning to look as though our governments are on the brink of not being able to cope with the situation.  Underneath it all is the monstrous mistake we made after our discovery and development of a bonanza - fossil energy.  Instead of thinking comprehensively and sustainably, we went on a 150-year energy binge.  We're still on it.

That binge brought about (and it's ongoing) an exponential increase in the complexity of society in general.  Complexity doesn't have to be harmful.  An ecosystem is orders of magnitude more complex than any machine ever built by humans.  What can be harmful is having the Powers-That-Be (both public and private) analyzing and dealing with complexity using only linear thinking and a reductionist method of analysis.  A nonlinear, holistic approach needs to be in the mix.  Reductionism can be useful in certain circumstances, but holism (or systems thinking) is required for successfully navigating through complexity.  Very few political Leaders of today appear to have any clue whatsoever of holistic thinking.  If they had such a clue, perhaps we wouldn't be entering an era of natural resource scarcity; and maybe there would be a lot fewer wars, especially during troubling environmental catastrophes.  Perhaps differences among us would no longer impede peaceful cooperation.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Sunday, September 6, 2015

The Craziest 9-11 Conspiracy Theory...The One We Accepted


9-11 will be here shortly; perhaps we briefly should reflect upon it.  I'm talking about the one that happened in the USA, not in Chile in 1973 (that one essentially was engineered by Henry Kissinger).  I'm no expert in these matters, but I do have a Science background (both academic & practical) and am thoroughly familiar with the Scientific Method of Inquiry.  The paragraph immediately below summarizes the craziest 9-11 conspiracy theory I've seen thus far...

Nineteen losers armed with box-cutters conspired to outwit & outmaneuver the entire U.S. Gov't Defense, Intelligence, & Security apparatus...and were successful.  Now that's a doozie of a theory.  Every poll I've seen indicates that slightly more than half of American adults no longer believe it.

I'm not going to re-hash all the contradictions in that theory.  We've all seen them in documentaries and/or read about them in articles and books...ad infinitum.  Much of the information was from reputable individuals or teams, both in the fields of Science and the Military.  Most likely, none of us ever will know the full story of what happened (and why, and how) on our 9-11...but I'm relatively sure about one thing--- the Govt's version of the story really stinks.

Some people appear to believe there are only two choices relative to an explanation of what happened.  According to them, either it's the way the Gov't described it OR our Gov't did it.  Either one of those could be true, but those certainly are not the only choices.  Please, think.  There are probably at least a dozen other logical possibilities (not necessarily probabilities).  Here's just one, as follows.

A few people, some high-ranking military or ex-military and police, claim that the Israeli Mossad somehow was involved.  There is a little evidence supporting that hypothesis, but it is far from being conclusive.  Before you completely poo-poo the idea, however, consider this.  In the 1940's, the Brits essentially were driven out of British Palestine due to the terrorism perpetrated by the Jewish Irgun (founded in 1931 by a group of Haganah commanders).  The well respected Menachem Begin was Commander of the Irgun (which split from the Haganah) and ordered armed resistance to the Brits...including the bombing of the King David Hotel.  Brit Military Headquarters were there.  [One country's "Terrorist" is another country's "Freedom Fighter".]  To this very day, two things generally are recognized about the State of Israel & its leaders:  they are masters of Black Ops; and they will do anything to protect their State.  I'm not necessarily denigrating them for that, rather just stating what many consider absolute facts.  Though not proof of anything, it's also true that Israel has benefitted greatly post-9-11.

I don't know exactly who was responsible for our 9-11, but it should be obvious that the investigation (though appearing otherwise) was badly flawed---from start to finish.  IF the Fed Gov't (at the highest levels) did pull the wool over our eyes regarding 9-11, that's tragic; but what's also tragic is that they do it regarding mega bankers, the economy, employment, health care, war, monetary policy, fiscal policy, elections, and on & on.  It's known as "molding the public mind" via Edward Bernays style Propaganda.  Both public & private Oligarchs consider it an absolute necessity in a "democracy".

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Thursday, March 5, 2015

On What Legitimate, Ethical Authority?


What legitimate, ethical authority do the highest levels of our Fed Gov't have to...

1.  launch a pre-emptive war?  [as in the case of the 2003 Iraq invasion by the USA];

2.  tell Iran that it can't have a nuclear program?  [when Israel has ~ 200 nuclear weapons, and the USA is developing or upgrading so-called "tactical" nukes];

3.  impose sanctions on Russia for intervening in a civil war?  [when the highest levels of our Fed Gov't do the same thing on an almost regular basis];

4.  develop (paraphrased) "tools to guide Venezuela in the direction it needs to go"?  [Venezuela is a sovereign nation...it can go in any direction it so desires];

5.  insist (via the IMF and/or World Bank) that any particular country undergo "austerity"?  [when the USA is the largest debtor nation in the world...and there's no visible austerity imposed by our Gov't];

6.  spy on our allies?  [and then condemn other nations for doing the same to us];

7.  act as the world's Police Force?  [without any U.N. authorization];

8.  refuse to return Guantanamo (which essentially was stolen by us) to Cuba?;

9.  refuse to recognize the sovereignty of Native American Indian Nations?  [said sovereignty being guaranteed by numerous Treaties...all of which have been broken by the Feds];

10.  launch weaponized drone strikes into countries (e.g., Pakistan), killing both SUSPECTS and innocent civilians, when the "intelligence" identifying the suspects largely is from cell phone meta-data?  [Pakistan has told our Gov't to cease and desist more than once.]
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The answer to all of the above is...NONE.  There is no legitimate, ethical authority for those actions.  Every patriot (as opposed to nationalist) should point that out... loudly and repeatedly.

Not just my opinion.  Be Well

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Three Liars: Obama, Netanyahu, and Susan Rice

Yes, it's a harsh title, I know.  Perhaps I'm wrong.  If they aren't lying, then they're extremely uninformed, ignorant, and/or naive.  You decide.  I'm taking a break from painting, so this piece will be somewhat short.  In my opinion, the three characters mentioned in the title above perfectly illustrate how Oligarchs (or their puppets) sometimes operate.  Consider the following points.

1.  The tunnels---  Hamas has built tunnels into Egypt as well as Israel.  After the current dictator of Egypt took part in a military coup that overthrew a democratically elected gov't, he had the Egyptian ends of the Hamas tunnels SEALED.  Israel could have done the same thing with the ends of the tunnels crossing their borders.  The Israelis claimed that one of the reasons they bombed and invaded Gaza (killing hundreds of civilians and destroying thousands of homes) was to destroy the tunnels.  They could have been permanently sealed from the Israeli side.  This was expressed by Norman Finkelstein on Democracy Now.  Rarely reported in the Corporate Media is why there were tunnels into Egypt.  It was because Gaza is under blockade... not just weapons are restricted, but all kinds of civilian goods as well.  Those tunnels allowed the Palestinians to obtain much needed civilian goods and supplies.  The Israelis allow only minimal amounts to be imported into Gaza.  Gazans are not permitted to be a free people; they basically are confined to an area that is six times more densely populated than Manhattan.

2.  Obama and the Congress have given foreign aid to Egypt that amounts to over a billion dollars.  The sole reason for that appears to be because the Egyptian dictatorship does not support Hamas.  [Let's not forget that decades ago, the Israeli Irgun was a terrorist organization as well, operating in the very same land where Hamas dwells.]

3.  The rockets---  First of all, the Hamas "rockets" hardly can be called rockets at all.  That term implies a degree of sophistication; nevertheless, they are explosive projectiles of some sort.  The author, Norman Finkelstein, claims they amount to something a few degrees above fireworks.  In any case, they certainly are dangerous... so, that begs the question, why are they being fired into Israel?  The Corporate Media rarely go into that, and if so, just barely.  I have to be brief, too... Hamas is trying to get Israel to end the almost eight-year blockade of Gaza.  In addition, I suspect that Palestinians are still pissed off that for more than 65 years, the Israelis have been trying to drive them off their land.  Palestinians refused to accept the U.N. partition of their land (Palestine) in 1948 into two States (Israel and Palestine) because they had been living on that land in a majority for hundreds of years.  They considered all of it their land.  The Israelis, by means of terrorism starting in 1946, finally forced the British to go to the U.N. for some sort of solution to the "Palestinian problem".  The Israelis "reclaiming" land on which their ancestors lived a couple of thousand years ago is akin to me & my "clan" returning to Ireland and "reclaiming" some place where my ancestors lived a couple of thousand years ago.  Perhaps the American Indians/Native Americans here in the U.S. should reclaim their land.  [You see how the whole idea breaks down in modern times.]

4.  The Iron Dome---  Theodore Postol, an M.I.T. Professor, a physicist, and expert on missiles, rockets, and military defense systems, stated on Democracy Now that the Iron Dome is at most perhaps 5% effective.  He explained his claim quite well, but I don't have the time to detail it.  He also said that the lack of Israeli death and injury from Hamas attacks is not due to the Iron Dome, but rather to the advanced Israeli early warning system and the fact that Israeli homes, by law, must have an artillery-shell-proof shelter within.  In addition, of course, there are many public shelters throughout Israeli towns and cities.
Meanwhile, Obama and our Congress have authorized $225 million MORE to bolster the almighty Iron Dome...which, according to a top expert, is 5% effective.  Who benefits?  Raytheon Corporation, that's who.  Plus, National Security Advisor Susan Rice states publicly what a great defense system is the Iron Dome.

5.  The lobbyist-funded love affair between the U.S. Gov't and the Israeli Gov't---
Norman Finkelstein, on Democracy Now, also pointed out that Obama started out touting the righteousness of the Israeli invasion of Gaza.  Then after the Israelis essentially murdered so many civilian bystanders and even U.N. personnel in schools and hospitals by deliberate targeting of same, he had to change his tune.  According to Finkelstein, Netanyahu withdrew his troops because Obama said publicly that the Israeli actions were deplorable and indefensible.  The author said that this is the beginning of the end of the love affair between the two Gov'ts.

6.  Even IF Hamas was using civilians to shield military activities, a HUMANE Gov't does not go ahead anyway and target civilian homes, schools, and hospitals...thus killing hundreds of innocent men, women, and CHILDREN.  CHILDREN!  As to the Israeli military warning civilians that their homes were about to be bombed, the question arises, to where should they run?  U.N. shelters were also bombed... killing refugees, as well as U.N. workers.  That is insanity; there is no justification for it.  These are war crimes.

Enough of the lies from the Establishment... enough of only part of the history of Israel and Palestine.  Israel is not the Little Miss Goodie Two Shoes portrayed by Obama (until very recently), Netanyahu, Susan Rice, and the Corporate Media.  There are two sides to every story of conflict.

Partly just my opinion.

Be Well

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

The Bush-Obama Principles and Doctrines

1.  Respect a country's sovereignty only when it serves the interests of the U.S. Fed Gov't and the Oligarchs who own that Gov't.
2.  Never refer to the Constitution except when saying, "Stop telling me about the Constitution; the Constitution is just a goddamn piece of paper."  ~ George W. Bush.
3.  Refer to those in a civil war who are not the puppets of the U.S. Fed Gov't as "terrorists".  [Example--- A day or two ago, Obama referred to the Iraqi Sunnis (who are in a civil war with the Iraqi Shiites) in that exact way.  He also said that, short of sending in ground troops, he would aid the Iraqi Gov't in order to defeat said terrorists in Iraq...and so, too, to make sure they never attack our Homeland.  Query:  do people really fall for that line?]
4.  If a whistleblower exposes Fed Gov't criminality, then criminalize that whistleblower.  [Examples---  Tom Drake, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, and several others.]
5.  Bail out financial institutions who have made reckless, incredibly speculative investments...and who should (according to the principles of Free Market Capitalism) eat the consequences and fail.  Lie to the People, saying that if those Financialization Institutions are not bailed out, our entire economy will collapse.  Protect the mega banks that swindled investors from criminal prosecution.
6.  Allow mega corporate cronies to become Fed Gov't cronies, and in the process, give them a capital gains tax break of hundreds of millions of dollars.  [Example:  Hank Paulson...capital gains tax break of $200 million.  There are others as well.  Put out a cover story saying that's how we attract the best people to Gov't.]
7.  Do whatever Israel says.  Ignore and/or suppress the fact that the founders of the State of Israel were once themselves terrorists...back when that land was British Palestine.  Ignore and/or suppress the fact that current Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories violate International Law.
8.  Support all so-called "Free Trade" Agreements...especially when they facilitate the export of jobs and manufacturing from the USA, thus allowing the super-rich to become even richer.
9.  Cover up Fed Gov't criminality by using this phrase over and over:  National Security.
10.  Talk the Egalitarian Talk, but then do what's best for the Oligarchy.  Continue mega corporate welfare at the highest level possible.  Make certain that billionaires essentially can buy elections.
11.  Continue the lie that the Fed Reserve benefits Main Street.  Don't let the People know that the Fed provides essentially free money (the Discount Window) to so-called investment banks...and that those "investments" are not for job creation, but rather are for speculative derivatives that benefit only insiders.
12.  Continue the myth that because of certain legislation the Congress supposedly does not have to declare war before the President can put troops on the battlefield.  [That LIE has been one of the most successful falsehoods ever put forth by the highest levels of the Fed Gov't.  The false premise in that concept is that Laws supercede the U.S. Constitution.  Please.]

I could go on...and on...and on.  Time constraints do not permit it.

Be Well

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Signs That the Elites in Our Gov't Have Lost It (Edited 3-25-14)

1. It appears that the Executive Branch is spying on the Legislative Branch because the latter is investigating the former for alleged acts of torture.

2. James Clapper, the Head of Intelligence, lied before Congress...which is a felony in this country.  There are no consequences suffered by Mr. Clapper.

3. President Obama marks terrorist suspects in various countries for death by assassination.  "Collateral damage" (the death and maiming of innocent civilians) continues---about 1400 in Pakistan so far--- despite White House claims of "precision" and "minimal loss of innocent civilians".

4. Various sections of the Constitution (e.g., the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, Article II Section 2, in fact---all of Article II, which is the portion dealing with the Executive Branch, and others) now mean pretty much whatever the Gov't desires them to mean.  [This is not unique to the Obama Gang...other White House Gangs have been just as guilty; so too have various Legislative and Judicial Gangs.]

5. Russia is being criticized and punished for violating International Law.  You see, when they do it, it's a crime.  When the US Gov't does it, it's "spreading democracy" or "a humanitarian mission"... or "in the interests of the security of the USA".  The US Elites never commit crimes; everyone knows that.  That's because US Elites are, you know, "exceptional", "special", and beyond question as to morality.  Besides, they have the biggest guns.  Apparently, might makes Right.

6.  It would seem, according to the actions of the US Gov't, that the Pakistani People have no sovereignty.  Their Gov't has asked the US Gov't to stop launching Hellfire missiles onto their territory.  The US essentially has said:  Frack You.  It would seem that the Big Bully US Gov't gets to decide who has sovereignty and who doesn't.  This whole scenario, of course, is not a crime...because US Elites are ordering it.

7. For decades, the US Gov't has done what it can to oppose the peace process in the Middle East.  That continues today.  I say that because the only acceptable proposals (in the Elites' eyes) are those made by the US and Israel.  Even though the overwhelming majority of people in the world believe that Israel is in the Occupied Territories illegally, that doesn't count.  Leaving is not an option.  Israel should be able to continue evicting Palestinians and bulldozing their houses...because, you know, that's how we get peace.
[NOTE:  Some people seem to have forgotten that just before Israel became a nation, when that land still was British Palestine, men like Menachem Begin were bombing hotels there...they were terrorists.  Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones at others.]

8. According to the Elites in our Gov't, inflation is low in this country.  That's because when figuring the rate of inflation, they don't count the rises in the cost of food, energy, and housing.  No wonder inflation is "low".

9. The NSA has plans to infect (using automated systems) millions of computers...and has impersonated the Facebook server...in order to gather more bulk data...on everyone.  It has done so with no probable cause, and no proper warrants.  Obama claims it's all legal, and there's "oversight".  Yes, we've seen some of that oversight---Clapper lied to Congress.  Here's how "oversight" works:  a representative of the appropriate Executive Department appears before the Congressional Oversight Committee...and tells the truth when answering questions, or lies, or both.  No one knows for sure...unless a whistleblower such as Snowden releases documents to the public.

10. Whistleblowers are being smeared and criminalized.

11. Independent journalists are being smeared, and in some cases, criminalized.

12. You now can become a "terrorist suspect" by reading the "wrong" thing on the internet.  Even if you're later cleared of suspicion, you're already in the information system in probably a thousand places.  That system is too unwieldy too manage properly.  There's a definite chance that you're screwed.  Ask Cat Stevens.

13. The Heads of mega corporations can buy their way out of Fed criminal prosecutions by paying a fine amounting to billions of dollars.  A top executive in a mega bank involved in a case recently sent an email to a colleague stating, "Just throw some money at it, it'll go away."  The Feds don't prosecute the top cronies in Big Business...the geese that lay the golden eggs...for campaign financing.

14. A Fed Gov't official recently stated, "I would gladly walk up to Edward Snowden and shoot him in the head."  As far as I know, that official is still on the job.

15. Presumption of innocence apparently no longer exists in the minds of some in our Gov'tSuspects are being assassinated overseas in the name of We the People.  At least two American citizen suspects have been so assassinated. 

16. Though we're not constitutionally at war, the Elites have propagandized us into believing that we legally are in an actual war.  They've convinced us that the War Powers Act somehow trumps the Constitution, which is impossible.  No Legislative Act trumps the Supreme Law of the Land.  They've also convinced us that the President can do pretty much as he pleases with the American military...because he's Commander-in-Chief.  To the Elites, that means he's not constrained by the constitutionally permitted uses of the military.  Hello...that's false.

17. Thanks to the misnamed PATRIOT Act, FBI Agents can write their own search warrants...a blatant violation of the Fourth Amendment.

18. Thanks to the Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. the City of New London, governments now can seize private property under Eminent Domain and sell or give that property to private developers.  Supposedly, the "public use" in that scenario are the taxes generated by the development.  Essentially that means anyone's property can be seized at any time and sold to private entities.  Incredible.

There is a better way, but first we have to stop drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid.

Be Well

"Don't Believe Him"

The Nazis in the 1930's and 1940's used exactly the same propaganda tactic as is used by Trump:  repeat a lie over & over, and m...