Here is a major story not covered by Western MSM....
A Jordanian member of parliament has pulled a gun on one of his critics during a heated debate on live television.
Mohammed Shawabka was discussing Jordan's policies toward Syria on a television show on Friday with political activist Mansour Sayf al-Din Murad, the Times of Israel reports.
When the discussion became heated, both men began hurling insults, including working for the Israeli Mossad Intelligence Agency.
"You're a Mossad agent," one of the men said.
"You're a big crook," said the other.
The show's host Mohammed Habashneh, who was seated between the two men, desperately told them to "calm down".
But the MP pulled off his shoe and aimed it at his critic, who ducked underneath the desk and knocked it over.
Mr Shawabka then pulled out a silver gun before pointing it at the critic who was walking towards him.
The host tried to break up the fight by stepping between the two men, but the brawl reportedly continued for some time before the show's producer started to roll the credits.
But I can assure you that the coming of the Arab Spring to Jordan has the full attention of Israel, and the Palestineans in the West Bank and Gaza.
And here we have the British view...
Government change fails to calm Jordan's political crisis
AMMAN, Jordan — A decision just over a week ago by Jordanian King Abdullah II to dismiss the government has done little to calm growing public discontent at home that threatens to deepen a political crisis.Abdullah has appointed five governments since the eruption of the Arab Spring uprisings, which have forced him to make democratic reforms.The new prime minister, Abdullah Ensour, is a reformist politician and opposition lawmaker who voted to withhold confidence from the previous four governments."This selection aimed to send a message to the public and the opposition that decision-makers are listening to their demands and dissatisfaction," said Hussein Rawashdeh, Jordanian political observer.Despite enjoying relative popularity, analysts say a lack of authority is likely to undermine Ensour's attempts to revive the country's lagging reform process.His first task is to salvage an upcoming parliamentary election by convincing Islamist-led opposition to reverse its decision to boycott the vote.The opposition says a new electoral system favors regime loyalists, who hail mainly from Bedouin tribes. Loyalists fear that democratic reforms would undermine their influence in the country where the majority of the population of 7 million is of Palestinian origin."If the decision on the elections law is not in his hands, how can the prime minister even dream of encouraging the opposition to take part?" said columnist and political analyst Maher Abu Tayer.Despite good relations with the Muslim Brotherhood, analysts say an atmosphere of distrust will prevent Ensour from diffusing growing tensions between the state and Jordan's largest political force."After each of the last four governments failed to live up to their reform promises, the Brotherhood has given up on listening to the government," said Rawashdeh. "They know that the prime minister is not the decision-maker."Islamist leaders reportedly walked out of their first meeting with Ensour, held less than 24 hours after his appointment, saying that their former political ally was unable to carry out democratic reforms."The question is not whether the prime minister is for democratic reforms, the question is whether he has the power to implement them," said Zaki Bani Rshied, deputy head of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood."If the government does not have full control over the state, how can it negotiate in the name of the state?" said Bani Rshied remarked.Ensour's appointment has also done little to calm pro-democracy protests."No matter who the King selects, we do not support a government that is not chosen by the people, for the people," said Muath Btoush of the Karak Popular Youth Movement, one of hundreds of protest groups that have sprouted across the country since early 2011.The government is also under pressure to trim over $2.8 billion in fuel and electricity subsidies."Although it would be politically wise to delay any lifting of subsidies until after the elections, financially the country just can't afford it," said Musa Shteiwi, director of the University of Jordan Centre for Strategic Studies.Jordan also faces a record $5 billion budget deficit. It has received less than half the $460 million in budgetary assistance promised by donor states. Experts say this means Jordan has no choice but to press ahead with unpopular austerity measures."It doesn't matter who is prime minister, these decisions are going to hurt a lot of Jordanian citizens and they won't stay quiet," said Jordanian columnist and political observer Bassem Shakhija.Abu Tayer said: "Before the Arab Spring, a change in government was enough to silence the Jordanian street. Now it is only encouraging it to speak louder."
Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/10/13/2727599/government-change-fails-to-calm.html#storylink=cpy
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/10/13/2727599/government-change-fails-to-calm.html
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Amature Hour Comes To MSM?
Here we have an interesting example of a Main Stream media outlet using 'amature' reporters to cover 'the news.' Let's compare this amature coverage with professional coverage by looking at what is happening in Syria...
Here is a broad overview of Syria
in a nutshell..
Please visit and peruse my previous post 'welcome to Syria...'
http://shoe08.blogspot.com/2012/02/welcome-to-syria.html
Here is a video by another MSM, although one might argue that the view from Russia is biased, one must also wonder who those masked 'amature' reporters on the situation in Syria really are...
China has taken a lead in support of a diplomacy and a peaceful end to the conflict in Syria. Xinhua has a whole page devoted to the Syrian 'situation.' Their media reports are quite understated, with every word filled with latent meaning.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-10/21/c_131920379.htm
Compare with these reports...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/21/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE88J0X720121021
DAMASCUS |
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - A car bomb killed 13 people in central Damascus on Sunday as President Bashar al-Assad told an international mediator seeking a truce in Syria's civil war that the key to any political solution was to stop arming rebels. The bomb exploded outside a police station in the mainly Christian central Bab Touma district of the capital while Assad held talks with United Nations-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who is pushing for a temporary ceasefire to mark the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha.State news agency SANA said the president said Syria supported "any sincere effort to find a political solution to the crisis, based on respect for Syrian sovereignty and rejecting foreign intervention."
Any proposal "must be centered around the principle of halting the terrorism and ... commitment by the countries involved in supporting, arming and harboring the terrorists in Syria to stop these actions", SANA quoted Assad as saying.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20020323
(the view from Britan)
But only Anti war is covering Kofi Anan's
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/10/20/kofi-annan-im-dead-certain-military-intervention-in-syria-will-not-work/
Kofi Annan: ‘I’m Dead Certain’ Military Intervention in Syria ‘Will Not Work’
The former UN Secretary General and envoy to Syria also said Paul Ryan's argument against diplomacy was 'dead wrong'
by John Glaser, October 20, 2012
Former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan warned in an interview that will air on Sunday, that military intervention in Syria by the major powers will not work and “will make the situation much worse.”
On his CNN show, Fareed Zakaria asked Annan, who recently served as UN envoy to Syria in an attempt to reach a negotiated settlement to stop the bloody civil conflict, whether military intervention could work as a solution.“I’m dead certain it will not work,” Annan said. “It will make the situation much worse.”
“First of all, Libya – people refer to Libya as an example. Syria is not Libya. Syria is located in one of the most volatile regions of the world. Syria is next to Iraq, next to Lebanon, where we have had major problems. And in a region where you have all sorts of jihadist elements, and as we know they’ve been crossing into Syria. And because of the nature of Syrian society, which is a mosaic.”
Annan also derided the claims among some in the major powers that “something” or some kind of intervention must be done in order to stem the violence.
These are the same groups of people, he said, “that propagated the idea that any attempt to mediate gives Assad more time to kill.” This “is a piece of unmitigated nonsense,” adding that statements to this effect from GOP vice presidential contender Paul Ryan were “dead wrong.”
Annan has voiced these views before. All the way back in March, he warned not only against direct military intervention, but also against foreign meddling and arming of insurgent and rebel groups by various countries.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
What Are We Fighting For?
Dozens of police officers cleared the park where the Occupy movement was born six months ago and made several arrests after hundreds of protesters returned in an anniversary observance and defiantly resisted calls to clear out. (March 18)
With the stroke of a pen, President Obama signed bill HR 347 into law earlier this month. With that move, Obama made it a felony to express freedom of speech in America. The Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act that effortlessly passed the House and the Senate is a law that most Americans don't know about but could put them behind bars for up to 10 years. The law states it is a prosecutable offense to without lawful authority enter a building or grounds of a special event of national significance or enter a building or grounds where the President or other person protected by the Secret Service is or will be temporarily visiting. David Seaman, journalist and host of the DL Show, joins us to talk about how, along with the NDAA, HR 347 is detrimental to the First Amendment.
In a pre-trial hearing the U.S. government has declared that Private Bradley Manning was aiding the enemy and stated that enemy was Al Qaeda. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian discuss the ridiculous hypocrisy of President Obama attacking this whistleblower.
A documentary on the commerce of war, and how the military industrial complex profits so much from war, that it must create wars to continue the growth of it's business.
............
Friday, March 16, 2012
Is The Arab Spring A Pentagon Strategy?
The Cruelty Of Wars, a slide show from China
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-03/17/c_131472874.htm
Engdahl's newest book is reviewed below.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14046
Titled "Full Sprectrum Dominance: Totalitarian Democracy in the New World Order," it discusses America's grand strategy, first revealed in the 1998 US Space Command document - Vision for 2020. Later released in 2000 as DOD Joint Vision 2020, it called for "full spectrum dominance" over all land, surface and sub-surface sea, air, space, electromagnetic spectrum and information systems with enough overwhelming power to fight and win global wars against any adversary, including with nuclear weapons preemptively.
Other means as well, including propaganda, NGOs and Color Revolutions for regime change, expanding NATO eastward, and "a vast array of psychological and economic warfare techniques" as part of a "Revolution in Military Affairs" discussed below.
September 11, 2001 served as pretext to consolidate power, destroy civil liberties and human rights, and wage permanent wars against invented enemies for global dominance over world markets, resources, and cheap labor - at the expense of democratic freedoms and social justice. Engdahl's book presents a frightening view of the future, arriving much sooner than most think.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11239.htm
But this 'policy' was by no means restricted to Central America. It was conducted throughout the world. It was never-ending. And it is as if it never happened.
The United States supported and in many cases engendered every right wing military dictatorship in the world after the end of the Second World War. I refer to Indonesia, Greece, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Haiti, Turkey, the Philippines, Guatemala, El Salvador, and, of course, Chile. The horror the United States inflicted upon Chile in 1973 can never be purged and can never be forgiven.
Hundreds of thousands of deaths took place throughout these countries. Did they take place? And are they in all cases attributable to US foreign policy? The answer is yes they did take place and they are attributable to American foreign policy. But you wouldn't know it.
............
The invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law. The invasion was an arbitrary military action inspired by a series of lies upon lies and gross manipulation of the media and therefore of the public; an act intended to consolidate American military and economic control of the Middle East masquerading – as a last resort – all other justifications having failed to justify themselves – as liberation. A formidable assertion of military force responsible for the death and mutilation of thousands and thousands of innocent people.
We have brought torture, cluster bombs, depleted uranium, innumerable acts of random murder, misery, degradation and death to the Iraqi people and call it 'bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East'.
.............
US Staff Sgt massacres 16, Afghans in the middle of the night, including 9 little children.
Slide show, Karzai meets with relatives of victims
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-03/17/c_131472669.htm
US Troops destroy Afghan village
Libya After NATO removed Gaddafy
US implicated in overthrow of Mubarak
...............
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-03/17/c_131472874.htm
Engdahl's newest book is reviewed below.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14046
Titled "Full Sprectrum Dominance: Totalitarian Democracy in the New World Order," it discusses America's grand strategy, first revealed in the 1998 US Space Command document - Vision for 2020. Later released in 2000 as DOD Joint Vision 2020, it called for "full spectrum dominance" over all land, surface and sub-surface sea, air, space, electromagnetic spectrum and information systems with enough overwhelming power to fight and win global wars against any adversary, including with nuclear weapons preemptively.
Other means as well, including propaganda, NGOs and Color Revolutions for regime change, expanding NATO eastward, and "a vast array of psychological and economic warfare techniques" as part of a "Revolution in Military Affairs" discussed below.
September 11, 2001 served as pretext to consolidate power, destroy civil liberties and human rights, and wage permanent wars against invented enemies for global dominance over world markets, resources, and cheap labor - at the expense of democratic freedoms and social justice. Engdahl's book presents a frightening view of the future, arriving much sooner than most think.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11239.htm
But this 'policy' was by no means restricted to Central America. It was conducted throughout the world. It was never-ending. And it is as if it never happened.
The United States supported and in many cases engendered every right wing military dictatorship in the world after the end of the Second World War. I refer to Indonesia, Greece, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Haiti, Turkey, the Philippines, Guatemala, El Salvador, and, of course, Chile. The horror the United States inflicted upon Chile in 1973 can never be purged and can never be forgiven.
Hundreds of thousands of deaths took place throughout these countries. Did they take place? And are they in all cases attributable to US foreign policy? The answer is yes they did take place and they are attributable to American foreign policy. But you wouldn't know it.
............
The invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law. The invasion was an arbitrary military action inspired by a series of lies upon lies and gross manipulation of the media and therefore of the public; an act intended to consolidate American military and economic control of the Middle East masquerading – as a last resort – all other justifications having failed to justify themselves – as liberation. A formidable assertion of military force responsible for the death and mutilation of thousands and thousands of innocent people.
We have brought torture, cluster bombs, depleted uranium, innumerable acts of random murder, misery, degradation and death to the Iraqi people and call it 'bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East'.
.............
US Staff Sgt massacres 16, Afghans in the middle of the night, including 9 little children.
Slide show, Karzai meets with relatives of victims
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-03/17/c_131472669.htm
US Troops destroy Afghan village
Libya After NATO removed Gaddafy
US implicated in overthrow of Mubarak
...............
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Welcome To Syria
Easter with President Bashar Al Assad and his wife Asma Assad
President Bashar Al Assad invited President Obama to visit Syria
Interview with Asma Assad
AOL HUFFINGTON POST CENSORING SYRIAN BLOG
According to statistics, more viewers are turning off the mainstream media which certainly didn't happen over the night. One of the reason is for this is the censorship that exists on the media.Sharmean Narwani, a blogger for Al-Akhbar English has been a victim of the censorship . She shares her story with RT's Liz Wahl.
People Power comes to Syria
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/dec/07/ukraine.comment
Nowadays, we can google the names of foundations such as America's National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and a myriad surrogates funding Ukraine's Pora movement or "independent" media. But unless you know the NED's James Woolsey was also head of the CIA 10 years ago, are you any wiser?
Throughout the 1980s, in the build-up to 1989's velvet revolutions, a small army of volunteers - and, let's be frank, spies - co-operated to promote what became People Power. A network of interlocking foundations and charities mushroomed to organise the logistics of transferring millions of dollars to dissidents. The money came overwhelmingly from Nato states and covert allies such as "neutral" Sweden.
It is true that not every penny received by dissidents came from taxpayers. The US billionaire, George Soros, set up the Open Society Foundation. How much it gave is difficult to verify, because Mr Soros promotes openness for others, not himself.
Engels remarked that he saw no contradiction between making a million on the stock market in the morning and spending it on the revolution in the afternoon. Our modern market revolutionaries are now inverting that process. People beholden to them come to office with the power to privatise.
The hangover from People Power is shock therapy. Each successive crowd is sold a multimedia vision of Euro-Atlantic prosperity by western-funded "independent" media to get them on the streets. No one dwells on the mass unemployment, rampant insider dealing, growth of organised crime, prostitution and soaring death rates in successful People Power states.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29221
Washington’s ambition to overthrow Syria’s Ba’athist state is a longstanding one which pre-dates the current uprising. The US state has been keen to install a pro-imperialist government in Damascus since at least 1957, when it tried unsuccessfully to engineer a coup there. In 2003, the United States initiated a program of economic warfare against Syria, and in 2005, if not earlier, started to funnel money to opposition elements to mobilize energy for regime change.
Friends of Syria
http://euobserver.com/24/115215
By Andrew Rettman
BRUSSELS - US and EU diplomats have begun recruiting countries to join a new group designed to bring down Syria's government.
US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nulland told press in Washington on Thursday (9 February) that senior US diplomat Jeffrey Feltman met with French and Qatari leaders to draw up plans for the new coalition.
She noted that Feltman was in Morocco on Wednesday and will travel to a congress in the Philippines on Friday: "He'll go tomorrow to Manama to a conference ... where there are lots of Europeans and lots of Arab League representatives to continue to talk about how this group might come together and what its mandate might be."
She added: "Now that the UN Security Council action has been blocked by the double veto [China and Russia] we are compelled to work outside the UN system."
Media Watch: Fake News About Syria
http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s3218415.htm
Folks, there is a concerted effort to take down Syria by telling lies to the American people about what is going on in Syria.
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/02/11/us-iraqi-officials-al-qaeda-behind-syria-bombing-arming-opposition/
Elements of al-Qaeda’s affiliates in Iraq have been moving into Syria to distribute weapons to the opposition and to carry out attacks against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials.
These terrorists, often described as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) carried out two recent bombings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and likely was behind the suicide bombings on Friday in the city of Aleppo that killed at least 28 people, anonymous U.S. officials told McClatchy Newspapers.
..................
The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command are currently reviewing possible U.S. military options against the Syrian regime and the specter of a proxy war of world powers in Syria has been raised as of late. But there is no indication yet of which posture the U.S. is taking in light of this supposed intelligence of jihadists in Syria.
Old City Folks Still Support Assad.
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/syria/old-city-folks-still-back-syria-s-al-assad-1.979179
Then there is the all important idea of getting one's story straight....
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/105605.html
UPDATE: I received this e-mail from Prof. Mark Almond this morning:
"Just a footnote to add to your excellent piece: I was being interviewed live on the BBC World Service yesterday (10.30GMT) when the presenter Dan Damon listened to the spokesman of the 'Syrian National Council' saying that the car bombs in Aleppo had been planted by the Assad regime to kill its own policemen but broke in to say he was reading on the wires the communique of the Free Syrian Army claiming responsibility! I suggested that this disagreement on tactics and truth was not a very hopeful sign for a post-Assad Syria since there could be a different type of civil war between his enemies if/when he fell - rather like in forgotten Libya
Saying No To Gun Boat Diplomacy
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/indepth/2012-02/20/c_131420379.htm
By Li Qingsi
BEIJING, Feb. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- After Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria on Feb 4, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution condemning the violence in Syria on Feb 16. Though non-binding, the newly passed resolution will put more pressure on the Syrian government and might prove to be the beginning of future outside intervention.
Sectarian conflicts, geopolitical factors, and particularly the West's "divide and conquer" involvement have given rise to the intense and sharp contradictions in the Arab World, and Syria's internal clashes have provided an excuse for the West to get involved.
The current Syrian crisis is not an issue purely concerning human rights protection as the West alleges. The West wants to topple the Syrian government and replace it with a pro-Western one. Syria is considered a problem in the West's Middle East strategy because of its close relations with Iran and Lebanon, which are hostile to the United States.
In order to play a part in the Middle East, the Arab League is willing to charge into the West's Middle East strategy. After solving the Syrian issue in a non-peaceful way, the West's next target, no doubt, will be Iran.
China's veto does not mean that Beijing takes sides with the Syrian government, or that it is turning a blind eye to the bloody clashes, it means it does not want Syria to end up on the same disastrous road as Libya, which finally ended in a full-scale civil war.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has the responsibility and obligation to defend the UN Charter, international justice and code of conduct, and so must reject any resolutions that are in violation of the UN Charter and purposes.
If China knows that a resolution is likely to endanger state sovereignty and go against justice and it does nothing, it will be serious malpractice.
The West's furious response to the vetoes by China and Russia shows the vetoes have exposed the West's true purpose of trying to dominate the Middle East and monopolize UN affairs, which they had sought to veil behind their lofty claims of protecting human rights in Syria.
The world has witnessed too many invasions of sovereign states and the killing of innocent civilians in the name of humanitarian intervention. The military interventions since the end of the Cold War show that the West, while holding high the banner of human rights protection is in reality seeking its own global or regional strategic interests.
Whether in the countries invaded after the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the US, or in some Muslim states that underwent "color revolutions" last year, the fact of the matter is, instead of protecting human rights the invasions and "revolutions" have caused domestic stability and humanitarian situation to deteriorate.
Experience shows that, since the Cold War, Western countries, no matter how great their quarrels are, will join hands when in conflict with non-Western countries. Even in this era of globalization, there is still a clear dividing line between the West and non-Western world.
For historical and practical reasons, the balance of power between the West, especially the US, and non-Western world is uneven. As absolute power without supervision and restriction results in corruption inside a state, a power without a counterweight in the international community also will become imperious and ruthless, which, threatens the stability of the whole world.
After the Cold War, the US managed to "have a firm hold over the UN to oppress the international community" while small and medium-sized countries dared not voice their discontent.
The US' hysterical reaction to China's veto shows it has not adapted to China's change. At a time when gunboat policy has been revived in a new guise, a modest, self-disciplined diplomatic approach seems ill timed.
If China and the US can peacefully coexist, it will be an unprecedented, pioneering undertaking. But the history of China-US contacts indicates such cooperation cannot be attained through compromise or requests, nor should expect any cooperation for win-win by our own wishful thinking. Struggle without breaking relations should not be the bottom line of the Chinese attitude to the US, only when we are ready to pay the price for splitting will we manage to attain the struggle without splitting.
No matter how difficult the external situation is, China won't stop developing. Not until the diplomats stop appealing for "heart- to-heart" thinking. Not until the 1.3 billion Chinese people's feelings are no longer easy to hurt, and not until China is able to defend the UN charters and norms and the world peace and justice with actions instead of just words.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China should shoulder the great responsibility of safeguarding world peace. In order to maintain unity, China has been restrained in the use of its veto.
As one member of the international community, China is aware that it cannot realize its own interests without cooperation with the outside world. But China will also be alert to those Western countries that push too far. Having been invaded by Western powers, China understands the suffering that results. So a rising China will not repeat the errors of others, because the Chinese people believe that what you do not want done to yourself, you do not impose on others.
The author is a professor at the School of International Studies, Renmin University of China.
Article 88: States the Syrian President of the Rebublic is elected for 7 years as of the end of the term of the existing President. The President can be elected for only one more successive term
Referendum begins for new constitution that allows for several political parties and limits the presidents term in office.
.
.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Media Creates Fake Jasmine Revolution In China
Media Creates Fake Jasmine Revolution In China
http://blog.hiddenharmonies.org/2011/03/chinese-citizens-react-to-fake-western-media-coverage-of-jasmine-revolution-in-china/
Despite the non-news, the Western media continue to milk this “story” by molding it into Chinese government crack-downs of dissent and confrontations with Western journalists. Even the supposedly cream of the crop, NPR, continued the assault; their latest piece from the Associated Press, “China Rolls Back Press Freedoms Amid Protest Calls.”
When there is no protest, the “crackdowns” become news. When the “crackdown” news become dry, they will vacillate on something else, and you can bet money it will be about “freedom” or “democracy” through some other spin. They all employ this strategy. As I have said before, there need not be any sort of conspiracy. Once a certain spin is in the public, they all take hint and echo one another.
Chinese react to fake western media coverage of Jasmine revolution FAIL in China
Folks, look at the media!! don't they look like sharks at a media frenzy?
However, Al Jezeera, gets the story about how US media reported the Davis shooting news in concert with the US government, while it was being reported in wild exageration in pakistan. US feared this would put US security at risk. Al jazeera failed to report that dozens of US "special americans" then left pakistan. (their cover blown?) Al Jazeera does question if the Guardian would have published the "real" news if a British agent had been involved.
Al Jazeera rightly points out that a country may request news media to hold back when national security of lives may be at risk.
Then unbelievably, Al Jazeera shows a video taken in Hong Kong, and makes it look like it was taken in China. In fact, anti-CNN netizens caught world wide media mis reporting the "Jasmine Rallies" in China, using fake photos, and thereby "selling" misleading stories that fit the ideology their "audience" expects.
In fact, there were two Sundays involved, and after the fake stories were published after the first Sunday, China implemented new rules, and reminded journalists that in China they protect "The People's Right To Know," not western media's wild west version of the "Free press" where anything goes as long as it sells.
I have watched the AP video, that shows no reporter was "roughed up," another video that shows the reporter telling a lie that he was 'hit" while trying to report, and video showing the police politely explaining the requirement that the permited area had been expended.
So why does Al Jazeera have a double standard when reporting news in China?
http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20110226_1.htm
In fact, one of the protesters in Hong Kong, and Wu'er Kai Shi in Taiwan were the ones who lied to journalists about witnessing a massacre that never occured, and who were actually at a restaraunt eating dinner at the time. Just the same, the journalists, hungry like sharks for a sensational story that would sell in the west, reported the massacre that never occured, and later, when the truth was revealed, balked and squirmed ther way out of any mea culpa whatsoever, leavving mant to believe the lies they printed. Now the same liers are back at it, and the same sharks eagerly eat it up without vetting the facts?
PLEASE! STOP THE SPREAD OF PROPAGANDA!
take care, and remember, vet the news, ALL THE NEWS. Do not swallow any news whole, be sure to chew it over in your most sceptical mind, and vet all facts!
take care, Kathy
http://blog.hiddenharmonies.org/2011/03/chinese-citizens-react-to-fake-western-media-coverage-of-jasmine-revolution-in-china/
Despite the non-news, the Western media continue to milk this “story” by molding it into Chinese government crack-downs of dissent and confrontations with Western journalists. Even the supposedly cream of the crop, NPR, continued the assault; their latest piece from the Associated Press, “China Rolls Back Press Freedoms Amid Protest Calls.”
When there is no protest, the “crackdowns” become news. When the “crackdown” news become dry, they will vacillate on something else, and you can bet money it will be about “freedom” or “democracy” through some other spin. They all employ this strategy. As I have said before, there need not be any sort of conspiracy. Once a certain spin is in the public, they all take hint and echo one another.
Chinese react to fake western media coverage of Jasmine revolution FAIL in China
Folks, look at the media!! don't they look like sharks at a media frenzy?
However, Al Jezeera, gets the story about how US media reported the Davis shooting news in concert with the US government, while it was being reported in wild exageration in pakistan. US feared this would put US security at risk. Al jazeera failed to report that dozens of US "special americans" then left pakistan. (their cover blown?) Al Jazeera does question if the Guardian would have published the "real" news if a British agent had been involved.
Al Jazeera rightly points out that a country may request news media to hold back when national security of lives may be at risk.
Then unbelievably, Al Jazeera shows a video taken in Hong Kong, and makes it look like it was taken in China. In fact, anti-CNN netizens caught world wide media mis reporting the "Jasmine Rallies" in China, using fake photos, and thereby "selling" misleading stories that fit the ideology their "audience" expects.
In fact, there were two Sundays involved, and after the fake stories were published after the first Sunday, China implemented new rules, and reminded journalists that in China they protect "The People's Right To Know," not western media's wild west version of the "Free press" where anything goes as long as it sells.
I have watched the AP video, that shows no reporter was "roughed up," another video that shows the reporter telling a lie that he was 'hit" while trying to report, and video showing the police politely explaining the requirement that the permited area had been expended.
So why does Al Jazeera have a double standard when reporting news in China?
http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20110226_1.htm
In fact, one of the protesters in Hong Kong, and Wu'er Kai Shi in Taiwan were the ones who lied to journalists about witnessing a massacre that never occured, and who were actually at a restaraunt eating dinner at the time. Just the same, the journalists, hungry like sharks for a sensational story that would sell in the west, reported the massacre that never occured, and later, when the truth was revealed, balked and squirmed ther way out of any mea culpa whatsoever, leavving mant to believe the lies they printed. Now the same liers are back at it, and the same sharks eagerly eat it up without vetting the facts?
PLEASE! STOP THE SPREAD OF PROPAGANDA!
take care, and remember, vet the news, ALL THE NEWS. Do not swallow any news whole, be sure to chew it over in your most sceptical mind, and vet all facts!
take care, Kathy
US Military Covers Up The Naked Truth
The US Military Covers Up The Naked Truth
Many videos have beem made, and many news reports have been broadcast, documenting the naked truth of our many wars. Hillary Clinton testified before Congress in defense of her so called "human rights" budget, claiming that Congress shouldn't cut her propaganda budget, due to Al Jazeera, Russian TV and Chinese multi language international news winning the "information war." She claimed that USAID and propaganda should be considered as part of the US defense strategy and that the DOD agreed. Many on Huffington Post missed the point completely, and thought she was supporting "real news" and Free Speech. If so, why is Bradley Manning in solitary confinement bare naked, totally inaccessable to journalists who cannot interview him?
No Bravery by James Blunt who served in Kosovo
There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
Tears drying on their face.
He has been here.
Brothers lie in shallow graves.
Fathers lost without a trace.
A nation blind to their disgrace,
Since he's been here.
And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.
....................
President Obama expressed OUTRAGE over the killing of US Airmen in Frankfort, Germany, who were on their way to Afghanistan, but he has remained silent on the killing of 9 little boys gathering firewood, who were 7, 8 9 an 12 years old, and who were shot down by a US helicopter in Afghanistan. Nor have I heard him comment on the holding of Bradley Manning, who reportedly leaked the video "Collateral Murder" to WikiLeaks in solitary confinement for almost a year, and is now reported to being required to be naked in his cell at night, and stand naked at attention outside his cell in the morning, while guards search his room. Ironically, he is under 24/7 video survailence.
In spite of the apology released by the DOD claiming that the killing of unarmed civilians, children is rare, a Youtube search demonstrates it happens all too often. But, as Hillary notes, and while people around the world may know this, Americans still wonder "Why do they hate us?"
If Bradley Manning were not held incommunicato, perhaps Al Jazeera, Russian TV or CRI could interview him? As it is, US Congressmen cannot get permission to visit him!
....................
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/million-290779-german-world.html
According to Bismarck's best known maxim on Europe's most troublesome region, the Balkans are not worth the bones of a single Pomeranian grenadier. Americans could be forgiven for harboring similar sentiments after the murder of two U.S. airmen in Germany by a Kosovar Muslim.
Remember Kosovo? Me neither. But it was big at the time, launched by Bill Clinton in the wake of his Monica difficulties: Make war, not love, as the boomers advise. So Clinton did – and without any pesky UN resolutions, or even the pretense of seeking them. Instead, he and Tony Blair and even Jacques Chirac just cried "Bombs away!" and got on with it. And the Left didn't mind at all – because, for a modern Western nation, war is only legitimate if you have no conceivable national interest in whatever war you're waging. Unlike Iraq and all its supposed "blood for oil," in Kosovo no one remembers why we went in, what the hell the point of it was, or which side were the good guys. (Answer: Neither.) The principal rationale advanced by Clinton and Blair was that there was no rationale. This was what they called "liberal interventionism," which boils down to: The fact that we have no reason to get into it justifies our getting into it.
...................
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014403823_germanattacker05.html
According to investigators familiar with the case, Uka appeared to have acted alone and said he was motivated to carry out the attack after seeing a video the day before that he claimed showed U.S. soldiers raping a girl in Afghanistan.
....................
http://www.stripes.com/news/uninjured-airmen-to-return-to-lakenheath-mission-postponed-1.136678#
RAF LAKENHEATH, England — The 12 uninjured survivors of Wednesday’s shooting at Frankfurt international airport that left two U.S. airmen dead and two severely wounded are recuperating at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, their wing commander said Friday.
A lone gunman opened fire Wednesday afternoon on a U.S. Air Force bus carrying 15 airmen from England’s RAF Lakenheath who were en route to Afghanistan.
Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, a security forces member of Lakenheath’s 48th Fighter Wing, was killed, as was as Airman 1st Class Zachary Cuddeback, the bus driver from Ramstein’s 86th Vehicle Readiness Squadron.
Staff Sgt. Kristoffer Schneider was wounded in the shooting, as was another as-yet-unidentified airman.
During a news conference at Lakenheath, wing commander Col. John T. Quintas said he hopes to have his uninjured airmen back at Lakenheath in the next few days.
They are receiving aid and counseling at Ramstein’s deployment transition center, where airmen returning from the war zone often get help, he said.
“They have the resources to deal with this type of grieving and this type of trauma,” Quintas said.
When the 12 return, they will be monitored and given any aid they need, he said, adding that their Afghanistan deployment has been postponed.
.........................
Folks, this is called BLOWBACK
........................
http://michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/under-obama-better-to-commit-war-crime#
In fact, the record indicates Manning would be far better off today – possibly on the lecture circuit rather than in solitary confinement – if he'd killed those men in Baghdad himself.(instead of exposing the war crimes)
Hyperbole? Consider what happened to the U.S. soldiers who, over a period of hours – not minutes – went house to house in the Iraqi town of Haditha and executed 24 men, women and children in retaliation for a roadside bombing.
“I watched them shoot my grandfather, first in the chest and then in the head,” said one of the two surviving eyewitnesses to the massacre, nine-year-old Eman Waleed. “Then they killed my granny." Almost five years later, not one of the men involved in the incident is behind bars. And despite an Army investigation revealing that statements made by the chain of command “suggest that Iraqi civilian lives are not as important as U.S. lives,” with the murder of brown-skinned innocents considered “just the cost of doing business,” none of their superiors are behind bars either.
Now consider the treatment of Bradley Manning. On March 1, the military charged Manning with 22 additional offenses – on top of the original charges of improperly leaking classified information, disobeying an order and general misconduct. One of the new charges, “aiding the enemy,” is punishable by death. That means Manning faces the prospect of being executed or spending his life in prison for exposing the ugly truth about the U.S. empire.
stay tuned, will update soon
U P D A T E ! ! ! ! !
(That didn't take long!)
From she who was there:
http://philippathomas.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/the-state-department-spokesman-and-the-prisoner-in-the-brig/
A few minutes later, I had a chance to ask a question. “Are you on the record?” I would not be writing this if he’d said no. There was an uncomfortable pause. “Sure.” So there we are.
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/03/158240.htm
STATEMENT BY PHILIP J. CROWLEY
The unauthorized disclosure of classified information is a serious crime under U.S. law. My recent comments regarding the conditions of the pre-trial detention of Private First Class Bradley Manning were intended to highlight the broader, even strategic impact of discreet actions undertaken by national security agencies every day and their impact on our global standing and leadership. The exercise of power in today’s challenging times and relentless media environment must be prudent and consistent with our laws and values.
Given the impact of my remarks, for which I take full responsibility, I have submitted my resignation as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Spokesman for the Department of State.
I am enormously grateful to President Obama and Secretary Clinton for the high honor of once again serving the American people. I leave with great admiration and affection for my State colleagues, who promote our national interest both on the front lines and in the quiet corners of the world. It was a privilege to help communicate their many and vital contributions to our national security. And I leave with deep respect for the journalists who report on foreign policy and global developments every day, in many cases under dangerous conditions and subject to serious threats. Their efforts help make governments more responsible, accountable and transparent.
...............................
Folks, PJ Crowley standing tall, does not back away from his and our American values!
From CNN we have
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/13/state-departments-p-j-crowley-stepping-down/#bradleymanning
UPI
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/03/13/Under-the-US-Supreme-Court-Bradley-Manning-WikiLeaks-martyr/UPI-44541300001400/
Those who support Manning as a victim do so in no uncertain terms with a variety of arguments.
Under the headline "Why Bradley Manning is a patriot," writer and New York attorney Chase Madar strongly defends Manning's alleged behavior. Madar's piece first appeared on TomDispatch, but was reposted on the CBS News Web site in early February.
Madar wrote the conditions under which Manning is being held "have been sufficiently brutal for the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Torture to announce an investigation." The classified records "allegedly downloaded by Manning revealed clear instances of war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan," widespread torture committed by Iraqis with full U.S. knowledge "and the massive Iraqi civilian death toll caused by the American invasion," Madar said.
"Pfc. Manning has been treated not as a whistle-blower, but as a criminal and a spy," he added.
Citing the Nuremberg trials, Madar said a "long line of (U.S.) Supreme Court cases, from Mitchell vs. Harmony in 1851 all the way back to Little vs. Barreme in 1804, established that soldiers have a duty not to follow illegal orders. In short, it is a matter of record and established precedent that these Nuremberg Principles have meant something in our courts. (Manning's) will not be the first court-martial to apply these principles, fought for and won with American blood, nor will it be the last."
from Counter Punch:
http://www.counterpunch.org/alberts03112011.html
Private Bradley Manning has provided a great service to his country by exposing the fallacy of the normalcy of America’s imperialistic wars. He has given the light of day to the truth, upon which justice and restitution and normalcy for all depend. He has sought to protect, not endanger, America’s national security by informing the people that the greatest threat to their security is the treasonous behavior of war-instigating and –accommodating members of their own government. The real threat his behavior poses is to the normalcy of endless US wars and support of repressive regimes.
Private Manning’s patriotism is powerfully expressed by attorney and member of the National Lawyers Guild Chase Madar, who writes,
The records allegedly downloaded by Manning reveal clear instances of war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, widespread torture committed by Iraqi authorities with the full knowledge of the U.S.military, previously unknown estimates of the number of Iraqi civilians killed at U.S. military checkpoints, and the massive Iraqi civilian death toll caused by the American invasions. (“Why Bradley Manning Is a Patriot, Not a Criminal,” TomDispatch.com, Feb. 10, 2011)
Who are “the enemy” Private Manning is charged with “aiding?” The international anti-war women’s group CODEPINK responds to that key question this way:
Who exactly is “the enemy” anyway? The cables that Bradley Manning is accused of leaking have helped spark democratic uprisings across the Arab world. They have brought us the truth about the brutality and atrocities of our continued wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they have given us a critical look at the underpinnings of our own government. They have created transparency beyond any we had before, and allow us as citizens to make more educated decisions. Of all the beneficiaries of the leaked cables, Democracy itself is the greatest. . . .With the leaked video”Collateral Murder,” Bradley put us in the back of a helicopter gunship in Iraq to show us how our wars are really fought. In his own words, he did it because “I want people to see the truth regardless of who they are . . . because without information, you cannot make informed decisions as a public.” Now he is being charged with telling the truth, and it may cost him his life. (“Who’s the enemy?,” Mar. 4, 2011)
And a post on Hiffington post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-w-whitehead/private-bradley-manning-a_b_831983.html#comments
The American government, of course, insists that such treatment does not rise to the level of torture. In fact, Col. T. V. Johnson, a Quantico spokesman, characterized charges that Manning has been mistreated as "poppycock." After all, Manning is not being starved, beaten or waterboarded. He's merely been denied human interaction and the most basic attributes of civilized imprisonment. Yet as surgeon Atul Gawande points out in a 2009 article for the New Yorker, solitary confinement rises to the level of torture: "A U.S. military study of almost a hundred and fifty naval aviators returned from imprisonment in Vietnam, many of whom were treated even worse than [John] McCain, reported that they found social isolation to be as torturous and agonizing as any physical abuse they suffered."
And, required reading from Glen...
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/03/10/amnesty/index.html
UPDATE IV: Crowley now confirms the accuracy of these reports, but tells Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin: "What I said was my personal opinion. It does not reflect an official USG policy position. I defer to the Department of Defense regarding the treatment of Bradley Manning." This seems to be one of those exceedingly rare moments when a high-level administration official unintentionally spoke with candor and conviction about the repellent acts of the government of which he is a part.
Even the Washington Post gets into the act:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/state-department-spokesman-quits-after-criticizing-wikileaks-suspects-treatment/2011/03/13/ABi4P9T_story.html
.......................................
Folks, this is a breaking story, and I promise to update it right here!
Many videos have beem made, and many news reports have been broadcast, documenting the naked truth of our many wars. Hillary Clinton testified before Congress in defense of her so called "human rights" budget, claiming that Congress shouldn't cut her propaganda budget, due to Al Jazeera, Russian TV and Chinese multi language international news winning the "information war." She claimed that USAID and propaganda should be considered as part of the US defense strategy and that the DOD agreed. Many on Huffington Post missed the point completely, and thought she was supporting "real news" and Free Speech. If so, why is Bradley Manning in solitary confinement bare naked, totally inaccessable to journalists who cannot interview him?
No Bravery by James Blunt who served in Kosovo
There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
Tears drying on their face.
He has been here.
Brothers lie in shallow graves.
Fathers lost without a trace.
A nation blind to their disgrace,
Since he's been here.
And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.
....................
President Obama expressed OUTRAGE over the killing of US Airmen in Frankfort, Germany, who were on their way to Afghanistan, but he has remained silent on the killing of 9 little boys gathering firewood, who were 7, 8 9 an 12 years old, and who were shot down by a US helicopter in Afghanistan. Nor have I heard him comment on the holding of Bradley Manning, who reportedly leaked the video "Collateral Murder" to WikiLeaks in solitary confinement for almost a year, and is now reported to being required to be naked in his cell at night, and stand naked at attention outside his cell in the morning, while guards search his room. Ironically, he is under 24/7 video survailence.
In spite of the apology released by the DOD claiming that the killing of unarmed civilians, children is rare, a Youtube search demonstrates it happens all too often. But, as Hillary notes, and while people around the world may know this, Americans still wonder "Why do they hate us?"
If Bradley Manning were not held incommunicato, perhaps Al Jazeera, Russian TV or CRI could interview him? As it is, US Congressmen cannot get permission to visit him!
....................
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/million-290779-german-world.html
According to Bismarck's best known maxim on Europe's most troublesome region, the Balkans are not worth the bones of a single Pomeranian grenadier. Americans could be forgiven for harboring similar sentiments after the murder of two U.S. airmen in Germany by a Kosovar Muslim.
Remember Kosovo? Me neither. But it was big at the time, launched by Bill Clinton in the wake of his Monica difficulties: Make war, not love, as the boomers advise. So Clinton did – and without any pesky UN resolutions, or even the pretense of seeking them. Instead, he and Tony Blair and even Jacques Chirac just cried "Bombs away!" and got on with it. And the Left didn't mind at all – because, for a modern Western nation, war is only legitimate if you have no conceivable national interest in whatever war you're waging. Unlike Iraq and all its supposed "blood for oil," in Kosovo no one remembers why we went in, what the hell the point of it was, or which side were the good guys. (Answer: Neither.) The principal rationale advanced by Clinton and Blair was that there was no rationale. This was what they called "liberal interventionism," which boils down to: The fact that we have no reason to get into it justifies our getting into it.
...................
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014403823_germanattacker05.html
According to investigators familiar with the case, Uka appeared to have acted alone and said he was motivated to carry out the attack after seeing a video the day before that he claimed showed U.S. soldiers raping a girl in Afghanistan.
....................
http://www.stripes.com/news/uninjured-airmen-to-return-to-lakenheath-mission-postponed-1.136678#
RAF LAKENHEATH, England — The 12 uninjured survivors of Wednesday’s shooting at Frankfurt international airport that left two U.S. airmen dead and two severely wounded are recuperating at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, their wing commander said Friday.
A lone gunman opened fire Wednesday afternoon on a U.S. Air Force bus carrying 15 airmen from England’s RAF Lakenheath who were en route to Afghanistan.
Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, a security forces member of Lakenheath’s 48th Fighter Wing, was killed, as was as Airman 1st Class Zachary Cuddeback, the bus driver from Ramstein’s 86th Vehicle Readiness Squadron.
Staff Sgt. Kristoffer Schneider was wounded in the shooting, as was another as-yet-unidentified airman.
During a news conference at Lakenheath, wing commander Col. John T. Quintas said he hopes to have his uninjured airmen back at Lakenheath in the next few days.
They are receiving aid and counseling at Ramstein’s deployment transition center, where airmen returning from the war zone often get help, he said.
“They have the resources to deal with this type of grieving and this type of trauma,” Quintas said.
When the 12 return, they will be monitored and given any aid they need, he said, adding that their Afghanistan deployment has been postponed.
.........................
Folks, this is called BLOWBACK
........................
http://michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/under-obama-better-to-commit-war-crime#
In fact, the record indicates Manning would be far better off today – possibly on the lecture circuit rather than in solitary confinement – if he'd killed those men in Baghdad himself.(instead of exposing the war crimes)
Hyperbole? Consider what happened to the U.S. soldiers who, over a period of hours – not minutes – went house to house in the Iraqi town of Haditha and executed 24 men, women and children in retaliation for a roadside bombing.
“I watched them shoot my grandfather, first in the chest and then in the head,” said one of the two surviving eyewitnesses to the massacre, nine-year-old Eman Waleed. “Then they killed my granny." Almost five years later, not one of the men involved in the incident is behind bars. And despite an Army investigation revealing that statements made by the chain of command “suggest that Iraqi civilian lives are not as important as U.S. lives,” with the murder of brown-skinned innocents considered “just the cost of doing business,” none of their superiors are behind bars either.
Now consider the treatment of Bradley Manning. On March 1, the military charged Manning with 22 additional offenses – on top of the original charges of improperly leaking classified information, disobeying an order and general misconduct. One of the new charges, “aiding the enemy,” is punishable by death. That means Manning faces the prospect of being executed or spending his life in prison for exposing the ugly truth about the U.S. empire.
stay tuned, will update soon
U P D A T E ! ! ! ! !
(That didn't take long!)
From she who was there:
http://philippathomas.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/the-state-department-spokesman-and-the-prisoner-in-the-brig/
A few minutes later, I had a chance to ask a question. “Are you on the record?” I would not be writing this if he’d said no. There was an uncomfortable pause. “Sure.” So there we are.
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/03/158240.htm
STATEMENT BY PHILIP J. CROWLEY
The unauthorized disclosure of classified information is a serious crime under U.S. law. My recent comments regarding the conditions of the pre-trial detention of Private First Class Bradley Manning were intended to highlight the broader, even strategic impact of discreet actions undertaken by national security agencies every day and their impact on our global standing and leadership. The exercise of power in today’s challenging times and relentless media environment must be prudent and consistent with our laws and values.
Given the impact of my remarks, for which I take full responsibility, I have submitted my resignation as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Spokesman for the Department of State.
I am enormously grateful to President Obama and Secretary Clinton for the high honor of once again serving the American people. I leave with great admiration and affection for my State colleagues, who promote our national interest both on the front lines and in the quiet corners of the world. It was a privilege to help communicate their many and vital contributions to our national security. And I leave with deep respect for the journalists who report on foreign policy and global developments every day, in many cases under dangerous conditions and subject to serious threats. Their efforts help make governments more responsible, accountable and transparent.
...............................
Folks, PJ Crowley standing tall, does not back away from his and our American values!
From CNN we have
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/13/state-departments-p-j-crowley-stepping-down/#bradleymanning
UPI
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/03/13/Under-the-US-Supreme-Court-Bradley-Manning-WikiLeaks-martyr/UPI-44541300001400/
Those who support Manning as a victim do so in no uncertain terms with a variety of arguments.
Under the headline "Why Bradley Manning is a patriot," writer and New York attorney Chase Madar strongly defends Manning's alleged behavior. Madar's piece first appeared on TomDispatch, but was reposted on the CBS News Web site in early February.
Madar wrote the conditions under which Manning is being held "have been sufficiently brutal for the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Torture to announce an investigation." The classified records "allegedly downloaded by Manning revealed clear instances of war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan," widespread torture committed by Iraqis with full U.S. knowledge "and the massive Iraqi civilian death toll caused by the American invasion," Madar said.
"Pfc. Manning has been treated not as a whistle-blower, but as a criminal and a spy," he added.
Citing the Nuremberg trials, Madar said a "long line of (U.S.) Supreme Court cases, from Mitchell vs. Harmony in 1851 all the way back to Little vs. Barreme in 1804, established that soldiers have a duty not to follow illegal orders. In short, it is a matter of record and established precedent that these Nuremberg Principles have meant something in our courts. (Manning's) will not be the first court-martial to apply these principles, fought for and won with American blood, nor will it be the last."
from Counter Punch:
http://www.counterpunch.org/alberts03112011.html
Private Bradley Manning has provided a great service to his country by exposing the fallacy of the normalcy of America’s imperialistic wars. He has given the light of day to the truth, upon which justice and restitution and normalcy for all depend. He has sought to protect, not endanger, America’s national security by informing the people that the greatest threat to their security is the treasonous behavior of war-instigating and –accommodating members of their own government. The real threat his behavior poses is to the normalcy of endless US wars and support of repressive regimes.
Private Manning’s patriotism is powerfully expressed by attorney and member of the National Lawyers Guild Chase Madar, who writes,
The records allegedly downloaded by Manning reveal clear instances of war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, widespread torture committed by Iraqi authorities with the full knowledge of the U.S.military, previously unknown estimates of the number of Iraqi civilians killed at U.S. military checkpoints, and the massive Iraqi civilian death toll caused by the American invasions. (“Why Bradley Manning Is a Patriot, Not a Criminal,” TomDispatch.com, Feb. 10, 2011)
Who are “the enemy” Private Manning is charged with “aiding?” The international anti-war women’s group CODEPINK responds to that key question this way:
Who exactly is “the enemy” anyway? The cables that Bradley Manning is accused of leaking have helped spark democratic uprisings across the Arab world. They have brought us the truth about the brutality and atrocities of our continued wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they have given us a critical look at the underpinnings of our own government. They have created transparency beyond any we had before, and allow us as citizens to make more educated decisions. Of all the beneficiaries of the leaked cables, Democracy itself is the greatest. . . .With the leaked video”Collateral Murder,” Bradley put us in the back of a helicopter gunship in Iraq to show us how our wars are really fought. In his own words, he did it because “I want people to see the truth regardless of who they are . . . because without information, you cannot make informed decisions as a public.” Now he is being charged with telling the truth, and it may cost him his life. (“Who’s the enemy?,” Mar. 4, 2011)
And a post on Hiffington post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-w-whitehead/private-bradley-manning-a_b_831983.html#comments
The American government, of course, insists that such treatment does not rise to the level of torture. In fact, Col. T. V. Johnson, a Quantico spokesman, characterized charges that Manning has been mistreated as "poppycock." After all, Manning is not being starved, beaten or waterboarded. He's merely been denied human interaction and the most basic attributes of civilized imprisonment. Yet as surgeon Atul Gawande points out in a 2009 article for the New Yorker, solitary confinement rises to the level of torture: "A U.S. military study of almost a hundred and fifty naval aviators returned from imprisonment in Vietnam, many of whom were treated even worse than [John] McCain, reported that they found social isolation to be as torturous and agonizing as any physical abuse they suffered."
And, required reading from Glen...
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/03/10/amnesty/index.html
UPDATE IV: Crowley now confirms the accuracy of these reports, but tells Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin: "What I said was my personal opinion. It does not reflect an official USG policy position. I defer to the Department of Defense regarding the treatment of Bradley Manning." This seems to be one of those exceedingly rare moments when a high-level administration official unintentionally spoke with candor and conviction about the repellent acts of the government of which he is a part.
Even the Washington Post gets into the act:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/state-department-spokesman-quits-after-criticizing-wikileaks-suspects-treatment/2011/03/13/ABi4P9T_story.html
.......................................
Folks, this is a breaking story, and I promise to update it right here!
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