28.9.06
no shit sherlock or liars and murders part n
Iraq war was terrorism 'recruiting sergeant'
*****************
George Bush yesterday suffered a blow to his argument that the removal of Saddam Hussein had made Americans safer after he ordered the release of an intelligence report warning the war in Iraq had become a "cause celebre for jihadists".
*****************
Despite attempts by Downing Street to play down suggestions that the conflict has made Britain a target for terrorists, the Home Office inquiry into the deadliest terror attack on British soil has conceded that the bombers were inspired by UK foreign policy, principally the decision to invade Iraq.
*****************
why?
no shit sherlock journalist of the year - Jonathan Freedland
dazzlingly profits from fear at home
even something to do with all that council tax doe (never mind the locals)
no shit sherlock!
*****************
moron dismisses chomsky's 'hyperbole' with.... hyperbole
25.9.06
"What type of democracy do you impose with marines and bombs?"
As Chomsky says here, clearly and in depth, the American empire is doing all it can to consolidate its system of domination. And we cannot allow them to do that. We cannot allow world dictatorship to be consolidated.
The world parent's statement -- cynical, hypocritical, full of this imperial hypocrisy from the need they have to control everything.
They say they want to impose a democratic model. But that's their democratic model. It's the false democracy of elites, and, I would say, a very original democracy that's imposed by weapons and bombs and firing weapons.
[...]
The president then -- and this he said himself, he said: "I have come to speak directly to the populations in the Middle East, to tell them that my country wants peace."
That's true. If we walk in the streets of the Bronx, if we walk around New York, Washington, San Diego, in any city, San Antonio, San Francisco, and we ask individuals, the citizens of the United States, what does this country want? Does it want peace? They'll say yes.
But the government doesn't want peace. The government of the United States doesn't want peace. It wants to exploit its system of exploitation, of pillage, of hegemony through war.
full text here, video of speech
At a news conference after his spirited address to the UN on Wednesday, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela expressed one regret: not having met that icon of the American left, the linguist Noam Chomsky, before his death.
On Thursday, a call to Chomsky's house found him very much alive. In fact, he was struggling through "10,000 e-mails" he had received since the remarks by Chavez, who urged Americans to read one of Chomsky's books instead of watching Superman and Batman movies, which he said "make people stupid."
Chavez, while addressing world leaders at the UN, flagged Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance, which Chomsky published in 2003, as a must-read. Chomsky said he was glad that Chavez liked his book, but he would not describe himself as flattered.
"We should look at ourselves through our own eyes and not other people's eyes," he said.
Chomsky said he had taken no offense at Chavez's remarks about his being dead. In fact, Chavez's promotion of the book propelled it on Thursday into Amazon's top 10 best sellers.
While retired from teaching full time, Chomsky still goes to his office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, occasionally lecturing and also working on a new book.
At the UN, the remarks by Chavez on Wednesday set off a firestorm that nearly overshadowed the visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose country has been under intense global scrutiny for its nuclear ambitions. From the podium of the General Assembly, the Venezuelan leader said he smelled lingering sulfur, left by US President George W. Bush, who had spoken there the day before and whom he branded "the devil."
Chomsky said that he would not choose to use the same harsh oratory, but added that the Ven-ezuelan leader was simply expressing the views of many in the world. And he said Chavez's anger was understandable.
"The Bush administration backed a coup to overthrow his government [the revolution will not be televised- highly commendable- enjoy!]," he said. "Suppose Venezuela supported a military coup that overthrew the government of the United States? Would we think it was a joke?"
Proving that he was still up for a lively debate, Chomsky then went on to talk about income inequality in Latin America, the history of the UN, Iraq, Iran, Fidel Castro and, finally, the man who so fervently admires him, Chavez.
"I have been quite interested in his policies," Chomsky said. "Personally, I think many of them are quite constructive."
So would Chomsky oblige Chavez's wish for a meeting, helping ensure that the South American leader will not have that regret to live with anymore?
"I would be happy to meet him," Chomsky said.
15.9.06
imf "concerned"
The underlying concern is that this "global imbalance" could unwind quickly, with a run on the dollar, weakening the world economy.
end is nigh! :-)
end is nigh! :-)
14.9.06
Loose Change........
Just watched this very compelling and comprehensive documentary about 9/11 cover up. I urge you to watch it as it could be extremely important. Its available free here.
This is the most comprehensive and explanatory investigation regarding the whole affair that I have ever seen and ties up alot of 'conspiracy' rumours I have heard circulated, all I know is that we are being lied to!: There is also a web site seeking to refute the claims made. See what you think.................
This is the most comprehensive and explanatory investigation regarding the whole affair that I have ever seen and ties up alot of 'conspiracy' rumours I have heard circulated, all I know is that we are being lied to!: There is also a web site seeking to refute the claims made. See what you think.................
13.9.06
semites and semantics
Norman Finkelstein and Michael Rosen demolish the report of the All-Party Parlimentary Inquiry into Antisemitism...
The Dream Philosophy of Paranoids, Kill Arabs, Cry Anti-Semitism
By Norman Finkelstein
"A central thesis of my book Beyond Chutzpah is that whenever Israel faces a public relations debacle its apologists sound the alarm that a "new anti-Semitism" is upon us. So, predictably, just after Israel faced another image problem due to its murderous destruction of Lebanon, a British all-party parliamentary group led by notorious Israel-firster Denis MacShane MP (Labor) released yet another report alleging a resurgence of anti-Semitism (Report of the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry Into Antisemitism, September 2006). To judge by the witnesses (David Cesarani, Lord Janner, Oona King, Emanuele Ottolenghi, Melanie Phillips) and sources (MEMRI, Holocaust Education Trust) cited in the body of the report, much time and money could have been saved had it just been contracted out to the Israel Foreign Ministry. (The report's statement that "we received no evidence of the accusation of anti-Semitism being misused by mainstream British Jewish community organizations and leaders" perhaps speaks more to the selection of the witnesses than the reality.)
The single novelty of the report, which mostly rehashes fatuous allegations already disposed of in Beyond Chutzpah, is the new thresholds in idiocy it breaks. Consider the methodology deployed for demonstrating a new anti-Semitism. The report defines an anti-Semitic incident as any occasion "perceived" to be anti-Semitic by the "Jewish community." This is the school of thought according to which it's raining even in the absence of any precipitation because I feel it's raining. It is the dream philosophy of paranoids, especially rational paranoids, for whom alleged victimhood is politically serviceable. The report includes under the rubric of anti-Semitic incidents not just violent acts and incendiary speech but "conversations, discussions, or pronouncements made in public or private, which cross the line of acceptability," as well as "the mood and tone when Jews are discussed." The wonder is that it didn't also tabulate repressed anti-Semitic libidinal fantasies. In the category of inherently anti-Semitic pronouncements the report includes "drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis" (only comparisons of contemporary Arab policy to that of the Nazis are permissible) and "theories about Jewish or Zionist influence on American foreign policy" (even if Jewish and Zionist organizations boast about this influence)."
continues...
Antisemitism accusations - an attempt to smear anti-Zionists into silence
Michael Rosen takes issue with a new report that labels anti-Zionism as antisemitic
"in one key area it has blurred the distinction between antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Here it is:
“Examples of the ways in which antisemitism manifests itself with regard to the state of Israel taking into account the overall context could include... denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, eg by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavour.”
So if I should write that the Jews have every right to self-determination, but not if it is at the expense of others (as is the case with Israel), it would seem that now I, a Jew who is utterly opposed to antisemitism, am guilty of antisemitism.
Worryingly, this is part of a working definition of antisemitism proposed by the European Union Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. The writers of this parliamentary report recommend that this definition is “adopted and promoted by the government and law enforcement agencies”.
The message is clear - anti-Zionists beware. Criticism of Israeli government policies will be permitted, but if you attack the core creed of Zionism, then we’ll call in the law."
continues...
and a classic bit of Galloway:
"We know that Brown, left to his own devices, will continue with all those aspects of Blairism that have created such bitterness among traditional Labour voters. We know this because he was the joint architect of New Labour. He and Blair are two cheeks of the same backside."
'Lenin' quips: "well, something has certainly come between them"
Galloway's enduring affection for Blair - the man who has made his reputation...
Also... a roundup of chaos in Bangladesh on my blog
The Dream Philosophy of Paranoids, Kill Arabs, Cry Anti-Semitism
By Norman Finkelstein
"A central thesis of my book Beyond Chutzpah is that whenever Israel faces a public relations debacle its apologists sound the alarm that a "new anti-Semitism" is upon us. So, predictably, just after Israel faced another image problem due to its murderous destruction of Lebanon, a British all-party parliamentary group led by notorious Israel-firster Denis MacShane MP (Labor) released yet another report alleging a resurgence of anti-Semitism (Report of the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry Into Antisemitism, September 2006). To judge by the witnesses (David Cesarani, Lord Janner, Oona King, Emanuele Ottolenghi, Melanie Phillips) and sources (MEMRI, Holocaust Education Trust) cited in the body of the report, much time and money could have been saved had it just been contracted out to the Israel Foreign Ministry. (The report's statement that "we received no evidence of the accusation of anti-Semitism being misused by mainstream British Jewish community organizations and leaders" perhaps speaks more to the selection of the witnesses than the reality.)
The single novelty of the report, which mostly rehashes fatuous allegations already disposed of in Beyond Chutzpah, is the new thresholds in idiocy it breaks. Consider the methodology deployed for demonstrating a new anti-Semitism. The report defines an anti-Semitic incident as any occasion "perceived" to be anti-Semitic by the "Jewish community." This is the school of thought according to which it's raining even in the absence of any precipitation because I feel it's raining. It is the dream philosophy of paranoids, especially rational paranoids, for whom alleged victimhood is politically serviceable. The report includes under the rubric of anti-Semitic incidents not just violent acts and incendiary speech but "conversations, discussions, or pronouncements made in public or private, which cross the line of acceptability," as well as "the mood and tone when Jews are discussed." The wonder is that it didn't also tabulate repressed anti-Semitic libidinal fantasies. In the category of inherently anti-Semitic pronouncements the report includes "drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis" (only comparisons of contemporary Arab policy to that of the Nazis are permissible) and "theories about Jewish or Zionist influence on American foreign policy" (even if Jewish and Zionist organizations boast about this influence)."
continues...
Antisemitism accusations - an attempt to smear anti-Zionists into silence
Michael Rosen takes issue with a new report that labels anti-Zionism as antisemitic
"in one key area it has blurred the distinction between antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Here it is:
“Examples of the ways in which antisemitism manifests itself with regard to the state of Israel taking into account the overall context could include... denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, eg by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavour.”
So if I should write that the Jews have every right to self-determination, but not if it is at the expense of others (as is the case with Israel), it would seem that now I, a Jew who is utterly opposed to antisemitism, am guilty of antisemitism.
Worryingly, this is part of a working definition of antisemitism proposed by the European Union Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. The writers of this parliamentary report recommend that this definition is “adopted and promoted by the government and law enforcement agencies”.
The message is clear - anti-Zionists beware. Criticism of Israeli government policies will be permitted, but if you attack the core creed of Zionism, then we’ll call in the law."
continues...
and a classic bit of Galloway:
"We know that Brown, left to his own devices, will continue with all those aspects of Blairism that have created such bitterness among traditional Labour voters. We know this because he was the joint architect of New Labour. He and Blair are two cheeks of the same backside."
'Lenin' quips: "well, something has certainly come between them"
Galloway's enduring affection for Blair - the man who has made his reputation...
Also... a roundup of chaos in Bangladesh on my blog
12.9.06
A Saddam in the hand is worth two in the Bush
President Bush chose the occasion of the fifth, yes the fifth, anniversary of 9-11 to reveal to us all the shocking revelation that Saddam Hussein was not responsible for 9-11.
Slow on the uptake as the leaders of our countries are, this adds another alarmingly, glaringly obvious fact that George Bush and Tony Blair appear to be the last people on Earth to have realised:
1) Global warming exists
2) Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction
and now
3) Saddam Hussein had no connections to 9-11
Useful facts like these for the understanding of the modern world will have to continue to be proven far beyond any reasonable doubt, repeated constantly and then etched onto the retinas of these stubbornly delusional creatures until they finally bring themselves to believe them. Meanwhile any old horse shit spouted by megalomaniac, Nazi fundamentalist, semi literate, Jesus fetishists is happily digested as the way things are...
If you pin this useful wallchart from the guardian onto the back of your toilet door, the complex nature of the 'war on terror' and 'terror attacks' will be communicated to you through natty graphics and largely fabricated statistics. The Guardian Group takes no responsibility for the effects this silly simplification may have on your bowel movements.
7.9.06
world domination etc.
US confirms existence of secret prison network
Book says CIA tried to provoke Saddam to war
Sidney Blumenthal isn't best pleased
...tell us something we didn't know...
the rap version of the story is much better:
A continent of oil kingdoms, bought for a bargain
Democracy is just a word, when the people are starvin'
The average citizen, made to be, blind to the reason
A desert full of genocide, where the bodies are freezin'
And the world doesn't believe that you fightin' for freedom
Cause you fucked the Middle East, and gave birth to a demon
full lyrics
Book says CIA tried to provoke Saddam to war
Sidney Blumenthal isn't best pleased
...tell us something we didn't know...
the rap version of the story is much better:
A continent of oil kingdoms, bought for a bargain
Democracy is just a word, when the people are starvin'
The average citizen, made to be, blind to the reason
A desert full of genocide, where the bodies are freezin'
And the world doesn't believe that you fightin' for freedom
Cause you fucked the Middle East, and gave birth to a demon
full lyrics
6.9.06
profits over people.....
Check out this blog by a very accomplished photographer and campaigner from Bangladesh(Sahidul Alam); in particular reporting on peoples protests against a coal mine which will remove them from their land, it has caused deaths amongst protesters atthe hands of police bullets and as per usual the company involved; 'Asia Energy' has strong links with the Bangladesh government, presumably ministers will make a small fortune, let alone company directors. it seems it is succesfully thwarting the desires of the local people through the violent actions of the police........
UN Reform
Thorny Issue... thoughts and links
Fascinating forthcoming article from the Journal of Political Economy:
How Much is a Seat on the Security Council Worth? Foreign Aid and Bribery at the United Nations
By ILYANA KUZIEMKO AND ERIC WERKER
June 2006
ABSTRACT
Ten of the fifteen seats on the U.N. Security Council are held by rotating members
serving two-year terms. We find that a country’s U.S. aid increases by 59 percent and its U.N. aid by 8 percent when it rotates onto the council. This effect increases during years in which key diplomatic events take place (when members’ votes should be especially valuable) and the timing of the effect closely tracks a country’s election to, and exit from, the council. Finally, the U.N. results appear to be driven by UNICEF, an organization over which the United States has historically exerted great control.
Fascinating forthcoming article from the Journal of Political Economy:
How Much is a Seat on the Security Council Worth? Foreign Aid and Bribery at the United Nations
By ILYANA KUZIEMKO AND ERIC WERKER
June 2006
ABSTRACT
Ten of the fifteen seats on the U.N. Security Council are held by rotating members
serving two-year terms. We find that a country’s U.S. aid increases by 59 percent and its U.N. aid by 8 percent when it rotates onto the council. This effect increases during years in which key diplomatic events take place (when members’ votes should be especially valuable) and the timing of the effect closely tracks a country’s election to, and exit from, the council. Finally, the U.N. results appear to be driven by UNICEF, an organization over which the United States has historically exerted great control.
5.9.06
satire is dead
Latest Hitlering Update from Lenin's Tomb
oh... and on no account believe anything you read in the media about so called "raves", it is all complete rubbish.
SchNEWS warns all readers - always dance like nobody’s watching. Honest!
This is a classic example of deeply misinformed nonsense from the ever reliable Daily Mail, it is hilarious, and full of gems that Chris Morris would be proud of: "a resurgence in illegal rave parties, fuelled by confusion over the Government's reclassification of drugs and pocket money prices for substances."
- has there been a resurgence? probably not
- are they fuelled by confusion over drug reclassification? No - "ravers" are probably much clearer on the current classifications of all drugs than the folks at the daily mail are
- the phrase "pocket money prices for substances" is worthy of brass eye.
"Upstairs en-suite bedrooms have been turned into communal sleeping areas where at least eight punk squatters are living.
One squatter, sporting a huge green mohican haircut and nose piercings, said: 'All we were doing was having peace parties, man."
satire is dead
oh... and on no account believe anything you read in the media about so called "raves", it is all complete rubbish.
SchNEWS warns all readers - always dance like nobody’s watching. Honest!
This is a classic example of deeply misinformed nonsense from the ever reliable Daily Mail, it is hilarious, and full of gems that Chris Morris would be proud of: "a resurgence in illegal rave parties, fuelled by confusion over the Government's reclassification of drugs and pocket money prices for substances."
- has there been a resurgence? probably not
- are they fuelled by confusion over drug reclassification? No - "ravers" are probably much clearer on the current classifications of all drugs than the folks at the daily mail are
- the phrase "pocket money prices for substances" is worthy of brass eye.
"Upstairs en-suite bedrooms have been turned into communal sleeping areas where at least eight punk squatters are living.
One squatter, sporting a huge green mohican haircut and nose piercings, said: 'All we were doing was having peace parties, man."
satire is dead
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