Sunday, November 29, 2009
Rumsfeld decision allowed Bin Laden to escape: Senate report - Yahoo! News
They needed to stay, so they deliberately let him go.THIS HAS NEVER BEEN ABOUT BIN LADEN. HE IS THE EXCUSE.
From: http://ping.fm/B2IZw
From: http://ping.fm/B2IZw
Exactly what we've beeen saying all along about this piece of corporate arsewipe
The Devastating Consequences of a Corporate Health Care Bill http://ping.fm/sjojP
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
edtoon.jpg (JPEG Image, 500x417 pixels)
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Gil Levine: The ultimate mensch | rabble.ca http://ping.fm/kUzH1
Public option myths the liberal Democrats would have you believe
OpEdNews - Article: Weak Public Option Myths That Liberals Believe http://ping.fm/yEXa9
Power & Politics: Question of the Day - Inside Politics http://ping.fm/vzxA2
Friday, November 20, 2009
NUHW Supporters Brave Eggs, Bottles in Los Angeles | Labor Notes http://ping.fm/iQH74
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Obama, Clinton and the betrayal of Honduran democracy
EL ORGANIZADOR
P.O. Box 40009, San Francisco, CA 94140.
Tel. (415) 641-8616; fax: (415) 626-1217.
Correo: elorganizador@earthlink.net
PLEASE EXCUSE DUPLICATE POSTINGS
--------------------
November 18, 2009
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
We learned yesterday through articles posted on the international wire services that the Congress of Honduras will convene and decide on the reinstatement of ousted President Manuel Zelaya on December 2 -- that is, three days after the presidential elections will be held.
This announcement was made on November 17 by National Congress President Jose Alfredo Saavedra immediately after the arrival in Tegucigalpa of Craig Kelly, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Latin American Affairs. Kelly returned to Honduras, he said, with the aim of "relaunching the Tegucigalpa/San Jose Agreement."
Saavedra said the Congress will decide on the reinstatement of Zelaya after seeking the opinion of the Honduran Supreme Court, the Public Prosecutor, the Attorney General's Office, and the National Commissioner for Human Rights -- all of which are institutions that supported the June 28 coup that deposed democratically elected President Zelaya and backed the coup government.
This would appear to be a joke -- but it is anything but a joke. It is a travesty of the most basic democratic principles -- and it is happening ONLY because of the continued backing by the U.S. government of the de-facto regime of Roberto Micheletti. Without this U.S. backing, the tin-pot Micheletti dictatorship -- which has close to no popular support in its own country -- would have crumbled over night.
Early on, President Obama characterized the June 28 kidnapping and transfer of President Zelaya to Costa Rica as a "coup d'etat" and pledged to support Zelaya's immediate and uncondition return to Honduras. This stand was applauded widely across the hemisphere.
But no sooner had Obama made this statement than Hillary Clinton and the State Department conditioned Zelaya's return with a series of demands that violated the Honduran people's right to self-determination. Clinton rejected Obama's view that a military coup d'etat had occurred on June 28. She then placed both the perpetrators of the coup and the legitimate president of Honduras on equal footing and demanded that they form a coalition government of "national unity." And she then demanded that Zelaya abandon the effort to convene a new Constituent Assembly that would rewrite the 1982 Constitution, which was drafted under the supervision of the Reagan administration with the aim of converting Honduras into a military base from which to maintain tight control over the entire region.
Zelaya, to the chagrin of many of his followers, accepted the unacceptable terms of this San Jose Agreement -- an accord that the U.S. press later revealed was written in Washington and then sent to Costa Rican President Oscar Arias for him to make public.
Therein began a game by the Honduran regime, with U.S. backing, of putting forward one stalling tactic after another. The ultimate aim was to make it to the November 29 elections without Zelaya's return to office -- and then have the United States recognize the legitimacy of the elections and of the new government resulting from these elections. That would close this five-month chapter of "political instability."
But there was one major hitch in the de-facto regime's game plan: The Honduran people did not go along with this charade -- and nor could they be beaten, or starved, into submission. The National Resistance Front Against the Coup demanded the immediate and unconditional return of Zelaya, opposing the San Jose Agreement. For five months, despite the repression and the lack of funds, the people took to the streets day after day, week after week, in mass struggle.
Most important, the people and their fighting leadership did not abandon their call to establish a National Constituent Assembly that would draft a new and genuinely democratic Constitution -- one that established the sovereignty of the Honduran people over their nation and their resources, one that ended Honduran subordination to the United States via the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and the military pact that established a U.S. base at Soto Cano (Palmerola).
Then came the salt added to an already bitter wound. On October 30, U.S. State Department representative Thomas Shannon brokered a deal that was hailed around the world as a breakthrough in the political stalemate: Zelaya would be returned to the presidency by November 5, in exchange for which Zelaya would constitute a government of national reconciliation with Micheletti, the call for a National Constituent Assembly would be dropped, and the November 29 elections would go forward with the support of all parties in dispute.
But even this deal was not to be. Shannon let the cat out of the bag when he told CNN en Español that the U.S. government would recognize the November 29 elections even if Zelaya were not reinstated prior to the elections. That closed the circle. No more charade was necessary. The U.S. was firmly behind the coup and the coup government -- and behind the prepared electoral fraud of November 29.
Today, the Micheletti regime is threatening all union leaders and activists who oppose these elections with the full power of State repression. Every day the Honduran papers are filled with such threats from elected officials at all levels. Voting in Honduras is mandatory, and those who do not vote -- or who do not vote the right way -- are subject to heavy fines and jail sentences. The Honduran people are once again under attack as the regime prepares its second coup d'etat.
Working people and supporters of democratic rights across the United States and internationally must demand that the Obama administration reverse course in Honduras by rejecting the legitimacy of the coup government and that of the November 29 elections. Already the governments of Brazil and Argentina, among many others across the Americas, have announced that these coup-orchestrated elections are a farce and will not be recognized. This, too, must be the stance of the U.S. government.
The national leadership of the AFL-CIO trade union federation has taken the lead in this battle for democracy. In a November 13 letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka writes the following:
"Our position on the crisis has been developed in consultation with the Honduran labor movement, which is unequivocally opposed to the June 28 coup, to the continuation of the de facto regime, as well as to any future elections conducted by the Micheletti regime. ... The current environment in Honduras, including an illegitimate government in power, makes free, fair and open elections impossible."
We call upon all labor and community organizations, and all defenders of democratic rights, to join with the AFL-CIO in demanding that the Obama administration publicly reject both the legitimacy of the November 29 elections in Honduras and the legitimacy of the government emanating from these fraudulent elections.
In solidarity,
Rodrigo Ibarra and Alan Benjamin
Co-Editors
El Organizador
P.O. Box 40009, San Francisco, CA 94140.
Tel. (415) 641-8616; fax: (415) 626-1217.
Correo: elorganizador@earthlink.net
PLEASE EXCUSE DUPLICATE POSTINGS
--------------------
November 18, 2009
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
We learned yesterday through articles posted on the international wire services that the Congress of Honduras will convene and decide on the reinstatement of ousted President Manuel Zelaya on December 2 -- that is, three days after the presidential elections will be held.
This announcement was made on November 17 by National Congress President Jose Alfredo Saavedra immediately after the arrival in Tegucigalpa of Craig Kelly, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Latin American Affairs. Kelly returned to Honduras, he said, with the aim of "relaunching the Tegucigalpa/San Jose Agreement."
Saavedra said the Congress will decide on the reinstatement of Zelaya after seeking the opinion of the Honduran Supreme Court, the Public Prosecutor, the Attorney General's Office, and the National Commissioner for Human Rights -- all of which are institutions that supported the June 28 coup that deposed democratically elected President Zelaya and backed the coup government.
This would appear to be a joke -- but it is anything but a joke. It is a travesty of the most basic democratic principles -- and it is happening ONLY because of the continued backing by the U.S. government of the de-facto regime of Roberto Micheletti. Without this U.S. backing, the tin-pot Micheletti dictatorship -- which has close to no popular support in its own country -- would have crumbled over night.
Early on, President Obama characterized the June 28 kidnapping and transfer of President Zelaya to Costa Rica as a "coup d'etat" and pledged to support Zelaya's immediate and uncondition return to Honduras. This stand was applauded widely across the hemisphere.
But no sooner had Obama made this statement than Hillary Clinton and the State Department conditioned Zelaya's return with a series of demands that violated the Honduran people's right to self-determination. Clinton rejected Obama's view that a military coup d'etat had occurred on June 28. She then placed both the perpetrators of the coup and the legitimate president of Honduras on equal footing and demanded that they form a coalition government of "national unity." And she then demanded that Zelaya abandon the effort to convene a new Constituent Assembly that would rewrite the 1982 Constitution, which was drafted under the supervision of the Reagan administration with the aim of converting Honduras into a military base from which to maintain tight control over the entire region.
Zelaya, to the chagrin of many of his followers, accepted the unacceptable terms of this San Jose Agreement -- an accord that the U.S. press later revealed was written in Washington and then sent to Costa Rican President Oscar Arias for him to make public.
Therein began a game by the Honduran regime, with U.S. backing, of putting forward one stalling tactic after another. The ultimate aim was to make it to the November 29 elections without Zelaya's return to office -- and then have the United States recognize the legitimacy of the elections and of the new government resulting from these elections. That would close this five-month chapter of "political instability."
But there was one major hitch in the de-facto regime's game plan: The Honduran people did not go along with this charade -- and nor could they be beaten, or starved, into submission. The National Resistance Front Against the Coup demanded the immediate and unconditional return of Zelaya, opposing the San Jose Agreement. For five months, despite the repression and the lack of funds, the people took to the streets day after day, week after week, in mass struggle.
Most important, the people and their fighting leadership did not abandon their call to establish a National Constituent Assembly that would draft a new and genuinely democratic Constitution -- one that established the sovereignty of the Honduran people over their nation and their resources, one that ended Honduran subordination to the United States via the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and the military pact that established a U.S. base at Soto Cano (Palmerola).
Then came the salt added to an already bitter wound. On October 30, U.S. State Department representative Thomas Shannon brokered a deal that was hailed around the world as a breakthrough in the political stalemate: Zelaya would be returned to the presidency by November 5, in exchange for which Zelaya would constitute a government of national reconciliation with Micheletti, the call for a National Constituent Assembly would be dropped, and the November 29 elections would go forward with the support of all parties in dispute.
But even this deal was not to be. Shannon let the cat out of the bag when he told CNN en Español that the U.S. government would recognize the November 29 elections even if Zelaya were not reinstated prior to the elections. That closed the circle. No more charade was necessary. The U.S. was firmly behind the coup and the coup government -- and behind the prepared electoral fraud of November 29.
Today, the Micheletti regime is threatening all union leaders and activists who oppose these elections with the full power of State repression. Every day the Honduran papers are filled with such threats from elected officials at all levels. Voting in Honduras is mandatory, and those who do not vote -- or who do not vote the right way -- are subject to heavy fines and jail sentences. The Honduran people are once again under attack as the regime prepares its second coup d'etat.
Working people and supporters of democratic rights across the United States and internationally must demand that the Obama administration reverse course in Honduras by rejecting the legitimacy of the coup government and that of the November 29 elections. Already the governments of Brazil and Argentina, among many others across the Americas, have announced that these coup-orchestrated elections are a farce and will not be recognized. This, too, must be the stance of the U.S. government.
The national leadership of the AFL-CIO trade union federation has taken the lead in this battle for democracy. In a November 13 letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka writes the following:
"Our position on the crisis has been developed in consultation with the Honduran labor movement, which is unequivocally opposed to the June 28 coup, to the continuation of the de facto regime, as well as to any future elections conducted by the Micheletti regime. ... The current environment in Honduras, including an illegitimate government in power, makes free, fair and open elections impossible."
We call upon all labor and community organizations, and all defenders of democratic rights, to join with the AFL-CIO in demanding that the Obama administration publicly reject both the legitimacy of the November 29 elections in Honduras and the legitimacy of the government emanating from these fraudulent elections.
In solidarity,
Rodrigo Ibarra and Alan Benjamin
Co-Editors
El Organizador
Labels: betrayal of democracy, coup in Honduras, resistance
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
BlackCommentator.com - Welcome Home, Soldier: Now Shut Up http://ping.fm/TWjtA
In Guatemala, the Labour Ministry is full of cabezas de mierda http://ping.fm/CsZFF
American exceptionalism: a delusional concept http://ping.fm/ms5OP
Tell Congress to Go To Hell With their Current Health Reform http://ping.fm/LUGcp
Monday, November 16, 2009
Hot news from Honduras ... Micheletti is determined to stop the "foreign" subversives
Forwarded from the ILC:
Dear Friends:
As you will read below, the de-facto regime of Roberto Micheletti is preparing the conditions for arresting and jailing all opposition leaders and activists who have called for a boycott of the November 29 elections. The regime is spreading disinformation about alleged foreigners from Venezuela and Nicaragua entering Honduras illegally with the sole purpose of disrupting Honduras' "democratic elections."
The specter of Chavez and the foreigners was precisely the justification for the June 28 coup; Chavez was alleged to have been behind Zelaya's so-called power grab -- when, in fact, it was the pressure of the Honduran people that got Zelaya to agree to hold a non-binding referendum as to whether or not the profoundly undemocratic 1982 Constitution should be changed. There was never any question of Zelaya extending his term of office.
Now the foreign bogeyman is being conjured up once again -- this time to deny the legitimacy of the boycott campaign and to prepare the roundup of activists who call for a boycott of the elections.
We have to build a massive movement internationally in defense of the National Resistance Front Against the Coup and their right to boycott fake elections and to fight for genuine democracy -- that is, for a National Constituent Assembly.
And we must step up our campaign to press President Obama to refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the November 29 fake elections and of the new government emanating from these fake elections.
Hands off the National Resistance Front!
Down with the coup government and its fake elections!
In solidarity,
Alan Benjamin and Rodrigo Ibarra
Co-Editors
El Organizador
********************
ALERT!!!
[sigue abajo en español]
Roberto Micheletti: "Hundreds of foreigners coming in to boycott elections"
(translation from Diario El Tiempo, Nov. 16)
De-facto interim "president" Roberto Micheletti said that hundreds of foreigners have been entering the country to boycott the elections scheduled for November 29th.
"We have knowledge of this. Our military, supported by our allies and friends, have initiated an investigation that has secured information about people from Venezuela or Nicaragua coming here to try to cause trouble to the electoral process", said Micheletti.
"There is a security plan to protect the population in general, for them to vote without fear, so that they can elect their new authorities".
Micheletti recalled that the Electoral Law in its article 209 stated that, "Whoever, without legitimate authorization, seeks to impede another person, through violence, from the exercise of their electoral rights, will be sanctioned with a penalty of four years in prison ."
A secondary law expresses that in addition to the electoral crimes that will be sanctioned with prison, will be also punished with prison time all persons who by any means impede access to the electoral locations that are needed for the functioning of the elections.
Calls to boycott the elections have been made by "sectors of society, as well as foreigners who have entered the country", for example "the leaders of the group called Popular Resistance, which has as its intent to prevent the election".
******************
Roberto Micheletti: Centenares de extranjeros han entrado a boicotear elecciones
Diario Tiempo, 16 de Noviembre, 2009
El presidente interino, Roberto Michelletti, dijo ayer que han ingresado al país centenares de extranjeros para boicotear las elecciones previstas para el 29 de noviembre.
"Tenemos conocimiento pleno de eso, ya hay también una investigación bastante fuerte de parte de nuestro Ejército, de nuestros aliados, unos amigos que nos están informando sobre la pretensión de que alguien de Venezuela o de Nicaragua pueda venir a tratar de causar problemas a nuestro proceso electoral", dijo Micheletti.
Existe un plan de seguridad para resguardar a la población en general para que acudan sin ningún temor a ejercer el sufragio y de esa manera poder elegir a sus nuevas autoridades.
Recordó que la Ley Electoral y de Organizaciones Políticas establece en su artículo 209 que "serán sancionados con la pena de reclusión de cuatro a seis años a quien, sin estar legítimamente autorizado impidiere a otro mediante el uso o no de violencia, ejercer sus derechos electorales".
Además, la misma ley secundaria expresa sobre los delitos electorales que serán castigados con reclusión a "quien no permitiere o por cualquier medio obstaculizare a los organismos electorales la ocupación oportuna de los locales públicos necesarios para su funcionamiento".
Acusó que las intenciones de boicotear las elecciones han estado presentes de diferentes sectores de la sociedad y del extranjero, por ejemplo los líderes del grupo denominado Resistencia Popular han expresado que sus intenciones de impedir los comicios electorales.
Dear Friends:
As you will read below, the de-facto regime of Roberto Micheletti is preparing the conditions for arresting and jailing all opposition leaders and activists who have called for a boycott of the November 29 elections. The regime is spreading disinformation about alleged foreigners from Venezuela and Nicaragua entering Honduras illegally with the sole purpose of disrupting Honduras' "democratic elections."
The specter of Chavez and the foreigners was precisely the justification for the June 28 coup; Chavez was alleged to have been behind Zelaya's so-called power grab -- when, in fact, it was the pressure of the Honduran people that got Zelaya to agree to hold a non-binding referendum as to whether or not the profoundly undemocratic 1982 Constitution should be changed. There was never any question of Zelaya extending his term of office.
Now the foreign bogeyman is being conjured up once again -- this time to deny the legitimacy of the boycott campaign and to prepare the roundup of activists who call for a boycott of the elections.
We have to build a massive movement internationally in defense of the National Resistance Front Against the Coup and their right to boycott fake elections and to fight for genuine democracy -- that is, for a National Constituent Assembly.
And we must step up our campaign to press President Obama to refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the November 29 fake elections and of the new government emanating from these fake elections.
Hands off the National Resistance Front!
Down with the coup government and its fake elections!
In solidarity,
Alan Benjamin and Rodrigo Ibarra
Co-Editors
El Organizador
********************
ALERT!!!
[sigue abajo en español]
Roberto Micheletti: "Hundreds of foreigners coming in to boycott elections"
(translation from Diario El Tiempo, Nov. 16)
De-facto interim "president" Roberto Micheletti said that hundreds of foreigners have been entering the country to boycott the elections scheduled for November 29th.
"We have knowledge of this. Our military, supported by our allies and friends, have initiated an investigation that has secured information about people from Venezuela or Nicaragua coming here to try to cause trouble to the electoral process", said Micheletti.
"There is a security plan to protect the population in general, for them to vote without fear, so that they can elect their new authorities".
Micheletti recalled that the Electoral Law in its article 209 stated that, "Whoever, without legitimate authorization, seeks to impede another person, through violence, from the exercise of their electoral rights, will be sanctioned with a penalty of four years in prison ."
A secondary law expresses that in addition to the electoral crimes that will be sanctioned with prison, will be also punished with prison time all persons who by any means impede access to the electoral locations that are needed for the functioning of the elections.
Calls to boycott the elections have been made by "sectors of society, as well as foreigners who have entered the country", for example "the leaders of the group called Popular Resistance, which has as its intent to prevent the election".
******************
Roberto Micheletti: Centenares de extranjeros han entrado a boicotear elecciones
Diario Tiempo, 16 de Noviembre, 2009
El presidente interino, Roberto Michelletti, dijo ayer que han ingresado al país centenares de extranjeros para boicotear las elecciones previstas para el 29 de noviembre.
"Tenemos conocimiento pleno de eso, ya hay también una investigación bastante fuerte de parte de nuestro Ejército, de nuestros aliados, unos amigos que nos están informando sobre la pretensión de que alguien de Venezuela o de Nicaragua pueda venir a tratar de causar problemas a nuestro proceso electoral", dijo Micheletti.
Existe un plan de seguridad para resguardar a la población en general para que acudan sin ningún temor a ejercer el sufragio y de esa manera poder elegir a sus nuevas autoridades.
Recordó que la Ley Electoral y de Organizaciones Políticas establece en su artículo 209 que "serán sancionados con la pena de reclusión de cuatro a seis años a quien, sin estar legítimamente autorizado impidiere a otro mediante el uso o no de violencia, ejercer sus derechos electorales".
Además, la misma ley secundaria expresa sobre los delitos electorales que serán castigados con reclusión a "quien no permitiere o por cualquier medio obstaculizare a los organismos electorales la ocupación oportuna de los locales públicos necesarios para su funcionamiento".
Acusó que las intenciones de boicotear las elecciones han estado presentes de diferentes sectores de la sociedad y del extranjero, por ejemplo los líderes del grupo denominado Resistencia Popular han expresado que sus intenciones de impedir los comicios electorales.
From EFF's Secret Files: Anatomy of a Bogus Subpoena | Electronic Frontier Foundation http://ping.fm/IhGHC
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Song circle, dulcimer playing, etc.
Last night after the SEC game on TV (my Gators beat the Gamecocks, yay!) I went down to Riverdale to Dan W.'s place for song circle. First one I've been to this year.
About a dozen of us showed up, enough to make Clio, Dan's cat, hide under the bed. Four of us active Common Thread choristers, three who are taking a year off, the rest fans or on the waiting list. I was hoping Bob B would show up with his Tam Kearney dulcimer, but I was the only MD player there, with 4 guitarists, 2 drummers, and a cowbell. This was the first time I'd taken the MD to song circle, and the second one I've been to ... last time I took my ocarina along but hardly played at all.
We mostly did songs from Rise Up Singing, as usual ... that is the world's greatest fakebook, I swear. ::grin:: I tuned into D-A-A and was able to play along on Red River Valley and a number of other songs, and led on The Water is Wide. The others had not heard the MD before, some had never seen or heard of one at all; I gave them the 3-minute explanation of how it works and where it comes from, and think I made a good impression for the instrument! They were fascinated by the drones and the noter-and-drone playing method. I may just recruit a few more players over the next little while, heehee!
So I still have not seen or heard Bob B.'s dulcimer. He says it was built for him about 20 years ago by Tam Kearney, who used to manage the old Fiddler's Green folk club here in Toronto. I didn't know Tam was a luthier! It's apparently been hanging on Bob's wall for years, but he wants to learn to actually play it. (He had a class from Sally Rogers at The Woods Music and Dance Camp the year he got it, but has not played it since.) We'll be getting together sometime in January probably so I can show him what I've learned.
About a dozen of us showed up, enough to make Clio, Dan's cat, hide under the bed. Four of us active Common Thread choristers, three who are taking a year off, the rest fans or on the waiting list. I was hoping Bob B would show up with his Tam Kearney dulcimer, but I was the only MD player there, with 4 guitarists, 2 drummers, and a cowbell. This was the first time I'd taken the MD to song circle, and the second one I've been to ... last time I took my ocarina along but hardly played at all.
We mostly did songs from Rise Up Singing, as usual ... that is the world's greatest fakebook, I swear. ::grin:: I tuned into D-A-A and was able to play along on Red River Valley and a number of other songs, and led on The Water is Wide. The others had not heard the MD before, some had never seen or heard of one at all; I gave them the 3-minute explanation of how it works and where it comes from, and think I made a good impression for the instrument! They were fascinated by the drones and the noter-and-drone playing method. I may just recruit a few more players over the next little while, heehee!
So I still have not seen or heard Bob B.'s dulcimer. He says it was built for him about 20 years ago by Tam Kearney, who used to manage the old Fiddler's Green folk club here in Toronto. I didn't know Tam was a luthier! It's apparently been hanging on Bob's wall for years, but he wants to learn to actually play it. (He had a class from Sally Rogers at The Woods Music and Dance Camp the year he got it, but has not played it since.) We'll be getting together sometime in January probably so I can show him what I've learned.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
reading: Authoritative Rejection of Afghanistan War http://ping.fm/2y8Pt
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Malalai Joya on the war and occupation
U.S. Is Doing No Good in Afghanistan
By Malalai Joya
November 12, 2009
MALALAI JOYA spoke at San Jose State University Saturday and signed copies of her new political memoir, A Woman Among Warlords, co-written with Derrick O'Keefe. The survivor of four assassination attempts, she was elected to Afghanistan's parliament in 2005 and kicked out in 2007 by the warlords. She wrote this article for the Mercury News.
http://ping.fm/JGiNE
As an Afghan woman who was elected to Parliament, I am in the United States to ask President Barack Obama to immediately end the occupation of my country.
Eight years ago, women's rights were used as one of the excuses to start this war. But today, Afghanistan is still facing a women's rights catastrophe. Life for most Afghan women resembles a type of hell that is never reflected in the Western mainstream media.
In 2001, the U.S. helped return to power the worst misogynist criminals, such as the Northern Alliance warlords and druglords. These men ought to be considered a photocopy of the Taliban. The only difference is that the Northern Alliance warlords wear suits and ties and cover their faces with the mask of democracy while they occupy government positions. But they are responsible for much of the disaster today in Afghanistan, thanks to the U.S. support they enjoy.
The U.S. and its allies are getting ready to offer power to the medieval Taliban by creating an imaginary category called the "moderate Taliban" and inviting them to join the government. A man who was near the top of the list of most-wanted terrorists eight years ago, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, has been invited to join the government.
Over the past eight years the U.S. has helped turn my country into the drug capital of the world through its support of drug lords. Today, 93 percent of all opium in the world is produced in Afghanistan. Many members of Parliament and high ranking officials openly benefit from the drug trade. President Karzai's own brother is a well known drug trafficker.
Meanwhile, ordinary Afghans are living in destitution. The latest United Nations Human Development Index ranked Afghanistan 181 out of 182 countries. Eighteen million Afghans live on less than $2 a day. Mothers in many parts of Afghanistan are ready to sell their children because they cannot feed them.
Afghanistan has received $36 billion of aid in the past eight years, and the U.S. alone spends $165 million a day on its war. Yet my country remains in the grip of terrorists and criminals. My people have no interest in the current drama of the presidential election since it will change nothing in Afghanistan. Both Karzai and Dr. Abdullah are hated by Afghans for being U.S. puppets.
The worst casualty of this war is truth. Those who stand up and raise their voice against injustice, insecurity and occupation have their lives threatened and are forced to leave Afghanistan, or simply get killed.
We are sandwiched between three powerful enemies: the occupation forces of the U.S. and NATO, the Taliban and the corrupt government of Hamid Karzai.
Now President Obama is considering increasing troops to Afghanistan and simply extending former President Bush's wrong policies. In fact, the worst massacres since 9/11 were during Obama's tenure. My native province of Farah was bombed by the U.S. this past May. A hundred and fifty people were killed, most of them women and children. On Sept. 9, the U.S. bombed Kunduz Province, killing 200 civilians.
My people are fed up. That is why we want an immediate end to the U.S. occupation.
By Malalai Joya
November 12, 2009
MALALAI JOYA spoke at San Jose State University Saturday and signed copies of her new political memoir, A Woman Among Warlords, co-written with Derrick O'Keefe. The survivor of four assassination attempts, she was elected to Afghanistan's parliament in 2005 and kicked out in 2007 by the warlords. She wrote this article for the Mercury News.
http://ping.fm/JGiNE
As an Afghan woman who was elected to Parliament, I am in the United States to ask President Barack Obama to immediately end the occupation of my country.
Eight years ago, women's rights were used as one of the excuses to start this war. But today, Afghanistan is still facing a women's rights catastrophe. Life for most Afghan women resembles a type of hell that is never reflected in the Western mainstream media.
In 2001, the U.S. helped return to power the worst misogynist criminals, such as the Northern Alliance warlords and druglords. These men ought to be considered a photocopy of the Taliban. The only difference is that the Northern Alliance warlords wear suits and ties and cover their faces with the mask of democracy while they occupy government positions. But they are responsible for much of the disaster today in Afghanistan, thanks to the U.S. support they enjoy.
The U.S. and its allies are getting ready to offer power to the medieval Taliban by creating an imaginary category called the "moderate Taliban" and inviting them to join the government. A man who was near the top of the list of most-wanted terrorists eight years ago, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, has been invited to join the government.
Over the past eight years the U.S. has helped turn my country into the drug capital of the world through its support of drug lords. Today, 93 percent of all opium in the world is produced in Afghanistan. Many members of Parliament and high ranking officials openly benefit from the drug trade. President Karzai's own brother is a well known drug trafficker.
Meanwhile, ordinary Afghans are living in destitution. The latest United Nations Human Development Index ranked Afghanistan 181 out of 182 countries. Eighteen million Afghans live on less than $2 a day. Mothers in many parts of Afghanistan are ready to sell their children because they cannot feed them.
Afghanistan has received $36 billion of aid in the past eight years, and the U.S. alone spends $165 million a day on its war. Yet my country remains in the grip of terrorists and criminals. My people have no interest in the current drama of the presidential election since it will change nothing in Afghanistan. Both Karzai and Dr. Abdullah are hated by Afghans for being U.S. puppets.
The worst casualty of this war is truth. Those who stand up and raise their voice against injustice, insecurity and occupation have their lives threatened and are forced to leave Afghanistan, or simply get killed.
We are sandwiched between three powerful enemies: the occupation forces of the U.S. and NATO, the Taliban and the corrupt government of Hamid Karzai.
Now President Obama is considering increasing troops to Afghanistan and simply extending former President Bush's wrong policies. In fact, the worst massacres since 9/11 were during Obama's tenure. My native province of Farah was bombed by the U.S. this past May. A hundred and fifty people were killed, most of them women and children. On Sept. 9, the U.S. bombed Kunduz Province, killing 200 civilians.
My people are fed up. That is why we want an immediate end to the U.S. occupation.
Why Peter Galbraith is a sleazy bag of horseshit
http://ping.fm/M7BnD
This jerk posed as a disinterested expert on the region for YEARS despite owning a big chunk of an oil company poised to make megabux in Kurdistan.
and people wonder why liberals make me puke.
This jerk posed as a disinterested expert on the region for YEARS despite owning a big chunk of an oil company poised to make megabux in Kurdistan.
and people wonder why liberals make me puke.
Happy Birthday ...
Where does single-payer go from here?
Conyers and Smith caved in the house. Kucinich kept to principle ahead of party and voted NO. Kevin Gozstola wonders what's next. Maybe Bernie Sanders will be able to get a state single-payer option through the Senate? http://ping.fm/UXocp
Tetlley's parent company, Tata, starving out tea workers in West Bengal http://ping.fm/g2AF8
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Hang the torturers. hang those who enable the torturers. Hang these judges.
This article in the New York Times http://ping.fm/AB9wg says it all. It is a shame and a disgrace. torture supplies NO usable information, the victim will tell the torturer EXACTLY what the torturer wants to hear WHETHER IT IS TRUE OR NOT, the only real use of torture is the gratification of the torturer's sadistic impulses. IF YOU TRY TO JUSTIFY TORTURE YOU ARE A WAR CRIMINAL AND SHOULD HANG. Period. This discussion is over.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Emergency resolution on Honduras, forwarded by Alan Benjamin
PLEASE EXCUSE DUPLICATE POSTINGS
[Note: The draft resolution below will be presented to the upcoming delegates' meeting of the San Francisco Labor Council. Given the emergency situation in Honduras today, we are sending it out to unionists and labor activists across the country as a model resolution for possible submission to your unions and labor councils. It can also be adapted for endorsement by community organizations. Please send us copies of any resolution you may adopt so that we can forward it to the National Resistance Front in Honduras. Thanks, in advance for your support. In solidarity -- Alan Benjamin and Dave Welsh, Delegates to San Francisco Labor Council]
************
Draft Emergency Resolution on the Current Crisis in Honduras
Whereas, following the June 28, 2009 military coup in Honduras, the AFL-CIO National Convention passed a resolution in September demanding immediate reinstatement of President Manuel Zelaya, restoration of all labor and democratic rights, and an immediate halt to all U.S. aid to the coup government; and
Whereas, since that time President Zelaya is still taking refuge in the Brazilian Embassy; the Honduran people led by the National Resistance Front Against the Coup continue to mount massive daily demonstrations against the coup regime; and the coup government continues to deploy the U.S.-trained army and police in an attempt to suppress the popular will and prevent the exercise of democratic rights; and
Whereas, a U.S.-brokered deal [the Tegucigalpa/San Jose Accords] to reinstate President Zelaya by November 5th -- in preparation for the Nov. 29th elections -- has unraveled. Nov. 5th came and went and the coup regime refused to restore Zelaya to the Presidency. As a result President Zelaya, denouncing the "bad faith" of the U.S. government, said the Tegucigalpa/San Jose Accords were "a dead letter." The National Resistance Front confirmed it could not participate in nor recognize the legitimacy of the Nov. 29th elections under these conditions; and
Whereas, mass tear-gassing and beating of protesters has continued. There is a total lack of political space for opposition candidates to campaign and for the expression of any dissident political opinion. Under the current coup regime, conditions for free, fair and open elections are non-existent; and
Whereas, the National Resistance Front has denounced the Nov. 29th elections as a scheme by "the de facto regime that is repressing the people and violating the civil and human rights of its citizens, with the goal of validating the dictatorship of the oligarchy." It said that participating in such an electoral exercise "would give legitimacy to the coup regime or its successor." The Front also stressed that "our stance in opposition to the electoral farce will remain firm even if President Zelaya is reinstated between now and Nov. 29th, since 20 days or less is too short a time to dismantle an electoral fraud many months in the making," and since there is no time for opposition candidates to mount a campaign.
Therefore be it resolved, that the ___________ [name of your union, council or organization] stand in solidarity with the heroic people of Honduras as they resist the savage repression of a military dictatorship, and fight to win real democracy and sovereignty for their country; and
Be it further resolved, that the ____________ send official letters to Congressional representatives and President Obama demanding that the U.S. government take strong measures against the repressive coup government in Honduras -- and whatever government may succeed it as a result of the "electoral farce" scheduled for Nov. 29th. These measures should include: 1) Immediately break off all political and economic ties with the coup government and its successor; 2) Recall the U.S. ambassador; 3) Establish an economic embargo on all trade and aid to Honduras; 4) Freeze the U.S. bank accounts of the coup plotters and deny them visas for U.S. travel; 5) Shut down U.S. military bases in Honduras; and
Be it further resolved, that the __________ demand that the U.S. government denounce and refuse to recognize the results of Nov. 29th elections or any electoral process organized under the repressive coup regime; and
Finally be it resolved, that the __________ make common cause with other labor and community organizations, to develop a reliable support network for the National Resistance Front against the Coup, and for the labor unions that are at the center of the Resistance movement in Honduras.
[Note: The draft resolution below will be presented to the upcoming delegates' meeting of the San Francisco Labor Council. Given the emergency situation in Honduras today, we are sending it out to unionists and labor activists across the country as a model resolution for possible submission to your unions and labor councils. It can also be adapted for endorsement by community organizations. Please send us copies of any resolution you may adopt so that we can forward it to the National Resistance Front in Honduras. Thanks, in advance for your support. In solidarity -- Alan Benjamin and Dave Welsh, Delegates to San Francisco Labor Council]
************
Draft Emergency Resolution on the Current Crisis in Honduras
Whereas, following the June 28, 2009 military coup in Honduras, the AFL-CIO National Convention passed a resolution in September demanding immediate reinstatement of President Manuel Zelaya, restoration of all labor and democratic rights, and an immediate halt to all U.S. aid to the coup government; and
Whereas, since that time President Zelaya is still taking refuge in the Brazilian Embassy; the Honduran people led by the National Resistance Front Against the Coup continue to mount massive daily demonstrations against the coup regime; and the coup government continues to deploy the U.S.-trained army and police in an attempt to suppress the popular will and prevent the exercise of democratic rights; and
Whereas, a U.S.-brokered deal [the Tegucigalpa/San Jose Accords] to reinstate President Zelaya by November 5th -- in preparation for the Nov. 29th elections -- has unraveled. Nov. 5th came and went and the coup regime refused to restore Zelaya to the Presidency. As a result President Zelaya, denouncing the "bad faith" of the U.S. government, said the Tegucigalpa/San Jose Accords were "a dead letter." The National Resistance Front confirmed it could not participate in nor recognize the legitimacy of the Nov. 29th elections under these conditions; and
Whereas, mass tear-gassing and beating of protesters has continued. There is a total lack of political space for opposition candidates to campaign and for the expression of any dissident political opinion. Under the current coup regime, conditions for free, fair and open elections are non-existent; and
Whereas, the National Resistance Front has denounced the Nov. 29th elections as a scheme by "the de facto regime that is repressing the people and violating the civil and human rights of its citizens, with the goal of validating the dictatorship of the oligarchy." It said that participating in such an electoral exercise "would give legitimacy to the coup regime or its successor." The Front also stressed that "our stance in opposition to the electoral farce will remain firm even if President Zelaya is reinstated between now and Nov. 29th, since 20 days or less is too short a time to dismantle an electoral fraud many months in the making," and since there is no time for opposition candidates to mount a campaign.
Therefore be it resolved, that the ___________ [name of your union, council or organization] stand in solidarity with the heroic people of Honduras as they resist the savage repression of a military dictatorship, and fight to win real democracy and sovereignty for their country; and
Be it further resolved, that the ____________ send official letters to Congressional representatives and President Obama demanding that the U.S. government take strong measures against the repressive coup government in Honduras -- and whatever government may succeed it as a result of the "electoral farce" scheduled for Nov. 29th. These measures should include: 1) Immediately break off all political and economic ties with the coup government and its successor; 2) Recall the U.S. ambassador; 3) Establish an economic embargo on all trade and aid to Honduras; 4) Freeze the U.S. bank accounts of the coup plotters and deny them visas for U.S. travel; 5) Shut down U.S. military bases in Honduras; and
Be it further resolved, that the __________ demand that the U.S. government denounce and refuse to recognize the results of Nov. 29th elections or any electoral process organized under the repressive coup regime; and
Finally be it resolved, that the __________ make common cause with other labor and community organizations, to develop a reliable support network for the National Resistance Front against the Coup, and for the labor unions that are at the center of the Resistance movement in Honduras.
Vanished Persian Army Said Found in Desert : Discovery News http://ping.fm/aN6Cw
Murdoch Agrees With Beck That Obama Is A Racist | Media Matters for America http://ping.fm/FVr9W
Prelim results in the New Westminster by-election: YAY. http://ping.fm/BVmnh
Lovemore Matombo, Zimbabwe union leader, arrested http://ping.fm/nTTlK
Sunday, November 08, 2009
The Canadian Press: Unions believe court ruling stops Ont. from reopening contracts to fight deficit http://ping.fm/CH1MU
OpEdNews - Article: Kucinich: Why I Voted NO http://ping.fm/8Zh0J
House Democrats pass weak public option, betray constituents
House Passes Weak Public Option, by Rob Kall
Dennis Kucinich voted against it. Cao of Louisiana voted for it, which tells you all you need to know about this dog of a sellout bill.
Dennis Kucinich voted against it. Cao of Louisiana voted for it, which tells you all you need to know about this dog of a sellout bill.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Equal temperament v. just intonation
I've been learning a bit of music theory on the mountain dulcimer discussion boards I post on. tonight one of the folks at Everythingdulcimer.com recommended this book: How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony, and Why You Should Care. Looks interesting and affordable.
Essentially, "just intonation" is the perfect tuning for playing in any particular key, while "equal temperament" is slightly-less-than-perfect but allows transposition from one key to another. Mainstream western instruments have been built in equal temperament for the last 150 years or so, but folk instruments like my mountain dulcimer have only begun to be built that way within living memory. Maybe 99% of modern MDs are equal-tempered, but if you can find one made before Jean Ritchie took hers to New York in the late 40s, or better, before the folk schools in the southern mountains began encouraging the local craftsmen to build more of them for sale, after the turn of the 20th century, you'd find it tuned a little oddly ... and despair of playing it along with an even tempered guitar. Makes me want to get hold of a just-intoned MD just to see what it would sound like.
Essentially, "just intonation" is the perfect tuning for playing in any particular key, while "equal temperament" is slightly-less-than-perfect but allows transposition from one key to another. Mainstream western instruments have been built in equal temperament for the last 150 years or so, but folk instruments like my mountain dulcimer have only begun to be built that way within living memory. Maybe 99% of modern MDs are equal-tempered, but if you can find one made before Jean Ritchie took hers to New York in the late 40s, or better, before the folk schools in the southern mountains began encouraging the local craftsmen to build more of them for sale, after the turn of the 20th century, you'd find it tuned a little oddly ... and despair of playing it along with an even tempered guitar. Makes me want to get hold of a just-intoned MD just to see what it would sound like.
Friday, November 06, 2009
Looks to be a darn good movie
And it premiers this week: The Good Soldier. http://ping.fm/SnRCN
Thursday, November 05, 2009
The Ministry Of Industry Is Following the Footsteps of the Ministry Of Oil
*The Iraqi ministries do not differ from each other when it comes down
to dealing with labour activists who oppose their agenda and put forward
the workers' demands.*
* *
*A few days ago, the Minister of Industry Fawzi Alhariri, has made a
decision in which he ordered a relocation of Saleem Kadhem and Hatim
Mandeel of Alzawra General Company in Baghdad to the mechanical
industries company in Babel (100 Km south west of Baghdad) because they
lead a labour demonstration in which they demanded their rights.*
* *
*It is a suppressive policy and its aim to shut down and intimidate the
labor activists. It is another way of responding to the workers' demands
since the guns and bullets were incapable of stopping the workers from
voicing out their concerns.*
* *
*We in GFWCUI therefore condemn the minister's conduct and consider it a
displacement that is used as a preventative measure to suppress workers.
We also:*
1. *demand that the Minister of Industry must revoke his decision in
question and compensate the workers for their financial loss and
emotional pain*
2. *appeal to the unions and federations around the world to stand
with the Iraqi workers in their ordeal*
3. *demand that Iraq's membership in the ILO should be suspended
until all requirements are met*
4. *appeal to all Iraqi unions and federations to unify their ranks
and stand firm against such decisions *
* *
*Executive Bureau *
*General Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq*
*October 30, 2009*
gfwcui@gmail.com
**/Amjad Ali/**
**/General Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq/**
www.workerstoday.com
phone# 1-416-264-1131
//The Strength of the Labor Movement Lies on Its Unity and Organization//
*The Iraqi ministries do not differ from each other when it comes down
to dealing with labour activists who oppose their agenda and put forward
the workers' demands.*
* *
*A few days ago, the Minister of Industry Fawzi Alhariri, has made a
decision in which he ordered a relocation of Saleem Kadhem and Hatim
Mandeel of Alzawra General Company in Baghdad to the mechanical
industries company in Babel (100 Km south west of Baghdad) because they
lead a labour demonstration in which they demanded their rights.*
* *
*It is a suppressive policy and its aim to shut down and intimidate the
labor activists. It is another way of responding to the workers' demands
since the guns and bullets were incapable of stopping the workers from
voicing out their concerns.*
* *
*We in GFWCUI therefore condemn the minister's conduct and consider it a
displacement that is used as a preventative measure to suppress workers.
We also:*
1. *demand that the Minister of Industry must revoke his decision in
question and compensate the workers for their financial loss and
emotional pain*
2. *appeal to the unions and federations around the world to stand
with the Iraqi workers in their ordeal*
3. *demand that Iraq's membership in the ILO should be suspended
until all requirements are met*
4. *appeal to all Iraqi unions and federations to unify their ranks
and stand firm against such decisions *
* *
*Executive Bureau *
*General Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq*
*October 30, 2009*
gfwcui@gmail.com
**/Amjad Ali/**
**/General Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq/**
www.workerstoday.com
phone# 1-416-264-1131
//The Strength of the Labor Movement Lies on Its Unity and Organization//
This isn't HR676, and may get in the way.
Conyers and Kucinich on tomorrow's vote in the house:http://ping.fm/KqHLW
Honduras: Latest from the National Front
Communiqué No. 33
The National Front of Resistance Against the Coup wishes to inform the Honduran people and the international community of the following:
Whereas,
1. During the 131 days of continuous struggle, we have pushed for a peaceful solution to the political crisis in our country as a result of the coup d'état carried out by the Honduran oligarchy. In this period we have supported the efforts promoted by various national and international sectors, putting forward three key demands: (a) the return to constitutional order with the reinstatement of the legitimate president, Manuel Zelaya Rosales; (b) respect for the sovereign right to establish a National Constituent Assembly for the purpose of refounding our nation; and (c) punishment for those who have violated human rights.
2. The Tegucigalpa-San Jose agreement underscores the priority of returning to constitutional order and affirms, literally, the need to "return the holder of executive power to its pre-June 28 state through to January 27, 2010, which marks the end of the term of the current government."
3. The National Congress, co-author of the break with the constitutional order on June 28, is using delaying tactics by refusing to convene the full assembly of the Congress to revoke the decree that set up the de-facto regime.
4. The OAS and the U.S. government, which we consider to be an accomplice in the military coup, do not show an interest in the definitive departure of the coup perpetrators from political power.
Therefore We Resolve That,
1. If by 12 midnight today, Thursday, November 5 -- at the latest -- President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales is not reinstated, the National Front of Resistance Against the Coup will refuse to recognize the electoral process and its results.
2. We warn all organizations of the national Resistance that if President Zelaya were not to be reinstated within this time frame, they should be ready to carry out the actions necessary to deny any legitimacy to the electoral farce.
3. We call upon the international community to maintain its position of refusing to legitimize the de-facto regime and the elections of November 29.
"We Are Resisting and We Shall Win!"
Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.
November 5, 2009
(translated from the Spanish by Alan Benjamin/The Organizer)
The National Front of Resistance Against the Coup wishes to inform the Honduran people and the international community of the following:
Whereas,
1. During the 131 days of continuous struggle, we have pushed for a peaceful solution to the political crisis in our country as a result of the coup d'état carried out by the Honduran oligarchy. In this period we have supported the efforts promoted by various national and international sectors, putting forward three key demands: (a) the return to constitutional order with the reinstatement of the legitimate president, Manuel Zelaya Rosales; (b) respect for the sovereign right to establish a National Constituent Assembly for the purpose of refounding our nation; and (c) punishment for those who have violated human rights.
2. The Tegucigalpa-San Jose agreement underscores the priority of returning to constitutional order and affirms, literally, the need to "return the holder of executive power to its pre-June 28 state through to January 27, 2010, which marks the end of the term of the current government."
3. The National Congress, co-author of the break with the constitutional order on June 28, is using delaying tactics by refusing to convene the full assembly of the Congress to revoke the decree that set up the de-facto regime.
4. The OAS and the U.S. government, which we consider to be an accomplice in the military coup, do not show an interest in the definitive departure of the coup perpetrators from political power.
Therefore We Resolve That,
1. If by 12 midnight today, Thursday, November 5 -- at the latest -- President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales is not reinstated, the National Front of Resistance Against the Coup will refuse to recognize the electoral process and its results.
2. We warn all organizations of the national Resistance that if President Zelaya were not to be reinstated within this time frame, they should be ready to carry out the actions necessary to deny any legitimacy to the electoral farce.
3. We call upon the international community to maintain its position of refusing to legitimize the de-facto regime and the elections of November 29.
"We Are Resisting and We Shall Win!"
Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.
November 5, 2009
(translated from the Spanish by Alan Benjamin/The Organizer)
Tell Tony Clement you Want Net Neutrality | SaveOurNet.ca http://ping.fm/hWPKq
Michael Geist - ISP Funded Report Finds Canadian Broadband Isn't Awful http://ping.fm/V8icb
Canada/Brazil: Tell Vale that divide-and-conquer won't work http://ping.fm/FYXOr
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
CAIP Appeal Against P2P Throttling Denied By CRTC | SaveOurNet.ca http://ping.fm/m7Ojo
YouTube - Malalai Joya interview with CNN: US Get OUT of Afghanistan
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Massive bot attack spoofs Facebook password messages - Page 1 - Security http://ping.fm/wrOdj
Ya know, you really can't make this stuff up ... http://ping.fm/qZrDG
