There's Lots Of Money In Wars.

 Exported Democracy Western Style.

       Here we go, here we go, here we go, once again the American lead Western war machine is cranking up for another blood bath. This time it is under the guise of stopping ISIS. We have lived through continuous wars, here there and everywhere, we leave shattered, broken countries in our wake. Just as we leave the rubble of one country, we head for another.  We brought "democracy" to Afghanistan, and left Iraq a "democratic" model for the rest of the Middle East, excuse the irony in such a tragic affair. We returned Libya to warring tribalism, support a military take over in Egypt, that is more brutal than the Hosni Mubarak regime, whose overthrow we helped engineer. We support the Syrian Free Army, a ragtag of tribal fundamentalists, who kidnapped the American journalist, Sotloff, sold him to ISIS, who later beheaded him. The difference between ISIS and the Syrian Free Army, is not one of ideology, it is more of territory. People pressure stopped the war monster from bombing Syrian back to the stone age, so now we have found a way to do it through the back door. If our aim really is to destroy ISIS, then all we have to do is stop supporting the ragtag mob of fundamentalists called the Syrian Free Army, and the Syrian regime with the help of Iran, could very rapidly destroy ISIS, while we get on with trying to sort out our own economic problems here at home.

 Enter Freedom.

      Who gains from all this march of destruction by the West? Well looking at the evidence it is certainly not those countries that we have "helped" with our military might. Disaster reigns across North Africa and the whole of the Middle East, to Afghanistan. No, those who gain are the war hogs, the arms industry, the banks, the financial Mafia, the big corporations, these are the power behind the wars, these are the only people who gain. We the people across the globe shed our blood, and country after country crumbles back to a barbaric stone age, all with the moral stamp of bring "democracy" and "fighting terrorism", all pure unadulterated bullshit. It is money and power, and to hell with the people, no matter the country.

A New Way Of Life.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

The State And Its Tool,-- Death.

       There seems to be disbelief at the Egypt court passing the mass death sentences on 528 protesters, with another mass trial of 682 due to start. To put that in perspective, that is more people sentenced to death in one fell swoop, than the total number of UK troops killed in Afghanistan in 13 years of war since 2001. We can accept that it is horrific, barbarous, outrageous, and makes a mockery of justice. However we should not be surprised, for that's what the states do best.

 They kill with impunity, they do it in several ways, they do it by sending ordinary people to foreign countries to kill other ordinary people, to enhance the state's wealth and power. They kill their own citizens by legislation, (ATOS), for example. Slow death by deliberate polices that increase poverty and deprivation, During WW1 the British state executed, (murdered), at dawn by firing squad, 306 young British soldiers, labeling them cowards. It's a state thing, killing citizens is just collateral damage in their role of power monger. The state always holds the death card to use in the event of any threat to its power, and when the state kills, it is supposed to put the stamp of legitimacy on that barbaric action. 528 death sentences, what state has not killed far more than that to hold onto and cement its power over the people?

 

This from AVAAZ:

    A kangaroo court in Egypt just sentenced 528 people to death. This is likely the biggest mass execution ruling this century, but one man can stop the killings.
      Egypt’s most important religious figure, Grand Mufti Allam has 10 days to reject the decision. Religious leaders are already condemning the ruling, and as the first Mufti to be elected by his peers, he has a legitimate mandate to be the nation’s moral leader. Let’s create a global plea from people of all religions to provide clemency and block this barbarous ruling.
      This was a political show trial -- the military regime is using the firing squad to wipe out the opposition. If the world does not speak up, the consequences for Egypt and the world are beyond dangerous. Sign now to save these lives and stop a spiral of violence -- when one million of us have joined, religious leaders in Egypt will deliver our call for compassion directly to the Mufti:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_mass_execution_loc/?bwqhjab&v=37959
      After the hope of Tahrir Square, where hundreds of thousands took to the streets to overthrow decades of dictatorship, the Egyptian people democratically elected a Muslim Brotherhood government. But last summer the military staged a populist coup, Brotherhood supporters rioted, and then the military declared the party a terrorist organisation and violently cracked down -- 16,000 democracy activists, journalists, and even teenage school girls have been arrested!
     The trial was a joke -- on top of charges of rioting and destruction of property, the 528 are all accused of killing one police officer, and defense lawyers were barred from the sentencing session, which lasted less than an hour! But this is not a one off -- the judiciary is repeatedly being used to crackdown on political dissent, while security forces accused of killing hundreds of protesters are rarely held to account. There are real security threats, but as the military authorities' iron fist and intimidation grows, extremism is fuelled.
      This is the harshest mass conviction in modern Egyptian history, but what happens next in this case could have repercussions way beyond Egypt. Sign the urgent petition now asking the Grand Mufti not to rubber stamp state-sponsored murder and to provide the ethical leadership Egypt desperately needs:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_mass_execution_loc/?bwqhjab&v=37959
      The world has kept silent as this regime has launched an all out attack against an imperfect but elected government and brought democracy in Egypt to its knees. Global leaders trumpet democracy at every opportunity and strongly condemn anti-democratic plots from Crimea to Caracas. But not in Egypt. Now if the world looks away and allows this cruel mass execution to happen, a dangerous message will resonate across the globe that the world will stand by democracy, except for political Islam. That wil l empower one small but very dangerous group that can hurt us all: the extremists.
     Time and again the Avaaz community has forcefully advocated against brutal injustice and for peaceful, meaningful reconciliation between embittered communities. Right now Egypt’s future hangs in the balance, and a wildly unjust and provocative ruling like the one handed down in Minya could push it over the edge. Let’s bring the people’s voice to this precarious situation and ensure that these 528 lives are saved

With hope,

Alice, Nick, Oli, Wissam, Bissan, Mais, Emily, Ari, Ricken and the whole Avaaz team

MORE INFORMATION
Hundreds of Egyptians Sentenced to Death in Killing of a Police Officer (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/25/world/middleeast/529-egyptians-sentenced-to-death-in-killing-of-a-police-officer.html
Egypt Opens Another Mass Trial of Islamists (AP)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/eg ypt-sentences-529-death-police-attack-23036881

‘Fast’ death penalty for 529 Brotherhood supporters will be appealed: Defence (Ahram)
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/97456/Egypt/Politics-/Fast-and-bizarre-death-penalty-for--Brotherhood-su.aspx
Egyptian court sentences 529 people to death (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/egypt-sentences-529-to-death/2014/03/24/a4f95692-6992-461e-aaf1-9bc84908a429_story.html< /span>

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

The State, The Corporate World, And Union Crushing.

     As the military dictatorship in Egypt tightens its grip on the people, so does the Corporate world. Never ones to miss an opportunity to screw the workers, Cargill, the transnational agro-food corporation is attempting to smash the union at its plant, knowing full well that it will have the backing of the military junta.

An Appeal for solidarity from IUF

      Transnational agro-food giant Cargill is seeking to destroy a democratic union of workers at their factory in Egypt.
     Faced with arbitrary punishments and a deteriorating work environment, workers at the Cargill vegetable oil plant in Egypt held a sit-in in December 2013. Cargill sent in thugs with attack dogs to remove them from the factory and, in defiance of the law, has begun issuing dismissal letters. While management prevents them from returning to work, the workers maintain their picket in the factory parking lot. Read more here.
      Send a message now, calling on Cargill to withdraw the dismissals and put an end to anti-worker practices!

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Military Dictatorship In Egypt.

         It is difficult to get an accurate picture of what is happening in Egypt, our babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, certainly doesn't enlighten us with facts. It usually gives its blessing to the military junta that has seized power in Egypt, a military coup that got the nod and wink from the Western powers, but not the support of the Egyptian people. Here in the West our governments of "representative democracy" are slowing giving way to fascist control by, among other things, tightening laws governing protests, but they haven't yet descended to the low life level of the military despots in Egypt.

This from Anarchist News:

       To you at whose side we struggle: November 26 2013, we saw the first implementation of a new Egyptian law effectively banning any and all protest not approved and regulated by the Ministry of Interior. This is the same Interior Ministry whose soldiers have killed thousands of protesters, maimed tens of thousands and tortured unknown others in recent years. This security apparatus is acting with renewed arrogance since the July coup that returned the Egyptian Army to a position of direct authority. Around noon on November 26, riot police attacked a protest commemorating the murder of Gaber "Gika" Salah one year ago. Announcing that the protest was illegal, police fired water cannons and then baton-charged demonstrators, arresting several. Hours later, the ¨No Military Trials for Civilians¨ campaign organized a protest against the new anti-protest law as well as the inclusion of military trials for civilians in the constitution currently being drafted. This time, the police beat and arrested dozens, among them some of Egypt's most renowned activists, the same people who fought the injustice and oppression of Mubarak, the SCAF, the Muslim Brotherhood, and now Abdel Fattah al Sisi and the puppet civilian government in place since the coup.
     The public outrage that followed the release of footage of the police beating and sexually assaulting some protesters compelled authorities to release all female protesters as well as lawyers, journalists and a handful of prominent male detainees, while keeping 24 male protesters in detention. Protesters demonstrating against the same illegitimate law elsewhere across the country likewise remain in custody. The events of the past week make it clear that the so-called justice system in Egypt, and the anti-protest law in particular seek little more than the suppression of any form of political activity or protest. The demonization of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorists provides the cover to crack down on dissent of any kind, including the continued calls for the revolution's demands.

Read the full article HERE:

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk
 

Unacceptable And Illegal Collective Punishment.

        The Palestinians are humiliated on a daily basis, life in a concentration camp is unacceptable in today's world, but this goes on, and the world looks the other way, or worse, just waffles on about peace discussions that never go anywhere.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

From The Mouths Of Babes---!!

      If only all 12 year olds thought and spoke like this, tomorrow would be bright.

Published on Mar 21, 2013

     This 12 years old boy is just stunningly, incredibly smart. Listen to him as he excoriates the Muslim Brotherhood, relentlessly dissecting their power grab for Egypt.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

The Egyptian State's Battle For Survival.

      Whatever it was that the people of Egypt took to the streets for, is certainly not what they have now. What is happening now is the stifling of any idea that the people should control the country. For a while it look like the people might control the country, and that will not be tolerated by the states and other powers around the world. Pressure would be put on the Egyptian establishment to step in and take control. That is what we are witnessing at the moment.

From "The Vast Minority".

    "Down with the military and Al-Sissi!  Down with the remnants of the Mubarak regime and business elite! Down with the State and all power to autonomous communities!  Long live the Egyptian revolution!"

     This is the powerful and defiant message put out by Egyptian anarchists in the face of the horrific repression being inflicted on the people by the new military regime - the latest local incarnation of the same inhuman power-hungry entity.

Here is the full statement from Tahrir-ICN:

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Military Democracy.

       Some scenes of how the military bring democracy to a country. Anybody that believes democracy can come from a military coup is naive in the extreme. A military coup is a military coup, is a military dictatorship. If there was a hint of democracy developing in Egypt, the West would have to invade to "protect" the people. However if they are setting up a dictatorship, the West will send them aid. As the military dictatorship struggles to assert itself, the West may take steps to "stabilise" the situation.
      In this bloody clash the numbers killed vary from 100+ to 1,000+ depending on who reports the figures, but what is not in dispute is that the military is killing people, in large numbers, on the streets of Egypt. As usual, the state's violence outstrips that of any terrorist organisation, simply because the state is the world's biggest terrorist organisation.

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A World In Protest.

      Where are all those capitalist democracies? Across the world country after country is making it clear that the present political system, is no longer acceptable. More than a month of street protests in Turkey, the same in Brazil, daily protests in Greece, mass protests in Italy, Portugal, Spain and more than a year of on going protests in Egypt. We could go on and on across the globe, but staying in Europe, among other countries, we have seen massive protest in Bulgaria, where the people now realise that they are being ripped up, and sold off to the corporate world.

        The Bulgarian people are pissed off at their countries assets being sold to the corporate world. As well as mass protest calling for the power companies to be nationalised, due to stratospheric price increases. There is also a demand to nationalise a recent discovered gold mine, where there are said to be 18,000 tonnes of gold ore, with an estimated value of $793 billion (US). At the moment the gold mine is owned by a Canadian company Dundee Precious Metals, and it is stated that from the value of all the gold mined there, less than 1% will remain in Bulgaria. Bulgaria, a poor country with $793 billions worth of gold in the kitty??? This is corporate asset stripping on a large scale.

       Asking our corporate master's puppets, your national government, to please give us a little more of what is ours in the first place, is guaranteed to produce more of the same, austerity, perhaps administered with a different smile. The state and the corporate world are one in the same thing, and you and I are not in their club. We are at best paid pawns, at worst, worthless dispensable entities. If you want that to change, then it is the system that has to change, not the smiling face at the podium. 

ann arky's home.

The Poison Chalice Of Western Aid.

      It appears that the “Arab Spring” in Egypt is heading for a military government. The Egyptian Military has said it might step in to maintain peace in the country. It may have been a people's uprising in Egypt, but the reins of power were never to be put in the hands of the people. Whenever the West steps in to support a “people's uprising”, you can rest assured that support will go to the right-wing, pro-Western capitalism groups and/or the religious fundamentalists.  

      So if there is a “people's uprising” it is sure to be met with reactionary forces from inside and outside their country. Libya is a prime example of Western aid and support flowing into a country, mooted as bring democracy, but in actual fact producing chaos and a quagmire of bloodshed that will last for decades, while at the same time getting rid of a regime that Western capitalism wasn't happy with.

       Western support for any uprising will never be for the benefit of the people of that country. It will either be to help to bring down a regime that Western capitalism doesn't like, or to prevent a true people's democracy from forming. This policy has resulted in millions of people suffering and dying and decades of chaos and faction fighting in countries across the globe. In recent years we have had Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and Iran is always on their agenda. 

      Only the people of a country can sort out the type of country they want, and they will have to do it by themselves. We in the West can show solidarity with any uprising by doing everything in our power to prevent our Western military juggernaut from running in waving the flag of "Western type" democracy. When and if, it happens here, we would most certainly not want any foreign military power from abroad pouring in to our "aid".

ann arky's home.

Bitter Sweeties!!

 

An appeal from IUF:

 

    IUF 

 

Urgent Action

 

 

      For all the latest news, make sure to visit the IUF website - www.iuf.org
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

         If you already responded, we thank you for your support. If not, please send a message to Mondelez!

Click here to send a message to Mondelez

      Ahmad Abdulghani Awad Abdulghani, 26 years old, worked at Cadbury Egypt, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mondelez, from 2008 to December 2011. He never had a permanent job, but was part of the army of precarious workers making chewing gum at the Alexandria factory. He lost half his thumb while operating a machine which should normally be run by three persons. Then he lost his job.

This is the same factory management that sacked 5 union leaders in June 2012 following a spontaneous protest over the company's refusal to pay a government-mandated private-sector pay rise.

      This is the same company whose management in Tunisia has dismissed and suspended union leaders and denies responsibility for these abuses.
     This is the company whose corporate management refuses to respond to communications to the IUF, the international union that represents these workers.

     The IUF has therefore filed a formal complaint for violations of international human rights standards with the relevant US government agency - and has launched a GLOBAL CAMPAIGN in defense of its members at Mondelez in Egypt and Tunisia.

     To learn about the campaign go to http://www.screamdelez.org – there you can learn more and download campaign materials for distribution to union members at Mondelez.

Click here to send a message to Mondelez - tell them to make time to rectify human rights abuses and to meet with the IUF NOW!

ann arky's home.

ANARCHISTS IN THE "ARAB SPRING".

     There seems to be a refreshing change taking place across the Middle East. More and more we are seeing larger organised anarchist groups coming to the fore in demonstrations. It makes a pleasant move away from the predominantly religious factions that seem to have dominated the Western media's much loved "Arab Spring". Who knows the spark that starts the fire, once the genie of protest is out, it is almost impossible to get it back into the bottle.

       This from Vast Minority:

       AN EGYPTIAN anarchist movement has emerged on the streets with a wave of firebombings and street fights. The new wave of revolt is also sweeping through other Arab countries, with anarchist groups in Tunisia, Morocco, Syria and elsewhere.
       Anarchists have been present in Egypt before, during, and after the revolution, but until today, they have yet to organize a mass grouping under the banner of anarchism, explains blogger Ryan Harvey.

      The Ultras of Egypt’s football clubs have for years been associated with anarchist ideas and actions, and they are widely credited with having initiated the level militancy that brought down the Mubarak government in February of 2011.

Read the full article HERE:

ann arky's home.
 

WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE?

      The "Arab Spring" so hailed by the West, certainly hasn't brought about a bed of flowers for the people of those countries involved. The state still rules with an iron fist or it has descended into religious/tribal factions each vying brutally for power. Somewhere in this mess people are still struggling for justice and freedom.

This from Amnesty International:

Egypt: Troops and Police acting above the law

In December 2011 49-year-old Azza Suleiman (pictured) attended a large protest near Tahrir Square. As she started to leave, she saw a group of soldiers violently beat and strip another female protestor. Act now to end the abuse

Concerned, Azza and some others tried to help carry the woman away. But the soldiers reacted violently: they beat Azza so severely that she lost consciousness. Even then they did not stop. Their attack was so vicious it left Azza with a fractured skull and impaired memory. To date, no one has been held accountable for this violence.

Azza’s treatment at the hands of the authorities is horrific but her story is not unique. Over 100 peaceful protestors have been killed by troops and police forces since early 2011 when Egyptians bravely took to the streets to demand political reform.

Despite President Morsi making some positive changes since taking power, troops and police remain above the law. Find out more

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SPRING HAS NOT YET SPRUNG!!

     Uprisings across the Middle East, sometimes popular uprisings of the ordinary people, but in most cases hi-jacked by Western interference with ulterior motives, or taken over by fundamentalists. At the end of the day they have usually ended up with another authoritarian power structure in place that sets about solidifying its position of power and doing its utmost to stifle any popular democratic challenge to its position.

This from LabourStart:

 

      Remember the "Arab Spring"?  It was supposed to mean a new era of freedom for workers.  But in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, union leaders and activists are being jailed and sacked in brutal attempts to crush independent trade unions.

      Global unions have launched online campaigns to protest and we need your support and the support of your fellow union members to put pressure on governments and companies in North Africa to begin to respect workers' rights.

       In Morocco, Said Elhairech, the general secretary of the Moroccan dockers union was arrested in Casablanca on false charges, including one relating to national security.  Nearly three months later, he's still being held, denied bail.  The International Transport Workers Federation has launched a global campaign to demand his release.  Send your message to the Moroccan government today by clicking here.

       In Egypt, transnational food giant Kraft has sacked five members of the board of the newly-created independent union at the former Cadbury chocolate factory in Alexandria following a protest over the non-payment of a government-decreed social allowance.  The IUF, the global union representing food workers, has an online protest here. 

      And finally in Tunisia, Zed Naloufi, the general secretary of the union at Kraft SAIDA, was disciplined and summarily dismissed following a membership meeting. His crime? Representing and meeting the members who elected him.  Support the IUF campaign demanding that Kraft reinstate him here.

     It will take you only a few minutes to support all three campaigns, but it's hugely important that you do so.

      And even more important that you recruit others to do so.  Let's flood the Moroccan government and Kraft with thousands of email messages in the next few days.

      And in doing so, let's help turn the promise of the "Arab Spring" into a reality for North African workers.

 

Thanks very much.

 

Eric Lee

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HAS THE ARAB SPRING BLOSSOMED?

CAIRO.

This from The Anarchist International:

          We have all observed the emergence in Tunisia of a vast energy that spread to Egypt. In Tunisia as well as Egypt, unstable dictators were unseated. We distrust the people who helped push for these limited goals. Specific people and organizations (such as the April 6 Movement) persistently agitated and organized to implement technocratic capitalism in Tunisia and Egypt. In Tunisia, elections have been held and a new prime minister elected. Now that Tunisia has a reliable capitalist democracy, the actors that exacerbated the insurrection have mysteriously vanished. There is still rebellion and the population knows how to utilize the tools of the democracy-bringers, but the absence of these actors is very clear. In Egypt we see a similar pattern catalyzed by these same actors, fighting for technocratic capitalism.

Continue READING:

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STATE REPRESSION.

          Not all Arab Springs lead to sunshine, while the media mainly focuses on Egypt, we should not forget that all across the Arab world there has been people rising up against authority and in most cases this is being met with brutal repression. Messages of solidarity can let those being violently intimidated know that we in other countries are aware of their struggles and will raise our vioces in their support. They are not alone, an injury to one is an injury to all.

  

From LabourStart.

Last spring, while Tunisians and Egyptians celebrated the fall of authoritarian regimes, the people of Bahrain also staged a series of peaceful protests.

They were met by fierce repression. Leaders of the teachers' union were arrested and sentenced to long jail terms.

This weekend, their appeal comes before the courts. The Education International, representing some thirty million unionized teachers around the world, has called for a major online campaign to press the Bahraini government to drop the charges.

You can learn more and send off your message here.
Thanks very much - and please spread the word.

Eric Lee

ann arky's home.

MILITARY DEMOCRACY???

      

          I have never been one to think that democracy will come via a military government. In most cases the top Military are in too cozy a relationship with those at the top you wish to get rid of, they are part and parcel of the same state apparatus. So I thought it would only be a matter of time before there were the usual fractures between the new ruling elite and the real people of Egypt, and now the new ruling class are beginning to show where their plans are heading, the usual control over the working class. Below is an appeal from LabourStart.

        The Egyptian revolution last winter was an inspiration to the whole world. And workers were at the heart of it. Their strikes brought down the Mubarak regime.

But today, Egypt's Military rulers continue to criminalise strikes.

     That hasn't stopped Egyptian workers from walking off the job in their hundreds of thousands. Today, a major strike wave is sweeping the country, with schools, hospital and public transport systems shut down. Those workers face the risk of brutal repression unless the country's military rulers start recognizing their basic human right to join and form trade unions, and to strike.

        Egypt's new independent unions and the International Trade Union Confederation have today launched a major campaign to pressure the new regime to enact a labour law that recognizes workers' rights.

      It's extremely important that you and other members of your union act today by sending off a short message. It will take you less than a minute to do this.

Click here to send off your message.

Please pass this message on to other members of your union.
Thank you!



Eric Lee

ann arky's home.