THE ONLY DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST!!!!

         It is not very often that we hear a criticism of Israel coming from America. As we all know America is Israel's banker and minder, and in return Israel is the US policeman in the Middle East, who refers to itself as, “the only democracy in the Middle East”. So when US state department raise concerns about Israel's treatment African asylum seekers, stating that they are being denied their basic human rights, the situation must be serious. The US annual report on human rights says that many asylum seekers are refused refugee status, so cannot access health care. This report also criticises the Israeli government officials for referring to migrants as “infiltrators”. It is believed that in recent years, approximately 60,000 migrants have entered Israel, mainly from Sudan and Eritrea. The UNHCR states that, last year from 4,603 new asylum applications Israel received, only one was approved. Their figures also show that there are approximately 6,000 previous cases still pending. There is also concern about the fact that Israeli authorities can reject applications and there is no road for appeal, no independent appeal process. All our states are riddled with right-wing politicians, Israel has more than its fair share of those driven by religious extremism. The US state department report criticises some of those right-wing politicians, stating that the are stoking up hatred by referring to “infiltrators” as a cancer, while calling for all migrants to be expelled. There is the usual claim from the Israeli state mouth pieces, stating that the overwhelming majority of migrants are not fleeing war, violence and persecution, but merely seeking a better life, (in state ideology this is a crime). A simple look at the war, violence and persecution taking place in that part of the world makes that kind of statement no more than an utterance blinded by racial and/or religious hatred.

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NET CAUTION.

Use a Dot Com web address? Then you're at risk

      Do you have a website or blog with a .com, .net or .org address? Do you have some responsibility in your workplace for a website that does? Is your website, whatever its address, hosted by a company based in the US?

       Then watch out. The US authorities could take your website down if they think it is breaking US laws. More importantly, they could take YOU down - extradite you, put you in the dock in a US court, and jail you.

         The US claims jurisdiction over websites, wherever they are run from, if they are hosted on servers located in the US - and many of the most popular and cheapest web hosting companies are located in the US. But if you think that by avoiding US web hosting companies you can stay safe, think again. The US also claims jurisdiction over a number of apparently "international" domains, including .com, .net .org, and .tv, because the companies that administer these domain names are located in the US.

         Babar Ahmad and Tahla Ahsan are facing extradition to the US to face terrorism charges arising from their alleged involvement with a website that was hosted, for a short period, on servers in the US. Their connection with the website has yet to be established. You might think it would fall to a British court to decide on that, and to decide whether or not the website was legal. But neither the British nor the US governments want that to happen. Ahmad and Ahsan's application to the European Court of Human Rights to have their extradition blocked was rejected on 10 April, but they still have a right to ask a larger panel of European Court judges to look at their case. Think the US will only do something like that if it thinks its security is at stake? Think again.

          Richard O'Dwyer is facing extradition to the US to answer charges of copyright infringement solely because his site TVShack.net used a US-administered domain name. His website broke no UK laws, but that may not be good enough to keep him out of jail. He has lodged an appeal against the UK Goverrnment's decision to allow his extradition. More cases like this are inevitable. New Zealand based web expert Vikram Kumar says:

"When a government finds a means that works, the range of ends to which it feels justified to apply that means can expand very quickly."

What you can do to stay safe?

        * If you live in the UK, contact your MPs (you can use www.writetothem.com) and demand that they repeal the Extradition Act 2003, which allows the US to seek your extradition without having to present any evidence in a British court. And tell your MP that the extraditions currently in the pipeline must be stopped. The people the US is trying to extradite should be tried in Britain if there is any evidence against them.

        * If you live elsewhere, make sure that your country's extradition laws are French style (French citizens are not extradited to the US), not British-style. If your country has British-style extradition laws, ask your democratic representatives to change them.

        * If your website uses a US-administered top-level domain such as .com, .org or .net, consider changing it to something else, such as .co.uk, .org.uk. With care, it need not cost you web visibility. One day you may be very glad you did it.

         * If you have influence in a business or organisation that uses a US-administered top-level domain, encourage them to consider a change.

         * If you work with such a website as part of your job, ask your trade union to look into the legal risks you may be exposed to. Perhaps your employer thinks the magic of a .com domain is worth the risk. Your union should ask them to think again.

         * If you live in the UK, contact the Director of Public Prosecutions to demand that Babar Ahmad be put on trial in the UK. It's the right thing to do (Ahmad's alleged crimes were committed in the UK, the evidence against him was gathered in the UK by British police, and he is a British citizen). It's what Babar Ahmad wants. And it will set a precedent that makes it less likely that YOU could be extradited to the US. More info about writing to the DPP

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STOP THE DOGS OF WAR.

         As the dogs of war start to bay louder and louder at the gates of Iran, with the leaders of the pack, the US, UK and Israel snarling the most viciously, we have to keep the pressure on our "elected" governments to keep the dogs of war on a tight leash. Or better still have them put down.

This from Stop the War Coalition:

MAKE YOUR MP WORK TO STOP IRAN WAR.
       We are asking all our supporters to lobby MPs to help stop another war. Today talks start between UN security Council members plus Germany and Iran over Iran's nuclear programme.
        The US, Britain and Israel are set to take a hard line, demanding the closure of Fordo, one of Iran's main enrichment plants, and an end to uranium enrichment to 20% levels, demands likely to be unacceptable to Iran.
         President Obama has called these talks the 'last chance' to resolve the issue peacefully, signalling that a breakdown in the talks may be used to justify moves to war. (SEE NOAM CHOMSKY on threats to Iran: http://bit.ly/HCXp8s)
         We are asking you to take this chance to lobby your MP to back an early day motion in Parliament against military attack on Iran. We have a highly effective online lobbying system that allows you to email your MP at the click of a mouse. Please put the pressure on now by going to: http://bit.ly/HCX59F

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OCCUPY AIPAC PROTEST.

       AIPAC is a powerful Israeli lobby group in the US and they literally pour money into the hands of those that will push the Israeli call for war with Iran, their influence is widespread, overt and covert and they can be very brutal in their response to any form of criticism. Democracy doesn't seem to be in the vocabulary. The following from: CODEPINK.

March 6, 2012

“Mic check! We are the 99%. War benefits the 1%. Don’t bomb Iran! Use diplomacy not bombs!” Four Occupy AIPAC activists voices eruptedyesterday inside the AIPAC conference when Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is pushing for a resolution which seeks to lower the threshold for the to US attack Iran, took the stage. An AIPAC delegate leaped over rows of chairs to pounce on the activists, choking one with his own tie. The People’s Microphone continued:“AIPAC wants war. We want peace.” More HERE:

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WAR IS OUR BUSINESS!!

        It is quite frightening how the “Free Democratic Peace Loving West” can drum up all manner of reasons to attack, invade and destroy so many countries across the globe. Our most recent list includes, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya to mention a few. Now our war hungry political class is screwing up the tension for having a go at Syria and Iran. There are those who claim that the war against Iran has already started with covert attacks on industrial installations and the assassination of a general. What drives our war crazy “leaders”? Do you honestly believe it is all for the benefit of the Iraqis, Afghans and Libyans? Or is it big money corporatism seeking control over all the planet's valuable resources? The following is a short extract from a recent article in The Guardian, it is well worth reading the whole article.

"---The whole campaign has an Alice in Wonderland quality about it. Iran, which says it doesn't want nuclear weapons, is surrounded by nuclear-weapon states: the US – which also has forces in neighbouring Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as military bases across the region – Israel, Russia, Pakistan and India.

Iran is of course an authoritarian state, though not as repressive as western allies such as Saudi Arabia. But it has invaded no one in 200 years. It was itself invaded by Iraq with western support in the 1980s, while the US and Israel have attacked 10 countries or territories between them in the past decade. Britain exploited, occupied and overthrew governments in Iran for over a century. So who threatens who exactly?---"

Continue reading.

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OAKLAND PORT CLOSURE.

        
              The latest from Oakland California, from that great paper, The Commune. The question is where next, what next? A group, large or other wise, camped in the centre of the city is not going to bring dramatic change to the system, it can be tolerated in the hope that it will fade and die away. It has to grow, it has to find new strategies, to gather more support and move to a wider range of protests. Occupation and organising strikes is a road that has to be considered, but more co-operation and communication between local community groups and the various occupation movements across the world, working in federation with each other, learning from each other and organising co-ordinated enlarged protests in solidarity with each other.

The occupy movement closes US's 5th. busiest port at Oakland.

“… they fear this logical next step from the movement more than anything else. They fear it because they know how much appeal it will have. All across the US thousands upon thousands of commercial and residential spaces sit empty while more and more people are forced to sleep in the streets, or driven deep into poverty while trying to pay their rent despite unemployment or poverty wages… [The police] say: you can stay in your rat-infested park. You can camp out here as long as we [sic] want. But the moment that you threaten property rights, we will come at you with everything we have.”
READ the full article.

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STATE VIOLENCE.

         I make no excuse for showing this video which is on the same police brutality as the last post. I sincerely believe that we must show how prevalent police brutality is in the so called "free democratic" West. This type of violence is not limited to any one country, the state will always come down as hard as it thinks it can get away with, whenever it feels in any way threatened. Mass protests against the system will always be seen as a threat to its power, especially if it is a growing protest. As the protests grow, expect more brutal repression. The will of the people is not wanted here in the West. We only play lip service to it in Middle Eastern countries, with the odd NATO support if the have oil.

 

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NEW WORLD ORDER???

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TIME'S UP!!!

        

          We all know that the banks control the governments, finance rules the world. We all should know that the IMF (International Mankind Fuckers) is a cartel that works to put every country into debt, then demands that the debt mountain be reduced by every country selling of all its publicly owned assets, thus putting more money into the hands of the private sector. Soon the corporate world will own everything and we will have a society without any public assets or public spaces, it will be total corporate fascism. We are nearly there it is on course to happen very soon, unless we do something to screw the system and take control of our own communities and our lives.

         The following is a short extract from a very interesting article, taken from the Freedom Socialist Party, which puts in in plain language, well worth the read.  Of course I'm not saying political parties are the answer, I see them as more the problem, but the article does help explain the methodology behind the corrupt financial system we live under.       

 ------

           Here’s the hitch. Workers, the main consumers, cannot afford to buy endless commodities. In this case, the rock of over-production runs into the hard place of not enough customers. And once again, recession or depression ensues.

The crises of over-production always underlie financial crashes, and the banks cannot fix this problem. But they do prop up their profits through government bailouts and by bleeding the working-class goose that crafts the real golden eggs. The bubbles get bigger, and there are still not enough worker-consumers who can afford to buy, buy, buy.

           Time’s up. The only way out of the quagmire is to dispose of a destructive economic system. Liberal commentators, top union officials and Democratic Party supporters argue for the party to vote for reforms such as more spending to create jobs, meaningful regulation of Wall Street, taxing the rich and corporate giants. Conservative libertarians advise turning back the clock a century or two and going back to “civilized” capitalism without monopolies.

But finance capital has all the power, and there is no way to regulate it within capitalism. For proof, none of the crooks in suits are in jail for their massive, fraudulent sale of questionable mortgage “investments.”

         A whistleblower recently revealed that the Securities and Exchange Commission has been shredding the results of its investigations of the U.S. financial industry for twenty years!

Working people need to militantly organize now in defense of expanded social services, union protections and free speech. In fighting for our rights, we can consolidate the power to overthrow this system and get one that works.

         READ THE FULL ARTICLE.

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SAVE TROY DAVIS.

                                                                                                             An appeal from Amnesty International, this could be our last chance the life of Troy Davis. A judge in the US state of Georgia has ordered the execution of Troy Davis to take place on Wednesday 21 September 2011. After 20 years on death row, Troy has exhausted every avenue  for appeal from the state level to the Supreme Court. We now  have only one hope: clemency. The Georgia parole board meets on Monday 19 September. They could decide to allow Troy’s execution to go ahead as scheduled – or they could grant clemency and therefore commute  his sentence to life in prison or life without parole. This is Troy’s last chance to avoid execution. Please email the Georgia parole board and urge them to grant clemency Over 300,000 of you have already signed a global petition for Troy, and many more have written to him personally over the years.  But right now we must continue to remind the state of Georgia that in a matter of life and death there is no room for doubt - and there are massive doubts in this case: No physical evidence links Troy to the crime of which he was convicted. Seven of the nine non-police witnesses on whose evidence he was convicted have since recanted or contradicted their testimony. Many witnesses stated they were pressured or coerced by police. Nine individuals have signed affidavits implicating an alternative suspect. As long as there is hope we must continue to fight – for Troy, for his family, for his fundamental human right to life and to be spared this ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Take action – send an email now These are dark days for Troy and all of us who have supported him over the years – but remember: execution is not inevitable. I will be in touch soon to update you on events and any other ways you can help. However, for now it is essential that you email the parole board straight away. Time is fast running out for Troy. In hope, Clare Bracey Death Penalty Campaigner ann arky's home.

LIBYAN RESITANCE TO NATO ONSLAUGHT.

           In every war there are two sides, and in the Libyan conflict it is no different. Unfortunately we in the West get a picture of us, the great white peace and democracy bringers against the evil empires of the world. Though it does seem a bit of a coincidence that all the evil regimes we try to save the people from, happen to be sitting on oil, and they happen to be regimes that don't always co-operate with the great Western corporate world. The article below is from The International Action Centre, and because it differs from the Western imperialist backing media, it will clash with the view you have been fed since this illegal bombing began.

LIBYA - Resistance to US/NATO Conquest Continues

          Under the most incredibly difficult conditions – including NATO bombing, mercenary landings, Special Forces operations and the destruction of civilian infrastructure – the heroic resistance to imperialist conquest in Libya has continued.

         All the corporate media lies claiming mass surrender, the fleeing of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, the arrest of his sons and more have turned out to be nothing but lies and psychological warfare. After 159 days of bombing, incredibly, the residence continues.

        The continued resistance also exposes the lie of the so-called democratic “rebel” forces – forces that have been set up by Britain, France and the U.S. to facilitate the imperialist invasion of the oil-rich country. Meanwhile, arms have been distributed by the Libyan government to the whole population – something a hated dictator would never do.

       As in Iraq and Afghanistan, an arrogant declaration of U.S. victory and “mission accomplished” does not mean an end to local people's resistance, which takes many forms. The Libyan people have heroically withstood not only half a year of bombing, but also a hail of racist corporate media propaganda seeking to portray the U.S.-NATO military machine, both preposterously and once again, as great white liberators.

         While resistance continues in Libya, we in the center of U.S. imperialism must continue our resistance to the criminal war there – even as the prolonged economic war against poor and oppressed people continues within the U.S.

       An IAC-organized truth tour featuring former Congressperson Cynthia McKinney – who traveled to Libya to be an eyewitness to the U.S.-NATO attack – has built major opposition meetings in 21 cities across the country. At each meeting, which was undertaken by a local coalition of forces, hundreds of anti-war and anti-imperialist and community activists attended.

       These meetings against U.S. war in Libya have been the largest series of anti-war meetings held in years. At the same time, the IAC has been in the streets, organizing protests across the country.

         The U.S. war in Libya is a first aggressive step in the expansion of wars of colonial conquest in Africa. It means new U.S. threats against Sudan and Somalia. It means more belligerent targeting of other countries in Middle East, especially Syria and Iran.

Help us continue resistance to U.S./NATO war on Libya.

Contact us at www.iacenter.org/comments 212-633-6646 www.iacenter.org

Donate to help us continue resistance to U.S./NATO War on Libya and support the expenses of the Cynthia McKinney Truth Tour at www.iacenter.org/africa/donatemckinneylibyatour/

See full LIBYA TRUTH TOUR with Cynthia McKinney schedule at www.iacenter.org/africa/mckinneylibya080511/

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EVERYBODY DESERVES A COUNTRY??

Dear friends,

             In 48 hours, the UN Security Council will meet again to discuss Palestine's bid to become the 194^th country.
Already 700,000 of us have joined the campaign. But we need more of us to shift key countries to vote in favour.
          Avaaz has made a powerful short video that tells the real story and why this is the best chance for peace.As violence sparks again and tensions rise in the Middle East, a new proposal for Palestinian independence is gaining steam across the globe -- if we can push it through the UN, it could open a new path to peace.
           But key governments are still on the fence and to tip them to support independence we need to ramp up public pressure. Many people don't feel they understand the situation well enough to take action. To help, Avaaz has made a new short video that tells the real story about the conflict. If enough people see it, sign the petition and forward it to everyone -- our leaders will be forced to listen.
          Almost 10 million of us are receiving this email. Let's change the conversation about the Middle East and build a tidal wave of support for Palestinian independence before the UN Security Council meets to discuss this initiative next week. Click below to watch the video, sign the petition, and forward this email to everyone:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/middle_east_peace_now/?vl

           While the majority of Palestinian and Israeli people want a solution to the conflict based on two states, the Israeli extremist government continues to approve the building of settlements in contested areas -- fueling hate and bloodshed. Despite repeated efforts, decades of US-led peace talks have failed to rein-in the peace killers and get an agreement. Right now, this independence proposal could be the best chance for years to break the stalemate, avoid another spiral into violence and level the playing field between the two parties to favour negotiations.
           Last month, the Palestinians presented their bid at the Security Council. Over 120 countries support them, but the US rejects the proposal, and is sending a clear message to its European allies that supporting the legitimate Palestinian bid will strain bilateral relations. It is now up to us to tell key European leaders that public opinion is behind this diplomatic non-violent push and that citizen opinion should influence policy choices, instead of the preferences of the American government.
Our campaign is exploding across the world -- Almost 700,000 of us joined the call in the first days! It has been on the front page of major news media, cited at the UN Security Council, and tweeted by the Palestinian president himself! Now let's make sure it resounds in the ears of key European leaders whose support is critical. Click below to watch the video, sign the petition if you haven't yet, and forward this email to everyone -- let's reach 1 million signers:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/middle_east_peace_now/?vl

         There is much misinformation about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and many of us feel unsure about getting involved. But this short film lays it out clearly and can empower us to act. As a nearly 10 million-strong global network in every country in the world, we have the chance to provoke a vote that could turn the tide on decades of violence.

With hope,
Alice, Pascal, Emma, Ricken, David, Rewan, and the Avaaz team

MORE INFORMATION:
Israeli settlement plan earns ire of U.S., Palestinian Authority (CNN)
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/08/16/israel.settlements/

Palestinians to present statehood bid to UN General Assembly (Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/14/palestinian-statehood-un-general-assembly

Israeli minister: Cut ties with Palestinians (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ibKJgqvlCr_xCGw5Xb0kXhOiagjQ?docId=0b01e969e8504d42823abd51c2abf8fc

UN calls on Israel not to build new settlements in East Jerusalem (Ha'aretz)
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/un-calls-on-israel-not-to-build-new-settlements-in-east-jerusalem-1.378218

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BAGRAM - GUANTANAMO,

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE??

         Bagram detention facility, (prison) is bigger than Guantanamo Bay prison yet it receives no coverage in the Western media. It holds some 1,700 detainees, all held without charge or trial, and no way to prove their innocence, despite a Marine Corps General's 2009 report stating that many should be released. Nor has there been any in-depth news coverage of practices at Bagram, that if widely known, would no doubt add to a call for the removal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan. You SHOULD  read this detailed report.

Afghan detainee's cell Bagram Prison March 2011    (A.P. photo.)

        Of course what we should all realise is that across the globe in country after country, as the various states try to control their populations, such facilities are wide spread. Guantanamo and Bagram are just two of the so called developed Western democracy's facilities aimed at control. It matters little which country they are in, it is always the same, state power trying desperately to control  the people.

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SYRIA - TAKING SIDES vs IMPERIALIST INTERVENTION.

         An extract from an interesting article from The International Centre, it is well worth reading the whole article as it does throw some light on the very complex situation in the Middle East and the even more complex and seemingly contradictory attitude of the West.

         U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ declared on March 25, 2011 – that there are 3 repressive regimes in the Middle East that must be condemned – Syria, Libya and Iran. Why is the U.S. targeting these particular countries? The progressive political movement must avoid being just an echo and a justification of Pentagon war policy, especially whenever any developing country is in the cross hairs of a U.S. attack.

        Consider: isn't Israel a criminally repressive regime against the Palestinian population? Aren't Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan repressive regimes, military dictatorships and/or corrupt monarchies? All of these brutally repressive regimes have killed of thousands of their own population and could not survive one day with out decades of U.S. military, economic, diplomatic and political support. Is the U.S., with the largest prison population in the world and more weapons than the rest of the world put together, a repressive regime? It is the source of repression, destabilization, dictatorships and wars.

 

         It is within this context that progressives must view the demonstrations that have been taking place for two months against the Bashir Assad government in Syria. The regime has both acknowledged that reforms are essential and responded with force. The actual character and the social forces involved in these demonstrations remains unclear, as does the political direction of the Syrian opposition.

          The events in Syria are connected to the social explosion shaking the Arab world. Washington and all the old regimes tied to it in the region are trying desperately to manage and contain this still unfolding mass upheaval into channels that do not threaten their domination of the region.

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