Why Can’t americans Have Democracy?

Paul Craig Roberts

Syria has a secular government as did Iraq prior to the american invasion. Secular governments are important in Arab lands in which there is division between Sunni and Shi’ite. Secular governments keep the divided population from murdering one another.

When the american invasion, a war crime under the Nuremberg standard set by the US after WWII, overthrew the Saddam Hussein secular government, the Iraqi Sunnis and Shi’ites went to war against one another. The civil war between Iraqis saved the american invasion. Nevertheless, enough Sunnis found time to fight the american occupiers of Iraq that the US was never able to occupy Bagdad, much less Iraq, no matter how violent and indiscriminate the US was in the application of force.

The consequence of the US invasion was not democracy and women’s rights in Iraq, much less the destruction of weapons of mass destruction which did not exist as the weapons inspectors had made perfectly clear beforehand. The consequence was to transfer political power from Sunnis to Shi’ites. The Shi’ite version of Islam is the Iranian version. Thus, Washington’s invasion transferred power in Iraq from a secular government to Shi’ites allied with Iran.

Now Washington intends to repeat its folly in Syria. According to the american secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, Washington is even prepared to ally with al-Qaeda in order to overthrow Assad’s government. Now that Washington itself has al-Qaeda connections, will the government in Washington be arrested under the anti-terrorism laws?

Washington’s hostility toward Assad is hypocritical. On February 26, the Syrian government held a referendum on a new constitution for Syria that set term limits on future presidents and removed the political monopoly that the Ba’ath Party has enjoyed.

The Syrian voter turnout was 57.4%, matching the voter turnout for Obama in 2008. It was a higher voter turnout (despite the armed, western-supported rebellion in Syria) than in the nine US presidential elections from 1972 through 2004. The new Syrian constitution was approved by a vote of 89.4%.

But Washington denounced the democratic referendum and claims that the Syrian government must be overthrown in order to bring democracy to Syria.


Daily Israeli State Terror

Stephen Lendman

"The whole world's watching, but not irresponsible leaders. Their complicity lets Israel continue state terror with impunity. They share equal guilt in its crimes."

Major media scoundrels suppress reports about daily Israeli state terror. Most Americans, and many others, can't imagine what Palestinians endure.

Every imaginable depravity's included. Torture and murder are state policy. So are forced dispossessions, violence as a weapon of choice, collective punishment, apartheid worse than South Africa's, isolation, home demolitions, land theft, mass arrests, economic strangulation, and much more.

Rule of law principles are systematically spurned. Rogue state policies ignore them. Even Jews face risks. However, Palestinians and Israeli Arabs live under constant threats, especially besieged Gazans facing slow-motion genocide.

Except for death camps, Israel treats Arabs like Nazis treated Jews. Holocaust survivor Hajo Meyer was outspoken, saying:

"The Israelis try to dehumanize the Palestinians, just like the Nazis (did) to me. Nobody should dehumanize any others, and those who (do it) are not human." "It may be that Israel is not the most cruel country in the world....but one thing I know for sure is that (it's) the world champion in pretending to be civilized and cultured."

He also said:

"Formerly, an anti-Semite was somebody who hated Jews because they were Jews and had a Jewish soul. But nowadays an anti-Semite is somebody who is hated by Jews." He added that criticizing Israel isn't denigrating Jews.

A German native, Meyer survived 10 months at Auschwitz. His parents weren't so fortunate. He fled, went into hiding, but was caught and imprisoned. Post-war, he because a physicist, political activist, and wrote three books on Judaism, the Holocaust, and Zionism.

He now lives in the Netherlands, is a member of the Dutch Green Left and International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, and supports the global BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) Movement for Freedom, Justice and Equality.


Hana Shalabi: Hunger Striking for Justice

Stephen Lendman

Israel administratively detains hundreds of Palestinians indefinitely without charge lawlessly. Like thousands of others incarcerated, their "crime" is wanting to live free on their own land in their own country. Israel calls it terrorism.

A young Palestinian woman, Hana Yahya Shalabi, is one of many abused. 50 Israeli soldiers, an intelligence officer, and attack dogs arrested her on February 16. Violently they stormed her home pre-dawn. In the process, her family, including young children, was terrorized.

After searching and ransacking it, she was arrested with no warrant or charge. Soldiers prohibited her from dressing. Her brother heard the intelligence officer say: "Hana must die."

During arrest, soldiers beat her. Her brother Omar was also viciously attacked. Hana was painfully handcuffed, blindfolded, put in a military jeep, and ordered to remain uncomfortably on its floor on her knees. Each time she moved, she was threatened.

At Salem Detention Center, she was beaten and humiliated, then transferred to HaSharon Prison. Immediately, she began hunger striking in protest.

For several days, she was held in solitary confinement, then moved to another isolated room. She was constantly threatened and intimidated. On February 21, she was transferred back to Salem for interrogation.

On February 23, she appeared in military court. Her lawyer warned about administrative detention without charge. When issued, six months were ordered until August 16. At the same time, she received seven days in solitary confinement for hunger striking. Four days later, she returned to the general prison population.

On February 29, she was moved to HaSharon Prison's security wing for refusing to ingest food. She's determined to continue until freed.

On March 1, she began day 15. Only drinking water, she excludes food and supplements. After an initial medical exam, she refuses others.

On February 29, a military court hearing was held. The presiding judge postponed ruling until meeting with an intelligence official on March 4. Hana and her lawyer are prohibited from attending.


AIPAC Presses Congress for War; Zionist Christians Have the Votes

Charles E. Carlson


Pastor Lon Solomon is #3 from left. (Click to enlarge.)

Money power from above, voting power from below

A look at American Israeli Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) website, reveals that Israel is selling war at the Washington DC Convention Center on the first week in March. Every front page story is about war against Iran, except one that is against Palestinian statehood. AIPAC is in Washington to get Americans to pay for its war of choice upon its distant neighbor that just happens to produce a great deal of oil.

Our American president will address this foreign lobby. Newt Gingrich and many members of Congress will also be there. Is AIPAC a danger to world peace? Sure it is.

A second danger to world peace is the Christian Zionist churches that are selling their congregations on the need to finance Israel's wars. [1]

Zionist Christianity has some 70 million Americans under its influence; it is AIPAC's trump card. We, who claim to follow Christ, must examine the forces that are deliberately pushing for war; we must know why and how they do it, and we must figure out how we can generate peace else we will be locked into in wars unending. - Can't happen? The USA first attacked Iraq 21 years ago! Can we afford AIPAC and Christian Zionism?


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