02/24/12

Permalink Selective Censorship

Google is rolling out its selective censorship program. 'Not being evil' now means that upon request by intelligence services and law enforcement in a particular country, a blogspot may be blocked from that specific country while being left open to others. - Where this will lead is anyone's guess but it seems to be just another day at the office towards repressing the semi-free internet as we know it. As blogger's new comment word verification system with its often illegible secret words makes it difficult to post replies, I disabled the WV and what do I get? Foreign based spam bots are having a field day trying to infiltrate the comment section with their sales pitches for Viagra and knock-off watches. Over 50 of them the last three days and most not even in English. Many will suggest moving away from google but aren't all the 'free' but not really free blogging platforms going in the same direction; data mining, advertising and spooks keeping an eye on you? They don't call it Zio-blogger for nothing. [...] Self-censorship is one of the goals. "Don't even think about researching and writing (or speaking) about a topic that some group or prominent individual declares insensitive and offensive. It will only get you in trouble." That is a trap. A mind trap where we question ourselves and the results are paralysis. We all know who benefits the most from this self-censorship.


Permalink Justice US-style: ‘Obama has already announced Manning is guilty’

US Army analyst Bradley Manning, who is accused of leaking thousands of “classified” documents to WikiLeaks, has deferred his plea to the 22 charges, also postponing a decision on whether he wants a military judge or a jury to hear his case.

Kevin Zeese, attorney to the Bradley Manning support network, believes that a fair hearing in front of a military court and a jury of officers is “almost impossible” for Manning.

“President Obama has already announced that Bradley Manning is guilty,” he told RT. “President Obama is the commander-in-chief. The judge, the jurors, the prosecutor – everybody working in that court is under President Obama’s command. I can’t imagine anyone in that court thinking they'll have much of a career if they find Bradley Manning not guilty.”

Zeese states that, so far, the preliminary hearing on Manning’s case has been a “kangaroo court”. “They were denying information that Bradley Manning needs for his defense. It looks like it’s a railroad job – a kangaroo court trying to set an example and prevent anyone else from being a future Bradley Manning,” he said.

PressTV: US soldier Bradley Manning charged with ‘aiding the enemy’
Jason Ditz: Manning Defers Plea as Arraignment Begins


Permalink Former Australian prime minister raises questions about 2010 coup

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who dramatically resigned as foreign minister in Washington on Wednesday morning, today launched a challenge to the leadership of Julia Gillard. Gillard replaced Rudd in a backroom coup in mid-2010. - On his arrival back in Australia this morning, Rudd revealed new details of what he termed the “midnight coup” of 2010—revelations that raise key questions about the events of June 23-24 and the forces that orchestrated them. At an airport media conference, Rudd said he had been given no notice of the move against him, despite the evidence that emerged last week that Gillard’s office had been preparing for his removal for two weeks. Rudd went on to confirm that on the evening of June 23, 2010 Gillard had initially made an agreement with him, witnessed by an “independent person,” to allow him four months to “work through” the complaints she had raised about his leadership. Ten minutes later, however, Gillard returned to his office and declared that “all bets were off” and she would move immediately against him. [...] Whoever prevails, the government will be bitterly split, with leading figures camped in exile on the parliamentary backbenches. The outright character assassinations and full-blown battle are symptoms of a profound and systemic crisis wracking the entire ruling establishment.

John Pilger: Julia Gillard, the new warlord of Oz
Patrick O’Connor: WikiLeaks cables reveal secret ties between Rudd coup plotters and US embassy
Patrick O’Connor: Gillard spruiks her economic “reform” credentials but coup questions persist

BBC: Rudd and Gillard set for showdown
Bloomberg: Gillard-Rudd Rift Endangers Labor Agenda
Thirteenth Monkey: Politics Down Under: Challenge for the Leadership of Australia


Permalink US preparing for military intervention in Syria?

The US and other NATO countries could soon launch a ground assault on Syria. The final decision will be made soon, following this week’s Tunis conference where allied countries will meet to discuss possible scenarios of military intervention. - Sources in Washington tell Israeli news agency Debka that the Pentagon is currently drafting the approach they want America to take in the Syria ordeal, and once it is ready for the president, Obama could approve military action. Debka adds, however, that the decision will also depend on what US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton takes away from this week’s Tunis conference. Representatives from 80 countries across the glove are expected to descend on Tunis on Friday under the name “Friends of Syria.” Should Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and the UAR support a western intervention in Syria, Clinton could offer an endorsement to the Pentagon, who will in turn finish their draft for war plans and send them to the White House for approval. According to Debka's sources, UK, France, Italy and Turkey also prepare to send their troops into Syria.

Stephen Lendman: Escalating Syrian Tensions
Patrick Martin: International tensions mount over Syria conflict
Alex Lantier: US sends drones over Syria as fighting spreads

Jason Ditz: Clinton: Syria Rebels to Find Arms ‘Somewhere’


Permalink Israel's threats against Iran "ridiculous"

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi has severely criticized Israeli military threats against Iran over its peaceful nuclear program, saying such saber-rattling is “ridiculous.”

“Zionists make a lot of noise and rhetorically threaten to take military action against Iran but these remarks are ridiculous,” Vahidi said during an address to an international conference in Tehran, held on Thursday to commemorate the martyred commanders in the Islamic world. “The Zionist regime is on the verge of dissolution and undoubtedly its [potential military] action against the Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly lead to the disintegration of the occupying regime,” the Iranian defense minister added.

PressTV: NIE report shows US knows Iran not after nuclear weapon
Los Angeles Times: Iran is not trying to build nuclear bomb concludes U.S. intelligence


Permalink Jewish zealots attempting to take over the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque, two of Islam's holiest sites

It appears that a growing band of Israeli messianic settlers have banded together to orchestrate a crisis on the Temple Mount. Their ultimate goal seems to be taking Jewish control over the sacred ground, including two of the holiest sites in Islam, the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. - For many years, there have been radical settler groups preparing for such a day. Ateret Cohanim maintains a yeshiva which is training priests to resume the Temple rituals including animal sacrifice. Dov Hikind’s wife earns $150,000 a year as its U.S. fundraiser. They’re also breeding cattle in the hopes of find that miraculous red heifer which would serve as a sign that God is ready to resume Jewish rites on this sacred ground. The settlers know that for Jews to rebuild the Temple would mean a holy war in the Holy Land that would likely dwarf the Crusades for passion and bloodletting. For these Jews, such an eventuality would bring the days of the coming of the Messiah closer, thus making the human suffering not just acceptable, but even desirable. These Temple activists are also fundraising on behalf of their messianic Armageddon.


Permalink Afghanistan demands NATO put Koran-burners on trial

Afghanistan wants NATO to put on public trial those who burned copies of the Koran at a NATO base, President Hamid Karzai's office said on Thursday, after a third day of bloody protests over the incident.

It said NATO had agreed to a trial, but that could not be immediately confirmed. Karzai had earlier accused a U.S. officer of "ignorantly" burning copies of the Koran, in an incident that has deepened anti-Western sentiment in a country NATO is trying to stabilize before foreign combat troops leave by the end of 2014. Demonstrations have drawn thousands of angry Afghans to the streets, chanting "Death to America!" amid violence that has killed 11 people including two U.S. service personnel. "NATO officials, in response to a request for the trial and punishment of the perpetrators ... promised this crime will brought to court as soon as possible," Karzai's office said in a statement.

Robert Dreyfuss: Counting the Dead in Afghanistan
Bill van Auken: Afghans besiege US bases in Koran protests
PressTV: OIC slams Qur’an burning at US base in Afghanistan


Permalink POLICE STATE: Accused NYC Subway Terrorist to Face Anonymous Jury

In an unusual legal move, when a New York City man goes on trial this spring for allegedly plotting to blow up the subway, it will be an anonymous jury that determines his fate. - U.S. District Court Judge Raymond Dearie sided with prosecutors who argued for an anonymous jury because the charges against Adis Medunjanin "are of the highest possible seriousness." [- Hardly]


Permalink London no safer for all its CCTV cameras

Civil rights group Big Brother Watch has accused Britain of having an out-of-control surveillance culture that is doing little to improve public safety. - London is considered the most spied-on city in the world, courtesy of its ubiquitous CCTV cameras, purportedly there to reduce crime. But according to a recent report, there's been little or no change in London's crime rates since they were more widely installed in the mid 1980s. Privacy activists are worried that Britain will become the bleak totalitarian society George Orwell painted in his classic novel “1984,” where citizens were spied on and personal freedom sacrificed for the benefit of an all-powerful state.


Permalink Judge: BP liable for civil penalties for oil spill

NEW ORLEANS -- A federal judge has ruled that BP PLC and one of its minority partners in the blown-out Macondo well are liable for civil penalties under the Clean Water Act for their roles in the nation's worst offshore oil spill. - U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier also ruled Wednesday that Deepwater Horizon rig owner Transocean Ltd. may be liable under the same law as an "operator" of the well. The judge, however, said he couldn't decide before a trial scheduled to start Feb. 27 whether Transocean meets the definition of that term. The Justice Department argued that BP, minority partner Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Transocean are each liable for per barrel civil penalties for oil discharged from the well. Barbier rejected Anadarko's argument that oil discharged from Transocean's rig, not the well.


Permalink Lebanon reacts to Israel's war threat

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war threat, saying that Lebanon’s existence will not be affected by the remarks. On Wednesday, Netanyahu said that an Israeli strike against Lebanon would be supported by the United States and countries of the Persian Gulf. Speaking at a press conference during his visit to Switzerland, the Israeli premier said that “would be no Lebanon in the new world map.” Sleiman [also] said Lebanon’s diversity came in absolute contrast to “Israel’s racist system, which has no place in the world”.


Permalink Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in Occupied Palestine

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (16 – 22 February 2012):

Shooting: In the West Bank, IOF wounded 11 protesters, including an Israeli peace activist. Seven of the Palestinians wounded in the West Bank were wounded in peaceful protests to the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities while 4 Palestinians were wounded in peaceful demonstrations organized in support of Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan. In the Gaza Strip, 14 Palestinians, including 2 women and 3 children, sustained bruises and wounds by shrapnel wounds in airstrikes implemented by IOF warplanes. In the West Bank, during the reporting period, IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank. As a result, 11 protesters, including an Israeli peace activist, were wounded. Seven of the wounded were wounded in peaceful demonstration organized in protest to settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall, including 2 of them wounded in the weakly protest in al-Nabi Saleh on 17 February 2012, and 5 wounded in the weakly protest in Kafr Qaddoum also on 17 February. Additionally, dozens of protesters suffered from tear gas inhalation. IOF also used excessive force against peaceful demonstrations organized in support of Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan. As a result, 4 Palestinians sustained wounds. [...]

PIC: Palestinian liberated woman go on hunger strike to protest her re-arrest
PIC: Israeli Occupation Soldiers arrest liberated prisoner, his wife and daughter

Stephen Lendman: Khader Adnan's Struggle Continues
Jason Ditz: Israel Faces New Hunger Striker After Reneging on Prisoner Swap


Permalink Imagine a country where the state spends more on preschool child care than on its defence budget

David Cameron may want to copy Sweden’s ample child care benefits to get more women into top jobs, but that wouldn’t work in Britain. - Earlier this month, David Cameron posed on the edge of the Baltic Sea in wintry Stockholm and wondered what Britain could learn from countries like Sweden to promote the number of British women in top jobs. As an expat on my second maternity leave in Sweden, I admire Cameron’s ambitions but question whether Britain is ready for the huge cultural changes this would entail. Certainly, Swedish society does a great deal to support women at work and at home. Affordable (state-funded) child care makes it possible for many mothers to return to work, and the parental leave system encourages fathers to play an important role in raising their children. But would Mr Cameron be prepared to take on the eye‑wateringly high costs involved in implementing a Swedish-style system?


Permalink UN slams Canada for First Nations treatment

Canada's international reputation came under fire in Geneva on Wednesday as a UN expert panel delivered scathing criticisms over the government's treatment of First Nations and recent changes to the country's immigration system. - Members on the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, all of them human-rights experts from around the world, questioned why headway has not been made in resolving the disparities between First Nations communities and the rest of the country.

"This problem should not continue the same way as it has in the past," said Noureddine Amir, vice-chairman of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. "How long will this be ongoing?"

The treatment of natives jumped back onto the federal political agenda after the Red Cross delivered humanitarian aid to the First Nations community of Attawapiskat in northern Ontario late last year. Since then, opposition parties and aboriginal groups have called on the Conservative government to provide more funding for education, better infrastructure and a move toward self-determination. There are also concerns that the government's omnibus crime bill will have a disproportionate impact on natives.


Permalink Clampdown on sacred ritual as Vedanta mine appeal approaches


A Dongria boy stands in front of Niyamgiri, where
the tribe will hold its festival.
(L. Davids/Survival)

Security forces are cracking down on the Dongria Kondh tribe as they prepare for a religious festival this weekend at the top of India’s most contentious mountain.

Hundreds are determined to attend the Niyamraja ritual in the sacred Niyamgiri Hills, which are at the center of a controversial mining project involving UK company Vedanta Resources.

During the worship, the Dongria will take an oath pledging never to leave the mountain, which faces renewed threats as companies eye its valuable resources.

The Dongria have fought hard to resist such advances, but speaking out against proposed mining continues to be dangerous.

Survival has received reports of arrests and beatings, and in the last week alone, police have shut down six meetings where food supplies were being organized for this weekend’s festival.

Giridhari Patra from the Niyamgiri Protection Committee said, ‘Intimidating and threatening the Dongria before one of their most important festivals is unforgivable. The mountain is the seat of their god and the basis of their identity. We will never give it up to Vedanta.’

The tribe’s victory in 2010 over the mining giant, which wanted to dig an open-pit mine to reach the mountain’s aluminum-ore deposits, was historic.


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