Practicality and Humbleness

Take Action and Make Your Voice Heard

practical4ever — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:00:28 +0000

Join the December 30, 2008 Protest Against Israel’s Action Against Gaza

Where: Consulate General of Israel

800 2nd Ave # 2

New York, NY 10017

When: 5:00pm

Walking directions to Consulate General of Israel from NY Penn Station

For those who what to make your voice heard at the Egyptian consulate as well, it is down the road from the Israeli consulate. Just walk for about 0.8 mi – about 16 mins to Consulate General of Egypt

1110 2nd Ave # 201

New York, NY 10022

يا أيها الاعلام لقد نجح اضراب 4 مايو مهما كذبتم

practical4ever — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:47:33 +0000

My Friend Went on a Trip

practical4ever — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:01:51 +0000

Small actions can have big impact on people. Even a smile can change people, make them happy. So, imagine what dialogue would do. Even greater than that living amongst different people, walk in their streets, and eat their food. That is why people like to travel to places like Paris, or Rome. But there are other people who pick different cities for different reasons. In the case of Dominique Schafer she chose the city of Nablus in Palestine.

Dominique is a South African student volunteering in the Public Relations Department at An-Najah University in Palestine. She is currently there and I had the opportunity to ask her about her experience there. She told me, “I wanted to have a completely different experience, and I have always been interested in this area. I decided to come to Palestine to find out what it’s really like over here.” In the Public Relations Department she works with students in the university. She edits English articles, writes reports, and proposals for the university’s website. She went on saying, “There are always loads of students coming into the office, so i get to meet really interesting people all day… I also I teach English conversation classes. I enjoy this because it allows me to interact with students on a personal level. I have made friends with many of my pupils and they sometimes invite me to their houses for supper. This is really great coz I get to experience Palestinian food (which is delicious) and they get to practice their English.”

view from the campus

with a new friend

At the University there is an “Ambassadors” program for the university students which is a workshop held every weekend to prepare students for the international sphere. She did a workshop on intercultural relations. She told me that “most students here have never left Nablus, never mind the country!… it was really interesting to hear their perspectives on the west. The point of the workshop was to try and remove the stigma associated with foreigners, and to make them realize that we all have to be accommodating of each other’s cultures.”

However, she said it is hard to be a foreigner in Nablus, since it tends to be isolated especially as a woman. “Many people have never left the city due to the Israeli Occupation. For this reason, Nablus is extremely conservative and deeply entrenched in Muslim traditions. Even though I dress very conservatively ( I don’t reveal my legs, my shoulders, my feet or my chest) I still get a lot of attention. I hate the way men stare and call out to me. But Ijust have to remind myself that it’s because they have no idea how to behave towards foreigners. The only thing information they have about the western world is what they see on MTV. Besides the negative attention I get in the streets, I love the old city of Nablus” she explained.

However, she does not only teach, but she also learned a lot. She went on to say:

“I have realized just how distorted the images we receive about Palestine are. The majority of Palestinians are NOT militant Hamas supporters. They are kind, gentle and hospitable people. Not all of them are Muslim, and not all of them hate Jews. The images we receive through the Western mainstream media are clearly heavily biased in favor of Israel. I think it is really unfortunate how we have constructed such distorted stereotypes of these people.

I don’t think it is possible to come here and not be changed. Every person I meet has a tragic story relating to the occupation.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sheer beauty of Palestine – the landscapes, the architecture, the culture and the people. I had barely had time to settle into my flat before people started inviting me to their homes for lunch, for dinner, to drink Arabic coffee, to smoke Shisha, to meet their families…. I have never been so overwhelmed by the hospitality and generosity of strangers.

At the local cafe smoking the Nargila

siting under an olive tree

At the same time, not even my years of growing up in South Africa could have prepared me for the tragedy that seeps every pore of every person, every building and every encounter. Stories of families separated because some members are sent to Gaza and others to the West Bank (since 2002 no travel has been allowed between the two Palestinian territories), or of brothers, fathers, husbands being held in prisons for no official reason, detained without trial. Stories of forced evictions, homes destroyed, parents killed, lives shattered, dreams of the future destroyed… The buildings are ancient and beautiful. Unfortunately many were bombed during the Intifada, and haven’t been repaired.

Every day thousands of students and staff at the An-Najah University in Nablus have to pass through the check points surrounding the city, just to attend their lectures. Sometimes they pass in 15 minutes, sometimes it takes 2 hours – it depends on the mood of the Israeli soldier. Sometimes they are publicly humiliated, forced to undress, and often they are turned back because “no men under 35 years of age” may pass through that day. Last year, on a day when men were not allowed to pass into Nablus, a group of students skirted the checkpoint and attempted to reach the University by walking over the nearby mountain. They were shot by a sniper watching from the arm base. Every night the Israeli army comes into the Nablus old city and to the nearby Balata refugee camp, supposedly looking for “wanted terrorists,” but at the same time, forcing the people – men, women and children- who live there to live their daily lives in constant fear of eviction, of being caught in random outbursts of gunfire, of being mistaken for a “terrorist.” Life has become valueless. Death has become a statistic.

Posters of the lost lives who once lived in the old city

bombed building

I especially love the markets. Nablus is famous for its soap (made of olive oil), falafels and sweets – so you can imagine the delicious smells wafting over the city. The most famous “sweet” is called Konafah. It’s hard to describe, but is basically like a big pizza with goats cheese base and crusty sugar on top, drizzled with syrup. Sounds gross I know, but its really delicious. You buy it by the slice. People eat Konafah all day every day, and the most famous Konafah maker, makes over 100 batches a day!.

The market

Konafah at the sweet shop

All over the city there are loads of fresh fruit and vegetables stalls, and vendors walking around selling nuts, dates, spices, and strawberries. Another important tradition is ‘Nargila’ (aka water pipe/ hubbly bubbly/ Shisha). There are many Nargila cafes all over town – some for men only. In the afternoon many people go to the cafes and sip Arabic coffee, smoke Nargila and play cards.”

Local vendor

Dominique will be leaving Nablus in May. As a volunteer she recommends that international youth should get the chance to go and see and experience what it is like to be in Palestine. She thinks “that by coming to a place like this, people are forced reevaluate their previously held beliefs and expectations. i.e. Where does our information come from? Who constructs the stereotypes we hold? And why? What agenda is driving the ‘free press?’ It is only by coming to these places that people can see the reality of the situation for them, and in this way, help to create meaningful and sustainable change in the world.”

But, you do not have to be a volunteer in the relations Department to do that. There are summer camps which work on projects to help those in need. The Zajel camp is held at An-Najah University in the summer which “promotes the positive sides of Palestinian life and culture, but at the same time cannot help but highlight the difficulties that Palestinians face on a daily basis. They allow international volunteers to come and experience Palestinian life first hand. In this way, people are able to formulate their own opinions regarding the occupation, and hopefully leave feeling inspired to make a difference.”

Think America!

practical4ever — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:37:07 +0000

Hey, I am a big fan of democracy. But the whole world is not made of people who have common sense. It is not made of people who care. It is not made up or people who want to make the world around them a better place to live. But America , like all nations, has citizens who do not know what is going on, and needs some on to tell them what is going on . They need someone to choose for them to make the selection process a little bit easy on them . Everyone is happy with their car, house, and credit card. That is all they want. That is all they care about. Some of the Americans care about Baseball, Football, Basketball, or even Hockey more than caring about politics. Hey they sing Star Spangled Banner before the game. Yeah, they speak of patriotism as their divine duty, but they do not give about what is going on in the white house. They base their opinion not on ideologies, and platform. Rather they base it on looks, laughs, flag pins, husbands, friends, and pastors. If you know what I mean. The media tries to tell you that the candidate is forgetting a certain fraction of the citizens, the “white working males”. They display, comments such as “guns” and “religion” and try to play with the words and give them new meanings. To the point it is getting ridiculous. I believe, that the sport fans are all confused, who should they side with. The media makes it seem as if they got it all figured out. But the truth of the fact, they forget to even mention that Ron Paul is still running. I guess because in their minds they have declared McCain as the winner. Go figure!
What America needs is a slap on the face. Something to wake them up. Something to make them ask the tough questions, not what the media has told them to ask. And I think that slap is coming. And it will hit us in our pockets. It will hit us, when more and more innocent people and our young men and women come back dead. It will hit us hard when we will lose our jobs. It will hit us hard when they whole world looks at us if we are delusional and gone mad. It will hit us hard when all social services go bankrupt when all the money is poured in the war on the ghost called “terrorism” forgetting that we at a certain time funded and created these terrorists.
Ah! I think. Just by thinking, this whole thing is driving me mad! I wish that America will wake up from their long sleep. Instead of counting sheep we need to count the number of the ones who have died. Wake Up!

The power of Internet Social Networks

practical4ever — Thu, 01 May 2008 20:35:33 +0000

The world has witnessed many changes in this month. The value of the dollar is going down, while the prices of oil and food are going up. In nations where the economy is stagnant, that means life just got a little tougher on them. People in Haiti and Egypt went out to the streets to voice their agony to their governments.

But, I find the Egyptian protest more interesting. This strike , which became a full blown protest was not just an out burst of agony, but a preplanned event. Egypt is a nation where as more than half of the population is in poverty. Egypt is nation in which doctors with 20 years of experience earn $80 per month. Which means the textile factory workers earn much less. April 6^th was supposed to be a strike against the law wages and the high food costs. But instead the strike has turned into a huge protests, where more than 200 people were arrested. These include those on the street and those who got the word out to mobilize the people to be a part of the strike. This includes bloggers, and social Internet groups’ administrators on sites like Facebook. One of those arrested was Ersa Fattah. Her Facebook group attracted more than 64,000 Facebook members.

Social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube are changing the way we communicate and mobilize people to create social change, voice their opinion, or just simply hang out with friends. Even though computers are unfordable by most people; they are widely available to people though out the world at schools, universities, or Internet cafes. That is why youth around the world are using these social networks and other as well to get the word out. Even though not all Egyptian youth own computers, they are able to communicate with each other though voice (Skypecasts), words (email, blogs, Facebook, MySpace), images (flicker, YouTube). Before the April 6^th strike, there was an on line campaign though emails, blog postings, Facebook groups, and videos on YouTube. The result family and friends of the youth heard about the strike. The result was panic by the government, which lead to massive arrests of more than 200 people.

Esra Fattah was doing what she thought her right. She was simply speaking her mind, then before she knew 64,000 people joined her group. As a result, as she sat in the Internet café, she was arrested. After her mother pleaded to the government, the government released her. But that is not the case of others who were arrested for the same reason, of speaking their minds.

I just have the below video as an example. As you can see the video uses pictures that show unity amount the Egyptian people. It is not a call for violence, but a peaceful strike to stay at home and not buying anything for the day, to say that the low wages and the high cost of living is too much to bare. But as you can see in the other video the intended peaceful strike became a full fledged protest and civil disobedience.

I am not writing this to make you afraid from speaking what is on your mind and calling the people to act. The point is, social network groups on the Internet are very powerful, if you aim your call to the right crowd with the right message. Not to mention social online networking can also save your life. Twitter helped to sav e James Karl Buck’s life. He texted to Twitter “arrested” by Egyptian Police. Soon those who follow his Twitter page contacted the US Embassy for release. The next day he was released. But his Egyptian translator is still in jail, so he is currently on a hunger strike until he his Translator Mohamed is released. You can check on the updates your self if you go to his page.

Also, even though the strike did not go as planned, Egyptians are not discouraged. They are planning for another strike on the president Mubark’s birthday on May 4th. A new Facebook group is up and currently has over 21,000 members calling Egyptians to stay at home again. They hope the strike will be more effective.

Already, the president Mubarak said yesterday that the salary of the government workers will be increased by 30% this month. That proves my point, that your voice can be heard, if you are loud enough. At least that is what the government has said through its newspapers like Al-Ahram.

I am just curious to know if you are a member of any social networks. What kind of activities are taking place online did you notice that call for social change? what are they trying to change? Did they succeed in anyway?

What the Wright and the Pope have in common

practical4ever — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:42:08 +0000

I was watching The Daily Show, I came across the above. If you watch the whole video you will see the interesting comparison John Stewart made between Reverend Wright and the Pope.

I also Found the below also interesting and true.

Pure Goodness

practical4ever — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:05:19 +0000

In the midst of the world events, I find it hard to be positive about anything. There are good people out there, but there are more bad than good. I mean what you see in the news is not news of good doing but about the atrocities committed every day. I hope that the world will get better one day. That is my dream. But the reality in front of me tells me otherwise. There are those who see the world will get better as the Buddhist believe, but I go with the other school of thought of the Christians, Muslims, and Hindus. As these religions believe the world will just get worst over time, then out of the blue a savior will come and make the world a better place. You can call that person a prophet or a social activist if you will.

What I am trying to say here, is that the world goes through cycles, there are bad times, and few good times. The bad leads to good. Then the goodness slowness dissolves in the worldly wants and needs and evil resurfaces again. Think if the modern heroes of today. Martin Luther King, Gandhi, or mother Teresa, they came as saviors to fight evil. But then look at the fait of these 2 men. Both were murdered in cold blood. That is why I tend to be pessimistic, but at the same time, I have hope, and I welcome goodness with all of my heart.

I try to do my part in the world around me. I know It is not a lot, but it is something. But not a lot of people do good. The good people have become a small minority in the world and they are hard to find. And I mean very hard to find. I mean those who do good just for the sake of good, but not for something in return. Pure goodness in rare.

Well that is my thought. That is how I see the world around me.

Back to Iraq

practical4ever — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:50:36 +0000

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

Nader running again? Oh man!

practical4ever — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:26:02 +0000

Hello again,

I want to start by apologizing for not being committed to this blog as I should. I will try my best to post my political thoughts hopefully once a week (hopefully more). I got a job recently with an organization called Global PACT. I am managing their blog. The focus of the blog is to create social change. I hope you would check it out www.creatingsocialchange.org. Feel free to comment and join our discussion.

And by the way, what do you think about Ralph Nader’s announcement to join the race and his young ambitious (not to mention, who looks ten times better) vice president ? Why does Nader like to screw up the race all the time? Do not get me wrong, I am all for 3 party participation. But, I think we just had enough of Nader.

I do not know. He says great things, but since this nation is all about the 2 party rule, I do not think he will have a chance. All he would do is make the republicans win, because he will divide the democrat vote. Because the 2 percent vote he might get will come from the democrat voters, and who knows may be these 2% will make the difference. I just hope that he do not have to suffer through the republican chaos again.

Iran University Invites Bush to Speak

practical4ever — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:48:27 +0000

Well, I was reading the an article titled as . So what do you think. Should Bush go? should he be allowed to humiliate us further?

Writing out of frustration

practical4ever — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 05:56:14 +0000

I am writing out of frustration, out of pain, out of anger. I am not over reacting, but I just do not know what to do. I am sick of watching the news. I am tried of hearing the world blaming their problems on us, even thought, we are the ones who are getting hurt the most. All you hear news is Islam , Islamists, the Islam-Fascist, Islamic militants, and the names that they give are endless. I head on the other day on a radio station a man saying that Islam is violent. His proof that most of the worlds biggest conflict happen in the Muslim world. But he forgets, that the Muslims are the ones who are dieing in Iraq, and Afghanistan. They forget that it was the Muslims you were massacred in Bosnia. They forget that the Muslims were on the Verge of being wiped out in Kosovo. They forget the on going struggle in Chechnia. They forget that we the USA are supporting governments like Saddam’s. Governments who are getting Millions of dollars in tax dollars which are used to imprison any one in those land who calls to Islam. They forget that the citizens are kidnapped from the arms of their wives in the middle of the night not to be seen after decades. I am talking about Egypt. I am talking about the so called Middle Easter governments who terrify their own citizens. It is not that Islam is turning against the world. But It is the World turned against Islam. It is us who die. It is us who are living in fear. It is us who pray to Allah for a better tomorrow. I am tried. I am tried for being looked at a the problem. I am a victim. And I am helpless. I can not do a thing but to write. That is the only power I have. The only way to defend myself. It is the only way that I can let what is in my heart out. I am really, really, really tried. Well do not mind what I wrote, after all I am just writing out of frustration.

Iraq and the new SOA

practical4ever — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:59:53 +0000

I have wondered in the past couple of years why this is happing in the world. I do not understand the value of war, and do not see what it can accomplish either. However, that does not discorage me to look in to this events and analyze what is going on . One of the main catastrophe which puzzles me is what is refrered to as the suicde bombings.

I can not swallow the fact that it is the Sunni Vs. the Shia , and the other nonsense that is being said. The truth of the matter as I have may said before is that Iraqis them selves to not sperate from them selves like that. Like the USA, people are diffrent, but they have been living together happly regardless of their diffrences for hundreds of years. Just like we have face problems in the beging with the Native Americans, the Irish and the chiness, time has healed those the dark times. We are diffrent in or homes, our belifes, and way of life, but at the end of the day we are all Americans. Iraq is like that. The Sunni, poplutation has live with there brothers the Kurds and the Shia for hundreds of years, long before America came to existance.

The irony is that America claims that these differnces is the leading cause for the current bloodshed. What Americans lack is the understanding of these people. When America landed on the hot sand of Iraq, it immediatly strated to lable people as Sunni, Shia, and Kurds. The Iraqis did not lable them selves in that matter. Those diffrences only affected thier private life, meaning how they lived, and what they belived. But, most importantly it did not effect their public life. Yes, Saddam did pick on the Shia and the Kurds, but we need to realize that the Sunni popluation did suffer as well. Having said this, I do not buy the fact that there is sectarian violience in Iraq. I blame it all on the US.

Call me crazy, but I see a lot of parallels between Iraq and Latin America. I see these acts of violence as carbon copies of the acts carried out by the Schools of the Americas. Instead what is destroying Iraq is what i call the School of Arabia. On this site I did introduced the horrendous acts carried by the SOA which was made up of Latin Americans who killed there brothers the Latin Americans for political and economical reasons. These Armed forces where trained and funded by the US. So, if the USA could have done this in Latin Ameirca, why can’t it do it again?

I also have another theory. After saying this you might think that I am totally crazy. But, what is happening might be due to unbarabel totrue. Those hunderds of men and women who are kidnapped and arrest in the middle of the night from their families, what does the USA and the new Iraqi government do with them? Well, they will tourture them, rape them like in Abu Garib. The rest they use for their own service. They might be forced to work as spies. they might work as carriers, or delivery men. In other words these men and women are forced to work and be on the move. What they carry around they might not know. That is the catch. They do not know. Anything could be inside. It might be money, might be shopping, it might be a bomb. In other words those men and women are used as machines to carry out greater plans.

All of this is my crazy explination for this chaos. I do not have anything to back what I have said with any concret evedence. I just simply watch the news and try to make sense of what I see. I might be totally worng, but at the same time I might be right. Only time will tell.

All I pray for, is for this nightmare to be over!!!!!!!

LET US NOT FORGET CLINTON’S WAR WITH IRAQ IN 1998

practical4ever — Wed, 02 May 2007 01:46:07 +0000

As Americans we blame the war on Iraq as that fault of the republican party. However, we are forgeting the attacks that were made during Clinton’s era in 1998. Below are some old news coverage about the attacks and Clinton’s justification of the attacks. Notice the simlarites between what he says , and what Bush said a couple years after. It is the same lies. Also, Below that, I will post the reaction of the republican party at the time. I wonder why they changed thier minds all of the sudden, or were both parties on the same page in the begining, and maybe they are on the same side after all. You say that things are changing right now, but I just do not know any more. I have heard to many lies in the couple of years, maybe that commission of the war is just another show playing to diseeve us( I can not spell this word) again.

http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1998/12/16/transcripts/clinton.html

Transcript: President Clinton explains
Iraq strike

CLINTON: Good evening.

Wednesday, December 16, 1998

Earlier today, I ordered America’s armed forces to strike military and security targets in
Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack
Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors.

Their purpose is to protect the national interest of the United States, and indeed the interests of people throughout the Middle East and around the world.

Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons. I want to explain why I have decided, with the unanimous recommendation of my national security team, to use force in Iraq; why we have acted now; and what we aim to accomplish.

Six weeks ago, Saddam Hussein announced that he would no longer cooperate with the United Nations weapons inspectors called UNSCOM. They are highly professional experts from dozens of countries. Their job is to oversee the elimination of Iraq’s capability to retain, create and use weapons of mass destruction, and to verify that Iraq does not attempt to rebuild that capability.

The inspectors undertook this mission first 7.5 years ago at the end of the Gulf War when
Iraq agreed to declare and destroy its arsenal as a condition of the ceasefire.

The international community had good reason to set this requirement. Other countries possess weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. With Saddam, there is one big difference: He has used them. Not once, but repeatedly. Unleashing chemical weapons against Iranian troops during a decade-long war. Not only against soldiers, but against civilians, firing Scud missiles at the citizens of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iran. And not only against a foreign enemy, but even against his own people, gassing Kurdish civilians in Northern Iraq.

The international community had little doubt then, and I have no doubt today, that left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again.

The United States has patiently worked to preserve UNSCOM as Iraq has sought to avoid its obligation to cooperate with the inspectors. On occasion, we’ve had to threaten military force, and Saddam has backed down.

Faced with Saddam’s latest act of defiance in late October, we built intensive diplomatic pressure on
Iraq backed by overwhelming military force in the region. The UN Security Council voted 15 to zero to condemn Saddam’s actions and to demand that he immediately come into compliance.

Eight Arab nations — Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman — warned that Iraq alone would bear responsibility for the consequences of defying the UN.

When Saddam still failed to comply, we prepared to act militarily. It was only then at the last possible moment that Iraq backed down. It pledged to the UN that it had made, and I quote, a clear and unconditional decision to resume cooperation with the weapons inspectors.

I decided then to call off the attack with our airplanes already in the air because Saddam had given in to our demands. I concluded then that the right thing to do was to use restraint and give Saddam one last chance to prove his willingness to cooperate.

I made it very clear at that time what unconditional cooperation meant, based on existing UN resolutions and Iraq’s own commitments. And along with Prime Minister Blair of Great Britain, I made it equally clear that if Saddam failed to cooperate fully, we would be prepared to act without delay, diplomacy or warning.

How over the past three weeks, the UN weapons inspectors have carried out their plan for testing
Iraq’s cooperation. The testing period ended this weekend, and last night, UNSCOM’s chairman, Richard Butler, reported the results to UN Secretary-General Annan.

The conclusions are stark, sobering and profoundly disturbing.

In four out of the five categories set forth, Iraq has failed to cooperate. Indeed, it actually has placed new restrictions on the inspectors. Here are some of the particulars.

Iraq repeatedly blocked UNSCOM from inspecting suspect sites. For example, it shut off access to the headquarters of its ruling party and said it will deny access to the party’s other offices, even though UN resolutions make no exception for them and UNSCOM has inspected them in the past.

Iraq repeatedly restricted UNSCOM’s ability to obtain necessary evidence. For example,
Iraq obstructed UNSCOM’s effort to photograph bombs related to its chemical weapons program.

It tried to stop an UNSCOM biological weapons team from videotaping a site and photocopying documents and prevented Iraqi personnel from answering UNSCOM’s questions.

Prior to the inspection of another site, Iraq actually emptied out the building, removing not just documents but even the furniture and the equipment.

Iraq has failed to turn over virtually all the documents requested by the inspectors. Indeed, we know that
Iraq ordered the destruction of weapons-related documents in anticipation of an UNSCOM inspection.

So Iraq has abused its final chance.

As the UNSCOM reports concludes, and again I quote, ” Iraq’s conduct ensured that no progress was able to be made in the fields of disarmament. “In light of this experience, and in the absence of full cooperation by Iraq, it must regrettably be recorded again that the commission is not able to conduct the work mandated to it by the Security Council with respect to Iraq’s prohibited weapons program.”

In short, the inspectors are saying that even if they could stay in Iraq, their work would be a sham.

Saddam’s deception has defeated their effectiveness. Instead of the inspectors disarming Saddam, Saddam has disarmed the inspectors.

This situation presents a clear and present danger to the stability of the Persian Gulf and the safety of people everywhere. The international community gave Saddam one last chance to resume cooperation with the weapons inspectors. Saddam has failed to seize the chance.

And so we had to act and act now.

Let me explain why.

First, without a strong inspection system, Iraq would be free to retain and begin to rebuild its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs in months, not years.

Second, if Saddam can crippled the weapons inspection system and get away with it, he would conclude that the international community — led by the United States — has simply lost its will. He will surmise that he has free rein to rebuild his arsenal of destruction, and someday — make no mistake — he will use it again as he has in the past.

Third, in halting our air strikes in November, I gave Saddam a chance, not a license. If we turn our backs on his defiance, the credibility of U.S. power as a check against Saddam will be destroyed. We will not only have allowed Saddam to shatter the inspection system that controls his weapons of mass destruction program; we also will have fatally undercut the fear of force that stops Saddam from acting to gain domination in the region.

That is why, on the unanimous recommendation of my national security team — including the vice president, the secretary of defense, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, the secretary of state and the national security adviser — I have ordered a strong, sustained series of air strikes against
Iraq.

They are designed to degrade Saddam’s capacity to develop and deliver weapons of mass destruction, and to degrade his ability to threaten his neighbors.

At the same time, we are delivering a powerful message to Saddam. If you act recklessly, you will pay a heavy price. We acted today because, in the judgment of my military advisers, a swift response would provide the most surprise and the least opportunity for Saddam to prepare.

If we had delayed for even a matter of days from Chairman Butler’s report, we would have given Saddam more time to disperse his forces and protect his weapons.

Also, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins this weekend. For us to initiate military action during Ramadan would be profoundly offensive to the Muslim world and, therefore, would damage our relations with Arab countries and the progress we have made in the Middle East.

That is something we wanted very much to avoid without giving Iraq’s a month’s head start to prepare for potential action against it. Finally, our allies, including Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain, concurred that now is the time to strike. I hope Saddam will come into cooperation with the inspection system now and comply with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. But we have to be prepared that he will not, and we must deal with the very real danger he poses.

So we will pursue a long-term strategy to contain Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction and work toward the day when Iraq has a government worthy of its people.

First, we must be prepared to use force again if Saddam takes threatening actions, such as trying to reconstitute his weapons of mass destruction or their delivery systems, threatening his neighbors, challenging allied aircraft over Iraq or moving against his own Kurdish citizens.

The credible threat to use force, and when necessary, the actual use of force, is the surest way to contain Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction program, curtail his aggression and prevent another Gulf War.

Second, so long as Iraq remains out of compliance, we will work with the international community to maintain and enforce economic sanctions. Sanctions have cost Saddam more than $120 billion — resources that would have been used to rebuild his military. The sanctions system allows
Iraq to sell oil for food, for medicine, for other humanitarian supplies for the Iraqi people.

We have no quarrel with them. But without the sanctions, we would see the oil-for-food program become oil-for-tanks, resulting in a greater threat to
Iraq’s neighbors and less food for its people.

The hard fact is that so long as Saddam remains in power, he threatens the well-being of his people, the peace of his region, the security of the world.

The best way to end that threat once and for all is with a new Iraqi government — a government ready to live in peace with its neighbors, a government that respects the rights of its people. Bringing change in
Baghdad will take time and effort. We will strengthen our engagement with the full range of Iraqi opposition forces and work with them effectively and prudently.

The decision to use force is never cost-free. Whenever American forces are placed in harm’s way, we risk the loss of life. And while our strikes are focused on
Iraq’s military capabilities, there will be unintended Iraqi casualties.

Indeed, in the past, Saddam has intentionally placed Iraqi civilians in harm’s way in a cynical bid to sway international opinion.

We must be prepared for these realities. At the same time, Saddam should have absolutely no doubt if he lashes out at his neighbors, we will respond forcefully.

Heavy as they are, the costs of action must be weighed against the price of inaction. If Saddam defies the world and we fail to respond, we will face a far greater threat in the future. Saddam will strike again at his neighbors. He will make war on his own people.

And mark my words, he will develop weapons of mass destruction. He will deploy them, and he will use them.

Because we’re acting today, it is less likely that we will face these dangers in the future.

Let me close by addressing one other issue. Saddam Hussein and the other enemies of peace may have thought that the serious debate currently before the House of Representatives would distract Americans or weaken our resolve to face him down.

But once more, the United States has proven that although we are never eager to use force, when we must act in
America’s vital interests, we will do so.

In the century we’re leaving,
America has often made the difference between chaos and community, fear and hope. Now, in the new century, we’ll have a remarkable opportunity to shape a future more peaceful than the past, but only if we stand strong against the enemies of peace.

Tonight, the
United States is doing just that. May God bless and protect the brave men and women who are carrying out this vital mission and their families. And may God bless
America.

Republicans skeptical of
Iraq attack on eve of impeachment vote

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, December 16, 1998)

– White House officials insist a looming impeachment vote in the House had no bearing on President Clinton’s decision to bomb Iraq — but planes were still in the air as a chorus of critics began voicing skepticism about the timing.

In this story:

Prominent among the skeptics: Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) and House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas).

“I cannot support this military action in the
Persian Gulf at this time,” Lott said in a statement. “Both the timing and the policy are subject to question.”

“The suspicion some people have about the president’s motives in this attack is itself a powerful argument for impeachment,” Armey said in a statement. “After months of lies, the president has given millions of people around the world reason to doubt that he has sent Americans into battle for the right reasons.”

Armey renewed his call for the president to resign.

“Whatever happens, it will take years to repair the damage President Clinton has done to his office and his country,” Armey said.

House intelligence chair says not consulted

Rep. Porter Goss, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he was unaware that U.S. airstrikes were planned against
Iraq until he saw them under way on CNN.

Goss (R-Florida) expressed anger that he was never notified by the White House that a strike was imminent and that no members of the House Intelligence Committee were brought into the loop.

“To be cut out at the eleventh hour is annoying, and it’s certainly not helpful,” Goss said.

He called the fact he was not contacted “a bad mistake of judgment or an oversight by the White House. … Today the White House should be looking for friends. It’s not a good idea to ambush people.”

“It’s certainly rather suspicious timing,” said Rep. Tillie Fowler (R-Florida). “I think the president is shameless in what he would do to stay in office.”

Torricelli calls GOP criticism ‘unforgivable’

Some Democrats reacted angrily to the criticism of
Clinton’s motives by congressional Republicans.

Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-New Jersey) called the GOP reaction “as close to a betrayal of the interests of the
United States as I’ve ever witnessed in the United States Congress. It’s unforgivable and reprehensible.”

“This is a time for our country to be united, even though we’re divided on other matters,” said Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota).

He and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Missouri) issued a joint statement defending the timing, saying “any delay would have given (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein time to reconstitute his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and undermine international support for our efforts.”

A number of administration officials, including Secretary of Defense William Cohen, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, rejected the charge that the president’s political problems were a motivating factor.

Gen. Hugh Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, backed up that assessment.

Eagleburger: ‘Timing stinks’

Some Republicans also were supportive of
Clinton’s actions. Outgoing House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia) said the strikes were an example of “the
U.S. leading the world by exercising its military power in an appropriate way.”

But some outside Congress wondered about the timing. Lawrence Eagleburger, who served as secretary of state during the Bush years, noted the proximity to the impeachment proceedings, saying, “While I approve the action, I think the timing stinks, frankly.”

Paul Weyrich, a leading conservative activist, said
Clinton’s decision to bomb on the eve of the impeachment vote “is more of an impeachable offense than anything he is being charged with in Congress.”

Impeachment debate delayed

Clinton ordered what he called a “strong, sustained” military strike against
Iraq on Wednesday in retaliation for its continued failure to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.

The decision came one day before the House was to meet to consider four articles of impeachment. charging
Clinton with perjury, obstruction of justice and abuse of power in the Monica Lewinsky affair.
Clinton has admitted the affair, but he has steadfastly denied he committed perjury.

In the days and hours before the strike, the president’s political situation deteriorated as a steady stream of undecided House members, most of them Republicans, announced they would support impeachment.

House Speaker-elect Bob Livingston (R-Louisiana) later announced a delay in the impeachment debate, possibly until Friday or Saturday. The decision came after a caucus of House Republicans during which,
Livingston indicated, there was a strong debate over whether to delay impeachment.

Republican pollster Neil Newhouse said GOP leaders could lose the momentum for impeachment during a delay if pro-impeachment Republicans get skittish.

“These guys are ready to vote but, truthfully, I don’t know how much more pressure they can stand up to,” Newhouse said.

Rep. Solomon: Attack designed to create ‘leverage’

The public expressions of skepticism accelerated when an angry Rep. Gerald Solomon (R-New York) issued a statement with the headline: “Bombs Away — Save Impeachment for Another Day?”

“It is obvious that they’re (the Clinton White House) doing everything they can to postpone the vote on this impeachment in order to try to get whatever kind of leverage they can, and the American people ought to be as outraged as I am about it,” Solomon said in an interview with CNN.

Asked if he was accusing
Clinton of playing with American lives for political expediency, Solomon said, “Whether he knows it or not, that’s exactly what he’s doing. When you put our troops in the air or on the ground, you are risking their lives. This president ought to know better. I don’t know if he does or not, because he’s so unpredictable.”

Solomon complained that key congressmen had not been told of the military strike. He said
Clinton should have briefed more members of Congress and delayed the attack until early next week.

“It would still be spontaneous,” Solomon said. “He could still launch the attack, but it would not have been political the way it is today.”

Upon hearing Solomon’s remarks, Democratic Rep. Sam Gejdenson of
Connecticut went before CNN’s cameras to rip into Solomon for his accusation.

“Gerry Solomon’s spent a career here making outrageous statements, but as an ex-Marine, he ought to know better,” Gejdenson said. “That was an outrageous, outrageous statement.”

Gejdenson said the nation cannot tie a president’s hands based on developments on Capitol Hill.

“Think of the message,” Gejdenson said. “If we tell every country out there that might want to do harm to America’s interests that every time there’s a political squabble in
Washington, the presidency has to be frozen, that’s outrageous.”

CNN’s Bob Franken, Ann Curley and Ted Barrett and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

German Court Challenges C.I.A. Over Abduction

practical4ever — Wed, 02 May 2007 01:19:06 +0000

Forwarded Message —-

From: “Anthony D. Romero, ACLU”

To: practical4ever@yahoo.com

Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 2:43:32 PM

Subject: A Story We Should All Know

ACLU attorney Ben Wizner outside the courthouse, along with, from left to right, ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero, translator Ulrike Wiesner and Khaled El-Masri on Nov. 28.

“I have come to America seeking three things. An acknowledgement that the United States government is responsible for kidnapping, abusing and detaining me; an explanation as to why I was singled out for this treatment; and an apology because I am an innocent man who has never been charged with any crime.”– Khaled El-Masri, a victim of extraordinary rendition

Dear Friend,

The case of our client Khaled El-Masri is one we should all be watching carefully. Yesterday, he stood up in a courtroom to challenge the Bush administration’s use of “extraordinary rendition,” abduction, detention and interrogation in secret overseas prisons.

While it is a credit to our system of justice that Mr. El-Masri can now demand accountability from his CIA kidnappers, all of us must ask, how have we let our country stray so far from its ideals?

Mr. El-Masri’s story is a frightening catalogue of abuses. A father of six, he was forcibly abducted in Macedonia while on vacation, handed over to the CIA and flown to a secret interrogation center in Afghanistan where he was beaten, drugged and repeatedly denied legal counsel. After two months, CIA operatives informed director George Tenet that they were holding an innocent man. But it still took two more months before he was released — flown in secret to Albania and left alone on a hillside in the middle of the night. People need to hear his story, and the agencies and private companies responsible must face real justice for their violations of U.S. laws as well as universal human rights laws.

In a legal maneuver that is now familiar, the government is trying to use the veil of secrecy to avoid accountability for its actions. But yesterday, we argued that the government’s official recognition of the program and information already available about this case show that the lawsuit does not jeopardize national security and must be allowed to continue. Our government would rather you didn’t hear his story. The last time Mr. El-Masri tried to come to the U.S. — to hear his own court case — he was denied entry because he did not have a visa, even though German citizens don’t actually need visas to enter the
U.S. This week, Mr. El-Masri witnessed his court proceedings and will also be meeting in person with members of Congress to share his story. As he told the Washington Post today, “I never thought badly of the United States. I do think badly of the foreign policy aspects and the sitting government.” You can help.

And tell others about the case, and the unthinkable acts perpetrated in our name – and now being deliberately covered over through an abuse of the “state secrets” privilege.-

The ACLU is appalled that our government sanctioned and carried out these atrocious actions — and that it continues to shirk responsibility by hiding behind state secrets. These are not the actions of a proud nation, instead they diminish us as a people.

We will continue the fight both to seek justice for Khaled El-Masri and to end the practice of extraordinary rendition. Thank you for making those efforts possible. Sincerely, Anthony D. RomeroExecutive DirectorACLU

AFTER 3 MONTHS this happened. Check out what Aljazeera, and The New YOrk times said about it———-

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0D85BD17-D464-4EBC-932F-2FBD03F129BF.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/01/world/europe/01germany.html?_r=1&ref=europe&oref=slogin

“February 1, 2007

German Court Challenges C.I.A. Over Abduction

By MARK LANDLER

FRANKFURT, Jan. 31 — A German court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for 13 people in the mistaken kidnapping and jailing of a German citizen of Lebanese descent, in the most serious legal challenge yet to the Central Intelligence Agency’s secret transfers of terrorism suspects.

Prosecutors in Munich said the suspects, whom they did not identify, were part of a C.I.A. “abduction team” that seized the man, Khaled el-Masri, in Macedonia in late 2003 and flew him to
Afghanistan. He was imprisoned there for five months, during which, he said, he was shackled, beaten and interrogated about alleged ties to Al Qaeda, before being released without charges.

His ordeal is the most extensively documented case of the C.I.A.’s practice of “extraordinary rendition,” in which terrorism suspects are seized and sent for interrogation to other countries, including some in which torture is practiced.

“This is a very consequential step,” August Stern, the prosecutor in
Munich, said in a telephone interview. “It is a necessary step before bringing a criminal case against these people.”

The Central Intelligence Agency has never acknowledged any role in Mr. Masri’s detention, and a C.I.A. spokesman declined to comment on Wednesday. The German government said it would not comment on the case, except to affirm the independence of the public prosecutor.

Mr. Stern said investigators would seek to establish the true identities of the 13 people, most of whom are believed to use aliases. They include the four pilots of the Boeing 737 that picked up Mr. Masri, a mechanic and several C.I.A. operatives, people familiar with the case said.

Issuing an arrest warrant is a major expansion of the legal challenge to the C.I.A.’s rendition program in
Europe. Italian prosecutors are seeking indictments against 25 C.I.A. operatives and
Italy’s former intelligence chief for the kidnapping of a militant Egyptian cleric in 2003.

In Germany, unlike Italy, defendants cannot be tried in absentia. As a practical matter it is unlikely that the Bush administration will acquiesce in the extradition to Germany of the 13 suspects. But the arrest warrant could further hinder their ability to move around Europe. The German case also carries more weight, legal experts said, because of the reputation of courts here for painstaking deliberation and because of recent efforts to repair damaged diplomatic ties between Germany and the United States.

It is, in fact, a delicate time for both countries. The Bush administration has faced a drumbeat of criticism because of its antiterrorism policies since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, while the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has been eager to heal rifts over the Iraq war.

“It is unique that a German court would issue warrants against 13 C.I.A. agents,” said Hans-Christian Ströbele, a Green Party member of a German parliamentary committee that is investigating the flights.

The arrest warrants, which were first reported in The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, also have political implications within Germany, where the role of the government in tolerating — or even facilitating — C.I.A. flights has come under increased scrutiny.

Frankfurt Airport was reportedly used for many of the flights, as was the American air base at Ramstein.

On Wednesday, a German broadcaster, NDR, published what it said were the names of the 13 people — 11 men and 2 women. Mr. Stern declined to discuss the names, which have been picked up by other German news organizations.Although the prosecutor’s action on Wednesday was the first major legal development in the case, the German news media have been speculating about it for months. In September a television program, “Panorama,” tracked down three of those named in North Carolina. They declined to comment on their activities.

For Mr. Masri, who has had to overcome a tide of public skepticism about his account since it was first reported in The New York Times in early 2005, the court’s action is a significant step in bolstering the credibility of his claims, said his lawyer, Manfred Gnjidic.

“This is unbelievably important for our case,” Mr. Gnjidic said in an interview. “It’s the first direct sign of the German government against the C.I.A. that they did the wrong thing.”

Mr. Masri, who is unemployed, lives in the southern German city of
Neu-Ulm. The lawyer said Mr. Masri had been buoyed by a statement of support from the former German interior minister, Otto Schily.

Mr. Masri is petitioning a federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., to reinstate a lawsuit against the agency. Last May a federal judge threw out a suit brought by Mr. Masri, accepting the government’s contention that it would be impossible to hold a trial without disclosing state secrets.

The Justice Department has declined to help the German prosecutors in their investigation, which has made the Germans dependent on information from other sources, including journalists investigating the C.I.A. practice of transferring suspects across international borders.

A major break, Mr. Stern said, came from a Spanish reporter who compiled a list of the names of people said to have been involved in Mr. Masri’s abduction from sources in the Civil Guard, a Spanish paramilitary police agency. The C.I.A. used the Spanish island of Majorca as a logistics center for its flights, Mr. Gnjidic said, and the authorities found the names of members of the rendition team on hotel logs there.

Mr. Stern also credited tips from prosecutors in Milan and from Dick Marty, a Swiss senator who conducted an inquiry on the transfer issue on behalf of the Council of Europe.

The nature of Germany’s role in Mr. Masri’s case, and in other C.I.A. flights, remains murky. Mr. Masri has asserted that he was interrogated three times inside his prison in Kabul, Afghanistan, by a German who identified himself as “Sam.”

Germany’s foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has said he was not told of the abduction until June 2004, after Mr. Masri had been released in Albania. As chief of staff to Gerhard Schröder, then the chancellor, Mr. Steinmeier oversaw all German intelligence services.

Mr. Steinmeier is facing questions about his role in another case, involving a German-born Turkish man imprisoned for four and a half years at the American military jail in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The man, Murat Kurnaz, was released by the United States last August after lengthy negotiations between Germany and the United States. But internal German intelligence documents indicate that the Germans turned down an offer by the Americans to send Mr. Kurnaz home as early as 2002.

Mr. Steinmeier has insisted that the Americans never made an official offer to release Mr. Kurnaz. He has also noted that worries about security were running high in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. German newspapers have been full of speculation about whether the affair will cost Mr. Steinmeier his job.

Investigation in Spain

MADRID, Jan. 31 (Reuters) — A judge has ordered Spain’s intelligence agency to declassify any documents it has about secret C.I.A. transporting of terrorism suspects, court officials said Wednesday.

Stephen Grey contributed reporting from Toronto, and Mark Mazzetti from Washington.”

SCHOOL OF ASSASSINS aka “SOA” and NOW “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation”

practical4ever — Wed, 02 May 2007 00:40:50 +0000

Source : http://www.soaw.org/new/index.php

What is the SOA?

The School of the Americas (SOA), in 2001 renamed the “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation,” is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, located at Fort Benning, Georgia.Initially established inPanama in 1946, it was kicked out of that country in 1984 under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty. Former Panamanian President, Jorge Illueca, stated that the School of the Americas was the “biggest base for destabilization in Latin America.” The SOA, frequently dubbed the “ School of Assassins,” has left a trail of blood and suffering in every country where its graduates have returned.Over its 59 years, the SOA has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refugee by those trained at the School of
Assassins.Sometimes even the slickest public relations effort doesn’t improve a person’s or an institution’s image. PR Watch, August 20052004 WHINSEC Course List

El Salvador 1989: The Two Jesuit Standards and the Final Offensive This thesis, written by Ignacio Ochoa in the spring of 2003, incorporates first-hand testimony, primary sources and secondary historical documentation to discuss the sociopolitical significance of the November 16, 1989 massacre of six Jesuits and two civilians at the Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) inEl Salvador. Ignacio argues that while the massacre was an attempt by the Salvadoran Armed Forces to debilitate the FMLN, the international outrage it provoked marked the beginning of the end for the unchecked power and legitimacy of the US-supported Salvadoran Armed Forces, and it became the driving force behind the Salvadoran peace process.

U.S. Military Bases in Latin America and the Caribbean
In the last five years, new U.S. bases and military access agreements have proliferated in Latin America, constituting a decentralization of theU.S. military presence in the region. This decentralization is Washington’s way of maintaining a broad military foothold while accommodating regional leaders’ reluctance to host large U.S. military bases or complexes. John Lindsay-Poland of the Fellowship of Reconciliation offers an excellent analysis in the August 2004 Foreign Policy in Focus.Critique of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation Massacre in Colombian Peace Community Once again, the trail of blood leads to the SOA:
SOA graduate commands accused brigade“We have always said, and in that we are clear, that until this very day we are resisting. And our work is to continue resisting and defending our rights. We don’t know until when, because the truth we’ve lived in our story is this: today we are here talking; tomorrow we may be dead. Today we are here in San José de Apartadó; tomorrow the majority of people here could be displaced because of a massacre.” — Luis Eduardo Guerra, in an interview on January 15 of this year, 37 days before he was assassinated by the Colombian military

On February 21-22, 2005, eight members of the San José de Apartadó Peace Community in

Urabá, Colombia—including three young children—were brutally massacred. Witnesses identified the killers as members of the Colombian military, and peace community members saw the army’s 17th and 11th Brigades in the area around the time of the murders.Among those killed was Luis Eduardo Guerra, an internationally recognized peace activist and a co-founder of the Peace Community. In November 2002, Luis travelled from Colombia to Fort Benning, Georgia to speak out against the School of the Americas and to give a first hand testimony about the brutal impact that SOA training and US foreign policy have on the dire situation in Colombia.General Héctor Jaime Fandiño Rincón is the commander of the 17th Brigade of the Colombian army. Like Luis Eduardo, Fandiño Rincón also travelled to the School of the Americas — not to speak out for justice and peace like Luis, but to attend the “Small-Unit Infantry Tactics” course in order to become “familiar with small-unit operational concepts and principles at the squad and platoon level, … [to] receive training in planning and conducting small-unit tactical operations.” Fandiño Rincón is a 1976 graduate of the notorious School of theAmericas. In December of 2004 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.Since the massacre, the Colombian administration of Alvaro Uribe has done little to investigate the murders. No investigation into the military or the 17th or 11th Brigade has begun. All the focus now of the government agencies intervening in the situation is to force the community members to testify at risk of their lives—instead of focusing on the military that was in the area at the time of the murders.Police and military forces have floodedSan José against the wishes of the Peace Community, which has taken a fundamental stance against any and all armed actors. Since the massacre, all but five of the 100 families that formed the Peace Community have been forced to leave their homes and land.Those killed on February 21 and 22 included Luis Eduardo, his partner Bellanira and their son, Deiner, 11. Also massacred were Alejandro Perez, Alfonso Bolivar Tuberquia Graciano, his partner, Sandra Milena Muñoz Pozo and their young children,Santiago, 18 months, and Natalia, 6 years old. (Click here for more background information).The Peace Community sent a delegation to locate and identify their bodies. They found a gruesome scene, with Alejandro, Alfonso, Sandra,Santiago and Natalia in a communal grave. They had all been killed with machetes, with their heads and extremities severed. The community found Luis, Bellanira and Deiner’s bodies thrown near a river. They had been beaten badly and had their throats cut.The community writes:“The military presence in the zone before, during and after the massacre points clearly to the Colombian Army as being responsible for this latest attack on the civilian population. We are facing a new humanitarian crisis in the zone and the death of our friends and of Luis Eduardo, leader of the community, is a sure signal. We know that the whole strategy of terror and impunity is going to continue. Soldiers have threatened a number of families and warned them that if they don’t leave, the same thing is going to happen to them. They are also looking for the surviving witnesses of the massacre who are terrified at the danger their lives are in.”The Colombian military, paramilitary units and guerrilla forces have targeted this community, founded an attempt to created a space free of weapons and independent of any armed actors, since its inception in 1996. One hundred fifty two members of the community have been killed in eight years, and not a single perpetrator has been brought to justice, even though the Colombian justice system has gathered the testimonies of hundreds of people identifying those responsible.For years, official reports from the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and even the State Department have established the collusion and collaboration between the U.S.-trained Colombian army and right-wing paramilitaries forces in many war-torn regions of the country. With military support, the paramilitaries are operating as surrogate death squads and thugs. A United Nations report confirmed this trend, stating that “Members of the military participated in massacres, organized paramilitary groups, and spread death threats. The security forces also failed to take action, and this undoubtedly enabled the paramilitary groups to achieve their exterminating objectives.”The Peace Community writes:“In this context, it is important to understand the Army-paramilitary strategy to clear villages and take control of the land. First come the indiscriminate bombings and then the operations in which they eliminate everything they come across: animals, crops, homes and, as the most recent events show, entire families…. But there is no doubt that the strategy is working: just two weeks ago we pointed out that as a result of these operations in Mulatos and Resbalosa, only 10 families remained, and now nine of them have been displaced to San José.”Many of the Colombian officers cited as responsible for massacres and other human rights abuses graduated from the SOA, and the strategy of using paramilitary groups for the military’s dirty work is nothing new for SOA/ WHINSEC students. Roberto D’Aubussoin established the Death Squads that were responsible for much of the violence in El Salvador in the 1980′s, and Benedicto Lucas Garcia masterminded the creation of the Civil Defense Patrols inGuatemala. Mexico’s Jose Ruben Rivas Pena, who took the SOA’s elite Command and Staff Course, called for the “training and support for self-defence forces or other paramilitary organizations inChiapas.”The story of the San José de Apartadó Peace Community, while appalling, is all too common inColombia. And yet stories of Colombia’s ongoing war—recognized by the United Nations as the world’s greatest humanitarian disaster after Congo and Darfur—are absent from much mainstream media coverage.Since 2000, the U.S. has sent $3.3 billion to Colombia in aid—making it the world’s top recipient after Israel andEgypt. The aid is mostly military, and the Pentagon also has troops on the ground (officially barred from combat). In October, Congress approved doubling the U.S. troop presence in Colombia to 800. The cap on the number of U.S. civilian contract agents—pilots, intelligence analysts, security personnel—was also raised, from 400 to 600. The measure came as a little-noticed part of the 2005 Defense Department authorization act, and was a defeat for human rights groups, which had been pushing for a lower cap. The new 800/600 cap is exactly what the White House asked for.The Colombian conflict is rooted in social inequalities. Between 60 and 68 percent of the population are currently living at or below the poverty line. The Bush administration’s military approach has remained at the forefront of their failing strategy to “solve” the problem. The SOA-style repression that is killing thousands every year is supposed to maintain the status quo—to keep the rich powerful and the poor silent.It is up to us to change the political climate by working towards a culture of justice and peace and by defying the systems of violence and domination. History is made by movements – mass movements of people who organize themselves to struggle collectively for a better world.“The ideas of Luis Eduardo, his thoughts and his arguments will continue inside us with more strength than ever. He believed the civilian population had the right to live with dignity. We also believe this and will carry on defending this principal even if it costs us our lives.” –- San José de Apartadó Peace Community, March 2005

_____________________________________________

Read more about the SOA and what the
USA does to its citizens to protect the SOA go to

or read the lies of the American government about the School got to

https://www.infantry.army.mil/whinsec/index.asp

Check out my Slide Show!

practical4ever — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 01:40:48 +0000

Patriotism vs. Nationalism

practical4ever — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:07:05 +0000

The world is a very complicated place. Every nation is different, every culture is unique, and every land is special. So, in order to control the masses one needs to look into these parts of a state. It is hard for one to come up with a solution for this. From the creation of man, governments have been coming up with methods to control the masses. Some times it worked for a long period of time, and then it collapsed. The another form of government would spring out of the midst of the ruins of the old, which would also work for sometime, then fall on to itself as it did before. But, there two concepts that I would like to look at. It does not deal with the government, but rather how the governed views the government.

After a state is established for quite sometime, the citizens start to feel a sense of pride. They are proud of the past, they are proud of the principles of the state in which it was founded up on. In the Untied States for example we are proud of our constitution, rights, and values. We are proud of our freedoms of expression, speech, religion, and much more. But, when we feel that these freedoms, rights, values, and constitution is being denied by the government, then the masses would react to protect these ideals which symbolizes the state. The state with out these fundamental ideals is meaning less. However, when the government is protecting these ideals the masses would support the government’s causes. If they felt that these are ideals are threatened by outside forces, then they will fight it. It is not a fight to protect the state or the land, but it becomes to fight for the principles. This is how I define Patriotism. When you have the masses patriotic, the government will not step on the principles, because the masses will stand against it. It acts like a form of checks and balance. Some might argue that a state with a patriotic population would be unstable. However, if the principles are clear, such as the constitution, and the bill of rights there is no threat because the government is supposed to follow it in the first place.

Another example could be Iran. In Iran the masses and the state is based on the principles of Islam. And these principles are written in the Quran. Thus, if the government does not follow it then the mass would stand against it. In the Quran, killing the innocent is crime against humanity. That is why the government said it will not build an atomic bomb, because it is against the principles of the Iranian people. On the other hand, it will use the technology for peaceful means. If the Iranian government does build such bomb, then the people will revolt, and try to stop it just like they did to the Shah.

On the other hand, masses can become nationalistic. In other words they follow the government no matter what the government does. Principles, values, freedoms, and constitutions do not come into play. If the government tells the people go right, the mass will go right, if the government tells them go left then they will go left. If the government tells them to fight, they will fight. If the government tells them to kill the enemy if they were young, old, women, or man they will do just that. The mass becomes brainless sheep, and the government becomes it herdsman. The will do anything to protect the government even though it might be hurting them. The disadvantage in that is once the government falls, the mass it lost. Like the sheep, they would become helpless, and fell vulnerable and meaning less.

If you look at the Roman Empire for example, the mass was very nationalistic. It is true that they conquered the world, but the mass did this because the Roman government told them to do so. Yes, they had technology, but all the technology they developed was primarily for war fair. But, once the Roman Empire fell, the people became helpless, and buried them selves into the dark ages. Another example is Nazi Germany. The Nazi controlled every aspect of life. The government was the brain and the masses were the hands that carried out the act. It is scary to see pride in ones government can do to people. They turned against their own neighbors and friends by the first sight of the moon light. They turned in to zombies.

Look at what the French did in Algeria. Look at the massacres they carried out. Look at Italy and what it did to the people of Libya. They put them too in concentration camps; they shoot the children for sport and raped the Muslim women for fun. But once these governments fell, their own masses became in doom. The economy went down, and reconstruction of life took years. If you look at Italy today, you will the that governments the try to establish them selves tend to follow the same like Russia, or unstable like Italy. In my personal opinion Nationalism is scary. Nationalism destroys itself and the other surrounds it.

One might argue that we as Americans are nationalistic in many ways. We blindly follow our government, even when it takes our values, principles of freedom and justice. We go around the world forcing the masses around the world to follow our government. We see our government as flawless including the people in it. We are now in wars that we started can not finish. Like Iraq, Afghanistan, and other wars that are scattered around in Africa. We have troops stationed around the world ready for action when they are called in Egypt, South Korea; in Georgia (I am not quite sure about that one). America is ready to destroy itself at any time when the government calls for it. If you remember Hitler, when he started his march to dominate the world, the world stood still. Now as we try to dominate the world, the world stands still. Yes, we do have allies, but we also have enemies. Eventually the world will fight back, just as it did against Hitler. Just think about it.

One the other hand if we were Patriots, we could have stopped this none sense. We could save our selves, our rights, our freedoms, our land, and our way of life. If we say no to the government, our families will be safely here at home. Our rights would be protected, and no more the so called PATRIOT Act (that is what I meant by that picture above). Our land will be free from pollution. Then we will live in peace. This is my argument for Patriotism and against Nationalism. Of course what I see is just what I see.