Category: politics

ok. i wasn’t gonna post about park 51 anymore but this is too good.

The uprising in Kashmir has been a great moral victory for the Kashmiri, because they have shown who the oppressor is, changing the narrative from that of the Pakistan-backed ‘terrorist’ killing Indians to that of India killing Kashmiris just because they do not want to call themselves Indians. Full article.

Dozens of activists set up an information picket at Deltaport this morning in an information picket designed to slow the transport of containers belonging to the Israeli shipping company Zim. Demonstrators gave truckers and passers-by information about the growing refusal by workers to unload and transport cargo from Israel or shipped by Israeli companies. Vancouver Media Co-op correspondents filed this report.

In Latin America El Salvadorian death squads were known for targeting clergy members, doctors, and others, similar to what is being said about Iraq. Scandal continues to develop for the Obama administration because of the Iraq war. Eva Golinger says that the Obama administration has increased funding for what many call Obama’s “secret war”.

The atrocities committed against the people of Congo are not arbitrary, like my cancer. They are systematic, strategic and intentional. At the root is a madly greedy world economy, desperate for more minerals robbed from the indigenous Congolese. Sourcing this insatiable hunger are multinational corporations who benefit from these minerals and are willing to turn their backs on the players committing femicide and genocide, as long as their financial needs are met. I am lucky. I have been blessed with a positive prognosis that has made me hyper-aware of what keeps a person alive. How does one survive cancer? Of course – good doctors, good insurance, good luck. But the real healing comes from not being forgotten. From attention, from care, from love, from being surrounded by a community of those who demand information on your behalf, who advocate and stand up for you when you are in a weakened state, who sleep by your side, who refuse to let you give up, who bring you meals, who see you not as a patient or victim but as a precious human being, who create metaphors where you can imagine your survival. This is my medicine, and nothing less will suffice for the people, for the women, for the children of Congo. Full article.

The decision made on Monday by the Norwegian oil fund to divest from Africa Israel and Danya Cebus on the grounds that they are involved in illegal construction in the territories, is only the latest in a long series of decisions by governmental and private companies in Europe to boycott Israeli companies for political reasons. In most cases, the argument is that the products were manufactured over the Green Line, and are therefore in the “occupied territories.” At times, this refers to a political protest against Israel’s policy towards the Palestinians, for example, in response to the flotilla events. One thing is not in question: In recent months, there has been an escalation in the boycott of Israeli brands for political reasons. Full article.

The man charged with the anti-Muslim slashing and stabbing of a cabdriver was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of second-degree attempted murder as a hate crime, first-degree assault as a hate crime and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

An emergency medical technician said that had the cut been any deeper or longer, the driver would have died, prosecutors said.

Judge ShawnDya L. Simpson ordered the man, Michael Enright, 21, held without bail.

James Zaleta, an assistant district attorney, said in court that Mr. Enright hailed a taxi near 24th Street and Second Avenue on Tuesday evening. Mr. Enright asked the taxi driver, who was from Bangladesh, whether he was Muslim, Mr. Zaleta said.

After the driver said he was, Mr. Enright responded with the Arabic greeting, “Assalamu alaikum,” according to the criminal court complaint.

Then Mr. Enright said, “Consider this a checkpoint,” before pulling out a Leatherman utility knife and slashing the taxi driver’s throat, Mr. Zaleta said. The driver turned and Mr. Enright slashed him in his face and forearms, Mr. Zaleta said. Full article.

Few events expose the moral bankruptcy of capitalism more starkly than the response of our leaders to “natural disasters”. This summer the people of Pakistan have suffered floods that have destroyed whole villages and towns, leaving millions of the world’s poorest prey to hunger and disease. But even as the scale of the disaster became clear, governments across the world failed to act quickly. When they did, they offered a pitiful amount of humanitarian aid. Full article.

we don’t want the floods to steal the limelight – u.s. drones continue to kill pakistani civilians.

The Obama Administration’s policy of escalating drone strikes took another hit today, after the explosion from a drone attack against the house of “suspected militants” in North Waziristan also destroyed a neighboring house full of women and children. Full article.

second part of snehal shingavi’s interview: could the floods have been avoided?

excellent interview with my friend snehal shingavi!

this is too disgusting!

It has been reported earlier that the US Air Force has denied the relief agencies use of the Shahbaz airbase for the distribution of aid and assistance. Soldiers of the Pakistan army, a federal minister and the administration of Sindh province are blamed for the incident involving Shahbaz Airbase at Jacobabad district in Sindh province in which it has been reported that flood waters were diverted in order to save the airbase. The diversion of the floodwaters is blamed for inundating hundreds of houses and the displacement of 800,000 people. Full report from the Asian Human Rights Commission.

A recent study revealed that physicians with the CIA’s Office of Medical Services were more deeply involved in torture than was previously thought–that doctors and psychiatrists actually helped interrogators design enhanced techniques. Patricia Davis’s new play, Alternative Methods, tells the story of a psychologist forced to choose between the humanity of a detainee and risking her own life to stop his torture. More here.

A catastrophic crisis provided an opportunity for a historical effort that could well have dissolved the otherwise unshakeable taints of imperialism and self-serving strategic interests that have typified the relationship between the two countries. In transcending the frame that only looks at Pakistanis as possible terrorists, the United States could have laid the foundation for perceiving them as humans in terrible need and afflicted by debilitating suffering. Such an initiative required a level of political heroism from President Obama that he was unwilling to commit to. Full article.

same thing in pakistan. many articles in dawn seem to be written by cia operatives – they toe the war on terror line so blatantly. it’s good to have some proof tho.

Buried among the 92,000 classified documents released Sunday by WikiLeaks is some intriguing evidence that the U.S. military in Afghanistan has adopted a PR strategy that got it into trouble in Iraq: paying local media outlets to run friendly stories.
Several reports from Army psychological operations units and provincial reconstruction teams (also known as PRTs, civilian-military hybrids tasked with rebuilding Afghanistan) show that local Afghan radio stations were under contract to air content produced by the United States. Other reports show U.S. military personnel apparently referring to Afghan reporters as “our journalists” and directing them in how to do their jobs.

Such close collaboration between local media and U.S. forces has been a headache for the Pentagon in the past: In 2005, Pentagon contractor the Lincoln Group was caught paying Iraqi newspapers to run stories written by American soldiers, causing the United States considerable embarrassment. Full article.