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Israeli Lobby Power in America

 

Israeli Lobby Power in America

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

In 1949, the American Zionist Council (AZC) was established. It operated until 1962. It was ordered to register as a foreign agent.

 

It failed to do so. It transferred its responsibilities to AIPAC. It calls itself "America's Pro-Israel Lobby. It operates as an unregistered foreign agent.

 

Why We Allow the Destruction of Our Planet

It's not enough to point out that our political system is completely corrupted by money, including money from coal and oil and nukes and gas.  Of course it is.  And if we had direct democracy, polls suggest we would be investing in green energy.  But saying the right thing to a pollster on a phone or in a focus group is hardly the extent of what one ought sensibly to do when the fate of the world is at stake.

Nor do we get a complete explanation by recognizing that our communications system is in bed with our political system, cooperatively pushing lies about our climate and our budget (defunding wars and billionaires is not an option, so there's just no money for new ideas, sorry).  Of course.  But when the planet's climate is being destroyed for all future generations, most of which will therefore not exist, the only sensible course of action is to drop everything and nonviolently overthrow any system of corruption that is carrying out the destruction.

Why don't we?

Misinformation is a surface-level explanation.  Why do people choose to accept obvious misinformation?

Here's one reason: They've already chosen to accept other obvious misinformation to which they are deeply and passionately attached and which requires this additional self-deception.  The beliefs involved correlate with poor education, so government choices to fund fossil fuels and highways and prisons and Hamid Karzai rather than schools certainly contribute.  But perhaps we should confront the misinformation directly, even while pursuing the creation of an education system worthy of a civilized country.

According to a Newsweek poll, 40 percent of people in the United States believe the world will end with a battle between Jesus Christ and the Antichrist.  And overwhelmingly those who believe that, also believe that natural disaster and violence are signs of the approach of the glorious battle -- so much so that 22 percent in the U.S. believe the world will end in their lifetime.  This would logically mean that concern for the world of their great great grandchildren makes no sense at all and should be dismissed from their minds.  In fact, a recent study found that belief in the "second coming" reduces support for strong governmental action on climate change by 20 percent.

Apart from the corruption of money, whenever you have 40 percent of Americans believing something stupid, the forces of gerrymandering in the House, disproportionate representation of small states in the Senate, the Senate filibuster, the winner-take-all two-party system that shuts many voices out of the media and debates and ballots while allowing Democrats to get elected purely on the qualification of not being Republicans, and a communications system that mainstreams Republican beliefs almost guarantees that the 40-percent view will control the government.

Congressman John Shimkus, a Republican from a gerrymandered monstrosity in southeastern Illinois says the planet is in fine shape and guaranteed to stay that way because God promised that to Noah. 

Senator James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma (a state whose citizens get 10 times the representation in the Senate that Californians do -- if one can accuse Diane Feinstein of representing anyone), says that only God could possibly change the climate, and we should stop being so arrogant -- as if taking $1.4 million in campaign "contributions" from fossil-fuel profiteers and imagining that your positions are purely determined by your access to an all-powerful being who runs the universe on behalf of the 30 percent of the world raised on the same fairy tales as you isn't an arrogant belief.

Another senator who claims to be a theist but not of the Inhofe-Shimkus variety, publicly denounced an unnamed colleague this week for pushing the don't-worry-God-is-on-the-job line in a recent meeting.

When a large portion of the population believes that catastrophe is a good thing, rather than a bad thing, and wars are celebrated and crises bring excitement and solidarity to our lives, the influence is toxic.  Of the 40 percent who believe Jesus is on his way, some no doubt believe it more than others, allow it to shape more of their other beliefs and actions.  Of the other 60 percent, some are no doubt influenced to varying degrees by the armageddonists. 

Belief in theism itself reaches as much as 80 percent in the United States and includes strong activists for sustainable policies, including some who passionately proselytize using the argument that only theism can save us from our apathy in the face of global warming.  And there is no question that our most dedicated peace and justice activists include some strong religious believers.  But theism is essentially the belief that some more powerful being is running the show.  Perhaps the armageddonists haven't really found a solution to the problem of evil ("If there is a God, he'll have to beg forgiveness from me," said a prisoner in a Nazi camp), but the non-armageddonist theists have never found a logical solution to the problem of free will, either.  Theists can go either way and all make as little sense as each other.  But they must all of necessity promote the notion that a more powerful being is in charge. 

And where does that belief show up to damaging effect?  In our politics it shows up primarily as an attitude toward presidents.  While President Obama has spent five years working diligently to destroy our natural environment for all time to come, the largest block of those concerned about global warming have spent their time telling each other to trust in Him, that he works in mysterious ways, that he is up against the Evil One and must be allowed time to succeed in his battle.  You see, the problem with theism is not that some of its spin-off beliefs succeed in an undemocratic system.  The problem is that theism is anti-democratic at its core.  It moves us away from relying on ourselves.  It teaches us to rely on someone supposedly better than we.  And the same 80 percent or so also believe in something called heaven, which renders real life far less significant even for those generations that get to experience it.

This, in turn, fuels a belief in optimism.  We are all told to be optimists regardless of the facts, as if it were a personal lifestyle choice.  Combine that with a belief that everything is part of a secret master plan, and you've got a recipe for submissive acceptance.  I've had great activists tell me that everything will work out for the best, either because that keeps them going, or because they've learned that saying anything else earns them fewer speaking invitations.  Hardcore optimism is compatible with active engagement.  But the net effect is almost certainly a contribution to apathy.

I wish it were needless to say that I am not advocating the equally dumb position of willful pessimism.  I'm proposing the unpopular position of taking the facts as they come, acting accordingly, and acting cautiously when it comes to the fate of generations as yet unborn -- even if that caution requires huge sacrifices.

There are other powerful forces weighing against action as well.  There is our love of technology, including our fantasies about inventing our way out of catastrophe, colonizing other planets, re-creating species.  Maybe our senator friend is onto something after all when he points to arrogance.  There is also greed, including our fear that living sustainably would involve living with less of the materialistic crap that currently clutters our lives and fuels our obesity.  There is also the con job continuously played on us by our government that persuades so many of us that we are powerless to effect change.  It's not enough to believe that the world is being destroyed and that we humans are on our own with the plants and the other animals, if we've fallen for the biggest scam governments pull on their people, the lie that says they pay no attention to us.  History teaches the opposite.  People's influence on their governments is much more powerful than we usually imagine.  It's weakened primarily by people's failure to do anything.  Impotence is a self-fulfilling loop.  Those longing for the end of the world are far from alone in imagining that we don't have the power to make the world over ourselves.  Nonetheless, among the things we should be doing right now is explaining to our neighbors that Jesus isn't coming back.

Iran War Weekly May 12, 2013

Iran War Weekly

May 12, 2013

 

Hello All – While nuclear negotiators will meet Wednesday in Istanbul, little progress is expected in the diplomatic standoff about Iran’s nuclear program before Iran’s presidential election, which will take place on June 14th.  With Iran’s reform movement still not recovered from its crushing defeat in 2009, until now the presidential election appeared to be a mere jockeying for power within conservative leadership circles, but it  took on a more volatile character on Saturday, when both former president Rafsanjani and a protégé of current president Ahmadinejad registered their candidacies at the last minute. There are some very good articles about the election – both candidates and electoral procedures – linked below.

 

Another Anti-Assad False Flag

 

Another Anti-Assad False Flag

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Since early 2011, Obama's been waging proxy war on Syria. Imported death squads masquerade as freedom fighters. The scheme's familiar. It repeats. It reflects US imperialism's dark side.

 

In the 1980s, CIA-recruited mujahideen fighters battled  Afghanistan's Soviet occupiers. Ronald Reagan called them "the moral equivalent of our founding fathers." He characterized Contra killers the same way.

Israelis Protest Austerity Harshness

 

Israelis Protest Austerity Harshness

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

On May 11, thousands of Israelis protested publicly. They did so for social justice. More on that below.

 

In summer 2011, widespread social justice protests erupted. They continued for weeks. Others followed in summer 2012.

 

Syria News May 13

 

Turkey Arrests Nine in Deadly Bombings, Blames a militia led by a Turkish Alawite linked to Syria regime - Bloomberg

Damascus denies responsibility for Turkey bombings - AFP

Erdogan says country won’t be drawn into Syria conflict after deadly bombings - The Washington Post

Turkey says world must act against Syria after bombings - Reuters

Turkey opposition criticizes Erdogan's Syria policy  - todayszaman

Why is Turkey Building a Tent City for Syrian Christians?

VIDEOS: Links To Photos And Videos From The Reyhanli Car-Bombings - Brown Moses Blog

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Assad forces gaining ground in Syria, Analyst: the insurgency does not pose an existential threat to the regime - The Washington Post

Syria Christian village breathes easier as army advances on Qusayr - AFP

On the Golan Heights, the people are (mostly) with Assad - Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Palestinian-Syrian group forming units to fight for Golan - JPost 

Rebel Rockets Hurt Two in Hermel, Aimed at pressuring Hizbullah to end its fighting in Syria - Naharnet

Syrian Rebels Release 4 UN Filipino Peacekeepers - ABC News

UN praises Qatar key role in release of Golan peacekeepers - Saudi Gazette

Syria Promises Ibrahim to Help in Abducted Lebanese Pilgrims Case - Naharnet

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Under the black flag of al-Qaeda, the Syrian city Raqqa ruled by gangs of extremists - Telegraph

VIDEO: : Telegraph dispatch from Raqqa, Syria - Telegraph

PHOTOS: Exclusive pictures from Syria by Telegraph photographer David Rose - Telegraph

Syrian rebels, including FSA groups, fund their fighting through looting, smuggling and selling antiquities - conflict antiquities

Al Qaeda’s £168million cocaine smugglers, paid for the cocaine with weapons and cash looted in Libya - Money Jihad

Al-Jaafari to UNSC: Jabhet al-Nusra Claimed Responsibility for 600 Terrorist Acts in Syria in One Year - The Santos Republic

800 Tunisian Islamists fighting in Syria, minister says - NOW

Claims Australians killed in Syria were fighters, not aid workers - SMH

VIDEO: Insurgent Eats Heart of Syrian Soldier - YouTube

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Syrian opposition to meet to decide whether to join peace talks - Reuters

Russian official says Syria conference not possible in May, there are disagreements over who should have the right to take part - Yahoo! News

Gates: US military involvement in Syria a 'mistake' - NOW'

Drugs, prostitution and official corruption: Syrian refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan - ekurd

VIDEO: Direct U.S. military involvement in Syria "would be a mistake," says Gates - CBS News Video

VIDEO: US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford poses with rebel of Aleppo - LiveLeak.com

VIDEO: Geraldo Rivera: My Sources Tell Me Benghazi Was About Running Missiles to Syrian Rebels -TheBlaze.com

VIDEO: Moaz al-Khatib Exposes Roles of Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the Syrian Crisis on al-Jazeera - LiveLeak.com

 

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

Eroding Freedom in America

 

Eroding Freedom in America

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

US democracy is illusory. America never was beautiful. It's not the land of the free and home of the brave. It wasn't created that way. More than ever, it's not now.

 

Freedom is a four-letter word. It's fast disappearing. It's an endangered species. Wealth, power and privilege alone matter. America's war on terror priorities advance them. 

Thirdworldizing America

 

Thirdworldizing America

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Center for Economic and Policy Research co-director Dean Baker calls poverty America's "new growth industry." The state of today's America is deplorable.

 

Anti-Assad Rhetoric Intensifies

 

Anti-Assad Rhetoric Intensifies

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

US-led anti-Assad efforts continue. Obama's going all out to topple him. He's heading America for more war. 

 

His imperial strategy prioritizes it. Rule of law principles are discarded. Unchallenged global dominance alone matters. America's longstanding permanent war agenda advances it.

 

Malcolm Shabazz's Suspicious Death

 

Malcolm Shabazz's Suspicious Death

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

On May 9, Amsterdam News (AN) headlined "Malcolm Shabazz, grandson of Malcolm X, killed." 

 

Protest Kissinger Getting Intrepid Freedom Award

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger will receive the Intrepid Freedom Award on May 23rd for his distinguished career "defending" the values of freedom and democracy. Kissinger developed the plans for millions of war deaths, millions of refugees, millions maimed. He was responsible for the crimes against humanity in Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Chile and many other countries, including Iraq. Protest Kissinger at Manhattan's Intrepid Museum, Pier 86, 12th Ave. & 46th St.,  NYC  May 23rd, 5:30pm

New York Times Ad On Closing Guantánamo

by Debra Sweet                     My friend Stephen Phelps, Senior Minister at The Riverside Church, signed The New York Times ad on closing Guantanamowe plan to publish next week, and sent a note saying he would “begin to send the hope around to some others.”  This hit me strongly.  For the last four+ years, since Obama promised to close it, nothing hopeful has come out of Guantanamo.

Syria News May 11

 

Biden: US not to jump the gun on Syria, He stresses that it remains unclear who owned the chemical weapons and used them - AFP

VIDEO: Biden outlines US policy on Syrian conflict - Firstpost Topic

Hagel: ‘Political, not military’ solutions needed in Syria and Iran - Alarabiya.net 

No new S-300 supplies planned after Russia finalizes standing Syrian weapons contracts - Lavrov - RT News

Netanyahu to meet with Putin in Moscow, discuss Russian arms sales to Syria - Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Russian Pacific Fleet Warships to Appear in Eastern Mediterranean Sea - LiveLeak.com

Germany spy chief visited Syria: Report - PressTV

Saudis, Qatar fire UN torpedo at US-Russia sponsored Syrian peace conference, The resolution condemns the Syrian government and blames it for the use of chemical weapons-  Asia Times Online

Syria's chemical arsenal nearly 1,00 tons, watchdog chief says - Anadolu Agency

VIDEO: Nuclear arms expert discusses chemical weapons in Syria - Alarabiya.net

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Insight: In eastern Syria oil smugglers makes European hopes of buying crude from President Assad's opponents a distant prospect - Reuters

Al Nusra Front to be added to UN sanctions list as terrorist organization, diplomats say - AFP

Hezbollah and Al Qaeda Fighters Edging Closer to Confrontation - ABC News

3 Lebanese jihadists killed in Syria, 36 others missing - THE DAILY STAR

Nine arrested in Lebanon for smuggling weapons into Syria and planning to carry out a terrorist attack - THE DAILY STAR

Militants in Syria shell Lebanese border areas - abna.ir

Palestinians from Syria in Lebanon number 55,000 - THE DAILY STAR

Syrian army warns civilians to leave Qusayr - Alarabiya.net 

Al Manar TV: 3500 militant rebels in Qusayr offering to surrender to Syria’s Assad - Zimbio

Is Saudi Arabia behind the substitution of Syrian opposition PM Hitto? - The Syrian Observer News

Syrian Opposition Figure Faces Allegations of Money Laundering in France, Allegedly involved in Syrian artifacts smuggling through Lebanon and Turkey - SyriaNews

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Are PKK Fighters Moving to Syria? - Al-Monitor

The proliferation of armed Syrian Kurdish groups sets the stage for internecine conflicts - Syria News

 

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

 

Obama's Syria Game Plan: Libya 2.0

 

Obama's Syria Game Plan: Libya 2.0

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Obama's already waging multiple direct and proxy wars. He's heading America for more. Media scoundrels support it. They back all US aggression. They're beating the drums again now. They're manipulating public sentiment for support.

 

Russia, China and most other nations want peace. May 8 commemorates Victory in Europe Day (VE Day). Russia's toll was greatest. For many, war horrors still echo.

Hawking Boycotts Israel

 

Hawking Boycotts Israel

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Hawking was invited to participate in a June 18 - 20 Israeli Presidential Conference. Initially he accepted. In early May he declined. He's boycotting. He's protesting Israel's occupation. More on that below.

 

Hawking's a renown British physicist. His web site says he's the "former Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge."

Who Are the Real Criminals?

Who Are the Real Criminals?

83 year old nun, Sister Megan Rice and two other peace activists, Michael Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed were convicted and could be sentenced to 20 year for breaking into a Tennessee storage facility for depleted uranium weapons and splashing them with blood.  They are members of the group Transform Now Plowshares that lives the words of the Bible "They shall beat their swords into plowshares.  They shall learn war no more."

With skyrocketing cancer rates and birth defects, the city of Fallujah, Iraq has never recovered from the 2004 U.S. assault on it using depleted uranium munitions.  A study by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health states that the after effects of the Fallujah assault are "worse" than those after the U.S. nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Syria News May 10

 

U.S. Presses Russia on Syria Arms Sale (VIDEO) - WSJ.com

U.S. Is Warned Russia Plans Syria Arms Sale - WSJ.com

Israel asks Russia not to sell Syria advanced S-300 air shield: officials - Reuters

Deputy FM: Syria will 'respond immediately' to any Israeli strike - Yahoo!7

Assad: We have decided to give Hezbollah everything, it is not just an ally, we share the same destiny - almanar.com

Hezbollah: Syria to supply “game-changing” weapons to militia (VIDEO) - Chicago Sun-Times

Hezbollah offers to help Syria fight for Israel-occupied Golan - Yahoo! News

Syria troops, Hezbollah advancing on Qusayr, NGO says - Alarabiya.net 

Interview: NATO Supreme Allied Commander on Syria and Soft Power, warns Syria may ‘break apart’ post-Assad - The Atlantic

VIDEO: Deputy FM Muqdad: We'll 'Respond Immediately' to Any New Israeli Strike - LiveLeak.com

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Syria to let in UN experts to investigate chemical arms use — RT News

Damascus Welcomes Russia-US Rapprochement on Syria Crisis - RIA Novosti

Proposed UN General Assembly resolution backs political transition in Syria, condemns regime, Russia urges other countries to vote "no" - Fox News

Exclusive: Opposing Qatar's Syria Draft UNGA Resolution, Russia Cites Lavrov - Kerry Peace Conference , Letter Here - Inner City Press

France wants U.N. to label Syria's al-Nusra Front a terrorist group - Yahoo! News

Brahimi to stay on as Syria envoy after Russia-US bid, UN says

Exclusive: Turkish PM Erdogan: Syria has crossed red line, used chemical weapons VIDEO) - NBC World News

Turkey would support U.S.-led no-fly zone in Syria - NBC - Yahoo!7

Turkey steps up chemical weapons tests on Syria casualties - Reuters

Reports: Warnings about Syria from the US to Ankara especially about the support provided for pro-al-Qaeda “jihadist” elements - hurriyetdailynews.com

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SNC acting chief: Abducted Aleppo bishops 'in good health', held in a small village northwest of Aleppo by a rebel group - Al Bawaba

The Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq to train Syrian Kurds to stop extremists gaining ground - FT.com

60% of Syrian oil controlled by Kurds: PYD leader Salih Muslim - ekurd

Europe and the Politics Of Syrian Oil - Al-Monitor

Top U.S. Official Meets With Rebels Inside Syria - WBUR & NPR

Syrian opposition coalition's acting president urges U.S. action - chicagotribune.com

New report on the Muslim Brotherhood - Syria Comment

Al-Nusra Front denies chief wounded in Syria - AFP

Syrian Warplanes Pound Rebels Near Northern Mannagh Air Base - AP

Syrian army launches new operations in Banias - World Bulletin

Syrian troops advance in central city of Homs - Las Vegas Sun News

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Speaking with an Alleged Member of the Syrian Electronic Army About the 'Onion' Twitter Hack - VICE United States

No joke: The Onion tells how Syrian Electronic Army hacked its Twitter - Ars Technica

 

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

Legacy of European Colonialism Liberating Women With Bombs and Bags of Cash

 

By John Grant

It was the summer of 1981. I was working on an ambulance in Philadelphia, transporting a cancer patient to a hospital for radiation treatments. The man was in his sixties, and I felt he knew his days were numbered.

In my conversations with the man, it came up that I was a Vietnam veteran. He told me he was in the CIA in Saigon in the early 1970s.

“What did you do?” I asked.

Willie Manning: Unjustly Sentenced to Death

 

Willie Manning: Unjustly Sentenced to Death

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Capital punishment is barbaric, unjust and unconscionable. It's the ultimate denial of human rights. Nothing justifies state-sponsored murder. Wrongfully executing innocent victims alone explains why.

 

Kerry in Moscow

 

Kerry in Moscow

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Russian condemnation of Israeli air strikes preceded Kerry's arrival. Moscow's Foreign Ministry called them "a threat to regional stability." 

 

Syria News May 9

 

Syrian opposition would find it impossible to hold peace talks over a transitional government that still has Assad at its head - Reuters

White House says Syria's future can't include Assad despite efforts to lure rebels, regime into talks - The Washington Post

VIDEO: Carney: Assad Does Not Represent Syrian People - Yahoo! Finance Canada

US unveiling extra $100 million humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees - AFP

Pentagon Plans for the Worst in Syria - WSJ.com

EU "very satisfied" with US-Russia Syria accord - AFP

Brahimi Calls Russia-US Deal on Syria ‘Significant Step’ - RIA Novosti

Jordan, Iran Agree on Need For Political Solution in Syria - Al-Monitor

Saudi Arabia takes over from Qatar to deal with the Syrian opposition, as great powers begin to agree on general principles for a solution - Hassan Hassan 

Canada urges political solution in Syria - AFP

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Syrian troops push into strategic town along highway to Jordan - Reuters

FSA commanders say that entire units have gone over to al-Nusra while others have lost a quarter or more of their strength - The Guardian

US Intelligence Asked Moderate Syrian Rebels to Fight Al-Nusra - thenational.ae

Watchdog: Jihadist al-Nusra chief wounded near Damascus - Alarabiya.net 

Syrian rebels release video of captive peacekeepers (VIDEO) - The Times of Israel

UN pulls back Golan peacekeepers after abduction- AFP

Al-Assad tries to open safe corridor for Alawites, says Turkish FM - hurriyetdailynews.com

Thousands of Hezbollah fighters in Syria protecting Assad regime’s escape route? - Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Israeli- and Hizballah-controlled enclaves take shape inside Syria - DEBKAfile

Hezbollah seeking more arms after Israeli raid on Syria - NOW

Fatah: Resistance doesn't take orders from Syria - JPost

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Evidence suggests Al-Nusra used riot control agents, Symptoms are respiratory problems as those described by people who were under "chemical weapons" attacks - M of A

Jabhat Al-Nusra Photographed With "Chemical Weapons" that May be Riot Control Agents (PHOTO) - Brown Moses Blog

Alleged chemical weapon delivery systems in Syria are more likely less-lethal munitions - The Rogue Adventurer

VIDEO: Investigating Syrian rebels’ chemical weapons claims - Today Show

VIDEO: FSA Leader Says Syrian Govt Used Chemical Weapons 4 Times - Today Show

Growing signs Syria uses chemical weapons: Britain's Cameron - Yahoo! News

Britain lays out plan for arming Syrian rebels amid fears of 'likely' chemical weapons attack - Telegraph

Britain launches new drive to lift EU arms ban on Syria - Reuters

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Kurdish Group Gaining Autonomy In Northern Syria - Al-Monitor

‘Westren Kurdistan could be a model for a free and democratic Syria’: PYD leader Salih Muslim - ekurd

Divisions Plague Kurdish Opposition Groups in Syria - Rudaw

 

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

Stop the Torture! Close Guantánamo! End the War Crimes & Violations of Fundamental Rights!

by Debra Sweet          We’ve been pondering hard on what more we can do to create a political situation where Obama has to back down, release at least a few of the men at Guantanamo, and be forced into closing the prison. All of our frequent protests, petitions, call-ins, editorials and op-eds are part of what's needed.

Talk Nation Radio: Highway Boondoggles Bypass Budget Crunch

Randy "Salz" Salzman is a transportation writer and researcher and the author of Fatal Attraction: Curbing Our Love Affair With the Automobile Before it Kills Us.  He discusses how highway construction boondoggles that are bad for health, heritage, the environment, and even the flow of traffic, have survived in these times of cramped public budgets.  In particular, Salzman looks at the example of a proposed highway in Charlottesville, Va., opposed by the public but rolling ahead toward unsafe, destructive, and ridiculously expensive construction.

Total run time: 29:00

Host: David Swanson.
Producer: David Swanson.
Music by Duke Ellington.

Download or get embed code from Archive or  AudioPort or LetsTryDemocracy.

Syndicated by Pacifica Network.

Please encourage your local radio stations to carry this program every week!

Past Talk Nation Radio shows are all available free and complete at
http://davidswanson.org/talknationradio

Death Penalty Dying Out

Most of the world's governments no longer use the death penalty.  Among wealthy nations there is one exception remaining.  The United States is among the top five killers in the world.  Also in the top five: the recently "liberated" Iraq.

But most of the United States' 50 states no longer use the death penalty.  There are 18 states that have abolished it, including 6 in this new millennium, including Maryland this week.  Thirty-one states haven't used the death penalty in the past 5 years, 26 in the past 10 years, 17 in the past 40 years or more.  A handful of Southern states -- with Texas in the lead -- do most of the killing.

The progress is slow and painful.  Mississippi is right now having trouble deciding whether to spare a man just because he might be innocent.  Maryland has perversely left five people waiting to be killed while banning the death penalty for any future cases.  Next-door in Virginia we hold second place behind Texas and continue to kill. 

Virginia electrocuted a man named Robert Gleason in January.  Since then, Texas has killed four men, Ohio two, and Florida, Oklahoma, and Georgia one each -- all by lethal injection.  Since 1973, there have been 141 exonerations from death row nationwide, including an innocent Virginian who came within days of being killed. 

If you're convicted of killing a white person in Virginia, you're over three times as likely to receive the death penalty as you would be if the victim had been black.  The injustice and backwardness is staggering, but so is the lack of democracy.  Only a third of Virginians tell pollsters they favor the death penalty.

The evil of the death penalty is not limited to the instances in which it is used -- or to the corrosive influence it has on our culture.  The death penalty primarily serves as a valuable chip in plea bargaining.  Want someone to plead guilty, whether or not they actually are guilty?  Threaten them with the death penalty.  Who needs trials by jury (now used in under 2% of cases) when you have that kind of tool?  And who has time for them when you've overloaded the system by treating drug use as a crime?

Remarkably, a former commonwealth's attorney here in Charlottesville, Va., named Steve Deaton is campaigning for his old job with a commitment to never use or threaten to use the death penalty.

"I believe the death penalty is barbaric and has no place in modern Charlottesville courts," Deaton says, reversing the electoral wisdom of many decades, which firmly holds that candidates must pretend to believe the death penalty is just and righteous and a deterrent to crime, even if the public thinks that's nonsense.

"I am calling for a moratorium on death penalty prosecutions," says Deaton.  "During the past 20 years -- that is, the term of the incumbent Commonwealth's Attorney -- a number of capital murder charges have been brought against some people, almost all of them poor.  Then the charge is often used as a bargaining chip to get the defendant to plead guilty to murder and accept a life sentence.  This practice of using the threat of death to plea bargain is legal, and under current ethical standards, considered ethical.  However, I find such a practice appalling. By engaging in this practice the prosecutor is tempting fate: what if their threat doesn't work and the case goes to a jury?"

Many in Charlottesville oppose the death penalty.  Deaton explains the very real possibility that it will nonetheless be employed here: "The notion that no Charlottesville jury will return a death sentence is misleading.  In a capital murder case the jury has to be 'death qualified,' meaning that the jurors must believe in the death penalty.  Such a jury is not representative of the community!  Studies have shown that a 'death qualified jury' is also much more likely to convict."

Deaton points out that prosecutors have a great deal of discretion: "A prosecutor does not have to bring a capital murder charge.  They have the option of bringing a regular murder charge instead."

If elected, Deaton intends to use the enormous discretion given to prosecutors to try to make punishments more reasonably fit crimes, including so-called drug crimes.  While Charlottesville City Council failed by a vote of 3-2 in February to end jail time for possession of marijuana, Deaton intends to charge those possessing marijuana with a different charge: disorderly conduct.  It's technically a higher level charge -- a Class 1 misdemeanor -- but it does not carry the draconian punishments of loss of driver's license, subjection to drug testing, ruined college acceptance and student loan prospects, immigration status, etc.  "If a person makes a mistake, they should be punished.  They shouldn't have their lives ruined," Deaton says.

Deaton aims to counter mass-incarceration, not add to it.  "The state has built a new $100 million prison in Grayson County and there is talk of expanding our local jail," he says.  "All of this in spite of declining crime rates.  It is time to stop feeding the prison-industrial complex. I believe the goal of the justice system should be to empty out spaces in the jails and prisons -- not to fill every available space!"

Of course, the system of mass incarceration creates a caste system by stamping the scarlet F of "Felon" on those released, no matter how many years of their lives are wasted in cages.  Deaton favors restoring rights, including voting rights, for people convicted of nonviolent felonies.

Charlottesville has a chance to give the death penalty in Virginia a big push toward the door, which would help the United States and the world along that path.  As Charlottesville only elects Democrats (and packs the full range of great to awful candidates into that one party) the election for Deaton is effectively the June 11th primary.  Anyone in Charlottesville can vote in that primary, without swearing any loyalty to any party.  And anyone else can help to spread the word or donate to the campaign.

UN Human Rights Council Duplicity

 

UN Human Rights Council Duplicity

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

A previous article said the following:

 

On May 5, Reuters headlined "UN has testimony that Syrian rebels used sarin gas: investigator."

 

Fannie and Freddie in Good Hands with Mel Watt

 

Fannie and Freddie in Good Hands with Mel Watt

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

On May 1, Obama nominated Watt to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). 

 

It replaced the Federal Housing Finance Board (FHFB), the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (DHUD).

 

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