Feb. 11- US defence officials are preventing Barack Obama from seeing evidence that a former British resident held in Guantánamo Bay has been tortured, the prisoner's lawyer said last night, as campaigners and the Foreign Office prepared for the man's release in as little as a week.
Clive Stafford Smith, the director of the legal charity Reprieve, which represents Ethiopian-born Binyam Mohamed, sent Obama evidence of what he called "truly mediaeval" abuse but substantial parts were blanked out so the president could not read it.
In the letter to the president , Stafford Smith urges him to order the disclosure of the evidence.
Stafford Smith tells Obama he should be aware of the "bizarre reality" of the situation. "You, as commander in chief, are being denied access to material that would help prove that crimes have been committed by US personnel. This decision is being made by the very people who you command."
It is understood US defence officials might have censored the evidence to protect the president from criminal liability or political embarrassment.
The letter and its blanked-out attachment were disclosed as two high court judges yesterday agreed to reopen the court case in which Mohamed's lawyers, the Guardian and other media are seeking disclosure of evidence of alleged torture against him. Mohamed's lawyers are challenging the judges' gagging order, claiming that David Miliband, the foreign secretary, changed his evidence.
In a judgment last week, Lord Justice Thomas and Mr Justice Lloyd Jones stated repeatedly that Miliband claimed the US had threatened to stop sharing intelligence with the UK if information relating to Mohamed's alleged torture was disclosed. Miliband subsequently denied the US had applied such pressure. The case will be reopened next month.
After a meeting with Mohamed's US-appointed military lawyer, Lieutenant Colonel Yvonne Bradley, Miliband said yesterday that the US had granted permission for Foreign Office officials to visit Mohamed. The Foreign Office said the officials would be joined by a Metropolitan police doctor, who would accompany Mohamed back to the UK if he is released.
Stafford Smith said he believed this trip was to check Mohamed was fit to fly after the hunger strike that he has maintained for over a month. He stressed that no date for his client's release had been fixed, but "I think we're talking about a week, I sincerely hope so".
Millband said the US administration had agreed to treat Mohamed's case as "a priority", adding that Britain was working with Washington for "a swift resolution". Bradley said later: "We haven't been given any specific date about Mr Mohamed's release."
Earlier, she told a press conference that Mohamed's treatment "would make waterboarding seem like child's play".
Bradley and Stafford Smith yesterday met in private with members of the intelligence and security committee, the group of MPs and peers facing mounting criticism in Westminster over claims it failed to effectively scrutinise the activities of MI5. Stafford Smith said he told the committee it would have been "absolutely impossible" for it to have cleared MI5 of involvement in the torture of Mohamed had it seen 42 key documents in the case – as he has – that Miliband says cannot be released for reasons of national security.
Bill Delahunt, a senior Democrat congressman and chairman of the House of Representatives subcommittee on human rights and oversight, said: "We cannot let our governments stonewall ... I take offence at the idea that secrecy is being maintained in order to preserve national security." He told the all-party committee on rendition: "The treatment of detainees has done great harm to the security of both our nations."
Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Wylde, who worked in intelligence in Northern Ireland, told the committee: "The use of torture is utterly counterproductive because it breeds hatred against us and encourages people to become extremists."
David Davis, a former shadow home secretary, said torture was wrong morally and legally, ineffective and undermined the safety of British people. "Was the government involved, was it a matter of policy or a matter of freelancing – failure of policy or a failure of control?"
The Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, Edward Davey, said: "Miliband's bad judgment in blocking the courts from publishing this evidence of torture is being compounded by his refusal to press the new Obama administration to disclose this evidence freely."
Source: Guardian (UK)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Legislating Biology
Creationists, sorry, Intelligent Design proponents are attempting to do with law what their ideas could not do by themselves. Their ideas could not stand the glare of scrutiny, and experimentation, so they are legislating their views into existence.
When Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana runs for president in 2012, I want leftists to hammer home the fact every day of his campaign that he signed the very inappropriately named Louisiana Science Education Act into law. I want this done so often that the phrases Bobby Jindal and Intelligent Design become forever linked in Yahoo! Concepts searches. This classic wolf-in-sheep clothing law allows Intelligent Design to be taught in Louisiana Schools. Intelligent Design no more belongs in a biology class than the Turtle Island story belongs in a geology class. Intelligent Design is clearly religion masquerading as science.
Iowa and Alabama are trying to get Intelligent Design into the back door of higher education under the guise of academic freedom as well. In similar bills the law is being used to protect students and teachers because:
current law does not expressly protect the right of instructors to objectively present scientific information relevant to the full range of scientific views regarding
chemical and biological evolution.
And
existing law does not expressly protect students from discrimination due to their positions or views regarding biological or chemical evolution.
Which of course is completely false. You can express any fool thing you want, just do not expect to get tenure, because you obviously have not kept current in a field whose current body of knowledge was established about 150 years ago. Also do not expect an A on a biology exam because you are willfully disregarding the content of the class. Other than that, believe what you will, write it all up and get a regular stint writing for Townhall.com, because you are the latest victim of leftist intolerance.
The idea that scientists do not critique their own science is patently false. The latest cover of New Scientist magazine proclaims in no uncertain terms that Darwin Was Wrong! It does so while stating in equally uncertain terms that evolution, like plate tectonics, like the atomic theory is still pretty much sound. Science can stand the gaze of scrutiny, which is why no legislation was ever introduced to allow the theory of the germ to take hold. It became evident over time.
I know why evolution bothers the religious. It is because God is no longer necessary to explain the origin of life, any more than Thor is required to explain meteorology. God is merely conjecture at this point. I am not even sure that God is required to explain ethics. For my money, social contract theories developed during the Enlightenment, provide a perfectly valid, god-less
basis for ethics. Read the Age of Reason by Paine sometime.
Secularists of all stripes need to get together to defeat these bills. Iowa and Alabama, get out there and make sure they remain bottled up. Louisianans can use the Dover decision to fight the constitutionality of their new law. Better yet, start a new bill that overturns that one and get it right under the nose of Jindal in time for 2012.
Intelligent Design is not science. Let us not have the laws treat it as such.
When Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana runs for president in 2012, I want leftists to hammer home the fact every day of his campaign that he signed the very inappropriately named Louisiana Science Education Act into law. I want this done so often that the phrases Bobby Jindal and Intelligent Design become forever linked in Yahoo! Concepts searches. This classic wolf-in-sheep clothing law allows Intelligent Design to be taught in Louisiana Schools. Intelligent Design no more belongs in a biology class than the Turtle Island story belongs in a geology class. Intelligent Design is clearly religion masquerading as science.
Iowa and Alabama are trying to get Intelligent Design into the back door of higher education under the guise of academic freedom as well. In similar bills the law is being used to protect students and teachers because:
current law does not expressly protect the right of instructors to objectively present scientific information relevant to the full range of scientific views regarding
chemical and biological evolution.
And
existing law does not expressly protect students from discrimination due to their positions or views regarding biological or chemical evolution.
Which of course is completely false. You can express any fool thing you want, just do not expect to get tenure, because you obviously have not kept current in a field whose current body of knowledge was established about 150 years ago. Also do not expect an A on a biology exam because you are willfully disregarding the content of the class. Other than that, believe what you will, write it all up and get a regular stint writing for Townhall.com, because you are the latest victim of leftist intolerance.
The idea that scientists do not critique their own science is patently false. The latest cover of New Scientist magazine proclaims in no uncertain terms that Darwin Was Wrong! It does so while stating in equally uncertain terms that evolution, like plate tectonics, like the atomic theory is still pretty much sound. Science can stand the gaze of scrutiny, which is why no legislation was ever introduced to allow the theory of the germ to take hold. It became evident over time.
I know why evolution bothers the religious. It is because God is no longer necessary to explain the origin of life, any more than Thor is required to explain meteorology. God is merely conjecture at this point. I am not even sure that God is required to explain ethics. For my money, social contract theories developed during the Enlightenment, provide a perfectly valid, god-less
basis for ethics. Read the Age of Reason by Paine sometime.
Secularists of all stripes need to get together to defeat these bills. Iowa and Alabama, get out there and make sure they remain bottled up. Louisianans can use the Dover decision to fight the constitutionality of their new law. Better yet, start a new bill that overturns that one and get it right under the nose of Jindal in time for 2012.
Intelligent Design is not science. Let us not have the laws treat it as such.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
News From Indymedia
Feb. 12-2009-The flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the M/Y Steve Irwin, is heading back from the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary where it has been on patrol to enforce international conservation regulations in protection of the area's great whales. Since its departure from Brisbane, Australia on December 4th, the ship and its crew have been involved in various confrontations with a Japanese Whaling Fleet, which continues to operate a commercial whale hunt in the area illegally.
On December 26th, the Steve Irwin confronted the Japanese vessel Kaiko Maru. The ships collided and Sea Shepherd crew deployed butyric acid on its decks. From 1st February the whaling operation was shut down for 8 days straight with both sides of the conflict accusing each other of dangerous manoeuvres and tactics. On February 6th, the Steve Irwin had collisions with the harpoon ships Yushin Maru No 2 and Yushin Maru No 3, when it tried to block the ships from offloading dead whales onto the factory ship Nisshin Maru. As an international crew of 40, activists from Australia, America, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, Sweden, Bermuda, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, New Zealand and Japan manned the Sea Shepherd vessel during the campaign which was dubbed operation Musashi.
On December 19th, only 9 days after the Steve Irwin had left Hobart, Tasmania it was able to locate one of the ships of the Japanese Whaling Fleet. The Yushin Maru No.2, one of the Japanese harpoon ships, suffered ice damage to its propeller while being pursued by the Steve Irwin that day. In dense fog the harpoon ship was forced to flee into icy waters. The incident and the damage which resulted from it took the harpoon vessel out of operation between December 20th and February 5th, for a total of 46 days.
On December 26th, the Steve Irwin confronted the Japanese spotter vessel Kaiko Maru. The ships collided and Sea Shepherd crew deployed butyric acid on its decks. During manoeuvres by both ships a collision occurred causing minor damage to both ships, and no injuries, in Antarctic waters within the Australian Economic Exclusion Zone and Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, north of the Mawson Peninsula. Australian citizen Jeff Hansen from Perth, Western Australia, delivered a message over the radio in Japanese calling on the Japanese whaling ship to cease whaling operations and leave Australian territorial waters.
The Kaiko Maru had been undertaking a detour in the ice pack area after completing the day’s research activities, according to the Institute Of Cetacean Research (ICA). The Steve Irwin pursued and came alongside the Kaiko Maru for anti-whaling activists to throw 10 bottles of butyric acid (rotten butter) and 15 bottles of a methyl cellulose and indelible dye mixture.
Methyl cellulose makes the decks of the whaling ships unbearably slippery, as the whalers now know after a few of these confrontations, while butyric acid produces a very bad smell making work intolerable. Both substances are biodegradable and cause no harm when it comes in contact with a person. The main target is the large deck of the Nisshin Maru, the factory ship which processes the whale meat. Once the substances have been thrown on deck, they can’t use it for a while as it would contaminate the whale meat, delaying any killing of whales.
From 1st February the whaling operation was shut down for 8 days straight as Sea Shepherd persued the factory ship Nisshin Maru. On February 4th, Sea Shepherd reported that the three harpoon vessels of the fleet attacked the Steve Irwin. All three harpoon ships moved in to flank the Steve Irwin as the Sea Shepherd ship continued to chase the factory ship Nisshin Maru. "The Yushin Maru #2 initiated the attack by cutting dangerously close across the bow of the Steve Irwin from port to starboard in seas that were far from calm. The other two harpoon vessels Yushin Maru #1 and Yushin Maru #3 made the same dangerous maneuvers." stated a press release by Sea Shepherd. "It has given us some very dramatic footage for the next season of Whale Wars," said Captain Paul Watson.
"If their intention was to intimidate us, it did not work. When it comes to playing chicken on the high seas, we have much more experience than the whalers."
On February 6th, the Steve Irwin had collisions with the harpoon ships Yushin Maru No 2 and Yushin Maru No 3, when it tried to block the ships from offloading dead whales onto the factory ship Nisshin Maru. No injuries occurred during the collisions. The Japanese Whaling fleet decided to stop running from Sea Shepherd and recommenced whale slaughtering which has provoked confrontations between the whalers and Sea Shepherd activists.
According to Captain Paul Watson: "We told them to not continue their illegal whaling operations and that we would be blocking the stern slipway of the factory ship. They decided to test our resolve and apparently expected us to retreat when they charged in ahead of us to make the transfer."
With the Japanese Whaling Fleet using three harpoon boats, Sea Shepherd does not have the resources to prevent the harpooning of whales. Once harpooned, the whales need to be transferred to the rear slipway of the factory ship, the Nisshin Maru. Sea Shepherd have endeavoured to block the transferring of dead whales by placing their boat, the Steve Irwin, right behind the Nisshin Maru. Both collisions ocurred in this situation with the Japanese attempting to force Sea Shepherd from blocking access to the Nisshin Maru slipway, while pounding the activists with hire pressure water jets, Longe Range acoustic Devices (LRD) which can daze or confuse people within its range, and metal objects.
Sea Shepherd says they pursued the Japanese whaling fleet for over 2000 miles between December 18th and January 7th disrupting their whaling operations for 19 days. "The Steve Irwin returned and relocated the whaling fleet shutting down operations of the fleet for an additional 8 days. We can claim 27 days that we physically prevented the whalers from killing whales.
"Many less whales have been killed and more whaling profits lost. The whaling fleet will not meet its quota for the fourth year in a row."
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was founded in 1977 by Paul Watson who is one of the three founding members of Greenpeace. Watson had come to feel that the tactics employed by that organisation were inadequate. While Greenpeace have a policy of avoiding harm to whaling vessels, Sea Shepherd have a deliberate policy of sinking or sabotaging vessels engaged in illegal whaling.
This confrontational approach has been controversial. Greenpeace refuse to work with them and the FBI dub them 'eco-terrorists'. Nevertheless, their uncompromising position has found them many supporters, including several high-profile figures. In 2007 the MV Robert Hunter (named after Canadian Robert Hunter, co-founder of the Greenpeace Foundation) was renamed Steve Irwin after the TV naturalist. Irwin had considered joining the vessel on an upcoming voyage to Antarctica shortly before his untimely death, and the decision to rename the vessel was endorsed by his widow Terri Irwin.
Although it is most famous for its work defending whales, Sea Shepherd's remit is much broader, incorporating campaigns against poaching, longline fishing, shark finning, seal hunting, unlawful habitat destruction and climate change. Their confrontation with shark poachers in Guatemala is a key element of the film Sharkwater, recently released in cinemas across the world.
On December 26th, the Steve Irwin confronted the Japanese vessel Kaiko Maru. The ships collided and Sea Shepherd crew deployed butyric acid on its decks. From 1st February the whaling operation was shut down for 8 days straight with both sides of the conflict accusing each other of dangerous manoeuvres and tactics. On February 6th, the Steve Irwin had collisions with the harpoon ships Yushin Maru No 2 and Yushin Maru No 3, when it tried to block the ships from offloading dead whales onto the factory ship Nisshin Maru. As an international crew of 40, activists from Australia, America, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, Sweden, Bermuda, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, New Zealand and Japan manned the Sea Shepherd vessel during the campaign which was dubbed operation Musashi.
On December 19th, only 9 days after the Steve Irwin had left Hobart, Tasmania it was able to locate one of the ships of the Japanese Whaling Fleet. The Yushin Maru No.2, one of the Japanese harpoon ships, suffered ice damage to its propeller while being pursued by the Steve Irwin that day. In dense fog the harpoon ship was forced to flee into icy waters. The incident and the damage which resulted from it took the harpoon vessel out of operation between December 20th and February 5th, for a total of 46 days.
On December 26th, the Steve Irwin confronted the Japanese spotter vessel Kaiko Maru. The ships collided and Sea Shepherd crew deployed butyric acid on its decks. During manoeuvres by both ships a collision occurred causing minor damage to both ships, and no injuries, in Antarctic waters within the Australian Economic Exclusion Zone and Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, north of the Mawson Peninsula. Australian citizen Jeff Hansen from Perth, Western Australia, delivered a message over the radio in Japanese calling on the Japanese whaling ship to cease whaling operations and leave Australian territorial waters.
The Kaiko Maru had been undertaking a detour in the ice pack area after completing the day’s research activities, according to the Institute Of Cetacean Research (ICA). The Steve Irwin pursued and came alongside the Kaiko Maru for anti-whaling activists to throw 10 bottles of butyric acid (rotten butter) and 15 bottles of a methyl cellulose and indelible dye mixture.
Methyl cellulose makes the decks of the whaling ships unbearably slippery, as the whalers now know after a few of these confrontations, while butyric acid produces a very bad smell making work intolerable. Both substances are biodegradable and cause no harm when it comes in contact with a person. The main target is the large deck of the Nisshin Maru, the factory ship which processes the whale meat. Once the substances have been thrown on deck, they can’t use it for a while as it would contaminate the whale meat, delaying any killing of whales.
From 1st February the whaling operation was shut down for 8 days straight as Sea Shepherd persued the factory ship Nisshin Maru. On February 4th, Sea Shepherd reported that the three harpoon vessels of the fleet attacked the Steve Irwin. All three harpoon ships moved in to flank the Steve Irwin as the Sea Shepherd ship continued to chase the factory ship Nisshin Maru. "The Yushin Maru #2 initiated the attack by cutting dangerously close across the bow of the Steve Irwin from port to starboard in seas that were far from calm. The other two harpoon vessels Yushin Maru #1 and Yushin Maru #3 made the same dangerous maneuvers." stated a press release by Sea Shepherd. "It has given us some very dramatic footage for the next season of Whale Wars," said Captain Paul Watson.
"If their intention was to intimidate us, it did not work. When it comes to playing chicken on the high seas, we have much more experience than the whalers."
On February 6th, the Steve Irwin had collisions with the harpoon ships Yushin Maru No 2 and Yushin Maru No 3, when it tried to block the ships from offloading dead whales onto the factory ship Nisshin Maru. No injuries occurred during the collisions. The Japanese Whaling fleet decided to stop running from Sea Shepherd and recommenced whale slaughtering which has provoked confrontations between the whalers and Sea Shepherd activists.
According to Captain Paul Watson: "We told them to not continue their illegal whaling operations and that we would be blocking the stern slipway of the factory ship. They decided to test our resolve and apparently expected us to retreat when they charged in ahead of us to make the transfer."
With the Japanese Whaling Fleet using three harpoon boats, Sea Shepherd does not have the resources to prevent the harpooning of whales. Once harpooned, the whales need to be transferred to the rear slipway of the factory ship, the Nisshin Maru. Sea Shepherd have endeavoured to block the transferring of dead whales by placing their boat, the Steve Irwin, right behind the Nisshin Maru. Both collisions ocurred in this situation with the Japanese attempting to force Sea Shepherd from blocking access to the Nisshin Maru slipway, while pounding the activists with hire pressure water jets, Longe Range acoustic Devices (LRD) which can daze or confuse people within its range, and metal objects.
Sea Shepherd says they pursued the Japanese whaling fleet for over 2000 miles between December 18th and January 7th disrupting their whaling operations for 19 days. "The Steve Irwin returned and relocated the whaling fleet shutting down operations of the fleet for an additional 8 days. We can claim 27 days that we physically prevented the whalers from killing whales.
"Many less whales have been killed and more whaling profits lost. The whaling fleet will not meet its quota for the fourth year in a row."
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was founded in 1977 by Paul Watson who is one of the three founding members of Greenpeace. Watson had come to feel that the tactics employed by that organisation were inadequate. While Greenpeace have a policy of avoiding harm to whaling vessels, Sea Shepherd have a deliberate policy of sinking or sabotaging vessels engaged in illegal whaling.
This confrontational approach has been controversial. Greenpeace refuse to work with them and the FBI dub them 'eco-terrorists'. Nevertheless, their uncompromising position has found them many supporters, including several high-profile figures. In 2007 the MV Robert Hunter (named after Canadian Robert Hunter, co-founder of the Greenpeace Foundation) was renamed Steve Irwin after the TV naturalist. Irwin had considered joining the vessel on an upcoming voyage to Antarctica shortly before his untimely death, and the decision to rename the vessel was endorsed by his widow Terri Irwin.
Although it is most famous for its work defending whales, Sea Shepherd's remit is much broader, incorporating campaigns against poaching, longline fishing, shark finning, seal hunting, unlawful habitat destruction and climate change. Their confrontation with shark poachers in Guatemala is a key element of the film Sharkwater, recently released in cinemas across the world.
The Marvelous Marvelletes
Motown had three excellent girl groups. The Supremes had the sweetness and sophistication. The Vandellas had the amazing pipes of Martha Reeves, which could really clean the lint off of bricks at 50 yards. But pound for pound, I would have to say the Marvellettes had an amazing collective grit that really makes them my favorite Motown girl act.
People know their songs but they never really had a collective face in the way that the Supremes had Diana Ross and the Vandellas had Martha. They were somewhat faceless, but had an amazing record of 23 Top 100 hits. They can also be found as backing vocalists on numerous Motown sessions. They were also briefly known as the Darnells. I have long ago given up figuring out how vocal groups got their names, so let us just be thankful that they got known as the Marvellettes. Perhaps also leading to their lack of recognition is the fact that both Gladys Horton and Wanda Young alternated leads for their songs. They had a total of five members, in what was supposed to be a three-person, or four—person group, depending on the time of the recording. Juanita Cowart left early on. Georgeanna Gordon left about mid-stream, and lead vocalist Horton was replaced Anne Brogan late in the career of the group. So, they had somewhat of a rotating cast of characters.
Yet, their songs, though written by men, delivered a very believable female-centric view of the universe of love. My fave rave of theirs, Too Many Fish In The Sea, really tells women that they do not have to wait around for a particular man. Their uber-sexy, My Baby Must Be A Magician, has a great basso spoken-word introduction by Temptation Melvin Franklin. The otherwise sappy, Please Mr. Postman, really comes off like an urgent plea. And, who has not wanted to dial Beechwood4-5789 and ask for a date any old time.
Motown really was, at times, a family, and the Marvellettes showed that. Georgeanna Gordon was married to a Contour and Wanda Young married a Miracle.
They lasted eight years, which is really a lengthy run. When Motown shed its Detroit-roots and left for California, the Marvellettes were one of the groups left in the dust. Most of the Motown groups have Utlimate Collection CDs and the Marvellettes are no exception
People know their songs but they never really had a collective face in the way that the Supremes had Diana Ross and the Vandellas had Martha. They were somewhat faceless, but had an amazing record of 23 Top 100 hits. They can also be found as backing vocalists on numerous Motown sessions. They were also briefly known as the Darnells. I have long ago given up figuring out how vocal groups got their names, so let us just be thankful that they got known as the Marvellettes. Perhaps also leading to their lack of recognition is the fact that both Gladys Horton and Wanda Young alternated leads for their songs. They had a total of five members, in what was supposed to be a three-person, or four—person group, depending on the time of the recording. Juanita Cowart left early on. Georgeanna Gordon left about mid-stream, and lead vocalist Horton was replaced Anne Brogan late in the career of the group. So, they had somewhat of a rotating cast of characters.
Yet, their songs, though written by men, delivered a very believable female-centric view of the universe of love. My fave rave of theirs, Too Many Fish In The Sea, really tells women that they do not have to wait around for a particular man. Their uber-sexy, My Baby Must Be A Magician, has a great basso spoken-word introduction by Temptation Melvin Franklin. The otherwise sappy, Please Mr. Postman, really comes off like an urgent plea. And, who has not wanted to dial Beechwood4-5789 and ask for a date any old time.
Motown really was, at times, a family, and the Marvellettes showed that. Georgeanna Gordon was married to a Contour and Wanda Young married a Miracle.
They lasted eight years, which is really a lengthy run. When Motown shed its Detroit-roots and left for California, the Marvellettes were one of the groups left in the dust. Most of the Motown groups have Utlimate Collection CDs and the Marvellettes are no exception
Sunday, February 8, 2009
News From Green Left Weekly
Stuart Munckton
6 February 2009
More than 120,000 people marched in London on January 31 against the genocidal war being carried out by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) that has conquered Tamil-controlled areas in Sri Lanka’s north and east at massive cost to the civilian population, according to Tamilforum.com.
The marchers were predominantly Tamils exiled due to the oppression and war carried out by the Sri Lankan state. The Tamils have been struggling for self-determination against a racist state based on the domination of the Sinhalese ethnic majority.
The SLA is seeking to completely destroy the armed resistance of the Tamil people carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as well as the structures of Tamil self-government created in LTTE-liberated territories.
Tamilnet.com reported on February 5 that the SLA had shelled that day a “safety zone in torrents not allowing people to come out of bunkers throughout the day in Chuthanthirapuram and Iruddumadu civilian refuges”.
The article reported that the previous day, more than 50 civilians were killed due to shelling within the safety zone in Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK), forcing staff from the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to flee.
According to Tamilnet.com: “Most of the patients at PTK hospital were moved away [February 4] as the hospital had come under artillery barrage, also deploying artillery-fired cluster shells on the hospital and its vicinity. A UN official in Colombo also told reporters that cluster bombs were used in the attack on [the] hospital.”
On February 3, the report stated, “more than 100 civilians were feared killed in artillery barrage”.
Tamilforum.com noted on the Londond march: “It was remarkable to note the high proportion of British born Tamils participating. The protest, which was arranged in less than a week by Action Committee Against Genocide of Tamils, an umbrella body made up of several Tamil organisations.”
The report noted: “With the monsoon rains in full force, the civilians’ torment is further magnified by the lack of food, shelter and medical assistance.
“The wounded are being left without medical treatment.”
The protest called for the international community to pressure Sri Lanka for an immediate permanent ceasefire and negotiations to resolve the decades-long conflict.
The marchers also called for desperately needed emergency aid to be sent to areas targeted by the SLA.
“The peace campaigners also called on the international media to expose the truth about this unfolding humanitarian catastrophe by getting around the cynical methods the Sri Lankan government has employed hitherto to suppress the truth”, Tamilnet.com reported.
“After banishing the international media, the NGOs and the UN agencies from the conflict zone and silencing the local media by assassinating leading journalists, the current hard-line Sri Lankan regime has succeeded in suppressing the truth emerging about what is widely accepted as a genocidal war against the centuries old Tamil civilisation in Sri Lanka.”
The report claimed that by spending “millions of dollars on public relations, the Sri Lankan regime has attempted to, and in many instances succeeded in hoodwinking the international media”.
According to Tamilgenocide.org, 50,000 predominantly Tamils marched in Toronto to protest the “genocide of innocents in Sri Lanka’s conflict zone” on February 6.
A protest against Sri Lanka’s war also occurred on February 4 in Durban, South Africa, and included representatives of the governing African National Congress and the South African Communist Party.
From: International News, Green Left Weekly issue #782 11 February 2009.
6 February 2009
More than 120,000 people marched in London on January 31 against the genocidal war being carried out by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) that has conquered Tamil-controlled areas in Sri Lanka’s north and east at massive cost to the civilian population, according to Tamilforum.com.
The marchers were predominantly Tamils exiled due to the oppression and war carried out by the Sri Lankan state. The Tamils have been struggling for self-determination against a racist state based on the domination of the Sinhalese ethnic majority.
The SLA is seeking to completely destroy the armed resistance of the Tamil people carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as well as the structures of Tamil self-government created in LTTE-liberated territories.
Tamilnet.com reported on February 5 that the SLA had shelled that day a “safety zone in torrents not allowing people to come out of bunkers throughout the day in Chuthanthirapuram and Iruddumadu civilian refuges”.
The article reported that the previous day, more than 50 civilians were killed due to shelling within the safety zone in Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK), forcing staff from the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to flee.
According to Tamilnet.com: “Most of the patients at PTK hospital were moved away [February 4] as the hospital had come under artillery barrage, also deploying artillery-fired cluster shells on the hospital and its vicinity. A UN official in Colombo also told reporters that cluster bombs were used in the attack on [the] hospital.”
On February 3, the report stated, “more than 100 civilians were feared killed in artillery barrage”.
Tamilforum.com noted on the Londond march: “It was remarkable to note the high proportion of British born Tamils participating. The protest, which was arranged in less than a week by Action Committee Against Genocide of Tamils, an umbrella body made up of several Tamil organisations.”
The report noted: “With the monsoon rains in full force, the civilians’ torment is further magnified by the lack of food, shelter and medical assistance.
“The wounded are being left without medical treatment.”
The protest called for the international community to pressure Sri Lanka for an immediate permanent ceasefire and negotiations to resolve the decades-long conflict.
The marchers also called for desperately needed emergency aid to be sent to areas targeted by the SLA.
“The peace campaigners also called on the international media to expose the truth about this unfolding humanitarian catastrophe by getting around the cynical methods the Sri Lankan government has employed hitherto to suppress the truth”, Tamilnet.com reported.
“After banishing the international media, the NGOs and the UN agencies from the conflict zone and silencing the local media by assassinating leading journalists, the current hard-line Sri Lankan regime has succeeded in suppressing the truth emerging about what is widely accepted as a genocidal war against the centuries old Tamil civilisation in Sri Lanka.”
The report claimed that by spending “millions of dollars on public relations, the Sri Lankan regime has attempted to, and in many instances succeeded in hoodwinking the international media”.
According to Tamilgenocide.org, 50,000 predominantly Tamils marched in Toronto to protest the “genocide of innocents in Sri Lanka’s conflict zone” on February 6.
A protest against Sri Lanka’s war also occurred on February 4 in Durban, South Africa, and included representatives of the governing African National Congress and the South African Communist Party.
From: International News, Green Left Weekly issue #782 11 February 2009.
Wild In The Streets
really do not know why I love this picture as much as I do. But maybe I know exactly why I love it so much. Long story short, Max Frost is a rock star who manages to precipitate a youth takeover of the United States. That is really all you really need to know about it. It has a mostly rock and roll soundtrack, that was probably performed by some of the AIP rock stalwarts, such as the Chocolate Watch Band and Dave Allan and the Arrows. So, that is another reason to kind of like this movie. It has also recently been on Youtube, but I think it is down now. That is the problem with Youtube. You have to strike while the iron is hot. I really do not know what TMC has not had this movie on its TCM Underground series, it almost defines cult film. Instead of doing a big take, I thought I would just explain why this movie is cool:
You can learn really fascinating facts about the U.S. government. Such as the fact that the U.S. Congress is composed of about twenty guys, that they meet in what looks like a city council chamber, and they can change the U.S. Constitution with a 2/3 vote.
Richard Pryor does the most unconvincing drummer impersonation in any film.
The makers of this film have no idea of how LSD really works.
This film features one of the first screen appearances of Barry Williams.
Max Frost sports a tiny pony-tail on the back of his head. This may be the first screen appearance of the freshie.
At the time this movie came out, it could have catered to two different sides. If you were one of the oldsters who feared the youth of the time, it would confirm your worst fears. If you were one of the youths, of the time, you could have lived out a vicarious fantasy.
As low budget as it was, it probably provoked some serious discussions at the time.
No character in this film has any good motives. Hal Holbrook as the U.S. Senator is trying to secure power by getting young people to support him. Max Frost is trying to, well, take over the whole country. Shelley Winters, as the mom, is clearly a narcissist. Everyone in this movie is a bad guy. How can you hate that?
Please petition TMC to feature this movie on TCM Underground.
You can learn really fascinating facts about the U.S. government. Such as the fact that the U.S. Congress is composed of about twenty guys, that they meet in what looks like a city council chamber, and they can change the U.S. Constitution with a 2/3 vote.
Richard Pryor does the most unconvincing drummer impersonation in any film.
The makers of this film have no idea of how LSD really works.
This film features one of the first screen appearances of Barry Williams.
Max Frost sports a tiny pony-tail on the back of his head. This may be the first screen appearance of the freshie.
At the time this movie came out, it could have catered to two different sides. If you were one of the oldsters who feared the youth of the time, it would confirm your worst fears. If you were one of the youths, of the time, you could have lived out a vicarious fantasy.
As low budget as it was, it probably provoked some serious discussions at the time.
No character in this film has any good motives. Hal Holbrook as the U.S. Senator is trying to secure power by getting young people to support him. Max Frost is trying to, well, take over the whole country. Shelley Winters, as the mom, is clearly a narcissist. Everyone in this movie is a bad guy. How can you hate that?
Please petition TMC to feature this movie on TCM Underground.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
News From Infoshop
February 1-Wednesday we participated in the demonstration against the separation fence in Ni'ilon and visited there the Holocaust exhibition http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3662608,00.html in the municipality building. On Friday we participated in the usual demonstrations against the separation fence in Bil'in, Ni'ilin, and Um Salmuna. In Bil'in we had a reinforcement support from the leftist Palestinian Front of struggle. Palestine-Israel, Just another week of AAtW struggle against the separation fence and occupation Wednesday we participated in the demonstration against the separation fence in Ni'ilon and visited there the Holocaust exhibition http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3662608,00.html in the municipality building. On Friday we participated in the usual demonstrations against the separation fence in Bil'in, Ni'ilin, and Um Salmuna. In Bil'in we had a reinforcement support from the leftist Palestinian Front of struggle. We also had a second wave headed by three local women that brought us up to the electronic fence. In Um Salmuna the local comity dared to lead the demonstration to the local highway - going around the unprepared state force road block. A high ranking commander detained a member of the village comity and the I.D.s of participants confiscated. However, after a 10 minute stay, the demonstration declared finished and both the detainee and I.D.s were released. On Saturday, January 31st 2009, at 15:00, we will hold a protest event in Gan Hashnaim (Yefet st. corner of Dr. Erlich), with projections of testimonies from Gaza, art installations and performances. Ja'ayus 23-1-2009 - link to video http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=nxnhDdMeQxg BIL'IN Friday 23-1-09 demonstration video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUdhNq2Na1c Friday 30-1-09 demonstration video at http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=NibvpvDgiH8 As it happen often the last few weeks, when two demonstrators hung flags on the gate to the route of the separation fence, the Israeli state force showered us with tear gas. After regrouping, three Palestinian women marched towards the gate and entered the route and even shake the electronic fence, while shouting on the state force. The state force shamed by the women refrained for few minutes from resuming shooting, and others of us joined the women. After a wile the state force started to shower us again with tear gas and gradually forcing us to retreat to the village. Following are excerpts from the report of Iyad Burnat- Head of Popular Committee in Bil'in: "Dozens suffered ["only"] from teargas inhalation during the Bil'in Weekly Demonstration Friday, 30 1 2008 "The march drew a crowd of cadres and members and supporters of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front [from the west bank], hoisting banners and chanting slogans calling for unity and the removal of settlements and the wall and lifting the siege on Gaza." "Khamis Fathi Abu Rahma left the hospital yesterday after being injured by Israeli soldiers on Friday in the head with a new type of gas, corrected by the Israeli soldiers, causing a fracture and severe bleeding in his skull, where the Israeli soldiers deliberately pointed their guns at the heads of the demonstrators especially when firing tear gas." NI'ILIN Ni'ilin demonstration 21-1-2009 - link to video Report of Professor Uriel Prokachia on a previous Friday demonstration against the separation fence Come to Ni'ilin - Personal experience on what happens on Fridays in the village, will enable you too to decide on morally related questions Every Friday protest actions happen in the Palestinian village Ni'ilin with its 5,000 inhabitants, against the separation fence, that cut between the village and its fields. The protest activities initiate confrontations between the villagers and the security forces, that already cost a high price of life of villagers, serious injuries on both sides and destruction. Naturally, such violence rise a serious ethical question. We "consume" every week contradicted reports of the villagers and of the security forces, where each side blame the other side for the responsibility to the tragedy. Last Friday, I decided to enter the village without prejudice to witness with my own eyes what happens, without biased reports. May be what I have seen is only one piece of a more complex picture I failed to decipher its full meaning, but even this piece rise in me a serious worry. Ni'ilin is a picturesque village adjacent to the hills scene north of Modi'in. Most of its lands were expropriated after the Six Days war [1967] for "security reasons" and were built on a string of settlements, among them Modi'in Illit, Hashmonaim, Kiriat Sefer, and Nili. The security fence will bite wide area from the small remaining area - though the High Court of Justice, the less cruel for the villages from the alternatives the security forces brought before it. However, it is hard for the villagers to accept this alternative that will result the loss of means of livelihood for many families and intensify the feeling of economic and emotional strangulation forced on them from the beginning of the occupation. Friday, 10:00 in the morning, the village seems to be calm and serene. Merchant stand in front of their meager shops, people are conversing in the small alleys and small herds of sheep and goats are lead by teenagers to the near by pasture lands. Gradually, started a converging of about 200 people on a high hill facing the far away separation fence that separate between the village on one side and Modi'in Illit and Hashmonaim on the other. Most of the people are from the village including women and children. I counted about a dozen of participants from out of the village, who express support to the struggle against the separation fence. Already at that time, jeeps of the border gendarmes are seen among the olive trees, about a kilometer or two from the converging people. After a while, the people are forming a procession for the march. The soldiers and the policemen are spread out near by. Five minutes later, with no sign of violence from the side of the converging people - even before the starting of the march towards the far away fence, the state force started to spray the whole region with tear gas. The youth start to throw stones, but only for a short period, as the teargas do its job. It is impossible to stay within the cloud of tear gas. The gas blind the eyes and choke your breath. The people, and me too, escape into the houses. The people in the house that took me in shut all the doors and windows so it will not be flooded by the gas. The security forces continue their bold and ordered march into the village and invade its central square. From there, they continue to shoot tear gas into the houses. All the village houses are wrapped by the gas. The house I hide in is wrapped by gas from outside but significant amount penetrate in due to incomplete sealing of the doors and windows. Me and my courteous hosts, I was not acquainted before, shed tears like the Mississippi... but as we were healthy we got over eventually with no harm. I am less sure about the fate of babies, old folk, and people with problematic respiration system. At that stage I assumed that the Friday program was fulfilled and I may resume business as usual. However, the security forces thought otherwise. The shooting continued and continued. All the villagers were hiding at their homes. The village is covered with a disgusting cloud tear gas. The time pass, one and a half, two, two and a half, three... and the shooting continues. I know what happened afterwards only from rumors as my host that worried about me found a way to smuggle me out of the village to the near by high way using side way that bypass the shooting area. May be some readers will doubt the authenticity of the report, or that will say that it is all in the eyes of the one who look at it.... But, the ethical question presented here is important. Every one of us must equip himself with a real personal narrative that will shade light on his road. There is only one ethical way to do that: sacrifice the pleasures of one Friday and come for direct experience in the village. It worth the sacrifice. The village is friendly to its guests, the view is wonderful, at least in the minutes of grace you can look at it with tear-less eyes. ------------------------------------------ Professor Uriel Prokchia is the head of the M.A. program in law of the interdisciplinary center of Hertzelia collage
Small And Poor May Get Out Of The Recession
We like to think big and rich in this country. This is what Americans do. Our country is the country of endless possibilities, and we like to make our mark. The stimulus ideas of President Obama ideas are all big and rich. I have no real problem with funding big projects for our nation’s communities. My hometown, back in Wisconsin, has a junior high school and an athletic field that were built by the Work Projects Administration. I have no doubt that the building of these facilities kept many people fed. They have continued to be a source of community pride for about 70 years. There are, no doubt, many such projects around the country, and I would like to take the conservatives in our country who are poo-pooing these plans on a tour of all of them. They also seem to forget that the interstate system was a massive government employment project and no doubt helped keep the recession of the late 1950s from getting worse. The Internet was also a government project and it helped fuel the economic growth of the 1980s and 1990s.
I would like the president to think small and poor. I have no idea why we do not have a Grameen Bank in this country. The original Grameen Bank has helped stave off grinding poverty in one of the poorest of the poorest countries, Bangladesh. The Grameen Bank lends money to those who have no resources. I have a bad feeling that we will have many more such people before the current recession runs through the year. The bank lends money to those who have no collateral, who then use it as a means to establish their own enterprises or to assist them in getting a job. The creditors are made responsible to each other and default rates are close to zero. Let us have a portion of the stimulus package go to establishing Grameen Banks in trial areas. Let us see if the small and poor can help us, where the big and rich have failed us. I still have no doubt that some of the plans for big projects will work, they have in the past and probably will in the future. We like big and rich in this country. We also like rooting for the little guy, and gal. We need to see if they can lead us out of the recessions. Give us a chance to grow this country from the ground up.
I would like the president to think small and poor. I have no idea why we do not have a Grameen Bank in this country. The original Grameen Bank has helped stave off grinding poverty in one of the poorest of the poorest countries, Bangladesh. The Grameen Bank lends money to those who have no resources. I have a bad feeling that we will have many more such people before the current recession runs through the year. The bank lends money to those who have no collateral, who then use it as a means to establish their own enterprises or to assist them in getting a job. The creditors are made responsible to each other and default rates are close to zero. Let us have a portion of the stimulus package go to establishing Grameen Banks in trial areas. Let us see if the small and poor can help us, where the big and rich have failed us. I still have no doubt that some of the plans for big projects will work, they have in the past and probably will in the future. We like big and rich in this country. We also like rooting for the little guy, and gal. We need to see if they can lead us out of the recessions. Give us a chance to grow this country from the ground up.
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