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Israel's 'Nice Little War': Gaza, Egypt in the range of fire

Israeli writer Uri Avnery recently wrote an article entitled 'How Godly Are Thy Tents?', which began with the words, "First of all, a warning."

The reference was made to the tent cities that have sprung up across the country by middle class Israelis demanding change and reforms. The organizational style of these demands was not entirely different from Arab uprisings. To everyone's surprise, the limited Israeli mobilization, which extended from concerns about sky-rocketing real estate prices to calls for 'social justice', was seen as Israel's Tahrir Square moment. The movement was yet to articulate a political agenda, although such enunciation would have been a natural progression.  

So what was Avnery's warning about? 

The "social protest movement is gathering momentum," wrote Avnery.  "At that point, there will be a temptation – perhaps an irresistible temptation – to 'warm up the borders'. To start a nice little war. Call on the youth of Israel, the same young people now manning…the tents, to go and defend the fatherland."

Tell WOSU we want to new labor documentary

WOSU TV refuses to play "Locked Out" the new labor documentary by Joan Sekler. Stacia Hentz, program director for WOSU (2400 Olentangy River Road, Columbus 43210) and she said she did take a look at the information about the documentary and she said, "This program would not fit for my market"!

All the labor union activists who tirelessly worked on SB 5 should be outraged! Why is there no market for a movie about labor in Columbus? Perhaps because the movie depicts a successful revolt by laborers in California?

It is a David and Goliath story of how 560 unionized (ILWU) miners in the desert town of Boron, California, stood up to their employer Rio Tinto, a giant multinational mining corporation, and refused to accept wage and benefit cuts in their new contract last year. The company, in revenge, locked out the workers and replaced them with scabs. For almost 4 months the miners and their families organized a massive campaign and finally won a decent contract, and were able to return to work, and most of the scabs were let go. This was a successful struggle against corporate greed.

Did Tenet Hide Key 9/11 Info?

Exclusive: With few exceptions – like some salacious rumor about the Kennedy family – the mainstream U.S. news media has little interest in historical stories. Such was the case when an ex-White House terrorism official accused a former CIA director of withholding information that might have prevented a 9/11 attack, Ray McGovern reports.

Bulletin for those of you who get your information only from the New York Times, the Washington Post and other outlets of the Fawning Corporate Media (FCM): Former White House counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke has accused ex-CIA Director George Tenet of denying him and others access to intelligence that could have thwarted the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11.

Deliberately withholding critical intelligence from those who need it, and can act on it, is — at the least — gross dereliction of duty.

The more so if keeping the White House promptly and fully informed is at the top of your job jar, as it was for Director of Central Intelligence Tenet. And yet that is precisely the charge Clarke has leveled at the former DCI.

Yingluck America

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Yingluck Shinawatra expects to be confirmed as Thailand's first female prime minister next month, enabling Washington and Bangkok to resurrect their collaboration in America's war on terror which entwined the two democracies before the military toppled her brother's government five years ago.

Mrs. Yingluck (pronounced: "Ying-luck") is the public, smiling face representing her self-exiled, authoritarian brother, Thaksin Shinawatra.

Mr. Thaksin's previous controversial relationship with Washington provides important clues as to how Mrs. Yingluck's new government could shape its political, financial and military policies concerning the U.S.

As prime minister, Mrs. Yingluck is expected to orchestrate an "amnesty" to allow her brother to dodge a two-year prison sentence for corruption, return to Thailand a free man, and receive a refund for $1.2 billion in assets which the government seized from Mr. Thaksin after the 2006 coup.

Mrs. Yingluck's Pheu Thai (For Thais) party won a majority in a nationwide election on July 3.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Spirits Cry Through His Writings

This review is from: Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sun Dance (Paperback)
"Prison Writings", by Leonard Peltier, is quite an eye-opener. This political prisoner maintains his innocence and demonstrates it through his heart and compassion. At times, each chapter appears to be a stream of consciousness dependent on his mood (he wrote it in prison where he still remains), but he always evaluated his mood and came back full circle and has come to terms that he may never leave but that his hope in humanity might help lift him and thousands of others wrongfully imprisoned.

His words have compelled me to do further research and there are many related books, articles and even a documentary film by Robert Redford titled "Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story". I encourage everyone to read it and watch the film available through rental or purchase.

Whether you believe in his innocence or not is not the point. The point is that our current system remains flawed despite the cold hearts that are too scared to take a serious look into their conscience.

Richard Clarke is being too nice to George Tenet

Former National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-Terrorism Richard Clarke suggests that former CIA Director George Tenet blocked the sharing of information within the government on two members of al Qaeda in the United States, information that Clarke believes could have prevented 911. The CIA admits it knew about the two future hijackers but claims the Director was not informed.

"In early 2000, a number of more junior personnel (including FBI agents on detail to CIA) did see travel information on individuals who later became hijackers but the significance of the data was not adequately recognized at the time."

Clark claims to have been very close to Tenet and to find this impossible to believe. Clarke maintains that the Director must have been informed and must have made the decision not to share the information with Clarke and others. Clarke speculates that the presence of these two al Qaeda members was kept secret because the CIA had tried to recruit, or "flip," those al Qaeda members and failed. Yet he has no evidence of such attempts.

Libya: Psy-Ops and war games, A continuing series of live reports

Here’s breaking News from a confidential source inside Tripoli. And it’s nothing like what CNN is broadcasting… Pay attention to live reports from Zawia.

First, today the power went out in all of Tripoli today. As a gift to the Muslim community for their 17th day of Ramadan, NATO bombed a power plant and six high voltage sub stations. Apparently they believed the Libyans would have no ability to repair this, and so, in their “humanitarian effort to protect civilians,” they tried to cut power to 2 million innocent people during the holy month of Ramadan and the hottest month of the year in this desert country. Well, NATO sorely underestimated these resilient people. They had the power back in 6 hours! You know, there is NO fighting in Tripoli, never has been, no fighting on the outskirts never has been. So, NATO has been continually bombing a peaceful city, destroying the infrastructure, killing and constantly terrorizing civilians.

The Market

US-Arab disconnect: Revolutions restate region's priorities

As the Arab Spring continues to challenge dictators, demolish old structures and ponder roadmaps for a better future, the US remains committed to its failed policies, misconceptions and selfish interests.

Arabs may disagree on many things, but few disagree on the fact that there is now no turning back. The age of the dictator, the Mubaraks and Ben Alis is fading.

A new dawn with a whole new set of challenges is upon us. Debates in the region are now concerned with democracy, civil society and citizenship.

The only Arab intellectuals who still speak of terrorism and nuclear weapons are those commissioned by Washington-based think tanks or a few desperate to appear on Fox News.

Put simply, Arab priorities are no longer US priorities, as they may have been when Hosni Mubarak was still president of Egypt.

Leading a group of "Arab moderates," Mubarak's main responsibility was portraying US foreign policy as if it was at the core of Egypt's national interest as well.

Bert and Ernie

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