Human Rights
BP's Azeri police arresting Palast for filming BP oil rig - Baku, Azerbaijan, December 2010 "Here in Azerbaijan we believe in human rights. PLEASE GIVE US YOUR FILM."
Oh, no, no, not good.
The enforcers here come in three colors: the military police still wearing their old Russian puke-green uniforms, the MSN (the dictator's secret police) in windbreakers without ID, and BP's own corporate police force in black tunics, sashes and full hats who look like toy soldiers from the Nutcracker ballet. They weren't dancing.
I showed all three flavors of police our press credentials in both English and Azeri, neither of which could be read by the officers. (The dictator had suddenly changed the Azeri alphabet, making most of the nation illiterate overnight.)
The dictator made everyone call him, "Baba," Grandpa.
I told the dumbest-looking one, "Look here: This paper says your so-called President is a weasel's rectum," which our 'fixer' translated as, "This letter from Foreign Ministry is authorization to make a documentary for the British Television."
Oh, no, no, not good.
The enforcers here come in three colors: the military police still wearing their old Russian puke-green uniforms, the MSN (the dictator's secret police) in windbreakers without ID, and BP's own corporate police force in black tunics, sashes and full hats who look like toy soldiers from the Nutcracker ballet. They weren't dancing.
I showed all three flavors of police our press credentials in both English and Azeri, neither of which could be read by the officers. (The dictator had suddenly changed the Azeri alphabet, making most of the nation illiterate overnight.)
The dictator made everyone call him, "Baba," Grandpa.
I told the dumbest-looking one, "Look here: This paper says your so-called President is a weasel's rectum," which our 'fixer' translated as, "This letter from Foreign Ministry is authorization to make a documentary for the British Television."
As "conservatives" scream and yell about gays in the military, they might remember that in all likelihood we have already had a gay Commander-in-Chief.
His name was James Buchanan. He was the 15th President of the United States.
A Democrat from Pennsylvania, Buchanan is discreetly referred to in official texts as "our only bachelor president."
In fact, many historians believe that he may well have been "married" to William Rufus King, a pro-slavery Democrat from Alabama who was our only bachelor Vice President.
The two men lived together for years. Andrew Jackson, never one to shy from bullhorn bigotry, was among those who variously referred to them as "Aunt Nancy" and "Mr. Fancy." Other Washington wags called them "Mr. & Mrs. Buchanan," and the like.
His name was James Buchanan. He was the 15th President of the United States.
A Democrat from Pennsylvania, Buchanan is discreetly referred to in official texts as "our only bachelor president."
In fact, many historians believe that he may well have been "married" to William Rufus King, a pro-slavery Democrat from Alabama who was our only bachelor Vice President.
The two men lived together for years. Andrew Jackson, never one to shy from bullhorn bigotry, was among those who variously referred to them as "Aunt Nancy" and "Mr. Fancy." Other Washington wags called them "Mr. & Mrs. Buchanan," and the like.
WikiLeaks has teased the genie of transparency out of a very opaque bottle, and powerful forces in America, who thrive on secrecy, are trying desperately to stuff the genie back in.
How far down the U.S. has slid can be seen, ironically enough, in a recent commentary in Pravda (that’s right, Russia’s Pravda):
"What WikiLeaks has done is make people understand why so many Americans are politically apathetic… After all, the evils committed by those in power can be suffocating, and the sense of powerlessness that erupts can be paralyzing, especially when … government evildoers almost always get away with their crimes. …
“So shame on Barack Obama, Eric Holder and all those who spew platitudes about integrity, justice and accountability while allowing war criminals and torturers to walk freely upon the earth. … The American people should be outraged that [their] government has transformed a nation with a reputation for freedom, justice, tolerance and respect for human rights into a backwater that revels in its criminality, cover-ups, injustices and hypocrisies."
How far down the U.S. has slid can be seen, ironically enough, in a recent commentary in Pravda (that’s right, Russia’s Pravda):
"What WikiLeaks has done is make people understand why so many Americans are politically apathetic… After all, the evils committed by those in power can be suffocating, and the sense of powerlessness that erupts can be paralyzing, especially when … government evildoers almost always get away with their crimes. …
“So shame on Barack Obama, Eric Holder and all those who spew platitudes about integrity, justice and accountability while allowing war criminals and torturers to walk freely upon the earth. … The American people should be outraged that [their] government has transformed a nation with a reputation for freedom, justice, tolerance and respect for human rights into a backwater that revels in its criminality, cover-ups, injustices and hypocrisies."
BANGKOK, Thailand -- The U.S. Ambassador to Thailand warned that bribes, lies and a plot to have two U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrested in Bangkok had "infected" the extradition trial of alleged Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout to New York, and the envoy suggested Thailand arrange testimony to correct the problems, according to two U.S. cables released by Wikileaks.
"There have been disturbing indications that Bout's xxxxxxxxxx and Russian supporters have been using money and influence in an attempt to block extradition," said a cable by U.S. Ambassador Eric John, with "x's" masking the identity of who the ambassador suspected.
"The most egregious example was the false testimony of xxxxxxxxxx that Bout was in Thailand as part of government-to-government submarine deal," his cable said, apparently indicating a different concealed name.
"Bout's associates had been able to influence testimony given by xxxxxxxxxx," said the cable released by Wikileaks on Wednesday (December 1).
"There have been disturbing indications that Bout's xxxxxxxxxx and Russian supporters have been using money and influence in an attempt to block extradition," said a cable by U.S. Ambassador Eric John, with "x's" masking the identity of who the ambassador suspected.
"The most egregious example was the false testimony of xxxxxxxxxx that Bout was in Thailand as part of government-to-government submarine deal," his cable said, apparently indicating a different concealed name.
"Bout's associates had been able to influence testimony given by xxxxxxxxxx," said the cable released by Wikileaks on Wednesday (December 1).
Compared to the kind of secret cables that WikiLeaks has just shared with the world, everyday public statements from government officials are exercises in make-believe.
In a democracy, people have a right to know what their government is actually doing. In a pseudo-democracy, a bunch of fairy tales from high places will do the trick.
Diplomatic facades routinely masquerade as realities. But sometimes the mask slips -- for all the world to see -- and that’s what just happened with the humongous leak of State Department cables.
“Every government is run by liars,” independent journalist I.F. Stone observed, “and nothing they say should be believed.” The extent and gravity of the lying varies from one government to another -- but no pronouncements from world capitals should be taken on faith.
By its own account, the U.S. government has been at war for more than nine years now and there’s no end in sight. Like the Pentagon, the State Department is serving the overall priorities of the warfare state. The nation’s military and diplomacy are moving parts of the same vast war machinery.
In a democracy, people have a right to know what their government is actually doing. In a pseudo-democracy, a bunch of fairy tales from high places will do the trick.
Diplomatic facades routinely masquerade as realities. But sometimes the mask slips -- for all the world to see -- and that’s what just happened with the humongous leak of State Department cables.
“Every government is run by liars,” independent journalist I.F. Stone observed, “and nothing they say should be believed.” The extent and gravity of the lying varies from one government to another -- but no pronouncements from world capitals should be taken on faith.
By its own account, the U.S. government has been at war for more than nine years now and there’s no end in sight. Like the Pentagon, the State Department is serving the overall priorities of the warfare state. The nation’s military and diplomacy are moving parts of the same vast war machinery.
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Cambodian officials are investigating why a huge crowd panicked during a joyful Water Festival in Phnom Penh and stampeded across a narrow bridge, killing at least 378 people in Cambodia's worst tragedy since the Khmer Rouge's "killing fields" regime.
Emergency teams, survivors and distraught relatives and friends desperately searched on Tuesday (November 23) among corpses strewn on the bridge and floating in the river.
Many of the dead were later laid on the ground in rows, under white cloth, at hospitals before being packed into coffins for cremation.
Police wearing white rubber gloves gently lifted the hands of dead people and pushed their limp fingertips onto blackened ink pads, and then onto paper, for identification records.
Authorities also posted photographs of victims for public viewing, hoping to identify the dead and injured.
The tragedy occurred Monday (November 22) night, during the final celebration of the three-day Water Festival which marks the end of the tropical rainy season in the impoverished Buddhist-majority country.
Emergency teams, survivors and distraught relatives and friends desperately searched on Tuesday (November 23) among corpses strewn on the bridge and floating in the river.
Many of the dead were later laid on the ground in rows, under white cloth, at hospitals before being packed into coffins for cremation.
Police wearing white rubber gloves gently lifted the hands of dead people and pushed their limp fingertips onto blackened ink pads, and then onto paper, for identification records.
Authorities also posted photographs of victims for public viewing, hoping to identify the dead and injured.
The tragedy occurred Monday (November 22) night, during the final celebration of the three-day Water Festival which marks the end of the tropical rainy season in the impoverished Buddhist-majority country.
BANGKOK, Thailand -- The American who swam across a lake in 2009 and illegally spent two nights with Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in her home, resulting in an extension of her house arrest, said now that she is free, she will be "assassinated" as a pawn to topple the junta.
"I'm not talking about the [Burmese] junta killing her," said John Yettaw, a Mormon from Missouri, in an interview conducted via Skype.
Instead, an "expendable" Mrs. Suu Kyi will now be assassinated by anti-junta "Burmese," to spark the regime's collapse, Mr. Yettaw warned.
Mr. Yettaw's dream in September 2009 compelled him to swim across Inya Lake in Rangoon to reach Mrs. Suu Kyi's two-story villa, to show her that killers could use that relatively unguarded route, enter her lakeside home, and easily murder her.
Mr. Yettaw was arrested after he swam back across Inya Lake from Mrs. Suu Kyi's home in May 2009, put on trial, jailed for three months, and finally expelled from Burma.
"I'm not talking about the [Burmese] junta killing her," said John Yettaw, a Mormon from Missouri, in an interview conducted via Skype.
Instead, an "expendable" Mrs. Suu Kyi will now be assassinated by anti-junta "Burmese," to spark the regime's collapse, Mr. Yettaw warned.
Mr. Yettaw's dream in September 2009 compelled him to swim across Inya Lake in Rangoon to reach Mrs. Suu Kyi's two-story villa, to show her that killers could use that relatively unguarded route, enter her lakeside home, and easily murder her.
Mr. Yettaw was arrested after he swam back across Inya Lake from Mrs. Suu Kyi's home in May 2009, put on trial, jailed for three months, and finally expelled from Burma.
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Freed after seven years under house arrest, Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Sunday (November 14) she will investigate "many allegations of vote-rigging" in last week's election, but offered to talk with the ruling military junta and consider the effects of U.S.-led economic sanctions.
After years of monitoring her radio, Mrs. Suu Kyi said she now wants to "listen to human voices" to learn from Burma's masses about their woes and suggestions.
She also marveled at the ubiquitous use of mobile phones, revealing a sense of culture shock after her shuttered existence.
"I am for national reconciliation. I am for dialogue," soft-spoken Mrs. Suu Kyi (pronounced: "Sue Chee") said during a speech to 5,000 cheering people at the headquarters of her recently disbanded National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Hours later, she told the British Broadcasting Corp (BBC) on Sunday: "I think we have to sort out our differences, across the table, talking to each other, agreeing to disagree, or finding out why we disagree and trying to remove the sources of our disagreement, if we possibly can."
After years of monitoring her radio, Mrs. Suu Kyi said she now wants to "listen to human voices" to learn from Burma's masses about their woes and suggestions.
She also marveled at the ubiquitous use of mobile phones, revealing a sense of culture shock after her shuttered existence.
"I am for national reconciliation. I am for dialogue," soft-spoken Mrs. Suu Kyi (pronounced: "Sue Chee") said during a speech to 5,000 cheering people at the headquarters of her recently disbanded National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Hours later, she told the British Broadcasting Corp (BBC) on Sunday: "I think we have to sort out our differences, across the table, talking to each other, agreeing to disagree, or finding out why we disagree and trying to remove the sources of our disagreement, if we possibly can."
A couple weeks after being rejected by the General Assembly for a position on the Security Council, Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper has expressed his sour grapes at the rejection stating that Canada will not "pretend" to be an "honest broker." The other option then is dishonesty.
There is plenty of that in Canada's position. In his speech supporting Israel at a “gathering of international parliamentarians and experts,” he performed the old standard of conflating the Holocaust with the creation of Israel, yet he should know that the Zionist cause began well before there were any indications of that genocide. Christian Zionism could be argued to have begun even before the European variety showed its colours at the turn of Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Both Christian Zionists and Jewish Zionists understood that to occupy Palestine meant the displacement by some means - some form of ethnic cleansing or genocide, of the indigenous people - the Palestinians - who resided there and had since the beginning of the Christian era.
There is plenty of that in Canada's position. In his speech supporting Israel at a “gathering of international parliamentarians and experts,” he performed the old standard of conflating the Holocaust with the creation of Israel, yet he should know that the Zionist cause began well before there were any indications of that genocide. Christian Zionism could be argued to have begun even before the European variety showed its colours at the turn of Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Both Christian Zionists and Jewish Zionists understood that to occupy Palestine meant the displacement by some means - some form of ethnic cleansing or genocide, of the indigenous people - the Palestinians - who resided there and had since the beginning of the Christian era.
Former President George W. Bush continues to be beyond shame. Those favored with an advance copy of Bush’s memoir, Decision Points, say it paints a picture of a totally unapologetic Bush bragging, for example, about authorizing the CIA to waterboard 9/11 “mastermind,” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
According to a newspaper account of the memoir, Bush says he is asked by the CIA for permission to subject KSM to the technique that creates the sensation of imminent drowning. His response is: "Damn right."
For such a frank admission of high-level criminality, we can say, with ample justification, Shame on Bush. But that shame also sticks like Saran wrap to the rest of us – and especially to the Fawning Corporate Media (FCM), which has soft-pedaled the significance of Bush’s confession, and to his make-nice successor, Barack Obama, who has refused to demand any accountability.
However, if we are still a democracy, we are all complicit.
According to a newspaper account of the memoir, Bush says he is asked by the CIA for permission to subject KSM to the technique that creates the sensation of imminent drowning. His response is: "Damn right."
For such a frank admission of high-level criminality, we can say, with ample justification, Shame on Bush. But that shame also sticks like Saran wrap to the rest of us – and especially to the Fawning Corporate Media (FCM), which has soft-pedaled the significance of Bush’s confession, and to his make-nice successor, Barack Obama, who has refused to demand any accountability.
However, if we are still a democracy, we are all complicit.