ISRAEL’S MERCY IS INHUMANELY STRAINED by Vacy Vlazna
January 12th, 2012
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THE MAMMOTH TASK AHEAD FOR PEOPLE OF GOODWILL: A MESSAGE TO FRIENDS AT UNITED TO END GENOCIDE [A GROUP SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN SOUTH SUDAN]
January 10th, 2012Genocide,
assist the human rights of the people of Sudan.
observation that Tom made in his report, however.
paying attention and exercising its influence, progress can be
achieved”.
and dear friend, Mohamed. Usually calm and measured in his communication, Mohamed raged in his email against the Obama administration and its Sudan envoy, Princeton Lyman, for their complicity in supporting the brutal regime of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur. The subject line of the email was “U.S. Sudan policy is killing us.”
Amnesty International claimed that a half to one milion people were butchered by the TNI in the year afterwards with the full knowledge and blessing of the then US Administration and the CIA.
nearer 3 million. Most of the victims were those supporting greater democracy and a fairer distribitution of resources. Ethnically, the Chinese and the Balinese suffered the most.
US, Australia and some European governments allow it to do so.
Republicans (and Democrats), the Tea Party, The Family, Moral Rearmament (some quite pro Nazi in outlook) etc and they provide an almost insurmountable force in relation to the decisions of US administrations.
contaminated because of this criminal megalomaniac and the US presidents (and other political leaders) who listened to him.
And we need to look very critically look at our political structures that have given US and western politicians so much power to affect the politics of other
nations.
Forestville
South
Australia
AUSTRALIA
A MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY TO ETAN ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY
December 13th, 2011PM
OCCASION OF ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY
I would like to add my congratulations to all ETAN activists on the occasion
of your 20th anniversary and also to reaffirm our solidarity with you.
As an activist in one of the Australian solidarity groups, I know about the
great contribution of ETAN to the existence of the RDTL today. I am a member of the Australia East Timor Friendship Association of South Australia Inc (AETFA), which was originally, the Campaign for an Independent East Timor, South Australia Inc (CIET).
On 28 May this year, our group celebrated its 36th anniversary with about 80
young people from TL who are undergoing secondary and tertiary education in Adelaide.
anniversary of an independent TL.
Noam, in his message, has stressed the importance of the work of ETAN and the other solidarity groups around the world as a contributing factor to
East Timor’s victory over Indonesia and the gaining of its independence.
During the late 1990s, Charles Scheiner introduced two submissions that we
made to the UN to appeal for it to make greater efforts for the East
Timorese. During the celebrations for independence in Dili in 2002, some of
our members were fortunate enough to meet him at the Xanana Resource Centre at a function for solidarity groups and thank him.
However, we can take nothing away from the tenacity and the courage of the
members of FRETILIN, FALINTIL and RENETIL who fought against overwhelming odds in their struggle against the TNI.
It was crucial that there were people actively promoting independence for
Timor and demanding the withdrawal of the TNI. This helped the progressive
forces within the UN to prevent it from ratifying the illegal Indonesian
occupation and to demand that the TNI withdraw. I believe that it is a
great tragedy that in the case of West Papua, the UN ratified the phoney
Act of Free Choice in that country in 1969. As a result, these people have
suffered the brutality of the TNI for even longer than the East
Timorese.
The international awareness of the Timor issue which was achieved by the
East Timor solidarity groups, I believe, was also a factor in the minds of
leading Indonesian decision makers, when, after the Asian economic meltdown and the fall of the dictator Suharto, they were forced to allow a
plebiscite for independence. Their hands were forced when they were
confronted with a national economy that was in a dreadful state because of
the huge amounts being spent on the TNI to supress people in East Timor,
West Papua, Acheh and parts of Indonesia itself together with the massive
corruption that had been allowed by the dictatorship.
I also agree with Noam that now there is an independent Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, we need to continue our strong advocacy for the pursuit of justice and compensation for the victims of the TNI barbarity throughout its occupation. Several Australian governments were complicit in supporting the TNI’s illegal occupation because of their unquestioning support of US administrations. In addition, of course, the Howard government forced an unfair agreement on the fledgeling RDTL government on how the oil and gas resources in the Timor Sea should be shared. With such a small population, the RDTL is not in a good position to push these issues with the current Indonesian and Australian governments.
We have made demands that the Australian government refuse to continue
aiding and arming the TNI while the Indonesian government does nothing to
bring the war criminals in its ranks to justice, does nothing about
compensating the victims of the TNI and refuses to withdraw from West Papua.
on the UN to instigate an international ban on all aid to the TNI until these
conditions are met. We also cooperate with the Australia West Papua
Association on these issues.
The Australian politicians we have approached always use the excuse that the RDTL government is not making these demands.
This is the reason why we have to continue the important advocacy role as
well as raising money to support projects to assist Timor Leste to rebuild
and redevelop.
We hope to continue our working together on these import campaigns with you.
Congratulations and thank you for all the valuable work you have done over
the past 20 years to contribute to peace, social justice and human rights in
East Timor and the Asia Pacific region.
and both of our governments support it while espousing their promotion of
human rights.
In closing, I should mention that progressive people in Adelaide were excited to have Noam come to Adelaide to deliver the annual Edward Said
Memorial Lecture organised by the University of Adelaide and the Australian
Friends of Palestine Association on 5 November. The numbers attending were so great that the organisers had to hire the Adelaide Town Hall which can accommodate over 1000 people. Even the premier of South Australia was in attendance.
promote peace, justice and human rights.
Warm regards
Viva Timor Leste!
Viva Papua Barat!
Viva Solidaridad International!
Andrew (Andy) Alcock
Information Officer
Australia East Timor Friendship Association (SA) Inc
Phone: 61 8 83710480
Email:
—– Original Message —–
From: “ETAN”
<
To: <etan@etan.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 03, 2011 5:05 PM
Subject: A
message from Noam Chomsky on ETAN’s 20th Anniversary
Noam
Chomsky
December 2011
Dear Friends,
It is 20 years since a
small group of activists founded what is now the
East Timor and Indonesia
Action Network (ETAN), and I have been supporting
it since the beginning. I
am writing to you today to urge you to join me
in that
support.
Twenty years ago, on November 12, Indonesian troops marched up
and opened
fire on a peaceful pro-independence demonstration at the Santa
Cruz
cemetery in Dili, the capital of what was then known as East Timor.
More
than 270 young Timorese were murdered in the most publicized of a
great
many shocking atrocities during the Indonesian invasion and
annexation.
The eyewitness accounts of western journalists broke through
the silence
and hypocrisy of the media, bringing the first news of the
occupation to
many.
Among those inspired to act were the founders
of the East Timor Action
Network. A small group of activists began to meet,
and in the first of
many demonstrations, a few dozen concerned people
picketed in front of the
Indonesian Mission to the United Nations in New
York City on December 10,
1991, International Human Rights Day. Outraged by
the U.S. government’s
complicity in the oppression of the East Timorese,
they created an
impressive national organization committed to supporting
East Timor’s
right to self-determination. Quickly, grassroots pressure
persuaded the
U.S. Congress to terminate taxpayer-funded training for
Indonesian
soldiers in the United States, the first of many legislative
victories
which eventually moved Washington from supporting to opposing the
illegal
occupation.
I have long supported East Timor’s
self-determination. Even before
Indonesia’s 1975 invasion, I called for the
right of the East Timorese to
control their own destiny. I welcomed ETAN’s
founding and admired its
effective grassroots organizing. I am told that I
was the organization’s
first donor. That contribution was one of the best
investments I have ever
made for political and social change. Without
ETAN’s efforts, East Timor
might not yet be free.
Since then I have
continued to support ETAN. I hope you will too. Please
help ETAN celebrate
20 years of dedicated and effective activism and
continue its important
work.
—-
Throughout the 1990s, ETAN kept up the pressure. In 1999,
when the East
Timorese finally were able to vote on their political future,
the crimes
were escalating once again. ETAN had a significant role in
pressing
President Clinton to inform the Indonesian generals in September
that the
game was over, at which point they quickly withdrew.
East
Timor is now the independent Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, but
ETAN
remains tenacious in the pursuit of justice for the victims of the
Santa
Cruz massacre and the entire Indonesian occupation. It remains
active in
highlighting the complicity of U.S. government officials in the
oppression
of the people of East Timor, West Papua and elsewhere in the
Indonesian
archipelago including the still-active Henry Kissinger, who
gave a green
light to the invasion of East Timor. ETAN understands that
there cannot be
peace without justice.
While East Timor is now an independent nation, it
still struggles for
genuine self-determination under the pressures of the
global economic
system. ETAN is currently coordinating a campaign with
Timor-Leste’s
Movement against Debt opposing the taking out of onerous
loans by
currently debt-free Timor. A statement signed by 137
organizations
worldwide argued, “Rather than repeat the mistakes of other
developing
countries that have struggled with debt during recent decades,
Timor-Leste
should learn from their experiences, which often inflicted
great hardships
on their people.”Nearly a thousand people have signed
ETAN’s
<
expressing similar concerns.
In 2005, ETAN changed
its name to the East Timor and Indonesia Action
Network to emphasize its
ongoing work for human rights and democracy in
Indonesia as well as East
Timor. In the past, U.S. engagement with
Indonesia’s security forces has
encouraged those forces’ most abusive
behavior. ETAN is opposing the Obama
administration’s efforts to re-engage
with the Indonesian military’s
notorious Kopassus special forces. It
continues to be a voice of reason,
criticizing the administration’s
reluctance to address ongoing human rights
violations and escalating
oppression in West Papua and against religious
minorities. ETAN also holds
corporations responsible for their role in
human rights abuses and
recently joined Occupy Phoenix and union activists
in picketing at the
mining giant Freeport MacMoRan’s headquarters,
supporting striking
mineworkers in West Papua.
If it can find the
resources, ETAN plans to coordinate an observer mission
for next year’s
presidential and parliamentary elections in East Timor, as
they did in 1999,
2001 and 2007. Experienced, nonpartisan international
observers will help
consolidate democracy at this critical moment for the
still young
country.
ETAN’s work remains essential, but it can only do its work with
the active
and generous support of people like you, who believe in human
rights and
in the right to self-determination, justice and accountability,
and in
social and economic justice for the people of East Timor and
Indonesia.
I can think of few groups that have done so much with such
limited
resources. For most of its 20 years, ETAN has worked with an
extremely
limited budget. In recent years, ETAN’s annual budget has been
less than
$55,000. With your help, we can put ETAN on a firmer footing for
the
future. Please give generously in this anniversary year. In doing so,
you
can help strengthen ETAN to meet the challenges of the coming
years.
Thank you for joining me in supporting ETAN and its invaluable
work.
Sincerely,
Noam
Chomsky
———————————-
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: DELAY IN PASSING THE WORK HEALTH SAFETY BILL
December 6th, 2011LETTER TO THE EDITOR: DELAY IN PASSING THE WORK HEALTH SAFETY BILL
2011
Comrades
disappointing news contained in The Advertiser on 30.11.2011 needed a
response.
shows that it cares nothing for ordinary working people. It will even go so far
as to undermine their basic human right to work in a healthy and safe
environment while they are producing the profits for the wealthy. So far, it has
not been printed.
respond as well.
regards
solidaridad
Alcock
PM
THE WORK HEALTH SAFETY BILL 2011
The Letters
Editor
The Advertiser
GPO Box 339
ADELAIDE SA 5001
Dear Sir/Madam
RE: LETTER TO THE EDITOR: DELAY IN PASSING THE WORK HEALTH SAFETY BILL 2011
Many ordinary Australian working people will be wanting answers from the Liberal Party Legislative Councillors in the SA Parliament about their decision to delay the passing of the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act (Liberals block safety laws, The Advertiser 30.11.2011). The Liberal governments in Victoria and West Australia are saying that they will delay the passing of this crucial bill for another year.
The process of trying to unify Australia’s OH& S laws began in 2008
and it is very important that the new legislation is implemented as quickly as possible.
I heard some of the committee proceedings in the House of Assembly of the State Parliament at the final stages of discussion the WHS Bill in that house. Iain Evans (Liberal) had a series of questions and amendents most of which sought to delay the passing of the bill and to water down its effectiveness.
One amendment sought to stop the Codes under the incoming act from being used as a legal instrument!
I wonder if he would say this about the Road Safety Code.
Safety codes are put in place to give interested people the required
safety standards they are expected to comply with. If a negligent driver causes a fatality on the road, s/he will face the legal consequences. The same principle should apply to negligent employers who cause death and injury in their workplaces because of their refusal ro comply with effective occupational health, safety and welfare.
Greg Kelton, the journalist who wrote the article I referred to, claims
that the new laws are controversial. Such laws are not considered to be
controversial in countries like the Scandinavian countries where they have even stricter OHS&W laws than we can expect when the current Australian WHS Bill is passed. Their politicians also give a higher priority to human rights.
There is an urgent need to introduce the new legislation in this country.
Many may not be aware that the deaths caused in Australia’s workplaces outnumber road casualties by a factor of more than three to one. Young workers are more prominent in these statistics than older workers.
On Friday 25 November, we in Australia observed Asbestos Memorial Day, a day that commemorates the deaths of tens of thousands of ordinary Australian workers and consumers who have been exposed to asbestos dust. Safe Work Australia estimates that tens of thousands are in the process of dying because of this exposure to a product that was withdrawn from use in the construction industry in 1983. This should be viewed as a national tragedy and steps need to be taken urgently to prevent it from continuing.
There are many other carcinogenic chemicals and agents that workers are exposed to that take a toll on the lives and health of ordinary Australians as well.
As a national community, we need to consider effective OHS&W laws as a basic human right for working people. Another basic human right for workers is that, following their working lives, they should be able to retire to enjoy long, happy and healthy retirements.
In a civilised society, it is unacceptable that some try to profit from
not having effective laws to protect the health, safety and welfare of members of our national workforce.
Yours sincerely
Andrew (Andy)
Alcock
NEW MATILDA EXCLUSIVE (30.11.2011): DETAINED PAPUAN LEADERS SPEAK OUT
December 6th, 2011Dear activists in solidarity with
human rights for all and especially those whose rights are under threat eg the West Papuans
Below is a report in New Matilda re
the West Papuan leaders who were arrested and tortured last
month.
I encourage all to demand that
given the genocide and gross human rights abuses committed by
the TNI, to contact their politicial leaders to demand that to military aid should be given to the TNI until the Indonesian government:
Thanks
Andy Alcock
30 Nov 2011
EXCLUSIVE: Detained Papuan Leaders Speak Out
New Matilda has obtained the first interview with West Papuan leaders detained after last month’s violent crackdown on the Third Papuan People’s Congress in Jayapura.
Alex Rayfield reports:
The man who was last month elected President of the
‘Federal Republic of West Papua’ after a declaration of independence by the third Papuan People’s Congress may be behind bars, he may have been savagely beaten by the Indonesian police, but he has not
been silenced.
From his five by four metre cell in the bowels of the Jayapura Police Station — quarters he shares with five other Papuans also charged with rebellion against the Indonesian state — Forkorus Yaboisembut
recently issued a rousing call to action, which was smuggled out of the prison and obtained by New Matilda.
“To all the Papuan people,” Yaboisembut writes, “don’t be afraid to celebrate December 1, whether you do so simply, or as part of large
gatherings. Do not be afraid because we, the Papuan people, do not intend to destroy any country; we only wish to defend our political rights.”
1 December marks the anniversary of the first raising of the Morning Star flag in 1961. Along with many other Papuan activists, Yaboisembut was arrested after Indonesian security forces opened fire on the Congress meeting on 19 October. At least six people died during the attack.
This is the first time Yaboisembut has spoken to Western media since his arrest. Our discussion is constrained by time and space but I
can picture the tribal elder from previous meetings. He is a quietly spoken man who is getting on in years but is still strong and alert. He walks tall, sits up straight and dresses neatly. His short hair and longish grey beard gives him the look of an Old Testament prophet.
When Yaboisembut was arrested last month he was tortured
so badly that he could barely sit or stand. Dominikus Surabut, from the West Papua Council of Customary Tribal Chiefs, who was also detained and badly tortured, told New Matilda that police beat Yaboisembut mercilessly with a rifle butt, raining blows down on his head and crashing their weapons into his abdomen. In a widely published Indonesian language account of the arrest, a religious leader said that an Indonesian soldier was ready to shoot him dead but was urged not to by a policeman.
Yaboisembut believes West Papuans’ political rights are inalienable. “Whether you take the United Nations founding document, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Political Rights or even the Indonesian Constitution as your starting point, Papuans have the right to self-determination,” he says.
“The preamble to the 1945 Indonesian Constitution mentions expressly, that independence is the right of all nations, and because
of this colonialism must be swept away, it is consistent with the principles of justice and humanity. Consequently, the people of Papua cannot be blamed in accordance with any law for wanting to celebrate their national day.”
These ideas, the same ideas that inspired Indonesians to liberate themselves from Dutch rule, are igniting the imagination of entire
generation who want to be free from Indonesian oppression. What makes Yaboisembut’s ideas even more extraordinary is that he is urging an insurrection that is grounded in what he calls “human dignity”.
“1 December 2011 is the 50th anniversary of when Papuans first raised the Morning Star flag. It is our golden anniversary,” he says. “It
must be celebrated in an atmosphere of peace, safety and calm”.
“To Papuans, I therefore say, do not carry out acts of terror, intimidation or commit violence of any kind towards anyone, for whatever reason, whether they are Papuan or migrants.
Those arrested in the wake of the Third Papuan Congress are not backing down from the declaration of independence made on the final day of the gathering. Selphius Bobii, who also shares a cell with Yaboisembut and is the chair of the Congress committee, told New Matilda: “We are committed to using people power, diplomacy and the law to achieve our rights”.
Dominikus Surabut says that he and the other prisoners are refusing to sign police statements charging them with “rebellion” (makar)
under sections 106 and 110 of the Indonesian Criminal Code.
“We have done nothing wrong” Surabut says. “We have a political right to declare independence. We do not seek to destroy Indonesia or any other country. On the contrary, it is the Indonesia state that has attacked us.”
How can it be, they ask, that the Indonesian police get written warnings for killing Papuans when Papuan activists nonviolently
exercising their rights to freedom of expression are beaten and jailed?
Is this the same country that Barack Obama and Julia Gillard recently lauded as a beacon of democracy?
In a widely published letter in support of Papuan political prisoners, Human Rights Watch says that the articles under which the six Papuan political prisoners have been charged “are a legacy from the Dutch
colonial era”. Charging nonviolent activists with rebellion is, they write, “in violation of the Indonesian Constitution, Articles 28(e) and 28(f) which respectively afford ‘the right to the freedom of association and expression of opinion’, and ‘the right to communicate and obtain information…’.”
The charge of rebellion is also inconsistent with Indonesia’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights, which Indonesia ratified in 2006, a point which the jailed Papuan leaders make repeatedly to me. Besides, the Papuan leaders say, they have been left with no other option. “Special Autonomy has totally failed and even the MRP [Papuan People’s Council], a state institution, convened a meeting which came up with eleven recommendations, one of which was to hold the Third Papuan Congress.”
Outside their police cell, in the cities and towns of West Papua, a new political consensus is emerging. This consensus has been forged not through endless meetings of the Diaspora or in discussions with
political elites in Jakarta — but on the streets. It is simply this: that West Papua must be free.
After the Congress, three overlapping political groupings have emerged: the Papuan Peace Network, which is calling for political
dialogue; the West Papua National Committee, which demands a referendum; and the Papua Congress leaders.
The killing of at least six nonviolent Papuans by the Indonesian police and military on 19 October has divided ordinary Indonesians,
flushing out ultra-nationalists and their racist discourse, and outraging political moderates longing for a different kind of future than the one left to them by former dictator Suharto.
Inside Papua the massacre appears to be having a unifying effect — although Papuan politics remain complex. The West Papua National Committee, who opposed the Congress, later marched in support of the six political prisoners. Father Neles Tebay, respected intellectual and leader of the Papua Peace Network, has intensified the demand for political dialogue.
It is a call that has been supported by Yaboisembut and others.
“All Papuans, wherever they are, must respect the dialogue process democratically initiated through the Papuan Peace Conference and the Papuan Peace Network,” says Yaboisembut.
Whether the Indonesian police and military will act in a similarly dignified manner remains to be seen.
As I write this, a long-term Papuan human rights activist sends me this message: “There’s an increase of military patrol of soldiers around Jayapura Township.” Some put the numbers as high as 40,000.
Reports are filtering in of troop surges in Sorong, Paniai (where gunshots have been heard), the border region and Jayapura.
“The atmosphere here is quiet but eerie,” my friend writes. We are all waiting to see what 1 December will bring.
With West Papua
Media.
GILLARD GIVES WAR PLANES TO INDONESIA
November 26th, 201121.11.2011).
force for terrorism in our region for nearly the past 50 years. Since the early
1960s it has been responsible for torture, rape, murder and genocide in West
Papua, East Timor, Acheh and Indonesia itself. No TNI leaders have ever been
brought to justice and none of the victims of their crimes have ever been
compensated.
that the TNI charged highly inflated fees for the use of their vehicles and
aircraft and sold much of the aid for profit. Apart from its contribution to
regional terrorism, it is a very corrupt organisation.
REFLECTIONS OF FIDEL ON NATO’S GENOCIDAL ROLE IN LIBYA & THE US BLOCKADE OF CUBA
October 30th, 2011GENOCIDAL ROLE IN LIBYA & THE US BLOCKADE OF
CUBA
treatment.
FIDEL CASTRO: NATO’s
Genocidal Role (Part III, English)
Posted by: “walterlx” walterlx@earthlink.net walterlx
Thu Oct 27, 2011 11:19 am (PDT)
GRANMA INTERNATIONAL
Havana.
October 27, 2011
Reflections of Fidel
NATO’s genocidal role Part
III
(Taken from CubaDebate)
ON February 23, under the title
“Cynicism’s danse macabre,” I stated:
“The politics of plunder imposed by
the United States and its NATO allies in the
Middle East is in
crisis.”
“Thanks to Sadat’s betrayal at Camp David, the Palestinian Arab State has not come into existence, despite the United Nations agreements of November 1947, and Israel has become a powerful nuclear force allied with the United States and NATO.
“The U.S. military-industrial complex supplies tens of billions of dollars every year to Israel and to the very Arab states
that it subjugates and humiliates.
“The genie is out of the bottle and NATO doesn’t know how to control it.
“They are going to try and take maximum advantage of the lamentable events in Libya. No one is capable of knowing at this time what is happening there. All of the figures and
versions, even the most improbable, have been disseminated by the empire through the mass media, sowing chaos and misinformation.
“It is evident that a civil war is developing in Libya. Why and how was this unleashed? Who will suffer the consequences? The Reuters news agency, repeating the opinion of the well-known Nomura Japanese bank, said that the price of oil could
surpass all limits.”
“…What will be the consequences for the food crisis?
“The principal NATO leaders are exalted. British Prime
Minister David Cameron, informed ANSA, `…admitted in a speech in Kuwait that the Western countries made a mistake in supporting non-democratic governments in the Arab World.’”
“His French colleague Nicolas Sarkozy declared, `The prolonged brutal and bloody repression of the Libyan civilian population is repugnant.’”
“Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini declared `believable’ the figure of one thousand dead in Tripoli […] `the tragic figure will be a bloodbath.’”
“Hillary Clinton declared, `…the bloodbath is completely unacceptable and has to stop…’”
“Ban Ki-moon added, `The use of violence in the country is absolutely unacceptable.’”
“…’the Security Council will act in accordance with what
the international community decides.’”
“‘We are considering a number of options.’”
“What Ban Ki-moon is really waiting for is that Obama give
the final word.
“The President of the United States spoke Wednesday
afternoon and stated that the Secretary of State would leave for Europe in order to reach an agreement with the NATO European allies as to what measures to take. Noticeable on his
face was his readiness to take on the right-wing Republican John McCain; Joseph Lieberman, the pro-Israel Senator from
Connecticut; and Tea Party leaders, in order to guarantee his nomination by the Democratic Party.
“The empire’s mass media have prepared the ground for action. There would be nothing strange about a military intervention in Libya, which would, additionally, guarantee Europe almost two million barrels of light oil a day, if events do not occur beforehand to put an end to the presidency or life of Gaddafi.
“In any event, Obama’s role is complicated enough. What would the Arab and Islamic world’s reaction be if much blood is spilt in this country in such an adventure? Would the revolutionary wave unleashed in Egypt stop a NATO
intervention?
“In Iraq the innocent blood of more than a million Arab citizens was shed when this country was invaded on false pretences. Mission accomplished, George W. Bush proclaimed.
“No one in the world will ever be in favor of the deaths of
defenseless civilians in Libya or anywhere else. I ask myself, would the United States and NATO apply that principle to the defenseless civilians killed every day by yankee drones and this organization’s soldiers in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
“It is a danse macabre of cynicism.”
While I was meditating on these events, the United Nations
debate scheduled for yesterday, Tuesday, October 25 on the “Necessity of ending the commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba began. This is omething
which has been demanded by the vast majority of this institution’s member countries for 20 years.
This time the numerous elemental and just arguments – which for United States governments were no more than rhetorical exercises – revealed, like never before, the political and moral weakness of the most powerful empire ever to have existed, and to whose oligarchical interests and insatiable thirst for
power and riches all the planet’s inhabitants have been subjected, including the very people of that country.
The United States is tyrannizing and plundering the globalized world with its political, economic, technological and military might.
That truth is becoming more and more obvious in the wake of the honest and courageous debates which have taken place in the United Nations during the last 20 years, with the support of states which one would imagine are expressing the will of the vast majority of the planet’s inhabitants.
Before [Cuban Foreign Minister] Bruno’s speech, many country
organizations expressed their points of view through one of their members. The first was Argentina, in the name of the Group of 77 plus China; followed by Egypt, in the name of the Non-Aligned Movement; Kenya, in the name of the African Union; Belize, in the name of CARICOM; Kazakhstan, in the name of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; and Uruguay, in the name of MERCOSUR.
Independently of these expressions of a collective nature,
China, a country of growing political and economic weight in the world, India and Indonesia strongly supported the resolution via their ambassadors; between the three of them they represent 2.7 billion inhabitants. The ambassadors of the Russian Federation, Belarus, South Africa, Algeria,
Venezuela and Mexico did likewise. The impassioned words of solidarity expressed by the ambassador of Belize, speaking
on behalf of the Caribbean community, and those of St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Bolivia, resonated among the poorest countries of the Caribbean and Latin America.
Their arguments in the context of the solidarity of our people –
despite a blockade which has already lasted 50 years – will be a constant stimulus for our doctors, educators and scientists.
Nicaragua spoke before the vote, to bravely explain why it would vote against this perfidious measure.
The United States representative also spoke before the vote, in
order to explain the inexplicable. I felt sorry for him. It is the role that they assigned to him.
At the hour of voting, two countries were absent: Libya and Sweden; three abstained: Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau; two voted against: the United States and Israel. Adding together those who voted against, abstained or were absent: the United States, with 313 million inhabitants; Israel, with 7.4
million; Sweden, with 9.1 million; Libya, with 6.5 million; Marshall Islands, with 67,100; Micronesia, 106,800; Palau, with
20,900, the total amounts to 336.948 million, equivalent to 4.8% of the world population, which has already risen to seven billion this month.
After the vote, speaking in the name of the European Union, Poland explained the votes of members of this bloc which, in spite of its close alliance with the United States and its obligatory participation in the blockade, is against this
criminal measure.
Subsequently, 17 countries addressed the Assembly to explain, resolutely and decisively, why they voted for the resolution against the blockade.
I will continue Friday the 28th.
Fidel Castro Ruz
October 26, 2011 9:45 p.m.
Translated
by Granma International
NEW APPROACHES TO ECONOMICS
October 19th, 2011
ADELAIDE SA 5001
Along with others who want to see our international economic
system adopt more humane and fairer economics, I was interested to read John Spoehr’s article, Debt and the Global Financial Crisis (The Adelaide
Review October 2011) about Ann Pettifor, a co-founder of Jubilee 2000 and the Green New Deal Group.
intended being at her Adelaide meeting, but was unable to do so. John’s article inspired me to do some further reading about Ann’s work and I discovered that she is also a fellow of nef (The New Economics Foundation) and that she shares ideas about the current international economic crisis on her blog Debtonation.org.
the understanding of the ideas of the economists, Maynard Keynes and Joan
Robinson as well as his commitment to international economic justice.
campaigners believe that banks, hedge funds and the rest of the financial sector should pay their fair share to clear up the international economic mess they helped create.
0.05% on transactions like stocks, bonds, foreign currency and derivatives. It is thought this
It is also thought that Transaction taxes will reduce the number of the most risky transactions occurring which helped to trigger the recent financial crises.
* A Bank Levy
This is basically a flat-rate levy imposed on large financial institutions. Under huge pressure from their voters and from campaigners, a number of countries, including the UK, France and Germany have already introduced a bank levy, but at rates that have not raised nearly enough to be effective in helping the poor and the planet.
* The Financial Activities Tax (FAT)
Supporters of this tax claim that it could raise billions through taxing excess profits and remuneration. Broadly, it is equivalent to a GST-type tax, but that it is only levied on the financial sector. It is estimated that it could raise £3.9 billion a year in the UK alone – and up to $93 billion across the OECD countries. The UK government has said it is open to implementing a FAT tax, but only together with a group of other countries, for example at EU level.
I believe that if we want to develop programs that will effectively combat world poverty and protect our environment, these initiatives should be strongly supported. Such taxes would not impose an extra financial burden on the poorest in the world community, but would ensure that super wealthy individuals and corporations, including those who currently pay very
little or no tax because of legal loop-holes, would contribute their fair share into combatting
poverty and improving the world’s environment.
Yours sincerely
VEGEMITE – WHAT IS ALL THE FUSS?
October 15th, 2011
The Editor
The Guardian Weekly
Kings Place
90 York Way
London
N1 9GU
UK
Dear
Sir/Madam
RE: LETTER TO THE
EDITOR: VEGEMITE - WHAT IS ALL THE FUSS?
My fellow compatriot, Paul Chisholm is correct (Letters, TGW 7.10.2011) – Vegemite is a product of the US multinational corporation, Kraft Foods Inc, which is based in Chicago, Illinois.
However, Vegemite was originally developed by an a food technologist for, Dr Cyril Callister, for an Australian company, Fred Walker & Co. in 1923. The company later became
the Kraft Walker Cheese Co. and was taken over by the American Kraft Co. after
the death of Fred Walker in 1935.
The product is a mixture of yeast extract (from the brewing and wine-making industries), salt,
malt extract, caramel for colouring, vegetable flavours, vitamins (niacin, thiamine, riboflavin). For the life of me, I do not understand why my fellow Australians, including Kevin Rudd, are so besotted with this horrible super saline muck.
My estimation of this is in line with Barack Obama, who, when introduced to it by Julia Gillard earlier this year, described it as “horrible”. And I might say that as I watch President Obama continue so many of George Bush’s dreadful policies, I do not agree with him on much at all.
I feel that I have science on my side in my estimation of the product. As a student, I remember my Biochemistry tutor being asked about the nutritional quality of the stuff. She
said that to derive the nutritional benefits that the Vegemite advertisements
claim, one would have to consume a large jar of it in one sitting. Even the
lovers of it would find that a very challenging exercise.
Some years later, while working in Asia, I knew Australians who had it air mailed to them so they could eat it for breakfast!. I much preferred Asian breakfast fare of fried noodles, noodle soup, yum cha, rice porridge, curry puffs or a variety of Indian breads with curry and chutney. To go to the extent of having parcels of Vegemite imported seemed to me to be an insult to Asian cuisine.
So I found it rather amusing that Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd had some problems convincing US airport security personnel that Vegemite was not part of a dangerous biological Aussie plot, but a tasty breakfast treat that he should be allowed to carry on a plane. I have to say that I think that it is neither tasty nor is it a treat as Kevin Rudd claims. Nor is it as good and safe as Paul Chisholm says.
I am sure that the salt content in Vegemite is the cause of much hypertension amongst many
Australians!
PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD
October 15th, 2011The
Editor
The
Guardian Weekly
Kings
Place
90
York Way
London
N1 9GU
UK
Dear
Sir/Madam
RE: LETTER TO THE
EDITOR – PALESTINIAN
STATEHOOD
I would suspect that observers of Middle East politics would not be in the least surprised to learn that Netanyahu is attempting to undermine peace talks yet again and that the US
is still backing him no matter what. (Chris McGreal: Netanyahu undermines Obama and Harriett Sherwood: Israel urged to avoid retaliation, TGGW 23.09.2011).
Some might have hoped that President Obama would have taken more strenuous steps to support Palestinian statehood and human rights. Sadly, this is not the case. In fact, it
has just been revealed that while publicly pressuring Israel to make deeper
concessions to the Palestinians, President Obama has secretly authorized
significant new aid to the Israeli military that includes the sale of 55
deep-penetrating GBU-28 Hard Target Penetrator bombs known as bunker busters.
This military sale was arranged behind the scenes as Obama demanded that Israel
stopped building new settlements on disputed territories.
This hypocrisy demonstrates that Obama will not lift a finger to support Palestine apart from
uttering a few empty words, no matter what outrages Israel commits in the future
.
It was therefore surprising that your editorial in the same edition (Fresh wind in the
Middle East) opposed the move by the Palestinians to have their statehood recognised by the UN.
I agree that such a move may not immediately force the Israeli regime to remove roadblocks or its illegal settlements on Palestinian land, begin to dismantle its Korean-style
wall, maintain its inhumane blockade or cease invading Palestinian lands. Nor will it immediately force the US administration to act in good faith. Yes, and knowing the track record of Israel, there is the very real possibility that it will find excuses to retaliate.
However, what do the Palestinians have to lose? This behaviour would continue whether the Palestinian Authority sought UN recognition or not.
If there is UN recognition of the state of Palestine, there will be much greater inclination
for other nations to support Palestine more strongly than before and to take
appropriate sanctions against Israel’s inappropriate actions against the newly
recognised state. We should remember that the UN refusal to recognise the
Indonesian invasion of East Timor was important in forcing many member nations
to finally support independence although, some like the US and Australia,
actively supported the Indonesian occupation.
It could also be argued that it would be more difficult for the US and nations like Australia
that tend to lamely follow American policies to continue their unwavering
support for Israel’s leaders while there is international acceptance of the
state of Palestine.
It is time to face up to the fact that ever since the state of Israel was established in Palestinian territory, its leaders have never come to the peace table with honest intentions
and the US has always backed Israel despite its insincerity and belligerent actions against Palestine and Lebanon. This was acknowledged by the late Professor Tanya Reinhardt, an Israeli citizen, a Jew by religion and author of the book , How to End the War of 1940 -
Israel/Palestine. She is supported by Professor Noam Chomsky, the members of the Jewish Voice for Peace and many other prominent Jews, who could be refered to as “Righteous Jews”. (Many may remember that Jews referred to non Jewish people who helped save Jews during World War 2 as “Righteous Gentiles”).
We should all be urging our leaders to support the recognition of Palestinian statehood. How can there be support for a state of Israel without recognising Palestine?
Not to do so is utter hypocrisy.
Andrew (Andy) Alcock