be just

Confessions of a Terrorist -- In These Times I write from my sleeper cell outside Hardwick, Vt., through a constituent I persuaded to give you this letter. I cannot speak my happiness on reading that you propose immunity for torturers and war criminals who confess, saying they “won’t be prosecuted unless they commit perjury.” Your plan will bring great shouts of joy from the Absolved: the high officials who authorized torture, the lowly who carried it out, and the medical personnel who facilitated it. I, too, have confessions pertaining to acts some partisans might label “crimes against humanity.” I assure you that my misdeeds also had high motives in service to God, nation, and the protection of my people’s way of life. Our sons are being killed, our blood is being shed, our holy places are being attacked.

Six years after Saddam, new Iraqi strongman tightens his grip | World news | The Guardian Six years after Saddam Hussein, Nouri al-Maliki tightens his grip on Iraq The Iraqi prime minister arrives in Britain today seeking UK investment. Ghaith Abdul-Ahad reports on how a leader once seen as weak is now being compared to his infamous predecessor

ONLF : "Statement On Call For UN Human Rights Investigation of Ethiopian Regime 17 April 2009 The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) strongly supports the call by Genocide Watch for the initiation of an investigation of the human rights situation in Ethiopia based on the proprio motu powers of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The ONLF has maintained for some time that the Ethiopian regime of Melez Zenawi is engaged in war crimes tantamount to Genocide in Ogaden. The United Nations own humanitarian assessment team which visited Ogaden in September 2007 concluded that an independent investigation was warranted but this recommendation was never acted upon and the details of their findings with regards to human rights was never fully released."

Official Web Site of GINBOT 7 : "April 25, 2009 Press Release Following this morning's announcement by the ruling party in Ethiopia, the Tigrai People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) claiming that it has foiled an attempted plot by Ginbot 7 to over throw its regime, our movement has been receiving inquiries and clarifications from a number of media outlets. Ginbot 7 would like to make it clear that the repressive regime in Ethiopia is under massive pressure at home due to the collapse of the economy, the massive unemployment, the obscene corruption and the growing resistance from the severely restricted opposition political parties and the populace at large. Every time the Meles regime is cornered for its gross mismanagement of the economy making Ethiopia, a virtual beggar nation, for its massive violations of human rights and its resounding condemnation by august international organizations for enacting draconian laws to criminalize dissent and use these bogus laws as a pretext to ...

U.S. Soldier Who Killed Herself--After Refusing to Take Part in Torture U.S. Soldier Who Killed Herself--After Refusing to Take Part in Torture With each new revelation on U.S. torture in Iraq, Afghanistan and Gitmo, I am reminded of the chilling story of Alyssa Peterson.

The Psychologists of Torture -- In These Times One of the key, if underreported, findings in Tuesday’s bombshell Senate report on the Bush-era treatment of U.S. military detainees was the role of civilian and military psychologists in devising, directing and overseeing the torture of prisoners. While the report highlights the role of senior Bush administration officials in approving “aggressive” interrogation techniques, it also exposes how medical professionals helped to transform the Pentagon’s torture resistance program into tactics used against prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and CIA “black” sites.

Pelosi knew NSA had listened to Harman phone calls | Antiwar Newswire LAURIE KELLMAN AP News Apr 22, 2009 14:58 EST House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that she was aware a few years ago that Rep. Jane Harman had been overheard on a government wiretap. "A few years ago, maybe three years ago, they did brief me," Pelosi told reporters at an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. She said that when a member of Congress is recorded as part of a wiretapped conversation, intelligence officials inform congressional leaders. "That happened at that time," Pelosi said. She added that the classified briefing was not detailed, and she did not tell Harman at the time. "All I knew is that she was wiretapped," Pelosi said. "When you are briefed on something, it isn't your information to share with anybody else," she added. "Even if I wanted to share it with her, I would not have had the ability to share it with her." Harman has said...

Prominent Lawmaker in AIPAC Spy Scandal by Daniel Luban -- Antiwar.com A U.S. government investigation of Israeli spying caught a prominent Democratic congresswoman discussing what is alleged to be a "quid pro quo" deal involving the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Washington’s powerful, hawkish pro-Israel lobby. Rep. Jane Harman of California was recorded in 2005 on a National Security Administration (NSA) wiretap promising a suspected Israeli agent that she would intervene on behalf of two AIPAC staffers accused of passing classified information to the Israeli government, and her interlocutor responded by promising to help get Harman appointed to a top congressional intelligence post, according to an article published Sunday by Congressional Quarterly (CQ). Perhaps even more notably, then-attorney general Alberto Gonzales later halted an FBI investigation of Harman’s actions because of Harman’s political value as a defender of the George W. Bush administra...

Legendary singer Tilahun Gessesse dies at age 68 ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia's legendary singer Tilahun Gessesse died at age 68 in his family home in the Ethiopian capital, family sources said. Perhaps the greatest modern musician whose star shone brightly during the golden years of Ethiopian music of the '60s, the 68-year-old iconic figure died Sunday on his way to hospital. A day earlier, Tilahun flew from New York City to Addis Ababa to spend Easter with his family. Reacting to the sudden death of Tilahun Gessesse, the Washington-based Radio Host Abebe Belew, also a close friend of Tilahun, said he was deeply shocked. "He was sporting a heatlhy look and was in good spirits when left for Ethiopia Saturday. On Sunday in Addis, we heard Tilahun was sick with "some burning" and was being rushed to a hospital when in the midst of all the chaos came in the news of his sudden death," Abebe said. "I wonder if there could be another Ethiopian who would live up to ...

Justice for Yassin Aref : "Yassin Aref is a Kurd from Iraq. He was a resident of Albany, New York. He was unfairly accused of supporting terrorists and sent to a special prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. The purpose of this site is to tell you who Yassin Aref really is and his interesting story; his struggle as a Kurd in Iraq, how he survived the Anfal genocide, his struggle for freedom, his journey to America with his family; and above all, how he ended up in prison. To learn of his story and about the Kurdish struggle for rights and liberty, Yassin wrote for you his life's story, Son of Mountains."

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YouTube - Palestinians mourn demonstrator's death - 18 Apr 09

Bolivian police break up plot to kill president : "CUMANA, Venezuela (AFP) – Bolivia's President Evo Morales said police in his country on Thursday broke up a plot by foreign mercenaries to kill him, suggesting that right-wing opponents were behind it."

Letter from Nelson Mandella to Thomas Friedman : "Thomas, I'm not abandoning Mideast diplomacy. But I'm not going to indulge you the way your supporters do. If you want peace and democracy, I will support you. If you want formal apartheid, we will not support you. If you want to support racial discrimination and ethnic cleansing, we will oppose you. When you figure out what you're about, give me a call."

US threatens Eritrea over support for al-Qaeda-linked terrorists - Telegraph : "US threatens Eritrea over support for al-Qaeda-linked terrorists The US has warned Eritrea it risks American military action for its support for a Somalian terrorist group linked to a plot to attack President Barack Obama."

US Threatens to Invade Eritrea -- News from Antiwar.com : "The United States has reportedly threatened to invade Eritrea and subject it to “the same fate as Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks” for providing support to the al-Shabaab resistance movement in Somalia, which the US has since attempted to link with al-Qaeda. The Daily Telegraph quotes one source as saying “There are consequences for working with al-Shabaab when President Obama cannot afford to look weak on terrorism.”"

DU-Azzawi.pdf (application/pdf Object) 1.0 Introduction: Depleted Uranium (DU) weaponry has been used against Iraq since the Gulf War 1 in 1991. Estimated (DU) expenditure of 320 - 800 tons were mainly shot on the withdrawing Iraqi troops from Kuwait to the north of Basrah City. The use of (DU) ammunition and bombs on Iraqi territory never stopped since 1991.....................

Souad Al Azzawi - Let the numbers talk Dr. Souad N. Al-Azzawi, Associate Professor, Baghdad, Iraq, member of the B Russell s Tribunal Advisory Committee (26 March 2009) Dear Friends, I pride myself in being a scientist and a researcher. I built my academic career on theories and numbers. As a teacher, I teach my students that everything is based in science - everything has reason. For this reason, I am always frustrated with myself when I find I am overwhelmed with feelings on specific topics. One such topic is the occupation of my country, Iraq. On this subject I find that I cannot always be dispassionate. I cannot be the researcher and observer and discuss it without feeling or emotion as I am sometimes expected to do. I find myself doing research on the damages caused by the war and occupation, and my head buzzes with anger, my eyes burn with tears of desperation at the state of my country. Six years after the attack and the pain i...

An Apology for an Occupation | CommonDreams.org : "On April 4th, at a large demonstration in Strasbourg, France, Chiroux planned to publicly apologize to Afghan peace activist Malalai Joya for participating in the occupation of her country; however, before he could do so, the demonstration was disrupted by attacks of the French police. He made his apology instead on April 5, 2009, at the NATO Congress in Strasbourg. The following is a transcript of their exchange: 'How sorry I am for the violence that my Army has done...' Apology of Sergeant Matthis Chiroux to Afghan leader Malalai Joya Strasbourg, France, April 5, 2009"

Iraq air raids hit mostly women and children - Middle East, World - The Independent Air strikes and artillery barrages have taken a heavy toll among the most vulnerable of the Iraqi people, with children and women forming a disproportionate number of the dead. Analysis carried out for the research group Iraq Body Count (IBC) found that 39 per cent of those killed in air raids by the US-led coalition were children and 46 per cent were women. Fatalities caused by mortars, used by American and Iraqi government forces as well as insurgents, were 42 per cent children and 44 per cent women.

Gitmo Detainee Calls TV Station, Tells of Abuse -- News from Antiwar.com Guantanamo captive Mohammad al-Qaraani, a 21 year old citizen of Chad who has been held at the US detention center since he was 14 , was allowed the rare priviledge today of making a phone call to a relative, but decided to call the Qatari-based al-Jazeera television station instead . What resulted was the first known interview with a Guantanamo captive by a major media outlet. In the interview, Qaraani described being beaten by a group of US troops, and tear gassed repeatedly. “ This treatment started about 20 days before Obama came into power, and since then I’ve been subjected to it almost every day ,” he said. Though President Obama has banned harsh interrogations and is planning to close the facility , one lawyer for a human rights group representing some of the detainees reports that conditions in the facility are deteriorating . Guantanamo spokesman Lieutenant Commander Brook DeWalt said Qaraani was suppo...

Is Iran "Demonic"? Ask Dennis Ross Does Dennis Ross believe that Iran is a "demonic" nation? Apparently so, at least according to the latest report from the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute. Readers of The Nation may already have seen my thumbnail profile of Dennis Ross , Hillary Clinton's special envoy for "the Gulf and Southwest Asia," i.e., Iran. A smooth talking but hawkish diplomat who spent most of the past decade at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a pro-Israel thinktank in Washington, Ross is at best a controversial choice for an administration dedicated to opening a dialogue with Iran. Among other things, during his trenure at WINEP, Ross expressed skepticism about the value of talks with Iran. Here's an addendum to that profile: until his recent appointment, Ross served as chairman of the board for the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (JPPPI), an Israel-based organization that, according to its web site, ...

Obama Echoes Bush Policy on Detainee Access to Courts -- News from Antiwar.com : "Following one of former President Bush’s key policies, the Obama Administration is contesting the federal ruling from earlier this month which granted some of the detainees held by the United States in Afghanistan certain legal rights, in particular habeas corpus. The administration intends to argue that giving US-held detainees the right to challenge the legitimacy of their open-ended detentions would “inhibit the future capture of Pakistani citizens for detention by US forces in Afghanistan.” The Bush Administration argued that foreign prisoners held by the US military had absolutely no legal rights, and could be held indefinitely without charges or access to courts. While the Obama Administration has said it intends to abandon the unpopular detention center at Guantanamo Bay at some point, the appeal makes it clear that President Obama intends to continue the detentions, just in a less public envi...

Officials: NATO Strike Kills Six Civilians in Afghanistan -- News from Antiwar.com : "Provincial officials say a NATO air strike carried out in the Kunar Province overnight has killed six civilians, including two children, and wounded 16 others, most of them also children. The attack destroyed three homes in the restive province, and a three year old girl and 10 year old boy were among those killed."

Al Jazeera English - Focus - 'Fallujah never leaves my mind' Five years on, he recounts the events he witnessed and filmed. "What you saw on your TV sets at home reflects only ten per cent of the reality. Also, if you watch those pictures at home, you can change the channel. But we were in the middle. We smell. We feel, see, and touch everything. We could touch the bodies, but we couldn't change the channel. We were the channel. When I think of Fallujah, I think of the smell. The smell was driving me crazy. In a dead body, there is a kind of liquid. Yellow liquid. The smell is disgusting, really. It sticks in your nose. You cannot eat anymore. And you can't get the pictures off your mind, because every day you see the same: Explosion, death, explosion, death, death. After work, you sit down and notice there are pieces of flesh on your shoes and blood on your trousers. But you don't have time to ask why. In April 2004, I remember I was in the Baghdad offic...

'Israel killed 437 kids in blockaded Gaza' : "Israel's three-week war on the Gaza Strip left 437 children dead and 1872 more wounded, the Ministry of Social Affairs in Gaza has said. Ahmad Al Kurd, Minister of Social Affairs, said on Friday that the Israeli army targeted women and children, and that its shelling targeted homes, hospitals, educational facilities and even mosques, International Middle East Media Center reported. The killing and wounding of large numbers of children proves that the Israeli forces targeted the civilian areas, he added. According to the report, Israel's offensive to the blockaded strip also left 1500 children orphans, as they lost a parent or both parents in the attacks, and thousands of them suffered psychological problems due to witnessing scenes of death and destructions. Israel has been accused of committing war crimes during the war in Gaza, including the use of deadly white phosphorus shells in densely populated civilian areas and...

Troops Stole Boxes of Iraq Reconstruction Cash ... Literally ... But There's a Lot More to the Story | War on Iraq | AlterNet : "This weekend the Los Angeles Times ran an article titled 'Some U.S. troops tempted by reconstruction cash,' reporting that the Department of Justice is pursing some 'three dozen prosecutions' of soldiers and others involving bribery for 'reconstruction' projects in Iraq and Afghanistan. The piece tells the story of one Army captain, a 28-year old graduate from West Point, who according to a federal indictment, 'managed to skim more than $690,000 in cash as the civil affairs officer overseeing millions of dollars intended for reconstruction projects and payments to private Iraqi security forces northeast of Baghdad.' In a particularly brazen move, Capt. Michael Dung Nguyen allegedly packed the cash into boxes, which he then mailed to his home in Beaverton, Oregon. According to the LA Times, 'at least 25 theft probes...

                       : Information Clearing House - ICH Video An Argentine opinion on the Global Financial Crisis, describing the whole Global Financial System as one vast Ponzi Scheme. Like a pyramid, it has four sides and is a predictable model. The four sides are: (1) Artificially control the supply of public State-issued Currency, (2) Artificially impose Banking Money as the primary source of funding in the economy, (3) Promote doing everything by Debt and (4) Erect complex channels that allow privatizing profits when the Model is in expansion mode and socialize losses when the model goes into contraction mode. How will the Global Financial Collapse end? Are we on the way towards global war and world government? Posted April 07, 2009

      US Hypocrisy on North Korea: Let's Talk About Israel's Nukes                 : Information Clearing House - ICH Many countries around the world certainly see hypocrisy in the Obama administration's position on North Korea. Israel has repeatedly been condemned by the UN for its occupation of Palestinian lands. Moreover, it has hundreds of nuclear weapons with estimates ranging from 200-400 warheads. What's more, Israel and the US are in league with North Korea in the small club of nations that have refused to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Other nations include: China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, and Pakistan. In his Prague speech, Obama said his administration "will immediately and aggressively pursue U.S. ratification," saying, "After more than five decades of talks, it is time for the testing of nuclear weapons to finally be banned."