Alice Embree / Terry DuBose : Defend the Soldiers' Right to Heal

15 November 2012

Alice Embree / Terry DuBose : Defend the Soldiers' Right to Heal

Under the Hood contingent at Veterans Day Parade, Killeen, Texas, Saturday, November 10, 2012. Photo by Susan Van Haitsma / The Rag Blog.
Defend the right to heal:
Veterans’ Day parade in Killeen

As the deployments wind down from this decade of combat, service members are finding that their access to medical care is restricted, denied, delayed, and stigmatized.

By Alice Embree / The Rag Blog / November 15, 2012

See story by Terry J. DuBose and photos by Alice Embree and Susan Van Haitsma, Below.

Malachi Muncy’s vision was obscured, but he could hear a boy’s voice saying:“It’s a soldier in a pill bottle. Break out! Break out!”
The boy, a spectator along the Veterans Day parade route in Killeen, Texas, got it. So did most of those who saw Under the Hood’s message on Saturday, November 10.

Under the Hood (UtH) is a GI coffeehouse that opened in 2009 in Killeen, a mile from Fort Hood, the largest U.S. military post in the world. The UtH contingent marched for the second time in Killeen’s Veterans’ Day event. Three veterans led the march with this banner: “Honor All Who Served: Defend Service Members’ and Veterans’ Right to Heal.”

Behind the banner, on the bed of a pickup truck, was Malachi Muncy, a veteran of two Iraq deployments, a writer and an artist. Malachi had produced the pill bottle image as a print on paper made of combat uniforms. For the parade he took his art large, constructing a six-foot tall orange pill bottle with a white cap. Malachi, in uniform, stood inside the bottle, occasionally reaching his hands above him into the air. The prescription read: “RX: We Deserve Better.”

Although Malachi’s vision was somewhat limited by the orange acetate he was behind, he could hear the crowd’s response. Those seated along the parade route would begin asking each other what was on the truck, then talk amongst themselves as they realized it was a soldier in a pill bottle. There was occasional laughter, even applause. Some spectators made comments about the medicines they were on.

Along the route, UtH supporters handed out leaflets supporting soldiers’ right to heal -- for real treatment beyond pills for the hidden injuries that are now so prevalent -- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Military Sexual Trauma, and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Supporters also carried signs with the grim markers of this decade of war.“A veteran commits suicide every 80 minutes. Stop the cycle!” “There were 154 service member suicides in the first 155 days of this year. 154 suicides vs. 134 combat deaths.”

In an October 23 article, the Austin American-Statesman dug deep into the Texas face of these statistics: “Special Report: Uncounted Casualties,” reporting on the recent Texas veterans who have died of overdoses, suicide, and vehicle crashes.

As the deployments wind down from this decade of combat, service members are finding that their access to medical care is restricted, denied, delayed, and stigmatized. An appeal to Congress for redress for service members’ and Veterans’ right to heal can be found at www.RighttoHeal.org. You are urged to sign this petition and to continue to support Under the Hood -- a space for free speech, peer support, and decompression.

[Alice Embree is a long-time Austin activist, organizer, and member of the Texas State Employees Union. A former staff member of underground papers The Rag in Austin and RAT in New York, and a veteran of SDS and the women's liberation movement, she is now active with CodePink Austin and Under the Hood Café. Embree is a contributing editor to The Rag Blog and is treasurer of the New Journalism Project. Read more articles by Alice Embree on The Rag Blog.]

"Trapped." Print by Malachi Muncy on paper made from old combat uniform.

Malachi Muncy:A veteran artist

Malachi Muncy, a veteran of two deployments to Iraq, uses art and theater to express his frustration, situation, and anger. Two of his prints, “Trapped” and “Escape,” carry strong messages in this era of record suicide rates among troops and veterans.

Malachi prints on paper made from his combat uniforms. As guerrilla theater for the Veterans’ Day Parade in Killeen, Malachi designed and built a giant pill bottle. Standing in uniform in the bottle on the back of a pickup truck his art reached hundreds along the parade route.

Malachi served in the Texas Army National Guard as a motor vehicle operator from 2003 to 2009, with service in Iraq from 2004-2005 and 2006-2007. He has a BA in journalism form Texas State University (TSU) and is currently pursuing a BA in English.

Malachi’s writing has appeared in the Copperas Cove Leader Press, SKUNK Magazine, and at RawStory.com. His poetry and prose have been included in the Warrior Writers anthologies. Malachi’s print and papermaking artwork has been exhibited at The National Veterans Art Museum in Chicago.

Malachi has volunteered as arts coordinator at Under the Hood Café, a GI Outreach Center in Killeen. He has conducted workshops there on making “combat paper” from uniforms -- transforming war experiences into art. In December he will become the new manager of Under the Hood.

-- Terry J. DuBose / The Rag Blog

[Terry J. DuBose, who was an organizer for Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) in Texas, is an Associate Professor Emeritus of Diagnostic Medical Sonography at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.]

"Escape." Print by Malachi Muncy.

Photo Gallery: Under the Hood at Veterans Day Parade

Photo by Alice Embree / The Rag Blog.

Photo by Alice Embree / The Rag Blog.

Photo by Alice Embree / The Rag Blog.

Photo by Susan Van Haitsma / The Rag Blog.

Photo by Alice Embree / The Rag Blog.

Photo by Susan Van Haitsma / The Rag Blog.

Photo by Susan Van Haitsma / The Rag Blog.

Photo by Susan Van Haitsma / The Rag Blog.

Photo by Susan Van Haitsma / The Rag Blog.

Photo by Susan Van Haitsma / The Rag Blog.

Photo by Susan Van Haitsma / The Rag Blog.

Photo by Susan Van Haitsma / The Rag Blog.

Photo by Susan Van Haitsma / The Rag Blog.
Find more photos of Under the Hood and the Veterans Day parade by Alice Embree and Susan Van Haitsma.

The Rag Blog

Greece: Profile of a Failed State

Thursday, November 08, 2012

Greece: Profile of a Failed State

Greece: Profile of a Failed State

by Stephen Lendman

Greece exhibits failed and rogue state characteristics. It governs irresponsibly. It's beholden more to foreign interests than its own. Banker needs are prioritized. Ruling authority outside Greece dictates terms.

The country's unable or refuses to provide public services. It threatens the welfare of its people. It spurns legitimate rule. It's bankrupt but won't declare it.

Governance in Greece combines travesty, tragedy and shame. Democracy's birth place spurns it. It also displays an unprincipled disregard for human need at a time of rampant corruption and prioritized military spending.

In 2011, seven billion euros went for arms. Greece is the tenth largest weapons importer. It's one of 28 NATO countries. Collective defense requires member states to purchase arms and buy them from alliance partners.

As a percent of GDP, Greek defense spending is nearly double that of other EU nations. Germany is one of Athens' main creditors. It's also one of its largest arms suppliers. They account for 15% of Berlin's weapons exports.

No justification exists. Greece has no enemies. It's also broke. It can't or won't provide public services. It borrows hugely to repay and service debt, and rampant corruption is out-of-control.

Transparency International (TI) says "Greek people live in a state of 'corrupt legality,' meaning that the law often condones or even fosters corrupt practices. Corruption is endemic: not limited to any party or social class, nor to the public sector."

"The public sector suffers from substantial gaps in both law and practice, thus allowing corruption to thrive. Public officials have been allowed to act for decades without any transparency or effective oversight."

"As a result, lack of integrity, tendency to demand and accept bribes, and unfaithfulness to public service have proliferated. Wrongdoing has eroded the rule of law and facilitated a culture of impunity."

Privileged elites hide wealth in favored tax havens. Doing so explains part of the problem.

Unaccountability lets them get away with what no one should tolerate. It's especially outrageous at a time of economic crisis and appalling human deprivation. Force-feeding more pain exacerbates deplorable conditions.

Last May, dominant parties polled poorly. Voters rejected austerity. Many voted with their feet and opted out. Ordinary Greeks are beset by crushing wage, benefit, and other social cuts.

Impoverishment, homelessness, and unemployment result. Public anger expresses itself in street protests, strikes, and opportunities sought elsewhere.

Some of Greece's best and brightest are leaving. Why stay without job prospects or futures. Other professionals abroad aren't returning.

Dire economic conditions created a lost generation. Brain drain exodus affects the country's future. Greece is inhospitable to human welfare. Who can survive without jobs, income or futures?

Rage against rogue governance grows. On November 6, The New York Times headlined "Normal Life on Pause, and a Sense of Simmering Rage," saying:

Proprietors go out of business for lack of enough customers and revenue to cover expenses. Deepening Depression conditions exist. Greece's economy is on a downward spiral to oblivion.

"The vitriol toward politicians is in many ways more intense than the outrage expressed toward the European Union and the International Monetary Fund."

"Politicians here rarely venture out in public, and when they do, even the most obscure member of Parliament is accompanied by at least one bodyguard."

On November 7, more austerity measures were enacted. Included are some of the most draconian so far. Street rage became violent. Prior to the vote, 100,000 angry Greeks marched on parliament in Syntagma Square.

Why they haven't stormed it so far they'll have to explain. Don't be surprised if they do ahead in a country best described as a tinderbox ready to explode.

People only take so much. Once pain levels exceed a threshold of no return, all bets are off. Politicians are playing with fire. Revolutionary anger is visceral. One spark too many may ignite it.

Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds. Protesters threw Molotov cocktails at security forces. A bus stop and kiosk were set ablaze. Athens resembles a war zone.

Dozens of arrests followed. Hundreds or thousands more won't quell rage. Greeks are justifiably mad and show it. It's just a matter of time perhaps before the whole country explodes.

Strikes brought Greece to a halt. Hospitals operate with skeleton crews. Commerce shut down. Journalists walked out. They joined strikers. Broadcasts and publications were suspended.

Troika authority demanded and got another $17.2 billion in budget cuts. At issue is qualifying for $39.6 billion in bailout funds. Greece barely gets enough to pay bureaucrats. Debt service and bailing out bankers get top priority.

The term bailout is a misnomer. Grand theft and extortion more accurately explain policy. Ordinary Greeks are victimized. So is Greece's economy.

It's a shell of its former self. It's a zombie waiting for its obituary to be written. Bankers responsible for crisis conditions are rewarded. Irresponsible governance steals from ordinary people to pay rich ones and corporate crooks.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaris heads Greece's rogue government. On Wednesday, he said Athens took "a big, decisive and optimistic step. A step toward recovery. I am very pleased."

The more Greece borrows, the greater its debt, the harder it is to service and repay, the more future aid that's needed, and faster the country heads toward total collapse.

Catastrophic conditions are pushing people toward deplorable living conditions and starvation. Prioritizing debt service and repayment by greater borrowing guarantees an eventual bad ending.

Impossible to bear pain may become uncontainable rage. More than buildings may burn. Politicians may be targeted. They could be tarred, feathered or shot.

University of the Aegean lecturer Panagiotis Sotiris told Russia Today:

"Every austerity package in the last two and a half years was supposed to be the last one. So it won’t be the last one this time. We are going to see more of this."

With minimal discussion, parliament "pass(ed) a huge law. We are very far from democratic procedure. This is a set of measures, which are actually dictated by the Troika."

Ordinary Greeks have no say. Parliament surrendered to diktat authority. A banner one protestor held expressed mass sentiment, saying: "TRAITOR SAMARAS GET OUT"

In August, Greek unemployment hit a record high. Officially at 25.4%, one in four workers have no jobs. Monthly for the last three years, figures rose. True unemployment may be much higher. Moreover, most jobs pay subsistence wages and poor or no benefits.

Young people are hardest hit. In the 15 - 24 age category, 58% are jobless. It's likely closer to two-thirds. In the last three years, wages have been cut up to 60%. Around 70,000 small business ceased operating.

The latest austerity round targets another 150,000 jobs, further wage cuts up to 30%, pensions cut up to 15%, and fewer healthcare benefits.

Bureaucrats across the board are affected. Minimum wages, holiday benefits, and severance pay will be reduced.

Education will also be hit hard. Universities will be shut. Mass staff reductions will follow. Retirement will be raised from 65 to 67. Job protections are weakened. Layoffs are now easier. Redundancy notice was decreased from six to four months.

The done deal isn't quite complete. On November 11, parliamentarians have to meet Troika officials. Their revised budget must be approved.

Greece also wants more. It seeks a further "emergency growth package." It's worth another 10 billion euros. It's nowhere near enough for what Athens needs. Expect more bailout deals to follow.

On November 5, Greek journalist walked out for the second time in a week. They're protesting plans to merge their social security fund with a national system.

Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras initially couldn't get a parliamentary agreement to merge the social security funds of journalists, civil engineers, lawyers, and others into the National Organization for Healthcare Provisions (EOPYY). On November 7, the measure passed.

Greece stands at the abyss of collapse. It's mired in deepening Depression. Since 2007, it's economy shrunk nearly 22%. It continues heading south.

Ordinary Greeks bear the greatest burden. Multiple rounds of wage cuts, layoffs and lost benefits created unforgivable hardships.

Bad as things are now, more force-fed austerity is planned. Expect no end of it ahead. Greece is banker occupied. It's debt entrapped.

Class war rages. Living standards plummeted precipitously. Troika authorities demand state-run enterprises, public land, tourist sites, ports, water, and other Greek crown jewels stripped of all worth and sold at fire sale prices.

Brussels calls it a rescue. Ordinary Greeks know it's impoverishment and unemployment. It's financial warfare. It's more destructive than pillaging armies.

It grabs everything in sight and wants more. Corrupt politicians steal what they can and agree. Ordinary people bear unconscionable pain. Earlier hard times produced Nazism.

World War II followed. Failure to learn from history risks repeating it. At issue is doing it disastrously. No one seems to notice or care. It may be too late to matter once reality hits home. It may come sooner than most imagine.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

Israel's Operation Pillar of Cloud

Israel's Operation Pillar of Cloud

by Stephen Lendman

On November 14, Israel murdered Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari in cold blood. A missile struck his car. Another passenger was killed. Unconfirmed reports said it was his son.

An IDF Twitter message said, "We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead."

Press TV said Shin Bet claimed responsibility. An official statement said:

"During a joint operation of the General Security Service (Shin Bet) and the IDF today, Ahmed al-Jabari, the senior commander of the military wing of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, was targeted."

Attacks continue. Israel's Operation Pillar of Cloud (aka Cloud Column) killed at least nine Palestinians. Over 20 others were injured. Authorities expect death and injury tolls to rise.

Bombing and shelling continued overnight. At least three more Palestinians were killed. More were injured.

Israel said over 20 sites were targeted. Hamas' military wing, Izzeddin Qassam Brigades, said Israel "opened the gates of hell." A robust response was promised.

Jabari is the most senior Hamas official killed since Cast Lead. He was involved in capturing Gilad Shalit. During his five years in captivity, he led negotiations that freed him.

Netanyahu said Israel chose this time to "exact the heaviest price." Initially he added that a significant military action wouldn't be undertaken. In fact, it was initiated and remains ongoing. Perhaps something greater is planned.

Kadima opposition leader Shaul Mofaz called killing Jabari and attacking Gaza a "deterrence against Hamas in the long term. It isn't the time to loosen our grip and relax. We must search (out Hamas leaders) everywhere."

Former Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni called the killing an "appropriate assassination of the head of a terror organization that is responsible for spilling the blood of Israeli citizens."

Labor leader Shelly Yacimovich said Jabari had the "blood of many Israelis on his hands. (He) was the arch terrorist of the extremist Hamas organization." Killing him was "justified."

Knesset State Comptroller's Committee chairman, MK Uri Ariel said:

"Let the IDF win. This pinpoint attack cannot be our final act. Israel needs to continue and hit the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip with all its might."

"The Israeli government must keep up the pressure until it topples the evil regime that is keeping thousands of Israeli residents from leading normal and peaceful lives."

Other Israeli officials made similar comments. Meretz MK Nitzan Horowitz was nonbelligerent, saying:

"Stop the escalation in Gaza. It is a petty bloody circle. War will not solve anything."

Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq said killing Jabari won't "break the will of our people nor weaken our resistance." He accused Netanyahu of committing a war crime to boost his reelection chances. Doing so, he warned, may "cost him his political future."

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum called killing Jabari a "declaration of war." Revenge was promised. "The occupation has committed a grave crime and crossed all red lines."

"The enemy will pay a heavy price for its crime and will regret the moment it thought of perpetrating it."

Israel launched war but doesn't know how to end it. Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Ahmed said attacks would follow in hours. He also called killing Jabari a "declaration of war."

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called on Arab states to help stop Israel's "barbaric" assault.

An Izzeddin Qassam Brigades statement said, "From this night, the Israeli occupation will be living in hell."

What may be is planned is worrisome. Defense Secretary Ehud Barak called up Israeli reserves. All options are on the table, he stressed. A ground operation may or may not follow.

Haaretz headlined "Israel launches military operation in Gaza." A timeline followed, saying:

On November 14 at 7:37PM, the Palestinian death toll rose to seven. Another 20 others were wounded.

At 7:42 PM, Shimon Peres spoke to Obama by phone. He said Jabari was responsible for "terrorist" attacks. He lied, but both sides accept this explanation.

At 7:45 PM, Abbas called for an urgent Arab League meeting.

At 7:50PM, Barak called for "special situation" status on the home front at a distance of 40 km from Gaza. Government approval is needed.

At 7:59PM, Be'er Sheva alarms told residents to seek shelter from rocket attacks.

At 8:03PM, eight Palestinian deaths were reported. Another 30 were wounded.

At 8:09PM, Palestinians reported an explosion at the home of former Fatah security head, Rashid Abu Shabak in Gaza.

At 8:11PM, rocket fire struck a parked vehicle in Be'er Sheva.

At 8:12PM, Be'er Sheva alarms again sounded. Rocket fire was reported.

At 8:17, 8:19, and 8:20PM, more rockets were fired.

At 8:37PM, Netanyahu accused Hamas and Islamic Jihad of harming Israelis.

At 8:40PM, Israel's US embassy said surgical strikes showed restraint in responding to Hamas rockets.

At 8:50PM, rockets were fired toward Dimona for the first time.

At 9:21PM, Israeli gunboats shelled Gaza.

At 9:18PM, Jimmy Carter condemned attacks on both sides.

Press TV said Israeli warships fired missiles on Gaza.

Egypt recalled its Israeli ambassador. Reuters said Egypt condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza. Foreign Minister Kamel Amr demanded they stop immediately.

Failure "could have negative repercussions on the security and stability of the region." Israel's escalation is "very dangerous."

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Freedom and Justice Party political wing said:

FJP "stresses its full condemnation to the Israeli assignation operation against Al-Qassam leader Ahmed Al-Jabari."

"Israel's return to the policy of assignation of leaders from the Palestinian struggle groups shows that the Israeli occupation wants to drag the region towards instability."

"But the occupying state has to understand that the changes the Arab region, and especially Egypt, have witnessed will not permit that the Palestinian people be put under the hold of the Israeli offense in the same way as the past."

"The wanton aggression against Gaza proves that Israel has yet to realize that Egypt has changed and that the Egyptian people who revolted against oppression/ injustice will not accept assaulting Gaza."

On November 14, Haaretz headlined "Hit on Hamas military chief is only the beginning," saying:

"This is not just 'another' assassination, but rather a hit on one of the top people in the movement and the person in the leadership most identified with the terror struggle against Israel."

Israel's action is the beginning of more to come. Retaliatory attacks will follow. Expect Israel to use them as justification for further strikes. Perhaps Cast Lead 2 is planned. The fullness of time will tell.

Haaretz said Hamas has Fajr rockets. Their range is 75km. They can strike Tel Aviv and other urban areas. Whether this "Judgment Day" weapon will be used remains to be seen.

Israel attacked 20 underground sites believed to store them. Reports didn't claim success. It bears repeating what previous articles stressed. On January 22, Netanyahu faces reelection. Perhaps he thinks killing Gazans increases his prospects.

Once attacks begin and escalate, who knows how they'll end. Death and destruction begets more of it. The more Israel attacks Gaza, the more Arab street anger will grow. So will anti-Israeli sentiment elsewhere.

Israelis perhaps approve. Jabari may be viewed as Netanyahu's bin Laden. Expect his reelection strategy to stress it. Israel removed its main terrorist threat, he'll say.

Gullible Israelis may believe it. Opposition candidates won't refute him. If greater escalation follows, all bets are off.

War benefits often have short shelf life benefits. Netanyahu needs boosting until January 22.

If reelected, he'll worry less about approval afterwards. Blood on his hands will remain.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

Naked Israeli Aggression

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Naked Israeli Aggression

Naked Israeli Aggression

by Stephen Lendman

Since 1948, Israel waged varying intensity war on Palestine. Crimes of war, against humanity, and genocide are committed regularly. World community inaction lets Israel get away with murder.

Operation Pillar of Cloud (aka Cloud Column/Pillar of Defense) is Israel's latest naked aggression.

"And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire; to give them the light; to go by day and night:" Exodus 13.21.

Israel apparently believes Almighty God sanctifies cold-blooded murder. Self-defense claims don't wash. They never do.

Killing Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari in cold blood intensified Israeli attacks. They began Saturday. They replicate what Israel did so often before.

Israel bombs, shells, ravages, and murders civilian men, women and children with impunity. A special place in hell awaits responsible rogues in charge. Palestinian supporters worldwide condemn them.

Cast Lead 2.0 looms. The lives of 1.7 innocent people are at risk. They're trapped inside the world's largest open air prison. They're sitting ducks. There's no place to hide. Israel takes full advantage.

Mondoweiss published a list of scheduled Emergency Global Actions for Gaza. Silence and inaction aren't options. Accountability time is long overdue.

Evening November 14:

▪ Jerusalem - Damascus Gate, 7:00PM

▪ Ramallah - al Manara Square, 7:00PM

▪ Bethlehem - Manger Square, 7:30PM

▪ Tel Aviv - Ehud Barak's doorstep, 8:00PM

▪ Istanbul | al Fateh Mosque, 9:00PM

▪ London | Israeli Embassy

▪ Quebec | Hall Building, Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve West, 6:00PM

November 15:

▪ George Mason Univesity - Free Speech Square, 1:30PM

▪ Nashville - Centennial Park, 3:00PM

▪ Washington DC - Israeli Embassy, 3:30PM

▪ San Francisco - Israeli Consulate, 5:15PM

▪ New York - Israeli Consulate, 42nd Street & 2nd Ave, 5:00PM

▪ Boston - Copley Square, 4:30PM

▪ Chicago - Outside Obama HQ, 130 E Randolph Street, 4:00PM

▪ Montreal - Hall Building, Concordia University, 5:00PM

▪ Vancouver - The Art Gallery, 5:00PM

▪ Toronto - Israeli Consulate, 180 Bloor Street (east of St. George TTC), 6:00PM

▪ London - Israeli Embassy, 5:30PM

▪ Brighton (UK) - Outside EcoStream HQ, 12:00PM

▪ Brighton (UK) - Victoria Gardens, 5:30PM

▪ Bradford (UK) - 4.30PM

▪ Oxford (UK) - Cornmarket Street, 4:00PM

▪ Dublin - Israeli Embassy, 5:30PM

▪ Belfast - City Hall, 7:00PM

▪ Paris - Ministry of Justice, 6PM

▪ Jerusalem - Outside Hebrew University, 12:00PM

▪ Beirut - Cola, 10:00AM

▪ Sydney - Parmatta Town Hall, 6PM

November 16:

Cairo - Tahrir Square

▪ Washington DC - March from State Department, 6:00PM

▪ San Francisco | Israeli Consulate, 4:00PM

▪ Manchester (UK) - Picadilly Gardens, 5:00PM

SATURDAY, 17 Nov

▪ Stockholm - 3PM

▪ Oslo - 3PM

Mondoweiss co-editor Philip Weiss is in Bethlehem. He called the West Bank mood "resigned" and "edgy." Demonstrations were urged.

Scattered ones occurred in Nablus, Jenin, Qalqilia, Hebron, Bethlehem, and near Ofer military base. Israel responded violently. Protesters were attacked with rubber bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas. Injuries were reported.

Gaza's health minister Mofeed al-Mkhallalaty said what's happening is "a comprehensive war launched by Israel against the civilian population of Gaza killing the elderly, children and infants."

He called for international action to stop it. Gaza's main Al Shifa Hospital and other medical facilities can't handle the severe casualties needing urgent treatment. At least 15 Palestinians were killed. Over 150 were injured. Expect casualty totals to rise. Israel shows no mercy.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the IDF is using white phosphorous and other illegal weapons. It's likely. Israel uses them in all its wars. New ones are tested in real time. Doctors report injuries never seen before.

Mondoweiss contributor Waleed al-Meadana headlined "Almost Dead: An eyewitness report from Gaza," saying:

"Death smells! Blood stains the walls. Pieces of grained human flesh spread everywhere, and broken glass is scattered. I can recognize a hand, and some parts of the head."

"Trees are torn apart some steps away. They are laying dead. And a car is still firing. Or what is left of it. Appalled faces. Shaking voices."

"The sky is weird. Gloomy clouds, bleak scenes, some kind of strange feeling alongside the smell of human blood, and children. Children are gathering up the remnants of the fragmented body."

He lives in Gaza. He's never been this close to Israeli crimes, he added. He's witnessing Israeli barbarity firsthand. Before it ends, he may be lucky to survive in one piece. "Israeli arrogance….showers us with bombs and hate."

Israel said a ground invasion "is only a matter of time." An emergency November 14 Security Council meeting was held. Ban Ki-moon made his usual dismissive comment. He urged both sides to exercise "maximum restraint and to respect international law."

Washington blocked possible condemnation of Israel. Ambassador Susan Rice is an unprincipled defender of naked aggression and mass murder.

She ignored Israel's premeditated war on Gaza. She condemned the victims.

"There is no justification for the violence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are employing against the people of Israel," she said. "We call on those responsible to stop these cowardly acts immediately."

"Hamas claims to have the best interests of the Palestinian people at heart, yet it continues to engage in violence that does nothing but set back the Palestinian cause."

"Attacking Israel on a near daily basis does nothing to help Palestinians in Gaza nor to move the Palestinian people any closer to achieving self determination and independence."

Comments like these don't rise to the level of bad fiction. What's happening in Gaza is very real. Since December 27, 2008, Israel murdered well over 1,500 Gazans, injured around 6,000, and caused widespread destruction of non-military related sites.

PA UN ambassador Riyad Mansour said:

"Once again the international community is witness to Israel's malicious onslaught, using the most lethal military means and illegal measures against the defenseless Palestinian civilian population."

"A direct firm message must be sent to Israel to cease immediately its military campaign against the Palestinian people and to abide…. by its obligations under international law."

"The Israeli occupying forces are now mobilizing on the ground as we speak. Fear and panic are spreading among the Palestinian civilian population."

Israel perhaps is readying a large-scale invasion. The Palestine News Network (PNN) reported Israeli paratroopers and Givati Brigade members heading for Gaza's border. IDF officials said Israel "will do whatever is needed to restore calm to Israeli towns in the south."

PNN said IDF forces held training exercises in recent weeks. They're preparing for a possible Gaza offensive. Increasingly it looks likely. Military commanders said its scale will exceed Cast Lead.

Netanyahu addressed Israelis on nationwide TV. He said Israel is prepared and ready for a large-scale offensive.

In his November 14 press conference, Obama said nothing about Israeli aggression. He told Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi by phone that Israel has the "right to self-defense."

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the following:

"We strongly condemn the barrage of rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel, and we regret the death and injury of innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians caused by the ensuing violence."

"There is no justification for the violence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are employing against the people of Israel. We call on those responsible to stop these cowardly acts immediately."

"We support Israel’s right to defend itself, and we encourage Israel to continue to take every effort to avoid civilian casualties."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast strongly condemned Israeli attacks and atrocities, saying:

"We believe one of the objective of these crimes is covering up the domestic problems of the Zionist regime."

Syria also denounced what it called "barbaric Israeli crimes." It called on the international community to condemn them. Condolences were extended to the families of victims. Arab solidarity is needed. So is worldwide support for a people victimized by Israeli savagery.

US television so far ignored it. Print media reports one-sidedly support Israel. Naked aggression is called self-defense. On November 14, The New York Times headlined "Another Israel-Gaza War?" saying:

"No country should have to endure the rocket attacks that Israel has endured from militants in Gaza, most recently over the past four days. The question is how to stop them permanently."

Blaming Israel's victims is official editorial policy. Hamas and other resistance groups are condemned for defending themselves against savage Israeli attacks.

At the same time, The Times called another full-scale ground war "especially risky." Concern isn't about mass killing and destruction. Cast Lead didn't "solve the problem," it said.

The unexplained problem is millions of Palestinians wanting to live free in their own country, on their own land. They want occupation harshness ended. They want Israeli aggression condemned and punished. They want long denied equity, justice and freedom.

Hamas is Palestine's legitimate government. The Times calls it "a dangerous adversary that may never accept Israel's right to exist."

It won't ever accept Israeli belligerence and oppression. Nor do millions of Palestinians and worldwide supporters. The Times and other media scoundrels won't explain.

Haaretz did no better. It editorialized irresponsibly. "Calm thing down," it said. Assassinated Hamas leader Ahmed Jabari "dedicated his life to war against Israel." Killing him tells Hamas to choose "more moderate" officials.

Southern Israeli security "became impossible in recent days." Gaza rocket attacks threaten residents, said Haaretz. Calming things down depends on pointing fingers the right way.

Hamas, other resistance groups, and all Gazans are victims. Israel provocatively committed aggression. Days of bombing, shelling, and killing were premeditated. Self-defense is inviolable.

Responsible journalists should explain it. Running cover for lawlessness is unconscionable. So is global community silence.

International law obligates world leaders to condemn crimes of war and against humanity. It's long past time Israel was held fully accountable.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

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Targeting Civilians: Israel's Specialty

Friday, November 16, 2012

Targeting Civilians: Israel's Specialty

Targeting Civilians: Israel's Specialty

Bullies choose easy adversaries to pummel. Equal fights are shunned. It's the same in schoolyards or battlefields.

America and Israel operate this way. They avoid foes able to give as much as they take. Rogue governments never say they're sorry.

During Cast Lead in January 2009, Professor Jeremy Salt wrote "A Message to the brave Israeli Airmen." His comments apply to what's now ongoing.

What’s it like firing missiles at people you can’t see, he asked?

Does it help being unable to see who you're killing?

Is your conscience eased by inflicting disproportionate force on people unable to fight back and civilian infrastructure?

Are you comfortable about slaughtering civilian men, women, children, and infants?

Does this weigh on your conscience, or are you at ease?

Do you sleep well or have nightmares about men, women and children you killed at home, in beds, kitchens, living rooms, schools, mosques, at work, or at play?

Do farmers in their fields, mothers with children, teachers in classrooms, imams in mosques, children at play, the elderly, frail or disabled threaten your security?

Do you ever question what you’ve done and why?

Have you no shame, no sense of decency, no idea of the difference between right and wrong?

Do you know the law? If so, why do you violate it? Doing so makes you complicit in crimes of war and against humanity? Do you know that?

Do you blindly follow orders or have a mind of your own?

Have you murdered civilians before?

Will you do it again if ordered?

Will you keep following orders blindly or do the right thing?

"Brave" Israeli airmen, soldiers, sailors, and other security force personnel are cowards. They've acted lawlessly for decades.

Palestinian suffering is a way of life. Imagine living every day not sure if you'll live or die. Imagine young children growing up this way. Do Israeli children know what Palestinian ones endure? Are they told? Do they care? Do their parents?

Israel's moving thousands of troops and heavy weapons to Gaza's border. Mossad-connected DEBKAfile said:

"Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and the high IDF command are pushing for the ground operation, Stage B of the Pillar of Cloud operation, to start without delay. The prime minister and defense minister prefer to wait."

Another potential holocaust looms. Civilians always suffer most. Israel and America willfully target them. It part of the imperial strategy of both countries. Human lives don't matter, just conquest, dominance, and exploitation.

Cast Lead took a terrible toll. Missiles, bombs, shells, and illegal weapons were used against defenseless people. Mass slaughter and destruction followed.

Horrific crimes of war and against humanity were committed. Responsible officials remain unaccountable. Security Council no-fly zone protection wasn't ordered.

Over 1,400 Gazans perished. More than 80% were civilians. Over 300 were children. Around 5,300 were injured. Over 1,600 were children or infants. Israel willfully targeted them.

Neighborhoods, schools, universities, mosques, hospitals, UN facilities, fishing boats, civilian factories and workshops, municipal buildings, charitable foundations, civilian infrastructure, and other noncombatant sites were bombed and shelled.

Farmland was bulldozed. Power facilities and irrigations systems were destroyed. International leaders were indifferent about human slaughter and suffering. Only three low-level Israeli soldiers received punishments too minor to matter.

The al-Samouni family lost 27 members. Salah Talala al-Samouni saw his mother blown apart. Rocket and shell fire killed his two-year old daughter, father, aunt, cousin, and entire family. Media scoundrels said nothing. They support Israel's worst crimes.

Under siege, Gazans haven't recovered from Cast Lead. Now they face the prospect of more war perhaps worse than 2008-09.

International leaders share culpability through silence, indifference, and/or complicity. Washington is involved in all Israeli wars. Weapons, munitions and funding are supplied. Political support is given.

Obama told Netanyahu, go ahead and bomb and shell at will. Call it "self-defense" and pretend no one knows it's not. On November 15, the Senate unanimously passed a non-binding supportive resolution. Not a single profile in courage expressed opposition.

AIPAC thanked Obama and Senate members for supporting Israel. Gazan civilians and resistance fighters are maliciously called terrorists. They're heroes, not criminals.

On November 14, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) national director Abe Foxman expressed support for Israeli bombing and shelling, saying:

"Israel has shown tremendous restraint in the face of the unceasing rocket and mortar fire launched from Gaza. This operation is directly targeting the leadership responsible for these attacks, as well as the warehouses and facilities housing their weapons."

"No country in the world would stand by and tolerate such attacks on more than a million civilians."

"The international community has a clear obligation to condemn these attacks and to support the actions taken by Israel against Hamas and other terror organizations operating in Gaza as Israel carries out its basic duty to defend its civilian population."

For almost a century, ADL fronted for Jewish supremacy. It backs occupation harshness. It's mindless about Palestinian suffering. It conducts smear campaigns against critics.

Its entire history is loathsome. Israeli crimes are called self-defense. It plays the same blame the victim game as Israel, Washington, AIPAC, and other Zionist organizations. Only Jewish rights matter. Palestinians are criminalized for defending themselves.

Israel agreed to halt military operations during Egyptian Prime Minister Hersham Kandil's visit. He and Egyptian cabinet ministers arrived in Gaza Thursday. He'll return Friday. Israeli attacks continued.

At Al Shifa Hospital, Kandil visited victims. He denounced Israeli attacks, saying: "This tragedy cannot pass in silence, and the world should take responsibility for stopping this aggression." Cairo will try to mediate a truce, he added.

Since Saturday, two dozen or more Palestinians have been killed. Over 200 others were injured. Some reports say up to 250. Many are in serious condition. Dozens of air strikes continue. Death and injury numbers may rise exponentially. Current figures underestimate the toll because some victims lie beneath rubble.

The International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC) said Israel conducted 30 sorties in less than 30 minutes on Friday. At 10PM Thursday, the IDF said it struck 70 targets in the previous hour.

Civilian sites and government buildings were bombed and shelled. Two UN schools were struck. Heavy damage was reported. The Ahrar Center for Detainees' Studies said a church under construction was targeted.

IMEMC said, "Children, infants, women and elderly are among the casualties, including children whose bodies were severely mutilated and burnt due to Israeli shells. A pregnant woman and her unborn fetus are among the killed."

Gazan resistance fighters said they won't honor truce conditions as long as Israel keeps killing Palestinian men, women, children, infants, and the elderly. On Thursday evening, a Beit Hanoun home was bombed. Three children died. One was nine years old.

A 10-month old infant was killed when another home was struck. Through early Friday morning, at least eight children, a pregnant woman, and two elderly men died.

Thirty thousand IDF reservists were called up. Military leaves were cancelled. Tanks, armored vehicles, and troops are mobilizing on Gaza's border. Invasion looks ominously likely.

On November 16, Mathaba said the Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) War Crimes Commission (KLWCC) "received numerous complaints on the atrocities and possible war crimes committed against the Palestinian people."

On November 20 and 21, two days of open hearings will be held.

Commission members include former Magistrate Musa Ismail, former Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Dean Zulaiha Ismail, Center for Global Research Director Michel Chossudovsky, and two former Iraq UN humanitarian coordinators - Hans von Sponeck and Denis Halliday.

On November 16, Alternative News.org headlined "No safe haven: Civilians under attack in the Gaza Strip." An eyewitness visited Al Shifa Hospital. Many injured Gazans are in serious condition.

Forty-year old Salem Waqef suffered brain injury. He's in a coma on a ventilator. It's unclear if he'll survive.

Ten-month old Haneen Tafesh was admitted unconscious. She suffered a skull fracture and brain hemorrhage. She's also in a coma on a ventilator. Doctors said her condition deteriorated since admitted. Hours later she died.

Ahmed Durghmush suffered brain trauma. Shrapnel penetrated his skull. Brain matter protruded from his head wound. His condition also deteriorated after surgery.

Throughout Thursday, emergency room staff were handling numerous arrivals. Injuries range from easily treatable to severe to life threatening.

Justice Ministry public information director, Khalid Hamad, was at home when shelling targeted a neighbor's house. Israel "targeted civilians deliberately," he said. "The Israeli forces don't make mistakes."

Thirteen-year old Duaa Hejazi was brought in "bleeding a lot." She sustained upper body shrapnel wounds. Pieces are still embedded in her chest. She sent a message to other Gazan children, saying:

"I say, we are children. There is nothing that is our fault to have to face this. They are occupying us and I will say, as Abu Omar said. If you’re a mountain, the wind won’t shake you. We’re not afraid. We’ll stay strong."

Al Shifa director general Dr. Mithad Abbas explained the dire conditions under which hospital staff must cope, saying:

"When those cases arrive at our hospital, it is not under normal circumstances. They come on top of the siege, the blockade, which has resulted in a lack of vital medicines and required medical supplies."

Al Shifa lacks essential medicines, some equipment and supplies. They include antibiotics, IV fluid, anesthesia, gloves, catheters, external fixators, Heparin, sutures, detergents and spare parts for medical equipment.

Power outages exceed 12 hours daily. Small amounts of fuel maintain operations at those times. Dr. Abbas said his supply will be exhausted in days if current conditions continue.

He doesn't know where the next missile or shell will strike. Perhaps Al Shifa will be targeted. Israel considers all civilian sites fair game.

On November 15, the Global BDS Movement issued the following statement in part:

"Stop a New Israeli Massacre in Gaza: Boycott Israel Now!"

Despite biased Western media reports, Israel "initiated and escalated this new assault on the eve of its upcoming parliamentary elections, underlining the time-honored Israeli formula of Palestinian bodies for ballots."

"Israel will continue its belligerence, aggression and state terrorism unless it is made to pay a heavy price for its crimes against the Palestinian, Lebanese and other Arab peoples."

"It is high time for BDS against Israel. This is the clearest path to freedom, justice and equality for Palestinians and the entire region."

At issue also is a pending November 29 vote on Palestinian UN non-member observer status. Israel and Washington have gone all out to subvert it. Member States have all the more reason to support Palestine. In less than two weeks we'll know.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah urged Arab leaders to use all means to halt Israeli attacks on Gaza.

"No one is telling Arab countries today, 'Please go open your borders and begin the operation to liberate Palestine.' What we want is to end the attack on Gaza."

This is everyone's battle…We're not asking you for a solution. We're asking for effort."

"Some say the Arabs don't have the courage to stop oil production. Decrease your oil exports or raise the price a little and you will shake the United States. You will shake Europe."

"Brothers, if you can't cut off oil, decrease your production or raise the price. Put on some pressure. No one is calling for armies or tanks or planes."

Nasrallah called Israel's Gaza attack "criminal aggression." Multiple crimes of war and against humanity are committed.

Much is at stake in Palestine, the region and beyond. Washington's aggressive wars continue. New ones are planned. Israel's a key partner. Both countries have imperial agendas. War features prominently in achieving them.

Michel Chossudovsky calls attacking and invading Gaza "part of the broader US-NATO-Israel military agenda." Based on what's happened post-9/11, expect the worst ahead.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

The real news coming out of Florida's fields today... Workers learn about their rights under the Fair Food Program during a worker-to-worker education session on an Immokalee area farm. An article in The Atlantic by food writer Barry Estabrook, "Tomato School: Undoing the Evils of the Fields," reports on a recent education session and the impact of the Fair Food Program on the Florida tomato industry, describing the industry's trajectory from "one of the most repressive employers in the country... to being on the road to becoming the most progressive group in the fruit and vegetable industry." Farm labor advances under Fair Food Program spark call for Thanksgiving Supermarket Week of Action For many years, farmworkers from Immokalee traveled the country speaking with consumers in churches and synagogues, university classrooms and community centers, with one goal – to inform people about the brutal reality of exploitation behind the tomatoes in their tacos, burgers, and produce aisles. And for years, a battle raged between the CIW and the Florida tomato growers over that reality, with workers fighting to expose the truth and growers struggling to keep it under wraps. While the fighting continued, the conditions only grew worse. From Conflict to Collaboration in the Fields But that all changed almost two years ago to the day, when, on November 16th, 2010, the CIW and the FTGE signed an historic agreement to work together to build the Fair Food Program, the CIW’s ambitious plan to harness the power of every major level of the supply chain – from consumers and retail buyers at the top to growers and farmworkers at the bottom – to construct a verifiable, enforceable, and sustainable system for social responsibility... Visit the CIW website for more on the quiet revolution of the Fair Food Program and the call to action for the Thanksgiving week of protests and delegations!