Saturday, September 20, 2014

Free Chelsea Manning Now!

 

Our new whistle and dogtags logo!

manning-logo-color500
August 28, 2014.
The Chelsea Manning Support Network is pleased to announce our new campaign logo. Supporters submitted over a dozen great designs, and we received great feedback via our Facebook page on the final designs.
Please feel free to download the PDF via our Graphic Resources page and use it to print your own banners, shirts, etc. You can also use the PDF to print one-of-a-kind items via on-demand online printers, such as CafePress and Zazzle (you have our permission).
We are also having union labor silk-screen quality USA-made, sweatshop-free, black shirts (basic and women’s styles) that are now available for pre-order. We have a few stickers in the works as well.
These small vector PDF files scale well from a small sticker up to billboard size!
***In The Golden Age Of Screwball Comedy-Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant’s Bringing Up Baby  

 
 
 
 
DVD Review
From The Pen Of Frank Jackman
Bringing Up Baby, starring Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, directed by Howard Hawks, 1938
No question that the 1930s and early 1940s were a golden age of the screwball comedy, the genre that the film under review Howard Hawk’s Bringing Up Baby falls under. No question as well that those who scratched their ways through the Great Depression and slogged through World War II, the parent of that who came of age in the 1960s, the generation of ’68, needed every laugh break they could get. What is (or was) strange in watching this film is that the director was Howard Hawks, a director I associate with films like To Have And Have Not and the like. Usually from this period I think of the comedic direction of Preston Sturges or Frank Capra but here Hawks hold his own on what some have described as a classic of the genre. (And, truth to tell a little more research into Hawks’ film credits showed a couple of other screwball comedy classics to his credit so he was not in over his head here.)          
Now the plotline on this is a probably a little to sophomoric for today’s crowds and the pacing just a bit to frenzied (a bit too gag a minute for the sake of the gag) but it was serviceable. What pulls the whole thing together is Cary Grant’s comedic timing and Katherine Hepburn’s efforts in a genre I don’t associate with her. Her usually with the more sophisticated proper Bryn Mawr young woman with a head on her shoulders, severe looks, straight-up shoulders and no match for any man, including paramour Spencer Tracey. But here the pair are working overtime to keep this fast-paced comedy of errors moving.         
Here’s the skinny. A young up and coming paleontologist (you know the guys and gals who go crazy over dinosaur bones), David,  needs dough, and plenty of it, to finish up his latest project and get the fame he deserves (of course that money thing has haunted many guys with good ideas and no “angels” forever, even today). Beside that he is to wed his assistant and they are to collectively share his glory (the woman behind the man but apparently, to David’s chagrin, not under the satin sheets). Everything hinges on making a good impression on a certain lawyer for a rich widow who has the dough if on his word she likes the cut of the donee’s jibe. All David has to do is make nice on the golf course and sew the thing up (of course looking for dough except playing for a hundred dollars a hole on a golf course seems implausible on its face).
And that is where David’s his heartache (or is it heartburn) begins, no not the golf but one Susan, one well let’s call her “free-spirit” Susan Vance, the well brought up niece of that widow with the dough. Through a numbing number of pranks and pitfalls David and Susan “meet” and from there all hell breaks loose. Why? Well, remember this is a Hollywood screwball comedy which means that you must have a “boy meets girl” tagline. See old Susan is for some reason “smitten” with goofy David from the get-go and if there is one thing true about cinematic well-brought up, if free-spirited, young women- they will get their man.               
And the bringing up baby part? Well to add to the mix Susan is baby-sitting for a leopard conveniently sent up off of expedition from her brother for, well, for that rich aunt.   So Baby (or babies) dominated the action in the last half of the show as Susan puts David through about twelve forms of humiliation in her frantic desire (chaste desire since they don’t even kiss) to keep him from that damn woman he was supposed to marry. (That humiliation including taking his clothes while he is in the shower and he is forced to wear one of her nightgowns, and looking very dapper in said garment, hummm.) Of course even screwball comedies must come to an end and in the end Susan gets her paleontologist (you know those people who go crazy over dinosaur bones). And we get a look at what made our forebears laugh when they needed just that.      
 
 
 

As The 100th Anniversary Of The First Year Of World War I (Remember The War To End All Wars) Continues ... Some Remembrances-Poet’s Corner-German Poets   

 

German War Poetry


image
Self-portrait as a Soldier of 1914
by Otto Dix
Contributed by James Nechtman (Landsturm@gnn.com)

Here's some German war poetry in German. These are not the verse of polished poets, that is to say "poets turned soldiers", these poems are the work of front line soldiers, "soldiers turned poets". There's quite a difference between the two art forms. These poems were the soldier's way of coping by expressing their feelings about such topics as fallen comrades and the homeland, which in once sense was so close, but in another, was a million miles away. They may be considered rough by some and lacking in form or content by others, but they do manage to capture the everyday thoughts of the soldier and the mood of the trenches. If anyone out there is more comfortable in their mastery of the German language than I am and would like to translate any of these works, I would be more than happy to create an English language version of this page.
Unserm Führer!
Von Vizefeldwebel und Offizier-Stellvertreter Josef Haag 8./L.
Wir haben einen Kameraden Gelassen in heißer Schlacht! Als ward zum Sturm geblasen, Da hat er sein Leben gelassen, Eh' daß es ihm richtig gelacht. Es war um die achte Stunde, Die Sonne am Himmel stand. Da empfing er die Todeswunde, Von den Schicksals grausamer Hand. Wir waren so treu ihm ergeben. Wir hatten ihn Alle so lieb. Und gäben so gern unser Leben Wenn nur das Seine uns blieb. Für ihn, da gabs kein Besinnen, Wenn uns umtobt' die Gefahr. Er war der Erste stets drinnen; Sein Leben ihm wenig war. Und wollte der Mut uns verlassen, So gab er mit fröhlichem Blick, Und mit seinem freundlichem Lachen Uns Kampfesfreude zurück. Nun liegt er einsam draußen Im weiten, weiten Feld. Und während Granaten sausen, Schläft stille unser Held. Doch wir werden ihn ncht vergessen, Gott höre den Schwur: "Es wird nie Ihn, mit dem treuen Wesen Vergessen die Kompagnie!" Wir haben einen Kameraden Gelassen in heißer Schlacht, Als ward zum Sturm geblasen, Da hat er sein Leben gelassen, Eh' daß der Sieg ihm gelacht!

From The Labor History Archives -In The 80th Anniversary Year Of The Great San Francisco, Minneapolis And Toledo General Strikes- Lessons In The History Of Class Struggle 



From The Archives Of The Socialist Workers Party (America)- Some Lessons of the Toledo Strike

Frank Jackman comment:

Marxism, no less than other political traditions, and perhaps more than most, places great emphasis on roots, the building blocks of current society and its political organizations. Nowhere is the notion of roots more prevalent in the Marxist movement that in the tracing of organizational and political links back to the founders, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the Communist Manifesto, and the Communist League. A recent example of that linkage in this space was when I argued in this space that, for those who stand in the Trotskyist tradition, one must examine closely the fate of Marx’s First International, the generic socialist Second International, Lenin and Trotsky’s Bolshevik Revolution-inspired Communist International, and Trotsky’s revolutionary successor, the Fourth International before one looks elsewhere for a centralized international working class organization that codifies the principle –“workers of the world unite.”

On the national terrain in the Trotskyist movement, and here I am speaking of America where the Marxist roots are much more attenuated than elsewhere, we look to Daniel DeLeon’s Socialist Labor League, Deb’s Socialist Party( mainly its left-wing, not its socialism for dentists wing), the Wobblies (IWW, Industrial Workers Of The World), the early Bolshevik-influenced Communist Party and the various formations that made up the organization under review, the James P. Cannon-led Socialist Workers Party, the section that Leon Trotsky’s relied on most while he was alive. Beyond that there are several directions to go in but these are the bedrock of revolutionary Marxist continuity, at least through the 1960s. If I am asked, and I have been, this is the material that I suggest young militants should start of studying to learn about our common political forbears. And that premise underlines the point of the entries that will posted under this headline in further exploration of the early days, “the dog days” of the Socialist Workers Party.

Note: I can just now almost hear some very nice and proper socialists (descendants of those socialism for dentist-types) just now, screaming in the night, yelling what about Max Shachtman (and, I presume, his henchman, Albert Glotzer, as well) and his various organizational formations starting with the Workers party when he split from the Socialist Workers Party in 1940? Well, what about old Max and his “third camp” tradition? I said the Trotskyist tradition not the State Department socialist tradition. If you want to trace Marxist continuity that way, go to it. That, in any case, is not my sense of continuity, although old Max knew how to “speak” Marxism early in his career under Jim Cannon’s prodding. Moreover at the name Max Shachtman I can hear some moaning, some serious moaning about blackguards and turncoats, from the revolutionary pantheon by Messrs. Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky. I rest my case.

********************
THE AUTO-LITE STRIKE OF 1934


The Electric Auto-Lite factory in Toledo, Ohio became a symbol in 1934, a release of workers' pent up exasperation, frustration and anger in attaining the right to be recognized and bargain as a union. Workers lived with fear and uncertainty as a few acted upon such beliefs and began holding basement meetings for those interested in joining the union. Their secretive meetings grew to open meetings of hundreds. Eventually the workers persistence paid off and joining with several other
companies formed Local 18384. Although, management acknowledged Local 18384, the company did not recognize the Local as a bargaining agent for the workers.

The actual strike of 1934 included not just Electric Auto-Lite but Spicer, Bingham & Logan Gear. Support by strikers from these other companies helped the strikers sustain their effort. The company continued to employ scabs, replacing those that joined the picket line. Picket lines rallied the strikers on; spirits were high, solidarity strong. The new hires began to experience guilt and fear in crossing the lines.

Management went to court, acquiring an injunction that limited the pickets to 25 workers. Aroused, union members agreed to break the injunction, swarming the lines with large numbers. Arrests continued but the city & county were overwhelmed with the number of strikers arrested and they released them almost as soon as they were booked.

Crowds of up to 6,000 rallied in front of Au
t
o-Lite to hear speakers from the American Workers Party and the union leaders. The Sheriff's department attempted to control the crowd and was loaded with tear gas and arms, posted on top of buildings and in front of the plant. Someone tossed a steel bracket from a rooftop, hitting a female picketer and the crowd surged forward. Tear gas was fired into the crowd. News spread and created larger crowds. A full battle between the strikers and Ohio National Guard escalated. Hundreds of picketers and onlookers were injured, with two fatalities.

The loyalty among workers at Auto-Lite was more powerful than a sense of obligation to company managers. The trust and faith of co-workers had spread throughout the plant and the organizing succeeded. The reinstatement of workers after the February strike provided the encouragement and strengthened personal bonds, helping bring the workers together. On June 4, the union ratified their agreement and were recognized Local18384 as the legitimate bargaining agent. In 1935 local 18384 evolved into Local 12.

The Auto-Lite Plant closed in 1962. But the closing of the doors did not shut out the memories of tragedy and triumph of 1934.  The site has become a Toledo City Park, named "Union Memorial Park." Attached is an opportunity for YOU to memorialize and honor the memory of relatives, friends, a business or organization, union members or non and/or acquaintances of Auto-Lite by purchasing a paver/brick to be placed at the site, 1101 Champlain Street.  A park board has been appointed by Mayor Ford to oversee the future of the park. Plans are being made to hold a dedication of bricks and pavers, along with a presentation of a historical marker in spring of 2005.

As Obama And His House And Senate Allies Beats The War Drums-Again- Stop The Escalations-No New U.S. War In Iraq- No Intervention In Syria! Immediate Withdrawal Of All U.S. Troops And Mercenaries!  Stop The U.S. And French Bombings! –Stop The Arms Shipments …

Frank Jackman comment:

As the Nobel Peace Prize Winner, U.S. President Barack Obama, abetted by the usual suspects in the House and Senate as well as internationally, orders more air bombing strikes in the north, sends more “advisers” to “protect” American outposts in Iraq, and sends arms shipments to the Kurds, supplies arms to the moderate Syrian opposition if it can be found to give weapons to, guys who served in the American military during the Vietnam War and who, like me, belatedly, got “religion” on the war issue as a kneejerk way to resolve the conflicts in this wicked old world might very well be excused for disbelief when the White House keeps pounding out the propaganda that these actions are limited when all signs point to the slippery slope of escalation. Now not every event in history gets exactly repeated but given the recent United States Government’s history in Iraq those vets might be on to something. In any case dust off the old banners, placards, and buttons and get your voices in shape- just in case. No New War In Iraq

***

Here is something to think about:  

Workers and the oppressed have no interest in a victory by one combatant or the other in the reactionary Sunni-Shi’ite civil war. However, the international working class definitely has a side in opposing imperialist intervention in Iraq and demanding the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops and mercenaries. It is U.S. imperialism that constitutes the greatest danger to the world’s working people and downtrodden.
***********

NEW WARS / OLD WARS – Are You Feeling Safer Now?

 

Senate Joins House in Voting To Give Weapons And Training To ‘Moderate’ Syrian Rebels

Following the House, the Senate voted yesterday to approve President Obama’s plan to arm and train the so-called “moderate” Syrian rebels. They vote was 78-22 with 9 Democrats, 12 Republicans, and independent Senator Bernie Sanders voting no. Congress has now authorized another military adventure in the Middle East, what could go wrong?In both the House and the Senate a considerable amount of Democrats opposed the legislation but not enough to make a difference. Many high profile Democratic Senators such as Elizabeth Warren and Kristen Gillibrand voted no further revealing a divided party. Republicans in the House and Senate made these divisions irrelevant to the legislative outcome, but how much of a mandate does Obama have if his own party is divided?   More    House Roll Call here

 

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey were among the NO votes;  in the House, all of our delegation voted NO – except Lynch and Neal.  Let them know how you feel about their votes: Lynch - (202) 225-8273; Neal - (202) 225-5601; Warren - (202) 224-4543; Markey - (202) 224-2742

 

Progressive House Members Call for a Robust War Debate and Congressional Authorization:  H. Con. Res. 114   (Co-sponsors include McGovern, Clark, Tsongas so far)

Dear Colleague:

Over the past few months, our country has grappled with the question of how to deal with the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).  Last week, the President put forward his own plan, which would provide for a significant long-term bombing campaign and military escalation in Iraq and Syria.  The Constitution has entrusted specific, articulated war powers to both the Executive and Legislative branches.  The President has laid out a vision for action, consistent with his interpretation of his authority as Commander-in-Chief.  We believe that it is incumbent on Congress to exercise its own constitutional authority to debate and examine the significant consequences of another multi-year military intervention in the Middle East and to authorize any use of force. Consistent with this belief, we recently introduced H. Con. Res. 114, which calls for Congress to fulfill its constitutional duties by debating and voting on a narrowly tailored authorization for any sustained military campaign in Iraq or Syria.  Text of bill here

 

2-minute Video: 

HOW DOES THIS END? 35 Military Interventions since 1980 and Terrorism Grows

http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/bravenew/mailings/516/attachments/original/HowDoesthisEnd.jpg?1410995798

 

Perpetual War, Perpetual Bombing, Perpetual Losing

President Obama’s strategy to “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIS depends crucially on precision bombing by drones and airplanes.  The heavy lifting on the ground is supposed to be accomplished by our ‘allies’ in Iraq and the Syrian opposition, but as any reader of the news knows, these allies are, to put it charitably, unreliable and prone to panic and/or treachery.  So, despite Obama’s rhetoric, our new war against ISIS will be an air power war… The seductive idea of victory thru airpower alone is not a new one, and Obama has fallen for a modern improv of an old score —  no doubt, in part, for domestic political reasons.  More

 

Slippery Slope Department. . .

U.S. military Wants “Boots-On-The-Ground” Options

Even as the administration has received congressional backing for its strategy, with the Senate voting Thursday to approve a plan to arm and train Syrian rebels, a series of military leaders have criticized the president’s approach against the Islamic State militant group. Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, who served under Obama until last year, became the latest high-profile skeptic on Thursday, telling the House Intelligence Committee that a blanket prohibition on ground combat was tying the military’s hands. “Half-hearted or tentative efforts, or airstrikes alone, can backfire on us and actually strengthen our foes’ credibility,” he said. “We may not wish to reassure our enemies in advance that they will not see American boots on the ground.”… Despite Obama’s promise that he would not deploy ground combat forces, Dempsey made clear that he didn’t want to rule out the possibility, if only to deploy small teams in limited circumstances. He also acknowledged that Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, the commander for the Middle East, had already recommended doing so in the case of at least one battle in Iraq but was overruled.   More

 

Iraq Premier Nixes US Ground Troops

Iraq's new prime minister ruled out stationing U.S. ground troops in his country, chiding the international community Wednesday for inaction in Syria and lamenting the "puzzling" exclusion of neighboring Iran from the coalition being assembled to fight the Islamic State group… "Not only is it not necessary," he said, "We don't want them. We won't allow them. Full stop."  Instead, al-Abadi urged the international community to expand its campaign against the extremists in neighboring Syria, noting that militants coming under pressure in Iraq are retreating back into Syria.  More

 

Obama will not micromanage Syria strikes, Hagel says

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel disputed a report that President Obama will personally sign off on every airstrike against Islamic militants conducted inside Syria, saying military leaders will make those decisions. "I was sitting next to the president yesterday when this entire issue was being discussed and he was very clear with General [Lloyd] Austin, once he makes decisions, he gives General Austin and our military leaders the authority to carry out those policies," Hagel told members of the House Armed Services Committee Thursday, where he was testifying.   More

 

ISIS: The monster that grew in plain sight of Washington and Riyadh

The Islamic State (IS/ISIS) did not become the monster it is today by accident. The Western media and governments bore witness to the inception, growth, and expansion of this radical jihadi group, with funding from the Arab Gulf, sectarian agitation, and political blessing, until ISIS became a monster… “Qatari support for Syrian fighters”; “Wealthy Saudi and Kuwaiti sponsors”; “through banks in Kuwait”: These revelations and more were mentioned repeatedly in most Western articles investigating the source of al-Nusra and ISIS funding, in addition to enumerating other sources such as seizure of weapons caches, robbing banks, and looting of other assets in Syria… “Everybody knows the money is going through Kuwait and that it’s coming from the Arab Gulf. Kuwait’s banking system and its money changers have long been a huge problem because they are a major conduit for money to extremist groups in Syria and now Iraq.”  More

 

ISIS Draws a Steady Stream of Recruits From Turkey

As many as 1,000 Turks have joined ISIS, according to Turkish news media reports and government officials here. Recruits cite the group’s ideological appeal to disaffected youths as well as the money it pays fighters from its flush coffers. The C.I.A. estimated last week that the group had from 20,000 to 31,500 fighters in Iraq and Syria. The United States has put heavy pressure on Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to better police Turkey’s 560-mile-long border with Syria. Washington wants Turkey to stanch the flow of foreign fighters and to stop ISIS from exporting the oil it produces on territory it holds in Syria and Iraq. So far, Mr. Erdogan has resisted pleas to take aggressive steps against the group, citing the fate of 49 Turkish hostages ISIS has held since militants took over Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, in June. Turkey declined to sign a communiqué last Thursday that committed a number of regional states to take “appropriate” new measures to counter ISIS, frustrating American officials.  More

 

Saudi Arabia: Champion of Human Rights?

Yes indeed, unlikely as it may seem. Saudi Arabia’s official Human Rights Commission, a government organization, and the Gulf Research Center, a think tank, have announced that they will organize a three-day international rights conference, to be held in Riyadh in December, “under the patronage” of King Abdullah. The announcement says the event “will gather together Heads of States and representatives of national ministries, members of Parliaments, international, regional, and inter-governmental organizations, religious scholars, academics, national Human Rights Commissions, and NGOs.”  Given Saudi Arabia’s unsavory reputation on this subject—it is routinely denounced in the State Department’s annual human rights report and by activist groups such as Human Rights Watch—Riyadh might seem to be an unlikely venue for such an event. But the key to understanding the rationale for this conference lies in the announced theme: “Promoting a Culture of Tolerance.” This is not about individuals’ freedom of expression, or the status of women, or freedom of assembly. This is about the Islamic State, or ISIS.  More

 

http://www.truthdig.com/images/made/images/cartoonuploads/132877_600_590_446.jpegCIA Privately Skeptical About New Syria Strategy, Sources Say

The opposition derives from a number of factors. First, the CIA has already been covertly equipping Syrian rebels at the instruction of the White House, but has come to find the fighters increasingly disorganized and radicalized as the conflict goes on, with U.S.-supplied arms winding up in the hands of more radical fighters.  Meanwhile, some turf issues are at play. While officials in the CIA are skeptical of the broader strategy to arm and train the rebels, they are also wary of a plan that would give the Pentagon a responsibility that has so far rested with their agency. One Democratic member of Congress said that the CIA has made it clear that it doubts the possibility that the administration's strategy could succeed.  More

 

To Crush ISIS, Make a Deal With Assad

By opting to support the “moderate” Syrian opposition and running the risk of an open confrontation with President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the West appears to be primarily appeasing Arab Persian Gulf allies that have turned the overthrow of Mr. Assad into a policy fetish that runs against any rational calculation of how to defeat Islamist terrorism. The persistent belief in Western policy circles that there is a “moderate opposition” in Syria — reiterated at the close of a NATO summit meeting in Wales on Sept. 5 — warrants serious scrutiny…  The alleged moderates have never put together a convincing national program or offered a viable alternative to Mr. Assad. The truth is that there are no “armed moderates” (or “moderate terrorists”) in the Arab world — and precious few beyond. The genuine “moderates” won’t take up arms, and those who do are not truly moderates.  More

 

EXCLUSIVE! Kerry Claims U.S. Has Found a Moderate Syrian Rebel

In what Secretary of State John Kerry described as a significant foreign-policy coup, the U.S. claimed, on Tuesday, that it had successfully located a moderate Syrian rebel. Though Kerry did not elaborate on how the U.S. did so, he said that locating the rebel was “the culmination of a months-long effort.” The Secretary of State said that the Syrian had been appropriately vetted and was deemed “moderately rebellious.” “He definitely seems to be the sort of gentleman we can work with,” Kerry said, adding that several millions of dollars would be spent arming and training the rebel in the days and weeks ahead.  More

 

How Obama’s New War Could Backfire

Although President Obama insists that no American military “boots on the ground” will be used to degrade and defeat the radical Islamist group Islamic State (IS) — which is well funded and has captured much heavy military equipment from the Syrian military and U.S. trained and equipped Iraqi army and Kurdish peshmerga militias — that will make his objective much harder to obtain… So if boots on the ground are needed to effectively fight IS and Obama and the American people — as a result of the Afghanistan and Iraq debacles — vehemently veto that idea, what is to be done? Surprisingly, the best option is for the U.S. government to do nothing.  IS is a threat to Iraq, Syria, and neighboring countries, but not a direct threat to the United States… regional countries should be able to handle a regional threat, leaving the United States to worry about any future training camps in IS-controlled territory that might be training terrorists to attack the United States. (As noted previously, if the United States takes a less prominent role in attacking IS, the motivation of IS to attack U.S. territory will be much reduced.)   More

 

The war on ISIS already has a winner: The defense industry

It’s far too soon to tell how the American escalation in the sprawling, complex mess unfolding in Iraq and Syria will play out. But this much is clear: As our military machine hums into a higher gear, it will produce some winners in the defense industry.  New fights mean new stuff, after all. And following the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan—and the belt-tightening at the Pentagon imposed by steep budget cuts—military suppliers are lining up to meet a suddenly restored need for their wares. Presenting his vision for expanding the confrontation with the terrorist group ISIS in a speech to the nation on Wednesday night, President Obama outlined a program of intensified airstrikes designed to keep American troops away from the danger on the ground. So defense analysts are pointing to a pair of sure-bet paydays from the new campaign: for those making and maintaining the aircraft, manned and unmanned, that will swarm the skies over the region, and for those producing the missiles and munitions that will arm them.   More

Friday, September 19, 2014

IDF Soldiers Denounce Israeli High Crimes Against Peace
13 Sep 2014
Israel
IDF Soldiers Denounce Israeli High Crimes Against Peace

by Stephen Lendman

Netanyahu is a world class thug. He's a war criminal multiple times over. He heads Israel's fascist government.

He wages genocidal war on Palestine. Operation Protective Edge (OPE) is the latest example. It was war without mercy.

Mass slaughter and destruction were horrific. James Petras calls Israel a "genocidal state."

"Citizens and soldiers, criminals and professionals, torturers and sociopaths…coexist within the same person," he says.

Exterminating Palestinians is official policy. It's consciously pursued. It's done with "savage enthusiasm."

It enjoys full Western support. Washington backs its killing machine. Israelis alone have rights.

Palestinians are used, abused, mass slaughtered and exterminated. Rogue states operate this way. Israel and America are the world's worst.

They partner in each other's crimes. They operate extrajudicially. They wage war on humanity.

They claim a divine right to do what they damn please. They get away with it because who'll stop them. Humanity may not survive their madness.

On Friday, 43 IDF reservists and former army intelligence members published an open letter. They addressed Netanyahu and top military officials.

They gave their ranks, first names only or initials. They included a reserve major and two captains.

They kept their identities secret. They did so to avoid certain recrimination. Israel accepts no criticism. It goes all-out to suppress it.

Signatories denounced Israeli high crimes against peace. They condemned longstanding collective punishment.

They henceforth refuse to serve. They want no part of Israel's killing machine. They were clear and unequivocal, saying:

"There's no distinction between Palestinians who are, and are not, involved in violence."

"Information that is collected and stored harms innocent people. It is used for political persecution and to create divisions within Palestinian society by recruiting collaborators and driving parts of Palestinian society against itself."

"We cannot continue to serve this system in good conscience, denying the rights of millions of people."

"Those among us who are reservists, refuse to take part in the state's actions against Palestinians."

"We, veterans of Unit 8200 (Israel's NSA equivalent), reserve soldiers both past and present, declare that we…refuse to continue serving as tools in deepening the military control over the Occupied Territories."

"It is commonly thought that the service in military intelligence is free of moral dilemmas and solely contributes to the reduction of violence and harm to innocent people."

"However, our military service has taught us that intelligence is an integral part of Israel's military occupation over the territories."

Information collected and stored "harms innocent people."

"It is used for political persecution and to create divisions within Palestinian society by recruiting collaborators and driving parts of Palestinian society against itself."

Unit 8200 signatories admitted spying on Palestinians' sexual "preferences."

They did so to blackmail them. To enlist collaborators against their own people.

"We call for all soldiers serving in the Intelligence Corps, present and future, along with all the citizens of Israel, to speak out against these injustices and to take action to bring them to an end."

Daniel is a reserve captain. He said gathering signatures took about a year.

"There were fears of how people, and friends from the unit, might respond - if they knew that it was I and if they didn't know," he said.

"I don't feel comfortable in my conscience continuing to serve, and instead of dealing with the dilemmas and the ramifications, I chose to take a more evasive route," he said.

He calls it a "gray-market dodge." He used it for three years.

"Now, later on, we feel that evasion is wrong, and that we have to take responsibility," he explained.

"In the end, I served there for seven years. I believed in what we did there - and for all those reasons."

"I must take responsibility for what I see as the perpetuation of the cycle of violence. We hope that people will think critically about these things."

An IDF spokesman said Unit 8200 "worked since the day it was established to gather intelligence that allows the army and security agencies to perform their tasks, and each day it helps protect the citizens of the State of Israel."

He lied claiming no knowledge of crimes signatories revealed. It's "unknown in the Intelligence Directorate," he said.

Former Unit 8200 commander, Brigadier General Hanan Gefen (Res.) accused the signatories of a grave breach of trust," saying:

"If this is true and if I were the current unit commander, I would put them all on trial and would demand prison sentences for them, and I would remove them from the unit."

"They are using information that reached them in the course of their duties to promote their political position."

One signatory said he "thinks that all of us who signed the letter did so because we understood that we are unable to sleep well at night."

They're not alone. Breaking the Silence calls itself "an organization of veteran combatants who have served in the Israeli military since the start of the Second Intifada and have taken it upon themselves to expose the Israeli public to the reality of everyday life in the Occupied Territories."

"We endeavor to stimulate public debate about the price paid for a reality in which young soldiers face a civilian population on a daily basis, and are engaged in the control of that population’s everyday life."

"Soldiers who serve in the Territories witness and participate in military actions which change them immensely."

"Cases of abuse towards Palestinians, looting, and destruction of property have been the norm for years, but are still explained as extreme and unique cases."

"Our testimonies portray a different, and much grimmer picture in which deterioration of moral standards finds expression in the character of orders and the rules of engagement, and are justified in the name of  Israel's security."

Breaking the Silence was established to "demand accountability (for Israeli crimes) in the Occupied Territories perpetrated by us in our name."

Yehuda Shaul is a Breaking the Silence co-founder. Israeli actions during Operation Protective Edge were "unthinkable a few years ago," he said.

Entire neighborhoods were destroyed. So were families in them. Noncombatant men, women and children ere willfully targeted. They were murdered en masse in cold blood.

"From one operation to the next, Israel and the IDF are just going down the drain," said Shaul.

"As a country, the moral low we reached in the previous operation is the point from where we start the next one."

"This is how it continues. Operation Protective Edge continued where Operation Cast Lead ended."

Israeli strategy reflects madness. It's "insane," said Shaul. "Everything we do is right, and everything they do is wrong."

Palestinians are considered subhumans. Israelis ignore their suffering.

"It is almost a crime in Israel to have empathy (for them), even though you are talking about women and children," said Shaul.

Israeli soldiers "think a lot about right and wrong." They knowingly perform duties contrary to their moral principles, Shaul believes.

They cross one red line after another. Only after multiple times do they fully understand how they breached their moral code.

At the same time, they acclimate. They get used to doing things they know are wrong.

(T)he atmosphere in Israel (is) very bad" today, said Shaul. Even worse than during previous conflicts.

There's "no space for question marks, absolutely no space."

"I am not just talking about the media. There were many anti-war protestors beaten up in Tel Aviv and Haifa by gangs so they had to be taken to the hospital. And the police did nothing to protect them."

At the same time, Israeli officials called for destroying entire Gazan communities. Their voices drown out sane ones.

Critical ones "hardly get any platform these days," said Shaul. They're largely shut out.

Things today are worse than ever. Police state apparatus rules govern. Dissent is verboten.

Militarized occupation persists. Gaza is a perpetual battleground. An entire population is vulnerable.

"We continue to build settlements, said Shaul. "We increase our military rule over the Palestinians."

"Israel is not heading for a way out. We are digging ourselves in. We are doing everything we can to maintain the occupation."

To deny Palestinians rights they deserve. To brutalize them. To eliminate them. To exterminate them.

To make Israel ethnically pure. To do it over the corpses of Palestinian men, women, children, infants, the elderly and infirm.

To wage genocidal war against them. To get away with it because who'll intervene responsibly.

Breaking the Silence was founded in March 2004. Today it has over 1,000 members.

They speak out courageously. They tell their own stories.

They reject Israeli lawlessness. They believe Israel's greatest threat is itself. Its militarized occupation.

Its settlement enterprise. Its institutionalized racism. Its treating Palestinians like subhumans.

Its waging wars without mercy to exterminate them.

"(T)he treatment of the Palestinians is the biggest threat to Israel," Shaul maintains. "It undermines (its) legitimacy."

Israeli policy shouldn't be "either us or them. It is exactly the opposite."

Israel's security "depends on a sovereign Palestinian state beside us and on giving dignity and rights to the Palestinians."

"In Israel, we are now in a fight over the heart and the soul of our society."

"The questions are: who are we as a society? What country do we want to live in?"

"The question is whether dropping all these bombs on families is something acceptable in our eyes or not."

Israel systematically spurns all international human rights laws, norms and standards. Morality isn't its long suit. Accountability is long overdue.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen (at) sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

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

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Photos/Video-Boston Protests New War On Iraq
14 Sep 2014
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Boston Common-Sept. 13, 2014:
About 75 peace activists gathered at Park St. in Boston
today to protest Obama's new phase of the long US war
against Iraq (from 1991-the present). Also protesting US war against Syria. This was in response to Obama's announcement wed. of his re-invading Iraq to supposedly destroy ISIS, when in fact
the many US invasions of Iraq created the civil wars there by destabilizing the Iraq government and placing US puppets in power.
Speakers from American Friends Service Committee, Mass. Peace Action,United For Justice With Peace, Chelsea Uniting Against War, Committee
For Peace And Human Rights, and others helped organize this protest.
A good crowd of passersby stopped to listen and no pro-war hecklers.The weekly sat. 1 pm anti-war vigil at Park Street in Boston organized by the Committee For Peace And Human Rights has become a focal point for many protests as the vigil heads into its 16th year in October.
Here are links to photos and video I took today:
Photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/protestphotos1/sets/72157647584177375/
Video:
http://youtu.be/9RneSwvmKTY
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See also:
http://www.justicewithpeace.org
http://www.masspeaceaction.org
CIW list header

Lost in the flood: Two great stories on the FFP get left behind in deluge of big news…

atl20
With all the recent news surrounding the Clinton Global Citizen Award and the fast-approaching release of “Food Chains,” some stories just get lost in the flood.  However, two such stories from recent days were too good leave behind forever, so we thought we’d take advantage of this brief break in the action to reach back a couple of weeks and share them with you today.
First up is a beautifully written reflection by the Editor of the Sarasota Magazine that brought you last month’s must-read article, “Fairness in the Fields: A Sarasota Organization Brings Hope and Justice to Florida’s Tomato Fields”.  The Editor’s piece is part of her monthly “From the Editor” series, previewing what the reader will find in the monthly’s latest edition and adding her thoughts on the topic at hand.  This time she chose to focus on the story chronicling the Fair Food Program, and her thoughts are well worth reading.  Her column begins:
People are monsters. Selfish, brutal and merciless. And people are heroes. Generous, courageous and just. And that, I’ve come to believe, is as true for every individual as for the species itself...
As Obama And His House And Senate Allies Beats The War Drums-Again- Stop The Escalations-No New U.S. War In Iraq- No Intervention In Syria! Immediate Withdrawal Of All U.S. Troops And Mercenaries!  Stop The U.S. And French Bombings! –Stop The Arms Shipments …

Frank Jackman comment:

As the Nobel Peace Prize Winner, U.S. President Barack Obama, abetted by the usual suspects in the House and Senate as well as internationally, orders more air bombing strikes in the north, sends more “advisers” to “protect” American outposts in Iraq, and sends arms shipments to the Kurds, supplies arms to the moderate Syrian opposition if it can be found to give weapons to, guys who served in the American military during the Vietnam War and who, like me, belatedly, got “religion” on the war issue as a kneejerk way to resolve the conflicts in this wicked old world might very well be excused for disbelief when the White House keeps pounding out the propaganda that these actions are limited when all signs point to the slippery slope of escalation. Now not every event in history gets exactly repeated but given the recent United States Government’s history in Iraq those vets might be on to something. In any case dust off the old banners, placards, and buttons and get your voices in shape- just in case. No New War In Iraq

***

Here is something to think about:  

Workers and the oppressed have no interest in a victory by one combatant or the other in the reactionary Sunni-Shi’ite civil war. However, the international working class definitely has a side in opposing imperialist intervention in Iraq and demanding the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops and mercenaries. It is U.S. imperialism that constitutes the greatest danger to the world’s working people and downtrodden.
**********
Senate votes to approve Obama’s plan to fight Islamist militants

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senate-expected-to-give-approval-to-obamas-plan-to-fight-islamist-militants/2014/09/18/f7fc229e-3f3e-11e4-9587-5dafd96295f0_story.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpol&wpmm=1