"The Hurt Locker" wins Oscar for best picture
By · Comments“The Hurt Locker” won the Academy Award for best picture on Sunday, capping a historic Oscar ceremony that saw the low-budget Iraq war drama vanquish the sci-fi blockbuster “Avatar.”
I for one could care less about the Oscars. They are run by socialists, attended by socialists, and won by socialists. But it is part of our culture and not going away anytime soon. It is interesting to note that most Americans did not see these films. At least that is what the polls on conservative talk radio reflected. Oh, except “Up”. I will never watch “Avatar”. The only blue people I will let into my home are “Smurffs”.
Technorati Tags: socialism, news, Oscars, Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Smurffs, James Cameron
By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz/Israel, March 12, 2010
The apology offered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Eli Yishai recalls the joke about the servant who pinched the king’s bottom. En route to the gallows, the servant apologized: He thought it was the queen’s bottom.
The statement issued by Netanyahu’s bureau said that in light of the ongoing dispute between Israel and the United States over construction in East Jerusalem, the plans for new housing in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood should not have been approved this particular week. It also said the premier had ordered Yishai to draft procedures that would prevent a recurrence. In other words, Yishai is welcome to submit more plans for Jewish construction in East Jerusalem next week, when U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will no longer be here.
Based on Biden’s reaction, it seems that he (and, presumably, his boss) has decided that it is better to leave with a few sour grapes than to quarrel with the vineyard guard. In his speech at Tel Aviv University, he said he appreciated Netanyahu’s pledge that there would be no recurrence. But what exactly does that mean? That next time he comes, the Planning and Building Committee will be asked to defer discussion of similar plans until the honored guest has left?
With the media storm dying down, Netanyahu can breathe a sigh of relief.
In a sense, the uproar actually helped him: To wipe the spit off his face, Biden had to say it was only rain. Therefore, he lauded Netanyahu’s assertion that actual construction in Ramat Shlomo would begin only in another several years.
Thus Israel essentially received an American green light for approving even more building plans in East Jerusalem.
Biden might not know it, but the Palestinians certainly remember that this is exactly how East Jerusalem’s Har Homa neighborhood began: Then, too, Netanyahu persuaded the White House that construction would begin only in another several years.
When Biden arrived, the Arab League had just recommended that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accede to Washington’s proposal for indirect talks with Israel.
But instead of being able to leave with an announcement that the talks have officially begun, Biden is leaving with the news that the Arab League has suspended its recommendation.
Netanyahu can thus hope that the Ramat Shlomo imbroglio has deferred the moment of truth when he must reveal his interpretation of “two states for two peoples.” And just in case anyone failed to realize how impartial a mediator the U.S. is, Biden said in his Tel Aviv speech that the U.S. has “no better friend” than Israel.
For Netanyahu, the cherry on top was that the onus for advancing the negotiations has now been put on the Arab states – just two weeks before the Arab League summit in Tripoli, where the league’s 2002 peace initiative will again be up for discussion. For months, U.S. President Barack Obama has been trying to persuade Arab leaders not to disconnect this important initiative from life support. His argument is that nothing would make Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad happier than a final blow-up of the peace process and the outbreak of a third intifada. And his joy would be redoubled if the fire started in Jerusalem.
But while the U.S. may be papering over the rift for now, Western diplomats said the bill will come due once the talks with the PA begin (assuming they do). The U.S. has already said it will submit bridging proposals of its own during these talks, and its anger and frustration over the Ramat Shlomo incident are likely to make it far more sympathetic to the Palestinians’ positions, the diplomats said.
For instance, Netanyahu wants security issues to top the talks’ agenda, an Israeli source said. But the Palestinians want the first issue to be borders, including in Jerusalem.
And the European Union, which had planned to upgrade various agreements with Israel this week in honor of the resumed talks, has now postponed the upgrade until it becomes clear whether the talks will in fact take place.
HRW: West must press Syria on rights violations
By · CommentsMiddle East Online, First Published 2010-03-11
Syrian security services have detained many human rights activists
Rights group accuses Syrian officials of jailing anyone who dares to utter critical word in their prison cells.
EW YORK – Western countries must press Syria on its continued repression of dissidents as part of their efforts to draw Damascus out of political isolation, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday.
“Talking to Syria without putting its rights record on the table emboldens the government to believe that it can do whatever it wants to its people, without consequences,” said the US-based rights group’s Middle East director Sarah Whitson.
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Tags: Haytham al-Maleh, human rights violations, Muhannad al-Hasani, Syria
Drone Attacked Crowd of Civilians Rescuing Victims of Previous Drone
by Jason Ditz, Antiwar.com, March 10, 2010
An unknown number of civilians were slain today in Pakistan’s North Waziristan Agency, when US drones launched a pair of attacks on a site which left at least 17 people killed and several wounded.
The first drone strike targeted a vehicle which Pakistani officials say was “carrying some miscreants.” The attack killed at least eight people and collapsed a nearby home, which is what precipitated the second attack.
A crowd of civilians gathered around the collapsed building, trying to pull people from the rubble, when a second drone fired missiles into the crowd, killing at least nine people and wounding several others.
“Miscreants” aside, it was unclear if any of those killed were militants of any significant faction, and Pakistani officials say there was no evidence any high-value target at the site. The area is controlled by a nominally “Taliban” militant faction which currently has a peace deal with the Pakistani government.
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Tags: civilians, Jason Ditz, North Waziristan, Pakistan, people killed and wounded, US drones attack
Friday 12th March 2010
By · Comments11am LeftWatch: Three unions have given £25 million to Labour – and have now secured more than 100 parliamentary candidacies
10.30pm WATCH: Jeremy Hunt talks about the Conservatives' Technology Manifesto
Also on ToryDiary: Coulson and Hilton join forces as Tory machine prepares for final lap
Yousuf Miah on Platform: The system of student visas needs a complete overhaul
LeftWatch: Treasury Minister claims there would be "no new tax rises" if Labour were re-elected
Seats and Candidates: Victoria Ayling in Great Grimsby ditches the Soap Box in favour of a Fish Box
Glyn Gaskarth in Local Government: A strategy for reducing the power of quangos
Also in Local Government: Who would Lib Dem councillors favour in a hung Parliament?
David Cameron to meet Nicolas Sarkozy in London today
"Mr Sarkozy's officials and senior party colleagues are keen to establish a dialogue with Mr Cameron's team to find out where they stand on financial regulation, defence and the EU, and to explore the potential for co-operation. A speech by Mr Cameron late last year, in which he abandoned a promised referendum on the Lisbon treaty and relegated as a priority his demand for a repatriation of powers from the EU, has helped ease, though not erase, French fears that Mr Cameron is a Eurosceptic ideologue bent on picking a fight with the EU." – FT
YouGov daily tracker has 3% Tory lead – The Sun | Last night's ToryDiary
Theresa Villiers: Labour have betrayed our vision of high speed rail
> Theresa Villiers MP on Platform yesterday: Conservatives started – and continue to lead – the debate on high speed rail on which Labour's vision is misguided and unambitious
Tories promise superfast broadband
"The Conservatives have launched a technology manifesto that aims to increase broadband speeds and improve access to government data as the government's digital economy bill moves quickly through parliament. The manifesto pulls together a number of technology proposals that the Conservatives have floated in the runup to the general election, including promising superfast broadband connections of 100Mbps to most Britons and opening up data on contracts and public sector salaries." – The Guardian
> Stephan Shakespeare on CentreRight yesterday welcomed the commitment to a Right to Government Data in the Conservatives' technology manifesto
Tories insist that City has faith in Osborne – City AM
Tories boycott "blatantly political" Commons inquiry into Ashcroft peerage
"A Westminster inquiry into the row over Lord Ashcroft's peerage was thrown into turmoil when the Tory MPs on the committee walked out and said they were boycotting it permanently. In what is understood to be an unprecedented move, Conservative members have withdrawn from the public administration select committee, some following discussions with the party whips." – The Guardian
Black Tory candidate Loanna Morrison defends saying that "Britain is full"
> Loanna Morrison on Platform: It is Labour's failure to control immigration and its obsession with promoting "multiculturalism" that has allowed the BNP to re-emerge
Ministers rule out ban on BNP teachers – The Guardian
David Cameron re-iterates promise to ban Islamic extremists from Britain
"A Conservative government would ban extremist Islamist groups, refuse visas to hate preachers and insist that universities identify and root out radicals promoting violence, antisemitism and other racial intolerance on campus… He said recent visitors to Britain such as Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the influential Egyptian cleric who supports suicide bombing against Israeli targets, and Ibrahim Moussawi, Hizbollah's "media relations officer", would never again be allowed into the country. He also confirmed that a Tory government would ban the virulently anti-Zionist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir." – Jewish Chronicle
Lib Dems warn Clegg against a deal with the Tories
"Labour will today warn 300,000 wavering voters who are tempted to support the Liberal Democrats that they could let David Cameron into Downing Street by the back door. Labour strategists have identified this key group of swing voters in 28 Labour-Conservative marginal seats. They will be bombarded with personalised letters this weekend appealing to them to support the progressive cause by voting Labour to keep the Tories out." – The Independent
Nick Clegg is also interviewed in today's Economist
> Yesterday's LeftWatch: Nick Clegg unveils four demands for a post-election deal in a hung Parliament – as he praises Margaret Thatcher and claims Lord Tebbit's support for his tax policy
Chris Grayling: The tragic David Askew case underlines the need for a proper zero tolerance policy
“Just how many of these tragic cases are we going to have to see
before this government and the police adopt a proper zero tolerance
approach to antisocial behaviour? We need to get tough with trouble
makers, punish them when they offend and not let them get away with
it." – Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling quoted in the Daily Telegraph
How useful is the political spouse on the campaign trail?
> Yesterday's ToryDiary: Samantha Cameron breaks her silence with first interview as she prepares to hit the election campaign trail
Martin Wolf: Both sides deserve to lose the election
"At a time of crisis, the UK has to choose between a government about which it knows far too much and an opposition about which it knows far too little. Neither side is convincing, given not just the scale but also the complexity of the challenge that lies ahead. But governments always lose elections. This one deserves to do so." – Martin Wolf in the FT
Labour peer Baroness Uddin could face charges over expenses – Sky News
And finally… Porn film director selected as Lib Dem candidate
"The Liberal Democrats have selected a pornographic film-maker as their parliamentary candidate for Gravesham in Kent. Anna Arrowsmith, who is the managing director of Easy on the Eye Productions, was selected by constituency members on Wednesday evening. Mrs Arrowsmith, who works under the pseudonym of Anna Span, was the only Lib Dem candidate presented to the constituency for selection… A spokesman for Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, said yesterday: “Mrs Arrowsmith’s job isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but it is not illegal and we welcome and respect people from different backgrounds.” – The Times
Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day.
A predictable member of the corporate superstructure that was imported from Bu$hco; Kit will do and say anything that greases the skids for the Neo Republicon agenda. Some of his main contributors are Boeing and Monsanto. He is involved in”Vote Smart”, which is, in my opinion, mind control for dummies.
Our legal rights are eroding because of one voiced neo conservatives like him that fight meaningful change and promote the corporate government that Obama inherited. A substantial majority of Americans — 65 percent to 33 percent — believe that it was the correct action for the FBI to read him those rights, including the right to remain silent, according to a CNN/Opinion Research poll conducted Feb. 12-15.
And here’s a more rational viewpoint from Crooks and Liars
War Crimes Trial Of The Century
By · CommentsAllen L Roland
opednews.com
March 10, 2010 at 15:49:41
The war crimes trial of the century will be the World Court versus George W Bush and Dick Cheney. It will be instigated when the shocking details of the 9/11 conspiracy are finally fully brought to light ~ thus validating countless members of the 9/11 truth movement who always knew the official story was full of holes: Allen L Roland
The day is drawing closer ~the day that George W Bush, Dick Cheney,Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld and take their place in the dock for the War Crimes Trial of the Century. It will be an international trial for it involves the tragic deaths of 2750 innocent people fromnations all over the world.
The rest of the world already knows the official 9/11 report is a hoax but America’s main stream press stubbornly holds on tothe great lie ~ rightfully afraid of the repercussions once the truth is revealed.
Jeremy R. Hammond, ICH, reports onan editorial in the Washington Post yesterdaywhich slammed Japanese member of parliament Yukihisa Fujita because he “seems to think that America’s rendering of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, is a gigantic hoax.” His “ideas” about the terrorist attacks “are too bizarre, half-baked and intellectually bogus to merit serious discussion.”
The post rant continues~“ Among Fujita’s “bizarre” views are “that shadowy forces with advance knowledge of the plot played the stock market to profit from it”, “the fantastic idea that eight of the 19 hijackers are alive and well”, and “that controlled demolition rather than fire or debris may be a more likely explanation for at least the collapse of the building at 7 World Trade Center “.
Hammonds carefully explains that Fujita’s so called bizarre views are indeed credible and that it is the Washington Post itself that appears to be ‘Fact-Adverse’.
Official Dogma: Iraq War a Success
By · CommentsAmerican Elites Abandon Their Faux Regret Over Iraq
by Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com, March 10, 2010
The New York Times‘ Tom Friedman, who did as much as any single individual to persuade large numbers of Democrats and “moderates” to support the invasion of Iraq, today writes:
Former President George W. Bush’s gut instinct that this region craved and needed democracy was always right. It should have and could have been pursued with much better planning and execution. This war has been extraordinarily painful and costly. But democracy was never going to have a virgin birth in a place like Iraq, which has never known any such thing.
Some argue that nothing that happens in Iraq will ever justify the costs. Historians will sort that out. Personally, at this stage, I only care about one thing: that the outcome in Iraq be positive enough and forward-looking enough that those who have actually paid the price — in lost loved ones or injured bodies, in broken homes or broken lives, be they Iraqis or Americans or Brits — see Iraq evolve into something that will enable them to say that whatever the cost, it has given freedom and decent government to people who had none.
Sure, the war that I helped sell and cheered on led to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of innocent human beings (at least), the long-term displacement of millions more, and the complete destruction of another country that had done nothing to us. But I’m not interested in clouding my mind with any of that. I don’t care about that. That can be talked about once I’m dead. After all, as the great humanitarian Joseph Stalin taught us, you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, and as the great scholar and torturer Condoleezza Rice explained, we should just gently shut our eyes and think about the massive slaughter and destruction we caused in that country as mere “birth pangs” on the road to something beautiful.
Back in 2003, I said – with bloodthirsty sadism rabidly drooling from my mouth — that the real purpose of the war, what made it the Right Thing to do, was that we needed to make large numbers of Muslims “suck. on. this” in order to show them we mean business, and we randomly picked Iraq because . . . . we could. But now — to justify the enormous amounts of blood I helped spill and the incalculable amounts of human suffering I helped spawn — I’m going to pretend that I was motivated by a magnanimous, noble desire to Spread Freedom.
It was only a matter of time before American elites abandoned their faux regret over Iraq. For tribalists and nationalists, America can err in its execution but never in its motives. There’s no question — as this glorifying, propagandistic Newsweek cover story reflects — that it’s now official dogma that this was the right thing to do, or at least that we produced something great and wonderful for that country, as was our intent all along (leaving aside the what is actually happening in Iraq). It’s nothing short of nauseating to watch those responsible glorify what they did without weighing — or, in Friedman’s case, affirmatively dismissing as irrelevant — the extreme amounts of death and suffering that they caused, all based on false pretenses. But this is why Tom Friedman is the favorite propagandist of “Washington insiders”– because he feeds them the justifications they need to feel good about themselves. Forget all those innocent dead people and destruction you caused; it all worked out in the end.
UPDATE: Several people argue in Comments that this effort to portray the invasion of Iraq as a good thing is motivated not only by a desire for self-cleansing on the part of those responsible, but also to enable future, similar wars to take place. I don’t know whether that’s the motive, but it’s definitely the effect. That the invasion of Iraq has been so widely perceived as a horrific debacle had the effect of minimizing the likelihood of future invasions. Having it now depicted as something that worked out and produced Great Results necessarily makes it easier to justify future wars in that region. After all, if attacking and invading Muslim countries we don’t like in order to change their government is the good and right thing to do, shouldn’t we keep doing it?
UPDATE II: Freedom is on the March: we shouldn’t burden our minds worrying about this, though; just do what Tom Friedman does and leave it to the historians while patting ourselves on the back.
Glenn Greenwald was previously a constitutional law and civil rights litigator in New York. He is the author of the New York Times Bestselling book “How Would a Patriot Act?,” a critique of the Bush administration’s use of executive power, released in May 2006. His second book, “A Tragic Legacy“, examines the Bush legacy.
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Tags: Condoleezza Ric, Iraq war, lenn Greenwald, slaughter of innocent people, Tom Friedman, United States
The 9/11 Hijackers are Alive?
By · CommentsVideo Interview With Dr. David Ray Griffin
According to the chief of Japans Democratic Party who says that the 9/11 hijackers are alive and that 9/11 was a complete hoax. Dr. David Ray Griffin is a professor and author who wrote The New Pearl Harbor Revisited and he says that he agrees; the World Trade Center was a hoax.
Information Clearing House, Posted March 10, 2010
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Tags: 9/11 Hijackers, 9/11 hoax, Dr. David Ray Griffin
Congressional Democrats back expanded war in Afghanistan
By · CommentsBy Patrick Martin, wsws.com, March 11, 2010
The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Wednesday evening against a resolution to end the war in Afghanistan and begin a withdrawal of US troops within 30 days. The roll call vote, with only 65 in favor and 356 against, showed top-heavy majorities of both Democrats and Republicans opposing an early end to the war.
House Democrats voted against the resolution by 189 to 60, House Republicans voted against by 167 to 5. The leaders of both parties lined up in unanimous opposition to the resolution, which would have invoked the 1973 War Powers Act. This provides that the president can send US armed forces into war abroad only with the authorization of Congress or if the US is already under attack.
The measure, introduced by a handful of liberal Democrats led by Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, would have had no effect even if it had passed, since the bill would still require Senate passage and then face a certain presidential veto.
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Tags: Dennis Kucinich, Patrick Martin, United States, war in Afghanistan
