Month: August 2008

CORPORATE HEGEMONY

August 27, 2008: J. Rosencrantz


In Denver, on the eve of the Democratic National Convention, AT&T threw a party to support Democrats who voted to grant telecoms immunity for illegal domestic wiretapping. The press was prohibited from entering.

From Glenn Greenwald:

It was really the perfect symbol for how the Beltway political system functions — those who dictate the nation’s laws (the largest corporations and their lobbyists) cavorting in total secrecy with those who are elected to write those laws (members of Congress), while completely prohibiting the public from having any access to and knowledge of — let alone involvement in — what they are doing. And all of this was arranged by the corporation — AT&T — that is paying for a substantial part of the Democratic National Convention with millions upon millions of dollars,which just received an extraordinary gift of retroactive amnesty from the Congress controlled by that party…

THE SLAUGHTERING OF AFGHANI CHILDREN AND THE OBAMA-MCCAIN PLAN TO ESCALATE

August 26, 2008: J. Rosencrantz

The corporate candidates and some victims of the U.S. airstrikes.

From the Associated Press:

U.N. on Tuesday announced that “convincing evidence” exists that an American-led operation killed 90 civilians… 60 children and 30 adults.

Democracy Now looks at the situation here. BBC covers it here.

Obama agrees with McCain that the U.S. should escalate the war in Afghanistan.

UNREPENTANT WAR CRIMINALS

August 24, 2008: J. Rosencrantz


John McCain the “war hero”, a pile of dead Vietnamese people, and McCain autographing an image of the A-4E Skyhawk he used in bombing raids in North Vietnam.

In his new book, Michael Moore offers some perspective on McCain’s war heroism:

John McCain flew 23 bombing missions over North Vietnam in a campaign called Operation Rolling Thunder. During this bombing campaign, which lasted for almost 44 months, U.S. forces flew 307,000 attack sorties, dropping 643,000 tons of bombs on North Vietnam (roughly the same tonnage dropped in the Pacific during all of World War II). Though the stated targets were factories, bridges, and power plants, thousands of bombs also fell on homes, schools, and hospitals. In the midst of the campaign, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara estimated that we were killing 1,000 civilians a week. That’s more than one 9/11 every single month — for 44 months.

More here.

Also, a fellow Vietnam POW thinks John McCain is a hothead whose finger should not be near the red button.

THE ICC, THE U.S. AND MORE GENOCIDE OLYMPICS

August 20, 2008: J. Rosencrantz


The International Criminal Court (ICC) has charged the President of Sudan for waging genocide against the Fur, Zaghawa and Massaleit tribes of Darfur.

The U.N. has estimated that since 2003, 300,000 have died and 2.5 million now live in refugee camps as a result of the conflict.

As of June 2008, 106 countries are States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC. Countries who still oppose the ICC are the United States, Israel, Libya, Sudan, and China, among others.

Although former President Clinton signed the ICC treaty on Dec. 31 2000, his successor George W. Bush “unsigned” it in 2002 — presumably in preparation for his illegal invasion of Iraq.

U.S. opposition to the ICC undermines its efforts to bring the perpetrators of genocide to justice.

Moreover, for obvious reasons, the U.S. lacks the moral credibility to criticize China for participating in the slaughter of civilians for the sake of access to energy resources.


Far from criticizing, Bush has in effect condoned China’s support for the genocide in Sudan by personally attending the Olympic Games.

Oh, and last year the U.S. State Department labeled the genocidal regime in Sudan as a “strong partner in the war on terror” for its help in spying on the Iraqi insurgency.

LACK OF HEALTH CARE FOR WORKERS

August 18, 2008: J. Rosencrantz

Last Friday, Mickey Mouse, Snow White and various other mythical creatures were arrested by Aneheim Police for agitating to keep health benefits for workers employed by Disney Hotels.

BLIND HYPOCRISY

August 15, 2008: J. Rosencrantz

"In the 21st Century, nations don’t invade other nations."

McCain also thinks that war in the Caucasus is "The first, probably, serious crisis internationally since the end of the Cold War."

Uh… Iraq? Afghanistan? Seriously, my cat takes shits that have a better grasp on recent history than this broken man.

WAR IN THE CAUCASUS

August 10, 2008: J. Rosencrantz

On Thursday, Georgia attacked South Ossetian separatists. Russia has responded by attacking Georgia. These images are from the Russian bombing of the Georgian town of Gori.

The BBC has more details and links here.

THE GENOCIDE OLYMPICS

August 6, 2008: J. Rosencrantz

The People’s Republic of China, host to the 2008 Summer Olympics, is assisting the Sudanese government in its genocidal campaign of mass murder, rape, displacement and starvation against the Fur, Zaghawa and Massaleit tribes of Darfur — despite the U.N. arms embargo.

The BBC has discovered Chinese Dong Feng army trucks in Sudan that were manufactured after the embargo was put in place. It has also found evidence that the Chinese government has been training Sudanese pilots to fly Chinese Fantan fighter jets which are then used to slaughter men, women and children in their villages.

Video here.

VETERAN SUICIDES

August 3, 2008: J. Rosencrantz

Lots of veterans are killing themselves after serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Here is just one story:

The estimate of veteran suicide attempts is as high as 1,000 per month, although the head of Mental Health at Veteran Affairs seems to have been caught lying about the number.

COCKSUCKER COPS

August 1, 2008: J. Rosencrantz