Riot Wrong: FOX fakes Moscow protest with Athens clashes …….

Bahrain’s Courageous Doctors ……

http://original.antiwar.com

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by Adil E. Shamoo, November 11, 2011 ,

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The United States continues to ignore the thwarted Arab Spring in Bahrain. Recently, a quasi-military court in the small Gulf state sentenced 20 doctors and nurses to up to 15 years in jail. The charge against them? Treating injured demonstrators opposing the regime.

Doctors and nurses in the Middle East have a long and proud tradition of treating the ill, regardless of the situation. In ninth-century Baghdad, for example, Hunayn ibn Ishaq was the Caliph’s physician. The Caliph asked this physician to prepare a poison to kill his enemies. The physician refused, risking his life, and was eventually jailed for one year. After serving his sentence, the Caliph inquired as to why he refused. The physician replied, “My profession is instituted for the benefit of humanity and limited to their relief and cure.”

So the doctors and other healthcare providers in Bahrain who treated the injured demonstrators were acting not only in the noblest tradition of the Hippocratic Oath but also in keeping with centuries-old Arab tradition. Medical ethics requires all physicians to be medically neutral toward those they treat.

Last February, Bahrain’s citizens joined the Arab Spring by holding massive demonstrations against the country’s corrupt, minority royal government. Bahrain’s security forces, assisted by Saudi-led troops sent by the Gulf Cooperation Council, brutally suppressed the peaceful demonstrations by force, resulting in the deaths of around 30 people, as well as hundreds of others wounded and arrested. At least 1,200 people were dismissed from their jobs. Opposition leaders were arrested, quickly tried, and sent to jail. Many detainees were tortured, and some women were sexually abused.

The government of Bahrain soon turned its attention to doctors and other healthcare providers, arresting, jailing, and torturing those accused of treating protesters. One female doctor told NPR that she was tortured and threatened with rape. In the same story, a man claimed that he was beaten unconscious. The authorities threatened the arrested individuals, saying that the security forces would arrest and torture members of their families if they didn’t sign a confession.

The doctors and nurses in Bahrain have called for support from the international community, especially from the United States. But the U.S. State Department has been muted in its comments about Bahrain’s abuse of hospital staff. This has led some medical professionals and other observers to lament that if such abuses had occurred in Syria or Iran, the United States would have condemned them vocally and emphatically.

U.S. policy toward the Arab Spring has been two-faced and unprincipled since its outbreak. When a hostile regime – in Syria or Iran, for example – has abused human rights, the administration has taken the moral high ground. However, in the case of friendly regimes – like those in Bahrain, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia – the administration has toned down its criticism or remained silent altogether. In the case of Bahrain, the United States still maintains a naval base there with 15,000 personnel.

The British Medical Association (BMA) issued a statement strongly condemning Bahrain’s behavior, stating, “BMA is shocked that these doctors are being persecuted for acting in accordance with their code of ethics.” The World Medical Association issued a similar statement. However, the American Medical Association merely invited physicians, if they wish, to write directly to Bahrain’s rulers to voice their opinion. The U.S. bioethics associations are silent.

Over the course of history, humanity has carved out zones of ethical conduct, whether in the conduct of war or the treatment of the sick and wounded. Medical ethics has a long and honorable history that U.S. officials and medical professionals must uphold for the doctors and nurses in Bahrain. Otherwise, the Arab Spring won’t bloom for long.

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Updated: Oakland Policeman Throws Flash Grenade Into Crowd Trying To Help Injured Protester …….

Posted on October 28, 2011 by WashingtonsBlog

Aerial Footage Shows Tear Gas Canister Hitting Scott Olsen and Flashbang Grenade Breaking Up Rescue Attempt

The following aerial footage of the Oakland protests shows Marine veteran Scott Olsen being hit in the head with what appears to be a tear gas canister (approximately 1:40), and a group of protesters trying to rescue him being dispersed by a flashbang grenade (around 1:52):

I am showing this photograph to several video experts, to determine whether the low trajectory of the tear gas canister fired at Olsen shows that the attack was intentional.

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http://dailybail.com

here a related video :

VIDEO – Marine Scott Olsen Moments Before He Was Shot By The Oakland Police, Olsen Now In ‘Critical’ Condition

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Some Cops Furious NYPD Officer Flashed Peace Sign In Photo With Occupy Wall Street Protester ……..

http://gothamist.com

via photon frequency’s facebook

The above picture, featured on the Facebook profile of someone named “Photon Frequency”, is presented as an example of how police and protesters really can get along: “Much of the NYPD are really on our side. We need to stay away from negative media influence and stay supportive and respectful of their difficult job. Many of the officers I spoke to are supportive of this movement and gratefully acknowledged the peaceful efforts of the protesters.” However, don’t tell that to any of the cops over at Thee Rant police forum—they’re pretty darn annoyed at the cop for posing with these “miscreants.”

Thee Rant is the internet forum for retired and current members of the NYPD, and they seem to heartily disapprove of officers engaging with protesters in any manner other than from an authoritarian position. User 10 08 wrote, “there are only 2 types of reactions you give these people. #1 – NOTHING #2 – ARREST.” BNDB agrees in a long message:

Exactly right! When we do anything else other than the above, we undermine the mission we have as police officers to be proffesional and maintain a STRONG AUTHORITATIVE presence…Act professional at all times!
Dont show any signs of weakness, by doing that, we raise the threat level for all other officers!
Even if we agree with these trust-fund punks, as Police Officers, it is not our job to appease and empathise with them, it is our job to make sure we, and all other officers GO HOME SAFELY!
These punks we stand with, laugh with now, ten minutes later will be throwing their piss and shyte at us, calling us pigs and climbing the barriers to try to fight us…DON’T FORGET THAT!

These trust fund bytches are NOT OUR FRIENDS! They want to see us hurt, either physically or on the job. They want to see us indicted for doing our job. They want to see us lose our jobs, our means for support to our families, they want to see our lives ruined…THEY ARE NOT OUR FRIENDS!

If you really feel that strongly about them, that you empathize with them, then maybe you should think about resigning your position as a New York City Police Officer.

Not everyone is ready to damn the office-in-question: some hope-against-hope that maybe it’s all a big misunderstanding! User bxnarcorgr asks, “Could it be he was bored and in a moment of stupidity, he flashed the peace sign more out of sarcasm than out of sympathy for the cause?” Murray Da COP said, “Maybe the cop is putting in his order for coffee or something. Yea TWO sugars please!”

If this is their reaction to a little peace sign, we can’t wait to see what they think about the protester who allegedly was caught on camera defecating on a cop car.

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……, Is this what you want for your children America ? (filed under : “Herd them and beat them” ) …….

http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com

This video captures NYC police acting like pit bulls, attacking and beating the hell out of non-violent protestors who were not trying to resist and were actually trying to surrender.

This is just one of several videos I have been shown on seen by people on the ground who captured live video of police brutality the Wall Street Mass arrests. Despite the lies you have read about no injuries, no macing, and no police beatings many on the ground tell difference stories and have video to prove it.

Many here do not have the know how to get these videos out to the public who needs to see how the corporate controlled security forces are treating there fellow Americans. This video captures a glimpse of what really is happening on the ground at the Occupy Wall Street Protest.

Make sure you check out NYC Police Attack, Tear Gas And Mass Arrest 2,000 Peaceful Protestors. #OccupyWallStreet and NYC Police Trap Peaceful Female Protestors Inside A Fence Then Mace Them! #OccupyWallStreet

Also, be sure to check back in I have a hard drive of NYC police brutality videos I will be posting.

So help them out and get these videos out and help #occupywallstreet.

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Yemen protesters storm elite military base; 50 die ……..

http://www.todayszaman.com19 September 2011, Monday / AP, SANAA

Thousands of protesters backed by military defectors seized a base of the elite Republican Guards on Monday, weakening the control of Yemen’s embattled president over this poor, fractured Arab nation. His forces fired on unarmed demonstrators elsewhere in the capital, killing scores, wounding hundreds and sparking international condemnation.

The protesters, joined by soldiers from the renegade 1st Armored Division, stormed the base without firing a single shot, according to witnesses and security officials. Some carried sticks and rocks. They used sandbags to erect barricades to protect their comrades from the possibility of weapons fire from inside the base, but none came and the Republican Guards eventually fled, leaving their weapons behind.Although the base was not particularly large – the Republican Guards have bigger ones in the capital and elsewhere in Yemen – its capture buoyed the protesters’ spirits and signaled what could be the start of the collapse of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year-old regime.”It was unbelievable,” said protester Ameen Ali Saleh of storming the base on the west side of the major al-Zubairy road, which runs through the heart of Sanaa. “We acted like it was us who had the weapons, not the soldiers.” “Now the remainder of the regime will finally crumble,” said another demonstrator, Mohammed al-Wasaby. “Our will is more effective than weapons. The soldiers loyal to Saleh just ran away.” Saleh went to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment after a June attack on his Sanaa compound and has not returned to Yemen, but has resisted calls to resign. A final showdown may well pit the Republican Guards, led by Saleh’s son and heir apparent Ahmed, against the soldiers of the 1st Armored Division, another elite outfit that has fought in all of Yemen’s wars over the past two decades, and their tribal allies in the capital. The Republican Guards and the Special Forces, also led by the president’s son, have long been thought to be the regime’s last line of defense against the seven-month-old uprising. The storming of the base capped two days of clashes in the capital that have left at least 50 people dead and nearly 1,000 injured, mostly demonstrators. Government forces used snipers stationed on rooftops, anti-aircraft guns, rocket propelled grenades and mortars against the unarmed protesters. Witnesses and security officials described scenes of mutilated bodies, some torn apart. An infant girl, a 14-year-old boy and three rebel soldiers were among the at least 23 people killed on Monday. “It is over,” concluded protest leader Abdul-Hadi al-Azzai. “The Ali Abdullah Saleh regime is finished. How can you negotiate while massacres are ongoing? The world is silent.” The violence led authorities to close Sanaa’s airport and order four flights to go instead to the southern port city of Aden, according to an airport official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. But even Aden did not escape bloodshed. Three protesters were wounded in clashes with government forces, witnesses there said. In the southern city of Taiz, at least four protesters were killed and 40 others were wounded Monday in clashes between anti-regime demonstrators and security forces, according to witnesses. The latest violence was born partly out of frustration after Saleh shattered hopes raised by the US last week that he was about to relinquish power. The United States once saw Saleh as a key ally in the battle against al-Qaida, but withdrew its support for him as the protests gained strength. Much is at stake in Yemen for the United States, its Gulf Arab allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, and the West. Yemen is close to the major oil fields of the Gulf region and overlooks key shipping lanes in the Red and Arabian seas. It is home to one of the world’s most dangerous al-Qaida branches, whose militants have staged or inspired a series of attacks on U.S. territory. Already, the chaos in Yemen has allowed al-Qaida militants to capture and hold a string of towns in the nearly lawless south of the country. Monday’s events could significantly help the protesters’ cause against the regime, but it is also likely to push Yemen toward civil war or to break up along tribal or regional lines. The clashes coincided with a flurry of diplomatic activity designed to resolve the crisis. UN envoy Gamal bin Omar and Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, secretary-general of a regional alliance that groups Yemen’s six Gulf Arab neighbors, were in Yemen on Monday. Saleh and King Abdullah, the Saudi monarch, met in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. “The situation is tense. It can’t continue like this. This is a sign of deep crisis,” bin Omar told The Associated Press. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned “the excessive use of force by government security forces against unarmed protesters” and called on all sides “to exercise utmost restraint and desist from provocative actions,” UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said. The US Embassy said it regretted the bloodshed and called on all parties to “refrain from actions that provoke further violence.” “The United States believes that now is the time for an immediate, peaceful and orderly transition,” Washington’s envoy to the U.N. Human Rights Council, Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, said in Geneva. Those responsible for abuses against civilians, she said, needed to be brought to justice as part of a reform process. Yemen’s foreign minister, Abubakr al-Qirbi, said the government was committed to political reforms, but rejected claims of excessive force by police and pro-government militia, accusing some opposition groups of terrorist activity. Troops from the Republican Guards and the 1st Armored Division were engaged in skirmishes for most of Monday. “I have been hearing heavy explosions and gunshots since morning,” said Atiaf Alwazir, a 31-year-old blogger from Sanaa. Soldiers from the 1st Armored Division soldiers, she said, returned fire, giving pro-regime forces “an excuse to shoot at peaceful protesters.” The 1st Armored Division, along with its commander, mutinied and joined the protesters about six months ago. Its mutiny was followed by a series of high-profile defections that left the president largely isolated but did not weaken his resolve to stay in office. Last Thursday, the US State Department raised expectations by predicting Saleh would relinquish power within a week under a Gulf-mediated, US-backed deal that would grant him immunity from prosecution in return for stepping down. But violence flared anew after Saleh said he had asked Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to negotiate further. Saleh has already backed away three times from signing the deal, and many believe this move is the latest of many delaying tactics. His departure for Saudi Arabia in June left the country without an effective political leadership. Hadi took over the reins of power but his authority appeared to pale in comparison to that of the president’s son, two powerful nephews as well as the tribal leaders who took the side of the protesters. -

US : Protesters Interrupt First Session Of Super Congress ……..

RON NOW !

Pics of the Day : Cairo (Egypt) ,the Israeli Embassy under fire ……..

The Israeli Flag was taken down by Protesters for the second time in only two month .

Image source : http://www.eluniversal.com (Mexico)

view org. post (in spanish language)  :

Tanques protegen embajada de Israel en el Cairo

ah ,and i found this one on Germanys Der Spiegel:

Demonstranten stürmen israelisches Botschaftsgebäude

here a related Post from The New York Times

Israeli ambassador, family, staff leave for Israel after protesters attack embassy in Cairo…….

Egyptians Tear Down Israel Embassy’s Security Wall

and here’s Al Jazeeras :

Egyptians break into Israeli embassy in Cairo

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London on Fire ! ………….

Rally Rage: ‘Israeli Tahrir’ gears up for protest of 150,000 …….

Video : Those libyan rebels surely know about democracy !

(The Video contains strong images ,viewer discretion is advised !)

A supposed peaceful protest by the Rebels of  Benghazi.

( Note : The Man  hanging there ,was obviously loyal to Gadhafi ( green flag ). )

no further comment …….

Egypt: Anti-govt protests continue ………

http://www.uruknet.info

July 15, 2011

Thousands have started flocking to Tahrir since the morning, as anti-government protests continue in Cairo, Suez and elsewhere.

In Alexandria, mass protests are taking place now in front of the Security Directorate, denouncing the interior ministry, calling for the prosecution of police torturers and demanding impeaching Khaled Gharraba and minister Mansour el-Essawi. Striking workers from several companies have joined the protests.

The protesters in Alexandria have taken down the interior ministry’s flag from the poll in front of the Security Directorate.

Oh, and the call for a million-man protest in Heliopolis to denounce Tahrir and express support to SCAF managed to draw roughly 14 protesters!

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Athens Chaos: Video of riots, flames & violence in Greece ………………………….

Alexander Higgins Blog is back and kicking : Spain revolution pics ……………………

found on : http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/

by Jérôme E. Roos on June 20, 2011

On Sunday June 19th, hundreds of thousands of Spaniards joined an historic march against the Euro Pact — here are some of the most incredible images.MainStreamMedia doesn’t report on this kind of news.

about 50% of the spanish youth ( age 18- 25)  has no real job …..

but Spain is at War in Afghanistan and still involved in NATOs Libya War .

figure …………..

some more pics here

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The Invincible (Los Invencibles) at Plaza Cataluña

Los Invencibles de la plaza Cataluña – May 27th, 2011

http://dprogram.net

Spanish Police Beat And Shoot Peaceful Protesters And Journalists

http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com

Posted by Alexander Higgins – May 27, 2011 at 3:54 pm – Permalink – Source via Alexander Higgins Blog

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In attempt to crack down on the peaceful protests spreading all over Europe that originated in spain, police have been dispatched to disperse the protesters who refuse to move. Watch as the Spanish Police Beat And Shoot Peaceful Protesters and Journalists.

The mainstream media remains silent as if the protests aren’t even happening. Will president Obama give Spain the same ultimatum to stop cracking down on peaceful protesters that he has given to Libya and Syria? The Associated Press and Reuters report that 121 people were injured by the police crackdown in Spain today.

The report of 121 injuries followed a BBC report of dozens of reported injuries earlier today.

Dozens injured after riot police and youths collision Barcelona

The riot police cracked down hard this morning against sit-in demonstration of young people in Barcelona.  AP Photo / Emilio Morenatti

by Pim van den Dool

AbroadSpanish riot police have intervened hard this morning when a youth demonstration in the Plaza de Cataluna in Barcelona. Including through the use of rubber bullets and batons on the square there were dozens of wounded.

About fifty people held a sit-in demonstration in a makeshift tent camp and blocked the road for trucks of the local appliance. The police arrived a few minutes then collided with the young demonstrators. In the confrontation between police and young people were a total of 43 minor injuries, including a cop. Five people were taken to hospital.

Source: BBC NL

Here are some videos of the protests and the violent police crackdown

Spanish Police beat on innocent protesters in a crowd and even on a journalist taking photos.

Indignats | Desallotjament de la Plaça Catalunya

Spanish Police Beat And Shoot Peaceful Protesters, Journalists

Retirada de Mossos de Plaza Cataluña. Desalojo 27-M

This video shows the Spanish Police beating protesters and even driving by in vehicle and shooting protesters.

More protests are scheduled all over Europe this weekend.

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Thousands gather in New York to protests endless wars

http://www.sott.net

Thousands of Americans have staged a protest rally in New York City to voice concerns over US war and foreign policies as well as the economy and the persisting reduction of social programs.

Scores of peace, labor and community activists took to the streets of the major commercial city on Saturday to call for peace and solidarity with Muslims and an end to US wars abroad, a Press TV correspondent reported.

“I am sick and tired of the elite trying to rule the country, the elite that is only one percent (of the society), ruling the country and getting us into wars that we do not need. Not paying their fair share of taxes while we suffer cutbacks in social programs,” a demonstrator said.

The protesters called on Washington to create more job opportunities in a bid to revive the fragile US economy.

More than 500 organizations also came together from communities across the US to call for an end to government harassment of Muslim immigrants and people of color.

They also called for the restoration of peace and democracy.

Demonstrators shouted “Intifada, Intifada,” an Arabic word meaning uprising and resistance. It is most commonly used as a term for popular resistance against oppression.

During the event, keynote speakers stressed that it was time to end US support for the illegal occupation of Palestine and the war in Libya.

“We are one with the people of Egypt, of Yemen, of Palestine. We are one in opposing the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are one with the five million people of Libya…” said Vinie Burrows, an American activist.

The participants in the event stressed that the march was about building unity between the antiwar movement and the Muslim community and to challenge Islamophobia.
~ From Press TV 4/10/11.

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Video: Highlighting The Importance Of Agility When Avoiding Bahrain SUVs Trying To Kill You

http://dailybail.com

Video – Bahrain police trying to run over protesters

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From the >http://dailybail.com< archives…

The Satellite Photos That Caused Revolution In Bahrain

Raw Video Bahrain: State police pushed back by protesters

GRAPHIC VIDEO: Bahrain Police Killing Protesters In Drive By Shootings

RAW VIDEO: The Massacred Entering Bahrain Hospital

Protester Shot At Point Blank Range By Bahrain Police

Bahrain Army Uses Automatic Weapons To Gun Down Peaceful Protesters

Brutal Repression in Honduras Targets Teachers, Popular Resistance

source

Pics of the Day ! Bahrain Protests

update : 250 arrested in Bahrain crackdown

click the pics to go to sources !

Pic 1 : no comment !

pic : http://www.welt.de

Pic 2 :

The Pearl Square monumentum before the >anti King/Government protests< took place .

pic : http://www.latimes.com

The same monumentum during the attacks of Government forces against the >anti King/Government protesters<

pic : http://www.businessinsider.com

The >Pearl Square< Monumentum lies in ruins after the military demolished it .

No >Tahrir Square< for the Bahrain Revolution !

pic : http://www.welt.de

Bahrain Map (clickpic for Wikipedia page on Bahrain )

pic : http://en.wikipedia.org

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Out in Force: 300,000 to march in London anti-cuts protest

Violent crackdown in Bahrain condemned

update : Evidence of Bahraini security forces’ brutality revealed

http://www.amnesty.org

There was an influx into Bahrain yesterday of troops from Saudi Arabia

© Demotix / mtradwan

15 March 2011

Amnesty International has called on the governments of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to immediately restrain their security forces after an anti-government protester was shot dead in Bahrain today and many others sustained gunshot injuries.

Eye-witnesses told Amnesty International that Bahraini riot police and plain-clothed security forces used shotguns, rubber bullets and teargas against demonstrators in Sitra and Ma’ameer. Several ambulance drivers were attacked by riot police with batons as they tried to reach the wounded.

An eyewitness told Amnesty International that riot police blocked access to the Sitra Health Centre where many of the injured were taken, while leaving other injured people lying unassisted in the streets. The electricity supply to the centre was cut.

“The Bahraini authorities must immediately rein in their security forces and end their use of excessive force, and the Saudi Arabian authorities should demand this too if they are not to appear complicit,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director. “All those involved must act with restraint to prevent further loss of life.”

The shootings came as the King of Bahrain declared a three-month state of emergency, as anti-government protesters continue to demand reform.

“Today’s shootings and the reports we are receiving about denial of medical care to the injured are a desperately worrying development and indicate a truly alarming escalation following the police killings of protesters in February and the influx yesterday of Saudi Arabian troops and Emirati police to buttress the Bahraini government,” said Malcolm Smart.

Amnesty International has confirmed that one man died in Sitra Health Centre after being shot, but has not yet been able to verify other reported deaths.

Hospital sources and other eye-witnesses have told Amnesty International that hundreds of people have been admitted with injuries but it is unclear whether these were caused by excessive force or in violent clashes.

According to media reports earlier in the day, a Saudi Arabian soldier was killed after clashes with protesters.

“The King’s declaration of a state of emergency must not be used as a cover for repression and abuses of human rights, as has happened in so many other countries,” said Malcolm Smart. “Those responsible for excessive force, unlawful killings and other serious abuses must be held to account and the King and his government have an obligation to ensure it.”

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Libya from the viewpoint of an independent businessman Part 2

http://mercurymail.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

When Gaddaffi took power in 1969 (1^st September), the oil production stood at 3 million barrels/day.

Today, after 25 years of embargo, it stands at 1,6 million barrels/day average.

The only company which continued normal production, mainly natural gas, was ENI (see previous links), maintaining the same gas production level throughout. ENI has the gas-export monopoly of Libya through their own pipe-line to Sicily.

Libya provides 25 % of the Italian gas consumption.

The drop in production is due to the lack of Western oil-professionals and modern equipment when the embargo started after 1969 and to something else: OIL POLITICS.

The only people who performed normally are the German oil companies, which kept the principle not to mix politics with business. This lead to an excellent relation between NOC and the 2 German oil companies RWE and WINTERSHALL. RWE just discovered 2 new oil fields in the Sirte Basin.

ENI kept the gas production at a normal level and the 2 German  companies kept a normal oil production and even raised it.

All the Americans, British and French kept a very low technical staff level and delayed eternally to raise the production.

Libya, probably the biggest oil reserves of Africa, the whole Central and South-West part of the country is one big oil lake, together with Kufra at the Sudanese border, has been kept on the backburner by the major oil companies.

The Libyans themselves, by lack of skilled engineers and modern equipment during the embargo, have screwed up their existing fields.

Their giant Nasser field, discovered and producing since the ‘60’s, with an original production of 500.000 barrels/day, has today a production of 12.000 BPD of oil and 90.000 BPD of water, which necessitates separation and creates a dirty surface lake.

The Libyans drilled so many wells the wrong way that they created the water problem themselves.

The estimate of that field stands at more than 2 billion barrels possible production, perhaps even more.

The new blocks, leased by the major oil companies, are all too slow to come on stream, and that’s definitely due to politics, they keep the Libyan reserves in the ground. Libya gave BP exceptional conditions for their giant off-shore oil field, giving them 30 % of the revenue, against 17/19 % for all other foreign companies.

BP, promising an investment of 1 billion dollars, hasn’t spent a penny worth mentioning.

All the majors are guilty. Why?

Gaddaffi is much too strict and too powerful in his country and has squeezed, trough the skills of Shokri Ghanem, the maximum out of the majors.

Since the majors have the best of all worlds in chaos, I am 100 % sure that they want chaos and strife in Libya. For the moment they have a very weak negotiation position in Libya, as long as Gaddaffi is in charge. When Libya stumbles into chaos the people at the top will be in a very weak position to negotiate, a little bit like the other African oil producing countries. The people at the top get extremely rich but the country gets nothing.

In Libya today until a few weeks ago, there is a definite strife to get the people on equal comfortable footing.

The fact that the people in Benghazi and Tobruk have resurfaced with the original Cyrenaica Flag of king Idriss  gives a very good indication, Cyrenaica wants to grab the control of Libya again and control over the Sirte and Tripoli tribes, which will never happen for a long period, even if Gaddaffi disappears.

UTA flight and Lockerbie

I refer to my previous comments on TBJ concerning Lockerbie. I am not changing one iota.

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/4074

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/4090

As far as the UTA flight is concerned, I know of the existence of a video concerning the UTA flight. Today the owner of this video, with proof that Gaddaffi had nothing to do with this, is considering making it public.

Several French nationals would really be in trouble, including politicians.

The UTA flight had the majority of the arms dealers with whom Mitterrand and his son were doing illegal arms business in Africa, on board. It solved a lot of problems for Mitterrand

Benghazi aids-children (Bulgarian Nurses)

When I spoke to a high ranking officer of the office of the Libyan General Attorney about the case of the 450 Benghazi aids-children, he told me that the Libyan authorities were at a loss about the motives of this case.

The Benghazi police had never found the motives behind this case. There were no financial motives and the police admitted to the General Attorney that they had been pretty rough with the nurses but couldn’t find a motive. The Benghazi police also claimed to have found the tainted blood in the personal private fridges of the nurses.

After what happened the last weeks, I think there is a plausible motive: riots and anti-Gaddaffi protests in Benghazi, which really took place at that time.

I also had a question why the Qatari’s were so quick to pay the 450 million euro compensation the parents received, one million per child, via the French and the Tripoli government. Everybody in Benghazi knows that the money came from Qatar.

Today Al Jazeerah, from Qatar, is at the forefront of the anti-Gaddaffi campaign in Libya. Al Jazeerah doesn’t even let one sound pro-Gaddaffi through.

Yusuf Al Qaradawi, the chief mentor of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is financed and covered by Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The Qatar government  is owner of Al-Jazeerah.

I would not hesitate to reopen the file of the Benghazi children and check the real story, in cooperation with the doctor and the nurses. I think Benghazi doesn’t know the truth and their benefactors are a bunch of murdering  gangsters.

Culture and Future

The tribal culture is ingrained in the Beduin psyche.

The destruction of the Gaddaffi Libyan structure towards a so-called democracy means for the people from Cyrenaica a bigger share of the Libyan wealth, meanwhile the “liberators”are looting all equipmewnt they can lay their hands upon. The Korean and Chinese construction companies which were working on a modern Libya until a few weeks ago, are completely looted, they have nothing anymore, no equipment, no office tools, no computers, everythoing is gone, and that is in “liberated”Cyrenaica. Heard anything about this from Al Jazeerah?

Armed groups of looters are roaming the dessert to steal everything they can from the deserted oil fields, all foreign engineers and workers left.

Result total production stop for years to come if Gaddaffi loses, who is going to decide which oilfield contractor can continue, which government is in charge, who is going to sell the oil and control the deliveries?

Sirte tribes will never allow Cyrenaica to control their oil fields.

The tribal system will take decades to transform itself into a real democracy and the man who was intensively working on it, Saif-al-Islam Gaddaffi, who has already prepared a constitution to start democracy and bring Libya into democracy, is now eventually cut short by the Western interference.

Saif refused the political job of “governor”of the country above the prime minister, job offered by his father 2 years ago. Saif insisted on a popular vote by the people of Libya so that he had a popular base.

Not too bad for the son of a dictator, no?

Saif is also the son of a Sirte Chief and a Cyrenaica mother, the perfect blend for a Libyan leaderSaif has fought the old conservatives around his father continuously for years and the Libyans know it.

Leave Libya sort out their own problems AND DON”T INTERFERE.

Gentlemen from Washington and Brussels, you fucked up Iran, Irak, Pakistan, Afghanistan, just to name a few of your successes, back off and let Libya sort itself out.

CONCLUSION

If the US does not interfere Gaddaffi stays, negotiations between tribes are already underway.

If the US Air Force and the Egyptian army, under civilian cover, do interfere, Gaddaffi loses and Libya is ready for decades of intertribal fights.

There will be no Libya anymore, just pieces of the country, fighting each other for years to come.

In this context a small remark:

Azzawiya and Misurata, where there are clashes today, are 2 ports.

The clashes are with small groups of people who arrive by small fishery boats from Cyrenaica. The local population has nothing whatsoever to do with this, but it’s definitely no joy for them to be in the cross fires.  The local population just wants peace and I hope they can get it soon.

From personal experience and observation over 10 years.

Hermes MSafiri

Mercurymail@hushmail.com

The U.S. Military Empire Meets Dictatorship in Bahrain

found on : http://www.fff.org

Hornberger’s Blog
Friday, February 18, 2010

REMINDER: The Jacob Hornberger Show every Saturday at 7-8 pm EST. Listen and watch live on the Internet: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-future-of-freedom-foundation

The U.S. Military Empire Meets Dictatorship in Bahrain
by Jacob G. Hornberger

The U.S. Empire includes 750-1,000 military bases in more than 130 countries. The reality of that extensive military empire has come to the forefront in Bahrain, where the authoritarian government in that country is cracking down on protestors with round-ups, jail, torture, and even extra-judicial execution.

Of course, it’s a familiar story, one that is confronting Americans every day. People are risking their lives in the attempt to oust brutal authoritarian dictatorships from power — dictatorships that are partners, allies, friends, and loyal members of the U.S. Empire … and recipients of billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid that has been used not only to line the personal pockets of the dictators and their henchmen but also to fund the instruments of torture and pay the salaries of the jailers and torturers themselves.

Now, in Bahrain, we see another factor involved in the U.S. Empire’s support of dictatorship — U.S. foreign military bases — one of the many hundreds all across the world. The dictatorship in Bahrain has permitted the Empire to establish and maintain a base there for the Empire’s Fifth Fleet.

So, why should it surprise anyone that the U.S. government, especially the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would favor the “order and stability” that comes with dictatorship? Hey, democracy is unpredictable. People might not like the idea that a foreign regime maintains a huge military base within their nation. Look at the people of Okinawa, who are trying their best to end the longtime U.S. military occupation of their land. Wouldn’t most Americans resent it if foreign regimes, including Muslim ones, maintained enormous military bases here in the United States?

Dictators are easier to deal with when it comes to U.S. military bases, especially when billions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer money and military armaments (which can be used to suppress dissent) are placed into his hands of the dictatorship by the Empire. It all makes for a cozy relationship. We’ll line your pockets with cash and give you military armaments to maintain your dictatorship, and you’ll let us keep our military base.

The imperialists say that the Fifth Fleet ensures the flow of oil to the West. That’s inane. It’s sort of like the fly on the automobile wheel that convinces himself that his presence on the wheel is what is propelling the car. Or like the rooster who crows every morning and is convinced that his crowing is bringing up the sun.

It’s no different with respect to the U.S. Empire and its massive overseas military establishments. The Empire is convinced that its presence in the Middle East is what is ensuring the flow of oil needed by the West (including the U.S. government’s massive military machine that consumes so much of the oil).

Not so. The world would function quite well without the Empire’s presence. Owners of oil would sell their oil into the marketplace, just like people sell other things throughout the world. People sell things to make money. Venezuela, whose officials hate the U.S. government, nonetheless sells its own to the United States, not because the U.S Navy is forcing it to do so but because Venezuela wants the money.

Anyway, if owners decide not to sell what they own, that is their right. That’s part of what being an owner is all about — deciding whether to sell and on what terms.

The widespread protests in the Middle East are bringing the ugly reality of U.S. foreign policy into the consciousness of the American people. While most Americans are sympathizing with the people who are risking their lives in resistance to tyranny, Americans are also having to face the discomforting fact that their very own government is, in large part, responsible for the tyranny that those people are opposing. Through a combination of U.S. foreign aid and U.S. foreign military bases, the U.S. government has been partnering with, cozying up to, training, and supporting the tyrannical regimes that foreign citizens are now rebelling against.

Shouldn’t all this give pause to Americans and cause them to begin thinking about rejecting the paradigm of empire and intervention that has held our nation in its grip for so long, including an end to all foreign aid, the closure of all foreign military bases, and the bringing of all the troops home from everywhere and discharging them? As the people of the Middle East rise up against the dictatorships that have brutally oppressed them for so long, hasn’t the time arrived for the American people to restore the paradigm of a constitutionally limited republic and non-interventionism on which our nation was founded?

Jacob Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation.

Hornberger’s Blog Archives

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10 Developments in the Huge Story of Wisconsin’s Uprising (Updated)

http://www.alternet.org

The fight over Republican Governor Scott Walker’s Union-busting bill may have just begun. Here’s a run-down on the unfolding events.

February 21, 2011 |

Photo Credit: mrbula

 

The drama unfolding in Wisconsin enters its second week, and as tens of thousands of workers and their supporters ring the state’s capitol expressing outrage over Union-busting Republican Governor Scott Walker’s bill, the impasse doesn’t appear to be headed towards a resolution anytime soon. AlterNet has stayed on top of this momentous story, and here are the latest developments.

Update (by AlterNet Staff): Lauren Kelly draws attention to the bogus Republican “compromise” extended to protesters today:

The news out of Wisconsin today is that the state’s moderate Republicans have tossed out something of a compromise to the protesters. The proposed compromise “calls for most collective bargaining rights of public-employee unions to be eliminated—per Mr. Walker’s bill—but then reinstated in 2013.” The state’s Democrats are rejecting the offer, noting that unions have already compromised enough, having made concessions on their pension and healthcare. As Sen. Jon Erpenbach noted, “If it’s OK to collectively bargain in 2013, why isn’t it OK today?”

Meanwhile, Governor Walker continues to be a tool, releasing three bogus reasons why “collective bargaining is a fiscal issue.” Here’s FireDogLake on why his reasoning is so weak:

One concerns what health care plan teachers sign up for, which is mainly an issue of the Governor seemingly wanting to strip the health care choices of workers (if you like what you have, you can keep it!). The next is some gotcha issue about Viagra in Milwaukee, which state courts ruled against a few years later. The third, and the only state issue, is overtime rules for corrections officers. Somehow I’m not convinced that this is such a scourge. The President of the Wisconsin State Senate didn’t do the job on that either today.

Grasping at straws, that.

 

Update (by AlterNet Staff): Amid much excellent coverage of the Wisconsin union protests, Paul Krugman’s column in the Times yesterday is worthy of a close read:

[W]hat’s happening in Wisconsin isn’t about the state budget, despite [Wisconsin Governor Scott] Walker’s pretense that he’s just trying to be fiscally responsible. It is, instead, about power. What Mr. Walker and his backers are trying to do is to make Wisconsin — and eventually, America — less of a functioning democracy and more of a third-world-style oligarchy. And that’s why anyone who believes that we need some counterweight to the political power of big money should be on the demonstrators’ side.

Indeed. He goes on:

[I]t’s not about the budget; it’s about the power.

In principle, every American citizen has an equal say in our political process. In practice, of course, some of us are more equal than others. Billionaires can field armies of lobbyists; they can finance think tanks that put the desired spin on policy issues; they can funnel cash to politicians with sympathetic views (as the Koch brothers did in the case of Mr. Walker). On paper, we’re a one-person-one-vote nation; in reality, we’re more than a bit of an oligarchy, in which a handful of wealthy people dominate.

Given this reality, it’s important to have institutions that can act as counterweights to the power of big money. And unions are among the most important of these institutions. You don’t have to love unions, you don’t have to believe that their policy positions are always right, to recognize that they’re among the few influential players in our political system representing the interests of middle- and working-class Americans, as opposed to the wealthy.

*** Original article begins below ***

1. Democratic Lawmakers in Exile Want Fair Negotiations

According to the Huffington Post, the Democratic lawmakers who crossed state lines last week to block the passage of Walker’s bill aren’t going to return until the governor agrees to sit down and negotiate in good faith. Monday is the fifth day of their self-imposed exile. ”We’ll be here until Gov. Walker decides that he wants to talk,” Sen. Tim Carpenter (D) told Amanda Terkel on Saturday.

He added that so far, the governor refuses to meet with them or even return the phone calls from members of the Democratic caucus.

 

“He’s just hard-lined — will not talk, will not communicate, will not return phone calls,” said Carpenter. “In a democracy, I thought we were supposed to talk. But the thing is, he’s been a dictator, and just basically said this is the only thing. No amendments, and it’s going to be that way.”

On Sunday, AlterNet posted video of Wisconsin State Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, angrily chastising the GOP majority for pushing Scott Walker’s union-busting bill through without giving lawmakers time to read it or allowing for public hearings of any kind. You can watch it here.

2. Massive Crowds for State Workers as a Handful of Tea Partiers Arrive

Last week, Mother Jones reported that masses of Tea Partiers would be bussed in by American Majority, a corporate-backed right-wing astro-turf operation, causing many progressive commenters to note the irony of the Tea Party’s new-found devotion to Big Government. As it turned out, approximately 2,000 arrived – along with Andrew Breitbart — only to find themselves out-numbered by pro-union demonstrators by a ratio as high as 35 to 1.

Fox “News” spent the whole weekend advancing the specter of thuggish unionists “rioting” at the capitol, which as usual turned out to be wrong. The Madison police Department issued a release after Saturday’s protests praising the demonstrators:

On behalf of all the law enforcement agencies that helped keep the peace on the Capitol Square Saturday, a very sincere thank you to all of those who showed up to exercise their First Amendment rights. You conducted yourselves with great decorum and civility, and if the eyes of the nation were upon Wisconsin, then you have shown how democracy can flourish even amongst those who passionately disagree.

According to MPD, there were a few minor scuffles, but no major incidents and no arrests through Saturday night. Kristine Mattis, who blogs at “Rebelpleb,” added that ”rumblings that protesters have “trashed” the capitol…[are] completely false. Members of unions, particularly the Teaching Assistants’ Association (TAA) and the Milwaukee Graduate Assistants’ Association (MGAA), have been regularly organizing volunteer crews to clean up trash and litter.” Mattis adds that a sign in the Capitol Building informing visitors that firearms aren’t permitted within “only emerged, after five days of entirely peaceful protests, when the Tea Party arrived.”

 

3. Wisconsin Uprising Part of a Larger Awakening

On Sunday, economist Robert Kuttner wrote that “something important that was largely missing has been kindled. Popular protest against financial abuses, top-down class warfare, clueless Republicans, and misplaced austerity is finally in the air. The labor movement is leading, and even non-union Americans are realizing why organized labor is all about protecting the middle class generally.”

 

Wisconsin appears to be the beginning of a larger movement, and for good reason. According to CBS News, “Nine other Republican governors from Nevada to New Jersey are also targeting unions with various proposals: decreasing wages and bargaining power in some cases, increasing what workers contribute to pensions and benefits in others.”

On Sunday, we reported that America’s labor movement is readying for a second show-down with union-busting legislators on Monday, as Indiana considers a so-called “right to work” law similar to that proposed by Wisconsin’s governor. A South Bend Tribune editorial warned hoosiers to “beware of the ‘right-to-work’ hoax that politicians and CEOs are pushing. A right-to-work law won’t help business and it won’t help workers.” Organizers are preparing to do battle in Ohio and Florida as well.

On February 26, US Uncut — a grassroots coalition that’s modeled on the movement that faced tuition hikes in the UK and has been called a liberal answer to the Tea Parties — is organizing protests across the country. The theme: no austerity while corporate tax dodgers game the system. Find out more about US Uncut here – find a local protest and mark the date.

Also, in case you missed it, check out Naomi Klein’s interview with Chris Hayes here — the two discuss why Wisconsin is so important, and touch on Uncut US’s upcoming mobilization.

 

4. It’s a Ginned-Up “Crisis,” but Scott Walker Isn’t Entirely to Blame for Wisconsin’s Budget Gap

It’s been widely reported, including on AlterNet, that Scott Walker inherited a $120 million budget surplus, and then promptly created a budget deficit in order to break the backs of Wisconsin’s public employees’ unions.

Politifact did an analysis of this issue which shows that Walker in fact inherited a manageable, long-term budget gap and then spun it as an imminent crisis that must be addressed this year.

The reports stem from a a Jan. 31, 2011 memo prepared by Robert Lang, the director of the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, that was picked up by the Associated Press and a number of other outlets. It does state that Wisconsin was on course for a surplus this year, which the media reported that in good faith. The issue is what Politifact refers to as the memo’s “fine print.”

[It] outlines $258 million in unpaid bills or expected shortfalls in programs such as Medicaid services for the needy ($174 million alone), the public defender’s office and corrections. Additionally, the state owes Minnesota $58.7 million under a discontinued tax reciprocity deal.

The result, by our math and Lang’s, is the $137 million shortfall.

It’s important to understand that this doesn’t change the fact that Walker dishonestly portrayed his union-busting bill as a budget fix, which, as you’ll see below, it is not.

5. More Evidence that Walker’s Bill Has Nothing to do With Wages, Benefits and the State’s Budget Gap

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has a long history trying to break public sector unions. But last week, as the Milwaukee Business Times reported, he insisted that ”his bill was strictly based on the need to cut the budget and was not based on any political agenda.” Indeed, the bill was introduced by the governor as an “emergency measure… needed to balance the state budget and give government the tools to manage during economic crisis.”

But, as we reported on Sunday, a close reading of the governor’s own press release announcing the measure shows just how misleading that claim really is.

Here’s the problem, according to Walker’s release:

The state of Wisconsin is facing an immediate deficit of $137 million for the current fiscal year which ends July 1. In addition, bill collectors are waiting to collect over $225 million for a prior raid of the Patients’ Compensation Fund.

There is a $137 million shortfall for this year. Regarding the Patients’ Compensation Fund, Politifact reports that “a court ruling is pending in that matter, so the money might not have to be transferred until next budget year.”

But here are three important points from the governor’s release that show quite clearly that this bill has nothing at all to do with closing Wisconsin’s budget gap in the near-term — as an emergency measure that wasn’t even subject to public debate.

1. “The budget repair will also restructure the state debt, lowering the state’s interest rate, saving the state $165 million.” That’s right, restructuring the state’s outstanding debt yields more savings than the projected shortfall, and nobody is objecting to that provision.

2. ”It will require state employees to pay about 5.8% toward their pension (about the private sector national average) and about 12% of their healthcare benefits (about half the private sector national average). These changes will help the state save $30 million in the last three months of the current fiscal year.” Yes, those give-backs would yield less than 20 percent of what the debt restructuring would bring in. And, as I mentioned earlier, the public employees’ unions offered to make those concessions in exchange for losing the provision that would bar them from negotiating their benefits package in the future, and the GOP flatly refused the offer.

3. The collective bargaining provision wouldn’t kick in until after the current contracts expire, meaning that the measure would yield exactly zero savings in the current budget.

Random Lengths News‘ Paul Rosenberg caught this, and adds that Walker is also sitting on an “unused cache of $73 million” in the state’s economic development fund — “more than twice what’s being sought from public sector workers.”

Samuel Smith at Scholars and Rogues has more detail.

AlterNet also reported over the weekend that while far too many pundits continue to buy Scott Walker’s spin that the Wisconsin uprising is a response to the state’s public employees being asked to shoulder more of the burden for their health-care and pension costs, the reality is that it’s really all about the union-busting.

According to the Milwaukee Business Times, the unions have in fact agreed to all of the GOP’s demands on wages and benefits, in exchange for Republicans dropping the provision that would strip them of the right to negotiate in the future:

Although union leaders and Wisconsin Democratic Senators are offering to accept the wage and benefit concessions Gov. Scott Walker is demanding, Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said today a bill taking away collective bargaining rights from public employees is not negotiable.

Democrats and union leaders said they’re willing to agree to the parts of Walker’s budget repair bill that would double their health insurance contributions and require them to contribute 5.8 percent of their salary to their pensions. However, the union leaders want to keep their collective bargaining rights.

“I have been informed that all state and local public employees – including teachers – have agreed to the financial aspects of Governor Walker’s request,” Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Waunakee) said. “This includes Walker’s requested concessions on public employee health care and pension. In return they ask only that the provisions that deny their right to collectively bargain are removed. This will solve the budget challenge. This is a real opportunity for us to come together and resolve the issue and move on. It is incumbent upon Governor Walker to seriously consider and hopefully accept this offer as soon as possible.”

However, Fitzgerald said the terms of the bill are not negotiable, and he called upon Democrats who left the state this week to stall a vote on the bill to return to the Capitol.

On a related note, Business Insider, citing research by economist Menzie Chinn, reported that “Wisconsin’s public sector workers get paid LESS than the private sector.” Almost 5 percent less, even including healthcare and retirement benefits.

Now, we have some quick hits:

6. Bubba Arriving on the Scene?

Mike Elk reports that rumors are swirling around the capitol that Bill Clinton may be headed to Wisconsin as an act of solidarity with the unions that helped Hillary’s presidential campaign.

7. Foxed

Crooks and Liars highlighted a bogus smear being pushed by Fox “News” — one that originated, naturally, with one of ACORN-killer James O’Keefe’s former associates.

Raw Story reported that ”protesters shouted ‘Fox lies! Fox lies!’ throughout a Fox News segment on the demonstration in Wisconsin Friday.”

8. Business Community Unhappy With Walker?

Mike Elk also reported that Wisconsin’s local business community is showing signs of turning against Scott Walker.

9. Rage Against the Machine

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that “Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Wayne Kramer, Street Dogs and other musicians just announced they’ll join pro-union protesters at the Capitol” today.

10. Egyptian Workers Express Solidarity with Wisconsin’s Public Workers

Michael Moore.com has posted a statement of support, ”from a place very close to Tahrir Square in Cairo,” by Kamal Abbas, the General Coordinator of the CTUWS, which is “an umbrella advocacy organization for independent unions in Egypt.” We posted this picture over the weekend:

 

 

What You Can Do — Big Weeks Ahead

The Wisconsin Uprising appears to be an opening shot in a genuinely grassroots push-back against the corporate Right’s attack on the labor movement and, more broadly, our social safety net. We’ll continue following events as they unfold.

You can offer your solidarity in a number of ways. Check out US Uncut, get out and make your voice heard.

In the meantime, you can send the protesters in Wisconsin a pizza! On Sunday, Ian’s Pizza on State Street announced on its Facebook page that it was suspending its normal in-store and delivery operations “to keep up with the high volume of calls it was receiving from people all over the country and the world seeking to buy pizza for the protesters at the Capitol.” According to New York Magazine, “Ian’s gave away 1,057 donated slices yesterday and delivered more than 300 pizzas. The blackboard behind the counter now has a running list of places where donations have come from, and it includes China and Egypt.”

Joshua Holland is an editor and senior writer at AlterNet. He is the author of The 15 Biggest Lies About the Economy (and Everything else the Right Doesn’t Want You to Know About Taxes, Jobs and Corporate America). Drop him an email or follow him on Twitter.



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