Is There No One Our Government Won’t Screw Over In Our Names?
Are The Republicans Prepared To Lead This Nation Into An Undeniable Depression To Gain Total Control Of This Country?
Americans are going to have to wake up to the truth sometime. I hope it will be sooner than later. The simple fact of the matter is that WikiLeaks is exposing America's penchant for lies, cover-ups and white washing its history. I know most Americans won't believe that its CIA terrorist organization has been responsible for near 6 million deaths in our world via coups and outright slaughter of ordinary people. Between 1953 and 1979 the CIA in Iran running the CIA created secret police SAVAK, with some input from MOSSAD, and the CIA was responsible for thousands of deaths during these years of demented killing. Then, the dumbass Reagan manufactured a war by proxy with Iraq, armed to the teeth with weapons, including poison gas, as well as intelligence given to Iraq from the US Spy satellite. At one point 3,000 Iranian defenders were killed by gas defending Iran upon Iranian soil. And, the USA and its insipid allies continue to harass Iran with the CIA giving weapons to the Kurds in the north. It is not only MOSSAD that is active as a terrorist faction in Iraq, it is also the CIA. The more that becomes revealed; the more obvious it becomes that our government needs to be replaced and corporate personhood dictatorship must end. The Republicans are prepared to utterly destroy the American economy in the hopes of finally vesting themselves with the power to literally enslave this nation and enjoy the riches of the worst African or Middle Eastern dictator.  The Nation published a scoop - momentarily - on its website about Wikileaks cables revealing pressure from Washington on Haiti's government not to raise the national minimum wage to 61 cents an hour. The story, which got pulled, will be reposted next Wednesday, the Nation wrote, in order "to accord with the publishing schedule of Haiti Liberté," which collaborated on the article. However, the Columbia Journalism Review has written up a summary of the Nation piece, recounting how American clothing makers with factories in Haiti were displeased after the government raised the minimum wage more than two and a half times the previous minimum 24 cents an hour. The U.S. State Department subsequently brought pressure to bear on Haiti's president, "who duly carved out a $3 a day minimum wage for textile companies." But the US Embassy still wasn't pleased. According to the Wikileaks report excerpted by the CJr: "A deputy chief of mission, David E. Lindwall, said the $5 per day minimum "did not take economic reality into account" but was a populist measure aimed at appealing to "the unemployed and underpaid masses." WikiLeaks Cables Reveal "Secret History" of U.S. Bullying in Haiti ... - democracynow.org Wikileaks Cables: U.S. Worked To Scuttle Haiti Gas Development ... - thinkprogress.org CounterPunch Exclusive What Do Governments Fear Most? They Fear Us By HARRY BROWNE Ireland’s foreign-affairs minister assured the US ambassador in Dublin in 2006 that the Irish government was prepared to change the law that had allowed the acquittal of five anti-war activists for damaging a US Navy plane. The revelation that a senior Irish official discussed possible amendments to domestic criminal law with the US ambassador is contained in a Wikileaks cable (see below) that has not been published or reported upon elsewhere, but which has been seen by Counterpunch. At the time of the acquittal of the so-called Shannon Five, or Pitstop Ploughshares, in July 2006, the US embassy made a public statement expressing its disquiet about the verdict. The then foreign minister, Dermot Ahern, responded with what was seen as a firm public statement of his own, underlining the independence of the judicial system and stating that its verdicts were not a matter for discussion by government officials or between governments. The cable reveals, however, that a few months later Ahern privately told US officials that the “the Irish Government Cabinet” had been greatly disturbed by the unanimous jury verdict. (The delay between the verdict and this meeting may have been caused by a change-over in US ambassadors.) Ahern told the Americans that the Cabinet had asked the justice minister, Michael McDowell, to examine how the Criminal Damage Act might be amended to close the “legal loophole” that allowed the Shannon Five to be acquitted, so that such a verdict could not happen again. A previously released cable from the same period quotes a senior foreign-affairs bureaucrat telling the Americans the verdict was “bizarre”. The five, members of the Dublin Catholic Worker, were acquitted after a trial in which their lawyers relied on the statute’s defense of “lawful excuse” for defendants who damage property in the honest belief that doing so will protect life or property, as long as that belief is reasonable in the circumstances. The law does not explicitly require that the threat to life or property be “immediate”. Justice minister McDowell, a notorious right-wing ideologue, lost his parliamentary seat and thus his government post in the election of May 2007, six months after Ahern told US officials McDowell would be seeking to change the law, which has remained unamended. These November 2006 discussions of the legalities of the Shannon case are the latest in a series of Wikileaks revelations – some published last autumn, others being reported in Irish print and broadcast media this week – that show Irish officials at pains to help the US in its use of Shannon Airport for military purposes and, perhaps, CIA “extraordinary rendition” flights. Irish bureaucrats even asked US officials for their legal advice about why American planes at Shannon should not be inspected by police here, and said that such advice would be a guide for Irish policy. Cables sent from the US embassy over a period of years show Irish officials specifically turning a blind eye to the possibility that rendition flights were landing in the west of this neutral country. Senior Irish politicians appear to have relied on vague assurances from US officials but repeatedly expressed concerns that they would be caught lying to the Irish parliament and people if a rendition flight were discovered at Shannon. In December 2004 Taoiseach (prime minister) Bertie Ahern (no relation to Dermot) told the US ambassador that he had been saying publicly that there were no such flights, and pleaded: “Am I all right on this?” American and Irish officials freely acknowledged that the US use of Shannon as a stopover for troops and military equipment was unpopular with the Irish public, especially when the issue of renditions arose, but discussed ways that they could cooperate on managing media and public relations. After the Green Party joined Ireland’s governing coalition in 2007, it insisted on the setting up of a Cabinet sub-committee on human-rights issues, including those raised by Shannon. A US embassy cable correctly identified the subcommittee as a “sop” to the Greens that would cause no trouble to the Americans. Like many of the cables from around the world, the Dublin cables so far revealed through Wikileaks show US diplomats effectively united with their local counterparts against a common enemy: the people – whether the people take the form of anti-war activists, jurors or voters in an upcoming election. Cables consistently praise the Irish government for its efforts “in the face of public criticism” on behalf of the US in Shannon, described by ambassador James Kenny in 2004 as “a key transit point for U.S. troops and materiel bound for theatres in the war on terror”. A cable written by Kenny in 2006 and published by Wikileaks late last year admits that ”the airport [is] a symbol of Irish complicity in perceived U.S. wrongdoing in the Gulf/Middle East” and that “popular sentiment was manifest in the July 25 jury decision to acquit the ‘Shannon Five,’ a group of anti-war protesters who damaged a U.S. naval aircraft at the airport in 2003.” Some of the Wikileaks revelations have received prominent coverage in Ireland, notably in the Irish Independent and Belfast Telegraph newspapers, which have partnered with Wikileaks for a series of well displayed and heavily advertised stories this week. However, neither the newspapers nor state broadcaster RTE, which obtained several Shannon-related cables and reported on them on Thursday evening, have been publishing the cables, merely reporting on extracts, and not always even including the reports on their websites. Wikileaks typically itself publishes cables on its own website once they have been reported upon and redacted by its media partners, but at the time of writing only 18 Dublin cables have appeared on the Wikileaks site this week, perhaps delayed because of the newspapers’ print-only policy with many of the stories. I calculate, conservatively, that at least 30 different Dublin cables have been quoted so far this week, but the number is uncertain because they have often been used without specific dates being cited. Neither the print nor broadcast journalists have seen fit to report on the cable discussed above, though I understand both RTE and the Irish Independent have it in their possession. The Wikileaks revelations over the last year or so – from the Iraq and Afghan war logs to the diplomatic cables – have revealed a great deal about the operations of governments. They have also revealed some of the profound failings of the mainstream media, which, when they are not denouncing Julian Assange and ignoring Bradley Manning, can be found squabbling over the “exclusives” that those men’s efforts have apparently brought us. There is a long way to go, in Ireland and elsewhere, before this information is truly free. Harry Browne lectures in journalism at Dublin Institute of Technology. He is the author of HammeredBytheIrish, a book about the Shannon Five case, published by CounterPunch / AK Press. Contact harry.browne@gmail.com The Dublin Cables. id:84237 date:2006-11-03T12:58:00 source:Embassy Dublin origin:06DUBLIN1284 destination:VZCZCXRO8822 RR RUEHAG RUEHROV DE RUEHDL #1284/01 3071258 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 031258Z NOV 06 FM AMEMBASSY DUBLIN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7654 INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES RUEHBL/AMCONSUL BELFAST 0476 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS classification:CONFIDENTIAL reference:06DUBLIN1020 ▶C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DUBLIN 001284 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2015 TAGS: PREL, PGOV, MARR, MOPS, PREF… ▼ Close cable C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DUBLIN 001284 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2015 TAGS: PREL, PGOV, MARR, MOPS, PREF, EI SUBJECT: THE AMBASSADOR AND FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSS SHANNON, NORTHERN IRELAND REF: A. DUBLIN 1020 B. DUBLIN 1172 C. STATE 172627 DUBLIN 00001284 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Jonathan Benton; Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 1. (C) Summary. In a November 1 discussion, the Ambassador and Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern did a tour d'horizon of key bilateral issues. Ahern: -- urged bilateral cooperation to avoid "surprises" regarding U.S. military use of Shannon Airport; -- noted that the Irish Cabinet had charged the Justice Minister to review legal loopholes used by the Shannon Five to avoid prosecution for damaging a U.S. naval plane in 2003; -- said that he did not expect the Northern Ireland Assembly to meet the November 24 deadline for nominating an Executive, due to the impasse on oath/policing issues; -- expressed disappointment with the failure of Northern Ireland parties to engage directly on follow-through for the St. Andrews Agreement; and, -- observed that the Irish Government would continue to lobby the USG to regularize the status of undocumented Irish citizens resident in the United States. 2. (C) The Ambassador: -- noted appreciation for U.S. military use of Shannon and offered the USG's best efforts to avoid missteps; -- emphasized the goal of preventing future actions by Irish protestors to disrupt U.S. operations at Shannon; -- underscored continued USG support for the Northern Ireland peace process; -- expressed gratitude for the scheduled November 9 extradition of U.S. citizen Frederick Russell, but cautioned that failure to act on other extradition requests could give Ireland the image of a criminal haven; and, -- observed that movement on Irish concerns about undocumented citizens in the United States would be difficult. End summary. Shannon 3. (C) In a November 1 introductory discussion with the Ambassador, Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern urged bilateral cooperation to avoid "surprises" regarding U.S. military use of Shannon Airport. Ahern recalled that the Irish Parliament had required him to explain previous U.S. pre-notification failures on Shannon transits involving weapons and U.S.military prisoners. He was also scheduled to address the European Parliament shortly on allegations that Ireland has assisted in extraordinary rendition flights, which he planned to rebuff on the basis of previous USG assurances on the issue. Ahern conceded that the Irish Government was partly to blame for missteps at Shannon, as the Department of Transport had not previously sought full information on the materiel/passengers in transit -- a shortcoming that Ireland aimed to correct in the context of global terrorist threats. The Ambassador expressed appreciation for U.S. military use of Shannon, and he offered the USG's best efforts to avoid missteps and to coordinate on any necessary media strategy. Ahern noted that the Embassy's public outreach to explain the June transit of a Marine prisoner had helped to diffuse public criticism over the event. 4. (C) The Irish court decision to acquit five persons who had damaged a U.S. naval plane at Shannon Airport in 2003 (the so-called "Shannon Five") had seriously disturbed the Irish Government Cabinet, Ahern said (ref A). He explained that while there were no means to overturn the jury decision,the Cabinet had requested Minster for Justice Michael McDowell to examine ways to close off legal loopholes exploited by defense lawyers (who argued that the defendants had sought to prevent loss of life in Iraq). The Ambassador emphasized the goal of preventing future actions by Irish citizens to disrupt U.S. military operations at Shannon. Ahern replied that airport security had been upgraded following the Shannon Five verdict and that the protest movement appeared to be losing steam, as evident is a sparsely attended October 28 rally at Shannon. DUBLIN 00001284 002.2 OF 003 Northern Ireland ---------------- 5. (C) Ahern said that he was "reasonably hopeful" about the prospects for follow-through on the St. Andrews Agreement, but he did not expect the Northern Assembly to meet by the November 24 deadline to nominate the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, given the impasse over the Executive oath on policing. Ahern judged that unionists were unreasonable to require a Sinn Fein pledge on policing before the party as a whole had authorized this step. On the other hand, Sinn Fein had been obstinate in declining to call a party conference before November 24, observed Ahern. He added that a further complication in negotiations was Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) reluctance to engage in face-to-face discussions with Sinn Fein on the policing/oath hurdle. This reluctance was a regression from late 2004, when Sinn Fein and the DUP had substantive, direct contact in pursuit of a devolution deal at that time. The Ambassador underscored continuing USG willingness to support the peace process in every possible capacity. 6. (C) The Irish Government had no illusions that progress on policing as part of the negotiations would be "tortuous," Ahern observed. He recounted serious discrimination by the former Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) against nationalists across the border from his home county of Louth. He also took note of remarks by DUP leader Nigel Dodds and others expressing reluctance to allow "former terrorists" within the republican community to participate in policing and justice structures. Ahern pointed out that the ill-fated 2004 agreement had pushed the policing issue off to the future and that parties remained stalled on this point, although Sinn Fein had shown progress on policing cooperation over the past year. Other Key Issues 7. (C) The Ambassador and Ahern also discussed briefly the following issues: A. Extradition. The expected November 9 extradition of U.S. citizen Frederick Russell demonstrated Irish willingness to work through U.S. extradition requests, said Ahern (ref B). He observed that the Irish Government was precluded from lobbying the Irish judiciary on extradition issues, making it imperative for U.S. federal/state justice officials to satisfy the courts' requests for thorough, uniform documentation in such cases. He added that Ireland had been innately reluctant to transfer criminal suspects to foreign jurisdictions, particularly in the 1970-80s when republicans involved in the Northern Ireland Troubles would cross the border to evade British authorities. The Ambassador expressed gratitude for Irish action on the Russell case, but cautioned that failure to act on other extradition requests could give Ireland the image of a criminal haven. B. Undocumented Irish. According to Ahern, Irish officials would continue to press the USG for measures to regularize the status of up to 50,000 undocumented Irish resident in the United States, while recognizing that this Irish segment was part of a larger picture of illegal immigration. He said that a recent proposal (floated by Irish parliamentarian Tom Kitt) for a bilateral agreement that would ease mutual entry/residence restrictions for Irish and U.S. nationals deserved consideration. The Ambassador noted the Administration's sensitivity to long-term undocumented U.S. residents who were contributing to their communities, but he added that the Congress seemed disinclined at the moment to consider any form of amnesty. C. Cuba. Ahern committed to discuss with Deputy Prime Minister (Tanaiste) and Justice Minister, Michael McDowell, the USG request for Ireland to resettle roughly 30 Cuban migrants housed in Guantanamo who were determined by DHS to have a well founded fear of persecution (ref C). Ahern noted that Ireland had recently coordinated with UNHCR to accept ten refugees resident in Malta, who had arrived as part of a burgeoning flow of African migrants into southern EU Member States. D. Lebanon. The Ambassador noted that 150 Irish troops had arrived in Lebanon on October 30 as part of the expanded UNIFIL force, and he expressed appreciation for Ireland's contribution. Ahern replied that Ireland's experience in UNIFIL and familiarity with local Lebanese communities had obliged the Government to contribute troops, even though the Taoiseach initially had opposed deployment in view of Irish DUBLIN 00001284 003.2 OF 003 commitments to other UN peacekeeping operations. E. IFI. The Irish Government, said Ahern, would lobby Congress for continued U.S. support of the International Fund for Ireland (IFI), which would help to advance the generation-long process of community reconciliation in Northern Ireland and Irish border counties. He cited Ballymena in Northern Ireland as a community riven by sectarianism, as seen in the recent murder of a Catholic youth and the reluctance of local unionist politicians to work with republican counterparts. Wikileaks Wikileaks: KKK OK but not WikiLeaks for some payment processors — RTwww.rt.com/news/...  |
I Don’t Care If You Think The Current Crop Of 2012 Republican Hopefuls Have No Real Purpose Than To Provide Late Night Comedy Material; I Need To Remind You That: James Carville Said: “It’s The Economy Stupid!”; And He Was Right!  Equities markets have been battered all week by bad economic data sending investors piling into "risk free" Treasuries. The Dow Jones slipped 276 points on Wednesday followed by a 41-point loss on Thursday. The benchmark 10-year Treasury has ducked below 3 percent, repeatedly signaling a slowdown that could lead to another recession. On Wednesday, the S&P/Case Shiller home-price index confirmed that the five-year long housing crash was still gaining pace. Home prices have fallen to their lowest level in eight years with no end in sight. Meanwhile the Chicago Manufacturing Gauge recorded its biggest decline in 2.5 years while factory orders dropped in April by the most since May, 2010. There was also bad news on the unemployment front where privately-owned businesses hired only 38,000 workers from April to May, nearly 100,000 less jobs than analysts had predicted. Also, consumer confidence fell to its lowest reading in six months. So, housing, manufacturing, unemployment and consumer confidence are all down, down, down and down. Friday's unemployment report was also worse than expected. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that unemployment rose to 9.1 percent while the Labor Force Participation Rate remained stuck at 64.2%, well below the normal rate of 67%. According to Calculated Risk, "The current employment recession is by far the worst recession since WWII in percentage terms...(The BLS report) was well below expectations for payroll jobs, and the unemployment rate was higher than expected." So, no new jobs are being created and the economy is quickly decelerating. It's all bad. On Friday, the chairman of RIT Capital Partners Jacob Rothschild issued a warning about the fragility of world markets and the bleak prospects for future growth. He said, "The risks ahead are glaring and global. It is likely that the withdrawal of the fiscal and monetary stimuli which will surely come soon will have an impact on global growth. Indeed there is already evidence of some slowing down." Commodities have already been walloped, but the real carnage is yet to come. This is from Bloomberg:… Making the US Economy ‘Scream’ |
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