Category Archives: U.S.

Obama opposes Palestinians

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Obama administration is against efforts by the Palestinians to bring the issue of statehood to the United Nations for a vote.

Clinton demanded they return to negotiations with Israelis. But former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger said it’s unlikely negotiations will work: “At the present moment it is very difficult for most of the Arab states to give reliable guarantees because they are in great turmoil themselves.”



U.S. ally Turkey to open Taliban Embassy, Obama approves

On April 14, 2011, Turkey, a member of U.S. led NATO, confirmed they will allow an embassy for Afghan Taliban, with the approval of the government of Afghanistan.  Afghan President Hamid Karzai gave approval last December: “If Turkey can be kind to provide for such a venue, we the government of Afghanistan will  be pleased and happy to see that facilitation take place by Turkey.”

On April 15, 2011, Pakistan announced they support Turkey’s recognition of the Taliban.  Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari  declined to comment, but one of his spokesman said: “We are not against it. As long as there’s ownership from the Afghan people and the Afghan government we will not oppose it.”

In February, 2011, President Obama told Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly: “…the Taliban will not be retaking Afghanistan.” But, Obama said in December 2010: “…our civilian and military efforts must support a durable and favorable political resolution of the conflict. In 2011, we will intensify our regional diplomacy to enable a political process to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, also in February 2011: “…we are launching a diplomatic surge to move this conflict toward a political outcome that shatters the alliance between the Taliban and al-Qaida.” In other words they are trying to bring the Taliban over to the U.S. side of the Force.  This includes political participation in Afghanistan’s government, and most Afghans can identify with the Taliban, so how can they not take over, at least politically, as Obama stated to O’Reilly.

And for those who think officially recognizing the Taliban will get the U.S. out of Afghanistan any faster, think again: “For reconciliation to take hold – for it to be irreversible – Afghanistan’s government will need to provide security to all its people. So the United States and our allies will continue training, advising, and assisting Afghan forces.”-also-“We have been clear that this transition does not mark the end of our commitment to the people of the region. NATO has pledged an enduring military and financial commitment to Afghanistan that will extend beyond the completion of transition in 2014.”-Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State

Let me remind people that Obama promised to get U.S. troops out starting in July 2011, yet Hillary Clinton stated, back in February, 2011, that U.S. forces will be staying “beyond” 2014.

Many analysts, in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan, think the Obama Administration’s policy of trying to reintegrate the Taliban into Afghan politics, is a way of stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan so that the U.S. can focus on invading Syria, then Iran.  


Obama making secret deal with Taliban, will officially recognize them in exchange for permanent U.S. base

“The proposal shows that the United States is willing to pay any price in order to establish a permanent military base in Afghanistan, even… recognition of the Taliban.”-Ghulam Jilani Zwak, director of Afghanistan’s Strategic Research Center

Political analyst Ghulam Jilani Zwak, is making some serious claims against the Obama administration.  Basically he says the United States will recognize the Taliban as a legitimate politically party, and, give southern Afghanistan to the control of the Taliban, in exchange for a large permanent U.S. military base.  It’s part of the Control through Chaos strategy: “Through the establishment of a permanent military base, the U.S. is trying to achieve two major goals: one is to concentrate its troops at one single base to reduce the tremendous cost of military intervention, and the second is to alter the nature of the intervention by starting a civil war, which would involve all Afghan ethnic groups.”-Zwak

He also says Iran is correct when it claims the U.S. has invaded Afghanistan, and Iraq, for the purpose of invading Iran: “After establishing the permanent military base in Afghanistan, the U.S. will widen the current crisis to other countries of the region, and the crisis will be managed through this military base.”-Zwak

 

U.S. contractor Blackwater back on the hook

More than a year ago a lower court dismissed manslaughter charges against the guards of Blackwater Worldwide, now known as Xe Services.  Iraqis claimed Blackwater employees randomly shot Iraqi civilians.  The U.S. Army called it a “criminal event”.

Now an appeals court judge says the lower court judge was F*ed up, when he dismissed the charges.  Judge Ricardo Urbina “…made a number of systemic errors based on an erroneous legal analysis.”-Appellate judges Douglas Ginsburg, Merrick Garland and Stephen Williams

Urbina dismissed the charges on the grounds the U.S. Justice Department mishandled the evidence, and, ironically, he felt the accused had their consitutional rights violated.  I say ironically, because no “enemy combatant” is afforded any constitutional rights under this bogus War on Terror!

The appeals court also ordered Urbina to disclose if any evidence was tampered with.

The Blackwater (Xe Services) guards were originally charged with 17 counts of manslaughter, 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of violating U.S. arms export regulations.  NY Times video

 

U.S. contractor L-3 Communications sexually abusing Iraqi women

Several Iraqi women say Christopher J. Kirchmeier, an official with L-3 Communications, seized their security badges and sabotaged their U.S. visa applications, because they refused to have sex with him.

The women also say Kirchmeier’s bosses, and U.S. State Department officials, know about it, because they filed complaints.  But nothing has been done about it.  A U.S. Army officer has backed up their claims.

 

 

United States ignores Iraqi officials, Obama pushing to have U.S. troops stay in Iraq

Time and time again, Iraqi officials have told the leadership of the United States to get its troops out of Iraq, yet, U.S. leadership acts as if the Iraqis want the U.S. to stay.

“If Iraq wants to keep some American troops in the country to offset its military vulnerabilities, I’m sure the U.S. government would welcome the discussions, but it needs to start very soon.”-U.S. Admiral Michael Mullen

About a week before Admiral Mullen made that statement, Defense Secretary Gates said the same thing.

“If folks here (Iraqis) are going to want us to have a presence, we’re going to need to get on with it pretty quickly in terms of our planning.”-Robert Gates, U.S. Secretary of Defense

Gates made that public statement after Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki told him no: “The Iraqi government is against of any presence of U.S. troops or other foreign troops on the Iraqi territory since they cause internal problems and problems in the region for Iraq.”-Nuri al-Maliki, Iraqi Prime Minister

Obviously the leadership of the United States doesn’t understand what ‘NO’ means. That wasn’t the only time (so far since January 2011) the United States was told by Iraqi leaders to get out.

“All Iraqi officials want a U.S. pullout from their country, and based on the Baghdad Security Pact signed by the two sides, all U.S. forces should withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011.”-Bahr al-Uloum, former Iraqi Oil Minister

“Mr. Maliki rejected Gates’ demand, saying that Iraq will deal with the issue based on the security pact (signed between Washington and Baghdad).”-Ali al-Dabbaq, Iraqi Government Spokesman

“I don’t believe there is any need for them to stay after 2011. Because we are ready right now, we are fully qualified, competent. And we don’t have any will or wish for them to stay here, and there won’t be any American forces after 2011.”-Mohammad al-Askari, Iraqi Ministry of Defense spokesman

“They are not going to leave Iraq, and if they don’t leave Iraq by the end of 2011, then there will be no peaceful demonstrations, there will be something else.”-Iraqi protester

“We want them to get out of the country. It’s the last year for them.”-Sheik Ahmed al-Hasnawi

Get the point?  Then what’s the motivation behind Robert Gates and Michael Mullen acting like the Iraqis are asking the U.S. to stay?  So far, the only political group asking the U.S. to stay is the semi-autonomous Kudrish parliament. But their region, the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, is not covered under the current agreement for U.S. troop withdrawal.  And Kurdish officials point out they have no say in it: “It is not related to Iraq’s Kurdish officials and they have no role in the U.S. forces’ stay or exit. It is up to the central government to decide on the issue.”-Sabah Barzandi, member of the parliament of Iraq’s Kurdistan region

For some reason the United States leadership is trying to use the Kurdish card as the reason for NOT leaving Iraq.  Is it because of the strong ties, that Kurds have, to Iran?  Is it because the U.S. is very close to invading Syria (just to the west of Iraqi Kurdistan), and then invading Iran (just to the east of Iraq)?


Anti Musilm Terry Jones in Jail

Terry Jones spent time in a Michigan jail after refusing to pay a ridiculous $1 bond (yes, one dollar).

A jury ruled that Jones’ protest was intended to incite violence.  Jones refused to pay the symbolic bond, and said his church would hold the protest anyway.

Jones, and a supporter, finally paid the bond, and were released from jail.  They still plan to protest in front of the largest Mosque in the U.S.: “We will be in contact with legal representation and plan to protest next week in front of the Islamic Center.”

9/11 First Responders & Survivors considered Terroists under new Health Care law

In January, 2011, President Obama signed into law a bill passed by Congress, supposedly to give 9/11/2001 emergency first responders, survivors and other people involved with the recovery and clean up efforts, health care for problems connected to the toxic debris of the the collapsed World Trade Center.  Those people are now considered terrorists.

The law is called the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010” (aka HR 847).

Any first responder interested in receiving medical care under the new law must be investigated by the Department of Homeland Security for links to known terrorists:  “No individual who is on the terrorist watch list maintained by the Department of Homeland Security shall qualify as an eligible WTC responder. Before enrolling any individual as a WTC responder in the WTC Program under paragraph (3), the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall determine whether the individual is on such list.”-H.R. 847,  SEC. 3311  paragraph 5

In regards to ‘survivors’: “No individual who is on the terrorist watch list
maintained by the Department of Homeland Security shall qualify as a screening-eligible WTC survivor or a certifiedeligible WTC survivor. Before determining any individual to be a screening-eligible WTC survivor under paragraph (1) or certifying any individual as a certified eligible WTC survivor
under paragraph (2), the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall determine whether the individual is on such list.”- H.R. 847, SEC. 3321 paragraph 4

Even if you think forcing applicants to go through a terrorist background check is OK, when you read the complicated law it becomes clear that what the Federal government is doing is trying to make it as difficult as possibly for any 9/11 first responder, or survivor, to qualify for medical help.  In other words, yet another lie from our government to our citizens.

Tornado hits Saint Louis airport

A tornado hit St. Louis airport. It damaged a terminal and parts of the airport’s Concourse C, which is used by American Airlines, AirTran and Cape Air.

The tornado was last seen heading towards Ferguson, Missouri.

Earlier this week a tornado hit a Virginia nuclear power plant.  It’s shut down while they repair a switchyard.

Pakistan says U.S. drone operators have quietly left their country

A senior Pakistani intelligence official says U.S. personnel operating drones from a Pakistan base, have quietly left the country.

Officially the U.S. is not operating drones out of Pakistani bases,  but Pakistani intelligence has been saying, for a while now, they the U.S. is indeed using Pakistani bases for drone attacks.

Supposedly U.S. drones use Pakistan’s Shamsi Air Base.

Carl Forsberg, research analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, says it’s possible the Pakistanis are using pressure on the United States.

Drone attacks kill more civilians than terrorists. The latest attack, last Friday, killed 25 people, including five women and three children: “Drone attacks have become a core irritant in the counter terror campaign. We have repeatedly said that such attacks are counterproductive and only contribute to strengthen the hands of the terrorists.”-Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Perhaps the U.S. drone operators left, because they are now needed in Libya?