Tag Archives: un

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: Japan sanctions Iranian bank, move could backfire on Japan’s already disintigrating economy

On March 13, 2012, the Japanese government imposed sanctions against another Iranian bank, the 21st since last year.

It’s called Bank Tejarat, and is the third largest in Iran.  There’s just one problem, most of the deals involve Iranians buying Japanese products, not the other way round!

In 2011 Iranians bought U.S.$1.65 billion worth of Japanese industrial products. The majority of those transactions went through Bank Tejarat.  What this means is that in the name of trying to maintain good relations with the United States (after announcing $10 billion deal to dump U.S. bonds for Chinese) the leaders of Japan have possibly destroyed any chances of economic recovery.

As usual Japanese leaders are masters of understatement: “There may be a slight impact, but we believe that it is now most important to carry out international cooperation.”-Koichiro Gemba, Foreign Minister of Japan

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Economic War: Japan to dump U.S. bonds for Chinese bonds, getting ready for March 29 debut of anti-U.S. BRICS Bank

On March 13, 2012, the Chinese government approved a request from Japan, to buy U.S.$10 billion worth of bonds.

Japanese officials admitted the move was to help them “diversify” away from U.S. bonds.  The move signals the growing influence of the Chinese yuan, as a international currency.

It also comes as BRICS countries prepare to sign an agreement on March 29 that would create a new international banking system that refuses to use the U.S. dollar.

International, U.S.

Government Evil: It’s official, United Nations says the United States tortured whistleblower Bradley Manning

“What is torture for? It’s really a way of getting false confessions. That’s what it does. That’s what it’s for.”-Daniel Ellsberg, former RAND Corporation employee turned anti-government activist

The UN special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, has formally accused the U.S. government of torturing one of their own citizens!!!

After 14 months of investigation, Mendez concluded that the arrest and detention of whistleblower, U.S. Army Private Bradley Manning, involved cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment!

Manning has been in military prison since 2010.  It included nearly 11 months of solitary confinement: “I conclude that the 11 months under conditions of solitary confinement (regardless of the name given to his regime by the prison authorities) constitutes at a minimum cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in violation of article 16 of the convention against torture. If the effects in regards to pain and suffering inflicted on Manning were more severe, they could constitute torture.”

Manning was also forced to spend nights standing naked.  Yeah, real good example of being a beacon of hope to the World, United Police States of America!

Mendez says the U.S. Department of Defense fought his 14 month investigation every step of the way, never co-operating, and never allowing him to interview Manning (which is also a violation of international law).  Mendez believes one reason the U.S. tortured Manning was to get information they could use to prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

International, Technology, U.S.

World War 3: U.K. directing U.S. Terror Drone attacks? Britain being sued

The London based charity Reprieve, and the law firm Leigh Day & Company, are suing the British Foreign Secretary William Hague.  They say they have evidence that the United Kingdom, specifically the Foreign Office, has been directing U.S. terror drone (UAV) attacks in Pakistan.

They claim that Britain’s signals intelligence agency (GCHQ/SIGNIT) are “secondary parties to murder” because they provided information to the U.S. CIA.  That information was used to launch drone strikes that have killed hundreds of Pakistanis.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: Egypt considers refusing any more U.S. aid, in move to end U.S. control

“I wish members of the U.S. Congress could listen to you now to realize that this is the parliament of the revolution, which does not allow a breach of the nation’s sovereignty or interference in its affairs! It seems that the government is pushing for a crisis with parliament.”-Saad el-Katatni, Egyptian Parliament Speaker

After the Obama Administration threatened to cut off U.S. aid to Egypt, over the scandal involving U.S. citizens caught trying to cause trouble in Egypt (including the son of the boss of private intelligence agency Stratfor), the Egyptian parliament members basically said take your U.S. aid and shove it!!!

On March 11, 2012, the parliament voted to refuse acceptance of U.S. aid worth $1.3 billion!

The problem is that it’s actually the pro-U.S. military junta that’s currently running Egypt.  However, the 508 member parliament has begun the process of a no-confidence vote against the junta.  Such a vote of no confidence could create more civil strife, if the junta tries to maintain power.

International, U.S.

Government Evil: U.S. soldiers burn bodies of Afghan children they killed

“They (Americans) poured chemicals over their dead bodies and burned them. I saw that all 11 of my relatives were killed, including my children and grandchildren.”-Samad Khan, witness and relative to the victims

Breaking reports out of Afghanistan.  People are rioting because some Afghans say they caught U.S. led forces burning bodies.  The witnesses say among the bodies there were at least four girls under the age of six being burned!

Kuwaiti media say they bodies are from the early morning shooting that took place on March 11, 2012.  That’s when a U.S. soldier, or soldiers, open fired on an unarmed Afghan family in their home.

One of the witnesses to the burning of the bodies was the father of the girls being burned.

U.S. officials insist it was a lone renegade soldier, but witnesses say there was more than one U.S. soldier doing the shooting: “They were all drunk and shooting all over the place!”-Agha Lala, witness

Another witness said there was no provocation on their part: “No Taliban were here! No gun battle was going on! We don’t know why this foreign soldier came and killed our innocent family members! Either he was drunk or he was enjoying killing civilians!”-witness & relative to the victims

U.S. officials say the shooter is an Army Staff Sergeant from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, assigned to support special unit operations in Afghanistan.  An Associated Press photographer confirmed some of the bodies had been burned.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Government Evil & What Rule of Law?: United States violates their own 1961 law, regarding supplying Israel with weapons. That money could have been used to create jobs in the U.S.

The 1961 U.S. Foreign Assistance Act states: “No security assistance may be provided to any country the government of which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violation of internationally recognized human rights.”

Official inquiries and investigations into U.S. military aid to Israel, over the past few decades, have revealed that U.S. taxpayer money, and U.S. weapons have been directly used to kill Palestinians and steal their land!

A new report by US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation has revealed that it’s gotten worse since the year 2000.

Between 2000 and 2009 “With this taxpayer money, the United States licensed, paid for and delivered more than 670,903,390 weapons, rounds of ammunition and related equipment to Israel, valued at $18.866 billion.” During that same time period “….the Israeli military killed at least 2,969 Palestinians who took no part in hostilities….Among these fatalities were at least 1,128 Palestinian children less than 18 years of age.”

“These statistics do not include an estimated 1,191 Lebanese who…..were killed by the Israeli military during its July-August 2006 war against Lebanon.”

Peace prize winning Barack Obama said this year he wants to give Israel $3.1 billion!  And I thought we were having economic problems, I guess I was wrong.

“From fiscal year 2000 to 2009, the State Department licensed – and U.S. taxpayers funded – the delivery of more than 595,000 tear gas canisters and other ‘riot control’ equipment to the Israeli military, valued at more than $20.5 million!”

It’s not just Palestinians getting hurt by the tear gas: “On March 13, 2009, 37-year-old U.S. citizen Tristan Anderson was critically injured after an Israeli soldier shot him in the head with a high-velocity tear gas canister in the West Bank village of Ni’lin while he was observing a nonviolent Palestinian protest.  The tear gas canister made a large hole in his forehead, causing brain damage and leaving him largely paralyzed.  On May 31, 2010, 21-year-old U.S. citizen Emily Henochowicz was also struck in the face by a high-velocity tear gas canister fired by an Israeli soldier during a demonstration against Israel’s attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla at the Qalandia checkpoint outside of Jerusalem. She lost her left eye as a result.”

Since 1985, no thanks to Ronald Reagan, the United States ended military aid “loans” to Israel, and instead simply gives the taxpayers’ money away!

“Take, for example, a typical mid-size U.S. city like Ft. Wayne, Indiana (population 254,000), whose residents are responsible for paying an estimated $40.9 million of their federal taxes to finance U.S. military aid to Israel from 2009 to 2018 under the terms of the MOU [2007 Memorandum of Understanding, a pledge of 30 billion of your tax dollars from the U.S. government to Israel]. With that same amount of money, the federal government could instead each year: Provide 497 low-income families in Fort Wayne with affordable housing vouchers; or Retrain 697 unemployed workers in Fort Wayne to enter the green jobs economy; or Teach early reading skills to 1,209 disadvantaged Fort Wayne school children; or Provide basic health care to 33,125 Fort Wayne residents without insurance.”

Now remember that Peace prize winner Barack Obama singed into law NDAA 2012.  U.S. citizens are the target of that one.

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Israeli infantry launch another raid kill boy, more Israeli air strikes, Israel condemns U.S., Iran joins Egypt in condemning Israel

“The repeated assaults and aggressions of the Zionist regime’s military men against the defenseless Palestinian people in Gaza… are condemned as war crimes and inhuman acts.”-Iranian Foreign Ministry statement

On March 11, 2012, Israeli infantry raided east of the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza Strip, killing a 15 year old boy, and wounding another.

Also, late Sunday night, early Monday morning, it’s being reported that Israeli airforce F-16 Falcons/Vipers have bombed the same refugee camp, which is north of Gaza city, at least four times.  So far at least two people have been killed (a 65 year old man and his 35 year old daughter), and 25 people have been wounded, including nine children.

Israeli news sources are saying the Egyptian military government tried to warn Gaza that Israel was about to assassinate the secretary general of the Popular Resistance Committee (PRC).  That assassination turned out to be the precursor of this latest round of Israeli attacks on Gaza.

According to the Israeli media, PRC members were able to capture informants who confirmed to Hamas officials that they were paid by Israel to spy on PRC leaders.  The informants also confirmed that Egypt tried to warn of the assassination plot by Israel, the only problem is that the Egyptians gave that warning to the informants who were working for Israel.

Israeli media also reporting that at least 40 rockets have been launched from Gaza, Sunday night.  Several were intercepted over the city of Ashkelon.  Most of the rockets are being launched by Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committee.  Allegedly, Hamas has the most rockets but seems to be holding back.

Arrogant Israeli leaders are calling on the United Nations to condemn the puny rocket attacks from Gaza, so far only a handful of Israelis have been wounded.  Yet Israeli leaders see no problem with the fact they continue to kill hundreds of Palestinians every year!!!

Even more arrogant, Israeli politicians have condemned the Obama Administration’s call for cease fire: “I think that every American should be ashamed of such a statement coming from the administration.”-Danny Danon, deputy speaker of Israel’s Knesset (parliament)

 

 

International, U.S.

Government Evil: U.S. soldiers go renegade in Afghanistan shoot into homes, at least 15 women & children killed

“When the Americans are killing civilians intentionally, this is called terror and it is an unforgivable act!“-Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan

On March 11, 2012, U.S. soldiers fired randomly into the homes of Afghans!

Local U.S./NATO/ISAF officials claim it was one renegade U.S. soldier, but witnesses say there were several U.S. personnel firing into houses.  Even the U.S. Ambassador indicated there was more than one shooter: “We assure the people of Afghanistan that the individual, or individuals, responsible for this terrible act will be identified and brought to justice.”

At least 16 people were killed, Afghan President Hamid Karzai says most of them were women and children.

“The so called American peacekeepers have once again quenched their thirst with the blood of innocent Afghan civilians…avenge every single death inflicted by the savage murderer invaders.”-“Taliban” statement

International, U.S.

World War 3: War back on between Israel and Palistinians, Egypt condemns Israel

“This round in Gaza is far from being over….They will pay a heavy price, and no one will have immunity!”-Ehud Barak, Israeli Defense Minister

After years of Israeli harassment (since the 2008/2009 Gaza war) in the form of occasional air strikes, ground raids, economic blockades, humanitarian aid blockades, a reneged prisoner swap deal, cutting off fuel and electricity, and in the past few weeks non stop Israeli terror drone strikes, Palestinian leaders in Gaza Strip have almost declared war on Israel!

Since last week more than a dozen Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air strikes, finally, in recent days, Gazans are retaliating by launching rockets into Israel.

The latest Israeli air strike took place March 10, 2012, using a terror drone they killed at least one man, and wounded 15 people (some reports say 15 people were killed).  An Israeli ground operation saw a tank blasting away at Palestinians, possibly killing as many as 13 people.  An Israeli infantry attack was launched against a funeral procession.

Its being reported that the mourners in the funeral procession were chanting “No more truce with Israel!” Various Palestinian groups are saying they’re mad as hell and they’re not gonna take it anymore: “We won’t give this occupation a free truce while our leaders and heroes are being killed!”-Abu Mujahid, Popular Resistance Committee

Israeli officials say that more than 65 rockets from Gaza Strip hit Israeli territory on March 9, 2012.  Palestinians said the rocket attack was in retaliation for several days of air strikes by the Israelis.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Mohamed Kamel Amr, is demanding that Israel stop its aggression towards Palestinians: “Egypt is highly distraught by the Israeli attacks. Egypt is currently exerting efforts and making crucial calls for an immediate end to this Israeli escalation, to end the bloodshed of our brothers!”