Obama’s Imperial Twist: “Humanitarian” Regime Change in Libya
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by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
President Obama demanded regime change in Libya more than three weeks ago, but now acts as if that’s not his policy. He will use the assault on Muamar Khadafi’s forces to introduce so-called “humanitarian intervention” as an anchor of the Obama Doctrine. Regime change will remain a basic tool, while the “humanitarian” ruse expands imperial options. Obama may well opt to turn Libya into a kind of protectorate, as Haiti has become. Meanwhile, France interprets the UN mandate in Libya as allowing the Euro-Americans to act as air support for the rebel armed forces, as the French did at Benghazi.
Obama’s Imperial Twist: “Humanitarian” Regime Change in Libya
by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
“The President will have to employ all of his tricks to make ‘humanitarian’ warfare the signature aspect of an Obama Doctrine.”
Rudyard Kipling must have been roused from his grave by the sights and sounds of the Euro-American Co-Imperial Sphere lifting high the White Man’s Burden, then smashing it down with thunderous force on Muamar Khadafi’s Libya. In Benghazi, the opposition stronghold, young men of unknown political and religious persuasion cheered the foreign warplanes as they incinerated fellow young Libyans in armored columns that had been poised to enter the city. “One, two, three – Thank you, Sarkozy!” they chanted, in praise of the French president whose countrymen killed one million Algerian Arabs three generations ago, and who won the top job in France on the strength of white fear and resentment of French North Africans. France has “decided to assume its role, its role before history,” Nicolas Sarkozy said on Saturday, apparently oblivious to the monstrous implications of his threat. Was “history” calling on France and the rest of the white colonialist world to reclaim lost territories?
The same white-accented voice of history informed Britain and Italy (former colonial overlord of Libya) of their duties to preserve the imperial prerogative to do what they deem is best for the subject peoples, for whose supposed benefit Operation Odyssey Dawn was launched. The United Nations Security Council’s “humanitarian” mandate was broad enough to be interpreted as allowing “the coalition” to act as air support for the rebel armed forces, as the French did at Benghazi. That was fine with the anti-Khadafi Libyans, who have shown little skill at soldiering and seem to prefer to have their “revolution” handed to them by the imperial powers. “The Libyan free forces seem to be allowing the coalition to clear the road ahead of heavy artillery and military forces which were planning to attack civilian populated areas,” a member of the opposition national council told Al Jazeera. “They're holding back until the roads are cleared out and then the advance of the volunteers takes place."
“The imperial coalition partners are not required to declare themselves at war with the people they have just slaughtered.”
So, this is what humanitarian warfare is like in the former colonies. The most advanced air and sea weapons platforms in existence are privileged to snuff out men and machines of the targeted government, transferring military advantage to opposition forces that will eventually allow them to win the war, despite their failings as fighters and organizers. Yet the imperial coalition partners are not required to declare themselves at war with the people they have just slaughtered. Rather, they are a high-flying, missile-packing, all-destroying “humanitarian” rescue squad – at a cost of as much as $300 million a week.
One suspects Sarkozy believes the voice of history is whispering of a more substantial role for France, something befitting a once-and-future empire. Britain, by far the greatest enslaver of humanity on the planet not so long ago, still seeks to justify its own opinion of itself through conquest of somebody, even if the glory must be shared with the likes of Italy under the shade of the American umbrella, where all can drink in Libya’s “sweet” black crude.
The Europeans, although reeking with the stench of five centuries of mass murder and mega-theft, are nevertheless more honest than the Americans about their intentions in Libya and elsewhere in the Arab world. President Obama, easily the phoniest man alive today, pretends to be the most reluctant member of the imperial pack, who is eager to relinquish coalition leadership within “days.” His Africa Command chief, Gen. Carter F. Ham, the nominal leader of U.S. forces in the region, stresses his adherence to the narrowest interpretation of the UN mandate. “We have no mission to support opposition forces if they should engage in offensive actions” against Libyan forces, Ham says. His only mission under the UN mandate is to protect civilians. Under those rules, the French massacre of retreating Libyan Army columns was a violation of the mandate, and the rebels should be waiting forever for the Euro-Americans to burn and smash Khadafi’s forces off the roads, so the opposition can mount its offensive to the west. Given the rebels’ military and organizational weaknesses, and unless Khadafi quickly collapses from internal schisms, Gen. Ham’s version of the mandate would likely lead to a stalemate lasting who knows how long? It is impossible to believe that’s what Obama – or war-mongering Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and murderous-minded UN Ambassador Susan Rice – are planning for Libya. White House noises about handing over leadership of the coalition within days strongly militate against restraint that could lead to stalemate, and towards decisive resolution of the Khadafi “problem.”
“The Libya ‘crisis’ is Obama’s opportunity to raise ‘Responsibility to Protect’ from a shaky and highly controversial legal construct, to a broadly recognized justification for superpower intervention.”
Obama relies, more than Bush, on deceptive propaganda and semantic trickery, although he is just as willing to use brute force and bald-faced lies. The President will have to employ all of his tricks to accomplish his current political project, which is to make “humanitarian” warfare the signature aspect of an Obama Doctrine. The Libya “crisis” is Obama’s opportunity to raise R2P – “Responsibility to Protect – from a shaky and highly controversial legal construct, to a broadly recognized justification for superpower intervention, a doctrine that expands, rather than restrains, American military options.
In the midst of a fluid international crisis, Obama’s challenge is to usher in his signature R2P Doctrine while distancing himself from the vocabulary of “regime change” that has been so closely associated with George Bush – without actually forswearing regime change.
Obama’s real policy on Libya is regime change, as it must be for an imperial superpower. More than three weeks ago, he entered the arena of regime change when he declared that “Col. Khaddafi needs to step down from power, and leave.” The U.S. military immediately began to facilitate Khaddafi's involuntary exit in coordination with its allies in Europe. Obama is dancing away from the vocabulary – but not the reality – of regime change to establish a new Doctrine that will widen the parameters of imperial action and augment his own presidential legacy.
So, pay no attention to Obama’s words, only to his deeds. The U.S. is the leader of the aggression against Libya because it is the only power that can sustain the action. Of the 128 cruise missiles fired in the opening volley of Operation Odyssey Dawn, the U.S. launched 126. The coalition was brought together by the U.S., and will remain a creature of the United States for as long as it is useful to Washington.
“Washington may well seek to establish a kind of UN protectorate over Libya, as was inflicted on Haiti.”
With the collaboration of the Europeans, and building on the current UN mandate, Washington may well seek to establish a kind of UN protectorate over Libya, as was inflicted on Haiti. (I am assuming that the Euro-Americans are fully capable of destroying Khadafi’s government apparatus through airpower, alone, if they are willing to bear the political costs involved.) The U.S. has no desire to see an independent Libya under the unknown quantities in Benghazi, or a Libyan government based on bourgeois, representational democracy, either. A Libyan protectorate that engages fat and nervous Persian Gulf regimes as Arab “handlers” and interlocutors would be greatly appealing to the imperial partners.
However, none of the advantages that the U.S. and its allies may snatch from their aggression against Libya will prove sustainable over time. The “rebels” in Benghazi have tainted and compromised their own struggle by their invitations to imperial intervention, the consequences of which will disrupt and distort Libyan social development and undermine attempts at forging national unity – while also hampering imperialism’s efforts to pacify the country. The Americans, under different circumstances, might actually prefer a somewhat insecure Libya in order to justify military occupation under some kind of international condominium or protectorate. But the larger Arab world has changed in ways that only greater self-determination – from the West! – can satisfy. The Americans and their allies can destroy Khadafi’s regime, but they cannot subdue or co-opt the larger Arab nation for very much longer.
BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.
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Glen Ford on radio yesterday: & demo @ Red Rooster NOT in media
Glen Ford was on Hugh Hamilton's "Talk Back" (WBAI www.wbai.org archived - I support www.takebackwbai.org) - It was an enjoyable listen. Glen Ford linked the whitening of chocolate cities (his interview was about his Jan. 4 commentary) with the demo held right after the 4-near 5pm radio interview. The demo to be outside the Red Rooster to hold Obama accountable for the foreign policy in Libya. (Obama was at Red Rooster for $30,800 ticket/dish fundraiser, in Harlem, where medium income is below that.) (Too ill to go, I looked for coverage on radio last night and Daily News this morning: nothing. NYC/NPR last night on the 10pm NYC portion of news short spots on the hour, stated the people outside the Red Rooster were supporters and had 3 soundbites of people. Nothing about demonstration. Same for Daily News this morning. I also heard on all news station last night that the subway was bypassing 125th stop for "security" = makiing it harder to get there without prior warning. As a wheelchair user, I don't use subway, but that's another story.
"Our Boys" er.... "Yall's Boys": This is how we do it.. "
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/mar2011/kill-m29.shtml
Rolling Stone publishes photos of US war crimes in Afghanistan
By Naomi Spencer
29 March 2011
Rolling Stone magazine has published a detailed report and images that document war crimes in Afghanistan committed by the so-called Army “kill team” in 2010. The exposé, “The Kill Team,” written by Mark Boal and published online March 27, includes 18 gruesome photographs and two videos taken by soldiers who took part in patrols in Kandahar province.
The images, which are far more graphic than the three published by the German magazine Der Spiegel last week, are part of a collection of some 4,000 photographs that the US military has sought to suppress for fear of a popular backlash—both domestically and in Afghanistan—against the war. Rolling Stone obtained more than 150 of the images.
In several photos, soldiers are shown grinning over the corpses of unarmed civilians. Images also show the hand of a victim whose finger had been removed as a memento by soldiers, a soldier hoisting up a severed head with a stick, badly mutilated body parts, and propped-up corpses bound together with signs hung on them in front of military vehicles.
Both the volume and content of the images reveal that the murder of innocent civilians in Kandahar was commonplace, widely known about, and celebrated. The evidence also suggests that the number of sport killings exceeded the four for which 12 members of the 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Division have been charged. Moreover, some of the images may document war crimes carried out by other brigades.
Primary responsibility for these crimes rests with the Obama administration, which is overseeing the occupation of Afghanistan, grotesquely titled “Operation Enduring Freedom,” and its escalation across the border into Pakistan. In the past year, military forces have carried out drone attacks and bloody night raids that have reaped a civilian death toll in the thousands.
Don't worry, the "West" will "liberate" you country all right, what was it that Pepe Escobar said, "They 'liberated' over a Million Iraqis from life itself."
II. "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world; red and yellow black and white all are prescious in his sight..."
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/mar2011/afgh-m29.shtml
Afghanistan: More children killed in US-NATO air attacks
By Patrick O’Connor
29 March 2011
A NATO helicopter strike in the southern Afghanistan province of Helmand last Friday killed seven civilians, including three children. The atrocity is the latest in a series of recent US-led bombing operations that have inflicted mass civilian casualties.
III.
Libya: The Objective of "Humanitarian Bombing" is Death and Destruction
by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=23945
Humanitarian bombing is part of a historical process. It is embedded in military planning.
The Libyan "humanitarian bombing" campaign is an integral part of military strategy which consists in destroying the country's civilian infrastructure. It is modelled on previous humanitarian bombing endeavors including the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia and the 2003 military campaign against Iraq.
When Yugoslavia was bombed in 1999, bridges, power plants, schools and hospitals were identified as "legitimate military targets" selected by NATO's Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Vicenza, Italy and carefully "validated prior to the pilot launching his strike." The same procedure is being applied to Libya: military and civilian targets are validated in advance. The pilot is not always informed as to the precise nature of the target.
In 1999, the children's hospital located in Belgrade's embassy area was the object of air attacks. It had been singled out by military planners as a strategic target.
NATO acknowledged that they had done it, but to "save the lives" of the newly borne, they did not target the section of the hospital where the babies were residing, instead they targeted the building which housed the power generator, which meant no more power for the incubators, which meant the entire hospital was for all sakes and purposes destroyed and many of the children died.
I visited that hospital, one year after the bombing in June 2000 and saw with my own eyes how they did it with utmost accuracy. These are war crimes using the most advanced military technology: The so-called "smart bombs".
In Yugoslavia, the civilian economy was the target: hospitals, airports, government buildings, manufacturing, infrastructure, not to mention 17th century churches and the country's historical and cultural heritage.
The diabolical objective of triggering an environmental catastrophe in the Danube river basin was also on the drawing board. NATO targeted the Pancevo petrochemical plant near Belgrade. The objective was no only to disable the plant but also to trigger an environmental catastrophe. How did they do it?
"A thermal imager from a spy satellite or an aircraft can detect infrared radiation emitted from any object situated on the petrochemical plant and convert its readings into a high-resolution video or snap picture. ... In the words of a Pentagon spokesman, the U2 "snaps a picture from very high altitude, beams it back in what we call a reach-back, to the States where it is very quickly analyzed". And from there, "the right targeting data" is relayed to the CAOC in Vincenza which then "passes [it] on to people in the cockpit".
The "smart bombs" were not dumb; they went where they were told to go. NATO had scrupulously singled out the containers, tanks and reservoirs, which still contained toxic materials. According to the petrochemical plant director, NATO did not hit a single empty container: "This was not accidental; they chose to hit those that were full and these chemicals spilled into the canal leading to the Danube". ... When the smart bombs hit their lethal targets at Pancevo (see photos below), noxious fluids and fumes were released into the atmosphere, water and soil. "More than one thousand tons of ethylene dichloride spilled from the Pancevo petrochemical complex into the Danube [through the canal which links the plant to the river]. Over a thousand tons of natrium hydroxide were spilled from the Pancevo petrochemical complex. Nearly 1,000 tons of hydrogen chloride spilled from Pancevo into the Danube River" (Michel Chossudovsky, NATO Willfully Triggered an Environmental Catastrophe In Yugoslavia, Global Research, 11 April 2004)
Another Perspective on "Our (Yall's) Boys"
From the pen of Arthur Silber:
http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/
March 21, 2011
A Few Ugly Truths about the Death State and Its Supporters
Last November, in "On Veterans Day: Fuck that Shit," I excerpted a Laurence Vance article. In part, Vance wrote:
What is there to thank our soldiers for? They are not defending our freedoms. They are not keeping us safe from our enemies. They are not protecting us from terrorists. They are not guaranteeing our First Amendment rights. They are not defending U.S. borders. They are not guarding U.S. shores. They are not patrolling U.S. coasts. They are not enforcing no-fly zones over U.S. skies. They are not fighting "over there" so we don’t have to fight "over here." They are not avenging 9/11. They are not safeguarding the American way of life. Oh, and they are not ensuring that I have the liberty to write what I do about the military.
What, then, should we thank our soldiers for? Should we thank them for fighting an unconstitutional war, an unscriptural war, an immoral war, an offensive war, an unjust war, or a senseless war? Should we thank our veterans for helping to carry out an aggressive, reckless, belligerent, and interventionist foreign policy? Should we thank the military for sucking $1 trillion out of the federal budget?
But, some will say, these soldiers are just doing their jobs. They can’t help it if the U.S. military sends them to fight in an unjust war in Iraq or Afghanistan. They are just following orders. They didn’t enlist in the military to kill people.
What would any sane man think about a doctor who takes a job at a hospital knowing that the hospital instructs its doctors to euthanize old and sickly patients – and then says he was just doing his job, following orders, and didn’t take the job to kill people?
Why are soldiers treated so differently? Why do they get a pass on committing or supporting those who commit murder and mayhem?
If you consult my full essay, as well as the earlier "No, I Do Not Support 'The Troops,'" you will understand the argument that leads to this unavoidable conclusion:
There exists no legitimate, healthy reason for any person to join the United States military today. None.
As explained in the earlier articles, the U.S. military is not used now for any defensive purpose whatsoever. To the contrary, the U.S. military is used solely to advance the ruling class's obsessive, deeply disturbed dedication to global American hegemony.
In pursuit of that goal, the U.S. military will repeatedly and necessarily murder a vast number of entirely innocent civilians. Such murders are not the regrettable byproduct of a "well-intentioned" policy, and they are not "collateral damage" which cannot be avoided. The murders -- including the murders which occur daily in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and other countries, now including Libya -- are an integral, indispensable element in the plan for control and domination.
When a person joins the U.S. military, she or he voluntarily joins an organization which regularly and methodically murders defenseless, innocent civilians -- women, men, children and even babies. If that is what you sign up for, that is what you want to do.
None of this is secret, specialized knowledge, available only to "experts" or to those who study an arcane subject for decades. No, this information blares from numerous media sources many times a day. This information is as common as dirt. If you don't understand it, you don't want to understand it.
p.s. People can join the US Military if they want, just like they can join al Qaeda if they want, both are their perogatives, but if they do don't expect any special treatment from me, don't expect "thanks" and reverance for doing your job upholding Anglo Saxon hegemony and killing Black and Brown people all over the world. Don't expect me to be moved by your "sacrifices." For most of you it's a job, a paycheck I get it... just like you do.
"Smart Power"? Or the Dumbest Fucks on the Planet?
Excerpts from Billary's Nomination speech for Sec. of State:
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/01/115196.htm
With smart power, diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy. This is not a radical idea. The ancient Roman poet Terence, who was born a slave and rose to become one of the great voices of his time, declared that “in every endeavor, the seemly course for wise men is to try persuasion first.” The same truth binds wise women as well. ( (
We will lead with diplomacy because it’s the smart approach. But we also know that military force will sometimes be necessary, and we will rely on it to protect our people and our interests when and where needed, as a last resort.
Now according to Alexander Cockburn, citing government and CIA sources and wikileaks, here's what the Smart Power Aficionado's have gotten their dumb asses into:
http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn03252011.html
The war on Libya now being waged by the US, Britain and France must surely rank as one of the stupidest martial enterprises, smaller in scale to be sure, since Napoleon took it into his head to invade Russia in 1812.
There’s been great vagueness here, beyond enthusiastic references to the romantic revolutionaries of Benghazi, and much ridicule for Qaddafi’s identification of his opponents in eastern Libya as Al Qaida.
In fact two documents strongly back Qaddafi on this issue. The first is a secret cable to the State Department from the US embassy in Tripoli in 2008, part of the Wikileaks trove, entitled “Extremism in Eastern Libya”which revealed that this area is rife with anti-American, pro-jihad sentiment.
According to the cable, the most troubling aspect
“… is the pride that many eastern Libyans, particularly those in and around Dernah, appear to take in the role their native sons have played in the insurgency in Iraq … [and the] ability of radical imams to propagate messages urging support for and participation in jihad.”
The second document or rather set of documents are the so-called Sinjar Records, captured Al Qaeda documents that fell into American hands in 2007. They were duly analyzed by the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Al-Qaeda is a bureaucratic outfit and the Records contain precise details on personnel, including those who came to Iraq to fight and when called for, to commit suicide , fighting American and Coalition forces.
The West Point analysts’ statistical study of the al-Qaeda personnel records concludes that one country provided “far more” foreign fighters in per capita terms than any other: namely, Libya. The records show that the “vast majority of Libyan fighters that included their hometown in the Sinjar Records resided in the country’s Northeast.” Benghazi provided many volunteers. So did Darnah, a town about 200 kms east of Benghazi, in which an Islamic emirate was declared when the rebellion against Qaddafi started. New York Times reporter Anthony Shadid even spoke with Abdul-Hakim al-Hasadi who promulgated the Islamic emirate. Al-Hasadi “praises Osama bin Laden’s ‘good points,’” Shadid reported, though he prudently denounced the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Other sources have said that this keen admirer of Osama would be most influential in the formation of any provisional government.
The West Point study of the Iraqi Sinjar Records calculates that of the 440 foreign al-Qaeda recruits whose hometowns are known, 21 came from Benghazi, thereby making it the fourth most common hometown listed in the records. Fifty-three of the al-Qaeda recruits came from Darnah, the highest total of any of the hometowns listed in the records. The second highest number, 51, came from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Darnah (80,000) has less than 2 per cent the population of Riyadh. Darnah contributed “far and away the largest per capita number of fighters.”
As former CIA operations officer Brian Fairchild writes, "Amid the apparent absence of any plan for post-Gaddafi governance, an ignorance of Libya’s tribal nature and our poor record of dealing with tribes, American government documents conclusively establish that the epicenter of the revolt is rife with anti-American and pro-jihad sentiment, and with al-Qaeda’s explicit support for the revolt, it is appropriate to ask our policymakers how American military intervention in support of this revolt in any way serves vital U.S. strategic interests.”
As I wrote here a few weeks ago, “It sure looks like Osama is winning the Great War on Terror.” But I did not dream then that he would have a coalition of the US, Great Britain and France bleeding themselves dry to assist him in this enterprise.
Talk about the "Pentagon Plan to Foment Terrorism," this is similar to what the Bushites did when they funded al Qaeda types as a counterweight to Hezbollah.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82q2gaSyzbs
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Hersh_Bush_arranged_support_for_militants_0522.html
Now do we understand why Iran called the US "the Great Satan??" Looks like they took a page from Min. Farrakhan, huh? Or did he take one from them?
Btw, since 2007, how have things gone for Hezbollah in Lebanon? Swimmingly well, I'd say, and to their credit, because they have been responsible actors, unlike the psychopaths that run the US gummint.
In addition to the "Smart Power" gang, the American people have to be either the blindest (willingly blind) or the dumbest assholes on the planet to believe in this American Exceptionalism bullshit. Jesus might come back all right, but if he does it will be to destroy your dumb asses, not save you.
A Word on What / Who the Devil & Satan Really Is...
Many here may get wigged out on the use on the terms Devil & Satan as too 'Christian' because Euro-Christianity has turned those Biblical concepts into myths [IE: something unreal]. But one will be hard pressed to find the Devil / Satan described in the Bible as some guy in a red-suit, w horns, a tail & a pitch-fork [ditto for Biblical angels w wings on their backs or feet & fluttering around playing harps]. The literal meaning of the Devil when translated is: The Great Deceiver [the Old Folks used to always say- 'The Devil is a Liar'] or That which in opposition to Truth -&- for Satan is: That which in opposition to what is Right.
AND- The Tree in Eden was not an apple tree [there is not a word about apples, plums or A Partridge in a Pear-Tree for that matter]. It was/is called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & EVIL. So what kind of tree is this? One that when you see &/or hear of it - it seems Good - but if you apply its knowledge produces EVIL Results. Example: 1) Humanitarian Military Intervention by outside forces based on the idea of a universal 'Responsibility to Protect Innocent Civilians'- may sound good & noble- but when applied - results in further death, destruction & misery of those same civilians. Plus it provides cover for those so nobly preaching this doctrine to grab resources & territory -&/or- their pre-ordained doctrine of Regime Change against those who won't just bend over & touch their toes for them. - 2) The destructive forces of nuclear energy can be turn into so-called 'peaceful' uses to provide nearly unlimited 'clean' energy - Sounds Real Good. But when applied gave us 3Mile Island, Chernobyl, & now Fukushima... And those are just the one's that were/are so disastrous &/or catastrophic they couldn't just be covered up - There have been other serious accidents & on-going problems just not as dramatic & well known as these. THAT IS 'The Tree of the Knowledge of Good & EVIL'- at Work!!!
Nuclear Proliferation and the Anglo's doubling down
Iran would be crazy to forego efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon. Frankly what the bat-shit crazy WASPS will do is to create a new era of nuclear proliferation and efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. Is it not clear that the only way to stave off an Anglo invasion is to posess a nuke?
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/MC29Dg01.html
Gaddafi's acquiescence to demands to end his own program for developing nuclear weapons, and the price the North Koreans say he is now paying, fortify what are widely suspected to be their plans for a third underground nuclear test. This time they're likely to want to try out a warhead spun off their new 20-megawatt enriched uranium reactor - more powerful probably than the plutonium tests they conducted in October 2006 and then in May 2009.
North Korea may be right: its nuclear program does provide a solid deterrent against any notion of doing anything - even if North Korea isn't actually going to explode one of those things for real ...
In addition, I am starting to reflect back on the words of the blogger named Oggy who resides in Europe; who warned the BAR readers more than once (and I paraphrase based on best recollection) that the Europeans and Anglo-Saxons were about to launch a new "race war" out of the fear of their gradual demise. I believe that Oggy's prediction is coming true, that what we are about to see is an accleration of perpetual war and a growing liklihood of nuclear war. It seems to me that White Folks just don't give a fuck that they are going to do what they please, devil be damned. And will come up with any and all rationalizations for it, and could care less about national debt and deficits when it comes to the war machine and US/NATO (read, Anglo-Saxon/White) hegemony. (I'm not suggesting ALL whites are racist, but it is what it is)
Clinton, Sarkozy and Joe Lieberman each are stating that Libya might become the "new model" for the rest of the world. Go to antiwar.com for those articles. A blogger at truthdig.com provides some comments and links that truly puts the Libyan invasion and war in proper perspective:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/a_mission_wrapped_in_confusion_20110324/
Quote: "This morning on “Meet the Press” the inside intelligence community (CIA) connected, Bob Woodward, gave the very first hint in any MSM context of the real situation and plans behind the Libya military intervention by the US (and aligned global empire powers).
Woodward stated in open/non-secure dialog on the “Roundtable” that this situation “the big picture” runs all across “a five thousand mile area from Mauritania to Afghanistan” (actually to Pakistan/India board, and the Chinese boarder) this entire “what Savannah is calling the Arab Spring ... and which might be unrest or revolution is happening and the intelligence community doesn’t know what’s going on”.
[Video of Woodward’s comments on MTP Roundtable, see 3:40 to 4:25 on recording]
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/#42294062
Woodward has read and is CLEARLY hinting about Thomas Barnett’s 2004 Naval War College and intelligence community “hot read” book “The Pentagon’s New Map”—- in which Barnett calls this 500 mile area the “Gap countries”, and which is the plan, strategy, and now real operational story of the “Old Core” powers walking across this entire “crescent of unrest” (and oil prizes) including N. Africa, the entire Middle East, throughout SW Asia to the Chinese and Indian boarders to insure hegemony (ie. empire) control against any “New Core” alliances (read BRIC).
Naturally, David Gregory either doesn’t have the slightest clue what Woodward is hinting about as the story behind the cover-story, or he has been told to shut-up and not raise any questions.
The real question in my mind is why Woodward took this very public venue to broadcast his strong hint to anyone (particularly including foreign intelligence services) to lay down this marker.
While there has been no candor and disclosure from the leading US media—- some of whom, like the Times, have military intelligence sources who have all read and comprehend the significance of “The Pentagon’s New Map”—- nobody in the ruling-elite planning community is saying even ‘word about this massive plan hiding in plain sight. one’
U (Unnquote: So there you have it folks, get it? The plan is "hiding in plain sight." Some folks might refer to the current state of affairs as "the End Times." No arguments here, however, in case you are thinking Jesus is going to come out of the sky and rescue you, or that the "Rapture" will absolve you of the hurt, harm and pain about to be visited upon you and the world, think again. Instead of putting your money in the church collection plate, you might be better off buying guns, seeds, generators, gas, water purification kits, duct tape and iodine pills. Is it not clear that before the US and Israel relinquish their hegemony hell (or more hell) will be unleashed upon the earth and no one will be immume from the suffering?? Sorry, but their won't be no 'sweet, bye and bye." Though there will be "bye, bye." Obama might just be the friggen anti-Christ given the hounds of hell he's about to faciliate being unleashed upon this world. "Oh, my.. but he's 'heaven sent.' you say " Heaven sent my ass, and your ass too. (And they have to nerve to put a little white boy on internet and t.v. talking about he's been/seen heaven, all the Niggas say "Amen." LOL)
Don't look for the Anglo-Saxons to hide behind poltical correctness in the present or near future either. Right now they operating on a "I don't give a fuck mode."
The hard truth of the matter is that "our boys" (or yall's boys) have been fighting a race and religion war in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond for the last 20 years. It's about to be ratcheted up by a factor of 10.
UN Res 1973 on Libya Set Precedent_Syria May be Next- Lieberman
Sen Joe Lieberman, chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, suggests he would support military intervention in Syria if its president uses the same violent tactics as Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, in an interview on Fox News. Sen Lieberman said, "There’s a precedent now that the world community has set in Libya,.. We’re not going to stand by and allow this Assad to slaughter his people like his father did years ago, and in doing so we’re being consistent with our American values and we’re also on the side of the Arab people who want a better chance for a decent life," Lieberman [who is not only Jewish, but a staunch supporter of AIPAC & Israel's Likud Party, & has the same last-name as Israel's hard-core foreign minister, & is good-friends w John{bomb bomb}McCain] said.
Of course Likudnik Sen Lieberman said nothing about applying this precedent to the regimes in Bahrain & Saudi Arabia for massacring unarmed protesters, & a US Gov't spokesman talked about concern if Yemen's dictator falls as he does the same to unarmed [so far] protesters there [of course the US, UK France, EU tops them all in massacres of civilians- both past & present].
So EC your point here is well taken, though in principal I'm against nuclear weapons [& against fission nuclear reactors for that matter & that goes back to 3-Mile Island]- period. But unless you are like China & Russia w your own nukes &/or a formidable military force of your own - these Big-Time Gangsters will just make-up any damnedable excuse to go after you if the don't like you. Justifying military attacks & invasions in the name humanitarianism & protecting civilians by bombing their homes, cities & infrastructure back to the Stone-Age - only a War-Pig could think like that.
They can float all the propaganda they want
but the fact of the matter is that the rebels are not a coherent fighting force and for all of NATO's claims about successful airstrikes, a brief stroll through history is in order. For the record there are still 50,000 US troops in Iraq, 50,000, and that's not counting the mercenaries, and despite those numbers the US has lost the war because Iran is the ascendant power, period point blank. No amount of "Gen. Betrayus" propaganda can change the calculus.
If hundreds of thousands of US troops and their mercenaries (Blackwater/Xe) couldn't win the Iraq War, then how successful do you think they will be in winning this war WITH NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND, moreover?????
By the way this is what "humanitarian intervention" (read, wicked white supremacists fomenting divisions) looks like:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War
In 2008, the UNHCR reported an estimate of 4.7 million refugees (~16% of the population) with 2 million abroad (a number close to CIA projections[72]) and 2.7 million internally displaced people.[73] In 2007, Iraq's anti-corruption board reported that 35% of Iraqi children, or about five million children, were orphans.[74] The Red Cross stated in March 2008 that Iraq's humanitarian situation remained among the most critical in the world, with millions of Iraqis forced to rely on insufficient and poor-quality water sources.[75]
In June 2008, U.S. Department of Defense officials claimed security and economic indicators began to show signs of improvement in what they hailed as significant and fragile gains.[76] In 2007, Iraq was second on the Failed States Index; though its ranking has steadily improved since then, moving to fifth on the 2008 list, sixth in 2009, and seventh in 2010.[77]
Wow!!! So this is what Libya has too look forward too, climbing to Seventh on the Failed States Index in 2 or 3 years. These Devils don't care about the Libyans. Is it not apparent that they are laying the ground for a protracted conflict so that the munitions manufacturers can keep the production lines going? So the white controlled NGO's can help out the "poor savages" and help them "rebuild." What nation on this planet wouldn't be a failed state if someone dropped millions of tons or ordinance or poisoned their lands with depleted uranium and destroyed their civil systems and infrastructure??
There are no boundaries to the wickedness of these bastards and their "benevolent" white supremacy.
Rebels Retake Ajdabiya as NATO Jets Attack Khadafi Ground Forces
Its been announced that the Armed Rebels have retaken the key city of Ajdabiya [a gate-way to Benghazi] after US / UK / French / NATO war planes attacked Khadaffi's ground-forces which had recaptured Ajdabiya before the UN / Arab League sanctioned so-called no-fly zone. So much for this no-fly zone being all about protecting civilians & creating conditions for a negotiated settlement. Its really about giving the rebels NATO air support / cover thus giving them a possible military advantage vis-a-vis Khadaffi's forces. If the rebels go on a full offensive & counter-attack - expect US / UK / French/ NATO forces to provide air-cover for them. THE HYPE, even by the UN's chief, is that Khadaffi is violating a cease-fire. -BUT- Though Khadaffi may or may not be violating an unofficial [as in informal] cease-fire, it should be obvious that the rebels never really wanted one any-way - other than that they would have accepted Chavez's offer to negotiate one. Instead they demanded military intervention by the US / UK / France / NATO for which they've apparently used as cover to counter attack Khadaffi's forces at Ajdabiya.
Real Humanitarian Intervention [or non-intervention as the case may be]- is almost never military intervention [especially by outside powers in a civil war / regional conflict]- BUT-Includes: Not selling arms [period] & supporting evil / vicious / tyrannical regimes [while often white-washing them as freedom-loving / democratic or moderate- in the process]...
But rather giving people food &/or the means to be self-sufficient in food, health & other necessities for development truly beneficial to the people [& if that means to hell w WTO, IMF, NAFTA, GATT, etc - SO BE IT].
Not over-throwing [or attempting to overthrow] & even killing popularly / constitutionally elected Gov'ts who are trying to help their people IE: Aristide, Chavez, Zelaya, Allende, Nkruma, Lumumba, Arbenz, Mossadegh, etc- just because they are not seen as being aligned w US / Western geo-politrickal / Corp interests.
Not-declaring economic warfare on nations just because you don't like their Gov't / leaders IE: Libya, Zimbabwe, Iran, Iraq, Cuba, etc. And not destroying countries' Econs by imposing so-called 'free-trade' agreements / neo-liberal so-called 'reforms' via WTO, IMF, World-Bank, NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT, etc.
Seeking to address conflicts via negotiated cease-fire / truces & negotiated settlements -NOT- military intervention. In the case of Libya the UN should have asked & supported the African Union [AU] & Arab League {AL} spearheading such a settle [minus NATO involvement. NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Org- formed as alliance against the Soviet Union which no longer exists. Thus it should no longer exist & most definitely Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan are no-where near the North Atlantic]. If either side had clearly violated such an agreement- then further action may have been legitimately been considered. Part of a negotiated settlement may include establishing protection zones for real civilian un-armed noncombatants- which if violated by either or any side in a conflict- then could be seen as an act of war against the AU / AL / UN- which might lead to further action as appropriate. -BUT- The Big Problem w this theory is the presumption that those spear-heading a negotiated settle are HONEST-BROKERS & its obvious that neither the UN- spear-head by the US / UK France / NATO / EU, nor the AL- spear-headed by Egypt & Saudi Arabia w its satellite emirates [w the possible exceptions of Syria & Algeria] are not honest-brokers. In this case the only honest-brokers w any credibility & significance are the African Union, Chavez &/or UNASUR, Russia & China, etc.
I remain skeptical
I don't see how the rebels are going to make any demonstrative gains against the Col. w/o boots on the ground or without the "West" arming them. I still believe that the Col has superior ground forces and that his resolve remains high. I also believe the reports that he has armed over a million of his followers. I don't know about the number itself, but I have no doubt that he is preparing for urban, guerilla warfare if it comes to that.
I'm no military expert, just gifted with some common sense and analytical ability and what I see unfolding here is a couple things: (1) an increasingly escalating and lethal civil war, and (2) an increasingly lethal humanitarian crisis particularly with respect to Black Africans fleeing Libya into Niger because of threats from the rebels.
It's becoming increasingly clear to me that the "best" the "West" can hope for is some partitioning of Libya, and indeed I believe that is one of their primary objectives. But I think we are going to see (if indeed the West arms the rebels) a civil war that will last for years. I would not be surprised that the tide turns against the rebels after more and more innocents die from "humanitarian" bombardments. Plus, no country wants a bunch of foreign invaders.
I can see where this conflict grows more lethal by the week and the goals of the West become more fleeting and problematic.
The Col. is still bombing away despite reports of the rebels retaking this or that city. I'm skeptical. I believe the Col.'s forces are dug in for the long haul and have encircled many of these rebel encampments and the only way to disgorge them is through boots on the ground, air attacks won't suffice. The West chirping over destroying a helicopter or plane or two or three won't get it.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/27/pro-gaddafi-forces-resume-attacks-on-misrata-rebels-say/
Pro-Gaddafi forces resume attacks on Misrata, rebels say
By Kase Wickman
Sunday, March 27th, 2011 -- 5:47 pm
Misrata residents also say they are facing a humanitarian crisis with dwindling food, and water supplies and electricity now cut off. Libyan officials deny deliberately cutting power and water to the city.
Aid agencies were able to bring in supplies via Misrata's Mediterranean port earlier this week but it is uncertain if they can deliver more because control over the port has see-sawed between the rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces
p.s. Anything that comes out of the mouths or flows from the pens of the Western media is probably bullshit. Just the other day I read on MSM that the housing crisis might just get worse and that the realtor associations have been hyping the "rebound" of the market. No shit. It takes a friggen Ph.D in economics to figure that out? Remember the "green shoots" bullshit? Remember the lies about Iraq and the continuing lies about Afghanistan? I don't believe anything these bastards say. To paraphrase a famous quote from Mary McCarthy: Everything (they) say is a lie including "and" and "the."
I don't know how honest of a
I don't know how honest of a broker either Russia or China would be since they abstained instead of voting no with regards to the Security Council vote on Libya. Russian Television (rt.com, channel 183 Time Warner) reports Putin and Medvedev criticizing the NATO/western air strikes and killing of civilians but their laments are weak. They knew what the US and its western partners in crime are all about; if the Russian leaders were so concerned about the situation, they should have voted no instead of abstaining like a weasel.
Beverly You Point is Well Taken & Significant - BUT...
Beverly your critique of Russia & China for abstaining instead of vetoing UN Resolution 1973 [giving a veneer of legal cover for this US / UK / French / NATO attack on Libya] is most definitely note-worthy -BUT- Sometimes you're forced to play w cards that you've been dealt, & if the choice [in this particular case] is between the UN spear-headed by the US / UK / France / NATO / EU -&- the Arab League -OR- Russia, China, India, UNASUR & the African Union- Which hand would you want to play with?
The reality is if we were living in a perfect world there would be no need to even have this discussion.
But as you focusing your critique for Russia & China [& I have no illusions about them being any angels- they are political animals & even gangsters {note Putin's whole persona} as it suits their interest] for now I'm focusing mine on - well I've already talked about the AL's [spear-headed by Egypt -&- Saudi Arabia & its emirate satellites] role in legitimizing this attack on Libya -So now I'll focus on those of the so-called 'liberal / leftist' media buying into & selling [IE: reporting] the theme [IE: HYPE] that Khadaffi is the bad old evil dictator- period- & the armed rebellion began as a non-violent democratic grass-roots uprising - which Khadaffi's violent crack-down forced them into armed revolt. Even alternative news sources which I generally respect [w some caveats] IE: The Real News - but especially DemocracyNow! & Al-Jazeera [which is head-quartered Bahrain -&- we know that the Bahrain regime is in cahoots w the Saudi regime who are both violently putting down truly non-violent protests]. Thus far the only alternative news sources that I know which have made a truly unbiased analysis & critique of this standardized [IE: so-called mainstream] view- are {of course here @}BAR, Global Research, Z-Net / Z-Communications, Info-Wars [of course there may be others]. DemocracyNow! had a guy on their Wed Mar 23rd show who was obviously a US mouth-piece for the Libyan rebels [note how he disses the AU as being bought off by Khadaffi & then blames Khadaffi for the violent crack-downs in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain & Yemen]. Neither The Real News nor DemocracyNow! has noted that unlike Tunisia & Egypt where the people were suffering greatly under the neo-liberal so-called 'reforms' of the WTO, IMF, etc -imposed by Mubarak & Ben-Ali, Libya has the highest standard of living in all of Africa [including S-Africa- which especially note-worthy considering the US / UK / EU lead embargo {IE: Econ War}on Libya from the late 1980s to mid 2000s], had one the best African & Arab medical infrastructures, & that since the advent of Khadaffi literacy for men increased from 10% to 90% & women's literacy is at 70-75% which is particalarly note-worthy for a 3rd world Arab country [NOTE: 2 of US's best Arab allies- In Saudi Arabia women can't own a driver's license because they ain't allowed to drive -&- In Egypt 90% of women are victims of genital mutilation - you would think that women's libber Amy Goodman might take note of these facts]. Yet the flag that the Libyan rebels have wrapped them-selves in is the flag of the old western aligned monarchy that Khadaffi over-threw [in a non-violent coup by the way] which is indicates that the rebels may intend to take Libya back to THE BAD OLD DAYS. As Min Farrakhan said- its clear that the rebels are upset about something the question is what exactly are they upset about -&- as Glen Ford here @BAR keeps asking- exactly who they??!!
This doesn't mean Khadaffi's been a perfect angel- but neither is he the demon they've made him into. And Its telling that those w a track-record of trying to do or doing something for their people always seem to get labelled as the bad-guys, dictators {even when they're not IE: duly elected Pres Chavez}, communists, even mad-men, etc. The list includes every one I named previously plus: Mugabe, Thomas Sankara, Jerry Rawlings, Castro, Evo Morales, Rafael Correa, Nasser, etc. People like these are always demonized by the US & Western powers while they sell us the idea that real mafia-thugs like Shakashvilli in Georgia or Thaci / KLA in Kosovo are champions of democracy & freedom. Make no mistake about it, This mind-set is the same as the Wall St Banksters, - WI Gov Scott Walker & OH Gov John Kasich, etc who've declared war on union workers [IE: all working class people], -&- Those responsible for last yr's catastrophic BP Gulf Oil gusher or the current on-going nuke catastrophe at Fukushima. And this is an international mind-set among the power elites- note their assault on workers / unions in the UK, France, Greece, Israel, etc [not to even speak of their ruthless exploitation of African & so-called 3rd World workers / peoples].
The Real News & DemocracyNow! [Al-Jazeera's connection to the regime in Bahrain obviously shows that they have a hidden agenda] have thus far failed to dig beyond the Khadaffi's African mercenaries hype - as an excuse for the rebels to carry-out a xenophobic / racist back-lash on 1.5million Black Africans in Libya - having put 10s of thousands to flight already [even some Black LIBYANS have been victimized]. These failures either indicate that they need to do more home-work or that they are also unfairly biased against Khadaffi.
If you go to The Real News' Tues Mar 29 story on Khadaffi- they had an Arab expert on the so-called 'Mid-East' & Arab history [especially Libya]- who even as he criticized Khadaffi as a tyrant- had to admit that Libya under Khadaffi's rule has the highest standard of living in all of Africa & the Econ conditions was much better for ordinary Libyans than in Egypt & Tunisia, -&- that Libya under Khadaffi has one of the highest literacy rates in the African & Arab world(s) including for women. The title of this story is 'As Gaddafi Open Econ [to neo-liberal so-called 'reforms' during the 2000s] He Increased Repression...' Of course he lays the blame squarely at Khadaffi's feet. But here's an alternative view... The US / UK / EU had Libya in an economic strangle-hold from the mid / late 1980s till the mid 2000s. After framing him for that sham PanAm 103 beef they demanded [IE: gangstered] a few $billion from him, plus he renounce any plans he may have had to acquire so-called WMD [Remember the Bush / NeoCon hype that their War on Iraq based on the WMD LIE- caused Khadaffi to give up his alleged prog?], & that he would have to open his oil Econ to IMF / WTO neo-liberal reforms or else Libya would remain on their {s}Hit List. So the question is if you were in Khadaffi's position how would you have played his hand differently? Its easy [& cheap] to critique Khadaffi [Mugabe, Castro, Chavez, etc] as a devil - BUT how about critiquing even MUCH BIGGER DEVILS who have a multi-CENTURY track-record of un-leashing HELL on African & so-called 3rd World peoples- up to this VERY DAY!!!
BAR- One of the few places of truth
In terms of the Green Party or any party, a third party vote in the US is a statement. It says (to me) that you don't buy in to the false two-party system, that you are a thinking individual.
There are many other parties, if you don't like the GP: the Freedom Socialist Party, the CP, the Peace and Freedom party. I am still proud to have voted for Cynthia McKinney; at least I used my vote for someone who has used her position to stand up to the US Government and Israel.
Reason X for Libyan Assault- AFRICOM & Control of Mediterranean
Note this article @: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=23940
Entitled: War on Libya & Control of the Mediterranean
[One of its main themes is AFRICOM's attempt to control all of Africa]- It begins: Libya is also one of only five of Africa's 54 countries that have not been integrated into, which is to say subordinated to, the new U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).
It continues: [The others are: Sudan, which is being balkanized as Libya may also soon be.- Ivory Coast, now embroiled in what is for all intents a civil war with the West backing the armed groups of Alassane Ouattara against standing president Laurent Gbagbo and under the threat of foreign military intervention, likely by the AFRICOM- and NATO-supported West African Standby Force and possibly with direct Western involvement. - Eritrea, which borders Djibouti where some 5,000 U.S. and French troops are based and which was involved in an armed border conflict with its neighbor three years ago in which French military forces intervened on behalf of Djibouti.- Zimbabwe, which is among likely candidates for the next U.S.-NATO Operation Odyssey Dawn-type military intervention.
The Mediterranean has been history's most strategically important sea and is the only one whose waves lap the shores of three continents [IE: Africa, Asia & Europe]. Control of the sea has been fought over by the Persian, Alexandrian, Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Spanish, British and Napoleonic empires, in part or in whole, and by Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany.
Since the end of World War Two the major military power in the sea has been the U.S. In 1946 Washington established Naval Forces Mediterranean, which in 1950 became the U.S. Sixth Fleet and has its headquarters in the Mediterranean port city of Naples. In fact the genesis of the U.S. Navy was the Naval Act of 1794, passed in response to the capture of American merchant vessels off the coast of North Africa. The Mediterranean Squadron (also Station) was created in reaction to the first Barbary War of 1801-1805, also known as the Tripolitan War after what is now northwestern Libya. The U.S. fought its first naval battle outside the Western Hemisphere against Tripolitania in 1801 {NOTE: The USMC fight song talks about the ‘Shores of Tripoli’].
Patrick Cockburn, "Bombing Libya" & Fidel on O.in Chile -link
"Bombing Libya" by Patrick Cockburn on Znet March 25, 2011 www.zcommunications.org/znet and it's on home page for today. Also, great article by Fidel Castro on Obama in Chile, "Partnership of Equals", same home page location, and new Phyllis Bennis.
what a joke
Humanitarian? We just need cheap oil, that's it. Why didn't we go into Sudan to help those poor people? Hmmm, cause they don't have any oil? I'm sick of Obama but where's our other option? —Tyrone
Other option? Stop supporting
Other option? Stop supporting the two-party duopoly. Green Party candidates' agendas/positions are more people-centered than the corporatist Dem/Repub merry-go-round. Seek out independent candidates with more agreeable positions and track records. Work with Green Party and independents to get their names on the ballot and candidates into debates for every election, even local and state contests. Spread the word about alternative candidates. It may take a few elections before these candidates succeed, especially in national contests, but we've got to start the process of building viable alternatives to the toxic waste choices offered by the duopoly.
As for now, we've all got to "Go Egypt and Wisconsin" on the asses of Obama and his Demowit and Republithug brethren. These traitors and haters have to be called out and exposed. If "power concedes nothing w/o a demand," it's time people started demanding.
The Green Party is not a viable alternative
My experiences with the GP in the early 2000's was very disappointing.It didn't take long to realize that its controlled by a small clique that closely alligned to the democratic party. In 2004 they nominated an obscure candidate who only campaigned in "safe states" where John Kerry was assured a win.
In 2008, the most powerful elected Green in the country, San Francisco Board Supervisor Ross Mirkarim, endorsed Obama. He recently switched back to the democratic party.
The Green Party is nothing but a subsidary of the democratic party; its lead by stealth operatives whose main goal is to diffuse and control dissent and to make sure that the GP doesn't cause democrats to lose elections.
@@E.C. -- Check it out and spread it around
Tarpley just posted up a "2007 West Point Study Showing that Benghazi-Darnah-Tobruk Area was a World Leader in Al Qaeda Suicide Bomber Recruitment":
http://tarpley.net/2011/03/24/the-cia%e2%80%99s-libya-rebels-the-same-te...
Pepe Escobar: The counter revolution is "on"
THE ROVING EYE
Endgame: Divide, rule and get the oil
By Pepe Escoba
Regime change or balkanization?
So Western moral uprightness may be summed up like this. If you sell us a lot of oil, buy our weapons, and smash al-Qaeda, that's fine with us. You may even kill your own people, provided it's just dozens, not thousands.
That's how Saudi Arabia can get away with anything in the current counter-revolution climate, with the House of Saud pulling all stops to crush any measure of democratic aspirations in the Persian Gulf.
As for those regimes that kill perhaps thousands of their own people - and have oil, and threaten to sell the oil to the Russians or the Chinese, their destiny is to fight a UN/Tomahawk resolution.
The forces of counter-revolution are now joined at the hip with the West. Saudi Arabia's military will remain inside Bahrain. The GCC legitimizes the Western war in Libya. The favorite Western endgame in Libya is divide and rule, and roll with the oil. Is the great 2011 Arab revolt about to crash-land in the desert sands?
Orwellian?
By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, Associated Press – Thu Mar 24, 5:54 am ET
BANI WALID, Libya – The family of a Libyan soldier killed in an allied airstrike quickly listed all those they blame in his death — al-Qaida militants, Al-Jazeera television and "the Crusader conspiracy to divide Libya."
It mimicked nearly word for word the rhetoric that Moammar Gadhafi's state television has been using to explain the revolt that has engulfed the country. In public, where Gadhafi is in charge, people are on message.
The regime has been keeping up a drumbeat of propaganda in the Tripoli-centered west of the country under its control. Even so, some still whisper their opposition to the Libyan leader.
State-run newscasts are filled with conspiracy theories, like Western designs on Libyan oil and Gulf-funded al-Qaida militants out to divide the country. Libyan broadcasts call the allied air strikes Crusades, and callers on talk shows quickly blame Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya, the Arabic language satellite TV channels, for boosting what they call militant gangs in the East, where the rebels are in control.
In between talk shows and newscasts, looped video of demonstrators at Gadhafi's residential compound at Bab Al-Aziziya are shown under a title reading, "Bab Al-Aziziya Now." Excerpts of Gadhafi's speeches calling rebels vermin and rats, promising to disinfect Libya street by street, alleyway by alleyway, act as bridges between revolutionary songs on Libyan state radio.
The leader's speeches have even become made into catchy songs that blare from supporters' cars and are even used as mobile phone ring tones.
With only Libyan state television and radio available in the country, the uncontested messages seem to be sinking in.
Fathi Abu Bakr, a soldier in Gadhafi's army, died in the conflict. In the small town of Bani Walid, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of the capital, his family staged a tiny pro-Gadhafi rally for visiting journalists on Wednesday in the small front yard of their simple home.
Abu Bakr's family said the soldier was killed in a French air strike on Saturday in Benghazi, leaving behind a wife and two children, who moved back to her family's hometown.
"I am very happy he was martyred fighting the people who are trying to divide our country," said his aunt, Nooreya Mouftah. "They are all militants from Afghanistan, Egypt and Tunisia."
When pressed on how she knew the rebels were not Libyans, Mouftah looked puzzled. It's just a known fact, she told reporters, clutching a picture of a smiling Gadhafi in military uniform.
Last week her family was given a brand new AK-47 assault rifle by the government to protect themselves from rebels. Mouftah grabbed the gun and fired it in the air, posing for the journalists' cameras.
"The West wants to conspire against us because we have happiness, wealth and oil, and they want to take it from us" she said.
Back in Tripoli, the Gadhafi protesters are loud and boisterous.
They are quick to rally for the benefit of foreign journalists, chanting the same line — "God, Moammar, and Libya: That's enough."
Carrying AK-47s and large, glossy photos of a Gadhafi in various stages of his life and fashion, they extol "Brother Leader's" messages of fighting al-Qaida, repeating his claim that Western allies are "envious" of Libya's wealth.
The capital's main Green Square is filled daily with a group of supporters dancing to blaring pro-Gadhafi music and waving green flags. They chant "Down Down BBC, Down Down Al-Jazeera" and shout at journalists to "tell the truth."
But the crowd has been thinning in recent days.
In Tripoli's quiet alleyways, and in neighborhoods like Fashloum and Tajoura that saw clashes with Libyan security forces during protests a month ago, there are hints of something under the surface that still seems afraid to come out.
In the old city, almost all shops are closed, their green shutters tightly locked, people afraid for their wares in this time of crisis.
A jewelry shop owner was surprisingly candid with journalists, considering Gadhafi's harsh attitude toward dissent.
"Gadhafi has put us in a tough position," he said, refusing to give his name for fear of retribution. "He shouldn't have ordered his men to fire into peaceful protesters."
Asked about the government's claim that the rebels were a group of al-Qaida gangs and thugs, he laughed.
"How is it that all of Libya — Zawiya, Zintan, Misrata, Benghazi — all are al-Qaida?" he said. "Gadhafi is the problem."
The shop keeper quickly fell silent when the journalists' government minder entered the store.
In another part of town, a taxi driver who would give only his first name, Ziyad, said he joined the protests in the troubled neighborhood of Souq Jumoa almost a month ago.
"I am one of those youth who has become suffocated with life in Libya," he said. "I want opportunities like other youth in the world, but Gadhafi just makes us suffer."
Ziyad said he always wanted to learn English, but wasn't able to because the education system in Libya was poor. He said he quickly went home when Libyan security started shooting at protesters in Tripoli.
"I'm not sure if people will take to the streets again, because they don't want to die," he said. "But it is there — something is definitely bubbling."
Boots on the ground soon; Khadafi still hammering al Qaida
By RYAN LUCAS and MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press – 1 hr 7 mins ago
BENGHAZI, Libya – French airstrikes hit an air base deep inside Libya in an effort to stop possible traffic of arms or the flow of mercenaries into Libya, a military official said Thursday.
In a key eastern city, talks between Moammar Gadhafi's forces and between tribal sheiks over their possible withdrawal stalled over a demand that the troops leave their heavy weaponry behind, rebels said Thursday.
The U.N. Security Council authorized the no-fly zone to protect Libyan civilians after Gadhafi launched attacks against anti-government protesters who wanted him to leave after 42 years in power. But rebel advances have foundered, and the two sides have been at stalemate in Ajdabiya, the gateway to the opposition's eastern stronghold.
The city has been under siege for more than a week, with the rebels holding the city center but facing relentless shelling from government troops positioned on the outskirts.
Residents fleeing the violence said the situation inside the city has deteriorated in recent days. Two airstrikes targeted the area early Thursday, a rebel, Taha el-Hassadi, said.
Mohammed Ali, 56, who fled with his family in a station wagon said "They've cut everything — the electricity, the water. It's getting worse and worse inside."
Government troops also continued barraging the western city of Misrata on Thursday but were forced to roll back their tanks periodically amid coalition airstrikes.
A 42-year-old doctor in the city said shelling had damaged a mosque and a hotel near the hospital.
"When the allies' planes were seen flying in the sky, the shelling stopped and the tanks fled," he said. "We still have to deal with snipers in the main street in Misrata and try to warn people to stay away from it."
Burkhard denied that the strikes amounted to a new phase of the campaign, insisting that all of France's efforts were being conducted under the aegis of the U.N. Security Council resolution.
Yes, GF, "pay attention to Obama's actions, not his words"
I like to keep track of who is on which side of an issue: in this instance, who is pro-"humanitarian" war and who is against (and a side list of who is chosing which intervention and right now, the latest attacks on Gaza and threat of another invasion by the Israeli gov't are getting blather comments by Hillary Clinton - see today's Democracy Now www.democracynow.org ). And I always wonder about "the enemies of my enemy is my friend" concept along with "no permanent allies and no permanent foes in politics" and foreign policy. This war has tangle...I like Richard Falk's article on Znet in opposition to the "humanitarian" intervention (which kills civilians to save them -- very American-war-on-Vietnam) and also Phyllis Bennis on Znet. www.Zcommunications.org/znet Marjorie Cohn Esq. is there,too. Finally, I am, once again, observing the "Obama liberals" defending him, people who opposed Bush who will defend Obama doing same "regime change",etc. The flimsiest excuse is by those who will not criticize Obama and excuse this with "oil reality" politic and the worst "Obama has to go along with the military...."
WAR PIGS
My coworker just sent me a YouTube of Black Sabbath doing their song War Pigs with Bush's Iraq genocide as background video. So apropos. All US politicians and Presidents are WAR PIGS.
Here's what's behind the Big Lie of the No-Fly Zone:
1. Continuation of the MIC. Every opportunity the US gets to "cash in a peace dividend" they deliberately blow it. Every "threat" that turns out to be a bald face lie is replaced by another "threat." For more than 10 years we've heard a bunch of educated, well-connected, elite racists and sociopath claim that al Qaeda was intent on establishing a "Caliphate", Sam Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations." We deal with the Neo-con lie for more than 10 years that Arabs/Muslims could only have democracy with the assistance of US/NATO ordinance, guns and weaponry. The "Arab Revolt" has demonstrated the racism and xenophobia of the so-called most educated and informed Americans, our so-called leaders and thinkers. Anglo Saxons just can't get over their colonialist mindset and paranoia to save the world, they are morbidly sick and psychotic people.
It wasn't sufficient that we wasted the "Cold War End" peace dividend, now we are hell bent on wasting the "Arab Revolt" or "Arab Spring" dividend; the Arab yearning for democratic reform. America is truly evil and the devil incarnate. Like I said, I understand (as most of us do) where Min. Farrakhan is coming from when he talks about who is the Devil.
Since the NeoCon Lie has been manifested, now we have do deal with the Liberal Humanitarian Intervention Lie. Same racism, same death and destruction, same xenophobia, same psychotic belief that Anglo Saxons are God's gift to the planet when all they really are is wicked, sick, death-loving zombies.
2. The No Fly Lie is all about the corrupt Saudis and their Sunni Muslim ass-kissers, enabled by US, NATO and the Zionists, to maintain their crumbs and status by fighting their Muslim, Shia brothers. Anyone who calls himself a Sunni should be ashamed of your uncle tom brethren, so willing to kill his fellow Muslim for the Anglo's crumbs and pats on the head.
This conflict is all about oil and all about the US "Allies" maintaining their superiority over their Shia brethren while accepting their inferiority to the White Man, it's that, plain and simple, all the geo-political mumbo jumbo don't amount to a hill of beans. The "West" is intent on creating divisions between ethnic and tribal groups in ALL COUNTRIES AROUND the world, classic divide and conquer, the universalization of the Willie Lynch syndrome. And the stupid ass Sunni can't see it, or are so wicked and mentally enslaved that they don't care. Egypt is reportedly arming the rebels, what has Egypt EVER done for the Palestinians? The sorry, wicked Saudis, nothing but a bunch of pedophiles and sexual sadists in their leadership. I can't wait till the wave of democracy crashes over them and the US and NATO throws their worthless, useless asses to the curb, like a used condom.
Now that its apparent that Arabs/Muslims don't need the Anglo Saxon to show him democracy and to create civil society, the Anglo Saxon has to create another bogey man, and create other instabilities. Iran and the Shia are the bogey man. And the strategy of using historic ethnic, tribal and cultural differences, to esentially disintegrate the "nations" the West made up out of whole cloth and forced integration, is right out of the Zionist-inspired, Project for the New American Century's "Clean Break" strategy. (What the White Man has put together let no one but the White Man tear asunder). The wickedness of America, the Sunnis, the Zionists and NATO is demonstrated by their willingness to use al Qaeda types to foment terrorism and to act as their agents provacateurs all over this world, while all the while claiming they are fighting terrorism and on the side of democracy and reform.
At some point in time of weight of this wickedness will come crashing down on the entire world. And will swallow up the so-called "innocents" who have been brainwashed in believing in the tripe of American Exceptionalism.
The Neocons and the Liberal Interventionists are just birds of a feather.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-bandow/war-in-libya-barack-obama_b_838049.html
nice
good lookin out
I agree with you - friv
I agree with you - friv
Breaking: Germans pull forces out of NATO...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368693/Libya-war-Germans-pull-f...
•Tensions with Britain as Gates rebukes UK government over suggestion Gaddafi could be assassinated
•French propose a new political 'committee' to oversee operations
•Germany pulls equipment out of NATO coalition over disagreement over campaign's direction
•Italians accuse French of backing NATO in exchange for oil contracts
•No-fly zone called into question after first wave of strikes 'neutralises' Libyan military machine
•U.K. ministers say war could last '30 years'
•Italy to 'take back control' of bases used by allies unless NATO leadership put in charge of the mission
•Russians tell U.S. to stop bombing in order to protect civilians - calls bombing a 'crusade'
You Tube Admits to Censoring View Count on Biden Impeachment Video
Steve Watson | Youtube has admitted to freezing the viewcount on a viral video of the Vice President highlighting the hypocrisy of Obama Admin’s aggression against Libya.
http://www.infowars.com/you-tube-admits-to-censoring-view-count-on-biden...
Kucinich: Obama could be impeached for attacking Libya
David Edwards | Obama did not have the constitutional authority to order U.S. forces to participate in an attack on Libya.
http://www.infowars.com/kucinich-obama-could-be-impeached-for-attacking-...
Jeruselum Post is saying that the rebels are backed by -al Qaeda
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=212003
CIA’s Libya Rebels Are Younger Brothers of al Qaeda Suicide Bombers who Killed US, NATO Soldiers in Iraq
Benghazi, Darnah Among Top Four Centers of Terrorist Recruitment; These Are Heroes of Democracy UN, NATO, US are Bombing Libya to Protect; 2007 West Point Combating Terrorism Center Study Proves the Case
Webster G. Tarpley on The Alex Jones Show March 22, 2011
http://tarpley.net/2011/03/22/cias-libya-rebels-are-younger-brothers-of-...
The phoniest man alive? Its a start.
Excellent article as always. Amazing how difficult it is to find the truth, which in this case is always anti-colonial. There is no anti-colonial perespctive in the mainstream media, up to and including NPR. The Huffington Post inclueds anti-colonial perspectives as an after thought but never as the out front perspective. We hear of the heroic rescue of the two downed fighter fighter pilots. We hear how Obama rules out a U.S. ground invasion, but not obviously on the grounds of ending hostilities, but certainly more to allay the fears of American parents that thier children won't be sent off to die, ala Vietnam. The "no-fly" zone that has become the "bomb everything that moves" zone is in full effect and Khaddafy will soon either die a martyrs death or be captured and hauled off to the Hague. Obama is not only the phoniest man alive, he's easily the most dispicable and villanous.