Day: May 25, 2010

Who says Jews and racism don’t go together? By Akiva Eldar

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25 May, 2010 — Ha’aretz

Those who are celebrating disclosures about Richard Goldstone’s relationship with apartheid-era South Africa ought to read a new book about Israel’s ties with that regime.

The “sexy” story of the nuclear dealings between Israel and South Africa, as told in a new book by Sasha Polakow-Suransky (“The Unspoken Alliance: Israel’s Secret Relationship With Apartheid South Africa” ), diverted attention from the book’s other revelations about the intimate relations between the Jewish state and the racist regime.

The author, a senior editor at the important journal “Foreign Affairs,” noted that Israel was not the only country to have violated the embargo on South Africa. Other members of this dubious club included several “enlightened” nations, among them Arab oil states. But with Israel, the relationship went far beyond security and economic interests and became a sturdy friendship.

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BOLIVIA: Do Indigenous Concepts Help or Hinder in Fighting the World’s Climate Crisis?

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25 May, 2010 — Bolivia Rising – Socialist Voice

A LeftViews Debate between Pablo Stefanoni and Hugo Blanco
Translated and introduced by Richard Fidler

The World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth[1], held in Cochabamba, Bolivia in April, has fueled a growing debate in Latin America over the validity and usefulness of traditional Indigenous value systems and forms of organization in resolving the pressing social problems of the region, not least the challenges posed by the climate crisis. We publish here two differing assessments.

  • Pablo Stefanoni is the editor of the Bolivian edition of Le Monde Diplomatique.
  • Hugo Blanco is a longstanding indigenous leader of the peasant movement in Peru and editor of the newspaper La Lucha Indígena.

The Cochabamba conference was called by Bolivian President Evo Morales in the wake of the disastrous United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen last December. It was attended by more than 30,000 activists from over 100 countries. They adopted a People’s Agreement2 that assigns responsibility for the climate crisis to the capitalist system and rejects the use of market mechanisms in combating climate change.

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The US should force Israel into nuclear disarmament – peace activist

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25 May, 2010 — RT Top Stories

Israeli human rights and peace activist Gideon Spiro does not doubt the fact that Israel has nuclear weapons. However, according to Spiro, the US has the power to make Israel get rid of its nuclear arsenal.

‘Israel is for all practical purposes the 51st state of the USA. If President Obama is serious about a nuclear free zone in the Middle East, then he has the means to force Israel to get rid of its nuclear weapons. If it is only lip service, then things will continue as they are, the Middle East will enter the nuclear race. It’s only a question of time until everyone has nuclear weapons in this fragile area,’ says Gideon Spiro.

The observer also believes that this is the work of peace activists to ensure that Israel is brought into the regime of nuclear disarmament.

‘What Israel’s authorities are doing with Vanunu is shameful,’ says Mr Spiro, referring to the case of former nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu. The man, claiming his opposition to weapons of mass destruction, spent 18 years in prison for releasing the details of Israeli nuclear weapons program to British press in 1986.

‘Vanunu did a great service to the human race. He deserves the Nobel peace prize and not prison in Israel,’ adds the peace activist.

Taking Back the Money Power: How Hidden Pools of Government Money Could Help Save the Economy By Ellen Brown

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22 May, 2010 – Global Research – Web of Debt – 2010-05-21

For over a decade, accountant Walter Burien has been trying to rouse the public over what he contends is a massive conspiracy and cover-up, involving trillions of dollars squirreled away in funds maintained at every level of  government.  His numbers may be disputed, but these funds definitely exist, as evidenced by the Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs) required of every government agency.  If they don’t represent a concerted government conspiracy, what are they for?  And how can they be harnessed more efficiently to help allay the financial crises of state and local governments? 

The Elusive CAFR Money

Burien is a former commodity trading adviser who has spent many years peering into government books.  He notes that the government is composed of 54,000 different state, county, and local government entities, including school districts, public authorities, and the like; and that these entities all keep their financial assets in liquid investment funds, bond financing accounts and corporate stock portfolios. The only income that must be reported in government budgets is that from taxes, fines and fees; but the investments of government entities can be found in official annual reports (CAFRs), which must be filed with the federal government by local, county and state governments.  These annual reports show that virtually every U.S. city, county, and state has vast amounts of money stashed away in surplus funds. Burien maintains that these slush funds have been kept concealed from taxpayers, even as taxes are being raised and citizens are being told to expect fewer government services. 

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