Day: February 17, 2012

Video: Danish TV-station retracts after presenting false evidence of systematic torture in Syria

Leave a comment

Youtube

Retraction of program allegedly documenting ‘systematic torture of protestors in Syria’.

Danish spoken:
Roughly he says: that yesterday night they “brought a newscast, where there were some pictures that showed violence and assaults against civilians, allegedly committed by Syrian security forces. Unfortunately the pictures did not come from Syria, and can therefore not be used as evidence for torture against civilians” And in the end he says that “they are sorry for the mistake”. Continue reading →

Netizen Journalism, Libya and the UN By Ronda Hauben

Leave a comment

17 February 2012 — Global Research

The Special Issue (vol 21 no 1) of the Amateur Computerist on Netizen Journalism and the story of the resistance to the NATO aggression against Libya is now available at the ACN website.The url is: http://www.ais.org/~jrh/acn/ACn21-1.pdf or here Netizen Journalism, Libya and the UN

This issue is a collection of articles documenting what happened in Libya in 2011. It presents a critique of the inaccurate reports that were used to justify the NATO war against Libya.

Continue reading →

Amnesty International Details Torture and Murder in Libya By Patrick Martin

Leave a comment

17 February 2012 — World Socialist Web Site

A report from Amnesty International details widespread torture in the prisons and makeshift detention facilities in Libya, under the auspices of the regime established by the US–NATO war that overthrew and murdered Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. In at least 12 cases, prisoners were tortured to death, the group found.

Continue reading →

Europe’s cheap imperialism: Libya’s Colonial War One Year Later By Konstantin Bogdanov

Leave a comment

16 February 2012 — Libya’s Colonial War One Year Later | Commentators | RIA Novosti

The uprising against the regime of Col. Muammar Gaddafi started in Libya one year ago, on February 15, 2011. France and Britain conducted the supporting military operation with great difficulty and much deeper involvement than they had planned, hoping initially for a quick colonial campaign. By RIA Novosti military commentator Konstantin Bogdanov

Continue reading →

Libya Newslinks 17 February 2012: Gays threaten the future of the human race says Libyan UN delegate

Leave a comment

17 February 2012 — williambowles.info

There are fifteen stories in today’s links, most from the MSM and twelve of the fifteen stories (some are essentially duplicates viz Business Week and TIME) have essentially the same headline: ‘A year after revolt, Libya mired in factional fighting’, or words to that effect. Predictably the BBC and Sky News headlines make no mention of this though the BBC does mention that militias roam unimpeded but ‘balances’ that with some PR from the White House about how the new ‘government will do something about “protect[ing] the rights of all the Libyan people”. The Sky News piece is all fireworks and a promise to do something about it as well (and one wouldn’t expect anything else from the Tripoli Post except fireworks). The final (and only) mention of the subject is about the outburst by the Libyan delegate to the UN alleging that ‘Gays threaten the continuation of the human race‘. I rest my case.

Continue reading →

Libya Reprise: Former Mideast Colonial Powers France, Britain Plot Syria Takeover

Leave a comment

17 February, 2012 — RT

Friendly advice: France, UK to command ousting of Assad?

Britain and France may send military advisors to teach the Syrian insurgents combat tactics, communication and other skills needed to attack governmental forces. Earlier unconfirmed reports said that British military are already on the ground in the besieged city Homs doing the job. Continue reading →

China Steps Up in Syria

Leave a comment

17 February 2012 — China Matters – China Steps Up in Syria

The conventional picture of US policy in the Middle East is of a hellbound train rushing toward war with Iran, pulling burning coaches filled with European passengers howling praise of Western values out the windows at horrified bystanders.  Actually, I think it’s more like a monster truck exhibition.  Lots of sound, fury, testosterone, and bravado, but just spinning wheels, spewing mud, roaring in circles, and going nowhere.

What is very interesting is that China, usually an apostle of non-interference, believes it has something to contribute to the Syrian situation, probably for two reasons: 1) it needs to road-test some new approaches to managing and accommodating dissent in anticipation of the day when Arab-Spring type upheavals become an important factor in China and 2) the current situation is so screwed up the Chinese feel they can make a genuine contribution.
Read the rest of the article here…

Hungary: The gallows of capitalism By Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey

Leave a comment

16 February 2012 — Pravda.ru

Hungary: The gallows of capitalism. 46629.jpegIt will come as no surprise to find out that the Hungarian Government has outlawed homelessness and that people who have lost their jobs and homes, with nowhere to go, now face criminal sanctions. Let us be honest, being born in Hell would be better than being born in Hungary. The actions taken today serve to explain many untold stories in the past.

To call Hungary the gallows of capitalism is as right as calling it the gallows of human decency. Recently, the Hungarian Parliament legislated that homelessness is a criminal activity, meaning that those forced to live on the streets, through no fault of their own, can be thrown into a jail and be locked away. So inhumane is the nature of the new laws that the United Nations Organization has stepped in.

Continue reading →

Video: US double standards: Indirectly arming Syrian rebels? — RT

Leave a comment

16 February 2012 — US double standards: Indirectly arming Syrian rebels? — RT

The conflict in Syria is intensifying and the UN is unable to agree on a solution to end the bloodshed. Meanwhile, US politicians are calling to arm opposition forces, amid suspicions the US may already be supplying weapons through its Arab allies.

In spite of the fears that providing anti-governmental rebels in Syria could lead to an irreversible escalation of the conflict and descent into civil war, US politicians are starting to put pressure on Washington. Continue reading →

Who Arms the Gang Called «Free Syrian Army» By Leonid Savin

Leave a comment

17 February 2012 — Strategic Culture Foundation

The US Foreign Policy magazine said in an article devoted to the Syrian situation that NATO intervention in Libya in compliance with the UN sanctions and funded by Qatar can be repeated in Syria now; the USA and its allies are already on the way implementing the scenario by arming the Free Syrian army. The American author views it as pursuing the «responsibility to protect» (1) policy. He’s got enough common sense to conclude that in case of the Syrian situation one wrong decision may lead to really grave consequences.

Continue reading →

Lies, Revolutions and Wars: A House of Sand and Fog By Nebojsa Malic

Leave a comment

17 February, 2012 — – Antiwar.com February 11, 2012

Last summer, as the Sandstorm mistakenly dubbed the “Arab Spring” swept across North Africa, a cadre of professional revolutionaries the Empire created in Serbia bragged about their role in the revolts to some European videographers. Sure, the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt may have begun spontaneously, but Empire-trained activists soon took control and channeled the rage into “regime change.” It’s what they get paid for.

Syria and the media: “Activists say…” By William Bowles

1 Comment

17 February 2012

Every time I read a BBC news piece about events in Syria it invariably includes the following phrase (emphasized):

“Troops are shelling intensively parts of the Syrian city of Homs, activists say, a day after the UN General Assembly called for an end to violence.” — ‘Syrian city shelled after UN vote’, BBC News, 17 February 2012

Continue reading →

GREECE IN FLAMES: PRELUDE TO EUROPEAN REVOLUTION? A DEBATE WITHIN THE LEFT

Leave a comment

13 February 2012 — Mitchel Cohen

By Savas Michael-Matsas

The worst fears of the ruling classes of Greece and Europe are becoming true: an uncontrollable social explosion is under way in Greece.

When these lines are written, late in the night on February 12-13, 2012, the violent clashes and street fights between demonstrators and the riot police, in the center of Athens and in other cities all over the country, still continue. The phony ‘majority’ that just voted in Parliament the new package of measures of social cannibalism imposed by the troika of the EU, the European Central Bank, and the IMF cannot and will not stop the Greek social wild fire to expand in the country and spread beyond Greece, all over Europe and internationally.

The popular rally in Syntagma Square Sunday, February 12 was literally gigantic: nearly a million people converged in the Square in front of the Parliament from all the neighborhoods of the Greek capital, in a mass mobilization that superseded in magnitude and fighting spirit every previous one, including the huge rallies during the General Strikes of June and October 2011.

Follow the debate here

UK: The People versus The Big 6 #endtheenergyfix

Leave a comment

17 February 2012 — Big Six Share

bigfix-six.jpgYesterday EDF, one of the big six energy firms, announced a yearly profit of £2.5 Billion. This vindicates our claim that the big six are making excessive profit. While many freeze, a few profit. It’s now time they paid a levy to redress this balance. In response to these obscene profits we need your help to demonstrate mass public support for our campaign. We need to raise £1000 to pay for public opinion polling – will you help by donating just £10?

http://action.compassonline.org.uk/big6poll

Continue reading →

US: A Voters' Rights Amendment — A Matter of Critical National Importance

Leave a comment

17 February 2012 — William John Cox

My recent articles have concerned a matter of critical national importance – the ability of American voters, of every party, to control their own government. The last, Transformation: Effectuating Democracy by a Voters’ Rights Amendment has been widely circulated and can be viewed at:

Continue reading →

Stephen Lendman: ORWELLIAN DRONES – “Eye in the Sky” Spying on Americans

Leave a comment

13 February 2012 — Global Research: Stephen Lendman: ORWELLIAN DRONES – “Eye in the Sky” Spying on Americans

Money power runs America. So do lobbies representing all corporate and other interests.

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) represents dozens of influential companies.

Continue reading →

Video: Chris Hedges and David Zucchino On War Reporting

Leave a comment

15 February 2012 — Dandelion Salad – uncjschool on Feb 15, 2012

War correspondents Chris Hedges and David Zucchino, a 1973 graduate of the UNC journalism school, had a discussion with UNC J-school students on Feb. 13, 2012, in Carroll Hall. Hedges spoke later that evening as part of the PlayMakers Repertory Company’s Vision Series.

Continue reading →

Syria Newslinks 16-17 February 2012

Leave a comment

17 February 2012 — williambowles.info

Maybe updated as the day wears on…

012
China sits out Syria regime change tango
Asia Times Online Today at 11:00
There is a window of opportunity for China to promote its desired outcome in Syria – a ‘third path’ political strategy, one that eschews both regime change and perpetuation of the status quo in favor of evolutionary reform keyed on a new constitution. – Peter Lee (Feb 17, ’12)

Continue reading →