Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Libor, war coming

The Damascus Suicide Bombing

Today's killing of Assad officials raises uncomfortable questions about the meaning and justifiability of Terrorism

By Glenn Greenwald

July 18, 2012 "Salon" --  In Damascus today, a suicide bomber attacked a meeting of high level Syrian officials and killed several of them, including the nation’s Defense Minister Daoud Rajha and the Syrian military’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Asef Shawkat, who is also the brother-in-law of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Several reporters covering the region, such as Omar Waraich of Time and The Independent, have deduced that the suicide bomber was “Islamist.”
Needless to say, if such an attack — perpetrated by an “Islamist” suicide bomber — were aimed at a Western government or those of their allies in the region, it would immediately be branded Terrorism and vehemently denounced. One need not speculate about that, as it has already happened. It was called the Pentagon part of the “9/11 attack,” where a plane was flown into America’s military headquarters. More analogous was Nidal Hasan’s 2009 assault on the U.S. military base at Fort Hood, which was instantly branded Terrorism by American media outlets, Washington officials, and a majority of Americans.
Indeed, even if this kind of attack were directed at Western-supported tyrannies in the region — such as, say, Saudi Arabia or Bahrain — the Terrorism label would be widely applied by mainstream Western outlets. In fact, the alleged Iranian plot to kill the Saudi Ambassador — not civilians, but just this single official from a repellently oppressive regime — was instantly denounced as Terrorism.
But it’s extremely doubtful that the term will be applied by Western media outlets to today’s Damascus attack. The New York Times story uses the term only once, with scare quotes attributing it to the Assad regime: “SANA, the official news agency, described the assault as a ‘suicide terrorist attack.’” The BBC did the same, referring to the anti-Assad forces as “rebels” and mentioning “terrorism” only when quoting the statements of the Assad government. It’s actually inconceivable that any mainstream Western outlet or commentator will call this attack Terrorism.
Beyond the semantics, one already sees, on Twitter and elsewhere, substantial approval being expressed for the attack. Foreign Policy Editor Blake Hounshell referred this morning to “#thatawkwardmoment‬ [that awkward moment] when Westerners and secular Arabs cheer a suicide bombing.” U.N. analyst Hayes Brown similarly described ”that awkward moment in the UN Security Council where Western govts have to stop to think about whether to condemn a suicide bombing.” What makes it even more uncomfortable is that the U.S. Government itself has said that Syrian rebel forces have been “infiltrated” — at least — by Al Qaeda, meaning that the U.S. once again finds itself on the same side as its arch enemy, a side that is now using suicide bombs to kill government officials.
I’m not arguing here that this is an act of Terrorism (in general, to the extent the term has any meaning at all, I think attacks on military targets do not qualify), nor am I addressing whether the bombing is justifiable. I’m certainly not calling into question the heinous violence and oppression of the Syrian regime (though I think Western Manichean reporting on the nature of the fighting and the identity of the rebels has been typically and substantially oversimplified). The point here is that we pretend Terrorism has some sort of objective meaning and that it is the personification of pure evil which all decent people (and Good Western nations) by definition categorically despise, when neither of those claims is remotely true.

UPDATE: Just now, Donald Rumsfeld’s former Chief of Staff at the Pentagon, Keith Urbahn, wrote this:
If someone told me that I could close my eyes and conjure up the most persuasive piece of evidence in support of the point I made this morning, I never would have been able to imagine anything this potent.

UPDATE II: Since this morning, The New York Times article on this attack states definitively in the first paragraph that it was carried out by a suicide bomber:
The BBC says the same (“died in a suicide bombing”). Other reports are apparently suggesting the bomb was actually detonated remotely. Whether the attack was carried out by suicide bomb or remote activation obviously has no bearing on the point being made here.
Copyright © 2012 Salon Media Group, Inc.


;;


News Stories
 July 18, 2012
Interest Rate-Fixing Scandal Swindles Baltimore, Other Municipalities out of Millions of Dollars
Amidst the financial crisis of 2008 and resultant recession, cities and states around the country lost millions of dollars on investments tied to the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor). Far from a "free market phenomenon," they say the rate was suppressed by a cartel of some of the world's largest banks, and the city of Baltimore is taking them to court.
Go to story | Go to homepage

The Hunger Games Economy
Jeff Faux: Dreams of Wall St. and Military Industrial Complex are not compatible with dreams of American middle class
Go to story | Go to homepage
The Promise
What you have been seeing on TRNN is just a taste of what's to come; we need your support now
view

The Occupy Movement


Labor Rally in Support of Con Ed Lock Out

Pakistanis Protest NATO Supply Route

The Story of Change

Shutting down Shell

Belfast march turns violent

Best of the web


'A very frightening day for American democracy': Bernie Sanders reacts to the DISCLOSE Act's defeat

Twilight of the Elites: Chris Hayes on How the Powerful Rig the System.

George Galloway: Militarization of London Olympics

National Security Complex built on fear

Mitt Romney, The 6 Billion Dollar Liar

Political Humor


Indecent Proposal from Sarah Silverman (explicit)

New Prius Helps Environment By Killing Its Owner

New CIA Laser Detects EVERYTHING!

Ghosts of Bush Administration Haunt Romney Campaign

Mitt Romney, a Felon? "No!" Says Romney Spokesman

Global Warning


Going 'Beyond Pesticides' to Save the Bee Population

Spying on Scientists: How FDA Monitored Whistleblowers Who Raised Concerns over Radiation

Pesticide linked to Parkinson's disease

Vandana Shiva: Bill Gates is wrong about GMOs

Endless Oil Spills - Nigeria




At the Precipice of War 
U.S. Military Build-Up Accelerates in the Persian Gulf

By Ben Schreiner

The U.S. is currently in the midst of a massive military build-up in the Persian Gulf on a scale not seen in the region since prior to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. Continue

Engineering Consent For An Attack On Syria
Syria: Assad Regime 'Ready to Use Chemical Weapons'
By BBC
The most senior Syrian politician to defect to the opposition has told the BBC the regime will not hesitate to use chemical weapons if it is cornered.

A Revealing Exposé of the US Assets Leading the Syrian Opposition
By Chris Marsden
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, whose inflated figures on casualties are constantly cited by the media, turns out to be one man, Rami Abdul Rahman, based in Coventry and a clothes retailer. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article31899.htm 

New Gaddafi Video
Warning - Graphic Video
Footage Purportedly Shows Late Libyan Leader After His Death.

"There Were No Warnings""
Indian Fishermen Killed By US Navy
By Preeti Kannan
Three injured Indian fishermen, Muthu Muniraj, 28, Muthu Kannan, 35, Pandu Sanadhan, 26, were recovering at the Rashid Hospital this morning, a day after the US navy opened fire on their fishing boat 16 kilometres off the Jebel Ali coast.

Russia Criticizes Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Record
By Mark Adomanis
Saudi Arabia, is and has been for the past 80 odd years one of the most violently repressive and backwards societies in the world: an absolute dictatorship replete with "morality police" and various other kinds of religious totalitarians.

Absurdity Rules the World
By Siv O'Neall
Respect for power and blind obedience were the result of the U.S. educational system. "I pledge obedience to the flag of the United States of America ..." Millions and millions of yes-men had been molded out of the clay of propaganda and history books.

War Is Betrayal
Persistent Myths of Combat
By Chris Hedges
If veterans speak of terrible wounds, of lies told to make them kill, of evil committed in our name, we fill our ears with wax.

Christians United For Israel
Building an Evangelical Army to Defend Zionism
By Susanne Posel
They intend on converting as many Christians to their pro-Zionist movement as they can through coercive programs of "education, outreach and events."

Israeli Lawmaker Tears Up "Abominable" New Testament, Throws it in Trash
By Ali Abunimah
A member of the Israeli parliament has torn up a copy of the New Testament and thrown it in the trash.

Mitt Romney Really, Really Loves Israel
Video
Mitt Romney heads Israel late July, just a month before the national convention.

Pro-Palestinian Ads Ignite Firestorm Of Controversy
2 Minute Video
"I think the ad is very offensive, it's certainly offensive to Jews," said Dovid Efune, the the editor of the Jewish newspaper "The Algemeiner."

The Resource War Behind Paraguay's Crisis
A Coup Over Land
By Benjamin Dangl
On June 22 of this year, a new tyrant entered the government palace. The right-wing Federico Franco became president in what has been deemed a parliamentary coup against democratically-elected, left-leaning President Fernando Lugo.

JPMorgan Scandal: The Tip Of The Iceberg
By Andre Damon and Barry Grey
JPMorgan deliberately falsified its first quarter report to the SEC in order to conceal its massive gambling losses. This is a crime.

How Wall Street Scams Counties Into Bankruptcy
By William D. Cohan
For some reason, Wall Street never seems to get the message that bribing government officials -- and paying each other off - - to get access to lucrative municipal-bond underwriting business is illegal.

Cannibalism For Profit
Human Corpses Harvested in Multimillion-dollar Trade
By Kate Willson, Vlad Lavrov, Martina Keller, Thomas Maier and Gerard Ryle
A grisly trade in human body parts leaves relatives grieving and some recipients at risk of life-threatening disease.

After 800 years, the Barons are Back in Control of Britain
By George Monbiot
The Magna Carta forced King John to give away powers. But big business now exerts a chilling grip on the workforce.
  





Hard News  
  

                     
22 killed In Afghanistan:  
About 100 Taliban fighters attacked a security checkpost in Khwaja Qeenti area, Qaisar district: The police returned the fire, killing 10 Taliban fighters, he added.

Nuristan Governor Survives Convoy Attack, 1 Policeman Killed:  
A group of insurgents attacked Nuristan's convoy of cars at around midnight in the Wama district, provincial spokesman Mohammad Zarin said.

NATO occupation force soldier killed in southern Afghanistan:  
An "International Security Assistance" Force service member died following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan today."

Pakistan: Four killed in attack on police:  
Four gunmen were killed, including two who died after detonating suicide vests, during a raid on a police station by militants in the north-west Pakistan town of Bannu on Monday, police said.

Anti-NATO Pakistanis march on border:  
THOUSANDS of Pakistani activists have shouted "death to America" at the latest rally protesting the lifting of a seven-month blockade on NATO supplies into Afghanistan.

Iraq warns Turkey against violating its airspace: -  
Iraq warned Turkey against violating its airspace and territory and said on Tuesday, July 17, it planned to protest to the U.N. Security Council after its radars had repeatedly detected Turkish warplanes, in a deepening a rift with its neighbor, Reuters reported.

Our leaders must be held to account over Iraq and Afghanistan: - Letter TO EDITOR-  
Leaders of both our biggest political parties should hang their heads in shame at the harm we have done

Syrian army 'push back Damascus rebels':  
The Syrian government says security forces have confronted fighters who infiltrated Damascus and forced them to flee, contradicting claims made by the rebel army earlier this afternoon. Information Minister Omran Zoabi said

UN warns Syria combatants over 'war crime' :  
"As the International Committee of the Red Cross has now described the situation as an armed conflict, international humanitarian law applies across Syria in areas where there is fighting."

Putin vows to back Annan's Syria peace efforts:  
"From the very start, from the first steps, we supported and continue to support your efforts aimed at restoring civil peace," Putin told Annan at the start of their Kremlin meeting.

Iran says Annan plan best solution to Syria crisis:  
Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has urged the Syrian government and opposition to respect the six-point plan set forth by UN-Arab League Special Envoy on Syria Kofi Annan.

Russia blocks UN Council statement on Syria:  
Russia on Monday blocked a proposed UN Security Council statement on mass killings in the Syrian village of Treimsa, diplomats said, amid worsening deadlock over international action on the conflict. Russian envoys opposed the statement, saying it was not clear what had happened in Treimsa, council diplomats told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Russian Central Bank Ready to Make Due Payments to Iran:  
Russian move would circumvent the western sanctions against Tehran's financial and banking sector.

Clinton sees U.S., Israel in lockstep on Iran: 
In Jerusalem on the last stop of an Asian and Middle East tour, Clinton said she and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "talked about concrete steps that we can take to continue to build the pressure" on Tehran.

Opponents of Israeli attack on Iran have little to be optimistic about:  
Clinton can continue stating that "we are all on the same page" on Iran. However, the uncharacteristic silence of the Israeli leadership on the matter in recent weeks, and the resulting traffic on the Washington-Jerusalem axis, both indicate a genuine American concern in light of Israel's potential intentions.

Indian fisherman: No warning before U.S. Navy shot at boat off Dubai coast:  
An Indian fisherman aboard a boat shot at by the U.S. Navy off Dubai's coast has told officials the crew received no warning before being fired upon, India's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates said Tuesday.

India seeks action over UAE boat shooting
:
UAE asked to investigate incident in which one Indian fisherman was killed by US navy ship in waters off Dubai.

60% of Saudi citizens live below poverty line: Saudi daily:  
Activists in Saudi Arabia have repeatedly criticized Riyadh for spending vast sums on buying arms from the West and not helping the millions living in poverty.

Saudi court sentences Tattoo artist to year in jail, 200 lashes: 
 A court in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah sentenced an unidentified Lebanese man to one year in prison and 200 lashes after he was convicted of drawing tattoos on the bodies of Saudi women and being a women's hairdresser, a Saudi newspaper said Tuesday.

Saudi woman jailed for offending police:  
A Saudi woman along has been sent to prison for spitting and offending a religious police

Shocking new video shows Gaddafi's body 'being used by rebels as ghoulish ventriloquist's doll':  
In the shocking clip, which was posted to YouTube on Monday, high-spirited demonstrators apparently use the Libyan dictator's corpse as a ventriloquist's doll.

Libya's Former Rebels Pose Challenge:  
The fighters who defeated Libya's Moammar Gadhafi last year now pose a challenge for the fledgling democracy they helped create. Many of them have refused to give up their weapons, demanding a series of laws to protect them.

Scramble for the Horn of Africa: Ethiopian Regime Crumbles: Enter CIA: Op-Ed:  
With its foundations irreparably cracked and its edifices of power crumbling the Ethiopian regime headed by Meles Zenawi is turning more and more to the CIA to make the critical decisions in the ministries of power in the capital Addis Ababa.

UK: Now the Army is giving the orders:
As foreign athletes start to arrive, military sends officers to G4S HQ to tackle security shambles.

America's Drones Are Homeward Bound:  
It's not that drones are being used to extrajudicially execute people, including Americans, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia that has U.S. lawmakers concerned. Rather it's the possible and probable violation of Americans' privacy in the United States by unlawful drone surveillance that has caught the attention of legislators.

NOAA links extreme weather to climate change:  
On Tuesday, for the first time, government scientists are saying recent extreme weather events are likely connected to man-made climate change. It's the conclusion of a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Senators blast HSBC over lack of laundering controls
:
US lawmakers accused the global bank HSBC on Monday of opening the doors of the financial system to terrorists, drug dealers and money launderers in a hard-hitting report.

Moody's lowers ratings at 13 Italian banks: 
Banks affected include UniCredit SPA IT:UCG -2.34% , Intesa Sanpaolo SPA IT:ISP -3.08% , BNP Paribas' FR:BNP -0.20% Italian unit Banca Nazionale del Lavoro SPA, Banca Carige SPA IT:CRG -0.83% , Credito Emiliano IT:CE -1.04% , and General Electric Co.'s GE +0.79% GE Capital SP

Mass demonstrations against Spain's latest austerity package:
On Monday morning, a demonstration of thousands blocked the centre of Madrid, marking the fifth day of protests by workers against the latest round of austerity measures. These demonstrations have not been called by the unions, but have erupted spontaneously.

Huge credit card settlement conceals fraud and criminality:  
Credit card companies Visa and Master Card as well as several banks announced July 13 that they would agree to pay a total of $6.6 billion in settlement to retailers, bringing an end to a bitter lawsuit first brought in 2005


  


 "Let us be peace and joy"


Tom Feeley


Cost Of War
 
Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In US War And Occupation Of Iraq "1,455,590"

Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In America's War On Iraq:  4,883

Number Of  International Occupation Force Troops Slaughtered In Afghanistan : 3,089
Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
Total Cost of Wars Since 2001

    $1,353,273,562,252   


Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phone:San Diego USA 619-407-7054
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join Our Mailing List


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)