STUDENTS AT RISK OF TORTURE FOLLOWING MARCH

"Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing great - greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our great natural resources....

And finally, in our progress towards a resumption of work, we require two safeguards against a return of the evils of the old order. There must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments. There must be an end to speculation with other people's money. And there must be provision for an adequate but sound currency. These, my friends, are the lines of attack."  - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933.

         

by Zen Gardner
If this isn’t evidence of corporate collusion at work, nothing is. Mussolini captured the essence of this kind of corporatocracy in a little word that once had a negative connotation. Does it any more?
The marriage of government and corporations is defined as fascism.
Here’s the news:

Treasury Secretary Google?

other98 has uploaded Exxon Hates Your Children.

Exxon Hates Your Children by other98

FINALLY: A TV ad that tells it like it is: EXXON HATES YOUR CHILDREN. Go to ExxonHatesYourChildren.com if you want to see it on national television!

All Images and Information found at the Links Below, with gratitude.

TODAY's LINKS:
Interstellar Magnetic Highway: http://www.space.com/18743-voyager-spacecraft-solar-system-edge.html AND http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/03dec_voyager1/
Bopha: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20604423

REPEAT LINKS:

WORLD WEATHER:
NDBC Buoys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/
Tropical Storms: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/
HurricaneZone Satellite Images: http://www.hurricanezone.net/westpacific/animations.html
Weather Channel: http://www.weather.com/
NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php
Pressure Maps: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&CONT=glob&MODELL=gfs&MODELLTYP=1&BASE=-&VAR=pslv&HH=0&ARCHIV=0&PANEL=0&ZOOM=0&PERIOD=
Satellite Maps: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-app/satellite?LANG=us&CONT=namk
Forecast Maps: htt





UA 347/12        4 December 2012        URGENT ACTION                ASA 37/014/2012
STUDENTS AT RISK OF TORTURE FOLLOWING MARCH
SRI LANKA
P. Tharshananth; Sanmugam Solaman; Kanesamoorthy Sutharsan; K. Jenemajeyamenan (all m)
Four students were arrested on 1 December in Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka, by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) of the police. They are being held in Vavuniya for interrogation and are at risk of torture.  
P. Tharshananth, Sanmugam Solaman, Kanesamoorthy Sutharsan and K. Jenemajeyamenan were arrested without warrants in Jaffna. It is not known if they have been formally charged. Sri Lankan media reports that they are being questioned about their alleged involvement in a petrol bomb attack on the office of a local political organisation, as well as their involvement in organising demonstrations. There are concerns for their well-being given evidence of the persistent use of torture in TID custody.
Their arrests come after several days of student protests following efforts by the security forces to suppress peaceful commemorations of Maaveerar Naal (Heroes Day), a day of remembrance established by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). On 27 November security forces broke up a lamp lighting ceremony at the women’s hostel at Jaffna University, reportedly breaking lamps, threatening students and pointing weapons at them. The following day students responded with a silent protest and short march and held placards denouncing the restrictions on freedom of expression. At least 20 undergraduates were injured and beaten by riot police and officers in civilian dress, including Sanmugam Solaman. Security forces allege that the students had thrown stones at them, prompting them to react; university staff told local media that the event was peaceful until the authorities attacked the marchers.
Please write immediately in English or your own language:
* Expressing concern for the safety and wellbeing of the four students (naming them);
* Calling on the Sri Lankan authorities to release them from custody or charge them with a recognizeable criminal offense and to try them promptly in a regularly consituted court with all internationally recognized safeguards provided;
* Urging them to ensure that the detainees are treated in accordance with international standards while in police custody, specifically urging that they are not tortured and are given full access to their lawyers, families, food, blankets and medical care where necessary;
* Calling on the Sri Lankan authorities to end restrictions on freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly;
* Urging them to halt attacks on religious gatherings and other commemorative activities, and bring to justice those who carry out such attacks.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 15 JANUARY 2013 TO:  (Time difference = GMT + 5.5 hrs / BST + 4.5 hrs)

Inspector General of Police N K Illangakoon New Secretariat, Colombo 1 Sri Lanka Fax: 0094 11 244 0440 Email: igp@police.lk Salutation: Dear Inspector General

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa Ministry of Defence and Urban Development 15/5, Baladaksha Mawatha, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka Fax: 0094 11 254 1529     Email: secdef@sltnet.lk Salutation: Dear Defence Secretary

And copies to Secretary Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission: No. 108 Barnes Place Colombo 07, Sri Lanka Fax: 0094 11 268 9558 Email: sechrc@sltnet.lk

PLEASE SEND COPIES OF YOUR APPEAL TO
His Excellency Mr Nanayakkara Atulugamage Chandra Nihal de Silva Jayasinghe, High Commission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, 13 Hyde Park Gardens, London W2 2LU.
Fax:         020 7262 7970         Email:         mail@slhc-london.co.uk
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
There have been a series of violent attacks on student activists in Jaffna, as well as efforts to prevent students from organizing. In October 2011 Subramaniam Thavapalasingham, President of the Jaffna University Students’ Union was attacked by unidentified assailants wielding iron bars who accused him of supporting Tamil separatism; he blamed Sri Lankan military intelligence for the attack. In May 2012, P. Tharshananth was attacked in a similar way and was very badly beaten shortly before he was to address a remembrance event commemorating victims of the armed conflict that ended three years earlier.
Since the armed conflict between the Sri Lankan armed forces and the LTTE ended in May 2009, the Sri Lankan authorities have placed tight restrictions on events and religious observances held to commemorate and mourn war victims, particularly those held around 27 November, the LTTE’s ‘Heroes Day’ which had been established to commemorate cadres killed during Sri Lanka’s armed conflict and which falls on the day after late LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran’s birthday. 27 November 2012 also coincided with the Hindu festival Karthikai Deepam, which involves the lighting of oil lamps, and the army reportedly prevented many Jaffna residents from lighting lamps to celebrate the festival.
P. Tharshananth is Secretary of the Jaffna University Students' Union; Sanmugam Solaman is a Science Faculty Student Union member; Kanesamoorthy Sutharsan is a medical student, and K. Jenemajeyamenan is President of the Arts Faculty Student Union.
PLEASE CHECK WITH THE INDIVIDUALS AT RISK PROGRAMME AT AIUK BEFORE SENDING APPEALS AFTER 15 JANUARY 2013
Individuals at Risk Programme, Amnesty International UK, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA, 0207 033 1572, iar@amnesty.org.uk.


Individuals At Risk Programme

Tel: 020 7033 1572
Fax: 020 7033 1503
Email: iar@amnesty.org.uk
Website: www.amnesty.org.uk/cases 

 Washington Floats Chemical Weapons Charge as Pretext for Syria Buildup

By Bill Van Auken

The alleged threat from Syrian "weapons of mass destruction" is entirely concocted. Not a single piece of hard evidence is cited by any government official or any media source.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33223.htm

Welcome to the "Liberated Zone" of Aleppo

By Thierry Meyssan

The new authorities of the "liberated zone" of Aleppo are currently setting up a religious dictatorship inspired by the Saudi model.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33219.htm

The Zionist Plan for the Middle East

Translated and edited by Israel Shahak

The plan operates on two essential premises. To survive, Israel must 1) become an imperial regional power, and 2) must effect the division of the whole area into small states by the dissolution of all existing Arab states.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33220.htm

In case you missed it
Israel's Sacred Terrorism

By Livia Rokach

To all the Palestinian victims of Israel's unholy terrorism, whose sacrifice, suffering and ongoing struggle will yet prove to be the pangs of the rebirth of Palestine...
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20831.htm

UN Calls On Israel To Open Nuclear Facilities

By The Associated Press

The resolution, approved Monday by a vote of 174-6 with 6 abstentions, calls on Israel to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty "without further delay" and open its nuclear facilities to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33216.htm

It's Time for the Media to Talk About Zionism

By Philip Weiss

The acknowledgment of Jewish prominence in the Establishment, and of the power of Zionism, would make a lot of Jews uncomfortable, so the conversation is verboten.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33218.htm

U.S.-U.K. Genocide Against Iraq 1990-2012 Killed 3.3 Millions

By Sherwood Ross

Approximately 3.3 million Iraqis, including 750,000 children, were "exterminated" by economic sanctions and/or illegal wars conducted by the U.S. and Great Britain between 1990 and 2012, an eminent international legal authority says.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33221.htm

Beware the Anti-Anti-War Left
Why Humanitarian Interventionism is a Dead End

By Jean Bricmont

After the Kosovo Albanians in 1999, we have been told that "we" must protect Afghan women, Iraqi Kurds and more recently the people of Libya and of Syria.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33222.htm

Lawyer: Military Treatment of Bradley Manning 'Criminal'

By JOSH GERSTEIN

"Brad's treatment at Quantico will forever be etched in our nation's history as a disgraceful moment in time,"
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33217.htm

Bradley Manning: A Window Into The American Soul

By Paul Craig Roberts

In their desire to punish Manning, US military and civilian authorities failed to realize that the lesson for soldiers is that crimes against humanity will not be punished, but those who reveal the crimes will be punished.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33224.htm

Understanding the Fiscal Cliff (In 2 Minutes 30 Seconds)

By Robert B. Reich:

Democrats, here are eight principles to guide you in the coming showdown over the fiscal cliff:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33225.htm

Hard News  

   

Syrian rebels kill 29 students in attack on school near Damascus: Although the attack was confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the identity of the attackers remains unknown. Syria's state news agency reported that an unspecified group of rebels shelled the school.
http://is.gd/eJsL8A

Lebanon: Tension in Tripoli as clashes erupt again:
Clashes broke out in the Lebanese port city of Tripoli on Tuesday between gunmen loyal to opposing sides in neighbouring Syria's civil war, wounding one person, residents said.
http://is.gd/fAyM7B

Hyping Syrian WMD:
Syrian Government Harbors Tons Of Chemical Agents: President Obama has warned the Syrian government not to use chemical weapons against its own people or face serious consequences. Tom Bowman talks to Melissa Block about Syria's program and what the U.S. options might be.
http://is.gd/ym06Sl

Senate orders study on U.S. no-fly zone in Syria: The Senate voted Tuesday to order President Obama to study what military options the U.S. would have if it wanted to get more deeply involved in the revolt against Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
http://is.gd/ZWVBS1

Could US remove Syria chemical weapons?: President Barack Obama's warning about Syria's unconventional weapons arsenal is one of those "sit up and take notice" moments. He warned, "we cannot have a situation where chemical or biological weapons are falling into the hands of the wrong people". The US president added, "we have put together a range of contingency plans".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-19334041

Memories of Iraq - the Syria 'has chemical weapons' story: Have we really learnt nothing at all from what happened in Iraq?
http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/msg/1354612734.html

Pepe Escobar: Patriot missiles, chemical weapons hype aim to intimidate Syria : Video -
http://is.gd/nyD7IW

Iran Captures US drone: Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has captured a US ScanEagle drone over the Persian Gulf waters upon its intrusion into the Iranian airspace.
http://is.gd/Wz5ira

US denies losing drone over Iran: "The U.S. Navy has fully accounted for all unmanned air vehicles (UAV) operating in the Middle East region. Our operations in the Gulf are confined to internationally recognized water and air space," a spokesman for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain said.
http://is.gd/W5ZA38

Video of Drone on Iranian Television: Video - Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps displayed on Tuesday what state television channels described as a captured American drone that had entered Iranian airspace over the Persian Gulf "in the past few days."
http://is.gd/RdGlt7

Revealed: US and Britain launched 1,200 drone strikes in recent wars: The information, much of it classified until now, shows that US Air Force drones carried out most of the 1,168 attacks. However British crews are also responsible for a significant portion of the strikes in Afghanistan.
http://is.gd/dvTALP

Palestinian Authority' threatens International Criminal Court action over settlement plans:
Ramallah warns that it may file war crimes charges against Israel with International Crimes Court if it refuses to halt east Jerusalem construction plans
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4315675,00.html

This Time, Israel Has Defied the Whole World': While sanctions appear not to be on the table, German commentators say it is time to get tough with Israeli premier Netanyahu.
http://is.gd/7GfNfO

Jordan king to visit Palestine Thursday: "King Abdullah will visit the state of Palestine the day after tomorrow, on Thursday, in the first visit by a top official to the Palestinian state after we received UN recognition," said Nimr Hammad, political adviser to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=55910

Report: One-quarter of Israelis-and 37 percent of kids-live in poverty: Israel has the second-highest poverty rate in the developed world, behind only Mexico, according to statistics from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD
http://is.gd/CpQY1z

Afghanistan: 5 killed, 9 injured following blast in Uruzgan province: According to local authorities in southern Uruzgan province of Afghanistan at least 14 Afghan civilians were killed or injured following an explosion in in this province.
http://is.gd/3SF6Ye

Two NATO occupation force troops killed in Afghanistan: The NATO-led alliance said in a statement issued late Monday that the blast occurred earlier that day. It did not provide further details or the nationalities of the dead.
http://is.gd/tdf53Y

US Senate OKs $631 billion defence bill that pushes for US drawdown in Afghanistan: The Senate overwhelmingly approved a sweeping, $631 billion defence bill Tuesday that sends a clear signal to President Barack Obama to move quickly to get U.S. combat troops out of Afghanistan, tightens sanctions on Iran and limits the president's authority in handling terror suspects.
http://is.gd/nk7grR

So much for "war on terror" Terror attacks quadrupled since 9/11: The number of terrorist attacks each year has more than quadrupled in the decade since September 11, 2001, a study released on Tuesday said, with Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan the most affected.
http://is.gd/10VUZt

Clashes outside Egypt's presidential palace: Anti-Morsi demonstrators tear gassed in Cairo, as thousands gather to protest proposed constitution.
http://is.gd/fgGF9y

Libya 'talking points' were heavily edited by the CIA, Wall Street Journal reports: The 'talking points' about the Libya embassy attack were edited to remove a reference to Al Qaeda, among other details.
http://is.gd/DVLwzG

Mali rebels agree to respect 'national unity': The Malian government and two rebel groups have agreed to respect the country's "national unity", after holding their first talks to try and end a criss that has seen the west African country effectively split in two.
http://is.gd/LpZK5x

Nigerian army accused of killing civilians: Rights groups accuse Joint Task Force in Maiduguri of gross human rights violations in fight against Boko Haram.
http://is.gd/itzkly

Cops to Congress: We need logs of Americans' text messages:
State and local law enforcement groups want wireless providers to store detailed information about your SMS messages for at least two years -- in case they're needed for future criminal investigations.
http://is.gd/cHPMso

Judge stops school from expelling girl who refused to wear tracking device:
A Texas high school student will be allowed to continue going to class for now despite her refusal to cooperate with a program that forces pupils to be mandatorily tracked with computer chips.
http://rt.com/usa/news/school-hernandez-rfid-student-449/

Facebook faces European legal showdown over privacy violation claims: Facebook is about to be the subject of a new legal battle over its data protection policies and alleged violations of privacy as an Austrian privacy group plans to bring the case in an Irish court.
http://rt.com/news/irish-students-sue-facebook-privacy-291/

Mom Received 12-Yrs Prison for Selling $30 Worth of Marijuana: She's Released: The 26-year old mom from Oklahoma was just released after a two year stint in prison. She'd been given a full 12-year sentence for the peculiar act of selling just $30 worth of marijuana to a police informant.
http://is.gd/wDfQ9P

Kissinger and the secret spy network of old Nazis and German aristocrats 'who plotted to overthrow West German goverment':
'The Little Service' was made up of many former Gestapo and S.S. men as well as titled barons and counts
http://is.gd/jUb8Gx

Publicist confirms it: Fox News banned book critical of George W. Bush: Bartlett wrote that he'd published a book in 2006 called "Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy," and said it had cost him his job at a conservative think tank - a widely discussed episode at the time. Bartlett also wrote that the book got him blacklisted at Fox News:
http://is.gd/xxJ0pu

Corporate Profits Hit Record Highs As Wages Continue To Fall: It would seem that the corporate end of the business world is doing much better following the recession. - Sadly, employees are seeing wages reach an all-time low. According to Robert Brusca, economist with FAO Research in New York, this an unfortunate part of the game.
http://is.gd/uyHdeD

More data pointing to slowdown in US economy: Following a dismal report last week on retail sales for November, the first month of the holiday shopping season, manufacturing data released Monday confirmed that the US economy is weakening.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/dec2012/econ-d04.shtml