eperiodismo.CDR

El Soldado Ryan y Nueva York

2006-09-04T03:48:00.000-07:00

by Daniel Sanchez Nieves

No uso mucho el cine bélico, la verdad, pero hace poco tuve ocasión de ver la película de Spielberg “Salvar al soldado Ryan”, y su visionado paralelo a las noticias del canal de 24 horas de TVE me llevó a descubrir una curiosa paradoja (entre otras acepciones: contrario al sentido común).

La película en sí he de reconocer que me resultó entretenida, muchas balas, muchas vidas, mucha sangre, en definitiva muchos cuerpos de soldados en medio del infierno y un par de despachos con paredes color cielo.

La primera reflexión es muy sencilla y tiene que ver con la procedencia de los soldados, su origen rural o de los grandes ghettos de las ciudades norteamericanas. El lugar del infierno ha cambiado, de Normandía a Bagdad, Afganistán, etc., pero el origen humilde de los soldados que caen por Mr. Bush disparando bombas “inteligentes” (me niego a creer que lo sean, ya que si algo de raciocinio hubiera en su interior se darían la vuelta) de Mr. Bush a los civiles desarmados del Eje del Mal, no.

Siguen muriendo, pasa la vida, pasan los años y siguen llegando cartas a los hogares (afortunados allí donde funciona el correo, no se si algún buzón quedará en pie en el Líbano) de los que pelean por la patria usamericana allende las fronteras defendiendo la libertad y la democracia en el mundo.

La diferencia, llegados a este punto, es que en la Segunda Guerra Mundial la lucha estaba clara, había que derrotar al Fascismo, se sabía quien eran los buenos y quien los malos. Aunque eso sí, la guerra no entiende de ideologías, sino de nacionalidades, si estabas a un lado de la frontera te convertías en defensor de ese bando, por poco ario que fueses. Es el sinsentido de la guerra y perdónenme la cita que no recuerdo al autor: “una masacre entre gente que no se conoce para provecho de gente que si se conoce pero no se masacran”.

Y en el caso de haber colaborado en el campo de batalla con los buenos, y de haber sobrevivido al infierno, la sociedad de tu país te reconocía ese esfuerzo y te recompensaba a la vuelta al hogar. Así pasó por ejemplo en Nueva York, donde a orillas del río en pleno centro del Manhattan de 1945 se levantó un barrio para alojar a los veteranos y/o supervivientes de la guerra y a sus familias.

Y allí han vivido hasta ahora, cuando las tornas han cambiado en el mundo. Los agredidos y humillados entonces son los agresores y genocidas de hoy, y los héroes de guerra, los libertadores de ayer, hoy son los miles de residentes de un barrio condenado a desaparecer en la vorágine del capitalismo inmobiliario de la gran manzana.

¿He vivido dignamente? Se pregunta el protagonista al final de la película. La respuesta es sí, los indignos son aquellos que utilizan seres humanos día tras día como piezas de un rompecabezas; aquellos que se amparan en los daños colaterales para sesgar vidas y contar billetes. Los indignos, en definitiva, son los miembros del Consejo de Administración de la Empresa dueña de los terrenos, a los que me imagino uno a uno levantando la mano para aprobar el plan urbanístico que contribuye a aniquilar la poca moralidad y ética que le quedaban a los Estados Unidos.

Por que según nos narra Rosa Molló la corresponsal de TVE en USA; que se debe estar haciendo una idea muy agradable de la diligencia de sus regidores tras informar desde Nueva Orleáns tras el Katrina; la empresa en cuestión, una aseguradora, ha decidido demoler decenas de edificios para disponer de miles de metros cuadrados en una zona privilegiada de Manhattan, a costa de sus miles de habitantes, que intuyo no podrán pagar el precio de las nuevas viviendas.

Se puede sobrevivir a una guerra mundial, volver a casa, superar las pesadillas, y vivir una vida normal- Pero un día el capitalismo más voraz llamará a tu puerta.

March in Madrid Against The war in Libano Photogallery

2006-08-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Marcha en Madrid contra la Guerra del Libano

2006-08-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

por Daniel Sanchez Nieves

Madrid: 20 de Agosto de 2006

A lo largo del verano y sobre todo en este mes de Agosto son múltiples las referencias informativas a la soledad, calma y tranquilidad que se respira en las grandes ciudades, cuando la mayor parte de su población decide y puede darse un respiro. Es tanta la tranquilidad que incluso un grupo de 500 personas pueden pasear tranquilamente por la calle Velázquez de la capital del Reino, sin tener que esquivar ni automóviles, ni improperios

típicos del tráfico, ni las luces de los cámaras, ni las habilidosas preguntas que los profesionales de la información lanzan en los actos más concurridos del verano.

O sea que acabamos de confirmar la tesis de que en verano no hay noticias, (como demuestra Pedro Jota al irse a defender la libertad de expresión a su veraniega piscina), a pesar de que un grupo de organizaciones y ciudadanos anónimos se empeñe en dar la nota y pasear por las calles de Madrid intentando que su voz se oiga.

Voces que quieren incomodar, que pretenden atravesar el muro que los funcionarios de la Embajada Israelí, de la Estadounidense y de los Cuerpos de Seguridad del Estado han levantado para seguir sirviendo con la conciencia tranquila a aquellos que han decidido, desde la calma, tranquilidad y serenidad de su despacho, apretar el botón, dar la orden de arrebatar, en algunos casos por unos instantes, en la mayor parte para siempre; a miles de ciudadanos de un país soberano sus vidas tal y como las conocían hasta ahora.
Voces que pretenden, desde la distancia, llegar a los oídos y al corazón de todos aquellos que regresan a lo que queda de sus hogares, de su familia, de su vida en el sur del Líbano y se encuentran con la más absoluta tristeza, rabia e impotencia. Llegar a ellos, y
decirles de alguna forma, que aunque pocos y distantes, sus lágrimas no caen en saco roto,
sus gritos de dolor no se los lleva el viento.

Voces del pueblo, voces de inmigrantes que miran con mucho respeto el uniforme azul
que les rodea. Un altercado, ¿la documentación? y pagarán con la repatriación su gesto solidario.

Voces tímidas, de aquellos que llevaban mucho tiempo sin salir a la calle, pero que hoy, el domingo pasado, el anterior y el próximo estarán donde su aletargada y dormida
conciencia les indicó que debían estar al despertar.
Voces de profesionales de la información que han visto sobre el terreno la realidad y
se han negado a seguir contando lo que les dicen, sino que quieren contar lo que vieron. Y
claro, si te mueves de la piscina, no sales en la foto.
Voces de libaneses, voces palestinas; voces que nos acercan la tragedia pero también la
esperanza de que tanta injusticia en el nombre del dinero jamás devorará la esencia del ser
humano, la solidaridad con el oprimido, el rechazo a las injusticias allá donde se
produzcan, la convivencia.

Voces, en definitiva, de ayuda, de apoyo, de rabia contenida, de no poder ni siquiera
llegar a imaginar que la soledad, calma y tranquilidad que se vive hoy en Madrid se vivía
ayer en Líbano, pero el ruido de los motores, de las bombas, de los gritos de niños, mayores
y ancianos; de las casas derrumbándose sobre sus propios recuerdos y de las palabras
“terrorismo” y “ataque preventivo” coreadas por Olmert, “Condolencia” y George; se las han
llevado.
Voces que volverán a estar este domingo 27 de agosto a las puertas de la Embajada
Israelí (12:00 horas) para recordarnos a todos que no podemos mirar siempre para otro lado,
ya que cada vez que apartamos la mirada, los ojos de un ser humano se cierran para siempre.

Israel 'authorized' to continue attacks

2006-07-28T04:50:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't call it fascism exactly, but a political system nominally controlled
by an irresponsible, dumbed down electorate who are manipulated by dishonest,
cynical, controlled mass media that dispense the propaganda of a corrupt
political establishment can hardly be described as democracy either: Edward Zehr

=
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of
state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini

=
Because we fear the responsibility for our actions, we have allowed ourselves to
develop the mentality of slaves. Contrary to the stirring sentiments of the
Declaration of Independence, we now pledge "our Lives, our Fortunes and our
sacred Honor" not to one another for our mutual protection, but to the state,
whose actions continue to exploit, despoil, and destroy us: Butler D. Shaffer

=
"Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.": Thomas
Jefferson

=
A time comes when silence is betrayal." Rev. Martin Luther King

Israel 'authorized' to continue attacks

By Aljazeera

Israel has said it has received implicit "authorization" from international
powers to continue its attacks in Lebanon.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14228.htm

===
Smoke signals from the battle of Bint Jbeil send a warning to Israel

By Robert Fisk

Is it possible - is it conceivable - that Israel is losing its war in Lebanon?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14223.htm

===
Who is winning this war?

Q & A With Uri Avnery

On the 15th day of the war, Hizbullah is functioning and fighting. That by
itself will go down in the annals of the Arab peoples as a shining victory. When
a featherweight boxer faces a heavyweight and is still standing in the 15th
round - that is a victory, whatever the final outcome.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14229.htm

===
There is an alternative to this unnecessary war

Eisenhower ended the Suez war in 1956, and America could do it now

By Adrian Hamilton:

If Bush, with Blair in support, prefers not rein in Israel, it isn't because he
doesn't see the means. It's because he doesn't want to. The question the public
should be asking is "why not?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14234.htm

===
The War on Lebanon and the Battle for Oil

By Michel Chossudovsky

Is there a relationship between the bombing of Lebanon and the inauguration of
the World's largest strategic pipeline, which will channel more a million
barrels of oil a day to Western markets?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14233.htm

===
Growing fears for civilians in Lebanon

Must watch 4 minute video report

BBC Report From TYRE, Lebanon.

Click here to view
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14236.htm

===
"Hezbollah has never been a terrorist organization."

Must watch 4 Minute Video

Member of parliament George Galloway.

Click here to view
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14235.htm

===
US Blocks Security Council statement on UN Peacekeepers Death

By Agence France Presse

China, home of one of the dead soldiers of the UN mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL),
had originally demanded a condemnation of the attack. But the United States
would not accept any criticism of its ally, Israel, diplomats said.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14231.htm

===
Dean Calls Iraqi PM an 'Anti-Semite'

By BRIAN SKOLOFF

Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean on Wednesday called Iraqi Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki an "anti-Semite" for failing to denounce Hezbollah for its
attacks against Israel.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14218.htm

===
Idiot Nation

By John S. Hatch

It’s hard to imagine how a proud nation could surrender its soul without so much
as a whimper. Does it matter that crimes can be proven against America’s
leaders? How is it so easy to devolve from Christianity to snarling dogs and
sodomy committed against young imprisoned boys, to massacres and murders, the
use of white phosphorous and depleted uranium.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14216.htm

===

Satire

Israel Attacks US

By Jerry Ghinelli

The government of Israel today launched a massive air assault on suspected
terrorist targets along coastal cities of the United States of America. Termed
operation Just Reward II, hundreds of Israeli fighter jets streamed across the
Atlantic in precise formation and fired surgical air strikes at alleged
terrorist strongholds in the heavy Muslim populations of Jersey City and North
Bergen, New Jersey.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14224.htm

===
Standing up for Canada?

By David Orchard

Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated: “Israel’s response, under the
circumstances, has been measured.” He announced that it was “too early” to call
for a ceasefire. These words, in essence, signalled a green light from Canada
for the bombing to continue.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14215.htm

===
The neocon resurgence

By Sidney Blumenthal

The delusional US mindset that made the Iraq war a disaster has resurfaced in
Lebanon.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14238.htm

===
Great soul of power

By Noam Chomsky

A prevailing truth was expressed by US President John Adams two centuries ago:
"Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension
of the weak." That is the deep root of the combination of savagery and
self-righteousness that infects the imperial mentality — and in some measure,
every structure of authority and domination.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14221.htm

===
Lebanon says up to 600 killed in Israeli attacks:

Hospitals had so far received 401 bodies of victims of the Israeli attacks. "On
top of those victims, there are 150 to 200 bodies still under the rubble. We
have not been able to pull them out because the areas they died in are still
under fire," Khalifeh told Reuters.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3282427,00.html

===
Dozens killed in day of fiercest combat yet:

Israel's two-front conflict saw its heaviest day of fighting on Wednesday,
killing nine Israeli soldiers, dozens of Hezbollah fighters and at least 23
Palestinians in Gaza.
http://tinyurl.com/jdzn4

===
Harper demands answers on UN death:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, under attack by political opponents over his
Middle East policy, said yesterday he will seek explanations from the United
Nations and the Israeli government about the "terrible tragedy" that killed a
Canadian peacekeeper in Lebanon.
http://tinyurl.com/z5hlg

===
World condemns Israel as diplomacy fails again:

Jerusalem attempted to fend off the rebukes following the deaths of the four UN
observers, who came from Austria, Canada, Finland and China.
http://www.alternet.org/story/39527

===
War pimp alert:

Bush cites Iran's role in Lebanon conflict:

President Bush declined Thursday to criticize Israel's tactics in its continuing
offensive against Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon, and gave a sharp
condemnation of Iran's role in the bloody fighting.
http://tinyurl.com/kjpzr

===
Israel's star-spangled arsenal;

Much has been made in the US media of the Syrian- and Iranian-origin weaponry
used by Hezbollah in the escalating violence in Israel and Lebanon. There has
been no parallel discussion of the origin of Israel's weaponry, the vast bulk of
which is from the United States.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14237.htm

===
'They are treating us like meat in a butcher's shop':

Outside the hospital, men were nailing shut around 70 coffins for just some of
the scores of innocent civilians killed in the previous nine days' bombardment.
Among them were the small coffins of 20 children.
http://www.sundayherald.com/56880

===
Belgian Jewish Leader: Israel Committing War Crimes :

Jewish associations have begun to react against the Israeli offensive into
Lebanon. Head of the Union of Belgian Jewish Progressives (UPJB) Dr. Jacques
Ravedovitch stated that Israel is committing war crimes in Lebanon.
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=international&alt=&hn=35131

===
Twin wars `a calculated kind of madness':

Israel's twin wars, one in Lebanon and the other in the Gaza Strip, are a
disaster, not only for their civilian victims but also Israel itself, as well as
for the United States, and the chief cheerleader for both, Stephen Harper.
http://tinyurl.com/eh5pg

===
Uri Avnery: Is Beirut Burning? :

It is not important how long this war will last and what will be its results -
the fact that a few thousand fighters have withstood the Israeli army for 11
days and more, has already been imprinted in the consciousness of hundred of
millions of Arabs and Muslims.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article14220.htm

===
Syrian reporter: In Syria there is atmosphere of eve of war:

As the conflict with Hizbullah in Lebanon escalates by the day, the question of
Syria's involvement in the conflict becomes increasingly more relevant.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3282279,00.html

===
Israel steps up "psy-ops" in Lebanon :

From mass targeting of mobile phones with voice and text messages to
old-fashioned radio broadcasts warning of imminent attacks, Israel is deploying
a range of old and new technologies in Lebanon as part of the psychological
operations ("psyops") campaign supplementing its military attacks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5217484.stm

===
In case you missed it:

Noam Chomsky in Beirut:

"I think Nasrallah has a reasoned and persuasive argument that the arms should
be in the hands of Hizbullah as a deterrent to potential aggression, and there
are plenty of background reasons for that ..."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14230.htm

===
In case you missed it:

Hezbollah Signals It's Open to Talks With United States:

A Hezbollah political leader told a delegation of former European and American
officials last month that the Bush administration approached the organization
for talks following September 11, 2001, and that the group would be open to new
discussions.
http://www.nysun.com/article/11974?access=129695

===
Bombs bound for Israel came via British airports :

Ministers are embroiled in a row over whether British military equipment and
airports are being used to assist Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article1199343.ece

===
75-year-old woman and a child among 5 killed by Israeli Occupation Forces in
Gaza:

Despite a high death toll in Gaza, with 23 people killed on Wednesday alone, the
world's attention has been focused on Lebanon, where Israeli forces have been
fighting Hezbollah guerrillas since July 12.
http://tinyurl.com/kljop

===
In case you missed it;

Video Israel Doesn't Want You to See:

Israeli army embarrassed by video broadcast
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14232.htm

===
Israeli tank shelling kills two Palestinian sisters in Gaza Strip :

Two Palestinian sisters, aged at two and nine, were killed and their mother
critically wounded Wednesday evening in an Israeli tank shelling at the eastern
town of Jabalya in northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medics and witnesses said.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200607/27/eng20060727_287066.html

===
Pictures of children killed by Israeli occupation forces
http://tinyurl.com/fmfz7

===
At least 21 Palestinians killed as Israeli occupation forces invade Gaza:

At least 21 Palestinians were killed yesterday when the Israeli army renewed its
hostilities in the Gaza Strip. About 50 tanks and armoured vehicles entered
northern Gaza and began demolishing buildings and trees at dawn. Armed
Palestinians attacked the forces and fighting continued all day.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1831143,00.html

===
In Pictures - Today In Gaza Picture Album:

- WARNING - Graphic images depicting the reality and horror of Israel's Invasion
and destruction of Gaza
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14239.htm

===
Why Israel Can’t Win the War:

The world is witnessing what could be a critical turning point in the
Arab-Israeli conflict. Israel is now engaged in a war that could permanently
undermine the efficacy of its much-vaunted military apparatus.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14226.htm

===
Map Showing Where Israel Has Bombed Lebanon
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14227.htm

===
A Statement By The Saudi Royal Court:

It should be stated that patience could not last forever. If the Israeli
military brutality persisted with killings and destruction no one could predict
the consequences and then regreat will be in vain
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14217.htm

===
A history of terror:

60th anniversary of Zionist bombing the King David Hotel:

91 people died, among them 28 British, 41 Arabs and 17 Jews. One IZL fighter was
killed inside the hotel, after the explosives had been set.
http://tinyurl.com/lal2n

===
Iraq: Attacks in Upscale Part of Baghdad Kill 31 :

Mortars, rockets and a car bomb blasted Baghdad's upscale Karradah district
Thursday, killing at least 31 people and wounding 153, police said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5977528,00.html

===
Iraq: At least 30 Killed as U.S. occupation continues:

Nineteen bodies with bullet holes and showing signs of torture were found in
different areas of the capital, Interior Ministry sources said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ANW720572.htm

===
Rumsfeld extends tours of 3,500 US troops in Iraq:

The Pentagon extended the tours of about 3,500 US troops in Iraq for 120 days in
a move that dashed hopes of a reduction in the US force this year in the face of
surging sectarian violence.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060727/pl_afp/usiraqmilitarytroops

===
Civil war won't end until troops leave Iraq:

I have been visiting Baghdad in peace and in war since 1978 and I have never
seen this city of 6 million people so paralyzed by fear. The streets are empty
in the middle of the day because Sunni and Shiite Muslims are terrified of
running into a checkpoint manned by members of the other community who may kill
them after a glance at their identity cards.
http://tinyurl.com/zbmpy

===

They plundered Iraq for fun and profit:

Mike Battles — former Republican candidate for Congress in Rhode Island and Fox
News war-on-terror analyst — figured he could make a quick fortune off the
rebuilding of Iraq. So he and pal Scott Custer set up a contracting firm with
the catchy name of Custer Battles. The company proceeded to steal a cool $50
million from American taxpayers, according to two of its former employees.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2003151758_froma26.html

===
Coalition forces kill 3 in occupied Afghanistan ":

Coalition forces in Afghanistan killed three "insurgents" Thursday after an
ambush in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, the U.S. military said.
http://www.washtimes.com/upi/20060727-110840-7192r.htm

===
NATO soldiers among 16 dead in Afghan chopper "crash":

Sixteen people, including two US civilians and two NATO soldiers from the
Netherlands, were killed in a helicopter "crash" in the eastern Afghan province
of Khost,
http://tinyurl.com/jbgwv

===
US House backs India nuclear deal:

Amendments that aimed to put limits on India's nuclear weapons programme, that
were proposed by critics concerned the deal would harm non-proliferation goals,
were rejected.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/F71AC309-E5FE-41E7-B6CA-758B0E160227.htm

===
Russia rebuffs U.S. call to rethink $1bln Venezuela arms deal :

"We will honor the contract," Ivanov said, adding that Venezuela had no
restrictions on arms supplies.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060726/51864682.html

===
Bolton Is Still Unfit to Serve:

The president wants Congress to permanently appoint John Bolton as ambassador to
the U.N., but a year on the job shows just how bad Bolton has been.
http://www.alternet.org/story/39489

===
His nightmare began on 9/12:

A refugee claimant who was handed over to American officials at the border as a
terror suspect the day after 9/11 says he is still trying to figure out how he
was launched into a five-year nightmare in U.S. jails.
http://tinyurl.com/otbgt

===
Pentagon Approves $11 Billion Contract For Useless Weapons System :

In an effort to combat Al Qaeda’s non-existent fleet of stealth fighter jets,
the Air Force, following an endorsement by the taxpayer-funded Institute for
Defense Analyses (IDA), approved a new three-year, $11 billion contract for the
F-22.
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/07/25/f22-corruption/

===
In case you missed it: Exposed:

The Carlyle Group :

I defy you to watch this 48 minute documentary and not be outraged about the
depth of corruption and deceit within the highest ranks of our government.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article3995.htm

===
ExxonMobil makes $10.4B in second quarter:

Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA/RDSB) said Thursday that second-quarter earnings jumped
40% to $7.32 billion as high oil prices offset production difficulties in
Nigeria and the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/earnings/2006-07-27-exxon_x.htm

===
ConocoPhillips again posts a record profit:

For the second quarter of the year, the company booked net income of $5.2
billion, or $3.09 a share, on revenue of $47.1 billion.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4074906.html

===
End of Cheap Oil:

The increase in oil prices in world markets is inevitable because the resource
is dwindling and supplies have peaked, peak oil means the end of cheap oil, and
an end to economies organized around the increasing availability of cheap oil.
http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2006-06/26shiva.cfm

===
Gabriel Kolko: Bankers Fear World Economic Meltdown:

The vultures from the investment houses and banks have begun to position
themselves to profit from the imminent business distress – a crisis they see as
a matter of timing rather than principle.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14219.htm

===
Sheehan buys land in Crawford:

``We decided to buy property in Crawford to use until George's resignation or
impeachment, which we all hope is soon for the sake of the world,'' - ``I can't
think of a better way to use Casey's insurance money than for peace, and I am
sure that Casey approves.''
http://cbs11tv.com/texaswire/TX--PeaceMom-Land_d_n_0tx--/resources_news_html

===
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===

Peace & Joy
Charlyparker and CDRimage
===

Liberty can not be preserved without general knowledge among people." (August
1765) John Adams

Another Face, Another Raid

2006-07-12T03:38:00.001-07:00

*Inter Press Service*
Dahr Jamail and Ali Fadhil

*FALLUJAH, Jul 11 (IPS) - It could be called perhaps just another raid.*

Early in the morning on Sunday, Jun. 18, U.S. military helicopters
landed near the home of Sinan Abdul-Ilah al-Mashadani in the al-Jughaifi
district of Fallujah.

Within two minutes the doors of his home were blasted open and "a
strange looking group of people" stormed inside, according to Said Walid
Ahmed, a 40-year-old teacher who lives in the neighbourhood.

"This force is not totally unknown to us here in Fallujah," Ahmed, who
witnessed the incident from a nearby house told IPS.. "They are a
special force of Americans that assassinates more people than it arrests."

Ahmed described the force from the helicopters as "big men with long
hair and beards, some wearing earrings, and others with little black
caps on the top of their heads at the back."

Sinan Abdul-Ilah al-Mashadani, who was a student at al-Mustansiriya
University and the sole supporter of his mother and younger brother and
sister, was killed in the raid, apparently by a special operations team
supported by the U.S. military, according to witnesses.

"Their (special forces troops') dogs were biting everybody including
children and women in the neighbourhood," Um Amar, a 63-year-old woman
who lives three houses away from Sinan told IPS. "They killed the poor
boy in cold blood and arrested his little brother." She burst into tears
and began to pray.

Another neighbour, Jassim al-Jumaily, said Sinan's father Najim
Abdul-Ilah al-Mashhadani was killed during Operation Phantom Fury in
November 2004 when his house was bombed by U.S. warplanes.

The U.S. military assault on Fallujah then destroyed most of the city
and killed between 4,000 and 6,000 people, according to Monitoring Net
of Human Rights in Iraq (MHRI), an Iraqi non-governmental organisation
based in Fallujah.

Sinan took responsibility for his family after the death of his father,
Jumaily said. "He had to work and study at the same time. We did not
notice any abnormality in his behaviour at all. When the helicopters
came, we never thought Sinan would be the target, because we realise
they only come after big personalities from al-Qaeda or leaders in the
Iraqi resistance."

Jumaily said the long-haired bearded men from the special force "blasted
the doors of Sinan's house open as if they were attacking an army
headquarters."

People in the neighbourhood said they heard some of what was going on.
"The screaming of Sinan's mother and sisters was frightening," Jumaily
said. "All we could do was pray for their safety, trying to comfort each
other that the worst possibility was that they would arrest Sinan."

After the men had been inside the house for three hours Jumaily and
other witnesses said they heard Sinan's mother wailing, and saw the men
leave with Amin, her 13-year-old son who was being beaten by the men and
bitten by their dogs as he was taken away.

Many of the neighbours then went to Sinan's home, and found his body,
covered with sheets and mattresses. There was a pool of blood on the
floor, some was splattered on the walls.

"Three days after his detention, Amin was released," said Muhamad
al-Deraji, director of MHRI. "The left hand of this orphaned child was
bitten three times, and is now scarred and deformed."

The U.S. forces also raided other homes in the area, Deraji said. "One
of the dogs attacked a woman who tried to protect her baby. The dog bit
the mother's hand."

Deraji said the forces looted money and jewellery from several of the
houses they raided.

IPS sent an email to Major Douglas Powell at the Combined Press
Information Centre for the Multi-National Force in Iraq to request
comment on the incident. There was no reply.

Later, IPS phoned the U.S. military spokesperson in Baghdad to request
information on the incident. The spokesman, who declined to give his
name, said "we have no information confirming this event ever took place."

_______________________________________________
(c)2006 Dahr Jamail.
All images, photos, photography and text are protected by United States and
international copyright law. If you would like to reprint Dahr's Dispatches on
the web, you need to include this copyright notice and a prominent link to the
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course, feel free to forward Dahr's dispatches via email.

Another Face, Another Raid

2006-07-12T03:38:00.000-07:00

2006-07-11T04:24:00.000-07:00

How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware
of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in
one's culture but within oneself? If there is a stage at which an individual
life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding
and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. :
Barry Lopez:

=
Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not
attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose:
Helen Keller:

=
Not only is another world possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can
hear her breathing: Arundhati Roy:

===
Read this newsletter online http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/

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News Syndication

You can include the headlines from this newsletter on your own website free of
charge
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/syndicate.htm

===
Number Of Iraqi Civilians Slaughtered In America's War? As Many As 250,000
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11674.htm

Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In Bush's
War 2544

http://icasualties.org/oif/

The War in Iraq Costs
$294,869,361,150
See the cost in your community
http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182

===
Whack North Korea, Before It Can Protect Itself?

By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

The US is the new Rome--there is no legitimate power but us. Any other power is
a potential threat to our interests and must be eliminated before it gets any
independent ideas. The US, however, is far more dangerous than Rome. Rome saw
its world as the Mediterranean and, for a while, Northern Europe, but the US
thinks the whole world is its oyster.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13942.htm

===
Bush’s Scatterbrain “Reconciliation” Plan

By Mike Whitney

Bush is dreaming if he thinks that he can patch things together by throwing a
bone to the resistance. What good does amnesty do when the country is in rubble
and an American stooge is running the government from the Green Zone? This just
forces the resistance to stiffen their resolve and continue the struggle.
There's really no other option.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13940.htm

===
Take Me Home

By Geoff Rutledge

I was sent to this far away land, half a boy half a man.

4 Minute Video
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13944.htm

===
Democracy, Mexican Style

By Stephen Lendman

It was learned that Felipe Calderon's brother-in-law Diego Hildebrando Zavala
wrote the vote-counting software, and it's already been hacked. This new
discovery is especially disturbing as whoever controls the Federal Electoral
Institute (IFE) computer systems can manipulate the vote process, control which
votes get counted, which ones don't, and what the final vote tally will be.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13941.htm

===
At least 30 killed Monday as U.S. occupation continues:

Two bombs blasted Baghdad's Talbiya district, a stronghold of Shi'ite militia
fighters, killing 12 people and wounding 62, police said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IBO038872.htm

===
7 killed as gunmen ambush bus in Sunni neighborhood:

The gunmen killed all six passengers, including a woman, and the driver before
setting the bus on fire in the Amariyah neighborhood of western Baghdad, police
Capt. Jamil Hussein said
http://tinyurl.com/phyc2

===
Iraq's Islamic Party accuses Iraqi police of murdering Muslim cleric:

Iraq's Islamic Party claimed Saturday that the Iraqi police murdered a Muslim
cleric on a security checkpoint in southern Iraq.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=884366

===
Maliki appeals for unity :

Iraq's prime minister pleaded for Iraqis to "unite as brothers" on Monday as a
fresh spasm of violence gripped Baghdad, where 60 people were killed at the
weekend in a dramatic escalation of sectarian bloodletting.
http://tinyurl.com/nly84

===
Shia massacre revives fears of civil war :

Mahdi army blamed for Baghdad street slaughter
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1816661,00.html

===
Sacked policemen storm government office in Iraq:

Some 200 sacked policemen from a province where Iraqi forces will take over
security from British troops this month stormed the governor's office on Monday,
beating people with hoses and stabbing them with knives.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IBO056640.htm

===
Documents prove alleged Iraqi rape-murder victim was 14, not 20 as the military
says:

Documents obtained by Reuters on Sunday showed the rape victim was a minor aged
just 14, and not over 20 as U.S. officials say. Abeer’s sister Hadeel was just
six when she died of “several gunshot wounds”.
http://tinyurl.com/grvye

===
Chris Floyd: Home Free: American Power in Mahmudiyah :

Let this be a lesson to all the cannon fodder out there: don't get above your
raising, don't emulate your betters. Law is for the lowly, not the great and
good.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13937.htm

===
American soldiers, keeping the streets of Iraq safe :

Well, well, well. The Ministry of Truth has now scrubbed out Green's photo. If
you access the cached version of the article you can still see it.
http://tinyurl.com/qphf6

===
Iraq to ask UN to end U.S. immunity after rape case:

Iraq will ask the United Nations to end immunity from local law for U.S. troops,
the human rights minister said on Monday, as the military named five soldiers
charged in a rape-murder case that has outraged Iraqis.
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1007392006

===
In case you missed it: Iraq:

Free Fire Zones: 2 Minute Video:

Former US Marine Rob Serra spoke in CT in 2004. He had taken part in the
invasion of Iraq the year before and he tells what first turned him against the
war.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13945.htm

===
4 Minute Video: War Is Not A Game:

This video is rapidly becoming a "defining" song for the peace movement. War Is
Not A Game is written by combat veteran, emergency room physician, and
congressional candidate Dr. Bill Durston.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13943.htm

===
Are Americans getting an accurate picture of what’s going on in Iraq?: :

It’s a lot worse over here [in Iraq] than is reported. The administration does a
great job of managing the news.
http://tinyurl.com/o7l5w

===
Friendly fire death inquiry reopened:

AN INQUIRY into the shooting of Iraq's trade minister's bodyguards by Australian
troops has been reopened by the Defence Force after complaints from the Iraqi
Government.
http://tinyurl.com/s6v4k

===
40 suspected Taliban killed in U.S. strike :

A U.S. warplane bombed a militant hide-out in a raid by Afghan and coalition
forces that killed more than 40 suspected Taliban militants in southern
Afghanistan on Monday, coalition officials said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-07-10-suspected-taliban_x.htm

===
16 are killed in raid in Afghan provinc:

Hundreds of Canadian and Afghan soldiers raided Taliban strongholds throughout
southern orchards yesterday, sparking fighting that killed at least 15 militants
and one Canadian
http://tinyurl.com/od3nq

===
2 militants killed, 9 wounded in Afghanistan :

Firefights between anti-government militants and law enforcing agencies left two
militants dead and 11 others, including two police, injured in the south and
southeast Afghanistan on Sunday night,
http://english.people.com.cn/200607/10/eng20060710_281721.html

===
4 Children Killed By Israeli Occupation Forces:

One Palestinian was killed in another IDF attack in the Karni crossing and
several others wounded.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3273621,00.html

===
The Wahbas' last meal: :

It's a direct hit by the second missile fired by the excellent Israel Air Force
pilot, and it comes right into the dining room through the ceiling. Fatma, three
months pregnant, is killed on the spot by the shrapnel that hits her spine. Her
brother, Dr. Ahmed, is also killed. His daughter-in-law miscarries her child,
the little girl Farah is moderately injured and the baby of the family, Khaled,
is critically injured in the head. A puddle of blood collects on the floor.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/735520.html

==
UN warns of Gazans' struggle to survive:

He said in the north of Gaza Israeli forces had shot and destroyed rooftop water
tanks and mains, while in the south more than 1,000 people had been forced to
leave their homes. Rafah had no electricity because the army would not allow the
UN to fix a minor fault, while the rest of Gaza had electricity for six hours a
day.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329525185-103552,00.html

===
Israel bars Palestinian Americans for first time since 1967 :

For the first time since 1967, Israel is preventing the entry of Palestinians
with foreign citizenship, most of them Americans.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/736349.html

===
After 30 years, wife loses right to enter Israel :

There was no reason to suspect anything but an error. After all, throughout
their 30 years together this was the drill: Every three months, a day or two
before the Israeli tourist visa in her American passport was set to expire, she
would go away for a few days - to Jordan, sometimes Cyprus or Egypt, then return
with a new visa for another three months.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=736359

===
'Apartheid Israel' worse than apartheid SA :

The "apartheid Israel state" is worse than the apartheid that was conducted in
South Africa, Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Willie
Madisha said on Monday. He said Palestinians were being attacked with heavy
machinery and tanks used in war, which had never happened in South Africa.
http://tinyurl.com/modak

===
Olmert on Iran: ‘I Rely on Bush’ :

“I am confident that the international community, headed by President Bush, will
take the required, effective measures to stop the threat of enriching uranium,
posed by Iran.”
http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=106934

===
Iran won't give final nuclear response Tuesday:

Iran previously said it would not give a final response on Tuesday but, by
repeating the comment a day before the meeting, the official undermined any
prospects of a breakthrough.
http://tinyurl.com/nrsud

===
Tehran insider tells of US black ops:

There has been a marked spike in unrest in Kurdistan, Khuzestan and Balochistan,
three of Iran's provinces with a high concentration of ethnic Kurdish, Arab and
Balochi minorities respectively.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HD25Ak02.html

===
US to dangle nuclear energy deal in exchange for Russia's help on Iran :

The United States said Saturday it is beginning negotiations with Russia on a
potentially lucrative nuclear energy accord, but made clear any deal would be
conditional on Moscow's full cooperation in US attempts to block Iranian nuclear
ambitions.
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2006/07/09/afx2866024.html

===
Chechen rebel leader Basayev killed:

Shamil Basayev, the Chechen rebel leader who became the most wanted man in
Russia, has been killed by the Russian security services.
http://tinyurl.com/mjrsp

===
Masters of War:

An anti-war video with background music from Pearl Jam
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13946.htm

===
Japan Considers Strike Against N. Korea:

Japan said Monday it was considering whether a pre-emptive strike on the North's
missile bases would violate its constitution, signaling a hardening stance ahead
of a possible U.N. Security Council vote on Tokyo's proposal for sanctions
against the regime.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2173249

===
N Korea ready for 'all-out war':

NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has vowed not to make "even a tiny concession"
to the United States and said Pyongyang was braced for "all-out war" after its
missile tests, state television has warned.
http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,19734362-5001027,00.html

===
U.N. Postpones Vote On North Korea Sanctions:

Ambassador Wang Guangya told reporters after a meeting with envoys from Russia,
the United States, Britain, France and Japan that the resolution would have to
be altered for the council to approve it.
http://cbs3.com/topstories/topstories_story_191140927.html

===
India's Test Of Nuclear-Capable Missile Fails:

I India's first test-firing of a new missile designed to carry nuclear warheads
across much of Asia and the Middle East was unsuccessful, the defense minister
said. Although initially reported as a success by officials, the Agni III
missile plunged into the Bay of Bengal short of its target
http://cbs2chicago.com/national/topstories_story_191141610.html

===
K Gajendra Singh: The Mother Of All Battles: For Oil:

For the first time in its history, Latin America , sharply split between a tiny
rich white elite and huge poverty, is moving towards a degree of independence
and also a degree of integration. So the United States is terrified.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13938.htm

===
Mexico's leftist candidate presents evidence of fraud:

The evidence to be presented to the Federal Election Tribunal includes alleged
proof of computer manipulation of results and that votes weren't counted, his
party says.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article1169693.ece

===
Ortega Reaches 30% in Nicaraguan Race:

Voter support for former head of state Daniel Ortega increased last month in
Nicaragua, according to a poll by Borge y Asociados. 30.1 per cent of
respondents would back the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) member in
this year’s presidential election
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/12494

===
In case you missed it;

Video: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised:

Their film records what was probably history's shortest-lived coup d'état. It's
a unique document about political muscle and an extraordinary portrait of the
man The Wall Street Journal credits with making Venezuela "Washington's biggest
Latin American headache after the old standby, Cuba."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13119.htm

===
Guantanamo Bay detainees face 'systematic' abuse: :

Prisoners at the US detention center at Guantanamo Bay have been subjected to
"systematic physical, psychological, sexual, medical and religious abuse,"
according to a report released Monday by the Center for Constitutional Rights
http://tinyurl.com/mecav

===
Records Show Pentagon Silence Led to Prisoner Abuses:

New documents show senior Defense officials ignored the request by military
commanders to clarify interrogation methods.
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/torture/26099prs20060710.html

===
CCR Report In Full:

Report Details Recent Torture and Inhumane Treatment in Violation of U.S. Law
and the Supreme Court’s Recent Hamdan Decision;
http://tinyurl.com/ow8k5

===
Dissident CIA faction 'exposed':

A HIGH-ranking Republican congressman has exposed what he sees as a dissident
faction within the CIA that he says "intentionally undermined" the policies of
US President George W Bush.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13939

===
Hoekstra Says White House ‘Outside the Law':

The White House possibly broke the law by keeping intelligence activities a
secret from the lawmakers responsible for overseeing them, the House
Intelligence Committee chairman said yesterday.
http://www.nysun.com/article/35694

===
Bush may have broken law over intelligence :

The White House kept intelligence activities secret from the lawmakers
responsible for overseeing them until whistleblowers revealed the programmes,
the house intelligence committee chairman said yesterday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1816660,00.html

===
MI5 has secret dossiers on one in 160 adults:

The Government was accused last night of hoarding information about people who
pose no danger to this country, after it emerged that MI5 holds secret files on
272,000 individuals - a staggering one in 160 adults.
http://tinyurl.com/zur2c

===
Saving face over ID :

What do you get when you combine an ambitious IT scheme run by the government
and a plan that threatens to ride roughshod over civil liberties? The answer is
an unholy mess.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2088-2261933,00.html

===
Man Arrested For Protesting Against War In Iraq:

Victor Kittila, 55, of Eastpointe was standing near the road in Ferndale last
week holding a sign that read "Honk if you want Bush Out," according to the
Daily Tribune. Kittila lost the sign after police confiscated it and placed him
under arrest.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/9492566/detail.html

===
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Peace & Joy
Charlyparker
===

Liberty can not be preserved without general knowledge among people." (August
1765) John Adams