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Obstructing Hamas/Fatah Unity
by Stephen Lendman
Previous unity talks failed. On February 6, more talks were held. Fatah and Hamas officials met in Cairo. At issue are long-delayed reconciliation and new elections.
Reports suggested cause for optimism. It's hard imagining why. Israel and Washington ruptured relations earlier. Efforts followed to isolate and vilify Hamas.
Days before meeting in Cairo, Israeli forces conducted sweeping arrests. Hamas-affiliated officials were targeted. Two MPs were included. Residents identified them as Hebron's Hatim Qafisha and East Jerusalem's Ahmad Attoun.
Mavi Marmara Massacre Whitewash Redux
by Stephen Lendman
In May 2010, Israeli commandos committed premeditated murder. They killed nine humanitarian activists in cold blood. They did so in international waters. They were trying to bring vitally needed aid to besieged Gazans.
Israel wants them isolated. It wants them suffocated. Slow-motion genocide is longstanding policy.
A Human Rights Council investigation followed. It criticized Israel's "outrageous attack on aid ships attempting to breach a blockade on the Gaza Strip."
Israel Commits Crimes Without Punishment
by Stephen Lendman
Israel is a rogue state. It's a serial abuser. It commits crimes without punishment. It tolerates no criticism.
Last May, it suspended contact with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
On April 30, Haaretz headlined "Israel joins UN list of states limiting human rights organizations," saying:
Censure followed an earlier Ministerial Committee on Legislation approval to restrict foreign governments from funding NGOs. It should have been for crimes against humanity. Israel commits them daily.
Recolonization of Africa, a Symptom of Our Addiction to Growth: Differential Accumulation, Why GDP Growth Rates Influence Foreign Policy
by chycho
Let’s continue our conversation from Part 1 and Part 2.
The name of the game when it comes to investing in the markets is that you must not only be ahead of inflation but you must also beat the averages, exceeding the normal rate of return. If you don’t do both then you are neither protecting nor accumulating capital, i.e., in the limit you will lose your wealth. This principle also applies to nations.
Ignoring our need to rely on different economic measures (pdf) other than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a nation to indicate progress, wealth and well-being, if a countries GDP growth rate is below the global average, then over time that country will lose influence and be subject to an unstable economy. In essence, how a countries economy performs is relative to how other countries perform – there is a “growth imperative in capitalist economies” (pdf).
“But why do capitalist economies need to grow? Because competition and the quest for profit compel each business to grow or be wiped out by its competitors.”
The economic theory that best encompasses this principle is Differential Accumulation. It “emphasizes the powerful drive by dominant capital groups to beat the average and exceed the normal rate of return.” The video linked below and the following excerpts from an article entitled “Differential Accumulation” by Shimshon Bichler and Jonathan Nitzan provide further information on this train of thought (emphasis added).
Storming the Bastille Takes Many Forms
By Larry Pinkney
“It is better to die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die.” – Steve Biko
Nothing worth attaining comes into being without conscious struggle.
Everyday ordinary Black, White, Brown, Red, and Yellow people in this nation have been systemically and systematically indoctrinated to believe the fallacious notion that ‘change’ automatically represents ‘progress’ and that progress is somehow inevitable. The fact is that change does not automatically mean progress and real progress does not come about by osmosis nor is it inevitable. Mental consciousness coupled with sustained struggle are essential in bringing about real change and real progress.
US officials confess to targeting Iran’s civilian population, Condemned by every syllable they utter
Franklin Lamb
Tehran -- Azadeh, a graduate law student from Tehran University, on the sidelines of Iran’s Third Annual Hollywoodis (http://www.hollywoodism.orghttp) reminded her interlocutors, of the obvious damming admissions last week by two US politicians:
“It would be a defense lawyer’s worst nightmare wouldn’t it? I mean to have one's clients, in this case the Vice-President of the United States and the outgoing Secretary of state confess so publicly to serial international crimes against a civilian population?”
The confessions and the crimes, she correctly enumerated to her audience, were those admitted to by US Vice-President Joe Biden and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this past week.
Whitewashing Extrajudicial Killing
by Stephen Lendman
Extrajudicial killing is official US policy. Doing so violates fundamental international, constitutional, and US statute laws.
Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
"Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person."
Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states:
"Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life."
Common Article 3 of the four Geneva Conventions states:
"(T)he passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples" are prohibited at all times under all circumstances with no exceptions.
Washington and Israel Target Iran
by Stephen Lendman
Escalating anti-Iranian tensions continues. More on what's ongoing below.
February 10 marks Iran's 1979 revolution's 34th anniversary. On January 31, 10 days of commemorative activities began.
Imam Khomeini was exiled for 15 years in Paris. On February 1, 1979, he returned to Tehran. Doing so marked the beginning of Ten Days of Dawn.
On February 10, they culminated successfully. A generation of repressive Reza Shah Pahlavi rule ended. He was Washington's man in Tehran.
Big Oil’s in Good Hands with Sally Jewell
by Stephen Lendman
On February 6, Obama chose Jewell as new Interior Secretary. More on her below.
She'll replace Ken Salazar. He supported BP's Deepwater Horizon operation. He ignored environmental risks. He approved BP's exploration plan with no environmental analysis.
His negligence permitted Gulf of Mexico disaster. After BP's rig exploded, he granted "categorical exemptions" to expand offshore drilling. He surpassed Bush administration policies.
He and Obama share culpability. They back dangerous nuclear expansion. They're beholden to oil and gas interests. Drill, drill, drill is official policy. Lip service alone is paid to environmental concerns.
Salazar's environmental record was deplorable. As junior Colorado senator, he opposed fuel efficiency. He supported unrestricted oil and gas drilling on federal lands.
New York Times Misinformation on Syria
by Stephen Lendman
Managed news misinformation reflects official Times policy. It's standard practice. It's longstanding.
Truth is verboten. It's systematically avoided. Readers are betrayed. They're lied to daily.
On January 31, the Gloria Center Global Research in International Affairs asked if Times editors published "obviously faked photos." PJ Media's Middle East editor Barry Rubin's report was featured.
Suspect photos should have raised red flags. They should have been rejected. Times editors gave them front page coverage. Others were featured in a gallery online.
The front page caption read:
"Top, two insurgents in Damascus took positions before being hit by army snipers; the fighter on the right died soon after being dragged from the line of fire."
"On the political front, Syria’s top opposition leader expressed a willingness for the first time to talk with the government."
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