Der Chilcot-Bericht diese Woche über die Rolle Britanniens beim Einmarsch in den Irak 2003 war so höflich und reserviert wie eine ordentliche englische Teeparty. Keine direkten Beschuldigungen, keine Rede von Kriegsverbrechen durch den damaligen Premierminister Tony Blair oder dessen Leitstern, Präsident George W. Bush. Aber immerhin ziemlich belastend.
Daily Archives: 9. Juli 2016
Demokratie, das kann weg
Bei der Oberhauswahl am Sonntag stimmen die Japaner womöglich über ihre Freiheit ab. Premier Abe möchte sie einschränken. Nur scheinen das viele Wähler nicht zu merken.
Same policies as usual: The IMF wants lowering of Greece’s €586-gross Minimum Wage
What if we hear again and again, International Monetary Fund officials saying “we have made mistakes with the Greek program” and the usual stuff. The IMF keeps up its neo-liberal policies and will keep them up till the end of the days.
Britische Regierung lehnt Forderungen nach zweitem Brexit-Referendum ab
Grossbritannien müsse sich nun auf den Austritt aus der EU vorbereiten, stellt das Aussenministerium klar. In den Verhandlungen mit Brüssel werde sich die Regierung dafür einsetzen, „das bestmögliche Ergebnis für das britische Volk“ zu erzielen.
Protest gegen Räumungsaktion in Bûre (Frankreich)
„Eine riesige Polizeiarmada tauchte am frühen Morgen im besetzten Wald von Mandres-en-Barrois auf. Der polizeiliche Angriff erfolgte brutal ohne richtige Vorwarnung. Die Polizei setzte diverse Granaten und Flash-Ball – oder Flashball ähnliche – Gewehre gegen die Aktivist*innen ein. Die gesamte Camp-Infrastruktur wurde beschlagnahmt. Es wurden am frühen Nachmittag eine verletzte Person und eine Ingewahrsamnahme gemeldet.“
Umstrittener Handelsvertrag: EU-Kommission will Ceta vorläufig in Kraft setzen
„Der vorläufigen Anwendung ist keine zeitliche Grenze gesetzt“, sagte der Kommissionsfachmann. „Sie dauert an, bis der Vertrag abschließend ratifiziert ist.“ Was aber, wenn das nie geschieht, weil ein Parlament oder mehrere die Ratifizierung verweigern? „Das weiß niemand, weil es noch nie passiert ist“, so der Beamte.
Handelsabkommen: Nationale Parlamente dürfen bei Ceta mitentscheiden
(5.7.2016) Daher schlage die Kommission ein neues Verfahren vor: Die nationalen Parlamente sollen am Ratifizierungsprozess beteiligt werden. Gleichzeitig solle das Abkommen jedoch bereits „provisorisch“ in Kraft treten, wenn es von den EU-Staaten gebilligt und vom Europaparlament verabschiedet wurde.
Freihandelsabkommen: EU will Ceta ohne nationale Parlamente ratifizieren
(28.6.2016) Die EU-Kommission will das Freihandelsabkommen mit Kanada schnell und an den Parlamenten vorbei beschließen. Sie fürchtet nationale Blockaden.
Orwellscher Neusprech des Jahrhunderts. Nato will „Wiederbelebung der nuklearen Kultur“.
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Norbert Lammert warnt: die Macht darf nie wieder in den Händen des Volkes liegen. Gegen #Volksabstimmung. #FindeDenFehler
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Volksabstimmungen: Das Volk ist unfähig zu komplexen Entscheidungen
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Auch Bundeswehr beteiligt: Nato schickt Awacs-Flugzeuge gegen den IS .. via @ntvde
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NATO‘s AWACS surveillance jets to fly over Turkey against ISIL
NATO leaders agreed 9 July on a set of decisions to project stability beyond the Alliance’s borders, including starting a new training and capacity building effort in Iraq and the use of AWACS surveillance aircraft on the Turkish sky to support the strikes by the coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Nato-Gipfel in Polen: Allianz unterstützt weiterhin Afghanistan
Die Nato bleibt in Afghanistan aktiv, die finanzielle Hilfe bis 2020 steht. „Wir werden unser Engagement im Norden Afghanistans zusammen mit unseren Partnern fortsetzen“, so die Kanzlerin. Zuvor hatte sie beim Gipfel angekündigt, dass Deutschland die verstärkte Nato-Präsenz im Osten mit einen Beitrag in Litauen unterstützen wird.
Merkel Urged to Temper NATO’s Belligerence
We longtime U.S. intelligence officers again wish to convey our concerns and cautions directly to you prior to a critically important NATO summit – the meeting that begins on July 8 in Warsaw. We were gratified to learn that our referenced memorandum reached you and your advisers before the NATO summit in Wales, and that others too learned of our initiative via the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which published a full report on our memorandum on Sept. 4, the day that summit began.
Geheimdienst-Veteranen warnen Merkel: „Einige spielen gerne Cowboy“
Ehemalige hochrangige Beamte der amerikanischen Sicherheitsdienste warnen die deutsche Regierung vor einer schärferen militärischen Gangart gegenüber Russland. Die amerikanischen Dissidenten stellen einen Generationenkonflikt in der Außenpolitik fest. Die aktuellen Eliten versagen im Umgang mit Russland.
Grenzenloser Hass
INZWISCHEN leben die beiden Völker anscheinend in zwei verschiedenen Welten. Ein Jahrhunderte altes arabisches Dorf und eine neue israelische Siedlung, die nur eine Meile voneinander entfernt sind, könnten ebenso gut auf zwei verschiedenen Planeten liegen.
A Primer: USAID & US Hegemony
Iraq and Afghanistan are extreme examples of the US exercising global hegemony, which included spectacular, full-scale military invasions, lengthy occupations, and nationwide “nation-building” carried out by various organizations utilized by the US to project power abroad.
One of these organizations is USAID. It should be, but rarely is, troubling to the world’s nations that USAID played an integral part in the invasion, occupation, and conquest of Iraq and Afghanistan, while it also maintains an extensive presence everywhere else US interests have directed their attention.
USAID and a virtual army of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and front-companies it supports worldwide, are engaged in activities in other nations ranging from education, energy, natural resources, economic development, transportation, and security – or in other words everything foreign nations should already be attending to themselves.
Polluting Air and Water: The US Air Force Blue Angel F-18 Uses a Highly Toxic Propellant Fuel
These elite sociopaths who have both political and economic power could just as well be saying to us: “to hell with the long-term sustainability of Mother Earth. And to hell with you peasants in the lower 99% who depend on the health and sustainability of Mother Earth’s air, water and soil. We in the upper 1% got ours by hook or by crook, thanks to our owned media, our owned politicians, our owned lawyers, our owned judges, our owned police, our owned lobbyists, our gated communities and our body guards, and we dare you to try to take any of it back.”
Unsafe at Any Level? Dangerous Chemicals Everywhere, Part 2
The MAD agreement explains much of the regulatory inaction over the plastic bisphenol A (BPA), for example. Because of MAD, FDA and also its European equivalent, the European Food Safety Authority, have ignored the hundreds of peer-reviewed BPA studies—since they are not GLP— in favor of just two by industry. These two industry studies, whose credibility and conclusions have been publicly disputed by independent scientists, showed no ill effects of BPA.
A good way to celebrate freedom: Close Guantánamo Bay
Seven years ago, I reviewed The Least Worst Place: Guantánamo‘s First 100 Days, and the author, Karen Greenberg, joined in the discussion. All these years later, this book still haunts:
First Commanding Officer of Guantanamo Detention Center Urges Congress to Close Facility
“We can win the fight against terrorism and religious extremism, but only if we adhere to our American values,” wrote Gen. Lehnert, the first commanding officer at Guantanamo Bay. “Guantanamo’s continued existence hurts us in our prosecution of the fight against terrorists.”
Cameron says MPs to vote on nuclear weapons system
A significant number of Labour MPs, however, are likely to support the renewal of the system. Corbyn is expected to offer the lawmakers a free vote on the issue.
Nach extremen Geheuchel: „Grüne“ winken „Anti-Terror-Paket“ im Bundesrat durch
Wie beim Terrorkrieg jedwede pazifistische Organisation, knipst sich auch bei den entsprechenden Terrorgesetzen jedwede Bürgerrechtsorganisation genauso aus wie die angebliche „parlamentarische Opposition“, der sie alle hinterher laufen.
The biggest reason to not vote for #Hillary is she will get the #USA into yet another war in the ME! #endlesswar
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Zapruder film Zoomed in plus SUPER SLOW MOTION (HIGH QUALITY)
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They would rather have murderers go free than have a scenario that doesn‘t fit their intended sole shooter narrative. #Dallas
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Multiple Shooters/Triangulation – Dallas Police Shooting 7/7/16
Dallas Police report multiple shooters, triangulation, on 7/7/16. Some officers were shot in the back.
@cnni @donlemon NO WAY was this the sole shooter. Defies logic as to facts on ground as situation unfolded. Please investigate #askquestions
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Ermittlungen in Dallas: Heckenschütze vermutlich Einzeltäter
Die Behörden vermuten inzwischen, dass Johnson ein Einzeltäter war. Heimatschutzminister Jeh Johnson sagte in New York: „In diesem Stadium scheint es, dass er ein Einzeltäter war, ohne eine bekannte Verbindung oder Inspiration durch irgendeine internationale terroristische Gruppe.“
Die Polizei hatte zunächst von mehreren Tätern gesprochen.
America’s Electronic Police State
(21.4.2016) Information is power. Imagine if agents of the State didn’t know where you live. How could it collect property taxes, arrest you, conscript you or your children, or record phone calls? Imagine if the State did not know your finances. How could it snatch your money, garnish your wages, freeze accounts, or confiscate gold? Total information is total power. That‘s why the surveillance state views privacy itself as an indication of crime—not as one of violence, but as a crime against the State.
FBI Orders Florida Police To Deny Public Records Requests On Orlando Attack
(1.7.2016) Under the guise of protecting the investigation — as well as the victims and their families — the letter asks law enforcement agencies to deny information to anyone asking and “immediately notify the FBI of any requests your agency received” so “the FBI can seek to prevent disclosure through appropriate channels, as necessary.”
FBI Vacuums Up Local Law Enforcement Documents To Block Open Records Requests About Orlando Shooting
The FBI has decided to insert itself into another public records battle. The agency has long been known to cc: itself to public records requests for Stingray documents, but this time it‘s claiming any requests for local law enforcement documents related to the Orlando nightclub shooting need to be routed through it.
Alfano must go, M5S insists
The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) on Thursday reiterated a demand that Interior Minister Angelino Alfano quit over wiretaps in a graft case concerning his brother, who got a job with the Italian post office, and his father, who allegedly recommended 80 people for jobs there.
None of the three Alfanos is under investigation.
PD backs Alfano in wiretap probe (2)
(5.7.2016) The ruling Democratic Party (PD) on Wednesday backed the head of its junior governing partner the New Centre Right (NCD), Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, in a case of wiretaps purporting to show his brother unduly got a Post Office job.
EU ‚ready to intervene‘ on Italian banks
(6.7.2016) “There is constant contact with Italian authorities“, said the commissioner. “We are ready to intervene on the banking sector, if necessary – how will depend on Italian requests“.
M5S reiterates opposition to Rome 2024
The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) on Thursday reiterated its opposition to Rome‘s bid for the 2024 Olympics, as M5S mayor Virginia Raggi chaired her first council meeting in the Italian capital.
New democratic era opening in Rome-Raggi
Rome has been run by an unelected special commissioner since former mayor Ignazio Marino stepped down in October.
Italy ‚must respect bail-in rules‘: Eurogroup chief admits others helped banks with public money
Lower House Speaker Laura Boldrini said the EU must help Italy find a solution.
Intervention for banks not ruled out
Bank of Italy Governor Ignazio Visco said Friday that it was possible that the State could intervene to help the country‘s troubled banking sector.
EU Commission to sanction Spain & Portugal with fines and funding blocking
The European Commission has officially launched the procedure to impose sanctions against Spain and Portugal for deficits of more than 3% in their budgets 2015. In a statement the EC paved the way for fines against its two members and suspension of part EU Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF).
Portugal and Spain might be fined by European Union
The failure to comply the commitment is because the public deficit of Spain and Portugal went over 3 percent of their Gross Domestic Product, which is superior to the limits fixed by the EU economic stability agreement.
Russlands Achillesferse
Wenn Putins Partei Vereintes Russland die Wahlen am 18. September verliert, wird das nicht wegen seiner Außenpolitik sein, für die er immer noch 80 % + hat, sondern weil Russland nicht den Augiasstall des Gaidar Kindergartens ausgemistet hat.
Tigrean People’s Liberation Front Tigray 90, Tigrean Revolutionary Songs no 27
This rare cassette from Tigray, Eritrea, which is part of a long series from the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front, was “found in Muna’s grandma’s closet.” I received it from Palm Wine, Italy, who asked that I note it’s origin. Although the sound quality is not great—even by this site’s meager standards—the tape is musically and historically fascinating so I thought I’d share.
Land of Idiocracy from State Is Burning by Useless ID
Useless ID Haifa, Israel
Former Selves: Morriña
An opus to loneliness and isolation.
Auasca is proud to present 2 new pieces from Former Selves (Paul Skomsvold).
Morriña, the Galician word from the region in Spain, used to describe an intense longing for something that is no longer there. Like being homesick.
Arriving in Spain with no instruments, field recordings from daily walks in the Spanish countryside form the base of this album. Field recordings were arranged into compositions before hitting a single note of an instrument.
Die Folgen eines Atomkraftwerk Unfalls
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Strafanzeige gegen die BGR – BI fordert Überarbeitung der BGR-Homepage
Die Bürgerinitiative Umweltschutz Lüchow-Dannenberg e.V. (BI) fordert die Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR) auf, ihre tendenziösen Darstellungen zur Eignung Gorlebens als nukleares Endlager und das eindeutige Eintreten für Salz als Endlagerformation auf ihrer Homepage zu korrigieren, das sei überfällig.
Protestations à travers les Etats-Unis contre les crimes policiers
Après les récents meurtres de prolétaires noirs dans le Minnesota et en Louisiane, des manifestations ont eu lieu dans la plupart des grandes villes des Etats-Unis contre les violences policières et le racisme ce 7 juillet.(videos)
UK foreign secretary: US decision on Iraqi army led to rise of Isis
(7.Juli) The UK has stepped up its criticism of US conduct of the Iraq war, with the foreign secretary saying the single most disastrous mistake was the mass removal of supporters of the Ba’ath party from the Iraqi army, which he claimed led directly to the formation of Islamic State.