Antiwar.com contributor Steve Horn and historian Allen Ruff on Obama’s imperial strategy to control the energy resources of Eurasia.
Category: Asia
Judge, jury & executioner?
Could he [Mr. Obama] order the targeted killing of an American citizen [cleric Anwar al-Awlaki], in a country with which the United States was not at war [Yemen], in secret and without the benefit of a trial?
The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel prepared a lengthy memo justifying that extraordinary step, asserting that while the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process applied, it could be satisfied by internal deliberations in the executive branch.
Mr. Obama gave his approval… Secret Kill List’ Tests Obama’s Principles – NYTimes.com
Yep, judge, jury and executioner.
That used to un-American, not to mention illegal — AND a really bad idea. What happened?
Rand Paul’s Half Right Pander on Pakistan
U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) wants to end U.S. aid to Pakistan. A sound stance by any peace measure even if one doesn’t share the libertarian bent of Antiwar.com’s editors. Foreign aid, a combination of bribes, blood money and welfare, is a fuel of the war machine, corrupting every thing it touches.
Even the most basic humanity toward innocent children.
The Dr. Shakil Afridi whom Dr. Rand Paul praises as a hero for his assistance in helping the U.S. capture and kill Osama bin Laden “concoct[ed] a pretextual vaccination program, whereby Pakistani children would be injected with a single Hepatitis B vaccine, with the hope of gaining access to the Abbottabad house where the CIA believed bin Laden was located. The plan was that, under the ruse of vaccinating the children in that province, he would obtain DNA samples that could confirm the presence in the suspected house of the bin Laden family.”
According to Antiwar.com’s Jason Ditz, “Afridi gave real doses of vaccinations to the children, but it was such an afterthought that they never bothered to provide any follow-up doses, so effectively none of the children were actually vaccinated.”
Now, as a result of Dr. Afridi’s espionage, real doctors doing work in Pakistan are are no longer trusted and are being threatened. Two gunmen in the Pakistani city of Karachi opened fire today on a doctor from the World Health Organization who actually wished to vaccinate children.
One should praise Rand Paul for honoring his oath to the Constitution by rejecting foreign aid. No cheer shall be found however in disregarding this oath when doing right.
Ban Weaponized Drones from the World
From Roots Action:
Meticulous researchers have documented that U.S. drones are killing many innocent civilians in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere. Drones are making the world less stable and creating new enemies. Their remoteness provides those responsible with a sense of immunity.
Weaponized drones are no more acceptable than land mines, cluster bombs, or chemical weapons. The world must renounce and forbid their manufacture, possession, or use. Violators must be held accountable.
Continue reading “Ban Weaponized Drones from the World”
Action Item: Civics 101 — Cutting Defense Means? Not Voting for $642.5 Billion for the Military
Carolyn Eisenberg and Gael Murphy sent this late last night. Please share. Eisenberg and Murphy are co-conveners of the United for Peace and Justice Legislative Working Group.
By Carolyn Eisenberg and Gael Murphy
Some readers probably heard on the news how the Democrats were hopping mad when the House Republicans voted recently to overturn the “sequester” on the Defense budget, enacted at the end of the year as part of the deficit reduction deal. With that money restored, House Republicans cheerfully went about their business of making up the difference by slashing food stamps, Medicaid for children, federally supported Meals-on-Wheels for the elderly and other vulnerable programs. Democrats were united in opposing this move and promptly incorporated it into the campaign narrative of hard-hearted, mean-spirited Republicans, whom they are determined to challenge and expose come November.
But one odd thing occurred last week. In the House Armed Services Committee, when the Republicans put forward a sequester- busting $642.5 billion for the 2013 Defense Authorization bill, Democrats on the Committee overwhelmingly supported it in a lop-sided vote of 56-5.
Continue reading “Action Item: Civics 101 — Cutting Defense Means? Not Voting for $642.5 Billion for the Military”
Old man with long beard apparently murdered in Abbottabad, Pakistan
OK, this is the first anniversary of the U.S. apparently killing someone with a long beard in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The new spin is that Mr. Obama, making a "gutsy call," took the high-risk course of sending in "boots on the ground" rather than using a drone.
Aside from Mr. Obama being "gutsy" because he told folks to go do something dangerous, well, heck, go jump off a bridge. Now I’M gutsy. Right?
The new spin on why Mr. Obama decided on that high-risk (to someone else) course is that he wanted to be sure they actually got bin Laden. What’s that say about the men, women and children they murder with normal drone strikes?
But never mind, the reason given makes sense — they wanted to be able to prove the guy they murdered really was THE Osama bin Laden. Rather than, say, a body double or case of mistaken identity.
So, then, why did they bury the body at sea where no one could make sure it was THE bin Laden? And why shoot the highest-value information-laden target of all time in the head immediately, before he could talk, especially since he wasn’t armed and didn’t resist. And they still don’t want to release photos because, well – – – – ah – – –
Here for the full story: Barack Obama and the Incredible Flying Spaghetti Monster
D.C. really has to stop cutting back on it’s fiction budget – – –